Winter's Chill
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Unwelcome Advances:
Misao felt light headed. He was so close she could smell him, a tangy spicy smell, exotic and welcoming, so different from Aoshi-sama who always smelled faintly of sandalwood and incense. She felt the warm silky material slide across her hands and she looked down and realized he was handing her his shirt. Slowly she closed her hands around the black material. She turned her back to him and using the blanket as a cover slipped the shirt over her head.
The silky material engulfed her body and she was instantly enveloped in warmth and the over powering smell that she now knew to be Enishi. The shirt was long and while still uncomfortably under clothed Misao turned back to Enishi. He had moved away from her and again sat by the pile of clothes which he had arranged so they could dry by the fire. Misao looked down at the shirt again. The rich material was embossed with black dragons breathing out inky jets of fire their, long bodies stretched across the material and made intricate unidentifiable patterns. Reaching down she used her index finger to trace the pattern of a dragon across the front.
"Its from China" Enishi stated flatly. Misao dropped her hand and looked up at him embarrassed. Enishi's expression had changed from earlier. His eyes seemed more feral as he stared across the flames at her. His earlier warm gaze now a greenish mimic of Aoshi-sama's usual icy stare. His expression was… calculating. For a moment, both stared at each other in silence. Misao's hand again rose to the fabric and nervously fingered the black material.
"Do you travel to China often?" She asked in an attempt to break the silence. His eyes remained cold and fixed on her as he responded. "You tell me." A pregnant pause filled the hut and Misao's fingers began twisting the fabric as a cold sweat broke out on her hands. "How should I know." She squeaked, nervously avoiding his gaze.
"You seem to already know me." He began then stood and started walking toward her. "So why play pretend any longer?" Misao felt trapped. Her eyes darted to the pile close to where Enishi had been sitting. She was sure her kuni were in that pile if only she could reach them. Her eyes moved back to Enishi, his face contrast in sharp light and shadow by the fire and his lean body loomed ever closer. Misao leapt up, forgetting the blanket and darted to the other side of the fire. The floor was freezing and the draught hit her exposed legs. The silk was warm but it only came to mid thigh and while the slits in the sides were small they still made it all the chillier. Enishi paused in his advance and stared at her. Misao could not see his face well but she thought she caught the hint of an amused smile play across his lips then again it may just have been a trick of the light.
"who are you?" He questioned. Misao did not answer her heart beat wildly in her chest. She had no where to go. She quickly bent down and rummaged through her things. The long sleeves of the shirt impeded her ability but eventually her finger fell against something sharp and wincing from the cut she pulled out a few kuni. The small daggers instantly filled her with a sense of safety. She sifted their familiar weight in her hands then looked up at Enishi. He had not moved but stood watching her. He appeared to be waiting for her answer and did not look the least threatened by the now armed Misao.
Misao flashed a cocky grin and moved the kuni in a ready to attack position. "I am Misao Makimachi Okashira of the Oniwabanshu!" for added effect she let the kuni flash in the light of the fire. However, Enishi was unaffected by her words, in fact she thought she again saw a hint of a smile. He again advanced toward her. "and what was a girl claiming to be the head of a ninja group doing curled up like a child in the snow?" he taunted. Misao felt her face twitch at the words "girl" and "child." Realizing how close he was she backed away. "None of your business!" She snapped and in a flash of anger hurled a kuni at his head. The tiny missile whizzed right passed his ear as he easily dodged it without missing a beat.
Misao's mouth fell open in shock but she quickly recovered and continued to back up as Enishi came toward her. She moved away from the fire and toward the door. It may be cold but she still had a better chance in the snow than in this shack with a murdering maniac. She felt the cold emanating from the rickety door and knew she was almost there. She could fell no wind, hopefully the storm had died and she would only have to deal with the already fallen snow. She smirked then raising all three kuni she let out a loud ki-ai and launched them at her attacker. Without waiting to see if they hit she turned and grabbed the door handle and pulled it open. A wall of white snow almost as tall as she was met her eyes. Panic hit her and she began to tremble. A strong hand grabbed the door and slammed it shut. Misao looked up into Enishi's smirking face. He appeared totally unharmed by her attack. Her instinct was to run but he would definitely catch her, he was so close now. Before she could make a decision his hand snaked out and grabbed the loose ends of her shirt sleeves and pinned her to the wall, in his left hand she saw he held one of her kuni. Misao felt her veins run cold and shiver more from fear than cold ran through her body, but she looked up and stared defiantly at her captor. This time she was sure he smiled.
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Now the story has taken an unromantic turn. I apologize for the shortness but I can not write a whole lot at once (I am still a newbie to the fanfic world). Hopefully while they are short, the updates will be fairly frequent. I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing, it really does make you want to keep writing knowing that people out there read and enjoy your work. (^o^)
Dynast: I dunno about Aoshi suffering but maybe he has been very bad
Fiery Shadow: I will definitely continue thanks for your support
817: I agree to ends would be difficult but I am kind of leaning that way now…maybe a kind of choose your own adventure
Seri-chan: I also like M/E pairings and agree there are far too few. Thanks for the advice, it was an intentional slip but I am glad people are paying attention. If you see anything else please tell me.
Sweetdreamer9: My only just Misao/Aoshi supporter but don't give up he may win out yet.
Redmoon_night: Thanks, I am glad you like it.
Thanks again! ~Merrow