Delirious

Bit glanced back at the base as the Liger thundered through the desert. He saw Leena yell something at him and shrink down to her knees. It wasn't long before she was too small to see. Bit rubbed his temples and gave a light sigh; he felt a strange frustration building up inside of him. At first he mistook it for guilt, and then for anger, but it was neither. He felt it at the core of his body, slowly eating away at him. It made him want to scream and cry and lash out at the world all at once. But Bit just sat there, fidgeting in his seat, unsure of what to do.

'So, where are we going?' Liger asked after giving Bit a little time to think.

"It doesn't matter. Anywhere'll do. I just have to get away from the base for awhile." Bit answered. The strange feeling was still coursing through his veins. He wished there was something he could do—or someone he could talk to—to stop the frustration from driving him insane. And then it occurred to him that there was someone he could talk to—two someones to be exact. "Actually, Liger, take me to the repair shop."

'You got it, buddy.' Liger made a quick change in his direction and then continued on, his gigantic paws pounding down and making craters in the sand. Bit adjusted his seat and closed his eyes; he would be feeling much better soon.

---

"What's up with her?" Jamie asked Brad in a whisper. Leena had been glaring at her lomein for the past ten minutes. Jamie had said something to her about it and she practically bit his head off. He could still see her eye twitching in annoyance.

"Who knows? She's Leena. That's enough of an excuse to be moody." Brad answered a little too loudly; a moment later he was wearing Leena's lunch. "What's your problem, Leena?" he asked. Brad didn't get and answer. She just glared at him and stormed off. Behind him Brad heard Jamie give a sigh of relief.

"I was sure she'd go after me, too."

"Well, lucky you." Brad said sarcastically.

"Uh…Brad?"

"What?" he snapped.

"You have lomein in your hair." Jamie said while prodding a noodle that was dangling from Brad's head.

"I know." Brad said through gritted teeth. He began to pull lomein out of his brown locks. After coming across a carrot, Brad paused and took on a thoughtful look. "Something definitely is bothering her. I mean, she can get real moody, but that was a touch too moody for even Leena's standards."

"So you admit something is wrong?" Brad nodded as he tossed the carrot onto the table. "What do you think it is?"

"I'll bet it has to do with a certain blonde teammate of ours."

"Bit?"

"Of course Bit! Who else would it be? Sheesh, Jamie, for a genius you sure can be pretty dumb." Jamie blushed and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"I wonder what he did." Jamie pondered. Brad shrugged.

"I don't know. It must've been bad, though."

"What makes you say that?"

"The fact that Leena isn't hunting down Bit as we speak is evidence enough. Usually when Bit does something to anger her, she'll just beat him up and continue with whatever she was doing."

"I suppose so…but that seems kind of illogical. People normally resort to physical violence only if they are pushed past their breaking point. You'd think that she'd try even harder to enact revenge on Bit." Jamie tapped his chin in thought. "But then again, we are talking about Leena here—logic and her just don't mix." Brad let Jamie's last comment hang in the air; instead he concentrated on picking the noodles out of his hair.

"Hey, Jamie?" Brad asked after awhile of silence.

"Yeah?"

"How do you get brown gravy out of clothes?"

---

There was no mistaking it. Leena was mad. The strange thing, though, was that she wasn't sure why she was mad. Bit hadn't really done anything wrong. In fact, she probably would've done the same exact thing if she was in his situation. Maybe it was the fact that Bit had brushed her off in a time of need. Didn't he trust her enough to comfort him?

Leena sighed and bounced her pillow around with her feet. She missed and it dropped to the floor with a soft plop.

"Arrrggggh!" she cried, burying her face into another pillow. "This sucks! Why do I feel this way?!" Leena threw the pillow across the room and sat up. She had to come to terms with herself. She had a (very small, she assured herself) crush on a certain irritatingly cute teammate of hers. And it made her mad that he could have this power over her. It made her even angrier that she was too tough (or was it too embarrassed?) to let Bit know how she felt. "If I were his girlfriend, I bet he would've let me comfort him." she grumbled.

And there it was. The reason why she was so angry. Leena relaxed in her bed and let out a small laugh. I am such an idiot sometimes. Well, I am not going to let you get the best of me, Bit Cloud! You keep your secrets! I'm going to be perfectly happy either way! With that thought, she stormed out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

---

Bit stretched and let out a yawn; it was nearing dinnertime, and he had been up since the early morning. At the moment, he was sitting in the Liger's cockpit, watching the desert scenery go by. He had spent all day talking with his brother and sister. Well, actually, he had only spent the first hour or two talking. The rest of the time he had spent helping out in the repair shop. He was tired and covered in grease.

His siblings had insisted that he stay for dinner, but he really had to return to the base. He didn't want his teammates worrying—particularly Leena, who had seen how upset he had been earlier. Leena. She was a touchy subject for him on most days. But now…

He let out a long sigh. At the moment, he was too worn out and hungry to agonize over what he would say to her. It would be awkward no matter what he said or did. Bit would just let whatever would happen, happen. He smiled, feeling suddenly optimistic; things would be okay after all.

The Liger began to slow as the base came into sight. Bit's new-found optimism faltered for a moment.

---

Jamie eyed Leena cautiously while she set the table. She was acting really nice. It was strange, to say the least. Brad noticed her behavior too.

"What's with her?" he whispered. Jamie shrugged.

"I don't know. But let's not talk about it while she's around." he said, remembering her earlier episode. Brad nodded and continued to fish around for another fork. Leena entered the kitchen wearing a big, fake (and rather scary) grin.

"I'll do that." she practically sang, while grabbing the silverware out of Brad's hands. "Why don't you go tell my dad that dinner's almost ready?"

"…Okay…" Brad said, giving Jamie a questioning look on his way out. Jamie only shrugged again.

"Leena? Are you all right?" Jamie asked once Brad had left.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Her happy tone was clearly forced.

"No reason….but you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine! See?" She smiled with the most effort Jamie had ever seen anyone smile with before. It would almost be pathetic if it weren't so creepy.

"Well, if you say so…" He trailed off and began to spoon the rice into a serving bowl. "Hey, did you set a place for Bit?" There was an electric silence. Jamie could practically feel Leena's glare. "Uh…I mean he's been gone all day…but…you know…Bit and food…heh…never mind." Leena shuffled past him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said in an airy tone, deliberately turning her nose upwards. She didn't go more than a foot before crashing right into Bit. They stared at each other for a moment. Leena didn't know what to say, so she did what came naturally to her.

"Would you move!!!" she yelled, shoving him out of the way. Bit didn't react the way he normally would.

"Sorry." he muttered and walked into the kitchen. Leena was worried. She needed to see him act normal. Of course, she was not thinking properly and only responded to his apathy with more hostility.

"And you stink! What have you been doing all day?! You're covered in grease!" Bit grabbed a water from the fridge and shrugged.

"Whatever."

"Well, if you're going to eat with us, you better not sit next to me! Your stench might make me throw-up!" Leena saw Bit's eye twitch. Good, I'm about to see some of the old Bit.

"Would you stop yelling?! I have a headache and you're making it worse!" he snapped, rubbing his temples lightly. "And for your information, I don't feel like eating with you. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." He shoved past her before she could think of a response. Leena was stupefied. Was Bit angry with her? Or was something seriously wrong with him?

"I wish you two would stop fighting like that." Jamie said, breaking the silence. "You guys always act like little kids! Honestly." He shook his head in disapproval.

"He started it." Leena spat back and slammed the silverware on the table. "Good thing I didn't set out a dish for him!" She continued to mutter under her breath as she slammed forks and knives into their proper places.

Jamie was really beginning to wonder what had happened between his two teammates. That wasn't a normal Bit and Leena fight he had just witnessed. Something must be wrong. Or maybe I'm just imagining things. Either way, Jamie was happy when Brad and Doc showed up; things were just too tense with only him and Leena in the room.

---

Bit pulled an undershirt over his head and collapsed into bed. He didn't feel right. It wasn't just his head or his body that was aching; he felt something besides a cold that he might be catching. It was some kind of deep exhaustion that he felt. Bit groaned and burrowed under his sheets. He had felt like this before. A few times when he was younger, he would get severely sick for no apparent reason. The doctors had told him (or the nuns, rather, because he was too young to understand) that it was not just a physical ailment; his sickness was caused from a combination of stress, trauma, and lack of sleep. There was nothing he could really do to get better except wait it out.

If there was one thing Bit hated most in the world, it was waiting. He had done way too much of it in his lifetime, and most of the time he wasn't waiting for something good. He turned angrily onto his side and tried to sleep. Unfortunately for him, he always had a hard time sleeping when he was sick. For a moment Bit contemplated getting up and joining the others, but then he decided against it. Leena would be there, and he was in no mood to deal with her. From that moment on, his mind was racing.

Bit really liked Leena. He liked her in every definition of the word. He was pretty sure that he was in love with her, but he was too afraid to admit that to himself. They had definitely gotten closer after they had helped bring down the Back Draft group, but he still wasn't sure how well they knew each other. After all, he was hiding a big part of who he was from her. Maybe he would tell her some day, but he wasn't sure that he was ready to tell his story or that she was ready to hear it. She might freak out. Bit sighed and buried his face in his pillow. His thoughts weren't getting him anywhere. He cleared his mind.

The room began to spin slightly, and his alarm clock seemed to give off way too much light. It was painful to look at. Bit rolled over and gave into the urge to sleep.

---

Leena picked at her food. She wasn't very hungry at the moment, which was strange because there was rarely a time when she wasn't hungry.

"Does your food taste alright, Pumpkin?" Doc asked. Leena grimaced. Her dad only called her that when he thought something was wrong.

"No, it's fine. I just don't feel so well. I think I'm catching whatever that idiot Bit has." She tried to sound bitter when she said the last part, but she wasn't sure it came out correctly.

"Why don't you lay down for awhile then?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Thanks, Dad." Leena pushed her chair away from the table and left the room. She had lied when she had said that she felt sick, but she knew it would let her sneak away without making anyone suspicious. What she really wanted to do was check up on Bit. He had been acting so strange ever since she had seen him earlier. She frowned at the memory. She needed to find out what was going on.

When Leena reached Bit's door, she knocked softly. There was no answer and she tried again. She listened for any movement inside, but everything was quiet. She was a little annoyed that Bit was ignoring her. Leena growled and opened his door. After she let her eyes adjust to the darkness, she realized that he was asleep. She quickly left the room and entered her own. Maybe he really isn't feeling well. She immediately felt guilty for treating him the way she did when he had come home. Leena made a mental note to be nicer to him the next time she saw him.

---

Bit was locked in a closet with his brother and sister. Smoke was trickling in through the crack of the door, stinging his eyes and newly formed cut. He cried out for help, but no one came. His blood was running down his chest and dripping onto the carpet. Smoke soon filled the small room completely. He couldn't breathe. Bit prayed. He prayed for a miracle. He prayed that someone would come and save them. He could hear the painful coughs of his brother and sister. Bit could feel the cool perspiration on his hot skin. It felt as though the room itself was on fire…it was so hot.

He found himself wishing for death. He didn't want to suffer any longer. Bit started to feel dizzy and sick. He swayed and collapsed to the floor along with his brother and sister. Right before he lost consciousness, someone opened the door. Heat poured into the room from the exposed flames. He strained his eyes to see who their rescuer was, but his vision was blurred from all the smoke. All he could make out was a dark figure among the bright orange flames. The last thing he thought before he passed out was how hot it was.

---

Bit shot up in bed, nearly falling over from the sudden movement. He felt awful. His head was pounding and he felt like he might throw up at any moment. He glanced at his clock. It was almost 2 in the morning. He needed aspirin or water or anything that would make him feel even a tiny bit better.

Bit cautiously sat up again and swung his legs over the side of the bed. The room seemed to lag behind and then lurch forward to catch up. The movement was too much for him. He stumbled forward and vomited into his garbage can. Afterwards he sat on the floor, too exhausted to move.

What seemed like an eternity later, he decided to try walking again. The movement still made him nauseous, but not enough to make him throw up again. Using the wall for support, he slowly made his way to the bathroom. Luckily for him, it was just across the hall and to the left of Leena's room. When he got there, he gripped the sink for support and splashed cold water on his face.

Bit stood there for a few moments longer and then searched the cabinet for some kind of medicine. He found a bottle of aspirin and took it off the shelf. He must have been weaker than he had previously thought, because he was having great difficulty opening the bottle. He gritted his teeth and clawed at the cap. Stupid bottle. Why. Won't. You. Open! The top finally popped off and the aspirin flew everywhere, making a huge racket.

"Shit." He sat down on the floor and began to gather the pills. A light flicked on in the hallway. When he looked up he saw Leena. It figures it'd be her. "Can I help you with something?" he asked. Maybe if he deliberately acknowledged her, she would be less suspicious. At least, that's what he hoped. Leena crossed her arms and sighed. She looked slightly annoyed, but not angry. Odd.

"No. It looks like you're the one who needs help." Before Bit could respond, she knelt down next to him and started scooping up pills. Bit stayed quiet and watched Leena's hands move from the floor to the bottle and back again. It was almost hypnotic. He was broken out of his trance when she thrust her hand forward. "Here." Bit held out his hand and she dropped two aspirin into his palm. "You really are sick, huh? I thought you were faking." He looked away.

"I'm fine. I just have a headache." Leena looked skeptical.

"I don't believe you." She stood up and filled a glass with water. "You want this?" she asked, holding the glass out unceremoniously. Bit nodded and she passed the glass over, her hand touching his as she did so. Her eyes widened. "Bit! You're burning up!" She went to feel his forehead with the back of her hand, but he swatted it away.

"I just have warm hands." he said defensively. Giving her a good glare, he popped the aspirin into his mouth and angrily downed the glass of water. He immediately decided that doing so was a bad idea. Leena watched him pale and bring a hand to his mouth. She quickly grabbed the garbage pale and shoved it in front of him just in time.

"Better?" Leena asked when the retching finally stopped. He nodded weakly. "Good." She smacked him upside the head. "What is wrong with you?! You're sick, so stop acting like you're fine!" Bit stared at her. I don't think I'll ever figure Leena out.

"Alright. I may be sick. Happy?"

"No. Why would you being sick make me happy?" She snapped. Bit groaned. He could just never win with Leena. "Now, hold still." She leaned forward. Her face was dangerously close to his. Bit jerked back and banged his head on the wall.

"What are you doing?!" He yelled while inching away. His heart was pounding. Leena growled and pinned him to the wall.

"I'm checking your temperature, stupid! Now hold still." She pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes. Bit was feeling dizzy again.

"Hey, you have little freckles on your nose."

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate." But she couldn't concentrate. Not when their noses were touching and their lips were only inches apart. She let out a frustrated sigh and pushed herself back.

"Well that didn't work at all." Leena mumbled.

"Does it usually?"

"I don't know. I've never taken someone's temperature before. That's how my mom always did it…"

"That's great. Can I go now?" Bit asked, trying feebly to get up.

"No, dumb-dumb. I'll just use a thermometer." She stood up and rummaged through the cabinet. Bit closed his eyes and rested his head against the cool tile of the wall. He opened them when Leena shoved something in his ear. "Stop fidgeting." she scolded when he tried to turn his head to see what she was doing. The thermometer beeped and she pulled it out of his ear. "Bit, this says you have a fever of 104.5!"

"Oh." He shrugged. Leena looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm going to get my dad. He'll know what to do." She went to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

"No. I'll be fine. Just give me some more aspirin." Leena pulled out of his grasp.

"You are nuts! Just stay put and I'll be right—"

"I said no!" he exclaimed. Leena stopped talking. "I don't feel like being the center of attention right now, okay? And if you get anyone I'll—I'll leave before you come back. I'll take the Liger Zero." Leena crossed her arms and felt her eye twitch. He's not lying.

"You. Are. So. Stupid." she said through gritted teeth. She looked ready to say something else, but she was distracted when Bit grabbed the garbage pale and started heaving into it. Leena sighed and sat down next to him. She rubbed his back and lightly scratched the back of his neck.

"Can you stay for awhile?" He asked when he was done.

"Who said I was leaving? Don't think you've won just because you yelled and then threw-up. If your fever doesn't go down in an hour, I'm getting my dad. And I don't care if I have to lock you in this puke-smelling bathroom to keep you here!"

"Thanks." he whispered.

"Yeah, well…" she trailed off. "Bit? This morning in the hangar…why were you…" she paused, clearly trying to pick her words carefully. "…in there talking with the Liger?" Bit leaned back against the wall and didn't say anything. Leena's hand was still touching his neck. He wondered briefly if she could feel his heart pounding. "You can talk to me too, you know." she said quietly. He turned his head toward her and she blushed. To her credit though, she didn't break eye contact. He looked away.

"I know. I just don't feel like talking about it, okay?" Bit chanced a look in her direction. At first she appeared hurt, and then angry—which Bit knew could also be interpreted as hurt when dealing with Leena.

"Fine." she spat, pulling her hand away. "If you would rather talk to some stupid hunk of metal than me, then be that way!" She turned away from him, but didn't leave. She was mad, but she was staying. Bit felt a warm feeling rise in his chest and he couldn't help but hug her. Leena stiffened and turned around in his arms. She was blushing again.

"Shut up." he said against her neck. She hugged him back.

"This fever sure has you acting weird." She let out a strange, nervous laugh.

"Yeah."

"But don't think this means that I'm not still mad at you. Because I am!" Bit didn't say anything. "Are you even listening to me?" He replied by snoring softly in her ear. Oh for the love of—he's asleep! Typical Bit. "C'mon, sleepy. You need to get to bed."

---

Until next time...

Author's Note: Yeah, I suck for not updating in…years. But I'm back, and I'm going to finish this thing if it's the last thing I do! I'm going to try and update at least once every two weeks (but hopefully every week!) from now on! I might even update my other fic as well. But you'll have to see. I might leave that one marinating until I am done with this. Anyway, those of you who have actually stuck with me, thanks! I love you all :)

-Madam Midnight-