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Into the Fog Chapter One Part Two

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Date: Fall 2002
Location: Tatsumi Residence
 
The Tatsumi Textile Shop was another family run business within Inaba.  This was one of the many family run businesses that could be found located in the shopping district.  Almost all of the buildings located there were family businesses that not only contained where they conducted their operations but also where they lived.  The Tatsumi family conducted business at the front of the home.  The backrooms on the first floor was their living room, and their bedrooms were on the second floor.  It was a modest two floor home, but there was plenty of space for this family of three. 
 
Unfortunately, in recent years, this area was starting to become a regular hangout for motorbike racers.  Being able to get a good night’s sleep was becoming a reoccurring problem.  While they were occasionally scared off by complaints and police coming to the area, they would eventually come back for some reason.  Apparently, they either considered this a prime location or they got a kick out of waking people up.  The motorbike racers never gave an actual reason for their actions, but it would be doubtful they had a good one.
 
The Tatsumi’s young son, Tasumi Kanji, wanted to fight against the motorbike gang, but his parents stopped him from trying.  Even though he was big for his age, it did not change the fact he was only seven years old.  The motorbike gang did not strike them as the type of people that would take it easy on a kid, and they were not willing to take the chance.  They decided to simply put up with it for the time being.
 
During one of the quiet nights, Kanji was being taught the trade of sewing by his father.  He had been acting as his father’s apprentice for the past few months.  The six tatami mat room was littered with pieces of cloth in various sizes along with a large basin filled with sewing supplies.  To top it off, there was a pink, electric sewing machine on a low, worn bamboo table where a single, shaded lamp provided light.  Kanji’s mother was the one who purchased the sewing machine and she choose one with a pink color much to her husband’s chagrin.  There was also a first aid kit on the table in case anyone hurt themselves sewing.
 
Kanji was sitting in the middle of the room with his father as he was attempting to complete work on his first teddy bear.  While the young Tatsumi was getting good at sewing, he was still prone to making quite a few mistakes.  As he was attempting to sew the teddy bear, he poked his index finger with a needle.  This marked the fifth time he had poked himself in the past half hour and the bear was still a long way from being completed.
 
Kanji quickly put the bear on the table to check to his finger to see that it was not bleeding.  After he saw that his finger was fine, he then sighed in frustration as he thought, “Making this teddy bear is much harder than I thought.”  Kanji’s lips were up as he gritted his teeth.  His stern gaze was focused solely on the half-finished bear that rested on the table.  He picked up the bear again as he thought, “Let’s try again.”
 
Within a few minutes Kanji’s could feel the needle piercing his skin again.  This caused him to react with a loud, “Ouch,” as he dropped the bear to the floor this time.  Kanji saw that this time he did make his finger bleed.  Kanji thought in a frustrated tone, “Why do I keep messing up?  I thought I was doing everything right.”
 
Kanji’s father, Arashi Tatsumi, noticed that his son was having difficulty.  He quickly picked up the first aid kit and treated his son’s finger.  Arashi told his son, “It appears you are having some difficulty Kanji-kun.”
 
Hearing his father say that caused Kanji to look down in shame as he replied, “I’m sorry dad.  I’m doing a pretty bad job.  I’m not sure if I can finish this teddy bear.”  While he was saying this, Kanji thought, “Maybe I’m better off.  I heard some kids in my school make fun of people who sew.”
 
Arashi assured his son, “You don’t have to worry about that.  You’re young and you are bound to make mistakes.  It is all part of the learning process.”  This caused Kanji’s head to look up to his father with a more hopeful expression.  Arashi glanced at the half finished bear and picked it up.  He gently took the bear from his son and examined the stiches carefully.  He told Kanji, “This is something I believe you should see.”
 
Kanji leaned in to examine the bear a little more closely as his father began to point out what seemed right and where the flaws were.  He told his son, “The cross stich is good, but you keep going farther away each time.”  Arashi pointed to the specific areas he was referencing so Kanji could see it better.
 
It did not take Kanji long to understand what his father was telling him.  “Oh.” Kanji stated simply, he glanced up at his father as he sheepishly said, “I guess I see where I'm messing up.”
 
Arashi told his son in an encouraging tone, “For your first attempt, you’ve done rather well.  If you keep trying, I believe you will be able to finish this.”
 
Kanji asked in a hopeful tone, “Do you really think so?”
 
Arashi told him, “As long as you don’t give up, I know you will.  You are more talented that you give yourself credit for.  When you get older, I’m certain that you will surpass me in this, and you will be running this store yourself.”
 
At first Kanji seemed excited when his father told him this, but suddenly Kanji’s face became saddened for some reason.  This was not lost on Arashi as he asked Kanji with a concerned tone, “Are you okay Kanji?  Did I say something that upset you?”
 
Kanji replied, “No.  I’m okay, but is sewing something a boy should do?”
 
Arashi was taken aback by his son’s question as he asked one of his own, “What do you mean by that?”
 
Kanji looked at his father as he answered, “There is someone else in my school who is good at sewing, and I heard some of the other boys saying that sewing is a girl’s talent and boys should be doing other stuff.”
 
Arashi calmly told his son, “You shouldn’t listen to those kind of people Kanji.”  He carefully handed the bear back to his son.
 
Kanji took the bear back as he asked an exasperated tone, “But what happens if they call me a sissy for knowing how to sew?  What if they all make fun of me for being a ‘girly boy’?”
 
While Arashi was not completely surprised that his son would eventually bring up this concern, he did not expect it to happen so soon.  He let out a long sigh and shut his eyes for a moment.  When he opened them, he told his son in a calm, reassuring voice, “Kanji.  You should do what makes you feel happy and be yourself.”  He touched his son’s shoulder as he continued his point, “Nothing those boys say now is going to matter by the time you’re an adult as long as you are happy doing what you do.”
 
Kanji remained silent for a few moments to take in what his father had told him.  After taking time to process, he told his father, “I’ll try.”
 
Arashi smiled as he told his son, “That’s a step in the right direction.”  He then playfully brushed his son’s hair and the two of them exchanged a laugh.
 
Kanji unexpectantly moved and hugged his father while telling him, “I love you dad.”
 
Arashi returned the hug.  “I know.  I love you too.”  He then noticed what time it was and had to break off the hug as he told his son, “It looks like it’s almost time for dinner.  We shouldn’t keep your mom waiting.”
 
Kanji nodded as he followed his father out of the room.  The half-finished teddy bear remained on the table awaiting Kanji’s return.  If the teddy bear could talk, it would say it would be waiting patiently for Kanji to finish his work.
 
///
 
Date: Fall 2002
Location: Satonaka Residence
 
Unlike the Amagi or Tatsumi residences, the Satonaka residence was a normal Japanese home located in the residential district of Inaba.  There was nothing special about this home that set it apart from other homes.  It was a normal two story home, with a standard number of rooms, and it had a backyard.  Even though it would normally be enough room for most people, it would not be the case with this family of three and one dog.  What was unique about this home, was not the home itself, but it was one of the occupants.
 
Despite not having a family business or some kind of outstanding reputation within the community of Inaba, the Satonaka family was becoming rather famous or notorious throughout the town.  They were becoming famous for a rather unique reason.  The source of their fame and infamy was their daughter Satonaka Chie.  While their daughter Chie was not some delinquent, she was a rather ‘overly energetic’ daughter.  She was obsessed with karate and fighting.  Her parents had been hoping that she would calm down a little after bringing a dog home, but it soon became apparent that nothing was capable of quelling her overabundance of energy even though she had a dog to play with.  Without meaning to, she occasionally caused some property damage as a result whether it be in the Satonaka residence or someone else’s.
 
Chie’s mother, Satonaka Kyoko, was a petite woman with brown hair that reached her shoulders and could be described as being uptight but for good reason.  She wanted her daughter to act more lady-like.  However, even though her daughter was not even eight years old yet, Kyoko’s instincts told her that it that was an unlikely objective to achieve.  This was especially true since her husband did not seem too interested in having a daughter who was too ‘ladylike.’
 
When Kyoko walked into the spacious living room, she found her husband sitting on the couch with a can of Asahi beer in one hand and the remote in the other.  He was lazily flipping through the channels without really paying attention to what was on them.  Her husband, Satonaka Taichi, was a muscular man who was far more relaxed than her.  While he would take major problems seriously, he was willing to be more lenient about the smaller ones.  In fact, he seemed to be more encouraging of his daughter’s tomboy antics.  He personally liked the idea of having strong daughter.  While he was aware and concerned about the damage his daughter caused, his reactions were much calmer than his wife’s.
 
Kyoko asked her husband in a concerned voice, “Taichi-kun, have you seen Chie?”
 
While he continued flipping through the channels he answered, “Sorry, I haven’t seen her.”
 
As soon as he said that, he could hear his wife groan and he looked up to see the worried look on her face.  It amused him whenever she had that expression.  He reluctantly decided to ask her, “What did Chie break this time?”
 
Kyoko sighed at her husband’s indifference as she ran a hand through her messy blond locks.  “I believe it is more of a question about what she hasn’t broken already.”
 
His wife’s statement caught Taichi’s attention as he raised one of his eyebrows and asked in a skeptical tone, “Are you talking about that dog she brought home?  As far as I can tell, that dog has been …”
 
Kyoko interrupted her husband, “No it isn’t that.  The dog has actually been a better addition to the family than I thought it would.”
 
Taichi responded, “Then what’s the problem?  We haven’t received any new complaints recently.”
 
“No, but I think it is only a matter of time before she breaks something else.”  She smoothed out her apron as she sat next to him.  She held one of Taichi’s large, muscular hands in her petite hands as she told him, “I’m just worried about her.  I think we need to find her a place to burn off more of her energy, so she can calm down.”
 
Taichi nodded as he gave his wife a sheepish look, “Just like me huh?”  He laughed as used his other hand to scratch the back of his black haired head.
 
Her husband’s question amused her.  Kyoko’s brown eyes sparkled as she jokingly said, “If she turns out to be exactly like you, I’ll have to tell her teachers and everyone in this neighborhood to run for the hills.”  She then topped it off by gently poking him on the nose.
 
After his wife was done having her fun, he told her, “Believe it or not, I’ve actually been giving some thought into what we can do about her excess energy as well.”
 
Kyoko asked in a playfully skeptical tone, “Really?  You’re not generally the type to take the initiative.”
 
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”  Taichi began to tell his wife, “The place I was thinking about taking her was …”
 
Before Taichi could finish his statement, the couple heard a loud ‘Crash’ from outside that startled them.  Neither one of them needed to guess who caused that sound.  In their heads, the both of them were thinking, “Speak of the Devil.”
 
Even though they did not need confirmation, they soon heard a small feminine voice say, “Uh-oh …” That seemed to be their daughter’s standard response to whenever she broke something.
 
This time their daughter had put her foot through the rice paper door that separated their backyard from their living room.  They could see the silhouette of their little girl.  As they could see, their daughter was stuck and she was having trouble getting her foot out of the door.
 
Both of her parents stood up abruptly as they rushed outside to help their daughter.  After they were outside, Kyoko said out loud in a frightened voice, “Chie!  What on earth were you thinking?  What made you think kicking a door was a good idea?”  She did not really expect to hear any responses to those questions.
 
Taichi stood behind his daughter to make sure she remained balanced while Kyoko worked on trying to free her daughter’s foot.  As Kyoko and Taichi were helping Chie get her foot unstuck from the door, Kyoko thought in relief, “She’s luck that this was a rice paper door and it wasn’t made out of glass.  I don’t even want to think about how badly she could’ve hurt herself.”
 
After they managed to finally free their daughter, they were relieved to see that she was not injured.  At first it did not appear to dawn on the girl how wrong her actions were until she looked up to see her father’s disapproving look.  This caused the girl to sit on the wooden platform, duck her head, and be flushed with embarrassment.  She sheepishly said, “I’m sorry mom.  I’m sorry dad.  It was an accident.”
 
Both Kyoko and her husband sat down on the wooden platform, so they could be at eye leve with their daughter.  Kyoko asked in an exasperated tone, “How does an accident like that happen?”
 
Chie hesitantly admitted as she was shifting one of her bare feet against the cold, hard wooden floor, “I was …. I was just trying to train.”
 
After hearing her daughter’s answer she quickly glanced at her husband before asking, “Train for what?  You’re a six year old girl, why would you need to train?”
 
Taichi chimed in with a question of his own, “Why would you feel like you need to train in the first place?”
 
When she was asked these questions, the first thought that came to Chie’s mind was, “I’m training because Yukiko-san looked so sad the other day when I walked her home.  Her father looked really mean.”  However, Chie had a feeling she could not give that answer.  She had trouble coming up with a passable answer at first, “Well I … uh.  … Um, well there was this really cool movie on the other day.”  As she was telling her parents this answer, she bit the inside of her lip.  “I thought that I’d try out some of the moves the characters did.”  Chie pointed to the hole in the door and said in a triumphant tone, “I was trying out the ‘Rounded House Kick.’”
 
Taichi corrected his daughter, “I think you mean the ‘Round House Kick.’” 
 
As he was correcting his daughter, he ignored a look he received from his wife.  The look he was receiving was basically saying, “That’s what you’re focusing on?”
 
Chie scratched the back of her head as she sheepishly responded, “Oh.  That’s what it’s called.”
 
Taichi then told her, “You didn’t really answer our questions Chie-chan.”  He calmly said to her, “Please tell us the truth.”
 
When Chie saw that her attempt to avoid directly answering her parents question failed, she decided to be upfront with her real reasons.  She told them, “I want to be strong enough to protect Yukiko-san.”
 
While Kyoko was surprised by her answer, Taichi did not seem too shocked.  Kyoko questioned, “Yukiko-san is your new friend right?”
 
After Chie nodded, Kyoko further inquired, “Why would she need protecting Chie-chan?  She has parents.”
 
Chie admitted, “Her dad’s mean.  He yelled at her when I brought her home, and he didn’t even thank me.  All she did was try to be nice to him, and he still yelled at her.”
 
Before Kyoko could say anything, Taichi stated, “That doesn’t sound too surprising.  I’ve heard quite a bit about her father.  From my understanding, he is not the friendliest person.”  Kyoko remained silent because she could not think of anything else to say but take her husband’s word for it.  She also heard a few rumors about there being marital problems with the Amagi and Fukio, but she did not hear much more than that.  Taichi put his hand on Chie’s shoulder as he told her, “Well, do you know what this means?”
 
When her husband asked that question, Kyoko immediately jumped to conclusions as she asked in a concerned voice, “Taichi-kun!  You’re not going to head over to the Amagi Inn …”
 
Before she could finish her sentence, Taichi shook his head and told her, “No.  I’m was going to say that it is time for our daughter to begin taking some karate classes.”
 
Both Chie and Kyoko were confused by that statement as they simultaneously asked, “Karate classes?”
 
Taichi explained, “I’ve been setting some money aside for the past few weeks, so you can take karate classes Chie-chan.  They will help you burn off your excess energy while also making you a capable fighter who can protect her friend.  If you take these karate classes, you should become strong enough to protect your friend Yukiko-san from anyone who tries to harm her.”
 
Chie’s widened as she asked in an uncertain tone, “Do you mean it?”
 
Taichi happily responded, “Of course.  When I was about your age, I was an energetic kid who wanted to help people.  I began taking karate classes myself, and they helped make me the person I became.  I believe they will be able to do the same for you.”
 
As soon as he told her that, Chie hugged him around his neck and told him in an adorable voice, “You’re the coolest dad ever!  Thank you so much!  I love you!  I really love you!”
 
Taichi placed a hand on Chie’s head as he continued to smile.  He told her, “I know.  I love you too.  However, there is one thing that I want you to keep in mind before you take these karate classes.”
 
Chie let go of her father and asked, “What’s that?”
 
In a serious voice he told her, “These lessons you will be taking will be meant for protecting both yourself and others.  They will make you into someone who is strong, but people with strength might not always use their strength to help others.”
 
Chie asked, “Do you mean they might use it to bully others like Yukiko’s dad bullies her?”
 
While that was not the most ideal example he would have used, Taichi decided to go along with that.  He replied, “Exactly.  He uses his strength for the wrong reasons.  You need to avoid becoming someone like that.  Do you understand?”
 
Chie nodded, “Yes.  I promise to be good.”  The look in Chie’s eyes showcased her desire to utilize what she learns to help others.
 
Seeing his daughter’s determined look satisfied Taichi and it caused him to smile as he said, “I’m glad to hear that.”  Taichi then remembered something and told his daughter, “Oh and one more thing.”
 
Chie asked in a curious voice, “What is it?”
 
In a playful voice Taichi told her, “Be sure to eat plenty of steak.”
 
“Steak?”  Chie was clearly surprised by what her father said.
 
Enthusiasm must have been a family trait passed down in the Satonaka family because Taichi explained to his daughter in an enthusiastic voice, “Of course.  Steak not only tastes great, but it is good for you.  It has plenty of protein, iron and other nutrients that will make you strong.”  In case that was not enough to convince his daughter, Taichi added, “When you grow up, you will be both skilled and strong enough to protect anyone you want.”  While Taichi was explaining this, his wife stood to the side with an amused look on her face.
 
While picturing herself becoming a great warrior, Chie enthusiastically responded with an innocent smile, “That sounds great.  I look forward to eating lots of steak.”
 
“That’s my girl.”  He patted and rubbed his daughter’s head before telling her, “Now go and wash up.  Dinner is going to be ready soon.”
 
Chie happily replied, “Okay.”  She let go of her father and ran upstairs to clean up.
 
As soon as Chie was gone, Taichi looked over to his wife who had another amused expression on her face.  Taichi could not help but ask, “What?”
 
Kyoko replied in a deadpan tone, “I really hope her teachers are ready to run marathons.”
 
///
 
Date: Fall 2002
Location: Outskirts of Inaba – Shirogane Estate
 
The Shirogane Estate was a rather large mansion that had about two dozen room, including a room in the basement that acted as a shooting range.  It was located on the countryside near a town called Inaba.  The Estate had a rather large courtyard both in the front and the back.  It had tall hedges that appeared to act as fences around the estate.  In actuality, there were medal fences hidden underneath them.  There was a towering gate to the driveway that could only be activated by someone who knew the code.  They would generally have no problem opening the gate for guests and/or delivery men.
 
All of the windows in the Shirogane Estate were made of bulletproof glass in case of whether any potential enemies that the Shirogane had made over the years ever attempted to take revenge.  Certain windows were capable of being opened from the inside to allow a breeze through, but they could not be opened to widely otherwise it would completely defeat the purpose of having bulletproof windows.  There were also security systems that would alert the residents if someone was attempting to force his or her way in.  While the property seemed like a secure place, it was not completely intruder-proof.  Many thieves had attempted to sneak into the house and while most of them had been caught, there had been had least one or two successful break-ins in the past.
 
Since the Shirogane Estate was isolated from other places, it was a tranquil and quiet place to live.  The location also made it an ideal place for being able to train in peace.  The profession that most members of the Shirogane Estate would train for would be to be a detective.  It has been the profession that has been passed down for generations, and the family managed to acquire quite a bit of wealth.  Some of that wealth could also be contributed to the fact some of the members of the family wrote detective books based on their experiences following their retirement.
 
The current head of the Shirogane Estate and the family business was a middle aged man name Shirogane Kenshin.  He was approximately fifty-five years of age, but he seemed to be in great shape due to how often he worked out.  It was possible for some people to mistaken him for someone in his forties rather than fifties.  The man was a relatively tall man with dark hair that was slowly graying.  He had to wear glasses over his dark eyes due to his failing vision.  He also had a rather large nose, and a firm chin.  Kenshin had maintained his family’s business for over thirty years, and he was responsible for solving dozens upon dozens of cases.  Based on current circumstances, it seemed like he would be remaining the head of the Estate and family business for the foreseeable future.
 
Originally, Kenshin’s son was the one who was set to become the next head of the family and inherit the family business.  His son was proving to be a good detective in his own right and capable of succeeding him one day.  Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.  Kenshin’s son and daughter-in-law had died in a horrific car accident.  At first Kenshin believed that the car accident was caused by foul play, but as much as he tried to investigate the accident, he could never find evidence that what happened was nothing more than an accident.  It took him sometime to finally accept the fact that it was an accident that claimed his son and his daughter-in-law’s lives.
 
As saddened as Kenshin was by his son’s death, he did the best he could not let it cripple him.  He knew he still had his own life to live, and he still had family that he needed to care for.  When his son died, the only legacy he left behind was his daughter, Shirogane Naoto who was only three at the time.  Without hesitation, Kenshin took custody of his granddaughter. He would do everything he could to take care of her.  He would not be alone in raising her, he would receive some assistance in that regard.
 
Several years later, his granddaughter was already showing certain signs of being like her father.  Despite her young age, she was already proving to be quite intelligent and curious about many things in the world.  He even caught her sneaking into his office and reading some of his books.  He was never angry at his granddaughter for doing that.  Instead, he was pleased by how much she reminded him of his late son among other things.  A part of Kenshin was tempted to consider training his granddaughter to become a detective.  However, he was not sure if it was the right thing to do.
 
Whenever Kenshin would think about it, the general thoughts that would come into his head would be, “My granddaughter is still very young.  I shouldn’t think about rushing something like that.  She should make her own decisions.  Besides, being a detective is not exactly a risk free occupation, and she is the only grandchild I have.  I should not take that for granted.”
 
Despite being a master detective who was capable of solving numerous mysteries, there was one mystery that Kenshin was plagued with on a regular basis.  The mystery was the whereabouts of his granddaughter.  She had a habit of disappearing on a somewhat regular basis.  While Kenshin would not go as far as panicking, he did tend to not be as capable of using his rational mind whenever she disappeared since she was the only child of his son.  Sometimes he would find her in his office, other times he would find her in various other places on the Estate checking out where she could learn more about the profession of being a detective.
 
One day during one of Naoto’s disappearances, Kenshin asked the man he approached in a concerned voice, “Yakushiji have you seen Naoto anywhere?”
 
The man identified as Yakushiji was a well-dressed man with gray hair who always wore sunglasses.  He was the Secretary of the Shirogane Estate, and he has been a loyal worker to Kenshin as well as the Shirogane family for years.  Yakushiji and Kenshin’s families have worked with each other for generations and the two of them had been friends since before Kenshin took up the mantle of his family.  After being friends for decades, it was not unusual for someone to mistaken them for being brothers.
 
Yakushiji could understand his friend’s concern for his granddaughter, but he believed there was nothing to fear.  He told his friend, “I’m sure there is no need to worry.  Despite her young age, Naoto-sama has always been curious about what you do Kenshin.  She looks up to you, and I’m sure she just wants to imitate you.”
 
Kenshin replied, “I had a feeling you would say something like that.”  He rushed past his friend towards where he believed his granddaughter might be.  As he was moving towards his office he thought, “She is probably in my office again.”  He was walking rather fast to the point of almost running over to where his office was located hoping that he was right.
 
When he arrived at the door, he seemed strangely uneasy about opening the door, even though this was the door to his own office.  He was hoping that his granddaughter would be behind that door, but he was a little worried that she would not be.  After telling himself, it was stupid to be hesitant in this situation, he reached for the handle and slowly opened the door.  As soon as he opened the door, he was relieved to see his granddaughter sitting on the floor reading a Sherlock Holmes book with several books piled up next to her.  Kenshin could not help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw her safe and sound.
 
Kenshin’s office was a rather extravagant area.  There was an old oak desk placed near a large window that was made of bulletproof glass.  On both sides to the desk there were large bookcases stacked high with various reading material.  The contents of the bookcase ranged from old cases the Shirogane family had previously solved to books that were useful in training a detective, as well as volumes of detective novels, such as Sherlock Holmes.
 
When Kenshin entered the room, his granddaughter did not seem to notice his presence.  Instead, she seemed to be rather entranced by what she was reading.  It was almost as if she was in another world, and she was unable to hear anything else that was happening but her own thoughts.  Despite how advanced the reading material was, she was reading it with ease.  Her eyes were quickly reading through the lines one by one and turning the page.
 
As she was reading the book, Naoto excitedly thought, “I knew it!  I knew it!  I knew that guy had to be the culprit!  It seemed so obvious!”
 
Seeing his granddaughter reading the books with such enthusiasm caused Kenshin to smile rather than be upset.  He thought, “She truly does take after her father.  I’m sure he would be proud to see his daughter is already off to a good start in securing a promising future.”
 
After looking at her read for a few moments, he decided to get her attention.  He loudly cleared his throat, “Ahem,” and then called out to her, “Naoto.”
 
///
 
The little girl was finally brought out of her little world when she heard the, “Ahem.”  Her eyes widened at the thought of whose voice that belonged to because she had heard that before.  Her face continued to remain down until she heard the voice say, “Naoto.”
 
She nervously looked up to see that her grandfather was standing at the doorway.  He did not seem angry or annoyed, but she was still nervous nevertheless that he caught her again.  Naoto silently gulped at what was the come.  She had a feeling that she was probably going to receive a scolding or something.  However, she did not mind the idea of being scolded.  As far as she could tell, it would have been worth it because she did enjoy reading his books, and she knew the risks of coming into his office.
 
The office was silent for a few moments.  The only sound that could be heard was the warm spring breeze that flowed through the window that Naoto had opened.  Naoto finally decided to break the silence by nervously saying, “Grandfather.”
 
At this point, Kenshin was not sure what amused him more.  The fact his granddaughter snuck into his office again to read Sherlock Holmes or that she was so nervous by him catching her.  He walked over to his granddaughter and kneeled down beside her as he playfully told her, “The next time you try sneaking into my office, you might want to consider taking the books you want and sneaking them into your room, so I won’t catch you red handed next time.”
 
Naoto responded, “The books are too heavy for me to carry, and I’d be caught by you or Yakushiji-san anyway.  At least if I try reading here, I can at least put the books back.”
 
Kenshin was a little surprised by his granddaughter’s rather logical point.  She was definitely wise beyond her years even if it did technically involve ‘breaking and entering’ into someone’s office. “Good point.”  Kenshin decided to change his mood to being more serious as he told her with a stern look, “All jokes aside, what have I told you about entering another person’s room without their permission.”
 
Naoto could see that her grandfather was serious as she recited what he had told her, “You’ve told me that, ‘It is rude to enter other people’s rooms without their permission because I would be invading their privacy and trespassing on their property.’”
 
Kenshin nodded as he told, “I see that you remember what I’ve told you, but you are not the best at following what I say.”
 
Naoto shamefully said, “I’m sorry Grandfather.”
 
With a stern voice, Kenshin lectured his granddaughter, “Sorry might be fine this time, but it might not be fine at other times.  There are some mistakes that you might make down the line that could end up getting you in trouble which you can barely imagine.  I’ve made numerous mistakes in my youth that I could have easily prevented if I had listened to my own father’s advice.  I wish I had, but I didn’t, and I’ve paid a price for it.”
 
Naoto looked at her grandfather nervously, and she was not sure what she could say.  She wanted to say something, but she could not bring herself to say anything.
 
Kenshin could see that he was making her granddaughter really nervous and he seemed to be getting his point across.  He sighed as he told his granddaughter in a calm, caring voice, “You have to understand Naoto that I promised your parents that I would take care of you if anything happened to them.  I swore on my honor that I would look out for their daughter, and I’ve done the best I can.”
 
Naoto sadly said, “I understand grandfather.”
 
Kenshin then told her, “When you get older, you will understand that maybe there will be times when things may not be so simple.  However, I will want you to follow the rules and heed the advice others give you.”  He could see that his granddaughter was listening to his every word as he said, “On top of that, you also need to be honest with others because if you are not honest, no one will believe you and you will not be able to build trust between anyone.  If you don’t have anyone’s trust, it will be difficult for you to accomplish anything in the real world.  Do you understand?”
 
Even though Naoto was intelligent and mature for a girl her age, she was still a child.  There were still plenty of things that she could not completely grasp about the real world.  She hesitantly replied, “…I think so.”  The unease in her voice was noticeable.
 
After hearing his granddaughter’s response he rubbed his eyes for a moment as he thought, “Sometimes I forget that I’m speaking to a child.  It has been a long time since my son grew up.  I need to get used to that again.”  He adjusted his glasses and gave her a soft smile as he decided to change the subject.  He asked in a curious manner, “So what books did you decide to read from my shelf this time?”
 
Naoto was not sure if she should really answer that.  She knew her grandfather was a kind man, but he was stern.  She was not sure if his lecture was over or if this was meant to be some kind of continuation of what he was saying.
 
When it became clear his granddaughter was a little too nervous to reply, he assured her, “It’s okay Naoto.  I’ve said what I needed to say.  Now I’m just curious about what you were reading.”
 
Naoto could tell that her grandfather was being truthful which caused her face to brighten up.  She enthusiastically told him, “I’m reading Sherlock Holmes.  He just figured out the mystery of who committed the murder.”
 
Her grandfather asked, “Did you figure it out before Sherlock did?”
 
Naoto nodded her head as she proudly replied, “Yep!  I figured it out over a chapter ago.  All I had to do was pay attention to the clues.”
 
Kenshin seemed pleased with what his granddaughter said as he said with pride, “That’s my girl.  If you keep this up, you might have what it takes to become a detective.”
 
Naoto’s eyes widened as she asked, “Really?”
 
Kenshin playfully replied, “Of course.  If you want to, I can start training you next week after I’ve created a few exercises for you.”
 
Naoto was becoming more excited by the second as she asked, “Do you really mean that grandfather?”
 
Kenshin told her, “I’m an honest, honorable man who keeps his word.  You can expect to start your training next week after school on Monday.”
 
Naoto quickly got up and hugged her grandfather’s neck as she said, “Thank you grandfather!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!”
 
Her enthusiasm towards this subject reminded Kenshin of how her father reacted when Kenshin told his son that he could begin his own training.  He patted his daughter’s back as he thought, “She is definitely my son’s daughter!”  A small tear came down his eye that he quickly wiped away before Naoto was finished hugging him.
 
Kenshin and Naoto both stood up and he told her, “As I’ve told you Naoto, I’m being honest with you, and I will keep my word.  I expect you to do the same for me.”
 
Naoto replied, “I will.”
 
Kenshin told her in a serious tone, “Before we get started, you need to promise to promise me Naoto that you will listen to what I say and heed my advice.”
 
Her grandfather’s tone did not cause Naoto to become nervous this time.  She was too happy to mind that.  Naoto cheerfully told her grandfather without hesitation, “I promise.”
 
Hearing his granddaughter quickly make that promise was satisfying.  It caused Kenshin to put a smile on his face as he said, “Okay then.  In that case, there is a saying that our family has passed down for generations.  It is a saying that I want you to repeat.”
 
Naoto asked curiously, “What is it?”
 
“The saying goes like this.”  Kenshin took a deep breath and looked his granddaughter in the eyes before he began reciting the saying of the Shirogane family, “‘When things become dire, always look for the light at the end of the tunnel because there is always a way to solve and overcome what we are facing.’” He looked down at Naoto as he asked, “Can you repeat that?”
 
Naoto attempted to repeat what she heard, “When things become dire, always look for … always look for the light at end of the tunnel because … because,” her voice trailed off before looking towards her grandfather with a defeated look.
 
Kenshin smiled as he thought, “It is amazing that she can figure out the case from a Sherlock novel, but she is having trouble reciting the family mantra.  However, I know she is not the only member of the house that had trouble with memorizing that.”  He comforted his granddaughter by telling her, “I forgot what the saying was the first time I tried saying it too.  Your father had trouble as well.  You will get it eventually.”
 
Naoto looked at her grandfather with a determined look as she said, “I will.”
 
The look of determination that Naoto would give her grandfather was something that gave her grandfather assurance that his granddaughter would see her training to the end.  He saw his son give him that same look when he began his training.  It was as if he was seeing his son again through his granddaughter.

Kenshin continued smiling as he told her, “I have no doubt.”


As you can see this is a rather long chapter.  You can expect future chapters of this story to be quite long as well.  While this does not contain any Yuri scenes in this part, it does help set things up for some of the other main characters.  I hope you like Kanji and Naoto's pasts.

Out of curiosity, whose parents or guardians do you like the most so far?

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If you would like to read the fanficiton version of this chapter, you can check it out here.

www.fanfiction.net/s/10518993/…
© 2014 - 2025 Knowledgeseeker01
Comments2
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angeluchiha7's avatar
vary nice chapter