Hello!

Oh! Before I forget – this chapter's title is from 'Nightmare Before Christmas'. It's when Boogie's boys, (is that the right term? I thought I knew the movie by heart – correct me if I'm wrong) bring in the Easter Bunny instead of Santa. Okay so there are two favorite lines. There's – "BUNNY!" that the ax head guy says and then there's the one I repeat everytime I do something wrong. The title people….look at the title

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'.

All In The Name of Cement Shoes: "We'll get it right – Next time!"

Misao's mouth remained agape as the large Italian man moved towards her, the muscles in his jaw twitching slightly with every step. She could feel tiny goosebumps trailing up her arms in rapid waves of anxiety. The man was looming over her now, a strong grip tightening around Misao's thin arm. Usually, the brave Misao would fight the person who dared to lay a finger on her, but she was frightened, truly frightened, of the man. She knew not of what he was capable of doing to her. And she didn't want to find out if the rumors of cement shoes and fish in the mail were true.

"You'd better be smart and tell me where my daughter is…" Seafoam orbs widened as the other man lifted his jacket and pulled out the silver object. Instinctively, Misao threw her arms over her head as a shield and fell to her knees.

"Don't kill me!"

"Ahem." Both the men and Misao turned their heads towards a neatly dressed masked man standing in the doorway of the main entrance.

"Pardon my intrusion Mr. Barazzi, but I was looking everywhere for – oh! There she is!" The tall man rushed to the wedding planner's side and lifted her up by her forearm. "I'm so sorry Mr. Barazzi. You see, this is my secretary. She doesn't speak much English but knows enough to get by. I asked her to stay over with Mr. Shinomori so that she could act as a translator for his foreign partners." He bowed politely and both men backed away from Misao.

"That's all you had to say Hannya. No hard feelings, okay hun?" The older man smiled gently and patted Misao's head. She gawked silently before nodding slightly. It was amazing how the man went from murderous psycho to forgiving gentleman in a matter of seconds.

"Your daughter, Natalia, is taking a day off from wedding planning to primp herself up with a refreshing day at the spa. I do not know when she will return." The Italian man that Misao had come to know as Mr. Barazzi rubbed at his chin before sighing sadly.

"I see. Natalia DOES know how to spoil a father's surprise. Just relay the message that I will be gone on business for awhile and that if she needs me, to get a hold of Joey over here." Hannya agreed and walked them out the front door.

After a few solemn moments of Misao catching up with her heart, Hannya re-entered the room. His stance was stern and Misao could feel the cold glare emanating from underneath his mask. He calmly walked towards the young woman and gazed over her terrified and confused being. Misao was just beginning to ponder his actions when a deep voice suddenly broke through the quiet barrier they had formed.

"Get out." His statement was simple but backed up with something else that Misao couldn't quite put her finger on. Pale lips parted in an effort to speak.

"I…I don't understand." She watched as the masked figure turned his back to her and began to flip through numerous papers.

"You have become a threat to not only yourself but Aoshi, as well. If those men were to find out that you are not Natalia…well I shudder to think of what they would do. So everyone's best interest is for you to leave this house and never come back." Again, Misao was speechless. How could everyone think that she was perfect for Aoshi, when in all reality she was putting him in the ultimate danger?

"NO!" Three voices echoed throughout the main hall as the same number of bodies piled out of the doorway that connected to the ballroom. Two maids rushed at Hannya as the aged butler kept a secure grip on Misao's arm.

"How could you ask our Misao to do such thing?"

"Don't you understand that she is trying to soften Master Aoshi's heart?"

"You're such a monster Hannya!"

"What if Master Aoshi likes Misao better than Natalia?"

"You'd feel REALLY bad then!" The bewildered Hannya glanced from Okon to Omasu and then back again as each hung limply from one of his arms. He had only been cornered once by the two females and it was when Hannya insisted that Aoshi try to pay more attention to his business rather than sulking around over his ex girlfriend. He had never seen two women get so emotional over something so minimal as a friend trying to help a friend. 'How can you be so insensitive to Master Aoshi's feelings?' they would yell. And ultimately, Hannya gave up and made a vow to never get involved in an argument with the two. Okina on the other hand, remained cool and continued to comfort the woman beside him with warm words of encouragement. How dare he just stand there and let me take this punishment. Men should stick together! And as if on cue, Okina held up a firm hand and silenced the two maids.

"Okon, Omasu, you have work to do upstairs." Both women opened their mouths to protest but the outburst was quieted by Okina's stern voice. "Take Misao with you. I need to talk to Hannya alone."

Misao lightly skipped up the mahogany staircase and was immediately followed by a pair of loud stomps. But before the wedding planner could even make a single step towards her bedroom, Okon and Omasu were grabbing her from behind and pulling her down into a sitting position between them on the top step to eavesdrop. They claimed that it was for Misao's sake, but the ocean eyed girl wondered if they were just plain nosey.

"Okina, you and I both know what will happen to that girl if Mr. Barazzi finds out that she is to wed Aoshi instead of Natalia."

"Hannya, I have watched you and Master Aoshi grow up together – side by side. You of all people should know how thick those walls have become since the accident, Kenshin's departure from the company, and most recently – his breakup with that lawyer woman." Hannya inhaled deeply and let out an exasperated sigh. Okina had caught him with the right hook. No matter how much Hannya wanted to deny Okina's statements, he knew that deep down, the butler was right. He could vividly recall the days that Aoshi would just sit back with a glass of champagne and entertain those closest to him. He could recall the days when Aoshi could have fun. But that Aoshi had disappeared years ago, and instead of laughing with a glass flute filled to the brim with a light champagne, he would barricade himself in his office with a bottle of thick brandy. No one would see him until the next day when he would finally unlock the door so that the maids could clean up. Hannya wished that his friend could find happiness in his life once again and it seemed that this Misao could certainly light up a room.

"I will not help her again, Okina. Remember that." Okina nodded and followed Hannya into the other room.

Upstairs, Misao sat in-between Okon and Omasu with both her arms being held hostage by the two maids. To say the least, Misao was stunned. She knew that Aoshi had just come out of a bad relationship with a top-notch American lawyer, but the news of an accident and the loss of a compatriot shocked Misao to the core. No wonder he acted so stone cold. A lot had happened to him. And now he was faced with a pre-arranged marriage.

And then there was the mysterious man who went by the name of Hannya. He had known from the get go that Misao was not Aoshi's intended bride to be and he made it impeccably clear that he would no longer help her out of another sticky situation. Misao sighed inwardly and decided that now would be the best time to have a drink.

In The Kitchen

Misao squirmed slightly in a swivel barstool as she continued to sip the mixed drink she had prepared for herself. It wasn't anything fancy just your everyday, run of the mill mixture of seven different soft drinks (get it? Mix drink? Oh, forget it…). But the high percentage of caffeine calmed her nerves for the time being. She had just downed the last drop of some unknown carbonated beverage when she felt the cold presence of the one and only Aoshi Shinomori standing behind her. She calmly set the glass down in the sink before placing herself in front of him. She almost gasped aloud as she finally took an eyeful of him.

He was tall. That was the first thing Misao noticed. The second thing was that he was extremely tall. She silently berated herself for noticing his height first, but it couldn't be helped. Call it a short person complex or something. The third thing she noticed was how unbelievably good looking the man was. For all Misao cared, the man could be filthy, sporting a five o'clock shadow, and donning a pirate's outfit – he'd still look delicious enough to eat. Come to think of it, a pirate's outfit was a pretty nifty idea. Again, Misao mentally slapped herself for her perverted thoughts. But then she noticed the odd shade of his eyes. She had almost missed them during her ogling for silken strands of dark hair covered them.

" Like what you see, Misao?" It felt as if the wedding planner's body had instantly become aflame as an embarrassing heat swarmed her body, beginning with her child like cheeks.

"I zoned out. Forgive me if my attention wasn't on you for a few seconds." The sarcasm dripped from Misao's lips like sour honey. But it wasn't harsh enough to break through the millionaire's rough exterior.

"Spare me. As much as you and I loathe this sham marriage, we must still go through the proper steps that happy couples take to make a nice wedding." Misao glared at the money maker, her mind replaying the word 'loath'. Loathe. Looooaaathe. He sounds like a snobby butler. It was enough to make the acids in her stomach swirl with anger. And then there was the word 'sham'. It made Misao's tongue twist and turn as if it burned her tastebuds. Had he no hope whatsoever? Was it a totally inconceivable idea that he could ever love someone? Misao strained to see some kind of hope in those beautiful eyes of his but found a certain annoyance. A tiny spark went out inside of her. No hope? That was no way to live. In an almost surreal replay of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', the spark was relighted and began to flicker with a new purpose. She would do more than melt that cold barrier, she would show what life could truly offer. Without knowing it, a smile started to form upon Misao's lips, taking Aoshi completely off guard. She noticed the shocked expression and placed a hand on her pajama-clad hip.

"What? Never seen a girl smile before?" The grin was still playing amongst Misao's other features. Aoshi regained his stoic composure and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Not in my presence, no. Get dressed. We have practice in one hour."

"Um…for what?" A slight twitch teased the corners of Aoshi's mouth, tempting the situation with a smile.

"Dance practice, of course."

Next chapter: let the romance begin! …!