Oh what a Site!
A knock at the door prompted an elderly man to head for it before turning the handle and opening it up to see the usual faces of two pretty teenage girls.
"Ohayoo gozaimasu." They both spoke simultaneously while lightly bowing at him.
"Ohayoo Kaoru-chan, Megumi-chan, please come inside." The elderly man muttered as he steeped away from the doorway. The two girls dressed in blue skirt and sailor uniform top stood in the entrance way not wishing to take off their shoes as they were on their way to school, but made this usual detour to pick up,
"Oi, Misao-chan are you late again?" Kaoru yelled from the bottom of the stairs and to make their assumption correct they heard curses coming from upstairs before they watched a blurred body race from bedroom to bathroom as from the ground floor this could be seen.
In exactly ten minutes a panting girl was standing at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in the same uniform but with her long hair placed into two plaits that fell down her back. She puffed lightly but place on a great big smile with one hand behind her head while the other held her briefcase like schoolbag.
"Gomen ne Kaoru-chan, Megumi-chan." She voiced in her usual genki voice. The other two girls sighed knowing their friend would never change and instead headed back outside the house after bowing to Misao's grandfather.
"I'll be going now!" Misao happily announced as she had finished placing on her black school shoes and picked up her bag which was swung around to rest behind her as she decided to smile at her grandfather who'd she'd been living with for as long as she could remember.
"Have a nice day you three."
"Hai" Was the replies as the girls headed off. Misao was just closing the door when she watched it open and an annoyed woman came storming out.
"Mou, Misao-chan hen are you ever going to remember your bento?" She questioned the quietly blinking girl.
"Ah, arigatou Omasu-oneechan." Omasu did nothing but sigh as Misao took the wrapped bento from her and the slice of toast since she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast either. The three girls finally set off, Kaoru and Megumi walking a little in front of Misao as they chatted about a J-Pop star releasing a new single in a few days time. Misao however was happily eating the slice of toast and reminiscing.
She had to have been around three when her Jiya had officially adopted her. Misao didn't understand it back then, but her parents had been involved in a horrible traffic accident that left them brain dead, which technically means in medical terms that they are dead. It hadn't been long before an unusually quiet Misao, who was still trying to understand in her three year old mind that her parents weren't coming back, was placed into her own room upstairs of the very house she still lived in to this day.
The evening of her first night little three-year-old Misao-chan was crying in her bed. The house was quiet, but sniffles and then the creak of a door intermittently interrupted it. Blinking large blue eyes into the night, Misao watched a shadowed figure head for the bed she was curled on.
"Why do you cry?" Came a young voice in the night.
"Who are you?" Misao-chan traded a question for a question.
"I live here with Okina. Now why do you cry?" Came the young boyish voice.
"Mama...and papa...they aren't coming back for me." Misao squeaked out as tears flooded her eyes once more. The springs of her mattress gave way as the mysterious house occupant she had not met sat on it with her and to Misao's surprise his arm went around her shoulder and brought her to his chest.
"Mine too, but if you keep crying you'll only make them sad."
"Honto desu ka?" Misao whispered into the warm figure that now titled his head and placed it on top of hers.
"Mm...and always smile...no matter what happens, just keep smiling...and everything should be fine."
"Will you stay with me?" Misao whispered to her darkened saviour and felt his other arm come up and wrap around her little body.
"Mm, for as long as I can." That night the two children, one with blue-black hair in a plait and large ocean coloured eyes fell asleep in the protective arms of the other child. He was three years older then Misao, had lost his parents just like she had and was lovingly taken in by Okina as well. When morning came, Misao had awoken to see a six-year-old staring quietly at her. He had silky jet-black hair with a small ponytail at the back of his neck, but his eyes, they were the most unusual green she'd ever seen. It was almost as though they had been chipped with ice.
"OI MISAO-CHAN HURRY UP OR YOU'LL BE LATE!" Misao blinked rapidly, drawing away from her past memories as she noticed Kaoru and Megumi were a fair way ahead of her as Kaoru was waving at her. She blinked confused eyes around noticing she had randomly stopped in front of a construction site in her neighbour. A two-storey home on a large block of land was being torn down to make way for apartments. Misao ocean blue eyes watched the workers move around, collecting up the rubble and depositing it in a large trash receptacle that was transported there for that exact purpose. That's when her eyes found a certain worker who was carrying bags of cement on his shoulders.
"Oha-" Misao fell short as she noticed the concentration on his face and her hand dropped to he side and her smile faded. She'd known him forever and in fact the very man that was effortlessly carting bags of cement mix back and forth was the very boy that had helped her move on from hearing the death of her parents. He was that very boy with jet black hair and ice green eyes. His ponytail was gone, but the long bangs still fell into his eyes as she watched him wipe away some of his sweat from his face, dirt from the cement bags smudging his chiselled face as he did so. He was so...
"Ohayoo Misao-chan." Misao felt her breath catch as she focused her eyes on the figure that had spoken to her, his hair sticking up in all directions, but her eyes quickly darted to the figure that was now also silently paying attention to her. At gaining the attention of the stoic worker Misao stepped back and then ran away...not wanting to have been caught just staring like that and looking like a complete idiot in her mind.
"Oi, Shinomori, what's up with her?" Came the gruff voice of the spiky haired male that had greeted Misao as he turned cinnamon eyes to ice green that were in fact watching Misao run off. The quiet male did nothing but shrug his shoulders as he went back to moving cement bags.
# Meiji High School Gates #
"Mou Misao-chan, what took you so long?" Megumi huffed lightly as she threw some black strands of her long hair over her shoulder.
"Gomen nasai, I needed to tie up my shoe laces." Misao meekly replied, but felt her face flush as she looked down to realise her shoes had a single buckle and no shoelaces.
"Misao-chan you've been acting really weird these past couple of days and you always randomly stop at that construction site. What for Misao-chan? Do you know someone there? Is he good looking?" Kaoru voiced as she threw an arm over the embarrassed Misao's shoulder.
"Could it be..." Kaoru slyly murmured, while her blue eyes darted to maroon to see if Megumi had picked up on what she was thinking.
"You have a crush on one of the workers?" Megumi voiced a little too loudly as she was thinking exactly what Kaoru had been thinking. Misao's eyes snapped about the schoolyard as other students began to murmur amongst themselves.
"IIE!" Misao yelled as she ran inside desperately trying to keep her blush to a minimum. Not likely when she had two scheming best friends that's for sure. Kaoru and Megumi watched Misao run off, her Hello Kitty plush keychain figure bouncing around her school briefcase as she took to the stairs two at a time.
"Ne Megumi-chan, who could it be?" Kaoru thoughtfully asked as they glanced in the direction of the construction site.
"Well let's see, its definitely not that creepy guy who constantly smokes." Megumi announced as she and Kaoru headed for the main entrance and to their shoe lockers.
"And it wouldn't be that 'tori atama' as you seem to so lovingly refer to Sagara-san as." Watching Megumi flush and then cough lightly as she flicked her hair once more she decided to ignore what Kaoru had spoken and get her back.
"And its definitely not Ken-san, he's just too sweet and feminine for Misao-chan's taste." Megumi couldn't help but smirk as Kaoru bristled besides her. "I mean Misao-chan's not into creepy guys, nor is she into stupid roosters and as I said before one could mistake Ken-san for a woman then who would it be? Many of those workers are just too ugly for Misao to like and they just don't seem to fit the mysterious yet slightly gloomy posters in her bedroom. Unless...OH, THAT'S IT!" Megumi cut herself off as she stopped in her tracks, her maroon eyes large as she supposedly figured it out.
"Ne Megumi-chan who is it?" Kaoru happily voiced as she stood excitedly in front of her beautiful and popular friend.
"A tanuki like you should figure it out on your own."
"Megumi-chan hidoi!" Kaoru voiced as she raced after the laughing Megumi as the bell had gone.
# School 3:30pm #
"Misao-chan gomen nasai!" Kaoru yelled as she stood in front of Misao with her head bowed. "Please forgive us. We didn't mean to embarrass you, honest!" Misao sighed as she looked at Kaoru's bowed head and let her inside the classroom she was trying to clean. After a small amount of silence as Kaoru helped Misao place the chairs up onto the desks she couldn't help it anymore and grabbed Misao by the shoulders.
"Tell me who you like right now!" She practically yelled into Misao's surprised face.
"No one!" Misao yelled back but they were seen interrupted by the door swinging across as Megumi stood there in all her cocky smiling glory.
"You can't lie to me Misao-chan, I know you like him." Kaoru stared between the flushing Misao whether from anger or embarrassment or both and the grinning Megumi or 'Kitsune' as she was constantly known as.
"Just drop the topic okay? I don't like anyone got it?"
"Iie, I know you hated me for taking him away from you." Kaoru blinked confusedly at Megumi's words. "Well not just me but perhaps my family anyway." Misao pushed away from Kaoru, her ocean blue eyes staring into Megumi's dark ones. "How can you blame us Misao, he is family after all."
"AH! I KNOW WHO IT IS NOW!" Kaoru happily voiced as she slapped her hand to her forehead. "Why didn't I see it sooner?"
"Because you're a tanuki." Megumi voiced and got a glare from Kaoru who was holding back her anger incredibly well.
"Eh, Misao-chan?" Megumi voiced as she and Kaoru looked around the empty classroom. Misao had snuck out while the two were arguing.
# Misao's Neighbourhood #
Misao's feet pounded the footpath as she raced home. She didn't have after school activities and remembered telling Jiya she'd help him with deliveries for the Aoiya. Her mind was rushing with her two laughing friends. They were wonderful friends she'd known since primary school, but sometimes...sometime their teasing just got to her. This was why she didn't want to voice anything to them cause they would blow it out of proportion and the fact that the one she liked...the one she had a crush on was in fact living at Megumi's place made it even worse! Everytime she was over, she walked the hallways of the large western style home like some wannabe ninja not wishing to ever be detected by the guy she had once called 'Aoshi-sama'.
"Oi, look where you're going!" Came a voice into Misao's thoughts as she snapped her eyes open just when her feet connected with lose rubble as she fell towards the pavement. Misao however didn't hit pavement and in fact hit something else. Her eyes blinked open once more as she was pulled properly too her feet.
"Ariga-ACK!" Misao gasped as she shoved herself away from the bare chest of a grinning spiky haired Sagara.
"Geez Weasel-chan what a way to say thanks. I don't stink that bad do I?" Sagara questioned the heavily breathing schoolgirl. Misao did nothing but stare wide eyed into cinnamon eyes.
"Sagara get back to work." Came a deep voice from behind the two on the pavement as the male construction worker turned to his co-worker who was standing amongst some rubble in a pair of dusty black jeans and steel cap boots.
"Hai Iceman!" Sagara voiced happily with a salute as well and turned his eyes back to Misao whom in fact was staring wide-eyed at his co-worker now.
"Heh...." Sagara muttered as he stepped aside to see what Misao thought was so fascinating and observed his "ice" like co-worker, also known as Aoshi Shinomori drench water over his hair and face as it run its course down his chest. The afternoon sun beat down on his now glistening face and upper body as his black muscle shirt he always wore to work was now tucked into his back pocket. A taunt arm lifted up as Aoshi brushed fingers through his drenched hair spiking it up more.
"Ah...Kakko ii..." Misao muttered as she finally remembered how to breathe.
"Oi Shinomori, stop attracting such an audience and get back to work yourself!" Sagara decided to yell as he had noticed not only Misao had stopped to gawk at his co-worker and 'sort of' friend but so did numerous other high school girls as well.
"Nani?" Came the sensual voice of the usually quiet worker who now turned his attention to the pack of schoolgirls that were squealing lightly and pointing in his direction. Aoshi's green eyes however were resting on one particular girl that stood right beside his smiling co-worker.
"You'll make Weasel-chan here die of a schoolgirl love heart attack if you keep up that show." Furrowing his eyebrows at Sagara's words Aoshi stepped away from the rubble only to observe as Misao's eyes watered as she continued to stare over at him while her face flushed red-hot. With such open words spoken by Sagara and in front of the man she'd began to like more and more with each passing day, Misao raced off not wishing to face him.
"Oi Weasel-chan!" Sagara yelled just grabbing her bag, not liking the fact the girl was running away from him...or more importantly everytime she got eye contact with Aoshi. He grabbed something from Misao's bag, which promptly ripped it from her zip, but Misao didn't stop and continued to run. By now the other girls had thought it was best to leave as well.
"Sagara you are such an idiot." Came the baritone voice of Aoshi. Cinnamon eyes met his green ones before they both turned to his hand where a little Hello Kitty plush lay.
"Oh come on I was only playing with her." Sagara tried reasoning with Aoshi who walked up to him and silently took the Hello Kitty from his hands.
"Misao-chan is pretty easy to read Sagara, therefor I didn't need anyone blatantly stating the obvious."
"You mean she actually likes you?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Aoshi questioned with a narrowed look.
"Err...well...um..."
"We grew up in the same house before I left and started living with the Takani's. Misao may think she's not obvious but I've known her since she was three after all and her emotions are clear within her eyes."
"You watch yourself there Shinomori or you might find that you too have become trapped within her gaze."
"What?"
"You just referred to her as Misao and not Misao-chan, which means you know she's not a child anymore. Actually I think she's pretty cute." Sagara replied with a grin on his face.
"You keep your eyes on Megumi and let me handle Misao-chan." Aoshi muttered as he went back to the 'chan'.
"Heh, and just how will you handle her Shinomori?"
"Not the way you would in your hentai mind tori atama." Came another voice before a bag connected with Sagara's head.
"OI KITSUNE THAT HURT!" He yelled while pouting at the schoolgirl who did nothing but ignore him as she looked up at Aoshi.
"Don't you think you should return that? After all you were the one who gave that to her all those years ago? Ne, cousin?" Megumi slyly remarked and watched cold green eyes freeze her maroon ones.
"You two make quite the pair." Aoshi muttered before walking off to get back to doing some more work.
"Oi, Kistune-chan is Weasel-chan really in love with Iceman?"
"So it would seem so. Ah, Misao-chan is too cute in her flustered ways! Why I should..." Megumi stopped her rambling as she did nothing but laugh her head off, which gained the attention of a smoker, a redhead, Aoshi himself and a wide eyed Sagara who looked positively freaked out at the moment.
"Its time to go. Ja ne Sano-kun." Megumi muttered as she headed on her way, a very serious expression on her face. How creepy it seemed she could change so suddenly.
"Oi Iceman, your cousin likes me!" San yelled happily but never got a response from Aoshi and instead got something thrown at his head which only just missed him by an inch or two.
"Saitou teme!" Sano growled out knowing exactly whom it was that threw the brick.
"Get back to work ahou." Fuming in his place Sano's eyes quickly trailed over to where Aoshi stood and smirked as he was quietly looking down at the now dirty Hello Kitty in his right hand.
"Too late Shinomori. Even you know it don't you?" Sano muttered to himself before picking up some rubble to make it look like he was working.
# Misao's Home #
Misao had instantly run into the house, kicked off her shoes and run upstairs to her room. Closing her door loudly Misao dropped her book bah and jumped onto her single bed, head diving into the pillows and cushions on it. Tears still pooled in her eyes but she had closed them not allowing them to fall onto the softness of her green pillowcase. A knock at her door made her shoulders stiffen slightly.
"Misao-chan are you ready?" Came the raspy voice of her Jiya.
"Gomen nasai, I'm not feeling well Jiya." Misao muffled into her pillow, but hopefully loud enough for the old man to hear her.
"Get some rest, but do eat something as well." With that Okina went on his way while Misao flipped onto her back, her uniform crinkling as she did so. Her eyes found there way to poster hanging above her bed. The character had black hair, black clothing and black wings while his eyes were ice blue in colouring. So mysterious that character was in one of her ever favourite anime series and so sexy too. Just like her Aoshi. Misao blushed and shook her head of those thoughts.
Even now after the years, she still couldn't understand him most of the time. She knew though that she did like him...very much in fact and just hearing that stupid rooster voice what he had to her and so loudly to him of all people a well just made her heart plummet to her stomach.
"I'll never show my face to him again." Misao confessed softly to herself before sitting up on her bed and gazing at her bag. Her eyes widened when her Hello Kitty plush keychain wasn't dangling from the main zip on her bag. She cast her mind back to when she ran, then felt a tug on her bag and that must have tugged her keychain from its original place.
"Roosterhead no BAKA!" Misao yelled, as she now knew she'd have to storm her way back to that very construction site tomorrow morning. Leaving her bedroom to go find something to eat Misao was now plotting the demise of the rooster that embarrassed her.
# Jumping lots of hours and time – The Next Day #
As if on time a knock at the door prompted Okina to head his way to the door while muttering 'hai' knowing Megumi and Kaoru were exactly on time. Opening the door the old man smiled at the two girls as he prattled away with his eyes closed.
"Ah, you two are on time as usual, demo Misao-chan is not ready as you know."
"Its been awhile Okina." Snapping his eyes open, the elderly man came face to face with a tall man who was definitely not Misao's school friends. "Ohayoo gozaimasu." Came the voice once more and Okina couldn't help but smile.
"Ohayoo gozaimasu. My you have grown a lot over the years Aoshi-kun." Okina stated with a smile on his crinkled face. He opened the door more to allow the tall man inside who was dressed in another pair of jeans, a black shirt and a blue long sleeved one tied around his waist.
"What did you say about Misao not being up?"
"Well you know she's not at all a morning person Aoshi-kun, so I better wake her myse-" Okina's words were cut short by yelling from upstairs once more. The two men watched as Misao's bedroom door swung open and she rushed out, moving back and forth in a pair of black boxer shorts with devil Hello Kitty's on it and a matching tank top, one of the straps having fallen off her slender shoulder.
"You were saying?" Aoshi remarked and watched along with Okina as Misao raced from bedroom to bathroom, hair a complete mess while dumping whatever she needed for school onto the floor just outside her bedroom door.
"She never did change much." Okina muttered while scratching the back of his head.
"Aa..." Was all Aoshi replied with while he held a small smirk as Misao pounded down the stairs only to observe as she tripped on the last couple and fell on her butt on the floorboards with a loud thud.
"Mou!" She groaned as she sat up from her sprawled heap on the ground.
"Ano, Misao-chan, you have a guest." Okina muttered as Misao stopped rubbing her backside and finally turned her ocean blue orbs to Okina and then to the quiet tall man standing next to him.
"A-A-A..." And with that her face went bright red before Misao scrambled back upstairs practically getting up their on all fours and went dashing back into her room, door slamming closed with a loud echo resonating through the house.
"Ah, she's very glad you're here Aoshi-kun." Aoshi eyed the elderly man who did nothing but smile up at him before patting him on the back and pushing him in the direction of the stairs. It was as though Okina was allowing him to go upstairs into the very room he had spent many nights in as a child along with Misao who would never allow him to leave. "After all, Misao loves her Aoshi-sama very much and it's always known when she blushes and acts like that ne?" Okina voiced as he held a smile on his face before heading back to the kitchen.
Heading up the stairs Aoshi lightly knocked on Misao's door but there was no answer from behind it. His hand went instantly to the handle but he paused knowing he had no right these days just to walk into her room. She had after all grown up over the years and wouldn't be as freely open with her room like she was when she was younger. However, Aoshi was here for a reason and that was to speak with her and return something as well. Turning the handle Aoshi moved quietly into the room and found Misao sitting on her bed with her back to him and as far as she could go into the very corner of the room with a cushion clutched in her hands.
"Keep holding it like that and you'll rip it apart Misao." Aoshi didn't miss the fact he'd called her Misao and neither did she as she darted her head form the pillow and turned her slightly flushed face in his direction.
"You dropped this...or more accurately Sagara pulled it from your bag." Aoshi spoke softly, his hand unfolding as the plush keychain rested in his palm. Misao's fingers moved out to grab the keychain, but she gasped softly when Aoshi's larger hand closed around them.
"A-A..."
"Do you think you could say my name without stuttering Misao?" Aoshi watched as she cutely shook her head, messy locks of hair moving about as she did so.
"Still the same I see." Aoshi spoke softly once more as he got a better hold on Misao and pulled her into his arms. She had stiffened in shock and surprise and wanted to say something, anything but nothing would move from the lump within her throat.
"Why did you keep it from me for so long Misao?"
"Eh?" Looking up into green eyes, Misao felt her face flush as she knew exactly what he was referring to just by staring into those ice crystal eyes.
"So...you know then?" Misao softly muttered as she looked down at her lap having softly pulled away from Aoshi who hadn't hugged her in so many years.
"I've known for a long time Misao."
"H-How long?" She squeaked out as she felt her shoulders tense under his hands as he had cupped them to hold her in place while he pressed his forehead to hers making sure their eyes could not break away.
"Since you were three."
"Baka..." Misao muttered as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead into Aoshi's chest while she shook lightly within his embrace.
"Why would you hide it from me Misao? Do you think I would reject you?"
"Eh?" Misao lifted her head quickly and smacked it against Aoshi's chin as she did so. "Itai mou..." She complained in a little whiney voice before feeling a hand rub her head as she peered her blue orbs up into the smirking face of Aoshi.
"I guess I must take care of you if you're going to be such a klutz." Misao's eyes widened at his words before a soft pink hue cast its way over her cheeks.
"Aoshi...I..." A finger stopped her from saying more as Aoshi shook his head.
"Aa..." Was all he spoke and Misao couldn't help but smile as she threw her arms around him, practically sitting in his lap as he sat on her bed.
"Oh! What a sight!" Breaking the hug Misao darted her eyes to the smiling Omasu and right beside her was Okon the other house occupant and not only that buy her Jiya and Kaoru and Megumi!
"Advancing so quickly Misao-chan? You little weasel you!" Megumi happily voiced and laughed as well.
"Why you-ACK!" Misao gasped as she got her legs tangled with Aoshi somehow and went sailing over the bed only to land on something softer then the floor. Staring between the onlookers and the guy that was officially under her Misao's heartbeat went through the roof.
"Go Misao-chan!" Kaoru yelled as she quickly shut the door before Misao could throw something at them.
"You see, you do need to be taken care of." Aoshi muttered from his position on the floor. Misao flushed once more as she slowly got off of Aoshi and sat on the floor dressed in her crumbled uniform.
"And you should brush your hair too." Glancing in the mirror at not knowing what he was talking about Misao's eyes widen to near saucers.
"Eeeeehhhhhhhhhhh? HAZUKASHIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Came the yell from the room before everything went silent. Misao's hands that had been on her own cheeks trying to hide her blush were now cupped into the hands of Aoshi as he had leaned forward once more, only now his lips were softly against hers. Pulling away Aoshi then quietly handed Misao the Hello Kitty keychain.
"Didn't I say I would always be with you Misao-chan?" Watching the girl flush and nod her head Aoshi couldn't help but chuckle as he lifted himself to his feet and then helped pick up Misao as well.
"You see...someone as accident prone as you are needs to be looked after...and Sagara is right, it is too late for me, because you are too adorable to resist."
"Aoshi-sama daisuki!" Misao yelled as she dove into his arms, the Hello Kitty clutched in one of her hands as she held onto the 19 year old Aoshi.
"I caught you..." Misao softly muttered. Aoshi snapped his eyes open as he looked over at the photo of him and Misao on her desk.
"I caught you! No escaping Aoshi-sama! Mine...you're all mine! Itsumo!" A younger Misao spoke happily with a light blush on her cheeks as she hugged the 12 year old Aoshi around the neck and shoulders from behind.
"Aa...no escaping."
# The End #
Authors Notes: Kah, like about freaking time! ARGH! Damn this was giving me problems. Demo at least its done now! Phew! Back to old lazy self again. Grammar probably sucks as does spelling, but I'm off...no time to read over. Ja!