𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕥 || 𝕂𝕪𝕠 𝕊𝕠𝕙𝕞𝕒

I...Don't See How We Could

Yuki didn't turn his gaze away from the tv. "I'll skip it today."

Shigure gasped in horror. "No bath?! How disgusting! You dirty boy!"

Yuki shot him a dull glare before setting his head in his hand. "I think I have a cold, that's why."

Tohru leaped up from her spot to kneel beside him. "A cold?! Are you running a fever?" She set her hand on his forehead. "You do feel a little warm."

"Should we call Hatori?" Hiyori suggested.

"I don't think that's necessary." He sighed.

"The quicker you can treat a cold, the sooner you'll feel better." Shigure crouched at the cabinet. "Let's see if I can find you some medicine."

"You should probably stay home from school tomorrow, just to be on the safe side." Tohru added.

"No, it's alright." He glanced away. "I'm sure I'll be fine."

"But, Yuki," Hiyori protested. "We're running the marathon tomorrow, remember? What if it makes you feel worse?"

Shigure found the cold medicine. "Oh, running in this chilly weather? That sounds like torture." He stood up. "These old bones couldn't handle it."

"Huh? But I thought that you were only in your early twenties, Shigure."

He froze. The girls stared at him in confusion, but Yuki deadpanned. "Good grief..."

The next thing they knew, Shigure was beaming brightly and leaning close to Hiyori's face over the table. "You really think I look that young?! I'm so honored; that's exactly what I've been going for! I always was devilishly handsome and youthful for my age!" Hiyori giggled. "Still, looks aside, I wouldn't dream of doing a marathon, what with how cold it's been outside."

"Hold on a second..." Hiyori yelped. Kyo appeared behind Yuki; his eyes were gleaming maliciously and...well, Hiyori could almost swear that he was surrounded by flames. "Did you say...Marathon?"

She sweatdropped. "That's right. Did you...not know..?"

"As in...a race?" He went on. "A race run in groups. Which means..." He stared up with blazing eyes and a clenched fist. "It's a competition!"

"I'm freezing just looking at you, Kyo." Shigure remarked. "Put on a sweater or something."

"Alright!" Ignoring him, Kyo pointed at the unfazed Yuki's back. "Tomorrow you'll see just how much faster I am than you!"

Tohru raised her hands in protest. "No, but Sohma has a cold; he can't run tomorrow."

"A cold?" He scoffed. "You're going to bail on the race 'cause you've got the sniffles?!"

'There's no way he's letting this go, is there?' Hiyori watched him nervously. 'And, is it just me, or...are his eyes changing color?'

"It's on! You better have a good meal, take a hot bath, and get to bed early, 'cause there's no way you're backing down!"

With that, Kyo shut the door, leaving no room for any other protests.

"Seriously," Shigure tapped the box of medicine against Yuki's face. "Don't overdo it. If your body gets too weak from this cold, you're going to transform. And I really doubt you want that."

Yuki sighed. "I know."

~🦋~

"Be sure to warm up those muscles, people!"

Tightening the yellow ribbon around her ponytail, Hiyori followed Tohru to where Yuki was tying his shoes on the ground. She took notice of the many girls -- and boys -- who were admiring him from afar. She overheard them talking about a "beautiful sight", but as for what exactly they were talking about...