Arron and Trexx

Chapter 19

Third person pov

Yoshino had been smart about choosing doctor for Arron. It had taken her a few hours of searching, but eventually she'd come up with the perfect candidate to be Arron's permanent physician. Qualified and old as hell, Moko Akiguru was a woman shorter than even Arron was. Her build was pudgy and her hair was drawn up into a bun. The only thing relatively intimidating about her was her lab coat and bag.

"This is Doctor Akiguru, Arron." Yoshino said. Arron flinched away, peeking out from behind Shikamaru. In one hand she clutched her walkie talkie, her other clamped on the back of Shikamaru's shirt. The boy smiled a sheepish smile when the little old woman turned towards him, her eyes shining with mirth and kindness. Shikamaru glanced at the scared Arron. This woman was a good choice.

"You must be Shikamaru, which makes this Arron. Your mother mentioned she didn't like letting you out of her sight." Moko chuckled. Her voice was a little croaky, but nice too. Shikamaru gave her a lazy grin, nodding slightly and looking down at Arron, who had pressed herself up against his side. She stared at the doctor through narrowed eyes, her body shaking slightly.

"Well, I'll be in the other room if you need anything. Can Shikamaru stay?" Yoshino asked. The Nara heir looked at his mother curiously, his eyes soon shifting back over to the doctor, who smiled simply. Arron's grip on her friend tighten, her teeth clenching. What if this woman was here to take her away? Sure, she'd never really seen any older women try to drag her off or harm her. Well, none this old and small, at least, but that didn't make her any less nervous. This woman could still take her. Or worse, she could take Shikamaru.

"Why, of course." Moko gave a graceful bow. "Now please, come forward. Let me have a look at you, dear."

Shikamaru took a step, and with him, Arron came. Yoshino smiled a small smile to her son as she passed. "I'll just be in the next room, Shikamaru, but don't cause any trouble for Doctor Akiguru, alright?" She said as she passed. Shikamaru gave a half-hearted nod. As if he'd do something to upset the doctor. He was far too lazy for troublesome things like that.

Moko stepped forward and began to examine Arron with her eyes, analyzing anything and everything she could about the girl. Arron squirmed under the intense gaze, her shoulders tense and square, and her fists clenched tightly. Shikamaru didn't say a word. He just stood their, his soul purpose to serve as emotional support and possibly somewhat of an advocate if Arron refused to talk.

"Has she been eating?" Moko looked to Shikamaru. "Drinking plenty of fluids? Getting sunlight?"

"She's been eating and drinking when I do, I guess, and we did go outside a lot these past few days." He shrugged vaguely. He wasn't really sure how much she was eating and drinking, but her condition did appear any worse to him. He'd seen her drink at least a bottle of water a day, and she ate meals with him. Honestly, she hadn't been here long enough to know much of anything. He supposed she was getting enough sun... Was there a way to tell?

"Good, good." Moko smiled. "I'm going to assume I'm not allowed to touch you."

Arron didn't respond, but her answer was clear. There would be no touching of any kind, not from Moko. She'd breakdown if that were to happen, as much as she didn't want to. She felt like she couldn't control it. Skin to skin contact with anyone other than Shikamaru seemed to set her off like a bomb, and she hated it. She wanted to be able to fight back... But at least she had Shikamaru. She guessed she didn't need much of anyone if he was around and about.

"Well, can you lift up your shirt for me then?" Moko asked, her arms folded over her chest. Shikamaru felt his cheeks heat slightly, and he awkwardly cleared his throat, turning his head away. How troublesome. Was this doctor chick just going to ignore the fact that he was here and, you know, that he was a teenage boy?

"Dear, I'm a doctor. I need to look at you to make sure you aren't sick, but you don't want to be touched. You need to cooperate." Moko said softly. The girl shrunk back but didn't respond, simply staring at the woman. She didn't want to lift her shirt. She remembered when they'd tell her to strip. She hated it. She hated all of it. It was humiliating. She didn't want to remember. She was perfectly fine now that she was with Shikamaru.

"Arron, please. You don't have to take it off. Just lift it up a little." Shikamaru requested. Arron looked up at him with a frown, looking down at her clothes. Well, they were Shikamaru's anyway. Everything she'd been given seemed to be Shikamaru's, and she was okay with that, because she liked Shikamaru. He was always nice and he was her only friend, and he protected her, and he was warm and he smelled good.

Shikamaru inched his hand towards the back of her shirt, grasping it lightly. Her whole body went rigid, but she didn't pull away. "Arron, how about she just looks at your stomach. Just the stomach. That's all." Shikamaru pleaded. What if she had something wrong with her? An infection on one if the cuts she'd gotten, or a broken bone she didn't know about? He... He didn't know, but he felt worried. It was pretty clear just what had happened to Arron out there...

Arron looked up at Shikamaru, who's eyes begged her to trust him, and she nodded.