Foreward: I do not own Azumanga Daioh; Copyright Kiyohiko Azuma, ADV Films. This work is protected under Parody and other Provisions under Fair Use.

Return to Glory

Prologue

Takeo's eyes slowly drifted open, the light piercing the dark void of his restless dreams. It seems he had fallen into a routine as of late – a routine which invariably led him to rise early, work far too long, and retire entirely too late in the evening. He knew it wasn't sustainable - but it wasn't as if he had a choice. The country was depending on him; she was depending on him. He tried to act like his work didn't affect him, but here he was in bed, still in his lab coat, asleep with the lights on. Groaning, he turned over, his hand shading his eyes. "Suzu? Won't you turn off that light?" To his chagrin, the room remained lit. "That's odd," he thought. He opened his eyes only to find an empty bed.

He called to the darkened hallway. "Suzu? Are you coming to bed?" Takeo lifted up his head off his Belgian-Soff pillow and looked at the bedspread that covered his body. Then, he hopefully gazed at the door. No response. He rolled his bloodshot eyes at the silence, thinking that it had somehow been a louder answer than if she had actually responded. "She must still be in the lab," he muttered to himself. He grudgingly lifted himself from the bed, grimacing as his bare feet touched the cold floor. He slowly stood up and looked down longingly at the covers. "Please still be warm when I get back" he implored as he turned to walk down the hallway.

As he reached the grand lobby of their mansion, he took note of the darkened lab to his left. "Well, of course she wouldn't be using my lab. That would be entirely too close to the bedroom. No, she has to use the lab on the far side of the house." Tomorrow…er… today was going to be another long day. He could tell already.

Trudging further into the heart of Suzu's domain, he finally approached the door. He saw the white line at the base of the door and nodded to himself. He heard the familiar thump thump of her favorite J-Pop band on the other side of the door. "This isn't going to be pleasant." He braced himself and opened the door, wincing as the sound washed over him all at once. He heard a slightly off-key voice wailing,

"meguri atta toki no

you ni itsu made mo kawarazu

iraretara wow woooooooooooooow

Truuuuuuuuuuue HEARRRRRRRRRRRT!"

Despite the pain in his throbbing ears, Takeo couldn't help but chuckle. He loved spying on her when she was singing to her favorite song, or at least her favorite song of the day. The way that she bobbed her head, the way that her long red hair swayed to the music, the way she held the pendant on her necklace to her mouth like a microphone… it was one of the few things that could still lift his spirits these days. More and more, little moments like this were the only thing that gave him the energy to push forth and salvage what fraction of the world was still recognizable to him. "Maybe it was worth getting out of bed after all," he thought.

Takeo couldn't help himself; he carefully tiptoed into the lab until he was right behind her. Then, when the time was right, as loud as he could manage, he joined in.

"Uragiri no kagami ni

utsushidasareta

egao ni tsurarete

nagasareta HIIIIIIIIBIIIIIIIII!"

"WAAHHHH!" Suzu shrieked as she rocketed upwards. Takeo couldn't be more pleased with himself – Suzu had never jumped higher at one of his pranks. She quickly turned around, her eyes quivering white saucers as wide as the moon. "You scared me! Don't do that to me!" Takeo couldn't help but laugh as he brushed away the small tear drops forming at the corners of Suzu's eyes. He took her into his arms.

"Sorry, sweetie, but you were just having so much fun, I had to join in."

"Awful kind way to go about it," she muttered into his chest. She looked at her hands, and read the single word inscribed into the pendant. "Forever." She smiled as she remembered when Takeo gave it to her for their first anniversary many years ago. She blushed as she remembered the scene. He sat next to her, caressing her hair, and explained it stood for how long his love for her would last. "A thousand generations, and then for eternity," he had proclaimed. Yes, Takeo liked to prank her every so often, but she knew it was just one way he showed his affection.

Suzu's resilience kicked in and she regained her abnormally positive and energetic composure. "One of these days, you're going to pay for that! You'll be working or sleeping, and that's when I'll pounce!"

"Well," he looked at her with mock scorn, "to do that, you'll have to be in the same room with me. Why aren't you in bed yet?"

Suzu looked puzzled. "Why? Is it late?" She glanced at the digital clock on the wall. It shone 3:27 AM accusingly back at her. She just smiled, tilting her head to adjust her hair. "Oh my! I'm sorry. I just got so caught up in my work…"

"Well, any progress?"

"Yes, in fact!" She quickly turned around and hit a few keys. A series of tangled protein strains rotated lazily on the screen. "I've finally managed to isolate the reproductive strands of the virus. I'm running the regular chemical reagents through analysis to see if any of them can properly bond to it now."

Takeo hunched over the monitor as he looked at the multicolored squiggles in front of him. Slowly, his brow furrowed.

"These don't look like anything I've ever seen before… these structures look more like those of prions than viruses."

"I know. That's puzzled me too. Though this could explain why it's spread so fast here."

Takeo shuddered unconsciously. He didn't like to think about what had started just weeks ago happening to Japan and its sick populace. "The body wouldn't really have a defense against a strand like that. It would just replicate and replicate…"

"Well, that's why I'm on the case," Suzu interrupted. She looked lovingly at her overly serious husband and tenderly tapped the tip of his nose. "Don't you worry about a thing. I have a feeling that with a bit more work, I'll have this horrible thing running for cover! It was only a matter of time."

"But regardless, you need your sleep, Suzu. Let the computers crunch the numbers overnight; you can look at it in the morning." Patting her shoulder, he smiled, "Even geniuses need their sleep after all."

"Maybe so, but I can't help it. I try to sleep, and then I get to thinking." Suzu turned to the protein graphics again, her eyes turning serious. "Japan already had it rough before this hit. With the recession, and the crime…. And since this…" She paused. "Things have only gotten worse.

"And I just can't help but think – what kind of world would this be for a child to grow up in?" Suzu unconsciously caressed her swollen stomach. For the first time, Takeo noticed the bags under her eyes, and the slight frizz around the edges of her hair. The horrifying conditions outside were taking their toll on her as well. She just hid it better than he.

Takeo gently placed his hand on her belly, feeling a strong kick as he did so. He wasn't sure what to say; usually, he was the one worrying and she the one doing the consoling. In this situation, as in all situations where he was out of his league, he asked himself "What would Suzu do?" He thought for a beat, and then smiled.

"I know times are not… ideal, but we have to be strong for her. And that's why I'm working so hard at figuring out the cooling trend that's destroying the crops, and why you're working at fixing this virus, right? She won't have to deal with the hardships that we've had." He moved his hand up to Suzu's face and stroked the soft curve of her cheek. "But exhausting yourself isn't going to help us or the world out there. Let's get some sleep."

Suzu looked to the computer and sighed. With a couple of keystrokes, she saved her session to her flash drive. Carefully, she hooked the drive to her necklace, letting the small device fall between her breasts. "You're right, Mihama Takeo," she said. "What would I do without you?" She quickly stood on her tip toes and kissed him. "Let's get some rest. Maybe tomorrow, we'll figure this all out."

In the dark of the night, a grey-haired man attired in black calmly walked down the road. "Shit, it's cold out," he thought. He massaged his bandaged finger tips. "They have to know that it hurts when it's too cold out. Or too hot." He grimaced. "Or when the day of the week ends in 'day.' Goddamnit, Yuta!"

He stopped in the middle of the road, lashing out at the center line with his boots. Whenever he thought about it, he grew so frustrated. It was supposed to be a simple job: Yuta would handle cutting the lights, and he, the dirty work. But no, Yuta got preoccupied, missed his timeframe, and the mark had gotten away. And of course he, being Yuta's senior in the organization, had been held responsible! One disciplinary procedure later, the duo was given a way to redeem themselves. The man appreciated the opportunity, but did it really have to be at night during the coldest winter of the past 50 years? God, he hated being at the mercy of others' whims! Well, he had decided, never again. After tonight, he would make sure that Yuta wouldn't cause any more problems for him or the organization. He would take control of his own destiny.

Regaining his composure, the grey-haired man carefully stepped off the side of the road and entered a dense patch of forest. Taking out his flashlight, he surveyed the contents of his duffel bag. Silently he took out various parts and began assembling them. Seemingly satisfied, he put everything back in the bag and headed through the forest towards his final destination.

Soon enough he came to a large brick wall. He jumped and pulled himself up over the edge of the fence. He dropped over the edge and hurried towards a hill overlooking the Mihama estate. There, he lay prone on the grass and took out a small set of night vision binoculars. He put his eye to the eyepiece and made sure he could see the mansion clearly. Looking through the eyepiece, he could see another figure slinking along the side of the mansion, the silhouette outlined by the light of the crescent moon. He heard a burst of static in his ear and then a low voice, "Gas mains ruptured, packages are in place and timed for ten minutes."

He raised his hand to his ear and pushed a small button on his headset. "Good. I'll watch from here, and we'll meet at the rendezvous point in two hours." He pushed the button again and the line went silent. Really, he couldn't contemplate this job going off without a hitch; it was too simple to screw up. Through his binoculars, he looked at the peaceful scene below and took a deep breath.

Takeo stirred from his sleep and turned over. He nestled back into a comfortable position and yawned. For a beat, all was still. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he quickly lifted himself into a sitting position. He took another deep breath to confirm his suspicion. He turned to Suzu and patted her arm.

"Suzu," he whispered. She waived him off, grunting in her sleep. Then more forcefully, "Suzu!" She groaned and rolled to face him.

"What is it? I thought we were supposed to get some sleep."

"Suzu, do you smell that?"

She was roused by Takeo's sudden seriousness. "What are you talking ab… is that gas?"

"We need to leave. It's not safe." Takeo stumbled through the dark room as he grabbed his wallet, his passport, his cell phone and quickly threw on some warm clothes. Suzu snapped to attention and began doing the same.

"Do you think the concentration is high enough to be dangerous?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know. But you probably shouldn't be breathing this. We need to get out of the house and…"

He cut himself short. In the silence, they heard a rumbling getting louder. Takeo's eyes grew wide. He yelled, "Suzu, out the window! Now!" As she walked around the bed, he picked up a sheet from the bed and rolled it around his arm. Turning his face away from the window, Takeo swung his arm as hard as he could. Suzu gave a small yelp as the window shattered. Takeo grabbed Suzu's arm and led her around the broken glass. Moving as quickly as she could manage, they moved away from the house. Behind them, the bedroom started to glow red, then yellow. They looked behind them as they ran, only to see…

WAHBOOM

The grey-haired man lifted up his eye from the binoculars to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him. Looking back through it, he saw two figures moving towards a cherry tree. He couldn't believe his eyes. Yuta had screwed him over again. Not only did the explosion trigger too late, but the marks were escaping!

"Damn you Yuta!" He scrambled to his bag and pulled the pre-assembled rifle out. Quickly, he went through the checklist. "Focusing… Calculating the drop" He aligned one of the targets in his crosshairs. "Time to finish that which you should have, Yuta." His scowl turned into a wide grin.

"And then I get to finish you!"

The bedroom where Takeo and Suzu had been moments before erupted in a fiery explosion. Takeo felt the shockwave push at his back, littering his pajama top with debris and broken glass. Suzu tripped, bringing Takeo down hard into a nearby cherry tree. He tried to bring his hand to his head, but was too late. The sound of his head hitting the tree produced a dull THUNK, but it was quickly swallowed up by the sound of another explosion behind him. He just lay there, stunned on the ground for a beat before he snapped to his senses. Suzu looked at him with concern, but he dismissed it.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine." He rapped his head with his knuckles twice and reminded her, "Hard head." They looked back at the mansion, the fire slowly spreading towards the center of the house, and the… the labs! Holding their breath, they could do nothing but look on in horror as they watched their life's work burn to the ground. Suzu was the first to break the silence, her voice quiet and… and sorrowful. "Takeo, all of our research, our case studies, our files… it's all in there. We need to go back…" She freed herself from his grip and walked, determined, towards the inferno. Takeo shuffled to his feet and grabbed her arm.

Spinning her to face him, he exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly, "No, Suzu. Look at it!" He motioned with his other arms towards the house. "It's already gone. There's nothing we can do about that."

"But that research is the only hope Japan has left!"

"I don't care!"

Seeing the shocked look on her face, he realized he was yelling. His eyes trailed to the grounds and he retreated back a step. "Sorry, I just don't want to see you get…"

THWAP THWAP THWAP

As Takeo lifted his head, Suzu's torso jolted three times and arched forward. Three crimson ribbons erupted from Suzu's back as her eyes went wide and her mouth slack-jawed. She crumpled forward into Takeo's arms. Takeo didn't even think – his instincts took over immediately. His mind analyzed what he saw in a flash. The angle of the blood splatter, the way Suzu's body jerked forward - she had been sniped from the hill a couple hundred yards behind them. He quickly dragged Suzu's broken form behind the cover of the cherry tree.

He quickly looked around him. "Damn, no cover. How do we get out of here?" Tentatively, he peeked around the corner of the tree. THWAP! The tree splintered inches from where his face had been. He jerked it quickly back. He was pinned. He and Suzu were sitting ducks – all it would take is a simple flank and they were as good as dead. Left with no options, he did the only thing he could do. With one hand, he applied pressure to the wounds and called emergency services with the other. The police station and fire department weren't far away – maybe they'd heard the explosion and had someone on the way.

He hung up and looked at the devastation in his lap. He frantically looked at his burning estate, then back down at his wife. He was unable to move, unable to protect her – he was useless to help her. His emotions, having nowhere else to go, burst through his defenses.

"Oh gods, oh no. Suzu!" He caressed her face and kissed her brow. To his surprise, her pained eyes shot open and looked to him. "Just stay with me Suzu. The ambulance is on its way. You're going to be fine. Just…" He stopped; even to his own ears, he could tell that he was doing a horrible job at reassuring her. She opened her mouth, and tried to say something, but the words simply wouldn't come.

"It's okay, honey. Don't talk." His blood-stained hand lightly touched her lips. "Save your strength. Just breathe." He tenderly placed one hand on her stomach and ran the other along her spine, trying to determine where the bullets had hit. Through her stomach, his hand felt a violent kick. The blood drained from his face. He suddenly felt his strength leave him as he slumped over his wife. "Oh shit."

The grey-haired assassin pulled the trigger three more times. The bullets struck at the center of the cross-hairs, embedding themselves deep in the tree.

CLICK. He was out of rounds. "AAAARHGGG!"

Why couldn't he reach his goddamn marks? And where the hell did Yuta go off to? The assassin hoped Yuta was running for his life, because when he caught up and killed his worthless assistant, the payoff would be that much sweeter.

Hearing sirens in the distance, he knew had had to finish this, and quick. There was no way he would flee the scene and return to his bosses without having completed his objective. He packed the rifle back in the duffle, swung it over his shoulders and took out his pistol. He ran towards the cherry tree as fast as he could.

Takeo could do nothing but look at look at his wife's enlarged stomach and feel despair. Not only was he worthless in protecting his wife, but his only child. If Suzu was in enough distress, it would force her into labor. The house and the research, Takeo could stand to lose. His wife, Takeo didn't know if he was strong enough to survive her death. But everything, his wife, and the child?

No! Finding a reserve of strength he didn't know he had, he took his wife's hands in his. "No! I will not lose hope! I will fight to save you both!" he pledged. Footsteps rapidly approaching the other side of the cherry tree jarred Takeo from his vow, and he readied himself for the confrontation. He looked around the tree for anything that might help him defend his family. The branches at the ground weren't nearly sturdy enough to swing. "Come on!" he pleaded, but there was nothing he could use. He balled his hands into fists and braced himself to hit the man approaching the tree. As the assassin took a final step towards the tree, Takeo tensed, rotated from behind the tree and swung as hard as he could.

The assassin was ready to flank the tree and finish the job. Just as he took the last step, he heard footfalls behind him. He spun quickly, only to find Yuta staring at him strangely. "What are you doing down here, Kami?"

Kami quickly brought up the pistol and trained it on Yuta's head. "Your job. You've fucked me over for the last time Yuta!"

Yuta closed his eyes and flinched as the gun fired. Yuta waited for the impact, but it never came. After a beat, he perplexedly discovered that he was still alive. He opened his eyes, only to see Kami sprawled out on the ground, and a figure posed behind him, with a thin line of blood running down his forehead.

Takeo looked down at the grey-haired assassin. He had gone for a punch, but seeing the assassin faced away from him, he changed tactics. He grabbed the assassin with both hands and head butted him. Tapping on his head with his knuckles, Takeo looked down at the fallen killer. "Hard head."

Takeo then realized he was face to face with another man dressed all in black. Takeo narrowed his eyes at this new target and took a step towards him. Yuta yelped and ran the other direction. Every bit of bloodlust screamed at Takeo to follow him and to avenge the injuries to his wife and child, but thought the better of it. After all, he didn't really need a worse headache at this point. He heard sirens approaching the main gate. The police would arrest the assassin and the paramedics would be with his wife in mere seconds. He turned back to his wife and held her in his arms. He looked upon her face, only to lock eyes with her. Slowly and between quick, labored breaths, he saw a sad smile slowly form on her lips. He leaned over, kissed her forehead and gently rocked her limp form in his lap. He wanted to smile back, to feel elation for his small victory here, but he knew that the worst was likely still to come.

Takeo sat in the private waiting room that Matsazawa Hospital had provided for him, alone in his own private hell. His wife had been taken by the paramedics as soon as they had arrived on the scene. She didn't look like she was in good shape.

As humans are wont to do, he spent his time in that room tearing himself apart. Despite having saved his wife's life, at least temporarily, he still found himself doubting his actions. Why didn't he take a different route out of the bedroom? Why didn't he lead her to the safety of the cherry trees before she was shot? It's entirely possible that he could have avoided her getting shot altogether, if only he had realized the danger. If only he had realized…

"Gods! How could I be so stupid?" he implored himself, his bandaged head falling into his hands. Deep down, he knew nothing could have saved them from what had happened earlier that fateful night. That didn't stop him from feeling like he had failed his wife and his child though.

After an eternity, the doctor cautiously entered the room. Takeo stood up and deeply bowed to the doctor.

The doctor returned the bow. "Please sit down, Mr. Mihama." Takeo felt sick, but he sat down and looked anxiously to him. The doctor sat in silence, composing his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he made eye contact and began.

"The injuries to your wife were very severe. We did everything that we could, but your wife passed away. There was just too much internal damage and blood loss. I am sorry for your loss. " The doctor prepared himself for the worst reaction from Mr. Mihama. After all, Mr. Mihama was a celebrity in Japan. He was famed for precisely two reasons: for his brilliant research, and his equally brilliant temper. He had grown more reasonable after he had married, but now, without his anchor to support him, who knew how he would react? The doctor fully expected Mr. Mihama to complain and for him to be fired for his "incompetence," but he was surprised when Takeo just looked down and didn't respond. Not even so much as a flinch, or a facial tick. In a split second, something about this man had changed: his eyes were now pools of emptiness with no sense of thought behind them. "Mr. Mihama?"

Takeo's expression didn't change. His eyes didn't focus. His mouth, however, did open slightly. His low voice said evenly "What about…"

The doctor didn't know how to react. He had expected screaming, shouting, wailing, or some sort of emotion from the man sitting across from him. Of course people grieve in different ways, but this… This was unexpected. He rose out of his train of thought and cleared his voice.

"Ah, yes. The child. The trauma to your wife induced an early labor. We performed a c-section to minimize the trauma to both parties. The child survived. She is currently resting. I can take you to her if you'd like."

Takeo just stared at the doctor for a minute. In an even, emotionless voice, he intoned "…A girl?"

The doctor wasn't done yet though. "There is one thing you should know. It's actually quite remarkable. Your wife was twenty-eight weeks pregnant. Considering the premature birth, we were worried that there would be complications. But your daughter seemed to be just fine. She's underweight, but otherwise she's seems to have developed at an accelerated rate. Her neurological indices… our tests can't even measure brain activity that high." The doctor looked to the new father to gauge his reaction.

Staring back at him was the same vacant expression he'd seen moments before. The doctor pursed his lips. This obviously wasn't going well.

"Anyway, the prognosis for your daughter is very good. Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can be of more assistance." The doctor rose and gave Takeo a deep bow. Quietly, he approached the door. Suddenly, he stopped and pulled a small chain out of his pocket. He fingered the small item pensively and approached Takeo.

"One last thing, Mr. Mihama. Your wife was clutching something around her neck when she was admitted to the ER. We found this in her hand." He held out the necklace and flash drive to Takeo. Takeo seemed to come out of his daze for a second as he looked up with a confused expression. He took the drive and held it up to his eye. It was undamaged.

The doctor turned around with his hand on the door handle. Takeo, still looking at the drive, finally spoke up. "Doctor?"

The doctor turned back.

"Thank you."

The doctor nodded and stepped outside. Takeo heard the door click shut. Apart from the air vents humming quietly in the background, silence settled through the room. Takeo disconnected the drive from the necklace and placed it in his shirt pocket. Holding the necklace, his memories plagued him. He remembered how he had placed it around Suzu's neck that first time many years ago. How he had leaned in and smelled the intoxicating scent of her skin and hair. How he remembered his promise to love her forever. Thoughtfully, he turned the pendant in his hands. Just as silently as his surroundings, the beginnings of tear drops appeared at the corner of his eyes.

Takeo handed the necklace from one hand to the other as he stood against the glass. Through the partition, he observed his daughter, now dressed in a tiny pink paper gown and a blue wristband. Even looking at his daughter, serene now in her incubator, he couldn't help but be haunted by what her mother had said earlier that night. What kind of world would his daughter grow up in? How would she adapt to this increasingly hostile and dangerous world?

A nurse approached Takeo. "Excuse me, Mr. Mihama. Have you decided on a name for your daughter?" Takeo awoke from his reverie and turned to look at her. A name? They'd never decided. He stared at the child for a moment, watching her rest. He looked down at the pendant and saw the two simple kanji. Chi-yo.

"Chiyo. Her name is Mihama Chiyo."

A/N: Hey AzuDai Community! This is my first fan-fiction, and my first long-form fiction in many years. Hopefully, my routine will come back to me, and I'll be able to push out the next chapters relatively quickly.

Yeah, this is long, heavy, and dark for a prologue, but there was a lot of story to set up for the main story. The main story should be a more lighthearted fare than this and closer to the girls' everyday life.

I look forward to what you all think/ have to say, so please review! If you have any questions, I'll respond to them via PM or in bulk in the next Author's Note. Hope you enjoyed the first bit, and here's to a quick update!

-Dr. Mason