Twisted Accusations

Chapter Thirteen

Kagome smiled as she walked down the street, feeling a little better. Shippou was out searching as she did the same. The only person she tried to stay away from was Aoshi. She prayed he didn't somehow hear of her asking questions. After returning, an image suddenly appeared to her. The older man had been cradling the dead man, a name had passed his lips. Makamachi, so thats what they had to go on. It took a while but someone had jumped at the name, the florist next to a local resteraunt. It gave Kagome many answers on who the man had been and who the child was. It also made her nervous to know who he had been and who Aoshi was. The woman had been to eager to gossip about it.

Seemed the old man Okina, owner of the restaraunt, was the older man that had ordered her death. The man that had been killed once was the leader of the famous Oniwanbanshu. After his 'death' the group was taken over by Aoshi, now it was led by the girl named Missoa. She was the dead man's child, the one in danger. Kagome now knew two things, the girl in question and never to eat at that resteraunt. Seemed all the former members stayed there, just her luck.

Everyone held this girl in high regard, the Oniwanbanshu had helped save the city from a fire not too long ago. It left Kagome to wonder if the girl even needed protection. What if they were wrong and something else was keeping her here. But what else could it be? There was nothing she could do about the man's death now. She could have healed him, sparing his life but Mr. Grumpy Pants had interfered. The girl had to be the reason, there was nothing else.

Shippou was now finding what else he could on the girl named Missoa and the Oniwanbanshu. Kagome hated making him do most of the prying and snooping. The last thing she needed was to walk into the resteraunt and the old man recognize her. The image of her running out the front door with the whole kitchen staff hot on her heels with knives in hand, didn't sit will with her. Staying away from there was her best option until she cleared herself in their eyes.

Her heart twitched at the thought of Aoshi finding out who she was. She hadn't seen him since getting back and had to admit she missed him for some odd reason. Shippou asked about all the heavy sighing of late but she couldn't admit to him that her thoughts kept straying back to a certain male figure. What was he doing now? Should she lock herself in the padded room now or wait for someone else to do it for her. She had to be crazy to entertain thoughts about him.

Sano was suppose to come this evening to fetch her. This Kenshin guy was wanting her to come back and converse. Which meant he wanted to be nosey and ask her all kinds of questions. She still didn't know what answers she was going to give him. Somehow she doubted he'd leave her be until his curiousity was filled. She could always just tell him to go straight to hell and back on a unicycle but then he'd miss her point. A lie was always an option, not a good one. There was one thing she wasn't good at and it was looking someone in the eye and telling a big fat lie. Maybe a half truth would work.

Going to Tokyo meant leaving Shippou behind. There was no way for him to come with her or there'd be even more questions. Sano already thought her to be weird, so she wasn't worried about him. This Kenshin guy was what worried her, she'd heard enough talk about him. Rumor was he was the legendary man slayer, the one from her history books. One glance and he'd see she was lying; an order of sliced and diced Kags to go please.

Worrying about it wouldn't get her anywhere. Kagome didn't believe Sano would let someone try to harm her. Her head was starting to ache once more. Her things were all packed, ready to go. All that was left was for her to be collected. This time they were going by carriage, she refused to walk anymore.



Shippou wasn't sure what drew his attention, the soft humming or the smell. He knew it was female by both, he walked further into the woods. He'd just left town to get away from all the noise and commotion. Kagome had already left to head to Tokyo leaving him alone until she returned. Not that he minded being left alone, he was used to it by now. He was more worried about Kagome's state of mind, she was stressed out.

The houshi had accepted him, simply because Kagome did. They treated him with respect and let him alone most of the time. It was nice to have a roof over his head and not having to fear for his life. They all knew what he was, a youkai; something they'd only heard legends and tales about. To almost everyone he looked like a normal human. Centuries had perfected his shapeshifting abilities and his ability to mimic others.

His eyes scanned the area, seeking out the person. A small girl sat on a fallen tree stump, her foot kicking at an imaginary object. The direction gave him a good view of her profile. The term cute came to mind as he gazed at her small features, looking away from him. Her long black hair was braided down her back, dangling as she took her aggression out on the ground. The clothing she wore was strange, different from the other humans he saw. Debating whether he should make his presence known or turn around and go back to town, he stared at her. She wasn't as pretty as Kagome in his opinion but something about her drew him in.

Missoa felt the eyes on her but waited for the person to move. Her ire was already up, the person wasn't helping with their staring. She took a deep sigh, willing them to go away. It was peaceful to sit here and mope about things. If only Aoshi would stop giving her the brush off already. She knew he cared about her but she was starting to lose hope.

He was acting strange lately, sulking more than usual. Something was eating away at him, she wanted to know what. She'd even gone to Okina hoping he could tell her what was going on. No one had a clue as to what was eating away at their old leader. Some were whispering that it was women trouble. That couldn't be true because her Aoshi wasn't seeing anyone.

He'd taken off yesterday, not telling anyone where he was going. Had he gone off to see another female? No, when could he had possibly met another woman? The only time there had been a chance was the time he was gone. But she'd been told he was escorting some houshi to a village. Houshi were all males, there was no way in hell her Aoshi swung that way. So when had another female stepped into the picture.

The gossip had to be wrong, she was meant to be with him. And that person was getting on her nerves. "Stop staring already, it's rude." She turned to scream at the offending party, her mouth formed a circle. "Oh!" Her eyes widened in shock, he was very handsome. Of course he didn't compare to her Aoshi but he was pleasant to look at.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Shippou stuttered his apologies, unsure of what to do next. Instead of becoming angry at her outburst he found it refreshing. It was an honest response, not the polite humblings of the houshi. Her shoulders dropped in a defeated manner, her mouth began to pout. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay. Do I look okay to you? This is all his fault! I wouldn't have to sit here and worry if he'd just talk to me. Why must he always be so difficult?" Missoa couldn't stop the outburst, the words flowing from her mouth. All this thinking and worrying was getting to her. She didn't have anyone to talk about such things. Okina would laugh, the other women made her uncomfortable. They were all so feminine and pretty.

Shippou cringed, she was fretting over some male. He didn't know how to deal with a heartbroken woman. What could he possible say to calm her? He was suddenly sorry he asked. The idea of slowly walking backwards came to mind. She looked on the verge of tears, he could tell she was trying to hide them behind that brave face. "Um, do you wanna talk about it?" The offer was out before he could stop himself.

"No, what is there to talk about. I'm in love with this man. He's really great, smart, handsome, strong and for some reason he is ignoring me. I thought we were finally getting somewhere since his return. After everything happened, I was hoping that his old self would return. I know he'll never be the same now but I can still see him in there. There has to be something I can do to make him happy. There has to be!" Missoa let her mind wonder to the past few days. Several times she'd caught him gazing off in the distance, a wistful look in his eyes. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking about. What could make that look cross Aoshi's face? The look had changed as soon as he felt her there. Then the old mask was back in place for the world to see. Not knowing was killing her, she should ask him. Yet her heart feared the answers she would recieve. "I'm not sure if he even wants me that way. Sometimes I think there is hope, then others I feel like he'll only look at me as a younger sibling."

Shippou could feel for the girl, after all he'd had to watch Kagome go through it. "Look, no matter what happens you got to be true to yourself. If you love this guy then tell him. We can't help who we love, nor should we have to. The only advice I can offer you is not to give up, not if you love him."

"You're absolutely right. I won't give up, I'll keep trying. He's worth it and more, thanks!" She stood up needing to head back before Okina began to wonder where she'd taken off to. Giving the man a quick smile she took off running towards town heading back home. Her shoulders lifted with new hope and determination. As she stepped inside she realized she didn't even know the strange man's name.

Next Chapter: Kagome arrives in Tokyo and where has Aoshi gone??? Please review if you want to see more.