SICKNESS

Yuki's stomach churned horribly. He knew he should have been home in bed, but his brother had scared him. His own mind had scared him; he had actually wanted it. What was worse, Yuki wanted to feel his Ayame's lips once more, but they were blood related. It wasn't right. They were both guys, anyway. The whole idea was so utterly ridiculous, that Yuki's stomach gave a sharp jolt. He instantly lowered his head, one hand wrapped around his stomach as though he might hold its contents in, while the other pushed up against a tree to help hold him up. The rat gave a weak moan as he ducked his head, ashamed that he could catch the flu so easily. He was always getting sick, though; it was hardly a shock anymore. Though, at this rate, he would easily turn into his zodiac counter part, which was not on his list for the day's activities. Holding his stomach, he began walking once more, attempting to run away from his brother for good, yet knowing that there was no way he would be able to. Yuki would have to see Ayame eventually.

His eyes wandering up, he caught the sight of yet another zodiac member. "Haru," he mumbled. He stared for a moment, watching the cow until the other finally noticed the weak looking young man and ran to him. "What are you doing here," Yuki wondered as he Haru came to his side.

"I thought I would come for a visit. Why? Is that not okay?"

"It's fine…I was just wondering is all," Yuki replied. He stifled a cough as Hatsuharu expected him with interest. It didn't seem right that the poor rat was coughing, after all. "Sorry," the rat tried, but Haru shook his head, eyeing him with concern.

The cow sighed. "You shouldn't be out if you're sick."

"I know."

"Lets get you home then."

"No," Yuki shot back suddenly. The younger man stared at him, trying to figure out what was wrong, but he couldn't seem to come up with a reason. Yuki's home was always so nice to go to; that's why Haru liked to visit in the first place. Noticing that Haru didn't understand, Yuki let out a soft sigh. "I…I don't want to go back yet. I'm out to get away from the house…not to go back to it. Please, Haru, just don't question it?"

Yuki stared to Haru with hopeful eyes; the rat was begging him not to ask, and Haru would respect that. So, instead, the younger man took Yuki to a restaurant in town to get warmed up. At first, the rat was against the idea of eating, but he soon realized that his stomach was against that idea. Yuki had no choice but to obey his body's needs, much to his dismay. He didn't want to spend the rest of the day spewing something he had stupidly ate. Though, as the hot soup ran down his throat, the rat couldn't help but feel slightly better. Apparently, soup really did help when one was sick. Though, after Yuki stopped eating, he did start to feel queasy once more. He had to go to the bathroom just in case, leaving Haru to wait.

When Yuki finally stepped out of the bathroom, Haru frowned. His family member was looking much paler than usual, and it was starting to scare him. "Yuki," Haru muttered protectively, "You need to go home. You need rest. Can I take you home now?" Much to his surprise, Yuki nodded. So, together, the two headed back to the house. Though, on the way there, Yuki's body collapsed under the amount of pressure he had been putting onto it. Haru had to carry him the rest of the way home.

Gently laying the rat down into his bed, Haru smiled softly at his cousin. "Thanks for bringing him home," Shigure said behind him. The cow stood and turned to the other, nodding once before he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What was this all about anyway? He shouldn't have been out like that."

Shigure simply shrugged. Ayame had left after his brother had ran away, so Yuki would at least wake up to a quiet house. The dog sighed, though. He didn't like when things were awkward, and this was defiantly one of those times. Ayame was heartbroken: a rare case, though the other didn't show it like most people would. If Ayame was upset, there was no real way of knowing unless you had witnessed it first hand. "Haru," Shigure commanded, "Go give Hatori a call, will you?"

"Yeah," Haru replied softly before going straight to the telephone to call the dragon for his help.