New Year, New Detectives
Ellen intently stared ahead, taking notes of every single thing that her professor was writing down. Though his voice was slow and monotonous, inducing many others in the class to dose off or not pay attention, she was far more interested in furthering her education, especially since she had been lucky enough to be accepted to such a school, despite her troubled past. Every word the man said, she would write down, even if it didn't sound important – she had learned to do that the hard way, since during her first exam, what she had thought to be worthless information was actually featured on the test, forcing her to guess on a few questions, netting her only a B+. While her sister might have been fine with that score, there was no way she would settle for that, so she kept working, trying to improve herself.
A few minutes later, the lecture was finally winding down, and the teacher was assigning homework as the bell rang. Several students loudly began to pack up, prompting the professor to speak a bit louder. Ellen always found that to be very annoying – why couldn't they just wait for him to wrap up and then pack up and leave? The way they were doing it now was just very rude, and Ellen never thought highly of anyone who did that. She finally finished writing down the remaining notes on the board, and then pulled out her agenda, quickly writing down the assignment questions and page, and finally, once the professor was done talking, she began to pack up her bags.
If there was one thing she admitted to, it was that sitting in a chair for hours on end really wasn't her ideal way to spend a day. Still, she knew it was for a better future for herself, and since she was now in high school, she couldn't complain. Letting out a soft yawn, she made sure to grab the books she needed to work on for the night – geometry, English, Japanese, and even some Biology notes… She was going to have to spend all night working on this, and she didn't really look forward to that, since it would definitely cute into time she would rather spend with a special someone.
She removed her glasses, putting them in a case she had in her pocket, and quickly made sure to get the few strands of her long purple hair over her shoulders, and made her way out of the room, ignoring the several eyes of boys checking her out. She never made eye contact with them, and always ignored them, but still, they seemed rather adamant in looking at her. She still remembered way back during the spring semester, when she loudly proclaimed to them all that she wasn't interested in them, they still insisted on hounding her. Of course, they never touched her or anything, just leered with their eyes, but it was enough to make her detest them all the same.
She exited the classroom, and walked down the brightly lit hallway, windows illuminating the nice and bright day. Letting out a sigh, the fifteen year old went over to the window and looked out, a bright smile on her face as she imagined seeing Viola soon.
Her fourteen year old sister was a first year high school student as well, though she was a bit young to be one. That could be explained away however that Viola never attended kindergarten – her father had put her in the first grade right away, meaning that she would always be a year younger than her peers. Ellen hadn't even realized for a while that she was actually eight months older than Viola, but in the end, it didn't change anything. It didn't matter too much, since Viola was usually quick to catch up, and she did grow to be a pretty tall girl, so she fit in without an issue.
Shaking herself out of the weird tangent her mind took, Ellen quickly walked down the hall, knowing that Viola was probably waiting for her outside already. Though they went to completely different schools, the two districts were surprisingly close, and if Viola really booked it once her school ended, she could make it in just under ten minutes. Ellen had consistently told the girl not to worry about it, but Viola wouldn't have any of it, and Ellen just eventually allowed the girl to do what she wanted, since it seemed to make Viola happy.
Ellen made sure her shoes were on properly, and finally exited the front door of the school, walking at a brisk pace to the opened gates, where she hoped Viola was waiting for her. She tried not to look too excited, but she knew she was failing like she always did, since she always received a few odd glances from the student body. She ignored it though, and finally made it to the gates and looked around expectantly, and saw… No one. Her heart sank – Viola hadn't arrived quite yet. Well… The other girl couldn't always make it, since she had obligations too, but she had been so excited to see her today… Adjusting her backpack, she let out a soft sigh, and looked over to the bus.
"W – Wait!" A voice cut through her mind, and a smile began to immediately form on her face. She turned back around, looking down the long path leading towards her school, and she caught a glimpse of what she had been hoping to see before. Though sweat was beading down her red face, she still looked as beautiful as ever, and Ellen quickly took the remaining few steps over to her and hugged her – the most affection either of them showed one another when out in public.
"You're a bit later than usual, what's up?" Ellen asked as she parted from Viola, and she looked the girl up and down. Over the years, Viola had grown to be very beautiful, or at least, Ellen thought so. Over the course of three years, Viola must have grown nearly a foot taller, and as Ellen wanted, she grew her hair out, allowing it to reach down to her back very similar to how Ellen had it. Viola had taken a different approach to academics now, and used her added height to great effect in her school's sports program – trying out for the girls' basketball team. Fortunately for Viola, her school didn't require a uniform, and she simply wore a T-shirt and jeans, clothes that were just tastelessly casual in Ellen's eyes.
Viola let out a shuddered breath, "Sorry, I was talking to Amy about how we both were accepted into the basketball program, and we kind of lost track of time." Viola gave a soft laugh, scratching her nose sheepishly, "I had to run back to my classroom so I could pick up the books I needed, and then I had to rush out here as quickly as possible before you got on the bus."
Ellen let out a soft sigh, "Honestly Viola, you know you don't have to come here every day." She loved it when Viola came, she wasn't going to lie, but she wasn't able to say it aloud if it would be more beneficial for the girl to simply go home on the bus at her own school.
"No, it's fine." Viola waved off, "It's good exercise coming here, plus I don't get to see you much due to practice three days a week, so I want to make the most of the few days where I can see you more often."
Ellen smiled, "I like to see you too," She simply settled on, "Though I have a lot of homework tonight, so I don't know if we can really do much together." She motioned for Viola to follow her onto the bus, where they both got a seat near the back. Though Viola didn't go to their school, Ellen had explained to the driver that Viola was her sister – provided proof of it as well – and Viola was allowed to ride with her.
"I have some English homework and algebra homework tonight, so maybe we can help each other out?" Viola suggested, leaning her head forward against the seat, her hair getting in her face, "You know, since I've been getting into basketball, my hair has really been getting in the way…"
Ellen frowned, "Are you going to cut it?" She loved her hair long, and she really didn't want to see it go away.
"Well, you know, if you're gonna make faces like that…" Viola mumbled, grinning at how Ellen's face suddenly flushed red, "Hah, no, I'm not going to cut it, don't worry! Though I think I am going to tie it back into a ponytail during games now. I think that'd look good on me, what do you think?"
Ellen paused, considering it, and gave a short nod, "Yeah, I think it would look good on you." She found herself smiling again, "And to answer your earlier question, I can help you with your homework if you want."
"Hey, hey," Viola chuckled, "I said we could help each other, I didn't ask for you to help me."
Ellen put on a hurt face, trying not to smile all the time, "You don't want my help then?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know when you're pretending, you know." Viola giggled at Ellen as she began to pout, "Hey, come on, I mean, yeah, I know it will probably be you helping me more than me helping you, but I uh, don't really like hearing it aloud."
Ellen sighed, "Whenever you can't help someone, you always get so mopey." She grinned at the annoyed look that flashed across Viola's face, "Oh come on, you know it's true. You've been like that ever since you were a little girl!"
"I just like helping people is all," Viola shrugged, "Nothing wrong with that."
"Yeah, and I don't know how receptive many people would be when a giant girl comes over insisting on helping them. They'd probably think you're trying to steal their lunch money."
"Hey now!" Viola exclaimed, "I'm not that tall, daddy's still taller than me-"
"Weird criteria you've got there – you're not taller than your dad." Ellen rolled her eyes, though Viola could tell the girl didn't mean it in a depreciative way.
"As I was saying," Viola coughed into her hand, "I may be one of the taller girl's in school-" She pressed her finger against Ellen's lips before she could say another snarky reply, "But I didn't ask for it to be like this! My body just decided 'you know what? Let's make her really tall!'." She let out a sigh, "Seriously body, couldn't you have distributed the growth to other places?"
"If it makes you feel better, I like your chest being flat." Ellen quipped in, much to Viola's annoyance.
"Hey, I'm not completely flat, and it's better than you." Viola pointed an accusing finger at Ellen. To contrast how tall Viola was, Ellen was a relatively short girl. She definitely wasn't the smallest girl, but she was perhaps a bit below average. To compensate though, the "puberty fairy" as Viola jokingly put it, decided to give her a rather long visit. To put it lightly, there was a reason that the boys were checking her out back in the classroom. To make matter worse, for the first month of school, she had to wear a school uniform a size too small, since they didn't have one in her size initially, so the boys got quite a good look back then.
"Th – Th – that's because you rubbed them so much! If you hadn't have done that…" She felt her face burning up, so she finally closed her mouth and settled on, "Oh… Fine. But that doesn't change the fact that you're a giant."
"And it doesn't change the fact that your boobs are as big as your head." Viola whispered quietly, causing Ellen to blush.
"T – They're not that big!" Ellen quickly stated, her cheeks still bright red. Realizing that if she continued down this path with Viola, she would just become more embarrassed, she changed the subject, "Well… Anyway, we ought to finish our homework once we get home, and then we can decide what to do from there."
Viola nodded, realizing that Ellen had conceded by changing the subject, "Yeah, let's try to get it done as soon as possible!"
Ellen nodded, knowing exactly what would come after they were done with their homework. Since Viola had been busy at practice for the past two days due to try outs, she had been missing her for quite a while. She really hoped that Viola was prepared for what she had planned…
XxXxXxX
Mike was apprehensive as he pulled into his driveway, knowing both of his girls were home now. He could still vividly remember one time when he had opened the front door, and walked into the living room to see both of his daughters doing… Oh geez, he really wished he had some brain bleach, ANYTHING to get the images out of his head. The only solace he had about the situation was that they hadn't wanted him to see them doing that either, so they never did it in there ever again…
…Or so he hoped. Still, that happening a year ago made him create a habit of knocking loudly on the front door to let the girls know he was home, so they had better finish up whatever they were doing before he saw anything. Satisfied that he stood outside of his own house long enough, he finally opened the door up, and stepped inside, letting out a pleasant sigh due to how cool it was in the house due to the air conditioning. While he didn't like to have it running all the time, Viola and Ellen both seemed to not care what he thought about that at all, and had it running almost constantly on any warm day.
"Viola? Ellen? Are you there?" He called out, taking his shoes off in the foyer as he stepped into the building. He stepped into the living room, satisfied to see that it wasn't inhabited by two nearly naked young girls. Just how it should be.
"We're here, daddy." Viola called out from the kitchen, so he made his way over there to check out what they were doing. Upon entering he saw both girls were busy at work with school assignments, though Viola looked worse for wear, her head in her hands as she moaned quietly to herself on what must have been a particularly difficult math problem.
"You're still working on homework?" He asked in surprise, "I figured you two would be done by now."
Ellen spared him a glance, looking up from her school work, and adjusting her glasses. He could recall when she used to complain about how hard small text was to read, and it finally clicked in his head that she was far-sighted. While she didn't need glasses for most activities, she did need them for reading or doing homework, and he stilled remembered when she complained about feeling like an old lady. Viola as he recalled had said 'you look good when them on!', and that had been the end of that complaint. "Both of our teachers gave us a lot of work today."
"They're sadistic." Viola grumbled, "That's all there is to it. If I didn't have a team I had to practice with so many times a week or play the piano covering most of the days I don't practice, and if Ellen didn't go to smarty-Mcsmart school, we'd have a lot more time to do other things."
"Just make sure you do well on it," Mike comfortingly told his daughter, eyeing the tea on the stove that the girls must have prepared for themselves as they studied and did homework. "It's good for your future," He repeated stock phrases he knew they had heard all their lives, and he walked over to the stove, deciding to pour himself a cup of tea as well.
"We just did exams like a month ago," Ellen grumbled, giving in to one of the few rare times when she complained about school work, "You think they'd let up." Letting out an agitated sigh, she expanded upon it, saying, "Sometimes I feel like I just get heaps of homework because the school feels like it has a reputation to upkeep! Not because it's beneficial." She shoved aside her English book, and nearly slammed her head into the table, "Can we do something else for a little while? I got all my Japanese and Geometry homework done, I just need a break…"
He chuckled at the hopeful expression on Viola's face as she looked at Ellen, though his chuckle died out when he quickly realized what the girl may have been thinking… A year ago, he might not have believed his daughter was so dirty minded, but now… What happened to his innocent and pure little girl from three years ago? Well, ok… Maybe he was just looking at the past with nostalgia glasses, but still, it disturbed him to think of his daughter doing… things… with anyone, even if it was with Ellen.
Though to be honest, if it had to be anyone, he would rather it be with Ellen than some boy she met up in high school. He could clearly remember his years in High School, and he knew that some boys would think of both of his daughters as a prize to win – both of his girls were growing into beauties in their own way, and he was kind of thankful that no one would be able to get their grubby little hands on either of them.
He shook the thoughts away, and thoughtfully looked upward, "Did either of you get the mail?"
"No," Ellen replied, taking her glasses off and setting them down on her English book, "Do you want me to go get it?"
"No, I'll get the mail, why don't you and Viola go have an hour break? It'll clear your mind to do that," He replied, not having to even look at the girls to know that they were both very happy to be away from their assignments for a while. He took another sip of the tea he poured himself, and looked at the girl's homework as they left the room, noting that they were doing alright. Finally he set down his cup, and went outside to get the mail.
While outside, he looked through the letters, and he paused on a very specific one from the Child Protection Services. His eyes widened a bit, and he was suddenly very glad he told the girls to go do something else for a while, since it meant he would be able to read the letter in peace. Whenever he got a letter from the CPS, he would always read it before Ellen even knew it existed, and then give her the letter as well. Almost always it was a disappointing update, claiming that the case was still being investigated, even all these years later. He was beginning to lose hope for any sort of trial happening, but every time a letter came, he held out hope that finally they'd make some sort of progress. This letter also seemed a bit bulkier than the usual ones, but he forced his hopes down, not wanting the bitter disappointment to get to him yet again.
Forcing his eyes away from the letter for a moment, he walked back into the house, and straight into the living room where he sat down on a couch. He put the other bills and advertisements aside, and focused solely on the letter from the CPS. Now he couldn't help but let his hope get up, and he began to rip the letter open to see the note inside. Hearing a noise, he took a quick glance up, and saw the family's cat peering at him curiously.
"Oh, it's just you," He sighed, realizing how tense he felt. Forcing himself to relax, he gave the feline a smile, "Thanks, I needed to calm down." In response the cat meowed, and jumped back down, towards the empty bowl of food in the kitchen. Setting the letter aside for a moment, he obliged the cat's demands, and went to feed him. Using the time to calm his racing heart, he went back to the note with a clear head, finally ripping the rest of it open, and taking out the letter.
He skimmed through the first half of the letter, since it was the same useless thing that they got every time; 'we're still investigating', 'we're doing everything we can', and other such sayings were plastered all over the damn thing. Letting out an annoyed sigh, he resisted the urge to crumple up the note, and he simply set it aside. The second half at least proved to be more interesting, but again, it wasn't anything of note. Apparently there was a new lawyer representing them and their side of the case, not that it ever seemed like this issue would go to court.
"Money lets you get away with anything," Mike sighed, setting aside the second note, and feeling foolish for even allowing his hopes to go up one inch. He should have known that nothing would change. Nothing has for over three years, and from the looks of it, this case would be stalled yet again. When would Ellen ever see justice? Now that he could see how particularly worthless the justice system seemed to be in dealing with someone with so much money, the dark thoughts that plagued Ellen's early months in their household appeared to be reasonable.
He forced himself to stop thinking such dark things however, and he made sure to put the note back into the ripped envelope, intending to give it to Ellen later. He knew she always appreciated being kept up on the case involving her old family, and he would do his best to oblige her. Looking towards the cup of tea he poured himself, he downed the whole thing, and then went to pour himself another cup.
XxXxXxX
Ellen's disappointment couldn't have been more obvious at that moment as she finished reading the letter that her father handed to her the moment she and Viola came downstairs. Her happy mood was destroyed, and she sat down at the table, glaring down at her homework, feelings of hate and anger for her old father tormenting her thoughts. She wanted to cry out in frustration, and maybe even go squeeze something to get the anger out of her, but the thing that made her feel the angriest, was the fact that she was starting not to care about it anymore.
Viola would say it was a good development, perhaps, but to Ellen it meant so much… Or so she initially thought. For years she had wanted her father to get what was coming to him, to go to jail and tell her that he was sorry. She had wanted to stand tall over him and show him that she had moved on to a better family, a family that actually cared for who she was, a family that she could depend on, one that didn't have her crying herself to sleep feeling hopeless and unloved so many nights.
Her righteous anger was beginning to fade, and she only started to notice it not even a year ago. The memories of her times with her old family were becoming blurred, replaced instead with happy memories with her new family. That was all well and good, and she genuinely preferred the new memories, who wouldn't? The problem came in when she realized that due to the faded memories of her past, she was beginning to become less interested in the fate of her father, and to her horror, she had found herself absently thinking that she didn't care about what happened to him.
She couldn't accept that – she had to see that horrible monster put behind bars. Though… At the rate this was going, she doubted the man would be seeing bars anytime soon. He had money, he had connections, and he had his family history backing him. Trying to prosecute him felt like trying to take down a god, and she was beginning to lose hope and interest in even trying to take him out.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Viola asked her, snapping her immediately out of her thoughts. She blinked a few times as she looked over at Viola's concerned face, and she felt her hate suddenly cut off. Viola was like a cooling solution to her red hot anger, and any anger that she felt was quickly washed away by the kind and concerned eyes of her lover.
Ellen let out a sigh, glad that Mike had left the kitchen so she was alone with Viola. Whether it was due to the fact that he knew Viola would calm her down, or whether he had things to do, Ellen didn't know, but she was appreciative all the same. She looked away from Viola, trying to determine how to say what was on her mind.
"It's ok if you don't want to talk right now, I know that you get kind of mad whenever these letters come in…" Viola mumbled, letting the words hang heavily in the air. Ellen shook her head, and finally looked towards Viola.
"It's not that," She mumbled, "I mean, yeah, I'm angry, but not at you." She let out a sigh, wishing she could articulate this better, "I'm just kind of upset that nothing has happened yet again. Why do they even bother sending us letters if nothing has changed?" She looked down at her homework assignment, not that she could complete it now, not with how she felt.
"Well I think they're legally required to send them to us," Viola pointed out reasonably, "Though if you don't want to get so upset every time, why do you insist on daddy letting you read them?" She gave the girl a confused look.
Ellen shrugged, picking up her pencil and sketching on the side of her notebook paper, a bad habit she had recently developed in class when a professor started to drone too long on something she already knew. "Because…" She paused, "Because I want to be updated." She decided upon, though the words felt a bit hollow, and she knew Viola had caught on the uncertainty in her voice.
"Is that really why?" Viola asked gently, touching Ellen's shoulder. Ellen again felt more relaxed when Viola touched her. Knowing that she was nearby and willing to hold her if need be was a comfort that Ellen absolutely treasured.
"No, that's not why," Ellen admitted, "I'm trying to feel more upset about this than I am right now – does that make sense to you?" She glanced at Viola, away from her sketch, "I mean… I should care more about this since it involves me, but every time a letter comes in, I find myself growing less and less interested in the fate of my father. I guess that's what's making me feel this way. I feel like I should care, that I should pursue this to the end and get him behind bars." She let out a groan, "But no, right now I feel apathetic towards this, like I just don't care anymore."
"So you're mad that you're not mad about this?" Viola summed up, giving Ellen an amused smile.
"When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous." Ellen mumbled, her cheeks heating up a little, "But yeah, I guess so…" She reached up and rubbed her eyes.
"I think you just want this to be put behind you," Viola replied perceptively, "Every time one of these letters come in, it just reminds you of a time when you weren't happy, and you just naturally are less interested about those times." Ellen gave her a curious glance, "Can you say I'm wrong?"
"Well…" Ellen couldn't necessarily deny it, but she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't quite right, "Kind of? I mean… Yeah, the memories are blurry for me now, but I can still remember a lot of my time there. These past three and a half years have been like a dream for me, so I guess in a way I'm afraid that it'll all come to end or something if my father isn't put in jail." She felt embarrassed for saying something like that, and looked away from Viola, again picking up her pencil and drawing on her notebook.
"How many times do we have to tell you that we're not going anywhere?" Viola replied, removing her hand from Ellen's shoulder and leaning in to hug her, "Get it through your thick skull Ellen! Daddy and I both love you a lot, and we're not going to let you go ever. You're stuck with us now!"
Ellen felt her mood improving, and she suddenly felt a bit foolish for feeling worried about that particular thing, "Yeah, I guess so, and I guess you're right. Naturally I will prefer these times to my older times, so I guess I would grow less interested." She felt glad to know that Viola addressed her underlying fears of being removed from her current situation, and she could acknowledge that what Viola had said prior to that was also relevant. Despite Viola going to a less prestigious high school, she sometimes felt that Viola was the much more perceptive and knowledgeable of the two.
Viola smiled, noticing how much happier Ellen was getting now, and she hugged her tighter, "That's the spirit!" She exclaimed, giving the girl a quick peck on the cheek, "and who knows, maybe this new lawyer might be able to make the case go somewhere?"
"Do you think so?" Ellen asked, "I've kind of lost hope on that over the years," She admitted, feeling her mood beginning to drop again, "The letter said that the lawyer is actually a detective, and she apparently requested to be put on this case." She rolled her eyes, "Probably some big shot who wants to try and make a splash in the world."
"Hey now," Viola mumbled, "Don't be so negative! What's her name? Is she well known?"
Ellen released herself from Viola's embrace, and looked down towards the letter again, picking it up and skimming the note, "Um, Ms. Shirogane it says. Naoto Shirogane." She looked up at Viola, "Do you recognize that name?"
"Wh – what? It's actually the name of a well-known detective agency." Viola answered in response, her eyes widening, "But they usually help with governmental cases like murder and stuff – why would they help you in a CPS case?"
"Mr. Xander owns a LOT of companies, and probably has many high ranking people in his pocket. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he was corrupt." She paused, "And if that were the case, then maybe this detective is going to use this case as an excuse to try and get closer to the issue at hand?" Ellen mumbled, her mind working in overdrive.
"Wow!" Viola's eyes lit up, "Wouldn't it be amazing if that were true!"
"Heh," Ellen tossed the letter aside, and shook her head, "I wouldn't get my hopes up. It's probably a coincidence, which is probably why daddy didn't make a big fuss about it." She sighed, looking down at her assignment, "We really ought to get this over with." She sighed, though she honestly didn't feel very inclined to do it now.
"Cheer up," Viola asked of her, giving her a warm smile, "You need to have hope."
"Hope, huh?" Ellen mumbled. She wanted to toss it aside, but since it was Viola telling her to hang onto it, she decided to hold a bit of hope in her heart that this new lawyer really was a famous detective. Someone who came here to finally dig into Mr. Xander's business and put him behind bars.
XxXxXxX
Naoto looked through the case files in the back of her car as her driver was busy escorting her to her client's household. It was a typical CPS case, something so far below her pay grade that she knew most people wouldn't suspect her of actually being part of the most well-known detective family in the country. Her client's name was Ellen – age fifteen, a typical teenaged girl from the looks of things. She paused at the look of her golden eyes however, they kind of reminded her of something unpleasant from her past. Shaking the thought aside, she continued to look through the files. Finally, she lifted up a small device, and pushed a button on the side of it.
"Client name: Ellen, age: fifteen, she's now living with the Strauch family after being found malnourished and dehydrated in the forest approximately three and a half years ago. The forest is approximately a two hours' drive away, well away from the city." She paused, and stopped recording her voice with the device in her hand, going through more of the files, "Ellen was part of the Xander family, a very well-known family that has its hands in many businesses throughout the country and worldwide. Often accused of fraud, theft, and sabotage, there's no evidence to these claims, so most cases are dropped." She stopped again.
The Xander family – she had been on their case for years, but they covered their tracks well. This was close to her fifth year on the case, and she only now learned about this case from her uncle. If she had known three years ago… She let out a sigh, and decided not to think about it. This could be a good opening to reach in and crack this case wide open. She was finally going to figure out what the Xander family has truly been hiding from the rest of them.
She felt the car begin to stop, and she looked up, realizing that she was already at the appointed household. She reached over and opened the door, a bit eager to get this underway. She looked towards the driver, and then down at her watch, "This should take maybe an hour, but in any case I'll call when we're finished here," She remarked, "Please do as you will until then." The man nodded, and drove off, leaving Naoto alone on the sidewalk.
She looked at the average neighborhood, and allowed a smile on her face. Though this place wasn't a rural town like Inaba had been, it still had the same homely feel to it, and she couldn't help but think about how much she looked forward to going to see her friends there again later this year. She definitely needed a break from this case, and hopefully she would be done with it by the time she saw her friends in a few months. Letting the thought go for now, she walked up to the door, and gave it a few solid knocks.
"Hello?" The door opened, and Naoto looked at the blonde hair girl. Noting her features, and immediately identifying her as the daughter of the man who owned this household.
"Ms. Strauch I presume?" Naoto said as she then took a quick bow, "My name is Naoto Shirogane, and I'm the person who will now represent Ellen on her case against the Xander family. I was told she and her guardian would both be home now."
They must have failed to inform Viola, because she sat there for a moment wide eyed before she finally nodded, "U – Uh, yeah! They're both here. Please step right in Ms. Shriogane," She stepped back, allowing the detective in, "I'll go let them know you're here, um, please just come into the kitchen, I'll prepare you some tea!"
"Please, relax," Naoto replied, lifting her hand to try and calm the girl down. She had to force down a smile that wanted to pop up, when she was doing her job, she had to act professionally, "I'll just wait right here, and you make sure to go get your father and Ellen."
"Ok," Viola nodded. She looked at the newcomer in more detail – she wore a blue detective outfit, with the coat having a slightly popped collar and the first few buttons were undone, showing off the white button up shirt she wore beneath that. She also had on a blue hat that Viola thought was rather cute, and if Viola had to guess, the girl was probably in her late twenties. She was pretty small surprisingly, with Viola being quite a few inches taller.
Viola left Naoto at the front door to go seek out her family. She knew Ellen was in her room, so she went to the living room where she was sure her dad would be, "Daddy, there's a detective here to see you and Ellen!"
Mike looked up from the couch her was relaxing on and gave her a confused look, "Detective?" he asked, but then his eyes widened, "O – Oh! That was today!" He got up, "Thank god I just got off work, so I will look at least a little presentable." He quickly buttoned up her messily unbuttoned shirt, "Can you go get Ellen?"
"Yes daddy," Viola nodded, running out into the hallway, and nearly colliding with Naoto, "Um, sorry!" She bowed down to the detective, hoping she hadn't offended her.
Naoto couldn't help but crack a small smile, "Ms. Strauch, please, you're fine. Remember what I said earlier? Just calm down and relax."
Nodding quickly, Viola forced herself to calm down as she straightened up, "Yes, ah, thank you, Ms. Detective."
"Just call me Naoto," She insisted, "Shirogane is too formal and Ms. Detective is a bit odd." She saw Viola pale, so she quickly raised her hands, "Please, calm down, its fine. I'm not offended."
"O – Oh, okay." Viola mumbled, "I need to go get Ellen real quick, if you'll excuse me." She darted by, and Naoto watched in mild amusement as the girl ran off. It was always amusing to see how others reacted to her, and this was no exception. She walked onward on what she assumed to be the path to the kitchen, and she stepped in, noticing that a man was in there sitting at the table, and there was a kettle on the stove.
"Mr. Strauch I presume?" Naoto asked, entering the kitchen. When the man nodded, she gave a polite bow, "I'm Naoto Shirogane, your new 'lawyer' for this case against the Xander family."
"Naoto?" The man mumbled, "The detective prince?" He asked, and Naoto internally winced at her old childhood nickname, "Not much of a prince, are you?" He asked, and Naoto noticed the kind smile the man had, he hadn't meant the jest in malice.
"No, I suppose not, though could you please not call me that? I hear it enough from my partner." Naoto replied, just barely refraining herself from shuddering at the mention of her partner, sitting down across from the man. She noticed him eyeing her curiously, so she asked, "Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Ah, I'm sorry." He apologized, but then he looked at her closely and asked, "You really are part of the Shirogane family, aren't you?" Mike looked at her in amazement, "But… Why are you helping us with this?"
"Yes, I'm really part of the Shirogane family, famed detectives." She saw his eyes widening, but other than that, he showed no other signs of surprise, "And I'll be frank with you Mr. Strauch…"
"Please, just Mike will do," He quickly said before she could continue.
While she was a bit annoyed at being interrupted, she was glad that the man so far wasn't showing any resentment towards her due to her young age. Granted, since she had grown out of her teen years, it had appeared less and less, but she was glad all the same. She nodded, "Very well, Mike," She tested the name out, "If that's the case, then I must insist that you call me Naoto."
"Fair enough, Naoto." He replied, crossing his arms as he looked towards her.
"Anyway, as I was saying before," She coughed into her hand, allowing herself a bit of time to get her mind back on track, "I'll be frank with you, Mike." She paused, trying to figure out how much she could reveal to him, "Surely you're aware of the rumors regarding corruption when it comes to the Xander family?"
"Rumors?" Mike let out a short bark of a laugh, "Yes, I'm well aware. It's not so much that they're rumors as they're true, right? The police just can't find evidence that claims it to be true."
Naoto nodded slowly, "As a detective, I'm not allowed to say for sure if they're really behind all of the charges brought against them, but I can at least state that I'm going to help you in this case because it may allow me to gain other clues into whatever the Xander family may be doing."
Mike looked at her thoughtfully, "So you're using this as a stepping stone for something higher?" He summarized.
Naoto decided to simply be blunt, and nodded, "While I would have perhaps worded it a bit differently, yes, that's my main objective here. That being said, I promise that I will do everything in my power to assist you in this case. The power of the Shirogane family is backing you now, and I promise you that this case will not be stalled any longer."
"Do you really mean that?" Ellen asked as she and Viola walked into the kitchen. She looked at Naoto with a calculating look – a look that Naoto now gave her as well. "The last man said the same exact thing, but… well… you see how that worked out."
Naoto watched as the blonde haired girl from earlier put her hand on Ellen's shoulder, and she saw how Ellen's distrustful gaze suddenly vanished in an instant. She watched as Ellen gave Viola an appreciative smile which was eagerly returned by Viola. A relationship? Naoto thought to herself, interesting. Given her mental state several years ago, I imagine it developed then since Viola would be her 'knight', so to speak. Though she took note of it, she didn't speak it aloud. Instead, she just put it aside in her mind as more information on her client and she said, "I give you my word, Ms. Strauch," She saw Ellen smile at being called that as opposed to her other family name, "I will do everything in my power to assist you, and I do not say that lightly."
Ellen looked back to Viola, and then back to Naoto, and nodded, "O – Ok… I believe you." She would allow herself to hope as Viola wanted her to this one last time. She was going to put all of her remaining hope into Naoto, and she only hoped the woman would do what she promised.
"Very well then, would you two please have a seat? There are some questions that I want to ask of you all." She noticed Mike tense up, and she gave him a smile, trying to put the older man at ease, "Don't worry, if you don't want to answer, I will not force you."
"It's not that," He replied, "But why do you need us to answer questions? Surely there's a file about the case already?"
"Indeed there is," Naoto admitted, "And I've gone through it several times, but I always find it best to interview my clients personally regarding their cases." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the voice recorder she was using earlier, "if it's all right, I want to record this discussion."
Mike looked towards Ellen, giving her jurisdiction over that, and the girl nodded, "I'm fine with that." She mumbled, "If it'll help you, I'll let you do what you need."
Naoto let out a pleased hum as she set down the recorder – it was always nice when her clients were cooperative, and she again eyed the golden eyed girl sitting next to Viola. She could actually see some similarities to herself in the girl now that she got a good look at her, while not physical, it was all mental. Just from looking at her, she could tell that the girl was aged far beyond her years mentally, and if she had to guess, the girl's priorities were ordered differently than most teenaged girls, just like how she had been when she was in high school. Being born into such a well-renowned family hadn't really afforded her much of a childhood, since she had to live up to her family name, and she knew that Ellen had gone a similar situation, only it was much, much worse than her own past.
Turning the recorder on, Naoto began to speak, "I'm currently at the Client's household for an interview. The time is…" She pulled back her sleeve, "currently four thirty-six, and the date is April fourteenth, two-thousand and twenty-three," She lifted her finger from the record button, giving herself some time to compose her thoughts. Finally, she pressed down on it again, "Ellen, your report makes claims that you said that your parents were drugging you, is this true?"
Ellen frowned, "Of course it is. Why in the world would I lie about that?"
Naoto lifted her finger from the record button yet again, "I'm not judging you, Ellen," She replied sincerely, "For this case, I just need to hear this from your own mouth." Internally she noted how agitated and angry the girl looked now, and again she noted how Viola calmed her down with a simple touch. Was she angry from the question?
"I'm sorry," Ellen mumbled, looking down guiltily, and she noticed from the corner of her eye that Naoto pressed the record button again, so she decided to elaborate, "Yes. For as long as I remember, they have been giving me pills which they claimed were prescription drugs for an illness I supposedly had. One night I overheard them fighting about it, so that's when I ran away. It has been three and a half years since I ran off now, and I feel better than I have all my life, so I think that's better proof than any words I could say." She smiled humorlessly, though Naoto noticed that it was a forced smile.
Naoto nodded along as the girl spoke, revising her earlier assessment – the girl wasn't angry from the question per se, she was angry that she had to reiterate it yet again, perhaps because she hated to remember the memory. Her emotions were either too genuine to be fake, or the girl was a really good actress. Given that from her report, there was no report of the girl being interested in acting or drama at all in her school, Naoto discarded the second theory immediately. However, if the girl was truly genuine, then that left some rather disturbing implications… "This report says that you informed the CPS about your doctor when you made the call three roughly three and a half years back, what made you so sure that it would be a good lead to pursue?"
"Because every month or so I would be visited in my room by our family doctor, Mr. Thompson, who would prescribe me a new medication. I thought if he were to look at me, or identify the pills that I've been taking, that maybe it would be enough to incriminate him…" She looked like she swallowed a bitter pill upon reciting that.
"However," Naoto spoke up again, "This doctor claimed that he witnessed you taking the prescribed medication he gave you, that you seemed to be a healthy young girl, and that he has good faith in Mr. Xander that he treated you well, thus he refused to assist, correct?"
"He's lying," Ellen grumbled, biting her bottom lip at what appeared to be quite a bad memory, "He would always leave before I took the medication. I hadn't considered that he might have been bribed by my father to stay quiet." Even with Viola comfortingly providing her support, she wasn't calming down anymore.
One part of being a detective was being able to tell if people were lying, and being able to tell if they were acting. There had only been one time that Naoto was fooled by an actor, and that was her uncle. She had prided herself from that day forth on never allowing someone to pull one over on her and being able to discern whether her clients were being truthful or not, and she knew now without a doubt that Ellen was being genuine. Her emotions were on full display, and despite trying to reign it in, it practically radiated off of her. "I see," Naoto finally stated after a bit of silence, "Would you like to take a moment to compose yourself, Ms. Strauch?" She asked Ellen kindly.
Usually Naoto was rather annoyed when her clients began to break down after only a few questions, but given this girl's past, she could forgive her for it. Honestly, she had already gotten exactly what she wanted by coming here, and that was if the truth was being truthful. However, now that she was aware that the girl wasn't lying, she could begin to ask questions that would really begin to assist with her case.
"I'm fine," Ellen mumbled, though Viola did give her a concerned look, "I'll answer anything you need to be answered."
Naoto nodded, inwardly smiling. Despite how angry and sad the girl appeared to be, she was at least strong, and that was a trait that Naoto always admired in someone. "Very well," She stated, "Then in that case, I would like to ask you about the pill provided to you, do you remember what they looked like? Their color, shape, taste, or anything at all that may identify them for me?"
"Not really," Ellen mumbled, "I remember they gave me pink and white pills that were kind of powdery, but I don't remember the taste, I just remember not liking it at all." She paused, "B – But I think I may know someone who can get you some of it."
Viola's eyes widened immediately, Naoto noticed, "You mean her?" Viola asked quietly, though loud enough for Naoto and the recorder to pick it up.
Ellen nodded at Viola, and turned back to Naoto, "Um… I've occasionally been keeping up with my mom…" She noticed Naoto's eyebrow raise a fraction, "I know it's not allowed! The CPS would be furious with me, but it's true. A few years ago I talked to her, and now she occasionally calls to make sure I'm doing well."
"I see," Naoto mumbled, "That could be very interesting. If nothing else, it's definitely a resource we can use to try and get to the bottom of this. I suspect you want to try and get her to bring us one of the pills that was poisoning you as a child, assuming they still have a stock of them?"
"That's right," Ellen murmured, "I don't really know how else to get the pills, since I can't remember them that well." She looked down again in shame.
"Chin up, Ms. Strauch," She spoke up, getting Ellen to look back at her, "You're doing a very fine job right now, don't feel ashamed." She was glad to see the girl smile a little, though it didn't reach her eyes. Not that the girl really had much to smile about, given the current topic of discussion.
Before Naoto could ask another question, the doorbell rang, and Mike gave Naoto a confused look. "Um, I'll go get it," Viola spoke up, getting out of her chair and walking out of the crowded kitchen.
Naoto meanwhile closed her eyes, and rubbed her forehead, please don't be him... She repeated in her mind. Her partner had said that he wouldn't be here until tomorrow, so she hoped to interview the clients before he got here. Unfortunately, she heard another pair of feet walking, and she turned around to see a tall man wearing a nice black suit. His brown hair was cut very short, and his blue eyes traveled all across the room, and he had on a pleased smile on his face.
"What a fantastic home you have here, Viola." He told the girl at his side, and the girl gave him an uncertain smile. "I can practically feel the welcoming atmosphere radiating off the walls!" He eyed Naoto and his smile seem to grow wider, "Ah, Ms. Detective Prince, I see you've already began the interview. Good, I always liked your initiative."
"Mr. Cooper, I was under the impression that you wouldn't be here until tomorrow." She tried very hard not to let an annoyed expression on her face. While she admitted that Zach Cooper was perhaps one of the best detectives she had ever worked with, he was a bit… eccentric. His methods were bizarre to put it lightly, yet somehow he always consistently got results. The two of them together were a sort of dream team, but she loathed working with him and his unorthodox methods.
"Yes, I thought so as well, but something came up and I was able to leave early." Sitting down next to Naoto, he looked over the three others, "Mr. Strauch, Viola, and Ellen I presume?" He saw them nod at their respective names, and he leaned in, "I've got a very important question for you all."
"What is it?" Mike asked, looking at the tall man sitting across from him.
"Before I came here, I decided to eat at a local restaurant, and I ate the most delicious pancakes I've ever had." He didn't even seem to notice the confused looks on the family's face, or that Naoto slapped her forehead with her palm. "The woman who served me assured me that they served the best apple pie in town, so I must know, is this claim true? I could definitely go for some apple pie after this."
"Um… Are you talking about Kurama's? Downtown next to the bus stop?" Viola asked, and when he nodded, she said, "Well, I can't say for sure since I haven't had pie often, but I do remember it being pretty good."
"Excellent!" He exclaimed, rubbing his hands together, "Then I'll definitely look forward to that!" Looking towards Naoto he asked, "Ok, so what have you heard so far?"
"Well, Mr. Cooper, I just started about ten minutes ago, and I think she mentioned something that might make you happy." She looked towards Ellen, "Could you please describe the pills again?"
"Um, they were pink and white, and I remember them being powdery in my mouth." She noticed she now had Cooper's undivided attention, and she looked down, "That's all I remember though, I don't remember the taste or anything about that."
For once, Zach Cooper looked seriously, and turned towards Naoto, "Do you think it could be the same?"
"It could be. If it were, we could definitely make a connection to other cases." She neutrally stated back, trying not to let emotion into her voice.
"What are you talking about?" Ellen asked, feeling kind of annoyed to be left in the dark.
"Ms. Ellen," Cooper reached into a pocket on his suit jacket, and pulled out a small bag, "Is the color similar to this?" He set it down on the table, and slid the bag over to the girl. Inside the bag were what appeared to be pink seeds, nothing that Ellen or Viola had ever really seen before.
"It has been a while, but… I think so?" She mumbled, "I can't really remember now."
"If only we had caught onto this case a few years back," Naoto mumbled, "No matter." She shook her head, "Ellen, when you took the pills, were you nauseous? Did you see things that weren't there?"
"I remember being very sick when I took them, I would throw up a lot, and I remember sweating a lot when trying to go to bed later that night. I did see things at night, but I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, could that be it?" She asked curiously, wondering where they were going with this.
"Interesting, very interesting." Cooper mumbled, "Did you catch all of that?" He turned to Naoto, who lifted up the voice recorder and nodded her head, "Good, very good!" He closed his eyes, and breathed out through his nose, looking deep in thought. Finally he opened his eyes again and said, "Ms. Ellen, though we can't say for sure, we believe that you may have been given a rather potent hallucinogenic drug that if taken in large doses causes sickness, and if taken too much, it will cause death."
"But I was sick for years," Ellen pointed out, "I – I think since I was five." She mumbled uncertainly. She wished she could remember better than she currently did, but her mind was drawing up a complete blank. "I got really badly sick a few times, but I don't think I was going to die."
"As long as you're given controlled doses, you shouldn't die," Cooper muttered, "I find it interesting as to why they'd give their daughter the drug however."
"How does any of this relate to the case at hand?" Mike asked, "These pink seeds, what about them?" He looked between both detectives, clearly wanting an answer from them.
"They're the primary reason we've decided to investigate your daughter's case, Mr. Strauch," Naoto replied, "In addition to the countless cases of fraud, theft, and forgery, there has also been an odd association between this new drug and Mr. Xander's corporation." She saw their confused faces, "To put it simply, while we do want to help you, our primary objective here to find out if the Xander family is distributing this new drug, and to stop them if we can."
"I'd just like to reiterate Naoto's point that we're here to help you." Mr. Cooper spoke up, "I promise to do everything I can to assist you in any way possible." He gave the girl a warm smile, "Tomorrow however, I think a trip into the forest is necessary."
"What?" Naoto had been with him up to this point, but now he again put her through a loop, "The forest? What purpose could that possibly serve? That place is a few hours away from here."
"As I was driving here, I could sense something there, and I think it would be best to find out what it is. I have a good feeling that it will lead to something worthwhile." He nodded mostly to himself, and crossed his arms, "And if possible, I would like Ellen to accompany me."
"Absolutely not." Mike spoke up immediately, "I'm not going to let you drag my daughter into the woods for no good reason!"
"No…" Ellen spoke up, "It's fine. There's no school tomorrow, so I can go, but I want Viola to come with me, is that all right?" She gave Mike a pleading look, "Please, I want to go… I feel like I need to go with him."
Mike let out a disgruntled sigh, "Very well, but Mr. Cooper, if there is so much as one scratch on her, I…" He saw Viola giving him a concerned look, so he toned down what he was about to say to, "… will not be very happy."
"Rest assured Mr. Strauch, they will be completely safe while with me." He gave the man a winning smile, but it did little to convince Mike to trust him. "Viola, since Ellen wants it, you can come too, I can see that you're a very bright girl, and it would be a privilege to have you come along."
Viola nodded, "yes, I would like to come." She answered, unable to hide both the utter fascination she had with the man, and the curiosity burning within her. Ellen gave the girl an appreciative smile, which Viola was quite eager to return.
"Ah, young love, I still remember when I was in high school." Again, Naoto slapped her forehead, and both girl's faces turned a very bright shade of red. "It's nothing to be ashamed about! I find it admirable that you two are together, given your past."
"Um… Thanks?" Ellen mumbled, not really sure how the man was able to figure out that she and Viola were in a relationship. All the same, at least the odd person approved of it.
"Back to matters at hand, tomorrow while you're doing whatever it is that you plan to do, I'm going to go investigate the doctor who treated Ellen as a child, and I'll see if I can get into contact with Mrs. Xander as well." Naoto said, bringing the topic back to the forefront.
"Oh, excellent, Ms. Detective Prince," He exclaimed, "I'm sure you'll do a fantastic job!"
"And likewise to you." She turned to look back at the family, "That being said, I still think it's worthwhile to ask a few more questions."
"I completely agree," Mr. Cooper stated, giving Mike a very hard stare, "I simply must know, what kind of trees grow around here? I couldn't help but stare at the forest as I drove near it! The trees simply look fascinating!"
XxXxXxX
A few hours later after both detectives left, Ellen sat on the couch in the living room, a cup of tea in her hands and the TV on, though it was being completely ignored. Instead, she focused down at the liquid in her cup, thinking over what the detectives had told her. Her dad could apparently be a distributor of a very dangerous drug? Was he simply testing it on her? Why would he want to poison her for so long? What purpose does that even serve? What was going on?
"I'm kind of excited to go with Mr. Cooper tomorrow," Viola stated as she entered the room, and sat down next to Ellen, "Oh, good, the weatherman says that it's going to be warm tomorrow with no rain." She smiled, seemingly unaware of Ellen's introspective mood.
"Do you think my dad just saw me as a test subject? That he was just testing the pills on me to see how his drug was doing?" She asked, ignoring the fact that Viola had been trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't know," Viola admitted, "Honestly, I don't know, and I don't want to know." She leaned back on the couch and looked at the ceiling, "I still have a hard time trying to imagine a father hurting their child the way he hurt you."
"Yeah…" Ellen mumbled, "You know what? After living with you all this time, I wonder the same thing. Why did he do that to me? Why didn't he ever love me?" She sighed, "I don't think I'll ever understand."
"I think that's a good thing," Viola stated, leaning forward, "Only a monster would ever do that, so maybe it's best if we don't know why he did it. I don't want to know what a monster thinks."
When put that way, Ellen could agree, so she nodded, "Yeah, you're right." She leaned towards Viola, resting her head on the taller girl's shoulder, "I think tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
"We should probably get to bed then," Viola whispered to her.
"In a little bit," Ellen mumbled back to her, "I just want to stay like this for a little bit longer."
Viola smiled lightly, "Ok."
No more words needed to be spoken between them, since they could feel the love between them just by the way they sat together. Tomorrow they would go with Mr. Cooper, and hopefully find something worthwhile to use against Ellen's father in the coming days.
XxXxXxX
Notes:
Sorry it took so long to update. I went on Hiatus due to Winter break, and then I intended to release this a week ago, but I got into a car crash and had to recover from that. Winter this year has been absolutely BRUTAL, and it sucks so bad.
Anyway, with that out of the way, there are somethings I want to cover:
Yes, that is Naoto from Persona 4, and yes, Zach Cooper is a combination of Francis York/Zach Morgan from Deadly Premonition and Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks. Initially I was going to have Zach talk to himself like York does in Deadly Premonition, but I decided against it. If you haven't played Deadly Premonition or Persona 4, I would definitely recommend the latter. Deadly Premonition is kind of a difficult game to get into, since it's kind of really bad, but it's so bad that is AMAZING. I also think this is the only one hundred thousand word story crossing over Witch's House, Persona 4, and Deadly Premonition. Though with that being said, I PROMISE that this story will still focus on Viola and Ellen.
I wanted a 3 year time jump because I was sick of Viola and Ellen being so young, this way I could feel better about them being so mature. I also decided to finally get things back on track, I put the whole trial thing on the back burner for a while now, so I think finally getting back into that is a good idea. I still have a few loose threads hanging from previous arcs that I want to address (Dawn and Emilia primarily), and I will get to those within the next chapter or two. As for the story as a whole, I want to finish it within the next few months. I'm currently in my final semester of college, so I really wanna get this done with before my work load becomes too big. I'd say this has a good 5-7 more chapters left to go, depending on how things go.
Thank you all for reading!