Hospital A-ko
By Edward Vagg
Hospital A-ko is based on characters created by Yuji Moriyama, and this story is totally unauthorised by him, or any of his friends and associates. This story has no affiliation to Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima, Central Park Media Corporation, US Manga Corp, or any of the other companies that brought us the excellent original series. (Hope I don't get sued now.)
Authors Note.
This story was spawned by the realisation that according to the "alternate reality" of Project A-ko 5 & 6, there are many realities in parallel dimensions. Only 2 were explored in detail, the Original "Official" Schoolgirl reality, and the Bounty Hunter one. I’ve done a Fanfic on the Airline reality, and now I have chosen to "flesh out" the Hospital reality. Enjoy!
Hospital A-ko.
Cast List.
Eiko Magami: (hereafter known as A-ko) A-ko is a nurse at Graviton General Hospital, Graviton City’s largest hospital. Best friend of C-ko, and bitter rival of fellow nurse B-ko, A-ko is the strongest girl in the world. A-ko is often tardy for work, and she tends to be disorganised, which makes her unpopular with the matron. Fortunently, her good nature makes her popular with the patients.
Biko Daitokuji: (hereafter known as B-ko) B-ko is A-ko’s arch-rival, enemies since the nursing course at University of Graviton City. Oddly enough, an ironic twist of fate saw A-ko and B-ko hired by the same hospital, assigned to the same area, and the same shift! While B-ko is technically an ideal nurse, her medical knowledge is superb, B-ko is often rude with the patients, making her disliked.
Shiko Kotobuki: (hereafter known as C-ko) C-ko is A-ko's best friend, they were virtually inseperable until A-ko became a nurse and started working. Frustrated, C-ko became a hypochondriac, a ploy to hang out with A-ko as much as possible. While most adults are taken in by C-ko’s charade, A-ko can see right through it. Luckily, A-ko has the patience to put up with C-ko’s games.
Kei Yuki: Kei is a handsome young doctor, and the object of desire for all the nurses at Graviton Hospital. Sadly for the nurses, Kei has failed to notice any of them, even A-ko and B-ko, who fight daily over the rights to him.
Big Bertha: The matron in charge, Big Bertha is a “large” woman, and very bossy. (perhaps on par with B-ko!) But Bertha has a soft spot for C-ko, and will do anything to please her.
Over the PA system: (urgent female voice) Dr Kei Yuki to Emergency Operating Theatre IMMEDIATELY! Repeating...
Kei: (urgently) Come on!
A-ko and B-ko immediately look ashamed, Dr Yuki (the Dreamboat) dosen’t seem too happy with them. They follow him to the washroom, their argument not quite forgotten.
B-ko: (under her breath) A-ko, I’ll show YOU who’s a better nurse!
A-ko: (also under her breath) Don’t bother. I already know who’s best.
Kei washes his hands, unaware of his aides watching him.
A-ko: (thinking) Ooohhh! He’s just so handsome I could just die!
B-ko: (thinking) Hmmmm. A-ko’s in La la land. Kei is mine for sure!
Kei dries his hands.
Kei: Masks on.
All three enter the Operating Theatre. At the sight of the patient on the Operating Table in front of them, A-ko blushes deep red behind her mask. B-ko give’s A-ko an accusing look.
A-ko: (flustered) Ww-Well I WAS LATE THIS MORNING! I COULDN’T HELP IT!
The patient is still conscious. He recognises A-ko’s red hair, the last thing he saw as he stepped onto the pavement this morning.
Patient: AAARGH!!! IT’S HER!!!
B-ko looks up at the clock.
B-ko: (thinking) 8.18 am. Two minutes behind normal.
Mr Kotobuki: Now look, C-ko, you only need to go to the hospital overnight to get your tonsils out...
C-ko: (sniffle) But... I DON’T WANNA GO! WHAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
C-ko starts crying her eyes out.
Mrs Kotobuki: (brightly) But C-ko! You’re going to Graviton Hospital. That’s where your friend A-ko works!
C-ko stops crying. She looks up with her big green eyes in gratitude.
C-ko: YAY!! I’M GONNA SEE A-KO!
Mr Kotobuki sighs to himself.
Mr Kotobuki: (thinking) *Anything* to please C-ko....
Scene: The Hospital cafeteria. A-ko is sitting by herself at a table, a chair conveniently vacant beside her. She watches, as Kei strides into the cafeteria. (likewise, all other ladies in the room.)
A-ko: (thinking) Oooooh! He’s coming this way!
Kei walks right past A-ko, and heads straight for the Coke machine.
A-ko: (thinking) Ok. He’s pretending not to notice me, it’s just his game. He’ll gaze in to my eyes next. OH! I better say something clever!
A-ko: (blurts) You were really *GREAT* in there! I mean... Uh...
Kei flashes one of his rare smiles.
Kei: We saved him. Cheers.
Kei then raises his Coke in a toasting gesture, and smoothly downs the entire can. Satisfied, Kei tosses the can into the bin, (didn’t even bounce round the edges) and glides out of the room.
A-ko is mesmerised. She replays his last words in her head over and over.
Kei: We saved him. Cheers. (with gratitude) WE saved him. A toast. (even more gratefully) WE saved him. A toast to our friendship. (with love) A-ko, we saved him. You and I together, we could save the world!
A-ko giggles to herself. B-ko watches disapprovingly from the shadows.
C-ko is now in a hospital bed, staring out the window.
C-ko: (to no one in particular) I’m Bored.
C-ko looks around the room, trying to find something diverting. Apart from a little graffiti on the bedside table, there is nothing. C-ko reads the graffiti.
C-ko: (thinking) SAVE FERRIS? What’s that supposed to mean! (Out loud) A-ko would know...
Seeing the little button beside her, C-ko stabs it repeatedly. Big Bertha thunders into the room.
Big Bertha: (angrily) WHAT IS I’.... (suddenly sweet) Oh! It’s you C-ko! What would you like?
C-ko screams, her mouth twice as big as usual.
C-ko: I WANT A-KO!!! WHAAAAHHHHH!!!!
Big Bertha: (soothingly) Hush now, my sweetie. I’ll tell A-ko you’re here.
A-ko is at the nurse’s station, filling out paperwork as Big Bertha approaches.
A-ko: (thinking) Oh no. Hope I haven’t done anything wrong...
Big Bertha: (annoyed) A-KO! Your friend is here again. Same room, you know the drill.
A-ko: (guiltily) Ok. (thinking) C-ko’s sick again! What a surprise...
C-ko is now out of bed, she’s looking out of the window, face pressed firmly against the window pane,distorting her features. A-ko walks into the room, a wry smile on her face.
A-ko: Hi, C-ko!
C-ko is overjoyed at A-ko’s presence. She quicky turns around, leaps up and gives A-ko a quick hug.
C-ko: A-KO!
A-ko: (teasingly) You’re looking well all of a sudden. What’s your illness this time?
C-ko looks wide eyed and innocent.
C-ko: What do you mean?
A-ko: Oh... Nothing.
A-ko pick’s up the Patient’s chart hanging off the bed, and studies it.
A-ko: Tonsilitis? What a shame! No home cooking for a while! Don’t worry, C-ko. We’ll have you cured in no time. (A-ko gives a wink.)
A bell rings in the background.
A-ko: Oh! Sorry C-ko, it’s time for me to check the patients. I’ll be back later.
C-ko: Ok A-ko.
B-ko notices A-ko leaving C-ko’s private (soundproofed) room.
B-ko: (thinking) Hmmmm. I wonder. Is the patient back in room 2-E? I’d better check this out...
C-ko: (thinking) A-ko’s still not back yet! She must be working very hard. I bet she’s hungry! (out loud) I GOT AN IDEA!
C-ko gets out of bed, slips on a pair of bunny slippers, and skips out of the room.
Back to A-ko, it’s getting toward the end of her shift. A-ko has just finished checking the childrens ward, when she realises she’s forgotten something.
A-ko: (thinking) Oh no! I’d better check up on C-ko!
A-ko nearly runs down to C-ko’s room, but a dark look from Big Bertha reminds her that running is NOT permitted in hospital corridoors. Instead, A-ko mantains an impatient stride.
A-ko:(thinking) I hope I’m not too late...
A-ko reaches C-ko’s room, suddenly apprehensive. She pauses, takes a deep breath, then enters.
C-ko is sitting on her bed, looking happy.
C-ko: HI A-KO!
A-ko: (nervously) Uh... Hi C-ko!
C-ko: I bet you’re HUNGRY after such a long day of work!
A-ko: (bracing herself) Uh... Yeah...
C-ko: Well... (triumphant) DINNERTIME!!!!
C-ko whips out a big box she had concealed somewhere.
A-ko: (in a defensive pose) AAARGH!
C-ko: EAT IT!
C-ko watches, wide eyed, as A-ko tentatively opens the box.
A-ko: (thinking) Well, C-ko’s got me on the spot... AGAIN! Still, I can’t affort to hurt her feelings...
A-ko picks up the chopsticks, and nervously takes a portion of (what looks like) chicken.
A-ko: (thinking) Hmmm. C-ko’s standards have slipped. This food looks disgusting!
A-ko carefully chews on the food, then breaks into a huge grin!
C-ko: YOU LIKE IT!!! I’M SO HAPPY!!
A-ko does indeed look like she’s actually enjoying C-ko’s meal. She takes larger bites, scoffing the food down in record time.
C-ko: YOU’VE FINISHED IT!
A-ko wipes her mouth with a napkin.
A-ko: Every last bite!
B-ko enters the intensive care ward with some food on a simple platter.
B-ko: (thinking) Today the food looks better than usual. I’ll bet young Miaka will like it.
A girl with brown hair lies on the bed, her school uniform hanging from a coathanger nearby. Miaka’s chest is bandaged, the girl having suffered a bizzare stabbing wound while reading a book in the libary.
B-ko: (thinking) Time to feed “Miss Ancient China”... (outloud) OK, ok, here’s your food already!
Miaka: (overjoyed) FOOD!
Miaka suddenly looks half her age as she crams a sizable portion of food in her mouth. She swallows, turns green, then yellow, and her eyes bulge. B-ko instinctvely ducks as a fireball erupts from Miaka’s mouth!
The next day... B-ko is waiting by the front doors of the hospital, a frown on her face.
B-ko: (thinking) TODAY! Today you die, A-ko.
Car horns blare in the distance at some traffic hazard. On the horizon a cloud of dust is visible. B-ko checks her stopwatch. A-ko herself is now in view, running down the main street, leaving car accidents in her wake. The road, only re-sealed the day before is torn up by her super-fast sprinting.
A-ko slows to a halt as she reaches the front doors.
B-ko: (Angrily) A-ko! You’ve insulted me for the LAST TIME! I challenge you to a duel!
A-ko: Huh? I don’t know what you’re talking about!
B-ko: Last night! You deliberately sabotaged the food from the kitchen, making ME LOOK BAD!
A-ko: HA! I don’t need to make YOU look bad, you’re doing a fine job yourself!
B-ko: HOW DARE YOU! Well, A-ko, I’ve been busy last night preparing the instrument for your destruction. Prepare to m......
A large shadow falls over both A-ko and B-ko. It is Big Bertha, and she does not look pleased. Her eyes glow with a supernatural intensity.
Big Bertha: A-ko, B-ko, GET THE HELL INSIDE NOW!!!!!
A-ko: Ulp.
B-ko: (humble) Yes mam.
The two slink into the hospital, looking defeated.
Kei is waiting for A-ko and B-ko in the washroom. They arrive, some of the animosity has already returned.
B-ko: (brightly) Oh, Hi Kei!
A-ko gives B-ko a brief, but intense stare.
A-ko: (below her breath to B-ko) He’s mine! (to Kei) Good morning Dr Yuki!
Kei nods in acknowledgment.
Kei:G’ Morning.
Kei looks as solemn as ever. He exhales noticeably.
Kei: Masks on.
All three enter the operating room. C-ko is on the operating table, under some kind of anesthetic. She is unconsious.
A-ko: (shocked) NO!!!
Kei: Huh?
B-ko: NOW WHAT!
A-ko: Don’t you see! C-ko’s not sick! SHE’S FAKING!!!
Kei gazes at C-ko’s face. His eyes glaze over with admiration.
Kei: (lovingly) C-ko...
B-ko turns to A-ko.
B-ko: I don’t believe it! You’ve deliberately brought that girl in here to lure Kei away from me! I’ve checked the records. NOBODY gets hospitalized for ailments like “Clammy hands,” “Scraped knee” or “Nosebleed!” And this poor girl has been checked in ten times in the last month! A-ko, your conspiracy has ended. Prepare to DIE!
B-ko grabs A-ko with superhuman strength, and flips her on her back! A-ko is momentarally suprised, but she rises, puffing angrily.
B-ko: BEHOLD! Under my uniform I’m wearing an Akagiyama 23 Back-brace, which gives me the strength to fight you in combat! See how easy I will crush you!
B-ko then tackles A-ko, pushing them both through the wall of the Operating Theatre.
Kei embraces C-ko, in order to shield her from the flying debris.
A-ko and B-ko are now in the corridoor, trading punches. A-ko manages an uppercut to B-ko’s jaw, but B-ko shrugs it off.
B-ko: Ha! My Back-brace has a built in force-field that covers my whole body. You can’t touch me! And speaking of force-fields...
B-ko adjusts the armored wrist-bands that came with the back-brace. An invisible wave of force knocks A-ko through another wall, into a hospital ward. A-ko lands in between two beds, and gets up just as B-ko runs into the room. B-ko leaps onto a bed, currently occupied by a man in traction, the heels of her feet knocking the wind out of the poor man. B-ko delivers a kick to A-ko’s face, knocking her under a bed.
B-ko: Take that!
All of a sudden A-ko stands up, lifting the hospital bed still occupied by an old man, and hurls it at B-ko.
Old man: Aaargh!
The bed knocks B-ko back , but she stands upright and adjusts her armband again.
B-ko: All right, you asked for it. AKAGIYAMA MISSLES!!!
A volley of missles is launched from B-ko’s armband, all of them aimed at A-ko. A-ko dodges, and the missles explode, making a hole in the floor. A-ko falls through the hole, and lands on an unfortunate man wraped in plaster.
A-ko: Oooof! Sorry mister!
Unfortunate Patient: No!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!
A-ko pauses to look at the man’s face.
A-ko: (thinking) Funny, that’s the guy from yesterday!
B-ko drops in from above, ramming both A-ko and the poor patient, pummelling them both into the floor.
B-ko: DEATH FROM ABOVE! HAHAHAHA!!!!
A-ko: I’m tougher than that!
A-ko struggles, then easily pushes B-ko off her. B-ko lands nimbly. Then A-ko grapples B-ko’s arm, and swings her face-first into the Impressive machine that goes “PING”. The Pythonesque machine explodes, B-ko looking somewhat frazzled by the experience.
A-ko: So! You’re not invunerable!
B-ko shakes her head and comes to her senses.
B-ko: I’m fine! But as for you, A-ko...
B-ko whips out a hypodermic needle, which gleams menacingly under the hospital lights.
B-ko: (soothingly) Now don’t worry. It WILL hurt y’ know. I took the liberty of lacing it with an acid of my devising...
B-ko lunges with her needle, only to have it knocked out of her hand by A-ko with a well placed chop.
A-ko: No thanks. I’ve already had my shots.
B-ko: NOT ALL OF THEM!!!
B-ko adjusts her armband again, and aims it at A-ko.
B-ko: AKAGIYAMA MACHINE-GUN!!!!
A stream of bullets burst from B-ko’s multifunction launchers, ricocheting around the room. A-ko dodges like crazy, while all the patients duck beneath the covers. CLICK! B-ko runs out of ammunition. A-ko glances around at the trashed hospital ward.
A-ko: (thinking) Oh no! I’d better lure B-ko away from the hospital before people start getting hurt!
A-ko notices the “shatterproof” bullet-riddled window, that overlooks the front of the building. She heads right for it, with a flying kick.
A-ko: Hiyaaa!
A-ko smashes through the glass, and falls from view.
B-ko: THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE FROM ME THAT EASY, DO YOU?
B-ko rushes to the shattered window, and peers down.
A-ko has landed on an ambulance, making a huge dent in its roof. She is still imbedded in the metal, creating an A-ko shaped stencil. The paramedic, who was in the ambulance dosen’t look impressed.
Paramedic: Hey! That’s hospital property you’ve just damaged! ...Oh no...
B-ko leaps from the window, her fall being prevented by an antigravity unit built into her back-brace. B-ko raises her arms again.
B-ko: AKAGIYAMA MISSILES!!!
A-ko raises her head.
A-ko: (with anguish) Not again!
The missiles tear into the roof of the ambulance, ripping it to shreds and hurling A-ko away. The ambulance driver and the patient on the stretcher are flung clear from the burning vehicle.
A-ko: Now you’ve done it!
A-ko picks the remains of the ambulance, and throws it at B-ko. The wreck slams into B-ko, and explodes. Debris falls from the sky, as does B-ko, now unconcisous.
A-ko: (thinking) THERE! That should shut B-ko up for a while. Oh no! I left C-ko in the operating theatre!
Back in the operating theatre, Kei has brought some order back to the place. A screen is blocking the hole in the wall, and C-ko now has her mouth wide open. She is still unconscious.
Kei: (thinking) Poor sick little girl! Your tonsils are inflamed after all. I’m afraid I’ve got no option but to operate.
A-ko: (screams) C-KO!
A-ko tears into the foyer of the hospital, then down the hallway. A huge shape leaps in front of her, blocking A-ko’s passage. It is Big Bertha.
Big Bertha: WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT RUNNING IN THE CORRIDOORS, A-KO!!!
A-ko: (flustered) Bbbb But C-ko’s about to undergo unnecessary surgery! I’ve GOTTA stop it!
Big Bertha: (concerned) You mean C-ko’s Tonsilitis?
A-ko nods.
A-ko: Yeah. Please let me by!
Big Bertha: Has it EVER occured to you that C-ko is a very sick girl? HOW DARE YOU QUESTION THE HEALTH SYSTEM!!!
Big Bertha whips out a clipboard.
Big Bertha: For that, you’re assigned to the Geriatrics wing for the next week.
At this, A-ko looks horrified! Her eyes pop out, and her bra strap slides down her shoulder. A-ko sags to her knees, defeated.
Later, that day. Scene, C-ko’s hospital room. C-ko in in her bed, eating icecream. A-ko trundles in, looking depressed.
C-ko: Hey A-ko! What’s wrong?
A-ko: Oh... nothing. Just “the perverts” are getting me down.
C-ko: Perverts?
A-ko: (bitterly) IT’S JUST NOT FAIR! How come little old men have only one thing on their minds?
C-ko looks confused, not understanding the phrase.
A-ko: Oh well. Tomorrow’s alway’s a new day, huh, C-ko?
C-ko: YEAH!!! I’ll be out of hospital, and EVERYTHING WILL BE JUST GREAT!!
The next day, early morning. B-ko stands outside the double doors of the hospital, gazing at the horizon...
The End.
Hope you liked the story, Please feel free to give me comments and criticisms, my email is: evagg@hubble.dialix.com.au