Snow Wand Wishes

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Written for: LJ rkchallenge & Shinobi Love January Challenge
"Take that back you ugly duck!"

Aoshi lifted his head at the comment drifting through the walls. While it wasn't uncommon for Misao to be worked up, she wasn't in the habit of hurling insults in the middle of the day… Or, he hadn't thought she was.

There was a scoff and the sound was young and male. Probably Yahiko, Aoshi thought as he directed his gaze back to the table where his book was sitting. They sounded as if they were just beyond the wall. Why were they outside in all that snow?

"I'm not taking back anything, you ugly hag! But you can come over here and try to make me!"

Definitely Yahiko.

The "Tokyo group" as he'd taken to calling them in his head had come for a visit. An ill-timed one in his estimation but no one had asked his opinion and so he remained silent about it. There was no less than three feet of snow on the ground outside after a storm had come upon them the previous evening.

He turned his gaze toward the window when he heard a dull 'thunk'. Very likely a snowball fight between the two youths, he didn't need to get up for that. He didn't recall having any in his own childhood. Misao was of the opinion that he had been born an adult. Lately, she would sidle up very close at his side and poke him in the cheek with her index finger while saying it. He'd turn a glare upon her and she'd slink away grinning at him. She'd grown up into a bit of an odd girl.

He sniffed and reached for his ginger tea.

The shouting abruptly stopped and a bunch of screams and "oofs" and various other noises ensued. No doubt the snowball fight was in full swing. He turned back to his book and blocked it all out.

"Yahiko! You're practically frozen! Why'd you stay outside so long?"

Aoshi looked up again. How long had it been? Kaoru was certainly shouting loud enough, had the woman no manners? He turned back to his text irritably.

"Where's Misao? Is she still outside?"

"Yeah and I'm glad. I couldn't take one more second of her blathering anyway."

"What's she doing out there?"

"Something stupid. Something about 'snow wands'. I stopped listening."

Abruptly, Aoshi stood. He hated the snow. He hated the fact that they had houseguests and that they had snow. If he'd wanted neither no one would've cared and that only seemed to irritate him a little bit more. Furthermore, Misao, one week previous had given him a cold.

In a completely drunken stupor she had floated into his room, twisted her hands in his yukata and pressed a long, lingering, slobbery kiss to his lips and infected him. He'd been miserable all week.

Annoyed and frustrated, he left his precious study room. He abandoned the warmth of his favorite space and headed to the back door where he slipped on his shoes. Only she could lead him into the snow and the fact that she knew he hated it only served to spike his irritation. Pulling open the door, he stepped out ignoring the curious voice behind him that called his name. He snapped the door closed. He didn't want to talk to Kaoru, his temples were throbbing.

He didn't step out the door into the peaceful aftermath of a snowstorm. He stepped into a fully recharged whim of nature. A fair wind was gusting from the north kicking up the loose powdery snow and hurling it at his face. Ahead of him he saw her. She was on her knees in the snow. She was probably half frozen. He approached her and peered down.

She was drawing in the snow. She had dug a huge star shape into the snowy ground like an empty moat. Indiscreetly, he sneezed and she tilted her head back at him and then immediately stood.

"Ah! Aoshi-sama!"

He was unprepared for her to throw her arms around him excitedly as she did. To keep her feet on the ground and off of him should she decide to hurl herself at him bodily, he leaned down and forward. Her breath was warm against his face.

"I'm sorry, Aoshi-sama, I know it's been a bad week for you. I'm really sorry I gave you my cold."

Her repentance was unexpected. She'd been bouncing around him blithely giving him no indication at all that she remembered what had transpired between them. Unexpectedly, he felt his tension ease as he realized he was no longer forced to carry the secret of their kiss alone. As all his muscles seemed to uncoil and his frustration fade, he wondered, had he truly been so worked up over it?

He relaxed and kneeled down, one knee into the snow.

"It's a snow wand!" she exclaimed. "Have you heard of them?"

"No. What is it for?"

"Good luck. I read in a book that if you make one of these giant star symbols in the snow and that night a shooting star passes over head your greatest wish will come true."

He cast her a skeptical glance. Surely, she didn't believe that? Standing, he snatched her by the wrist, pulling her up into his arms as he walked back to the house. Where she came up with such ridiculous notions was beyond him. He was of the mind that she made them up to see what he'd say as part of her "make Aoshi-sama smile" campaign. While it proved to be occasionally amusing, he was much often left to pondering exactly how she came up with such silly, silly notions.

Snow wands, of all the complete absurdity. His head ached, his nose was running, his intermittent sneezing make his chest hurt and the cough was going to kill him for sure. His throat even felt scratchy. He slipped his shoes off in relief when they finally got inside. His hands and nose were cold and so were his toes. His entire face was cold. He spared Misao a brief glance as he set her feet to the floor.

"Go change your clothes," he ordered curtly.

Kaoru, standing just a few feet away watched silently. Misao greeted her absently on the way by and Aoshi followed her ignoring the other woman entirely. When were they leaving?

He followed Misao up the stairs and ducked into his own room. Kneeling in the snow, what had he been thinking? With quick and nondescript efficiency, he stripped and pulled on his uniform finding it to be far warmer than his previous attire. Just as he was cupping his palm to one of his ears in an attempt to warm it, he heard a soft knock at the door.

"Come in," he called.

He expected Misao and she didn't disappoint. No one else came to his door but her. She stepped inside with noticeable hesitance and slid the door closed behind her. He wondered briefly if that was significant. It wasn't as if she was drunk presently, so he expected she would keep her hands, her lips, and most definitely her colds to herself, if it already hadn't been too late for the last one.

Her smile was watery, however, and not the confident one he normally saw. She took a deep breath and walked toward his window peering outside.

"Ah ha!"

He was surprised by the sudden exclamation and moved to stand behind her peering over her head. Thinking she had made only one design in the snow, he was surprised to see many decorating the back yard. A flattened trail where she'd walked connected the stars carved into the snow. Each had a dot in the center where she'd stood to draw them. It was amusing that with the size of the stars she hadn't lost her balance and toppled over entirely.

"They look like star wands, don't they?" she murmured, leaning her elbows on the sill.

"Do you have a wish?" he asked wondering where, if anywhere, this oddity was leading. Despite her silliness, Misao usually did manage to have a point somewhere. He had simply gotten used to searching for it. Sometimes it was hard, if not impossible, to find.

There was a partial reflection of her in the glass and he was disappointed to see her smile had turned melancholy. Her joy over the snow had been lost somewhere between his going outside to get her and subsequently returning her to the house. Had he taken that joy away from her?

"Not really, I believe some things are beyond the power of wishes."

Did she mean him? Was it arrogant of him to think so?

"Well, besides coming over here to want to you show you my design in the snow, I wanted to say I was sorry. For last week, I mean. The barging into your room and wrinkling your clothes and 'assaulting' you and giving you my cold, too."

"Assaulting me?" he asked.

The intonation of the word suggested to him that someone had reprimanded her for her behavior toward him.

She turned to face him and he wasn't disappointed as she answered. The sad expression on her face had vanished beneath a veil of indignation. "Stupid Omasu," she snapped. "Telling me I barged in here and 'assaulted' you. We got into a big argument over what 'assault' was… Like I could actually make you do anything you didn't want to do but then she said women used guilt and that made no sense at all. Then she started yelling at me for being a horrible drunk! I wasn't drunk at all, I was just… tipsy."

What?

"Misao," he started and then paused. "I have no tolerance for alcohol."

"I know, but you weren't the drunk one. I saw Jiya give you that one glass at our New Year's party. You passed out cold. I yelled at him all night for that, I had such plans!" she whined.

Sometimes, when she said things like that, she scared him. She was wild, completely unpredictable. He likened her to explosives, usually they exploded, but sometimes they didn't, but one wouldn't know until they were lit and tossed.

Wanting to emphasize his point and secure her complete attention he reached out and touched his fingers to her jaw. Her attention immediately snapped toward him. His touch always centered her attention on him, it never failed.

"It is not good for a young woman to give herself over to drunkenness. Mistakes you may make while you're intoxicated cannot be taken back."

Her expression flickered as if she was pained by the comment. What if it hadn't been his room? What if it had been someone else's? What if she hadn't been safe at home?

"You're old enough to understand moderation, Misao. Don't overdo it."

She nodded at him, her expression serious and firm. He felt he'd succeeded and hoped, outside of holiday occasions, not to see her in such an inebriated state again.

He let his fingers fall from her jaw line and she blinked. "Well then, I'm going to go find Yahiko. He still has to pay for that ugly monkey remark he made before he came inside."

She stepped past him and he didn't stop her from going. With her at the door, however, he faltered. He couldn't just let her go.

"Misao."

"Hmm?" she turned back, her fingers resting on the door, her face serenely blank.

"The next time we share a kiss, I want to taste only you."

For a long moment, they stared at one another and Misao remained stonily quiet. Suddenly, she blinked and her cheeks flushed prettily, her lips curving.

"Okay, Aoshi-sama, but remember saying that, that's as good as an invitation to 'assault' you." The curve in her lips deepened and she pulled open the door and slipped out.

He wondered how long she would last before throwing herself at him again. Misao was like explosives, he reminded himself. Usually, she exploded, but sometimes… sometimes she didn't. It wouldn't be long, he was sure, until she did again and he had his arms full of her and he rather looked forward to it.

He turned toward the window and stared down at the stars in the snow. One day he'd even tell her how good alcohol tasted from her lips.

AN: Goodbye January. Unfortunately, I was not gifted with a massive, sprawling snowstorm. There's always next year.