All In The Name of Cement Shoes – A Hot Mess
The funny thing about loneliness is that after time, it DOES go away. You find things that fill up that empty space that love had been so greedy with. You find new hobbies and new experiences and maybe, along the way, you meet new people. Misao was no exception. She took on more wedding jobs since she had come back and met with Megumi from time to time for lunch. During her free hours, the wedding planner was busy about New York City like a frantic bee. She made it a point to discover all the hidden wonders of the great city buried deep in high society and underneath the so called slums. On a Wednesday she found a quaint little Chinese place that made the most delicious Hot and Sour soup. On a Monday, she found a wondrous library that once housed some of the greatest intellectuals in history. And it was on a Friday that Misao ran into a café that baked the most delicious homemade doughnuts her taste buds had ever witnessed. It was also at this café that Misao's life would turn upside-down once again.
She hadn't meant to spy on the man she fancied herself in love with. Her intent was focused on the giant, deep fried pastry taunting her from its station on a plain porcelain plate. But her ears couldn't help but drop in on the conversation behind her. His voice was as dark and sultry as ever as he thanked the waitress for the table. Misao crouched lower into her seat as she felt his body shuffle against her chair and she cringed as she felt the comfortable warmth flow from him. Lucky for her, she had decided to pull her long hair up into a loose bun instead of her usual, noticeable braid. She was just about to leave her waitress' tip and head out the side entrance when she heard the woman's voice inquire about the cheap interior design.
"I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to hear from you." Aoshi was the first to speak and Misao shifted slightly so she could hear well.
"Well, Aoshi, you were …are…very important to me." The wedding planner's lips thinned out into blank frown. It didn't take the millionaire very long to move on, did it? She eyed the steaming cup of coffee beside her plate and thought twice about throwing the mug over her shoulder and right into the suave business man's lap. Aoshi's voice took a sharp tone.
"So important that you broke up with me through a letter?" He was talking to Lorraine? Misao inaudibly gasped at the fact that he was sitting with a woman who should be burned at the stake of love. The woman named Lorraine shifted uneasily in her chair.
"Hannya told me you were dating a wonderful woman. What happened with that?" The mousey woman cringed at the question even though the thought of Hannya complimenting her like that made her warm with happiness. However, Misao didn't want to hear his answer. She didn't want the woman he had once been in love with to hear about how the wedding planner had sabotaged him with lie after lie EVEN THOUGH she had genuinely cared for and loved him. She chose that moment to plan her escape as the stoic man fumbled with his words behind her. Dipping down, the small woman searched for her black messenger bag. To Misao's horror, the nylon strap was caught underneath the leg of Aoshi's metal chair. She cursed under her breath and knelt down underneath the table to get a better look. The strap was positioned just right so that within a few tugs, Misao could probably pull the strap out without being noticed. She mentally debated with herself until coming to the conclusion that she was willing to chance it then hear Aoshi's reasoning for being single once again. Positioning herself on her hands and knees, the wedding planner pulled at the bag but found that it wouldn't budge without a tad bit more strength. So that's exactly what Misao did.
Now, the law of motion states as an example that if a person is in a moving vehicle and the vehicle comes to a stop, the person will keep following the same path of motion for a moment. The same law applied to Misao's body as her small frame followed the same motion of her pulling, sending her into the table. The strap was free but the loud ruckus had caused quite a few eyes to fall upon her, including the stranger known as Lorraine. The wedding planner yelped in fear and turned her back before the rich man's gaze fell on her as well. Misao's waitress ran over to her in hopes of helping her but the mousey girl was so fixated on getting out of there that she simply gathered up her things and made a mad dash for the exit.
Unfortunately, Lady Luck was incredibly amused by her and decided that it would be particularly humorous if she placed a waiter with a cup of Joe directly in the wedding planner's path. Of course, they made impact and the horrible heated beverage landed directly on Misao. The waiter frantically began to soak up the coffee with a nearby rag but by then it was too late.
"Misao?" She tried to ignore him but he was very persistent and gently tugged at her shoulder. Aoshi was standing behind her, his worried expression changing into one of surprise. She could feel the knot swelling up in her throat as she tried to push back any sign of tears. "Are you okay?" Memories of him tending to her after she fell off the horse came back at full force and she eagerly shook off his hand.
"I'm fine." She smiled at the waiter as well, thanking him for the towel. Aoshi pushed his hands into the pockets of his suit.
"How have you been? Hannya usually tells me –"
"Please…don't." He gazed down at her and crinkled his eyebrows. She sighed. Even his eyebrows were attractive. "I have tried really hard to create this little bubble that blocks out any feelings attached to you and this…this right here, what you're doing…it's messing with that bubble. And I can't afford to backtrack into that heart break again." She nodded in confirmation of her own statement and paid her tab. Nothing else needed to be said as she walked out the door.
"Who is Thomas Edison?" Sano yelled at the television in response to a question on Jeopardy as Megumi finished chopping the lettuce for their dinner salad.
"You're wrong, rooster head. It's Tesla." He gawked at her; slack jawed, and waited for the answer. Of course, the doctor was right. The couple had been together for awhile and the physician was working up the courage to ask the former hoodlum to move in with her. He had long since left the world of crime and had resolved most of the problems his father had created. He was now training to be a cop, much to a certain detective's dismay. A loud knock at the door slapped Megumi out of her stupor as she watched Sano answer. His baby sister came sprawling in, her face soaked with tears and her cheeks reddened by either the emotion or the exertion of her getting to Megumi's house in a hurry; the doctor couldn't tell.
"What the hell is wrong with you? And why do you smell like coffee?" The fox sighed at Sano's inability to talk to the female species. She calmly walked over to the wedding planner and led her over to the dining room table while inquiring about her sudden hysterics. After a few mumbled sentences full of gibberish, the female doctor managed to unfold the story of Misao's chance encounter with Aoshi.
"Wait, wait, wait – he was with Lorraine?" The impish woman nodded through sniffles. This fact didn't settle well with Megumi. Lorraine was like chum for sharks in the world of men. Sure, she sent them into a wonderful feeding frenzy, but they were probably being lured into something quite different. The medical vixen rushed into the kitchen to take the romantic meal off the fire and pulled off the red apron that hugged her curves. After a brief mentioning that she was going to head out for a bit to Sano, she hastily grabbed her keys and disappeared. Sanosuke's eyes lingered on the television until he heard the front door slam.
"Where's she headed off to?" Misao sighed and wondered how the hell he had managed to snag such a woman with such a dangerous void in his skull.
Aoshi Shinomori had just finished writing up the details for a financial plan involving a very big company when his longtime friend barged into his home office. To most men, it was the ultimate fantasy to have a woman dressed in a form fitting, little black dress complete with stilettos rush into one's office with the heat of passion etched on her features. But Megumi wasn't the business man's main taste of wine and he merely asked why he was blessed by her presence today. An angry finger pointed towards him as she recounted the day's events.
"Lorraine? How did you know…?" He trailed off as he remembered Misao being there. He was sure she knew most of the story and had deciphered that there was still a spark between he and the witchy woman.
"I forbid you to get back with her! She's evil…she's vile…she's a freaking gold digger!" Aoshi was surprised. It was very unlike the doctor to use such slang…unless she had picked it up from her new beau. He chuckled nonetheless and reclined in the expensive leather chair.
"Do you really think I'm that simple? Lorraine indeed had ulterior motives but I'm a bit smarter than I look. I quickly declined her advances." He leaned forward and clicked the 'print' button on his computer. He really didn't have the time for all this today. Without waiting for Megumi's answer, he recalled what happened after Misao had left…
After Misao had left…duh…
Aoshi stared after the wedding planner and mentally scolded himself for not begging for mercy right then and there. She had styled her hair differently and the tiny wisps of hair framed her face impeccably. She had also chosen a tight fitting skirt with a colorful blouse to accentuate her tomboy figure. Misao looked amazingly beautiful and he had to remind himself that he was still bitter of her betrayal of his trust. A feminine snicker cracked behind him and he slowly turned to face his ex.
"Aoshi, please tell me that wasn't the woman that you were thinking about marrying?" He studied her for a moment. Lorraine was gorgeous by today's definitions. She was tall and had maintained a wonderfully athletic body without losing her womanly curves. Her professionally styled blonde hair fell perfectly against her flawless skin and the strappy red dress mixed with her tight black pea coat sent every man into frenzy and yet…Aoshi was disgusted by her. In the years they had spent together he could remember significant moments where she would distastefully go out of her way to make a waitress feel stupid or demand to be treated like royalty. In all truth, Lorraine was an ugly person. It didn't matter if she had the finest makeup or the most expensive dye job; she was still horrendously ugly to Aoshi. She gently tucked her manicured hand inside the opened collar of his shirt. "I called you up because I think we made a mistake. I think you and I can still be amazing together." His stomach twisted at the thought and he could feel bile rising up in his throat.
"That woman you just insulted is ten times better than you could ever hope to be. I can only pray that one day I'll run into her again but as for us…I loathe the day I ever get another call from you. When you said we were done, I took it to heart. We're still done, Lorraine." And with that, he calmly pulled her hand from his shirt and paid the ticket without ever giving her a second glance.
Megumi could feel a migraine coming on. After all that he just spoke of, and he still hadn't picked up the phone to call Misao? He was quite the fool. Aoshi sensed the good doctor's frustration and tried to explain to her that he couldn't lead Misao on. He was still unsure of his feelings for her and the salty anger still lingered on his tongue. He didn't want to call her up and confess something he wasn't sure of.
"Well…then you're stupid AND you're an ass." Megumi turned on her heel and left Shinomori Estates.
When the fox returned to her home, Sano was in the shower. His little sister was nowhere to be found so she lightly knocked on the door. The former gangster replied that his sibling had run off in search of Kaoru. Megumi grinned devilishly at the thought of a man at the peak of his physical fitness showering in her bathroom. She slyly snuck in and laughed at her boyfriend's surprise.