I've always wanted to write a kikihide fic where Kiki gets sick and refuses to be taken care of by Mitsuhide :)

I hope I've done the characters justice, and I hope you all enjoy!

Kiki pulled on her collar for the nth time, trying to cool herself down. It was yet to be summer, but it was so warm. She wasn't even directly under the sun; she was walking down one of the open aired halls to meet up with Prince Zen and Mitsuhide. It was a typical day in the castle, except for the fact that she felt like she was on fire. She had never been more thankful for cutting her hair short again. Stripping off her long sleeves, she tried not to make it too obvious that she was fanning herself.

"Kiki! You're finally here." called out Prince Zen from down the hall.

He waited with a curious expression on his face as she made her way toward him. Mitsuhide, the ever faithful aide, stood next to the prince.

"It's rare to see you arrive late," the prince commented.

"It happens," she shrugged. "We must be going, Prince Zen. Your meeting with the duke is beginning soon."

"Uh… Kiki?" he asked, giving her a strange look. "I just finished the meeting with him. Are you feeling alright?"

Kiki was taken aback for a second. She had properly gone over the schedule this morning, hadn't she? After so many years as the prince's aide, she rarely made mistakes like this. She adjusted her collar again. Why was it so warm?

"My apologies," she replied. "I was mistaken. Shall we go to the library to meet with Marquis Haruka?"

Zen studied her face for a moment before nodding. He turned and began walking toward the library. As Kiki moved to follow him, a hand lightly gripped her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Surprised, she turned to face the perpetrator.

"Ah! Sorry," Mitsuhide apologized, dropping her arm. He wore a sheepish smile. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Kiki?"

"…I'm fine. Don't worry about it," she assured him.

Pivoting on her heel, she followed after Zen. That surprised her. It wasn't often that Mitsuhide was so aggressive, especially toward her. She supposed it was to be expected, since he was the type of person who often worried about the wellbeing of others. Still, she hadn't anticipated being grabbed like that. After a few seconds, she heard Mitsuhide's footsteps behind her. Her lips quirked into a small smile. It was nice to know that he cared though.

What had started as a negligible warmth became an unbearable heat as the day went on.

By the time evening came around, Kiki was seriously considering abandoning her purple tunic altogether. It would probably be indecent to walk around the castle in just her black undershirt, but letting her shoulders be exposed to the evening air was starting to sound like a great idea.

"Say, we haven't have a match in a while," Mitsuhide remarked, interrupting her thoughts. "When was the last time we did?"

"Three weeks ago, I believe," she replied, tugging on her collar again.

"Wow, that long already?" Mitsuhide trailed off, moving his gaze to the training area. "What do you say to a match, Kiki?"

"Now?"

"Would you rather not?"

Kiki pondered her situation. She wasn't in her best condition, but it had been awfully long since she had last crossed swords with Mitsuhide. They didn't often have opportunities to train together either. And the training gear was far lighter and airier than her current clothes…

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline," she said. Rare or not, she was in no condition for a proper spar.

"Next time, then," Mitsuhide agreed.

She was starting to feel lightheaded—definitely not a good idea to spar right now. Kiki closed her eyes and waited for the dizziness to pass. When she opened her eyes, Mitsuhide stood in front of her, peering at her face.

"You look a little pale. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" he pressed, worry in his tone.

"I'm fine," she repeated. There was no point in making him worry over this. There was so much work to be done in the castle, and she was not going let herself be the reason why it was unfinished. "I'll be fine after a short rest."

Mitsuhide gave her a doubtful glance before sighing. He waited for Kiki to begin walking again before following. If something happened to her, then he would be ready to help.

Kiki strode forward, maintaining a quick pace. She knew she wasn't in her best condition, but Mitsuhide could sometimes be an annoying mother hen. She didn't need him constantly asking her how she felt, since obviously everything would be just fine once she…

A wave of dizziness struck her, and she stumbled forward. It was as if something had slammed into her with full force. Kiki managed to regain her balance before she could make a fool of herself.

"Kiki!"

Kiki glared at Mitsuhide, who had run forward to catch her. Judging by his concerned expression, it wasn't very convincing. Not that she could blame him. She could feel the blood drained out of her face. She must have been as pale as a ghost.

"I'm. Fine," she ground out. The dizziness was starting to get to her. She tried to shake him off. He stubbornly refused.

"Kiki, you're obviously not fine," he countered. "You can barely stand!"

Kiki tried to shake him off again. Mitsuhide's grip did not loosen. She could feel his eyes boring into her, but she ignored it. This was really starting to get annoying. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? All she needed was a quick rest and she would be fine. There was no time for this! There was so much work that they needed to do. Why couldn't he see that?

"I'm fine," she repeated. How many times had she said this today? "Stop worrying about me."

"How can I not when you almost collapsed just now?" he retorted, surprising her. "You are not fine. Let's get back to your quarters so you can rest."

Kiki was taken aback by his tone. She felt the heat rise in her body. Mitsuhide rarely, if ever, was irritated with her. Normally, she would have found it amusing, but he was worrying over such a stupid little thing when there were so many important things to be done!

"Let go of me, Mitsuhide," she said, her voice low. "We have a lot of work to do, and you're keeping us from doing it."

"You're in no condition to work right now, and you know it," he said firmly.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Mitsuhide, for the last time, I am fine!" Kiki exploded, unable to hold back her anger any longer.

She couldn't hear him quite so clearly anymore. It was as if she were underwater, and the words were difficult to make out. Her anger vanished, leaving a dizziness that Kiki couldn't shake off. Not that she could've, for that was the moment her legs buckled and she blacked out.

When Kiki awoke, she found herself staring up at the familiar ceiling of her bedroom. A once cool towel lay on her forehead. She could tell that she was on her bed, but she couldn't remember how she'd gotten there. She tried to remember, but found it difficult to concentrate due to the fogginess in her mind. However, she did notice that someone had changed her into her night clothes.

"She's awake! Zen, Mr. Mitsuhide, Miss Kiki's awake!"

Oh, she recognized that voice. Turning her head as much as she could, she saw Shirayuki looking down at her. The red-haired pharmacist smiled.

"Glad to see you awake, Miss Kiki," Shirayuki said, removing the towel from Kiki's forehead. She dipped it into a bowl of water and placed it back on. "You collapsed in the hall a few minutes ago. You have a fever."

That would explain the heat she'd been feeling all day. Kiki let out a sigh. Of all things, it was sickness that made her feel so strange. She made a face. She had some apologizing to do to Mitsuhide the next time she saw him.

"Kiki, are you okay?"

Kiki turned the other direction and saw Zen, who stood next to Mitsuhide. Zen wore relieved expressions on his face. Guilt stabbed at her when she took in Mitsuhide's expression. He was relieved, obviously, but she could see the way his lips were drawn into a thin line and the unhappiness in his eyes.

"I'm feeling better now, Zen," she replied.

"That's good. Take the rest of today and tomorrow off to rest," Zen ordered. "Take it easy, okay?"

Kiki found the strength to nod and said, "I will. Thank you."

Shirayuki stood up, drawing Kiki's attention back to the girl. Shirayuki pointed at the bottles and medicine packets on the table.

"Take two doses a day with meals. One in the morning and one in the evening," she explained. "The medicine in the bottle is if you have difficulty falling asleep. Gets lots of rest and make sure you eat. You might not feel like it, but it's important that you do."

"Thank you, Shirayuki," Kiki managed a smile. "I'm grateful to you."

"Don't just thank me," Shirayuki smiled. "Thank Mr. Mitsuhide. He's the one that told us that you'd fainted."

Kiki turned back to Mitsuhide, who did not meet her eyes this time. She looked away as well. Zen stood awkwardly by Mitsuhide's side before announcing his exit. Shirayuki left with him, wishing Kiki a quick recovery before closing the door behind her. Kiki closed her eyes. If Mitsuhide wasn't going to talk to her, then she would wait until he would.

For a while, the only sound in the room was the sound of her breathing. She turned onto her side, her back facing her partner. Though she tried, she couldn't fall asleep. And she knew that Mitsuhide was aware that she was awake. Eventually, she heard him move, and his tired voice cut through the silence.

"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" he finally asked.

"I didn't know I was," she replied honestly.

Mitsuhide let out a bitter laugh.

"You know what I mean."

Kiki turned to face him. He had moved to sit on a chair by her bedside. This time, he was looking at her.

"I'm sorry."

Mitsuhide sighed heavily. It was so like his partner to act this way. Kiki was always keeping things from him, it seemed. It was so similar to the time he found out she was leaving the castle. Once again, she kept important information from him. She had plenty of opportunities to tell him that she was feeling ill, but she chose not to. His hand clenched into a fist. She had always been someone who spoke nonverbally. Her words didn't always reveal her feelings, but her eyes did, and that was something Mitsuhide had learned to recognize over the years of their partnership. Even so, there were times when he could not figure out what she worried over or what she thought. It was unsettling and worrisome, but she didn't seem to realize the effect it had on him.

"Do you not trust me?" he demanded. "Is that the reason? Am I really that unreliable?"

Kiki's eyes widened. Mitsuhide looked away, unable to meet her eyes. The distraught look on his faced horrified her. Is that what he thought? Did he really believe she didn't trust him? Had he really fought beside her all these years thinking that she thought him unreliable?

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

Mitsuhide's shoulders sagged. He couldn't bear to look at her, fearing that he would see the telltale signs that she did not completely trust him in her eyes.

"This is all my fault," Kiki continued.

Eyes wide, Mitsuhide finally removed his eyes from the wall and stared at her. She struggled to push herself up into a sitting position. Her eyes were downcast, and the urge to lift her face was overwhelming. He nearly jumped to his feet as he guided her into a comfortable sitting position. When she was settled, she looked at him, and Mitsuhide nearly forgot how to breathe.

Her eyes showed everything: her horror, shame, and guilt. She looked at him in the eye, and he didn't dare look away.

"I thought you understood," Kiki began, voice clear despite the emotions she felt. "I never knew you felt this way. I'm sorry, Mitsuhide."

"But," she continued. "I have always trusted you. I have never once thought you unreliable. If anything, I have always trusted you with my life."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier that you were feeling unwell?" he asked.

"I didn't want to trouble you. You have enough on your mind as it is," Kiki replied. "And we have a lot of work to do in the castle."

Mitsuhide stared at her for a moment before letting out a laugh. Kiki stared at him in confusion.

"That's what you were worried about?" he laughed.

Kiki felt her irritation rise. She was trying to tell him something important, and he was just laughing?

"Kiki," he began once the laughter had died down. "Our work is very important, true. But you are more important than our work."

Oh. Kiki felt warmth rush to her face, and it wasn't due to the fever. She let herself smile. It was truly amazing how mere words from Mitsuhide could make her feel this way.

"Kiki? Your face is red," Mitsuhide said, a worried expression returning. "Is it the fever? Do you need the medicine?"

"…Yeah. It's the fever," she replied, trying to cover up her blush. Usually, she was better at controlling her emotions. The fever was definitely getting to her.

After Kiki took a medicine packet Shirayuki had left her, Mitsuhide helped her lie down. The sickness and exhaustion was taking its toll on her body, and she could feel her eyelids getting heavier. Mitsuhide walked to the other side of the bed and replaced the towel on her forehead with a fresh one.

"I'll leave you to your rest," he said, smiling. Kiki was relieved to see the usual smile on his face. The one that she had fallen in love with.

"Good night, Kiki," he said.

"Good night, Mitsuhide," she replied. "And thanks. For worrying about me."

Mitsuhide just smiled in response before getting up to leave the room. As he closed the door, Kiki closed her eyes and finally drifted off to a well needed rest with a smile on her face.

Thank you for reading, and let me know if you have any feedback!