In Heat
A Special A fanfiction
By keikari
Summary: When Kei caught fever, Hikari took care of him. When Hikari caught fever, they all took care of her. Now both of them has fever & they only have each other to care of. ONESHOT, keixhikari.
The challenge: Hikari, angry at Takishima for beating her in the trivia contest again by a small fraction of score, decided to host another challenge. "Whoever gets to the top of Mount Fuji first will be able to make the loser to do anything they want!" Kei didn't bother protesting, knowing full well who would win.
The deal: They were going to hike their way to the top of the mountain, with only the basic necessities, on foot.
The situation: miraculously, they were lost in the middle of no where. And even Kei didn't know which way to go. The signal for coverage especially after a heavy rain high up in this area was gone, so contacting for help was out of the option.
The temporarily solution: Kei knew a wooden cottage somewhere near them. It was owned by one of his grandfather's cousin.
From the horizon blazed the orange-golden color of the sunset, its setting bringing squawks of crows flying to trees for shelter. Hikari looked at the glow, her eyes wide and fearful at the idea of the approaching night.
"We're lost…" she murmured, despair in her voice. Hikari rarely felt hopeless in any situation, but in this one, the clutch of despair on her was tight. It was the second time she was lost in a wide place and it frightened her.
"Don't worry…"
Turning to look at him, she couldn't believe he could actually be caring. But it was a comforting thought.
"I know of a cottage somewhere near here… If we just keep going north, we should be able to find it."
--
His words proved true enough as the compass lead them to a worn out yet still stable-looking cottage. The glass panes were musty, the wooden foundations were dark with the moisture from the recent rain. And it smelled of grass and wood.
When Hikari stepped on the first landing, her fears evaporated as the wooden plank held her weight. It was durable after all.
And besides, they have no choice but to seek shelter here than outside.
Crash
Startled, Hikari turned to look at the sound and saw Takishima had just broken a window and got inside.
"What are you doing?!" she yelled.
"Saving us from the cold of the night later on." he answered bluntly as he went inside and checked the facilities. Despite the appearance outside, the facilities provided inside the cottage seemed to be in good working order, Kei noted as he checked the sink and found the water was good enough for drinking.
There were also some useful equipment in the drawers, some towels and moth-eaten cloths in the cabinets. But there was no food.
In any case, this was good than any. They were inevitably going to be stuck here for the night, it seems.
And he was starting to get dizzy… looking around, he saw a single bed lying on the corner near the windows.
"That's good enou---" he didn't finish his sentence and fainted on the floor beside him.
Hikari, who was near the door, saw him. For a while, she just stared.
"Takishima?" she voiced, unable to figure out what could've brought this unbeatable man to his knees.
Then, feeling something wrong, she rushed to his side to look at him. He was panting and his face was flushed. Drops of sweat beaded on his forehead.
"What…" she murmured.
"…I told you…we should've used our raincoats when it rained a while ago…" Kei weakly muttered between gasps, a smile on his face.
And then, it dawned on her.
Takishima had a cold that time but he still took the challenge! It rained then but we were high on our tracks… I had forbidden the use of raincoats…
Hikari paled when she realized. The wetness had probably dried on his clothes… and now he has fever.
She felt for his forehead and found he was very hot. He had this for quite some time now, yet he probably endured it until they found this cottage.
"Stupid Takishima…" Hikari mumbled but she was really worried.
They were going to be stuck here in a while.
Outside the windows, the darkness had crawled over the forest. Dragging his unconscious, feverish body to the bed, she kept him as comfortable as possible and sought the light switch. Nothing. Panicky, she searched for the breaker and turned it on.
Thankfully enough, the bulbs flickered for a while as electricity flowed through its old wires before flickering open. Sighing in relief, now Hikari has only change their clothes…
It looks like she caught the fever too.
Hikari's POV
The heat was intoxicating, filling her mind and body with hot fumes that thinking logically felt like a chore. Turning in the bed to look at Takishima, Hikari felt for his forehead and withdrew it when she found out it was scalding hot.
"Takishima…" she murmured sadly, gently touching his hand. He was perspiring as he exhaled tiny puffs of warm breath. He looked so pitiful to look at… Hikari thought in her hazy mind.
He doesn't look like her greatest rival at all. Rather, he just appeared like a sick human being who needed her…
Thinking about how much he must rely on her made Hikari uneasy. From her rising temperature and her slow descent to dizziness every now and then, she doubt if she could provide him the best of care.
Already she could feel the ache pounding on her head and the way her hands and eyes seemed a little warmer than usual.
Hikari got his fever, and she still has to take care of him.
What to do?
Takishima… Why do you have to choose this moment to catch a fever..? distantly, Hikari thought as her senses were starting to fall to a faint stop.
Shrugging her head off, she decided to remain strong.
She must not lose. If she did, it would be a draw…
Already, Kei had lost this fight with his fever and now, she was the only one standing. Somehow, Kei had managed to transfer his sickness to her just when she was about to win. Hikari was still thinking these thoughts when the hand holding Takishima's began to slip as her consciousness faltered.
"Takishima Kei… Kei…" her thoughts, muddled till the point of delirium, thought of him still as she look at him from under her lashes, "Kei… Why can I think of your first name so easy yet it's so hard to say…?"
With that last thought, the last thing that held her awake broke and she fell, to the bed beside him as she fainted.
--
Kei's POV
Everything felt heavy, as though the very air he breathed has some kind of unspoken molecular weight that materialized and became real enough to be felt.
Kei Takishima opened his eyes with difficulty even though his eye lids felt like a sack of rice weighed it down. It felt so good to just ignore everything else and sleep it out, but he was feeling some pressure beside him that was hard to ignore.
With his heated mind trying to think straight, the most possible reason of that pressure was…
"Hikari…" Kei thought in his mind as his wavering sight saw her nestled beside him, her face flushed and sweaty. His first thought was that she was just sleeping, she got tired and decided to doze off.
But there was something wrong.
First of all, she wouldn't sleep beside him, not if her victory depended on it.
Second, she won't blush if she was not having any embarrassing moment, especially if it concerned him.
Alarmed yet weak to do anything about it, Kei tried his best and exerted enough effort to push his body out of bed. It was a tremendous blow to his feverish mind as the sudden shift bombarded his head with hammers and his sight swung around. He nearly vomited with the sudden feel of nausea rising to his throat and he made a grab for the bed post before he lost his balance.
Slowly, with effort, he stilled his rapidly swaying sight as he held the bed post, breathing in and out.
Hikari had somehow caught the virus of his fever. It was unexpected and uncalled for… if he knew this would happen, he would've suffered through it alone.
But, with her, he knew that wasn't possible. She was insufferably stubborn.
Knowing her, she probably forced herself until she just fainted.
Annoyed yet determined, Kei decided to do something.
He was the only one who could do this right now… or they probably won't last the night if this fever continues.
As he glanced around, he could make out the kitchen from the bright glaring lights. A damp towel was placed carelessly on the low table in front of him, probably Hikari when she was very worried, and taking it, he made the swaying journey to the kitchen, where the faucet was waiting.
If he could wet the towel with some water, he could use it to cool them both… but getting to the faucet wasn't so easy.
It was like walking on a boat amidst a raging storm. Everything was swaying in his peripheral sight that it was almost a miracle he made it to the faucet and nearly fell forward to it, the weariness and headache too much for him to handle.
Fortunately, he managed to hold out a hand and grabbed the handle of the faucet, where the sudden rush of water came out. The feel of the cool water against his feverish skin felt too cold that he stepped back and fell on his rump, panting. The swing of vertigo caught his head again and he nearly lost it when he remembered how Hikari depended on him…
His beloved Hikari…
Once more, Kei forced himself to stand by grabbing onto the handles of the cabinet under the sink. Then, he made the laborious rise to the faucet, where the water was still running, relentlessly scalding his skin with its coldness. Without further ado, Kei endured it and held the towel under running water, squeezing it dry afterwards. Closing the sink, he felt his head ache come back but he ignored it.
The trip back was longer and more laborious than ever. Kei distantly felt like he was walking on mud, every step he took was a drag. Clutching the wet towel in his arms, he managed to make it to the bed where Hikari was sleeping with the last ounce of his strength left.
Then as he was done placing the towel on her forehead, Kei's limits got the better of him and he slumped on the bed in a faint.
--
Kei's POV
The second time he came to, it wasn't pressure that woke him up… the pressure lying beside him was gone, he thought with faint anxiety.
Kei felt something…moving… on his feet.
"Ke---i…." the strangely seductive voice purred.
"H-Hikari..!" in Kei's surprise, he forgot the sensations brought about by fever and abruptly got up, roused instead by the woman lying at the end of his feet…appearing to do… something.
His eyes widened in surprise. He could only stare.
Hikari was in a state of delirium, Kei realized with sudden foreboding doom…
She was delirious just like what happened when she had a high fever. That time, she had literally assaulted him.
He should've known this was coming… now it looked like he'll have to endure this without anyone's help this time.
The blanket wrapped around her earlier was no where to be seen. The towel which was on her forehead now went to her head.
--And there was more.
Kei's eyes could hardly believe what he was seeing…or if this was even an effect of the fever. He no longer knew.
Hikari… Her upper clothes were gone.
Thankfully, she still had her underclothes which consisted of a flimsy chemise that ended up to her upper legs and barely concealed her—
"Agh, get dressed!" more of embarrassment than lust, Kei covered his eyes with his hands as he saw her bare clothing.
Hikari merely grinned naughtily at his reaction before turning to stand fully in front of him, meaning to tease him more.
"Do you like what you're seeing, Kei?" once more, she purred.
Taking the wet towel from the top of head, she placed it on her bare neck and gave it a healthy squeeze, moaning lustily as she did so.
At this, Kei couldn't help but take a peek.
What he saw was too much.
The heat surrounding his body suddenly felt like it no longer belonged to the fever… and as he watched with wide eyes, he felt helplessly immobilized.
The drop of liquid trickled down from her bare neck to the junction of her breasts, her back and shoulder blades. With the towel, Hikari used it to wipe the liquid in slow, seductive strokes, moaning at each swipe and causing Kei's toe to involuntarily curl. The combination of her flushed skin and the helpless expression on her face made him heat up that it felt suddenly dizzy.
Realizing this, Kei snapped himself to reality. This isn't good.
"Hikari is in a state of delirium…! I must be wary of her intentions…" he thought, starting to move away from her.
Thoughts of his condition brought back the symptoms, and he was already swinging with the direction of his turbulent sight, his head filled with dagger like pain.
"What's wrong… Kei…?" the delirious Hikari purred, watching him from the corner of her eyes as she licked her index finger up and down in a most alluring manner.
"Where are you going…Kei?"
Suddenly, she pounced at him and got hold of his shirt, taking it off in the process. Her strength was nearly inhuman.
She was indeed delirious that it was scary.
"No… Hikari, you mustn't!" Kei was thinking in his mind as he avoided her with the best of his efforts. Not looking behind, he stumbled onto the bed and crept on the head corner to escape her but she still approached and cornered him in the bed, bending close enough to him to reveal an enticing view of her cleavage.
The combination of the view and the thick rise and fall of her chest made his head swoon.
Kei gulped down dry saliva, his mind debating on feeling sickly or feeling tempted as he tried fixing his stare to her eyes.
"Hikari…" he breathed, for the first time in his life not knowing what to say.
Unfortunately, she mistook the tone the other way around, and as she bent closer to him, Kei held his breath.
"Yes?" she breathed to his face warm air as her navy blue eyes fluttered, "Kei… I want you to touch me…"
And at that moment, Kei thought of some way to end this. As she bends closer, closer to his face, Kei placed both of his hands on her chin and kissed her hard.
It took awhile, but eventually, she fainted into his arms while mumbling his first name.
Kei held her in his arms, smiling to himself.
As his own consciousness starting to fail him, he slept.
--
The next day...
It was already morning when she woke up. The sun was shining merrily as it peeked through the glass panes of the cottage, making Hikari open her eyes and rise up to the sun.
…when she felt something warm beside her.
Turning around she saw it was Takishima.
She wouldn't have felt so alarmed by that…maybe a little.
But when she looked down and saw her clothing and his bare chest, her mind burst with violent energy.
"TAKISHIMA!!" Hikari's voice bellowed, waking up Kei as he gently rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"Morning, miss number two…" he drawled, completely unfazed by her blushing face and her angry outburst.
Hikari was fired up enough to dodge the incoming "rank 2" anvil as it fell on her side.
"W-What did you do!?" she pointed an accusing finger his way, "You…You…"
"You had a fever last night while you were taking care of me." He explained, smiling gently. Somehow, something in the glint of his eyes didn't feel right.
But he was right… if she recalled, she was supposed to take care of him but she fell asleep.
So… they both lost. Embittered yet embarrassed, she sighed.
Clutching the blanket tighter around her body, she glowered at him, "You didn't do anything to me right?"
He merely grinned that mocking grin, "It couldn't be helped. As the situation called for, you were helpless and even though I had a fever, I managed to take care both of us." He waited for her reaction. As usual, it was expectantly slow.
"Then that means…" she pondered still.
"I win this competition, miss number two." He bluntly announced, smirking.
This time, when the anvil fell, it fell smack on her face.
--
That afternoon, they were packing their things, preparing to go home.
The signal was already back that morning, and with it, Kei contacted his personal chopper to fetch them by that cottage.
After a while, the whirring sounds of the helicopter stirred the surroundings and dropped down.
They were saved.
--
As they lay side by side in the same manner as they had before, Kei's thoughts went back to the time when he had the same fever and Hikari took care of him. Although the memory of it was vague, it was something he treasured because Hikari stayed by his side until he got better.
"Next time you have a fever, you can call me to take care of you…" Takishima drawled seductively.
"HuH? Why would I do that?" Hikari was saying bluntly, "You're the last person I'll ever need, Takishima!" she proudly spat.
He merely laughed.
"I won't be too sure about that…"
"What did you say?!" she yelled.
"Nothing…" he sighed. It was one memorable experience he'll remember.
~~end
AUTHORS NOTE: like it? :) Ah, the idea was just too tempting not to get out. :) And Hikari was pretty much the alluring lover when she's in fever, while kei is more of a cute little boy when he's sick. awwww. XD They're so adorable. Anyway. :) Review please! hehe.