Disclaimer: I do not own POT

Chapter 14: Momoshiro's Lament

Kaidoh had been waiting on Momoshiro to finish up on his shopping, it was getting late. When they finally arrived at Hokkaido, it came as no surprise that it was already way past work hours and that even if they went to see Ann directly she would have already been off work. Momoshiro was a little disappointed but he wasn't discouraged as he said that he was going to go to the supermarket to look around for some food to eat even though they had a very first class meal on the way here. But that is just how Momoshiro was like. Before doing that, they had booked into a hote. Momoshiro had to go and book a nice apartment sized hotel room - pent house suite.

Kaidoh was now rested on the armchair in what was a reception like room or living room seated on a very comfortable armchair right next to the wall length window which showed him the lights and the buzzing activity of Hokkaido.

Kaidoh closed his eyes as he leaned back against the sofa thinking about everything when he heard something that sounded like wet shoes across the hallway and stopped short in front of the door. Kaidoh opened his eyes to watch Momoshiro trudge into the room soaking wet without a single piece of food in his bag, not to mention he had no bag. Momoshiro's eyes were akin to lifeless and on the brink of despair. Kaidoh sat up straight as he watched Momoshiro placed what he had onto the table with a soft thump and then he took off his shoes and pulled off his wet socks. Kaidoh began to realize that Momoshiro probably was not going to attempt to dry his own hair and sighed as Kaidoh went to get a towel and chucked it at Momoshiro before glaring at the man trying to elicit a reaction, but all Kaidoh got was Momoshiro numbly beginning to wipe the water droplets away from his hair and his face and flung it around his own shoulders.

"…Care to tell me why you look like that?"

Momoshiro said something softly that Kaidoh did not catch but when he tapped his foot impatiently Momoshiro responded

"It is all over for me and Ann…"

Kaidoh held his tongue as he watched his own friend, ran a frustrated hand through his hair as Kaidoh gestured for them to head over the small bar they had in their room. Kaidoh waited as Momoshiro burned his throat with instant whiskey that he took off the shelf.

"…You saw her?"

Momoshiro responded as he swung the whiskey around, almost hitting Kaidoh, Kaidoh's hand snapped at his wrist to stop him from swing the bottle around.

"Hell I did… I wished I didn't either."

"…"

"She's married you know? Married!"

Momoshiro took another swig of the alcohol and Kaidoh could only sit there and listen to the sad man's words of pain and pining. Inside Kaidoh's head it was swimming in confusion, because last he knew… Ann was still using her surname and therefore in all honesty it isn't easy to believe that she had upped and had herself married. Then again, she could've retained her surname in her work thus it was plausible.

"If only I had been braver… if only I had went straight to her without any hesitation. I could be called thick faced or just shameless… or just damned bold but I rather all those names than to have her lost forever! She slipped through my hands like water, and while I am wasting away every single day without her and wondering how to fix things, she had already moved on ahead and met someone else… Someone else who she would walk down the aisle with… damn it… Damn it…"

Momoshiro gritted his teeth and attempted to chug the whole bottle down when Kaidoh snatched it from his hands causing some to pour onto Momoshiro's shirt as Kaidoh scolded

"Get a hold of yourself! Doing this would not turn back time, and nothing you will do is going to change that fact."

Momoshiro slumped onto the bar table, he muttered as he looked at the whiskey liquid in Kaidoh's hands

"She even had a kid! When I looked at her and at her kid I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces. That could've been my life! Walking down the shopping aisles with my hand in Ann's hand, our son or daughter would be running ahead of us laughing and making funny faces at us for holding hands and kissing…"

Kaidoh couldn't respond as he patiently started to pour shots of whiskey into shot glasses so that Momoshiro had easier access yet smaller quantities. Kaidoh knew how much Momoshiro was affected by Ann. He knew that Momoshiro had wanted to fix things with Ann for 6 years since it all tore apart, but even when he told Momoshiro where she was, he never dared to stand in front of her to tell her his feelings. He had 6 years to do so… but something kept him back. It was as though he didn't expect her to forgive him yet on the other hand is unable to quell his love for her. It was a surprise when he decided that he would go overseas again for a while, and he came back more successful than Kaidoh bargained he could've been.

"…What can I do to get her to look at me that way? What can I do to get her to look at me the way she looked at me with love and adoration? How can I reclaim her love? I can't… *hic!* I can't not when she doesn't even feel the same way. Kaidoh… you said you would kill me one day… please make it today."

Kaidoh responded

"I want to kill you when you actually will regret dying. You want me to kill you, wait until you feel more appreciative of your life."

Momoshiro was caught between a hiccup and a laugh as he said

"I wished it was that easy,"

Kaidoh simply sat there with his friend until Momoshiro fell asleep drunken and heart broken, Kaidoh had not anticipated Momoshiro to react this badly but then again, supposing anyone would react this badly if the one they loved the most in the whole world was married. Kaidoh swirled his drink thoughtfully, he could guarantee you something about Momoshiro… since middle school, it has always been Ann. Ann had been Momoshiro's life for the past 12 years and that he knew and understood why Momoshiro couldn't move on and why he wanted to die, it was simple. Try imagining being devoted even after separation for the past 12 years. It does something to people, if 7 years was the honeymoon period, then 12 years is the line where it is devotion for eternity.

This is where Kaidoh and Momoshiro were different, despite popular beliefs Kaidoh held onto the belief that everything can be fixed and replaced easily. In the past, girlfriends were simply just ways to past time… and that everything such as girlfriends was simply status markers. That was what he learnt for a while until… Kaidoh had a secret he would keep close to his heart. He was very possessive, very determined and very passionate person at heart. Once he deemed something was his, no one else has the right to take them even though they were close to making it impossible for Kaidoh to reach them. Perhaps it was because of that, did he think that girlfriends were nothing more than accessories. For he couldn't afford to feel this form of passion or possessiveness, they will not stay and they are definitely harder to keep even within his limited capacity.

Kaidoh downed his own drink and set it onto the table with a click before he went over to the phone and dialed for reception.

"…Hello, yes. I'd like to ask a butler or man staff to help changing a drunken man's clothes."

There was a little taken aback response from the reception but never the less they were the ones in the penthouse and thus everyone else simply agreed as someone was sent up to help Kaidoh change Momoshiro out of his outfit, because Kaidoh was sure as hell wasn't doing it.

TBC...