Bitter Gold Hearts

Disclaimers:

The title is really the property of Glen Cook.

All characters contained within this piece of writing belong to Ken Akamatsu, and this piece has been written purely for enjoyment. No gains financial or otherwise have been made through the publishing of this fanfic.


Author's Personal Note 2014:

Well, it has been a very busy year that took a bad turn. The last couple of months I have been dealing with the effects of having a major stroke. It was so bad that I lost my ability to walk, to shallow food and needed to be fed liquid food thru a tube that was installed into my stomach. I also had doubled vision for a while, so I could only use a computer if I kept one eye closed. Since then I have started to be able to eat food again and now I hope to start writing again.


Author's Story Note 2014:

The Japanese legal system is very messed up, once in the system it is usually very hard to get out. And yes, the police write your confession for you!


Prologue:

Motoko tries to prove Keitaro is a pervert. Mitsune's life continues down-hill. Mutsumi life continues up-hill.


Day 23 morning at the Hinata-Sou:

Around the breakfast table the remaining girls were filled in on what had happened earlier that day.

Su and Sarah assumed it would be like Motoko's stay in jail and that Naru would be back in a week or two.

Shinobu was confused of her feelings, she was sorry to see Naru (a person she looked up to as an older sister) being hauled off to jail, yet at the same time she felt relief that her beloved manager (whom she loved) would no longer be injured by her violent attacks. Shinobu was no fool, this was the time to try and get close to him without Naru's interference.

Kitsune interestingly was not concerned about Naru at the moment, her attention was elsewhere. The rent was paid up, but with Motoko being the one collecting it there would be no way to weasel out of paying it in the future, plus she was short on money to play the horses and buy to sake. The idea that she had enough money in the bank to pay the rent if she gave up her two favorite hobbies never crossed her mind.

Motoko after some thought decided it was for the best, "I want to prove he is a pervert to the elders, and having Naru clearly being willing to lie about him will throw doubts on any data that we collect together. Now I can get untainted proof of his actions, there can be no objections!", she mused. "I bet she will only be in jail for a week or two – not much more, so more than enough time for that baka to go back to his old habits.", she happily thought to herself.

Mutsumi held no grudge against Naru and was in-fact feeling concern about her going to jail. But like the other girls she saw this as a golden opportunity to get time with her Kei-kun.


Day 23 afternoon at the police station:

Naru looked at her parents thru the cell bars, it was obvious that they had dropped everything at home and had rushed to their daughter's defense.

"Darling, what happened, why are you here?", Naru's mother asked. Her father just stood sternly in the background.

"It's all that baka's fault.", Naru declared, already she had started to forget her feelings on seeing his injuries. "Just because he got injured a few times when I hit him when he deserved it they are claiming that I was abusing him.", she explained to the two worried parents.

"You hit him? Why would you hit him? And injury him too! What did he do wrong that you would do such a thing?", her mother pleaded in fear of her daughter's mental health.

"What is wrong with you, that is not how we raised you. Think of the family dishonor your arrest has caused us!", Naru's mother was almost having a heart-attack and hysterics at the thought of her neighborhoods' opinions if they ever found out about her daughter's arrest.

It was Naru's turn to be shocked! She had expected her parents to support her no questions asked.

"He was a pervert, he did all sorts of things around the girls at the dorm.", she tried to explain to her parents. But she could see she was not swaying them to her side of the story.

"We have seen the police reports of how you girls have acted at the dorm, and we are not happy.", her parents replied.

"In-fact we think it is just not the right environment for you and we will be taking you back home with us as soon as we have straighten things out with the police.", her mother stated firmly.

Shaking their heads in disappointment her parents turned around and left to go talk with the police in charge of the case to see how they could get their daughter released to them.

"But Mom, Dad, you got to believe me!", Naru cried out as they walked away.

"You got to believe me.", Naru muttered over and over to herself quietly in her cell after her parents had moved out of sight.

Meanwhile, her parents found to their surprise that it was very easy to get their daughter released once they mentioned they planned to take her back to their home and that they had no interest in contacting the media to publicly reveal what had happened between the landlord and their punch-happy offspring.


Day 23 late afternoon at the police station:

Lead detective Conan was in shock. For the first time in his life he wanted to disobey an order given by a superior, and this was not just any superior like the station captain seated in front of him … this was the chief of the entire city's police giving the order being relayed to him.

"Let her go! Why would we do that?", He exclaimed in surprise, even while getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"We got the right person, we got proof of the crimes, and give me 24 hours and I will have her signing the confession our department has written up.", he expounded.

The station chief looked back at one of his best detective in pity, "Politics.", is all he said.

"Politics! Politics is why you had me out there in the arresting this girl in the first place! Sir!", detective Conan was on the edge of exploding but the years of training as a Japanese and as a police officer held him under control.

"Politics.", the station chief repeated, "You were asked to arrest household abusers because of politics and now we are asked to let her go for the same reasons.", the chief explained.

"Why? Sir!", his training held him in respecting his boss in posture and tone, but still he had to ask.

"Because they expected us to arrest the usual suspects." "The drunk who beats his wife". "The mother who is too harsh with her children". "Those are the standards, they are found all over the world. Arrest someone like that and we prove Japan looks at domestic violence with as much distaste as all the other western countries.", started out his explanation and paused for effect.

Conan could feel his stomach sinking further; he already guessed what was coming next.

"But you end up arresting a teenage girl, a very cute looking one from the photos too.", the chief started back up as he looked at the mug-shots of the accused.

"Exactly the wrong image the higher ups want for Japan to be seen as. Imagine people getting the idea that young teenage girls in Japan regularly beat up the young men, and worse you have this as the second arrest from the same dorm.", the chief just shook his head before he continued his points.

"And this is a dorm full of girls with just one guy living there. Too many men in western nations this sounds like a dream situation, if word were to get out we know the press will run with the story. It will be on the front pages of newspapers around the world by the following day. For the honor of Japan such a story must never get out. Let the girl go and bury all the paperwork you have done on her.", the station chief finished.

With a short bow, and an acknowledging "Hi!", a stoned-faced detective Conan went off to follow his orders regardless of his feelings towards the matter at hand.


Day 23 night-time at the Hinata-Sou:

There was a quiet and timid knock at the front door, still it was heard and Shinobu once again was the person to answer it. There stood a very subdued looking Naru and behind her both of her parents.

"We here to collect all of our daughter's belongings.", Naru's mother said.

"We feel it is in her best interests to move her back home with us.", Naru's father further explained.

Stunned, all the girls of the dorm stood around in silence as Naru led her parents to her room upstairs, as soon as they were out of sight the words came bubbling up from the remaining girls.

"Can they do that?", "How do we stop them?", "This is just not right, we should fight them on this!", "What is going to happen to the rest of us?", the questions and comments flew between the girls as they waited for Naru's return from her room. In the meanwhile Keitaro joined the girls in the wild discussion.

In time Naru returned with her parents, there were clear signs that she had been crying. All were loaded down with suitcases and boxes, it was certain that she was leaving the dorm.

"When will you return?", Keitaro asked the leading question on every girls' mind.

"I don't ... I don't know", Naru replied, "It is all up to my parents if I can come back soon.", she admitted..

In the background the expression on her parents faces made it clear that it would be very unlikely that it would be any time soon.

As she hugged each girl one last time, she gave her good-byes and also told them that movers would be by soon for the packed stuff they would not be carrying off with them.

Next she found herself with the last person to say good-bye to; Keitaro.

Naru was confused in what to do or say, then she broke. Running past the manager without touching or looking at him she called out "Bye!", and followed with a whispered "I love you." that she was sure was not heard by anyone else since she still did not want to admit to even herself that she had said those words.

A confused Keitaro's eyes followed her and watched her run out the door, and yes he had heard what she whispered but was not sure he heard her right.