Rain Check

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Shiki is sick and Eri doesn't know what to do. The heavy rain isn't really helping their situation. And then there's Neku. They could've met in better circumstances but they didn't. NekuxShiki with Eri. Post-game. With reference to "You Easily Run Out of Paint".

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"Hey, you okay?"

A foreign designer was actually visiting Shibuya. It's not just the ordinary one-day drop-off thing either. She would hold a workshop at Molco where the Tin Pin Slammer Tournament was done last month. That's what the two best friends were attending to right now. This famous woman's style was unique, posh and pulchritudinous! Her motto was, "Simplicity is just a fancy word for plain. What the fashion world needs is the pulchritudinous!". She wasn't picky either with attendees so the two girls jumped for the opportunity.

Turns out it was totally worth it. They were actually learning some things and it wasn't just some scam to advertise their line. However, Eri couldn't help but notice the small changes in her partner. She was always eager with previous workshops but now she seemed distracted. She actually made three mistakes in one session. Three! That's two too many! Whatever focus she had was completely dissolved and it was disconcerting enough.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

No, she wasn't fine. But Eri thought that since Shiki was so adamant about it, she wouldn't push it. Today's the last day or rather night of the seminar so it ended an hour later than usual. It's ten and really, the rain isn't all that encouraging. Eri sighed while Shiki just breathed loudly but soundless compared to the pouring rain.

"Ugh, this is too much water." The pink haired complained as they ran through the street. At that point, their umbrellas were pretty much useless but luckily she was wearing her windbreaker that day unlike her partner.

She was going to reply with a "You don't say?" but it came out as a wheeze and lagged behind.

"Shiki?" She went to her side. "You've been acting weird all day. You sure you're okay?" It was then that she noticed how bad she looked. It was as if she was about to – "Shiki!" collapse.

Never had she felt so weak her entire life. Of all the days she could get sick it was when they already had scheduled something important. And now, she felt even more helpless. She was defenseless against the rain as she felt every large drop hit her. Each drop felt like it drained her strength. Drenched, her limbs were turning into jelly that just standing up was already hard for her.

"Ohmigosh, are you alright?" Hurriedly, she went to her aid all the while trying to balance her umbrella to hopelessly shield them. "Look, you're already soaked to the bone! Let's just get under something, 'kay?"

She just nodded but even that was done weakly but she did find enough energy to speak once they were under a roof. It was soft but she knew her best friend was probably checking up on her so she was confident she'll catch it. "Sorry."

"You know, we wouldn't have come if I knew you were sick."

She shook her head.

"You are sick, Shiki. Stop denying it." Really, she could be stubborn sometimes.

Her head drooped in guilt. "You wouldn't come without me."

"Of course, I wouldn't! You're my partner. Nobody gets left behind." She exclaimed and she hoped that would cheer her up but it looked like it did the exact opposite.

"But you were looking forward to this. I didn't… I didn't want to be the reason you'll miss out." It was eating her conscience all this time.

"You're too good to a fault, you know that?" Eri hugged her tightly and ignored the fact that she'd get wet along the away. Never mind that, her girlfriend needed this. "I'd rather miss out together with you than having to deal with you getting sick on my watch. People worry about you too."

She hugged her back and there was a small smile on her lips. "Sorry."

"It's not like we can do anything about it now anyways. Can you walk?" She pulled back.

"I can try." Shiki was able to stand but not without support. The first step was still fine but the next just made her fall forward. Thankfully, her best friend was there to catch her. At that pace, it'd be impossible to go home for her. She bit her lip. "Where are we?"

The Mexican Dogs joint was lit up not so far. "Spain Hill. Why?"

"Texting for backup." She may be weak but at least her texting speed and accuracy hasn't gone out. She snapped her phone shut and sighed. The rain didn't just make her feel worse, it also made her sleepier. That or the sickness is kicking in. "It's gonna take a while but it'll come. Just trust me on this." Her eyes shut closed, she thought maybe it'll be okay if it's only a while.

"Okay. But what exactly are we expecting?" Or rather, she'd expect because her partner was out fast asleep with a droopy head on her shoulder. She huffed. "No fair. I need to catch up on my beauty sleep too."

What kind of backup did she ask? Emergency hotline? Too overly dramatic. Friends? At this hour and this rain? Not a chance. Parents? Most likely but too embarrassing.

So parents then. Now, what lame excuse can she come up with as a cover up? She sighed. Nothing or at least nothing that could weasel them out of the whole responsibility sermon. Oh, and they could, slash that, they would get grounded. A couple of days… she winced. A couple of weeks wouldn't be so bad, right? Eri slumped in depression and it was then that she was conscious of Shiki's head on her left shoulder. Instinctively, she wrapped an arm around her. As long as she gets better then she wouldn't mind the parental punishment.

~xoxo~xoxo~

Peaceful. Despite the circumstances, they were in fact peaceful. No one in their right minds were out in the streets. That says a lot about them, huh? Because even though they were peaceful, they weren't safe. Shiki isn't in her best condition and the rain is just making things worse. So when there was another person on the street, she had forgotten to wonder about who would do that. She had forgotten about the backup altogether until that same person approached them.

"Shiki texted me." He said. Eri blinked back her confusion. Shiki texted a guy? Not just some guy but some teenage guy. He was wearing a raincoat and even so it was like he was purposely hiding his face. Some shady teenage guy. "Here. Put this on her." He held his phone with Shiki's text to her and in the other hand was a raincoat. And in a more annoyed tone he added, "It'll be faster if I do it but I'd skip on the whole episode of you accusing me of touching her and stuff."

Eri quickly read the text. Spain Hill with Eri. Just four words? And it didn't even say anything about asking for help just what was her best friend thinking? Wait, that just meant that this guy just assumed that they did. And he was even prepared for it. Just who was he and how does Shiki know him? She shook her head and proceeded to put the coat on her sleeping partner.

"Done. But for the record, I'm still not sure about you so don't pull anything stupid on me." She glared defiantly at him.

"Whatever. I'm just here because of Shiki." The death glare was still there so he just sighed in frustration. "Just trust me on this."

Her eyes went wide. That line definitely hit home. Shiki exactly said that before she was out. She unconsciously looked at her briefly then with newly found resolve, stared at him instead. "Okay, if Shiki trusts you then I do too. For now."

There was now a silent agreement or more like a truce. They'd cooperate with each other for the girl who wasn't even aware of what was going on. It was better off like that. So the guy carried the fragile girl piggyback style with all the care that was possible without losing his hold on her. In the event that he might slip, her best friend is right behind them to catch her. He lead the way while she followed. Barely recognizing that they were heading for Udagawa and too tired to react when they were brought to a house.

~xoxo~xoxo~

It was only then that Eri finally saw the guy's face. He looked right about their age with matted orange hair from the rain. Briefly, she wondered what he did look like normally but shrugged off the thought. More importantly, just how did Shiki know this guy?

Gently putting her down on a chair in the kitchen, he went off without a word. When he did come back though, he brought towels and clothes (shirts and shorts). "Get her changed. There's an extra pair for you if you'd like."

"Thanks." He helped her at least carry Shiki to the bathroom and Eri immediately pushed him out and locked the door after.

Quickly, he dialled a number and placed his phone to his ear. He held his breath with every ring until someone finally picked up. "Hello? Good evening. Yes, this is Neku, Shiki's friend. I'm calling in because she's sick so I picked her up." He was leaning against the bathroom door just to be sure that those in the other side are listening in too. "Eri? Yeah, she's with me too. They're at my house. Should I bring Shiki back home now?" He listened for a while then winced. "Pretty bad. Oh… okay. I promise, ma'am. Okay. I'll make sure she'll be fine. Thank you, bye."

At that moment, the door chose to open. Pretty much giveaway that she was in fact eavesdropping. Great, that makes what he's going to say so much easier. "Shiki's mom says she's cool with her staying in for the night."

"What?!"

"You heard me. So you can go home right now or text your folks that you're staying overnight too." Casually, he took their soaked clothes to hang dry with an added remark. "Try not to say anything stupid like you're at a guy's house. Just say it's with Shiki or something."

"Hey! You don't get to – " Her phone rang. "Just a sec." A missed call and a text from Shiki's mom… telling her that she's okay with Shiki's overnight. Her jaw dropped. "Why would her mom be cool with this?"

"Probably because going out in the rain is a stupid idea. Stupid because Shiki's sick." It was unsaid but he was also implying that it was stupider that she hadn't thought of it.

"Yeah, but you're a guy!" She pointed at him.

"Right and you're girls." He rolled his eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

She stomped her feet in frustration. "Ugh! You know what I mean."

"Look, I don't care what you think about me. I pretty much don't care. I'm just telling you the stuff that you need to know so deal with it." And with that he carried Shiki bridal style to his room. He was blushing hard by then but he hoped she'd imagine him as red with anger instead. After laying her down on his bed and covering her with the blanket, he went back to the kitchen where Eri was still shocked.

She muttered to herself. "I am so gonna have to talk to Shiki after."

"Watch over her. Second room from the front door." He started for the cupboards. Eyes were still staring at him but only for a few seconds. Once he was sure she was out of sight, he finally sighed. A headache was bound to hit him. "Just when I was ready to sleep this night alone too."

~xoxo~xoxo~

Just her and her BFF in a room with no adult supervision. It's practically pouring outside so whatever noise they make would probably get washed out instead. So far so good, right? She wished. Her best friend's sick and they're stuck in a guy's house… with no adult supervision! Eri sighed. Just go with it. Besides, she already texted her parents. Her eyes went to the sleeping form of her partner. What's there to watch over someone with fever anyway? It's not like something exciting was going to happen. So she scrutinized the room instead but just enough so that Shiki would still be in the corner of her eyes.

Bland. Eww, definitely not her style. There's just the necessities like a desk, cabinet, the bed and… a wall suspiciously covered. Upon closer inspection, it was haphazardly draped with a large curtain and taped at the ends. It was as if it was just done in a hurry in almost like five minutes. The cloth still looked crisp and fresh out of the closet. Wait, fresh out of the closet? Her eyes widened. That meant the guy, Neku was it? Neku just did the cover up a while ago. Curious, she wondered what could a wall hide? She walked up to it and felt one corner of the curtain. Just one peek…

The door swung open. Instinctively, her body turned around and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights. If he noticed anything he chose to ignore it. He set the tray on his desk after shoving all the stuff on it to one side. "Hey, where'd you put all your stuff?"

"By the bed." She said and was shocked to see him rummaging through one green bag right after. "What do you think you're doing!"

"Isn't this Shiki's bag? I'm borrowing." He answered nonchalantly. His hands didn't have to dig far since he was looking for a somewhat large object. Pulling it out, he zipped the bag closed and sat on the bed edge while Eri stood dumbfounded at his actions. He held the thing close to Shiki's face even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Shiki, Piggy's got a loose stitch."

She stirred.

"Are you gonna stitch him up or not?"

Her face unconsciously scrunched up a little. It also made him smile a little.

"Go get her Piggy."

Then she mumbled. "He's not a pig. He's a cat."

He smirked. "Prove it."

Her eyes slowly opened. "Not now. I'm not – "

"Feeling well? Yeah, I got that. Now, sit up." He helped her get into position. "Sorry about this but there's no way I'm letting you sleep without eating anything. Trust me, the morning you wake up you'll be throwing up your guts."

"I feel like throwing up already." She hugged Mr. Mew tightly.

"At least it's food not guts."

She held her head. "Can we change topic?"

Neku fetched the tray he brought in earlier and placed it on her lap. "Eat up."

He offered to help feed her but she refused and suddenly found strength in herself. She was flushed but thankfully she could blame the sickness. She spooned the bowl of okayu (rice porridge) and swallowed. "Can't taste it."

"Figured you'd catch a cold too." He gave her the bowl with hot kuzuyu. "Drink it."

She took a sip. "It's sweet."

"Think you can finish them all?"

"I don't think I have a choice."

"Good. Don't forget to drink your medicine too." His finger pointed to a pill on the tray. Now that Shiki's digging in, heck, why not him too? "Hey, Eri, still up to for some late dinner?"

"Eri's here?"

"Present." She sheepishly raised her hand. After watching those two, she suddenly felt a little bit out of place.

"Oh… Geez." Her hands went to her face in shame. She just realized how awkward the situation is. "Don't tell me…"

"I wouldn't think too much about it." Really, the last thing she needed is added stress. He made a motion to address his other guest. "Let's go."

She too felt the tension and she didn't want to be a part of it. "Be right back, girl!"

~xoxo~xoxo~

"Sorry, just porridge for tonight. So if you're picky then you can just hit the sack."

"Actually, I'm not really hungry." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Really! But since we're already out, just who are you?"

"Neku Sakuraba." He said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, thanks for that. What I meant was how does Shiki know you?"

"Classified info." And it was now her turn to raise an eyebrow, she was even on her toes. "Tell you tom. Or just ask Shiki." He dodged the question.

She knew he was just running away from the topic but she was too tired to argue. Maybe he was right. Tomorrow did sound a better idea. "Alright, but just so you know, I am not a picky eater."

"Sure thing." He yawned. "Are you gonna crash at the couch or do you want me to get you a futon?"

"Excuse me?" She blinked.

"Choose your pick where you sleep."

"Can't I just sleep beside Shiki?"

"And catch her virus?"

"Relax, I've got a pumped up immune system. I think I can handle a little cold." Her arms were crossed. There's no way she'll leave her that defenseless.

"Your call." He shrugged and walked off into the living room. "I'll be at the couch if you need me."

When she did head back to the room she found the tray of emptied bowls on the desk. The idea of washing them flew past her mind since her body really wasn't up to it. Carefully, she went to lay beside Shiki. There wasn't much space but she could deal with it. Just imagine that this was one of their sleepovers. And she did. While Shiki clutched Mr. Mew, Eri's hand went to grasp the stuff toy's limb. There wasn't a single loose thread on him. She smiled.

Peaceful. Despite the circumstances, they were in fact peaceful.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Shinra-ex-SOLDIER

Possible continuation:

When Eri woke up, she was already alone. Even the soft black cat plushie was gone. The tray of dirty dishes disappeared too. It was still raining just not as hard as last night. She immediately sat straight, grabbed her bag and whatever she needed from it, then went to fixing herself. In ten minutes she was done, record speed. She got up and headed for the kitchen where she heard voices. Early in the morning and those two were already bickering.

But they stopped once they realized there was now a third person in the room. It was, for the lack of a better word, awkward. She took a seat beside her BFF and across the now spiky haired guy. Now that he wasn't wet and there was better lighting, she noticed that he didn't look half bad. Better than average.

"I'll get you something to eat." Neku left the table and completely ignored the tension.

"Someone took their time. Sleep well?" Shiki cheekily teased. At least she was feeling better.

"Peachy." Eri rolled her eyes. There was a comeback on her tongue but she bit it back. It just hit her. They were trying to avoid the topic. Oh no they don't! Her hands slammed on the table. "Okay, this is too weird. Who are you?" Then she sent a glare that could pierce glass or rather eyeglasses. "And how come you never told me about him?"

"Neku. Shiki's friend." Yesterday's shady guy turned backup turned friend spoke calmly. "Girls tend to talk a lot. I'm not too happy with the idea of two girls gossiping about me."

"Lamest excuse. Ever." She flipped her hair and crossed her arms. "And how and when exactly did you meet?"

"Last year. There was this Game in Shibu – kind of like a contest." He explained on.

Kind of like a load of bull to her. Who does he think he's kidding? "How come I never heard of it?"

"It's pretty much Underground." He shrugged.

Sometimes the truth's more ridiculous than a fabricated lie. Too bad Eri couldn't figure that out. But then again, how could she? The idea of UG was crack. So while the truth was basically handed out to her, another unheard conversation went on. Unheard because it was silent.

Shiki raised her eyebrow. "Really, that's the fib we're going with?"

Neku shrugged. "Take it or leave it. I don't care."

She narrowed her eyes. "Well, I do. Eri's my best friend."

He sighed. "Then you deal with her."

She pushed up her glasses. "I'll think of something."

He tensed his shoulders. "Think fast."

It was very suspicious. Eri knew she was talking to Neku but she felt like he was distracted. He barely even made eye contact with her. His eyes were always on Shiki so it seemed. Her eyes widened. Of course! No wonder they wouldn't tell her straight. The two of them… She smirked.

"Look, I get it. I'm not buying anything you're saying so I'll just leave it like that. Like now." She got up and raised her phone. "Parents are gonna chew my ear for last night if I don't get back while they're happy. Our family's mostly made up of morning people."

"Could've fooled me." Neku grumbled.

"You're leaving already?" Shiki asked in concern.

"Yeah, sorry but I'm kind of wanted like ASAP." She went and retrieved her bag from the room and went back to their field of vision. "Your friend's nice. Good luck!"

"Don't you mean goodbye?" Her best friend was clueless.

"That too." She winked. "It was nice meeting you, Neku." A flying kiss to him and she was out.

"That was…" He was about to say convenient but he felt someone's glare on him. "What?"

"Nothing." She huffed and tightened her embrace on Mr. Mew.

He played with one of his front spikes and then sighed. What was her problem? Briefly, he glanced at her and winced at the sight of her extremely upset. He couldn't stand it. Building speed, he strode to her, brushed her bangs and placed his forehead on hers.

They both flushed. "N-Neku!"

He didn't pull back right after but stayed there for a few more seconds, maybe minutes. They were so close that their breaths practically mixed. Shiki had her eyes shut at first but when she opened them, she saw him staring right back at her. She flushed harder and she could've sworn that he was blushing too. Thankfully but a bit hesitantly, he pulled back. "Temp's back to normal."

"Thanks…"

"Err… breakfast?"

Alternate ending of continuation:

"Jealous?" Neku smirked knowingly.

"What? Over a flying kiss?" Shiki said defensively.

"Didn't say anything." He was definitely messing with her and she couldn't believe how she walked into that one.

"Ugh! I hate yo– " Her sentence was cut by a pair of lips on hers.

"Love you." He said in the normal way he talks. That's because loving her is pretty much a normal thing to him. No, not normal. Natural. He would naturally love Shiki.

"Neku…" They've been dating for a while now but she still wasn't used to how affectionate he could get. She bit her bottom lip. They'd get a lot of practice though in the near future.

Then the smirk was back on his face. "You're not going to go emo on me, are you?"

"Look who's talking." She smirked too.

"I'm looking at her now. " He said not so cockily.

As the rain poured down, the barriers seemed to get washed away. There's a rainbow always after the rain but honestly, does it really matter? Rain should be enjoyed the way it is and not just waited out cursing. They were isolated because of the rain but not lonely. She got sick but he took care of her. You gotta enjoy life, the good and the bad. Then again, rain isn't so bad.

"Now what?"

"Now let's get breakfast."