The Best Medicine

[Kabu]

If there was anything Rika absolutely hated most in the world it was being sick. She had been very busy of late and today she had finally had a free day she had intended to use to go see Jun... Yet as luck would have it she had woken feeling weak, with a fever and a pounding headache. It was early in the afternoon and still she was in bed, having just woken from a nap to find a note from her mom ordering her to stay in bed and explaining someone would be by soon to check in on her. Well that was just great... she would have a babysitter. She was sick but surely she could still take care of herself... even though she could barely sit up. Who would even be willing to take time off from their own schedule to look after a sick teenager anyways?

With a sigh she threw the paper as best she could and collapsed back onto her bed, sniffling as she looked out her window. the sun shining brightly in the sky. It really wasn't fair. Why did she have to be so helpless today of all days, on such a nice day? She hadn't seen her boyfriend in ages and now she finally had a chance even her own body had worked against her. It was so frustrating...

"Surely he must hate me by now..." she muttered under her breath as she closed eyes and attempted to get back to sleep. Oh well, there was nothing to be done about it for now... For now I rest. I'll come up with a plan when I'm feeling less horrible. she thought to herself... unaware of just what it was her mother had planned and who it was that would be dropping by.

[Willoria]

Junpei felt like he'd had his own head stuck his ass for awhile, and worried what Rika would think of him. Imagine his shock when Rika's mother showed up at his place, grabbed his mother, and insisted that Jun come and take care of a sick and overworked Rika for the day for some 'bonding' time. Of course, he played the role of the grumpy teenager set up in an arranged marriage and said he had other plans, tried to refuse, only to be 'forced' to do as he was told. By time he was actually on his way to Rika's place the boy had a smile on his face not even Shishire could remove with all his whispers and trick images.

He had a bag over his shoulder with a few scrolls and books, some to study, some to just waste time. But he also carried a box in his arms of a few goodies as well. Of course, Rika's mom had given him a way in the house as well. When he arrived he pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, chuckling to himself as he wondered if she was expecting him at all. He locked it behind him and followed the directions Rika's mother had given him to Rika's room. A moment later he carefully pushed the door open with a foot and leaned against the doorway with a smile to look at her.

"So... how's my patient?"

[Kabu]

After sleeping for about another hour Rika's eyes fluttered open, the girl sitting up with some amount of effort as she thought she heard a voice. That was strange... Her mom was busy doing something and there shouldn't have been anyone else around... "Huh? Anyone there?" she quietly spoke, rubbing her eyes as she sleepily looked around her room. Must have been hearing things.. nobody there... she began thinking, only for her thoughts to be interrupted by the sight of a very familiar red haired boy. Was that...? It couldn't be.... right? There was no way he would be here in front of her at this moment...

She blinked repeatedly to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, a big smile coming to her face as she assured herself she was indeed looking at her beloved boyfriend. He really had come to see her... and it looked like he had come prepared. "Junpei... Well, I think I'm feeling a little better now." she weakly spoke, patting the side of her bed as she did. "Come here you. I would come to you but I tried standing earlier and it didn't go too well and I was ordered to stay in bed." she said, smiling sheepishly, her already flushed cheeks turning a bright red as she remembered the fall she had taken earlier that morning.

"I'm glad you're here.I was going to come see you today since I had the day off but well..." she was interrupted by a sudden high pitched sneeze, sighing as she lay back on her bed once more. "I hate being sick, I hate it so much... I can't do a damned thing."

[Willoria]

Jun was chuckling as Rika finally recognized him and he glanced around her room for a place to put what he'd brought. The desk seemed a mess but there was also a table that wasn't as bad. He set down the box and his bag before going to sit down next to her. "Well its better you stay in bed right now, your mom went to mine and demanded I spend the day taking care of you so we can bond properly." he said, having to keep from laughing when she suddenly sneezed. "They both are still under the impression we feel forced into this... it's honestly kind of fun making them think I was fighting them on coming over here." he explained.

He leaned forward and reached out a hand to feel Rika's forehead, frowning slightly before shaking his head. "Well, so long as I'm in charge of you, and according to your mother I am, you're staying in bed not doing anything. But I brought some of my research with me, and more fun things to read, if you wanted something to keep occupied. I also have some food including some broth to help you." He looked at the woman a moment before leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Looks like you're stuck with me today, dearie." he remarked with a chuckle, not even realizing he'd slipped into using a word that Shishire often used with him.

[Kabu]

Rika happily smiled, blushing still as Jun kissed her forehead and called her dearie, though admittedly while she did love it.. she did feel something a bit off. It really didn't seem quite like him to use a word like that... but it was probably nothing to worry about.

More importantly... he really had come prepared to take care of her, the thought causing her to smile. "Oh my, you prepared so thoroughly. I would like for nothing more than to be by your side today... even if our mothers do think otherwise." she giggled, picturing Jun having stubbornly fought back against coming to see her. Some part of her wished she could have seen it but another part of her wondered if maybe she might have gotten the wrong idea. After all they hadn't seen each other for a bit until now. She had wondered if he would be mad at her... and she was absolutely delighted to know now that he wasn't.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach rumbling and she frowned. The thought of food right now honestly wasn't appealing in the least but she hadn't eaten yet today... "Well, I'm glad you're here for another reason. Between bouts of sleeping and lack of appetite I would probably forget to eat again..." she blushed in embarrassment, trailing off as that thought brought another to mind.

"I'm sorry I haven't been by to see you. I've just been so busy and I thought you might be mad at me." she admitted, briefly averting her gaze towards the window before turning back, her eyes beginning to water. "I've missed you so much..."

[Willoria]

Jun could've sworn he heard the woman's stomach growl, but before he could question her on it she practically confirmed it which just made him laugh. He got up and went to the box, coming back with a small clear circular container in his hands. He carefully took the lid off and offered it to her. "It's just a simple chicken and onion broth my mom does, it's light on the onion I swear, but it always helped me when I was sick so I asked her to make it so I could bring it for you..." he remarked, feeling a bit sheepish as the woman apologized to him for not seeing him. Setting the lid aside he simply sighed and shook his head.

"Rika, that isn't your fault... I was the one who didn't come see you... intentionally..." he told her, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he tried to get up the courage to actually admit to her what had been going on with him. "I was... well, I was wrestling with some things with the Genma." he finally admitted. "The entire thing was tearing me apart inside, and I wasn't seeing anyone, not even the other host and..." He stopped and looked at her for a moment, certain she was going to be angry with him. "When I went to Steam Country for the Event I had an opportunity to meet with others like me, I met one who was failing, Rika... She was... well she was coming apart. It was like she and the Genma were blurring together. It scared the absolute hell out of me and I pulled away more and..."

He sighed, rubbing one of his arms briefly as he remembered for a moment the pain of being bound by those maroon chains that Makoto had created only just last night. "Well. I had a wake up call, I was going to come see you even if you weren't sick today... I'm sorry."

[Kabu]

Rika sat up with a groan, accepting the container of broth from Jun. It looked pretty good, and she was sure it smelled just as good... if she could smell anything at all. She slowly and carefully took a sip as she listened to Jun speak, telling her about his fears and worries. She had been well aware of the Jinchuuriki gathering, she had even personally asked Souta and Rokuro to keep a close eye on Jun, as a personal favor to her. Even before then he had been acting strange and she had been really worried about him. It was... a strange relief to know that she hadn't been entirely paranoid, though she felt really bad for even so much as thinking like that.

She couldn't help it however at the mention of the failed Jinchuuriki, her eyes growing wide at the thought. She... she had never even thought such a thing possible in her wildest dreams. She really couldn't blame him for being scared after seeing that. Hell, even she was a little bit scared to think that kind of fate would possibly await. It seemed more than ever she would need to put more research into what the Genma and Jinchuuriki were really like, once she was feeling back in top form.

Her look of shock soon made way for a small gentle smile, that same gentleness present in her gaze as she looked at him, head tilted slightly to the side. She did know one thing even in the midst of everything else...

"Jun, you silly boy... I know you were scared but you didn't need to hide from me. We promised that we would fight through this together, remember?" she softly spoke, taking a deep breath as she prepared herself for what she was about to say... "After all, I love you. With all my heart."

[Willoria]

Jun sighed as she reminded him of their promise. He ran a hand through his hair and nodded, but as he opened his mouth to say something, she said something instead that stunned him. Very carefully he reached out and took the soup out of her hands and set it aside, not wanting to spill it considering what he was about to do next. He suddenly didn't care that she was sick. With the soup safely set aside he scooted closer and leaned forward to kiss her. Slipping a hand behind her head to kiss her deeply in spite of how sick she was feeling. When he broke the kiss he couldn't help smiling at her as he rest his forehead against hers for a moment. "I love you too, Rika."

'Pointless... Fruitless... Do you think you'll really have a chance to have any kind of a life with this woman? To get married? To have children? I will rob you of all of it, and complicate what little you have left, child.'

'You couldn't best Sakaki... I'm going to take it further. You'll rob me of nothing. I'm going to do more than use your power and keep you caged... I'm going to be a powerful shinobi. And I will be what she deserves too.'

Jun was fed up with Shishire's shit in the moment, doing his best to hide the signs of his argument with Shishire in his head as he pulled back from Rika to give her back her soup. "Now drink up." he told her with a smile. "I suppose soon we'll have to stop pretending we hate this... it's getting harder to hide."

[Kabu]

RIka couldn't help a muffled squeak as Jun deeply kissed her, though even in the midst of her surprise she didn't hesitate in returning it, wrapping her arms around him as she did. There would be likely consequences for this youthful stupidity but... She hadn't so much as seen him in so long and perhaps she would think better of it if she could think more clearly but for right now at least she just let it happen. If he catches anything, I'll just have to take care of him in return. Maybe even dress up for the occasion. she thought to herself, unable to help a blush at the image it brought to her mind. It was embarrassing... but she would be willing to do it for the man she loved.

The kiss was a bit too brief for her liking but nonetheless she was smiling as they broke apart and he returned her soup to her. "That's true..." she sipped on her soup as she pondered over the thought of their parents finding out about their blossoming romance. "I suppose it is time to tell them, but how? It would be too embarrassing to just openly show our love in front of them." she spoke, blushing as she looked over towards Jun. While she did she know she absolutely loved Jun... She still hadn't fully grown used to it and wasn't fully sure how to show it around others without growing embarrassed. So far any closeness they had shared had been in private behind closed doors and really that was the way she liked it.

"I really am hopeless as a girlfriend, aren't I? Getting embarrassed at the thought of showing my feelings for the man I love..."

[Willoria]

Junpei chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Not hopeless at all." he told her, reaching out to brush some hair out of the girl's face before putting two fingers under her cup of soup and pushing lightly to encourage her to take another sip with a raised eyebrow. It was clear he intended on her drinking that broth now. As always, he had a hunch she hadn't had much to eat yet, and he did want her to recover. Part of recovery was eating after all. "It doesn't have to be all at once." he added as he thought about it, turning his attention to the girl's bed. He pulled her covers up a bit better, more or less tucking her in better as his thoughts kept him pretty well occupied. "It'd seem awfully sudden to them as well if we did... we start by not complaining when asked to see one another. Or maybe not needing to be asked. Something simple like that." He lifted his red and black eyes to look at Rika a moment with a smirk. "I'm not exactly suggesting we make out in front of them after all." he said with a giggle before reaching out a hand to gently poke her on the nose with a single finger.

He couldn't help another chuckle as he thought about the idea. 'Aya would kill me...' he thought to himself, shaking his head. Of course, the entire conversation triggered a fit of laughter from Shishire, causing the man to wince and look away for a moment with groan, sighing heavily as he felt a headache coming on. But a moment later and he had pushed the thought aside with a sigh. He turned his attention back to Rika with a small smile. "So what've I missed anyway? Just more desk work and chances to lecture you about skipping lunch?" he teased.

[Kabu]

Rika did as she was told, carefully sipping away at her sip as Jun more or less tucked her in. Part of her knew she should be embarrassed about it all but she was honestly enjoying the care and attention he was paying her. "Yeah, we can take it slow..." she replied, trailing off as she imagined them making out in front of their parents and Jun's sister... a blush crossing her cheeks at the thought. "Yeah... very very slow."

She tilted her head as she noticed him wince and look away, her face soon lighting up in realization. It was Shishire again... well, he wouldn't get away with being a jerk this time. Now she was ready for him, she had a secret weapon. She was already channeling maroon chakra into her hand as Junpei looked back at her and asked his question. "Well, here's one thing you missed..." she spoke with a teasing tone, smirking as she held onto the soup container with one hand, using the other to reach up and deliver a brief poke to Jun's forehead, releasing a pulse of chakra on contact, temporarily forming a ward between host and Genma.

"There, does that feel better? It's only temporary but you should be alone in your own head again. I developed this technique myself." she went back to eating her soup, though kept an eye on Jun's face, looking for any possible reactions.

After a moment of silence she spoke up once more, pouting as the reality of his teasing had finally hit her. "I've been really good about eating lunch..." she trailed off, her gaze drifting off to the side as she dryly chuckled. "...When Marina reminds me." she added after a moment. "And there has been a lot of desk work, I've barely seen the outside of my office in what feels like an eternity. Marina and I have been working on an important project and the amount of paperwork is excruciating." she sighed, falling silent once more as she went back to eating her soup.

JutsuShow

Shizumeru • Mute
C-Ranked Tenkujutsu (Nin)
A technique developed for use with Jinchuuriki, after performing the necessary handseals the user places their hand on the head of the host, releasing a pulse of chakra working to create a mental ward preventing host and spirit from communicating in any fashion for the next four posts should the user's Control be equal to or greater than the target's Mastery.

[Willoria]

Junpei visibly flinched as Rika poked him in the forehead. Blinking for a moment, he knew something felt different and simply seemed to stare off at nothing for several silent seconds. Though that was when the realization hit him. Everything was silent. Shishire wasn't speaking, and in fact he couldn't even feel the genma's presence in his head. It was a first since his sealing. He looked at Rika as she explained what she had just done and simply smiled at her. If he hadn't already kissed her, he might have done it again. "Thank you." he said quietly instead, resting a hand on her leg briefly.

Of course, he couldn't help shaking his head as she explained how she'd been remembering lunch lately. "I'll have to thank Marina sometime." he commented. He finally got up for a moment to remove his jacket, hanging it on the back of a chair before taking off his boots as well. Once he was done he wandered back to the bed with her and sat down again, reaching out for one of her hands to take in his with a smile. "Want me to lay down with you?" he asked quietly, almost hesitantly. "Might help you rest... I can hold you."

[Kabu]

Just as soon as Jun asked his questions, Rika began scooting over to make more room for him on the bed. "I would love for nothing more." she softly spoke, smiling gently as she weakly tugged on their connected hands, hoping to pull him closer towards her. "We should get used to sharing a bed anyways, you know... for the future." she teased, unknowingly blushing at her own insinuations.

She settled into bed feeling at ease with Jun by her side, resuming eating her soup as she did. She hadn't had a chance to comment on it yet but... "This soup is really good. I should ask your mom to teach me how to cook." she set the now empty container off to the side as she spoke, finally lying down once she had. She turned herself onto her side to face Jun, reaching out to stroke the side of face and gently smiling all the while. Physically she still felt absolutely miserable but otherwise... she truly felt happier than she had in quite some time with him by her side in this moment. "Jun... we're really together right now? This isn't some fever induced dream?"

[Willoria]

As Rika started making room and answered him, Jun moved over her to lay down behind her. He was careful, not wanting to take up more space than he needed to or wanting to catch her hair or anything. He put a gentle hand on her waist as she finished her soup. Though her blush about them sharing a bed one day caused him to smirk lightly. "No rush though." he said quietly. "We have plenty of time before that..." He trailed off, certain questions coming to his mind that he realized he wasn't going to ask her while she was sick. He wasn't sure they were questions he was ready to ask yet anyway as he put them away for the moment and kept his mind on the situation at hand instead.

When she laid down to face him instead he couldn't help returning her smile and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her a little closer before kissing her on the forehead. "Yeah, we're really together right now." he told her quietly as he looked down at her. "Anything else I can do to help you feel better?"

[Kabu]

As if in response to Jun's question Rika giggled and wrapped her arms around him. "Right now? As a hint for later, I absolutely hate taking medicine... but for right now I just need you by my side." she gently whispered, planting a kiss against his forehead. She knew it was cheesy and sappy but it needed to be said. She had learned of late to be more honest with herself and her feelings and it honestly had made a world of difference.

She fell silent, thoughts beginning to bubble the surface... "You know, when we first got together I was really happy but I was also scared. I'm not particularly good at dealing with my emotions and I know nothing about romance. ...And I've seen firsthand just how badly it can hurt to lose someone you love so dearly. I wasn't sure if I could handle even the thought." she suddenly admitted after a moment's silence. From time to time in the past she had found herself thinking back to the period following Sakaki's death, how badly Rokuro and Souta both had been affected. Seeing it had honestly made her own pain feel all the worse...

Yet even despite that there was still one unequivocal truth. "But I'm not afraid anymore. I was actually inspired by Souta... You know he's dating one of the Konoha Jinchuuriki? Masami I think her name was? Last I saw he seemed happier than I had seen him in a very long time, likely because of her. They even have a kid together, a little boy." she smiled, brushing a free hand against Jun's cheek. "Seeing him move forward despite all the pain and worry that has come and is yet to come... it... it makes me hopeful for the future. It gives me hope that as long as we work together we can endure, no matter what." she softly spoke, unable to help the blush that crossed her cheeks. Ah jeez, being open like this was truly embarrassing, and blushing like this surely wasn't going to help with her fever.

Oh well... as long as she was saying embarrassing things there was one more thing... "I love you Junpei, I really truly do."

[Willoria]

Junpei couldn't help a chuckle at the idea of Rika hating medicine. "Well then I hope I don't have to force you to take any." he teased her as she kissed his forehead, and he returned the gesture by kissing her on the lips. He clearly didn't care much about getting sick as a result of kissing her, after all if he had gotten her illness, it was already too late. As the pair fell quiet, he reached up a hand to simply caress Rika's cheek, smiling as he watched her rest for a few moments. Though as she started to speak, he realized she was opening up to him about something serious and he couldn't help giving her a concerned look.

He simply nodded as she mentioned Masami and Souta's relationship, though he didn't say anything about it as she continued. But he was aware of it, he'd seen the pair together at the meeting of the hosts in Steam Country. And in that moment he realized he wasn't sure if he'd actually told her about that meeting, or about everything that had happened. 'How much can I tell her without scaring her?' he wondered silently. But his worries vanished quickly as she spoke, and made clear that this conversation wasn't something to worry about, but something to be happy about. A smile crossed his face as she made her feelings clear. "I love you too." he told her quietly.

He leaned forward and kissed her again, deeply. When his lips broke from hers again he looked at her a moment and smiled, contentment spreading across his features as he nodded slowly. "When we met I worried this was going to be complicated... but I think you and I are the simplest fact of my life right now." he said, chuckling quietly. "I love you, and I have no doubts about that, or about us." he told her, running his thumb over Rika's lips for a moment. "Honestly in a lot of ways this damn Genma has shown me how simple our relationship has made my life... just as it makes my life all the more complicated..."

[Kabu]

Rika had to admit... despite how much she hated being sick, right now it didn't seem quite so bad with the comfort and affection Jun was showing her, hell he didn't even seem to mind getting sick in order to kiss her. She was absolutely overjoyed even that he shared her feelings, primarily that he loved her in return.[color=F43F4F]"Yeah, I absolutely feel the same way. We both have a lot on our plates but together we can make this work, no matter what.[/color] she quietly spoke, gently smiling all the while. That smile soon however turned into a frown as she wrinkled her nose, briefly turning her head away as she let out another high pitched sneeze despite her best attempts to hold it in.

As she turned back towards Jun she was pouting, blushing with her cheeks puffed up. She had naively thought she might be fine for a time but suddenly it seemed to be catching up to her. "Stupid body, stupid illness..." she grumbled, burying her face in Jun's chest. "I hate being sick so much... I can't do anything."

She stayed there for several moments, silent aside from the occasional sniffle and even a muffled yawn. Eventually she pulled away just enough to look up at him with pleading, albeit visibly tired, eyes. "Jun... one more kiss?" she asked innocently, her tone practically pleading. In any other circumstance she may have thought better of it but she already knew that was she was going to have to act as nurse when she got better herself and was more than willing to do so. Right now she felt absolutely crummy and wanted nothing more than for her boyfriend to shower her with love and affection in the last few moments she had before sleep would claim her again.

[Willoria]

Junpei couldn't help a chuckle as Rika sneezed again, the sound was almost adorable. The way she pouted didn't help any either and the man caved partially, snorting as he tried to hold back his laugh and failed. As she pouted up at him, he simply kissed her on the forehead. He ran his fingers through her hair as he brushed strands out of her face and listened to her grumbles, just smiling down at her. As she buried his face in his chest he simply held her, running a gentle hand up and down her back as his mind slowly wandered. '...maybe when she's feeling better I should finally introduce her and Ayako. If we're going to admit to our parents we actually care about one another, I should start there. Aya already knows I like her after all.'

He sighed quietly, content with the woman in his arms. He felt a sort of sleepiness start to settle over him even, though he blinked it away quickly as he felt Rika shift in his arms again to look up at him and he smiled down at her as she pleaded with him for another kiss. He smiled, and of course he'd oblige. "I don't think I could say no to that face." he replied quietly, leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips. "Go ahead and rest, Rika, I'll be right here when you wake." he told her.

[Kabu]

Rika couldn't help but feel just a little giddy as they kissed once more, settling into his arms with a contented sigh. Soon he told her to sleep and she nodded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fight off sleep much longer if she tried. "You're right, I'm feeling sleepy anyways." she admitted with a yawn.

"We'll be together forever..." she quietly spoke under her breath as her eyes closed and sleep began to claim her. She still hated being sick with every fiber of her being but perhaps just this once... It hadn't been so bad. She and Jun had gotten to see one another and had even gotten to share a heartfelt moment and confess their true feelings, all within the confines of her own bed. Honestly the thought brought some other things to mind as well... but those could wait.

Soon enough her breaths evened out, indicating she was out like a light. However... even as she fully fell asleep, she instinctively tightened her grasp on the man by her side. "Jun... thank you for coming to see me today. I really do love you, so very much."