A/N: I was tempted to have another RK character as Misao's date, but since she's going to be going through an...interesting experience, I couldn't think of an appropriate person for that date. And to answer the question about DBZ...when I came up with the name for Megs' high school, Kamehameha is a very famous king of Hawaii who lived in the 18th century. He is most famous for unifying the islands under one command - something all rulers before him had failed to do.
I've been kinda swamped with school and a trip to Las Vegas Comic-Con this weekend, so this will have to do for now...
Part 2: Dates Interrupted
As he leaned back against the wall in one of the ballrooms of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, he lifted his glass of fruit punch, realizing at the last second that his fangs were preventing him from drinking. Aoshi frowned and reached inside to remove the partial that he had attached to the roof of his mouth and pulled his fangs out. They felt natural for the most part, but he wasn't keen on drinking with the fangs in.
After he drank and placed his fangs back in, he surveyed the room. Megumi's aunt Kyoko was known to throw interesting parties for many occasions. Halloween was no exception. The owner was a very shrewd businesswoman. Not only did these parties benefit her establishment, but they also benefited local charities or schools.
Megumi's aunt had insisted on a masquerade party. He adjusted the mask that covered his eyes. Megumi knew that he was a vampire...she had wanted to surprise him, which is why she hadn't told him what she was dressed as. He knew that she was going as some dark or gothic creature. Or person.
She had decided to dress in her costume in the hotel room her aunt had given her to come and go as she pleased. He had the feeling that she had every intention of inviting him into that room before the party was over. Misao was staying at Stella's, so he wouldn't mind waking up with her tomorrow morning. Or waking her up. A slight smile lifted his lips.
Where was she?
Across the room, a woman dressed as the Queen of Hearts was chatting with a Roman soldier. He examined her critically. The height was the same, but...it wasn't her.
Another woman dressed as Venus was obviously flirting with three men by the refreshment stand, the three men dressed as gangsters. No. Not her.
He stole several glances at various women in the room...some mysterious, some colorful costumes...some covering plenty, some covering little. A woman in red just entered the room. The dress, a deep red, with a high collar and flowing sleeves, clung to her curves, the skirt flaring slightly to graze her ankles, and a V neckline revealed creamy skin from her throat to her upper chest. It was fairly modest, but enough to stretch imagination. When she shifted her weight, one long leg showed thanks to a thigh high slit up one side of the dress. Heeled sandals cased her feet, and a headband attached to a pair of red horns was perched at the top of her head. Soft black curls cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were framed with a red mask.
There was no mistaking that one.
Megumi.
He'd know her anywhere. The way she moved, the way she carried herself. He had tuned himself to her so well he could spot her in an instant. He stayed at his position, wondering if she'd find him. If she couldn't locate him, he'd go after her. He wasn't the only vampire in the room.
"Have fun, Misao!" Stella watched Misao climb out of her car.
"Thanks."
"Call me when you're ready to go..." Stella said before driving off.
Making her way on the beach, Misao headed towards the bonfire that several high school teens had started. The gathering comprised of teens from different schools. She recognized some of her classmates as well as some students from Kamehameha High, and her school's rival in all sports - Kalakaua Senior High. She easily walked onto the grainy sand in her black surf shoes.
For this particular date, she had worn a blue tank top and black capris, a black sweatshirt over her top.
She spotted a tall figure walking in her direction. He raised his hand in a wave. Smiling, Misao waved back.
"Hi, Misao," he greeted.
Rex Villanueva was a cutie. And not in the baby sort of way. He looked like one of those hot Latino teenage guys on soap operas.
"Did you have trouble finding the place?" he asked.
"No." Misao glanced at the blazing fire about a hundred feet away, and plenty of students sitting around it. "Everything going okay?"
"Oh yeah." Rex gestured to the water. "Come on."
They took a walk along the beach, chatting, as the tropical breeze coursed through the islands.
Where was he? Megumi took a sip of champagne. She should have known better than to arrive separately to this party. A man who had spent his entire professional life only making his presence known when he wanted was not an easy person to find. She had spent close to an hour looking for him. Her aunts Yuki and Kyoko, dressed as a Chinese empress and European queen, had no idea where Aoshi was...and what he looked like.
"Dance with me," a masculine voice requested behind her, interrupting her thoughts.
Go away... While back in her single days, she would have accepted, she was spoken for now. Goodness, she barely cringed at the thought, remembering her carefree days...when she thought dating was her search for the one. In reality, she had just been looking for a pleasant companion. Nothing more, nothing less. As Misao would say, I sound sprung when it comes to Aoshi. Her lips curved in a slight smile. But he's definitely unique. And completely worth it. And where is that man, anyway? Her eyes searched the room distractedly, and she replied, "It's going to take a lot more than that to get me dancing..."
"What would I have to do, then?"
She blinked, immediately recognizing the deep timbre. Good thing he couldn't see the playful smile on her face. She had a game in mind.
Megumi looked at him over her shoulder and responded, "Telling you would take the fun away."
And with that, she moved through the crowd, glancing over her shoulder at him one last time. As much as she loved her aunt, she wasn't into this party tonight. Hide and go seek sounded much more fun.
"So do you have any other hobbies?" Rex asked from their sitting positions by the beach. "Besides surfing, hula, and kempo?"
"I like to do a lot of stuff," Misao shrugged. "It got kinda lonely when Aoshi's away...so I did what I could for fun."
"Aoshi...is your guardian, right?"
"Yeah."
"And he's...military?"
"He's in the Navy," Misao nodded. "He was busy a lot for the last 2 and a half years..."
"That's pretty cool that someone was able to take you in. And try to raise you while working. My mom's a single mom..." His eyes took on a sad look for a moment. "So...I think anyone who's a single parent deserves respect."
Misao smiled. "I think so, too..."
A blonde teenager suddenly ran up to them.
"Rex!" the girl waved her arms.
The two immediately turned. She came beside them, giving them apologetic smile.
"Hey, Jen," Rex stared at her, puzzled. The girl was obviously his classmate.
"Eric had something to show you. I told him that you were busy, but he wouldn't leave me alone."
"Oh...Where is he?"
"By the parking lot."
Rex gave Misao a smile. "This shouldn't take long. I'll be right back."
She smiled back. "Okay."
For a good hour and a half, Megumi had managed to lead Aoshi into a cat-and-mouse game throughout the hotel. Through the ballroom, through the hotel hallways, the lobby...He'd get close, but she'd escape him. Megumi ran behind a tree in the back of the hotel, between the gardens and the beach. She paused to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling softly with exertion.
She was enjoying this game. Megumi enjoyed teasing him, period. And he repeated in kind, many times before. She glanced around. Knowing Aoshi, he was stealthily creeping in the shadows to catch her. Question would be how long did they both plan on playing?
Slipping off her sandals, she moved towards the beach.
Misao glanced at her sportswatch. Maybe if the guy's a good friend, they got caught up in talking. Oh well. It's not like she had claim on Rex, anyway, so who was she to get touchy over attention?
Misao gazed into the direction that Rex had left. Okay, twenty minutes was pushing it. As she rose to her feet, she dusted the back of her pants and began to walk in the direction he had headed. When she reached a more populated area of the beach, a young man her age immediately came up to her. She recognized her precalculus classmate easily...Dennis, was his name.
"Hey, Misao. You're Rex's date, right?"
She frowned. "Yeah…what…?"
"He had something to do, so he asked me to make sure you were all right," he smiled at her in a way that probably made all kinds of girls fall for him. That big, charming type of smile. Misao vaguely remembered hearing girls talk about him in the locker rooms.
"Um. Okay. You know Rex?"
"Yeah, we went to junior high together..." Dennis explained.
"Oh."
She and Dennis talked talked for a bit, mostly about school and sports.
"Hey, I remember in February...when your dad came to the school to talk about Navy life. Well...he didn't really talk..." Dennis corrected himself lightly.
"Aoshi considers it a waste of time talking if no one is listening," Misao easily came to Aoshi's defense.
"You know...I always wondered why your last name is Makimachi and his was...whatever his name was." Dennis frowned. "I just remember you two don't have the same last name."
Earlier that spring, Aoshi and Jiya had finalized the paperwork declaring Aoshi as her legal guardian. For many years, Aoshi and Jiya had been both her guardians. For the most part, Jiya let Aoshi decide on what was the best course of action for her welfare. After Christmas...just two months after Aoshi's shooting, Jiya and Aoshi began the paperwork with Misao's approval. The process involved meeting many times with social workers who nitpicked over Aoshi's history and capabilities as a father. To them, it was unusual for a young man to be raising a teenage girl. They questioned his motives, constantly challenged his reasons...and in many cases, Misao yelled at them for even thinking that his intentions were less than honorable. Aoshi had to calm her down several times to explain that they were only doing their jobs...and that he would do the same in their positions.
One of the concerns was the truth behind her and Aoshi's relationship. One of the workers had the nerve to take her aside and privately ask her if Aoshi had ever advanced on her. EW! Misao flat out had asked her what drug she was on. Advanced on her. Yeah right. Another argument was that he was single...with no wife. To which he reasoned that if her grandfather, a man he had known all his life, was able to raise Misao without a female influence, then he could do the same. It helped that the social worker's father was a Naval officer...so she knew about the stability military life had to offer...as well as the generous salary and housing allowance lieutenant commanders were given.
"Do you want me to take you home?" Dennis asked suddenly.
Misao shook her head. "One of my friends offered to pick me up."
"Okay. Well, I'll wait with you, then."
Within a few minutes, Misao called Stella...but there was no answer. Danielle. No answer. She made her way to the parking lot, redialing both numbers.
"Nothing?" Dennis prompted.
"Nope." Misao sighed.
Dennis grasped her shoulder. "Let me take you home."
Megumi glanced at her watch bracelet. It was taking much too long for Aoshi to catch up. Hmm. Unless he had no idea that she wanted to be caught. No. The man could not be that dense. At least, in her experience with him, he was rather perceptive…
Something caught her and whirled her around. Megumi's gasp lodged in her throat as she caught sight of a familiar form wearing a simple black cape, collared shirt, and fitted pants. A black mask shadowed most of his features, but there was no mistaking the strong jaw and firm lips.
"I believe you owe me a dance."
She wasn't going to be that easy. Megumi tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I don't dance with strange men in isolated places."
He stepped closer, but he didn't touch her. Not yet, anyway. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins, and she shivered slightly.
She swallowed as he reached out and carefully pulled her mask away from her face, moving it to the top of her head.
His eyes glittering with a challenge, he asked quietly, "Then what can you do in isolated places?"
Every women's intuition went off in Misao's head. "Um...no...that's okay."
"It's okay, I don't mind," he responded. Then adding a smile, said, "I won't attack you or anything."
"Um...no, I'll be fine."
He put his arm around her shoulders, causing her discomfort to rise. Didn't the guy ever hear of personal space.
"You know, Misao...I always wondered why you haven't dated anyone?" Dennis asked casually. "You're cool with the guys, but you don't date any of them."
"What's wrong with that?" Misao pushed his arm off.
"Cuz some of us like you. But if you're only into girls...well..." he grinned. "We like that, too."
"That's really too much info that I really don't need to hear..." Misao began to walk away.
"Hey, you're a cute girl...and if you like cute girls-" he draped his arm around her again.
"Okay, you need to get your arm off," Misao ordered.
"You don't like being touched by a guy?" he asked. He grinned again in that way that was REALLY starting to get on her nerves. "Since Rex isn't here, how about I give you a little taste of what it's like to be with a-"
Her hand flew out so fast he didn't see it coming. She had knocked the guy out cold.
"Shit," Misao whispered, staring down at his crumpled form on the sand.
Misao was furious. Absolutely pissed off. What the hell had she been thinking? And what the hell was that idiot thinking?
She quickly picked up her phone, speed dialing a number.
"Hi, this is Stella, leave a message."
"Dammit!" Misao exclaimed, hanging up before dialing another number.
"Say something," Danielle's voicemail greeted her.
Punching end, Misao nearly tossed her phone onto the sand. "Where the hell is everyone?!"
Misao sighed before grimacing. There was someone else she could call…but she wasn't looking forward to it. But she really didn't have much of a choice as it was. Sighing again, Misao hit another button to speed dial…
Aoshi was positive that if he hadn't been holding her, Megumi would have sunk to the sand. He had kissed her, slowly at first, as if it was his first time doing the act. But it hadn't taken long for her to get caught up in all of it. She was trembling from head to toe. She was a very passionate woman. Always had been. And not just when it came to intimacy.
Slender, quivering fingers loosened just a few buttons of his vest and shirt, soft fingertips pressing against his hot skin, while he tilted her head back with gentle fingers, bending slightly to touch his lips against the underside of her chin.
No one was around the hotel gardens or the beach. Surprisingly. They were fairly isolated from sight, but he had no intention of ending their game out there...where guests...possibly even her aunts could walk by.
"So this is what you do in isolated places," he murmured.
He could hear the smile in her voice. "Only with men who have sexy voices like yours."
"You do this a lot, then."
"Well..." she hedged.
"What would happen if you were in an even more isolated place?"
"I'll let you guess on that one."
"Hmm." He placed featherlight kisses along her cheeks and eyelids. "I think-"
A playful melody broke the spell, causing the haze of passion to fade in front of Aoshi's eyes. Expelling a breath, he released her reluctantly.
"You should answer your phone," he instructed softly.
Giving him an apologetic look, Megumi bent to retrieve a small item from her purse.
"Hello?"
So much for quality time. He moved away, half-listening to her side of the conversation while he adjusted his shirt.
"I'll be there as soon as I can," Megumi promised before hanging up. When she looked up, she met his gaze, a serious look in her dark eyes.
"Emergency?" he prompted.
"I'm sorry…" she apologized. "Something has come up, and I-"
"Need to take care of it," he finished, putting the final button of his shirt in place. "It's all right," he added, seeing the disappointed expression on her face. Megumi nodded, slipping on her sandals before giving him the key to the hotel room her aunt had given her. Lowering her gaze, she said, "I…I wish I could explain…but…"
He lightly kissed her cheek. The action wasn't meant to show her that he desired her, or to convince her to stay. Just to say that he loved her. "Just do what you need to do. I'll wait here." With a gentle shove at the small of her back, he propelled her in the direction of the parking garage.
Megumi gave him a smile. It said, 'Thank you', 'I love you', and so much more.
A/N: NEXT part…Aoshi's Wrath. Misao/Megs cause havoc on the beach, Aoshi raises his voice, and what happened to Rex?? =P