Disclaimer: K-On! belongs to its respective owners.
A/N: This is the beta'ed version! There are changes, but hopefully, you guys can enjoy it better now ;D. Big thanks to RPPuzzle for betaing!
One-second Interlude
Chapter 6.
The small door opened with a loud creak that was very unexpected judging by its size. Mio cringed at the loud noise it made as she entered the room; her grand entrance had successfully taken all the attention of the people inside it.
"Ah, early as always Akiyama-san," the familiar doctor, Mizushima Akiko-sensei, smiled at her old patient and warmly "Please, sit down" the doctor motioned to the chair in front of her desk.
Mio only let out a smile as she sat down on the offered chair, not exactly knowing how to reply to the doctor's first statement.
'I'm early because one of my students drove me here at 220 km/hour?'
No, that would be too much trouble. A smile was all it was worth, the math teacher thought, as she eyed Mizushima-sensei, who was reading the sheets of paper a passing nurse gave her. She knew it was procedure, and that she'd done this several times before, but this part of a doctor's appointments was one of the most nerve-wracking of the entire session. Mio couldn't help but fidget as the air filled with suspense on what Mizushima-sensei would be doing to her today.
That sounded so wrong.
The math teacher let out a sigh.
"So," the brown-haired doctor asked as she shuffled and set down the heaps of paper down "what is the problem today?"
"It's…an old problem," Mio couldn't help but feel a bit pissed that she had to explain it all over again when she had told a nurse several days ago when she made the appointment "about…you know."
The doctor seemed to catch onto her words and immediately told her to lie on the…operating table? She didn't really know what it's called and didn't really care. After placing her bag on her chair, she took off her shoes before lying down on the less than comfortable mat upon the table. The mat sagged in complaint and Mio had a sudden urge to go home and start dieting.
Mizushima-sensei then came forward with both hands wrapped in sterile rubber gloves and brought several with her on a metal plate. Mio didn't really get a clear look at them, but she thought she saw balls of cotton and a bottle of alcohol, the smell of which never failed to make her nervous.
The doctor saw her tense and let out a small laugh "I thought you'd get used to it by now."
"To be frank, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing my own blood."
"Then don't look." she said teasingly. Mizushima-sensei knew that the younger girl would always unfailingly manage to take a peek at the treatment and pass out immediately afterwards. It created a panic the first few times she was here, but as time went by, it became a habit and Mizushima-sensei learned to laugh it off. Only the doctor though—Mio wouldn't stop looking mortified when being told she fainted, again, for the umpteenth time after treatment.
Without being told to, the math teacher pulled up her purple shirt until it was just above her chest, breathing deeply all the while. She felt the doctor's hands trace around the one thing that was troubling her, and she winced in pain, causing the doctor to frown. The plaster on the abdomenal area was opened slowly, and Mizushima-sensei's eyes widened. "It's bleeding."
Mio could only nod weakly in response as the doctor began to dab the wound with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol. She hissed at the slight pain, even though the alcohol cooled it down a bit. "When did it start bleeding?"
"A few weeks ago. I thought it would stop after a while," Mio took another deep breath "but it never did. It bleeds like crazy whenever I changed the bandage."
The cotton was replaced, this one soaked with more alcohol "And the plaster?"
"Just changed it this morning. It took a while to clean up the blood." The math teacher's face paled as she remembered the event. She suppressed a shiver at the memory.
The doctor let out a small smile and turned around to address the attending nurse, "We have to bandage it, and this time the bandage will be on for a while." Mizushima-sensei turned back to her pale patient with new cottons, "For now, we'll use the cottons to drain out the dirty blood and close it with bandage once the blood thins enough."
Mio tried to keep her expression under control as the doctor treated the wound. She failed.
"But this is very strange," the doctor said several moments later when she had finished bandaging up her patient's middle. Said patient was now sitting quietly across from her with a slightly pale face yet listening to her every word intently, "Wounds like this shouldn't be bleeding after it becomes a scar."
Mio could only give a faint shrug in reply as she nursed the coffee the doctor had given her after she woke up. Yes, the math teacher had fainted during treatment once again.
She could feel her doctor's eyes quietly scrutinizing her, and Mio felt it was best to stay quiet and pretend as though she didn't notice. She wouldn't want to faint again so soon after she'd woken up, and the expression on the doctor's face right now looked as though she was thinking about how to break a bad news to her, the ever fragile girl she was.
Mio decided to take the plunge—the suspense was killing her. "You know the reason, right?"
"It's psychological."
She almost lost her grip on her Styrofoam cup. "Excuse me?"
"The most possible reason is psychological." the doctor leaned back on her more comfortable chair to lessen the tension of the revelation. "We have seen all kinds of wounds that would re-open after closing, and that mostly applies to post-operation wounds. Yours, however, was not from an operation and left a scar, which is a new layer of skin upon a deep wound. And yet this wound kept bleeding at certain times, and stopped randomly on different intervals. The last time it bled was a year ago, right?"
Mio nodded silently, she was almost afraid to ask, "And…?"
"There's a probability that this wound is linked psychologically to you, or in other words, to your trauma."
The clammy hands upon the cup tightened, and Mizushima-sensei's tone became gentler when she saw the gesture.
"I can help you set an appointment for therapy. Not about the wound, but about…" she trailed off hesitantly, but Mio knew clearly what she meant.
It all came flooding back—the ghosts of touches that lingered on her body. The violent grips. The shackles that bound her wrist…and that cold hand that gripped her heart.
The familiar, overwhelming fear.
Her lungs tightened and she could almost see it again, in front of her.
As though she was pulled back to the past without her consent.
"Mio-chan!"
Mizushima-sensei's voice snapped her out of the trance, and Mio found herself blinking rapidly at concerned pair of brown eyes.
"Y-yes?"
"Ah, about the therapy…" The doctor forgot to be professional and had fallen back to an old habit which she had abandoned once Mio had reached her twenties. That moment just now where Mio almost lost it was enough to awaken her motherly instinct towards this patient who she had known since she was small.
The math teacher gave a small cough to clear her mind and to give time to recollect herself.
"I-I have to refuse. I'm quite busy this year, as I was given the task to teach high school seniors," she was rambling and the woman across from her knows it. Mio took a deep shuddering breath, "And…I wanted to get through this on my own. Please."
Mizushima-sensei was torn between exasperation and understanding. She understood, because if she was in Mio's position she might feel the same, and yet exasperated at how stubborn her patient was. Shaking her head, the doctor let out a defeated sigh.
"It's your choice. You just go out there, and do your best, and I'll be here to take care of the rest."
There was nothing left to do, so Mio let out a smile as she stood up to leave. They exchanged thanks and Mizushima-sensei made her promise she'd call earlier next time if anything like this happened and not wait until weeks after.
Well, hopefully this won't happen again.
Something came to mind when she almost went out the door, "Sensei?" she doubled back to the doctor, who was halfway done re-arranging her desk. She was met with raised eyebrows and continued.
"How do you…get over a trauma, exactly?"
The older woman had a thoughtful look on her face and tapped her nose accordingly.
"Well…I don't know for sure...but I think…you have to move forward to get over them."
Mio frowned, "…Move forward?" her obsidian eyes looked questioningly at her doctor, who stared straightly back at her.
"Move forward."
Mizushima-sensei's eyes were telling her to do something. Problem was…Mio had absolutely no idea what.
The doctor was the first to break eye contact as she let out a small laugh and broke the tension.
"Well…you're still young, so it might be easier."
Huh?
"Good day, Akiyama-san."
A dismissive tone and a mysterious smile. As expected of a doctor to leave the patient with a cryptic advice that said patient would have a hell of a time trying to understand. But Mizushima-sensei had done so many things for her that was even out of her way as a doctor. She had trusted Mio to take care of herself after that incident when no one else would and had kindly let her off what would have been a month's worth of hospitalization.
Mizushima-sensei trusted her and it would be almost insulting if Mio would not do the same. Since there was nothing left to do, Mio bid the doctor farewell and shut the small white door with a snap.
~888~
Hospitals were one of the places Mio didn't really enjoy visiting, but today's visit was out of necessity, so she had to bear it. Holding in her breath so the strong waft of alcohol didn't reach her nose, the math teacher weaved in through the crowd expertly. With her eyes set on the hospital entrance, her mind was focused solely on getting out of this place as quickly as she could.
Her middle flexed uncomfortably with every step she took, reminding Mio of the wound that never heals.
The scar.
The permanent chain that tied her to the past.
Her heart wrenched as she remembered.
Her hands immediately turned cold and clammy.
This…was why she didn't like hospitals.
Her footsteps quickened as she rushed towards the entrance.
She had to get out…now!
The musky hot breath caressing uncomfortably on her neck.
The suffocating hold around her wrists.
The uncomfortable weight settling down upon her middle.
"You are mine forever, Mio…You'll never-"
"Wait!"
Mio's heart shot up to her throat when she felt a hand grabbed hold of her wrist. Her mind spun, her pulse quickened, and she felt her blood run cold as her memories broke free from its floodgates.
She acted on reflex.
SLAP!
The slap rang out like a gunshot inside the wide hospital lobby. All movements seemed to stop and the hubbub ceased immediately as all eyes turned towards the two.
Time seemed to slow down as Mio took in the sight in front of her. Obsidian eyes widened as she saw a familiar brunette, eyes wide with shock at seeing the girl's left cheek starting to bruise from the slap.
"Holy shit!" Tainaka Ritsu took a step back in shock as a hand rose up to baby her stinging cheek. That small action pulled Mio back from her thoughts and a gasp escaped her mouth when reality sunk in.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" The math teacher quickly said, watching in horror as her student stared at her wide eyed "I'm sorry! I—my hand moved on its own…!"
Ritsu raised a hand to halt the barrage of apologies, "Its fine…I probably deserve it anyway, for scaring you." She saw that her teacher looked a bit spooked and pale, and that's why she came over to ask what's wrong…and that ended up with her getting slapped good.
Owwie…
Mio was still looking stricken and the onlookers were not helping. She quickly grabbed the sleeve of Ritsu's suit and pulled her outside the lobby, so that they were standing by the steps leading to the parking lot. The cars' engines would drown out their conversation.
"I'm sorry, again," she said genuinely, "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do for you?" A slap didn't leave any lasting damage right? It won't—it won't tear skin or gums or something…right? Paranoid thoughts started to whirl inside her mind, just like always when she panicked.
Ritsu was looking thoughtful for a moment, as she rubbed her still-stinging cheek.
Yes, it was that hard when her teacher slapped her.
And the anxiety of waiting for Ritsu's reply was killing Mio softly.
"…Well, how about a date," the brunette asked, "to compensate for this injustice…?" a finger pointed at her bruised cheek.
The math teacher had to blink at that, afraid that she was hearing things.
"….Excuse me, but…come again?"
The drummer sighed, "You and me. One date and I call this even. Deal?" Amber eyes looked very hopeful for some reason that Mio did not know. This suggestion was as mad as suggesting that Mio teach her 3-2 class clad only in a swimsuit for an entire month!
She could not help but let her jaw drop and stare long and hard, her mind trying to process what she had heard correctly, and how to respond to it without having her voice croak out mid-sentence. It's amazing how this teenage girl could ruffle her feathers sometimes.
"Tainaka-san…that's….very…bold of you," she began with a sigh "but no, anything but that."
A date date with one of her student? A girl nonetheless! Well, not that she had any problem with the last part but…
Ritsu had this shocked look on her face that would make people think that Mio slapped her again in the same spot for the second time.
Yes, she was that shocked.
No one had ever refused to go on a date with her.
Never!
This was hurting her pride...amongst other things.
"What! Why?" came the persistent questioning from the stubborn brunette. She was never one to give up, even when things looked bleak to her—especially on girl problems. Ritsu won't lose without a fight in this battle to acquire a date with the charming Akiyama-sensei!
Mio's eyes shifted around, trying not to look into the burning gaze of her student.
"Just, because!" the teacher replied back. Well that was not much of an explanation there, but it was the best she could do with this pressure.
"Care to elaborate?"
"I'm a girl— "
"I don't care."
"—and I'm your teacher!"
"Again, don't care. One date?"
"No!"
The Math teacher massaged the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She was so mentally exhausted from arguing with this persistent girl that she didn't even notice that passersby's were either giving them amused looks or thumbs up at a certain brunette. Their argument had gone public since minutes ago, to Mio's obliviousness.
Ritsu tried her luck once more, clearing out her throat this time.
"Is it because you're too old for me?"
An eyebrow twitched from the older woman, "I'm only 22."
"Then you have a boyfriend— "
"I'm single— "
Ritsu blinked and scratched her head, "Are you gay then?"
"I'm bi!" Mio almost squealed in rebuttal.
"Why do I feel like I've held this conversation before?" It's as though Ritsu has had this conversation with someone before…but where and with whom…?
Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought, but her thought was broken by her teacher who raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
A sigh and a wave of the hand from the shorter girl, "No, no, nothing. Anyway, please?" And the drummer had finally resorted to begging.
No, it's not that she's desperate for a human companion…it's just that…she had seen her teacher's face earlier when she left the doctor's office. A troubled face that just screamed out at her, as though asking for help. What could Ritsu do about it other than act on her instinct? She was never one to wait anyway.
But the first thing that had come to her once she got close to the older woman was to grab said woman's wrist and be mistaken for a pervert. And even though she was slapped and yelled at for something she didn't do, Ritsu just couldn't and wouldn't let her teacher leave just like that right now. This date could help her with whatever she's feeling, and well, that's pretty much why Ritsu was persistent about this.
If only Mio could read minds, she would have understood her student's intention clearly. But alas, she couldn't and all that she had in her mind was utter confusion at how persistent her student was.
"…No, I can't." Not only because this girl was a student, Mio was just not ready for things like this yet. No matter what shape or form, her heart just wouldn't let her.
"Tainaka-san, I'm sorry…but no, I have to refuse."
And as though she was trying to end the conversation between them, the math teacher waved down a cab. She quickly got into the car before Ritsu could think of a comeback and left without another word or explanation to her student.
The drummer was left behind, dumbfounded and confused.
'What are you running away from…?'
Anyway, I posted some of my drabbles and the unbeta'ed versions of my story updates on my blog. So if any of you guys want to pester me to update sooner, come check it out. Thanks again!