妖しのセレス
                             (Ayashi no Ceres)
                       Volume 12 Translation (Part 2)

Formatting conventions:
text = character's thoughts
[text] = narration
//text// = sound effects, when necessary
{text} = translation notes

                                  Page 34
 Aya [remembering Ceres' words to her]: [Do you understand, Aya? If you
 find the Hagoromo within half a year, I will destroy the Mikage family
 utterly. Shiso is the hateful one who stole the Hagoromo from me... so I
 will kill your older brother Aki as well. I have waited until now only
 because you promised to find the Hagoromo without fail. But now... I
 cannot wait any longer than half a year.]

 Aya: (A half year... why must it be a half year? How come, Ceres?)

 Tooya's Voice: "...ya..."

                                  Page 35
 Tooya: "Aya!"

 [Aya wakes up with a start]

 Tooya: "It's about time for the plane to take off. How are you? Still
 feeling ill?"

 Aya: "Mmn-hmm..."

 Tooya: "Is it because of what Ceres said last night?"

 Aya: "I just don't get it... why did she suddenly decide on a half year?
 Why now? I know it's partially my fault that we can't find the Hagoromo,
 but..."

 Tooya: "We have to hurry. I'm concerned about Aki, and Kagami and the
 Mikage family are your relatives--"

 Aya: "But is it okay with you, Tooya? Don't you want to stay in
 Hachijoujima a little longer? After all the trouble you went through, to
 leave when you've just now returned to the place you grew up..."

                                  Page 36
 Tooya: "It's okay. All I have to do is close my eyes, and the memories
 come back as vividly as being there. It's enough that I was able to
 remember having a place to call home, and a person who cared enough to
 help me... and to realize that I wasn't alone. When all this Tennyo
 nonsense is over, I think I'll come back to visit the old man's
 gravesite... with you."

                                  Page 37
 Tooya: "Let's go."

 Aya: "All right!"

 [In Tokyo]

 Aya: "--but Tooya..."

                                  Page 38
 Aya: "Where are we going from Haneda Airport? Aren't we going back to
 Niigata?"

 Tooya: "We're going to stop by the Aogiri household first."

 Aya: "Ahh... whaaaat?!"

 Tooya: "If possible, I want to review all of the national Hagoromo legends
 again. And when I got ahold of Suzumi, she said, coincidentally enough,
 that she wanted to talk to us too. Besides, you must be eager to see
 everyone again."

 [Doorbell rings at the Aogiri household]

 Voice from inside: "Come in, please!"

                                  Page 39
 [Tooya freaks out at Kyuu's appearance--she's dressed as a classic geisha,
 makeup and all.]
 Tooya: "Gyaaaaaa!"

 Kyuu: "Tooya! It's me! MEEE!"

 Aya: "Kyuu-chan! What the hell--is that your halloween costume?"

 Kyuu [makes cute feminine noise]: "Isn't it obvious? It's a Geisha outfit.
 When I heard that you were coming back, I dressed up for you."

 Tooya: (If a real Geisha got wind of this, she'd be furious.)

 Kyuu: "I'm sooo embarassed! I know you must be falling over yourself in
 awe, but I feel bad for Aya--"

 Yuuhi [Beaning Kyuu in the head]: "Don't worry about this one, she's off
 her rocker."
 {Literally: "She has insects gushing out of her head."}

 Aya: "Yuuhi..."

                                  Page 40
 Yuuhi: "Yo."

 Suzumi: "You're both looking fine..."

 Aya: "Suzumi!"

 Yuuhi [turning his back on Aya]: "Hm. Guess this is a good opportunity for
 you to kick back and take it easy for a while..." [walks away]

 Suzumi [laughs]: "Don't mind him. He's shy because it's been a long time
 since he's seen Aya. Actually, he was the most fidgety out of all of us."

 Kyuu: "Exactly! Somewhere deep inside, he's smiling just like this--"
 [pushes her lips up into a big smile with her hands]

 Yuuhi: "What am I, some kind of monster?!"

 [Tooya looks on in bemusement as the rest of them laugh and argue]

 Yuuhi: "Don't think of me in your terms! I'm nothing like you!"

 Suzumi: "Hey, hey! Quit brandishing that umbrella around!"

                                  Page 41
 Aya: (I'm glad I came...)

 [Aya suddenly gets dizzy]

 Tooya: "Aya!"

 Aya: "I'm okay... just a little anemic."

 Suzumi: "Oh! You're feverish...! You should stay here overnight."

 Kyuu: "That's right! I won't peep in on you and Tooya in your bedroom..."

 Yuuhi: "Shut the hell up, Kyuu!"

                                  Page 42
 [Tooya and Suzumi are talking quietly in the study, as Tooya fills her in
 on what's been happening...]
 Suzumi: "So Ceres really said something like that... Aya doesn't really
 show her feelings, but she must be really shaken right now... but I think
 I understand why Ceres got in such a hurry all of a sudden."

 Tooya: "So did you get any information about the Mikage family's recent
 movements?"

 Suzumi: "Just got it today.They seem to be acquiring anything related to a
 Hagoromo, and collecting it. Just getting this much was difficult enough,
 so I don't really have any details, but it seems there are also some other
 foreign countries providing funding for the C-Project. In addition, even
 though it's a secret..."

                                  Page 43
 Suzumi: "...Mikage International is one of the leading private
 corporations in pioneering development in space."

 Tooya: !!

 Suzumi: "The Mikage family seems to believe that the Tennyo are
 extraterrestrials... aliens, essentially." [jokingly] "I have to wonder if
 they're collecting all of their Tennyo descendants just to ship the whole
 company off to the stars."

 Tooya: "So the Hagoromo is for--"

 Suzumi: "I don't know... but it's a Tennyo's lifeforce and... a wing of
 sorts, to free her from the mortal world. At the end of one of the Tennyo
 legends, the Tennyo's human husband and her children were summoned to the
 heavens and came to live there with her. Under the circumstances, we can't
 really laugh it off as a fairy tale."

 Tooya: (...the Mikage family have a Hagoromo...)

 // patapatapata // {sound of footsteps}

                                  Page 44
 Servant: "Excuse me, ma'am! A messenger from the Mikage family has
 arrived... this package is for Aya!"

 [Tooya opens the package... revealing a DVD-ROM disk.]

 Tooya: "...a DISK?!"

 Tooya: "They left the disk for Aya... they must have a close watch on our
 movements."

                                  Page 45
 // pa- //
 [the video comes on as Tooya slips the DVD into the player... revealing
 the features of Aki/Shiso.]

 Shiso: "Doing well, Aya? So Tooya's there with you too, huh... how're you
 doing? Have the two of you have been having fun these past five months?"

 Tooya: "Shiso...!"

 Shiso: "I'm sorry to have to throw a monkeywrench into your new life with
 each other, but we just invited an important friend of yours into our
 home..."

 Chidori's voice: "OW! Get the hell off me!"

                                  Page 46
 Tooya/Suzumi: "CHIDORI!?

 Suzumi: "That can't be! I was informed she's been all right as of
 yesterday!"

 Kyuu: "I'll check on that now!!"

 Shiso: "Kagami's going to use her for a little research... it's about time
 to quit just watching you guys. And Aya... you'll be mine sooner or later,
 as long as you're Ceres--"

 Chidori: "Aya!! Just ignore this asshole!!"

 //bashi-//
 [Shiso strikes Chidori hard.]

 Shouta: "Siiis!"

 Tooya: "Shouta?!"

                                  Page 47
 Shiso: "Well, Aya... don't you feel sorry for these poor siblings? Can you
 live with it as long as you have your own happiness? Do you know what's
 going to be done with the C-Genome?"

 Chidori: "Aya... don't listen to him!"

 Shiso [hoisting Chidori up by her hair]: "Are you going to just leave your
 friends? Aren't you the one who has to come here? Aren't you the one who
 awoke this power within these girls?"

 Chidori: "Aya!! Don't!! You've just become happy with Tooya after all your
 troubles!! Don't come--!!"

 Shouta: "Stop it! Don't you touch my sister!"

 Shiso: "Oh, and Tooya... you come along, too. I'll treat you just right."
 [a pause] "I'll be waiting for you."
 [the recording ends]

                                  Page 48
 Yuuhi: "Chidori...?! What the hell's going on?!"

 Suzumi: "Yuuhi! Weren't you preparing dinner...?"

 Yuuhi: "...Why? They were doing just fine up until yesterday... what about
 the bodyguards?"
 {In the manga, the bodyguards were referred to as SP, which I incorrectly
 translated in my first draft. Thanks to Junko Abe for the correction!}

 Tooya: "Probably killed... just like the rest of Chidori's family, except
 for Shouta."

                                  Page 49
 Yuuhi: "No... I can't believe that something like that--!!"

 Suzumi: "We've been careless because it's been safe for months now..."

                                  [Image]

 [Ladies and Gentlemen, Tooya is about to leave the building... and he's
 not coming for cookies.]

                                  Page 50
 Tooya: "Don't... don't tell Aya about this."

 Yuuhi: "Tooya?!"

 [Cut to Aya's room. She's sleeping... with turbulent dreams.]

 Aya: "Uhn... Ceres... no..."

 Ceres: --Aya--
                                  Page 51
 Ceres: Find the Hagoromo... hurry...

 Aya: "I'll find it... just don't kill Aki!"

 Tooya: "Aya!"

                                  Page 52
 Aya: "Tooya...! So that was a dream..."

 Tooya: "Are you all right? How are you feeling?"

 Aya: "Pretty good! Sorry for worrying you."

 Tooya: "Aya... I'm going to go out for a night."

 Aya: "WHAT?!"

                                  Page 53
 Tooya: "I found a clue about the Hagoromo in Kanagawa, and I want to go
 check it out."

 Aya: "All right then, I'll go with you!! Wait a minute, I'll change
 clothes." [quietly] "So turn around!"

 Tooya: "No... you should take a rest here. You have a slight fever."

 Aya: "But..."

 Tooya: "What'll you do if you overwork and get sick again? Doctor
 Kurozuka'll take my head off."

 Aya: "I'm worried... you're going to be gone for one night..."

                                  Page 54
 [Tooya leans over and kisses Aya's neck, leaving a kiss mark.]

 Tooya: "I promise... I'll be back before this disappears."

                                  Page 55
 Tooya: "But... you've got quite a few that I made last night..."

 Aya: "Heyyy--okay, I get it. Don't say that so seriously."

 Tooya: "I've got to be going now."

 Aya: "I know..."

 Aya: "Tooya--"

 Aya: "Take care... I'll see you again soon."

                                  Page 56
 Aya: "It's going to be all right... isn't it."

                                  Page 57
 [As Tooya makes his way outside, he finds Yuuhi waiting with a look of
 determination.]

 Yuuhi: "I'm going too! I can fight, I won't be a drag. I'll save Chidori
 and Shouta for certain! For what the Mikage did after we left... I'll
 never forgive them--or myself!"

 Suzumi: "Yuuhi--wait. It's too dangerous for both of you to try and get in
 there."

                                  Page 58
 Suzumi: "I'll ask my father-in-law to get the best professional--"

 Yuuhi: "If so, do it now! You always act too late!"

 Suzumi: "It can't be helped! We have to be careful... The Mikage aren't an
 enemy to be taken lightly..."

 Tooya: I want to make sure of one more thing with those kids... the
 Hagoromo. Within a half year... a half year...

                                  Page 59
 Aya: "For crying out loud! How can I get a fever at such an important
 time! I've been in such a strange condition these days..."

 Kyuu: "Aya-san! Your meal--! Yuuhi's special rice porridge! He asked me to
 feed you before it gets cold..."

 Aya: "Hmm? Where is Yuuhi anyway?"

 [Kyuu suddenly gets real flustered and uncomfortable.]
 Kyuu: "Uh--well--uhm--I have no idea!"

 Aya: "Anyhow... why don't you take off that costume?"

 [Aya sits down to eat.]
 Aya: "Itadakima..."
 {In case you didn't know, "itadakimasu" is the traditional Japanese phrase
 said before beginning to eat. It's the extremely-polite form of the verb
 "to receive", and carries specific connotations of food and drink.
 Literally translated, it means "I'm going to eat". Which is an argument in
 and of itself for not translating things literally. ^v^}

 Aya: "Uh--" {nauseated}

                                  Page 60
 Suzumi: "Aya!"

 Kyuu: "Aya-san!"

 [Aya is throwing up by the front door, doubled over.]

                                  Page 61
 Suzumi: "Are you all right?"

 Kyuu: "I didn't do anything!! I just looked funny..."

 Suzumi: "Aya--is it possible that you..."

 Aya: What?

                                  Page 62
 Suzumi: "A baby? Didn't you notice it? What about your period?"

 Aya: eh? "Two months... behind... ah..."

 Aya: C-H-I-L-D?

 Aya: A baby...? "No..."

 Aya [remembering Ceres]: [seven months--no, more like six months]

                                  Page 63
 Ceres: [...in a half year...]

 Aya: ...before the baby is born. Is it true? Am I having... TOOYA'S
 CHILD?!

                           Continued in Part 3...