those who we protect [IDOLiSH7]

VI

Riku's body shot up and his body started coughing harshly and hyperventilating. Outside his room, Sogo was on his phone but suddenly noticed Riku's loud coughing fits, quickly hung up the phone, and burst into his bedroom.

"Riku-kun!" Sogo exclaimed and immediately went to his aid. He tossed the phone to the side and went to him. Riku was leaning forward having a harsh coughing fit, and Sogo held him and pulled him back to a sitting position. "Riku, I-I need you to sit up in order to breathe better!". Trembling, Riku was trying to say some things. "I-I... I want to sing! cough please let-let me sing! cough-cough... I don't want t-to stop" he repeated over and over agin, his voice cracking more and more each time. Riku's phone, to which Sogo set aside, started to sing, the caller ID: Tenn-ni. Sogo heard it continue to vibrate but tried to focus on Riku and getting him to calm down. Sogo grabbed Riku's inhaler that was nearby and got on the bed in front of Riku, facing him. Riku, in a panic state, started to put the bedsheets off to the side, trying to get off of the bed. Sogo held in in place. He held onto Riku's shoulders and looked at him directly into his fearful eyes. The vibration of the phone briefly stopped. "Riku...Riku, look at me... hey, you are going to sing, don't worry, we're-"

Sogo's phone started to go off in his back pocket. He looked at the called ID; Iori-kun it read. Sogo pressed on the lower volume button on the phone, muting the call, put his phone on silent, and tossed it onto the other side of the bed. I'm sorry Iori-kun, I'll call you back shortly... Sogo looked back to the panicked redhead with a warm expression. "So...go-san...?" Riku quietly said.

"We're going to sing together as seven Riku, so don't worry" Sogo said. "Wh-where are we?" Riku asked, with a shaky voice. "We're in your bedroom, in the dorms... you are safe here Riku-kun". Riku's eyebrows narrowed. "The... dorms?". Sogo's phone started constantly vibrating; notification after notifications, all coming from the same source: Rabbit Chat.

Stress started to rise within Sogo. He was starting to lose focus with so much that was going on, but was suddenly brought back to reality with Riku's coughing and wheezing. "Riku-kun, here, use your inhaler" Sogo said, handing it over to him. Riku used one pump. Sogo went ahead and started rubbing Riku's back. "Try to calm your breathing now Riku-kun... breathe in... and out... in... and out..." Sogo said in a collected tone. Riku's short/quick breaths started to slow down over time, but his coughing was still slightly present, but barely. "How are you feeling?" Sogo asked, still rubbing his back. "better..." he responded. Sogo slightly smiled, but it then went away.

"Riku-kun, you're covered in sweat, do you think you have the strength take a bath or is it better if I wipe you with-"

"I can do it!" Riku blurred out, interrupting Sogo's sentence. Sogo looked at Riku, whose face was flushed with a red color. "Riku-kun, your face is red... don't tell me, is your fever getting higher?!". Sogo placed his hand over Riku's forehead. "Hmm... you seem the same as before... anyways, should I help walk you there?" he asked as Riku turned and placed his feet on the floor. "...yes, my legs feel a bit weak" Riku replied. Sogo nodded; took his phone from the bed and put it back into his back pocket before helping Riku get off his bed and walked him to the bath.

"I'll be right out here Riku-kun, so if you need anything, you can just call me over" Sogo said giving Riku a towel. "Thank you Sogo-san" he answered back with a relieved expression. Sogo closed the bathroom door and quickly took out his phone. 99+ messages on Rabbit Chat. Sogo opened the app and noticed that the group chat stated 'you are typing...'.

"My message was never sent!?"

Along with the many messages that were sent out of concern from the group members, Sogo went to his contact list and called Iori.

— — —

Iori: Osa-

Iori was cut from everyone else with him, all at once suddenly yelling questions and concerns through the phone. Sogo distanced the phone from his ear from hearing Tenn yell at them to be quiet.

Tenn: Osaka-san, what happened? Is everything alright?

Sogo: Am I on speaker?

Manager: Yes, you are.

Sogo: Okay. It turns out that the bad dream that Riku was having caused him to wake up in a state of panic. He was hyperventilating while also having an asthma attack. He's doing a bit better now, though he does cough every now and then. Kujou-san, I'm sorry, I'm genuinely sorry for not answering your phone, you guys as well. I saw that you all were messaging and calling but didn't pick up because it was starting to make me freeze up and panic and I needed to focus on helping Riku-kun calm down.

Tenn: It's alright Osaka-san.

Yamato: Yeah, sorry for making the situation worse for you Sou.

Everyone else proceeded to apologize to Sogo.

Sogo: No need to apologize so much everyone! You were all just concerned! 

Tamaki: Sou-chan, how's Rikkun?

Sogo: He's doing better, though he's still coughing a bit every now and then. He's currently taking a bath because he was drenched in his own sweat.

Iori: That's good to hear. 

Mitsuki: Did he take his inhaler?

Sogo: Yes, why?

Manager: It's probably because he might feel some dizziness or feel nauseous after taking it, especially in the state that he's in.

Mitsuki: Yeah.

Tenn: Yes, make sure he doesn't stay in the bath for too long, it'll just make him feel worse.

Sogo: Okay, thanks for letting me know. I'll keep a note of that.

Nagi: Sogo, we're done here at the studio, so we'll be heading back to the dorms soon.

Tenn: Is it okay if I go with you?

Manager: Yes, of course Kujou-san.

Tenn: Thank you.

Sogo: Um- sorry everyone, I think Riku-kun is calling me now. I have to go... but I will have my phone on sound from this point onward.

Yamato: Okay good. We'll see you soon then.

Sogo: Okay, see you all soon.

The call ended and Sogo placed his phone back into his pocket before knocking on the bathroom door.

"Riku-kun?"