More Than a sick day
Chapter # 1 just another morning
Yukio had always been the more responsible of the twins, even as kids.
He took pride in being studious and organized.
Everything had its place so he could easily find it.
and be ready in a timely matter.
He made sure that his teeth were brushed, his uniform crisp and not a hair out of place.
Today was no different.
So, when he woke up feeling lightheaded, he brushed it off as just being hungry and moved on with his day.
Yesterday his stomach had felt off.
A slight ping had settled in his abdominal range.
The dull pain had been bugging him all night.
To make matters worse he didn't have much of an appetite since noon.
He thought whatever it was would only be a one-day problem.
The way his stomach kept gurgling today told him otherwise.
He wasn't going to miss work because of a stomachache.
If he did
Shura would never let him live it down.
Besides, he had a lot on his plate today including a meeting with some other staff.
First, he went to the facility room to grade papers.
Normally he could do so with no problems, however that wasn't the case today.
The letters seemed to blur in and out of focus.
He felt unusual warm and a bit nausea.
Still, he tried his best to get through it.
In the end he only managed to grade 3.
Time seemed strangely slow right now.
Glancing at the clock he saw it was only 8:25.
The meeting didn't be until 9:15ish.
"Morning Yukio Chan." a cheerful voice chirped.
He spun his chair around.
Bad decision, his stomach didn't approve.
"Oh, good morning Nurse _ .
What brings you to the staff room?" he asked.
"I have the results from the demon blood sample you sent to the lab. "
He had completely forgotten about that.
It's not like he meant to.
Keeping track of everything was next to impossible most days.
"Um, thanks… I'll look at when I have a chance to." He said swallowing thickly.
"Are you ok Yukio?"
"Yes, I am fine just tried."
"Well, the infirmary is always open if you need any medicine."
"Ok, thanks."
"Sure thing, see you later."
Yukio merely gave a friendly wave in return.
It was normal for him to feel tired as he didn't get nearly enough sleep.
However, the exhaustion he felt right now felt different.
By the time the meeting rolled around he was feeling hotter than earlier.
He really hoped the meeting wouldn't last long.
Only 7 of 10 had showed up.
As his co-workers filed in, he felt his stomach cramp.
Thankfully the meeting got cut short as one of the board members had been called to the office.
Honestly, he envied his co-workers who hadn't showed up.
It had dragged on for what felt like forever, and he had to use the restroom at twice during the ordeal.
Lunch was approaching and he didn't have much of an appetite.
Despite his lack of appetite, he grabbed his lunch bento.
Rin had packed his lunch for him today.
He liked it when Rin made his lunch, he always knew what to pack for him.
Unfortunately, he was only able to eat half his lunch before feeling full.
Normally he ate the whole thing, he must be coming down with something.
Chapter # 2 a dreadful afternoon
Rin hated school with a burning passion and today was no different.
Having his brother as a teacher didn't help.
Yukio and he shared a room which meant he would know if he really did his homework or not.
Yukio was a stern teacher.
Normally Rin would dread his brother's class, but something seemed off.
He made it to class a second late.
Much to his surprise everyone was present except for Yukio.
"Of course, he's late, I am more shocked that sensei hasn't arrived yet.
He's normally here before any of us are."
Four eyes hadn't showed up yet.
Ok something was up.
"None of you saw him?"
"Nope. We've been here for at least 5 minutes. "
"You're his brother, don't you know where he is?"
"I am not brother's keeper." Rin scoffed.
Shima chuckled.
"Relax man, I figured you had seen him recently."
"Nope. He usually wakes up 2hrs earlier than me. "
"So, what we do just wait for him to show up then?"
And that's exactly what they did.
They sat there for at least 10 minutes before Rin had enough.
"Ugh, I can't believe he's still not here. "Shima moaned.
"This isn't like him. usually, Rin here's the late one."
The demon hybrid gave zero response.
"Where the *** are you going _?" Bon yelled.
The others looked over to see Rin leaving.
"Chill out Rooster I am just calling Yukio to see what's going on."
"You have his number?" Shima questioned.
"Of course, I do. He's, my brother."
With that he headed out to the hallway.
He stood against the wall as the phone beeped.
About a minute passed and
there was no answer.
This could only mean one of two things.
Either Yukio was on a last second mission
or his phone was dead.
He figured it wouldn't hurt to call Shura.
If he had a mission she would likely know.
"Shura, thank goodness you picked up.
Have you seen Yukio?
He hasn't showed up to class yet. "
"Wait, the dork isn't teaching your class?
Shot kid, you should call me sooner.
He should have been there by now."
"Wait? So, you two aren't on a mission?"
"No, tell you what I'll check the staff room and
you check around the cram school."
"Ok, I can do that."
"Call me once you find him alright kid."
She hadn't seen him either huh.
His guts told him something was very wrong.
Returning to the classroom he felt uneasiness.
"So, where's Yukio?"
"I don't know, he didn't answer his phone.
Shura hasn't seen him either.
I am going to make sure he didn't pass out or something."
Bon scuffed at his statement.
"Sensei is one of the most responsible people that I know.
There's no way he would let that happen."
Rin rolled his eyes.
What his classmates didn't realize was this is totally something Yukio would do.
"Oh, trust me Yukio is full of surprises." He explained.
"I'll let you guys know when I find him."
Konekomura got up to follow him until Bon stopped him.
"I think it might be better if you let him handle this alone."
He can't explain why but he had a feeling that the twins needed space.
After lunch Yukio would normally head over to the Cram school to teach.
However, it seemed that the universe had other plans today.
As he got up to leave, he suddenly felt lightheaded.
The feeling only lasted a short while, but it caught him off guard.
He didn't let it stop from going forward though.
Looking down at his at his phone he notices he was running a tad late.
He hurried over to the cram school entrance, a movement his stomach did not take too kindly.
Swallowing thickly around the growing nausea he counited on his way.
By the time he did reach his destination he was sweating and tired.
Well, more tired the usual.
Shutting the door behind him he braced himself against the wall as the world spun.
What was wrong with him today?
He had eaten today and
went to bed at a decent time.
So why did he feel so awful?
He barely made a 3rd of the way to the classroom before he a wave of nausea sent to dashing for the restroom.
He swung open the first stall he could find and expelled his lunch.
Rin had been looking for Yukio for about 2 minutes when he heard the noise of someone vomiting.
"F***, please don't let that be Yukio." He thought.
Much to his dismay he found his twin kneeling in front of a toilet vomiting his guts out.
But that's not what had him the most worried.
Upon close inspection he noticed that Yukio looked flushed, sweating and felt way too warm.
No wonder he hadn't answered his phone.
The action of expelling his stomach contents seemed to be causing him pain as he had tears gathering in his eyes.
"Oh, Yukio. "
He knelt beside his brother and rubbed as back as he counited to get sick.
"It's ok just let it out. "He coaxed.
When it finally came to a draw, he rested his head against the cool toilet lid shaking slightly.
Rather it was from fever or exhaustion Rin didn't know.
Neither was a good sign.
"I am going to take care of something quick.
Then we'll head back to the dorm ok."
Yukio only moaned in response.
His classmates cocked their heads up as he entered.
"Well, did you find him?"
"Yeah, I did. "
Shima felt relieved.
"So as turns out my idiotic brother came to school with a fever.
I would let him go to the dorms by himself,
but I am not sure he can get there without passing out.
Now if you excuse me, I going to drag my ill brother to bed."
And with that Rin was out the door.
"Poor Yukio, I hope he feels better soon." Shiemi cooed.
"I am sure he will with Rin looking after him."
Bon sighed deeply.
What an interesting day this was turning out to be.
Yukio wasn't sure how long he had been on the bathroom floor when Rin finally came.
The fever had left his brain in a fog of sorts.
He felt his brother's cool hand rubbing his back.
Rin uttered something comforting that he couldn't make out.
The bout of vomiting had left him feeling drained.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep.
A minute later he felt someone left him up.
The walk to the dorm had been a blur.
Back at the dorms he could barely climb up the stairs.
With some encouragement from Rin, he managed to make to his bed without fainting.
He tried to take off his jacket, but his hands were shaking badly.
Rin undressed him upon noticing this.
It's times like this that he was glad he had a twin.
"Thanks, Rin." He rasped.
He fell asleep in mere seconds.
Rin was overcome with worry when he found Yukio in the bathroom.
He didn't look well at all.
Clearly, he had a fever and overall seemed exhausted.
After explaining the section to his classmates, he went to gather his ill twin.
They had to stop midway to the dorm so Yukio could vomit into a nearby trash can.
Arriving at the dorms he looked about ready to kneel over.
"Come on Yukio we're almost there. "He urged his twin.
He practically collapsed onto his bed with a heavy sigh.
Seeing Yukio didn't have the energy.
Rin aided him in changing out his uniform and into his pjs.
"There we go nice and comfy."
"Thanks Rin."
"Sure, thing four eyes."
Yukio's voice sounded weak and hoarse.
With Yukio resting he headed downstairs to gather some supplies.
"Rin, you're home early.
What are you doing?"
"Gathering some supplies. Yukio is sick."
"Can I help?"
"Sure, you can keep him company."
"Ok will do."
Rin chuckled at his demon cat's excitement.
Kuro had remained a steady companion to the boys since becoming Rin's _.
He quite enjoyed the feline's company as did Yukio.
The half demon hummed contently as he finished his task.
Returning to their shared bedroom he found Yukio still sleeping.
"Good he's still asleep, he needs to rest. "Rin sighed.
He sat down in a nearby chair, hand on his chin.
Glancing over at his twin something caught his attention.
Despite being asleep he seemed to be in pain.
That wasn't a good sign.
Kuro scratched and let out a yawn.
Rubbing up against his master he meowed.
"Is Yukio going to be, ok?"
"Don't worry, he's been through worse."
He assured the cat.
Yukio would be ok, right?
Kuro curled up on Rin's lap.
He sat deep in thought petting Kuro.
Eventually he drafted off to sleep as well.
When Yukio woke up, he found himself in bed.
How did he wound up in bed?
It took a moment for him to recall.
Oh, right he had gotten sick at school.
He tried to sit up but was overcome with dizziness.
Falling back into his sheets, he sighed in defeat.
Well, this sucked.
He winced in pain as his stomach cramped up.
That was enough to wake Rin.
Kuro leaped off his owner's lap as the other boy got to his feet.
"Guess I must have dozed off. "Rin quipped.
Another wince escaped his lips and he felt tears welling up.
Rin was at his side in a second.
"Yukio, what's the matter?" Rin asked concern lacing his voice.
A loud gurgle erupted from his stomach.
"I …I need to ...go but I am so dizzy."
"Ok, come on let's get you to the bathroom. "
Normally he would be embarrassed but right now he was too sick to care.
Rin aided him to the bathroom then gave him space.
For the 3rd time that day Yukio wrapped his arms around his midsection.
He had forgotten how painful diarrhea could be.
By the end, his stomach didn't hurt any less.
Emerging from the facility his twin steadied him.
Falling back into his nice warm bed the pain still lingered.
"Ok let's check your temperature. "
He felt the cold metal tip touch his tongue.
"102.6 not too bad …"
A ringing sound interrupted them.
"I'll be right back." He informed him.
He watched through fever glazed eyes as his twin left.
Kuro lay nearby on a chair purring.
Staring up at the ceiling he got lost in thought.
This wasn't right.
It's Wednesday, he is supposed to be teaching right now.
But instead, he's stuck lying in bed feeling wretched.
There's still the rest of the week.
Maybe if he's lucky this would only last for a day or two.
Rin hadn't meant to fall asleep.
Nor had he meant to forget to call Shura.
About half an hour after finding Yukio, she called him.
"What the fudge kid?
You were supposed to call me."
"Sorry Shura but I was busy."
He heard an annoyed sigh from her end.
"So, you find him or not?"
"Yeah, I did. "
"Where is he then?"
"In bed resting.
He's sick with a stomach bug."
"Of course, the chicken would come to work sick.
I am surprised he didn't get sick sooner.
Well call if you need help, ok kid."
"Like I would call you for help."
Hanging up the phone he huffed in frustration.
Didn't she not trust him to take care of own brother?
He's dealt with a sick Yukio before.
As his brother he knew him better than anyone.
A sick Yukio could be one of three things.
Either irritated, grumpy, or silent.
In the rare case of running a fever though ...
He tended to be a bit emotional.
Rin mentally prepared himself for what would be a long day.
Entering their shared space his eyes draft to Yukio.
He looked worse than before.
His skin was pale and glistening with sweat.
He seemed weak and shaky.
"You ok there four eyes?"
"No…I need the …bucket." Yukio stuttered out.
Rin cursed under his breath.
He steadied him as he vomited into said bucket.
His shoulders shook with every heave.
When it ended, he collapsed into Rin's arms shaking.
The last time he saw Yukio this sick the idiot had somehow gotten himself sick with pneumonia.
They were 10 at the time.
Now here they were at 15, Yukio sobbing in his arms.
He must be feeling awful to be crying like this.
A hiccup arose from his lips.
"Shot he's still feeling nausea."
No vomiting came just a painful dry heave.
"Ugh…my stomach." He mumbled.
His voice sounded heavy with drowsiness.
This only made Rin more worried.
"Shh, it's alright.
I'll get you some medicine."
Rin made a move to get up, but Yukio clanged to him.
"Don…don't leave."
That raised a red flag for him.
Yukio only got clingy like this if he was feverish or scared.
He had a sinking feeling that this was something worse than a bug.
Chapter # 3 why me?
Rin stayed until he fell asleep.
Once he started to drift off, he lowered him gently into bed.
"I can't believe he came to school this sick.
I guess that's Yukio for ya. "
Kuro stared up at his master.
"He's stubborn, isn't he?"
"Yep, that he is.
But he's kind of always been.
It's not the first time he's come to school sick."
Yukio lay silently in bed barley moving.
If not for the shaky breathing, he would've mistaken him for dead.
Eventually Rin decided to head down to the kitchen.
He didn't want to wake up Yukio and
sitting in the dark whispering to his cat gotten boring.
Ukobach was cleaning the spice cabinet.
"You're organizing the spices without me?" he whined.
Apparently ukobach didn't have much else to do.
But he offered Rin the task of throwing away the expired spices.
Ukobach would take a spice out and check the date.
If it was expired, he would hand it to Rin to despot of, otherwise it would on the counter.
This went on for at least half an hour.
"We had paprika the whole time.
I could've made - "
The half demon pouted.
Ukobach slapped his hand, telling him to act his age.
While he didn't always see eye to eye with the kitchen demon, he took pleasure in finally finding someone who shared in his interest of cooking.
He had learned quite a bit from him after knowing him for almost 2 years.
"Hey, it's been a while since we cooked something together .
You want to cook dinner together?"
He enjoyed cooking with Ukobach, it was fun compared to doing it by himself.
Turns out the demon already plans for tonight's dinner.
"Sounds delicious Ukobach.
But I doubt Yukio will be eating with us."
Ukobach gave him a questioning glance.
"No, he's not on a mission.
Poor guy has the stomach flu."
Hearing this the small kitchen demon looked down sadly.
He had grown rather fond of the twins.
To hear that one of them felt unwell was disheartening.
"Maybe I should make some rice porridge."
Ukobach volunteered to make it.
"That's not necessary.
Beside I don't have much else to do."
So, Rin began cooking.
He hadn't got to cook in a while as he had been rather busy.
It was nice to take a break from school and just enjoy some time in the kitchen.
Once he had finished making the porridge he headed upstairs.
The creak of the door was enough to wake Yukio up.
His fever glazed eyes slowly opened.
"Hmm, Rin what time is it?"
"About 4:15.
You've been asleep for 3hrs.
You need it though. "
Setting down the tray he glared over at Yukio.
"I brought you some rice porridge and juice.
I know you aren't feeling good, but you need to eat something."
"Why bother?
I'll just get sick again."
"At least try.
You lost a lot of fluids."
With a sigh of defeat Yukio picked up the spoon.
It tasted nice and warm.
Rin always knew just what he needed.
He ate about half the bowl and most of the juice.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
As 10 mins later it came back up.
"Mm, sorry." He slurred as Rin rubbed his back.
"For what? "
"You made me food and I wasted it."
"It's ok, I am just glad you ate.
You kept down longer than I thought you would."
He stated with a grin.
So, what if he throws up dinner?
He needed the nutrition especially since he was sick.
Another wince came from Yukio.
"Why does my stomach hate me?" He whined.
"It's really bugging you that much huh?"
"You…don't know the …half ...of it."
"I guess I don't.
"M…my idiot."
Rin held back a chuckle.
The fever was starting to make him delirious.
"Ok let's see if your fever gotten better."
Much to his disappointment it hadn't.
102.6 now 102.8.
"Why did it go up?
Maybe I should turn the fan on."
The second it turned on Yukio sank further into the blankets.
"Mm…too cold."
"I know but we need to get your fever down."
Yukio only gave a groan.
Kuro cuddled up next to him.
The cat seemed just as worried as Rin was.
Not that he could blame him.
Kuro hadn't seen either of them fall ill before.
"I hope it starts to go down.
I don't want to have call Shura."
He mentally cringed at the idea.
Shura could be a bit much.
He would just have to keep tabs on Yukio's fever.
If it got to 103 marks, he would call her.
As overbearing as she could be, she was an adult he trusted.
When it counted, she had been there.
Kind of like an annoying older cousin or something.
He smirked.
Seeing as Yukio was drafting off again, he settled into a nearby chair.
He grabbed a Manga to occupy his time.
The next time he looked at the clock it read 5:50.
His stomach growled.
So headed down to the kitchen.
There was a knock on the door.
Opening the door, he saw Shiemi standing, there papers in hand.
"Oh, hey Shiemi.
What are you doing here?"
"I am here to give you some notes from today's class."
She replied.
"Thanks. Do you want to come in?
I was about to have dinner."
He asked blushing.
"Sure, I would love to join you for dinner."
Leading her down to the kitchen he blushed more.
"I don't have feelings for her.
She's just a friend. "
By the time they got there Ukobach already had dinner ready.
"So did you guys get a sub today or early dismal?"
"A sub showed up shortly after you left.
He didn't seem so happy about it though."
She answered.
"He claimed we had disrupted something important. "
"Something important huh?"
"Cat videos Rin.
He had been watching cat videos."
"Are you kidding me? "
She shook her head.
"That's not even the worse part.
He believed Yukio was faking it to get out teaching.
But Yukio loves teaching."
"Seriously? He really thinks that?"
She gave a sigh.
"If anything, Yukio would fake being ok.
The guy is a work acholic.
I've seen him limp home on twisted ankle.
He's the least likely to fake being sick."
The two counited chatting between bites.
Halfway through their dinner Kuro came running in.
The demon cat was meowing frantically.
"Rin, thank goodness I found you."
"Woah, calm down Kuro.
What's the matter?"
"It's Yukio.
He's in a lot of pain, he needs you."
That was enough to grab his attention.
Without hesitation he ran upstairs.
Shiemi followed behind him.
"You don't need to come with me.
I can handle it."
"He's my friend Rin.
I want to help."
He merely nodded in understanding.
Upon entering he saw why Kuro was worried.
Yukio was laying in fatal position, arms wrapped around his stomach wincing in pain.
Fresh tears were running down his cheeks.
"Nissan …help it hurts."
His voice sounded so broken.
"Shh, its ok Yukio.
What hurts?"
"Mm…my stomach ...it feels …"
He could barely get a word out before he started gagging.
Much to their horror he vomited a mix of blood and bile.
Shiemi stood there in shock.
He looked horrible.
Much sicker than she imagined him being.
When Rin told them Yukio was sick,
she figured he meant a cold not this.
This was something far worse than a cold.
The poor guy had just thrown up blood.
There's no way he just had a stomach bug either.
Rin let out a gasp.
"His fever is way too high."
"What do you mean too high?"
"It was at 102.8 earlier now it's at 103.2.
Shiemi, can you stay with him for a sec?
I need to make a phone call."
She nodded again.
Being asked to watch Yukio wasn't odd as it should have been.
Yukio maybe her teacher but he was her friend first.
She couldn't recall the last time she had seen someone look so sick.
The usual put together boy seemed to be anything but ok.
His breathing sounded labored, and he was crying.
She ran her hands through his hair.
"I am sorry you're not feeling good Yukio.
Don't worry though Rin is getting help."
He just counited to sob in pain.
She tried her best to comfort him.
Rin didn't want to call Shura.
But he knows he had no choice.
Yukio's condition had gotten much worse.
His fever had gone up, and he was clearly in pain.
He stood in the hallway waiting for her to pick up.
His heartbeat rapidly in his chest.
"Shura I …I need you help…"
"Woah, slow down kid.
What's going on?"
"It's Yukio.
He's gotten worse."
"How so?"
"His…fever is too high….and he keeps throwing up.
I ...I don't know…. what to do Shura
He's in so much pain."
There is a moment of silence.
"Take a deep breath kid, it's going to be ok.
I am coming over now, we'll figure this out."
She hung up and headed to her car.
Something about the boy's voice made her worry.
He didn't sound like his usual cocky self.
No, he sounded anxious.
Pulling up to the boys' dorm nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next.
Her fellow exorcist was on his bed leaning against his twin.
He kept shivering and looked rather pale.
His arms were around his stomach.
But what worried her most was the blood on his lips.
"How high is his fever?'
"103.2."
"Is he bleeding?"
"No, he threw up blood and bile earlier. "
"Did he eat today at all?"
"He hasn't been able to keep anything down since lunch."
She took a moment to look him over.
His eyes were glazed, and he seemed out of it.
Then there's the wincing.
Her gut told her he needed a doctor Asap.
"Ok, let's get him in my car."
"Huh? in your car?" Rin asked.
"Listen kid I don't want to scare you.
But Yukio needs to go the hospital like now."
He gave a silent nod.
This was going to be a long night.
It took a bit of effort to get him to the car.
He wasn't super heavy, but he didn't have much energy.
Not to mention the abdominal pain.
He could barely move without it hurting.
Rin sat in the back with him.
Even with the robe and blanket he could feel his brother shaking.
Shiemi instanced on going with them.
"Yukio is my friend, and I am worried about him too.
Besides Rin needs me. "
She had to admire the girl's compassion.
The boys were lucky to have her as a friend.
Chapter # 3 a night the hospital
So much for staying home and chilling tonight.
She supposed she should be glad Rin trusted her enough to call to her for help.
But right now, she was scared for Yukio's health and safety.
Had it not been a serious section she would have giggled at his silk pjs.
She never imagined him as one to wear silk pjs.
However, this wasn't the time for laughter.
She tried to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
Not even 5 mins into the drive and Yukio turned green.
She handed Rin a plastic bag.
He heaved up more blood and bile.
They arrived at the hospital around 7:45pm.
Parking the car, she wasted no time checking him in.
There were only 2 nurses at the front desk.
The older of the two looked up as she quickly approached the desk.
"Hello, young lady .
How may I help you tonight?"
Shura stopped to catch her breath.
"I have a very sick teen in my car.
He needs help ASAP. "
"Can you be more specific?"
"He has a high fever, abdominal pain.
And is throwing up blood."
The nurse leapt into action upon being told of his condition.
"Will you be needing a wheelchair for him?"
"Yes, please."
She followed Shura to the car.
Turns out it took more effort to take out than put him in.
Rin helped as best he could.
Wheeling him into the E.R she saw the boy's condition.
"Oh, you poor thing
I'll get a doctor to see you.
You 3 wait here."
Shura was surprised at how quickly the nurse went to get a doctor.
His condition must be more serious than she thought .
Although to be fair Yukio did look very sick and weak now.
He had somehow lost even more color,
and was rather shaky.
Her normally stern and mature co-worker now sat in a wheelchair whimpering in pain.
It scared her to see him look so awful, not that she would ever admit it .