Kiyotaka's POV
For as long as I can remember my surroundings have always been the same.
The White Room.
A facility for creating artificial geniuses.
An arena where weakness and emotion were unacceptable.
Every morning I was accompanied by one goal - to be faster, stronger, smarter, better.
Nothing else mattered.
My father, Ayanokouji Atsuomi, was the creator and head of this facility.
Through this project, he wanted to restore our family to its former glory.
Ayanokouji Family used to be one of the most important and respected families in Japan.
Unfortunately, over time, the family's strength and reputation began to wane until it finally hit rock bottom.
In my father's time, we were just an ordinary, regular family.
But my father was ambitious and wanted to restore the family to its former glory.
Unfortunately, he wasn't talented enough to make that dream come true.
That's why he created this brutal facility and put me in it right after my birth.
It was to prepare me to become a leader, who would be able to achieve this goal and rule Japan in the future.
In 12 years of my life, I haven't experienced anything that a normal child would consider happy or memorable.
Thanks to my exceptional achievements, I was named as the Masterpiece of the White Room.
It gave me no satisfaction or joy.
My father was always cold as ice during our interactions.
I was nothing more to him than a tool to fulfill his plans.
Although he did it for the glory of our family, I never knew what that even meant.
Until one day he showed up and said he was taking me to America with him.
Several foreign sponsors were interested in the project and it was decided to present the fruit of the work of the White Room to the world.
I was supposed to show my skills and knowledge as a man-made genius.
Although it didn't cause me to feel much of emotion, I was curious what the world looked like outside of the white world I was seeing every day.
I never though that my life would change so much, because of this.
We flew there by private plane.
Even though we were close to each other for several hours, there was absolute silence in the room.
Neither I nor my father had anything to say to each other.
As we approached the shores of America, something unexpected happened.
The right wing of our plane burst into flames.
The captain of the plane tried to control the machine, but there was no way to continue our journey and we tried to land.
Unfortunately, the fire quickly spread to other parts of the plane and not too long after there was an explosion in the back section, as a result of which I hit my head on something heavy and lost consciousness.
I didn't even have time to think if I was going to die.
Up to this day I wonder if I would feel anything if that though would cross my mind at that time.
When I woke up, the first thing I felt was body pain.
A burning smell filled my nostrils and my vision was blurred.
I was soaking wet and had a salty taste in my mouth, most likely sea water.
As my vision began to focus and my brain began to remember what had happened, I heard a faint, low voice.
Atsuomi: "You.. finally.. woke up.. Kiyotaka."
Though I recognized the speaker's identity immediately, I couldn't believe he could speak in that tone.
I turned my head towards the voice and saw my father.
Although he was soaked, there were many burn marks on his body.
He was lying in a pool of his own blood.
After a short observation, I noticed that his left arm and ear were missing.
Atsuomi: "After that explosion.. you lost.. consciousness.. Luckily.. I managed.. to jump with you.. to the sea.. before we crashed.. Taking you.. to the shore.. with one arm.. was really.. troublesome.. cough, cough.."
He started coughing up blood.
My mind finally started operating at fast pace.
I saw a crashed plane not far from us.
The burning smell I fell came from it.
I managed to stand up.
Although I still felt pain, my body was not damaged.
I slowly approached my father.
His life practically hung by a thread.
No, he was beyond saving at this point.
Seeing him like that and understanding why he is like that, give me a feeling that I had never known before.
Kiyotaka:"You saved me? Why? Why would you do that? There was no merit for you doing that. If you only though about saving yourself, there'd be a good chance you'd survive. Why did you waste it to save me?"
I couldn't understand that.
Logically speaking, he should prioritize his own life in such situation.
Trying to save me was practically suicide. After knowing this man for past 12 years, this act was not something he would do.
Atsuomi: "To be honest.. I am as suprised as you.. why.. did I save you?"
His face showed that he is puzzled by this development as much as me.
After thinking for a few seconds, he looked in my eyes. That look was also not something I ever experienced from him in all my life.
Atsuomi: "I guess.. cough.. I wanted you.. to live.." He said in soft tone that was so unlike him.
An unknown feeling I had in my heart suddenly rose.
My brain was starting to try understanding the out of the character statement of this man.
Kiyotaka: "You wanted me to live? Being the masterpiece of the White Room had such unexpected benefit?"
Even at the death door this man was still thinking of realizing his goal though me.
Atsuomi: "I had.. this thought.. at the beginning.. but no.. it's not that.. if it was any other.. even if the masterpiece of the White Room.. I would propably left him to die there.."
Though life was slipping away from him very quickly, this man spoke with firm conviction.
Kiyotaka: "What.. are you trying to say?"
I asked him hesitantly.
This whole scene was making my judgment of the situation very unstable.
Atsuomi: "It's.. because you are my son.. that I saved you.."
He spoke softly, but firmly.
Kiyotaka: "..."
What?
What in the world is this dying old man saying?
He saved me.. because I'm his son?
What kind of bad joke is that?
Does he want to see me laughing at the end of his life?
Did he forget that I cannot change my face expression and he is main culprit of that?
That one sentence from him made my brain explode.
Kiyotaka: "What? You would save me, because I am your son? What kind of reasoning is that? Why would you say something like? Could it be that your brain is damaged as well?"
No matter what, his cold reasoning was something that I could always understand though all those years in the White Room.
'Since I want you to rule Japan in the future, you must be the best and beat other opponents no matter what and how. You cannot show weak side to anyone. You cannot have weak side.'
It was a short summary of what he always wanted from me.
So why suddenly is he speaking like that?
Wait..
Kiyotaka: "Are you trying to manipulate me with this? Since you know you will die, no one could control me. And since we are on a different continent, the White Room's management will have hard time trying to find me. Is that your last plan? Making me feel some emotions towards your goal at the last moment, so I will come back to the White Room on my own?"
My statement made him smile.
It was small smile, barely visible.
There was only a small glimmer of life in his eyes, yet he was smiling. A self mocking smile.
Atsuomi: "Hehe.. cough, cough.. I cannot blame you for this.. cough.. As I said.. I am just as suprised as you.. I guess.. the stories about seeing all your life before death.. were true.."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Atsuomi: "But this time.. you are wrong.. if in that plane.. was me and your grandfather.. he would abandon me without a word.. he was cruel and cold man.. but I admired him.. all my life.. even though.. I was disappointment in his eyes.. cough, cough.."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Atsuomi: "I created White Room.. based on his philosophy.. he wanted me.. who was ordinary.. to become genius.. who could rule the entire country.. yet I failed miserably.. cough.. I knew I couldn't do that.. it was too late for me.. that's why.. I created that environment.. so that you.. didn't have to experience the same thing.. as me.. so that you could have bright future.. but in the end.. because of my selfishness.. because of my past trauma.. I became just like him.. and you lost many things.. cough, cough.."
Although speaking was getting harder for him, that man didn't stop talking.
Tears began to flow slowly from the corner of his eyes.
Kiyotaka: "You.."
The next words stuck in my throat.
My brain stopped working, my heart was beating faster and faster.
This cold man of steel was crying. Seeing him like this made the unknown feeling in my body to rose drastically.
What was happening?
Atsuomi: "I saved.. your life.. because.. I am your father.. because I am not my father.. in my entire life.. I was not as proud of myself.. as I am right now.. It's too bad.. that I understood this this late.. I am fool after all.. hehe.. but this feeling.. is not so bad.. cough, cough.."
I was still listening silently to his words, but for some reason my vision once again became blurry.
Atsuomi: "I do not wish.. to manipulate you in any way.. I also do not want your forgiveness.. because I didn't deserve it.. you do not need.. to come back to the White Room either.. or to Japan.. as your father.. I ask you.. of only one thing.. cough.."
Kiyotaka: "..."
Atsuomi: "..be happy.."
...
With tears in his eyes and small smile on his lips, that man, Ayanokouji Atsuomi, said his last words and died.
...
...
Ehh?
What did he just said?
Be happy?
No, no. It can't be.
That cold man, creator of the White Room, manipulator and politician of steel..
That man, who my entire life didn't show me any emotion, who stripped me of my emotions..
That man, who despised weakness..
He wished me to be happy as his last word..?
What the..
Kiyotaka: "WHAT THE HELL??"
I screamed.
Kiyotaka: "AFTER ALL THIS TIME.. AFTER ALL THAT TORTURE, AFTER ALL THAT TALK ABOUT NOT SHOWING WEAKNESS AND EMOTION.. AFTER ALL THAT TALK ABOUT RULING JAPAN.. YOU SAID THAT YOU WISH FOR ME TO BE HAPPY..??!!"
That was a scream from my very being.
I was screaming at that man's corpse not knowing why I was screaming.
This was something new for me.
I couldn't believe that this was reality.
Just a few hours ago he was my cold father and I was his emotionless masterpiece.
And now..
He clearly could escape from that plane on his own, leaving me to my death.
There were many children in the White Room and, although I was extraordinary, there were some people who could replace me as the masterpiece in the future.
Why he of all people would do that?
'I saved.. your life.. because.. I am your father..'
Kiyotaka: "Father..."
I fell to my knees.
My vision become ever more blurry.
Emotions that I didn't know about exploded within myself.
My eyes started to produce liquid that began to run down my cheeks.
I touched my face and then I realized..
I was crying.
I was crying, because of my father.
Because of his words, the warm feeling inside me filled my body.
That unknown feeling that started to spread though my body after I woke up.
It was weird feeling that I didn't know about before.
In all my brain capacity there was only one definition that could match this feeling.
Love.
Family love that I never felt before.
This realization made my tears flows much stronger.
What a wonderful feeling.
Something that every child had from the birth.
But I needed 12 years to feel it.
Maybe because of that, my reaction to it was much stronger.
I was still crying before my father's corpse.
Seeing his face the current me understood why he was smiling.
I think he realized this feeling of family love too, just before his death.
Kiyotaka: "Father.. thank you.. for making me realize this feeling for the first time.. I'm.. gonna be happy.. I will do my best to be happy.. but I won't let your dreams gone.. I am your son.. Your will, I will take it and make part of mine.. I will make Ayanokouji Family rule the entire Japan.. I promise.."
...
...
...
That was my promise to my father three years ago.
After that, I didn't come back to the White Room.
After getting some of my emotions back, that place was not suitable for me.
I decided to stay in the USA.
It was hard, specially at the beginning, but thanks to my skills and some luck, I managed to survive.
I changed much compared to three years ago, especially my mentality.
Knowing that it was time for some action towards my goal, I decided to come back to Japan.
As my first step towards conquering this nation, I decided to look for some allies among my peers.
I have heard about Japan's highschool for elite - Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.
It was a perfect place to look for some powerful friends.
And some beatiful women that will make me feel some warmth would be great.
Yeah.
Although I had some relationships in the USA, I still felt it wasn't what I was looking for.
But thanks to that I managed to appreciate female charms more.
Much more.
So I hoped that this elite school will really have some hot girls.
I smiled to myself.
I am looking forward to this new chapter of my life more than I thought.
And, just like I promised to my father, I will definitely gonna make myself happy.
To be continued..
Author's notes:
Hello. Thank you for reading my first story. I hope you liked what you read.
To be honest this chapter was a bit different in my mind, but I am satisfied and I hope you are too. If you feel that something was off, please let me know as well.
It was actually more difficult to write this that I thought. And more time consuming. The scene itselt was really hard. Atsuomi last moments as father and Kiyotaka's emotions back were really hard to write properly, specially for newbie like myself. I hope I managed to grasps this situation to at least berable level for reader. Because of this, I appreciate even more the other authors, who can make really great stories and fanfics. It's thanks to you all that I decided to try somethink like this myself. And I had fun doing this.
See you in the next chapter.