Hey its me again. I have no reason behind this. Just thought it was kind of funny. Let me know what you guys think.

And, sadly, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

The drone of voices tugs at Kaoru's ears, but she ignores it, pulling at her dark bangs and contemplating her lack of beer. Vodka would be marvelous, but the bottles stopped coming her way a while ago. Despite that, she decided to stay at the smoky, crowded bar, hoping to consume more alcohol and, consequently, lose all recollection of the last few weeks.

"I mean, really," she slurs, "how did I get suckered into this crap, for, like, the umpteenth time?" She tosses a blue eyed glance – surprisingly accurate for a drunk – at the short, red headed man sitting in the stool next to her. "Ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout?" He raises a scarlet eyebrow at her, but she continues. "When Sano said his 'friend' would be movin' in with us, I thought OK, whatever, I'll be fine 'cause I can handle guys. But 'friend-with-benefits' was never mentioned." She frowns. "Megumi's cool and all, but sheesh, how much counter space does one girl need?"

The man is still looking at her, but at this point his expression has changed from surprised, to appraisal, until decidedly resting on amusement. Kaoru examines him for the first time as well, all the way from the fiery hair framing his violet eyes, to the vodka – good heavens, he has vodka – in his strong hand. She watches him, and waits eagerly, as if expecting his input.

"So what," he asks after a moment, slightly unnerved by her unabashed staring. "Is it her need for counter space that's bothering you?"

She flaps her hand at him. "No. No, no, no. You're missing the point." Her eyes come dangerously close to shutting, but she snaps them open in determination. She will tell her story, damn it.

"Then what is the point?" he inquires. "I'm Kenshin, by the way."

She gives him a crooked grin, holding out a tanned, calloused hand, which he – Kenshin, she reminds herself – shakes. "Kaoru. And the point is that she has a love life – even though it's Sano – and I don't."

Someone bumps into her stool, and she yelps as it swivels her around, her head and arms suddenly falling into the air. As the rest of her follows in a dead descent to the dirty linoleum floor, the rational part of her brain reminds her that she is malnourished, tired, more than a little drunk (trashed is more like it), and that launching herself at somebody in an alcohol induced rage would be highly moronic and would undoubtedly get her scrawny ass kicked.

So, she throws herself up, catching the offender unexpectedly with a heavy right hook to his ugly, annoying, face, before staggering back to her recently, forcibly, vacated stool. The man yells from surprise and pain, and the bartender signals to the red he – Kenshin.

"She with you?" Before Kenshin is given the chance to answer, Kaoru has glared a silent go die in a pit, you grimy little loser, at the bartender, snatched Kenshin's vodka, and stumbled towards the door. The red head grins.

"She is now."

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