"Jeez!" Miaka grumbled as she dragged a dusty carton out of the coat 
closet. "How did this place get so messy when we just cleaned it...4 
months ago?"

"Hey, 4 months is a long time when you live in a one-room apartment," 
Tamahome said. "Seriously, though, considering I have a job and you're 
either studying or having coffee with Yui, Soi, Nuriko, and Houki...it's 
not like we have all the time in the world to be cleaning."

"Tell me about it." Miaka dropped the end of the box to the floor with a 
thud, then started coughing as dust flew off the top. "Gah!" She shook her 
head in dismay. "Ewww! I think it even grew some mold!"

"Mold? What were you keeping in there, old bread and cheese?" Tamahome 
walked over and gingerly opened the lid, gagging on the dust. "...Don't 
tell me you saved all these Persona magazines!"

"I was going to give them to a used bookstore, but never got around to 
it," Miaka sweatdropped.

"Sure ya were. You're a pack rat, Miaka, admit it," Tamahome laughed, 
playfully mussing her hair.

"I am not!" Miaka giggled.

"Are too."

"Am not." Miaka stuck out her tongue. "And I wouldn't talk, not after the 
incident with the closet." Tamahome sweatdropped. Of course. The Gatchman 
comics that had fallen off of the top shelf of the closet when they'd 
opened it.

"But...those Gatchman comics are collector's items!" he protested.

"Yeah, I know. I saved all my Sailor V comics myself. But you could at 
least keep them in a nice, neat little box." Miaka grabbed the dust rag 
and started to dust the carton of magazines.

"Since when were you such a neat-freak?" Tamahome teased.

"Since I moved into a one-room apartment with a man," Miaka smirked. 
Tamahome rolled his eyes.

"Very funny." He picked up a second rag and playfully smacked her with it.

"Hey!" Miaka whipped her head around.

"Couldn't resist."

"Resist this!" Miaka cried gleefully as she smacked him with a pillow.

"Hey, I just dusted that!" Tamahome laughed. "You're gonna get it!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

With that, they began chasing one another around the apartment. After 
several minutes, Miaka finally cornered him. Grabbing a spray bottle of 
water from the nearby table, she held it out threateningly, her finger on 
the 'trigger'.

"Give up?"

"No! Please don't!" Tamahome shrieked in mock terror, then blinked. "Give 
up what?"

"...I have no idea!" Miaka suddenly burst into giggles. Realizing how 
ridiculous this was, Tamahome joined in.

"It's a wonder we ever get any work done around here sometimes!" he 
laughed.

When they finally caught their breath, Tamahome picked up the dust rag 
Miaka had dropped.

"Okay, let's get back to business. We want to get done before night falls, 
after all," he said. Miaka nodded, and they resumed their work.


Half an hour later, they finished with the coat closet. On to the living 
room.