Yes! Finally! The fic is here!
Mirage of Blaze characters by Mizuna Kurabawa
If you're reading this, be considerate and review this or you won't read anymore fics from ME, kay?
Red Telephone
Chapter One: Down With a Cold
It's 9:30 at night.
Takaya lumps out from the bathroom in his pajamas.
He feels his head is weighing him down like a huge boulder.
His nose clogged and congested and his throat a little scratchy.
Yes. The usual Winter Bug.
Takaya makes his way to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. His shuffling feet causes another set of feet running down the stairs to get to him.
"Niiii-chan! What are you doing up? You're suppose to be in bed!"
Takaya faces her with drowsy eyes. "Miya, I can take care of myself. I'm just getting some tea."
"Arh! That's how you caught this cold in the first place! You're always out in that little jacket and you barely get any rest!
You can sit here, I'll get a throw blanket and boil some water."
Takaya takes a heavy sigh and sit on the sofa chair in the living room by the kitchen. He never likes that awkward feeling of being fused over by his little sister, especially since he obliged himself to be looking after her.
Miya comes back and tosses the throw blanket at him. Takaya wraps it around his shoulders and gets comfy on the chair. His sister flows in her nightgown into the kitchen to prep for his herbal tea.
"Nii-chan, can you handle yourself alone while I'll be at school?" Echoes her voice into the living room.
"Yeah. I don't think I'll be out in a good while." The teen notices the "scratchiness" in his throat and folds his arms in more under the blanket. Miya comes in and hands her brother the mug with the steam from the hot liquid floating in the air.
"I'll get the stuff for your soup prepped up for tomorrow, Nii-chan. Then, I'll be in the bed."
"Arigato."
Miya walks back into the kitchen while Takaya takes a sip from his tea, letting the steam rise to his forehead to ease any tension.
"I told Narita-kun and the others that you were not feeling well earlier today so...I guess they'll be coming over tomorrow as well."
Takaya continues sipping his drink.
"We're going to have to be careful these days! A lot of people in my school had the flu and had to stay out for a couple of days to a week! Well, at least Naoe-san will be alright this time I'm sure.
Have you heard anything from him, Nii-chan?"
Takaya flashbacks to the time he and Naoe were at a restaurant by Tokyo Bay. It was near the evening as the setting casts a soft pink hue in the sky.
"This
place is great, Naoe. Do you come here often?"
"Hai. I
used to before I met you. Sometimes, I go there by myself."
Takaya looks at the horizon resting his hand on his cheek. That was when he felt a stuffiness in his forehead.
"Oh.
That sounds nice. Does it get lonely when you come here and
eat alone?"
"Hai."
Naoe answered looking at him with fonding eyes.
"I'm not alone now, and with you here, I can never be lonely."
Takaya continues to look on.
"There
is something I must tell you...Takaya-san." "Huh?"
"I will be going on a business trip to Hokkaido in a few days. My client wants me to accompany him to a business partner's retreat. He won't give me any more details until I arrive. If he needed a monk to be with him, maybe he suspect something supernatural to happen, perhaps from an old legend that I might know of."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, poor Naoe-san! I guess it doesn't matter as long as he gets paid.
Well, I'll be going off to bed. Don't stay up too long. I want you well, Nii-chan."
Takaya gently smiles at her as she walks by him to go upstairs. He finishes his tea and put the mug in the sink. Still wrapped in his blanket, Takaya steadily walks to his room and tucks himself in. Thankfully, Miya had already turn the heating system on. Takaya snuggles in the heavy blankets but he can't close his eyes.
He wishes for Naoe to be here holding him in his strong arms, and feeling the yasha's warm' broad body shielding him from any cold air. Takaya's body quivers a bit feeling a slight fever. He grabs a pillow and wraps his arms around it. He feels the need to hold something, anything until Naoe comes back.
Takaya holds the pillow tightly imagining feeling Naoe's soft hair on his cheek and the man's warm breath on his skin. The heavy blankets and the room temperature makes Takaya feel comfortable enough to close his heavy eyes.
He sighs a breath of relief and falls asleep.
Later in the afternoon, the school-bell chimes signaling the end of the day for the students.
In the midst of them, Chiaki with his hands in his pockets, Yuzuru carrying a few books, and Saori carries her little briefcase over her right shoulder. More likely, the three are glad that school is over, but, someone is missing from them.
Haruie leans against her motorbike carrying her red helmet by the side of the street looking at the three approaching her.
"So, what's up, guys? How was school?"
"Well, it was a little dull," replied Chiaki adjusting his specks.
"It's not the same without the Bakatora around."
Haruie looks surprised.
"Nani? You mean he's not here?"
Saori frowns.
"No. Miya-chan told us that Takaya is very sick and he's going to be out in a few weeks, at least a couple of days."
"And...Naoe doesn't know about this?"
Yuzuru sadly shakes his head.
"No. Naoe is on a business trip in Hokkaido. That was what Takaya told Miya and then she told us."
"Humph! That's our Naoe, alright! When those two aren't bickering, Naoe tells only Kagetora of his future whereabouts, but when they are, he goes to who-knows-where and we don't know squat!
It's ridiculous!"
"If you're done with your rant, we can set off and go to Takaya's house to see how's he doing. Yuzuru, you're riding with me."
"Ahh! Chi--Chiaki-kun.."
"Well, you get to ride with me."
"Oh my God! Really? On your bike?" Saori asked, starry-eyed.
With a wink, Haruie said, "you bet. Hop on and put on this helmet."
"Ooooh! I can't wait to tell Miya-chan!"
Yuzuru and Chiaki walks to the light blue 2006 Mazda in the parking lot. The girls has already pulled off leaving them behind alone.
After the two sit in the car and strap on, Chiaki starts the car.
"I wonder if Takaya will be okay without Naoe-san around."
"You serious? I'm wondering if Naoe can handle being away from him, and what could he be up to other than this retreat or whatever."
The car pulls off.
"Oh, come on, Chiaki-kun. He managed to be apart from him for three months."
"Yeah? That was because of something that Naoe himself did."
"..."
"So, Miya-san said that Naoe is in Hokkaido. I heard that there is a luxurious spa there."
"Yes, there is."
Chiaki looks on.
"It's a men's only spa," the teen continued.
"Is that so?"
"Mnh. Won't it be great if Naoe and Takaya go there together?"
Chiaki just felt his eyebrow twitch.
"Yuzuru, we're talking about a men's only spa! Naoe could, and would go off on the guy who even looks at Takaya! He'll choboku that dude by accident and then Haruie will come over to me and give me her sad puppy-eye act just to convince me to use my hypnotic ability on the cops to get Naoe out of that mess!
Oh no! Hell no!"
"Chiaki-kun..."
The car parks on the side of the street in front of the house. The girls stand at the doorway waiting for Chiaki and Yuzuru to join them.
Saori rings the bell.
"Okay, guys. We're going to see if Takaya is doing okay. I hope he'll feel better when he does sees us."
"That's right. That means that you better be nice to him....
Nagahide."
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. I'll give him some slack.
He better not be contagious---"
"Chiaki-kun! Please!"
"Okay. I'll go easy on him. For you though."
Yuzuru blushed a bit and Saori rings the doorbell again.
"I think someone is coming this time."
"Okay you two, look alive."
In a few seconds, the door slowly opens.
"Hi, guys! I'm so glad you're here! That's very nice of you to see Nii-chan!"
Yuzuru smiles, "it's really no problem. Is he doing any well so far?"
"Right now, his throat is so sore, he could barely talk."
"Oh no! Poor Takaya! We gotta go to him!"
The 5 of them march upstairs straight to the boy's room. Miya knocks on the door and enters in.
"Nii-chan, the gang's here!"
"Takaya, Hi! Are you feeling okay?" Saori steps in.
Takaya is sitting up on his bed wearing a fleece white robe with a blanket covering his lap and feet. He tries to manage a smile under the pain of his strepted and scratchy throat. He opens his mouth for his friends to hear only a soft whisper.
"I'm alright. I just almost had the flu."
Chiaki walks around them and sit alongside the futon near him.
"It's a good thing that's it's not anything worse, otherwise Miya would had to take you to a doctor.
Were you able to sense anything? Even a little?"
Takaya only shakes his head.
"I see. You were too ill then."
Chiaki rubs his hand on Takaya's head, messing up the boy's hair,
"Oi! Cheer up! Don't be so gloomy and all on us! Your little sister Miya did all she could to take care of you, you know!"
"Onii-chan, I'm going to check on your soup, okay?"
"See what I mean?"
"Wait! Miya-chan! I'm coming too!"
The room is silent. All there is in the air is a brief tension of apprehension between the Chiaki and Haruie. The female yasha stares at the floor twiddling her thumbs.
"Did you....hear anything from Naoe?"
Takaya lowers his head so his unruly bangs covers his frowning face. His fingers play on the fabric and takes a grip on it.
Takaya has been thinking about him day in and day out ever since he left for Hokkaido.
The emptiness in the house while his sister at school,
the lonely nights in his bed curling up under his blanket...
He couldn't feel much warmth without Naoe, without that handsome and loving Naoe!
Chiaki looks at him with concern.
"Takaya?"
Yuzuru places his hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Takaya, why didn't Miya-san told Naoe that you're sick?"
"Naoe doesn't need to worry about me, Yuzuru. I don't always need a bodyguard to nurse me."
"But Takaya---"
Miya and Saori return to the room with a throw blanket and a bowel of soup.
"Okay, Nii-chan, it's time for your supper."
Chiaki turns to her, "isn't that a little early?"
"He needs to rest a whole lot more, so he'll be going to sleep sooner.
Haruie with hands on her hips stands up.
"Well! It sounds like we better get going! Kagetora-sama needs to recover."
Saori throws the mini blanket over Takaya's shoulders while he holds the bowel on his lap.
"Bye, Takaya."
Yuzuru pat's his friend's back.
"Take it easy, alright? We'll come back at a later time when you're feeling a bit better."
"Arigato, Yuzuru."
"Bye, Kagetora-sama." Haruie kisses her lord's forehead.
"Don't make Miya-chan worry 'cause that would make me worry too! I'll come over and bring you some tea. It's from that monk that I've met."
"Yea. Like I've forgotten about him."
Chiaki looks at Takaya holding the door for Haruie as she walks out. He looks cautious and a bit worried.
Anything could happen to Kagetora by the Yami Sengoku, especially at his very vulnerable state.
Damn! How he wished that Naoe is there to protect his young lord! The extra catch is that Naoe doesn't know that his lover is so ill. Hopefully, Miya or anyone in the group with the possessor's phone number has already contacted him.
"He better show up, or at least call him! Something!
Takaya."
"...."
"If you need anything, if you sense anything, see anything, you let me or Haruie know, got it? I'm serious."
Takaya nods his head.
"I'll let Miya-san to bring the house phone here for any emergency.
till then, take care."
The yasha leaves closing the door. Takaya is left alone in the silence with the steaming herbal liquid warming his hands.