Sorry Meghan

Taka returned to his room confused. The bewilderment was only made worse by Suboshi's pacing around the small room. He stopped almost as soon as Taka entered and the two of them stared at each other briefly before Suboshi spoke.

"Thanks, Taka. It is Taka here, isn't it?" His words were rushed and nervous. Taka nodded. "I'm called Shun here, by the way. It was nice of you. I mean I know you wouldn't have done it if you'd known what you were doing, but it was still nice so thanks."

Taka shrugged, automatically dismissing any thanks. Standing in front of him with all the nervous energy of a wild rabbit watching for hawks, Shun didn't seem at all like Suboshi. He reminded himself just what he was speaking too before asking, in a tone harsher than even he'd intended:

"What did Tomo want with you?" The severity of the tone didn't seem to affect Shun at all. He smiled. The slightly wistful smile sent a chill down Taka's spine.

"The same as everyone else. My head on a pike. My still-beating heart ripped out. All the skin peeled away from my flesh and the wounds bathed in salt water. You understand."

"Completely." The smile dwindled. Shun sat down on his bed and withdrew back into Suboshi's dull expression. Taka almost sighed. Shun would probably have made a better roommate than Suboshi.

"Thanks anyway." The words were barely whispered. Without realizing why, Taka found himself prolonging the conversation.

"Who are Brad and Janet?" Shun blinked, puzzled.

"I don't know any Brad. Aniki dated a Janet, once." His voice caught slightly. "I didn't like her. She was a slut like—Janet Weiss. Do you mean Brad and Janet from The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

"I don't know. When I was talking to Tomo, he called me Brad and Miaka Janet." Shun considered the concept.

"I suppose it might work. You as Brad, the Suzaku no Miko as Janet. If you replace 'had sex with' from the movie with the 'almost had sex with' of real life that would make Tomo Dr. Frank N. Furter. I don't think I'd make a good Rocky though. Big, strong, blond; he'd have to be Nakago." Completely lost, Taka broke in:

"What are you talking about?" Shun stopped, slightly taken aback.

"The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's where Brad and Janet come from. Haven't you ever seen it?"

"No." Shun shook his head, disappointed.
            "You really need to. It's a good movie, though a bit on the strange side. They show it on TV at least every Halloween. They show it at real theatres some places, but only the obsessive fans go there. Either wait for it on cable or rent it. What's so funny?"

Taka was laughing softly. He found something absurd about listening to Suboshi telling him what movies to see. It was just so different.

"You're not him anymore, are you?" Shun's face blanked.

"Oh, I'm still him. Rather, I'm still me." Shun reached under his bed for a bag that he then tossed to Taka. Taka caught it and looked through its contests. Prescriptions of unpronounceable names. "They just found ways to control me."

"What's this?" Suboshi smiled wanly.

"The anti-psycho-twin-drug-cocktail. Didn't you know they had one of those?" He pulled out one of the bottles and held it up. "These are the only ones I actually take. They give them to schizophrenics. That's what the doctors think I am. Is that what I was, do you think?"

Taka started to answer but Shun interrupted him. "I'm sorry. You were trying to be nice and I had to get defensive. I'll play the good roommate until we can get out of this."