AN: my inspiration for this comes from the fact that I wrote this at 4am... I forgot how sensitive I am to caffeine and drank tea at dinner. :/

Indirect Insomnia

She tossed and turned. Closed her eyes, counted slowly to 100... Nothing worked. She couldn't sleep. That was one of the disadvantages to being a very energetic person; sleep sometimes evaded you for no good reason at all. Did she drink any stimulating beverages? No... Oh wait - the one new tea the kitchen brought out for a taste test... It was delicious of course, and Nausicaa ended up drinking a full portion. She'd have to remind Martha to be careful to not give her anything containing stimulants during dinnertime.

She looked at the stars. 4am. The last time she was up this late Asbel had a high fever... She remembered the nightmare as he reached delirium and his temperature still wouldn't drop no matter what the doctors tried... She ended up shooing them off and nursing him back to health herself. Recalling the incident caused her to miss him slightly...

"Oh well, it's not like I'm gonna fall asleep anytime soon." She sighed to herself and slipped out of bed.

She padded silently down a couple hallways to his bedroom. The door creaked slightly and she slipped in as soon as the opening could fit her.

She neared the bed and simply watched him deeply asleep. His breathing was even, his temperature normal... Even if sleep didn't come to her yet, peace did settle in her soul at the sight of him, his chest heaving slightly with every breath.

Her eyes softened, and she leaned over him to lovingly place her lips on his cheek. The boy stirred but didn't wake. She softly touched his messy hair, smiling to herself. Normally he would sleep through just about anything, but for some reason he startled awake at her touch.

"Nausicaa?" He muttered groggily.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized.

"Are you practicing night assassinations?" He snapped, grumpy at the disturbance from his sleep.

"Sorry..." She repeated. From her voice he noticed something was wrong.

"What's the matter?" He inquired.

"I can't sleep." She complained; she hated being an insomniac. He rolled over tiredly.

"C'mon." He grunted, making room for her on the bed. She gracefully slipped next to him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Everything and nothing." She replied, then looked at him strangely. "Go back to sleep, I'll be fine here."

"I'm not sleeping until you do." He argued, and she sent him a grateful look. She settled in comfortably closer to him, his arms holding her snugly. He began to play with her hair; it always worked magically when she couldn't sleep. Tonight it took longer than normal, but eventually she drifted happily into sleep.

Asbel sighed and leaned down into the bed. The poor girl was gifted and talented in so many ways, so of course Mother Nature had to be fair and take away something... That something was often sleep.

But for some odd reason, tonight she managed to pass the insomnia to him. Oh well...

4,5,6,7,8... Sunrise...

At 9am a bright eyed, perky Nausicaa emerged out of Asbel's bedroom. Trailing behind her was a very bleary eyed Asbel.

Yupa stopped in his tracks at the sight of Asbel's bloodshot eyes. He asked the boy why he couldn't sleep last night.

Asbel said the new drink last night gave him insomnia.

Yupa paused again: "But you didn't try it."

"Indirect insomnia." Asbel corrected and grumpily continued his day.