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Mari stared out of the window at the dark, gloomy sky as rain violently pelted against the glass. A sudden rainstorm had swept across Shiga and was showing no signs of clearing any time soon.
“Hey Hal, what’s the weather like for today?” Mari asked in a hushed voice.
“Good morning, Mari,” a robotic voice replied. “Today’s weather forecasts a ninety-five percent chance of rain. A level two advisory warning for thunderstorms is also in effect from- “
“Hey Hal, be quiet.” Mari sighed. “So much for my morning run…”
“Mariii…” Lara groaned.
“Oh, Lara. Did Hal wake you up?” Mari asked as she began changing out of her tracksuit. “Sorry, it’s still early, so you can go back to sleep.”
“Something is… wrong…” Lara suddenly began to cough profusely.
“Lara?” Mari turned towards her.
Her face was flushed red and her breathing was unsteady.
“Mari…”
Mari knelt beside her and gently placed a hand over her forehead. She was hot to the touch.
“Seems like you’re running a fever.”
“Fever…?”
“It’s probably because we got caught in the rain yesterday.”
“That can happen…?”
Mari nodded. “I guess you wouldn’t be used to that sort of thing, living in water and all.”
“Am I… going to die?” Lara coughed again.
“’Course not,” Mari sighed as she returned to putting her tracksuit away. “You just need some rest, that’s all.”
After a brief silence, she looked back at Lara who had already fallen back asleep. A gentle smile spread over Mari’s face. Her morning run may have been cancelled, but she was already wide awake and decided to get in some other exercise to pass the time. As she sat there lifting her dumbbells, she couldn’t take her eyes off Lara as she shivered in her sleep.
𓆟
Lara slowly opened her eyes, her eyelids feeling like two weights. The horrible sensation that ran through her body was completely foreign. Her body felt so cold, yet her face felt like it was burning. Her throat was dry and her breathing was uneasy and she couldn’t stand it. She wanted it to stop.
“Mari…” she weakly called out.
Lara glanced around the room, but Mari was nowhere to be seen. She wanted to get up, but her body was so heavy she couldn’t muster the strength.
“Finally awake, are you?” Grace suddenly spoke.
“Lady Witch…!”
“Honestly, catching a cold at a time like this,” she scoffed. “I hope you don’t intend to spend all your time in bed. Don’t forget about your family’s situation.”
“Lady Witch… is it happening again?”
“Hm?”
Lara stared at the ceiling, her mind wandering to distant memories. Memories of looking at her prince, his eyes full of fear as he cursed her hideous form. In that moment, Lara remembered the sensation. Losing all her strength, her body feeling so cold.
Tears began to well in the corner of her eyes. “It’s too soon… I don’t want that to happen again…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lady Witch… I…”
The door suddenly opened.
“Oh, you’re awake,” Mari entered.
“Mari…!”
“Thanks for watching her, Gon-chan.”
“Whatever,” Grace rolled her eyes and laid down in her tank.
Mari placed down a small tray down with a bowl of rice porridge and a cup of milk tea.
“I told Grandma you were sick, so she made this for you,” Mari explained. “When you have a cold, it’s best to eat something warm and easy on the throat.”
“So, I will be better if I have this…?”
“Well, it’s not an immediate fix. You’ll start to feel better after some time.”
Lara solemnly stared at the tray. Her throat felt so tight, her body ached before she even attempted to move. The visceral memory of her body turning to foam flashed in her mind again.
“I can’t…”
“Huh?”
“I’m… already…” Lara burst into a coughing fit again.
“You’re not gonna get any better just sitting here feeling sorry for yourself.”
There was a prolonged silence as the pair stared into each other’s eyes. Lara’s face was getting redder by the second, her breathing shaky.
“Fine,” Mari sighed. “Come here.”
Suddenly, Mari made a move and gently sat Lara upright, keeping one arm firmly against her back to support her. With her free hand, she then grabbed a spoonful of rice porridge and held it up to Lara’s face. Lara looked at the spoon in confusion, before slowly turning back to meet Mari’s intense gaze. There was a faint blush on her cheeks.
“You need to eat something,” Mari insisted.
There was a prolonged silence as the pair stared into each other’s eyes. Lara’s cheeks were flush red. After what felt like an eternity, she turned her eyes to the spoon and meekly opened her mouth. Mari began to gently feed her spoonfuls of the rice porridge, all the while trying to mask her embarrassment.
From her tank, Grace laid on her rock listening to the two go back and forth. Mari telling Lara off for her behaviour, and Lara weakly apologising through mouthfuls of porridge. After so long, she peacefully closed her eyes.
Mari gently laid Lara back down in her futon, avoiding her intense stare.
“Don’t expect that sort of thing again,” Mari blushed.
“Huh?! Why not…?”
“Just get some rest, ‘kay?” Mari huffed as she picked up the tray and quickly left.
𓆟
Makoto and Ema sat and watched the news report on the rainstorm. Makoto wiped a small towel over his face whilst making small remarks at the TV, his legs noticeably damp. He then noticed Mari enter the kitchen in the corner of his eye.
“Oh, Mari!” Makoto called from the living room. “How’s Lara doing?”
“She’s being dramatic. It’s just a cold,” Mari replied, her face turned away at the sink.
“Did she like the porridge you made for her?” Ema asked.
Mari paused. “Yeah.”
“That’s good. Let Lara know she’s more than welcome to run a hot bath later if she wants to.”
“Alright.”
“And we have some medicine in the cabinet over there if she needs some,” Makoto added.
“I got it, I got it.”
Mari finished cleaning the dishes before taking a glass of water and some medicine with her back upstairs. Makoto watched her leave with a gentle smile on his face.
“Mari has really come out of her shell lately, hasn’t she?” Ema spoke.
“Yeah. She acts tough, but I’ve always worried about her.”
“Lara is the one we should be worrying about these days. She’s such a sweet girl, but I swear sometimes it feels like she just dropped out of the sky one day with how she acts.”
Makoto chuckled, “Come on Mom, she’s still a kid.”
“Even so, I can’t imagine how she was raised before coming here,” Ema took a sip of her tea. “But Mari is helping her just as much as Lara is in return.”
“Keiko would have loved her.”
Ema glanced at Makoto, who was wiping the towel over his face despite his head having now dried off. Ema smiled and took another sip of her tea.
𓆟
Lara’s mind was a blur as she teetered on the edge of consciousness, sounds and sensations blended with feverish memories as her body felt like it was fighting for control of itself.
“Humans are vile! Worthy only of contempt!”
“Father…”
“Did you really think that vile, repulsive form of yours could deceive me?!”
“My prince…”
“I can’t believe she went to the human world! This is going to bring calamity!”
“Everyone…”
“If you wish to save them, show me your resolve!”
Lara’s body suddenly jolted as she went into a coughing fit that ripped her back to reality. As her chest began to calm, she turned her focus to the one beside her.
“Mari…!”
“You okay?”
Lara hesitated to answer and buried her face into her futon to hide the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. Mari presented her with a glass of water and some small capsules. Lara looked up at her in confusion.
“Take this. It should help with your symptoms a bit.”
Slowly, Lara sat up and took the capsules. Mari instructed her to swallow them whole with the water and she followed. Never had water felt as amazing as it did in that moment. She wanted to chug the full glass right then and there, but her blocked nose demanded she stop for air. Again, she began to cough furiously.
“Is your chest hurting that bad?”
Lara sheepishly nodded as she reached for a tissue. Her face was flushed red and her eyes were puffy. She was shivering like crazy.
Mari thought for a moment. “How about a bath?”
“A bath…?”
“You’re cold, right? A warm bath would help ease your soreness too.”
Lara slowly laid back down and turned away. “No, that’s okay. I’m too cold to move. You said I need to rest anyways. So just leave me here. It’s not fair on you to run around for me.”
“It’s also not fair that I have watch you struggle.”
Lara flinched but kept her eyes closed and pretended to sleep. Her chest betrayed her, however, forcing gasps of air as she tried to keep her mouth closed. There was silence. Mari’s eyes continued burning into Lara’s back for some time before she quietly stood and left the room. At the sound of the door, Lara glanced over her shoulder before exhaustion took hold once more and dragged her mind back into unconsciousness.
“Mari… I appreciate what you’re doing, I really do. But I’m such a burden like this, aren’t I? I’m supposed to be finding my prince, but I don’t even have the strength to stand. It’s not right for you to sacrifice your time for my sake. You have your own goals you need to work towards. I won’t let us both be held down by this. I just need to rest… If I rest, I’ll be better soon. That’s what you said, right? Then I can keep looking for my prince, and you won’t have to worry about me anymore. So I’ll just lay here until I… until I…”
The sensation of her body turning to foam flashed in her mind and once again Lara was shaken awake. She wasn’t sure how long she had slept, but Mari had returned and was standing over her.
“Your bath is ready.”
Lara stared in bewilderment before speaking. “What…?”
“I ran a hot bath for you. It’s ready now.”
“But I said…”
“Yeah, I don’t really care about what you said.”
“Huh?”
Mari knelt. “You’ve never been sick before, but you keep talking like you know what’s best. It’s frustrating.”
“I’m sorry…”
“I don’t want you to feel sorry, I want you to feel better.”
“Mari…”
The two stared into each other’s once again in silence. Lara’s face got even redder, but her eyes looked calmer.
“The bath will get cold if you don’t get up soon.”
Lara gripped her futon. “I don’t know if I have the strength...”
“Then I’ll walk with you.”
“Mari…?”
“I already told you. I want you to feel better.”
“I don’t want you to feel burdened looking after me like this…”
“Everyone needs help sometimes. It’s not your fault you got sick, so don’t make it your fault by getting worse.”
Lara continued to stare into Mari’s eyes, she was so lost in those dark pupils that for a moment she forgot all about her illness. With shaky hands, she finally let go of the futon and took Mari’s hand as she helped her stand. Lara felt so shaky and cold, the washroom felt so far away but with every step her excitement grew at the thought of a warm bath.
As they walked, Lara saw Makoto, then Ema, and Yoshiya. They all asked how she was doing and offered to help however they could if she needed it. Lara still felt guilty, but she couldn’t deny the warmth she felt at how much they all cared about her.
Eventually, she reached the washroom and Mari helped ease her into the tub. The warm water felt like heaven on her body as she breathed a sigh of relief and sank in.
“Just call me if you need anything, ‘kay?”
“Sure,” Lara sighed in dazed relief.
Mari couldn’t help but smirk at her expression before closing the door.
𓆟
Rain continued to pelt the windows into the night as Mari readied herself for bed. All the while taking glances at Lara bundled up in her futon.
“You sure you’re okay?” Mari asked.
“Yes,” Lara replied.
“You’re shivering though.”
“Just… shaking the sickness out…!”
“If you say so.” Mari climbed into bed. “Your cough has gotten better, at least.”
“That bath felt so wonderful,” Lara sighed.
“Two hours was a little ridiculous though. The water wasn’t even warm by the time I got you out.”
“Can I just sleep in the bathtub for tonight?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Kidding,” Lara chuckled weakly.
Mari made a faint smile in relief. “Then…“
Suddenly there was a loud bang and the entire room lit up for a moment. Lara sat up in a dazed panic, shivering even more.
“Wh-what was that?!”
Mari peaked out her window at the blackened sky, but she could hardly see anything past the intense rain. There was another bright flash followed by a bang, and she heard Lara flinch behind her again.
“It’s just a thunderstorm,” Mari explained. “It will pass.”
“That startled me…” Lara sniffled.
“Don’t worry about it too much. You’re still sick, remember? You need to rest.”
Lara nodded and laid back down as Mari turned the lights off. Against the violent rain, Mari could still hear Lara shivering between the occasional muffled coughs and sneezes. Every time there was a crackle of thunder, she heard Lara gasp and shuffle. Slowly, Mari lifted her eye mask and checked on her. Lara was curled up under her futon, shivering like crazy with her hands over her ears.
Mari slowly sat up. “Lara...”
Lara looked up at her.
Mari hesitated for a moment. “Let’s swap places for tonight.”
“Huh?”
“You’re still cold right? We don’t have any spare blankets, but my bed should be warmer than yours.”
There was silence. Mari couldn’t quite see the expression on Lara’s face properly in the dark, but she could feel her eyes staring into her soul.
“Mari…”
There was another flash of lightning. Lara immediately jumped from her futon and flung herself into Mari letting her feel just how cold Lara's body really was as she climbed over and into the bed.
“Is that better?” Mari asked.
Lara sheepishly nodded.
Up close, Mari could see how red Lara’s face was. In the dark it was almost as if she was glowing softly. As Mari turned to stand up however, she felt a gentle pull on her shirt.
“Mari…” Lara whispered. “Can you stay here…?
“Huh?! It’ll be cramped with both of us in here. Your futon is right there too.”
“Mari…” Lara tugged on her shirt weakly.
There was a thunderous rumble outside. Mari sat on the edge of the bed for a while staring at Lara’s flushed face in the darkness. Even though her consciousness was drifting, her hand continued to hold the edge of Mari’s shirt.
A nervous expression slowly grew across Mari’s face as she slid back into the bed while continuing to face away from Lara. It wasn’t along after that a chilling sensation coursed through Mari’s body. A pair of cold hands wrapped themselves around her, feeling their way under her shirt and gripping onto her waist for warmth.
“L-Lara…!” Mari gasped in a surprised, hushed voice.
There was no reply. Lara had already drifted to sleep. All Mari got in response was the sensation of Lara’s steady breathing against the back of her neck. It was the only response she really needed. Mari’s body couldn't help but stiffen from the sudden intimacy, but she couldn’t pull herself away from it.
"If it’s just for tonight… then it’s not so bad, I guess," Mari thought as she slowly pulled her eye mask down and let her head sink into the pillow.
𓆟
The sun rose on a damp, cool morning following the storm. It was only around five o'clock when Lara stood up and stretched.
“I feel so much better!” She smiled. “That was the best sleep I’ve had in a while! I will make a delicious breakfast for everyone as a thank you for yesterday! Mari, let me know if there’s anything you want!”
There was silence as Lara eagerly got dressed. After a few minutes, a faint groan came from the bed, followed by a cough.
“Mari?”
Lara walked back over to the bed and pulled the quilt down to look at Mari. Her face was flushed red and her breathing was unsteady.