"Sis, look at Kid!"

"Shh, you're gonna wake him up!"

Liz pressed a hand against her younger sister's mouth, determined to quiet her obnoxious laughing. Her attempts were unsuccessful, as Patty pried the fingers away from her face to spout another comment. "But, look- he's like a little baby or something!"

"Well, he won't if you don't hush!" Liz's statement was nothing more than a harsh whisper, accompanied by another forceful lunge at quieting her sister.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, sis-" she began laughing- "Can I at least sleep out here tonight then?"

A faint smile passed Liz's lips. "Not tonight; Kid needs to rest. And you bothering him all night is not going to help."

"Then you'll just have to join me, and make sure I actually go to sleep!"

A sigh. "Whatever. Just bring our blankets and pillows down, alright?"

"Gotcha!" With that, Patty was practically bouncing up the stairs into their rooms.

Liz, on the other hand, deflated as she sat on one of the couches. Across from her lay Kid, one hand dangling off the edge of the couch and the other above his head. His lips were parted to breath, which matched the even rise and fall of his chest. While she knew Kid had been asleep since six that night, Patty hadn't found him until ten, when she and her sister were heading off to bed. It had been her intention to leave him be, knowing he would- upon being awoken- otherwise spend an hour or so finding something to correct or alter, before resuming sleep.

"It's fine, you two can have the seats. I was going to look through some stuff anyway."

A silent sigh escaped Liz. The trio had been sent on a mission at one in the morning; Kid had given up his share of the seat, which sat flush against the side of the train they rode in, in order for Liz and Patty to have adequate room to sleep. They received another three hours of rest, only being disturbed by Kid once they reached the destination. A certain tiredness laced his voice, but Liz kept silent.

Two hours passed, and the three had managed to restrain four Kishin. Specifically, as Kid had informed them, the four that had been a terror to the outskirts of a few local cities. Almost another hour passed, and they were able to fend off a witch, despite the mission clearly stating that she be avoided. The train ride back left Liz and Patty with three more hours of peaceful sleep.

They arrived back at Gallows Manor at ten that morning. While Kid had yet to sleep for more than three consecutive hours since the previous night, he suggested the sisters retire until lunch, when he would be sure to wake them and have everything they would need for their late start on the day.

Six that night, Liz wandered into the living area to find Kid passed out on the couch. While dark bags had been prominent on his features since their return to the Manor, they had seemed to fade into the pallor and slightly clammy appearance of Kid's face. If she hadn't known better, Liz would have thought he were sick. Seconds ticked by on a nearby clock, and a minute had barely passed before Patty barreled down a set of stairs, blankets and pillows clutched greedily in her arms.

"I'm back, Sis!" It was a whisper. She trudged past the few corners of blanket that had fallen to the ground around her feet before tossing them all on top of Kid.

With three decently sized blankets and five consecutively topped pillows, the pile landed on Kid with a thud, causing the boy to release a small groan in protest.

"Patty, stop it!" She couldn't help the smile that wove its way onto her lips. No matter how much she desired to restrain from laughing, Liz couldn't help but chuckle. "Just... get the other couch set up. I'll sleep on the floor."

The younger went to work, meticulously snatching pillow after pillow off of Kid. Liz herself kept a single pillow to prop underneath Kid's head; and, upon realizing the clammy appearance Kid had taken on was a result of the heat and sweat his body gave off, she asked, as if to herself, "Is it hot in here?" Despite the slight chill that ran down her spine to deny her question, she searched out the thermostat and brought the temperature to a chilly 65.

When she returned, a blanket had been laid over the back of the couch, not on Kid- obviously by Patty, who had taken into consideration what had crossed Liz's concerns. Two mismatched pillows and a brightly colored blanket were laid on the opposite couch for Patty. On the floor, two matching pillows had been placed atop one another to add height, and the thickest blanket of the three Patty had brought was folded neatly beside Patty's couch.

"Goodnight, Sis," Patty spoke, her tone hushed as she snuggled underneath the blanket. With a smile, Liz headed towards her sister.

"Goodnight, Patty." She tucked the edges of the blanket underneath her sister, and then reached for the sole lamp- a tall, slender, black one- that remained on.

She woke to the sounds of a shower running. A thickness resided within her body as she sat up, obviously caused by sleeping on the hard floor. With a groggy head, Liz stood up and made her way towards the stairs. She began to climb them as the thought "Who was still asleep?" crossed her mind. Another, as she reached the top, flashed momentarily- "What time is it?"

A quick glance at a clock hanging on the wall told her it was barely six in the morning. A groan passed her lips, just as she realized there was no longer the sound of running water... but she didn't know how long it had been gone.

Obviously, the background noise had been absent for some time, as she heard the bathroom door open and was met with Kid, already dressed and carrying dirty towels to place in the laundry.

"Good morning, Liz." A slight pause, in which any form of movement to leave the elder sister was halted. "Are you alright?"

Her alertness suddenly flared, as if it had previously been lying dormant- a continuance from her sleep. "Yeah, although I wouldn't say the same for you."

"Me?" Genuine surprise filled his features.

"Yeah, you. I mean, what, you slept for twelve something hours, but you still look... I don't know, worn down."

With features returning to normal and a start to his departure from Liz, he spoke, "Don't be ridiculous."

Any other statements were silenced, as Liz grabbed for his shoulders, halting both his speech and his retreat. "Wait a second, Kid." She stared intently at his face for a moment, trying to pinpoint some oddity. She was suddenly grabbed by something on his neck, in which she brought one hand up to his chin to turn his head.

"What are you-"

"Where'd you get this from?"

It was quiet in comparison to Kid's softly spoken question, but it was effective, nonetheless.

Her other hand reached for his neck, and she probed with her finger at a cut reaching from the curve of his face to the middle of his neck. While it did not appear deep, it was red- indicating it was shallow enough to draw a fair amount of blood- and the surrounding area was hot to the touch.

"Yesterday. It's no big deal; it should heal up soon enough. I mean, granted there's the symmetry problem, it is a relief to know it won't be there for long."

A pause. "How?"

"Excuse me?"

"How did you get it? I didn't notice you get hit at all yesterday."

"I told you, it's not big deal. Nothing happened." A pause, and Liz's hands fell away from his face.

"So if nothing happened, how'd you get it?"

A lapse of hesitancy, as if he were trying to think of a way to outsmart Liz.

"It was from the witch's weapon from yesterday. She grazed my skin, and the fire on the tip of the spear burned my skin a little. That's all."

Liz thought a moment before turning on her heel with resignation.

"Geez, Kid, I thought you said it was nothing."

End