Doctor Visit
Yahiko sat across from the Lady Doctor, fists clenched, bracing himself for the worst. "I'm sick or somethin', Megumi-san," he confessed. He didn't like to come, but she had saved his life in the past, so maybe she could help him now. She kept her calm demeanor in the face of his nerves and gave him a reassuring smile.
"What seems to be wrong, Yahiko-kun?"
"Well, I feel like I could sleep forever in the mornings, but when I am up and awake, I have so much energy, I can hardly be still. I feel like I could practice forever. And, I am SO hungry, all the time! Kaoru has banned me from fourth helpings. Also, my legs ache something terrible sometimes and my voice-." His voice cracked. A very small smile briefly appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"Have you mentioned these things to Ken-san?" he looked puzzled.
"Well, no. I figured he knows most about sword wounds." Her serious face belied her true feelings as she nodded.
"I see. You may find that he knows about this too. Let me ask you, Yahiko, have you been finding yourself more around any girls lately? Tsubame-chan, perhaps?" He looked alarmed.
"Is it catching?" He was worried for his lovely friend. He was relieved when the doctor shook her head.
"No, not to worry." She rephrased her question. "Have you had any strange dreams or a strong desire to be around girls, like Tsubame-chan?" He blushed, then considered this.
"Just Tsubame. Other girls are pretty dumb." He missed Megumi's reproving look, and the small blush from when she mentioned dreams was duly ignored. "Why, what's that? A symptom?" Megumi had a hard time squashing down her laughter.
"This sounds to me like a condition that effects approximately half of the population, generally setting in around 12-13 years of age and may last several years. Some of the major symptoms, the hunger, aches, and need for so much sleep, will fade with time. Others, like the energy and dreams will last a while, but eventually, they too will fade." He set his face resolutely and she had to admire his courage.
"Years?! Is it curable?"
"I'm afraid not!" her laugh was short lived in the face of an angered young man. She quickly regained composure. "Its sounds like you are growing into a man, Yahiko-kun. Your body makes some changes during that transition." He seemed angry now, jumping to his feet. Megumi noted the gap between his hakama hem and ankles, showing how much he had grown lately.
"That's it? What did you drag it out so much for?"
"Sit down, Yahiko." He dropped back to his knees. "It's nothing to worry about. Get plenty of sleep by going to bed earlier than usual and realize that your hunger may never be fully satisfied. Use up as much of that energy as you can, work as hard as you like. Cold and hot baths may help your legs."
He was fidgeting. "What about…" She waited as he watched his own fingers twist. Megumi bit her cheek to stop the smile.
"Tsubame?" his slight nod indicated how much he wanted to know but didn't want to ask. "Still treat her like a friend, but also start treating her as a lady, she is growing as well." He didn't look up. "If you have any other questions, talk to Ken-san or Sano. They may have more insight for you." She thought for a moment. "On second thought, don't ask Sanosuke. He might give you bad information. Stick with Ken-san." He met her eyes, nodded, and stood up.
"Thank you, Megumi-san." She smiled at him.
"Its good to see you grow into a strong man, Yahiko. We need good men like you." He was a little embarrassed at the compliment. "Now, shoo! I have other people waiting. Probably none of them with such an easy fix as you." He headed towards her door.
"You didn't fix me!" he threw back.
"You can't be fixed, Yahiko-kun. Go home and get some of that energy out." He smiled a cocky grin as he returned to the world, reveling in his aching legs. He was becoming a strong, good man.
A/N: Not 100% sure where this fits in canon timeline. Obviously before Megumi moves to Aizu and when Yahiko is about 12. Those two things may be impossible, but hey, its fanfiction (that's kind of my bad excuse for inaccuracies). Interestingly, that word "puberty" wasn't used for a really long time after RK. The effects of testosterone have been known for basically forever, but the term hormone wasn't created until 1905 and testosterone wasn't identified until 1935 (Nieschlang 2005). I imagine there were many home remedies, but a teenage boy's appetite is fearsome to behold. Imagine how much rice the Kamiya Dojo went through in those years!
Nieschlag, E. 2005. The history of testosterone. Presented the 196th Meeting for the Society for Endocrinology and Society for Endocrinology joining Endocrinology and Diabetes Day, Nov 2005, London, UK. Endocrine Abstracts (2005) 10 S2