All In The Name Of Cement Shoes – Not That I'm Counting, Or Anything
It had been two weeks, three days, seventeen hours, and thirty three minutes since Aoshi had walked out of Misao's life. When Sano had taken her to the hospital and the poor wedding planner had cried within an inch of her life until Megumi had calmed her down long enough to explain that Aoshi was just a stubborn fool and he would come around eventually. Misao sniffled and sucked down the hot coffee that the doctor had offered her. As if on cue, Aoshi burst through the heavy door, almost knocking down his long time friend. He hardly looked at his once intended bride. Megumi excused herself and met the millionaire outside in the hallway. The mousy girl crouched beside the door so that she could the conversation a bit.
"Is she okay?" Megumi rolled her smoky eyes and tapped her heel against the tile. She didn't have time for all of this.
"She's a little shaken up but I think she'll make it. Of course, I don't know what she's more shaken up over – the gangsters, or you potentially leaving her." Aoshi stood his ground and leaned up against the off white wall.
"Megumi…I know you're a little biased since you're dating that brute of a man she's related to, but the fact remains that she lied to me." The medicine woman clicked her tongue at the man she dared to call a friend as she listed the women he had screwed over in the past. Not a single one of them held his lies against him. What made him so high and mighty all of the sudden? "This isn't as simple as canceling a date or faking sick so that you don't have to go on vacation with someone."
"That girl…the one you canceled the date on? She convinced herself that you had cheated and didn't trust another man for two years. Her name was Kate, in case you forgot. And the one that you feigned a sickness with? She cried for a whole month because she spent half of her savings to impress you with that trip! And her name was Bethany! Geez! You act like every woman in this world is like what's her name and you don't even consider the fact that you've been a royal asshole!" Megumi turned to go back into Misao's room. Aoshi didn't move from his spot on the wall.
"Megumi, how did you know all those things about those women?" She sighed as the weight of the world fell from her shoulders.
"Aoshi, you forget that you would pawn them off on me when you didn't want to be with them. I made a few friends along the way. I was Kate's maid of honor at her wedding a month ago. And as for Bethany…well, she needed a reference for a therapist so I gladly gave her the name of one of my exes. He paid for their entire vacation."
When Megumi questioned whether or not Misao would chase after the millionaire, she simply shook her head. She had said everything she needed to say in the face of death. If Aoshi didn't want anything to do with her, well, she couldn't exactly force him. She finished off the last hot drop of caffeine and tossed the Styrofoam cup into a nearby trashcan. When she opened the door, he was still standing there. But he made no movement to follow the wedding planner and Misao was almost thankful. Looking at him in his wrinkled and wet dress shirt, she could clearly see the impeccable muscles underneath the thin fabric. His distressed slacks and disheveled hair only added to the downright sexy aura of the man. If he had followed her, then she couldn't be held responsible for her actions.
There was no blinking light on her answering machine that held the morose voice of her wonderfully dark Aoshi. There was no letter with words of adoration and love. There were no roses wilting at her door step when she unlocked the door. There was nothing. So, Misao opted for a hot shower and plopped herself on the tiny loveseat just large enough for her tiny frame. She stayed there all night.
At about three o'clock the next afternoon a cop delivered her car and asked for her signature. Everything was still intact except for the Snapple, which had long been consumed by the nightmarish woman. The woman, however, was in police custody with a long line of felonies. The cop, of course, wouldn't go into detail but Misao would have to identify her car thief by the end of the month in a police lineup. Shrugging, the short woman tossed her braid over her shoulder and signed the needed papers. Time seemed to drag on and every so often Kaoru or Sano would check in on her to make sure she was at least eating. The pile of ice cream cartons in the trash can said she was indeed, consuming food. It had been two weeks, three days, seventeen hours, and thirty three minutes since Aoshi had walked out of Misao's life. But she wasn't counting.
Sano leaned against the bright red Corvette that he had spotted Megumi in the week he had met her. She came out of the hospital looking refreshed and revitalized from a hard day's work. He always noticed that she appeared happier after working her normal office hours and she had once confided in him that she preferred the familiar faces of her patients than the frantic faces of their loved ones awaiting news in the emergency room. She smiled at him as she clicked across the pavement. She was wearing black stilettos today and easily reached Sano's height – minus the rooster hair.
"Spanky buns!" She rolled her eyes as he smacked her right on the rear. It had taken some getting used to, but she was finding Sanosuke irresistible. No other man could slap her butt and make her feel utterly charmed like he could. In an attempt to mock an apology, he pulled a single white daisy from his jacket. Megumi planted a chaste kiss on his cheek as she received the present and bowed as her new beau opened the door for her.
"Oh! I almost forgot! We're not taking your car today." Megumi shifted against the leather seat as she reapplied her lipstick in the rear view mirror.
"We're not?" Sano pulled away from the vehicle and disappeared behind a large SUV. The loud grunt of a fierce engine made the doctor's insides melt. The rooster headed hoodlum came out from behind the shadows of the SUV driving a piece of work on two wheels. The motorcycle rumbled next to Megumi, sending shivers down her spine.
"What do you say, fox? Wanna take a ride on the wild side?" It was against everything she believed in and had considered immoral. He was in a completely different playing field when it came to her safe circle. But he was hers. Hiking her crimson skirt up a bit, she straddled the seat and wrapped her arms around the criminal's lean torso. After a heart's beat, they were off with Megumi laughing in blissful happiness.
Misao stirred her chai tea as Kaoru continued on about her new relationship. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her dear friend but it's incredibly hard to share in a delicious treat when one has no feeling left. She tapped lightly on the linen table cloth and thought about the moments she had shared with a handsome stranger not too long ago. After the two women ordered their meals Misao heard the low voice of a man she had grown quite fond of. She sat up from her chair and stretched to scan all the faces until the ornate mask filled her line of sight. Without a moment's hesitation, the wedding planner barreled over to her friend and hugged him until he grunted a tight breath.
"How is everyone? Is Okina staying out of trouble? What about Okon and Omasu?" Hannya gently pushed the eager girl back on her heels before clearing his throat. "Oh! Of course, my apologies. How are you, Hannya?" If felt absolutely wonderful to finally see someone who had been close to Aoshi. The masked man motioned towards the chair on the other side of the table and the wedding planner was more than happy to take a seat. She waved at Kaoru to come over as well with another chair and soon the trio was diving into a deep conversation about the events that had unfolded between them. Hannya quietly chided the young woman with details from the abduction and joked that Misao probably could've talked them to death if she had been given the chance. Before too long, the subject of the handsome millionaire was brought up and the braided beauty twitched nervously in her chair. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk about him, she just didn't know how to go about it with his best friend sitting right there in front of her! Hannya, however, was a patient man and sensed the woman's uneasiness.
"Misao, for what it's worth, I don't think he entirely fair about that situation." He watched her ocean colored orbs dart up to meet his hidden gaze. "That's not to say," he continued, "that you weren't in the wrong. What were you going to do with the money given to you?" The young woman could feel the warm tears trickling down her cheeks.
"There's a house…over on the outskirts of Albany. It's a cute little two bedroom cottage nestled in the country. In the spring, the garden in front flourishes with all kinds of flowers and there's a giant willow tree in front that keeps the yard cool during the hotter temperatures. And in the fall, there's a whole bunch of apple trees in the back yard. The house itself isn't much to look at but I'm quite the handy person. I was hoping to fix it up a little." She knew that behind the mask, Hannya's jaw had dropped. Of all the things, in the entire world, and the girl wanted a little country house? Her head lowered as the tears ran down more freely. "But after I got to know him…after I got close to him…I still wanted my little cottage. But I wanted him in it." That was all she could take. She politely excused herself from the table and rushed out of the restaurant.