Disclaimer: (this is just too depressing) I don't own Yugioh, Rurouni Kenshin, Record of the Lodoss War, Stargate SG-1, Robotech, Dragonlance, D&D, etc, etc…it just goes on and on and on and on…
Author note: A series of slashes (i.e./) signifies flashbacks
Chapter 2: A trip down memory lane…
"Did you know I have known Yugi Mutou since he was two years old?" Aoshi asked Seto.
"No! I didn't!" Seto responded surprised as he placed the first stone on the board.
"His father was the person who taught me how to play Go. I must confess I have not played since I worked at the Game shop" he commented as he placed his first stone.
"You worked at the Kame Game Shop?" Seto asked, taken aback.
"Yes. When I was in high school," he answered simply.
"I never would've imagined it!" Seto commented in disbelief as he took his turn.
"Neither would I, but if I had not I would have probably joined a gang and come to a bad end." He explained. The touch of sorrow in his voice didn't escape Seto's notice.
"So, how did you end up working there?" Seto inquired, unable to restrain his curiosity. Aoshi smiled sadly and placed another stone on the board.
"My father and I were constantly at odds. I got kicked out of several boarding schools until none would take me no matter how much money my father offered, so I finally ended up in Domino's public school system and my father hated that. So we argued often and whenever we quarreled I would leave the house and wander the streets for hours, occasionally getting into fights," he began gravely.
"Wow!" Seto replied. Aoshi didn't miss the slight touch of admiration in his tone.
"One day after another fight with my father, I went wandering and as I passed the Game shop, Yugi came running out laughing and screaming. His father came chasing after him trying not to laugh as he tried to order the little boy to stop. I don't know why, but I stepped in and caught Yugi as he came towards me. Tak stopped …"
"Tak?" Seto interrupted
"That is how we addressed Yugi's father, Takeshi." Aoshi clarified as he continued, "Tak stopped right in front of me, trying to catch his breath, unable to keep from smiling he tried to scold Yugi for running out of the shop, but it was not working very well. He introduced himself and thanked me for catching his son and then he invited me back into his shop." He smiled sadly at the memory. Tak's youthful smile and the way he and Yugi had readily accepted him as he was, making light of how serious Aoshi was for someone who was barely thirteen years old at the time.
"I am not sure to this day why I went in, but I will always be grateful that I did," Aoshi stated with great conviction. Seto nodded, his own life had also been altered drastically by a visit to the Kame Game Shop. He had learned the hard way that the Mutou family should never be underestimated.
Seto leaned forward listening intently to Aoshi recount his days with Tak as he evolved from being his somewhat reluctant apprentice to a good friend and trusted employee. Finally, he asked, "So what happened to Tak?"
"You don't know?" Aoshi asked puzzled that Seto wouldn't know that kind of information about his rival and his family. Seto shook his head.
"I only have a vague idea…" he responded.
Aoshi sighed heavily, he had no desire to relive those painful memories, but he wanted to reach out to Seto and the boy's interest just might give him an opening. As long as he continued to show interest there was hope that the damage done by Gozaburo could be repaired.
"Then I will tell you," he stated as the memories rushed into his mind…
/
Eleven years ago…
Aoshi hurried down the sidewalk to the Kame Game shop, a small smile appeared on his lips as he sighted it. It was nine am on a Saturday morning and with all his homework done he was free! He was glad he'd taken Tak's advice to be more polite to his teachers (even if they didn't deserve it!), not only did they not give him any detention this week, but they also didn't give him any extra loads of homework. Long leisurely strides carried him swiftly across the street towards the front of the shop.
He had tried being nice to his father, but that only resulted in the old man searching the house for drugs and cutting him off of his allowance when he protested.
"Stupid Father!" he grumbled angrily "he'll never be happy with anything I do!"
Working at the Game Shop was the only thing he looked forward to and he thanked his lucky stars for the fight with his Dad that had led to his discovery of the shop three years ago.
He pushed away the angry thoughts as he opened the door to the Game Shop. Takeshi Mutou and his little five-year-old son Yugi were unpacking a box of new edition Dungeons and Dragons RPG books.
"Hi Tak! Hi Yugi! Did I miss anything?" he greeted, feeling a little more cheerful now that he was inside the shop.
"Hi Aoshi!" cheerfully called out father and son
"You haven't missed anything! We just started…" responded Tak, then explained that the new inventory of RPG books, trading card games and puzzles arrived too late last night for him to put it out. Aoshi rubbed his hands in anticipation of checking out first hand all the new stuff as he asked the teenager to go to the storage room and pull out another box.
As he carried the box out two boys came in. Aoshi put the box down next to Tak and Yugi and went to help the new arrivals. It was the only part of the job he disliked. The dreaded customer service part!
He was naturally anti-social, so the first few weekends had been hard! Dealing with indecisive dorks tested his temper like nothing else, but with Tak's patient and gentle guidance he could feel the change in his outlook on life…
Tak, as the teenagers who frequented the shop affectionately called him, was a kind and patient man with a youthful sense of humor. His short stature and youthful appearance often caused people to mistake him for a teenager, though he was actually nearly thirty! His short and spiky black hair, well-worn sneakers and jeans, and his anime themed t-shirts helped perpetuate the myth. It was probably the reason Aoshi felt so comfortable around him. He was the exact opposite of his father. Severe, cold and distant Hannya Shinomori fell extremely short of Aoshi's vision of the perfect Dad.
'How I envy Yugi,' he thought, feeling a bit sorry for himself as he rang up his customers and waved goodbye to them.
"You all right Aoshi?" asked Tak noticing the melancholy that had slipped onto Aoshi's face.
"Yeah, just had another fight with my Dad is all," he answered shrugging as he picked up a stack of the new puzzles and put them on the shelf, but just as Tak was about to ask what happened, two more customers arrived.
Two girls that he vaguely recognized from school walked in. They started giggling as soon as they saw him. He walked towards them, struggling to keep from scowling. If there was one thing he hated more than anything it was giggling females! And the world seemed full of these brainless, giggling menaces these days.
'Why can't they just laugh if they're gonna laugh!' he thought angrily as he struggled to be as polite as possible. Before long they had him running back and forth through the shop, giggling and whispering every time he turned his back on them. They finally picked something and their flirtatious thank you was lost on him as he tried to ring them up as quickly as possible.
He plastered on a fake smile as he said, "Have a nice day!" and handed them their bags. Those actions sent them into a giggling fit and Aoshi had a hard time keeping the smile on his face and resisting the urge to reach over the counter, wrap his fingers around their scrawny necks and strangle them! Tak watched with quiet amusement as he continued unpacking the boxes.
He shook his head as they left, but no sooner had they gone than three more replaced them. Two more came in right after them, three more followed after that. The same scenario repeated itself all through the morning, testing the limits of his temper in the worst way possible! They had him running around in circles and every time he smiled it seemed to send them into hysterical giggling fits.
It was almost noon when the last group of insane giggling girls left the shop; he blew his breath out in exasperation "I thought it would never end!" he said tiredly shaking his head
"Well done Aoshi! You kept your temper in check and turned out a nice profit! Good job!" Tak praised and patted him on the back as little Yugi clapped and cheered. Aoshi smiled, slightly embarrassed by the attention, but feeling really good about himself.
"Thanks," he replied shyly ruffling little Yugi's black spiky hair and giving Tak an embarrassed smirk.
"Aoshi, why don't you take Yugi upstairs and the two of you can grab some lunch!" he invited cheerfully. The relief in Aoshi's face made Tak laugh. Yugi grabbed Aoshi's hand and pulled him towards the stairs while he called out a thank you to his boss and mentor.
Tak shook his head and laughed as he watched the two run up the stairs, then set about preparing his Go board for their weekly game and took out Aoshi's birthday present from a bag under the counter. Aoshi had wanted the "Sturm Brightblade" figurine to complete his set of Dragonlance figures for a long time now but had resigned himself to never getting it because the line had been discontinued.
'I had to call in a few favors but it'll be well worth the effort just to see the look on his face when he gets it!' he thought as he put the figure in a gift bag along with his birthday card and stuck the bag in the drawer under the register.
His smiling wife came down a few minutes later carrying a tray with food and a jar of iced tea.
"Hey Babe!" Tak's wife greeted sweetly, as she set her tray and jar down. Tak smiled and wrapped his arms around his wife, and since there was no one in the shop at the time, they indulged themselves in a brief, but passionate, kiss.
"What are the kids doing?" asked Tak, as he reluctantly pulled away and went to get a couple of foldable chairs from the storage room
"Aoshi offered to take care of Yugi for a while, so that you and I could have lunch together!" she explained cheerfully as she poured out the iced tea
"That boy certainly has come a long way, hasn't he?" Tak asked, a satisfied smile settling on his face
"All thanks to you, Hon…" his wife pointed out, as she handed him his iced tea
"I couldn't have done it without his cooperation!" He reasoned cheerfully.
"I'm very proud of him though. You should've seen him this morning…" he began as they sat and ate their lunch together, enjoying a few rare minutes of adult conversation thanks to Aoshi.
About thirty minutes later, the two came thundering down the staircase. Yugi laughed hysterically and Aoshi chuckled slightly as he caught the little boy and tossed him lightly into the air.
"Look I'm flying!" Yugi screamed as Aoshi spun him in the air.
"Aoshi! He just ate!" admonished Mrs. Mutou, though she couldn't help smiling at them.
Aoshi stopped immediately, despite Yugi's protesting, and put the little boy back down. He smiled and promised he'd play with him later. Yugi returned his smile and went up the stairs to get his toys with his mother close behind him, carrying the empty tray and jar. He noticed then that Tak had already set up the Go board for their Saturday game. His eyes lit up…
'I'm sure I'll win today!' he thought excitedly.
Tak had taught him how to play three years ago and he'd been amazed at how quickly Aoshi had picked up the game. 'A couple more years and he'll be good enough to be a professional! Perhaps I should encourage him along that route? Maybe get him into a tournament or maybe the Insei test even…' Tak considered as he watched Aoshi place his first stone; he was about to say so when he noticed the teenager was acting slightly fidgety and watching the door nervously. Customers continued to trickle in, but though it was now mostly the regulars, Aoshi jumped every time the doorbell chimed at the arrival of a customer.
"What's wrong Aoshi?" Tak asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice
"Well it's just…I don't understand it Tak! Why were all those girls acting so strange this morning?" Aoshi responded sounding slightly frustrated and embarrassed.
"What do you mean?" Tak countered slightly surprised by the boy's line of questioning
"Well, girls usually act really weird and usually I ignore them, but they've been beyond their usual weirdness lately! They're constantly giggling and whispering to each other whenever I pass by. They show up everywhere I go! I feel like I'm being stalked or that I'm on some sort of candid camera show that never ends or their planning some sort of great and terrible prank that they'll spring at any moment or all of the above!" he rambled on frantically.
Tak laughed at Aoshi's unexpected outburst, "Well what did you expect! You're a good-looking guy! All the girls want you!"
"Want me for what! I'm the most anti-social guy in my entire school and the biggest geek in my class! What possible good could I be to them!" he nearly yelled in his frustration.
"Don't you know Aoshi? Surely you're father has told you about it by now?" Tak inquired truly puzzled by Aoshi's apparent lack of understanding.
"My father doesn't tell me anything," he responded bitterly, looking away.
Tak sighed 'I was afraid of this,' he mused, he actually felt sorry for Aoshi's Dad. He had a great kid and didn't even know it! He took a deep breath and leaned slightly over the counter.
"So…what do you know about girls Aoshi?" Tak whispered conspiratorially, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Well just what they taught us in school…" Aoshi answered, his cheeks reddening slightly.
"Why?" he asked cautiously. Tak smiled mischievously…
They discussed the subject for a while, Tak filling in the holes in Aoshi's "education" as best he could. He couldn't help smiling, as the kid's eyes would occasionally widen at a particularly interesting revelation. This new information gave him new insight, not only on the giggling masses but on his friends as well. It explained why Kenshin turned into a basket case around Kaoru and why Sano was so obsessed with watching the cheerleaders practice. He was just trying to figure out if there was a way to use this new information in his favor when the door chimed again…
"Hi Tak! Hi Aoshi!" came a chorus of familiar voices from the door. Aoshi turned towards the door and smiled. His friends Kenshin and Sano walked in. With them Sano's baby sister Anzu, Kaoru with her sister Shuura and a pretty girl that seemed vaguely familiar to him, but wasn't able to recognize until she greeted him
"Hi Lord Aoshi!" she called out to him perkily
He winced at her use of the title, but smiled nonetheless "Hi Misao! How are ya!"
She laughed, "Sano you big liar! He did recognize me!" she yelled slapping Sano in the arm and laughing some more.
Well, it was no wonder he hadn't recognized her at first! She had changed drastically in the three years he hadn't seen her. First he observed that her tight blue jeans, white sneakers and mid-riff bearing pink Hello Kitty t-shirt were clean and new. Her face looked radiant with a slight touch of shimmering gloss on her lips and glitter on her cheeks that accented her pretty blue eyes. Her hair was clean, shiny and brushed back into a beautiful (and very long!) braid. Along with all that, the absence of the perpetual bruises on her arms and face eliminated the ever-present fear that always tainted her smiles. She was pretty as well as cheerful now and it suited her perfectly. He was very glad she was doing so well!
'And best of all…she doesn't giggle! Thank goodness for that!' he thought. His heart warmed at seeing his old partner in crime doing so great!
He turned back towards where his friends were busy greeting the friendly shop owner and little Anzu was whining to be allowed to go play with Yugi, and introduced her to Tak. He greeted her warmly, welcoming her to his shop. He turned for a moment to call Yugi down thus placating Anzu. As he turned his attention back to the group of teenagers he gave Aoshi a mysterious smirk and a wink when he noticed that Misao had planted herself firmly next to Aoshi. Aoshi frowned wondering what Tak was up to.
"So Misao! Tell me, how did you and Aoshi meet?" Tak asked. As the rest of his friends spread out to see all the new stuff on the shelves and Sano sat on the floor to play with the little ones
Misao smiled "It was on his first day of school at Domino Elementary, I could tell he was a new student! First because I'd never seen him before and I'm very good at remembering faces you know; and second because he was soooo lost!" her smiled widened.
"Oh! So you rescued him!" Tak guessed cheerfully.
"Yep! You bet!" Misao confirmed.
"Well, how thoughtful of you! Go on please!" Tak encouraged enthusiastically. He glanced at Aoshi, noticing the way he hovered protectively over her and smiled, his eyes twinkling in great amusement. Aoshi's frown deepened as he noticed the twinkle in Tak's eyes; again he wondered what sort of mischief Tak was planning.
"Well! Let me tell ya! He was the most serious sixth grader I had ever seen! All the kids in my third grade class thought he was so scary!" she continued.
"But not you, right?" Tak supplied helpfully.
"Nah! I didn't think so!" she answered waving off the idea of Aoshi being scary as preposterous and launching into a spirited account of some of their more notorious adventures. Tak's eyes shone with glee! Aoshi sighed, resigning himself to the endless teasing that he knew Tak would subject him to as soon as his friends were gone.
He groaned as she dramatically recounted the time they'd sneaked into his teacher's locker and replaced his shoes with a pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers. The man had never been able to prove it'd been Aoshi, but gave him a hard time anyways after that. Tak laughed, he couldn't help enjoying Misao's enthusiastic narratives with the others jumping in to add colorful details to her stories. Aoshi shook his head and smiled, he'd forgotten what a wild motor mouth Misao was! Once she got going there was no stopping her!
"Misao, how come you refer to Aoshi as 'Lord Aoshi'?" Tak finally asked. Aoshi groaned and the others laughed. Misao glared at them before she turned to answer Tak.
"Well, as I said before, Lord Aoshi was the most serious sixth grader ever! So he reminded me of the samurai and knights you read about in history books and fairy tales, ya know! So I thought the title just suited him!" she explained happily as though it were the most logical thing in the world. Tak suspected there might be more to it than that but decided not say so for now. It sounded more to him like hero-worship than just a simple nickname.
"You know what? I think I see what you mean?" he agreed thoughtfully "he is too serious for someone his age."
Perfectly pleased with herself, she stood up straight and smiled triumphantly at the others who were still laughing. Aoshi didn't appreciate their amusement at her expense and sent them his most chilling glare. Slowly, they quieted down, except for Shuura, who seemed encouraged by Aoshi's glaring.
"Watch out everyone! Iceman's gone into weasel defender mode!" she declared, laughing hysterically.
"Don't call her that!" Aoshi growled at her, his hands curling into fists at his sides. She held up her hands in a placating gesture.
"Whoa! Chill Iceman! I'm just teasing!" she said a big grin on her face that widened as she noticed Misao mirror Aoshi's scowl.
"My name is not Iceman!" he informed her testily, relaxing his stance a little. Shuura just laughed!
"Old habits die hard, eh?" she taunted and she doubled over laughing hysterically.
"Shuura! Stop being such a pain!" Kaoru shrieked. Shuura just rolled her eyes and shrugged.
"Whatever... I'm gonna hit the road! I'll catch you geeks later!" she punched Kenshin playfully in the arm and threw Tak a jaunty salute as she swaggered out of the shop.
"What an interesting young woman…" Tak mused. But thanks to her, he could confirm it was hero worship of Aoshi that made Misao call him 'Lord Aoshi'!
"The words obnoxious and infuriating suit her better!" Aoshi ground out angrily.
"Now, now Aoshi! Miss Shuura isn't that bad! That she is not!" Kenshin defended nervously as he rubbed the arm she'd just punched. They all laughed…
"Yes, she is! You're just being too nice Kenshin!" Kaoru countered vehemently.
"You have to admit, Shuura does have a point though," Sano put in, looking up from where he was playing with Anzu and Yugi.
"How so?" asked Tak eagerly, as everyone's attention turned towards Sano.
"Well, every time Misao was in a jam, Aoshi would just jump to the rescue!" Sano answered as the others nodded their agreements. Aoshi just shrugged and Misao looked up at him slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah! Like that kid from our class! What was his name?" Kaoru added
"Gaske! That's it!" Kenshin answered
"What about him?" Tak wondered, as he noticed Aoshi scowl as the name came up
"He was the worst bully in the school!" Kaoru exclaimed
"And by worst, we mean most mediocre, a pathetic attempt really at being a bully!" Sano added smiling in amusement
"Yes, that he most certainly was! He would never bother anyone from our grade especially, not Miss Kaoru or Miss Shuura and definitely not Sano, Aoshi or myself. But he was always picking on Yahiko…" Kenshin added seriously
"Your little cousin Yahiko, Kaoru?" Tak inquired and she nodded
"The BIG JERK! What was he thinking picking on third graders! He was asking for it!" Kaoru declared forcefully.
"Hey Misao! Why don't you tell him that story!" Sano suggested grinning like the Cheshire cat.
"Yeah Misao! Tell him!" Kaoru added gleefully. Misao looked up at Aoshi, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. He just smirked and shrugged.
"Go on…" Aoshi encouraged.
"Well ok…" she began sheepishly "like Kaoru said, Gaske was always picking on Yahiko until one day the guys got tired of it and decided to teach him how to defend himself"
"Things were pretty quiet afterwards when Yahiko finally stood up for himself!" Kenshin put in as Misao nodded her agreement.
"For a while anyways" Kaoru added irritated
"Let me guess…this boy eventually turned his negative attention on you, am I right Misao?" Tak interrupted softly, slightly disturbed by the serious nature of this story. If there was one thing no Mutou has ever tolerated, it was bullies! And the Mutou men were famous for their creative ways of confounding bullies of all kinds. She nodded vigorously, eager now to continue her story…
"Well anyway, one day after school I was sitting on a bench just outside the school waiting for Lord Aoshi and the others to get out," she began. "I always did that, by the way," she added as clarification. She picked up speed as she continued:
Ten-year-old Misao sat at the bench across from the school gates waiting for her friends to come out as she always did. Her short legs didn't quite reach the ground so she just swung them happily back and forth singing a happy little tune. The sun was shining bright and cheerfully and not even her father would be able to ruin the pure joy she felt today!
Lord Aoshi and the others had surprised her this morning by filling her locker with birthday cards and presents! How they'd found out it was her birthday she didn't know, but she was glad they had. They'd even gone to the trouble of bringing a small cake and singing her 'Happy Birthday' at recess. Kaoru and Shuura had baked the little cake themselves and decorated it. It was dry and slightly burnt and the boys complained about it, but to her it was the most wonderful birthday cake in the history of birthday cakes! She had carefully wrapped up the leftovers and put it in her brand new backpack.
Nobody had ever done anything like that for her before! She was so glad that she'd made such wonderful friends this year! She was eternally grateful for that fateful day when she'd met Lord Aoshi! She'd been late for class that day and had gotten into quite a bit of trouble for it when her father found out, but she never regretted helping him, especially today! She hugged tightly the teddy-bear shaped backpack Lord Aoshi had given her and wondered for the thousandth time that day how he'd known she'd wanted one just like it when she'd never told anyone before.
'I'll have to ask him!' she thought happily, her rendition of 'It's a small world' getting louder and more cheerful with every passing second. She was so intent on her singing and daydreaming that she didn't notice Gaske and his two cronies until they were standing next to her with their backs to the gate. She looked up as he began to yell.
"Shut up weasel! Your screeching is starting to irritate me!" he yelled angrily. Misao's only response was to take a deep breath and sing louder.
She turned away from them as they continued to toss insults at her and ignored them as she slung her new backpack over her shoulders. Her friends spotted her as they came out and they frowned as they noticed Gaske near Misao. Happily still singing her song, she smiled at her friends, jumped off the bench and started towards them. She never got very far…
Gaske grabbed her ponytail and yanked her back "WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO LEAVE, WEASEL!" he yelled at her as he shook her. She closed her eyes in pain as he practically lifted her off the ground by her hair.
"LET ME GO!" she screamed angrily as she kicked at him blindly. She felt him suddenly release her and opened her eyes just in time to see why…
Gaske was slammed hard against the wooden bench Misao had just vacated. Standing over him with a fist full of Gaske's uniform in his left hand was Aoshi, shaking with uncontrolled rage! His right fist slammed hard into the bully's face.
"You filthy!" SLAM "Rotten!" SLAM "COWARD!" SLAM Aoshi yelled at him as his fist connected again and again with the bully's face. But such was his rage, that even though his fist came away bloody he didn't back down. Sano and Kenshin had frightened off Gaske's buddies while Kaoru and Shuura, along with several other kids who had gathered around to watch, shouted encouragements towards Aoshi…
Misao stopped suddenly, feeling very aware of how quiet everyone had suddenly become. Tak was leaning heavily over the counter hanging on her every word. Even the little ones had stopped playing to watch her enthusiastic recreation of the events. All the attention suddenly made her blush…
"So what happened next?" Tak asked, anxious to hear how things worked out. She looked down to her feet, her face bright red with embarrassment
"Well, Coach Anji came out when he heard all the commotion. Sano and Kenshin tried to pull Lord Aoshi away but they couldn't, so the Coach had to step in and stop Lord Aoshi!" Misao explained starting to sound more than a little flustered "Oh Tak! It was awful! Lord Aoshi got into so much trouble! Gaske's nose was so broken it was flat! Coach Anji had to practically carry him to the infirmary! And Lord Aoshi almost got expelled!" she practically yelled
"It's ok Misao. My only regret was not punching him harder," he commented nonchalantly. Horrified Misao gasped…
"Well, Gee! I'm so glad you didn't punch him any harder or you would've spent the rest of the year in juvi!" Sano added as he laughed
"Aoshi was quite mad, that he was!" Kenshin pointed out as he laughed too
"Like I said: Gaske had it coming!" Kaoru added gleefully "besides, the guy never did pick on anybody ever again! So something good came from it!"
Tak chuckled in amazement "Just when I think I've got you all figured out Aoshi," he said softly, a small proud smile finding it's way to his lips as he watched Aoshi trying to calm Misao, who was obviously still upset about all the trouble that he'd gotten into that day. He shook his head and remembering the two little ones in the room; he cleared his throat theatrically and spoke in an exaggerated formal tone.
"Well, as the only adult in the room I must point out that violence is never a good way to resolve a conflict and must be used only as a last resort, and only in self defense!" he winked at Aoshi and glanced at Anzu and Yugi who were staring at Aoshi with awe. The teenagers all got the hint and made a big show of agreeing with Tak. Misao most of all, who made it a point to tell the kids all the punishments Aoshi had to endure because of that confrontation.
Aoshi just shook his head and smiled 'I wish she'd stop worrying, I only did what I thought was right. The others would've done the same. I was just faster!' He smiled as he recalled how she'd stayed every day after school waiting for him to get out of detention. He'd felt so guilty about her waiting for him that he made it a point to always buy her lunch afterwards, because he knew her father wouldn't feed her if she was late.
Two more girls from Aoshi's school walked into the shop then and he reluctantly moved over to help them. The newcomers instantly began to giggle the minute he began walking towards them. He realized that knowing why they giggled so much didn't make it less hateful!
Misao frowned, she didn't like the way those girls were looking at her Lord Aoshi. They were looking at him like he was dessert! Like he was just a big piece of Lemon Pie or something and they were going to gobble him up any second! No she did not like it at all! They twirled and tossed their hair around, giggled and struck poses. No, she didn't like it one little bit! The final straw fell as the first girl spoke…
The first of the two girls, a very pretty blonde, pulled a puzzle box off the shelf without taking her eyes off of Aoshi. "So like, how many pieces does this one have?" she asked without looking at the box, batting her eyelashes and giving him a sultry smile. The second girl was a voluptuous brunette, she added
"And like, how big is it?" trying to sound sexy and not giving the puzzle even a glance.
Aoshi just stared at them in astonishment. He couldn't believe that they actually thought to impress him with this awesome display of air-headedness. He struggled to keep the smart-ass remarks that were jumping towards his tongue from making it all the way out of his mouth. They giggled and smiled at him, mistaking his silence for success in their attempt to seduce him. He was about to respond when Misao came up between them.
"Are you serious! I can't believe you really just asked him that! What's wrong with you people? Are you blind? Can't you see the big, bold letters printed on the box!" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm
"Listen little girl, how we do our shopping is none of your business," the blonde retorted in a snippety tone as both girls looked down their noses at Misao. Aoshi didn't like their attitude one little bit, but before he could do or say anything Misao spoke up again
"Well it is my business when it's my time, as well as the hard-working clerk's time, you're wasting with your brilliant line of questioning!" she countered irritated.
"Because for your information, before you people got here, I was actually asking relevant questions like: What the price is on the ones with no tags… Which ones are the most challenging? Or, in your, case it would have to be which ones are the least challenging…you know useful questions!" she finished derisively and before the two girls could come up with a good riposte she shoved herself in between them and Aoshi and grabbed a small puzzle box off the shelf.
"Let me demonstrate! And pay close attention there should be plenty of room in that empty head of yours for useful information like this!" she added in a most patronizing tone. She looked it over for a minute, making a big show of examining the outside of the box and then turning her back to the two girls, she handed the box to Aoshi.
"I'll take this one please!" she stated firmly as she looked up at him with a serious expression on her face.
Aoshi blinked, slightly stunned by how Misao had just jumped in, he had watched the whole exchange with a blank look on his face. Not knowing what else to do he took the box from her and asked:
"Will this be all for you today?" in as bland a tone as he could muster given that a great burst of laughter was suddenly building up in his chest, threatening to explode out of him any second!
"Yes. Thank you," she answered politely and strode purposefully over to the register. Tak was already waiting for her, his eyes shinning with hidden amusement. Aoshi followed leaving the two girls sputtering angrily behind him. Misao turned briefly towards her other companions as she reached the register.
"Kaoru are you ready?" she asked loudly to her friend who was busy trying not to laugh at the situation by examining the D&D books.
"No, I'm going to finish examining these before I make up my mind which one I want. I wouldn't want to waste a hard-working clerk's time by asking a million stupid questions," Kaoru replied in a loud sarcastic tone and shot the two girls a deadly glare. The Kamiya sisters were a legend at Domino High and everyone knew better than to mess with either of them! Just one look from Kaoru and both air-headed girls knew they had better drop it!
Sano however, not being one to miss an opportunity where boy-crazy, pretty girls was concerned, immediately moved in to take his place and by the time Aoshi reached the counter, Sano already had them giggling stupidly again. He shook his head and placed the puzzle on the counter. He was reaching for his wallet to pay for the puzzle as a token of his gratitude for rescuing him, but he froze. She glared at him, shaking her head she warned him silently not to even attempt to pay for it.
'I guess I'll have to make it up to her some other way!' he surmised, feeling proud at how much spunk Misao had gained in the years she'd been gone. He was surprised by how much he'd actually missed her and how happy he was to see her again.
Tak punched in Aoshi's employee discount and he made a mental note to thank Tak later for that as he bagged Misao's purchase. Smiling, Misao thanked Tak and Aoshi and went to stand next to Kaoru, waiting for those two girls to leave. Tak rang them up as Aoshi wordlessly bagged their purchases. Again, they mistook Aoshi's lack of customer engagement for success in their plans to seduce him. They waved flirty goodbyes to Aoshi as they made their way to the door. Aoshi just stared at them blankly…
Sano walked them out to the door and as soon as they were gone a great burst of laughter erupted in the shop. Even Yugi and Anzu, who didn't really understand what was going on, laughed hysterically. Tak suddenly stopped and stared at his young protégé. Aoshi was bent over the counter shaking with wild laughter!
'What a sight! In just a few minutes Misao has accomplished what I've been trying for three years to see!' he thought amazed. In all the time he'd known Aoshi, the most mirth he'd seen him show was a few short chuckles that Yugi occasionally coaxed out of him.
Smiling, he stepped out from behind the counter and walked over to Misao, who was trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. He took her hand in both of his and shook it gently.
"Misao, you are a most charming and clever young lady," he announced smiling, then gestured for her to join him and Aoshi at the Go board. Aoshi looked up from the counter and gave her the biggest, brightest smile she had ever seen him give. She smiled back at him happy to have been responsible for that smile.
'Hmm, he should smile more often! He looks cute when he smiles!' Misao contemplated as she took her place next to him again, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru to their examination of the D&D role-playing books. Tak's wife came down stairs wanting to know what the ruckus was all about.
"Oh Kiki! You missed it!" Tak called out to her as she walked towards him and took his hand. He introduced Misao to his wife then happily recounted the recent events.
Kiki laughed "Well, it's about time someone put those boy-crazy teenagers in their place!" She winked at Misao as she noticed the girl blushing under all the attention and praise. She exchanged a knowing look with her husband when she observed how she and Aoshi were laughing and smiling together.
Finally Aoshi asked, "When did you get back in town?" curious as to why he hadn't heard about it
"Just yesterday! I tried to call you last night but your father told me that you weren't home, so I called Kaoru and she said you were working here on the weekends and that we should all just come over and surprise you!" she happily explained
"Oh yeah…I was at Sano's last night, we were working on a project," he realized, his mind suddenly awhirl with questions. Three years had passed and even though she wrote to him every now and then he still wanted to know so many things. He sifted through the myriad of questions that was overloading his brain, for the most important one, Tak beat him to it…
"How long will you be staying?" Tak asked
"For a year at least! My uncle Shiro is opening an Aoiya here and I volunteered to come help so I could come see you guys!" she answered, her excitement plainly visible on her face.
"That's great Misao! It's good to have you back…" said Aoshi. Misao smiled brightly
"Wait…did you say Aoiya? As in THE Aoiya!" Kiki queried "The most exclusive chain of restaurants in all of Japan!" she added shocked.
"Yep! My Gramps owns them!" she confirmed slightly self-conscious. Kiki and Tak gasped…
"Hey Misao! How come you didn't tell me that?" Aoshi blurted out suddenly, surprised that he would feel hurt that she hadn't told him something that big.
"Oh it just didn't seem that important, sorry," Misao answered sheepishly.
"Nah, don't be, I was just curious is all," Aoshi answered annoyed with himself for being pushy and hurting Misao's feelings. Tak and his wife exchanged another look as they watched the little drama unfold between the two. He noticed also that the other teenagers in the shop were doing the same…
"So that means you'll probably be going to school with us again, right?" Aoshi asked trying to change the subject
"Yeah! Isn't that something?" she replied, a little hopeful note in her voice
"It'll be great! Just like old times!" he said with a smile. Again he felt his heart warm at having her back safe and well.
"Yeah!" she yelled pumping a fist into the air "but this time, we'll never get caught! You'll see! My uncles taught me some really cool tricks on how to never get caught! I swear they must've been ninjas in another life!" she rambled on excitedly. Aoshi smiled with wicked glee.
'I'm soooo glad she's back!' he thought cheerfully, his mind already concocting all kinds of tortures for those idiotic teachers of his!
"Excuse me children, but I certainly hope you aren't planning on pranking your teachers!" Kiki pointed out sternly, with her arms crossed she looked to one then the other, waiting for them to answer. The severe look on her face meant business!
"Busted!" Sano said and laughed. Yugi and Anzu began chanting "Busted! Busted!" over and over again and fell over laughing hysterically.
Aoshi and Misao looked at each other and "No, ma'am," they both responded together contritely giving her a sheepish look as she lectured them on the virtues of being respectful of your elders, especially your teachers…
"Wait a minute! You were a prankster!" Seto interrupted astonished
"We were and our record remains uncontested, even by high school standards, we were known as the Prank Demons," Aoshi responded, an amused smirk tugging on his lips. Seto threw his head back and laughed…
"So you're the legendary Prank Demons of Domino Elementary!" Seto laughed, shook his head and placed a stone on the board.
"Hey guys! Having fun?" Misao asked coming up next to Aoshi. He smiled as she perched herself on the arm of his chair. He put his arm around her waist as she put her arm around his back. Seto turned away embarrassed as they leaned towards each other for a kiss.
"So how's the game going!" Misao asked as their kiss ended.
"Seto has the upper hand, he is a strong player," he answered nonchalantly, Seto smirked proudly…
"Sounds like you're in trouble!" she pointed out. Aoshi just shrugged and placed a stone on the board…
"Probably…" He answered, noticing the flicker of pride that crossed Seto's eyes at the compliment.
"You know, you have very expressive eyes Seto, just like Mokuba! With a very lovely shade of blue! It's cute!" Misao noted cheerfully, changing the subject suddenly. Seto frowned and tried to focus on the board, but his mind was distracted by the compliments. No one had said things like that to him since he was very little…
"Misao, I think you are distracting my opponent," Aoshi pointed out, slightly amused
"No I'm not! He's way too serious to get distracted by a little tiny compliment!" she countered, waving off Aoshi's concern.
"Besides, I bet girls tell you things like that all the time! Huh Seto?" Misao asked the boy and winked at him. Seto frowned…
"Nope!" responded Mokuba for him, coming up behind Misao "he's always scaring people away with his deadly glare!" Mokuba explained cheerfully
"Well gee! Doesn't that sound familiar!" Misao rejoined sarcastically, looking straight at Aoshi. He just shrugged…
"At school the kids even call him the Dragon Master!" Mokuba added proudly. Seto smiled, touched by his little brother's pride in the nickname his love for his Blue Eyes White Dragons had gained him.
"Hey that's a pretty cool nickname! How'd you get it?" Misao asked a disarming smile covered a piercing look. Seto did a double take, amazed by the fearless intensity with which she was suddenly studying him.
"Oh! Oh! Can I show her! Can I big brother? Can I?" Mokuba begged, bouncing with excitement.
"Sure Mokuba. As long as you make her tell you how she and Aoshi got the title of Prank Demons of Domino Elementary," Seto answered, a sly look on his face. He was starting to see what Aoshi saw in her. She may appear ditzy and overly cheerful at first glance, but it was a cover. It made people greatly underestimate her, giving her quite the advantage! He thought perhaps the head cheerleader Anzu would benefit greatly by learning from her.
"You guys were the Prank Demons!" Mokuba answered, his eyes wide with surprise, his voice full of admiration "you guys are legendary, wow!"
"I can't believe you told him that Aoshi!" Misao laughed then added "Ok Mokuba! I tell you how we got to be prankster demons and you tell me why they call you're brother 'Dragon Master' at school! Deal?"
"It's a deal!" Mokuba cheered pumping his fist in the air and doing a little happy dance before skipping over to his brother. Seto rolled his eyes, pulled his deck out of his pocket and handed it to his brother, who cupped his hands around the cards and carefully placed them into his vest pocket. He took Misao's hand and pulled her towards the study where Seto's duel disk was, Misao kissed Aoshi lightly before allowing Mokuba to pull her away. Seto and Aoshi watched them skip away happily; both marveling at how quickly Misao and Mokuba had latched onto each other.
"Those two seem to be getting along quite well," Seto noted thoughtfully.
"You're little brother must be very special, Misao is usually good with children, but I have never seen her get this attached before." Aoshi explained. This surprised Seto, he didn't know quite what to make of the situation, but seeing how happy Mokuba was around her it couldn't be bad. And truthfully he was starting to feel connected to Aoshi in a way that he couldn't explain.
"So you got a lecture from Mrs. Mutou about pranking," Seto began, trying to get back to the story. He was very interested in hearing more…
Thank you Kat-chan for your review! I hope you are enjoying the similarities between Seto and Aoshi as much as I am. There is much more bonding between those two to come!
Enjoy!
Thank you for your feed back!