"Guys, this is bad, I think we made a serious mistake!"
"What? What's happening!?"
"Our experiment!"
"Whaaaa—!"
Eruna skipped her way on the hallways when she heard something from somewhere exploded. She ran to where she heard the explosion. And being the self proclaimed hero of the academy she was, she went and see what caused the smoke coming from that room; the natural science club.
She slid the door open and found its members crawling like zombies or corpse on the ground, what? They look like that to her because of the half-asleep eyes they have.
She gasped before screaming and running off again.
She wasn't running that far but she felt exhausted and completely drained. Her walking became tipsy and her vision blurred.
"H-huh?" The next thing she saw were a pair of white boots before it was complete darkness.
"Eh!? Eruna-chan! What happened!?" Shigure panicked as he picks up his unconscious cousin's body on the floor. He blushed when he saw her angelic and peaceful face while sleeping.
"G-guess I'll be taking care of you for now"
-5:30 AM-
Shigure woke up because of Eruna, who was beside him, snoring loud and even sleep talking as if she's speaking alien language for he cannot understand her.
He shook her "Eruna-chan..." but her snoring still went on.
Shigure felt no sleepiness in him and shook her with even more force and when he saw that she's not in the slightest sign of waking up, he took a deep breath before shouting, "IIIICHINOMIYAAAA ERUUUNAAAA!"
She just rolled, her arm flew and landed on Shigure's face but it felt like she smacked him.
He knows she doesn't sleep like this. She may snore but not like this. Not. Like. This.
She's even drooling, which he found cute before wiping her mouth with a towel.
Another deep breath, "IIIIICHIIIINOOOOMIIIIYAAAAA ERUUUNAAAA!"
But instead of Eruna waking up or stopping her snores what he heard was a knock.
He opened to see who it is.
"Ninomiya."
"Kuzuryuu-kun"
"Your shouting woke me up, you know." He said before turning around and when he's by the door of his room, "There's milk near from where I stood" Shigure looked down and took the milk Kyoma brought over.
"Now, look, Eruna-chan, you woke someone because you won't wake up ye—"
It seems as if a light bulb popped out of his read before grinning creepily to himself.
"Maybe sleeping beauty would wake up with her true love's kiss" He said dramatically with matching poses before walking over to Eruna and leaned at her sleeping face when Eruna turned her back at him and her kicking from behind accidentally making Shigure fall off the bed. Now he's wondering if she's really sleeping or just faking it so he crawled back to the bed and attempted tickling her but she didn't move or flinch from his action.
"Wehehe~ Seisa-senpai~" She said in her sleep while smiling and about to drool again.
30 minutes of shouting and any other attempts to wake her made no impact to Eruna but only backfired on Shigure.
"Ughhh, my throat hurts."
Then another knock, he thought it was Kyoma again but when he opened the door,
"Minatogawa-kun." He said looking up at the taller man.
"What happened to your voice, Shigure-san?" Shigure looked down and saw Himi who was beside Sadamatsu.
Shigure was about to answer when Himi answered her own question instead "Is it because of you shouting for quite some time a while ago?" Shigure nodded
"We brought tea." Sadamatsu then handed the cup of tea to Shigure before bowing and walking off.
"Now, Eruna-chan, if you don't wake up yet, I'll sing for y—"
"What!? Whaaaat? What happened?!" Eruna jolted out of the bed and got her feet on the floor while turning her head around as if she's finding something.
"Seriously, Eruna-chan?" He said with a smile and a look of disbelief, so that's what makes her awake huh?
Then Eruna collapsed on the bed again after her vision turned black even if she has her eyes open because of her sudden getting up from the bed and it made her dizzy.
"Ugh, that hurts." She groaned while her face is still planted on the bed.
"Umm, Eruna-chan, are you okay?"
"Yeah, Shigure, I'm ok— wait, Shigure!?" She sat on the bed and pointed Shigure "What are you doing here?!"
"This is my room."
Then her finger pointed to her face "What am I doing here?!" Shigure explained how he found Eruna sleeping on the hallway and he also added the stuff that happened this morning making Eruna put her hand on her chin trying to think on what would make her get to that state.
"What were you doing before you got there anyway?"
"I was... uhhh... Oh right! There's this explosion from the Natural Science club, and..." She yawned before continuing her story and when she was near the last part, her eyes were prompting to close and she could feel her head get dizzy she trailed off with her story and lied on the bed again.
Before her eyes would close completely, Shigure shook her getting her back to her senses. "Oh, yeah, sorry. Where was I?"
"After you saw the 'zombie-like members of natural science club' you ran and...?"
"And yeah, there, when I turned by the corner, I felt tired and boom, everything went black. Next thing I remember was waking up..." Another yawn "...here." and she completely doze off.
He poked her cheeks but she already fell asleep, again.
"Twinkle, twinkle, litt—"
"No! Stop it! I'm awake!" She got up and covered his mouth to stop him from singing.
When she removed her hands, he grinned. "What's that, you creep."
"Let's settle that sleepiness of yours with this." Eruna tilted her head "When you fall asleep like that in the middle of something, I'll kiss you."
The idea of her waking up from suddenly sleeping and being kissed by her cousin heated her cheeks up, "Wh-wh-what's that!?"
"Oh, what's the matter, Eruna-chan?"
Eruna thought it over, and an idea came to mind, "Fine, deal!" She said smirking to herself which surprised Shigure. He didn't expect it that she would agree and take up his suggestion, which was a challenge to her;
Because her idea was, she would think about the fact that he will kiss her when she falls asleep to keep her awake.
...and so she thought.
They were side by side walking to school when Eruna didn't expect her condition would come up this sudden.
She tripped while walking before closing her eyes and felt nothing. She didn't feel it when Shigure caught her and now she's sleeping in his arms. Shigure know she's just sleeping lightly so he shook her. Eruna slowly opened her eyes, her vision's still blurry and her mind's still processing the situation when.
Chu!
She jumped out of Shigure's arms and looked around to see if somebody saw them, luckily, there's no one, she shouted at him her face flushing in embarrassment, "Why'd you do that!?"
"The deal, right?" He winked at her before dragging her before they come in late in their homeroom classes.
Kurumi was teaching about the history of Mikagura Academy and Eruna decided to take notes to keep her occupied and prevent her from sleeping. She knows Shigure won't know if she suddenly slept in the middle of the discussion but she wants to focus on class, specifically, on the teacher in front.
While she was writing, her writings became obscure and she felt as if the world's spinning faster it made her lose her balance and her head fell on her desk.
"Ichinomiya Eruna, the eejit (idiot) at the back, Ichinomiya." Kurumi called and when she noticed she's not responding, she walked to her and lightly smacked her head with a book but it did woke her up.
"H-Huh?" Eruna looked up and saw the cool teacher who just sighed, walked in front and continued discussing, she also noticed that her other classmates looked at her but also went back to listen at the discussion.
"I'm so sleepy, I think my condition's worsening" She whispered to herself and waited for her class to end.
"So Eruna-chan, I heard from your classmates you fell asleep during class, huh?" Shigure didn't wait for Eruna's response and kissed her cheek, making her blush lightly.
"Those traitors, who said that!?" She growled but Shigure just chuckled at his trying-to-be-angry-but-is-flushed cousin.
"So, it's true?"
"Wait, so you just did that— Hey, you tricked me! Jeez! Stupid Shigure!" She punched his shoulder before walking off to her and Otone's clubroom.
"Oh, I'll be at the club too so, see you, Eruna-chan!"
"No I won't."
But she didn't notice the little smile that's forming on her lips.
"Eruna! Eruna, wake up, ryui!" Bimii turned to spin to spank Eruna's face with his tail and thank goodness, that worked.
"What's happening to you, Eruna?" Otone asked, worrying obvious in her eyes. "When we entered this room, you were already on the floor."
"Ugh, I'm like this since, I think yesterday night."
"Yesterday night, hey, isn't that news about natural science club last night too?"
"According to the news, yes, ryui. Their experiment on sleep inducing went wrong and it exploded, ryui."
"W-w-wait! I came across that room before running off and fainting on the hallway where... where..." Eruna's hesitant to tell them about Shigure and their deal slash challenge.
""Where?""
"Spill it, ryui."
"Fine! Where Shigure found me." Otone giggled at Eruna's blushing face, "What's to be shy about that, Eruna?"
"Nothing~"
"The other members also were the same as you, ryui. They've been falling asleep at random times."
"And according to some, they know that one of its side effects was the effect worsens as the time before it wears off nears." Otone read the article from her device.
"For how long?"
"That... we don't know, ryui. The members were already asleep in their clubroom, ryui."
Eruna messed her hair in annoyance. For how long will she stay in this condition, and for how long will her deal with Shigure last?
And while she's ruffling her hair, she felt different.
"H-hey, where's my bandanna?"
Otone and Bimii looked at each other before looking at her saying that they haven't noticed that since she arrived here.
"Ah! I must've left it there! Be right back!" She dashed outside and headed for Shigure's dorm. She ran downstairs and when she's outside, she felt and legs go numb so she just walked and it felt like she was dragging her feet to his room.
'Why now?' She thought when she couldn't go on walking and it seems as if everything's fading in and out before it all faded into black.
"Hey, isn't this..?"
"Ninomiya's cousin, right?"
"Guys, you know what I have in mind?"
"Oh yeah..."
They nodded at each other before carrying the unconscious girl somewhere.
"Let's see what the 'most reliable senior' would do."
Shigure was drawing stuff in the clubroom when the mechanical pencil he's holding slipped out of his hand and fell on the floor. He stared at the mech-pen on the ground, he reached for it and before he could touch it, a weird feeling came to him and he doesn't like it.
He stood up and excused himself to the club members. He told them to take charge at the moment and close the door after, you know, those things, before he stormed of and fast-walked to Eruna's clubroom.
He slid the door and found Otone talking with Bimii and Eruna was nowhere in sight.
"Haa, haa. Where's... Eruna?"
"She already left, ryui."
"Eruna said she's going to get her bandanna on your room." Shigure nodded his thanks before running off to the boys' dorm.
He cussed under his breath while running as the thoughts that he could not avoid pops up in his mind.
'What if she fell asleep somewhere, what would happen to her?'
'No, Shigure, you should not think like that.'
Until he stopped on his tracks when he saw something familiar by his feet; he bent down to get the computer terminal that's on the ground.
"This is..." he clutched the device before putting it in his pocket before getting his own out, "...Eruna." He mumbled before looking around and tried to find another clue.
'Calm down, Shigure. Think of a way to find her.' Then it hit him, how he was able to find Eruna even without his glasses even if she's in the middle of a crowd.
He took a deep breath before attempting to sniff her out.
"Not that far."
"She's not waking up huh? Did she fall in a deep sleep?"
"Try waking her up."
The third man nodded and shook the pinkette. She groaned a bit before slowly opening her eyes only to see three unfamiliar men in front of her. She tried to stand up but the second guy pinned her down by the shoulders.
"Wh-wh-who are you?" She's not usually this scared against other people, but they look like they're much older than her and they really look like bad guys she doesn't want to mess with.
"No need to know, Miss. " Then the one who looks like their leader walked to her smirking, hands in his pocket. He pulled his right hand out and caressed Eruna's cheek sending shivers on her skin. He nodded and the third one walked somewhere, next thing she noticed, they already tied her hands and feet.
"What do you need?" She hopes the fear isn't evident in her voice.
"I think you mean... want." It was the second one's turn to smirk before walking to her left, in contrast to the first one that's on her right.
Since the ropes only on her wrists, she smacked the first one with her arm and got up. She pointed her 'toy gun' which is her fingers, at him.
"Tension Max! Le—!" Her index finger already lit up when the second one who was behind her grabbed her finger and pulled it to her limit making her curl down in a ball and hiss in pain.
"I don't even know you! Why would you do this!?" Tears brought by her pain formed on the corner of her eye but that sight only made the two guys in front of her let out an evil laugh before nodding at each other.
"Now, now, we haven't really done anything you know."
"We did not make a move on you that your 'reliable senior' hasn't done yet."
Her eyes widened and tried to back away from them. She can't deny that she get the picture of what they're talking about.
She stopped on her tracks for the second guy got a grip on her wrists with one hand, for one, and on her knees, for two.
Eruna took a deep breath "SOMEBODY! HEL—gak!" She choked on her words when the first guy strangled her. She's struggling to get the big hand on her neck but it only made her lose her air and stamina more.
"Don't be stubborn, we just want to play with you, you know?" But there was threat in his voice.
'No, that won't calm me down' She thought but her body says otherwise, she's starting to feel nauseate again. The first still hasn't removed his hand on her neck when Eruna's eyes closed.
"It's no fun if she's asleep." The second one swiped his finger on her legs getting Eruna back to her senses again.
"Stop!" Eruna hit the second's chin with her knee. "You really are asking for it huh?"
The first guy pulled her hair before slowly leaning to her neck.
'No, you can't do that. Stop.' She attempted shouting again when a handkerchief appeared and tied to her mouth to muffle her screams by the third one.
'Shigure, where are you?'
Shigure stopped on his tracks and looked at the former storage room of the academy in front of him. He kept his device in his pocket, along with Eruna's and readied his pen.
He kicked the door open and made them all look at his direction. The first stopped on his tracks on making a move on Eruna to her relief.
And much more to her relief was the fact that Shigure was now here and was able to stop what might happen to her if it went on.
"Yo." Shigure started as he glared on each one of the three surrounding his dear Eruna-chan.
"Oh, playing knight in shining armour now, most reliable senior?"
"Nah, just here to teach my classmates how to mind their own business! Hero Time!"His pen then transformed into a sword. The moment he thrust to their direction, the two guys activated their abilities too and fought Shigure.
As if they could defeat a top student.
As for the third one, he looked at Eruna who has a really worried look on her face. He smacked her head to get her attention and good thing it worked. She turned her head to him and frowned but they boy didn't seem like he was by a bit affected by her frown. He even rolled his eyes at her before slowly removing the handkerchief on her mouth and also untied her wrists.
"You can help him now." He motioned his head to where the fight was going on.
Eruna looked at Shigure. Though she could tell he has the upper hand, she could still tell that he was having a hard time on having two opponents.
"Why did you help me? I mean, aren't you friends with them?"
"Don't you want to help your cousin yet?" When Eruna didn't reply, he sighed and scratched the back of his head, "Long story short, I was just forced to be with them. And now, I decided to leave them for good. If they get expelled for kidnapping you and I might be one of them, I'll defend myself and watch them leave this academy and I'm gonna stay."
Eruna smiled at him, but not her usual bright smile, she's still frightened about what happened a while ago. "I'll stand up for you too." She ran beside Shigure and before the two could made their move,
"Tension Max! LET'S GO!"
Before the two could recover from the bright light from Eruna's attack, the third one tied their hands together when someone joined them.
"Bimii!" Eruna shouted at the human form-Bimii who was followed by another teacher, Kurumi.
"You two could go on, we'll be handling the situation from here on." Bimii said with his serious tone and the two just nodded. Eruna, too, was not in the mood to tease Bimii's sudden change of aura.
-Shigure's Room-
Eruna waited on Shigure's couch as he changed from his uniform to his casual clothes.
"Aren't you going to change your clothes, Eruna-chan?"
"I'm good."
Then silence. But being the tense atmosphere-hater girl Eruna is, she grabbed Shigure's sleeve and leaned on his shoulder.
"Eruna-chan?"
"Umm... S-say... I-I...I~" Shigure patted his awkward cousin's head.
"You don't have to force yours—"
"No!" Eruna looked up and met Shigure's eyes. Shigure was as shocked as Eruna when their gazes met. He don't always get the chance to be this close to Eruna nor did he ever saw her blushing this hard when she's not holding her PSP to play her galge (gal game).
"I~" she yawned before slowly closing her eyes and fell on Shigure's lap.
Shigure chuckled at her cute face. He brushed her bangs away from her forehead and planted a small kiss before whispering to her, "I'll sing you a lullaby." Resulting to Eruna opening her eyes and see Shigure's smile when he saw her wake up.
Eruna did not sat up, she felt comfortable on his lap. She grabbed his hand that was on her forehead and caressed it before intertwining it with hers.
"Shigure." She said in an almost whispery voice but a hint of sweetness was evident to his ears.
"Y-yes, Eruna-chan?"
She shut her eyes for a few seconds before looking deep in his eyes and blushed unknown to her.
"Thanks for saving me back there." She arched her back a bit to kiss his cheeks, making the both of them blush even more.
"Y-you look like a real hero back then, you know?"
"Really?" The blush on his face faded away but was replaced with a shocked expression. He never expected her to tell him that now, he wasn't prepared. Sure, he would always wish for that, there would be times he would lose hope but now...
"Thank you, Eruna-chan."
"What's your title again? Ah, most reliable senior." She gave him a teasing smirk
"Eh?" It was his turn to smirk now, "I don't need that title though, I was aiming for..."
"For?" She yawned
"The most reliable cousin." He grinned and instead of Eruna hitting him, she smiled at him before closing her eyes and falling back to sleep.
"Aww, no sleeping, Eruna-chan."He kissed her cheek before shaking her a bit, good thing she wasn't soundly asleep yet, he could wake her up.
"Hmm?" She said with her eyes half closed.
"Just going to tell you something before you go to sleep again."
"What is it~?" She said looking as if she wasn't paying attention anymore or it's just she's already half asleep that her mind's already floating somewhere.
"I love you." He then lifted her bridal style and when he was about to lay her down on his bed, he heard her mumble in her sleep.
"Yeah, me too."
Ceiral's Rant: Oh gosh hahaha forced to finish this because if I don't finish it now, and... school starts tomorrow orz, I don't know when I'll be able to. So sorry if it didn't ended up that good, (or it did?)
Ugh, I still have ShiguEru ideas (/cries) I hope I could still write even if school starts.