Another way to start the year! (January 2010)

[narakunohana]

Quest Name:

Another way to start the year!

Format:

Singular (You make only one, non-interactive post that takes your character throughout the entire event.)

Reward:

• +5 Experience Points
  
• Vaulted Item Piece
  
• Customized Item Piece
  
• +$1000
  

Scenario:

Ah, the smell of the new year is great! Fresh, smog-filled, city air; the chorus of cars outside the window and the searing hot temperatures of the desert! Wait, that was the same as last year's my bad.

However, it would seem as if a rather bad flu virus had been spreading around Long Beach. It is unfortunate that YOU, of all people, had to be infected.

With school closed down temporarily due to the massive amounts of students sick (you included), what would you do?

Especially with your nose running with the flu?

Requirements:

• Your characters are to experience a rather bad case of Flu. As to how bad it progresses to is at your discretion, and as to how the character manages to thrive and who takes care of your character for the 3 days that school is gone is up to you.
  
• You are required to have at least 700 words excluding BBCode.
  
• Monthly Event ends at the end of the month, obviously.
  

["Tuvlan"]

SHALL WE BEGIN THE NEW ERA!?
-JOINING THE PIECES-

Where does birth start with?

Pain.

What's at the end of the rabbit hole?

Relief.

Though more complicated, this is obviously where one may inference that to give birth to something new and wondrous or to make way for change, there must often be a pain of some sort before the end result and, hopefully, the relief may follow.

What is a radical?

The root.

What is a radicalist?

Typically, known as a terrorist to society in some way shape or form, who wishes to take down the current system to begin again. It is far too difficult to simply change things, when corruption is sewn into the root of the tree. To simply cut off the twisted and sickly branches is to only to delay the inevitable, it can be argued, and to destroy the tree and to plant and properly raise a seed correctly is the only mannerism.

Therein... it can be inferred that:

Moses was a radicalist.

Jesus of Nazareth was a radicalist.

Muhamaad was a radicalist.

Funny way to begin, but it necessary to begin as to where one story ends and another begins. Why?

Because at the end of a rather massive fight, with the final blow to the head, the boy was toppled. He did not know where he ended up and how he managed to drag himself to the side of his tree to curl around it over at the school, but no one really questioned it as usual. The tree remained there, for whatever reason, as the boy would remain sleeping around it.

Or so it seemed...

...

Or so it seemed.

His eye was open, his knees were shaking, his breath was short and it was cold, cold, cold. It was so cold, even more so then it would be on a snow-less day in Southern California. Night time... No one to look after or to take care of the boy. His mind was freaking out and the boy could not understand why. Images flashed in his head, various voices rang out, memories flowed through and in some way, some instinctive mannerism, the boy felt as if... perhaps knew that he was in some way, dying.

The body of the boy shook as he hugged himself tighter, his aviator jacket barely able to retain any of the necessary warmth that the boy needed, his teeth made seething, grinding noises as his eye looked around wildly as he hugged his knees to his chest closer and closer to the point of pain. Never had the boy been aware of his deterrence to pain, never had the boy realized that he did not like pain. But by loosening his arms hold around his knees it let in more of the cold night air to his already shivering chest so he hugged himself in spite of the biting pain.

For some reason, it reminded him of the thousands and thousands of way he had always been punched in the gut, in the chest. Why had he never moved out of the way of something that caused so much discomfort, so much stress on his body? Guttural noises echoed from his throat as the tears built up, sliding down his face. There was no way to describe the how and why or what or anything of what the boy felt. In some strange paradox of relief, the boy's face felt hot as he remembered with some... dislike?... at the way people always looked at him, how he always sought them out, how he always hurt them, how they always hurt him back...

...How that had given him...

...No.

That was not joy.

Had he ever truly known joy?

To what primitive level of obliviousness and lack of awareness had he condescended himself to these feelings of "joy" that were obviously not joy?

Still his body quaked, but now for more than one reason, more then several reasons, more then dozens and dozens of reasons.

What could be perceived as the moan of a dying cow bracked from his throat, as he slammed the side of his head up and down on the hard concrete, noting how surprisingly hot red fluids emanated from his pain, made the side of his head feel sticky.

That dying feeling.

Rage built up. Indescribable frustration.

Joy at the hilarity of how people toppled over because of the limitations of pain upon one's body.

Curiosity to that one person... no, those two people who actually seemed to give any sort of damn. Maybe more. He searched his memories.

A few.

Women. He didn't know why, he knew they were different, it took some processing, but he understood that for some reason he longed for them.

It grew more uncomfortable with his legs pressed against his chest, as he bit his lip to the point of bleeding.

So many things. So many overwhelming things.

SO MANY OVERWHELMING THINGS.

DARKNESS. ALL AROUND ME. ALL THAT I SEE. ABSOLUTE HORROR.

WHAT IS THIS FEELING? WHAT IS THIS LONGING?

WHAT IS FEELING?

WHAT.

IS WHAT.

WORDS.

UNDERSTAND.

UNDERSTAND!

UNDERSTAND!?

HOW WHY WAS THE MANNERISM WHO YOU I ARE AM THAT IS HOW THE WORDS GRAMMAR STRUGGLE FEELING RAGE UNDERSTAND NOT BUT A COULD LONG LUST ABUSE MEAN BAD TERRIBLE HAPPY GOOD LUCK JOY SAD SADNESS BUTTER BASTARD DAMN FUCK TARD RETARD HATE DESTROY LIFE VADER STAR WARS HAROLD ICO SING NONOMORI SING NO MORE WORRY KOMBAT COMBAT MISPELLING TECHNOLOGY AMUSEMENT ITSELF HARD SCOREBOARDS FATALITY GAMES GAME DURACELL SYSTEM QUEST TOPIC REST BOOKMARK SPYWARE ORPHANAGE ASSHOLE RAPE DESTRUCTION VIOLENCE PEACE MULTICATION POLITICS OBAMA MCCAIN DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS---

The boy didn't understand why but suddenly he shot up his exhausted body into a clumsy dash, hurdling the body forward, bringing his hands up for the pain to come as he threw his body into a dead slump, breaking through and into the... Science...?... building...

Warmth. Warmth. Lots and lots of warmth.

Breaking through several things, he strode over in an almost angry mannerism to the cabinet the teacher kept without understanding the how and why he understood that he remembered any of this, but he ripped out a bottle from its depths, drinking it in deeply...

It was a simple matter of going about to tear through the entire classroom for the emergency classroom, his body redirected with a sudden burst of adrenaline that forced his failing body to move around to do anything, memories of earlier in the year when he found the emergency blanket.

The next three days?

The entire school was empty. The boy's throat remained silent from there, aside from the various onomatopoeia that would rupture from his mouth.

...Sleep. Lots and lots and lots of sleep. For a person who can nothing but steal from the school's shut down cafeteria to get any form of sustenance in a quarantined school, he learned the means of stealth as only a few people stayed back to keep watch on the school.

The third day... would find the boy sleeping on about five desks pulled together with the emergency blanket over him. However, one or two of these chairs happened to belong to a few students of Public High School #259 that happened to belong to...

-TO BE CONTINUED-

[Alexis Seran]

Alexis snatched the remote and turned the T.V off. Her droopy eyes stared deep into the black screen as she sniffled and moaned. How did she get sick? No clue. The only entertainment keeping her sane was getting boring and now she had nothing to do. What was there to do? After all if she made any sudden movements she might just get rid of her soup! Living on her own now, she didn’t have anyone to dote on her and she felt lonely. Well… more lonely on top of the feeling of breaking-up-with-Gabriel lonely. Slowly, Alexis got up off the bed, her bones sore and such. Her feet dragged along the carpet, no energy to actually lift her legs as she walked to the kitchen. A nice cure would be some ginger ale. Her stomach was upset and that shit always helped! She poured herself a cup of the fizzy beverage and sat on the couch. It felt nice to sit on the cool leather… it was nice getting out of that room! It had been stuffy and warm from her inhabiting it for so long. Now she was cooling off on her couch, staring at nothing in particular.

“Waah I’m sooore.” she mumbled to herself. Her head was pounding in a headache and her brow beaded with sweat… not only that… she wanted to throw up, but she had nothing to throw up… CAUSE SHE HAS NO APPITITE! She sipped on the pop and turned the T.V on again. The news was speaking of this dreadful flu everyone has been getting. Even the schools are shut down for a few days. Well, that is good. It was never fun to play catch up in math. Math was lame that is why! Alexis managed to doze off while watching the tube. It was hard work after all! She woke up the next day, which was odd, it was only six in the after noon when she fell asleep. She hated that sickness made her tired… Sickness is lame that way. That and when she woke up she still knew damn well that she got up in the middle of the night needed to throw up… and that she spilt her pop and stepped in it last night. Now her foot was sticky! Alexis got up.. stepped in the sticky pop again and treaded to the shower. It was a cold shower due to the heat stroke she thought she might succumb to. Normally, Alexis loved showers, but not when she was sick. She stood still for the majority of the time, letting the water trail down her sore body.

Now she was out, she found herself in a snuggie. Yes, a snuggie. She didn’t know where it came from, but the fact is, she has one… and she was wearing it. Then it got to warm so she took it off. That and she looked like a dork! She laid in her bed now and stared at the blank T.V once again. It was always sooo boring when you are sick. Why? Because you can’t leave the house; which calls for boringness if you have not realized! She rolled around in bed when one spot got too hot and would suck up the coldness from the unused side of the bed…

“I’m boored!” she groaned. “So bored I’m talking to myself!” with no more complaints being verbally announced, she got up and went to the kitchen. Soup time! Though just her luck.. No soup. Now because of that little situation, Alexis had to make some grilled cheese sandwiches. And later she found out that her stomach would not agree! Alexis’ back was resting against the wall in the bathroom as she was propped up on the linoleum floor. Her eyes glanced to the side, staring down the toilet. “I hate you…” cursing the toilet and the flu at the same time. It was the beginning of the new year and she couldn’t go celebrating due to the lame sickness that struck her by surprise! WHY!? WHYYY!? Now it was getting late and her stomach told her it was best to camp out in the bathroom. Now her bathroom had a pillow and a blanket. What has she turned into!? Alexis woke up, feeling a bit better… That was a good sign. She had her appetite back, her head was not pounding nor was she sweating or wanting to throw up! Sweet!

Alexis rushed up out of bed and had a real shower… along with getting dressed. Though… She has no friends so she didn’t go out. Great… finally when she was no longer sick, she realized she was a loner. She sighed and got back into her Pjs and slipped into bed. What is a movie to watch? Cruel Intentions? Sure why not… nothing better to do.

(OOC: word count 808 without BBcode)

[Addie Balfour]

The echo of a sneeze, followed by the almost dead groan of a young woman in pain could be heard in the large room. Only the buzz of the lights and the ticking of the infernal clock could be heard over the soft symphony of the sick...

I really don't know where to start with this all, although one could always assume the beginning. After all, it's probably the most appropriate, it'll tell you exactly why I am the way I am... A sad pathetic mass laying about in pajamas confined to my room, leaving only to bring food to my sick house mates. It's been a while since I moved in with those two, its rather nice... But a 'family' that lives together, shares germs together...

As much as I'd like to blame them for my sick.... I can't...

It all started a the day before the school closed. The hallways had been filled with those who were ill. Sniffing noses, queezy stomachs, and coughing that could be compared to a dog barking. Yes, those were some interesting days... To say the least. One can always remember their last days of high school, normally full of fun; right?

NOT IN MY CASE! Yeah, I got screwed over on this..

I mean the school was infected...Sick people to the left of me... Sick people to the right of me. There was no escape, I didn't eat near them, its not like I normally ate lunch with people anyways.. BUT YEAH!

So, I'm going to remind myself.. Never had I gotten sick whilst living in Alaska... IT WAS FUCKING COLD! People got sick there... I didn't. BUT HERE! Full of people from all over, full of the pansies that can't take the cold.... I get sick... Not in my first year here... BUT THE SECOND! You know whats worse about getting sick here? I'm healthy! I eat right, I exercise... I really should not have been subjected to this!!!

>___> That bastard.

It all happened the day before school closed....I was heading home from school, only to stop for some coffee; my ritual. Up to the counter, I ordered my normal coffee and asked for the fool to make it right... THEY NEVER DO! If they didn't wish to be subjected to insults they'd never work with food and drinks... Fools.

So.....To my discontent, it wasn't until after I drank it.. AFTER I went to browse through the muffins.... AFTER ALL OF THIS.... I over heard that rat bastard.....he was laughing... Being sick, working...and spitting in that bitch with the bells...coffee.......

EW...RIGHT!?

Yeah....

So I'm putting all blame on that one young man.

I'd like to leave myself with a...Note to Self: Kick that guy in the suger lumps....Upon feeling better. @___@

So, that brings you up to date with things.........

This is my story.... Being sick in the land of weather pansies.

DAY ONE!

It was early morning, there were rays of light filtering into the from from the blind she had felt half open.. A throbbing headache and the uncomfortable feeling of being cold...Really cold... She was freezing, no matter the fact she was buried under her blankets. Rolling on to her side, the girl curled up and pulled the blankets close in hopes of becoming warmer. The sound of walking down the hall was a loud and could be matched only by a jack hammer. "ugh...." Pulling the blankets over her head, Addie wished that Ryu would go away. He was going to wake her for school... More so to make breakfast.

There was no way she was going near food...

The dancing in her stomach caused mass uncomfort and even the thought of food made her queesey.... His voice was loud as he asked her, though even he sounded unwell. " I'm not leaving my bed..." Her throat hurt... GREEAATTT... That guy was going to get his sugar lumps crushed into dust when she saw him again.

After a bit of a talk, Addie was given permission to lay about and get well. Yes...get well... THE SOONER THE BETTER. Ryu had only really gone in to tell her the school was closed down.. SCOOREEE...ish.......

It wasn't long...before.....SHE WAS RUNNING TO THE BATHROOM RATHER QUICKLY TO.......BLLLLAAAAACCCHHHHHEKWJWKFHSDJF!!!
FrUUUDHFSDJNSFLKSFM;SDF
.....

....I'm not cleaning...that....uuuuu------

@______@

Sometime around noon.....

The smell was horrible, her head hurt, she was cold...... Sitting up slowly, the girl would find herself on the floor in the bathroom. She hadn't made a horrible mess, she just got a little dizzy... All was well... NOT REALLY! As much as she didn't want to admit to it, she'd never let anyone hear say...WAIT! SHE WAS SICK! it was only to be expected......COLD PEOPLE GOT SICK!.....wait... Other way around. Sick people find themselves cold.... or so wikipedia told her so.

Sweaty, cold, and sick....

Exactly how she felt like spending her last days of class.

~~~~~~~Shower~~~~~~~

The bathroom was foggy, the sound of running water calmed her, the hot water turned her skin red... BUT IT WAS WORTH IT... Warm was good. She was able to escape the icky feelings of being sick, although she was unable to escape the sick itself....

Leaning against the cold shower wall, she'd space out a little; lost in the warmth of the water.

"HURRY I NEED TO PEE!"

That killed it....

GREEAATTT...

Turning off the water and stumbling out of the tub, the brunette quickly covered herself in a towel, grabbed her clothes and made a dash for it.

Upon entering her room, the poor girl sat down...Only to pass out in her towel on her bed moments later.

DAY TWO~~~~~

Waking up sore...cold...naked.....and feeling worse than the day before.

GREEAATTTTT!!

Her stomach was calming, although there was the need to run to the bathroom, which was fulfilled after rewrapping the towel around herself. Running Running....SHE WAS SAFE!!! YEYEAH! And in her head an umpire held both arms up, blew a whistle and yelled safe, the crowds of people, were germs, they grumbled and booed as she got to her feet... Heading back to the bench... Or in actuality... she just stood before the porcelain bowl... Staring at the water as it shimmered under the bathroom lights...

"WHHHYYYYYYY.........Why me.....why why why...."

Not long after, she found herself in bed, clad in her cute white night gown with the red ribbons, laying in bed, beneath all the warm blankets she could steal from the guest rooms...Of course, they'd be washed later....eventually......eventually...

It was getting boring, she just couldn't fall asleep. Lame, right?

It was time to take out the Christmas gift from her family. A horror movie box set, by the greatest directors in Japan... In their original Japanese forms... Fun.... Apparently, her family had no idea what she was all about. Then again, they hadn't seen her for years... Based on her old personality, it was a good idea. At least they thought about her...right?

SIIICCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK...

Even with the random pauses for obvious reasons, they were scary... Watching them deep into the night... Addie found herself too paranoid to sleep....TOO PARANOID TO SLEEP, cold, paranoid, and making constant runs to the lu to curse the world that man walked on, whilst heaving and what not. Always fun....... Tea, horror movies, and enough blankets to warm Alaska.... Addie was in heaven.... *___* Toasty....and places to hide when it got scary.

Day THREE~~~~

SHE HADN'T GOTTEN ANY BETTER...... HOW MUCH LONGER WOULD SHE BE STUCK WITH SUCH A THING?!

No longer did Addie keep the lights on, they buzzed and were far to bright, the blinds were shut and covered with a blanket. No light would enter, it hurt her head. The clock's batteries had been removed and thrown into a pile... The only light was from the television... and the only sound...apart from the sounds of sick... They were from the movies....HORROR MOVIE...AFTER HORROR MOVIE!

Mostly Japanese, although the odd ones from Taiwan had been added in. By the end of shutter, her shoulders hurt and most of her muscles hurt....[She had actually just noticed it... One could blame movie paranoia], and the room was a terrifying place. With the starting of the heat caused the girl to jump. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" There was nothing there...

Shoulder and neck pain...

O___O

OH NO!!

Shutter had given her an irrational fear of shoulder pain... With the lingering fear of...a ghost girl sitting on her...SO MUCH FUN... GOOOOODDD did she ever need sleep... Sleep would make her better...She hadn't gotten any better..AT ALL! SHE HAD BEEN RESTING....Taking it easy....all of that. Was getting better too much to ask??

........F......M.....L.....

There was only so long she could stay up....

After a very painful trip to the bathroom, she'd stumble back to her room and curl up in the blankets... Only to sleep for a solid...Hour maybe?

"You aren't here to sleep....."

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF---

Forced out of the warm.... Addie had to go cook and clean.... It was her job thing in the house of Ryu....

@_____@ eeeeeehhhh.....

The food was poorly prepared, she had a hard time keeping herself standing for long and she frequently was required to make a run for it...... During the third day of the school closure... She was sick and.... back to work... Even if the ritual of running, cursing, crying, heaving, and pain continued... She had to work....SAD FACE!

=_____= What ever doesn't kill you.....makes you stronger...

-sighs-

There you have it......That is the story...about how I...Addie Balfour...was defeated...by Long Beach and this....frucking flu! Getting better over time...Slowly.... slowly.... I just want to go back to beddd.......Sadly.... I have much work a head of me.....ugh...

To Be Continued.....

[[OOC: without code around 1400]]

[Victor "Break" D'Armond]

Day 1

"dieses kann nicht geschehen" Victor shouted angrily, his rich baritone slightly stretched by his frustration, his neat eyebrows furrowed toward each other, and his eyes where piercing and blue, any more angry and they would fire lasers right through the desk in front of him.

*Slam*

his fist came down, slightly angry, but almost nonchalantly, he took a deep breath, through his mouth of course because his nose was far too stuffed up. "Victor, what did I tell you about german in the house?" his mother called from down the hall of his room. "Sorry mom" Victor said, it wasn't bad enough that his parents could easily tell the difference of him before and after his german trip and where now keeping a closer eye on him, but on top of that he had to get sick. Victor grabbed a couple of kleenex from the desk, cursing his misfortune. he blew his nose, though it wasn't mucus, only sinus pressure that was preventing his breathing, he hated that. he grabbed his guitar, he knew he couldn't sing right now, but he needed something to take the edge off so he began picking out a new riff, something fast and angry. "stupido nessuna regola tedesca" Victor muttered. "No italian either hun" Victor's mom said.

"quis super latin? Victor asked with a short laugh

Victor's mom popped her head into his room, her deep blue eyes the obvious source of Victor's lady killing gaze, her brunette hair cut in a stylish bob, swinging as she came to a sudden stop to look at him. "Don't push my buttons mister, you're sick and I'll make you go to bed early, just like a little child if you don't behave yourself" she said, a slight humor in it, but still stern and maternal.

Victor just smirked. "Alright mom, you win" Victor said, holding his hand out to high five her with his smirk. "I always do" she said, high fiving him, the confident statement sounded strange coming from her soft toned voice. "Now pick up your laundry and throw it in the hamper for me okay?" she asked him kindly. "but I'm sick" he said with a little pouty face, which quickly turned into a smile, he gestured that he was joking, his mother rolled her eyes and left "Sometimes..." she said and began to chuckle as she walked down the hall.

Victor began to pick up his clothes, one of the rules of the d'armond family "there is no such thing as sick" luckily school was closed, otherwise his family would have made him go to school, though he probably just would have skipped class anyway, he had more important things to be doing at this point. he still needed to enact his master plan, though it wasn't even close to getting off the ground victor could feel the winds of change blowing... or maybe that was just his stomache suddenly growing very upset at him. Victor doubled over at the sharp pain, turning and sitting on his bed as his forehead broke out into a cold sweat... stupid new year virus.

he got up, grabbing his pile of clothes and running out of his room, he threw the whole pile into the laundry room as he ran by it, his foot slipping from under him in his frantic run, he shot his hand out, grabbing the doorframe of the bathroom and shoving himself inside, his eyes going wide as he dropped to his knees, his giant hands slamming down on the rim of the toilet, his mouth opening for vomit to project out of his mouth, slopping across the toilet, splashing into the water, something he'd seen plenty of times at parties, though he didn't experiance it that often himself... he got up, just a little woozy. he suddenly felt a lot better, even though it was just one little heave. he shrugged and flushed the toilet, listening to the water rush down, taking his nasty inner mess down to the sewers. if only it was that easy to truly clean his insides out, and just flush them into some metaphysical sewer. in one moment Victor realized what had truly happened to him, what he has become, his eyes widened again and the very thought gave him a second round of vomit, just in time for the toilet to have refilled. he shook his head, steadying himself before flushing it all down again. he walked back to his room, wiping his mouth, and flopped down on his bed. all he needed was some rest, and then: back to work

Day 2: Nope

Victor lay in bed, staring at the wall... he would not move, he would not speak as the sweat poured off his body, he just had to sweat it out

Day 3:

Patience paid off, Victor got out of bed the third morning and felt fine. Tomorrow would be the first day, Victor picked up his phone

*DIAL TONE*

"Ciao?" he said into the speaker

let the games begin

[Cain]

Day 1

Slowly, the young Junior flickered his eyes open, the simple feat proving to be harder than usual this time round. A groan escaped his throat as he applied the effort, his blurred eyes finally opening as he glanced up at the ceiling. His head felt light. Unusually light. What the hell? And then, at that moment, he was overcome by a sort of familiar sensation. The boy sat up in a quick jerk and before he knew it, he let out a loud sneeze, sending his own brain rattling in its skull. He let out a loud sniff, following it up with an audible sigh. What the hell? At that, his eyes widened. Was he sick?

His eyes shot up at the wall in front of him as the realisation hit him and before he could curse, he let out another sneeze, the young fighter almost being lifted from his bed. Of course, came another sniff and sigh. However, this time, a loud groan accompanied it. Fuck, he WAS sick. Great. With that, he pulled himself out from under the blankets, his feet touching the cold wooden floor, the contact sending chills up his spine, and as if to tease him, his nose let out another sneeze. This time, a curse followed up. Amusing, really, Cain was when he was sick.

He got up from bed, clad in nothing but a tank top and a pair of pyjama pants. He wore no slippers, never really finding the need to wear footwear indoors, especially his own house. Besides, no one really came here anyway, so why bother? He rubbed his nose with his right finger, the Junior sluggishly bringing himself across the room. Well, he did not seem like he was in any condition to go to school anyway. No, wait...

"Fucking hell."

Cain smacked his forehead. School was closed down. Yeah, he was remembering it all now and realising why he felt so messed up about being sick now. School had been closed down due to an outbreak of flu in Long Beach. Cain had been hoping to use the temporary break to train, but apparently, that was impossible now. As tough as Cain was, he knew he'd only be killing himself more than helping if he went to train in his condition. Ah, fuck.

He looked around for a moment, unsure of what to do. His day pretty much got ruined by the flu. He could tell too that he was not the only one suffering here. Ah, hell. He scratched the back of his head, letting out a frustrated scoff. The only thing he could do now, it seemed, was to rest up and hope to God that his body recovered from the flu by the time he woke up. Besides, he did not want to be sitting around here, suffering with every sneeze. And with that, he dragged himself back to bed.

The Junior laid himself down, sneezing softly as he did, knowing that this was going to be one hard sleep. He grunted as he pulled the blanket to his body, crumpling himself into a feral position, trying to keep his body as warm as possible. And with that, he closed his eyes, slowly and painfully succumbing into sweet slumber.

Day 2

Once again, Cain started the day off as anyone else would normally. And that was opening his eyes. He let out a sigh, though, refusing to move yet as he made a quick scan of his body. Well, his head did not feel as bad as before. And he had been awake for close to 20 seconds, but he had yet to sneeze. Was that a sign? Had his body once more proved itself to be a fighter and fought off the disease? A wide smile grew on his face, the Junior placing both hands on the side of the bed to prop himself up.

"Nyaha, in your face, you useless disease."

He grinned, literally leaping off his bed, landing on the ground without a care about is cold touch. He hopped for a few moment, as if trying out a new pair of shoes. His only intention then was to loosen his body up, for it had stiffened up after more than a whole day of idleness. The Junior jerked forward for a moment on his feet, testing his reflexes, before leaping back, and then repeating the process for a good eight times. Yeah, his body was really warming up now. Upon ending his improvised morning workout, the young Junior raised his hand in victory.

"Not even nature itself can bring me down~"

At that, he paced over to the refridgerator, aiming to get himself a morning bite. Well, there was an untouched sandwhich from Subway, probably something he bought but turned out to be extra food. Removing it from its chilly residence, Cain moved it to the microwave as he set it on, aiming to heat the chilled sandwhich up. The Junior then laid back for a moment, leaning against the edge of the kitchen top, waiting for his breakfast to be ready. He wondered then if the others who was just as sick as he was was as lucky too.

Then, the chime of the microwave woke him up from his train of thoughts, the man proceeding to remove the sandwhich from the microwave, almost scalding his finger in the process. At that, he also got himself ready a glass of milk, setting his small meal upon the table right outside the kitchen, otherwise known as the dining table. He took a bite off his sandwhich, a soft satisfied smile creeping up to his face. And then, he moved the glass of cold milk to his mouth and started to drink it. However, just as he did, a dreaded familiar sensation filled him. His eyes widened as he pulled the milk away. And he sneezed, spraying the white liquid from his mouth all over the floor.

"What the fuck...?"

Oh, great, it came back. Cain let out a soft yell of frustration, putting the sandwhich and glass of milk down on the table, both hands coming up to his forehead. Great, was he going to spend to rest of his day in bed again? As he thought of it, he let out another sneeze, as if answering his question. Goddammit. He let out a soft sigh, succumbing to the inevitable as he proceeded to finish up his sandwhich, knowing that it would be better if he rested with a full stomach than an empty one. And with that, he returned to the comforts of his bed, cursing with every sneeze.

Boy, was he grumpy.

Halfway through his second day of rest, though, Cain was forced off his bed by the sound of a doorbell. Standing by the side of his bed, wearing a shirt and his jogging pants, he stared at the direction of the entrance, wondering who the hell it was. He sighed, before leaving his room, the doorbell being rung once more as he made his way towards it.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

The young Junior reached forward, grabbing the door knob, letting out a soft yawn as he twisted it open slowly. As of that moment, he was unsure of what it was. However, just as the door was unlocked, it suddenly shot back, hitting Cain right in the forehead, the already-sick Junior falling backwards onto his back, a grunt escaping his lips. What the fuck? He groaned, trying to open his eyes to find out what exactly was happening, but instead, he felt pressure upon his head as he was pulled up by the hair, yelps of protest emerging from the sick male.

"You'll get it this time, you punk!"

That voice. How was it familiar? Cain opened his eyes finally, and as blur as his vision was then, he could make out a masked man holding him up with a left hand, and his right hand reeling up, getting ready to smash down upon Cain's face. Who the fuck was he? Cain then braced himself for impact, knowing that it was a tad bit too late to move his hands to block. However, something else happened.

"Achoo!"

Mucus sprayed upon the mask of the attacker, surprising him utterly as the disgusting greenish liquid stained his black mask. And considering its material, it actually absorbed the mucus. The man yelped in disgust, letting go of Cain as he reached for his mask. A curse escaped his lips then as he realised that he only succeeded in pushing the mucus to his face. Cain slowly got up, using his hands to support him as he looked at the attacker, grinning at his 'counter'. Well, it wasn't exactly the most approved of methods, but it worked, right?

At least the flu was good for something, it seemed.

As the man removed the mask, Cain finally recognised who it was. It was one of the Juniors from 259, the same one that Cain had stopped so many times from forcing his way onto girls. Apparently, he had gotten sick of it and wanted to get back at Cain. Too bad for him, luck just wasn't in his side today. The Junior hesitated not as he got up, throwing a drop kick at the guy's face. Lethal indeed, as the man's head jerked backwards, hitting the wooden wall and leaving quite a dent in it. The impact was enough to knock him out, though.

Cain stayed on the ground then, taking a few deep breathes. That was close. Had it not for the flu, he would be getting pummeled, dazed by the impact of the door upon his forehead and the following punches. He grinned.

"Fuckin' hell."

At that, he stood up, grabbing the other Junior and dragging him across the corridor outside his apartment, placing his own classmate at the entrance of the rubbish chute. With a grin, he even had the guts to taunt the unconscious male.

"Time to throw out the trash. Haha."

And with that, he threw his classmate down the rubbish chute. Eh, no biggie. Cain lived in the third floor anyway. It would just be a slimy and slippery, not to mention smelly, slide for the other male. With that, Cain returned to his apartment and closed the door, placing his right hand on his forehead.

"Fuck, now I really need some sleep."

Day 3

The Sun had risen, the sky was blue, the clouds were about and the birds were chirping. It certainly seemed like a great day, especially for one like Cain. The Junior groaned as he awakened, his right hand immediately moving to his forehead, where a vertical red line had formed where the door had hit him. Mentally, he cursed his classmate. With a sigh, he got up from his bed, looking around for a moment, before getting out of his room. Sluggishly, he dragged himself to the kitchen, making himself up a simple breakfast once more. As he did, though, he could not help but think that he was forgetting something.

Then, at that moment, he realised it. His eyes widened, a large smile coming upon his face.

He was not sneezing anymore! And he was feeling a whole fuckin lot better! He raised his arms in victory once more, but put it down immediately, not wanting an event like yesterday to occur once more. He smiled. Finally, the flu had gone away. Still, he could not believe that so many things could have happened, even when he was flu. He chuckled. He was a fighter, after all. And considering his newly born links and title; the Dragonling, he knew that he was going to get a lot more challenges.

With that thought, he smiled. He was going to meet these challenges head on, with a smile and a determined heart.

But for now, he was going to celebrate, for he had overcome just one more opponent.

"AND THE WINNER IS: CAIN ALEXANDER!
The Flu looks utterly beaten, but it has certainly been a great match!"

2018 words.

[Gabriel Seran]

The relatively normal exchange of dinner services throughout the Seran household made Gabriel at ease, despite the many times he'd feared of some form of assassination. Sure that may have been a bit paranoid but its not like something of the similar sort had happened in the past, his parents had been burnt alive in their estates. Gritting his teeth at the thought of that set him into a relatively hungry mood. IT wasn't the kind of hunger that would normally put up with. HE was famished, starving for a piece of some delectable food.

Gabriel sat before a large delectable lobster dinner, IT was seconds before the entire thing was destroyed, table and all. Gabriel was a force to be reconned with sure the man was a dangerous warrior but at the table he was his own brand of monster, unsuppressed by the need to feel polite he found a way to make an art of destroying the food before him consuming it faster than anyone could have imagined.

Day 1:

Rolling over from his elongated king sized bed Gabriel looked a shade of green, his belly aching and his head in a daze, body stubbornly wanting to give up and just quit. Perhaps there was an easy way out of this, but that was certainly doubtful to begin with something in the lobster had set him off.

"Gughhh" Gabriel moaned in a low voice off to the side.

A few seconds later with a bit of fluids in him, Gabriel was throwing up over the side of his bed honestly feeling worse for wear than he'd ever felt before. HE needed a shower, some food but his stomach was rolling too much, enough so that anything he particularly consumed came back up and painted his floor with whatever he'd just eaten.

"Ivan..."

The large man hurried in as though there was a fire in the room, yes he came in with he red fire extinguisher and all. Throwing the ire blanket over Gabriel the big man pummeled him viciously preparing for this fire to plausibly burn down the house, well not if he was here!

"GODDAMMNIT IVAN!"

Gabriel replied furiously sending a fist up to knock back the large man leaving Gabriel alone for a good number of hours before quickly passing out later that day. Nothing was solved but his sickness achieved. Great stuck for a day, starving, sickly, and hard trouble moving from his bed.

Day 2:

Rolling out of bed, into what he would have thought as a huge pile of puke, now recently cleaned up and the clean floor smelling of disinfectant. He wasn't going to be getting up all too soon, not quite yet there was still a bit of time he needed to pass by.

Gabriel dragged himself down a flight of spiraling stairs clumsily planting himself in front of a hidden television. HE was glad he'd kept it around for times like these, normally he wasn't so inclined to fixate himself before the television considering the vast gains in technology in this new found world.

"Ivan.... Theres no fire this time... mind getting me crackers?"

Gabriel beckoned a hinge of irritation in his voice. Certainly upset by the day before, hungry and undoubtedly a bit on edge due to his hunger. A vicious animal lurked on prowl within him ready to be unleashed at but a moments notice.

In cam the large lumbering man seeking out his duty, though this time with a certain caution fearing the death falls of Gabriel's fists to fall upon him. Regardless he still made way to settle beside Gabriel toting the basket of crackers for him to take in hungrily. However hungry he was he took slow to the food consuming it slowly as to not have it vomited back up by quick action.

"Gughgh, perhaps some soda as well..."

Gabriel lingered there for the day having Ivan wait on him for the majority of his day, his body immobile by the force of the sickly dagger buried beneath his skin. IT stabbed at his body aiming to break him down quickly over time.

Day 3:

Today was a better span of time, by now the sickness was brief and shortly lasting. Gabriel's body more capable of moving than it had been before but he was reduced to a simple limp, easy and cautious as to not upset his stomach. Patience was of the essence, but he'd still not be cured till a day later. Ivan was given a day leave for dotting upon Gabriel's every whim. Which of curse were brief in his state of exhaustion but by day four Gabriel was capable of his normal deeds, taken aback by sapped strength and body.

(ooc: 801 words minus coding)

[Sara Gallagher]

Day 1

Sara had slept in the guest room last night. She hadn't been feeling well and just wanted to be alone. She had skipped lunch and dinner and had been avoiding everyone. Like a cat who was about to die, she just wanted to crawl into a closet and never be bothered again. She rolled over in bed, away from the light that streamed through her window and pushed her face into her pillow. The light... It burned... Oh god it burned... Her eyes were going to explode. So was her head... And her stomach... Oh god her stomach...

She pulled herself out of bed and stumbled across the room into the bathroom. About to pull down her pajama pants for her morning pee, she paused. Well... That's... odd--

She dropped to her knees at the toilet and threw up, gagging and coughing and choking. When she was done, she sat there with her head stuck into the toilet bowl for a few more moments before reaching out for a towel and pulling it to her. She wiped her face with it, then realized how soft it was and how cool the tile floor in the bathroom was...

She laid down, holding the towel to her mouth and curling up pathetically on the bathroom floor. In seconds, she was asleep again. At 9 am, Gale came searching for her. She moved around the room and then spotted the open bathroom door. She peeked inside to see Sara asleep, curled up with her back to the bathtub. "Sara! Wake up! Get back in the bed!"

Sara shifted in her sleep. "I'm not going in, you can't make me..."

"To bad, school's closed. You have no choice but to stay home anyways."

She chuckled, knowing that would make Sara mad. Sara groaned, pushing herself up onto an elbow, the simple movement so much harder then it had to be. "Screw that, I wouldn't go in even if it was open, so I win..."

"Sure you do... Get your ass off the floor and into bed. You're not leaving this room until you're better. Shayne doesn't need to get sick and Matrim is pretty bad to, so you're stuck in here. I'll bring you some dry toast and broth in another hour, so I want you in that bed." With that, she left.

Sara, with tremendous effort, stuck her tongue out at the retreating womans back.


Day 2

Sara's fever was extremely high. 104 exactly. She was on fire. Gale had taken her and practically held her down in the shower while what felt like ice water rained down on her body. There was no way something that cold could have come from their shower. No way.

As soon as Sara had the opportunity, wrapped in clean pajamas of course, she had made a mad dash for freedom, retreating to the basement of the house where no sun penetrated... Or at least very little. It was a finished basement, a couch, a tv, a small bar, the typical stuff you'd expect to see in a house like this. She grabbed the throw off the couch and a small pillow and made a fort behind the bar. In the darkness, on the cool floor, she slept in peace for what felt like 3 days.

It was actually only an hour and half before Gale found her and once again hauled her back up to her room. She hadn't eaten her food the other day, "accidentally" spilling the soup, and feeding the dry toast to the dog. This time, Gale was determined that Sara eat something.

In an attempt to entice her, she had taken a recipe off the internet from Sara's home province. Something that they called "cows tits", but you might know them as dough boys. She had shaped the balls of dough into animal shapes and stuck them into a beef broth, thickened with flour.

When the bowl was placed in front of Sara, she looked down at what appeared to be a bunch of dinosaurs in a tar pit. "Better save them dinosaurs Sara. And then get rid of the tar pit before any more get stuck in there."

Sara ate the whole damn thing, pleased with the amount of work and thought that went into it and actually enjoyed herself.


Day 3

Sara finally slept better then she had in a couple of days. Gale came into her room around noon and told her that the school was opening the next day again and told her that Sara had damn well better be there. Then she asked if Sara wanted anything to eat.

"Ya... I guess so."

"Good... Don't think I'm making that crap for you again."

Sara crossed her arms over her chest. "Can I have pop?"

"You can have ginger ale."

"... Deal."

20 minutes later, Gale was at her bedroom dropping off a tray with dry toast, chicken broth and ginger ale. She stayed while Sara ate, making sure she had more then the dog did. They talked about Shayne, Sara's parents, everything. Finally, Gale took the tray and dishes and left, leaving Sara alone. Immediately, she was asleep, and slept right through to the next day.

When she woke up and rolled over, looking at the clock, she realized it was 8:30. She flew out of bed, feeling back to herself. It was only thanks to Gale that Sara didn't leave the house bare foot and in her pajamas to go to school.

[Deleted]

Echoes, just another memory of the past stabbing at the back of his skull the years spent at war with another were certainly problematic times that caused nightmares like these, the storming memories churning in an other wise empty battle worn mind. Yes Jaus had been nothing short of a warrior as he'd grown up the great many years spent on funds to train the boy of royalty, though he wasn't of high blood, more so he was of an ancient code. Something more sober and with less attention then a king. However through his many years he'd never gotten the chance to feel what it was like as a King, a leader, even a hero, he'd been taken from his home, from his birthright before he could remember. And trained into something of a humble existence living off of the kindness and often the harshness of others.

Day 1:

Jaus Valentine awoke the first day of a new year, the subtle changes to his lazy month of break, enjoying not having to have gotten up in the morning, the feeling of never enduring those tedious work outfits and continuously finishing projects. Of course in his Junior year Jaus didn't have to accomplish much, the boy dealing with all kinds of developing changes in his body as well as the kind of things that happen when you ascend to the next stage of life.

Normally the morning after a late night of celebrations for the new year was rough, but it was expected to see hangovers and people thrown about the room not a lurching stomach and a horrid sense of ones self.

"Gruahgh"

Yup Jaus was a man of few words even when he lurched about the halls vomiting on inconspicuous students only to realize he hadn't made it home the night before. Rather he'd crashed in the student lounge on camps finding himself consolidated with cramps and all sorts of inward pain.

(TBC)

[Matrim Gallagher]

DAY 1

"YAAACHOOO!" Matrim said, he thought he felt a cold coming on but then it was something else, "Thank God I'd hate to have to get a cold or anything like that while Shayne's around. I don't want to get the poor bugger sick or anything."

*Gurgle gurgle gurgle*

"Huh, that was funny," Matrim said, feeling something in his stomach as he went over to the television, turning it onto the news. He usually watched a bit of news before going to school when he and Gale heard the story come on, the story of the schools being closed due to the increased amount of sick children. It had gotten so bad that apparently whole districts in California were closing their doors for awhile. "A district wide sick day being called... huh that's new...."

"You don't look too well," Gale told Matrim.

"Yeah, well you aren't that pretty yourself g-BLUGGGGHHH!" Matrim threw up on the spot and fell over as his stomach erupted in pain and his eyes went wide. He was sicker than a dog in what seemed like an instantaneous moment, "Sick... help.... man down... save yourself...."

"Calm down Matrim you just got an upset stomach," Gale said, "Clean that up."

"Can't.... move.... going to... die...."

"Fine I'll get it, but I'm charging you more for cleaning up your spit up. Shayne's is one thing, yours is NOT on my current fees," She left the room to get stuff to clean with as Matrim crawled to the bathroom to... well, get it out of his system. Which took him about forty minutes with a trash can in his hands. Bad part about the flu, it came out both ends <_< >_>.

In any case, once he was done with that bundle of joy, he started crawling upstairs, "Locking myself in my room... disinfect... keep Shayne safe..."

"Got it."

Best part of Matrim's room? It had a tv, he had some dvd's, and there was a bathroom. So really there wasn't a reason to leave, if he had a couch and a computer in there, there really would be absolutely no reason to leave unless he had to get food.

Food....

Matrim rushed to his bedrooms bathroom, and finished his thought with his head in the toilet. He was not eating any time soon, and as he felt a fever come on he realized something.

If I'm hot with my Qi... how hot would my Qi get with a fever....

And with that thought he climbed into the shower, and turned on the cold water, nearly dying since he felt cold already. Maybe it was just how crazy he was but he was in the shower for nearly an hour of cold water before getting out, getting into dry pajama's and just flopping onto his bed.

DAY 2

Waking up he found that he was feeling somewhat alright, but as soon as he turned he felt like he was going to die. He pressed play on his CD player, forgetting that he had a classical cd in. Though the dramatic music really seemed to set the mood.

"I'm dying...." Matrim said, and pressed a button on his phone to call Gale, "Dearest Emilia... dearest Emilia I wish to say my final farewells....."

"Matrim get over yourself and go to the store, Sara's sick and needs medicine."

"Of course... Emilia... if Ricardo isn't feeling well, I'll gladly ride into town and fetch the good Doctor..."

"On second though, I don't think the world needs another crazy on the road. I'll see what I can cook up for her....."

"Very well dearest Emilia, Give Ricardo and Adrienna my best, and make sure to take good care of them."

"Fevers don't suit you Matrim," Gale said as she hung up the phone. Matrim's body was still sprawled out as he stared up at the ceiling. His own saliva was overflowing as he turned to the side, and in his feverish feelings he felt the need get warmer.... even though he had a fever....

"Cold... so cold.... Ricardo, my love.... raise our baby girl to be the best ballerina this worlds ever seemed... since I never could be with my pinky toe injuries...." He got under the sheets and rolled around till comfortable, "Oh sweet death take me... take me like a cheap prom date...."

Matrim slept, and rolled, and fell of the bed several times. When he woke up it was four in the morning of the next day.

DAY 3

Matrim awoke in a puddle of his own saliva. He managed to get up and stumble to the bathroom, after that he washed his face off and stared into the mirror, looking into his eyes. He had such strange vivid dreams, and for some reason he felt that he could stand on the tip of his toes and plie....

"Huh," He said and at a whiff of his own breath nearly fell over. He brushed his teeth rigorously and made sure to use plenty of mouth wash. He then yawned and nearly fell over from the stink, so he took a quick shower, washing his hair. When he got out he tied it back in a ponytail before heading downstairs. Once he got there, he walked into the kitchen, "Whatcha cooking Gale?"

"Clam chowder!"

Matrim ran straight to the bathroom to once again start up with his upset stomach. In between heaves he called out, "Fuck you Gale! You're a bitch!" He had another heave or two, "A nut bustin' bitch!" He then kept going at it as Gale laughed her ass off.

Matrim finally stopped, and using some of the mouthwash in that bathroom he managed to get water, some alphabet soup, and find his way into his room again, sleeping off the rest of the sickness. It was a short day, but at least the fever had managed to cool down. He felt better the next day when he woke up, and thankfully remembered nothing of the phone call him and Gale had. Until she played him the recording she made of it.

Shit....

[Mischa Badoer]

Day1

Why am I a sad panda? That is a good question… but not really ‘cause I’m laying in my bed wallowing in my germs! Yes I am sick!

Mischa moaned as her hands covered her face. “I want soup!” she called out to Demetri. He clearly was taking his sweet ass time. That and she bet he couldn’t even work the oven. Mischa couldn’t even do something like that! Mischa took care of Demetri, yes…….but she would never cook for him. That would be unsafe and not taking care of him at all! She would order food from fast food or restaurants. So that was what he was probably doing. Ordering his henchmen to order for for Mischa.

She was glad she didn’t have school today..it would appear everyone had the same sickness and the school was shut down. Mischa would not have been in any shape to do homework at the moment. All she did was read comics and bitch about having a bad cough. Demetri came into her room with a bowl of soup…well.. A doggy bag container thing of soup.

“Aw thank you!” Mischa reached out with her hands doing that “grabby hands” thing.

“How are you feeling?”

“I can’t breath from my nose.”

“Still working on getting better?”

“When I sneeze…I’m a sprinkler..”

“Kay, bye..”

Mischa sat up and opened up the lid to take in the nice aroma of…

BEEF SOUP!?

Demetri is fired of his job of being a legal guardian…

Mischa sucked it up and ate the soup and fell asleep shortly after it.

Day 2

Mischa got up and treaded across the floor by dragging her feet. She slowly made her way to the kitchen by wobbling and moaning in discomfort. She got to the kitchen and had seen Demetri sitting at the table enjoying a nice cup o’ joe. He smiled at her, looking up from his paper.

“Better yet?”

“No.” Instead of pressing on as he did last time, he simply nodded and looked back down to his paper. Now Mischa opened up the cupboard and pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies. Demetri heard the crinkle of the box and looked up once again. Mischa quickly hid the box behind her back and he perked his eyebrow in suspision.

“Nothing…” and that’s when he got up… she shouldn’t have said “nothing” before he actually asked… that was usually a dead give away. He held out his hand and Mischa shook her head “no” and Demetri moved to look behind her back. Mischa moved opposite though so he could see… then he turned the other way and she moved again… then it happened again and again until she fell on her ass crushing the cookies on her way down.

“Hope you are happy!” she ran up stairs cookie less and wallowed in germs once again… WITH THE PUNISHER PLAYING ON HER T.V!

Day 3

“I’m better now!” she said, running down the stairs. Though she fell down said stairs, but that was a normal occurrence in the DeMorvick/Badoer/Marino house. Once she got up, she dusted herself off and looked to the couch to see none other than Demetri laying on the couch…coughing. “HA! YOU GOT MY SICKNESS!” why was she happy?! It was revenge time. She ran to the coffee table in front of him and swiped the coffee from the table. If she couldn’t have cookies..he couldn’t have coffee!

“Neo Citron for ju!” and started running as if her life depending on it. Because it did depend on it… she totally just stole Demetri’s coffee! That was most definitely suicide! Demetri got up and started chasing her. Though, Mischa bamfed her in the hall, spilling coffee all over the white walls and carpet… and when she fell she supermaned it and managed to take down Demetri who was close on her heels and tripped on her tumbling body. “Watch wear you’re going!” she yelled at Demetri..who was laying on her back and her face was buried in the carpet. He got up and stared at her with that disproved parent face.

“Go to your room.”

“I’M SEVENTEEN YOU CAN’T TELL ME TO DO THAT!!! AND YOU’RE NOT MY DAD!”

“Go to your room or you are fired… and you know what we do to our ‘guys’ when we fire ‘em.” he wasn’t serious… but it was enough for Mischa to go bug eyed and run back up stairs.

(OOC:Word count 741 without coding)

[Drea]

Drea coughed, her eyes watering from the pain in her throat and the red of her nose. Her hair, usually an impeccably done up twist, a ponytail, a braid... Well, as opposed to the many styles she occasionally used - her hair was a mess.

Instead of the nice, freshly ironed shirts and blouses that she so often wore intermingled with her frequently worn over sized T-shirt, Drea was hiding in her pajamas beneath the thick blankets of her bed.

The world swam before her eyes despite the fact that she wasn't moving, and every sound was accompanied by a pang of pure agony - not unlike a hammer slamming a nail through her head.

She coughed weakly, wishing she had something to drink that wouldn't hurt her throat. One of the maids had grated a large white radish and mixed it with grated ice, pouring honey over the whole thing before handing it to her. To the maid's surprise, Drea had been able to swallow only three bites of the mixture before tears had welled up in her eyes once more from the pain.

The cure, after all, was one designed to minimize pain in the throat when swallowing.

Her whole body ached. Where she was usually always doing something - whether it was reading or studying - she couldn't find the willpower to do so. Her head hurt and her body protested every movement she made. Even the bend of her elbows cried out when she so much as twitched.

Miserable, Drea did her best to remain absolutely still. Unfortunately, her plan had quickly been squashed by the fact that her eyes and nose were still running. A lot.

And so, faced with no other choice, she was forced to endure the cries of her body as she wiped at her eyes and nose.

Laying in bed, she wished her sister was there - only to curse herself for wanting to leave Emily even the slightest chance of risk in catching the damned illness. But... Emily would know what to do. Drea's parents hadn't even allowed her to see a doctor.

"It would cause rumors," her father had explained to her. "We don't want anyone else to know that you're so weak." Although his voice and body language had given off nothing but kindness, his words had cut to the bone. Feeling even more terrible for asking them to expend so much as another minute in her presence - what if she got them sick? - she'd thanked them both for the consideration and had watched as they'd quickly retreated.

She didn't want to bring any dishonor to the family. Certainly not to the foster parents that had so kindly adopted her, inviting her into their home to share food and shelter with her. She'd been relieved to find anyone so kind - she'd been happy to have been selected at all were she to be honest.

The Korean branch of the orphanage organization had left much to be desired and the bitter medications had often left her throat tightening and her nose smarting. She'd hated it there.

Staring at the ceiling of her room, Drea shivered, wincing as her aching body protested the slight movement. Her bed had been packed with hot bricks and water bottles, and top of that, she had four thick mink blankets thrown over her usual sheets. She'd sweated through her pajamas twice and had been sponge-bathed by one of the older maids.

Embarrassed, she hadn't been able to keep from blushing when the elderly woman had entered her room with the large bowl of warm water and the washcloth.

She hadn't been forced to take a sponge bath in years - not since she was a child with her parents so long ago... A pang of loneliness struck her before she reminded herself that her sister was there. She'd finally found her sister again - she had no reason to be lonely any longer.

Staring up at the ceiling, Drea couldn't repress the sigh that left her lips. Emily... Emily seemed so far away. It pained Drea that she could do so little to help her older sister. No matter how she chased after her - to help her - it seemed as though her twin only drifted further and further out of sight.

Another coughing fit broke through her musings. Unable to focus, unable to sleep - Drea spent the night in misery, apologizing repeatedly to the maids that so often had to check in on her.

If only she weren't so weak...

[Kazuya Hikari]

Day 1

"Ahchoo!" Kazuya sneezed, as he laid in bed, unwillingly to do much else. He barely even had the energy to roll over in his bed and get a tissue for his running nose. He had gone to bed with a bad headache, and woke up to a bad case of the flu. Awesome. He had a feeling it was the sushi he had eaten the night before. Whatever the case, he was definitely staying home from school. His entire body was sore, and he wanted to take a shower badly, but he could barely move in his bed without setting off an explosion of aches, less get out of bed and go to the bathroom. He had only managed to muster up enough energy to send Kyoko a text message, before his hand gave out, his cellphone tumbling onto his bed. Almost as quickly as he had sent the message, he heard a knock at his door. "It's open..." He called out weakily, as he heard someone come in, seconds later, Kyoko poked her head into his room, one look at him told her enough.

He was sick, and he wasn't going to be doing much else for the rest of the day. She tried to get some food and liquids into him, but that only succeeded in causing Kazuya to upchuck it all out. A bucket was left beside his bed, so that all he had to do was lean over his bed, and paint the inside of the bucket the color of whatever had been in his stomach, instead of painting the floor. He was sweating like nobody's business, his t-shirt and boxer shorts were soaked completely, right now, all Kazuya wanted to do was to rest, as he shivered underneath his comforter and the second blanket Kyoko had placed on top. Kazuya was left alone for most of the day, mainly because he didn't want Kyoko to catch his flu, finally passing out late in the day. He was sore, sick, tired, aching, and not pleased at all.

Day 2

Kazuya rolled out of bed, albeit struggling to get himself up using great effort to do so, and hobbled to the bathroom, thoroughly disoriented, as he made it to the bathroom, and slammed the door shut behind him, though he didn't mean to use so much force. Washing his face, as Kyoko waited for him on the other side of the door, he rinsed his mouth out, the taste of vomit having lingered in his mouth. He then staggered out of the bathroom, Kyoko helping him as much as possible, before he plopped himself down on the couch, Kyoko covering him with a blanket, as she brought him a bowl of soup and some crackers. Dumping the entire lot of the crackers into the bowl, Kazuya ate slowly, his body aching from having been lying down for so long, as he watched a bit of TV, something he normally never did, seeing as he was only home to sleep or do homework.

As hungry as Kazuya was, he did not like the idea of upchucking once more, so he slowly drank the hot soup given to him, as Kyoko stayed near him. She had no obligation to, but she still stayed, even though he was not the younger brother she once had, just a replica of him. Kazuya was surprised she had even come, seeing as she had left Long Beach not too long ago. His stomach happily rumbling in finally having something to eat, a glass of ginger ale was placed down on the table he had hunkered down in front of, as Kazuya spent the rest of the day resting, or watching TV, or both. Kazuya was pretty much rendered immobile, having neither the strength nor the will to move from the spot on the couch. How ironic, he was strong, physically-wise, yet a simple illness reduced him down to the capabilities of nothing more than a mere child. Ironic indeed...

Day 3

Kazuya felt much better today, which meant he was recovering quickly. He no longer feared having to throw up everything he ate, and hungrily devoured the food Kyoko made for him. He was able to move about his apartment now without her assistance, which he was grateful for, before, he was moving like an old man, but now, he was simply limping around slowly and cautiously, so he would not upset his stomach, though he was mobile nonetheless. Still, he was going to rest as much as possible, he would like to be cured of his illness as soon as possible. He slept most of the day, only waking up to eat or helped to the bathroom and take a bath. All his clothes were washed, and by the next day, Kazuya was well enough to do his own thing, though he made sure to get enough rest.

As soon as she was sure he was well enough, Kyoko left. Kazuya was grateful for what she did. She didn't have to, but she did anyways. At least now he was cured, though it made him realize just how easily he could be taken down by a mere illness. He was never going to take being sick for granted again.

(OOC: 888 words minus BB coding and this note.)

[seishounohana]

Sacricia Emily Lourdes Epifania Delos Santos usually starts her days having a simple breakfast of Bacon and Eggs, chowing down on them while reading her notes from the day before. Being a Hypersomniac, she always finds herself quite groggy in the morning despite her best efforts; well... there was several underlying reasons why she was like that, but---

...

It was Friday. She purposely left her fridays free this semester to make way for work. She works six hours at the Maid cafe from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. After that, she jumps towards 259 to do some tutoring for the freshman students for an hour or so before heading home to rest a bit before leaving for the Hospital, where she works another 6 hours; at least, depending on where Layla asks her to be to fill any lack of employees.

Today, she was basically told to go and help out as a trainee on the Medical-Surgical ward. It was a particularly loaded day, so Emily barely noticed that she was stumbling her way to the rooms. The nurses however, noticed -- Franz, namely. "Oy, Em." She called out, snapping Emily from thinking as she was formulating her Nursing diagnoses for her new patient at room 508. Only one more hour and she could endorse and go home to sleep.

"What's up, Franz?"

Franz would only reply by prodding her ear with a tympanic thermometer. The woman shook her head after the beep and showed Emily the result. "You're a freaking burning! 45 degrees Celsius?!"

Emily shrugged and took out a handkerchief, catching herself sneezing, making her head spin slightly from the due force. Franz only shook her head and reached for her pockets, offering the girl a surgical mask. "If you go home now, I'll do your endorsements. You're not in any state to work. Heck, I'm not even sure if I should send you home, woman."

"I'll be fine..."

"Emily? Oy..."

"I'll be...---"

...

*Thump*

Emily woke up; or at least woke up as much as an extremely sick person could be. A few moments would pass and she would finally notice that she was lying down on one hospital bed, in a private room. Understanding the implications of her predicament, she tried to sit up, only to see that she had been stripped of her uniform and dressed in a patient's gown with an IV attached to her hand.

"... I hate being sick."

Of course, she was released the next day, but her fever was not breaking just yet. With Franz covering her today, Elise would be the one heading to her home basically carrying ingredients for cold udon and a huge bag of ice. thing is, Emily was a particularly difficult person to get sick, but once she gets sick, she manages to hold on for her dear life. Not many people get to have 45 degree fevers and live to tell the tale.

Emily managed to lower her temperature by soaking herself in ice water for a considerable amount of minutes. "So dass Sie es geschafft, krank, einmal? [So you managed to get sick, for once?]" the german female asked, a small smile on her face. Emily chuckled weakly, having little energy to reply as she let herself soak in the cold water. Elise, of course, was just outside the door by the kitchen making food. Cold noodles, actually.

"Möchten Sie etwas Kaltes zu essen? Ich kann Krabben und Mais-Suppe. [You sure you want something cold to eat? I can make crab and corn soup.]"

"Bitte. [Please do.]" She replied, soaking her head into the water. She was... feeling mostly better. Though she was still moderately sick, and the water was helping moderate her heat levels, Emily figured she caught that flu thing that was running around school recently; the amount of work she does often most likely made her sick. Fatigue does wonders for the human body after all.

So, she spent the night doing German lessons with the german female. Beth and Stephanie dropped by for a few to drop some fruits off, as per instruction of Elise and Franz. Heh, Nikki also dropped off Emily's homework.

Friends were a good thing to keep.

On the third day, despite Emily still having a case of the sniffles, her fever had broke and she was quite well enough to fend for herself. Though... it was only expected that she stayed at home still, taking some paracetamol and kept herself hydrated, at least until she manages to recover fully.

"... Damn you, Em." Franz griped over the phone, causing Emily to blink in confusion.

"What did I do now, Franz?"

"... You got me sick!"

[Adrian Kreever]

Day 1

"ATCHOO!" This was bad, annoying and downright weak. He'd caught the damned flu! One good thing had come of it though, Mother and Father were coming over to take care of him. The downside to that, however, was that he had to clear up his apartment. They didn't like it when he was messy. Of course, spouting phlegm in all directions every few minutes didn't make it any easier. He sat down on the couch in front of his television, clenching his pale fists in frustration. Why was this happening, why now?! Those three days would have been a gift to him, spare time to play all sorts of pranks on those who deserved it, but now? He was confined to his apartment with absolutely nothing to do, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to leave his bed tomorrow. Not because of the illness, but because Mother would insist on him staying there to recover. At least they'd be there.

Day 2

"But Mother, I-" "No, absolutely not! My little boy's sick, and I have too much pampering saved up since you moved out here, so you just stay in bed and let your father nad I take care of you." And the score: 1/0, Hunch/Sanity. Adrian hated doing nothing, but now at least wouldn't be the worst kind of nothing. Mother had sent Father out with a list of groceries, and even though he was bound to mess up at least one-tenth the requested items, they'd eat well tonight. A shame that Adrian's appetite had decided to go on strike. Mother was rummaging about in the kitchen while Adrian had been confined to the couch, on penalty of pampering.

"So, how's my little boy doing?" Adrian had been expecting this, she was going to ask him that question. Of course, it took her about four or five minutes to build up enough momentum. "I'm all right, Mother." He chuckled a little. "Apart from the obvious, of course. But I get my homework done, attend my classes, all the important stuff." She seemed struck for a moment, like she wasn't happy with what she was hearing. "I've even met some people with hanging out with." He knew it was what she wanted to hear, and so he'd do his duty as her son when he told her: He'd make it sound a lot better than it was, or at least give it a hearty try. "Really?" "Oh yeah." I met this guy named Roy on my first day of school, he's a nice guy, owns a tea-shop and all sorts. And then there's this girl Kevala, she's a bit strange but seems nice enough. And Mitsu, Japanese girl, she's also really nice. We talked about cats and how good it is for the soul to have one. And, errh, oh right, there's this Addie chick Roy's been hanging around with. They say it's just friendship, but I think there's a little more going on there. Which is good, 'cause I really think they'd make a nice couple."

"Hmm." Mother sounded thoughtful and a little disappointed, and he knew why but he couldn't think of anything he could do to change it. She wanted to hear that he had found someone with whom he also thought they'd make a 'nice couple', but lying about that sort of thing was excruciating, he hated lying to Mother and Father, not least because he knew they'd persist in their questions if he lied about this sort of thing. A door slammed. "Your deliveries have arrived!" Boomed a familiar voice, and Father stepped into the living-room, causing Mother's worried face to turn into a smile. They still had that effect on one another. Soon the most necessary preparations for dinner had been made, and the three of them were sitting on the couch, watching something pointless on the television and laughing together, as a family. Adrian was happy.

Day 3

The next day saw Adrian hug his parents goodbye on the steps to the apartment complex. "Goodbye son. Take care and don't forget to give your ol' mum and dad a call every now and again." Adrian smirked. "Of course I won't." "Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" "I'll be fine Mother. I'll make sure to call you if I need any more pampering." He smiled with rare warmth. These two were important to him, very important, but he felt much better now and he knew they had buissness of their own that needed attending. "You two take care now. We'll see each other soon." He waved at them as they drove off, and smiled as he saw Mother eagerly waving until they turned a corner and were out of sight.

They hadn't been happy to leave, he knew that, and he hadn't exactly enjoyed seeing them leave either, but that time they had spent together had been good. He walked to his bedroom and pulled out the plastic-bag he had taped to the underside of his bed. From it, he withdrew a foot-long curved blade, shifting it in his hand to see light reflecting off it. He had been a little sad to watch them go, true, but it was neccessary. He had big plans for tonight.