Mayuri's p.o.v.

I can't stand the thought of losing my Okarin, when we were little he had a really bad fever and it really scared me. He was so pale and sick, no one knew what would happen and I just kept thinking that he can't die, he won't because he promised to always be there for me if I needed him.

When I walked in today and he was lying down on the sofa , it was obvious he wasn't feeling good at all. Since his fever when we were kids, any time he gets sick is hard for me. I try to be brave but he always sees through it.

I stand quietly for a minute before setting my things down on the table. I try not to wake him and resist reaching out to check his temperature. He doesn't stay asleep long.

When his eyes open, I put on a smile.

He sits up and looks at me, then glances at the clock.

"Mayuri, you're early today." He tells me.

"Didn't you get my message Okarin, I didn't have to work today and I'm off tomorrow too. I can go if you -" he sighs.

"No it's fine." He picks up his phone.

"I guess I did get a message." He tosses it aside and leans against the cushions.

"Hey Okarin, are you feeling okay today?" I try to sound casual but as usual he knows I'm worried.

"I'm fine, just had a late night." I almost believe him, I want to. I decide to do my best to go along with it, maybe it'll take my mind off of the worrying.

"Up all night on the computer?"I asked.

"That was part of it. I've been waiting for a correspondence from-" He stops and takes a few deep breaths.

"What's wrong?" He doesn't answer, instead he walks past me and into the bathroom. I know what's happening. It takes him a while to get back and I notice his face is a little flushed and his hand is on his stomach. If he's not hiding it anymore, it must be bad.

He laid back down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

"You're sick." I can't look at him.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." He always says that, he tries to protect me from his sicknesses, I understand why he does it but it only makes me worry more.

I stand up and walk over to him and kneel down. I reach out cautiously to feel his head but he grabs my hand.

"We don't have time to waste on-"

"Please Okarin?" I pleaded looking into his eyes. He hesitated before letting go of my hand.
He lays still and I feel tears in my eyes when I feel how hot his head is.

"Your head feels so -" He shifts to get more comfortable and winces.

"You were throwing up really bad weren't you, did you hurt your stomach?"

"Mayuri, it's fine, it's not-"

"Go to the doctor Okarin, please?"

"If I'm not better before the end of the week, I'll get an appointment." He promises. I can't stop the tears from falling.

"Can't you call now, or-" Before I can finish talking, he's up again and emptying his stomach of everything, I'm sure it wasn't much at all. This time,he doesn't walk out.
I wait a little while before checking on him.

"Are you okay?" I call through the door.

"I will be, nothing to worry about but you probably shouldn't stay,you'll probably end up with it." He replied, I know he's having a hard time.

"I'm not going anywhere until you're better." I wait a little longer just outside the door. When he finally comes out, I can see he's shaking a little.

It's alright." He tells me. "Sometimes it happens and it's not a cause of alarm." He leans against the wall to steady himself. I'm getting even more worried now and I beg him to see a doctor,even if it means going to the emergency room. He looks like he's really hurting.

"Come on." I help support him and we walk slowly back to the sofa. I get him to lie down and go back to the bathroom to get some wash clothes and after a quick stop in the kitchen for a bowl of cool water, I return to him and put them on the coffee table.

"I'm fine, you really don't need to do this."He says weakly. I put the now damp cloth on his head and smile sadly.

"I want to, you're my Okarin and everyone should be taken care of when they're sick." This is especially true for him. He's taken care of us, he's good like that. We love Okarin and we'd be lost without him.

His stomach pain was still kind of bad the next morning and it took some time but I was able to wear him down and we ended up in the emergency room after all. It was hard to see him lying in a hospital bed like that but it would make him better.

"You don't have to be so afraid. I don't feel too bad. Not every fever I have is going to be that severe." He tries to comfort me. I put on my best smile hoping that this time he won't know how I feel.

When the doctor comes in and explains what's wrong, it calms me down a little.

"It's not life-threatening, but I'm afraid you've ruptured your stomach muscle, fortunately simply resting will fix it. I suggest you not move around too much. If your fever comes down, you can use a heat source to ease the pain. I'll give you something to help with the discomfort."

We got back and Okarin sat down.

"Lie down Okarin, the doctor said that you should rest and relax."

"Rest isn't always lying down. It's just a period of inactivity.

"I know but-" I look down at the floor and he sighs and then leans back against the pillows.

I move closer to pull the cover over him and check his head. His fever is coming down slowly.

"Can I get you anything?"

"no, thank you." He said, it hurts me to see my okarin in pain.

"I'm going to be right here, if you want anything at all, you let me know. I'll take care of you Okarin." I promise. He smiles

"I know you will Mayuri,thank you." He closed his eyes and fell asleep.