Scene One

LIAM: (chuckled nervously) Mr. Misaki, I--- (gulped) I don't know what to say.

KENJI: Is it true? Do you have feelings for her?

LIAM: (confidently smiled and brushed his hair out of his face) Yes, I like her. (grabs Shiori's hand and causes her to blush.)

KENJI: (laughed lightly) I knew it! Well, let’s get you home, then.

(Kenji resumed driving to Liam's house as the teens chatted quietly in the backseat. They arrived at Liam's house. Shiori and Liam stepped out of the car. They said their goodbyes and Liam kissed Shiori on the cheek. Suddenly a little girl ran up to them and embraced Liam tightly.)

LITTLE GIRL: (excited) Мой старший брат наконец, домой.

LIAM: Ah, Zoya...how's my little sister? *whispers in Zoya's ear* Shiori does not know Russian yet, so speak Japanese with her, please?

ZOYA: (nodded) Okay! (Looks over at Shiori) So Shiori, are you dating anyone?

SHIORI: (blushed and nodded) Yes. I’m dat-- (stammered over her words and twirled her hair)

ZOYA: (embraced Shiori and whispered) I’m just kidding, please take a deep breath.

SHIORI: (smiled and nodded) I’m dating your big brother.

Zoya: (giggled and hugged Shiori) About time.

(Shiori and Zoya pull apart. Zoya took Liam's hand as they waved bye to Shiori and her father. The siblings went inside their house and disappeared. Shiori got in the backseat of Kenji's car. He ushered her towards the front. She slid into the passenger seat next to her father. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.)

KENJI: (sighed) So, Shiori—I think it's time we had the talk.

SHIORI: (asked) What kind of talk?

KENJI: Well, I think it's time that you learned Russian that way, you can understand what Liam and his relatives are saying.

SHIORI: (pondered) Oh? I thought we were going to have a different type of talk...

KENJI: (confused) What kind of talk, were you thinking about?

SHIORI: The-no-investigating-my mother's-murder-type of talk.

KENJI: (erupted in anger) DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT. Your mother died a hero. The case was closed years ago.

SHIORI: (pleaded) But, father...I—I have a hunch on who killed her.

KENJI: (slammed on the brakes yet again) Let it go, darling! (pleaded) Please just let her rest in peace.

SHIORI: I can't, Father. I need closure. We need closure. We-- (starts to cry) We need to know who did this and we need to know why.

KENJI: (sighed) I never thought this day would come. (rubbed his eyes) Let's go home first and I'll tell you everything, okay darling.

SHIORI: (smiled and nodded) Okay, Father.

Scene Two

(The father and daughter arrived home as Japanese pop music played in the background. Kenji opened the garage door with his glasses and pulled his flying car in the garage. He closed the garage and the pair walked into the kitchen and Kenji poured Shiori some coffee. They sat at the bar, which was off to the right of the kitchen stove.)

KENJI: (poured himself some coffee) I met your mother, when we were kids. My father and her father were both co founders of this robotic organization called Star Falls Inc. Our mothers were the designers for the robots. With the creative team of collaborators, our parents were the driving force behind making our robot maid, Michika. - -

SHIORI: (star-struck) THEY CREATED MICHIKA!

KENJI: (glanced at Shiori) Yes before I was so rudely interrupted.

SHIORI: I’m sorry, Father!

KENJI: It’s fine. Where was I? (Trying to remember) Oh, Yes… Now, your mother and I played together all the time.

(Flashback to a younger Kenji and Hannah. The two children played together quietly until Hannah spoke up.)

Young HANNAH: Kenji, what do you wanna do when you grow up?

Young KENJI: (blushed) I—wanna marry you, someday!

Young HANNAH: (blushed and punched him lightly on the arm) Yeah, right!

Young KENJI: (retorted) Well, what do you want to do when you grow up?

Young Hannah: (sticks out her tongue out) Well, I’m never gonna marry you, I’m gonna be a Cop.

Young Kenji: Good luck with that!

Young Hannah: Thanks, you’ll see. I’ll be the best cop ever!

(About ten years later, Hannah achieved her dream of being a cop at the age of 16. Two more years followed and she was promoted to Chief of Police, while I was a professor at Shizoku Academy. We dated for about three weeks and then it happened.)

SHIORI: (jumped up, excited) WHAT HAPPENED?

KENJI: (smiled as he stirred his coffee)

(Hannah had cooked an amazing dinner in a gorgeous purple gown. She then dropped her knee and took my hand.)

SHIORI: (squealed) Mother proposed to you...

KENJI: (blushed madly and sipped his coffee)

YOUNG KENJI: Darling, while you are in that spot. (turning away) I have something, I want to ask you as well.

Young Hannah: Whatever it is, my answer will forever be yes.

(We got married that night in front of our parents and friends. It was sometime after you came along. Horrific things happened soon after you turned four. Your mother was working a case. It kept her away from home. This case was---was her last.)

KENJI: (started to cry) Darling…(grabbed Shiori’s hands tightly) You must understand…I loved your mother but that night…Her last night alive, I—(tears pour into his coffee) I asked her for some time apart.

SHIORI: (stood up and shouted) WHY the hell, did you say that?

KENJI: Sweetie, you were four years old. She was gone most of the time, working on that damn case. I needed her to see how that case was affecting us.

SHIORI: Father, because of you, she was murdered. (stands up and faced away from her father)

MICHIKA: (pours more coffee and emits a hologram on the counter, it plays)

HOLOGRAM HANNAH: Kenji and Shiori, if you get this message then you should know that I am currently in hiding.

KENJI and SHIORI dropped their coffee mugs dramatically and screamed: WHAT?????

The hologram continues: I am in hiding. My reason for hiding is that the crime boss said that he would harm you if I didn’t stop pursuing him. So, I faked my death for the next ten years. I know this is a lot to handle but Michika is scheduled to relay this message to you, today. You can find me at ---

(The hologram cuts off and Michika puts it away.)

Kenji: (grabs Michika’s robot arm) What was the rest of the message?

MICHIKA: Your old childhood home.

(Kenji scrambles for the door and runs past his bewildered daughter. Shiori calls after him and follows suit. The pair ran as fast as their legs could carry them. An hour later, they stopped at this old brick house. The lights were off as if no one was home. Kenji fumbled with his old fashioned key and the door opened. He looked up and there she was. She was older and her hair was greyer.)

HANNAH: Hello, my darling.

(Kenji embraced Hannah with a passionate kiss on the lips. Shiori hugged her mother, sobbing. Hannah ushers them inside and closes the door.)

SHIORI: Mother, I have so many questions to ask you…

HANNAH: (beamed) Ask away?

SHIORI: Did you know Father wanted a break away from you?

HANNAH: (sighed and glared at Kenji) Yes, I knew. I just chose to ignore the request.

KENJI: (adjusted his collar and accidently flashed a ring.) Darling, please…I can explain...

HANNAH: (stared at the ring) Kenji, whose ring is that on your finger? (Tears started to well up in her eyes.)

Shiori: (hugged her) Mother, it belonged to Jeanette.

HANNAH: (shouted in anger) You got remarried to my best friend. Well, where the hell is she?

SHIORI: (shouted back with tears in her eyes) Mother, She died of an autoimmune disease, last year.

(Hannah gasped and started to cry. She looked over at Kenji.)

HANNAH: Oh Sweetie, I’m so sorry I didn't kn—

KENJI: (cut her off) Honey, it wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I shouldn’t have been so weak. (kneel in front of Hannah) I lost you, ten years ago. I lost Jeanette too, but I’m not losing you again. Darling—(pulls out Hannah’s old wedding ring. Hannah gasped and Shiori was speechless.)

HANNAH: Kenji, you already know my answer. (kissed him gently and put her ring back on her finger.)

SHIORI: Hey, wait a minute…What happened to the crime boss?

(A shadowy figure enters the house from the unlocked front door. The family was taken by surprise. The camera slowly pans to them. A man's voice is heard.)

???: Well, it took a long time damn time. But I finally found you. (slow claps) Bravo, Detective.

Hannah saw him and drew her highly powered hydro-blaster. She aimed it at him.

HANNAH: So, we finally met. Hello, Jin.

KENJI and SHIORI shout simultaneously: What, Mr. Sato???

JIN: (laughs) Oh my god, will those two shut up? This is not Scooby Doo. I’m a bad guy, who will kill you.

Hannah (fired her gun): No one threatens my family.

(The shot hit Jin directly in the head. He phased out and everyone was shocked. Just then a loud noise was heard from outside.)

HANNAH: Oh no, he was a hologram. Sh#t, Kenji…darling. I need you to take Shiori and run.

KENJI: (grabbed Hannah’s hand) Honey, you’re coming with us.

HANNAH: (pulled away) Don’t argue with me. There’s no time, run now. I’ll buy you time to get out. I’ll meet up with you, soon. I promise.

Kenji tearfully nodded and grabbed Shiori. Shiori struggled as her father picked her up. She desperately tried to cling onto her mother. She pleaded, “Father, we have to go back. Please…Mother needs us.” Kenji ignored her pleas and kept running. When his family home was far out in the distance, they turned back only for a second. Then the house exploded. Numb, Shiori felt numb and collapsed. A few hours had passed. But it felt like days.

Shiori: (woke up and lunged forward, shouting) Father, we just got her back and—

She looked around the room and she noticed her friends were there. She felt her head.

SHIORI: Liam, where am I?

LIAM: (patted her on the forehead) You are in the hospital. Who did you get back?

SHIORI: My... 

Words couldn't escape her lips. She had to be sure. The teen jumped out her bed and ran past her beloved friends. She stopped in the hallway and saw them. Her lovely parents sound asleep in the waiting area. She rushed to them and sobbed. They were startled awake. Her mother cupped her face.

HANNAH: Don’t worry, my little one. I won’t leave you ever again.

Shiori looked over her father and noticed his black eye.

SHIORI: Father, what happened while I was out.

KENJI: (smiled, while missing a tooth) I kicked someone's ass. That’s what happened. (laughed) They may have destroyed my home but they never destroy my heart. (kissed Hannah on the cheek)

SHIORI: So…is he dead?

HANNAH: Shiori, Heavens No…Jin's in Prison. He’s being watched by our team of Robots. Good news is that he can finally go see his son.

SHIORI: (smiled and embraced her mother) That’s great. Mother, speaking of his son…There are some friends…I want you to meet.

Shiori took her mother’s hand and they walked back to her room. Liam greets Hannah and embraces her. Claire was impressed that she spoke French. Daichi shook her hand and thanked her for putting his dad away. Michika lingered in the background before whirling out of the room and zipping over to Kenji. She assessed Kenji over and started patching up his black eye, while simultaneously installing a backup tooth.

KENJI: Hey, Michika.

MICHIKA: Yes, Sir.

KENJI: How would you like to be decommissioned to go on a vacation?

MICHIKA: (smiled) I could go visit Haruno.

KENJI: (shocked) How do you know her?

MICHIKA: (frowned) My database holds infinite information on her being drunk and going to random towns asking for information on Jin. Anyway, She’s my drinking buddy, except I drink oil. Wine ruins my hard drive.

KENJI: (puzzled) Ah, right. Enjoy your two-year vacation.

MICHIKA: (hugged him and blushed) Thank you, sir. I will enjoy it.

Scene Three

(Meanwhile INT: Shinzo Prison. Haruno waits patiently for Jin to come to see her.)

They met and she hugged him. He failed to reciprocate and shrugged her off.

HARUNO: Jin, I’ve missed you. I never stopped searching for you.

JIN: (responses harshly) You should’ve been raising our son, instead of searching for me. I’ve seen the videos of you drunk. It’s not cute. You’ll never find a husband, wasting away looking for me. You have to accept that I’m in here (points around the prison and shouts) FOR LIFE. Stop wasting your time on me, go and be happy. (sighed at the site of Haruno sobbing) Please just leave me, alone.

(Jin walked away and Haruno sobbed even harder. She stopped and sniffled. Someone handed her a tissue and she took it. She looked up at the hand and started to notice it wasn’t human. She jumped up.)

HARUNO: (giggled with excited) Michika, what are you doing here?

MICHIKA: Well… (blushing) My database indicates that you require comfort and I’ve been decommissioned for two years. I was wondering if you want to get out of here and grab a drink.

HARUNO: (blushed) Hell yeah, I’ll drink. Daichi is going out with Claire, tonight…So, we can drink at my place. (nervously added) If you want too?

(Michika started rapidly searching her database. All evidence points to a date. She has never been on a date with anyone, before. Michika blushed.)

MICHIKA: (blushed) Haruno, is this a date?

HARUNO: (blushed and grabbed her friend’s metallic hand) Only if you want it to be.

MICHIKA: (nodded slowly) I would very much like this to be a date.

The pair smiled and headed toward the exit, leaving the prison. They start to head toward a car that appears to be top of the line and hovers off the ground. Haruno is a little taken aback.

HARUNO: Michika, I didn't know you had a car.

MICHIKA: (smiled and handed off the keys) It's not mine. Mr. and Mrs. Misaki knows how hard you worked to keep Daichi at the school. So, they decided to give you this car and paid off your house. In addition, they set up a full college scholarship for him. He can go to any college of his choice.

HARUNO: (hugged her and sniffled) They didn't have to do all of that.

MICHIKA: Oh but, I insisted that you and your son would be taken care of after showing them those videos of us, together.

HARUNO: Wow! Thank you, Michika. How can I repay you?

MICHIKA: I guess we have two years to figure that out. I can always ask for more time.

HARUNO: (smiled and blushed) Two years is plenty of time, together.

(Michika smiled and opened Haruno's car door. Haruno got in and the pair drove off, happily.)

End of Act Two