I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
A/N: Please note that this is the first part of the chapter!
Midnight Racers
Chapter 3 – Part A
Aoshi watched the green-eyed beauty all night from a far-off fern that was placed at the junction of a panel of breathtaking French door and the white walls of the very elegant Aoiya. He spied on her as inconspicuously as his position could allow, watching her flutter from crowd to crowd, blending in perfectly as she charmed just about every single, and sometimes not, man in the crowd. She was definitely a social butterfly, and he could barely keep himself from striding up to her and asking her to dance.
The gala that he was attending, held in honor of one of his classmates, Okon, was far too upper class for him—he thought he had spied some movie stars located on the beach not too far from the restaurant. He didn't know anyone, save Okon, but she was obviously being detained by many of her other acquaintances.
He felt starkly out of place, and sought refuge outside on the pristine marbled balcony, skillfully avoiding waiters at hand that offering him liquor, regardless of what his driver's license permitted. He reached up, gently tugging his collar away from his neck and loosened his tie as he gave one last look at Okon, and walked through the open doorway.
The air indoors had been far too stifling for him, despite the air conditioning. He felt smothered inside, caged almost with all those other people who were obviously not concerned with the same issues as himself.
As soon as he had stepped outside the French doors and onto the massive balcony, his eyes were drawn to the lone figure standing at the edge, her palms resting lightly on the spotless baluster. Her slender form was outlined against the soft moonlight pouring down, in spite of the glaring lights from inside. She stood up straight with perfect posture, most likely due to her lack of stature, and her hair was up in a messy, yet elegant, bun on the top of her head, while her deep green dress almost looked black in the night.
She seemed ignorant to the party going on inside, almost bored by the people and the atmosphere. She stared straight ahead at the murky ocean far off, feeling restless. She turned sideways slowly and looked at her hands, silently debating whether to return to the party or stay outside in the crisp night air.
As the moon shined down onto her pearly skin and the golf course between Misao and the ocean, Aoshi felt himself taking steps forward, his heels making soft tapping sounds as they moved of their own volition towards the beautiful woman in front of him.
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Misao looked up sharply at the intruder of her peace, allowing no recognition to come to her eyes as the blue-eyed strange approached her. He came and stopped a few feet away from her, silhouetted by the light shining through the glass doors, as soft piano music filtered through the general chatter coming from indoors.
He spoke, softly but with a definite tone of masculinity.
"Excuse me, but have we met somewhere before?"
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Aoshi was painfully aware of the banality of what he has just said, as he waited awkwardly for her response, his words still hanging in the air. He voiced his awareness of the overused line he had just used. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound like a pick up line…"
His voice trailed of as the woman stared at him, studying his features carefully as she weighed her next words.
"No. I don't think we have ever met." She finished with a terse note and turned to walk inside, hoping desperately that Okon had not seen them talking as Aoshi stood immobile, watching her return to the lively party inside.
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Aoshi was more than angry. He was pissed off. Irritable could hardly describe his mood as he sat in class. Every unwarranted sound and slight motion made him want to break something.
As soon as the professor had stopped talking, Aoshi stood up, exiting the classroom as his classmates watched him go, including Okon. She wondered what was wrong with him. He had come to her party the night before, but left without her knowing and before she had the chance to say goodbye. Okon couldn't help but hope that his sudden departure from her party was the cause of his apparent frustration and bitterness.
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Misao was still lying in bed, despite the late hour. Her digital clock on her nightstand read in flashing red numbers and letters, 3:15 PM.
She couldn't summon the strength to get up, the previous night taking a lot out of her. After that man had asked if they had previously met, she went inside, trying her hardest to mingle and make new acquaintances, drinking all the while. That was partly the cause of her late sleeping; she had a pounding headache that made her temples throb every time she made a sudden movement. The other half of the cause was that man.
She could definitely remember him, even though they hadn't been introduced properly. She could still picture him, dressed in casual blue jeans and a form-fitting black T-shirt, which absolutely fitted his form; she could see his abs outlined slightly and his very muscular arms, though he wasn't overly muscular, unlike some guys she knew.
Finally, Misao deemed it was time to get up. She yawned once, braving the headache that threatened to send her back to bed. She washed up, turning on the shower as she brushed her teeth and hopped into the shower. Maybe she would have a quick bite to eat, then hit the gym after her stomach had settled.
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Once Aoshi had finished work, he flipped open his cell phone, checking to see missed calls. Only one. His phone read "Okon" in bold letters. He almost felt sorry for her; it was clear that she harbored some sort of affection and interest for him, but unfortunately, that feeling was not mutual, and he wasn't looking for anything right now. Except for one.
Aoshi clenched his fists, snapping his phone shut as he walked to his car. How could she not have recognized him?! He was quite sure that the woman at the race and Okon's cousin were one and the same, and, although it piqued his interest that she had denied recognization, he was more than frustrated that she would deny him and then walk away.
There was only one cure for his frustration.
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Misao had finished working out, gone home and showered, then headed out again. She was ready to race. Her mind had been lingering on that dark-haired stranger and she knew, deep down, that she wanted to meet him again. She hadn't meant to seem so cold at the party, it was just that had Okon seen them interact familiarly, she would have gotten jealous due to the fact that her previous boyfriend had been stolen by none other than her previous best friend.
Misao sighed, leaning back on her leather seat as she cruised out of Malibu, relaxing as she slowly stepped down on the gas pedal.
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Misao eased her M3 to a stop as the streets crowded with people, pulling out the key as she got out. She was immediately greeted by her long time best friend, Sanosuke Sagara.
"Oi! Hey Weasel, what's up?" he said, his voice unsurprisingly carrying over the crowd of people and the general noise or revving engines and people chattering.
"Hey, Sano. Not much, the usual," Misao said, checking out the crowd as she locked her car and took her familiar spot—leaning on the car hood—and turned to Sanosuke, who was dressed in slightly saggy blue jeans and a white button up shirt that gaped wide open, exposing his tan chest. "So, whatcha doin here tonight? Does the Fox know?" Misao shot Sanosuke a playful grin and threw back her head, laughing.
Sano chuckled, his laugh a deep baritone. "Of course not. You know she doesn't like me gambling, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks. And besides, I need some extra cash…" Sano replied, looking around as well, getting an uneasy premonition.
Suddenly, both could feel the rhythmic pounding of trance, the palpitating beat coming from a black car that looked so familiar…
"Che, look at him, actin' like he's so cool. Whatever." Sano scoffed at the black Skyline that pulled up a little down the street.
"Who is that?" Misao asked offhandedly.
"Why? You interested?" Sano leered at Misao and laughed again. "From what I hear, he's a major asshole."
"I'm not interested… I was just wondering." Misao glared at Sanosuke and watched as the black door opened and he stepped out.
A/N: Ok, everyone, I am SO sorry. I was really busy since for the past few of months, but now school is out! Please forgive me, but I hope you all liked this chapter! It's a lot longer than what I usually like to write. I didn't really expect to introduce any other RK characters, and I don't think I will introduce anymore, because I don't generally like to… Haha, sorry. But anyways, I will try to get out more chapters sooner!
Thanks to ThiMonkey (I'm glad you like the exclamation point…), sTrAwBeRrY (thanks for the long review and ideas, I'll keep them in mind), Crystel (thanks for the luck… I'm gonna need it! ), Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet, Dana Daidouji (I'm glad you liked the chapter and I'll try to update soon!), Misao Mei Mei (hmm… maybe some matchmaking and some drama…), kitty-jinxx, Airen2, yume no naka, animelover12344, sonia, mistress-eos14, myREEN n' RAAYneer, Ken no Kakera, SoT'n'Kenshin, materiathief06, Engel Star 13, Terri, azngirl, and Lilmiss2wild.
Thank you again and please review!