A/N: This is a spinoff/continuation of 'The Morning After', a oneshot I had written not too long ago. A few people have commented on the story and said it had the potential to be continued, and after thinking about it, I decided it's worth a shot. And so it goes that boredom, a lot of free time and some limey inspirations can be powerful motivations to update the story :P And just so you know, I've been toying around with the idea of spicing up the plot with an OC, so do expect some juicy stuff in coming chapters. ;)

Aaaand it goes without saying that none of the characters (aside from the OC who'll pop up later on) are mine. :)

Ep 2: The Damsel in Distress

A flushed Kumiko stood on her knees at the end of the bed, fists clenched into tight balls of fury. She wanted to run after Sawada to beat the crap outta him, but she knew she shouldn't – it'll disrupt her morning schoolday routines, and she couldn't afford to come late for work today.

After a few moments of hearing her own breathing, her hands slowly started to relax and her body became less tense. With an annoyed sigh, she slumped into an uncomfortable sitting position she couldn't be bothered to change.

"I must've woken the other guys up because of him, dammit", she muttered under her breath miserably. She hoped she wasn't as loud as she thought she was, especially at this hour.

She grunted. What time is it anyway?

She quickly searched for her alarm clock and finally found in on the other bedside table. She reached out to pick it up, and soon found that it wasn't as early as she thought. In fact, she should be leaving the house now-ish if she was taking the bus – which she should, because she can't make it in time if she were to walk to school. She might be able to reach the bus stop if she ran out now, but with all the hammering going on in her head... maybe it's not such a good idea.

Maybe I should call a taxi instead...

She absentmindedly massaged her head and slowly looked around her bed. She stopped when she saw the pillow Shin used on her bed - it had a saliva map on it.

"Sawada, you are so dead the next time I see you", she swore under her breath, and fumbled with the sheets as she tried to get off the bed. She finally managed to stand but immediately felt disoriented.

Stupid hangover.

Suddenly, she heard knocks on her door. Her head instantly turned to face the door.

"Uhh.. *clears throat* Y-yes?", she said, trying to sound as composed as she possibly could.

"Umm... is everythin' alright, Ojou? Sounds like somethin'... uh... happened in there", one of her henchmen asked carefully.

"I-I'm fine. I uh... forgot what day it was, aand I umm..," she quickly looked around, "lost my contacts". She immediately cursed at herself after she said this, because she didn't even have bad vision - her glasses were just teacherly props after all. And her family members knew this.

"Uhuh. Right... if ya say so, Ojou. 'Nyway, ya breakfast is gettin' cold. I can heat it up for ya-", Minoru stopped short as he saw Kumiko's door opening slowly, revealing a ghost-like being facing him.

"I'm. Fine. Scraaam", the creature with long dark hair stared straight into his eyes.

Minoru fell slightly backwards, surprised. "H-haai, Ojou", he stuttered, and sprinted back to the kitchen, fearing that the eerie version of his Ojou might chase after him.

Kumiko pushed the door close and rested her head against it, while Minoru immediately reported to the other men of the household the state of their Kumicho.

"It's going to be a looong day", sighed everyone in the house in unison.

========= to be continued ==========

/end of 2nd installment/

A/N: I've written some bits out for the next installment, but it'd be nice to hear some feedback. How do you find this chapter, and are you curious about what'll happen next, or who'll be making it into the next scene? As always, f&r very much appreciated :)

Till the next chapter, ja ne~

^o^