Full Circle:
oo
Okon's leg was falling asleep and Omasu had the sneaking suspicion a similar fate had befallen her left arm. They had been straining their ears for a good ten minutes but not even a hint of the conversation taking place in the garden had wafted towards their eager ears. No pain no gain right?
"You think she'll say no?"
"It's Misao, of course she'll say no."
"Then why are we going to all this effort?"
"This is an important part of Misao's life; we wouldn't want to miss it now would we?"
"The fact that we're supposed to be working has nothing to do with that?"
The other residents weren't quite as desperate for a distraction. They had simply taken for granted the fact that next to death and taxes the only other constant in life was that Misao would turn down any man whose name didn't start with 'Ao' and end with 'shi'.
o
Aoshi once again found himself cornered by Okina. This time instead of staring unscrupulously at him he was talking on points that could only be described as irrelevant. Aoshi was internally wondering what repercussions would arise from simply fleeing from the old man. He could definitely outrun him. Then again, Okina would probably just continue to lecture him at a more inconvenient time.
When footsteps followed closely by another pair and Misao's voice yelling the phrase 'For the last time, I don't know why!' interrupted Okina's blathering Aoshi determined he could be of some use after all.
"What was that about?"
"You mean you don't know?"
Aoshi chose not to respond to the completely mundane exclamation.
"Watanabe Norihiko was here this morning. You know, the neighborhood boy who used to visit Misao? Well, he has grown into a fine young man and inherited his father's business. He was here to inquire to request a private audience with the girl."
Aoshi was catching on. "Marriage?"
"Yes, yes. And she politely declined." At this point Okina flashed a knowing glance in Aoshi's direction which was met with thinly masked annoyance.
o
Marriage. He had been known there would be proposals and suspecting there would be rejections.
But really, she was being ridiculous.
She had been receiving more and more proposals and rejecting all of them. Watanabe should have been different because of the history they shared. She should have accepted, instead she continued to turn down suitor after suitor, and for what?
That he was the only thing in the way of what could be a comfortable future for Misao taxed more heavily on his patience than any conversation with Okina.
She does not know what she wants. Apparently life had not yet robbed Misao of her expectations, but instead awarded her with determination.
They shared the fault, but they were stuck. He couldn't have anyone else. She, --she was determined to have no one else.
He only feared she was not fully gauging the depths of the waters in which she was about to plunge.
o
"I hear you refused Watanabe."
"Yeah, I just…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say. "Watanabe Misao just didn't flow," her attempt at humor as usual eliciting little to no response from her silent counterpart.
He paused, "Misao," his voice held a strange note and she looked up. "Would you be content with Shinomori Misao?"
"Aoshi-sama--" her expression was one of comedic bluntness, "are you proposing?"
"Aa," he said and took another sip of tea. Her face immediately shone before she leapt over the tea set to hug him.
Actually, crush him to death would be a better description; needless to his teacup was massacred during this encounter.
Aoshi studied the opposite wall during their embrace, a barely discernable smile playing on normally impassive features.
She earnestly wondered when she would see Saitoh skipping; then she would know it was a dream. Even when she turned her head slightly and saw the profile of his familiar face she was still half waiting for daylight to wake her. It wasn't until she felt hands brush the small of her back as arms found their way around her waist did she begin to grasp that this was very real.
She had always imagined what being in Aoshi's arms would be like, but no fantasy could compare to the real unassuming thing.
She was tempted to stay absolutely still in an attempt to preserve this moment when, realizing she never gave an answer she quickly exclaimed, "Yes, I'll marry y—." She suddenly froze. A wave of profound despair washed over her and Aoshi felt her whole frame tense.
"Misao?"
He felt something soak into the material at his shoulder and looked down to see Misao's tears stained face staring in another direction.
Before he could even wonder what had brought about this sudden change she rose sharply. Aoshi was surprised his first instinct was to refuse to release her.
She looked as if she wanted desperately to cease speaking, as if the words she was about to say were coming of their own accord. Her tone was almost confrontational in its desire to control the emotion buried there.
She said through gritted teeth, "Aoshi-s-s-ama. I-I-I'm s-sorry--," and then unable to suppress it any longer she choked out, "I can't marry you!"
Aoshi blinked but was otherwise silent while she held her fists clenched at her sides and recovered.
"I'm sorry," she whispered before running out of the room.
Aoshi sat unearthly still, eyes following the journey of the last dregs of tea as they slowly dripped off the shards of broken china.
o
A/N:
Please R&R, It's official- along with snorting and head blows from blunt objects, NOT REVIEWING destroys brain cells. They've done studies in Sweden.
Sano: You know, forging medical information is federal offense.
So is tresspassing
Next time: Sano pays the clinic a visit, enlists the help of an unlikely ally, and realizes that sometimes a little foresight really is necessary. Foresight and personal space.