Chapter 13: Everything Has Its Perks, Even A Cold!
Akely: Welcome back, I really missed you! I'm sorry to hear that you've had a hard week, but I do hope things get better for you soon! Thank you for reviewing, and I'm happy that you liked the way the Yorozuya was introduced. That you found it similar to Gintama, is one of the biggest compliments ever! And I guess you're right about the plot becoming redundant, exams are hardly great stimulants of creativity. Though that's not an excuse, and I'll definitely make an improvement. Thanks for the tips too, and I hope this chapter is a refreshingly enjoyable one!
Mellize: Thank you very much for reviewing, I'm really happy you liked the chapter! I really enjoy writing Okikagu, and I'll work real hard to make this a good story. Thank you too for the compliment, I don't get it all the time, haha. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Lia: Thank you so, so much for the review and encouragement! I'm real far from being a truly good writer, but I guess I do write quickly, tee hee. It's probably because of practice in submitting language assignments… And yup, education is really important, and I do hope to pass well and fulfill my parents' expectations, as high as they might be. Thank you for the luck, and I'll definitely give my best at it all! Hope you like this chapter too!
nathan19bane: Thank you so much for reviewing, your words truly relieved me. Don't worry, I promise that I'll update as regularly as I can, I won't ever be forgetting this story. And I'm so glad that you like the budding romance between the extreme sadists, after all, Okikagu is simply the best! Well, at least in my point of view, no offence to anyone… Anyway, I hope you like this chapter too!
Putxi: Thank you for reviewing, you always make my day! I was very much delighted to know that you found the ending moments cute, I had a lot of fun writing it myself too! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's practically stuffed with fluff, ('pun' intended), and thanks again!
Now, onto the story!
Kagura truly felt terrible in the morning. She just could not persuade herself to get out of bed and go down for breakfast, but neither could she sleep comfortably. Her eyes and throat stung weirdly and she had no idea why she was shivering, because, dammit, it was so hot! Suddenly, she sneezed, the sheer force of it causing her to jump. Sniffling and rubbing her runny nose, she tried to go back to sleep again, for she felt that God was going to be a little late with his blessings.
A few hours later, everyone at the breakfast table looked openly anxious; the princess had not come down yet, even though it was well past ten 'o'clock, and a huge vessel of egg and rice sat invitingly on the table. The Shinsengumi fervently prayed that she had not gone off on another one of her escapades again; they most certainly did not want to be sent off on a search mission again by their sadistic prince. Said prince himself sat at the table, idly sipping his coffee, looking as deadpan as ever.
"Sougo, where is China san? I haven't seen her since yesterday, is she doing all right?"
"Don't talk to me as if I'm that glutton's caretaker, Kondou san. She's probably in bed or something."
"Well, if I recall correctly, it was you who sent out all the troops when you found out that she was missing, wasn't it, Sougo? And if she has run away again, you're gonna pay her bills, not me."
"I see; I'll ask her to default on some more, then, Hijikata san. But maybe I'll pay them, if you are kind enough to go die, and leave all your money to me."
"Like hell I'd ever do that!"
Soon, after a rather uneventful breakfast, Sougo tucked his hands into his pockets and directed his footsteps towards his China's room, gradually quickening his pace. It's so weird of her not to turn up for breakfast; she never misses a chance to eat egg and rice. But why the hell am I going to her room anyways? Yeah, it's not at all because I'm worried about her, I just need to make sure she hasn't run away again... it's not at all because I miss her loud, rude, irritating company or anything... I should just stop trying to fool myself.
He pushed the door open as quietly as he could, because he had learnt the hard way that disturbing China when she was sleeping was akin to poking a stick into the nostrils of a fire breathing dragon. A small spark of relief lit up within him, though he would commit seppuku before he admitted it, on finding her still wrapped up in bed. He walked closer to her, wondering how best or most sadistically, to wake her up, when he noticed her turning and tossing about in her sleep, feverishly murmuring something. Her cheeks were flushed red, a strangely beautiful contrast to her pale skin. Sougo instinctively reached out a hand to stroke her, but he withdrew it soon after on feeling her temperature. He was miles away from being a doctor, but he could understand well enough that she had quite a high fever.
Well, that happens to suit my sadism perfectly...
An evil grin spread over his face as he contemplated all the sadistic fun he could have, since China was definitely not in the state to kill him, which was what she would usually do. Having caught a cold, she was now at his mercy...
"It's so hot... sticky... Make it go away, please..." Kagura's voice was barely a whimper, but Sougo heard her, nevertheless. Somewhere within him, he wanted, really wanted to help her and just wipe that look off her face, but as the Prince of the planet of Sadists, he just could not show kindness to his rival, right? As the girl in front of him trembled again, he cursed silently, making his decision. Sougo grabbed the nearest cloth he found, wet it with the cold water placed by her bed, and clumsily placed it over her sweaty forehead. It was something his sister would do for him whenever he got sick, though he had no idea why he was currently doing it for her now, instead of playing a prank on her.
Even as the thought passed through his head, he sighed, because he did have a pretty good idea why. Still, he decided to settle for the reason that China was going to be in his debt, and he could make her do anything he asked when she got better again. The slight worry in his eyes eased when he felt her temperature drop down just a little and her breathing become calmer. He started in surprise as she caught his hand all of a sudden, holding it tight, even as she slept on. The corners of his lips turned up just a bit as he too got on the bed, with Kagura still holding onto his hand. He pulled his sleeping mask over his eyes and decided to take a short nap, leaning against the back of the bed. After all, it wasn't as if he really had anything better to do.
Nearly an hour later, when Kagura woke up, she almost had a heart attack on seeing the Sadist beside her, his face nuzzling into the crook of her neck. She would have thrown him off and punched him that very instant, but Kagura felt too sick and tired to do so. And no, it was definitely not because she liked his warm scent, or how innocent he looked when he was sleeping or because she didn't really want to let go of his hand. No, it was none of those reasons at all, nuh-uh.
She froze as she felt his lips brush her cheek, which was redder than a tomato by then. And it did not help her in the least that he had tucked his other arm around her waist, effectively trapping her. Just then, the door swung open, revealing Tama and Sadaharu, who were at the entrance. Tama started at the sight before her, and her eyes twinkled with merriment, utterly oblivious to her mistress' expression. Sadaharu woofed approvingly, before bouncing over to join the cuddle.
"Tama, this isn't at all what you think, it's not like I was sleeping with the jerk or anything like that!"
"Understood, Kagura sama. But then, why are your cheeks so red? Is it because…"
"No, no, nothing like that, uh huh! I just don't feel well…"
The maid's eyes briefly flashed with worry as she set down the tray of food and passed a hand over the girl's forehead. She sighed as she told the girl, "It seems that you have a bad cold, Kagura sama. It is probably because you returned home wet yesterday. Please wait a while, I will send some medicines and chicken soup."
Kagura, who had looked upset, immediately brightened up at the mention of chicken soup. "Thanks a lot, Tama! Now please get this jerk off me, will you?"
Tama simply smiled, before turning to leave, "It's alright, Kagura sama, I'm sure you're in good hands with him."
The sound of the door closing awakened Sougo, much to Kagura's embarrassment. He too seemed to be startled by their current position, though surprise was soon replaced by a sadistic grin on seeing her crimson face.
"My, my, China, I never knew you were this eager for me. You should have just told me that you wanted to become my S&M toy..."
"LIKE HELL I DO! Get your hands off me, you sadist! How dare you try to violate me when I was asleep, yes?! You're a pervert, a jerk, a-a-aCHOOOOO!"
"That's one monstrous sneeze, China. Want to cause an earthquake or what?"
"Just shut the hell up! Only an insensitive bastard like you wouldn't even realize that I have a cold and irritate me! Now do me a favor and just go away!"
"Well, it's your own fault that you have a cold, China, so I don't see any reason why I should be so understanding or whatever. And now that you asked me to, I'm not gonna move a single inch out."
Kagura glared at him, her eyes slowly welling up with tears of fury, frustration and helplessness. Sougo noticed that her temperature had soared again, and it was clearly hurting her to yell at him. Sighing at himself, he let go of her, tucking her into the blankets before she could protest any more. He soaked the cloth again, placing it on her forehead with rare gentleness. Kagura could only stare at him dumbfounded; was the person treating her with such kindness really the Sadist she knew? She hardly got the time to voice her question when Tama entered with a large bowl of soup and a tiny jar of orange syrup.
Kagura knew that the soup smelled and tasted delicious, but woe to her, she couldn't muster the slightest desire to devour it. It was one of the reasons she hated being sick; she couldn't eat, but she also couldn't live without eating! She watched miserably as Tama handed over the bowl to Sougo, along with the medicine and left. He dipped the spoon into it, almost hesitantly, before turning to her.
Kagura nearly jumped out of bed when she realized what the Sadist was about to do. He was about to feed her and it was most likely to end up in some frighteningly sadistic prank or torture or…
"Oi, China, open your smelly mouth and eat. I am not going to hold this for the whole day."
There was no retort that came to her at that moment, so Kagura did precisely what he asked and opened her mouth, letting him feed her the soup. The routine was repeated till most of the soup was over, though Kagura truly felt that she was dreaming. There was no way the sadist would do a complete 180' and become so loving… Yup, I'm really dreaming now. No way would the Sadist ever love me…
She was so lost in her thoughts that she barely noticed him waving the syrup in front of her, looking slightly irritated. "China, just drink this and go to sleep, will you? I'm not in a mood to humor you now, so hurry up." Kagura felt far too weak to punch him, so she meekly swallowed it all, thanking God that it was fruity and sweet and not bitter like the medicines of Rakuyou. Feeling really sleepy all of a sudden, she curled up under her blankets again, her eyelids drooping. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Sougo get up and move in the general direction of the door.
A vague unease seized her at the thought of him leaving, and she hastily caught his sleeve by pure reflex. The plea in the action was transparent; 'please don't go'. To her astonishment, the Sadist stopped immediately and turned back, smirking arrogantly, though the look in his eyes was much softer. He laid down the medicine and climbed onto the bed despite her half hearted protests, and they were soon involved in an energetic tussle for the blankets.
An hour or so later, they finally quit fighting, and Sougo wrapped his arms around the girl, who herself cuddled closer to him. As she drifted off to sleep, Kagura decided that having a cold was not as unbearable as she had always thought. Everything had its advantages, even though she would never admit it again. Sougo too smiled a little at her rather endearing snores. Watching her sleep, he softly whispered to her, "Just so you know, I wasn't going to leave anyway, China."
Meanwhile, in another corridor of the palace,
Hijikata inhaled yet another cigarette as he gazed out of the window, muttering, "It's been far too quiet today. Wonder what those two devils are up to…"
But anyone who caught a glance of said pair of devils would have sworn that they were angels, the cutest, loveliest and most innocent victims of Cupid ever.
A/N: So there ends the thirteenth chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and a massive thank you to everyone for reading! Please do take some time out to review and send me suggestions for improvement too; I love to know what you think of it. As always, follows, favorites, reviews, constructive criticism and anything else are very, very, much appreciated!
Thanks again for reading!