Chapter 8 I'm completely shocked O.o'' i'd dance for joy but i just got told to do another essay X.x;

Oh btw, if words keep coming up with letters missing, it's this laptop's fault; for some reasons the button's aren't working properly and it doesn't show up on the spell check...

Thanks for all the reviews, and i bet you all pretty much guessed who it is right? It's so blatantly obvious heh heh

Any way I hope you enjoy this miracle that is chapter eight...I didn't think it was possible TT-TT

oh forgive me for the delay...our course work load has been DOUBLED...i could cry ¬¬;; I will try to update quikcer...but you may be left waiting...heh it's just a warning.

Disclaimer: Me+TMM equals I don't own...it's basic math...

"Dammit Keichiiro! Don't scare me like that," Ichigo fumed, her hand on her heart as her pulse hit the roof.

"Gomen Ichigo," Keichiiro apologised, smiling sheepishly. "I fell asleep looking for Ryou...He didn't come back after I sent him to the store."

Keichiiro looked worried and nervously looked back at the computer screens searching for something that might calm him.

"You sent him shopping... oh that explains it!" Ichigo cried, hitting her palm with her fist in understanding. "I wondered why he was in the forest."

"Eh, you saw him? Where is he?" The brunette asked hurriedly. Keichiiro looked at her expectantly while she stared at him, taking in the new information. So he went to the store, it rained and he ran into the forest...that explains why he was there and the storm was what made the branch fall. Well it makes sense, but Ry-Shirogane isn't usual that careless...

"Akasaka-san Shirogane's in his bed," she told him, seeing his face light up with relief. "Well uh before you go up there, it's not that simple."

Keichiiro had been heading towards the stairs, hand on the banister at the bottom, when he stopped abruptly after hearing that. Ichigo stood in the middle of the room looking quite unsure, she was fiddling with her hands.

"What do you mean Ichigo-san?" He asked warily, stepping down and walking over to her. He looked her up and down, and eyebrow raised quizzically.

"I found Shirogane in the forest," she explained, trying to think of a nice way of saying that Keichiiro's closest friend was unconscious and incredibly ill. "Well he's injured, butitdoesn'tlooktoobad! He had a fever too and well I really think he should get to a doctor. Gomennasai!"

"Ichigo-san calm down, we'll go up to Ryou and...Ichigo-san what happened to you?" Keichiiro asked, staring at the state of her. From top to bottom she was dripping wet, her lower half clad in mud and dirt, while her top was wet and bloodied slightly. He had started to walk up the stairs Ichigo following closely behind as they left the basement.

"Well it's pouring down, so the forest was a good place for shelter but it was really muddy," Ichigo laughed, awkwardly. "I had to carry Alto back here too."

"Ah, arigatou Ichigo-san," Keichiiro said, stopping halfway to the stairs that led to the top floor. "How did he...why is he injured?"

Ichigo looked at his back sadly and watched as he continued to walk towards them. She wouldn't admit to him but she was worried herself, Ryou had been out there in the rain for a long while.

"He got hit by a falling branch I think? I'm not sure how bad the cut is though," she told him, following him up the stairs to Ryou's room. "Ne Akasaka-san, is Shirogane scared of storms?"

"I don't think so, at least not before Alto," Keichiiro said thoughtfully, opening the door. "It took a while for him to get used to the cat DNA but I'm sure he isn't any more. Oh he's asleep."

Ichigo came into the room looking over at the bed where a sleeping Ryou lay. Ichigo sniffled and rubbed her nose walking over to where Keichiiro now sat by the pillow.

The cover was still over him and he was breathing unevenly, his entire body shaking. He looks really bad, with the lights on I can see him better...Poor Ryou.

"How is he?" She asked, sitting next to him. Keichiiro's eyebrows were knitted together, the look of worry was so strong that Ichigo was beginning to get scared. "Akasaka-san?"

"He's burning up, we need to get him to a hospital now," he said gravely. His hand was resting lightly on Ryou's forehead feeling his temperature, the blonde was seriously short of breath. "I'll wake him up and get him to the car."

"Easier said then done," Ichigo muttered, recalling her attempts earlier.

Apparently Keichiiro didn't hear her and proceeded to shift Ryou, propping him up against the pillows. Ryou groaned and his eyes fluttered open tiredly, his head lolled to the side as he tried to fall back to sleep. Ichigo was miffed at the quick response but she guessed he was just sleeping lightly.

"Ryou stay with me, okay? Keep your eyes open," Keichiiro smiled, moving the blonde bangs from Ryou's eyes. "You're soaked so you're going to have to get changed. Ichigo could you get some clothes for him please, they're in the closet."

"Uh sure," Ichigo said, getting up and opening the doors belonging to it. Ichigo was only mildly shocked when she saw Ryou's clothes, she had thought they would all be his black top and white pants. Well he had to have some clothes other than them, heh heh how silly of me.

Ichigo searched through the assortment and picked out a pair of tracksuit bottoms and that hoody she had seen him wear before, to be honest she didn't think Ryou had any normal clothes at all.

"Here is this oka-oh my gosh," Ichigo spun back around to face the cupboard, face burning brightly. Turning around she had seen Keichiiro helping his friend to get his top off, Ichigo certainly hadn't expected to see that when she turned around. "Uh, uhm..."

"Gomen Ichigo-san, I really need him out of the wet clothes," Keichiiro apologised, awkwardly glancing at her. "I don't want him leaving here drenched."

"I-I know," Ichigo gulped. Just turn around baka, it's not like you haven't seen him like that before. Heck you've seen him in less...uh right so this is nothing! She turned back around smiling with effort as her cheeks blushed brightly. "Here you go Akasaka-san."

Ichigo handed him the clothes and began helping Ryou to hold himself up. He looked pretty annoyed frowning darkly at his lap, but Ichigo reasoned; he was probably just concentrating on staying up right.

"Shirogane put your arms up, how are you meant to get the top on if you don't move?" Ichigo sighed, tugging on him irritably. All she got was a grunt as a response and Ryou reluctantly moved himself to get dressed. Try doing this when your heads spinning baka, he thought, irked.

Keichiiro had already changed Ryou's trousers and had left Ichigo to do this. Ichigo's blush increased as her hand brushed lightly across his chest while she pulled the top over his head and tugged it downwards. I never thought I'd be helping him get dressed...stop thinking Ichigo! I forbid you to think about it...about Ryou's - No! Nonono just think about something else.

"Ryou can you stand?" Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted as Keichiiro began to talk. Ryou glanced at the brunette and rubbed his eyes trying to focus, holding his head afterwards.

"Hai," he mumbled quietly, standing up. The whole room spun in Ryou's eyes as he stood, he fell forward and the floor looked like it was about to come a little to close to his face when he suddenly stopped mid fall. Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief as Keichiiro caught him, letting Ryou drop to his knees to catch his bearings.

"Baka! Don't scare us like that," Ichigo scolded him, helping him to stand along with Keichiiro. "If you can't stand on your own there's nothing wrong with asking for help."

"She's right Ryou," the elder of the three agreed. "Come on lets get you to the car before anything else can go wrong."

Ryou didn't even bother to answer, opting to just lean himself against his guardian for support. He didn't even comment when Ichigo -blushing furiously- wrapped her arm around his waist helping out.

The relatively quick walk to the garage couldn't have taken any longer than it did now, even standing up Ryou was drifting in and out of consciousness and going down the stairs was a nightmare. Ichigo couldn't have been happier when they finally seated him inside the car, both her and Ryou sitting in the back seat with Keichiiro driving up front.

The brunette pressed a button hanging from the keys and the garage door began to lift slowly. The first thing Ichigo noticed was how Ryou visibly shied away from the window and how he cringed when the sky was now being fully shown. Keichiiro eyed his friend curiously, also noticing his behavior. He was even more shocked when the lightening outside struck; Ryou's eyes snapped open and he doubled over keeping his hands clamped on his ears.

"Right lets get going," he announced, getting in the car and belting up. In the mirror he could see Ichigo attempting to comfort the blonde, and failing quite easily.

He pulled the car outside and pressed the button again closing the garage door, pulling into gear he began to drive of the path and into the road.

"Shirogane?" Ichigo whispered, pulling at his hands. "Shirogane there's no thunder at moment. You're only gonna make your head hurt more if you stay like that."

Ichigo sighed and pulled on Ryou forcefully, he let go being completely taken by surprise as he found himself laying on Ichigo's lap. The redhead coughed into her fist and kept her eyes averted to the window, she didn't even know why she had done it; she just felt a little strange seeing her friend in such a state.

"Ryou, can you tell me what happened?" Keichiiro asked, from the front seat. "I already know what Ichigo told me."

Ryou blinked a couple of time, trying to sort out his head to come up with the recent events. He shifted slightly, catching Keichiiro's concerned eyes in the rear view mirror. "...I was Alto and then..."

He stopped, coughing heavily into his fist. Keichiiro and Ichigo watched him warily, Ichigo putting a cool hand over his head.

"The storm...I was in the forest and then it went black," he finished, his voice hoarse and quiet. "I think something...hit me."

"I see, well lets get a doctor to give you a look over," he said, trying to sound cheerful.

Ichigo looked out the window seeing the lightening flash brightly in the clouds, she slid her eyes downwards to Ryou seeing him with his eyes closed. She moved her hand from his head and covered the ear that wasn't pressed on her skirt, hoping to block the sound from the thunder about to come. It didn't work as well as she would have hoped, Ryou's hand shot up to his ears pressing against her hand, his eyes shutting tightly. With her free hand Ichigo gently stroked his hair, avoiding his injury, as she tried to sooth him some how.

"It's the DNA Ichigo-san," Keichiiro said out of no where. She looked up at him waiting for him to continue. "Alto is scared of storms, because of this when Ryou transformed he must have got stuck in the storm and Alto was probably too scared to change back, being in the state he is now...I guess Ryou has lost control for a while."

"Oh...baka DNA," Ichigo mumbled in response. Her frown relenting a little as Ryou began to calm down. He moved his hand away, feeling more embarrassed than he ever had, he groaned inwardly and brought his gaze up to meet the strawberry's. He couldn't work out why Ichigo was here, or even why she was still here, looking after him for that matter.

"You're red," he stated softly, staring up at her with tired eyes. Ichigo coughed, breaking their eye contact and looked out of the window.

"No I'm not," she said, miffed.

"Mm Ichigo," he smirked. "You are."

Ichigo glared at him, she wasn't mad but it was just her automatic response to his comments. "Aren't you supposed to be ill? Stop talking and rest before you loose your voice. You can barely speak already."

Ryou gave in and kept quiet, closing his eyes against the storm and street lights as they made their way to the hospital.

--

"Ryou we're here, wake up."

Ryou moved, snuggling further into the warm pillow underneath his head. It was a strange pillow, more round than anything a normal pillow would be, and it moved too. Ryou groaned and moved his hand across it, confused as it jolted beneath him quite violently.

"Eh heh, Ryou waking up would be really good for your health right now," the brunette grimaced, taking a look at the very uncomfortable expression on the girls face. She was burning brightly and eying Ryou with what could safely be deemed as a murderous expression.

"Ryou get up," he said more firmly, pulling on him with some urgency. Ryou only tightened his grip, his fingers laying gently underneath the 'pillow'. He jerked awake sharply when something solid whacked into the front of his head.

"Gr, wha- Oh..." Ryou sat up quickly, releasing Ichigo's leg with as much speed as was humanly possible. "Uh...gomen."

"Get out," Ichigo growled, opening the car door. She gripped onto the side tightly wondering why on Earth a wave of heat was washing over her body; it was freezing outside.

"Come on Ryou," Keichiiro said, persuading him out of the car. For a moment he really thought that Ichigo might have killed him, she was practically glowing.

Keichiiro still had to help Ryou to the buildings entrance and Ichigo, after calming down, began to help as they neared the entrance. Snaking arm around his waste Ryou gave her a grateful smile, even if he didn't actually look at her she still noticed it. He stopped at the entrance door coughing harshly, holding his arm against his chest tightly. Keichiiro decided they wouldn't get any further if Ryou couldn't breathe, and promptly got Ryou into the building calling a nurse over.

She took one look at Ryou before rushing of to get a doctor, within the next few minutes they were sitting in a room with a doctor checking Ryou over thoroughly and getting as much information as he could from both him and Ichigo.

"That's a long time out in this weather, you should know you were lucky to be found so early," the doctor said, smiling calmly. "You were on your way to catching pneumonia, I'll give you some antibiotics but you absolutely must rest. If it gets any worse you'll be taken in to hospital and will have to remain here until you're well."

Ryou nodded, not at all enjoying sitting in the uncomfortable chair nor having being moved around so much.

"That means no work, no going outside, and getting plenty of sleep," the doctor continued, walking over to a nurse and showing her a prescription. "Now about that cut, it's not too deep but even so it will need to be cleaned and have stitches. I'll do that now and you can take some of the medication now also. Akasaka-san he'll have to have it three times a day, it's strong stuff so be careful with it."

"Of course, Ryou's health's important and he will be resting," Keichiiro smiled reassuringly, watching the nurse return just as quick as she had gone. "So you'll be doing the stitches now?"

"Hai, Ryou take these please, they'll help to lower your fever," the doctor said, taking the bottle from the nurse. It was a bottle of tablets and he took two out handing them to the blonde. He also gave him a small glass of water. Ryou took it obligingly and down them quickly, grimacing at the taste. "Right, now lets sort this wound out."

Ryou was not at all impressed, the doctor had started to clean it noting cheerfully that the bleeding had more or less come to a stop, and that it wouldn't take long to heal. What had pained Ryou most was the fact that the branch had left splinters in his head and now the doctor was removing them. He had to fight every instinct in him that wanted to hit the doctor in the head.

"Ouch," Ryou growled, gritting his teeth together. The doctor had removed yet another one and Ryou was painfully aware of this.

Ichigo grinned standing next to him to watch the doctor work. She was blocking Ryou's view from the window perfectly, but even she couldn't shield him from the thunder that made him jump several times. This was the real reason this simple procedure was hurting him so much; because he kept moving.

"Stay still," she chided, covering his ears with her hands. "You're gonna get stabbed in the head in a-"

"Ouch!"

"-gain... I spoke to soon," Ichigo sighed. "Akasaka-san why am I the one standing with him?"

"I'm just filling out some forms for the doctor Ichigo-san, it wont take long," he explained, leaning back over the sheets of paper.

Ichigo turned her attention back to the doctor, watching him as he carefully worked to clean Ryou's wound, hands moving swiftly yet delicately. It seemed to her that no matter how attentive the doctor was Ryou was still muttering an 'ouch' at regular moments.

The blonde was creasing his brow, he swayed slightly in the chair having to lean against Ichigo because the chair didn't offer much support.

"Shirogane-san I'll be stitching this up now, it will sting a bit but it won't be too bad," the doctor spoke, breaking the silence that had began to form. "You'll only need a few, but I'll numb it first."

He turned to the side and picked up a syringe from a small metal tray, filling it with some liquid in bottle and tapping on the tube slightly. "Nurse, could you take Shirogane-san's girlfriend into the next room and give her a check over. Judging by her appearance I'd say she got caught out in this storm too," he talked cheerfully, a smile still present on his features. He gave a confused Ichigo a wink and ushered the nurse off.

The nurse laughed and motioned for Ichigo to follow her out of the room, the red head walking with her in some kind of half conscious daze, she didn't even think she needed to be seen by a doctor at all.

"Mou, i don't see why this is necessary," she sighed, laughing nervously as she waved a hand in front of her face. She had just followed the nurse into the room next door and had sat herself down on the bed side. "I'm fine -cough- really."

"Really, Momomiya-san how is your throat feeling?" The nurse asked, taking something from the tray.

"It's uh...a bit soar, but that's probably from shouting so much, eh heh," Ichigo told her, still trying to avoid looking around the room.

"Okay well open your mouth for me please," she said, waiting for Ichigo to oblige. When she did the nurse took a look down her throat, uhm-ing and ah-ing as she looked around, she then allowed her to close her mouth while she turned to the desk and picked something up. "Okay I'm going to take your temperature and then check your breathing okay?"

"Okay," Ichigo agreed, a thin smile stretching across her face. "Let's get this over with..."

The nurse nodded with an amused expression, picked up a small device and pressed it to Ichigo's ear, pressing the button Ichigo heard a beep come from it and waited for the nurse to remove it.

"Well you've got quite the fever there Momomiya-san; 63 degrees Farenhieit. If you're ill it's better to say so rather than keep it to yourself understand," she scolded, taking the stethoscope from around her neck and holding the base. "It's a high fever but at least your managing for the mean while. As soon as you get home it's nothing but rest. Now could you lift up your top please so I can listen to your chest."

"Hai, I was a bit preoccupied to notice I guess," Ichigo said, complying to lift up her top. She gasped when the cold surface touched her skin. "C-cold..."

"Heh, okay Momomiya-san breathe in slowly...and breathe out...Okay and once more..." the nurse instructed listening carefully to her the sound of her lungs.

"Okay that's fine," she said, removing the stethoscope from her bare skin. "I'll just listen to it from your back and then that'll be done okay?"

Ichigo nodded and once again gasped as feeling the metal now on her back, she followed the nurses instructions once again and then it was finally over. Ichigo sighed with relief, coughing slightly as it irritated her throat.

"Momomiya-san, it seems you have a small chest infection," the nurse told her, typing something up on the computer. "You probably caught it from your head cold, with a weak immune system it's easier to catch something worse than what you have."

"Riiight," Ichigo sighed, listen half heartedly. She was so tired.

"Momomiya-san, I'll prescribe you some antibiotics, but like your friend you both need rest," the nurse said, printing something off and then signing the sheet of paper. "I'll take you back now."

"Oh hai, arigatou," Ichigo said, bowing and then following her out of the room.

The nurse opened the door to the room they had left from, and as Ichigo entered the room she noticed the extremely displeased look on Ryou's face. She gave Keichiiro a questioning look, but he just smiled and looked as though he was holding back a laugh.

"Ano, daijoubu desu ka?" She asked to the disgruntled Ryou, he was sitting there fuming like there was no tomorrow. "Ryou..."

"Ah, I'm afraid this is my fault, it seems as though there was a misplacement with one of the anesthetics; it was a placebo instead," the doctor explained, looking extremely guilty.

"Ryou had all those stitches without an anesthetic Ichigo," Keichiiro explained further to the confused girl. "A placebo is just a fake, it's usually used for other things. It doesn't do anything at all."

Ichigo looked from Keichiiro to Ryou with a disbelieving expression. "Demo...wouldn't that hurt?"

Ryou grunted and made a move to get out his seat, he found it wasn't the wisest thing to do when the room span and he forced himself to sit down. "Ugh...can we...go now?"

His voice was incredibly hoarse made worse from all the coughing he was doing. Ichigo turned to the doctor with the same question.

"Hai, you can pick up you prescriptions at the desk on the ground floor," the doctor announced, leading them out the room. Ryou needing help all the way.

Mou...he looks like such little kid the way he's acting...kawaii, Ichigo blushed and shook her head, she turned and caught sight of the clock. "Come on let's get back, it's getting really late...or would it be early?"

"Hai, Ichigo-san please help Ryou into the car, I'll pick up what we need," Keichiiro said, handing over his impatient looking friend.

"Uhm, hai?" Ichigo agreed, unsure about her task. "Come on Ryou."

She took his arm and led him to the door, he didn't protest once as they made their way into the car park. Ichigo took out the keys that Keichiiro had given her and unlocked the car, setting Ryou down inside.

"How you feeling?" she asked, getting in the other side and sitting down. Ryou's head was resting against the cool glass and looked quite happy to keep it there.

"Mnn...tired..." Ryou mumbled. Ichigo wondered if he had more to say, but decided not to ask.

After a day like this it would do good to some rest and Ichigo couldn't wait to go to bed, it was just an annoying fact of life that both her and the boy beside her were sick.

Mou...at least getting some sleep should help, I'm tired.

Well what do you think? Chapter eight is done and nine is on the way...i just can't say when it'll be done eh heh

Please Review and give ConCrit, it's much appreciated, and then i know that people actually like what they're reading. Oh guess what? I'm ill...again!!! Grrr.

I'm sorry for not replying to all my reviewers but thank you to every one!

Oh an the new layout for this web is actually quite good :D Yay!

ForverXKatie pointed out something for this chap, which i have just gone a fixed :D I changed it to farenheit, as it should be heh heh. Thanks!