Scratch the Poetic Gestures

Falling leaves are the sign of autumn. Raining orange and yellow, many disregard such and brushes the leaves from their shoulders with no care or a grunt of disgust. To anyone who sees such open display of disdain on such pretty ornaments of nature is only a natural reaction – nothing unusual. What they consider out of ordinary is when someone raises their face to the falling leaves and allows those to flutter to their faces with no fear of it being sullied.

Such is what Kirisawa Fuuko did on her way to work, attracting the attention of a few pedestrians. Moments later, she broke her train of thoughts and hurried to her destination.

Yet, she kept remembering the memory the falling leaves stirred in her memory. For some reason, it bothered her.

At the rooftop, the maroon-haired female sighted a certain silver-haired bishounen, on his way to the rail edge. She grinned, subconsciously sweeping her short hair back with her left hand as she hurried to this person, calling out her 'fond' nickname for him.

"MI-CHAN!"

Said person stopped walking as he waited for a certain 'monkey' without turning in her direction.

At last, Fuuko caught up and placed a hand in his shoulder.

"Hey, Ice Block!"

Grunt.

Apparently, Mikagami Tokiya vanishes on lunch time to have a brake from hormonal females on a rampage for his attention. The rooftop, which many avoids, is his only sanctuary, and those brave enough to climb there and disturb him is on the worst path of hell. This is the unofficial rule around the campus regarding the cold heartthrob.

But such is not the case for this 'maroon monkey'. Tokiya has long given up with her not disturbing the tranquility especially when it concerned him. This, meanwhile, is their unannounced truce.

Fuuko then leaned out and watched the trail that leads to the school gates which is adorned with trees and plants. She watched the harmonious fall of the autumn leaves that slowly descends upon the soil. She was about to call her companions attention to it but when she faced his direction, her eyes widened to find him looking at her as well, their faces scant inches from each other.

'Oh, his lips are just there….' Fuuko thought.

Modern day Fuuko flushed red as she shook her head vigorously. 'What the heck! How come that came on! Sheesh, that was eons ago!'

Indeed, it was. Fuuko, a twenty-three year old nurse and part-time model, was on her way to work in a prominent hospital in London. She was recently hired from the nursing firm she was in and was delighted at the prospect of working in such a noted hospital.

'This is a challenge for you, Freia,' Tamara, her agent, said, addressing her in her adopted name, which she personally chose since when Fuuko arrived, many people she met had a hard time going as far as 'Fuu', and when they do, it sounds more like a sneeze than an actual name.

'I agree! And I promise I'll do my best! Problem is, my modeling schedule may need a bit of alteration…' Fuuko said, glancing hopefully at the blonde beside her, who giggled and replied, 'You little devil… But I'll do it!'

She then sighted the large gates of the hospital. 'Whoa! Is this actually a hospital, or a mansion?' she took note of the gold plaque in plain sight and breathed deeply. 'Here goes nothing!' she thought, as she walked the resident lane beside the winding driveway.

A silver convertible then entered the driveway, heading towards the elaborate glass entrance of the hospital. On the wheel was a handsome man, and beside him was a little boy of about five. As the man passed Fuuko, he hastily took note of her long maroon hair, unique in the eyes of many, fluttering in the morning breeze. He blinked as a certain memory pulled his mind, but he just can't put his finger on it.

"What's wrong, dad?" The little boy asked.

The man glanced at the little boy and answered. "Nothing, Nick."


Fuuko entered the air-conditioned lobby and headed for the nurse central. She noticed a woman in her late fifties who was ordering the young nurses. Se headed for her direction and attracted the head nurse's attention.

Her effort was rewarded when the hawk-eyed woman looked at her and surveyed her white spaghetti top behind a peach-and-pink cloak, which matched with her white pants, distrustfully.

"What is it, miss?" The woman said in a sort-of forced pleasant tone.

"I am the new nurse from the nurse's firm near here and –" Fuuko was rudely cut by the (personally made by Fuuko) 'old hag'.

"Finally! You are late for your first day, Miss Freia Kiri… Kirsa…"

"Kirisawa, ma'am."

"Right! I am the head nurse, Doris Aliate. As I see here," she scanned her list, "Ah! Since you are new, you are among the staff of the equipment ward, and a midday shift in the children's section. Clear?"

Fuuko blinked. "Uh, yes ma'am!"

Now, get in here for your uniform and get dressed!"

Fuuko hurried for her uniform and hurriedly walked to the comfort room. Entering it, she quickly passed the elaborate sinks and entered a cubicle.

The door for the men's area opened and out came a man and a little boy. They purposefully walked to the nurses' station and Doris came hastily in their direction.

"Ah! Mr. Toya and little Nick! How wonderful!" Doris exclaimed, pasting a smile.

'How obvious,' Toya thought, quieting his urge to snort uncharacteristically. "Yes, yes, I have chosen an applicable nurse for the job! I'll call her—"

"No need, mother," a voice interrupted.

'Heavens forbid,' Toya thought, dreading the current situation. He grimly turned around, only to admit defeat. It was HER.

Dana Aliate, a voluptuous blonde-haired nurse, smiled up at him seductively. Daughter of the head nurse, she has been bugging him since his first visit, and the blonde thought that he returns the feelings, however many times he told her otherwise. Doris, her mother, spoiled her outrageously, which is adamantly displayed by the abundance of cosmetics on her, which, in Tokiya's opinion, makes her look more like a mannequin than an actual human. Toya has a heap lot of reason to add to his pot of loathe, but they are too many (and obstinate) to mention.

"Dear, I'll be the one to take good care of sweet little Nick during his month long stay of medication here. No need to worry," Dana voiced huskily, lowering her tone audibly, which, in his opinion, is in great need of a cough pill.

Suddenly, a nurse burst out in front of them, clumsily tripping and bumping Dana. "Watch out where you're going, oaf!" She shrilled, eying the nurse furiously. The girl ignored her and faced Doris, her back at Toya and Dana.

'She's the girl awhile ago,' the man thought, noticing the unique hair almost immediately. He stared at her luscious locks as if in a trance, until the nurse rushed to her post.

Finally, Dana guided them to Nick's private room, chattering something Tokiya learned to tune out long ago. He only took note of her presence the moment she announced that they have reached their destination. She attempted to come in after them, but without much further ado, Tokiya closed – and locked – the door in her face.


"21…23…25… Aha! 27!" Fuuko exclaimed, finding the proper shelf for the towels. She placed her load accordingly and stretched. She has been working for hours non-stop, and 'exhausted' is a mild term for how she feels right then.

"Ah! Lunch time at last!" Fuuko said, as she made her way to the cafeteria. She grabbed a plate, and proceeded to heap carbonara, bread, vegetable salad, soup, and a chocolate muffin. She grasped the proper utensils and proceeded to the grounds area to eat.

She sat down a metal chair and spooned food to her mouth methodically. She stared blankly at a little kid playing with a ball, amongst all others, some walking, eating, and practicing for therapy. She sighed.

Nobody would believe it, but this spunky woman was once a fragile kid. As a child, she was born premature, resulting to multiple complications as she grew up. Regular visits, numerous shots, and once, blood transfusion. She got rid of all that when she was seven, but as a sign of rebellion from the way she grew up, she retaliated and never allowed anyone to boss her around. Yet, she never forgot how she used to be when she was young, and then on, she aspired to be a nurse, someone with duties to provide comfort and care to those who greatly needs it.

Suddenly, a masculine voice called the little boy from the cafeteria and the child hastened to the voice. Fuuko didn't bother to look and continued to stare blankly up ahead.

Just out of hearing distance from her, the child exclaimed, "Daddy Tokiya, are we eating already? I'm very hungry!"

"Of course. Just let me get some plates."


"…Tokiya…"

Fuuko shook her head. 'Now I'm hearing things. Stupid imaginations!' she berated herself, crumpling her cup and throwing it to the nearest trash bin as she stood up to leave with her empty plate.

'He is a part of my past that has to be forgotten…'

"MI-CHAN!"

The man stopped in his tracks, taking no care to the pouring rain soaking his shoes beneath his umbrella. He frigidly did position reversal so he was now unemotionally regarding a certain maroon haired female soaking wet under the cruel rain.

"MI-CHAN!" She shouted again, uncaring to the way she was currently shivering frenziedly. "DON'T LEAVE US! YOU ARE PART OF HOKAGE! OUR FRIEND! DON'T YOU –"

"Know what?" Tokiya cut in, interrupting her hystierical cries. "You are selfish, cowardly, and stupid. Basically, YOU ARE ANNOYING."

Fuuko was devastated, enough so not to take note of his turning back and fading outline. She sank to the middle of the street, eyes wide, tears uncontrollably flowing, unaware of anything except the patter of the rain mixing with her tears and the deep gouge of her heart that was caused by his words.

'I loved you…'

'Oh, quit it!' Fuuko scolded herself. 'He is a only useful for your mind as a mark on how you should stop your own stupidity!'

On her way to the used plates area, she unwittingly passed a father and son walking out of the cafeteria, hand in hand.


"Daddy, I'll be playing at my room, okay?"

"Fine."

Tokiya was currently absorbed at his paperwork, poring over various pages incessantly. He was currently at his study/library in their modest house, a two-floor American style home, with three bedrooms and a study for his work.

'I can't focus.' Tokiya sighed, flopping the papers down. He leaned back on his chair and massaged his temples.

'Nick has to stay in the hospital for his medications… Geez, this house will be unbelievably quiet. Humph. If Fuuko was here she would be bouncing from place to place…' He blinked. 'Wait, where the heck did that come from!'

Seventeen-year old Fuuko lied contentedly at the grass as she fingered a rose she led high above her. 'She looks thoughtful enough,' he thought, 'for a monkey.'

He straightened from the tree he was leaning to and headed for her direction. Not one to start a conversation, he simply sat a few feet away from her and waited for her to start, knowing she wouldn't be able to bear the silence.

"Mi-chan?"

He smirked. "Hn?"

"What make flowers bloom?"

"Huh…!"

Fuuko smiled, producing a water gun. "Gotcha."


Uncharacteristically, Tokiya smiled reminiscently. 'The old times, where we could just go and be ourselves. I remember Fuuko being the monkey she is.' Suddenly, he shook himself from his stupor.

'What the heck! Am I really losing it!'


Fuuko was now walking up to the pathway to her house. She snatched the key hurriedly and opened the door. She hurriedly threw her pack at the living room and flopped down on her couch and stretched.

"I'M HOME!" she yelled, joyful at having survived her first day.

She ducked for her remote in her organized living room. Her stylish two-story place, mostly colored in cream, was elegantly designed, due to the insistence of her manager. But honestly, her more private places, like the den and her bedroom, were less than organized, by putting it lightly.

Finding nothing interesting to watch, she flipped it off and dragged herself to her room in the second floor. She tapped the switch for the bathtub and undressed. She soaked herself and finally managed to get her brain to work. :D

She poured her scented bath oils and relaxed. 'I wish I get to focus more on the children's ward. That is my focus anyway.' sigh

She took her time drying herself and put on her nightclothes. She fell on her queen-sized bed and easily fell asleep.


I hope I get good reviews here…I really worked hard for this.

Sorry for my long updates, esp. LOST. I'm having a major writer's block, and I can't seem to get my ideas straight…