Chapter 20
"Gathering"
…Ashura?………Are you awake, Ashura?
What…? You sound familiar…
…Wake up, Ashura…You need to wake up.
I opened my eyes and saw a gray blue sky filled with puffy white clouds…
…Are you okay?
…Where am I?
You're safe now, Ashura. No one can hurt you anymore.
I sat up and instantly regretted it. I felt sore all over, and my head was spinning because I got up too fast. When the dizziness cleared I looked around. To my right was…a reflection!?
That can't be right…
…Are you a Mew? I asked.
The Mew nodded.
Do you recognize me?
That voice does sound familiar…
Hey! You're that guy who kept bugging me while I was sleeping!
I…guess you could put it that way……I was trying to guide you, Ashura……Not that it did much good…
Huh?
You know what happened to you. If you had actually listened to me at all, everything could have been prevented.
……I'm not gonna back out on my friends that easily.
Ashura, get over it. Please. There's no way they can all be your friends. They're human.
Why do you keep using that as an excuse? Weren't you human before?
Yes. I was. And I'm not proud of it at all. You shouldn't be either…
Well…I am…and……and I'm going back too.
You can't do that, Ashura.
……Why not?
…Look around you.
I didn't know what this guy was up to, but I looked around anyway. It looked like we were on top of a mountain. The clouds seemed to be really close, and when I looked down, I could see a valley full of mist and the trees down there seemed like a green bowl.
…So? We're on a mountain. There's nothing special about that…
That's not all, Ashura…The only ways for you to leave this mountain are by foot or teleportation…Either way, I can stop you……
……This is stupid…Why can't you just leave me alone!? You bring me here and say I can't leave…and you still haven't told me your name!
My name is Nekiro…and don't forget that I saved your life, Ashura…
Saved my life?
That's right……I don't know what you were trying to do, but you almost ended up killing yourself. If I hadn't brought you here and nursed you back to health, you would be long gone by now.
Uh………I guess that means I should thank you, huh?
If you wish……I was just doing my part by helping a fellow Mew in need…
……How come you didn't tell me you were a Mew before?……I…I thought I was the only one………
……That's for me to know……
Hmmph……Well, thank you for saving my life, but I have to be going now…
I stood all the way up and got ready to leave.
Ashura, you don't honestly think that you can just go back and pretend like none of this ever happened, do you?
I do.
You're even crazier than I thought you were! Ashura, all of those humans think you're dead!
What!?
You've been gone for a whole day. As far as they know, your life was over when you went kamikaze.
I did not go…whatever that word was……um……whatever that means……uh…Anyway, that just means that now I really have to go back!
Why?
Because I don't want them to think that I'm dead if I'm really alive!
…Ashura, please trust me on this…You're better off this way. If they think you're dead, no one will try to harm you…or even go risking their lives for you…If you really want them alive that badly, then you'll understand that this is for the better.
He's never gonna let me leave, is he…? Okay then…I'll just have to…make him let me leave.
…I have an idea, I said.
Um……Okay……
I challenge you to a match!
What?
Just you and me. If I win, you'll let me leave, if you win…then I'll stay here.
……You've got to be kidding.
I'm not! Come on! Let's go!
…Um……I'd rather not…
Why not?
I don't want to end up hurting you after I spent so much time trying to heal you…
You won't hurt me! I'm gonna win!
Nekiro sighed. That is not the way we do things, Ashura…
Huh? Who's "we"?
Us…Mews….…
The two of us?
……No……There are many of us, Ashura……I'm sure the rest of us would like to meet you……
Huh?!
No matter how far apart we are, a Mew is a Mew, and we share a bond that no other species has. You read the legend. While it may have been written by humans, there is some truth to it…You've experienced it before. I spoke to you in your dreams, and I have been watching you ever since you first evolved.
That long?
Yes…I thought that by watching you I would be able to help you better later on……but I messed up……and I still don't know if I overestimated or underestimated you……
I didn't know whether I should take that as a compliment or an insult.
……I'm going to send out a gathering……I recommend that you attend.
Say what!?
Nekiro closed his eyes and a yellow haze surrounded him. I couldn't see it, but I could definitely feel his mindwaves calling out to me…but it wasn't just me…He was reaching out to every Mew in the world……and it was working…I wasn't sure how, but I could knew that they were responding, one by one…
'…What about you, Ashura?'
'Huh…?'
'Aren't you coming?'
'I……I guess…so……'
* * *
Huh? What happened?
I looked around in bewilderment. I wasn't standing on the mountain anymore. I wasn't sure where I was…It didn't look like any landscape…or anything at all really…The background was moving…but…it wasn't really moving at all…And it wasn't changing either, but it was definitely changing………
That wasn't the biggest surprise though. I found myself surrounded by Mews of all different colors…A few of them were pink, but not many. I saw Nekiro close to me, and he was yellow, not pink, like when I first saw him.
Where are we…? I asked.
This is a gathering… he replied, You're looking at all the Mews in the world right now…
I turned and stared at all of them…They were staring right back……I began to get scared.
What's gonna happen now? I whispered.
Let me begin……
"Mew! Mewmew, mewmewmew. Meewmew meww…"
'Greetings! As you can see, we have amongst us a newly evolved Mew. Please say hello to Ashura…'
Uh…Ash is fine… I said nervously.
The Mews surrounding me floated closer and I was overwhelmed by an onslaught of hellos, welcomes and other greetings…When it seemed that everyone had said hi, they floated back a little. One Mew came closer though. He seemed to be pretty large for a Mew, and was a deep blue color.
You said he was newly evolved, Nekiro……How new is new?
Ashura, tell them how old you are.
Huh? Um…I'm ten…
Ten? As in years? asked the blue Mew.
Uh…Yeah. That's right.
They all fell back some and started whispering to each other. A Mew came up behind me. He was a light sea green.
That's impossible. No human evolves when it's ten years old! he said.
Yeah. Especially with the humans we've got today…Even the ones back in my days weren't as bad as these, said a female Mew that was a pink-purple color.
Uh…I did! I said.
Ashura is……very special! Nekiro said with a laugh, He, uh……Well, he's got to be, doesn't he? I mean, the first human to evolve in over five hundred years has to be special, right?
Five hundred years!!? I yelped, Wait a sec! How old does that make you guys!?
They didn't answer me, but I was starting to feel very young……
Special? asked the blue one, Special indeed…Special enough to go cavorting with humans, eh?
…That wasn't my doing… Nekiro said quietly, …Ashura has a very strong will……
Uhm… I began.
That was dangerous! I saw what happened. He nearly died!
Excuse me… I started over.
You said that you could handle him, Nekiro.
And I did. He's fine now.
Hey! I'm still here, you know!
They both looked at me.
…Something's still not right…… the blue one said, Look at him……I've never seen a Mew that color before……
Huh?
I looked down at myself. Nekiro wasn't the only one who'd changed colors…My fur had become gray……
But I thought I was supposed to be pink…
I looked over my shoulder at my tail. It was gray too.
What happened!? I asked.
…This isn't your physical body, Ashura, Nekiro told me, In gatherings, we are here in spirit and mind, not in body. Here, your true colors are revealed.
…I don't get it.
……You're looking at your soul.
Umm……
…Nevermind……
…Nekiro, do you remember the story of the dark Mew? the blue Mew asked.
Yeah…but that was just a story, Nekiro replied.
Every story has some truth to it……Maybe that one was a vision of the far future…a warning to us……
…You're not talking about Ashura, are you?
Huh? What about me?
I'm not saying anything about anybody…I'm just saying that maybe we should be careful…
Huh? I asked.
……Ashura, you would never hurt anybody, would you? Nekiro asked me.
No way!
…See?
The big Mew shook his head. Mere words don't mean anything. Truth comes from action……Nekiro, if you really wish to make Ashura your responsibility, then I want you to take care……
…Why do you guys keep talking like I'm not here…? I asked.
Unless there are any objections, I now declare this gathering…ended!
What…?
A light appeared and grew larger and larger until it seemed to swallow everyone up, including me.
* * *
I was back on the mountain. Nekiro was there too, and he looked worried.
Nekiro? I asked.
……Don't worry about what he said, Ashura…There's no way you could be the dark Mew.
Huh?
…It's getting late, and you need your rest……I don't think you've fully recovered anyway……Go to sleep, Ashura…….I'll see you in the morning.
……You're not gonna talk to me in my sleep?
I promise I won't.
………I……I guess…I will………
He was right about me not being fully recovered. I was starting to realize how tired I was. Any spot on the mountain looked comfortable, so I just curled up where I was and drifted off to sleep.
Tomorrow……Tomorrow…I will go home………