PastaLuver13561: Hey everybody! First off: I am SO sorry i haven't posted anything in like, forever.
Masamune: you've been doing that an awful lot...
PastaLuver13561: I know... Second: Thank you so much for the loving reviews, favorites, and followers! It really inspires me to write more! So... um... yeah, here's the chapter!
Yukimura: Lady Pasta doesn't own the Sengoku Basara characters. If she did, she'd post chapters faster...
"Ugh, I feel like crap," Azure muttered. She then let out a series of coughs. Everyone crowded around her bed, Charlie was sitting on her lap, and Snow lay at the foot of the bed.
Yukimura went to try and help, but Azure waved him off mouthing "I'm fine, I'm fine."
"You definitely sound like crap." Motochika agreed.
"Gee, thanks." Azure replied sarcastically.
She then sneezed very loudly, making everyone jump. Yukimura frantically went to get her tissues. "Thanks," Azure mumbled while accepting the tissues, "I don't think I can go to school today." she said before blowing her nose.
"Well obviously not. Your nose is as red as Rudolph's, you're as pale as Mitsunari, and you sound like a dying walrus." Motochika stated. Mitsunari looked at Motochika, wondering whether or not to take that statement as an insult.
"Wow, I sound gorgeous." Azure rolled her eyes, "We'll have to call me in sick, otherwise my teachers will think I'm skipping school."
"Well how do we do that?" Yukimura asked.
"It's easy. Just call them and sound all adultish saying 'Hi, I'm Azure's father. Azure is sick and she can't come in today, thanks.'" Azure lowered her voice for extra effect.
"Sounds easy enough! So who's gonna make the call?" Keiji asked.
"I'll do it." Masamune answered, "This'll be fun." he said with a cocky grin. He took out his cell phone and with the help of Azure, dialed the school.
"Hello, this is Mr. Stark, Azure's dad. She's sick, so she won't be coming in today." Masamune said. Azure was surprised; he sounded very formal.
Until the office lady began asking questions.
"...Whadya mean 'describe her condition'? She's sick, that's all there is to it! ...Look lady, I didn't call to be bothered by you! Azure's sick and she's not coming in today, and that's final!" and with that, Masamune angrily snapped his phone shut.
"...Did you just hang up on the school office lady?" Ieyasu asked.
"Masamune, that's not how a father talks to officials..." Azure face-palmed.
"Wow Masamune, great parenting skills you have there." Sasuke snickered.
"Shut up!" Masamune snapped.
Everyone paused when a loud growl sounded throughout the room. Azure blushed when she realized it was coming to her stomach.
"Are you hungry, Lady Azure?" Yukimura asked.
"Her stomach says yes." Keiji answered.
"And I know the perfect thing to make for Sick Little A-zoo-re!" Motochika announced, already heading downstairs and towards the kitchen.
Motonari however was faster. He blocked the entrance to the kitchen, preventing Motochika from advancing any further.
"What's the problem, Mori?" The one-eyed pirate asked.
"Just what are you planning on making?" Motonari asked warily.
"My special Chosokabe Stew!" The pirate announced proudly.
Motonari shook his head, "Then I absolutely forbid you from setting foot in this kitchen! For the sake of Azure's well being, I cannot allow you to cook that... POISON that you call food!"
Motochika raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? I gave you my special stew and you survived!"
"But everything around me didn't!"
"Well what are you planning on doing then, huh?" the pirate challenged.
"I'll make her my home-made Mori-clan secret recipe!" Motonari proclaimed.
"Like hell you will! My taste buds nearly died from that awful taste, and the stew freaking glowed like it was radioactive!" Motochika retorted.
"Likewise!" The tactician shot back.
"Oh yeah? Well how about we make our own recipes and see which one she likes better?"
"Your on, pirate."
~Meanwhile...~
"...I'm cold." Azure said. She even shivered to prove her point.
"Azure's cold! Quick, get her some blankets!" Yukimura shouted.
And so the samurai set out to fetch some blankets.
Leave it to Yukimura for helping a shivering damsel in distress. Azure mentally croaked.
"Here's a blanket for little Zuzu." Masamune said as he put the blanket he found over Azure.
"Thanks." she said gratefully.
"Lady Azure! I found a blanket!" Yukimura announced as he tucked her in with the new blanket.
"Thanks, that's really kind-"
"Azu-chan!" Keiji then appeared with a blanket rolled up over his shoulder, "Blanket!" he said as he put it over his friend.
"O-Ok, I think that's enou-"
"Here." Mitsunari interrupted as he wrapped Azure up in the blanket he found.
"Really, I think it's en-!"
"Azure!" everyone else shouted as they piled their blankets over Azure.
Eventually Azure was covered with seven blankets, piled up to measure about a foot. Charlie scurried out from underneath the death-pile and curled up on the floor instead, followed by Snow.
"...I don't think she looks very comfortable..." Ieyasu observed. Azure was beginning to sweat.
Yukimura immediately threw off the first 5 layer of blankets. "Are you alright, Lady Azure?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah, I'm fi-" Azure then coughed for a good minute.
Yukimura looked crushed. What can he do to help his friend out? He felt about useless right now...
"Lady Azure?" he asked softly as he reached for her shoulder.
"I'm alright..." Azure answered hoarsely, "Thanks."
Yukimura nodded and reluctantly pulled his hand back.
"I'm still hungry..." she grumbled.
As if on cue, Motochika and Motonari came into her room carrying a bowl of stew. Azure accepted it gratefully. She then peered inside.
"...Why is this glowing green and purple?" she asked.
"Well, you see," Motochika began, "We were originally going to serve you both of our recipes separately so you tell us which on you liked better..."
-flashback!-
Motochika looked into his pot of stew. It glowed purple, just the way he liked it. He then looked up and shouted annoyingly, "Mori, will you hurry up with the stew? Mine's getting cold!"
"Calm yourself, pirate!" Motonari growled back. He was rushing all over the place trying to mix in any final seasoning to possibly improve his recipe. He reached into a cabinet and pulled out a random shaker of dark orange... Substance of some sort... It smelled decent enough, so he poured some into the pot. He then pulled out a pepper shaker. Without thinking, he dumped the whole thing into his stew. The pot gurgled and turned a sickly green color. Motonari then smiled.
His stew was complete!
Motonari carried the pot over to a bowl, and slipped on an ever-so inconveniently placed banana peel. He did a professional face-plant as the pot of stew spilled all over the place.
One of the places happened to be Motochika's stew.
The combined stew bubbled, then let out a deep "Ggggggrrrrr..." after several seconds, it calmed down.
"Aw hell, Mori! Look what you did!" Motochika shouted.
"What I did? You were the one who decided to add banana to your inedible garbage you call food!" Motonari snapped.
"Ah, well, if Azure hates this, I blame you." Motochika growled as he grabbed the tray of food and stomped up the stairs.
-End of Flashback-
"...That didn't answer my question..." Azure mumbled as she looked at her stew again. Seriously, how does one manage to make their food swirl freaking green and purple colors? Is this even edible? She asked herself. Well, one way to find out... If I go to the freaking poison control agency (If there even is one), I'll know who to blame...
Azure took a spoonful. After staring at it, contemplating whether or not she should eat it, she put it in her mouth.
And she turned a nasty shade of green.
Yukimura made her spit the spoonful out while Kojuuro took the tray away before Azure could eat anymore and possibly suffocate herself.
"I think a little part of me just died," Azure coughed.
Motochika narrowed his eyes at Motonari, "Your stew messed up everything! Way to go, Mori!"
Motonari did the same, "My stew? Yours is what made the combination so incredibly bland and disgusting!" He snapped.
"Why I oughtta-!" Motochika threatened.
Mitsunari punched the two over the head, silencing both of them "If you two imbeciles had some brains, you would see that your bickering is giving Azure a headache!" he hissed.
"Ow, jeez man! I think you just killed whatever brains I had left!" Motochika winced, rubbing his swollen head.
"A warning before striking us like that would've been more appreciated!" Motonari snapped as he too rubbed his head in pain.
"I mean seriously, you two act like an old married couple." Masamune joined in.
The two glared at Masamune, hoping that if they glared hard enough, they would eventually develop laser eyes and he'd just melt into a puddle of blue.
He however didn't. Instead he came over and felt Azure's forehead.
"Jeez, your forehead is burning." He said.
Yukimura rushed out of the bedroom. Seconds later, he returned with a cool damp towel and put it over Azure's forehead. To everyone's surprise, steam began to rise from the damp cloth. (Yes, Azure's forehead was that hot.)
"Ah, thanks, that feels good..." Azure murmured as she gave a small smile.
Yukimura nodded. He then picked up Charlie and placed him next to Azure. The orange feline curled up next to his owner. Azure reached over and ran her fingers through the cat's soft fur. She then closed her eyes. Aside from the soft coughs here and there, she fell asleep. Snow silently leaped onto the bed and lay down beside Charlie, resting his head on Azure's stomach.
Everyone then decided it was smart to head downstairs.
While downstairs, Masamune and Motochika decided to split a bottle of sake (they snuck it without telling Azure) as Sasuke and Kojuuro looked online for any way to quicken Azure's recovery, while Keiji and Ieyasu decided to make something for Azure for when she wakes up. Yukimura and Mitsunari sat on the couch and played ps3. (Way to be productive. XD) Masamune then went to use the bathroom. He set his cup on the counter in the kitchen.
"Do we have cough medicine?" Sasuke asked after doing a little bit of research.
"That really thick disgusting stuff? It's in the pantry in the kitchen next to the oven." Keiji answered.
Kojuuro nodded and went searching for it.
After a few minutes, he found the cough medicine. Not too sure how much he had to give Azure, he poured half a cup. It was really thick, clear, and disgusting looking. Kojuuro wrinkled his nose as the thick fluid slowly made its way into the glass. How does this stuff help with colds? he asked himself. He shrugged. Never question the power of future medicine. Especially thick, clear, Gross... slimy... Disgusting looking...
You know, suddenly Kojuuro was starting to second guess today's medicine. He then set the cup of medicine on the counter and headed back into the living room.
A few moments passed, and Ieyasu heard Azure awakening from the floor above him.
"I'm going to give Azure her medicine." He called.
After pouring some home-made soup that he and Keiji made, Ieyasu grabbed the glass of cough medicine and set it on the tray. He then headed upstairs.
Ieyasu slowly approached Azure's bedroom. Balancing the tray of food in one hand, he used his free hand to knock.
"Come in," a voice invited.
"Azure? I have some food and cough medicine for you." Ieyasu said.
He opened the bedroom door and stepped into the room. Azure was sitting upright in her bed with Charlie still curled up next to her and Snow now resting his head in her lap.
"You look better already." Ieyasu smiled.
"I definitely feel better." Azure agreed, smiling back.
"You sound better too," Ieyasu said, slightly surprised. He felt her forehead, "Your temperature went down too."
Ieyasu then handed Azure the tray of food.
"Here's some food. It's homemade soup Keiji and I made. Hopefully it won't kill your insides like Motochika and Motonari's stew did." Ieyasu chuckled.
"It's not glowing unnatural colors, so I'm all good." Azure replied giggling slightly.
Ieyasu then set the cup of medicine on Azure's dresser. "According to Sasuke, This'll help with your sore throat and congestion." he said.
"Thanks a lot," She said as she took a spoonful of soup. "This is really good," she praised.
"Oh good." Ieyasu answered as he sat on Azure's bed and started petting Snow. The canine's tail began to wag.
"Seriously, if you didn't command a gigantic army to dominate all of Japan, you'd make an awesome chef!" Azure continued.
"I appreciate the compliment." Ieyasu thanked.
When she finished eating, Azure then took the cup of cough syrup and gulped most of it down to get the disgustingness over with.
She made a face.
"What's wrong?" Ieyasu asked.
"...This isn't medicine..."
XxxxxxxX
"What's bugging you?" Masamune asked as he made his way over to Yukimura with his cup of sake in his hand, "You seem... Down." He stood in front of his rival and looked down.
Yukimura just stared at his hands that were folded in his lap. "I'm concerned for Lady Azure."
"Hm? How so?" Masamune asked.
There was a pause.
"...I've witnessed a lot of illness in my army..." Yukimura eventually said, "And the outcome was all the same, a loss of a soldier. If we lost Lady Azure, I'd..." He clenched his hands, unable to finish his sentence.
Masamune sat next to his friend. "Listen, Zuzu's in good hands. She has the care, friends who will look after her," Masamune rested a hand on Yukimura's shoulder, "She has you." he reminded, "there's nothing to worry about." he finished as he sat back.
"Azure is a fighter," Mitsunari added, not looking at the two but instead straight at the TV, "She would not succumb to sickness so easily." he said, remembering the whole Mafia experience a few weeks back.
"...Thank you, Masamune and Mitsunari." Yukimura said quietly as he smiled at both of them.
Mitsunari just looked away and closed his eyes, and Masamune gave a quick smirk before taking a sip of his sake.
And he immediately spit it back out.
"Masamune?!" Yukimura jumped from the sudden spit-take.
"Explain," Mitsunari demanded, pretty pissed that most of the sake sprayed all over his face.
"That's not sake," Masamune gagged, "It's too thick and sweet! Taste it yourself!"
Mitsunari narrowed his eyes, but he quickly licked some of the sake from his lips.
And he gagged.
"...That is indeed not sake." He agreed.
And that was when Ieyasu came thundering downstairs.
"Guys," he said frantically, "We have a problem..."
PastaLuver: ...*ducks behind Motochika from incoming tomatoes* I'm sorry! I was gone for god know's how long, and I know you guys were expecting this huge, supersized, crack filled, fantabulous, mind-blowing, unicorn dancing, rainbow puking chapter! I am a terrible authoress... DX
Motochika: *covered in tomatoes* Really? I just had these cleaned!
PastaLuver: Sorry.. and you all are gonna hate my next comment... I'll be on hiatus for a while... I have an actual book I'm writing, and with school and all my other life problems thrown into the equation, I'm not sure when I'll get back to this...
Keiji: *epic bone-crushing bear hug* WHAT?! You can't do this, Pasta-chan! T_T
Yukimura: *joins in* Are we not important enough?!
Masamune: WHAT THE HELL, YOU'RE LEAVING US!?
Motonari and Kojuuro: *unamused glare*
Sasuke: We'll miss you dearly...
Ieyasu: This is... depressing...
Mitsunari: *unsheathes Odachi* You won't leave us, I won't allow it.
Pasta: I think my ribcage just imploded... I'm sorry! I promise I'll never forget about this story! I still have many chapters for this before I end this! I always keep my word! It's just... It'll take a while before I post another chapter... Hope you guys understand... I promise I'll get back to this fanfic. Don't worry... I just need some time off. I love you all (even though I don't really know you guys well), don't forget me! (it sounds like I'm being sacrificed or something...) Pasta-chan, Out!
