Authors Notes: This was written for the himitsu santa project at livejournal - for heebee, who requested light Kaname/Sousuke waff. It's set a bit after TSR and before the Christmas novel. There's really only one spoiler for TSR near the end and it isn't a big one.

"Tasers…check."

The teenager known as Sagara Sousuke moved away from the devices he had just been inspecting and crouched in front of his doorway, producing a small pump from his jacket pocket. He delicately spritzed a few inches from the floor, and nodded with satisfaction as a thin, red line appeared.

"Laser sensors…check."

Sousuke quickly pushed a few buttons on the control panel installed into the wall before stepping out of the apartment and pulling the door shut behind him. With a swift movement, he pushed his key into the door knob and locked it from the outside.

"Alarm activated. The apartment is secure."

This was a daily routine for Sousuke. After all, his apartment contained weapons, electronic equipment, and top-secret data owned by the mercenary group he belonged to – Mythril. It would be a disaster if it fell into the wrong hands. Even his charge, Chidori Kaname, couldn't deny that. She would still roll his eyes at his caution every so often, but after she had nearly been killed when left in the care of one of Mythril's intelligence agents, she practiced a little more patience with him.

Patience that would soon wane if he didn't meet her soon. "What kind of an example would I be if I were late to school?" she'd say.

Sousuke shifted the weight of the bag on his shoulder and stepped outside of his complex. Normally Chidori would be waiting outside of her own building by this time, but it seemed that she was running late today. That's right, said the little Kaname in his head, crossing her arms and nodding solemnly. She's running late. Not kidnapped by a terrorist, not being tortured by a terrorist, not anything to do with a terrorist. She's just late.

All thoughts of nasty looking men licking knives pushed aside, Sousuke was still worried about Kaname. Old habits die hard, after all. Not wanting to stand around outside waiting for her, he calmly walked to her apartment, calmly knocked on the door, and calmly waited for her to answer it. "Calmly" was a relative term, of course, but he was learning. It was obvious by the way he kept his hands at his sides instead of reaching for the weapon tucked away in his pocket, even though they were firmly clenched into fists.

"Just a second!" her voice called out. He let out a breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding in, chastising himself lightly for not being as relaxed as he ought to have been.

It was only a few moments before she opened the door, and her appearance caused him to step back in mild shock. Her face was unnaturally flushed, and she had very noticeable circles under her eyes. She saw him falter and immediately knew the reason why. How could she not? She saw her reflection in the mirror this morning. "I'm just a bit tired. I think I caught a cold – so don't worry about it, okay?"

"But—" Sousuke tried to reply, but Kaname had already turned from the door and was making her way to the bathroom.

"I said," she growled, quickly whipping around to glare at Sousuke, "I'm fine—"

Sousuke nearly had a heart attack when her eyes rolled back and she tilted to one side. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he dropped his bag and dove beneath her, just barely keeping her head from cracking into the floor.

"Chidori?" he said worriedly, not daring to move. They were in quite a precarious position – she was laying face down on his chest, and his arms were wrapped around her to help direct her fall. If she woke up now…

Well, he would prefer it if she woke up now, because then he would know she was okay. As it was, her lack of response set his brain back into gear. He carefully sat up and gently rolled Kaname over onto the floor on her back.

"No external injuries," he muttered as his training kicked in and he moved her arms to her sides. "All limbs appear to be intact." Again noticing how flushed her cheeks were, he lifted a hand to her forehead and recoiled when he felt how hot she was. A fever!

Sousuke had seen, and been through, his fair share of fevers. If not properly attended to, a high-temperature fever could do a lot of damage to the human body. This was why he was slightly more panicked as he scooped Kaname off the floor and lay her on the bed. He managed to position her under the covers and tuck her in securely before running out into the hallway.

"Med—" he started to yell before catching himself. There were no medics in this building. He ran profile checks on all of its residents when he was first assigned this mission, and continued to monitor new inhabitants. If anyone but Chidori had fallen ill, he would have remembered that right away; because it was her, he was forgetting himself and overreacting.

"Sou…suke?" Kaname muttered wearily as he stepped back into the apartment. "It's hot…"

He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water. "Drink this," he said, handing her the glass, "and stay under the blankets. You have a fever and possibly influenza. You need to perspire and drink plenty of fluids."

She eyed him incredulously. "I'm fine. I have a cold, is all!" She sat up and tried to look haughty, but Sousuke noticed the grimace on her face as she pulled herself upright. He would have to show her how he came to his conclusion. Her stubbornness would only keep her sick for a longer period of time.

"Have you been sneezing?"

"No."

"Clogged sinuses?"

"No."

"Sore throat?"

"Sousuke, what is this all about?"

"If I am to properly relay your condition to the local pharmacist, I will need this information. Please answer the question."

"…No." Good, she would listen to him now.

"Are you experiencing muscle pain?" He knew she was – at least in her back.

"…Maybe a little," she said softly.

"Do you have a headache?" She remained silent and looked down at her glass – almost assuredly a yes. He had won this time.

"Along with those symptoms, you are visibly exhausted and running a fever. It is safe to assume that you have contracted influenza." Sousuke didn't know this for sure, but it was the most likely illness. It could still be dangerous, though – dehydration was always a possibility when dealing with fevers as well as other less pleasant effects of the illness.

"I'll look in my field manual for some remedies, so just relax for now," he said, walking back across the room where he left his pack. He quickly fished out the book and flipped to the chapter for common battlefield ailments.

"Hypovolemic shock…inflammatory bowel disease…ah, here it is, influenza…" he trailed off as he read. When unable to immediately report to a Military Treatment Facility, it is imperative that a fever should be reduced immediately. Make sure the patient perspires while drinking plenty of water to keep his or her fluids replenished.

He looked over at Kaname to remind her to drink her water, but the words died in his throat when he noticed that she looked a bit panicked…and green in the face. Uh oh…

Surveying the room quickly, he spotted one of Kaname's tote bags next to her nightstand. A moment later he was dumping out its contents and shoving it into the poor girl's hands – and just in time, too, for she had barely opened it before she was sick inside of it.

Sousuke carefully sat beside her and pulled some loose strands of hair away from her face and rubbed gently on her back, trying to soothe her a little. Vomiting in front of someone can be very stressful and awkward – he knew from experience – and those feelings would only make it worse. He had been through enough to know that even the slightest bit of comfort would help her, though it was very rarely that he himself offered it.

He stopped when she seemed to be finished and took the tote bag into the bathroom to clean it out a bit. He didn't take long, though – cleaning something like that would take more time than he was willing to give right now. Chidori came first. He took a moment to grab some Tylenol and the little trash can before going back out to her.

"I liked that bag," she said softly as he exited the bathroom. She had lain down while he was cleaning up, curled in a ball and facing away from him.

"It will be easier to clean than the rest of your room." He felt bad about it, but the blankets needed to stay clean to help with the fever.

"I know," she said, and after a pause, asked, "Why are you helping me?"

"You don't want me to?" He managed to keep from sounding hurt, but if Kaname had been facing him she'd have noticed it in his eyes, if only for a moment.

"That's not what I meant. It just…" It makes me happy, knowing you care...but I don't want to hear that you would do it for anyone... It could be that he really cared, but what if he would do this for any fallen comrade? What if it's his training kicking in? She decided to change the direction of her sentence. "Aren't you worried that you'll catch the flu, too?"

Oh, so that's what's bothering her? She needs to think about herself more. "I have already received my influenza inoculation. It's not a problem."

Kaname sighed and rolled over onto her back. "I should have expected an answer like that," she mumbled as he set the trash can next to her bed.

"This will help with your fever," he said, holding out the Tylenol. "Please take this and finish your water before I get back."

"You're leaving?" she asked sadly, her exhaustion causing her words to slur slightly.

"Yes," he replied. The field manual had recommended various treatments that should relieve the worse of her symptoms, but he was sure she wouldn't have most of them in her apartment. "I will return shortly."

"Promise?" Her eyes looked almost desperate, and his own softened. He would never leave her when she needed him again. It didn't matter how big or small the need – he wanted to be there as long as she'd have him there with her. As long as I make her feel safe, I'll stay.

"I promise," he replied, maybe a bit more forcefully than usual, before he stepped out of the apartment.

Kaname followed his instructions and snuggled back under the covers. She felt better just having him here with her, she realized. It didn't matter if this was his training or if he was doing it just for her. Having him near, having him taking care of her…wasn't that all she wanted? Hadn't she followed him to China for that reason? As long as he's here…I'll never have to worry. Her thoughts resolved, and knowing that when she awoke he would be here watching over her, she finally drifted off to sleep.