~Health Clinic- Junsui Academy-Wakaba Prefecture~
"Hah!" Noah wakes with a start, his eyes popping open and his arms shooting up. He breathes heavily as he looks around at his surroundings. A white curtain surrounds him, and a metal bed frame holds the mattress and white sheets he lies on. There's a table to the side with some water and what seems to be aspirin. As if to remind him, Noah's body suddenly feels heavy, and pain shoots through his head, causing him to clutch it in agony. "Ow! What the hell?" His head seems to pulsate.
"I see you're awake." Noah turns his attention to a woman dressed in a white one-piece dress, wearing a triangular headpiece. He realizes this is a typical nurse's outfit and understands that he must be in the clinic.
"What happened? Why am I here?" Another surge of pain travels through his head, and he squints. "Ow!"
"I'd be happy to answer your questions, but first, take these." She hands him the aspirin and water. "I think you're going to need those before you're ready to talk about anything." She smiles pleasantly.
Noah looks at the aspirin, momentarily wondering if he should trust her. It could be poison for all he knows or even a date rape drug. He might pass out and wake up chained to the wall in her basement. However, seeing her genuine smile, he can tell that she's not harmful and that his imagination is getting the best of him. He takes the items from her hand and gulps down the pills. "Thanks."
"Of course." Her turquoise eyes gleam, even through her glasses, and her matching hair, done up in a bun with loose strands at the sides, is really amplified by her smile, which is warm and reveals perfect teeth. Her skin is pale but also seems to glow, and she smells of flowers. Noah can't help but feel as though he's seen her before—perhaps in passing? If she's the school nurse, then obviously she'd be around. Yes, he's certain he's seen her walking along the halls, though she looks pretty young, so maybe she's new and hasn't been around very long. Was she a previous student?
"See something you like?" Noah snaps out of his thoughts and blushes as he realizes he has been staring.
"I… sorry. I was just thinking that I may have seen you around before. I didn't mean to stare."
She chuckles sweetly, a sound that, despite being so normal, makes Noah's heart flutter. "It's okay, I don't mind if it's you, Noah." She glances flirtatiously at Noah for just a moment, then quickly changes the direction of the conversation. "Well, I'm sure it wouldn't be that unusual to see me around. I do have to leave the clinic once in a while." She smiles as she adds, "I'm flattered you'd notice little old me, though." She chuckles, but then her expression suddenly turns sad. "It's nice to be noticed for something other than my looks, you know? That's why you've always…" She trails off, seeming distant and lonely.
Noah's heart feels heavy, as if he's seen that look before, a long time ago. Before he even realizes it, he's touching her arm as he says, "A pretty girl like you shouldn't look so sad and lonely, so smile, okay?"
Her eyes suddenly widen, and her lip begins to quiver as her eyes start to water. "Noah… do you…?"
Noah snaps back to his senses and quickly withdraws his hand, stuttering. "I… I'm sorry, I… I don't know what I was thinking just now. I don't go around grabbing girls' arms and saying cheesy stuff like that, especially when I don't know them at all. I swear!" He's extremely flustered. What is wrong with me?
"Right… we don't know each other at all, do we?" She looks pained for a moment, but then cheers up. "Oh well, I guess we've gotten to know each other a little now, right?" She's back to being pleasant.
"Uh… yeah, I guess that's true." Although she's smiling, Noah can't look her in the eyes. "Um… anyway, why am I here? I remember being out on our training exercise and fighting, but then… nothing."
"So you don't remember anything? Hmm, well, maybe that's a good thing. I'm not really sure what happened out there either, to be honest. General Tahno just brought you in here passed out and told me to let you rest in a bed. I asked what happened, but he said it was nothing I needed to worry about and left. Your friends were here as well, but he sent them away when he left, saying he'd be back later."
"Sounds like him, all right. He's always such a secretive jerk. Thanks anyway." Like a sudden rush, he feels a familiar intense hunger come over him, causing him to clutch his stomach. Dammit, not now!
"Oh my, are you alright? Do you need a couple more aspirin? Perhaps you need more rest?"
"No, I need…." He pauses, unsure of how to phrase it. "Do you have any tomato juice around here?"
"Tomato juice?" She seems confused, and Noah isn't surprised since she wouldn't know what he's actually asking for as a human—and it's certainly not tomato juice. Then she has a sudden thought.
"I'm not sure about tomato juice, but I have something you might like instead." She gets up and steps out from behind the curtain. "Be right back." She closes the curtain, and Noah hears her steps as she moves away and over to a fridge. She opens it up, and he hears her rummaging through it. "Ah, there it is!" She closes the door, and five seconds later, she's back inside the curtain. "It's not tomato juice, but cranberry juice. I think you'll like it; I know I prefer it myself."
Noah takes the can of cranberry juice graciously but feels foolish for thinking she'd know he wasn't actually asking for juice. The tomato juice he wanted is actually pig's blood, a vital necessity.
"I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted, but I'm afraid I don't have that special tomato juice you're looking for. Just give the cranberry juice a shot, though. If nothing else, it'll be refreshing." She looks at her watch. "Oh my, I have to be going. I'm supposed to be supervising a rugby match right now, but if you need more aspirin, it's in the cabinets over the sink. If you need more cranberry juice, there's a couple more in the back of the fridge, so help yourself. I'll be back in a while if you need me." She pulls back the curtain and steps out. Before closing it, she smiles and says, "I'm so glad I got to see you, Noah. I do hope you'll come see me again—my door is always open." Her expression becomes slightly seductive, but as quickly as it came, she's gone, though it was enough to make Noah's heart race.
What is wrong with me? Why do I feel like this? He asks himself these questions, unsure of what to make of his sudden emotions. He's never met anyone who makes his heart race or act like a schoolboy in love. Not since… no, that was a long time ago, so he won't bring up the dead from his past. Even Lili, despite his genuine care for her, doesn't make him feel like this. So why does this stranger make him feel so excited?