Cover Girls
An alternate universe Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Chapter Seven
"She Likes Me for Me"
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Misao clung tightly to Aoshi's arm as they skated down the now familiar pathways of what they affectionately called "their park". It had been a wonderful week since they had all met at the club that night. Following that first sweet kiss on the dance floor, they soon found that every spare minute was best spent in each other's company. They called one another on the phone and debated for hours on who should hang up first and that Wednesday, a dozen white roses had been waiting on her mixing board when she'd gotten to work. Misao felt as if she was in heaven and the angels were singing their song.
Aoshi glanced down at the woman whose fingers were entwined with his, an involuntary smile creeping across his lips at the contented expression on her face. He had no idea of exactly when this beauty had stolen his heart, but in all truth, he was glad that she kept it safe and sound. As if reading his thoughts, Misao looked up at him and smiled briefly, leaning her head on his broad shoulder for a moment before turning her attention to the path again.
As they traveled further down the path, the sound of a violin playing began to fill the air and unconsciously Misao slipped out of Aoshi's grasp and began swaying to it's soft strains. Further up the path, he could see the source of the music in the form of an elderly gentleman sitting on a park bench as he played, his violin case laid open on the grass before him, just on the edge of the path.
Aoshi looked on with curiosity as Misao's began to smile and skated off in the man's direction. When she got there, Aoshi saw her dip her hand into the pouch that she carried and draw out some carefully folded yen notes, which she bent down and placed in the man's open violin case. Aoshi looked on, puzzled, as the old man, who appeared to be blind behind the shades that he wore, stopped playing altogether and seemingly returned Misao's smile.
"Now Misao-chan," he said in a gravelly, grandfatherly voice, "I told you already, you've got to stop spoiling me."
Misao simply chuckled, "Who's spoiling who Tanaka-san? You play so beautifully, I feel as if I'm listening to an angel's harp."
The old man blushed a little under his dark glasses but his smile only widened, "My little princess, you could talk a leopard out of his spots. His face turned slightly toward the young man who stood a little distance away, "Who is your friend?" he asked.
Misao motioned Aoshi to come closer and cheerfully introduced the two. "Tanaka-san, this is Shinomori Aoshi, Aoshi, this is Tanaka-san."
"A pleasure," Aoshi murmured, bowing in the old man's direction, immediately feeling silly for doing so, seeing that the old man couldn't have possibly noticed it.
Misao, noticing Aoshi's slight blush, grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Ne, Tanaka-san," she asked, "How are you doing? I passed by the park last week and I didn't see you. I was worried that you might be sick."
"Maa maa," the old man reassured her, "It was only a little cold Misao-chan, nothing that an old soldier like me couldn't handle."
Misao's mouth got caught somewhere between a pout and a smile, her old friend was a real jewel, but his stubbornness was also quite legendary. "Tanaka-san!" she chided, "You should have gone to the clinic to see Megumi right away!"
"Well I…"
Misao just tsked and folded her arms, "Megumi's gonna be so mad at you when I tell her you were sick and didn't see her."
A very real look of dread crossed the poor man's features at the mention of the fox-lady's name. "But," Misao continued with her trademark grin, "If go and see her now, I guess I won't have to tell now would I?"
The violinist sighed, "Alright," he conceded, "I'll see her first thing tomorrow alright?"
Misao paused for a moment before leaning over and pecking the old man on the cheek, "Thanks for listening Tanaka-san."
"Well you are very persuasive," he chuckled.
Misao winked in Aoshi's direction as she tugged on his captured hand, "I guess I am," she agreed, "Bye Tanaka-san!"
"Goodbye Misao." He said as he picked his instrument up again, "Nice meeting you Shinomori-san."
"Likewise." Aoshi managed to answer before Misao pulled him down he path again.
A few moments later when they stopped at the park's entrance, Misao stopped in front of Aoshi with a big smile on her face, "Isn't Tanaka-san the greatest?" she asked enthusiastically, "I think he's one of the best musicians in Tokyo, the world even!"
Aoshi couldn't help but smile at her childish glee, "I admit, he is very talented," he agreed, "How did you come to meet him Misao?"
Without warning Misao's smile disappeared and a weird expression took its place, as if she were questioning him with her eyes. After a long moment she opened her mouth to answer, only to be interrupted when a nasal, feminine, and highly cultured voice addressed them from behind.
"Aoshi-chan!" it whined, "What on earth are you doing here?"
Misao turned and frowned at the new woman, instinct telling her right away that this was someone that she would not particularly like. The way that she had said the word "here" particularly irritated her, as if she had found Aoshi in a kennel instead of a park.
Aoshi's sigh of exasperation was so quiet, not even Misao could hear it. "Hello Yumi-san," he said formally, "Weren't you and that husband of yours supposed to be in Osaka this week?"
The gorgeous brunette laid a bejeweled hand on her ample bosom and laughed, "Oh that," she beamed, "Shi-chan got caught up at the company again so we had to postpone by one week." The offending hand then drifted upwards to smooth the side of her already perfect hair. "I don't really mind, seeing that it gives me a bit more time to shop."
Misao found it hard to keep herself from gagging out loud as she looked the woman up and down. "Who in the world works out in jewelry and prom-night hair?" she thought as she took in the woman's designer sneakers and matching workout gear. Still, against her instinct's better judgment, she tried to include herself in the conversation.
"Aren't you going to introduce me Aoshi?" she asked.
"Oh," the woman said as the cross-examined the younger with her overly made-up eyes, "I didn't realize that you two were together."
Misao's smile only stretched wider as she resisted the urge to wedge her roller-blade somewhere up the infuriating woman's colon as Aoshi introduced the two in an uncharacteristically deadpan voice.
"Kamiya Misao," the woman repeated in a tone that would be better used on the word "garbage". "How quaint. I can't seem to remember meeting any Kamiyas at the lodge."
"Maybe you were looking in the wrong lodge," Misao muttered hotly under her breath.
"Anyway Aoshi," Yumi continued without a thought to the dark look that had crossed Misao's eyes, "Shi-chan and I are throwing a huge party on the eighteenth, absolutely everyone will be there. Oh please say that you'll come!"
Misao was changing more colors than a chameleon. Of all the snooty…Well that hussy would be in for a surprise when Aoshi told her that the invitation had better be for two, Misao inwardly fumed. Never in a million years could she have expected what she was about to hear next.
"Sure Yumi, see you then."
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Kaoru looked up the stairs with a look of sisterly concern written all over her face. It had been two hours since Misao had stumbled into the house without so much as an "Okaeri". From there, she had kicked off her roller blades and ran straight into her room, locking the door with an audible 'click' after slamming it closed.
Misao's Hyper Hybrid Theory and Come To Daddy CD's had both been played at full blast from beginning to end and now the sound of furious drumming reached Kaoru's ears as she slowly made her way up the stairs. "Misao?" she called, trying to make her voice audible above the racket. The second time she knocked on the traditional shoji frame as she called again, "Misao, won't you come out? Nee-chan, onegai, tell me what's bothering you!"
At the word "sister" the drumming suddenly stopped, and Kaoru leaned against the door to find that in her distress, Misao had not slid the lock in properly, and the door was still quite open.
Carefully Kaoru slid the door open and slipped inside to find Misao collapsed onto her drums, the sticks hanging loosely in her hands as she hid her face with both arms. Some of her hair had escaped its braid to form a bedraggled halo around her head and her small shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Fighting the sting in her own eyes, Kaoru walked around the drum set and sat by Misao's side. Reaching up, she stroked some of Misao's hair away from her cheek in a smooth, soothing motion.
Kaoru's touch seemed to untie the bonds that seemed to prevent Misao from saying what was on her mind, and the angry words flowed out of her like water from an exploded dam.
"B-b-b-b-bastard," she moaned into the flesh of her arms, "I-I t-thought he l-l-liked m-me!"
Kaoru's heart tore in two at the sound of Misao's stutter, it had been so long since any one of them had heard it, and the optimistic part of her mind had thought it was completely cured. Blinking away the tears that threatened to come, she remained silent as her hand moved from Misao's hair, to her back where it took up a gentle massaging motion that was usually reserved for colicky babies.
Misao sobbed aloud as she raised herself off of her drum set, "I-if I w-w-weren't g-good enough f-f-for h-him, he s-should h-have s-s-s-said s-so in t-the f-first p-place!" she continued, her face contorting painfully with each forced syllable. "I h-hate him!" she declared before collapsing into sobs again.
Kaoru blinked again and tried not to think of how much she missed her mother right then. After many false starts and failed attempts, Misao managed to spill the entire story to her older sister who frowned in contempt at Shinomori-san's behavior toward her beloved sibling. Still, she was at a loss as to how she could possibly alleviate Misao's pain. Distractedly, one of her thoughts took form and before she could catch herself, she had sighed aloud.
"What would Mom do?"
"C-con-f-front y-your f-fears," Misao answered quietly as revelation dawned upon her, "K-Kaoru?"
"Yes sweetheart?"
"L-let me s-sing a-at the s-s-semi-f-finals," she asked, "I-I n-need t-to t-tell h-him."
Kaoru looked up at her younger sister with eyes that shimmered like a moonlit sea. It wasn't often that her sister asked anything of her, and now that she had, how could she possibly say 'no'?
She just couldn't.
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Ko-Neko-Neko arrived at the semifinal venue just two performances away from their big moment. Kaoru apologized to the director of the show for their lateness in the same breath that she requested that he provide them with a freehanded mike. The broom-haired man raised a curious eyebrow at her, but provided her with the above said item minutes before they made it onto the stage.
Aoshi hung in the shadows in the back of the crowd with his head cradled in his hands silently cursing himself repeatedly for his thoughtlessness. The day before he had called Misao to apologize, but her cousin had answered saying that she was sick and couldn't answer the phone. Intuition told him better, he would be furious with himself if he were she. In fact he already was.
The sound of the announcer introducing Misao's band snapped him out of his self-piteous reverie and he looked up toward the stage to see that the girls had arranged themselves slightly differently than the other two times. Misao's drums were more centered and to the front while Megumi and Kaoru flanked her sides and were drawn back a little bit, making her the center of attention.
To everyone's surprise Kaoru made no move toward the center of the stage as she leaned into her mike and asked everyone to settle down.
"Tonight," she said in a resolute voice, "You are all in for a once in a lifetime treat. Tonight, I'm stepping away from center stage in order to give my little sister a chance to shine. We all hope that you enjoy the show." With that, she stepped away from the mike and held her guitar at the ready.
Aoshi's eyes widened in realization at what was going on, and upon closer inspection saw that Misao was indeed wearing a freehanded mike strapped to her head. Even from that distance, her eyes seemed to sparkle with determination as she gave the other two the affirmative nod to begin.
With one look of understanding passing between them, Kaoru and Megumi began the introduction to a very familiar song.
Uh-huh,
Life's like this
Uh-huh, uh-huh
That's the way it is
'Cause life's like this
Uh-huh, uh-huh
That's the way it is
Kaoru began to play her part a bit more loudly as Misao added her drums to the mix and repeated the last three lines of the verse. Aoshi froze like a deer in a truck's headlight as he realized what Misao was doing. Unconsciously, he found himself staring out over the crowd as if in a trance as everything else melted away, and just himself, Misao and the music remained.
Chill
out,
What you yellin' for?
Lay back, it's all been done before
And if you could only let it be
You will see
I like you the way you are
When we're, driving in my car
And you're talking to me
One on one
But you become
Somebody else
'Round everyone else
Watchin' your back
Like you can't relax
You're tryin' to be cool
You look like a fool
To me
Tell me
Why
do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're
Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
And you fall and you crawl
And you break and you take
What you get and you turn it into
Honesty Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no, no
Her voice hid nothing from anyone who cared to hear. Misao sang with her whole heart laid open for his view in that beautiful, ageless voice of that had first attracted him to her. Her hands moved of their own accord, uninhibited by the words that would have confused the very best of drummers as her wide, blue-green eyes looked out over the crowd that had already begun to sing her praises.
You
come over unannounced
Dressed up like you're something else
Where you are and
Where you sat, you see
You're making me
Laugh out
When you strike a pose
Take off all your preppy clothes
You know
You're not fooling anyone
When you become
Somebody else
'Round everyone else
Watchin' your back
Like you can't relax
Tryin' to be cool
You look like a fool
To me
Tell me
Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're
Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
And you fall and you crawl
And you break and you take
What you get and you turn it into
Honesty Promise me
I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no, no...
As the three girls entered the bridge of the song, their voices circled and echoed one another, weaving in and out of the music that complimented the words that they sang. The musical whispers becoming trapped in Aoshi's subconscious mind, making him feel even guiltier than he had before. As the bridge phased out, Misao came in again, her voice even more angelically sweet than before.
Chill
out,
What you yellin' for?
Lay back, it's all been done before
And if you could let it be
You will see
Somebody
else
'Round everyone else
You're watchin' your back
Like you can't relax
You're tryin' to be cool
You look like a fool
To me
To me!
Misao's
rage could no longer be withheld, and it broke out into her voice and body
movements as she squeezed her eyes shut and demanded an answer to the question
she so fervently sang.
Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're
Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
And you fall and you crawl
And you break and you take
What you get and you turn it into
Honesty Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No, no
Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're
Acting like you're somebody else gets me frustrated
Life's like this, you
And you fall and you crawl
And you break and you take
What you get and you turn it into
Honesty Promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it
No No No
As the music died away the crowd roared in approval for what was truly 'a once in a lifetime treat'. Shouts of "Ganbatte Misao-chan!" and "Ko-Neko-Neko Forever!" echoed off the walls in appreciation of their perfect performance.
Or, what would have been perfect if Aoshi hadn't noticed Misao burying her face in her hands just before the lights on stage went out.
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Author's Note:
Silly me, how are you guys supposed to know what I mean by Boxing Day anyway? Well, for future reference it's what we call December 26th on this little island of mine. Don't ask me why they call it that, they just do.
In other ranting, yup, it's true, I gave our darling Misao a speech impediment. (Ducks flying produce) I admit that I put a little bit of myself into her character there as I actually do stutter when I get angry or upset enough. Anyway, I didn't do it just for a bit of a self-insert, as you will see in the next chapter.
For
the record, I like Yumi, even if she was a doormat in the series and I don't
own Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne or Aphex Twin. (No duh :p)
Thanks to all of you who reviewed and even added me to their favorites, I am eternally grateful to you all.
Burn
Baby Burn.