Note: I will include trigger warnings in all the chapters that deal with sensitive topics so as not to give anyone a hard time reading the fic.

An update will come soon. I dont know when but it will. I will try to make time for it.

WARNING: This chapter deals with themes of child abuse.


Kai

Part One - Childhood

The first time Kai held a Fabergé egg was when he was three.

It was white and glittery and adorned with jewels and pearls.

He tried to crack it open with his tiny hands but failed that time.

Tala was playing in the vault with him back then, along with the three other boys: Ian, Sergei and Bryan. Large necklaces and jewelry worth millions hung off their small frames. Kai had a heavy crown on his head that sat sideways, obscuring one eye. He was pretending to be king. Tala scooped armfuls of gold coins from a chest and held them briefly before letting the coins drop back like a waterfall. Sergei and Ian struggled to walk with the riches they were wearing. And Bryan wanted to poop.

Miracle babies, they were called. All conceived around the same time and born close to one another. They played together and fought together. They were never lonely.

"I want to go potty. Potty, potty." Bryan ran around with a hand pressed to his butt.

"Ma!" Kai screamed for his mother. Then he lowered his voice to admonish Bryan. "You can't go here."

"Are the boys in the vault again?" came the adult voices from down the hall. "Who let them in? Susumu, you ought to be more careful."

Kai dragged Bryan out of the vault. Bryan got angry and pushed Kai away. Kai shoved him hard in return and Bryan toppled backward and hit his head on the marble floor. Screaming and crying and blaming ensued. The latter not only among the children, but among the parents as well.


"Keep yourself clean, Kai," his mother scolded him softly, dabbing a napkin on a spot on his new white shirt. "You must learn how to not get dirt on your shirts or are you going to walk around with stains?" They were at a long dinner table with guests. Friends and family. Elite members of society. The people who ran Japan were in the room and his mother was scolding him like he was a bratty child. They weren't looking at him. Kai still blushed, embarrassed. He pushed her hand and the napkin away and excused himself from the table.

He was nine.

One year before he learned the bitter truth about the world around him that he adored and aspired to be a part of.

Kai stepped out of the hall and into the adjoining wash area with a frustrated exhale. The other boys were already there. Chatting and laughing. They stopped when they saw Kai's face. "What's wrong?" asked Tala.

"My mother still treats me like a child," he said, loosening the tie around his neck. He stepped toward the basin in the corner and checked the stain on the left breast of his shirt on the mirror. "Damn it." Sauce. It was a bit of orange-coloured sauce. It pissed him off.

"Mothers are all the same," said Tala. "Mine does the same with me. That's why I couldn't sit there anymore."

"It makes them ignore us," said Kai, opening the tap and using water to rub at the stain. His chest grew wet.

"The guests?" asked Sergei.

"Yeah"

"That's because we're children," said Sergei, frowning.

"I know" He closed the tap and turned. The orange spot was reduced to a wet mark on his shirt. "But I'm the one inheriting the company. I'm going to be head of the family one day. Not my father."

It was true. His father had taken him to see his grandfather at his grandfather's request a few days ago and right before they entered the patio, they happened to overhear the conversation between Voltaire, better known as Soichiro in Japan, and his top lieutenant and vice chairman of Hiwatari Corp.

"My son Susumu is smart. He's good with numbers and analytical in nature, but when it comes to management…let's just say he has poor leadership qualities. He does well with what he's been given, finances, but…thinking ahead is not his strongest suit." Susumu's fingers had tightened around Kai's little ones, making him look up at him. His father had looked immeasurably hurt, but not surprised. Kai had gulped at Soichiro's next words. "I was thinking of giving the reigns over to one of my other sons, but my grandson Kai shows a lot of promise. He reminds me of me when I was a young boy. Bright and sharp. He does exceptionally well in all of his classes and thinks out of the box. I'm considering sending him to Boris to sharpen his skills and strengthen his mind further. He's truly bright, my grandson is. I'm proud of him. A few more years and he will be ready to take over from me. I know he'll take the company to greater heights." Kai exhaled through his nose, his chin tucked close to his chest as he listened.

"Where are they?" Soichiro mused then. "Its eleven already. Are they late? Ah, that Susumu. A constant disappo-"

"We're here!" Susumu stepped out to the patio and walked forward with a winsome smile, Kai almost stumbling after him.

"Kai!" Soichiro had beamed, gathering his grandson close and patting his head. Kai had smiled back, feeling warm at the affection but sad for his father who stood and watched them from a distance.

The other boys respected Kai more ever since they heard the news. His station had been elevated among their midst. And class and station were everything to them.

That was until they were sent to Boris.


When the other boys' parents learned that Kai's were sending him to Boris for special training in the summer, they insisted their sons go with him too. After all they haven't been separated since they popped out of their mother's wombs.

So the boys all ended up spending their summers at Soichiro's school for orphans where Boris was the head teacher. They were kept in a separate luxurious section of the building, far away from the lowly orphans, and were taught new skills.

Kai was already training in mixed martial arts at his private school, along with the other boys, when Boris introduced them to the concepts of survival.

And taught them how to hold a knife.

"You're men. Not boys. Men." Boris spoke as he strode up and down in front of the line of boys. His hands folded behind him and pressed to his back. "You're to face the horrors of the world and not look away. It is essential that you fear nothing."

"Kai" He'd tipped his chin up with a finger and looked into his eyes. "You have great burdens to bear in the future. And if you are to bear them, you have to be strong. Your grandfather counts on you. Your entire family counts on you. When the great Hiwatari empire falls in your hands we need those hands to be capable of holding the world's weight." Kai wrung his hands behind his back as he stared into those fearsome purple irises boring into his. His heart was excited. His mind determined. "Stand straight. Your posture is lacking."

He had no idea what he was in for.

Boris put a saucer and a candle in front of him and told Kai to hold his palm over it.

"What?"

"Place your palm above the flame and hold it there."

Kai had hesitated for a moment, staring at the candle in fear, then obeyed. "Don't be afraid of fire, Kai. It's your friend," he whispered in his ear as sweat trickled down Kai's forehead. "Don't be afraid to burn. Suffer. Suffer and at the end of your suffering there are great gifts to be reaped." His palm screamed in pain. His teeth clenched tight. His stomach roiled. Yet he kept his mouth pinched shut. "There is no man more terrifying than the one who never gives up."

He suffered second degree burns.

His skin was grafted extensively by esteemed cosmetic surgeons to avoid unsightly scarring.

The smell remained in his nostrils and when Tala moved to comfort him as he walked back to the boys with his bleeding hand, Boris said, "There will be no hugging or unnecessary touching in this building. You must not console each other. Not while here. You need to learn how to rely on yourselves. Now Kai, go to the nurse and tell her you need to see a doctor. You will administer the first aid yourself."

"Yes, sir"

They were put through rigorous training and all kinds of hell. Kai in particular was tested again and again on mental strength and pain tolerance till he lost the very natural instinct to run away from challenging situations. He lost several other parts of himself in the subsequent summers as well.


The first thing his mother noticed when he came back from his first lessons with Boris was that he smiled less. The other boys seemed more or less the same, but Kai's mood seemed to have grown grim.

He became more serious. His eyes taking on a constant narrowed quality.

He listened intently to the conversations happening at the head of the table between his grandfather and the chairmen of other conglomerates during dinner parties. He began reading more. Many, many books more. The other boys often complained and poked fun at his grouchiness. But they also understood.

They knew why. They had witnessed his transformations firsthand.

The summer before Kai turned eleven, they were trained in the use of guns. Tala loved it. Bryan loved it. Sergei was about ready to kiss Boris' feet. They were allowed to use guns and they were not even teenagers.

Little did they know of the wretchedness that often went down behind the closed doors of their parents' offices.

Kai wondered about the orphans sometimes. One night, when he was unable to sleep, he tiptoed out of his rooms and peered into Boris' office. He heard sounds coming from somewhere to his right while he was peeking.

He followed it. And went down hallways he had never been to before. When he stopped at the room where the noises were coming from, he forwent breathing in order to peer undetected through the slightly open door.

(1)

Right away he knew he was seeing something horrid. The noises were of Boris and other men speaking to the children in the room. There were about twenty. There were beds and blankets on the floor. There were cameras in the men's hands. He saw that the kids were naked and wondered why they were naked. The rest of the scene took place in slow motion. His mind blurred out. Voices became distant. He felt bile rising up his throat.

He ran.

And vomited in the hallways.

He kept running.

The next few days he isolated himself. He gagged often and retched multiple times. He couldn't keep any food down. A week passed and he had lost ten pounds. The boys noticed. One afternoon, while he was curled up into a ball in a corner by himself, Tala broke the no comforting rule to get Kai to talk to him.

"Please, what's wrong?" he begged. "Kai? What happened?"

Kai flinched away from his touch. Threw up again. Tala followed him around the room as he paced around, wanting to get away from him and tell him everything at once.

"Kai, please, please talk to me." He leaped forward and grabbed Kai around his midsection to get him to stop walking. Kai got violent. He punched Tala.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me!"

"Kai?! What happened?" He yanked at his foot, clutching at his own stomach. Kai fell down.

And for the first time in years, he cried. He told Tala what he saw. Tala lurched. Throwing up right where he sat. They ended up comforting each other.

"It's okay," Kai said to Tala, being strong in the face of another's weakness. "We'll call the police and save the children." He patted his shoulder. "Nothing to worry about."

They didn't have phones in the building.


When they went back home a couple of weeks later, Kai dialed the police from a phone booth and informed them that there were children who were being abused in Soichiro Hiwatari's boarding school. He made sure to give them Boris' name. Disgusting pervert.

For a minute he was happy that he'd done a good thing. Then he remembered who they were. Who his grandfather was. And he ran to his mother.

When he told his mother about what he'd seen and done, his mother slapped him. He didn't understand. Why was she mad?

He looked at her in bewilderment. His mother trembled in the middle of her bedroom.

"What have you done?" she whisper-shouted at him. Her various accessories tinkling as she wrung her handkerchief in her hands. "What have you done, child? We are at your grandfather's mercy. You do not cross him."

"I did not call the cops on him, mama!" Kai argued. "I told them to arrest Boris."

"It's his business," she hissed. "We do not get involved! He can throw us out on the street if he wants. He was already planning to give the company to your uncle. It is by some miracle that he found you worthy! If he finds out you called the cops on him we are as good as dead."

"There are children in there!" Kai shouted.

"Keep quiet," his mother clamped her hand down on his mouth, her grey eyes fierce and teary as she glared at him. "Do not speak another word of this to anyone, do you understand?" Kai frowned, angry, determined to tell the whole world the truth. But then she said, "You like having your watches, Kai? You like eating good food? Having the best PlayStations in the market?" Kai felt the explosive fire in him wink out. "Then don't tell another soul about what you saw. Don't talk against your grandfather. We have this life because of him. When the cops come to our house and ask questions you will stay quiet." She let go of his face seeing the fight leaking out of him. She touched his hair. Caressing him softly. "I know you're sad, Kai. But this is the way things are right now and it'll be this way till you come in power. Be a good boy until then and don't get us in trouble." She kissed his cheek and held him close.

When the cops came around Kai didn't stay quiet because he liked his PlayStation. He stayed quiet for the sake of his mother. The pearls in her dark hair. The jewels around her neck. He wanted her to have them. To always be beautiful. He grit his teeth and shot a betrayed glare his mother's way when they asked him if he had any statements for them, but shook his head mutely ultimately.

The police didn't return to their house after that. The school was searched and closed, the children interviewed, media caught wind, and for a while Kai was hopeful. But the investigation suddenly died down a fortnight later. The media was silenced. The police were shut down. The criminals were never caught. Boris walked free. Measures were put in place for namesake but the abused children never got justice. Kai didn't even know what they did with the children. He and the other boys were never sent back to Boris after that summer.

When the school reopened, it reopened with the promise of open houses and routine police checkups every six months.

But all this only meant one thing. Soichiro was untouchable to the criminal justice system of Japan.


The Hiwatari family has ties to both the Russian government and the Japanese government.

When the Russian monarchy was overthrown in 1917, Kai's great-great-grandfather, then grand duke Voltaire the Third had gathered his family and his jewels and fled to Japan along with five of his closest dukes and duchesses and their families in the court. The Japanese emperor had taken pity on them and allowed them to seek refuge in his country. Eventually, the refugee families who had been stripped of their titles grew in power using their riches and smarts and ensured their coming generations flourished in Japan even more than their ancestors did in Russia.

Voltaire the Fourth changed his name to Hiwatari and their family name has been Hiwatari since. His current grandfather is Voltaire the fifth, unofficially.

The Hiwataris, Kuznetsovs, Valkovs, Petrovs and Papovs married well. Combined the five families generate a whopping 3.6% of Japan's GDP.

Soichiro Hiwatari is a powerful man. And if he'd wanted to he could have thrown Kai and his parents out in the streets without a penny to their name, let alone jewels.

Kai realized how truly powerless and feeble he and his parents were when his mother silenced him when he was about to expose Soichiro for something absolutely despicable and horrendous. He didn't have the right to speak in Soichiro's house.

They were rich but it wasn't their money. They were powerful but the power wasn't theirs to wield. Only so much as Soichiro would allow them to.

He felt suffocated by it. By the atmosphere. By the house. By the cars and wealth and the snide people that surrounded him. The absolute helplessness he felt when the police questioned him almost choked the life out of him.

He realized that day that his parents were living in fear. The same went for every other member of a family of their status who weren't heads of the house. These men that ran these families, they were vile. Evil. They ruled their little kingdoms like they were kings. Arrogant, ruthless kings with bloody fists.

They committed terrible crimes daily and were never punished. They were wealthy and corrupt. The only thing they were afraid of was someone more wealthy and corrupt and conniving than them.

If Kai was to save his loved ones from Soichiro Hiwatari. If Kai was to live freely, then he needed to be a man equally as powerful, if not more, than Soichiro.

And unlike Soichiro he will built his empire from the ground up. He didn't want to be anymore indebted than he already was. He'd considered taking his family's money. Wait for his grandfather to step down. But he couldn't live that long under a man he hated and be proud of himself. He needed to find a way out.

"The perverts probably aren't at it anymore," said Tala one night, kicking his feet up on an ottoman in Kai's grand sitting room.

"What if we just slit the old fucker's throat in his sleep?" proposed Bryan. "Kids are still allowed in his rooms after dark."

Kai lived in a house that wasn't really a house. It was an estate that spanned acres and had military-grade guards stationed both inside and out to protect them. And it didn't occur to him till then that there were guards inside not only to protect them from outsiders but also from traitors within the house.

His grandfather didn't trust anybody.

Kai stood up then and looked Bryan in the eye. "I will say this once," he said. "I am not killing my grandfather, but I will kill his hopes."


A/N: We will spend a few chapters with Kai.