Disclaimer: I do not own Blood+ or any of its characters
Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my reviewer, Aoi Kitsukawa.
A/N: I would also like to thank 37 for the fave.
Series: Cut us Some Slack
Chapter Title: Weight
Timeline: Pre-Blood+
Genre:Drama
Character/s: Joel Goldschmidt VI
Summary: On that fateful day, he felt the weight crashing down on him.
"I am not strong enough for it."
That's what a 5-yr. old Joel told his father when he found out that he's the one to take over Red Shield when the time comes. And he knows that he's right. What does he know about running an organization that concerns itself with the battle against chiropterans? What does he know about Saya?
"Father is a fool," Joel told himself, "He's a fool for thinking that I can."
Ever since his father left to deal with some matters concerning the organization, he can do nothing but sit beside the window and think about the responsibilities that fall along with having the accursed name. It's just a four-lettered name with two syllables. The name was simple, easy to pronounce and easy to write. How could it possibly hold so much weight? He remembered that conversation. It was the conversation that took his boyhood away from him.
Flashback:
Joel walked towards his father's office holding his toy car. He didn't know why his father called for him but it's probably something important. He always talks about important things like education and how much a child like him needs it. Soon enough, he found himself standing in front of his father's office door. The brown-haired boy knocked and waited for his father's response.
"Come in," he heard the older man say.
He turned the knob and poked his head inside. Slowly, he walked inside and waited for his father's command.
"Sit down, son."
Joel did what he's told and sat down on a chair near his father's desk. He looked at his father and saw the seriousness of the situation. Feeling nervous about it, he looked at his toy car and started fidgeting with it.
"Joel, look at me," said his father.
Joel looked up and met with his father's gaze.
"I have to ask you something."
"What is it, sir?" asked the young one.
"Do you know the responsibilities your name holds?"
"No, sir," was Joel's only reply.
"The name Joel is given to you in birth," explained his father, "when you were given that name, certain responsibilities became tied to you."
"What kind of responsibilities?"
"Red Shield."
Joel lost grip of his car and it fell to the floor as he gaped at his father in shock. He knows what Red Shield is. He listened to his parents talk about it and it was a horrifying thing for anyone. They fight this girl named Diva and use a girl named Saya to do it.
"I'm not strong enough for it," he heard himself say in front of his father.
"You're gonna have to carry it anyway," replied his father.
Joel said nothing more. He stood up and ran out of the office to his room. He locked his door and sat beside the window. He looked down from above, watching servants pass by. A few minutes later, he saw his father outside. He realized that he's going to leave again. He always leaves anyway so he didn't mind.
Flashback over:
But days, weeks, and months have passed and his father didn't return so he continued to wait, bringing us back to Joel's current situation. He looked outside and saw a car approaching. Thinking that the man in the car is his father, he ran downstairs to greet him but what he saw was a short and pale man, if his memory serves him right, his name is Dr. Collins. He didn't hear what the man told his mother but she started crying. He was afraid but he didn't know what was going on so he chose to remain calm. He watched Dr. Collins walk towards him. He did nothing but stare as the man knelt before him to give an old, broken pocket watch and an old journal.
"It's all yours, sir," the man said as he stood up and turned to leave.
He felt his heart break when he heard those words because right then, he knew that in his hands are the symbols of the weight he'll carry for the rest of his life.