Part 7: Iceman Catches the Vixen

February 12, 2003

I called Kaoru and asked her to call Megs so we could meet up at this dessert place after we're all done with classes and work. And boy oh boy, let the drama unfold. Me meeting up with the women was very insightful. I learned a lot about Megs' view on relationships and why she turned him down. It's pretty reasonable. Not stupid stuff like 'His car is old', or 'He doesn't have a job'. Not that that really applies…

So Kaoru and I decided that maybe we should both step in…

~ Misao

"You what?" Kaoru stared at Megumi in shock.

Megumi shrugged. "I thought it would be in our best interests if we leave things the way they are."

"But…Aoshi's interested in you," Kaoru shook her head in disbelief. "Why would you…?"

"I just don't think it would work. I don't date male friends, and I don't date naval officers," Megumi replied flippantly. "End of discussion."

"And I'm sure Aoshi doesn't date women who play the field, but that didn't stop him from asking you out," Kaoru responded.

At that, Megumi narrowed her eyes. "I just told him that I like the way things are, but I'm sorry, it wouldn't work."

"That sounds so staged," Kaoru muttered.

"It's the truth."

"I know, I know…" Kaoru picked at her banana split before talking again. "But I think you two would be mature enough to go back to being friends if things didn't work out…How can you turn down the one guy who's really interested in who you are? And I mean you you, not the Megumi on the outside?"

"I feel like I'm talking and you're not hearing me," Megumi responded in frustration. The attraction wasn't completely one-sided, but how could she expect to get involved with someone only to have it end too soon? And yet, Kaoru struck a nerve. Aoshi probably was the first man…in a long time…who had shown interest in her as a person. Previous men…well…their reasons weren't like his.

"Hi!" Misao hurried over, settling in the seat next to the two women. It gave her an excellent hearing range of the dialogue, since both Kaoru and Megumi sat across from each other.

"Hi, Misao," Kaoru greeted, pushing a caramel sundae in Misao's direction. "Here. I'm telling Megumi that she should go out with the last guy who asked her out."

"Aoshi?" Misao prompted.

"He talks fast," Megumi murmured.

Misao shrugged. "He talks a lot more to me, now. So…why won't you go out with him again?"

Megumi studied her incredulously. "If I said yes…which I'm not going to, by the way…you would be all right with that?"

"Why not?" Misao responded, eating some ice cream.

Megumi stared pensively at her own dessert.

"I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense," Misao commented. "I think it's cute!"

"I don't see what the problem is," Kaoru said. "You're both at a stage in your life when you should start thinking about settling down. You both have successful careers…there's nothing wrong attempting to see if you're compatible."

Megumi sighed, picking at her ice cream. "Aoshi is special…"

"What?" Misao blinked.

Setting her spoon down, Megumi stared sadly into her glass bowl of mint chocolate chip. "Look at my record, for crying out loud…"

"I think you take the playette role too seriously," Misao replied.

Silence. "I'm terrible at relationships. I have a hard time…getting personally involved with someone. After Sano left…I just…I just couldn't do it again. At least, not seriously," Megumi said quietly.

            "Maybe you haven't found the right person," Kaoru mused.

            "Which is why dating is just so exhausting," Megumi argued.

"But if you think about it…" Misao began slowly. "You two have already been on a few dates and…if you were to go out together again like you have been doing…you would like to."

Megumi frowned. "Those were surfing lessons…"

"And you've had lunch together during your breaks at work," Misao added.

The older woman blinked. "But..." she looked away. "It's all or nothing with him. He's not the type of man to engage in casual relationships. I know he's expecting a lot."

            "Wait, you're saying that you only want a casual relationship?" Kaoru asked.

            "No…I'm saying that those are the types I'm good at. Anything long term…well…"

Misao tapped her spoon against her glass. "He did mention that commitment is where he wants to be at…"

"Do you see?" Megumi threw up her hands. "I can't do that. I'm awful at relationships. And if Aoshi and I were to break up, things would never be the same."

"You really don't think you guys can be friends if it didn't work out," Kaoru said.

"How many of my ex-boyfriends do I still have as friends today?"

"One," Misao chimed.

"We became friends again because he's getting married," Megumi argued, even though it was partially true. Sanosuke was the only exception. He had been with her for four months. The man had been her first lover, first love...but it had ended in disaster. It had taken them two years to finally put their past behind them and move on. She wasn't bitter about Sanosuke's newfound happiness...she was glad he had found someone to love. She and Sanosuke were a lot closer now as friends than they had been as lovers. Two years to bury the past. Two years was a long time.

"I don't think you're giving Aoshi enough credit," Kaoru suddenly said. "He knows about your past. Don't you think...he'd work extra hard to make sure your relationship went past a month?" She poked Megumi's hand. "But you have to work, too. Aoshi may be chivalrous because of his military training, but he's all for equal rights. You have to meet him one hundred percent of the way."

"Wow, Kaoru…"

Megumi glanced at Misao then said, "Since when were you the expert on relationships?"

The young woman made a face. "Try dating, being engaged to, and marrying a Navy man, and you learn a lot."

Megumi glanced at her watch. "Listen, I'll talk to you two later...I have to go...Thanks for dessert, Kaoru."

"No problem!" Kaoru waved.

The two younger women glanced at each other.

Once Megumi was out of earshot, Misao shook her head. "Okay, she's obviously got a thing for him, but…she's just being stubborn."

"We need to lock them up in a room together," Kaoru declared, nodding.

February 14, 2003

And so we did. Sorta.

I convinced Megs that since I wasn't going to get any candy from boys for Valentine's Day, that she bring truffles cuz I was craving some. She makes awesome truffles.

Adults can be so gullible sometimes...

~ Misao

She thought of going back home. What was she doing here? If it wasn't for Misao, she wouldn't have shown up in the first place. Everything was so...awkward. Megumi sighed as she rang the doorbell.

She hadn't spoken to Aoshi at all. But even just as friends, it'd take them a week or so before they spoke to each other. Why did he have to tell her that he was interested in seeing her? That just ruined everything. She wanted things back the way they were...she making fun of him and he brushing off her flirtatious comments.

"Hi, Megs," Misao piped up as she opened the door.

"Hi, Misao," Megumi responded.

"Come on in..."

Megumi moved inside, setting the tin box of chocolate onto the kitchen counter. She spotted a mocha scented candle lit on the counter. "Are candles your latest hobby, now?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Misao replied, "I've got marine mammal-shaped ones in my room. Wanna see?"

"Sure..."

The phone rang, so while Misao went to get it, Megumi walked down the hallway to enter Misao's room. She smiled. Misao was a teenager, all right. Posters and scrolls of anime characters hung on her wall. She spotted several dolphin, sea lion, and killer whale candles on her desk. Her fingers traced the shapes of the animals.

"Megumi?"

Startled, she whirled around to see Aoshi leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing a white bathrobe and his hair was still damp apparently from the shower he had just taken.

"Aoshi...I was...just looking at Misao's...candle collection..." She smiled briefly. "She has a wide range of interests..."

"Where is she?"

"Talking on the phone," Megumi answered. "She...wanted me to bring some candy I made...did...Did she tell you?"

"No," he replied. Those blue-gray eyes never left her.

"Well..." she averted her gaze. "I'll just...go back out and find her..." Could I sound any more pathetic? She turned into the hallway, pausing, then turning back to him. "Aoshi…listen…I…I…"

He sighed. "Megumi…you're making this more complicated than it has to be."

Her eyes narrowed. "Just because I said no suddenly I'm the villain?"

"I never said you had to explain anything to me, so don't assume that just because I asked you on a date means I'm going to start now."

"Basically, I should shut up," Megumi snapped. "You should stick to simple words, Shinomori…they suit your demeanor much more…" With that, she stalked to the kitchen.

She gasped in shock and came to a standstill. Two tall candles were perched on the counter, their flames flickering in the darkness. The entire room was filled with strategically placed candles. On the counter was a plate of cheese, crackers, and fruit placed next to the tin of candy. And a bucket of chilled sparkling cider with two flute glasses. Soft music filtered from the family room.

"What the hell-?" Aoshi's voice came from behind her.

"Is this your doing?" she demanded.

"No," he retorted, before calling, "Misao?"

A quick walk around the house told him she was nowhere to be found.

Megumi moved forward to see a note tucked underneath the plate of food. Holding it between her thumb and forefinger, she picked it up and began to read silently.

" 'Aoshi, here's one last attempt at me playing Cupid. Megs, don't be stubborn. Love, Misao'," Aoshi recited.

The lady doctor set the note down, turning to look at him. "That…sneaky…little…I can't believe…" Her fists clenched in fury, Megumi grabbed the note and crumpled it, tossing into the trash can. "I'm not going to be part of this. No, thank you…" She stomped over to the other side of the counter. "Where's my purse?"

"What?" Aoshi leaned against the counter in a relaxed manner, popping a piece of fruit in his mouth. He looked entirely too accepting about their situation.

"My purse. It's gone. It has my wallet…car keys…"

"My keys are gone as well," Aoshi pointed to the place by the door where he always put his items. Then he sampled her chocolate candy.

"But who would…?" At his look, her eyes rounded. "Misao…Did you set her up to do this?"

He glared at her. "I already said no. I'm not desperate enough to have her strand me with a woman who already turned me down."

"Sure, you're not."

"As far as I know, you could have done this," he replied.

"Unlike someone else, I don't have to worry about attracting the opposite sex," she shot back.

"Yes, you've made that clear many times," he said coolly.

That…she fumed silently. Megumi grabbed the nearest thing…a napkin…crinkled it up and threw it at him. "Why don't you just call me a tramp and get it over with? It's easier."

Her weapon hit him in the chest. He picked it up and tossed it away. "And give you the satisfaction?"

"You are such a pig," she retorted.

"That's the best you can do?"

She threw her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you!" Megumi exclaimed. "Of all the…You've got to be the most-"

He sighed. "Megumi, stop. Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Oh, sure. You're the logical one between the two of us?" Megumi crossed her arms. "When I asked you if you set Misao up for this..." she gestured to the room, "...you could have said no and be done with it. But you had to add more."

"You accused me of using my ward to get us alone together. If I wanted to be alone with you, I wouldn't need her help."

"You arrogant…" She whirled around, turning her back on him. "I don't know why I'm bothering..."

"We should both stop..."

She rolled her eyes. "You start, you're the master of silence and-"

Megumi's sentence was cut off when Aoshi seized her elbow and spun her to face him.

"That's enough."

"You barbarian! How dare you manhandle me just so you can-"

"Megumi. Stop. Now."

She slapped at his hand. "Don't tell me what to do!"

After he released her, she stalked to the family room, settling on the sofa, her back towards him. It didn't take a genius to decide that she was shutting him out. She sensed him behind her but she refused to look up.

"What is bad about our situation now?" he asked suddenly.

She knew what he was asking. Was being alone with him for an undefined amount of time that intolerable? "It's just that..." Megumi sighed again. "This...This is more than just being stuck here with you. It's about…being with you. I can't do that." He didn't continue to ask why, but she felt he deserved an explanation. "I...I care about you and-"

"Ah. Reasonable motive to get away from a man," he commented dryly as he moved to sit in front of her.

She rose to her feet, staring out the window. She spoke so quietly, he almost didn't hear her. "I'm terrible at relationships. You said so yourself."

"I didn't know you well enough back then," he corrected, standing up. "It's different now."

"But…I...I liked us as…the way we were." Even to her own ears her protest sounded weak.

"Who said we'll stop being that way?" Aoshi challenged as he grasped her elbow, slowly turning her to face him.

            She closed her eyes. "What I said earlier…" Megumi sighed, her grip tightening against the lapels of his robe, as if needing something to hold on to. "I…I think it might be best if we don't-"

"Megumi."

Her eyes met his.

"You analyze far too much," he said frankly.

Her eyes rounded. "This, coming from you-?" Her sentence was cut off when his mouth brushed hers in a kiss that sent prickles to her toes.

Oh my goodness…she trembled slightly, closing her eyes.

When his head lifted, she saw her reflection in those blue-gray depths.

She pushed against him, moving away several feet. He looked entirely too comfortable with himself while she had just been thrown for a loop. Megumi hated that feeling. So she said the first thing that came to mind. "Will you get dressed?"

He lifted one brow. "Consider us even."

"This is different," she insisted.

Was it warm in the room? Megumi fought the urge to fan herself. Swallowing, she glanced at Aoshi and looked away. She always thought he was good-looking, but right now he was just plain distracting.

He stared at her for several moments before stalking to his bedroom…presumably to get changed.

She needed a couple minutes to collect herself. Megumi closed her eyes. It was easy for Aoshi. He didn't know what it was like to wholly give himself to someone only to have things end badly.

Someone like Aoshi would be so easy to fall in love with. But…a woman would have to appreciate his dry humor, his ambitious nature, his straightforwardness. She'd have to love all of him. She blinked. Love? When did that come into the picture? Megumi shakily ran her fingers down her hair before touching her lips with the tips of her fingers. The last time they had kissed…if one could call it an official kiss…he had been in the hospital, recovering from several gunshot wounds. She had been relieved to see him alive…and so she had kissed him. But this time…there were no intense emotions driving the action but his feelings alone. Maybe…if she was honest with herself…deep down, she did have feelings for him. But that didn't mean she loved him. It didn't mean that she couldn't love him, either. It was all so confusing…

A pair of strong hands settled on her shoulders, left bare thanks to the wide neckline of the red cotton sundress she wore.

"I thought I told you that you analyze too much."

He knew what she was thinking? Of course he did. Before his shooting incident…he had been an acquaintance…just the guardian of one of her patients. But he was more now. And he could be even more than that if she just let him.

"Megumi," he said quietly. "If you think that this is an impossible situation, then I can't change that. But if you just need time…then I can wait."

Swallowing, she closed her eyes. He wasn't going to force her to change her mind. If she didn't want to be with him, then he could accept that. And if she did…? Goodness, she was really scared. Scared of being vulnerable again…scared of not being good enough… "What if something goes wrong?" she whispered.

"I accused you of selling prescription medication in Honolulu. You thought I was immature, judgmental, and a controlling father. What else is there?"

Her eyes flew open and she tipped her head back to look at him. "Was that a joke?"

"Maybe." His hands lightly squeezed her shoulders, as if giving her strength, before releasing her. For the strangest reason, she immediately missed his touch on her.

She reflected on that for a few moments. Some of her old fire came back, and she said, "Then I guess Valentine's Day is our anniversary. Assuming we get to it." At his sharp look, she grinned. Even if his face was upside down in her line of vision, she could see his eyes darken. "I'm kidding."

"I prefer it when you're quiet, not making jokes," he stated as he made his way around her to stand in front of her.

"Oh really?" She yelped as Aoshi tugged her hands, effectively pulling her towards him. "What are we going to tell Misao when she comes back?" she asked as she placed her arms around his neck. She was quickly starting to like the feel of him holding her in his arms.

"Let her think her plan failed. And reduce her allowance for stealing your purse."

"You certainly like to think ahead."

"All the time…"

"How long you plan on sitting out here?" Stella's hands dropped from her car steering wheel as she glanced at Misao. She had parked half a block away from the Shinomori/Makimachi residence.

Misao looked up from her handheld game system. "I don't know. We could always go to your parents' house since they went out of town for the weekend."

Danielle munched on a couple of Hawaiian style crackers before glancing at the purse beside her that Misao stole from the house. "Doesn't Megumi have people to call that could pick her up and take her home? And who has spare keys?"

Misao grinned. "Yeah. But they already know not to do anything."

"You're cruel," Stella said.

"I know."

Megumi held out her glass so Aoshi could refill it with sparkling cider. Glancing at the clock, she commented, "Misao's been gone for a long time…"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No…just…it's going to get very awkward once I reach my bedtime," Megumi joked.

"We'll work it out," he assured. "I doubt she'll be gone all night…"

"Oh well." Megumi popped a piece of fruit into her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she spoke up, "For the sake of conversation…if I said no…you really were willing to wait?"

He nodded. "Patience is key."

"You would have just sat around and waited?"

He raised his glass in her direction. "You're a sensible woman. It'd only be a matter of time before you said yes."

"You have that much faith?" she asked incredulously.

"Absolutely."

"I'm glad to hear that. I think it's catching."

They both looked up at the sound of a key turning the lock. Aoshi moved from his position next to Megumi to stand in the kitchen as Misao hesitantly stepped inside the house.

"Welcome back, Misao," he said in a stiff voice.

Megumi glanced at him then glanced at the teenager, whose shoulders sank, a sheepish expression on her youthful face.

"Hi, Aoshi…" she started.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady."

Misao came to the counter, setting Megumi's purse on top along with Aoshi's wallet and keys. She glanced at her friend and her guardian, apparently noting the space between them. And that the lights had been turned on, diminishing the effect of the candles. She sighed.

"Okay…so maybe I asked Megs to-"

"Tricked," Aoshi corrected.

"Okay…I tricked Megs into coming here so I could get you two together," Misao admitted. Then she shook her head. "Look…I'm sorry…I had good reasons…you two were going nowhere," she protested.

"I don't appreciate any meddling," Aoshi commented. "And you know better than to take anyone's personal belongings. What if an emergency occurred and someone needed us to be there?"

"I know, I know."

"I'm cutting your allowance for the week," he announced.

"What?!" Misao's jaw dropped. "But…"

"I'm not finished," Aoshi cut in.

Misao sighed while Megumi hid a smile.

"I'm not going to go through the last three weeks ever again," Aoshi said firmly. "No more setting up dates or girlfriends."

"Yes, sir," Misao mumbled.

"So take down that ad first thing tomorrow," he stated.

"I will…"

Megumi bit her lip.

"And lastly…" he continued.

Misao cringed.

"Megumi and I have a date Saturday night, so you and I will go to the movies Saturday afternoon instead," Aoshi declared finally before adding, "If that's all right."

Misao's eyes widened and she looked at one, then the other. Megumi smiled at her.

"Yeah! Sure…" Misao beamed. "I guess…everything worked out okay, huh?"

February 17, 2003

Yuki-sensei cancelled hula class on Friday, said we could come in on Saturday instead, since she figured some people would wanna spend the day with their significant others.

Well, diary, I did what I set out to do all those months ago. It was a bit of a pain, but things worked out in the end. Aoshi and Megs' anniversary is officially Valentine's Day. And they'll get to their anniversary. I'm almost sure about that.

I'm kinda bummed about the allowance cut. It's only for the week, though. But it was worth it.

And I'd do it again if I had to.

            Once Aoshi and Megs became an item, it didn't take long for news to spread. To the circle of friends…Megs' family…her ex in Virginia…and even Aoshi's work. Aoshi told me that Commander Saitou had a bet going on in the entire unit that Aoshi would be dating Megumi, and that they started on Valentine's Day. Commander Saitou won eight hundred dollars and is letting Aoshi leave an hour early for the rest of the month.

~ Misao