After Misao's tumble, they had taken the rest of the day to train. Aoshi worked her to the bone - rolling, diving, how to land falling from different heights, and of course, kunai target practice. Her back ached from all of her incorrect landings from treetops to forest floor. Aoshi didn't even seem to care! And that's what irked her the most. When she was young, he at least gave her a bit of compassion during training...
"Go!" She heard Aoshi's command to leap from the branch she was perched on, and complied. Misao's back was so strained, she couldn't take it anymore. She knew Aoshi would never allow her to fall flat on the unforgiving earth; he'd catch her. And, as Aoshi witnessed her tiny body go limp in mid-fall, he ran over to the landing point and caught the girl in his strong arms, with barely any effort. And he was furious. "What was that, Misao?"
Even as his voice remained in monotone, the rage in his eyes rivaled even those of the Battousai. It sent chills down her spine, and even in his muscular arms, Misao knew her back-aches were now the least of her worries.
"I'm just so tired…my back..." She stuttered to give an explanation for her laziness. "I just didn't../I- uhh..." Her heart was pounding, though not from his touch, but because Misao had never seen him so angry with her before. "Th-thank you, Aoshi-sama – f-f-for catching me," She gave a weak forced smile. "I can always trust you to catch me when I fall, huh?"
"Trust?" Aoshi whispered through his teeth, setting Misao upright on the ground. He could tell she was scared, but he needed to get this message through. "Trust, Misao, is a great asset, but an even worse weakness!"
He was almost shouting. Shouting! When had he ever...? she allowed the thought to trail off in the face of his seething anger.
"Now, you may be able to trust me, but one day I might not be there. You could be vulnerable - he'll play your weaknesses and after only a few weeks, you trust him." Aoshi calmed his voice, but it still held notes of animation.
Misao's eyes softened to match his voice, but confusion lingered as earnest listening took over. Silence followed Aoshi's words, not even the animals of the forest could be heard rustling about in the distance. He saw she was paying attention now, but needed his hypothetical lesson to stick. As his monotone returned, his eyes softened, and he gently grabbed hold of Misao's shoulders.
"Little did you know, he was leading you to a trap. Perhaps his goons captured you both - demanding something you couldn't give. Perhaps they locked you somewhere, took your weapons, and with what seems like the last night of two young lives, he does this-" – Aoshi swiftly kicked Misao's heels from under her, and took on her nearly non-existent weight into his arms, and layed her on her back. "- and tells you, 'I love you. You mean more to me than life and death itself.'"
Aoshi and Misao's noses almost touched, and his muscular body covered her petite frame. His hands pinned her wrists to the ground, knees keeping her legs together. Even if Misao tried to move, his grip would not allow it. That didn't matter, her heart beat too fast, and her head was reeling too much at the current situation to even try to regain bodily control. His voice and eyes, so soft, so gentle, as he spoke.
"'You are my life' he would say. 'And without you, I am dead. I belong to you, just as you do to me'" While speaking, Aoshi used his left knee to part Misao's legs. He lowered himself onto her, and pulled on the sashes near her bust open with his teeth. It sagged open a bit, just enough to reveal a hint of cleavage .I'm only doing this to prove my lesson. Do NOT get carried away! He thought.
By now, Misao's entire face was doused in a wash of red, her breathing was coarse, panting softly, but otherwise silent. No one spoke for a few seconds, yet it felt as if an eternity had passed. Aoshi broke the silence.
"And he takes something from you that you'll never get back, and then leaves you. It turns out; he was the head of this scheme the whole time. Now you're trapped, defenseless, and in shock, all while facing death. All because of some short earned, weakly-earned trust. And what do you do, Misao?"
They stared into each others' eyes, neither of them so much as twitching. Misao's mind was racing, so many emotions danced in her eyes. She bit her bottom lip, deep in thought over the whole situation. Finally, she spoke, softly, stuttering, but audibly. "Th-The cat... I named him Kuzon."
**A/N- Yes, I know, this is kind of short... But! I don't care. :3 Though I /do/ care to know if you enjoyed it or not. So.. how bout leavin' a review, eh? C'moooon you know you want to~ ;D till next time...
OH and again, I praise you, Night of The Shadow. You are amazing (heart heart heart) just sayin'.
If you like just about anything, go look at her stories. She's covered so many shows. It is incredible (in my opinion, at least). I'm just gonna stick to my RuroKen stuff thankyou very much! 3
