Chapter Text
Mizuki’s brows furrow, “I’m real pissed at you, y’know”
Mafuyu shifts slightly in the uncomfortable bed, the light blue gown uncomfortable.
“They should really replace these with something more comfy”
“Mafuyu, that's not relevant right now!” Mizuki exclaims, pouting almost comically. She steps closer to the bed, her glare staring daggers into Mafuyu’s stony expression. She pauses for a second, her intensity broken by the sheer lack of effect it seems to have caused.
“Salicylate Poisoning” she sighs, backing up from the hospital bed, ”How much aspirin did you have to overdose that badly?”
Mafuyu shifts, still not meeting Mizuki in the eyes and continuing to stare off into the unsettlingly white walls of the room.
“It wasn’t that bad. I’m up now, I'll just get back to work” She says as she sits up in the bed and reaches for her lab coat carefully placed on the table next to her. Just as she manages to find the great effort to sling it over her shoulder, Mizuki stops her.
“Mafuyu!” Mizuki exclaims, her hand reaching out to grab Mafuyu’s arm gently, “You can’t be serious! You collapsed in a pile of your own vomit in the middle of the hospital! You need to rest!”
Mafuyu’s brows furrow slightly, barely noticeable.
“Ah, I see. How… unfortunate you had to see that.”
Her voice is cold, tired.
Mizuki can only look at the purple haired girl, her eyes softening. With a sharp inhale and renewed determination, she grabs Mafuyu’s face pulling her tightly closer. Mafuyu’s cheeks blushes uncharacteristically as their faces are suddenly mere inches apart.
“Mafuyu. You’re a dear friend to me, okay. You know if you have ANY worries, ANY worries at all you can tell me right? I’m worried for you okay. Miku and the others too y’know!”
Mafuyu gently pushes off her friend’s hands. Her cheeks stung.
“Just… Just take it easy today, okay?” Mizuki adds, concerned,”Kaito arranged a room without any people, so… I guess just don’t strain yourself okay.”
She pauses a second, twiddling with her hair.
“I’ve got to go now, but please try to not move too much. Okay?"
—------
As Mizuki left the room, the doctor was left alone in the empty room with her own thoughts.
Sitting up from the bed, her vision was spinning and her stomach churned painfully as she hobbled over to the window.
Staring out at the suburban landscape, Mafuyu felt at ease.
It was quiet, peaceful even.
It helped distract her from the painful throbbing in her head.
But it didn’t seem to be enough.
Mafuyu made her way to the door, slowly and trying to ignore the sharp pain.
If anything, Mafuyu was even more grateful for the empty room because it allowed her to slip out much more easily.
Making her way down the near silent corridors, she finally reached the lounge. The ringing in her ears was getting louder now, ever so slightly as she approached the assortment of chairs.
But, every step she got closer, a gentle hum seemed to get louder; seeping through the sharp ringing in her ears like a sweet ambrosia.
The melody was beautiful and devastating, a perfect mixture of sadness and longing that made her heart ache in response.
The light tune seemed to bring a sense of nostalgia for Mafuyu, reminding her of what could’ve been.
Even now, she could never get rid of music from her life fully, a lingering remnant always present. Often, she would write songs for her friend and colleague Miku. She thought the heterochromic paediatrician had a nice voice, and she knew Miku appreciated the compositions. Miku would often be caught singing her songs, both to the kids she worked with and often to Mafuyu herself. She wouldn’t admit it, but the doctor would find it quite soothing, saying nothing and listening to her friend sing these melancholic songs.
But the hum sounded nothing like Miku, it was much more breathy, soft and airy. It sounded almost like a whisper, a faint trace.
As the tune continued, Mafuyu could feel her head clearing; the tightness in her chest started to loosen.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I being too loud?”
The tune stopped.
“I didn’t think anyone else was in here, sorry”
Mafuyu looked over to the white haired figure sat down on a chair in front of her. She looked tired, fragile, and far too thin. In her lap, rested an old hospital clipboard, which she was writing down notation onto.
Mafuyu just stood there, looking down at the frail girl- seemingly a little bit younger than her.
She shifts her expression into a polite smile, almost dazzling.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I guess I was just attracted to your song. It just… mesmerised me”
The white haired girl blushes deeply. “Oh… Umm.. Thank you for your thoughts.” She says, all flustered. She continues:
“So… what are you here for?”
“I uh…Overdosed on aspirin. I should be back to work soon though, my co-workers are just being overly protective" She says with a polite chuckle, “You?”
“Oh… uh… I uh… It’s complicated”
“Oh.. okay.” Mafuyu says, not judging, ”That song…?”
“I wrote it myself… yeah…” The shorter girl blushes even deeper as she replies with an awkward chuckle “It’s embarrassing to admit though”
“Can I sit here?” The purple haired doctor gestures to a seat. The other woman nods gently, and Mafuyu sits down.
They sit in awkward silence for a few seconds before Mafuyu speaks up again.
“Can you sing some more?”
She asked, hesitantly. Her gaze doesn’t meet the other girl, she doesn’t even turn her head as she stares at the wall.
As surprised as the singer is, she can feel the unspoken determination in the other girl’s voice.
She replies faintly,
“Okay”
The two sit there for a bit, lost in the music as the girl’s song continues.
Time seems to stand still as the two sit there, and the sweet humming continues.
After what feels like hours and seconds all at once, the humming stops with a jolt as another patient walks into the otherwise empty lounge- sitting down at an opposite corner.
Mafuyu and her new acquaintance share a silent understanding that this time is now up.
But just as Mafuyu sits up to leave, she feels an arm reach for her hospital gown- grabbing it.
“I’m Kanade. Uhh… What’s…”
She smiles slightly before replying. It’s soft with a deep feeling of sadness behind her eyes,
“Mafuyu”
As Mafuyu leaves, Kanade gets ready to go back to her room. She can’t help but remember the woman, the subtle dedication in her voice, the interest in her music,
how pretty she was when she smiled…
Kanade can feel the heat rush to her cheeks as she covers her bright red mess of a face with her hands.
What is she thinking?
She’ll probably never see this girl again, she doesn’t even know if she’s going to be in the hospital long.
Kanade lets out a groan, causing the other patient who just walked in to look up at her with a nasty side eye.
“Sorry”, she quickly blurts out.
Even when she’s back at her room, staring into the white ceiling, Kanade can’t seem to shake that interaction. She recounted the subtle longing in Mafuyu’s voice when she asked to continue humming, her pretty violet hair and her soft smile.
Kanade could feel the blood rushing to her head again.
But most importantly, she felt a deep feeling of belonging. She had almost forgotten a time when her music meant something to people, forgotten the time she wasn’t dedicated to perfection. But back there, with Mafuyu, she finally was engrossed in the process and the time she spent with her.
It reminded her of the hope she had before she failed her father.
Kanade felt herself closing her eyes, falling asleep as she thought of the interaction.
—------
Today, Kanade was being introduced to her doctor, who was apparently on sick leave the day before. Nurse Kagamine had gone out of his way to assure her she was nice, so at least there’s that to calm her nerves.
Kanade chuckles to herself slightly.
But she knows deep down that she doesn’t deserve this treatment. She didn’t deserve how nice the staff were to her, she didn’t deserve to be treated with that level of respect.
“Ms Yoisaki?” a voice calls out, footsteps getting closer to the bed where Kanade was residing.
“I’ll be your new doctor”
Kanade stares off to the wall.
It’s her fault she’s in this situation.
She doesn’t deserve someone to look after her.
If anything she deserves to di-
The doctor puts her clipboard down, finally seeing the recognisable white hair.
“Kanade?”
Kanade’s train of thought is broken as she looks up, recognising the purple hair of the figure in front of her.
“Mafuyu?” She replies in shock, feeling her face start to flush slightly, “What are you…?”
Kanade takes in the white coat and clipboard of the woman she assumed was a regular patient like her. She sees a name badge pinned onto her
“Dr Asahina Mafuyu”
“I’m your new doctor” Mafuyu repeats, this time mostly in shock. But she quickly regains her customer service smile, “huh, what a small world.”