Misao was bored.

Bored.

Bored.  Bored.  Bored bored bored boredboredboredboredboredBORED!!!

Really, really bored.  So bored, that any minute now she was going to snap and start singing random drinking songs and then go and sit in a corner for awhile and shiver.

Oh, wait.  She'd already done that.  A few times.

Drat.

Everyone was avoiding her.  They were being so mean – was it her fault she was so bored?  No.  Hmph.  Stupid bums.  Like she needed them to have fun.  God, it had only been a week since the party, you'd think that –

That …

That's it!

Misao jumped up from her self-imposed sulk and ran out of her room, grinning like a … a … a very happy person.

Similes weren't exactly her forte.  But parties were!

"Aoshi-sama!"  Misao thought she saw him flinch, but decided her mind was playing tricks on her.  She ran up to her former Okashira and stopped, not even winded.  "I," and here she struck a dramatic pose, "am going to Tokyo!  It's time to visit Himura again!"

He blinked.  "Misao-chan?"

"Yes?" she replied airily, still posing.

"You just saw Himura and his friends.  They were here last week.  You threw a party.  Sagara went out drinking.  Remember?"  He spoke in short sentences, and used very small words - Misao she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.  Maybe he was tired?

"So?  That was a week ago, Aoshi-sama!  I miss them!  And I'm going to Tokyo, and you can't stop me!"

Aoshi might have muttered something under his breath, but Misao decided to gracefully ignore it.  'Probably just a trick of the wind, anyways.  "Very well.  I will go with you."

Since this was what she had been not-quite-subtly-angling for, Misao was ecstatic.  She even did a little dance, just to drive the point home.  "Oh, this is going to be so great!  We'll get to see Himura, and Kaoru, and Yahiko-chan, and Sano, and maybe we'll even see Sano's friend again!  I want to thank him for the picture, don't you?"

As a matter of fact he did.  Very much so, but he didn't tell Misao that.  She probably wouldn't have heard him.

"Aoshi-sama!  Let's go, already."

He blinked again.  "Right now?"

"Yes!"

"Misao-chan?"

"What?"

"We're getting packed before we leave."

"But Aoshi-sama!"

"We're getting packed."  His voice was firm enough to walk across.  With your eyes closed.

Misao sighed, and kicked the ground.  "Phooey."  Then she brighted up.  "But we're leaving right after, right?"

Aoshi sighed, and knew he wouldn't win.  Not against the Sparkling Puppy Eyes Of DoomÔ.  "Yes, yes."

"YAY!!!!  Toyko, here I COME!!!!"  Misao skipped back toward her room, presumably to pack.

Aoshi looked after her and shook his head, and almost smiled.

*****************

Woo!  That much closer to writing the fun scene.  Oh, and I replaced the pathetic piece of shit that tried to pass itself off as chapter 15.  I'm sorry for making you read that … that … travesty.  Please go back and read the real chpt. 15, if you haven't already.  It's much better, I promise. 

(And please don't mention anything about the previous "chapter 15" in your reviews, or I will be forced to delete them.  I won't like it, but I will anyways.  For those of you latecomers, or those who, by some act of God, missed the "first" #15, the acceptable one starts "Tsukoida Katsuhiro was slightly insane."  Reviews on that one are quite welcome.  ^_^)