Two Sides of a Sword: Relationship Dilema

AN: Yay, new chapter up finally! Sorry to leave you all hanging like that ^^;;; I had NO clue that the cliffhanger was that bad. *laughs sheepishly* The reason why I took so long is because I was in the middle of trying to finish up my Gundam Wing fic: The True Victor and playing Kingdom Hearts and Mah Jong (sp?) at the same time. Those games are so addicting I swear....

Anyhoo, read on and R&R!

Chapter Fourteen ~ Relationship Dilemma

Too deep in her sleep, Misao didn't hear someone enter her room, slowly taking out a dagger from its sheath and getting ready to strike.

Until...

(AN: HAHAHAHAHA, you thought that I was going to finish that scene, didn't you?)

"Hmmm...." Ikumi murmured, letting the steam from her bowl of noodles warm her face. Her cheeks burned a light pink from the cold.

Ryu slurped in his first gulp of his bowl of noodles, staring at his wife inquisitively. "Huh? What is it? You're not hungry?"

Ikumi frowned, pulling her bowl closer to her protectively. "You're NOT going to have my food, anata."

Ryu grinned sheepishly. "I was just kidding...."

"Sure you were, hotshot," Ikumi commented, rolling her eyes. She took her pair of chopsticks in her hands and swirled the noodles around absentmindedly. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"When I came to see Misao-chan, it looked like she had been crying," she sighed. "I'm not sure about what, though."

"You shouldn't worry about it. From what I see, Misao would tell you if something's wrong."

Ikumi shook her head, finally taking in her first bite of her meal. "It's not that, Ryu. I know that Misao-chan would tell me, but it feels kinda strange. "It's been twelve years; it's not going to be that easy for them to open up."

Ryu arched a curious eyebrow as he finished his meal in one gulp. "Them?"

"My brother and Misao-chan. Just think of a little girl who was only four to have a crush on someone ten years older than her, and she still continues to love him to this very day. That's how long Misao-chan has loved my brother. It's all common knowledge in the Oniwanbashuu, including Aoshi-nii. Almost everyone thought that Misao-chan was going through one of those childhood phases, except for me. I could understand her better than anyone. That is..."

Ikumi closed her eyes, letting her concealed memories return to her in a momentary flash. "That is...until I was taken away by the Azuma."

Ryu eyed his wife closely as she said her words, recognizing the emotion of pain that briefly swept across her facial features. He remained silent, knowing quite well that there were still scars deep within her heart and speaking any further about them would cause the scars to reopen. Ikumi recovered quickly from her lapse, however, as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Anyway, they've both changed so much. It's not surprising to me that tension would arise," Ikumi concluded.

"...I don't think you should try so hard, Iku," Ryu replied after some thought. "You should just let them be."

"That's the thing, anata, I can't," Ikumi tried to point out. "Aoshi-nii has basically shut his heart from anybody that tries to come near, except for me. Even after all this time, he still confides in me. Misao's trying so hard to pry that lock in his heart open, and all that Aoshi-nii does is seal himself away."

"Seal himself? From what?"

Ikumi stared into her bowl, the glimmer of the soup reflecting back the face that reminded her of her brother. "From the guilt and pain that he might cause if he lets Misao open that lock. Yet he doesn't want to admit to himself that Misao is the one of the few people that keeps him living. He doesn't want his memories and past become the downfall of one of the very people he holds dear to."

Ryu slowly began to understand, letting her words sink in. He began to understand why his wife was so intent on putting Misao and Aoshi together. Her burden was the same as her brother's: death.

Asarai Jun was a woman not to be dealt with when in the hunt for her husband. She frantically split through the crowded streets, her patience gradually progressing to frustration at each minute that passed.

Mou, Isamu no baka! The one time I leave for a trip back home and he leaves the school! Trying to hunt for food my ass, he just made that excuse to Ling-sensei to escape! He's probably gambling or something... Jun rambled on and on in her head the various possible crimes that her husband could accomplish within a few hours. She inwardly sighed to herself. This was what she got for marrying a bandit.

Spotting the closest tavern that she could find after no luck with the restaurants, Jun quickly went inside and walked straight to the counter where the owner sat to greet his customers. Upon seeing Jun after a rather dull afternoon, the owner's eyes brightened in delight.

"Welcome, miss! How long do you plan to stay?" he asked in Cantonese.

"Um...I'm not actually staying," Jun replied somewhat hesitantly in the same language. When she saw the cheerfulness fade from the owner's eyes, she quickly added, "But I do need your help."

She immediately went right into her interrogation. "Have you seen a man about this tall," she outstretched her arm to full length above her head, "with brown hair cut to neck length, bangs held back by a bandana, quite athletic, and looks like a criminal?"

The owner laughed full heartily. "That describes just about everyone in this tavern, miss! Does he have anything significant on him that might stand out?"

Jun thought for a moment. Well, this is getting somewhere at least.

"He has a sword with him that has a head of a dragon on the hilt," she replied.

"Dragon head on the hilt, you say?" the owner repeated thoughtfully. "I DO remember seeing a young man coming in having something like that. It's a black dragon head, isn't it?"

Jun's hopes lightened a bit at the new information. "Hai! Do you happen to know if he's still here?"

The owner smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but no. I kicked him out of the tavern after he and some other men he was gambling with got into some sort of argument and destroyed some of my belongings in the process. Do you know how much all that damage is going to cost me?"

Jun inwardly sighed, her eyes downcast. "I'm sorry..."

The owner laughed again, "Oh, don't be sorry, miss! It's not your fault. Why do you seek him for?"

Jun's lips curled into a very tired and frustrated smile as she looked back up at the owner. "He's my husband, Mr. Owner. I do really apologize. I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen when I was away."

The owner was taken aback. "Your husband, miss! Kami, you look too sophisticated to be married to someone like him."

Jun laughed, shaking her head. "He's a very kind man, my husband. Just gets into trouble a lot. Do you happen to know where he went?"

The owner shook his head. "Not that I know of when I kicked him and the other men fighting with him out. There's rumors among us owners of the restaurants and taverns that your husband is making quite a reputation of himself lately in the village."

Jun nodded absentmindedly at the information, only half listening to his words. "Figures...Maa, thank you anyway, Mr. Owner."

"If I find anything that may help you, please come back to see me."

"Okay, thank you."

As the owner watched her leave, the thought to himself how horrible it must be to have a spouse who wandered. He was sure that if he ever did that to his own wife, he wouldn't be living at home anymore.

The silent assassin crept towards Misao's and Setsuko's prone forms, drawing out its weapon, and was about to pierce the dagger into Misao's chest when it heard something. Footsteps. Footsteps that were coming to this room.

The assassin cursed to itself and quickly resheathed the dagger. It dashed towards the open window and jumped out, accidentally knocking down the inkwell on the table. Just as soon as the assassin left, Aoshi opened the door. He looked around the room until his eyes finally settled upon two lumps on the bed, their breathing slow and steady. He inwardly sighed with relief, but for some odd reason, something inside of him compelled Aoshi to enter the room. Like the former Oniwanbanshuu leader he was, Aoshi entered the room without a sound. His eyes were still focused on Misao and Setsuko's sleeping forms while his legs guided him to the open window nearby. He made sure that he wasn't too close to the bed while walking around the room lest Misao or Setsuko would awaken.

He forced his eyes away from Misao's sleeping form, repeating to himself that she was fine. She was still alive. He scanned over the table where the inkwell had fallen and a few papers were left to dry in the sun. Luckily the inkwell was only quarter full, so when it spilled over, it didn't make that much of a mess. Aoshi easily cleaned up the dark ink with a few spare sheets of paper left on the side.

After cleaning up the mess, Aoshi looked over the other papers that were held back by a marble stone to keep them from flying away in the wind. He realized that they were drawings. Drawings made by Misao. He never knew that she could draw, but then again he never really let her tell him. He never really let her into anything involved with him. He felt a strong link to himself in one of her drawings. It was unfinished, but he could see what it was. It was a drawing of a leaf floating on top of water. Ripples stirred as the leaf made contact with the water, but it didn't fully penetrate the water's surface. Yet...it stayed there, forever bonded with the water. The drawing reminded Aoshi of himself, of his relationship with Misao. He knew that she loved him, loved him to the very point of sacrificing her life to attain his happiness. He wasn't sure of himself, though. He only thought of her as yet another little sister. One who seemed to be forever attached to him no matter where he went.

But do you still think of her as one? a voice inside asked himself.

He just wasn't sure. Just wasn't sure...

Too entranced with the drawing and lost in his own thoughts, Aoshi didn't hear Misao wake up until she asked, "Aoshi-sama, what are you doing here?"