"Hey, little lady, I'm glad to see you." Ryouma cuddled Shiba against his chest and rumpled the elegantly fringed ears. "You can be my comfort and solace. Kakashi refuses to admit I was deeply traumatized and he doesn't remember it."

Shiba nipped his fingers.

"How come no one believes me?" Ryouma complained. "I was the only sane and sober one there! Well, the only one to survive." He wondered, with a flicker of guilt, if the bartender-bodyguard counted as a witness. The man had seen Ryouma and Kakashi's faces--had gone off with Ryouma's shirt--but he hadn't seen the deed itself. And it wasn't like anyone would recognize Kakashi without his mask and Sharingan eye and silver hair, or like anyone would recognize Ryouma at all.

Except Shiki, who had.

Ryouma shivered, and concentrated fiercely on petting Shiba. "Speaking of sober. Can we never do that again?"