Chapter 1: Resident Doctor
For someone who's supposed to be my fiancé, he sure doesn't show it.
Lum continued her flight away from Tomoboki. She didn't want to see him anymore. She's experienced enough "last straws" that another one will surely drive her insane.
"Mou…" she snarled, zapping the fly that dared to buzz near her. "To love such a playboy. How stupid are you?"
The sun's last rays diminished before Lum noticed how far she had traveled. She didn't expect things to turn out this way. Thinking that it was finally okay, another new student came into their class and blew Ataru away from her arms. To think that he would change after all the obstacles they had gone through together.
I've got to find a place to stay, Lum thought to herself, finally setting her feet on the ground. She looked up and down the alley she was currently standing on. It was deserted. Where the heck am I? I didn't travel that far, did I?
Walking now, she exited to a wider avenue. The scene was new to her and she couldn't recall whether she had passed by this place even once in her life on earth. To her right was a long stretch of pavement ending at a bridge. To her left was the same long site only this time it ended at a corner turn. Instead of choosing either path, she walked towards the screen fence along the creek-slash-river that was in front of her and leaned back on it, thinking.
"Ataru," she sighed in frustration. "You dumbass..."
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Back in Tomoboki, Ataru kept busy playing the new video game his distant relative bought him. He didn't even notice the sudden silence in the house, not even Lum's constant nagging for him to give her a kiss. The game must have been that great for him not to realize it.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
The nearest light post suddenly went bright and slightly glared Lum's eyes. She was lost and there was no denying it. But she'd rather stay lost than go back home to Ataru. It will only show how much she depended on him. Picking up her tiger-striped bag, Lum took the road opposite the bridge.
Several paces later, she saw a clinic and approached the gate. Even though it was small, perhaps there might be a place for her to rest there. Here goes…
"Yes?" answered a tall, eye-glassed man in what looked like a brown dojo attire. "What can I do for you, young lady?" he said, smiling at Lum.
Hesitant, Lum pointed at the tiny wound on her right leg. It was nothing. It didn't hurt. It was practically non-existent. But if it will help her to get at least a few hours' rest in the clinic, she might as well use it as an excuse.
"Oh," replied the man. "Come on right in."
Surprised at the man's hospitality, I swear he knew it didn't really need any treatment, Lum walked inside the clinic. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the light and looked around. It was small, this clinic. But it had a friendly atmosphere in it. She glanced wearily at the sofa in the waiting area. The stress from her long flight must have only taken then to let itself known.
Before she got the nerve to walk towards the sofa, the man called her attention. "This way, Miss. Let's have your wound treated before it gets infected."
She followed the man, which by then she learned to be the doctor and not just a weird assistant, to an adjoining room. Here, she found two small hospital beds that greatly made her feel how tired she really was. Yet keeping herself awake, she sat on the chair next to the doctor's table.
"Wait here while I prepare the medicine."
Lum watched as the doctor took out some bottles from the medicine cabinet, a few gauze strips, several cotton balls, and a couple of medical items she wasn't quite familiar with. He's tall, she thought to herself. Past the strange way the doctor dressed, he was good looking with brown, shoulder length hair loosely tied. Judging by the way his clothes shift against his body, Lum concluded that he works out often enough. He reminded Lum of Rupa, her previous fiancé, somehow. But this doctor never once showed a frown on his face. Rupa almost never smiled, being so serious and all.
"Here we go," cheered the doctor, turning back towards Lum and leaning before her. "You must have grazed your leg with a splintered wood judging by how your wound looks like. It's not serious though, just a tiny abrasion." He dabbed the wound clean using some alcohol and pointed at one miniscule laceration. "This one, however, you must have gotten from a mosquito bite. Although I'm not so sure how it turned out this way. It looked burned." The doctor looked up questioningly at Lum,his smile not faltering.
"I accidentally zapped my leg while aiming at the mosquito," replied Lum, blushing. It surprised her at how keen the doctor's eyes were, even distinguishing the different causes of her wound. Usually, her people were the only ones capable of knowing such differences. Perhaps he's also from her planet?
"Uhm…" Lum ventured hesitantly, but the doctor's smile encouraged her to continue."Are you from my world by any chance?"
"Huh?" asked the doctor, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "Your world?"
Lum blinked several times and lowered her head. She must have really traveled far. "Never mind."
The doctor nodded. A few silent minutes later he finished dressing Lum's wound and stood up. "You do not seem to be from around here. Have you found a place to stay?"
Lum shook her head.
"Well in that case, you can stay here for the night. We have two hospital beds here anyway and a sofa in the waiting room. You can choose where you want to sleep." Exiting the room, the doctor called back, "I'll bring you some pillows and a blanket."
Lum chose one of the hospital beds. Normally, she didn't need any beds since she floats while sleeping. But she was so tired that there was not even a bit of energy left for her body to go on auto-float while she's in dream state.
Once the doctor handed her the blanket and pillows, Lum lied down quietly, stretched a bit, and immediately fell asleep.
o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o
Lum woke up the next morning a little disoriented. Her bed was hard and it smelled funny. Taking time to open her eyes, she looked around her.
"Where am I?" she groggily asked herself. Then her eyes settled on a skeletal model opposite her bed and remembered what happened yesterday.
"You're awake," she heard someone say before seeing the doctor entered the room.
"I see you've met my favourite assistant, Betty," continued the doctor, indicating the skeletal model. "Did you have a good rest?"
"Yes I did. Thank you." Lum sat up and bowed.
"I brought you breakfast to eat. Eat some before you leave, okay?"
"Alright."
Several minutes later the doctor came back. "Here are some extra snacks for you to take in case you plan to travel further."
"Thank you very much." Again, Lum was surprised at how the doctor seemingly knew a lot despite her not saying anything much. She picked up her bag, gathered the rest of her stuff and prepared to leave when the doorbell rang.
"Doctor Tofu! Are you in?" A female voice called out.
"Yes! Come in."
The owner of the voice helped herself in, carrying a basket. "Here. I brought some fruits and vegetables for you."
"Thank you," said Doctor Tofu, taking the basket inside his quarters, leaving Lum and the girl together.
The girl looked once at Lum and smiled, "Hello." She had short, dark blue hair and wore a school uniform.
"Hi," answered Lum cautiously yet also returning the smile. People here are quite friendly.
Lum held her stuff once more and started for the door. "I'm leaving, thanks!" She called to the doctor and to the girl she said, "Goodbye."
"Goodbye," replied the girl.
"She is in a hurry," Doctor commented once he got back to the clinic.
"Who was she?"
"Didn't say her name. She just came last night with a little wound. I think she came from Tomoboki."
"How did you know?"
"She talked in her sleep, said she'll never come back to Tomoboki again," was the doctor's reply. "I think she had a fight with her fiancé or something. Does that sound familiar?"
"Mou…" the girl said turning red in the face.
Doctor Tofu held up his hands in surrender and laughed. "I was just kidding, Akane."