Crimson Tears: Chapter 3
Jet lag from traveling to New York from the West Coast was beginning to catch up with Aoshi Shinomori. However, his much-desired rest was hard to find when the constant click-click-click of Kaoru's keyboard kept disturbing his needed silence.
Icy blue eyes snapped open once the effort to slumber was proven futile. Aoshi leaned over the armrest and peered at the screen on the writer's laptop. "What are you doing?" His velvety voice inquired, causing Kaoru to jump slightly in surprise.
Curious, sapphire eyes blinked at him in stupefaction. "I thought you were asleep," Kaoru answered as she stopped typing to give her airplane buddy her full attention.
"It is difficult to sleep with all the noise you were making." Aoshi answered as he gestured towards her keyboard. Kaoru laughed nervously and handed over the labtop for him to see what she had been typing. Ebon eyebrows arched at the words before him. He took the liberty of saving the file and then flipped down the lid on the computer and handed it back to Kaoru.
"It figures that you would have nothing to say," Kaoru mumbled under her breath as she set the computer aside and redirected her gaze towards the window of the plane. It was dark outside now and she couldn't really see anything.
"Just because I choose silence to speaking does not mean I have nothing of value to say," Aoshi answered drawing those sapphire orbs back to meet his icy ones. "Why are you so obsessed with the Battousai?" Shinomori was detective and the art of inquiry ran through his blood.
Kaoru's eyes glazed over as she focused her mind on the driving memories to her Battousai obsession. Aoshi watched the emotions that flashed through her expressive eyes amazed at how much he could sense just by observing her. One thing he prided himself upon was remaining unreadable, but he had the talent of reading other's emotions.
Kaoru offered a brief smile as she redirected her attention to the detective. "I just enjoy mysteries and he is one of the biggest ones I had seen during my days in the force. Hajime used to be equally obsessed," Kaoru trailed off at the mention of her ex.
"I must admit my curiosity regarding you and Chief Saito. I simply can not picture him in a relationship. He seems a difficult man." Aoshi admitted, carefully noting any sign Kaoru's face expressed. Inwardly he frowned, she was masking her feelings too well now with another fake smile. She must be the type to hide her pain behind a cheerful mask.
"We had a great time together. We would probably be happily married now if she never, I mean, oh nevermind. It doesn't matter now. Everything happens for a reason after all right?" Kaoru pleaded the last part with him and Aoshi didn't have the heart to contradict the statement so he nodded in agreement.
"Hey you two," Sanosuke greeted as he stood in the aisle beside their row of seats. "Fancy seeing you here missy and with the iceman, did I feel the temperature drop?"
Kaoru groaned at the poor attempt at a joke while Aoshi merely narrowed his eyes at the boxer. "Sano, that isn't funny. What did you want? And no I won't let you borrow any money to gamble if that's what you are asking." Kaoru quickly finished.
Aoshi leaned his head back on the upper part of his seat and shut his eyes in meditation. Perhaps when he opened them next the boxer would be gone. What he wouldn't give for some relaxing herbal tea right now!
"Heh, no I don't need money Kaoru, thanks for asking though. I was talking to Megumi actually. She came to a decision about this whole mission," Sanosuke began smiling broadly at the two. Kaoru couldn't resist smiling back; her friend was too cute with his wild hair sticking up at all ends from under a red bandana that did little to control the chaos. His big brown puppy dog eyes were too innocent. But then it was those same eyes that had lost her thousands of dollars on loans to the man for his gambling habits.
"What is it that Megumi decided?" Kaoru coaxed when Sano stopped in his speech. He looked nervous at what he was about to announce as he glanced quickly at Aoshi. Then he smirked at Kaoru.
"Well missy, Megumi wanted me to give you this," He handed Kaoru a small box. "She decided that she and I would pose as a married couple. She also knows that you wouldn't room with some man that is not your husband. But, since I told her that you and Saito shared an apartment we decided that it would be okay for you to share a room with your fiancée. So don't forget to invite me to your and Shinomori's wedding. Bye!" He ran off down the aisle as Aoshi's eyes snapped open and his fist reached to grasp the tail of Sano's white jacket.
Falling to the floor due to the hold Aoshi had upon his shirt, Sanosuke crawled back towards the pair and laughed nervously as he tried to pry the fingers from his shirt. "I thought I told the two of you that I would think about that offer. This is an unacceptable arrangement." Aoshi replied with an icy voice that froze Sanosuke's attempt for freedom.
Kaoru could feel her temper rise. What she was most upset about she wasn't sure! Was she upset about the mention of her and Hajime's relationship? Or was she upset that they would force her to live a lie and pretend that the iceman was her lover when he obviously didn't even like her? "What do you mean unacceptable? Is there something wrong with me?" Kaoru demanded, deciding to focus on what she saw as an insult.
Aoshi released Sanosuke's shirttail in shock at the tone of Kaoru's speech. "No, there is nothing wrong with you," Aoshi answered, taken aback. Sano took the opportunity to run for his life back towards Megumi, the fox that was at fault for his predicament. He'd have to yell at her for meddling. She wanted Kaoru to get over Saito and thought the best way to do that was to move onto the icy heartthrob.
"Then what is so unacceptable with me being someone's fiancée?" Kaoru demanded, hurt evident in her tone. Aoshi never dealt with emotional women before. Under normal circumstances he would ignore them and walk away, but he would have to work with Kaoru for two weeks.
"What is unacceptable is that those two assume that it would be okay with you to pose as my intended." Aoshi was going to regret his next words, but if he wanted to have a peaceful two weeks he needed to embellish her ego. "You are beautiful. Any man would be so lucky to have you be his pretend fiancée even real one." He reached for the box and opened it, revealing a rather expensive diamond ring.
Kaoru gasped at the site. It was the ring that Saito had given her, but she had returned upon hearing the news that had ended their engagement. For Megumi to have had it, it must have meant that Hajime wanted this charade. She did just find out about the whole ordeal earlier that night. Was it so hard to believe that he would want her to pretend about her relationship status? Perhaps he wanted to ensure that no one would hit on her during the investigation. The best way to avoid that was to bring your future husband along.
"She had to have been given this ring by Saito," Kaoru answered. "Do you think it would be a smart idea to pretend to have a relationship during our fortnight at the castle? We wouldn't have to worry about the other guests trying to woo us if we are un-wooable." Kaoru continued as she pondered whether the word 'un-wooable' was really a word or not.
Aoshi remained silent for a long while, Kaoru took that as a sign that he was against the idea and turned back towards the window to stare at the passing darkness. Aoshi stared at the ring in his hand and looked back over at Kaoru. He had a feeling that by doing this he would be involving himself in a great deal of excess baggage. Kamiya certainly seemed to have many secrets in her closet that she was unwilling to share.
Shinomori came to a decision. What could a little white lie hurt if it was only to last for a couple of weeks? He pulled Kaoru's left hand out of her lap and held it within his right hand as Kaoru turned towards him questioningly. He slipped the ring upon her ring finger. "Kaoru Kamiya, I would be honored if you would be my pretend fiancée for the next fortnight."
Kaoru's gaze fell back upon the jewel that adorned her finger. How long had it been since that familiar weight had been pulled off her finger? She frowned at the memory but offered Aoshi another masking smile. "It would be my pleasure Mr. Shinomori."
"Very well then, in that case you can tell me the secrets you hide behind that smile when we are alone at night." Aoshi replied as he suddenly felt much more at ease and knew that if he were to close his eyes now he would fall asleep.
"Alone at night?" Kaoru echoed softly, with a nervous edge. "Fine, but that means you'll have to do the same and tell me what lies beneath that icy surface," Kaoru informed him in a confident tone. She adjusted herself in her seat and moved to rest her head upon Aoshi's shoulder.
He looked down at her. "What do you think you are doing?" He asked surprised by her actions.
"If I'm good enough for you to pretend propose to then I'm good enough for you to let me rest my head upon your shoulder," Kaoru answered with a great yawn. Her many nights with little sleep were catching up to her. The stress of the Battosai case was causing her nightmares. She could only hope that while she rested no more crimson tears would be shed. But, the only sure way to avoid the crimson tears was to not sleep.
Aoshi allowed himself to relax and allow Kaoru to share some of his warmth. It wasn't too uncomfortable. But then again, since she was taking the liberty to just lay her head upon his shoulder he should have the liberty to make himself more comfortable. Decision made, he pushed Kaoru up for a moment. Kaoru looked at him questioningly, but he ignored her momentarily.
He pushed up the dividing arm rest between their seats and then wrapped his arm around Kaoru's shoulder to pull her closer to him. He allowed her to rest her head upon his chest and he placed his chin upon the crown of her head. "Might as well look convincing," he whispered before shutting his icy orbs.
Aoshi waited until the breathing of Kaoru had evened out before opening his eyes to gaze down at her again. He really wanted to know her story now. He would find out though. Saito entrusted him with her safety and even if that forced him to act the part of the over-protective fiancée he would do it.
A few more hours passed as the writer and detective slept unaware of everything happening around them. Both were enjoying a blissful sleep that had been forgotten since childhood innocence.
Suddenly, the visions came again to Kaoru Kamiya as she began to squirm in her slumber, rousing the detective she was using as a pillow. Aoshi looked down at the young woman. She seemed to be having some sort of nightmare.
Gently the detective from Southern California tried to shake her awake. "Kaoru, wake up, you are having a bad dream." Aoshi whispered softly as he continued to shake her.
"Hajime he struck again, he did it again," Kaoru answered her voice a mere whisper. Aoshi was about to shake her hard when he heard her confuse him with the wolfish chief until he saw it. Kaoru's sapphire eyes opened quickly as she looked around her environment in confusion for a moment.
She noticed the confused look of Aoshi and blushed slightly at the fact that his arm was around her. She offered another masking smile. "I must have had another nightmare," she answered.
Aoshi ignored her explanation. He was more interested at what was flowing on her cheek. He raised his index finger to her face and gently brushed it across the smooth contours of her face catching the liquid that had caught his attention. He lifted his finger close to his eyes for inspection. Then turned his finger towards her.
"What is this about?" Aoshi demanded.
"I don't know. Can we talk about it later? I am so tired." Kaoru explained trying to find a way of avoiding the explanation he desired.
"Kaoru, this is," he raised his finger to his lips and licked off the substance, confirming his suspicions. "This is a crimson tear. Why were you crying in your sleep and most importantly how were you crying blood? Do not lie."
Kaoru looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please Aoshi, I don't want to talk about it now. This is neither the time nor the place," she looked towards the other passengers of the plane and Aoshi conceded the point.
"Very well, but you will discuss this in detail once we reach the castle and the privacy of our bedroom. Don't forget I will have you to myself every night for two weeks. You will explain this phenomenon to me." Aoshi warned her, he moved his arm back to her shoulder and pulled her against him once more. "For now, go back to sleep without the nightmares. And never call me Saito again."
"I apologize for that, it's just that I'm still not used to him not being there after one of my nightmares." Kaoru explained softly, the weariness she felt evident in her tones.
"So this has happened before?" Aoshi demanded moving his hand to cup her chin and meet his gaze. Kaoru nodded, but refused to meet his gaze. "I see. Sleep now, you will explain later."
Kaoru closed her eyes in relief that he didn't press the issue. She had inadvertently answered his previous question when she asked why she was so obsessed with the Battousai. It would be because she had seen every one of his crimes and every one of his victims. Every time another murder took place at the hands of the man she would cry a single crimson tear.
Saito was the only one who knew of her connection to the manslayer. Neither could determine the reasoning behind it. He only could offer his protection. But even he failed to protect her from himself. A shiver ran through her body as depression was trying to invade her heart. The dark feelings were combated when she felt Aoshi, this stranger she just met hours before, tighten his arm around her shoulder.
Aoshi felt her relax against him after tensing up for a few moments. The next two weeks would most definitely prove to be eventful. He allowed a small grin to lift the corners of his lips as he looked back down at the sleeping beauty. Perhaps the next two weeks could be a little fun as well.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
A/N: Aoshi may be OOC here, but I don't think he is according to what I know of him anyway. Still a great deal of mysteries left but at least you know the reason for the title now! Thank you kindly for your reviews they are much appreciated and very encouraging! ~Belle
Jet lag from traveling to New York from the West Coast was beginning to catch up with Aoshi Shinomori. However, his much-desired rest was hard to find when the constant click-click-click of Kaoru's keyboard kept disturbing his needed silence.
Icy blue eyes snapped open once the effort to slumber was proven futile. Aoshi leaned over the armrest and peered at the screen on the writer's laptop. "What are you doing?" His velvety voice inquired, causing Kaoru to jump slightly in surprise.
Curious, sapphire eyes blinked at him in stupefaction. "I thought you were asleep," Kaoru answered as she stopped typing to give her airplane buddy her full attention.
"It is difficult to sleep with all the noise you were making." Aoshi answered as he gestured towards her keyboard. Kaoru laughed nervously and handed over the labtop for him to see what she had been typing. Ebon eyebrows arched at the words before him. He took the liberty of saving the file and then flipped down the lid on the computer and handed it back to Kaoru.
"It figures that you would have nothing to say," Kaoru mumbled under her breath as she set the computer aside and redirected her gaze towards the window of the plane. It was dark outside now and she couldn't really see anything.
"Just because I choose silence to speaking does not mean I have nothing of value to say," Aoshi answered drawing those sapphire orbs back to meet his icy ones. "Why are you so obsessed with the Battousai?" Shinomori was detective and the art of inquiry ran through his blood.
Kaoru's eyes glazed over as she focused her mind on the driving memories to her Battousai obsession. Aoshi watched the emotions that flashed through her expressive eyes amazed at how much he could sense just by observing her. One thing he prided himself upon was remaining unreadable, but he had the talent of reading other's emotions.
Kaoru offered a brief smile as she redirected her attention to the detective. "I just enjoy mysteries and he is one of the biggest ones I had seen during my days in the force. Hajime used to be equally obsessed," Kaoru trailed off at the mention of her ex.
"I must admit my curiosity regarding you and Chief Saito. I simply can not picture him in a relationship. He seems a difficult man." Aoshi admitted, carefully noting any sign Kaoru's face expressed. Inwardly he frowned, she was masking her feelings too well now with another fake smile. She must be the type to hide her pain behind a cheerful mask.
"We had a great time together. We would probably be happily married now if she never, I mean, oh nevermind. It doesn't matter now. Everything happens for a reason after all right?" Kaoru pleaded the last part with him and Aoshi didn't have the heart to contradict the statement so he nodded in agreement.
"Hey you two," Sanosuke greeted as he stood in the aisle beside their row of seats. "Fancy seeing you here missy and with the iceman, did I feel the temperature drop?"
Kaoru groaned at the poor attempt at a joke while Aoshi merely narrowed his eyes at the boxer. "Sano, that isn't funny. What did you want? And no I won't let you borrow any money to gamble if that's what you are asking." Kaoru quickly finished.
Aoshi leaned his head back on the upper part of his seat and shut his eyes in meditation. Perhaps when he opened them next the boxer would be gone. What he wouldn't give for some relaxing herbal tea right now!
"Heh, no I don't need money Kaoru, thanks for asking though. I was talking to Megumi actually. She came to a decision about this whole mission," Sanosuke began smiling broadly at the two. Kaoru couldn't resist smiling back; her friend was too cute with his wild hair sticking up at all ends from under a red bandana that did little to control the chaos. His big brown puppy dog eyes were too innocent. But then it was those same eyes that had lost her thousands of dollars on loans to the man for his gambling habits.
"What is it that Megumi decided?" Kaoru coaxed when Sano stopped in his speech. He looked nervous at what he was about to announce as he glanced quickly at Aoshi. Then he smirked at Kaoru.
"Well missy, Megumi wanted me to give you this," He handed Kaoru a small box. "She decided that she and I would pose as a married couple. She also knows that you wouldn't room with some man that is not your husband. But, since I told her that you and Saito shared an apartment we decided that it would be okay for you to share a room with your fiancée. So don't forget to invite me to your and Shinomori's wedding. Bye!" He ran off down the aisle as Aoshi's eyes snapped open and his fist reached to grasp the tail of Sano's white jacket.
Falling to the floor due to the hold Aoshi had upon his shirt, Sanosuke crawled back towards the pair and laughed nervously as he tried to pry the fingers from his shirt. "I thought I told the two of you that I would think about that offer. This is an unacceptable arrangement." Aoshi replied with an icy voice that froze Sanosuke's attempt for freedom.
Kaoru could feel her temper rise. What she was most upset about she wasn't sure! Was she upset about the mention of her and Hajime's relationship? Or was she upset that they would force her to live a lie and pretend that the iceman was her lover when he obviously didn't even like her? "What do you mean unacceptable? Is there something wrong with me?" Kaoru demanded, deciding to focus on what she saw as an insult.
Aoshi released Sanosuke's shirttail in shock at the tone of Kaoru's speech. "No, there is nothing wrong with you," Aoshi answered, taken aback. Sano took the opportunity to run for his life back towards Megumi, the fox that was at fault for his predicament. He'd have to yell at her for meddling. She wanted Kaoru to get over Saito and thought the best way to do that was to move onto the icy heartthrob.
"Then what is so unacceptable with me being someone's fiancée?" Kaoru demanded, hurt evident in her tone. Aoshi never dealt with emotional women before. Under normal circumstances he would ignore them and walk away, but he would have to work with Kaoru for two weeks.
"What is unacceptable is that those two assume that it would be okay with you to pose as my intended." Aoshi was going to regret his next words, but if he wanted to have a peaceful two weeks he needed to embellish her ego. "You are beautiful. Any man would be so lucky to have you be his pretend fiancée even real one." He reached for the box and opened it, revealing a rather expensive diamond ring.
Kaoru gasped at the site. It was the ring that Saito had given her, but she had returned upon hearing the news that had ended their engagement. For Megumi to have had it, it must have meant that Hajime wanted this charade. She did just find out about the whole ordeal earlier that night. Was it so hard to believe that he would want her to pretend about her relationship status? Perhaps he wanted to ensure that no one would hit on her during the investigation. The best way to avoid that was to bring your future husband along.
"She had to have been given this ring by Saito," Kaoru answered. "Do you think it would be a smart idea to pretend to have a relationship during our fortnight at the castle? We wouldn't have to worry about the other guests trying to woo us if we are un-wooable." Kaoru continued as she pondered whether the word 'un-wooable' was really a word or not.
Aoshi remained silent for a long while, Kaoru took that as a sign that he was against the idea and turned back towards the window to stare at the passing darkness. Aoshi stared at the ring in his hand and looked back over at Kaoru. He had a feeling that by doing this he would be involving himself in a great deal of excess baggage. Kamiya certainly seemed to have many secrets in her closet that she was unwilling to share.
Shinomori came to a decision. What could a little white lie hurt if it was only to last for a couple of weeks? He pulled Kaoru's left hand out of her lap and held it within his right hand as Kaoru turned towards him questioningly. He slipped the ring upon her ring finger. "Kaoru Kamiya, I would be honored if you would be my pretend fiancée for the next fortnight."
Kaoru's gaze fell back upon the jewel that adorned her finger. How long had it been since that familiar weight had been pulled off her finger? She frowned at the memory but offered Aoshi another masking smile. "It would be my pleasure Mr. Shinomori."
"Very well then, in that case you can tell me the secrets you hide behind that smile when we are alone at night." Aoshi replied as he suddenly felt much more at ease and knew that if he were to close his eyes now he would fall asleep.
"Alone at night?" Kaoru echoed softly, with a nervous edge. "Fine, but that means you'll have to do the same and tell me what lies beneath that icy surface," Kaoru informed him in a confident tone. She adjusted herself in her seat and moved to rest her head upon Aoshi's shoulder.
He looked down at her. "What do you think you are doing?" He asked surprised by her actions.
"If I'm good enough for you to pretend propose to then I'm good enough for you to let me rest my head upon your shoulder," Kaoru answered with a great yawn. Her many nights with little sleep were catching up to her. The stress of the Battosai case was causing her nightmares. She could only hope that while she rested no more crimson tears would be shed. But, the only sure way to avoid the crimson tears was to not sleep.
Aoshi allowed himself to relax and allow Kaoru to share some of his warmth. It wasn't too uncomfortable. But then again, since she was taking the liberty to just lay her head upon his shoulder he should have the liberty to make himself more comfortable. Decision made, he pushed Kaoru up for a moment. Kaoru looked at him questioningly, but he ignored her momentarily.
He pushed up the dividing arm rest between their seats and then wrapped his arm around Kaoru's shoulder to pull her closer to him. He allowed her to rest her head upon his chest and he placed his chin upon the crown of her head. "Might as well look convincing," he whispered before shutting his icy orbs.
Aoshi waited until the breathing of Kaoru had evened out before opening his eyes to gaze down at her again. He really wanted to know her story now. He would find out though. Saito entrusted him with her safety and even if that forced him to act the part of the over-protective fiancée he would do it.
A few more hours passed as the writer and detective slept unaware of everything happening around them. Both were enjoying a blissful sleep that had been forgotten since childhood innocence.
Suddenly, the visions came again to Kaoru Kamiya as she began to squirm in her slumber, rousing the detective she was using as a pillow. Aoshi looked down at the young woman. She seemed to be having some sort of nightmare.
Gently the detective from Southern California tried to shake her awake. "Kaoru, wake up, you are having a bad dream." Aoshi whispered softly as he continued to shake her.
"Hajime he struck again, he did it again," Kaoru answered her voice a mere whisper. Aoshi was about to shake her hard when he heard her confuse him with the wolfish chief until he saw it. Kaoru's sapphire eyes opened quickly as she looked around her environment in confusion for a moment.
She noticed the confused look of Aoshi and blushed slightly at the fact that his arm was around her. She offered another masking smile. "I must have had another nightmare," she answered.
Aoshi ignored her explanation. He was more interested at what was flowing on her cheek. He raised his index finger to her face and gently brushed it across the smooth contours of her face catching the liquid that had caught his attention. He lifted his finger close to his eyes for inspection. Then turned his finger towards her.
"What is this about?" Aoshi demanded.
"I don't know. Can we talk about it later? I am so tired." Kaoru explained trying to find a way of avoiding the explanation he desired.
"Kaoru, this is," he raised his finger to his lips and licked off the substance, confirming his suspicions. "This is a crimson tear. Why were you crying in your sleep and most importantly how were you crying blood? Do not lie."
Kaoru looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please Aoshi, I don't want to talk about it now. This is neither the time nor the place," she looked towards the other passengers of the plane and Aoshi conceded the point.
"Very well, but you will discuss this in detail once we reach the castle and the privacy of our bedroom. Don't forget I will have you to myself every night for two weeks. You will explain this phenomenon to me." Aoshi warned her, he moved his arm back to her shoulder and pulled her against him once more. "For now, go back to sleep without the nightmares. And never call me Saito again."
"I apologize for that, it's just that I'm still not used to him not being there after one of my nightmares." Kaoru explained softly, the weariness she felt evident in her tones.
"So this has happened before?" Aoshi demanded moving his hand to cup her chin and meet his gaze. Kaoru nodded, but refused to meet his gaze. "I see. Sleep now, you will explain later."
Kaoru closed her eyes in relief that he didn't press the issue. She had inadvertently answered his previous question when she asked why she was so obsessed with the Battousai. It would be because she had seen every one of his crimes and every one of his victims. Every time another murder took place at the hands of the man she would cry a single crimson tear.
Saito was the only one who knew of her connection to the manslayer. Neither could determine the reasoning behind it. He only could offer his protection. But even he failed to protect her from himself. A shiver ran through her body as depression was trying to invade her heart. The dark feelings were combated when she felt Aoshi, this stranger she just met hours before, tighten his arm around her shoulder.
Aoshi felt her relax against him after tensing up for a few moments. The next two weeks would most definitely prove to be eventful. He allowed a small grin to lift the corners of his lips as he looked back down at the sleeping beauty. Perhaps the next two weeks could be a little fun as well.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
A/N: Aoshi may be OOC here, but I don't think he is according to what I know of him anyway. Still a great deal of mysteries left but at least you know the reason for the title now! Thank you kindly for your reviews they are much appreciated and very encouraging! ~Belle