She searched the depths of her brain for a reasonable explanation and blurted out "oh! I said 'eek, my toe'. I stubbed my toe on accident. Sorry for all the commotion." she explained, laughing nervously as beads of sweat formed on her skin. Her mother looked at her for a second before she grabbed the damp cloth. "It's all right; I was just worried because it sounded like you were hurt really bad." she placed the cloth on Amu's forehead and smiled in relief. "Papa was really worried too." she chuckled looking towards the door. Amu, sat up slightly and her eyes followed her mom's. She saw her dad lingering near her doorway with tears in his eyes. She laid her head back again "I'm sorry for making you worry" she apologized.
Her mother merely smiled and walked back towards the door. "Don't worry about it sweetie. Just get some rest." Midori grabbed the door handle and shut the door quietly. Amu sighed; that situation was too much for her to handle right now. After a few minutes went by she watched as her closet door slowly opened and out emerged the tall, blue haired boy that was once the subject of her now dying anger. She closed her eyes and turned away from him, still irritated by what he did. When she opened them again his face was in view. She cupped her hands to her mouth and bit her tongue. "How many times do I have to tell you to sleep on the floor!?" she whispered through her teeth. He opened his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that the floor is cold?" he shot back, grinning another sly grin. "Besides..." he continued, "...I figured since we were both sick we could heat each other up with our body temperatures…" he replied innocently.
"GET OUT!" Amu grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. She sat with her cheeks puffed out and her face was red with frustration and embarrassment. Ikuto lifted the pillow off of his face. "That wasn't very nice Amu..." She quickly turned to look at him "Well! You're not very nice!" she retorted. Ikuto stared up at her for a second before another smirk formed across his face. He grabbed Amu's shoulder and pulled her down swiftly. She yelped in surprise and she was held in place by a tight embrace. "Well...Maybe I don't like playing nice..." he whispered into her ear playfully. She gasped and struggled to get free. She punched, kicked, and tried anything that would work. Unfortunately, he eluded most of her attacks and, when he was hit, he didn't even wince.
After a few moments of fighting Amu's arms and legs dropped softly on to the bed. She was out of breath and her body had been drained faster because of her sickness. Ikuto held on to her tightly and moved his head closer to hers. "You're so warm...you really are like a human hot-"
"Yeah, yeah. Like a 'human hot water bottle" she interrupted, mentally kicking herself for being too weak to move away from him. "You should probably get some sleep Amu..." he said, ignoring her harsh tone. "Don't tell me what to do...I'm not a little kid you know..." she shot back, glaring at the wall. She yawned and it was harder to keep her eyes open. She was no longer cold; Ikuto's body heat and her thick blankets were keeping her warm and comfortable. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Ikuto's eyes shot open. He could hear the floor creaking with every step that someone took. He looked down at Amu who was sleeping peacefully, her breathing was steady and she didn't budge when Ikuto raised his head. He released his grasp on her and slowly lowered her onto the bed without disturbing her. He walked over to the closet swiftly and cleverly, slowly closing the closet doors until only a sliver of light peeked through the dark space. He watched as Amu's mom walked in, sat on the bed briefly and then shuffled back out quietly. Ikuto opened the closet door again and slid his way on to the bed. He froze as Amu shivered helplessly in her sleep. His arms automatically wrapped around her fragile body and she stopped shivering again. He closed his eyes in relief and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
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When she awoke it was evening time and the sun had already set. She moved her head slightly and frowned when she could feel the sweat coating her body. "I need a shower..." she told herself in a strained voice. She moved her shoulders back and that's she noticed that Ikuto was still holding on to her. His grip had loosened but his arms were still around her and a shiver went up her spine when she realized that his hand was resting on her bare stomach. She turned her head a fraction to the left and noticed that he was sound asleep, breathing softly into her ear. She smiled a little but then she was stumped. "How am I supposed to get up if Ikuto is holding me here?" she thought, utterly confused. She wiggled her way forward slowly, trying not to awaken him. "Just…a…little more…" she whispered to herself, scooting towards the edge of her bed. Ikuto stopped breathing and Amu froze. She waited several minutes until she could hear Ikuto's breathing again to continue her escape.
She grabbed his wrist with her thumb and her index fingers and slowly lifted his arm away from her body. His eyebrows moved a bit but then his face relaxed and he slept peacefully again. Amu smiled and slowly moved out of bed. She was feeling a lot better than she had this morning and, she had to admit, part of it was because of Ikuto. "He is a nice guy after all…" She thought, sort of surprised with her new revelation. She heard the phone ring downstairs followed by her mother yelling "Amu! Tadase's on the phone!"
"Coming!" She yelled, making her way towards the door. Then she turned around to look at Ikuto one last time. "Thank you Ikuto…." she whispered, running out with a smile on her face.
