Chapter 10
They walked silently returning to the Aoyia, the rain lifting up a little in its relentless downpour. It wasn't all that silent; their trek to the Aoyai, Aoshi sneezed relentlessly all the way back as if he had a cold or something. Both of their noses dripped like the roofs of the buildings they passed.
When they entered the Aoyia the met silence. No lights where on at this time of night, but as they crept along the hallways they saw light flooding out of the cracks from Okina's room.
They stood unmoving in front on his room deciding how, in there, their fate lay. Water slid off their slick garments to condense at their feet. Misao slide open the rice paper door and went to sit in front of Okina.
'It'll be a cold day in Hell if I back down from an old man!' Slowly Aoshi followed, he knelt down beside Misao. Okina knelt down with a cup filled with tea in his hand.
Okina's eyes remained closed but that didn't stop him from talking, "So, can one of you tell me the truth?"
She nodded in acquiesce. "It all started when I..."
Misao's story
Misao is wandering around the streets of Kyoto. The sky is baby blue and the sun is... a... really REALLY bright. Misao is looking for a soba stand that'll feed her on their love and charity. She had, previously that day, given all of her money to a local orphanage and had no money to buy herself lunch. Not wanting to go eat at the Aoyai that day, or any other day, or wanting the others to know of her dilemma she resorted to eating only breakfast and dinner. Or, if the bushed permitted, berries. That isn't poisonous of course.
Then a brilliant idea came to mind of the equally brilliant mind of the Okashira one day as she picked berries.!
"I'll join a circus!" Shouted the beautiful Misao pointing her finger heavenward for more emphasis. As she did so a flock of doves flew from the trees that surrounded the Beauty.
The Magnificent Woman searched all day and all night, except at breakfast, dinner, when she visited the orphanage she had given all her money to, when she went shopping, and did other... chores.
Then one day Misao-sama found a circus worthy of her grandeur. Unworthily she approached the boss and asked most humbly for a job to pay for her lunch.
The mean old bat replied, "I don't want you in my circus! Get lost!" He yelled and spat in her face. She cried out in horror so he slapped her in her face!
Ahem!
Misao opened her eyes from her vivid recreation that was going to lead to why they where in the situation they where in when Okina found them. She looked up to see the angry stare of Okina and the dubious concern in Aoshi's.
Okina turned to Aoshi as if he were the only one with him, "As I was saying... Can you tell me the truth Aoshi-san?"
Aoshi nodded his grave head and opened his mouth to speak... but all that came out was a very wet sneeze. "Achoo!"
"God bless you," Okina said stiffly sipping some more of his tea.
Outside the storm had worsened, the wind had picked up and the people who could predict the weather locked themselves safely away.
Aoshi opened his mouth once more, "Achoo! Achoo!"
"God bless you," Okina offered once more.
"Thank you," Aoshi whipped his nose with his handkerchief, which he swiftly hid away in a secret compartment in his sleeve. Aoshi was going to continue with his story but...
"Ah! Haaaa! AH!" Misao screamed as the window shuttered banged open with a frightful vengeance. She held up a hand to calm her wildly beating heart, gasping for breath. The other held in Aoshi's arm in a death grip.
Thunder growled through the open window rattling the loose boards. Lightning shot forth from the window string Okina.
"Ah! Haaaa! Aaaah!" Misao screamed as Okina slumped forward into his lap, his singed hair sticking out of his head. The pink bow that accompanied his hair on his chin fell delicately to the floor.
"Oki- ACHOO!" Aoshi sneezed uncontrollably as he tried to aid the old man.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Misao got to him first, "Gramps! Gramps are you all right? Gramps?!"
She poked his shoulder but got no response from him. He moved him in an upright position to find that his eyes had rolled to the back of his head, only the whites and a few veins could be seen, and his face was burnt like the food Kaoru made them.
"Achoo!"
"Aoshi-san! Shizuka ni shinasai!" She yelled angrily at the sneezing ex- Okashira also attempting to help Okina. "Gramps! Are you okay?"
"Answer me!" Misao cried shaking Okina's fried form. "Are you all right?"
"Misao!" Aoshi yelled managing not to sneeze. "Stop shaking him and he'll be all right!" Aoshi put a restraining hand on Misao's and she stopped.
"I will Aoshi-san," she laid Okina back on the floor and backed away. "What should we do with him?"
"Do with whom?"
BOOM!
"Aaah! Aaaaaaaaaaah!"
Misao screamed for the third time that night as Okina sat upright and asked her a simple question.
BOOM!
She clutched both of her hands to steady her rapidly thrashing heart. Lightning flashed in the window, lighting up Misao's deadly face.
"Don't. Ever. Do. That. To. Me. Again!" Lightning flashed again for emphasis on her blatant threat.
Aoshi rushed over to Okina's side to assist him but Okina waved him impatiently away.
Okina whipped the spilt tea off him clothes with distaste. The teacup had rolled away during his electrocution and is now resting by the wall.
He put rested his hand on his chin and felt something not quite right. He reached over to a dresser and pulled out a mirror from inside one of its many drawers. Holding it up to his face to show his chin he gasped in shock as he saw his wilted goatee... and no pink bow.
"Wha? What happened?" Okina asked shakily as he fingered his not white but gray goatee. His wobbly hands dropped the mirror, the glass shattered as it fit the hard floor, no butt cushion to reduce the impact.
"NOOOOO!"
The world broke apart... a cold day indeed.
AN: Should I stop while I'm ahead? If you want more I'll gladly write more. (I have a lot planned for this fic) Thunderstorms aren't uncommon in fanfictions but this thunderstorm is not for those reasons so (I think) it's okay. Right?