Feeling Hot

Echizen Ryoma walked down the stairs, clutching his head. He stumbled on the last few steps and grabbed onto the wooden railing to steady himself. His knuckles turned white too fast as he sat on the last step, panting hard.

Why am I so weak today?

"Young Man! You ought to get your butt out of the bed or else your fish is all gone!"

Ryoma cursed under his breath and asked the spotted Himalayan that trotted past with an air of silkness, "Why is the wretched man my father?"

Ryoma managed to walk (or stumble) over to the dining table without collapsing and he was getting worried for himself. Ryoma muttered a curse as his hand reached out to his forehead and felt a tinge of warmness that was not supposed to be there. His cousin eyed him while fiddling with her apron.

"Where's mum?" Ryoma asked, munching on his fish, a little slower than he usually would.

"Out," an old man answered, not looking up from his newspaper.

Ryoma sighed and fiddled with his food. Nanako glanced in his direction once more before moving on to wash the dishes, "Don't play with the food."

Ryoma did not answer as he took another bite of fish. He brought the bottle of milk to his lips and downed the bottle in a matter of seconds.

Echizen Nanjirou glanced up from his newspaper (or so others would have thought) and eyed his son with his piercing eyes. The young man with those navy coloured locks looked rather pale for a moment.

Said boy looked up and glared at Nanjirou with the cat-like eyes of his and Nanjirou shrugged, stuck out his tongue with a playfully and went back to his newspaper.

Ryoma was definitely feeling weird. He felt his body getting hotter and there was a slight warm feeling just above his eyes. However, it was not just him getting hotter but the wind seemed to chill him off and he shivered, rather unconsciously.

A pale, cool hand touched his forehead and a tingling sensation went down his backbone. Ryoma glanced up and saw a pair of worried eyes.

"You are rather hot, Ryoma," Nanako said.

Ryoma shrugged and waved her off, "It's the weather."

Nanjirou put his newspaper down and took a nice long look at his son.

There was faint redness on those cheeks of Ryoma as if he was blushing slightly. He was also shaking and shivering slightly, perhaps due to the summer winds. But, summer winds were hot and warm and not cold. He should be cursing and not shivering.

Nanjirou reached out with his hands and attempted to press his cool fingers against Ryoma's forehead, only to be swatted off by a seemingly angry young boy and the boy stood up, swinging another bottle of milk, downing it.

" I am fine," Ryoma said and when he was about to be protested by a worried Nanako, a voice rang from outside the house.

"Echizen, I am here!"

Ryoma was almost happy that his senior was here to fetch here. Almost.

Ryoma quickly grabbed his tennis bag slung over his broad shoulders, as he rushed out of his house, stepped into the sports shoe. He waved a hand to show he understood and quickly climbed onto the bicycle and the duo rode off.