Being sick. I hated this. I couldn't go outside, I felt way too weak to exercise or do basic stretching routines. I was in a pathetic condition, all alone in my room. I didn't call mom to not bother her. I tried to get in contact with Lea, but she was either offline or didn't answer my messages. I guess she finally grew tired of me. But what did I do to push her away from me? Was I too persistent with my messages or was she faking being my friend from the very beginning? What if-
"Shizuka-san, I'm sorry for the intrusion, but it's time for you to drink your medicine." Not him again. Other brothers just left me alone. Ayato once appeared on my bed, but soon left, telling me to regain the quality of my blood. But Reiji... I told that bastard to leave me alone, to let me take care of myself, but he threatened to tie me down to my bed if I tried walking around. 'You'd cause even more trouble,' he said.
I sat up in bed.
"Thanks, I guess..." He gave me the pill and stood there, watching me drink it. Reiji probably thought that I'd spit it out or something.
"How are you feeling?" He walked towards my nightstand and picked up the thermometer.
"Honestly? I feel like crap, so if you could just leave me alone I-" He stuck that thing into my mouth, shutting me up. Go away, you devil butler!
"I also would rather do my research, but some idiot decided to get sick."
"How is this my... fault?!" I couldn't talk without coughing.
"Who decided to pour out my tea, hm?" My shoulders slumped down in defeat.
"Okay, you're right... Happy now?" I turned around from him, snuggling deeper into my blankets. "Please leave."
"Unfortunately, it's my duty to take care of the sick, so I can't leave just yet."
"Dang it," I muttered, already dozing off into the world of feverish dreams while Reiji stood there, watching me breathe.
"Seriously." Reiji fixed his glasses while looking at the sleeping girl. "She was on her computer again. I told her not to exhaust herself even more." He snuck his hand under Lauren's pillow, pulling out the laptop she hoped to hide from him. Reiji put it on her nightstand, so she wouldn't accidentally break it.
"Foolish girl thought I wouldn't see right through her." Reiji fixed Lauren blanket so it wouldn't cover her face, pulled out the thermometer and, after seeing the number, put a cold cloth over her forehead.
He finished tucking her in and left without making any sound.
---
It felt weird... As if something was gently touching my forehead... Maybe it was a pillow... No, my head was already lying on it, so what was that soothing feeling? Ah... It went away... I wanted for it to stay a bit longer. Why did it have to leave? Maybe it'll come back...
---
My eyes slowly cracked open. I still felt horrible, but at least I wasn't suffering from a headache! Oh wait... Here it was. Owy. I touched my forehead to find a damp cloth on it. How did this get here? I looked around my blue room to find no one. Yes! Now I could try to get in touch with Lea! I lifted my pillow, expecting to find my hidden laptop there, but there wasn't even a trace of it.
Despite my fever, I felt cold sweat covering me from head to toes. Oh no. I pulled away my covers, frantically roaming around for my computer. Nothing!
"Now it's time for you to panic." And my body reacted to this thought. I jumped out of my bed, pulled everything down to the floor. I even flipped over my mattress - NOTHING!
"He took it away! He took it away and destroyed it! Or worse... He's using it to get even more embarrassing information about me! Oh god oh god oh god OH GOD!" Despite the dizziness and my coughing, I was pacing back and forth in my room.
"And why is it so hot in here?!" I felt my legs buckle and I knew that the best decision would be to go back to bed. And I so I did. I dragged one foot slower than the other towards my personal soft prison. I flopped down, belly first. And that, of course, triggered another painful fit of coughing. With shaky hand I reached out for a glass of still warm mug of tea.
When I was done drinking, I put it back on a thick black tray...
"Wait... This tray... DANG IT, IT'S MY LAPTOP!" I almost knocked down my favorite mug. Even though it was used as a tray, my laptop seemed to be fine. I left it locked, so all I had to do was open it up and the window to all the different worlds appeared right in front of my eyes. I checked if Lea had answered to any of my messages, but there was nothing.
And here it was. This feeling. I tried to ignore this persistent feeling that was trying to seep deep into my bones. And yet... It got even deeper than that. I felt more lonely than I have ever felt and my first week here was a living hell. For some reason, homesickness struck me when I was at my most vulnerable.
I put my laptop away and fell down to sleep. I felt thankful that brothers left me alone, but at the same time it made me completely realize that I was nothing but a food source. Just a mobile blood wending machine.
"Shizuka-san, I'm coming in." Reiji opened the door. As much as I disliked him, Reiji was the only one visiting my room at all. Others didn't want to even get near me when I was sick, but Reiji visited me, even if it was to give me my meds and food. I didn't ask him to do this, it was actually the opposite, but he just continued to perform his 'duty'.
"Reiji-san, but I just had my meds. What are you doing here?" I turned around to face him.
"First of all - you've been asleep for twelve hours with high fever, second of all - it is time to take your medicine and third of all - I decided to teach you something," Reiji smirked. Don't tell me he was planning to punish me for the computer!
"What is it that you want to teach me?" Don't let him see, don't let him know, how truly nervous I've become.
"I'm going to teach you how to play chess." His smirk turned into a diabolic grin as he watched my eyes go wide in shock. He pulled a chair close to my bed, setting the game board on my bed.
"But I know how to play chess." What's gotten into him? Did he come here to play with me or to play with me?
"Do you know the moves or the strategies?"
"Okay, you win. Teach me, mister oh all mighty brains." I only knew the moves. Barely. But I knew them!.. Although on the strategy part...
"Choose your side." Reiji pushed two pawns, one white and one black, towards me. I already felt nervous. What was the best way to start the game? Allow your rival to make the first move or to make the first move yourself? Gahhhhd! SO MUCH PRESSURE!
"Oh yes, thank you, Reiji-san. I shall choose the white ones," I smirked, feigning my confidence. I just wanted him to think I had a crushing plan to destroy him while I just hoped to not lose in the first five minutes. And I would achieve it by moving as slowly as possible. I'll test his patience.
"I see it in your eyes - you are planning something, aren't you, Shizuka-san?" Reiji chuckled without breaking the eye contact with me as he moved his pawn towards me. Usually when I played, I made a wave out of my pawns, so I decided to stick to this strategy of mine. Male brains, at least human male, was proven to not being able to multitask, unlike females. Time for my attack from the shadows - the chit-chat distraction.
"So, Reiji-san, I couldn't stop thinking about something," I said while moving my second pawn into a wave after Reiji moved his bishop.
"About what?" He asked without lifting his eyes from the board. I saw him reach out for his queen already. A tiny smirk was slowly creeping towards my lips, forcing my mouth corners to slightly lift upwards.
"Reiji, why did you save me from drowning?" His hand stopped mid air. When I lifted my eyes to meet his piercing gaze, I felt his eyes scanning me from head to toes. I gave him two strikes - called him Reiji and gave him that question.
"We were ordered not to kill you, remember?" His wavering hand clenched the queen and put it right across the board.
"I'm impressed by your patience, Reiji. I wouldn't be able to put up with someone so demanding of care, especially if I despised that someone." Some sort of weird nervousness filled me as I waited for his answer. What if Reiji confirmed my words? What if he really despised me to the bone..? Wait. Why the hell would I care about his opinion on me? I hated him. I hated all of them! At least I think I did...
Reiji stayed silent as if he knew how tormenting each second of waiting was... For some reason.
"I despise only one person in this household and you're not him. But of course," a sudden rush of exhilaration hit me like my little perfected wave of pawns. I coughed into my tissue to hide my smile, "you are far from even being an insignificant reflection of a lady that accidentally walked near a puddle," I was about to flip the board into his dumb face when he continued on talking, "because your place is not land, it's ice." Oh? What was that? For a moment I forgot how to breathe.
"What do you mean?" He's going to call you a swamp klutz or something. Don't expect too much, Lauren. He's Reiji! He's rude and spiteful and...
"What I mean is you're like a fish out of water when you're not on ice but when you are skating, you look decent enough. For a human." Reiji moved his knight.
"Was this a compliment or an insult..?"
"Yes. It's your move, Shizuka." So he decided to stay mysterious now, damn vampire. I carefully chose my next move with a bishop.
"Since we're playing this question game, I have a few of my own." Wait, Reiji wanted to ask me something?
"Ask away." I felt my hands shaking as I watched him move his pawn to protect his bishop. My heart was doing double axels in my chest by this point.
"Why didn't you drink my tea?"
"I don't like tea." Reiji chuckled.
"Good grief, lying won't do it with me, Shizuka." Again. He called me just by my name again. "You drink more tea than Queen Elizabeth. Why did you pour it out, or should I ask, who told you to pour it out?" Reiji leaned back with his hands crossed over his chest, waiting for my next move and the answer. What was I supposed to do? If I told him that it was Shuu who made me loose my rationality, I would lose the tiny bit of trust and respect I gained from Reiji! But he could smell my lies as if those were a cup of freshly brewed Earl Grey.
"Okay, you got me. It was Shuu. He said he saw you putting some sort of suspicious powder into my cup."
"It was lucuma powder - a healthy sweetener." Now I honestly regretted not drinking it.
"I'm sorry I poured it out... But I'm not the only one at fault! You drugged me before!" I put my knight to its place with a loud thud.
"That's true. But I already ran all the experiments I needed with you, so I no longer need to drug you with anything."
"Wait... really?" Why was I getting all happy again? Ah, perhaps it was a Stockholm syndrome. That's why with the lack of abuse I got all flustered.
"Are you telling me that you want me to force my mixtures down your throat like I had to do with your medicine?" Wait what.
"Reiji. What?"
"You passed out countless times, and guess who had to do the dirty deed of keeping you alive. Again." Oh snap. That night. I was... He took off my... And we were... GOD NO!
"Shizuka, what's wrong? Is your fever rising again? You are getting as red as Ayato's hair." His voice and eyes lacked the concern needed for such words. Without a rush, with light hand, Reiji took his still unmoved bishop and... took away my bishop. First major kill.
"Damn it," I clenched my teeth. Situation on the board was a mystery for me. I didn't see any threats towards my king or queen, but Reiji was obviously planning something, but what? We were both controlling the game, we had equal chances to win and lose, but one will be better at reading his opponent's next moves, getting rid of any threats beforehand. One will gain everything while the other one will lose everything. It's not always visible, though. Strings have to be pulled from the shadows, tricks and cheats must be done and that would identify the winner. Who's going to win this game? Me or Reiji? Only time will tell.
"You get distracted too easily and it's quite simple to take advantage of that."
"Reiji, please let me think this through." I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking.
"Oh please don't strain your mind, I insist." I moved my knight to its original spot. His killer bishop was wide open, so maybe, if I manage to distract him, I would be able to take it. But now I had to strike him with a question that would destroy his concentration.
"How come you hate Shuu so much?" I took a sip of my tea, waiting for Reiji's next move.
"Why wouldn't I hate him? He's a good-for-nothing waste of space, blood and our father's genes! He's as useless as this pawn!" I couldn't believe my luck - Reiji actually moved his pawn instead of protecting his bishop! I took this chance and took it with my knight.
"Ah... smart move, Shizuka-san, but you won't last long with this kind of strategy. It's not always necessary to eliminate your foes, you see. Sometimes it's better to let them do what they want and wait for them to fail miserably." He put his knight right next to mine.
"But doing nothing is also no good, right?" I set my queen in front of king. She was surrounded by the wave of pawns. Reiji wasted no time and took my pawn. Now his knight was between my rook and knight.
"Doing something too flawed is even worse. You need to understand what moves bring real threat to your safety and what's just a play for your eyes. Learn how to see real danger." Was it me or was he trying to say something that was not related to chess? I moved my pawn, unaware of his plan.
And this is when his queen took my knight.
"Hey! Not fare!"
"I never broke any rules. If you can't concentrate - it's not my fault." Reiji smirked. I didn't know what to do next. Everything seemed way too complicated, so I just moved my pawn that seemed useless.
"Another question of mine. What do you think about my father?"
"This one's easy. He's a bit creepy, but can be nice when needed. And he drugged me. You probably took after him on this matter." Reiji fixed his glasses with a tiny smirk. Was he happy to be compared to his father? After some pointless game of pawns in quiet I finally came up with courage to ask Reiji something.
"Hey, Reiji, what was the worst punishment you've ever received from your father?" His eyes suddenly got deep red.
"We don't talk about that hellish place here. Don't ask me that ever again."
"Okay." I took Reiji's pawn. "Oh, I only seem to take your pawns."
"Don't underestimate the power of pawns," Reiji smirked with his eyes back to normal. And the next thing I knew - his pawn took my queen.
"Hey! Go back! Go back!"
"You can't get back something you've lost. You have to learn how to deal with your loss." Don't tell me what to do! I took HIS pawn!
I moved my rook, but Reiji just chuckled and took away my pawn. After me taking another two pawns of his and Reiji taking away everything, but my king and two little pawns, I had nothing else to lose.
"Have you learned how to deal with any sort of loss yourself, Reiji?"
"I had plenty of time for that, you, on the other hand, might not have that." My body went numb.
"What do you mean by this?" Did he know something I didn't? Did he know something about Lea? Was Lea hurt?
"From the look on your ghostly pale face I think you already know what happened." So something DID happen to Lea?! "Check" Wait whaaaaaa... I took a glance at my king and sure enough - it was surrounded by two bishops, a knight and the queen.
"Reiji, were you talking about this game or someone in my life?"
"Yes." I bit my bottom lip a bit harder.
"So I have no choice, but to move here." I placed my king one square lower.
"Perfect. Now watch this and learn how to lose with honor," Reiji swiftly put one of his pawns, trapping my king and pawn. It felt as if my king was surrounded by family and friends who were about to stab it twenty three times. I could honestly relate to the poor thing, surrounded by predators.
"Okay, so I can't put my king here..."
"No, you can't," He said with a smirk.
"And I can't place it here either..." I pondered loudly.
"You have to thank my queen for this," He said with an even bigger smirk.
"And this square is also out of question, right?" That was a statement.
"Oh yes," This might have been the first time I saw Reiji with such a grin. It almost resembled the Grinch when he was planning his crime.
"You see, you've lost in such a pathetic way," Reiji looked like a child in Disneyland.
"Wait. But my king is not under any threat. Since there's no check, theres no mate. Which means... Which means!" I jumped up in happiness.
"It's a draw..?" Is it me or did Reiji get a long face? Now he looked like a child with his candy ripped out of his mouth.
"Wait, so you mean I didn't lose? Oh my gosh this is a first time-" Oh shit, Reiji really didn't need to know about that one... I cleared my throat. "What I meant to say is that this was my first game with you and I didn't lose! I mean, you're basically a genius and I didn't lose!" As my excitement rose, his was falling apart.
"I didn't win... I couldn't beat a human female on chess... I didn't win..."
"Oh come now, Ayato the second, I'm going to be bed ridden for at least a week - you'll have plenty of time to get over your loss and perhaps I will teach you how to play." Gosh it was so nice to smirk right into his face.
"Don't you mock me!" Reiji sprang to his feet, almost knocking down the board.
"Reiji, be a sore loser somewhere else, I kinda want to take a nap. Please?" His eyes widened.
"Oh yes, excuse my unsightly reaction, Shizuka-san, I shall bring you some tea. And make sure to drink it."
"Okay, mom." When Reiji left, I fell down to take a nap, which took over me quite fast. But when I woke up, I found a white rose with a note on my laptop-tray.
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Aaand stuff is about to get real, like real messy, like real real... oh you know what I mean. Stay tuned to the fang-gang if you want to see the pawns finally doing something!