Summary: Juri is sick, it happens even to the best of us, but for Juri this is a weakness she can't afford to admit to anyone...or can she?  Juri x Miki.

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Juri Arisugawa was lying on her back in bed, her night gown clinging to her sweat soaked body.  There were a pile of tissues on the floor next to her bed, and an empty tissue box on her nightstand.  There was another box, but that was in the kitchen, but she could feel the mucus building up in her nose and the phlegm in her throat, but her limbs ached so much... “Here you go Miss Juri.”  The tissue box was floating in front of her, Juri grabbed it out of the air, pulled out a bunch of tissues and hacked and coughed and sneezed into them until some semblance of clearness had been achieved.  “I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner Miss Juri, you look really awful.”

“It's all right,” her voice croaked like a frog's, “I'll be all right...” Juri realized she was talking to someone, she looked up and saw that it was who it had sounded like, Miki Kaoru.  “Miki!”

“Do you have a fever Miss Juri?”  He reached out and put his hand to her forehead, and in the heated fog of her mind all Juri could think was how she'd so often reached out and touched Miki's shoulder to get his attention.  “Hmm, I'd say it's a low fever, but then again I'm not the one who has it.”  Miki withdrew his hand.  “Here, let me go and get you a wet cloth, I'll be right back.”

“Miki, wait...damn it.”  She groaned, and not from the sensations constricting her chest.  Miki was already out the door and in the bathroom, she heard water running and a cloth being wrung.  He came back.  “I appreciate the gesture Miki, but it is quite unnecessary.”  He just walked up to her and laid the cloth onto her forehead, she felt the heat being sapped from her whole body.

“Is there anything else I can do for you Miss Juri?  Have you been able to eat today?”

“Miki, how did you even know I was sick?”  She resisted grabbing her stomach, Miki's mention of food irritated her insides.

“When you didn't show up for Fencing Club, I checked around and asked the nurse she said that you'd called in sick.”  Miki looked over at Juri's desk, pulled the chair from it and sat down next to Juri.  “Miss Juri, why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well?  We would have been over right away if you'd said something.”  Yet only he was here.

“Miki, while your concern is appreciated, this really isn't called for; I will recover on my own, and you have more important things to be doing, like practicing your piano.”  The thought of being able to listen to Miki's music, that had given her so much strength.

Miki shook his head.  “How could I focus on that with you feeling so awful, Miss Juri?”  Miki looked down.  “When I owe you so much?”

“What do you mean?  What are you talking about Miki?”

“You've always helped me out Miss Juri, you've always supported and been there for me; you would always show up out of nowhere just to ask me how my day was and I...today, when you weren't there, I'd realized how used to that I was getting, that I was starting to take it for granted.”  Miki raised his head.  “Please Miss Juri; let me repay you, show you how much I appreciate you.”

“...You really won't leave, will you?”  Miki shook his head.  “I suppose that's my own fault, I've trained you too well.”  Juri smiled.  “My mother always fed me chicken soup when I got sick back home.”
Miki smiled.  “Sure thing Miss Juri, I promise I won't be long.”  He got up and went to the kitchen.  Juri leaned back into bed.

“This is fine.”  Miki was an exception, she could let herself be helped by him, just this once.