Kuwabara and Shizuru didn't go to school for the rest of that week; their dad didn't go to work either. He would go out on his own sometimes, and come back drunk. When he did, he always collapsed on the couch and cried himself to sleep.
Kuwabara never saw Shizuru cry. He heard her sometimes, late at night when he was supposed to be asleep, but she never cried in front of others. She did her best to take care of him, making sure he dressed, that the house was kept kind of clean, and fixing meals.
Kuwabara just tried to stay out of the way. When his dad wasn't home, Kuwabara would sneak into their mom's closet where her clothes still hung and just sit in there with the door closed, surrounded by the smell of her soaps and perfumes.
They went on like this until one day Shizuru and Kuwabara went to the kitchen to get food, and there was none. Looking determined, Shizuru marched into the living room where their dad was sprawled on the couch.
"Dad, get up," Shizuru ordered. "We need to go to the store."
Their dad's only response was to turn his head away.
Shizuru's eyes narrowed. She pulled back her hand, and before Kuwabara could tell her not to, she slapped their father in the face as hard as she could.
He jerked upright then, staring at Shizuru in amazement.
"Dad, there's no food," Shizuru said calmly. "There's no food, and we're hungry. You still need to take care of us, or did you forget that?"
He looked at Shizuru, and then over at Kuwabara who was standing uncertainly in the doorway. He closed his eyes with a groan. "I'm sorry, kids." He struggled to his feet. "Just let me get dressed."
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