As horrible as I was feeling about having punched a teenage girl [in my defense she punch d me firs... HARD] there was something about what Naru said that actually did make me feel a lot better about... I had no right about feeling better. "Well I've called in sick today so I can make sure you don't do anything too strenuous and make your temperature go up again." Saying that suddenly reminded me. In all the confusion of last night I hadn't checked her temperature since last night. I walked over to her while she was eating and placed a hand over her forehead and my other over my own. It was cooler but still there. My hand pulled her bangs up from her eyes and I looked down at her for a moment. Staring right into her bright yellow eyes and dark pupils just like a cats and hesitated for a moment. "You have nice eyes." I said without thinking much but then my mind caught up with me and I pulled my hand suddenly away... "I mean... you really are a wasteful girl. Wasting your features by hiding behind your hair is almost as worse as wasting food." It was something Chiyo had told me and as much as she said a lot of things that didn't make sense to the male gender this had. "And you need a hair cut. I've noticed you've got a lot of horrible split ends and its all uneven. I mean who cuts your hair?" I rambled walking about the kitchen as I cleaned the few pots I had used.

He was obviously going to the bathroom. Where else would he be going? Straight path toward the bathroom door. She thought to herself. But she decided to keep that to herself. "Okay, whatever you say..." She mumbled quietly. As he lowered himself onto the opposite side of the bed, she felt the mattress rise with his sudden weight, then slowly sink back down. The room gradually got warmer with his presence, and she quickly fell asleep. She had no nightmares that night with him sleeping there. However, she had forgotten about her bad sleeping habits. She tossed and turned, kicked and punched, scratched and slapped. It was a long night for her sleeping partner.

In the morning, Naru woke up with a massive headache. Being the heavy sleeper that she was, she didn't know why, or how her head hurt. She went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror to find a large, swollen bump on her head. She rubbed it and poked it, prodding at it until she was satisfied. She found the cause of the bump when she went out to eat breakfast served by Noato. "Sorry...? Oh, you're the one that gave me this." She said, pointing at the painful looking lump. She chuckled lightly. "It's okay. My brother used to do the same thing to me before. I have the worst sleeping habits you'll ever see." She gave him a toothy grin before digging into the small breakfast that was served to her. "Walked into a door? Well I bet you anyone will believe me, I've got a record of doing that about two times now, right?" She joked. She watched him as he moved somewhat strangely and talked quieter and less sharp as usual. She wondered why, but shrugged it off as she finished off her food gratefully.

"No!" I say before I could truly think of an actual excuse for why I wasn't sleeping yet. I cough suddenly trying to work away the sudden embaressment of failing at sneaking around in my own house because I decided to take in strays. The whole sitatuion sounded completely absurd. Wrse it was made odder by her sugestion. One that while I wanted to say no... I couldn't help but see the... practical side in it.

SO I walked towards the opposite side o the bed without actually answering and placed my pillow down neatly and as calm and collected as I could sat down on the bed and before laying my head against the pillow. I realised however that it was ude to simply fall asleep and not say anything. But to say something was to admit I was about to sleep in the same bed as a teenage girl whom I had all but kidnapped... not exactly I was helping her but... my mind reeled and my body seemed to grow stiff with the tension of all the moral variables that it took everything in me to utter the simplests of "Go to sleep now." before shutting my eyes firmly shut and covering my face with the spare blanket I had. As long as she stayed on her side and I stayed on mine it would be fine. I mean what differnece would it make where we slept if she remained far over there.

There was no such luck. Throughout the night I was kicked, slapped, beaten and above all shoved from the bed by Naru's terrible sleeping habits that the night concluded with me giving her a firm... and not so nice knock to the head which in the morning looked a lot nastier then I had intended. "I'm... err well sorry..." I said the next morning as I served her breakfast. It was scrambled tofu and a toast since I didn't have much in my fridge. I would probably have to start buying something more then the basics now it wasn't just me living here. "You eally should learn to sleep... without..." It was a little embaressing to talk about and I settled for taking a long drink of coffee before resuming. "Just try and keep your hands to yourself tomorrowand if anyone ask you walked into a door." I could have kicked myself for the last part. IT sounded even shadier then it already was but it was impossible sleeping with... My face grew warm and I hid behind my mug o cofffee drinking it all down in an attmept to hide my embaressment. This was really going to be a difficult time.

In another attempt to sleep, Naru closed her eyes slowly, but the same image kept popping up in her head. She tried to convince herself that nothing was there, and she forced her eyes to stay closed. Then, suddenly, she head a floor board creak, and her eyes shot open and she sat up, quickly switching on the lamp on the table next to her. But instead of seeing a bloody, murderous monster, she just saw a very annoyed, sleepy looking Noato with his blanket and pillow. She thought that maybe she was dreaming, because it seemed he was headed toward the bathroom with all of his sleeping gear. His stern voice made her flinch as he asked why she was still awake. "W-well, I could say the same to you. Why are you still up?" She backfired, not wanting to admit that she was afraid of anything.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned sleepily. She took time to register what was taking place at the current time. She took another look at Noato with his blanket and pillow, then at the direction he was obviously going, then at his embarrassed facial expression. Without his glasses it was much easier to guess what he was thinking and feeling. Finally understanding the situation after a long and awkward pause, she grinned and almost chuckled. "Are you going to sleep in the bathroom?" She asked, almost choking on her words as she tried to hold back a rush of laughter. It seemed even Noato had his moments. However, thinking about his reason for going to sleep in the bathroom, she felt somewhat awful for making him do such things. Looking at the space around her on the bed, she came up with a conclusion in her head. "W-would it be more preferable to sleep here?" She mumbled, scratching the back of her head. It would be like killing two birds with one stone. He would be able to sleep more comfortably, and she wouldn't have any more nightmares. She scooted over in the bed, opening up a space for him to be.

Noato hadn't really thought this all through and he realised that when he was tossing on the short couch. It was too short for him to actually get comfortable on. His legs hanging over the edge and the arm rest a blocky square thing cut through his pillow and was pressing uncomfortably into his neck. He tried as he might he couldn't seem to find anyway to sleep on the couch without having the fear of waking up in the morning with aches and pains. The cushions were non detachable and unless he wanted to sleep on the shag carpet it seemed that there was very little left to do besides go and try his large jucuzzi tub as an alternative.

He picked up the blanket and pillow and decided that he would have to wake up extra early just to make sure Naru didn't see him come from the bathroom. He was pretty sure she'd feel guilty about having to subject him to sleeping in bathtub. Tomorrow he would buy a futon or something. He just had to get through tonight.

So as he crept into the room and was trying to quitely make his way across the room and to the bathroom a floor board creaked and he saw those yellow eyes shoot open and stare at him as bright as a cats in the darkness. The side lap switched on and by the look on Naru's face she hadn't been sleep well either. "I thought I told you to go to bed. Why are you still up" Naoto asked in an annoyed tone. More so that he had been caught trying to sneak through then that she was awake and now he had nothing to excuse himself why he was walking towards the bathroom with his blanket and pillow. Noato's face though stern clearly showed signs of his embarrassment at being caught and without his glasses he couldn't hide so well behind a serious expression they gave him.

Naru buried her head in her pillow and held her breath. Friends aren't necessary, but are useful... Are they worth it though? Going through all the trouble of having conversations daily every day about pointless things like clothes, and relationships, and material things... Not to mention having to help them whenever they have troubles. But then again... It's nice having someone to talk to once in a while... And they have your back whenever you need it... Maybe having a friend wouldn't be too bad. Her head came up from the pillow as she took in a deep breath. As Noato rose to leave, she turned over in the bed and faced the ceiling. "Okay, okay, I got it... Can't leave the bed." She repeated to herself, sighing. "Goodnight Noato... You sleep well too." She said, before wrapping herself in the layers of sheets and blankets.

As Noato left the room, she couldn't seem to close her eyes and sleep. The sliver of light from the bathroom shone on the carpeted floor of the room all the way to the side of her bed. The window was shut, but small beams of moonlight still managed to cut through. They were dull blue stripes on the ground, and occasionally a shadow of maybe an owl or a bat disturbed the unmoving light. Naru took comfort in these little sanctuaries of light, for it unsettled her to look straight into darkness, not knowing if there was anything in front of her or not. She seemed like a brave, unwavering soul all the time, but inside she trembled. She hated darkness. It held so many dark secrets. She had always been afraid of things she couldn't see or touch.

As the minutes ticked by slowly, she tried to close her eyes and sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she'd see something coming out of the darkness slowly, approaching her and attacking her while she was blinded by darkness, helpless in a sea of black. Her eyes would shoot open again, and she'd look at the light until she had settled down again. She couldn't sleep at all. She contemplated whether she should get out of bed and go out with Noato, but then she remembered what he said about putting her outside like a cat. She held back her urge to run outside. Usually whenever she called, her brother would come and sleep with her, his arms a shield from the invisible foes that kept her awake every night. But her brother wasn't here. And she was alone.

Noato shook his head. Of course you have to buy the magazine. But for once he didnt voice his opinion and just carried on listening as if it could get any better. IT was actually a very easy conversation considering it really took her rambling to realise the points he would have made. Well everything but having to pay for magazines but with her wages perhaps she won't have such a problem with arguing over the right to take anything that is right in front of you. The girls morals were skewed or at least her sense was. He was unsure. Perhaps she just wasn't very smart. Noato laughed to himself at this and shook his head.

He did what any adult did when a kid was talking about things you learn with age. That being comfortable is not more important then making a good impression that no one should sit with their legs open that busty women didn't get themselves in trouble it was a diferent kind all together that did. Overall Noato sat with a complying look on his face as if he was was listening, and he was just only half as much as her ranting probably wanted him to. To her question he felt the opportunity to leave and rose. Giving only this as an answer, "No, but their useful" HE walked towards the bathroom turned on the light and shut the door so it cast a small slither into the room. He picked up a spare blanket and a pillow and walked to the door. "Remember what I say Naru-chan. Come out this bed and I'm putting you outside like a cat." Naoto suddenly remember that wasn't the threat but he liked it a lot better. "See you in the morning. Good night... and sleep well." the door shut on the girl leaving her with her worries and her questions about what was important about her past life about her future one and all the things that might change now that Noato was the one taking it upon himself to take care of this reckless thing.

"I can't help getting sick... Blame mother nature!" She argued, crossing her arms in front of her. What was she, super human? It wasn't her fault that she got sick... Well, just a little bit. "You were reading a magazine. One with lots of pictures of fancy things and such. I used to read those but then I got caught by the store manager. He said I have to buy the magazines before I can read them." She rolled her eyes. "They shouldn't be out in the open if we can't even read them.." She whispered under her breath. She didn't get people. They were so complicated. They'd always say one thing, but do something else. They'd make a promise, but then break it a couple seconds later. Was it really that hard to keep to your word? Then again, she couldn't really answer that question. She had never made a real promise with anyone before. She had never really socialized with anyone else besides her "family" at home. She was always quiet during school. She had only started to socialize with everyone from the restaurant. It seemed working at the restaurant had really given Naru an opportunity to try many new things.

"I've seen a lot of people wear what I wear! The basketball team, the soccer team, the volleyball team, the track team... Or at least all the guys..." She realized that there really weren't any girls who dressed like she did. Or at least, none that she had seen before. Then again, she never really looked up when she was at school. "Why wear flashy clothes at the cost of comfortableness? Isn't the main purpose of clothes to make you comfortable? Their clothes should at least allow them to move some. It seems like the only thing you could do in a dress like that is sit down with your legs together all day." A day like that would be hell for her. She had a lot of energy, and she needed to move during the day. "I have no desire whatsoever for a busty looking chest. It only gets people into trouble. And I don't need any sense of style, it's too expensive to worry about things like style." She retorted.

She reached out for the glass of water on the table beside the bed and she took a gulp before turning back to Noato. "I don't pay attention to anyone else at school. My brother told me not to get too involved with anyone else or else they might report me to the cops if they find out about... You know what. Plus, everyone at my school thinks I'm scary. I dunno why. So therefore, I have no friends, really." She replied, sighing as she laid her head down onto the pillow. "Are friends a necessary part of life?" Her question was completely serious. She didn't mean it as a joke, or retort.

"If its so boring then you shouldn't get sick." he said matter of factually, as if someone could help getting sick and for a person like Noato he probably could. As she spoke about her brother it made Naoto even more sure that he was doing the right thing for her. It was a child rasing a child really. Naru needed someone that knew better then to let her not take the proper precautions in getting better over her own momentary boredness. You had to be cruel to be kind and his sister always thought that Naoto had this lesson to the T and then some.

"What I was doing?" He asked bemused at why that would be interesting enough for someone to want to know. It wasn't like he was use to people randomly deciding to wonder around his house to simply see what he was doing. At work they knew he liked his privacy at home he just didn't have anyone to demand that from but now that Naru was staying here he realised that privacy was one of those things that he had surrendered. Noato sighed and shook his head. Turning to the idiot that instead of using her hand decided o blow at her hair. He brushed the annoying strand away with a qucik flick that caught her on the nose quite deservedly for being silly in the first place.

"The correct question is do people wear clothes like you are." He said coldly turning to the basketball t-shirt she had been wearing beneath her uniform. "Its not all like that. Some are classy, they have collars and sleeves and go down to your ankles. But your teenage girl not a nun." It seemed that Noato had a sense of humour, one that even he didn't quite realise as the seriousness never left his face as he spoke, "You wear clothes that... that make your assest look better and hide your faults. It is the way close can perfect us. Like you have a flat chest and wearing those t-shirts just makes it look flatter. The only thing you seem to get right is wearng your hair up. since your face has a good structure and your eyes have a nice colour to them but you pretty much lack any real sense of style Naru." There was no insulting harshness to what he said but that didn't make it seem any less insulting or the slight diversion of a compliment any less embaressing. "You must have seen what normal girls wear at your school. What do you friends wear? You could ask them about clothes of today. I'm not exactly the right person to come to for tips. I'm both male and straight. I simply no what my sister has told, against my will, and what I find...attr... acceptable."