Firstly, I would like to thank my family and my friends Oya, XP, Monkey, Qina, Eela and Liana for remembering and wishing me 'Happy Birthday'! THANK YOU!! XD

I am BACK for TWO WEEKS!! Yay, mid-year!! (but curse the exams that come before that… dang crud...) And guess what… I got a personal laptop for my birthday!! YAHA!! I'm still working out the kinks and I still have no blimmin' idea how to work the wireless Internet thingy, so you'll still have to bear with my tardiness for a while… gomenasai! (I am also bearing the annoyance of having a pile of ominous looking homework in a corner... taunting me...)

Anywayz, I worked on this sometime during the short week before I got back for the hols, since my novels all finished and I had no idea what to do… Well, I hope you enjoy it!

Hiruma's POV til end

I cracked my eyes open to be greeted with darkness. My eyes stung, my throat itched, my head throbbed and my body ached. Fuck. I feel like I just ran a fucking marathon and have a fucking hangover at the same time… but I don't even fucking drink… Ah, might as well go shower… I pulled myself out of bed despite my protesting joints. My body felt like it was on fire. Dragging my feet to the shower, I set the water temperature at minimum, allowing the cold water met my burning skin. That felt good… I dressed as fast as I cared to, walking right past the fridge. I mean come on, I wasn't gonna miss fucking practice. And besides, I've been eating takeout for weeks…

o.o.o

It was still dark when I got to the clubhouse; it was earlier than I thought. Reveling in the cool darkness, I went straight to my chair and leaned my head back, taking in deep breaths. Fuck, this place is stuffy. I glared at the shutters before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

I awoke to a cool hand on my forehead.

There was a gentle breeze on his face and a soft voice calling echoing in his blurred consciousness, "… Hiruma-kun…?" Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into the cloudless sky. Wait a minute… "Fucking manager." Shit, that was hoarser than I'd like it to be. Keh, she's frowning… and there's the sigh.

"Hiruma-kun, if you're not feeling well, you should just stay home. We can survive a day without you; I mean, we've already done that a couple of times when you were busy 'collecting information', as you call it."

What's with the finger-quoting thing? Is it some fucking trend or something? It's bloody annoying. "I'm bloody fine, fucking manager." Fuck the voice.

"No you're not. Besides, Musashi-kun already went through the trouble of carrying you here after we found your address." Wait, what?!

I shot up straight, almost—almost!—wincing at the sudden movement. Oh shit; I'm home… in my room… Fuck, next thing I know, that fucking fatty's attempting to come in through my non-existent chimney in some fucking Santa suit going 'Hohoho'.

"What-?"

"I met him on the way to school and we found you out cold on the floor."

"On the-?! Oh, fuck it." Actually, I believe the floor was colder, so it should've been 'out on the cold flo-'… what the fuck am I yammering about?! Oh shit, my head's throbbing again. Shit! I felt like it was about to explode or something. I gripped my head with one hand and scowled, ignoring the fucking manager's presence. Acknowledging her won't help now would it? I just have to wait for it to subside, then- hey, what's she sighing for? Hasn't she ever had a fucking migraine before?

What did she drop on me? Oh, it's a T-shirt and sweatpants… since when did I have sweatpants?

"Get changed." Oh, so now she's ordering me around? In MY house? The freaking nerv-! Ow. Dang this accursed migraine. Oh well, at least it'll be more comfortable than this stupid uniform… hey, what's she rolling her sleeves for? "Fucking ma-!" Shit. She left.

Ack, I changed anyway. Man, that bed looks inviting… but what the hell is that woman doing to my house? Better not be painting fucking ponies on my walls or something. I'll just open the door a crack and peer out… wait, this is MY house! Why the fuck am I doing this?! I pushed the door wide open and walked as casually as possible, holding a 'I'm mad at you' look on my face. I hear you in the kitchen, fucking manager.

Why the fuck is she kneeling in front of my fridge? Oh, she's clearing it out with a frown stuck on her per-teh face… hold on, what?! Oh shoot, she noticed me. What, is she hoping I'll shrivel up if she keeps glaring at me like that? 'Don't! It burns!', is that what you expect me to yell? Well haha and ha, cuz I'm standing my ground.

"Hiruma-kun, you haven't been eating this food, have you?" Woah, that loaf of bread is full of spots, "Do I look stupid to you?" I raised an eyebrow.

"For not stocking up your fridge with edible food? YES!" Ouch. I am SO crossing my arms at this point. Oh, she's throwing it into a garbage bag… "What were you trying to do with it, research on fungi?"

Well actually, I was planning to keep it and name it 'Fluffy', but since it smells like bad eggs and you threw it away, no. Oh wait, did I say that out loud? Cuz she's looking absolutely furious and- oh look, she's standing up ad copying my stance. Boohoohoo.

"You're not even supposed to be out of bed. Your temperature's flying."

"I'm fi-!" Boom. Migraine alert. Fuck, now I'm coughing too. Shit this hurts…

… see, I knew the floor was colder.

o.o.o

Cold when I fainted.

Cold when I woke up.

Oh no, time the cold thing's wet too. Actually, this feels pretty good. I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling. It would seem I'm back in my room. However did she manage? Ah, I think the wet, somewhat furry thing on my head is a damp cloth. I closed my eyes.

Open. The cloth is still there, nothing changed.

Close.

Open. Nope, still the same.

Close.

Open. Oh! Hi fucking manager! When do you plan on leaving my fucking house? She's holding a tray of- what the hell is on the tray?? Hey, don't put it on the table over there, I wanna see! Shit, she's facing here; I'll just pretend I'm asleep, see what she does. Hm, I hear her placing a stool beside me. The towel's off. Now her hand's on my neck… wow, her skin is really soft and—this fever is seriously getting to me.

Hey, is she gonna just sit there like a dummy or something? …! What was that?! I felt something on my forehead—oh…

… her lips. Brief and hardly noticeable, but I definitely felt it, nonetheless. And now she's pushing my hair out of my face and tracing my jawline. What do I look like, a dog? …why does my face feel freaking hot? Shit! Well, time to wake up. Wow, she looks absolutely melancholic and worried—no, now she's faking a smile. I see right through you, fucking manager.

"How are you feeling?"

Hm? Besides utterly annoyed at your unsatisfactory attempts to hide your emotions, having a splitting headache and not forgetting freaking accursed temperature? I'm feeling absolutely splendid, why do you ask? "I'm fine." Hm, I think I'll look away to make it more dramatic. Yep, she's definitely a bit more down. Ya-ha.

Ooh, is that a glass of water? Gimme! What, now she's trying to help me sit up? Cue the eye-rolling, "I don't have stroke, fucking manager. I can sit up by myself." Oh wow, she looks mad. Like… a wet cat. Yep, she's definitely not amused. Hah! There she goes with the huffing and arm-crossing thing again. I'm not sure whether this is amusing or annoying. One thing's for sure, I want her gone. "When are you gonna freaking leave?" Where should I put this glass? Ah, I'll just put it on the bedside table. Now, thy shalt taketh thy turn to glare at her.

Why isn't she burning? BURN, DAMNIT!! Ok, seriously, this fever is definitely getting to me.

"I'm staying until I'm sure you can take care of yourself without feeling lonely enough to start breeding a replacement for… Fluffy." Wow, that was colder than the floor. I am NOT gonna let this go without retorting.

"Your mom'll think you got abducted."

"Then I should thank my lucky stars, cuz not only are you incapable of doing so, my mom won't be home for the rest of the week; she has a conference in Florida." That's one smug look for a disciplinary committee member.

"Oh joy. I must say, I'm fucking relieved there won't be anyone around to accuse me of murdering you by feigning a fever just to fish out your sympathy and baiting you to my quiet house." Oh, so now she's rolling her eyes. My habits seem really contagious.

"I already brought my stuff, they're in the living room—"

"Who said you could stay?"

"—I restocked your fridge—"

"Didn't ask you to, now did I?"

"—and cleaned your house—"

"You'd better not expect a favor in return."

"—did your laundry—"

"Geez, how long was I asleep?!"

"—and I tidied out your cupboards and such. How in the world do you find anything in this house? It's barely hospitable!"

"Wow, you actually stopped." Ah, she doesn't seem to be planning on saying anything else… why is she looking at me like that? Is she expecting something? "What?"

"How are you feeling?"

ARGH! "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm--!" Is there a magnet in my forehead that's pulling her hand to it or something?

"Your fever's gone down."

"Heh, told you. So you'll leave?"

"No, I'm still staying until to monitor your condition."

"Fuck you."

"I don't feel like handing my virginity over just yet."

"Oh?" Hah! Now she's blushing. She's realized the technical meaning behind her sentence. Ha-ha-ha, in your face! Heck, she's pouting. Hey, what's she getting up for? Trying to escape are we? I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, crashing my lips against hers. She's not fighting back. Fuck this feels good. I betcha my temperature's flying again. Shit, she tastes sweet… and I actually like it. I pulled her onto my lap and gripped a fistful of her soft hair. Fuck, she's groaning. Oh shit.

"Let's see if I can persuade you to 'hand it over', shall we?" I like that look she's giving me. "Try me."

Snicker.

Hey wait a minute, I still don't know what's on the tray. Oh well.

-owari

OK! I hope you enjoyed it! Now I just have to get this blasphemy called homework off my back and I'll update on 'Rain'. Review, please and thank you! XD