Except for the story, none of the characters belong to me, ok? Except for a
few originals, that is.
Chapter 1
My God! This is a nightmare! Please let me wake up immediately! Tokio blinked the water out of her eyes as she brushed her hair back with her hands. This couldn't be happening. Not in front of Him! And on their first date! Tokio groaned inwardly. Just let me disappear.
A hand extended in front of her along with a low, soothing voice. "Let me help you out."
With her eyes downcast, not quite daring to look him in the face, Tokio put her hand in his and felt strong arms lifting her out of the manhole she had fallen into. "Th..Thank you," she whispered. Standing on the pathway, Tokio felt like crying. Soaking wet and muddy, he would never want to see such a klutz like her ever again! Shoulders slumped, face dejected and crestfallen, Tokio looked the very picture of misery.
Flashback
The whole evening had not gone well. The matching-making session was arranged by her parents. A week ago, her father was robbed when he went to the bank to deposit some money. Saitoh Hajime was the man who helped her father chased the robber and caught him. They struck up an acquaintance and Tokio's father, thinking that they would make a good match, arranged for this meeting. Why not? She thought. Nothing might come out of it and besides, it would be nice to meet her father's benefactor.
So thinking, she turned up in her usual jeans and t-shirt. Forgetful as she was, she forgot to check out where she was supposed to meet him til the last minute and by then it was too late to change. A high-class French restaurant. Outside the main entrance, she paced back and forth while trying to screw up her courage to either go in and risk getting thrown out or leave. A tap on her shoulder startle her out of her dilema. "Are you Mitsuki Tokio?" And she turned to see the face she would never ever forget.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freezeframe
The images in the water stopped moving. "Now see here, this is the instance when they saw each other for the first time, face-to-face, al'right?" a frustrated Satan groused, his clipped British, upper-crust accent forgotten. "From this moment on, the one month starts, from 2002 Aug 21st, 7.21 pm to 2002 Sept 21st, 7.21 pm, within this period, if he did not say 'I love you' to this Tokio, you would lose. And," he stated firmly, determined to make things clear this time, "I mean 7.21 pm, Japan time, you got it?"
"Yes, yes. I hear you, got it. You don't have to be such a nag about this, you know. Let's just get on with this." The images began moving again as both of them turned their attention back to what's happening with Saitoh and Tokio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not especially good-looking but arresting. Lean ascetic face with slashing cheekbones and those eyes……Enigmatic pools of brown flecked with gold. Tall and thin and with those spectacles on, he looked like a scholar. A latin scholar from another century.
"Mitsuki Tokio?" Saitoh Hajime repeated once again. There was something about this woman that drew him. Her absent-minded air and refreshing innocence, qualities that he lacked and often despised, yet in her, these qualities attracted him. He saw her hovering outside and came out on a hunch that she was the forgetful daughter Mitsuki Ikei meant to introduce him to. He agreed to this date on a whim. After all, he had nothing to do in the evening. Now, he was quite glad that he came.
"Yes, I'm Mitsuki Tokio," she bowed, her long ponytail falling across her shoulders. She looked up hesitantly. In her casual wear, she could hardly be expected to be welcomed into that posh restaurant. A faint smile crossed his lips, "I'm not very hungry. Why don't we take a walk first before dinner?" "That would be nice,"Tokio let go of a sigh of relief silently, "Let's go to the park. There's a fair there."
They strolled to the park, idly chatting. Saitoh removed his jacket and undid the top two buttons of his shirt, opting for a more casual look. As they entered the fairground, Tokio let go of some of her reserve. She flitted from stall to stall, eagerly examining the wares yet never showing any need to buy them. Occasionally, she would return to his side when he was too slow , peeking at him from below her lashes. But within moments, she would wander away again. Saitoh found himself strangely drawn to her animated expressions.
They had food from the stalls. Hotdogs, instant sushi, ramen…It was a first for Saitoh, a novel experience, courtesy of Mitsuki Tokio. From what he knew of her, her family were not well-off. Mitsuki Ikei had told him about the operation on Tokio's younger sister a few years ago. It seemed that quite a huge chunk of the family's finances went towards the treatment of her sister because she was born with a congenital heart defect. Because of this, Tokio had learnt to be very thrifty. He thought it would be a treat for her to have dinner in a restaurant but apparently, a wry grin touched his lips, she was much more at home with street fare.
Flashback over
She felt something on her shoulders. He draped his jacket across her, shielding her from the cold night wind. "Your jacket…It will be ruined," she tried to take it off but he pressed it close against her. "Keep it on. You'll get chilled." He took her hands and led her to his car. "Come on, let me send you home." They got into the car silently with Tokio sitting as close to the edge of the seat as possible to avoid getting it wet. Clasping her hands together, she savoured the lingering warmth, her mind a jumble of thoughts, all of them centred on him. She just spent one evening with him but already she knew. She liked him. But did he like her too?
Along the roadside of her apartment, Tokio got down from the car. She stood there uncertainly, not knowing if she should thank him for sending her home or just say goodbye. Saitoh got down from the car. Walking over to her, he tipped her face up with a finger under her chin. Her brown eyes were wide with confusion. He pressed his lips on hers, a light kiss, careful, so as not to shock her. He raised his head and looked at her rapidly blinking eyes. A touch of amusement lit up his eyes. "Go up now and remember to take a bath. I'll wait till you go up."
Tokio nodded numbly. Turning, she walked up the stairs, more confused than ever. But a little joyous voice sang out in her heart, he liked me too!
Exactly one week later, they were married. A simple church wedding which Tokio organised single-handedly to save money. Only family was invited but on Saitoh's side, he had nobody.
"Do you, Saitoh Hajime take Mitsuki Tokio to wife, to love, cherish and honor til death do you part?"
"I do."
Freezeframe
"He said it! He said to love her! Ha, ha! I've won!" God laughed delightedly. Satan threw him a sour glance, "Bulls**t! He said to love her and that's a promise to you, not 'I love you', a promise to her. There's a difference, you know?" "What's the difference? That's as good as, isn't it?" God drew his brows together in a frown. "And to think you are God," Satan shook his head. "The difference is that this is not what we agreed on. He has to say it to her."
"But…but she knows now…so…why isn't it the same?" God folded his arms and stared right back. Satan gritted his teeth. "It's just not the same!!!"he barked out, shaking his head in despair. "Urggggh! Let me show you." Pacing up and down, he tried to think of suitable examples. Then something flashed. "Ah ha!"
With a wave of his hands, he erased the images in the water and replaced them with other images from earlier times. God leaned over to look at the images. "That's Shinomori Aoshi! And his wife, Misao!" "Yep. In the third year of their marriage. Now watch and learn."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a hot summer night. Shinomori Aoshi sat on the steps and gazed at the evening skies. Stars winked in and out of that dark blue velvet as though playing hide-and-seek. He smiled to himself. Three years of marriage had indeed changed him. Just a few years ago, he could never imagined himself, idling on the porch, waxing lyrical about stars.
"Aoshi, what are you doing out here?" Since their marriage, he had convinced her to let go of that hated 'sama' she added to his name. Plain 'Aoshi' sounded much better. Settling herself down on the steps beside him, Misao stole a glance at him. He seemed so much more contented and at peace with himself than ever. Misao liked to think that she was greatly responsible for these changes. But now, it's time for their relationship to take another giant step forward.
Snuggling closer, she laid her head on his shoulders, enjoying the closeness and warmth. She felt his strong arms encircling her, pulling her closer and her lips curved. Yes. Indeed, he had changed a lot. "Aoshi, do you love me?" His eyes snapped open, the blue orbs a bit wild. Where did that come from? Clearing his throat, he began cautiously, "You know how I feel, Misao. Of course I ….err…you know…"he trailed off.
Misao sat up and let his arms fall from her. "I don't know." She started sulkingly before giving in. "I know. But Aoshi, I would like to hear it from you." She turned huge, beseeching eyes to him, her hands reaching for his. "Knowing and hearing it from you is different. It is a confirmation, it… it…feels different." She bit her lips in distress. Aoshi reached out to smooth away the hurt as he had always done but he could not understand why the three words were so important. Isn't it more important to show your love than just say it?
Misao looked at him and saw that he still did not understand. "Aoshi," she whispered, "I love you." Try as he might, he could not stop the corners of his mouth from defying gravity nor keep his heart from missing a beat. "That's…that's nice." He ended limply. "Do you know I love you even before I said it?" He nodded. "But when I said it, do you feel your heart flying? Your blood flowing the wrong way?" Misao was now standing up, her arms flailing as she tried to get her point across. "That the whole world does not matter anymore, that all the rainbows are appearing, that…….."
"All right, Misao, all right. I got it." She was right. Knowing it and actually hearing it from her was entirely different. Catching hold of her hands, he pulled her down across his lap. Sitting on his lap with her hands around his shoulders and her eyes bright with anticipation, she looked very appealing. In the past three years and even before, she spoilt him with her love, saying it, showing it. She wasn't afraid of letting the whole world know. How could he now stinge on these three little words that would make her so happy?
He bent over, his forehead against hers and his lips a fraction of an inch from hers. So close. Misao could feel her heart doing a tap dance in her chest. Married for three years and had been intimate in all ways but right now, her hands felt clammy. Say it, Aoshi, say it!
Hot air fanned on her cheeks as he breathed, "I love you, Misao."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freezeframe
"You see the difference now? He has to SAY it!" God eyed the red-faced and obviously frustrated Satan with a suspicious eye. "When did you become Aphrodite, Venus, trump-up goddess of love?" "You…you…" Satan took deep breaths to calm himself. Feeling more composed, he started giving Him what- for, "You know nothing about the people You created! Nothing! These humans may be Your subjects, Your children but You know nuts about them! You have distanced Yourself from them such that You don't understand them anymore! Look at Me. Since I was banish from this place called Heaven, My eyes became open. I moved among them, observed them, met a few personally from time to time. And You know what?" Satan glared at God with challenge in his fiery red eyes, "You can take lessons from me about the human psyche!"
God met His challenge steadily. Inwardly He knew that what Satan said was partially true. He had distanced Himself from His children but that did not mean He knew them any less. "I concede the point. Love, indeed, must be spoken and admitted." "Hn. Just so You know." Satan subsided. "Anyway, seeing as how things are progressing, I'm sure to win this time." His clipped British accent was back now that He felt in control of the situation again. "Oh really?You forget. There's still three weeks." God retorted.
"These three weeks are not going to be of any use. They are married now, and married men don't say these things anymore." Satan picked his nails casually. "What do You mean? Shinomori was married." God frowned. Satan threw his nail file in the air where it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "That's not the same,"he shook his head, "His wife expected it of him. Cajoled it out of him. Took three freaking years to charm it out of him. Look at Your Tokio. Would she do that? She's too shy. Besides," he examined his nails, "If Misao took three years to get that cold fish, Shinomori to say it, how long do You think Tokio would take to get that sarcastic s.o.b, Saitoh to'fess up? And You've only got three weeks left, mind You."
God stroke his beard thoughtfully. He had a point. Three weeks. "There must be a catalyst, then. Something to melt him down and warm him up. Hmm……" Satan glared at him sharply. "Whatever the catalyst, it must happen on its own, without interference. You are clear on that, aren't You?" God waved his hand airily."Of course. No interference. You wouldn't think I'd cheat, would You?"
More interaction between Saitoh and Tokio in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and that little snippet between Aoshi and Misao. Didn't know where that came from 'cos I didn't plan it. But I think it's quite nice and warm and waffy, don't you think? Sigh…What I'd give to be Misao there…
Another thing. Don't read this if you are a stuanch Christian. This fic is just for a lark so please don't take it too seriously, OK?
As always, review!
Chapter 1
My God! This is a nightmare! Please let me wake up immediately! Tokio blinked the water out of her eyes as she brushed her hair back with her hands. This couldn't be happening. Not in front of Him! And on their first date! Tokio groaned inwardly. Just let me disappear.
A hand extended in front of her along with a low, soothing voice. "Let me help you out."
With her eyes downcast, not quite daring to look him in the face, Tokio put her hand in his and felt strong arms lifting her out of the manhole she had fallen into. "Th..Thank you," she whispered. Standing on the pathway, Tokio felt like crying. Soaking wet and muddy, he would never want to see such a klutz like her ever again! Shoulders slumped, face dejected and crestfallen, Tokio looked the very picture of misery.
Flashback
The whole evening had not gone well. The matching-making session was arranged by her parents. A week ago, her father was robbed when he went to the bank to deposit some money. Saitoh Hajime was the man who helped her father chased the robber and caught him. They struck up an acquaintance and Tokio's father, thinking that they would make a good match, arranged for this meeting. Why not? She thought. Nothing might come out of it and besides, it would be nice to meet her father's benefactor.
So thinking, she turned up in her usual jeans and t-shirt. Forgetful as she was, she forgot to check out where she was supposed to meet him til the last minute and by then it was too late to change. A high-class French restaurant. Outside the main entrance, she paced back and forth while trying to screw up her courage to either go in and risk getting thrown out or leave. A tap on her shoulder startle her out of her dilema. "Are you Mitsuki Tokio?" And she turned to see the face she would never ever forget.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freezeframe
The images in the water stopped moving. "Now see here, this is the instance when they saw each other for the first time, face-to-face, al'right?" a frustrated Satan groused, his clipped British, upper-crust accent forgotten. "From this moment on, the one month starts, from 2002 Aug 21st, 7.21 pm to 2002 Sept 21st, 7.21 pm, within this period, if he did not say 'I love you' to this Tokio, you would lose. And," he stated firmly, determined to make things clear this time, "I mean 7.21 pm, Japan time, you got it?"
"Yes, yes. I hear you, got it. You don't have to be such a nag about this, you know. Let's just get on with this." The images began moving again as both of them turned their attention back to what's happening with Saitoh and Tokio.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not especially good-looking but arresting. Lean ascetic face with slashing cheekbones and those eyes……Enigmatic pools of brown flecked with gold. Tall and thin and with those spectacles on, he looked like a scholar. A latin scholar from another century.
"Mitsuki Tokio?" Saitoh Hajime repeated once again. There was something about this woman that drew him. Her absent-minded air and refreshing innocence, qualities that he lacked and often despised, yet in her, these qualities attracted him. He saw her hovering outside and came out on a hunch that she was the forgetful daughter Mitsuki Ikei meant to introduce him to. He agreed to this date on a whim. After all, he had nothing to do in the evening. Now, he was quite glad that he came.
"Yes, I'm Mitsuki Tokio," she bowed, her long ponytail falling across her shoulders. She looked up hesitantly. In her casual wear, she could hardly be expected to be welcomed into that posh restaurant. A faint smile crossed his lips, "I'm not very hungry. Why don't we take a walk first before dinner?" "That would be nice,"Tokio let go of a sigh of relief silently, "Let's go to the park. There's a fair there."
They strolled to the park, idly chatting. Saitoh removed his jacket and undid the top two buttons of his shirt, opting for a more casual look. As they entered the fairground, Tokio let go of some of her reserve. She flitted from stall to stall, eagerly examining the wares yet never showing any need to buy them. Occasionally, she would return to his side when he was too slow , peeking at him from below her lashes. But within moments, she would wander away again. Saitoh found himself strangely drawn to her animated expressions.
They had food from the stalls. Hotdogs, instant sushi, ramen…It was a first for Saitoh, a novel experience, courtesy of Mitsuki Tokio. From what he knew of her, her family were not well-off. Mitsuki Ikei had told him about the operation on Tokio's younger sister a few years ago. It seemed that quite a huge chunk of the family's finances went towards the treatment of her sister because she was born with a congenital heart defect. Because of this, Tokio had learnt to be very thrifty. He thought it would be a treat for her to have dinner in a restaurant but apparently, a wry grin touched his lips, she was much more at home with street fare.
Flashback over
She felt something on her shoulders. He draped his jacket across her, shielding her from the cold night wind. "Your jacket…It will be ruined," she tried to take it off but he pressed it close against her. "Keep it on. You'll get chilled." He took her hands and led her to his car. "Come on, let me send you home." They got into the car silently with Tokio sitting as close to the edge of the seat as possible to avoid getting it wet. Clasping her hands together, she savoured the lingering warmth, her mind a jumble of thoughts, all of them centred on him. She just spent one evening with him but already she knew. She liked him. But did he like her too?
Along the roadside of her apartment, Tokio got down from the car. She stood there uncertainly, not knowing if she should thank him for sending her home or just say goodbye. Saitoh got down from the car. Walking over to her, he tipped her face up with a finger under her chin. Her brown eyes were wide with confusion. He pressed his lips on hers, a light kiss, careful, so as not to shock her. He raised his head and looked at her rapidly blinking eyes. A touch of amusement lit up his eyes. "Go up now and remember to take a bath. I'll wait till you go up."
Tokio nodded numbly. Turning, she walked up the stairs, more confused than ever. But a little joyous voice sang out in her heart, he liked me too!
Exactly one week later, they were married. A simple church wedding which Tokio organised single-handedly to save money. Only family was invited but on Saitoh's side, he had nobody.
"Do you, Saitoh Hajime take Mitsuki Tokio to wife, to love, cherish and honor til death do you part?"
"I do."
Freezeframe
"He said it! He said to love her! Ha, ha! I've won!" God laughed delightedly. Satan threw him a sour glance, "Bulls**t! He said to love her and that's a promise to you, not 'I love you', a promise to her. There's a difference, you know?" "What's the difference? That's as good as, isn't it?" God drew his brows together in a frown. "And to think you are God," Satan shook his head. "The difference is that this is not what we agreed on. He has to say it to her."
"But…but she knows now…so…why isn't it the same?" God folded his arms and stared right back. Satan gritted his teeth. "It's just not the same!!!"he barked out, shaking his head in despair. "Urggggh! Let me show you." Pacing up and down, he tried to think of suitable examples. Then something flashed. "Ah ha!"
With a wave of his hands, he erased the images in the water and replaced them with other images from earlier times. God leaned over to look at the images. "That's Shinomori Aoshi! And his wife, Misao!" "Yep. In the third year of their marriage. Now watch and learn."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a hot summer night. Shinomori Aoshi sat on the steps and gazed at the evening skies. Stars winked in and out of that dark blue velvet as though playing hide-and-seek. He smiled to himself. Three years of marriage had indeed changed him. Just a few years ago, he could never imagined himself, idling on the porch, waxing lyrical about stars.
"Aoshi, what are you doing out here?" Since their marriage, he had convinced her to let go of that hated 'sama' she added to his name. Plain 'Aoshi' sounded much better. Settling herself down on the steps beside him, Misao stole a glance at him. He seemed so much more contented and at peace with himself than ever. Misao liked to think that she was greatly responsible for these changes. But now, it's time for their relationship to take another giant step forward.
Snuggling closer, she laid her head on his shoulders, enjoying the closeness and warmth. She felt his strong arms encircling her, pulling her closer and her lips curved. Yes. Indeed, he had changed a lot. "Aoshi, do you love me?" His eyes snapped open, the blue orbs a bit wild. Where did that come from? Clearing his throat, he began cautiously, "You know how I feel, Misao. Of course I ….err…you know…"he trailed off.
Misao sat up and let his arms fall from her. "I don't know." She started sulkingly before giving in. "I know. But Aoshi, I would like to hear it from you." She turned huge, beseeching eyes to him, her hands reaching for his. "Knowing and hearing it from you is different. It is a confirmation, it… it…feels different." She bit her lips in distress. Aoshi reached out to smooth away the hurt as he had always done but he could not understand why the three words were so important. Isn't it more important to show your love than just say it?
Misao looked at him and saw that he still did not understand. "Aoshi," she whispered, "I love you." Try as he might, he could not stop the corners of his mouth from defying gravity nor keep his heart from missing a beat. "That's…that's nice." He ended limply. "Do you know I love you even before I said it?" He nodded. "But when I said it, do you feel your heart flying? Your blood flowing the wrong way?" Misao was now standing up, her arms flailing as she tried to get her point across. "That the whole world does not matter anymore, that all the rainbows are appearing, that…….."
"All right, Misao, all right. I got it." She was right. Knowing it and actually hearing it from her was entirely different. Catching hold of her hands, he pulled her down across his lap. Sitting on his lap with her hands around his shoulders and her eyes bright with anticipation, she looked very appealing. In the past three years and even before, she spoilt him with her love, saying it, showing it. She wasn't afraid of letting the whole world know. How could he now stinge on these three little words that would make her so happy?
He bent over, his forehead against hers and his lips a fraction of an inch from hers. So close. Misao could feel her heart doing a tap dance in her chest. Married for three years and had been intimate in all ways but right now, her hands felt clammy. Say it, Aoshi, say it!
Hot air fanned on her cheeks as he breathed, "I love you, Misao."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Freezeframe
"You see the difference now? He has to SAY it!" God eyed the red-faced and obviously frustrated Satan with a suspicious eye. "When did you become Aphrodite, Venus, trump-up goddess of love?" "You…you…" Satan took deep breaths to calm himself. Feeling more composed, he started giving Him what- for, "You know nothing about the people You created! Nothing! These humans may be Your subjects, Your children but You know nuts about them! You have distanced Yourself from them such that You don't understand them anymore! Look at Me. Since I was banish from this place called Heaven, My eyes became open. I moved among them, observed them, met a few personally from time to time. And You know what?" Satan glared at God with challenge in his fiery red eyes, "You can take lessons from me about the human psyche!"
God met His challenge steadily. Inwardly He knew that what Satan said was partially true. He had distanced Himself from His children but that did not mean He knew them any less. "I concede the point. Love, indeed, must be spoken and admitted." "Hn. Just so You know." Satan subsided. "Anyway, seeing as how things are progressing, I'm sure to win this time." His clipped British accent was back now that He felt in control of the situation again. "Oh really?You forget. There's still three weeks." God retorted.
"These three weeks are not going to be of any use. They are married now, and married men don't say these things anymore." Satan picked his nails casually. "What do You mean? Shinomori was married." God frowned. Satan threw his nail file in the air where it disappeared in a puff of smoke. "That's not the same,"he shook his head, "His wife expected it of him. Cajoled it out of him. Took three freaking years to charm it out of him. Look at Your Tokio. Would she do that? She's too shy. Besides," he examined his nails, "If Misao took three years to get that cold fish, Shinomori to say it, how long do You think Tokio would take to get that sarcastic s.o.b, Saitoh to'fess up? And You've only got three weeks left, mind You."
God stroke his beard thoughtfully. He had a point. Three weeks. "There must be a catalyst, then. Something to melt him down and warm him up. Hmm……" Satan glared at him sharply. "Whatever the catalyst, it must happen on its own, without interference. You are clear on that, aren't You?" God waved his hand airily."Of course. No interference. You wouldn't think I'd cheat, would You?"
More interaction between Saitoh and Tokio in the next chapter. Oh yeah, and that little snippet between Aoshi and Misao. Didn't know where that came from 'cos I didn't plan it. But I think it's quite nice and warm and waffy, don't you think? Sigh…What I'd give to be Misao there…
Another thing. Don't read this if you are a stuanch Christian. This fic is just for a lark so please don't take it too seriously, OK?
As always, review!