CHAPTER 2
Yuuhi carried a tray to the porch where he found Aya playing with Midori. He sat beside her and poured her a cup of tea. "You scared her away, Aya," he accused.
"I didn't mean to," she replied innocently. "I think she also recognized me. Why would she run off like that?"
"Because you look like a monster?"
"Baka!"
"Papa! Papa!" Midori shouted excitedly upon seeing Tooya.
"How was it?" Yuuhi asked him.
"Her name is Seiyo Ellington. She's half-English, half-Japanese. She got her tennyo blood from her father's side."
"Do you mean she's a descendant of a Western deity?" asked Aya.
"Yes. And her power, apparently, is to heal. We haven't gotten much about Western deities so Suzumi-san decided to pay her a visit," Tooya replied as he lifted Midori in his arms.
"She doesn't seem dangerous. Oneesan doesn't have anything to worry about at all," Yuuhi said.
"Yes, she does," Tooya countered. "There's another one," he said with a concerned expression on his face.
~o~
'That girl, how did she recognize me? It was just a dream, right? Seiyo asked herself. 'What the heck is going on?' she thought while staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Seiyo-san? Are you home?" someone asked from the door.
She got up from the bed. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Suzumi."
Seiyo admitted her into the apartment. "Please have a seat. I'm sorry if I left so suddenly."
"It's alright. You've seen her before, haven't you?" Suzumi smiled.
"Ah.hai.in my dream."
"Is that what you've come to tell me about?"
"Hai. I know you're going to find this strange." Seiyo trailed off.
"Not at all. You see, I'm just like you."
Her eyes widened, clearly surprised. "H-how could that be?"
Suzumi proceeded to tell her in the next thirty minutes.
~o~
"That girl.Aya.she's Ceres?" asked Seiyo half an hour later.
"Yes, but she's.ah.normal now because Ceres left her body three years ago," replied Suzumi. "The man whose life you saved is her husband."
"What should I do then?"
"Accept what you are. You don't have much choice just as Aya and I didn't," Suzumi said reasonably.
Seiyo sighed, "This is unbelie."
Suzumi cut her off in mid-sentence, "There's somebody outside your door."
"W-what?"
"Sshhh," Suzumi motioned for her to be quiet.
In an instant, an explosion rocked the entire building. Debris flew in all directions causing the people on the streets to panic.
~o~
Seiyo regained consciousness. "Where am I?' she thought. Everything flooded into her memory as she smelled smoke in the surrounding air. She sat up, displacing the bits and pieces of stone that covered her. She tried to stand but a pain in her left leg had prevented her from doing so. "Suzumi-san!" she called out.
"She won't be able to help you," a voice whispered in her ear. She whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a girl. She had long, wavy, brown hair and chocolate eyes.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Seiyo asked her.
The girl's answer was to grab her neck and squeeze it hard.
"Let.go.of.me," Seiyo demanded. She could hardly breathe and the smoke was making her eyes water.
"I want your power. Give me all of your power," the girl said and tightened her hold on Seiyo's neck.
"Ya.me.te," pleaded Seiyo as she felt herself gradually blacking out. "Yamete!"
A flash of light emanated from her body causing her captor to be temporarily blinded. She slumped on the floor as she was released. The symbol of a star inscribed in a circle blazed in front of her. 'What is this?' she thought before finally fainting.
~o~
Suzumi slowly opened her eyes. "Suzumi-san," she heard someone say. "Suzumi-san."
She sat up and placed one hand on her temple. "I've got a headache," she said and became aware of the stomping of feet. She looked up and saw Aya's face coming into focus.
"Are you okay?" Aya asked.
"Yes.what happened?"
"There was an explosion at Seiyo-san's apartment. We're in a hospital. She's staying in the other room," answered Aya.
Then, Yuuhi came in, interrupting their conversation, followed by a nurse who brought a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. She gave the medicine to Suzumi and left in a hurry.
"How is she?" Suzumi inquired.
"Seiyo's fine," Yuuhi said. "She's taking a nap." In a second, his tone changed, "What the hell happened?"
Suzumi grimaced; she has never heard Yuuhi speak this way. 'He must have been extremely worried,' she smiled to herself.
"Yuuhi!" Aya scolded.
"Sorry. I was just." he reasoned.
"I know," Suzumi concluded. "We've got to get out of here."
"Nani?! What for?! You've only been in an accident and you already want to rush off?!," Yuuhi said.
"It wasn't an accident. That, I'm sure about," Tooya proclaimed from the doorway.
~o~
The fire grew bigger. It was swallowing everything in its path. Seiyo could hear the anguished screams of many people. She tried to find out where she was and examined her surroundings. Then, she saw her, the girl with long, wavy, brown hair and chocolate eyes. She was laughing savagely as she watched the people die. As if sensing that someone was observing from a distance, she turned to Seiyo and gave her a look that sent chills up her spine.
Seiyo woke up in a sweat, still shivering from fright.
~o~
"The explosion was no accident," Tooya asserted. "The girl who started the fire was the subject of an experiment. Her name is Hakai Kamino and she descended from the bloodline of a powerful tennyo called Miru. Something went wrong in the procedure and she has gone out of control."
"Where did you get this information?" Suzumi asked.
"From Alexander Howell."
"Howell? Isn't he the one who facilitated my cousin's project?" Aya said.
"Yes, he is. According to him, the organizations that sponsored Kagami's work are also behind this recent experiment," added Tooya.
"What are we supposed to do?" Yuuhi wondered worriedly.
"We have to find where the laboratory is, know what they've been doing, and discover where they went wrong," Suzumi said automatically.
"Good. I'll search for the laboratory," Tooya said, already preparing to leave.
"Tooya!" Aya shouted as she held him back.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be careful," he reassured her and gave her a brief kiss on the lips before departing.
"What about us?" asked Yuuhi.
"Aya will be staying home with Midori and Kyuu-san. You will be watching over Seiyo-san. And I will be visiting your father to ask for help after I check out of the hospital. Any objections?" Suzumi said.
Yuuhi started to protest but changed his mind. 'I'd rather spend my time with Aya, but playing bodyguard wouldn't be half-bad,' he thought, recalling Seiyo's sweet laugh flowing over him like honey.
Yuuhi carried a tray to the porch where he found Aya playing with Midori. He sat beside her and poured her a cup of tea. "You scared her away, Aya," he accused.
"I didn't mean to," she replied innocently. "I think she also recognized me. Why would she run off like that?"
"Because you look like a monster?"
"Baka!"
"Papa! Papa!" Midori shouted excitedly upon seeing Tooya.
"How was it?" Yuuhi asked him.
"Her name is Seiyo Ellington. She's half-English, half-Japanese. She got her tennyo blood from her father's side."
"Do you mean she's a descendant of a Western deity?" asked Aya.
"Yes. And her power, apparently, is to heal. We haven't gotten much about Western deities so Suzumi-san decided to pay her a visit," Tooya replied as he lifted Midori in his arms.
"She doesn't seem dangerous. Oneesan doesn't have anything to worry about at all," Yuuhi said.
"Yes, she does," Tooya countered. "There's another one," he said with a concerned expression on his face.
~o~
'That girl, how did she recognize me? It was just a dream, right? Seiyo asked herself. 'What the heck is going on?' she thought while staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Seiyo-san? Are you home?" someone asked from the door.
She got up from the bed. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Suzumi."
Seiyo admitted her into the apartment. "Please have a seat. I'm sorry if I left so suddenly."
"It's alright. You've seen her before, haven't you?" Suzumi smiled.
"Ah.hai.in my dream."
"Is that what you've come to tell me about?"
"Hai. I know you're going to find this strange." Seiyo trailed off.
"Not at all. You see, I'm just like you."
Her eyes widened, clearly surprised. "H-how could that be?"
Suzumi proceeded to tell her in the next thirty minutes.
~o~
"That girl.Aya.she's Ceres?" asked Seiyo half an hour later.
"Yes, but she's.ah.normal now because Ceres left her body three years ago," replied Suzumi. "The man whose life you saved is her husband."
"What should I do then?"
"Accept what you are. You don't have much choice just as Aya and I didn't," Suzumi said reasonably.
Seiyo sighed, "This is unbelie."
Suzumi cut her off in mid-sentence, "There's somebody outside your door."
"W-what?"
"Sshhh," Suzumi motioned for her to be quiet.
In an instant, an explosion rocked the entire building. Debris flew in all directions causing the people on the streets to panic.
~o~
Seiyo regained consciousness. "Where am I?' she thought. Everything flooded into her memory as she smelled smoke in the surrounding air. She sat up, displacing the bits and pieces of stone that covered her. She tried to stand but a pain in her left leg had prevented her from doing so. "Suzumi-san!" she called out.
"She won't be able to help you," a voice whispered in her ear. She whipped around and found herself face-to-face with a girl. She had long, wavy, brown hair and chocolate eyes.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Seiyo asked her.
The girl's answer was to grab her neck and squeeze it hard.
"Let.go.of.me," Seiyo demanded. She could hardly breathe and the smoke was making her eyes water.
"I want your power. Give me all of your power," the girl said and tightened her hold on Seiyo's neck.
"Ya.me.te," pleaded Seiyo as she felt herself gradually blacking out. "Yamete!"
A flash of light emanated from her body causing her captor to be temporarily blinded. She slumped on the floor as she was released. The symbol of a star inscribed in a circle blazed in front of her. 'What is this?' she thought before finally fainting.
~o~
Suzumi slowly opened her eyes. "Suzumi-san," she heard someone say. "Suzumi-san."
She sat up and placed one hand on her temple. "I've got a headache," she said and became aware of the stomping of feet. She looked up and saw Aya's face coming into focus.
"Are you okay?" Aya asked.
"Yes.what happened?"
"There was an explosion at Seiyo-san's apartment. We're in a hospital. She's staying in the other room," answered Aya.
Then, Yuuhi came in, interrupting their conversation, followed by a nurse who brought a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. She gave the medicine to Suzumi and left in a hurry.
"How is she?" Suzumi inquired.
"Seiyo's fine," Yuuhi said. "She's taking a nap." In a second, his tone changed, "What the hell happened?"
Suzumi grimaced; she has never heard Yuuhi speak this way. 'He must have been extremely worried,' she smiled to herself.
"Yuuhi!" Aya scolded.
"Sorry. I was just." he reasoned.
"I know," Suzumi concluded. "We've got to get out of here."
"Nani?! What for?! You've only been in an accident and you already want to rush off?!," Yuuhi said.
"It wasn't an accident. That, I'm sure about," Tooya proclaimed from the doorway.
~o~
The fire grew bigger. It was swallowing everything in its path. Seiyo could hear the anguished screams of many people. She tried to find out where she was and examined her surroundings. Then, she saw her, the girl with long, wavy, brown hair and chocolate eyes. She was laughing savagely as she watched the people die. As if sensing that someone was observing from a distance, she turned to Seiyo and gave her a look that sent chills up her spine.
Seiyo woke up in a sweat, still shivering from fright.
~o~
"The explosion was no accident," Tooya asserted. "The girl who started the fire was the subject of an experiment. Her name is Hakai Kamino and she descended from the bloodline of a powerful tennyo called Miru. Something went wrong in the procedure and she has gone out of control."
"Where did you get this information?" Suzumi asked.
"From Alexander Howell."
"Howell? Isn't he the one who facilitated my cousin's project?" Aya said.
"Yes, he is. According to him, the organizations that sponsored Kagami's work are also behind this recent experiment," added Tooya.
"What are we supposed to do?" Yuuhi wondered worriedly.
"We have to find where the laboratory is, know what they've been doing, and discover where they went wrong," Suzumi said automatically.
"Good. I'll search for the laboratory," Tooya said, already preparing to leave.
"Tooya!" Aya shouted as she held him back.
"Don't worry about me. I'll be careful," he reassured her and gave her a brief kiss on the lips before departing.
"What about us?" asked Yuuhi.
"Aya will be staying home with Midori and Kyuu-san. You will be watching over Seiyo-san. And I will be visiting your father to ask for help after I check out of the hospital. Any objections?" Suzumi said.
Yuuhi started to protest but changed his mind. 'I'd rather spend my time with Aya, but playing bodyguard wouldn't be half-bad,' he thought, recalling Seiyo's sweet laugh flowing over him like honey.
