I'm shocked with all the positive comments! I've never had so many in a 24 hour time period before, so thank you! I said I'd post chapter two when I got some reviews, and 4 reviews is certainly enough for me! I feel like this chapter is really long, but it's not really... pretty average length, for a chapter. I hope you enjoy Soubi coming to Ritsuka's aid!

I set this story in between the Zeros leaving Soubi's house (apartment?) and Soubi and Ritsuka's journey to the Academy of the Seven Voices. (That way, when Ritsuka goes to Soubi's to get better, Yoji and Natsuo won't be around to interrupt) teehee!

Soubi

As Soubi was adding decisive red lines to his newest painting and ignoring Kio's pointless babbling, his phone rang. Kio sighed and gave him a look that said, go ahead. Not that Soubi needed his permission. Soubi pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. It was not a number he recognized. He ignored the call.

"Who was that?" Kio asked with interest.

Soubi shrugged. "I don't know. But I wasn't interested in finding out."

His phone chimed again.

"Maybe you'd better answer," Kio suggested.

Sighing, Soubi checked the ID again. It was the same number. Wondering who on earth could possibly need to contact him so urgently, he shoved his phone against his ear and asked, "Hello?"

"Is this Soubi Agatsuma?" a female voice inquired, sounding as though this were of the utmost importance.

"It is."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I'm the school nurse here at Jonan Elementary School. We have you listed as Ritsuka Aoyagi's emergency contact."

Soubi's heart skipped a beat and he inhaled sharply, his breath catching in his throat. "What happened? Is Ritsuka all right?"

"Well, I'm not sure. He collapsed right after second period and seems to be running a fever. We were hoping you could come and retrieve him – I'm afraid that he isn't well enough for school."

"I'll be right there," Soubi promised, snapping his phone shut and getting to his feet. He had to go get Ritsuka. He needed him, obviously. He was his sacrifice's emergency contact, which meant that he had managed to keep them from calling his mother.

"What's going on?" Kio asked, watching Soubi gather up his things.

"Ritsuka's sick. I have to go take care of him," Soubi said, dumping his paintbrushes into his bag and tossing his palette into the sink without bothering to rinse it off. He picked up his canvass and propped it in the sunlight. He'd come back for it later. Ritsuka was priority right now.

"What? Doesn't he have parents for that?"

"No," Soubi said simply, crossing the room to the door and leaving without another word.

Ritsuka

"Where's Ritsuka? Is he all right?" Soubi's voice demanded. I groggily opened my eyes at the sound of it and my heart fluttered. A part of me hadn't believed he would really come to get me.

"He's right over there. He's been sleeping since they brought him in about twenty minutes ago. I'm not quite sure what's wrong with him," I heard the school nurse reply in a hushed voice, as though she were afraid she might disturb me. "I tried waking him up so I could take his temperature, but he was so exhausted that he didn't even open his eyes."

"I'm taking him home," Soubi said immediately. "Is there anything I need to do to take him?"

"I've already signed him out. All I need is your signature."

"Thank you." I heard the sound of a pen scratching across paper. "Can you recommend anything to me that I should give him? Or do for him?"

"I'll write a few things down."

Soubi was standing at my side, brushing my sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes, in seconds. "Ritsuka?" he asked softly, smiling when he saw I was awake. "You okay?"

I groaned slightly and shook my head, unable to find the words to describe exactly how not okay I was. As a matter of fact, I don't think I've ever felt worse.

"You will be," he chuckled quietly, resting his hand on my forehead. "You definitely have a fever," he sighed. When he began to move his hand away, I let out a small noise of protest and lifted my arms, wrapping my fingers around his wrist and moving his hand back to my forehead. I had never noticed how wonderfully cool his skin was. It felt marvelous. Soubi leaned over me and breathed in my ear, "But you'll have to listen to me if you want to get better."

I made a small noise of disgruntled assent. Soubi gave a small laugh and pulled the covers off of me before gathering me in his arms and lifting me off the cot. I let out a sigh of contentment and snuggled into his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck. Soubi's arms fit around me perfectly.

Soubi went back to the nurse's desk and she handed him a list of medications I should consider taking, symptoms he should be watching for, and how he should go about ensuring my recovery. She then gave him my schoolbag and told him that Yuiko had gotten my homework for the next couple of days gathered for me. Soubi thanked her and slung my bag over his shoulder before we left the school at last.

"You're very warm," Soubi informed me as he carried me out the school's front doors and towards the street. "I'm taking your temperature as soon as we get home."

That word struck a chord with me. "Home?" I whispered back, my voice cracking. "Your home or mine?"

"Mine, of course," he replied easily.

"But… I've got to get home. I've got to go back to my house," I protested feebly. "My mom… if I don't come back, she'll be so worried… she'll go insane –"

"I've already taken care of everything," he smiled. "I called her on my way to your school. She thinks you're on a class trip for a few days. She didn't ask me any further questions than that – she just told me that she hoped you would have a good time."

"This would kill her," I mumbled, resting my head over the hollow of Soubi's throat and shutting my eyes. I felt Soubi's hold on me tighten and he moved his arm so his hand was resting on the back of my head. "Are we walking home?"

"It's easier and faster any way you look at it," Soubi told me. "And besides, I prefer to have you right here, where I can protect you."

"Well, that's good," I sighed happily, even smiling a little. "Because there's no place I like to be more than here." Before I got the chance to listen to his reply, I crossed over into sleep.

When I next awoke, I found myself curled into a ball on an air mattress with a thick blanket spread out over me. It was much too hot. I heaved myself into a sitting position and began to shove it off of me, and a pair of hands larger than mine stopped me. "Oh, no you don't," Soubi scolded me, removing my hands from the blanket and tugging it back into place. "You got the chills not ten minutes ago."

"But it's too hot now," I complained, looking up at him pleadingly. He was standing over me looking stern, which never ends well for me.

"It won't be for long. You've been asleep, so I can't blame you for not noticing, but you've been shivering for minutes at a time every so often." He released my wrists and began to search his pockets for something. "Now that you're finally awake, I can begin to assess the extent of your symptoms."

I flopped back down on the air mattress with a groan, staring up at the plain white ceiling. It occurred to me that I had slept here before. This was Yoji and Natsuo's bed. Where did they go? Did they resent me for stealing their sleeping space? "Where's the Zero team?" I asked, squirming uncomfortably beneath the blanket.

Soubi seated himself on the air mattress near my stomach as he pulled something out of his pocket. "They went home."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I mean, they had been ridiculously annoying, but a part of me had found them amusing. However, for now I was just glad they weren't around to see me in this state.

"Come on," Soubi urged me, leaning over me and sliding a hand under my back, propping me upright. He swung his leg onto the bed and let me lean on that. He then held his right hand up, showing me the electronic thermometer that he held between his fingers. "Open up."

I groaned softly, not wanting to do anything but sleep, but I parted my lips and let him slide the thermometer under my tongue. He brushed my damp bangs out of my face and pressed his lips against my forehead as the numbers on the thermometer climbed. When it beeped, Soubi took it and stared at the reading on the display. He whistled softly, impressed. "Just about 104 degrees. You, my dear, are not going anywhere for the next couple of days."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I think I'm dying," I mumbled, laying back down and kicking the blanket off my body. I smiled, amused by his small noise of exasperation.

"Difficult little patient, aren't you?" he murmured in my ear, replacing the blanket. "Ritsuka."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "But Soubi, I feel like I'm being burned alive," I protested, whining a little.

"It's only your fever. We'll get it down," Soubi assured me, resting his forehead against mine and looking me pleadingly in the eyes. "Please Ritsuka. You promised you'd do what I told you, remember? Be good and let me take care of you."

I sighed and rolled over onto my side, away from him. "All right."

He kissed my forehead once more and sat up. "Which parts of you hurt?"

I didn't want to be cared for right now. I just wanted to sleep. I groaned and buried my face in the pillow.

"Your head?"

I nodded.

"What about your throat?"

"Hurts, a lot, a lot," I mumbled, wishing he'd just let me take the darned blanket off of my body.

"Ritsuka, I can barely understand you," Soubi told me, combing his fingers through my hair. I rolled over and gave him a look that said I was not amused. He shook his head, dismayed with my difficult attitude. "Does your tummy hurt?"

"I know you're older than me, but you don't have to talk to me like I'm a little kid," I muttered. I would have blushed if my face wasn't already red with fever.

"Ritsuka," he said warningly.

"It's okay so far."

"Don't forget, you promised to be good," he reminded me, tousling my hair. "Have you eaten anything today?"

I grimaced. Food. Yuck. "I'm not hungry."

"And now I know it's the fever talking," he said, standing up and heading for his kitchen. "You need to keep your strength up." He wasted no time in pulling a pot out of a cupboard and turning on the stove.

"Soubi, I was going to eat this morning and it only made me feel sicker," I protested, lowering the blanket from my upper body so it only covered my hips and legs. That was much better already.

"You're going to try again."

I sighed. Maybe I should stop fighting. I haven't won once yet with him so far today. "Okay," I said, succumbing.

"That's the spirit."

I buried my face in the pillow, trying to drown out the light of his apartment, which was making my head pound. Ignoring my burning throat, I gave myself over to sleep.

Poor Ritsuka... I gave him every ailment possible... with more to come =( But that means Soubi will be working overtime to make him better... (insert fangirl screams here). And also, I am keeping this pretty clean... so unfortunately, Ritsuka won't be losing his ears (this is where the fangirls aaaawwww sadly). I prefer Ritsuka with his ears and tail, anyway =3

So, shoot me a few more reviews and I'll put up the third chapter! I love you all!