- Chapter 4: -

Misao's POV:

FLASHBACK:

So, when Aoshi walked right past her room, Misao was ready to scream in agitation. However, when Misao saw where he was heading, her heart began to pound with anticipation of what this could mean. Thoughts raced in her mind; why is he taking me to his room? I get to see his room! Will something happen to cause us to end up together? Oh, I hope!

END OF FLASHBACK:

Misao did not have to look at Aoshi to know he would be watching her intently, waiting for her blush to betray her thoughts. She often catches his weirdly intense stares as of late. It seems the more she locks eyes with his icy blues, the deeper he stares at her.

In her desperation to figure out why he stares so much, she turned to the other members of the Aoiya staff. When she asks, Misao leaves them more frustrated and confused, for they would not tell her. Omasu or Okon would look at her with a mix of humor and anticipation. It was as if the girls were waiting for Misao to figure it out on her own, which frustrated her to no end. She would not come to the only confidants she knew if she knew the answer.

Hell! Misao had even traveled to see Kaoru, gain her insight, and look how well that turned out. Crippled with pain and no closer to what Aoshi's looks could mean, Misao had no one left to turn to for advice. Well, she had Jiya, but Misao would never dare tell him about her feelings again after their last conversation concerning their introverted and cold ex-leader.

Misao never used to get confused about what Aoshi was thinking, seeing as when she was a child, she had known him so well. However, after the Kyoto incident, it was hard to discern who Aoshi was inside and if he was still the Aoshi she once knew so well.

She feels hopeless every time she catches his eyes, and Misao wonders when Aoshi will find his courage and do something! This waiting game is churning at Misao's insides. She gets so shy and confused around him now that she has gone to avoiding taking tea to him at the temple.

But presently, all Misao could think about was, He's so warm and smells like incense and green tea.

Misao could instantly feel herself relaxing further into his broad chest, and with her heart and stomach fluttering, they entered his room at the end of the hall, secluded from everyone.

It was his OWN damn fault for causing such feelings in her because he just HAD to change their destination to his room, a room she'd never seen.

As she expected it to be, his room was clean and unadorned with anything personal to Aoshi except his double kodachi hung on the left wall. Aoshi's room was almost like his person, cold and unfeeling.

If Misao could snag Aoshi's heart, she'd melt it and color his life and, in turn, add some personality to his God-awful room.

Gently, he set her down on her two feet while he worked on getting his tatami mat and mattress set up. Misao understood that he wanted her to stay where she was standing, without him needing to say anything. So while he worked, she fiddled with her fingers awkwardly and looked anywhere but directly at him.

He just had to know that she was out of her element with him treating her so gently and carefully and that she was suspicious of his sudden change in attitude towards her.

Therefore the awkwardness was getting too much to bear for the injured and weary Misao, causing her only to want to crawl into her mattress and avoid the steadily more forward Aoshi.

However, Misao's body was perfectly content to stay in his arms and cried in disappointment from him putting her down just seconds before.

She must have zoned out too much for in the next second, Misao got swept off her feet, and she had to catch the scream that threatened to release. It was only Aoshi picking her up to take her to the comfy-looking mattress on the floor, so there was no reason for her to be so jumpy. Regardless, Misao's every breath shoots lightning bolts of pain through her body, she's been in love with this man for many years, and he's suddenly taking care of her, so she's seconds away from begging Aoshi to take her to her room and to leave her be.

What she expects him to do is to tuck her into his bed and for him to lean against the wall nearest the bed. However, he lays down right next to her and tucks her into his body. Maybe it was his arms wrapped around her or that he tucked her so closely into his body so that she was pressed gently but securely to his chest, but Misao's pain became erased from her mind. All she could think about was how comfortable she was in his arms as she drifted to sleep…

- Next Morning: -

Waking up in her Aoshi-sama's arms felt like a dream-come-true for Misao. Misao wondered what changed to make him so caring, but the change seemed almost similar to a light switching on and off; it was so sudden.

Misao didn't dare move, for if she did, she would surely wake him. His face in sleep was soft, with a slight opening of his lips with every breath he took. Misao could feel every last bit of her heart transferring to this man's unknowing hands. This soft feeling of love was surely what bliss felt like, and Misao felt drunk off of it.

Oh, if they remained separate after what happened last night, she'd kill him. There's no way he could tease her like this and change his mind to go back to being stoic Aoshi and confused Misao.

Last night, if getting under the covers with her meant what she thought it did, then he was declaring to her where she now stood in his life. Essentially, he was beginning a new chapter, and she was a major component of that 'new chapter.'

- End of Chapter 4: Author's Note: -

I hope you liked this short chapter. This chapter will only be a filler chapter, as the real meat will be in the next chapter. I wanted to provide you guys with something, at least.

Many thanks,

-Ami