Never Felt So Alive
Chapter 2
By Seabreeze
A/N: Wow, I'm glad people responded to my story so well. No clue how much longer the story'll go, I just know that I couldn't stop after what happened. . . so here's the next installment. I heart y'all.
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin'.
~*~*~
"Well," Misao said shyly after a few moments, "I guess I should head home." Aoshi looked at her sharply.
"Misao. For your own safety I must insist you stay."
"Aoshi, you don't understand- the longer I'm gone the angrier he'll be when I finally do come home, and if I stayed here overnight he'd. . . assume things." She blushed, hating the situation. Aoshi narrowed his eyes.
"Do you WANT to go back?!" he demanded.
"Never," Misao replied quietly. "But I always end up doing so." Aoshi snorted.
"Tonight, for once, you won't." Misao started to protest but Aoshi sent her a look that shut her up. "You will stay under my roof and my protection and REMAIN under my protection. When you return to Amakuso's, I will go with you." Aoshi finished and Misao's mouth dropped.
"Aoshi. . . you'd. . . do that for me?"
"As I said, I swore I'd protect you."
"And. . . tomorrow, when we go back. . . you want me to leave him?"
"I believe I know what is best for you, and that would be it. However, it is ultimately your decision and if it is done, you must be the one to do it."
"Oh, Aoshi. . . I don't know if I can do that." Misao hated feeling weak like that. Aoshi sighed and stepped towards her, laying his big palms on each of her shoulders.
"Makimachi Misao, you are the strongest woman I have ever met in my entire life."
Misao's eyes widened.
"I'm not just saying that—your ki is extraordinary. Had I had you as a child, you would've been trained to fight." Aoshi's face was emotionless, as always, and Misao could only stare at him. He waited for her to respond, but it took her a good minute.
"Aoshi. . . I don't understand. . . how you can have such faith. . . in me." Aoshi scowled and turned from her.
"It is not difficult to have faith in one such as you, Misao, one who deserves that faith. You know that I am not one to speak falsely." He busied himself with wiping the counter as Misao tried to gather herself. No one—no one had ever said anything like that, like she was actually worth something. . .
"No," she said slowly, twisting her braid in her good hand, "You're not."
Aoshi faced her and they stood watching each other for a minute, Misao unable to contain the warmth spreading through her at the knowledge that Aoshi had such faith in her and believed in her so strongly. Aoshi turned, uncomfortable with the shy, glowing smile she was giving to him. He cleaned up and checked Misao's injuries once more.
"You need to get your rest." Aoshi ordered emotionlessly. Misao nodded, hopping off his counter cheerfully and obediently. He took her good elbow gently in his hand and led her up his staircase. Aoshi's house was not overly huge but furnished as a millionaire's mansion would be. The staircase was sweeping and made entirely of white marble.
He led her to his own room, a gesture that Misao did not fail to notice.
"I wouldn't mind taking one of the guest rooms, you know." She said softly with a little grin. Aoshi narrowed his eyes at her.
"And I would not have you stay anywhere else. Go in and I'll get you something to sleep in." Aoshi turned without waiting to watch Misao enter his room, and she watched him walk off with a small, dreamy smile on her lips. With a giggle, she let herself into his room.
Aoshi's bed was huge, in both height and area. It was at least King- sized and came up to somewhere around her ribcage. The comforter, she realized with a raised eyebrow, was black silk, but she pulled it back to find simple, white cotton sheets. Everything in the room was either black or decorated in black, but it somehow managed to look classy instead of gothic.
Sometime in the middle of her inspection, Aoshi had stepped into the room with pajamas and was watching her.
"Will it do?" he asked coldly. Misao jumped at his voice and turned, smiling.
"Are you kidding? It's lavish, Aoshi, nothing compared to our bedroom at home. . ." at the mention of her shared bedroom and more importantly shared bed with Amakuso, Aoshi's eyes darkened considerably, and Misao immediately shut up.
"I brought you sleeping clothes," he said, sounding angry. Misao brightened and came over to survey her pajamas. From his hands she took a large gray t-shirt that read "Kyoto Gym" in dark blue lettering across the chest above a picture of two short swords crossed. Underneath that was a pair of men's blue plaid boxers, at which Misao giggled again.
"Thanks so much, Aoshi." She hugged the garments to her chest and beamed, and while her eyes were closed Aoshi allowed himself the tiniest of pleased smiles, which disappeared well before she would catch it.
"Sleep well." Was his reply, and he bowed and left his room, closing the door behind him. The second the door clicked shut, Misao hurriedly threw off her tank top, bra, and shorts and donned Aoshi's too-big t-shirt and boxers. The clothes were worn and surprisingly the most comfortable pajamas she had ever worn, even though the boxers had a built-in hole in the front. With nothing else to do, Misao turned to the bed. However, getting herself onto it presented a slight problem.
Had Aoshi's bed been standard height, she could've crawled in easily. But Aoshi's bed was not standard, it was massive, and Misao was not known for her excessive height. Even these facts would not have stopped her any other time, but without the use of her arms, Misao had literally no hope of getting on the top of it by herself. The few times she attempted resulted in her wincing with pain, either from her broken hand or her swollen elbow. With a sigh, Misao realized she had no choice but to get Aoshi. He'd either have to let her sleep in his guest room, or help her onto his own bed.
Misao's bare feet padded as she moved as quietly as she could to the door, opened it, and stepped out. It was then that she realized she wasn't sure which room Aoshi planned to sleep in. A quick surveillance answered her question: the door next to hers was the only one on the entire hallway that was currently closed. She approached and knocked on it. She heard him get off of something and move towards the door, and what she saw when he opened it nearly made her pass out.
Aoshi. Pajama pants. Shirt. Unbuttoned to somewhere around his naval. She felt faint.
"Yes?" he asked. Misao worked for a few moments to remember why she had come.
"I, um, I-"unnoticed by him, she pinched her shoulder with her good hand and snapped- at least partially- out of it. "I can't get on the bed."
Misao had been so distracted by Aoshi's almost bare chest that she had not seen his reaction to her. He swallowed a heavy lump in his throat, because seeing the girl in his own boxer shorts was probably the most sexy thing he had ever seen. He was not ready for that reaction from himself.
"What do you mean, you can't get on it?" he narrowed his eyes, not really understanding.
"I mean, your bed is so high up and I can't get on it without using one or both of my arms, and it hurts when I try to use them for that." Misao explained in a rush, feeling stupid—it was only getting into BED, for gosh's sake, a simple task that she could not perform without assistance. "So I was wondering if we could switch rooms." Aoshi stepped back in response, and Misao noticed that the guest room bed was just as tall. "Oh." She said, feeling even stupider.
"I'll help." Aoshi said, and with absolutely no warning, he scooped Misao up in his arms easily.
"I, um. . ." Misao begin, but she bit back a grin. 'Oh, hell. What more can I ask for?' Aoshi carried Misao out of his doorway and into the hallway. With a sigh of happiness which he perceived as exhaustion, she laid her head against his shoulder. She couldn't have been happier if she was in heaven. He took her into his room and set her down gently on the bed. Aoshi had figured Misao to be as light as she was, but he had not expected himself to want to be so gentle with her, as if she would break if he applied more pressure to her. He was relieved to set her down, now that the fear of breaking her had passed.
Misao pulled Aoshi's covers over herself, leaving her arms free, and she looked up at him. Aoshi had been watching her, and he started in his eyes only when she looked at him.
"Thanks, Aoshi."
~*~*~
Sorry guys. Sessha's tired. More next chapter.
Pyroaoi- I like when he gets like that too ( Thanks for reviewing.
RK-128- Algeria! Fresh fruit, huh? I kinda sugarfied it this time. Eh. Oh well. Thanks, as always.
Spirit demon- thanks for the suggestion. I usually like to stick to my own pre-conceived plot, but I may incorporate parts of your idea in. . . Thanks for reading!
Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet- actually, the whole idea of the story came from that song. But now, obviously, its sort of straying. . . heh. Thanks!
Chocolatechipp- thanks so much :D I love when people get excited about what I write.
Dadsnavygirl831- 15 out of 10?? Wow! Thanks! You're very generous!
Chapter 2
By Seabreeze
A/N: Wow, I'm glad people responded to my story so well. No clue how much longer the story'll go, I just know that I couldn't stop after what happened. . . so here's the next installment. I heart y'all.
Disclaimer: Don't own nothin'.
~*~*~
"Well," Misao said shyly after a few moments, "I guess I should head home." Aoshi looked at her sharply.
"Misao. For your own safety I must insist you stay."
"Aoshi, you don't understand- the longer I'm gone the angrier he'll be when I finally do come home, and if I stayed here overnight he'd. . . assume things." She blushed, hating the situation. Aoshi narrowed his eyes.
"Do you WANT to go back?!" he demanded.
"Never," Misao replied quietly. "But I always end up doing so." Aoshi snorted.
"Tonight, for once, you won't." Misao started to protest but Aoshi sent her a look that shut her up. "You will stay under my roof and my protection and REMAIN under my protection. When you return to Amakuso's, I will go with you." Aoshi finished and Misao's mouth dropped.
"Aoshi. . . you'd. . . do that for me?"
"As I said, I swore I'd protect you."
"And. . . tomorrow, when we go back. . . you want me to leave him?"
"I believe I know what is best for you, and that would be it. However, it is ultimately your decision and if it is done, you must be the one to do it."
"Oh, Aoshi. . . I don't know if I can do that." Misao hated feeling weak like that. Aoshi sighed and stepped towards her, laying his big palms on each of her shoulders.
"Makimachi Misao, you are the strongest woman I have ever met in my entire life."
Misao's eyes widened.
"I'm not just saying that—your ki is extraordinary. Had I had you as a child, you would've been trained to fight." Aoshi's face was emotionless, as always, and Misao could only stare at him. He waited for her to respond, but it took her a good minute.
"Aoshi. . . I don't understand. . . how you can have such faith. . . in me." Aoshi scowled and turned from her.
"It is not difficult to have faith in one such as you, Misao, one who deserves that faith. You know that I am not one to speak falsely." He busied himself with wiping the counter as Misao tried to gather herself. No one—no one had ever said anything like that, like she was actually worth something. . .
"No," she said slowly, twisting her braid in her good hand, "You're not."
Aoshi faced her and they stood watching each other for a minute, Misao unable to contain the warmth spreading through her at the knowledge that Aoshi had such faith in her and believed in her so strongly. Aoshi turned, uncomfortable with the shy, glowing smile she was giving to him. He cleaned up and checked Misao's injuries once more.
"You need to get your rest." Aoshi ordered emotionlessly. Misao nodded, hopping off his counter cheerfully and obediently. He took her good elbow gently in his hand and led her up his staircase. Aoshi's house was not overly huge but furnished as a millionaire's mansion would be. The staircase was sweeping and made entirely of white marble.
He led her to his own room, a gesture that Misao did not fail to notice.
"I wouldn't mind taking one of the guest rooms, you know." She said softly with a little grin. Aoshi narrowed his eyes at her.
"And I would not have you stay anywhere else. Go in and I'll get you something to sleep in." Aoshi turned without waiting to watch Misao enter his room, and she watched him walk off with a small, dreamy smile on her lips. With a giggle, she let herself into his room.
Aoshi's bed was huge, in both height and area. It was at least King- sized and came up to somewhere around her ribcage. The comforter, she realized with a raised eyebrow, was black silk, but she pulled it back to find simple, white cotton sheets. Everything in the room was either black or decorated in black, but it somehow managed to look classy instead of gothic.
Sometime in the middle of her inspection, Aoshi had stepped into the room with pajamas and was watching her.
"Will it do?" he asked coldly. Misao jumped at his voice and turned, smiling.
"Are you kidding? It's lavish, Aoshi, nothing compared to our bedroom at home. . ." at the mention of her shared bedroom and more importantly shared bed with Amakuso, Aoshi's eyes darkened considerably, and Misao immediately shut up.
"I brought you sleeping clothes," he said, sounding angry. Misao brightened and came over to survey her pajamas. From his hands she took a large gray t-shirt that read "Kyoto Gym" in dark blue lettering across the chest above a picture of two short swords crossed. Underneath that was a pair of men's blue plaid boxers, at which Misao giggled again.
"Thanks so much, Aoshi." She hugged the garments to her chest and beamed, and while her eyes were closed Aoshi allowed himself the tiniest of pleased smiles, which disappeared well before she would catch it.
"Sleep well." Was his reply, and he bowed and left his room, closing the door behind him. The second the door clicked shut, Misao hurriedly threw off her tank top, bra, and shorts and donned Aoshi's too-big t-shirt and boxers. The clothes were worn and surprisingly the most comfortable pajamas she had ever worn, even though the boxers had a built-in hole in the front. With nothing else to do, Misao turned to the bed. However, getting herself onto it presented a slight problem.
Had Aoshi's bed been standard height, she could've crawled in easily. But Aoshi's bed was not standard, it was massive, and Misao was not known for her excessive height. Even these facts would not have stopped her any other time, but without the use of her arms, Misao had literally no hope of getting on the top of it by herself. The few times she attempted resulted in her wincing with pain, either from her broken hand or her swollen elbow. With a sigh, Misao realized she had no choice but to get Aoshi. He'd either have to let her sleep in his guest room, or help her onto his own bed.
Misao's bare feet padded as she moved as quietly as she could to the door, opened it, and stepped out. It was then that she realized she wasn't sure which room Aoshi planned to sleep in. A quick surveillance answered her question: the door next to hers was the only one on the entire hallway that was currently closed. She approached and knocked on it. She heard him get off of something and move towards the door, and what she saw when he opened it nearly made her pass out.
Aoshi. Pajama pants. Shirt. Unbuttoned to somewhere around his naval. She felt faint.
"Yes?" he asked. Misao worked for a few moments to remember why she had come.
"I, um, I-"unnoticed by him, she pinched her shoulder with her good hand and snapped- at least partially- out of it. "I can't get on the bed."
Misao had been so distracted by Aoshi's almost bare chest that she had not seen his reaction to her. He swallowed a heavy lump in his throat, because seeing the girl in his own boxer shorts was probably the most sexy thing he had ever seen. He was not ready for that reaction from himself.
"What do you mean, you can't get on it?" he narrowed his eyes, not really understanding.
"I mean, your bed is so high up and I can't get on it without using one or both of my arms, and it hurts when I try to use them for that." Misao explained in a rush, feeling stupid—it was only getting into BED, for gosh's sake, a simple task that she could not perform without assistance. "So I was wondering if we could switch rooms." Aoshi stepped back in response, and Misao noticed that the guest room bed was just as tall. "Oh." She said, feeling even stupider.
"I'll help." Aoshi said, and with absolutely no warning, he scooped Misao up in his arms easily.
"I, um. . ." Misao begin, but she bit back a grin. 'Oh, hell. What more can I ask for?' Aoshi carried Misao out of his doorway and into the hallway. With a sigh of happiness which he perceived as exhaustion, she laid her head against his shoulder. She couldn't have been happier if she was in heaven. He took her into his room and set her down gently on the bed. Aoshi had figured Misao to be as light as she was, but he had not expected himself to want to be so gentle with her, as if she would break if he applied more pressure to her. He was relieved to set her down, now that the fear of breaking her had passed.
Misao pulled Aoshi's covers over herself, leaving her arms free, and she looked up at him. Aoshi had been watching her, and he started in his eyes only when she looked at him.
"Thanks, Aoshi."
~*~*~
Sorry guys. Sessha's tired. More next chapter.
Pyroaoi- I like when he gets like that too ( Thanks for reviewing.
RK-128- Algeria! Fresh fruit, huh? I kinda sugarfied it this time. Eh. Oh well. Thanks, as always.
Spirit demon- thanks for the suggestion. I usually like to stick to my own pre-conceived plot, but I may incorporate parts of your idea in. . . Thanks for reading!
Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet- actually, the whole idea of the story came from that song. But now, obviously, its sort of straying. . . heh. Thanks!
Chocolatechipp- thanks so much :D I love when people get excited about what I write.
Dadsnavygirl831- 15 out of 10?? Wow! Thanks! You're very generous!
