Misao twiddled with the long, single braid that usually hung straight down her back. She was rather anxiously awaiting the return of Lord Aoshi. He was already twenty minutes late, which was unusual, considering he was normally an incredible punctual person.
Okon looked in halfway through her sentence before cutting it off. There was no reason for her to finish, she knew the girl would not hear a word she said while she was in 'Lord Aoshi mode'.
"Misao!" She said sharply hoping to startle the girl. She was in luck when the energetic teenager's head snapped up, her emerald eyes only semi-focused. She blinked before shining a silly smile.
"What is it Okon?" Misao asked used to such treatment. Well, if I wasn't always such a distracted bubble head... she thought to herself.
"Misao." The other woman asked again looking at her with reassignment on her pretty face. "I said that dinner was ready."
Misao nodded, signaling she'll be down in a bit before turning to her school work. She was in her junior year at the local high school and found it all to be rather boring. She should be doing other things than Biology!
Besides, Biology sucked. Who cares what the Latin name of some long dead animal was? She wasn't planning to go into anything career related anyway; it was just a waste of her time. She felt pretty much the same way about History and English. The only subject she excelled at was math, already in Calculus and acing the course easily. She was graduating next year and she couldn't wait until she was a senior. Being a senior was the best. They got all those special privileges and they only had to take four core classes and they got their own lunch room, and...
Her train of thought was cut off when her name was bellowed up the stairs. She uncoiled herself from the dreadfully boring history book she was "studying" and padded out her room shivering slightly as her bare feet hit the cold, wooden floor.
Jumping the last two steps she bounded around the corner and slipped on the floor. Flailing around she managed to catch herself on something only to notice that it was rather warm and breathing. Looking up she expected to see one of the women or Shiro. Instead it was a young man with a large smile plastered on his boyish face. His bangs hung in his eyes but they didn't seem to be bothering him in the slightest and his blue-gray eyes were fixed on her politely.
"Oh my gosh." She yelped falling back. He gently grabbed her wrist helping her to regain her balance. She snatched it away feeling totally embarrassed to show herself to be such a clumsy idiot. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching and I slipped and I didn't know we had company..."
He looked at her with a continued smile, "That is quite all right Miss...?"
"You don't have to call me miss." She informed him. She hated being called miss. It made her feel so restricted, formal. She gave him a large grin now that she regained her composure, "My name's Misao, what's yours..."
Her sentence was cut off abruptly when she saw who was just exiting Jiya's office.
"Lord Aoshi!" She hollered with an impressive set of lungs not noticing when both the stranger and the rest of the household winced. She raced over to the tall man just stopping short. He paused looking down at her with his blue eyes. A very slight smile twitched for a mere instant before the mask fell back in place. "Lord Aoshi, you're back!"
"Tell him something he doesn't already know." Okina grumped as he followed the taller man into the hallway. Although he was old his hearing was in excellent shape. Or it was a few minutes ago that is. He rolled his eyes as the young girl ignored him to fawn over Shinomori. He loved her dearly and respected Aoshi, but he didn't see any good coming of her infatuation. Not that he could justify his actions to her if he could forbid it. He trusted the man not to return her affection, which was part of the problem in the first place.
"Come to dinner you guys." Okon said reemerging. She gave a small nod of complete respect to Aoshi, which he returned to a lesser degree with a slight head movement.
"So how was your trip Lord Aoshi, did you get what you wanted?"
He nodded and jerked his head towards the stranger, still smiling, standing off to the side. Misao reddened and looked at him sheepishly. If he was important to Lord Aoshi, he was important to her too.
"My name is Soujiro Seta. Mr. Shinomori insisted I stay here instead of the hotel as I initially suggested." He apologized.
"No trouble at all my boy." Okina replied inwardly wondering what Aoshi had in mind for this seemly young, innocent-looking boy. He dismissed it as unimportant. Whatever Aoshi had planned it wasn't any of his business anymore. You passed along the job; confident he could handle it, so stay out of it old man, he chided himself inwardly. Shoot up your blood pressure just a bit more why don't you?
Dinner was a rather silent affair with the exception of Misao's excited chatter about anything and everything. Occasionally one of the women would direct a polite comment at their smiling guest. He would answer in a soft, pleasant voice without seeming to really answer what they were asking.
"I am leaving again tomorrow. Treat Seta as you would myself." Aoshi announced and Misao felt her heart plummet.
He was leaving so soon? But he just got back. It wasn't fair! She wanted to jump up and throw an enormous temper tantrum; however, she learned long ago that got her nothing. Still, she couldn't help it when her brilliant green eyes started to fill with tears, which she tried to scrub back hastily before anyone noticed.
"Will you be taking Hanya and the others with you?" Okina asked knowing whatever dragged Aoshi away this time had to be important and dangerous.
"I will." Aoshi affirmed with a slight nod.
"When will you be back Lord Aoshi?" Misao asked half-fearing the answer. She understood his line of work was dangerous, he was a spy after all, but logic didn't stop her from worrying.
He didn't reply. She didn't know what to think of that. Her Lord Aoshi not coming back? Leaving some boy in his place? Or did he simply not know when he was coming back and didn't want to disappoint her? She decided after a second's hesitation that his reason must be her second thought. Her undying devotion to Lord Aoshi was firm. No doubts could penetrate!
After helping Okon and Osamu clean up the dishes she bounded gleefully up to her room. Almost there she paused mid-stride wondering if she should wish Lord Aoshi good night. Unless he was busy, which he probably was and would ignore her, which he probably would... Shrugging those downing thoughts off she changed her course, but before she could get to his office she heard voices.
Instinctively she halted and pressed herself up against the wall listening. The voices were soft and she had to still her breath straining her ears.
"...I may not come back." Her Lord Aoshi was saying and she clapped her hands over her mouth so as not to make a sound. Not coming back? She repeated mentally. It sounded worse when she ran it over a second time. "This is a very touchy mission it may require a long term commitment."
"I see." That was Jiya. Misao let out her breath when Aoshi admitted that it may take awhile for him to return. Of course he would return! What had she been thinking? "That's it?"
"My contractor is less than kosher." Aoshi confided not seeming perturbed in the slightest and Misao clinched her fists on the tail ends of her rainbow tee-shirt proclaiming 'Peppy' on the chest. That mean he was doing something illegal again. The Obiwaban had a code, but to Aoshi that was it, no other laws applied. It made her nervous, having a healthy respect for what could happen to offenders. After all, that's what happened to her parents... shot, after they gave up. The police could be just as corrupt as anyone else. They were people too after all.
Jiya expressed his disapproval with a grunt, but didn't verbally berate the other man. Misao knew that he wouldn't interfere with Lord Aoshi's plans, he never did.
"Are you going to go in?" A voice asked behind her and she whirled offensively.
Soujiro was standing in the hall with his trademark smile wreathed on his face. His hands were crammed in the pockets of his dark blue jeans and he seems so harmless. Misao knew better though and it infuriated her that he would watch her like that. Didn't he know you weren't supposed to spy on people?
"No." She blurted before she could stop herself. Oh great, wonderful, now he would tell on her!
"Why not?"
"Lord Aoshi's busy!" She huffed before fleeing down the hall as fast as she could without running. How was she going to live around that guy if he insisted on getting into everything? She was so annoyed she flipped her history book on the floor and whipped out her diary voicing her secret thoughts that she could never voice aloud.
Fyyrrose: Oh you shut up, I'm broadening my horizons. I feel most secure with K/K O__O;;; Besides, remember that conversation about jiggling the corspe? I will never make Tokio wimpy. Ever. I just can't see it, considering who she's married to in RK. What if you are the psycho? Okay, I'm mentally unbalanced and very creative. But that's a good combo right? What do you call Stephen King.
MissBehavin: Yes, like a metal chair >=] Can you see Kaoru hefting one of those suckers?O.O Yeah, don't mind her, she's twisted. Her mind is in the gutter 24/7, one way or another. Wow, Sano as Mommy dearest *shudders completely freaked out at the possiblities* Having a good imagination is sometimes a curse. *goes to find mental bleach for that stain*