Envie De Voyager

Old Evanescence First Chapter Drafts #1

"Excellent progress, Kurogane. Keep that up, and you might be discharged from the hospital early, just in time for the beginning of the school year. Or you might just buy yourself a ticket for two additional months in here. Don't overwork yourself, you dolt, it will only worsen your muscle condition."

I have known it for months now, but I feel that I have not mentally stated it nearly enough times as it warrants. Hiyami Tasuke is the single most caustic nurse in Japan, if not in the world. I have never witnessed a conversation without him making a sarcastic or witty comment, and his continued employment as a nurse is still an unsolved mystery. Frankly, he should be fired by now for this kind of behaviour, as he speaks this way regardless of the other person's status.

"I am trying to make leaps of progress. I was on a wheelchair for the last few months of school, I ought to be in jogging condition before I get back to the classroom. I want to be able to move around freely by that time."

"Oh you will be in jogging condition, alright. Just not any time within this season. So take a damn break and sit down for a while, before either one of us tears apart a teenager's calf muscles into several muscle fibres. I have to hand these to the Blond."

"Try not to insult his stereotypical doctor get up again. He seemed quite offended the last time, when you told him that the stethoscope hanging from the neck made him look like he was not sure of his specialisation."

"I'd give you a suggestion as well, but you probably won't heed it unless you feel like actually taking care of yourself. And when was the last time you did? I can't seem to remember. But in all seriousness, sit and refrain from moving your limbs. And I mean both the arms and legs. You arms aren't non-spaghetti yet."

It was all an uncanny coincidence; the hospital's most sarcastic patient paired with its most sarcastic nurse. A match made in Hell indeed, but with the both of us in heated competition, improvements have come unknowingly. While initially rebellious to his orders, I soon found myself following most of them. On the other hand, Tasuke did only what the doctors said I needed for the first month, but eventually deviated from them, as we found progress to be far too slow for either of our tastes. Born from this was cooperation that harbours both mutual respect and disrespect. Something I never thought I would have with the twenty four-year old nurse who flunked Medical school for criticising the institution; something I was not even aware could really exist.

Despite all the orders against me being left unattended, the brunet left me alone in one of the hospital's lawns. After a moment spent trying to recall the usual schedule of the Blond Doctor, I came to the comfy conclusion that Tasuke would be leaving me with near-complete freedom for a solid thirty minutes. If this was any normal day, then this would have been another boring break for me. But I could not help but smile once I saw the clock hit twelve noon; I had tried to move my normal routine to fit the day and time.

Right on cue, the glass doors slid open, and two figures emerged.

"Great-Grandpa! Great-Grandpa! Come on!"

"Coming, Shishimaru! I'm not as young as I used to be, so wait a while!"

Right on schedule. Finally, something to do.

First to appear in my vision was a boy with pinkish hair, no older than seven. In his hands was a soccer ball, the familiar black-and-white pulling on my heartstrings like certain scenes in the movie 'Kimi no Nawa.' Following behind him was an elderly man, who seemed to be in decently good shape for someone of his age—you could mistake him for a fifty-year old, if his forehead did not show numerous folds. I was not particularly curious about the boy, but the old man was a familiar face, and one that I both respected and idolised.