Blah, I hate disclaimers... *ahem* Fushigi Yuugi doesn't belong to me, neither does Tim Hortons ^^;;; I don't have the money to buy it. Yet. So please don't sue me, 'cause it stands to reason that I couldn't give you anything anyhow.
*waves a little flag saying 'bankruptcy"*
Also, I know next to nothing about a bunch of Law stuff (I'm fifteen, give me a break!), so I'm just kinda guessing about how this next bit should turn out.
Doesn't timmies make nice hot chocolate?
***
Back in his rooms, Li looked the envelope over once more. What could a law firm want with him? He wasn't too sure he wanted to find out. But none the less, he tore the seal off, and pulled out the papers. Putting on his reading glasses, he looked over the papers.
It was a request to review Hikou's will.
Li had been left a good deal of things in Hikou's will, and he had to be at the firm in three days to have his lot sorted out, and to see what he could accept. It was going to be a busy week, getting an apartment, funeral and will organized and attended to. But there was no backing out of this.
Three days later, Li visited Mrs. Himemura as promised, and they went over the organizations for Hikou and Kourans funeral together. A few things needed to be changed here and there..the place where they had been going to get the flowers from had closed a few days ago, and Mrs. Himemura was frantically trying to find a new place. Together they chose a likely place, that was nearby.
"Well, how about I go down there after my appointment? You could give me a list of the types of bouquets you wanted."
"Would you? Thank you so much, that would be very kind of you."
"Anytime, and besides this place is on the way to an apartment I was going to have a look at."
"How is that going, dear?"
"Difficult. There aren't very many good apartments here for the price I'm looking at. I think I may end up having to room with someone."
"Well, I hope that goes well for you. I know apartments here are difficult to come by. The landlords seem to think that if you're not from around here you'll fall for the high prices they drive. Have you bargained for what you want?"
"Yeah. They always say the prices aren't negotiable. Maybe I'm losing my edge."
"No, I'm sure you'll find something soon. Just keep trying."
"Mmm Hmm."
Pulling out of the driveway in his rented car, Li made for the law firm. He had a few minuted to spare, so he stopped at a Tim Horton's for some coffee. He was a bit nervous about going...he never even thought that Hikou would have left him anything. But he couldn't delay much longer. Li drank the last of his cup, and got back into his car, this time heading straight for the firm.
"Mr. Houjun, I'm glad you could make it today, my name is Mrs.Whyde."
"Pleased to meet you." Li rose from his seat to shake her hand. The they both settled down, her across from him, to get business settled.
"As you now know, Hikou Himemura has left you a part in his will. If you would have a look at these forms.."
Li took the papers from her and read them. Then he read them again. Was this possible?! It said in the will that Hikou had left his whole Ranch to Li, as well as the funds to keep it running.
It also said that Li was Hikou's son's guardian.
"The boy -his name is Masaru- is staying at his grandparents house. I have their number and the number of his social worker and the infor-"
"Wait, this can't be right. I'm sorry Mrs.Whyde but you must have made a mistake somewhere. I can't possibly be the child's guardian."
"But you are. It says right here. If you have any problems with that, you'll have to talk to Ms. Haku about them. She's the social worker. She left her card with me," she handed Li the small piece of paper. "You should speak with her soon if you have problems with the arrangements."
"Yeah, I'll do that. Is there anything I should sign?"
"Yes, a few forms. But you may want to take a close look at them; there are a few requirements that must be met if you want to inherit the ranch."
He took the papers from Mrs.Whyde, and reached for the glasses in his pocket. They weren't there. ::I must have left them on Mrs. Himemura's table! Well, I can read this anyhow, I should get through okay.:: He began looking them over. In the deeds to the ranch, there was some fine print that he couldn't quite read. It was probably some details on business with neighbouring ranches, nothing to important. Li skipped it and moved on to the next page, and the next. He took out a pen and was about to sign the papers when Mrs.Whyde interrupted.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"Of course. How hard can it be?"
"Alright then." She sounded sceptical. ::It's not like I haven't had experience on a ranch before:: thought Li. How different could it be to run one?
Li signed the papers, and then asked a few more questions before leaving. At least he had a place to stay now. But could he handle a ranch and his job all at once? It had always been his dream to be a rancher, but now he had settled into a business...and what about this boy? He felt he owed it to Hikou and Kouran to look after him. But he knew nothing about children.
Li looked at the card Mrs.Whyde had handed him. Ms. Haku, she lived in the centre of the city.
"Alright, so I'll phone her when I get back to my apartment...no wait I have to organize the flowers for the funeral first. That shouldn't take too long. I'll have to meet her, and then, I guess I'll have to meet Masaru."
It sounded very easy to say, and think things would go just like that. And things did go smoothly, until he phoned Ms.Haku.
The phone rang for the fifth time, and Li was beginning to wonder if he had dialled the right number when a tired voice answered on the other side.
"Haku residence, who's calling?" Despite the fact that Kaen sounded like she hadn't slept in the last week, her voice was very young and beautiful, and Li was temporarily speechless. Somehow he'd expected to hear some one older, and more experienced. She sounded as though she could be in her early twenties.
"Hello? Dammit, Joy if that's you again-"
"Oh, sorry! Um, My name is Li Houjin, I'm Masaru's ...godfather?"
"Mr. Houjun? Yeah, I was expecting a call from you...Well, it's good that you know you're Masaru's godfather, I was under the impression that you didn't and-"
"I didn't. It came as a bit of a surprise to me, when I was told this morning...how is he?"
"Have you met him yet? No I suppose not. His grandmother told me about the circumstances of your leaving. You should come to meet him sometime soon, since you're gonna be taking care of him, and all. Are you free tomorrow afternoon?"
"Yes, I can be at your office around three. Will you be in charge of getting him in a good home?"
"Excuse me?"
"A foster home? I can't take care of a child, and both his sets of grandparents must be getting way to old to take care of him.."
"Masaru is NOT going to a foster home. Do you know how bad those places are? A good deal of them use the children they take in as personal servants!"
"Um-"
"And that's not the worst of it! It can take years to find out if a child is being abused, and Masaru is only 10!"
"But-"
"And you do expect to move into the Ranch, right?"
"Well, yes. But I can't take care-"
"Yes you can. AND you have to. If you want the ranch."
"What are you talking about?" Li was getting mad at this girl. First she didn't let him get a word in edgewise, and then she goes and talks nonsense!
"The deed. You did read the fine print... right?"
Li started to get a very bad feeling about that patch of writting he'd missed. There was some rustling on the other end of the line. Ms.Haku was looking through the will.
"Most of it..."
"But not all of it. I'm betting you missed the bit at the end of page two?"
"Yes, that and some others...what was in there?"
"Did you sign?"
"Yes..."
"Well, that's great! You are now the official owner of the ranch, and as such, Masaru's guardian for life! See you at three, have a nice day."
*Click.*
It took Li five minutes of staring at the phone to figure out what had just happened.
"Oh....Shit."
***
Li woke up at ten o'clock the next day, with a pounding headache.
Groaning, he made his way towards the bathroom, and splashed some water on his face.
"I look horrible..." He hadn't been able to sleep most of the night, and had settled for watching old monster movies while trying to get his thoughts sorted out. In the end, it came down to going to meet that witch of a woman, and sorting out the trouble with Masaru. He closed his eyes.
It was going to be a very long day.
***
Two cups of coffee and an advil later, Li headed out. It was eleven by then, so he still had plenty of time to get to Ms. Haku's office. He decided that there was enough time to stop at the ranch before and see how it looked, what type of things he would be getting himself involved in. Even though Li had been a major city man until recently, he had always made sure to know everything about ranches, and old town houses and estates. And horses. The horses were always the most important thing to him. Grooming them, caring for them, riding for them. Li loved it all.
Li had found some directions to the ranch in the will, and used those to find it. He pulled up the driveway -it must have been almost a kilometre long- and stopped in front of the house. He could tell that Hikou must have made the design himself, judging from the mix of Canadien and Japanese styles... Hikou may have lived in Canada, but he was born in Japan. And he'd loved both countries dearly.
Li got out of the car, and stretched. It had taken longer then he expected to get here... he wouldn't have much more then and hour to look around before he'd have to head to his meeting with the tempermental woman.
"There should be someone taking care of the house and animals until a new owner is found."
Li knocked at the door and waited.
And waited.
He knocked again, louder. Was it his imagination or was something rustling inside?
"Helloooooo?"
No answer. Li was about to turn away, when suddenly the door was flung open. In front of him was a very tall, very well-built man. He had short spiked hair, and was wearing a pain of old overall and a white t-shirt. He was feeding pieces of meat to a small cat perched on his shoulder.
"Uh...hello. I'm Li, I was wonder-"
The man smiled, and Li had the sudden impression that....
"Do I know you?"
"I don't believe so. I moved here after you left, my name is Pedro. You are Hikou's inheritor?"
"Yeah, that's me. I didn't realize that story was still going around."
"They talked about you all the time. Come in."
The giant man stepped to the side, allowing Li to enter the room. It was furnished in the same mix of japanese and Canadien style; most of the furniture was japanese, but the dinning room table was high, and had chairs. It looked much smaller on the inside then on the outside.
"Could you show me around? I'd like to see all the buildings."
"Of course."
They started with the main house, going through the many bedrooms. Most of them looked very much the same, since they were probably intended for the guests. One room was much different, being painted in dark blue, had a desk in a corner, and was one of the only rooms with a single bed. It had posters of celebrities and cars, and the ceiling was covered in model aeroplanes. Masaru's room. It looked like his old room.
: So, my godson is like me?:
Walking over to the desk, something glinted inside one of the drawers, and caught Li's eye. He pulled it open, and took out a framed photo. It was of Hikou and Kouran raking up leaves while a young boy jumped into them. He looked like Hikou, but he had his mothers light brown hair. He didn't look much younger than 10, and Li new that this had to be Masaru. He ran his fingers over the picture.
:We'll never be friends again!:
He put the picture back into the drawer, and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Could I see the horses now?"
"Of course. Just follow me." The man, who had introduced himself as Pedro led him 5towards a set of stairs, and out a side door. "Allan takes care of the horses, he'll be in there now. If you have any questions, you should ask him, horses aren't my strong point."
"You only work in the house?"
"Me and my wife. She keeps everything organized, and I do most of the cooking and other jobs."
"I see. So, you must've been working here a while, then."
"For as long as the ranch has been here."
The stables were just as big as the house, and were well-stocked, swept and kept. They were some of the most organized stabled he had seen, and the horses were all well fed. They had all sorts of breeds. Some of the stalls had signs in front of them with the horses name and then a family name. Hikou must have been renting out stalls to people who owned horses, but couldn't keep them themselves. It was a smart move.
"Allan was out with the newest horse. He should be back soon. Do you mind waiting here for him?"
"No, that's fine, no d-"
What had he just about said? Li frowned. No da? At the end of a phrase? He'd never heard it used before, why say it now?
:Time to think about that later...for now, horses!:
Pedro left Li there, to go back to the house and finish whatever work he had left. So Li walked around, looking at the horses, checking them, and seeing what types they had.
He was testing at one mares legs when he heard a horse walk in through the front door, getting up and turning around he saw a young man in his early thirties, walking a horse into the stables. The light was coming in from behind them, and Li couldn't make out many of the features on either the horse of horseman. But from the way the man was handling the horse, he was willing to bet that that was Allan.
"Who are you? Did Pedro let you in?" Allan was looking at him suspiciously.
"Yeah. I'm Li." Li held out his hand to Allan, who took it.
"You're the one who's inheriting the ranch." Li nodded. This guy was direct!
"Yes, that's me. I came to see how the ranch looks. I gotta say, I'm impressed."
"Yeah, Shoka and Pedro take good care of the house." He nodded over to the horse Li had been looking at "That's Columbia, she's lame. I've been trying an ointment on her. Follow me."
Allan walked past Li, heading towards a stall in the back. He led the horse he was leading into it, and turned it around. Now that the light was on them, Li saw that Allan had black hair, cut just below his ears, his eyes were clear blue. But it was the horse that took Li's attention. The horse had it's eyes covered by a cloth, and was completely dependant on Allan's guidance. It's face and body had thin scars all over it. Allan backed out of the stall, so that the horse was facing him.
"This is Bradley."
The horse whinnied a little.
"What's happened to him?" Li came as close to the stall as he dared: the horse seemed skittish, it kept prancing from side to side.
"Car accident. He's blind. The bandana's to help him heal."
Car accident. Mrs. Himemura had mentioned that Hikou and Kouran were coming back from a relatives ranch. Could this be a horse they were bringing back? Li looked closer at the wounds. Some were still healing, and others were just coming off. The horse kept sidestepping around the stall, and kept bumping into the walls, and food buckets.
"Will he recover?"
"Don't know. We'll see. Don't you have an appointment to get to?"
"How did you know about that?" Li said, even though he kept his eyes on the horse.
Allan smiled, grabbed a broom from the wall and leaned on it.
"I have my ways." He smiled, with a bit of a secret in his eyes, and nodded towards the door. I guess I'll catch ya' later, Mr. Owner, sir."
"Um, Li's fine." He started walking towards the door, sparing Allan a smile as he passed. "I guess I'll see you later too."
***
:I left bluegrass about 1:30, got caught in a traffic jam, and got into town at 2:20. It took me almost ten minutes to find parking. So I'm still early.:
Turning the corner, Li hunted for a good place to waste his time. There wasn't much hope in this district of town, all he there was was a bunch of small businesses and companies. His eye caught on a red neon sign. Well, that would work. If you couldn't waste time at Timmies, where could you? He made a beeline for the restaurant.
It was packed.
Each booth, stool and chair was full. Sighing, he made his way to the counter. Maybe by the time he'd ordered a coffee, someone would have left their seat.
"Coffee, double cream." Li payed and searched for a seat again. For a place in such a boring part of town, it sure was packed. Then he caught sight of one small table that was empty by a window. He hurried towards it. He wasn't the only one looking for a table! He had just about there when his foot snagged on something and he tripped, landing flat on the floor, his coffee splashing all over his clothes and the floor. And, go figure, someone had taken his spot.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Suddenly a small pair of hands were wrapped around his arm, and helping him to stand up. Li' was a horrible mess.
"Oh my...I am sorry. You tripped over my bag and..." The woman who was looking at him was beautiful. She had long red hair, tied up tight, and was wearing a dark purple skirt and jacket.
"It's fine...It'll wash out. I wouldn't mind a coffee though." He smiled at her. Always try to make the best of a bad situation was what he always told himself.
She smiled back.
"I guess I owe you one." She picked her bag up from where it was laying on the floor, and had started rummaging through it when she started to laugh under her breath. She quickly covered her mouth behind her hand, trying to stop herself from laughing.
"Hey, what's so funny?"
'Nothing1 It's just...If you'll excuse me saying this, but you look sort of silly like that." She kept laughing. Li looked down at himself again. Coffee was dripping down the front of his shirt, and his face hadn't gotten away from it either. And he was standing in the middle of a packed restaurant. He couldn't help but laugh himself. Soon the two of them were double over in laughter.
"Here, I've got an extra seat," She managed to gasp out between giggles "why don't you sit with me? I'll buy you another coffee and ask for a towel for you..."
"Thanks, I would appreciate it!"
She walked over to the counter and Li sat down, wiping the coffee and tears of laughter out of his eyes. He was going to look horribly unprofessional at his meeting. And he didn't have any change of clothes.
A towel and coffee were set in front of him, just before the redhead sat across from him. He took them gratefully.
"My name's Kaen."
"Li."
"So do you work around here?"
Li finished drying off his face before answering.
"No, business actually. I have an appointment in a building near here."
"My buildings near here. We get dumped with a whole load of junk there. I'm glad to catch a free minute with a handsome guy like you!" She sipped her coffee and smiled at him. "I have some clean laundry I was doing for my brother back in my car. He's about your size, if you want you could borrow a shirt."
"That would be nice. Somehow, I don`t think this is a very intimidating look anymore..."
She took a peice of paper out of her bag, and scribbled something on it.
"This is my address and number. Give me call when you'd like to drop it off."
Li liked Kaen's open nature and soon they were talking about everything from their family to favorite bands. He almost didn`t notice when his watch hit the 3 o'clock mark.
"Oh no! I'm going to be late for my appointment if I don't hurry!"
"What time is it?" She looked at her own watch "Three already?! Quick, follow me, my carsin the parking lot...I have a meeting to get to!" Together they sped out the door, the Kaen leading the way to her car. They got there in a few minutesand she fumbled in her bagto get her keys and unlock the back door.
"Sorry to rush, but you'd better chose a shirt fast!"
Li reached into the car, and found a basket full of shirts. He grabbed the first one to come to hand.
"Um...." It was womens ligerie. Kaen blushed a horrible shade of red and took it from him.
" I forgot about that," this time it was her who got a shirt out, this one a plain white that would go well with Li's other clothes. "this one should work."
He had barely thanked her when she was in the car, and starting the engine.
"Sorry to run off like this, but I hate being late! Phone me some time!"
She waved of the window, and drove out of sight. Li headed back towards the Tim Horton's to change in the bathroom. He would have to be fast, he was already late.
***
The building wasn't very large or impressive. It was two stories high, and made of red bricks, with an older look to it, and had probably been made in the early1900's. A metal plaque screwed into the side of the wall proclaimed for everyone to see that this was the office building of a group of social workers among them one Ms.Haku. Li buzzed the door. He waited a few moments before hearing the click that showed he had been let in. She was supposed to be on the second floor, so he headed for the stairs. Number 206. He knocked on the door.
"It's open."
:Well alright. Guess this is it.: Li pushed open the door, and walked into the office. It wasn't much, just a large desk covered in papers. It had a computer, and there was a coffee pot up against the wall with some shelves. But what caught Li's attention was the Mr. Haku.
It was Kaen.
****
So...the next chapter is finally done!! Woohoo!!
About bloody time. Um, thanks for everyone who told me I got Chichiri's name wrong. I'll remember that for next time (if) I write a reeincarnation fic with him. Dammit, there was something I was gonna say, and now I've completely forgotten...anyhow, I'll be doing a picture sometime for this...please review!
Hmm...I should edit this more...