Chapter 10 – Dangerous Songs
Chi-chan seemed to be recovering well from her fright, Yumi thought to herself as she played. Two weeks of rehearsal and work and they were finally ready to record the new single. If the petite idol seemed more subdued than she used to be, it didn't seem to be affecting her voice or her performances. They had done a live concert the other day at a children's hospital and Chi-chan had been bright and perky with the children, signing autographs and taking pictures with her trademark cheerful smile firmly in place.
They finished for the day and Yumi began to fold away her music, a new song already starting up in her mind. She had an urge to make the moment of Kazuki's birth into a sweet lullaby, something soft, like rain falling through sunshine.
Hmm, she thought, that's a good line. She jotted it down and turned to see that she was now alone in the studio. She must have been so absorbed in the new song that the other musicians had left without her noticing.
Well, she chuckled to herself, it wouldn't be the first time.
She finished putting away her things and swung her bag over her shoulder. She smiled thinking about Hikaru-san, carrying the baby out to hand to Miyuki. His face had been full of incandescent joy and he carried his infant son as though the child would shatter if he looked at him wrong. His and Urara's bliss had been wonderful to watch.
Yumi suddenly wondered what it would be like to have a child with Tsubasa and then found herself furiously blushing at the thought. They hadn't even kissed yet and she was thinking such a thing? She stepped into the hallway and then stopped in surprise.
The hallway was as empty as the studio had been, the receptionist's desk was unmanned, the lounge was devoid of musicians drinking coffee and chatting, the whole place was silent.
A chill went through her and she pulled out her cell phone, dialing Tsubasa's number with fingers gone clumsy with fear.
"Oi," he answered in a distracted tone. She knew that he had a strategy session with Jun-sensei that evening and she could hear the sounds of the gym in the background.
"Tsubasa-chan, I am at the studio and something is very wrong," she found that she was whispering and she wasn't certain why.
"I am on my way." He hung up and she felt a jolt of relief go through her. Tsubasa's complete acceptance of her premonitions was still novel to her and she was deeply grateful for not having to explain what she was feeling to him. His trust in her, she realized, was as great as her trust in him.
Had she not been feeling like an appetizer at a party, she would have found the thought quite enchanting. She moved slowly down the hallway heading for the stairs. She had glanced at the elevator, but the idea of a tiny box she couldn't get out of did not appeal to her just then.
"You are surely of your grandmother's bloodline, child," a hollow voice drifted through the air and Yumi shivered again. She tamped down her fright and made herself think and move slowly and carefully. There was no point in panicking and doing something foolish. "You have her courage and her gifts," the voice continued.
Yumi had no idea what her grandmother had to do with anything, or why it made her a target for whatever was hunting her, but her curiosity was definitely placing very low on her priority list right then.
She reached the door to the stairwell and carefully grasped the handle, Tsubasa's description of being flung back from the door of Chi-chan's apartment ringing in her mind. She was glad that he had the power to make healing potions, but she would rather not have to use one today.
"You can of course, escape from me, but if you do, everyone in this building will be destroyed." The voice was cold, calculating and had no trace of compassion in it. Yumi had no doubt that it was quite serious.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, her hand dropping from the door handle.
"Powerful magics surround you, the spell that sent your soul back in time to be reborn is very strong and very ancient. I want the book that spell comes from." Yumi shivered. The voice had filled with a hunger and avarice that was completely inhuman. "If you allow me to trace the spell back to that book, I will spare the people in this building."
"What do I have to do?" Yumi was proud that her voice didn't waver at all, but the fear inside of her was growing. Whatever was wanted of her, she doubted she would like it.
"Just give me your soul!" The last word was a scream and Yumi's voice joined it as she felt herself being ripped apart from the inside. Like the dissolution she had suffered from Siren, she was being destroyed again and her heart constricted in agony.
"Tsubasa!" she shrieked and then she knew nothing else.
Running up the stairwell, his family only a few steps behind him, her scream made Tsubasa's heart stutter in his chest.
"Yumi!" he called and ran faster, terror for her gripping him.
He burst through the stairwell door, Kai right on his heels and saw Yumi, laying sprawled next to the door. Her skin was pale and her hands, when he grasped them were icy cold.
"Yumi!" he called to her again, pulling her up from the floor and cradling her against his chest. She lay in his arms, cold and still, and he felt a terrible rage rising up in him. "NO! I will not lose you again!" he hugged her to him reaching for his wand.
"She has served her purpose, Magician. I know where the book now lies." A hissing voice, devoid of gender, but with a tone of satisfaction in it, spoke from the air. "But do not think me cruel, boy, I have no use for her soul now, and no need to be burdened with it." Light flashed around Yumi and he felt her take a breath and shudder as life poured back into her body.
"Tsu-kun?" she murmured, groggy and dazed and he smiled into her eyes, charmed by the endearment.
"Yumi-chan," he answered and held her close again.
Kai, Houka, and Makito were moving out and searching through the hallway for the source of the mysterious voice, while their parents stood over Tsubasa and Yumi, guarding them while they were vulnerable.
"I wonder what book it was talking about?" Isamu muttered, obviously worried.
"It said that my soul had been sent back in time to be reborn," Yumi answered to Tsubasa's surprise. She pulled herself upwards in his arms, still holding tight to him, but looking at his parents with her face creased in worry. "It said that there was a powerful spell involved and it wanted the book that spell came from," she continued.
"Urara!" Miyuki cried and clapped her hands to her face in distress. "I knew that she was worried about Tsubasa, that she might have done something to help him…"
"Then the book must be one from Magitopia!" Isamu reasoned and then took off running down the stairs. Miyuki and the others ran after him.
"Tsubasa, go help Urara-san!" Yumi urged when he made no move to follow after. He was holding her tightly still and found he could not bring himself to leave her side.
"I don't want to leave you alone!" he answered, feeling near to tears from coming so close to losing her again.
"She will not be alone, Tsubasa-kun," a familiar voice called out to him and they turned to see Yumi's grandmother coming up the stairs.
"Grandmother!" Yumi blinked in surprise.
"Pardon, but if danger returns how will you protect her?" Tsubasa asked dubiously.
"Like this!" She waved her hand and Tsubasa found himself outside the studio standing beside his family.
"Eh? What about Yumi-san?" Kai asked him in surprise as he headed towards his broom.
Transforming into his suit, Tsubasa got astride his broomstick and looked back at his family.
"I left her with someone reliable," he informed them and then lifted off.
Urara looked deeply into her son's eyes and smiled in purest joy. Everything was so full of wonderment for her right now. Hikaru was standing by the window, watching her feed their child, a small smile curving his lips. He was disheveled and tired looking, neither one of them had been getting much sleep since the baby had been born, but she thought that he had never looked as handsome or dear to her as he did just them.
Their eyes met in a mutual moment of shared joy and Urara decided that her life was absolutely perfect.
The scream of rage that echoed through Magitopia startled them both and Urara nodded to her husband as he hesitated by the window. He returned the nod and then leapt out and his rug zipping towards him flew up and away.
Tsubasa was still puzzling over Maeda-san's mysterious teleportation ability when they arrived in Magitopia.
Unlike in their previous visit, there was no serene calm pervading the floating islands, instead the Heavenly Saints were in turmoil. The Saints were flying hither and yon in a greatly agitated state. Above everything Heavenly Arch Saint Magiel's shouting could be heard quite clearly.
"We must keep searching! Unless you want a disaster to occur?" Her voice was heavy with anger and sarcasm and Tsubasa was glad that he wasn't the one receiving her scolding.
"I think we know where to go first," Isamu informed them and grimly the family nodded back at him. They headed straight up to the Heavenly Temple, following the sounds of Magiel's shouts.
Landing on the pristine white surface of the floating island, they quickly jumped off of their brooms and headed inside.
Tsubasa was used to the reception hall being a vast open space with white walls, pillars and a sense of peace and quiescent power. Just then though, it was in an uproar, Magiel was gesticulating and shouting, Lunagel was running around looking frantic and Hikaru, with several other Heavenly Saints, was overturning furniture and looking under rugs.
"I have a suspicion we have arrived too late," Miyuki murmured and they stepped forwards.
"Magiel, what has happened?" Isamu had slipped into his Blagel form, seeming the personification of flame and courage, when he spoke his voice had an added depth that made Tsubasa shiver a little. He could forget sometimes, when they were sitting around the table eating breakfast that his father was an immortal Heavenly Saint and then something like this would happen and it would be driven home again to him.
"Blagel! The library has been ransacked, Magitopia's treasures have been gone through and we don't know yet what was stolen!" She was quite angry, Tsubasa noticed, her usually white garments were tinged with red and he wasn't sure quite what that meant.
"Calm yourself, we have a good idea of what has been taken," Blagel informed her and the room stilled as all eyes turned to them.
"Well, will you share you knowledge with us?" Magiel asked, calming visibly but still seeming agitated and uneasy.
"It was a book that contained a spell to send a soul back through time to be reborn," he answered and Magiel gaped at him and then frowned.
"I did not know such a book existed," she sighed and looked somewhat embarrassed by the admission.
"It must be one of the most ancient texts, something that pre-dates even Chronos' mastery of time magics," Lunagel interjected and Magiel nodded.
"How do you know this?" Magiel now asked.
"Because that spell was used to send the soul of Mamiya Rei back in time so that she could be re-born as Yumi-san," he admitted and Magiel frowned.
"But who could have done such a thing? Who could have broken the laws of Magitopia like that?" Magiel demanded.
"Uh, um…I think that was me." They all turned to find Urara standing in the archway, looking rather sheepish.