Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 2 (The Oumeno Strikes Back)

Dead Girls Tell No Tales (5)

    Oddly enough, the sky grew darker within the confines of the fog, as Kokichi had noticed as he peeked out the porthole of the cabin he and Himiko were sleeping in. Despite the warmth of the new clothes that Stinkypants Tsumugi had made him, he shivered. The mere sight of the fog, along with the memory of being submerged in the dark sea, sent chills down his spine. He looked away from the porthole, and turned his attention back to Himiko, who was sleeping fitfully in bed. She hadn't touched her dinner, and Kokichi was concerned that she might be coming down with something. She began tossing and turning frantically as though she were having a nightmare.

   "Himiko," Kokichi said, walking up to the bed. He gently put his hand on Himiko's forehead. "Hey...you're okay," he whispered soothingly. Himiko began to calm down, but she started trembling. 

   "K-Kokichi..." she whispered feebly. "I'm...s-so c-cold." 

   "Ssshhh..." Kokichi hushed as he tucked Himiko in tighter under the blanket. "It's okay, Himiko. You're gonna be okay." He climbed onto the bed, but didn't get under the blanket. He snuggled up to Himiko, making sure that she was warm under both him and the blanket. As she slept, he looked at her weary, exhausted face and felt a pang of guilt. Forcing himself to go to sleep, he kissed Himiko's forehead and drifted off into a deep slumber, making sure to hold on to Himiko the entire time. 

   ***

  Kokichi's eyes fluttered open to see sunlight streaming through the porthole. Perplexed, he lifted his head up to see if what he was seeing was real, and not a mirage or a dream. He turned his body to look at his surroundings, but he felt strangely unable to move much. When he looked down to see why, he noticed that he was now tucked under the blanket. He then looked beside him to see that Himiko was gone. 

   "Himiko?" he asked. 

  "Nyeh...what's up, buttercup?" a voice asked the opposite side of him. He turned his head to see Himiko sitting in a nearby chair, eating a biscuit with some honey. 

   "Himiko, you're okay!" Kokichi said, climbing out of bed. 

   "Yeah, I think I just needed some sleep," Himiko replied. She offered the plate of biscuits out to Kokichi. "Nyeh...biscuit?" Kokichi was about to take one, but stopped.

   "No, Himiko...you eat them," he said, guiltily rubbing his arm. Himiko looked at him in surprise. 

   "But...why?" she asked softly. 

   "You should have them. They're yours," Kokichi replied.

   "But...the pirates left these for both of us," Himiko said. "I woke up and saw this plate sitting there with a note saying that they prepared breakfast for me and you."

   "I'll eat later," Kokichi insisted. "I'm not hungry, anyways."

   "Are you sure?" Himiko asked. Kokichi shrugged.

  "Yeah...besides, I'm not a fan of biscuits and honey," he replied. "Too sticky." Himiko looked at him searchingly; something about him seemed off. She didn't have long to ponder any longer, however, because the door burst open to reveal One-Eye Ibuki.