Theme: Eight - Sick
Genre: General/Humor
Version: Animanga
Rating: PG

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The Joy of Sharing
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"Please, Ami-chan?" Usagi pleaded. "Just this once?"

Ami rolled her eyes wearily to the left. "No, Usagi. I'm not going to cough on you," she said firmly for the eighth time.

"How about if you just breathe in our direction?" suggested Minako. She maneuvered herself closer to Ami's bedside, as eager as a puppy.

"Both of you, please!" Ami sighed, trying to shield her face with a round, blue throw pillow. "I refuse to get you sick. I don't even want to be sick!"

Usagi pouted. "It's not fair!" she grumbled. "I try so hard to get a cold, and Ami-chan doesn't even want one, and then she gets so sick she can't even get out of bed!"

"I want to get out of bed!" snapped Ami.

"I walked here in the rain!" Minako empathized with Usagi. "And now I'll have nothing to show for it."

"You both are insane," puffed Ami. It was hard to tell if she was truly irritated, though, with her face flushed red with fever.

Much to Ami's relief, Makoto decided to make a gallant entrance right then, kicking the bedroom door open with her right foot. Minako and Usagi scampered back like guilty children having been caught sticking their hands in a cookie jar, and watched anxiously as Makoto set down an overloaded tray of comfort foods and citrus snacks.

"Spicy curry," said Makoto, pointing to one of the dishes. "To clear out your sinuses." Minako and Usagi fidgeted in the corner, eyes darting between the food and Ami. Makoto raised an eyebrow. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Oh, no. No, you didn't," stammered Ami. She had set down the pillow, and had taken to delicately dabbing her nose with a Kleenex. She seemed kind of embarrassed. "Mako-chan, where did you find all that?"

"Around," explained Makoto vaguely. "Your mom won't mind, will she?"

"Of course not," assured Ami. "She, er, doesn't do much cooking."

Makoto seemed overly pleased that her efforts were going to be appreciated, and took to smoothing Ami's blankets for her, before whipping out a small lap tray that Ami didn't even remember being in the apartment to begin with. There was probably nothing in the world that made Makoto happier than catering to the people she loved, and she took advantage of any opportunity with unmatched vigor.

"You two should probably go," Makoto addressed the two blondes as she mothered the invalid. "After Ami-chan eats, she should probably take a nap."

"Mako-chan, really--" Ami attempted to stick up for herself, but was almost instantly cut off. Usagi had jumped forward, wheedling between Makoto's busy arms and into Ami's lap.

"Ami-chan! Just one good cough! I'm begging you!" Usagi pressed. "Please, please, pleasepleasepleaseplease?"

A bony elbow jostled Usagi over to the side as Minako tried to slide in and plead her own case. Ami appeared stricken, sinking back into her bed defensively. Her frightened eyes caught Makoto's.

Help me, she mouthed.

"I have an algebra test tomorrow, Ami-chan!" said Minako. She held Usagi roughly back by the palm of her hand, resulting in angered grunting in the background as the other girl fought to be the one closer to Ami's germy condition. "If I don't get sick, then I won't have time to study!"

"Minako! You should have studied a week ago!" growled Makoto, trying to come to Ami's aid. "That isn't Ami-chan's problem--"

"Stay out of it!" hissed Minako. Makoto's mouth fell opened. Minako on a mission really was a scary sight. "This is between Ami-chan's germs and me!" Ami cowered as Minako's hard, blue eyes turned on her single-mindedly. "Don't make me do something drastic!" the blond warned.

"Really, Minako-chan!" shrilled Ami. "Even if I did cough on you, there's really no telling if you're going to get my cold. You have to factor in your own immune system and an incubatio--"

In one, fluid motion, Minako dove forward planted the biggest, sloppiest kiss she could muster on Ami before the smaller girl could even begin to react. Flailing wilding, pillows and sheets went flying as Ami tried to dislodge the ambitious blond from her face and come up for air.

"Whoa," gasped Usagi. She seemed somewhat torn between being disgusted with the ferocity that Minako had latched onto Ami's lips, and admiring her for the measures she'd take just to get out of a math test.

"HEY!" bellowed Makoto. It'd taken a moment for her to react. "MINAKO!"

The Senshi of Love knew when to end a kiss, and she figured that was a good as moment as any. She came up with a gasp and a smile, watching Ami frantically clamber for tissues to scrub her mouth with.

"Are you crazy!" Ami shrilled.

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," said Minako matter-of-factly. She seemed extremely pleased with herself as she straightened the bow on her uniform. It had twirled upside down sometime in the scuffle.

Minako's success was about to be short lived, though, as Makoto pointed her forcefully towards the door. The very tip of Makoto's finger twitched angrily, and her arm was rigid in its insistence.

"Out," she growled.

"Thanks, Ami-chan!" said Minako, carefully skirting around Makoto. "I'll think of you tomorrow when I'm at home, okay?"

The blond vanished out the door in a haze of girlish laughter, Usagi stumbling at her heels.

"I hope you feel better, Ami-chan!" said Usagi, giving a clumsy bow before her odangos disappeared in a flash out into the hallway.

"Thank you?" replied Ami.

Makoto exchanged a perplexed glance with her patient. Maybe they should have expected all of that.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Ami sighed. "Maybe I will take that nap, after all, Mako-chan."