Megami sat stretched out on a lounge chair reading a magazine. She sighed and looked up hoping to see some kind of movement. Her love, Kaiobit-the only living Kaioshin-was at the Grand Kai’s planet. Rou Kaioshin, though he annoyed her, had been taking a nap since early that morning. Meg turned the page of the magazine and started reading another article. Not long afterwards, two hands rested on her shoulders, causing her to jump. She looked up and saw two soft black eyes looking down at her.

Meg smiled. “I was just thinking when you were going to be back,” she said.

Kaiobit kneeled down next to her. “The Grand Kai wanted me to check out a couple of planets that he thought was having some trouble.”

“Anything serious?”

“No. The people of the planets were going through conflicts and making a big disturbance.” He rested his hand on hers. “So what have you been doing all of this time?”

“Sitting here doing nothing. I missed you.”

“So did I,” Kaiobit said leaning over and kissing her.

The next day Kaiobit awoke in his bed barely able to open his eyes. His head felt like a lead ball as soon as he sat up, and he sneezed. Meg turned over and looked up at him. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh yeah, sure.” Kaiobit stood up and stretched. “Boy does my body ache this morning.”

“You probably slept in a weird position,” Meg suggested as she sat up in bed.

“Probably.” Kaiobit made his way to the bathroom and couldn’t help but notice his reflection when he walked in. His eyes were swollen, his cheeks were red, and his tongue was an abnormal color. “Hey Meg, do I look funny to you?” He asked as he walked back into the bedroom.

“What? You always look funny,” she teased.

“Seriously. Are my eyes swollen or am I seeing things?”

Meg quickly studied his face. “You do look a little puffy and pale. But then again your cheeks are all red. You feeling okay?”

“Well, now that you mention it…I do feel a little weak and my stomach hurts a bit.”

“Maybe you’re just hungry,” Meg said.

“Yeah.”

At breakfast, Kaiobit stared at his food. It didn’t look pleasing to him at all. Actually, the site of it made his stomach feel worse. Meg looked over at him, already having finished her meal. “Kaiobit, you sure you’re okay?”

Kaiobit didn’t answer. Suddenly he leapt up from his chair and ran down the hallway into the bathroom. Meg followed him and tried to block the sound. Kaiobit came out hunched over.

“I think you better lie down for awhile,” Meg said. She took a hold of his arm to help in up the stairs. “Kaiobit, your very warm…you might have a fever.”

“I don’t have no fever,” Kaiobit said, his stuffed up nose making his voice sound different. “Jus’ a swore throat an’ runny nose…”

“Whatever dear.” Meg opened the door to their bedroom. She gathered a bunch of pillows for him to lean against while he took his time sitting down. “I’ll be right back.” She soon returned with a thermometer in her hand. “Open up,” she said holding it in front of his mouth.

“I doneed that ‘hing,” he said.

“Open up,” Meg said in a harder tone. She pushed the thermometer in his mouth. Keep it in there. I’ll be right back.”

Megami returned with another blanket, a spoon and a red bottle. She took the thermometer out of his mouth and held it up to the light. “101.3. You’ve got a temperature there.” She walked over to the dresser and pulled out a heavy shirt. “Put this on,” she said.

“Bu’ I’m ho’,” Kaiobit moaned.

“I know, but the more you have on you the faster your fever will break.” She waited until Kaiobit had put the shirt on over the one he was already wearing. Then she spread out the extra blanket and draped it over him. Next she opened the red bottle and poured some of its contents onto the spoon. “Here,” she said putting it up to his mouth.

“Whas that?”

“Cough medicine. It’ll help your swore throat and keep you from coughing.”

“Whas it tase like?”

“Cherry.” Kaiobit opened his mouth and swallowed the medicine. As soon as he tasted it, his eyes closed and he stuck out his tongue.

“Thas no’ cherry…” he complained.

“Well, that’s what it says on the bottle. Here,” she placed a bell on the nightstand. “If you need anything, ring the bell. I want you to just sit here and do nothing.”

“No’hing?”

“Nothing. You need to just rest. Try to sleep if you can.” She kissed her finger and placed it on his forehead. “I’ll be back in a little while.” Meg walked out of the room and took about two steps down the hall when a bell rang. She walked back into the bedroom and Kaiobit looked at her with a small grin.

“I drowpe’ the bell…” he said.

Meg picked it up and placed it back on the nightstand. She smiled at him and turned to leave.

“Meg…”

“Yes Kaiobit?”

“Can I have a dwink?”

“Of course, dear.” Meg returned with a small glass of orange juice.

“Tank you,” Kaiobit said. He coughed as he swallowed.

“Okay?”

“It hurts…”

“I know. Get some rest and it won’t hurt anymore.”

“Meg?”

“Yes…”

“I never been sick before…”

“I can tell,” Meg walked away. “Now go to sleep.”

“O’ay…”

Meg left Kaiobit sitting in his bed. An itch came to his back and he reached to scratch it. When he did, the pillows behind him moved, one falling off the bed. Kaiobit made a face and leaned over to get it, but he got tangled in all of the blankets. He pulled his arm free, picked up the pillow and put it behind him. When he leaned his head back, it hit the bed’s backboard. Kaiobit gave out a small cry of pain and rubbed his head. He put a pillow behind his head and leaned back again, only to find that the blankets weren’t really on him. He reached for them, but they were just a little to far away. He leaned over and grabbed them, and the pillows fell back down again. Growling to himself, he piled the pillows up and pulled the blankets up over his shoulders.

Kaiobit sat still for about a thirty seconds when he could feel his body heating up. A bead of sweat fell down his face. Kaiobit jumped up and pulled off the top shirt he was wearing. He lay back down, but he didn’t feel any cooler. Next he threw a blanket off hoping that it would help. A few minutes passed and he felt his mouth was dry. He glanced over and saw that he had a little orange juice left. He reached over for the glass, took a sip and made a face as it went down. Not looking at what he was doing, he tried to place the glass back on the nightstand, however he had placed it half on the edge, and it fell off.

Kaiobit looked down at the broke glass and the orange juice on the floor. He sat back and felt as if he was going to cry. He looked over at the bell and thought about ringing it, but he didn’t want to bother Megami. He tried to close his eyes and fall asleep, but all he could think about was trying to breath.

Megami sat on a couch downstairs. She looked at the crystal ball, which was what Kaiobit was supposed to be doing, but she did it since he was sick. Not a second had passed after she dismissed an image when she heard the bell, and she teleported up to Kaiobit.

“What’s up?” She asked. Then she noticed the broken glass and orange juice on the floor. “What am I going to do with you?” She snapped her fingers and the mess disappeared.

“Sorwe…”

“Anything else?”

“I can’ sleep…an’ I’m cold,” Kaiobit said.

“Well, if you didn’t take your shirt and blanket off, you wouldn’t be cold.”

“Bu’ I was ho’,” he told her.

“Kaiobit,” she sat down next to him. “You need to keep them on. If you try to go to sleep, then I promise you’ll feel better when you wake up.”

“Bu’ I couldn’ fall asleep.”

“Think about something you like or want.”

“If you say so,” he said. Kaiobit lay back down and Meg put the blankets on him and tucked him in.

“Sleep tight,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. Kaiobit smiled and closed his eyes, and soon he dosed off. Later that day, Meg returned to check up on the patient. She found him sprawled out on the bed with the covers half on and his mouth wide open. She smiled and put down the glass of juice she brought for him, and fixed the covers. Meg put her hand on his forehead and found that he still had a fever. “Poor guy,” she thought. “How could someone live for thousands of years and never get sick?”

When Kaiobit woke up he found another glass of juice on the nightstand. His mouth was dry from sleeping with it open so he reached over and took a long sip. Then a chill went through his body. Looking around, he saw the extra shirt he had on earlier sitting on a chair. He moaned at the thought of getting up to get it. He slowly pushed the covers off and sat on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath. The shiny silver bell caught his attention and he remembered what it was for. He felt bad on calling for Meg because she had done so much already. He decided to just get it himself.

Kaiobit hobbled over to the chair, picked up the sweater and sat down. He couldn’t believe how weak he was. He pulled his head and arms through the shirt and rested another second. He looked back over to the bed thinking that it was a long way away. He got to the bed and took another sip of juice.

Just then the door opened and Meg peered in. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“I was col’,” Kaiobit said.

Meg sat down next to him and felt his forehead again. “Well, your fever isn’t as bad as it was, but you’re still warm. Last time I came up, you still had the fever.”

“So I’m better now,” Kaiobit said.

“Not really. Do you feel better?”

Kaiobit thought for a moment and could feel his throat was still scratchy, his head ached, and his body felt sore. But most of all, he was hungry. “Coul’ I have someting to ea’?”

“Can you hold it down?”

“I ‘hink so…”

“I’ll be right back.” Meg disappeared. She soon returned with a plate in her hand and put it on Kaiobit’s lap.

“Dat’s it? Only toast?” Kaiobit asked looking at the two slices of toast with a little bit of jelly.

“Maybe later on we’ll try soup, but for now try that. You need something light, otherwise it won’t stay in you too long.”

“Bu’ Meeegg….” Kaiobit moaned.

Meg swung her finger in front of him. “Don’t ‘but Meg’ me. Trust me. I’ve been sick before and I know what you should do.” Meg sat down and waited for Kaiobit to finish his toast. When he was done, she took the plate from him and placed it on the nightstand. “Okay, now see if you can rest some more.”

“I’ve been sweeping all day…could I ge’ up for a while?” He pleaded.

“No. Now sit back and relax.” Meg fluffed his pillows. “Do you want me to read you a story before you go back to sleep?” She teased.

“If you don’ mind…”

“Kaiobit, I was kidding,” Meg said.

“Oh…” Kaiobit looked down with a sour puss on his face.

“Oh fine…You’re such a big baby.” Meg sat down next to him and a book appeared in her hands. When she opened it up she felt something hit her shoulder. Kaiobit had already fallen asleep and he used her shoulder as a pillow. Meg smiled and kissed his hair. She slowly got up and got him to lie down.

The next morning Meg woke up to the sound of a bell. She found herself in one of the spare bedrooms, because she didn’t want to expose herself to whatever virus Kaiobit had. She got up and made her way down the hall to Kaiobit’s room. She opened the door and found him sitting on the edge of the bed. “How’re you feeling today?”

“Much better. I slept like a baby all night,” Kaiobit said.

“You sound better.” She put her hand to his forehead and it was normal. “No fever.”

“Can I pleeeaassse eat now?”

Meg laughed. “Alright, you can eat. I’ll bring something up to you.”

“I’ll come down and get it,” Kaiobit said getting to his feet. He stood up and wobbled a bit and sat back down. “Don’t take too long on bringing it.”

Meg laughed again and went to get him food. When she came back, she had a tray with soup and tea on it. “Here,” she said and placed the tray on the table.

“But Meg, I feel better. So can’t I have more than that?” Meg handed him a bag of crackers. “Well…that’s not what I had in mind.”

“Kaiobit, you’re still sick. For now eat this and we’ll see how you are later on.” Kaiobit ate the soup and the tea and leaned back in bed. “You okay?”

“I guess.”

“Well, when you feel up to it, you should take a shower. You’ll feel better after that and you can get your dirty clothes off.”

“I’ll take it now while I feel like I have a little energy.” Half an hour later Kaiobit finally came out of the bathroom in royal blue, silk pajamas. He sat down on the chair and closed his eyes, being exhausted from taking a simple shower. For the rest of the day Kaiobit sat in his room playing a one person card game, reading, or just sleeping. As the day went on, he felt much better.

Later that week, Kaiobit-having recovered from his sickness-walked into the house with flowers in his hands. He looked around for Megami, but she was nowhere in sight. He felt for her power and found her in the sitting room. When he went into the room, he found her sitting on a couch. “I got these for you,” he said handing her the flowers.

“Thank-you. For wha’?” She asked.

“For taking care of me. I appreciated it.” He sat down next to her and looked at her face. “Meg, you alright?”

“Huh? Oh yeah…I’m fine.” Meg took a tissue from a box she had sitting next to her and wiped her nose. “Jus’ a wittle runny nose…”

“And a sore throat, headache, stomachache…”

“How you know?”

“My dear Meg, I think you should get to bed,” he said picking her up in his arms and teleporting to their room. He placed her on the bed and brought out extra blankets. “Now if you need anything ring this bell. You can’t eat anything until I think you can, and I don’t want you to do anything but sleep. Keep these blankets on and…” He took out one of her sweaters. “Put this on. Now rest up and you’ll be feeling better in no time.”