Four hours, that how long it took Kirigakure no Sato’s main hospital to come about the news of his arrival nearly four days ago. At the time, he had been resting in a rented hotel room, practicing some of his more safer techniques out of the public eyes, when there was a knock on the door. Upon seeing it was a resident shinobi, he had answered it and was asked to come by and help the medical staff. They were seemingly having heard of his exploits in the medical field, and what he was able to accomplish in his clinic back in Hiromitsu, a town within Lightning Country.

The clinic has become something of a hotspot for those who did not want to deal with the impersonal and incompetence that ran in Kumogakure’s hospital after the election of Hastur into office. The people have sought out a better alternative, with his small clinic being it. The work is done there, the miracles performed by him and his staff, being spread throughout the Nations by the patients who were saved. Knowing the reputation of not only his hospital but of himself, he was not surprised when the request was made. If anything, he was disappointed it took Kirigakure’s medical staff that long to find him - not like he was hiding from them or anything.

From them on, after agreeing to help at the hospital, Daremo spent the majority of his time there. With the number of patients coming on a daily basis, there was no reason for him to retire to his abode, the first time he tried that ended up with him being woken up seven times with requests of assistance from the hospital. With how futile it was to go home, he only made it easy on the staff and stayed at the hospital.

Long hours, sleepless nights, rowdy patients who did not want to stay in the hospital overnight, patients who found it humorous to throw their bodily fluids at the nurses or doctors, emotionally charge parents who either praised you as a savior or curse your name to the Gods if their family member either lived or died, nothing but normality for Daremo. He was having dealt with it far too long to be offended or disgusted by said things remotely. While he could handle it, some of the other doctors and nurses could not, and he stepped into an all familiar role of teaching. He taught them how to deal with every situation that might come up, and dos and don’ts when dealing with certain types of people. While he did not come there to teach, it did feel nice though. And teaching was what he was doing right now . . . sort of

Frantically yelling could be heard coming from the back of the hospital, and the area reserved for high profile cases to go in without being seen by the general public, and when ghastly injured victims are escorted through. “Calm down, Ms. Shiki.”, Daremo spoke in a calming manner, dodging a wild wipe from Akimichi male in his late twins, and keeping the other nurses and doctors out of the way of said man swings. The light tan ‘hefty’ man swinging wildly after having woken up DURING surgery, freaked out when he overheard the doctors and nurses talking. Daremo did not know what all was said, but, whatever it was, it had freaked out the man enough to start attacking anyone in his vicinity, completely ignoring the grievous wound on the side that was not wholly sewed up.

Ignoring the shouts and screams of the doctors and nurses behind him, Daremo grabbed the Akimichi’s arm, “Sleep.”, Was all he spoke, as the Akimichi nearly crumbled onto the floor if not for him being caught. With a grunt, Akimichi carefully places the man back on the table and sent a withering glare at the nurses and doctors. “Some shinobi are immune to the normal sleeping agency giving to civilians. Our bodies almost naturally counteract such agency considering we deal with them on a regular basis in the field. If you must put a shinobi asleep, use chakra, and be discreet about it; we don’t like being vulnerable in a place full of strangers. Anyway. . .”, For the next few minutes, he taught the doctors a simple sleep jutsu that he created for this purpose. Once he knew they understood how to perform it, he decided to help them finish up with the Akimichi before going to attend to other business.

Moving through the sterilize hallways, he acknowledges those who he passed as he made his way towards an office given to him while he worked there. Stepping into the small space, he made a beeline straight for the beige folders on his desk, spreading them out as he looked for a particular set of files. Not finding the file, he was about to look for it in the achieves when there was a knock at the door, and a female nurse entered with a thick folder in hand. “Doctor Koyabashi, here are what you ask for.”, She spoke, handing the folder over. “Thank you.”, He said, briefly watching the woman leave before turning his attention to the folder.  Flipping open the folder, Daremo scanned over the first page. . .


For the next couple of minutes, Daremo scanned over page after pages of every time Madoka had come to the hospital because of an ‘accident’. The medical files detailing every fracture(hairline, compressed, and transverse), bruising along various parts of the body, burn marks, etc. Going through the file, he had expected to find sexual assault in it as well, but, thankfully, the glaring abuse had not reached to that level yet. Closing the file, he began to wonder why no one else had taken this to the higher-ups? There surely being enough information to make a case for abuse, if they also took in how Madoka seems to close up whenever her father was around.

With the file in hand, Daremo stepped out of the office, only to nearly run into a nurse who stopped immediately upon seeing him. “What is wrong?”, He asked, waiting for the nurse to catch her breath. “Doctor Kobayashi. You mentioned wanting to be the one to check on Madoka the next time she visits, and well, she is here. But. . .”, The nurse paused for a split second, “Someone else, a Niala Koizumi, an inspiring medical-nin from Iwa, is looking over the case. She was assigned to the hospital as per requested do to our low manpower at the time.”


“Do not worry about it. I will take of it.”, Daremo spoke, walking past the nurse, his mind thinking about the Koizumi name. The surname being something of a familiarity with him, it belongs to the one bastard who nearly killed him years ago. “Genki. . .”, He muttered the name of the burly Jounin who had attacked him out of a misunderstanding of sorts. The battle of that day would only be known by the two, but, in the end, friendship and respect emerged between the two men who, while on different sides of the spectrum, held common ground. Now, after so many years, the surname is popping up again?

As he made it down to the hallway, Daremo eyes came to an interesting sight. There, looking over a file, was a splitting image of a young Hanae. Unless the woman, who helped him become ‘Daremo’, managed to find secrets to rewind time, the young girl in pink scrubs before him could not be her. Walking up behind the girl, he peered over her shoulder, his massive 6’3 frame allowing for such, and looked at the folder she was holding “So, you must be Koizumi Niala?”, He asked, moving to stand in front of the girl, allowing her to see him. Daremo was dressed in a dark blue scrubs with a white doctor’s coat, and the folder from earlier was still in his right hand, “I’m Kobayashi Daremo, one of the doctors here, and the supervisor for you till your shift is done. Do you have any questions?”, He asked, waiting for her to ask anything before continuing on.

Once any questions were asked, and answered, Daremo started, “Walk with me, Niala.”, hoping the girl would follow him, “Tell, Niala, having read that file what is your honest opinion.”. His reptilian eyes glanced at her from the side as he waited for her response. He was curious did she come to the same conclusion as he did when he first arrived. Once a response was given.

---

Word Count: 1526

”So, you are there child, eh? Who would have thought the brute and the princess.”, Daremo silently chuckled to himself, having moved in front of the young girl, allowing her to get a better look at him, and vice-versa. There was no mistaking anymore on who the girl’s parents were. They were individuals who he has done had varying experience with when he was living within Kaze no Kuni all those years ago. Though she had nearly identical traits to her mother, Hanae, her eyes were that of Genki, just without the burning fury within them. Who would have thought such a hot-tempered and wild man would end up falling for the surgeon princess? Never in his wildest dreams did Daremo believe Hanae would in up falling, and presumably marrying, such a brute. They were like night and day. Ying and yang. Totally opposites in nearly every way, but yet, somehow they formed a bond, and the girl before him was the result. How amusing . . .

Having seen the look of recognition in her eyes when his name was spoken, Daremo wonder what all the girl knew about him? Did either parent tell her the history shared between the two? Did Hanae talk about her involvement with him? Helping the man take on his current identity? Did Genki talk about where he nearly killed Daremo due to a bad misunderstanding? He wonders what all did the parents share with her about him? Though curious he might be, it was not the time to dwell, nor ask, about said topics. Instead, it was time to refocus on the incident on their hands.

Takahashi, Madoka, the name had been one which Daremo familiarize himself with upon stumbling over the medical reports hours within asking to help around the hospital. He was not asked to look through them. He just happens to find them while looking for reports on another individual with a similar surname. Just after reading a page and a half, he knew something was going on within that family. Further digging into the reports shows the countless of times the family had come to the hospital for them to treat wounds Madoka had from an ‘accident’. While accidents could have caused most of the injuries, the sheer number of them, and the frequency which the family visited said otherwise. Furthermore, the way Madoka tend not to answer specific questions when her father was in the room, tossing side glances the man as if asking for permission to speak.

How the man would interrupt the girl from saying certain things, speaking on her befall, and how she would clam up when asked differently afterward. The tiredness and weariness with her mother’s eyes who seem to want to be anyone asides from the man side. How the mother seems to have resentment towards her husband for reasons unknown. All the information as mentioned earlier and more was written down by those who saw the couple whenever they came in to get one of Madoka’s injuries treated. With all the information there, Daremo took it upon himself to oversee the situation, and do something that no one else bothers in doing, and that is getting them out of the situation. He just hopes it works.

Seeing the young girl following him down the hallway, Daremo patiently waited for she to ask him any questions she might have, and from the way she was holding onto the folder, he could guess where this was going. Indeed, the subject dealt with Madoka, something he had assumed, therefore, was not surprised when she mentioned of wanting to speak to someone regarding the young girl's folder. The corner of his mouth did twitch upward a little, as she spoke about her assumptions. Hanae did an excellent job in training Niala in the medical field, that much was for sure. For as the girl talked about the information in the folder, she concluded Madoka showed signs of abuse, something that some of her colleagues, nearly double her ages, had missed or overlooked.

Passing by a few people in the hallway, Daremo noticed the slight pause Niala took, and commented on it, along with giving her some words of encouragement, "Continue. You are on the right track with your assumption. Do not hesitate to speak your mind when you are sure of what you are saying. Hesitation means doubt, and people will question what you are talking about. For if you have doubt then why would someone else bother in believing what you said? Be confident in your words, even if they might be wrong, but you are not in this case." He hopes she would take the words to heart. In the profession, they are in, or anyone for that matter, she would be judged on how she carries herself with words. People will only listen to those who are comfortable with their words.

With the words seemingly had worked, Daremo continued listening to Niala speak about Madoka, and how she could not believe something like this was allowed to occur with no one doing anything about it. Again, he found himself applauding Hanae's teachings. Her was Niala doing the right thing. Not sitting on the information, trying to pretend it was not there, instead, speaking up about it when given a chance to talk to a superior. Seemingly not caring, or realizing, the accusation be thrown out was directed towards the higher-ups and some people who they passed in the hallway.

Another pause from her caused him to look at her once again, “A doctor. A nurse. Medical shinobi. We all took an oath to ensure the lives of those around us; the Hippocratic oath. While many of us follow the oath to the best of our abilities, some of us do not. Some of us allow our fame and status get the better of us, turning blind eyes to things that we otherwise would not have. People looking to get ahead of others pretending something is not occurring due to fear of their superior taking it out on them if questions were asked. Are you see where I am getting at Niala? The reason why nothing was did was that. . ..”, He left the statement hanging, hoping she would understand what he meant, “But, there are those, who see the abuse but do not believe that can’t do anything due to their lowly position. For what if the information was wrong? A lot of people can get into trouble, and they could ultimately lose their job. Is it right that they don’t speak up? No, but least they make notes in the files in hopes someone else can do what they could not.” If only the world were so simple to allow people to do what they believe is right without fear of repercussion. Maybe then this injustice would have been taking care of sooner than now.

As they continue to walk down the hallway, Daremo took a glance at Niala, “It is good to see medic-nins who do not sit around and ignore problems.”, He spoke, complimenting her on what she was doing. As she spoke about the girl and her mother being in, waiting for them in a room, and that the father would not be far behind, Daremo nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I would not be surprised if that was the case. If the man is abusing Madoka, he will not let her, nor her mother, out of his sight in case they say something.”, He spoke. Reaching the room with the #109 on it, Daremo paused at it, “Alright, I will allow you to take the lead on this. I will follow your lead, and only intervene if necessary. I do believe Madoka would open up to someone closer to her age. So, what do you want me to do? Want me to stand out here, so you can talk to them? Or should I come inside with you?”, He asked, giving Niala control of the situation.

---

Word Count: 1344 |2870

As the pair walked down the hallway, passing by their colleagues, those around him might not have noticed the sudden change in Niala. The young child not looking at the doctors, nurses, and medical staff in the same light as she once did.  But, Daremo took notice of the demeanor change within her and found himself having a flashback of sorts. The look she was given to the people around them were eerie similar to the one her father, Genki, gave him all those years ago. “Indeed you are his child.”, Daremo muttered softly, low enough that it would take some impressive hearing on her back to hear what was said. If the eyes were not enough to give away who she was then the sudden shift in demeanor did so fantastically.  

“No, the system itself is not flawed.”, He spoke, disagreeing with her statement, “The system itself is quite alright. It provides a means for people to safely get treated and help if necessary. However, it is the people who overlook the needs of others for personal gain either monetary, status, or just to stroke their own god-complex, that is the issue. If these people did not exist? There would not be a problem. Patients would not have to worry about a doctor not correcting an issue upon initial visit because they make more money if the patient comes back for multiples one. Patients would not have to worry about doctors or nurses adding on additional tests, scans, etc. just to pad up the medical bill, enslaving the patient to a mountain of debt. There would not be any need to worry about a hospital being ill-equipped, or having outdated due to someone pissing off a benefactor or someone else higher-up who is help funding the place. The deeper you look the more bureaucratic bullshit you will find within this profession. Mostly everyone is trying to please another in some shape, or form. And the few who are trying to do the right thing are ignored or replaced by others who fall in line with the agenda.” He allowed Niala to absorb the information given.

He did not have a problem with the medical system as a whole. It was just some of the people who are in positions of power are just as vile as a lowly bandit, and what makes the matter worse, those who can make a change are ignorant of what is going on because they look at things on face value. And, while one would assume the medical facilities within a shinobi village would have a better grip on the situation, but every kage is an incompetent idiot who is just a slave of those above them. They might believe they are in charge, but they just dance to the whims of the true masters. When has a Kage ever stepped foot into a hospital, talk to the staff and making sure everything was running smoothly? When has a Kage, instead of sitting behind a desk or training, took time to visit the shops, asking the people how is everything? Rarely has he seen a Kage who took the incentive on such matters, only doing so when it suits them. On the other hand, how many kage just stamp papers after taking it at face value? How many take the time to have the information verified? It is almost criminally easy to get something illegal approved by a Kage because many of them are only good for one thing, and politicking was not it.

Putting the thoughts to the back of his mind, Daremo smile at Niala, “I agree with you, these people need to suffer a punishment for what they did not do. But, you know that it would not truly solve the problem. There are others who have similar beliefs that can take their position without many issues. To really deal with the issue, you must start from the top, but that will take time and planning. Are you willing?”, He asked, curious to see how far Niala would go to correct the evil done in these hospitals, “Are you willing to fight the corruption and burden the consequences that come from it? You don’t have to answer now, take you time, and think about it.” Who knows why he wanted an answer from her. Could it be that he held some interest in helping her remove the corruption? Or was the question proposed out of pure curiosity? Nothing about his intention would be revealed until after Niala give a response, and then? Who knows . . .

Daremo’s right hand reached up and gave Niala’s should a reassuring squeeze, “Niala, remember what you are. You are a professional. A kind-hearted nurse, who is inviting to patients. Do not let the ugly emotions you are feeling disrupt your duties. Lock them up in the deepest part of your mind, and only letting them out when you are not around patients.”, He spoke, having noticed the barely contained anger scratching at the surface of her being. “It will do no one good if patients, or staff, see the anger within your eyes. They might use that against you in case an accident happens on your watch.”, People are petty and vindictive against anyone who is perceived to be better off than them or have something they desire but can’t have. He had seen first hand what people would do to get above in the profession. He had seen doctors and nurses sabotage the work of colleagues to get them in trouble and demoted. He had caught doctors and nurses forging other colleagues signatures on prescriptions, prescribing a stronger dosage in order to hurt the reputation of the other doctor, even if it means a patient gets hurt in the process. Thankfully, he manages to stop one of those incidents from occurring, but he was not lucky with a few others that took place when he was not around. There was simply nothing people would do to get ahead of someone else.

“Do not worry about finding them a place to stay after this. I will personally take care of that, and ensure nothing will happen to them.”, He spoke, ensuring Niala the safety of Madoka and her mother. There is no way he would allow the pair to go back to that house, at least while the husband was still amongst the living. He knew, there is no lengths an abusive man would not go to ensure the silence of the victims. And putting them in the house of the said man, even after he is jailed? No, the man could very well hire someone to take them out, or escape and do it himself. Daremo would not let that, and henceforth there was a plan to make sure the family will be safe.

”What will you do?”, Daremo silently mused, scrutinizing the young girl, who he had just given full control of the situation too. Some might have, and probably will question the reason why he turned over the leadership reins to an inexperienced medical-nin who was not even from Kirigakure no Sato. Just like his teacher, after Jugo Tei, Daremo wanted to see the personality of Niala when power is given to her. The idiom, ‘power corrupts absolutely’ has merit within every aspect of life. Power is the ultimate source of evil that can change a good-hearted man into a tyrant overnight. It is an addictive drug causing people to justify their actions with weak excuses. It turns people against one another. But, more importantly, given someone power allows other to see the real character of a person. For this is what they would do if given the means to do so. Finding the true nature of Niala is the reason why Daremo gave her this opportunity. He wanted to see who she indeed was, and to see if she was worth his time. . . potentially

Daremo waited to see what the girl would do now after being given control over the situation. He did not show any surprise when her demeanor remained the same. Nothing about her having changed once power was provided. From the look in her eyes, Daremo could tell she was trying to come up with a plan to handle the situation. Though he did not show it, he was mentally pleased by how she was handling the situation with professionalism. “Good idea, while I take the mother to the cafeteria, I will talk to her about the situation as well. Try to figure out if she had a hand in her daughter’s abuse, and if not, ask her if she has a means to get out of the situation. Knowing that her husband could be on his way here, she might be reluctant to leave her daughter side, especially if she loves her.”, He wonders how the woman would deal with not being in the same area as her daughter? Would there be some reluctance in going with him to get snacks for Madoka, leaving her in the room with a strange, and having to worry about the looming threat of her abusive husband?

"That's a good plan. Madoka will mostly open up to you once her mother nor I am in the room. Though she has nothing to fear from any of others, I am a guy, and seeing me standing in the same room as it could cause her to draw up inwardly, and not speak about the incidences that had occurred.", Daremo was pleased with Niala's simple plan. The young Iwa-nin was figuring out the variables that could cause problems in trying to get answers. With the adults out of the way, little Madoka would hopefully open up.

Knowing what he needed to do, Daremo waited for Niala to take the lead. "Giving them a semblance of control. Hanae taught you well.", Daremo mused, seeing Niala knocking on the door with Ms. Takahashi, at least that who he believed it was, telling them to 'come in' from the other side of the door. There was always a need to give patients, especially those in an abusive situation, some form of control. It allowed them to have power, something they usually never has in an abusive relationship. Furthermore, it gives them the opportunity to dictate the flow of things, allowing them to be in control.


Stepping inside of the room, making sure to stay behind Niala, a sign of who was in charge, all would overlook the subtle shift in Daremo's demeanor, it now being professional, calm, inviting, and non-threatening to those around him. The routine has been practice countless of times, even before he became a medical-nin. "You are doing good.", indeed, the anger which was once scratching at Niala's surface was no longer there. It was disappearing immediately upon crossing the threshold. She was apparently taking his earlier advice to heart.

Slowly and very relaxed, Daremo mimic Niala’s movement, staying out of reach of both the mother and young Madoka as he took in the sight of both of them. The tiny girl being curled up on the hospital bed looking even smaller than she was due to the overly large hospital gown she had to put on for the x-rays scans, which were already performed, he has a copy of them on his office desk. Clutched in her hands were a worn out but definitely loved lion stuffed animal, it probably being the only thing of comfort to her. On the right side of her forehead was a lump, caused by some kind of trauma, most likely blunt force. It had been stitched up, but, there would be a scar there if proper healing was not performed.

Daremo would be lying if seeing Madoka like this did not bring up some strong emotions. As a father of two beautiful children, seeing her like this made him want to kill the man who done it. There is no excuse for why a grown ass man would physically hurt a defenseless child. Those who do are nothing more than cowards, and shitstains on society. If this was not a professional setting, he would have hunted the man down, and return every ounce of abuse back to him one hundred fold. Alas, this was a professional setting, and he could not simply leave the hospital. So, with that in mind, Daremo locked away his fatherly instincts to destroy those who harm children and focused on the task at hand.

Sitting on the bed beside Madoka was Ms. Takahashi; the woman’s hand rubbing the girl’s leg in a comforting and soothing manner. Looking in her late thirties, the pepper-haired woman did not wear very much makeup, only enough to conceal the dark circles around her light green eyes, apparently from not getting enough sleep. She wore a very conservative dress that suited her outwardly appearance. Although Daremo got the inclination, the woman did not wear such clothing, but that was not information for now.

When Niala introduced them both, he nodded towards the mother and daughter, “Hello, as my colleague stated, I am Doctor. Kobayashi, Daremo. I am just here to oversee Koizumi, Niala’s work. So, if you have any questions, please direct them to her, she is more than capable of answering them all.”, He spoke, letting Ms. Takahashi and Madoka know the role he was playing in this. That, while he might be a doctor, Niala is the one who will be handling this case. She will be the one to treat all the injuries and file out the paperwork. Daremo did not miss the look Ms. Takahashi threw in his direction after speaking. He would need to explain that later. . .

Unknowingly to the mother and daughter, the chart which Niala was flipping through was something the young nurse had already memorized it, and Daremo knew Niala was only doing the action to put on a show for the other occupants. They did not need to see the truth of the matter. Let them believe this was the first time either him or Niala looked at the charts. What Niala was doing wasn’t deceitful at all, many nurses and doctors do the same thing. They had already read the medical files before entering into the patient’s room. It saves them and the patient’s time for there is no need to read all of the information right then and there; it was just more efficient this way.

As Niala talked to the mother and daughter, Daremo busied himself with mundane tasks like checking the equipment and making sure the supplies were stocked. His attention would be pulled back to the conversation at hand when Niala mentioned to Ms. Takahashi about going to the cafeteria to get some food for her and her daughter. Daremo could not blame the woman for the hesitation she showed upon the question. Though once Madoka mentioned how she was hungry, the older woman relented but admitted she did not know where the cafeteria was.

He did not even need to look in Niala’s direction to feel the teenager’s eyes upon him, “I can show you where the cafeteria is at.”, He spoke, looking at Ms. Takahashi. Taking a glance over at Niala and Madoka, Daremo knew the Iwa-nin could handle the situation, due to what she had shown so far. “We will be right back.”, He spoke, before opening the door for Ms. Takahashi to walk out, and closing it once he left. Once outside, Daremo was not surprised at the woman staring at him, “Daremo eh? That is what you are going by now.”, Ms, Takahashi said with a glint in her eyes. ”Here we go. . .”, Daremo silently mused, “Mmmm. It been while. . .”, he said as the pair headed towards the cafeteria.

"You know you can still get out.", Daremo said, walking with Ms. Takahashi, both of them carrying snacks for Niala, and Madoka respectively. At first, the woman did not say anything, just kept on walking with the man who she has known longer than her husband, "Yeah, I know I can.", She admitted, pausing when some nurses walked passed them before continue to speak after they had disappeared, "But, you know the price to pay for that, and you cannot fault me from doing what is right about my daughter. I will continue doing what is needed for her, even if it ends with my death."

Sighing, Daremo could not fault the woman's position. She was in a lose-lose situation no matter how one slices it.  So, to protect what she deems precious, she continues to walk this path. The doctor could not see her journey ending well, and it would undoubtedly end with her death. A pity really, Madoka deserved her mother. "Daremo, do you promise me?", She asked, her green eyes, having an odd metallic to them, staring at the one man who she trusted. "Yeah, I do.", Daremo spoke and noticed the look of relief in her eyes after him reaffirming what they had talked about earlier.

Before the pair could continue talking, they heard a loud, boisterous voice. "He is here. . .", Ms. Takahashi spoke, trying to control her hand from shaking so much, "And my baby is there!" The realization of who was after setting in for the woman. Daremo did not need to know who she was referring to, for he already knew. "Come on; my assistant is there.", He spoke, running towards room which they had left Niala and Madoka. Despite him running way faster than a civilian could, his companion easily kept up with him as they neared the bend with their destination just around it, and saw the room door slammed open.

"Madoka!"

"Naila!"

"You alright?", Both of them shouted in unison as they rushed inside, and came to an unusual sight. There convulsing on the floor was Madoka's abusive father, who, from the stench in the air, had defecated on himself due to whatever Niala used to stop the man. Speaking of Niala, Daremo threw a quick glance over towards the small girl, seeing her relatively okay, and nodding in approval. "Madoka!", He watched as Ms.Takahashi ran towards her daughter, who came from behind the chair she was hiding and scooped her up in her arms and checked over her. A smile appeared on his face that disappeared upon hearing the man groaning.

"What happened.", Daremo asked, as his right hand appeared to be checking the down man's vitals. What he was doing was something more sinister, that could lead him into some trouble if caught, but he doubts the people in the room would honestly care. Once done, he stood up as three law enforcement people came in, asking what had happened, and if they needed to escort the man out. “I do not know what happens, you have to talk to the nurse, but, I do know this man has been abusing his daughter. There have been numerous hospital visits where she had ‘accidents’ that did not add up. Nurse Koizumi, Niala will have a better explanation of what that as well for she was the one who brought it to my attention.” Daremo spoke, letting Niala take the lead in this.

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Word Count: 3238 | 6108

Having turned the command back over to Niala, Daremo watched as the young Iwagakure no Sato talked to the authorities, and told them what had happened along with bringing up what many of the hospitals expecting the man was doing, but no one, until now, had the coward to do something about it. He was impressed with how she handled talking to law enforcement. Many times he had seen people become nervous when confronted by someone representing the law. Even when they did nothing wrong, people tend to become nervous and fumble over their words when speaking to a person of law. Such behavior does not bold well for anyone who is trying to prove their innocent, or trying to report something of importance. The officers could very well suspect the communicator to be apart of, or had committed, whatever being reported to them about. They might even belief the talker had something else to hide. But, surprisingly enough, Niala did not exhibit any of these familiar behavior. She handled the situation with professionalism, and he mentally applauded her.

Daremo stepped away from the down man, knowing that he would not survive through the night due to a ‘parting gift’ left behind. He had promised Ms, Takahashi that her husband would be taken out of the picture for good. A ‘thank you’ for the things she had done for him in the passed when he lived a very different life than his current one. It was the least he could do for someone who helped him all of those years ago. Taking a discrete glance at said woman, their eyes briefly locking onto one another, a message was passed and received between the two. There would no longer a need to worry about the man, and she can finally escape.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, Daremo’s attention shifted to Niala, and to the others in the room. A soft smile spreading across his face. “You did well, Niala. Not only with healing Madoka’s injuries but also your quick actions against that abusive man.”, He commented, not wanting to refer to the said man as Madoka’s father or his friend’s husband. The man has lost those titles the moment he decided to put his hands on his child. Having said what he wanted to Niala, Daremo’s attention shifted to the mother and child. Walking towards them both, Ms, Takahashi standing and walking towards him with daughter securely in her arms, Daremo reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll, “In the scroll is enough money for you restart your life anywhere you want. There is enough to get you a decent size home with everything you and your daughter will ever need.”, He spoke, handing the scroll to the woman. There were some hesitation on her part, but, she eventually took it. “Furthermore, I owned a house in Whirlpool that is not being used. You are welcome to use it if you do not want to stay in the same house as that man once did. I know it can be painful going back to a place where nothing but bad memories of. The house is fully furnished and everything. I bought it in case I ever needed a place to stay in Mizu no Kuni, but having another place now, I have no use for it. So, you are welcome to use it.”, While handing her another scroll with the location of said house and keys to it, Daremo’s eyes looked off into the distance as he thought back to the reason why he does not stay in the supposed home. Oh, how he missed his first daughter. . .

The light tugging on his sleeve brought him away from the depressing thoughts that threaten to surface. A smile returning to his face as his eyes looked into those of little Madoka, “Thank you.”, The young girl said, reaching out to hug the man, something he returned. “Your welcome. Although, Niala was one who did most of the work.”, Daremo mentioned pointing to the girl who was filling out a report. Madoka would ask to be let down as she ran over to hug Niala, giving the Iwa-nin her thanks. Once everything was said and done, the mother and daughter left the room, off to start their new life.

Seeing Niala about to leave, Daremo spoke, “Niala, you going to copy that report? Let me come with you. Seeing how I am in charge of you for today, you will be working alongside me.”, He spoke, following her out of the room, “The day just started. Are you ready for what’s to come?” Indeed the incident happened in the early morning, and like many who work here, the day was just beginning. Now it was time to see what Niala truly was made of when dealing the influx and chaos that surely happens.

---

Word Count: 822 | 6930
-4500[Double Ryo payout]
-2250[Training "Path of Pathogen: Faux Armor of the Diseased God" | S-Rank | 500 ryo]

4500 + 2250 = 6750
Discarding: 180