Cover Girls

Cover Girls

An alternate universe Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic

Chapter Three

"Barefoot in the Park"

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Kaoru leaned back in her chair with a sigh of pure exhaustion. Between setting that term's test papers and her fidgety students she had hardly a moment to spare for even a personal thought all week.

"Thank Kami-sama it's Friday." She mused with a tired smile.

It had been a whole week since they had tried out at the auditorium, a whole week since Ko-Neko-Neko, miraculously, qualified for the next leg of the contest. The others thought it silly of her to be so shocked but in all honesty, the competition they faced was well, pretty impressive.

"Not to mention cute," her mind added for good measure.

"Aw shaddap!" she growled to herself as she ran a hand through her hair. However there was no denying how great that twenty-sixth band was on stage. Especially that lead singer of theirs! Kaoru was forced to cover her eyes in residual embarrassment. Oh gods, how could one guy be so darned cute?!

In her mind's eye she could still see him, leaning into his guitar, generous strands of his silky red hair coming free of it's low ponytail to frame those amazing eyes. Was it her imagination or did they really change into that gorgeous amber color when he sang?

Sighing again, she pulled herself upright to finish clearing up her desk. Nevertheless, her mind allowed itself to drift back to the previous Saturday, a size six pump unknowingly tapping out the rhythm it recreated for it's own pleasure.

Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo

Yoake no mama de, koesou de

Butsukatteikya kokeru omoi yo

Konya mo mata, sure chigai…

Full, feminine lips soon fell victim to the mind's illusion, curving around the words of the song with voluptuous syncing movements. Deep blue eyes that were in reality scanning an examination draft, instead saw a lighted stage where three men played one of her favorite songs with all the style and grace of true professionals.

Sanzan sugite doryoku no ato mo

Naku naru kekka, only no tsuna watari

Yaru dake son suru yona, mainichi wa

Sha ni kamaeteta hou koso, raku ni naru.

A pair of slender fingers joined into the beat and a pretty head bobbed in time with the beat as it had done then, unable to even feel the slightest twinge of jealousy or insecurity. All that mattered then was the music, and the man who played it so very well.

Atsukute, tsurai

Jibun wo kakushite,

Mijikai toki wo ikiteru

Unconsciously, papers and stationery was packed away in a sturdy leather bag and thrown over a slender shoulder as the other hand grabbed a set of car keys and a heavy coat. The other foot joined it's companion in dancing their mistress down the empty hallway much they way they had done in that crowded auditorium seven days ago.

Hitori de wa, tooi ashita wo

Yoake no mama de, koesou de

Houttokeba, hashiru omoi yo

Yume mo mata, sure chiga.i

As much as she wanted to win that competition, Kaoru Kamiya was glad that Sakbatou had also qualified for the next trial to come.

She couldn't wait to hear him sing again.

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Misao hummed softly to herself as she glided along the familiar pathways of her favorite park, which wouldn't have been such an odd thing if her walkman were actually on. However, that was not the case, her earphones offering nothing but silence as she made her way through her favorite haunts with her eyes practically closed, the sound of her own voice her only music.

Bad idea.

"Oof!" she mumbled as she fell on her behind. She groaned as she looked up to see what she'd slammed into. "Aw man! Who was the moron who put a wall right in the middle of the godda…oh! Well, hellooo nurse!"

Aoshi Shinomori froze in reaching down to help the young woman who had slammed into him when a familiar pair of blue-green eyes glittered back up at him in the most unholy of ways.

"Well, well, well now." Misao drawled in a voice that was quite a few octaves lower than normal, "Fancy running into you like this."

Although he dared not show it, warm shivers ran down Aoshi's spine at the blatantly predatorial manner in which the young woman addressed him.

Misao's smile grew even wider and inwardly she snickered at the poor man's discomfort. Despite her overly childish ways, she was in fact, all woman and reveled in the fact that she could make a grown man squirm in just so many words.

Steeling his nerve, Aoshi reached out again and helped the woman up, only to be surprised again when she cut off his apology with one of her own.

"Gomen nasai," she said bowing her head slightly, "I should have been more careful, I would've hated to injure such an excellent drummer so close to the preliminaries."

Aoshi's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected compliment and the instantaneity with which she changed her whole demeanor. With a warm smile, she spun around him, pirouetting her own body in the process. Then with one last twinkle in her eyes she continued her way down the path gliding in time with a tune only she could hear.

"Hey, wait…"

Turning smoothly on her heel, Misao looked back toward where the man stood with the same deadpan expression on his face but in his eyes glimmered a message only she could see.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Misao." she replied simply. No last name, no reason for him to call her "miss" as she was sure he intended to do. No room for escape.

"Aoshi," he heard himself reply without a moment's hesitation.

"Aoshi," she repeated with a thoughtful smile, "It suits you."

No more words were exchanged between them, Misao simply waited for Aoshi to fall into step beside her and the both of them rode down the path together in companionable silence.

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"So what made you take up music?"

If Aoshi was startled by Misao's question after nearly an hour of silence, he sure knew how to hide it. Secretly, he stole a look at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

Misao rolled her eyes but the good natured smile she'd worn up till then remained constant, "Well, it's a little something the rest of us call idle conversation that's all."

"I see." Aoshi replied.

"So?" Misao urged.

There was a soft sound that may have been a sigh before Aoshi answered, "Every child in my family was required to play at least one instrument, I chose the drums to get on my Dad's nerves."

Misao's grin widened, "Rebel, rebel."

"If you say so," he said softly.

"Now you ask me one."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow slightly, "Like what?"

"Anything!"

He thought silently for a minute.

"Well?"

"What's your favorite movie?"

Aoshi had to pull up short when Misao glided in front of him with a grin of…hell, he couldn't tell what she was thinking. To his surprise she winked at him and backed away a bit as if to give herself room before speaking again.

"Tell you what," she said still flashing her perfect white teeth, "I'll give you a hint and then you'll guess."

Then to his surprise, the little drummer girl began to sing.

The seaweed is always greener

In somebody else's lake

You dream about going up there

But that is a big mistake

Just look at the world around you

Right here on the ocean floor

Such wonderful things surround you

What more is you lookin' for?

Her voice was much like the woman who led her band. The main difference is that Misao's voice was closer to a soprano pitch than hers. Even as she sang she skated down the path twirling and shaking her hips in time with the beat of the song. Aoshi was forced to keep up with her, forgetting to fight the look of amusement that began to cross his face.

Under the sea

Darling it's better

Down where it's wetter

Take it from me

Up on the shore they work all day

Out in the sun they slave away

While we devotin'

Full time to floatin'

Under the sea!

As she finished the chorus Misao spun around again, this time in the opposite direction, circling her companion once before coming to a stop beside him. Her smile ever-present as she ended her song with a flourish, not a trace of embarrassment to be found on her pretty face.

"The Little Mermaid?" he asked, the light of amusement clearly dancing in his clear blue eyes.

"Yup." Misao affirmed with a curt nod, "Because of the music. My Mom even used to…" suddenly she trailed off, the light in her eyes flickering briefly, but just long enough for Aoshi to recognize the change in her mood.

"Well in any case," Misao said quickly, covering her recent slip with the usual smile, "I love the music, but "Under the Sea" isn't my favorite song, just the most popular."

Respecting her unspoken request to let the previous incident drop, Aoshi motioned for them to continue on, adding one more question to their 'idle conversation' as he did.

"So which one is your favorite song?" he asked.

Misao's smile grew soft and her eyes drifted almost closed as she tucked a lock of hair back under her helmet. Her voice began as a whisper, building in volume and pitch as she poured herself ever so slowly into her song.

What would I give

To live where you are?

What would I pay

To stay here beside you?

What would I do to see you

Smiling at me?

Where would we walk?

Where would we run?

If we could stay all day in the sun?

Just you and me

And I could be

Part of your world…

Her voice had dropped an octave, thus losing the girlish quality it had held before. Aoshi found himself entranced by the sound of it, every other noise around them suddenly ceased to be. The whole world had drifted away when he wasn't looking, and to tell the truth, he didn't care.

I don't know when

I don't know how

But I know something's starting right now

Watch and you'll see

Some day I'll be

Part of your world…

Misao looked up as her song trailed away to find that somewhere along the way both she and Aoshi had stopped skating altogether and his eyes were now trained on hers as her singing voice drifted back behind the mask she'd grown so accustomed to wearing.

"It's getting late," she said quickly, "It was nice to finally talk to you Aoshi."

The return of the girl who had cat-called him in St. Marie's snapped Aoshi out of his reverie, "Yeah, same here." He managed to reply.

Misao smiled again briefly before starting down the path again in earnest.

"Hey!" Aoshi called out for the second time that afternoon.

Misao stopped and turned, "Yeah?"

"Good luck at the preliminaries next week." he said.

Misao nodded as her smile grew gentler, then she began moving again. Just as she disappeared around the corner he heard her call over her shoulder.

"You too Aoshi, you too!"

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