Breathe Chapter 3

"Nagisa, wake up!" Nagisa heard her mom yelling through her door.

She turned on other side, frustrated over the same routine in the morning. She threw her blanket away with her feet, it was too hot for her, and her whole body was sweating, she realized it when she saw liquid leaking from her hands and felt that her hand was sweaty. She lifted her hand on her forehead, feeling the terrible heat from her body. It was absolute, she had fever. Nagisa moaned as she thought of that she couldn't meet her friends today while lying on her back. She fought to breathe suddenly. She lifted herself up, dressed herself in her uniform, as she was about to leave the room, her mother appeared in front her.

"Hurry, up." She said as she avert but stopped when she noticed something different.

"What?" Nagisa asked as her mother looked at her with worries. She put her hand on Nagisa's forehead.

"You have a fever." She informed. Nagisa pushed her hand away and walked passed her.

"I'm fine." But Rie couldn't let her child to go to school in this condition. She went ahead to stop her by putting her hands on Nagisa's shoulder. Nagisa looked at her mother with tired face, her eyes were red; it was obvious that she was sick.

"No, you're staying home." She said determined. Nagisa used her strength to unleash herself, shoving Rie's hands off and grasped her bag as she headed out, leaving Rie widened eyes, and the boys befuddled.

Nagisa couldn't keep her eyes opened. She was almost hit by a car, but an adult pulled her back before the car hit her.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Yes, thank you." Nagisa replied with a smile. The adult smiled, loose his grasp from Nagisa's arm. After the man left, she leaned upon lamppost while feeling lightheaded. The people watched her in concern; she shook the feeling away while running away. Her feet were weak as she took steps, making Nagisa fall on the ground while people stared at her with shock. Nagisa went on her knees as she tried to control her breath. She felt someone picking on her back; she quickly turned around scared but sighed in relief as she saw it was one of her best friend.

"Are you ok, Nagisa?" she asked as Nagisa stood up and Rina took her arm to support her. "Y-yeah." she replied weakly. Rina dragged her away from the crowd and whispered in her ear.

"Judging from the expressions of the crowds, you aren't." Nagisa broke loose and walked few stepped from Rina as she followed.

"I am alright, seriously." Rina didn't believe in her words. She felt like something was fishy. While they were walking to the school, Rina carefully observed her every move. Nagisa acted normally when they went inside the classroom and when she greeted her fellow classmates. Rina took her seat, still observing her. She noticed that when Nagisa was talking, she lost her balance a little, tilting to the left. Rina quickly reacted and tried to catch her, but Nagisa managed to control it. The girls around her were staring at her like she was weird; Rina backed, somehow feeling embarrassed of her actions. Shiho later arrived; Rina dragged her to the spot where they could talk private, in tight corner near the blackboard.

"What, what, what, what?" Shiho asked repeatedly. "It's Nagisa. Look." Rina pointed where Nagisa was laughing with the girls. Shiho faced Rina with crooked eyebrow and replied. "What?"

"She's been acting weird when I met her this morning." Shiho switched glances to Nagisa and Rina. Shortly, she commented; "She looks fine to me." Rina was about to say something, but her eyes caught on Honoka walking towards Nagisa and greet her with her usual small friendly smile. "What are you worrying about, Rina? She looks fine." Shiho said before she went ot the girls to join their conversation leaving Rina alone. "Yeah, but, something's really is going on." she said to herself.

Saturday approached quickly for Honoka, since she spent her most times on homework and reading, while for Nagisa preparing for the tournament and doing her math homework in progress. She studied late at night, well at her point at view at twelve midnight, but mostly practicing by waging her stick in the air. It was hard to focus inside then outdoors, when Ryouta kept bugging her.

The crowd shouted, threw their arms up in air, mostly Nagisa's family, while chanting 'Verone, Verone, Verone' and holding sign. As Nagisa stepped on the field she felt her stomach in knots, somehow nervous over this year's competition. Shiho, who was in front, turning her back from Nagisa, turned around quickly to her, gave her a smile and a thumb up while Rina turned around too concerned. Nagisa smiled nervously as Shiho and Rina turned around, her expression went back to sadness. She was worried that she'd screw it up again. But, she thought back all the trainings she had, which brought her a little confident.

She took a deep breath.

"Yosh." She said to herself while smiling. They head in the mid field of the where the coach stood with the orange ball waiting the players to find their position on either sides. Two players from other teams laid their head sticks horizontally next to the ball, head of the stick inches from the ball and the butt-end pointing down the midfield line. As the couch blew the whistle the game started.

The beginning of the game went smoothly; Nagisa didn't felt any shudder or dizziness, she felt like a new person. The girl passed the ball to another girl; Nagisa ran, indicating by yelling what they were supposed to do, of course, as the captain of lacrosse it was her duty. The ball was passed on to Shiho; she was cornered by the opposite team so the she had this one opportunity to pass it to Nagisa. Before she could catch the ball, a girl from the other team caught it in advance while grinning balefully. The girl elbowed past Nagisa. Frustrated over her behavior, she caught up after and expanded her stick to steal the ball. Nagisa ran towards the goal with all her might, closing her teeth hard. Abruptly, her dizziness and tiredness came back, she lost her balance. The voice of everyone she knew, her teammates, her family and friends, were hazy she couldn't make out what they were saying.

"N….gi…t….lk…to….m..." That was all she could hear from her father who suddenly appeared before her, her mother with worry face and broke into tears while her dad held her arms while shaking. Without a warning, her vision went black.

"On…cha.. Wa…e…u…" Nagisa heard a young boy around her, which sounded familiar. She tried so hard to know who it is. She felt heat, too much all over her body, comfortable and something soft under her. She didn't want to wake up, this feeling was too good.

"A lack of sleep and fever?" Nagisa's mother, Rie, repeated what the medics said. Rie looked at Nagisa, who laid motionless on the bed, with her teammates, friends, and family around her worried about her condition, trying to recall when it was that Nagisa stayed up all night. She couldn't remember anything so she turned over to her husband who shrugged. She sighed at Nagisa, she told her to stay home.

"So should we consider a doctor?" Takashi asked.

"Well, just in case, I'd do it."

Next morning after school, Honoka couldn't but to look at the group whispering, Shiho, Rina, and three friends from the lacrosse team, about Nagisa and what happened yesterday. She approached them, giving them all startle when she said 'Excuse me'. They looked relieved that it was only Honoka; it's seemed that they are hiding this from Nagisa.

"Oh, Yukishiro-san. It's only you." said the brunette who had bandana around her head like some pirate.

"Hey, hey, hey, Yukishiro-san, come here we need to talk to you." Shiho whispered as she beckoned her hands up and down. Honoka approached closer to Shiho's face.

"What is it?"

"It's about Nagisa." Rina interject.

"We're kind of worried; Nagisa fell asleep during the tournament, she suddenly got chills while before the tournament and I've noticed that the other day on her hand she had a spot which was in the exact size as pinhead." Honoka put her first finger under her chin to think. She remembered that she read the symptom of some disease, but couldn't remember.

"So, we decided to take her to doctor." Shiho added. "If I recall, Nagisa went home after math class."

"Why!" Rina exclaimed.

"She said she wasn't feeling well." Honoka began to worry, never in her life has she seen Nagisa act this strange. Rina seized Honoka's hand, accidentally startling her.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go to Nagisa." Rina informed as she dragged Honoka with her towards Nagisa's home.