She tried to come up with the best possible reason for hating Su-Shen. ‘Maybe she’s an old ninja that I never met. Or she’s an old enemy. Maybe she killed one of the original Oniwabanshuu. Maybe she tricked Aoshi-sama.’ A two horrible thoughts occurred to her at the same time. ‘Maybe she’s Aoshi-sama’s old lover! She’s going to trick him and kill him!’She could hear Su-Shen talking in the other room and refused to look up when the door was opened a little while later. She continued to punch rythmically at her bag. "May I speak with you Misao?" Her pace slowed a little at the sound of Aoshi’s voice, but she didn’t look up."I think I’ve figured out who Su-Shen is," Aoshi told her. Misao grunted non-commentally. "She’s the woman that came to Japan seeking sanctuary from the Chinese clan she was fleeing from.""Good for her," Misao spat bitterly.Aoshi stood silently after regarding her for a moment and looked down at her imposingly. "Why wouldn’t you stay in the same room as her?"

"She’s disgusting."Aoshi raised his eyebrows fractionally in surprise. Misao had a temper, true, but she was never this violently angery."She insulted you and she insulted Papa and she insulted me and I think she’s disgusting.""How did she insult me?" Aoshi asked carefully."She said you killed Papa, and you would never hurt him. And he would never let one of his own turn against him and challenge him. And she insulted me by suggesting I’m related to a man so weak he can’t even trust his friends!" Misao punched her bag so hard a seam split. "Oh hell," she muttered, regarding the torn edges of fabric distainfully. She opened the top of the bag and dug around until she pulled out a needle and thread. While Aoshi wathced silently, she began to sew the bag back together.Strangely, Aoshi’s silent presence calmed Misao. ‘Even though I’m acting like a baby, he’s still here!’ A small flush of happiness spread across her cheeks. ‘Maybe I don’t have to worry, even if Su-Shen was his mistress!’

A sudden comotion came from the dojo. Aoshi and Misao looked up in surprise. Pounding footsteps and shouted Chinese gave them idea of what had happened. The footsteps and voices grew closer and the door was flung open. Su-Shen leapt in the room and shut the door quickly behind her. She turned and peered at the crack of the door until the footsteps passed before turning to the stunned and silent occupants of the room."Shinomori-kun!" she cried, clapping delightedly. "You come with me now!" She reached excitedly for his hand. He stepped out of her reach. The Chinese woman’s heavy eyebrows drew together in angered surprise, as though she hadn’t expected him to refuse her offer. She reached for his arm again, faster this time, and still he pulled away."You come!" she demanded insistently, pouting a little in frustration.

"Did it ever occur to you that he doesn’t want to?" Misao informed her acidicly from the other side of the room.Su-Shen glared at her. The silent hate flowed back and forth across the room between them. They glared at each other for a long time, Aoshi pretending to just ignore the whole exchange. Su-Shen finally said hautily, "Number-two girl leave now." She flicked her wrist distainfully at Misao. "Shoo!"

Misao sat up as though she had been stung. Tears pooled in her eyes before she could control them and she hastily wiped them away. "Number-two?" she repeated haltingly. "Is that what you just called me?""Go!"Su-Shen leapt at Aoshi and caught him around the arm before he could pull away. He tried to pull out of her grip, but she held on tighter than he anticipated. "Su-Shen new Number-one girl now!""I won’t stand for it!" Misao screamed.

"Number-two no stand!" Su-Shen said with a giggle. It took a moment before Misao and Aoshi got her little joke.Clentching her jaw, Misao struggled to her feet. "Why, you dirty whore!" Aoshi stared in surprise at Misao. ‘I never knew she had quite a vocabulary like that!’"Ugly girl!" Su-Shen spat, angry again."FUCK YOU!!" Misao screamed. A sob slipped past her lips and she stared at Su-Shen fiercely.Without warning Su-Shen turned her back on Misao, grabbed Aoshi’s head and pulled him down. She closed her eyes and kissed him deeply. Misao stared in horror. The tears began to fall just as the door opened. Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, Megumi and Enishi stood framed in the wide doorway, all of the a little breathless.

"You whore," Misao muttered again. Without taking her eyes from the scene in front of her she rumaged in her bag until she pulled out a single kunai."Misao-chan!" Kaoru gasped, "What are you doing!?"The enraged ninja threw the kunai in a perfect arc towards Su-Shen. Even though everybody knew what was happening, nobody said a word.The kunai sliced through Su-Shen’s heavy shirt at the arm. She fell away from a relieved looking Aoshi with a scream of pain, clutching at her wound. The small knife was stuck in her shoulder at least a few inches deep. Su-Shen sat on the floor in an undignified heap and withdrew the kunai from her shoulder slowly. She stared at the bloody blade, then turned her enraged glare to Misao.She leapt to her feet with a cry and dived at the unarmed girl with her own weapon. Misao grabbed the nearest thing that came to hand, her bag, and prepared to use it to protect herself.

Before she needed it, however, Aoshi stepped into Su-Shen’s way determinedly. He hit her with the back of his hand and sent her across the room to slump against the wall, unconscience again.Megumi pushed past everybody else crowding the doorway and hurried to Su-Shen’s side. She looked up at Aoshi slowly. "You’ve, you’ve nearly killed her.""Better her than Misao," he replied before walking out.Enishi moved to Misao’s side and offered her his hand to help her up. She ignored him and watched Aoshi instead. "Misao," Enishi said, "you need to let Megumi look at your leg." When she didn’t reply, he knelt by her to pick her up.Misao pushed him backwards with a hand in the center of his chest. "Leave me alone, Enishi," she told him vacantly. "I need space."She staggered out the door and followed Aoshi’s broad back with her eyes. He went into the room Kaoru and Kenshin had put aside for him at the end of the walkway. She heard his voice, then silence.