Kaoru woke up one morning and found Aoi looking over him. He sat up and Aoi smiled.
"Good morning, Kaoru-sama," she said.
"Morning, Aoi-chan," he replied. Aoi walked to the door.
"Breakfast will be ready soon," Aoi said. Kaoru nodded and Aoi left. Kaoru started to stand up, but he received and image of his mother leaving him.
"Damn it!" Kaoru thought. Sweat ran down his pale face. He decided to go to the dining room, since Aoi would worry if he wasn't there.
"Kaoru, you don't look so well. Are you feeling okay?" Miyabi asked, sitting next to Taeko. Everyone else looked worried.
"I'm fine! I just had a little trouble falling asleep, that's all," Kaoru said, smiling. He sat down next to Aoi and began eating. He felt a little weak, but he just thought that it was because he was hungry.
It was a Sunday, so Kaoru didn't have any classes. He was now in graduate school, so he had a lot more work to do. He had a report due the next day, so he went back to his room to finish it. He thought he heard his mother calling him.
"Must be my imagination," he thought. As he worked on his report he felt hot. Aoi knocked on the door. She had a tray with tea and some rice balls on it.
"Kaoru-sama, I brought some tea and a snack. I thought you might be hungry since you're working so hard," she said. Kaoru went to the door and opened it. Kaoru smiled at Aoi and she smiled back.
"Thanks, Aoi-chan," Kaoru said, he took the tray and started to walk in the other direction. His heart skipped a beat and he felt like it was going to explode. He put the tray on his desk and held his chest.
"What's wrong, Kaoru-sama?" Aoi asked. Kaoru didn't know himself what was happening.
"I'm… I don't know," he said, barely able to talk. Aoi layed out his fouton and lay him down.
"I'll call a doctor," Aoi said. Kaoru nodded and started to cough.
"Damn… why is this happening?" He thought. Aoi went to call the doctor and Kaoru winced in pain. Tina came in and Taeko was behind her.
"I heard that you were sick. What's happening?" Tina asked, worried.
"I'll… be fine. The doctor is…" Kaoru couldn't finish. His heart almost stopped and his head pounded.
"Kaoru!" Taeko said. He couldn't hear anything, his ears were blocked by the pounding. Aoi came in with some water.
"The doctor will be here shortly," Aoi said, kneeling next to him.
"Is there anything we can do?" Tina asked. Kaoru sat up a little to take a drink but started coughing.
"Get some water and clothes," Aoi said. Tina and Taeko left. Tears formed in Kaoru's eyes.
"I'm sorry… you have so much to do already," Kaoru said, laying back down. Aoi almost started crying.
"I wouldn't be able to do anything with you sick. I'm too worried. Besides, the doctor will be here soon," Aoi said, smiling slightly. Kaoru started to cough again. The doctor came and Tina and Taeko came in with a bowl of water and cloths. After awhile of checking the doctor said that it was only a cold.
"Thank goodness," Taeko said. Tina looked relieved and so did Aoi.
"Can Aoi-chan and I be alone for a bit?" Kaoru asked, weakly. Tina nodded and left with Taeko.
"What is it, Kaoru-sama?" Aoi asked. Kaoru sat up slowly and pulled Aoi close. Aoi's eyes widened.
"Thank you, for everything. Even with Tina and the guys in college it was hard for me to even get up in the morning. But now that I have you, everything seems all right," Kaoru said, tears forming in his eyes. Aoi started to cry. He pulled back slowly."So, I want to ask you myself, will you marry me?" Kaoru asked. Aoi blushed and smiled.
"Of course! You were the only person that I ever wanted to marry! I love you, Kaoru-sama!" Aoi cried, tears falling down her cheeks. Kaoru smiled and leaned in until their lips met.
"I love you too, Aoi-chan," he said after pulling away gently. Aoi fell into his arms.
The End