Day 1

After Batou left with Gabu, Togusa carried his daughter back inside the house with the new doll he got for her. It was made of porcelain and wore a white and peach colored dress. Resting on its blonde, curly locks was a matching hat with a bow. Whoever created the doll was certain to capture the qualities of a real girl.

Togusa set his daughter down and stretched a bit after doing so. The most recent mission had been very stressful but thankfully it was all over.

"Welcome home, Love," His wife greeted him with a peck on the lips. She looked at their daughter and admired the new toy, "My! What a lovely doll!"

"Daddy got it for me!" The girl smiled and held up her new friend.

Togusa chuckled and nodded, "I certainly did." He looked at his wife and explained, "When Batou and I were in China, I saw an old antique store and decided to visit...which reminds me." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small cloth case. Inside of it was a pair of sapphire earrings. He handed them to his wife whom looked very appreciative.

"They're beautiful! Thank you," She kissed him once more before putting them on. She tilted her head from side to side and asked, "How do they look on me?"

"Perfect." He smiled. He then continued his story, "After I got you these earrings, I saw something on the floor amongst a pile of loose, tangled wires. I went over to investigate and discovered the doll. I freed it and took it to the owner who ran the store. Strangely enough, he had never seen the doll before and didn't care to put a price on it so...I got it for free."

"Really?" His wife was genuinely surprised, "And it looks imported as well! You certainly are a lucky man." She then turned to her daughter and bent over asking, "Now what are you going to name your new friend?"

Their daughter lifted the doll to her ear and tilted her head, as if to listen to it. She then replied, "Marion!"

"'Marion', what a cute name! Where did you come up that?"

"She told me to call her that!" Their daughter giggled, as if the answer was obvious.

Togusa gave his daughter an odd look but then chuckled. His daughter was always so creative.

"Alright, well it's time for you and Marion to get to bed." His wife informed in her motherly tone, "Now that Gabu has returned home, you do not have an excuse to stay up past bedtime."

"Yes, Mama," The girl replied. She didn't seem too bothered now that she had Marion to play with.

Togusa picked his daughter up and said, "I'll put you two to bed, how about that?"

"Okay!"

He carried her upstairs and set her down once they made it to her bedroom. His daughter placed the doll on the bed first before grabbing her nightgown and going into the bathroom to change. Togusa waited for her and looked over at Marion who was sitting up against the pillows, facing its shoes.

Soon, his daughter exited the bathroom in her pink, frilly nightgown and joined her doll on the bed. She situated herself under the sheets as her father pulled the covers over her chest.

"It's good to see you again," He smiled, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," She smiled back.

He kissed her forehead saying, "Sleep well." He looked over at her new companion and said, "You sleep well too, Marion."

Of course, there was no audible response from the doll.

Togusa turned off the lamp on his daughter's nightstand and headed for the door. His daughter turned on her side, closing her eyes, as Marion sat next to her. Togusa slowly began to close the door behind him and as he was closing it, he saw that the doll was watching him.