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PrincessSohma: Haha you're very welcome PrincessSohma! :3 I'll do my best for future chapters! :)

dauntlessofthesea: A combination of restless imagination that won't go away until I write it, a bit of planed free time and.. sheer will power! :D

FairyGirl34: Thanks so much for reading my one shots! If you have any ideas, feel free to write them down!

Ec: Hehe Thank you :3

Prompt: Aoi wondered about the term 'Ogre Bride', she never realized somebody else apart from the Master thinks that of her as well.

Rated: K

An Ogre Bride

Ginji's ears perked up at the sound of the door opening and he turned around, the practiced greeting already coming out of his mouth before he even saw the customer, "Welcome to Moonflower! What can I-" Ginji stopped short and smiled, "Oh, hello Oryo,"

The snow woman scoffed softly, seating herself next to the account manager of Tenjin'ya, who was slurping on a noodle soup, "Huh? So our little accountant does get out of his cave every once and a while, hm?" Oryo hid her shock well enough, seeing Byakuya out in broad daylight made her slightly more used to his appearance.

Still, seeing him was out of the ordinary, his improptu appearances were rare enough to warrant questioning should he still appear in broad daylight.

Byakuya subtly rolled his eyes at the snow woman, sipping on his soup, "For one, it"s not a cave. And had you been gifted such an important job, you would understand Oryo,"

Ginji shifted uneasily between them behind the counter, "Ah...why don't we all sit down and I can fix you something-"

Oryo exploded, "What did you say?! I am-was- am the young hostess! Of course it's an important job! Just because I actually enjoy talking to people does not mean-!"

Both stopped their debate when they heard footsteps approaching and saw Aoi at the entrance, "Oh, Oryo you're here too. Do you want that cold dessert you loved so much?" Aoi smiled brightly, oblivious toward the 'discussion' her two fellow Tenjin'ya employees had.

Ginji breathed a sigh of relief when both Oryo and Byakuya calmed significantly after Aoi's arrival and he marveled at the power she unknowingly had.

Flustered, Oryo shifted in her seat and cleared her throat, "Yes...thank you,"

Aoi smiled and tightened her kimono, "Coming right up!"

Ginji watched with an amused smile how the woman worked around her kitchen, finally noticing his staring, she arched an eyebrow while she was finishing Oryo's plate, "Huh? Ginji? Is something wrong? Do I have something on my face?" She felt around her cheeks for any smudges of food plastered to it.

Ginji chuckled, "No, no. I was just wondering how much of an ogre bride you really were,"

At the mention of the master's more commonly used phrase, the dish Aoi was holding shook briefly until she set it down in front of Oryo, "Ogre Bride? Now what makes you say that?" Her brow arched higher and her arms crossed over her chest.

Ginji had to stifle a laugh at her stance, remembering all the times Aoi truly did deserve the title of ogre bride, "While I don't know a lot about ogres, I heard they were sometimes fierce but kind and gentle. They don't allow people to look down on them or their comrades," he chuckled into his fist, ears moving, "And they're quite headstrong and reckless,"

Aoi crossed her arms, huffing, "Well, I'm sorry to say you just described many other people with these traits,"

Ginji grinned, "Maybe, but you are pretty headstrong and reckless Aoi," he winked and Aoi turned her head.

Oryo watched from the front seat, "He's right you know," as she idly ate her cold treat, watching Aoi look at her increduously.

"Not you too Oryo!"

"I know why the master loves calling you his ogre bride, but many other people called you that, isn't that right?" she smirked at Aoi's silence, "See? That means you do resemble an ogre bride at its finest,"

She started giggling when Aoi threw her hands on her hips, "Ugh, I see you all banded together to suddenly brand me as an ogre bride, didn't you?" she huffed in annoyance, "Well, I was like that before so that proves nothing!"

Uncharacteristically, Byakuya spoke up, "Does that mean you and the Master were meant to be, after all?" He didn't turn his attention away from his soup but he was listening intently.

Aoi closed her mouth, feeling heat fill her cheeks and she readjusted her clothes, "... I'll go get some fresh vegetables, we seem to be running out," with that, her swift steps took her outside.

Ginji crossed his arms and chuckled from behind the boxes of vegetables stocked up behind him.

"Ahhh..." Aoi laid flat on her back next to the small eating turtle ayakashi, "Chibi?"

"Hmm?" Chibi

Aoi stared at the ceiling for a full minute until the question finally tumbled out of her mouth, "Am I really...like an ogre?"

Chibi stopped chewing on his cucumber slices for a minute, thinking before making a face, "Not at all! Ogres are fierce and scary..." remembering the Master, Chibi smiled sheepishly, "Well...not all of them anyway,"

Aoi grinned, "Ha! So I'm not acting like an ogre bride! I knew it!" Aoi was already cheering when Chibi suddenly interrupted her.

"Actually, you really do behave like an ogre bride Aoi-shan," Chibi smiled, rolling over to Aoi's side before munching on the green vegetable again.

Aoi sat up, "Wait, you just said I didn't behave like an ogre a minute ago!"

Chibi wrinkled his nose, "That's because there's a difference with a lone ogre and a married ogre bride," his small finger was pointing in the air matter-of-fact.

It was Aoi that was overwhelmed with confusion, "There...is?"

Ayakashi were quite the peculiar creatures, after all.

Chibi nodded, "Mhm! Yes! Lone ogres are cold and aggressive, very, very scary! Married ogres are still headstrong," Aoi's bangs covered her eyes, "-reckless," her head sunk, "-oh and fierce and protective!" Her head sunk further, Ginji's earlier words sounding like a mantra by now, "Just like the Master!"

Aoi's head shot up, "Huh?" She blinked, "The Master?"

Chibi nodded firmly, "Yup! The Master is an ogre after all, the most powerful one too. But unlike other ogres I met, he's really kind and gentle, and he tickles me, but he's also scary and fierce whenever Tenjin'ya or you're in danger Aoi-shan!" The small ayakashi happily ate away at his second cucumber, satisfied with his answer.

Aoi hummed, laying back down to stare at the ceiling again, "Am I...really like that? An ogre bride?" Usually, to her knowledge, ogres were considered nothing but brute, ruthless demons terrorizing villages and scaring small children, at least that's how the books always portrayed them, but Aoi couldn't help but think differently since coming to the Hidden Realm.

True, the Master was the only real reference she had to ogres, excluding the one from the time they were in Orio-ya, so all she had to compare was himself and fantasy books.

Still, even if not all ogres were like that, she knew the Master was and that was all that mattered in the end.

Aoi felt her cheeks grow hot. The Master had influenced her in his own way.

"Now that I think about it...I influenced the Master too... he used to be cold, a bit distanced but..." warmth blossomed in her chest, "He is so kind and gentle...and so silly with his antics. Ginji mentioned he had a big heart already but I wonder...how much of that did I change? I doubt the Master was the same as he is now..." Aoi smiled, "Maybe-"

A soft knock came on her door, "Aoi? It's me,"

Without hesitating Aoi called, "Come in,"

The sliding door opened and Odanna entered, a look of concern on his face, "Ginji said you'd be here, are you feeling alright? You're not ill, are you?" his gaze was soft and worried as he scanned her laying figure on her futon.

And suddenly, all the words the others used to describe the Master before came floating through her mind.

Kind.

Gentle.

Fierce.

Protective.

Big heart.

Compassionate.

Reckless.

Hopeless.

Charming.

Very sweet and considerate.

Cute.

Aoi shot up. Wait...had she just...mentally added to the list? Had she called him charming in her own mind?! Cute?!

Odanna's brow furrowed, "Aoi?" He took a step closer but Aoi was already on her feet, gently slapping her cheeks.

"Well, I should probably be getting to work! I told the chief chef we would have a cooking match to see who can make better tonkatsu and have the loser serve a full course meal to the winner," she grinned, rolling up her sleeves.

Odanna blinked and stared in surprise, before laughing loudly.

Aoi scoffed softly, "Now what?" she pouted.

The Master Inkeeper grinned happily, patting her shoulder affectionately and opening the door for her, "You're truly an ogre bride," he shook his head fondly, a gentle look in his eyes and a sweet smile on his lips.

Ogre bride

This time, when Aoi stepped out of her room and caught the Master's look, not that it already wasn't on her, she smiled, "How about helping me cook a few easy dishes for today before the morning rush comes in?"

Odanna's look of surprise melted into excitement, he was at her side in a second, "Really? I'll get to help you cook again?" at Aoi's nod, a glint appeared in his eyes, "Finally! I've been waiting ever since that time cooking the gameni!" He pumped his fist in the air but froze when Aoi critically eyed his claws.

He hid them protectively against his chest, but Aoi's lips stretched into a grin, "...Well, I guess it's fine for today, maybe you can even peel things with them, but if you're going to help me out more often, they'll have to stay clipped," she gave him a look and Odanna sighed.

"...Whatever you say Aoi," his soft, almost proud grin returned, "Truly an ogre bride,"

Aoi returned his grin, "No more than you a food ethusiast," Odanna smirked, admitting defeat as they walked down the hall.

"Right," they gave each-other a side long glance when they entered Moonflower, the silent communication between them spied by four pairs of eyes hidden from their view.

"What exactly are we doing here?" Akatsuki's irritated voice whispered among the tightly huddled group, "I just wanted a sandwich," his eyes narrowed at the Master and Aoi, their supposedly main attraction.

Oryo hissed through her teeth sharply, "Shh! They'll notice us if you don't shut up!"

Ginji sighed, "I'm more concerned about your voice level Oryo,"

Byakuya at the back let out a deep, deep sigh, "Now I remember why I liked my cave,"

"So you admit it!" Oryo whisper-shouted triumphantly.

The white haired ayakashi glared at her.

Idea for the next chapter: Some Odanna & Chibi bonding time set during Episode 19 when Odanna was tickling Chibi.