Author's Note:
These characters do not belong to me.
. . .
"…A fever and a headache. She's burning up, doc." Saiga mumbled, careful not to wake Kagura inside the car.
The doctor's sigh hissed over the phone. "I have a feeling that these symptoms aren't caused by the tumor—probably just post-trauma reactions."
"What do you think I should do?"
"She needs rest. Take her somewhere to unwind and relax, and don't push her to talk about what happened. The less time she spends thinking about her mother's death, the better. Give her plenty of fluids and over-the-counter pain-relievers."
"You're a life saver, Ryogoku. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Take care, Saiga. You could probably do with some rest, too, you know."
"Heh. I can agree with that."
Saiga flipped his cell phone closed and climbed back into the car, remembering too late to not slam the door. Kagura jumped.
"Good morning," she whispered.
He grimaced. "Sorry to wake you up. I called the doctor, and he recommended some pain-killers. Next town we come to we'll stop and get something, okay?"
She nodded weakly. "Thank you, Saiga."
He started the car and pulled it into drive. "He also suggested you relax someplace. I was thinking maybe we could head up to Futaba beach—far away from Tokyo."
"Really?" She sat up, grinning. "Oh, I would love that. I've never been to a beach before."
He chuckled. "I kinda figured. It's been awhile for me, too."
Kagura's spirits were lifted considerably, and she chattered eagerly about the things she'd always heard about people doing at beaches. A couple hours later, they stopped in a small town to get breakfast and some medication. Saiga watched over his shoulder, but Kagura seemed oblivious to any potential danger.
'Just as well,' Saiga thought. 'She doesn't need any more stress.'
He ushered her into the drugstore, and they picked around the shelves until they found the proper medication.
"There are so many kinds." He scratched the back of his head. "I usually just take a couple aspirin, but I don't know what works for you."
"We could ask someone." Kagura offered.
"I'd rather not talk to people if we can help it." He picked up a bottle and scanned the back. "Okay… Let's see… This one. What do you think?"
"Are you guessing?"
"I am."
Kagura read a few of the bottles' descriptions, chose one and handed it to Saiga. "This one."
"Right." He frowned. "I really have no idea what I'm doing."
"That makes two of us." She answered encouragingly.
After Saiga paid for the medicine, they studied the rest of the town.
"There's a little place over there." Kagura pointed.
"You wanna try it?"
She nodded.
There were only two other people inside: the waiter and a semi-driver, eating quietly and absorbed in a newspaper. Saiga ordered a couple cups of tea and sweet rice. He joined Kagura by the window, carrying the food. As usual, she ate with gusto.
"We'll drive till it gets dark, then we'll stop for the night. Hopefully we can find a hotel or something." He handed her a couple tablets from the pain-killer bottle. "Here."
She swallowed them.
"How's your fever today?"
"Fine."
"Like you'd tell me otherwise."
"I don't want you to worry."
"But that's what I'm supposed to do, Kagura."
She ducked her head, avoiding his stare. He exhaled slowly.
"I'm sorry for prying, but I have to help you get better. And to do that, I need to know what's going on."
"I understand."
They finished their rice in silence.
Saiga pushed a few stray pieces around his bowl. "So you'll need a bathing suit for the beach, huh?"