Words: 1236
Happy AoGA House Cup!
Koko wakes up the next morning feeling slightly rejuvenated after a somewhat fitful sleep (if feeling like the darkness could swallow you whole counts as fitful). Blinking sleep out of his eyes, he pushes the button inclining his bed to get comfortable when a voice calls out from behind the door. "I'm coming in!"
Misaki enters his room, carrying a tray of plain porridge in one hand, which makes Koko scrunch his nose. Misaki sees this and, grinning, brings out a box of sukonbu from her pocket.
Pickled seaweed - his favorite.
"I knew you'd hate the hospital breakfast, so I got you some sukonbu." Misaki looks down at the red box, and adds, "I still don't understand why you like this stuff, though."
Koko's expression shifts a little and he smiles at his hands perched on his lap. "Sumire..." he starts softly, chuckling, "...it's like Sumire's hair, isn't it?" A small grin makes a way to his face as he stares at his sempai again, eyes lighting up. "I think it's the color."
Misaki smiles guiltily, she decided earlier she wasn't going to meddle and she plans on sticking with it, "Yeah, it is quite similar".
Koko asks for a favour, lightly rubbing his temples but smiling none-the-less, "Sure" She replies, glad to see that he seems happier.
Koko looks at the hospital blankets tangled around his legs, "I know Sumire may never remember me, so can you make sure she always smiles? Sumire needs laughter."
Misaki doesn't know what to say to that. It almost sounds like Koko is saying he will die before Sumire remembers him, and she wants to tell him how wrong he is because Sumire already does remember him.
Why can't fate do its thing faster? she mentally complains.
She puts down the food on the bedside table and ruffles Koko's hair before finally saying, "You don't know that she'll never remember you, kid. I'm not making any promises."
"I'm not stupid," Koko says in a low, quiet tone, "I know what's happening to me. But, Misaki-sempai, between Sumire and I, she deserves better than what she's going through. I hope she remembers soon, even if she forgets about me."
"I secretly looked at her records yesterday," Misaki lies. Koko doesn't have to know that she was both his and Sumire's nurse, because if he did, Misaki will probably live a short life. "She is remembering things, Koko. Sumire's apparently making slow and steady recovery; she'll remember everything soon, before you even know it."
"She drowned, Misaki-sempai, like the cat she is," he fiddles with his hands anxiously, "And I just watched her. Do I truly deserve her?"
"Of course, you do," she blurts, "She loves you".
"She loved me, now she barely knows me," Koko mutters, "Besides, time is relative, I could easily die before she even gets the chance to remember my name."
Misaki purses her lips, trying to look for words to say. "Look, stop talking like that." She gives him a stern gaze, and Koko suppresses a smile threatening to break out on his sickly face. "Or what, Misaki-sempai?"
Misaki looks around the room for ideas, and her gaze falls on the red box of pickled seaweed. A grin forms on her face as she picks the box up from the tray.
"Or you won't get any of this, and you'll have to deal with boring porridge." Misaki didn't think Koko could look any sicker, but he somehow manages and his face pales.
Koko quickly squeaks, drawing the blankets up to his chin as he makes another face at the porridge. Misaki laughs evilly and dangles the box away. "We-ell?" The young boy whines and they bicker playfully, but the only thought going around Misaki's head is hope that he'll take the bait when he suddenly yelps, "Okay, okay! I'll shut up, give me my sukonbu!"
"Don't deny a dying man his sukonbu," he muttered to himself, but Misaki heard it anyway. Her face fell for a second, but she tried her best to look composed. Misaki stared at Koko for a while before grinning at him and giving him his sukonbu. She ruffled his hair playfully and started walking towards the door. "I need to check on something. I'll be back."
As soon as she came out and closed the door, she pressed her hand on her forehead and sighed. 'Koko's barely a man', she thought.
Koko hurriedly opens the box and shoves a strip of seaweed in his mouth, enjoying the vinegar in it for a whole minute. He feels energized, and glancing at the door, hurriedly gets up and grabs the bowl of porridge. He rushes to the bathroom; he'll never have any of the plain porridge if he can help it.
"Koko, I'm back- where are you?" he hears Misaki's voice call, and why can't the porridge flow quicker?
He taps his foot in irritation. He can literally hear Misaki's steps.
"Stupid porridge; sickly and disgusting."
"Koko? Hello?"
Misaki's voice is nearer now, and thank Kami-sama the bowl is finally empty, he shakes the bowl clean and quickly flushes down the goop. He stashes the plastic bowl underneath the sink. "Um, here, Misaki-sempai!" He calls out, a small headache assaulting his brain due to the sudden movements.
As Misaki knocked on the bathroom door, Koko suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his head, and soon, his head was on the bowl and he was vomiting. Misaki rushed inside as soon as she heard him gagging, and she rubbed his back to give him a little relief.
"That's what you get for not eating the porridge," Misaki mutters as soon as Koko slowed down his vomiting. She feels Koko freeze momentarily.
"I'm not that stupid, Koko, please. I didn't give you sukonbu so that you can skip out on breakfast."
The small teasing smile on her face is quickly replaced by a small frown when Koko starts to throw up again.
"Help me up" Koko shivers, the voices growing louder with every passing second.
Misaki picks him up, careful to face Koko's mouth away from her, before carrying him to his room. "I promise".
"Good, 'cause you didn't before Misaki-sempai" He smiles, weakly.
Misaki helped Koko lie on the bed and made sure he was comfortable. As Misaki poured a glass of water for Koko to drink, Koko wiped his lips with the back of his hand and immediately noticed a red smear on his hand. He then looked down and saw more red smears on his hospital gown.
He stared blankly at the smears before looking up at Misaki and whispered, "There's blood."
She quickly gave him the glass and ran back to the bathroom to check the toilet.
She could almost feel her breakfast rush to her mouth as she looked at the bowl full of porridge and blood.
She holds the sink for support and tears her gaze away from the bowl, trying to take calming breaths. When she deems herself okay, she immediately dumps the contents and flushes, throwing it away afterwards. She immediately goes back to Koko who's worryingly composed and silent, staring at the stains on the cheap fabric. "I'll get the doctor, stay here, okay?"
"Okay," Koko whispers, staring at the smear again. He knows what that means, and he knows that Misaki knows too. They've seen similar bloodstains so many times on Natsume, after all.