Just An Ordinary Cold
Sai sniffed causing the pressure
in his forehead to increase, which in turn, made his head feel as if it
were about to explode. He would have like nothing better then to
just curl up in his bed and stay there under his nice warm comforter.
Unfortunately he knew better
then anyone what would happen if he did. The house would turn into
a disaster area, and he’d have to clean it when he got well. The
one time he’d done that… He cringed at the memory.
He wiped down the table and had
to grab the chair next to him as a wave of dizziness hit him. If
he hadn’t so sure it would be a pointless waste of Sage’s abilities he
might have asked him to cure it so he’d be able to carry on with his chores
with ease.
Sai moved back to the stove and
finished the scalloped potatoes, checking to make sure the pork chops were
done before setting the table. If he remembered correctly Sage and
Ryo were sparing outside, Mia was out with Yulie for a few days, Kento
was in his room reading manga and Rowen was on the porch reading a three-inch
thick textbook. First things first, if he went out the back door
he could tell Sage and Ryo; giving the two of them a chance to get something
before Rowen and Kento ate it all.
With a small sigh he removed
his apron and set it on the counter before going outside. He stopped
as he watched his two friends fought and waited until both turned towards
him.
“Dinner’s ready.”
Ryo smiled as he sheathed his
sword and walked over. “Thanks for the fore warning Sai.”
“No problem. I’ll go tell
Rowen and…” His voice trailed off as he fought a wave of nausea.
“Hey Sai, you okay?”
He blinked a couple of times
but managed to dredge up a fairly decent smile. “Yep, just a bit
tired. I think you two should get to the table soon, especially because
of the sixth sense Kento has when it comes to food – he might even be at
the table right now.”
Ryo forgot the subject opting
to run into the house but Sage went more sedately by him though from the
expression on his face he hadn’t completely bought the explanation he’d
been given.
With a deep breath he went and
got Rowen and found Kento at the table when he got back. Normally
Sai would have joined them but he went into the kitchen and began cleaning
up instead. If he tried to eat anything he knew it wouldn’t stay
down and the others might over react.
…………………….
Finishing the dishes he went upstairs
to his room, thankful that Kento would be sleeping on the sofa so he wouldn’t
miss his Saturday morning cartoons. If only he didn’t feel so hot,
or dizzy, or nauseous, or tired….
……………………
Sage got up at six in the morning
as he did every morning to practice before breakfast. Going through
his usual routine he went downstairs and paused as he realized something
was off.
Frowning he looked into the living
room and found Kento snoring on the couch, waiting to be woken at eight
by Sai.
His eyes narrowed slightly at
that thought. Sai. That’s what felt off. Normally Sai
was up at five so that he could practice, shower, change and have breakfast
ready for seven so he could wake Kento at eight and Rowen at nine.
But this morning was different. He couldn’t hear the older boy in
the kitchen at all. Just to be sure he checked.
Finding no one there he went
back up the stairs only to run into Sai who was a little flushed.
“Sage! Shouldn’t you be practicing? You know Ryo grabs the
dojo at seven so if you don’t hurry you won’t get your full hour in.”
Sage just stared at him.
“I was just wondering where you were.”
Sai seemed to pale considerably,
“I slept in. It was an accident so I’ll have to scramble in order
to catch up.”
“What about practicing?”
“I’ll just have to make up for
it during the day. Now hurry before I cause your schedule to be off
too!”
Sage felt there was something
else wrong but he couldn’t pin-point it and before he had the chance Sai
was gone, leaving him to go to his practice, puzzled.
…………………………..
Sai tried to remain calm but he
couldn’t believe his luck. No one else was able to grocery shopping.
Sure Kento or Rowen could go but they would blow the money totally on junk
food and through he could trust Mia to do it she wasn’t home yet.
Sage was off somewhere meditating while Ryo had taken White Blaze for a
combination of a hike and walk and he had only two hours to get the groceries
as well as make lunch.
And to that that he was feeling
less then steady and he was having a great time.
Grabbing his list, wallet and
Sage’s car keys he stopped at the living room entrance. “I’m going
shopping guys I’ll be back in about an hour, don’t make a mess.”
Rowen didn’t look up from his
book but mumbled something and Kento didn’t seem to notice at all.
Sighing he slipped on his shoes
and left.
…………………………
Rowen’s stomach growled as he looked
at the clock. Sai had been gone for over two hours. Both Sage
and Ryo had already come back and neither of them seemed to have any ideas
for what might have caused him to be late. And Kento was wearing
a hole in the floor with his pacing.
“Where is he?”
Rowen looked over at Kento before
looking back at the clock. “Hey it’s Sai, what kind of trouble could
he be in?”
……………………….
Sai stared at Sage’s car.
It didn’t seem to be too badly damaged. Another wave of dizziness
hit him and he pitched forward, grabbing onto the mirror to stay up right.
“Are you alright?”
He turned slightly to see a young
woman coming towards him. “Yes.”
“Are you sure? I saw you
slide into the ditch, you’re lucky you weren’t going very fast or you could
have rolled.”
Sai nodded slightly but couldn’t
say anything.
“You look awfully pale.
Look, where are you heading? If it isn’t too far I could drop you off.
I don’t think you should go alone.”
“I’d like that, I have to get
the groceries home.”
The woman looked at him for a
minute then pointed to her car on the road. “I’ll grab the bags and
lock your car up. Just go to the car and rest.”
Sai felt so sick and hot that
he wasn’t about to try and argue. “Thank-you.”
“No problem, son.”
……………………………
The woman dropped him off in front
of the house. She had pulled away before the others rushed out the
door.
“Sai. Man, where were you?”
He managed to dredge up a shaky
smile for Kento but as he bent to pick up the grocery bags the world spun
and he ended up landing hard on his knees in the gravel. Feeling
a hand on his shoulder he found himself looking up into Sage’s face and
swallowed hard. “Sage… I’m sorry… your car… It’s not bad, I swear…
just in the ditch…” The world dimmed around him and he barely registered
being lifted. “The groceries…”
“Don’t worry Sai, I’ve got it.”
“Thanks Ryo.”
…………………………….
“How is he Sage?”
“Sick. He should have been
in bed days ago. I took care of most of it but he’s going to have
to stay in bed for a few days. No leaving bed at all. Rowen,
could you and Kento take me to look for my car and see about helping me
get it back here?”
“Sure buddy.”
“Then I’ll stay with Sai while
you three are gone.”
Kento rubbed his face.
“What on Earth was he thinking? He could have killed himself.”
Sage pulled on his coat.
“He was doing what he always does. He was watching out for us and
looking after us. If we want to make sure something like this doesn’t
happen again we’ll have to start watching out for him too.”
…………………………..
Ryo pulled a chair up next to Sai’s
bed, while White Blaze curled up next to him. The older boy was still
pale but he was sleeping soundly. “You’re pretty stubborn Sai.
You never even asked for help.”
He gently pulled the blanket
up around Sai’s neck and leaned forward. “Why’d you do it Sai?
Why do you always put yourself last?”
…………………………..
Sai woke up to sunlight pouring
in his open window and hauled himself out of bed – he’d slept in again.
He threw on a bathrobe before
stumbling down the stairs, he only just reached the bottom when he spied
Sage, in an apron, carrying a tray towards him.
“Sage… what are you doing?”
“The question should be, what
are you doing? You’ve been prescribed strict bed rest for the next
couple of days.”
Sai just stared at Ryo as he
came up behind Sage. “But…” His eyes widened slightly as he
noticed that all four of them were wearing aprons.
Kento crossed the room and scooped
him up. “No buts Sai. It’s bed for you and that’s final.”
Rowen grinned. “That’s
right Sai. You’re our brother and there’s no way we’re going to let
you work yourself into the ground.”
“But…”
“Sai. Anymore buts and
I’m going to use the power of Halo to knock you out so you do rest.”
“Sage… I’m sorry about your car.”
The blond looked at him hard.
“It’s just a car Sai. Unlike you it can be replaced. Kento
take him upstairs, I’ll follow and we’ll make sure he rests this time.”
“You heard Halo’s orders Sai,
it’s to bed with yah.” He started climbing the stairs and Sai felt
Kento hold him a little tighter. “By the way Sai, don’t EVER scare
me like that again. If you aren’t feeling well, let us know.
Friends and family shouldn’t have secrets.”
Hearing the worry in Kento’s
voice Sai nodded. “You’re right, sorry.”
“It’s nice that you take care
of us Sai and I know you’re used to looking after your sister and mother
but don’t forget to look after yourself as well. Without you the
world would be less warm.”
“I’ll try to remember that Sage.”
“And we’ll remind you as well,
so you don’t forget.”