CHAPTER 4
"I finally found you."
Seiyo became alarmed as she stared into a pair of brown eyes. 'Don't panic,' she told herself. "What do you want from me, Kamino-san?"
"Ah, I see you've done your research as well," the other girl replied.
"What do you want from me?" Seiyo repeated.
Kamino stepped out of the mirror and stood in front of her. "Don't feign ignorance, Seiyo. I know you're well aware of what I'm after. Now, give it up!"
"Give what up? I don't understand."
"Don't try my patience!" shouted Kamino. She smashed the palm of her hand against Seiyo's face which sent her sprawling out of the fitting room.
The commotion caused the other shoppers to look their way.
Having realized what was happening, Aya came rushing to Seiyo's side.
"Don't come near, Aya-chan!" Seiyo warned her. "Get the people out of here and ask for help."
"B-but."
"Just go, please," Seiyo beckoned.
"O-okay," Aya said before doing as she was instructed.
Kamino approached Seiyo and took her by the arm. She lifted her like a ragged doll and tossed her to the window. The force was hard enough to break the glass into a million pieces.
Before Seiyo knew it, she was flying through the air and falling to the ground. She shut her eyes tightly and braced for the impact.
~o~
People were hurrying out of the Higashi Shopping Center as Yuuhi turned at the corner.
"Oi!" he called to the man who had just bumped into him. "What's going on?"
"A-a-a g-girl---" the man tried to say, pointing to the broken window of the lofty building.
Yuuhi looked up, then, he saw Seiyo. She was plummeting to the ground at high speed.
'What can I do?' asked Yuuhi. Panic was quickly overcoming him. He urged his body to move but he was frozen by dread.
"SEIYO!" he shouted on top of his lungs.
Seiyo was only several feet away from the pavement. Suddenly, the symbol materialized below her. It emitted a strange wave of light.
Yuuhi watched as she disappeared into the glowing emblem.
~o~
Yuuhi paced back and forth in the dark corridor. It has been hours since Seiyo vanished without a trace and he was getting sick with worry. "Damn it, where could she be?!" he exploded.
Suzumi's head poked out from one of the rooms. "Yuuhi!" she warned. "Aya-chan has just fallen asleep."
"Sorry," he muttered and resumed pacing restlessly. He combed a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Yuuhi," someone called out. "Yuuhi."
He turned towards the voice and was surprised by what he saw. "Where have you been?" he asked incredulously.
Seiyo smiled. She approached him and laid a hand on his cheek. "I wanted to tell you."
"What?" he prodded gently.
"Aishiteru," she continued before disappearing again.
Seiyo's confession left Yuuhi in shock with his mouth hanging open.
~o~
Seiyo awakened to the sound of rustling leaves. She dreamed that she had finally told Yuuhi how she felt. 'Can I really do it?' she wondered. She yawned and realized that the room doesn't seem familiar. She quickly bounced out of bed.
"I see you're up at last," said a deep voice.
"Grandfather! What are you doing here? Where are we?" she inquired in disbelief.
"Poor girl," the old man said without the slightest hint of sympathy. "Don't you remember what happened?" He snapped his fingers and a man clad in white entered the room.
"W-what---?" she faltered. She felt the prick of a needle against her nape before losing consciousness.
~o~
"I told you," Yuuhi said. "She was just here." He was trying to convince Suzumi-san that he had seen Seiyo last night. "She even." he trailed off, putting a hand on his cheek.
"I don't think it was actually her," Suzumi countered. "She has the ability to transmit an image of herself while she's asleep. It's called astral projection. It's part of her powers," she explained exasperatingly.
Yuuhi gave her a confused look.
"Anyway, did she mention anything important? Did she say where she is?"
"No," he answered, recalling Seiyo's declaration. 'Was she telling the truth?' he thought.
~o~
Reginald Ellington stood at the observation deck and watched as lab technicians secured Seiyo's arms and legs in leather straps.
"Finally caught up with her, eh, Ellington," commented Richard Hampton, an Australian entrepreneur.
Ellington gave him a curt nod. "Would have had her sooner if that idiotic son of mine hadn't escorted her here."
Hampton laughed heartily. "What now? We've waited so long to waste this opportunity," he became serious. "If Kagami had completed the project in the first place, we would have gotten it by now."
"Patience, my friend. Like you said, it is too good of a chance to waste." Ellington smiled, "All that remains to be done is to lure Kamino back here, and everything will be ready."
A set of brown eyes peered in through one of the damaged windows. "Is that so?" the girl said as she listened to their conversation. "I won't disappoint you then," she snickered.
"I finally found you."
Seiyo became alarmed as she stared into a pair of brown eyes. 'Don't panic,' she told herself. "What do you want from me, Kamino-san?"
"Ah, I see you've done your research as well," the other girl replied.
"What do you want from me?" Seiyo repeated.
Kamino stepped out of the mirror and stood in front of her. "Don't feign ignorance, Seiyo. I know you're well aware of what I'm after. Now, give it up!"
"Give what up? I don't understand."
"Don't try my patience!" shouted Kamino. She smashed the palm of her hand against Seiyo's face which sent her sprawling out of the fitting room.
The commotion caused the other shoppers to look their way.
Having realized what was happening, Aya came rushing to Seiyo's side.
"Don't come near, Aya-chan!" Seiyo warned her. "Get the people out of here and ask for help."
"B-but."
"Just go, please," Seiyo beckoned.
"O-okay," Aya said before doing as she was instructed.
Kamino approached Seiyo and took her by the arm. She lifted her like a ragged doll and tossed her to the window. The force was hard enough to break the glass into a million pieces.
Before Seiyo knew it, she was flying through the air and falling to the ground. She shut her eyes tightly and braced for the impact.
~o~
People were hurrying out of the Higashi Shopping Center as Yuuhi turned at the corner.
"Oi!" he called to the man who had just bumped into him. "What's going on?"
"A-a-a g-girl---" the man tried to say, pointing to the broken window of the lofty building.
Yuuhi looked up, then, he saw Seiyo. She was plummeting to the ground at high speed.
'What can I do?' asked Yuuhi. Panic was quickly overcoming him. He urged his body to move but he was frozen by dread.
"SEIYO!" he shouted on top of his lungs.
Seiyo was only several feet away from the pavement. Suddenly, the symbol materialized below her. It emitted a strange wave of light.
Yuuhi watched as she disappeared into the glowing emblem.
~o~
Yuuhi paced back and forth in the dark corridor. It has been hours since Seiyo vanished without a trace and he was getting sick with worry. "Damn it, where could she be?!" he exploded.
Suzumi's head poked out from one of the rooms. "Yuuhi!" she warned. "Aya-chan has just fallen asleep."
"Sorry," he muttered and resumed pacing restlessly. He combed a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Yuuhi," someone called out. "Yuuhi."
He turned towards the voice and was surprised by what he saw. "Where have you been?" he asked incredulously.
Seiyo smiled. She approached him and laid a hand on his cheek. "I wanted to tell you."
"What?" he prodded gently.
"Aishiteru," she continued before disappearing again.
Seiyo's confession left Yuuhi in shock with his mouth hanging open.
~o~
Seiyo awakened to the sound of rustling leaves. She dreamed that she had finally told Yuuhi how she felt. 'Can I really do it?' she wondered. She yawned and realized that the room doesn't seem familiar. She quickly bounced out of bed.
"I see you're up at last," said a deep voice.
"Grandfather! What are you doing here? Where are we?" she inquired in disbelief.
"Poor girl," the old man said without the slightest hint of sympathy. "Don't you remember what happened?" He snapped his fingers and a man clad in white entered the room.
"W-what---?" she faltered. She felt the prick of a needle against her nape before losing consciousness.
~o~
"I told you," Yuuhi said. "She was just here." He was trying to convince Suzumi-san that he had seen Seiyo last night. "She even." he trailed off, putting a hand on his cheek.
"I don't think it was actually her," Suzumi countered. "She has the ability to transmit an image of herself while she's asleep. It's called astral projection. It's part of her powers," she explained exasperatingly.
Yuuhi gave her a confused look.
"Anyway, did she mention anything important? Did she say where she is?"
"No," he answered, recalling Seiyo's declaration. 'Was she telling the truth?' he thought.
~o~
Reginald Ellington stood at the observation deck and watched as lab technicians secured Seiyo's arms and legs in leather straps.
"Finally caught up with her, eh, Ellington," commented Richard Hampton, an Australian entrepreneur.
Ellington gave him a curt nod. "Would have had her sooner if that idiotic son of mine hadn't escorted her here."
Hampton laughed heartily. "What now? We've waited so long to waste this opportunity," he became serious. "If Kagami had completed the project in the first place, we would have gotten it by now."
"Patience, my friend. Like you said, it is too good of a chance to waste." Ellington smiled, "All that remains to be done is to lure Kamino back here, and everything will be ready."
A set of brown eyes peered in through one of the damaged windows. "Is that so?" the girl said as she listened to their conversation. "I won't disappoint you then," she snickered.
