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My Life: Chapter 27 - Dinner and Drinks

by Fitz

So, I pushed aside my own problems for awhile to deal with Sano’s. He went to the dorm feeling much better and more confident, and I went to the apartment miserable as could be.

Talk to Megumi. Right. And what was I supposed to say to her? I didn’t know anything about relationships. Take the tenuous one with Kaoru. I was barely holding that one together.

“Kenshin?” Kaoru greeted me the instant I walked through the door. “Someone called for you while you were gone. Do you know a Jordan?”

“Nooooooooo,” I whined, leaning back against the door as I shut it and let my head thunk against it in frustration. “What did she want?”

Kaoru smiled, amused by my reaction.

“She didn’t say,” she giggled. “She left her number. It’s on the fridge.”

“The world hates me,” I moaned, glancing at the number. “Okay... okay, I’ll call her. After I use the bathroom.”

I had not eaten all day. I yanked a low fat, chicken TV dinner out of the freezer and dropped it on the counter as I held the phone to my ear, waiting for someone to pick up. Glaring at the big Low Fat! scrawled across the label, I considered going grocery shopping with Kaoru and Omasu the next time they went. Girls and their diet fetishes.

For one glorious moment, as the phone hooked into the fourth ring, I thought no one would answer. My hopes were dashed as the line clicked.

“Hello?”

Damn.

“Jordan?”

“Kenny?”

“What did you want?” Not exactly the nicest way to start a conversation, but it had not been the most uplifting day. I could not bring myself to care.

“Oh! Have you heard?” she demanded. “Megumi’s beside herself.”

“Good for her,” I muttered.

“What did you say?”

“Why?” I asked mildly.

So I got Jordan’s detailed description of the argument Sano had already explained. I listened patiently, poking holes in the plastic covering the dinner tray before shoving it into the microwave and setting the timer.

“So, what should we do?” Jordan concluded.

“Do?” I echoed, eyeing the time as it ticked down the last minute.

“Megumi doesn’t want to talk to Sanosuke, but she doesn’t want to break up,” Jordan clarified. “We need to help them!”

Fifteen seconds... Fourteen...

“I know!”

Twelve seconds...

“Don’t eat anything yet, Kenny.”

Ten... nine... don’t... what?

“What?” I blurted.

“Meet me at Chipotle on Washington in twenty minutes,” she suggested. “You’re right around there, right?”

The microwave beeped at me insistently. I stared at it, crying inside as I figured out what Jordan was saying.

“Yeah...” I murmured.

“I’ll treat,” she said. “I’ll be watching for you.”

The phone clicked, the line momentarily going dead before the dial tone kicked in, buzzing in my ear. I stared at the phone for a moment, confused and irritated. Muttering to myself, I put it back on the cradle and pulled the plate out of the microwave. Walking past the table, I set the plate down next to Kaoru. She looked up from her accounting homework, blinking at the steaming tray.

“Um... thanks?” she looked up at me. “What’s up?”

“Jordan wants to meet at Chipotle,” I stated, scowling to prove I was not at all happy with the turn of events. “I won’t make it if I eat this.”

“Want me to save it?” she offered.

“What? So I can re-heat it and eat soggy chicken later?” I replied. “No. Eat it or dump it. I don’t care.”

“You’re crabby.”

“I don’t want to see this woman,” I admitted, stepping into my shoes again. I grabbed my jacket off the hook and yanked it on. “I, uh... I did not react well to her the last time we saw each other.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a long story.” I checked my pockets, making certain I had money and ID, before looking back at Kaoru. I sighed and offered a pained smile. “I’ll tell you later. I’m going to be late if I don’t go right now.”

“Want a ride?”

I shook my head and opened the door.

“Later,” I muttered, pulling the door shut behind me. I jogged down the stairs and to the street. It was not too far to the restaurant, and I took off running, grateful for the excuse to do so. Jeans were not ideal for running, but I tolerated it, and I reached Chipotle in twenty-five minutes, only a little late for the meeting.

^_^

Jordan greeted me with a wide smile and a warm embrace. I stood stiffly as she hugged me, unable to bring myself to return the friendly hello. We were seated moments later, and I sat across from her, clutching my water glass like a lifeline.

“How’s school going, Kenny?” she asked congenially. “Doing well?”

“Fine,” I answered curtly. I had resolved to at least attempt to get along with this woman--for Sano and Megumi’s sake--but it was so damned uncomfortable to go out of our way to meet each other like this. She greeted me like an old friend, and it seemed that I should have been compelled to respond in kind. However, I still could not look straight at her without remembering everything. My weekend was already pretty shitty, and she was not making it better. Even so, no one could say I did not make some sort of effort to be polite, even if I did choke on it. “You?”

“It’s slow going,” she smiled warmly. “Things have been better since last winter.”

I lifted my eyebrows, surprised by that comment.

“What happened last winter?” I had to ask.

“Megumi didn’t tell you?” Her head lifted slightly, relief very clear in her eyes, followed rapidly by embarrassment. “Oh... Well...”

Maybe I should have stopped her, but I was too busy wondering what could have this woman so flustered. She flushed and lowered her eyes, picking at the bit of paper that had once wrapped her napkin and silverware.

“I was in the hospital for awhile,” she murmured.

“Hospital? Why? Were you sick?” I blurted, then wished I had not. She just shook her head, chin dropping further, and she swallowed with obvious difficulty.

“Ahh... no,” she winced. “Well, yes... It’s complicated really.”

I slouched down warily, wondering what she was talking about. She looked pale in the dim light of the restaurant, and I wondered what was wrong with her. Since she mentioned it, she did look thinner than before, her skin a little less healthy. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached for her water.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice suddenly hoarse and unsteady. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this. You’ve got enough problems without hearing about everyone else’s.”

“No... wait a minute,” I frowned in irritation and--though it surprised me--slight concern. “What happened? Why are you sick? What’s wrong?”

It seemed very important to discover the answers to those questions. Damned if I knew why, but Jordan was important, at least, she had been to my sister, and I could not ignore that.

She was startled by my sudden interest, and she blinked at me before answering.

“Complete kidney failure,” she murmured.

I stared at her. Kidney failure. It sounded bad, and what little I recalled of my biology classes told me it was, but I really had no idea what it implied. If it landed her in the hospital, it must have been something serious.

“What...?” I shook my head, bewildered and wanting her to continue. “What does that mean?”

Jordan sighed and smiled faintly.

“It means going in for dialysis regularly--I’ve got an appointment for tomorrow morning,” she clarified. “And I’m on a waiting list. Transplants are more successful these days.”

“So you’re really sick?” I asked, trying not to wince at how that sounded. I could not picture this woman, always so cheerful and vibrant, in a hospital gown, pale and dying. No. I had to remind myself that being in the hospital did not mean she was dying. “You’re okay, though... right?” The very thought made me nervous, and I had to confirm it. “You’ll get better?”

She smiled, lifting a hand to her mouth and laughing quietly. I frowned in irritation, waiting for a response. The people around me were deteriorating, it seemed. First it was Kamatari, then Katsu and Sano, Megumi and Sano, and then Jordan. We were too young for this stuff in our lives.

“Kenny, you have no idea how nice it is to hear you talk like that,” Jordan said finally. “I’m living somewhat normally, if you don’t include the frequent dialysis treatments. My health insurance provider is trying to find loopholes in our contract. As long as I don’t miss any appointments, I do all right. And if I get a transplant... maybe I’ll get better.”

How could she be so calm about it? I stared blankly at the menu on the table before me, trying to pull the information together. The waiter stopped by, and we ordered drinks before waving him away, neither of us anywhere near ready to order food. My appetite was gone anyway, the shock of the entire day enough to push that to the back burner.

“I didn’t invite you out to discuss my health issues,” Jordan cut through my train of thought, and I looked at her anxiously. She was smiling. “But thanks for worrying, Kenny.”

“I didn’t want--”

“You’re friends with Sanosuke,” she interrupted my uncertain apology, waving off my concern. “Has he said anything to you?”

“I talked to him today,” I nodded. That was the understatement of the week. Out of consideration for Sano, I decided not to mention I had dragged his soused ass back to my apartment that morning. “He’s... depressed.”

“Those two love each other,” Jordan agreed. “We need to do something.”

“Like what?” I demanded. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly a marriage counselor.”

“No,” she laughed. “That you most certainly are not. But you are Sanosuke’s friend. His closest, if what Megumi told me is true.”

“I don’t know about that,” I sighed. “Okay... what do you think we should do?”

“Talk some sense into him,” Jordan said, smiling as if that was the perfect option. “Megumi doesn’t want to break it off. She loves him. But Sanosuke left. Since you’re his best friend, maybe you can get him to see that he needs to return.”

How did this happen to me? Sano wanted me to talk to Megumi. Jordan wanted me to talk to Sano. I needed to make a desk plaque labeling me the relationship mediator.

“I already talked to him,” I protested.

“Did you talk to him, or did you just offer him a shoulder to cry on?” Jordan retorted.

“He did not cry on my shoulder, and I talked to him,” I grumbled. Oh well. If it was easier to go along with it... I sighed. “I can talk to him again.”

“Wonderful!” Jordan grinned. “What would you like to eat, Kenny?”

“Food,” I glared at my menu. “Anything as long as it’s edible.”

My hunger returned with a vengeance. Jordan laughed at my response and ordered for the both of us.

^_^

I returned to the apartment by around eight, ready to drop. Something about a full stomach just did that to a person. That added to the two hours of sleep I’d gotten the previous night just about did me in. The only thing keeping me going was the steady flow of adrenaline, which had me slightly buzzed and hyper most of the day. A bed would change that, I was certain.

The phone rang as I closed the door, and I reached over the counter to pick it up, kicking off my shoes and shoving them to the side.

“‘lo,” I muttered.

“Is Kenshin there?” I could just hear the question over the rustle of my spring jacket as I struggled out of it.

“You got him.”

“Kenshin, this is Megumi.”

I froze, stunned to the core. What were the chances? Really! Sano, Jordan, and then Megumi! This just was not my day.

“Hi...” I said cautiously. “Can I do something for you?”

“I’m sorry for calling like this,” she sniffed. Great. She had been crying--still was from the sounds of it. “But I wasn’t sure who else I should talk to.”

Moaning inwardly, I leaned back against the counter and slid down until I sat on the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I asked finally.

“It’s Sanosuke...”

For the third time that day, I had to hear yet another version of the fight from the previous night. All the while I was wondering why they all called me. Sano, I understood. Jordan? Not a clue. Megumi! She was the last person I expected to call. To be perfectly frank, I was not sure why they chose me, of all people, to talk to. I was terrible with empathy, and I rarely had any worthwhile advice to offer. More often than not, I just sat in restless silence, thinking I should say something but afraid anything I might say would make things worse.

So I just listened to Megumi sob and talk for well over thirty minutes, muttering some nonsensical sympathy every now and then when it seemed appropriate.

“Would you mind meeting with me?” she asked finally. “Nothing’s open, but I can make coffee or something.”

“Mmm...” I was not going to be very good company, but I did not have it in me to refuse a crying woman. “Where do you live?”

She told me, and I hung up the phone. Studying the address, I decided I could find a bus to take me there. The last bus usually left at nine--I glanced at the clock. Just enough time. Grabbing my jacket again, putting on my shoes again, I walked back out of the apartment.

^_^

Megumi lived alone in a small, University-owned apartment a few miles away from where I was. I was not stupid enough to make the trip on foot with nightfall rapidly approaching, and even if I was, I was too tired to last. Twenty minutes by bus, and a block from the stop, I found myself in the front entrance of the building. I found her room number and pushed the button. A few seconds later, the door clicked and buzzed loudly. I pulled it open and made my way to the elevator.

The door was open when I got there, and Megumi greeted me with a pale face, bloodshot eyes, and a box of tissues. She ushered me into the place, closing and locking the door behind her before following.

“I was just about to pour myself a drink,” she said, sounding much more composed since last I heard her. “I’ll pour you one, too.”

“I shouldn’t,” I said warily, trailing after her into the kitchen.

“You’ll have to get a ride anyway,” she shrugged off my protest, pouring yellow-tinted liquid into some ice-filled glasses. I never expected Megumi to be the type of woman who would keep such hard liquor in her home. “Here.”

I accepted the glass, not certain what else to do. She was obviously too upset to listen to reason, or she never would have offered the drink in the first place.

“I’ve been talking and crying so much...” Megumi sighed, throwing back a deep swallow that had to have burned horribly all the way down. She seemed none the worse for the wear, however, and she set the glass down. “Do you mind if we do something else for awhile?”

“Sure.” The rule was: agree to anything she said. It was the easiest way to handle the situation, and at the moment, all my mind could handle was simplicity. Something tingled harshly in my throat, and I belatedly realized I had actually sipped from the glass of Scotch. I recalled the bottle of whiskey I had thrown into the trunk of Kaoru’s car and reminded myself that it would be a good idea to tell her of its existence before she unknowingly chanced upon it.

Megumi paced aimlessly for a minute before stopping in front of what looked to be a linen closet. She pulled it open and stared up at the top shelves. Curious as to what she was seeing, I walked over to her and followed her gaze. I lifted my eyebrows in surprise.

“How about Scrabble?” she suggested.

“I’ve never played,” I shrugged.

“You’ve never played?” she asked incredulously, standing on tiptoe to reach the game. She was not overly tall, but she was taller than I was, so I did not offer to help. A few seconds later, she had the game in her hands. “I didn’t know there was anyone who had never played Scrabble.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of us out there,” I murmured, sitting at the small, two-person table against the kitchen wall. Megumi unfolded the board and put it in front of me. She shook the box, the letter pieces rattling back and forth with the movement, before placing that on the table as well. “You’ll have to explain the basics to me.”

“There’s paper in the drawer over there,” Megumi pointed vaguely, retrieving her glass and topping it off with more Scotch. Drinking while she was upset... she and Sano really were a match made in heaven. “Get a pen, too. We’ll keep score.”

^_^

Some of the words on the game board were not words, I was certain. Megumi was lazy and careless, smiling when I told her ‘quichen’ was not the way to spell the room we were in. I knew there was a ‘t’ in that word somewhere.

Megumi was drunk. I kept sipping at my own drink, but the level of liquid never changed, so I knew I could not be. Besides, I said I would not drink that much alcohol ever again. Uncle Hiko said not to, and so did the therapy people at the rehab place, and I technically was not old enough...

“Hey, ‘shin,” Megumi smirked at the nickname. For some reason, I was not bothered by it. “You always want to be English... for a major?”

“No,” I frowned at my glass, wondering how long it had been since the ice melted. “Just when a counselor said I had to work for something.” Oddly enough, I was having a hard time putting sentences together. I decided it must have been Megumi’s presence. She always made me nervous.

“Really? Huh,” she sighed. “I wanted to be a doctor since I can remember. It was so fun to follow Daddy around the clinic, being his little nurse.”

“Mm,” I agreed, glaring at my playing pieces. I pushed a few out on the board, shoving them around until it looked right. Megumi glanced at them and scribbled some numbers down on the paper under my name. “I don’t like doctors.”

“Then you don’t like me?” she blinked in surprise.

“Not you,” I said quickly. “Just sick and doctors and death... I don’t like it. Hey... Megumi?”

“Hum?”

“Why didn’t you tell me Jordan was sick?”

“She’s sick?” Megumi blinked, then smiled. “Oh, right. I didn’t think you want to be bothered with her. She said she doesn’t want to tell anyway.”

“So it’s really bad?” I prompted. Somehow, everything Megumi had said made perfect sense. “How does something like it happen? Is it run in the family?” Wait... that didn’t sound right, but it must have been because she answered.

“Not for her, I guess,” she said sadly. “Jordan was sad. She takes something to help, but something in February set things off.”

“Set what off?”

“She was drinking,” Megumi lifted her own glass, saw it was empty, and refilled it. I noticed she poured some in my glass, but I did not need anymore because I had not been drinking that much. “She was drinking and got drunk. She mixed up something, some drugs or something, and the combination was bad. It hurt her. Wrecked her system.”

“She did it to herself?” I tried to make sense of that.

“Mm,” Megumi nodded, suddenly serious and completely coherent. “She was on suicide watch for a month afterwards.”

“Shiiiiit...” I mumbled. “That’s not good.”

“No...” Megumi sighed. “Nothing’s good right now. Nothing is right.”

“Nope,” I agreed. “Everything’s screwed up. That’s not how you spell ‘couch.’”

“What’s...”

“There’s no ‘i’ in it,” I nudged the extra letter away. “You’re cheating again.”

“Cheating?” she sighed. “I cheated on a boyfriend once. Look where it got me...”

“Not Sano!” I scowled at her.

“Nope... but with him,” she smiled mischievously. It faded. “He hates me now.”

“No...” I shook my head.

“I was such a bitch,” Megumi moaned. “But he wasn’t nice too.”

“Sure.”

She reached across the table, knocking several game pieces onto the floor. Most of them were hers, though.

“It’s crazy,” she said desperately, her fingernails biting painfully into my arm. “I’ll never marry at this rate!”

“Is it so important?” I frowned, annoyed that one of my words had been jarred out of place. I reached to push it back into the right spots, but I could not remember where it had been. “Damn... you’re twenty-one, aren’t you?”

“I’ll never get to show him...” she said mournfully.

“You got some secret or something?” I wondered. My mouth and throat were really dry. It would be okay to take a little sip to help with that, so I did. “What time is it?”

“Ummmm,” she looked around. “It’s dark outside. Late.”

I saw the clock over the stove, but I was too tired, and the numbers wavered, impossible to read. I stood, tripping over something that I swore had not been there seconds ago, and closed my eyes against the spinning room.

“I should go...” I mumbled. I was tired, and my stomach was churning unpleasantly. I prayed I was not coming down with something. “Where’s the bus--”

Megumi giggled and followed me as I went searching for my shoes.

“That’s the hallway to the bedrooms, ‘shin,” she informed me.

“Oh,” I turned, blinking at her blurred face. I thought how she looked very similar to Kaoru when Kaoru had her hair down. But she was taller. Staring out into the main room, it seemed impossibly far to the front door. “God, I’m tired.”

“Me, too,” Megumi offered.

“Couldn’t sleep last night,” I explained, although she probably did not much care. “Got a card. Some sugar.”

“Sugar?”

“Not sugar,” I stumbled, and she was in the way. Megumi giggled again, gripping my arms as I clung to hers. My balance was almost completely gone, my vision having gone completely out of focus long ago. “Something bad. It’s gonna get me killed is all. So... bad night’s sleep.”

“We all got our problems, don’t we?” Megumi sighed, leaning back against the wall. My arms were still caught by her sides, her fingers digging into my biceps so it almost hurt, and I stumbled forward with her. Her breath was loud in my ear, and I cringed at the strong scent of alcohol on her.

“You and Sano drink too much,” I informed her.

“Sanosuke?” she murmured. Suddenly, she was crying, leaning her head on my shoulder and whimpering noisily. “What am I going to do?”

“Go to bed?” I asked hopefully. That was my solution. Tired, drunk--drunk? I wasn’t drunk. Just really tired. But Megumi was drunk, and she needed to stop drinking and go to bed.

“You know... we haven’t slept together yet.” My mind was not able to fully comprehend that question. I tilted my head to look at her, but we were too close, and I could only get a good look at her ear. She was wearing silver earrings in a sleek little doggy shape.

“Of course we haven’t.” That should have been obvious. She did not need to tell me that.

Megumi laughed, sounding strange while she was still crying.

“Do you want to?” she whispered, voice husky in my ear.

“I don’t like sleeping with people,” I replied, tugging back as my heart started racing in my chest painfully.

“It’s fun,” she insisted, pulling me back to her. Her mouth was moving toward me, and I turned my head, her lips scraping along my cheek.

“You’re drunk,” I protested.

“So’re you.”

“I’m not...” I mumbled. “I can’t... I promised.”

“You drank a lot.” Her hands were at my sides, fingers sliding along the waistline of my pants. I grabbed for her wrists, fumbling a few times before I caught them.

“Don’t,” I growled. “Sano--”

“Isn’t here,” she sobbed. She opened her eyes, glaring defiantly into mine. “So he can live with the results.”

I jerked back angrily.

“I thought you called him selfish!” I hissed.

“He’s always with you,” Megumi’s eyes were watery and red. Her face was wet and getting wetter. “There must be something good about it.”

“God!” I shoved away, staggering and almost falling. The wall stopped me, and I coughed as the air was forced from my lungs with the impact. This was ridiculous. Megumi’s words made me furious to the point that I could not see straight. I couldn’t see straight before, but that was beside the point. “What the hell is wrong with you?! Sano loves you!”

“He doesn’t show it--”

“The hell he doesn’t!” I was shouting, and Megumi cringed back against the wall, but I didn’t care. She deserved it for saying that. In fact, if Sano was there, I’d have yelled at him, too. “The two of you are idiots! Sano loves you, you love him, and don’t you dare shove me into the middle of this because I have nothing to do with it! I barely like you! I don’t want to sleep with you. I don’t want to sleep with Sano. I don’t want to fucking sleep with anyone! If you weren’t so wrapped up in the sex part of things, maybe you’d notice that there’s more to people than that!”

Megumi was sobbing by that point, sitting on the floor with her face in her hands. Staring at her, the anger seeped out of me, the exhaustion sweeping in, dragging me down again. I covered my face with my hands, willing the world to start making sense again. My head hurt, my stomach telling me the Scotch I’d ingested was not sitting well. I sank to the carpet, curling forward against my legs and refusing to pull my hands away from my face. Maybe if I could not see it, it would not really be there.

Sano’s fiancée... ex-fiancée... was crying so loudly it was impossible to block her out. I didn’t want to deal with her at the moment--I couldn’t. She had been right. I was drunk. The very thought distressed me because I had promised never to let it go so far again. Unthinking, I had allowed it to happen, and all I could see were the therapists, doctors, and Uncle Hiko glaring down at me in disappointment.

Crawling away from Megumi, I forced myself back to my feet and into the kitchen. Somehow, I located the phone and fumbled with it. I squinted at the black print numbers on white keys, trying to figure out the right ones.

The first try was wrong. I hung up when a young voice called out, “Mommy! Someone’s trying to sell us something!” The second try had me slamming the phone down again when Uncle Hiko’s gruff voice demanded, “Who the hell is this?” Third try was the charm... I was amused by that thought for a few seconds until Misao asked who was calling again.

“Kaoru...” I mumbled, struggling to hold onto consciousness. I was so tired... “Is she there?”

“Who is this?” Misao demanded.

“It’s...” Hold it... I had to reach for a name to insert there. “Augh... Kenshin. I need... please get her.”

“You sound stoned, Kenshin,” Misao informed me.

“Is that Kenshin?”

“Put her on!” I pleaded.

“Give me the phone, Misao.”

“All right, all right,” Misao complained. “No need to be so haste--hey!”

“Kenshin?!” Kaoru’s voice boomed in my ear, and I jerked the phone away from my face. Shaking my head to get rid of the shock, I sighed with relief. “Where are you?”

“Umm, Megumi’s,” I replied. “Having some... problems.”

“You’re not talking clearly,” Kaoru stated. “What happened?”

“She kept filling the glass,” I explained. It was not my fault. Really. If she would have let me finish a glass without refilling it, I would have stopped. Then, I would not have gotten drunk, and Megumi would not be crying because of me yelling at her. “She’s crying... I didn’t... She’s crying!”

“Okay, Kenshin,” she murmured. “Where is Megumi’s place?”

“Ahhhhh...” Didn’t I write it down at one point?

“No, never mind,” Kaoru assured me. Thank god. “I’ll be there soon, okay? Just don’t go anywhere.”

“Righ--” I winced as a hiccup cut my breath short. “Okay.”

“Hold on.”

“O--” The phone clicked in my ear. “--kay...”

Grumbling to myself, I let the phone fall. It clattered to the floor noisily. I could barely hear Megumi crying anymore, so that was nice. Too tired to care what she was doing, I leaned against the cupboard and closed my eyes. Kaoru would be coming soon.

^_^

The next thing I remembered was waking up with my head in a vise and a terrible flavor in my dry mouth. I cringed away from the light in the room, squinting at the flowered pattern of the couch cushion in front of me.

Ohhhh, Uncle Hiko’s going to kill me.

“Are you awake yet?”

“Barely,” I moaned, registering the hand on my head and the sound of Kaoru’s amused voice. “Where am I?”

“Megumi’s apartment,” she replied. “The sofa in the living room.”

“Megumi?” I wondered.

“On her bed,” Kaoru explained. “Sanosuke is with her.”

“Ummmm...” The previous night was not easy to recall. I remembered the Scotch quite clearly, and how Megumi had kept refilling my glass so I was convinced I had barely had anything. Years without drinking had made me susceptible to the liquor, and it probably had not taken that much to get me disturbingly off balance. I hoped to god I had not told Megumi anything I would regret.

“I don’t know how you could do anything while you were as drunk as that, but you must have said something useful,” Kaoru said, tapping my head lightly. “She kept apologizing to Sanosuke. I think they’ve forgiven each other.”

“Great...” At least something good came of that night. Although personally, I never wanted to be alone with Megumi again. Certainly not while she had any liquor within arm’s reach.

“You look awful,” Kaoru thought it proper to inform me. “You think you can get up? We should get going.”

Something Kaoru had said finally clicked, and I rolled onto my back, shading my eyes against the morning light to look at her. She smiled.

“Sano’s here?” I asked.

“Well, you weren’t much help in getting me here last night,” she shrugged and stood. “I figured Sanosuke would know, and he offered to come with me. Good thing, too, because you slept right through the doorbell. Sanosuke’s got a spare key still.”

“I guess we’re lucky,” I muttered, sliding off the couch cautiously. Standing was not much worse than laying down. I felt like shit either way. At the moment, I could have gone for a gallon of water and a lot of Aspirin. The sick feeling in my stomach was not as bad as the headache, but considering I felt like just woken up from a concussive blow, that did not mean much. I still staggered and held a hand over my mouth as if that would do anything other than alert Kaoru to my state of being.

“You going to be okay?” Kaoru asked curiously.

“Umm...” I straightened, wincing as the person in my head stopped using a sledgehammer in favor of a good, heavy stick. I was not yet certain whether or not I would actually be able to hold my stomach. “I think... I think so.”

“Hangover?” she predicted. “I imagine it’s pretty bad.”

“Try not to sound so sympathetic,” I muttered.

“It’s your own fault,” Kaoru shrugged. “What did you say to Megumi anyway?”

“I don’t...” I frowned in attempt to concentrate, not resisting as Kaoru pulled me around the couch and started pushing my jacket over my arms. “We were playing a game.”

“Yeah, we found that on the floor,” Kaoru giggled. “Shoes.”

I stepped into the shoes obediently, having neither the desire nor the strength to protest. Kaoru held my arm to keep me steady as I did this.

“I was tired,” I sighed. “I wanted to leave, but... I don’t know!”

“Well, we’re lucky you had enough sense to call,” Kaoru informed me, her arm around my back, guiding me to the elevator. “Sanosuke spent about an hour with Megumi in the bathroom. It sounded awful. But at least she didn’t choke or anything with him there. As for me--” she offered a mock glare, but I could not find it in me to respond. “I got stuck trying to wake you up. You know, I had to carry you to the couch?”

“You didn’t have to,” I reminded her.

“I can’t imagine you’d have been comfortable on the kitchen floor,” she retorted, then grinned. “And I thought it was pretty funny when you kept swearing and calling me Hiko.”

I blinked. Well, her hair was black. That was, of course, where the similarities between them ended. I decided it was not worth the effort to think about it, and I sighed.

“Can I go home and sleep now?” I pleaded, shading my eyes as we walked outside.

“You can go home, shower, and brush your teeth,” Kaoru shook her head. “You might even be on time for work.”

...I completely forgot about that. Surviving the previous day had not been too difficult, with people to keep me company and adrenaline pumping through my veins to keep me wired. Hung over and still tired, this was not going to be a good day. It was the weekend from hell, going from bad to worse to downright ludicrous to horrible, all in a matter of forty-eight hours. I could not wait for Monday to come so things could return to normal.

^_^