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My Life: Chapter 26 - Family Troubles

by Fitz

School started out as it always did. I went to class, professors gave out homework like their class was the only one that mattered, and somewhere between work and school, I attempted to have a social life. Most of my work hours were on the weekend, and Sundays in a library copy center were not exactly exciting, so I did get a lot of homework finished there. It was a slack job if ever there was one, and since I took all the unsavory weekend hours, I got paid more. Incentive, I suppose. I was being paid to do homework half of the time.

I was not sure how or why it happened, but Kaoru took on a Friday night class. That just was not fair. The end of the week was intended to allow us to wind down and go out. She willingly made her week longer. I told her she was crazy, but she said it was the only time she could get the psychology class she wanted. I decided both she and the professor teaching the class were crazy. Just as a matter of personal preference, I avoided night classes at all costs. One time was enough, and I had to drop that one after two weeks. It was painful to sit through a three hour class, no matter how many breaks the professor gave us.

Living with three girls got easier as we settled in with some general rules. It was too much to expect them to keep everything clean, but they were kind enough to keep some of their more personal belongings put away where I did not have to see them. Lights went out at eleven, but we invested in a bookshelf that was pretty tall and was filled with enough books (and various other objects) to block out any light and most of the sound coming from someone at the computers. Bedside lamps sometimes remained on until well after midnight, but again, that was nothing that a blanket pulled over my head would not solve. It settled into a comfortable routine.

“I still haven’t seen your apartment,” Sano complained one day as we shared lunch in his dorm hall. He had returned to act as CA for the ninth floor. Ironically, three out of the four wings were girls’ rooms. Megumi was not too pleased, but we all knew Sano was not interested in any eighteen-year-old girls, no matter how hard they tried to get his attention.

“It’s not for any lack in opportunity,” I pointed out. “Come over before we go to the gym Friday night.”

“Got to prep the girls?” he smirked.

“Like you’d care,” I shot back. “You’re almost as bad as them.”

He just shrugged and grinned. It was that easy. He came over that Friday night, then went running with me because we remembered it was volleyball night. I had nothing against the sport, but I would not have been caught dead playing it. The running turned to jogging before we hit a mile, which then rapidly deteriorated to a brisk walk, and by the third mile, Sano was strolling along, his long strides barely making me walk fast. When it came to running, he was not accustomed to anything more than a brief sprint.

“June nineteenth,” he announced as we walked through Uptown. It was a detour I usually avoided, considering it was difficult to run through the crowds.

“What’s that?” I wondered.

“The wedding date,” Sano muttered. “Megumi’s got the club reserved--the entire goddamned club.”

“How many people are coming?” I frowned.

“About five hundred,” he shrugged. “Give or take seventy-five.”

“Five...” I stared at him in shock. “I don’t think I even know that many people.”

“Her family’s big in the medical community, she said,” Sano gestured helplessly with his hands, shoulders lifting in another shrug. “It’s going to be fancy. She’ll be going along to pick out the tuxes too, so beware.”

“Shit,” I groaned. “I’ve got to wear a tux?”

“White, but no tails,” he grinned and reached back to flip my ponytail. “This will stick out like a sore thumb.”

“Nice,” I sighed. “You’ve already planned so far ahead?”

“She’s starting to look for bridesmaids dresses again,” Sano nodded. “She’s got six.”

“Geez.”

“I think Megumi gave Jordan your number, too,” he grimaced. “So you can expect a call.”

“Goody,” I flinched at the very idea. “Okay... What do I need to do?”

“Talk to Megumi about that,” Sano chuckled. “I’m just an innocent bystander. Megumi and her overbearing mother are handling it. I wouldn’t worry yet. She said nothing will really need to be done for another five or six months.”

“Sounds good,” I sighed. “Hey, let’s run back over the bridge.”

“It’s too far!” Sano whined.

“It’s not even a quarter mile,” I pointed out, amused at his indignant scowl. “Unless you think you can’t handle a little jog.”

“You little shit,” Sano groaned, picking up his pace as I moved away from him. “Get back here!”

“Nope.” I started jogging.

“I’m going to dump you over the rail,” he threatened.

“I’d like to see you try,” I shot back. “You’re too slow.”

“You--!” He lunged after me, fingers swiping at the air when I darted away. “Get back here!”

“Sure,” I called over my shoulder. “I’ll just stand here, and you feel free to throw me off the bridge. I don’t mind at all.”

“I don’t think the fall would kill you!” Sano laughed.

“Well then! By all means!” I had to struggle not to laugh as well. “Let’s give it a try!”

So, I got him to run the last quarter mile to his dorm. Sano was breathing heavily by the time we got inside, but I was energized and ready to keep going. It was amusing to be the one who wore down Sano. Usually it was the other way around.

^_^

Kaoru was in the apartment when I got back. I went straight for the kitchen, pulling out a can of pop and dropping into a chair next to Kaoru. She was tapping away on her laptop, humming along with whatever CD she had in the drive. The cord of her headphones was trailing through a blob of pizza sauce on the table, but I did not say anything. She’d figure it out soon enough.

“You got mail,” she stated, then went back to diligently ignoring her homework and playing solitaire. I dug through the piles of junk mail until I found an envelope addressed to me. I picked at the edges of the envelope, trying to open it. It was sealed as tightly as anything I’d ever gotten.

“I thought you were going to the gym today,” Kaoru murmured, and I looked up from the letter for a few seconds.

“We went for a run instead,” I shrugged.

“No basketball?”

“Only on Mondays and Wednesdays,” I confirmed.

“Is that co-ed?” Kaoru wondered, offering a tiny smile when I blinked at her in surprise.

“Anyone can go,” I nodded slowly. “It’s mostly guys, though.”

“Is it fun?” As if I would continue to attend some intramural sports if I hated it. Kaoru was just making small talk, so I indulged her with a smile and a nod.

“But there’s one guy who bugs me,” I added, frowning a bit. “He just started coming last week, and I think he likes picking on me.”

“What do you mean?” Kaoru jumped on that immediately. I smirked.

“It’s nothing,” I assured her, shrugging carelessly. The envelope was fighting me, but I was determined to get it open. “He’s just a jerk, constantly getting into my face and sometimes knocking me over. Nothing really bad or against the rules of the game, though.”

“He’s probably a really aggressive player,” Kaoru agreed.

“Ha!” I muttered.

“Hm?” she lifted her eyes from her solitaire game long enough to look at me in confusion. “What?”

“Got it open,” I explained, pulling the card out. I frowned, my mind more on the conversation than the mail. “Normally, I’d agree. But...” I glanced at her, noticed her worried stare, and aborted the description. “It’s no big deal. No one gets hurt.”

“But...” Kaoru was not satisfied with how I had ended the conversation. I was noticing something odd about the card in my hand. “Was he--”

“Geez!” Yes... something really strange about that card.

“What?!” Kaoru was up in an instant, only to jerk back down when the cord of her headphones declared itself too short to accept the move. I ignored her for the most part, staring dumbfounded at the mess in my lap. No sooner had I tilted that card up, then about a handful of sugary-white crystals went pouring out of it. “What happened?!”

I shoved my chair back, standing and letting the crystals cascade to the floor. Wiping at my pants, I wondered who would send me such a dumb gag. Kaoru was watching me, rapidly figuring things out and curious because of it. She picked up the card, glancing at the front, which was just a bland, floral print, and flipped it open.

“It’s blank!” she exclaimed.

“Blank?” I stared at her, still thwapping at my pants to get the stuff off. It was going to take a trip to the laundry to get that out.

“Sugar?” Kaoru asked.

“I guess...” I had no idea what it was, but I suspected it was not sugar. It lacked the familiar stickiness of that particular crystal. “What’s the return address?”

Kaoru glanced at the envelope, then reached to flip it over.

“It’s blank, too,” she murmured. I looked at her, and she shrugged. “Strange.”

Strange indeed. Why would anyone send a gag card and not take any credit for it? Sano would never miss the opportunity to laugh in my face. However, Sano was the only person I knew who would send such a stupid thing. Plus, the white substance over my pants would most definitely have been sugar if it was his joke. I considered my hands as I held them ready to clap away the stuff. If it wasn’t sugar...

I could feel the blood draining away from my face as I tasted the stuff. No... it was not sugar... My stomach all but fell to the floor, my heart slamming up into my throat where it remained for several seconds before dropping back into its standard position and started practicing for a marathon. It hurt like hell, but my head was spinning to the extent that I barely noticed.

“Kenshin?!”

Catching hold of the back of my chair, I managed to keep from staggering. Kaoru was on her feet, reaching for my arms to steady me. I could not focus on her. At that moment, everything revolved around that stuff on my pants, the chair, and the floor and the wild question: What does he want from me?!

“I’ll get a vacuum,” I stammered, rather disjointed as I tried to make sense of things. It was like a sudden slap in the face, unexpected and shocking. “I should... I should clean this up. And new pants...”

It was difficult to keep on track. One moment I was walking to the storage closet, and the next I glanced over to the dresser and started heading that direction. I could tell Kaoru was confused and frightened. She followed me, tugging on my shirt and trying to get me to stop. But I couldn’t stop. The thought of what might happen if I did was just too terrifying to consider, so I kept moving.

“Kenshin?” she kept calling my name. I glanced at her, mildly alarmed by how her face wobbled and shifted to the side, blurring and coming back into focus. “Kenshin! Hold on a minute!”

And suddenly she was up against me, this blessed heat compared to the icy chill within my body. Distantly, I heard her soft moan, and I pressed forward, seeking the retaliation I knew would come. I could barely gasp, desperation taking hold, her warmth too much to handle.

It was different than anything I’d ever experienced, that intense feeling of desire. I wanted to... anything. I didn’t care. As long as it was me and Kaoru, her lips against mine, her body thawing the frost of mine.

She seemed to be of the same opinion, and suddenly she was taking control of the situation, pushing me backwards. Her skin was hot beneath my fingers, shirt easily moved up until my hands hit something foreign and less giving. She moaned again, and I moved past the barrier, ignoring it for the time, and up to her shoulders, hugging her as close to me as was physically possible.

My legs hit something, and we tumbled back, not really sitting but not quite laying on what felt like the futon. Kaoru was heavy against my chest and thighs, hands digging into my hair, pulling us closer together. Her fingers tightened, and I winced at the pain exploding through my scalp as she used the leverage to force me down until we were laying completely on the futon.

It was the hair pulling that did it. The world which had been swirling insanely around me just seconds before snapped back into place, shockingly clear. Along with my vision came a different presence of mind. It was not better or worse from before, but it was different. I jumped away from it all--the card and its detestable contents, the sudden fear brought about by it, and the resulting thoughtless seduction.

A new yet familiar sort of terror settled into the pit of my stomach, and I jerked back. The comforting press of Kaoru against me was suddenly an intolerable barrier, and I squirmed, twisting to get away from her.

“No!” I blurted, panting, voice cracking in horror. Her arms were still tight around me, half trapped beneath my weight and half clinging to me in stubborn refusal to let go. I couldn’t breathe, my vision swimming out of focus again as I struggled to pull away. Kaoru was mostly underneath me by that point, when my strength gave out, my shaking limbs failing me. The world flashed a painful white, and I fell.

^_^

The blackout lasted only a few seconds. Had it been much longer, Kaoru would have been on her feet and calling a hospital. As it was, she was frightened, calling my name and shaking me lightly. I groaned quietly, my chest still heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. It occurred to me that the lightheadedness was caused from the hyperventilating gasps for air, and I shifted, pressing my face into Kaoru’s shoulder in sad attempt to lower my oxygen intake. It did work to some extent, though.

“I’m sorry,” Kaoru whispered, her fingers cool against my cheek. I shuddered. “I pressed too hard.”

She thought it was her fault? I was the one who had started it. It was not my worst nightmare, but it came close. The worst would have been this situation on the night of my wedding. Kaoru and I had not discussed marriage or sex, and to rush into something (and with such poor timing) was a mistake. I never was an overly moral person, but I had a difficult time rushing into a sexual relationship, panic attack not included.

“No...” I murmured, shifting until I was less on her and more on the futon. It was a tight squeeze, the two of us laying on the upright piece of furniture, and Kaoru moved with me, letting me rest my head on her shoulder again. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah...” Sticky from a cold sweat but capable of breathing once more. “I need a shower.”

“Now?” Kaoru asked in surprise.

“Yes,” I pushed away again, cautiously climbing over her and stumbling a step until I regained my center and was able to walk without toppling. “I’ll... just shower now. I’ll clean up the mess in the kitchen when I get out.”

I had not answered any of her questions, but she did not press the issue at the moment. My sudden retreat from such an intimate moment had probably shocked her out of such a course. It was just as well. With any luck, I could come up with something believable while I cleaned up.

^_^

“I don’t care! Just do something for yourself!”

Kaoru’s frustrated words plagued me that night, almost more than that awful card. Both were horribly intertwined, and no matter how I tried to separate them, it just was not possible. Kaoru would not be so upset if not for that card and the reaction it provoked from me. I would not be resentful of her or anyone else, although I could understand her reasoning.

“This is not healthy, Kenshin. The mood swings, the weight fluctuation, anxiety attacks... You’re sick! Please! Just go see someone!”

Depression ran in my family. My father was a manic depressive, the disease kept in check by a lot of medication and his wife. Things went downhill for him when she got sick. He lasted less than a year after she died. Tomoe was the one who found him. I was there at the time, but she wouldn’t let me into the room. Crying hysterically, she had just shoved me out the door and into the neighbor’s house where we waited until Aunt Tokio came to pick us up.

While Mom died early of cancer, my father had no excuse. Honestly, I thought it was selfish. Depressive or not, he had a choice. He could have lived--at least long enough to raise his own children. People depended on him. He had no right to take such a cowardly way out. I hated him for a long time after finding out he had taken his own life. Later, when Tomoe died, I began to understand. I still resented him. After all, if he had remained alive, perhaps none of it would have happened, but if Tomoe did still die, at least I would have had someone other than my overbearing uncle to fall back on. Almost fifteen years later, I no longer cared. He was a distant presence, unimportant and mostly forgotten. If he was not strong enough to stand against the hardships of life, then he was no role model for me.

However, Kaoru was right. My responses to stressful situations were distressingly similar to my father’s. I was furious with myself for even thinking that way. After working so hard to get where I was, would I really take such an easy way out?

“I love you, Kenshin...”

She seemed sincere, eyes tear-filled and frightened as she begged me to tell her what was wrong. It was enough to shock me free of the dark spiral of searching for escape routes that would end up hurting everyone around me. And yet, all I could do was accept her desperate embrace and apologize. I kept apologizing, and she cried into my hair, refusing to loosen her grip around me. We sat like that until she fell asleep, and I guided her to bed.

She slept fitfully for an hour before settling into a deeper slumber. I laid on my own bed, trying without success to get some sleep. Late, I heard Omasu creep into the apartment. She showered and made her way to bed. Later than that, Misao returned. I could hear her giggling by the door, saying good night to Aoshi. Then, I had to listen to her lovesick sighs while she got ready for bed. It was irritating.

By about two in the morning, I was beyond tired. My mind went blank, to my great relief, and I stared into the dark room thinking of nothing. For awhile, I thought it would be another sleepless night, but I finally dropped off around six. About two hours passed before Omasu was nudging me awake and holding out the phone.

^_^

Being coherent after too much stress and too little sleep was nearly impossible. I stared up at Omasu dumbly, trying to figure out the purple thing in front of my face. The girl holding it smiled sympathetically.

“Sorry,” she murmured. “He said it’s important.”

“Who?” I groaned. I missed the phone on the first swipe, so Omasu placed it in my outstretched hand.

“Couldn’t tell,” she said apologetically. “I forgot to ask.”

The world was against me. I glanced at the clock and saw the red numbers declaring it to be a little before eight in the morning. Who in his right mind called someone before eight on a Saturday morning? Silently complaining about assholes with emergencies, I put the phone to my ear.

“Yeah?” It was a curt opening, but it was better than what I was thinking. This better be good, or I swear to god I’ll do something drastic. Right. Like hang up the phone.

“Ken?” The deep voice was definitely familiar. I blinked, the haze receding as I registered the uncertain tone, not to mention the unusual address. Unless insulting me, he rarely called me anything but my given name.

“Sano?”

“‘gumi called... the wedding... ‘t’s done. Over.”

“What?!”

Okay, that convinced me to sit up quickly. My foot got tangled in the blankets as I tried to climb out of bed, and I hopped around for a minute, cursing under my breath while I freed myself.

“Why?!” I demanded. “What happened?”

“...Long st’ry...”

He was drunk. I could hear it in his voice, the slurred, slow words, his dull tone. I’d never encountered him while he was so bad. As far as I was aware, he had never drunk himself beyond the point of intelligibility.

“Sano... where are you?”

“Mmm... Super ‘merica...”

That narrowed things down to a couple dozen gas stations across the city. I swore again, digging through the dresser for a pair of pants and a sweatshirt.

“Where?” I asked again, hoping he could understand enough to answer me.

“Gas...” he mumbled. The operator broke in then, announcing Sano’s time to be almost up. I heard him fumbling for more change, and a few seconds later the operator left. I took the opportunity to yank the shirt over my head, quickly putting the phone to my ear again before Sano tried to talk again.

“What else is around you?” I tried. “What street are you on?”

“Um... River... river--”

“Riverside?” I prompted.

“Maybe...” he mumbled. “I dun get it... Meg...”

“What else is there?” I cut him off. His broken heart could wait for a few minutes. I had to go get him before he wound up passed out by the side of the road. “Restaurants? Buildings? What?”

“Ummm... a bridge... freeway, ‘think.”

“Good!” I blurted. At least that narrowed things down to fewer than twenty possible locations. “Good, I’m coming to get you, okay? Don’t leave. Stay where you are.”

“I...”

“We’ll talk about it as soon as I get there,” I assured him, locating my shoes and jacket. “Just hold on.”

The operator cut in again, and I growled in frustration. No one would benefit at all if I blew up at the recording, though, so I hurriedly told Sano to wait once more before the line beeped, the dial tone soon following.

“Shit,” I muttered, hurriedly dropping the phone onto the counter before shoving my feet into my shoes. I glanced at the others in the room. The girls were looking at me in confusion, probably not fully able to figure out what was happening by my side of the conversation. I smiled hopefully. “Would one of you give me a ride?”

^_^

Omasu, being the only person fully dressed, offered to drive. She borrowed Kaoru’s car and, using the vague descriptions I gave, set off on I-94. We got lucky. Sano was at the gas station* on the corner of Riverside and the interstate exit. I could see him sitting at the bus stop, and Omasu pulled into the station, and between the two of us, we managed to get him into the car.

I was hesitant to bring him back to our apartment, but Omasu pointed out that there was no where else we could take him. It was rather inappropriate for a dorm CA to be seen in such a condition, and he was still pissed at Katsu, and Megumi’s place was out of the question.

“Come on, Sano,” I winced at the sickening odor of alcohol. It was all over him, on his breath, his clothes, his general body odor. The desire to put my hand over my nose was nearly overwhelming. Somehow I resisted the urge and snatched the small, glass bottle out of his hand. “What is this?” I glanced at the label. “Whiskey? Damn it, Sano. Where’d you get this?”

“Grossss... gre... store,” he reached for the bottle, but I capped it and yanked down the middle partition, shoving aside the stiff barrier between the seat and the trunk and shoved the bottle through. “Fuck...” There was no way he could get at it without climbing out of the car and going directly into the trunk from the back.

“You’ve had enough,” I retorted. “We’re here. Get out.”

It took some doing, but between me and Omasu, we pushed and pulled Sano up the two flights to our apartment. I immediately dragged him into the bathroom, ordering him to take off his clothes while I started the shower. He did not do too well on his own, and I ended up having to do most of the work for him. I didn’t bother with his underpants. He could wear those into the shower for all I cared. Sano did not agree, though, and he whipped those off as well.

He yelped at the icy spray of water, trying to jump back out of the shower again. In his state, he was not able to get past me, and I just shoved him back. We repeated the procedure a few times before he finally blew up at me.

“Goddamn it, Kenshin! I’m awake!”

I let him out of the shower. He accepted the towel I offered, shuddering while I turned off the water. When I glanced back, he was reaching for his clothes. I snatched them away, flinching at the smell.

“Hey!” Sano complained.

“They stink!” I snapped. “It’s warm enough. Use the towel.”

“Kenshin?” Kaoru’s hesitant voice came through the door.

“Yeah?” I continued to glare at Sano, unwilling to be the first to glance away.

“Aoshi left some clothes here last time,” she said. “Misao said it’s okay if Sanosuke wants to use them.”

I tilted my head in bold challenge, and he grumbled under his breath, glowering down at the floor. Satisfied, I opened the door, nodding my thanks when Misao handed me some jeans and a white undershirt. I considered letting him wear his old underwear, but my sense of personal hygiene would not allow it. Instead, I located a pair of boxers that were a little too big for me. They would still be too small for Sano, and if he managed to fit in them at all, I would never be able to wear them again. Such was the result of bringing him to a place in which resided four people who were all smaller than he was.

I went back into the bathroom with the clothes, only to see him hunched over the toilet, heaving up the contents of his stomach.

“God...” I moaned, closing my eyes against the sight. When the toilet flushed, I opened my eyes again, holding out the clothes. “Here.”

“I’m...” he swallowed, taking the things out of my arms. “I think I’ll stay in here awhile.”

He was apparently expecting to spend more time throwing up. Fine with me. I nodded and turned to leave. Something occurred to me, and I hesitated.

“If you feel better by noon... you can come with me to work,” I said quietly. “If not... I’ll call in.”

“Right,” he agreed, and I left the room, closing the door on the sounds of him retching. Hung over friends were just barrels of fun.

^_^

*Actually, this gas station is not a Super America, but I cannot, for the life of me, recall what it really is.

^_^

Sano’s dorm was across the street from the library, so he ran to get some homework while I punched my timecard and went to help open the copy center. The girl I worked with was already there. Kari lived in the same dorm as Sano, although they did not know each other.

“Hi, Kenshin. Rough night?” she greeted when I dropped my bag on the floor under the desk out front. I nodded absently, pulling open the window and glancing at the orders on the countertop. There was only one, and it was a small one. I thanked god for small favors.

“You mind if I have a friend here?” I asked out of politeness. “He had a worse night.”

“Sure,” she smiled. “Just don’t slack on me.”

“Fair enough,” I rolled my eyes. We both knew that was impossible. We rarely did anything in this place. Kari grinned and picked up the book on the counter.

“What’s up?” she wondered. “You look sick.”

“Tired,” I sighed. “I was going to sleep in, but it didn’t happen.”

“Let me guess,” Kari mused, tapping the copying machine until she had the settings she wanted. “You went out partying last night, got drunk, crashed and burned until your girlfriend dragged you out of bed.”

“We’re talking about me here,” I snorted. “Not you.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Kari stuck her tongue out at me. “And my boyfriend has been really lame lately. I haven’t had decent sex in weeks.”

“I don’t need to know this,” I complained, grimacing at the very thought. Kari was a good looking girl, there was little doubt, with flippy blonde hair and flirty blue eyes and a flair for fashion unlike anyone else I had met. That did not mean I wanted to hear about her sex life.

“Sorry, hon,” she laughed. “Mmm. Is that your friend?”

I glanced up to see Sano leaning against the counter, looking in at us, his expression utterly dreary.

“Come around the side,” I gestured in the right direction. “I’ll let you in.”

Walking past Kari, I glared at her appraising smile.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned. “He’s engaged.” Maybe.

“Whatever you say, Kenshin.”

“Sure,” I grumbled, walking into the back to let Sano in. “Just patronize me. I don’t mind a bit.” I pulled the door open to see Sano looking around uncertainly. That faded, and he walked in.

He was still wearing Aoshi’s clothes, proving he had not spent much time in his room at all. It was kind of funny, really. The pants were too long but otherwise fit perfectly. The seams of the shirt strained over Sano’s shoulder, but it also fit just fine other than that. Aoshi and Sano had such similar builds. That made me wonder, though... was he still wearing my boxers? Those would never be the same.

“We got in a fight last night,” he said without hesitation. I nodded for him to continue, digging through the fridge near the safe to find the drinks I had left there during the week. I handed a bottle of water to Sano and opened a bottle of Sprite for myself. “She said I was too selfish and cocky.”

“What prompted this?” I asked. I knew Sano and Megumi bickered frequently, but they seemed to enjoy the bantering.

“Well, I lost track of time yesterday, and by the time I got back, I was late for our date,” he explained, slinking after me to the front. He immediately claimed a chair by my bag, dropping his own books on the desk and downing half the water in the bottle. “One thing leads to another, and suddenly she’s shouting and crying and saying it’s never gonna change.”

“And she called off the wedding?” I sought to confirm.

“Yeah,” he nodded miserably, fumbling through his pockets and finally glancing down. I blinked as he held up his hand, the glint of a diamond drawing my attention to the ring on his pinky finger. “She threw it at me and told me to leave.”

To her credit, Kari was keeping her mouth shut through the whole thing. I hefted myself up onto the counter and sat there, idly swinging my legs as I considered the situation.

“You think she’s really serious?” I asked finally.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, resting his chin on his hand, elbow braced on the desk. “I hope not. She said she was calling the country club to tell them to cancel our reservations.”

“Not a chance.”

I glanced at Kari in surprise. She grinned when she saw she had both of our attentions.

“No woman would make such a rash move,” she said. “She’ll wait a week before canceling anything.”

“Right,” I agreed quickly, looking back to Sano. “And you know Megumi is meticulous about everything she does. You’ve got time to get her back.”

“She’s pretty mad at me,” Sano grumbled doubtfully. “I doubt she’d even talk to me.”

“Get her flowers,” I offered. “Roses.”

“Too typical.”

“Lilies?” Kari added.

“Too Easter.”

“Tulips,” Kari tried again.

“She hates ‘em.”

“Get her dandelions, Sano!” I glared at him. “Just stop making excuses!”

He groaned, rubbing at his bloodshot eyes tiredly. The machine in front of Kari thunked loudly, grinding, and then whirring to a halt, a little light flashing at her.

“Whoops,” she smiled. “Jammed.”

I sighed and hopped off the counter to help her pull the crumpled paper from the rollers inside the machine. Noting the low paper signal, I slammed the top back down on the copying machine and went to get some 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper. Kari stepped back while I loaded the drawer and pushed that shut.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

“Sure,” I glanced over to Sano. He was watching us, a strange, contemplative expression on his face that I did not like one bit. “What?”

“Would you talk to her?” he asked abruptly.

“Me?!” Was he insane? “Sano, I... She... Megumi is...”

“She likes you, Kenshin,” he pleaded. “You’re like her little buddy. Come on! Would it kill you to do this for me? My engagement is on the line here!”

I groaned, imagining myself stuttering in front of Megumi’s sly, flirtatious smile. That woman terrified me, and Sano wanted me to go confront her for him?! He was out of his mind!

“Okay...” Correction--I was out of my mind. Did I just agree to that? “I’ll call her this week.”

“God, you’re a lifesaver,” Sano grinned, clapping his hand against my back as I walked past him. I gave him a strained smile and nodded.

“You owe me big time,” I sighed. “Geez... any other woman...”

“Megumi’s not that bad,” Sano laughed, good mood restored for the time being. “She likes teasing you.”

“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “She likes embarrassing me is what she likes to do.”

“That too.”

“Big IOU,” I reminded him.

“Sure, sure,” he waved me off. “At least I didn’t ask you to go talk to Katsu for me.”

“I would have said no,” I scowled. “That man--”

“He likes you too.”

“Yeah,” I grimaced. “Why do all the men chase after me?”

“Because you’re short and pretty,” Kari called out. I glared at her.

“No one asked you.”

^_^