Author's Note: Gyah.

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Chapter 2: Domestic Dysfunction

Misao was utterly content underneath the soft down comforter of her new queen sized bed as she rolled to her side, snoring softly as she buried her head further into the soft pillow. She was so comfortable, so blissfully slumbering...

"Misao......Misao!" Aoshi's voice called out buzzingly through the intercom on the wall.

Cracking one sleepy ocean blue eye open, Misao looked at the clock next to her bed.

9:13 am.

Grumpily, she sat up and threw the covers off, marching over to her door and yanking it open, she stomped down the hall to his room and burst in without knocking to see Aoshi sitting up on his bed, laptop in his lap as he looked up and glared at her.

"It's past 8:30 am and you should have been up by then." he said cooly.

"What?! It's SUNDAY! The day for sleeping in! I get up at 7 am like everyday to help you get your ass to the office and make it JUST in time for classes, then I come back home to get things set for you and take care of you and maybe just maybe get some time to study but making me get up early on Sunday? It. Is. Not. HAPPENING!"

Aoshi closed his eyes, sighed, and opened them.

"Are you quite finished?" he asked.

She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"Yes."

"Good." he murmured, taking her attire from behind his thin rimmed glasses. She was wearing pajama pants that had drawstrings and a light grey tank top with one strap drooping slightly over her shoulder. Her long hair was down and slightly disheveled.

For a brief moment he thought her both adorable and attractive, but the moment was fleeting as his mind settled back into business.

It was almost a routine that had settled in the three weeks she had been employed by him. He would assign her tasks and she would do them.

"I need my medication and the red folder on my desk in the study."

"Fine, want juice or tea?"

"Tea."

"Okay."

Misao bounced out of the room and Aoshi sighed. She was unpredictable really. Moments later she came back in and set his tea on the night stand next to him and plopped down next to him on the bed, handing him his folder.

Some women jumped into their boss' bed for sex. Misao was just being Misao. Like a kitten.

"What are you working on boss?"

"Data for a merger with Hattori Steel."

"Ah.. Sounds...boring."

He merely glared at her and she glared back, giving him a 'do you think that bothers me?' kind of look.

He took his glasses off and set them down.

"Was there something you wanted, Misao?" he asked flatly, wondering why she was hanging around for no apparent reason.

"No, I just though perhaps you'd like company."

"I have work to do and prefer to be alone when I do it."

Misao grumbled and hopped off the bed, hands on hips.

"You are like the most anti-social grumpy-pants I've ever met. Sheesh! Most men would be thrilled to have a gorgeous gal like me next to them in bed."

He merely shot her a look and her head fell as she made a 'che' noise.

"I'm taking a bath, a loooooooong one, so try not to need anything for an hour." she declared, stomping out of the room.

"You're my employee, Misao. If I need something, you will attend to it."

"Oh what? Naked?"

"If need be."

Misao shot him a deadpan look.

"That's sexual harassment Aoshi-saama!!!"

Aoshi shook his head.

"Misao, go take your bath."

She pouted and stomped out, and Aoshi felt a tug at his lips as a small smile graced his normally stony features.

A rarity indeed.

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"Mou! What a total grump. Honestly!" Misao huffed, leaning back against the large tub filled with water and green apple scented bubbles and bath salts. Her long hair was piled up and held up by a small brown clip as she closed her eyes a sighed. She rubbed her tired eyes and attempted to relax and not let her thoughts dwell on her surly, although disturbingly good looking, employer.

She cracked one eye open and looked at the thick romance novel laying on the small counter the tub was attached to. She wanted to read it, but didn't really want to think about romance, sexual attraction, blah blah at the moment.

Just then, she heard a loud thump and stood up quickly in panic.

"Aoshi-sama!!"

Dashing and covering herself with a towel, she ran to his room and collided with something which sent her and said something falling to the floor.

Dazed, she opened her eyes to see Aoshi somewhat pinned beneath her looking equally dazed.

"A..Aoshi-sama?!"

"Misao.." he said in a low voice, noticing the apparent fact that she was on top of him and also only covered by a towel.

"Are you alright? I heard this loud thud so I was worried and ran as quickly as I could!"

"Yes, that would be my crutches falling to the floor."

"...oh..."

"Misao?"

"Yes?"

"Get off."

Misao's face quickly reddened as she rolled off of him and sat, laughing nervously.

"Sorry!"

Aoshi sat up, wincing at the pain in his knees.

"It's fine. Help me back to bed."

Misao nodded and helped Aoshi to his feet as they slowly made their way to his large bed, where she helped him sit.

"Are your legs hurting you that much?" she asked, her voice full of concern that it made Aoshi feel...something he could not remember feeling.

He merely looked away for a moment, making Misao cluck her tongue.

"Stop being stubborn Aoshi-sama! Would you like a heating pad or something?"

He merely sighed and nodded. A heating pad would probably help his discomfort and it would get Misao to stop nagging.

"Aa, and please...dress yourself."

Misao looked down, and her entire skin flushed a lovely shade of pink as she darted out of the room as quickly as she tended to breeze in.

"She is like a breeze." he murmured to himself, setting his laptop aside as he waited for her to return.

Five minutes later and now dressed, obviously hurried, in a yellow sun-dress Misao returned with the heating pad. She had put her hair in a loose ponytail and was tucking her bangs behind her ears as she walked towards him.

"I realize this will probably intrude with your quote/unquote busy work schedule but really Aoshi-sama, Sundays were invented for relaxing! Haven't you ever just slept in or taken the time to stop and smell the roses? Working yourself too much can't be too good for your recovery."

"Misao, I do not run a company just to sleep in. I like my work as you like talking at incredible speeds."

"So I talk fast. Just means I get out more information than most people are able to."

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"That is a clever reply."

Misao smiled and set the heating pad on medium heat and rested it across his knees.

"I've always been clever. You'll figure that out soon enough. You haven't seen enough of my personality yet."

"Should I be scared?"

Misao blinked and looked at him, her face serious.

"Aoshi-sama, I think that there's very few things in this world you're scared of. I am definitely not one of them."

He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Let me finish my work Misao."

She nodded and left him alone to do his work, and oddly enough he suddenly missed her presence.

And so he found himself working harder and finishing earlier than he assumed.

And was entirely unaware when he fell asleep after finishing, having dozed off.

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"Yes Jiya, things are going okay so far." Misao said into the phone as she paced around the kitchen now dressed in jeans and a yellow tee-shirt with black three-quarter sleeves. As she paced she nibbled on an onion bagel.

"No Jiya he's not a creepy perv. That's you.....no he's not trying anything funny....JIYA!!!!!!!! EW! If you keep that up I'm telling Okon and Omasu to deny you sake for a week!!!"

As her none-too quiet conversation echoed through the room, Aoshi came slowly limping into the room dressed in Dockers and a button up grey shirt, yawning as he watched her pacing on the phone.

"JIIIIYAAAAA?!! Goodbye!"

Clicking the phone off and setting it roughly down on the counter, she bit fiercely into the bagel and growled.

"An angry bee this morning, Misao?"

She jumped startled and turned to face him, setting her bagel down.

"Aoshi-sama! You scared me!"

"Obviously." he murmured as he sat down at one of the stools on the kitchen island.

"Sorry if I was loud, I was talking to my grandfather. He worries."

"Yes, he worries I'm a creepy perv as you put it."

She blushed at his words and laughed nervously as she sat across from him and continued eating her bagel.

Aoshi had to admit that his uncharacteristic teasing of his young employee was....rather fun. She was squirming slightly on the stool as she finally finished the bagel and quickly hopped off the stool and started to make a dash to the living room.

"I'll be watching TV if you need me!" she yelled and he merely grunted an 'Aa' in response as he watched her exit the kitchen.

Grabbing the newspaper, he began reading but oddly after a while it was...boring to him. Setting the paper down, he grabbed the cane that was resting on the side of the kitchen island and slowly walked into the living room where Misao was sprawled on the couch watching some drama. Shaking his head at her he sat down next to her startled slightly.

"Aoshi-sama, wha?"

"I want to watch TV. This is my house. Is there a problem?"

"N..No."

"Excellent. What are we watching?"

"Um, Boyhunt."

"I see."

And so in a somewhat comfortable silence they watched the quirky show together as Misao wondered what Aoshi was thinking and Aoshi merely wondered why he wanted to watch TV with her.

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I know it's short...but.... well there's a good reason and if you look right over there..... ::runs off in other direction::