It was bitterly cold. Even though she was indoors, buried under a heap of three blankets, Asuka felt like she was freezing. To make matters worse she was also sweating, her hair damp with perspiration. She groaned and put a hand to her pounding head, the only warm part of her body. Misato had declared that morning, after finding Asuka's temperature to be over 102 degrees, that she was being placed under quarantine until further notice. Asuka peeked out from under her nest of blankets to look at the clock. It was late afternoon now, so Misato and Shinji would be home soon. She hoped they might bring some medicine, or possibly a sledgehammer, anything to dull the overwhelming headache and nausea that she was enduring. Beginning to shake from the exposure, she buried herself weakly in her blankets once again.
As she waited to doze off again, she heard the shuffling of feet outside her door. A few more moments passed and she heard her door gently slide open. Instead of Misato or Shinji's voice however, she heard an unmistakable monotone whisper "Major Katsuragi says that she's very ill. We had better be quiet."
"Ah come on, I bet she's had enough quiet being stuffed up in here all day. You Japanese have such tiny houses!" a perkier voice exclaimed, and Mari's obnoxious face sprung to Asuka's mind. What the hell were they doing here? Asuka made a noise of utter distaste, alerting her guests to her consciousness in the process.
"There, see? I told you she was bored," Mari said triumphantly, flicking on the light switch. "Rise and shine, princess! We bring you some offerings."
"Only if you choose to accept them," Rei added.
Asuka managed to rise up in a hunched over, attempted sitting position. Her usually neat hair was sticking out in every direction. She looked up at her doorway and saw Mari and Rei standing in front of it, Rei holding a full plastic bag. Mari almost burst out laughing at Asuka's pitiful appearance. "On second thought, maybe we should hide her away again. You look like an ogre, doesn't she, Rei?" She tried to jab the other girl, but Rei moved away wordlessly.
Asuka growled."Knock it off, alright? You better have something good in there for getting me up," she shouted, testily eying the bag that Rei held. She was surprised that she managed to have to the strength to yell.
Mari sat down heavily on the mattress, meaning to peeve Asuka a little bit as it bounced and made her feel dizzy. "Don't get your panties in a twist," she said with a snigger. Rei sat down with them, though much more gently, and started to lay the bag's contents in front of Asuka. She had to admit that the two had definitely delivered. Various medicines, a hot water bottle, cans of soup and even an electric blanket laid before her. She immediately grabbed the blanket and draped it over herself. She ripped open a box of Tylenol and threw a couple back for a dry swallow. "Hey, manners much? Where's our 'thank you', hmm?" Mari pestered playfully.
"Thanks," Asuka said lowly, more invested in the warmth of the her new blanket. "Where'd you guys get the money for all that stuff anyway?"
"Misato. She said she was gonna be out a little late, so she wanted us to make sure you were alright here. What would you have done without us?" Mari said this last part with a melodramatic air.
"I'm perfectly-" Asuka started to snap a retort when a wave of nausea overtook her, causing her to fall back gently onto her side.
Mari rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the soup cans. "Relax, your Highness. Since you're awake, why don't I make you one of these? Maybe you'll feel up to insulting us then," she said with a wink. She didn't wait for an answer and skipped off to the kitchen, leaving Asuka and Rei alone.
"Are you in a lot of pain?" Rei asked, seeming to be genuinely curious.
Asuka rolled over to face her. "Hmmph, not really. I'm just so damn cold. Haven't you ever been sick before?"
Rei just stared back, and Asuka took her silence for a negative. "Of course you haven't," she sighed. She buried herself back under her blankets. The pain in her head had subsided for a few minutes but now it was starting to return. It wasn't helped by Mari being loud in the kitchen and singing that annoying, upbeat song that she loved so much. She cussed in German and threw off her blanket. "Can't she shut up?" she said indignantly, standing up and starting to walk towards the door. She wasn't prepared for a fresh slice of dizziness to strike her, making her vision go blurry. It made her lose her balance and trip. Before she could prepare herself for any impact, she felt light but strong arms secure around her middle. She registered being pulled upright and Rei's calm voice was in her ear.
"Asuka, you're not well. Don't overexert yourself." She helped Asuka turn around to face her, who still held onto her shoulder for support.
"I was fine," she snapped, though weakly. "I don't...need anyone's help."
"Maybe not. But that does not mean we are not free to give it. Consider it...a weakness on our part. Not yours."
Asuka raised her eyebrows, a bit stunned at Rei's words to calm her down. It worked well enough, as she sighed shakily, allowing Rei to help her back over to the bed. "Heh, fine." She was starting to feel more relaxed, the pills she had taken finally starting to affect her. In good spirits now, she leaned her head against Rei's shoulder, who surprisingly did not make an effort to move away. "Thanks for grabbing me. You've got good reflexes, Wonder Girl."
She felt Rei exhale as if in satisfaction. "Thank you," she said in a small, quiet voice. Asuka did not see the small smile flicker across her face.
"Heeeey, am I interrupting something?" Mari called excitedly from the doorway.