She had, of course, gotten drunk before. You don't hang around the red-headed Chosen of Tethe'alla without getting drunk at least once. You just don't. But it had only happened twice before, and both times she had found herself in her own inn room with Zelos cheerily fixing up his hangover remedy, a bright pink apron to match his jacket and a chef's hat stolen from Regal. Goddess. He really needed to get out of the closet one of these days. It just wasn't healthy.
And she had, of course, woken up in bed with a stranger before. She was curious by nature, and, of course, you just don't hang around the Chosen of Tethe'alla without him mentioning sex at least once. Or twice. Or eleven times, followed by a severe case of groping followed by a severe case of smacking him upside the head and storming out of the room with a skin color eerily reminiscent of tomatoes.
But the only problem was, she had never had those two experiances mingled together.
Until now.
And the man she found nestled next to her, with his forehead resting against her shoulders, wasn't exactly a stranger. That was another problem- or two, considering the fact that she just couldn't place where she had seen him before. She broke out into a cold sweat as she wondered if they had even used protection. Oh, Goddess protect her. She carefully untangled her self from him and tip-toed into the bathroom, shutting the door and sitting on the floor. She meditated for a good fifteen minutes, mentally willing her headache away and trying to place her thoughts in order.
She remembered... drinks. Well, that was obvious. There was a knife, and a fight, and burning kisses... but... nothing else. It was as though someone had placed a big black wall to seperate her from the truth. It never crossed her mind that maybe she was the one who put it there. To protect her from the truth. She jumped into the shower and let the scalding water cascade over her. Sure, why not wash her hair while she was at it? She could wear it down today. It wasn't as though she had to be ready for battle at any moment. It had been a good year or so since that final battle, and things were finally as sane as they could be, considering the circumstances. She finished showering and toweled herself down, going back into the room.
She stopped, her hair dripping water onto the carpet, and watched the stranger sleep for a moment. She felt her cheeks go red and quickly looked away for her things. They'd be wrinkled but, well, there was no helping that now was there? Slipping on her shirt and tying the obi, she ran about the room, trying to find her clothes scattered about. Sheesh! What had gone on last night? She found herself blushing and catching a look at the handsome not-stranger again. He was a heavy sleeper- but he had probably been drunk, too. He was snoring lightly, but she found it charming rather than annoying. Wow, but she was sure glad he was so cute. Maybe he-
Her train of thought came crashing to a halt as she saw a flash of red next to her slipper. Red. Red. Who wore red? There was Lloyd, of course, but this guy was too cute to be Lloyd. Yeah, Lloyd had those chocolate eyes and he was really built, but what looks he had were all boyish charm. This was a man.. with a man's body. His hair could use a little trimming, though. But hmm.. it was cute long. Damn! Sheena looked away from him. She didn't even know his name and she was swooning over him. What was wrong with her?
Almost shamefully, she peeked at him again. He had shifted in his sleep so that his hand was covering his lower face. She frowned, toweling her hair dry and studying the lovely specimin she had found. Something about covering his face... Shrugging, she walked over to the window and opened the blinds a bit, to see if maybe some light would help her find her pants. The stranger groaned and pulled the sheets higher, to cover his entire face. Aww. Well, even if his face was covered, when he moved the sheets she could get a better look at his body.
She swallowed reflexively. OK. So he had a few scars, but who didn't in this day and age? She walked over to the bed, seeing the tell-tale purple of her pants. Ah, finally. She tugged them out from under him and bent down to put them on, and to get a better glimpse of him under the folds of the blankets. There were still monsters about, and the man had the look of a fighter. Lean frame, muscles, Shinobi tattoo...
She stood stock-still, frozen in the process of slipping one slender leg down the pants.
"Uhn... turn off that light..." the man said, slowly stirring. Her heart begant to beat wildly as she looked at all escape points and quickly finished dressing. Red clothing. Shinobi tattoo. Familiar voice...
"No," she whispered, her heart feeling like a tribal war drum. "No, no, no, no, no, no."
It wasn't.
It couldn't be.
She reached into her pocket to where her enchanted deck of cards should be, only to find it empty. She broke out into a cold sweat as the man sat up, stretching his sinewy arms in front of him like a great cat. Rubbing his eyes, he moved to scratch the back of his neck when he saw her standing there, staring at him like a frightened deer. He dropped his hands to his sides, to where his knife was...
Or where his knife should have been, if he wasn't completely naked. Instead of panicking like her, Kuchinawa merely frowned and settled himself against the cushions, watching her, unblinking.
"...So you have me at a disadvantage..." he said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes against the bright sunlight streaming through the window. "...Sheena."
A/N: I needed a break from my SheenaXRaine fiction.. so... here it is. Enjoy, read, review.
