Chapter Three:

The Best Cold Remedy Ever

"AHOO! … Damn it!" Yusuke said as he wiped his nose with a fresh tissue. Yusuke felt like crap, he was feverish, his ears and nose were plugged up and he kept sneezing. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he couldn't even do that because every time he shut his eyes the room seemed to spin around him.

"Ugh…man this bites" Kuwabara grumbled from across the room.

Yusuke managed to half-heartedly send a sickly kind of glare at Kuwabara. "This is your fault you dumbass! If you hadn't made me go out in that frickin' BLIZZARD this morning, I'd be just fine right now!" Yusuke was promptly hit with a pillow.

"Aw shaddup!" Kuwabara said, "Aw…man…my pillow…hey Urame-"

"Not a chance, its mine now. It's the least you can do for getting me sick in the first place" Yusuke grumbled as he started to drift off into a not-so-peaceful slumber brought on by sheer exhaustion.

WHA-PAM! The door to their room FLEW open and Genkai walked in, scowling as usual. "Get up, slackers. You were supposed to help Keiko and Yukina with the carnival decorations this morning." Upon closer inspection of the two down-trodden boys she 'hm-ed' to herself and walked over to Yusuke. "Get up; I'm moving you to a different room so you can be looked after."

Yusuke stared after her as she walked out of the room. Slowly he got up and went to follow her. When Genkai stopped and opened the door to Keiko and Yukina's room, Yusuke felt a sudden sense of oncoming doom. "Why are we here?" Yusuke mumbled as Genkai tucked him into Yukina's bed. Kuwabara's gonna pitch a fit when he finds out I'm sleeping in her bed…

"Just sleep, Keiko will come in later to take care of you."

"OOHH!" ,Keiko sighed as she stretched finally back in the cabin she shared with the others. After hours of working on the fair she was ready to hit the hay, Yukina came in after her, along with Genkai. Stupid boys, didn't show up to help with the fair at all! And just when I thought that Yusuke wasn't a total jerk he and Kuwabara pull a stunt like this. Well, they're gonna get an earful tomorrow! Keiko thought as she walked down the hallway, ignoring the feeling that swept through her when she passed the shower. Just as she and Yukina reached the door to their room, Genkai stopped them.

"I think I should tell you that Yusuke is in there" ,she said. Taking in the shocked expressions on the girls' faces she continued. "You see, Kuwabara and he got sick because they went out early to chop wood. I separated them so that the two of you could take care of the two of them." She silently noted the pained expression Keiko wore and the small blush that crept over Yukina's pale cheeks.

"Uhm…does that mean that we'll be sharing rooms with them until they feel better?" Yukina asked as the thought of spending a night alone in any room with any boy made her worry. She glanced at Keiko, who had paled considerably at this question.

Genkai nodded, "Yes. But don't worry, they're so sick I seriously doubt they'll cause any trouble." As she said this she watched Keiko relax a bit, now what was that just now…?

Keiko gulped; a night, or rather several nights, alone with Yusuke would be trouble. But the knowledge that he would be sick and virtually incapacitated calmed her quickly fraying nerves. Genkai turned and walked away as Yukina tapped her on the shoulder.

"Now I know something's up.", she stated eyeing Keiko suspiciously. In an attempt to avoid this rather unpleasant conversation, Keiko ducked into Rin's room, to check up on him. He was asleep, as she had expected, she silently walked over to him and smiled, and he really was such a sweet boy. Reassured that he was alright she gently pulled his cover up a bit and kissed his forehead. Silently she exited the room, seeing that Yukina had vacated the hallway she went in to their room and spied Yusuke asleep in Yukina's bed. Which meant Yusuke's bed was vacant. The thought of Yukina sleeping in Yusuke's bed brought an unexpected emotion forward. Anger. She was angry at Yukina for sleeping in his bed, but angrier at Yusuke for sleeping in Yukina's…that's insane, I am NOT jealous. She stated in her mind. I must just be delirious from lack of sleep.

She made ABSOLUTELY sure that Yusuke was asleep before she changed into her pajama's and clambered into her bed. She was too tired to contemplate her own emotions so she decided to deal with them, if those particular ones were still there, in the morning.

Yusuke lay in bed, listening to the birds chirp outside when it dawned on him…I am not in my room……oh yea…Genkai put me in Yukina and Keiko's room…then that means. Opening his eyes he tilted his head over to where the other bed was and, sure enough, there lay Keiko, fast asleep….and wearing the silliest fuzzy purple pajamas he'd ever seen. He couldn't keep the laughter from coming out as he watched her roll over…straight off the side of her bed and land with a light thud on her bum.

Blushing furiously she stood and turned to glare at Yusuke, "Oohh! You shut up!" When he continued to laugh at her, she stomped over to him, about to smack him on the head when his chuckles turned to coughs. Guilt and worry rushed into Keiko as quickly as her anger had left. She sat on the edge of the bed and timidly reached out and rubbed his back, trying to sooth him.

His coughs subsided as her small hands gingerly stroked his back. With just a slight hint of a blush on his cheeks he murmured a feint "Thank you" as he lay back down. He felt like crud, but somehow having her near, he felt like his mood lightened just a bit. He grinned playfully, "Care to join me, sweets?" he said as he patted the small space beside him.

She got very serious then, leaning dangerously close to him, eyes half-lidded and smoky. Her lips were mere centimeters from his when she suddenly yanked the sheets off of him and stood up, folding them as best she could. "Not on your life, bucko" she said, smiling cutely.

Playfully, he stuck out his lower lip, pouting he said, "Aww, c'mon Keiko! It's cooold!" He emphasized the last part with a huge, overly done shiver.

Looking over at him with her most sorrowful gaze, she sighed. "Alright, go get into my bed while I change your sheets." She knew FOR A FACT that he was gonna say something smart-assed, so before he could, she pulled the bedspread out from underneath him. "And don't even start with me; remember, I'll be looking after you until you feel better, which means I can poison your food at any time" she said, putting on the darkest, scariest, look she could muster.

"HAH! Hahahaha!" Yusuke laughed as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes, "Y-you look so st-tupid! WAHAHAHAA!" -sneeze- Yusuke blushed just a wee bit while wiping snot away from his nose with a tissue.

"You're soooo lucky that you're sick, or you'd be in a world of hurt right now. I have to go put these in the wash and help cook breakfast; I'll be back later with some food for you." Keiko said and without thinking, she stepped over to Yusuke pecked him on the cheek and left. About two steps out the door, she froze…did I just…? Keiko could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as she, very quickly, sped out of the hallway to do her chores.

Back in the room, Yusuke sat, immobile, on Keiko's bed. Putting a hand to his cheek he started to blush... did she just? …BOOYA! THAT WAS AWESOME! Grinning from ear-to-ear, Yusuke flopped down onto her bed and buried his face in her pillow, breathing in her scent. Best cold remedy, ever.