Pitter patter, pitter patter. That was the sound the rain made as it poured down against the ground around the group. *Fitting but also cruel.* The man with the broom moustache thought, a funeral is definitely a sombre affair, but his old friend had always despised the rain. Rain to him represented the chaos in the world, the unpleasantness that one felt when getting soaked by it to him was the world trying to make people understand it's pain. It was strange to hear such things from a usually calm and rational man like Yhwach, but even a man as great as himself wasn't immune to being strange. Like when Yhwach said he hated war and all conflict, but joined the army along with him and Gerard. Though it didn't matter if Yhwach said strangle things from time to time, he would follow him to the ends of Earth and to the edge of Hell. That's how much Robert respected him.
Looking around, Robert scowled. He thought about all the miserable sods Yhwach had talked to and given hope when in the army, how they had said that exact same thing. Yet, when you look around, barely more than a dozen people were here, more than half children. Where did their loyalty go as soon as it was inconvenient for them? Down the drain like the rain pouring down. Bah, he was getting emotional. The service dragged on for awhile before it finally ended, though he stayed at the grave for awhile, just needing to really confirm it. It was foolish, yes, he had seen the arrow go through his heart from barely a yard away, but a man like Yhwach dyeing? It seemed impossible. With a big sigh and a heavy heart, Robert turns to leave, but he feels a hand wrap around his wrist, preventing hm from going any further. Robert knew who it was from the size of the hand, he let out an exasperated sigh and turned to face the giant, one of his oldest friends, Gerard Valkyrie. It was strange not to see Gerard with his usual massive smile and hear his loud laugh, but it would be even stranger if he didn't. "Yes Gerard? Is there a reason for you stopping me?" Robert muttered, tone even more dead than usual. "Yeah, there is. Why the hell are you leaving?" Gerard said in an unusually quiet tone, but a slight hint of anger in his voice. Robert was very rarely confused, but when he was it almost always came from Gerard. Robert cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What? Why should I?" Gerard rolled his pupilless eyes, not like Robert could tell. "The kids, Robert." Oh yeah, the brats. Yhwach had rescued each of them, and had practically treated them like family, just like him and Gerard.
"Ok, and?" Robert says, his voice becoming more irritated as Gerard went on. "Well, do you really think in good conscious we can leave them here!?" Gerard's voice raises from a hiss to a near shout. "They aren't our responsibility Gerard, they never have been. The only reason I ever out up with them *was* because of Yhwach." Gerard scowls at Robert "And what do you think Yhwach would do if he heard you say that, he'd strike you across the face!" Robert was about to let out an exasperated retort, but he stopped and thought. Unusually. Gerard was in the right compared to him. Yhwach had cared deeply for each one, if he wear to here Robert's disrespect, he'd be appalled. Robert's eyes were no longer completely dull, they had something in them now. Sadness, Sympathy? Who knows. He let out a deep sighs and nodded. "You're right, Gerard. But if I may, how are we meant to take care of twelve children?" The anger slowly faded from Gerard's eyes, and he to let out an equally deep sigh. "That, old friend, is a question I've been pondering for a bit." Robert rolled his eyes, a small frown gracing his lips. "We'll need a miracle for this to work." And for the first time this accursed day, Gerard cracked a smile. A minuscule one, but still. "Well those are my speciality, so maybe we'll be just fine. Now let's get goin', Robbie." Robert rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Alright, Gerry." And with that, the pair walked towards the group of children. The rain started to clear up as well, maybe fate isn't so cruel after all.
It was rough, raising a dozen kids, but that was obvious from the beginning. At the beginning it was...hard, to get the children to really trust them, *incredibly* hard, but like before, it was to be expected. These kids were thrown into the cesspool that is this world with little regard, no one or nothing to ease them into the harsh reality of the world. Yhwach gave them a glimpse of a kinder world, a world of compassion but with his death, they would yet again be thrown into the darkest and most vile pit of the world. Even if not just to honour Yhwach's will to end all fear, Robert and Gerard would make sure that at least these children could have semi-decent lives.
To make ends meat, they unfortunately needed to enlist the assistance of some of the older children. Lille was the oldest, sixteen, Yhwach had picked him up when he was around 11. Originally, they just had him running around, doing odd jobs, though it wasn't consistent. Either he got in a fight with the boss, or the boss fired him for a ligetemet reason, Lille got offended *then* they got into a fight. It just wasn't working. Robert and Gerard had considered sending him to college, but besides the budget become even more shoe-string, Lille never seemed to care about higher education. This was a big problem, *until* Lille threw a rock at a boy who pissed them off over 50 yards away, that's when they got an idea. Robert had been a sharp-shooter in his youth and a sniper in his early adulthood for the military, the best some would even say. Robert saw talent so after a pain staking attempt to get a gun, and thankfully succeed. He soon took Lille out to the wilderness to hunt, and just like Robert thought, Lille was a goddamned natural. No matter what you gave Lille, be it handgun, rifle, sniper, Christ, bow and arrow, he always found his mark. Lille would then take the mountain of animals he caught on the regular to the butcher Gerard worked, and make a tidy sum from it. Sometimes he was gone hours or days, but it didn't matter. Lille was capable, not just with guns, but with his hands as well, and most of all, his tounge. While he had an ego the size of the Russian army, he had as tounge as good as diplomate so whatever spat's he got in, he could get out one way or another.
Next was Jugram, fifteen when Yhwach found him. He was actually the easiest to get the support from. Robert and Gerard weren't sure why though, was it just because they were friends with Yhwach? They knew Jugram and Yhwach were very close, the latter even considering the former to be his 'Other half', so to speak. Or maybe he for some reason trusted them straight away, they doubted it though, he seemed to smart for blind loyalty. It didn't matter though, his support was needed. The other children looked up to him, saw him as a leader of some kind, so with him trusting them, the rest of the children followed suit, some admittedly slower than others. Jugram, like Lille, did odd jobs for awhile, but unlike Lille Jugram did not find his talent in hunting, in fact he was shit at it, but his intellect. He excelled academically, even in just home-schooling, so Robert and Gerard decided to send him to a higher education than they could give him. Even with his late start he exceled, sure the budget would be even tighter than before but it would pay off. And it did, eventually. Once his high school career was over, he was offered a scholar ship by a semi-prestigious university and studied law, and after 3 hard years, and a few hungry nights, he's almost done his degree and will be able to collect a tidy extra sum for the family.
Then Bazz-B. He refused to tell them his true name, only Jugram knew and he still refused to tell him. He was much like Lille in the way that he found it hard to keep his jobs, but even worse. His fiery temper always got him in trouble, and he always found his bosses tto be 'unfit' to command him. Robert and Gerard had no clue what to do with him, so to maybe calm him down Gerard decided to take him to the gym he went to. It was an old run down place in the shit part of Mustufa where they lived. Gerard taught Bazz a few basic punches and kicks and left him at a punch bag. When Gerard came back, Bazz had attracted a small crowd with how fast he was, and his deadly strength, Gerard swore he could've seen scorch marks on the bag. From that day forward they knew what to do with Bazz, they made him odd jobs for awhile and *promise* to not get into to many fights, while simultaneously training him so when he turned 18 and could legally enter cash-prize tournaments. A bit scummy? Yes, but was it a good way to earn some decent money while playing to Bazz's strong suits and prevent him from going to jail? Also yes. He soon became known in the amateur boxing world, and eventually started doing some mid-level gigs. Who knows, maybe he could go pro one day.
Next was Askin, fourteen years old. Skinny, agile, smart as a whip and the cunning of a fox, the perfect scam artist. Unfortunately, Robert wouldn't let him. Yhwach had chosen them to prevent them from living an awful life, and Robert would be damned if he let that happen, and betray his closest friends wishes. So, much to Askin's chagrin, he'd have to find an honest line of work. After bouncing around job to job, he eventually landed at a cafe. He worked his way up from waiter, to cook. Soon enough, a small Italian place not to far from there home heard about Askin, and hired him on as chef and after a while again, became Sous chef. Now Askin just has to wait for the current Head chef to retire, or get poisoned (Askin said that, and Robert is 90% sure he's not going to do it.)
Next Bonne Ganz, or how he likes to be referred to, BG, was 13 and a half. BG was a curious one, he was quiet, but brilliant, probably the smartest out of all of them. By the time Robert and Gerard had become his caretaker, BG could make a semi-functional phone, and was on his way to being able to create a computer. He made his money advertising he'd repair any sort of machinery, be it phones, washing machines, hoovers, he'd fix it. In addition, he'd try get any salvage any scrap parts and make his own machines. In all honesty he was probably making the most money doing this. Despite this BG still thought it wasn't enough, so he went to a trade school to study mechanical enginerring. He still kept his side buisness going to support the family and his studies.
Now Candice and As Nodt, 13 and 12 respectively. Now, since everyone older than them was working, and for Jugram, studying, no one was left to care for the really young children, this was their responsibility. As much as Candice and As Nodt wished they could've been of more use, they were probably the best at caring for the young and one more glaring issue, As Nodt's health. While yes, he was no longer a moment away from deaths cold embrace, he was still frail and sickly, he couldn't work, and for Candice she was the only one available. Though, they did seek the academic route. As didn't want people to feel the same fear he did when sick, so he wanted to become a doctor and limit that fear as much as possible, and now he's only a year away from med-school. Candice on the other hand wanted to study mechanic, it was a surprise at first but when one though back she had actually always been interested in cars, asking how they worked, wanting to go to races and religiously watching Top Gear. Currently she's in her first year at University.
Now Uryu, Bambietta, Giselle, Gremmy and Liltotto, 9, 8, 7 and 6 respectively. They were far to young to start working, so for now their only responsibility was home-school. Uryu much like Jugram excelled in academics, the rest less so. They weren't stupid, per say, more impatient. Bambietta was too fiery to stay still long enough to learn, and got far too angry whenever she gets something wrong. Giselle was slightly similar, got bored easily, but less...destructive, would've rather just gone shopping, knowing damn well they weren't in the position for fancy clothes. Gremmy and Liltotto on the other hand are just children, far more interested in playing and sleeping to actually focous. Yet still, Robert would try his best, for Yhwach's sake. That's what Robert says to himself, because he'd grown fond of these children, these proud and arrogant children. They were so much like him and Gerard in their youth, it made him chuckle. They all grew in mind and spirit but somethings never change. Uryu and his antisocial tendencies, Bambietta and the chaos her temper causes, (Robert didn't like to question Yhwach but what on God's green earth did he give her a power to explode things?), Giselle never taking things seriously even when she turned a gaggle of kids into her zombie's, they had to swear the children to secrecy, Gremmy's arrogance, Liltotto's sloth. They were children still though, they would eventually mature, hopefully...
It had been, six long years, with its ups and downs, but still they had continued and no longer was this just a duty for Gerard and Robert to care for the children, but out of care and love. Even though none would admit it, the motely crew of street rats and veterans, had become a family.
**Hello again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my apologies for it not really being a proper one but I felt like I needed to explain somethings, while alos leaving other ones unclear, to make the story better. I promise next chapter will be more akin to a standard one. Hopefully the next one won't take too long, but I tend to blab on when writing lol. Also, going back to school soon so that might be a problem, but anyway, see ya next time!**