Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge
by Ulquiorra9000
Communication 20: looking out for you
Shoko Komi hoped to meet her friend Nene Onemine at lunch to review a few notes before taking a difficult math test tomorrow, but to Shoko's surprise, Nene was nowhere to be found. Normally, she was easy to spot, chatting and laughing with her friends.
Shoko passed a note to Najimi: Have you seen Nene today? I hoped to study with her.
Najimi handed the note back. "Sorry, Komi. I heard she got a nasty cold and is gonna stay home for a few days. I hope she didn't get me sick, too! Ugh, I look terrible when I get sick." They burst out laughing.
So that was it. Poor Nene! Shoko had caught the flu last year, and it had rendered her bedridden with a horrible fever, aching all over... at least her mom had taken care of her, but then again, at the time, Shoko hadn't had any friends to visit her and cheer her up. No Hitohito, no Najimi, no Himiko, no Makoto...
A lightbulb glowed to life over Shoko's head. That's it!
"Got an idea?" Najimi asked, evidently seeing the lightbulb.
Shoko nodded and skipped off. It was time for a lovely new challenge!
*o*o*o*o*
"Oh, good afternoon, Komi dear," Mrs. Onemine said when Shoko rang the Onemine family's doorbell. "It's wonderful to see you again. Nene always talks about how much fun she has going to school with you!"
Shoko kept her trembling to a minimum and held up her notebook: May I pay a visit? I'd like to see Nene, if that's all right. And maybe help look after her, to repay her for being my friend?
Mrs. Onemine read the note and beamed. "That's a wonderful idea, Komi dear! I've been taking care of Nene today, but if you'd like to take over, be my guest! Oh my, Nene has such generous friends. Come in!" She stepped back, and Shoko, now feeling kind of silly but no less determined, stepped inside. She was guided upstairs and to the right, then was escorted into Nene's room.
"Hi, mom - Komi?!" Nene cried. She was tucked up to her shoulders in bed with a face mask on and her hair loose instead of being in a ponytail. Nene actually looked quite lovely with her hair down, Shoko thought.
"Look, dear. Komi decided to nurse you back to health!" Mrs. Onemine declared happily, gesturing at Shoko. "What a true friend."
Nene's eyes brightened. "For real? That's awesome, Komi, and thanks for visiting. I just hope I don't get you sick, too. Be careful, okay?"
Shoko nodded again as Mrs. Onemine left the room, shutting the door behind her.
"I hope I didn't miss any good lectures in class today," Nene piped up. She coughed. "You know me, I gotta be an ace student to set a good example for my brothers and sisters! Haha!"
Shoko glanced up and reviewed today's classes. Well, there was always math...
"I... I hoped to review algebra with you," Shoko said quietly. It wasn't too difficult to talk to Nene, since they were alone here together and Nene was such a good friend. She was like a big sister Shoko could look up to, even though they were the same age.
"Yeah, sure. Math is my best subject," Nene said brightly. "Got any questions for me? Or some practice problems you wanna do?"
Shoko retrieved her notebook from her bag and started reviewing with Nene, and to Shoko's relief, Nene easily taught her how to tackle the toughest problems Shoko had been struggling with. Whew, Shoko would finally score a 90-something in math! She had been stuck in the lower 80s for months.
Then Shoko checked the time and gasped. Wait! She was supposed to take care of Nene, not just study! Shoko frantically waved her hands and made a few squeaking noises until she calmed down and got to work. An amused Nene held still when Shoko knelt by her side, held her breath, and held a hand to Nene's forehead. Hmmmmm, it was pretty warm. Definitely a fever, maybe around 38.3 degrees Celsius. Nene definitely needed some help with this one.
Nene grinned. "I'm pretty hot, aren't I?"
"Yes, you -" Shoko gasped when she realized the pun Nene was making, and her friend laughed again.
"My fever might break by tomorrow. But until then, thanks for looking after me, Komi," Nene said warmly. Wait, was that a pun, too?
Shoko went ahead and kept improvising, first by making sure Nene was comfortably tucked in, then turned on the pink alarm clock radio on Nene's desk and tuned it into some soothing pop music. Then Shoko visited the upstairs bathroom, soaked a washcloth with cool water, and placed it on Nene's forehead to cool her down.
Nene kept her face mask on, but based on her eyes, Shoko could tell the other girl was smiling. "You're pretty good at this, Komi. I feel better already."
Shoko jumped, then nodded shakily before pointing at the door. "I, um... how about I make some rice porridge?"
"Yeah, thanks! My mom can show you where the ingredients are. Looking forward to it!"
Feeling more determined than ever, Shoko went back downstairs, and sure enough, Mrs. Onemine was happy to help her whip up some rice porridge, complete with diced carrots and just a dash of salt. Shoko set the bowl and spoon on a tray, then delivered it all to her patient upstairs.
"Hey, that smells great. Thanks!" Nene sat up and lowered her face mask to eat, with Shoko taking a few steps back for safety's sake. Nene beamed after taking a few bites. "Wow, you're good at this. It's cooked just right."
Shoko put a hand to her heart and sighed with relief. She was used to her mom doing all the cooking; good thing she had at least asked for a few lessons now and then.
Then, after seeing Nene fan herself and sweat a bit, Shoko realized something. "I'll get you some water," Shoko offered, and she rushed back downstairs. How silly! Nene still had a fever; she needed something cold to drink, or she would totally overheat. Shoko turned on her heel and scrambled for the staircase, only for her foot to slip on the top step.
Yowch! Shoko tumbled all the way down the stairs, and she winced as she felt a flash of pain in her left ankle. She whimpered and clutched her ankle, tears stinging in the corners of her eyes. Did she sprain her ankle? It sure felt that way.
"Komi dear! Are you all right?" Mrs. Onemine rushed over and knelt by her guest.
Shoko wasn't sure what to say, and in her panic, she couldn't get a word out anyway. She silently held onto her ankle until Nene came out of her room and joined them. "Hey, Komi! I heard a loud noise just now. Are you hurt?"
Shoko whimpered again and nodded. How could this have happened? She was supposed to be the caregiver today, not the patient!
"It's okay, mom. I'll get the first-aid kit," Nene told her mother. She had her face mask back on and house slippers on her feet, but she didn't seem so feeble and sick. Instead, she looked heroic in Shoki's eyes. Amazing.
"You should be in bed, Nene," Mrs. Onemine said gently.
"I wanna repay her for the porridge," Nene said boldly. "I can do it."
"All right, dear. Just take it easy, okay?" Mrs. Onemine gave both girls a reassuring look before returning to her own room.
Nene hurried off and returned with a first-aid kit. "Got some bandages in here," she explained after coughing a bit. "I'll wrap up that ankle, and then we can have someone take you home. Or maybe you should visit a local clinic?"
Shoko took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "It's... not too bad," she managed to say. "I can have my dad pick me up in his car. Thank you for helping me."
"No problem, Komi. You wouldn't believe how often I gotta patch up my brothers and sisters! They get scrapes and bruises all the time." Nene popped open the first-aid kit and wrapped some bandages around Shoko's ankle like a pro. "Thanks again for visiting. I'll always remember this."
"I just feel bad needing you to take care of me," Shoko half-whispered. She felt herself blush out of shame. "It's completely backward."
"This cold won't keep me down for long," Nene assured her as she finished the bandaging job. "I repay all my debts. There, that ought to take care of it. I'll get your stuff while you call your dad. Be right back."
Shoko nodded yet again and dialed her father's cell phone, and by the time Nene gathered up Komi's outdoor shoes and school bag, the doorbell rang.
"Here, I'll support you," Nene offered. She extended a hand. "Just lean on me. Literally."
Shoko felt so silly for putting Nene in this position, but it couldn't be helped. She carefully got to her feet, put her weight on her right ankle and Nene, gathered her stuff, and awkwardly made her way to the door. Nene opened it, and there stood Masayoshi Komi, looking silently concerned.
"Hi. You must be Komi's dad. I'm Nene Onemine. It's nice to meet you," Nene greeted him. "I'm sorry Komi got hurt taking care of me."
Masayoshi Komi merely waved a hand as if to say It's fine, don't worry about it, and Nene got the message. She handed over Shoko, then waved goodbye as the two Komis slowly made their way to the waiting car.
Shoko deposited her stuff in the back and took a seat, then gave Masyoshi a look: I'm sorry you had to come all this way for me.
It's no trouble, Masayoshi's calm expression said in the rearview mirror. He shifted the car to drive and headed for home, all while Shoko checked her phone again on a whim. Sure enough, there was a text message from Nene.
Your dad is really nice, Komi, it read, and it even had a blowing-a-kiss emoticon. What the...?
Shoko gasped and nearly dropped her phone. She decided to mark her challenge complete and move right on with her life. Yeah, that was the best course of action! Just move along...
