Author's Notes: I started work on this story a while back, but I sorta got distracted before I
could complete it. I rediscovered it lying around on my hard drive, and it rekindled my interest
in it. So, I finished it up. It's just a one-shot, but I hope you enjoy it.
The Worker's Lament
By: TheArchimage
Kentaro sighed heavily as he hung up his apron. The end to another long day... another day ending
with him feeling just as empty as when he woke up. He'd been stuck in a rut lately, it seemed;
every day he went to class, came to this coffee shop to work off a little more of his debt,
returned home, then went to sleep so he could do the same thing the next day. It's not like that
was a bad life... but Kentaro had always imagined that things would have been a bit more exciting
once he got into Kyoto University Medical School.
Haruka called over to him, "Hey, part-timer, come here. I got a special job for you."
Kentaro sighed, determined not to let his long day become any longer. "My shift's over, you
know."
"Just because your shift's over doesn't mean you don't work for me. Now, get over here and
listen..." She cupped a hand over his ear, and whispered, "I'm getting a shipment of sake
delivered tonight, so I need you to get rid of the walking supply leak for a while."
"The what?"
"Kitsune," Haruka clarified. "Her tab's gotten too large down at my place, so I don't serve
anything to her anymore. If I don't have someone watch her close, she might make off with some of
the sake before I finish loading it all inside. I want her out of the way until I've finished
taking stock of the inventory. Should only take a couple hours, so you have to keep her away from
the teahouse until then."
Kentaro scratched his head in puzzlement. "And how am I supposed to do that?"
"I don't care how, just do it! She's in the front room... I'll give you double overtime for it.
Just hurry and get her out of here!"
Kentaro rolled his eyes as he got up. "Fine, I'll do it. But you'd better be serious about that
double-overtime." He walked out from the back of the teahouse, pushing the small curtain aside as
he entered the main room.
Kitsune was sitting at one of the tables, idly tilting a glass in her hands. The glass was empty
but for a few ice cubes, which she watched clink against each other with disinterest. She was
dressed in a purple shirt that might have been a little too tight for her and dark brown pants;
an outfit she wore often. Her eyes were closed, as they usually were, so Kentaro wasn't even sure
the girl knew he was there.
Kentaro puffed out his chest and sauntered over to the table with his best lady-killer smile.
"Well, sweet-cheeks, I've got the rest of the night off... what do you say me and you..."
Kitsune gave him a glance out of the corner of her eye. "Sorry, Kentaro. You're not my type."
Kentaro's smile vanished, and he had to force himself to say words he knew he'd regret later:
"I'm buying."
Kitsune's ears perked up, and a smile tugged on her lips. "Alright, I'm not one to turn down free
booze. Just don't go getting any funny ideas." She stood up and put her hands behind her head.
"Come along, I know a nice place. I just hope your credit limit's high, heh heh..."
Kentaro cringed as he whispered loudly towards the back, "Urashima-san, you'll reimburse me,
right?"
Haruka peeked out from behind the backroom to shrug with an amused smile on her face. "Maybe.
Well, have fun kids. Just try to be back before midnight."
"Hey, wait! You can't..." His shoulders sagged, defeated. So much for double-overtime...
---
The bar Kitsune wanted to go to could be kindly described as a dive. The place was dark,
partially due to the smoke-filled air and partially from the lights that were busted if not on
the "dim" setting. The wooden table was covered in scuff marks and rings where a mug had been
slammed too hard. Kentaro made a face as he took a sip from his drink; the beer was slightly
bitter. He was not technically legal, but he looked old enough that the bartender didn't think to
card him. Not that he cared anyway; he had been drinking wine since before his age hit double
digits, so he had developed a mild tolerance. Of course, wine tasted a bit better than this
swill...
"This place looks fairly cheap," Kentaro said as he set his glass down. "Why did you ask if my
credit limit was high?"
Kitsune motioned toward the four empty glasses on the table in front of her. "Because I've
already run up a five thousand yen tab. And I could keep drinking at this pace all night."
Kentaro caught a brief glimpse of himself at age 80, still working in that coffee house. He
became incredibly depressed all of a sudden, and needed to chase the image away with a large swig,
bad beer be damned. He drained the rest of the glass, but sadly it was not enough to get rid of
the dark cloud that hovered over his soul.
Kentaro ordered another glass, then turned to Kitsune to make small talk. The more she talked,
he reasoned, the less she drank. The less she drank, the less he'd have to pay. "Hey, how's the
ronin doing these days? I haven't heard from him in a while."
Kitsune looked away from him and pursed her lips. "I... I'm not really sure I should say
anything..."
"Why? Something wrong?"
"Well... do you remember that trip to Parakeresu a few months ago?"
How he would have liked to forget! Yet another of his father's inventions got torn to shreds by
an ancient turtle statue, prolonging his indentured servitude to Haruka well into the next century.
And all he got in return was watching Keitaro step even further ahead of him. He nodded as his
refill arrived, and he brought the glass up to his lips.
"Well, ever since they got back... Naru and Keitaro have been at it like rabbits." Kentaro spat
his drink into the air, and stared at Kitsune in absolute horror. "I know, it's terrible. They
sneak off together at least three times a day. The worst part is, my room is right next to
Keitaro's, and Naru screams like a banshee... I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" She erupted into gales
of laughter, and pounded the bar with one hand while covering her mouth with the other. "Ah ha
ha ha, I don't care if Naru kills me for that, the expression on your face was SO worth it!"
Kentaro wiped his mouth with a napkin. "That was NOT very nice."
Kitsune continued giggling as she defended herself, "Well, it's your own fault for believing me.
I thought you knew the two of them pretty well... Naru really drags her feet when it comes to
love, and Keitaro would never, EVER push her into anything so quickly. He cares too much for her
feelings. Most unlike someone ELSE I could mention, by the way..."
Kentaro winced. "I never figured you would be the type to hold a grudge."
"Who's holding a grudge? I'm just stating a fact. And the fact is you propositioned me. With no
tact whatsoever, I should point out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not angry about that at all. After
all, it just confirmed what I'd thought about you for a while."
Kentaro sighed glumly. "It's tough to break habits."
Kitsune raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Kentaro shrugged. "Well... I'm not bragging, but I think you know that I'm rich, well-known, and
handsome. All my life, I could get anything I wanted. If I wanted a new high-tech gizmo, all I
had to do was snap my fingers and it was right in front of me. Fillet mignon? Every Thursday.
If I was having trouble sleeping, I could get a big-name singer to give me a private serenade at
almost a moment's notice. Anything I wanted, I got. How could I not turn out to be a bit
spoiled?"
Kitsune nodded. "When you put it that way, it sorta makes sense..."
"I thought it was the same way with women. If I saw one I wanted, all I had to do was take it.
Heh, imagine my surprise when I reached out and she only skittered away. Well, I thought that was
simple enough to remedy. Give the lady what she wants... a handsome, charming, rich man... and
she'd be all yours. But... I was wrong. Women don't care about things like that, do they?"
Kitsune sighed, and patted him on the back. "Some do, Kentaro. But just between us, those who
only want that are the kinds of girls you want to stay away from. I have to admit, this sure is
a different side of you. You usually aren't this... you know, open. Honest. Humble. I think
it would do you a bit of good to do this more often."
"Get drunk?"
Kitsune shrugged with a smirk. "Hey, whatever works, right?"
Kentaro shook his head. He was just about to take another sip when he thought of something. He
set his glass down and asked, "How do you even see when you keep your eyes closed like that?"
"Eh, it's a gift. I could always do this since I was a kid. It's not really something I can
teach, if that's what you're looking for. Besides, I don't think this look would work for you."
"I was actually wondering... WHY do you keep your eyes closed?"
"No reason, really. Except that it's easier to snowball someone when they can't look straight
into your eyes. 'Windows to the soul,' and all that."
"You ARE a pretty good liar, I'll give you that. I got a theory... wanna hear it?"
Kitsune looked at him sideways. "Not really."
"I noticed it, back at that festival. You're so depressed that your eyes can't help but show it.
But you're not supposed to be sad, right? You're supposed to be jovial and silly, someone who
can keep their spirits up. So you keep your eyes closed, and nobody knows what's really going on
inside."
Kitsune faced him for a moment before returning to her drink. "How ridiculous," she said with a
hint of bitterness. "You come up with that yourself, or is it the alcohol giving you these
ideas?"
"Am I right?"
"Don't be stupid," she said, taking a hard swig of her beverage. She came back up with a smile.
"Why would I be sad, anyway? I think I've got it pretty good. Not many responsibilities, lots
of people who care about me, things never get too boring, and I've still got plenty of time to
decide what I want to do with my life. I mean, so what if nobody ever takes me seriously? So
what if everyone around me has a glorious and exciting life? So what if... I get... so LONELY..."
Her head dropped to the bar with a thunk, and she shook her head against it while grumbling.
"Kitsune, you sure that wasn't a FIFTY thousand yen tab you ran up?... Uh, Kitsune?" He shook
her shoulder once or twice, and didn't get a response. "Looks like she passed out... okay, no
more for you. Come on, let's get you out of that chair."
The bartender motioned out the door as Kentaro slung one of Kitsune's arm over his shoulder and
lifted her to her feet. "There's usually a cab or two parked outside," he offered. The young
man seemed to be having trouble with his burden, both because the girl was dead weight and because
he was a bit inebriated himself. Even so, he managed to nod in thanks as he walked out the door.
Sure enough, there were two taxi cabs just outside, waiting to take the drunkards home. The last
orange rays of the sun had just vanished, causing the streetlights to flutter to life. Kentaro
stumbled to the closest cab and managed to somehow open the door without either dropping Kitsune
or falling down himself. He tossed Kitsune in, who sprawled onto the seat to rest on her side.
The cabbie put down his newspaper as Kentaro closed the door after him. "So, where to?"
Kentaro looked at the slumbering form beside him as temptation crawled up into his alcohol-addled
brain. It would be easy to tell the cab driver to head for his home. For someone like Kitsune,
this had probably happened a thousand times before, and surely with men much more despicable than
him. It would be so easy...
But he discovered something odd... he just couldn't do it. It seemed... wrong, as stupid as that
seemed. He paused, struggling to overcome his newly developed conscience.
Finally, he sighed as he said, "Hinata Inn. You know the place, right?"
The cab driver smiled back at him. "Sure do. Good choice."
Kentaro blinked. "What do you mean, 'Good choice'?"
"That girl's sort of a legend with us cabbie folk. She pretends she's drunk, and then see where
the guy takes her. If he tries to take her anywhere but home, she kicks 'em in the shins, takes
the money out of their wallet, and throws him out of the cab. Worth a thousand laughs."
Kentaro looked down at the "sleeping" Kitsune, who righted herself up effortlessly. She lounged
on the seat as she explained with a foxy grin, "It keeps the slimeballs in line. Hey, maybe it
even convinces them to be a little more sensitive to a girl's feelings. The downside is that I
get sort of a reputation... well, that's just the price I pay for good deeds, I guess."
Kentaro laughed nervously as he asked, "Would you have done that to me?"
Kitsune smiled even more widely as she responded, "Would I have? You took so long to answer my
leg was starting to twitch." Her smile became a little less tricky, and a little more genuine,
as she continued, "To tell the truth though, I'm kinda glad you proved me wrong. Maybe you DO
care about other people's feelings. I think Keitaro is starting to rub off on you."
"Oh God, please don't say that." Although once he thought about it... Keitaro had made Naru fall
in love with him, something Kentaro had given up on doing a long time ago, just by being a nice
guy. Actually... it might not be bad idea to be more like Keitaro...
'Just how drunk am I?' he thought to himself. 'I am probably not going to remember a thing in
the morning... I hope I forget that, anyway...'
Kentaro asked, "Hey... did you mean any of what you were talking about before? You know, about-"
"What, and ruin my air of mystery?" Kitsune laughed. "Sorry, but it's not like a fox to be open
and honest, especially when it comes to themselves."
Kentaro shrugged. "Fine. Just remember, we fakers can smell our own."
Kitsune giggled in response, "I'm sure you can. Be sure to tell me if you spot any. But hey,
isn't it kinda early to go back home already? Besides, I'm sure Haruka isn't done loading that
sake shipment yet."
Kentaro swallowed. "You... knew?"
Kitsune frowned sternly, and glared at him. "Of course I knew. Why else would you ask me to
drinks..." Her frown cracked, and she suddenly started laughing. "Sorry, I can't keep that kind
of face up for long. Haruka is so paranoid when it comes to sake, and she thinks I'd break into
it if I wasn't being otherwise occupied."
Kentaro scratched his head. "Well... yeah, she asked me to keep you busy, but... I really had a
lot of fun talking with you..."
"Stop it with that apologetic tone, I'm not mad. It's just that Haruka needs to realize I've
outgrown stuff like that. It's easier and more effective to get Su to steal some for me." She
giggled as Kentaro gave her a look that read, "I want to be disappointed, but I'm too busy
trying to stifle my laughter."
"You're too tricky... but you know, now that you mention it, it IS a bit early."
"Hey," Kitsune smiled. "Kentaro, you ever dance before?"
Kentaro smiled back. "Dance?" he said in the best gentry tone he could muster. "Why didn't you
ask earlier, milady? Come! The ball awaits!"
Kitsune raised an eyebrow and gave him an incredulous smirk. "'The ball'?"
Kentaro admitted, "Alright, just a small dance club I know about."
Kitsune laughed, "I was kidding! I wouldn't expect you to dance after so many drinks. Although
if you think you're up to it..."
"Kitsune... prepare to be amazed."
---
"I do not BELIEVE you!" Kitsune giggled as the two climbed the steps to Hinata Inn. "How thehell can you dance like that when you're half drunk? You ought to be tripping over your own
feet!"
"Practice," he laughed. "I went to dance lessons and had several advanced instructors visit me
when I was trying to become the 'perfect man'. Guess it wasn't all for nothing after all."
"Aw man, that was great," Kitsune said, stretching her arms. "I've been kinda wound up lately...
I really needed a night to relax. So... thanks. I really enjoyed tonight."
Kentaro smiled. "So did I. But, you know what they say about all good things." He waved once
as he started walking back down the steps, saying, "See you around, Mitsune."
Honestly, he really had enjoyed himself far more than he expected to. Kitsune had really
surprised him; it seemed that everyone, even the fox herself, had a soft and vulnerable side they
didn't like to show others. He was starting to wonder what made him so apprehensive to this idea
in the first place...
"Hey, Kentaro!"
He turned to see Mitsune skipping down the steps toward him. As she reached him she took hold of
his hand. He was surprised with how warm it was. "I've decided to take it easy on you this
time... here." She put several bills and coins into his hand, totaling almost ten thousand yen.
"I owe it to you."
He shook his head quickly. A lot of what he knew about dating had a few flaws, but there was one
part of the process he knew he had right; "Never let the woman pay for anything."
"Oh, no, Mitsune-san. It was my pleasure entirely. I can't accept this."
She smiled wickedly. "Of course you can. It's yours."
He blinked, the slick smile vanishing from his face to be replaced with a confused expression.
Kitsune giggled, "You never even felt me take it out of your wallet, did you? You've got a lot
to learn, especially where your limit's concerned." Her eyes opened as her smile softened. If
they had seemed weighed down a year ago, there was no evidence of that now.
Before he knew what was going on, she had pulled him in close and kissed him on the lips.
Kentaro blinked back in shock. Kitsune flicked him on the nose and teased, "Forget about the
good-night kiss already? So much for the perfect gentleman." She opened one eye as she waved to
him, saying, "Treat me again sometime, 'kay?" Kentaro could only stare in complete shock as she
went up the stairs, tossing one last look back before walking through the doors of Hinata Inn.
Kentaro shook his head clear, certain the haze in his head wasn't entirely from the alcohol. He
looked up at the crest of the hill where Kitsune had disappeared, still looking back as he turned
away. Her and him...? Nah. It could never happen.
Even so, as he descended the stairs there was a tiny spring in his step that wasn't there before.
And though he would have fiercely denied it if anyone asked, he was softly whispering in tune,
"Yane no ue de sora wo aogu, hizashi wa uraraka..."