Chapter Six

My Virgin Eyes!

Kaoru woke up exactly six thirty in the morning. It was a bright Saturday morning; she couldn't help but to pull out a smile as she opened her window to breathe in some fresh air. After that she gathered her clothes and headed towards the bathroom. Then after taking a nice hot bath, she headed down stairs to fix breakfast. She looked up on the wall clock and read exactly seven thirty. As what she was told, Kaoru started to fix the doctor's breakfast.

Clad in her cute pink apron, Kaoru started cooking. As she approached the fridge to fetch the orange juice, she heard impending footsteps from behind. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the tired looking doctor approaching the dining table. Her brows furrowed, why is he up so early? She immediately approached him and said, "I thought you'll be having breakfast around ei—"

"I need to be in the hospital in thirty minutes. Aren't you done cooking yet?" he asked, looking over to the frying pan placed above the stove.

Kaoru shook her head, "No, not yet. But if you want, I can prepare you a salad instead."

"Yes, that'll do." He replied, sitting himself on the chair.

A few minutes or so, Kaoru returned with a tomato-cucumber salad in her hand and a fresh orange juice on the other. She lay the dish before him, "You could have told me, doc. So I could have woken up much earlier to prepare your breakfast."

Aoshi shook his head, "I was about to tell you last night but..." he trailed off as images of what had happened last night flooded his mind again. He hadn't slept well last night because of the said incident. He cautiously looked up and saw her cheeks blush as she quickly looked away. He did the same thing and started eating his salad.

Too embarrassed to reply, Kaoru remained silent and stood still. She slowly drifted her eyes back towards her employer as he continued consuming his food. Why am I acting like this? I swear, if Misao sees… she'll probably curse me to hell and back! She inwardly sighed, getting really confused over the issue and tried as much to ignore it. As she closed her eyes to calm herself, an odd smell quickly reached her nostrils. Her eyes bulged and hurried towards the kitchen, "The bacons!"

She approached the stove and the frying pan which's constantly covered with smoke. Coughing, she took the pan and turned off the stove. As the smoke finally eased through the open window, Kaoru helplessly stared on her burnt breakfast.

Heavily she sighed, throwing the eggs onto the bin and then tossed the pan on the sink. "There goes my breakfast." She mumbled to herself as she started scrubbing the remnants of the burnt bacon and eggs. After washing the pan, she heard the doctor's faint footsteps. She assumed that he's done eating and returned to the dining room to clean the table.

As she collected the plate and empty glass, she saw her employer, trying his best to fix his tie which was clearly impossible with his eyes drooped blearily in front of the mirror. Kaoru made a small laugh and felt pity towards the sleepy man. She approached him and caught his hands from torturing the piece of cloth further.

"I'll do it." She said, smiling as she saw the surprised look from the doctor. She took this as a sign and started fixing his tie.

Aoshi watched her through half-lidded eyes as her fingers carefully tied the blasted thing he's been trying to fix for the past five minutes. If he wasn't lethargic, he could have refused her offer. Unfortunately, he's way too sleepy to even protest, so he allowed her. "Am I supposed to add this up to your salary?"

Kaoru giggled and shook her head, "No. I'm doing this for free." She looked up and from that moment she knew what she did was a complete mistake. Somehow, Kaoru found herself glued against the other's gaze again.

Aoshi was suffering from the same dilemma too. He looked intently down on her, realizing that they're only a few feet apart. Her hands stopped moving and remained hanging on his tie; it's as if the time constantly stopped from running. From this distance he could smell her familiar jasmine scent, the way her lashes normally curved above its lids, forming two beautiful fans above her lovely blue eyes. How her cheeks flush from the tension between them and how enticingly her lips were slightly parted before him. She's seducing me … he thought, his eyes focusing on her mouth.

She saw his eyes rove from her own towards the contours of her face until they fell on her parted lips. She could feel a lump forming on her throat as her face blushed harder. Why am I not moving? Why is he staring at me like that? And worst, why am I enjoying it? She stood there as if she wanted something to happen.

Her warmth and the way she felt when she was laying on top of him last night ignited the same fire within him. Please look away before I do something we'll both regret… he knew if he was about to do something to her like for instance, kiss her, he wouldn't regret it. With this thought, his eyes returned to gaze onto hers.

Stop looking at him like that! Do something! Break the eye contact, dammit! She berated herself and thankfully her body finally listened, her eyes extracting from his and immediately looking elsewhere.

Aoshi was disappointed and at the same time relieved on what she did. If that eye contact continued for a few seconds more, he could have kissed her right then and there. Damn, what is wrong with you?

"Well… tie's fixed!" Kaoru cheerily announced, straightening his tie and then dusting off an imaginary lint on his coat. "Off you go then or you'll be late." She tried not to sound too much ecstatic. She knew her voice may have been buoyant but she could tell her face wasn't. She was still blushing for cryin' out loud!

Aoshi nodded and took a step away from her. He forced to smile and did manage to from a small one, "Thank you."

Kaoru nervously returned a smile and then faintly excused herself as she headed back towards the table with her head hung low. She mentally kicked herself as she took the dishes and went inside the kitchen. How come she's suddenly stuttering in front of the doctor? They had been living in the same apartment for almost four months. This was the first time she found herself blushing in front of him and this makes her feel really humiliated. I'm not having a crush on him, am I? She mused, completely caught up with her own thoughts that she didn't heard his footsteps approach the kitchen.

"Kamiya." A voice called from behind, making her jolt again out of surprise.

"H-hai?" she asked, trying her best not to look back.

He himself couldn't bring himself to look at her and it relieved him to see that she didn't turned around to face him, "Don't bother preparing my dinner. I may not be able to come home early."

"O-okay." For heaven's sake, stop stuttering! Her inner voice yelled inside her head. I'm trying! She yelled back, forcing the other voice to subside down.

"I'm off." He immediately said and then turned on his heels towards the front door. He went outside not before hearing Kaoru's faint goodbye.

"I'm so sorry if I interrupted you or anything…" Asako said apologetically, imploringly looking at the refined woman sitting before her.

Tomoe shook her head and smiled, "Don't be. In fact, I just finished my report when you called." She settled herself on the chair and placed her PRADA bag on the other. "So, why am I here again?"

Asako smiled back and replied, "The usual."

"My cousin." Tomoe bemusedly said.

The brunette sheepishly nodded.

Tomoe sighed, "He's still not asking you out?"

"No." Asako dejectedly shook her head, "I don't know why! There are a lot of guys out there who's dying to go out on a date with me… except your cousin that is… I'm fairly attractive, am I?" she looks like she was on the verge of tears as she beseechingly looked at her.

"Of course you are."

Asako's brows drew together, "But your cousin doesn't think so."

Tomoe crossed her arms and calmly nodded, "Obviously."

Desperately, Asako sighed as she watched the waitress serve the Cappuccinos they ordered. "Why?" she whined, "What should I do for him to notice me?"

Tomoe rolled her eyes, "How long have you been trying to seduce Aoshi, Asako-chan?"

"I don't know…" Asako answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "Two months perhaps?"

"It only proves that he's not interested. Why bother pressing yourself to him if there's numerous of guys who wanted to date you?" Tomoe sarcastically asked. Sometimes she finds Asako a little too vain of her self. That's why she couldn't really blame her cousin if he's trying his best to avoid her. If only she wasn't Tachibana's daughter, she could have told her to leave Aoshi alone.

"Because he's different, Tomoe-san." Asako answered, "He's handsome, he's rich, he's mysterious… every girl's dream man." She suddenly looked up, looking all dreamy-eyed as she went on, "Everyone likes him… and I'll be so proud if he asked me on a date—or much better if he asked me to be his girlfriend! Oh! I'd love to see the faces of his admirers when they see me with him." she pensively sighed, "Just like a prized trophy…"

Tomoe narrowed her eyes, not liking her reason of why she wanted to go out with her cousin. "You think he's some kind of a trophy?" she couldn't believe what she's hearing. Tramp, she thought, feeling obviously insulted.

Asako nervously laughed and shook her head, "O-of course not!" her laughter died down when she saw Tomoe's glare harden. With a sigh, she took a sip on her cappuccino. "All I wanted is your help, Tomoe-san. I really, really need it."

"And how exactly am I supposed to help you?"

"How about telling me the stuff he's into? His favorite food, favorite color, the things he usua—"

Before Asako could go on and on with her babbling, Tomoe immediately interrupted her, "How about arranging another dinner party so you'll get another chance to talk to him?"

Asako's eyes brightly sparkled at the wondrous idea. "What an ingenious idea, Tomoe-san! We could all have dinner at your house again. This time I'll finally have Aoshi-san's attention all to myself."

Tomoe gaped at her and then shook her head, "No, no… we can't have dinner at my house. I'm too busy this week… and I'll be leaving for Paris this weekend."

Asako's glittering eyes promptly shadowed with disappointment. She pursed her lips as she took another sip of her cappuccino. "Aww… that's too bad. What should we do now?"

There's no we, bimbo… Tomoe bitterly mused, pretending to dust lint on her skirt. "If you want, we can eat dinner on his apartment instead."

"Excuse me?" Asako surprisingly blinked twice, "Dinner at his place? Have I mentioned about him not noticing me? How am I supposed to do that?" having dinner at his place was a superb idea. The only problem is—Aoshi's practically doing all his best to ignore her. What more if he sees me inside his apartment without his permis— "Oh my God! I got it!" she startlingly exclaimed, surprising Tomoe who was about to open her mouth for her reply.

"Got what?" Tomoe furrowed her brows and asked.

Asako triumphantly smiled, "I know exactly what to do to get his attention."

"And that would be?" Tomoe asked again with a fine brow arched.

Asako stood up and then grabbed her bag and coat. "A secret. I'll tell you when I'm done planning it." She glanced down on her watch, "In fact, I think I must start planning now. Thank you so much for the suggestion, Tomoe-san. I wish I could chat with you more, but I must go." She politely said and then turned on her heels not before catching the curious look on the other woman.

Tomoe sat there as she watched Asako exit the café. She rolled her eyes and took a pack of cigarette out of her bag. "Hmm… should I tell Aoshi-kun about this?" she smirked and released a delicate laugh, "Nah. It'll be fun to watch him all baffled up with this girl. Let him have all the fun he needs." True, she doesn't like this Asako at all. But since she's the CEO's daughter, there's nothing much she could do about her. It'll be the company's downfall if she messes up with her father. And the thought of seeing Aoshi's stoic face crack in annoyance with this girl amuses her. She would love to see Aoshi's reaction when he sees Asako practically disrupt his so organized life. With that thought, Tomoe sat back on her chair and took a long drag of her cigarette.

The grin of mischief never leaving her face.

"Nice…" Kaoru happily muttered as she observed Megumi's living room which was currently occupied by a bunch of college students dancing through the loud beat of "The Joker" by Fat boy slim. She arrived a tad bit late. Doing the laundry and ironing clothes delayed her.

"Sano planned all of this." Megumi said with a proud smile.

Kaoru grinned, "I can't believe you allowed him to do this here."

Megumi laughed with mischief glinting her eyes, "Believe me; it took him a lot of effort to convince me."

Kaoru laughed as both walked towards the kitchen. She saw Tae and Yumi completely absorbed on a drinking competition. The crowd went wild when Tae finished one flask and headed for the other. Kaoru turned her head and saw Sano on the far corner of the room, reenacting one of his favorite football moves with his friends.

"What made him to plan a party like this?" Kaoru loudly raised her voice when the "The Joker" ended and was now replaced with "Make Love" by Room Five.

Megumi covered her right ear and leaned closer to her, "What did you say?" she practically yelled back.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and then saw the open door of their patio. She grabbed Megumi's arm and led her outside, closing the door just as to prevent the music from damaging their ears further. "I said, what made Sano to plan a party like this?"

"Ah," Megumi nodded, "Simple. He feels guilt, Tanuki. He's the reason why you're studying and working at the same time. After noticing that you're all stressed up, which by all means was his fault, he decided to plan a party for you. He thought it'll relieve some of the tensions you're undergoing right now."

Kaoru was touched by this, "Wow… geez, thanks… I guess…" She timidly looked away, "That's—very nice of him."

Megumi shrugged her shoulders, "Sano loves you, Tanuki—he can be an ass sometimes, but he's still nice." She smiled and threw an arm over her shoulder, "So, the least thing you can do is to relieve some stress. It'll please him to see you back to the same Tanuki we all knew."

Kaoru softly laughed, "Alright, I will…"

But before Megumi could even reply, the door burst opened revealing a drunk, laughing girl on the other side. "Haha… Megumi!" the girl gasped, trying to fight the urge of laughing more, "Yumi—It's Yumi she's… haha… puking on your—your floor!"

"WHAT?" Megumi flared up after hearing this. She's a med student and she's highly sensitive when it comes to the tidiness of her stuff or anything that surrounds her. It's quite normal for her to release a fit like this. The laughing drunk girl disappeared from the door, not wanting to see or feel more of Megumi's anger.

A vein throbbed painfully on Megumi's forehead as she pinched the bridge of her nose, taming down her rage. She took a long deep breath and straightened up. "Excuse me." She started towards the door and entered the house.

Kaoru watched her disappear inside. As the door closed, Kaoru realized she was standing in the middle of the lawn. A frown crossed her face as realization hit her, "Why am I here? I'm supposed to be inside!" she slapped a palm on her forehead and started towards the patio's door. But to her utter surprise, the door won't budge. "What the—" she tried again, pulling the knob harder. She even used her foot for force but to no avail, the door remained shut. "Mou!" she cried, almost cursing Megumi for accidentally locking the stupid door. She raised a fist and started knocking, but soon she stopped after noticing the uselessness of it with that loud music booming.

She sighed in defeat and stepped away from the door. She then decided to go back to the front door. Just as when she was about to walk her way around the house, her plans shattered into pieces when she remembered the house was a duplex! Meaning there was no other way around aside from the Patio's door. Kaoru's jaw hanged open in disbelief. "The hell?" she threw both of her hands against her eyes and mentally cursed. She went back to the patio's door and started pounding hard on the wood, "Dammit! Let me in! Open the damn door!" she did this for a couple of minutes and noticed that nobody's still hearing the awful sounds she's making against the door. Tiredly, Kaoru sank on the floor, leaning her head against the door as she heard "One more time" booming on the stereos and the continuous laughs and cheers inside. "Mou! How am I supposed to relieve some stress now?" she hopelessly looked up and saw a few stars shining on the black sky. With a sigh, Kaoru's shoulders slumped back, expecting that it'll take some time for the door to open.

Maybe when the party's over… she thought, her eyes now observing the nicely flourished lawn. What a nice way to relieve stress… And then did she notice a metal ladder lying against the nearby wall. Her eyes trailed on the ladder heading up towards the second floor. An idea immediately popped inside her mind as she went and observe the second story of the duplex. Fortunately, the ladder leads into an empty terrace. "Oh thank God!" she yelped in utter delight as she started climbing the life-saving ladder.

Kaoru struggled as she pulled herself up and then managed to safely land on the terrace's stone floor. She straightened her shirt and dusts off the dirt on her pants as she delightfully squealed in triumph. She could still hear the music from downstairs, but the room in front of the terrace was awfully quiet. Not so quiet, I suppose… she thought as she heard faint, unusual sounds coming inside the unlit room. Curiously, Kaoru walked inside.

And to her surprise, she saw a couple locked in a rather—intimate fashion. And the sounds she's hearing were actually product of their...

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"Ahhh! My virgin eyes!" Kaoru shrieked, turning away from the couple as she covered her eyes with her hands.

The couple immediately broke apart and whipped their heads towards the shrieking woman in the balcony.

"I'm so sorry!" Kaoru cried, not knowing why faith had been so cruel to her. First she was locked out from the house… and now this! "I never meant to—I'm so sorry!"

"Kamiya?"

Kaoru snapped out from her continuous outburst when she heard that very, familiar voice calling her name behind her. She removed her hands although her eyes flew wide from realization, "D-doc?"

Behind her, Aoshi stood, his hair disheveled and his clothes a little bit rumpled from the woman's attempts of undressing him. The girl he was kissing suspiciously looked at the two. "Do you know her?" she cattily asked.

Aoshi ignored her as if she wasn't there, "Kamiya, turn around."

"Are you decent?" she tautly asked. The fact that her boss was here kissing another girl overwhelmed her.Why is he here?

"Yes," the blue-eyed doctor drawled, "we're decent."

Kaoru slowly turned around and saw her boss staring at her with his arms crossed. She noticed some blonde bimbo standing next to him. Probably the one he's kissing with. She swallowed a large lump on her throat and finally managed to ask, "What are you doing here?"

Aoshi leaned against the wall, "That goes for you too…"

The blonde girl once again stared at the two, "Ugh! I'm out of here!" but before she could actually step out of the room, she stopped in front of the doctor and fondly caressed his cheek, "Call me." She winked at him and then gave Kaoru a very, very nasty look. Finally she opened the door and walked out leaving the two alone.

Kaoru watched the girl as she disappeared from the room. The nerve! She bitterly thought, not liking how that bitch eyed her. Especially when she saw her hand descend on the handsome doctor's face and—w-wait, now where did that came from? She mentally shook her head and then turned her head towards the man standing in front of her. She crossed her arms and gaped at him, "Are you stalking me?" she accusingly asked.

"Do you?" Aoshi coolly replied.

Her brows furrowed at the unusual answer, "Wha—no! Of course not!" Kaoru irritably said, "For your information, I was invited in this party. In fact, my friends own this duplex." She defiantly raised her chin.

"Is that so?" he nonchalantly asked.

"Yes." She replied, "And you? What are you doing here?"

"I was invited too."

"Really? By who?"

"By the current seniors of your year, I suppose."

"Why?"

"I was a former senior of their fraternity."

"Former?"

"Someone told me it was supposed to be a reunion party."

" Reunion party?"

"Yes. And Kamiya's stupid."

Kaoru frowned, confusion etched all over her face, "What?"

Aoshi dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "Never mind."

He inwardly sighed. He was hoping she'd repeat those last words. At least he'd have something in exchange of the cliffhanging snogging session he's about to have before she came in screaming.

Kaoru glared at him, not liking the fact that he, once again, had the pleasure of making fun of her. "So, that girl—"

"—is none of your business." Aoshi supplied, not wanting to talk about something he'd want to forget.

Stubbornly, she chose to ignore his words, "Is she your girlfriend?" four months of working as his housemaid/secretary and never had she heard him mentioning anything about his girlfriend. That is if he really has one. Sure, she receives a lot of phone calls from different girls but she was sure he's not paying attention to any of them. Having his attention would be the prime goal of his fan girls. Misao would be a good example for that.

"No. I've just met her." he started smoothing his clothes and fixed his tie.

She incredulously gaped at him, "You've just met her and you're already snogging?"

Aoshi glanced at her and then headed towards the door, "What are you, eight or something?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and frustratingly sighed, "My, where is this world coming into?"

He shook his head and went outside the bedroom. Kaoru followed him and both squeezed their way downstairs. Both tried to ignore the side comments as they passed by. Walking outside the bedroom with a full-grown man was a bad idea.

"There you are!" Sano suddenly appeared in front of them, giving Aoshi a friendly tap on the shoulder without noticing Kaoru behind him, "Jou-chan!" he left his side and went to give her a hug. As he released her, he stared at the doctor and then back on the girl on his arms, "Don't tell me you're that girl Courtney's been rambling about."

Kaoru shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe."

Sano laughed, "Courtney's so pissed off with you!" he turned to Aoshi and then said, "Better patch things up with her before she leaves."

Aoshi shook his head, looking as if he didn't cared at all, "Not in a million years would I patch up with anyone."

Sano dramatically placed a hand over his heart, raised his head and said, "Spoken like a true senior." He grinned and then whipped his head between the two, "I believe you already know each other."

"Sano… Shinomori-san here is my employer…" she gravely stared up at him, sending a look of 'shut-it-before-you-slip-up'. Aoshi doesn't have a single idea of Kaoru's punishment. Of her being a rich girl and tasked as to work as his housemaid/secretary to fill-up the punishment her father bestowed on her.

"Oh." Sano understood her eye signals, "Oh! Yeah-yeah… I see…" he pulled out a toothy grin when Aoshi interrogatively stared at him. "Er—you guys wanna play a game?"

Both looked at him.

"What kind of game?" Kaoru asked.

Sano threw his arms around them both and led them towards the dining room, "You'll see…"

"Funny, I never thought Alpha's famous master's your employer." Sano whispered just as when Aoshi turned his head to converse with the other former seniors.

Kaoru leaned against him and whispered back, "This is not funny at all, Sano! Shinomori-san doesn't know anything. So please try not to say anything concerning about my punishment or my parents, you understand?"

"You can count on that!" Sano saluted.

"And tell the others too, okay?"

"Alright, I will." He winked at her and then stood up. He will be standing as the commentator of the game. He took an empty bottle of beer and placed it at the center of the table. "Listen! We'll the start the game I, Sagara Sanosuke proudly called as 'Booze or Smooch'! Each of you will be paired with yours respected partners. After that, we'll spin the bottle and whoever the bottle stops at will have to choose between—" he raised a shot glass of strong tequila, "drinking the booze or—" he placed down the bottle and comically puckered his lips, "giving each other, a long, passionate, fiery smooch!" everyone wailed in excitement, proven how the game quickly caught their attention. Kaoru on the other hand scowled. She leaned against the table, crossed her arms and watched them all tap the table. Subtly, she took a glance over to the other side of the table where Aoshi sat. Aoshi did the same and the two accidentally had an eye-to-eye contact. Kaoru was the first one to turn her head away, feeling all guilty for being caught staring. Aoshi on the other hand lingered his stare and smirked, until someone drew him into a conversation again.

"Alright, spin the bottle!" the bottle spun continuously, placing each participant to their respective partners. Sano looked around and noticed that the group was lacking one more couple. "We need one more!" he drew out his index finger, showing it around the crowd surrounding the table.

Aoshi was bored and thought joining a little game wouldn't harm him. He raised his hand and said, "Count me in."

"Alright!" he spins the bottled again, and not after a few seconds, the bottle's mouth stopped towards Kaoru's direction.

Kaoru was nonchalantly staring on her nails not until she noticed the crowd's silence. She looked up and noticed everyone staring at her.

"Jou-chan, go sit next to your partner." Sano instructed, swinging his head to where Aoshi sat.

She furrowed her brows and questioningly stared at him. Oh joy… she looked across the table and caught the doctor's eyes. With a sigh, she stood up and approached him.

Aoshi watched her as she uneasily took the chair next to him.

"Don't you dare kiss me." Kaoru muttered so he alone would hear.

"I'm not planning to." He replied and settles himself on his chair.

The game started. Five spins, five victims. Two of them took the liberty to kiss while the other three settled on drinking. On the seventh spin, the bottle settled towards the quiet couple. Aoshi unflappably stared on the bottle while the other practically bulge her eyes out.

"SMOOCH, SMOOCH, SMOOCH…" the crowd continuously chanted at them, and at the same time tapping the table.

Kaoru winced at the noise.

Sano grinned at the two and then offered them a couple of shot glasses. "Booze or Smooch?" he asked.

Kaoru winced again on the strong liquor being offered to her.

"Sorry, Jou-chan. I know you're no drinker—but rules are rules." Sano shoved the glass towards her, "Unless—you want to kiss him…"

The crowd went wild as Kaoru nervously glanced over to the quiet man sitting next to her. I can't kiss him! But I don't want to drink too… aargh! I hate this game! With a determined look, she took the glass and brought it to her mouth. But suddenly, a hand descended towards her and took the glass away. She looked up and saw Aoshi drinking her own booze then drinking his own share. Well… that's very nice of him… she thought, feeling quite relieved that Aoshi took the liberty to drink the booze for her. I'm sure that'll be the last… I'll have to drink the next tequilas if ever that damned bottle points on us again… which of all intents, Kaoru deeply regretted to happen.

But unfortunately, after the next two spins, the bottle settled on them again. Kaoru profusely took the shot glass and yet it was taken away from her for the second time as she watched Aoshi empty the small glass. This continued for a couple more. Aoshi could almost feel the aftereffects of the strong booze. His insides were warm and his vision becoming a little bit blurry.

Three more spins and dares, the game finally ended. Everyone went to chat again, play another liquor game while the rest went to the living room and started dancing on the music. Kaoru noticed the doctor's very poor posture and this quickly disturbed her. She gently placed a hand over his shoulder and asked, "Doc, are you alright?"

"I'm ff-ffinne…" he slurred, his head bent down, his bangs hiding his face away from her.

After drinking a lot of tequila, Kaoru was expecting him to be quite queasy. But as she looked at him, she knew the doctor's horribly drunk. With a sigh, she nudged the doctor's side, "I think we should go home." She proposed, and received a grunt from the other.

Sighing, Kaoru stood and approached Megumi on the dance floor.

Aoshi despite of his drunken state was quite aware of what was happening around him. He could hear Kaoru's soft voice muttering against his ear and suddenly felt an unfamiliar warmth course through him. He replied with a grunt when he heard her suggest something about going home. He watched her stood up behind his dark bangs, observed her every move until she reached the dance floor and started talking with her friends. Fuck that freakin' tequila…

Megumi saw Kaoru's form approaching and stopped dancing. "Hey… I have to go. Doc's zonked back there." She pointed towards Aoshi who was now blankly staring over to their direction. "He won't last long with this state."

"Alright." Megumi nodded, "Do you want me to ask Sano to help you?"

Kaoru dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand and a wry smile, "No need. I can manage, don't worry. As his maid, he'll be my responsibility."

Megumi chuckled, "You're working too much. Be sure to take him home, you minx!" a mischievous glint appeared on the fox's eyes, "I feel pity towards him though. A handsome guy such as himself to fall in the hands of a perverted raccoon like you—ow!" she winced just as when Kaoru's hand smacked her arm playfully.

"Shut up." she teasingly said, "Thanks for inviting me by the way."

"It's a shame you have to go home now."

Kaoru shrugged her shoulders, "It's getting late and I got house chores to do. Tell Sano my compliments for this superb party."

Megumi nodded and smiled, "I will."

With this she turned on her heels and approached the drunken doctor. She tugged on his sleeve and said, "Get up! We're going home." When she heard his faint grunt, she let out an exasperated sigh. She glanced on her wrist watch and noticed it was already half-past one in the morning. With an irritable groan, she lifted the doctor's arm and slung it over her shoulders. With much effort and great difficulty, she helped him stand on his own feet.

Kaoru managed to assist him until they reached his car. She threw his arm away and placed him against the wall to support him. "I can't believe I just dragged you all the way here." Sometimes, she's not fully aware of how strong she really was. Maybe four months of doing house chores made her potent enough to carry a drunken doctor around.

She looked at the car and realized that Aoshi can't drive it with this intoxicated state. I guess I'll have to drive our way home… with another sigh, she started searching his pockets. Unfortunately she found no key. "Where's the key?" Her brows furrowed and noticed that the doctor's outfit was lacking its well-pressed coat. She loudly moaned, suspecting that he left it inside Megumi's house with her forgetting to retrieve it. Right now she felt torn between going back to the duplex and leave the doctor here or forget about the car keys and take the night bus. Take the bus. She thought, fretting that he might do something stupid if she left him all alone here. I'll get his car by morning… she knew Aoshi would probably freak out when he learned about her leaving his Porsche. Kaoru inwardly giggled at the ridiculous thought. The image of the stoic doctor freaking out was hilarious. But before she could go on and on, she quickly swept those thoughts away and settled on the drunken man before her.

With a groan of frustration, Kaoru took his arm and slung it again around her shoulders. She reached the bus stop and thanked God when she saw a bus parked in front of it.

"Where're we goin'?" Aoshi half-consciously asked as he was forced to take two steps up inside the bus.

"Home. We're taking the bus." Kaoru tolerantly replied, paying the bus fee then pushing him onto the far end seat of the bus.

Kaoru sat next to the window as the doctor settled next to her. He was so drunk that he lolled his head back on the seat and let himself be drowned through sleep.

With a sigh, Kaoru turned her head towards the window, gazing at the streets as the bus speedily pass through it. Six more months… she thought, six more months and I'm finally free. Kaoru never thought she'd be able to survive this kind of life. Working, living the simple life, doing chores that were usually done by the servants she so carelessly mistreated. Heck, even her parents never expected her to last this long. But she had proven them wrong. She managed to support her living without their help. Without her parent's help. Deep inside, Kaoru felt triumph. It's not over yet, Kaoru. There's still six months left. Closing her eyes, Kaoru began to rest her nerves. I can do this… I will not fail. I'll rub it on my father's face when I'm done with the punishment. A smile pulled on the corners of her mouth at the thought of this.

So lost on her thoughts, she didn't noticed Aoshi's head slowly sinking next to her neck until she felt his face nuzzling the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Kaoru's eyes bulged out and quickly whipped her head to see the doctor contently snuggling next to her. "D-doc…?"

"…warm…" was his faint reply and unintentionally nuzzled her neck making the girl feel unusually warm all over.

Kaoru could feel her heart beating so fast that she couldn't do anything but to allow him rest his head on her shoulder. Hearing his soft mumble of contentment, Kaoru relaxed her tensed shoulders and lay back against the cushioned seat. Hesitantly she placed her arm around his shoulder, noticing that he took this as a cue and snuggled closer, hooking an arm around her waist in order to pull her closer. She looked down and saw his sleeping form. The stress lines on his face eased up, leaving his visibly good-looking face smooth and peaceful. Sighing, she raised the arm she placed around him and started running her fingers through his hair.

She rested her head against his, closing her eyes.

This was going to be a long ride.

TBC