"Kiriyama Ayame? Kiriyama Ayaka? I've never even heard of them. You're going to waste your last breath asking me if I remember people? You're pathetic." The blue-haired hero crouched down and gripped her chin, his stare cold and calculating. He tightened his hold until she yelped in pain. "You're not even a real hero. You're going to die and no one will remember you. No one would ever thank you for what you tried to do. I mean…did you really think you could kill me?"

"N-no! No…please…!" Ayano's eyes snapped open wide as she jolted awake. She was shivering and her vision went black for a moment when she sat up, forcing her to fall onto her back once more. "Ngh..."

"You're awake?" Her ex-teacher's voice came from her right, drawing her attention to the kitchen. Sonic turned to look at her, putting his back to the tea pot and frowning.

What does that mean? She squinted since her glasses were off and quickly felt her face going pink when she realized her clothes were missing. Ayano settled beneath the blankets on the futon and closed her eyes. Her thoughts were a bit fuzzy and she was sweating a little. "What…time is it?" she hesitantly asked.

"Ten. You've been asleep for a long time." He turned away from her again for a moment and was soon walking across the space to sit beside the futon. A cup of tea was placed on the floor next to her and he held the other cup. "Before you have any ideas, let me just tell you that you're not leaving the base again any time soon. If you try to leave, you won't be gone for long. I doubt you would last long in your current condition anyway; you have a fever."

"…what…?" Ayano tried to swallow and her throat felt hot and scratchy. She frowned as she attempted to piece things together. Her memory was a bit fuzzy, as were her thoughts, and when she finally recalled the previous night's events, her face went bright red.

Sonic noticed and immediately started to smirk. "You wouldn't leave me again now anyway, would you? You think Saitama would take care of you like this?"

She sank lower beneath the blanket, curling up in a ball on her side and facing away from him. "Y-you embarrassed me…in front of Mumen Rider…"

"I was making a point." His hand gripped her shoulder gently and he turned her onto her back once more. Staring down into the hero's honey-colored eyes, his free hand pushed stray locks of hair away from her face. He leaned down more, letting his forehead touch hers, and Sonic frowned again. "Here. Drink this."

Ayano found her upper half being propped up by his right arm, his left hand lifting a tea cup close to her mouth. She reached with trembling hands, trying to ignore the chill she felt, and took the cup. "What…is this…?"

"It's a tea blend. Just drink it." He saw her bite her lower lip and pressed the rim of the cup against her lips. "You need to drink this. It will bring your fever down and help your throat."

She reluctantly opened her mouth and sipped the drink. It was minty, but had another sort of herbal taste to it. The heat and herbs soothed her throat as it went down. She closed her eyes and let him help her, unable to do much else.

When the cup was empty, he settled her onto her back again and sat with his back against the wall next to the futon. He took a long sip from his own tea cup and frowned. "You were crying in your sleep."

Ayano closed her eyes, arms wrapping around herself beneath the blanket. "I…had a nightmare," she admitted. "I-I don't usually dream about it, but…I saw my sisters in my dream. They were crying and they…wanted me to join them. Amai Mask appeared a-and I tried to kill him, but…I couldn't do it. I failed and he…was going to kill me."

Sonic listened to her and released a frustrated sigh. "Just let me kill him for you. You would be doing me a favor by letting me do it."

She opened her eyes again and looked toward him, but her vision was still blurry. Now from tears and a lack of glasses. She saw that he was wearing some loose-fitting black pants and a tight black shirt; casual wear. The sight made her blush a little and she glanced away in an effort to distract herself. "I…need to get my own revenge…for my sisters."

"Ayame and Ayaka." He looked down at her and there was no trace of coldness in his grey eyes. Sonic appeared to be under some sort of strain. Like he had something he wanted to say, something he wanted to do, but he was holding back. The ninja finished his tea and set his cup aside along with hers.

Without a word, he began stripping off his shirt and then his pants. He slipped beneath the covers and swiftly wrapped both arms around her to prevent her from shuffling away from him. Sonic's skin felt warm and soothing against Ayano's.

She struggled for a few minutes, feeling a jolt of alarm and remembering the embarrassment she had suffered in front of Mumen Rider the previous night. Unfortunately, the fever made her feel weak. She was soon lying limply in his arms with his chest pressed against her back.

Her heart beat hard and fast as she closed her eyes, intending to try to fall asleep again. When Ayano felt one of his hands drift up to her left breast, her breathing hitched in response. His warm fingertips pressed gently against her pale skin, bringing her a flicker of pleasure to push away any thoughts about her fever.

Sonic pressed close against her back, his body heat helping to keep her from shivering again. "You need to sleep more. I'm not going anywhere today so you're in luck; I can stay with you all day."

"You…will?" Delirium made her want to giggle. The fever was taking its toll and she felt a strange giddiness. "Sonic…?"

"Go back to sleep." He tried to keep a firm tone, but he was unable to keep the amusement from leaking into his voice. His left arm tightened around her, his right arm slipping beneath her head for added cushioning.

"…you'll get sick…if you're this close…" she mumbled.

Lips skimmed over the back of her neck and she tensed a little, a weak whimper escaping her. "If I get sick, you'll take care of me, won't you?"

Ayano felt a pleasant shiver run down her spine. She was no longer trembling. Most of her focus was on the warmth radiating from the ninja behind her. It was comforting and made her memories of the previous night seem like a bad dream. A fever dream. Her delirious, sickly brain half-wondered if the whole break up had been part of the dream, but she knew it was real.

"I'll…take care of you…if you get sick," the hero finally answered. "I love you. I wouldn't…abandon you…"

Shift P.O.V

Sonic had expected a simple nod, but this love confession was ten times better. He let his lips curl into a grin and he pressed his chest tighter against her back. "You won't abandon me again?" he asked, gently trailing his fingers along her chest.

She made a sound of pleasure and her hips moved back, pressing herself against his lower half. Not knowing how that affected him. "I'll take care of you. I…love you…s-so I can't leave you…"

He knew she was delirious. He knew her fever was pretty high. He was fully aware that it was his fault. After all, he made her chase him through the rain when she was already weakened from her hero patrolling. Sonic was just glad to have her back and to be taking care of her himself. Just the thought of Saitama or Genos taking care of her while she was sick made Sonic's blood boil.

"You…do you…still love me…?" Ayano's voice sounded weak. Frightened.

"That's a stupid question." The ninja leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck. He felt her hips rub back against him again, sending a rush of pleasure through him. "I love you more than you think," he confessed, knowing that her delirious mind would probably forget the conversation. "I've thought about you every day since you left and I watched you patrol with that pathetic little hero friend of yours. I'm not letting you go again so don't even think about-"

"You…love me…?" There was a giddiness in her voice when she asked this. Her body trembled as she quietly giggled. "You…really, really love me?"

Sonic was surprised when she turned to face him. The girl's right hand lifted, feverishly hot fingers running through his hair as her honey-colored gaze met his grey one. There was a soft, sweet smile on her face as she drew closer. He tightened his arm around her again, bringing her bare chest against his and enjoying the warm, softness of her body. "That makes you happy?"

"I-it makes me really happy!"

His grin returned as he threaded his fingers into her chocolate-colored hair. Again, Sonic knew how delirious she was. How sickly she was. He just did not care. All that mattered was that he had her back and she still loved him. He would take care of her until she was better and then things would go back to how they were before she left. That was all that he wanted; to have her with him.

Ayano's cheeks were bright pink as she stared up at the man. She lowered her head, her forehead now pressing against his shoulder. "I…um…Sonic…y-you…do you still…want…to have a child?"

The question threw him off a little. Honestly, he was surprised that she was still awake since it almost seemed like she was drifting in and out of consciousness. He leaned down a little, running his fingers through her hair again. "I want one."

Her fingertips trailed from his hair, down along the side of his neck and to his chest. The ninja tensed in response, his heart beating faster and his hips pushing forward against hers. He could feel the warmth of her core against him and he wanted to take her, but he knew that she was sick. She needed to get well before they did that again.

"D-do you want…a son or…a daughter?" Her body was relaxing and when Sonic leaned down to see her face, he saw that her eyes were slowly closing. The girl's voice was soft, sleepy. "I want…a son…and we'll name him…"

He heard her trail off and knew she was asleep. Ayano was completely limp in his arms, her breathing was quiet and steady. Sonic's lips pressed gently against her forehead and he stayed still for a long while.

When he finally had to move, it was around an hour later. Ayano's phone screen was lighting up over and over again with frantic messages from her friends. He had turned off the volume earlier that morning so Ayano could sleep in peace. Now that Sonic was emerging from the futon, he decided to check her messages.

He settled her beneath the covers, got dressed, and brought her phone with him to the kitchen. The rice cooker was filled, meat and vegetables were placed in a pan to begin cooking, and Sonic looked at her phone screen. He frowned upon realizing that every message she had received was from Mumen Rider.