Chapter 10
Hayate Ishiyama handed over a thin folder containing documents and transcripts to the Superintendent of his department, an old man by the name of Hisashi. Hisashi had thinning black hair and a small moustache. Like all the high ranking officers he wore a charcoal grey suit. The two were meeting in the Superintendent's office.
"Detective, I thought I already told you about this. I'm not going to waste police resources helping your friends in a family dispute." Hisashi sighed.
"This time I have proof that Hinata Urashima is planning to take her granddaughter away by any means necessary." Ishiyama explained.
Hisashi reluctantly took the folder and examined the contents.
"All I see here is a protection order because of a family dispute. This is a far cry from a conspiracy to kidnap a minor. This is something for the Minors Bureau and family court." Hisashi scolded.
"We've already been to family court, that's where we got the protection order. Hinata Urashima didn't even bother showing up. She just sent a letter that said this whole thing was a waste of time and that a protection order meant nothing." Ishiyama exclaimed.
"When this old lady violates the protection order then we can talk but as of right now I'm ordering you to stay out of this matter. You're part of the Police Force; you shouldn't be abusing your authority in a small family squabble." Hisashi shouted.
"I never abused my authority." Ishiyama denied the claim.
Hisashi then tossed Ishiyama a letter. "That's a letter of complaint from Hinata Urashima and her lawyer. She alleges you used your authority as a police detective to coerce statements out of her that you then used to obtain a protection order. She doesn't have any proof but I'm warning you."
"This is complete nonsense. She's using it as a smoke screen to distract us from the real matter. She's trying to get me off the case." Ishiyama rationalized.
"There is no case and even if there was you wouldn't be on it because you're too close to the Urashima family." Hisashi retorted.
"Superintendent, please think about this for a minute. How does an old woman who ran a failing inn have the money to travel the world over? Doesn't that strike you as suspicious?" Ishiyama spoke up.
"Maybe she made some very good investments?" Hisashi wasn't having any of it.
"Or maybe it was something illegal." Ishiyama replied.
"This is just more speculation. If you keep up with this craziness then I will be forced to take action against you." Hisashi warned.
"We're the police; we're supposed to protect people who need it. This girl could have her whole future destroyed because of her grandmother's selfish decisions. You're a parent." Ishiyama made one last plea.
"Fine, I will indulge this theory but you won't have any part in it." Hisashi yielded. "You're too close and you have more important cases to be working on."
Just then there was a knock on the door. A young detective then walked into the office and delivered the Superintendent's coffee.
"Detective Makoto Doumoto…" Hisashi called out as the young man was leaving.
Makoto was a young man in his twenties with black medium-length hair tucked behind his ears and wearing thin framed glasses. He was typing into his cell phone when he stopped just outside the office.
"Yes sir." Makoto replied putting his cell phone away.
"Take this file; this will be your first solo case. I want you to assess whether Hinata Urashima presents a threat to Kanako Urashima." Hisashi explained.
Slightly confused about being given a case, Makoto took the folder containing the information and left.
"You gave him the case." Ishiyama muttered once Makoto was gone.
"What's wrong with that?" Hisashi asked.
"That kid just joined the department. He has minimal experience and no drive. All he does is sit at his desk filing paperwork and fiddling with his cell phone. You should assign another detective to it." Ishiyama answered.
"I'm not going to waste a detective who's busy on this. Now stay out of the matter or else." Hisashi cautioned as he pointed to the door.
XXXXX
Underneath the Hinata House in one of the many unused rooms, Su and Sarah gathered. The room Su 'found' had no lights and was only illuminated by a few candles.
"What are we doing here?" Sarah asked.
"I officially declare the 'Secret Brotherhood Sect for the Capture of Turtles' meeting to commence." Su declared.
"You were serious about this whole thing." Sarah sighed.
"In order to capture the beast, we have to think like it. We have to get inside its mind." Su shouted.
"It's just a turtle. It shouldn't be that hard." Sarah laughed.
"This isn't a normal turtle this is a monster. Even Motoko is scared of it. This fiendish demon is able to fly, capable of reaching a top speed of 60kph, he can also write, practice mathematics, is skilled in self defense and can communicate with humans." Su warned.
"When you say it like that then I can't help but be interested." Sarah cheered.
"Our advisory is crafty. Normal capture techniques won't work. I dare say it is as smart as us." Su sighed.
"The word is adversary not advisory and I think you are giving that turtle a bit too much credit." Sarah chuckled.
"Do you remember that Placement exam in Japanese Proficiency?" Su questioned.
"I remember failing it." Sarah mumbled.
"I'm pretty sure if I gave the same test to the turtle he would beat you." Su nodded.
"That's complete rubbish. There's no way a turtle would score higher than me." Sarah refused.
"You scored one of the lowest possible scores." Su reminded.
"You were the one who tutored me for that test!" Sarah screamed.
"I taught you everything I knew." Su boasted.
"You knew nothing; you told me the capital of Japan was Mexico. I wrote that in the exam!" Sarah retorted.
"It isn't?" Su asked.
"It's Tokyo! Tokyo! You know the university that Naru and dork are trying to get into." Sarah answered.
"Oh that's just one mistake, everything else was spot on." Su gloated.
"Nothing you thought me was right. The kanji you thought me wasn't even Japanese. The teacher couldn't even identify it." Sarah yelled.
"We're getting off topic. We came here for a meeting not to dwell on the past." Su laughed.
"You're the one who's off." Sarah mumbled.
"One day soon, one day soon I will defeat the tyrant beast and feast upon its flesh in victory!" Su began laughing evilly.
"This is all so you can have Turtle soup isn't it." Sarah sighed.
XXXXX
Hina sat having lunch in small café with her lawyer, Shinji Aoba. He was a man in his late forties. He was balding but still slicked back what remained of his hair with oil. He wore a blue suit with a white tie. He was an ambulance chaser; not exactly an attorney to write home about but when it came underhanded tactics he was the best.
"Here, this is the protection order the judge granted against you." Shinji handed Hina the papers.
"That judge must be senile to think I'm a danger to Kanako." Hina scoffed.
"If you listened to me and attended the hearing things might have turned out differently." Shinji reprimanded.
"Don't go telling me what to do. I'm the one who's paying you." Hina reminded.
"Fine, whatever. I appealed the protection order but I doubt it will end in our favor." Shinji sighed.
"I'm paying you for results. You are the best at what you do. Do something to make this go away. I want my granddaughter with me." Hina demanded.
"Listen Hinata, I'm overly intrusive in instigating or encouraging prosecution of groundless litigation or bringing repeated acts of litigation for the purposes of profit or harassment but that cost extra." Shinji revealed.
"I have the money to pay whatever it takes. Have you taken care of that problem detective?" Hina questioned.
"Please don't phrase it like that." Shinji muttered. "But yes, I sent the complaint to the department. It's completely baseless but I'm currently working on finding people who he has arrested. Once I find them I'll get them to file similar complaints."
"I feel bad about doing this but Hayate brought this on himself. He should not be messing in private family affairs. He needs to be thought a lesson." Hina replied.
"My sources in the department tell me that the superintendent laid into Ishiyama for his persistence in this matter. Right now this is still a civil matter so the police aren't going to get fully involved, let's keep it that way. Don't do anything stupid Hinata." Shinji warned.
"What do you mean by fully? Why is the police bothering with me trying to take care of my granddaughter?" Hinata questioned.
"I'm not sure as to the reasoning but the superintendent did assign a young detective to your case just to report in on the family and make sure you don't violate the order. You will be arrested if you violate the order." Shinji explained.
"I'm not afraid of a stupid piece of paper. I'm her grandmother and I should be allowed to see her. I'm not going to listen to some senile judge." Hina remained defiant.
"Listen to me you old bag of bones, if you get arrested they will look into your life. I can't be the only one who finds it suspicious that an old woman who ran a failing inn has your kind of money. Frankly I don't care how illegal your funds are but if you get arrested and they freeze your assets I'm not going to get paid." Shinji tore into her.
"You better watch your mouth you brat. I've been running the block since you crawling in your diapers. I know how to handle myself. You just do your job and bury Hayate in complaints and destroy his reputation once that happens the court will have no choice but to throw out the recording." Hina retorted.
"Just remember, this plan of mine is going to cost you some big bucks." Shinji glared.
"Don't worry about it. I have the funds." Hina replied as she slid a brown envelope across the table.
XXXXXX
Kitsune sat nervously as she waited in the editor's office of a small Tokyo newspaper. The editor was currently going over her curriculum vitae. She was anxious because of the details were not one hundred percent true.
"I'm impressed; you're a sake tasting expert." The editor noted as he read.
"I don't really drink a lot but when it comes to fragrance, impact, sweetness or dryness, acidity, presence, earthiness, tail and profiles I'm your girl." Kitsune smiled.
"With this kind of CV I think you qualify to be interviewed." The editor nodded.
"Thank you, ask me anything." Kitsune agreed.
"What is your greatest strength?" The editor inquired.
Kitsune paused as she thought about saying scamming and lying but decided to reword. "My greatest strength is the ability to do anything necessary to accomplish a goal."
"How would you describe yourself?"
Kitsune knew she was a lazy drunk who loved to party with almost no morals, this time she would need stretch the truth even more. "I'm a people person. I really enjoy meeting and working with a lot of different people. I'm the kind of person who doesn't judge."
"Describe your work style." The editor was really interested now.
Kitsune's work style was almost nonexistent and consisted of getting others to do it for her. "I'm efficient and a brilliant leader who's skilled at delegating duties."
"Normally I would continue the interview but with the answers you've already given me and this Resume I don't think that would be necessary." The editor chuckled.
"So does this mean I get the job?" Kitsune asked excited.
"It'll come down to this one last question." The editor replied. "You haven't worked for a long time, why is that?"
"Well you see I was working quite happily as a freelance writer for a long time. It worked for me. Things were going well until the market hit a few bumps and papers decided to would be more feasible to use internally produced work." Kitsune replied. "My landlord is really cracking down on rent now so I decided to get back to working."
"I can understand, we also had to cut off all our freelance writers. With the way things are now people don't read newspapers anymore. They prefer reading online." The editor sighed.
Kitsune just nodded unsure of how to reply to that.
"Well Mistune Konno, welcome to the staff. Someone with your skill level and experience should be able to help us gain back some off lost readership. Normally I would give newbie's grunt work but we can't waste talent like yours. I want you to out there reporting." The editor declared.
"Thank you so much!" Kitsune smiled as she shook his hand. The fox began thinking that she may have over sold herself. She was hoping and praying she could live up to the image she created.
XXXXX
Mutsumi sliced away blissfully unaware she was being watched. The anemic girl cut the watermelon before her into tiny bits and pieces with no effort.
"That was terrifying." Haruka mumbled.
"Oh Haruka, what are you doing here?" Mutsumi asked.
"Eh, Mutsumi, you're in the kitchen of my tea shop. I should be asking you that." Haruka responded.
"Oh my, you're right. I'm sorry." Mutsumi apologized as she looked around. "I was coming by to visit you when I got hungry and decided to prepare some watermelon."
"It figures. When it comes to watermelon you tend to lose focus." Haruka sighed.
"I am a bit of a ditz." Mutsumi smiled. "Have some watermelon."
The girl from Okinawan held out a tray of cubed watermelon.
"Thanks." Haruka tasted the small piece of fruit. "What did you want to see me about?"
"I did really well on the entrance exam this time and I think I passed." Mutsumi exclaimed.
"That's great news. I know you really studied hard. You would have gotten in a long time ago if you weren't so sickly." Haruka replied.
"I know. This time I have to thank you for everything you did." Mutsumi bowed.
"I didn't really do anything." Haruka blushed.
"When my apartment was damaged you gave me a place to stay. You also made sure I watched my health. You did a lot for me." Mutsumi cried out.
"You don't have to thank me so much. You could call it repaying a favor." Haruka smiled.
"I don't understand." Mutsumi tilted her head.
"My brother, I mean uncle Keita told me all about it since I was too young to remember. Your family used to work at the inn, you know that." Haruka responded.
"I vaguely remember it, yes." Mutsumi nodded.
"My mother, Granny Hina, never raised us. She was always too busy with this and that. It was a member of the Otohime family that really raised us. I think she's your aunt if I'm not mistaken. Rin Otohime was the woman who really took care of us. I guess you could say taking care of you was my way of repaying that." Haruka explained.
"Rin baa-chan always used to talk about how she took care of a child who was an absolute terror." Mutsumi laughed.
"That terror would my real mother. My real mother was Hina's daughter. She was born twelve years before Keita. When my mother was eighteen she had me and died in a car accident with my father when I was a few months old. Granny Hina adopted me and that's why Keita and I grew up as siblings." Haruka clarified.
"Oh, I always wondered about that. I'm sorry for saying that about your mum." Mutsumi apologized.
"You don't have to apologize. I know from the stories that my mother was an absolute rebel who fought against Hina on every simple thing." Haruka chuckled. "I guess in an effort not to become like my real mother I became completely obedient to Hina."
"I'm sorry. Because of me you had to bring up your past and now you're feeling bad." Mutsumi apologized again.
"Stop apologizing already." Haruka laughed. "We all have to face our past or we can't move onto our future."
"You're right about that. I should face my past and tell Keitaro the truth." Mutsumi declared.
"What are you talking about?" Haruka asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking I should tell Keitaro the truth about his Tokyo U promise." Mutsumi answered.
XXXXX
The Urashima family gathered in their living room for tea. Kanako and Keita were sipping the steaming hot beverage while Akane examined the protection order for the hundredth time.
"You've read that thing enough times to recite it by heart. I think you should put it down." Keita suggested.
"You're right. I'm sorry for obsessing but I just want to make sure nothing goes wrong." Akane sighed.
"Don't worry mum. I'm safe now. Granny can't take me away now." Kanako smiled.
"This is the first time I've seen you smile since this whole thing started." Akane noted.
Kanako nodded and smiled again. "It's just that when this whole thing started I wasn't really sure what was right. Then when I talked to my friends and found out how sad they would be if I left I was happy. One of them even confessed to me. I'm glad you stood up for me and gave me a chance to finish high school on my terms."
"This person who confessed to you. I need to…" Keita declared but was stopped by Akane.
"Leave her alone, she's in high school. We got together in high school remember." Akane reminded.
"Don't worry dad, I told her that she was just being irrationally worried." Kanako reassured.
"It was a 'her', times have changed." Akane mumbled.
"I'm glad you're happy but be careful. My mother doesn't exactly take the law seriously." Keita warned.
"What do you mean?" Kanako asked.
"It's nothing but just watch out." Keita replied.
"Don't worry Kanako. Your granny will eventually come around." Akane said hopingly because she knew Kanako still loved Hina.
"I hope too. I really wanted granny to be at my graduation." Kanako revealed.
Before they could continue there was a knock at the door. Keita got up and went downstairs to answer the door. After awhile he returned with a young man.
"Hello, I'm Detective Makoto Doumoto." The young man greeted.
"Makoto Doumoto, Ishiyama told us about you. It's nice to meet you." Akane greeted.
"Hello." Kanako said meekly, she was too used to dealing with her 'uncle' Ishiyama.
"Have a seat please." Keita offered.
"Thank you." Makoto said as he sat down.
"So what brings you by?" Akane asked.
"Detective Ishiyama kept pushing the superintendent and insisting that Hinata Urashima was a threat to Kanako. The superintendent passed it on to me to assess that since I was the only detective without a case." Makoto explained.
"We've already explained all this to Ishiyama." Akane said.
"You won't be dealing with him anymore and I suggest you don't contact him regarding this anymore. Detective Ishiyama got in a lot of trouble for being too close to you in this matter. There was a complaint that he is using the police to push a personal agenda." Makoto revealed.
"I hope he doesn't get in too much trouble because of us. We shouldn't have called him." Keita fretted.
"It'll be alright. We'll make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble." Akane reassured.
"You currently have a protection order; do you know how it works?" Makoto asked.
"Yes, I've read everything there is to read about this." Akane answered.
"Here's my number. If Hinata Urashima breaks this order, call me." Makoto handed Keita a small business card.
"Thank you, but should we do anything like keep her here till you get here?" Keita asked.
"I advise against it. Even if she breaks the order you have no legal recourse to hold her. If you do it may work against you." Makoto warned.
"That's good to know." Akane nodded.
"Before I go I have one question. Do you know of any illegal activities that Hinata Urashima is currently or has ever been involved in?" Makoto questioned.
Keita looked away from the detective. "Nothing that I know off."
"Okay, I guess that's it. I'll go talk to Hinata Urashima now." Makoto said getting up.
"Why are you going to talk her? She's the perpetrator her. She'll twist the truth and lie." Akane warned.
"When you apllied for the protection order having a cop helped you out. The judge overlooked Ishiyama's bias in the matter and granted the order on his recommendation. That bias got Ishiyama in trouble. I need to at least question Hinata to be unbiased. Over the years there have been allegations of abuse and use for tactical advantage when it comes to protection orders so I need to cover all my bases." Makoto explained before leaving.
XXXXXX
Motoko stretched her muscles as she practiced her bokken swing in the school gym. She was the last member of the team who remained from the after school practice. Her small fan club of Miko and Tae cheered her on from the side lines.
When Motoko was done with the exercise Miko and Tae ran up to her carrying a towel and a bottle of iced water. Motoko emptied the contents of the bottle over her head to cool herself down before drying off with the towel as the two younger girls gossiped.
"Did you hear that creep Fried tried asking out Mira?" Tae whispered.
"Really, I hope she put him down in his place. Mira is too good for that pervert." Miko snickered.
"How do you know he is a pervert?" Motoko asked.
Tae and Miko looked at each other confused before looking back at Motoko.
"He's a guy, he has to be perverted." Tae replied.
"You're always telling us that men are no good and only think about using women." Miko added.
"Do I really?" Motoko questioned.
"Yeah, you were saying it ever since I started coming to this high school. You opened my eyes to the truth." Tae exclaimed.
"If it wasn't for you we wouldn't have known how evil and perverted men are. We would have become one of their victims." Miko inserted.
"I really was a bully." Motoko mumbled.
"You weren't a bully. You were our savior." Miko refused.
"No, I forced my own ideals on others without thinking about how they felt about it." Motoko reiterated.
"No way, you showed us the light. We accepted the truth and we became your voice." Tae shouted.
Motoko sighed as she realized she created a cycle of regret. She had turned the girls into man haters and the girls in turn spurred on her crazed, sexist paranoia.
"Have you ever given thought to the idea that I may have been wrong?" Motoko questioned.
"No way, we've never doubted you or your beliefs." Miko yelled.
"Well, the truth is I think I was wrong. There are men out there that are evil and perverted but I don't think that all men are. There are some men that aren't." Motoko replied.
"This can't be. They've somehow gotten to you and tricked you." Tae cried.
"Don't worry senpai; we will stay by your side during your time of crisis." Miko declared.
Motoko shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, she knew it would take time to undo everything that had been done but she wouldn't give up.
XXXXX
Makoto knocked on the door of the hotel room that he had been told Hina was staying at. The old woman opened the door and invited the detective into her very modest hotel room. The room was very simple with a just bed, coffee table, TV and a bathroom.
"Should we wait for your lawyer?" Makoto questioned.
"I'm just an innocent old lady. I don't need a lawyer for a simply questioning." Hina replied.
"I was expecting something a bit more lavish." Makoto commented.
"I'm an old woman and I don't have much money." Hina chuckled.
"That's not something I would expect from something who just returned from touring the world." Makoto noted.
"I thought my time on this world was up and that's why I spent my life's savings." Hina answered.
"So is that why you came back to take your granddaughter." Makoto questioned.
"Exactly, I'm an old lady with very little time left. I just wanted to spend time with my favorite granddaughter and spoil her while I still have the energy. I wanted to impart on her my lifetime worth of knowledge." Hina sobbed.
"That's not what your son and daughter-in-law think." Makoto mentioned.
"This is all the work of Akane. I never liked her for my son. My son could have been so much more than a baker. If he only married someone better. Akane has always hated me. She turned my son and granddaughter against me." Hina cried.
"If that's the case then I'm wondering how Akane Urashima managed to convince Detective Ishiyama to side with her." Makoto questioned.
"It's simply really. Keita, Hayate and Akane were all childhood friends and grew up together. When they were younger, Hayate had a puppy dog crush on Akane. At one stage Hayate and Keita came to blows over it." Hina explained.
"I see." Makoto nodded.
"I don't know why the police are wasting their precious time with this. This is just a case of a malicious daughter-in-law trying to hurt her mother-in-law." Hina explained.
"Akane Urashima is coming across as a mother protecting her daughter from a selfish grandmother, according to the recording Detective Ishiyama made." Makoto retorted.
"My lawyer explained that to the court, that recording was not the full extent of the conversation. Hayate tricked me into saying those things." Hina declared.
"You're alleging that a veteran detective manipulated an old woman into making self damning statements. At the moment I'm on the fence about this matter." Makoto revealed.
"On the fence?" Hina questioned.
"The police have a very important duty to protect the people. It would be a shame to waste time on a matter that doesn't warrant it. As it stands I'm here in the middle of a family dispute because a senior detective was pushing it." Makoto confessed.
"You have to believe me. I'm just an old lady who wants to spoil her granddaughter. I love Kanako. She's the light of my life. This is all because Akane hates me." Hina sobbed.
"I don't have to believe anything you say." Makoto scoffed.
"What?" Hina exclaimed stunned.
"You rented one of the cheapest rooms in the hotel yet you have that." Makoto pointed to a bottle of bourbon on the coffee table. "That drink costs five times as much as this room."
Hina cursed the detective's knowledge of alcohol as she tried to think of something. "That was a gift from my lawyer."
"Shinji Aoba is too cheap to give a gift that expensive. Why do you keep lying to me?" Makoto countered.
"I'm the victim here." Hina emphasized. "Akane and Hayate have banded together to keep me from my granddaughter and turned my son against me. They are attacking me with an unjust protection order."
"Do you expect me to believe that?" Makoto gave the old woman a disbelieving look.
"If you don't believe me then ask my grandson Keitaro. He knows firsthand how evil Akane is and how she hates me." Hina declared.
XXXXX
AN: I know is been a while but writer has gotten a lot tougher with less free time. I know this chapter deviated away from Keitaro but I wanted to give some of the other characters a chance.
Next chapter Keitaro is back and Onizuka visits again expecting his apologizes.