It wasn't like she didn't get to see him often. In fact, he always came here if he could help it, usually with Misuzu after work.

But to see Manaka Junpei trying to drown himself in every other drop of alcohol her restaurant could offer, that was the first time it ever happened. And it pained her heart.

It wasn't like she, Kitaooji Satsuki, did not see scenes like this on a frequent basis. Once a while, surely, there would be a customer or two, who'd come only to get drunk due to their failed relationships, retrenchment, or the deaths of close ones. In Manaka's case, it was–

"Tsu-Tsukasa.." Manaka muttered through hiccups, he speech slurred beyond what anyone else could make of it. "N-nno… Why…? Weren't we… happy together?"

Satsuki felt her heart constrict just from listening to him cry. The Manaka she knew was always optimistic, he had never let anything break him down like he was now.

She would never have expected Manaka and Nishino to break up. They were worlds apart, but somehow they complimented each other. Or so she thought. After all, why would they, when they could wait for each other for four years? To break up two and a half years after that, no one would have thought of it happening!

"Hey, Manaka," she started softly, her voice tender with concern for her old friend, words flowing smoothly with experience dealing with drunks. "Just… Let it out, ok? Let it all out."

He looked up into Satsuki's eyes, and she could already see his tears welling up in his eyes. Her heart wept for him. If it were the old her, she would have taken this opportunity to take advantage of him.

But it was different now. She was now matured enough to know that it would be low, even if just occasionally, even now, she would stay up late, lying in bed thinking about the one man whom she'd love ever since her first year of high school.

She looked at the heap in front of her again, who was now limp against her, with an occasional slur of incomprehensible whispers, too drunk to do anymore than that.

"Kitaooji-senpai!" a firm, feminine voice called. Satsuki turned around to see her junior from Izumizaka High, Sotomura Misuzu, entering the parlour with her fiancé Uchiba Hoshi.

She hurried over to Manaka's side, Uchiba following suit, the both of them hovering over him. "Is he all right?" she asked.

"You mean other than the fact that he's obviously stoned and heartbroken?" Satsuki replied. "Nothing else then."

Misuzu half-winced at the slight in Satsuki's voice, her head hanging low. She should have known better than to ask!

Uchiba moved over to grab Manaka, heaving him as they both stood. Or rather, Uchiba was the one standing while Manaka leant on him for support.

"Come on, Manaka-senpai," Uchiba said, dragging Manaka along. Misuzu hurried over to Manaka's other side, as the two of them carried the drunk man out of the parlour.

"Wait!" Satsuki's voice called out. The carrying pair stopped, turning around to look at her.

"Let him stay here tonight," Satsuki said. "He just broke up, where's he going to stay? And he can't possibly impose on the two of you now, can he?"

Misuzu looked down at Manaka, and then at Satsuki. She let out a long sigh and said, "All right then. Where should we place him?"

"Come with me."

They carried Manaka off to one of the rooms at the back of the restaurant, which was where Satsuki stayed, and dropped him off on the single futon in the guest room.

She walked the couple to the door of the restaurant, bidding them goodbye as she locked the door.

"I'll take care of him for now," she said, bowing the two farewell. "And you too, take care of yourselves."

"We will," Uchiba said, his hand resting on Misuzu's shoulder. "You take care of yourself too."

Misuzu bent down politely. "Thank you for taking care of Manaka-senpai, Kitaooji-senpai," she said, "I'll just tell Kadokura-san that Senpai's down sick or something…"

"That'll be the best then," Satsuki replied, "And don't worry about Manaka… I'll take care of him. I'll stay up the whole night if I have to!"

Misuzu smiled, amused. The way Satsuki has said it made her reminisce about their high school days. "I'll leave him in your hands then. See you again, Kitaooji-senpai."

"Mhmm!" Satsuki called back, smiling. "Bye, you lovebirds!"

Satsuki couldn't help but grin widely as the couple waved goodbye, blushing and flustered from her comment.

Satsuki locked up the restaurant and returned to her room to change before going to take a look at Manaka again. She entered his room and proceeded to sit down beside him.

"Manaka…: she whispered, as she looked at the drunk man. No, not just a drunk man, but the man she'd loved ever since she got to know him. She swept his unkempt fringe away from his eyes, gently caressing his face with her fingers.

"Manak-… Junpei…" she trailed off, calling him by his name for once. She bent down to kiss him, tenderly on the lips, in contrast to the rough way which she used to push on him. She tasted the alcohol on his lips and parted their lips with her tongue, wanting more. Here, she could taste an even stronger flavour of alcohol, and of his wasted breathe.

But more importantly, she tasted him.

And then, Junpei opened his eyes, albeit groggily.

He squinted for a moment, and the only word he muttered before he passed out again was "Aya?"

--

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Author's Note: I can only let out a sigh of relief and a yell of joy as I finally finish this first chapter which has been sitting in my hard drive for 4 months. Yeap, you heard right FOUR months!

Also, I'd like to thank the people in OneManga Forum's Ichigo 100 thread for giving me the drive write this out!