Ha! Usual disclaimers apply. I really wish I owned Aoshi. Ah Well! Won't keep me from writing him into my fics! ;p

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Running to You

By Shadow Flame

Chapter One: I HATE Red Shoes!

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An annoying beep roused the bed's inhabitant from sleep. One eye slowly opened to look at the glowing numbers, then closed, burrowing further under the covers with a groan. "Misao-chan! I'm not deaf! I can hear it all the way out here! Rise and shine!"

"...Mou...Just five more minutes Okon."

"I don't think so! You have school today, remember?"

She felt the blanket being ripped off of her body, cold air attacking her skin. Misao let out an aggravated shriek and smashed her clock with a fist. Slowly, she rolled out of bed, stepping into her panda slippers before continuing down the hallway and into the bathroom. Her older sister's laughter could be heard long after she had closed the door.

Twenty minutes later, a refreshed and now awake Misao emerged from the bathroom, trudging back towards the bedroom to find her uniform. She glanced at the clock. 8:31 am. "Kuso! I'm going to be late!" She rapidly pulled on the outfit, cringing slightly. The attire consisted of a black knee-length skirt, matching blouse, but it had a HUGE red bow on the front, and little red shoes.

"I'm going to kill Jiya for picking this out. I look like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz for crying out loud!" Misao muttered through clenched teeth, grabbing her backpack and hopping down the stairs.

She marched into the kitchen, ready to throttle him for making her look so ridiculous. And there he was, dancing around the kitchen to Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". Misao shook her head, and cleared her throat.

"Ah! How is my pretty Misao this morning?" He cooed, locking her in a suffocating bear hug.

"Ji..ya...need air..." He let go and she wheezed, trying to fill her lungs with air again. She heard Okon's barely restrained giggles from behind the counter, narrowing her eyes slightly at her un-supportive sister. "And just what is so funny?" She put her hands on her hips for dramatic effect.

"You look like the girl from the Wizard of Oz with those shoes on." She couldn't hide behind her hand any longer, and grabbed her stomach as she doubled over with giggles.

"JIYA, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!" Misao screeched, searching the room for the now missing man. Her search was cut short when she received a whack on the head, followed by her grandfather's condescending voice.

"Maa, maa Misao-chan. No need to get angry. Besides, you look so KAWAII in that outfit."

"Mou! If you think it's so 'KAWAII', then why don't you wear it?!"

"I would, but red really isn't my color." He said coolly while sipping his morning tea. "You better hurry up or you'll be late for school. It's almost 9:00."

Misao screeched loudly and grabbed her lunch bag, kissing Jiya on the cheek and waving to Okon as she bounded out the door and down the sidewalk.



She glanced at her watch again to check how much time she had left. Unfortunately, she wasn't watching where she was running, and smashed into something hard. Misao went flying backwards, bouncing on the cement slabs.

It took her a minute to process what had just happened, and she slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead in confusion and anger.

"Mou! Since when do they put lampposts in the middle of..." she started, but stopped when she saw a pair of shoes? Her gaze slowly traveled upwards, following the black dress pants to a leather belt, then further to a broad chest wearing a black shirt and jacket, red tie pulled together neatly at the neck. Misao was almost afraid to look up all the way.

It took a lot of will power, but her gaze continued ever-upwards until she was met with a pair of icy-blue eyes, partially shielded by long, dark bangs.

"Daijabou ka? You should really watch where you are running. This is not a race track you know."

TBC...

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Eh? What was that? I know, I whipped it up in about 30 minutes! I want to see reviews before you see more chapters! That is of course, if you like it!!

I encourage YOU to review and leave comments or constructive criticism!! (^_^)

You should also check out my website, Anime Junction at http://www.geocities.com/a_junction/index.html !! That is, if you want to!! It is under major construction, so don't expect TOO much at the moment!! Ha ha ho ho...