Okay, there was one thing I forgot to mention in the previous chapter. I know it's implied in the story's description, but this story will not be including the unlockable characters Momo, Celeste and Venus, mostly because I feel that it would just drag out the story. (and also I wouldn't really know what to do with them…) The main 8 ladies (plus Kyu) should be enough for a 4-part story.

Anyway… please read, review, and above all, enjoy! ^^

Day two, and my condition hadn't changed in the slightest; my temperature was still 101 degrees, my throat was still sore, and more importantly I was apparently gonna be visited by a couple of lovely ladies.

I still can't believe Kyu contacted them, I thought, glaring at the mischievous love fairy who was casually reading one of my dirty magazines. I know she's just doing her job, but there's a time and place for hanging out with girls.

"Glare at me all ya like, I'm not apologizing," Kyu told me, glancing up from her reading material. "At this point you'll need a girl around just to improve your mood."

"Kyu, the only thing I really need right now is rest, and if I've got a girl here then that's not gonna happen," I explained to her, pausing for a second to clear my throat when I started sounding more hoarse. "When is that gonna get through your thick pixie skull?"

"Hey, that's thick fairy skull to you!" she corrected teasingly, swiveling her chair around to face me. "Pixies are much smaller. Know the difference!"

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "Whatever. Just don't cause any more problems, okay?"

"Okay, boss!" the pink-haired fairy replied giving a thumbs up, sounding a little overly cheerful.

Around noon or so, I was woken up by Kyu. "Dude, you might wanna wake up; that cute yoga teacher is almost here."

"Mmm, wha…?" I mumbled, slowly sitting up. Blinking a few times, I realized exactly what the love fairy was telling me: Beli was on her way, and I was only in my boxers! Whoops! Thinking quickly, I grabbed a t-shirt and my bathrobe before going to greet her at the door.

Beli Lapran is a yoga instructor at the local fitness center; a very spiritual person, she's typically quiet and relaxed though she is also prone to shyness, which I find extremely adorable. Still, she's a bit insecure about her appearance which I don't really understand, since I think she looks pretty just the way she is.

The minute I heard a knock on the door, I opened it to reveal the lovely Indian woman. "Oh! That was fast," she remarked, slightly surprised that I was already there. She was dressed in the outfit she always wore for her yoga classes, a short purple top which showed off her midriff and sheer loose pants.

Shrugging, I replied, "Well I just happened to be by the door. C'mon in, Beli."

"Thank you," Beli said, walking past me and removing her shoes. "How are you feeling today?"

"Not good," I rasped, scratching the back of my head.

"You do sound pretty hoarse," the long-haired woman commented. "Well, I think I have just the thing to help… if you'll let me."

This caught my attention. "What did you have in mind?" I asked, trying to hold back a cough and failing.

Blushing slightly, Beli answered, "Uh, this might sound a little silly, but I was thinking some aromatherapy and a massage, maybe? I bought some special oil that should help you relax."

Huh, never really thought about aromatherapy, I thought tapping my chin. Though a massage would definitely be nice… "Okay, I'd like that."

"Great!" Beli smiled, though the blush on her cheeks remained. "I just need you to remove your shirt."

As I removed my bathrobe and t-shirt, it suddenly occurred to me that this was the first time I was actually shirtless around Beli. Even when we met on the beach I was fully clothed, and I never removed my shirt around her while I was at the fitness center.

"Ooh, I like where this is going," another voice piped up, which of course belonged to Kyu who was hovering above us. Since Beli didn't respond to her presence, my guess was she was pulling the whole "invisible to everyone but me" routine. "Go ahead, pretend I'm not here," she added before disappearing from my sight as well.

I just shook my head in disbelief as I laid down on the bed face down. Glancing back, Beli had gotten a small vial of oil out of her purse. "So, *cough* which scent are you using?"

"Lavender," she answered. "It's meant to calm and soothe your body, as well as accentuate healing." Beli was about to open the vial, but then she paused for some reason.

Sitting up, I asked, "Is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It's just… I haven't done this to a man before. I guess I'm a little nervous."

Smiling, I jokingly suggested, "Maybe you can pretend I'm Kyanna; that might make you less nervous." I should point out right now that Kyanna, another regular at the fitness center, has huge… tracts of land as opposed to my flat chest.

Beli couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Ha ha, somehow I don't think I can picture you as Kyanna. But thank you Nathan, that did help a bit. Now lie back down, please."

Letting out a quick cough, I replied "Yes ma'am" before lying back down on the bed.

Opening up the vial, Beli poured some of the oil onto her fingers, and a few seconds later her hands were on my back. The scent of lavender drifted across my nose, and it relaxed me as I surrendered myself to her gentle but firm touch.

Letting out a soft moan, I wondered, "Mmm, Beli? You sure you've never done this on a guy before?"

"I'm sure," she replied. "I don't do this a whole lot, so I'm not as good as others. Does it feel okay?"

"Is that a trick question?" I responded with a smile. "It feels nice."

Once again this resulted in a soft chuckle. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it," Beli said, pausing just long enough to apply more oil before her hands began to trail lower down my back. "Uh-oh, a knot. Here, let me work this out…"

As she applied pressure to the knot in my back, I couldn't help letting out a groan as the tension went away. "Uhn! Ahh, much better…"

This kept up for a while, and at some point I fell asleep; I guess the massage and lavender combo relaxed me a little too much.

When I woke up, Beli was lying next to the bed. Aww, her sleeping face is so cute, I thought, my face feeling a bit warmer and not from my fever. She can't be comfortable on the floor, though; if I wasn't sick, I would've asked her to lie with me…

I then realized exactly what kind of thoughts were going through my head; was I really considering taking Beli to bed with me? Shaking my head, I thought, C'mon mind, out of the gutter! A couple more dates, then maybe I'll ask her. Man, I've been hanging around Kyu too much… There is one thing I'll admit, and it's that while I've only known her for a couple of weeks, I've become kinda fond of the Indian beauty.

Once my mind was a bit clearer, I reached down and gently shook her shoulder. "Beli, wake up."

"Mmm… hmm?" Letting out a cute yawn, she looked up at me with half-opened eyes. "Oh, did I fall asleep?"

"Uh, yeah sorry," I apologized as I glanced at the clock. "Looks like it's 4:15, so we were asleep for a while."

Blushing a little, Beli started to stand up. "Oh gosh, I should probably get going…"

Clearing my throat a bit, I told her, "Here, let me help." Taking her hand, I helped Beli stand up so she could straighten herself out. "Sorry for dozing off on you like that."

"It's fine, I did the same thing," she reassured as she rolled her shoulder to get rid of the stiffness. "I think the lavender was affecting me, too."

As we walked to my door, I commented, "Still, your massage really did help me relax. Ya know, *cough* if this whole yoga instructor thing falls through, you'd make someone a good masseuse."

"You really think so?" Beli asked in surprise, the blush returning to her cheeks. "That's so nice of you to say, Nathan."

"I only say it cuz it's true," I said with a wink, getting one more chuckle out of her. "Thanks for coming over Beli; I'll try to make it up to you once I get over this fever." I was barely able to finish that sentence before my cough kicked in.

Placing her hand on my shoulder, she said, "Okay, but for now you should probably go back to sleep." As she stepped outside, Beli turned to face me. "Hope you feel better soon." And with one more smile, she slowly closed the door.

Staring at the door for a bit, it took me a few seconds to realize that I still smelled like lavender. As nice as this smells, I guess a shower is in order, I thought with a raspy sigh.

"Man! Why'd you have to fall asleep, Nate? You could've gotten some action!" Kyu complained as she suddenly appeared in front of me.

"In my condition? No way," I replied, my eyes rolling at the fairy's behavior. "And besides, unlike you I'd like to get to know a woman before I sleep with her."

"It's been two weeks! You've talked to her how many times? How much more time do you need?" she questioned as she followed me to the bathroom. "I know I said you were gonna be my greatest accomplishment, but I didn't think it was because you were being stubborn. Ow!"

"Did you seriously just run into a closing door?" I questioned rhetorically, turning the water on so it could get to a good temperature.

Getting into the shower, I leaned against the wall with a sigh. Having a fever was one thing, but dealing with an apparently bored fairy on top of that was something else. At the very least, the hot shower provided a welcome break from Kyu's antics…

… until the water suddenly got cold! "Gah! What the hell, Kyu?!" I shouted hoarsely, yanking the shower curtain open.

"Kyu? Who's that?" Instead of the mischievous fairy, standing there with a confused look on her face was Aiko Yumi.

Aw shit, think fast Nate! Quickly grabbing a towel to cover up, I stammered, "W-W-What?! Aiko, h-how'd you get in here?!" Man, my voice is sounding squeaky…

"Your door was open, for some reason," the Japanese woman answered, jerking her thumb toward the doorway. "Were you daydreaming or something?"

"Uh yeah, something like that," I answered quickly before remembering that I was still a: naked, and b: standing in a cold shower. Slipping out, I coughed a bit before saying, "Uh, maybe I should go change."

Aiko gave an amused smile as her eyes followed me. "Nah, I want you to stay the same good-looking goofball I know," she cracked.

"Ha ha ha ha ha," I replied sarcastically, though that was pretty funny. Aiko Yumi is a physics professor at U.O.G., not that she really likes her job. Not only is she hot, but she's sarcastic, funny, blunt, loves a good time and also likes to relax whenever possible. She's got her fair share of problems and is frequently trying to find meaning in her life, but she always manages to make me laugh and help me loosen up a bit.

Once I was dressed and the shock of the cold water wore off, I felt tired again, but I couldn't just send Aiko away. "Make yourself at home. Do you want something to drink?"

"Sure, as long as it's got alcohol in it," Aiko answered as she entered my room. "Whatcha got?"

"Mostly beer; it's in the fridge," I told her.

"Thanks. Be right back." And with that, the sexy teacher headed into the kitchen, coming back with two beers. "Grabbed one for you, too; gotta get some fluids in you, after all!"

Does beer count as a fluid? I wondered, but I took one of the bottles anyway since it would've felt weird if Aiko was the only one drinking. She and I had kinda become drinking buddies by that point. "So how was your day?"

"Uuugghh, a pain in the ass as usual," Aiko groaned before taking a swig of her beer. "Let's not talk about that; how are you holding up?"

Sipping my beer, I rasped, "Eh, I've felt better. *cough cough* Getting sick sucks."

"I feel you," the lady teacher said as she strolled over to my swivel chair. "If it makes you feel better, it's worse for teachers cuz it means twice the workload when we come back. Ah, fun times…" Then before she sat down, she paused and reached for something on the chair. Then another smug grin appeared on her face. "Speaking of fun times, what've we got here?"

She then held up the dirty magazine that Kyu was reading earlier that day. Aw jeez, did she forget to put that away? I thought with a groan. "Heh heh, that's what I get for not cleaning up, I guess."

"Hey, I never said I was complaining," Aiko said as she started flipping through the magazine. When she got to one page, she almost immediately started snickering. "Pfft! Okay, how was she able to squeeze into that thing?!"

Looking at the photo she was pointing to, I replied, "Now that you mention it, I have no idea… Wait, you're really okay with this?"

"You're talking to a woman who's asked you what kind of porn you watch; I think I can handle a magazine," the teacher reassured me.

"Okay, good point," I muttered as I cleared my throat. Occasionally I forget just how bold Aiko can be about certain topics, particularly porn or sex. It took a little getting used to at first, but now it makes for interesting conversations and, in this case, just the two of us drinking beer and laughing over a magazine.

On another page, Aiko's eyes widened before she started laughing again. "Are you kidding? If you're gonna have that little on there, you might as well be naked!"

"I know right? It's like she's teasing us," I commented with a smirk. Next page over, I pointed out another picture. "Jeez, how can she breathe in that?"

"Ah, it's probably not as tight as it looks, and – Hey! That one bit looks airbrushed!" At that, both of us cracked up at the faulty edit. Once we had finally calmed down, Aiko questioned with a mischievous smile, "Got any more?"

A couple more beers and a lot of laughs later, the two of us were sprawled out on the floor, magazines scattered around us. "Fuck, this is fun! I'm glad I came over here, I needed the laughs," Aiko told me.

"Y'know, I'm glad you came too," I said, turning to face her. "Sure I'm sick, but *cough cough* it's kinda nice having some company over." As I spoke, I was having a little trouble keeping my eyes open.

"Aww, is it past your bedtime?" she teased, noticing my sleepiness. "Here, let me help you up."

With Aiko's assistance, I was able to get into bed and bury myself under the covers. "Thanks Aiko, and thanks for coming over," I whispered.

"No problem Nate," she said, patting my cheek. She then leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Granted if you weren't sick, I'm sure I could've made your night even more fun."

And once again my face felt warmer; what is up with these women and making me blush?! "Well maybe next time, I'll take you up on that offer," I suggested.

Chuckling, Aiko replied, "We'll see. Don't worry, I know the way out." Standing up and strolling out of my room, she called back, "Keep those dreams about me under control, okay?"

Once she was gone, I sighed before muttering to myself, "I'll try my damnedest…"

"I saw you looking at those swaying hips," a familiar voice teased, and of course Kyu showed up next to me. "Looks like you two had fun!"

Nodding, I replied, "Yeah, but I could use some water; I shouldn't have drunk so much beer."

"Sure thing dude, leave it to me," the pinkette said before fluttering away. I don't remember falling asleep; that day wore me out, and I was sure the next day wasn't going to be much different.

Fun fact: I actually didn't have to do a whole lot of research on aromatherapy, mainly because… yeah okay, I'm really into it. I've been making frequent use of a spearmint and eucalyptus combo lately. (good combo for stress relief) Sounds girly, but I'd still recommend giving aromatherapy a try if you're having a hard time.

And for the record, no I don't think beer counts as a fluid in terms of helping an illness; in my mind, Aiko knows this and is just messing with Nathan. As for what the pictures in the magazine are… well, it's a dirty magazine so I'll leave that to your imagination ;)