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Julie didn't fall ill often. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had gotten sick. He was fairly thankful for that, as it meant he could better take care of those who did fall ill.
In retrospect, the symptoms should have been obvious.
As he loaded supplies into the minibus, his body was impossibly warm and his stomach pained him. He hadn't felt like eating anything all day, and while he knew he should if he was going to be driving, the mere thought of eating made him want to vomit. A persistent vile taste lingered at the back of his mouth, and he kept coughing.
He and the others - Ai, Scar, Celica, Alice, and Dee - had already spent a few days in this village not far from Ostia, and they had stayed in a large house whose elderly owner had converted it into an inn for travelers. Ai seemed to be growing impatient, so Julie wanted to leave as soon as possible.
He shut the trunk of the van, and he inhaled a deep breath to calm his aching stomach as he used his sleeve to wipe sweat from his brow. He sighed and pressed his fingers against his temple. Even his head felt like it was about to split open, and there was a constant, high-pitched buzzing, almost like someone's voice...
When someone tugged on his sleeve, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Julie, are you listening?" Ai asked, frowning. "Were you spacing out again?"
"Sorry, I didn't see you there." Julie tried to smile, even though that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach was growing stronger.
"I've been standing here for the past few minutes." Ai took a step closer to Julie and raised a hand to touch his shoulder. "You look really pale. Are you feeling okay?"
Julie waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he answered, and he turned his face away from Ai. "It's just-"
He didn't get a chance to finish before he started retching. He tried to cover his mouth as he fell to his knees, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. A bile taste came up his throat, and he vomited. It spilled over his hand and splattered onto the ground before him, and Ai quickly took a step back so that none of it would stain her shoes.
He briefly found himself thankful that he had only managed to drink water today.
"Julie, you're not well at all!" Ai said as she knelt next to Julie and seized his arm. "We can't leave until you're better!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" he snapped as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He hadn't vomited like that in years, and the mere thought of having done so only made him queasier. "I just ate something that didn't agree with me."
"Liar, you haven't eaten anything at all today!" Ai shouted, and she pressed her hand against Julie's forehead. "You're burning up!"
"Stop fussing over me!" Julie jerked back and stood up, but he staggered as a sudden feeling of dizziness came over him. He leaned against the minibus for support, and he threw up again.
How did he even still have anything left in him to vomit?
Ai's eyes were wide in fear as she slowly got back to her feet. "Julie... do you want me to get Scar?"
"No, I..." Julie tried to say, but he fell into another coughing fit. Ai grabbed his arm to support him, and he collapsed against her. His breathing was heavy, and he laid his hands on her shoulders to try to stand again, but his legs could hardly carry him.
His vision blurred, and as Scar, Alice, and Dee approached him and Ai, everything seemed to spin and he saw double. He started coughing again, and Ai slowly brought him to the ground as her arms came around his back. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark were her large green eyes full of worry.
The heat was unbearable. Fire surrounded him, and his skin was covered in sweat. He tried to breathe, but his throat burned and his mouth was unnaturally dry. A dark figure stood far before him, but although he wanted to reach for it, he could not move at all.
When Julie forced his eyes open, the first thing he saw was a blurry shade of brown. His vision focused, and he realized he was in the inn room he had shared with Alice. He sat up, and a wave of nausea came over him as the room started spinning. He inhaled a few deep breaths to calm himself, but he still felt a dull pounding in his skull.
"Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered, and he glanced around the room. He ran his fingers through his hair, which was wet from sweat. How long had he been out? The window curtains were pulled shut, so he had no way of telling what time it was. He was in his own bed, and his shirt and jacket had been flung over the back of a chair. He wondered if it had been Scar or Alice who had removed his shirt and shoes, and who had managed to drag him to his room.
The door opened, and Scar stepped into the room, followed by Ai, and they both carried small towels. "How are you feeling?" Scar asked as she walked up to Julie's bedside, and her smile was the same as ever.
Julie turned his face away from hers. "Just a little dizzy," he answered, and he covered his mouth to stop himself from coughing.
"You have a fever, Julie," Ai said with a huff. "Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well?"
Julie held back his tongue. Any answer he had to that question would've sounded like an insult.
Scar set down the towels she carried on the night table near the bed. "The innkeeper said she'll let us stay a few more days to allow you more time to recover," she explained. "Alice will also be sleeping in another room."
"Okay, thanks," Julie mumbled. He hadn't wanted to stay any longer, but he could barely see straight, so he wouldn't have been able to drive in this condition.
Ai tried to smile, and she pressed her hands against the edge of the bed and leaned closer to Julie. "Do you want anything to eat?" she asked.
"I'm not hungry." Julie let out a heavy sigh, and his stomach growled. "But I'll try to eat something later. I'll take water, though."
"All right," Scar said. She turned to face Ai and touched her shoulder. "Come along now, Ai. Julie needs his rest."
Ai nodded wordlessly, and then she and Scar left the room. Once the door was closed, Julie held up his hand, which was shaking uncontrollably, and his fingers balled into a fist. His every joint and muscle ached, and his breathing had yet to calm. He clenched his teeth; he wasn't supposed to get sick like this.
Scar was back within a few minutes, and she carried a glass of water. "I have your water," she said as she came nearer to Julie.
"Thanks," Julie replied as he tried to force a smile.
Scar smiled as well and handed him the glass, but as he wrapped his shaking fingers around it, he lost his grip on it and it fell to the floor, spilling water onto the carpet.
"Damn it…" Julie swore, and a deep flush came to his cheeks. "Scar, I'm so sorry."
"It's all right," Scar said as she took one of the towels and wiped away the spilled water, and she also picked up the glass. "See, it did not even break."
Julie avoided her calm gaze. "Yeah, but I shouldn't be that clumsy…"
Scar took another towel and pressed it against Julie's face to clean the sweat from his skin. "You are ill, so it's quite forgivable," she told him. "Would you like me to get another glass?"
Julie simply shook his head in response. Scar said nothing, instead beginning to wipe sweat from his body, and he didn't resist. She dried his face, and then his shoulders and chest. Her hands were gentle and careful, and when she leaned in close to him, he only hoped she didn't notice how much he was blushing.
It was embarrassing to be treated like this. He wasn't supposed to be this weak. He was supposed to be stronger.
"Julie?" Scar touched his arm. "Is something the matter?"
"No, no, it's nothing," Julie lied, and he still could not meet her eyes.
Scar folded the towel she had been using. "You should rest now. We'll prepare food for you in a little while."
"Sure," Julie said as he lay down and pulled the sheets over him. The idea of eating made him nauseous, but maybe he would be hungry enough to keep down food in a few hours. At least he hoped he would be.
Scar smiled and gave Julie's face a light caress, and then she left his room, leaving him alone.
Julie let out the sigh he had been holding in. He felt dizzy again, and he was still too warm. He kicked the sheets off, but even then he didn't feel any cooler. It was as if he was on fire, and once more his skin was covered in sweat.
For the next few hours he didn't rest well. He kept pulling the sheets over him and then removing them, and neither way made much of a difference. Every time he shifted from one side to the other, he grew dizzy all over again, and closing his eyes didn't stop the room from spinning. He even swore he could feel the blood swishing around in his skull, and the mere thought of that made him want to vomit.
Eventually he heard a knock at the door, and it was like a million needles being driven into his brain. "Come in," he said, and as he sat up, he started coughing harshly.
Ai pushed the door open with her hip, and in her hands she carried a tray. As she came closer to him, he noticed a bowl of broth and a glass of water. "How are you feeling, Julie?" she asked as she sat down on the edge of his bed.
"Same as before," Julie said, taking in a few deep breaths. He hoped that Ai hadn't heard that coughing fit.
"Really?" Ai let out a heavy sigh, and she looked him over. "Aren't you cold?"
"Actually, I'm too warm. Hand me one of those towels."
Ai did so without saying anything, and Julie used the towel to dry his face and hair. He almost wished Scar was here again, but he could at least do this much himself. Even if this fever meant he would only stay cool for a few seconds at the most. As he dried himself, he asked, "What time is it?"
"Um…" Ai took out her pocket watch and flipped it open. "It's a little past nine."
"That late already, huh?" Julie said. He tossed the towel off the bed and then eyed the broth Ai had brought. He didn't exactly trust Ai's cooking skills, as he had learned quite early on that neither she nor Scar had much of a sense of taste. (Must've been a gravekeeper thing, he figured.) Still, it didn't look that bad, and he hadn't eaten anything all day… "Did you make that yourself?" he asked Ai.
"Alice and Dee helped," Ai replied with a smile. She dipped the spoon into the soup, and held it out to Julie. "Okay, say 'ah.'"
Julie frowned; was that supposed to be her idea of a joke? "Ai, I'm not a child. I can feed myself."
Ai said nothing. She simply dumped the contents of the spoon back into the bowl, and then offered it to Julie. He wrapped his fingers around the handle, slowly and carefully, and when Ai let go, he could not stop his hand from shaking violently.
"Scar told me what happened earlier," Ai said with a soft smile and she took the spoon from Julie.
"She did, huh?" he muttered under his breath. "Fine, have it your way."
Ai dipped the spoon into the broth again, and held it out for Julie, and he bent over to take it into his mouth. The broth didn't taste that bad, but it was fairly plain, and as he swallowed it, he almost gagged. He doubted he would be able to finish the whole bowl.
Ai giggled as she pulled the spoon back. "It's kind of like I'm the parent now," she said.
"That's not helping," Julie snapped without thinking.
Ai was visibly taken aback. "I just thought-"
"No, Ai, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he quickly added, trying to smile. "It's just embarrassing to be treated like a child."
"Well, you're sick, so you shouldn't have to do anything!" That bright smile returned to Ai's face. "It's not so bad having other people take care of you every once in a while. Now, come on, say 'ah'!"
Julie sighed, and he again opened his mouth for the spoon, and Ai continued to feed him for a little while longer. He had fed his daughter like this when she had been bedridden with illness, and there had come a point when she had no longer been able to keep anything down, and all he had been able to do for her had been to hold her tight.
His body tensed, and that pain in his stomach grew stronger. Of all the times to bring up painful memories…!
He managed to swallow a few more spoonfuls of broth, but when he tried to swallow this last one, he choked and began coughing, and he ended up spitting the broth onto his hand as he tried to cover his mouth. Nearly a minute passed before he stopped coughing, and Ai got out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth and hands.
"Okay Ai, that's enough," Julie said, and his throat felt sore from coughing so much. "I can't eat anymore."
"You only ate half…" Concern was clear on Ai's face. "Well, do you at least want some water?"
Julie nodded, and Ai took the glass of water into both hands and carefully held the rim to his lips. He drank it greedily, even though the coldness of the water seemed to burn his throat, and when he was finished, his mouth felt even drier than before.
Ai set down the empty glass, and she leaned in uncomfortably close to Julie and pressed her hand against his damp forehead. "You're still burning up," she said in quiet voice.
Julie grabbed Ai's shoulders and gently pushed her away, not allowing himself to breathe until she was no longer close to him. "Don't get so close," he told her. "I don't want to get you sick."
Ai merely smiled. "If I do, then you'll just take care of me, right?"
Julie sighed. "Ai, aren't you the one who wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible?"
"Not if it means you pushing yourself so hard you get sick." Ai crossed her arms over her chest and let out a huff. "I can be patient sometimes, you know!"
"Is that so?" Julie could not help but laugh. He lay down on the bed, and he winced at the shift in perspective. "I should rest now. Thanks for the food, Ai."
Ai pulled the bed sheets over Julie. "Sleep well, okay?" she said, and she then collected the tray and used towels.
Julie watched Ai as she did so, and when she left the room, he started retching again. That vile taste was at the back of his throat once more, and even inhaling deep breaths didn't help. He rolled over onto his side, away from the door, and his stomach lurched. He didn't want to vomit what Ai had just fed him, but how was he supposed to keep anything down when he kept feeling this nauseous?
He hated this. His head hurt, his stomach hurt, and his skin felt sticky and clammy from how much he was sweating. He just wanted to be able to sleep, but with each hour that passed his fever only seemed to grow worse.
As he tried to fall asleep, he kept tossing and turning. It was probably past midnight now, but he wouldn't be surprised if it was later than that. Even without the sheets he felt too warm, and his body was soaked in sweat, as if someone had dumped a bucket of hot water over him. His breathing was coarse, and his throat was dry and parched.
Water. He needed water, even if the mere thought made his stomach queasy.
Slowly Julie sat up, pressing his arm against the wall for support, and he held back the urge to vomit. He was still for a moment to allow his body to calm, and then he swung his legs off the bed to stand up. He stumbled as he got to his feet, and he grabbed the nearby chair to steady himself, and the whole room was spinning.
He made his way to the door slowly, so that he didn't end up tripping over his own feet. His shaking hands struggled with the doorknob, but eventually he managed he managed to get the door open.
The outside hallway was dark, and Julie assumed that everyone else had gone to bed by now. Staying close to the wall to support himself, he started walking toward the bathroom, and the carpet was rough and scratchy against his bare feet. The hallway wasn't very long, but it seemed to lengthen and twist the farther he walked from his room.
Everything was spinning. The floor shifted with each step he took, and the wall kept shying away from his hand.
He leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor. It hurt to breathe with how dry his throat was, and his body was burning. The heat was suffocating, and that only made his dizziness worse.
He tried to stand again, but his legs gave out as he fell into another heaving fit. A nasty taste invaded his throat, and he covered his mouth to hold back the noise. If he didn't calm down, he was going to wake someone…
He heard a door open, and he scrambled to his feet, but he only ended up collapsing onto the floor again. The heat was overwhelming, and he could barely breathe. The footsteps were getting closer, and as he tried to move, everything grew blurry, and as his throat burned, something warm and moist filled his mouth and spilled over his hands, and when he finally stopped retching, darkness overtook his vision.
Ai awoke from a restless sleep. It was still dark, and Dee and Celica were asleep. However, Scar's bed was empty. Curious, Ai sat up, and she noticed that the door was slightly ajar.
She got out of bed and put on a pair of slippers, all while being careful not to disturb Celica or Dee. She made her way to the door as quietly as possible, and when she looked into the hallway, Scar was leaving Julie's bedroom, and she also carried soiled towels.
Ai closed the door behind her, and approached Scar. A vile stretch filled her nose, something like vomit. "Is Julie all right?" she asked Scar.
"He is fine," Scar answered with a slight smile. "He was trying to get water, and I helped him back to his room."
"Oh." That smell and those towels told Ai everything she needed to know about what had happened. She bit her lip; he could've just asked one of them to get water for him.
She followed Scar to the laundry room, where she discarded the towels, and then they headed for the living room that now acted as a lobby for visitors. They both sat down on the couch, and silence fell over them. Both of them were motionless for a bit, and Scar's mouth was open, as if she wanted to say something, but no words came.
Finally, Ai spoke instead. "Scar, how is Julie doing? Has he gotten worse?"
"His fever is still high, and he seems to be delirious," Scar explained. "I believe it is because he keeps trying to push himself too much."
Ai looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I wonder how long he's been sick. Why didn't he say anything sooner?"
"He is very prideful. It is not an aspect of human beings I understand yet, but I do know he does not want to be perceived as weak."
Ai frowned. "Well, he should swallow that pride and take better care of himself so we don't worry!"
Scar chuckled. "I will be sure to tell him that when he is well," she said as she stood up. "Ai, we should return to bed now."
Ai shook her head. "I'll stay up a little longer. I'm not that tired."
"All right, but please do not stay up too much longer. Julie will worry if you become ill as well." Despite those words, Scar still smiled. "Goodnight, Ai." With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to the room she shared with Celica and Dee.
When Scar was out of sight, Ai leaned her head back and let out a heavy sigh. Why did Julie have to be so thickheaded? All he had to do was say something, anything at all, about how he was feeling. She did want to be on the road again, but not so badly she would sacrifice his health. He didn't need to push himself so much for her. If he hadn't tried to hide how poorly he felt, she wouldn't have to worry about him so much.
But that was just something adults did, wasn't it? Before her mother had fallen ill, she hadn't even known adults could become sick.
Ai wrapped her arms around her body to ward off a sudden chill. Was pushing oneself to the point of exhaustion really what it meant to be strong? But how could a person take care of others if they couldn't even take care of themselves?
"Julie, you idiot…" Ai muttered as she got to her feet. She left the lobby area to head to the hallway, and she stopped when she was in front of the door to Julie's room. She didn't intend to disturb him, but simply to check on him.
After inhaling a few deep breaths, she pushed open the door as quietly as possible, and stepped inside. She walked over to Julie's bed, and even in this darkness she could see just how pale and flushed his skin was. Beads of sweat were visible on his forehead, and his breathing was heavy as he clutched the bed sheets tightly.
"Oh, Julie…" Ai's voice was hardly more than a whisper. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"
Julie stirred, and his eyes were partially open. Ai's first instinct was to jerk back, but when he reached his hand out for her, she leaned in close so that he could touch her face, and her shaking hands cradled his. His hand was warm and sweaty, but not particularly unpleasant to her touch.
A faint smile came upon Julie's lips. "Your father will be better soon, so please don't worry," he said in a soft voice. "You should head to bed now, okay?"
"I… will," Ai forced out, and she tried to smile. He must've been dreaming, and his eyes didn't seem to be focused on her.
"That's a good girl." Julie pulled his hand back. "Goodnight." His eyes fell closed, and his breathing slowed, although it was still rather rough.
Ai was still for a few moments, and when she was sure Julie was asleep, she left his room. When she was back in the room she shared with Scar, Celica, and Dee, she got into her bed and pulled the sheets over herself, and her heart continued to race.
"Julie, please feel better soon…" she whispered into the darkness.
It had been a long time since Julie had last dreamed of his daughter, and even as she smiled at him and held his hand, he couldn't sleep well.
Heat consumed him, and the whole world was spinning around him.
He forced his eyes open as the first rays of the sun slipped through the gaps in the window shades, and his vision couldn't focus. The ceiling was a blurry mess of brown, and the entire room was spinning.
He took in several deep breaths. He then realized this wasn't the bed he had been sleeping in before. This had been Alice's bed, and across the room the other bed had been stripped of its sheets. Probably to wash his sweat from them, he thought. He did leave his bed last night, but he couldn't remember switching to the other bed. Had Scar helped him?
The sound of the door opening startled him, and Scar entered the room. "Good morning, Julie," she said, and even her pleasant voice was like a harsh pounding against his skull.
"Morning," was all he could reply with, and his voice was rough. The inside of his mouth felt like cotton, and he didn't want to speak.
Scar sat down on the side of Julie's bed and began using a towel to clean the sweat from his skin. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I want some water," Julie said. That was what he wanted last night too, wasn't it? He couldn't remember.
"All right." Scar got to her feet and left the room, and Julie stared at the door, and his heart raced. He had seen her last night. He remembered leaning against her for support, and he had…
He put his hand over his mouth to ward off an intense urge to vomit, and then Scar was back with a glass of water in her hand.
Julie sat up and he grunted as a feeling of disorientation came over him. He couldn't see straight, and his stomach screamed at him, but he ignored that as Scar held the glass to his lips. The water was cool against his dry throat, and it was almost refreshing.
Unfortunately his stomach didn't agree.
As soon as he finished the glass, he started gagging. He seized Scar's arms for support as he doubled over, and her hands came around his shaking shoulders. He retched and coughed, and there was a horrible taste in his mouth, something like water mixed with blood and the broth Ai had fed him the previous night.
Yes, this was just like the previous night.
He couldn't hold it back anymore. He vomited once more, this time onto Scar. It burned as it came up his throat, and as it filled his mouth he couldn't breathe. It splattered onto Scar's chest, and even when he finally stopped, the taste of vomit still lingered and he could barely breathe.
At first he simply stared in disbelief. The mess he had vomited was mostly clear, but there were also splotches of red. Spittle still dripped from his lips, and when his eyes met Scar's, he saw a horrified expression on her face. Of course she would be, he thought, a grown man just vomited on her. "Damn it, I'm so sorry…" he muttered. He had to clean her, but he didn't have a towel or even a small piece of cloth. Even so, he had to do something.
He lowered his face to her chest and began licking away what he had vomited on her. He ran his tongue over the soiled cloth, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her back. As he buried his face in her chest to take more of the vomit into his mouth, it was rough against his skin and a horrible smell filled his nose. He gagged as he tried to swallow the vomit, and the taste was bitter on his tongue, but he had to do this. It was all he could do, pathetic as it was.
With her this close to him, there was no doubt she was really here. She had been there last night as well when he had vomited in the hallway. The thought was like a knife to his heart; why did she have to keep seeing him at his worst?
"Julie, what are you doing?" Scar's voice was harsher than Julie had ever heard it. "You don't need to do that!" Her fingers tightened around his shoulders, and she pushed him back onto his bed. She then quickly removed her vomit-soaked jacket and shirt, leaving her breasts only covered by her bra, and she took a towel to thoroughly wipe the remnants of vomit from Julie's face and chest.
"Scar…" Julie said, and he tried to sit up again, but Scar's strong hands kept him pinned.
"You should rest." Scar's voice was sharp. "I will be back soon to check on you, but I need to clean myself first." She stood up and retrieved her shirt and jacket, and then left the room.
At the sound of the door closing shut, Julie rolled onto his side and bit his lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. If he had wanted to disgust Scar, he certainly succeeded. He didn't want to imagine what she thought of him now.
He was supposed to be strong. He wasn't supposed to be this helpless.
All throughout the day Scar and the others came in to check on him, and each time he pretended to be asleep. He was faced away from the door, and he hoped no one would get close to him and realize otherwise. At one point he had felt Ai's small hand on his shoulder, and she had stood near him for what had seemed like an eternity before leaving him.
Eventually night fell, and Julie had not moved from the bed. He had also not eaten or drank anything since that single glass of water, and he wondered if he would soon vomit out of hunger. He could no longer tell if his stomach pained him due to nausea, or simply hunger.
He rolled onto his back, the top sheet partially falling from his body. He did not feel as hot as he had, but his body was still too warm for him to rest comfortably. He stared at the ceiling, and it was not spinning as much as before.
He heard the door open, and he didn't have time to roll onto his side before Scar noticed him awake. She wore a different shirt and jacket, and she walked over to him and sat on the side of the bed. "I see you're awake now," she said as she touched his face. Her hand was pleasantly cool compared to his sweat-soaked skin.
"Yeah," was Julie's only reply. What else could he say?
Scar caressed his cheek with her thumb. "It seems your fever has gone down a little." She smiled. "That's good. Ai will certainly be happy to hear that."
Julie's eyes grew wide. How could she still smile at him - that same smile he loved but couldn't have deserved anymore - after what he had done? "Aren't… aren't you angry?" he forced out, afraid of what her answer would be.
"Hm? Why should I be angry?"
He hesitated. "Because I vomited on you, and then I tried…" To clean it with my tongue, he thought, but he could not bring himself to admit that out loud.
"Oh, that." Scar shrugged her shoulders. "I will admit I was surprised, but that is part of being ill. Celica has vomited on me as well, so it does not bother me."
Julie let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, right now I'm about as helpless as a baby."
Scar withdrew her hand from his face, and after a tense moment, she bent over him and pressed her lips against his. He was too stunned to even think of pushing her away, and the warmth of her soft lips was more than welcomed.
When Scar broke the kiss, there was a quiet smile upon her lips. "Just because you have fallen ill does not mean I think any less of you," she said. "That is part of being human, and I understand that."
"Scar…?" Julie's face was warm, and not simply because of his fever. "What if you get sick…?"
"I am a gravekeeper, and gravekeepers do not normally fall ill." Scar kissed Julie again. "However, if I do, you can care for me."
Julie could not help but laugh. "Don't take advantage of me, okay?"
Scar merely smiled. "It has gotten late, so I believe I should sleep now. Goodnight, Julie." She got to her feet, but before she could walk away, Julie had gently seized her hand.
"Scar, wait," he said, and his heart pounded against his chest. "I know this is a really childish thing to ask, but could you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
"If that is what you want, then I will." Scar took Julie's hand into hers as she knelt at his side, and she cradled his hand as she brushed her lips against his knuckles.
A weak smile came upon Julie's lips. "Thank you, Scar."
Scar touched Julie's face. His breathing wasn't as rough, and her hand was soft and cool against his skin. He didn't disgust her, and she still loved him - that was more than he could've hoped for, and with her so close to him, his heart did feel more at ease. She smiled at him, that same smile he had fallen in love with, and it wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.
"Sleep well, Julie," Scar said, and she bent over him and lightly kissed his forehead.
It took Julie two more days to fully recover. By the morning of the third day, he was once again outside the inn, loading supplies into the minibus. Ai hovered around him, making sure he really was completely healthy.
"Julie, that looks really heavy," Ai said, eying the large bag he was holding. "Do you want me to get that?"
"I'm fine, Ai," Julie replied as he hoisted the bag into the back of the minibus, and then slammed the trunk shut. "You don't need to fuss over me so much."
Ai smiled brightly. "I just have to make sure!"
"Julie, Ai," Scar called out as she approached him, and she carried Celica while Alice and Dee followed her. "Are you two ready to leave?"
"Yeah, pretty much," Julie answered, and when Scar came near him he put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, and Celica giggled. It was nice having them so close again, he thought.
Ai let out a gentle laugh. "It's good to see you smile again, Julie," she said.
Julie cleared his throat loudly, and to change the subject he asked, "So where do you want to go now?"
Ai's green eyes became wide in excitement. "Everywhere!" she exclaimed. "I want to be able to see the whole world!"
"Yes, that does sound quite pleasant," Scar said as she wrapped her arm around Julie's waist while her other arm supported Celica in her sling.
Julie could not help but smile. He had expected nothing else from Ai, and wherever she and the others wanted to go, he would be there for them.