Hello; thanks to those who reviewed!
Reader's Response:
Caspercat22: Thank you! Glad you liked it. Honestly, I was worried that it'd be a bit too sombre a mood for anyone to really like it, but I got reviews and about 30 hits to the page, so I'm happy.
D.D.Z.: I believe this is the third time I posted it. The first time it was under another name; Tsuyosa or something like that…and the original characters from those ones aren't going to be in this one; unless some reviewer who I said I'd put in decides to come back and hold me to my word. Then…well, thus far, I think you're the only reviewer/reader from the old ones that's actually reviewed this one, so yeah…anyways…if you were asking about the two twins; West and Akuma, they might make an entrance, but not as big as one as they would have in that one…and yes, I understood that sentence on the first try. I have a knack for stuff like that…(grin)
Jaded Moon: Wow, after reading your review, I felt so pleased with myself. (grins) thanks for the wonderful compliments and I hope I don't disappoint you with the other chapters coming up.
Kouji huffed as he crossed his arms, sitting back in the uncomfortable plastic chair, shooting disgruntled looks at the person who had dragged him in here in the first place. Hakurou raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Kouji's expression, "Oh, stop it; you know the doctor said to come back after a week so he could check your head"
"Doesn't mean we had to listen" Kouji muttered darkly.
"Of course it does; I'm filling out my fatherly role here" Hakurou grinned jovially at him. Although he may joke about it though, Hakurou did consider the three boys as his own sons, and therefore often called them as such.
"You're the most unfatherly person on the planet" Kouji retorted, "You're the one who let Genrou drive when we were on the highway once – "
"He wanted to!"
"He was twelve!"
"Nothing wrong with a bit of early education" Hakurou said, dark eyes twinkling with mirth, remembering the sight of Genrou driving at breakneck speed down the highway.
"Then after you saw the look on Faye and Dominique's face, you let them drive – "
"Why should they be deprived of an early education on safe driving?"
"Safe doesn't belong in the same sentence as them"
"True…" Hakurou winced. He opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted when the amused doctor cleared his throat, declaring his presence in the waiting room of the hospital (well, it was really a clinic, but it was so big that it could be considered a hospital) that Hakurou insisted that all his sons be treated at, "Mr. Kou?"
"Ah, finally; our turn!" Hakurou grinned, standing up swiftly and dragging Kouji into the examining area. The time spend in the examination room itself was much shorter than their time in the waiting room; almost immediately, the doctor saw that Kouji was indeed alright.
"However, I do wish you'd stop coming here this time every year with a concussion or a broken bone" the doctor said, amused. He was probably the only doctor who would treat Kouji or Genrou, after knowing why exactly they would end up with serious injuries the day of the celebrations.
"I'll try" Kouji said noncommittally, "See you next year Dr. Myo!" he yelled cheerfully.
Juan discarded his white doctor's lab coat in his office, exchanging it for his rather frayed jacket. He said a good night to the receptionist, whoplastered on asmileand waved tohim as he left. Judging from the number of people in the waiting room still, it would be a long night for those working the night shift. It was then that he was glad he worked the day.
The clinic functioned quite like a hospital due to the fact that the Teirou Hospital had been closed down, by order of Seth Ithel while the Forbidden were around, to keep 'those scum' from getting treatment. Juan was utterly disgusted at the news when he had heard it; who knew how many people suffered, and probably died, because Ithel had wanted to lower the population of those he did not consider human.
The hospital had yet to open once more and even then, it would take years to get it up and running like it used to be; known to be an abandoned building, some of the homeless in Teirou had taken up residence in the building during and after the war ended.
Getting in his car, Juan drove home, deep in thought, mostly about the regular visitors he got on the day after the anniversary of the Vanquishing, which was March 11th, ten years ago to be exact; he remembered that first time he had seen Kouji and Genrou Kou in the clinic, along with Doukun Kou and their two friends; possibly their only friends as he had grown to realize over the years, especially with the treatment directed at them as long as they made their views known like that. Sympathizers were treated just as badly in this society as the Forbidden had been.
One of the other doctors had refused to care for them and Juan had been perplexed, for he had been new there, recently graduated from the Choko Medical School in Konan. He had been and was still young for a doctor, but that, he supposed, was one way that the war had helped him; doctors were in high demand during and after the war, mostly because of the number of doctors that had died in the war, either from being caught in crossfire as they tended to the injured or because they were, or protected, the Forbidden. Those who had an intention of becoming a doctor who were in the age range were sent off to have their schooling completely very quickly and then sent off to medical school.
Juan had been one of them, and he had been appalled to see someone whose job was to help those who were injured, turn someone away. Of all his patients, the Kou family was the one he had always liked best, ever since the first time they had become his patients…
"What do you mean he won't treat them!" Hakurou shouted, "He's a doctor! He has to help!"
"I'm sorry sir, but he refuses to help them" the nurse said, looking revolted at the two injured teenagers in the waiting area.
Juan who had been on his break for the night, paused, watching the scene. In the waiting room was one obviously enraged parent, two boys who looked quite beaten up – probably got in a fight with someone bigger and stronger, he reasoned, for they could not be older than thirteen. One of them sat on the plastic chair, his leg bent at the strangest and most horrifying angles; the other boy was unconscious and a girl with red hair was occasionally pressing a very bloodied cloth against his head, looking worried.
"Why the hell not! Are you a hospital or not? Just look at them - " Hakurou was furious, "One of them has a broken bone that's broken in so many places that it couldn't possibly be normal, and the other one had his head hit so hard that it's bleeding!"
"He refuses to" the nurse repeated, "And I doubt you'd find a doctor on this planet who would – "
He had heard enough. Stepping forward, he interrupted the nurse, sending her the same revolted glare she had been giving the two boys, "Excuse me. I'm a doctor; how can I be of assistance?" he asked, surveying the rather beaten up boys, wondering what had happened to them.
"Dr. Myo, you shouldn't – " the nurse started.
"Oh shut up you stupid fat bitch" the dark haired girl retorted. A boy who looked to be eight or nine, was latched onto her, his arms around her neck as she carried him piggyback style while he slept.
The nurse glared at her and Juan shot her a look to silence whatever comment she was about to spew from her mouth, "Follow me. My examination room is this way"
"Thank you" Hakurou said gratefully, "Thank you Dr… Myo, was it?"
"Yes" Juan nodded and led them into his examination room and started working on the two boys, wondering how it was possible for them to get such injuries.
Every year they came to the clinic, into his care, for something or another and each year, the injuries steadily got less serious as they grew stronger and were able to severely hurt those that angered them in the first place. That memory had always stuck in Juan's mind, for more reasons than one.
While Juan could not do what those two managed to do every year, he did in a more silent way. He resolved that no matter who came, he would treat them. He would not let the prejudice and influence of Seth Ithel overtake him like it had taken over the others in the world.
Stepping out onto his drive way, Juan gazed up at the light snow that had started to fall and smiled as he entered his own home. His cat, Tama, pranced up to him, rubbing his head against Juan's leg. Juan smiled, petting the rather small cat, "Hey Tama"
Tama meowed and Juan picked him up, "Hungry are you?"
If the cat could nod, Juan could swear that Tama had. His cat always was smarter than he thought normal cats were, which made for an excellent companion.
As soon as they entered the house, Hakurou could not help a smirk when he heard laughter come from one of the boys' rooms; no doubt Dominique and Faye was over once more. The five friends (Doukun included in the mix despite his age) had known each other since the older teenagers were about seven or so, and none of them really needed an invitation to show up at the others' home.
Kouji immediately kicked off his shoes and ran up to where the laughter was resonating from. Hakurou followed, amused, wondering what they were doing this time, but after looking in on them and finding out that yes, the girls' brother and guardian was once again out of town and yes, they were staying for dinner, he went off to his office, where he started reviewing some reports, for lack of a better word, that he had received from his workers.
Now, hearing that sentence, one might have thought that Hakurou worked for a perfectly legal business, with perfectly legal sources of income. However, that assumption would have been proved wrong if one followed the dark haired man to work and surveyed the man in action. Nothing Hakurou did in accordance to work was legal. Thieves, assassins, smugglers; every one who was associated with anything that was suggested to be even remotely illegal worked for Hakurou in his little organization. Organized crime, after all, was and always would be better, when it was done in a group, with a single, clearheaded leader that was cunning enough to make sure nobody would be caught (unless it was circumstances beyond his control). However, for lack of a better word, they referred to themselves as simply, the Organization. It also helped, of course, that such a common word, would not give themselves away should there be a situation where they might have. (AN: That was the closest job I could think of that would equal to being a bandit leader...)
However, despite that rather curious and fun job that Hakurou had, to others such as, for example, the teachers that always requested a parent-teacher interview with him concerning Genrou or…well, actually, it was just Genrou, Hakurou was just a simple, president of a successful company that made motorized vehicles, such as cars, which somewhat explained Genrou's obsession with driving them.
After a few hours, he began to get tired of reading this and proceeded downstairs, where he was met with the sight of the five teenagers in the entertainment room, watching television, Genrou occasionally being hit on the head by the others for making stupid comments.
After dinner, which Hakurou was proud to say he made himself seeing as only a few years ago he had managed to burn everything that he had attempted to make for the boys (seeing as he did not trust a maid not to go through his things), Hakurou, despite his yawning state, joined the teenagers for a horror movie which he knew, just knew, would give Doukun nightmares tonight. Halfway through the movie, the doorbell rang, and grumbling because knowing despite what argument he made, Hakurou would have to answer the door anyways, he got up.
Standing there was a man that Hakurou recognized all too well, his blue eyes looking somewhat amused as he asked, "Are, perhaps, my demons, consorting with yours?"
Knowing how strange this one could be, Hakurou nodded, "Come in; they're watching a horror movie"
The man raised an elegant eyebrow as he followed Hakurou to the entertainment room, having been in this house enough times to know where everything was. As he entered, however, before he or Hakurou could even announce their presence, two blurs knocked into him, causing him to stagger slightly but somehow keep his balance.
"Aren't you a bit old to be doing this?" he asked, sounding slightly disgruntled.
"Ayuru!" Dominique said happily just as Faye added, "You're back!"
Hakurou snickered at the young man's predicament from the corner, sending a look to Genrou, Doukun and Kouji that basically said 'if you ever do that to me in any way, I will make sure your favourite things will be taken away for as long as it seems worthy of torture'. Genrou gulped at the prospect of losing his beloved car, Doukun at his books and Kouji at those scary and large needles that he had been forced to get once.
A few moments later, Ayuru was sipping a coffee in the living room, while being pelted by questions from both of his sisters, which they were in all ways but blood.
"So why are you back so early?" Faye asked.
"Disturbances in the government" Ayuru answered. Although he was young, he was the representation for Kutou in the government council, simply because he was the general of Kutou and since Kutou was a strictly military country, there was no other leader to represent Kutou so Ayuru was often travelling back and forth to do his job.
"Like what?" Hakurou asked cautiously.
"Well…" Ayuru said simply, "The Forbidden are alive and if things go Ithel's way, we're about to enter a second war"
To those who believe that Nakago is a heartless bastard, well, if I could I'd stick my tongue out at you, which I can't do on this page since ffnet will edit it out...(grumbles). Anyways...Nakago rocks. And I think he'd make an awesome older brother. And while he will seem like a complete bastard in future chapters, well, he still rocks. He's definitely way better than stupid Taka and Miaka.