Drumming his fingers against the desk, Jin glanced once more towards the clock that hung near the door to his office. Fifteen minutes before he could leave. His throat tightened; the urge to scream in frustration increasing. It seemed as if he had looked towards the clock near a thousand times, the tiny hands standing still each time. That was always how it went, wasn't it? When he wanted time to move quickly, every second seemed to drag across the clock before turning into a minute. But if one wanted time to move slowly, it would fly swiftly before one could even blink.
Curling his fingers about the steaming cup of tea; he brought the cup up to his lips reluctantly. It tasted bitter, not helping to soothe his frazzled nerves. It wasn't quite right for him to act this way; especially since he would scold any patient who acted this way around him. Being anxious or stressed was never pleasant for the body, making a person vulnerable to illness. Forcing himself to drink the liquid, he gazed blankly towards the floral schedule that hung on the wall near his desk.
He would have to thank Anissa for the tea later. It was thoughtful of her to bring him something each day as soon as the clinic opened. Herbal teas, a fresh strawberry from the garden, even a plate of orange cookies one day. She would approach him quietly, setting the item down on the corner of his desk. Then she would ask him how he was followed by an apology for the intrusion. It was the same routine each day.
Jin wasn't so much of a fool,not to know, what she wanted from him. Courtship. Love. Happiness. It had been four years since his wife had passed away, yet he still found himself reluctant to the idea of marriage again. Resting his elbows on the desk, he set the cup back down. At least – marriage to her. As much as Anissa adored him, he knew that he would never feel the same about her. In a different world, it would have been a perfect match. Anissa the dutiful, loving wife who paid attention to every need to an attentive yet workaholic husband.
Anissa had even won the approval of his rather fierce mother, Irene. For three, years straight she had been pestering him about providing grandchildren for her to "dote on" in her old age. If she treated her grandchildren in any similar way, to how she had raised him – that could hardly be considered "doting". Perhaps he would have to see in prescribing her a bodigizer before bed each night to keep her in a steady frame of mind.
Yet none could replace her. He knew this well enough. No one would ever emulate the serenity that had surrounded her; curling about him in a comforting embrace. No one would be able to sing as sweetly as she had sung. And no one would be able to fill his every living moment with meaning.
Every memento down to the last scrap had been boxed away the day after she had passed. A few days later he had thrown her engagement ring into the ocean. He still kept their wedding photographs hidden under binders of paperwork in his desk. Not even Irene knew that he had kept them. The pictures of their courtship were accompanied by her wedding ring; a silver band with a single sapphire surrounded by eight tiny diamonds. Wrapped delicately in tissue paper, they would stay in his desk. It wasn't as if he looked at them. Or thought about them – or her.
And he had found her once more.
Mondays oh how he loathed them. Though he tended to work over the weekends, he always had a rush of patients on Mondays. That day hadn't been any different from the others. Provided with a break for lunch, he had eagerly been consuming his lunch while studying a patient's case file.
Could someone suffer from too much of miso soup? If so, he would have been inflicted years ago. Each day at the strike of noon, he would have two bowls of miso soup, then one more bowl four hours later before dinner. Not to mention the bowl he had in the morning for breakfast. Perhaps he would have to start taking supplements to make up for the food groups he wasn't covering.
"I-I'm sorry to bother you. I'm new to Harmonica Town – I'm S-Sophie." Stilling, his eyes had widened behind his glasses. Had he heard correctly? The same childish, high soprano voice that was tinged with innocence was caressing his senses once more? Surely he had to be dreaming.
Turning about in his seat, he hardly dared to believe it was true. Yet how could he deny the beauty that was before him? If someone had tried to make a copy of his love, it couldn't have been more fitting than the woman before him.
The same violet colored irises with flecks of gold revealed in them. Long wavy brown hair that would have reached her waist had she not tucked it back into a ponytail that spiraled down her back with a pink ribbon. Even her expression was the same; her pink lips having the slightest tremor of shyness to them as she gazed towards the floor.
"It is exceptionally pleasing to meet you Sophie. You may call me Jin."
From that day on, his heart had started to beat once more in his chest. Of course, it had never actually stopped beating; otherwise he would have been a corpse. But until he had met her once more, it had been simply residing in his chest, as still and heavy as stone. Though he was a doctor, he could only fix what could be healed with science. Emotions couldn't be healed by medicine, he knew that.
Each day he had learned something "new" about her. All of his memories came flooding back to him, everything was still the same. Her favorite color was a delicate shade of pink, the same color of her blush, he noticed. At her farm, she had exactly two sheep and two chickens; Katarina, Anne, Elisabeth, and Antoinette. Her favorite flower was the hibiscus flower. Jin could have reeled off any of these facts in a moment's notice.
Even her state of health was the same as his love. Sophie had always been prone to colds, pushing herself too hard. In the course of the month of fall, she had been in to see him each week. It had gone from once to twice and now up to three times a week. Inwardly horror had invaded his very being each time she came; fearing the worst. After her introduction, she had reappeared, carried in by Owen who had found her passed out in the deepest part of the Ganache mine. Despite his orders for her to rest, she had arrived once more a few days later. From drowsiness to almost passing out once more after trying to capture a huchen fish, there seemed to be no end to her vast array of ailments.
'If only she would listen to me…she would be safe.'
Was she weakening? It seemed that it hardly mattered how many cold medicines or herbal teas she consumed. Sophie seemed to be weakening, as if she were wasting away. Even her violet eyes, the eyes he adored, seemed to be losing their brilliant luster. He knew of a potion that possibly could help her. A bit of blue herbs, a hibiscus, water from the Harvest Goddess's pond, and a fugue mushroom boiled down to a liquid could restore her strength. He had all that he needed – except for the most essential ingredient, the fugue mushroom.
The faintest whisper of a sigh escaped his lips. It had taken nearly a week of searching, asking nearly everyone there was before the ghost that lurked near in the cemetery had given him his answer. The beings that lived on the edge of the world of the living and the world of the dead would have what he sought.
That was how he had ended up here. He was in a place that he had never expected to be – in front of the Wizard's house at nearly two am. The moon shone brightly in the sky; its rays spreading light across the dark world.
He could do this. What were his other choices? Trekking deep into the woods to see the Witch? Even a man such as he….well…wasn't keen on that thought. Running his fingers over his sleek ponytail, he took a small step forwards.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, his lips curled downwards into a frown. Should he knock first? If he did, he would run the risk of catching the attention of some insomniac. Slowly he shook his head, giving the doorknob a gentle turn.
It was unlocked.
His eyebrows furrowed together; the only outward sign of his perplexing nerves. It felt as if he were stuck in slow motion, the simple movement of taking a step inside the house seemingly taking an eternity.
The aroma of coffee caressed his senses almost immediately. It was quite dark in the house, his eyes narrowing into thin slits in an attempt to make his way into the room. The Wizard's house was different from the other houses in town; consisting of an open floor plan. There was a single, large window in the house allowing in a streak of moonlight to break the surrounding darkness. Underneath the window was a wooden desk, littered with papers and vials among an assortment of other mismatched items. Off to the side of the room was a small bed, the covers neatly tucked into place. To his right lay a spiraling staircase that lead up to the second floor. Perhaps that was where the Wizard was?
Hesitating for a moment, Jin realized that he was standing in the kitchen. Creeping forwards, the wooden floorboards would protest underneath the weight of him. Flinching, Jin knew that he wouldn't be able to delay this any longer. It was awful late though – anyone else would have been sleeping. But the door had been unlocked…
"Excuse me?" He called out uncertainly; his voice ending in a squeak.
"Yes?" A soft voice replied to his call with a question of its own. The voice seemed to belong to a child – a girl at that, hardly the voice Jin would have expected to belong to the man he had built up in his mind.
"I was wondering if…" Blinking, Jin swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling a bit dry. He was being foolish – there wasn't any reason to be nervous. He was a doctor. "If you had any fugue mushrooms?"
"Yes."
Silence followed the Wizard's reply, Jin waiting awkwardly. Maybe the Wizard was waiting for an explanation? Seeing as they were both men of facts and figures, it would only make sense.
"T-There is an experiment I wish to convey on a patient. I am confident that this potion would work well to strengthen her body once more. However I am missing the last ingredient to complete the potion; a fugue mushroom." Jin's nervousness faded as he spoke, excitement filling his voice instead.
"Do you think so?" Seemingly absent minded, the voice was drifting to be further away from Jin. A faint, dull thud of footsteps filled the air as a shadow was cast near where he was standing.
Adjusting his glasses to be perched a bit lower on the bridge of his nose, Jin nodded in response. "I have tried a variety of cures. From honey to herb baked fish of the finest quality, nothing is working." Frustrated, his fingers pressed themselves against his temple. It was a habit of his to do this as he became stressed or was concentrating. "I simply must try something."
"Here" Jin's eyes widened in surprise as a hand stretched forwards, a sparkling plum colored mushroom in his hand.
"…It may not work." The sound of footsteps returned as the shadow vanished from in front of Jin. "There is a natural cycle in life…life and death run together."
"It will work." Jin retorted, not allowing himself to doubt for a single moment that it wouldn't. Hesitating, he slipped his hand down to have his fingers curl about the mushroom. "Thank you – you have my gratitude." He added, a bit ashamed at his moment of rudeness. Politely he bowed his head towards the Wizard, taking two steps backward at the same time, feeling his back pressed against the door.
"…Very well."
Shifting to face the door, Jin inhaled softly. The mushroom was warm against his skin; seeming to become warmer with each passing moment. He would have to return soon; concoct the potion before the sun rose. Sophie was coming to visit him later on that day; he would have to have it ready by then.
"May I…return if I need another?"
"Yes."
Note
This chapter may have seemed to end a bit abrupt but Jin's a busy doctor, after all. He can't spend every waking moment visiting the Wizard. Also, please note that I would prefer to be private messaged with your thoughts on this story, rather than read through reviews. Thank you for taking the time to read "Sometimes"! I will be updating in a day or two, depending on how my tendinitis stricken hands hold up.