After the eventful first day back at school, I worked harder than I thought I would need to so I was caught up with everything I missed. On more than one occasion, I missed dinner so I could finish just one more problem or answer one more question. It was a headache for sure, but worth it to make sure I stayed in the good graces of my teachers. Being liked helped when dealing with people like Yuki. After a week, I had more than seventy-five percent of the work finished, which was great on my part since I was also doing chores around the house. Reiji wasn't kidding when he said I would be expected to do the same amount.
As everything progressed, I found myself feeling a little lightheaded and having cold chills. I brushed it off as just a symptom that could be associated with lack of sleep and not having eaten in a few days. It was something I was used to and ignored after having a quick snack and taking something for it. I couldn't lose focus now since I now had school mixed in with the constant fear I lived with when living with the spoiled brothers.
Shu had tried to help with the lack of sleep, but he just didn't get motivated when it came to actually chasing me down. He tired, I'll give him that, but there was just no fighting someone's nature. But that didn't stop him from expressing his worry and concern whenever he did successfully capture me. But I, again, just brushed it off, thinking I wouldn't be affected by it...I was wrong.
About three weeks after my return to school, I had developed a cold. It was so bad that it hurt to even try to move! I had never really had a cold before, so this was like a living hell compared to what I was used to. Even when I tried to act normal when I did manage to get out of bed for school, I was seen through and Shu put me back to bed. He refused to let me leave and locked the door behind him after Reiji and Subaru, after being forced into it, brought everything I would need inside. I had no choice in this matter.
So, that's where I am now, curled up in bed with nothing to do. The bastard even took away my work! What was I supposed to do now, sleep? What benefit did that serve anyone, besides Shu? I groaned as I rolled onto my other side to look at the door. No matter how hard I concentrated, it wouldn't open...I only sighed in defeat and closed my eyes. Guess sleep was the only plausible course of action in my state, so that's what I did.
I fell in and out of consciousness, waking every few hours. When I did, I would take my medicine as instructed and ate a little so I wouldn't feel worse afterwards. This was the only thing I could remember doing until about an hour after school had ended. I woke up and did the same routine as the previous awakenings, but this time was different.
I saw Shu watching me, sitting against the wall and his arms crossed. One earbud was dangling from his ear, though he didn't seem all that interested. I just stared back at him, setting the water bottle I had been holding down. I couldn't tell you how long our staring contest went on for, but it ended when Shu stood up.
He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He only continued to stare from there until I went to move. I just wanted to make more space for him since it looked like he could fall off if he even moved an inch, but he didn't like that. He grabbed my wrist, making me stop my actions. And this is when I broke the silence.
"What is it?" I asked softly, never breaking eye contact. It would be bad if I did and something happened. Don't ask me what could happen, but something always did when you take your eyes off of these arrogant brothers for even a second.
"You shouldn't move...around too much." He replied, loosening his grip just a tad. "Just go back to sleep."
"But I've been sleeping all day!" I complained, letting out an exhausted yet annoyed sigh. "You didn't leave anything for me to do in here."
"Because you would have just pushed yourself harder." Shu stated, and his eyes made him look serious for the first time in a while. "It's both school and house work that made you sick, so you are not allowed to do anything until you're better."
I could only stare in shock in his change of tone. The drowsiness had vanished from his features and was replaced by actual concern. It threw me off kilter for a moment before I recollected myself. "But doing nothing all day had left me feeling restless. I need to do something, and you didn't even allow me to leave the room!"
"And if I had, would you have eaten as much as you have? Or gotten as much sleep as you needed?" He asked, the serious tone getting deeper and becoming etched into my memory. "What would I have done if you didn't get better?" He pulled me toward him and hugged me. "You could have gotten even worse..." he added softly, his hand moving to stroke my hair.
I was lost in a daze. I felt my face heat up, but I didn't know if it was from the fever or an afteraffect of the racing in my chest. My heart was beating faster than it had before and I didn't understand why. All I could do was hug him back and offer a soft, underspoken apology. But he didn't say anything, just held me there, like I was the most precious thing in his life. And I couldn't bring myself to pull away...
After what felt like an eternity, I pulled away ever so slightly to look up at him. We locked eyes once again and he leaned toward me. "Don't make me worry like that again." Was all he said before his lips brushed over mine. My eyes widened, but then slowly closed. I kissed him back, my heart pounding in my ears. My only thoughts were how long I seemed to have waited for this, and how right it felt. And that was the last thing I remembered...before I woke up.
I woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up from bed. I looked around a saw an empty room, no signs of life, whether undead or otherwise, could be detected. I pressed my fingers to my lips as my face lit up. The clock said just a half hour before school let out...that...that was a dream. I buried my face in the palms of my hands and internally screamed. What was that? I...I dreamt I kissed Shu!
I shook my head and got up. I paced the room despite the pounding in my head from the sudden movement. I...could I like Shu? And not as a friend, but as more than that? There was no way! I mean...if that was the case, what would happen to me? I would lose the only friend I felt I had! So...I stopped pacing and looked out the window. I would keep this a secret. Shu could never find out.
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry it took me so long to update. Between life and writers block, I was coming up empty handed when it came to ideas. But, hopefully, I'm back now, so no more waiting. Though I will only be focusing on this story until it's conclusion before working on my Kanato story, so please forgive me for that. Anyways, I hope you liked it.
