Author's Note: Wow...another chapter so soon? Er...it would've been sooner. I
was going to put this up yesterday, but ff.net kind of screwed up and I
couldn't log in. So I had to wait till today to post it. But look on the
bright side, I actually reread the chapter, correcting any typos that I
could find. So...here's a long typo free chapter! And also...Soujiro and
Misao moments!
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Misao couldn't believe it. She was caught, again. She was in the same room, again. She was tied to the same chair, again. And now all she could do was sit there, struggling against her bonds, as Kaoru, Omesu, and Okon sorted through the pile of fabric to find something to make her kimono...again.
Having been deprived of her kunai, Misao wasn't able to use the same escape trick as last time. Growling, she started gnawing on the ropes in a futile effort to somehow bite through them. Unfortunately, all it did was give her a bad taste in her mouth. Seeing that that wasn't working, Misao could now only struggle uselessly against the ropes.
When this was over, she was going to get her revenge. Sweet revenge...
"This wouldn't be so hard to do Misao," spoke Kaoru, fishing for another piece of fabric from the pile. "You could've just stayed in this room for about ten minutes at most."
"I've been here for an hour..." Misao replied.
"That's because we've spent most of our time trying to tie you down to the chair," said Omesu.
"And stopping you when you tried escaping," put in Okon.
Misao only growled at them, not liking that she knew they were right. But she was too stubborn to admit that. Instead, she only pulled harder against her binds. Still nothing.
Omesu came over, carrying a blue piece of fabric. She held it over Misao's arm, looking closely. Stepping back, she held a hand to her chin, looking from the blue piece of fabric to Misao, thinking. The ninja suddenly smiled.
Turning around, she ran over to Okon and Kaoru. Misao raised an eyebrow as the three women gathered together. She heard whispers being passed around. Trying to lean in closer to hear, Misao was only stopped by the ropes that held her down. Misao glared down at the ropes that bound her hatefully before looking up at the three women, straining to hear what they were saying.
"That's a great idea Omesu!" congratulated Kaoru, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, that'll be perfect for Misao!" said Okon.
Omesu only smiled, proud of herself for whatever idea she came up with for the kimono.
"What is it!?" Misao shouted, tired of being left in the dark.
"Oh don't worry Misao," assured Kaoru. Walking over to the ninja girl, she untied the ropes that bound her to the chair. "We've got everything under control. You can just go and hang out somewhere. We should be done with your kimono when you get back."
Ooohhh...how Misao wanted to take on all three of them again. But then again, after losing twice to them, even she got the hint that she probably won't win another fight. And right now...Misao wanted to be alone.
Sighing, the Okashira marched wordlessly to the door before opening it and disappearing behind it. She needed to go somewhere. Not the Aoiya. Maybe at another restaurant. Nothing bad could happen at a different restaurant that's not the Aoiya...right?
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"Hey she's leaving," Angel Soujiro suddenly spoke, watching as Misao exited the Aoiya and started walking through the streets of Kyoto.
"Where to?" questioned Devil Soujiro.
Usually, when the shoulder angel and devil of Soujiro are around, Misao's are with them. But for some reason, the ninja girl's shoulder angel and devil weren't there. Don't ask why they weren't with the Soujiros...they just weren't.
"I don't know," replied Angel Soujiro. "We can only read Soujiro's mind not hers."
"Well let's find out."
The grin that spread across Devil Soujiro's face didn't escape Angel Soujiro's gaze. He immediately knew that his devil counterpart had something in mind.
And anything Devil Soujiro came up with...it was never good.
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Misao entered a restaurant. She couldn't remember the name of it, she was just too distracted to pay attention. Thoughts swam around her head. The said thoughts were about plans for revenge against three traitorous women, wondering what the kimono will look like, and, of course, Soujiro.
A woman directed Misao to a table. Though lost in thought, Misao was still able to order green tea when the woman asked what she wanted. Once the woman left, Misao soon started working through her thoughts.
The ninja girl stretched her limbs. Having a stubborn and very active girl like her unable to move for an hour could really get her agitated, and in need of movement.
'Traitors,' Misao thought angrily. 'Just wait until this is all over. Then they'll be sorry.'
But her plans of revenge were put to the side however. Instead, the thoughts of a certain smiling former Tenken invaded her thoughts.
Misao sighed, for some reason feeling a bit...depressed? Stressed out? Exhausted? She wasn't sure.
She found herself wishing Soujiro was here. He always seemed to make her feel better, even if she was annoyed by him sometimes. But the annoyance was only like...play annoyance. The relief and comfort Soujiro gave her far outshined the annoyance.
Misao sighed. She wished that she had talked to Soujiro. But nnnooo, she had to be attacked and dragged off before she could even say a word.
The woman soon came back, dropping off a cup and teapot full of green tea. Misao nodded her thanks, and the woman soon walked off. Sighing once again, Misao poured some of the green tea into her cup and took a sip from it, her thoughts continuing to swim around in her mind.
She was so confused. She thought Soujiro as her best friend. So...why was she acting the way she did? It was like she couldn't even look at Soujiro without feeling something like butterflies flying around in her stomach. And what was with her face always suddenly heating up!?
The green tea in Misao's cup was drained in a second as she drank all of it in a couple of gulps. Seeing that her cup was now empty, she refilled it and continued drinking.
Misao was so confused. Everything that was going on was confusing. Wanting to be with Soujiro, suddenly feeling brain dead when she looked at him, everything. She was just so confused! She didn't understand any of this!
She had felt this once before, now that she thought of it. It was when she thought she loved Aoshi. But this felt...different. She couldn't explain it but this felt a little different then it had been with Aoshi.
"Maybe I think of Soujiro as more then a best friend," she muttered to herself. Her eyes immediately widened when it suddenly clicked at what she just said. More then a best friend!?
The ninja girl was surprised at herself. More then a best friend? Him? Soujiro? The same person that had once tried to kill her?
'The one that you feel comfortable with,' a voice in her head suddenly spoke. 'The one you wanted his arms around you. The one that-."
'Okay okay okay!'
Misao sighed, head in her hands. First shoulder angels and devils, and now voices in her head. Sighing once again, she took another sip of the green tea, letting the alcohol burn the back of her throat.
But green tea didn't have alcohol...did it?
Misao wasn't paying attention. Her thoughts kept her from realizing that what she was drinking wasn't really green tea.
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"If I felt like it right now, I would be feeling sorry for her," said Devil Soujiro. "But I just don't feel like it at the moment."
"Well you're the shoulder devil so it doesn't surprise me," said Angel Soujiro, watching Misao drink her tea. "Too bad Soujiro isn't here."
"Yeah, they really need to get together so I can win the bet."
"Oh don't worry they'll get together at the festival."
"Not unless they get together before the festival."
"The festival's in a couple of days. And it doesn't look like they'll be getting together until then."
"Not unless they are given a little...inspiration," Devil Soujiro suddenly said, grinning.
Angel Soujiro immediately looked up at his counterpart and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"That's not tea she's drinking."
"...What?"
Devil Soujiro only grinned, his gaze focused on Misao. Angel Soujiro turned to Misao, and his eyes widened slightly.
He didn't notice it immediately. But when he did...oy.
"You didn't..."
Devil Soujiro continued to grin, shrugging his shoulders. "She's been drinking a lot of it it looks like. She'll probably be showing signs soon enough."
And signs the ninja girl did show.
Angel Soujiro could only stare as Misao's cheeks suddenly became flushed. She seemed to sway in her seat, her eyes looking glazed. Despite that though, she managed to take the pot and pour more of the "green tea" into her cup, spilling some on the table as she did so.
Kami, she's drunk!
"What kind of sick twisted shoulder devil are you!?" Angel Soujiro shouted in disbelief.
"One of a kind," replied Devil Soujiro, grinning.
"You evil person! You evil evil person! Angel Misao is going to kill you! How did you get her drunk!?"
Devil Soujiro shrugged. "Ah, the waitress kind of had a mix up. She seemed to have accidentally filled the teapot with sake instead of green tea it looks like."
"You idiot! Have you even thought of what could happen!?"
"Yeah, they could get together, and I would win the bet."
Angel Soujiro cried in aggravation, banging his head against a wall. "Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!" With one final bashing of the head onto the wall, Angel Soujiro turned and glared at his counter part. "Have you even thought that someone might take advantage of her!? Someone that isn't Soujiro!?"
The grin suddenly left Devil Soujiro's face. He held a hand to his chin, glancing at the drunk Misao. "I never thought of that..."
"What do you mean you never thought of that!? Are you really that thick!?"
Devil Soujiro didn't answer for a few seconds. When he did, all he said was, "I guess so."
Angel Soujiro couldn't believe this! How could his counter part be such an idiot!? What had he done!? Gritting his teeth, Angel Soujiro turned to Devil Soujiro, trying real hard not to punch him.
"Okay...I'm going to try to get someone. You just make sure nothing bad happens to Misao."
With that said, Angel Soujiro's wings extended and he quickly took off out of the restaurant. He just hoped Misao would be alright, and that he'll be able to get help before the worst would come to pass.
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Actually, the soon to be savior wasn't too far away from the restaurant.
Having nothing else to do, and silently thinking it wouldn't be that much of a good idea to go back to the Aoiya, Soujiro had decided to take another walk. The former Tenken raised a hand over his mouth, trying to hide a yawn. He looked up at the sky, seeing that the sunny blue sky had turned into a starry black one.
He raised a hand to hide another yawn. Maybe going back to the Aoiya would be a good idea. Soujiro was starting to get tired. He just hoped that nothing...strange would be going on when he got back.
Then again, everything but normal likes to happen here a lot. One of the greatest things about Kyoto, it never gets boring.
Speaking of which...
"Soujiro!"
The said former Tenken stopped at hearing his name. Blinking, he looked around to see who had spoken his name. Seeing no one, he scratched his head and shrugged. Must've been hearing things.
"Soujiro!"
Soujiro raised his eyebrows, looking around again to see if he could spot anyone. Where was that voice coming-?
"Soujiro!"
Above!
Soujiro immediately looked up. All he saw was the color white and what he thought as wings before he felt something smack him in the face. He took an involuntarily step back, grabbing whatever it was that collided into him. He succeeded and pulled the thing from his face before holding it in front of him.
"You?" Soujiro asked, seeing it was Angel Soujiro. He hadn't seen his shoulder angel in a month. He always wondered what happened to him. "What are you doing here?"
"No time!" Angel Soujiro wiggled out of Soujiro's grip and hovered in front of him, wings flapping to keep him in the air as he panted. "We need to get to Misao!"
Soujiro felt his smile disappear for a split second before returning. "Misao?What's wrong with Misao?"
"No time to explain!" Angel Soujiro grasped Soujiro's gi and pulled hard. "We have to get going! Before it's too late!"
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Misao started to feel light headed, slumping against a nearby wall. What was wrong with her? She groaned, not able to think straight.
Standing up, her legs started to shake, then she ended up falling back onto the floor with another groan. She suddenly hiccupped. Not getting the picture that she was drunk, the stubborn ninja girl once again tried to stand up, using the wall as support.
"I can -hic- do this," she tried to say, noticing how her voice didn't exactly sound as it should. Legs still shaking, she tried to take a step.
Didn't go so well though. Taking that step, she started stumbling, and falling onto the floor. She hiccupped again. This was not good...
And it was about to get worse...
"Looks like a kid hasn't learned how to walk yet," chuckled a man, standing over Misao.
"Shut -hic- up," Misao replied, hiccupping as she talked. "I'm not a -hic- kid -hic-."
The man bent down to help Misao up. His reply was Misao knocking his hands away as she tried to get up while saying, "I don't -hic- need -hic- any -hic- help."
She stood up once again on shaky legs. She swayed as she stood. Taking a step, she suddenly stumbled, walked into a wall, and slid down against it with another painful groan.
"I think she needs our help boys," the same man said to his lackeys, a very evil grin on his face. The other two nodded, the same grins on their faces.
Misao's eyes widened. Even if she was drunk, she still had a grasp to reality. And she was going to fight. Turning around, she swung a fist at the leader...and ended up spinning around as her fist missed, hit the wall again, and groaned. Why was it so hard to see? It looked like she was seeing three of them.
Hands suddenly grasped her arms and pulled them behind her back. The ninja girl cried out weakly, trying to kick them or something, but no use. This was not good, not good at all.
"Let's take her outside," said the leader. "Make sure we give her a good time."
The two men grinned, holding onto the struggling Misao. Tears started to well up in the ninja girl's eyes. She didn't like being helpless. This wasn't fair!
"Let her go."
Misao immediately turned her gaze to the newcomer. She felt a growing sense of relief when she had heard the voice. And when she saw her soon to be savior...let's just say she was really happy.
Soujiro stood at the door of the restaurant, looking at the men that held Misao. Despite his smile, something seemed to flash within the former Tenken's blue eyes. And whatever it was...it wasn't good.
"I don't think she wants to go with you," Soujiro continued, stepping forward. "Leave her alone."
"Hey stay back kid!" said one of the men that held Misao. "We saw her first!"
Soujiro took another step forward, another flash of...whatever it was appearing in his eyes. A hand went to his sheathed reverse blade. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt, he seemed to tighten his grip around the weapon. "I'm asking you nicely. Leave her alone."
"Let's see you try to stop-."
Whatever the leader was going to say, he never got the chance to finish it. Soujiro suddenly seemed to disappear in thin air. A split second later, the leader suddenly went flying forward, something hitting him hard from behind. He flew across the restaurant, through the still open door, and landed on the ground outside with a thud.
Soujiro stood where the leader once was, his sword unsheathed. The smile still on his face, he turned to the remaining two men. "Will you let her go now?"
"Hold her," one of the men spoke, advancing towards Soujiro, "he's mine."
The man ran forward, fist raised. Soujiro only smiled, staying where he was. The man shot his fist forward...and hit nothing but air.
And soon, he met the same fate as his boss. Something hit him from the side and he went flying out of the restaurant and collapsing on top of his leader. Soujiro turned to the final man, who was already charging at him, having let go of Misao. Soujiro once again disappeared, and a third body soon joined the other two outside.
Having taken care of the work, Soujiro slid his blade back into its sheath. He looked down at Misao, who was lying on the floor. He immediately bent down, lifting the ninja girl up to a sitting position.
"Misao, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, shaking the ninja girl by her shoulders.
Misao opened her eyes, immediately seeing Soujiro. She smiled at him.
Then...
"Urp!" Splootch!
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"Why the hell didn't you help her!?" Angel Soujiro shouted at his counterpart.
"Haven't you seen the size of them?" asked Devil Soujiro. "They would've killed me! Sure, I got an oversized fork, I can stab someone. But I can only do so much!"
Angel Soujiro only slapped a hand to his forehead. How he wanted to hurt his devil counterpart...badly.
But he wouldn't need to worry. Once Angel Misao found out what happened...its shoulder devil hunting season.
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Soujiro had held off on his Shukuchi as he made his way back to the Aoiya. He didn't want Misao to end up making another mess on him.
The said ninja girl was on his back, her head resting against him as she held onto him. She breathed deep breaths as she slept, not knowing she was going to have a bad hangover when she woke up in the morning.
Even without his Shukuchi, Soujiro was able to get to the Aoiya quickly enough. Fortunately, the restaurant that he found Misao in was near it. But instead of taking her to her room, he had instead brought her to the bathhouse, where he made sure to fill the bath with cold water.
When he thought it was good enough, he placed the ninja girl in the water, her ninja outfit still on. Making sure that her head wouldn't end up sinking into the water and lead to suffocation, Soujiro went to a corner of the bathhouse. He looked down at the mess Misao had made on his gi and sat down before slipping it off.
He never got the chance to clean it, having wanted to get Misao back here so he could make sure she was okay. Placing the gi on the ground, he looked around the bathhouse, trying to find something he could use to wear.
But before he could, two slender, and wet, arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
Soujiro froze, feeling a wet body press against him. Obviously, the only wet person in the room was Misao. Having been able to get out of the bath, Misao had her arms around his bare mid section, her head pressed against the back of his neck.
"Soujiro," Misao whispered, resting against him.
"Y-yes Misao?" questioned Soujiro, not sure what he should do at the moment.
"Thank you for saving me back at the restaurant."
"You're welcome Misao." There was a moment of silence as Soujiro tried to think of something to say, Misao not removing herself from her position. "You should get back in the bath Misao."
"But the water is so cold," replied Misao. She snuggled against him. "And you're so warm."
Soujiro was silent for a long moment, Misao resting against him the whole time. He started to think that the ninja girl had fallen asleep again. He was proved wrong when Misao turned him around.
She had rested her head against his chest, and now stared at him with her green eyes. Soujiro looked back down at her, some sweat forming as he couldn't think of what to do.
"Soujiro," Misao spoke again, "can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"Has anyone kissed you before?"
Soujiro blinked, having a hard time keeping his smile from slipping from his face. "No," he answered truthfully. "No one did, besides you."
Misao seemed to grin, thinking of something. "But that was only the cheek. Has anyone really kissed you?"
Soujiro could feel more sweat forming as he mulled over the question. What was she doing?
"No," he replied.
Misao's grin widened. "Maybe we should change that."
It was Soujiro's eyes that widened next. And before he knew it, Misao suddenly came up and pressed her lips against his. Soujiro's arms unconsciously wrapped around Misao as she kissed him. Thoughts raced through his mind, wondering what he should do.
The kiss only lasted for a few seconds. Pulling away, Misao rested against his chest again, looking up at him again, smiling at her act.
"You're so good to me Soujiro," she spoke again, snuggling against him as she closed her eyes. "No wonder I love you."
Soujiro's smile disappeared from his face, being replaced with a very shocked look. Did she just say...what he thought she said? She loved him?
Soujiro shook his head. Yeah, she said it. But she was drunk. She probably didn't mean it, like she didn't mean the kiss.
Still...
Soujiro looked down at Misao. The ninja girl had fallen asleep once again, a small smile on her face.
...Did he love her?
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"Ha!" Devil Soujiro cried. "They got together! I win the bet! Now where's that money!?"
"No way!" argued Angel Soujiro. "There's no way that counts! She was drunk! Besides, Soujiro didn't say he loved her back!"
"That may be true, but what about tomorrow?"
"She might not remember what happened tomorrow! That's what happens sometimes when someone drinks too much! And what the hell were you thinking about getting her drunk!?"
"What!?"
Both Soujiros froze, hearing the very familiar voice. Turning very slowly, they soon found Angel Misao standing before them...and she looked angry.
Angel Soujiro immediately held up his hands, shaking his head as he pointed at his counterpart. He scooted away as Angel Misao turned her angry gaze on Devil Soujiro.
"Um...I should start running shouldn't I?" Devil Soujiro asked aloud.
"Yep," replied Angel Soujiro.
"Okay then." Immediately, Devil Soujiro turned and ran.
"Get back here!" Angel Misao screamed, taking off after the retreating shoulder devil.
"Aw come on that's not fair!" Devil Misao suddenly spoke, having heard everything. "Are you telling me I missed another kodak moment? Again!?"
Angel Soujiro shrugged. Then, grinning, he pointed to the chase that was going on between Devil Soujiro and Angel Misao. "There's a moment right there."
Devil Misao immediately brightened up. Pulling out a camera, she ran after the shoulder angel and devil.
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Author's Note: Wow, that was a long chapter. Well, hope you liked it people! You can thank Pixie Ayanami, she made me think of the idea of the drunk thing. I even snuck in a kiss in this chapter. See ya guys at the next chapter!
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Misao couldn't believe it. She was caught, again. She was in the same room, again. She was tied to the same chair, again. And now all she could do was sit there, struggling against her bonds, as Kaoru, Omesu, and Okon sorted through the pile of fabric to find something to make her kimono...again.
Having been deprived of her kunai, Misao wasn't able to use the same escape trick as last time. Growling, she started gnawing on the ropes in a futile effort to somehow bite through them. Unfortunately, all it did was give her a bad taste in her mouth. Seeing that that wasn't working, Misao could now only struggle uselessly against the ropes.
When this was over, she was going to get her revenge. Sweet revenge...
"This wouldn't be so hard to do Misao," spoke Kaoru, fishing for another piece of fabric from the pile. "You could've just stayed in this room for about ten minutes at most."
"I've been here for an hour..." Misao replied.
"That's because we've spent most of our time trying to tie you down to the chair," said Omesu.
"And stopping you when you tried escaping," put in Okon.
Misao only growled at them, not liking that she knew they were right. But she was too stubborn to admit that. Instead, she only pulled harder against her binds. Still nothing.
Omesu came over, carrying a blue piece of fabric. She held it over Misao's arm, looking closely. Stepping back, she held a hand to her chin, looking from the blue piece of fabric to Misao, thinking. The ninja suddenly smiled.
Turning around, she ran over to Okon and Kaoru. Misao raised an eyebrow as the three women gathered together. She heard whispers being passed around. Trying to lean in closer to hear, Misao was only stopped by the ropes that held her down. Misao glared down at the ropes that bound her hatefully before looking up at the three women, straining to hear what they were saying.
"That's a great idea Omesu!" congratulated Kaoru, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, that'll be perfect for Misao!" said Okon.
Omesu only smiled, proud of herself for whatever idea she came up with for the kimono.
"What is it!?" Misao shouted, tired of being left in the dark.
"Oh don't worry Misao," assured Kaoru. Walking over to the ninja girl, she untied the ropes that bound her to the chair. "We've got everything under control. You can just go and hang out somewhere. We should be done with your kimono when you get back."
Ooohhh...how Misao wanted to take on all three of them again. But then again, after losing twice to them, even she got the hint that she probably won't win another fight. And right now...Misao wanted to be alone.
Sighing, the Okashira marched wordlessly to the door before opening it and disappearing behind it. She needed to go somewhere. Not the Aoiya. Maybe at another restaurant. Nothing bad could happen at a different restaurant that's not the Aoiya...right?
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"Hey she's leaving," Angel Soujiro suddenly spoke, watching as Misao exited the Aoiya and started walking through the streets of Kyoto.
"Where to?" questioned Devil Soujiro.
Usually, when the shoulder angel and devil of Soujiro are around, Misao's are with them. But for some reason, the ninja girl's shoulder angel and devil weren't there. Don't ask why they weren't with the Soujiros...they just weren't.
"I don't know," replied Angel Soujiro. "We can only read Soujiro's mind not hers."
"Well let's find out."
The grin that spread across Devil Soujiro's face didn't escape Angel Soujiro's gaze. He immediately knew that his devil counterpart had something in mind.
And anything Devil Soujiro came up with...it was never good.
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Misao entered a restaurant. She couldn't remember the name of it, she was just too distracted to pay attention. Thoughts swam around her head. The said thoughts were about plans for revenge against three traitorous women, wondering what the kimono will look like, and, of course, Soujiro.
A woman directed Misao to a table. Though lost in thought, Misao was still able to order green tea when the woman asked what she wanted. Once the woman left, Misao soon started working through her thoughts.
The ninja girl stretched her limbs. Having a stubborn and very active girl like her unable to move for an hour could really get her agitated, and in need of movement.
'Traitors,' Misao thought angrily. 'Just wait until this is all over. Then they'll be sorry.'
But her plans of revenge were put to the side however. Instead, the thoughts of a certain smiling former Tenken invaded her thoughts.
Misao sighed, for some reason feeling a bit...depressed? Stressed out? Exhausted? She wasn't sure.
She found herself wishing Soujiro was here. He always seemed to make her feel better, even if she was annoyed by him sometimes. But the annoyance was only like...play annoyance. The relief and comfort Soujiro gave her far outshined the annoyance.
Misao sighed. She wished that she had talked to Soujiro. But nnnooo, she had to be attacked and dragged off before she could even say a word.
The woman soon came back, dropping off a cup and teapot full of green tea. Misao nodded her thanks, and the woman soon walked off. Sighing once again, Misao poured some of the green tea into her cup and took a sip from it, her thoughts continuing to swim around in her mind.
She was so confused. She thought Soujiro as her best friend. So...why was she acting the way she did? It was like she couldn't even look at Soujiro without feeling something like butterflies flying around in her stomach. And what was with her face always suddenly heating up!?
The green tea in Misao's cup was drained in a second as she drank all of it in a couple of gulps. Seeing that her cup was now empty, she refilled it and continued drinking.
Misao was so confused. Everything that was going on was confusing. Wanting to be with Soujiro, suddenly feeling brain dead when she looked at him, everything. She was just so confused! She didn't understand any of this!
She had felt this once before, now that she thought of it. It was when she thought she loved Aoshi. But this felt...different. She couldn't explain it but this felt a little different then it had been with Aoshi.
"Maybe I think of Soujiro as more then a best friend," she muttered to herself. Her eyes immediately widened when it suddenly clicked at what she just said. More then a best friend!?
The ninja girl was surprised at herself. More then a best friend? Him? Soujiro? The same person that had once tried to kill her?
'The one that you feel comfortable with,' a voice in her head suddenly spoke. 'The one you wanted his arms around you. The one that-."
'Okay okay okay!'
Misao sighed, head in her hands. First shoulder angels and devils, and now voices in her head. Sighing once again, she took another sip of the green tea, letting the alcohol burn the back of her throat.
But green tea didn't have alcohol...did it?
Misao wasn't paying attention. Her thoughts kept her from realizing that what she was drinking wasn't really green tea.
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"If I felt like it right now, I would be feeling sorry for her," said Devil Soujiro. "But I just don't feel like it at the moment."
"Well you're the shoulder devil so it doesn't surprise me," said Angel Soujiro, watching Misao drink her tea. "Too bad Soujiro isn't here."
"Yeah, they really need to get together so I can win the bet."
"Oh don't worry they'll get together at the festival."
"Not unless they get together before the festival."
"The festival's in a couple of days. And it doesn't look like they'll be getting together until then."
"Not unless they are given a little...inspiration," Devil Soujiro suddenly said, grinning.
Angel Soujiro immediately looked up at his counterpart and raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"That's not tea she's drinking."
"...What?"
Devil Soujiro only grinned, his gaze focused on Misao. Angel Soujiro turned to Misao, and his eyes widened slightly.
He didn't notice it immediately. But when he did...oy.
"You didn't..."
Devil Soujiro continued to grin, shrugging his shoulders. "She's been drinking a lot of it it looks like. She'll probably be showing signs soon enough."
And signs the ninja girl did show.
Angel Soujiro could only stare as Misao's cheeks suddenly became flushed. She seemed to sway in her seat, her eyes looking glazed. Despite that though, she managed to take the pot and pour more of the "green tea" into her cup, spilling some on the table as she did so.
Kami, she's drunk!
"What kind of sick twisted shoulder devil are you!?" Angel Soujiro shouted in disbelief.
"One of a kind," replied Devil Soujiro, grinning.
"You evil person! You evil evil person! Angel Misao is going to kill you! How did you get her drunk!?"
Devil Soujiro shrugged. "Ah, the waitress kind of had a mix up. She seemed to have accidentally filled the teapot with sake instead of green tea it looks like."
"You idiot! Have you even thought of what could happen!?"
"Yeah, they could get together, and I would win the bet."
Angel Soujiro cried in aggravation, banging his head against a wall. "Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!" With one final bashing of the head onto the wall, Angel Soujiro turned and glared at his counter part. "Have you even thought that someone might take advantage of her!? Someone that isn't Soujiro!?"
The grin suddenly left Devil Soujiro's face. He held a hand to his chin, glancing at the drunk Misao. "I never thought of that..."
"What do you mean you never thought of that!? Are you really that thick!?"
Devil Soujiro didn't answer for a few seconds. When he did, all he said was, "I guess so."
Angel Soujiro couldn't believe this! How could his counter part be such an idiot!? What had he done!? Gritting his teeth, Angel Soujiro turned to Devil Soujiro, trying real hard not to punch him.
"Okay...I'm going to try to get someone. You just make sure nothing bad happens to Misao."
With that said, Angel Soujiro's wings extended and he quickly took off out of the restaurant. He just hoped Misao would be alright, and that he'll be able to get help before the worst would come to pass.
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Actually, the soon to be savior wasn't too far away from the restaurant.
Having nothing else to do, and silently thinking it wouldn't be that much of a good idea to go back to the Aoiya, Soujiro had decided to take another walk. The former Tenken raised a hand over his mouth, trying to hide a yawn. He looked up at the sky, seeing that the sunny blue sky had turned into a starry black one.
He raised a hand to hide another yawn. Maybe going back to the Aoiya would be a good idea. Soujiro was starting to get tired. He just hoped that nothing...strange would be going on when he got back.
Then again, everything but normal likes to happen here a lot. One of the greatest things about Kyoto, it never gets boring.
Speaking of which...
"Soujiro!"
The said former Tenken stopped at hearing his name. Blinking, he looked around to see who had spoken his name. Seeing no one, he scratched his head and shrugged. Must've been hearing things.
"Soujiro!"
Soujiro raised his eyebrows, looking around again to see if he could spot anyone. Where was that voice coming-?
"Soujiro!"
Above!
Soujiro immediately looked up. All he saw was the color white and what he thought as wings before he felt something smack him in the face. He took an involuntarily step back, grabbing whatever it was that collided into him. He succeeded and pulled the thing from his face before holding it in front of him.
"You?" Soujiro asked, seeing it was Angel Soujiro. He hadn't seen his shoulder angel in a month. He always wondered what happened to him. "What are you doing here?"
"No time!" Angel Soujiro wiggled out of Soujiro's grip and hovered in front of him, wings flapping to keep him in the air as he panted. "We need to get to Misao!"
Soujiro felt his smile disappear for a split second before returning. "Misao?What's wrong with Misao?"
"No time to explain!" Angel Soujiro grasped Soujiro's gi and pulled hard. "We have to get going! Before it's too late!"
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Misao started to feel light headed, slumping against a nearby wall. What was wrong with her? She groaned, not able to think straight.
Standing up, her legs started to shake, then she ended up falling back onto the floor with another groan. She suddenly hiccupped. Not getting the picture that she was drunk, the stubborn ninja girl once again tried to stand up, using the wall as support.
"I can -hic- do this," she tried to say, noticing how her voice didn't exactly sound as it should. Legs still shaking, she tried to take a step.
Didn't go so well though. Taking that step, she started stumbling, and falling onto the floor. She hiccupped again. This was not good...
And it was about to get worse...
"Looks like a kid hasn't learned how to walk yet," chuckled a man, standing over Misao.
"Shut -hic- up," Misao replied, hiccupping as she talked. "I'm not a -hic- kid -hic-."
The man bent down to help Misao up. His reply was Misao knocking his hands away as she tried to get up while saying, "I don't -hic- need -hic- any -hic- help."
She stood up once again on shaky legs. She swayed as she stood. Taking a step, she suddenly stumbled, walked into a wall, and slid down against it with another painful groan.
"I think she needs our help boys," the same man said to his lackeys, a very evil grin on his face. The other two nodded, the same grins on their faces.
Misao's eyes widened. Even if she was drunk, she still had a grasp to reality. And she was going to fight. Turning around, she swung a fist at the leader...and ended up spinning around as her fist missed, hit the wall again, and groaned. Why was it so hard to see? It looked like she was seeing three of them.
Hands suddenly grasped her arms and pulled them behind her back. The ninja girl cried out weakly, trying to kick them or something, but no use. This was not good, not good at all.
"Let's take her outside," said the leader. "Make sure we give her a good time."
The two men grinned, holding onto the struggling Misao. Tears started to well up in the ninja girl's eyes. She didn't like being helpless. This wasn't fair!
"Let her go."
Misao immediately turned her gaze to the newcomer. She felt a growing sense of relief when she had heard the voice. And when she saw her soon to be savior...let's just say she was really happy.
Soujiro stood at the door of the restaurant, looking at the men that held Misao. Despite his smile, something seemed to flash within the former Tenken's blue eyes. And whatever it was...it wasn't good.
"I don't think she wants to go with you," Soujiro continued, stepping forward. "Leave her alone."
"Hey stay back kid!" said one of the men that held Misao. "We saw her first!"
Soujiro took another step forward, another flash of...whatever it was appearing in his eyes. A hand went to his sheathed reverse blade. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt, he seemed to tighten his grip around the weapon. "I'm asking you nicely. Leave her alone."
"Let's see you try to stop-."
Whatever the leader was going to say, he never got the chance to finish it. Soujiro suddenly seemed to disappear in thin air. A split second later, the leader suddenly went flying forward, something hitting him hard from behind. He flew across the restaurant, through the still open door, and landed on the ground outside with a thud.
Soujiro stood where the leader once was, his sword unsheathed. The smile still on his face, he turned to the remaining two men. "Will you let her go now?"
"Hold her," one of the men spoke, advancing towards Soujiro, "he's mine."
The man ran forward, fist raised. Soujiro only smiled, staying where he was. The man shot his fist forward...and hit nothing but air.
And soon, he met the same fate as his boss. Something hit him from the side and he went flying out of the restaurant and collapsing on top of his leader. Soujiro turned to the final man, who was already charging at him, having let go of Misao. Soujiro once again disappeared, and a third body soon joined the other two outside.
Having taken care of the work, Soujiro slid his blade back into its sheath. He looked down at Misao, who was lying on the floor. He immediately bent down, lifting the ninja girl up to a sitting position.
"Misao, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, shaking the ninja girl by her shoulders.
Misao opened her eyes, immediately seeing Soujiro. She smiled at him.
Then...
"Urp!" Splootch!
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"Why the hell didn't you help her!?" Angel Soujiro shouted at his counterpart.
"Haven't you seen the size of them?" asked Devil Soujiro. "They would've killed me! Sure, I got an oversized fork, I can stab someone. But I can only do so much!"
Angel Soujiro only slapped a hand to his forehead. How he wanted to hurt his devil counterpart...badly.
But he wouldn't need to worry. Once Angel Misao found out what happened...its shoulder devil hunting season.
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Soujiro had held off on his Shukuchi as he made his way back to the Aoiya. He didn't want Misao to end up making another mess on him.
The said ninja girl was on his back, her head resting against him as she held onto him. She breathed deep breaths as she slept, not knowing she was going to have a bad hangover when she woke up in the morning.
Even without his Shukuchi, Soujiro was able to get to the Aoiya quickly enough. Fortunately, the restaurant that he found Misao in was near it. But instead of taking her to her room, he had instead brought her to the bathhouse, where he made sure to fill the bath with cold water.
When he thought it was good enough, he placed the ninja girl in the water, her ninja outfit still on. Making sure that her head wouldn't end up sinking into the water and lead to suffocation, Soujiro went to a corner of the bathhouse. He looked down at the mess Misao had made on his gi and sat down before slipping it off.
He never got the chance to clean it, having wanted to get Misao back here so he could make sure she was okay. Placing the gi on the ground, he looked around the bathhouse, trying to find something he could use to wear.
But before he could, two slender, and wet, arms suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
Soujiro froze, feeling a wet body press against him. Obviously, the only wet person in the room was Misao. Having been able to get out of the bath, Misao had her arms around his bare mid section, her head pressed against the back of his neck.
"Soujiro," Misao whispered, resting against him.
"Y-yes Misao?" questioned Soujiro, not sure what he should do at the moment.
"Thank you for saving me back at the restaurant."
"You're welcome Misao." There was a moment of silence as Soujiro tried to think of something to say, Misao not removing herself from her position. "You should get back in the bath Misao."
"But the water is so cold," replied Misao. She snuggled against him. "And you're so warm."
Soujiro was silent for a long moment, Misao resting against him the whole time. He started to think that the ninja girl had fallen asleep again. He was proved wrong when Misao turned him around.
She had rested her head against his chest, and now stared at him with her green eyes. Soujiro looked back down at her, some sweat forming as he couldn't think of what to do.
"Soujiro," Misao spoke again, "can I ask you something?"
"Yes."
"Has anyone kissed you before?"
Soujiro blinked, having a hard time keeping his smile from slipping from his face. "No," he answered truthfully. "No one did, besides you."
Misao seemed to grin, thinking of something. "But that was only the cheek. Has anyone really kissed you?"
Soujiro could feel more sweat forming as he mulled over the question. What was she doing?
"No," he replied.
Misao's grin widened. "Maybe we should change that."
It was Soujiro's eyes that widened next. And before he knew it, Misao suddenly came up and pressed her lips against his. Soujiro's arms unconsciously wrapped around Misao as she kissed him. Thoughts raced through his mind, wondering what he should do.
The kiss only lasted for a few seconds. Pulling away, Misao rested against his chest again, looking up at him again, smiling at her act.
"You're so good to me Soujiro," she spoke again, snuggling against him as she closed her eyes. "No wonder I love you."
Soujiro's smile disappeared from his face, being replaced with a very shocked look. Did she just say...what he thought she said? She loved him?
Soujiro shook his head. Yeah, she said it. But she was drunk. She probably didn't mean it, like she didn't mean the kiss.
Still...
Soujiro looked down at Misao. The ninja girl had fallen asleep once again, a small smile on her face.
...Did he love her?
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"Ha!" Devil Soujiro cried. "They got together! I win the bet! Now where's that money!?"
"No way!" argued Angel Soujiro. "There's no way that counts! She was drunk! Besides, Soujiro didn't say he loved her back!"
"That may be true, but what about tomorrow?"
"She might not remember what happened tomorrow! That's what happens sometimes when someone drinks too much! And what the hell were you thinking about getting her drunk!?"
"What!?"
Both Soujiros froze, hearing the very familiar voice. Turning very slowly, they soon found Angel Misao standing before them...and she looked angry.
Angel Soujiro immediately held up his hands, shaking his head as he pointed at his counterpart. He scooted away as Angel Misao turned her angry gaze on Devil Soujiro.
"Um...I should start running shouldn't I?" Devil Soujiro asked aloud.
"Yep," replied Angel Soujiro.
"Okay then." Immediately, Devil Soujiro turned and ran.
"Get back here!" Angel Misao screamed, taking off after the retreating shoulder devil.
"Aw come on that's not fair!" Devil Misao suddenly spoke, having heard everything. "Are you telling me I missed another kodak moment? Again!?"
Angel Soujiro shrugged. Then, grinning, he pointed to the chase that was going on between Devil Soujiro and Angel Misao. "There's a moment right there."
Devil Misao immediately brightened up. Pulling out a camera, she ran after the shoulder angel and devil.
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Author's Note: Wow, that was a long chapter. Well, hope you liked it people! You can thank Pixie Ayanami, she made me think of the idea of the drunk thing. I even snuck in a kiss in this chapter. See ya guys at the next chapter!