Miss Led's True Gifts

Part Three [B]

   This fanfic is based on the story and characters created by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I'm just borrowing his characters for a spell, no copyright infringements were intended. I'm not getting paid for this Kiddies! This is my own private obsession!
   Misao carefully made her way back towards the Shirobeko; the kimono was a tight restraint on her usually free-flowing gait. As she walked down the road, a slight clapping sound could be heard as her shoes clicked against the hard packed earth. After a good amount of time, she stood, for the second time that day, before the Shirobeko.
   She gathered her resolve around her like a thick coat of armor and walked, as gracefully as the tight kimono would allow, into the restaurant. Sae saw Misao as she crossed the threshold and she stopped to stare at the delightful picture the girl presented. Her apron was casually thrown over one arm and she looked a bit put out, but still very lovely. Misao, on the other hand, was trying her hardest not to look around. She had been overcome by self-consciousness the second she stepped through the door. People were leaning out of their booths to look at her. She didn't know what else to do…So, she got angry.
   Sae blinked as rage took over Misao's face. She was sure the girl had been quite fine the second before. Misao was now reaching for her hair, grasping for something there. Sae took a good look at what Misao was reaching for and gasped, 'Oh Kami-sama!!!! That girl just doesn't know when to stop!!!' Sae raced forward to steer the angry Misao away from curious, admiring eyes and into the back room of the Shirobeko where she could better impart some rules on the young woman.
   As soon as Sae had her safely to the back of the restaurant, she let into her full force, "Misao-chan! What do you think you are doing with that knife!!! Trying to kill my clientele? You're here to serve them, not skewer them! Why would you ever try to do such a foolish thing?!?!" Sae took a deep ragged breath as she finished her harsh speech. It was only then that she saw how Misao's head was bowed, her shoulders shaking slightly. At that moment a drop of liquid platinum fell to the floor, mingling with the grooves rough wood.
   "Gomen, Sae-san. I didn't mean to get angry! But they were all looking at me like I was some kind of freak! And I couldn't take it anymore, I feel like a clown in this kimono. I don't belong here. Aoshi-sama will not get his gift." The last statement was drenched in resignation. Misao turned towards the door to leave. Sae stared at the girl's back aghast, her mouth hanging open. 'Did the girl just say she looked like a clown in that kimono??? Oh Kami-sama! You play such awful tricks on us all!' Sae smiled and reached her hand to Misao's shoulder.
   The young woman froze at the touch and tried to pull away, but Sae held fast, willing the girl to look back at her. "Misao-chan I should have known. You are so used to being in that Ninja getup that you don't know what a beautiful young lady you are. The people weren't staring at you because there was something wrong. Oh no, Misao-chan! They were staring because you look so right! A graceful young flower of the rarest sort!" Sae smiled again and laughed at the girl's misjudgment. Misao blushed deeply and looked up at Sae, expecting to see her face cruelly twisted with sarcasm. Instead she found warm reassurance. It touched her heart to know Sae thought so highly of her.
   "Sae-san, do you really think so? I don't know if I am all that pretty…" Misao blushed brightly once more and shyly looked down at the floor. Sae laughed, giving Misao a quick hug as they went back into the main room of the establishment.
   She scolded her in a playful tone, "Misao-chan, I know so. But you had best not try to knife any of my customers tonight!!! I should take that knife you have in your hair but I fear you would run away before I could get to it! Do like Saitou told you: be a quiet, demure lady. Those Yakuza are very mean characters and they're not what one would term gentle. Now, let's get to work!!!" With that statement Sae placed a round serving tray, a block of rough paper and a stick of charcoal into the girl's hands. Misao looked down at them blankly.
   Misao sweatdropped, "Um, Sae-san, what are these for???" She looked up at the older woman questioningly, her face blank with confusion.
   Sae facefaulted as she fell to the floor. "Misao-chan, weren't you listening to anything I explained to you earlier?" Misao's sweatdrop grew as a rosy blush darkened her cheeks. Sae sighed heavily and shook her head. 'Kami-sama, you REALLY like to play tricks on us, badly thought-out ones at that……' Sae shook her head, "Well, there is no time to tell you again. That's why I did so earlier. We are about to start our rush hour. You'll have to wing it. If there is a problem stop one of us. But remember, we all have responsibilities of our own."
   "Hai! Sumimasen, Sae-san. I will try my hardest!!" Sae smiled and pointed the girl to the front of the restaurant where a party of five men awaited service. They snickered amongst themselves as she approached, but she would not be wavered by their rude stares and whispered lewdness. "Welcome to the Shirobeko! I'm Misao and I'll be your server tonight…"
   A smart-alec towards the back of the party mouthed off under his breath, "Yeah, she can serve me anytime." He was greeted promptly by a menacing stare. The man clammed up instantly, knowing better than to mess with the fire that burned in the girl's clear, blue eyes. Sometimes Pandora's box was best left unopened…
   The other men shuffled awkwardly, seeming to heave a great sigh of relief when she turned to lead the group to a waiting table, the girl's lack of discomfort putting them on edge. A tall man, off to the side, watched Misao walk to the table. He was keenly aware of the sway of her hips and the airiness of her steps as she walked. It was almost as if she were floating. 'An angel…,' the man surmised, 'of the most perfect sort. What I would give to have a taste of that beauty.' His view was obstructed as one of the other men turned back to him.
   "Hey, Boss, you get the place of honor, remember?" The tall man nodded and moved around to the back of the table where he would have a clear view of all the goings-on in the restaurant. He watched as Misao moved to stand in front of him at the other end of the table. A smile was on her face, but there were warning lights in her eyes that dared his men to make another comment. He smiled at her show of spirit, 'Yes, I would most certainly like to get a taste of this one. She's fire and ice in an angel's body.'
   Misao finished taking the orders of the men up front. She turned now to the tall handsome man in the back. His hair was dark brown as were his expressive eyes. From what she could discern from the way that he'd been staring at her, he had been wishing it was his entire body all over her instead of just his gaze. She blushed as she looked at him. He was smiling boldly. He knew exactly what he had been doing and wanted her to know that he had liked it in the extremity. She shivered a bit on the inside. It was the first time anyone had ever looked at her like that, with passion. 'Aoshi-sama would never…Iie! What am I thinking? This man is the leader of a bunch of thugs!'
   Misao's face pinched together in a frown as she looked at the leader. Her words came out with a sarcastic edge, "And what can I get for you, SIR? Skewered, roasted chicken perhaps?" One of Misao's eyebrows raised of its own volition at the last line. She had meant for it to sound like a threat, but it sounded more like a banter to her own ears. The men around the table laughed into their hands, waiting to see what their boss's reply would be.
   The tall man just smiled; it was the beautiful, almost peaceful smile of one who has found happiness at last. He looked her evenly in the eyes, after a slight pause he spoke, "No, not tonight. Maybe sometime I can have you for dinner though….." He grinned mischievously, knowing instinctively that she would take the bait.
   "Hentai!" Misao huffed loudly in indignation and stomped off to the kitchen. The men at the table finally burst out with hearty laughter, nearly rolling on the floor with their amusement. Misao ignored them and walked to the kitchen, her chin held high in the air. Sae followed Misao to the kitchen, eager to let loose some newly learned information to the girl.
   "Sou desu ka, Sae-san?? Is that guy really the head of the Northern Yakuza?!!? He's so young! I thought they were all supposed to be old wrinkled prunes!!!" Misao's voice was a high squeak. She was so surprised at the information that she had nearly dropped the jug of sake she had been preparing to take out to the waiting table. 'So, that man is to be my goal. If I can find out where his hideout is then I will be able to get the information I need and give Aoshi-sama his gift!' Instantly, Misao's face flushed when she realized that it was not Aoshi's face that had come to mind, but that of the handsome mob boss.
   "Sae-san, what is his name? They did not have much to go on concerning the Yakuza in Saitou's files. It seems this man is one of the hardest to track, so they weren't able to gather a substantial amount of information on him." Misao walked to the doorway to peer at the man. He was relaxed as his comrades bullied one another in jest. He seemed so out of place and refined compared to the rest of them, as if, somehow, he had been picked from a kennel of purebreds and thrown in with the mutts.
   "Takahashi Ryu, that is his name. His cronies here call him the Red Dragon. He is usually one of my best customers. He keeps his men in line and always pays well over what the meal costs. But there is something else too, I'm sure of it. No man could be that good if he consorts with those types of men. Like finds like. He is not what he seems, Misao." Sae shuddered, thinking of the coldness she had seen in the man's eyes on several occasions. "I'm warning you now, be careful of him. He's not someone you want to cross."
   Misao nodded and made her way back to the table, carefully balancing the tray of cups and appetizers as she held the sake in her free hand. She looked up to see Takahashi's eyes on her once more and she blushed at the flash of heat his gaze caused within her. 'Aoshi-sama!! Where are you when I need you!' Misao's heart screamed for Aoshi. Her body, on the other hand, was beginning to develop a mind of its own.
   During the course of the night, Takahashi had spoken with the girl several times. She matched his wit word for word despite the traces of embarrassment he caught from time to time. He was enchanted. As the party rose to leave he stopped the girl and pulled her to the side. "Misao-san," he said softly, leaning close to her, "I very much enjoyed your company here tonight. Am I wrong to think that you did not enjoy mine as well?"
   His warm sake-tinged breath feathered a few stray hairs that lay against the side of her face. He was so close she could feel the heat and strength of his supple body. She drew back, afraid of the butterflies that awoke within the pit of her stomach. Her voice was a shaky whisper when, at last, she spoke, "Hai, I very much so enjoyed your company Takahashi-san. I look forward to your next visit." She let out a deep breath as she waited for his reply.
   Takahashi smiled and leaned closer. "We don't have to wait until the next time I come here, Misao-san. I am giving a party for some of my associates in the government tomorrow night. I would be very pleased if you would attend. It's in an Ageya on the other side of town. Your reputation will be safe in my hands. Please come." He looked down into her eyes and raised his hand to place a stray hair behind her ear, his fingertips trailing down her neck. Misao shivered in response.
   'Aoshi-sama!' Misao cried internally, 'what is this man doing to me??? I have to say yes so I can find out where his hideout is!' Misao sighed and looked Takahashi in the face, her blue eyes wide with a little bit of wonder and a trace of resignation. "Hai, Takahashi-san. I will come. Tell me where this place is so I can go there and what time should we meet?"
   Takahashi smiled upon hearing her response, "No need for you to go by yourself, my fierce angel. I will have a carriage come round and pick you up here at 9 o'clock tomorrow." He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and turned to follow his men out the door. Misao sighed deeply, engulfed with confusion. She made her way back to the table to clean up the clutter and to organize her thoughts as well.
   Sae watched the exchange from the back of the restaurant. That man was dangerous and it seemed to her that he was getting a little too familiar with Misao for comfort, 'I have to tell Hajime-san. I don't want Misao to get hurt and this guy seems to have her at a loss for words…It's not good.' Sae went about her work, knowing full well that Saitou would come by after they closed for an update.
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