Under the Veil of Night

Shiro's Clinic

KNOCK! KREEEET!

"Who is it, the clinic is closed…" Shiro's words stopped the moment he saw the person who came in.

Tommy was drenched in blood from his head to his feet. His torn clothes showed traces of a fight. His eyes were dull as he struggled to move his body bit by bit.

"Tommy!" Seeing his teammate in such a horrible condition, Shiro sprang up from his chair and helped Tommy in. He carefully put the boy on the examination table as he checked the boy's pulse and wounds.

Sweat covered Shiro's forehead as he checked Tommy's condition. There were too many wounds. He swiftly moved his hands to temporarily stop the bleeding for some of the deeper wounds while dressing them in order of seriousness. Nothing could stop him as he focused all his attention to treat Tommy.

Tommy lay down and let Shiro do whatever he wanted. At this point, he no longer had any energy left in his body. Just to come here, he had to use up his remaining energy to drag along his wounded and lifeless body. He simply couldn't move anymore.

His eyes watched as Shiro carefully treated him. "So…Sorry…"

"Don't talk! You're wounded very badly, and talking might make it worse," Shiro cut off his speech. "Just tell me, which part is hurt the most?"

Tommy didn't answer. He merely closed his eyes as tears came out from the corners of his eyes. In the end, he was always like this, dragging his own team down. Yet, they never said anything and accepted him as who he was. The only thing they asked was for him to train even harder.

His breathing turned ragged when Shiro stitched his wounds. It was painful, and he had to bear it with gritted teeth. Really, getting wounded was truly inconvenient.

After hours of treating and stabilizing Tommy's condition, Shiro could finally rest. This was not the first time he worked continuously for several hours, but he still felt extremely tired. Granted, his physical body was not as strong as the others. Even if he wanted to match up to them, he had to train his body harder than the others.

"Tom, can you move your body?" Shiro asked as he looked towards Tommy.

"Not really," Tommy answered wryly.

"As I expected, you can't. Four of your ribs are broken, your stomach was pierced, and your flesh is torn apart in many places. I'll be rather amazed if you can move in this condition," Shiro nodded his head.

Hearing Shiro speak in appraising tone, Tommy rolled his eyes. Don't treat me as a research subject you annoying doctor!

"What happened?"

"Do you know the Red Gang?" Tommy asked.

Shiro nodded his head. He was rather knowledgeable about this matter compared to Tommy. From Jason's report, he knew that this gang was already on the Ryukalin Clan's to-be-eliminated list. It seemed that the gang's activities were getting out of hand, so the clan couldn't stand them.

Still, the clan didn't have a good reason to act against them, which was the biggest reason the matter was still delayed.

"My mother infuriated them, and I kind of protected her."

Tommy's mother was a forbidden subject for them. Shiro frowned deeply when he heard that. After all, he knew very well what kind of life Tommy had up until now with that woman. It was a life that he himself wouldn't want to experience at all.

"Why are you protecting her?" Shiro asked. By the time the words came out, he felt rather stupid. The answer was plainly obvious.

"She's my mother," Tommy answered calmly. His eyes looked rather despondent as he gazed at the ceiling, trying his best to recall his best memories with his mother. Yet, nothing really came to him.

The last time his mother showed him warmth was when he just turned five years old. It was at that time that his father left them and his mother changed drastically. The beautiful time with her disappeared and was replaced with endless abuse.

Being blamed for things he didn't do. Almost getting killed by his own mother. Beaten up and chased out from the house. His childhood was filled with many kinds of experiences he didn't wish to go through again. It was simply a nightmare for him at that age.

"You know, you're already an adult. There's no need for you to keep living with her anymore."

Tommy wanted to nod his head, but his neck hurt, so he didn't bother trying. "I know. It's just, I can't leave her."

The sight of his mother occasionally gazing off in space before the mirror with grief and longing pierced his heart deeply. He knew that his mother was overly reliant on his father. Even after more than a decade, nothing could stop his feelings. It was sad, yet it was also the truth that he couldn't deny.

In the end, he just couldn't bring himself to hate his mother. All he felt was pity because his mother loved the wrong person and that was what caused her to sink into a bottomless pit.

"Anyway, I need to tell Rei about you. You should rest."

"No! Don't tell her!" Tommy raised his voice suddenly, but this action caused his body to ache all over and he fell into a coughing fit.

"I have to tell her. She deserves to know what happens to us."

Tommy's eyes were filled with guilt as he breathed heavily. "No, don't tell her. She already did more than she had to for me. I don't want to get her into danger again."

"If I don't, you know that she will be angry," Shiro smiled wryly as he picked up his phone and dialed the girl.

It was during times like these that Tommy felt his absolute worst. He kept on relying on Kanae for everything he did. Why was he so useless? Tears fell down once again from the corners of his eyes as he thought to himself.

"Rei, where are you? Tom is wounded badly."

"What?" Kanae sounded surprised. "I'll be there."

Shiro ended the call as he sat down. He looked towards Tommy. "If you don't want to keep dragging us down, you should learn how to use your brain, Tom. It's no use if you don't."

"I already use my brain," Tommy answered in a hoarse voice.

"I know," Shiro answered back. "You should focus on recuperating. She'll be here soon."

BAM!

"Where's Tom?" it didn't even take Kanae five minutes to reach this place. She was panting like crazy, yet her eyes were filled with concern.

"I'm here."

Kanae's eyes swept across Tommy's body as she frowned deeply. The wounds on Tommy's body were simply too serious. It would take a long time for the boy to heal.

When her thoughts reached this point, rage engulfed her body completely. No one was allowed to treat her friends like this!

"Who did it?"

"Rei! Promise me that you won't do anything rash," Tommy pleaded. He didn't want Kanae to charge in alone just like before with the Zone Clan. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something happened to her.

"Tell me what happened first," Kanae demanded angrily.

Shiro sighed and told Kanae everything that happened. Upon hearing about the Red Gang, she frowned deeply. Apparently, she had already heard about them.

"What a coincidence, I need to test out how my skills have improved after enduring Master Rudy's hellish training," Kanae's eyes glinted with ruthlessness.. "This gang will be perfect for me to practice on."