AN: I do not own Legal Drug. All characters and references are the property of CLAMP. Please enjoy and feel free to review as I am of the strange breed who loves being publicly praised and loathed.

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Chapter 2: Business as Unusual

Rikuo was standing over the stove frying ham when Kazahaya stumbled in the next morning. Rikuo looked him over, spatula poised over the pan.

"You look like shit."

Kazahaya attempted to glare at Rikuo, but he didn't give it much effort.

"Shut up, bastard," he croaked sliding into his seat at the kitchen table then laying his forehead gingerly down on the smooth wood.

"What, did you go out drinking last night without me?"

Kazahaya merely groaned at the teasing. He barely had enough energy to stay conscious much less argue with Rikuo. Great hell, his head hurt. He could remember picking up the box last night but nothing else. Even when he tried to focus on what the box felt like, searching for the potential memory transfer, there was nothing but a blank, solid black through his mind.

Fantastic. Not only had Rikuo had to carry him back to their apartment again, he couldn't even provide the sensory information that Kakei usually wanted in conjunction with the items they acquired. If he could just go back to bed…

A *thunk* near his head had him jerking upright in his chair staring wildly at the plate that had been dropped on the table. Fried ham, toast, salad. His eyes slid across to Rikuo, who was looming over him like some over grown bear.

"Eat. We have to open the store in thirty minutes."

"That doesn't mean you have to drop it on my head!"

"Lucky for you, I didn't."

"Ass!"

Kazahaya started eating without much enthusiasm.

Rikuo was idly packing shelves when Kakei came out form the back.

"Good morning, Rikuo. Sleep well?"

"Mm."

"So lively this morning." Kakei smirked. "Where's our other young boarder?"

"Should be coming down. He wouldn't wake up."

"Hmm, perhaps you should go check on him. We can open a little late today."

With a shrug, Rikuo abandoned his boxes and headed up the back staircase. He swung the door to their apartment in and called out but there wasn't any response from Kazahaya. After checking the kitchen and living room, he went to inspect their bedroom.

The door was ajar revealing Kazahaya slumped against an open dresser drawer with a shirt half out. Rikuo sighed and collected his roommate off the floor to deposit him in bed before going to find Kakei.

Kakei leaned over the bead staring at Kazahaya's face. Eventually, he straightened to look at Rikuo with a frown.

"He didn't open the box?"

Rikuo shook his head.

"Well." Kakei fished around in his pocket for a moment and drew out the box in question. "I guess it's a good thing I hadn't sent this out yet." He held to box out to his ward.

Rikuo raised and eye brow. "I couldn't touch it."

"Try again."

Rikuo was hesitant but he reached for the box anyway; there was never any point in denying Kakei. To his surprise, his hand connected with the lacquered surface. It felt smooth and oddly warm.

"Keep it with you. Saiga and I will run the shop today. You keep and eye on Kudo-kun."

With that, he left the room presumably to go find his lecherous co-conspirator.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Rikuo inspected the box. It was just wider than his palm and covered in a glossy red lacquer. There was no latch but a small set of hinges on one side indicated that it could be opened. He turned the box over carefully inspecting the surface by feel, looking for any anomalous marks.

After a few minutes he finally found what at first appeared to be a rough spot in the lacquer on the bottom corner of the box, but on closer inspection were several minute nicks carefully scratched into the surface. Now that he had found them, they stood out as glaring damage to the pristine surface.

Satisfied with his discovery for the moment, Rikuo sat the box on the bedside table and went to do some clean up in the apartment and think until lunch.