The morning was filled with a kind of dark, weary anticipation. If there were more vermin in his office the night before, Muraki either didn't notice or didn't care. He sat comfortably behind his desk thumbing through one of his research books, making small notes here and there on the usually blank pieces of paper ( Read more... )

It was always a little bit awkward for new patients to become accustomed to him. Muraki wasn't thrilled about the meeting himself, intriguing as said patient was. Just for today he would have preferred to spend his lunch with the other doctors. There was something he would love to discuss with them in such a neutral setting ( Read more... )

There were no late nights or lazy mornings this time. Early as it was, Muraki's day looked like it would be surprisingly normal. It was a light schedule today; he was expecting Jordan soon, and another new boy during lunch, then he would be home early to sort out certain affairs. Completely, utterly normal ( Read more... )

There were other things missing from his office. Muraki didn't pay much attention to them - even the books were just distracting things and decoration with no real purpose - but he knew that they were gone. Curious. He was sure the other things would turn up again someplace interesting ( Read more... )

There really was no rest for the wicked. Muraki had gotten up early again that morning to look over files, and after his usual late nights it was hardly something that brought him a great deal of joy. But that was work and he'd gotten used to much worse in his first few months as a doctor. In truth, he was looking forward to seeing his old patients ( Read more... )

There was a rose on his desk. A large flower the colour of fresh blood, so fragrant and soft it seemed to mask the usual cigarette smoke and sterile impersonality of the room. Where it had come from, the doctor would not say. A gift, maybe. A smile and shrug ( Read more... )

It was finally time to be social. And not eat alone in his office ( Read more... )

Ah, Muraki's wrist hurt ( Read more... )

It looked like he would be seeing two more children this morning. Muraki wondered vaguely if this should be an homage to his years as a pediatrician or just a treat to keep him interested in his work for a while longer. At any rate, he wasn't complaining. Working with children kept him young; they were small but endlessly pliant ( Read more... )

This time, there was food on the desk. The tea set had been replaced with a slim pair of chopsticks and a bento box and the room itself smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. How he'd managed to distill the scent in the time between shifts was any one's guess ( Read more... )