A/N: Rena's main theme. The song is Stand By You - Rachel Platten. This can be interpreted as Rena trying to comfort and telling Ed that she is always there for him.

***

Question.

Questions, whether they were simple or complicated, all have the same goal: they demanded me to answer it, or else they would just haunt me like a vengeful ghost. Despite this, they always sparked different reactions and responses from me. Some were easy and could be answered with ease. Others, on the other hand, had left me baffled, although sometimes, they required only a word for a solution.

A perfect example of such question was the one that Alyssa recently gave me. Even when this question was given days earlier, it still threw me aback. It lingered through the thick air of silence, while she squirmed on the edge of her seat. She managed to look at me in the eye, then turned away, but she dared to do so once more. She clenched her hands that she placed on her lap, and bit her lips. I didn't really know how to describe her green eyes, but they were full of hope and expectation.

Regardless of the heat accumulating behind my eye, I forced it open, facing the ceiling. I exhaled a hot breath through my mouth, before glancing at her.

Buttercup...

It had been years since I called her that and to be really honest, I still have yet to accept her request or reject it. The name originated from the fact that I wanted to annoy the fuck out of her when we were young, so when I noticed that she actually liked it, I found myself in bewilderment. Besides, that nickname was completely childish for a teenager like her, so obviously, it didn't fit her now.

After all... Buttercup is one of the elements of the past...

...and I can't take those shit any longer.

"I..."

As soon as a word left my lips, I didn't continue, and allowed my voice to trail away. It was supposed to be a simple 'yes' or 'no', but the outcomes that followed after the choices weren't pretty. In the end, I slightly shook my head, and hesitantly modified my words so that I wouldn't appear blunt.

"I don't know..."

After the answer left me, something flashed across my mind. I instantly wanted to take that response back and shoved it down my throat. Regrets crashed like angry waves, inducing headaches upon my head. Once again, an uncomfortable silence slowly cloaked around both of us. I could even hear the ticking of a clock, the noises of my heartbeat, and Myla's soft breaths as she slept beside me.

I waited for Alyssa's reaction while seconds passed by. I expected her to get upset, especially when her forehead started wrinkling and her eyebrows somewhat pulled towards to the center. I didn't dare to look at her eyes, and simply stared at the wall beside me.

Instead of anger, though, I saw her lips twitched, forming a small smile, which completely surprised me.

"You know what? Forget about it, hehe..." Alyssa forced out a chuckle, waving her hand dismissively. "It's just a stupid request, and it's only because I like that name. Nothing so personal. Man, I'm really over the place!"

I felt my chest heaving up and down as she fanned her face for no apparent reason. The room was already pretty cold, especially when fever was hanging all over my body. I didn't make a move nor did I speak out, except for a blink of my eye.

What happened with her...?

Did I mess it up...? Am I still too blunt...?

I rummaged thoroughly for possible theories to her sudden change, but nothing seemed to fit. I was met with a dead-end instead, with nowhere to go. Well, whatever it was, I should have thought further or better, I shouldn't have answered anything.

"Anyway Ed," Alyssa suddenly interrupted my thoughts, placing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "you should really go and rest. Not only because your fever's pretty high, but because you looked like you haven't sleep for three days."

Perhaps she observed the sagging bag underneath my eye, which was distinguishable for people to notice, even from a distance. It was the result from waking up each night, in remembrance to that... nightmare. Not only the dream was put to blame, but the past as well...

"I will, but... Rena's preparing a porridge for me... so I guess I got to eat." I answered her faintly. I drew in a large amount of air, then tightened my jaw together. As if on cue, the growls of my stomach intensified, audible to both of our ears.

"...Right, how could I forget? You barely ate anything since this morning either!" She exclaimed. "My God, that's probably the reason why you collapsed!"

"No shit." I rolled my eye, keeping the blanket covered around me.

"Come to think of it, it's odd hearing that you hardly eaten anything..." Alyssa pondered. "You always have a raging appetite for pastries..."

I breathed heavily, trying to find a believable excuse. "If I weren't sick, then I would gain my appetite back in no time."

It turned out that she didn't want to accept the reason.

"It's not just your sickness, Ed. I know you since you're young." She sounded a little bit too concerned, and I could see that she was thirsty of the truth I was trying to hide. In other words, she wanted more. "If you're don't have that much appetite, not to mention lacking of sleep, it means something's up."

"Nothing's up." I tried to sound convicing, raising my tone. "I'm just ill, that's it. I didn't sleep well these past few days."

She's just as pushy as him...

"Are you sure...?" She raised one of her eyebrows. "When I saw you in the front door before you fainted, you looked like... you were crying."

Without any warning, repressed flashbacks submerged inside my head, flashing like a car's headlights. I clearly remembered about how... Raphael's brown eyes glinted with amusement as he grinned down at me. I recalled about how he had held his scissors, and effortlessly stabbed my eye like it was made from paper. He was also laughing maniacally as I screamed bloodily.

"Blue eyes are always the prettiest of them all..." Raphael's deranged voice filled my ears.

NO!!!

At the disturbing image, the severe headaches came colliding once again, and worsened at each second. I grimaced at the piercing pain and instinctively buried myself under the covers. There, I felt palpitations, where I could feel my hammering heart even without touching my chest. I wasn't able to catch my accelerating breaths, and so I felt suffocated in here.

Calm down... calm down...

As always, I rebuked my own self for losing my shit, especially in front of a fellow friend. I pressed my hand against my ribs, as it throbbed. Thankfully, the episode wasn't as bad as when I was with Seb, and so I was able to go through it all by myself. I took oxygen in from my mouth, but I tried not to sound like someone with asthma. At the same time, I instructed myself to breath normally...

In...

Out...

In...

Out...

When I glanced back at Alyssa, her eyes had gone wide. She wasn't in her seat anymore, and I realized that her chair had tipped over. Her hands were about to reach out to me but stopped mid-air, as if time froze still within her.

"Sorry, my headaches are on it again..."

Without thinking too much, I decided to give out yet another cover-up. Nevertheless, the excuse was severely dumb that even the stupidest people couldn't believe what I just said. In no such way people would believe that headaches were to be blamed as the cause of it.

Meanwhile, Myla was still soundly asleep, oblivious of what happened to her owner. She was most likely tired after walking for miles and being too excited.

Before Alyssa said anything, the door, at long last, swung open, suggesting that someone was coming in. Its hinges created a slight creaking noise, causing her distraction. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief, as this bought me time to chill out.

Rena, whose expression I couldn't read nor make out, swiftly entered the room. I couldn't contain a small spark of happiness that formed as soon as I saw her. I decided to express it through my relaxing muscles, and a miniscule twitch of my lips as it tried to widen into a smile. On her hands, she was carrying a tray with the porridge.

The one that I had been waiting for.

"S-sorry for the long wait..." Rena apologized, as she gingerly placed the food on the table. "My mom and I kinda messed up at first..."

"I don't think it was that long, Rena." Alyssa responded, pulling her phone out to look at the clock. "You only took around 20 to 25 minutes."

I impelled myself to sit up, before rubbing my temples to alleviate some of the remaining pain. As I observed Rena closely, I realized that she was wearing a scarlet apron, tied loosely upon her back. It looked a little bit stained, probably from some spills, but otherwise, Rena still looked good on it. Not to mention, she tied all of her hair into a ponytail, which made her... more mesmerizing...

...Well... even without doing so, she still looks attractive...

Rena wiped a sweat off her forehead, before taking the bowl and a spoon from the tray. Next, she approached me, showing me the porridge, which was golden in color and was still steaming hot. Its tantalizing aroma attacked my nostrils, tempting me to just eat it. Despite my dislike for porridge, this one seemed completely edible. As a reaction, another angry rumble sounded out from my body.

Maybe, this porridge can be used to boost my appetite...

"What are those... purplish stuff in the center?" Alyssa questioned, pointing at the weird ingredient. While doing so, she returned the fallen chair back to its original position.

I was wondering about it as well. I thought it was some kind of fruit, so I didn't really want to ask.

"Oh, these? They're dried cranberries, for the c-condiments." Rena answered. "My dad sa-said that they're very nutritious, so I-I think they would be great for Ed."

She mouthed out an 'O', nodding before she moved back.

Rena then sat down in the chair Alyssa had recently toppled over. As she was really close to me, the vibe that she gave out became extreme. The sight of her gorgeous face made my insides flip crazily. I fastened my jaw altogether while leaning towards the frame of the bed. With an intense stare, I watched as Rena stirred the porridge, mixing the cranberries together.

"Okay, so... um..." Rena paused. "Do y-you want me to... um... f-feed you?"

At her own question, her cheeks somewhat swelled, gradually flushing into a color that resembled a peach.

"U-um...! You know... you're feeling ill and all..." She mumbled. "...so I kinda wanna help you eat..."

I never blinked really this fast in my life, except when dirt slipped into my eye. I continuously swallowed my saliva, although it was still a little amount that was building up. I wanted to answer her, but I just couldn't find my voice, like it was lost somewhere else. Even with an empty stomach, it started to feel unusually heavy, as if it was filled with rocks. From here, I was pretty sure that if I were to be measured again, the temperature of my body will exceed 102 degrees.

I wanted to refuse her offer. Despite my incapacitated body, I still can eat by myself, but I found myself to be nodding in acceptance. At this, I lowered my head, staring intensely below me. I let my bangs cover my entire eyes so that I wouldn't look straight at Rena in the eye, even though I could still feel her gaze.

What the hell did I just do...

From my peripheral vision, I saw Rena trying not to crumble under pressure. She rigidly took a spoon of porridge from the bowl, and with a trembling hand, she gently bestowed it towards me. There, I could only respond by showing her my reddened face and my eye, which was about to pop out.

Shit, she's fucking serious!

I can't refuse her offer any longer. She was literally prepared to feed me.

Opening my mouth to eat the porridge, my heart rapidly somersaulted, especially when I have to get even closer to Rena. Her blue eyes always left me in a trance, but I was able to snap out of it.

Chewing on the food, my taste buds detected a sweet flavor, as if she seasoned a handful of sugar on the food. It was also a bit spicy, though, but I could handle it.

Still, it was... delicious...

"H-how... how was it?" Rena asked, fidgeting her hands while I swallowed the food down my throat "D-did I put too much molasses? I a-also s-sprinkled some ginger to make it more tasty... but..."

"It's great, Rena." I commented faintly, seeing that she wasn't able to complete her statement. She was able to hear this, fortunately, as she abruptly snapped her head towards me.

"Huh...? I-it... it is?"

Even from her face, I could see that she was in doubt, so I have to increase her confidence in cooking. Even when she messed up at first, I was sure that her efforts won't go to waste. I had eaten many food cooked by Rena's hands, specifically pastries. They were always delicious to me, no matter how Rena claimed that it was too sweet, burnt or mushy, or no matter what the others might think.

"Yeah." I managed to give her a tiny smile.

"Hehe... t-thank you so much..." She nervously laughed. "I was so w-worried that you don't like it..."

"No," I shook my head, disagreeing with her, "I like it."

In the end, it was indeed true. Everything that's made with Rena's assistance tasted better than originally, albeit some flaws, but then they could be overlooked. At the passing thought, I squirmed in my spot, while she passed me another spoon of porridge. I devoured it without sparing any more strange, lewd thoughts.

"Aw, you two lovebirds are so cute..." Alyssa suddenly fawned, right from behind Rena, but then sighed. "...and now I'm feeling like a third wheel... Hehe, after all, I shouldn't be here anyway."

"You're going home now, Aly?" Rena, still holding the bowl, looked over her shoulder to see her best friend.

"Yeah, I am. Besides, I have a lot of things to do after this." Alyssa tidied herself up, bringing her bag with her. Her eyes, however, were directly on me as if she was signalling me something. Underneath the blanket, I was shifting both of my legs together to try compensate the uncomfortable feeling inside of me.

"Oh... alright..." Rena set the food down on the nightstand, before she stood up and trodded towards Alyssa. "...S-should I a-accompany you?"

"Nah, don't worry. I think you should just go and take care of Ed until his parents pick him up." She proceeded to beckon at me. "He looks really sick."

"Of c-course..." At first, Rena seemed hesitant about it, but then she finally agreed. She greeted farewell to both of us, but before she exited the room, she gave me one last glance. I didn't know what she was trying to tell me, but I knew that it was about our interactions earlier.

I didn't have the defiance to tell her anything, and simply broke my stare away from her. She's probably still mad about that Buttercup question...

Once Alyssa left, Rena looked out on her for a while, before she came back into the room. She then continued feeding me as minutes went by, providing me warm water and even wiped the corner of my lips when it was dirtied. I wanted to say something, but was easily overthrown by my feelings for her.

In other words, Rena was pampering me, treating me like I was a baby.

At this point, I thought I was a mere disturbance to her day. She just wasted most of her precious time treating me in bed and not doing something else. It was to the point where I regret coming to her house, but it was truly an opposite for Rena. She seemed really happy taking care of me; she didn't seem to care that she used her time just for me.

...maybe this is why I come to like her more...

When I finally finished the remains of the porridge, Rena's face glowed with delight. It was extremely contagious that her happiness simply dispersed through my body, alleviating me. She wiped her hands with a tissue. I was asked by her to lie down on the bed, and I quietly obeyed.

"Thanks for the food." I blundered, feeling that my ability to speak had completely returned.

"You're w-welcome..." Rena beamed, before she took the empty bowl and the spoon with her. "By the way Ed, my mom said that your parents w-will pick you up in thirty minutes, so I think y-you should go t-take a nap for a while. I-It well help reduce your headaches."

"I will." Disappointment seeped into my veins, but I was able to conceal it almost immediately. I adjusted myself into a comfortable position to sleep with, simultaneously hearing Rena cleaning up some things, before her warm eyes looked down on me for the last time.

"M-make sure you sleep well." She advised.

As I was about to close my eye, I began to see Rena as some sort of a swaying, blurred figure. She still have yet to move as darkness poured into my vision. As soon as I saw nothing, my ears caught her fading footsteps and a door clicking, telling me that she had finally gone off.

I forced myself to peek, and trying to check whether she had completely left. Instead of an empty spot where she had originally stood, I saw Rena's child counterpart, who had taken her place. With her tightened hand in front of her chest, the girl anxiously gazed at me, harboring that same cobalt eyes as Rena's.

She was the last person I got to see before my consciousness drifted away.

***

A/N: Ed finally gets some time to sleep himself off... or did he...? Tune it next week to see what will happen :)

As always, what are your thoughts about this chapter?

Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a vote and some comments!

- Tara