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Sick Day 2: Repercussions
"Where's Ranma?" Kasumi asked, looking around the table. "He hasn't come down for breakfast."
"Was he out practicing with you this morning, Saotome?" Soun questioned.
"Raour, rwoor, guuroof, garoawr." Genma-Panda held up a wooden sign. 'He's still in bed, I think." Nabiki raised her eyebrows.
"It's nearly time for lunch."
"Akane, maybe you'd better go wake him up," Kasumi suggested. Akane blinked. Then she shrugged, setting down her empty bowl.
"Ok." Akane headed up the stairs and knocked on Ranma's door. There was no answer, so she peeked inside. "...Ranma?" The boy in question was curled up on his futon with his back to her. He stirred at the sound of her voice.
"What?" he asked, voice muffled.
"It's really late. Aren't you going to eat any breakfast?"
"Nah, I...I don't feel so great this morning. I'm gonna sleep in, ok?"
"O..k..." Akane bit her lip. "Do you want Kasumi to save you somethi-" she was cut off as a loud fit of coughing overtook her fiancee. Akane frowned. "Are you SURE you're ok?"
"I'm..." Ranma coughed a few more times. "I'm fine," he finished hoarsely. "Don't worry about it." Akane slowly backed out of the room, closing the door behind herself.
When she arrived back downstairs, Kasumi was washing the dishes. "Hey, Kasumi, where is everybody?"
Kasumi smiled at her little sister. "Oh, well, Nabiki is spending the day with some friends and father and Mr. Saotome are going on a trip to somewhere or other for training today." She placed the last dish in the rack to dry as Akane wondered just how she managed to get them all washed so quickly.
"I have lots of errands to run today," Kasumi stated. "Do you think you can watch the house while everyone's away?"
"Sure, Kasumi. Don't worry about a thing." Kasumi smiled.
"Oh, good! Well, I'll be off then. Goodbye, Akane!"
"Bye!"
Akane wandered about the house aimlessly for a while. It felt odd for everything to be so quiet. On one pass by Ranma's room, however, the silence was broken by a violent coughing. Narrowing her eyes, Akane walked into his room again. "Ranma, are you SURE you're ok? You sound terrible!"
"I TOLD you, I'm FINE!" Akane looked at him more closely, then noticed something odd.
"Ranma...you're shivering!"
"...so what?"
"So it's warm outside!" Akane stepped over to him. "Turn over."
"But-"
"Just do it, Ranma!" Reluctantly, Ranma turned over onto his back. Akane gently placed a hand to his forehead. He shuddered at her touch. Akane gasped. "Oh, Ranma! You're burning up! Why didn't you SAY you were sick?"
"I'm fine."
"You are not, you've got a really high fever! Why can't guys EVER just say they're sick?" Ranma frowned.
"I'm ok. It's not that bad."
"It is too. And I've got a pretty good idea of where you got the bug, too." Akane sighed. "Don't get up. I'll be right back." She left Ranma alone, returning a few minutes later with a few supplies in her arms.
"Here." Akane spread an extra blanket over him. Then she sat down beside him and placed a damp cloth on his forehead; cool but not wet enough to change him into a girl.
"I feel horrible," Ranma moaned.
"So you admit it then," Akane smiled wryly. Ranma just grimaced, turning his head away as another spasm of coughing shook his frame. Akane's smile disappeared instantly and she shook her head sympathetically. "Poor Ranma," she murmured. Bending down, she placed an almost tender kiss on his damp forehead. He stared up at her.
"W-what was that for?" he asked weakly.
"Because I felt like it. Now go to sleep." Akane smiled again, softly. "I think somebody once told me that sick people are supposed to get lots of rest." Ranma smiled back then, but his eyes were confused.
"Akane, why are you-"
"Because I want to. Now shut up and go to sleep." Akane brushed a hand over Ranma's face, forcing him to close his eyes. Ranma smiled slightly. Reaching out, he found her hand and grasped it tightly. Akane's eyes shimmered.
After a little while, Ranma's breathing slowed and Akane knew he was asleep. But his hand was still clutching hers. With a smile, Akane blew her fiancee a kiss. "Maybe I'll make some soup," she mused. With that, she gently pulled her hand out of her fiancee's limp grasp and headed downstairs.
When Ranma awoke, Akane had vanished. Shivering, he sat up. He wanted to see her, but pride wouldn't let him call to her. So he decided to go find her instead. Getting up, he ignored his shaking legs and the fact that he was freezing cold and made his way downstairs.
Akane carefully looked at the side of the bottle before she added a tablespoon of its contents to the pot on the stove. She wondered if Ranma was still sleeping. Then she smiled slightly. For all his faults, her fiancee did possess the gift of looking incredibly cute when he was asleep.
A loud sneeze from behind her startled Akane out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw Ranma standing in the kitchen doorway. She gasped.
"Ranma, you fool! What are you doing out of bed? Are you TRYING to do yourself in? Get back up there right now!"
"I'm not sleepy."
"Never mind that." Akane hurried over to him and pulled him by the arm towards the stairs.
"Aw, you're acting like you're my mom or somethin'," Ranma complained. Akane stopped and placed her hands on her hips.
"I'm trying to be nice to you. You were nice to me when I got this flu. I'm just reciprocating."
Ranma wrinkled his nose. "Say what?"
"I'm returning the favor." Akane put an arm around his waist and tugged him up the stairs. Ranma appeared displeased, but allowed Akane to put him back to bed.
Fifteen minutes later, however, he was back. Akane didn't notice him until he attempted to cough quietly. Then she turned to see him sitting on the kitchen floor, with a blanket wrapped around him like a cloak. Akane put her hands on her hips.
"Ranma, what did I just say?" She marched over to him and pulled on his arm to get him to his feet, but he resisted.
"But, Akane, I don't wanna just lay up there all day. I'd rather be down here...with you."
Akane blinked in surprise, feeling her cheeks get warm. "M-me?" Ranma nodded. Akane swallowed hard. "O..k...I guess you can stay...but if you start feeling sicker, you'll go back to bed, ok? Promise?"
"Yup." Ranma smiled. Akane turned back to the stove and began ladling something into a bowl. "Um, Akane...what are you doing?"
"I'm serving soup."
"Soup?" Ranma's eyes widened as realization set in. "Akane...you're not...that's not...you wouldn't..."
"Oh, shut up," Akane grumbled. "I haven't even made you taste it yet. How bad can it be? Besides you're ALREADY sick!"
"Exactly! Your toxic soup could do me in!"
Akane gave Ranma a wounded look. "You won't even try it?"
Under Akane's hurt, puppydog eyes, Ranma caved. "Well...." Akane grinned, thrusting the bowl into his hands. Ranma gulped.
'Emergency numbers are right next to the phone.' He tilted the bowl and took a sip. His mouth filled with the warm liquid. Ranma's eyes widened in shock. It...was...normal! "Akane, did you try this?"
"Why?" Akane twisted her apron nervously. "Is it awful?"
"Just try it."
Apprehensively, Akane served herself a bowl of soup and took a small sip. She gasped. "Ranma!"
"Exactly!" Ranma another sip of his own soup, then smiled at his fiancee. "It's good, Akane. Thanks."
Akane's face turned crimson, but she was smiling. Mumbling something about following recipes, she turned back to the stove. Ranma gave an amused smile at her back, then went back to drinking his soup.
"No."
"Oh, for goodness sake, Ranma! You're worse than a three-year-old."
"I'm not taking it."
"It'll help with your cough."
"No."
"Ranma!" Akane held out a spoonful of the cough syrup. "Take it!"
"It tastes bad."
"Geez! You are so immature! Just take the stupid medicine!"
"No."
"Ranma!" Akane clenched her free hand tightly. Ranma pressed his lips together and turned his head away. "Ooh, that does it," Akane growled. She grabbed Ranma's chin in her hand and force-fed him the cough syrup. He managed to swallow, but with the most disgusted expression on his face he could muster.
"That's AWFUL!"
Akane gave an exasperated sigh. Remembering something Kasumi had done once when she was quite young, Akane kissed two of her fingertips and pressed them against Ranma's mouth. He shut up in an instant.
"Better?" Akane asked sarcastically. Ranma nodded slowly and Akane removed her fingers. "Good." She looked her fiancee over again. "You're shivering again. Maybe you should go back to bed."
"No..I'd rather stay here."
"Well..." Ranma sat down and wrapped himself up in his blanket. After a moment, Akane's girlish sympathy got the better of her and she sat down by his side. The poor guy was obviously exhausted, so Akane pulled his head down onto her shoulder. He fell asleep almost instantly so Akane just sat enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.
When Kasumi came home, she headed for the kitchen to put the groceries away. She entered the room and nearly tripped over Ranma's leg. Her mouth dropped open as she drank in the sight of her sister and Ranma sitting on the kitchen floor, leaning against each other, both sleeping peacefully. Kasumi smiled to herself.
"Oh my.." she laughed softly. "Imagine that."
The End