Motoki looked up from his newspaper when Juri stumbled into the Crown Arcade five minutes before her shift started. Her face seemed dreary, devoid of emotion, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Her curls, normally bouncy and perfectly framing her face were unraveling, her long orange hair cascading down her back, completely obscuring her neck. Noting that she appeared to be wearing the same clothes she had worn two days ago, rumpled and disarrayed, he frowned. Usually Juri took extra care in her appearance. It wasn't like she did the whole makeup scene, but she kept herself clean and almost took pride in her long mane of hair. To see her like this was surprising.
Before Motoki had a chance to ask if Juri was okay, the woman steered herself to the back, reappeared with her apron and tied it on, all without loosing the glassy look in her eyes. She started to wipe down the counter and tables, her face emotionless like a slab of rock, not looking at anything. It was like she was looking through Motoki and Unazuki, not at them, not even mumbling back the good morning Motoki said merrily to her. Exchanging worried glances with his younger sister, the sandy-blonde headed man shrugged, went to open the arcade, and went back to start making the breakfast food he knew people would ask for.
He had time to query Juri later, didn't he?
***
Usagi quickened her steps, almost bouncing on the soles of her feet as she urged Naru faster. "C'mon, Naru-chan! Can't we get there any quicker? I want to see Juri-san again! Besides, you haven't met her yet, have you?"
Her redheaded friend stopped to take a rest, her face becoming pink as she rested her hands on her knees and sucked in deep, refreshing breaths. "Jeez, Usagi-chan!" she protested, looking through her bangs to see the blonde's impatient expression, "Can't you just slow down a little? Why do you want to see this 'Juri person' that badly, anyway? I thought you had another one of those studying sessions you have with the other girls today?"
Usagi had the grace to blush, and she looked down for a second, mumbling under her breath at how they could wait and they didn't need her that badly. Seeing Naru straightening, she brightened, jumped up again, grabbed her slower friend by the arm and started tugging her in the direction of the arcade down the street. "Because Juri-san's sweet, that's why," she explained, "And she appears to need a friend."
"And you want to be that friend," Naru finished, retracting her arm as she managed to keep up with Usagi for about five steps before Usagi, impatient, ran ahead. "Usagi! Stop! Please. Can't we just walk? It's not that far, look!"
And Usagi did look to where Naru pointed at the sign of the arcade up the street. Pouting, she looked at her exhausted friend and finally relented, slowing down and walking though she couldn't keep the spring out of her steps.
She didn't know why, but she really wanted to see the older woman, perhaps invite her to the festival that Rei's grandfather was having that weekend. She wanted to reach into her shell and discover all of her hidden passions and see what made her tick. Usagi was an outgoing girl, and she wanted everyone to have as much fun as she did on any given day – though that was saying a lot.
Looking over at Naru, she smiled, absently marveling at how long they had managed to be friends. Surprising the redhead, she laced their arms together. Giggling, Usagi nodded. "I'm that easy to figure out, huh?" she asked.
Naru grinned back, her green eyes happy, "Of course! How long have I known you?" When Usagi acknowledged that statement, she continued, "And HOW often do I see you chasing after someone who 'appears to need a friend'? You just have too big of a heart, Usagi-chan."
The blonde blushed.
Reaching the doors to the arcade and hearing the whoosh sound that they made as they swung open, Usagi trounced in, dropped her bookbag to the floor, leaving it for Naru to take, and ran over as fast as she could to where Juri stood in front of the counter, talking to a girl from the junior high. Yelling "Ju-u-u-u-u-ri-san!" almost as loud as she could, Usagi jumped onto her friend, wrapping her arms around Juri's neck, her legs encircling her waist. She hung on for dear life.
It was to her credit, Usagi thought after a split-second of realizing that her decision to glomp onto her friend's back probably wasn't the best thing she could have done, that Juri didn't fall. Instead, her arms came up to steady Usagi, latching onto her legs, her fingernails digging into her skin as she bent over a bit, but steadied, straightened, and took the breath stealing hug Usagi offered her, the blonde unbelievably embarrassed.
Without a word, Juri let her slide down. Her feet coming into firm contact with the floor, Usagi suddenly overbalanced, old klutzy habits not fully died down yet. Before she could steady herself, her feet slipped out from underneath her, and she found herself clinging furiously to the fabric of Juri's shirt, her nose planted into the older woman's chest.
Her face reddening even further, Usagi straightened, turned away, took a deep breath to steady herself and fixed her bangs before turning around again, begging, "Please forgive me! I didn't mean to jump on you! I keep on forgetting that – oh, I don't know what I mean! I know it was totally irresponsible – I mean, I could have hurt someone! I-I. Oh, I don't know!"
She raised beseeching blue eyes to Juri to plead for her case, well aware that she was babbling.
To her surprise, Juri began to laugh, her tired eyes looking affectionately down upon her. She rested against the counter, her hand with the ring coming up to comb back her bangs that, Usagi noted, were more-so fuzzy then they had been the day before. "Are you sure that you don't know Wakaba?" she asked.
Usagi frowned. Juri just wasn't looking right. She looked beat. Bushed. Her green eyes weren't shiny, the luster seemed to have been worn away, and an angry redness threatened the familiar act of crying that Usagi knew all too well. She didn't seem to hold herself as tall as she had the day before, her hair under no restraint, not even in a ponytail, curling wildly in every direction. To Usagi, she still looked like the model she had admitted to be, but her masculinity seemed to wilt under the aura of femininity that arrived with the exhaustion that consumed her.
Taking her friend's hand, she noted the coldness of her skin. Taking a step forward and laying her hand onto the mildly surprised woman's forehead, she drew back almost instantly, "Juri-san! Don't you know that you're burning up!?" Glancing around, she tightened her hold on Juri's hand as she appeared to be wavering on her feet, and grabbed the chair behind the counter, making Juri sit down.
Looking up to see Naru standing there uncertainly, Usagi waved her over, "Naru-chan! Find some water, anything cool, and give it to Juri. She needs it! God, she's burning up. Don't let her move." Waiting until the brunette nodded, already coming behind the counter and ignoring Juri's weak protests, she stomped into the kitchen, anger filtering into her mind.
"Motoki-kun!" she yelled, spotting the young man frying grilled cheese sandwiches on the stove, "How could you let Juri-san work today!?"
"What?" Motoki looked up, his blue eyes meeting hers squarely. Leaning down to turn the fire off, he paused to grab a rag to wipe his hand off and turned completely around to talk to her, "What's wrong with her?"
"What? You couldn't see it?" Usagi found this hard to believe, her sense of righteousness and her hope for Juri's wellbeing making her haughty.
"Well, she did look awfully tired today, but you can't make any exception for that -"
Motoki blinked when Usagi cut him off. Placing her hands onto her hips, she stomped up to him, getting into his face. It was times like these that I really wish I was taller, she thought, realizing that she had to stand on her tiptoes.
"Motoki-kun. Juri has a fever. She's barely on her feet. I'm going to take her home. She shouldn't be working in the first place, alright?" Making her voice softer, she smiled to appease her tone, "I'll work for you next weekend to make up for her, okay? I just want her to be fine."
Motoki nodded and placed a hand onto her shoulder, "Of course, Usagi-chan. I'm sorry I didn't notice anything sooner. I've been back here all day long, and she didn't say anything. I'll call Unazuki back in to work. Don't worry about it. Take her. She shouldn't be working." Frowning, he looked past her shoulder through the window in the door, seeing where Juri slumped on the counter.
Usagi's gaze followed him, and her heart squeezed. "That baka," she muttered, recalling what Motoki had said, "Was she going to work until she collapsed?" Turning back to the sandy-haired man, she smiled at him and hurried into back to Juri, her mind furiously working on how she could get her mom to agree to have an unannounced guest for a couple of days…
***
Motoki watched as the blonde settled Juri's arm around her shoulder, apparently telling Naru to collect the older woman's things. Beating her to it, he handed the brunette the bag Juri had dropped off earlier that morning and accepted her apron with a smile, inwardly chuckling at the girl's blush. Following her out of the kitchen, he listened as Usagi berated Juri about putting herself in danger of getting even sicker, ignoring all of the protests Juri murmured, too tired to open her eyes, only supported by Usagi's shoulder and arm around her waist. Her skin was so pale that Motoki wondered how he hadn't noticed before, guilt beginning to creep into his stomach.
Realizing that Usagi couldn't really support a person as big as Juri, he hurried forward to take her other arm, Naru trailing after them with all of their stuff in her hands as they made for the front of the arcade.
Motoki could hear Juri's breath rasp, and felt her bangs brush against his face as he bent to accommodate Usagi's height. Usagi smiled thankfully at him, but he just nodded. Juri was his friend, and he wasn't going to let her make herself even worse.
Managing to go to the front of the arcade before pausing for a break, Motoki looked up when a car beeped, and the sandy-blonde headed woman that Usagi sometimes hanged out with gestured from her yellow Ferrari. "Hey Usagi-chan! Do you need a lift?"
Sighing with relief, Usagi brightened. With a mumbled apology to Juri, she shipped her off onto Motoki, who grunted but took the extra weight, and hurried over to talk to her friend. Looking down into his arms where Juri lay, having fallen into a deep unconsciousness, he was glad when Usagi arranged that her friend would take her, Usagi, and Naru home.
Wiping his forehead, he watched as they drove off, Usagi holding Juri's head tenderly, leaning her against her chest, and went back in to call his sister and stew in his own guilt at not having seen her exhaustion. He just hoped that Usagi and her family would be able to cure her soon.