Author's Note: Exam over! Time to celebrate with a chapter!
In this chapter, I'll refer to Nishikaido as Soujiro and his brother as Shouichiro/Dr. Nishikaido just to be able to distinguish between the two of them, rather than call them both Nishikaido.
This chapter is a fair bit longer than the previous chapters; but I still hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: Hana Yori Dango does not belong to me! But the plot of this fanfic does.
Family Planning
By Onkiu
Chapter Five: Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido
Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido was a general practitioner who had established a clinic in an average area of Tokyo. His clinic was on the fifth level of an indistinct high rise complex that served as a commercial and residential building. The waiting area seemed typical of any clinic - full of old, well worn magazines; a fresh, clean smell about the place; a few wooden toys strewn on the floor; two rows of hard chairs facing the receptionist's desk and a TV on mute in the corner.
Soujiro took them there in the evening. By that time, the clinic had stopped business for the day, but the door was still open.
"We're expected. I told my brother that we'd be coming," explained Soujiro, as he pushed the door open. A soft clinking of some sort of chimes indicated their presence. The receptionist ignored their presence as she frantically tried to scribble down the last few notes for the day.
"Hello," Soujiro said. "Is Dr. Nishikaido in?"
"Mmm, just a sec," murmured the receptionist, still not looking up. She pulled over a large appointment book and looked down. Sounding slightly annoyed, she said, "We're closed for today. Would you like to make an appointment? We've filled out for the rest of the month but -"
"No, no. We have a special appointment with Dr. Nishikaido. Is he in at the moment?"
"Well, yes, he is. Just a sec!" She finally took a good look at Soujiro as she got up from behind her desk. For a moment, she stared at him, trying to pinpoint where she had seen his face before. She frowned, squinted and screwed her face in concentration as she tried to locate where exactly she had seen his face before.
Soujiro smiled coyly at her. "I know, I'm handsome."
The receptionist blushed.
"Please wait a sec! Have a seat or something."
She quickly bustled off to an office located in a corridor to her right. They heard a knock, a door opening, and two voices jumbled together in conversation; Tsukushi couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. A moment later, the receptionist returned with a tall man behind her.
Tsukushi assumed that he was Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido. He was wearing a typical doctor's coat and, despite his wire-rimmed glasses, he bore a striking resemblance to Soujiro; dark haired and handsome. She could see why the receptionist had tried to figure out where she had seen Soujiro's face before; the resemblance was uncanny and she had been seeing it every day in the clinic.
But apart from his looks, this was where all resemblance ended. The air around him was definitely different to Soujiro's; where his brother was a young, charismatic, wild and flirty playboy, as well as a great conversationalist, Shouichiro was a more serious, cold, and unfeeling kind of person. He looked fairly mature, and did not seem like the type that could laughed and joke easily.
Despite being only a few years older than Soujiro, his tired face and haggard appearance made him appear to be much older. Tsukushi supposed that years of clinical experience, being desensitised to death and disease, had sapped him of his youth, vibrancy and warmth.
"Hello, Soujiro," said Shouichiro, giving a strained sort of smile. "How's... mother... and father?"
Tsukushi couldn't help but notice how hesitant he was in asking this.
"They're fine," said Soujiro, smiling - but the smile seemed a bit sad. "How have you been keeping?"
"Busy, as usual," laughed Shouichiro, a strange, hoarse bark of a laugh. "Many patients, everyday. Sending reports here and there, and receiving reports elsewhere... I need more hours in a day. Perhaps thirty eight hours would suffice. Oh-" He had just noticed the rest of the F4 and Tsukushi. "- I nearly didn't recognise you all, it's really been so long since I last saw you guys. You've all grown so tall now, especially you, Tsukasa; or maybe I've just shrunk."
He gave his strange, hoarse laugh again, and continued, "And your faces and hair as well; youth these days change at breakneck speeds, don't they?"
The way he referred to them as youth just made him seem even older. He finally noticed Tsukushi; perhaps he didn't noticed shorter people that easily. But Tsukushi could tell he didn't purposely mean to ignore her; it had been a long and tiring day for him, and it took him quite a bit of effort to stay focused.
"So, she's the one?" said Shouichiro to Soujiro in a meaningful tone.
"Yep. Makino, this is my older brother, Shouichiro. Brother, this is Tsukasa's girlfriend, Makino Tsukushi."
"How do you do? It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling a more relaxed smile. He shook her hand; it was a cold, coarse hand.
"Nice to meet you too," said Tsukushi.
"And she's here for the...?" Shouichiro raised his eyebrows pointedly. Tsukushi felt grateful for this. He seemed to know about their little secret as Soujiro had probably informed him beforehand, but he was the first person not to go around blabbering it like the F4 had done. Medical school must have made him sensitive to patient privacy.
"Yeah..." answered Soujiro, eyes wiggling in the direction of the receptionist, who was busily filling out more patient records behind her desk and filing them in the cabinet behind her desk.
"Maya," said Shouichiro. "Let's call it a day."
"Alright," she said, packing up her bags and giving the desk a quick tidy-over. "See you tomorrow, doc."
"See you later, Maya."
Once the receptionist had left, Shouichiro turned back to Tsukushi.
"You're here for your antenatal tests, aren't you?" he said.
"Um..." said Tsukushi, blushing, wondering what on earth 'antenatal' meant. She really didn't want to look like an idiot in the presence of such a commanding man. "I suppose..."
"Follow me," he ordered. "The rest of you, stay outside. She'll be back soon."
On his orders, the F4 seated themselves on the rigid waiting room chairs and picked up a few gossip magazines to read. As Shouichiro lead Tsukushi down the corridor to his clinic, Tsukushi felt as though she had discovered a new type of 'rich person'. There had been those gossipy, fake girls in Eitoku; then there were those that were beautiful on the outside and the inside like Shizuka and Tsubaki; the third had been the strange and quirky type like Shigeru; and now, she found out there was the - she wasn't exactly sure how to define him - a type who would give up material riches to pursue their dreams? That would be him, Kin-san and Shizuka. Perhaps some rich people had that kind of determination. He was definitely a determined type of person.
"Please come in," said Shouichiro, breaking her train of thoughts. She was already outside his office. He gestured for her to take a seat, and she followed in meekly. He closed the door quietly on them, and, to her surprise said, in a much harsher voice, "What you are doing is very irresponsible."
Tsukushi was rather taken aback by this; but secretly, she agreed with him. This plan was childish, stupid, and would, in the end, fail.
"I... I suppose you're right," she said, slightly taken aback, "It was a stupid thing to do..."
"I'm sorry to have to lecture to someone I've just met, but you have a part in this, as does Tsukasa. I'll be giving him a talking to after this as well. I dislike people who behave irresponsibly."
"I'm sorry..." she squeaked, but felt that his judgment was a bit harsh; after all, she didn't want any part in this plan.
Shouichiro sighed. "Let's begin the antenatal tests then, shall we? I'll be taking your weight first. Please remove your blazer and shoes, and step on the scales."
She did so, and Shouichiro recorded her weight, murmuring, "Hmm. Slightly underweight."
As he recorded her weight down, he asked her, "So, do your parents know that you're pregnant?"
"Thanks to Domyouji... yes." Thinking about how he forcibly told them got her blood boiling.
"Then why do you still need to come to me? Mostly, I see teenagers who are too afraid to tell their parents. But you - since your parents know already, why do you need to come and see me? I think it would be better for you to see your own family doctor. After all, they have your medical history and it would save me having to request it from him."
"Well, the thing is," said Tsukushi, "I don't have a family doctor. We're too poor to see one, so ever since I was little, Mama just gave me medicine to take."
"Ah, I see," he replied, and an uncomfortable silence fell upon them as he proceeded to do other tests on her. Occasionally, Shouichiro would mutter some comments to himself, such as during her blood pressure test ("I see, hypotension..."), but for most of the time their, Tsukushi couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed and embarrassed.
It was then that the trouble started.
"Now, I will have to do an internal examination on you," explained Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido. "This will involve palpating your uterus, and for this, I will need you to remove your underwear and have you seated on the bed there. It may be slightly uncomfortable as it will involve inserting two fingers into the vagina and then pressing your abdomen."
The message of having to remove her underwear screamed out the worst scenarios to Tsukushi. The rest of his explanation escaped her.
Oh no! thought Tsukushi. How am I to get out of this one?
Shouichiro pulled on surgical gloves and advanced towards her. In the fruitful imagination of Tsukushi's mind, he had some evil, menacing grin on his face, and the room had grown strangely dim.
Damnit, Tsukushi! Think!
Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido was crouched down, ready... to...
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, and quickly swung her leg forward in an attempt to ward off any advances.
The loud scream was heard all over the building. It was no surprise that Domyouji, Soujiro, Mimasaka and Rui should came rushing into the clinic, fearing the worse for Tsukushi, only to find Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido looking thoroughly annoyed, gloved hands outstretched and Tsukushi looking fairly sheepish, her foot planted firmly onto Shouichiro's head.
"What are you all doing?" cried Domyouji, aghast.
"He... he...!" stammered Tsukushi, "He..."
"What is it, woman? Say it!"
"Hetriedtogetmetoremovemyunderwearandpossiblymolestme!" said Tsukushi, all in one breath.
The footprint from Tsukushi shoe was still on his forehead as Shouichiro got up, looking rather undignified and very angry. He said, in a slow tone, as though trying to control his seething anger, "I was merely doing my job. I hope she does realise that internal examinations are a normal part of any tests for pregnant women."
Soujiro sighed. "We'll have to explain it. Brother, Tsukushi isn't pregnant."
"Eh?" gasped Mimasaka, surprised. "Didn't you explain it to him before?"
"Um, nope!" grinned Soujiro cheesily, as everyone turned to him. Tsukushi and Shouichiro, in particular, really wanted to strangle him.
"Why the hell did you not explain?" yelled Domyouji, grabbing Soujiro by the collar. "Makino could have been violated!"
Shouichiro rolled his eyes as though to say, "As if I would molest like her," but made he bit his tongue and made no further comment.
"I thought it was our little secret...you know, no further people should know about Tsukushi's fake pregnancy? But the cat's out of the bag now..." said Soujiro.
"You have a lot of explaining to do to me," said Shouichiro, fuming. In all his years as a doctor, never had he been kicked by his patients nor had he been accused of trying to molest and violate them.
It took a while for Soujiro to explain how Tsukushi came about to pretend to be pregnant, with frequent interjections by Mimasaka and Domyouji. He told his brother how it was all a plan to get Domyouji Kaede to accept Tsukushi as the only girl for Domyouji, how this lead to the plan being formulated - that she would be carrying the Domyouji heir and that there was no way that she would be turned back, and that this was why they were at his clinic - to make the plan thorough and convincing.
"Then you should have informed me earlier." said Shouichiro, nursing his forehead.
"It was supposed to be a secret," insisted Soujiro.
"I've never seen you keep a secret so well before," said Tsukushi sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She was trying very hard not to make eye contact with Shouichiro - it was far too painful and mortifying to recall their earlier misunderstanding.
"Miss Makino," said Shouichiro, breaking down their wall of embarrassment. "I apologise for the incident before - I really did think you were pregnant, and it was quite necessary to do those tests."
"No, no!" said Tsukushi, embarrassed even further. "I should be the one to apologise - I shouldn't've kicked you in the head, you were only doing your job!"
"I want to know this - why did you let me lecture you on behaving irresponsibly? I thought you were really pregnant and avoiding telling your parents!"
"I thought you were lecturing me about our silly little plan, and how deceiving people was irresponsible. Secretly, I agreed with you." said Tsukushi. To her surprise, Shouichiro laughed - a genuine, hearty laugh - and he looked much younger. "But I thought you knew about the plan, so I was surprised when you really were determined to do an internal examination - I thought you were... trying to..."
Shouichiro could tell what she was about to say, and quickly changed tact, "Then why did you say your parents knew about your pregnancy when you weren't even pregnant?"
"Oh! I thought you meant ... well, Domyouji told them I was pregnant, and they believed him. They're currently being lied to. I tried stopping him and convincing them afterwards that I wasn't, but they would hear none of it."
"Anyway," said Rui, cutting in. "What we really came here to do is to obtain a professional's statement that Tsukushi is indeed pregnant, as well as to seek a professional's advice on this. You are the only one we can trust, Shouichiro - that's why we came to you."
"There are three main ways to prove that she's pregnant - a urine test, a blood test, and an ultrasound. The urine test is the one most frequently used, and you can do it at home. But, for all three, you have to be pregnant to prove so."
"We figured," muttered Mimasaka, "We wanted a way around it, so we came to ask for your expert opinion."
"Now, an ultrasound is out of the question," said Shouichiro. "There are no ways to get around that one."
"So, there are ways to get around the urine test and the blood test?"
"Yes," said Shouichiro, "And I am not going to tell you anything about it."
"Why!" said Domyouji, jumping up.
"Because, it's irresponsible behaviour and I don't condone it," he replied simply. "Plus, if I help you, my clinic might be implicated in dishonest activity, and I intend to keep the reputation of my clinic pure, because I run an honest business."
"I agree," said Tsukushi happily. Finally, I've found someone of the same mindset as me! Someone with common sense!
"Why are you so desperate for Domyouji's mother to accept Miss Makino to have to resort to lies and deceit?" said Shouichiro. Tsukushi cheered him on in her heart, to have someone with a voice of reason finally shedding light on the futility of this plan.
"You know her, brother," said Soujiro. "There'd be no other way for her to accept Makino."
"I suppose you're right. I never liked that woman much," said Shouichiro, and Tsukushi heartily agreed too. She was beginning to like this man more and more, despite their earlier disaster. "Nor did I like that kind of society much either."
"He doesn't like her because she had insulted him at one of our family gatherings by saying he would never be able to get in on his own accord - only by his wealth and family," whispered Mimasaka. "But then he proved her wrong because he got in on a scholarship."
To everyone's surprise, Shouichiro got up and went back to his office. A few minutes later, he came back with a little bottle with yellow liquid, labeled with medical acronyms and an indiscrete brown paper envelope.
"Here," he said, handing the bottle to Tsukushi.
"What's this?"
"The way to get around a urine test, or for lay people, those home pregnancy kits."
"So, it's... urine?"
"Yes, the urine of a patient of mine who is pregnant."
"Thank you, brother!" said Soujiro, looking so genuinely happy.
"What's with the sudden change of mind?" asked Domyouji, surprised.
"I want to see if this girl can be the one to change how your mother and her kind of society works. They need to realise that there are more important things than money," said Shouichiro, smiling. But then his words became harsh again, "Remember, that's not much you have in the bottle. Use it wisely - only if Domyouji Kaede demands some proof. Also, I would like for you to never tell anyone where you got this from - I don't want any trouble over this."
"I promise," said Domyouji.
"Me too!" said Soujiro.
"Shut up, Nishikaido," said Tsukushi, "You have the biggest mouth. EVER."
"And here," said Shouichiro, handing the brown paper envelope to Domyouji. "Just in case anyone else wants proof. But please, don't ever let your mother see it. I trust you with this, okay?"
"Okay." said Domyouji, holding onto the envelope tightly. He did not want to misplace the trust of the only doctor he could go to.
"Brother!" cried Soujiro in happiness, doing a strange kind of pirouette before giving his brother a bear hug. "Thank you so much!"
"GROUP HUG!" cried Mimasaka, joining Soujiro and wrapping his arms around Shouichiro. "You don't know how grateful we are to you!"
"Just... don't... ever... say... I... was ... involved!" gasped Shouichiro, struggling for air.
After a few more jokes and a stern lecture from him to not do anything so stupid ever again, they finally bade farewell to a visibly younger Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido. Before parting, he had asked Soujiro to pass on his greetings to his parents. They had taken up enough of his time and their own time.
Once outside, Soujiro sighed, slightly wistfully, "This meeting hadn't gone as well as I thought... but, at least I got to see brother, and we got what we wanted."
"Even though you stuffed it all up by not telling him the truth," said Tsukushi.
"Well, it's been a few years since I last saw Shouichiro - I don't know if he's the same brother I could trust. Ever since he left home to pursue medicine, Mother and Father had disowned him and lost contact with him. They didn't allow me to keep in touch with him either, saying that it would look like they were using me to coerce him to come back home. Man, it took me a while to find his contact details, I had to find it in the phonebook - in a phone booth, so my parents wouldn't know!"
"Were you close to him?" she asked.
"I was very close to him. He was the one who looked after me at home, even when mother was around. He curbed my irresponsible behaviour and such. But after he left, there was no one to tell me off at home."
So, that's why he's so irresponsible with girls... thought Tsukushi.
"Anyway, he had always disliked being part of our tea ceremony tradition," said Nishikaido, "He'd said that while it was grand and beautiful and all that jazz, in the long run, it's an art form that only the rich can indulge in. In the long run, it would do nothing to benefit the poor and starving of the world. That's why he cut ties with our family to pursue medicine, because he believed that with such skills, he would make the world a better place."
"He's like Shizuka, isn't he?" said Tsukushi." Except that he isn't as nice or as gentle."
"I'd say so. Anyway, it's been quite a day, eh?" laughed Soujiro.
"Quite eventful... thanks to you!" Tsukushi was reminded of the trouble that Soujiro caused, and was about to give him a big telling off of her own when Domyouji grabbed her arm and said, "We have to go, my chauffeur's here." He pushed her into the car before getting in himself and slamming the door shut.
"Well, see you later!" smiled Nishikaido coyly, tapping her window, having just evaded her lecture. Mimasaka and Rui waved from the footpath as the car sped back to the Domyouji mansion.
"Argh. So tired..." muttered Tsukushi, stepping into the huge foyer of his home after their uneventful ride home. She felt around the inside of her school bag, making sure that the precious urine sample was still there. "I'm just glad your mother's not here. I remember how scary it was when I found out she came home. Imagine if she saw the urine sample..."
"Welcome home, young master, Miss Makino," said the butler, greeting them on their return. "Miss Tsubaki has just returned from Los Angeles today, and is waiting with anticipation of your return. She wishes to inform-"
"Tsukasa! There you are!" A woman's voice echoed through the foyer. Tsubaki took elegant strides forward. "Oh! Tsukushi! You're here as well! I missed you so much!"
With that, Tsubaki leapt forward like a ballet dancer (despite wearing very high stilettos) and grabbed Tsukushi, giving her a big, tight hug.
"You've grown thin!" she implored sadly. She turned to the butler and ordered, "Please get her a meal ready!"
"As you wish, Miss Tsubaki," replied the butler, and gave a bow before retreating.
"How have you been keeping? You look so tired!" said Tsubaki, trying to find more reasons to feed Tsukushi.
"No, no! I'm fine!" said Tsukushi, shaking her head vigorously.
"Actually," grinned Domyouji evilly, "She is-"
"No! I'm not!" yelled Tsukushi, stepping on Domyouji's toes.
Tsubaki turned to Domyouji, and was about to give him a punch for speaking out of turn when she noticed the not-so-indiscrete-anymore brown envelope that he was clutching. To Tsukushi's horror, she noticed that Dr. Nishikaido had scrawled on it, in huge black and red letters, 'Confidential' and 'Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido.'
So much for him not wanting to be implicated in their silly plan. Tsukushi couldn't think of a way to make it more obvious than to scribble your own name in large black markers onto something waved around in public.
"Shouichiro Nishikaido?" murmured Tsubaki. "Now that's a name I haven't heard of in many years..."
She quickly made a grab for the envelope, but Domyouji leapt out of the way, clutching the envelope in his hands. This started resembling a scene from any martial arts film - a showdown between two masters; Tsubaki of the fatal punches and Tsukasa of the agile dodging. Sibling rivalry indeed.
"You can't look at it!"
"Says who?" yelled Tsubaki, before giving him a very impressive high kick and grabbing the envelope from him. She turned back to Tsukushi and continued their pleasant conversation as if nothing had happened, all the while untying the string.
"Shouichiro Nishikaido was in the same classes as me back when I was in Eitoku," she said, in a tone that sounded as though she was remarking about the weather. "I didn't know him that well because he always kept to himself. He was so quiet, always spending his time alone in the library, studying. That's how he became dux of our year, and ended up in the most prestigious medical college on a scholarship. Anyway, despite being so nerdy, he was quite popular because he was handsome - but he never showed much interest in girls. He didn't have a girlfriend in high school, as far as I know. Damnit, how come this string takes so long to undo... ah, there we go."
Before Tsukushi could protest, Tsubaki had unraveled the string tying the envelope and had pulled out its contents. It felt like a million years as Tsukushi watched with horror while Tsubaki skimmed over its contents.
"Oh... my..." Tsubaki murmured.
Next Chapter: How will Tsubaki react to this news? Will she find out the truth? Stay tuned for the next episode, where Tsubaki brings out the wine that she's been saving! Dun dun dun...
I hope I've made Shouichiro Nishikaido realistic. I don't want him becoming a cardboard character. And yesh, I realised I've called him Dr. Shouichiro Nishikaido rather than Dr. Nishikaido Shouichiro ... but it makes more sense like this in English.
My darling readers, I'd like to have your opinion about a minor matter since this is the best time to ask it; although this fic is third person, it's biased towards Tsukushi's point of view. Therefore, I call the characters how Tsukushi would call them ie. Domyouji rather than Tsukasa, Nishikaido rather than Soujiro etc..
However, it seems that other authors call them Tsukasa, Akira, Soujiro etc.. - should I name them as such for the sake of continuity?
Well, uh, the changes won't take place until Chapter Nine since I've written up to there calling them by their surnames. Oh well.