My dreams only come when it's raining
chapter 2
 
The sun hadn't set yet. If fact the air still held much of that day-break mist, that held that dewy
smell. All of that would have fit Aoshi perfectly, if not for the continuous rain and the fact that I was now certain he was really sick. Not even his trusty trenchcoat had saved him from that persistent rainy days.
He was now very close to the Aoiya, so he had to try and put himself together. He didn't want everyone all over him, specially Misao. His wet clothes were heavy to walk with! And his legs were beginning to complain. He had to hurry up if he wanted to arrive before the Aoiya filled up with the lunch customers.
He was starting to see more people, now that he had entered Kyoto, most of them setting their stands or buying food for the new day. Most of them were men, but all of them stared at him, when he passed, wet to the bones! He was sure he looked terribly [as if that's possible], tired as he was, sick, wet and upset. He just wanted to get home, deliver the information to Okina, get a bath and go to bed for, at least, a century.
After some moments he saw the Aoiya building, already with some sighs of live coming from it. he decided he didn't want to meet the entire staff, so he entered trough the back door. While he was heading for Okina's room, he eared Okon and Omasu talking in the kitchen, in the  restaurant main room Shiro was cleaning the floor, while Kuro placed the chairs.
He passed trough them without being noticed and went up the stairs. Okina's room wasn't very far away from the top of the stairs, so Aoshi got there almost instantly. He could see the old man was up already, because of the mild light that came from the window that made shadows against the paper door. The door was open shortly after he had knocked, and Okina stood there watching him with startled eyes.
"Aoshi." They both nodded and then Okina invited Aoshi in. "You're back earlier then we thought. And obviously not as healthier!"
"It's nothing, I just caught a bit of rain, nothing much. Here's the information you asked for, nothing is out of place, as we first thought."
Okina received the papers, but continued looking at him. He really looked bad… "Alright, I'll look at these, while you get yourself dry and clean. And, while you're at it, have some rest, ok?"
Aoshi nodded again and left the room, heading for his own. It was with relief that he saw Misao wasn't near her room, wasn't even in that floor. He picked up some towels and headed for the bath area.
 
 

That stupid ceiling had already been fixed four times that winter and it looked like it was going to be fixed again. Since the restaurant was opening in half an hour, she had to fix it alone, for the time being.
'But it's still raining! What's the use of fixing it, if it gets ruined again? No way!', Misao thought.
Since she wasn't going to fix the roof, she might as well help around the restaurant, before she had to help serving… with a kimono… argh! Misao entered the kitchen, were Okon and Omasu were cooking the day's main dish.
"Do you need some help around here?"
"No, dear, but the boys might thank you if you helped them." Omasu said. And it seemed as though they did need some help. 
She was cleaning the tables when Okina entered the room, with a small smile on his face. He headed for Misao's direction and greeted her.
"Ohayou, Misao-chan. How are you today?" Misao looked at him, wondering what made him so happy that morning.
"Fine. That stupid roof, in the workroom, is leaking again! But I thought it would be a waist of time fixing it now, while it's still raining."
"I think you're right. And you have better things to do now, don't you?" Misao looked at him, wondering what the hell was he talking about.
"If you think I'm going to serve, with a kimono, you're mistaken, you know."
"No, no! Now that Aoshi's here." Misao stopped cleaning the table and glared at him.
"He's home?" Between Okina's nod and Misao's run for the stairs, only went a second.
 
 

That bath had done wonders to him; he felt much more relaxed and not as cold as he felt before. The clean yukata did their part to! If Okina was the only one that knew he was there, he sleep some time, without anyone getting suspicious. His head was still hurting and was already felling a thin layer of sweat all over his body again, neutralizing the entire effect of the bath.
His futon was already spread on the floor, when he eared steps on the stairs. 'Now, who is that? Maybe Okina…' But after five seconds, when he saw her shadow against his door, his hopes tumbled down entirely.
"Aoshi-sama, I'm coming in."
He could have been naked or having some other private moment, but it didn't matter, because she entered without even waiting for a reply.
She looked great that day1 Her skin was shiny and smooth, her hair was very netly arranged in its costumary braid… she looked like she was glowing…
'What the hell was that? You really are sick.'
"Oh, Aoshi-sama, you don't look very well. Have you been taken care of yourself?"
"I'm fine Misao, I just thought I'd get some rest, because I haven't been sleeping very well." Misao looked doubious, hesitant between letting him sleep and asking what he had been doing. The later…
"Well, sure. But you need to take better care of yourself, Aoshi-sama. You might have got yourself sick! Do you have a fever? Let me see."
Aoshi tried to doge her, but his moves were slow and hers were getting better by the months. "Aoshi-sama, you're burning up! Kami! Get into bed right now! I'm calling a doctor." Aoshi catched her rist, while she was running out of the room. "You're over reacting! I was going to bed, when you showed up, and there's no need for a doctor."
"Of course there is! You've got a very high fever,
Aoshi-sama. You might get a pneumonia!"
Before Aoshi could utter a word she had ran out of the room.
'This is going to be some long days!'


Okay, 2nd chapter. Now press that button down there and review, you hear me?

MaRiAnA