The wind howled, baying like a wolf into the night, and violently shook the tightly latched shutters. The black clouds billowing in the sky drained all the colour from the neighbourhood, leaving the cars looking like empty shells, the unyielding street lamps morose, and my room tinted bronze in the dying light. The air was heavy and humid, thick with the sweet scent of the rapidly approaching rains and I breathed it in, savouring the fresh crispness of it all, and allowed my curled toes to relax against the plush seat.

A sudden stillness fell over the street, a collective hush that was so sudden it struck a chord inside of me, and in the large silence that followed came a low, rumbling crack of thunder, rolling across rooftops and announcing the start of what the brooding cloud layer had promised since dawn. I shifted eagerly, pressing my forehead against the cool glass just as a streak of hot silver split the sky in two and after a few experimental drops, the downpour began.

After today's rather hectic events involving Kuku and the following chaos that left me utterly drained- both physically and mentally- it was a relief to perch on my favourite spot, the seat of my bay window, in the company of a good book while, outside, the rain patted down against the window.

I inhaled sharply as the door to my closet silently cracked open a couple of inches. The movement was so subtle, the only reason I noticed was because I just happened to have glanced up at that exact moment. After several seconds of deliberating, Zero cautiously poked his head out, gave the room a critical sweep, before using his foot to nudge it back completely. I snapped him a quick salute, and he mockingly lowered himself in a measured bow, barely managing to catch his headphones as they threatened to slide from his neck.

"Hey," He greeted, with a sharp tilt of his head. "You look comfortable."

"I am." I said, sinking deeper into the seat with an exaggerated sigh. He smirked, gaze drifting to just over my shoulder, and another flash of lightning illuminated the room, surrounding him in a halo of silver.

I used my foot to gesture for him to occupy the remaining space, and Zero's eyebrow quirked in amusement. "You're so impatient." He teased, before picking his way around my minefield of a room. Usually I never allowed it to become this messy, but at the time I had been frantic in my haste to locate something. The object in question, however, didn't seem to be of much importance as I had already forgotten what exactly it was.

I poked my tongue out at him, before noticing the absence of a certain brunette. "Where's Ichii?"

"He told me he was going to take a shower." Zero's smirk morphed into a small grimace, and he threw an uncertain glance over his shoulder, back at the doorway he had just emerged from, as if by talking about the boy, he expected the brunette to suddenly appear behind him. "Did you know that he sings in the shower?"

I bit down on my bottom lip to quell my bubbling amusement. "He does?"

He nodded with the weary air of a decorated war hero. "Unfortunately, yes. I don't think he realises I can hear him." He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "It really kills me to say it, but he's not especially talented in that area of expertise." I seriously doubted it was causing him much pain. Knowing Zero, he was more likely to lose sleep if informed that the nearby pet shop was closing down- meaning no more surprise trips to visit the lizards. It seemed as though Zero was still perfectly unaware that his little excursions were common knowledge between both myself and Ichii, which was amusing in itself.

Despite this, I merely nodded in cheerful acceptance. "That must be awful for you." I said, giving him my best sympathetic smile.

"I can't lie, sometimes my ears do bleed for hours after."

That enticed a laugh from me, and I gently smacked his chest, since Ichii wasn't there to dish out retribution himself. "I don't know why Ichii puts up with you."

Zero's pursed lips stretched into an incredibly devilish smirk as he ceased his game of mock pouting to tip his head at me with endearing arrogance. "I do." He said, as he raised the mug nestled in his hands to meet my the level of my eyes, which lit up upon catching sight of the rich liquid lapping sedately at the lip. "Aside from my stunningly good looks and charming personality, of course."

"Of course." I repeated, teasingly poking my tongue out at him as he settled down opposite me, passing the steaming mug over once he was comfortable. "Cocoa?" I asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Just how you like it."

"You're. The. Best."

"I know- you don't have to remind me." I felt his rumbling laugh reverberating through his body as I jabbed him sharply in the chest with my big toe. He protested weakly, complaining through his laughter that it was uncomfortable, and I smiled sugar-sweet back at him, but allowed him to move my leg back down so it rested lightly in his lap. Whether this was intentional or not was unbeknownst to me, but what was intentional was me lifting and deliberately placing the other there, too.

He didn't appear to be bothered. He merely busied himself with staring out of the window, head propped up neatly by his hand, though I noticed his ears were distinctly more red than before.

My gaze returned to the boy from the intricate text of my novel as he made a vague sound in the back of his throat and leaned in a little too close for comfort. I tilted my head, and watched him somewhat curiously as he shrugged some material off his shoulders and allowed it to unfold. A blanket, I realised, as he carefully wrapped it around my small frame, practically swaddling me up in it, like a newborn baby. I hadn't noticed before due to the darkness of my room. "It's cold in here. Someone as shrimpy as you has to wrap up warm."

I poked him again and he squirmed, shooting me a minute glare which I responded to with the wiggling of the fingers of my free hand, before I smiled, sinking gratefully into the welcomed warmth of the fluffy material. "Thanks, Zero." I said, burning my lips with a small, delicious sip of the beverage.

He grunted ever so eloquently, which wasn't exactly a highly descriptive reply, and hitched his headphones up. I could hear the thumping beats even from where I was sitting. While his head was angled away, I could feel his gaze lingering, and smiled once more before lowering my eyes back down to my book.

"We're okay, aren't we?" His voice was tentative, and barely above a whisper.

I blinked, and nervously licked my lips, allowing my eyes to briefly flicker up and meet his, before giving him a short nod. Evidently, his nerves were not sufficiently appeased, for his eyes still held that kicked-puppy expression that twisted at my insides. I swallowed thickly, and managed to muster up a reassuring smile. "Yeah. We're okay." Kuku ceasing her furious rampage had somewhat cleared the air between the two of us, but it hadn't completely managed to resolve the tension that had amassed during the day and culminated with him catching sight of the faint remnants of my tears.

My ears burned scarlet just thinking about my previously rampant emotions. Deep down, I knew Zero felt guilty about the fact that I'd actually cried, but I could only feel utterly humiliated about being so blinded with jealously. It wasn't, of course, as though I owned Zero. He was free to do what ever he liked. And, admittedly, the boy seemed more thrilled about the prospect of skinny dipping in acid than his betrothal to Kuku. My actions left a horrible ache in my chest- probably the residue of negative emotions that I had no right to be feeling. Or, at least, I thought I had no right to be feeling. Zero was, after all, a very close friend, so maybe I was entitled to be just a teeny bit jealous.

But, with those simple words, the pressure was released, and Zero smiled. A soft, elated curve of his lips that had dimples forming high in his cheeks and enticed a cheerful grin of my own to join his. "Good." He said, with that big old stupid grin that made me want to squeeze his little cheeks like he was a mere child. "Yeah- that's good."

"Yeah, it is." I agreed, and for a moment we just stared at each other, electric blue orbs meeting ones of a deep Sapphire shade. Then Zero's gaze was drawn by a clasp of thunder, and he pulled his headphones back up, and I started to read once more.

I began to feel tired somewhere around the climax of my novel, but I stubbornly ignored the feeling. The storm continued to rage on outside, and by now I had casually managed to drape more of the blanket over Zero's exposed legs. I couldn't believe that he wasn't at least a little cold, in his short-sleeved shirt and shorts, the air had a chilly nip to it that had me shivering more than a couple of times, even with the warmth from the aforementioned blanket and that from the boy himself.

I was peaceful, and, soon enough, the gentle pattering of rain and Zero's constant breaths had lulled me to sleep.

My eyelids fluttered softly, and it took a slow second for me to realise the heavenly warmth surrounding me was radiating from someone else, who had me braced up against their chest, one arm settled around my waist, keeping me firmly secured there. "Hey, sleepyhead." Zero murmured, softly. My hand was resting on the inward curve of his arm, directly above his elbow. That, I suppose, was how he knew I had woke up; it went from utterly limp to careful tensing and relaxing but not moving from its spot.

"Hey," I made a vague sound in my throat, a deep, contented sigh that vibrated throughout my entire body. "Thank you, Zero." Honestly, I would've much preferred to walk of my own accord, but my muscles were far too sore, I felt all stiff and awkward angles, clumsy on limbs that refused to function normally, so I lazily draped my arm around his broad shoulders and nestled into his warm embrace.

"Just so we're clear, I'm only doing this because you'll complain when you hurt in the morning." The boy said, his voice much gruffer now than it had been mere moments beforehand. My eyes drifted up, noticing the redness of his ears and the tint to his cheeks. I smiled, and mumbled an inaudible agreement, resting my head against his firm chest. I could hear the the steady sound of his heart; the rhythmic beats were soothing and enticed a pleasant calm to wash over my body.

Very soon I was curled up on my bed, and Zero was gently pulling the covers up close to my chin.

"Night, squirt." He said, softly, and my mind followed every movement he made as his fingers lightly graced my cheek, lingering fleetingly against my skin as he tucked a stray lock of my raven hair safely behind my ear. I could almost, almost feel his breath tingling the skin on my forehead, before he pulled away, patting my shoulder and silently returning to his own room.

Zero's impish laughter echoed in the vast space surrounding us. Ichii smiled, stooping down into a low, sweeping bow that had us both suppressing giggles, and offered me his hand, discretely showing the tip of his tongue to the younger boy when I accepted with a half-decent curtsy. Zero, ever the mature one, merely puffed out his cheeks and blew a raspberry in return.

Colours swirled in a confusing kaleidoscope, but were were laughing, which somehow made it more exiting than unsettling. And... were we dancing? That was surely an accident just waiting to happen. But, sure enough, Ichii was most definitely twirling me and I looked far too elegant to possibly be me.

Everything shifted. Bright, vibrant lights gradually dimmed to a grey-scale, and jet black ink rolled down the walls, pooling across the floor and under our feet, yet we were merrily oblivious. And all of a sudden, their faces were distorted, splintered like shattered glass. The ink climbed up my legs, wrapping around my skin in oily tentacles that burned like pure acid, deep into my flesh.

Yet, despite this, I remained calm.

I threw my head back.

And I laughed.

And continued to dance.

Even though both boys had disintegrated on the spot, lost in the swirling darkness.

Even though my limbs were being reduced to bones.

Until I had faded to a pile of ashes on the ground.

I groaned exhaustedly as the insistent shaking on my shoulder grew faster. Mumbling incoherently, I pushed the offender away with my foot and stubbornly rolled onto my side, burrowing deeper into my warm cocoon of blankets. After the gripping terror of my earlier nightmare had faded and I was appropriately calm, I had managed to close my eyes without the lingering images assaulting my fragile mind once more. Now, I was drowsy, and comfortable and felt utterly peaceful, so there had better be a good reason for someone daring to wake me at the ass-crack of dawn.

Contrary to popular belief, I enjoyed sleep very, very much. And in the unfortunate circumstances where I was denied that precious sleep, I transformed into the unholy offspring of Satan himself and ravaged the poor, foolish soul who had made the fatal mistake.

It wasn't a pleasant sight.

Trust me.

The shaking continued, and this time, it was coupled with an erratic mingling of words that fell upon deaf ears.

Clearly, this person had a death wish.

The soft hum in back of my mind gradually grew louder- so much so that I could not longer pretend to ignore it, and was almost able to decipher the jumbled speech. The panicked tone, however, didn't take as much effort to register, even in my weary state.

My eyes snapped open.

It was Zero. I could tell even before I had gained the power of sight. Ichii's butterfly touch would've merely graced my skin- lately he seemed to believe I was a fragile porcelain doll that would shatter under the slightest of pressure. He didn't sound like Ichii, either. His words held different stress and lacked the low, richness of Ichii's smooth voice, but, right now, it lacked the endearingly cocky undertone of his own voice. He didn't smell like Ichii either, which was a strange thing to say. Ichii was soft, mellow, like fresh, crisp air after rain. Zero had a darker, mysterious, almost enticingly spicy edge.

"Zero?"

I lazily rubbed at my eyes in an attempt to swipe at the tiny dew-droplets that clung persistently to my eyelashes, and glittered like diamonds in the shafts of moonlight which danced through the cracks, casting haunting silvery shadows across the room.

In the semi-darkness, Zero's eyes were wide and simmering unnaturally, even in the faint glow of the streetlamp outside. He looked young and lost, and terribly frightened. I felt a tremor of chill run through me, like a wave, and inhaled sharply, sitting bolt upright in my bed, just barely avoiding smacking foreheads with him. "H-Hikari!" Despite his valiant effort at controlling his voice, he sounded as though he was breaking. "I don't know what to do- He's just- I mean- It's horrible! I think he's having a fit- you've got to do something! Help me- Please!"

Speechless, I allowed him to drag me from my admittedly pleasant slumber, with me half stumbling half running behind him as we barrelled into his room.

Ichii was lying on his side, curled up in a ball, shuddering. Breathing shallow, laboured, it tore mercilessly like poisoned daggers at my heart, and when he tossed, flailing helplessly against the wild tangle of blankets wrapped taunt around his limbs, my legs almost collapsed underneath me. He was making these sounds, agonised gasps that weren't quite sobs but weren't quite not, either.

Relief flooded to me body. "It's a nightmare. It's alright, he's just having a nightmare." I wasn't sure who I was trying to reassure most. Zero, or myself. "I'll wake him up. He'll be okay."

Under his thin shirt his skin was clammy, far too warm to be normal, and his muscles were tense as steel cable. I shook him, hard, and swallowed thickly to clear the hard lump from my throat. He tossed restlessly underneath my hand, and then all of a sudden my back was slamming into the floor, Ichii's hand like a steel tourniquets around my wrists, his knee pressing down firmly on my chest, pinning me in place.

Blood pulsed through my veins. It was difficult to breathe with his weight pressing down on me, but even then, the motion eluded me. Because this was Ichii and he was attacking me.

His arm was wound right up, fists clenched, ready to strike me right in the face. His expression was twisted mask of hate, cheeks flushed and breathing heavy, brown eyes smouldering with fury I didn't even know Ichii possessed. When Ichii was in regular guy mode, he was sweet and kind, maybe a little too practical at times. But this seriousness was a whole different matter altogether, and when his lips were formed in that that furious snarl, I couldn't help but whimper.

"Ichii?"

My uncertain, highly startled voice was all the trigger that was needed. He wavered, and slowly lowered his arm. "H-Hikari? Oh, God. I'm so sorry. God, what the hell?" In an instant, Ichii was backing away, blinking the red from his eyes, slowly collecting himself. The anger dissipated, the colour faded, leaving his skin looking terribly wavy. He was drained of energy, breathing rattling in his chest, and was staring down at his hands, utterly horrified.

For a long moment, he swayed on the spot.

And then he slumped forward onto my chest, his sickness quickly dragging him back into a feverish sleep.

Zero shifted, and slowly inched around the edge of the bed. For a moment, I had forgotten he was standing there. He had been so still he could've been mistaken for a statue, frozen with complete shock when Ichii lunged at me, but now he was carefully crouching at my side, arms wrapping tight around my waist as he gently guided me a short distance away. "He looks awful." He murmured, lips drawn in a tight, anxious line.

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak.

He tapped the top of my head, and mustered up a decent half-smile. "Arms out," I obeyed Zero's instruction without hesitation and he assessed my wrists with expert precision. The skin was throbbing faintly, and held a sharp redness from Ichii's crushing grip, but were otherwise perfectly fine. There wouldn't be any lasting impact, but still, Zero seemed far more subdued as he traced the imprint of the boy's fingers with the soft pad of his thumb, silently gnawing on his bottom lip. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "N-No, it doesn't hurt. I'm o-okay."

He had obviously sniffed out my lie, because he narrowed his eyes and I averted mine, shifting uneasily under his scrutinising gaze. "You winced." His tone wasn't accusing. It wasn't angry in the slightest. But still, I flinched, and I retracted my hand, holding it tight against my chest, almost as if it were a barrier between us.

Zero broke the awkward silence by releasing the breath that he had been holding. It was long, shaky and held an unquestionable amount of pain.

"We should move him."

I mumbled in agreement, and with a little help, transferred Ichii's limp form back to the bed. "He's really sick, Zero. Really sick. Honestly, I can't tell what's wrong with him right now. But he's got one mighty fever, and that's going to be absolute hell to deal with." My breath caught painfully in my throat, and while I tucked the covers around Ichii's frame, Zero squeezed my shoulder just a little.

"You're shaking."

I nodded shortly. I was well aware of that fact; now that the adrenaline had worn off, all I could see was the crimson gleam flashing before my eyes. "I was scared," I admitted, in a hushed whisper. "I mean, he wasn't acting like himself at all. He looked so dangerous, so different, and for a moment I honestly thought he was going to hurt me. That was awful. Awful. What ever he was dreaming of, it shook him up real bad. It seemed as though he wasn't even aware that he was awake. Like... he wasn't even seeing me at all- I mean, it was almost as if it looked right through me..." I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the unnecessary thoughts. "I never want to feel like that again."

I shivered, drawing my arms tighter around my small frame, and Zero dumped a discarded jacket over my shoulders with carelessness that was so obviously forced it was actually laughable.

"Stupid idiot! Why did he have to get sick? He knows how hopeless I am, I'll only make him feel worse! Dammit, what am I supposed to do now?"

I raised an eyebrow and gestured towards myself, the action so wild it almost caused the jacket to slide loose. Zero effortlessly caught it, and adjusted the clothing appropriately, giving me a sharp look that betrayed his strained air of indifference. "Earth-To-Zero, you're not the only one here, you know." I pointed sharply towards my chest. "I'll stay home and take care of him, since I'm obviously more experienced than you." Decision made, I stood straighter, with more conviction and squared my shoulders. "I'm going to do my best to help him get better."

Zero watched me as I lightly traced the outline of Ichii's jaw. For a moment I busied myself with brushing a few locks of Ichii's fine hair away from his face. His skin was still incredibly pale, maybe even more so than before, and that really worried me. "No offence, Shortstack, but you're not exactly gifted with the ability to talk out of your ass. I've never met someone as bad at lying as you are. Do you really think you'll be able to fool Asahina-san so easily? In case you forgot, she's a doctor."

I tipped my head up, calling upon my inner-Zero to channel every ounce of arrogance into that one gesture, and smirked widely.

"Who said anything about fooling her?"

A/N: I apologise that this chapter took so long for me to complete! Honestly, I've been really busy over the past week or so, what with having completed my DofE expedition over Friday & Saturday (which I'm still sore from) and having to use what I had left of Sunday to finish the pile of homework that had amassed. Sleeping through most of the day probably wasn't the best idea. Pro Tip: Don't procrastinate.

Since I've been surrounded with sick people for the past two weeks or so, my original idea has been warped slightly. I figured, since I've been severely lacking with Hikari and Ichii fluff lately, that I'd give them an arch together- though that has appeared to have failed for the majority of this chapter, too. Oops. I'll hopefully redeem myself with the next chapter.

Reviews are greatly appreciated- they really do help me to grasp a better understanding of what you guys like and what you feel may need to be added. Improving my writing was one of the main reasons that I began this story, so it would really help to get feedback on that.

Thank you for reading this chapter, I really hope you've enjoyed it!