S-2878 • L3 Sintoluna • D29 Silenflu
"Sintoluna tunes the sky to the end. Silenflu spills silence in the last silver. The tide gathers radiance and keeps the thread. The portal kindles—and the story begins again."
Winter brought the flu with it. As usual, the abrupt change in temperature knocked me down. I followed the Aether Network's guidelines and went into quarantine.
I asked Takashi to notify the hospital and withdrew into my home. The weaving energy of my Mother phase would have to remain turned inward. My bouts of flu always lasted half a lunation. The first moons were the most intense.
The throbbing headache. The relentless runny nose. The malaise weighing on my bones. High fever. Vomiting. Dehydration.
A cruel cycle that left me completely inert.
S-2878 • L4 Abeluna • D00–03 Silenflu to Silensina
"Silenflu seals the dust and leaves the path shining. Silensi opens the portal: a whole beginning, soft ground. Silenabe raises the silver thread, luma in a living shoot. Silensina tunes the trail: Abeluna guides, the story ignites."
The height of the flu. My biochip recorded every idea I had, in the tiny recoveries of energy enough to formulate a thought.
I received a message from Daren: 📩 "Akiyama, I heard about your condition. Get well soon. I hope you return to work soon."
I rolled my eyes. His concern sounded more like a demand. Obvious and tiresome. I felt completely unwell.
Takashi was managing CogniSynth with the team in my absence.
As for Maia, I remembered to let her know: "I'll be away for the next half lunation. Don't worry about the blood collection."
The reply came almost instantly: "Why?"
I tipped my head back, sinking into the pillow. My body was heavy. "I'm sick. I'll let you know when I'm better."
There was a pause.
"Sick?"
"Yes. The flu."
No reply.
I sighed. Felt too weak to worry about it now.
Nightfall
I woke feeling even worse. My body felt tethered to an anchor that sucked away my strength. The humid air suffocated me. My eyes burned. I felt submerged. The miserable weather only made everything colder.
I configured the apartment to raise the temperature and wrapped myself in blankets. Despite my lack of appetite, I needed to eat. I ordered food through the GostiTron app. Within minutes, a nanodrone would deposit the meal through the window's automated opening.
DING The doorbell rang.
I frowned. The delivery system was remote. Physical contact was unnecessary. I dragged my feet to the door.
The security holoscreens were malfunctioning. Showed an empty corridor. Some nanoengineer must have been carrying out maintenance.
What little strength I had drained away when I opened the door. I staggered, bracing myself against the wall.
Maia stood there, holding a package.
My feverish brain took time to process it. How had she gotten here? "W-what are you doing here?" My voice came out weak. Hoarse.
She looked me over. My head spun. I was about to collapse. "C-can I come in?"
I nodded, pathetic.
With delicate firmness, Maia took my arms and placed them around her neck. Before I could protest, she lifted me into her arms. "Where's your bedroom?"
I indicated it with my head.
She laid me gently on the bed, unwrapped the food I had ordered, and brought some medication.
How had she gotten it? I thought about asking. Knew it would be useless. I simply accepted it.
"I looked up what might help you, but bought what the pharmacist recommended." She sat beside me. "Tell me what to do."
I pointed to the painkiller and the fever reducer. I preferred natural treatments. Usually, I waited for the flu to pass on its own. But this time, I gave in.
Maia leaned closer. What was she doing? She pressed her forehead to mine.
My heart leaped. Beat so hard I feared she could read me. Heat burned through my face. I hoped she would attribute it to the fever.
"You're burning up," she murmured.
Was she… checking my temperature? Like that? So close? My symptoms worsened immediately. Maia affected me in a way that revealed how insecure I was about dealing with her.
"Let's wait for the medicine to work." She sounded unconcerned, as though unsettling me were a natural part of her presence. She pointed to the food I had ordered. "I'll eat this. As for you, I'll cook something decent."
Her bossy tone caught me off guard. "Those clothes are doing more harm than good. Besides, why's it so hot in here?" Maia picked up the apartment's remote and lowered the temperature. "While I make the food, change into something lighter." Before giving me a chance to answer, she headed to the kitchen.
The glass between my bedroom and the kitchen let me watch her. Maia opened cupboards. Drawers. Refrigerator. Pantry. Inspected the ingredients. Took some vegetables and cut everything precisely. Prepared the meal swiftly.
I watched, too curious to stop myself. Then she raised her head and shot me a glare. I turned away quickly, embarrassed. Resigned, I followed her order. Changed into lighter pajamas. Returned to bed and stared at the view.
I tried to ignore the malaise and the fact that Maia was there. With me. She had always made her aversion to coming to Zenith clear. Yet there she was.
Almost an hour later, Maia brought a tray.
I immediately recognized what she had made: zosui, a Japanese dish traditionally served to someone with the flu. Shogayu, a hot ginger drink.
A faint smile escaped my lips. "Where did you learn this?" I spoke hoarsely. Brought a spoonful to my mouth. Delicious.
Maia shrugged. Ate the food I had ordered.
I recovered a little energy and covered myself with a thin blanket.
"Akiko…" She clicked her tongue and leaned closer.
"What?"
She gave me a mischievous look and bit her lip. "Why do you do that?"
I shrank back. "Do what, exactly?"
Her face was so close to mine. Her breath mingled with mine.
My heart beat out of rhythm. My feverish body complicated things.
Maia lowered her head. Chuckled and moved away.
I looked away. I was sick, and she was doing this to me. I turned toward the window. Tried to focus on the night outside.
Maia did the same.
I sneezed three times in a row and blew my nose. "Not worried about catching the flu?"
"I'm resistant."
I lay down.
Maia braced her arms against the headboard. Hovered over me. It was too much. She kept doing this.
"Where can I sleep?"
"Y-you're sleeping here?"
"Of course. How else am I gonna take care of you?"
My cheeks burned. I buried my face beneath the blanket. "S-sleep wherever you want."
"Wherever I want?" Her tone was pure amusement. "Even with you?"
I wanted to scream. All that escaped was a muffled grunt. My heart hammered in my chest like a drum. Staying composed beside Maia was proving a failed endeavor. Especially sick. I slowly uncovered my head and found her giving a crooked smile.
"I can sleep in that armchair." She pointed. "Though I'd rather stay close to you."
"Why do you do this?" My fever threatened to return. I grew dizzy.
"You're really gonna pretend that…?"
Pretend that…? Everything inside me was vertigo. I felt everything, but was too dazed to understand.
Maia seemed to read my condition. Picked me up before I could react.
Even if I tried to protest, I lacked the energy. "W-what are you doing?"
"When you have a fever…" Our eyes met. "It's better to cool your body down."
What did that mean?!
Maia carried me to the bathroom. Stayed there. Still.
"I'm not going to…" My cheeks burned more. "Turn around."
Maia rolled her eyes and obeyed, chuckling.
"Are you staying there?" I turned on the lukewarm water and activated the bathtub's whirlpool jets.
"Can I?"
The tub filled, and I immersed myself. Felt some of the weight in my body ease. "You can turn around."
Maia sat in the vanity chair, crossed her legs, and rested an elbow on the armrest. Her catlike eyes caught my every movement. "Akiko, Akiko… ♪" She whistled. Ran a finger over her lips.
I rubbed the sponge over my skin. Tried to ignore her. Impossible. Her provocative aura enveloped me. Pressed against me. It was too much. I stood abruptly and threw the sponge into the water. "WHY? WHY DO YO—"
THUD! Maia fell backward with the chair. The noise echoed through the bathroom.
I shrank back into the water and peered over my knees.
Maia was still on the floor. Grumbled something inaudible. She stood. Her face flushed. "I'll wait in your room."
I submerged my head. Let out an underwater scream. What was that? Why?!
I stayed in the tub a while longer, trying to process what had happened. My face and body burned with embarrassment.
I gathered my courage and returned to the bedroom.
Maia was fiddling with the old cellphone. Did not even look at me. How did she recover so easily?! I supposed I was the only one feeling this way.
She dragged the armchair closer to the bed.
Ah, I thought too much. It was probably nothing. Definitely nothing. Maia was just… very nice. Yes. That had to be it.
I wrapped myself in the blankets. Closed my eyes. Whatever it was, I would sleep before my head exploded.
Over the following days
I thought Maia would have left, but she showed me another side of herself. She woke me with breakfast in bed. Just like every other meal. We spent most of the day in silence because of my lethargy.
A seluna passed.
I felt more energetic as the flu eased, but subdued by the arrival of my luteal phase.
"Feeling better?" Maia brought pancakes with chocolate and strawberries, accompanied by tea and milk.
"Yes." I bit into a pancake. The sweet flavor melted in my mouth.
Maia sat on the bed.
The sunset painted the sky in shades of pink. Lilac. Yellow.
She sighed. Rested her chin on her knees. So adorable.
I finished drinking the tea.
Maia turned. "What is it?"
My body froze. Damn it. I was grateful for the orange shimmer of the setting sun. It concealed my heated face. "N-nothing."
She smiled and took the tray to the kitchen. Returned holding the apartment's remote.
I frowned.
"You control your whole apartment with this?" Then, looking amused, she began pressing buttons.
The room warmed, then cooled. Lights flashed. Changed color. Red. Blue. Orange. Pink. Music switched on. Grew louder. Softer. The windows darkened. Cleared. She looked like a child with a new toy.
The sunset was in its final stage.
Maia raised an eyebrow. A strange smile on her face. "What's this?" She pressed a button.
"What…?"
The surrounding air changed.
The windows darkened, enough to reflect the sunbeams. A gentle reddish light enveloped us. Soft music began to play.
Our eyes met.
Maia set the device aside. Slowly, she approached with the fluidity of the melody. A melody accompanying our heartbeats. A rhythm both fast and slow. An intense beat.
I fixed my eyes on her.
The male voice sang:
Since you came into my lifeI lost my breathYour love found a wayStraight to my heart ♪
Our breaths mingled. Her face centimeters from mine. The intimidating aura disappeared. She allowed herself to be vulnerable. And so did I.
She came even closer. Our hearts fell into sync.
Motionless, I lost myself in her. In her freckled face. Her honey-colored eyes. Her white hair bathed in orange light.
"Aki…" Maia whispered and brushed her nose against mine.
Our foreheads touched.
Maia's fingers trembled for an instant. Almost imperceptibly. Her eyes held mine, as though searching for something. Before I could overthink, before she decided to retreat, I pulled her close.
Our lips touched. We closed our eyes.
All her coldness became warmth. Her skin was warm, her fingers at the back of my neck holding me like something precious. Her breath was a whisper against my lips, a breeze laden with promise.
My body vibrated with something far more intense than fever. I lost myself in that moment and that music.
Maia laid me down gently and pressed her body against mine. Heat invaded me. She nibbled at my lips.
We grew breathless.
It was as though time had stopped. The kiss slowed.
Maia gave me a few little kisses before our faces drew apart.
We stayed in each other's arms, looking at one another, chuckling softly. Sharing the same smile.
I rested my head on her arm.
We stayed there, contemplating the silence until nightfall.
Any insecurity I had about Maia disappeared. How opposite our worlds were hardly mattered. We might know little about one another. And our differences might open abysses between us.
None of it mattered.
She kept silent, and still, I felt. As though her soul spoke directly to mine. Instead of fearing what it meant, I felt welcomed. Because something inside me knew: with Maia, everything would change.
What existed between us was only the beginning.
The beginning of something intense, eternal, corchesweaving.