A/N: I should be studying...but I started this chapter and couldn't leave it. It is mostly fluff and such, but I like these situations. Please read and review :)
Taking Care
Ren knelt anxiously over the unconscious girl on the sofa, his hand on her forehead. "Kyoko? Hey, Kyoko." He squeezed her shoulder, shaking her a little. "Come on Kyoko. Wake up. Please?" He didn't want to wake her, but the thought of changing her clothes himself made him…well he just didn't think it was a good idea. Someone knocked on the door and he shook her again, ignoring them. "Kyoko?" He spoke up a little. She coughed and continued shaking, despite his jacket over top of her. "Kyoko!" He urged her, desperate for her to wake up. She hummed softly, then cracked her eyes open.
"Hmm?" She stared up at him drowsily.
"Kyoko, you have to get changed so I can take you home. Can you sit up?" He asked softly.
"Hm? Work?" She mumbled, coughing again, which was obviously painful. He placed an arm around her back and sat her up, placing a water bottle against her lips, and tilting it so that she could drink. She winced as she swallowed, then her eyes drooped again.
"You finished work." He lied a little. "Now you need to get changed. Can you do that?" She stared at him for a moment, allowing her foggy mind to process his question, then nodded slowly. He placed her clothes on the sofa beside her. "Alright. I'm going to be right outside. Just come out when you are done." She nodded, and he left her alone, leaning against the wall by the door.
Ten minutes of silence passed before she pushed the door open. He put an arm around the tired girl's shoulder and, taking her bag, led her out the door. Yashiro appeared at their side, and gave Kyoko an anxious glance. "The director wants to speak with you." He told Ren softly, but Kyoko didn't even glace up. Ren sighed and looked down at her.
"Can't I just call him?" He asked, trying not to let his frustration show. Yashiro shook his head, a sympathetic expression on his face, and moved forward to help him catch the girl who had passed out again. Ren sighed, glancing back at the door.
"I've got her." Yashiro scooped the girl up easily and Ren handed him the keys to his car, flashing him a grateful smile, then turned on his heels, nearly sprinting into the building. Yashiro juggled the girl and the keys and managed to place her in the passenger seat. He took of his jacket and draped it over it, then leaned the sat back. He touched her forehead and winced at the heat radiating off of her, then shut her door and climbed into the back. Ren reappeared a few minutes later, hurriedly jumped into the drivers seat, speeding off.
"Will the supermarket be okay?"
"Yea. I can run in and get some medicine." Ren parked in front of the building and turned to Yashiro.
"Can you get her some pajamas too?" He held out a few bills but Yashiro waved him away.
"Don't worry about it." He jumped out of the car and hurried into the supermarket.
Ren turned to the small, shaking girl in his passenger seat for the first time. He leaned forward in his seat and pulled his suit coat off, draping it over her and placed it over Yashiro's. She whimpered in her fever induced sleep and moved her head from side to side. He placed a hand on her neck, flinching at the heat, and, digging in the suit pocket, placed a handkerchief against her forehead. 'She's always telling me to make sure to eat and take care of my body…and she goes and does this.' He sighed, all anger and irritation dissipating at the sight of her flushed face and shaking frame. He turned the heat up, trying to get her warm, but she continued to shiver.
Yashiro reappeared and sat in the back seat, placing two bags beside him on the seat. "I got pretty much everything you'll need." He told Ren quietly, peering over the seat at the pale girl worriedly.
"Yashiro, are you sure she doesn't need to go to the hospital?" Ren asked, turning to look at his manager. The man frowned at her for a second, then pulled a thermometer out of his bag. Ripping the package open, he handed Ren the device wordlessly. Ren managed to get her to open her mouth and slipped it inside, turning it on. They waited for about twenty seconds and the little device beeped. Ren pulled it out of her mouth and looked at the digital screen. "102." He told the man in the backseat Yashiro nodded.
"Okay. She doesn't need to go to the hospital. Just take her home, give her the medicine, let her change, and then have her get some sleep. As long as she drinks plenty of liquids and gets rest, she should be okay. But keep checking her temperature, and if it reaches 104, take her to the hospital."
Ren carried the unconscious girl into his apartment, shutting the door with his foot, and dropped the bags on his floor. He sat her on the sofa and tried again to wake her up. This time, she didn't stir. Sighing, he went back and grabbed the bags from the floor, digging through them for her medicine. He found a washcloth in his bathroom and wet it, then returned to the sofa, stroking her face with it. She whimpered and moaned in her sleep, but didn't wake. "Kyoko, wake up." He urged her, shaking her shoulder. "Come on, if you just wake up and change, you can go to bed." Finally, she opened her eyes and stared at him blearily.
"Ren?" She mumbled, frowning in confusion. He stroked her face again.
"Here, open your mouth." She did, closing her eyes, and he placed two pills on her tongue, then held a glass of water to her lips. She swallowed painfully, then looked up at him again. "Can you stand up?" He placed an arm under her and pulled her to the edge of the sofa, then helped her to her feet. "You have to change so you can go to bed." She leaned against his side, walking slowly.
"Just changed." She mumbled tiredly. He nodded with a small smile.
"I know, but you need to change into pajamas so that you can get some sleep. Alright?" She nodded and he half carried her into the guest bedroom, placing = her on the bed. He placed the clothes beside her. "Can you do that?" She nodded, and he stood, but she fell sideways onto the bed, her eyes closed. "Kyoko?" He shook her shoulder, but she didn't stir.
'I can't let her sleep in her jeans…' He groaned, and tried shaking her again. "Please Kyoko. Please change your clothes?" He all but begged, not wanting to think of the alternative. She didn't respond. 'Crap.'
Ren grabbed the pajama top and set it next to him, then sat her up, resolving to move quickly. Her head fell against his chest, and he took her top and pulled it off, managing to wrestle her arms gently out of the holes. He then moved his hands to her bare back and, cursing his horrible, wonderful luck, felt around her bra for a clasp. 'Where is the stupid clasp…I hate bras!' He thought irritably as all his fingers met was smooth fabric. 'If it isn't clasped in the back….oh God.' He closed his eyes and very carefully laid her back on the bed, training his eyes on her face. Swallowing, he tried to wet his now very dry throat, and carefully moved his hands between her breasts. He undid the bra as quickly as he could, not moving the fabric to keep her covered, but as soon as he sat her back up, the garment fell open, leaving nothing to his imagination. 'Don't even think about it!' He warned himself angrily. 'She's sick! I would never do anything to her when she's sick! Besides, she only a 16 year old girl.' She fell against him and he closed his eyes as her bare skin brushed his arm. '16 year old…woman. Very beautiful, sexy, woman…" His hand slipped up her stomach and he closed his eyes, breathing her in, then jerked away when she whimpered and began to shiver. 'OH, I need to get her dressed, now.' He hurriedly slipped the pajama top over her head, and, after wrestling with her arms again, managed to cover her up.
With a sigh, he moved to her pants. He carefully unbuttoned her jeans, and slowly undid her zipper, his heart beating erratically and his…
Slipping his fingers under the fabric, he pulled them down, trying not to look at her smooth skin or silky underwear. 'Just put clothes on her!' He yelled at himself, grabbing the pajama bottoms and pulling them up, then tying the string. Throughout the process, she hadn't stirred, but now she began mumbling. He picked her up again, and slid her under the covers, tucking them securely around her. 'Okay, got her in bed, gave her medicine….' He shut the door softly behind him and picked up the bags, placing them on the table. One was empty, and the other held an ice pillow, an ice bag with a stand, and, he blushed, underwear. He pulled out the ice pillow and bag and prepared them, then slipped back into the dark guest room. He lifted her head and placed the cold pillow on the bed, the paced the bag on her forehead, holding it in place with the stand. She mumbled and turned her head, scrunching her eyebrows at the cold.
"Where…?" She opened her eyes and looked up at him curiously.
"You're in my apartment." He reminded her softly. She looked over at her arm, which was bent beside her head, and at the pajama sleeve.
"Clothes?"
"You changed yourself earlier." He lied quickly, but she didn't seem to notice. "How are you feeling?" He touched the side of her neck.
"Cold." She mumbled, trying to snuggle deeper onto the blankets, and he stood and went to his closet, pulling another blanket from the top, then lay it on top of her.
"Do you want something to drink?" He asked softly, adjusting the bag on her forehead. She nodded a little, and he went to get her water, which she sipped painfully, then slipped back into sleep. He sighed and shut the door behind him, then sat on the sofa, putting his head in his hands, but jerked up when he heard her retching. Stifling a groan, he hurried into the room.
All irritation in the back of his mind disappeared when he saw her sobbing, her face resting on the edge of the bed. Carefully, stepping around the mess on the ground, he sat on the bed and wiped her mouth with a cloth. She sobbed in his arms. "I'm sorry." She whimpered. He stroked her face and kissed her forehead.
"Shh. Don't be sorry. It's okay." He whispered, rocking them back and forth. When she had stopped sobbing, he stroked her back. "I'm going to get you some more water, okay?" She nodded weakly, and fell back on the pillow, shivering a little.
Kyoko stared straight ahead, barely able to keep her eyes open. Her entire body felt drained, and her head was throbbing. When the door opened, her eyes shut instinctively, the dim light worsening the pain in her head. 'Why is he doing this?' It was the only coherent thought as he held her up and placed a glass of ice water to her lips. She forced herself to swallow a few sips, but the burning in her throat made it nearly impossible to swallow. She caught his concerned face and smiled softly. "Thank you." She whispered.
He smiled in returned. "Your welcome." He said softly. "Do you need anything else?" She felt his hand on her head and smiled at the warmth, closing her eyes softly. She shook her head a little.
"No thank you." Her head rested on the pillow and she felt him pull the blankets around her. She heard him move around and, opening her eyes, saw him on his hands and knees, cleaning. 'He's not angry.' She realized. 'He isn't angry that he has to clean up after me.' She smiled softly, closing her eyes, and was only mildly surprised when her last thought was 'I love him.'
She was staring at him. The setting seemed to fade to gray as she stood beside him. His hair was blonde, like it had been when she met him, and his eyes were a soft green. He smiled down at her gently. "I love you." He said softly, stroking her face. 'He is so warm.' She thought happily, leaning her head against his hand.
"I love you too." She told him softly.
Ren's eyes widened as he stared at the smiling girl on the bed. When he had cleaned the carpet, he had been unwilling to leave her side. She seemed to like it when he stroked her face, and had leaned into his hand. "I love you." He whispered softly, taking her hand over the sheet and squeezing it.
"I love you too." The words echoed in his head, and his mouth dropped open.
"What?" He asked, hoping to get a response, but she only snuggled deeper into the blankets. "Kyoko?" He whispered, but the girl didn't respond. He sighed and decided to let her get some sleep. 'I'll see if she says anything later…she was probably just dreaming.'
When she opened her eyes, again, she felt much better. Sighing, she sat up and noticed that her head wasn't' hurting as badly. Her bladder, on the other hand, was informing her that it was time to go to the bathroom, so she swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as the room tilted. Still dizzy but not in as much pain or as cold, she slowly made her way out the door and down the hallway, where she could hear the television at a low volume.
After using the bathroom, she nearly ran in to Ren, who was standing outside. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, observing her closely. She nodded with a small smile.
"Yes I feel better. Thank you." She started to bow, but a firm hand on her shoulder stopped her. Doing so was making her dizzy, so she didn't argue with him, when he placed the arm around her waist and helped her back into the bedroom. "Thanks Ren." She mumbled. He smiled softly down at her as he placed her back on the bed.
"Your welcome." He held out the thermometer and she opened her moth, allowing him to place it under her tongue. After a few seconds, the little device beeped. "99.3." He told her with a relieved smile. "It's gone down, but you still need to stay in bed." She nodded.
"What time is it?"
"5:30 in the morning." Her eyes widened as he spoke tiredly.
"Don't you have work?"
"I had Yashiro push everything back. I don't have to be at work until 4. He also called your landlords and canceled your work for today." Her eyes widened.
"Hm. It's nice having a manager." She joked. He laughed softly, stroking her head.
"Mhm." She looked up at him hesitantly, noticing the gentle expression on her face.
Taking a deep breath, she resolved to bring up the dreaded topic when her stomach growled loudly. She blushed and looked down as he laughed and removed his hand. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Um…I'm not sure I can hold anything down." He frowned thoughtfully.
"Do you want to try some soup?" She nodded after a second, then started to get up, but was stopped by another hand on her arm. She looked up at him questioningly.
"Kyoko, I'll take care of it." He told her gently. "You have to rest. You still have a fever, and I don't want it to get worse." She thought to argue, but he had already leaned her back against the pillows and pulled the blankets around her. "After you eat a little, you can take more medicine."
Ren emptied the contents of the soup can into the microwave and hoped that Kyoko wasn't expecting anything fancy. He needn't have worried. She was half asleep and he had to wake her up to get her to eat. She reached for the spoon, but he sat beside her on the bed and held out a spoonful, blowing on it gently. She blushed brightly and looked away. "Ren…" She mumbled, embarrassed.
"Hmm?" He smothered a laugh, holding out the spoon. "Hurry. I don't want to spill it." She blushed brighter, but opened her mouth and took the spoon on her mouth, sipping the soup. He smiled gently when she hummed happily. "Good?" She nodded.
Kyoko soon got over the strangeness of having him feed her and started to almost enjoy it. Almost too soon, the soup was gone and he was handing her two pills and a glass of ice water. She swallowed them and leaned against him tiredly. He was still sitting on the bed beside her and didn't object to being a pillow. Instead, he reached over and turned the lamp off, then scooted down in the bed so that her head rested on his shoulder, and his rested on the pillow. Gently, thinking she was asleep, he pressed a kiss on her temple. She smiled and snuggled against him, blushing a little. "I love you." She barely heard him whisper the words, but, as in her dream, responded softly.
"I love you too."
He smiled and stroked her back. 'I just wish she were awake.'
A/N: Sorry about the shortness, but it was fun to write. :D
