VERSION 2

I yawned as I made my way down the stairs, wishing I could go back to sleep. I'm not much of a morning person and it doesn't help that I always have to get u pearlier than everyone else because I have to go in and do paperwork.

I made a face just thinking of it. I sighed as I sat down at the table, automatically picked up my morning cup of tea and taking a sip. Just like every morning, I thanked anyone listening for Akira. Every morning he never failed to have breakfast ready and on the table by the time Suoh and I were ready and downstairs.

After the first few days, I asked why he did it when it meant getting up even earlier and he told me he was used to it because he would do it for his mothers each morning.

I wonder how I ever survived before knowing him. I turned around and smiled at Suoh who came down, straightening his shirt. He sat down next to me and took a sip of his tea, relaxing a little with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

I could tell he was also grateful about the food each morning. I savored the taste as I took a bite of the food. I couldn't stop thinking how lucky I was to be able to eat like this each and every day.

I smiled at Akira as he came out of the kitchen, carrying out a basket of biscuits. He set it on the table and then sat down as well. None of us really talked over breakfast. I didn't mind it though, since it was rather peaceful.

"Akira, are you alright?" I asked. He was picking at his food, not really eating and didn't seem like himself. He seemed to be spacing out a little bit which wasn't normal for him.

"I'm fine." He answered quietly. He smiled at me a little bit but it seemed more tired than his normal one. I didn't believe him, but I left it for now. He may just be a little tired. I wouldn't blame him being so tired when he was up late last night and still got up early to make breakfast.

I felt kind of bad, making him do all the cooking, but he refused to let me near the kitchen. I could see why, since I was hopeless when it came to cooking. Suoh offered to help, but Akira turned him down each time.

I glanced at Suoh who just shrugged a little bit. We finished our breakfast in silence and carried the dishes back into the kitchen. I frowned when Akira stumbled a little bit; something he never did.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked. He smiled at me and assured me he was fine. I looked closer and saw a slight red tint to his cheeks. 'So that's it' I though, going over and taking the dishes he had from him and setting them down. I ignored his protests, saying he was fine, and placed my hand on his forehead.

I nodded to myself and said, "You have a fever." I grabbed his hand and pulled him after me as I said, "Come on, you're going back to bed."

"But-"

"No complaining. You're taking the day off school and staying in bed."

"Bu-"

"We'll worry about the cleaning." I opened the door to his room and made him sit on his bed. He opened his mouth to protest again but Suoh stuck a thermometer in it, effectively cutting of whatever he was about to say. He just pouted and looked at the floor.

I went to get out a pair of pajamas for him while Suoh checked the thermometer. "102.3 ." He said and looked at Akira, "You're staying home today."

"Of course, we'll be staying with you." I said, coming over and giving Akira a pair of pajamas.

"What do you mean by that?" Suoh asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"Of course we're going to take care of him!" I said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. He started to protest but I added, "Otherwise how will we make sure he stays in bed?"

Suoh closed his mouth. He knew as well as I did that if we left Akira alone he'd be up and about as soon as we were out the door. The boy just hated staying in bed all day.

I smiled in victory and turned to Akira. "Change out of your uniform and get in bed. We'll being you some medicine in a little bit." I didn't wait to see if he'd do as told, but left the room, Suoh following behind.

Suoh went off to call the school and let them know we wouldn't be there today while I went to get the medicine. When we went back into Akira's room, I was glad to find he'd obeyed and was sitting up in bed in his pajamas, looking miserable.

"Come on, being sick isn't that bad." I said, measuring out the correct amount and handing it to him. He drank it and made a face at the taste. I laughed a little bit as I took the cup away from him and Suoh handed him a glass of water.

"Now try and get some sleep." I said. I waited until he had laid down again before I left the room. I closed the door once Suoh was out and we made our way downstairs.

When we got down to the kitchen, I blinked at all the dirty dishes, pots and pans filling the sink and the counter around it. "Were there really this many?" I asked, turning to Suoh.

"Yes Nokoru." He answered. After living together for a year and a half, we'd gotten used to calling each other by their first names. It took a little getting used to for Suoh and Akira, but they'd eventually gotten over it. "Come on, we'd better get started."

I sighed and followed him over. True, I'd said we'd worry about the cleaning, but I didn't realize there was so much to clean. "Where's the soap?" I asked, checking the cabinets.

"It's under here," Suoh replied, taking it out from under the sink and pouring some into the sink as it filled with water. "I'll wash, you dry."

I nodded as he handed me a dry towel and waited for the first item. As I was drying the first plate, I asked, "Where does this go?" Suoh looked at me and pouted. "I'm not allowed in here so I don't know where anything is."

"Plates go in that cabinet." He said, pointing to on over on my right. I opened it and set the plate on top of the stack of others. I smiled a little to myself, glad I had the easy job. I went back over and waited for the next plate.

Not even five minutes later, Suoh kicked me out of the kitchen, making me sit on the couch and not touch anything. I take back what I said about having the easy job. I'd broken two plates, one cup and dented one of the pots.

It wasn't my fault the pot was heavy or that the plates and cup were slippery. I really wasn't looking forward to tell Akira. He got really mad at me last time because I'd broken lots of the plates and bowls and things and ruined most all his cooking knives and many of his pots and pans.

That was when I was forbidden from setting foot in the kitchen. I bought him all new ones, but he was still mad about it. I guess he had a right to be, since he'd only just bought them and some had only been sued that once. If there was one thing I'd learned in the past year and a half, it was never go near the kitchen.

That was the one rule I made sure to follow after that incident. The kitchen was Akira's place. That's where we found him over half the time. If we broke something or made a big mess in there and left it, he'd get upset. He never yelled at us though.

He didn't yell at me after I broke those things, he just led me out of the kitchen and went back in to clean up. It was somehow worse than him yelling and getting mad because he didn't say anything. All he did was clean up the mess quietly until everything was back to the way it was and throw out the ruined things.

He didn't talk to me for about a week after that. I drove me crazy and made me feel really bad. He only forgave me after I'd broken down and begged him to forgive me, telling him how sorry I was and how I'd never do it again. I swore to never go in the kitchen again unless he said I could.

It was one of the worst weeks for me, and it caused a lot of tension when we were together. I think it was only me because I was scared he'd be really mad at me and start yelling so it made me even jumpier and nervous than before. I wondered how mad he would be when he learned I'd broken more plates, a cup and dented one of his pots.

I wouldn't be very surprised if he already knew, since the crashes were really loud. I was still moping when Suoh came back out. "Do you think you can wipe off the table without breaking anything?" he asked, slightly teasing me to try and make me feel better.

He handed me a wet rag and I went over to the table. There was nothing on it so I didn't think I'd be able to break anything. I was wrong when ten minutes later I knocked into a vase on a stand that was near the table. I flinched at the sound when it shattered and the loud bang when the stand fell over as well.

Suoh shook his head as he looked at the small cut on my arm from where a piece of the broken vase caught me. "How do you do it?" He asked.

"It wasn't my fault." I said, winching at the sting of the disinfectant he sprayed. "I didn't know the vase was there."

Suoh just sighed. "Well, you dented the floor with the stand, and now there's dirt all over the floor from the flowers the vase held."

"I'll clean-"

"No." Suoh cut me off before I could finish. "I'll clean it up so nothing else gets broken."

"Was the vase important?" I asked, really hoping it wasn't.

Suoh looked at me and deadpanned, "It was a one of a kind priceless vase passed down through your family and given to us by your mother as a house warming gift."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, Nokoru, really." I hung my head. It was hopeless. I just couldn't do anything without breaking something. Suoh let my arm go after he put the small bandage on and said, "I'll go clean up the mess so I want you to go and work on you paperwork."

"What? But-"

"Just because Akira's sick, doesn't mean you get to slack off. Besides, that's the one thing I can think of that will keep you out of trouble and away from anything breakable."

I dragged my feet and hung my head as I made my towards the room we'd converted into an office for if I had to work on anything regarding paperwork. I said we should use it for something different but Suoh won in the end.

On my way, I stopped by Akira's room to make sure he was still in bed and not up and moving. I smiled when I found him fast asleep, the blankets kicked off the bed. He was curled up on his side, his back facing the door. I went in and picked the blankets up of the floor, throwing them over the sleeping teen before I left.

I nearly had a heart attack when I shut the door and turned around, nearly colliding with Suoh. "Don't do that!" I whispered, closing my eyes and trying to calm my racing heart.

"Paperwork, Nokoru." Suoh said, taking my arm and leading me over to the office.

"But I was only checking to make sure Akira was actually sleeping." I whined. Suoh didn't say anything, but opened the door and led me over to the chair, watching until I slowly and sluggishly started doing my paperwork. He left the room with a sigh.

"I want to see half that stack done in an hour." He told me as he shut the door.

I sighed when I looked at the giant stack of papers next to the desk. I hadn't gotten much done the other day and we'd recently started a new project, so the paperwork was piling up.

Just as Suoh asked, I finished half the stack when he came back in an hour. He nodded his approval and said, "Alright, you can take a break now."

I smiled and stood up, stretching until my back popped. I let out a grateful sigh and made my way downstairs. Suoh poured me a cup of tea and I took it gratefully. It wasn't as good as Akira's, but it was still nice.

I looked at the time and was surprised to see it wasn't even lunch time yet. I guess it just felt longer to me because I had sulked a lot and done paperwork which always seems to take a long time. As I relaxed, I wondered what I'd do with the rest of the day.

"Something wrong Nokoru?" Suoh asked, coming to sit next to me.

"I was only wondering what I would do for the rest of the day." I answered. "I thought it was later than this."

"You should finish your paperwork first and worry about that later."

"But I already finished half of it!"

"Yes, now you should finish the rest of it. The more you finish today, the less you'll have to do tomorrow."

I knew he was right, but I really didn't want to do anymore. It was so boring! I looked at him with pleading eyes, begging him to give me something, ANYTHING else to do.

"You can do what you want after you finish your paperwork." My head drooped. I didn't have to go to school today but instead of having fun, I was stuck doing paperwork!

"Suoh-"

"After you're done with your work." I sighed and slowly made my way back to the office. I knew I wouldn't win. He refused to let me do anything else since I always wound up breaking something. I can't help it that I'm a klutz.

I was nearly done with my work when Suoh let me take a break again for lunch. I was tired from doing nothing but sitting and working. My stomach growled when I smelled the food. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now.

"I ordered in." Suoh said as we sat down to eat. We ate with disposable plates and plastic forks so we wouldn't have that much to clean up afterwards. He didn't' say anything, but I knew it was because Suoh also didn't want to risk me breaking anything else.

"Do you think Akira's hungry?" I asked. He'd barely eaten any breakfast this morning. Actually, I don't think he ate much dinner either. He must be starving if he's awake right now.

"We'll go bring some to him in a little bit." Suoh answered. I nodded and finished eating, throwing away my plate and fork afterwards.

"Aren't we going to bring him some food?" I asked as I watched Suoh put away what we hadn't eaten.

"If he's awake I'll heat up some soup." Suoh answered.

"Why soup?"

"Because when you're sick, soup's easier to eat and has more of a chance of staying down than solid foods."

"Really?"

"Yes, Nokoru."

"How do you know this?"

"I helped take care of my younger siblings when they got sick." I blinked. I'd almost forgotten that Suoh had younger siblings. "Let's go see if he's awake first." I nodded and followed him up the stairs.

When we went into the room, we found him reading instead of sleeping. He smiled tiredly at us as we came in. "I thought you were sleeping." I said, going over and sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I was." He answered, placing a bookmark in the book and setting it aside. "But then I woke up and started reading."

"Are you hungry?" Suoh asked, coming over and placing a hand on the younger teen's forehead. "Your fever's gone down a little bit."

"I'm a little hungry." Akira answered. Suoh nodded and went to go and get something for him to eat. Since he would most likely not let me help, I stayed behind.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

"About twenty minutes." Akira said, leaning back against the headboard.

"Are you feeling any better than you were this morning."

"Some. I'm still a little tired though."

"Then after you eat you should try to get some more sleep." He nodded. We fell into a comfortable silence after that, neither of us having anything to say. I took that time to look around Akira's room.

He had a white carpet and had painted the walls a baby blue color. He had white curtains that were drawn closed at the moment yet still let some sunlight fall into the room. He had tall glass windows that led out onto a small balcony like Suoh and I did and they were open at the moment, letting in a soft breeze.

He had two doors besides the one that led out of the room. One opened onto a spacious closet while the other led into a private bathroom. Each of our rooms were laid out nearly the same, but we decorated them differently.

Akira had a white desk placed against one wall with a bookshelf next to it filled with a variety of books, CDs and other little trinkets. Pictures of his family and friends were placed on both the desk and the bookshelf. Other than that, he didn't have much in the room except for a small stereo on the top shelf of his bookcase.

His room had a lot of open space and was comfortable to be in. The soft blue color was relaxing and made the room feel more spacious. Unlike me, he actually managed to keep his room clean and organized. I had clothes lying around, things strewn everywhere and a lot of things I had no need for taking up space.

Once a month, Akira did a big clean of the entire house and helped me with my room, making it somewhat clean. He didn't bother with Suoh's room, since Suoh kept his room organized and we weren't allowed in there unless he said so because of all the traps and dangerous things he kept in there.

I think I liked Akira's room the most out of every other room. I'm not sure why, but I did. I looked back over when Suoh came into the room. He had a tray in his hands with a bowl of soup, a cup of tea and some more medicine along with a glass of water on it. He set it down on the small bed stand next to Akira's bed and handed the medicine to Akira who obediently took it.

I handed Akira the glass of water afterwards, smiling when he made another face at the taste of the medicine. Before he could reach for the bowl, I took it and spooned some up, holding it up to Akira's lips.

He opened his mouth to protest but I shoved the spoon in instead. I was hoping that I could make him a little less upset at me for breaking those things and it was fun doing this.

"I can feed myself." He said, a small smile on his lips when I spooned up some more.

"You're sick" I answered simply. "Don't complain and just enjoy it." Suoh looked rather amused by the whole thing and left with a tiny smile on his face.

Akira kept quiet and let me have my fun feeding him. He seemed to be happy that I was having fun. As I was doing this, I realized that ever since we all moved in together, Akira had been taking care of us by doing all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, ECT…

This was probably the first time we'd really taken care of him. It makes me wonder why he puts up with all this when Suoh and I (fine, mostly me) make messes that he winds up cleaning for us. He doesn't complain about having to do all the shopping or all the laundry either.

I looked at him and saw how happy he was at the moment just letting me have my fun. I guess he didn't mind doing all that, but I still felt bad when I thought about how much he did all the time for us and how little we did for him.

"Is something wrong Nokoru?" he asked. I blinked when I realized I'd stopped and had just been staring at him.

I shook my head. "No, I was just thinking."

"About what?" He tilted his head to the side and I smiled at how cute he looked.

"Just about how much you do for us every day. I never really noticed it until now." He looked so confused that I laughed a little bit and explained. "You do all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, and take care of us when we get sick. What do I? I make messes, break things, and lose all my stuff."

"You also care about us, make us laugh, and always try your hardest." I looked at Akira and found him smiling at me. "I don't mind doing all those things. I like doing them. I used to do them each day for my mothers and it was worth is, just seeing how happy they were. It's the same with you two."

"I still feel bad about making you do all of it."

"Yes, but you two are busy and have other things to worry about."

"And you aren't?"

"I am, but my schedule if flexible. You two have things you have to do at certain times. I'm just helping by making it one less thing you have to worry about."

"I just wish there was something more I could do."

"You could replace the dishes you broke and the pot you dented earlier." I flinched and looked up, wondering how he knew. He just smiled at me. "I thought I told you to stay out of the kitchen."

"I was trying to help!" I cried. "Is that such a bad thing?" Akira just laughed.