Disclaimer: I own everything that has to do with Fushigi Yuugi. I also own the Chicago White Sox, the Imperial War Museum in London, the Pepsi One patent, and Bing Crosby. Bing and Nuriko actually get along quite well. In fact, Bing was thinking about changing his name to Kurasubi just to fit in with the group. He’s directing a Japanese language version of ‘White Christmas’ (‘Shiroi Kurisumasu’) starring Nuriko, Hotohori, Tamahome, and Miaka, to be released later this year.

Warnings: As always: language, shounen ai, and sap. Can I call it shounen sap? Shounen sap.

Notes: Gahhh, thank you so much for the reviews! ^_^n You make me blush. It makes me want to keep on pluggin away at the story, which is great. ^_^ The other contributor to the speed of the writing of this chapter is the fact that I have a geology final tomorrow night. BAH! I have plenty of time to learn everything there is to know about glaciers. For instance, there are two kinds of glaciers: Alpine Glaciers and Continental Ice Sheets, the first of which form in mountains (duh?), the second of which cover large land masses, like Greenland and Antarctica. See? I just learned that, and it only took me thirty seconds.

Bing Crosby (a.k.a. Kurasubi): **croons** I’m dreaming of a whiiiiiiiite glacier…

Um…umm…he’s kissing me. Should I do something? Um…I had no part in this. I’m just the kiss-EE. He’s the drunk one. Him. This doesn’t change anything.

But it changed everything.

It was the first time someone had ever kissed me, except for Miaka and, well, my mom. And neither one of them had ever gone for the mouth. Then again, neither one of them had ever kissed me after consuming large quantities of alcohol. I got licked on the mouth once by my grandma’s sheepdog, but somehow I don’t think that counts. And this was… nice. Scary. But nice, in a scary sort of way. It was really a pretty little kiss, no gross stuff like you see in the movies with the tongues and when it looks like the two people involved are trying to eat each other. My mouth was mostly closed. His mouth was mostly closed. I’d never analyzed a kiss like this before. But I’d never had the opportunity.

The shock of it wore away into minor hyperventilation—not because I was panicking, for once, but just because of the novelty of the thing—and I must have made some sort of little sound, because Saihitei suddenly froze and pulled away.

We stood there together for a couple stagnant minutes. I stared into his eyes as my breathing spell slowly died down, and he stared right back, looking somewhat stunned.

He really DOES have pretty eyes…

"I…I…" he stuttered, suddenly shifting his gaze to the ground and turning away, still wobbly from however much he’d had to drink. "I…I’m sorry. I mean…I shouldn’t have…not when you…"

It was so weird to see him acting like this. He’d always been so calm and reserved…

…always so in control, and sophisticated.

That’s why you don’t drink, I reminded myself. You might kiss someone.

"H-Hotohori…" I began, but stopped.

He stiffened immediately, and whirled around, his eyes wide and shining and the slightest bit puzzled. "What?? What did you say?"

I blinked. My head must still be fuzzy from…hehehehe. "Sorry," I said evenly. "Saihitei." Namedropping. Off to a great start. "Please…don’t worry about it, don’t be upset…" How can one little kiss make all the difference in the world? Something had broken inside me…the part of me that was afraid of being hurt. The fact that it had broken was scary in itself. But a great stereotypical warmth had filled my chest, and a voice was repeating over and over again that it was okay to be afraid…that it was a part of being alive.

"No," Saihitei mumbled. "What…what did you call me?"

"I didn’t mean…" I began, the new fear being that he wouldn’t like me, which was weird and more than a bit manic depressive.

"Please."

The sudden, intense calmness in his voice and in his eyes made me falter, and I knew I had to tell him. It wouldn’t matter, anyway…it’s not like I knew the guy the name belonged to. I remembered now, it had been the previous night at the party, and Miaka and Taka had been talking about someone named…

"Hotohori," I said sheepishly, my voice small. "But I don’t even know a Hotohori; it’s weird, it just…"

And he reached out and pulled me toward him, hugging me fairly tightly, with even less warning than he’d given with the kiss.

"Eeeh?" I squeaked.

"You remember!" he exclaimed in muffled joy, sounding like he was two seconds away from bursting into tears. He leaned his head on top of mine so that I was almost completely surrounded by random pieces of Saihitei.

I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but I was too wrapped up—both figuratively and literally—in The Hug to say anything about it. My mind drifted slowly off as I closed my eyes….This guy likes you, and you like him!!! He likes you! You like him!! And you’re admitting that?! Even though it might not last? Even though you might come to depend on him emotionally, only to wind up alone again?

In the back of my mind was my own little voice, singing: "Never knew…I could feel like this…like I’ve never seen the skyyyy before…Never knew I would sing like this… like a great big saaaappy bore…" I rolled my eyes and giggled, and was surprised to feel tears trying to form, prickling under my eyelids…and suddenly…and suddenly…

…And suddenly Saihitei weighed way more than he should’ve, and was leaning on me a little too much.

I struggled frantically to keep him propped up, but he was already directed at the ground, and rather firmly attached to me. The end result of this interesting turn of events was me lying on my back in the grass with a drunken, sleeping Saihitei sprawled on top of me. Snoring.

Well. This is awkward.

Shoving at his chest, I managed to roll him over just as a tell-tale sort of war cry pierced the air, approaching at a rapid pace, if the Doppler Effect was any indicator.

"FFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A flying form soared through the air and landed on top of me, pinning me to the ground again.

"Ack!" I squawked.

"Goddamn fuckin molestin perverted trench-coat freak!!!" Genrou fumed, directing this last at Saihitei’s prone form. "Gerrup!! I’ll teach ya ta mess with my fuckin friends!!!"

"Genrou!" I exclaimed as he pulled me up and "hid" me behind his back.

"Stay behind me, Ryuuen! I’ve got it fuckin taken care of!"

"Genrou!" I tried again. "He’s asleep!"

There was a slight pause.

"It’s okay! He’s just…a little tipsy, and he fell asleep, and I tried to hold him up, but I couldn’t," I explained, attempting to get Genrou to calm down.

He lowered his arms slowly, twisting slightly to face me. "He didn’t fuckin attack ya?"

I shook my head. "But thank you."

"Well, shit." Bringing hand up, he scratched his head. "Well…whadda we fuckin do with him?"

Gazing over at Saihitei’s face, I couldn’t help but smile like an idiot at how happy he looked. His mouth was curved upward in a tiny smile… A feeling that could only be described as "goopy" flushed through my body, and I had to bite back a slew of lovesick giggles.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Gen-chan grunted. He took one look at my face and let out an earth-shattering exclamation. "Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, fuck!"

I blinked. "What?"

"You fuckin like him!!!" He pointed a finger at me accusingly. "HAH!!!"

"No I…"

"YEAH, ya fuckin do!!! You’re all moony and shit!! And yer face is all red! You’re actin like fuckin Miaka getting all lovey-dovey with Taka!!"

"Gen…"

"Ryuuen’s got a cru-ush!!! Ryuuen’s got a cru-ush!" he called to no one in particular, accompanying his taunt with stupid little dance moves.

I punched him. "Shut up!!"

"OWW!!!" The teasing smile faded, and he glared at me and clutched his arm. "SHIT, Ryuuen!!"

"Wimp."

"That fuckin hurt! Real fuckin nice. I come to save yer bony little ass and ya fuckin abuse me!!"

"Gen-chan, if you weren’t so obnoxious, I wouldn’t be forced to do these things," I told him with a sweet smile, batting my eyes.

"Stop tryin ta be cute," he growled. "Like I fuckin said before, what the hell are we supposed ta do with yer goddamn boyfriend? Don’t think he’d like it much if we just fuckin left him here, with his fuckin hair all mussed…" Gen-chan looked startled then, and frowned pensively; I followed his gaze to the bottle of beer, now lying on its side by the pavement. "I’m not fuckin carryin him all the way up to your room."

I stared at him. "Not to mention the fact that I’d prefer not to have people witness an unconscious drunk guy being carried into my dorm room?!"

He chuckled. "We can take him to Taka’s place. They’re waitin fer this fuckin piece of work, so they’ll still be there."

So Gen-chan grabbed Saihitei under the arms, and I grabbed his legs, and we ambled across the street. The stairs up to the first floor gave us a bit of trouble, being rather narrow (at least Saihitei didn’t wake up when we banged him into the wall), but we finally arrived at Number Six, and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" came a cheerful voice—Miaka’s—and a split second later, she’d flung open the door, her smile fading into surprise. "Gen-chan? I thought you were gonna go see how Ryuu-chan…AHH!" The surprise faded into downright stupefaction as she noticed the rest of us. "What happened??? Oh my god, is he okay?!"

"Fuckin fantastic," muttered Gen-chan. "Drunk off his ass."

"Drunk?!!!" If possible, her eyes widened even more. She moved aside to let us drag our burden in.

"He’s just a little woozy," I reassured her. "Not too many brain cells lost. No liver damage to be feared."

"I’ve never seen him drunk!" Miaka mused in amazement.

"What’s up?" said Taka, emerging from the kitchen, combing his hair.

"Saihitei’s drunk!" Miaka exclaimed.

"Drunk?!!!" His fingers fumbled, and the comb clattered to the wooden floor. "HIM??!!"

Houjun moved from the couch as we deposited Saihitei upon it. "Is he all right?"

"Ah, he’ll be fine, long as he doesn’t fuckin mind being fawned over by this fuckin kid," Gen-chan sighed.

My mouth fell open, and—guess what?—I blushed furiously. "G-Gen-channn!!"

He raised an eyebrow at me, as if to say, What?! What’d I do?

Miaka’s grin was far too wide for her face. "Ahhhh, Ryuu-chan!!! You like him???"

Ah, who was I kidding. Raising my fists to cover my mouth, I nodded profusely.

"EEEEEE!!!!" she screeched, and flung herself at me. She hugged me, then grabbed my hands and jumped up and down, as was her habit. "Yay yay yay yay yay!!!"

Around us, Taka, Gen-chan, and Houjun wore rather long-suffering expressions. Saihitei…well…just lay there.

"You’ve never liked anyone before!" Miaka was more excited than I was, for crying out loud.

"I know! Isn’t it weird?!"

"And I’ll tell you a secret…" she leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "He likes you, too!"

I beamed. "I know."

For some reason, her lip started shaking, and she hugged me again. "I’m so happy for you!"

"Miaka!" I laughed. "It’s not like we’re getting married, or anything…"

"Of course not," she said. "You’re gonna marry me."

"Oh, yeah."

"Ahhhhh….so are we going to see the movie, or not?" Taka interrupted.

The two of us blinked. "That’s right; you’re gonna miss it," I said.

"Yer just gonna leave this guy on the fuckin couch?" Gen-chan said bluntly.

"I’ll, um…I could stay here with him," I offered quietly. "That is, if you guys don’t mind…I sorta need to talk to him, so..."

"Fuckin hell," muttered Genrou.

"That’s fine, if you don’t mind missing the movie," Taka told me, reaching for his coat.

I shrugged. "I wasn’t gonna go anyway."

Gen-chan was reluctant to leave me, after being somewhat jolted by my "attack" (even though he knew now what had really happened). But Miaka convinced him that everything would be fine, that they’d known Saihitei for ages and he was perfectly safe. So they left, and I was alone with Saihitei, who wasn’t much company at the moment.

I figured he’d be out for a while, so I settled in the armchair and flipped on the TV. Nothing…nothing…boring… boring…Matlock…Munchkins?? Grinning, I huddled down in the pillows to watch ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ I hadn’t seen it since I was a little kid. When my little sister was being born, my grandma came to stay with me and we’d watched ‘The Wizard of Oz’ six or seven times in a row. I guess it overstayed its welcome. But I was happy to watch it now.

…Or, happy to fall asleep while watching it, which is what ended up happening.

~*~

When I awoke, maybe an hour and a half later, it was to the sight of golden eyes peering down at me. Blinking rapidly, I struggled to sit up, and moved so I was leaning against the arm of the chair. "Ahhhhhh….hi!"

He smiled. "Hi." A slight wave of confusion crossed his face. "How exactly did I get here?"

"Oh, um…" How much does he remember? Well, obviously, he’s not gonna remember how he got here, being asleep, and all…but does he remember the important stuff?? The kissing part? The hugging part? "You fell asleep outside…so Genrou and I carried you up here."

His eyebrows twitched. "Ah! Ahhhh…dear me…"

"How…how are you feeling?" If you blush again, by god, I’ll pound you as much as one can pound onesself.

With a sigh, Saihitei sat down on the arm of the couch. "Bit of a headache, but otherwise…Ryuuen," he fumbled, "I…I don’t usually do that…I don’t usually imbibe alcohol, and…well…"

"Saihitei," I interrupted.

"You called me Hotohori," he said, very quietly.

"I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to," I assured him quickly. "But, well…I have to tell you that…I…" Gaaaaaahhhhh, you freakin moron!!! Just SAY it!!! "I’m sorry for trying to ignore you today. I’m an idiot. It’s j-just that…I’m not used to this."

Tilting his head slightly, he quirked a smile. "Not used to what?"

Okay, I swear, I’m pounding you, just like I said I would. "Being in love with someone," I whispered, lowering my eyes to the rough blue carpet.

Silence.

Why isn’t he saying anyth…

For the second time that day, something warm pressed against my lips. I blinked in surprise, looked up to see Saihitei’s nose right in front of my face.

He…he’s…doing it again!!! And he isn’t drunk! He really means it! He really… ehehehehehehe!!! I couldn’t help myself; I did the worst thing someone could possibly do during a kiss. I started giggling.

Pulling back, he smiled down at me. "What?"

I shook my head, unable to stop, cheeks still burning. My hand went to the side of my face to try to cool it down. Or hide it. Or both.

Saihitei chuckled, then grew serious as I calmed myself down. "I’m very glad you like me. It would have been terrible trying to pretend I didn’t love you."

"This is…this has never…I’ve only known you a few days!" I mused, overwhelmed but happy.

He looked a bit sad. "Sometimes, that’s all it takes, I suppose…"

The door flew open, and in stormed Gen-chan. "Okay, so what the fuck went on in here while we were gone?!!"

Frozen and blinking, we stared at him.

"Gen-chan, stop it!" said Miaka, following him. "Don’t be rude. Go help Houjun with the bags." Grumbling, he left, and Miaka turned to us. "Hi! Did you guys get a chance to…ummmmm…talk?"

I smiled. "Yeah…"

"You DID???!!" Miaka exclaimed, tears filling her eyes, clasping her hands together. "Oh, I’m so happy!! Nuriko, I’ve missed you!! I’m so glad you remember!!" She raced over and hugged me.

Saihitei, meanwhile, had been making cut-throat gestures with his hand; when Miaka jumped on me, he sighed, closed his eyes, and moved the hand to his forehead. "Um…Miaka…"

"Miaka?" I said, wanting to bring the whole situation to light once and for all. "Who’s Nuriko?"

TBC….

Notes: Ehehehehe…sorry for the sappiness, but people tell me it isn’t so bad… ~.~

Genrou: Goddamn fuckin molestin perverted trench-coat freak!!! Gerrup!! I’ll teach ya ta mess with my fuckin friends!!!

Ryuuen: Genrou!

Genrou: Stay behind me, Ryuuen! I’ve got it fuckin taken care of!

Ryuuen: Gen-chan! Why the heck are you so obsessed with protecting me?!

Genrou: (turning to Ryuuen in slow motion, with sparkly hair and stuff) Isn’t it obvious?

Ryuuen: Ummm…no.

Genrou: Ryuu-chan….I love you.

Ryuuen: Oh, Gen-chan!! Really?! I love you, too!!

Genrou: Let us fly away to Holland together.

~.^;; hehehe 

Chapter Eight