Act 2, Chapter 4:
The capriciousness of life in combination with the unpredictability of spontaneous human actions, especially in times of hardship, often leads to a turning point for those individuals directly and indirectly involved with the given situation. It is this why the following things happened.
Hitomi was shaking near uncontrollably while she was fumbling, unsuccessfully attempting to insert the key into her apartment's keyhole several times. Unfortunately, her old apartment building did not feature some of the upgrades, such as a digital lock, that most new dwellings had. If fate had continued to be kind to her over a year ago, she would have been living elsewhere by now.
Just a year after the devastating end point of her relationship with Amano, she had finally begun to ride the mellow waves of a pleasant and mostly steady life again. After months of drifting about this calm current without any plans to plunge into the white water rapids of emotional investment, this perfect stranger had walked into her life.
At first, just a difficult to handle patient with a mysterious past, now something she couldn't even clearly define. Van had come into her life like a change of weather on the Levi Isles in the Northern Seas. Not like a whirlwind but more like a gradually developing, dark tropical depression that would soon turn into a powerful hurricane. Not immediately dangerous but fascinating to behold and with a foreboding of dire straits which some would gladly choose to be blissfully ignorant of.
How could she have been one of those negligent few? How could she have not seen what her eagerness to help him was going to get her? More trouble and emotional confusion than she was capable of dealing with.
Hitomi finally managed to ram the key into the slot with a satisfying clunk and hastily unlocked it. Quickly sliding in and closing the door behind herself would have given anybody watching the impression that she had been followed, but nothing could have been further from the truth. The hallways and stairwells were deserted.
Finally, as Hitomi was within the secure walls of her apartment, she began to calm down a bit. She freed herself from the messenger bag, pants and shirt she was wearing and, with uncharacteristic carelessness, dropped the items on the floor while dragging herself towards the small couch.
The shirt had begun to cling to her in cold sweats already early during the trip, having made her shiver despite the season. She had left the Fanel residence and made her way home as quickly as she was able to. It had taken her several buses and stretches of walking this late at night.
Sinking into the cushions, she reached for the red, woolen blanket neatly folded on the other end and wrapped it around herself. The color of it, she woefully noticed, was the same shade as that of his shirt. Wearily rubbing her brow, she stared at the floor between her feet before slowly lowering the hand to her mouth. She could still taste him a bit, could still smell his scent on herself, and feel the ghosts of his fingers combing through her hair.
This just wouldn't do. She quickly sprang up, tossing the blanket to the side in the process and entered the small bathroom. Before removing the rest of her clothing, Hitomi turned on the water to let it heat up. Initially, a bit of relief washed over her together with the scalding water and smell of scented soap but it was followed by a feeling of emptiness she couldn't explain to herself. The sweet scent of orange blossoms did little to camouflage the events of the last hours that were still so fresh on her mind.
While she sat on the couch again, wrapped in a towel and wet hair still disheveled, she pulled out the shoe box hidden under the small coffee table and stared at it for a moment before opening it. Stacked neatly on the inside was a collection of pictures, newspaper clippings, and cards. Most of the articles were about Amano but some of them included her, especially after the announcement had been made.
One page, in particular, was quite frayed due to frequent handling. 'Local power couple engaged,' the headline read. It hadn't been front page news but appeared in the sports section of the Palas Telegraph two years prior.
After attending high school together and remaining close throughout college, as well as their respective sporting events, Amano had finally become her boyfriend for a mere half year before proposing to Hitomi on a chilly autumn day. They had been one of the most well-known couples in the running community until…
Hitomi's bottom lip quivered before dropping the article back into the box and reaching for a small, red velvet-coated container. Opening it, the engagement ring with the small diamond sparkled merrily as always. Amano had told her to keep it as a token of friendship. Friendship. What a cruel joke.
When Amano had gotten the invitation to join Asturia's national team, his jubilation vastly outshined the happiness he had displayed when Hitomi accepted his proposal. So blinded by love had she been that she didn't notice it back then. When they informed him of the stipulations, that's when it got complicated.
He had to live in the athlete dorms and be prepared to go on training trips frequently. High altitude training in Daedalus, conditioning in Freid, and strength seminars in Fanelia were a series of events on the agenda which would have him constantly on the move. Of course, she couldn't just join him. The only way to see him, to travel with him, would have been to make the national team too.
Oh, she tried. She trained, competed, failed, trained harder, got injured, and finally gave up when Amano decided to break the engagement with carefully selected, gallant words. He didn't want her to risk a possibly much more severe injury due to overtraining just because of him; obviously, her body couldn't take a strenuous exercise regimen of this level. Only, she did suffer a near-fatal injury anyway; the broken heart she was still carrying around to this day.
It felt like somebody had ripped out the fragile organ and torn it to pieces. Hitomi had always thought it cliché to use such a description, but the words held more truth than she could ever have imagined.
Amano had been polite and never outright blamed Hitomi for the fact that she couldn't make the race times she needed in order to qualify. He had been kind enough, sure but the fact that he had and always would love the sport more than her, hurt more than anything. It was then that she gave up running entirely.
Hitomi wasn't sure anymore if she had possibly only been doing it because of him, or because she truly enjoyed it. It was difficult to remember. In any case, running reminded her of Amano, so she hadn't set foot on a track since the night he left.
The pieces of her shattered heart had only been put together provisionally and much of it thanks to Yukari's unwavering friendship and her colleagues' respectful treatment of the delicate situation. She snapped the jewelry box shut carefully and stored everything beneath the coffee table again. Hitomi curled up on the couch while letting her thoughts wander aimlessly for mere minutes before she fell asleep.
Not too long after, the warmth of the hot shower wore off and she reached for the blanket in a sleepy daze. Wrapping herself in the soft material gave her enough comfort to allow sleep to claim her again soon. The irony of being wrapped so tightly in the red fabric wouldn't be lost on her when she woke up the next morning.
Merle was hard at work cleaning the last few dirty dishes. She plunged her arms back into the lukewarm soap water and felt around the bottom of the sink for any stray, remaining items. Coming upon another plate, she deftly fished it out and scrubbed it clean with practiced hands.
When Zongi appeared in the diner's small kitchen, Merle was already pulling the stopper from the sink and stretching her long, striped arms above her head.
"Ready to go home?" The tall, bald man asked her kindly.
"You bet." Merle smiled back at him. Despite what Van or many others thought, Zongi was alright. Not many knew, due to him being extremely secretive about it, but she was aware of his true form. He was a morph.
Morph folk, just like junin, preferred to live in less gentrified areas of Gaea, but Zongi had come to Palas in hopes of a better life. Certain clans in villages exclusively populated by his race were always caught up in some sort of bloodshed or violent gang activities. It was no surprise that this rather peaceful man had made a run for it.
He had adopted a normal human's shape and demeanor and usually kept the disguise intact apart for very rare occasions. One day, Merle had walked into the diner's tiny, messy office and caught him sitting there in his true form, pondering over a stack of maintenance bills. His entirely grey, dry looking skin was striped in several places, not much unlike the pattern on her own coat of fur.
Zongi had been shocked, to say the least. Worries about being found out and his origin threatening to negatively influence the diner's already small customer base had sent him into a frantic crying spell. He had been relieved beyond belief when Merle had put all his worries at ease with a simple, kind smile and reassuring words that day.
If only Van knew. Merle had promised faithfully to not share her employer's secret, even with her own brother. She frowned a bit at the thought. Lying to him by omission wasn't something she enjoyed doing and in retrospect, maybe she should have considered Van's own position from a similar perspective sooner.
Her heart sank a bit at the thought. It was so obvious too. Her beloved brother simply couldn't tell her because of the consequences. Tell her something that could possibly make others hate him for who he was or rather, something he had done. No doubt, it was tightly related to the accident. What could possibly have happened for him to even keep his own sister in the dark about it?
She knew about his heritage, of course. Varie had been one of the few mostly pure-blooded Atlanteans left on Gaea. Draconians, they were called by some. It's why her parents had so desperately attempted to prevent her union with the much-older, human, Goau Fanel.
Varie's heritage had bestowed both of Merle's brothers with diluted Draconian blood. Sharing some of that ancestry wasn't anything too peculiar, even considering that being related to any direct descendants of Atlantis was becoming somewhat rare by now.
No, the Draconian heritage wasn't an issue here. It had to be specifically related to the accident, and by the Gods, the military's security clearance and associated policies had never bothered her as much as now. They were still conducting reviews and investigations regarding several missions related to the end of the war and taking their sweet time doing it too, making sure the facts were all straight before the media got a hold of anything.
Merle quietly followed Zongi through the small parking lot to her car, listening to his humming voice which was a bit off tune until he ceased it when they arrived at her vehicle. It was still mostly dark, but the sun would be rising soon.
"As always, thanks for the good work, Merle. See you Friday. Don't forget you got the early shift." The large, bald man whose form he always resembled grinned at her, flashing the usual tooth gap in the front.
Merle's small, red car sprang to life as she activated the push start. Thankfully, the vehicle was rather new and reliable. A few years ago, her brothers had surprised her with it for a birthday. Guilt about often being too busy to help in the case of a possible automotive emergency had motivated their purchase.
An upbeat song instantly blared out of the radio and rejuvenated Merle's tired brain enough to focus on the drive home. She sang along quietly, carefully omitting some of the high-pitched tunes as she cruised through the deserted streets. In a mere half hour, they would be bustling with Monday morning work traffic.
Their neighborhood was already coming to life in a soft, orange glow when Merle maneuvered the car into the driveway. She glanced to the right briefly to scan the barren flower beds on either side of the gravel walkway. It was really a shame she didn't have time to tend to them. Varie had had a talent for growing plants and when she was alive, the most beautiful roses used to line the fence.
Merle dearly missed her mother at this moment, especially when the imaginary bouquet of roses instantly filled her nostrils. She bit her bottom lip and tore her thoughts away from the mental image of being enveloped in Varie's arms. Being on the receiving end of her dearly departed mother's loving embrace were some of her fondest memories.
Varie had been so passionate, caring, and understanding. If she was still alive, everything would be much easier. She would have been the strong one; the one Merle would model her behavior after, especially regarding Van.
No doubt, Varie would have known precisely what to do and possibly also been the one her brother would open up to regardless of any policies, rules, or fears of judgment. She was beginning to feel bad about their little debate yesterday. Truth be told, she was completely aware that she had pushed Van's buttons, like so often in the past months, but she couldn't help it.
Merle was so desperate to see him recover. Her love for him frequently caused most rational thoughts to evaporate the instant something threatened to endanger his mental or physical state any further. Perhaps, it was time for her to work on lessening the incessant pressure she was exerting on him.
Alas, she found it very challenging to do so after venturing into the living room and finding her brother sprawled out on the couch. Perhaps she could postpone this newly made resolution until tomorrow?
"What in the…Van!" Merle dropped her purse and stared at her brother, her gaze immediately focused on his swollen face.
Upon hearing his sister's exclamation, Van's eyes snapped open, having been startled from the remnants of his gradually waning slumber. He sat up, rubbing his face with both hands and flinched when a finger grazed the swollen cut on his cheekbone.
"Oh…damn," Van mumbled in realization. Some of the previous night's memories came crashing back instantly while others only trickled in with the speed of cold molasses.
It took all Merle had to contain her urge to rush to his side and immediately fuss over him with fresh tears in her eyes. For the moment, she managed a small improvement by simply staying rooted in place, blankly staring at Van while he reached for the red shirt draped on the back of the couch.
Van carefully slipped the garment over his head, quickly covering the gauze dressing on his back, hoping to at least spare Merle the sight of that too, before he finally rose and stood a few feet across from her. Very uncustomarily, his sister still hadn't moved an inch yet.
Apprehension about the usual possessive grip on his arm notwithstanding, Van decided to approach her, feeling absolutely terrible for giving her cause to be concerned again. She worked so hard, yet he rarely was able to show gratitude. The volatile temper he had allowed himself as of late didn't help with that in the least.
"Are you going to ask what happened?" One of Van's eyebrows arched while scratching an imaginary itch on the back of his head, remorse bubbling uncomfortably in his stomach.
Merle's reaction changed to something he hadn't expected at this moment. Instead of finally exploding with worry, she cast her gaze to the floor. Her blue eyes suddenly mirrored Van's own, thus far presumed proprietary, expression in times of conflict.
Stubbornly concentrating on the pattern in the dark hardwood floor, she slowly shook her head, making most of her pink hair slip out from behind her large ears and fall around her face like a curtain.
Van was at a loss for what to say. Merle's reaction was completely uncharacteristic and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. How did it ever get this far? How could he be cruel enough to continue causing her such obvious pain? Without even noticing, he had gradually become a socially maladroit monster sporting an unhealthy, cantankerous attitude on top of it.
The problem was, this wasn't just his problem but also hers. It wasn't right. Nothing was right between them anymore and part of it, no, all of it, was his doing. He needed to put an end to it right now.
Merle gasped when she felt Van's hand carefully brush some of the pink tresses out of her face and back behind one of her ears. She finally forced herself to look back at him, lips tightly pressed together to keep herself from saying anything.
Instead of her brother's eyes, she came face to face with his chest before he pulled her into a tight embrace. The gesture, feeling so unfamiliar due to the person bestowing it upon her, caused her to first stiffen in surprise before she finally threw her own arms around his back, holding him tightly.
Van's gentle voice was vibrating deep in his chest as she pressed her head against it. He muttered apologies, slowly and earnestly, while ruffling her pink hair a bit as he carefully, reassuringly rubbed the top of her head.
She had a hard time listening to what Van was actually saying but, truthfully, his words never mattered as much to her as his actions. Some dry sobs now shook her slender body and she felt her brother's arms tighten around her, trying to soothe her as well as he could.
"I'm sorry, Merle. I'm sorry I've been such a monster." Van whispered. "I'll try to be better from now on. I promise."
Merle's dry sobs gradually changed to emphasize the exhale more than the shaky inhale of her breaths until she was laughing ever so softly. She disentangled herself from the hug for a moment and dove in to bestow upon Van something she hadn't since they were little.
Rising on her tiptoes, she quickly dragged her coarse tongue across his uninjured cheek a few times in a neko's kiss before diving back into the embrace. Van's eyes were a bit wide from shock but he kept on holding her anyway, patiently waiting.
He sure hadn't expected her to react quite so vigorously. The abrupt change of her mood had startled him a bit this time, but he tenaciously swallowed all concerns and continued to hold her until Merle broke their hug.
"I wouldn't mind knowing what happened, though." Merle finally admitted. "If and whenever you are ready to tell me."
Merle's heart was jumping with joy. It was more than she had dared to expect anytime soon, although she found herself hoping every day. For Van to show such affection and honest remorse was positively invigorating. Finally, she thought, he was making progress.
It was enough for her to temporarily ignore the fresh wounds he was sporting. Whatever had happened, it at least hadn't incapacitated him any further. He was here and alive and well, for the most part. She briefly wondered if his sudden attitude change had anything to do with it.
Merle smiled at him brightly, suddenly announcing that a shower was due; for both of them, while wrinkling a nose and before disappearing into the bathroom with a cheerful 'dibs'.
Van sighed in relief when her tail disappeared behind the closing door. Now, what did she mean exactly? She wanted to know what happened to his face or, well, what happened in the war. Not having specified, the answer to that, likely, was both. However, it seemed as though she was still granting him a grace period; for now.
A grim expression spread on his face again when he realized that the most dreaded interaction between them was yet to come. Nothing would change the fact that he blamed himself for their brother's death, and so might Merle when the time came. From now on he would at least attempt to do his best in not letting the looming threat to their relationship cloud every single interaction between them.
As for the other complicated issue, he was wavering a bit about how to handle it. He had to talk to Hitomi. The thought of it alone impeded everything by nearly initiating another fit of panic, but he owed her an apology. No doubt, his actions had scared her and that's why she had disappeared without a word. He wasn't sure when she had left but it couldn't have been very recently. Something told him that she had departed from the house soon after their…encounter.
Van stared at the drain between his mechanical and real foot, watching the water swirl into the opening during his turn in the shower. He stood with both hands braced against the tiled wall, letting the hot water drum onto his back and rain across the wound on his side which was already beginning to scab over a bit. He had removed the dressing and decided that there was no need for a new one later on.
If only problems disappeared as naturally as physical wounds healed. The situation with his therapist was…delicate. He wasn't even sure how to approach it. No doubt, his sister would have some valuable womanly advice in such a matter but he quickly discarded the idea as a viable possibility. There was no way he could tell Merle about this. After all, he still wasn't sure how long her newfound resolve to give him some space would truly hold.
He'd just have to deal with it himself. There was another problem though. What was he even going to say? Maybe he should just offer a simple apology. It was the safest route, even though he had to be honest with himself. In a cruel way, he wasn't truly sorry. Not one bit. It had felt cathartic when she had been so near, so intimately fused with him.
The only thing he was sorry for, was not knowing how Hitomi would react when they saw each other later today in the rehab clinic. He dearly hoped that she was okay and that his blazing response to her rather innocent gestures hadn't simply rendered her too shell-shocked to resist. Regardless, it couldn't happen again and he needed to clear up the situation.
Hitomi's mind only reluctantly resurfaced from the depths of tranquility. When she cracked an eye open, she reflexively snapped it shut again in response to the bright light filtering through the thin curtains of her living room window.
She curled up a bit more, snuggling a layer of soft fabric against the exposed skin of her shoulders. A slightly more coarse fabric against her back was still damp, reminding her that she had fallen asleep on the couch with nothing but a partially wet towel wrapped around herself.
Her eyes finally shot open when the previous day's memories washed over her. Those memories of the late evening hours in particular. Hitomi groaned when she remembered the details. Too many details. Clutching the blanket in both fists, she groaned even louder when her still sleepy glance fell on the soft, red fabric.
She cast it aside immediately in attempts to rid herself of the thoughts she would forever associate with this particular shade of red. Wrapping herself in the crumpled towel again, she noted the time on the digital clock of the microwave in the small corner kitchen and yelped a bit in shock.
"Noooo!" She exclaimed in exasperation. She had overslept by a solid 30 minutes and it was only now that Hitomi became aware of the incessant, faint beeping of her alarm clock coming from the direction of her bedroom.
Stubbing a toe on one of the coffee table's legs, she hobbled around the couch and dove into the bathroom, emerging with a toothbrush in her mouth shortly after. There wasn't time for anything else but getting dressed and rushing to work unless she wanted to be late and she didn't like being late.
Besides, she had come up with a sort of plan last night on the way home and in order to execute it, she had to be punctual. Rumh was a bit older which caused him to be very set in his ways at times, and she needed him to be receptive to her proposition. As long as she gave him enough notice, she was sure he would help her out.
Hitomi selected a standard outfit of stretchy khaki pants and one of the usual blue polo shirts with the Caeli logo on it before slipping into a pair of white sneakers and looping the strap of her messenger bag across her shoulders.
After locking the door, she rushed down the hallway, several flights of stairs, and the street to the bus station. She caught it just as it was about to depart the small lot. So lost was she in thoughts that Hitomi didn't notice the strange look the regular bus driver gave her. She smiled at him, unperturbed while inserting this month's metro ticket into the appropriate receptacle before finding a spot to stand in the crowded bus.
Hitomi stubbornly ignored the rumbling of her stomach while she stood, tightly gripping the vertical, green plastic railing in front of her. What a mess she had gotten herself into. All because of that stupid shortcut. Granted, it wasn't her fault that a gang of guys up to no good happened to cross her path.
If she hadn't taken this route, none of any of this would have happened. Van wouldn't have shown up, felt the need to involve himself, gotten injured, needed medical attention,…kissed her. By the Gods…the thought caused her cheeks to glow with heat.
What had possessed her to even touch him in a manner unrelated to caring for his injuries in the first place? Millerna's cheerful voice rang in her head a bit again. She hadn't been thinking clearly in those minutes and eventually completely lost it when he unexpectedly began to reciprocate in a way she hadn't expected him to.
Oh, it had felt so damn wonderful at the time, there was no denying it, but she would still chastise herself for it mentally for quite a long while. Hitomi was startled a bit, unprepared for a sudden slowdown which caused the bus to lurch momentarily, making her sway on her feet more than anybody else.
"Sorry." She muttered under her breath as she bumped into a woman behind her, resuming a more rigid stance together with her previous thoughts. Where was she? Ah yes. The guilt. Even though it would take a long time to get over what she had felt last night, she needed to try her best.
The heartache she had suffered, no still suffered from, after the broken engagement, was so severe that she couldn't allow herself to be foolish in regards to other men. A patient no less. She had violated the rules of conduct regarding professional relationships and it made her feel terrible in addition to everything else.
Since she had still been able to catch her usual bus, she thankfully didn't have to hurry so much anymore and spared a few minutes to grab coffee and a bagel on the way down the street before she entered the Caeli clinic.
Hitomi made her way to the locker room fairly fast while chewing on pieces of plain bagel soaked by gulps of hot coffee. Somehow, the scalding, caffeinated liquid made her feel a bit better. At the very least, all her brain cells finally began to fully function properly.
Yukari was already closing her locker when Hitomi appeared beside her with a 'good morning'. Her redheaded friend was about to respond when instead, a small giggle escaped her throat.
Regarding her with a questioning look on her face, Hitomi began to fumble with her lock. "What?"
Yukari covered her mouth with one hand and motioned for Hitomi's head, flicking her hair with an index finger. "Sorry." Yukari finally answered from behind her hand, snorting quietly. "It's just this. Please don't tell me you did that on purpose because, as your best friend, I can't let you walk around with hair like that."
Hitomi raised an eyebrow when the lock clicked and the door swung open. A small mirror on the inside made the reason for her friend's reaction immediately evident.
"Drat," Hitomi exclaimed as her hand quickly slapped across the top left side of her pixie cut.
Apparently, since she had fallen asleep with wet hair in a rather awkward position on the couch, she had woken up with a very prominent cowlick. The whole front left section of her dark blonde hair was sticking up at a weird angle.
No matter how forcefully she tried to smooth it, the disobedient strands wouldn't stay down. "Just what I needed on top of everything…" Hitomi sighed.
"On top of what? Don't tell me you are having a depression phase again, please. Or is it something else?" Yukari asked inquisitively.
"Err… no, I'm okay. I promise." Hitomi lied a bit too hastily as she finally freed herself from her messenger bag and pushed the locker shut again.
There was no way she could tell Yukari. She would lose it. She knew her friend, and the previous comments she had made about Van were an additional guarantee. As much as she loved the other woman, she could get a bit intense when it came to men, especially in relation to Hitomi, which was admittedly understandable.
"The hair will just have to wait. I need to talk to Rumh. Sorry, Kari. I'll see you out there, okay?" Hitomi quickly told her friend before heading towards the break room where the wolfman was usually drinking his tea before the day began.
"Uhm. Okay." Yukari answered uselessly as Hitomi was already out the door. "Very strange." She tapped the side of her chin in thought. "I woooonder what's up. May be better if I investigate."
Yukari quietly slipped out the door and followed the bright hallway to the break room. Her rubber soles made inconspicuous squeaking sounds on the beige linoleum floor as she approached the doorway. Feigning interest in the memo board not far down from the entry, she strained her ears to listen to Hitomi's words as she addressed their older colleague.
"...please Rumh. Trade me Mrs. Finn. I feel a bit off today and it would just be a burden to Mr. Fanel if he had to deal with me being like this again." Hitomi pleaded, looking at Rumh and feeling slightly bad for having to deceive him.
Unfortunately, her thoughts had been so disorganized since the previous night's events that it was the best plan she had been able to come up with. At least, she mused, it wasn't an outright lie. She did feel off, and quite so, but he didn't need to know the intricate details.
The beastman's eyebrows wandered up so high on his forehead that his kind eyes seemed twice as large. "But Hitomi. You have been making such phenomenal progress. Mr. Fanel genuinely seems to like you. He even talks to you. What's with the sudden attitude change?" He asked her in his calm, deep voice.
"It's just. I've… worked with him before when I was not doing great and it seemed to bother him. I feel bad not being able to do my best for such a patient. Mrs. Finn is always chipper no matter what. She's been looking great too since she's almost done with therapy! I think she wouldn't even notice." Hitomi elaborated her proposal.
"But, even if we did, surely both of them would wonder why we traded." Rumh's concern wasn't unfounded. They did usually have the same appointment times. "We wouldn't want to give anybody cause to feel insulted."
Hitomi's heart sank momentarily. "He was right." Then, a simple explanation presented itself. "We'll just tell them I need more experience with rotator cuff injuries for a specialty certification in sports-related injuries." Why hadn't she thought of that before?
It wasn't even a lie. Such a certification existed but Hitomi had not yet begun pursuing it. How the elderly lady had acquired her injury during tennis lessons, Hitomi sure didn't know. The woman must have quite a swing for a senior.
"Well…" Rumh finally rubbed his chin, seemingly convinced. "Only for today though, alright? Your sudden desire to pursue a new certification without consulting Allen will raise some questions too."
"I will talk to him about it right now," Hitomi assured Rumh.
Rumh finally nodded in approval while his face relaxed back into its usual, calm state. When Hitomi gently touched his forearm in thanks and turned, he felt the cool touch of her hand seeping through his thick fur.
She was very anxious. He hadn't only been able to smell it on her, feel it due to the soft vibrations in the air caused by her irregular heartbeat, but now also knew because of her clammy hand.
Rumh wasn't daft. He was old and experienced enough to be able to tell when somebody was hiding something. However, in the case of his young coworker, he knew it couldn't be just a trivial issue. Hitomi had undergone a mentally overwhelming life experience not all that long ago and it had scarred her emotionally.
Being a gentle soul, he couldn't help but feel for her. Thanks to his own experiences, he knew it was best to never press for explanations. Usually, time would tell or the actions and reactions of others would clue towards a possible reason. Sometimes, people would seek out those who least pushed them along the road of recovery and decide to confide in them.
Just as Hitomi left the break room, Yukari walked in, successfully making it look like she had just walked down the hallway. Not that she had to pretend very much; Hitomi's mind was elsewhere when she brushed past her. After Hitomi was gone, Yukari turned her head to make sure she was out of earshot before advancing further towards Rumh.
Yukari leaned against the round table and flattened her palms on the white plastic. She regarded Rumh with a raised eyebrow before saying. "Something's wrong with her and that guy…patient…Mr. Fanel has something to do with it." She corrected herself several times, shaking her head a bit in the process.
Rumh could only nod in response before taking a sip of tea gone cold. "That's for sure, young lady. However, I would advise against interfering at the moment, or demanding to know."
Yukari pursed her lips and snorted. "Fine. I'm only taking your advice because you are darn wise and usually wind up being right about most stuff." She raised her arms in the air in a wild, helpless shrug. She really couldn't be mad at him. The man was good at life as a whole and able to prove it almost daily.
Hitomi didn't look as calm and collected as she had been weeks ago when Van saw her at the other side of the treatment room much later. Rumh guided him to his station and took his time setting up. The man had explained to Van why he was working with him today.
Some bullshit story this was. Did they think he was stupid? Obviously, this had been planned by her as a means to avoid him for the day. He couldn't blame her entirely for the ruse but had inwardly hoped that she wanted to clear up last night's events just as fast as him.
He didn't want to outright admit it, but he needed her. She had become a steady source of refreshing serenity for him even before the incident. Even though he had admittedly enjoyed her nearness like a healing balm on his wounded soul, he was loath to even consider thinking about her in such a way again.
Presently, the woman with the mesmerizing, green eyes was trying to smooth down a section of her hair that was unusually disheveled. A part of it near the front was sticking up at a wild angle. No matter how often she ran her small hand over it in attempts to tame it, it would promptly spring right back into place.
If she didn't look so distressed and if he didn't feel at least partly responsible for it, Van would have found it amusing but her facial expression was anything else but relaxed. She was clearly avoiding his gaze, sneaking hidden glances when she thought he wasn't looking.
Rumh started him on some exercises and once in between a set of leg raises, he stared at Hitomi from the position he was in, laying on his side. It was then that her eyes darted back his way and met them for a second before she immediately averted her gaze again and dragged her hand across the mess that was her hair. It was beginning to look like a nervous tick.
Hitomi's heart was beating too forcefully for comfort. Van was practically skewering her with his looks. Of course, he was. What else had she thought his reaction would be like? Clearly, they needed to talk about the elephant in the room but she just wasn't ready for it.
Embarrassment about having lost control of her actions and having been unable to stop both of them from hurting the patient-caregiver relationship kept her from facing him. She was a professional and it was highly improper to be intimately engaged with a patient, even if it had been a mistake made mutually.
If anybody ever found out, her reputation would be ruined and what was even worse, gossip would surely follow. Hitomi swallowed at the thought of possibly ending up being the one blamed for everything. After all, Van was the mentally more damaged person here, right? Few would doubt that she could have easily taken advantage of that knowledge on purpose.
It didn't help that he was impossibly attractive; it's true she couldn't deny it, even though she had firmly purported the contrary during her brief talk with Yukari a while ago. She especially couldn't deny it anymore when the memory of his warm lips immediately and impudently came back to mind right then.
Hitomi inconspicuously poked her bottom lip with the back end of her ballpoint pen in an attempt to rid herself of the persistent memory that was too fresh and nagging. A tingle on the back of her neck told her that Van had seen it. She didn't even have to wonder if the man knew what exactly she was thinking about.
A quick glance into his direction confirmed it without a doubt. His ruby eyes were so intense she was afraid the room would catch on fire any moment. How could the man ooze such a dark, captivating aura even when wearing a simple, grey shirt and black sweatpants? Turning quickly, she forced herself to concentrate more on Mrs. Finn and the number of repetitions she was at with her current exercise.
Van was positively glowering. Although having previously been a source of calm, the wolfman was now testing his nerves a great deal. He was so slow, almost giving Van the feeling that it was done to draw out the process on purpose. He was hoping they would get done in time for him to exchange a few words with Hitomi. He had never felt the urge to set something straight so desperately.
Unfortunately, the man caught Van's glance towards Hitomi and he could have sworn his pace slowed even more. The junin could not entirely fool Van since he was aware that his sister also possessed distinct traits that were sharper than a human's and more characteristic to her specific ancestral species. Many people didn't know, or perhaps didn't want to admit, that junin were vastly superior to humans in certain regards.
While the wolfman was compassionate and emanated a steady wave of calm, Merle was more alert and that also made her capable of quick changes in temper. It was a trait which caused her to appear a bit irrational if one didn't know her, but the ability to change her attitude and mood so quickly, sometimes made many situations easier for her to handle.
Hitomi ran her hand across the dumb cowlick for the umpteenth time in half an hour. It was clear that she was on edge and only part of her mind was focused on her primary task. The old lady who was her patient for the day chatted away quietly, completely oblivious to the fact that her therapist was mentally a tad preoccupied.
Meanwhile, Hitomi's eyes nervously danced back and forth between her charge and Van, hoping very much that nobody would take notice. Indeed, everybody was used to her sporadic bad days but as long as it didn't impact the quality of the treatment her patients received, she wouldn't get herself in trouble.
Mrs. Finn continued to tell Hitomi every little detail about her rotator cuff injury. The cause, symptoms, what treatments and exercise recommendations she had so far received from Rumh, and just about everything else that was causing her discomfort, completely unrelated to the shoulder issue.
"…and sometimes my hip makes this weird clicking sound when I walk up the stairs. You know? As if my bones don't fit together." The old lady complained.
Hitomi politely cleared her throat before she spoke but her voice was still hoarse from lack of sleep and use today. "Could be it's your IT band. You need to stretch it every day…" She offered the suggestion a bit absent-mindedly like she had done each time the woman came up with a new pain to bring to her attention.
Taking notes about everything while the old woman went through her routine, Hitomi was considering her next move. This was her last appointment of the day and all she needed to do was finish with enough time to quickly grab her things from the locker room and finally disappear into thin air.
"Oh, you are such a bright young woman!" Mrs. Finn gratefully smiled. "I will make sure to do that."
Clearly, she couldn't avoid him forever, Hitomi thought as she caught another one of his piercing gazes out of the corner of her eyes. She only needed more time to think about what to even do or say during their inevitable confrontation.
Finally, her patient was beginning the last exercise while it looked like Van was being reeducated about proper form on the other side, obviously having attempted to rush through his program.
If Hitomi didn't know any better, she would have thought Rumh was being intentionally slow to make sure she got done before them. Each appointment was intended to be forty minutes, but sometimes it could take longer due to the pace of the client or the need for additional explanations and demonstrations.
When Mrs. Finn finished, Hitomi checked off the rest of the boxes on her chart and immediately ushered her to the front, making sure that she wouldn't be caught up in some long conversation about health issues that were beginning to transcend the limitations of her competencies.
Hitomi heaved a massive sigh when the old lady left through the front door after having spotted her husband's car in the parking lot across the street. Putting some extra determination into her steps, she nearly speed-walked to the locker room and retrieved her things.
When Hitomi rushed past Allen's office, he was about to call her name but the swiftness in her pace made him reconsider. She had told him earlier today that Rumh and her had traded patients for the day so she could gather some experience for a specialized certificate.
Being the manager of this clinic, he would have preferred that she talk to him first but he had always had a soft spot for the woman. Right when she started working here a few years ago and his father was still running the place, he had thought about asking her out.
His father had warned him, however, about possible future consequences. He was to be the owner one day and it would surely put a strain on their professional relationship if things didn't work out. It was a shame really.
She was beautiful, ambitious, and well mannered. Perfect girlfriend and future wife material. Alas, fate had put them in different places. It had taken a while for Allen to accept it, but by now he had mostly made his peace with it.
He had taken a step back without ever having made a step forward. It had been hard to watch from the sidelines when Hitomi and a long-time friend got engaged only to see her heart being ripped to shreds. It took all he had back then to not try and be her romantic knight in shining armor as if their lives were some sort of dramatic TV show.
Instead, he did what was possible while staying within the boundaries of his position. He remained what she needed him to be here; an understanding but fair leader and employer. Sighing, he leaned back in his office chair, gaze still zoned out on the white wall.
When a slightly distressed Van emerged from the treatment room, determined to catch up with Hitomi, he encountered an unexpected roadblock. The blonde manager of the clinic suddenly appeared in the doorway of his office and called his name.
Slightly irritated, Van turned on the heel of his boots and faced him. He still wasn't sure what to make of the long-haired man. He seemed a bit stiff and too proper but overall there wasn't anything that could give Van reason to outright dislike the guy.
They were complete opposites. The blond man kept his hair long and he was always in a freshly-ironed pair of slacks and collared shirt; white today.
One of Allen's hands was raised, motioning for Van to wait a moment. Worst. Timing. Ever. Now there was a reason to at least dislike him momentarily. Van's eyes nervously darted towards the door, pondering how far Hitomi had already gone. He imagined she could probably disappear pretty fast if she wanted. Why was nothing working out in his favor today?
"Would you mind waiting a moment? I have something for you." Allen asked of him while unlocking a small storage chamber next to his office, entering and rummaging around the inside.
"Sure…" Van muttered absentmindedly while, in his head, he was already out the door in pursuit of his target. The events in his imagination were abruptly interrupted by a rather dramatic record scratch freeze frame when Allen appeared again from inside the small storage chamber and proudly thrust a cane into his hands.
Van could only stare at the thing, one eye slightly twitching as he beheld it while Allen beamed at him. "Hitomi told me you misplaced your cane. Luckily we have a small stock of medical devices for patients in need. I made sure to pick the best we had."
Inspecting the item slack-jawed, Van still was at a loss for what to respond. The thing was silver aluminum, with an ergonomic handle and a large quad base. The sort of cane many old folks preferred.
"Isn't it great? It's called a hurry-cane. If you don't need it or have to use both hands to do something, you can simply set it down and it won't fall over due to its wide quad base." Allen continued his raving review of the thing.
Van couldn't bring himself to wrap his hand around the ergonomic plastic handle so he lowered his arm, still gripping it around the middle. "Thanks...," he muttered lamely, regarding Allen for a moment to see if this perhaps was a stupid joke after all.
Allen nodded his head eagerly, raising one hand as if intending to place it on Van's shoulder but then changed his mind when Van glared at him dangerously. Clapping his hands together instead, Allen said "Well, I don't want to keep you any longer. I'm sure you have things to do, Mr. Fanel."
The blonde man appeared to be intimidated by Van despite his own height, or perhaps just treading carefully due to Van's behavioral track record. Either way, it caused him to keep his distance so whatever it was, Van was pleased. Allen was a good head taller than him but very slender and long-limbed. A bit too manicured overall for a guy. He obviously valued his appearance very much.
Van simply nodded in response and turned to leave without another thought about it while Allen disappeared into his office again. On the way to the front, a swoosh of air caused him to jump a bit and turn his head to check who had passed him so swiftly. It was the red-haired therapist, a close friend of Hitomi's from what he had gathered so far.
With another glance towards the glass door in front of him, he decided that it was probably too late now to catch Hitomi anyway, also considering that he wouldn't know whether to go left or right down the sidewalk. Fine. Making a drastic and unplanned decision, he steered into the hallway that forked off on the left side of the lobby.
Passing the records office at the front, Van followed the redhead, all the while racking his brain about what to even say. His quiet and foul attitude had conditioned most people here to steer clear of him. Normally, that's what he preferred but right now he needed some information.
Mr. Mole raised a bushy eyebrow when an unfamiliar sounding set of feet passed his office. Nobody who worked here sounded like this, he knew that for sure. After all, he had been listening to Rumh's slow-paced wandering, Yukari's irregular tap tapping, and Hitomi's quiet, measured steps for years.
Upon raising his head, Mr. Mole was just able to make out why one of the person's steps was a bit too heavy sounding. The patient with the mechanical leg still had a slight limp although weeks of therapy had already improved it. A wisp of jet black hair was the last thing he saw when the young man already disappeared on the other side of the doorframe.
Wiping a hand across his head and straightening his comb-over in the process, Mr. Mole leaned back in his chair. Even if Hitomi didn't want to know, he certainly was becoming very curious about this man. Perhaps, it was time to dig a bit.
When Hitomi's patient suddenly appeared in the small office, Yukari almost choked on the bite of croissant halfway down her throat. Coughing loudly, she finally managed to force it down the rest of the way and could only stare at the man who had so quietly snuck up on her.
Okay, maybe not that quietly. He hadn't exactly tried to silence the steps which had heralded his approach, Yukari just hadn't expected it to be him. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Can I help you?" Regarding him with wide eyes, she could only stare at the man's distractingly handsome features. What in the world did he want here?
The man actually seemed a bit lost now standing there, awkwardly clutching one of those dorky looking hurry-canes Allen liked so much and looking like he was still thinking about what to say to her. His garnet eyes didn't meet hers. They were hidden behind a layer of wild bangs, slowly scanning the top of her and Hitomi's office desks which were pushed together front to front to form a collaborative work setting.
"Are you okay Mr. Fanel?" Yukari narrowed her eyes a bit, scrutinizing him when he still didn't give her an answer.
He nodded his head, finally looking her in the eyes. "Is Ms. Kanzaki well? I wanted to speak to her but she left before my appointment was over." Lame. So lame.
Yukari's eyebrows arched when he asked the question. Was he really, actually talking to her? In complete sentences no less? It suddenly felt very hot in the room. Why was he asking her this anyway?
Swallowing thickly, Yukari slowly rose from her chair and walked over to the office door, closing it in case somebody was near enough to overhear anything. She leaned against the wooden surface which caused Van to take a step back. It made him uneasy to be trapped in here with her, the only means of escape blocked.
"Why do you ask?" Yukari demanded, now a bit braver and crossing her arms in front of her chest. Certainly, the question was odd and it was highly unprofessional of her to even entertain the idea of talking about anything so personal, but she was curious to find out more.
The man shrugged and a muscle in his tense jaw popped. It appeared that he hadn't thought this through at all. Something Yukari could use to her advantage.
"I'm sure you understand that I can't talk about a colleague's private matters with you," Yukari told him with a frown.
"Right. Forget it." He muttered and took a step towards her, reaching for the door handle in a desperate attempt to abort the mission. "Excuse me."
Yukari, however, didn't budge. He was fairly close to her, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off his broad chest and to see the day-old wounds on his face she had at first assumed were caused by a fall. Surely, there wasn't a connection between his injuries and Hitomi's strange behavior?
"Not so fast," Yukari said firmly, attempting to ignore the fact that this intimidating man was far too close for comfort. He loomed in the room like a thick cloud, about ready to unleash a thunderstorm but worry about her friend made the redhead bold.
The hand he had placed on the door handle fell back to his side and he regarded her with an annoyed glare when she didn't let him escape. Too bad. He chose to come here unprepared and now Yukari was in charge.
"Did something happen with you and Hitomi?" She asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Her accusation startled him so much he took a step back again and finally Yukari was able to breathe more easily. She briefly remembered her conversation with Rumh earlier that day. Rumh had advised her not to pester Hitomi, not to demand an explanation but he hadn't said anything about interrogating this guy. What a convenient loophole.
The man's black hair now hid a good portion of his face, making it impossible for Yukari to look into his eyes and gauge the reaction better but there was no need. His body language spoke volumes when he forcedly answered her question.
"…no." He grumbled towards the floor. Considering the emotionless stares and mysterious behavior he had so far exhibited, he surely was a bad liar. Maybe that's why he so rarely spoke.
Realizing that she had struck a nerve, Yukari asked a ballsy question. "Did you do something to hurt her?"
That caused him to whip his head around and face her again. The expression in his eyes wasn't one of anger but one of stubbornness, guilt and shock. How completely weird. "No…" He growled, his voice wavering a bit as if unsure about the answer.
It's all Yukari needed to know. Suspicions confirmed, her chest swelled with determination as she took a step towards him and poked her index finger right between his prominent pectorals, nearly drilling into his sternum. "I don't know what you want from Hitomi, but don't you dare mess with her!"
Policies and code of conduct completely forgotten for the moment, Yukari's protective tendencies were in full play. "She has enough trouble dealing with other issues and definitely doesn't need you to be on her mind!"
Van was at a loss for what to say. The redhead's cautious behavior had suddenly changed completely. She was more feisty and protective of Hitomi than he had anticipated. "What do you even want from her?" She now demanded to know.
"I… I…" Van stuttered, inwardly floundering like a madman while thinking of a way to get himself out of this mess. What did he want? Why did he care so much?
"I don't want anything! Forget I asked." He hissed when his temper finally swept in for the rescue. Van executed a more gracious sidestep than he had thought himself capable of and slipped past the woman, arm swinging towards the door and diving for the only way out.
Yukari blinked once, twice, stunned by his rash reaction. It took a minute before her brain reconnected with her limbs and allowed her to rush after the man, intending to somewhat apologize for her rude behavior and accusations.
When she reached the lobby, however, he was already gone. The only thing left on the polished linoleum floor, a silver cane sitting idly and quite lonely looking on its large quad base.
Tbc…
A/N: Thanks for sticking around! Glad everybody still seems to like the story. I can't help sometimes adding little details that go on a bit of a tangent but won't really come up in the story again. That includes characters and backstories. I will try to add Chid again later on since he is apparently a fave. I hadn't planned on it originally but there may be a good opportunity again.
By the way, I have been helping Maybe89 with her translation of 'Complete Silence' which now is posted as 'Divided Soul' in English. It's an AU V/H and she has been using elements from both the Anime and the Movie. If you are inclined, please venture over and enjoy. Currently, 10 chapters are out in German but it takes a moment for her to translate and then for me to edit it. At 10 Chapters, it's far from finished so there should be much more to come.
