A doctor's choice
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Noblesse characters though I damn wish I did!
Author's note: Welcome to my very first Noblesse fan fiction. I hope I did a good job with it and it is as much fun to read as it was to write it. But see for yourselves.
Chapter 1: Dissimulation
As a medical term, dissimulation means a patient playing down symptoms of his disease. This is the antonym of the Munchhausen-Syndrome which depicts people feigning diseases to get medical attention.
Doctor Hyun Ae Choi was on her way to work. She straightened her skirt while keeping a fast pace. Then the school gate was already in sight. She hurried through, her usual smile on her face.
"Good Mor...", Hyun Ae paused in mid-sentence, baffled.
This was not the normal stocky guard. Instead of the familiar brawny teacher, a tall young man with shoulder-length gray hair met her gaze. He wore a black suit that hugged his slender form. On his right forearm was a badge declaring him an official security guard and he had the tell-tale earplug.
"...ning", she hastily finished, desperately trying to hide a blush.
He nodded in acknowledgment and she walked on to the ward.
During work, Hyun Ae had half-forgotten about the new guard. She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face and carefully gave the fidgety boy in front of her his tetanus vaccination.
"Please watch out for glass shards before you dive after the ball, next time", she smiled and fastened a band-aid over his arm. "Now hurry along!"
"Thanks, Doctor Choi!", chimed the boy and bustled down the corridor, already looking for new mischief.
Hyun Ae straightened up and gave him a last fond look. Then she turned around to the window. It looked out across the court and towards the front gate. Her gaze swept over the small groups of students that enjoyed their break outside and lingered for a short time on the silver-haired guard.
M-21 was bored. From the edge of his vision, he observed the students that milled about in the courtyard. Shouts from a couple of younger boys playing football and scraps of conservation drifted over to him. He briefly wondered whether his school time had been like this. Had he even visited school? He could not remember.
His attention immediately focused when a car drove by at a suspiciously slow pace.
"Fuck ya stupid school!", yelled a voice.
A broken bottle was thrown through the gate, but before it could shatter, M-21 caught it in mid-air.
"What the...?" The car sped away with screeching wheels.
M-21 sighed. Just a few punks aiming for trouble. He dropped the bottle off into a nearby trash can. Only then did he notice that he had gripped it too tightly and his palm had a few deep bleeding cuts in it.
Tch, seems like I let my guard down, he thought.
"Let me take a look at this, please!", said a female voice.
M-21 turned slowly, sweat breaking out on his brow. The woman he had seen entering the grounds this morning had approached him. She was wearing a white lab coat over her dark blue suit and it momentarily triggered bad memories. But then he noticed the stethoscope snaked around her neck and the worried expression on her face. Obviously, she was the school's doctor.
"Let me take a look at this cut, please", she repeated and stretched out her hand.
M-21 quickly hid his hand behind his back. I can't let her see this!, he thought, panicked. She'll notice the wounds are already healing.
"It is nothing", he said coldly and turned away from her. "Leave me alone!"
Hyun Ae stared a moment at his retreating form, a hurt expression on her face.
"No need to be rude", she mumbled while she made her way back to the main building. "I was only trying to help."
The day went on, but Hyun Ae's good mood from the morning had evaporated. She managed a smile when Yuuna, one of the older students, entered her ward.
"Ah, hello, Yuuna, how can I help you today?", she asked.
The brown-haired girl sat down on the therapy table and shyly cast her gaze down.
"Um, I'm having cramps, Doctor Choi", she said softly.
Hyun Ae nodded and rummaged in her cabinet. "It's that time of month again, right?", she asked lightly. "I'll give you something to ease the pain. Anything unusual?"
"No, just as always", answered the girl and accepted the small package gracefully. "Say, Doctor Choi, is something the matter?"
The doctor looked at her surprised. "Why are you asking?", she wanted to know.
"Well...", answered Yuuna, blushing a little, "it's just that you sighed a lot and looked kind of gloomy, so I was wondering what you are worrying about. Sorry, I didn't want to intrude!"
"No need to apologize", replied Hyun Ae. She sat down next to the girl and sighed yet again. "I guess I can tell you since you are not one to gossip, Yuuna..."
A long moment of silence followed.
"What is it that worries you, then?", Yuuna eventually ventured.
"Um, you know that new guard?", said Hyun Ae.
Yuuna broke into a bright smile. "Ajussi? Do you like him, Doctor Choi?"
"N-no, I just.., this morning he cut himself and wouldn't let me examine him, that's troubling me", stuttered the woman, violently blushing.
Yuuna smiled some more. "Now don't lie, Doctor Choi", she grinned. "Don't say, you would like to meet him after work, but are too shy to ask, right? I can help you with that! See, he lives with Principal Lee and since Shinwoo, Ikhan, Suyi and me were planning to visit Rai, Seira and Regis there tonight, you could join us if you like!"
"I really don't know...", began Hyun Ae, still red as a tomato. Just like me to lose my face like this in front of a student, she thought exasperated. But since I've already stooped so low, why not take the offer?
"Open up, Principal Lee, we came to visit Rai!", cried an all too familiar voice.
Frankenstein sighed in resignation and opened the door.
The red-haired Shinwoo, his bespectacled friend Ikhan and the two girls rushed in and greeted Rai and the two silver-haired youths who were sitting calmly on the sofa, enthusiastically.
Frankenstein started when he noticed that there was another visitor.
"Doctor Choi?", he asked baffled.
The dark-haired woman smiled apologetically and held up a food container. "Sorry to intrude, Principal Lee, but Yuuna insisted I come. So I brought a cake to make up for the trouble."
The blonde smiled at her and gestured for her to come in before he closed the door.
Hyun Ae stepped into the spacious flat and looked around. Immediately her gaze fell on the new guard that stood a bit aside, still in his clean white shirt, though he had taken off the black tie. She felt her cheeks redden and quickly looked away. When she looked again, he was gone.
M-21 almost smiled when he heard the voice of that kid over the inter phone and saw the accompanying expression on Principal Lee's face. Yet he instantly froze when he recognized the woman that stepped in behind the children. She had changed into jeans and a light blue blouse and her hair was down.
Damn, did she come here to look at my hand again?, he wondered. He felt her eyes for a moment on him and decided it would be best to keep out of her way. M-21 silently left the room and slipped into the kitchen. He felt Regis' mistrustful gaze in his back.
"It's fine apple cake", explained Hyun Ae when she set the cake on the table. "Oh, we still need a knife", she realized and stood up.
"No, no, Principal Lee, don't bother. Just tell me where I can find one", she smiled.
The blonde who had half-risen from his seat sat down again and pointed to the door of the kitchen.
"In the second drawer from the right are sharp knives, Doctor Choi", he said.
When she entered the kitchen, she found the tall guard leaning against the counter, sipping a cup of coffee.
M-21 looked up when he heard footsteps and saw the dark-haired doctor standing in the door.
An awkward silence settled between them.
"Um, I was looking for a knife", Hyun Ae finally managed to say.
M-21 shook off his confusion and pulled open the right drawer. He carefully handed her a long knife.
"Thank you", said the woman. Then she looked up into his face. Up close she noticed that he had a thin scar on the right side of his mouth. She wondered how he had acquired it.
"Why don't you join us?", she asked.
M-21 averted his gaze. "I don't feel like it", he replied evenly. He could almost feel her disappointed look. Then he heard that she was making her way to the door.
"Then I'll have them save a piece up for you", she said gently and the door fell close behind her.
He let out a silent breath of relief. Perhaps she has already forgotten, he thought.
"So sorry, Principal Lee", apologized Hyun Ae when the children had left. "We made a real mess. I'll help you clean it up!" She swiftly stacked the dishes and cups together and gathered the sweet wrappers. While she rummaged around, her gaze fell on Rai and she remembered something.
"Cadis Etrama di Raizel, you haven't had your entrance examination, have you?", she asked.
Frankenstein stared at her perfect pronunciation of the foreign name. Then he shook his locks. "That won't be necessary in this case, Doctor Choi", he said.
"Principal Lee, I insist!", protested the doctor. "Please come to the ward tomorrow, Cadis Etrama di Raizel. You too, Regis K. Landegre and Seira J. Roiard. Thank you for the wonderful evening, everyone. Goodbye!"
After all but Frankenstein's mumbling had died down, M-21 dared to come back to the living room. He found the blonde busy cleaning up, obviously with his thoughts elsewhere. Seira was helping him and throwing furtive glances at Regis, who sat next to Rai on the sofa, arms crossed and glaring at his entrance. Rai sat silent, a cup of tea in his pale hands.
M-21 ignored the white-haired brat's expression and settled down opposite of Rai. With the softest of tingling sounds Rai set the cup down and pushed a small plate towards him. On it sat a piece of cake.
"This has been saved for you", said Rai with his usual emotionless voice, yet there seemed to be the hint of an order behind his words.
M-21 obligingly picked up the fork and shoved a small bite in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully.
"It's good", he stated.
"It was made with the wish to pleasure people and to make them a bit happier", said Frankenstein's deep voice in his back. "That is just how Doctor Choi is."
M-21 sat deep in thought while he finished the rest of his cake. To have someone make cake for me, that's new, he thought. Hmph, how arrogant, it's not as if this was made especially for me. I guess M-24's matter-of-fact attitude is really missing here. What would he have said? She looked quite lovely...I shouldn't think that! How can I...?
Note: Thanks for reading! How was the first chapter? Does this even seem interesting enough? Please, please review!