I opened the lid of the pot with a gloved hand, steam bursting from the pot, enveloping it in a white cloud. The cloud dissipated, revealing the boiling torrent within. I took a spoon and scooped up the hot broth, blowing on it to cool it down. I tasted it, the flavors melding together perfectly. I moved the pot off the heat, next to a pair of bowls and glasses. Off the heat, the broth calmed down, becoming slightly still, but steam still rising from the mixture.
"Hey Asuna," I called out of the kitchen. "This is ready if you want." There was no response. I grabbed a bowl and a large spoon, not bothering to take of my oven mitt, and filled the bowl with the hot broth. As the noodles and broth poured into the bowl, steam billowed out, my hand luckily protected by the mitt. I grabbed a smaller spoon as well, and began walking down the hallway towards our room. I stopped by the open door and peered in. Asuna lay on the bed, the blankets wrapped tightly around her, her slim form hardly hidden in the wrinkles. I stepped into the room, and felt a rush of cool air. It was cooler than the kitchen, obvious considering the boiling pot of soup I had been preparing. I stopped at the side of the bed, setting the bowl on the night stand. I slipped off my mitt and sat on the bed at her side. She lay on her back, her skin pale and clammy, her breath wheezy, and her hair strewn about the pillow and plastered on her face. I placed my hand on her cheek, wiping the strands of hair out of her face. She scrunched her face, and shot up in a sneeze. She sat up in bed, her eyes hanging half shut, and two globs of snot hung from her nose. I grabbed the box of tissues from off the nightstand and pulled one out, handing it to her.
"Here," I said.
"Thanks," She said grabbing it, dazedly wiping off the slime from her face. She looked over at the nightstand where I had replaced the box of tissues. "So what kind of soup did you bring me?" she asked in a gravelly voice.
"Chicken and noodle, something simple," I said. "I'm guessing you didn't hear me earlier then."
"I was knocked out," she snuffled. "I can barely hear a thing. I wish I could smell too." She sniffed the air, a horrid wheeze passing through her stuffed nose. She began to cough, covering her mouth with her arm. I leaned in closer to her, gently massaging her sore back.
"Maybe you should lay off talking for a bit," I said sliding off the bed. I grabbed the bowl and held it in one hand. "Well I can assure you that this will taste great," I said holding the bowl in one hand.
"Feed me Kirito," she pleaded, arms outstretched.
"Really?" I asked her.
"I do it for you all the time," she huffed. I stared her down, unamused. She scrunched her face and pouted. I shrugged and slid closer to her, bowl in hand. I grabbed the spoon, loading it up with the veritable vegetables that hung suspended in the hot broth. I turned to Asuna, blowing on the spoon. She clamped her mouth down on it. She leaned back, leaving the spoon shining clean. She smiled, licking her lips.
"How's it taste?" I asked her. She dropped her head.
"I barely tasted anything," she spoke through her stuffed nose.
"You should keep eating at least," I told her, filling up the spoon. She clamped down on the spoon again. She leaned back again, but this time she wore a frown.
"I just wish I could taste it," she said. I yet again loaded the spoon, and presented it to her.
"You know, I heard that spicy food helps with stuffy noses," I said, repeating the process. "Maybe you could show me how to make some of that hot sauce."
"Actually, I have some in the cupboard," she told me. "Can you grab it?"
"Sure," I said, placing the bowl back on the nightstand. I walked out into the hallway and back to the kitchen. I traced my eyes across the cupboards, searching which one held my loot. I opened the one closest to the fridge, but was empty. I shut the cabinet, moving on to the next one.
"Should have asked which cupboard Kirito," a voice behind me spoke. I turned around, to see a red and black figure sitting at the table. He pulled up a bottle, banging it on the table. "Of course it's such strong stuff, you can smell it quite easily." He unscrewed the lid, its strong aroma filling the room. He replaced the lid and slid the bottle over to my side.
"You know my name is Kazuto, Mikal," I replied.
"You should be well aware that that won't happen," Mikal replied. "Interesting, considering you never call me by my name."
"You never chose to tell us," I answered.
"And never shall I," he snidely remarked. "Who would be foolish enough to reveal his true name to a worthy adversary?" I grabbed the hot sauce and stared him down.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him, breaking the silence.
"Well, I was waiting for Asuna to come out as well," he replied.
"You know she's sick," I said.
"It's okay," I heard behind me. I looked behind me, Asuna walking in, wrapped in a blanket and holding the bowl of soup. She sat at the table, setting the bowl down as well. "I still need to eat." She held out her hand and I handed her the sauce. She opened it and poured a bit into the soup, mixing it in with her spoon.
"Well with you both here," Mikal said. "I can get on to what I have to say."
"And what is that, you cryptic asshole?" I asked him. He sat back in the chair.
"How rude," he replied. "You are still members of the Knights of the Blood Oath; and they, and subsequently you, answer to me."
"We're on leave," I told him. "What reason do you have to break into our house?"
"Indefinitely," he snidely replied. "And you refused to respond to my summons." My eyes tossed about the room, unable to look Mikal in the eye. "Yeah what I thought. You two have a week to respond. No response, I'll have to use more, aggressive, forms of persuasion." He stood up and walked out, the room turning dark. I looked up at the ceiling, the lights a dull grey.
"The lights were off the whole time?" Asuna asked.
"I don't remember turning them off," I said sitting next to her. "He can't make us go if you're still sick right?"
"Well, I am coming off of it," Asuna said. "But." She leaned in and kissed me deep, slipping her tongue into my mouth. She leaned back, tongue out, a string of saliva connecting us. "You can't go if you're sick."
"Come on Asuna," I told her. "I don't want to go either, but I don't want to have to suffer through it."
"Well that's okay," she said grabbing my arm, nuzzling her head into it. "It's getting weird having you take care of me. I feel like I'm losing my edge." I put my hand on her head.
"Anything to be with you Asuna," I said. "Plus it's gonna take a lot more than a few Paladins to kick my ass."
"Challenge accepted!" Mikal called, his voice echoed by the distance.
"He heard everything didn't He?" Asuna asked me.
"Obviously!" He called again. "You guys really need to fix these acoustics. The house is very live." The clatter of the door shutting echoed through the house confirming Mikal's exit.
"Glad he's gone," Asuna, said grabbing the bowl, slurping down the rest of the broth.
"You eat quick," I said.
"Excuse me?" she teased. "You know it's rude to comment on how a woman eats."
"Sorry," I said. "I'm just surprised you like my soup so much."
"No it's," she said. "It's very good. In fact I can't wait to try it when I can taste it for real." She opened her mouth wide, a loud yawn exiting. She tried to cover her mouth, but gave up halfway through. She got up and moved over to the bedroom. "I think I'm gonna head back to sleep," Asuna yawned. "I still feel really tired." She began to walk over, but I stood up, grabbing her hand.
"Mind if I join you?" I asked her.
"Sure," she said, pulling me with her. She held my hands close, her forehead against mine. She lay on the bed, her hands linked with mine, pulling me on top of her. Our lips met, passing my arms along her side. In my blurred sight, she began to cough, and she sat up quickly yet again, tossing me to the side of the bed. I sat up, watching as she coughed into her arm.
"Maybe we should just sleep," I said as her coughing died down. She smiled and nodded, laying her head on my shoulder. I laid my head down, and Asuna nuzzled her head into me. I slipped my arm under her, grabbing her opposite shoulder. Her breath was steady, albeit a little nasally and wheezy. She mumbled in her sleep, the words barely audible.
"I love you, Kirito," she mumbled. I leaned my head over, kissing her in the forehead.
"I love you too Asuna," I said, joining her in the realm of sleep.