Start Scene Three: Hangover

The small figure strolled down the moonlight street, seemingly completely at ease. Only someone who knew the person who was the figure better than he knew himself would be able to see the slightest stumbling of his feet, the effort it took to even walk as far as he had – small things that all pointed towards being drunk. Thankfully, he was headed towards the one person who would know these things, and what to do about them.

Kenshin at length made his way to a very familiar front step, painstakingly taking each stair one by one as his feet fought their defiance of gravity. At last reaching the faded, peeling blue door half-hidden behind a rusted screen, he knocked five times in rapid succession. He waited about a minute before Kaoru opened up, looking hassled and tired. Upon seeing who her visitor was, however, she immediately brightened up, grinning and rubbing her red eyes. "Hey, you're up late. Something wrong?"

He shook his head contentedly, knowing that his speech would be ridiculously slurred if he spoke. Kaoru noticed this and stared at him suspiciously, at last smelling the stench of alcohol faintly emanating from him. "Kenshin no baka..."

This time he nodded.

"I told you to at least try and stop."

Nod.

"Did you get into a fight?"

Nod.

"Before or after you got drunk?"

A hand gesture that might have meant 'before'.

She sighed, and the last still-lucid part of his brain winced, knowing that the real verbal beating would wait until the morning, when it hurt most. "Come in and take a shower, but be quiet, because Ayame and Suzume are sleeping over. I'll get some spare clothes." Kenshin was grabbed by the hand and gently tugged inside.

The sisters were sharing Kaoru's bed, having already been sound asleep for hours. He smiled briefly, gazing at them for a second – they were intelligent even for kids their age (thirteen and fourteen), and he enjoyed their company when they were around – and then entered the bathroom, operating the shower from memory alone. Also brushing his teeth (Kaoru always kept his toothbrush out), he stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later with naught on but a towel around his waist. The first things he saw were the sweat clothes that Kaoru threw at him. "Put these on, we're gonna have to share the couch bed."

He clothed himself back in the bathroom. Kaoru had already folded out the bed by the time he was done, and he did the best he could to help her spread the sheets and blanket in his state. Finished, they both simply collapsed, the old metal frame beneath them creaking dangerously with the sudden weight. They crawled towards each other, sleep now quickly taking over, and Kaoru placed herself along Kenshin's front, head under his chin as usual. He pulled the blanket up, tucking it around her shoulders and making sure she was warm. She did the same for him, hugging him tightly with her free arm. The lights were turned off, and as they drifted asleep, it was quite a peaceful night.

Ayame and Suzume woke at roughly the same time the next morning, the yawning and stretching of one rousing the other. They crept out of bed, morning sunshine filtered through the windows lightening the mood of the apartment. Suzume saw the living room first. She blinked in astonishment, then turned and tugged at her sister's sleeve to look also. Ayame giggled quietly, muffling it with her hand, but then sighed wistfully. The sisters were hopeless romantics, and Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship gave them constant fodder to nibble and speculate upon. Anything they saw as a step towards something less than platonic made then nearly jump for joy.

Sometime, somehow during the night, Kaoru had ended up lying on top of Kenshin. The exact position looked uncomfortable, but neither seemed to care all that much. Her right cheek was resting atop his left, arms, legs, and torsos tangled up together. Very awkward, but evidentially it was possible to sleep, although they would probably be sore when they woke up.

The sisters lived next door to Kaoru, and on nights that their parents were out late, they were sent to sleep at their neighbor's house. It was always a fun time, but they went back home as soon as they woke up, whether Kaoru was up and about or not. With one last, longing glace at the pair on the bed, they quietly crossed the room and exited through the front door.

Kaoru awoke first, wondering for a moment why she was not laying on her bed, but quickly remembered just who was serving as a pillow. Softly slipping off him, she gazed at Kenshin's sleeping face. He was only eighteen, and yet he still appeared years younger now than he did while awake. Maybe it was because he was so much more relaxed, not wary of someone attacking while his back was turned. Maybe his dreams were always good ones that freed him from the harsh reality of what his life had become. In any case, it made him seem like an innocent child. Kaoru sighed. Unfortunately, she would have to break this spell when he woke up with a hangover. She was duty-bound to give him a lecture while noise was what he feared most.

His eyes fluttered open as she watched, immediately closing again when the light streamed in his dilated pupils. He groaned and rolled over, shielding his eyes with his fists. "Mmmlllpfff..."

"Morning, sleepy." Kaoru stealthily raised a pillow above his head.

Kenshin turned, lifted his hands, saw her fully, and the pillow came crashing down. His cry of surprise was muffled by the light material, and he scrabbled around until he was able to remove it, his temples now pounding. Finally succeeding, he glared at her pathetically. "Kaoruuu... please take pity on me?"

"No."

She hit him again, this time on the stomach, which made him curl up defensively. "I'm gonna puke if you keep on doing that!"

"You deserve it! I told you not to drink! It'll kill your liver, and I don't want to see you slowly degrade yourself to an alcoholic!"

"Owww, don't yell..."

"I am yelling," she said, raising her voice even more, "to get my point across. Repeat after me: NO MORE DRINKING!"

"My head..."

"SAY IT!"

"OW! That HURTS!"

"SAAAY IIIT!"

"NO MORE DRINKING!"

Kaoru immediately flopped down next to him. "Good. But I expect you to live up to that promise."

"'Kay."

They lay in silence for a bit, until Kenshin shifted uneasily. "Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"If I do throw up, will you hold my head?"

Always the nausea, she thought, and moved off the bed. "I'll get Advil."

"Would you?"

She paused. "Of course. And I'd take care of you afterwards."

His voice carried something innocent and truthful in it when he closed his eyes, smiled, and said "I love you."

Kaoru reached for his hand, and upon receiving it, squeezed tenderly. Coming from her, it was the only response Kenshin needed.

End Scene Three

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Hii!!! I told you i had chapter three written, but I kept forgetting to post it. So, here you have it. Do you like it? I also have chapter four written now, so I'll put that up in a week. More fluff here... Sort of. I'm still trying to get back on schedule, and I will once I've finished the projects my World History teacher keeps dumping on us. Four is quite enough!

matthias208