Samurai X Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Game Of Hearts ❯ Teaser & Chapter 1: Clicking ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. This is not for profit.

 

Author's Notes: This is my first RK fanfiction. So keeping that in mind, feel free to R & R. It's very much appreciated. No flames, please, unless they're constructive (in which case they won't be flames, right?). Oh yeah, sorry if any chapters seem short >.< I also hope you don't mind reading thinking bits...

 

Actually, I started on this a long time ago... but haven't had the inspiration or time to until now. I doubt anybody would remember though.

 

TattleTale

 

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Teaser

 

It was back in that dark and quiet room again. The same shadowed, brooding figure, sitting behind the desk, stared at him, barely highlighted by the rays of the setting sun streaming in through the blinds behind him.

 

"Watch it, Shinomori," he calmly stated. For a while, Aoshi simply stared back. It was not apparent what he was thinking about, if he was, at all, doing so. Then he spoke.

 

"I understand," he replied as he abruptly turned and walked out the door.

 

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Chapter 1: Clicking

 

It's raining again, Misao thought gloomily as she sat down at the edge of the wooden floor, resting her head between her open palms, poking out from shelter a little so that the raindrops pattered down on her nose. It wasn't that she hated the cool of the rain, or the smell of refreshing fallen dew in the air. It had simply been raining far too frequently lately, even for the rainy season.

 

Aoshi had taken a trip out of town a few days back, on a mission, apparently, although he refused to tell her what it was about. Oh, she was piffed about it, of course - she was supposed to be the Okashira, after all. (Heh, Aoshi had not taken the position back officially, but essentially, he had taken the job back, so, okay, she had no reason in being the "Okashira" to know... still, she did deserve some level of personal respect.) But now, she simply missed him and wanted him to return as soon as possible, and it was probably the case that the rain was the one factor which caused his delay.

 

Ah well, not like her pining for him all day would bring him back any sooner. Misao picked herself up, careful not to get more of herself wet, and went into the Aoiya to see what she could do despite the rain. She was feeling all clean and cosy, having just taken a bath, and didn't want to get herself dirtier, so outdoor activities were out of the question. Rain brought fewer customers to the Aoiya, so Omasu and Okon probably didn't need her help.

 

Seems like the only thing left to do now is to train.

 

Walking past Aoshi's room on the way to the training hall, she reconsidered her options. The rest of the Aoiya's occupants weren't in the room's vicinity at the moment... and they wouldn't actually go into Aoshi's room without his permission on a normal basis either. If she slipped in right now, she might just have a chance to explore his room. She had never done that before - not that she had had any reason to anyway, not like she had dared to ask him for permission anyway. But why today? People explore in search of something they presume to be there, in hopes of discovering something new. What would she be searching for? What would she discover?

 

Come to think of it, she probably had lots to search for. It wasn't too long ago that she had come to Tokyo with Aoshi on that mission to retrieve Kaoru from Enishi's maniacal grasp. It wasn't all that long ago that she had worked with Aoshi on that small boat to trigger the mines before it reached them. And they had returned to Kyoto not too long after that. She thought he was taking time to figure himself out, especially after what Kenshin had said to him during their battle at Shishio's domain. And it seemed that he was finally beginning to open up - it showed during that brief period of co-operation. If she knew him at all, if he was still Aoshi - the same Aoshi she had known when she was eight, essentially - that would have been proof that he was beginning to open up to her, and he should have continued to do so even after that. She didn't know why... it might seem natural to others that he corrected her judgement on the bearing of the mines, sure, but it was the way in which he did it... the look in his eyes, the delighted, calmed patience which only she seemed to sense. To others, she might well have figured it out wrongly, but she had never been wrong, especially when it came to him. That one, brief period of co-operation... it showed something much deeper.

 

But it ended there. When he came back, there had been no particular event or incident to show that the relationship they shared had grown more intimate or serious. Just his usual subtly caring ways. Hence, the same question she had been asking for what seemed to be forever - sure he feels for me, but does he feel for me the way I feel for him?

 

And it seemed that he had been hinting at the answer for some time. That was bearable. But then, he had suddenly gone silent. And that silence was killing her. She simply had to know. So what am I searching for here? What do I think I'll discover?

 

A moment after she had paused to think outside his room door, she slid it open and entered into the dimness of his domain.

 

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He sat down on the seat offered to him, pushing a package of documents to the man as he did so, and waited. The man pulled the documents out and fingered through each sheet so calmly, one wouldn't have doubted that he was deliberately taking his time. After he was done with the last sheet, he reorganised them, resting them on the table in a neat stack, and stared off into something behind the first sheet, deep in thought. Aoshi's eyes had not moved at all throughout, remaining fixed somewhere in between the man's face and his sheets.

 

"Thank you. This shall be very useful to me," the man finally replied, neither arrogantly nor humbly. "However, I still need information on the person in charge. Right at the top."

 

Aoshi understood why that last clause stood alone. He had understood even before he had decided what information to include in that package of documents. Know your enemy. It was essential to any mission. With a firearm project as big as this one, it would not be surprising that whoever it was monitoring the transactions at the borders had already picked up on some of this. It was essential for this man, Shouin, to know him, know his mind, how he thought, so he would stand a higher chance of winning in this game of cat and mouse. And of course, Aoshi had not wanted that right from the start.

 

Shouin. Kuroda Shouin, Okashira of the Kougikinsei, the Balance of "Justice," had seen through it, and was now giving him a subtle message: "Don't even think about it." It was quite unlike the one before. He was usually subtle. That last time, Aoshi had been slightly taken aback at the bluntness with which he put the threat across.

 

Like before, like always, he nodded. "I understand," he quietly replied, pausing a while, then heading out the room.

 

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"Misao-chan!" Okon called. "Lunch is ready!"

 

"Hai!" Misao called from the training hall. She had been practising bojutsu, putting into effect some of the tips her last visit to Tokyo had won her. For the last half an hour, though, she had reduced her training to repeating the basic downward thrust.

 

Nothing.

 

There was nothing to be found in the room. The most unusual thing about it all was just some research about drugs and hypnotism, the rest were some notes about completed missions, but nothing else. Aoshi never kept any diaries. It was to be expected. He hadn't left any confidential documents lying around outside his locked compartments either. What she hadn't expected, however, was the total lack of personality in the room. No photos, none of the gifts she had offered him as a child, nothing. Well, maybe that in itself was character. It would seem so much like Aoshi to anyone else. But for her, it cast severe doubts on her perception of their relationship. Was there even one at all? Was there a "them" in the first place anyway?

 

Misao hadn't bothered to spend much time making logical links. She had probably been too confused to see whether it had made any sense or not anyway. So she had simply felt whatever feeling it was which happened to pass through, letting thoughts come at random. More accurately, she spent the entire time refusing to be upset. It was, after all, only a stupid notion.

 

Enough of that! Misao thought sharply. Go have lunch with the rest. Now!

 

Misao ate noisily, as usual, creating the cosy banter, conforming to the familiar environment surrounding her. It was easy, since everyone at the Aoiya had a hot topic to discuss. A series of strange events had been happening recently.

 

First, a few of Misao's ninja suits had been torn up to bits. Her clothes had been in her closet all along. As much as anyone's imagination could stretch, no one could think of a possible motivation for it. If it ended there, while it would have remained a mystery, it would have been pushed to the back of people's minds, and perhaps, nearly forgotten.

 

Soon after that incident, though, blood, later identified by Okina to be pig's blood - something anyone could easily obtain from the market, was found splattered all over the door. Two weeks later, all the flowers in their garden had been severed from their stems. Another three days later, a big hole was found right in the middle of Okina's room. It seemed that each time, no one noticed anything. There was, as before, no motivation anyone could think of. They didn't have a clue what all this meant. Everyone was beginning to feel very patronised, as if an overgrown lame joke was being played on them. Either that, or *they* were the lame ones, and it was very serious indeed.

 

"Has Aoshi been informed about this?" Okon offered to the discussion.

 

"Yes," Okina replied. "He told us that all we can do right now is to wait."

 

"That's so unnerving... " Misao complained half-heartedly, relatively deep in thought.

 

All in all, like everyone more or less expected, the conversation was fruitless in contributing to solving the case. But by the end of it, as she had hoped, she truly felt better... only to allow her earlier doubts to start having their effect on her again, while she helped Omasu with the dishes.

 

The two washed the dishes silently together. Omasu felt uncomfortable, no doubt. Misao knew she was being quiet - it was only a matter of time before Omasu noticed and asked, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about anything. So she simply let the question come.

 

"You've been so quiet for the past few minutes... you were so normally chatty during dinner only a while ago... it's weird. Is anything wrong?" Omasu prodded tentatively.

 

Misao sighed. What could she say? "Iya... nothing much. I'll get over it, I guess."

 

Omasu must have taken her word for it - she didn't question further - and the silence continued.

 

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It couldn't be said that Aoshi was going through a normal chapter in his life as a member of the Oniwabanshuu, even given his experiences with his former subordinates, as well as those with Shishio.

 

Before, he had always had a goal. He always knew what he would be doing next, come difficulties and problems or not, and he always had something to work towards. Now, though, he was posed with a threat to the Oniwabanshuu, and he had absolutely no feasible idea how he was to go about solving it. It seemed, presently, that all he could do was to submit to the Kougikinsei until he had new inspiration for problem solving. So it was a matter of waiting. The cruellest part was that he had no idea until when, yet he had no other choice, and his relationship with the rest of the Oniwabanshuu, especially that with Misao, was on the line.

 

Part of submitting to the threat included his not getting close to Misao. Shouin must have studied his personal life very closely. He was giving Aoshi a clear indication of just how much power he had over him. Also, Aoshi guessed that this step was probably not personal. He could see how useful the directive was to Kuroda. Given that his feelings for Misao were such, as accurately assessed by Shouin, his not getting close to Misao would be a clear indication as to how submissive to Shouin Aoshi was being for that period of time. Shouin could monitor Aoshi that way. It showed just how practical Shouin was, and how good he was at his work too. All in all, he told Aoshi, "Don't mess with me."

 

Well, that was one thing. The other thing was the threat itself. Shouin had proven that he had the power to harm anyone in the Aoiya. A few events, rather out of the ordinary, had occurred just as Shouin had said they would. He couldn't be faking the ownership of the cause of the event - it was a prediction.

 

He had not specifically said just how he could have that power, but Aoshi reasoned out that it was probably someone on the inside. Knowing Shouin, that person probably didn't know he or she was working for Shouin either, so that pointed at mind-control techniques. It wasn't too foreign a topic for him, being a ninja. He knew how it was possible for a person to forcibly build walls in another's mind, and, more or less, "install" programs, which cause the person to do his bidding in any manner he wanted. This affected not only a person's actions, it affected how much of what that person remembered, and all this was done subconsciously, so there would be absolutely no way a third party could squeeze this information out of the subject.

 

How Shouin had constructed this threat was not hard to imagine. The inhabitants of the Aoiya were fairly active people. They left the Aoiya often with the daily duties and errands they had to complete. He could have easily kidnapped one of them for a few hours to do his job. Since Shouin knew of his feelings for Misao, as much as Aoshi tried to deny it from himself even, the obvious threat was that Misao might be harmed. But that didn't help in his solving the mystery. This mind-controlling technique worked subconsciously. It could be anyone at all - even those he trusted... even Misao herself.

 

He could not afford to risk anything by telling anyone about this. He had only himself as a resource. If Kuroda Shouin so much as caught a whiff of his plans for rebellion, there was no telling what might happen to Misao, or to him, for that matter.

 

For now, though, he had to concentrate on following Shouin's regulations, not on trying to get pass them. He was back, once again, standing at the doorway of the Aoiya, wondering what he was to do about Misao, even as he watched her slowly, slowly, slip into depression.

 

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Omasu flipped the last of the laundry over the bamboo poles to hang dry just as she heard the soft rustling of paper material as the front door slid open. The first thing that came to mind was that it had to be Aoshi - no one else was out.

 

Walking into the house from the backyard, she briefly welcomed him back, "Okaerinasai, Aoshi-sama!"

 

"Aa," he acknowledged her as he put down his travelling bag and took off his trench coat before heading elsewhere, to his room for a change of clothes, probably.

 

Misao was in the training hall, probably back at bojutsu again. She might not have heard the sound of the front door opening, and since Omasu happened to be free, she may as well bring the news to Misao. She'd been waiting for Aoshi's return for just over a week now, and Omasu was delighted to be the first one to see one of Misao's priceless looks of elation, and, perhaps, relief.

 

"Misao-chan! Aoshi-sama's back!" Omasu burst into the hall and grinned.

 

At first, Misao paused, looking somewhat stunned. Then she "Oh"-ed and ran out of the hall, leaving Omasu at the door.

 

No, Omasu thought. That wasn't a stunned look. Not exactly. Did Misao look nervous? Omasu looked towards Aoshi's room - Misao was probably there.

 

Then something clicked.

 

So this is what it's all about! Misao acting so strange lately... maybe Aoshi's passiveness has finally gotten to her. Concerned, but knowing better than to watch them directly, Omasu decided that to eavesdrop casually would be the best approach. She busied herself with cleaning the Aoiya, choosing to dust the displays and decorations, since that would be quietest, and she could hear them over her activities. Maybe I'm just a busybody, Omasu considered the possibility. But somehow, she didn't care for that. While Misao might be strong, while she could probably handle Aoshi's indifference for a while, despite her feelings, she had been doing that for long enough, and Omasu was worried that Misao's strong will was slowly softening, or worse - turning into something Misao couldn't handle herself. So she listened on.

 

"Okaerinasai, Aoshi-sama," Misao said, somewhat repressed.

 

"Aa," Omasu heard Aoshi say, quite faintly, over the rustling of his unpacking.

 

"So what was the mission about? How was it?" Misao inquired, sounding more perked up, as she was heard carelessly sliding down to sit on the floor, probably in that familiar Misao-styled cross-legged position.

 

For a while, Aoshi simply continued to unpack and fold his clothes, then he replied, "I was called in to help one of our sectors stop a fairly major drug trafficker in the region. He has been rightly framed and arrested by the police."

 

"Oh... So- when's the next mission?"

 

"Unconfirmed."

 

"Are you gonna be busy for a while?"

 

"Quite."

 

"Need any help? I could help you sort out documents and stuff..."

 

For a while, Aoshi paused, then he said, "Aa. I'll call you when I'm ready."

 

Nobody spoke for a while. Omasu guessed that Misao was reluctant to leave. Then it seemed Misao found something else to say - "Do you want any tea, Aoshi-sama? It's been a while since you had a tea ceremony... "

 

"Aa."

 

"So... I'll go prepare the tea and I'll wait for you in your room, ne?"

 

He must have nodded, because Omasu didn't hear him reply before Misao slid his room door open and padded down the stairs to the kitchen. After the exchange ended, Omasu couldn't believe her ears. It had been quite a while since she'd bothered to notice the two, and it seemed that since then, both had grown a lot more awkward in each other's presence.

 

She was sure that Aoshi had very deep feelings for Misao. She could see it in the way he looked at her, and in the way he watched out for her when he was around. Well, if she was right, his voice still held in it the care and concern. But it was... restrained. Held back. Almost as if he was afraid to show it.

 

Afraid to show it...

 

Somehow, that clicked. Yes, he was afraid. Omasu didn't know why, but she believed it. Maybe that was because it was by far the most optimistic way to see things. But whatever the case, she was sure it was fear of letting anyone know how he felt. Well, yes, that was very Aoshi in many ways. But after being with Misao for so long, he had to be a fool to still want to wear that mask of his so firmly in place. So Omasu was sure it wasn't because of his character. It had to be something else.

 

Then, Omasu decided that it wasn't her business to interfere yet. She obviously didn't know enough, and Misao hadn't decided to turn to anyone yet. While in some cases, her intervention might be direly needed at this point, she didn't know it yet, and chances were that she was overreacting. So she decided to just wait, keeping her thoughts today at the back of her mind.

 

No, if she wanted to interfere, she would talk to Misao in the evening, perhaps, after she had time to get off this topic and revisit it later, so she could be sure nothing would be just a spur-of-the-moment decision.

 

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Aoshi had experienced a sort of inward panic when Misao had asked him about the mission. It had pained him to tell her a lie, but it had pained him even more to tell it so nonchalantly. However, he had had not much of a choice, because he was not fooled - he had felt the distinct ki of Omasu in the vicinity and was well aware of the possibility that others might find out should he show Misao any affection. He was, however, most worried that Misao could in fact be the one that he should be concerned about. Hence, Aoshi was thankful for the years of in-built self-discipline and his ability to maintain a stony facade.

 

When Misao had offered to have tea with him, it tore him up inwardly. On one hand, he welcomed it for the fellowship that he could enjoy, even if it involved simply watching Misao. On the other, it was the very need to curb his display of affection towards her that he dreaded. The only aspect of the situation which he could take comfort in, something increasingly foreign as of late, was the fact that the elaborate nature and reverent mood of the tea ceremony would reduce the need for him to speak while allowing him to enjoy Misao's presence.

 

He watched Misao from the moment she stepped into the room. He might have been embarrassed to admit it to another, but he noticed in particular that her body had become more prominently curvy. Mutely observing her ladle the hot water into the cup, he also noted with bitter fondness that Misao had now acquired a grace which contrasted much with her earlier flippant plopping of herself down on his room floor. So she now chooses gracefulness at will.

 

When Misao had finally finished her part and they had both taken their first sips, Aoshi once more braced himself for Misao's probing.

 

“Aoshi-sama...?” She looked expectant.

 

He waited.

 

“Thank you for letting me have this time with you.”

 

“Aa.”

 

Misao seemed to have something else to say, but seemed to think twice. Then, her shoulders slumped slightly and a crestfallen demeanour crept upon her. To Aoshi, that called for immediate corrective action - Misao looking resigned had serious implications.

 

“How did you spend your day?” Perhaps Shouin will not fault me for relating to her on the default level of a mentor.

 

“My day?” Misao looked up. “Aah... I trained... with the bokken! I tried out some of the stuff that Kaoru-san taught me when we were in Toukyou.”

 

“And what did that include?” Perhaps, I need only show her that I am not completely indifferent. Kami-sama, let this be enough... for now at least...

 

At the question, however, Misao blushed - a good sign to Aoshi. “What I learnt in Toukyou would only bore you Aoshi-sama. It's really basic, since kenjutsu's not really my forte...” At Aoshi's continued silence, she added, “Just tips on how to focus to produce a better downward stroke, I guess.” She looked uncertainly at Aoshi, awaiting his reaction.

 

“But basics are good. Fully mastering the basics is enough to beat many a qualified fighter these days.” At that, Misao perked up somewhat, ended the ceremony and offered to clear the ceremony apparatus before leaving the room.

 

That disturbed Aoshi once more. For one, while Misao looked hopeful, she was still disappointed. Even if she did not know it, he knew her much better than most people gave him credit for. She was hoping that he would offer to instruct her in bojutsu, and he did not.

 

On top of that, it spoke volumes that she was happy enough to end the ceremony and their first time of fellowship in a long while after just a few meagre lines from him. It was pathetic. Was his keeping his distance getting to the point that she was happy just hearing him mumble a few words?

 

Feeling more lost than ever before after Misao left the room, Aoshi once more felt a wave of anxiety wash over him. He sincerely doubted that he could go through with this any longer without either cracking and endangering all in the Aoiya or severing all emotions he had, jeopardising his relationship with all who mattered to him, including Misao, and losing his soul.

 

The only option left was to tell someone else about it. As a ninja, his training had included psychological training. He had studied not only the psychology of breaking the enemy down, but also that of preserving himself. Keeping things bottled up for too long a period was a sure way to waste away emotionally and eventually end up a burden to others. It seemed that the time had come when not revealing his difficulty to others was becoming just as risky as keeping it confidential. But who could he tell?

 

Actually, he had many options even after striking all the Oniwabanshuu off his list. The question was, to be frank, who could he tell without getting found out? The group that was most supportive, albeit none too subtle, was in Toukyou, a nearly impossible destination in trying to avoid detection. Saitou was in Hokkaidou, also too distant for subtlety. Besides, he couldn't possibly hope to go undetected leaking his situation to a police officer who had a notorious wolfy reputation.

 

Unlikely as the remaining option was to him, Aoshi was not so dense as to rule him out. Besides, his location had an added advantage - it was near the woods where Aoshi sometimes trained. The option also appealed because the subject had very useful attributes - phenomenal wisdom, discipline and as yet incomparable fighting skills, all vital if he were to be of help to Aoshi. His arrogance was not a factor - Aoshi knew it was justified and that Hiko Seijuurou would have the sense to know when to curb it. Like Kenshin's apparent gullibility and his own icy apathy, it was but a facade.