7. Ruptured: Itch

Horo has worked hard to be Tamao's most trusted friend, and when she becomes drunk at a party this gives him a chance to save her. Things would be perfect between them except for one nagging reality. Yoh is always in the way.

Itch

Horo lay quietly in his bed staring at the ceiling. The house was mostly silent. Pirika was out on a dinner date with Ren, and Yoh had been out for several hours somewhere with Anna. Ryu and Manta were watching television in the sitting room, but Horo was sure they were probably asleep by now. He glanced at the clock that rested on a small nightstand near the bed and exhaled.

Eleven thirty two pm.

It wasn't as late as he thought, which may have been why he couldn't sleep. He scratched his forehead lightly with one finger and flexed his toes. The laziness was addictive. Maybe if he could close his eyes he would be able to doze off for a few hours and he would feel better. He rolled over onto his side and glanced at the door. He was so...bored.

The sudden ringing of his cell phone startled him, and he sat up in the bed. He stared at it as the phone repeated the tone three times then slowly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Horo, hey. It's me, Ellie."

"Oh, hi." He cleared his throat. "What's that noise?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm at a party," she said. "I tried calling Yoh, but he didn't answer...so I left a message. Listen..." She paused.

"What's up?"

"Tamao's here."

"Huh? How did she get there?"

"Uh, I don't know...but...I think you should come get her."

"What's wrong?"

There was mumbling in the background and the sound of blaring music as she paused.

"Horo, she's wasted."

"...What?"

"And...she's getting a lot of attention. You know what I mean? She's making a scene, and lots of guys are noticing. You should get over here."

He jumped out of the bed. "Where are you?"

"I'll send you the address. It's not that far from Yoh's house."

"Keep an eye on her," he said as stress filled his voice. "I'm on my way."

Horo disconnected the call abruptly and scrambled around his room to find clothes. He pulled on a pair of navy sweatpants and a gray t shirt then bolted out of his room and down the hallway. When he reached the sitting room he noticed Manta and Ryu fast asleep on the sofa, and there were keys lying on a nearby table in front of the television. He grabbed them without thought; Ryu wouldn't care about Horo borrowing his car anyway. If he needed to get home he could ride with Manta, and Horo would explain everything in the morning.

The address Ellie gave him was in a neighborhood that was heavy populated with university students. They had numerous parties on several occasions and often invited women from other areas to participate. He couldn't understand how Tamao was involved in this, but he intended to find out. In the past he would often lecture her, warning that she should never go to any of the parties no matter how many times she was invited. Tamao had the tendency to be extremely gullible and naïve for her age, and this worried Horo more than anything else. He hoped Ellie was watching her. Random thoughts filled his brain; images of Tamao with random and strange men itching for the opportunity to take advantage of her. He couldn't stomach something like that. He needed to get there fast.

Horo parked in front of the house, and as he walked to the front door there were random people in the grass laughing and waving their hands erratically. A few women waved at him with cheerful smiles, and one asked him if he had a girlfriend. He ignored them. His tunnel vision wouldn't allow him to be distracted. As he opened the door the smell of booze and cigar smoke hit him in the face, and he covered his nose with his arm. He moved through the crowded house as quickly as possible. There were women grabbing at his shirt and laughing as he passed by. They saw he was a new face, and that was exciting. He noticed there weren't any men in the first room, and this thought scared him. Tamao was nowhere in sight, and he couldn't stop himself from thinking of the absolute worst.

"Horo!" He heard Ellie's voice somewhere in the crowd, but the dimly lit room was too difficult for him to see her. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into an adjacent hallway. "You're here!"

"Where is she?" His voice was littered with worry.

"She just went upstairs with some guy."

"And you didn't stop her?"

"What was I supposed to do?" She raised her hands in the air. "There were too many people, and I couldn't follow them."

He left her before she could finish the sentence. His only concern was finding Tamao; he didn't have time for an explanation. There was a couple groping each other on the staircase as he ran up the steps. He tripped at the top and stumbled into the hallway, but he recovered quickly when he heard the sound of hysterical laughing.

"Tamao." He recognized her voice immediately and searched every room he passed with growing desperation. Each scene was the same. Random people full of drugs and alcohol rolling around like idiots and taking off their clothes. How did she get there? Why was she there? Anger and worry flooded his senses as he kicked open the last door at the end of the hallway and abruptly stepped inside.

She was sitting on the edge of a small bed when he entered. There was a man Horo didn't recognize sitting beside her and was whispering something in her ear she found extremely hilarious. She didn't seem aware his hands were all over her, and Horo could tell by the volume and intensity of her laughter that she was incapacitated.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Horo!" Tamao saw that he was standing in front of her and smiled at him. "Hi! This is my friend." She turned to him with a confused frown. "Um...what's your name again? I can't remember."

"Get the hell away from her." Horo charged toward the bed and grabbed Tamao by the arm.

"Hey, man! What's your problem? We were just having fun."

"It's a party, Horo!" Tamao jerked away from him. "Come on! We're going to have fun...or something...I don't know. But we're supposed to be doing something...I think?"

Horo grabbed her by the waist and hurled her over his shoulder, carrying her like a sack of potatoes out of the bedroom.

"Um..." Her hair fell over her head, and she waved her hands. "Bye! We're going somewhere else! I don't know if I'll be back. Bye my friend...whatever your name is! You were very nice!"

Ellie watched with her mouth agape as she caught a glimpse of Horo carrying Tamao down the stairs. There were people on the first floor cheering him on as he made his way into the living room, and Ellie pushed her way through the crowd to get closer.

"Is she okay?" She said it with guilty eyes.

"Hi, Ellie!" Tamao called cheerfully. There were pink strands wildly strewn over Horo's back, and Ellie couldn't see her face. "I'm okay! I'm okay!"

"Thanks for calling me," Horo said sternly. "I'm taking her home."

"What? No!" She hit his back with her hands. "I don't wanna go home! I'm having fun! Stop being a meanie!"

"I...don't know what she had," Ellie said gravely. "Maybe you should take her to the hospital."

"I'll figure it out. Thanks."

Carrying her to the car was a monumental task. She wailed hysterically like a kid having a tantrum and hit him several times in the back while kicking her feet. There were people exiting the house and opening the windows to watch the display, but he didn't care they were making a scene.

"Stop it! Put me down, you meanie!"

He ignored her for the most part until he was in front of the car. Horo released her, and she stumbled when her feet touched the ground. She leaned against the car as dizziness overwhelmed her, and although her hair hid most of her face, he knew she was glaring at him with a frown.

"Get in the car," he demanded.

"Fine."

He was surprised she obeyed him so easily. She sat in the passenger seat, and he closed the door when she leaned back into the headrest. Horo sat in the driver's seat and placed both hands on the steering wheel while taking a deep breath.

"Put your seat belt on."

"No," she whined. "It's too tight. It's gonna pop my head off."

"We'll have a party at your house, okay? Just put your seat belt on so we can go."

"Okay!"

He drove for a few minutes without speaking. Tamao was humming a random song and shaking her head in a weird fashion, which further added to his anxiety. She slapped her bare thighs with her hands without giving any care to the skirt she was wearing. The hem bounced higher and higher the more she slapped at it, and since her eyes were closed she didn't seem to notice.

"What did you drink at that party?" Horo asked gravely.

"Uh...it was punch," she said. "Red punch. It...it tasted like fruit. It was so sweet!"

"How many cups did you have?"

"It was one or...eight...yeah I think eight...or nine. Something like that." She rocked her head and smiled. "It tasted like fruit! It was so good!"

"What the hell was in that punch?" He mumbled the question, and she didn't hear him. "I think I should take you to the hospital, just to make sure you're okay."

"No! I don't wanna go to the doctor! I don't like him."

"If I take you to the hospital, they'll make sure you're okay."

"Don't take me to the doctor!" She clutched her skirt tightly in her hands. "I don't like him. He'll hit me and put me in the closet."

"What are you talking about?" He couldn't look at her; he had to keep his eyes on the road.

"It's dark in there. I don't like it."

"The...closet?"

"And he won't give me any food. I don't wanna go."

"What's his name?" He was confused. "This doctor?"

"Dr. Tamamura," she said. "I don't like him."

"Your father?" He scratched his neck nervously and stared out of the windshield with startled eyes.

"I'll get in trouble if you take me." She stomped her feet against the floorboard. "He'll say I've been bad. I'm always bad. And I'm stupid. He'll hit me."

Horo didn't respond immediately. Tamao never talked about her family, and he knew nothing of her past before she was adopted by the Asakuras. He wasn't sure if her inebriated state was facilitating this. She seemed unaware of her age.

"Please don't tell him." Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't wanna get in trouble."

"Okay," he sighed. "We don't have to go to the hospital. I'll take you home."

"Yay!" She raised her fists in the air. "Wow! It's so orange! So pretty!"

"What? What is?"

"EVERYTHING!"

"I don't think it's alcohol in your system Tamao. You sound...high."

"So pretty." She was staring out of the passenger window and completely ignored him. "So...orange."

"Tamao-"

"Yoh likes oranges. I don't know why he likes them so much, but he loves them. He eats them all the time." She frowned. "He's so stupid. Stupid Yoh."

"Stupid?"

"He wants to marry her? Why would he marry her?" She blinked her eyes rapidly and stared at the dashboard. "She has blond hair. It's so plain. And she's skinny...she's so bony. It's stupid. She doesn't even have boobs."

"He's engaged because he loves her, Tamao." Horo was amused by her honesty. She never gave an opinion about Yoh's engagement until now, and her erratic perspective was interesting.

"I have boobs! See?" She squeezed them through her thin shirt. "See, Horo? See my boobs?"

"Yeah, I see them."

"She doesn't even have any. It's stupid!"

He laughed unexpectedly. Tamao's demeanor was very entertaining, and the worry began to subside.

"So pretty! So orange!" She resumed the song without a pause.

Horo parked the car in front of Tamao's house, and she ran out onto the dirt path with her hands in the air. She explained she was attempting to fly, and she wanted him to join her. He suggested they go inside instead, and she quickly acquiesced. She leaned onto his chest as he pulled off her shoes and ran up and down the hallway at full speed as he slipped off his sneakers at the front door.

"You have way too much energy," he said with a smirk.

She stopped a few feet in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Come dance with me, Horo! Come on!"

He sat in a wooden chair near the hallway instead as she waved her hands to an imaginary beat he didn't hear. There was something erotic about the way she swayed her hips in front of him and rubbed her arms like she was cold. He found himself unable to stop watching her. Pink strands feathered over her shoulders and down her back as she rocked her neck back and forth, and he stared at her thighs as she ran her fingers up the length of her legs. The skirt was much higher than before, but she didn't notice she was exposing a glimpse of her red panties with each swing.

"Hot," she mumbled under her breath. "It's hot in here."

She pushed the skirt off of her hips, and it fell onto the floor with a light thud at her feet. Her panties were exposed and her thighs blistered with goosebumps as the cool air in the house surrounded them. The shirt was removed next. She threw it onto the floor and raised her arms in the air in excitement. The lace bra she wore matched the panties. It was absolutely beautiful, and Horo stared at it for several minutes as she began spinning around and humming to herself. She stopped spinning abruptly and stumbled from the imbalance. Her hair covered most of her back, and he was unable to see her hidden face.

"Horo?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's do something else." Her tone was overly seductive, something that was unexpected and uncomfortable.

"Like...what?"

She turned around and stared at him with an expression that made her seem completely sober. His heart raced through his chest as she paused, and she walked toward the chair with soft footsteps that made him hold his breath.

"You're so handsome," she said randomly. "So...hot."

"What?" It was a whisper, but audible.

"You wanted me all to yourself, right? That's why we couldn't stay at the party?"

"You're high. I was trying to help you."

"It's okay." She sat on his lap. "It's fine with me."

Horo couldn't say anything else. She kissed him delicately on the cheek then rested her head on his shoulder. "You're so strong, Horo. You're so manly."

"You should...get some sleep." He couldn't hide the anxiety in his voice. "Let me put you to bed."

"Okay."

"What? No, that's...I mean...that's not what I meant."

"Horo."

"You need to rest. You should sleep this off." He was rambling but couldn't control it.

"Horo." She was rubbing his chest with her hand and whispered his name in his ear. "Stop."

He paused and closed his eyes.

"Do you want me?"

"Yes."

She kissed him softly on the lips, and his entire body trembled. He held her tightly in his arms and kissed her back. Her skin was so smooth. Her body felt so warm against his shirt...against his bare chest.

Where's my shirt? He dismissed the thought immediately. She pushed her tongue awkwardly in his mouth, but it was enough pressure to force a moan out of him. Tamao was seducing him, and he was falling fast.

Too fast.

He pushed her back abruptly and stared at her neck.

"What? What are you doing?" She was whining and began rubbing his shoulders lightly with her hands.

"I don't want to do this," he sighed. "We shouldn't do this."

"Yes you do. Liar."

"That's..." He cursed under his breath. "That's not the point. I'm saying-"

"But you want to, and I want to."

"Listen to me," he was frustrated. "I can't. We can't. I mean it."

"We've done it before," she protested. "You didn't say no before."

"That was a completely different situation." He was suddenly embarrassed.

"No it wasn't."

"Tamao," he sighed and bit his bottom lip, "it was different. You were upset because Yoh got engaged, and I was trying to be there for you...and we got carried away..."

Why was he explaining this to her? Tamao stared at him with blank eyes that revealed her opinion. She didn't care about anything he was saying.

"The point...is..."

What's my point?

"Look...I told you it was a mistake then and it would never happen again." He briefly closed his eyes. "Do you remember that? I said I wouldn't put myself in this situation ever again. So I can't just..."

She wasn't listening. He sighed.

"Why are you so scared?" She was whispering, and her eyes widened as she stared at his eyebrows.

"I'm not...scared."

Tamao kissed him again, and he exhaled into her mouth. This wasn't going well. He didn't want to fight her. Although she was under the influence, she was exactly right. He wanted this more than anything.

"Let's forget about all of that tonight," she said and waved her hand in the air, "and you can go back to staying away from me in the morning. Okay?"

She stood up and took a few steps into the hallway. He was still sitting in the chair, and his hands were trembling.

"I won't take it off," she said and pointed to the bra. "I'll let you do it, okay?"

He swallowed hard.

As she walked slowly down the hallway she was humming a song and snapping her fingers. She giggled to herself as she reached her bedroom, and before opening the door she smiled at him. Horo slapped his face with his hand. Was he really going to do this? He couldn't hear that voice that had been screaming at him earlier to stop. She was half naked in her bedroom and waiting for him. How did he end up in this situation again?

The front door was opening; he could hear the clanging of keys, and the latch was turning. He stood quickly from the chair and stared at it with confusion when the door opened.

"Tamao?" Yoh stormed inside and closed the door. He stared at Horo for a few moments in silence as his worried expression shifted quickly into a frown.

"You...have a key?"

"Where's your shirt?"

He scratched his stomach lightly and blinked his eyes without a response.

Yoh walked passed him and aggressively bumped his shoulder as he headed down the hallway. "Tamao?"

"She's fine," Horo said with irritation and followed him. They entered the bedroom at the same time. Horo stood near the door, and Yoh walked in front of the bed.

She was fast asleep; the blanket and sheets were twisted around one of her legs like she had been rolling around a few times, but Yoh didn't notice. He was more bothered...angry that she was only wearing a bra and panties. Her hair covered most of her face, and she was lying on her stomach against the pillow.

"Where the hell are her clothes?" Yoh clenched his teeth and slowly turned around.

"She took them off."

"You took them off."

"What?"

He charged him and shoved him violently into the hallway. Horo hit his back against the wall and clenched his teeth.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Yoh demanded angrily.

"I didn't do anything!"

"She's drunk, and you would just take advantage of that? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I didn't do anything, Yoh."

"If you ever touch her again, Horo, I swear-"

"Yoh?"

He left Horo abruptly in the hallway and sat on the bed. "Are you okay?"

"Um...yeah. I'm okay."

Yoh pulled her hair gently away from her face and kissed her forehead. "I'll stay with you so you can sleep it off, okay?"

"Okay," she said with her eyes closed.

He glared at Horo who was still standing in the hallway. "You're not needed here, Horo. Go home."

"Oh no, wait!" Tamao clutched the pillow in her hands. "My bra! He has to stay so he can take off my bra."

"Just rest, Tamao," he said and rubbed her back. "I'll help you."

"Okay...okay fine."

He left her when she drifted off again and slowly entered the hallway. Horo was in the living room pulling his t shirt over his head. Yoh walked into the room swiftly and tightened his hands into fists.

"I won't let you take advantage of her," he growled. "Ever."

Horo bitterly closed his eyes but didn't respond.

"Ellie told me you picked her up from the party. I was concerned. And I see now I was right."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"It doesn't even matter if she's drunk, Horo? You'll take her any way you can?"

"She's not your property, Yoh." He wanted to punch him so badly. "I'm a better friend to her than you'll ever be, and that makes you sick."

"No, you make me sick. You pretend to be her friend like you're trying to wear her down. You're so consumed with trying to sleep with her you'll do anything to make it happen. How do I know you weren't the one who got her drunk in the first place?"

"Go to hell," he said abruptly and walked away.

"I'm warning you, Horo. Back off, or I'll make you back off."

Horo was standing at the door with his hand on the handle when he heard it and his entire body tensed with rage.

"Yoh?" Tamao was half awake again. "Yoh? Where did you go? Come look at the bunnies! They're so cute and fluffy! Fluffy bunnies!"

Yoh didn't respond immediately. He was staring at Horo's back with an angered frown.

"Yoh?"

Horo didn't speak and left the house, slamming the door violently with his exit.