tampered | Log; In Progress

Log; In Progress

When; August 19th, morning
Rating; PG?
Characters; Tianzi [

foxy_physician]
Summary; After lying about being ill in order to investigate Xing-ke's illness without letting on that it was he actually dying, not her, the Tianzi goes to follow up on her own with the doctor she briefly met before.
Log;

Despite being away from the Chinese Federation, no longer carrying out the duties of an Empress, the Tianzi still looked the part, at least, she was still robed in silks and finery, the child ruler of a country that spanned over the majority of Asia.

And now, a liar.

If she'd been able to, she would have liked to not lie. Lying... it wan't something she was comfortable with, didn't strike her as a good thing to do, and yet the alternative... She couldn't tell anyone that Xing-ke was ill. That Xing-ke was dying. He was the Commander in Chief of the Black Knights now, so many people needed him- Her brow furrowed, lip trembled briefly, at the very thought. That's why she didn't want him to come. If the doctor said there was nothing to do... if she said he was going to die-

She needed him.

Small hands fisted, and the Tianzi tried not to get upset. She had to be good, sitting down to wait and putting those hands in her lap, long, light hair falling around her as she self-consciously hunched a bit over herself.

Surely... surely the doctor would be able to tell her something good. Not something bad. Not that Xing-ke would just die.

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"Ah-" The Tianzi stuttered, whirling around to keep her back away from the doctor, small hands in front of her, as if rejecting the idea.

"N- I can't... allow you to do that!" The regal command she was aiming was summarily ruined by the fact that she was stumbling over her words, and that when she'd turned on her heel her long hair, more ornate that anything, had tangled in her face.

"I... it would go against tradition to allow you to examine me in that manner. That's... part of why I asked you to be very discrete..." She trailed off, trying to justify it to herself. It really... wasn't so much a lie. No common person was allowed to touch her, the child Empress considered the son of Heaven, who, no matter which title was used to address her, was considered above human, a god in her own divine right. Her ladies in waiting were the closest to her, no other... barely even the Eunuchs had dared touch her, and they had wielded her power as their own.

The doctor had expected that result, and for both the reasons she had predicted. Tianzi-san was obviously of noble, if not royal lineage, by her bearing and her manner of dress, and Megumi knew to expect that she would protest for that reason. Her own family was one of noble bearing too, and as such, she had been exposed to such behavior from others of noble class even when they demanded medical aid. But, more important to the physician in this case was that listening to Tianzi-san's lungs with the stethoscope would reveal clear lung sounds--the absence of an illness altogether.

Megumi moved before the younger girl once again, taking a seat in the chair opposite her.

"I need to listen to your lungs so that I can give the correct diagnosis, Tianzi-san," she said patiently, her the cogs of her keen mind turning. "Have you seen a stethoscope before?"

She gestured to the instrument in her hands.

"..." She nodded, feet shuffling beneath the folds of silk, small shoes rubbing heel to heel, side to side, toe against toe, to keep her hands from wringing, too obviously.

"I have." A quick gulp, and she steadied her voice, gathered the regal stance she'd been trained to assume at ceremony and audience, back straight, face blankening.

"However, only the physician appointed by my high Eunuchs was allowed to examine me in such a manner. I merely need to see if this place offers possible cures and options for treatment beyond my own Federation."

"I can't dispense treatment if I can't diagnose you, Tianzi-san," Megumi pointed out mildly, nonplussed by the young girl's attempt to put on a regal bearing. She had been raised to respond in such audiences, and if she could speak to one of the Ishin no Sanketsu, Okubo Toshimichi of the Meiji restoration, and the chief-of-police, without flinching and without holding her tongue, she could do the same when needed to any official of high rank.

"Look, Tianzi-san . . ." She sighed, looking at the girl with a kind but keen eye. "I can't force treatment on you. But you have to cooperate, because it's for your sake, and for the sake of those relying on you. In fact . . ." She paused, a smile flitting upon her lips, "There is much more at stake here, isn't there?"

Just briefly, her gaze flickered, down, and what might be tears threatening, but she blinked them back, fingers curling in her clothes.

"A life is at stake." She whispered, gaze falling in finality, unable to meet her gaze knowing that she was lying.

"That's important."

Megumi sighed once again. It was time to address the situation.

Quietly, she took the box of tissues from her desk, placing them close to the girl.

Laying her stethoscope upon the table, she placed her hands upon her lap, looking at her "patient."

"Tianzi-san . . . I can tell that you aren't ill. Now, why don't you tell me the truth, and tell me why you're really here?" she asked, the timbre of her voice quiet and serious.

"I-" She glanced at the tissues. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't, because...

"..." And she'd promised, hadn't she, not to tell, but- How could she get help if she didn't tell, because Xing-ke was proud, and she... she wasn't above begging for him, if he wouldn't. She'd known how hard it was for him to even ask another to save her, when he couldn't, and how could she ask him to keep begging for her, when she had never begged for him. Commanded, yes, she'd commanded, in a way, for his life to be spared, because it was wrong to kill a man for aiding another, giving medicine to a prisoner, and he was the one who needed medicine now.

"As the Tianzi of the Chinese Federation-" Her gaze wavered, as liquid welled up in her eyes, dipping in to a low bow and staring at the floor, unable to keep her gaze from it. One tile, two- "I implore you, please, Doctor, that if I tell you, you will keep it in the most strict of confidences."

Megumi nodded once. She respected her patients' confidentiality and would do no harm to them by speaking loosely of their concerns to others.

"I promise you, Tianzi-san, that I will not divulge anything from what we speak of today."

"Now, I'm listening." Her burgundy eyes were fixed unwaveringly upon the girl across her.

Edited 2008-08-20 05:59 (UTC)

Her gaze rose, watery and emotional, still trying valiantly not to cry, to show that weakness, but the thought of Xing-ke dying...

"M- My... The Commander in Chief of the Black Knights, and my most loyal servant, Li Xing-ke. He's... he's the one dying. He's the one I need to find a cure for, please-" Begging, and it shouldn't suit an Empress, but she was a child and a figurehead, and even an Empress needed someone. A promise, on a terrace at night, and she would do anything to preserve it, to preserve him.

Maybe it was childish selfishness, to not want to be alone, to not want the one person who had showed her love and loyalty to leave, but.

So that was the story. She was seeking a treatment for someone else--someone obviously very important to her. Megumi had seen many people beg her to treat their loved ones, and the way Tianzi-san asked her . . . This Xing-ke-san was not just her Commander-in-Chief and not just a servant. More likely than not, he was also a good friend . . . a confidant and a companion.

She nodded.

"Tianzi-san . . . based on the symptoms that you have told me, and if the illnesses whence you came and whence I came are the same, I may already have an idea of what his sickness is. Yes, it is fatal, but this disease can now be treated by modern antibiotics."

"However . . . I need to see this Xing-ke-san. Like I said . . . I cannot dispense treatment if I cannot properly diagnose. I, like you, want the best treatment for him, and I don't want to prescribe medication haphazardly. Do you understand, Tianzi-san?"

Her tone was kind, but firm.

She listened quietly, gaze slowly falling back to the floor, the Doctor's feet, eyes closed a moment before she opened them again, voice quiet.

"... What you think it might be. What sort of treatment and... sort of thing is that? Just... so I know?"

Finally moved, to wipe her eyes, just briefly.

"I cannot say for certain . . . " Megumi began carefully. "But I do have a suspicion that it might be tuberculosis. That is an infectious, communicable disease affecting the lungs. However, the causative bacteria may also move to other parts of the body."

"Now, to test if it truly is tuberculosis, I will need to have a chest x-ray of Xing-ke-san done, as well as a sputum examination." She watched Tianzi-san keenly before continuing.

"Treatment involves antibiotics for probably six months, mostly oral. He may need injected antibiotics, but we will still see."

A pause.

"I need to see Xing-ke-san as soon as possible, Tianzi-san. I want to help him, and you, and for that to happen, I need to diagnose him."

Edited 2008-08-20 06:31 (UTC)

"..." More listening, and she finally had to reach for a tissue, shield her fact with it, shoulders trembling a little. It sounded so serious, and what if it didn't work, what if it wasn't that-

"... What if he won't come?"

She sighed sharply.

"I can still prescribe him medication, but that disagrees with my code of ethics. I want to be able to give full and holistic healthcare, and I cannot do that if I'm just guessing."

Softening her voice, she addressed the younger girl.

"Sometimes, to save a life, we have to do what is painful to our pride. I know that you know this. But there are things much more important than pride sometimes, such as the lives and the happiness of those we love."

She gave Tianzi-san a small smile.

"Tell him to come. If he wants you to be happy, then he should seek medical help. Not just for his sake, but for yours."

"But-" She tried to steady her voice, but it wavered. Afraid. Nervous.

"What if... what if it's something only my world has, or... not what you think, and- What if he dies anyway?"

It wasn't the question she meant to ask, but any thought always led her straight to that, what if Xing-ke died..

"There are other doctors and healers here who will be able to help, I'm sure," Megumi said. "I am not the only medical and surgical practitioner here in the City. If I cannot heal him, then there may be others who can."

"The important thing is to try to seek help, Tianzi-san. He will not heal by himself--at least, not with that illness. And to let it take hold of him when something can be done is wasting the opportunities that have been given both of you while you are here."

"There is no harm in letting him see me, and from there, we can find a way to heal what he has."

"There is no room for hesitation. Not when you're fighting for a life."

She regarded the smaller girl with a determined eye.

Edited 2008-08-20 06:53 (UTC)

Tianzi wiped her eyes, nodding slowly. She would... she would have to beg Xing-ke to come, and then... maybe it would help. Maybe it would help, and if it didn't then she would...

Then she would go to the deities.

"... thank you, Doctor."

Megumi nodded. Hopefully, Tianzi-san would bring Xing-ke-san, and they would be able to see to his ailment.

"You're welcome, Tianzi-san. Remember what I said."

She gave the girl a gentle smile.

She nervously shuffled a bit, smoothed at her clothes and hair, nodding busily to distrat herself.

"I- I'll ask him." A quick bow, and she stood straighter than she had, feeling lighter hearted, now that she was not lying, at least. "Thank you, once again, Doctor."

"Alright."

Gently she guided Tianzi-san to the door.

"You are welcome. And if you or Xing-ke-san have any questions, you can both approach me at any time."

Megumi turned the knob, opening the door for the smaller girl.

"I will wait for Xing-ke-san's consultation."

She gave Tianzi-san a kind smile.

"Good day, Tianzi-san."

"... Good day, doctor." The Tianzi nodded, wiping her eyes quickly one more time before she left.

She needed to put on a smile to meet Kaguya.

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Log; In Progress

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