Kazekage-sama's Sick Day! :D

[Starry_Screamer]

Hey everybody!! My second official story on the forum, I'm so excited. I'm on the meanest Naruto kick ever right now, so I just HAD to make this. Gaara's the guy that got me into Naruto, will probably always make my Top 5 character list, and will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart...

That being said, he's also very fun to torture, especially after he's got the pressure of being Kazekage on him. XDD And I'm horrible, I know. I have a weird thing for guys trying to muddle through work while they're sick, and in my mind that's exactly what Kazekage Gaara would do, lol. "I CAN'T LET THE VILLAGE DOWN, THEY NEEEEEED MEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

... I, err, I'll show myself out.

Alright, let's see.

Title: Kazekage-sama's Sick Day! (No, the is not optional lol!!)

Fandom: Naruto

Disclaimer: Well, I'm partial to funny disclaimers, so here's one... Don't ya think if I owned Naruto, EVERY GUY IN THE SHOW WOULD HAVE SNEEZED BY NOW? Many times, in fact! Bwahahahaha. I would be all "But they're TALKING ABOUT HIM!!! Shouldn't he, y'know, be sneezing? 8D" So there's your answer, I do NOT own Naruto. Unfortunately. Boo.

Welp, I've rambled on long enough. ENJOY YOUR SICK, FEVERISH, ADORABLE GAARA, EVERYONE!

PART 1

“HEH’IETSCHUUU!”

For about the millionth time that morning, the nearly 18-year-old Kazekage’s surprisingly loud sneezing seemed to practically shake not only his office, but the entire building. It appeared that everyone was trying to be polite, even his siblings - but with each outburst, it was getting harder to ignore. It was almost like his sneezes were getting more violent as the morning wore on.

Gaara groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, leaning forward as he surveyed the latest damage. So far this morning, he’d managed to, at least ten times, sneeze papers off his desk while he was trying to work on them. Sighing, he reluctantly stood up to retrieve the papers that had been blown onto the floor. Being a Kazekage wasn’t easy in itself. Being a sick Kazekage was even harder.

Sniffling in a vain attempt to stop his nose from running, he bent down to pick up his things. He could barely even breathe through his nose, and to make matters worse his chest had begun to get tight. “At this rate,” he muttered, beginning to collect the papers, “I’ll be gasping for air by lunch...”

He heard the door open, and looked over to see who it was. From long legs covered in fishnet, up to that beautiful face with now-long blonde hair and warm chocolate eyes, there was Shinkei Mizukara; ah, his old “frenemy” from the Chunin Exams. They’d both undergone so much development since then, and always together. He’d almost forgotten that she’d been on a mission here for several days.

“Kazekage-sama?” she giggled when she saw the position he was in. “Have you fallen and can’t get up?”

“Ha ha.” He rolled his eyes so far he thought they were going to fall out of his head. “And I’ve told you at least a million times, Shinkei, you don’t have to call me that.” He returned to his full height, about two inches taller than she was, and went around to sit back down. “Good morning. Did you need something?”

She gingerly set a paper down on top of the pile he’d just picked up. “Well, Kuna, Tsubasa, and I completed the mission early. I only assumed that you and Mizukage-sama would both want a copy of the mission report. I figured I’d give you yours while I’m already in town for a few days.”

He rubbed at his now pink nose, reaching for his pen. “Thank you, Shinkei. I’ll get to it when I’m able.”

She didn’t leave, though she did give him a coy smile. “Gaara, not to offend you or anything, but you... look absolutely horrible.”

He let out a half-hearted chuckle as he prepared to sign the form in front of him. “‘Horrible,’” he murmured sarcastically. “Can’t imagine why that would offend me.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I... didn’t mean it like that. Of course you’re always handsome no matter what.” She rubbed her arm, almost self-consciously. “But you look like you barely slept last night... are you sick?”

He tried clear his throat, but every time he did it just became increasingly sore. “Hmmph, maybe.”

“Oh, don’t play strong and stubborn with me.” She leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. “I think they can hear you sneezing all the way back in my village. If you didn’t look so sick, I’d swear someone’s just talking a whole lot of shit about you.”

“Oh hush.” He scrunched up his nose at the mention of the word, feeling a suspiciously familiar and irritating tickle starting to build up. “And you just had to say it, didn’t you?”

“Hee hee.” She ducked her head down, closing her eyes. “Please. You don’t really believe suggestion is that powerful, do you?”

Gaara sniffed, scrubbing at the underside of his nose. Oh, Sands above, not again. He barely had time to get more than a couple of hitched breaths in before... “Heh’ieetschhiuuu!! H... Hi... Hih’tschhhoooo!!”

He opened his eyes to see all the papers he’d previously collected, along with Shinkei’s mission report, strewn messily on the floor. He blinked a few times, sniffled, and let his head fall forward onto his desk, feeling utterly defeated. “I... I just... picked that all up...”

Shinkei laughed for a moment - he wasn’t sure exactly what there was to laugh about, but he was glad someone was amused by his being sick - then sauntered over to his desk and patted her friend’s back. “Oh Gaara - my goodness, bless you! Poor thing, you’re clearly miserable.” She gently placed the back of her hand against his forehead, clicking her tongue and shaking her head as if she didn’t like the result. “Mm-mm... this certainly won’t do.”

Gaara sighed, plucking a tissue from the box on the corner of his desk. “What, pray tell, won’t do?” he questioned, before blowing his nose softly.

“You’re running a fever, that’s what won’t do!” She drew her hand away and put both hands on her hips resolutely. “Come on, Gaara. You get out of that chair, march back to your room, and get in bed.”

He brought his arm up and coughed into his long sleeve a few times, then looked over at all the papers on the floor... the same ones. Sigh. “I can’t, Shinkei, and you know it.” He pushed himself out of the chair, attempting to get around her so he could pick up his things... again. “I have too much work today...”

He got dizzy when he tried to bend down once more - and he decided he was lucky to have her as a friend. For if he didn’t, she wouldn’t have been there to pester him... which meant she wouldn’t have been able to catch him before he did a faceplant on the floor of his office. He even had to close his eyes to regain his balance. “Ugh...”

“Would you look at yourself, Gaara... tsk, you can’t even stand on your own two feet! Here, let me help you.” She was careful as she pulled him back up, very slowly so as not to disorient him again. “Come on, you. I’m taking you to bed, I think Suna can do without you for a day or two.” She had one hand on his back, and with the other she was holding his hand.

He leaned his head on her shoulder, coughing a few times. Suddenly feeling very weak and tired, he tried to protest, “But... all my work...”

“Can wait until you’re feeling better,” she finished, taking a turn down the hallway. “You’re in no condition to even be up and about, much less try and focus on all that nonsense they shove at you. You’ll give yourself a headache like that.”

“Too late - I’ve had one since I woke up,” he quipped, hearing a door open. He idly wondered how she knew where his room was, where anything was around here, but the thought was quickly dismissed as he opened his eyes. Never in his life had he been so relieved to see a bed. It was like he’d been smacked in the face with how much he just wanted to sleep. He felt like he could fall asleep and not wake up for a week.

“Here, let’s get that robe off. That’ll only make your fever worse.” Shinkei’s hands were gentle as she untied the scarf from around his neck, placing it on the bedside table. She then undid the buttons on his robe as well, and slipped it off, leaving him in only his simple black jumpsuit. “There we go, I’ll just put that on the end of the bed for now...”

He sat down, shivering and hugging himself tightly. Since when was it so freezing anywhere in this village? “Sh-Shinkei...” he sniffed, rubbing his nose in a probably futile attempt to dissuade the fluttering sensation that had returned. “I n-need a... aahhh...”

She looked back at him, her wide eyes seeming to realize the problem. She quickly grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on the table and clapped them over the lower half of his face. “Here, here...”

Instinctively he brought a hand up to cover his face, but since Shinkei was already holding tissues over his mouth and nose, he now had a hand over her fingers. He inadvertently tightened his grip as a short, desperate fit of sneezing nearly doubled him over. “Heh’ieetschhhu! Ah... ahh’tsschhhhiuu!!” He could feel her other hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles through his shirt. “HUH’ETSHHOO! H... Heh-heh...” He gasped frantically a few times, trying and failing to turn his head one way or the other. “H’nngkkttt!” For all the effort he spent stifling, he was rewarded with only a horrible stinging in his sinuses.

Shinkei continued to rub his back, up and down, and when she spoke, she sounded extremely concerned. “Bless you. Oh, look at you, Gaara, you’re shaking like a leaf...”

He sniffled, struggling to just get a decent breath in. “I-I’b fide,” he coughed, trying to straighten up a bit more. He felt so helpless, and to him it seemed like the worst feeling in the world; although, he had to reason, feeling helpless and having someone willing to help was better than feeling helpless and having no one at all.

She scoffed. “Gaara, say that again.”

“Whad?” He looked up at her, wishing his eyes hadn’t started to water. “‘I’b fide’?”

Snickering, she used the tissues to press lightly down on one side of his nose. “Shut up and blow.”

Feeling resigned and also a bit embarrassed, he did as she told him to. “Dow cad I-”

“Ah ah. Other side, kawaiiko-chan.”

He glared at her for the nickname, but it probably would have been more effective if his eyes weren’t so bloodshot. He repeated the action, and was in the middle of wondering why she was still holding the tissues over his face when he remembered that he still had her fingers in a vise grip. He sheepishly let go, and she drew her hand back, tossing the tissues into the trash can. “Sorry, Shinkei...” Well, he still felt rather congested, but at least now she could understand what he was saying.

She just smiled, pulling a few more tissues out of the box. “It’s alright, I’m fine.” But even as she said it, he looked down to see her pressing the tissues into his hand; her fingers were bruised from his grasp, which made him feel awfully guilty. He certainly hadn’t meant to do that. In the nearly five years since they’d met, hadn’t they already hurt each other enough? “Now, really, Gaara, you need to lie down. You’ll never get better if you don’t take it easy. C’mon now, into bed.”

Gaara sighed, wincing as the action caused further discomfort in his throat. Using the tissues to wipe his nose, he hesitantly laid down on his back, a very gradual motion as he’d started to feel aches all over his body, especially his back and neck. Crumpling up the tissues in his hand, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to be stubborn and try one more time. “Shinkei, I-I need... to...”

“Shh, Gaara.” She gently pulled a sheet over his body, making sure it wasn’t too heavy or tight so he wouldn’t overheat. “The only thing you need to do is rest.” She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, over the spot where his kanji was. “Even the Kazekage is entitled to a few sick days.”

D'AWWWSY. Well, I'm proud of it. I think I'll add more... that is, if I receive some lovely comments? 8D *bats eyelashes* You know you wanna...

Bleh, you don't have to. XD Anyway, about Shinkei. Just to give you some clarification on her character, she and Gaara met during the Chunin Exams. Yeah, waaaaaaay back then when they were like 13! She and Gaara were pretty much the same personality-wise. I made her a looooong-ass time ago, and she wasn't great back then. Instead of being a female Gaara, she was basically a bubbly girl with a hidden angsty side. So I'm getting around to revamping her.

Eeeee, she and Gaara have gone through so much and grown side by side. I'm so proud of them both! XD

So, should I continue?

[hails]

......

AAAAAH GAARA!!!! Omg you are amAzing, please please continue!!!

:D

[Dye]

This was adorable, and I'd really like to see more! Gaaraaaaa~

[Natto]

That was adorable. I love how no-nonsense and kind Shinkei was, and I like how Gaara just kind of passively went along with her--it suits him. I'm a little confused about their meeting, since Gaara spent the entire chuunin exam murdering everyone he came across unprompted, but that doesn't really affect this particular story, which was lovely.

[Starry_Screamer]

hails: Eeee, thank you!! Hehehe, "amAzing". Pfft. Glad you like it so far though!

Daisoku: Well howdy there! 8D Squee, it's only adorable because Gaara's so adorable. XD

Natto: D'aww, thankies!! Gaara is so awesome, especially when he's all sick and needs some lovin'. Poor dear. Ah... about their meeting, lol! Shinkei has a Kekkei Genkai which allows her to temporarily copy the jutsu that's being used against her; kind of like Sharingan, only once she deactivates it, all knowledge of how to do the jutsu she copied goes poof. Gaara tried SEVERAL times to kill her, but all that ended up happening was that she turned his jutsu back on him. And decided not to kill him for whatever reason. Probably because they had the same eyes. ANYHOO. Hope that clears it up lol...

Blehhh, you know you love my eager fast updating. You wanted more? I WANTED TO WRITE MORE. Ask and ye shall receive, bwahahaha.

I, err, may have gotten just a LITTLE too into writing this. XD Poor Gaara. Oh well, he's miserable, all the more excuse for Shinkei to give him lotsa lovin's. Also, GAARA OOH YOU SO ADORABLE ABUBUBU~ I JUST WANNA DIP HIM IN CHOCOLATE AND EAT HIM UP. Teehee.

Hope you enjoy the next installment!

“Gaara.” She slid her hand over his shoulder, pressing her lips against his.

He smiled through their kiss, trying not to cough. “Shinkei...”

She blinked inquisitively at him several times, but didn’t break the kiss. “Gaara?” she managed to speak around the teeth she was using to gently bite at his bottom lip.

He chuckled, running a hand through her beautiful blonde hair. She’d looked pretty back when she was 13, with short hair, but he was glad she’d followed her dream of having it long again. Like she said it had been as a child. “Yes?”

She pressed a hand against his chest, licking his lip. “Gaara. Gaara, wake up, dear...” She giggled. “Wake up...”

“Gaara, wake up!”

He cracked his eyes open so they were barely slits. What... ugh. Leave it to his desires to mutate into a nonsensical fever dream. His vision was blurry at first, and he blinked a few times to see Shinkei standing over him, with her bruised fingers gently shaking his shoulder. She’d tied her hair up, it looked like, and her face seemed mildly concerned. “Sh-Shinkei?” Oh, Sands, how was it possible that he was hot and cold at the same time?

Her features became relieved, and she smiled down at him. “Well, hey there, sleepyhead. Do you always sleep like this?”

He reached up to rub at his nose. “Like what?”

She grinned. “Like a log. Oh well, I guess you needed your rest anyway - it probably did you some good. Feeling any better?”

Not really, he sighed mentally. His head was still foggy, almost like she was the only thing he could focus on at the moment; his chest was sore again, as was pretty much everything else; his nose was still stuffed up, causing a dull pain in his ears as well; for some reason he hadn’t gotten any less tired, and there was a near unbearable ache behind his eyes. “I’d be lying if I said yes,” he muttered, trying to pull the sheet up. “In fact I could swear I’ve gotten worse.”

“Ah, poor Gaara.” Putting a hand on his forehead again, she gave him a sweet, sympathetic look with pity in her eyes. “Being sick is no fun. But look at the bright side, you’ve got me to take care of you!”

That’s the bright side? He almost smiled at his own joke, but stopped himself after he realized he hadn’t said it out loud. He didn’t want her thinking he was going sick in the head as well.

She shook her head. “Mm-mm... you still feel warm. I’ll have to find a thermometer and take your temperature...”

Her touch was cool and pleasant, and he welcomed it against his burning skin. It was like his face was boiling and the rest of him was completely frozen. “Shinkei...”

She gently slid her palm off his head. “Hmm? Something wrong, Gaara?”

He blinked slowly a few times, sniffling as his nose began to run again. “Unh... I think I need another tissue...”

“Oh! Sorry, how silly of me. Let me just...” She reached over onto the table and pulled a few out of the box. Turning back to him, she clicked her tongue like she had before. “Aww, you look so miserable... so needy.” She carefully reached down and wiped away the offending mucus. “Tsk, it’s kind of adorable, actually. Ah, there we go!”

He coughed, wrinkling his nose. Damn, the irritating sensation was back now. “You don’t have to take care of me, Shinkei... I’m not a child. You should be with your squad, not wiping my nose...”

She giggled, folding up the tissues and handing him the dry outside parts. “Well,” she commented, standing up, “what if I prefer wiping your nose to being with my teammates? Tsubasa and Kankuro are annoying with their wedding plan binder, and all Kuna does is complain about not being able to visit Lee.” She rolled her eyes. "Lovesick couples are so... ugh."

He shook his head. “Well, they may all be extremely ugh, but at least they’re happy.”

“True... well.” She started heading toward the bathroom. “I’ll get a cool cloth for your forehead, see if we can’t bring your fever down a little. Be right back.”

“Thanks.” Just as she disappeared through the door, the tickle became impossible to ignore. Back with a vengeance didn’t even cover the half of it. His nose twitched, and he quickly buried his face in the tissues, gasping. “H... H-Hih... Hi’eeetschhhhiuuu! Heh’iietshhoooo!!”

There was a quiet giggle from the bathroom. “Bless you, Gaara!” Shinkei’s voice floated in.

Scrubbing futilely at his nose, he managed to take a strangled breath. “Y-You can hear me all the way in there?”

“Hehe, I’m pretty sure everyone in the village heard you,” she laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m almost done and then I’ll be back in.”

He wasn’t able to properly answer her or even choke out an “Okay”, because clearly the tickle hadn’t fully had its way with him yet. He could barely even turn over onto his side before the fit resumed. “HE’IEEETSCHHHUU!! H’tschhhhh!! Hiiietschhhoooo!!” Realizing that he was probably spraying his pillows and sheets with saliva, he managed to cover his face with the tissues again.

He knew Shinkei was back, for he felt her sit down on the bed. “Bless you again,” she murmured, tenderly placing her hand on the back of his neck and playing with tendrils of his short, fine hair. Her nails scratched his skin slightly, but for some reason it felt almost soothing.

He groaned; though he appreciated each nuance of her presence, the irritating tickle still wasn’t satisfied. “I’d save it if I were you,” he muttered, feeling like just sinking down into the sheets and having them swallow him whole. Why was he so embarrassed about this? He’d been sick plenty of times before he’d even met her, as a kid, and he’d never had such a feeling toward being taken care of. “I don’t think I-I’m... hh... done quite yet...”

Urgh, he completely despised his sneezes no matter what the situation. Even if he wasn’t sick, they was a draining experience for him. “Heh’ieeeschhhhoooo!! Eh’itschhhhiiiuuu!!” Every outburst was insanely forceful, causing him to tremble and rock. It was an intense effort for him just to not let them utterly take over his body and send him careening off the bed. Half because Shinkei was here and he didn’t want to totally scare her off, and half because he really didn’t feel like adding head injury to his growing list of problems. “Ahhh’etschhhhuu!! Hih’tssshhhoooo!! H’nnkktt!! H’kkntt!!”

The last two stifles were incredibly painful, to the point of making his eyes water. He actually grimaced, having to curl his knees up toward his chest in an attempt not to cry. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been ill, but he was sure it had sucked just as much. (Though he’d begun to mentally refer to this event as “The Worst Cold in the History of Ever.”)

“Aww, Gaara. C’mere, it’s okay.” Shinkei’s touch was almost motherly as she scooted herself up closer to him and guided his head over as much as she could without hurting him. “You poor thing. I wish there was something else I could do for you.”

He rested his head against her leg as she continued to stroke down his neck and shoulder. “I-I hate being s-sick,” he wheezed, pressing his closed eyes against the fabric of her pant leg. “I h-hate it so much,” he repeated through the start of a coughing fit.

“Oh, dear, I know.” Her voice was quiet and reflective, with a sigh to it. People tossed the word hate around so much, like it was nothing; they both knew the meaning of hate well enough to barely use it at all. She understood that if he was using it, he must be suffering horribly. “I’m so sorry.”

She lightly ran a cold, damp cloth over his forehead, eliciting several violent shivers from him. For a few minutes they just sat there in silence, with Gaara lying in her lap while she wiped him down.

The coughing still hadn’t died down yet, though it had subsided to a dry rasp instead of the harsh barking it had been.

“Well,” Shinkei finally remarked, a hint of a grin in her voice, “those sneezes must really be something if they make you shake like that!”

He tried to smile for her sake - it was pretty funny for her to point it out like that. And it was a nice gesture too, trying to lighten the mood and get him to cheer up. After all, everyone said laughter was the best medicine. “They are,” he croaked, sniffling for what seemed like the millionth time just since he’d woken up. “They’re terrible.” He found a corner of his little tissue wad that hadn’t been used, and weakly wiped his nose.

She must have seen him the face he made, because she laid the cloth down on his forehead and readjusted herself on the bed. “Does that hurt, Gaara?” She gently moved the tissues away and winced when she saw the sorry state his poor, red nose was in. “Tsk, that looks raw. I can see why you’re making that face.” She touched the bridge of his nose, taking care not to press hard. “I’ll have to see if I can’t find something...”

She trailed off when he started to cough again. When his eyes finally stopped watering and he could look up at her in between his coughs, she looked more concerned than he’d ever seen her. “Maa, I don’t like the sound of that...” She shook her head, keeping her eyes on him as she walked toward the bedroom door.

“Maybe I should find a medic...”

Uh oh!! Sounds like he's got a chest cold to me... but Shinkei seems worried. Who will she find to examine our poor Kazekage?

But of course, I have all the answers because I'm the author. Huh.

Ooh! Japanese translations, I forgot to give you one last time.

Kawaiiko-chan = cutie

Maa = Oh dear

Also, don't be TOO worried about Gaara... I have a feeling this isn't anything serious. ^-^

Welp, I hope you enjoyed this part... *looks up at one part* Bwess you, Gaawa!! Listen to Shinkei and get some more rest, for Sands' sake...

Part 3 coming soon!

[ichixshiro14]

This is really great!!

[Blessing Queen]

Great fic,thanks for writing and sharing!

[Starry_Screamer]

ichixshiro14: Aww thanks!! Glad you like it so far~

SneezyQueen1: Thanks!! It's not over yet, there's still several more parts! (Don't know how many, but at least one more after this, probably more. XD)

Eh, not much to say this time around. XD Except that I do believe I got a liiiiiittle too into writing Shinkei's inner thoughts. I'll have to get more into writing Gaara's inner thoughts for the next part. 8D He's too adorable.

Yeah, I'm in a mad Gaara mood. XD

This "chapter" is a little light on sneezing, but never fear because I think the next part will have lots of it. As compensation, everything Gaara says in this part comes out in a cute stuffed-up voice. THE POOR DEAR. He needs lots of love so he can get better. EVERYONE, WE MUST HUG HIM.

Yyyyyeah...... ignore my weirdness and enjoy this next part!

PART 3

Shinkei opened the door, throwing one more glance at her poor friend on the bed. “Gaara? I’ll be right back, I’m going to find someone to look you over. I just want to make sure that cough isn’t anything serious.”

He couldn’t even turn to look over at her; he was too tired. She heard him cough a few more times, then he sniffed and managed a very congested, “Okay. I wod’t - sniff - go adywhere.”

“Just try to get some rest.” She let out a short, mirthless giggle. “And while you’re at it, blow your nose. You’re all stuffy again. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” She heard him mumble something incoherently as she closed the door, and smiled a little. He was so cute when he was sick and it made her completely worry over him. And for whatever reason, she loved that feeling of being utterly flustered and wanting to care for him.

She wasn’t sure where to start looking, so she walked as fast as she could without running, heading down one part of the hall. Were medics in a different part of the city? Ugh, Sunagakure was so confusing. She peeked through one door’s window, only to see an empty conference room, and sighed. At this rate, she’d never find...

“Whoa!” As she turned out she didn’t notice someone behind her, and ran into them. A quick assessment of the facial paint and full-body suit confirmed the person as Gaara’s older brother, Kankuro. She mentally groaned, knowing she’d found Tsubasa’s fiancé and she’d never hear the end of what they were currently planning. “Shin-chan? What are you doing here? I thought Tsubasa-chan said you guys were gonna go have lunch after you finished your mission.”

Shinkei rolled her eyes. “Well, I wanted to turn in my mission report and...” Wait a minute. WAIT JUST A MINUTE. Kankuro was a puppet master, wasn’t he? And he used poisons; poisons that he had to make antidotes for. That he created himself. That were kind of like medicine. It was a long shot from a medic, but he’d have to do for now. “Kankuro-kun! Urgh, what am I saying?” She grabbed his arm and started dragging him back to Gaara’s room. “I need your help!”

“Hey, slow down!!” He followed her, but very nearly fell over himself running. “You need my help with what?!”

She hurried him back to the room, and opened the door after peeking in to make sure she had the correct room. “Gaara’s sick, and his cough sounds nasty. I’m sorry for bugging you if you’re supposed to be working, but I needed someone to check him out...” Folding her hands in front of her chest, she stuck out her lower lip and fluttered her eyelashes several times. “Please, Kankuro-kun?”

He blinked a few times, raising an eyebrow. “Well, geez, Shin-chan... you don’t have to beg me with that... face. You look like a kicked puppy or something! I’d be more than happy to make a house call for my little brother~”

“Not even a doctor,” she muttered, entering behind him and shutting the door.

Rolling his eyes, he glanced at his brother on the bed. “Ouch, he looks terrible. What’s all wrong with him?”

“What’s not?” She carefully sat down on the other side of the bed, gingerly patting her friend’s back. “He’s sneezing, coughing... he’s got a stuffy, runny nose and a sore throat... I think his head hurts... I’m pretty sure he’s in pain just to turn over... and he’s got a fever. I was trying to cool him down a little, but then he started coughing and... well... I got kind of worried.” She took a little tuft of Gaara’s red hair and twirled it gently between her fingers. “I know it sounds like just a cold, but I wanted to make sure...”

“Hey, it’s not a bad thing that you’re worried about him, Shin-chan. Better safe than sorry, and to be honest he needs someone to fuss over him.” He turned his attention to the sick Kazekage, brushing the teen’s bangs back along with the washcloth to feel his forehead. “Hey Gaara. How you feelin’?”

“H’nxxtt!! H’nnkkt!!” After stifling a couple of sneezes into his tissues, Gaara looked up. Seeming to strain just to focus his eyes, he coughed a few times. “... Thad g-give you a straight adswer, Kadkuro?”

The puppet master chuckled, drawing his hand back. “Yeah, I get it. You look like you feel crappy. Hey, blow your nose, will you? I can barely understand a word you’re saying.”

The younger boy scowled. “I already did,” he sniffled, “but dothing cabe out. I keep gettig codgested agaid... I cad barely breathe.”

Shinkei comfortingly rubbed little circles in his back. “Poor Gaara. You tried to blow your nose?”

He nodded, coughing again. “Yes. It didn’t help. It just bade by ears hurt...”

“Aww.” She continued her action, feeling all but useless that she couldn’t find anything more to say than that.

He sniffled again, closing his eyes. “I jus’ wadda go back to sleep...”

She knew that the old Shinkei would have thought nothing of leaving him to drown in his own disgusting sickness. It was almost hard to believe that only about four years ago she could have been so horrible to the closest thing she’d ever had to a kindred spirit back then. She would have even killed him if they weren't so alike... if she hadn’t felt such similar things in what she saw of his past to what was in her own. She had grown so much, alongside who she now could call her friend; she could cry at the way they must have treated each other back then. Who could look at Gaara right now, the poor, sweet boy that she loved dearly, who was sicker than anybody had a right to be and acting like an adorable little child... and not want to help him? Not feel sorry for him at all?

No, the old Shinkei would have taken one look at him, taken some small, twisted pleasure in the fact that he was suffering, and walk away without a second glance. Second thoughts, maybe, but never a second glance. The person who she really was, the new and improved Shinkei... her heart just ached that she couldn’t do anything more than what she was already doing for him. He looked so fragile lying there, and he was beautiful, and she wanted more than anything to simply be there, to take care of him.

He coughed several times, and looked up at her. “Shidkei? Are you al - ah - Eh’iitschhhoo!! H’eetshhuuu!!” Sniff. “Alright?”

“Bless you,” she mumbled. “I’m fine. Just concerned about you, Gaara.”

He gave her a weak, tired little smile. “Do’t be,” he answered, rubbing his nose. “I’b sure it’s jus’ a cold...”

She giggled a little. Sick as a dog and still caring about her feelings. “I know, I just can’t help it.” She sighed lightly and looked back over at Kankuro. “Are you done with your, er, ‘examination’, Kankuro?”

“Yeah, one minute. You told me all his symptoms which is pretty much all I need, I just wanted to see...” He reached down and carefully put a hand against his brother’s chest. “Since you said he was coughing a lot. Can you take a deep breath for me, Gaara?”

“Ugh... I cad try.” He breathed in slowly, and it seemed like he was nearly done until he started to cough again. After a moment of holding the tissues over his face and Shinkei patting his back, he moaned and buried his face in the pillow. He pushed Kankuro’s hand off him and whined, “By chest hurts!”

The puppeteer shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Sorry, that probably made it worse.”

Gaara sniffled and then mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, “Do shit, Kadkuro...”

Shinkei couldn’t help herself from letting out a weird combination of a giggle and a snort. Her friend could be so funny when he wanted to be, even when he was sick. “So, what’s the diagnosis, Dr. Kankuro? Was I right to be worried?”

He shrugged, lifting up his hat to scratch at his head briefly. “Well, I don’t wanna say you were wrong... it’s always good to worry about someone who’s sick. Especially someone like Gaara.”

“I heard thad,” the sick teen hissed, still not retreating from the comfort of his face-pillow.

Kankuro flicked the side of Gaara’s ear. “Meant to be heard, little brother. Anyway, it doesn’t seem to be anything serious,” he continued, directing this conversation back at Shinkei. “I think whatever virus he’s sick with just can’t decide whether it wants to be a head cold or a chest cold. Obviously it didn’t have clearly defined goals as a child virus,” he joked, then rolled his eyes when she didn’t laugh. “He can get a pretty decent breath in if he breathes through his mouth... which he probably wouldn’t be able to do if it were anything more than a cold. A really bad cold by the looks of it, but still just a cold.”

“Well, I suppose that’s good to hear...” She absently lifted up the bottom of Gaara’s shirt to rub gently at his bare back - which she still thought was warmer than she would have liked. She hoped his fever wasn’t getting worse. “So what should I do for him?”

Kankuro stood up. “I say just keep doing what you’ve been doing... it looks like you’re taking pretty good care of him. As for anything specific, well... you said he’s got aches and all that? I think there’s some pain pills in the bathroom, he can have like two of those every... I forget if it’s four or six hours, but it should be on the bottle. If he gets hungry he can eat, although you probably don’t want to feed him anything except soup or crackers. In case it turns out to be the flu, I don’t think you want him puking while he’s in bed.”

She nodded as she stroked her hand over Gaara’s skin. “Okay. What about if he gets thirsty? Just water?” To be honest she felt a little embarrassed, even blushing a bit. Wasn’t she supposed to know how to take care of her sick loved one? She couldn’t remember being taken care of herself... and for most of her life she didn’t concern herself with taking care of other people. She looked out for number one, maybe Gaara once or twice, and that was it. She felt so humiliated and socially inept that she actually had to ask someone how to care for him instead of just automatically knowing.

Kankuro just smiled good-naturedly, not seeming fazed by her question in the slightest. “Water or tea, yeah. Whichever he wants, but no, like, soda or anything. That’d just dehydrate him, which is probably the worst thing to do to someone who’s sick. He can have as much water or tea as he wants, though. I mean... within reason. Wouldn’t want him drinking so much he has to get up every five minutes to pee.”

“Right.” She smiled, tracing circles in Gaara’s back with one finger. “Thanks so much for this, Kankuro. I know it must have been annoying...”

“Che! I should be thanking you. Gave me an excuse for being late to that...” He shuddered comically, making a face. “Meeting with Baki and the elders.” He pouted, heading for the door. “I should go off to it though, the old coots already hate me and think my face paint is a sign of ‘the next generation headed down the toilet’ or something. I barely see Tsubasa-chan as it is - if this meeting runs long and I’m not back for dinner, she’ll kill me. Literally, she will kill me this time.”

Shinkei giggled, leaning down to lightly kiss Gaara’s neck. “No problem, sorry to have kept you. Tsubasa-nee won’t be too mad if it was for work.”

“Yeah, you would think...” He opened the door. “Anyway, I better get going. See you later, Shin-chan. Hey Gaara, feel better, okay? I’ll come see you before I head home.”

The Kazekage had been strangely silent up till now, then sniffled wetly a few times. “B-Bye, Kadkuro-dii-sad...” He trembled violently, probably the result of Shinkei moving her hand around - which was probably cold to him. “Thagks...”

“See ya, otouto. Take it easy.” With that, he offered a quick wave and exited the room, closing the door nearly all the way.

After a few seconds, Gaara wheezed and gradually pulled his head out of the pillow. “Shidkei?” he muttered, rubbing tiredly at his nose.

She looked down, pulling her hand out from under his shirt and playing with his hair. “Yes?”

“I... hh... h-heh...” Blinking a few times, he twitched his nose before ducking back down into his tissues. “H’ieetschhhuuu!! Huh’etsshhhoooo!!” He sniffled several times, scrubbing at his nose with the tissues, but it just seemed to make his situation worse. “Heh’tchhhiiuuu!! H’itssshhhhooo!! Ih’tissshhhhuuu!!” Sniffling even more, he looked down at the soggy mess in his hands and pouted. “... I-I thi’k I deed a dew tissue, first of all...”

She laughed and snatched the box off the nightstand. “Bless you! Oh, you poor thing. You look so miserable, and... sort of cute...” Handing him a few clean tissues, she glanced inside the box. “Tsk, looks like this box is running low. Don’t worry, I’ll find some more. I think you’ll be needing them, you sound all stuffed up and sniffly.”

“Cough cough... I ab. I cad’t eved breathe through by dose...” Snuggling his head into the pillow and coughing again, he blew his nose - though it didn’t sound like it offered him much relief. “Cad I have that bedicide Kadkuro was talki’g about? I hurt all over...”

“Aww, sure.” She leaned down and tenderly kissed his cheek, rubbing her fingers along his neck a bit. “Is there anything else you’d like?”

He didn’t meet her eyes, and sniffled a few times - although it sounded more like the sound a clogged sink made when you tried to plunge it. “I’b dot godda work you to death, Shidkei...”

“Tsk, you’re so weird.” She stroked a few fingers against his cheek, knitting her eyebrows together as she looked down at him. “It’s no trouble. I’d rather take care of you than just sit here, stare at you, and feel useless. Come on... what can I do for you? Are you hungry?”

He squeezed his eyes shut at the implied mention of food. “Do way. I do’t wadda thi’k about eati’g right dow. Sniff. I would’t eved be able to taste it...”

She nodded sympathetically. Well, that made sense, of course. “Alright, I understand that. How about thirsty? Do you want anything to drink?”

He seemed to contemplate this for a minute, then moved his eyes back up to her, a bit sheepishly. “... Could you bake be sobe tea, please?”

“Of course.” She smiled, her fingers trailing down the sleeve of his shirt, eventually coming to rest on top of the hand that didn’t hold his tissues. He was so polite asking for it; a sick person had the right to be grumpy and demand things, but he was just too sweet for that. “It’ll be my pleasure. Let me get you a glass of water from the bathroom so you can take those pills, then I’ll go make your tea.”

He sniffed, nearly pouting when she drew her fingers away from his hand. “Cad you put a little hodey id it?”

“Honey?”

“Yes, please.”

“Yeah, I can put a spoonful in. I hear that’s supposed to be good for your throat.” She carefully rearranged the sheet over him, as it had gotten tossed off a bit and he’d started to shiver again. Then she headed toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right back with your medicine. It might make you sleepy, so...”

“Sh-Shidkei?”

She turned back to look at him. “Yes?”

As he was pulling the sheet back over himself - probably a little tighter than it should be - he had the most pitiful, adorable look on his face. It was like his eyes were boring right into hers, so bright and deep and soul-searching. “I... I... sniff...” He sighed, trying to clear his throat. “R-Really like... you... a’d... I wadda thagk you for taki’g care of be.” He managed to give her a weak, tired, endearing little smile. “You’re a really good persod, a’d... I appreciate that you’re tryi’g to bake be feel better. It’s dot the ki’d of thi’g everybody would do for be... it touches be thad you care edough about be to do it...”

She felt a few tears welling up in her eyes. She had been sure he liked her as more than a friend, just from the way he acted, but hearing it from his mouth was the best gratification she could ever get. And that smile he gave her... was probably the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen in her life. “It’s... It’s not a problem, Gaara. You’re the closest I’ve ever come to loving someone, so... I want to take care of you. By the way, you’re a good person too. Don’t sell yourself short... you’re amazing.”

He curled up under the sheet, and sniffled. He was still smiling as he closed his eyes. “Still... thagk you, Shidkei.”

She sighed, feeling more content than she ever had in her entire existence. She wouldn’t mind looking at that wonderful face for all eternity and taking care of him forever. That would be the best thing ever, to be able to do that. “... You’re welcome, Gaara.”

AWWWWW. If you don't at least smile within the last few paragraphs, YOU HAVE NO HEART.

Just kidding! Here are a few Japanese translations because... I stuck Japanese in there. XD

Che = expression of general annoyance (like what you'd say if it suddenly started raining and ruined your hair... XD)

otouto = little brother (can also be used as a suffix)

nee = short for "nee-san", a suffix denoting that the person whose name it's attached to is the speaker's older sister (or the speaker thinks of them as an older sister)

nii-san (though Gaara pronounced it as "dii-sad" because of his stuffy nose XD) = same as "nee-san", but for the speaker's older brother

So yeah, I forgot to mention, Shinkei's teammates are also her siblings. Tsubasa is her older sister, Kuna is her younger sister, and Shinkei is the poor unfavorite middle child.

Hope you enjoyed! I can haz comments if you want more? ^^