“Oi, Kantarou…” Haruka slurred, leaning over the table, “If you don’t stop laughing soon you’ll run out of breath and die…”  This, of course, only made matters worse.

  “I’ve…never…heard….of anyone …dying… from…laughter…Haruka-chaaaaan…” Kantarou ground out through his giggles.  Haruka leaned further over the table and grinned drunkenly at his master.

  “Aaaah…I heard a story about a youkai who used to go about Japan killing off people he didn’t like with his jokes.”  Kantarou blinked in surprise.

  “Eh?  Haruka…are you trying to kill me that way?”

  “Well it’s true it wouldn’t be hard…” Haruka considered. 

  “Ehh?”  Kantarou’s face was a contortion of hurt and disappointment, like he had just been slapped for saving a puppy’s life (or something equally as sappy, Haruka thought). 

  “I didn’t say I was…” Haruka explained, awkward and embarrassed for feeling guilty at causing Kantarou’s sudden misery.  Kantarou stared at him with large, innocent-looking eyes.  Haruka found he had to look away.  He picked up the small, blue glass bottle beside him and poured more sake into Kantarou’s cup in an effort to rekindle the earlier cheerful mood.

  “I wouldn’t kill you…” he murmured, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his master’s cup. 

  “I know, Haruka,” Kantarou said softly.  He picked up the cup and took a large swig.  “This sake is really good, isn’t it?” he said, examining the remaining transparent liquid.  Looking at him now, Kantarou’s face was relaxed and peaceful.  It always surprised Haruka how the novelist could switch emotions so suddenly and completely. 

  “Here…before it gets cold…”  Kantarou took the sake bottle from Haruka’s hand.  All Haruka could do was stare blearily at the gently swaying image of the blond man in front of him.  It was undeniable, Haruka thought, Kantarou really was extraordinarily cute.  Not that he would ever say that out loud.  And not that that mattered when the human was a manipulative, money-obsessed…

  “Haruka?” Kantarou’s gently spoken question pulled the Tengu from his drunkenly meandering thoughts.

  “Huh?”

　“You’re staring at me.”  Kantarou was leaning over the table, his face just a few centimeters from Haruka’s.  The Tengu drew back in surprise. 

  “Huh?  I wasn’t looking at you…”  Kantarou stared back at Haruka curiously for a moment before bursting into gales of laughter again.

  “What’s so funny?!” Haruka demanded, getting the feeling Kantarou was laughing at his expense. 

  “N…nothing, Haruka…” Kantarou attempted to say through his giggles.  Damn Kantarou was annoying drunk, Haruka thought.  The aforementioned man was now laying on the tatami on his side, arms wrapped around his body as he laughed uncontrollably.  Thinking Kantarou’s laughing fit would likely go on for some time, Haruka poured himself more sake and sipped it thoughtfully.  He really had no idea how he had ended up here; drinking vast amounts of alcohol with an idiot of a human who was supposedly his master.  And what was with that anyway? Haruka wondered.  He always ended up doing stupid things just because Kantarou asked him to.  As he finished off the last of the bottle, it suddenly struck Haruka that he couldn’t hear Kantarou’s manic giggling anymore.

  “Oi, Kantarou...?” he said, looking under the table in order to be able to see him.  There was no answer and no sound.  Haruka frowned.  Not that he was worried or anything.  He stood up, feeling his head spin a little as he did so, and stumbled around the table to where Kantarou lay. 

  “Kantarou?” he asked again, kneeling down beside him.  Kantarou was breathing slowly, his face red from the alcohol, arms splayed to his sides.  Haruka groaned.  He was in no shape to carry home an unconscious Kantarou.  He had a good mind to leave the idiot where he lay and go home by himself, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.  He looked up at the clock.  It was 4am already.  He shook Kantarou vigorously, to be rewarded with nothing more than nonsense murmuring.  Sighing in tired defeat, Haruka frisked Kantarou for his purse then, leaving what he thought was the correct amount, dressed his unconscious master in his coat and hat.  By the time he had finished this task he was getting decidedly odd looks from some of the other patrons.  He growled moodily.

“I’ll make you pay for this, Kantarou…” he mumbled under his breath.  With his own coat on, he picked up the man roughly and carried him out onto the street.  Haruka had hoped that the cold air would wake Kantarou up, but all he did was wrap his arms around the Tengu and attempt to snuggle into his coat. 

“Get off me, Kantarou,” Haruka growled, taking a few somewhat-less-than-stable steps up the street.  “It’s bad enough I have to carry you…”

“Mean Haruka…” Kantarou murmured into his coat. 

“Oi, if you’re awake you can walk on your own,” Haruka said, stopping and shaking the man in his arms a little. Kantarou slowly shook his head and hugged Haruka more tightly.  Haruka took a deep breath both to sober him and to relieve his annoyance.  Yes, people were definitely giving him strange looks now.  He took off up the street at some speed only to be halted a little way up by a couple of drunken men lolling about blocking his path.  They turned to look at him.

“Oooh…” one of them slurred lasciviously, “That’s a cute thing you picked up there…” He stumbled forward in an effort to get a better look. 

“Out of my way.  I’m in a hurry,” Haruka demanded.  The two men looked at each other then back at Haruka. 

“I’m sure you are,” the other man replied sarcastically, “But there’s no need to be rude.  We were only complimenting you on your tastes…”  For some reason this whole conversation was annoying Haruka.  But the way they were looking at Kantarou was annoying him even more so.  Pushing past the men and stalking off angrily up the street he didn’t even look back as the two drunken idiots yelled curses after him.  Finding himself getting increasingly infuriated he decided to fly the rest of the way home.  The previous encounter had sobered him up admirably. 

  The feel of the crisp night air caressing his face was an infinite relief.  It seemed that being around Kantarou so much had made him forget just how annoying humans were.  That thought got him wondering what was so different about this particular human.  The answer was easy.  Kantarou seemed to get on better with youkai than he did with other humans. 

  “Haruka?” 

Haruka looked down to see Kantarou looking up at him, eyes half closed but alert.  He got the feeling Kantarou had been awake for some time. 

  “Thank you…” he said.

  “What for?” Haruka asked, mildly surprised at the statement.

  “For taking care of me.”  Haruka snorted.

  “So you were awake after all.”  Kantarou shrugged.

  “A bit.  Enough to know what happened.”  He leaned his head against the Tengu’s chest.  “Sorry,” he added quietly.  Haruka made no reply, merely landed softly in front of the house.

  “You’re really annoying,” he said finally, carrying Kantarou into the unlit house. 

  “He he…I know,” Kantarou laughed softly, and released Haruka from his tight embrace so that he could put him down.  Standing in the dark corridor now Kantarou wondered why he didn’t feel drunk anymore.  And why he didn’t seem to be letting go of Haruka’s jacket.

  “You should go to sleep,” the Tengu whispered, so as not to wake Youko, “You’re still a bit unsteady.”

  “I feel fine though,” Kantarou replied.  He paused, uncertain what he was doing.  “But it’s still cold, Haruka.”  Haruka stood in silence for a moment, slowly considering the man in front of him. 

  “It’ll be warmer in bed…” Haruka said, not moving, just watching Kantarou’s reaction.  The shorter man drew closer, leaning slightly against Haruka’s form. 

  “It’ll be warmer with you in it…”  Haruka hesitated before placing a hand gently on top of Kantarou’s head.

  “Go to bed, Kantarou.”  Despite his words, Haruka found his other arm wrapping itself around Kantarou’s small waist.  Within his embrace he felt Kantarou chuckle slightly.

  “You too.”  Taking the fact that Haruka had willingly hugged him as encouragement, Kantarou smiled up at the other man just a little mischievously.  Stretching himself as far as he could, he found he could kiss Haruka’s chin.  Just gently.  Nothing much.  Haruka just looked down at him with that vaguely surprised look he sometimes wore.  Not moving.  Not saying anything.  Conceding that perhaps he had done enough for one night, Kantarou drew away and slid open the door to his room. 

  “Goodnight, Haruka,” he whispered into the darkness, his tone a little sad.  Taking one last look at his beautiful friend he turned away and stepped into the room, closing the door gently behind him.