Chapter Sixteen
Soujiro padded out of his room silently intending to get a cool glass of water to soothe his dry throat. He had never realized his allergies could become so awful. He almost went into the bathroom to snoop around for some medication. At least he didn't have a headache, not like the ones that usually plagued him at night.
He froze when he heard someone shuffling around. A faint glow shone out from Okina's office. Curious, because he knew that the old man was snoring in his room, he crept up. Glancing in he was surprised to see Misao, in some rather skimpy clothing, peering intensely at the screen. Her eyes flickered, reading something.
He almost announced himself, but something about her behavior, the way she was hunched over the computer, made him reconsider. Misao was up to something. Shinomori had explicitly instructed that he was to keep the girl out of trouble best he could and befriend her. He didn't fully understand the family politics, however, he knew how to follow orders.
Still, he had to let her know he was there. It wasn't his nature to hide things.
"Misao?" He asked and she whirled on him. Seeing who it was she relaxed slightly.
"I'm just doing some late night homework." Evidently she had this all planned out. It was a credible lie and she told it flawlessly. "I couldn't sleep very well."
"Don't you have to get up early?" Soujiro asked innocently with a smile.
"I'll be okay." She assured him with a slight wave. A very clear dismissal. One he would have to densely ignore. Instead of leaving he sat across from her noticing exactly how skimpy her outfit was. Get your mind out of the gutter, Seta! He chided doing his best to focus on his job.
When he didn't retreat she scowled and he marveled at how fast her moods shifted.
"I'm fine." She repeated, this time pointedly raising her eyes to his then glancing at the door. He continued to smile innocently, blatantly not getting her message.
She growled and shut off the computer. Pouting she grabbed some printed pages and stomped over, "Okay, alright, I'm going to bed! You've made your point, you win, and I need to sleep. I couldn't work with you staring at me like that anyway!"
"Are you done then?" He asked pleasantly. She was done alright and he wanted a look at what she printed out. Instead he inclined his head indicating she was to go first. Rather unlady like she stalked out, turned in her room, and shut the door.
As expected he heard the shutters slid outward and chink lightly on the outside of the building. She was going out in the dead of night in clothes that gave her free range of movement with printed instructions. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was going somewhere, somewhere she was either forbidden to go or thought she would be forbidden to go to.
He made his way silently back to his room retrieving a few things before letting himself out the front.
"What are you doing following me?" He jumped as she stared at him balefully from her perch on the brick wall off to the left of the iron gate.
Busted, he thought ruefully to himself and rubbed the back of his head wondering what to say.
"Where are you going?" He didn't want to play answer one question with another, yet he couldn't decide how to defend himself.
She stared down with her body half melted in the shadows. Only the moonlight proved her to be there at all. She shifted nearly silent and he noticed a fistful of throwing knives. That didn't bode well, not at all. He would need to tread carefully.
Finally she spoke, "I'm going to find Lord Aoshi."
"Why?"
"Because." She answered flatly. He was hoping to provoke her into a loud fit that would wake the house. That didn't work in the slightest. Apparently she could be silent when she so chose. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but he couldn't see how else to go about it. It was better to have her hate him than hurt or dead.
"I can't let you." He replied ready to dodge any sharp objects that come hurdling down. "It's dangerous out there. You should stay here and wait for him to return."
"What if he doesn't?"
"He will." Soujiro did his best to sound convincing. He didn't presume to know what was on his employer's mind, but he did know that Shinomori cared deeply for the bouncy little young woman.
"You think so Soujiro?" That was the first time she had used his first name to address him. It warmed him, but at the same time frightened him. He wasn't so sure he was ready to be part of this energetic girl's confidence. Yet wasn't this what he had been striving for?
"Thank you." She said softly then stiffened, "I still have to go."
He watched her disappear over the side of the fence with a sense of doom.
Talking her out of it was a failed venture. He froze indecisively. What to do next? Should he use force? He just couldn't see himself overpowering an enraged Misao. This meant that if he attacked her it would have to be done with stealth. She was the spy, not him. He doubted he could sneak up on her, especially when she knew he was going to follow. Not unless she was very distracted.
He frowned, for the first time since arriving a few weeks prior, letting his ever present smile drop.
Shrugging he plastered it back up and jumped on top of the wall. Landing gently on the other side he stared around before trotting off into the darkness.
Kyia Star: Umm, you're not being rude ^___^ Say what you will, I won't go psycho on you, promise *charming smile*. The story is going absolutely nowhere, not at all... oh, you want a serious answer. I'm j/k. Where is it going? I don't know, but all I can say is you don't like it don't read it. I wrote it for fun (actually, to appease being bored out of my mind in Italy), so read it for fun.
Corri: Keyword: Trying *evil laugh*. Oh yes, great fun.
the sacred night: Mwhaha, not this time, maybe next ^.~ Thank you. It's a bit straining right now because I'm doing the "family thing".
Fyyrrose: Oh good lord, stay away from the coffee! I don't think so Raven :- I've already told J why the wolf would kick Sou's butt seven ways to Sunday. Don't listen to her then, read the manga. Oh, wait, I forgot. You're a pathetic Canadian! No Kenshin for you, mwahaha. Umm, Kite and I had a heart-to-heart. She says do what you must. Okay, so I had to bribe her with Benitora from SDK and that dude from Vampire Game. I don't know why she wants them O__O I didn't ask. Then she was mumbling something about overdose, poppy, and revenge. Raven, keep Seta away from anything she's been near. Oh, and Shadow says please please don't kill Sano because then she'd go to the Aoiya. Her plans included 'making friends' with Misao. Can't be worse than her apology ^.~ or her STDs talk with Sano and Kenshin.
Wistful-Eyes: No, here, the antidote! Fight it, fight it! Naw, that was how I intended it. The other people just didn't go with the program there ^.~ I'm a sane driver, I'm just legally blind O__O Aunt Kerry did the same thing. She swerved around a car on a blind curve up on a mountain road and there was this truck! She tends to be funny when she's mad.
MissBehavin: Good lord, Saitoh as a dada. How wrong does that sound?! I'm j/k.
Soujiro padded out of his room silently intending to get a cool glass of water to soothe his dry throat. He had never realized his allergies could become so awful. He almost went into the bathroom to snoop around for some medication. At least he didn't have a headache, not like the ones that usually plagued him at night.
He froze when he heard someone shuffling around. A faint glow shone out from Okina's office. Curious, because he knew that the old man was snoring in his room, he crept up. Glancing in he was surprised to see Misao, in some rather skimpy clothing, peering intensely at the screen. Her eyes flickered, reading something.
He almost announced himself, but something about her behavior, the way she was hunched over the computer, made him reconsider. Misao was up to something. Shinomori had explicitly instructed that he was to keep the girl out of trouble best he could and befriend her. He didn't fully understand the family politics, however, he knew how to follow orders.
Still, he had to let her know he was there. It wasn't his nature to hide things.
"Misao?" He asked and she whirled on him. Seeing who it was she relaxed slightly.
"I'm just doing some late night homework." Evidently she had this all planned out. It was a credible lie and she told it flawlessly. "I couldn't sleep very well."
"Don't you have to get up early?" Soujiro asked innocently with a smile.
"I'll be okay." She assured him with a slight wave. A very clear dismissal. One he would have to densely ignore. Instead of leaving he sat across from her noticing exactly how skimpy her outfit was. Get your mind out of the gutter, Seta! He chided doing his best to focus on his job.
When he didn't retreat she scowled and he marveled at how fast her moods shifted.
"I'm fine." She repeated, this time pointedly raising her eyes to his then glancing at the door. He continued to smile innocently, blatantly not getting her message.
She growled and shut off the computer. Pouting she grabbed some printed pages and stomped over, "Okay, alright, I'm going to bed! You've made your point, you win, and I need to sleep. I couldn't work with you staring at me like that anyway!"
"Are you done then?" He asked pleasantly. She was done alright and he wanted a look at what she printed out. Instead he inclined his head indicating she was to go first. Rather unlady like she stalked out, turned in her room, and shut the door.
As expected he heard the shutters slid outward and chink lightly on the outside of the building. She was going out in the dead of night in clothes that gave her free range of movement with printed instructions. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was going somewhere, somewhere she was either forbidden to go or thought she would be forbidden to go to.
He made his way silently back to his room retrieving a few things before letting himself out the front.
"What are you doing following me?" He jumped as she stared at him balefully from her perch on the brick wall off to the left of the iron gate.
Busted, he thought ruefully to himself and rubbed the back of his head wondering what to say.
"Where are you going?" He didn't want to play answer one question with another, yet he couldn't decide how to defend himself.
She stared down with her body half melted in the shadows. Only the moonlight proved her to be there at all. She shifted nearly silent and he noticed a fistful of throwing knives. That didn't bode well, not at all. He would need to tread carefully.
Finally she spoke, "I'm going to find Lord Aoshi."
"Why?"
"Because." She answered flatly. He was hoping to provoke her into a loud fit that would wake the house. That didn't work in the slightest. Apparently she could be silent when she so chose. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but he couldn't see how else to go about it. It was better to have her hate him than hurt or dead.
"I can't let you." He replied ready to dodge any sharp objects that come hurdling down. "It's dangerous out there. You should stay here and wait for him to return."
"What if he doesn't?"
"He will." Soujiro did his best to sound convincing. He didn't presume to know what was on his employer's mind, but he did know that Shinomori cared deeply for the bouncy little young woman.
"You think so Soujiro?" That was the first time she had used his first name to address him. It warmed him, but at the same time frightened him. He wasn't so sure he was ready to be part of this energetic girl's confidence. Yet wasn't this what he had been striving for?
"Thank you." She said softly then stiffened, "I still have to go."
He watched her disappear over the side of the fence with a sense of doom.
Talking her out of it was a failed venture. He froze indecisively. What to do next? Should he use force? He just couldn't see himself overpowering an enraged Misao. This meant that if he attacked her it would have to be done with stealth. She was the spy, not him. He doubted he could sneak up on her, especially when she knew he was going to follow. Not unless she was very distracted.
He frowned, for the first time since arriving a few weeks prior, letting his ever present smile drop.
Shrugging he plastered it back up and jumped on top of the wall. Landing gently on the other side he stared around before trotting off into the darkness.
Kyia Star: Umm, you're not being rude ^___^ Say what you will, I won't go psycho on you, promise *charming smile*. The story is going absolutely nowhere, not at all... oh, you want a serious answer. I'm j/k. Where is it going? I don't know, but all I can say is you don't like it don't read it. I wrote it for fun (actually, to appease being bored out of my mind in Italy), so read it for fun.
Corri: Keyword: Trying *evil laugh*. Oh yes, great fun.
the sacred night: Mwhaha, not this time, maybe next ^.~ Thank you. It's a bit straining right now because I'm doing the "family thing".
Fyyrrose: Oh good lord, stay away from the coffee! I don't think so Raven :- I've already told J why the wolf would kick Sou's butt seven ways to Sunday. Don't listen to her then, read the manga. Oh, wait, I forgot. You're a pathetic Canadian! No Kenshin for you, mwahaha. Umm, Kite and I had a heart-to-heart. She says do what you must. Okay, so I had to bribe her with Benitora from SDK and that dude from Vampire Game. I don't know why she wants them O__O I didn't ask. Then she was mumbling something about overdose, poppy, and revenge. Raven, keep Seta away from anything she's been near. Oh, and Shadow says please please don't kill Sano because then she'd go to the Aoiya. Her plans included 'making friends' with Misao. Can't be worse than her apology ^.~ or her STDs talk with Sano and Kenshin.
Wistful-Eyes: No, here, the antidote! Fight it, fight it! Naw, that was how I intended it. The other people just didn't go with the program there ^.~ I'm a sane driver, I'm just legally blind O__O Aunt Kerry did the same thing. She swerved around a car on a blind curve up on a mountain road and there was this truck! She tends to be funny when she's mad.
MissBehavin: Good lord, Saitoh as a dada. How wrong does that sound?! I'm j/k.