Most people though they knew Hotaru Tomoe, the sickly, shy young girl. What these people knew was not what was real. What Hotaru Tomoe though she knew about herself was soon to be shattered by an unexpected missive.
****
The day started off normally enough. Wake up, go to school, try to avoid bullies, come home. It was at home that normal soon ended. "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, I'm home!" Hotaru said as she closed the front door behind her. Somewhat mystified that no one replied, she found a note and the mail on the dining room table. The note said 'Sorry, Forgot about a race today. Be back home shortly. Haruka.' Hotaru looked a little downcast at being alone but then turned her attention to sorting through the mail. Included in the small stack of mail was an official-looking envelope addressed to her from some lawyer she did not know. When she opened the envelope, she found a letter and a key in it. The letter read
TO: Hotaru Tomoe
This letter is in regards to the last will and testament of your adopted father, Professor Souichi Tomoe. This will was only recently uncovered in the remains of his study and in accordance with it, the contents of Safety Depost Box 6012 at the First Bank of Tokyo are now yours. The key contained in this letter is the key for the box.
At first, Hotaru was dumbfounded. The man she thought was her birth-father was actually her adopted father? However, curiosity soon took over. Hotaru wrote a quick note for Haruka and Michiru, put the key back in the envelope, put the envelope in her backpack, and then left to catch a bus for Downtown Tokyo. As she left the house, she felt a little excitement at finding out more about what the man she had thought of as her birth father was like before the accident.
****
Hotaru thought getting the box was going to be diffcult, but with the key it was suprisingly easy. She soon had the box and when she asked was shown an empty chair where she could sit down and open the box. What she found in it was a letter, a ring with an unusual stone, and a thick, old journal. Hotaru had a bit of difficulty in reading the cover of the journal; partially because it was written in English, partly due to the brownish stain covering part of the cover and staining the edges of the pages, and partly from the age of the journal itself. She set the journal and ring aside for the time-being to concentrate on the letter, which was from Professor Tomoe.
My dear Hotaru...
By now you have found out that you were adopted by myself. In spite of this, I still love you as my own daughter. 16 years ago, I had just been awarded my doctorate when I came across a gaijin woman staggering out of an alleyway, covered in blood and cradling a child. The woman saw me, staggered to me and pressed the child into my arms just before she collapsed to the pavement. No, I do not know who she was but I surmized that she was your mother. I did not want to run into whoever would be willing to shoot anyone, even a gaijin mother and fled out of there with the child. That child, Hotaru, was you. When I got back to the apartment, I found the journal you now have hidden in the bloddy cloths you were cloaked in. The journal appears to be from your grandfather, as his name is on the cover, but I could not open the journal to read further. At a loss, I decided to adopt you as my own daughter. Now, maybe you can find out more about your grandfather.
Your Papa
By the time Hotaru got to the end of the letter, tears were starting to brim in her eyes. She wiped them with a handkerchief and then turned her attention to the ring and the journal. The ring was a heavy, clunky ring set with a pale stone that seemed to gleam with a strange light. The ring looked like it was much too large for her small fingers, and she set it aside for the journal. Oddly, there was a decorative structure on the front of the journal that looked like it should have a gem set in it. She put the ring in her pocket, the journal and letter in her backpack, returned the key and box to a teller, then left to return home.
****
Somehow Hotaru managed to get back home before Haruka or Michiru. Once home she went straight up to her room to more closely examine the old journal. Try as she would, though, the old journal would not open. The journal was an old softcover journal without any visible lock, yet it refused to open. She then returned her attention to the oval depression on the front of the journal. The oval looked like it was the same size and shape as the jewel. Hotaru decided to press the jewel into the depression. There was an audible click, and Hotaru found she could now open the journal. What she found upon reading the journal was the adventures of adventurer Kent Allard, a.k.a. The Shadow. She also found:
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See other episodes by John Dunkelburg
(Posted Sat, 01 Jan 2005 05:45)
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