THIS IS A REVISED VERSION OF MY STORY WITH THE SAME TITLE, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN RENAMED TO "DISCONTINUED—The Original Version of 12 Days of Sketmas".
This story now ties together with Bossun's past, particularly regarding his father Ryosuke, but don't expect it to follow canon perfectly. The biggest changes from the original are the inclusion of an OC and the story shifting to his point of view, but I promise he's not a Mary Sue (I mean Gary Stu). Feel free to point out if he does start becoming one. There's also more emphasis on the orphanage now because I noticed I was focusing WAY TOO MUCH on the BossuHime fluff that the plot suffered.
ANYWAY, this prologue is an abridged history of the orphanage, shedding some light on Ryosuke's relation to it and the OC. (Why am I talking so formally? Gah)
-o-o-o-
-PROLOGUE-
-o-o-o-
There comes a point when you just stop getting excited over certain things. You realize new clothes will fade over time, each birthday is a step closer to your grave, and your marriage becomes more of a struggle to stay together than anything else. At least that's what Dad always said. So, when he chose to get divorced and start up an orphanage, he knew there was no quitting halfway through and then starting over, much like how teenagers nowadays tend to go about with relationships. It was a commitment he wouldn't be running away from.
He said describing it as 'difficult' would be a grave understatement. There were just too many things he didn't take into account—top of the list being the kids themselves. He and his wife, Yuzu-san, failed to procreate a child before they split, and it was part of the reason he decided to care for orphans in the first place. Their lack of an offspring saved them the trouble of filing for child custody and child support, but the lack of experience would later come back to bite Dad in the ass. It didn't occur to him until after the orphanage had been built how little he knew about caring for kids, one of which was me. Frantic, he called up Yuzu-san and asked for help.
The great thing about Yuzu-san is that she's not the type to hold grudges, and while they may have had their fair share of arguments, they still cared enough to lend each other a hand. We flocked to her like moths to a flame, perhaps because she really was like a light to us at that time, a time when most of us were still recovering from the shock of abandonment or loss of our families. Sometimes, Dad would wonder what it might've been like had they given each other another chance, but it was just mostly him. She was content with her new partner and her new life, whereas Dad had us. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be till another year before we accept him as our new family and before he could finally let Yuzu-san go.
From originally sheltering seven kids, Hidamari Garden grew to take care of about three dozen, and it would continue to take in more. Some were lucky enough to find new families, but most lived there all the way to adulthood. Some left once they found a stable job, but many stayed behind and became the new staff once Dad reached the age where he couldn't work anymore. But before he retired for good, he did one last act of goodwill—he finally adopted me. Sure, it was a little awkward, being a teenager and gaining a father who was four times your age, but I loved him and it was still the happiest moment of my life. He died of kidney complications a few years later, and during his funeral, it was like we all reverted back to being children, shamelessly crying our eyes out.
Being his only son, I inherited everything he owned, which was basically Hidamari and a vintage Volkswagen he bought overseas (when I would have the time to learn to drive, I didn't know). It was an unusual feeling—suddenly becoming the boss of the people you grew up with, but everyone thought I deserved it, and I always tried to live up to Dad's reputation. I was young, though, and prone to screwing up, and I couldn't count the times I wanted to hand the responsibility to someone else. I was in the last leg of my rebellious teen years, and when I started to feel like the pressure was too much, I'd often lock myself away in my room and just say "Fuck off" to the world like it had no power over me. Not the best attitude when there were hungry kids to feed.
"Hi-ro-ki, get off your lazy ass and help out!"
However, since I had a friend like Kirishima Ryosuke, who would drag me kicking and screaming back to work, there was no way I could have ever escaped. Ryo was the kind of guy who could annoy you to death, but at the end of the day, you just couldn't hate him.
"Hiroki, stop scowling; you're scaring the kids."
"Get off my case, Mom."
"Who're you calling Mom, you brat?"
We bickered a lot, but he really helped me pull through those tough times. Ryo would later leave the orphanage with our childhood friend and fellow orphan Haru, and his absence would prompt me to finally man up and accept the job my father started. The next time I would see him would be during his funeral, and much like I did during Dad's, I bawled like a kid. The day after, I shut myself inside my room and promised Ryo it would be the last time I escaped responsibility. I told him I just needed time to properly grieve, and that I was doing it 'for old times' sake'.
"Let me be a brat one last time, Mom."
-o-o-o-