A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! Now even though I'm sick I feel obligated to write another chapter for you. Oh, and I noticed that my font changed to italics half way through. I don't know what was up with that but sorry about it. So here we go…
Disclaimer: Same old story…
Kyo's eyes cracked open and he found himself in his bed. He began to wonder how he got here but before he could recall the previous events he noticed another presence in his room. His eyes stretched open even more so he could see who it was.
"Ah, Kyo. You're up," Hatori walked over to sit on the edge of Kyo's bed. "From what I can tell it appears you only have a cold, albeit a pretty serious one."
"I know that," Kyo growled. He shifted so that he could sit up.
"But what I don't understand," Hatori continued, "Is how you could let it get to such a critical point to begin with."
"It's nothing.," Kyo tried to get out of bed but Hatori kept him there. "Can I just go to school?" Kyo didn't actually feel well enough to stand up but he remembered how Yuki had defeated him earlier and he wasn't going to let that rat keep up the idea that he was a weakling.
"School is almost over already. You slept through half the day," Hatori explained.
"What?" Kyo almost didn't believe Hatori but he caught at glimpse at his clock flashing 2:50.
"And I wouldn't have allowed you to go to school anyway. You should stay home for the next couple of days until the symptoms begin to clear up. Take some over-the-counter medicine, drink plenty of fluids, and get a lot of rest. I'll come by in a couple of days to see how it's clearing up and to make sure it doesn't turn into an infection or something. Any questions?"
"Why can't I go to school?" Kyo stopped himself. Did he actually wantto go to that place of torture?
"Because I said so," Hatori reasoned. "If you overexert yourself, your body won't be able to fight the sickness as well. I'll speak to Shigure and make sure he knows you're supposed to remain in bed." Kyo just sunk further down in his bed knowing it was a lost battle.
"Now is there anything I can do for you before I leave?" Hatori questioned. Kyo just shook his head grudgingly and before he knew it, he had his room to himself once more. The silence seemed deafening making Kyo almost regret wanting Hatori to leave so badly. There was nothing to do except sniffle under the covers and try not to focus on the hammering in his head. Finally he heard someone enter the house signaling the end of his loneliness, or so he hoped. He was thinking about how nice it would be if Torhu made him a steaming bowl off soup. He heard footsteps approaching his doorway but to his utter disappointment, it was Yuki who opened the door.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Kyo sighed. He couldn't find the energy to yell at the damn rat like he deserved. The rat's eyes widened and for a moment he appeared concerned but that quickly faded into an indifferent look.
"I came to tell you that Torhu had to work and Shigure went out for the evening. It looks like you're stuck with me," Yuki's eyes were glazed over but at the same time he spoke softly to Kyo. Yuki's odd disposition was hard for Kyo to comprehend and his headache wasn't any help.
"Why the hell should I care?" Kyo frowned. "Just me leave me alone."
Yuki seemed hurt by those words but simply nodded. "If that's what you want," he sighed as he reached to close the door behind him as he exited.
"Wait!" Kyo shouted, thoroughly confused on why the rat wasn't condescending toward him for once. "Since when does what I want even matter to you?" Yuki stopped and looked down at his feet.
"Maybe I've always cared," Yuki mumbled. Maybe if Kyo had been closer he would have heard those words but as it was, Kyo wouldn't have even noticed Yuki was speaking if he hadn't seen his mouth moving.
"What?" Kyo sat up, eager to hear what the rat's answer could be. Yuki suddenly snapped his head up and seemed back to his usual Kyo-loathing self.
"Why didn't you tell anyone you were sick?" Yuki glared. "Are you really so self-centered that you didn't care about the consequences for everyone else?" Kyo was taken aback at Yuki's sudden shift of mood. Kyo wasn't prepared to go on the defense so he just stared blankly at the flaming Yuki.
"Do you think that no one else cares about you? Don't you know you had Miss Honda worried sick? And why would you even pick a fight with me when you knew you were in such bad shape? What the heck is the matter with you?" This seemed to end the rat's rant as he just stood there, silently seething as he attempted to burn holes through Kyo.
"You were the one picking a fight!" Kyo yelled back but all his screaming had taken a toll on his soar throat so he ended this statement in a coughing fit. Yuki's mood immediately shifted again to worry.
"Are you okay?" Yuki urgently stepped forward. "Do you need something to drink?" Yuki stepped back. "Should I get you some water?" Kyo was to busy coughing to answer. "I'll get you some water." Yuki decided. "I'll be right back." Kyo's eyes were watering from coughing so he missed the frantic look of helplessness the rat wore.
Kyo's coughing subsided as Yuki ran down the stairs so he closed his eyes and laid back down. He was about to drift off when he felt a weight being added to his mattress.
"Umm, do you want a drink?" Yuki cautiously peered over a large glass of water. Kyo wanted to just decline but Yuki looked so worried so Kyo took a hesitant sip before he set it on the bedside table. Yuki was still gazing at Kyo with those big concerned eyes of his.
"Uh, thanks," Kyo said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. Yuki dropped his gaze and nodded.
"I'm sorry," Yuki suddenly blurted out. He leaned closer into Kyo. "I wouldn't have fought you if I knew the state you were in. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."
Kyo meant to respond with something like, 'Yeah, right. A rat could actually be a decent person. Like I'll live to see the day' or maybe, 'Don't think that will happen again. I'll defeat you one of these days you damn rat.' However, the rat was leaning so close and the delicate scent that lingered around Yuki made Kyo's brain go numb.
"It's okay," Kyo ended up mumbling instead.
"Do you need anything?" Yuki asked. "You don't have a fever, do you?" Yuki put his hand to Kyo's forehead and Kyo gulped from the contact of Yuki's cool, pale skin.
"N-no. I'm fine," Kyo stammered.
"Mmhm," Yuki nodded. "You should get some sleep then.
"But I've been sleeping all day," Kyo whined, ending with a sniffle.
"Please, you were practically asleep by the time I came back with water," Yuki laughed.
"But I'm really not tired." Kyo contradicted himself with a yawn. Yuki smiled and there was nothing Kyo could do to stop from returning it. Yuki brushed the hair away from Kyo's forehead, letting his fingers linger one moment to long for it to be an innocent touch. Kyo sighed blissfully and closed his eyes. He fell asleep with a smile still on his lips.
Kyo woke up later upon hearing someone enter the house. He recalled the earlier scene and blushed profusely. He wished that it had never happened because there was no way he would start having feelings for the rat other than hatred. Kyo began hoping that it had only been a dream that his sick and demented mind had conjured up.
Kyo heard voices from downstairs and before he knew it Torhu was popping her head through the doorway.
"Oh, you're up," Torhu grinned. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Uh, yeah. That'd be nice. I haven't had anything all day," Kyo answered.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I should have thought about it earlier. I could have left work early and picked up some ramen or something. You must be starving. I'm so, so sorry," Torhu cried.
"Relax, Miss Honda," Yuki appeared at Torhu's side. "He's been asleep the whole time. He hasn't woken up once since I came home from school." Kyo turned and blinked at Yuki in surprise. So it had been a dream?
As Yuki turned to leave, Kyo told Torhu that he was fine but would appreciate some soup. Kyo basked in the realization that the previous scene with Yuki had never really happened. He was filled with relief but under it all, he felt another uncomfortable emotion. Was that…disappointment?
A/N: So was it a dream or not? Only I know. Actually I can barely tell what is a dream or not in real life because my head is so stuffed up. This whole chapter seemed a little awkward for me but it might just be the stuffy nose talking. Well, I hope it was good enough to please all the wonderful people who have taken the time to read this. You guys make me happy! I'll try and write a new chapter soon!