Let me say this before I share my opinion: if you ship them, awesome. If you don't, awesome. Just don't get upset if my opinion differs from yours. Live and let live. 

Also, I’m still sorting through my feelings regarding those two so this is just one big ramble. 

Back when I was a youngin’ this was a flat NO. And it still kind of is. And hey, if you ship them, awesome! They are basically canon. Watsuki did in fact confirm they eventually probably did get married, it just never appeared in the manga or anime. And actually, I kind of like that. It gives those of us who don’t ship them as a couple to explore other options. Let me say first, it’s not the age thing (when I was ten yes, it was. But I’m older now and more educated) Let’s be honest, 50 year-old’s were marrying girls Misao’s age in the 19th century and that was the social norm. No, it was more so I just never felt she really got him. She hasn’t matured physically or mentally. I always saw those two as a father/daughter or teacher/mentor thing. Even brother and sister. Their love to me was platonic, not sexual. 

At the beginning of the Kyoto arc, Misao didn’t know any better. She was starry-eyed, innocent and idolizing the man of her dreams. She had no clue of what Aoshi was going through. By the end of the arc, she had gotten some tough love, but one thing’s for certain: she DID know what she wanted. She wasn’t confused or too young to understand her feelings.  

After some discussion with some other fans, I realized that they need to bridge that gap of not seeing one another for eight years, become closer friends and then maybe start a relationship. Which is what it seemed to be happening in the Jinchuu arc. Aoshi seems content with the idea of becoming the manager of the Aoi-ya, and returning because “Someone important to him was waiting” for his return. So we can surmise that Aoshi DOES care for Misao, there’s no doubt about that. I know he loves her. Sexually? I can’t answer that. I go back and forth. Because he’s hard to read, it’s up to interpretation. And I like that. Again, options are nice in my opinion.  

I forget where I read it, but I once saw a post that pointed out: Aoshi might marry Misao out of convenience for her. During that era, girls had no say on anything. Misao would be married off and told how to dress, how to speak, etc. She’d be miserable. Aoshi doesn’t seem to mind any of that and I think he would want to protect her so marrying makes sense.

Depending on my mood, I can ship them, but it’s not something I go to readily. Heck, I own several Aoshi x Misao hentai doujinshi so that right there is a testament to my open-mindedness.

In terms of sexuality, I am personally convinced that Aoshi is asexual first and foremost. But the thing is, I can easily see him as straight, gay or bi so it’s a win with him no matter what. 

If we’re assuming that Aoshi is straight of course, I felt he needed a WOMAN.  Like someone to really stick his nose to the grinder, ya know?  A woman who was independent, strong-willed and a no-nonsense type. Someone to peg him during sex, someone to bitch slap him when he’s being a dipshit, someone to take over as Okashira and let him THINK he’s in charge. That’s the woman I want for him. 

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Misao to death. When she’s with Aoshi in cute situations, my heart melts. I love those two together, just not sexually. It’s not a matter of whether or not she deserves him because that’s bullshit. If we really want to go that route, it should be that he doesn’t deserve her. But either way, that’s not the case with me. Everyone deserves to be loved and to be happy. And yes, this includes Misao.