"Akira~ Come on. We're gonna be late to practice."
"Stop dragging me."
"Then hurry up."
Yachiyo was pouting. Akira had taken longer than normal with some work she needed to do. Now they were running behind schedule. Thankfully, they still made it in time for practice, albeit they were last.
That wasn't usual for them. Even when they didn't arrive together, they both were early. Akira normally was the first one in the room, unless Michiru beat her there. Yachiyo was normally last when coming alone, but was still in the room with a lot of time to spare.
"Alright. I was thinking we go over the main scenes today." Michiru ignored their late arrival and jumped into practice for today, "So, I guess let's get stretching."
And that was what they did. As per usual, they split up into the groups by relationship. Michiru was helping Shiori and Mei Fan with their stretches, which didn't seem like good news for Shiori.
"Senpai! Too much!"
"You can do it, Shiori. I know you can. Just a little farther."
"Michiru, let up. She still isn't that flexible yet."
"She needs to push herself a bit every now and again to get more flexible. I'm helping her."
"Why don't you help me instead?"
And somehow it turned to flirting. Mei Fan was just trying to spare Shiori the torture of Michiru's warm-ups.
Meanwhile, Akira and Yachiyo were a different story.
"Akira? Are you okay? You seem a little out of it today. Are you sick again?" Yachiyo was a bit worried over Akira. Her behavior was causing them some concern.
"I'm fine. I just have a lot of things I'm trying to do right now." Akira brushed off their concern.
What she didn't say was that she was very overwhelmed, and was starting to really feel the effects of it. There were so many things to do and for once, she was struggling to get it all done. That wasn't normal for her. She didn't want anyone to know. She had to keep her image.
"You sure?" Yachiyo frowned at her.
"Yes. I'm fine. I promise. Let's start before Michiru yells."
"Okay. Just... please tell me if you feel off. I don't want you getting yourself hurt." Yachiyo stated.
"I will." Akira promised. It was definitely a lie. She didn't want to tell them about this.
They started stretching as they were supposed to. Akira was finding herself struggling to do the simple actions. She wasn't feeling very good. Her head hurt and she was sleep-deprived. It was honestly a miracle no one noticed yet. She really didn't know how no one had caught on yet.
Akira powered through it as best she could. Somehow she got through practice without anyone thinking anything was off. That was good.
She had made a few mistakes here and there, but she managed to cover it well enough that if anyone noticed, they didn't mention it. Or the one time she stumbled while dancing with Shiori, the younger girl apologized and said it was her fault.
But, all that practice had made her feel a lot worse. Her head was pounding even more. She felt very out of breath. Somehow it seemed no one had noticed. Maybe because she was keeping her distance a bit?
The shower she took after helped her a bit, but not much. She could tell her movements were slow and not as sharp as they should be. She did end up bumping into corners every now and again. She kept dropping things in the shower too.
"You ready to go back?" Yachiyo was waiting for her return.
The other three had already left, Shiori wanting them for something. What that something was, Yachiyo wasn't sure. They hadn't asked and didn't know if they had even wanted to ask.
"Give me a minute." Akira had a few things to put away into her bag.
"Okay~" Yachiyo hummed.
Akira did consider just being honest and admitting she didn't feel very good. But, her pride was keeping that from happening. She was strong. She could do it. She had to do it.
"Okay. We can go now." Akira said after a few minutes.
"Let's go!" Yachiyo smiled.
The walk back was a struggle. Akira was worried she might fall into Yachiyo with a misstep. She didn't want to worry them if she didn't have to. But, her body was starting to feel numb. That probably wasn't a good sign, was it?
"Yachiyo?"
"Yeah?"
"Um... nevermind..."
"You sure?" Yachiyo was eyeing her with concern.
"Yeah. I... need to think it over before saying anything."
"If you say so."
Akira couldn't bring herself to admit it. She was too prideful. It was going to really do her in. Hopefully she could make it to the dorms. If she could get in bed, it would be fine. That was all she needed to do.
Unfortunately, it was not looking good for her. She really should say something. She really should. And yet, she kept quiet.
Her one knee bucked slightly. That wasn't a good sign. How long would it last? The walk was still enough that she was worried.
Her vision blanked on her for a second. She barely stopped herself from reacting. She had to just ignore it and push on. Or, she had to speak up.
"Yachi..."
"Hmm?"
"I..." Akira was struggling to say it, "I..."
"Come on, you can tell me." Yachiyo said.
"I don't..." Akira didn't get a chance to finish that sentence.
Her vision swam and her legs buckled from beneath her. Her vision quickly went black. All she could tell was she was falling. She couldn't stop herself or catch herself now.
"Akira!?"
She felt a a pair of arms quickly wrap around her and then everything faded away into nothing.
"Nngh... ow..."
Akira came to a while later. She could tell she was in a bed. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in her room. No one else was around.
Akira sighed and sat up. That was a bit of a struggle. She had to rely on the bedframe for a lot of support, otherwise she very well might fall back down again.
She had really done it to herself this time. This wasn't the first time she had overworked herself, but this is the first time something this serious happened because of it. She had really messed up big time.
Akira wondered how Yachiyo felt. They had seen her collapse. It was possible they were the one to carry her here. She probably worried them sick with that. She felt bad. She didn't mean for that to happen. She never would want to make them worry about her like that. But, for that very same reason, this had happened.
If she had just admitted it none of this would've ever happened. But she was stubborn. And her stubbornness really did her in this time.
The door opened. Yachiyo entered the room. They looked relieved to see her awake. That expression didn't last very long, though.
Akira didn't even have time to register what was going on. Yachiyo's face had turned into an expression of anger and they had run over and slapped her. Quite hard, might she say. That might leave a bruise.
"You idiot! You're such a fucking idiot!" Yachiyo yelled, "You scared me to death when you just collapsed like that..."
They started crying and hugged her tightly. Akira was still reeling from the slap. She eventually hugged them back.
"I'm sorry... I know I should've said something sooner..."
"I am pissed right now." Yachiyo looked at her, a glare very clear on their face, "That apology means shit."
Akira knew Yachiyo was indeed telling the truth. They didn't curse at her unless they were really mad or really scared. They knew she hated when they cursed.
"I don't know what to say to make it up to you."
"You can't. You don't understand how scared I was..."
"I know... I'm really sorry. I have no excuse for not telling you sooner..." Akira mumbled.
"Yeah. You don't, you idiot." Yachiyo sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Please don't slap me again." Akira really didn't want to get another bruise.
"Sorry... I... I shouldn't have done that to begin with. I was just really mad..." Yachiyo apologized.
"You're anger is justified toward me... I deserved it."
Yachiyo shook their head, "No. It's not right to hit someone."
"Did you tell anyone else?" Akira changed the topic.
"Yes. I didn't know what to do so I had to." Yachiyo replied.
Great. She was so dead. Michiru would not let this slide without really giving her an earful. This was just great.
"Akira? Why did you collapse?" Yachiyo questioned after she didn't say anything else.
Akira look away, "I... I've been pushing myself more than I should be... I know... it was stupid to do..."
"You really are a stubborn idiot. You should've said something. I would've helped you."
"I know... I'm sorry, Yachiyo."
"You're banned from work until you get yourself together again. No buts." Yachiyo stated, "I'm not risking this happening again."
"But it's not fair to-"
"I said no buts!"
Akira winced slightly as they raised their voice. That had been uncalled for. Then again, Yachiyo was still upset.
"Sorry." Yachiyo sighed, "I'm just still worked up over this. I'll try to keep myself calm."
"It's okay. I just didn't expect you to yell."
"Jeez, Yachiyo. You're really going off on her, aren't you? Guess you're doing my job for me then."
It seemed the yelling drew Michiru to the room. She was standing at the door, looking at Yachiyo.
"Sorry... I'm getting too loud..." Yachiyo mumbled.
"So, Akira, I suppose first off I should ask how you're feeling." Michiru stepped in and closed the door.
Akira refused to look at either of them now, "Awful... honestly..."
There was no point in trying to play it off. Not when she had gotten to the point of fainting. They would both be able to tell she was lying, so she might as well just tell them the truth.
She had a bad headache still, and every inch of her body seemed to be aching from the strain she had put it through. She had really overdone it. She should've known better. She should've. She was such an idiot for ignoring all the signs her body gave her.
"Then rest. I won't scold you until you at least feel better." Michiru stated, "Yachiyo, I'm leaving this up to you. Make sure she gets better."
"I will, Michiru-senpai." Yachiyo promised.
Michiru walked over to Akira and hugged her. Akira didn't know how to react. Why was she hugging her?
"Please don't scare me like that again, Akira." Michiru whispered.
Akira understood it now. She too was worried. Probably everyone was. She hated that she had done that to them.
"I won't." Akira promised as she hugged her back.
"I'll be going now. Just let me know if you need something from me." Michiru exited the room.
"Okay." Yachiyo turned to Akira once Michiru was gone, "Like she said, just rest for now."
"Can I... have something to drink?"
"Sure. I'll grab something for you. You better not leave this bed, understand?" Yachiyo eyed her up.
"I won't. I don't think I could even sit up fully if I tried."
"You really did yourself in, huh? I hope this is a lesson enough that'll make sure you don't do it again."
"Yeah..."
"I'll be right back."
Yachiyo left the room. Akira decided to lay down. Everything still hurt, maybe even more than when she had woken up. She hadn't realized just how much damage this all had done to her until that point.
Yachiyo wasn't gone for more than a minute. They returned with a bottle of water.
"Here."
Akira sat back up as best she could and slowly sipped the water. Yachiyo climbed into the bed and sat beside her, watching to make sure nothing bad would happen.
"How did... Mei Fan and Shiori react?" Akira was curious about that.
"Pretty much the same. Everyone was just really worried." Yachiyo replied.
"I feel bad about that..."
"Is there a reason you didn't tell anyone?" Yachiyo questioned.
"Not really... just my pride..."
"Akira, out of all the students, you can seriously let yourself down around us. We don't care."
"Sorry..."
Yachiyo sighed, "Okay. No more apologizing unless there's a good reason to. That was not one."
Akira didn't reply. She set the water bottle down on the nightstand and then laid down. She laid on her side and moved up against Yachiyo's legs.
"You can lay on my lap, if you want." Yachiyo offered.
Akira accepted the offer and moved herself. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on anything but the pain. It was a lot harder than expected.
"Yachi?"
"Yes, Akira?"
"Can you sing for me?"
Yachiyo pondered it. Part of them didn't want to. As a bit of a punishment for all the chaos she caused. But, at the same time, they wanted to shower her in affection to try and help her feel better. The latter reasoning won over.
"Any requests?"
"No..."
"Alright... let me think..."
Eventually Yachiyo settled on a song and quietly sang it. They decided to run their hand through Akira's hair as well. It kept them occupied while singing.
When they stopped, they listened. It sounded like Akira had fallen asleep. That was good. She needed the rest.
"Akira~ time to get up~"
Akira stirred as someone called her name. She grogily opened her eyes. She was still on Yachiyo's lap.
"What?" Akira grumbled. She didn't like being disturbed. She hadn't slept good in ages.
"Dinner time~" Yachiyo hummed, "You need to eat."
Akira slowly pushed herself up and into a sitting position. She would rather sleep than eat, but she had no choice.
"Here." Yachiyo handed her a tray, "Can you eat it yourself?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Try and eat it all, please."
Akira nodded. The meal tonight was pasta. She picked at it for a while. She didn't really feel like eating that much.
"Is there a problem?"
"No..." Akira finally took a bite.
Yachiyo watched her for a while. They wanted to make sure that she was going to eat. It seemed like it now, so Yachiyo was satisfied. They had their meal too, so they ate as well.
"Um... it's too quiet." Yachiyo mumbled, "But... I doubt you'll want to talk much..."
"Are you going to scold me more if we talk?"
"No. I'm done. Can't guarantee Michiru-senpai won't still, but I won't anymore unless something new comes out."
"You're mad at me, right?"
"Yes. I am. You should've told me. Or anyone. You shouldn't have tried to do it all if you were overwhelmed."
"That sounds like scolding."
"You asked. I'm just being truthful." Yachiyo stated.
"I'm sorry... I caused a lot of problems..."
"You did. Though, I'm honestly surprised you could hide it so well." Yachiyo commented, "With how bad you're feeling, I just don't know how we missed it."
"I don't know either... I thought I'd have gotten caught at practice."
"Hmm... I'm trying to think what I noticed..."
"Well, you asked if I was okay, so I guess you kind of realized something was wrong." Akira said.
"Yeah... now I wish I would've pushed you more. I probably shouldn't have let you just say you were fine." Yachiyo sighed.
"I'm sorry for lying."
"What did I say about apologizing?"
"Oh... right..." Akira sighed. She was trying to show how remorseful she was for what she caused, but it seemed Yachiyo had more than enough now.
"Anyway, what did you do at practice that should've given it away?" Yachiyo questioned.
"I messed up some lines. And some of the steps I messed up on or just forgot entirely." Akira said, "And when me and Shiori were running through the dance... it was... my fault that we stumbled there..."
"So that was on you? And yet she said it was her fault."
"Well... she moved too early and I wasn't able to react as well as normal... so maybe we both are at fault for it." Akira said.
"Ah, I see. Okay. Is that all?"
"You didn't see how out of breath I was after it?"
"Um... no?" Yachiyo silently cursed themselves for not noticing that. That should've been so easy to see.
"I see... but, I really was."
"You're really lucky you didn't black out during practice." Yachiyo stated, "That would've been way worse, honestly."
"Yeah... that fall would've been painful..."
"You're really lucky I caught you. I nearly didn't."
Akira looked away, "Sorry..."
Yachiyo sighed, "Were you trying to tell me... when you collapsed?"
Akira nodded, "Yes... both times, actually..."
"Then why didn't you the first time?"
"I... didn't want to worry you... I thought I could make it back... then everything changed really fast... I really didn't have time to react to it."
Yachiyo leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, "Unfortunately sometimes it is like that."
"Yeah..."
For the rest of the day, Yachiyo forced Akira to rest. The only times she was allowed up was to go to the bathroom. Otherwise she was told to remain in bed. Normally someone was always in the room with her, just to be safe. If she needed something she wouldn't have to wait at all, at least.
Akira didn't fight it. She had caused enough problems as it was. She better just go along with it.
It was starting to get late. Night had fallen a while ago. Most of the students were now in the dorms again. Akira didn't want to go out now. She didn't want to risk running into anyone.
Speaking of that... did anyone else see her collapse? Akira didn't remember if she had seen any other students. She didn't want to ask Yachiyo that question. She just had to settle for not knowing. She hoped no one had seen that. That could start up a lot of rumors. That was the last thing she needed right now.
Yachiyo had left the room for a while, having to do something important. Akira was bored. She didn't have anything to do. Her head hurt too much to read or focus on anything. She was just stuck resting without anything else to do.
As time had gone on, she was allowed to stay in her room alone. It honestly was worse that way. She had no one to talk to now.
Someone knocked on the door, "Can I come in?"
"Yes."
Michiru entered the room. She walked over and looked Akira over. Her eyes were still heavily filled with concern.
"Feel any better yet?" Michiru questioned.
Akira shrugged, "Not really."
"I brought some medicine for you. You complained about a headache so..." Michiru held out some pills.
Akira sat up and took them. Hopefully that could help her out a bit. If this headache would leave she would feel a lot better than she did now.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Michiru sat down on the bed, "So... Yachiyo told me what you've said. I'm not going to say much yet. I'll keep my word that I'll wait until you feel better before scolding you. But, just know I'm very disappointed."
"Sorry..."
"Though... something else has to be going on. You've never had a problem handling that much work before." Michiru stated, "So, what is it?"
Akira sighed, "I haven't been sleeping well... I'm tired all the time..."
"I see... it is hard to work when you're tired. You should've rested before."
"I know... but I didn't want to push off the work..."
"Well, now you are. We'll deal with it for now, okay? Yachiyo is right that you aren't doing work until you're better."
Akira didn't like that, but she had no place to argue. She'd never get it all done now. She had no choice but to hand it over.
"Akira, you really gave us all a scare. Please don't ever repeat this again."
"I won't." Akira promised, "I don't want to repeat this. I hate this."
"Good. You've learned your lesson then." Michiru was satisfied with that response.
"Oh, Michiru-senpai. Hi." Yachiyo returned to the room.
"Hi, Yachiyo. I just came to see how she's doing." Michiru smiled at them.
"Well, your girlfriends were looking for you. Don't know why." Yachiyo stated.
"Oh, they are? Well, I guess I better go find them." Michiru got up, "See you later."
Yachiyo took her spot on the bed, "She yell at you?"
Akira shook her head, "No. She said she won't until I get better."
"Okay. Well, is there anything you need right now?"
"I think I'm fine." Akira stated.
"Then I think it's time for bed. Come on, let's go get ready." Yachiyo stood up and held out their hands.
"I can't get up. I... I'm really lightheaded right now."
Yachiyo sighed, "Fine. I guess one night won't kill you. I'm going to get ready then. I'll be back soon."
"Okay." Akira didn't like the fact she couldn't get up. But, she knew her limits. The time she fell ill really showed her what not to push. And this just confirmed that.
Akira laid down and pulled the covers over herself. Yachiyo could just climb in when they returned to her room. Akira was about to close her eyes, when someone knocked on the door and then came in.
"Shiori. Can I help you?" Akira didn't have the energy to sit back up, so she just stayed how she was.
"I... I just um...wanted to see how you are doing." Shiori stammered.
"I'm alright. You don't need to worry." Akira tried to reassure her.
"Where's Yachiyo-senpai?"
"Getting ready for bed."
"Oh. Well um... I guess I'll let you rest."
"If you have anything else to say, you can."
"But you... um..."
Akira sighed. Looks like remaining like this made Shiori not want to really bother her.
"I don't think I can sit up right now. That's all. It's no bother to me if you want to talk some more." Akira said.
"Then are you sure you're alright?"
"I feel better than before."
"O-okay." Shiori nervously sat on the edge of the bed, "Um... Michiru-senpai wouldn't tell me what happened... w-would you?"
Michiru was keeping her reason for fainting a secret from Shiori? Akira didn't really understand that at all.
"I've not been taking care of myself as well as I should be. That's all." Akira kept the explanation simple.
"She said you are stuck in bed until further notice. How long will that be?"
Akira shrugged, "I can't say. I don't know how long it'll take before I feel well enough again."
"This isn't a sickness, right?" Shiori asked.
Akira shook her head, "No. It's from me overworking my body. Very different things."
"I... I see."
"I suppose this can be a lesson as to what not to do. You push yourself a lot to catch up, so this is something to watch out for then."
"I..." Shiori didn't know what to say. She never even considered the consequences if she went too far in trying to catch up.
"I don't mean to scare you with this, but you should keep in mind your limits. Don't..." Akira took a deep breath, "Don't be stupid like I was."
"I won't. I promise, Yukishiro-senpai." Shiori said.
"Good..."
"Do you want me to leave? You seem tired."
Holding a conversation was a bit draining at the moment, especially when she was nice and cozy in bed. Akira didn't want her to leave, though. Not until Yachiyo got back. She liked the company. But, she didn't want to ask that of Shiori. It was embarrassing.
"What are you going to do when you leave?"
"Nothing much. Mei Fan-senpai wanted to show me something but she's busy still." Shiori said, "Some students asked for her input on something so she's doing that right now."
Then it wouldn't be a bother to ask her to stay for a little bit longer, but it was still embarrassing. She never asked for things like this. Well, except if it was from Yachiyo. Maybe when she was younger she asked that of Michiru, but she had long stopped doing that now.
"You can stay if you want... or leave. I don't care." Akira said.
"I'll let you rest." Shiori moved to stand.
"I... I said you could... stay..." Akira mumbled.
Shiori looked at her. Akira was staring at the bed. She had actually done that. She... let herself open up to someone. But it was embarrassing to think this was what she was asking for.
"I'll stay then."
"Just until Yachiyo comes back..."
"Okay."
Shiori was quite surprised by the request, but she would do it. It really wasn't like she had anything better to do right now. This wouldn't hurt. And she wanted to do what she could to help out. She wasn't really sure how this was helping, but since she had asked for it, she would do her best.
It took a few minutes before Yachiyo returned. They were surprised to find Shiori there. Shiori was sitting on the bed still, her body turned slightly toward Akira. She turned to face Yachiyo when they entered the room.
"Shiori? What brings you here?" Yachiyo asked.
"I um... came to see her and then... she um... asked me to stay until you came back." Shiori mumbled out.
Yachiyo was confused. Akira did what? That was new. Well, maybe she didn't like being alone. That was probably all it was. Yachiyo didn't dwell on the thought for much longer after that.
"Welp, I'm back so you can get on with whatever you have to do." Yachiyo said.
"Okay. Um... goodnight, Yachiyo-senpai." Shiori left the room.
Yachiyo crawled into bed with Akira then. She seemed to be asleep, but the movement woke her up.
"Yachiyo...?"
"Yes, I'm back. Can't believe you asked Shiori to stay with you until I returned." Yachiyo poked her cheek.
"I..." Akira didn't know what to say, "I just... didn't want to be alone..."
"Hey, it's fine. By all means, you can ask that of the others. Especially right now." Yachiyo said.
"Cuddle?"
"Of course." Yachiyo smiled and pulled her close.
"Kiss?"
Yachiyo rolled their eyes, but kissed her on the head, "Get some rest. You need it."
Akira curled up close and closed her eyes again. She hoped she could fall asleep and stay asleep. It had been a struggle for her as of recent, after all.
"Yachiyo? What's going to happen tomorrow?"
"You're staying in bed all day. No school." Yachiyo replied.
"Alone?"
"Yes. Unfortunately we all have to go to class."
Akira didn't like that one bit. It was boring without anyone around. But, what choice did she have?
"Goodnight, Akira."
"Goodnight."
Yachiyo fell asleep quickly. Akira had a harder time. She couldn't get comfortable at all. She tried everything she could, but nothing was working. It had been fine earlier, so why was she now having problems?
"Yachiyo?" Akira shook them gently.
"Hmm...?" Yachiyo sleepily opened their eyes.
"I... can't fall asleep..." Akira mumbled, "I don't know what to do."
"Does anything help?"
"I guess you singing helps a lot..."
"Is that the only thing?" Yachiyo really didn't want to sing. They were tired.
"Um... when you run your hands through my hair... it helps too." Akira mumbled. She was embarrassed to admit that.
"Can I just try that? I'm a bit too tired to try and sing."
"Y-yeah..."
So, Yachiyo started playing with Akira's hair, mainly brushing it with their fingers. Surprisingly, it seemed to have worked as within a few minutes they could feel Akira relax against them. One look down at her confirmed she had fallen asleep. Good. Now to just hope she stayed asleep the entire night.
Yachiyo yawned and pulled her closer. They closed their eyes and drifted back off to sleep again.
The alarm woke them up in the morning. Yachiyo turned it off. They curled back up to Akira.
"Morning, Akira~ Did you sleep well?" Yachiyo asked.
Akira was half-asleep still, "Mmhmm..."
She nuzzled herself into Yachiyo's shirt. She didn't want this moment to end. She was cozy.
"Well, since you don't have to get up, go ahead and go back to bed." Yachiyo said, "I have to get up in ten minutes, though."
"Can't you stay?"
"No. I'm sorry, but I can't." Yachiyo replied, "I have a test today."
Akira frowned, "Fine..."
"I guess you and me aren't that different when we're stuck in bed. We both hate being alone." Yachiyo commented.
"Yeah... it's just so boring."
"You should try and sleep. It's the best thing you can do to help yourself recover." Yachiyo stated.
"I'll try..." Akira sighed.
Yachiyo kissed her on the cheek, "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Do you feel better today?" Yachiyo asked.
Akira shrugged, "I'm not awake enough to give you an answer."
Yachiyo chuckled, "Alright. Well, if you wanna doze off again, please do. I'll stay in bed as long as I can for you."
Akira nodded and made herself comfortable in Yachiyo's embrace. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. Yachiyo was nice and warm. That made them really cozy to snuggle with.
"Love you..." Akira whispered.
"And I love you." Yachiyo replied.
Akira's breathing evened out and she fell back asleep. Yachiyo carefully removed themself from her grip and got up. As much as they would have liked to stay with her, they had to go to school today.
Yachiyo got an idea. They went to their room. They changed into their uniform and then grabbed their two stuffed animals from their bed. They brought them back to Akira's room. However, they got spotted.
"May I ask what you're doing with those?" Mei Fan questioned.
"No." Yachiyo hummed and continued on their mission.
Meo Fan decided to follow them. So, she saw what Yachiyo intended to do with the two stuffed animals. They carefully put them under Akira's arms and then pulled the covers back over her. They gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then left the room.
"How sweet. Trying to make her feel less lonely while we're gone?" Mei Fan said.
Yachiyo nodded, "That's why I have the rabbit, after all."
"True. Well, ready to head to school?"
"Yep."
The two of them headed out the dorms. They met up with Michiru and Shiori outside.
"Hey, guys." Shiori was the first to greet them.
Everyone gave their own greeting in turn. They started walking to school together.
"So, Yachiyo." Michiru said, "How is Akira doing today? Or did you not wake her up before leaving?"
"She woke up to the alarm, but when I asked how she felt she said she didn't know yet. She wasn't awake enough to tell what she felt." Yachiyo replied.
"Hmm... hopefully she's doing better."
"I told her to try and sleep most of the day. That should help her out."
"It should. She just needs to relax a lot for now."
Akira stirred in the early afternoon. She registered that she was holding something soft and fuzzy. And that something was tickling her nose. Akira opened her eyes. She was greeted by the two stuffed animals Yachiyo had left.
Akira was a bit confused as to why they were here, but she shrugged it off. Yachiyo did it for some reason. They had a purpose so she wouldn't complain.
Akira sat up. She glanced at the clock. It was only noon. At least she was catching up on sleep. That was good. She felt a little better, but still not that good. Her body ached with exhaustion. She had a while to go before she was in any condition to go back to normal.
Her stomach growled, reminding her she had skipped breakfast today. Did she trust herself to get up and get something to eat? Well, she needed to get up anyway. So, Akira carefully pushed herself up. She wobbled a bit, but was able to keep her balance quite well.
She first went to the bathroom. While she was at it, she might as well get a shower. That might help her feel better, or at least wake her up a bit more.
After that, she was in pain. Her body apparently wasn't ready to withstand this much yet. To think how much she could normally handle and now...
Akira went back to her room. She didn't trust herself to make it to the downstairs floor. She shouldn't push it. Not when she was alone. What would happen if she fell and couldn't get back up? Or what if she did black out again? No one would find her for a few hours.
Akira was barely able to walk as she finally got to her bed. She grunted as she pretty much just fell onto it. Her legs were killing her. Her arms hurt a lot too, but they hadn't had to withstand her weight while moving.
"I hate this..." Akira grumbled as she moved onto her back.
Looks like she wasn't getting up again for a while. Well, what else to do but to try and sleep again? It was the only thing to do. Her head still hurt enough she didn't feel like trying to read. All that she had was a book on the nightstand. There was nothing else.
Akira sighed and rolled onto her side. She tried to get comfortable, but the pulsing pain in her body was making that quite difficult to do. It sucked, but she had brought this upon herself.
Akira's gaze looked over at where she had set the stuffed animals. She reached out and grabbed them both, holding them against her chest. It might not be Yachiyo, but it would do for now. They reminded her of them, after all.
Akira held them both close and closed her eyes, hoping she could drift off before long. At least then she wouldn't feel the pain.
"Akira~"
Akira woke up to a weight on top of them. She grumbled and opened her eyes. Yachiyo was on her. They smiled as she met their gaze.
"Hey, sleepyhead. How are you feeling?" Yachiyo asked.
"A lot of things."
"Well, anything I can help with?"
"I'm hungry..."
"I'll get you something to eat then. I'll be right back." Yachiyo got off of her and left the room.
Akira sat up. Well, she tried to. Her vision swam and she lost her balance. Great. She couldn't even sit up. Had just using the bathroom and taking a shower really done that much to her? How did people with chronic pain like that manage?
"I'm back~"
That was fast. Yachiyo had already returned with some food and a bottle of water. It appeared to be a bowl of nuts. Michiru may have had something to do with that.
"It seems I can't sit up right now. I get really dizzy." Akira stated.
Yachiyo sighed and set the bowl and water aside, "Let me help you up."
Yachiyo pulled her up into a sitting position, hugging her for a bit just to make sure she didn't fall down. Akira had a moment of vertigo, but it faded.
"I'm okay now." She said.
"Good. Here." Yachiyo handed her the bowl.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome~" Yachiyo smiled and sat down next to her.
"I got up once. I went to the bathroom and got a shower. Um... it really made everything hurt again."
"Seriously? Just that hurt?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh boy. You might be out of commission for longer than we thought."
"Sorry..."
"Akira, when did this start? How long have you been overworking yourself?" Yachiyo questioned.
"A month..."
"And when did it start really getting bad?"
"Two weeks ago."
Yachiyo blinked at her in surprise, "What?"
"I'm sorry... I..."
Yachiyo cut her off, "No. No apologizing. What's done is done. Let's just focus on getting you back to normal, okay?"
"Okay..." Akira mumbled.
"So, um... how did you like the surprise I left you?"
Akira assumed they were talking about the stuffed animals, "It was... unexpected. But, I can see why you like them."
"Then maybe I should buy you one too."
Akira didn't have the time to even react to the teasing, "Sure. Whatever makes you happy."
Yachiyo frowned, "Oh... not in the mood, huh?"
"No. I'm not. I'm in too much pain."
"Right. My bad."
"Though... a stuffed animal can't replace you at all."
Yachiyo blushed, "Eh? What's with this? You're teasing me now?"
"No?" Akira gave them a confused look, "I was just saying that."
Yachiyo grumbled, "It felt like you were teasing me."
"Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off that way."
"Why are you apologizing? I don't mind when you tease me."
"You're hard to read."
"Fine. Do you need anything else?" Yachiyo asked.
"No. I'm good for now." Akira replied.
"Okay. I have to go then. I just wanted to check on you." Yachiyo said.
"Go where?" Akira asked.
"To the student council room. I have work to do."
"Oh..."
"I'll come back as soon as I can, okay? We aren't practicing as a group today, so once I'm done the work I'll come to you, okay?"
"Okay..." Akira still wasn't too happy about that.
Yachiyo kissed her on the cheek, "Love you. I'll see you soon."
"Yeah... see you soon."
Yachiyo left the room. They didn't like having to leave, but they couldn't ditch their work. Having Akira out was bad enough. They couldn't leave their work for the others to do as well.
"I honestly thought you'd be a while longer." Michiru commented as Yachiyo entered the room.
"She didn't argue." Yachiyo shrugged.
"I thought you'd want to stay with her more."
"The faster I do this, the more time I have." Yachiyo replied as they took their seat.
"True. Well, I just have to finish going through Akira's work pile and dividing it up."
"Is it a lot?" Mei Fan questioned.
Michiru shrugged, "By itself, yes. But with four of us, it won't be that bad."
"Good."
"How is Yukishiro-senpai doing?" Shiori asked Yachiyo.
"Not too good yet. Even simple tasks are causing her pain." Yachiyo replied with a frown.
"Michiru? Are you sure she shouldn't go to a doctor?" Mei Fan questioned.
"If she doesn't improve by the end of the week, then we'll look into that option." Michiru said.
"If you say so..."
"Alright. I've split it up as evenly as I could." Michiru had four stacks of papers now, "Take whichever one you want. They're all about the same."
Once everyone chose the extra pile to do, they began working. It was silent in the room. No one had time to talk. With the extra papers to do, they wanted to focus on being as efficient as possible.
Yachiyo was focused on getting done as soon as they could so they could return to Akira. They still took care to make sure everything was neat and orderly. It wouldn't look good if their work was sloppy.
"Well, I'm done." Yachiyo was the first one to finish, "Do you care if I go back to Akira? Or do you need me to do something else first?"
"We'll be fine. She needs you more." Michiru waved them off.
"Okay. See you guys later then." Yachiyo got up and quickly left the room. They wanted to be back with her as soon as they could.
They knocked on her door and then entered the room, "Hey, Akira~ I'm back."
"That was fast..."
Akira was laying down on the bed. She had the stuffed bear in her hands.
"Do you need anything?" Yachiyo asked.
"I guess some medicine would be nice. My head is still killing me." Akira replied.
"Okay. I'll be right back."
Yachiyo wished Akira used her phone more often. They could've just texted her that then and not had to run around the building. But, it was what it was. Nothing they could do about it.
Yachiyo didn't take long to gather the medicine and another water bottle. Michiru had managed to get the school to allow a medicine cabinet in the dorms just in case students needed it during the night. It made things a lot easier now.
"Here you go." Yachiyo was back before she knew it.
Akira sat up and took the pills. She downed almost the entire bottle of water as well.
"Thirsty today?" Yachiyo teased lightly, "Should I have brought another one up?"
"I'm fine."
"If you say so. Anyway, feel any better yet?" Yachiyo sat down.
"The pain isn't as bad now. But I'm sure if I walk around it'll start up again." Akira replied.
"Well, what do you want to do?"
"Can I have a hug?"
"Of course." Yachiyo smiled and held out their arms.
"No. Not like that."
"Hm? Then how?"
"Um... can I sit on your lap?"
"Move over then."
Once Yachiyo was more on the bed, they motioned for her to go ahead and sit. This was an unusual request, but they wouldn't complain. They didn't mind it at all.
Akira settled down on their lap and nuzzled her face into their neck, her arms wrapping around their waist. Yachiyo hugged her back and kissed her.
"This better?"
"Mmhmm."
"Good. We can stay like this for as long as you like."
"Thank you..."
"Anything for you. I just want you to get better."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They fell into silence for a while. It was nice, though. Yachiyo didn't mind this position at all. They were a bit bored, though, so they started running a hand through her hair.
"Do you mind if I take a nap like this?" Akira asked.
"Not at all. Go right ahead." Yachiyo replied.
Akira nuzzled closer and relaxed, a sigh of content coming out.
"Do you want me to sing for you?" Yachiyo questioned.
"You would?"
"Sure."
"Yes. I... I'd like that."
"I think you know what my next question is."
"Your favorite song to sing. I'm curious to know which one that is."
"Alright."
Yachiyo quietly sang. Akira shifted around slightly, before settling back down. It was soothing to listen to Yachiyo sing. It didn't take long for her to drift off.
Yachiyo quieted as they felt Akira's grip fade. They smiled and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. It was a bit worrying that she was still so exhausted. Unfortunately there was nothing else they could do to help. Hopefully she would start improving soon.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. That's what it seems like."
"That's interesting."
Akira stirred an hour later. She could hear talking. It sounded like Yachiyo and Michiru. What were they talking about, though?
"What time is it?" Akira unburied herself from her place in Yachiyo's neck.
"Six." Michiru was the one to answer, "How are you feeling, Akira?"
"I'm okay." Akira replied, "Why are you here?"
"I needed to tell Yachiyo something, that's all. I'll be going now. I promised Shiori I'd go out shopping with her now." Michiru said.
"Just be back before curfew." Yachiyo said.
"We will." Michiru promised, "See you guys later."
Once Michiru left, Akira looked at Yachiyo, "What were you talking about?"
Yachiyo gave her a sly smirk and held a finger to their lips, "That's a secret~"
"Sure." Akira rolled her eyes, "Then I'm concerned. What could possibly be a secret?"
"All I'll say is it was about her girlfriends. Nothing more." Yachiyo replied, "You don't need to know."
Akira pouted, but didn't press it any further than that. It wasn't like Michiru to keep secrets from her, but maybe some things had changed.
"So, you feeling better? You certainly seem more reactive." Yachiyo asked, wanting to change the topic.
"A little bit." Akira replied.
"Need anything?"
"Just help me up."
"Okay~"
Yachiyo got off the bed and held their hands out. Akira took them and let Yachiyo pull her up. She wasn't the steadiest on her feet yet.
"Want me to walk with you?"
"Yeah... I'd appreciate that."
"I know we said you're on bedrest and all, but I guess you could come to the common room for a bit. Only if you feel up to it." Yachiyo said.
"Let me see how I feel after walking a bit." Akira replied.
Yachiyo nodded. After Akira returned from the bathroom, she agreed to try going downstairs. She didn't feel that bad right now.
"Alright. Just take it slow, okay?" Yachiyo was worried about walking down the steps.
"I will." Akira promised. The last thing she wanted was to fall.
Yachiyo carefully helped her down. Thankfully, there were barely any students around. Mei Fan was in the living room. She was flipping through a magazine. The TV was on, but the volume was very low. It seemed it was being used as background noise.
"Hey, Mei Fan." Yachiyo hummed, "We're joining you on the couch."
Mei Fan looked over in surprise. She wasn't exactly sure what to say. Akira probably shouldn't be here. Michiru would give them an earful when she got back.
"Does this mean you're feeling better, Akira-san?" Mei Fan asked.
"A little bit." Akira replied.
They took a seat on the couch too. Akira was in between the two younger edels. Yachiyo was searching to see if anything was on that was worth watching.
Akira looked over at the magazine Mei Fan had, "What are you looking at?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? Just a catalog of some spring fashion stuff. Some of these outfits are... bizarre." Mei Fan replied.
"Bizarre? What do you mean?" Akira questioned.
"I'll show you." Mei Fan started flipping through pages, "Here. Look at this outfit."
"Oh... that is very... expressive?" Akira offered.
"I wanna seen it too!" Yachiyo complained and leaned over.
Mei Fan rolled her eyes and showed them the page as well, pointing at the outfit in question.
"Yeah. Very bizarre." Yachiyo agreed, "Though, it's just your style, Mei Fan~"
"What do you mean by that?" Mei Fan glared at them.
"Your fashion choice isn't... the best. That isn't much different from what you wear. This outfit you have on now is probably the most acceptable in your wardrobe." Yachiyo teased.
"Yachiyo!" Mei Fan groaned. She was only wearing a t-shirt and some shorts. But was this really the only normal outfit she had?
"I can't even begin to talk about your casual outfit you wear all the time. It's just... it's an eyesore, okay."
Mei Fan crossed her arms and looked away. She didn't like the comments about her choice of clothing.
"Come on, Mei Fan~ I'm just teasing you~" Yachiyo pretended to be hurt by her sudden cold attitude.
"Yachiyo, please knock it off." Akira stated.
Yachiyo pouted at her, "But it's fun~"
"You're nothing but chaos..." Akira sighed.
"Am I now?"
"Yes. You always have been."
"That's mean!" Yachiyo complained.
Akira still wasn't that much in the mood for banter. She didn't want to keep doing this right now.
"It's the truth." Akira ended it there.
"So... what do you guys want to do?" Mei Fan asked.
"I was seeing what's on." Yachiyo retorted.
"Are you sure Michiru won't be mad if she sees this?" Mei Fan was still worried about that.
"I don't care." Yachiyo stated, "She put me in charge, so I get to decide what is acceptable."
Mei Fan rolled her eyes, "Yeah, sure."
"Anyway, I suppose I'll ask again if you need anything right now." Yachiyo looked at Akira.
Akira shook her head, "I'm alright."
"Okay then. Imma go back to searching for something to watch then."
"I guess my peace and quiet is over." Mei Fan sighed.
"Wouldn't it be more peaceful in your room?" Yachiyo asked.
"Maybe I just wanted to be out here instead?" Mei Fan shot back playfully.
"Then no complaining about us making noise." Yachiyo stuck their tongue out at her.
"Akira-san, control your partner!" Mei Fan pouted.
Akira really didn't want to deal with this right now. Why couldn't Yachiyo just behave for one day? Why did they always have to get up to trouble with someone?
Akira looked at Yachiyo. Said person was smiling innocently at her. Unfortunately for them, that charm did nothing. Akira moved closer to them and then wrapped them into a hug.
"Behave." Was all Akira said.
Yachiyo was caught of guard. They were flushed red as Akira made no move to release them from the hug. It seemed she planned to stay like that for a while.
"Well, I guess that works." Mei Fan chuckled, "Wasn't expecting affection to be the way to shut them up, but sure."
Yachiyo didn't give any comment. They looked at Akira. Akira just shrugged and gave them a slight smirk. If it wasn't for her not being very well, Yachiyo would love to get her back for this. That would have to wait. Akira was in no condition to deal with that type of stuff at the moment.
"Meanie..." Yachiyo grumbled.
Akira rolled her eyes and kissed them on the cheek. Yachiyo let out a squeak of surprise. They were bright red now.
"You're very easy to mess with right now." Akira commented.
"Y-you just caught me off guard." Yachiyo huffed in their defense.
"Sure."
As expected, Michiru did not seem pleased when she returned to the dorms. Her and Yachiyo got into a small argument over it. Yachiyo was insistent that everything was fine and that they knew what they were doing. Michiru begged to differ.
Everyone was at odds. Michiru wanted Akira pretty much only on her room. Yachiyo was insistent some time out wouldn't be harmful a slong as they were careful. Akira didn't involve herself in the discussion. Her opinion probably wouldn't be welcome at the moment.
Mei Fan and Shiori were indifferent. Neither really thought it was bad if Akira was out of her room for a bit. It wasn't like she was doing much. But, it was true she should be resting as much as possible too.
After a lot of sweet talking Michiru down, mainly from Shiori, they got her to back off a bit. She still wasn't happy, but agreed to let it go as long as nothing went wrong because of this.
"Come on, Michiru-senpai. You promised to help me with something, remember?" Shiori pouted at her, before deciding to kiss her on the cheek.
"O-oh. Yeah... we can go." Michiru agreed, a slight blushed covering her face now.
Shiori smiled at her and then grabbed her hand. She began to tug Michiru away from the others.
Now with her gone, Yachiyo finally relaxed. They didn't like being accused of not caring enough. They knew what they were doing. They did.
"Welp, that was what I warned you about." Mei Fan stated.
"Yeah. Yeah." Yachiyo shrugged her off, "I guess it's getting late. You wanna head up to bed?"
"Sure."
"Then goodnight, you two." Mei Fan got up and left the room.
"Can you get up or do you need help?" Yachiyo questioned as they stood up.
"I can do it." Akira stated.
Yachiyo still kept a close eye of her as she stood up. It wasn't that they didn't trust her. They just wanted to be extra careful. That was all this was.
"Then shall we head up?" Yachiyo asked once Akira was standing.
"Yes." Akira nodded.
"Can you do it yourself?" Yachiyo was still wary.
Akira shrugged, "Going up seems harder than going down."
"Just take it slow then." Yachiyo replied, "I'll be beside you if you need help."
"Okay."
Thankfully, they had no trouble. Akira did struggle a bit, but she managed. It just took a little longer than normal was all.
It wasn't long before they were in her room again. Akira was laying down. Yachiyo was sitting up, looking at something on their phone.
"So, how do you feel now?" Yachiyo questioned as they set their phone down.
"Sore..."
"Is it as bad a earlier?"
"No. It's not as bad, but still annoying."
"Well, at least you're getting better." Yachiyo smiled at her, trying to be more positive.
"Yeah..."
"It's the weekend tomorrow, so I can stay with you all day~" Yachiyo hummed, "Are you happy about that?"
Akira groaned at their antics and buried her face into a pillow, "You never stop, do you?"
"Nope. It's how I am." Yachiyo chuckled and laid down, getting right up next to Akira.
Akira looked over at them, "You're crazy."
"I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
"It's late. I'm tired."
"Okay, okay, we can go to bed. I'll shut up." Yachiyo backed off.
"Hug?"
"Sure." Yachiyo smiled and hugged her.
"I love you."
"And I love you."
"Goodnight, Yachiyo."
"Night, Akira."
They both fell silent for a while. Neither was sleeping, though.
"Yachiyo? What do you want to do tomorrow?" Akira asked.
Yachiyo shrugged, "I don't know yet. Depends on how you feel. And if Michiru-senpai gets involved again."
After saying that, they pouted. Akira kissed them on the cheek.
"She's just worried. You know that."
"I know, but I'm worried too. Why doesn't she trust me?" Yachiyo continued to pout.
"She does. I just think it was a bit too much for her at once." Akira replied.
"I swear she's out to get me..." Yachiyo mumbled.
Akira chuckled, "I promise she's not. She just hasn't exactly stopped keeping an eye on you yet."
"And why is she doing that to begin with?" Yachiyo questioned.
"Because you're crazy. You should know that by now."
"But I've never done anything bad!" Yachiyo protested.
"Questionable."
"Eh?!" Yachiyo gave her a betrayed look.
Akira smiled at them, "I'm kidding. You haven't done anything considered bad. However, I will say you've done some... close calls."
"Hmmpf. Meanie." Yachiyo turned around, "No hug unless you apologize!"
Akira rolled her eyes. She was a bit more in the mood for a bit of teasing.
"Then I'll just hug you." Akira proceeded to do just that and wrapped them into a hug from behind.
"Hey! That's not fair!" Yachiyo protested.
"Then stop me."
Yachiyo huffed, "Maybe... I'll let it slide this once."
"You're cute." Akira kissed them on the cheek.
"Hey!" Yachiyo yelped as they blushed.
"What? I'm just being honest."
"Well, I guess you're definitely feeling better if you're doing this." Yachiyo turned around to face her again.
"Yeah. I was in the mood for some fun."
"Anyway... um... we should get to bed."
"Alright. Good night." Akira kissed them on the forehead.
"Night."
This time they did settle down and fall asleep.