I

The Girl Without a Name

It was not unusual for Hime’s mother to come home late, or on occasion, not at all. When rumors spread about a girl being found half-dead in the mountains, it was no surprise that her mother texted her, saying she would be sleeping at the hospital that night.

The great Yuna Fujihara, Hime’s mother, was the founder and head doctor of the children's hospital on the north side of Kaamizu; a small forgotten town in the back pocket of Japan. Yuna would tell her daughter that Kaamizu was rich in culture, which was a polite way of saying they were poor.

As it turned out, culture could not be traded for a luxury car or even a bag of groceries. Naturally, those with desirable skills, such as medical degrees or the rare gift of healing magic, would gravitate to larger cities. The reason, of course, was money.

“That’s stupid,” Hime once complained when she was much younger. “Someone shouldn't even become a doctor if all they care about is money!”

That got a laugh out of her mom, which Hime did not understand at all. “Well, think of it this way. Imagine how a natural disaster affects a place like Tokyo. There could be hundreds of thousands of people injured, so wouldn’t it be better to have more healers in an area like that? Besides, for good or bad, people need money. Without that incentive, there would be even fewer doctors.”

“But you don’t do it for the money.” She knew her mother’s hospital was nonprofit, only staying afloat through government funding and donations.

“That’s true, but people with our mindset are a rarity in this world, and you can’t be angry with those who do not do as we do. They are just living their lives in the way they believe is best. Besides, even if it’s for compensation, there is no greater contribution to the world than healing, so they still deserve respect.”

When Hime was a child, she hoped to develop healing magic so she could help people and never ask for money. By her teen years, she showed no signs of being attuned to the ley-lines, so she had to accept with disappointment that she was not a magic user. Instead, she set her mind on following in her mother’s footsteps and becoming a doctor.

That afternoon when the final bell signaled the end of the school day, Hime swung her backpack on and ran right for her bike. Apparently, the girl who was found in the mountains appeared to be from the west. It was unusual to see westerners in their town, and this was such a peculiar circumstance that Hime felt like she just had to investigate.

She did not even stop at home to change her school uniform. Instead, she took the much more difficult climb up the mountain toward the hospital.

Upon arriving, Hime parked her bike in the rack out front and walked into the lobby. Aya, the young nurse behind the counter, looked up from her papers.

“Hime, I had a feeling you would poke your head in today.” Aya’s chin rested on her knuckles, pen dangling between her fingers. She had worked here for ten years, despite being only twenty-seven. Her first years were as an intern, while Yuna helped her through medical school. Hime thought of Aya as a member of her family, and she often heard Aya referring to Yuna as her mentor.

“Yeah, mom told me she wasn’t coming home tonight, so figured I’d stop by for a while.”

“Unfortunately, you just missed her. She's gone off to attend to a house call.”

“Is it Rei again? Is she doing okay?”

“Yes, Rei is fine. It’s just a routine checkup since she’s no longer staying here at the hospital.”

“That’s good to hear. But what about the girl who was found in the mountains today? It sounded like she was in pretty serious condition.”

“She is, we spent most of the day with her in the operating room, but she is stable now. She hasn’t woken up yet, but there isn’t much else we can do other than wait at this point.”

“So she’s in a coma?” Hime asked.

“That seems to be the case. The good news is she’s breathing independently, but her body is in bad shape.”

“Is she really from America?” Hime was itching to get the scoop on this specific detail.

Aya looked up in thought as she twirled her pen between her fingers. “Well, she certainly looks western. They haven't been able to identify her, so we don’t actually know.”

“I see. So she’s what the Americans would call a Jane Doe.”

Aya grinned, then glanced over each shoulder before leaning over the counter. “Hey, want to take a peek?”

Hime returned a wry smile and nodded her head. To that, Aya winked and gestured for her to follow. They went through a door behind the counter, down a hall, and into one of the intensive care rooms. Sure enough, there she was. A girl a couple of years younger than Hime, covered in bandages, the biggest ones around her stomach, and casts on her right arm and left leg.

A heart monitor made a periodic beep, and an I.V. connected to the vein at the pit of her elbow. A tube was sticking out of her mouth, holding it open ever so slightly. Hime recognized the dual contraption as a ventilator and a feeding tube.

“Why the ventilator? I thought you said she was breathing on her own,” Hime pointed out.

“She is, it is not currently on, but it will kick in if she does stop breathing.”

“I see,” Hime continued to look over the patient curiously.

There were scars covering half of her face, four even lines going from the top left just under the scalp, rounding down over her cheek and jaw before stopping at her neck. One dented into the bridge of her nose.

“Those scars look old.”

“They are. We are guessing at least five years old. It’s unrelated to her current injuries.”

“So, what do you think happened to her?”

“As far as the old scars, it's anyone's guess. It looks like an animal may have attacked her. As for how she got here, the running theory is that she was hiking through the woods, wandered off the trail, got lost, and fell off of a cliff.”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. Everyone knows not to go hiking without a partner.” She gasped and snapped her fingers. “Do you think someone was trying to kill her!?”

“You sure have an active imagination. Well, most know not to go hiking alone, but just because that’s common knowledge doesn't mean everyone will obey.”

“Then how would she even fall? Yeah, some cliffs are up there, but you’d have to be blind to step off of one.”

“Well, a hunter found her early in the morning, so most likely she had been there since the day before. I would guess that after getting lost, it got dark, and she panicked. Instead of hunkering down where she was, she continued to try to find her way back. If she were wandering out in the dark, it would be no surprise she took such a bad fall.”

“But why would she wander off the trail in the first place? Everyone knows not to do that. Also, everyone knows that if you get lost, the best thing to do is just stay where you are and wait. It’s easier for rescue teams if their target isn’t moving around.”

Aya laughed. “Once again, Hime, just because that is something most people know doesn't mean everyone will obey it. Especially if she was out there all alone and scared. She probably kept trying to find her way back and didn’t think things through.”

Hime frowned, looking at the girl. “I don’t know, this seems suspicious to me.”

“Was it a doctor you wanted to be when you grow up, or a detective?” Aya asked.

“Sometimes doctors do have to investigate, though. On that American show Doctor Dwelling, they go to the patients' houses and stuff like that all the time to look for clues.”

“I don’t know how they do things in America, but here we usually leave it to the police to do that kind of work. I have a feeling that it's just a television show, though.”

“I guess… but, what if someone did attack her? Not to mention the scars on her face are old, so that is definitely suspicious!”

“I’m sure the police are already looking into it, so don’t worry. They are also checking all the missing person reports in the country to see if they can identify her. They even sent her fingerprints to the DMI, so she should show up in their database on the off chance she is a magic user. Hopefully, someone looking for her turns up soon. I have a feeling most of our questions will be answered when she wakes up… if she wakes up, that is.”

Hime looked at the nameless girl, wondering what had happened. The best case scenario is that her family came here to do some sightseeing, and everything else is as Aya said.

In Hime's opinion, it was unlikely. Their town was beautiful for sightseeing, but most foreigners would not know this and typically went to more popular areas of the country. Furthermore, wouldn’t her parents have gone to the police last night if that were the case? Not to mention the older scars on her face. It looked like a big animal had attacked her.

Aya made a few notes on the girl’s chart, then said: “Alright Hime, better get you out of here before we get in trouble.”

“Okay. Do you know if Tomoe is free right now?”

“He should be finishing his physical therapy session with Dr. Hatori, so you can probably find him in the living room now.”

“Do you know if his father has visited yet?”

“No, it’s been a while, unfortunately. I’m glad you visit. With everything else he is going through, it's such a shame his father doesn’t come around more often.”

Hime nodded. She only met Tomoe’s father once. He did not seem like a bad guy, but she wished he would not act so pitiful and do more for his son. It was because his drinking caused the accident which crippled Tomoe and killed his mother. That's probably why he felt too guilty to show his face now.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Alright, I’ll see you later, Aya. Let me know if anything happens with Miss. Jane Doe!”

She went down the hall away from the intensive care section, took a right past the check-up rooms, and then went through a door that led to the extended stay side of the hospital. There were currently four patients living here. She knew Tomoe the best since he had been here so long.

She walked through the hall with the dorm rooms (of which there were eight) and went out to the living room. Here the children were free to do as they pleased. There were two television sets, one with a video game console, some tables, and just about every board game you could imagine. Two young children, Kazuki and Nana, played with toys at the far end of the room, while the back of Haru’s shaved head could be seen sitting in front of the television, playing a video game.

Tomoe sat in his wheelchair at a table, studying a chessboard. Hime did not understand how he spent so much time playing with himself, but she guessed that was why he was so good. She only ever beat him a few times, though she suspected he let her win on those occasions. She once got mad at him for purposely losing, saying that doing so would make it less meaningful when she finally beat him legitimately. She had not won a single time since that fight ― confirming her suspicions.

“Hey, Tomoe!” Hime said as she came over and took a seat at the table.

He instantly perked up. “Oh, hey, Hime! What's up?”

“Nothing too much. Mom isn’t going to be home tonight, so I figured I’d come here and hang out.” She usually only made it to the hospital on weekends. During the week, she tended to be too busy with homework and taking care of the house. “Plus, I wanted to see the new girl.”

“Oh, the one who came in this morning?” Tomoe asked.

“Yeah! Have you seen her yet?”

Tomoe rolled his eyes. “You’re acting like she's a new attraction at a fair or something.”

“Well, it's interesting, isn't it? Did you know she’s a westerner? It's, like, a total mystery about why she’s even here in the first place. Everyone in town is already talking about it. You know how it is around here. Word spreads fast.”

“They call that small-town syndrome.”

“Aya thinks I’m wrong, but I bet someone tried to murder her or something,” Hime said, deciding to test her theory on someone other than Aya.

“Seems just about as plausible as anything else. But that still doesn’t explain why she is in our town of all places. Actually, that kind of raises more questions.”

“Maybe they were kidnappers and trying to transport her somewhere.”

Tomoe moved a piece and thought about it for a moment. “Well, she wasn't found with any hiking gear.”

Hime's eyes lit up. “Really?

“Yeah,” Tomoe responded as he studied the board.

Hime felt a bubble of excitement as she jumped to her feet. “Yeah! So, they were kidnappers! They stopped along the highway to use the bathroom, and that's when she made her move and ran into the woods! They chased her through the trees, but since she was small, it was easier for her to get around the obstacles.”

Hime started making exaggerated gestures as she explained the entirely made-up scenario. She was so into it she almost didn’t notice the other three kids had gathered around and were now listening, the two youngest ones sitting on the floor by her feet.

Tomoe and the older boy, Haru, shot each other a grin. Haru subconsciously itched the scar along the side of his head from where he had a brain tumor removed.

“So, I bet she ran for hours until she was deep into the mountains. They were still in earshot of her, yelling at her to give up. She was starting to get tired because she hadn’t eaten in days, so she tried hiding under a log or fallen tree.”

“But I bet they ended up finding her, right?” Haru said.

“No!” Kazuki shouted. “I want her to get away!”

Hime waved a finger and frowned. “Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending. She stayed in hiding for a long time as they searched the area. They came so close she could hear their footsteps crunching on the leaves, one after another. Next thing she knew, a big booted foot came down right in front of her face!” Hime lowered her voice and crouched down for dramatic effect, Nana and Kazuki watching and listening with wide eyes.

“She put both hands over her mouth, just like this; every breath she took felt like it was louder than anything! She thought she was safe as he started walking away, but just before they would have moved on and left her alone, something happened...”

She paused once more, letting the children lean in.

“A big spider landed on her head!” She shouted, raising up and putting her hands high into the air, that exaggerated action making the kids laugh. She returned one hand to her hip and waved the other finger as she continued, “And look, I’m telling you, she hates spiders more than anything, so naturally she screamed.”

“She’s acting like she knows this girl personally now,” Tomoe said under his breath.

“So, her hiding place was revealed, yet, she realized only one of the kidnappers was near her, and she was tired of running. So instead, she fought him back!” Hime threw a punch forward. “His friends were on their way, so she knew she had to make short work of him! Luckily, she’s a trained martial artist, so she kicked his butt, no problem!”

The little kids cheered at that.

“If she was such a good fighter, then how come they were able to kidnap her in the first place?” Haru asked.

“Well obviously, they ganged up on her,” Hime shot back. “Anyway, she kicked the crap out of that guy and left him, but his accomplices were hot on her tail now! There were three or four of them, so she was outnumbered and had to keep running. She kept running and running, but unfortunately, she ran right into a dead end when she found herself at the edge of a cliff.

“So, at this point, they are cornering her, coming at her slowly and saying stuff like-” Hime deepened her voice. “- Just give it up and come with us, little girl, and you won't get hurt.’ But she wasn’t going to give them what they wanted!”

The kids had wide eyes, Nana biting her fingernails as they listened.

Hime hopped up onto a chair and struck a dramatic pose, like an actress in a low-budget soap opera. “She said, ‘I would rather DIE than go back with you scumbags!’ Then turned around and leapt right off of the cliff!” Hime shouted, jumping back down from the chair herself. The kids gasped. “The bad guys took a look and couldn’t see her but figured no one could survive that fall, so they left.” Hime kneeled down to be closer to the kids, putting a finger over her lips, and winked. “Little did they know, however, she actually did survive, and now she is here at our hospital. She’s just in a coma.”

“Is she going to wake up and get the bad guys?” Nana asked.

“You bet she is! She’s going to wake up, then spend some time recovering. Once she’s all better, she's going to go get revenge on them for what they did to her!”

The kids cheered once again, seemingly satisfied with that ending for the story.

Once the children went back to playing with their toys, Tomoe said, “You know, you just gave that poor girl some big shoes to fill. Once she wakes up she’s going to wonder why Nana and Kazuki regard her as some kind of superhero.”

Hime laughed. “I know, I might have gotten a little carried away, but once I was in it I couldn’t just stop without giving them a good ending. Besides, it may inspire them and help them get better.”

“If you want to make the story better,” Haru said, “Next time, make her a magic user. Something like, she was an undercover DMI agent who got apprehended by some criminals she was investigating.”

Hime thought about that. “Hmmm… You know, that’s not bad at all.” Her cheeks raised in a full grin. “Yeah! I’ll add that next time!”

Tomoe smirked. “You two should really lay off the anime and light novels.”

Haru laughed. “Well, it was pretty entertaining, so thanks for that. It was starting to get pretty boring around here.”

Hime snapped her finger. “Any time!”

Haru left the table to go back to playing his video game as Tomoe set up the chessboard. “So, want to play a few?”

“Sure,” Hime said.

They spent the next couple of hours playing chess. Tomoe winning every single game, of course. After about the seventh game in a row, Hime threw in the towel with a sigh. “Alright, I give,” she said under her breath.

“You are getting better, though. I noticed you kept your pieces out of forks, and your pawn structure has improved. Have you been reading that strategy book I lent you?”

“A little. Honestly, I have a hard time learning anything from it. I do better by playing games and learning from experience.”

“That’s good and all, but learning proper chess theory is the best way to improve. Trust me; no one becomes a master from intuition alone. You have to put some study time in.”

“Yeah, I just don't have the attention span for all that. I barely have it for school. Well, speaking of which, I better get home. It’s getting late, and mom always gives me a hard time if I ride the mountain path at night.”

“Alright, thanks for stopping by. It’s been fun. Are you going to say hi to your mom?”

“Probably not. She’s out on a house call, apparently checking up on Rei.”

“Is Rei not doing well?”

“According to Aya it’s just a routine checkup.”

“Gotcha. Well alright, see you next time. Thanks for coming by.”

“Of course, I love hanging out with you guys!” Hime picked up her bag and called, “Bye, everyone!”

“Bye Miss. Hime!” Nana and Kazuki chimed together.

“See you later,” Haru said over his shoulder, though he was a little more preoccupied with his video game.

Hime left through the door which led to the lobby so she would not have to go through the hospital rooms again. She said goodbye to Aya in the lobby, but then saw her mom approaching through the window just before leaving. She held the door open for her as she walked inside. “Hey, mom!”

Yuna had quite a unique appearance, her hair naturally red, light skin with freckles on her cheeks but an Asian look to the shape of her face. She was actually half Scottish and half Japanese, and moved to Japan when she started college in Kyoto. That made Hime a quarter Scottish herself, but she took after her late father, so she mainly looked Japanese.

Yuna wore a white lab coat, as was standard during working hours. She held the straps of a brown leather briefcase containing all her tools and paperwork for house calls, as well as a stethoscope around her neck, looking much like the stereotypical view of a doctor.

“Hey there Hime,” Yuna said. “I saw your bike outside. Since you're wearing your uniform, I guess you haven't been home yet, have you?”

“No, I was leaving now, though. I still need to do my homework and stuff.”

“Sorry I haven't been around. Our sleeping beauty back there seemed to be in stable condition, and I had a house call to attend to.”

“Don’t worry, I understand. So when do you think she’s going to wake up?”

“At this point, it's tough to say. She’s in bad shape, and that head injury concerns me the most. If she sustained any kind of brain damage, she could be in for a hard road ahead. Short of that, her other injuries will heal.” Yuna then asked Aya, “Has she been stable all day?”

“Yes, Doctor,” Aya said, coming to attention. “Her heartbeat has been steady all day; nothing to report. Oh yeah, her blood work is looking better since giving her the I.V.” Aya tapped the pen to her chin as her eyes lit up. “Oh, that's right, that wound near her spine has a minor infection.”

“I see…” Yuna thought for a moment, then said, “Okay, let's take another look at it. If it's bad enough, let's see if some antibiotics can help the situation.” With that, she marched towards the back with her briefcase in hand, Aya following shortly behind her. “Sorry Hime, but as I said, I won’t be home. There should be plenty in the fridge for you to throw a dinner together for yourself.”

“It’s okay, I understand!” Hime called back, but her mom was already gone.