Shuichi's Personal Assistant

The blaring annoyance of the alarm woke Umiko up. Bleary-eyed, she turned it off and edged her way out of the bed. The temptation to snuggle against Hiro’s warmth was great, but she couldn’t afford to fall back asleep in her lover’s arms. Instead, she settled for gazing at him while he slept. Their hair intertwining, fire and ice on the pillow. Reluctantly, she got up and went to shower. Twenty minutes later she was dressed and was beginning the long process of drying and coiling her hair into a bun. Sticking one last pin in place she turned and went back to her room. Hiro was rubbing the sleep from his eyes in such a way that made her smile at how child-like he seemed.
“Good Morning,” she said.
“There’s nothing good about morning,” he grumbled back.
“I have to go, but the coffee maker’s on a timer, so help yourself.” Umiko made her way to the living room and stopped to gather her things and slide on her shoes. She heard the scuffle of bare feet on carpet and turned her head to see Hiro, clad only in jeans, holding two mugs of coffee.
“Are you sure you don’t have time for one cup?”
“And people say women are evil,” she sighed. “I really have to go. You know the day after...Shuichi never does well the day after. It’s not exactly something I’m looking forward to, if that makes you feel any better.”
“None of us look forward to the day after,” Hiro replied, sipping his coffee thoughtfully. “Alright, I’ll lock up. I’ll even do last night’s dishes.” His eyes twinkling mischievously, he leaned in for a kiss. “We still have to talk about things though, don’t think I’ve let you off the hook.” Umiko sighed and slung her handbag over her shoulder and began her journey to Shuichi’s apartment.

*******
I don’t want to go in, she thought. She’d been standing outside Shuichi’s apartment, correction...Yuki-san’s apartment, for ten minutes. She could hear Shu-chan pacing, waiting for her. Technically, she was going to be late if she stood here for much longer.
She felt rather than heard the noise. The sound of someone behind her. Great, she thought, do we have to do this today? In a move that defied all of Newton’s Laws, a small handgun appeared in her hand and she was facing the opposite direction, staring up into the blue eyes of the craziest gaijin she’d ever known, including herself.
“You’re getting better,” K said, as he holstered his own weapon.
“Everyday? Do we have to do this every stinking day? Especially this one?” she replied, “It’s not that I don’t enjoy having a fire arm pointed at my temple first thing in the morning. But, today is not the best day for it.”
“Oh? Well, it looked to me that you lacked motivation,” K said pointedly. “You’ve been standing here for entirely too long. And don’t think I didn’t see you hiding behind the plant in the lobby , waiting for Eiri to leave.”
Umiko turned a bright crimson. She should have known that K of all people would spot her. But, after the other night, the last person she wanted to deal with was Yuki. She turned and faced the door again, The Door Of Doom, she thought to herself, inserted the key, turned the knob and stepped inside.
In hindsight, having K behind her turned out to be a good thing. She was sure she’d have suffered a concussion if he hadn’t been there. Shuichi was always a high strung animal, but she wasn’t prepared to hear the sound of her name in his throat at the ear shattering decibel. She also wasn’t prepared for the shear force of him as he flung himself into her arms. There she was, on the floor. Shuichi on top of her, crying, and K beneath her with his arms wrapped tightly about both of them. Well, she thought, there are worse places to be. Today was going to be a long day.