Pretty Man

The sound of the toilet flushing startled Aoshi from his sleep as he was sprawled on the tiled floor of the bathroom in his leather attire from last night. His eyes moved about the place as he rolled onto his back only to come face to face with concerned ocean blue eyes. Just staring up at them Aoshi began to remember what he had done to her last night and it made him cringe and turn from Misao's gaze.

"How do you feel?" Her soft voice questioned him lightly as worry was evident in her voice. Aoshi himself felt like blanching at the way she acted, as though he hadn't just taken her partially by force last night.

"Aoshi?" She called once more and this time he sat up, his back now facing her. "Please, say something?" He felt sick to his stomach just listening to her voice and rose to his full height while staring down at her crouched form on the tiled floor. She had bags under her eyes, obviously having not slept well, but even in this disheveled state he still thought she was…

"I have to go." Aoshi abruptly voiced as he broke free from thoughts about Misao and once more turned his eyes away from her. She had stood up as well, one of her hands wrapping around his wrist holding him lightly in place so he wasn't able to leave without looking down at her and gaze down at her he did. His lips turned into a deeper frown when he noticed her robe was open to him and showing off her smooth pearly skin as though it were calling out to be touched.

"Where are you going?" Misao felt her voice hitch in her throat. She had thought about what had occurred last night and though it had hurt she knew something was terribly wrong with her new companion. As soon as he came back from seeing his acquaintance Enishi he had turned cold and distant. It was like he was troubled, but couldn't tell her about it and the only thought that was brought to his clouded mind was to escape reality through passion. He had tried doing so, but she had resisted in shock and surprise and now at this very moment because of what he had done, the tall mysterious man couldn't even look her in the eyes.

"To think…" Was all Aoshi voiced before breaking from Misao's weak clutches and then hurriedly walked out of the bathroom. He knew watery ocean blue eyes were watching him as he made a hasty retreat to the front door. Once Misao heard the door close with a defiant echo she crumbled to the floor and leaned against the doorway.

"Why won't you be truthful with me?" Misao whispered brokenly and then brushed a lone tear that fell down her cheek away. She had felt shocked at noticing herself crying because of him leaving and not knowing where he would be or whether he'd come back. However, the phone ringing startled her out of her pained sorrow as she drew herself to shaky feet and padded softly over towards her desk and picked it up.

'Ohayoo Makimachi-san'

"Oh, good morning Omasu…" Misao quickly dabbed at her eyes trying to gain back her usual professional but still slightly genki attitude.

'Makimachi-san, is everything alright?'

"Just a little under the weather is all. Would you send all reports through email to me and only emergency phone calls are transferred to my mobile alright?"

'Of course Makimachi-san. I shall cancel your appointments and reschedule them in two days time alright?'

"That should be fine. Thank you Omasu." Misao listened to the woman for a little bit more about getting some more rest and not to stress over work too much. As Misao heard the engaged signal she chuckled lightly almost pathetically to herself because it wasn't stress on work and in fact all about the gigolo Aoshi. Misao sighed trying to get herself to snap out of her unusual behaviour and sat up in the chair and then proceeded to slap both her cheeks.

"It's time to work!" She yelled loudly before turning on her laptop, drawing her robe more tightly closed around her form and as usual began to drown out her emotional problems in her work.

Xx Elsewhere… xX

A lone figure dressed in leather moved up the rickety stairs in the old apartment building as he headed not for his room, but the room of the man he once looked up to for guidance in everything. Pushing the always unlocked door open Aoshi headed inside the dully lit room and sat himself down on the chair right beside the occupied single bed.

"Oi Enishi, are you awake?" He muttered and watched the blankets on the bed move as the bruised figure turned to face him, one eye blinking open while the other remained closed having been punched yesterday and was now swollen closed. Aoshi opened up the plastic shopping bag he had brought with him and pulled out a packet of aspirin and a bottle of water and placed it on the small set of draws besides the bed. Not only that he pulled out an ice pack and searched Enishi's pig sty of a room and found a thin cloth to wrap it in before placing it over the black eye. Enishi flinched at the coldness.

"Sorry I hit you." Aoshi voiced with no emotion whatsoever and observed as Enishi sat up in the bed, hand still holding the ice pack to his eye while he fiddled with the packet of aspirin. It wasn't long before tanned hands took the box and opened it up before popping out two tablets and placed them back into Enishi's open palm.

"No you're not, but thanks anyway." Aoshi's lips quirked at Enishi's remark and he placed his elbows on his knees and lent forward while his hands cupped his face as he silently bowed his head deep in thought.

"Why are you here?" Enishi questioned not in the least bit mad at Aoshi for the black eye and split lip.

"I always remember coming to you if I had problems before, but now…"

"Now you realize you need to sort them out yourself?" Enishi finished off and watched Aoshi silently nod in affirmation.

"When I first met you, you were just a kid, a naïve stupid kid, but now you're just a stupid man." There was a low chuckle from Aoshi as he lifted his eyes to capture turquoise ones.

"Thanks…"

"I mean it Aoshi. You've got to decide now and I mean now before it's too late as to whether this line of work is really for you or not. Clearly what I said, though I'm still hazy on what it exactly was, had an extreme effect on you to do this to me."

"Did I truly turn her into a slut Enishi?" Just staring into those green-grey eyes, sometimes Enishi had to wonder whether Aoshi had truly aged in all these eyes. Certain looks would always bring him back to the young troubled boy that he had met on a dark cold night. These days Aoshi hid emotions quite well, but having known him and helped raise him for so many years meant Enishi caught several flickers in the eyes knowing the man was troubled.

"So you slept with her then?"

"Aa…"

"She enjoyed it?"

"Aa…"

"You enjoyed it?"

"Aa…"

"Has it happened again?"

"Iie, I've just pleasured her a couple of times without release myself, but last night…" Aoshi dropped off as the image of Misao's crying face struck him into silence once more.

"Because of our little chat, you got angry and wanted to forget through her right?" Enishi really could read Aoshi like an open book sometimes. He watched Aoshi cringe at his words which was enough to warrant a 'yes'. After a bout of silence, he finally spoke.

"When I first met her she looked so alone, so sad that when I stared into her eyes, her loneliness that seeped through those deep pools drew me in and for that I wanted to stay. I wanted to stay and help her realize that sadness wasn't meant for a person like her. When she asked me to join her, it was only to be with her in her penthouse so that if I made a noise or I spoke, she could forget the memory of always being alone. She never wanted sex with me, she wanted a companion. I never had that with any woman Enishi."

"You like her don't you?" Startled orbs gazed into blinking turquoise. Enishi watched as Aoshi lowered his eyes once more, staring down at the brown carpet in the room.

"I've entertained so many that even though I said I would not sleep with any woman unless I wanted to, they still continued to ask me. No matter what I did as their entertainer for that day it would always come back to 'let's have sex' and I hated that. She was the first one that didn't want me for that and she was the first one I felt I would go insane if I did not have."

"Did she give you consent?"

"Aa…"

"Did she ask about payment?" Enishi's scrutinizing eyes watched Aoshi's shoulders tense.

"Aa…"

"And your answer?" Aoshi tilted his head remembering back to when Misao had asked him in the bath the very next morning.

"That moment I will keep with me for always and no payment will ever sum up to what I felt by being with you last night."

"I see…" Enishi muttered as Aoshi never voiced an answer and only reminisced.

"So what do I do?" Aoshi finally broke the silence between them and observed as Enishi got out of bed and headed for his clothing for the day.

"That is for you to decide." There was an almost inaudible growl from Aoshi's throat which made Enishi chuckle.

"You my friend are seriously in need of a deep think within yourself. I want you to go for a walk, clear your mind of all thoughts on that little lady and seriously decide whether this life is for you. In truth you never chose it, I chose it for you so I want you to ask yourself one question. Do you think you could ever see yourself doing something other then this?"

"I'm not sure…" Aoshi honestly replied having never truly thought on the matter of ever being anything different.

"I chose this life for me Aoshi and I love it. You on the other hand never truly chose it and never truly denied it either. We are very different you and I, but you still need to think on why you are here in this place. I do it purely for fun and pleasure whereas you have made it purely business. Can you honestly say that there has been a time in your life here that you felt inclined to please a woman more then you had ever pleased one before?"

"Of course…"

"Besides the little lady you are shacked up with?" Enishi quirked his lips at Aoshi's silent response and pulled on a black shirt and tucked it into his white trousers. "Never one to be played with and never one to play another's, ah such a good kind heart indeed."

"What?" Aoshi questioned and watched as Enishi shook his head.

"Nothing Aoshi, I'm just talking to myself." Narrowed green-grey eyes moved about the room following Enishi's every move as the tall man shuffled back to the bed to sit down and place on his shoes. "What are you still doing here my friend?" Aoshi did nothing but blink at Enishi's words. "Wouldn't the little lady be worried about where you are?" He questioned him once more and watched Aoshi stand up and head for the door.

"Hey Enishi…?"

"Mm?" Enishi muttered while lacing up a boot even though his head was turned to Aoshi's direction as he stood with his hand on the doorknob.

"I am sorry." Sorry could mean a lot of things with the amount of fights and arguments these two had over the years, but because they had known each other for so long explanations on the sorry were not necessary.

"I know, now get out of here." There was the briefest of waves as Aoshi darted out of the room, down the stairs and haltered before stepping out of the main doors as he looked up into the sky. Dark clouds loomed above but that still would not stop him from heading back to where he had left a very confused and hurt Misao.

Xx Back in the Penthouse xX

A loud clad of thunder jolted Misao from her desk as she sat abruptly up in the chair having fallen asleep against her reports. Her eyes quickly roamed to the balcony door which still had the curtains drawn open as she stared up into the darkened sky and watched lightening flicker through the clouds.

"Will this bring happiness or sadness?" Misao questioned herself as hours had passed by and yet she was still alone in the penthouse. It was raining the day she had received the phone call that her Jiya had died and now, now it was raining again and Aoshi had not returned.

Not wishing to think of her dear Jiya, Misao picked up the phone to order some room service, her stomach having reminded her that she had not eaten for quite some time now. After ordering food she was told that there had been an influx of guests and a downfall in staff and was told that her meals would be 30-40 minutes away. Misao didn't mind and bid the employee a good afternoon and headed for the bathroom to freshen herself up.

Xx Half an hour later… xX

Misao was just toweling her hair dry, or trying to for the fact it was so long and thick when she heard a knock on the door and a soft voice call out 'room service'. Getting up from the floor in her most casual outfit yet, a pair of track pants and a sweater, as she headed for the front door. The penthouse had gotten a lot chiller, but only for the fact that Misao had the balcony door open. Even though the rain triggered off a terribly sad memory for her, she still loved the smell of it.

Misao partially opened the door and was surprised to see Kenshin Himura, the manager, standing at her door with a tray of food held expertly in his right hand.

"Himura-san I never knew you were…"

"Iie Makimachi-san…" Kenshin interrupted Misao's small rant as he knew exactly what she was going to say. He smiled at the messy haired business woman and continued on with explaining himself. "Because we are so under staffed with this flu going around I needed to help out for a moment. I was heading up here anyway and so I brought up your order. Also…"

"Also…?" Misao repeated with a bit of confusion before Kenshin's sweet smile increased as he placed out his left hand.

"I found this pacing outside the lobby entrance." Misao opened the door more and poked her head to turn it to the right and blinked her eyes widely up at the drenched figure standing there like a statue.

"A-Aoshi!" She stuttered in surprise and watched his green-grey eyes flicker from hers once more as he turned his head away. At the awkward silence between all three of them Kenshin cleared his throat before handing Misao the tray.

"Well I shall leave you to it then." Turning away, red hair flicking over his shoulder, the short feminine man headed back for the lifts where one was waiting to take him back to the lobby.

Still staring up at the silent man, Misao quickly placed the tray on the table near the door and reached out to the soaking Aoshi.

"I'm sorry." She froze in grabbing his hand as she heard that low whisper of an apology and felt her lips twitch lightly. Instantly her warmer hand grabbed his bitterly cold one as she dragged him into the penthouse and closed the door.

"You should go take a shower before you freeze to death." At her persistent words Aoshi did as she asked him and headed off not even noticing the smile that was slowly growing on her features.

Xx Another twenty minutes pass… xX

Misao heard the click on the bathroom door and watched a drier and more refreshed Aoshi step out and back into the lounge and living area. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a long sleeved black shirt. They sagged against his strong physique, maybe a size too big for his usual build, but even so he was still good to look at.

Misao herself had been kneeling at the coffee table as several dishes of soup, tempura, noodles and sushi sat atop it. She noticed that Aoshi's long bangs were drawn over his eyes as droplets of water fell to the towel around his shoulders.

"Come here…" She had voiced and watched as Aoshi abided to her request. Long legs brought him to the kneeling Misao as he descended to the floor and sat cross-legged in front of her but with his eyes still facing the carpet.

"You'll get sick if you don't dry your hair." Misao muttered very much in a motherly way Aoshi had never heard before and felt her hands take the towel from around his shoulders as she sat up on her knees and brushed it through his unruly drenched hair.

The silence drawled on as Aoshi had closed his eyes at the movement of Misao's hands guiding the towel through his strands of hair.

"When I was 18 my grandfather and I had the biggest argument we had ever had. I left stubbornly not forgiving his decisions of what he wanted me to do with my life, but after some time I thought it was time to grow up and take responsibility. Unfortunately I was unable to tell him sorry because a couple of days beforehand I had received a call on my mobile, which I had been ignoring at the time, telling me he had died. That night it had been raining just as hard as it is now. I hated myself for so long because I thought I had killed Jiya, but I hated the rain even more since it is still a constant reminder that he is gone. He was all I had left and when he died, I was alone." Aoshi opened his eyes as Misao had stopped brushing the towel over his hair and instead pulled it away and placed it in her lap. "I had wondered whether this rain would bring me happiness or sadness and today I'm so glad that I do not hate the rain in Tokyo because…"

"Because why?" Aoshi voiced in his deep sultry voice, eyes still on the carpet beneath him.

"You came back to me." Snapping his eyes up at Misao, Aoshi came face to face with a bright smile donning her lips even though a couple of tears were spilling from her eyes.

"Thank you Aoshi…" His eyes had widened in surprise and shock at her words and though her ocean pools were sparkling with unshed tears they had this glow of happiness flickering within them.

Aoshi leaned forward and placed his forehead against Misao's left shoulder observing as she had not stiffened at his close proximity. After his chat with Enishi and the slow walk back to the penthouse in the pouring rain he had thought long and hard on what he truly wanted to say to her, but when he gazed upon her looking so adorable and vulnerable the words were lost to him.

"If you want to, you can hold me." Misao whispered to Aoshi and her smile grew soft when she watched his arms lift up and move around her petite form as he crushed her into his now warmer body, making her sit in his lap to do so. Aoshi's eyes were still closed as he pressed his head on top of Misao's while feeling her warm breath against his neck. Misao's arms moved around his shoulders to brush her delicate fingers through his hair in a gentle loving caress. He still couldn't fathom why he was this lucky at being able to be with her like this again and instead could do the only thing he knew she would like most at this point and time.

Aoshi began to pull away, hearing a small groan of disappointment escape Misao's throat as he did so, but continued on anyway. It wasn't long before he stared down into her hypnotising orbs, his hands cupping her pretty face so she could not break from their locked gaze and then…he smiled.

Xx To be continued xX