DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

To Love-Ru and other products related to the TLR Series are all owned by Shueisha, Saki Hasemi and Kentarou Yabuki.

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Chapter 9: Sticks and Stones (1)

There had been few times in my life where I truly felt this pain tearing through my sleeping peace.

The one that comes close to mind was when I suffered a severe case of bronchitis.

When I started to notice the first symptoms of the illness, I had it mistaken for a common cold and went through my usual day without much complications.

I remember how during the second day my coughing started to seriously hinder my capacity to focus during lessons and I started to think it was something I was allergic giving me issue.

Sadly I couldn't know whom or where said allergic compound was and that meant I was pretty much clueless how to solve this issue.

The third day I noticed how sluggy I was and I was easy to distract, to get confused.

That was the time my parents decided to take me to the family doctor and-

"Your son is merely faking being sick, Mr. Mortimer. I don't see any reason for-" I vomited as the female doctor continued to give her 'diagnosis', the disgusting mess falling near where she was sitting.

A specialist was called and a deeper study was done. The bronchitis was there and, since I was incredibly frail for someone my age, my body was taking it the worst possible.

I spent an entire month stuck at home, being monitored by my parents, and had to take several medications to treat the illness.

An unpleasant month to say the least.

Yet now? Now I felt dying.

There wasn't much to add to the pain I was suffering- Even simple adjectives- Failed to describe it hurted like hell.

I noticed I had a partial lucidity beyond my sleep, I could feel my body shivering in what I thought was a bed.

I felt a small wet towel on my forehead but couldn't understand the words, muffled by tiredness and hurt, and was unsure what was going on.

I- I remember that I was ambushed by Mea but the aftermath was unknown to me.

Have I been kidnapped by the red-head? Was I in Nemesis' lair?

Difficult to assess things -WHEN PAIN STRIKES SO HARD, DANGIT!

I was heating up, bothered by the burst of torture that would happen once in a while. It was all adding up to the ever-present discomfort and suffering I was being put through.

It seemed an endless circle that was supposed to make me insane, to lose my mind.

Yet...

It stopped.

It was a gradual thing as my body slowly started to lose the very self-pressure that had made the moments until now incredibly atrocious.

Soon I felt sore, as if I had been literally beaten up by ten buffed thugs for ten rounds straight.

Sure I couldn't move but my eyelids could open.

I blinked slowly, mesmerised by the safe feeling washing over me as I recognised the ceiling as the same from the infirmary.

I was at Sainan High and- someone was shivering by my side.

"W-Who?" It was a slow turn of head, my eyes widening as I catched sight of a weird sight.

Mea was dressed in an open shirt, paler than usual and without anything to cover herself from the cold.

I don't know how I did that but, against my best intent to keep my body from strain from sudden actions, I grasped one of her arms and pulled her close.

It was weird and crazy, to have to pull my attempted murderer close to me to avoid her dying from hypothermia.

It was insane! I-It was- "I'm sorry."

...

"W-What?" It sounded much more like a croak than an actual word but I knew that the girl had understood.

"I-I shouldn't ha-have- hurts. It-It hurts!"

She was shaking and I finally noticed the small trail of her red mane retreating from the back of my head.

The very girl that had planned to do ill things to me for the sake of fun and duties for the big baddy... had taken the metaphorical bullet for me... WHY?!

Panic finally sinked deep in my psyche as I started to look around for the nurse, Mikado actually not being there.

"Mea, where is Mikado? Where is the nurse?"

The girl gurgled something and my fears intensified as I noticed blood starting to pour slowly out of her mouth.

I was sore and my body was not in the best of shapes, but I was happy that I was at least clothed appropriately.

Without much hesitation, I moved out of the bed and caressed her cheek one last time. "I'm-I'm getting help. Y-You need to hold on."

She was already zoning out as she didn't respond to my words, her eyes staring to the nothingness in front of her.

I wobbled towards the door and tried to open it, finding it stuck closed.

A quick glance back to the shivering girl and I assumed she had made it stuck to avoid interruptions for her foolish solution to the adverse effects of the aphrodisiac.

Welp, time to sprang an ankle I suppose!

I distanced myself from the door a little bit as I sprinted as much as I could in my weakened form and kicked the damn thing open, the pain surging from my leg forcing me to trip into.. Mikado's waiting arms.

"You shouldn't have moved." She said with a serious tone, taking me back inside the room. "Help was coming and now I-" "H-Help the girl, woman!"

I don't know it was my tone or something else, but the older adult paused just a moment at my order, then she put me in one of the free beds and moved to study and help the girl that was going through the same hell I just left.

It was then that I remembered that I didn't sleep and I was falling unco-

"You truly are an unlucky man, Mortimer."

Dread surged as I snapped my eyes open to find a pair of ambers staring back so deeply and closely.

Nemesis' frame was barely present over my body, the girl having a smug expression on her face.

From the darkness that covered most of the room, I was sure I had fallen asleep until nighttime.

Did I just skip an entire day like that? This.. This was really bad-

"Ohi, my boobs are here. That is my face." If I had been Rito, I would have fallen for that little remark but I was... more experienced with this kind of teasing.

The two pillows squished so suddenly but I managed to avoid getting aroused by the phenomenon, knowing full well that I would have just pushed her to do more bold actions.

Her eyes narrowed at the lack of reaction from me. "You sure are a brick to deal with, Mortimer. To think that I was genuinely worried that you were hurt."

"Weren't you planning to torture me for information?" I managed to speak thoroughly and she huffed at that.

"I just wanted to seduce you. To break you the lewd way." She shrugged. "You know, turn you like that fat pig."

"Welp, it seemed that your plan almost costed you what you need, Nem."

She blinked at the nickname but smiled once more. "You are getting confided, boy?"

A giggle as she snuggled onto my chest. "I could make you my toy and just skip the pleasantries.. but I think I would miss this wit."

"It's my undying charisma, I suppose."

The faux-loli tried to give me a murderous glare at the pun but she cracked a smile the very last moment, ruining her attempts to threaten me.

"I didn't ask Mea-chan to do that." She voiced quietly, staring at the girl few beds away.

I turned myself to look at the redhead, noticing that she was sleeping softly and painlessly.

Mikado had managed to fix her up, that was... good?

Yes, I suppose, but she could have dealt with the guilt in other ways.. not trying to kill herself by taking the pain onto herself.

I was confused and conflicting how to deal with the teen but- "I could kill her."

That.. that was how I lost few more years from my own life. "N-No?"

Her hair had already reached the sleeping transweapon, turning into differently-shaped blades, poised to strike the unaware girl.

"No?" She gave me a confused look. "You know that the short-haired twin, Momo, wanted to personally kill her with her own hands."

I could see the pinkette going berserk in this kind of situations but.. killing? That sounded absurd for someone as sheltered as she was.

"I will solve that tomorrow and.. I don't want her to die."

Silence fell in the room as Nemesis forgot all about the girl and returned to stare intensily back at me.

"She tried to kill you, in a very stupid way if I add to say, and you don't want her to die?"

She sounded so much confused and.. it was somewhat concerning that she was staring at me so desperately, as if she was trying to avoid something-

"You don't want her to die too, don't you?" It was a gamble but I was relieved when she blinked at that, not reacting with her usual smug looks or reactions.

"She failed me as my tool, failing to consider your different biological composition compared to this dimension's mankind. She needs to be disposed."

"A tool?" I mused loudly, turning to stare at Mea again, causing Nemesis to stare at her too. "I thought she was your younger sister, your imouto."

"Why?"

I blinked as I turned to stare at the tanned girl. "She adores you and wants to feel useful for you. She knows that you are being kind to her... but she feels unworthy of that, she wants to... make you happy."

"Is that so?" She whispered and it was said so softly that I almost didn't catch it.

I gave her a small smile but she disappeared in dark mist.

Waiting for a while I blinked at what had just happened. I had actually cracked a little Nemesis' shell and... it was not supposed to be me to do that.

AN

Neme-chan is a softie deep inside.