But imperfectly masked by the sheer emptiness in his gaze, Misao thought she could see something even worse... a terrible, unbearable pain buried deep inside the man she loved.
(Aoshi, I'm sorry! I didn't know that Junichi would anything like this to you....)
&nbps; Her horrified paralysis abruptly shattered and Misao bolted toward Aoshi before Sano or Yahiko could stop her.
"AOSHI!!!" she screamed. At the sound of her voice, Aoshi froze.
Sano just missed grabbing a hold of Misao's sash. "No! You don't know what he'll do...!" he frantically shouted.
But as Misao ran by Tokio, Saitoh's wife swiftly slipped one of her fans into her obi, then reached out and pulled the girl to an abrupt stop.
"Let me go!" Misao protested as she tried to wiggle free of Tokio's surprisingly strong grip.
"Misao!" Tokio shook the girl's shoulder sharply to get her attention. In a calm, but startlingly firm voice, she said, "Listen to me, Misao. You have to understand what's going on before you can help him."
The girl snapped her head around to stare at Tokio.
"What are you talking about?" Misao demanded.
"Listen carefully. Aoshi's mind and soul are trapped in a dark dream. An endless nightmare in which he relives your supposed murder over and over again, constantly haunted by accusing ghosts that undoubtedly look just like you. Do you understand? He sees the outside world through a distorted window of the demon's making. In this state, he probably thinks you're just another phantasm coming to torment him. And people lash out instinctively at the source of their pain. He could easily kill you before he realizes that you're not some figment of his guilty conscience. And that would truly be the end of him."
Misao turned chalky white with shock.
Without loosening her grip, Tokio continued gently. "By keeping Aoshi trapped in this private hell, the demon prevents him from resisting its control."
"But how could it...?"
The older woman sighed and shook her head slightly. "A newly awakened heart, like a young child, is the most vulnerable to these sorts of cruelties."
Misao opened her mouth to speak, but Tokio murmured, "Shhh. Watch him."
The girl held her breath as Aoshi continued to stare at her. Her heart leapt with hope when she saw some emotion awake in his eyes... then it seemed to stop beating when she realized that Tokio was right. Aoshi wasn't glad to see her. There was no joy in his eyes, only a combination of horrified recognition and... fear? Misao didn't know whether she wanted to scream from sheer despair or burst into tears.
&nbps;"Aoshi.... PLEASE...."
The anguish in her voice seemed to hit Aoshi like a physical blow. He flinched and turned his head, as if he couldn't bear to look at her.
Tears began to trickle down Misao's cheeks as she whispered, "Then... then what can we do? I can't just leave him like that...." Her voice caught in a soft sob. At that sound, Aoshi shuddered again and retreated a step. Misao couldn't stand it. It was like watching a horribly abused animal cringe at the slightest hint of a raised voice.
Tokio said softly, "Misao, you must control yourself and stay calm. Every cry of sorrow, every sign of your misery, only allows the demon to hurt him more."
"I can't stand to see him suffering like this...."
Tokio's voice was soft, but relentless. "Misao, his ability to feel pain is a good sign. It means that somewhere deep inside, his soul and heart is still alive. He can still be reached, but he needs your help. You have to be strong. If he hasn't given up, then how can you?"
"Then... then what do I have to do?" Misao whispered, using every bit of willpower she had to keep her voice even.
"Demons like this feed on the darker emotions -- loss, misery, despair and the like -- but they each have their own favorite 'food,' so to speak."
Misao's thoughts raced. (Yes... of course. Why is the demon that created Kinslayer called the Love-Eater? The damn thing must feed off the suffering caused by the destruction of loved ones. Kenshin and Kaoru... Tokio and Saitoh... Aoshi and I....)
(If the demon's using my pain to hurt Aoshi, then what can I use to reach him...?)
The girl suddenly took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Sensing that Misao had come to some decision, Tokio released her grip on the girl's shoulder.
"Aoshi," Misao called out as she took a few steps forward.
He shook his head sharply as if trying to deny her existence.
"Aoshi," she repeated firmly.
"You're dead. I killed you." he said in a flat, dead voice.
"No, you didn't. Look at me." She took another step forward, doing her best to ignore the bloodied kodachi still gripped in his hands.
He slowly turned to look at her as if he was unable to ignore her voice.
She shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage. "See? A little dirty and bruised, but I'm certainly not dead." Another step closer.
Aoshi frowned as he seemed to struggle to make sense of her words.
"I.... Did I do that to you?"
Misao couldn't understand what Aoshi talking about. His words didn't seem to make any sense. Why would he be asking if he caused her bruises? She shook her head and continued.
"And after our talk in the woods, do you really think that I'd let you get away from me that easily?" Misao took another casual step, but the flash of stark despair in Aoshi's eyes made her freeze.
"I know that I've caused you so much pain, but do you really hate me... that much?" he whispered dully.
Misao blinked in confusion, then she spluttered, "I wasn't talking about THAT talk! I was talking about our OTHER talk in the OTHER woods, you idiot!" She suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth.
(Oh hell, now I've totally blown it!)
But curiously, Misao's impulsive outburst seemed to have reached Aoshi much more than her other words had. He frowned slightly as if struggling to recall something.
Yahiko had been afraid to do anything that might disturb that fragile rapport between Misao and Aoshi. However, he coughed softly and said in a tentative way, "Uh... Misao? Maybe if you act more like your... um, normal self, you'll get through to him better?"
Misao stiffened and gave Yahiko a nasty sideways glare as she silently demanded further explanations.
"Uh... more yourself, you know." The boy sweated nervously as Misao continued to glare at him. Normally, tactfulness was the last thing Yahiko worried about -- if he had an opinion, he let everyone know it. However, this was anything but a normal situation. He struggled for a polite way to describe Misao's personality. Finally, he mumbled, "Uh... happy? Cheerful? Chirpy? That sort of thing?"
(What the hell does that brat think I am? A damn bird!?)
She started to scowl angrily, but Aoshi's uneasy movement caused her to hastily smooth out her expression.
(What? What can I talk about that will really get through to him? Wait. He keeps talking about how he's hurt me. It's like that's the only thing he can think about.... But that's not true! He's done so many things to make me smile. Doesn't he remember all those times he...?) Misao inhaled sharply. (Maybe he doesn't....)
She suddenly smiled. It wasn't a big smile, but there was an undeniable sparkle in her expression as she said, "Do you remember the Bon festival when I was eight years old?"
Aoshi blinked in bewilderment.
"We went to watch the bonfires around Kyoto, then you took to me to the canals so I could see all the paper lanterns floating on the water. Beshimi made me a lantern of my own, of blue and white paper."
She could see Aoshi's body gradually relaxing as she spoke. More importantly, he actually seemed to listen to what she was saying.
"And I ate myself sick on rice cakes, so you carried me home," she said with a soft chuckle.
He stared at her as if he was afraid that she might vanish if he looked away for an instant.
"You know, when I put my lantern in the water, I made a very special wish."
"A... wish?" There was now a faint tone of curiosity creeping in Aoshi's voice.
She nodded vigorously. "Uh-uh. Everyone tells me that I'm too impatient, but I've waited eight years for my wish to come true." Misao gave Aoshi a wistful smile. "And I'm still waiting."
Watching the confrontation between Misao and Aoshi was almost unbearable for Sano. He had no idea where Misao was getting the strength to keep up that calm, conversational tone when she had to be in a state of near-hysterics on the inside.
Aoshi looked like a damned soul who was gradually realizing that salvation might -- just might -- be tantalizingly within reach.
(Go girl! I think you're actually getting through to him....)
&nbps;But without warning, Aoshi suddenly lunged at Misao and lashed out with both kodachi.
"Shit...!"yelped Yahiko.
Although the damage had already been done, both Sano and Yahiko were about to charge forward to attack Aoshi. However, Tokio flung up her hand in a commanding gesture and said in a soft, firm voice that was impossible to disobey.
"NO."
Halted literally in their tracks, the two of them could only stare in horror. Aoshi stood motionless within arm's length of Misao. Something dark dripped from both of his blades. The girl was still on her feet. She was still standing.
But she didn't move.
Sano held his breath, expecting at any moment to see her collapse to the ground, blood spurting from her mortally wounded body.
Something did hit the street with a moist thud, but it wasn't Misao.
Yahiko swore and sat down abruptly as the slashed corpses of two gangly creatures slowly faded into view. They lay like broken toys on the muddy street, one to Misao's left and the other to her right, with their long, sickle-like claws gleaming dully in the dim light.
"Misao...," Aoshi quietly pleaded in the thinnest of whispers.
She finally moved. Misao ran forward and wrapped her arms around Aoshi as tightly as possible, broken arm and all. As she snuggled as close to him as she could manage, she was both laughing and crying her heart out.
Aoshi blinked and gasped. He had seen Misao standing in front of him, but he had no way to be sure whether she was real or just another accusing shade. But then the vision had done something that none of the other ghostly images had.
She had shouted at him.
She had smiled at him.
And she had laughed.
He had been afraid to hope... afraid that this Misao was just a vision haunting a demented, guilt-wracked mind. But when he sensed the monsters attacking, it hadn't mattered whether she was real or a mere figment of his imagination.
He would not allow Misao -- not this smiling, laughing Misao -- to be harmed.
But now he could feel the warmth of her body next to his... feel her body shaking with laughter.... The kodachi slipped from his slack fingers as he slowly gazed down at her.
"You're... you're REAL...," he whispered.
Misao hiccuped and uttered a watery giggle.
"You're not dead...."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you, you stubborn idiot!" she complained between sniffles.
He grabbed her face between his hands and stared down at her as if to etch that moment in his memory... the brilliant joy of her bright blue eyes, the happiness in her smile....
And not only of this moment, but of all the times when she had been growing up. Unbelievable as it seemed, he could now remember that he had somehow managed to make her happy as a child. And despite all he had done in his obsessed quest to defeat Himura Kenshin, she remained happy to see him.
&nbps;She still wanted to be with him.
"I thought that I had killed you," he whispered slowly. Even saying the words seemed to hurt. Aoshi frowned, then gently ran his right hand through her drastically shortened hair. "I saw the braid... and the head...."
Misao's face turned white. (So that's it...!)
She choked out, "I had to cut my braid off so I could escape the monsters chasing me. I didn't even think that Junichi would use it to hurt you so badly...."
Her words became muffled as Aoshi silently hugged her close.
"It doesn't matter now," he said quietly. He had something to tell her. He wasn't saying it just for her sake, although he hoped it was the thing she had wished for all those years ago.
But he was really saying it because he needed to let her know.
"Do you remember when I told you that patience often wins the war, if not the battle?" Aoshi murmured.
&nbps;Her sniffles and mutterings abruptly stopped, then her eyes went wide as he leaned down and whispered something for her ears alone.
"I love you."