Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Brother's Keeper ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

-This is Chapter 4 of Brother's Keeper!

 

-I know I said that my “Conflicted Hearts” story would probably get an update before this one but, well, I just couldn't hold off on this chapter any longer!

 

-And again, tons of hits…not so many reviews. However, it is becoming quite clear to me that I am getting a bit of a following for this story. So while it isn't my most reviewed story there are people out there that I know still read this fic, and possibly enjoy it (after all, if they didn't, why do I still have so many hits for all three chapters? Unless they are torturing themselves, I'm going to assume they are enjoying it. :-P).

 

-Without further ado, on with the story!

 

Streets of Yokohama - Near Keitaro and Naru's Apartment

 

Tomoko could feel his eyes grow heavy when a female voice pieced through his consciousness. He shook his head frantically as he tried to remain alert at his surroundings. As he zeroed in on the approaching figure, he could feel another weight placed on his shoulder. “Not them again.” He looked up and stared his tired eyes at the young woman in front of him. “What was it that you said?”

 

“That I am the Princess of Molmol and I demand access to Keitaro and Naru's apartment!” Su said as she glared menacingly at the officer.

 

Tomoko gave her an unbelieving shake. “Right. Princess of…” Suddenly, his fatigue vanished for the moment as her words finally hit him. “Molmol?” His mind started to put the pieces together. `It's why Keitaro is famous after all. Could it be that…' “So what you're saying is, the rumors were true? That you are Princess of that Molmol place and that you have been living here along side Professor Urashima?”

 

“Su, you don't have to do this.” Shinobu pleaded next to her. Fear was etched into her face, as she knew what this could mean for Su if she exposed who she was, especially now since Keitaro made Molmol a household name. “I'm sure there's another way…”

 

Su ignored Shinobu's pleading and continued. “Yes!” Su crossed her arms in determination. “And I am here to make sure that Keitaro Urashima and his wife Naru Narusegawa are both found and brought back to safety!”

 

Haruka eyed the news camera crew. Unsurprisingly, they were now focused on them. `This can't be good.' “Looks Su, I don't think…”

 

“Didn't I tell this group to leave already?” The agitated Inspector growled at the sight of them as he stormed back to where Tomoko was. “All you are doing is…”

 

“You must let me through!” Su glared at Inspector Ishikawa in stern seriousness that stunned the Hinata group. “As Princess of Molmol, I am the representative of the Molmol government! And the safety Keitaro Urashima and Naru Narusegawa are of great interest to us given the work that he has done!”

 

The Inspector shook his head in disbelief. While he might accept the idea that this dark skinned girl was from this Molmol place, and would explain why Professor Urashima had contact with them, but to go a step further and to actually be talking to the Princess? Sure he heard the rumors and speculation, but someone of that great importance, standing in front of him without some sort of official protection, asking to be let in on a kidnapping case? His head was spinning around just trying to get the first fact through. “Okay. Let's say you ARE the Princess of this, Molmol place. So what? This is our country and our jurisdiction! It's called sovereignty. You can't just barge into a domestic criminal investigation and demand to be let in! Princess or no Princess!”

 

`I've never seen her like this before!' Motoko thought in amazement as she moved in next to Su. “Su, he's right.” She said in a low tone, trying to calm down the normally carefree Princess of Molmol. “This isn't Molmol! We have our own set of laws that…”

 

“Stop!” Su snapped at Motoko, causing the older woman to back up a bit. “I know what I'm doing.” She then spun her head back to the officers. “Everything will be taken care of very soon! Right now, our diplomats are meeting with the top officials of the Japanese government!”

 

The female reporter whirled back to the camera. “You've heard it here first as another strange turn of events has occurred! The rumors are apparently true and that the Princess of Molmol was here in Japan all along! And Princess…yes?” She holds her earpieces closer to her ear as she tries in vain to understand what her producer was saying through the loud commotion happening around her. “Princess Kaolla Su! Yes! Her name, Kaolla Su, who had apparently been living with the now famous Professor Urashima for around 10 years now…”

 

Haruka took out another cigarette, lit it, and placed it in her mouth. `I hope you know what you're doing Su because any hope of privacy you had in this country is gone now.'

 

Motoko also saddened at that fact. `Su, you really want to see them safe do you? I understand but, are you sure this is right? Now there is no turning back.'

 

“Alright!” Kitsune brightly smiled. “Way to go…Su?” Kitsune blinked her eyes as something occurred to her. “Wait, just a few minutes a go you just…” She pointed to where she first made her proclamation, and then pointed to where Su was currently standing. “…and then…you're saying that the diplomats are already…”

 

“Right. You're telling me that…” Suddenly, a ring was heard coming from the Inspector's coat. The Inspector reached into his coat and took out his phone. He gazed at the telephone number on the screen in astonishment. `What the?' He flipped his phone and placed it to his ear. “Inspector Ishikawa here, who is this?” There was a pause. Ishikawa raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “The Minister of Justice? What…” His eyes further widened. “By whose order?!” Another pause occurs as his jaw dropped considerably. “The Prime Minister? But, why?! This girl, even if she is…” Another pause. “I know that she's a Princess! Well I do now, but…” After another pause, Ishikawa grinded his teeth in stupefied disinclination. “Fine! I'm going to let her through! And a good day to you too!” Ishikawa slammed his phone shut and placed it back into his coat pocket. He rubbed his forehead before looking up at the Princess in front of him. “I can't believe what I'm going to say to you but…the Japanese government fully extends its hands in cooperation with Molmol authorities.” He looked up, then to his surroundings and noted that she was the only Molmolese that he could see. “I'm going to assume that would be you…”

 

Kaolla Su smiled brightly. “Your cooperation has been fully appreciated! Now that we are partners…”

 

“Hold it right there!” Ishikawa raised his hand to block her. “First, WE are in charge of this investigation since this is OUR country! Second, my orders are to allow YOU to be a part of the investigation. Since we can't allow any contamination of the scene…” He glared at Ema who withered at his gaze, then at Su who did the same, then at Mutsumi who innocently waved and smiled at him, and then at Kitsune who simply rolled her eyes away. “I don't want any potential evidence tossed because of one of their mistakes!” He then glared at Su who stared her unflinching eyes at him in defiance. “It's bad enough I'm allowing you in…” He muttered under his breath.

 

“Okay!” Su gave a victorious grin to him. “However, can I at least bring two of my friends?” She indicated to Motoko and Haruka behind her.

 

“Me?” Motoko raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Why? What would I do?”

 

“And why me?” Haruka the normally emotionally neutral woman blinked in dismay at Su's request. “What good would I be in there?”

 

“Oh, just so you two could keep me company!” Su innocently replied.

 

`So, the fact that we're the ones trying to stay out of it had nothing to do with this?' Haruka wondered. Finally, she reluctantly nodded her head. “Very well. I will accompany you.”

 

“As will I.” Motoko sighed as she gripped her sword. “Supposing that the police will allow us access first.”

 

Inspector Ishikawa raised his hands in defeat. “Fine. I'll allow it. I'm sure miss little Princess would somehow be able to convince the Minister of Justice, the National Police Agency, Prime Minister, heck, possibly even the Emperor of Japan into letting them in anyways.”

 

“Um, what about me?” Ema quietly spoke up. “I mean, I've been investigating paranormal activities. Wouldn't my investi…”

 

“No.” Haruka said, effectively cutting off the meek girl's response.

 

“Eep!” Ema withered again. “Okay, I'll stay here.”

 

“Officer Kawakami will lead the way.” Inspector Ishikawa was about to leave when he noted the cigarette hanging off of Haruka's lips. He then glared at Haruka and pointed at the cigarette.

 

“I get it.” Haruka dropped the cigarette and crushed it with her feet. “Now do you have some gloves for me to use?”

 

The Inspector handed her some gloves and was about to do the same with Motoko when he eyed what was on Motoko's waist. “Are you going to be carrying that inside?”

 

“Is that a problem?” Motoko narrowed her eyes at him.

 

“No. I guess not.” The Inspector then eyed Su. “You ready… `Princess'?”

 

“Yup!” Su picked up two large cases next to her. “I'm ready!”

 

“Oka…” The Inspector's words were caught in his throat as he just noticed the two cases next her. “Wait, where the hell did you get those? And what are they?!”

 

“Something that will help the investigation!” Su innocently smiled.

 

“But where…” The Inspector rubbed his forehead again. “Okay, never mind! Let's just get going!”

 

`And the night just never ends.' Officer Tomoko thought groggily.

 

-Later…

 

Keitaro's and Naru's Apartment

 

Motoko gasped as she saw the damage in the kitchen, a place that once held many happy memories when she visited Keitaro and Naru from time to time. “What could possibly have happened in here?!”

 

Su eyes narrowed considerably. “Whoever did this, is going to pay!”

 

“Umm…” Tomoko raised his hand. “The prevalent theory is that, Miss Narusegawa was the one that did this.”

 

“Eh?” Motoko and Su swiveled their heads to Tomoko.

 

“Well…” Tomoko pointed to the corresponding holes in the walls. “We found hair and skin follicles all around there. Early results from the lab show that they are both male in origin.”

 

“Oh.” Motoko and Su both said with slight embarrassment.

 

“At least we know that she didn't go down without a fight.” Motoko smiled at that thought. “Supposing that neither one is Keitaro's…”

 

“Well, unless it was an accident, we're assuming that as well.” Tomoko said offhandedly. “Not to mention that the timeline doesn't fit…” He then raised an eyebrow when he noticed the girls were all stifling a giggle. “Was it something I said?”

 

Haruka had a slightly playful smile on her face. “Let's just say, that when it comes to `accidents', our Keitaro has been quite known for them. Now, please continue officer.”

 

“Oh…ummmm…well…” Tomoko cleared his throat before continuing. “At first we weren't sure if that really was Miss Narusegawa that caused this…since looking at the amount of damage, she would've been quite strong.” Tomoko scratched his head as he examined how deep the holes in the wall were. One almost went through to the next room. Even the heavy wooden stud was snapped in half. “We suspect that the one that hit the wall on the right was a little heavier in build than the one on the left, but still, even with that in consideration, that must've been one powerful punch!”

 

Haruka grinned further as she examined the wall. “And that's Naru for you!”

 

“Hmm.” Tomoko rubbed his chin as he thought about the other resident of this apartment. `If this is what her punches are like, I sure don't want to be in Professor Urashima's shoes when he forgets to take out the trash…'

 

Su stepped into the kitchen and frowned. “They still got her though.” She was about to take another step forward when she noted a red substance on the floor. Her heart became heavy as she realized what it was. “This blood isn't from the abductors is it?”

 

“No.” Inspector Ishikawa said as he entered the apartment. “We found a knife where that circle on the floor indicates. It was covered in Miss Narusegawa's fingerprints, but that knife was clean of anything else. Even then, the angle of the spatter made it unlikely to be from the abductors.”

 

“Fingerprints.” Motoko noted as something dreadful entered her mind. “The clean knife wasn't what tipped you off that it wasn't their blood was it?”

 

“As far as I know, Naru's fingerprints are not in any official database since there is no reason for it to be there.” Haruka frowned deeply.

 

Ishikawa nodded his head. “We also discovered Miss Narusegawa's severed fingers nearby as well.”

 

“No!” Su quivered at the mention of this new information. “Naru!”

 

Motoko reflexively reached for her sword. Her hand twitched as the need to deal out punishment ravaged through her. She forced herself to hold back since unfortunately, the perpetrators are not here to feel her righteous fury.

 

Haruka crossed her arms and furred her brow. “Anything else you would like to tell us? Does this mean that Naru is dead?”

 

Ishikawa shook his head. “As you probably can see, there isn't enough blood to draw that conclusion yet. And since the perpetrators didn't bother to clean up this mess, we are going under the assumption that she is still alive somewhere.” He droned as he then pointed to the cabinet with the slit in it, as well as a white circle around it. “Given that we only found a trace amount of blood there, we're going to assume that this was the second strike from that blade, as well as one that did not penetrate Miss Narusegawa. It was probably meant to scare her if anything.”

 

Motoko knelt down and examined the slit. “Judging by the angle, the shape, and the cleanliness of it penetration, I would have to say it came from a sharp long katana or possibly a wakizashi.” She took a few steps back and peered at the scene as if she was an attacker. She first noted the phone sitting silently on the counter right above where the marking was. She glanced to her left, and then to her right where the corresponding holes were. The place where the knife dropped was to the right next to where the first attacker must've came from. “There was a third party here.”

 

“Yes, and we suspected.” Ishikawa droned on again. “Though we have less evidence about him than the others. Right now, with the evidence we have now, we have only determined two assailants. But given what you see here, there has to be a third to have caught Miss Narusegawa by surprise.”

 

“Then we should work backwards.” Motoko said as she took a few more steps back from her position. She then imagined Naru backing up to the entrance on the right holding the knife. She was caught by surprise by the first assailant, but was somehow able to breakaway and Naru punch him through that wall. She then imagined the second attacker coming in from the entrance to her left, but before he could get close, he was subsequently punched through the left wall. The imagined Naru then reached for the phone when she suddenly stopped. A third figure came up from behind her removing a blade from its sheath. The imagined Naru reacted when the third figure made a slashing movement. The pain and shock sent the imagined Naru to the floor. Motoko flinched as she could only imagine how close this scenario was to her. `Don't worry Naru! We will find you!'

 

She peered behind her at where she suspected the third abductor came from. She walked into the hallway as she examined the doors along the way. This apartment though more spacious than some of the older ones found in other buildings, it was still quite small compared to American standards. It was also a sort of fusion between old Japanese style design like the sliding doors, and mats, with a few international modern designs like a small utilities closet, and even a laundry room. Speaking of the small utilities closet, she noted that it was slightly ajar, indicating that this was probably where the smaller of the two men hid. As she continued on her journey down the hallway, she noted the extra room that was being converted into a baby room.

 

Another flashback occurs as she remembers the time that Motoko came over to help decorate for the new arrival. Su, Shinobu, and Kitsune were also there as they laughed it up as they recalled all the adventures they had. And Naru, she looked on as she rubbed her tummy, with a faint smile appearing on her face. A tear threatened to fall as she thought of those memories. `This room was going to be a wonderful new chapter in their lives.'

 

And in a way, a new chapter did occur in this room. But it was far from wonderful.

 

Motoko examined the room, and felt her heart sink. While everything seemed to be untouched, the crib was in its place, the wall trimmings silently singing their joyful tunes, and the toys waiting to be played, the markings on the side of the sliding door indicated that this was where the bigger of the two abductors hid. She lowered her head as she could only imagine how some disgusting thug defiled this wonderful sanctuary. She shut her fist as she tried to hold back the new set of tears that threatened to flow. This time, they were the tears of fury. `Those bastards! When I get my hands on them…' Suddenly, after wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she saw a short black hair on one of the drawer in the room. As she peered closer, she noted that there were tiny scratch marks on the wooden drawer. With her gloved hand, she slowly picked up the hair and examined it closely. `This might be nothing. It could be Keitaro's…however…' Motoko exited the room and slowly returned to where Su, Haruka, Tomoko, and Ishikawa were all standing in.

 

“Find anything?” Haruka glanced up at Motoko.

 

Motoko nodded. “I did find where the abductors have hidden…”

 

“The utilities closet and the child's room right?” Ishikawa took a deep sigh. “I told you, we are perfectly capable of doing the investigation ourselves!”

 

“And I agree.” Motoko lightly nodded. “This was, after all, not my idea.” She eyed Su who only glared at her with contempt. She took a deep breath and sighed. “However, I did find this hair in the child's room that might prove useful. At first I didn't think much of it, until I noticed the scratch marks next to them.”

 

“Ooo! Let me see!” Su examined the hair sample that Motoko held. “Hmm.” She took out one of the cases that had the distinctive symbol of the Kingdom of Molmol stamped on them. “This should help determine who this hair belongs to!”

 

Haruka grinned. “So, I guess all those novels of yours have finally paid off.”

 

A light tinge of crimson appeared on Motoko's face. “But I only write romance novels! Not mystery!”

 

Haruka grin deepened. “And they are all so detailed!” This statement caused Motoko's face to further redden.

 

“So you're the Motoko Aoyama that writes those novels huh? My wife loves those…” Ishikawa then turned his attention to Su and raised an eyebrow. “Wait what are you doing?” Ishikawa eyed Su with suspicion. “First what the heck is that thing? Second, if it is a new evidence that we missed, we should be the ones to examine it!”

 

Su innocently smiled. “Sure you can have it! After I'm done with it!” Su tinkered with the machine in front of her. A tray came up and she placed the hair into it. “And what this is, is the Molmol DNA analyzer! And after I examine this…” She took out a bag of skin follicles and more hair samples. “I can test these as well to see if I get a match from the national database!”

 

Ishikawa slapped his forehead in total disbelief. “There is no where that you can get a sample ready in just a few seconds with that toy! We are already running a DNA test with the samples that we already have at the lab. But given current techniques and technologies, it will take a week before…”

 

“All done!” Su smiled brightly as a printed-paper came out of the machine.

 

Ishikawa stopped in mid sentence. His mouth was wide open at the buzzing sound of Su's machine printing out a paper.

 

“Wow!” Tomoko eyed the machine in amazement. “Are you telling me that you already have the DNA from that sample?!”

 

Ishikawa shook his head complete disbelief. “Well excuse me for not believing this right away but, I'd like to confirm this data with our own labs thank you!”

 

“Okay!” Su handed him the sample at that moment. “I don't need it anymore anyways!”

 

“So, whom does the hair belong to?” Haruka said as she was about reach for her cigarette, only to be stopped by the glare from Ishikawa.

 

Su's smile faded as she quickly shook her head. “It isn't human, but from a cat.”

 

“A cat?” Motoko raised an eyebrow. “Why would a cat be doing here?”

 

“And not just any cat…” Su frown deepened. “I got a match while I was running a full database search.”

 

“Which if it was a cat, would be pointless since there is currently no national database for animal DNA.” Ishikawa noted.

 

“Yes…” Su said as she eyed Ishikawa again. “But let me finish! You see, turns out, that this machine already has information about this cat!”

 

“Information about this cat?” Motoko raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

 

“It means I already have the DNA stored in this machine when I was first testing this machine out a few years ago! You see the cat belonged to…” Su trailed off.

 

Ishikawa crossed his arms with impatience. “Yes?”

 

“Kanako Urashima.” Su's eyes darken.

 

“Kanako-san?” Motoko eyes widened considerably after the mention of that name. “It can't be! She can't be the third abductor?”

 

Haruka frowned at this revelation. She then shot her head to Ishikawa. “Tell me, were Keitaro and Naru abducted at the same time?”

 

Ishikawa shook his head. “We don't believe so. Or current timeline places Miss Narusegawa's abduction at around six. Possibly shortly after Professor Urashima left the apartment. We know from the university that he arrived there without any incident and continued with his duties there.” He then peered at the front door behind him. “And given that his car is parked in front of the complex, that's at least a four hour difference between the two abductions.” His frown deepened as he contemplated the abduction of Keitaro. “Unfortunately, we have even LESS physical evidence for his kidnapping than Miss Narusegawa which, as you could see, was practically everywhere.”

 

Haruka frowned and crossed her arms. “And that means that she could've came anytime between them right?”

 

Ishikawa reluctantly nodded. “BUT, that doesn't rule her out as the third abductor during the abduction of Miss Narusegawa! Assuming that…machine is accurate.”

 

“Of course.” Haruka then eyed the door as another thought came to her. “Speaking of the abductors, have you determined how they entered the apartment?”

 

Ishikawa shook his head. “When we arrived, the front door was unlocked and undamaged. Though the reason why it was unlock was probably due to Professor Urashima.”

 

“Hmm.” Haruka rubbed her chin as she eyed the door, and then the hallway that led to where the abductors were hiding. She then glanced at the windows and frown. `The windows are too small for them to fit through, even if they were able to remove them. And there is only one door in and out of this place.' “The manager of this place…he has an extra set of keys correct?”

 

“Yes.” Ishikawa crossed his arms. “However, we haven't been able to find him…”

 

“Then find him!” Haruka frowned. “I believe he has some explaining to do.”

 

-Meanwhile…

 

Unknown Location - Dining Room

 

Keitaro's eyes fluttered open as he slowly awakens from his slumber. The first thing he notes was the massive headache that he was experiencing at the moment. His head swirled in a daze as his senses slowly came back to him. `Man, what a dream. I dreamt that my apartment was broken into and…' Then, in his blurred image, he could see that he was in a darkened room with two flickering lights at the opposite end of the wall. He reached for his eyes, surprised to see that he was still wearing glasses. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses, and shook the last bit of grogginess that was still with him. As his vision cleared, he was amazed at where he was. He was inside a huge and elaborate dining room, complete with massive windows to the side that reached from the floor to the ceiling. Statues situated on pedestals sat in the area between the windows. A large crystal chandelier hovered over the dining table. The dining table was long with a dark, but reflective surface. In front of him was a plate full of what looked like spaghetti with meatballs, a wine glass, and a basket full of bread. His stomach growled at the smell of the offering, when a woman spoke up in front of him. A woman he surprised to see earlier that night.

 

“You're finally awake oniichan!” Kanako, wearing a white vest over a dark black shirt smiled at her awakened `brother'.

 

“Ka..Kanako?” Keitaro continued to blink in utter confusion at what he was seeing. “What…what's going on? Where am I?”

 

Kanako slowly twirled her fork into her spaghetti. With her deep dark gaze never leaving Keitaro. “You look hungry oniichan! You should eat!”

 

“Huh?” Keitaro looked down at his plate. He was certainly hungry, and he was looking forward to eating one of Naru… “Wait!” Keitaro began to remember what occurred earlier. “Then it wasn't a dream! My apartment!” He immediately sprang from his chair. “What happened?!” Suddenly, two women dressed in French maid uniforms approached him from the side. “Huh?” Their shaken stares caused him to cautiously sit back down.

 

Kanako seemed unfazed by Keitaro's reaction as he brought the fork full of spaghetti close to her mouth. “We can discuss this later oniichan! I'm just so happy that you're safe!”

 

“But what about Naru? Where's Naru?” Keitaro yelled again.

 

Kanako slowly chewed a few times, and then swallowed. She chuckled at Keitaro's outburst. She brought out a napkin and lightly tapped her mouth with it before responding. “You don't have to yell. I can hear you perfectly well here.”

 

Keitaro calmed down a bit as he slowly sank into his chair. “Kanako, what exactly is going on here?”

 

Kanako slowly reached for a roll of bread, and took one out of the basket. She slowly ripped it in half, and placed one of the pieces on a small plate. With a butter knife, she cut a piece of butter and spread it over one of the bread pieces. “Now, now oniichan, you need to eat! You have your health to worry about!”

 

Keitaro's nerves were frayed. His arms were shaking with anxiety and fear. He shot up from his chair again. “But I have to see Naru! I need to know that she and the baby are okay!”

 

Again, the two maids approached him from either side of his chair. One of them spoke up this time.

 

“You…you have to eat! It's what the master wishes!” The first maid to his side said.

 

Keitaro blinked in bewilderment. “Ma..mma…master?” He then noted more detail about the two maids accompanying him. Both were lightly shivering. Given the temperature, and what they were wearing, Keitaro doubted it was due to the cold. One appeared to be a young Japanese girl with short black hair, aged somewhere in her late teens to early twenties. The other appeared to be the same age only that she appeared to be a young Russian girl with short blond hair. Both were wearing what appeared to be traditional French maid uniforms. The fear in their eyes again, causes Keitaro to sit back down again. He returned his attention to Kanako at the other end of the table who continued to butter her bread. “What do they…”

 

“It's okay girls! I'm sure oniichan means no harm.” Kanako slightly grinned as she brought the piece of buttered bread into her mouth.

 

Keitaro glanced at the maids, and then at Kanako. “Ka…ka…Kanako? Ca..ca…can you please tell me what is going on here?” Keitaro stuttered out.

 

A maid standing next to Kanako filled her wine glass. Kanako picked up the wine glass and began swirling it around. “You're safe oniichan. That's all you need to know right now.”

 

“But what about…” Keitaro nearly stood up, but stopped himself midway as he saw the two maids beside him flinch. He slowly sat back down. “What about…Naru?”

 

Kanako took a sip from her wine before she spoke up again. “Who?”

 

“Who?” Keitaro's mouth started to quiver. “You…you know her! You were at our wedding! She's…she's my wife! What…what has gotten into you Kanako?! Where am I? Where is…”

 

“I told you Keitaro, that you are now safe.”

 

The mention of Keitaro's name stopped his half maniacal outburst dead in its tracks. He took a big gulp. “Kanako?”

 

“You remember the state of your apartment right oniichan?” Kanako's eyes seemed to lighten at that point. Those eyes however, did nothing to calm down Keitaro's nerves. “I brought you here so that I can protect you.”

 

“I…that's true.” Keitaro said as he nervously conceded that point. “But what about Naru?”

 

Kanako only smiled at the mention of her name. “I'll explain everything later. Now, you need to eat.”

 

Keitaro thought about asking another question, but quickly decided against it. He determined that either Kanako wasn't telling him something, or she doesn't know. He looked down at the plate of spaghetti and slowly reached for a fork. While his appetite had since diminished since waking up in this dining room, filling his stomach with something was probably a wise thing to do at this point.

 

Kanako slowly slurped up a single long spaghetti noodle. She continued to gaze at Keitaro as he began to the meal in front of him. After slurping up the single noodle, Kanako tapped her mouth with her napkin, and a smile appeared on her face. “Try the wine oniichan! It is quite delicious!”

 

Unknown Location - Basement

 

Somewhere, there was a door. At first glance, this door looked like any other door. It had a round handle like any other door, and was painted a dull white. Past this door led to a set of stairs. A single light bulb inside a light fixture was the only illumination of an otherwise dark passageway. The damp brick walls followed the descending stairs down to, another door. This one however, was more elaborate than the one at the top of the stairs. It was a thick metal door, with multiple locks running up and down it. A few of the locks were sliding locks that ran the width of the metal door. The center was painted a dull green, with the edges left in its silvery metal that was slowly rusting due to the passage of time.

 

In the stillness of the passageway, the sound of metal rubbing against metal can be heard. The closer to the door, the sound intensifies. Even the muffling effect of the heavy metal can't stop this sound from escaping.

 

Through the door, the source of the sound was now unmistakable. It's the sounds of chains rubbing against a thick metal pipe running up and down the room. The chains bounded a woman's hands together as she struggles in vain to get free from them. The chain rested behind the pipe, with her hands, one hastily bandaged up, confined to either side of the pipe. Her legs were also bounded together by chains as she continued to struggle against her restraints. She looked up in her tear stained eyes at the one source of light in the room, and the heavy door that loomed ominously in front of her. She bit her lip before she took a deep breath and screamed with all her might.

 

“Can someone help me?!” Naru yelled at the top of her lungs. “I'm down here! Please! Someone help me!”

 

------End of Chapter 4

 

Did I say dark? I think I did!

 

Anyways, this chapter pretty much sets up the rest of the story. As you can see, we basically have two main aspects that this story will follow until the end (Keitaro, Naru, and Kanako part, and the Hinata gang searching for them), with a number of minor stories for support as well (like Haruka and Seta, what happened to them, as well as Grandma Hina and Kanako).

 

Also, sorry if Motoko seemed, `castrated' so far. The reason why she is like this is, well, at the moment, she (as well as Haruka) are pretty much the voice of reason in the group. While they both want to do something, since Motoko (and Haruka) don't believe interfering with the police is a wise move, neither of them wants to take the initiative either.

 

And yes, I did do some research on the Japanese government, and some on their law enforcement agencies. Though if I used my research correctly, is another matter entirely (for example, I had the Minster of Justice call the Inspector to allow Kaolla Su in. But, would that really happen in real life? Well okay, I'm already taking a MASSIVE leap of faith that Molmol can somehow convince the Japanese government, but still…supposing that happens, would it be that agency, or another?). Oh, and my source, was Wikipedia since they are so easy to access (BUT, we know how accurate they can be!).

 

I also put up a preview at Shinji's again to see if anyone thinks I'm going off the tracks or not. Seeing that I am again, not getting any replies, I'm going to assume…no. :-P I would leave it up there longer before putting this one up but, since I'm getting the same response as I was getting with Chapter 3 at this point, the same thing will probably happen if I just leave it up longer then.

 

-Next Chapter…what will the Hinata gang find out when they find the manager of Keitaro and Naru's apartment? What about Kanako and Keitaro? Until then…later!