Chapter 10

"You look really upset," Mika commented, as Kaori gripped her pen tightly. Her hands were trembling. She'd hardly been able to take notes in class after what had happened in the park that afternoon. Her eyes had been blurry with tears the entire class, and Mika, who was sitting beside Kaori, had noticed. "Kaori-chan, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Kaori mumbled, as she stood up to gather her books. The entire class was getting ready to leave. But she knew it was a lie. She felt like her world had come crashing down around her. Why am I even sitting here? She wondered for a moment. What's the point of all this if Sousuke doesn't care? Her shoulders began to tremble as she replayed the moment in her head. It still felt like a horrible nightmare.

Mika's eyes widened. "Kaori-chan…"

"I-I'm being stupid," Kaori mumbled. "I just… I got dumped by my boyfriend earlier today."

As she said it, it sounded so stupid. People broke up with their boyfriends all the time. Yet, Kaori felt as if her heart had been stamped on mercilessly. Were all break-ups so painful? How did people deal with them? It didn't feel like a break-up. It felt like a part of her had been torn away from her body. Mika looked at Kaori sympathetically.

"Oh, Kaori-chan… I'm so sorry. Hey, tell you what. I know just the thing that will cheer you up. A few of us are going out to a bar after class. Do you want to come?"

Kaori's eye widened. "I've never really been to a bar before-"

"Come on! Just come out with us for a bit! It'll be fun, okay? You can leave if you're not comfortable." Mika gave her a big smile. "Come on. You know you'll only mope about your ex-boyfriend if you go home. You might as well try to distract yourself."

Kaori hesitated, but followed Mika out of the classroom as she caught up with a group of about five or six other boys and girls. Mika's words were ringing in her ear. Ex-boyfriend. It felt like a stab in the chest. Kaori had barely been getting used to calling Sousuke her boyfriend; and now he was already her ex? The words sounded disgusting.

The group of Mika's friends greeted both of them cheerfully. All of them knew who Kaori was, since her name was at the top of the ranking list in every exam. She forced a smile as Mika explained to the rest of them that Kaori had had a break-up. They all looked sympathetic; one girl even grabbed her arm and promised to cheer her up with a big grin.

Kaori followed them down the street as they entered a fancy-looking club. The music was loud and the lights were shining brightly in her eyes. Kaori flinched, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. She frowned as the group found a table in the corner. One guy grinned, flashing his wallet at the rest of them. "All right, tell me what everyone wants," he explained. "This rounds on me."

"Baka, all the rounds are on you, you're the only one that's twenty!" another guy laughed.

Kaori was surprised as she watched each member of the group around her ask for various cocktails and alcoholic drinks. Even Mika ordered a beer. Were they all drinking? None of them were legal yet! She suddenly felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned to her, waiting to hear what drink she wanted. Kaori flushed. "I… I've never really had a drink before…"

Mika giggled and pushed Kaori's shoulder lightly. Then she turned to the guy. "Get her something light, Daisuke-kun. We don't want to overwhelm Kaori-chan her first time!" she giggled. Daisuke shot her a wink and then disappeared to go get everyone's drinks. Kaori cleared her throat, stiffening slightly. Did she even want to drink? She wasn't entirely sure. Her heartbeat was thudding.

"Don't worry," one of Mika's friends told Kaori with a grin. "A couple of drinks and you won't even remember who your ex-boyfriend is!"

Kaori forced a smile. "That's okay. I don't really want to get drunk, I've never done it before…"

"Don't worry, just have one drink. You won't even feel it. I'm not going to let you get drunk," Mika promised her with a smile. "You shouldn't drink a lot your first time anyway. Oi! Daisuke! How long are you going to take with those?"

Daisuke waved that he was coming, while Kaori turned to Mika. "How… how is Daisuke twenty?"

"Oh, he failed high school a couple of times. He's an idiot, but he's adorable, really," Mika promised with a grin. She looked at Kaori with a smile. Before she could respond, one of the other girls was tugging at Kaori's arm. Her eyes were wide.

"Ne, Kaori-san! You have such pretty hair! There's a guy in my class at school who has hair like yours! Shigino-kun! God, he's so gorgeous. I wish I was dating him. But apparently he's going out with some girl at Iwatobi," the girl chattered away happily.

A guy chuckled. "Kisumi-kun? When do his relationships ever last?"

Kaori cleared her throat. "Um, actually, Kisumi-kun is my cousin," she explained.

"No way! Well, of course you two had to be related; you don't see sakura-colored hair every day, huh? Oh, and wait… your last name is Shigino too, right? I can't believe I never noticed before! Wow!" the girl chirped. She clasped onto Kaori's hand more tightly. "You have to introduce me to him properly, I'd have a better chance if he knew I was your friend; oh-Daisuke's here! Took you long enough!"

Kaori stiffened as Daisuke returned, passing around the drinks. He smiled when he got to Kaori and handed her a small wine glass. "I brought red wine for the lady," he replied with a smile, as Kaori hesitantly took the glass. There was very little in it; besides, wine didn't have much alcohol content, right? Taking a deep whiff of the pungent alcohol smell, Kaori lifted it to her mouth and took a small sip.

It tasted awful. The smell was disgusting and the sharp taste made her want to spit it out again. Kaori swallowed, wondering how the group around her was taking much stronger drinks. Mika noticed Kaori wince and smiled. "Ah. The first time never tastes good; here, eat something to get rid of the taste." She offered her a bowl of snacks, which Kaori hurriedly reached for.

"You know what?" Mika grinned and handed her the beer she had in her hand. "Try this. Let's see if you like it more than the wine."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sousuke lay back on the top bunk, his eyes staring at the blank ceiling above him. It was past 9 pm. He'd just returned from swim practice, but his mind was still on Kaori. He felt his stomach spin. She couldn't have meant what she said. Would she really never speak to him again? But he'd had to do it. It was for the best. He couldn't let his problems and unmanageable emotions get in her way during such an important time for her. It was better this way. Kaori would understand eventually.

His phone rang. Sousuke sighed and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Kisumi. He sat up with a frown, and lifted the phone to his ear. What was this idiot doing, calling him this late on a Saturday? "Kisumi-kun. What is it?"

"Sousuke-kun!" Kisumi sounded relieved. There was a lot of background noise; he seemed to be in a crowded place. "Thank goodness. Listen; I need your help. There's a problem and I have no idea what to do. Can you come down here?"

Sousuke glanced at the clock. "It's almost 10 pm, Kisumi. Where the hell do you want me to come at this hour? Just go home and go to bed."

"You don't understand. It's Kaori."

"Kaori?" Sousuke sat up, his heart thudding. "What happened?"

"She… got a little drunk."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sousuke pushed his way into the crowded club. He spotted Kisumi and Kaori instantly; the two heads of pink hair weren't very difficult to pick out. He hurried over to them, his fists clenched. What were they doing in a place like this? He hurried over and grabbed Kisumi by the shoulder. "Kisumi! Will you tell me what the hell is going on?"

Before Kisumi could respond, Kaori had spotted him. She leapt up from her seat. "Sousuke-kun!" she chirped, before throwing her arms around his torso. Sousuke stiffened when Kaori pressed her face into his shirt and clung to him tightly. She was giggling almost stupidly and he wrapped his arms around her as well. As he leaned his face down, he could smell the stench of alcohol coming off her. He turned and glared at Kisumi.

"What the hell is this? How drunk is she?" Sousuke demanded.

Kisumi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not too much. Apparently she just had three beers, but it was probably her first time. She hugged me too. Apparently she's an affectionate one."

"And you thought it was a good idea to bring her here and get her drunk?" Sousuke asked sharply. He gave Kisumi such a threatening glare that the pink-haired boy almost recoiled under his gaze. He held his hands up hurriedly, in innocence.

"It wasn't me!" Kisumi cried. "She came here with her cram school friends! Apparently she wanted to drink, none of them forced her or anything! Some of them knew me from school so they called me when she started acting drunk. I have no idea what to do. I can't take her home like this. Her parents will throw a fit and mine will get involved too!"

Sousuke frowned and looked down at Kaori, who was still giggling and nuzzling her face into his shirt. She was mumbling something incoherent under her breath, and Sousuke could only catch parts of words like warm and cuddly. He sighed, keeping his arms wrapped around the small girl's back. "Obviously, her parents are going to notice her state. Isn't there a friend's house she can go to?"

Kisumi frowned. "Sousuke. Any decent parent is going to call Kaori's mom and dad if she shows up on their doorstep drunk. Look, I've thought of all this. I can't think of a single place to take her that her parents won't find out about. What about your school? No parents there, right?"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Don't be stupid. It's 10 pm, I can't bring a girl into the boys dorms at this hour. There are security cameras at the entrance. Look, we'll come up with something. First of all; aren't her parents worried that she isn't home yet? We have to give them some explanation before we figure out where to take her."

"I thought of that. I called Hikari-chan; she's this girl from Kaori's school I dated a few times. She's calling her parents to tell them that Kaori's staying at her place. I even sent her parents some texts from Kaori's phone," Kisumi replied. He rubbed the back of his neck. "But at this rate, there's no use. I can't think of any safe place to take Kaori until she sobers up. And it's getting late."

Sousuke frowned. "Fine. Look, let's get her out of the club first. I'll make a few calls." He glanced down and Kaori and gently peeled her away from his body. She blinked up at him innocently, her gaze somewhat unfocused. "Kaori? Listen, we're going to get out of here, okay? Can you walk?"

Kaori giggled and nodded, but the very first step she took resulted in her stumbling into a table. Sousuke frowned as he grabbed her arm again, to help her straighten her up. "Damn it. Kisumi, you have to help me. She's falling all over the place. I'd carry her, but…"

Kisumi blinked, before noticing that Sousuke was gesturing to his shoulder. "Right. Of course. You can't carry uneven weights. Here, let me…" He came around to grab Kaori's other arm and the two of them struggled to carry the stumbling girl out of the club. Sousuke hailed a cab, and the three of them quickly slid in. Sousuke told the driver to head to a nearby hotel and Kisumi's eyes widened.

"Are you insane?" he hissed at Sousuke. "No way am I letting you take my cousin to a love hotel!"

"Love hotel?" Kaori piped up from in between them. She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a loud and dramatic gasp. Her big eyes were staring up at him innocently. "I've never been to a love hotel before! Sousuke-kun, will you take care of me?"

Sousuke flushed red. "Baka! Shut up! It's not a love hotel, it's a regular one. My Dad's company owns it. They might get suspicious when they notice how drunk this girl is, but…" he trailed off, glancing at Kisumi and Kaori. "You two look like siblings, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I know the manager."

Kisumi blinked. "What if he says something to your Dad?"

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Sousuke replied with a frown. "Better my parents than hers."

Kaori giggled and laid her head on Sousuke's shoulder, closing her eyes happily. Kisumi frowned as he noticed Sousuke's discomfort. The weight of her head was probably hurting him. He sighed and moved Kaori so that she was leaning on his shoulder instead. "Sousuke, for heaven's sake, if she's resting her weight on your shoulder then move her. She's drunk, it's not like she'll care"

Sousuke glared at Kisumi, before looking warily at the sleepy Kaori. "Shut up! What if she hears you?"

Kisumi sighed and patted Kaori's cheek. "Kaori-chan? Can you hear me?"

Kaori swatted his hand away with a frown. "Baka. Don't touch me. I hate you. I… I don't remember why. Why do I hate you?" she asked, looking slightly confused. Sousuke watched her think hard. What the hell was happening? Kaori turned and glanced at Sousuke. "I hate you too! I hate you even more! You… you stepped on my-m-my heart!" she cried, poking Sousuke's chest repeatedly. "Why did you do that? Why?"

Sousuke frowned. He couldn't deal with a drunk and emotional Kaori. Part of him was starting to wonder if this was all his fault. "Shh. It's okay. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Kisumi frowned and looked between Sousuke and Kaori, confused. "I know why she's mad at me," he said with a frown. "I stopped her from drinking the fourth beer. Why is she mad at you?"

Sousuke was stiff. He frowned and pushed away Kaori's hand. She was still poking him, although she didn't seem to remember why she was doing it. "She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying."

"Sousuke…" Kisumi raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. We broke up today," Sousuke mumbled.

"What?" Kisumi cried. His purple eyes widened in shock. He glanced first at Kaori, who was trying to poke Sousuke again, and then at the boy who was pushing her hand away calmly. "Broke up? When were you even together? I didn't know you two were dating! Does anyone tell me anything around here?"

Sousuke glared at him. "Shut up. You're the only one who knows about my shoulder."

"Yeah, but… so why did you break up?"

"None of your business," Sousuke snapped. He sighed and firmly put Kaori's hand back in her lap when she tried to poke his chest again. She gave him an upset pout and then crossed her arms over her chest. Sousuke sighed and glanced out of the window as they neared the hotel. He got out of the taxi. "Stay here. I'll go get a room."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The two boys managed to carry Kaori up to the large room which Sousuke had managed to procure. Kisumi looked around in surprise and felt a little guilty for accusing Sousuke of trying to take Kaori to a love hotel. This was a very fancy, expensive place. He grunted a little as they pushed Kaori onto the bed.

"Wow. I didn't know that you were this rich, Sousuke-kun," Kisumi mumbled as he looked around the spacious suite. He grinned as he ran his fingers over an expensive-looking painting that was hung on the wall. "This is a pretty nice place, eh? I almost want to stay here…" he trailed off, glancing at his phone. "Shit, I have two missed calls from my parents! I have to go!"

Sousuke stared at him. "You're leaving?"

Kisumi frowned. "Well, of course! I have a basketball match next weekend. If my parents are mad, they might forbid me from playing. I have to go now. Besides, what do you need me for?" he gestured towards Kaori, who had flopped back onto the springy bed and was cuddling into a soft pillow happily "She's harmless. Just put her to sleep. I'll come by in the morning with some of her stuff."

Sousuke frowned. "Fine. Go."

"Arigatou, Sousuke-kun! And… don't get any funny ideas, okay?" Kisumi warned him playfully.

Sousuke flushed red. "Urusai! Shut up!" he lowered his voice and frowned at him. "And you need to be more careful. You remember what we agreed on, right? Kaori can't-"

"Kaori can't find out about your shoulder, fine, fine," Kisumi grumbled. He glanced at the pink-haired girl on the bed who was swinging her head from side to side and giggling to herself. He frowned and turned to Sousuke. "You have to tell her eventually. She'll be crushed."

"I know."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Kaori felt a sudden pounding in her head when she woke up. It was warm; she was wrapped up in a number of blankets and she snuggled further into the blankets. She opened her eyes, but everything around her seemed blurry. She could see a large figure by the window and she watched silently as he spoke into a mobile phone.

"Hai. Look, I'll be back in time for practice," Sousuke mumbled, trying to keep his voice down. "No, she's still sleeping. I don't know; I figure I'll just wait until Kisumi comes back. Yes. Okay. Bye." He hung up and turned around to glance at the sleeping Kaori, only to see that she was watching him with open eyes. He quickly put his phone into his pocket and walked over to her.

"Kaori? Are you awake?" he asked gently.

Kaori blinked, snuggling further into the blanket. "I feel sick. My head is spinning. Make it stop," she croaked out, pressing her face into the pillow. She couldn't really think. The pounding in her head was too much. Sousuke sighed and sat beside her on the bed, gently placing a hand on her hair and stroking it. She leaned into his touch. Her eyes squeezed shut as he gently ran his fingers through strands of her soft hair.

"Shh. It'll be okay. You're just hung over. I told Kisumi to bring some medicine when he comes by," Sousuke said gently. Kaori stiffened a little and opened her eyes, suddenly seeming to realize that she wasn't at home. Sousuke withdrew his hand as she sat up, her eyes squinting. "Kaori, calm down. You're fine."

"Where am I? Where are my glasses?" Kaori demanded, looking around her desperately. Sousuke sighed and looked at the bags under her panicked, purple eyes before picking up her glasses from the bedside table and handing them to her. "Here." She put them on quickly, looking up at him in shock. Sousuke sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Do you remember anything?"

Kaori's lower lip trembled and she looked down at her hands. "I… I went to a club with Mika-chan and her friends. And they were all drinking, and…" she looked up at Sousuke with wide eyes, before burying her face in her hands. "Oh god. I'm such an idiot. What did I do?" she whimpered.

Sousuke sighed. "Well. I was going to scold you, but you seem to be feeling guilty enough."

"I can't believe I got drunk," she whispered to herself, almost in disbelief. Kaori pulled her knees up to her chest and then winced. "I reek of alcohol. Oh god. Sousuke, I think I'm going to be sick. My head is spinning. I'm so stupid. What was I thinking? What is this place? Where are we?"

Sousuke lifted a hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek. "Relax. You're in a hotel that my Dad's company owns. Kisumi-kun and I brought you here last night because you were too drunk to be taken home. Kaori, what happened? It's not like you to go to a place like that and drink. You've never done something so reckless in all the time I've known you."

Kaori looked ashamed. She leaned into the hand that Sousuke had placed on her cheek. "I… I don't know. I was so angry at you. I was just sitting there throughout cram school and thinking Why am I here? What's the point in sitting here and studying if not for Sousuke? And I guess I lost all sense of judgment. I don't know what I was thinking." She looked up at Sousuke and grabbed for his hand, her big purple eyes looking up at him. "Sousuke, I'm scared. Please don't leave me."

Sousuke flushed. Her small fingers had wrapped around his hand and were holding them to her face. "Baka, don't say things like that. It's the effect of the alcohol-"

"No, it's not," Kaori muttered. Tears were starting to leak out of her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just haven't been able to think straight since yesterday. Sousuke, please. I don't want to break up. I don't even want to take a break. I love you. I've been spending the last few years of my life planning a future with you and…" she bit her lip, holding back her tears. "The moment I realized it wasn't going to happen, I felt like my whole world and future had come crashing down around me."

"You idiot," Sousuke whispered, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her tightly. Kaori pressed her face into his neck and he could feel her tears on his skin. He clutched her to him. "I left you because I wanted you to focus on your studies. I didn't know you were going to go insane and start doing reckless things, did I?"

"I'm sorry," Kaori whispered.

"It's okay. Shh. It's fine. Don't worry."

Kaori stiffened and slowly pulled away. "H-how am I going to go home? I must be such a mess. Where do my parents think I've been all night?" she asked quickly. She glanced down at herself; she was wearing the same thing she'd worn to cram school the previous night, with the exception of her shoes.

Sousuke bit his lip. "I don't know. Kisumi was handling your parents. I think he got some of your friends to cover for you. My job was finding a place to keep you safe for the night. I had to answer a lot of the manager's questions," Sousuke said with a wry smile. "He wasn't too happy about me bringing a drunk girl into his hotel and staying the night with her."

Kaori's eyes widened. "Oh no. Will he tell your Dad?"

"I hope not. Either way; better my parents than yours, huh?"

"I don't want you to get into trouble!" Kaori cried, clutching his t-shirt. She winced as her head pounded again and she leaned back against the pillow. "Ow. It hurts so much. Why am I such an idiot?"

Sousuke leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Don't strain yourself. Sleep."

Kaori snuggled closer to the pillow, before reaching for one of his hands. She held it in hers, pulling it under the blanket with her. They sat in silence for a long moment before Kaori finally spoke. Her voice was muffled. "Sousuke."

"Hmm?"

"I… I don't deserve you."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow and frowned, moving the comforter slightly so that he could see her face. She was looking up at him miserably, her pink hair messily covering her face. He sighed and gently pushed her hair aside. "Why would you say that?" he asked quietly. "Don't be stupid. You're just upset because you got drunk last night. It could happen to anyone."

"Has it ever happened to you?" she asked hopefully.

"Tch. As if I would ever willingly send toxins into my body like that."

Kaori smiled lightly, before biting her lip. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Hey," Sousuke whispered, kissing her forehead again. "I love you. I'll always be here for you. Don't ever say things like that. I'm lucky that you put up with me despite all the pain I keep putting you through. Leaving for Tokyo, trying to break up with you, pressuring you about your studies…"

"I know you do it because you care," Kaori mumbled. She looked up at him. "I meant what I said. Please don't leave me. I'm a mess without you."

Sousuke sighed and then smiled gently. "I can see that. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Sousuke's phone rang again and he frowned as he glanced at the caller ID. He put it aside on the table and Kaori blinked, glancing between the ringing phone and Sousuke's stiff frown. She lifted her head up slightly. "You should answer that. Who is it?"

"Don't worry. It's just Rin."

Kaori's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "Oh no. There's only a few days until regionals, right? Are you supposed to be at practice? You must not have gotten any sleep last night because of me… Gomen'nasai, Sousuke-kun! I must be such a pain!" she cried, upset. She sniffed slightly, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry."

Sousuke shook his head and smiled down at her, stroking her hair again. Not as much as I will be.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

A/N – Thanks for reading! I hope you're all enjoying this. Do leave a review!