My second fanfic, first in this particular section...MAAAAJOR WRITER'S BLOCK on my last story...

Read, Review, Enjoy!

And now, without further ado, chapter one of Love, Malaria, and Pregnancy!

"Ikuto, are you coming, nyaa?" Yoru inquired with a small tilt of his head.

"Be there in a minute!" Ikuto shouted back while adjusting his tie. He was, in actuality, quite nervous. He was going to pick Amu up from the airport. She had been in Africa for six months on a trip for the hospital she worked at. Amu's job was to treat the less fortunate villages infected with diseases such as malaria, and she had been so excited. However, Ikuto was quite vehement that she not go. The day she left, they had gotten into a huge fight on the very topic.

Now, as he straightened his tie and grabbed the roses and keys, he realized it was never anything to really worry about. He and Yoru made their way to the car and began the short commute to the airport. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he only had 20 more minutes until she arrived, so he took a seat near the gate with Yoru on his shoulder.

"Amu!" Ikuto shouted, excitedly, "Over here!"

Tiredly, Amu walked over to Ikuto and smiled when he gave her the roses. Her skin was pale, Ikuto noticed, and she looked absolutely horrible.

"You feeling okay?" Ikuto questioned worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She responded as a chill ran down her spine.

They got back to the apartment and unpacked her bags. Ikuto kept a wary eye on his girlfriend, who began to sway halfway through the unpacking.

He walked up behind her when they had finished and snaked his arms around her waist.

"I missed you soooo much, Amu. There was no one to call me a pervert for six whole months and-Amu? Amu?!" His sweetly seductive voice turned to one of shock and worry as uncontrollable shivers made their way down her spine. She had yanked his arms off of her and had run to the bathroom. Retching could be heard from the place where Ikuto still stood.

"Ikuto, nyaa?" "Amu-chan!" "What's wrong Amu-chan?" "Amu?!" The voices of the charas swarmed around them both. Shaking his head, Ikuto came to his senses and ran into the bathroom. Amu was clutching the toilet like a lifeline, and her hair stuck to her paling skin. He walked over to her and pulled her sticky hair back. Looking down at her, he saw a swollen bug bite on her neck. Finishing up, Amu stood up shakily and rinsed out her mouth, then allowed Ikuto to carry her to their bed. He gently pressed his palm to her sweating forehead and pulled it back quickly.

"Jesus, Amu! You're burning up! What the hell happened on that trip?" He whispered to her softly. Her eyelids drooped, and he could tell that she was doing everything in her power to stay awake.

"Just keep those eyes open for a few more minutes, Amu, okay?" He said worriedly as he got up to get a cool rag and thermometer.

Amu's POV

I nodded weakly, as my charas flew into view.

"Amu-chan, what's wrong?" Suu asked me, but I felt too weak to answer. My eyelids felt like they were made of lead, and they began to droop again.

"No, Amu-chan. You're supposed to stay awake, remember? Ikuto told you not to fall asleep just yet." Ran frantically told me.

"I-I c-can't. It…hurts…too much…" I struggled to say. At that moment, Ikuto walked back into the room. He rushed over to me and put a thermometer in my mouth. It was all I could do not to gag on the spot. The headache I had had since boarding the plane suddenly came back with a vengeance, as I tried not to scream. Ikuto must have noticed, because he stopped what he was doing.

"Amu…what's wrong?" He asked me, concern evident.

"M-my head…it-it…hurts…" I stuttered.

The thermometer beeped, and he took it out of my mouth, and lines of worry creased his usually peaceful features. Noticing my concerned expression, he read the number out loud.

"It says 104°F." He read quietly.

"Ikuto…I-I'm so…s-sorry…for m-making you worry." I told him, my eyelids drooping once more.

"Amu…sweetheart…just go to sleep…please…" He told me, placing a cold cloth on my forehead and placing a short kiss on my cheek.

I finally allowed myself to fall into a not so pleasant slumber.

Ikuto's POV

After kissing her on the forehead, I pulled myself and the four charas into the kitchen.

"Okay, what happened to her?" I turned on the three charas belonging to her. "You were supposed to be protecting her!"

"Well we…we went out one day to a small village where every other person had malaria, and she came back just fine. She kept going out and helping all these villages, and by the time we had to go, she was pretty much like a goddess to them. We didn't think anything of it when she looked really tired this morning." Miki told me.

"So you're telling me that when she didn't look too great you guys just passed it off as 'she's just tired?'" I reprimanded them sharply.

"Hey! Don't be yelling at us, okay? We were just as tired as she was. Six months of nothing but traveling and helping people, and you're telling me you wouldn't be tired?!" Ran retorted, though she looked as though she blamed herself just as much.

"Look," I sighed, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm just…"

I trailed off, hearing a light groaning from the bedroom. It got louder and more panicky as I listened. Rushing into the bedroom, I saw a sight I had never imagined I would have to see.

Amu, the love of my life was tangled in the sheets, thrashing around wildly. Her protestations and groaning proceeded to worsen as I neared her.

"No…Ikuto, please…don't go! Please…come back…I need you…why did you leave me here by myself? …Ran…Miki…Suu…please…don't go…why? Mom! Dad…Ami… NO!" It continued like this for what seemed like hours.

I dashed over to her side, only to get clocked in the face. "Amu! Wake up, please! You have to wake up! It's only a dream, okay? I'm here. We're here. We aren't going anywhere, so please, wake up!!" I shouted, still holding my nose.

When she continued to thrash around and mumbling, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently.

"Amu. Come on, honey. Wake up." I tried a gentler approach. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere. Wake up."

Her eyelids started to flutter, and she bolted upright, tears streaming down her face.

Amu's POV

I bolted straight up in bed, and I immediately regretted doing so, as the headache made me see stars. Grabbing my head, I glanced over at Ikuto, whose hands were still on my shoulders.

"Promise?" I asked him weakly.

"I swear on my life." He answered tenderly. "As long as you don't leave me, I won't leave you."

"Tha-Thank you." I nodded, as he set me back into bed.

"Get some rest, honey." He said, and as he got up to leave, I grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Please…don't go…" I pleaded, drowsiness taking over once again.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?" He asked, although I didn't answer, because I had fallen into unconsciousness once again.

Ikuto's POV

I held her hand and stroked her hair as she slept. I could tell she was still being plagued by the nightmares, because she would periodically squeeze my hand.

Three hours later, I found myself drifting off, and the last thing I thought was:

The Kiddie King and his cronies are going to kill me...

Hey!!! See that little button down there?? The one that says the best word in the world?? Can u click on it for me, plz? I can't reach it!

Haha Wuvs!

Fishie ~^-^~