Ten'nyou Above
Chapter 1
Moving On
Disclaimer: Ayashi no Ceres, Fushigi Yuugi, Alice 19th, and Imadoki! All belong to master creator Yuu Watase, not me. I just came up with the plot.
This story begins after Miori's suicide, after Aya and company spoke with the old Mizuki woman at Miho Beach in volume 9.
"Aya, take a look at this!" Yuuhi exclaimed, slamming a large sheet of folded newsprint on the floor beside Aya's suitcase. Aya glanced up from her packing to see a pleased smile dancing across Yuuhi's face.
"What is it?" she questioned, taken aback by Yuuhi's gleeful expression. He held up the newsprint, pointing at a block of text beneath a large section that had been neatly cut out.
"There's a list of cities with the celestial legend, take a look."
Ever since they had spoken with that old mizuki woman at Miho, Aya had been set on going to Tango to search for the hagoromo. Yuuhi, on the other hand, had been grossly opposed to the idea and had been trying to convince Aya to save Tango as a last resort. It finally looked as if he might succeed.
Aya scanned the list, carefully noting which cities she though most likely to have the hagoromo. Once she had finished the list, she glanced up at the missing section. The entire headline, half of the article, and what might have been a picture had been cut out.
"Yuuhi, what was this article about?" Aya questioned suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.
"N-nothing!" Yuuhi blurted, grinning nervously. Aya was not convinced, however, and continued to eye him.
"Oh, alright. It was about…Miori," Yuuhi mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I just didn't want to remind you about what had happened, what with you doing so well and all."
"Oh," Aya muttered, gazing gloomily at the place where the picture should have been. Her sad silence lasted only a moment. She turned to Yuuhi and flashed him a bright smile.
"Well, thanks for the list! We could definitely use this if Tango doesn't work out," Aya piped.
"Argh! Why do we have to go to Tango? Why can't we go to one of the cities on the list?" Yuuhi inquried, frustrated.
"Why are you so against going to Tango?"
"Well…to tell you the truth, I don't know. I just have this ominous feeling…" Yuuhi trailed off, gazing at Aya's closet. Aya sighed.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try one of those cities first," Aya began, reviewing the list once again. "But I get to chose where we go," she insisted, grinning. "And I pick Tokyo!"
"Tanpopo, dear, why are you up so early?"
It was five in the morning, and the lights of Tanpopo Yamazaki's room were already penetrating the quiet Hokkaido darkness. The air buzzed with excitement as she folded her clothing, neatly placing each item in a large jade green suitcase. She glanced up from her packing to see an old woman standing in the doorway, puzzled.
"Don't you remember Grandma? I'm leaving for Tokyo today. The next term at the university doesn't start for another two weeks, and besides, I haven't seen everyone in a while," Tanpopo reminded her grandmother as she resumed filling the suitcase with garments.
"You have a good time. Your grandpa and I will miss you," the old woman said, smiling. Tanpopo placed the last of her clothing in the suitcase and pressed the lid down firmly. She crossed the room to stand beside her grandmother.
"Thanks for everything, grandma," Tanpopo whispered, embracing her grandmother. Suddenly, a chime rang through the air, causing Tanpopo to release her grandmother.
"Koki's here!" Tanpop exclaimed happily, rushing over to grab her suitcase. "Tell grandpa I said bye!"
Tanpopo hurried down the stairs, slipping on sandals before opening the door.
"Hi Koki," she greeted, smiling at the brown haired man standing at the doors threshold.
"Hey, are you ready?" he questioned warmly.
"You bet!"
So, how was it? Not much of a first chapter, I know, but I wanted to introduce things slowly. Please review! The next chapter should be along soon!