A/N: Thank you reviewers for all your support! I really do appreciate it! ^^ I understand that it is difficult to get kind comments back, but seeing your comments do give me the courage to go on! Thank you~

Chapter 3 – Walk Away

Ceri was tired; her mind and body seemed to be in separate worlds. She doubted that she could process any of her surroundings right now. All she knew was that Seifer made her food and attempted to help her ease her pain. She looked to her side at her companion and saw that he was also deep in thought. Wonder what's on his mind… I bet he's thinking of how he's going to escape this without getting sick.

"Seifer…use Esuna on me! do cure! anything! make it goo awayy…!" she whined, ending her request with a loud blow of her nose.

He chuckled. How dare he chuckle…! "It doesn't work that way, peachie. You know that magic don't heal colds."

Darn…she thought.

"Just finish the soup, take your meds, and rest." Seifer said in an uncharacteristically soft way.

"Fine…" Ceri grumbled while glaring at her creamy yellow bowl that supposedly promised "the best chicken delight."

It was awfully sweet of him to try to make her a decent meal during her time of weakness. Goodness knew that she would never have done it herself; she would have just lied in bed and willed for her body to get better while a mountain of dirty tissue paper would pile up by her bedside.

Thank heavens that Seifer decided to come today and not stay away from me…It's nice to have him here for Christmas. Were we supposed to spend time together today? Probably at the thing that Selphie is holding…Oh yeah, does he want to go? Oh no! His present is still hidden in my room!

"Seifer," she started as she put down her spoon after finishing her bowl of soup.

He handed her the pills and a cup of water. "Here. Take."

Ceri complied, and after she was done, she tried to begin again.

"Seifer, did you want to go"

"No Ceri. No, I don't want to go to that stupid thing that that happy girl was hosting. And, no, I don't have presents for anyone. Just rest your voice and stop thinking."

"But, I need to give you"

"Give it to me tomorrow or when you feel better or something." He stood up suddenly, grabbing the bowl and everything else on the table, and continued to the kitchen.

I guess that's the end of the discussion…I can't believe he didn't even let me finish my sentences! Maybe I do need some rest…I'm starting to feel dizzy again. Isn't medicine supposed to help?

As she felt the tiredness overpowering her, Ceri brought her head down and laid on her arms to get a short powernap in before Seifer came out of the kitchen; at least that was her plan. Her brain tired to fight the drowsiness that was rapidly consuming her, causing her to drift in and out of consciousness, but it was a losing battle to begin with.

Her brain no longer listened to her desire to stay awake and felt that it was stupid to do so in the first place. "Stupid humans don't know what's good for them," it thought. Hence, Ceri allowed her eyes to stay closed and allowed the sandman to take her away. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream, bum bum bum bum…

Deprived from the song Mr. Sandman. Sang by The Chordettes and later by Blind Guardian.