This story was inspired by a passing comment in a conversation I had, months ago now, with Ryu Cheese. I won't say what it was, but if you can guess, I'll make you a prize. Anyways, I'd been wanting to write about Soujiro after his disappearance, and Ryu is always up for Misao (no pun intended- if you don't get it, good!), so this seemed like a good idea.

The name of the fic is a bit of a pun. This one is also unintentional, but works out MUCH better^_^ It's a play on the words "Oniwa Banshuu" and "Rurouni", but if you read it like a Japanese sentence- "Oni wa Rurouni"- you get a splendid little joke about Sou-chan! The demon is a wanderer... What? I thought it was funny!

Questions? Comments? Claim to my little prize (a fan drawing of your choice- no hentai:)? Email me! I love mail!

Oniwa Rurouni

As far as Soujiro could tell, Kyoto hadn't changed much in the last few years. Some of the buildings were newer in this area and there seemed to be more foreigners, but much of it remained the same. He paused in front of one of the newer buildings, a restaurant only a few years old.

"Aoiya...where do I know that name from?" he said to himself, and went in to find out.

...

"Okon, isn't that boy cute?" Omasu asked, gesturing to the young man she had just seated.

"I guess, Omasu, but he looks a bit young for you..."

"Iya, not for me! For Misao."

"Omasu..." The two women looked at each other. "She won't give up on Aoshi, you know."

"Hai, hai. But she was very upset with him for missing her birthday."

"He was away on business. And you know he hid her present in her room. She just hasn't found it yet."

"Mou..." They remembered the tirade Misao had gone off on. She'd blubbered a bit, and then stomped around in a huff for two days. The present was still sitting out in the open-or it would have been, if it weren't covered with random junk.

"Ja, I have to get his tea," Omasu excused herself and went to pour tea for the young man.

...

Soujiro sipped his tea. His waitress had frightened him. She was friendly enough, but he couldn't help but think she was looking at him like a piece of meat...

...

Misao hummed to herself as she brought the customers their meals. She couldn't explain why she was so happy; she just was. She felt like the whole world was hers for the taking. She smiled as she saw Omasu chatting with a customer. He looked familiar...

"Tobi kunai!" She whipped her little daggers out of apparently nowhere and lobbed them at his head.

He ducked.

"Misao!" Omasu exclaimed. Several customers turned and stared.

"Omasu," Misao hissed. "That's Tenken no Soujiro! He was Shishio's right-hand man!"

"Now I remember!" the Tenken in question beamed. "You're the girl that was with Himura-san in the Shingetsu village!" He smiled. "How have you been?"

Misao's jaw dropped.

"What?" Soujiro blinked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"YOU were the most deadly of the Jupon Gatana?" Misao pointed at him, incredulous.

"I'm just a rurouni now. A rurouni who doesn't kill." He grinned. Misao resisted the urge to shake him down for cash. He did look a lot like Himura had when she met him; unassuming, shabby, and completely broke.

"I suppose you've got a sakabatou..." He just smiled and held out her kunai.

"Would you like this back?"

She snatched it away and hid it somewhere in her kimono. She whispered to Omasu, "Make sure he has enough cash to pay," and stormed away, her mysterious good mood replaced by a not-so-mysterious bad one.

...

"I knew it," Misao stated when she observed what was going on in the kitchen. "I knew it!" Soujiro was cheerfully scrubbing away at the dishes, humming slightly off-key, but in tune. Misao thought the song was called "freckles" or something like that.

"I knew he couldn't pay!" she announced to Okon, who had stopped in to pick up a tray.

"Well, he could have, but when Omasu mentioned that we were understaffed, he offered to help."

"We're not understaffed." Okon shrugged.

"I'm not the one who said it." Misao grumbled. Omasu was up to something. She knew it! But what? Okon sighed and got her tray.

"So."

Soujiro looked up at the sound of Misao's voice. "Hello."

"What brings you to Kyoto?"

"Just wandering."

They looked at each other. Wind ruffled their hair. A cricket chirped outside the window.

Misao sighed. "I should have known that, ne?" He smiled. She knelt down near him. "Himura likes to clean, too."

"I hate cleaning."

"Then why do you look so happy?" His smile slipped a tiny bit as he attempted to look at her wryly. He ended up just making a funny face at her.

"What was that for?" she screeched and grabbed his shirt.

"I was just trying to make a different expression." He smiled, but a hint of panic showed in his eyes. Angry female. What do I do? His brain screamed at him, but didn't say anything coherent.

"You still can't do anything except smile?" She let go of his shirt.

"I can, sometimes, but smiling is what I do best. At least, that's what Yumi-neesan used to say." The smile fell for just a blink of an eye, but Misao caught it. She decided not to mention it.

Now was the perfect time for Omasu to walk by, so she did. She smiled to herself when she saw Misao kneeling near the young man, who was smiling at her. He certainly does like to smile...she thought, and continued on her way, far too pleased with herself as would-be matchmakers often are.

...

"You did WHAT!?"

"I invited him to stay for awhile," Omasu said calmly. Misao scowled at her.

"Misao, please calm down," Okon said, trying to keep the noise level down during Okina's naptime. "You know how grumpy Okina is when you wake him up."

"But! She invited SOUJIRO to stay with us!"

"What's so bad about it?" Omasu countered. "He's sweet, polite, he cleans..."

"He's quiet," Okon said under her breath.

"But he's SOUJIRO!" Misao whined. "He tried to kill Himura twice. He worked for Shishio. He..."

"...is a rurouni, just like Himura-san. You didn't hold anything he did against him, did you?"

"Weeelll..."

"So give the boy a chance." Misao grumbled a bit, and then nodded. She wondered what Okina and Aoshi-sama would think about all this.

...

"That's great!" Okina exclaimed when he got up from his nap. He claimed his old bones needed a rest, but everyone thought he just wanted to avoid helping in the Aoiya during the noon rush.

"Why, it'll be like having our own little Himura!" he gushed. "I understand Himura does the dishes, the shopping, AND the laundry!"

"So you just want the extra hands so you can get out of doing work." Misao scowled at him. He grinned.

"Guilty as charged! Now, my pretty Misao, would you mind terribly getting me some tea?"

...

Aoshi entered the front room of the Aoiya, and stopped suddenly. "You."

"Hello, Shinomori Aoshi! It's been a long time, ne?" Soujiro looked up from washing tables and gave Aoshi his biggest grin.

"Misao, what is he doing here?"

"He's the new help." The corner of Aoshi's mouth twitched, the closest expression he had to dismay.

...

Misao's day had gone from weird to worse. Seta Soujiro was the new employee at her Aoiya, Okina didn't care, and Aoshi had gone back to the temple and refused to come out. What next?

"Ah, Misao! A letter just arrived from the Himura's!" Okon waved the paper. Misao leaped up and grabbed it. A letter from the Himura's was sure to cheer her up.

Misao-chan and everyone at the Aoiya-

Hello! It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, Kenshin and I have decided to visit Kyoto. We hope you don't mind. We'll be sure to visit you all. Kenji-chan is doing fine. Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan love having him around to play with. Ayame-chan is learning to cook from Tsubame-chan. Isn't that wonderful? Soon, I won't have to cook at all! Yahiko is an even better student than before he received Kenshin's sakabatou. He insists that it's only to refine his swordsmanship, but he pays attention to the littlest thing I say. I think he's humoring me because I don't get to teach him very often. Kenji-chan takes up so much of my time! Well, I'll fill you in when we get to Kyoto.

Warmest regards,
Himura Kaoru

"Okina, Aoshi-sama! The Himura's are coming to visit!" Misao announced to the entire building. She hopped around in glee. "Did you hear, Okon? The Himura's are visiting soon!"

"I heard, Misao. I was right here." Okon rubbed her ear.

"I knew a letter from the Himura's would cheer me up!" Misao skipped down the hallway. "The Himura's are visiting. The Himura's are visiting," she sang to herself. She caught sight of Soujiro, carrying a pile of laundry outside to hang up. He does kinda look like Himura when he's doing chores...I wonder if he says "Nice and white!" when he does the white laundry...

She stopped in her tracks. "What am I thinking?!" she cried.

"I don't know, Misao-san," Soujiro said to her. "What are you thinking?" Anyone else would have said it sarcastically, egging her on to say something stupid. But Soujiro had asked like he genuinely wanted to know the answer. Misao looked at him, eyebrow raised. Is he serious? She glared at him. He smiled back at her.

"When the Himura's visit," she said to him. "I want you to keep as low a profile as possible. I will NOT have you ruining their visit."

"Himura is visiting?" His smile evaporated. He paused, thinking about something. "Hai, Misao-san!" he said suddenly. "I will do as you asked!" Misao stood stunned for a moment, and then nodded.

"Good. I'm glad we straightened that out." She walked down the rest of the hall. What could have happened in Shishio's fort that bothered him so much? Himura told us all he figured out, but we don't know Soujiro's side...This is the perfect opportunity to find out! Heheheh...

...

Soujiro hung a robe on the line. Himura is coming...

He remembered when they had last seen each other. Himura had reminded him of his childhood and how he met Shishio-san. That wasn't something he wanted to remember back then, how he used to be weak. But Himura helped the weak. And so that was what he did now, because Himura was making up for all the bad things he had done by not killing and helping others. He tried to be like Himura. But would he approve?

"Oh!" Soujiro realized he'd been standing there, thinking, with a haori in his hands. As he hung the coat up, he stopped thinking, and his smile returned.

...

Omasu smiled at Okon. "I told you she'd like him," she said smugly.

"I don't know, Omasu. She looks more like she wants something, not like she likes him." They stood in the yard, watching Misao as she tried to talk to Soujiro, who was just smiling and sweeping away. "Besides, she found the present Aoshi got her yesterday. She was ecstatic that he hadn't forgot her birthday. As soon as he shows his face, she'll stop following him around and start following Aoshi."

"I don't know..."

"I do." Okon crossed her arms under her breast. "It'll be just like how it always is."

"We'll see, Okon, we'll see. I think those two are cute." She gestured to Misao and Soujiro. Okon sighed. Misao had given up pleading or whatever she'd been doing, and now had the young rurouni in a headlock. He looked a bit blue, and it wasn't just his hakama.

"Misao! Don't kill the help!" Okon called. She rubbed her temples as Misao dropped Soujiro on the ground.

"Hai!" Misao flashed her dangerous, we'll-discuss-this-later smile at Soujiro, and bounced away, probably to find her Aoshi-sama. Soujiro stood up, dusted himself off, smiled at Okon, and went back to sweeping.

...

Days later, Misao paced in her room.

"The Himura's will be here in a few more days," she thought out loud. "I HAVE to get Soujiro to spill the beans before then, so Himura and Aoshi-sama will be proud of my incredible skill at ferreting out the truth." She paused. "I could always just torture him... No, Himura wouldn't appreciate that. Mou! Why does he always have to make everything so difficult!" She stomped her foot.

"I just want Aoshi-sama to notice me... That, and I'm making myself really curious! What did Himura say to him? Himura doesn't know what he did. Sanosuke didn't really know what happened, either, but he's an idiot so that's understandable... I can't just ask him straight out... Or can I?" She tapped her chin with one finger, thinking.

"That's worth a shot. Misao, you're a genius!" She went to find Soujiro.

...

Soujiro sat on the roof of the Aoiya, staring up at the half-moon. The breeze felt cool on his face, a nice contrast to the heat. He didn't like the heaviness of it. The way it made his hair stick to the back of his neck was unbearable, and he hated sweating like he hated cleaning.

Heat also made him think of Shishio. Soujiro frowned.

"Mou, the moon is much prettier when it's full. Ne, Soujiro?" Misao sat down beside him, flipping the bow of her onmitsu uniform out behind her so she wouldn't sit on it.

"Aa, Misao-san!" His smile was back up. "I didn't hear you come up here!"

"Of course you didn't!" she declared, puffing up with pride. "I am the Okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu!" He gave her his best smile. She grinned back. They turned to stare at the moon in silence. A deep blue cloud wandered across its face.

"You know, it's okay to not smile all the time," Misao said suddenly.

"What?"

"I noticeed you weren't smiling when I first came up here. That's fine." She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them. "If you don't smile all the time, your smiles are more precious."

"Like Aoshi-san?" She scowled at him out of the corner of her eye at that question.

"Yeah," she said after a pause. "Like Aoshi-sama." He looked at her, his face neutral- not smiling, not frowning.

"Do you ever think about what might have been?" he asked.

"Everyone does."

"I never did," he told her. "Not until after I became a rurouni. What if I had never met Shishio? What if he had won? Sometimes I scare myself thinking about that."

"I'd be scared if Shishio won! That'd be awful! He'd take over with no problem, except us Oniwa Banshuu of course! All the people-" She stopped short, glancing at Soujiro. He looked...hurt.

"You didn't know Shishio the way I did, Misao-san," he said softly, hanging his head so his hair hid his eyes. "He fought for what he believed in. Noone ever said that was wrong. It was the way he fought... He thought that the strongest would win and prove that they were right by winning. But that's not always true. Himura taught me that."

"Himura taught us all that." Misao looked over at him again. He still sat with his head bowed. He was frowning.

She reached over and squeezed one of his hands. "It's alright, Soujiro. Cheer up. It's creepy seeing you sad." He looked up at her, his bright smile back.

"Arigatou, Misao-san!"

"Nevermind. It's creepy seeing you smile too." He kept grinning. She sighed.

"So..." she started after a pause. "What happened, back when you fought Himura?"

"Hm? Huh?" His smile was gentle, but his eyes were completely blank and his brow was furrowed in confusion.

"The fight with Himura, the one that made you decide to become a rurouni. What happened?"

"Didn't Himura-san tell you?" She brushed her hair out of her eyes, mostly to hide her grimace. He was being so difficult!

"Yeah, but I want to hear your side! There's more than one side to a story, you know!" She waggled her finger and grinned.

Soujiro exhaled loudly, almost a sigh, and flopped back onto the roof tiles. He lay on his back, staring at the sky for a moment.

"Himura-san is very different from Shishio-san," he started, "but not really." Before Misao could argue, he continued. "They fought for what they believed. Shishio-san thought it was all right to let the weak die, since they were, well, weak. But Himura-san fought to protect them. I didn't understand that. I'd always heard Shishio-san say that was wrong, that the weak had to die. That's why I tried to be strong." He stopped, unsure of where to go next. His smile was gone.

"When I met Shishio-san, I was weak. I didn't know how to be strong, so I hid behind a smile. I thought that my family would get bored if I kept smiling instead of crying or getting angry when they hurt me. Shishio said that wasn't good enough, that eventually they wouldn't just leave me alone because I smiled at them. Then I would die, because I was weak. He gave me his wakizashi, to see what I could do with it." He looked sideways over at Misao, who stared down at him, her blue eyes wide. He sat back up, and immediately slumped forward like his spine had given out on him.

"I killed them with it. I thought they were finally going to kill me, after just beating me for so long. They said it wouldn't matter. It would just look like the murderer that was running around loose then had killed me." He managed a weak grin at her. "That murderer was Shishio-san. Funny, how the murderer saved me from the people who were supposed to care about me... He gave me the sword that killed my family when they were going to kill me. I was so scared of them. I killed them because I was scared.

"When I fought Himura-san, that memory came back I hadn't thought about it, because it didn't matter when I was with Shishio. I became strong, just like he promised. I only had to do what he told me. But Himura-san..." He turned to Misao, who sat there with her mouth agape.

"Himura-san protects people like the little boy I was. I didn't understand. That part of Himura-san and Shishio-san is so different... Shishio-san always told me it was wrong to protect the weak. But Himura-san protects them, and doesn't kill. And he seems so much more content than Shishio-san! That made me think. And thinking's a dangerous thing in battle!" He laughed then, startling Misao. She chuckled nervously.

"So Himura made you think about what was right and what was wrong?" she asked.

"Mm. But mostly, he made me remember. I was angry with him for not protecting me, at first, but then I realized he couldn't have. He didn't know. He said he didn't know, but he could guess. And when he defeated me with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, he said that I should try to make up for what I'd done."

"He told us about that. You asked if he meant like he did, and said he was a harsh task-master."

"Yeah, that's it. Discovering the truth isn't easy," he laughed softly. The smile was back, but it seemed a little more sincere to Misao.

"It's been a while. Have you found the truth?"

"I don't know," he replied. "But it feels better to help someone than to kill them. I think that's what Himura-san found too." Misao looked at him as he sat, his face calm with only a hint of a smile.

"You don't look creepy like that," she told him. "I like it."

"Thank you?" He asked more than said it, and his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Nevermind," she sighed before she started laughing at his expression. Of all the times to start showing emotions! "You don't know how to take a compliment, do you?" He shook his head. "Mou..." She squeezed his hand once more. "Get some sleep. I'm sure Jiya will want you to do some more housecleaning tomorrow."

"So that was good enough?"

"Huh?"

"My story. Was that enough for you?" She glared at him. "I knew you wanted something. You've been nice to me for the last three days. Was that it?" She gave him a look that could have curdled tofu despite it's already curdled state.

"Kecho Geri!" Soujiro made a satisfying thump as he hit the ground.

"Oroooo..."

...

"What?!" Omasu hissed under her breath. "That girl!" Okon sighed, and dragged Omasu from their hiding place. It was far too late for this nonsense.

...

Okina looked up from his tea. "Is Himura here already? I thought I heard an 'oro'!"

...

Misao sat on the roof for a while after she'd kicked Soujiro off. She listened as he stood up slowly and limped back into the Aoiya. She almost felt bad for him... but not quite. He'd told that story for her, but was it even true? She was pretty sure he was a good liar; after all, his facial expressions barely change at all. But his eyes had looked so sad and sincere.

"What am I supposed to think!?"

"Misao?" she heard Jiya call. "I heard an 'oro'. Is Himura here already?"

"No, Jiya. That was just Soujiro."

"Oh, okay. Just like having our own Himura..." she heard him chuckle as his voice faded. She sighed and hopped off the roof, barely tripping at all. I may as well make sure I didin't permanently injure him she thought as she headed towards Soujiro's room.

...

She knocked softly and opened the door. Soujiro was limping back and forth.

"Oh! Misao-dono!"

"'Dono'? You ARE a little Himura now, aren't you?" He grinned (wider).

"Someone who can kick that hard deserves some respect, ne?" She grinned back.

"Tell that to Jiya for me!" she laughed. "Are you hurt badly?"

"No, no! I'm just walking the dizziness out. I think I hit my head."

"You're walking funny. Did you land on your head or your behind?"

"Both," he admitted. "But I should be okay! It's nothing compared to the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki!"

"So you're saying I'm not as strong as Himura?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. Soujiro panicked.

"No! That's not it! I mean!" Misao burst out laughing.

"Wait here," she said between giggles. "I'll get you some ice."

...

Soujiro lay on his stomach, chunks of ice wrapped in cloth resting on his head and tailbone. He watched as Misao poked through his few possessions. She'd become curious about his things after she brought the ice, and he saw no reason to hide from her. He didn't have anything to hide.

"You don't have alot of stuff, do you?" she asked, fingering a tattered gi and looking over her shoulder at him.

"No," he replied. "I don't need alot of stuff. I'm thinking of getting rid of some of it, actually."

"What could you possibly get rid of?! You don't have anything!"

"My sword. I'm having one made, so I won't need this one anymore."

Misao eyed him. "Where'd you get the money to have a sword made?"

"Ano...Omasu-dono... Omasu-dono has been paying me..." He looked around for a place to hide. But instead of strangliing him and demanding her money back, Misao nodded.

"Good. You should have some new clothes. And a new sword." She giggled. "Sakabatou?"

"Sakabatou."

"You really admire Himura, don't you?" Soujiro nodded.

"He wasn't a very good person, but he changed. He believed I can change too." He reached behind himself and repositioned the icepack on his tailbone.

"Is that why you're a rurouni now, with a backwards sword? To be like Himura?"

"You knew that already, Misao-dono," he smiled.

"Yeah." She paused. "So when your ten years of wandering are over, are you going to fall in love with a lonely kenjutsu instructor, promise to protect her, and then settle down at her dojo to do her laundry?"

"No," he said, laughing. "I don't think I could do that much laundry. Besides, I like it here." Misao felt her cheeks get hot. "Even though I have to do the dishes and the sweeping and half the time Okina calls me 'Himura' and I get kicked of roofs..." She smacked him on top of the head, quite painful for both of them as she had forgotten that ice was hard. He still grinned up at her. "But I like it here anyways."

"Will you be staying much longer?" Misao asked slowly.

"I'm waiting for my sword, but then I'll probably go back to being a rurouni again. I've got to wander for ten years, you know!" He grinned at her again. She smiled back, although she didn't feel like smiling.

"When will your sword be ready?" she asked, not quite sure that she wanted to know the answer.

"A couple of days at most. Probably the day after tomorrow."

"Himura will be here right after that. Will you stay long enough to see him?"

"No," he said shortly.

"What? Are you afraid to see Himura?" she demanded. He stared ahead of himself at her feet, his usual placid smile on his lips. She stood there for a moment. He didn't look up, but he knew she was glaring down at him with her hands on her hips, two twitches away from sticking him with her kunai.

He watched her feet as she turned to stomp out of the room. Her braid smacked against the door frame, the metal band at the end making a loud clack. She would be upset about that. The hairpiece she was wearing today was the present from Aoshi that she'd found recently. She hadn't told Soujiro- in fact, she'd told everyone BUT him several times- but he knew.

He dropped his smile and rested his head of his arms.

...

Two mornings later, Misao returned from breakfast to find a package on the floor in her room. She sat on the floor and tried to unwrap it but only got off the first layer, upon which was a note. She wanted to see what was inside first.

"What kind of wrapping job is this?! She yelled to the room in general (which meant noone). "I'll bet this is some bad joke of Jiya's!" She tore through the rest of the wrapping to expose a shiny new kunai. She tested its weight in her hand.

"Feels good. Someone knows their knives." She rested it gently on her knee and read the note on the outermost layer aloud to herself.

"Misao-dono- Sorry I missed your birthday. You should have told me! After paying for my sword, this was all I could afford to get you. Put it to good use, just not on me!" There was only a quickly drawn picture of a smiling face for a signiture.

...

Soujiro walked down the street, a hand on his new sakabatou. He was smiling, of course, and humming to himself. He had "Ice Blue Eyes" stuck in his head.

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