Chapter Three: Enigmatic Loveliness

Chapter Three: Enigmatic Loveliness

Icy blue eyes stared at his computer screen in dismay. How could there be no information about this Makimachi Misao, anywhere? She was just a teenage girl, there had to be school records, family records, criminal records… He scoffed lightly. Well, with the way she can sneak into one's property, she had to have some experience, didn't she?

The normally stoic man let out a short but quiet sigh. He couldn't exactly find out more about her without knowing her personal information: like an address, school name, possibly a phone number. And, he had the distinct feeling that she would not share more about herself so willingly. He had to get the information the hard way.

Aoshi let that thought run through his mind for another second before he promptly whipped out his cell phone, and pressed one. The line rang once before a click was heard, signifying the person on the other end had picked up.

"Hannya, I need information."

A deep, slightly muffled voice sounded on line, "Who?"

Aoshi allowed a quick smirk at how intuitive his right hand man was. "Her name is Makimachi Misao. I want a full report on her immediately, tomorrow morning at the very latest."

"Done." Another click sounded, immediately ending the short conversation.

Aoshi could still feel traces of her bouncy ki reverberating through the room and encircling his own, as if drawn to him. He could not deny the warmth he felt while in her presence and the content feeling that settled in the base of his spine, or the softness that seemed to tenderize his eyes and hard features when she was near. The grand effect the little wisp of a girl bestowed upon him was puzzling. Especially since he had only had two small encounters with her.

Makimachi Misao was a puzzle; inside and out. A challenging enigma.

Aoshi was always up for a challenge.

00000000000000000

Left.

Right.

Jump! He's coming from behind.

Go offensive. Get a hold of a kunai.

Ready yourself. And… throw!

Two blurs danced around each other in the spacious training field located a half mile behind the Aoiya.

Misao was sometimes surprised at how her Jiya could still move during his old age. Then she remembered who he used to be… and decided that this shouldn't be surprising at all.

Sensing an attack from the right, she jumped, effectively landing behind her attacker. She brought the dull edge of her kunai up to her opponent's neck, successfully ending the tiring match, with her as the victor. A smile bloomed on Okina's face as he relaxed from his stance.

"Ah, my pretty Misao. You improve with everyday." He moved away from the blade, and turned around to face his sweaty granddaughter. "You finally beat me," he noted with pride.

Retracting the blade, she wrinkled her nose with disgust at the dirt and grime sticking to her body. "Yeah," she scoffed, "it only took me 17 years and three fun filled hours to do it. Whoopee." She turned around and started to make her way back to the Aoiya. She really needed a shower.

Jiya watched his granddaughter leave, with a knowing smile on his face. He had more then expected her to burst with joy at the prospect of beating him. She didn't know it, but there were many factors playing in her life that prevented her from finally defeating him. The first was the obvious lack of skill. Though she had mastered her art a year ago, so that was no longer an issue. The second was her fire. Her fiery spirit that willed her to do her best and beat whoever she needed to, to win. She unknowingly started losing that spirit little by little with everyday that went by. From losing her parents, to not having the best social life… she obviously wasn't doing any better.

But lately, she had been regaining her shine. Her fiery spirit has been reignited. How and why seemed like trivial details. His Misao was finding herself again. And possibly something more.

He straightened his posture and began walking in the same direction she had gone. A small chuckle escaped his throat at the prospect of his pretty Misao finally falling in love. I would probably be the one bursting with joy. He allowed another small chuckle, but quickly swallowed it when he noticed Misao up ahead giving him an odd look.

000000000000000

He's so weird. She thought. Though she was internally pleased with herself for beating her Jiya in the match, her thoughts immediately found themselves elsewhere. She found herself thinking about a certain someone again. A flash of ice blue eyes danced across her mind's eye and her body shivered in response.

The way she reacted to that man was astounding. She didn't get it. Never before had she liked a man quite as much as she liked this one. But he was so mysterious. So mysterious and so… alluring. Misao noticed that she had unconsciously planned her hours around possible times she could slip away to go to his mansion again. It was as if an invisible force was pulling them together. Like fate! She giggled. And who was she to defy fate?

Smiling at the thought of seeing him again, she ran the rest of the way to the Aoiya so she could shower and change.

No reason to keep him waiting, right?

000000000000000

This time, he sensed her presence as soon as it invaded the premises. The soft, yet fierce bubbly energy that was her ki jumped around her; swift and gentle, yet holding a hidden dangerous tone to it. He also noticed that the usual chatter coming from his maids and the other workers in his house ceased to incessant whispers that echoed the same things.

"She's here again."

"Back to visit Aoshi-sama?"

"Why else would she come back?"

"Why would such a young, sweet girl want to visit a cold man such as him?"

He tensed at the last statement, but overall ignored it. They were the ones working in his house, after all. Not the other way around.

Instead of waiting for her to find him and risk her reeking havoc among the rest of his house, he followed the oddly familiar feeling of her ki as it led him to her.

He could sense her ki moving around his large house, stopping at random places for mere seconds before moving on again. It stopped again, but did not move. Raising an eye brow in confusion, he made his way to the other end of his home where he felt she was.

A pair of ice blue eyes pierced him when he entered the room she was in. A broad man, a mirror of his own stature, stared at him as he walked into the room he almost never visited: the so called "family room". He examined the man held captive in the portrait hanging from the wall. The intimidating man's ice blue eyes, much like Aoshi's own, were unkind. His face carried a stern look that never softened upon facing his own son. Aoshi's eyes traveled down to the young boy smiling happily next to the stern man. The boy was like a reflection of the man towering over his short height, with the exception of his youth and carefree smile.

Father… he died from heartache and the ice that had accumulated over his heart with time.

Aoshi's eyes traveled from the portrait hanging innocently above the fireplace to the petite girl gazing up at it. Her eyes were glazed over in thought, her lips pursed in a contemplative pout as she mused over what she saw.

"That was my father," Aoshi stated.

The sudden interruption in her thoughts startled Misao, making her jump. She turned to face Aoshi, saying nothing. Her eyes traveled from him to the portrait, back to him, and then back to the portrait again. Her gaze settled there as she examined it more.

He joined her in the examination of the portrait. How long ago it was. When he was still an innocent, naïve boy…

"You look like him," she said softly, immediately pulling him from his thoughts. "You look like him, and yet… you are nothing like him, are you?"

The question was more of a statement, it seemed, so he did not respond. But it startled him, none the less. Many have compared his demeanor to that of his late father.

"He was sad; the despair screams through his eyes…from a loss. You, however, are not sad. You just don't want to appear weak to others. That's why you seem so cold to everyone. Weakness is probably something your father frowned down upon, or something you thought of him since he took his loss so far." Her voice lowered to a whisper, as if she was almost horrified by her realization.

Aoshi was astounded. This girl who he hadn't even known for a week hit the nail right on the head. Though it was something he would never admit, he still found himself surprised that the bubbly trouble-maker was able to read him so well.

He looked down the mysterious girl, but already found her bright green eyes staring up at him. They seemed so familiar, yet he knew he had never seen them except during their previous encounters. They sparkled with an unbridled passion and were absolutely stunning. He gazed into them, getting lost in the swirling green hues. He distantly wondered if they had always been standing this close to each other, for he could feel the warm breaths rhythmically escaping her body.

Without knowing what exactly he was doing, his head bent forward towards the petite girl. She also drifted towards him, their minds both intent on one thing. He placed a hand on her hip bringing her forward, and the other at the back of her neck as their lips touched. They locked, unlike the brief kiss from their previous encounter. Misao's hands traveled up his chest, his muscles rippling in response to her touch, and around his neck. By then they were flushed up against each other, both lost in the moment and the feel of his lips against hers.

Their lips danced with each other, locking together in a light, but passionate, rhythm that sent sparks down both recipients' bodies.

When the need for air became too much, they reluctantly parted, taking in small gasps of air. Misao noted a faint sparkle in his eyes that had been absent before, and found that she liked it. She also took in the smile that touched his lips, and she smiled brightly in response.

Still locked in the embrace, faces inches away, she spoke. "You know, a smile looks good on you."

He had not even noticed that his face had contoured into a smile. It was so foreign, yet familiar. Just like this girl who was locked in his arms.

By chance, Misao's gaze strayed and landed on a clock hanging on the wall. She read the time, and gasped, surprised at how much time had passed already.

She pulled her arms back to her side, and stepped out of the intimate embrace. The loss of warmth made her shiver, but she knew that she could not stay very long. Her Jiya would be worried.

Misao looked up to the confused man that was looking at her, and smiled again. "I'm sorry, but I should be going now… it's getting late and I'm expected home soon."

He stared at her, still speechless from what had just happened. She gave a wink, and ran out the door. He was officially left in a daze. No girl had ever had such an effect on him. She was the epitome of enigmatic; yet she held a certain loveliness and grace at the same time.

Shaking his head and the thoughts that invaded it, he too walked out of the room.

He traveled through the halls gracefully, his destination: the security room. He wondered why exactly he was doing this, but pushed the thought out of his mind when the memory of their kiss came to mind. A warm feeling fell over him, and he unconsciously embraced it.

His destination came into view, and he entered the room without knocking. The men at work all immediately stood upon seeing him walk in. The captain of his security met him in the center of the room.

"I am sorry for letting the intruder get past us again, sir. She is extremely sneaky. I know you had explicit orders for us to keep her out of the estate, but it has been proven difficult…" the captain rambled.

"Silence," Aoshi ordered.

The captain immediately shut his mouth, waiting for a reprimand.

Something unexpected came instead.

"From now on, you are not to stop her when she enters this estate. She is allowed to come and go freely, as she pleases." Aoshi stated.

The jaws of many men in the vicinity dropped as they too heard the order their employer had just given.

Without waiting for a response, the tall man turned around and excited the room.

00000000000000000

A cell phone rang from somewhere on the desk. A large hand picked it up, and after he read the caller ID, flipped it open.

"Hannya." Aoshi greeted.

The muffled voice responded, "I have your information, sir."

A smirk graced his features. "Excellent. Get it to me as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir."

0000000000000000000

A/N: I am sooooooooooo sorry that this chapter is so late! I've just been soo busy with school, and life in general.

However, I hope its content is pleasing and makes up for my wayyy to long of a delay.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.

Do you think I'm rushing their relationship too much?? Tell me in a review.

REVIEW!!

If I get more reviews, I might update faster….

Hmm.. think about it.

Thanks,

LonelySoul