One Rainy Night

Chapter 3 by Massao-na-Mizu

M/N: Heya! ;) How are you guys? Anyways, I hope I did a good job or something in this round robin. My first time… . Please point out to me my mistakes! Btw, GMP will be updated next week…  So anyway!

Disclaimer: The plot is not mine; it's Belle Day Night's. The Characters aren't mine, coz this is fan fiction.

Recap: Aoshi wants to get even with Kaoru…

Aoshi strapped a towel on his narrow waist; another towel slung on his broad shoulders as he shaved his chin and cleared the fog from the mirror. He sighed. He looked colder than ever, and extremely tired. His wounded arm throbbed numbly (thanks to Kaoru) and his legs still vibrated from his Motorcycle ride. He was still trying to get used to it again after a long time of not using a motorcycle.

When he was satisfied that he can no longer change his appearance, he opened the bathroom door to see Kaoru wearing a very loose polo shirt and reading a magazine in the bed.

"I think the sofa is big enough," Kaoru said, nibbling at the tip of her pencil, not looking up. Aoshi raised an eyebrow. Who does this girl think she is? Ordering him around. From what he remembered, (he has perfect memory, so he knew that he remembers) she only hitched a ride. There was no destination for him and he didn't actually care for her.

"Yes. So you can sleep there now," he said, throwing off the covers of the bed and baring her lower body to him. She didn't have any shorts to hide her long legs and smooth thighs; she quickly pulled up the covers and blushed furiously.

"Hey! Why can't you be more gentlemanly? I'm a woman so you should let me have the bed!" she said indignantly, glaring at him defiantly. He glared back coldly.

"I'm aware you're a woman. But firstly, you are the reason why I have a wound in my upper arm right now. Secondly, you're only a hitchhiker. I deserve the bed," he said coolly. She looked at him, shocked.

"Well, if it isn't for me, Tom wouldn't have given us the BEST room they have! And I cleaned your wound!" she protested, standing up on the edge of the bed.

"Still doesn't change the fact that you're the reason why I have a wound," he said, suddenly sitting in the bed and pulling the covers on himself. Kaoru blushed, outraged and annoyed.

"Why are you being so stubborn anyway?! I said sorry! And it's not like I told that Goha-or Goiha or whatever to shoot you!" she shouted at him.

He merely smirked. "If you don't want to use the sofa, it's okay by me. The bed is big enough for both of us," her jaw dropped. He raised his eyebrow challengingly.

She blushed furiously. What is with this guy? A while ago, he was a cold, stoic man who was unresponsive enough not to even punch the man who shot him in the arm. Now, he was… dare she say it? TEASING her?

A tick appeared in her temple in her annoyance and her eyebrow twitched. Her hands were on her hips as she thought of a possible way to let her sleep in the bed. Alone.

"Oh, and by the way," he said in his deep masculine voice that spread warmth inside her chest. She looked up at him to see him drape the towel—THE TOWEL!!!—he was using to hide his…er… privates was draped in the chair!

She blushed and turned her back from him. "W-what are you doing?" she asked through gritted teeth.

There was a light tap on her shoulder and she carefully turned around to see him fully dressed in sleeping clothes. A comfortable-looking shirt and loose pants. He looked very… boy-next-door-who—grew-up-into-a-hottie like. She blushed again. He reminded her of the teen magazines she read when she was in high school.

"I was going to tell you to turn around, but it looks like you had the wits to do so yourself," he smirked and shrugged, grabbing a pillow and opening the cabinet to get a spare blanket. "Feel free to use the bed," he called over his shoulder and fluffed the pillows and got ready for bed.

There was an awkward silence (or so Kaoru thought) that followed and Kaoru bit her lip nervously, sighing and closing her eyes to make a decision. "No, you're right, YOU should be the one sleeping in the bed. Besides, if your wound gets infected, then I'll be very guilty that it'll gnaw on my conscience," she said, patting his shoulder, urging him to use the bed.

He seemed taken aback and confused. He looked into her sapphire eyes and she looked into his cobalt ones. She bit her lip, but never wavered her gaze.

He sighed and shook his head. "I was just getting even with you, since you didn't warn me of the cold water," he said, narrowing his eyes mockingly and she mistook him for being serious.

She looked startled then embarrassed. The tips of her ears were red and her cheeks tinted pink. "Oh… erm, sorry. I was kind of hesitating to tell you…" she trailed off, bowing her head and peeking a him from long lashes.

He raised a brow coldly, his face not betraying his feelings, but his eyes spoke volumes. "Why would you be hesitant to tell me?" she fidgeted.

"I didn't know how you're going to take it? Besides, you'd think that I'm one of those spoiled rich kids," he gave her a look that asked, 'aren't you?' and she rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not."

"Well, then, good night Kaoru," he said in his usual monotone voice, only softer as he waited for her to tuck herself in before falling asleep once again…

Only to see the face of his former girlfriend smiling up at him

He sat up in the sofa and cursed under his breath. How can he sleep like this? Kaoru also sat up and looked at him with concern.

"Something wrong?" she asked him. He shook his head, wincing. Apparently, the pain reliever had faded and the pain of his arm was in full-force. He clenched his teeth.

She threw the blanket off her and rushed to him, pulling up his sleeve to see that his wound started bleeding again. She searched her small backpack for some more pain relievers and grabbed the first-aid kit hidden under the sink.

"I told you that you can have the bed," she muttered, cutting the soft tissue she used as bandage and handing him some bottled water and the pill. He popped the pill in his mouth and drank the water, closing his eyes and tilting his head to let the pill go down his throat.

He chose not to reply. Besides, he couldn't. The pain made him unable to. She cleaned his wound and wrapped some clean bandages on his arm carefully.

"Well, I better put these on my back pack in case you need to change your bandages and I'll get more supplies in the first-aid in the closet." She said, more to herself than to him. "Good thing that it's only a scratch compared to having a bullet inside your arm," she said, her voice sounded amused but she had a grim expression.

She taped the bandage to keep it from falling and patted his lower arm. "There, all done!" She said brightly. He dared not move his arm. He had been shot before and knew of the pain, but after years of not feeling it, he had almost forgotten completely.

"Thank you," he murmured under his breath, looking at his now clean wound and surprised to see Kaoru looking intently at his face. She didn't blush when he caught her staring and instead, asked him, "why didn't you fight him back?"

For a moment, he was silent, contemplating her question. If he were his old self, he would've beaten that guy into a pulp then held a gun to his head threateningly, but oh, has he changed. He had more patience, and the fact that he didn't know his own full strength and ability made him uneasy.

He left his old life; he didn't want to be a fugitive.

"Aoshi?" Kaoru's inquiring voice snapped him out of his reverie and into reality once again. He looked at her earnest expression before answering.

"No reason," he replied stoically and with his other arm, pulled the covers up to himself.

Kaoru bit her lip, still sitting on the carpeted floor.

"Yes?" he asked her, knowing she had something on her mind, but was unsure if she should say it.

"Uhm, I was wondering… what if you sleep on the bed beside me?" she said, not daring to use the word 'with'. He looked at her, surprised at her forwardness. "I'll be able to check up on you easier!" she said reasonably.

And he nodded, getting up from his makeshift bed and with one arm, scooping the blanket and pillow. "If I rest it tonight, I'll be able to drive the motorcycle tomorrow morning."

She nodded and smiled at him, letting him slide himself into the bed and pull up the covers. He shifted into a more comfortable position and started to sleep. She slept at her side, curling into a fetus position.

It was said in findings that when you sleep in a fetus position, you are vulnerable, but try to put up a cover of being courageous, brave and strong.

Aoshi knew Kaoru had her own secrets. It intrigued him.

He wanted to uncover them all.

Kaoru shifted and opened her mouth a little and closed it again. She suddenly shot her hand, out to grab a pillow but caught Aoshi's hand instead. The hand that wasn't connected to the wounded arm. She tucked in under her face and sighed at its warmth, cradling it with her two smaller ands.

Yes, she was intriguing indeed.

Well… I couldn't think of anything else. That was sort of stuck on my mind even before and I just had to use it. Unfortunately, it's only short. I hope you liked it!