Chapter 2: Routines

The sun was just falling beneath the horizon as Misao continued to dance across the frozen pond in the shadow of the Aoiya. Her visage was flushed pink from effort and her breathing was heavy, coming in pants in the cold night air. Her skin glowed with sweat, and her muscles screamed for relief from the effort they were putting out.

But Misao couldn't stop, she wouldn't stop.

What he had said, it hurt too much. Aoshi's words still echoed off the inner walls of her mind.

"Your movements and shaky and slow…"

Misao urged her legs to move faster, ignoring the pain that was shooting through her calves and quad muscles. She made sure to keep the blades of her skates absolutely precise as she took the wind up for the double axle, landing well even though Aoshi wasn't there to catch her this time.

"…your timing is off…"

She flew through the toe loops, silently berating herself when her legs began to falter and she landed not-so-smoothly on one. Misao leveled out her stance though, as she prepared for the triple axle.

"…and you wear out quickly."

But as her feet twisted to go into the difficult spin, her left leg finally cramped and Misao's feet tangled, resulting in her landing flat on her bum.

"Oww…" she whined, rubbing her sore behind as she hobbled over to the bench. Misao sat down on the frosty wood and looked over the lines her skates had made on the ice. She sighed.

She should have been happy. She should be jumping up and down in the sheer thrill that THE Shinomori Aoshi had even considered her as a possible partner. How many young skaters her age would have died for this opportunity?

But it had hurt so bad.

It had hurt to see him, Misao's very idol, look down on her with such criticizing eyes. All her life, Misao had devoted every moment to her skating, putting more effort into her passion then anyone could have imagined.

And to have all those years of work, all the progress she made, just stomped down on…

"Misao-chan?"

Misao turned around at the sound of Omasu's soft voice behind her. The brunette woman sat down next to her on the bench, handing Misao a mug of steaming cocoa, which she gratefully accepted.

"You should be getting rest Misao. You know you have your first practice with Aoshi-san tomorrow," Omasu said, watching her younger cousin sip the sweet drink.

"I know. I just wanted to get some practice in before…" her voice trailed off at the thought of her first official training with Aoshi. He wouldn't be as harsh as last time, would he?

"Hey now, don't you start worrying about something that hasn't even started yet" Omasu scooted closer to the smaller woman, hoping to bring some encouragement to her little cousin. "If anyone deserves this, it's you Misao-chan. All that work you put in is about to pay off big time, ne?"

A small smile crept up onto Misao's face at Omaus's concern.

"I just hope Aoshi-sama doesn't think I'm too under experienced and drops me."

Omasu just shook her head.

"That's not what Okon told me, from what she learned earlier today."

"Eh?"

Omasu chuckled.

"Apparently, she was talking to Aoshi-san's manager, and he said that Aoshi hadn't even considered looking for another partner besides you. The only person he would deem was you, Missy." Omasu laughed at Misao's sudden interest. "Especially since you had came so highly recommended," she added.

"H-honto ne?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Well there was that one time…" Misao said, feigning distrust while trying not to laugh.

"Now that's the Misao-chan I know. So don't you think it's time you get inside and rest up for tomorrow? You wouldn't want to blow a first impression by being late," Omasu commented, while Misao rolled her eyes at the woman's coddling.

"Hai, hai OKAASAN."

"Hey!"

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The blaring alarm clock disrupted Misao's dreams of skating across the rink with Aoshi as she blinked and looked at the clock.

It read 4:30 am.

She groaned, flopping onto her back in an attempt to go to sleep.

There was no reason to get up so early! Why had she set her alarm again?

She blinked again, her eyes widening as she shout out of bed and ran around her room in a hurry to get ready.

She was supposed to practice with Aoshi at 5 am!

Changing into a new pair of underwear and bra and sliding on black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt, Misao carelessly threw her hair up in a ponytail and grabbed her skates and slid into her boots. Grabbing her backpack she slung it over her shoulders as she quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed a small bottle of orange juice and a muffin and ran out the door.

She would have to run to the bus stop and when she got there the bus had just arrived. Handing the driver change she slumped into a seat and sighed, nibbling on her muffin and drinking her orange juice. She was so tired.

She had been nervous upon sleeping, wondering with slight anxiety what practice with Aoshi was going to be like. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting of him, but in person he was a very...closed person. He didn't seem to be a warm person at all.

She frowned at that.

It was kind of like her image of him wasn't real. She always thought him to be this cool skater with a great attitude who was quiet and intelligent.

But he seemed more sullen.

Soon enough she was at the stop two blocks from the rink and she got off, throwing out her muffin wrapper and empty bottle of juice and ran towards the rink. By the time she got there it was 4:58 am and she was panting for breath.

"You're on time. That's a decent start."

She blinked and looked up to see Aoshi leaning back against the door, arms crossed.

She yawned, and followed him inside.

"Yes well, I'm not used to getting up so early." she murmured.

"How undisciplined. Most pros are up at this practicing, even earlier."

Misao furrowed her brows and rubbed her eyes.

This was going to be a loooong practice.

As she laced up her skates, she looked over to Aoshi who was on the ice waiting rather impatiently for her.

She skated towards him, stopping a foot from him.

"How do you...want to begin?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"I should think warming up would be the ideal solution." he said flatly.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Right."

They warmed up, skating to stretch out their muscles for about five or ten minutes. He stopped and she skated up next to him.

"So what do you want to do?"

"The same routine I auditioned you with. I want you to get it perfect before we try any other routines."

"Okay." Misao mumbled and watched Aoshi skate over to the radio control and put a cd in as classical music began playing.

They began the routine, and at the end Misao frowned. She hadn't done it as well as Megumi-san said. She had stumbled a bit towards the end and it was clear from the cold look in Aoshi's eyes he was displeased.

"You need a lot of work." he said simply, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry, Aoshi-sama, I was practicing for hours last night and I had trouble sleeping..."

"I don't need excuses Misao. I need you to work harder and get it right. And why do you keep referring to me as 'Aoshi-sama'?"

Misao blushed and looked away.

"I...well...I've always looked up to you...and wanted to skate like you so it just...stuck in my mind." she confessed.

If she had looked Aoshi in the face she would have noticed the brief flickering of something in his eyes, as they softened for a moment, but then hardened again.

"Well then you'll need to work a lot harder if you ever hope to skate as good as me."

Misao sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Mou! I can't help it if my skating isn't the best at the moment! Aside from the fact that muscles keep spasming, I barely slept because I was so nervous of what terrible things you might say about me! I know I'm not a pro but at least I would think you wouldn't be so harsh on me! I'm trying the best I can!"

Aoshi looked at her and closed his eyes.

"Are you done?"

"Excuse me?" Misao asked, her face red.

He skated towards her and picked her up, hauling her over his shoulder and skating towards the locker rooms.

"Aoshi-sama! What are you doing?!" she screeched when he stopped and unlaced his skates, Misao still in his hold, and walked into the men's locker and tossed her into an empty shower stall.

"Aoshi-sama, what the hell! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!" she screeched when cold water sprayed all over her.

"I don't have time for blow-ups and tantrums. If you insist on childish behavior I will physically make you cool off."

"It's FREEZING! STOP!!!" she yelled, shivering, completely soaked.

"Are you done now?" he asked again.

"Yes!" she yelped, trying stand, which was difficult while wearing ice skates.

He turned off the water and grabbed a towel handing it to her.

"I'll wait for you to change."

"Change? These were the only clothes I had!!"

Aoshi actually blinked at that.

Only...clothes?

"You didn't bring a change?"

"Why would I?!"

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and pulled her out of the shower and set it to a warmer temperature and turned the water back on.

"Take off your clothes."

"Excuse me?!" Misao asked, eyes wide.

"Take them off and take a warm shower. I'll put your clothes in the dryer."

She blinked.

"Oh. Turn around."

He respected her wishes and turned around as he heard wet fabric shift, and saw her clothes tossed on the floor by his side. She got into the shower and pulled the curtain closed.

"How long will my clothes take to dry?" she asked, happy to have the warm water spray onto her.

"Forty minutes."

"Shoot....what am I supposed to do for clothes until then?"' she grumbled and Aoshi sighed.

"I'm sure a towel will do for now."

"Oh yes, because I really want to walk around you with just a towel on right this moment."

Aoshi sighed again. He wasn't used to it, to facing such obstination and resistance. He wasn't used to having his partner have a fit. He was used to being the dominant skater in a pair.

"Just…take your shower now. I'll be back," he said, feeling a headache coming on. Aoshi grabbed Misao's wet clothes and made his way out of the showers and to the dryer, silently wondering what he had gotten himself into with this new girl.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Forty minutes later, Aoshi was walking back to the locker room, with Misao's dry and folded clothes in hand. He had passed the time on the rink, trying to think up a new routine they could use at their first competition.

But it was so much more complicated now that he had a new partner.

Megumi had always been so easy to work with. She had more than enough skill to stay with him, and always let him be the guide.

And now…

He sighed in exasperation.

Things weren't going to be so easy anymore.

Aoshi didn't even bother to knock as he walked back into the shower room, noting the steam that had filled the room and fogged up the mirrors. The pitter-patter of water on tile reached his ears and he saw the shadow of Misao resting on the wall of the shower.

'She was probably too embarrassed to come out,' he inferred.

He was about to make his presence known, when Misao's shadow moved and, her hand turned the knob to shut off the water.

Aoshi's mind was blank as her outline moved to the side of the curtain and a glossy, wet arm came out to grab the towel he had hung on the rack for her. The arm then disappeared behind the curtain with the towel and a moment later, out came…

"Mi-Misao."

At the sound of his stutter, Misao, only wrapped in the towel, turned around and faced Aoshi, shock written over her face as well as a pink flush from both embarrassment and the heat of the shower.

His mind told him he needed to look away, but Aoshi stood stock still, his eyes roaming over her scantily-clad form. Misao had taken her hair out of its customary braid and let it fall loose around her small frame. The black silken strands clung to her, while translucent beads of water made slow trails over her pearly skin. At the moment, Aoshi's eyes were currently entranced by a particular drop that was slithering over her chest and down into the valley between her hidden breasts.

Who knew that under all those clothes…

"Um, Aoshi-sama?"

Misao's shy voice pulled him out of his ogling trace and Aoshi turned his head away, suddenly finding the tiles of the shower room fascinating.

"Here," he said in a forced monotone, handing Misao her now dry clothes.

"Uh, arigatou…Aoshi-sama."

He turned away from Misao to give her some privacy, noticing how much the young woman had flushed under his stare.

"I'll be on the ice, so hurry up," he said walking away without a second glance. "We still have a lot of work to do."

"Hai, hai," Misao replied as he closed the door to the shower room on his way out.

For a second, Misao stood motionless, wondering what had just occurred between her and her new partner. She wasn't blind and hadn't missed the flush that had adorned his face as he tore his gaze from her.

Did that mean… Did he think she was…sexy?!

A naughty grin appeared on Misao's face and she attempted to hide the laughter that was bubbling up.

Maybe being this new partner deal wouldn't be so bad.