Disclaimer: Angelic Layer is still owned by CLAMP. Always will.
Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter
In the quiet of the night, with only Mother Nature's creatures softly filling the silent void, a sleeping town stood silent and calm, its residents peacefully resting in their comfortable homes, catching the few hours before the approach of a new dawn. Apart from a few street lanterns, the moon was the sole light in the dark night. All living beings were slowly laying down to rest; even the once energetic fireflies began to tire. In that quieting stillness only a single figure could be seen strolling the empty streets.
Walking along the edge of the dark streets, Oujirou quietly hummed to himself as he continued his aimless walk through the deserted town. It was a stark difference compared to the daytime. There was always a busy and hurried atmosphere whenever he came through during the day, but at night, when the day's obligations were done, a blanket of calm descended.
Rounding a corner, he came upon a path that led to what resembled a large park. It looked like a small forest with the abundance of trees clustered closely together, but a cobbled pathway lined with tall lanterns said otherwise. The many trees made it hard to see where one path began and where the other side ended. Having walked for awhile Oujirou decided to venture in, curious as to how deep the park went and also in hopes of finding a bench to rest his legs.
The street lanterns alternated sides every fifteen feet, creating a wide circular puddle of light for travelers to see by. Passing two statues of ferocious looking dragons standing guard, Oujirou looked about him as he took in the height of the trees, the neatly trimmed grass, and the small patches of flowers springing up in various, purposely situated places. In the darkness, everything held a different tone, a calmness compared to the vibrancy of daytime. Smiling, he ventured further down the path, guided by the glowing light of the glass lanterns and the rays of moonlight falling through the gaps in the leaves of the tall trees.
***** * *****
A small girl looking no older than fourteen sat with her back against an oak tree staring at the small patches of moonlight that had managed to escape the heavy foliage of the trees. She watched the light shimmer whenever a small breeze caught itself in the leaves. Despite the despair engulfing her heart, a small smile crept its way onto her lips.
"Thank you, Otsuki-sama," she whispered, "for trying to cheer me up."
Turning her gaze away, she brought her knees towards her before wincing and letting them fall again. Glancing at her left knee she saw a little blood trickling from a patch of raw flesh rubbed clean of its skin. Her other knee was badly bruised, but her skin had held. She could feel the sting of the wound with the slightest of movements, but it was nothing compared to cuts she had gotten before. Sighing, she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the rough trunk of the Oak. Covering her eyes with her right arm, she stared into nothingness and let slow, silent tears fall from behind her closed lids.
She cried for herself, for the ache in her heart, for stupidly getting hurt again, for being so weak. She cried for so many things that her mind became numb with blame. Though her tears flowed more heavily, she refused to let a sound escape through her closed lips or her let body visibly shake. A shudder ran through her as she parted her lips to let a shaky breath escape.
Letting her arm fall, she opened her eyes to a watery vision of darkness and silver light mingling in the pools of water still clinging to her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut she let the remaining tears fall before swiping a hand across her eyes and rubbing the moisture away. Soaking up the wet trails on her face with her sleeve, she opened her stinging eyes to see a boy looking down at her with concern. Her mouth opened in surprise though no sound escaped.
"Are you all right?"
Blinking rapidly, she continued to look up at the boy in shock and embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
As if snapping out of it, the girl closed her mouth and shook her head. "Uh, no, it's okay," she replied meekly, averting her eyes as her face began to turn crimson. "I, um…I'm sorry about…er…that."
"You don't need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong."
Glancing up, she was met with a kind smile as he extended his handkerchief towards her. Gazing down at it, she took it with a thank you before looking away again.
"Can I sit next to you?"
She nodded her head but continued to avert her eyes. There was a slight rustling of clothing as he settled himself next to her. Warmth from his body tingled her left side as she felt him relax. Without knowing why, she felt a blush crawl up her cheeks.
"Much better," he sighed, turning his eyes on her. "I've been walking for a while looking for a bench, but there doesn't seem to be any." He stopped momentarily before asking, "What is your name?"
Turning her blushing face away she replied to the ground, "I-I'm Mi-misaki."
"Pleased to meet you Misaki, I'm Oujirou."
Misaki snapped her attention back to Oujirou and looked at him with wide eyes, "P-p-prince Oujirou?"
This time it was Oujirou who briefly averted his gaze. How stupid of him. He could have easily pretended to be someone else. Curse his big mouth. Letting out a resigned sigh, he nodded.
"Oh!" Misaki cried, bolting upright, her wounds crying out in protest at the sudden movement. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it was you, Your Highness, please forgive me." She hastily bowed, stopping only when Oujirou placed a hand on her arm
"It's all right," he said gently, looking into her worried eyes, "tonight, I'm just Oujirou. Don't worry about formalities. I get that enough at the palace."
Settling herself back down next to him, she clenched her hands nervously around his white handkerchief as her eyes bore into the ground before her. Her mind was in a wild panic. 'What should I do? I'm sitting with Prince Oujirou and he saw me cry! And I forgot who he was too! Oh no! What am I going to do?! ' Each thought slammed into the other until she became dizzy with worry.
Oujirou looked at the girl mentally battling with herself as she continued to stare at the ground in front of her, her features clearly displaying the state of her mind. He couldn't help but smile, letting a small chuckle escape his lips. He wondered how she would look when smiling. The sudden thought startled him, but he shrugged it off thinking it a trick of his mind after having dealt with so many distasteful girls.
"Um…Your Highness," Misaki began, mustering enough courage to face him directly, "why are you out so late?"
Thinking momentarily, he stared up at the small patch of star speckled sky peeking through the leaves before replying, "It may be for the very reason you are here."
"Oh…" turning away Misaki started fiddling with some grass blades as she thought back to that evening.
It hadn't been her fault, but that hadn't mattered to them. No matter what she did, she could not satisfy their demands to their liking. Since early that morning she had been given the usual menial chores and had done them without argument. Doing what she was told, being a personal maid to each of them, it was all in exchange for allowing her to stay in that house. By right, it was her home, but they ruled it.
That evening, after having finished serving them dinner, she had brought out chocolate pudding served in crystal bowls, when her stepsister Arisu got into an argument with Madoka. In a rage, she had gotten out of her chair so suddenly Misaki had no time to dodge. The chair hit the tray full force, sending it crashing to the floor and sending the dessert flying in every direction. Though she had apologized, she had gotten a verbal lashing and Alice became even more upset when she discovered the crystal had shattered and pudding had landed on the portrait of her and her daughters.
She rubbed her cheek unconsciously, though the sting from Alice's slap had since subsided. 'I ran away again.' Misaki let out a sigh, momentarily forgetting where she was until Oujirou's voice penetrated her thoughts.
"Are you all right?"
Misaki blushed in embarrassment, "Yes, I'm fine Your Highness."
"Please," he smiled, "call me Oujirou. There is no one out here, but you and me."
"I-I don't know if I can," Misaki replied clutching her hands around the handkerchief some more. "I am but a lowly servant and have always been taught to respect those above me. You are the crown prince. It would be rude of me to call you by your name alone."
"But, don't I have the right to allow whom I want, to call me by my given name?"
Misaki looked at him with worry and anxiety etched in her features. She looked away from him to her lap, then up at him again, before averting her eyes to the sides. Finally, she turned her attention back to him and meekly replied, "A-all right, I will…O-o-oujirou Sama."
Oujirou laughed, "I guess I'll have to suffice with that."
Misaki looked away with tinted cheeks and a look that clearly read her state of mind at having to disregard the rules of etiquette concerning his request. If Alice knew, she would die of shock alone.
Gazing up at the pieces of moon falling between the swaying leaves above, Oujirou couldn't help but be slightly fascinated with the young girl next to him. She had worried over his request rather than complying immediately after she discovered who he was. Many of the daughters earlier that evening would have gleefully called him by name had he also insisted. Doing so would have inflated their egos into thinking he favored them above the others. He would not even entertain that idea as long as they continued to be what they were.
Turning his gaze to her, he asked gently, "Why were you crying earlier?"
Her eyes met his, holding them momentarily before looking away, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her skirt. A small smile graced her lips though sadness pooled in her eyes.
"I had another disagreement with my stepmother and stepsisters," Misaki replied with a sad smile, "After all these years, I still can not understand them. No matter how hard I try to please or do what they ask, they never seem satisfied."
"Some people can't ever be pleased, even if they were to acquire the world. With those people, sometimes it's better to do nothing and leave them alone, than grant every whim."
"But if I don't do what they ask…" Misaki traveled off, thinking of the consequences. "I can't disobey. Even if I want to."
A look of concern flashed through his features, "Are you in trouble? Have they harmed you in any way?"
Misaki looked at his worried face and felt a smile crawl up her lips. Something warm filled her and she let out a little laugh. It had been a long time since someone outside her friends had been so concerned. The fact that it was the crown prince wrinkling his brow for her sake, made her feel a little happy.
Oujirou was puzzled at her reaction, but had also discovered at that moment, her wounded knees. "Oh! You are injured! I'm sorry to have not noticed earlier."
Gasping, Misaki quickly drew her knees to her chest, pulling her skirt over them. "It's nothing. They are fine."
"No, they aren't. One of them is bleeding."
"They aren't as bad as they look. They'll heal."
"Let me see," he insisted gently, "It isn't good to leave a wound unattended. It may be nothing now, but it may become something severe later."
"Well," she said hesitantly, "all right." Bringing her knees slowly back down, her skirt pulled away from them, leaving a slightly smudged trail of blood above her knee. She winced at the touch of fabric against the raw flesh, not realizing until now just how badly she had bruised them.
Kneeling down in front of her left knee, he examined it carefully, "Hand me your handkerchief. It actually doesn't look too terrible."
Misaki just nodded, handing him his own handkerchief. She had forgotten she still held it.
Taking the white handkerchief, he wrapped it around the bleeding knee a few times before tying the ends together tightly, apologizing when he felt her knee jerk from beneath his hand.
"Thank you," Misaki replied, testing the movement of her leg. She could feel the tightness of the handkerchief, but her wound didn't hurt as she gingerly stretched out her leg and brought it back down again. "It feels much better."
"It's a surface wound so it should heal very soon, but you should probably refrain from putting pressure on it. The other knee as well, it only as a small layer protecting it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
A silence fell between them, nether sure of what to say to break it. Misaki became newly interested at examining the ground, fiddling with the grass blades with such concentrated interest, one had to wonder if she though it held the answers to her many unspoken questions. Oujirou himself was at battle with his thoughts as he settled himself back against the trunk beside her.
It was strange for Oujirou to be in the company of a girl without the feelings of wanting a quick escape and solitude. Most situations involving a female usually lasted less than five minutes; most of it filled with standard formalities or the girl occupying the greater part of the conversation with her carefully rehearsed giggles and sugared comments. To be with a girl who hadn't once tried gaining his favor through insipid behavior was rather refreshing, if not a bit disarming to his reflexive defenses.
Glancing at the girl beside him, he absently wondered what was so different about her. To categorize her as he did the noblemen's daughters would be an insult. Everything about her seemed genuine. When she had let slip a little laugh earlier, it was tinged with sadness, but it held sincerity. He wondered if she ever experienced the same loneliness that he felt.
'What are you doing?' He mentally scolded himself. 'You have no right to compare yourself to her. She has probably suffered much more than you have.'
Oujirou was glad Misaki couldn't hear his thoughts as he was sure he would have made a fine hole for himself. What did he know of this girl to pry further into her life? Though she looked to be one who would willingly give the answers, what scars would he inadvertently open?
A flicker of a shadow fell across his eyes, a bit startled, Oujirou looked up. A slight wind rustled the leaves above him, winking out the light of the moon within its gentle swaying. A small sneeze turned his attention to the girl beside him.
"Are you cold?"
"Oh, no, the breeze just tickled my nose."
In reality, her skin was starting to collect a good amount of goose bumps. It wasn't overly cold, but in the early hours of morning, with dew beginning to collect on the ground and only a simple dress to protect her, it wasn't surprising she was starting to feel the effects of even the slightest breeze. She absently rubbed her arms and was startled when she felt warm material fall over her shoulders. Looking up, she was met with smiling eyes.
"It isn't good to lie, Misaki," he smiled, tightening his coat around her shoulders, his hands lingering a few seconds longer before letting go.
"B-but your highness, what about you? Won't you-"
"It certainly wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me to not offer, now would it?" He grinned, interrupting her. "And we are alone, so please call me by name."
"Oh! I'm sorry, Oujirou-sama."
He just simply smiled, turning his attention to the rays of moonlight filtering through the trees. Her attachment of formality to the end of his name grated him a little, feeling a thread of detachment from being simply recognized as just him the person and not the title of prince, always one breath away. It was no fault of hers to be unaware of his discomfort with titles. It was something no one else besides Wizard knew about.
Misaki studied the profile of the boy beside her; aware that something of a barrier had gone up behind his smiling eyes. There was an inkling in her that told her it wouldn't be right to ask, but that he would tell her when he felt ready. Something a bit close to shock shook her as she replayed that thought. Had she been hoping to meet him again? To strike up a friendship of sorts with the crown prince that consisted of him divulging his feelings to her? Had she gone absolutely mad?
Clutching his coat tighter to her, she stared at the ground, her thoughts in a jumble and her heart beating a little too fast for her liking. There was an air of comfort when she sat beside Oujirou, but there was also the awareness of their difference of class. She felt it every time she spoke his name. Etiquette prompted her to give back the coat and be on her way, but she felt herself unable to move. Something was tugging at the corner of her thoughts, a realization of sorts, but it was just a little bit out of reach.
'Maybe,' she thought, closing her eyes, 'It will be something good.'
****** REVIW PLEASE, THANK YOU. ******