Doctor Daze- part three

Akari let out a sigh, arms flopped to her sides, staring up at the wooden ceiling beams above her futon. The room was quiet, the only sound the soft creak of the floorboards as Rei knelt beside her. Morning light filtered through the paper windows, casting soft gold patterns on the walls.

Rei adjusted the collar of his Survey Corps jacket and took a breath. "Okay, we'll start with your legs. Just like last time."

Akari gave a half-hearted nod, already relaxing into the futon.

Carefully, Rei took her right leg by the ankle, supporting under her knee with his other hand. He slowly bent her knee toward her chest, watching for any sign of stiffness or pain. Akari's muscles resisted only slightly—she wasn't injured, but he could feel the light tension from sleeping curled up.

"Feels a bit tight here," Rei muttered, gently pressing his gloved fingertips to the side of her thigh and hip joint.

Akari gave a tiny shrug. "I curled up last night. Cold."

"Noted." He slowly rotated her knee in small circles, checking how smoothly the joint moved, then extended the leg back down. "Alright, other leg."

The left leg followed the same routine—bend, flex, rotate, gentle press along the side of the thigh and calf, checking circulation and muscle tone. His gloves muffled the contact, but Rei was practiced. He pressed lightly along the major muscles, tracing the femur, checking for any swelling or soreness. All seemed normal.

"You've been walking a lot lately, haven't you?" he asked.

"Mmhm. Missions."

Rei nodded, feeling the faint, warm pulse at the side of her knee. "Alright. Let's move on to your arms."

Akari sat up slowly, pushing her hair out of her face. Rei moved to kneel behind her, gently taking her right arm and lifting it overhead. He bent it at the elbow, testing how far it extended behind her back, then forward again.

"Any pain?" he asked quietly.

"No. Just stiff," she replied, eyes watching the floor.

He moved to the left arm. This time, he rotated her shoulder slowly, clockwise, then counter-clockwise. The joint moved smoothly. He gently pressed the muscle down her upper arm, then toward her wrist, fingers checking along the tendons.

"You're not dehydrated," he noted, observing the skin's elasticity. "Good. Laventon will be glad to hear it."

Akari gave a soft grunt. "Can we tell him I don't need the nasty tea this time?"

Rei gave a quiet snort of amusement. "I'll see what I can do."

He then placed a few fingers lightly on her wrist, counting quietly under his breath as he monitored her pulse. "Breathing's normal. Circulation's good."

He tapped her shoulder once. "Okay. That's it for range of motion and circulation. Just need to write it down for the Captain."

Akari gave a breath of relief and flopped back onto the futon. "Finally."

Rei stood and dusted off his knees, already reaching for the clipboard resting near the wall.

"You're healthy," he said, scribbling quickly. "But don't slack on stretching, okay? We live in the middle of nowhere. One stiff joint and you're stuck climbing with it for a week."

Akari groaned and pulled a blanket over her face. "Ugh. Fine."

Rei chuckled softly. Despite her protests, she'd been cooperative—and compared to their first check-up, she was starting to trust him. Little by little, it was progress.

And in this strange, old world—they both needed every bit of that they could get.