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Description
Tip, tip, tip...

I pattered as softly as possible to the door, slipping out of the bed and crossing the cold marble floor through the dark. Luckily Kaoru had left the blinds open when he crawled into the bed with me that afternoon. The moon threw pale white light that bounced off the lavender walls, and the silver handles of the doors acted as beacons in the semi-darkness. Stepping carefully closer, avoiding obstacles in the form of my belongings laying on the floor, I turned the handle and clicked the door open. Kaoru moaned slightly, and turned in the sheets noisily.

You've been asleep since this afternoon, can't you just stay asleep until I get out of here?

But he didn't move, and I sighed in relief after finding that my whole body had been tense from standing still. Once I closed the door and checked either side of the hallway for movement, I headed to the stairs under the command of my stomach. Since I'd slept through dinner, my stomach was throwing a tantrum. It turned into a drum and kept hitting itself, sending resonating pangs through my body.

Clutching my rebellious intestines, I scrambled down the long flight of stairs and through the dining area (hitting my feet or hips occasionally on a chair here and there) to the inn's kitchen. I flipped the light switch on, stood for a second while I worked out that I had not been blinded by the immaculately white light no matter how much it had seemed so, and maneuvered my way past the sparkling silver counters to the enormous fridge at the other end of the room. Please keep in mind that in my tired state this was no easy accomplishment, and many bruises resulted in my tiredly panicked rush to abolish the war inside me.

Oh. My gosh. My stomach is about to implode. I ripped the fridge open and grabbed the first thing I saw, which happened to be string cheese. PLEASE let me get this open fast enough!

After about three or four rounds of the string cheese, my stomach pains were conquered and subsided to dull aches. By my sixth I was back to normal. I sighed with relief and shuffled back to the door with intentions of going back to sleep in my room. Maybe Kaoru will be as hungry as I was when he wakes up. So I took six of the string cheese packets with me and headed back to the stairs, habitually hitting the light switch off on my way out of the kitchen.

When I had clambered up the stairs clinging to the rail to keep from falling back down, I heard the fast-paced shuffling of feet rushing through the corridor. Who else is awake at one in the morning? Maybe someone broke in...

Clutching the string cheese in both hands like miniature bats, I peered cautiously around the corner down the corridor. The windows on the right side of the hallway illuminated all the way down to the other end, where I saw a figure speed-walking in my direction. When the figure spotted me it hesitated a moment before running at me full-force. GAH! WHAT THE HECK??? I held my string cheese before me, waving it around frantically. "Don't... don't come any closer!" I called out in a whisper, fear having removed me of my voice. "I'm warning-"

But I didn't get to finish my cliche statement, for I was jumped upon by the running figure at that moment, and we crashed into the tile floor. Over the male's shoulder I saw my weapons fly through the air in the moonlight. A loud sob erupted from the male, and I instantly recognized it to be Kaoru. His arms hugged around my neck tightly and his head buried against mine.

"Don't EVER leave me like that again, okay?" he sobbed into me. All I could see was his red hair and the moonlight on the ceiling. "I was really scared something had happened..."

I was somewhat dazed and confused. Man. All I wanted was some string cheese, and now I get tackled in the middle of the night. But his concern touched me, and I suddenly felt really bad about leaving him. "I was coming right back-"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that!" he interrupted, hugging me closer. "Tell me next time or something! Just don't DO that!"

I hugged him and rubbed his back soothingly with not much else to do, being still stuck under him. "I'm sorry, Kaoru," I whispered. "I won't do it again."

Kaoru sniffed and finally pulled away, helping me up from the floor. "Good," he said, wiping his eyes discreetly. I didn't comment. "What's all the string cheese for?"

I bent down and began collecting them, replying, "I was bringing them back for you. If you're as hungry as I was when I woke up then you'll be needing them."

He still wore a look of nervousness, and took the cheese from me. "Let's just go back to the room," he said quietly. "I want to know you won't be leaving."

So I was dragged back through the doors, across the marble floor, into the lavender-coloured sheets with Kaoru, who stared at me all the way there. When we were finally comfortable under the covers, he scooted closer so that our noses were almost touching. His golden catlike eyes watched me as I tried to fall asleep beneath them, until we were both sleeping once again.

All I could think before I drifted off was, Boy are we going to be tired tomorrow.