The Itawanabe Initiative
By Ryan Bodle
Chapter Three
The school bell rang for the final time that day. Ami packed her notes into her satchel. She promptly felt the arm of Tsukino Usagi lock with her own and there she was at Ami's side, smiling. "Usagi-chan," Ami smiled warmly. Who knows where Ami would have been without the constant warm presence Usagi generated.
"Ami-chan," Usagi merely replied.
They walked from the classroom arm in arm. Just outside, Osaka Naru was waiting for them. Or for Usagi, in particular. Usagi let go of Ami for a second and went to talk to her. Ami watched them talk rather quickly at each other it was amazing that they were able to hear each other talk. Then the mood turned sombre. Naru gave Ami a quick glance that looked sad but was too quick to tell. She looked back at Usagi and nodded. They waved each other goodbye and went in opposite directions.
Usagi took her place at Ami's side. "Naru hoped we could go to the Crown after school today."
"You should have gone with her, I don't need a baby sitter," Ami replied.
"I know," Usagi said back. "But I'm going to anyway. You know what sounds like a great idea?"
"No Usagi, what sounds like a great idea?"
"Milkshakes! Come on, what do you say?"
Ami could only smile beside herself. "Yes, that's sounds wonderful, lets go have milkshakes."
"Great, lets invite all the girls!" Usagi squealed, one hand grabbed Ami's and dragged her at mach speeds through the crowded hallways. Somehow the other had found her cell in her school satchel and was being furiously tapped away at. Amongst all this, the klutz known as Tsukino Usagi, kept perfect balance as she danced and dodged past each obstacle in her way. She didn't have time to fall flat on her face. Milkshakes were at stake here.
And so it was that afternoon, Ami and Usagi met with Makoto and Minako outside school where they proceeded to the Crown where they got a booth to themselves. Soon after Rei joined them and a round of milkshakes. Two chocolates, a strawberry, a vanilla and a peach. And though nobody forced the issue, Ami did declare that she lost a dear, old friend yesterday. Mina and Rei were shocked to hear the news but all four girls rallied around her.
'Thank God for friends,' Ami thought to herself.
And rather than hide her grief, Ami did tell them about Detective Koshiro Hiro and what a kind-hearted and clever old man he was. She told them about how she would exchange information with him and fight crime together. She talked and remembered him and it felt good. Her four best friends in the world listened intently. And together they consoled her. Another round of milkshakes.
For now, Ami had finished with her stories. And so the girls began to talk about encounters with other police officers they had had. Some were good, some were not so good. The general consensus, was that no one had ever seemed to forge a working a relationship with the police, save for Ami and Detective Koshiro.
"I wish we had a better friendship with the police," Usagi pouted. "After everything we do for the city, it'd be nice not to be chased and shot at."
"We do take the law into our own hands though, you have to appreciate their point of view," Rei chipped in.
"So what? We emasculate them and they can't stand us, how is that fair?" Mina snapped.
"I didn't say it was," Rei responded. "I'm just saying. When we're not fighting youmas, we're kind of doing their job and nobody gave us permission or the authority to do it."
"So what? We just stop fighting after all this time?" Makoto added.
"Of course not! I'm just trying to appreciate their position," Rei defended.
"Still," Usagi added. "It'd be easier on us if we had some kind of bond with the police. After all, we're supposed to be defenders of people everywhere, just like they are. It'd be nice if we were working together. Perhaps we should work on recruiting some helpers just like Hiro-san." Usagi immediately shrunk and looked at Ami. "Do you think I could call him that now? I think I would have, if I had known him."
"I think Koshiro-san would have liked that," Ami smiled in answer.
"Anyway, Usa-chan, how do you plan to start a cop fan club?" Rei teased. "Maybe we can put a poster up at the station, they can call us anytime."
"Oh hush Rei! I'm talking about being their friends not their idols!" Usagi responded. " We have enough of those." She went back to noisily slurping her Chocolate milkshake.
"Ami, how did you start working with Koshiro?" Mina asked to put an end to the squabbling.
Ami removed the straw to her shake from her mouth and smiled to herself. Laughing again under the circumstances of how she had stumbled across the detective. "It was during that time we were tracking that youma disguised as a Yakuza pusher," she reminisced.
"I don't remember a Yakuza pusher," Makoto said puzzled.
"You wouldn't," Minako answered. "It was just the three of us. Ami, Usagi and I."
Sailor Moon, Venus and Mercury crouched on the rooftop of a residential home doing the best they could to stay hidden from view whilst they spied on an alleyway opposite. The disappearing sun cast amber over Tokyo.
"We need to get this guy scanned and move on as quickly as possible," Venus whispered. "I have Intel on another three pushers in this district."
"I understand, Venus," Mercury replied with her visor already out. "But we need this one to come out of hiding, first."
Sailor Moon was uncharacteristically quiet. The three senshi were hunting drug dealers that were brazen enough to push into a well to do residential area. Crime was low, as was poverty. One could see the logic, lots of deep pockets to bring into their clientèle. However, in the last few months, there had been some hospital admissions that showed mutation of the cells in patients checking themselves in with fever and influenza. When Mziuno Ami discovered a case whilst visiting her mother at work, she discovered a far more insidious truth. Using Usagi's disguise pen, she was able to get close enough to a victim to scan him. An upper classman. His mutations were on a severely restricted level and luckily, they were dissipating during his time in admission. However, under her computer scans, they hit a match. Their origin was from youma DNA. Someone was creating youmas by corrupting humans. Ami investigated further. The victims all had something in common. They had traces of narcotics in their systems that modern day medical technology could not always detect. Of course, it had taken the closet heroine addict case for Ami to find the link. Unfortunately, the young boy of a well to do family could not hide what was in his blood.
Ami went back along her line of victims. Another on heroine, two had traces of cocaine still around their finger tips and nostrils. The last had nothing in her system, but Mina tailed her for a Saturday night and discovered she was rather partial to taking ecstasy when frequenting night clubs.
And so a common factor was found. Someone was using drugs to test their method of turning people into demons, possibly negaverse soldiers. A majority of the victims lived within 30 miles of each other, so the culprit must have been dealing in the neighbourhood. Venus managed to get information on a dozen known dealers in the area and so the three senshi had been investigating each one. Whenever they made a sale, Mercury would scan the goods for any alien elements. If they turned up negative, they'd move in, stop the trade and hang the dealer up for the police to find with evidence clearly on him or her. Then they'd move onto the next one.
Unfortunately, the police net was getting tighter after finding pushers mysteriously unconscious and with their trade in full view. Finding their real target was getting harder. The police were scaring off the dealers and even the one in particular they needed to find. If they didn't catch him tonight, he could go underground and never be heard from again until it was too late.
"Someone's coming," Venus whispered.
Two senior schoolboys walked into the alley, they cast a casual glance over their shoulders to assure they weren't being watched. They met someone the other side of the dumpster.
"Is it him?" the blonde senshi asked.
"I can't tell," Mercury replied as she began intensive scans.
They watched the third figure as he threw the other two against a wall and began to pat them down. Mercury held Venus as she could feel her friend tense. "I think he's just being cautious."
Sure enough, the the man seemed satisfied and reached into his pocket. All the while, his face remained hidden in the shadows. He pulled out a phone and brought it to his ear.
"Who's he calling?" Venus thought aloud. In an answer, a door another 20 yards in opened and two figures walked out. "Is that the dealer?"
A quick exchange started, one of the kids produced a roll of notes. One of the two new figures slipped something from his pocket and into the offering hand, taking the cash in one swift motion.
"Did you get it? Is it him?"
"Yes," Mercury answered very sure.
"What's in the drugs?" Venus asked.
"Nothing, they're fine."
"Then how do you know?"
"That man!" Mercury pointed. "He's not human, he's a youma!"
"Surround them!" Moon suddenly ordered and jumped from the rooftop. Venus followed and headed to the right to cut off the side access, leaving Mercury to cover the rear. She jumped from her hiding spot and back up over the roof of the house opposite.
She heard Sailor Moon announce her presence as she circled round the five. One quick hop across the side alley, she saw Venus take place and launch a Love-Me chain. Then she heard the clatter of metal to the floor. One of the dealers must have tried to train a gun on Sailor Moon.
She ignored that as she trained her eye on a moving shadow below her to her left, she jumped from the rooftop and landed in front of the two boys running from the scene. One couldn't stop in time and crashed into her, bouncing off harmlessly. She eyed them menacingly.
"Hand it over," she said, forcing herself calm.
"Hand over what?" the one still standing stuttered. Mercury balled her fist and narrowed her eyes at him.
The one on the floor threw a small polythene pouch to the floor. It was filled with a white powder. Mercury didn't bother scanning it, she picked it up and emptied the contents to the floor and freezing the spot it landed. They scurried past her without so much as another sound. Sailor Mercury hurried into the alley. It had been worryingly quiet from the centre so far.
Two figures lay prone on the floor with a single one facing Sailor Moon and Venus. Mercury re-engaged her scanner. In a split second the single man left standing had morphed into an 8 foot tall demon with sickly grey skin. Its left arm had been replaced with a large syringe that contained a bubbling green liquid. Tubes from the top of the syringe ran into is arm. Its very blood was pumping into to the needle. Just above the needle and at the tip of the syringe itself, were several smaller version of the device. The youma levelled his arm at the two senshi.
'No!' Mercury thought to herself and aimed both palms out in front of her.
SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!
Ice formed from her and bolted at the youma. His arm froze instantly and he howled in pain, his attack cut short. He looked over his shoulder at Mercury and just grinned. "Rats just keeping scurrying out of the shadows," it chuckled.
"Don't let him hit you with those needles!" Mercury warned.
VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!
A golden chain, crackling with pure energy wrapped itself around the youma and again it howled in pain, this time at its restraint. "Ok, lets finish this quickly then," Sailor Venus said holding her chain with both hands. "Sailor Moon!"
"Right," Sailor answered removing her tiara.
MOON TIARA MAGIC!
A whirling disc of purity bore down on the demon. It's black eyes with yellow iris' widened at the approaching doom. A bellow of effort, and he pulled his weight backwards. With the narrowest of margins he dodged the tiara. Venus let go of her chain as she was pulled forward and then it dissipated.
"I think my product could take you to some wonderful places, ladies," he cackled as he got up. He dragged the razor sharp nails across his chest, drawing blood until they soaked his fingers. His blood was bright green like the fluid in the weapon on his left arm. "Before it kills you that is."
"He's been using his own blood to infuse the narcotics he sells," Mercury summised.
"Well, now that you know," he grinned evilly. He charged down the fallen Venus, and was on her in less than a second. He thrust his right hand at her.
Sailor Moon got in between them and parried, knocking his wrist up and away. The youma's motion carried him through his thrust but as he went he swung his left arm at Sailor Moon's unprotected mid-section. Venus, recovered in time and made a tackle, pushing the left arm back into the youma's chest before it could touch Sailor Moon. He was pushed far away from the two.
SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!
With no time to steady himself, the youma was flung straight into Mercury's Ice pillar and it crashed into his spine. He was pummelled forward and into the ground, where he strained on all fours. Mercury ran, leaped and dove a heel into his back, forcing him to collapse. Then she re-united with the other two.
The three stood united and prepared the final onslaught. Sailor Moon wavered slightly and Mercury looked to her.
"Usa-chan!" She gasped. The slightest of scratches was visible on Moon's cheek. Mercury caught her as she fell and clasped a hand over the scratch.
"Sailor Moon!" Venus cried as she fell to her side. "What happened?"
"She caught a scratch from that youma, his blood is running through her," Mercury answered. "I'm betting its having hallucinogenic effects right now, but they could get worse."
"But its a tiny scratch!" Venus argued.
"His blood is poisonous on a scale I can't explain," Mercury countered. "Just a scratch is enough." She removed her hand and Moon's cheek was tinted blue. "I've frozen her cheek, that should stem the flow of the youma's blood until I can make an antidote. Get her to safety now!"
"But the youma!" Venus argued.
"Look! He used this distraction to escape," Mercury pointed out. Sure enough the demon had disappered. " I need to get a sample of his blood and destroy the rest, but you need to get Usa-chan to safety. Take her to Rei-chan's."
"Rei is away on a school trip," Venus countered.
"So her room will be free," Mercury reasoned. "Time is paramount," she pleaded.
Venus nodded, slung Moon over her shoulder and left. Mercury shifted to where the youma had been laying and took out a vial. After taking a sample of the youma's blood, she stood and held her hands at 45 degree angles from her side with palms out.
"I can't let another person or animal come into contact with this blood."
She thought to herself. Then she willed ice to form around her. Soon the ground beneath her began to freeze and a mist began to rise. She continued to concentrate until her ice covered every drop of blood the youma had spilt. Now she forced the temperature in her circle to drop. The ice began to break up the blood as it became solid and then destroy it on a molecular level. She relaxed and let out a breath.
"Now to catch up with the other two."
Just as she was about to take off, she heard a man in the main street. He was coughing and spluttering.
"Is someone injured?" Sailor Mercury asked herself. She dreaded the thought that the youma had injured someone else in his escape. The senshi of ice darted out into the street without thought and honed on the sense of distress. A sound of retching from across the street, she ran across.
Slumped up against a car was an old man in a brown coat, he held a hand over his chest as he wheezed. A red patch blotted his fading blue shirt.
"Oh no!" Mercury gasped. "What happened? Did it hurt you?"
The old man looked at her and his cheeks went red. "Oh, hello miss," he said faintly. "I'm afraid you caught me at a most embarrassing moment."
"Is it bad?" Mercury responded. "Are you starting to see any colours? How many fingers am I holding up?" She balled her fist then raised two fingers.
The old man laughed through a cough. "Please, its just a scratch." He dismissed.
"But just a scratch from that thing could be lethal."
"Oh, I don't think so," the old man said as he got to his feet. "I'm sure that tree branch has been cause for many accidents, but no deaths yet." He smiled.
"Tree branch?"
"Yes," he explained. "I was attempting to climb that tree when I scraped myself on one of its boughs and fell."
"Oh!" Mercury replied with such relief. "Why were you climbing that tree?"
"Well, you see that cat up there appears to be stuck and he's been missing for days. His owner is terribly worried about him," He answered and nodded at a missing poster attached to a lamp post.
"Wait! You met this detective trying to rescue a cat from a tree?" Rei interrupted.
Besides herself, Ami smiled at the memory and then nodded. "Yes, the case of the missing cat was our first case we solved together."
"That's a," Makaoto paused. "Really, anti-climatic story."
"He was apart of a task force set up to clamp down on drug dealing in the area. Thanks to our efforts, the number of actual pushers and dealers in the area was becoming clear. That evening, there were a dozen plain clothes officers in the area keeping an eye out," Ami explained. "And I ran into Koshiro-san trying to save a little, old lady's cat whilst on duty. He was so kind like that."
"And after that, you began a working relationship solving crimes?" Usagi added.
"Not at first," Ami answered. "It was the first of several random encounters between us where our work crossed over. Eventually, Koshiro-san had setup a voicemail service where we could communicate. We rarely used it but sometimes, he would have a case that he couldn't explain. More often than not, it would involve youma of some sort. In return, if we ever got involved in an incident, he'd help divert attentions of us from press and other officers. It was a selfish relationship on my part, thinking about it. But he seemed to encourage it more than anyone."
"Sounds like you miss him," Rei said softly.
"I do," Ami answered and sunk her head a little. She then raised it with a bare noticeable smile. "But with all of you here, and remembering how much of a kind man he was makes me feel better. Thank you."
"What are friends for?" Usagi replied. She then wrapped her arms round Ami's neck in a hug nearly choking her.
Back at Headquarters, Detective Rosa Taiki sat at his old mentor's desk and was typing up his latest report. He stopped and rewinded his dictaphone, playing back his last audio report and his find of Masahashi. Here is where the trail would end. This is the resolution of the murder of a police detective. Rosa seethed inside. He knew this was a trail left for him and a false trail at that. He was confused by its end. Masahashi wasn't supposed to have been slaughtered on his filth ridden mattress in a condemned building populated by the homeless. He was supposed to be found dead from an overdose.
The scene of his bloody death didn't match at all. But it didn't matter. The trail finished there and Rosa had no other leads. Well, at least no other viable leads. He knew there was one option left but he hated the idea Koshiro was leading him that way. To work with the senshi. Rosa tensed, he guessed hours ago, before he even went to track down Masahashi, that Koshiro had left all the clues with Sailor Mercury. She'd have no idea what to do with them, and so it was left to him to contact her, to work with her to find Koshiro's true killer. He leaned back from the keyboard.
What right did that old man have to decide what was better? So Rosa was left with a choice on how he wanted to leave this case. Solved in the public eye or did he want true justice? And there it was, the old man speaking beyond the grave. The law and justice didn't always mean the same thing. And maybe these vigilantes were more than what Rosa judged them to be. Maybe they were apart of justice. Maybe. Again that was the old man giving Rosa a choice, but the young detective saw it another way. It was a false hood. Koshiro wasn't giving him a choice when he knew Rosa's earnest commitment to right and wrong. His own sense of morality was being held hostage by Koshiro's need to teach him something.
"Fine, I'll go along with this for now," Rosa said to no one and pulled out his cellphone. He hit redial and waited for the dial tone. Koshiro's voicemail service answered. "This is Detective Rosa. I need to meet with you, if you get this, be at the following address at 10 tonight." He relayed the spot where Masahashi was murdered.
Nearly an hour later, Ami had returned home. She had to insist she got home and she would be fine. Some, took more convincing than others. For now she'd be OK. Thank god for friends. Despite being late, she was the first home and she collected the mail from the Mizuno's mailbox. Amongst a small collection of envelopes one of them had a marking from Tokyo University and was addressed to Ami. She left the others in the kitchen and raced upstairs to her room where she opened the letter.
She hadn't applied to any colleges or universities yet. She pulled out the letter and read it quickly.
Dear Miss,
If you are reading this, then I am sorry, I have asked it to be sent in my final will and testament. I hope this foolish old man doesn't cause you too much grief. At the time of writing this, I don't know much of my new and young detective but he is a earnest and headstrong, young man. He only wishes to do the right thing. This is encouraging. I hope you will help him. I leave these to you. Regards,
Koshiro Hiro
Below were four numbers that meant nothing to her. But that didn't matter, her hands scrunched the paper as tears began to re-appear in her eyes. He knew. He knew who she really was. How long for? Why didn't he say something? And did he tell anyone else?
Hopelessly, she confessed to herself that man was a mystery. Who could tell how he had figured her out and if he had worked out who his friends were. More to the point, what were the numbers he had written down?
Instinctively she opened her laptop. When researching, her laptop was always her first object to hand. The laptop fired up in seconds and she connected her modem instinctively. As it connected to the internet, several notifications bleeped up. Unread emails, news feeds and some new podcasts were ready for download. She clicked on her emails first. Only a few since this morning. One stood out immediately.
You have one new voicemail waiting
Ever since Koshiro had set up the voicemail service they used, Ami had quickly learned the company allowed a service that would text or email you when a new message was waiting. Seeing as she had the PIN, it was easy to get the notification in place. Giving up her cell was way too risky, but her email account was anonymous enough.
She picked up her cell and dialled the number, waited and then entered the PIN. Rosa's message played and she made note of the address and looked it up on her laptop. Rosa wanted to see her soon and she didn't have much time to get across town. She grabbed her henshin wand.
Sailor Mercury arrived in a part of town she had never walked before. Most of the buildings were decaying beyond the point of repair. One building was cordoned off with yellow tape. Without hesitating, she slipped inside. A couple of bodies littered the rooms on the ground floor. Of course the homeless wouldn't respect a police crime scene when they needed a shelter at night. She continued upstairs.
Several moments of looking around and she came across a bedroom that was taped off and left empty. She turned her visor on and approached the room.
"I figured you'd get here early," Rosa stepped out from the shadows and blocked her way. "Sorry, official police crime scene."
"Detective Rosa," Sailor Mercury greeted sternly.
"Thanks for coming," Rosa replied meekly. "I figure I'd skip the awkward moment and get to it. Whatever Koshiro gave you, I want you to hand it over please."
"I don't have anything," Mercury said and widened her stance.
"Yeah, I figured you'd say that," Rosa replied. He leaned against the door frame the he blocked and lit a cigarette.
"You smoke," Sailor Mercury said. Or asked. It sounded like an obvious statement and a question at once.
"No, I quit," Rosa replied with an amused look on his face. "Haven't had a smoke in three years."
"I see," the Senshi answered but nothing more. She didn't find his sense of humour quite her own. "What is this place?"
"This is where the trail ends. This is where Koshiro's killer slept," Rosa turned and pointed to the small room behind him. Sailor Mercury took two steps forward and peered in.
"All this blood," she gasped. Rosa pulled out a file from his coat
"Masahashi Uryu, former medical practitioner. Has been arrested over a dozen times for possession of class a narcotics, assault and petty theft. The old man must have busted him at least twice himself. We got a hit on that blood sample you found, and we found the suspect here," Rosa recounted. "Dead."
"How did he die?"
"It doesn't matter, the case is concluded. Hope you feel better," Rosa said coldly.
"No, I don't," She said.
"That's what I thought," Rosa continued. "Something stinks about this whole thing. Masahashi wasn't the killer."
"But you said-."
"I know what I said. Masahashi was the killer we were supposed to find. And we were supposed to find him dead, except something isn't right," the detective dropped the but of his smoke and wiped it out under his shoe. "I was supposed to find him whole, dead from overdose and his system full of junk. Instead I find his body ripped open and his entrails all over the walls."
Sailor Mercury faced him wide-eyed from horror.
"It wasn't pretty."
As a reflex, Mercury began scanning the room. Suddenly details stood out at her, rivets in the walls, caved in floor boards making patterns.
"So, I was hoping you'd do two things here. One, do that scanning thing like you did back the old man's place," he gestured with a point. "Like you're doing now."
"And the second?" Mercury asked as she collated data.
"Give me what it was Koshiro left you with."
"I can do that, Detective, but it probably be best that you let me handle your investigation from here," she answered and then faced him. Her visor retracted.
"I'm sorry, what?" Rosa responded with disbelief.
"Because if you continue, you'll find out why Hiro-san chose to work with me so frequently. The killer has left DNA all over this crime scene."
"Forensics have been all over this place, there is no recognisable DNA."
"Exactly. This man's killer wasn't human," Mercury said flatly. "It was a youma."
Thanks for waiting. So this chapter may have more than your average typo. My proof-reading process has suffered somewhat this time round. I may reload this chapter when I get a chance to really sit down and go through the whole thing.
The last scene is in its third rendition and I'm still not 100% happy with it. Oh, who am I kidding? Never 100% with anything I do ^^ Hope to have another chapter soon. Ciao!