Miyuki Takara awoke from a broken sleep to a perfect
morning and was already dreading the day to come.
The sun was beaming in through her window and cast
the morning light onto the plush carpeting of her room.
Miyuki was lying warm and safe in her bed with the
covers pulled tightly around her; shielding her from
the cool air.
"We'll get your cavity taken care of as soon as
possible so you can enjoy this break," her mother had
decided the day before, "I know that one tooth has
been giving you problems."
Miyuki was thinking about this as she lay staring at
her clock on the nightstand.
Her pillow and comforter were warmed by her body
heat and any unnecessary movement caused her to
touch an un-warmed portion of the bed. This sudden
contact with the cold would make her shrink further
into her sheets and curl into a tighter ball.
"We're going to try a new dentist," her mother
continued, "this one may not cause as many problems
as the last one."
'Oh Mother,' Miyuki reflected now, 'it doesn't matter
which one it is; they'll all still be dentists.'
Miyuki silently slid out of bed and into her soft pink
slippers to protect her feet from the cold floors. Her
glasses, which had been waiting patiently on her
nightstand, were picked up and delicately slipped
over her eyes. She shivered slightly as the chilly nose
and ear pieces came into contact with her skin. The
girl wrapped her yellow robe around her matching
nightgown and stepped out into the hall, making a
straight line to the kitchen downstairs where Miyuki
made herself a breakfast of orange juice, toast, and
a soft boiled egg.
While nibbling lightly on the toast, she gently
massaged her left cheek where the offending tooth
was throbbing mercilessly. Afterwards, the dishes
went into the washer and Miyuki went upstairs to
brush her teeth, make her bed, and change out of her
nightclothes into her school uniform.
The day passed slowly and the notes that were
meant to be written, neatly and completely, in Miyuki's
composition book were still waiting to be released
from the stilled pen that was currently suspended
between heaven and earth by the unfocused hand of
the pink-haired school-girl. The disempowering throb
was gaining strength as the day wore on. Her eyes
remained on the clock which quietly ticked away the
seconds, unknowingly bringing Miyuki closer and
closer to her appointment.
Nevertheless, the afternoon found the young
high-school girl preparing for the cold trek to the
dentist. As she wrapped her scarf around her neck
and pulled her hair so it would avoid being caught in
the thick piece of pink fabric, she wondered if she
could still get out of the visit.
The train ride was long, uncomfortable, and it gave
Miyuki a chance to think back to her conversation with
Tsukasa that very day.
"Maybe this will be like the dentist we dreamed of,"
Tsukasa said hopefully, "maybe it will be designed
just for you."
Miyuki could only sigh at this.
'Always the optimist,' she thought, 'if only I could be
that lucky.'
Though it was unnoticeable to any of the other
passengers on the train, tears began to well in the
girl's eyes and her bottom lip trembled slightly.
'This can't be it,' Miyuki thought as she stood in front
of what appeared to be an ordinary one story house.
It was painted white with light blue trim and was
surrounded by round green bushes that were neatly
hedged and cared for. The lawn was green and the
grass was thick like a carpet covering the cold earth
despite the winter climate. She matched every figure
on the address plate to the one written on the slip of
paper her mother had given her, and then she
checked it again. With no other choice, the young girl
placed her hand on the door-knob, turned, and,
surprisingly, the portal opened a tiny bit. She
hesitated a moment before opening the door
completely to reveal a quaintly decorated foyer which
served as a waiting room.
Miyuki checked in with the receptionist, hung her coat
and scarf on the coat rack by the door, and then took
a seat in one of the two large comfortable chairs that
helped give the office a welcoming look. She waited
nervously in the empty room with her bag in her lap.
'Something's wrong. There's something missing from
all this.'
The young girl took a moment to peep around, trying
to pinpoint the uncanny in this particular office. With
tiny movements of her neck, she looked high and low.
Miyuki almost looked like a little pink-haired owl.
The receptionist was seated behind a counter that
faced the waiting room. He was a young man with
blonde, shoulder length hair. Miyuki could not
distinguish his height or age, but he was thin and
graceful. Almost feminine. He wore a light blue collared
shirt and a pair of glasses with rectangular frames
that only enhanced his dark green eyes. He was
silently looking over his work laying on the counter
before him.
The foyer looked like any other sitting room; it had
potted plants, a rug, a couch, two chairs, and a coffee
table with magazines on it. Miyuki had taken out a
book of her own to read, but when she saw that,
unlike other offices, there was also a small bookshelf
with leather-bound volumes ranging from mystery to
romance, she giddily crouched and skimmed over each
gilded title with shining, spectacled eyes. Happily, she
ran a finger over each one trying to decide which
would be her best choice for such a disappointingly
short period of reading time. Just as she found and
removed the perfect book, the receptionist called her
name.
"Ms. Takara?"
Miyuki looked up with a start.
"The dentist will see you now."
Miyuki stood, replaced the tome with at deep feeling
of regret and sorrow for never having a chance to
even open its cover, and walked through another
doorway separating the waiting room from the exam
room.
Upon entering, she was met by someone who caused
her heart to skip. Already seated by the patient's chair
was a handsome young man with bright blue eyes
and auburn hair. He wore brown trousers and a grey
turtleneck sweater underneath his white lab coat.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Takara. Would you please take
a seat?"
Fear of the dentist was suddenly replaced by a slight
attraction as she approached the chair. She placed her
hands on her skirt to preserve her modesty as she sat
down and the dentist offered a helping hand as she
turned to lie back in the reclined seat. Her head
touched the cushion of the surprisingly comfortable
chair, and Miyuki suddenly realized what had been
missing: the familiar smell of the dentist's office.
Instead of the harsh odour of medicine and sanitized
surfaces, she could only smell the faint scent of his
cologne which subtly lingered in the room.
"How are you doing today Ms. Takara?" he asked as
he washed his hands in the sink next to his chair.
"J-just fine," she replied, beginning to relax ever so
slightly.
"This shouldn't take too long; just a checkup, cleaning,
and then I am going to take a look at that tooth your
mother said was bothering you. Now, don't be afraid,
but I'm going to disappear behind this," he put the
surgical mask over his mouth and then removed it
quickly to reveal a charming smile that made Miyuki
giggle, "but it's still me."
Something about his smile made her relax during the
normally terrifying procedure. This little display of
humour calmed her and, as he prepared for the
checkup, Miyuki began to feel her defenses lowering.
"I'm going to need to take these off," he said,
referring to the girl's glasses.
She laid perfectly still as he slid the frames off of her
nose and placed them somewhere on the countertop
behind her. Even though the world became fuzzy, she
could still clearly see the soft outline of his face to her
right.
He laid the paper bib on her chest and she lifted her
head so he could drape the small chain that held it
around her neck. While withdrawing his right hand, he
barely grazed the side of the girl's left breast. A jolt of
electricity serged through her from head to toe, but
the dentist did not seem to notice the change in
Miyuki's expression.
"I'm going to apply some cocoa-butter to your lips
to keep them from drying out. Is that alright?"
Miyuki said yes and he gently rubbed a cotton-swab
over her lips causing her to instinctively purse them
together. It tasted sweet and slightly bitter. She
released a breath she did not realise she had been
holding and inhaled the delightful smell of the
cocoa-butter.
He took up the cleaning pick and began.
The scraping went on for about five minutes before
the dentist put down the metal pick and held up the
polisher. He went on to clean her teeth and she
drifted into a state of semi-consciousness. The
polishing almost felt like he was gently and lovingly
caressing each tooth.
"Have you been flossing Ms. Takara?"
"Not often," Miyuki confessed, slightly ashamed. It is
not as if she would forget or simply refused to floss,
but this particular girl was afraid to. She tried a few
times and quickly stopped the moment she saw blood
appear on her gums.
"Do you think you could start? You have a beautiful
smile and I want you to take better care of it."
'I'll do whatever you want me to,' Miyuki thought
while nodding her head.
Miyuki took this time to admire him. Through the open
lab coat she was able to see how tightly his sweater
clung to his firm chest and stomach. She saw the look
of concentration in his eyes and felt each smooth
movement he made with the polisher. It was as if she
was the only person in the world to him right now.
Her heart was pounding in her ears so loudly that
she worried that he might hear it.
"Now, Ms. Takara, would you mind if I took care of
that cavity?"
'You may do anything you want,' she thought, but her
real answer was another head nod.
"Ok, just relax. You're going to feel a little sting."
Miyuki held perfectly still as he injected the anesthetic
into her lower jaw but she still gasped when the
needle broke through her gum. His gloved hand
gently massaged the area with care. The smell of
latex stung in her nose, already made sensitive by
the bitter cold outside.
"That will just need a few minutes to set in. How are
you feeling?"
Miyuki just gave a tiny smile and then the dentist
continued.
"I see you just came from school. Which do you attend?"
"R-ryōō High."
"You must be a very hardworking young lady if you go there."
The school-girl flushed at the compliment, but the
dentist continued his work without noticing. Her jaw
and tongue began to go numb as he examined the
tooth in need of attention. The weak anesthetic
combined with the stress related lack of sleep that
this visit had caused started making her feel drowsy.
The room was warm and she felt safe sitting in the
chair so close to him.
"This shouldn't take too long. Are you alright?"
Miyuki nodded lazily.
"I need you to keep you mouth open wide for me."
She made an effort to open her mouth as far as she
could, but, in her dazed state, she slowly allowed it to
close again.
"Ms. Takara, please try," the dentist said as he
stroked her cheek to coax her jaw open.
Again, Miyuki tried to force her mouth open, and,
again, it slowly closed. She felt the dentist slide his
finger into her mouth and, when he removed it, she
could keep her mouth open with ease.
"So, let me guess; you're a third year."
Miyuki slowly nodded her head with half-closed eyes.
"Do you like it there? Just answer by blinking once for
yes and twice for no."
She blinked once in response.
"Good, I'm glad."
Time passed in much this same way; he would ask a
question and she would reply with the appropriate
amount of blinks. The procedure did not take long,
and the dentist was soon rinsing out her mouth
where he had filled the small hole.
"You did really well Ms. Takara."
"You were really gentle."
"We're finished."
"We can't be finished."
"There's nothing left for me to do."
"But I need you… I have another cavity that needs to be filled."
Miyuki opened her legs slightly.
"We can't…"
"But I love you."
"Ms. Takara?"
"Please, call me Miyuki."
The dentist leaned in and a slight pressure was taken
from Miyuki's mouth.
"Ms. Takara?"
"You're so cute," she said while preparing for a kiss.
"Ms. Takara, wake up."
Miyuki's eyes popped open completely and she looked
at the dentist with confusion.
"You fell asleep for a little bit. I had to put a tooth
pillow in your mouth to keep it open."
The dentist held up the small foam cube he had gently
placed in Miyuki's mouth before the procedure, "We're
finished. You're going to feel numb for some time so
be careful not to bite your lip or tongue for a few
hours. Are you here by yourself?"
Miyuki slowly nodded as she reflected on the events
that had just transpired.
"I wish I had known you would have such a strong
reaction to the anesthetic so I could have made sure
your parents were here. Be careful going home. Stay
in the waiting room for a little while if you need to.
Here are your glasses. I will see you again in six
months for your next checkup."
Miyuki's head was light and fluffy as she slid out of the
chair and slowly walked to the door. As she slipped
her glasses back on, she began to worry.
'Did I really say those things? What was I thinking?
It wasn't my fault, I was asleep. Maybe he couldn't
understand what I said because of the pillow. I hope
he didn't hear me.'
"Oh, and Ms. Takara?"
Miyuki turned to look with wide, frightened eyes.
"It's flattering that you think I'm cute, but we should
probably keep our relationship as professional as
possible."
Miyuki turned bright red from head to toe, her hands
shot up to her open mouth as if to stifle a scream and
tears immediately formed in her eyes as she turned to
dash out of the room. She only stopped long enough
in the foyer to pick up her coat and bag before
running out into the street for her station.
The dentist walked into the waiting room just in time
to see the door slam closed.
"You broke another one's heart didn't you?" the
receptionist asked knowingly.
"I may have sweetie," he replied quietly before
turning to walk into his office, "I may have."
The next day at school before the first bell, Tsukasa
saw Miyuki sitting at her desk, desperately trying to
focus on her textbook.
"How was the dentist yesterday Yuki-chan?"
The red came back to Miyuki's soft face, tears began to
form again in her eyes and she let her head fall quickly
to the desk behind her arms to hide her embarrassment.
"I'm never going back there again!" she exclaimed from
behind her crossed arms.
Tsukasa could do nothing as she frantically tried to
think of a way to console her friend.
'Was it that bad?' she thought, 'was it something I said?