035. Run outside and puke.

That feeling in my stomach is getting worse, so bad that I can tell I won’t be able to hold it long. I think my face turning green gave Natsumi the hint as she let go of my arm and I quickly ran up the stairs and just made it out into the back yard when I fell to my knees and began to vomit up more than I think I ate in three days. My stomach just continued to fill with bile which I then regurgitated painfully up and out into the growing foul-smelling puddle in the grass in front of me.

"Gross!" Setsuko reeled disgusted at my violent upchucking.

"What’s wrong with you, Matsumoto?" Azami demanded as she approached me.

"Leave him be," Natsumi ordered as she came out and took Azami aside to discuss what we had found. Thankfully Setsuko joined them so Kouki could just come and kneel beside me in peace.

"Are you okay, Kenji?" she asked rubbing my back and neck tenderly. That helped me finally relax and seemed to let me regain control of my gagging.

"Yeah," I wiped the greasy spittle from my lips with the back of my hand.

"You just need to lie down for a while, I think," she said lovingly, and then without any argument from me, she helped me up and walked me home. Once there she helped me to bed before tenderly wiping at my mouth with a clean rag before placing a steaming hot towel on my forehead and I quickly fell back asleep. In feverish dreams I felt like I was a shark swimming in a sea of colorful fish, all swimming this way and that, just asking to be devoured, and I was getting so hungry since there was a giant leech that had latched onto my belly. I had to eat. Then I saw a pretty pink one slide right in front of my face and I chomped out at it.

"Ahhh!" I heard a fearful squeak so opened my eyes to see Yuki with her hands up.

"Wha?" I said confused and blinking and trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Are you okay, Kenji?" she asked with concern and placed one hand onto my forehead cautiously.

"I guess," I said confused. I let her touch my head as I realized it was already midday and I was still in bed.

"Kouki was worried about you, and I can see why. You were delirious and tried to bite my hand," she explained.

"Oh," I shirked in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Think you can sit up and try some soup?" she then asked with concern.

"Sure," I said, and then she produced from a small box a bowl of chicken broth and finely cut vegetables. Sitting up I started with just a spoonful, but quickly had the bowl of steaming hot liquid right to my lips and was gulping it down as fast as I could.

"Slowly…" Yuki uselessly cautioned as I emptied the last of the contents into my gullet. "I take it you were hungry?"

"Yeah…" I said apologetically.

"No, it’s okay," Yuki smiled at me. "It just means you are feeling better. Is there anything else..."

"AAHHH!" Azami’s scream pierced the air. I whipped my head around to our window facing the manor house and saw Azami and a stray dog. They were both in a tug of war, fighting over a sheet that she had been putting up on her clothesline to dry. It looked like it might have even gotten her hand in a small bite before she flailed about, scaring the mangy beast off.

"Gee, I hope she’s okay," Yuki said watching Azami leave the rest of her laundry unattended and go back inside her home holding one hand tenderly.

"You want to go and check on her?" I asked, but she just shook her head.

"Naw," Yuki said and explained, "She looked fine and probably had it coming." I laughed gently, but my belly shaking still hurt because of the strain I’d put on it earlier. She could see my distress and asked, "Anything else I can do for you?"