Disclaimer; I don't own Tsubasa. If I did, Kurogane-sama would be drunk often enough for me to know what he's like when he's drunk. Oh, and a quick warning; the OOCness reaches its peak in this chapter.

Vodka and Apologies

"FAI!!"

The ninja felt as if his own heart had stopped. Fai… no… Fai…

He was aware of the nurses trying to usher him out of the room, and found, to his utter horror, that he couldn't stop them. Not because he wanted to leave. Because he was still injured, and every time he tried to get past hem his body would be racked with pain completely unlike that of a few broken ribs.

"FAI!" he shouted again, trying to wake the idiot up, get him moving. "Dammit, you idiot mage!"

"Kurogane, get the hell out of here before I break your neck instead!" Makayla threatened, finishing with the boy and hurrying across to the mage. The swordsman growled.

"Dammit, I'm not leaving!" he shouted, trying to force his way through the nurses again, his chest killing him. "Move, dumbass!"

Makayla ignored him as he felt a sharp pain at his side and looked down to find one of he nurses had stabbed him with a needle. He growled as he collapsed.

Damn…it…Fai…

--

This wasn't good.

Makayla swore to herself as Ben flat lined again. Every doctor and nurse on this floor and the one above were occupied. Why was it that on the one day she could think of something to write(1), everything went wrong?

"Makayla, get Ben!" Kojima called to her.

"How? I'm busy!" she hollered back. The doctor glanced over at her and sighed.

"Get Ben, Makayla!" he repeated. The twenty-one year old shook her head.

"I can't!" she hollered. "I'm busy over here-"

"He's dead by now! Get Ben!"

The girl glanced down at Fai before muttering a hurried apology and returning to Ben's side.

--

Where was she?

Kaylee scanned the crowded ward, looking for Makayla. She had to be here somewhere…

"You! Go help the newcomer in bed 12!" one of the doctors snapped at her. The psychiatrist nodded, rushing toward her patient. Bed 12… the comatose boy and his friend, she recalled suddenly.

Kaylee was about to grab a crash cart when she spotted Makayla across from the room she was heading for, with Ben. She had to speak to her… but if she did the boy might die…

"Kaylee!" Makayla called, running into his room. "Help!"

The psychiatrist hurried after her.

"What happened to Ben?" she asked, charging the paddles on the crash cart.

"He's dead," the writer replied hurriedly. "Clear!"

Kaylee frowned, tears forming in her eyes. Makayla noticed this and gave her a swift but gentle kick to the shin.

"C'mon, let's help Fai," she suggested, charging the paddles again. "Clear!"

--

Damn nurses with their damn police connections and their damn handcuffs. The swordsman had wanted nothing more than to rush right back to the mage's side the second he woke up, but according to Kaylee, who had been waiting for him to wake up, everyone was flat lining every three minutes and it was a madhouse in the ICU, meaning he couldn't go in. And when he had tried to go in anyway one of the nurses had sedated him again and handcuffed him to the nurses station. He groaned as he dropped to the floor.

"Kurogane-sama."

The ninja leapt to his feet again at Makayla's voice.

"What the hell happened?!" he demanded. "Is Fai-"

He stopped himself. Why the hell should I give a damn? he scolded himself. It's his fault, remember? You don't give a damn how he is.

"I'm not sure…" the girl said, frowning. "Everyone just flat lined. I dunno how we managed to save the few that we did…"

Kurogane's blood ran cold.

"How many died?" he asked, glancing at the doors leading to the ICU. Makayla followed his gaze and forced a smile.

"Fai's fine, Kurogane-sama," she said softly. "You can breathe now."

The ninja growled at her.

"How many died?" he repeated. The twenty-one year old dropped to the floor, exhaustion evident on her face.

"Twelve people," she replied finally. "Twelve out of fifteen."

There was a definite edge of bitterness in her voice. The ninja glanced at her sharply.

"There are only twelve rooms," he said slowly, careful not to let the panic he felt infiltrate his voice. "And only two rooms were doubling up."

Makayla nodded.

"Ben and his roommate both failed," she muttered, grabbing a lollipop from the jar on the counter. "I'm going for drink. Wanna come?"

The swordsman glared at her.

"No," he snapped, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I want to stand here all night hand cuffed to a damn desk."

The girl removed the handcuffs and headed out to the parking lot, the ninja following behind her and rubbing his wrists. Damn hospital.

--

Three hours later, they had successfully located a bar that served good liquor and saké and were heavily intoxicated. Not that Makayla minded. Kurogane was a much better companion drunk.

"What's the deal with you an Fai, anyway?" she asked, her words slurring slightly. The swordsman shrugged.

"Nothing," he replied, taking another gulp of vodka. "He's just an annoying as all hell wizard who won't leave me alone."

The writer grinned at him.

"Sounds to me like you has a secret admirer, Kuro-chibi," she teased. The swordsman blushed.

"Th-that's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" he stuttered. Makayla laughed as she went to get another drink of whiskey, causing her to choke.

"Sounds like you has a cruush," she sang. The ninja blushed even brighter.

"I do not!" he insisted. "And - and anyway, he's got that king, back in Celes… Ashura, I think his name is."

Makayla choked with laughter.

"Kuro-chibi's jealous!" she cried, causing several of the people around them to cast dirty glances in her direction. The ninja looked as if he were going to explode. If possible, there would have been smoke rising out of his ears.

"I-I'm not jealous, you narrow minded twit," he snapped. Makayla looked confused.

"What's a twit?" she asked innocently. Kurogane shrugged.

"I don't remember," he admitted. "Maybe we should stop for the night."

"Nooooooo!" the twenty-one year old whined. "I wanna drink more! You're a meanie daddy!"

"Thas right, now drop th' liquor," he ordered. Makayla pouted as she dropped her whiskey on the table. Then her face lit up as they left the bar, leaving some money on the table.

"Kuro-chibi! Less play game!" she shouted, jumping in him. The swordsman growled softly and shook her off.

"Whatever," he complied. Makayla grinned.

"Okay, I'll ask you a question, and if you answer truthfully I'll give you ten dollars, 'kay?" she explained, squealing with delight as the ninja nodded. " Okay den, whaddaya think about Fai?"

Kurogane took a moment to consider this.

"He's not as irritating as I think," he replied finally. The writer fished around in her pockets and shoved a ten dollar bill in the ninja's hand.

"Good puppy!" she said, patting his head. "So whaddaya feel 'bout him?"

The older man remained silent.

"Kuro-chibi?" Makayla asked playfully, snatching a drink from an abandoned mini bar and downing it in one gulp. The ninja was silent a moment more before asking, "What's love feel like?"

Makayla laughed as she gulped down some more of her beverage.

"It's all warm and scary and makes you act all weird," she replied, wiping her mouth. The ninja glared at her.

"I was being serious," he pouted as she opened the door to his and the others' apartment. Syaoran glanced up at them and, finding them drunk and on the verge of collapsing, scooped up Sakura and Mokona and fled the room. Makayla faintly heard he swordsman mutter something as they headed for their respective bedrooms.

"What was that, Kuro-chibi?" she asked, forcing herself to pay attention this time. He ignored her.

--

Kurogane could tell without opening his eyes that something was wrong. Nothing jumped out at him immediately as being wrong. He was still lying in his bed in the apartment Makayla had rented, and his head was killing him, which supported the fact he vaguely recalled passing out in his room after he and Makayla had gone drinking. He couldn't hear anything other than his own soft breathing, couldn't sense anything out of place. But something was wrong. There was something missing…

Fai. The mage's scent was gone. Scowling, the ninja glanced up at his alarm clock. It was only two o'clock in the morning, and seeing as he had no clue when he'd gone to sleep, he wasn't sure if this was good or bad.

"Kurogane-sama," Makayla stuck her head into the room, "I have to get to the hospital, and since you're still a patient…"

The swordsman growled as he grabbed the bottle of Excedrin someone had had enough sense to leave by his bed and gulped a couple of the pills down before glaring at Makayla.

"Why the hell do you work so early?!" he snapped. The twenty-one year old grinned.

"I don't work there, Kurogane-sama," she corrected cheerfully. "I volunteer."

The ninja stared at her. The girl was obviously insane, to be volunteering at the hell-hole that was the hospital when she had a well paying career that consisted mainly of turning on a computer.

"So how are you feeling?" she asked as they walked toward the hospital. Kurogane seriously considered finding someone more annoying than this chick and congratulating them. Except that the first person that came to mind was in a coma.

"Where the hell is your fucking bike?" he snarled at her, head still throbbing. Makayla smiled up at him.

"Bikes are prohibited before six, Kurogane-sama," she reminded him. The swordsman groaned. Stupid ass rules, always ruining everything. He shoved his hands in his pockets. It was freezing out here, even for so early in the morning.

"Cold?" the writer noted, still smiling. "Shame. Guess you should have brought a jacket."

He ignored her. He figured he'd lose less sanity if he blocked her out altogether. It worked pretty well for a while as they walked along, Makayla telling him about a book she had been working on a while back despite the fact it had to be painfully obvious he was ignoring her.

Just like that damn mage.

A strange ache shot through his chest when he thought about the magician.

"Kurogane-sama?" Makayla asked concernedly.

"What?" he snapped, glaring at her. She shook her head and returned her gaze to the street in front of her, looking somewhat concerned about something. The ninja's eyes narrowed dangerously. He'd had enough experience with the magician to know when someone was hiding something from him.

"Kurogane-sama," she said suddenly, frowning. "I'm sorry about your ribs."

He stared at her. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, an apology was the last thing he'd expected.

"Why?" he asked, stifling a yawn and wishing he'd taken more than two Excedrin as his head throbbed suddenly. She shook her head.

"I'm just saying," she muttered. The swordsman let the subject drop. Another thing he'd learned from his time with Fai and the others - push something too hard and it'll turn around, call you an annoying nickname, smile an annoyingly fake smile, and then proceed to annoy the hell out of you for a week.

There was that strange jolt of pain again.

They walked on in silence, Makayla still seemingly worried about something and Kurogane knowing better than to ask her what it was. Makayla glanced at him uncertainly upon reaching the hospital.

"Fai should be waking up today," she said after a moment. "I think it would be best if you were honest with him then."

Without another word, she disappeared inside, leaving the ninja staring after her, shocked.

Then, with a sigh, he entered the hospital and headed for the ICU.

A/N; Reviews? Please?

(1) Makayla is children's book author... if anyone cares.

To kuroxfaixlover; I'm sorry, I'll definitely squeeze you request in next chapter!