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My Life: Chapter 23 - Meet Uncle SAITOU?

by Fitz

I discovered who my uncle-to-be was. The name seemed familiar when I looked at it on the invitation. Hajime Saitou. Saitou... Memory brought up a tall, severe looking man who smoked. I tried to recall where I had seen him before, but it was awhile before that came to me.

“Saitou?” Kaoru asked me while we drove from campus to Uncle Hiko’s house. Our nice clothes--her dress and my suit--were dangling from the hook near the back door, our overnight bags on the back seat. She was spending Friday and Saturday nights at Uncle Hiko’s house with me. Sunday we were going back. “Do you mean Professor Saitou? Head of the law department?”

An image of him passing me a cigarette and lighting it for me flashed in my mind, and I groaned.

“It’s probably the same guy,” I nodded. I wondered how Aunt Tokio would fall for a guy like that. She was meticulous about her health and eating habits, and she was engaged to a chain smoker? Not to mention I seemed to recall the man had been rather sarcastic and cold, which Aunt Tokio definitely was not. “I can’t imagine there are a lot of Saitou’s out there.”

Kaoru giggled and flipped on her turn signal. We exited from 94 and entered onto 52, which would take us to my house. Kaoru lived in Sunfish Lake, but I lived in West St. Paul, which was an older community and had not grown much in past years. On the flip side, I was within walking distance of Robert Street, where I could find stores from Target to Blockbuster and restaurants from Taco Bell to Red Lobster. I had a birthday party at the Circus Pizza (which some jerks had turned into a Chuck E Cheese) when I was six. I remembered that one because it was the last time my father was present for my birthday.

“Take Thompson and turn right,” I offered.

“Right,” Kaoru smiled and did as I directed. “I don’t know... It could be to your advantage to have a University professor in your family. He could help you with your homework--”

“We’ll see,” I smirked. “Next street, turn right.”

^_^

To my great shock, Uncle Hiko took us out to dinner Friday night. He even paid for it. It was not the nicest restaurant, but Angelo’s had great pizza, even if the place was dark and kind of smoky. Of course, it might have just been Uncle Hiko’s method of digging into my life and embarrassing me in front of Kaoru.

“Sooooo, Kaoru,” Uncle Hiko smirked across the table at us, his gaze shifting to the girl beside me. “You and the brat... you’re dating?”

This was going to be bad. I couldn’t even hide behind a slice of pizza because we had only recently ordered. So I just sat there, fiddling with my napkin. It was an art--mutilating napkins--and very therapeutic. I could concentrate on trying to keep my cool and not blushing while I twisted and wrung the papery thing.

Kaoru, contrary to how I reacted, took things in stride. She smiled and sipped her iced tea.

“Yes, we are, Mr. Hiko,” she nodded, putting the glass back on the paper coaster.

“If you’ll excuse my prying,” Uncle Hiko continued. I was thinking: Yeah, right. “The kid hasn’t told me anything. Have you been dating long? I know you two have been friends for some time.”

“One date,” Kaoru replied easily. “Kenshin took me out last Friday.”

Oh god. The napkin started shredding. I stared out into the little restaurant. The only other people in there were the employees and some of their friends. They sat at the tables by the hall where the bathrooms were and laughed over their cigarettes. I had only been to Angelo’s on one occasion when those people were not sitting there.

“We went to Chipotle,” Kaoru was explaining. “We had a really nice time.”

The conversation turned semi-serious at that point, and I wanted to sink down into the floor. My napkin was coming apart, little white fibers falling on the tabletop.

“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into by dating him,” Uncle Hiko said. “Long-term relationships are not his thing.”

I had this urge to jump up and down, waving my arms, shouting, ‘Hello! I’m sitting right here!’ Did the man not realize he was talking about me in the third person while I was sitting less than three feet away from him?

“I know that, Mr. Hiko,” Kaoru murmured, her voice softer. I fought the urge to groan and declare that my uncle was about to ruin one of the few good things that had happened to me in the past five years. “We’ve been working on it.”

“He’s had some problems,” Uncle Hiko insisted. “Has he told you about them?”

For god’s sake--!

“Yes, Mr. Hiko,” Kaoru sighed. “I do believe I know of most of them.”

Wait a minute... most? What did she think I was? Like I was one big mess or something. At that point in my life, my only problems were finishing my homework on time and passing the midterms.

“Good,” Uncle Hiko tapped his fingers on the table. It always took awhile for the pizza to come, and he was not a patient man. “Then there’s no problem. Frankly, I’m relieved he’s started dating. I was beginning to think he was gay.”

I glared at him, and Kaoru giggled.

“He gets that a lot,” she said. I blinked as she reached over suddenly and curled her fingers around mine, pulling me away from the mess of paper fibers that had once been a napkin. I sighed, ignoring the glance Uncle Hiko sent me when she pulled my hand into her lap and held it there with both of hers. Kaoru smiled at me, and there was this feeling of melting, and had we not been in public and in front of my uncle, I might have kissed her. All the while, I was thinking, Thank you, God, and I smiled back at her.

“Here’s the pizza,” Uncle Hiko said abruptly, and we looked up as a woman pushed a big pan in front of us. It was a welcome distraction on Uncle Hiko’s part, I was sure. He certainly seemed relieved.

“So, Mr. Hiko,” Kaoru smiled sweetly at him, releasing my hand so we could eat. “What do you do?”

“Hmm?” Uncle Hiko lifted his eyebrows in surprise, pausing before he bit into his pizza. “I’m a consultant.”

“What kind of consultant?”

That was something even I did not know. I had lived with the man for nearly fourteen years, and I had no idea what he did for a living. Not that I really cared.

“Uh...” Hold on. Was he... blushing? My uncle? Flustered? Impossible. Yet, there he sat, picking at the sausage on his pizza, eyes not lifting to meet Kaoru’s curious gaze. “Design,” he said abruptly.

“Design?” Kaoru pressed. I couldn’t tell if she was honestly interested or was enjoying the man’s embarrassment. I, of course, lived for the latter of the two. “Like interior design?”

“Yes,” Uncle Hiko sighed.

I didn’t see what bothered him about that. It seemed to be an interesting profession. However, I was not complaining. I enjoyed seeing him so disjointed.

Kaoru smiled brightly.

“Wow!” she giggled. “You never struck me as the artsy type, Mr. Hiko.”

I nearly spat out my pop. As it was, I could not stop laughing. Kaoru looked at me in confusion, and Uncle Hiko glared at me for all he was worth. She did not realize it, but Kaoru had just used what I had come to consider ‘Sano’s term.’ Sano called Katsu and Kamatari ‘artsy.’

“What’s so funny?” Kaoru wondered, after I had calmed down enough. I had laughed myself into a fit of hiccups. I coughed and hiccupped again, trying to recover.

“Serves you right, little brat,” Uncle Hiko muttered. I had to snicker again, upon which occasion I promptly choked on another hiccup. Kaoru patted my back and nudged my pop toward me in concern.

“N-nothing,” I said finally, reaching for a slice of pizza. “Nothing at all.”

Uncle Hiko scowled at me, then spent the rest of the night ignoring me completely. We finished dinner and went home, where Uncle Hiko made me get out new sheets and remake the guest bed for Kaoru. He kept her busy in the kitchen doing something, or she probably would have come to help me. The jerk. He was probably paying me back for laughing at him.

^_^

I did not know which was more difficult: tying a tie, or keeping from pacing while my girlfriend was getting dressed in the room just down the hall. Keeping such thoughts from my mind was nearly impossible as of late. When we were not dating, it had been easier, but now that we were officially a ‘couple’ those things caught up with me.

Actually, it was not as bad as some people--not to give names, but their initials are Chou Sawagejou and Sanosuke Sagara--might have thought. I did not have the urge to drag Kaoru off to bed whenever I saw her, nor did I ever have the need to shove my hands into my pockets to prevent embarrassment while we were together. In fact, the thought of... more intimate activities (God, I couldn’t even think the word!) was enough to make me uncomfortable. Holding hands was fine. Hugging was nice. Kissing? Very nice. But that? Knowing me, I’d get there and mess it up completely.

“For god’s sake!” I growled, dropping the two ends of the tie as I finished--not for the first time--with the skinny side dangling far below the wider front. I didn’t even bother glancing to Uncle Hiko for help. He wore a clip-on, and I knew for a fact he couldn’t make a clean knot to save his life. Odd, considering he was so coordinated when it came to everything else.

“Having problems?”

I glanced up, then grinned. Lord, but I was a lucky bastard. Not only did I get a girlfriend who put up with my cynicism and awkwardness, but she was also a knockout in cocktail wear. The dress was black and stopped just below her knees. It was sleeveless and cut down in a pretty deep V in front. The fabric was some sort of knit that clung to any curve she had. All in all, rather plain, but it was a sexy little thing. She did her hair up in some kind of twist and put on eye shadow and some shiny lip stuff.

Kaoru smiled and reached toward me, shifting the tie around my neck and folding it over expertly. Tolerant, good-looking, and she could fix my tie.

“Judging by the drool on your chin, I don’t look half bad,” Kaoru observed, tightening the tie in a few jerky movements. She smiled slyly. “Of course, you haven’t eaten for hours.”

“I like the dress,” I murmured in agreement.

“You picked it out,” she reminded me. “Your only problem now is that I’m wearing heels.”

I glanced at the shoes she had placed by the door and wrinkled my nose at the two-inch heel on them. Kaoru was shorter than I was, to be sure, but only by a centimeter or so. In those shoes, she would definitely be the taller of us. Oh well. It was not such a big deal, really. The height difference would not be so huge--and she could take those shoes off if we danced.

“We’re riding with your uncle?” Kaoru asked as she tucked the tie into my vest. She batted my hands away and took up the task of buttoning the vest and jacket herself. That accomplished, she smoothed down my lapel and smiled at me again. “Or are you going to make me drive?”

“I wouldn’t dream of making you do anything,” I retorted.

“Darn right, you wouldn’t!” she giggled, then rewarded me by kissing me briefly. I smiled and turned to find Uncle Hiko, but she stopped me.

“What?” I glanced at her curiously, then startled a bit when she dragged her thumb over my lips a few times.

“You looked like you had on lip gloss,” she explained, then shooed me out of the room.

“Uncle Hiko! Are you ready yet?” I called. I found him in the kitchen, jotting down something on a piece of paper. He tucked it into his pocket and put the pen in the drawer.

“Hold on, hold on,” he muttered, shutting the drawer, then patting his pockets as if searching for something. After a few seconds, he seemed satisfied, and he took the keys off the hook and smirked at me. “Let’s not keep the woman waiting.”

^_^

I did not play any special role in the wedding, not that this was a bad thing. That left me free to sit with Kaoru and, I was sorry to say, my uncle. He had grinned at us when he sat down next to me and muttered something about the two of us making out in church. Kaoru blushed at his comment, and I glared at him. He snorted and proceeded to ignore us, instead choosing to silently admire our surroundings.

Actually, the wedding was not in a church, but at the old train depot in St. Paul. The train had not run through the place since the sixties or seventies, and it had been converted into offices and restaurants. Behind us was some Chinese restaurant, while the both the wedding and the reception were being held in this posh place.

It really was nice. We sat in fold-up chairs, but the restaurant was decorated with white, draping gauze and clear twinkle lights. They had put up candle stands everywhere, and the tables were set and waiting for the guests to eat.

Aunt Tokio was Lutheran, but Professor Saitou did not practice any religion, so that was why they had chosen such a place for the wedding. I was not sure what to think when I saw the man standing at the front of the aisle, looking old and severe. He could not have been much older than thirty-five, but he looked at least forty. Aunt Tokio was a pretty woman with dark brown hair and hazel eyes who could pass for under thirty even though she was nearing the big four-oh. I still did not understand how a woman like that would go for a guy like him.

“What’s wrong?” Kaoru’s soft question startled me, halfway through the ceremony, and I glanced at her in confusion. She frowned. “You sighed.”

“Bored,” I whispered in return, and she giggled, swatting my leg before looking back to the front. Uncle Hiko must have heard me, because I suddenly had to bite my lip against a pained grunt when he dug his elbow into my ribs. I couldn’t even retaliate. It was the middle of the wedding, and it would have been rude. So I bit my tongue against my irritated retorts and scooted my chair over slightly, away from him. Unfortunately, Kaoru’s chair prevented mine from moving more than a few inches, so I huddled against her and tried not to glower at my uncle. She was amused, but she accepted what I did and linked her fingers through mine. Well... it did make the position look more plausible, despite the fact that my motives had not involved intimacy.

^_^

The ceremony ended as they tended to do, and I followed the rest of the guests through the line to greet the happy couple. Aunt Tokio smiled when she saw me.

“Kenshin, dear,” she murmured, taking my hands when I mimicked Uncle Hiko’s greeting. But she was not satisfied with shaking my hand, and I found myself with my face pressed into the shoulder of her very lacey, very beaded dress. I prayed I wouldn’t get stuck. “It’s so nice to see you. You look so handsome.”

“Uh... thank you, Aunt Tokio,” I mumbled, awkwardly returning the hug. “You look really--” White. Fluffy. “Beautiful. Congratulations.”

“Thank you, dear,” she let me go, and I managed to pull away without getting too scratched up from all those sequins. I glanced up at her new husband, a bit uneasy. Aunt Tokio introduced us, “You’ve met Hajime before, haven’t you, Kenshin?” She laughed softly. “I guess that’s Uncle Hajime now.”

No way in hell. I managed a smile and offered my hand. So help me, if the guy tried to hug me...

He didn’t. He just smirked, much like Uncle Hiko always did, and shook my hand firmly. He did, however, pull me forward rather abruptly so that I nearly hit his chest, and he leaned down to put his face next to my ear.

“Tell her I gave you a cigarette, and we will be at odds, boy,” he muttered, then released my hand and stepped back. I stared up at him, startled and somewhat amused.

“What was that all about?” Aunt Tokio wondered with a pleased smile.

“Just offering him some advice,” Saitou said with a quick, rather bemused smile.

“And who is this?” Aunt Tokio turned toward Kaoru then, cutting off the conversation.

“This is Kaoru Kamiya,” I explained, and Kaoru offered her hand with a gracious smile.

“She’s your girlfriend?” the woman seemed inordinately pleased by the thought.

“I like to think that Kenshin is my boyfriend,” Kaoru interjected boldly. I looked at her in surprise. Geez... that was kind of possessive of her. I had to struggle not to smirk. “You were beautiful. Congratulations...” she glanced at Saitou. “To the both of you.”

She shook Saitou’s hand, and we escaped to the table where Kaoru signed our names in the guest log. We walked up a short flight of stairs to the tables, where there appeared to be no remaining seats. We would have to go to the main floor. It was not a huge deal, really. Most of the tables on the platform were reserved for closer relatives and friends anyway. I rarely saw my aunt, and I had exchanged only a couple dozen words with Saitou.

“Hey, Kenshin!”

I jumped at the familiar voice, reflexively clenching my hands into fists. Kaoru released a soft, pained yelp, and I yanked my hand away from hers. She rubbed her fingers gingerly, but I forgot about her for a minute as my gaze settled on the tall figure approaching us.

He looked the same as he had three years ago. His hair was short and choppy, the bleached strands forced to stand away from his skull with a lot of hair mousse. It was a stark contrast to his dark brown eyes and tanned skin. Had he been in a tee shirt and shorts, he could have passed for some stereotypical California surfer. As it was, he looked massive in his suit--the clothing making him appear more broad-shouldered than usual. I knew him to be a weight lifter and an avid follower of some Chinese martial arts, and that just made him all that much more intimidating.

“Enishi...” I greeted, my voice probably too low and strained for him to hear.

I hit something, and Kaoru caught me before I could trip over her. Enishi’s grin seemed to grow wider, and I realized I had been caught trying to back away from him. I froze up like a deer caught in a hunter’s spotlight.

“It’s been awhile,” Enishi said when he finally reached us, clapping a hand down on my shoulder. “You’re looking good, kid. You clean up nice.” The double meaning behind that sentence was not lost on me, and I struggled to respond. My voice was lost somewhere between my churning stomach, my pounding heart, and the bile in my throat. I swallowed, trying not to wince when I did. Enishi was not bothered by my silence, looking beyond me. “Who’s this? A lovely young woman on your arm, Kenshin? The gods have been treating you kindly.”

I shifted abruptly, this time purposely pushing back into Kaoru, forcing her to step away or clutch my shoulders to keep from toppling. As I had hoped, she did the latter, which kept her square behind me and away from Enishi.

“There’s a couple spots open at our table,” he continued. “Come join us. It’s been too long.”

“Th-that would be--”

“I really wanted to sit next to your uncle, Kenshin,” Kaoru spoke up suddenly, her fingers tightening around my arms as she pulled back a step. “Remember? He was going to tell us that story. From when you were little.”

“Uh...” I would have been willing to listen to Uncle Hiko recount every embarrassing thing I had ever done if doing so would have gotten me away from Enishi. “Right... Sorry, um... Enishi,” I stammered my way through the excuse, following Kaoru across the platform and down the opposite stair. “Maybe... maybe another time.” Yeah... like when hell froze over.

Kaoru wrapped her arms around one of mine, pulling me toward the table where Uncle Hiko was already seated. He had his eyes focused on something behind us, and I did not doubt it was my cousin he was watching. I let out a shaky breath, sinking into the chair next to Kaoru.

“That was Enishi?” she asked quietly.

“Hn,” Uncle Hiko snorted. “Still as cocky as ever. I can’t stand that brat.”

“Well, he’s stuck up there for awhile,” Kaoru pointed out, resting a hand on my shoulder as I struggled to settle my nerves. “He’ll probably have to give a toast, and he won’t be going anywhere until dinner is cleared.”

I nodded, grateful for her words but unable to give her the appropriate smile. Her eyes darkened a bit with concern, but I just shook my head and looked down at the tablecloth. There were glasses and silverware and complimentary chocolates on the table, the food tables being set up as we waited. The rich odors drifting through the room made me ill to my stomach, and I reached for the decanter. Uncle Hiko got to it before I could and poured water for all three of us.

“Kenshin?” Kaoru took a glass from Uncle Hiko and handed it to me. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, probably a little too quickly. I offered a strained smile and lifted the glass to my lips. Yeah, I was fine for the moment. Kaoru was right. Enishi would not be leaving that table for some time. Even so... he would be leaving that table before the night ended.

I glanced up to the diners at the tables on the platform, my gaze relentlessly drawn to the light-haired man at the bride’s table. This was going to be a long night.

^_^

Dinner went smoothly. Being as we were sitting on the main floor and not the almighty platform, we were some of the last guests to be allowed to get food. Such the pity, but the guests at the bride’s table had their food brought to them. The rest of us had to walk through a buffet line. Kaoru and Uncle Hiko piled the food onto their plates, making me feel a little silly with minimal portions on mine. I picked at it anyway, my stomach informing me that I would be foolish to try more than the bread and potatoes.

Uncle Hiko went to the bar to get himself a drink and brought us back some as well. Kaoru got something that looked suspiciously like red wine, and I got Sprite. Fair enough. It did help calm the butterflies in my stomach, and I was still banned from alcohol, even with adult supervision.

Enishi made his toast while they handed around dessert. The cutting of the wedding cake was supposed to be one of those things where the bride and groom fed each other the first pieces, but they must have decided against it. It really was too bad. I would have liked seeing Saitou with cake smushed all over his face--I couldn’t picture it otherwise. Whatever their reasons for doing it, the cake was passed around to the guests. It had some weird raspberry layer in it, and the slices were those thin ones, as if it had been cut off a loaf of bread rather than a flat cake. I gave my piece to the kid sitting next to me.

“May I have your attention, please?” Enishi’s deep voice carried easily over the din of the guests’ chatter. We all looked up to see him holding up his wine glass, the sleeve of his white suit jacket standing out against a sea of black dresses and formal wear. Having gotten our attention, Enishi lowered his arm and smiled at no one in particular. “As the bride’s son, it is my duty--no--” he smirked. “My pleasure to offer the first toast to the newlyweds.”

I rolled my eyes at his clichéd opening. Kaoru must have noticed because she giggled softly beside me.

“Behave yourself,” she whispered.

“Hn,” I grunted.

“As many of you know, I am the bride’s adoptive son, Enishi,” he continued. “She took me in when I was thirteen, which is not a common occurrence. Most kids resign themselves to a life in foster homes after the age of five.” Some of the guests murmured, probably feeling sorry for the bastard. “Tokio is a wonderful woman, who has offered me a happy life. Now, she’s taking her turn for happiness.”

I bit my lip, trying to hold in my cynicism. It was not easy, when the thoughts going through my head were, Excuse me while I go barf in the bathroom. Kaoru grabbed my hand and squeezed it, as if that would deter me from such thoughts.

“So, Mom,” Enishi held up his glass again, tilting it toward each person as he addressed them. “Hajime. I can’t think of anyone who deserves this more. A happy life to my mother and the bastard... Um... and Hajime.” He winked at the man. “Sorry, man.”

“I’m sure,” Saitou replied dryly, lifting his own glass as Enishi threw back a swallow of his wine. The rest of the guests did the same, and Enishi sat down. There were a few more toasts, and they started to sound alike after awhile. I tuned them out and concentrated on unwrapping the little chocolates on the table in front of me.

As dinner ended, the caterers moved in and took the buffet tables away. While they were busy with that, the DJ’s set up their own table and started sorting through their music. The first dance was supposedly meant to be the Father-Daughter dance, but since Aunt Tokio’s parents had both passed away some time ago, they skipped straight to the first dance of the bride and groom.

The DJ played a Shania Twain song. From This Moment On, if I was not mistaken. I had heard it before, but this was a duet version, and I did seem to recall hearing a man singing half the lines all the times when it was playing on the radio. It was one of those ‘perfect for the moment’ sappy songs. Aunt Tokio and Saitou kind-of danced to it in the middle of the floor, really just swaying back and forth. He did not seem to be the dancing type, and I imagined he would not be gracing the dance floor again.

Everyone clapped politely when they were finished, and Saitou escaped back to his table. Aunt Tokio stayed out on the floor for awhile, smiling at a little boy who held up his hands to dance with her. Kaoru cooed softly beside me, charmed by the sight of my aunt dancing with a five-year-old. I didn’t think it was such a big deal. I recalled doing the same thing at her first wedding, only I had been eight, and Tomoe had given me a dollar told me to give it to the man collecting the money. I later learned this to be the ‘dollar dance’ where a person could dance with the bride or groom for a dollar. Saitou wasn’t dancing, so there would be no dollar dance this time.

The songs were mostly older ones, although they made us listen to some more recent pop songs. Kaoru dragged me away from our table a little later and made me dance to Those Magic Changes. I never had been much of a dancer, so Kaoru was doing most of the leading while I tried not to look like too much of an idiot.

I did draw the line at Love Shack. Kaoru laughed and let me sit that one out. After that, we joined the group for a few more songs. We were even blessed with a slow song, which I did not recognize, and I got to have Kaoru wrap her arms around my neck and lean against me. She rested her chin on my shoulder and sighed.

“Hmmm,” she moaned softly. “I hate this song.”

I had to chuckle at that, tilting my head slightly in attempt to look at her. She was a little too close for that, but I did not want to pull back, so I tolerated it. Her fingers were at my neck, fiddling with the little hairs that just would not go into a ponytail, and I shivered at the sensation. She giggled.

“Like that?” she wondered.

Like it? I could have curled up and started purring. My bliss was short-lived, though. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was not Kaoru.

Anger rose in me when I turned to see Enishi’s familiar bright grin shining down at me. I frowned at him, not at all pleased by the interruption.

“May I cut in?” he asked.

“No,” I shot back immediately. He seemed surprised at my sharp response, but it disappeared quickly, and he held his hands out in conciliation.

“My mistake,” he murmured, still grinning. “Perhaps later.”

I watched him leave, heading toward the bar. Kaoru’s hand was still on my shoulder, and she squeezed lightly, making me look at her. She had a strange little smile on her face.

“Look at you, puppy,” she said, pulling me back into the position of before. I muttered under my breath and tried to relax again. “Barking to scare away the other dogs.”

“Are you calling me a dog?” I snorted.

“No, I called you a puppy,” she replied easily.

I was not sure how to take that. Not a dog, but merely a dog-in-training. That was rather insulting, I thought, but I let it pass.

“Relax, Kenshin,” Kaoru stopped dancing abruptly as the song ended. She pulled back and smiled at me. I blinked as she tapped my nose lightly. “Today is a happy one.”

Kaoru was a romantic at heart. It was a miracle we were able to tolerate each other at all.

“Let’s go sit for awhile,” she suggested. “And you can stand nearby and defend your territory.”

“What?” I blurted, stumbling a bit as she pulled me back to the table. What kind of analogy was that? I didn’t like Enishi trying to cut in, so suddenly I was a defensive hound? Geez. I wasn’t that bad. If it had been anybody else, I probably would have backed down--although I would not have been happy about it--so I wasn’t just some dog--

“You’re so cute when you’re irritated,” Kaoru announced suddenly, cutting off my train of thoughts. I was surprised to the point that I didn’t even respond to the brief kiss she gave me before shoving me back into my chair. She picked up her glass and sat next to me, offering a big smile. “Smile, Kenshin. It’s not that bad.”

I sighed and tried to smile back at her. She was right. It really was not that bad. The night would end soon enough, and we could go back to our normal lives. And as long as we were in this public place, Enishi could not do anything more than smile at me from across the room. I nodded and picked up my pop.

“Thanks, Kaoru.”

She glanced at me, a startled expression on her face. I felt no need to explain myself, and I looked back to the dancers on the floor. They were looking pretty ridiculous with their arms up in the air, singing along with the YMCA song. Luck was with me if Kaoru chose to rest at that point. I hated dancing along to the Village People.

^_^

Enishi did get his dance, although I had tried to protest. Kaoru knew me too well, it seemed, because she had her hand on my arm before I could open my mouth. She just smiled at me and let Enishi lead her away by the hand.

She must have had her reasons for dancing with him, but I could not help feeling a little betrayed. My teeth were clenched to the point that I could hear them grinding. Uncle Hiko must have heard it, too.

“Settle down, brat,” he grunted, sipping his wine calmly. “We’ve got another hour at least before we can leave.”

I twisted the cloth napkin in my lap, glaring out at Kaoru and Enishi. Of all people, why him? They seemed to be having fun, dancing to Electric Avenue with the other guests. Kaoru was laughing at something Enishi said, which just irritated me more.

Trying not to growl aloud, I decided to ignore them. Huffing softly, I looked over to the side, where some people were walking to the neighboring restaurant. They were dressed in street clothes, and they looked at the group curiously. Then, they forgot the wedding and went into the Chinese dining place. I envied them.

Kaoru didn’t come back when the song ended. A chipper, upbeat song started, and I rolled my eyes. What was a wedding without the Bird Song? The guests laughed and cheered, making their hands ‘chirp’ and flapping their arms around in accordance to the dance. The song was drawing to a close, but I could not handle it anymore, seeing Kaoru and Enishi out there, laughing and dancing around. I decided that was as good a time as any to answer the call of nature.

Of course, finding the bathroom was a process in and of itself. It turned out to be tucked in the back of a hallway, which was way off to the side of an adjacent room. There was a lineup outside the women’s bathroom, and I learned the reason for that before I had the chance to push open the door to the men’s room.

“You might be waiting awhile,” a lady said as she walked out of the bathroom. “Only one of the stalls locks.”

Sounded like a high-class place. I discovered what that meant when I went into the men’s room. I grimaced at the dingy-looking place. It was set up so that I actually had to go into a stall. That was nice for privacy but unusual. It looked old, the tiles in the floor chipping and loose. The fluorescent lighting did nothing to help, washing out all the beige paint into a sickly yellow-white. My face was shockingly pale in the cracked mirror, no thanks to that lighting. Of course, I was not trying to impress anyone in the bathroom.

Unlike the other bathroom, the men’s room was empty but for me. That was one of the joys of being male. I never had to wait in line to use a toilet. I was not alone for long, but when the door opened, only one guy walked in. This was unlike the women’s room, where it seemed that they all went in pairs if not groups. No wonder they clogged the bathrooms.

“Hey, Kenshin.”

The faucet slipped away from my fingers, snapping back into place, the water flow stopping. I looked up to see the much unwanted reflection behind mine in the mirror. He did it on purpose. There was absolutely no possible way Enishi could have just chanced into the bathroom at the same time I was.

“Enishi,” I greeted coldly.

“We never got a chance to talk,” Enishi came up beside me, turning and leaning back against the counter. I tore my gaze away from him and forced my concentration back onto washing the soap from my hands.

“A pity, that,” I muttered.

“How have you been?” he wondered casually.

“Great,” I replied icily. “Happy.”

“That’s good,” he chuckled. “Really good. Nice girl you’ve got there.”

“Stay away from her.”

He held up his hands, smiling broadly.

“I get it,” he smirked at me when I met his smile with a glare. “Your girl. I wouldn’t dream of trying to court her. Anyway, I’m glad to see you in good health. I heard you had a run in with Jensen.”

“Jensen?” I asked uneasily. I had no idea who Jensen was.

“Tall guy,” Enishi offered. “Brown eyes, dark hair.”

“You’re not providing a narrow field of men,” I pointed out. I would have had to reach past him to get a paper towel, so I just stood with my hands dripping to my sides. Yes, he intimidated me that much.

“I’d think you’d remember a man you bludgeoned with a lamp,” Enishi snorted. He pushed away from the counter before I could react, turning and slinging his arm about my shoulders. I tensed, letting him do this but ready to push away if he tried anything. “Rough luck, that. He’s kind of rough when he’s drunk. Hey, you do that after he screwed you into the bed or before he had a chance to get past second base?”

My cheeks were flushed so red that even the glaring lights could not hide my humiliation. I pressed my lips together and tried to ignore him, leaning across him toward the paper towel dispenser. His hand tightened on my shoulder, pressing me closer to his side. I looked up in surprise, not having expected that.

“I guess it’s hard to blame a guy for that,” Enishi murmured. He was staring through me, as if his mind was someplace else. “Loneliness can get the best of anyone, you know. And when faced with someone who not only seems an easy target, but has looks like yours...”

I balked at the hand that touched my face, jerking back against his arm in protest.

“Enishi--” I growled.

“I liked it better when you kept your hair down,” he cut me off, his hand moving up to tug at my bangs. I did not bother trying to push his hand away, instead focusing all my energy on not flinching. I stared at the water faucet, water dripping slowly from it into the sink. Somehow, though I couldn’t figure out this talent, Enishi could make a person feel worthless. He did it to me in the past, and he was doing it again. I think he liked making people squirm--making them feel like nothing more than the trash on the street.

“Let go.” I had intended that to be a firm order, but it came out sounding like I was pleading with him. I clenched my hands into fists and tensed up under his grip, ready to lash out if he continued with this.

“You know what we haven’t discussed for quite some time?” Enishi ignored my order completely. “Your payment plan.”

Shit.

“Enishi, stop it.” I knew where this was leading. If one wanted to go into technicalities, I did owe Enishi quite a bit of money--money I did not currently possess.

“Now, you’re my cousin, so I’ve been generous,” Enishi continued. “But I can only stretch my resources so far, you know. I have bills to pay, things to keep up with. And when someone doesn’t pay me on time, I suffer.”

The hell he did. Even so, I was suddenly grateful I had already gone to the bathroom. Not that he scared me quite that much, but any discomfort on that level would have made the encounter unbearable.

“I don’t have any money,” I told him, willing that arm around my shoulders to relax. The opposite happened, actually. His grip tightened to the point where I was having trouble breathing, my arms trapped against my sides. My chest hurt with how my heart was pounding. I tried to calm my breathing and closed my eyes as he tilted his head to put his mouth near my ear.

“There are many methods of paying a debt,” he murmured.

Then, he let go. Just like that, he dropped his arm and patted my shoulder lightly.

“Don’t be a stranger, Kenshin,” he said, smiling broadly. “I missed our weekly exchanges.”

Weekly exchanges was right. I didn’t miss it at all. I shuddered as he left the bathroom, resisting the urge to hug my arms over my chest against the sudden chill. I hated him. No one else had ever made me feel so disgusted with myself. No one else could terrify me like he did.

My legs were threatening to give out when I went back into the stall. I stared down at the toilet, praying I wouldn’t get sick.

I knew I was in trouble. Enishi’s threat had been all too clear. Yet there was nothing I could do. There weren’t any witnesses to his behavior, so it was his word against mine. Not only that, but I had a record, and he didn’t. My opportunity to reveal him had come, and I had chickened out. It was years too late, and he was probably more cautious than ever. I knew what he was, but he knew of my knowledge, and he acted accordingly. No way was he stupid enough to let some college kid send him to jail.

What am I going to do? Better yet... what is he going to do?

I did get sick. Humiliated beyond belief, all I could do was be grateful no one else was there to hear it. Weak and shaking, I went back to the sink and washed my hands again. I managed to get the worst of the bitter flavor out of my mouth, and I took a few deep breaths, composing myself. Uncle Hiko would figure it out all too quickly if I did not pull this off. Kaoru, too.

In the end, I guess I just hoped Enishi would not have the resources to back up his threat. If he couldn’t find me, then there was no way he could do anything. Even if he knew where I was staying, I was almost always surrounded by people. I resolved not to walk across campus alone at night anymore.

Emboldened by these thoughts, I decided I was ready to face the party. It had been at least twenty minutes since I left the table, and Kaoru and Uncle Hiko were probably beginning to wonder if I had fallen in or something.

Kaoru looked up and smiled when I returned to the table.

“Where were you?” she wondered.

“Bathroom,” I shrugged. “Took a roundabout way to find it.”

Amazing how simple it was to slip back into the habit of lying. I didn’t like it. For so long I had been confident enough to be truthful about almost everything. I didn’t know why I couldn’t admit to this. Maybe I really was just a pathetic chickenshit like Sano said.

“You missed the Electric Slide,” she said, as if this was the greatest tragedy there could be.

“Pity,” I murmured. Kaoru stuck her tongue out at me, and I smiled weakly, reclaiming my chair next to her. She looked at me oddly.

“Are you okay?” she asked. I knew I couldn’t fool her.

“I don’t feel that great,” I sighed. That was true, to some extent.

“Do you want to leave?”

More than anything.

“No, I’m okay.”

She frowned at me worriedly but let it drop. I didn’t see Enishi the rest of the night. Someone said he and some of the groomsmen went out for some cigars or the likes. Whatever he was doing was fine with me as long as I didn’t have to see him again.

Not too much later, Uncle Hiko announced we were leaving. The hour had gotten to the point where it was socially polite to exit. We found Aunt Tokio, bid her good night, and left. It was not overly far from the depot to Uncle Hiko’s house, but I found I could not keep my eyes open for the trip. Kaoru said she didn’t mind, though, so I put off any conversation and dozed all the way home.

^_^