Ayashi no Ceres, Novel #4:
episode of miku Story concept by: Watase Yuu and Nishizaki Megumi
Written by: Nishizaki Megumi
Illustrated by: Watase Yuu
Summarized by: Tetris no Miko
ISBN: 4-09-421274-4
"Long ago, there was a young fisherman. One day, as he walked along the shore, he came upon a beautiful Tennyo bathing in the sea. Dazzled by her beauty, the fisherman fell in love with her. He noticed the Tennyo’s feathered robe (hagoromo) hanging from a nearby pine tree. In a passionate rage, he quickly snatched her robe and hid it away.
‘That is my robe. Without it, I cannot return to the heavens. Please return it’
"The Tennyo begged desperately, but the fisherman replied:
’Only if you become my wife. Then I will return it’
"And so, the Tennyo married the fisherman. After time, they gave birth to children. But then, one day, the Tennyo found her robe the fisherman had hidden and returned to the heavens with it…
"The end…"
"Why? Why did the Tennyo weave her childwen and go to da heavens by hersewf?"
"Because Tennyo live in the heavens."
"Den why did da Tennyo marry da man?"
"Because the man hid her hagoromo away from her."
"Then, Mommy, didn’t da Tennyo wove her husband? Why did she marry him if she didn’t wove him?"
"…."
"But Mommy, you towd me. You said that babies are made from a man and woman woving each udder."
"Yes, you’re right… I’m sure the Tennyo must have loved her husband…"
""Then why?… Why did she go back to da heavens? If Tennyo wive in da heavens, then why did she come…to earth in the…first pwace?"
"…."
"Wasn’t she sad to weave her childwen behind?"
"That’s a good question, but it’s time for beddy-bye now. Looook, your widdle eyes are getting droopy. I’ll tell you more about the Tennyo tomorrow."
"Pwo…mise…?"
"Yes, I promise."
"Hey, Mom…my?"
"Yes?"
"Do Tennyo…still exist…?"
"Good question… I think they probably do…"
While gazing at the face of her two year old daughter, sleeping soundly, Mikage Aya smiled quietly.
Chapter 1: "Birth"
(The storytelling tends to jump around with several flashbacks, so for clarity’s sake, I’ll write the summary in the order in which everything happens)
Aya and Tooya had been living at the Mikage Villa at Hachijoujima after Aki’s death, but the house was to be torn down, so Aya and Tooya moved next to a clinic run by the Shirahata’s, a middle-aged couple. At this point, Aya was close to delivery, and the Shirahata’s helped Aya and Tooya out a lot.
Naturally, Aya and Tooya couldn’t reveal Tooya’s true identity, nor their bloody past with the Mikage family. Tooya and Aya even admitted they weren’t legally married for some secret reason, and to escape society, they fled to Hachijoujima. At first, the Shirahata’s assumed Aya and Tooya were just a young, irresponsible couple that had eloped, but slowly, they picked up on the truth (though they didn’t judge Aya and Tooya).
For Tooya’s sake, Shirahata Goroh introduced Tooya to an employer as his nephew and got Tooya a job as a diving instructor for the tourists. (Naturally, business expanded immediately after Tooya was hired; especially with young women ^_-)
Finally, Aya gave birth. She couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy when Shirahata Sachiyo (the wife of the couple) announced it was a girl, but Aya was still happy beyond explanation. She and Tooya bonded with their new daughter for a while, admiring how beautiful she was. Aya then decided to name her "Miku" (written with the same characters that make up the word "future"). She chose this name because Miku would be the first girl born into the Mikage family who wouldn’t be fated to lodge Ceres in her heart, and that Miku would create a better future. She would also carry out Aya’s and Tooya’s love into the future. Tooya liked this name a lot.
Unfortunately, Tooya didn’t have long to celebrate his daughter’s birth. On the very night Miku was born, Tooya started to feel faint; feel his body deteriorating. He knew that without the mana, he couldn’t live long, but he decided then and there to do his best to cheat fate and live with his wife and daughter.
Chapter 2: "Destruction"
Meanwhile, off in an uninhabited island off the coast of Tokyo, Alec had been living in Kagami’s secret lab. Alec’s soul had been tormented ever since Kagami’s apparent death, and Alec keeps feeling guilt for all the lives that were lost in the C-project. When Kagami had found Alec, he was a young, bored genius with lots of ambition and ideals. So when Kagami suggested to Alec that he join him in Japan to work on a project that will improve humanity, Alec enthusiastically jumped at the suggestion. (After all, he IS an anime-otaku, as well ^_-)
But he, Kagami, and the others had tried to accomplish their ideals through sloppy and violent methods and had failed in the end.
"Chief", Alec said to himself out-loud. "Ever since then, Wei and I came to this island as you ordered, and safely hid the Tennyo’s fertilized eggs in this lab. And then, Wei left…". Alec then went on to think about Ragnaleck and how they had wanted to use the Tennyo and mana to create an elixir of life.
"But Ragnaleck is probably still working on the C-Project… Or rather, they want to use the Tennyo and Mana purely for their own immortality."
Alec recalled Kagami’s angry and disappointed reaction when Ragnaleck had cut him off. "Chief, I’m sure you knew in your heart that what you had done was wrong… But then why didn’t you try to make amends?…"
Alec went on to think about the fertilized Tennyo-eggs in his lab. "But the Tennyo-children have no future. They are the product of a Tennyo’s egg and a man’s sperm. If their Tennyo-genes should kick in, they won’t live long. Even if they have their powers, without their hagoromo…without their mana, they can’t live. And even if I do let them be born, I can never explain to them how they came into existence.
Alec remembered more about all the people who were hurt and killed. "Chief, I really should have gone down with you and the ship….but I still have a job to finish. I need to gently dispose of these children…. Before they fall into evil’s hands…"
Alec gathered up all the capsules with Tennyo eggs in them, and carried them out to the sea… All except two capsules, which he couldn’t bring himself to throw in the sea. He told the capsules he’d give them a proper burial in the ground.
But the rest of the capsules, he took out to sea and hurled them all in. As he sadly watched them sink into the ocean, he imagined all the Tennyo dying. He went back to the lab and slept.
When he woke up the next morning, he was about to take the two remaining capsules to be buried, when suddenly, they started to vibrate. Then, to Alec’s horror, the cells began splitting rapidly, and the eggs were growing bigger and bigger. And as if that weren’t enough, Alec noticed a similar sound by his feet… It was another capsule! Somehow, a third capsule hadn’t made it out to the ocean!
"Oh, my God!!!" Alec cried out (in English, for the first time ^_^;)
Chapter 3: "Growth"
Aya and Tooya were revisiting the spot where they first met (when Aya was seven). They reminisced over how they met and fell in love, and the troubles they had shared, etc. Aya picked up a small, pink shell, and remembered how she had given Tooya a shell just like it when she was seven. She had been meaning to go back the next day and give him another shell, but she had to go home.
Tooya remembered how precious that shell had been to him all those years (though he didn’t understand why at the time). Miku suddenly showed an interest in the shell, and Aya decided to give it to her. Aya told Miku that once she met someone she loved, she could give the shell to him, but in the meantime, it was hers.
Then, to their surprise, Miku called them "Mommy" and "Daddy" for the first time, and took her first steps.
Tooya left the happy mother and daughter for a minute to pay his respects to "the old man" who had raised him on Hachijoujima. Tooya felt very weak and helpless and knew he was dying, but he could hear the old man’s spirit commanding him to treasure every moment he has with his wife and daughter.
To celebrate, Yuuhi came over that night and cooked supper for Aya, Tooya, and the Shirahata’s. At this time, Yuuhi was studying for his chef’s license, and his cooking had improved even more. Everyone was happy and merry, but Tooya still felt a little uneasy inside.
Later, Tooya pulled Yuuhi aside and once again, asked Yuuhi to take care of Aya and Miku once he died.
Yuuhi thought for a moment, then said "I know I agreed back when you first told me that, but this time, I refuse. It’s YOU Aya and Miku want. No one can replace you." Then Yuuhi paused and asked quietly "Are you really…dying so fast?"
Tooya said "Aya doesn’t know yet; I want her to be happy as long as possible, but I know it won’t be much longer. And there’s also Miku to consider. She may be a normal baby now, but she might grow up to have Tennyo powers. I don’t want her to fall into the wrong hands."
When Yuuhi didn’t respond to any of this, Tooya said desperately, "You’re the only person I can ask! Unlike me, you were always so straight and open about your feelings for Aya…"
"Say no more!" Yuuhi interrupted. "This time, you listen to me! I’m in no mood to interrupt my life to look after some woman! I guess if you run off with one of the girls from your diving school, or if you’re hit by a bus, I’ll support Aya and Miku financially… After all, the Aogiri money isn’t really MY money… But no more than that! So you’ll just have to live until one hundred or two hundred so you can take care of them! Understand? You son of a bitch!!"
After Yuuhi ran off, Tooya could hear him crying…
Chapter 4: "Study"
Alec’s "eggs" had matured at an alarming rate and were now toddlers. He had invented some learning-machines he can hook them up to with selected programs and the toddlers were now approaching high school level.
Alec had named the three girls "CP-1", "CP-2", and "CP-3", and though he did put a lot of energy into their brain development, he also acted as their "father" and had changed their diapers, fed them, and had dressed them in simple, white lab coats he had purchased whenever he went to Tokyo on his cruiser.
Barely after the metamorphosis of the "eggs", Alec had received a phone call from Lulik. Lulik informed Alec that he was working for Ragnaleck. Alec was shocked at first, but Lulik assured him that he was just using Ragnaleck for their money so he could study. Lulik was trying to create a drug that would safely bring out the Tennyo-powers in people in order to cure diseases (remember, Lulik joined the C-Project because his wife had died of a terminal illness). Alec suddenly became hopeful, thinking that perhaps the C-Project can be repeated, only this time safely, and slowly, and with no victims.
Lulik commanded Alec not to contact him anymore, though (now that Lulik was working for Ragnaleck, but was sort of spying at the same time).
One day, the C-P’s finished going through every program on Alec’s study-machine (all expect one, that is, which will be addressed later ^_-). Alec told them there was nothing more to learn and that they should all go outside and play.
The girls were VERY excited as this was their fist time out of the lab! Naturally, Alec’s programs had taught them about the ocean and the earth, etc. But now that the girls were in the open, they suddenly became very curious and asked questions Alec had been dreading to hear:
"Where do humans come from?"
Deep in the shadows, a pair of eyes was silently watching over them…
Later, Lulik and Alec agreed to take the C-P’s over to Lulik’s lab once Lulik had created the safe Tennyo-drug and mana for them. Alec was a little worried that Lulik wouldn’t finish his research in time and that his Tennyo-girls would have too many questions that he couldn’t answer in time. Lulik assured him that everything was running smoothly, when suddenly, their line was cut. Alec was very worried about it…
Meanwhile, the three CP’s secretly got into their learning-capsules and initiated the one program Alec had not let them see…biology.
"So that was biology", CP-1 said.
He woke up in a cold sweat with the three girls (now around sixteen years old) hovering over him, smiling. They sweetly set him down to breakfast, but something was different this morning. Instead of the normal American-style breakfast the girls had been making, a Japanese-style breakfast was on the table.
Alec sat down to eat and complimented the girls on their cooking. "You’re sure to make really good wives…" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence and clasped a hand over his mouth. He wasn’t supposed to mention "wife" around the girls.
But the girls smiled slyly and responded with "This is what is called ‘family banter’, is it not?"
Alec was stunned. He had never taught them the word "family", nor its concept. To his shock, the girls went on, talking about all they had learned from the "biology" program. Men and women mate and produce children. They are raised in "families". But humans are different from animals, because they reproduce out of love for each other.
"What’s the matter, Alec? You look pale." One of them said innocently.
"I had been meaning to talk with you girls about this soon," Alec admitted guiltily. "The truth is, you are all special children created from samples…" He decided to start from the beginning. "Long ago, a fisherman saw a…"
"We don’t need to hear that," one of the girls interrupted. "Just tell us this: Do we have mothers and fathers? Or are we just clones?"
Alec nervously thought over in his mind all the mistakes he had made while raising these girls. He had forgotten the most important thing: love. He couldn’t begin to imagine how messed up the girls might become because of him.
"Don’t worry, we aren’t mad at you," one of the girls said.
Alec finally agreed to tell them, but not that instant. He begged them to wait just a little longer (until he could get them over to Lulik).
But CP-1 insisted that he at least name them. CP-3 agreed and argued that they are people and should have people-names instead of computer-names.
Alec agreed and named each one of them. The first 2, he had no problem with their names, for he knew who their mothers had been, and they looked exactly like their mothers. He named CP-1 and CP-2 "Miori" and "Chidori", respectively.
But when he came to CP-3, he had a little trouble… Her mother’s name had not been written on her capsule and she didn’t look familiar to him. After some pondering, and nagging from CP-3, Alec finally blurted out "Shiori! Your name is Shiori!"
After they were named, the girls offered Alec a glass of water to calm him. Alec apologized for taking so long to name them, but then he started to feel faint.
"That was a good plan."
"Girls…" Alec struggled before the sedative kicked in and he fell asleep…
When Alec woke up, the girls, some supplies, and his cruiser were all gone. He frantically rushed to his computer… his files had been hacked into! They had not been damaged, but a small file had been left. It read "Bye-bye, Alec!"
Chidori bought a childish dress and did her hair in two pony-tails. Miori bought some stylish clothes, but Shiori bought a simple, white dress.
The girls had gone over the data in Alec’s computer, with "Chidori", "Miori", and "Shiori" as their only links and they found information on the "C-Project", and on two girls named "Kuruma Chidori" and "Sahara Miori". The girls were disappointed that no link to "Shiori" was found, but they were even more disappointed when the accounts of the C-Project suddenly ended with the words "Project abandoned". The girls wanted to learn more about the Project, their mothers, and themselves, so each girl decided to search for her mother (Shiori didn’t have much of a place to start, though)
They split up in Tokyo, and Miori went to Shizuoka, to look for her mother, Sahara Miori. When Miori got to Shizuoka, she found an old woman who told her of the Shizuoka Tennyo legend. Miori was very interested and concluded that she and her mother must be descendants of the Tennyo.
Miori asked around and finally made it to a house with the nameplate "Sahara Misako, Miori". She was about to go inside and ask about her mother, when suddenly, prospective buyers came out. Miori hid herself and listened in on their conversation. They didn’t want to buy the house because of the creepy history of the previous owners. Sahara Misako (Miori’s mother) had died mysteriously (perhaps murdered), and Miori had committed suicide.
Later that night, Miori sneaked into the house and found her way to Miori’s room. Miori sat down and went through Miori’s things….and was surprised at how familiar everything seemed. She started to read Miori’s diary…then it all came back to her. She no longer had to read Miori’s diary, because she remembered everything. Her mother died mysteriously. She was called to Tokyo to help her cousin, Kagami, with a project. She posed as Tooya’s girlfriend, and even though it was fake, she fell in love with him… Then one girl ruined it all, and pushed her to suicide…Mikage Aya.
"I’ll never forgive her!" Miori vowed. "This time for sure, I’ll have my revenge!"
Chidori took a deep breath and knocked (suppressing her desire to call out "I’m home!"). Shouta answered the door. He was twelve years old now, and had grown a lot. He looked at her in disbelief.
"Onee-chan?" He nearly whispered. Then he shook his head and apologized, explaining that she looked like his sister.
Shouta asked what Chidori wanted and she quickly made something up about being Chidori’s friend from junior high. Shouta let her in the house.
It all looked very familiar to Chidori. She suddenly blurted out "I see your feet are better."
Shouta responded that he’s recovered a lot since the accident. Chidori smiled to herself and remembered that Shouta had been in an accident and that she had encouraged him to recover, but Shouta wouldn’t listen to her, until those people…
"Those people??"
Suddenly, it all came back to her. Through the strength and encouragement from a girl, Shouta was able to recover…
Aya-chan
That’s when I woke up as a C-genoma… Then you decided to help Ceres look for her hagoromo. And then, you fell in love with Tooya…
"Haven’t you ever been in love, Chidori?! Don’t you understand? I love him! I love him and that’s that!!"
That’s what you told me when I told you Tooya wasn’t right for you. But I do understand. I’ve been in love… Even I am in love…
Aya-chan, you and Tooya overcame so many obstacles together. Eventually, I found myself praying for your happiness. And then, just when Tooya’s memory was coming back…Shiso came to this house….
Shouta asked Chidori if she was okay, and then he lead her into the house’s Butsuma (a special room where families hang up pictures of dead family members and offer food and incense to them). There were five pictures in the room. Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, and one more… Kuruma Chidori.
"My sister is dead," Shouta announced gravely. "She died…almost three years ago."
Suddenly, it all came clear to her. The strange feeling she had, the strange stares from the villagers….
"Why?… Why?… Why!!" Was all Chidori could manage. Suddenly she looked Shouta in the eyes. "How did she die?! Tell me!"
Shouta managed slowly, "…She was…murdered…"
"Don’t say anymore!!" Chidori begged. "It’s okay now, Shouta!!" Shouta was surprised that the girl knew his name. Chidori slowly remembered what had happened. She was escaping the Mikage lab with Yuuhi, when suddenly, a boy shot a gun at Yuuhi. Chidori took the bullet in his place and died.
"What is…your name?" Shouta asked timidly.
"…Chidori."
"I thought so…I thought it was you, Onee-chan!!" Shouta cried and flung his arms around Chidori. "Onee-chan! So you finally came back to see me! I’m studying really hard at a junior high in Tokyo now. I’m studying hard so I can be a pilot when I grow up! But I still come back here every month and visit your grave! Because if I don’t come, you, and mom and dad and grandma and grandpa would be so lonely!"
"Shouta…" Chidori hugged her brother back.
"Yuuhi comes here every month to visit you, too!"
"Shouta… tell me everything that’s happened since I died."
Then, Chidori thought about Shiori, who didn’t even have a lead to where her mother was. Chidori had Shouta, a loved one to come home to, but Shiori and Miori had no one.
But even though all memories of her past life had returned, memories of her new life with her sisters, Miori and Shiori, had not disappeared. She still loved them deeply.
"I wonder where you’re sleeping now? Shiori…"
"Tennyo’s…hagoromo…?"
Tooya ran towards the white cloth he saw in the ocean, and discovered it was a beautiful girl with long, dark hair. He rescued her and she slowly regained consciousness.
"Who am I?" She slowly asked. "What am I doing here?"
"Don’t you live here? Or are you here on vacation?" Tooya suggested.
"I don’t know…" The girl responded slowly.
Tooya instantly sympathized with the girl. She was just like he had been back when he had amnesia: blank. Even her dress was white, and blank. Tooya decided to take her home with him.
By this time, Miku was around 2-3 years old and can talk (in a baby-dialect, mind you ^_-). Miku was excited by airplanes, and always begged Aya to play airplane with her, but Aya was frightened and refused to even hold Miku up high.
Aya realized that her fear was the same as Shuro’s mother’s fear had been. Aya was terrified that her baby would gain Tennyo powers and would fly up to the heavens and leave her. Aya had been telling Miku about the Tennyo legends as bedtime stories, and had used Shuro’s songs from GeSANG as lullabies, but she still hadn’t told Miku the truth about her lineage. She knew she would have to eventually, but not then…
Tooya saved her from her worrying with a new guest. When Miku saw Tooya come through the front door carrying Shiori, she said excitedly, "Look! Daddy brought a Tennyo home with him!"
After Dr. Shirahata examined Shiori, he concluded that she does have amnesia. All Shiori could remember is her own name. Tooya decided that Shiori would live with them until her memory came back. Aya agreed.
After they all talked to Shiori for a while, and hear how good her manners are and how articulate she is, they all have their own theories about her. She might be an heir to a rich family, or she might be a young-doctor. But Miku’s theory was simple "I know who she is. She’s a Tennyo".
Shiori and Miku got along wonderfully, so it’s decided that Shiori would baby-sit Miku while she stayed with Aya and Tooya.
The next day, Aya was out shopping, and Tooya was out at work. Shiori and Miku had been playing for a while, when Miku started to feel sleepy. Shiori remembered Aya mentioning Miku had a nap in the early afternoon, so she tucked Miku into bed.
"My, what a pretty shell you have…" Shiori said as she reached out for Miku’s little pink shell.
"Don’t!" Miku protested as she clutched her shell to her chest. "Mommy says when I fall in wove, I can give dis shell to him."
"Oh…" Shiori said.
"Hey, Shiori-onee-chan… Tell me a story about Tennyo."
"A story about Tennyo?"
"Yup. Before my naps, Mommy aways tells me about Tennyo."
"I’m sorry, but I don’t know about the Tennyo," Shiori apologized.
"Whaaat? But you ARE a Tennyo, aren’t you? Daddy towd me he found you in the sea and bwought you home. But you can’t mawwy my daddy. Because he’s alweady mawwied to my Mommy."
"Miku-chan…"
"Did Daddy…hide your hagoromo?"
"Maybe he did," Shiori responded vaguely.
"You can’t mawwy my Daddy, but you awso can’t go back to da sky," Miku commanded her new friend.
"So Tennyo go back to the sky, do they?"
"Yup. The Tennyo found her hagoromo, and weft her childwen and husband behind and went back to da sky. But, Shiori-onee-chan…you won’t weave me…and go to da sky…will you?"
"Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind," Shiori promised.
"But…if you do go, take me with…you…" Miku said as she fell asleep.
"Good idea," Shiori said as she stroked Miku’s hair. "Someday, let’s fly in the sky together."
Aya talked with her mother, Sonoko, on the phone for a while. After Sonoko had recovered from her coma, she had taken up work in the very hospital that had taken care of her. Sonoko felt ashamed that she had retreated into a coma while her daughter had gone through so much, so Sonoko wanted to help sick people in return.
Her job left her very busy, though, so she was unable to come to Miku’s birthday party (she was going to turn three). But Sonoko called Aya that day to warn her about a strange virus that was attacking the young and elderly all over Japan. Then, Sonoko also informed Aya that she had just spoken with Yuuhi and that he was doing well.
Aya was glad to hear about Yuuhi, then her mother started giggling on her end of the phone. Aya demanded what was so funny, when suddenly, Yuuhi and Q-chan appeared behind her.
Yuuhi had come over to celebrate Miku’s birthday and to celebrate the fact that he had scored top in the nation on his chef’s exam. (He planned to start his own restaurant.)
There was a big dinner and party and merriment. Shiori flirted with Yuuhi and while everyone else praised Yuuhi’s cooking, Shiori suggested that he could have put another tablespoon of soy sauce into one of the dishes (this all said affectionately, though).
Then everyone thought about Shiori’s name, wondering where it had come from. Suddenly, it was remembered that "Shiori" was the name of a video game and anime character from Tokimeki Memorial. (Remember, Shiori from Toki-memo was Alec’s favorite anime character and ideal mate ^_-)
Aya nudged Yuuhi and suggested he go out with Shiori, but Yuuhi just blushed and told her to leave him alone.
Yuuhi had someone else on his mind that moment. It had been nearly two years now since Tooya had asked Yuuhi to take care of his family after he died, but Tooya looked no different to Yuuhi. But Yuuhi knew that Tooya was probably suppressing his pain.
But no matter how hard Yuuhi thought it over, he could not imagine himself taking care of Miku and Aya. They needed Tooya. After all, Aya and Tooya were so deeply in love. Yuuhi did want Aya to be happy, but that was just the remains of the love he felt for her back when he was a teenager.
Yuuhi remembered how he had always tried to force himself on Aya even though he knew all along that it was Tooya she loved. But he didn’t regret it. That was the way he was.
"When Tooya was given a fake memory," Yuuhi thought to himself. "Aya invited me to make love to her… But I couldn’t do it. Because I knew I couldn’t take Tooya’s place in her heart. It was then that I realized that Aya would love only Tooya forever. And all I could do about it was to watch over her and pray for her happiness… I vowed then and there to give up on making Aya mine… And then, I realized something else. That there was someone who had always been by my side, encouraging and supporting me. The day Aya and Tooya left the Aogiri house to live on their own, and I couldn’t bring myself to see them off, you stayed behind with me, didn’t you. I may have not realized it all that time… but you came to my rescue so much…"
Yuuhi was interrupted from his thoughts and Aya’s teasing to a ring from his cell phone. It was Suzumi, telling him his father had suddenly fallen ill and that there was something he wanted to tell Yuuhi. There was something else, too. A girl who looks, acts, and sounds exactly like Chidori was there to see Yuuhi.
The nurse had always been concerned for Gladys because her step-father had molested and abused her as a child and Gladys had never been able to speak with a man alone since then and she never wanted to fall in love with a man.
But then the nurse mentioned that from having read Gladys’ letters to her from Japan, that she had found a man she could trust and respect…and love.
"That man was you, wasn’t he?" The nurse asked the man.
"I should get going now…" The man said evasively, and left the graveyard.
After he solemnly set a bunch of flowers down on Gladys’ grave, the man remembered how Gladys had been so excited about creating a utopia with him. All his other team members, Lulik, Alec, Assamu, and Wei, had also been very excited about the Project. And even after so many victims had come up as a result of the project, his men had still called him "Chief."
The man’s phone rang.
"Hello… I see… I understand."
After the man turned off his cell phone, what Alec had just told him was repeated in his mind. "Chief! The bastards at Ragnaleck have released a virus around the world! They plan to capture anyone with Tennyo blood from anywhere in the world! And my three girls just disappeared off the island. They took my cruiser to Tokyo!"
With his new goal in mind, Kagami started to walk…
Now onto Shiori…Who do you think she is? I have a cute theory that she’s Yuuhi’s mother’s "daughter" ^_^. Either that or she’s created from mana, like Tooya was… ah well, whatever. I’d rather just wait for the second book to come out (which it did, on June 1st ’01… but I don’t have it yet T_T… but I will have it soon! >: )=
Special thanks goes out to this cool person for sending me the book for free (well, in exchange that I summarize it ^_-), and she will send me the next two books so I can summarize them! Hahahahaha! Tell her she’s cool.
"Will you take us to Tokyo, were there are lots of other people?"
"How do humans come into existence? Are we different from the sun and plants?"
"Can you work the computer?" CP-2 asked.
"Of course", CP-3 replied. "I’ve been secretly watching Alec as he works and talks on the phone. And there’s one word that comes up a lot."
"What word?"
"C-Project", CP-3 answered. "…Which, incidentally, has the same initials as our names."
Chapter 5: "Pursuing"
One night, Alec had a terrible nightmare where his girls developed Tennyo powers and were consumed by them. They cried out his name desperately, but Alec couldn’t save them.
"After all, you did your best to raise us."
"To us, you are a father."
"So please tell us more about ourselves."
"Alec would never be able to come up with Japanese names so quickly."
"They must mean something."
Chapter 6: "Truth"
Miori, Chidori, and Shiori (all three names are written in katakana, by the way) traveled to Tokyo on Alec’s cruiser. When they made it to Tokyo, they were amazed at all the people, but confused at all the strange looks they received. At first Chidori thought it was because they were pretty, but Shiori pointed out that they were wearing strange clothes (lab-coats). They decided to buy some clothes.
Chapter 7: "Reunion"
Chidori headed for Amago, Tochigi, the birthplace of her mother, Kuruma Chidori. Since it was mostly farmlands, there were no people around to tell her where the Kuruma’s lived, so Chidori started blindly along a path… but in time, the path seemed very familiar to her. As she got into town, the people stared at her with almost scared expressions on their faces. Chidori didn’t understand their reaction, but kept walking and eventually made it to a house with the nameplate "Kuruma" on it.
Later that night, as Shouta slept, Chidori thought about all that had happened. She remembered also, about Miori’s past and how much pain she had gone through. Chidori worried that Miori might be feeling the same way now.
Chapter 8: "Memories"
Tooya walked along the beech at sunset. It was beautiful and looked as though a Tennyo had just descended from the heavens. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when something by the shore caught his eye.
Chapter 9: "Visit"
Chapter 10: "Resurrection"
A young, Japanese man was in Oklahoma, America, visiting the grave of Gladys Smithson. He talked with her former nurse for a while.
THE END OF PART 1!! TO BE CONTINUED IN THE 4TH AYASHI NO CERES NOVEL, "EPISODE OF MIKU, PART 2"!!
*Note: After Watase’s freetalk, she drew a cute, one page manga-preview to the next novel. From what I could gather, Miori is set on revenge, Yuuhi is crying in one of the frames, Alec is talking sternly to someone, and most importantly, Shiori and Miku seem to have a little secret together…
Well, until the next novel…!