It's Only Natural, an angelic layer fanfic

I do not own Angelic Layer! Hope you enjoy

It's Only Natural

"Why me?" Misaki sighed and grabbed the remote forcefully.

She skimmed through the channels desperately; she couldn't find a thing! Bored out of her mind, she had to stay home because of a minor cold. But knowing her mother, her overreacting mother sense tingled and told her to stay home for the day.

Oh what a bother, Misaki thought exasperating to the pillow that lay beneath her. She could be at school chatting with Tamayo and Kotaro or studying for the semester tests that were heading their way. She coughed up a nasty substance and waltzed to the bathroom to remove of it.

Oh man.

She looked in the since and wanted to vomit. It was an odd color indeed. Mixed in blood, it have all the things you would have never guessed. It made her think about her situation she was exactly in. Was she really sicker than she suspected?

She felt her head and it was terribly hot. Her body ached with agony, how did she get up? Just a few minutes ago she happy and dandy.

She crawled back into her bed with a soaked cloth and tried to get some rest. She painfully turned to a picture frame that laid close by. Best friends picture, wait-

It was a cute picture of Oujiro and Misaki. Of course she would have a cute…picture of them two, together…right? The frame made her think once more. Being off, she was doing a lot of thinking today. What did she exactly feel for the high-schoolmen. Love? No, they were definitely just friends.

Though every time she walked passed him she felt her cheeks warm or they'd even reach to a blush. He'd just smile and say hello, like any gentlemen would do. He would just only say "Hello, Misaki-chan," and just smile before she even had the chance to run away.

Wait. Why would she want to run away from Oujiro? They're just friends, right? Why is she thinking these things? She sighed and pulled the covers over her head.

And slowly went to sleep. Just dreaming of tomorrow, maybe?

BEEP. BEEP.

Just jumped from under the covers and look at her alarm clock. She twitched once and pushed her off' button gently. 4:00 PM it said. School was out and people were coming home. This day had gone by so fast because she went to sleep.

"MISAKIIIIIIIII!" She heard and worried yet excited voice exclaim as she closed her eyes. She didn't call me by nickname? She thought before she scooted out of her covers and onto the floor.

Misaki skipped down the stair and to the door.

"Oh hey, Tamayo and Kotaro," She said before coughed up a storm. Kotaro brought her into her house and told her to lie on the couch until they leave.

"But I am fine-" She coughed once more. She smiled weakly before being told to lie down. Frowning, she walked to the nearest furniture and had herself ly down for more rest.

"Jah, I'm sorry but Kotaro and I have to leave for practice. You're sure you'll be okay," Misaki nodded and pushed Tamayo out the door with her words, no wanteing them to be late for her.

She fell to the floor coughing up another unknown substance except it was redder than before. She was coughing even more blood.

Knock. Knock.

Who could be here? She covered up her cough with her hand and tried her hardest to reach the doorknob.

"Misaki-chan?" The voice was familiar but her ears couldn't absorb the voice as well being clogged. She managed to open the door; to her surprise it was the teenaged boy she would have never thought of it to be.

Mihara Oujiro.

"Oujiro-sa-" She tried before falling into his arms. He jumped out of his calm exterior to stop her from hitting the floor. He grabbed her and brought her to his chest to actually pick her up. He softly cuddled her in his arms and brought her to the couch.

"Misaki-chan," He whispered sadly to himself as he put one of her bangs back into place. He put his head onto her forehead to check the relative temperature. Very hot, he thought before getting to search for the medicine cabinet.

He walked passed her room and saw a picture frames; one seemed very familiar to the one…

He crept through the door and just told himself it was just a quick look. But he knew he would regret this later. He knew that a male is not supposed to enter the female's room just out of proper respect.

"It's that picture," He said smiling at the memory of the playful 'get-together'. He laid it to where it was and continued on the hunt for the medicine cabinet. He went to the bathroom and searched there before he tried calling Shuu.

"There," He picked up and thermometer and a wash cloth. He damped the cloth and warmed the thermometer to kill the bacteria that lay on the tip. His step-was a crazy scientist. He should know better.

"He came back to the distressed girl and tried his best to cool her down. He surfaced the towel onto her forehead and stuck the thermometer in her mouth to check the actual temperature.

"104.3," He said worried before he looked down to the wheezing girl on the couch. "I should call," She rustled in her sleep until her eyes shot open.

"I fell over right before-. Oujiro-san!" She said exclaiming, only allowing herself to fall onwards to the floor. He chuckled genuinely before offering his hands. She took his and catapulted into his arms. She grew a blush in no time.

"Jah. Excuse me," she said looking away before continuing, "Oujiro-san, why are you here?" She said naively and staring to the ground, not daring to look into his soft, gentle eyes.

"I was visiting before you collapsed into my arms. I couldn't just leave you here burning up like you were," He said stepping closer to her. She looked down to hide the majority of her blush. He raised his hand to check one more time before he took his departure.

She winced as she soon realized what he was doing. She turned her head too late to stop; yet he still caught her.

"You're still too hot for me to be comfortable, Misaki-chan," He said tilting his head to grasp her attention, "Get some rest, please," He said taking her chin into his hand. She looked to his eyes finally and saw heaven for the first time. He smiled and hugged her goodbye.

She suddenly felt like nothing.

'Nothing but a little sister, eh?' she thought disappointedly. She came to the bathroom once more and looked at herself. She saw just a girl with a measly cold and a high temperature. Yet she had emotions boiling inside her. She was so shy to admit the feelings she had for…-

For Oujiro.

She heard the rain tap on her window, telling her the clouds are crying with her also. She stepped out of the bathroom and looked at the front door. She seemed to not be herself at the time. What's Misaki thinking?

She opened the door and step outside. She felt the rain fall from the sky to her steaming face; it felt so soothing. She wanted more. She walked away from the house and into the street. She meandered everywhere until her legs were too weak to continue. Her bow fell earlier but she had not cared for it much anymore. She sat at the nearest bench and thought.

"Why am I feeling so horrid all of a suddenly?" She raised her hand as if she were trying to touch the sky and sun. Her vision became blurred and body became even weaker than before.

Falling to the darkness in which crept in her heart, she collapsed. She was exhausted and knew she wasn't supposed to be out here…

All alone.

---&

7:00 PM

Shuuko arrived home early from work for her sick daughter. Thinking she would be lying in bed she walked to her room first before looking anywhere else.

"Oh? She isn't here," She looked down to the living room; not there either. Shuuko immediately called her sister to see if Misaki had been there.

"No Shuu, she isn't over here, but I'll keep an eye out," Shouko said a little worried. By this time Shuuko was ready to call the police. She called Icchan to ask him if he had seen Misaki anywhere, yet the reply was still 'nope'. Her voice began to shake and crack on the phone with him. It signaled him to come right away.

He speed-dialed a phone.

"Jah, Hello?" The voice said.

"Oujiro, when was the last time you have seen Misaki?"

"Oh about 3 hours ago; again, why?"

"Hai, She seems to be missing. We told her friends and they're on the look out, also," Icchan sighed again, "I'm going over Shuu's house to calm her down. Keep an eye out for Misak-,"

"I'm going to go look for her, bye," He said before clicking his phone and shoving it into his pocket. He grabbed his keys and ran to his car with plenty of urgency to share with everyone. The clouds cried even more as the seconds had gone by.

---&

The rain droplets fell onward to her face as the little girl slept. She was unconscious and vulnerable to the outside and the unknown. It was getting dark and the clouds weren't showing any mercy with their tears.

----&

He pushed the gas peddle even more as Shuu's house appeared. Oujiro was coming, very worried.

"Here I am," He stepped to the door and knocked on it. Icchan answered it with a worried expression.

"I'm just checking in, but I'm leaving right now," Oujiro said turning the other direction.

"When you do find her, take her to the hospital. She's already sick enough," Oujiro nodded and stopped and looked at Shuu.

"It's okay. We'll find her," But inside he wanted to panic or run away to find her without any distraction on whether her health was okay or if she's even in the area now. She could be miles away from here by now. Stop thinking and run!

Oujiro ran without and umbrella. Rain came pouring down as the lightning bolt struck down. What was she thinking? She knew she was sick and ill, yet she still ran out. He specifically told her to gets some rest-

But the look in her eye before he left her questionable. He usual blush wasn't as red or burgundy. Seems like she was giving up on something, but what?

He looked this was and that way yet not a single hint of where she could be appeared. His heart raced this time and his worry scale was beginning to explode. He had no idea where she was; for all he knew she could be collapsed someone on the verge of death. She could've been abducted by some rapists or of the sort. Stop thinking!

He stopped for a quick breath before he sighted a shot of blue.

"A bow?" He said aloud. He remembered Misaki having a blue bow! She has to be close by! He rejoiced for a moments and began running again with the bow clasped in hand. He switched right and turned everywhere looking for her. He really should have brought his car, now that he thought about it. He was soaked for a girl who did not follow some advice.

Which kind of frustrated him at the most.

He ran a few more feet before he spotted a collapsed body on the benches. "No, that can't be," He said dashing forward to the benches and felt his heart fall. 'Misaki-chan," he said in pain as he arrived to the girl. She was unconscious and in her thin pajamas from earlier.

"What was she thinking?!" He began to let out the puzzled emotions that were inside him. He was dead worried. He grabbed her hand and checked her pulse; she's still alive. He thanked the gods for the gracious moment.

"Misaki," he shook her in hopes of getting an answer or for her to wake up. She squirmed at first and shot her eyes open. She saw Oujiro holding her hand with water dripping from his chin. She was puzzled and yet she knew exactly why his eyes looked away from her.

"Why?" He said releasing her hand. Her eyes darkened and looked down to her hands. She opened her mouth to start, but she hesitated to get it out.

"I—I didn't know what I was doing earlier so I can't quite explain. I am sorry!" She bent her head down to bow but her forehead landed on his chest. She widened her eyes and tried to move back but couldn't have the energy to. Instead, he brought her closer and laid his chin on her small head.

"Oujiro-san," she said in a whisper. Her blush came to surface as the rain dashed on her face. Yet inside she wanted to tear; she knew that he was angry with her for not following those instructions. She fiercely closed her eyes to cut off the lane of tears that would soon come. But they still came.

"I'm sorry," She tried releasing her body from his loving embrace; he looked down to see her darkened eyes and inevitable tears pour down. Just like the rain that surrounded them. Yet in seconds, she shook it off and smiled to him and got up.

"We should get back to my house-" She said before a cough interrupted . It was as if the sickness had authority over her body and set certain jurisdiction within her speeches. She couldn't speak for more than a minute without coughing terribly.

He shot up and patted her back. "Yeah, I'm taking you to the hospital," He said thinking of a way to get her back. He knew she was too sick to even talk let alone walk. Ah. Piggyback ride was his only choice. He bent to his knees and said, "Jump on. We have to hurry in your condition,"

"Oh, I couldn't. I can walk fine!" He looked at her in a non-joking way. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He scooped her up in a gentle manner and set off.

"So you don't know why you left?" He asked continuing on what he started. She looked away and nodded.

"I just wasn't feeling myself and I guess wanted some fresh air," she stopped herself from continuing. She'd say something she would regret a few minutes later. 'Oh what the heck, I know he is already mad,' she thought sadly and continued. "Jah. Oujiro-san is angry at Misaki for leaving the house and causing so much trouble?" She said laying her head on his wet shoulder. The rain had softened a bit; the sun was wanting to come out.

"I don't think I could be angry at you, Misaki. I was too worried about your safety rather than just contemplating why you didn't follow the advice. I thought you were, actually I didn't know what would happen to you," He said adjusting her weight on his back. She felt extremely guilty for doing this and wanted to get off right away.

"Oujiro-san, I'm sorry," He looked behind him to see her face.

"For what?"

"For worrying you so much,"

"It's only natural for you to worry for someone you've known for a while," he continued, "You're very dear to me," She looked at him.

"Nah. I couldn't be," She joked.

"Let me rephrase my sentence so it can be clearer to you of what I meant," He smiled. He felt his heart race like a mouse galloping for its life. He cleared his throat for he didn't expect to be admitting this now. Crazy things happen in some of the most random days. 'I guess it's time for me to admit," He smiled to himself once again.

"It's only natural for you to worry about someone you love," She felt her spine shiver with shock. "I heard you were sick and I felt like there was nothing I could do. So I decided to come and see you for a few minutes. But when you fell into my arms, I felt like dying. Every time I see you within the hallways, I've always wished you were mine. Then I'd see you blush and just think of how cute you look. Then I would begin to think of how you grew from the first time I met you in the high school. You grew beautiful." It was simply breath taking. Yet I would just hide it all inside; inside my heart.

"You joke," He wanted to drop her down and give her a lecture about it, but did not. He just shook off the discomfort, "No one could ever love a klutz like me!" She said holding on to his shirt tighter.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Misaki-chan. You have many admirers. You're passionate behind that adorable mask of yours. Yet you have such a fragile heart," He regretted the last ideal he made.

"Fragile heart, eh?" he mentally smacked himself, "I forever thought that I was just a little sister to you," She chuckled aloud.

"Are you mad," He joked to her and sat his head to the side to reach hers. "You forever have my heart instead," He left out a minor laugh to her as she giggled

"As to you too," His heart rejoiced. 'She loves me?' She continued with her admittance, "I—love—you, too, Oujiro," Rejoice he did. He heard his phone ring and cursed to himself. Perfect moments can't ever last long. He sat her down for just a second and pulled it out. He looked at the phone number and sighed to himself.

"Hello?"

"Did you find her!?" A exclaiming voice said through the phone. He pulled it from his ear just a tad because of this. "Well?"

"Yes nii-san. She's right here," He looked down to the who was fiddling with her fingers. He kneeled to her and took her hand within his. He looked at the and without knowing began rubbing them with his own accord, lovingly. "I can see the house from her, but I'm going to drop her off at the hospital like you said," He said the last part of his statement with sarcasm which made him bring a roll to his eyes.

"Great! We'll see you there," He hung up and brought Misaki to the car. Soaked, she thought about it first. He shook his head and came to her.

"It's okay. My seat going to get wet also," He laughed again sitting her down, and closing the door. This day is just bringing smiles, eh? He sat himself in and put the key in its ignition, and pushed on the pedal. He looked straight ahead trying to keep an eye on the ongoing traffic. Misaki watched him until her eyes grew weary. She closed he eyes and fell fast asleep. He turned to see her current condition and caught the girl fast asleep; he smiled to himself and merged into a different lane. He arrived at the hospital and carried her to the entrance before the saw him and brought stretcher. They asked if it was an emergency; he replied no.

"I just need her to be checked. She was stuck in the rain while she was already drastically sick," The doctor nodded and gave them a room. They stuck her on a monitoring machine and too test while Oujiro stood aside.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Misaki-chan. You have many admirers. You're passionate behind that adorable mask of yours. Yet you have such a fragile heart," He regretted the last ideal he made.

"Fragile heart, eh?" he mentally smacked himself, "I forever thought that I was just a little sister to you," She chuckled aloud.

"Are you mad," He joked to her and sat his head to the side to reach hers. "You forever have my heart instead," He left out a minor laugh to her as she giggled

"As to you too," His heart rejoiced. 'She loves me?' She continued with her admittance, "I—love—you, too, Oujiro," Rejoice he did. He heard his phone ring and cursed to himself. Perfect moments can't ever last long. He sat her down for just a second and pulled it out. He looked at the phone number and sighed to himself.

She loves me, he thought happily to himself. His feelings couldn't be described. He had found that precious gal he had longed for. His mother wanted him to find someone who he truly loved; he had it all along. Misaki was like the flower in winter that always seemed to lift the spirits of the cold. She had to be handled carefully, for she was a delicate flower. He looked at her sleeping state and wondered what exactly was she dreaming and if he were in it too. His gaze softened as she breathed his name through her sleep.

He brought a chair closer to the bed to see his flower rest. Who else wouldn't want to watch their one and only sleep peacefully; without any pain. It was the best thing in Oujiro's mind. He sat down and raised his hand to her face. He adjusted her bangs and brought his face closer to hers.

He kissed her forehead gently and laid his head back into the chair. He smelled the medicines that were being use in the next room. He smelled the alcohol that was used to cleanse the wound or clean a spot on skin for a shot. He heard children laughing with their parents in a joyous manner.

Soon before he knew it, he was beginning to sleep, and dream of him and his beloved Misaki.

-------------------------&

Cute and fluffy! I had loads of fun writing this one-shot. I lovvvved it. Hope you did too!

-xArtistic