Winter in Inaba was usually a calm, peaceful time, of powdery flakes and warm lights in windows, kids playing and laughing, and some much-needed relaxation. That seemed to be true to Yu despite his brief time experiencing the Christmas season; everything was white and still. A joyous time too, with his friends and family both. Yet...everything good had to come to an end, right? The previous night he felt 'off' so he requested to leave dinner early and vomited in the middle of the night, then woke up with sinking nausea and a quaking stomach. Did the others have plans? He couldn't remember off the top of his head, so he just sent a quick text to the others saying he was very sick so he couldn't make it anywhere, then turned on some low TV for background noise, closing his eyes. Just a minor bug, if he slept through it he'd be fine.


Yukiko eyed the cough medicine in the cabinet, trying to measure out a proper amount on a shaky spoon. She couldn't show up to Yu's place and just spray snot everywhere, it just wouldn't do! How much did she take though? She slowly poured out some of the red syrup and gulped it down, reflexively sticking out her tongue at the sticky, bitter taste, then gulped down two more spoonfuls to battle away her throbbing headache. "I'm leaving!" She announced and slipped on her white coat, hurrying outside into the chilly morning. She knew the way to his place quite well by that point, but she still slipped on icy patches, gasping at her wobbly feet and wincing at her headache.

"Does the medicine just take a while to work?" She pouted as she tried to skip the rest of the way there, pulling open the door. "Hi there, Yu-san! I'm here to take care of you!" She skipped inside with her boots kicked off, gasping. She needed some sort of weapon! She needed to protect Yu just like in the dungeons! She skipped into the kitchen and found some napkins, folding them up neatly into a big fan she fanned herself with. "Here I come, Shadows!" Yukiko tossed her fan at the wall. "Maragidyne!"

She kept skipping about, fanning herself and giggling. "Maragidyne!"

"Yukiko-chan?!" Chie asked in disbelief, walking in too. "What are you doing?"

"I'm fighting Shadows! Maragidyne!" Yukiko jumped over to Yosuke and slapped him hard. "Now you're not going to run away!"

"Ouch!" Yosuke yelled, putting a hand to his cheek. "What's gotten into you?"

"Don't yell in my ear!" Chie scolded him, and the two hung their coats up near the door. "Yu-san! Are you here?"

"He probably can't hear you. Yo!" Yosuke hurried up the stairs, seeing Yu sleeping under his blankets, seemingly dead to the world. Chie sighed at the sight.

"What's he sick with? What's he need?" She pinched her nose and tried to take a deep breath, almost choking on the mucus in her sinuses.

"He didn't say so let's put some tissues out and a barf-bowl!" Yosuke suggested, finding some tissues on his dresser and placing them next to him. "Guess I'm glad my nose is clogged so if he does hurl, I won't smell it!" He laughed while Chie glared at him.

"No thanks to you! You got me sick too!" She got a pink bucket with butterflies painted on it and put it next to the tissues, thinking it was just as good as a bowl.

"That was you getting me sick!" Yosuke shot back. "I bet you sneezed on me in class or something!"

"No, you did on me! You're super gross so you never covered your mouth or anything!" Chie rubbed her temples. "Just don't yell at me today. We're here for Yu-san,"

"I'm a firebird!" Yukiko shrieked from somewhere downstairs before the shattering of glass was heard, making Chie dash down the stairs to see Yukiko about to throw another glass on the floor. "This is dry ice to beat the horrible laser-gun robot!"

"Seriously, why is she so kooky?" Yosuke asked. Chie got close enough to place her palm on Yukiko's forehead, pouting when it felt normal.

"No fever...but she reeks of cough syrup! Do you think...?"

"She got drunk off juice, so yes,"

Chie sighed and grabbed Yukiko's hand, taking her over to the living room and sitting her at the table. "Watch TV, okay? Hanamura-san, how long does cough syrup stay in the body?"

"What's goin' on in here?" Kanji asked as him and Naoto walked in, shivering from the cold.

"How long does cough syrup stay in the body?" Yosuke asked instead.

"Six hours. Do I want to know why?" Naoto sighed.

"No," Chie turned the TV onto some music channel and pinched her nose again. "He's upstairs,"

"Guess we'll just stay here until Dojima-san comes back," Naoto winced before she disappeared upstairs with Kanji. Yukiko hummed the music playing to herself, playing with the buttons on her coat.

"She seems to like that at least," Yosuke blew his nose with some tissues he had in his pocket, giving a pointed glance to Chie as he did so before throwing them away.

"Don't just hog them! Give me some too!" She demanded.

"No way! Why don't you just use your own?"

"I left them at home!"

"I don't have enough!"

"You're just stingy!" She put her hands on her hips. "Just give me some!"

"No way!" Yosuke coughed several times and groaned, putting his hand on his head. "Stop taking advantage of a sick person,"

"You got me sick! You deserve whatever I put you through today!" She sneezed into her elbow.

"Everyone's here!" Teddie chirped as he walked in, clad in the bear suit, with Rise behind, red in the face with a heavy coat and scarf on. "We heard Sensei's sick!"

"It's the scary teddy bear!" Yukiko yelped, hiding her face. "Kill it before it strikes us with its claws!"

Rise wandered over to the couch, a dismayed expression on her face before she texted to everyone: My throat hurts and it depresses me. :( Can't speak at all.

"Maybe you have what we have!" Yosuke laughed. "Want some soup? It'll warm those vocal cords right up!"

She just stared at him and shook her head firmly.

"Anyway, why is Teddie here anyway? I told you to hold down the fort!"

"But Rise-chan seemed to be struggling in the snow and what kind of a gentleman would I be if I left her out there?" Teddie said. "Plus I wanted to wish Sensei well too!"

"Upstairs," Chie pointed in the direction as she moaned and rubbed her temples. Rise went over to the bathroom and pouted as she knocked on it, then mimed someone gagging.

"Someone's pukin'?!" Kanji exclaimed as he came back downstairs. "Who is it?!"

Rise shrugged and rubbed her throat.

"I'm splashing water on my face," Naoto's shaky voice came from inside the bathroom before she came out, rubbing her mouth with her arm. "The smell was stronger than I anticipated,"

"Did he throw up?" Yosuke asked in concern, coughing. Naoto shivered as she kneeled at the table.

"Yes. He seemed confused to see us, but Tatsumi-kun and I reassured him he was in good hands," She shivered again.

"Since we're all here, how about a movie?" Chie suggested. "We check on Yu-san in shifts and see if he needs anything,"

Rise perked up briefly and raised her hand, forming a heart on her chest.

"Sure, you go first," Yosuke said, and she spun around before going upstairs. "Wait, you're not sick," He then turned his attention to Teddie, who was still standing by the door.

"Do you get sick? Can you get sick?" Naoto mused.

"I don't know, it's never happed!" Teddie replied happily. "But I came dressed in this just in case, for protection!"

Chie sneezed loudly, sniffling.

"I suppose I could get sick, since I'm human in other ways, but maybe it needs to be something more potent!" He continued. "Maybe I could even get terminally ill..."

"Well, I'll get plenty of oranges for you if you do get sick," Yosuke teased. "I wish I could be that lucky,"

"It's a winter bug," Chie said.

"Perhaps our stress was increased due to recent events which caused our immune defenses to lower, which caused us to fall ill when we otherwise would not," Naoto speculated.

"Huh? You're sick too? But with what?"

"That's it, I'm campin' out next to Senpai. Where's a bowl?" Kanji stumbled into the room, feverish and trembling. "And this is a one-time thing, ya know?!"

"You're...both...sick...?"

Naoto turned green and fled into the bathroom with her hand at her mouth while Rise trudged down the stairs with a sloshing bucket. Chie fell back on the sofa.

"What did we just sign up for?" She coughed and took a haggard breath. "Everyone's sick!"

Rise gave the two a weak smile, pointing to the stairs and miming sleeping.

"Good to know he's sleeping well." Yosuke said. "Right, a movie! What should we put on for everyone?"

Rise put a hand on her heart and fluttered her eyelashes.

"I want something action-y," Chie looked around and noticed Yukiko was literally spinning into the kitchen, crashing into Kanji.

"Watch it!" He snapped, but Yukiko pulled down her eyelids and stuck out her tongue. "Wha-"

"Oooga-booga-booga! Now you won't run away!" She giggled. "Now I'm going to make a healing treat for Yu-san!"

"Don't!" Chie and Yosuke shouted at the same time.

"You're not in your right mind!"

"You'll kill him!"

Kanji got a plastic white basin and kneeled at the table, hugging it.

Yukiko smiled and got out several ingredients and turned the stove up very high, making some oatmeal. "What should I put in...he's sick, so green tea is a must! And yogurt, that soothes a sick stomach!" She tossed some matcha paste into the bowl and mixed it up with plain yogurt, then tossed a cup of pink stomach medicine in there. "To relieve his symptoms, and cough syrup is a miracle drug, how did I forget ginger, and cinnamon to taste! Ta-da!" She left the stove on and held out the pinkish-green mush proudly.

"I'm scared that's the only thing she did coherently," Yosuke shuddered.

"It looks like something one of you guys would throw up," Chie stuck her tongue out. "Wait, the stove!"

"Yu-san!" Yukiko trilled as she climbed the stairs into his room. The TV was showing some old movie with the sound muted, and he was awake though his eyes were listless. Still, he looked over at her approach. "Yuck, it smells in here!" She wrinkled her nose before she offered him a spoonful. "This'll restore your Health so we can keep fighting Shadows!"

Yu eyed the food and swallowed it weakly, croaking out after a few bites that it was pink.

"Yes! I put stomach medicine in it!" She smiled.

Yu bolted upright and threw up into the bucket.

"Stop killing him, come on," Yosuke dragged Yukiko out of the room by her coat, helping her stand up. She giggled.

"Where's Naoto-kun? We gotta go do an All-Out Attack!" She stepped too far and missed the stairs entirely, falling down them and hitting the floor with a thud. The concoction splattered all over her.

"Are you okay?!" Chie was by her side in a second, trying to help her up. Yukiko just giggled more.

"Whoohoo! Woosh! I flew just like a bird!" She wobbled as she stood up and eyed the stairs. "Fun slide! I wanna go again!"

"No!" Chie groaned and coughed. "Sit down already!" She led her over to the couch and sat her next to Rise who was rubbing her throat again.

"We never decided on a movie!" Teddie gasped.

"We're a bit preoccupied right now," Yosuke sighed and blew his nose. "If only Chie-san didn't give me her cold-"

"We've been over this! You gave it to me!" Chie instantly shot up from the couch.

"I bet you put snot on my papers or something!"

"What?! Why would I?! It was your gross self who did that to me!"

Rise stood up and stood in the middle, putting her hands out with a glare.

"He started it!"

"Shit!" Kanji bolted up too, knocking loudly on the bathroom door. "Get out of there, I need it!"

"I...can't..." The rest of Naoto's sentence was cut-off by her gagging and the sound of vomit hitting the bowl.

"I must protect everyone!" Yukiko grabbed her napkin fan and whacked Rise hard on the head with it, making her open her mouth in shock and pain. "There's so many Shadows here!" She looked at Yosuke and Chie, who just shrugged.

"It's cough syrup," Yosuke offered, so Rise mimed drinking from a shot glass, then pointed to Yukiko, then pretended to stumble and giggle. "Just like that, yes,"

"When are they comin' back?" Kanji grumbled, resting his head on the door.

"Tonight," Chie offered.

Naoto stumbled out of the bathroom with a hiccup, shuddering before she crumbled up in Dojima's usual chair, keeping her heard buried in her arms. Kanji hurried into the bathroom while Yosuke coughed several times, blowing his nose. Chie rubbed her temples and walked over to Naoto, stared, then got a water bottle from the fridge.

"Drink," She gently poked Naoto to make her look up, almost gasping at the puke down her front and on her mouth. "When Tatsumi-kun comes out of the bathroom I'm taking your temperature,"

"Why?" Naoto sipped some water.

"You two have what Yu-san has but way worse. I have to be sure we don't need to take you to the hospital,"

"I'm fine-"

"Don't put up the strength card right now, either of you," Yosuke chimed in. "We've seen your worst sides so just be yourselves,"

Naoto just winced as she slowly sipped more water. Kanji came out of the bathroom and went upstairs to briefly check on Yu, seeing him sitting up and staring at a TV with low volume.

"Ya feelin' good?" He asked, but Yu shook his head.

"I suppose it could be worse, but my stomach is flipflopping,"

"Know that feelin'," He saw the kiddy bucket needed to be emptied so he tried to step over, only to suddenly stumble. Yu scooted out of the way to the best of his ability while Kanji caught himself on the wall, grumbling when something warm and wet seeped into his sock. "The hell..." He looked down and saw it got stuck in the bucket. The bucket filled with puke. Manly facade be damned, he screamed and pulled it out, grabbing the bucket and storming out, leaving little puke trails everywhere.

"You have a slight fever," Chie was saying to Naoto when he went downstairs; she was holding a thermometer. "Not as bad as Rise-chan's though," She motioned over to Rise, who was watching the TV calmly. Chie spotted him and waved him over. "You're next,"

"I don't need that, I ain't got a fever," He shook his head, dumping the bucket out.

"Don't be tough now!"

"You smell like vomit," Yosuke added, following the trail with his eyes. "No way, did you step in his puke bucket?!"

"Shut up!"

"I'll give this to him, you do what Nurse Chie tells you, okay?" He slapped Kanji on the back and took the bucket from him before Chie coughed and put the thermometer in his mouth. Once it beeped, she looked at it.

"Slight fever like Naoto-kun. You need water too," She gave him one and his white basin back, making him sit beside Naoto who was reading a book. Some super advanced law thing, so something of Dojima's, she likely even read it already, but still. In her lap was a big metal bowl. "The bathroom is not to be used for puking, you got me? There's too many of us so it's not fair!" She announced before coughing several times, pinching her nose. "My voice sounds weird,"

Rise motioned to her ears and paused, trying to think of how to best mime what she meant, making her hands bounce.

"What?"

She pointed to her ears, then her nose.

"I don't know what you mean..."

Rise just threw her hands up and resumed watching TV. Yukiko seemed to have calmed down slightly, as she was laying in front of the TV with her legs in the air, her dress dangerously hiked up to her waist, revealing way more of her black tights than should be seen. Chie gasped and pulled her skirt down some; as expected, Yukiko just giggled about it.

"If they're not back soon, I might have to ask Teddie to get some food at Junes for those of us who can eat...no way should any of us be cooking," Yosuke sighed, rubbing his temples. "I think my ears are getting clogged..."

Teddie sprung up upon hearing his name, saluting. "Happy to be of service, Yosuke! What do you need?"

"Just get some ready-to-eat bentos. I don't want to cook either,"

"Got it!" Teddie raced out just as Nanako walked in, confusion on her face.

"Where is he going? And why is everyone here? Is it a party?"

"No," Chie sneezed.

She gasped. "You're all sick, just like Big Brother is! I know how to help!" She raced into the kitchen. "I'll make warm rice pudding!"

"Isn't that Nanako-chan? Did we save her from the TV?" Yukiko asked curiously, blinking. "Did we beat the awful angel?"

Rise curled up on the couch and fell asleep, tossing and turning due to her medium fever.

"Maybe I should help..." Chie wondered. "If she's home, then Dojima-san will be here shortly too..."

Naoto threw up into her basin, coughing and choking on some of the chunks. She just wiped her mouth off with her sleeve and rested her head on the table.

Nanako stirred faster. "Did someone try to make something in here earlier? There's some food!" She pointed to the mess left on the stove.

"Yeah, Amagi-san was trying to put Partner out of his misery," Yosuke shook his head while Chie elbowed him. "So sad,"

"I see.."

"Look, I think I should be gettin' home," Kanji emerged from the bathroom, still clutching his stomach. "Ma's probably worried anyway,"

"Not until you eat this porridge! It's perfect for diarrhea too!"

"What-I don't have that!" Kanji stammered from embarrassment.

"Me neither!" Naoto lifted her head up to add.

"What do you think the water's for?" Chie grumbled. "I know that at least,"

Nanako blew on the porridge lightly before she turned the stove off and Chie helped her scoop it into several bowls.

"You're all sick, so eat up!" She commanded. "Even you two!"

Yosuke and Chie nodded to humor her and kneeled at the table, taking some bites.

"It's good!" Chie gasped, shoveling more into her mouth.

"Even your illness doesn't ruin your appetite," Yosuke sighed. "Is it? My nose is so stopped up I can't taste it,"

Rise was still asleep, so she didn't get a bowl, but Naoto and Kanji weakly ate a few bites, thanking Nanako for her time and care.

"You're welcome! Sometimes I make it for Daddy to cheer him up. Now I get to make it for Big Brother!" She made the biggest bowl for him and hurried up the stairs, seeing him staring up at the ceiling. "Look, I made rice porridge!" She giggled when his face paled. "Your friends loved it, so try some!"

She got a small spoonful and fed it to Yu, who nodded. "It's very good, thank you,"

"I hope your tummy feels better! I hate it when mine feels yucky," She smiled at him. "Can you eat it yourself?"

"I think so," Yu took the bowl easily and took a few more bites.

"Your friends feel yucky too so I hope they get better soon too! Big Sister Naoto and Big Brother Kanji have sick tummies too,"

Yu stifled a weak chuckle at that. His uncle wouldn't be too happy about cleaning everything up, that was for sure.

Almost as if on cue, Dojima stepped through the front door and paused, seeing everyone, hearing coughing and vomiting and many other sounds of sickness, and smelling the products of sick as well as rice.

"Where's Yu? Why are you all here?"

"Dojima-san! We can explain!" Chie jumped up. "He got sick, so we were going to check on him since otherwise he'd be alone, but the others came too but they're sick so-" She paused to cough a few times.

"And Kanji-kun stepped in Partner's puke bucket!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"I don't need to hear the rest. Get going and rest up at home. All of you coming here while you're sick is very irresponsible, do you hear me? You might've gotten Nanako sick, or Yu even sicker, do you understand? Never do this again," He scolded them firmly.

"Yes Sir," Naoto bowed weakly, wobbling.

"Look, I don't ever do this, but...I'll give you all rides home in my car. There's no way you guys are making it home in this weather in the states you're in," He sighed.

"We gotta go home," Yosuke gently nudged Rise, who moaned and just rolled over on the couch.

"I got the bentos!" Teddie cheered, running in and holding them up above his head proudly. Chie just shook her head while Yukiko giggled. Naoto managed to stumble over to the fridge and stack them up inside before she had to lean against it for balance.

"Good job," Yosuke sighed. "We're going home buddy,"

"Oh! Yay!"

Kanji tried to rouse Rise, who eventually rubbed her eyes. She sniffed and stuck her tongue out at Kanji's sock, which made Chie and Yukiko start giggling.

"Sh-Shut up! It's not funny!" He carefully hoisted Rise onto his back and carried her out to the car while Yosuke let Naoto use him for balance and Chie guided a still-wobbly Yukiko by the hand. Rise dozed off during the ride and had to be carried in princess-style by Dojima, only to be given to a very worried grandmother. Chie and Yukiko went home with no struggles, while Yosuke kept blowing his nose and almost took the wrong elevator with Teddie. Kanji threw up once during the ride, thankfully into a plastic bag kept in the car for sudden bouts of carsickness, and Naoto threw up on herself once and earned the ire of a man sick of a vomit-smelling car, but otherwise they were handed off to their respective relatives to be instantly fussed over, then Dojima could drive back around and finally relax at home.

When he got back, some of the house was cleaned and Nanako was reading a picture book to Yu, who had dozed off but she seemed determined to finish it all the same. With a small smile, he closed the door and let them be.