A/N: Now wasn't that quick *proud* I don't own Saint Tail, only responsible for the plot.

Everyone but me...

"So, I hear that Ryoko and Chiba-kun got together last week. I think they would be so cute together."

Asuka looked at Meimi with big eyes. So she did get information on what happened back home. He wondered briefly where she got it from, before it hit him. Mimori Seira of course. That made complete sense. She wouldn't leave without keeping in touch with her best friend. But he barely had time to relax before her next comment made his entire body rigid.

"Oh, and I got a call from Sawatari yesterday. He said that Rina got engaged, is that true?"

Meimi didn't realize her mistake until it was too late. She had only meant to break the ice by talking about people they both knew but when she looked at his widened eyes and saw the hurt in their depths, she knew she had messed up. She had, without thinking, let him know that she had kept in contact with their mutual friends when she had refused to contact him. Her hands started trembling at the look on his face and she took a sip of the drink in her hands to hide it.

Asuka felt like he had been hit over the head with a hammer. He lowered his eyes to the table and couldn't make a sound. He couldn't believe it. So everybody knew how to get in touch with her, except him? Why had she kept him in the dark? Didn't she think he had the right to know? He cursed his trembling voice when he spoke.

"It's true. She's getting married next spring."

"I see. Then I'll have to go back for the wedding."

Meimi could tell that he was controlling himself hard not to let his frustration take control, but she kind of wanted him to throw a tantrum. It would clear the air and then they could start over. She gave him a tired look.

"Don't look at me like that. If you've got something to say, then say it already."

Her last line broke down Asukas' last bit of self-control. He jerked his head up and met her eyes with a defeated look in his eyes.

"Why? Have you been keeping in contact with everybody else all this time?"

He watched her nod reluctantly and turn her eyes away. He could feel his blood boiling with humiliation.

"Why didn't you contact me? Why did you contact everyone but me?" His voice was weak and suddenly all strenght left him. He slumped on the couch and couldn't look at her.

Meimi looked at him with sad eyes. He was hurt, she knew that. And she understood, she really did. It wasn't that she hadn''t wanted to talk to him, she just hadn't been able to bring herself to call him. Not after she lied to him like that. The guilt of deceiving had been eating on her for the last five years. She had lifted the phone to call him more times than she could count, but she always put it back down. She had felt that she didn't have the right to talk to him after all this and so she had tried to forget him. Without succeeding. But she had no idea how to tell him all this. She knew she would have to eventually, but right now she couldn't find the words. Instead she said the only thing she could think of before downing her drink with a few large gulps.

"I'm sorry."

Asuka looked up at her hesitantly. She wasn't looking at him, she was looking down in the now empty glass in her hands. He could tell that she was troubled and he guessed that his sudden appearance was the reason. He didn't really know what to say to ease her mind since he didn't know exactly why she was troubled. He just sat in silence and looked at her.

After a few minutes of silence he saw her look at her wrist-watch.

"It's late. We should go to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

With those words she rose and started walking towards one of the doors leading out from the living-room. She pointed towards another door and smiled slightly.

"That's the guest room. You can take it for now. I'll see you in the morning."

Before she shut the door behind her he could hear her murmur.

"I missed you."

Fifteen minutes later they were both lying on the beds in their seperate rooms, unable to fall asleep. Meimi was thinking about what she should say to him in the morning. Everything had gone so wrong today. She would have to explain somehow. She'd do that over breakfast.

Asuka on the other hand was thinking of those last words. 'I missed you.' He was sure that's what she said. But he didn't understand. If she missed him, then why hadn't she called. He hoped to get an explanation the next day. He turned on his back and stared up at the cealing.

"I missed you too."