Hi everyone! I'm making another prequel to XBLAZE: A New Start and this time it's a two chapter story centering around when Es got a bad fever as mentioned in Chapter 2 of A New Start (A Night with Mei). This also takes place before XBLAZE: First Night at Mei's, so Mei doesn't know about Es' romantic feelings for Touya yet.

With that out of the way, let's begin.

Riverside Walkway [Monday]

It was around 8:00 AM as Touya, Hinata, Mei, Akira and Es were walking to school together, just having casual conversation and discussing about turning in their lastest report assignment, which all five completed durimg the weekend. However, one particular student in question was a little more quiet more than normal due to feeling something unsual today.

'Why... why do I feel warm today...? There wasn't anything about warm weather in the News today...' Es thought as she felt strange sense this morning. Last night, Es was feeling fine and she managed to finish up her report to turn in today. When Es woke up this morning, she felt a little warm for some reason and felt tired when she got out of bed, the latter of which she sometimes feels after a rough battle against a Union. Despite this, Es was able to take a nice shower which cooled her down a bit and was able to have breakfast with everyone with no issues. She even spoke now and again with everyone, but the others noted how silent she was and were a bit concerned, wondering if she was alright.

"Es-chan? Are you okay?" Hinata asked Es out of concern. Granted, Es isn't particularly know for being chatty, but she normally engages with their conversations instead of just listening in silence. The Azure Maiden didn't realize this until this was brought to her attention. While Es felt strange, she didn't feel that this sensation was of a major concern and decided not to burden them with it.

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I just don't feel like talking much this morning. That's all." Es replied in her normal tone of voice, hoping Hinata and the others believed her. Es truly believed that nothing was wrong, yet she didn't have a desire to worry the others. Perhaps this was a new sensation now that Es is human. As an Artificial Life Form, the only time Es felt weak is when she's either taken too much damge or when she doesn't recieve her maintenance to matain her body. Thank God that she is no longer shackled by that...

"Alright, we won't force you to talk if you don't feel like it, okay?" Touya followed up, at least buying what Es is saying for the time being despite his concerns about his dear friend remaining silent. Es' heart skipped a little upon his response to her, but she wasn't too focused on that right now. Es' mind felt a little foggy, but she shrugged it off, believing it will pass like a standard headache.

"Thank you both for understanding." Es smiled at the two with them returning the gesture. However, Mei and even Akira couldn't help but feel something's off and the two waited as the three went on ahead.

"Hey Mei? Call me crazy, but is it just me or is Es... hiding something from us for some reason?" Akira whispered to the Shrine Maiden as she looked at him in surprise at the fact that he was... perspective this morning. Granted, he's studying to become a doctor and all, but still, he raised a valid point.

"Y-yeah, I noticed that myself. Es' behavior is strange. She seemed lost in thought and I noticed she was moving a little slow than normal. It doesn't look like Hina and Kagari noticed yet other than Es being more quiet than she normally is..." Mei replied, a little worried that something might be happening with the Azure Maiden that she may not know about. The only time this was an issue with Es was when she didn't recieve her maintenance during the Embryo Incident due to Unomaru's callous attenpt of slowly killing the Azure Maiden with no suspicion.

"Kamewari, we should keep an eye on Es just in case. I don't know why, but I just have a bad feeling about this..." Mei followed up while glancing back and forth between Akira and Es.

"Sure thing, Mei. Besides, Touya and Hinata will be with her in the classroom as well. Let's just hope thet we're imagining things." Akira replied with Mei nodding in agreement as the two picked up the pace to catch up with the others. Mei and Akira at least hoped they were overthinking things and that nothing was wrong with Es.

Hakuo North Academy [Es, Touya and Hinata's Home Room]

It was around 9:20 AM as everyone was going through the lesson their teacher has set up. Everyone had their text book out, reading through and ready to answer any question the teacher has to make sure the students are following along and paying attention.

However, Es was having difficulty following along. About five minutes after turning in her school report with everyone else, Es began to feel warm like she did in bed this morning and it appeared to be getting worse. Her body began felt like it was in a sauna or a hot shower, but not in a good way and while she can make out what everyone is saying, Es wasn't as tuned in like she is normally.

"Kagari, can you answer this question on page 68?" The teacher said as he asked Touya to answer one of the questions in today's lesson.

"Yes sir..." Touya said as he flipped back to the page in question to recite the answer. He was able to correctly answer the question as the teacher smiled in approval before continuing his lecture. Es wanted to smile at him for doing well, but she just didn't have the energy to do so. Es was thankful for sitting behind him and Hinata as they couldn't see how she looked right now. If the Azure Maiden looked in a mirror right now, she would see her own face flushed a little, sweat dripping down, and her eyes are droopy as if she were sleepy. Needless to say, Es slowly began to realize that this strange feeling MIGHT be a problem after all...

"Okay than. Mitsurugi, would you answer the question on page 80?" The teacher asked Es as the Azure Maiden slowly stood up and held up her book. As she did, Touya and Hinata heard some students murmuring and saw the teacher's concerned expression on his face and needless to say, this worried them as they glanced at each other for a moment until...

"Miss Mitsurugi, are you feeling okay?" The teacher followed up in a concerned tone at Es' current body language. He could tell something was off, but Es didn't want to worry everyone at this moment in time.

"I... I'm fine..." Es responded weakly, her legs shaking as she turned the page in question to recite the answer. It was at this point, Touya and Hinata looked behind them to see Es with her face red and looking all worn out. This instantly sent worry down their spine as she was not looking well at all, but before they could say something...

"Miss Mitsurugi, you don't need to answer right now, so just take a seat okay?" The teacher followed up as he can tell when one of his students isn't feeling well and wanted to make sure Es doesn't strain herself. However, Es didn't hear it as her hearing was beginning to blur and as soon as she found the page in question...

"Here we... we... are... the... the... an...swer... is..." Es barely said as her world began to spin and she started to fall to the side, only making out Touya and Hinata's worried expressions as her vision went black...

*THUD!*

Screams and shouting instantly filled the classroom as Es collapsed onto the floor as the students began to panic over the Azure Maiden passing out abruptly in front of them.

"ES-CHAN!"

"ES!"

Hinata and Touya both yelled frantically as they immediately got out of their seats as they rushed over to Es, pushing their desks to the side to make room for their friend.

"Wake up Es! Es?! Es!" Touya shouted as he shook her shoulder, but no reply came from the Azure Maiden, making him worry even more. Eventually their hoomroom teacher ran up to them.

"Let me take a look at her!" The teacher said as Touya stepped away with Hinata clasping her hands in worry with tears in her eyes as the teacher turned Es onto her back to elevate her breathing before placing a hand on Es' forehead to feel her temperature and his face grimaced upon feeling how warm she is.

"Miss Mitsurugi has a terrible fever, she needs to be taken to the infirmary right away." The teacher said as the other students began showing concern for the Azure Maiden. While they didn't know her well, they knew her as a polite, respectful and endearing classmate and didn't want her to suffer from something as bad as a fever.

"Teacher, I-I can take her to the infirmary!" Hinata said as she wanted to her friend. Especially sense she had a feeling something was wrong and didn't notice it sooner. The teacher wasn't sure to let Hinata do it as she was crying and shaken up, not that he can blame her.

"I'll accompany her. Right now, we need to help Es and calm the others down." Touya follow up calmly despite his own fright earlier. The teacher understood that he needs to calm the other students down and that Es needs help at this moment.

"Alright. Take her to the infirmary and stay with her until she's okay, understood?" The teacher said as he got up with Touya lifting Es up in a bridal carry as he took her to the infirmary along with Hinata following him, barely making out their hoomroom teacher slowly calming their peers as they rushed out.

Hakuo North Academy [Infirmary]

It didn't take long for Touya and Hinata to take Es to the infirmary for as soon as they got in and spoke to the school nurse, they laid Es down on one of the cots before the nurse ran to get a her thermometer scanner from the medicine cabinet in order to check Es' temperature.

"Touya... wi-will Es-chan be... be okay...?" Hinata sniffed as she asked Touya in regards to their friend. She was training to be a nurse and she couldn't even noticed a friend of her's catching a fever? How was she going to explain this to Yuki?

"She will be Hinata. Es is stronger than we think." Touya replied with a brave face despite his own worries. Deep down, he was just as scared and confused. Why didn't Es tell them she was feeling sick? Could it be possible she didn't know what a fever was or that she didn't wish to worry them? Not to mention that for some reason, his heart ached upon seeing Es' collapse on the floor and he didn't understand why, but he didn't want to lose Es because of this. Despite these fears, Touya truly meant that he believes Es will be okay and wanted to keep Hinata's spirits and faith up.

"Y-you're right, Touya..." Hinata said with a slight hiccup as she took her glasses off to wipe her tears away. She knew crying wasn't going to help Es and took a moment to calm down.

After a minute or two, the nurse came back with with the thermometer scanner and used it to check her temperature.

"105.4. That's not good, she has an awful fever. I'm going to need some help, will the two of you assist me?" The nurse said as Hinata put her glasses backcon.

"We'll help out in anyway we can. Anything for Es-chan." Hinata replied as she wanted to help Es get well as soon as possible.

"What can we do to help?" Touya asked as he briefly took his attention away from Es to address the nurse

"Miss Himezuru, please geta bucket cold water with ice and bring it back here. We'll need it to help lower her temperature and relieve her on the heat. Mister Kagari, get some clean towels. I'll stay here and keep watch on her." The nurse instructed as Hinata and Touya made their way to retrieve the things in question...

5 Minutes Later...

After retrieving and bringing back the things in question, the nurse dunked and rolled the towel in the ice cold water before squeezing some of the excess water out before folding and placing it on Es' forehead. Touya and Hinata noticed the infirmary had some cold air flowing and correctly surmised that the nurse turned it on to help Es' fever cool down.

"Mister Kagari, Miss Himezuru, do you know Miss Mitsurugi's parents or Guardian?" The nurse asked as she need to inform whoever was taking care of Es about what happened. Touya hesitated for a moment unsure how to answer that until Hinata covered for him.

"My older sister, Yuki, is taking care of Es-chan along with me and Touya. She works at the Shin Yokosaki Hospital." Hinata explained, having calmed down a bit to speak more clearly. She understood Es' plight as when she told them about their sealed memories, the Azure Maiden revealed her previous nature as an Artificial Life Form created by Unomaru to everyone present. While they were surprised, Hinata, Yuki and Akira still accepted her, much to Es' happiness. As a result, Yuki became Es' official Guardian with help from Mei.

"I understand. Normally Miss Mitsurugi shouldn't be moved at the moment with a fever this bad, but it's important we get her back home so she can rest. Just stay with her and please keep an eye on her. Let me know how she's doing when she wakes up." The nurse said as she left to contact the Hospital to arrange a ride to get Es home. Touya and Hinata did as the nurse said and kept a close eye on her. They'll be behind on today's lessons, but it's worth it if it means that Es will be okay. Hinata began to cry again, which Touya noticed.

"Hinata... Es is going to be fine." Touya said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder with a small smile. Hinata took her glasses off to wipe her tears before placing them back on before looking back at him.

"I... I trust you... but how could I not notice that... that she was sick... until it was too late...?" Hinata replied, still beating herself up for not pressing Es when she noticed her friend not acting like her usual self. Es being quiet and not walking as fast should have been a dead give away instead of Es shurgging it off.

"I... had concerns myself, yet I just took her word a face value. We both didn't look hard enough. And... if I have to guess why Es hid her fever from us, it's partially because she probably never felt sick in her old body and she assumed this would have passed over. And the other reason is most likely so we wouldn't worry about her." Touya followed up while theorizing why Es did what she did in response and after explaining it to Hinata, it made sense to both of them. It was then they noticed Es's breathing has calmed down a little and she's resting a little bit better. Seeing this brought relief to Touya and Hinata as the nurse came back.

"Doctor Himezuru will be here as soon as she can. How is Miss Mitsurugi doing?" The nurse said as she walked up to Es to turn the towel over to the still cool side.

"Her breathing has calmed a little and she's not in agony. Thank you." Touya said while giving his gratitude to the nurse.

"There's no need to thank me, I'm just doing what's natural when someone's in trouble. Besides, you and Miss Himezuru shouldn't sell yourselves short. I can tell Miss Mitsurugi has wonderful friends looking out for her." The nurse followed up with a small smile, happy to see friends helping each other out when they need it.

"But... we didn't know she was sick, Es-chan even told us she was fine because she hasn't been sick before..." Hinata replied while making sure not to reveal anything too important. After all, if people knew what Es was, there's a good chance that Es would be taken away to be experimented on by scientists or even be killed by people who would see her existence as "blasphemous"...

"She must be a really healthy girl then, but in all seriousness... everyone gets sick at least once in their lifetime. I'm guessing this must have been something new to her and even though she should've told you, she mustn't have wanted to worry the people around her." The nurse explained and truth be told, it all made sense. Touya and Hinata have gotten sick at one point or another with Yuki and whoever wasn't sick usually nursing them back to health, even when they were feeling fine the day before.

"But... still... you see, I'm studying to be a nurse so I can help my sister as well as other people... but what can I do if I can't see a friend hurting...?" Hinata said as she looked back to the Azure Maiden in sadness. Touya hated to see her this way and knows she can help others the only way she can.

"I suggest explaining to Miss Mitsurugi to not hide any illness in the future. If someone doesn't feel good, they shouldn't be afraid to seek help, whether it's from the confines of a home or the hospital. It's how we can help minor aliments like a flu or prevent a life threatening issue like a heart problem. Just let her know that when she wakes up." The nurse followed up with another small smile as she left the room to give them privacy. Touya and even Hinata knew the nurse is right. If they want to ensure that Es can live a happy and healthy life, they have to let her know about these sorts of things and to not hide this from them. It's what they can do to make sure thier dearest friend won't have to go through this again.

"Hinata... we'll be here for her when she wakes up. Besides, I already know you'll be a great nurse and that Akira will be a good doctor. That's why you're both studying hard so you can help people who are afraid or unsure to seek help." Touya said, hoping what he's saying will cheer Hinata up. Touya knows he's right about Hinata and Akira and he wants to make good sure that she knows too. With that, a small smile finally returns to the Younger Himezuru's face.

"Thank you Touya..." Hinata said with her deepest gratitude and some of her confidence restored. She knows that this will be an important lesson if she wants to help people in the medical field. With that, Touya and Hinata remained by Es' side until Yuki came by to take Es home.

Himezuru Residence [Es' Room]

To say Yuki was shocked and scared about Es collapsing in the classroom scared her was an understatement. As soon as she heard about it, she made sure to finish up what she was doing before explaining to the director that her ward needed her at the moment. He understood and allowed her to drive over to bring Es home. Touya and Hinata helped her carry the Azure Maiden to her car and buckled her up in the passenger seat while lowering it in a resting position. After that, Yuki told Touya and Hinata to return to class while she saw to the Azure Maiden, expressing how proud she was for her siblings handling the situation as best as they could before leaving.

It was around 10:30 AM when she arrived at the Himezuru Residence and after unlocking the house, Yuki carried Es to her room, gently placing her on the bed and getting her under the covers. She knew Es would need to change her clothes later on, but that can wait for now. Yuki proceeded to do the same thing done at the school, getting a cold wet towel and placing it on Es' forehead. A minute after Yuki did so as she was preparing to leave the room for a moment...

"Ughhhh..." Es groaned as her eyes slowly opened, her vison blurring all the while as she tried to make out her surroundings. Yuki turned around as she heard Es' voice.

"W-where...?" Es let out as she tried to get up, but the Azure Maiden felt weak as she couldn't even push herself up straight. Naturally, Yuki had to gently place a hand on Es' shoulder to get her to lay back down.

"Shhhh... don't try to get up Es. Just lie down." Yuki softly said, not wanting Es to excert herself. After all, when Touya and Hinata got sick, the Elder Himezuru had to make sure they didn't get carried away when they began to feel better themselves. Recognizing Yuki, Es did as she was told and stopped trying to force herself up.

"Y-Yuki...? This... this is my room... how'd I get back here...?" Es questioned as her sight and her mind cleared up. She was understandably confused as she was at class, about to give her answer to the question until her mind just shut off and she... she didn't know what happened after that.

"You passed out in the classroom. Touya and Hina had to carry you to the infirmary before the nurse called me. She said you had a fever of 105.4." Yuki explained to the Azure Maiden about what happened to her while she was unconscious. This caused Es to begin piecing things together...

"A fever...? Was... was that why... my body felt... warm today...? But, I didn't... feel this way... last night..." Es questioned aloud, wondering why she was feeling so yucky despite how she felt the last couple of days.

"That's the tricky thing about fevers... they just show up when you least expect it. You see, a fever is there to help your body fight off infections by stimulating it's natural immune system. By increasing your body's temperature, it harder for the bacteria and viruses that cause infections to survive. That just means your body is fighting off something bad that got inside you." Yuki throughly explained to Es, hoping that she'll understand that her life isn't in danger and that this sort of things happens to everyone. Even so, Yuki had to be firm in this moment.

"Es, why didn't you tell the others you were sick?" Yuki questioned Es in a concerned yet firm tone. Yuki wasn't angry, but she needed to let Es know that she can't keep something like this to herself. This had an effect on the Azure Maiden as she couldn't keep things from her caretaker.

"I... I didn't want to worry anyone... besides, I honestly thought this... strange feeling would pass over. When I took a shower... and ate breakfast... I felt a little better..." Es replied as she explained to Yuki about why she kept her fever hidden. This surprised Yuki that Es didn't know whay a mere fever felt like, but than she remembered Es' origins. As an Artificial Life Form, it clearly had it's perks such as a high immunity to illness and disease, so Es wouldn't know what it's like to be sick. Just another reason to resent Unomaru for his cold and callous behavior to the Azure Maiden.

"Es... I can understand not wanting to put stress on people, but it hurts people more when your hiding your own pain from those who care about you. Thankfully, it's a fever that while a bit high, it's not going to kill you. However, if it were something worse like a heart problem, cancer or lung disease, hiding that without getting help will end up with you dead. It's not just those physical injuries that can be fatal..." Yuki followed, wanting Es to understand that hiding these type of problems will only make things worse for her and those around her. Es listened and as she heard that, The Azure Maiden remembered the frightened and worried expressions Touya and Hinata had as Es passed out. She realized that once again, Yuki's wisdom proved true as by hiding her illness, she only brought them stress and grief when the fever caught up with her.

"Y-you're right... I didn't even consider that... I'm... I'm sorry..." Es said as she closed her eyes in disappointment at herself for keeping it hidden, thinking this would blow over just like that.

"I'm not angry Es, just worried. But, I'm not the one you should apologize too..." Yuki replied in a reassuring tone, wanting to make it clear that she was never upset with Es, but made it clear that everyone else has to hear it.

"Yes... I will when... they get home..." Es said as her eyes began to droop, clearly wanting to get some much needed rest.

"Alright now, just rest for now... Touya and Hina will be home when they can." Yuki softly replied as Es began to drift off.

"Thank... you... Yuki..." Es softly said as she fell alseep. As soon as she did, Yuki gently took the towel and dunked it around in the ice cold water again, before squeezing it out and placing it back on her forehead. She than left to contact her workplace to stay with Es for the time being until her siblings returned home.

To Be Concluded...

And scene! Originally I wanted to make this a one shot, but than I noticed it will make this WAY too long.

We will see the resolution of Es' recovery next time! See you then.

UPDATE: Grammer check and improved dialogue.