Raijin moved swiftly from one patient's room to the next checking monitors and, sometimes changing, IV's. As a registered nurse, it was his job, after all. He was just checking some things off on his clipboard as he left a patient's room when an anouncement came over the loudspeaker. He was needed in room G-32 to change the bandages of a recent burn victim. Ah, well. It was nothing to serious. His long strides were quick and even, bringing him to his destination in no time at all. He was finished within ten minutes. Another nurse who had seen him go in raised an eyebrow at his quick exit. He only smiled and waved as he moved on to the next stop, entering the room of an elderly man who had been brought in by a heartattack. The man watched his every move with amused eyes.

"You look as though you're very good at your job, Miss." he commented while Raijin checked his IV line. The twenty one year old only chuckled at this. It was most certainly not the first time he had been mistaken to be a woman and he suspected it was not to be the last. His redbrown and gold eyes glittered with mirth as he turned to face the older male with a hand on his hip while the other rose to delicately move a strand of wayward blonde hair from his face. The poor man looked so confused by now they could have made a puzzle out of his face.

"Don't worry sir, you wouldn't be the first one to make such a common mistake. But yes, I thank you for the compliment. Now, your doctor should be paying you a visit soon and I recomend listening to him so you don't end up in here again." Raijin purred in a smooth alto voice that made the man's eyes widen in realization and a flush come to his cheeks.

"I'm sorry. Thank you, I shall do that." said the man with a smile. Raijin smiled back and waved as he exited the man's room. Outside was another nurse who giggled and scurried off. She had obviously heard most of what had happened. Ah well, it didn't matter. What did matter was that he get to his next charge as quickly as possible. It would not do to fall behind in his duties.

Why did they make Hospitals so inconvenient to visitors? All she wanted to know was where her grandfather was and they could barely tell her that. It took like 15 minutes for them to tell her where the room actually was, let alone his current state of being. Geez...she was all the family he had. "G-24...G-24..." she whispered to herself as she stepped off the elevator, looking around the hallway as nurses and patients passed her by.

Eventually she started into the right direction, thinking of what could have caused the heart attack this time. Was he watching the maid "dust" again? Was he...watching grandmother's aerobics videos again? NO no! He just HAD to have a slice of that cake she made the other day...with all that sweet frosting on it. That had to be the one...Sweets would be the eath of him. Joni jogged down the hall, her gray messenger bag flapping at her hip. She had come to the hospital as soon as she could, after getting the phone call on her cellphone. She wasn't too dressed up, considering she had just rolled out of bed and went to her first and second classes of the day: black sweat pants, flip flops, with a green tank top under a thrown on jacket. She had to take a super quick shower that morning, but at the very least put some vanilla scented perfume on so she at least smelled good. "G-24...G-24..." she whispered to herself again, clutching her textbooks under her arm as she ran. She sure hoped he was okay this time...he has had two already...

"G-24..." Joni looked up for a second to check the room number and before she knew it, she had had collided into something taller than she was, which she found hard to believe, and fell flat on her butt. Pulling the screen of blond hair from her rather confused green eyes, she quickly began to apologize, trying to gather up her stuff as quickly as possible. "I'm s-s-sorry! I'm a klutz! I should have been looking where I was going..." fell from her lips as she looked up at the either very feminine looking guy or very flat chested woman before her. She decided the later as she stood up her eyes briefly met his nearly red ones, causing her to blush, before she stumbled past him and into the room he had just left. The only thing left in her wake was the smell of vanilla and a pencil case that had cartoon cats all over, lying on the floor.

It all happened very suddenly. Within seconds of leaving the old man's room he felt a foreign body collide with his own and he very briefly lost his balance. When he turned around he saw the individual whom had walked directly into him was on the floor, a curtain of blonde hair with white ends in front of her face. Before he could lend her his hand she pushed the hair out of the way and proceded to hurriedly pick up her belongings. Just as she was apologizing she cut off and he found himself staring into deep green eyes. His breathe caught in his throat before the moment was broken as she fled into the man's room. He could smell the lingering scent of her vanilla perfume and was caught up in the sweet smell before noticing the dropped pencil case. Bending down gracefully he picked it up and, ignoring the stares of fellow staff members, walked back into the room without a moment's hesitation.

"Excuse me Miss, but you dropped something. Please, don't worry about that little incident. Things like that seem to happen quite often around here. I wish they would give proper directions to visitors." he said goodnaturedly with a smile as he approached her to hand over the pencil case.

"I assume you are related to Mr. Priya here? Otherwise I may need to reprimand someone for allowing in non family members. Whatever the case, Doctor Norman is due any moment. As I have already informed Mr. Priya I suggest his orders are followed, lest he find himself in this situation again. So far he is recovering well and, depending on the doctor's decision, may be released within the next couple of days." he informed the pair with a sweet voice and another smile. Just as he had finished Doctor Norman entered the room. He greeted Raijin with a slight nod of his head as he moved to stand before Mr. Priya's bed. He took note of the girl's presence, but chose not to comment as he assumed she was meant to be there.

"Thank you Raijin you may go. I'll take it from here." was all that was needed as the nurse's dismissal. With a short and curt 'Yessir' he was walkng out of the room to continue his rounds. He planned on dropping by the room later after his shift to check on Mr. Priya, or at least that was the excuse he gave himself. Deep down he was curious about the girl. He had a strange feeling, but couldn't place it. With a shake of his head he discarded the thought. 'Later.' he scolded himself as he continued on his way to the next patient in need of his attention.

"Pops! I told you to stay away from that cake! I TOLD you! You are supposed to be on a strict diet! Why don't you ever listen to me or mawmaw?" began Joni, reverting to mother mode. The incident on the hall was a little embarrassing, but she chose to move around the situation...no matter how attractive the guy may have been. That was probably why she seemed so angry...when she really wasn't.

"I couldn't help myself Joni...it just looked that good...You're such a great baker..I had to try a slice..." said the old man, as if fluffing her with his words. He always did that when he wanted to get out of something and it usually worked...like at the moment. It was because he was old and cuddly.

"Ugh...well...at least you are still alive..." said Joni, lightly kissing the old man on the cheek as a man came in. To her horror...it was the man from the hallway. Though, she got a better look at him now...a she wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. Her cheeks flushed again as h approached her, saying she dropped her favorite pencil case! It had her best pens in it and she would not have survived with out it, in her opinion. "Oh...thank you!" She smiled, graciously, not knowing what more to say, but finding she didn't need to as the man—whom she at first thought was a doctor—filled her in on her grandfather’s situation. Her undivided attention was one the man, admiring his lengthy blonde hair that just seemed to suit him so well--she would never grow hers out like that, it was bothersome.

"Thank you--" she started, but was cut off by what seemed to be the REAL doctor...so he must have been a nurse. She was disappointed to see him leave, but at the same time, she learned the handsome nurse’s name. The day was looking up. As the new doctor spoke, she barely listened...as Raijin had pretty much told her all she needed to know. The blonde had been through this before, it wasn't that hard to understand that the old man didn't need to be eating fatty foods and needed to exercise...She nodded along with the doctor for a while, until he finished, saying he would like to keep him for 2 days. Watching him leave, she turned back to her grandfather, who was slowly dozing off to dream land after all that talking.

Seeing as she had missed her last class and it was about noon, she opened up a textbook at her pops' bedside and began to do some studying...or she tried to at least. Upon the sheets laid her pencil case...making her wonder if he will come back? Joni had never seen eyes that red...maybe...maybe he was like her? Nah…impossible…A female nurse came in with a tray of food and Joni took it upon herself to eat off it while she read about some poets and a new form of writing. ‘…Raijin…’ she thought, biting into the ham sandwich, slowly.

The time passed quickly and before he knew it, Raijin was in the locker room changing into casual attire consisting of a simple white tank top and loose black jeans. The rest of his shift he had thought about the girl. Damn, he hadn't managed to get her name. During every task his mind had wandered back to the moment she had run into him. There was that feeling again... What was it? He frowned and glared at his reflection in the mirror on the inside of the locker door.

"What's the matter with you Raijin?!" he growled at his own reflection. With an uncharacteristic snarl he threw the door shut and slammed his fist into the metal exterior. His eyes widened at the slight dent that resulted from the impact. That had never happened before... A bit shaken, he grabbed his red duffel bag and hurried out. He had promised himself to visit the room before he left the hospital.

He was there in five short minutes and quietly stepped into the room like it was a holy shrine. His eyes swept over the aged Mr. Priya briefly and came to rest on the girl sitting at his bedside with a textbook in her lap and some of a sandwich in her hand. She appeared to be studying for some kind of English course. He was hesitant to disturb the scene before him but pushed it t the back of his mind. He placed his duffel bag off to the side of the doorway and out of the way before moving to sit in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from the girl.

"You're in college I see. English?" he asked softly in an attempt at small talk while at the same time trying not to wake the slumdering Mr. Priya.

Joni flipped through the pages of the English textbook slowly, reviewing the chapter she had just read. The hospital wasn't a bad place to be...it was just quiet enough to help her study and the food wasn't too bad either. 'Kiss the cook.' she joked, making note to stop by the hospital cafeteria more often. She put down the half eaten sandwich and worked on the little box of apple juice that came with it, sipping noisily. She closed her book as she looked over at her slumbering grandfather. His health was failing him and maw maw was becoming slightly senile...The blonde loved her grandparents to death...but...she feared that she would have to put them in a home soon.

Her eyebrows knit into a frown as she thought about this, so deep in her own worries for her elders that she didn't notice the figure that entered the room. Her hand came up to whisk a few strands of hair behind her ear and when she looked across the bed again, she jumped slightly, realizing someone was there. She almost threw the book that was in her lap at the stranger, for giving her such a start, but then she realized that it was the intriguing doctor from before. For a moment, she felt a fiery itch in the back of her mind, but it disappeared as she settled down. She wasn't about to transform in a hospital...that was insane..

"Oh...um yea. I am an English major. I just thought I would get some studying in while I was here...I wouldn't be able to make it to my next class anyways so I just stuck around..." she said, shrugging, as her eyes fell from his gaze briefly.

She was a little embarrassed that she hadn't been paying any attention at all as well as the fact that she had made such noises with her juice box...Joni was also a little puzzled as to why he had come back...was he trying to hit on her or something? Nah...She might have looked lonely when he walked past. He looked like he was off duty anyways. "Raijin...your name is Raijin right? Erm...thank you for filling me in on my grandfather's condition...I understood the other guy...but he was nowhere near as nice, nor brief for that matter," she smiled at the last part, suppressing a laugh. "My name is Joni, thank you for tending to my grandfather so well," she added, reaching a slender arm across the bed, as if to shake his hand.

Her smile was sweet and child-like, as she always had a soft spot for those who took good care of her family. Her green eyes roamed back to the sleeping figure, adding softly,"Every time something like this happens...I feel like I'm pulling band aids to get answers and they seem so...cold to patients at times...Thank you for not being so harsh. You seem like…you enjoy your job."

Raijin smiled at her shy demeanor. She seemed lonely and he could see how worried and concerned she was for the health of her grandfather. He didn't blame her. He had taken the initiative to check the man's medical records only to discover that this had been his third attack. He couldn't help but feel concerned, but partly put it off to his current lack of friends and the lonliness that resulted. It was a good thing he was off duty...

"I was never the bookish type myself. Yet I find my job revolving more and more around paperwork rather than patients." he said with a sigh. He had to fight the urge to run a hand through his hair. It was becoming a habit of his. He chuckled at her description of Norman. She had really hit the nail on the head. The man was so tense and long winded it was a wonder people put up with him at all.

"Yes, that is indeed my name. Raijin Kimura at your service, a pleasure to meet you, Miss Priya. Don't worry about Doctor Norman, he's always like that with everyone. It's a wonder I've survived so long. As for me, I was just doing my duty to the best of my ability." he said, taking her hand and leaning over to lightly brush his lips over the skin without lingering too long or pulling away too swiftly. He listened carefully to her comments on the way the hospital treated people. Silently he agreed. He had watched through the years as the staff grew colder and colder towards their own patients until he felt like the sole source of warmth. Everything was business and paperwork nowadays.

"It's no trouble at all. Though some of the staff treat kindness like some form of plague." he chuckled before adding with a sad note in his tone as his eyes settled on Mr. Priya once more "I enjoy what I do very much. I wish it could be the same for others." Silently he wondered why he suddenly felt so melancholic. Of course he enjoyed helping people, but... This just wasn't like him.

"I'm sorry if I had disturbed you. I had just wanted to check up on your grandfather before I left for home. I haven't been feeling like myself very much lately..." he murmured before trailing off with a distant look in his eyes as he reflected upon his incident in the locker room.

He seemed like a really nice guy, this Raijin. He went above and beyond his call of duty to check on one of the paitients. That was so sweet of him...though she quickly shook the thought from her head. She was turning to mush over some guy she barely knew...next thing she knew, she would be giggling like a little school girl. Then there was the hand she held out that didn't get shook, but kissed. Her cheeks automatically took a flare of pink as he held her hand like it was something fragile. Of course, she had never had her hand kissed before, so it was just an awkward experience to her, but he moved on as if it was a normal thing...

"I agree with you about the kindness thing...but...I'm sure alot of people started off like you. Just as sweet and having all the incentive to take care of paitients, but just because you give does not mean that you will receive...that is the bad part about helping people. Maybe a lot of the people here have been scorned bye ungrateful paitients," started Joni, picking up her messenger bag that lay nearly forgotten on the floor. "I'm sure you will continue to do your best for your paitients."

She smiled as she stood up and put on her bag. She picked up her book and looked at the nurse. Joni's eyes read inner turmoil as she considered what she was going to say next. Her free hand fiddled with the edge of her shirt that niglected to cover her stomach and belly button. "Well, I'm not doing anything for the rest of the day and I would really like to thank you for being so kind...if you aren't too busy...maybe we can go get some ice cream...I know a great place that has tons of flavors..." The childlike smile returned to her face, the blush still there from the kiss of her hand. The tips of her hair, if he looked close enough turned a very light blue, her slight embarrassment showing.

He snapped out of his thoughts when she spoke again, and nearly found himself falling back into another bout of deep reflection again at her words. Where did someone as young as she become so wise? He felt that for the first time in a long time, someone really understood him. There was no need for him to explain himself to her, not that he would have even bothered anyway. God, he was thinking like he was a century old or something.

"I know what you mean by being scorned, but I hope you are right about me. Few people have as much confidence in me as you do and await the day I wear down." he said with a misleading smile. He looked up at her invitation to have icecream and raised a delicate eyebrow in interest with a light smirk. If there was anything he liked more than tending to his patients, it was icecream. Then he noticed her lightly blushed cheeks. So, the hand move had embarrassed her. Perhaps for one so modern he was just a mite bit old fashioned... He really needed to learn how to shake hands with a woman. For now it was an excellent source for amusement. He did not notice, or perhaps chose not to acknowledge, the tint of blue in her hair.

"Yes, I would enjoy that very much. I could use the company." he chirped cheerfully, tilting his head slightly to the right and smiling warmly. Another moment and he was standing, heading for his bag and the door. He lifted it up and slung the strap over his shoulder before motioning with an arm outside for her to go out first. A nurse passed by the door with a nervous glance thrown his way as she scurried away like a wary mouse. He cared little or not at all and ignored her. All his attention was focused on Miss Priya. He seemed to realize something just then and smacked himself lightly on the forehead with his palm.

"Oh dear me, I don't believe I ever asked you for your name! I can't very well go on calling you Miss Priya all the time now, can I?"

((OOC: Lol. Have you ever seen the movie Howl's Moving Castle? You character reminds me of Howl from that movie...they seem like a very close match))

"I try to think that some people will at least attempt to fight the tide of things," said Joni with a shrug. "What I say and what you do are two different things. I mean, I can't force you to do anything. It's up to that one person to decide if they should treat hundreds of people like dirt because of one bad day of business. The golden rule just had no weight in todays world..." she answered him. This was how she saw things. Then again, she was raised to surpress her temper, and ever though she was angry, to treat people as nicely as she could. At times it was hard, but a majority of the time she could control herself.

When he agreed to go with her, her smile grew wider with glee. She hadn't had any ice cream in a while...and eating it alone wasn't nearly as fun as eating it with someone else. Just as Joni was about to skip her way out the door, she realized she had to say good bye to her grandfather. Leaning down, she whispered a goodbye and kissed him on the cheek once more, before turning on her heel to leave. Looking to her new companion she shook her head, his antics seemed so classicaly proper...Shivlery was scarce in such a day and age...she wondered where he got it from...She half thought to curtsey, but realized she had no skirt to flair out. Joni merely smiled playfully and walked out the door, seeing a nurse hurry away.

"My name? Joni. I thought I told you earlier? But yes...Miss Priya makes me sound so...I dunno...like royalty or something..." she said, turning to him as she stood in the hallway. "Come on! I'm just dieing to get some strawberry ice cream! I haven't had any in yeaaaaaarrrrsssss!"

((next stop ice cream parlor?))

((OOC: I love that movie. I think I must have based Raijin off of Howl because I'm noticing that as well. ^^))

All he could think was 'Wow' as she amazed him a second time with her remarkable wisdom and understanding of things. He wished he oculd say he was so wise, but that would have been a lie. He knew he was perfectly capable of making a fool of himself. Like just a minute ago for example when he had asked her for her name after she had already given it earlier. He only laughed at his carelessness and smiled at her.

"I apologize, I must not have been paying attention the first time. Really I'm not usually so formal." he chuckled. A fullblown grin came upon him as he watched her spazz over the awaiting icecream. He laughed again and practicly skipped through the halls. It was nice to finally be able to let loose after the long hours of work and pleasantries. The duffel bag he carried with him didn't slow him down or hinder him in any way as he spread his arms and slid down the banister of a small staircase like a child in a playground. He landed with a flourish, slipping the strap of his bag down his shoulder and pushing it a foot or two ahead of him, following after it with a graceful cartwheel. Recovering the bag he turned to face Joni with a wide and impish grin. Most of the staff merely shook their heads and smiled at his antics before moving on.

"Off to icecream land we go!" he cheered.

((To the icecream parlor! Lol.))

continued here!