Title: The Beds That Have No Answers
Fandom: Misc.
Characters/Pairing: Nichol (Gundam Wing), Kanoe (X), Shiori (Utena)
Summary: AU-Crossover. We all get lost, but we can be found.
A/N: Weekly homework #2 Hope, completed,very late and aquatinted.
"So," Nichol huffed as he pulled the covers up around the girl's sleeping form. "Are you sure I can leave her here with you?"
"That's not particularly fair, Nichol." The woman replied as she leaned up against the window. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. It wasn't what he was used to seeing. Granted he generally only ever saw her at the bar where she seemed the type of woman that made a living out of collecting phone numbers. Now he wondered if he had been too judgemental.
"I'm sorry. You just have a reputation at the bar, Kanoe." He confessed.
She shook her head and sighed. "You do to."
He swallowed and stepped away from the bed. He didn't have a right to judge anyone really. Maybe he was just as bad as the two women in the room.
"I can't believe she actually chugged half the bottle." He said, trying to move away from the subject of his reputation. "I mean, she's so petite, and then after she put the frat boys in their place she had another five drinks. Why doesn't she have alcohol poisoning?" He stopped and took a deep breath. "You don't think-"
"She'll be fine." Kanoe said steadily. "I've seen her do that trick with an entire bottle of Scotch and four margaritas." She chuckled and titled her head up, dragging her fingers down her pale neck. "Little Shiori knows all the tricks of the scene."
Nichol's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. "So, tonight was just a trick gone bad then?"
"Something like that." She crossed the room and sat on the bed, brushing a stray strand of hair from the girl's face. "We all make mistakes."
"Really?"
She looked up at him, eyes narrowing. "Don't get started with me, with that act of yours. You had your one big fall. I can see it all over your face. I've had it too. And she…I think she doesn't know how to recover from hers yet." She shut her eyes. "She's safe with me. I'm not going to take advantage of her. She'd be safe with you too."
He gritted his teeth and then relaxed. He moved over to a chair and sat down propping his legs up on the small table. "So is it true, what they say about you?"
"Probably. Would you care to clarify?"
"I heard you were a fortune teller, but you were scamming people." He stated and tried not to pay too much attention to the sounds Shiori was making.
"I still am a fortune teller, and the charges were dropped."
"Then you weren't scamming people?"
"I didn't say that." Kanoe looked over at Shiori. "She's very young to be going through this type of thing."
"I wouldn't say so." He shut his eyes and then said, "I nearly killed that guy. The one that was harassing the lady, but since it was self defense-"
"That's how it goes, Nichol. You thought the lady needed protection, but you misread her." Kanoe stood up and took a seat in the other chair. "I was just trying to make a little extra cash to help my sister out."
Nichol looked over his shoulder at the bed. "What about her? What do you think she did?"
"She's just a kid trying to prove herself bigger than she actually is."
"You think so?" He grinned. "Maybe she did something terrible."
"Her only crime is being sixteen with a fake I.D. and having a drinking problem. Aside from the I.D. there isn't much there."
"So she's redeemable?" He shook his head. He wanted to laugh.
"We're all redeemable, Nicky. You just have to want it."
He sat up and put his feet on the ground. He looked over at the older woman and shook his head. Kanoe put her hand out and seeing it he did the same.
"What's in my future?" He asked showing his palm.
"You have one." Kanoe said softly. "That's enough."