Chapter 12: Under The Weather

A/N: I will begin this chapter with a random thought: how are we already 12 chapters in? It hasn't felt like long ago since this began. And I've only done two of the story arcs I had planned! Makes me wonder how long this will go on for... probably-no, definitely not as long as the first book, but...

I also have something else to talk about, but I'll wait 'till the end of the chapter to say it. Enjoy.

The movie began.

It seemed like-

Oh.

The movie was called Conflict of Galaxies.

It reminded me a bit too much of a certain movie series back on Earth. Take a wild guess as to which it might've been.

It even had penguins that were able to use supernatural powers... that wielded energy swords as weapons.

Well, I suppose that wasn't a bad thing, it was a decent movie, but... eh. Already seen a bunch like it, y'know?

But the kid loved it, and that's all that mattered.

By the time it ended, it was getting pretty late, and the kid seemed pretty tired, so I gently picked her up and walked into her bedroom, setting her down in her bed and tucking her in.

"So, we're going back tomorrow to finish the contract?" She asked.

"Yep. Unless something pops up, that is," I confirmed, "'Cause we have all the time in the world to do the contracts anyway."

She nodded slowly, and I stood up and walked over to the door, turning off the lights.

"Good night, kid," I said.

"Good night," She sleepily replied.

I walked out, then went to bed myself.

I found myself waking up early next morning. Hardly any sunlight filtered in through the stained glass window, it made the room feel a lot more attic-like, yet also more warm and cozy.

With a groan, I got up and stretched.

I noticed that I hadn't had a strange dream last night. So it was just my imagination... although it was really strange.

Well, there was no use dwelling on it.

I decided to go to the main hub and wait for the kid to wake up.

After some time, I heard the door open and turned to see her walk out.

Something seemed a bit... off... about her, although I couldn't place my finger on it.

"Good morning," I greeted, "How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged casually.

"Decently, I guess," She muttered, "Today's the day we finish that first contract!"

I nodded.

"Let's get ready," I said.

So we did. Once we were ready, we went to the kid's room and walked up to the telescope.

"Wonder what he's got in store for the next one," I pondered.

"I guess we only have one way to find-" She said, but was interrupted when she sneezed.

I turned around to face her. It was a bit odd, but I'd never heard her do that before.

"You feeling alright?" I asked, "You looked a bit off your game earlier."

"Yeah, I feel fine," She said, a smile on her face.

She then rubbed her nose.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?" I countered, "It looks to me like you're getting a cold or something."

"What's a cold?" She inquired.

... Well, that threw me for a loop.

"...The common cold?" I explained.

She shrugged.

"That's... worrying," I muttered, "Maybe you should stay behind for today..."

"No way!" She pouted, "I'm not sick, you worry too much!"

I stared at her. She stared back.

She really was determined...

I let out a sigh.

"Alright," I said, "If you're so sure about it, I won't question it. Let's get going."

We teleported down to the forest.

"Right on time!"

I felt something being unceremoniously plopped onto my head and being patted on the back.

"You know what to do, get to it!"

"Very subtle," I grumbled sarcastically, "Come on, kid."

She nodded, and we ran ahead to the village to get back to work.

Five minions were left who needed something cleared out and/or built, and it would take a while to do it all. Better to get started early so we could be done at a not-late time.

A minion waved us over and explained what he needed, a simple house, and we began.

There was one thing that I couldn't help but notice, though...

The kid kept coughing and sneezing. It didn't happen often, but it happened. And, considering she never did it before, that worried me greatly. Yeah, it was probably just a cold. Or some form of allergies. But what if it wasn't...?

But she was certain she was fine, and constantly asking her if she felt alright would've just irritated her, so I just had to let it be, as much as I did not want to.

Hours passed as we kept on working. Four left, then three, then two, then one.

Then finally, none.

We stood in the center of the village and looked around at what we'd done. It looked a lot more like a proper village without all the rotted out stumps and with some actual housing in it, but it still had Subcon's typical gloom that made the place feel dark and depressing. However, nothing could be done about that.

"Well, kid? I'd say we did a pretty decent job," I stated.

"Yeah..." She replied drearily.

I frowned.

That didn't sound like her usual cheer.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I turned around.

I already knew the answer as I saw her sat down, bags under her eyes. And did she look... pale?

"I... I think you were right," She said, coughing, "I should've stayed back. I... I'm exhausted... my stomach and throat hurt..."

Oh dear.

"You're definitely sick. I knew this was a bad idea," I said, picking her up gently in my arms, "But such is life. I don't care what Snatcher say, I'm taking you back so I can take care of you."

"Hm? I just came to talk about your next contract and now this!"

I turned to face Snatcher.

"What's wrong, kiddo? Feelin' a bit under the weather?" He asked jokingly.

I frowned at his lack of seriousness.

"She's sick. I'm going to take care of her. Your next contract can wait," I declared.

His smile disappeared for a brief moment.

"That's one thing I don't miss about being alive, that's for sure," He said, "Not that I miss being alive at all... but that's fine by me, I don't need a sick brat sneezing on everything and making it gross. Have fun with that!"

The kid weakly handed me a Time Piece, and I returned us to the ship.

First thing I did was set her down in her bed.

"I really should listen to you more..." She muttered.

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her, "Everybody gets sick. It's a part of life. You'll get over it and be back to running around and laughing in no time."

"You're sure?" She asked.

I placed my hand on her forehead, noticing she felt quite warm. A fever.

"Positive," I stated, "Do you have any medicine on this ship or anything?"

She shook her head slowly as a 'no'.

I frowned.

"Well, in that case, I need to go get some, but I don't know where to look and I don't want to leave you alone while you're sick," I thought aloud, "If only three people lived on this ship!"

Suddenly, as if on cue, the intruder alarm went off.

"I'll be right back," I said, running off to the main hub.

There stood Conductor and DJ Grooves.

They'd know where to get medicine... perfect!

"You know, you couldn't have picked a better time to show up," I greeted.

"Eh?" Conductor mumbled, "We were gonna tell ye that we wanted ye on the set tomorrow!"

I shook my head.

"That ain't happening," I denied.

"Why, darling?" DJ Grooves asked, "I thought you were both looking forward to it!"

"We are. But the kid is sick," I explained, "She won't be ready to do anything for a while."

They were both silent, until Conductor perked up.

"Ey, is there any way we can help?" He asked.

"Yes, actually," I answered, "I need you two to find over-the-counter medicine. For humans. Something to bring down a fever would be best."

"Got it!" Conductor shouted, "Well, Grooves, we got a job to do. Let's leggit!"

They hopped out of the ship.

I smiled. That was one thing I wouldn't have to worry about.

I went to the bathroom and got a small facecloth, soaked it with cold water, wrung it out, then returned to the kid's room.

"Who was that?" She asked weakly.

"Conductor and Grooves," I answered, walking up to her bed, "They wanted to tell us that they needed us on the set tomorrow."

"Oh..." She said sadly, "I guess I kinda ruined their schedule, didn't I?"

I shook my head.

"Kid, it's not your fault that you got sick. There is absolutely nothing you could've done to stop it," I said firmly, sighing afterward.

I placed the facecloth on her forehead, causing her to take a deep breath.

"It just feels like it is," She responded somberly.

I sat down on the bed next to her.

"It isn't, though. So don't feel bad," I said.

"Where are they?" She asked.

"I told them what happened, and they went to go get medicine for you," I explained, "Now I can just stay here and watch over you."

She grabbed my hand, a weak smile on her face.

"Because you're taking care of me, I know I'll get better," She said.

She then yawned, before coughing again.

"I'll let you sleep. If you need anything, just give me a shout. I'll be in the main hub," I said.

She nodded.

I got up and walked over to the door, turning back to her.

"Get well soon, kid," I said, walking out the door.

She then said something that made me freeze.

Remember how she said something on a couple of nights that I couldn't hear because she said it too quietly?

She did it again. But this time, I heard it loud and clear:

"Good night, dad."

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

I walked back into the room and looked at her, but she was already sleeping.

Wh-no. She couldn't have meant that. She must've been too tired and thought I was somebody else.

She couldn't POSSIBLY look up to me like that.

I left the room and sat down in the main hub, trying to push the thought out of my head.

But another one surfaced that made me freeze:

She couldn't possibly view me as her dad... but did I view her as my daughter?

I shook that thought out of my head.

That was a question I'd have to answer later.

For now, father figure or not, it was my job to take care of her.

And I'd be damned if I didn't do a good job of it.

A/N: Oh dear, that was sudden. Hat Kid got sick out of nowhere, and will Markus be able to do a good job of taking care of her when he can't shut off his mind?

Guess we'll just have to find out.

And on another note... I know this probably isn't a great time to be writing about someone getting sick, what with... err... y'know... but I'd been planning it long before it began and I a) didn't want to just scrap the arc; and b) couldn't postpone it any longer. Hope that clears things up.

Review time:

Snow Blizzard: That sounds intriguing. Although, I don't exactly see how that would fit into the story... but I'll definitely keep it in mind for when the Empress arc comes around. Thank you!

Well, that about wraps everything-oh wait, the announcement.

I'm gonna be writing a fanfiction for Paper Mario: The Origami King. I don't know exactly when I'm gonna do it, but it'll be sometime in the near future. So, if you're a fan of that game and like how I write, look out for that, I guess.

... And yes, that means my rate of upload might slow down further. Sorry 'bout that.

Okay, NOW everything is all wrapped up! See y'all next chapter.