Disclaimer: Do not own! (except for those that are all mine!)
Dedication: To Garcia… because of your insane love of Tomomasa (even though it's just cuz of your shoulder and thigh fetish…) Plus… I'm sorry that you have beef with all OC's.
A/N: OC alert!
Falling…
Tomomasa took a leisurely stroll out of the palace. Passing through a forested lane, he spotted a young woman gazing at the flooded path before her.
The summer monsoons had made it nearly impossible for many to travel without the help of an ox cart, and it was obvious to Tomomasa that the girl before him hadn't money enough for such a thing.
Approaching her, he began to look closer at the lone girl. Her loose, shimmering light blue hair fell halfway down her back. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a soft green color.
She wore a white yukata (A/N: summer kimono, made of cotton) that had patterns of twisting vines on it in a sea-foam green color. The wicker basket that she carried was overflowing with freshly gathered herbs and flowers.
Walking up to the young woman, he reached out and laid his hand on her slender shoulder. "Would you like me to carry you across the water?" he whispered in a seductive tone.
Turning around, the girl gave him an incredulous look, achieved by raising her eyebrows in distrust and pursing her lips in a cynical manner.
"No," she said flatly.
Turning away from him without a second thought, she stepped several paces away from the torrent of water before turning to face it again. Setting her lips in a grim, determined line, she loosened the tight-fitting skirt of her yukata and ran toward the flooded path.
When her left foot landed barely an inch from the water, she hurdled over the flooded road with unbelievable ease. However, her skirt inhibited her landing.
She toppled over and gasped in pain over spraining her right ankle.
Tomomasa calmly queried, "Are you injured?" as he began walking through the water nonchalantly.
Picking herself up proudly, the girl dusted her yukata off and immediately walked away before Tomomasa had even left the water.
Shaking his head, he watched the lone figure disappear from sight, noticing how she favored her right leg.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Takamichi-dono, are you here?" the blue-haired girl called out. Peeking through the door of the archives, she warily stepped inside, practically tip-toeing across the wooden floor, which was exceedingly difficult for her considering her sprained ankle, but she managed.
Going further into the depths of the archives, she finally came across the man she had been seeking.
"Ah, Arisu-san," he said, looking up from several scrolls. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. I was absorbed in my work," he added with an apologetic smile.
"No it's fine," Arisu said, waving her hands. Beginning to scratch her head in embarrassment, she added, "Though, this place can be a bit creepy with all the lit torches and dusty scrolls lying about…" Takamichi's smiled in sympathy.
Seeing his concern, Arisu smiled brightly to reassure him.
"So," Takamichi began, pushing his spectacles further up his nose, "Your commission…"
"Yeah?" Arisu asked with hope shining in her eyes.
Right as Takamichi began to speak, a voice called out his voice from the entrance. The voice was not angry, nor panicked, nor business-like, nor a thousand other emotions that someone might have… The voice was utterly unconcerned…
Kind of like that guy from yesterday… Arisu couldn't help thinking.
Takamichi rose and led Arisu towards the entryway.
Standing in the doorway was Tomomasa.
"You're that guy that hassled me yesterday!" Arisu burst out, annoyed for some unknown reason.
"And you're the girl that would not accept help," Tomomasa calmly remarked with a devilish twinkle in his eyes.
"You two know each other?" Takamichi asked, utterly bemused.
"Yes," Tomomasa answered, staring at Arisu. "We met beneath the full, leafy trees beside a flooded path…" he said, allowing the words to fall from his lips like drops of honey.
"Excuse me, Takamichi-san," Arisu said, bowing. "I must be going."
Walking hurriedly, Arisu tripped a little as her sprained ankle found itself confronted with uneven ground. Catching her breath, Arisu sat down against a tree that lined the road leading out of the palace gates.
Why did I run out of there? Arisu wondered, confused.
Wiping the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand, Arisu took a series of deep breaths to bring herself back to normal. "Baka!" she muttered darkly to herself. Why did I run?
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Well…" Takamichi remarked after Arisu disappeared from sight. "That was highly irregular…"
"Yes…" Tomomasa added, deep in thought.
Glancing at his friend, Takamichi continued. "Besides Akane, Arisu is the only girl that hasn't fallen for your seductive act…"
Carefully, Takamichi assessed Tomomasa's reaction to his observation. Suddenly, Tomomasa's pensive manner shifted back towards reality with a start. "So, her name's Arisu?" he asked, waiting for confirmation from his young friend.
Nodding, Takamichi could see the gears turning in the young general's mind. He had just formulated a plan of action.
"Takamichi… do you know where she lives?"
XXXXXXXXXXX
Returning home to the lonely hut that she shared with Grandma Chie, Arisu immediately went to check on Hikaru.
Seeing the baby napping, Arisu smiled and left the hut to gather flowers from the clearing surrounding the hovel that was her home. Walking past the neat little herb garden, she sat down among the wild daisies with a sigh.
Why did I run?
The question haunted her… Arisu wondered if she would ever escape from those words…
Shaking her head, she picked several daisies and began twisting the stems into a daisy chain for little Hikaru to wear. Completing his, Arisu began one for herself.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Tomomasa and Takamichi came across the clearing surrounding Old Woman Chie's hut just as Arisu placed her daisy-crown upon her head.
Halting, Takamichi wondered how to break in upon Arisu's moment of serenity. Tomomasa, however, had no such qualms…
"Ah, you look lovely as ever, my Daisy Queen," he said out of the blue.
Jolted out of her musings, Arisu turned to the two visitors with the vulnerable eyes of a startled deer. Holding back a gasp of surprise, she regained her composure quickly and stood up, Hikaru's garland in hand.
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Please come in," Arisu said in a cool, decorous manner.
As he entered the dark hut, Tomomasa secretly wondered what she had been thinking of that would cause her to look so defenseless.
"Arisu-san, about your commission," Takamichi began. However, he was cut off by a baby's cries.
Running swiftly to the only other room in the house, Arisu picked up Hikaru and checked his diaper.
When her two visitors tentatively entered the cramped room after her, they found her deftly changing a baby's diaper with practiced ease.
For some reason, Tomomasa's became tense and it seemed to him like his chest was constricting… So… she is married, he concluded. No wonder she made no effort to flirt with me…
"Is this the child, then, Arisu-san?" Takamichi inquired.
"Yes," Arisu replied with a fond smile as she tickled the little boy in her lap. "This is Hikaru."
Gurgling with pleasure, the yellow-haired infant held onto the pinky-finger that Takamichi was kind enough to supply.
"So… Takamichi-san…" Arisu asked more seriously. "Did you discover who his parents are?"
"No. I'm sorry. I did not discover who they are," Takamichi said apologetically.
Before Arisu could assure him that it was fine, a child of about nine years burst into the hut.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Onee-san!" he cried out.
"What's wrong, Ichiro?" Arisu asked, worried. "Is it your mother? Is she in labor?" The little boy nodded quickly.
"Old Woman Chie is with my ocaa-san, but she asked for your help!" The boy then began to cry.
"You," Arisu demanded, pointing to Tomomasa, "what is your name?"
"Tachibana no Tomomasa…?"
"Tomomasa-dono, you and Takamichi-san take care of Ichiro and Hikaru! Follow with the two of them in a little while," Arisu commanded. "I need to go to Ichiro's mother!"
Running out of the building and into the clearing, Arisu stumbled and tripped, flattening some of the daisies beneath her.
Before she could pick herself up, two strong hands wrapped around her waist and lifted her upright. "You're ankle still hasn't healed yet," Tomomasa whispered in her ear as Arisu inwardly shivered at the close contact. "Allow me to help you reach your destination…" With a nod, Arisu accepted his help.
Without any warning, Tomomasa scooped her up in his arms. Then, Tomomasa began to run.
Trying to hide her blush, Arisu called out the directions to Ichiro's home. Upon reaching it, Tomomasa gently set her down on her feet.
As Arisu began to trot to the doorway, she stumbled again, but Tomomasa caught her (A/N: yes, I know… again).
"I told you," Tomomasa whispered, "don't overdo things with your ankle like that."
Blushing, Arisu nodded and entered the house at a slower, more cautious pace while Tomomasa waited outside.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Within a half an hour, Takamichi had arrived, holding Hikaru in his arms and with Ichiro on one side.
After several minutes of anxiety, an old woman came out of the house with Arisu following behind her.
"Obaa-san!" Ichiro called out, coming over to hug her.
"Don't worry, Ichiro," she said in a kindly voice, "your mother is just fine. Plus, you now have a little sister. Take good care of her, Ichiro."
Behind her, Arisu gave the boy a huge smile and a thumbs up, and even though the boy was puzzled over the meaning of her odd hand signal, he figured out that every thing was fine from the smile on her face.
Arisu slowly made her way towards Takamichi and received Hikaru from his arms. Bowing to the two men, Arisu smiled and turned to follow Chie, only to find her well along the path.
"Wait up, Gran, or I won't change Hikaru's diapers for a week!" Arisu called out. The old woman turned around and quirked her eyebrow up sarcastically before she continued walking.
"Damnit!" Arisu muttered. "The old gal called my bluff!"
"Now is that any way to speak of your elders, Arisu-chan?" Tomomasa purred.
"She and I understand each other…" she said, defensive. "We both come from the same world, after all…"
Realizing that she had just let the metaphorical cat out of the bag, Arisu let loose a little gasp. Bowing hurriedly, she started to walk away quickly when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You should not be walking quickly, Arisu-chan," Tomomasa said, reminding her of her ankle. "Especially not with a child in your arms…"
Bowing again in thanks, the blue-haired girl turned around to walk away, but Tomomasa's next words caused her to pause.
"Are you from a different time?" he asked. She nodded. "Do you know a girl named Motomiya Akane?"
Another nod.
"She's my cousin… That's how I know about all of the Hachiyou. She told me about her adventures not long before I found myself here…"
"Do you mind if I come to see you tomorrow in order to ask you more…?" The teal-haired Hachiyou asked.
"I would be delighted, Tomomasa-dono," Arisu replied without turning around. Blushing, she walked off after her fellow Tokyo citizen.
A/N:
Yes… she is beginning to fall in love with Tomomasa…
And… if people were getting annoyed with the amount of times Arisu ended up tripping… believe me, even I was irritated (and I'm the author!)!
Nothing for it, though!
Arisu is such a stubborn character… she would keep on falling without my permission!
Okay! Moving on!
Thank you for reading! Please review!
Oh! And please give your advice as to whether I should continue this with the other Hachyiou!