[Part 1] [Part1.jpg (20025 bytes)] [Up] [Part 1] [Part 2] Volume 1 Part 1 Pages 3~43 "Ayashi no Ceres" By: Watase Yuu Published by: Flower Comics Volume 1 Part 1 pgs. 3-43 ISBN: 4-09-13-6354-7 Translation by: Lillian Fukuda Corrections and Advisor: Hiroaki Fukuda Additional editing: Barbara Girrens Inside Flap: Watase Yuu Profile Birthday: March 5 Zodiac Sign: Pisces Born and raised: Osaka Blood Type: B Hobbies: Listening to music, excluding Heavy Metal and Enka (traditional Japanese style music), and reading current science fiction, but working is her main and biggest hobby. Debuted in 1989 Flower Comic’s Volume 3 of Shoujo Comic Page 3 Fortuneteller: So, Mikage Aya. (Aya is sitting across from the fortuneteller, her brother, Aki, and three of their friends are behind her, all wearing their school uniforms. In the center of the table lies a small square cushion, a crystal ball resting in its center.) Fortuneteller: Now, I will try to gaze into your future with this crystal ball. (The fortuneteller’s hands hover over the crystal ball.) Fortuneteller: Now ease your mind and lend me your ears. Fortuneteller: !! (The fortuneteller jerks back with surprise.) Fortuneteller: Th... This is...!? Title Pages Page 4 Watase Yuu Page 5 A Tale of Heaven Ayashi no Ceres Volume 1 Shoujo Comic Flower Comics Page 6 Aya Mikage Birthday: September 24, LIBRA !!! Blood Type: O Height: 166 cm (about 5’6") Bust: 83cm Waist: 57cm Hip: 86cm Hobbies: Karaoke, long distance phone calls, collecting accessories Specialty: Quick recovery, mimics idol singers Page 7 Aya: Who does that fortuneteller thinks she is?! (Aya is obviously angry.) Sign: Karaoke Banner: Karaoke Singing!! (Inside a Karaoke booth with her brother and three friends, music is playing in the background. Lyric sheets and a microphone are scattered on the table; drinks upon napkins sit in front of each one. Aya and one girl on one side, and Aki sitting between the other two friends.) Friend1 (girl): Calm down, don’t get angry! (The friend beside Aya is tapping her arm. Aki and her friends are embarrassed.) Aya: Shut up. I’m always calm and sweet! (Aya slams her drink down on the table.) Aki: Liar! Aya: That’s why I said I didn’t want that. They say she’s so good, but she shouldn’t have gone that far. (Flashback to the event in question. "*") *Fortuneteller: ... This is ... !?* Page 8 *Fortuneteller: Soon, the black star will control you.* *Fortuneteller: All I see is blood, hatred, and sorrow. Everything on the planet will lose its balance. When the star and moon revolve sixteen times, judgement day will come.* *Aya: huh?* (Aya looks surprised.) *Fortuneteller: Your strong vital power will determine whether if it will be led to light or darkness.* (Back to present) Friend2 (girl): In short, that means... (She starts to sing into the mic, Enka style.) Friend1: She has no future. (Aya covers her ears.) Aya: Damn, it's really bad Aki: She also said, "A fated meeting will occur, which will help you." Aki: It would be great if it was a guy. Tomorrow is your birthday, and you’ve never had a boyfriend in all your 16 years, Aya-chan! (Music and singing in the background.) Aya: How ironic, Aki-kun, you don’t have a girlfriend either!! Aki: Me? I don’t mind. Page 9 Aki: With a troublesome younger twin sister, I can’t have a girlfriend. (A slight smile on Aki’s face.) Aya: Hey... It’s not my fault. Aya: Geez --stop, stop!! Don’t believe such things! (The guy sitting on the other side of Aki speaks into the mic.) Koizumi: Thank you very much! Yeah! (The girls are clapping.) Aki: Huh? Were you the one singing just now? Friend1: Who’s next? Everyone: Ahh... Aki: This melody is...!! (Aya grabs the mic from the Koizumi.) Aya: Hey everybody! Thank you for waiting so long. Aya: I, Mikage Aya, am called Amuro Namie of Sarashina High School. Koizumi: No one calls you that. Aki: You call yourself that. Aya: I’m gonna sing my best!! Friend1: There she goes. Page 10 (Aya is singing rather loudly.) Aya: No it’s not. I’m just having fun.... unstoppable impulse... ((The song that she is singing was a popular song of Amuro Namie, before she was married and had a child. But the idol has recently made a big comeback.)) Koizumi: Wow-- She’s really into it today. Aki: She’s worried about the fortune telling. Friend2: Hey—Hey—let’s take a picture. (Singing into her own mic.) Friend1: But they say her fortune will come true. Aya: (singing) Just Chase the Chance. Aki: Stop messing around, Aya. This isn't a dance. Friend2: You said too much. Koizumi: Aki, grab her mic. Friend2: (holding the camera up.) Okay. Page11 Friend2: Say CHEESE!! (To herself she says,) No one’s paying attention. (Aki grabs the mic away from Aya, Friend1 grabs Aya around the waist, and Koizumi reaches from the front to keep the drinks from spilling.) CLICK Aya: Ah—I feel great after singing!! (They are leaving the Karaoke place, crossing on a bridge over heavy traffic.) Koizumi: So, Aya, Aki! About tomorrow’s birthday party... The other day, I found this new Karaoke Box (booth). So, what do you think? Aya: Huh? Sounds great! Sounds great! Aki: Geh... Are you going to sing again? Aki: You like it, Aya, don’t ya. Aya: Because I’m called the Amuro Namie of Sarashina High School... Friend2/Koizumi: Just forget it! Page 12 AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! (They all look toward the direction the scream is coming from.) Woman: Somebody?! Woman: Catch that thief!! Aya: !! (She begins to run toward the thief.) Aki: !! Page 13 Aya: Wait!! (She throws herself against the thief.) Thief: Shit, let go!! Aki: Aya!! Aya: Koizumi!! Get the police!! (The thief either throws the purse away, or let’s go. Aya reaches for it.) Aya: Ah— (Aya grabs it.) Aya: Sa— Page 14 Aya: —fe... (Aya begins to fall over the edge.) Aki: Aya!! (Aki reaches out to grab her hand but misses.) Aki: !! Page 15 Aya: (Thinking to herself (th)) N... No Wa—y!! Aya: !? Page 16 Aya: (th) What... Aya: (th) This scene... Aya: (th) Unwillingly enters my mind... Page 17 (As Aya is falling she begins to slow down, she lands on the street below her, on her feet.) Aya: (th) Wha—?! Aya: (th) Floating? Aya: Just now... (A man in sunglasses just saw what happened.) Stranger: ! (Aki is watching from above.) Aki: Aya!! Page 18 (Aya turns her head to look behind her and sees a fast car approaching.) Aya: AAAA!!! (Car Squeals) Page 19 (The stranger throws himself out into the street, pushing Aya out of the way.) Driver: You idiot!! Don’t run out into the street!! (Aya squinting, not wanting to see. Her heart beating fast.) Page 20 Stranger: —Are you okay? (Aya begins to blush, she had just realized that her savior was a rather cool and good-looking guy.) Page 21 Stranger: What’s wrong? Does it hurt anywhere? (Aya is a little nervous. People are walking around them, not even paying attention.) Aya: Ah... Ah... no. (Aki and her friends are running down the stairs to meet up with Aya. All of them have rather worried looks on their faces.) Aki: Aya!! Aki: Aya, don't... geez~~~~!! Aya: Ah... Aki! Yo! (Aki is rather upset with Aya.) Aki: Whaddya mean, "Yo"!! (Aya is cowering, her hands covering her head.) Word flying over Aya’s head: Oh my! Watase Yuu Talk ((Sorry, I can’t read it. I might have my advisor translate it later, but only if it seems necessary.)) Page 22 Aki: What you did was dangerous!! (The stranger is getting up.) Aki: You could have been killed!! (Aki is glaring down at her. Aya cowers behind the purse.) Aya: ...I’m sorry... Aki: Sigh— Koizumi: It’s too bad that the thief got away! Woman: I’m sorry I was careless... (Aya smiles.) Aya: It’s okay! Look... your purse is okay. Page 23 Woman: Thank you. Thank you. Aki: The bag is safe, but what about you!? Aya: Yeah! Somebody helped me— Aya: —he’s Aya: gon... gone... (At the Mikage home, Aya is in her room, hugging a pillow against her chest, thinking.) Aya: (th): I missed the chance to thank the angel who saved my life. Aya: (th) What a strange guy... Aya: (th) I wonder if I’ll see him again. Page 24 (Aya, a little frustrated, throws her pillow aside and lies down on her bed.) *Fortuneteller: A fated meeting will occur, which will help you.* Aya: Can’t be... Aya: (th) What the heck was that anyway... Aya: (th) ... like a subliminal image entering into my mind while falling? Aya: (th) Then I certainly... (From nowhere, Aki is in her room, standing beside her bed, his head right above hers.) Aki: ... was floating, huh. (Scaring Aya, throws her pillow, smacking him against the wall.) Aya: ATTACK!! (Bash) (Hiding behind the pillow, he holds his hand out to block anything else she might throw at him.) Aki: Ow... Why’d you suddenly...? (Aya is threatening him with her small dumbbells.) Aya: What is it, Aki...? You scared me! Page 25 Aki: Dumbbells... were you trying to kill me? Aki: I wonder how you can be okay. You should have been in heaven by now. Aya: Aki, I tell ya, it was the wind, the wind! Something lifted my body. Aya: Then some guy saved me. I was just plain lucky! Aya: ... Aki, don’t be mad, but I was really excited. Aya: Don’t you think it’s boring to repeat the same thing over and over again everyday? Aya: Every morning I wake up, go to school, come home, eat dinner, go to sleep, and the same the next day. Aya: Then I think about the fact that there are numbers of people who do the same thing. Page 26 Aya: I feel like I’m just a tiny speck on the world. I’m missing something. I don’t know what to do, but I still wonder if this is alright as it is. Can you picture yourself 10 years from now? Aki: You’re asking too much. Aki: Today, I was also scared, but in a different way, "Suddenly my everyday life is going to change, just like this." Aki: When something is ruined or lost, I feel like I would notice how happy daily life could be... Aki: ... yet the future exists. Aki: Why don’t we think about future for the time being. Finally, tomorrow is our sixteenth birthday. Aki: I’m looking forward to your birthday present, little sister. (Aki yanks her ponytail.) Page 27 (Aya smiles.) Aya: I’m looking forward to yours too, older brother! (She slaps him with the dumbbell that she had been holding onto.) Mom: Aya! Aki! Dinner! Aya: .... (Aki’s face is embedded in the floor from Aya’s blow.) (They are walking into the dining room; Aki’s rubbing his aching head.) Aya: Sorry, Aki! I didn’t mean to. Aki: It’s okay! I’m definitely not getting you a present! Aya: No way— Mom: Hurry up you two, and sit down! Aki: You can’t find a boyfriend because you are so rough. Aya: Any problem with that?! Dad: Aki... Aya, There’s something I need to tell you before dinner. Dad: ... You both must return home right after school. (They suddenly stop.) Page 28 Aya: Huuuhhhhhh!? Aya: Why? Tomorrow, we’re celebrating with our frie... Dad: You will be going to Grandpa’s house for your birthday celebration. Aya: No way— We promised that we’d go to a Karaoke party! Dad: No, you aren't! Come home. Mom: Listen to your father! Do you both understand? (Aki and Aya look at eachother.) Aya: How weird... (The thunder is rumbling outside.) Aya: That’s what happened. I’m sorry. (Aya claps her hands together, bowing slightly, a gesture of deep apology.) Page 29 (At school.) Friend1: It’s okay, it’s not your fault. Aya: I’m really sorry! I’ve gotta tell Ohishi about this, too. Aki: Because of our family circumstances...Sorry about this. Friend2: That’s fine, but... Aki: ...what? Friend2: Yea... Friend1: ... This... picture was taken in the BOX (karaoke booth) yesterday! It was developed the same day, but... something’s weird. (She hands Aki the picture.) Friend1: Look, there is some strange mist only around Aya. Friend1: I hope it has nothing to do with yesterday’s fortune and that accident. Page 30 Friend1: Keep this a secret from Aya, okay? (Lightening flashes across the sky, later thunder follows. They are all standing outside a large house.) Aya: It looks old... But grandpa’s house is sure big, isn’t it! Aya: Ahhh—Look there, Aki, at that pinetree! Aya: We used to climb it when we were little, didn’t we? Aki: I don’t know. Come on, hurry up! Aki: Don’t stumble! Be good! Stay calm! Brush your teeth! Aya: This isn’t a comedy show. Page 31 Aya: He still must have a grudge about yesterday. Aya: I got him an expensive present, but maybe he didn’t get me one. Aya: Okay then, fine. I’ll have all the allowance and presents from Grandpa. You’re stingy, Aki. Aki: Who is? (A short elderly man with a cane is standing inside, near the door.) Grandpa: Welcome, Aki, and Aya! Aya: ! Aya: Grandpa! How are you? Grandpa: Save the hellos for later. Everybody’s waiting Aya: Everyone...? Huh? (There is a surprised look on Aki’s and Aya’s face.) Page 32 Aki/Aya: !! (They seemed to have entered into the dining room of the house. Relatives are sitting at a table and there are two empty chairs at one end. Everyone in the room is wearing black. The women are in black dresses or kimonos, and the men are in black suits. Everyone is looking toward them. Aya looks at each person, identifying them.) Aya: (th) Uncle... Aya: (th) Aunt too... Aya: Why ... is the whole Mikage family here—? Page 33 Aki: — Fathe... Dad: Both of you hurry and sit. (Aki whispers into Aya’s ear.) Aki: It’s weird to have a birthday party with the whole family. Aki: Just for ordinary high school kids? Page 34 Aya: (th) Everyone’s wearing black? Even my dad is. Something’s wrong. No one’s talking. Aya: (th) This is like a funeral. Aya: (th) Where are the presents, the good food? Grandpa: Aki, Aya, it’s your sixteenth birthday, congratulations. (Someone is entering the room.) Grandpa: Well... here’s my present for you both. Aya: Ahhh... Aya: ... that guy!? (The stranger who had saved her has just entered the room, a wrapped box in his arms.) Aya: (th) No way, why... (The stranger leaves the room, the door shutting behind him) Grandpa: Aya! Page 35 Grandpa: Look carefully at what’s inside. Aya/Aki: — Huh? (The cloth wrapped around the box falls open.) (Aya’s heart is beating intensely as she looks at her family, noticing that they are watching her.) Aya: (th) Why is my heart beating so fast? Aki: ...Aya! I’ll open it. (Aki opens the wooden box.) Page 36 (Her heart is beating even louder in her head. Inside the box lies a single mummified hand, Aya and Aki stare at it in shock. An eerie high-pitched squeal seems to be coming from it.) Aya: (th) What... is it... Page 37 (The eerie squeal continues.) Aya: !! Aya: Again... the same as last time!! Aya: (th) Blood...? Aya: I see lots of blood—!! (Her heart is beating even faster, her whole body is shaking. The Mikage family stares at her in shock.) Page 38 (The air seems to explode around her. Her clothing tears to shreads, just barely covering her. Her body continues to shake.) Grandpa/Mikage1: —!! (Aya grasps the sides of her head, her eyes wild. The box begins to rattle and the wood cracks.) Page 39 (The mummified hand and the wooden box shatter to pieces. The air calms around her.) Aya: !? Aya: (th) ... wha... what? Aya: (th) I...? What did I... do? (Aya breathes deeply.) Aya: ...Aki? I... just now... what did I— Page 40 (Aki is hugging himself in pain, shaking intensely.) Aya: ...Aki? (Cuts are appearing all over his arms, face, and hands. Aya is watching in shock.) Aki: AAAHHH!! Page 41 Mikage1: Impossible— Grandpa: —It’s... Aki: AAAAHHH!!! Aya: (th) Aki! (Aki passes out onto the table.) Aya: Aki...Aki!! Aya: What is this?! Why...!? Aya: Hold on, Aki!! Page 42 Aya: Dad!! Mom!! Aya: Hurry, get an ambulance!! Aya: Hurry...!! Aya: Every... one!? (Their parents and the rest of the Mikage family seem disappointed.) Aya: What’s wrong?! Why is everyone watching?! Something’s wrong with you today. Aya: Aki’s bleeding, he might die, believe me!! Grandpa: Aki will not die. Aya: Gra.... Grandpa...? (Grandpa gets up from his chair.) Page 43 Grandpa: This tells us everything. Aki is a precious son, who will support the Mikage family. We won’t let him die. (Many of the Mikage family are rising from their chairs.) Grandpa: Aya, stay away from Aki. Grandpa: You are the one to die. Text: When the star and moon revolve sixteen times... ... judgement day will come. Questions and comments are always welcomed. [HH01518A.gif (838 bytes)] email me at: lit_chan@yahoo.net