Hi everyone! For the letter C, I thought I would take a risk and make Haine get a cold. After all, he may be unkillable, but that doesn't mean he can't get sick (hoepfully it doesn't seem to un-haine like). Please review and let me know what you think. Hopefully it wasn't too OOC. =]

Disclaimer: I wish I own it so I could make haine and naoto actually get together (in a cool and interesting way of course ^^)

C is for Cough

The front entrance of the building was bare, with only a few couches, a desk, and the only column that supported the rest of the building. There was an eerie silence, the dim lights barely illuminating the room.

Haine crouched behind the column, his head against the cement. He mentally cursed his red-headed bastard of a partner, and wrapped his thin coat tighter around him. The room was growing colder by the minute, and there was no way of warming up without any angry mobsters to kill.

Rustling was heard next to him and he turned, looking at the black figure sitting next to him. Her scarf tightly wrapped around her neck, Naoto clutched her katana protectively, letting it rest on her shoulder. Her skirt barely reached her knees, and a fair amount of skin was exposed, but she didn't seem at all fazed by the cold.

Haine sneezed, the noise cutting through the heavy silence. Naoto glanced at him questioningly, but he waved her off, quietly muttering that it was nothing. The room fell to silence again, as the two waited for their mission to be over.

He felt slightly uncomfortable again, but surprisingly not because of their close proximity. Instead, he would feel a knot in his stomach tighten whenever he noticed her presence. Yet, there was no stirring of his wild demon, and no uncontrollable rage boiling inside of him when she was near. It was as if something else altogether made him feel uneasy.

Suddenly, there was an itch in his throat, and Haine began to cough loudly. When he finally stopped, his breath felt wheezy and ragged, knowing for sure that he was going to be sick the next day. He made a mental note to beat the crap out of Badou later, whose cowardly ass was working at some stupid bar while his fingers were beginning to feel numb.

Another series of coughs distracted Haine from his thoughts, and he felt his throat begin to burn. As he mentally calculated the cost of medicine, something was thrown at him and he instinctively grabbed it. A warm and soft texture draped on his hand, and Haine looked up at the woman next to him.

Her face was still indifferent and she kept her eyes glued to the front door, but she softly mumbled "That measly jacket isn`t going to keep you warm."

Haine muttered his thanks, and wrapped her scarf around his neck. Her warmth and scent still lingered on the scarf, and he felt the knot in his stomach tighten again as he breathed in her smell. His icy skin began to feel warmer when the clock rung, signalling the end of their mission. The two stood up from their guarding spot and Naoto placed her katana back into its bag.

Slinging the case onto her shoulder, she turned to look at him. He half expected her to ask for her scarf back, but instead she simply said "I'm heading off to Buon Viaggio for some coffee. Are you coming?"

In response, Haine tightened the scarf around his neck, and walked out the door. "Let's go." he replied, and the two made their way to the restaurant at seven in the morning.

He coughed again, but this time, he felt much better. He wasn't sure if it was the scarf or the thought of a warm drink that caused it, but somehow, his cough didn't seem so bad anymore.

Fin

Please remember to review!