A/N: Now you're caught up with the readers at LJ, Dw, and AO3.
1973
They left The Philippines and moved to Japan. Greg and Reilly both turned fourteen that summer. They were still best friends but they each made new friends at school. Greg no longer told the other children they were morons; at least not to their faces. When Reilly went off to spend time with "those stupid putas," as he called them, he spent time with his new friend, Rick. One Saturday, Greg, Reilly, Reilly's friend, Emily, and Rick decided to go rock climbing. Emily liked Greg and convinced Reilly to help her get to know him. Reilly told Greg who shrugged.
"She's cute," he told Reilly. "She can hang out with us."
Reilly smiled and Emily squealed when she told her.
Emily tried to flirt with Greg until he grabbed her, kissed her and told her to settle down. She did and they walked to Iwakuni Mountain. They all carried backpacks filled with ropes, grappling hooks, water and snacks. Once they arrived at the base of the mountain, Emily sat on the ground.
"I'll just wait here," she told them.
Greg shook his head. "Girls," he grimaced.
Reilly, Greg and Rick began their climb. They made it halfway up when Rick slipped and fell. He rolled down about thirty feet and lay still. Greg and Reilly scrambled down after him. He had several cuts and bruises but it was the deep gash in his side that caused Greg and Reilly to exchange a panicked look.
"We have to get him to a hospital," Greg said.
"We've got to get him back down first," Reilly reminded him.
Between the two of them, they got Rick down the mountain and to the nearest hospital. Emily followed behind them crying. Greg stopped outside a door leading into the hospital and turned on Emily.
"Stop crying like a damn baby and open the door," he commanded.
She sniffed and pulled open the door. "I don't like you anymore and I'm going home."
Reilly and Greg helped Rick through the door. "Good," Greg told her. "You're useless anyway."
Emily began to cry harder and ran off.
As they walked along the corridor, they knew they were in the wrong place. They saw a disheveled man mopping the floor. They approached him and Reilly asked him in halting Japanese where the emergency room was located.
He looked at the three of them with a bored expression. "Go down to the end of this hall and turn right. The emergency room is at the end of that corridor," he responded in perfect English.
Reilly thanked him but he ignored her and resumed mopping the floor.
They got Rick to the emergency room and called his parents. Once they arrived and were assured he would be fine, Greg and Reilly left.
"He spoke perfect English," Greg said as they walked back to the base.
"He did. Seems unusual for a janitor to know English. And did you see how he looked? I wonder if he's a baraku."
"An untouchable?" Greg asked. "They usually deal with dead people not mops. Besides, they're also butchers and leather workers."
Reilly shrugged and let the matter drop.
Three days later Rick developed an infection. Greg and Reilly were visiting him when his temperature spiked. They stood in a corner of the room and watched as the doctors tried to determine what caused the infection. Finally one suggested they call in Saburo. They other doctors shook their heads.
"He'll die and the Americans will cause trouble for us. I will go get him," Rick's doctor said.
Thirty minutes later he returned with the janitor Greg and Reilly met in the hallway when they first brought Rick in. He ignored the doctors and pulled the dressing off Rick's jagged cut. He gave Rick a thorough exam and turned to the other doctors.
"He got the infection here because you're all idiots," he growled. "I will take over his care because you will kill him with your stupidity."
The other doctors averted their eyes.
"He is an American," Saburo continued. "They do not care that I am Burakumin. Now get out,"
Slowly, they walked out of the room. Saburo looked at Greg and Reilly.
"Your friend will live. Get out," he told them.
They nodded and left.
"I was right," Reilly said as they walked out of the hospital. "He is an untouchable. But he's also a doctor. I bet he went to America to study medicine but had to come back here for some reason."
"Did you see how the other doctors treated him?" Greg asked then continued without waiting for an answer. "It killed them to ask him for help and he just didn't even give a shit what they thought of him. He was the smartest guy in the room; the one with the answer. They had to let him help Rick even though they think he's a piece of crap. And he didn't care."
Reilly looked at him. "No. No he didn't."
At the end of July, Meara, Gil and Blythe sat down with Reilly and Greg at the dining room table at the McGrath's house. John was conspicuously absent. Brochures were spread on the table in front of the adults.
"We've talked it over," Gil began. "You're both too smart to continue attending the base schools. In September, you'll both be going to Langston Academy in New Hampshire. You'll live on campus and get the education you need."
Reilly and Greg exchanged a look.
"You both qualify for full academic scholarships and we can afford to pay yer room and board along with some pin money," Meara told them.
"Who'll help you with the kids?" Reilly asked her mother.
Meara smiled. "Don't be worryin' yer head about that. The boys and Catriona will be in school and Eithne is no trouble. You need to be around other young ones like yerself, Reilly."
"When do we leave?" Greg asked.
"Your mom will take the two of you over there in two weeks before school starts," Gil told him.
"It's a feeder school for Harvard," Blythe said. "The headmaster at Langston said you could both be accepted there with no problem."
"We both want to go to medical school, too," Reilly said. "We want to be doctors."
Tears welled up in Meara's eyes. Blythe and Gil smiled at them.
"You'll both make grand doctors," Meara sniffed.
Gil cleared his throat. "Well, I guess it's settled, then. You're going to Langston."
Reilly was in her room with an open suitcase on her bed. She slowly and methodically folded the clothes piled on her bed and put them in the suitcase. A trunk with all her books and keepsakes was shipped to her dorm room at Langston the week before. Catriona and Eithne sat on the bottom bed of the bunkbed in the corner of the room they shared with their older sister.
"When are you coming back?" Cat asked her eyes wide as she watched Reilly pack.
"I'm not sure. Probably Christmas."
"That's a long time," Cat said. "Who's gonna help me with my homework?"
"Gus or Boo can help you."
"They're mean boys," Cat whined. "Greg is going, too. Eithne and me won't have nobody to help us."
"Mom will help you," Reilly said as she looked over at her sisters and smiled.
"Mommy always curse stuff she doan unnerstan," Eithne piped up. "A curse on ya!"
She sounded so much like their mother the girls laughed.
Greg strolled in and Reilly looked over her shoulder at him. His light brown hair touched his shoulders and curled over his forehead. He wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and faded bell bottom jeans along with beat up sneakers. He crossed the room and picked up Eithne so he could sit on the bed. Once he settled her on his lap, he looked at the pile of clothes.
"Girls," he groaned. Catriona and Eithne laughed. Catriona snuggled up against his side and he put an arm around her. "You have too much stuff. I gave away a bunch of sh-stuff. You should, too."
"Everything I have is part of a wonderful memory. Mom is keeping the things I'm not taking until I have my own house," she replied. "Besides, you are the least sentimental person I know."
"What does that mean?" Cat asked.
"It means Reilly needs a bunch of junk to help her remember stuff because her memory is faulty."
Reilly ignored him and kept packing.
"Who gets our Fatty Fat Rat?" he asked referring to the rodent they embalmed in Egypt.
"Mom said she'd keep him here," she told him.
Eithne leaned against Greg's chest and began to suck her thumb. He pulled her thumb out of her mouth and looked down at her. "You'll end up with teeth like Fatty Fat Rat if you keep sucking your thumb,"
She looked up at him. "Like him," she replied before putting her thumb back in her mouth.
He laughed. "They're your teeth." He looked at Reilly. "You've been MIA the last couple days. Rick's been asking about you."
"I've been packing and I'm not interested in Rick."
"Why are you moping?" he asked.
Reilly looked at him in surprise. "Because I'm leaving my family. Greg, we're never going-"
"Hey, you two little rugrats, go outside and play," he said cutting Reilly off and frowning at her. "You can play with my basketball. It's in the backyard."
The two girls scrambled off the bed and raced out of the room. Greg got up and shut the door. He returned to the bottom bunk and stretched out on it.
Reilly shoved the clothes aside and sat on her bed. "We're never going to live with our parents again," she told him. "Maybe you don't care about that but I do and it makes me sad."
He folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the bunk over his head. "I'll miss Mom but I'm really excited about being away from him. Besides, we'll have each other. Same as always."
"I know you hate Uncle John and I'm glad you're finally getting away from him. But I love my parents. I love Gus, Boo, Keiran, Cat and Eithne. Yes, I'll have you but I won't have them. I'm used to them."
"You'll still see them. It's not like they're all dying."
"Geez, your compassion and caring overwhelms me," she said with a sharp edge of sarcasm.
He didn't answer. Reilly stood and went back to packing.
"I'm going to miss your family, too," he said softly. "But, so long as I have you, I'll still have my family with me. We belong to each other, remember?"
Reilly smiled. "Yeah, we do."
Reilly followed Greg and Blythe to the admissions office at Langston Academy. It was a massive red brick building surrounded by lush green lawns. She quickened her pace until she fell in place next to Blythe. Reilly slipped her hand into Blythe's and they entered the building. In a matter of hours, they were enrolled in their classes, shown their rooms and introduced to their roommates. When it came time for Blythe to leave, Reilly hugged her tightly. Greg hung back and stared at the ground. Reilly kissed Blythe's soft cheek and moved back. Blythe walked over to Greg and looked at him. When he finally looked up, Blythe smiled and wrapped him in her arms.
"I'll miss you. Please try to behave," she whispered. "And remember, you are perfect just as you are."
Greg hugged her briefly and stepped back. "Bye, Mom."
"I love you," she told him.
He nodded.
She turned to Reilly. "I love you, Reilly, Keep an eye on him for me."
"I will," Reilly promised. "I love you, too. Have a safe trip back."
Blythe turned and walked to the waiting cab. She got in and looked at them through the window. As the cab pulled away, she waved. Reilly waved back and a sob escaped her.
"Geez, Reilly," Greg choked. "Stop being such a girl." He turned and wiped his eyes.
Their faculty advisor, Doctor Allen, approached them. "Goodbyes are always hard. Come on, I'll walk you both back to your dorms. Dinner is between five and seven."
They followed the tall, dark haired woman across the campus. There was already a slight chill in the air and some of the trees were beginning to show their bright fall colors. A faint scent of wood smoke drifted on the air.
"When were you two last in the States?" Doctor Allen asked as they walked.
"Umm, when we were about a year old," Reilly told her. She looked around at all the buildings and the people walking along or standing in groups talking.
"Have you two always been together?"
"Yeah," Greg answered.
"Greg, we don't say yeah here when addressing adults," Doctor Allen told him kindly. "It's sir or ma'am."
"Yes, ma'am," Greg said tightly. "We've always been together."
"Well, you'll have a chance to meet other children here. It will be good for you." She stopped in front of Greg's dorm. "Here you are, Greg. If you need anything, I'm available."
Greg looked at Reilly. "See you at dinner."
She nodded.