(Time skip : about 2 weeks.)

I woke up, startled, as Kou began whimpering. He slept in my room most of the time too, so I had to be the one to calm him down. I looked at the clock, reading it to be 4am, two hours before I actually start getting up and getting ready for school. I groaned, rolling off my bed and looking at Kou, who was still whimpering, pawing at the air and moving his head around in jerky motions. I sat down, and gently held Kou's paw. He woke up suddenly and he looked at me, whining and rubbing against my leg. I smiled and picked him up and placed in my bed. He smiled again and I couldn't help to either. He lied down near my pillow and I climbed in, pulling the blanket over Kou and me. I looked at the dog and he nuzzled his face against my face. His fur was getting in my nose and mouth and I sputtered, laughing. After a while, Kou kept trying to get me to play with him, but I refused, tired. He barked excitedly and I hushed him, not wanting to wake my mother. I groaned, got out of the bed, and sat as my desk, looked over a few notes and groaned again.

"When am I ever going to use this in my life?" I mumbled while I looked through equations for circles with tangents and secants and all that nonsense. I looked behind me, Kou still tucked into the sheets and sleeping away.
I rested my head on my desk, taking off my glasses. It had only been a minute and I gave up trying. I continued to sleep, cold and barely clothed on my desk.

Two hours later, I heard my alarm clock ring and I woke up groggily. I sniffled, breath heavy and warm. I wobbled to the floor, still light-headed from getting up. As I was about to get up, Kou pounced onto me, knocking me over. I fell against my closet door loudly, and it rattled with the same volume back. A few seconds later, my mom ran into my room, then looked at me, with Kou still licking my face. I groaned, and sniffled again while coughing.
"Are you sick again? You always get sick so easily," she said in a warning tone. She grabbed my warm hand under Kou and she sighed.
"How bad do you feel?"
"Good enough to go to school," I replied. She looked at me with a troubled look.
"Okay. Quickly get changed then. Eat breakfast slower today," she said, going downstairs quickly to prepare a breakfast.

I stood up and went to the bathroom, locking the dog out. I sighed, and carried on with my usual morning routines. Later, I finished breakfast a little slower and finally left my house. I breathed in the cool air of February and walked to school.

"Good morning, Setsuno-san," Izuki called out to me as I walked through the halls.
"Ah, good morning," I replied.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a bit sick. Don't worry, I didn't get anything contagious on your jacket. I got it over night from lack of warmth," I reassured.
"..okay.. but that wasn't anything for me to worry about. If it's Setsuno-san, anything is fine," he said while smiling.
"Why is that?"
"Just because.." He said while walking ahead. I looked at him, confused and caught up with him later.

I approached my classroom with Izuki and I sat down. Izuki was still talking to me.
"So are you ready for your tests coming up?" He asked.
"..Sure."
"Have you decided which high school you're going to go for?"
"Well, Seirin is pretty close. I might just stick to that one," I said.
"Seirin? Really?"
"Yeah, why?"
"No reason," He said.

"Of course, that's just an unfinished plan," I sighed. I looked at Izuki in wonder. He looked back, a blank face stared back.
"Izuki, what do you want to be when you're all grown up?"
"Me? Hm.. I don't quite know yet," He said thoughtfully. He chose his words carefully, still unsure and undecided.
"What about you?" He asked.
"I don't really know either," I said.
"Hm..." Izuki kept musing. He then smiled.
"What now?"
"Nothing," He said. He didn't seem to be making any puns, so I didn't know why he was grinning like that.


After class had ended into our lunch period, I sat still in my seat, taking a packed lunch out and eating.
"Hey."
I jumped, not expecting anyone to talk to me. I looked up at Izuki who was smiling again.
"Do you need something?" I asked.
"Not really. Just wanted to ask if I could eat lunch with you?"
"So you did need something. Help yourself. Stay if you want," I said.
"Cool," He grinned. He grabbed a chair from another table and pulled it around to face me across the desk and sat down, taking out his sandwich.

I ate in silence until he interrupted my thoughts.
"Do you want to go play basketball again?" He asked while chewing.

"No. Not today. I'm rather tired," I said.
"Are you okay? You look a little pale." I smiled at him, for his worry.
"No. I'm fine," I reassured.
"Alright. If you're not feeling well though, don't push yourself."
"Okay."
"I'm going to be playing basketball later anyways, so why don't you come with us? Some extra company could be nice," he said while smiling.
"Okay," I said instantly after seeing his smile. I blushed and looked down, back at my sandwich. He smiled wider and I closed my eyes to prevent myself from seeing them again.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a worried tone.
"It's nothing."
"Your face is really red," he pointed out.
"It's nothing, really." At this, he placed his hand on my forehead. I blushed more, face heating up instantly.
"Woah, you've got a high fever," he panicked.
"Come on," he pulled my arm and he walked me to the nurse quickly.
"What's wrong this time, Izuki?" The nurse asked.
"Uh. She's got a fever. Can she lie down for a while?" He asked.
"Izuki it's fine. I'll heal over time," I insisted, tugging on his arm while his hand was still holding mine.
"Come here. We have vacant beds," she smiled, and opened up a curtain that enclosed a bed.
"Thank you," Izuki said. I frowned, feeling awkward sleeping in another person's bed, even if it wasn't really someone else's. Izuki helped me into the bed and pulled the cool sheets over me.

"There. I'll leave now so you can get some rest," he said. I panicked now, having a strange feeling of not wanting him to leave.
"Thank you, Izuki." I called out.
"It's nothing," he said. As he was about close the curtain, I called out to him again desperately.
"Izuki?"
Izuki stopped from closing the sheet and looked at me.
"Yes?"
"Why did you bother with me? I could've just gone myself."
"Hm? Well I knew that you probably would refuse to go. And you could have collapsed in the hall so I took you here," he said.
"Oh. Um.. Thank you.." I said again.
"You're welcome," he said with another smile. I was caught off guard again and before I could react, he left. I frowned sadly, already feeling empty from his lack of presence.

"You fell pretty hard," the nurse said while chuckling.
"I didn't fall anywhere though..?"
She laughed at my oblivion while saying, "I meant for that boy."
It took a couple of seconds for what she said to register and I blushed, feeling my face redden redder than I had ever felt it redden.
"What makes you say that?" I asked in a loud voice.
"The way you desperately clung onto him to stop him from leaving. And you frowned really sadly when he left," she pointed out. I slumped and sighed, embarrassed. I then lied down on the bed while curling up with the sheets still pulled over.


I opened my eyes slowly, still blurry. I looked at the familiar ceiling of my room.
"a dream..?" I sighed and sat up. I looked to my right and panicked. There Izuki sat by my bed, eyes closed. I assumed he was asleep as he didn't hear the shifting of the sheets when I sat up. I stared at his sleeping face, calm and docile.
"Izuki," I said quietly. He didn't wake up. I called out again, a little louder and he shifted.
"Izuki," I said once more, louder again, and he woke up. He looked at me, startled.
"Morning," he said. He looked outside at the dark sky.
"How did I get here?" I asked.
"Well, after school ended, you still weren't back in class so I came to see you. The nurse was still trying to wake you up when I came in. And since I knew where you lived, I carried you back here. Your mom is still out at work. She said she had another 'late night.'"
"How did you get in?"
"You always have your keys in your pocket," he said, proud of his observation skills.
"How did you know which room was mine?"
"Hm.. It smelled like you, so I just assumed it was yours. It seems very.. 'you' also," he replied. I blushed, embarrassed at the thought of him meaning that I smelled odd.
"Ah, I don't mean you smell odd. It was just your scent, I guess."
"I'm sorry for having you watch over me."
"It's fine," He reassured.
"uh.. Did you eat yet? Do you want something to eat?" I kept going.
"Ah, can I actually just pour myself some water or milk? That'd be fine," he said while getting up. I got up before him though and walked by him.
"I could have just gone to get it myself," he said behind me.
"It's alright, I'll make you something to eat, as compensation." I looked at the clock and it read 7:03.
I walked to the kitchen with him following close by.
"It's really okay, I'm not that hungry," He kept talking, trying to stop me.
"The last time you ate was at around 11 am, yes?"
"Uh.. yeah.." he replied.
"I'll make something for you," I concluded.
"No, it's fine, really."
"Then I'll make some for myself and for you, so I'll just feed both of us okay? If you refuse to eat, then I won't be eating either."
"..okay," he sighed in defeat.

After I finished cooking, I placed the food on the table where Izuki then sat down after helping me a little.
"Thanks for the food," he said before eating. I watched him eat, hoping that I didn't mess up anywhere.
"This is really good," he said, looking at me while smiling and chewing. I sighed in relief and began eating as well.

"Izuki, do you want to go home?" I asked while taking his empty bowl and plates.
"Hm? Ah, I actually told my family that I would be staying over at a friend's house. I didn't say your name or your gender though. They would probably get all rowdy if I said I was sleeping over at a girl's house," he laughed awkwardly.
"Oh.. Uh.. We don't really have any guest rooms or extra futons.." I said.
"I'll sleep on the couch, it's fine," he said.
"No, sleep in my bed," I said. He blushed red and began stuttering.
"Wait that's not what I meant!" I reasoned, now blushing again.
"I meant, sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch. It's rude if I let you sleep on the couch," I said, still going red at the thought of what he may have been thinking.
"No, it's okay. You're ill, so you sleep in the bed," he said again.
"I'm not ill anymore," I said, placing his hand on my forehead.
"Oh, it has cooled considerably," he mused out loud.
"See? So I'll just sleep on the couch," I concluded again. I looked at the couch that Kou was now sleeping on soundly. I stared, completely speechless.
"Why don't I just walk you to your home?" I said. He shook his head.
"I don't have any keys and the only time they're home is about for a couple of hours while I get home, so they usually just open the door for me. My siblings are out at tutoring," he sighed.
"Okay, you sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the floor," I said.
"Let's settle it with paper scissors, then. The winner takes the bed!" He said.

In the end, I came out as a loss and he won. He frowned.
"See? You would've slept on it anyways. I'll go get some clothes for you from my father's drawers," i said while drying my hands. I left upstairs and he soon came up the stairs too.
"Here," I said, throwing the clothes at him.
"Thanks.."
"They might be a bit big, but it should do."
I went into my room and he left for the bathroom to change. I shut the door behind me while locking it. I looked for my set of pajamas consisting of a large t-shirt and a pair of black pants. Quickly, I dressed and opened my door. I saw that the bathroom door was still closed, so I started cleaning my room, shoving stuff into drawers and binders.
"Do you want some time to clean up your room first?" He asked.
"No, this will be fine. I just wanted to put away some person belongings," I said. I walked out of my room to my mother's room that had an extra closet that had extra blankets.
"I'll give you a different set of blankets so you don't have to use mine," I said, holding a bundle of covers.
"It's fine, I really don't care," he said.
"No, no. Here, take it, please." I said while already stripping the bed of my sheets.
"Okay, okay. I give up arguing with you," he sighed, completely exhausted.
"Sorry."
"It's not your fault," he laughed.

"Okay, it's all done," I said, looking at the newly changed bed. He sat down, and leaned back.
"Did you do your homework yet?" I asked. He nodded his head.
"I was watching over you the whole time after I finished," he said.
"the.. whole time..?"
"Well, it's not like I just stared at you in your sleep, but I kind of just sat there, checking your forehead once in a while," he reassured.
"Sorry," I said again.
"Stop saying sorry," he laughed while ruffling my hair.
"Hold on," I said, suddenly remembering the food I left out for Kou. We had been able to train him so he would only eat when he was hungry and to not overeat.
I ran downstairs quietly, and checked his food bowl and water bowl. Both were empty and I sighed in relief, looking back over at Kou. He was still sleeping on the couch. I went upstairs again and I found Izuki putting himself into bed on the floor.

"Izuki! Get in the bed!" I shouted, frustrated.
"No, it's your bed! You use it. You'll get sick again," he said.
"It's okay for you to get sick, though?"
"I have a strong immune system!"
"Izuki. Get in the bed. Now," I demanded. He couldn't help but to blush a little again.
"How about we just share the bed? It's big enough for two," he said.
"It's a twin size! It's for one person. For you!" I said.
"I'll just sleep on one side, it's not a big deal. It's not like we'd be doing anything in bed anyways," he said. I blushed this time and I sensed that even he felt embarrassed.
"I have to do homework, anyways," I said.
"...i.. kind of.. did it for you.."
"What?!"
"I mean, I had the papers anyways, so I just copied the answers onto yours from teachers in the latter half of the day. And I did go into your bag.. But I only went for the folder that I see you put your homework in," he reassured. I opened my mouth, about to protest, but nothing came out.
"I was afraid that you wouldn't wake up by tomorrow morning," he added.
"Okay. It's fine. Thank you, actually," I said.

"You know, you really have changed a lot in the past couple of weeks. When I first met you, you kept trying to push me away," he said, reminiscing.
"Yeah. Now I regret not actually pushing you away."
"Eh?" He whined sadly. I laughed at his frown.
"However, I really must thank you. These last two weeks have flown by so quickly with you," I said a little sadly.
"Why are you upset?"
"It's just that.. well.. Those days were just memories. Anything that happened just became a memory. Today and tomorrow will be a memory. One day, we'll part ways.." I said, already afraid. He looked at me with an actual frown and got up, coming towards me.
"Setsuno, I promise that we'll never fully disconnect with each other. Even if we part ways, we'll bound to see each other again and think back to today, yesterday and all our days together," he said while putting his hands on my shoulders.
"And if not me who'll be staying by your side, then someone else. You don't need to be worried about being lonely." He said, smiling a little sadly.
"Izuki.. Before when you asked me which high school I'm going to.." I trailed off.
"What? What is it? Where are you going?" he asked quickly.
"My mother is thinking about moving in with my father, who lives far away. I will be moving with her and attending school there, if I go," I said. "I mean, I don't blame her. I even want to move in with my father. I would have no problem, but you.." I stopped talking.
"I what?"
"Without you there, I'll close back up again. I don't want that!" I said, shouting now. He was taken back at the volume of my voice.
"I.." He started.
At this moment, I heard the garage open. I looked at the clock that read 9:23.

I ran down the stairs and wiped my eyes of tears brimming my eye lids and opened the door for my mom.
"Hey, Aki-chan! You're still not sleeping ye- What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," I smiled.
"Hello, Setsuno-san(mom)," Izuki called out behind me.
"Oh? Izuki-kun? Why are you here?" She asked.
"Well, she fell asleep at school and wouldn't wake up, so I brought her here and I'm now staying over. My house is locked at this hour and there's no one home," he explained.
"Hm.. I see.. She always has been a heavy sleeper," my mom concluded.
"Are you hungry, mom? There's some food we made left over."
"It's alright. I had dinner already," she said.
"Are you guys okay? You look a little down," my mom asked again.
"No, we're fine," i said, looking at Izuki.

"Mom."
"Yes, dear?"
"Are we still moving to dad?" I asked. She stopped. She looked at me, then Izuki.
"I'm.. I'm so sorry.. I should have.. Akira I'm so sorry," she came to me, and hugged me.
"I should've known. I'm sorry." She pulled away and looked at Izuki, then to me.
"Izuki, will you go upstairs for a bit?" she asked. He nodded and left up the stairs.
"The reason you don't want to leave is because of Izuki?"
I nodded, now crying.
"Is it because you love him?" She asked.
I hesitated, then cried harder while nodding forcefully, head no longer clear. My head was throbbing from crying and my eyes felt swollen, about to burst from my sockets.
"It's okay. We don't have to move. We can stay here," she reassured. I shook my head at this, though.
"No.. You want to live with dad. And I do, too. I don't want to get in the way of your reunion. I want to live as a whole family again, too."
"It's okay. Your happiness must always come before ours," she said while smiling. She kissed my forehead and rubbed my eyes with her thumb.
"Akira. We don't have to move. It was just a selfish desire to live with him again," she said.
"We'll stay here," she said again. She shushed me while stroking my hair. I felt Kou nudging my leg and sitting at my feet, whining. He rubbed against me and pawed my leg gently.
"You don't have to be upset. We'll stay." She said one last time before I fell asleep in her embrace.