Disclaimer: I'm sure you all know this by now…but just in case: I don't own any of them…sadly…

Author's Note: Hello there! I've made up my mind as to whom Aoshi will be paired up with. I think it's pretty obvious who the lucky gal is, especially since the summary is pretty much giving it away and all. But anyway, here's the third chapter of penitence. It's not much, this chapter. But I think it has a pretty interesting ending. You guys just have to read through this in order to find out what I'm talking about. By the way, please let me know if you would like me to email you the days when I update. I wouldn't want you guys to check everyday just to find out if I actually did. You can let me know about that through your reviews – which I hope none of you will forget to do after reading this chapter. Thanks again and enjoy!

Chapter Three: An Unexpected Interaction

Kanryu Takeda drummed his fingers lightly on his mahogany desk as he doodled mindlessly on a yellow legal pad sitting on his bureau. He was frustrated – very frustrated. Fumiya Takani was still the CEO of the company. And to make matters worse, the rookie was doing well as the company's head: stocks were up, sales were high, everyone was happy. Everyone but Kanryu himself.

"You would think that he atleast cares for his family," he muttered to himself, tearing the sheet of paper off the pad and crumpling it into a ball. "But no: Fumiya-chan wants this lowly vice president to result to actual violence."

He threw the crumpled piece of paper into a wastebasket, scoffing in disgust when the makeshift ball bounced off the round container and clattered silently onto the floor. A light vibration on his breast coat pocket caught his attention. Propping his feet up onto the expensive desk, he leaned back and extracted his phone from within his pocket. "Yes?"

"I see you are still an insignificant vice president, Takeda," said the voice on the other end of the line, deep and somewhat raspy. "Are you having trouble convincing the boy to step down?"

Kanryu's propped feet immediately hit the carpeted floor at the sound of the man's voice. A lone bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face as he loosened his costly silk tie, stammering in response. "Of course not…it's only a matter of time before I will become CEO of the company."

"Hmph, I've heard that before," mused the other man, his voice a mixture of amusement and disbelief. With an exasperated sigh, the man added, "You know what your problem is?"

"What?"

"You're too nice," the man simply replied. "You approached the situation in a wrong way, Takeda. If you send Fumiya-san a threat against himself or his family, make sure it isn't an empty threat. Do something."

"I don't want to get into any trouble."

"But you already are in deep trouble, my friend," the man said, his voice knowing and taunting. "Or have you forgotten that it was you who commissioned for Ryusei Takani's murder?"

A low chuckle reached Kanryu's ears as he stammered in response.

"Very well, since I am aware of your being an incompetent coward, I've decided to take matters into my own hands," said the man in an unreadable voice. "If you do not succeed in taking that boy out, I will personally threaten the man by hitting him where it hurts the most. And trust me, Takeda, you will not be left unharmed if you do not succeed in convincing the young man to step down."

Gulping, Kanryu listened as the man continued.

"Two of my men are spying for me as we speak, infiltrating Takani-san's home. They haven't done anything because I had thought you were capable of bringing the boy down – but as we both know, you are not," scoffed the man. He continued. "As they have informed me, Fumiya-san cherishes his younger sister the most. Use this knowledge to your advantage, Takeda. And if your thick, idiotic brain still does not formulate a plan, then as I've said, I shall take matters into my own hands."

Before Kanryu had a chance to let a terrified cry escape his lips, the man on the other line hung up his phone with a click, leaving the horrified vice president to sit alone in his office.

~~*~~~*~~

Meanwhile…

Misao sat alone in the relatively large room reserved for Fumiya Takani's home staff, grabbing a rice ball from one of the many plates sprawled across the table in front of her. With a satisfied smile, she hungrily took a bite of the food she had in her hand, tears almost forming in her eyes at the item's wonderful taste.

Okina had successfully convinced Fumiya Takani to add Misao into the staff, pointing out that the young woman is a great spy and will prove useful in obtaining any information on the person behind the threats to the man and his family. What with his sister's – as well as his own – safety in line, Fumiya agreed. Initially, Misao protested against the idea – she hated working with anyone but the Oniwaban group. That and she was not skilled in terms of cleaning the house or doing any other chores. Thankfully, Fumiya-san appointed Misao as his younger sister's personal helper. A plus for two reasons: one because Megumi rarely asked for her help; and two because she gets the chance to see Aoshi atleast once a day.

"Excuse me."

Misao looked up at the person who had entered the room, drawing her hand back from a plate of Ohagi. She smiled at the young man. "Yes?"

"Is this seat taken?" asked the young man with a curious smile, pointing at the empty space across the young lady. He gave Misao a thankful nod when she said no, taking a seat. "I don't believe we have met," he said, pouring himself a cup of tea. He flashed her a smile and offered his hand. "Soujiro Seta."

The young woman wiped her hands on a napkin, returning the boy's smile as she shook his hand. "Misao Makimachi."

"So, Misao-chan," began Soujiro, unaware of the nerve twitching on the girl's temple because of what he had called her. He took a sip of his tea. "I haven't seen you around before."

"That's because I just started two weeks ago," answered Misao, dismissing the child-like name he had called her…for now.

"Oh really? What exactly do you do here?"

"I'm Megumi-san's personal help," replied the girl, a bit uncomfortable with the young man's unyielding smile. Shrugging, she grabbed an Ohagi from the plate and looked at the young man across from her. "And you?"

"What about me, Misao-chan?"

"What's your position in the staff?" asked the young woman, slightly irritated. "I'm sure you're not the gardener here."

"I'm Megumi-san's driver," Soujiro replied, taking another sip from his cup.

A pregnant pause filled the room after that, the pair left to his or her own thoughts. Hating the extremely awkward silence, and slowly getting more uncomfortable with Soujiro's still present smile, Misao cleared her throat. "So, how do you think she's doing?" asked the young woman, unsure as to where the conversation is headed.

"Who?" asked Soujiro, his head tilted to one side and his hands clasped around the cup.

"Megumi-san," said Misao with a roll of her eyes, a voice in the back of her head saying, He's a little clueless…

"She's more cheerful now," began Soujiro, his lips etched into a warm smile. "I remember, when I first began working for her, Megumi-san was always crying in the car. Whenever I asked her what was wrong, she would just tell me that she was feeling okay, denying her true feelings. It was really a good thing that the bodyguards assigned to her during that time were warm and friendly."

"What do you mean?"

"They frequently spoke to her, tried to make her forget about what had happened," recalled the young man. "It worked whenever she's around her bodyguards – she wasn't as depressed as she normally was. But her new bodyguard, he's not much of a talker, isn't he?"

"What's wrong with that?" demanded Misao, her eyes narrowed in question and her eyebrows scrunched in mild anger.

Soujiro raised his hands in defense, cowering as Misao leaned aggressively towards him. "I didn't mean anything negative by saying that," said the young man with a nervous chuckle. "It's just that…he's never said a word to Megumi-san. I'm a bit worried that she's beginning to become frightened of that man…"

"Aoshi-san does not speak unless he has anything relevant to say," blurted Misao, interrupting the young man. "He may not speak much, but he's the most qualified man to protect Megumi-san! After all, he is the leader of the Oni—" Misao suddenly stopped, a hand immediately flying to cover her mouth.

"Oh, you know him?" asked Soujiro with an air of innocence.

Misao struggled to blurt out a response, her mouth closing and opening like a fish out of water. Her cheeks reddened as she moved her head from side to side. She was about to emphasize her denial when the door suddenly swung open and a woman clad in a somewhat skimpy outfit entered the room.

"There you are, boy!"

The young man smiled and got up from his seat. "Kamatari-san."

"I need to speak with you."

Nodding, Soujiro walked towards the staff member who had called him, turning briefly towards Misao before leaving the room. "We'll continue this conversation some other time, Misao-chan. Ja ne!"

Misao smiled and gave the young man a wave, watching as he disappeared behind white doors, her brows scrunching in confusion when the staff member who had called Soujiro gave her a glare and followed the young man out of the room. Sighing loudly, Misao grabbed another rice ball from the table and, taking a large bite, she muttered, "Gramps is going to kill me when he finds out I almost gave away our true identities…"

~~*~~*~~

A heavy sigh escaped Megumi's crimson-colored lips, running her fingers through her raven hair as she turned the page of the thick text resting on the table in front of her. With a soft, frustrated growl, she leaned against the back of her chair and allowed her body to slide down the seat until her neck was supported by the top of the chair's back, her head lazily hanging back and her hair hanging down like a curtain of black silk. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, smirking when her stomach gave a faint growl. "I should go to dinner now," Megumi muttered to herself as she glanced at her watch, moving to sit in a more proper position.

Gently grasping the back of the chair with her hand, Megumi gracefully got up from her seat and turned around, her gaze immediately landing on the man sitting by the door. Judging from his peaceful façade, Megumi assumed that he was asleep. It's only been two weeks, thought the raven-haired beauty as her eyes trailed the man's sleeping form, noting the uncomfortable way he rested his head against the wall. And he still hasn't spoken a word to me. I doubt he even knows my name…

Cautiously, Megumi approached the sleeping man, all the while debating whether or not to wake him up. Standing directly in front of him, she made up her mind and slightly bent her knee so her face was level to his, her left hand perched lightly on her thigh. Megumi extended her right arm and gently tapped the man on his shoulder. He must be a heavy sleeper, Megumi thought with a pout, regarding the way his chest rose evenly, the way his eyes were gently closed. "Some bodyguard he is," she muttered with a huff, extending her arm again to tap him awake. "How can he stay alert and protect me when he's here nod—"

She did not finish her sentence.

Without warning, the man – supposedly asleep – caught Megumi's wrist with his left hand, his grip strong and deadly. Yelping, the raven-haired beauty felt her body quickly jerk back as the man abruptly rose from his seat, knocking the cream-colored chair off balance. With the same degree of stealth, he gently slammed her back against the wall, his left hand pinning her wrist next to her head and his right hand holding a gun pointed an inch from her chin.

All in under eight seconds.

Defiantly, Megumi stared back at the man's scrutinizing green eyes, her left hand gripping her skirt in shock, masking her fear from his intense reaction to her gently prodding. A silent but somewhat triumphant huff escaped her lips when his green eyes widened in shock, the deadly grip on her wrist slightly loosening. They remained in the same position for another five seconds, both breathing heavily; both staring at the other in a mixture of defiance and shock; both aware of the weight of his body pressed against hers.

Megumi finally broke the heavy silence when she felt his hand pry itself loose from his release, inwardly relieved when he shifted his weight off her. "I just thought you should know," she said in a calm albeit strained voice, raising her left hand to clasp the gun's cold barrel, her chocolate eyes penetrating into his. "It's time for dinner." She gently lowered the gun away from her face, eyes still on his, and lightly pushed the man away, walking towards the large oak doors of the study. As she clasped the knob to open the door, she turned halfway and said, offhandedly, "Fumiya would be upset if you are not there."

And with that said, she disappeared behind the oak entrance, leaving the man to himself as he ran a hand through his jet-black hair, following Megumi's footsteps in silent strides.

~~**~~~**~~

That wasn't such a great chapter, wasn't it? I apologize. I've been busy for the past two weeks and it seems that my creative juices have been exhausted due to all the reading I've had to do for all my classes. UC Irvine's been stressing me out with all those difficult classes! I'll try and make the next chapter better just for you guys! But please, let me know what you thought of this chapter by simply clicking the little button on the bottom left-hand corner of your screen. I really appreciate any comments from the readers – I know they're extremely helpful! Plus, it's a pretty good impetus for me to keep adding on to this story, right? So yeah…please don't forget to review…It means a lot hearing from you guys! Well then…thank you again for taking the time and reading this. Hopefully there will be more Aoshi/Megumi supporters once I've finished this story! haha…

~~:AzaleaFaye:~~

Btw…for those of you who haven't read Cherie Dee's story, Enemies and Allies, I suggest you do! Haha…little plug there! Bye!