the girl with the violet eyes [ maki x rin ] [ love live! school idol project ]

doctor, doctor

That cold November morning was the one that changed everything for good.

I remember the wintry dawn light that settled into the room around me; the snowfall's pace hastening outside. The day the moving trucks came was greeted by fresh snow and particularly dark clouds, like those you would see just before a storm. Peering out the window, I noticed a figure stirring in the passenger seat of the truck. The door swung open with ease. Caked-on snow fell from the door as a black booted foot emerged from the inside of the truck, and my new neighbor was almost in view.

I practically vaulted through the ceiling when a hand suddenly gripped my shoulder. I spun around to see my attacker, but relaxed to the sight of my mother. She stood with her lips spread into a grin and those loving eyes focused on mine. How didn't I hear her come in?"

"I'm sorry to scare you, dear," she spoke, "but I'm going outside to meet the new neighbors. Are you feeling well enough to come?"

A sharp claw of pain scraped up my neck and wrapped itself around my head. A blurry filter momentarily fell over my eyesight, and I tenderly shook my head. "I think I'll stay here."

"Alright, but don't sleep too late. We have to go to the doctor today," my mother chimed, her voice receding until it was outside of the room and I heard the door ease shut behind it. Damn. That's right, I thought. The doctor. Groaning as I rolled over, I let my head fall back into the pillow. How didn't I remember this? My mother had made that appointment with Dr. Nakamura just days before, but my delirium must have clouded my memory. The blank ceiling above me began to swirl with darkness as a dark vignette once again entered my periphery, and I knew it was time for sleep once again.

»»-------------¤-------------««

I opened my eyes to a snow-capped countryside and the hum of a car engine rattling my bones. How long had I been asleep? I turned my head slightly to see my mother with her hands placed on the steering wheel, seemingly unaware that I had awoken. I squinted against the light reflecting off the snow around me. "Mom?" I inquired with eyes half open.

Every muscle in her body tensed almost instantly, and the car swerved ever so slightly. She briefly turned her head to face me. "R-Rin, you startled me," she chuckled, nervousness lacing her voice. "How are you feeling?"

I pushed her question aside, having more urgent conversational topics in mind. "How long was I out?"

She let her shoulders drop and tilted her head as though she was in thought. "A couple hours, maybe. I didn't want to wake you so soon. The doctor said you needed sleep," she explained, "so I just put you in the car."

How hadn't I woken up? What struck me as even stranger was how I had slept soundly. Where were the nightmares?

"How long 'til we get to the hospital?"

"Oh, not too long."

Our time with Dr. Nakamura was somewhat uneventful. He once again brought out all sorts of tools that reminded me vaguely of medieval torture devices, and he performed every test in the book using them. He recommended us a physical trainer to get me back on track with sports, and everything was normal until I described my pain levels.

"It's like someone is stabbing me in the back of the head," I explained, raising a hand to rub my aching skull. The muscles in my neck felt stiff as boards. It was almost as though they weren't healing at all. "It feels like I've got ten pound weights around my neck, doc."

Concern swept his face. Nakamura tilted his head just as my mother had done in the car, as though he was deep in pondering. His expression twisted, and he reached for a notepad. He neatly wrote the prescription and ripped it off of the pad in one swift motion, handing the paper to my mother.