Going Beyond the Past

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Lies We Tell

Reina sits in the corner of her couch, her legs crossed in front of her as she taps the down arrow key on the Kamino Nightmare reports. Her cup of cold, half eaten ramen sits between her thighs, forgotten as she searches for any indication that Toda was in the bar beyond Katsuki and Leinei's own firsthand reports. He wouldn't have done this for no reason. It's Toda. He's covered my ass more times than I can count...

The front door's knob jiggles twice, before there's a soft curse and the sound of a key sliding into the lock. It opens a second later, Keigo walking in with a loud heyo! She sighs and closes her laptop, pushing it to the side before grabbing the cup and standing up.

"What is it, Keigo?" she asks as her brother closes the door and locks it again. She's already made it to the kitchen, straining the rest of the liquid from her cup before throwing the rest of it away. "Here to side with Leinei again?"

"Okay. Wow, that didn't take you long to dip from what you told me," he retorts, a little more poison in his voice than normal. She rolls her eyes as he walks in the kitchen, his topaz eyes landing on the lycoris sitting on the counter. "No, actually. I came bearing gifts of the best thing in the world."

"Dick that knows what it's doing?"

"I...I was going to say alcohol," Keigo responds, trying not to gag. "Can-can we not talk about your sexcapades? I knew too much about Endeavor, and even then I didn't know shit."

"Really? When's the last time you got laid?"

"Ah-I-I-um-this-I..."

"Last one was Rumi, wasn't it?" Reina continues, chuckling at her brother's reddening face. "But you both were drunk, so I don't know if that counts. Did you even call her the next day?"

"I tried! She hung up on me," he replies with a small pout. "I'm not like you. I won't hit it and quit."

"When have I ever hit and quit?"

"Do I need to bring up Shinji?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. A strangled noise forms in her throat, causing her to cough to clear it. "Oh, what about-damn what was that girl's name at your agency? No, I don't think you slept with Eia. Have you? No, wait-"

"No she and I didn't sleep together! I don't get involved with my sidekicks like that."

"But you got involved with Toda."

"I'm not starting this argument, Keigo."

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to get in one," he sighs, shaking his head. He reaches into a cabinet and pulls two glasses down. "Did you wanna get drunk or what? I need it after the other night."

"What happened the other night?"

"I...I did something I'm going to regret."

"Did you get drunk and butt dial the President again?"

"I do that one time when I'm eighteen and I can't live it down, huh?" he laughs, unwrapping the paper off the cap on the bottle of whiskey he had brought. "No, I think this is worse. A lot worse. Did you want the vodka mixed into yours?"

"You didn't bring any jaeger or tequila?" she whines, leaning back while holding the counter. He rolls his eyes and pours a three second shot of whiskey into each glass. "But yes please. What happened?"

"I can't really talk about it."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Because it's bugging the hell out of me," he replies, twisting the cap back onto his bottle before breaking into the vodka. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, but it's fucking eating at me."