Standard disclaimers: Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru is © Sunrise/Red Entertainment/Asatsu/VAP; Love Live ©Sunrise/ASCII Media Works. This work of fiction is strictly a fan's expression and is not meant to be profited from.
And also, it's mainly Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru characters that are featured in the first half, and the Love Live characters won't appear until the second half of the story (save for one, watch out for her!).
Where…..am I?
The first things his senses met were the bright blur of the fluorescent lamps, and the scent of antiseptics. It was all so sudden; he was caught unawares of everything that happened to him. Everything has become incomprehensible that even the words of the people around him were just adding up to his confusion.
"Finally, he woke up. It's been a full week that he's out!"
"Hey kid, can you hear me?"
Finally, his eyes had adjusted well enough that he is able to realize where he is: in a hospital room and he was surrounded by doctors and nurses. His gaze shifted to one of the doctors at his bedside who said, "Kid, I know it's all of a sudden, but you'll be here for the meantime. We tried to call up your relatives but none of them seems interested in checking on you and your family."
"Unbelievable," went one of the nurses, "they're so heartless! How can they just discard you like that, like you're not family. For the meantime, you will be staying with us until you're well enough to walk."
Everything is an incomprehensible mess to him at that point. Nothing made sense. At one moment, he was riding home with his parents after a long night of celebrating over his elementary graduation and the next thing; he's suddenly in this room with complete strangers. What the hell is going on?
"I…don't understand," he said weakly, barely able to gargle out his words thru his respirator, "…what's going on? What happened…to me? Where….where's Mom and Dad?"
The doctors and nurses uneasily looked at one another, unsure if they can let him take the seemingly bad news. Finally, the lone male doctor took it upon himself to break it to him. "Kid, I know this is all so sudden. You will definitely not take this well, but I hope that you are strong enough."
"You and your parents got into a traffic accident. You're lucky that you survived with minimal damage, but your parents…."
It was all too unreal. Even if he perfectly understood what the doctor meant; that his parents are dead and they are no longer coming back, it all rang hollow in his mind. Even when after his stay in the hospital days after, when he finally got to see his parents propped up in their respective coffins and their relatives and his schoolmates coming to pay respects and condolences, nothing registered in his mind…or his heart. Nothing was real to him. It all played like a nightmare that he does not want to have anything to do with, yet it has no resonance to him, in such as it did not strike any semblance of emotion from him. To him, it was like he was watching in the middle of a good movie but got cut midway in the emotional climax, and only got back to the epilogue when everything was over. It was all a disconnected mess to him. It was all too easy to misinterpret this seeming lack of emotion, as can be overheard from the conversation of his relatives.
"He's not even crying, even when he first saw his parents' corpses! He just nodded like it's nothing."
"And he's just not responding to anything that we say. I'm definitely not going to have anything to do with that child!"
"How can you say that? He just has not gotten around to accepting his parents' death yet. He'll get around it eventually…"
"But you're not taking him in either right?"
"Yeah, that's right. I just have too many kids to handle…but I'm pretty sure the Child Welfare Services will take care of him, right?"
Even during the memorial service and cremation, this kind of talk still persisted with his relatives. Not that he cared about it that much: he's aware that his parents are not exactly that popular with his relatives, and are only attending due to social obligations. He would rather deal with the social case workers who started showing up regularly at his doorstep: at least, they are coming not out of a sense of obligation but because they sincerely want to help. At least, this seems to be the case with the case worker that has been assigned to him, who regularly helps him out with fixing the house and teaching him to do his own cooking, budgeting and grocery, with the money that he has gotten from his parents' insurance. He has gotten this far in learning to analyse someone's character, in part due to his experience in being a World Saviour in that alternate realm….those days seemed to be so unreal and disconnected to him now, just as disconnected as the fact that his parents are gone, and that he is all alone.
But despite the helpfulness of his case worker, he is painfully aware that if nobody takes him in within 6 months, he will be forced to leave this house and taken into an orphanage. He has heard countless stories of the horrors of those places. But he can't really do much and can only hope for the best: after all, that's the only weapon he has that allowed him to survive in that alternate world full of evil monsters and overlords, and he had survived and defeated them all.
But he can't help but wonder if it will be enough to let him survive in his own world.
The sound of the doorbell broke the silence of the afternoon, as he was preparing for the night's meal.
"Coming!" he shouted, as he raced to answer the door. "Ayaka-san? Aren't you supposed to visit me tomorrow?"
"Awwww, Wataru-kun. Don't be mean," The young lady at the doorstep cheerfully teased, "Don't you want me anymore? Or would you want a different case worker instead?"
"No, no, I didn't mean it that way! Of course I'd rather deal with you and you know that!"
"Oh you're so cute as always," said Ayaka, who motioned to her companion beside her. "By the way, the reason why I'm here is because this gentleman beside me wants to talk to you about something important. It's about your parents' will."
"My Mom and Dad's….will?"
"Yes," Positioning herself between the two parties, she started the introduction. " This gentleman beside me is the solicitor and executor of your parents' will, Atty. Kazuto Amagi. Amagi-san, this young man is Wataru Ikusabe. Hope you two can get along!"
"A pleasure to meet you, young man," Amagi said calmly while handing out his business card to Wataru, who likewise accepted it, yet not tearing his gaze away from either Ayaka or him. Not really sensing anything sleazy about this guy, Wataru thought, but I'm not quite sure at this point if I can trust him.
"I know it's not exactly in the best taste to make a comment about it, since you have just lost your parents, but I hope you can indulge me in letting me say that you seem to be holding yourself pretty well."
"Thank you for the concern. Right now, all I can say is that I am doing my best."
"That's well and good," said Amagi, as he pushed his spectacles back with a thoughtful look. "There's actually a lot I have to tell you about your parents will, and it will be best if we can discuss it inside, if you don't mind."
"Oh, I don't mind but I haven't fixed the house yet, much less serve anything since I haven't gotten to cooking anything yet," Wataru said with a hesitant look.
"I'm fine with it. I won't be staying that long," said Amagi.
"Oh," Ayaka piped up, "and if you don't mind, I'll just take care of looking for something to serve while you two gentlemen talk, okay?"
"Well, okay…"
As Ayaka served the tea that she has gotten from the kitchen, along with the hand made dango that she usually brings with her during her weekly visits, Amagi wasted no time and handed an envelope to Wataru. "It will be best if you can read for yourself everything that your parents have written down in that will."
The young boy took the envelope and read through the documents contained within. Sure enough, there was the usual part of requesting the solicitors to take charge of his trust fund, and every other bit contained in a typical parent's will for their offspring. But what caught him off guard was the third page. It took him for such a huge shock, that he literally jumped out of his chair and went, "NO WAY!"
"Just the reaction I'd expected", Amagi commented. "That's why I let you read it first, because you would not believe it if I read it out to you."
"I also felt that way when I read that, Wataru-kun," said Ayaka with a concerned tone in her voice. "It's simply unbelievable."
As if his parents' death was not unbelievable enough, yet another seemingly impossible thing showed up in the middle of nowhere. There, unmistakably bearing his parents' signatures, the documents plainly stated the following:
….and in the event that nobody from our immediate family or a Japanese citizen will be taking our son Wataru into custody, we are authorizing Rachel Marnier, a native-born citizen of Vancouver, BC, Canada and is currently residing in Tokyo, Japan, to take legal guardianship. We are also authorizing her to make a decision on his matters, such as domicile, living arrangements and education. She will also be bound by this will to provide and care for him in the same level as we, as his parents, provide and care for him.
Although he was quiet, both Ayaka and Amagi can sense the great turmoil within Wataru, as he stared at the documents with unsteady, quivering eyes.
"I can't blame him for reacting that way," Amagi spoke up, "Even I am surprised that a Japanese parent would actually let foreigners be the legal guardians of their offspring. Although I'd dare say that it's not unheard of."
"It's not just that," Ayaka chimed in, "It's obvious that he doesn't know who this Rachel person is. Just the thought of you being given away to a person you don't even know: even I will find it hard to accept that!"
Since the people around him had taken care of speaking out the words that he was so painfully struggling to let out but couldn't, he just passively stared at the documents as Amagi continued, "Of course, Wataru is already in the capacity to decide whether or not he should accept the will. But we should at least let him meet with Rachel-san to help him decide. By the way Wataru,-kun, Rachel-san will be seeing you in the Child Welfare office this weekend so you can at least get to know her. And it seems that she has a lot of things to tell you as well. Particularly about your parents."
"I know that this is all so sudden and we can't blame you if you will reject the will," Ayaka chimed in, "But we had already arranged your meeting with Rachel in our office so that at least it will help you ease your mind somehow that you will be meeting her in a Japanese government office."
"I'm sorry….but I need time to think it over."
The two adults stared at each other. They may have received a far less violent reaction than expected, but considering everything, they have decided to call it a day and leave him be to have his own space. After all, this will be about his entire future.
"If you have decided, or if you need anything, you have my mobile number. Just call me anytime, ok?" Ayaka said, as she and Amagi stood up and left.
The two adults didn't mind not being seen off at the door, since they are well aware of the shock that the news they brought had generated. They deemed it best to let him be and quietly left, while the dango and the tea that was served was still lying on the table, untouched.
The young boy could only bury his face into his hands, gobsmacked by everything that came to him.
What the hell is going on?!
Saturday, at the Central Prefectural branch of the Child Welfare services.
Deciding that he had nothing to lose at this point, Wataru had decided to meet up with the person that was indicated in the will that is going to be his legal guardian. Ayaka and Amagi had willingly taken him to the branch, with Ayaka prepping him up with what to expect with his meeting.
"And with what I heard from our background check, she seems to be a real big shot! She is one of the directors of the Wellston House in Shibuya!"
"Wellston House?"
"Oh, right, of course you don't know. Wellston House is one of the biggest fashion outfits in Tokyo right now. They actually brought in Rachel-san from Canada to up the competition! And looks like it will since she has won so many awards within the span of her career!"
"Wow….seems like she's quite the big shot. Makes me a bit scared now."
"Why, Wataru-kun?"
Looking at the scenery outside the office window, Wataru mused on how he will say it before replying, "I'm not quite sure now if she will readily accept someone like me. I trust that my parents think she may be capable, but….with people like her….she may think I am not good enough for her."
Ayaka fell silent for a few seconds before finally replying, "It's understandable that you think that way. But I'll let you in on something….Rachel-san also thinks the same way."
"What do you mean by the same way?"
"The same way that you're afraid that you may not be good enough for her; she also has her own misgivings that you may not accept her fully as your new mother. I think it just shows that although both of you may not know each other personally, you both in some ways, want to honour your parents' will and to give each other a chance. So I really do think that you will get along just fine. That's just my opinion, though."
Sighing, the young boy continued with his inner musings as they trudged along the corridors of the hallway. I'm not even sure if I can trust this person. But I guess, the only way to know if I can is if I get to at least see her.
"Here we are. Are you ready?"
Staring at the door with trepidation but with a determined look, the boy nodded.
Amagi knocked at the door and said, "We're coming in!"
"Please come in," a voice said from within.
The two adults lead the boy inside one of the office's meeting rooms, which was a homelike set up with cushioned sofas, appliances and curtained windows, presumably set up to make the occupants at ease and make conversations and transactions a bit easier. Wataru's gaze, though, was led to the figure silhouetted by the bright daylight outside; and his gaze was met by a pair of gentle, blue eyes who had the same trepidation as he is on this first meeting.
"Wataru-kun, this is Ms Rachel Marnier, the one indicated in your parents' will to be your guardian. Rachel-san, this is Wataru Ikusabe. It took some time, but we finally found him."
"It's a pleasure to meet you at last…Wataru-kun."
There I was….standing in front of this beautiful foreign woman….the woman who my parents supposedly said will be my new mother once they are gone. There are so many things that I don't know, and so many things I am not sure of….will she be able to answer them?
And can I trust her?
