Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Child ❯ One-Shot

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Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own the characters of Rurouni Kenshin
and neither do I own the song “Wild Child”.Wild Child          Ever closed your eyes,          Ever stopped and listened,      &n bsp;  Ever feel alive,      &nbsp ;  And you’ve nothing missing,      &nb sp;  You don’t need a reason,      &nbs p;  Let the day go on and on. It was late at night. Rubbing his temples, he put down the account book and
blew out the candle, throwing the room into shadows. The only light that
could still be seen was that of the moon. Quietly, he padded down the
corridor to his room and slipped under the covers, smiling slightly as the
small curled figure underneath huddled closer to him. He never imagined
that he would ever feel contentment again, and yet, here he was, happy and
generally satisfied with his lot in life. He could still remember that
momentous day when his life changed for the better. It was peaceful in the temple. It always was. That was why he liked to come
here. It was the only place where he could have enough peace and quiet for
meditation. But somehow, he couldn’t find the peace and quiet he sought
when he meditated anymore. Instead, all he could see in his mind’s eye was
a pair of horrified sea-blue eyes, the innocence in them shattering as
blood splattered all over the place. He grunted silently, and tried to get
his mind of that particular pair of eyes, but somehow, no matter what he
did, his mind always showed him some other scene that had HER in it. Quickly, he opened his eyes. No, he told himself sternly. He couldn’t
afford to think of her anymore. She was such a sweet innocent child, and he
couldn’t stain that purity of hers anymore than he already had. He knew
that she loved him, but was it true love or was it just a crush? He didn’t
know, and anyway, he refused to dwell on that matter. She needed someone
who didn’t have such blood-stained hands as he had. She should find someone
who was just as pure as she was, and not with someone who was as tainted as
he was. He loved her too much to want to destroy that innocence she still
retained from childhood. He stood up abruptly. He had to get out and walk about instead of sitting
there musing and brooding. Walking swiftly, he soon left the temple grounds
and made his way to the riverside, unconsciously moving towards a favourite
spot of his during his youth. The limpid and liquid sound of the river
always soothed him, and allowed him to become calm and analytical. Upon reaching the river bank, he took a deep breath of cool, fresh air. He
could smell the rain coming. He didn’t care though, the rain was always a
good friend and close ally of his. He felt at ease with the rain, welcomed
it, in fact. He stopped by a large sakura tree and jumped up, settling
himself in comfortably among its branches. What should he do about Misao? She claimed that she loved him, that he was
the only one for him. But how could he take advantage of that outrageous
claim of hers? After all, he had nearly killed Okina and had betrayed the
Oniwabanshuu. Plus, his men had died for him to live. How could he burden
her with his guilt? No, she was better off without knowing his feelings,
otherwise, she might come up with some hare-brained idea to marry him. No,
he couldn’t allow it. But to see her married to some oaf who wouldn’t
appreciate her true worth was yet something else. She was too unique to
just be given away to any mere man. She was a burning flame and he intended
that that flame not be smothered. But where would he find such a man worthy
of his Misao? Wait. His Misao? No, he shouldn’t even be thinking of her
that way. If this continued further, he might eventually seriously
contemplate keeping her all to himself, and that shouldn’t be allowed, for
he was too old and tainted for her. But what if that was what she really
wanted? His traitorous mind whispered. What if she didn’t care about all
that? What if she could handle it? No, he told himself firmly. He shouldn’t even think about that, as tempting
as it was. It was out of the question.     &n bsp;   Let the rain fall down,          Everywhere around you,       & amp;nbsp; Give in to it now,       & amp;nbsp; Let the day surround you,       & amp;nbsp; You don’t need a reason,      &nbs p;  Let the rain go on and on. Sitting in the tree branches, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Looking
up, he realised that it was starting to drizzle. He gave a sigh and just
leaned back against the tree trunk, allowing raindrops to fall on him. He
greeted it, for it seemed as thought the rain was cleansing him. Soon, it
started to rain a little harder, but he didn’t care, he just surrendered to
the elements, welcoming its embrace. It was then he felt a very familiar qi coming towards him, and at the same
time, heard someone calling his name. He sighed and jumped down. The minute he landed, something heavy collided with him. He gave a small
“oomph” of surprise at the impact and looked down a little dazedly at it.
It was Misao. While he wasn’t surprised that it was her, what had him
mildly surprised was that she had wrapped her arms around his waist and
buried her head in his chest. He could hear vaguely that she was talking to
him, but the words that came out of her mouth were muffled by his clothes
and the steady pattering of rain. “Misao...” He gently prised her of him and looked into her tear-stained face.
“Are you okay?” “Aoshi-sama... please don’t do that again, I thought that you were leaving me
again!” she cried, tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him.
“Don’t ever leave again, you hear me!” She started hitting him weakly with
her fists as she cried. He was stunned and kept quiet, enfolding her in his embrace, rocking her
gently. “Hush, Misao... I won’t leave you alone again, ok? Everything will be
alright.” He continued to rock her gently in an effort to sooth her,
ignoring the rain. “Why are you always so concerned about me? It’s not
right, Misao, you deserve someone better than me.” He thought, unaware that
he had actually said it out loud. “Aoshi, you dolt!” cried Misao, “What do you mean by that? Do you really
think so little of yourself? I love you, you idiot, nothing will ever
changed that! I’ve loved you since I first met you!” She yelled, starting
to hit him again. “Huh?” was his intelligent reply. “Did I say that out loud? And did she
just call me Aoshi?” he thought wildly, his hands automatically coming up
to hold her wrists and stop her from hitting him. “Misao...” he whispered, as she sullenly ceased pummelling him, her ocean
blue eyes staring up at him, blazing. “Stop putting yourself down, Aoshi,”
she muttered. “I don’t care about what you’ve done, I only want you.” He gazed at her, losing himself in her eyes, those deep blue pools full of
fire, passion and innocence. Should he take the chance? Should he just let
himself go and take the chance? Or should he just withdraw again? Didn’t
she deserve someone better than him? Yes, she did, cried a part of him, and
yet, another part of him didn’t want her to be with another man, it wanted
her to stay with him always. Torn, he hesitated, not knowing what to do. Sensing his uncertainty, Misao decided to take matters into her own hands
as she grasped fistfuls of his yukata and pulled him down, pressing her
lips to his. Too stunned to register what was happening, he automatically
crushed his mouth to hers, savouring her sweetness and softness. No! his
rational mind cried out. You shouldn’t be doing this! You’ll get her
tainted with your past! But his more sensitive side had taken over. Feel
this, it whispered. Doesn’t this feel right? This is Misao, your soul mate,
the only one who could ever complete you and you know it. Don’t let this
slip away from you just because of your past. Live and learn. It whispered.
And so, he surrendered to the inevitable and let his guard down. Breaking
off their passionate kiss, he hugged her fiercely. “Love you too, Misao-
mine...” he whispered hoarsely into her ear. They stood that way for a while,
unaware that the rain was beginning to turn into a storm. Snapping out of his trance, he scooped her up bridal style and started
running. “Aoshi!” she gasped as she threw her arms around his neck,
startled at his sudden action. “Later, Misao, we need to get back before we catch our death of cold.” He
said. “Besides,” he continued, a rare smile broke out, “we have a wedding
to plan.”    &nbsp ;    What a day,       & amp;nbsp; What a day,       & amp;nbsp; To take to,       &a mp;nbsp; What a way,       & amp;nbsp; What a way,       & amp;nbsp; To make it through,      &nb sp;  What a day,       & amp;nbsp; What a day,       & amp;nbsp; To take to,       &a mp;nbsp; A wild child. Aoshi paced nervously back and forth across the room. Today he was getting
married to Misao and he was plagued by last minute doubts. What if she
didn’t want him? What if she realised that he was too old and too soiled
for her? What if she met someone else she preferred better? He was just
contemplating bolting from the room when a light baritone voice stopped
him. “Don’t you even think about it.” He whirled around to face a very serious looking Kenshin. Although not in
Battousai mode, he was more serious than his rurouni mode. “I know what
you’re thinking.” Said Kenshin as he took one step into the room. “I
thought the same thing myself when I married Kaoru. In fact, if Sano hadn’t
been there, I might have just done it.” He said with a grin. Aoshi looked at Kenshin. “I guess all bridegrooms feel this way huh?” a wry
grin found its way to his lips. “Well, most of them anyway. I can’t imagine
Saitou feeling this way.” “Yes, that is so. But it is actually the bride’s privilege to feel that,
not us. Anyway, be happy with her, Aoshi. She’s been waiting for a long
time already. Treasure her always. May your life be as blissful as mine and
Kaoru’s has been.” Replied Kenshin, clasping Aoshi’s hands. “Now go, I
think it’s time already.” Nodding, Aoshi walked out of the room. He could still remember the time when he realised he loved her. He had been
out for a walk that day when he came across her, practising in the field
with her kunai. She was so graceful, with her black braid flipping out
behind her. Her face was tinged with a healthy rose pink and her skin was
as smooth and white like peaches and cream. Her normally cheerful and
mischievous eyes and face were serious, not a single smile could be seen.
Instead, a look of total concentration was on her face. Her body, though
slim and a bit boyish, was breathtaking. Her movements as she trained were
swift and fluid, just like the professional ninja that she was. Her slim
legs gleamed white in the sun and Aoshi noted that he’d better talk to her
about getting another uniform soon. The one she currently had was too
revealing. He’d have to chase the men away from her if they ever saw her
like this. It was then he realised that he was becoming possessive of her,
guarding her jealously like a miser guarding his money. And that was also
when he realised he loved her.      & amp;nbsp;  Only take the time,          From the helter-skelter,          Everyday you find,          Everything’s in kilter,      &nbs p;  You don’t need a reason,      &nbs p;  Let the day go on and on. He remembered the time when he first met Misao-chan. She was only five
years old and literally acted like a little tsunami. He had been to see the
Okashira for the first time, to deliver a message to him. He had never been
to the Okashira’s house before and the first thing he had seen was a little
girl of about five running around, laughing as her mother chased after her.
She ran straight into him. “Ouch,” she had said as she bounced back from
the force of impact, landing a few metres away from him. “That hurt.”
Pouting, she looked up at him and said petulantly, “You were supposed to
move out of the way when people are walking and not hit them.” Crossing her
arms, she glared at him and stuck out her tongue as her mother reached her.
Boy, he thought, was she a wild one. “Ne, Misao-chan, it’s not nice to stick your tongue out at people you don’t
know. Don’t ever do that again,” she chided the little girl. “And no more
monkey tricks, okay? What were you thinking when you painted your
grandfather’s beard pink?” “But Okaa-san, grandfather always frowns because he wears dark colours. I
thought that if he had some bright colours, he might become more cheerful.”
Whined the little kid as she looked up at her mother. “Oh Misao-chan,” her mother sighed. Picking her up, Misao’s mother looked
at him. “And what brings you here, young one?” “I’m looking for Makimachi-san,” he stated quietly, looking at Misao’s
mother. “I’ve a message for him from headquarters.” “Oh, right this way please.” She said as turned towards the house. “Thank you.” He said as he stared at the toddler she carried. Her ocean
blue eyes threatened to drown him in their blue depths. He had never seen
anything as enchanting as those blue eyes of the child, Misao. So blue and
deep, and innocent. He vowed silently there and then that he would try his
utmost to make sure that those eyes never lost their innocent look. And
though he did not know it, a bond had been forged between them on that day.      & amp;nbsp;  Every summer sun,       & amp;nbsp; Every winter evening,      &nb sp;  Every spring to come,          Every autumn leaving,      &nb sp;  You don’t need a reason,      &nbs p;  Let it all go on and on. Throughout the years that followed, he was picked and groomed as the
successor of the Okashira, Makimachi-san, and, as a result, spent more time
with Misao-chan and she, in turn, grew close to his best friends: Hannya,
Beshimi, Hyokotto and Shikijou. She loved playing with them, playing hide-
and-seek, telling stories and generally, getting into all kinds of
mischief. But her favourite was Aoshi, and in time, he became her idol. In
fact, he could hardly do anything without having his shadow behind him, her
questions of “Why/ What/ Who/ When/ How, Aoshi-sama?” driving him crazy as
he tried to find answers to her never-ending stream of questions. As she grew older, he along with Hannya, Beshimi, Hyokotto and Shikijou
started teaching her ninja skills and they all took pride in her
achievements, praising her every time she succeeded in mastering a new
skill. And then came the time the first blight of her happiness. Her
father, the Okashira died while completing a mission. He succeeded, but at
the cost of his life. Being the little child she was, she didn’t understand
why her daddy was so pale and cold, and why he didn’t talk to her or hug
her like he used to. She just didn’t understand. And then, unable to bear
the thought of being alone, Misao’s mother faded out, following her husband
to the other realm. Misao was left alone but for the five of them, Aoshi,
Hannya, Beshimi, Hyokotto and Shikijou. He then brought her to the Aoiya, where she met Okina, which she stubbornly
called Jiya, Okon, Omasu and other members of the Oniwabanshuu. Growing up
among them, she soon became their little flower, their ray of sunshine,
brightening up everything and everyone as she passed them. And then, came
the worst of blight on her happiness in her young life. Aoshi-sama, as she
called him, left on a mission with her other close playmates, leaving her
behind. She was never to see Hannya, Beshimi, Hyokotto and Shikijou again. And when he came back, he had changed so much since the last time she saw
him, his hands tainted with blood, his heart burdened with sorrow and
guilt. Shaking his head slightly to clear it from such dark thoughts, Aoshi
smiled. The past didn’t matter anymore, for she had accepted him, the proof
being the wedding ceremony that was now taking place. Aoshi stepped up onto
the dais, and knelt next to Misao, her head bowed underneath the wedding
veil. His hand strayed to his side and he grasped Misao’s hand tightly as
the priest gave his blessings and sanctioned their marriage. Now and
forever, they would be together, he thought contentedly. Looking into her
deep, ocean blue eyes, he felt blessed. For the wild child who had captured
his heart was now his, to be cherished, loved and protected forever.     &nb sp;   What a day,       & amp;nbsp; What a day,       & amp;nbsp; To take to,       &a mp;nbsp; What a way,       & amp;nbsp; What a way,       & amp;nbsp; To make it through,      &nb sp;  What a day,       & amp;nbsp; What a day,       & amp;nbsp; To take to,       &a mp;nbsp; A wild child. The sound of a young child’s laughter rang throughout the Aoiya. “Catch me
if you can, Jiya!” The young boy called out, his ocean-blue eyes sparkling
and his coal-black hair flying about. A fuming Okina started chasing after him, “Come back here, you little
brat!” He yelled. Muttering under his breath, he said, “You’re as bad as
your mum was when she was a kid.” The little boy just laughed and continued running, only to bump into a tall
figure. “Oof!” he said as he landed on the ground with a loud thump.
Rubbing his head, he looked up to see his father standing there, faint
amusement in his eyes. “Hannya, what did you do to Jiya?” he asked, as he bent down to hold the
young boy by the arm. The little boy scrunched up his face and whined, “Otou-san, I didn’t do
anything, honest! Jiya’s always crotchety, that’s all!” “Ah, there you are, Aoshi! Look at what your son did!” fumed Okina as he
pointed to his face, waving his hands wildly about. Aoshi took one look, and narrowly missed bursting out into peals of
undignified laughter, for Okina’s face had been painted black with white
squiggles all over and his beard was a bright red. Instead he gravely asked
Hannya, “Why did you do that, Hannya? Apologise to Jiya now, all right?” “But Otou-san,” Hannya whined. “He told me that I could play with him
anytime I wanted but since he was sleeping when I wanted to play with him,
I thought that I would save time and make his face up before playing.” “Oh? And what did you want him to become?” Aoshi asked with an amused quirk
of his eyebrow, looking at the still fuming Okina through the corner of his
eye. “He was to become the bogey man! He’s good at that, Otou-san!” “Well, Hannya, even then you should ask permission before you do something
like that okay? Now apologise to Jiya,” said Aoshi gravely, though his eyes
twinkled in amusement and his lips curved upwards in a smile. “Okay, Otou-san,” Hannya turned towards Okina and bowed, “Sorry for
painting your face Jiya, but since I’ve done it already, can we continue
playing?” Okina looked irritated for a moment before smiling, “Alright you imp. But
you’d better not do it again or I will EAT you up! GRRR!” And with a shriek of laughter, the chase continued. Aoshi stepped aside and
looked at the two of them in amusement before shaking his head and entering
his bedroom. Misao was there, folding some clothes neatly to be put away. Looking up, she asked, “What was all that ruckus about?” “Nothing much,” he replied, “Just Hannya up to mischief again.” “Oh. What did he do?” Grinning widely, Aoshi replied. “Painted Okina’s face and beard, just like
what his mum did once upon a time.” “Oh, dear.” Misao grinned rather sheepishly. “He’s going to be a handful,
just like me.” “Oh, certainly,” Aoshi said blandly. “So what are we going to do about
that?” “Well, I was thinking that maybe we should get Kenshin and Kaoru’s little
girl over, maybe she might be able to tame him or something.” “What? You want to match-make Hannya with Kyoko-chan already? You sure are
starting fast.”
“Well, I was around his age when I first met you, wasn’t I?” Misao said,
defending herself. Laughing, Aoshi hugged her. “Alright, I concede defeat, but that doesn’t
mean that things would go as smoothly as you want. So how about making
Hannya a little sister while we’re at it?” he whispered huskily into her
ear. Smiling widely, Misao kissed him. “I wouldn’t mind it at all.”          -+=OWARI=+-
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