The good doctor stood in the main room of his labyrinthian facility. His own little section of dead end the tunnels under Otogakure that he had claimed as his own and expanded upon over the years. As comfortable as they were in this space, it was a strange environment for one unfamiliar with the sciences. Strange devices and concoctions riddled the cold unadorned space, all of it illuminated only as much light was absolutely necessary. The smell of bleach mingled with various chemical and herbal aromas that seemed to fill the environment, likely stemming from some of the bubbling liquids that were constantly churning in various locations throughout the space. This was certainly not the place for the faint of heart, let alone a child. But at least the doctor had the sense to clean up the blood from his latest experiment before seeing his patient.
The sound of a bell ringing echoed through the tunnels, signaling that it was time to meet their newest patient. The shinobi took in a deep breath as he surveyed the space he prepared for this meeting, making sure everything was just so. This was an important client to be sure, one that he couldn't risk having anything go awry with. Once he was confident, he would start his trek down the winding pathways leading toward the entrance. The space as much of a maze as the rest of the tunnels that made up the Otogakure network, filled with various side rooms and dangerous traps to ward off any intruders. There were far too many shinobi that would greedily hunt down his secrets if they weren't protected, some of which called this very village their home. But the ones he was to meet today were most certainly not of that sort.
The instructions given to the Hyuugas were simple. Bring the child, ring the bell and leave. As much trust as he was willing to put into the family as a whole and this daughter of theirs, he wasn't about to let any shinobi into his home while he worked. Even if that work involved their own child. It would take a few minutes for Kobashigawa to reach the door, leaving the individual on the other side with little more to do than wait for their arrival. Or ring the bell, assuming they could reach the rope that hung by the door. But eventually, the door would open to reveal the towering figure of the good doctor.
Lips curled into a gentle smile as a clawed hand reached up to brush his hair back, the small bells affixed to his locks jingling slightly at the movement. "There you are, my dear girl. You must be my newest patient." Long legs bent as he crouched down to be closer to the child's eye level, the bells ringing once more as their head tilted to one side. "Suzuran Hyuuga, yes? I am Kobashigawa Hirabayashi. It is very nice to meet you."
✉ tag -- ( Suzuran Hyuuga ) ※ the doctor is excited to begin
There was really nothing inviting about the place. Nothing at all.[break][break]
Suzu, a little girl of no more than six or seven years old, held the hand of one of the Hyuuga clan servants. They had been instructed to take the girl to see a certain doctor, a family doctor of some sorts. The tone in her father's voice as he instructed the servant to take her to see him wasn't the most pleasant, and perhaps for all the right reasons. Nobody knew just what was the relationship or interactions like between the between the elders of the clan and this Kobashigawa, and no one dared to ask. They only followed the orders given to them by the leader, and so here they were, at the entrance of his so-called 'clinic', waiting for the man to shoe his face. "Why are we here, Maki?" Suzu questioned, tugging at the shirt sleeve of the young man who she called Maki. [break][break]
"My lady..." His blue eyes looked into her red and orange hues, the look the young girl gave him made his voice trail. "Suzu..." It was imperative that the servants always respected their masters and so calling the girl by her nickname was frowned upon. He whispered it like an oath, barely audible. She gave him a bright smile, nodding her head in approval. Suzu hated to be called Lady, the servants of her family way too serious and strict. "We are here to see a doctor. You haven't been well lately." It was true, the young Hyuuga had an assortment of ailments lately, starting from her activation of the byakugan to triggering the heart condition that she had since she was born. She didn't like to be doted on, which seemed to be the case for as long as she could remember. Her father and mother were especially worried about her heart, since she often enjoyed going out on adventures and running around, triggering attacks frequently. [break][break]
"Can he fix me...?" It was such a weird question to ask but it was the most honest one. She didn't enjoy people always having to take are of her, feeling like a burden on people. She placed a hand gently over her chest, feeling the beating of her own heart against her chest. She also hated the pain and agony that came with each attack, how it crippled her enough to restrict her movements, gasping for air while her airways constricted. Her chest would feel like it was ready to explode, as though someone ripped her heart open and was squeezing it in their hands with as much force as they could. She was always left fainting from the pain and she longed to be like the other children in the village. "We shall see about that, Suzu." [break][break]
At that moment the door to the entrance would open, a tall man stepping into view. The bells on his hair jingled as he knelt to greet her. Something about him made her scared, but she wasn't going to let the man see through her fears. Gripping Maki's shirt a little harder, she attempted to make eye contact with the man. "N-nice to meet you too...Koba-san?" She could never remember people's names and resorted to giving them nicknames. The girl would just stare at the man though, unsure of what to do. He looked kind of intimidating no doubt, and the place itself seemed daunting. Was Maki just going to leave her here to fend for herself? Could she trust the man? All this ran through her head as she silently waited for the man to speak.
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[attr="class","curragebot"]I'm excited to see what happens!
