Morg: Heyo! Hang on for this fantastical ride!

Ikuto: What gives you the idea that it's going to be fantastic?

Amu: She is about to write it so…

Morg: That's right! I know that it's going to be great!

Ikuto: You are so lame.

Amu: Agreed. Ownership denied!

Morg: Darn you!

~Alone With You~

It was a good thing that they'd found out that Michelle was indeed a genius and that they could trust her. When the girl had told them to rub a type of mud into their hair to turn it brown they did so without question. Now they were especially glad that they had since there were more than a few suspicious looking people in the small village that Michelle had taken them to. The strange girl herself had refused to enter into the small town with them, but that didn't change Amu and Ikuto's plan. All they were doing was getting some fabrics and stuff to make some clothes so that they'd have something decent to wear.

People passed by them along with some livestock. No one really took any notice of the strangers since they looked as though they belonged their. Their skin was dark as well due to Michelle's administrations and Ikuto could speak a little of the language leaving them to be just from another nearby village in the villager's eyes.

"This was a good plan on Michelle's part."

Ikuto nodded to the once pink haired girl beside him. "She's a smart girl. Barely older than we are and she already knows so much. I have a feeling we should just go along with anything that she says."

If Amu had known what she was getting herself into when she agreed with Ikuto then she might have thought over her words a bit more carefully. Once they got what they needed and met Michelle at the designated spot, the redhead took them back through the jungle in an almost roundabout way to her hut. They dropped off what they'd gotten and Michelle once again led them through the jungle to where the small pond sat. "Wash off here. I'll be back to get you after a while."

Grateful for some alone time together, Amu and Ikuto made the most of it while washing the mud off their bodies and out of their hair. Just when he was about to devour his pinkette, Ikuto noticed something strange. "Amu, what is all over your skin?"

Not knowing what he was referring to, Amu glanced down to see that her arms and legs were no longer their pristine pale white. Instead, they were covered with small red spots and splotches. "I guess the mud didn't agree with my skin so much. I'm feeling a bit dizzy. Maybe I should just rest until Michelle comes back."

Agreeing completely, Ikuto helped Amu to get dressed in a pair of clean clothes and then he leaned her against him as they sat in the shade of a tree. "Are you still feeling a bit out of sorts?"

When he put it that way, Amu felt completely out of it. Her mind was reeling and her thoughts were confusing even to herself. "I guess…. Tired."

"Then just sleep."

Ikuto didn't want his lover to know how much he was worried about her so he just held her gently as she drifted off to sleep. The amount of sleep she got the night before should have told him right then and there that there was some other factor at work, but if the girl wanted to sleep then by all means he was going to let her sleep. Wanting to comfort her, Ikuto searched for a spot where he could slowly rub her smooth skin. Unfortunately, every where he checked was covered by the same bumps. What had started with just where the mud had been had spread quickly to the rest of her body. With no other option left Ikuto just held the girl in his arms against his chest.

Michelle returned to find them this way. For a moment she stood in shock as she took in Amu's arms and legs and her sleeping form. "Ikuto, this is not a common reaction to this mud. See how your skin is just fine. I'm not sure why she's reacting this way but if you give me a few more days I'm sure I'll be able to tell you. For now we need her to wake up and take her back. I'll have to leave you two for a while to get some fruits and herbs that'll counterattack what's happening to her now."

This having been the most that Ikuto had ever heard Michelle say in one go all he could do was nod in response. With that Michelle turned right around and began to walk back towards the hut. Scrambling, Ikuto managed to scoop Amu up and follow after her.

Michelle stayed true to her word as she took Ikuto home and then promptly disappeared into the trees. There was nothing the young man could do but watch as glimpses of red disappeared into the trees. The girl that was still unconscious in his arms shifted slightly, reminding Ikuto that he should go inside to lay Amu down. She would probably be more comfortable if he wasn't holding her. Though he put her down on the bed, Ikuto couldn't leave his beloved's side. Amu wasn't responding to him shifting her around so he was truly worried about her.

.

Michelle went over the options in her head as she trudged through the jungle with her faithful companion at her side. It was possible that Amu was simply allergic to the mud that the jungle girl had used to disguise her, but there was also that other possibility. If she fed the pink haired girl the wrong fruit or plant, it could have drastic effects.

Her path split before her. If she went left then it was just an allergy. If she went right things would soon change for the runaways. The redhead debated with herself for less than a moment. Always better to be safe than sorry. Nodding as if she were agreeing with herself, Michelle took the path to the right through the trees. Soon enough she encountered the plant she was looking for. The fruit was unique in not only its shape but also its color. There was no way that it could be mistaken for anything else and it had one purpose.

Having Amu eat odd fruit and it making her better didn't necessarily mean that Michelle's prediction was true though. There were also other ways that she could test out her theory. After searching the tree for the best ones, Michelle slung the sack over her shoulder and made her way through more trees. "Come along, Yoru. We've got some gathering to do."

.

"Is there any change?"

Ikuto's head shot up from where it had been drooping against his chest. Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to keep from dozing while he'd been waiting for their hostess' return. Amu was still asleep in the bed before him. Even in his half asleep state, Ikuto would have heard her moving if she had. "Still not responding."

Nodding, Michelle moved through her hut with her now full bag and emptied the contents out onto the table. The girl took but a moment to sort through the various fruits, nuts, leaves and flowers to find the first thing she'd retrieved from the bountiful jungle. "She needs to eat this."

Nodding once, Ikuto moved so that he was sitting on the bed with Amu in his arms in a sitting position. "Come on Amu. Time to wake up. Michelle brought you something good to eat."

The pinkette stayed limp as if she were dead to the world.

Michelle watched as Ikuto tried a few more times before she quickly pulled out her knife and sliced a chunk of the fruit from the rest. "Just feed it to her. You'll have to chew it first and push it to the back of her throat. I don't care how you do that as long as she eats it."

With no other choice, Ikuto took the piece of fruit and popped it into his mouth. While he chewed he maneuvered the unconscious girl in his arms so that he'd have access to her face. With his thumb, Ikuto moved her lower jaw so that Amu's mouth was open before he pooled the chewed fruit to the tip of his tongue. With all the gentleness he could muster, Ikuto slid his tongue to the back of her mouth and dumped the food into her throat.

Michelle moved quickly after Ikuto had finished depositing the fruit. She pushed the girl's mouth shut and tipped her head back. At the same time, Michelle ran two of her fingers down the outside of Amu's neck. Ikuto watched in awe as the girl he'd just force fed, swallowed what his tongue had delivered.

Satisfied with how things turned out, Michelle took a step back and cut another chunk of the fruit. "She needs to eat it all."

Without a word, they repeated the process until the first of the fruit was gone. Amu stayed asleep throughout all of their administrations. Once she was satisfied, Michelle returned to her table to apply some order to the current chaos. "Have her drink some water now."

Once again, Ikuto made sure to handle his love with care. He gave her a few drinks through using his mouth to transport the water to hers until she gave out an almost silent content moan. "What do we do now?"

Things needed to be put away so Michelle didn't bother to stop what she was doing when she replied. "Sleep. You both need it."

There was no point in arguing with that statement. Ikuto felt exhausted. Not only physically but emotionally drained considering he was freaking out inside. Amu, his Amu was not responding. He kissed her and even stuck his tongue down her throat and she was still out cold. Something was definitely wrong and he didn't like the feeling he had one bit. "Yeah, you're right. If she wakes up before I do, make sure to wake me."

Still not stopping, Michelle finished tying a particular flower in a sack before hanging it in the window so that the sun hit it. She took different kind of flower and tied it with a piece of string to the outside of the hanging bag. "Sure."

Ikuto wasted no time in climbing to the same bed as his girl and pulling her close to his chest. Whatever was all over her skin was obviously not going to affect him since it hadn't already. It took the boy a bit to fall asleep considering there were plenty of nasty thoughts running through his mind. For some reason he couldn't help but remind himself over and over again that they were in the middle of the jungle with a doctor or a hospital miles away. If something happen to this girl and she was in need of one, they'd be shit out of luck. The only thing that comforted him was the sound of Michelle working a few feet away from him. She'd obviously gathered the majority of what she had to help Amu so Ikuto only needed to trust the girl that knew the jungle so well to help out his Amu.

It wasn't until Michelle was putting the last item away that she noticed that her patient's eyes were open. They were blurry and the redhead could tell that Amu was still partially out of it so she waited patiently for the younger girl to become more aware before she spoke. "We fed you. Ikuto gave you water as well. You two will need to stay here a while longer than we originally planned. I need to keep my eye on you for a while."

This shocked Amu. Michelle had never actually wanted them there and now she was saying that they couldn't leave yet. Seeing Ikuto sleeping beside her, Amu knew something had happened, she just didn't know what. "Why does he look so worried?"

"You fell unconscious and he couldn't revive you. The poor boy stayed by your side until I told him to just sleep as well. He wanted me to wake him up as soon as you opened your eyes."

Knowing that she wouldn't stay awake for more than a few more minutes, Amu snuggled closer to the man beside her. "Just let him sleep a while longer."

Michelle nodded since she could tell that Amu could no longer keep her eyes open. "Yes, you do the same."

There was no response since the girl was already once again fast asleep, but her waking up made Michelle a tad bit surer that the illness was indeed what she was thinking. Only more tests would tell. The older girl smiled. She enjoyed learning new things and these tests would confirm some of the theories that she'd created herself. Since this was the case, she could put up with having guests for a little while longer.

.

Morg: I'm purposely not telling you guys what's wrong so don't bother asking.

Ikuto: Oh come on! You want to tell!

Amu: Naw, it doesn't matter since it's all fake anyways.

Morg: So review to find out in later chapters.

Ikuto: Aw, so this was all a ploy to get more reviews.

Amu: We're onto you.

Morg: I don't want you on me.

Ikuto: Speak for yourself. Amu can be on me anytime.

Amu: No thanks.

Morg: Which in Amu speech that means 'yes please'. Gross. I'm leaving.

Ikuto: Alright! Alone time!

Amu: Take me with you!