literature

Okinawa, June 2029

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“You’re not going in the water?”

Elena shook her head, hoping that it would come across as indifferent. “Probably not.”

“It’s very warm this time of year.” Kimishima picked up a pebble and tossed it into the clear waves; circles spread on the water. “30, maybe. That’s approximately 85 Fahrenheit for you. Then again, I wouldn’t know or mind. Used to spend my entire winter holidays in the ocean.”

It was hard to imagine that her chief was once a schoolgirl, even as she was sitting cross-legged on the shore next to Elena. She still found doctor Kimishima more than a little intimidating, to be honest, despite spending some time outside of work with her. Markus and Valerie were much more approachable, and nowhere as renowned – well, not before the epidemic.

“You must be a very good swimmer, Doctor.”

“Fairly good.” Kimishima gave her a brief smile. “Well, at least I once was. Used to swim up to that rock,” she gestured to a jutting stone a fair distance away.

“Impressive.” Elena never quite learned to swim. She could stay afloat but never ventured from the shore.

“What’s impressive is that it’s still there. I haven’t been to this country for a very long time. The rocks are the only thing that stayed the same.”

She nodded, wondering to herself how California would change in her absence. It hasn’t been long, yet, but plans tended to go astray.

“How are you finding Okinawa?”

“It’s… welcoming.” Elena picked a flat stone and tried to skip it. It didn’t travel far.

“Welcoming.” The doctor seemed skeptical, for some reason. “Yes, she certainly is.”

Wind was picking up slightly, rustling the leaves and playing with her hair.

“Do you ever get homesick, Elena?”

She didn’t miss her parents much, or any of the places she had lived in. It was just the small things – warm California sun, northern lights of Alaska, the grand building of Caduceus; Leslie, always friendly, Markus’s jokes, Valerie’s spirit; English spoken in the streets, familiar food and customs…

“Not really. I expected to be, but people have been very kind and helpful. Thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Kimishima chose a stone of her own, weighing it in her palm for a moment, and threw it against the approaching wave. Elena watched it fly down the surface of the water.

“See,” the doctor continued softly, “I was homesick and I still am. I left a life behind. Family, friends, coworkers. And I came to nothing. I might speak the language, but they will not accept me back, not any more that they’ll accept you.”

Elena glanced at her chief cautiously – she was gazing in the distance, letting Elena take a closer look. Her face was fairly young but for a few lines; on her hands, though, blue veins stood out like trees.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No need. Caduceus required a surgeon with the Healing Touch who’d work in Japan, and there was no better candidate. What about you? What brings such an accomplished nurse here?”

It was quiet here, on the rocky stretch of the shore that few visited. It was quiet in the town, despite the fairly large population. It was quiet in the hospital, away from Stigma, from war, from press – from everything.

“I’ve dealt with Stigma, doctor. I can be of a great deal of help.”

“Without a doubt. But, if I may, that’s the pretense and not the reason. Other hospitals are in more dire need of your expertise. Not to mention the doctors who are accustomed to an assistant. Why did Irene reassign you?”

As long as you’d like, the director said, after going over the necessary documents. As long as needed for the publicity to die down. Take your time to recover.

“Director Quatro must have decided that I would be necessary here.”

The waves were almost licking her sandals, and she drew her legs in more, knees to chest.

“I see. If anything comes up, please bring it to my attention.”

“Of course, Doctor.” There wouldn’t be anything to bring up, though. She’d dealt with things before; no need to disturb her chief with trivialities.

Elena might have bothered doctors Vaughn or Blaylock – well, to be fair, they still called each other nearly once a week. But it was a good while ago, when she wasn’t nearly as experienced. This was different, and she wasn’t going to let herself be helpless again.

She wondered then what Naomi Kimishima would have thought of her. Well, she’s been trying to make a good impression, and her work so far got no complaints. Still, to be working with the Devil Doctor herself… Some of the older staff still brought the nickname up, with a look over their shoulders.

How had the epithet come to be? It definitely wasn’t something she could ask. Maybe…

The water lashed at her.



The wave, raised tall by a gust of wind, came down on her, and Elena startled back, with a yelp, clumsily, not thinking it safe.

“Careful.” She flinched – then saw Kimishima standing above her. “Weren’t you…”

But then the doctor, stopping short, reached a hand out to her. Hastily she took it, managing herself up without looking at the ocean.

“Are you alright? Child…”

“I’m – fine, really, just – only a little – a bit surprised.”

“You’re scared.” Elena felt the doctor’s arm around her shoulders, urging her away from the shoreline. “Let’s go. Why didn’t you say that?”

“I thought… It should have been fine.” She stopped; they were far enough.

“Do you need to go elsewhere?”

“I’ll be fine.”

The ocean was safe from a distance; serene, soothing. The breeze was nice on a hot summer day. Trees stood tall at a distance, hiding her from the rest of the world. And yet…

“Everything is ‘fine’ with you,” Kimishima remarked, her arms folded across her chest. “Had something happened? This is more than a startle reflex.”

Her throat was too tight to speak; she managed to shake her head.

“Right.” Her chief didn’t seem to believe her. “Well then…”

They stood in silence for a while, watching the waves crash against the rocks. Elena was considering excusing herself; she needed time to think. Or to calm down.

“When I was fifteen, I nearly drowned.” The doctor was nonchalant, like she was talking about a breakfast she had. “It wasn’t here, though, but at the opposite side of the island. The water was deeper than I thought, you see. I went for a dive, and – the bottom just wasn’t there. My air ran out close to surface. Breathed in a lungful of water and blacked out.”

She shuddered, imagining that vividly – the green haze surrounding her, the cold, the panic, and the suffocation.

“How did you…”

“Friends managed to pull me out. Spent a week in bed. Twenty-five years since, and I still remember the sheer terror I felt then. Fear is a powerful emotion.”

“Yeah.” Elena barely recognized the sound of her voice. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because someone has to be open.” Naomi turned to face her. “And you won’t be. You are an excellent assistant, but, child, sometimes I feel like I’m talking to a mirror-”

“I am no child.” Not anymore.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty one.”

“…My daughter turns eighteen.” The doctor’s voice was quiet but furious. “And you – they sent you to, what, Costigar?”

“Culuruma.”

“A hellhole either way. And you are barely old enough to drink.”

“I’m not interested in drinking.” She wouldn’t be able to, anyway, with her pancreatitis.

“Still, the proverbial round is on me. So if you… Elena. Look at me, please.”

That, she did. Kimishima was disquietingly taller.

“I’ve seen more than my share of things, myself. I cannot promise that I’ll understand, but nothing you tell about is going to faze me. You don’t have to talk, of course, but the offer is here.”

Elena managed a smile. “Thank you… doctor Kimishima.”

“Don’t mention it. Irene had the nerve to ask me to keep an eye on you. As if I wasn’t going to.”

Waves were coming and going with soft rustling, leaving white foam behind.

“I – I’ll probably…” She walked towards the shoreline, stopped a few feet from it, and started taking off her sandals. “If you’re not far away. Please?”

“Of course.”

She couldn’t bring herself to actually step in the water, though. Not after… that time.

“For Pete’s sake…” Naomi tossed her shoes off, as well, and began rolling her trousers up. “And I’ll need to get back to work, too. Come on in, the water isn’t cold. Just watch your step here.”

The first few steps weren’t bad, and she managed to go in up to her knees. Another wave rocked her slightly, then, and she gasped and grabbed her surgeon’s hand.

“Years ago, I was teaching my kid to swim. She was this tall then,” Naomi indicated about a hip’s height. “We were in shallow water, and each time she needed a break, she’d latch onto me like a marmoset for a good few minutes. I joked that, at that rate, we’d learn climbing instead.”

Holding the doctor’s hand, Elena managed a couple more steps. The ocean was at her hips, now; water sloshing against her, like then, but she managed to keep the fear at bay. Still, she almost ran back to the shore, sighing in relief when she was there.

Water felt cold on her skin, and Elena swiped the droplets off the best she could. Naomi was unrolling her trousers, muttering, in Japanese, something about getting them wet. Elena noted, out of the corner of her eye, a faded scar on her knee. Somehow, that made the doctor more human.

“You said your daughter was going to be eighteen?”

“In a week, on Tuesday.” Naomi smiled again; this time, the smile lingered, softening her stern features.

Elena thought that she’d need to do something come Tuesday. Maybe pass some congratulations on.

“…Tell me about yourself, please?” It was a personal question, and she regretted asking it.

Naomi slipped her shoes on, glanced at her watch and started walking. Elena hastily fastened her sandals and hurried after.

“If you say so, but I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Thank you for reading. Feedback is always welcome.

This one is more of an AU, if a fairly self-explanatory one.
© 2017 - 2024 kimishima-naomi
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Ura-Moka's avatar
Ha. I don't know if the cliffhanger was on purpose for you to come with another round for this Duo but I'm really curious to hear/read more about them.

"She still found doctor Kimishima more than a little intimidating" you bet.ww