A little less than a week had passed since that incident with the blood tablets. The pain had, thankfully, subsided and I had spent most of my time curled up in bed asleep. The day following my poisoning, Kaname had in fact had me moved back into the palace. He didn't spend more than a fleeting minute away from the side of my bed because when he had, the pain returned and I had screamed out loud enough to pierce the ears of even a human.

I'd never quite seen Kaname act so worried like he was with me. He was constantly fretting over me, whether or not I was able to keep anything down, if I was possibly suffering from internal damages that the poison had caused. He kept saying things over and over, things such as how he couldn't believe something like that could have slipped by him, and how he felt like he was at fault for it. Every time I tried to convince him otherwise he would shush me and tell me I needed rest. Honestly, he acted like my mother did over Ichiru.

I could still remember it all so clearly as I laid in my bed, curled up on my side and staring straight at the wall across from me. My slender fingers played with a stray string on the pillow that my head was being supported by. The memories of my mother fretting over my brother, my other half, my better part, as he recovered from a cold that could easily have become fatal were so clear.

~

"Zero, can you get me some more warm water?" my mother, her sweet, fragil soul, asked me as she handed me the small pail without once taking her eyes off of the small sleeping boy in the bed. I simply nodded grimly, feeling as if it should be me laying in that bed with a fever through the roof and my lungs hardly working. Every time he got sick like this, I felt as if it should be me rather than him.

When I returned to the bedroom with the bucket now refreshed with warm water and a clean cloth, my mother was slouched upon the bed with her hand over her mouth as she watched intently. She was always very protective of him, seeing as how his immune system was about as strong a barrier as a bubble.

"I shouldn't have let him outside that long. What on earth was I thinking?" she asked herself quietly, not yet realizing that I had reentered. I set the water filled object down on the table beside the bed and sat at my brother's feet. I gazed upon his nearly lifeless form.

"You know he would have pestered you otherwise. If there's anything I know about him, he would much rather get sick from playing outside than sit at home." I spoke gently, even at a young age I knew how to approach my mother when she was besting herself up like this. She always blamed herself when he would get sick from the cold.

"I should have bundled him up more, given him medicine before he got sick, made him come in every ten minutes to stay warm. God, what kind of parent am I?" she put her head in both hands and her shoulders slumped even further.

"Ma, you're probably one of the best parents in the world. He knew what he was getting himself in to."

"Yes, but no kid should have to go through this. He shouldn't nearly die every time he gets a cold. He is so much stronger than this but he doesn't get the chance to be. He gets so close, and then he gets a flare up. It isn't fair." I felt bad that she blamed herself for this, knowing that she couldn't do anything about it. I always admired her selflessness when it came to those she cared the most about.

~

It seemed to never fail to amaze me how some people acted when it came to those they cared about. My mother would have done anything for anyone, but only for someone close to her would she worry herself rather sick for. She would stay up all night, hardly eat a thing, and she would constantly be running herself down as long as she was making them feel better.

Countless times, I had to make sure she ate something just so she would stay upright and I made sure she got some sleep by offering to keep watch. Kaname, he reminded me a lot of her and how she acted. He thought it was his fault for me getting poisoned, and she thought it was her fault that he got a cold.

Kaname, he seemed so different now. I couldn't seem to explain it, the difference in him was so clear though. It didn't seem to be the overwhelming worry that he had for me that seemed to change him. He had changed so much since we both said our vows to one another, and when we shared our first kiss that also served as our lifelong committment to one another, he wasn't the same as the day before that. I'd be lying if I said he had changed in a bad way.

So finally, I forced myself to sit up from my position on the bed. I hadn't moved more than a few inches since I had been placed here only days prior. My body felt like it was made of stone, and that it had just started hardening on the outside while the inside was still the heavy, and slow moving. It was like someone took the outer shell of my body and poured the thickest concrete into me.

I took my time in getting up, wishing upon every star in the sky that Kaname was still there and not off discussing some kind of business with his parents. I wasn't supposed to be officially crowned as king until further in the new year. We were technically still on our honey moon, him and I, but I guessed we eneded it early due to the little damper I had to put on it. One hell of a way to spend our time together.

I went to the small wardrobe that was sitting off to the side of the room and opened one of the doors, chuckling lightly when I noticed that it was mostly filled with white button up dress shirts and a few pairs of pants that I had brought from my apartment, and pulled one of the shirts out slowly. My body was sore from the poison that had been coursing through it. I slipped some jeans on and stepped into my shoes.

The only reason I went to the full body mirror was to try and tame my fringe that was undoubtedly wilder than animals in the jungle. I was in fact right, but when I took in my full appearance, I noticed something so much worse. My skin was pale, my eyes were blood shot and they had packed their bags, my clothes no longer fit me. It was amazing how much things could change in such a short time. With wide eyes, and another quick glance at my state, I walked out of my room.

My steps were slow, and with every step I seemed to grow more anxious. My body was weak, I felt like I could collapse at any moment. My eyes were still heavy with sleep even though I had barely spent more than two hours awake since arriving. I was afraid that my body would fail me if I kept going. But finally, I reached my destination.

I sheepishly poked my head around the corner of the door to look into the room. They were discussing something amongst themselves quietly before silencing when somehow noticing my presence. I was wringing my hands together where the wall was still blocking me and I smiled shyly, feeling a bit out of place even though it was just Kaname and my now mother and father-in-law.

"Kaname, might I talk to you for a moment?" I asked and he nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. I'll be right back." he said while looking to his parents. I waited for him to come around the corner and I was certain that we were out if sight and earshot. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" he immediately bombarded me with questions, and I couldn't help but chuckle quietly at his worrisome tendencies. I didn't know why, but it made my heart flutter.

"I'm fine, actually. I'm much better now that I'm not writhing in pain." I said with a small smile still on my face. His face softened as well and I couldn't help but admire his features. God, what was wrong with me? "But, Kaname, I think we made a mistake? A wrong decision?" he frowned and I realized how my choice of words was very, very wrong.

"What?"

"Fuck. Shit, I meant that we fucked up. That isn't helping either- god damn it- I think the wrong one got pregnant." I finally blurted out. He stood there for a moment, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in an 'O' shape before his eyes travelled down to my stomach, where a small bump was rather visible to anyone looking. His gaze came back up to my face and then his expression changed from shock, to a soft smile that just seemed so out of place on him.

"Oh." was all he said. His smiled widened as he leaned against the wall, his perfectly white, straight teeth were now showing in all of their glory. And god, could I get used to that. His eyes were soft, his smile was endearing, and warmth could be felt from feet away. He pushed off of the wall and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Thank you."

"For? Taking it in the ass?" I joked and he laughed while shaking his head.

"I'll make it up to you. Everything. I'll make this worth it." I wasn't going to lie when I said I was confused. "I'm going to take you somewhere, to get away and relax."

"Oh, really?" I asked and he smiled at me with that breath taking smile. His hand cupped my cheek and his lips met mine. "Really." I breathed out. He smiled at me once again, turning to leave but not before sparing me one last blissful glance, and he turned the corner where I couldn't see him.

My lips tingled from where he had kissed me, and bloody hell. Was I falling for him after all?