Not Quite a Falling Star

Chapter 14

It was a crisp morning and Jade decided she would arrive at work in a timely manner. For her, a timely manner was ten to fifteen minutes late, but TJ never commented on this. She was a few bites into her cereal when she heard the tengu groan from his sleep on the couch. Without getting up, she directed her gaze towards him. His mouth was turned into an uneasy frown. It was cause enough for her to investigate further.

"Hey Ryu," she called to him as she approached, "You feeling alright?"

Ryūsei peeled open his eyelids and looked towards Jade. She was unsure, but suspected that his vivid yellow irises had lost some of their brilliance, more evident, however, was the redness and puffiness of his eyelids. Lethargy dominated his movements as he brought his arm to rest on his head. 

"You don't look so well," Jade kneeled to meet the tengu's height on the couch, "I think you might have a fever."

"That sounds absurd to me. Never, in all my years, have I had a fever, but given the circumstances and my aching body, I suppose, you might be correct." 

His words, though odd to her ear, had a timber of humility. Jade exhaled through her nose, smiled, and checked the time on her phone. The bakery could wait a little longer, it was never bustling in the morning anyway. 

"Well, I have some good news," Jade explained as she stood up, "we humans get fevers relatively often, so that means, we've gotten pretty good at treating them. I'll grab some medicine for you."

Ever the decent employee, Jade had full intention to head straight to work once she had the first sign that Ryūsei's fever was reducing. But as recent events had demonstrated, her life since she met the tengu, was no longer accountable to intentions or plans. The presence of this unfamiliar fever had Ryūsei irked. Not only did he feel its burning presence, but he also wallowed in the knowledge that such an affliction could become commonplace, that is, if Retsu failed in obtaining an antidote.

 As they sat on the couch sharing tea, a faint scratching sound caught Jade's attention. Her head jerked in the direction it was coming from; her eyes settled on the back door that led to the garden.

"Jade, what has alerted your attention so suddenly?" Ryūsei inquired anxiously.

"I heard something coming from outside. It almost sounded like someone was scratching on the door." Jade stood and made her way towards the source of the sound with slow, deliberate steps.

The tengu tightened his jaw, rose from the couch, and dashed towards Jade. Once at her side, he grabbed her wrist and held her back.

"Jade, please be cautious. With me here, you don't know what dangerous yokai could be after you!" His eyes held a solid gaze into hers.

His abrupt actions startled her and caused her to scold him more harshly than she intended. "Jeez relax!"

Ryūsei removed his hand in a shameful rush. He followed this with hanging his head and apologizing. "I'm very sorry Jade...I just care about you very deeply."

After the words left his lips, he felt an encroaching hotness on his cheeks that was not the result of the fever. His mouth moved to form words, but silence prevailed. It was not only because he was too embarrassed to speak, but also because he thought any additional words would only serve to complicate the situation further. He felt his heart quiver as he waited to hear Jade's response. After a palpable moment, he garnered the courage to look at her face, and found that her cheeks had reddened as well. 

"Ryu," a wide smile revealed itself on her lips, "that's incredibly sweet. I knew you had concern for me, but I didn't realize you felt that way."