Disclaimer: I don't own Shiawase Kissa Sanchoume
Author's Note: We need a little more Ichirou/Uru on this site. Here is my rendition of chapter 20 - when Uru takes care of a feverish Shindou-san.
Something was shoved in his mouth. Ichirou woke up to a small little ninja sitting on his chest.
"Ichi-kun. Ichi-kun. It's time for you to go to work. Today's breakfast is Papa's sandwich."
"Hn," Ichirou responded. He needed some processing power. He continued to eat the sandwich.
"Mission completed. Make sure you're ready soon," Jirou commanded.
"Good job, Master Jirou." Ichirou loved his little brother. You never knew what would happen in the Nishikawa house.
As Jirou got off of Ichirou's bed, he added "By the way, Ichi-kun's cell phone has been ringing for a long time."
"Huh," Who could it be, Ichirou thought as he reached for his cell. So many missed calls and text messages.
His body froze when he read the most recent message. Heart pounding, Ichirou threw the half eaten sandwich away, dressed and left the house at a run.
Five minutes later he knocked on Shindou-san's door, wondering if he should knock the door down instead of knocking on it. It opened quickly, which put his mind at ease somewhat. He took in the scene before him. The absolute cutest Uru that he had ever seen – though that's tempered somewhat since she's in Shindou-san's apartment. Next, he saw a red-faced, sweaty Shindou-san in bed. Ichirou was livid until his brain kicked in and realized that Shindou-san was ill. Ichirou waited a beat before speaking so his voice is level.
"So, he collapsed," Ichirou stated, though it sounded like a question.
"Yeah, sorry Ichirou-kun. I didn't know what to do," the unknowing love of Ichirou's life responded.
It actually warmed him up a little inside to know that when something went wrong she would call him. She could have called her mother who was a nurse, but Uru called him instead! He felt like he was taking a little too much time to respond. Surely Uru would be wondering what's running through his head.
Never one to deviate from what he's thinking, he told her in what he liked to think of as "Uru-appropriate" language, "My imagination went really wild because you wrote something like "I'm at Shindou-san's, come and help me!" I thought that Shindou-san had finally dragged her into his cave. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it – I'm really uncomfortable with how close these two live to each other. I wonder if there's an apartment for rent in this building.
"So, how is he?" Might as well be polite, Ichirou thought.
"Yeah well…" Uru began, but was interrupted.
"There's. Nothing. Wrong," Shindou-san grumbled. "It's only due. To a lack of sleep!" He groaned, "So sleepy! To the shop…" he started to say.
To this silly statement, Uru responded with a violent shove, pushing Shindou-san back onto the bed. Ichirou spent a brief moment in a fantasy where Uru pushed him on a bed. He was well into the fantasy when he realized that Uru was talking. He listened to her and then looked down at Shindou-san, pondering the state of Shindou-san's mortality. Ichirou asked Uru a few questions and then patted her on the head. He lived for the moments when he could touch Uru. He let his hand stay a little longer than necessary. "Good job," he said and reluctantly took his hand away.
He popped some aspirin into his hands and tried to give them to Shindou-san. "You'd better take the day off. Here." He handed Shindou-san the pills. "Take the medicine, too." When Shindou-san responded negatively, he steeled himself for a show that was sure to work and would hopefully get Uru thinking of him in a certain way.
Ichirou leaned over Shindou-san and turned on the charm. He was sure that the air sparkled around him. "Would you like to take it mouth-to-mouth or are you going to swallow it yourself? Half of my medicine is kindness." He winked sarcastically at Shindou-san since Uru couldn't see it.
Shindou-san grabbed the pills away from Ichirou and downed them quickly, after beating Ichirou on the head, of course. Uru praised Ichirou, "I-Incredible, Ichirou-kun! Though you still got hit! You fought against that immense stubbornness!"
Deciding that he had acted rashly, Ichirou wanted to make sure that Uru didn't assume that Ichirou preferred men instead of women. "I'm used to handling people that refuse to take their medicine. Like my dad and little brother. So if you ever feel the least bit ill, I would love to help you with your medicine." Ichirou said this last line with the same straight face as ever. He knew that Uru wouldn't understand the underlying meaning behind the words. He loved flirting with her and he always did so on two levels. Flirting so that other men would know that she was taken (but that she was too naïve to pick up on) and then flirting with her on some level that she understood. Though, to this point, she hasn't realized it yet.
As he suspected, Uru responded to his advance with one of her famous genuine smiles and said, "Thanks, I'd like that!"
Her response got the blood pumping in his veins even though it was unintentional. Ichirou stole a look at Shindou-san. Shindou-san was angry, but still weak, so there wasn't anything he could do. Ichirou listened as Uru told Shindou-san to relax and that she and Ichirou would look after the shop.
"Roger," he responded and was happy to have the whole day alone with Uru. Ichirou laughed to himself – he came here with a murderous intent and now he couldn't have been happier! To put the icing on the cake, Ichirou grabbed Shindou-san's keys on his way out, so Shindou-san had to stay behind and rest (and leave Uru alone with Ichirou). If Shindou-san tried to leave, his apartment would be left unlocked and unattended. Giving the invalid a smug look, he laughed and said "We're off."
Locking the door behind him, he told Uru that they should check on Shindou-san once in a while so that she could be at ease. He definitely kept the key for himself though; he didn't want Uru checking on Shindou-san by herself. Wanting to give Uru reassurance, he gave her one of his rare smiles and told her it would be alright and that it wasn't her fault. She looked dazed. It made him hopeful that he had some level of effect on her. "He said it was due to a lack of sleep and stuff, so if he rests for a day, he'll recover quickly. He must have had some stress bottled up."
"Yeah!" Uru exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. Ichirou felt like Uru just lit up the world and made it sparkle. He took in her flushed cheeks and cute smile and thought about the situation Shindou-san had found himself in the night before. Well, of course he couldn't sleep with someone like that falling asleep next to him. Who would want to miss a single moment of being with her? Actually I bet it wasn't just stress he had bottled up… naught boy! I understand your pain, Shindou-san.
Thinking his own lascivious thoughts, Ichirou thought it best to warn Uru. "You know, Uru, you're a little too defenseless."
"Eh?" Uru paused. "You're right! Muggers can attack us at any time," she exclaimed while hiding behind a fence. "You get down too, Ichirou-kun!"
He mentally sighed. Though this is why he loved this woman. He just wished she wasn't so defenseless around other men.
"No, that's not what I meant…" Ichirou stated, sounding defeated.
"Huh? What do you mean then? Anyway, let's go! Come on!"
"Yes, yes." Ichirou walked Uru back to the shop.
After being rudely wakened by an Abekawa brother, he was bothered to find out that Uru went to see Shindou-san alone. Not that he thought Shindou-san would do anything to Uru, but you never can tell what a person who has a fever is going to do. He thought briefly about leaving the shop and following her, but then reconsidered as Uru might interpret that as he didn't trust her. Ichirou sighed, then paused happily. I put Shindou-san's key in my back pocket! That must mean that Uru… these thoughts pleased and occupied Ichirou's thoughts for some time. He was just sad he slept through it. He decided to pass his time eating popcorn, waiting for Uru's return.
After chatting with the Abekawa brothers for a while, Uru came back to the shop. Ichirou was able to both enjoy watching Abekawa Sou get angry that Uru went to Shindou-san's place and bothered that Sou felt like he had claim enough to be angry. Ichirou focused on Uru and started in surprise.
"Uru. Were you crying?" He leaned forward and lifted a hand to her cheek. He held it there for a moment and then wiped away a tear.
"I… I wasn't!" Uru said, looking bashful. She turned her eyes down. "You see… there's just one more thing I'd like everyone to help me with."
Uru could have said anything after that sentence and Ichirou would make sure that it would be done. He loved her and wanted to prove that to her more than anything.
Uru continued, "Shindou-san looked better this afternoon and I'm sure that he'll be awake this evening. I'd like to throw a party for him."
Ichirou wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He wanted to laugh because, of course, the "one more thing" she wants is for someone else. He wants to cry because she wants something for another man – one who is in close proximity to her and one that she respects. Even though Shindou-san is still clueless about his own feelings for Uru, it doesn't make him any less a rival.
"Like a get well party?" Abekawa Sou asked.
Uru's answering smile was dazzling. "Yes! Exactly that!" Ichirou felt jealousy flood his system. He wanted Uru to smile that way for him only. He glared at Abekawa Sou.
They ended up getting their things together and heading over to Shindou-san's house where Ichirou baked for everyone. He wanted to show off his skills to Uru. He was rewarded with a smile that was just for him. "I want to take you away with me and keep you for myself," he said aloud. He winced when he was hit by Mitsuka-chan.