Doro said, "Doctor Souichi Tomoe? I am Detective Doro of the Spirit Police."
Tomoe asked, "Why have you brought me here? I've done nothing wrong."
Handing the doctor a newspaper, Doro said, "You were involved in a magical explosion that cost you your memory and a lot of mobility. Your daughter was de-aged back into a baby. Look at the date on the paper. This is not a joke."
Souichi Tomoe hesitantly took the paper and saw the date and then took a hurried glance at Hotaru. Hotaru woke up and gazed around the room in interest with bright lavender eyes. Doro knelt to look Dr. Tomoe in the eye and sighed heavily.
Sadly, Doro said, "The Spirit Police does have the ability to restore both you and your daughter. You might not like what you have done in the past, but almost everyone has regrets. It is your choice."
Souichi brushed a finger against Hotaru's cheek and tears glistened in his eyes. He closed his eyes and slowly nodded.
"My daughter should only have to go through growing up once. I might want her to stay a baby, but I know better. By the way, it is Professor not Doctor."
Doro stood up. "Very well. One thing I can guarantee is that your memories of your daughter growing up will be almost photographic in recall. You will also be restored first, so you can see your daughter grow up again. It's the least we can do."
"Thank you."
As Doro left, he said, "I'll see you after you and your daughter have gone through restoration. I have something to investigate in the Juuban ward and probably Antarctica."
Doro left, leaving Souichi to cry silently.
_______________________________________________________________________
In the Juuban ward, Naru Osaka felt something was wrong. She saw that three of Usagi's friends were very upset about something, but she didn't know why Ami, Makoto and Minako would be. Sighing, she tried to recall the last time she talked to Usagi. She frowned as she hunted around the ward at Usagi's usual hangouts.
"Naru Osaka, I presume?" A voice said, interrupting her search.
Naru turned and saw a blue skinned, green haired man wearing a trenchcoat that was standing three meters in the air. Naru tripped as she backed up and was about to scream.
"Please be calm, Miss Osaka. I am Detective Doro of the Spirit Police. I am not here to harm you. Word has finally reached us, as to what's been happening here in this ward. I figured with all the times you have been attacked and saved, you would be able to see me."
Naru stammered out, "What do you want?"
Doro replied, "Please take me to where Neflyte was killed. I need to see if there is anything left that might be of some use in an investigation that is being carried out now."
A lump formed in Naru's throat, as she recalled Neflyte and how he died. Tears started falling down Naru's cheeks.
"I know this is a painful subject for you, but it is important," Doro said.
Naru nodded and said in a cracked whisper, "We're not far from the place. I'll take you there."
Naru led Doro to the exact tree that Neflyte was leaning against when he had faded into sparkles of light, as he died. Naru noticed that even though Doro was floating behind her, no one paid any attention to him. Once they arrived at the spot, Doro searched the base of the tree and picked up a small stone. He showed it to Naru and smiled.
"Thank you Miss Osaka. You've been most helpful."
Naru stared at the stone. "What is that?"
"It is an uncut gemstone. A stone of nephrite to be precise and is loaded with magical energy and maybe some spiritual energy. I'll have to have some tests run."
Doro rose upwards in the air, as Naru stared at him.
Naru called out, "Detective Doro, why am I always being attacked by monsters? Is there a way to protect myself? Why did no one notice you?"
Doro bit his lower lip in thought. "I don't know about the first question. Answering your second question, there might be a way. I'll get back to you on that. As to me not being noticed, that is because I'm from the Spirit World. Any other questions?"
"Where are you going now?"
Holding up the gemstone, Doro said, "Antarctica. There were four Dark Generals. Since they were all killed, they probably each left a stone with their powers in them. It's not safe to just leave them lying around."
Naru recalled some of the things that happened around the time Neflyte was still alive and nodded.
Holding the stone out, Doro said, "If I'm right about the stones, Neflyte might have provided a way to protect you after his death."
Naru asked, "What do you mean...."
Her voice trailed off, as she saw that Doro had vanished. Naru shook her head and went back to hunting for Usagi, trying to put that odd encounter out of her mind. She felt relieved that the strange man had not attacked her and was curious about the last words he said to her.
Naru thought, "I don't know why I'm thinking that Usagi's vanishing and that Doro person showing up is related. How did he know about Neflyte?"
_______________________________________________________________________
After leaving Naru, Doro found the magic portal that once led from Juuban to Antarctica. Entering the portal, he held the stone had had recovered in front of him. The uncut gemstone glowed with light and illuminated a cavern. Doro floated along the passageways scanning the floor. A dim glow came from one of the pebbles on the floor. He stopped and picked up the glowing stone and examined it.
Nodding, Doro said, "Kunzite. Two to go."
Doro put the two stones together and followed the tunnel. The glowing gems flashed and two portals appeared. One was colored a silvery color and the other white. Doro closed his fist around the stones and floated through the silvery portal. He was shocked when he saw the night sky with a blue moon in the sky above him.
"Where am I?" Doro asked himself, as he looked around. "The moon? Okay. This was unexpected. I'll come back here later."
Doro quickly went back through the silver portal and into the white portal. He nodded in satisfaction, as he saw snow whipping around him. Using the stones as beacons, he found the entrance to where Beryl once had her fortress. Doro searched through the empty rooms and found another glowing pebble.
"Zoicite. Just one last one to get."
Using the three stones, he was able to open a black portal and look inside. He saw a blonde haired man encased in crystal. The three stones glowed brighter and the imprisoned man floated out of the portal. Doro scratched his chin, as he looked at the giant crystal.
"Okay, so Jedite is not dead. I'll leave him here for right now."
Doro examined the destroyed fortress and found one of Beryl's machines. After taking one look at the device, Doro fell to the ground and started throwing. Now since he was a spirit, this was quite a feat. Standing up, Doro banished the bile from his tongue with a spit.
"Mind control. Looks like the Restoration department just got another patient."
Doro headed back to the imprisoned Jedite and snapped his fingers. A group of Spirit Police appeared on the scene. Doro pointed at the crystal tomb and then pointed down the hallway he just came from.
"Victim of mind control magic. There is some equipment in that direction that was probably used to convert him."
The Spirit Police squad quickly did their duties and took the imprisoned Jedite and Beryl's old equipment back to Spirit Police HQ. Doro went with the squad to have the stones analyzed.
Rattling the three stones in his fist, Doro thought, "I'll have to see if I can get another Makendo device made. Naru's inner power was quite amazing. Maybe each stone can power a device."
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(Posted Sat, 11 Jun 2005 16:37)
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