妖しのセレス (Ayashi no Ceres) Volume 12 Translation (Part 3) Formatting conventions: text = character's thoughts [text] = narration //text// = sound effects, when necessary {text} = translation notes Page 64 Aya: "A baby... Tooya's..." [In Mikage International... Chidori is wearing a hospital gown, and manacled at the wrists. She does NOT look happy.] Lab Tech: "Welcome, Chidori Kuruma..." Page 65 [Suddenly, Kagami's voice broadcasts from a loudspeaker. Chidori looks up, and can see Kagami standing behind tinted, reinforced glass in an observation booth above.] Kagami: "I appreciate your cooperation with this C Project this time..." Chidori: "You... you're Kagami Mikage? What the--!! You worthless son of a--!! You killed my family... you've tormented Aya mercilessly!!" Kagami: "Your brother Shouta is under our expert care... so perhaps you'll be more inclined to begin our little experiment, hm? Just concentrate your power on this fossil... that's all." Page 66 Kagami: "Shouta Kuruma... he's with Shiso? Recently, Shiso has become ominously compliant. He's been unusually agreeable to all of our orders, but--I don't think he knows about this recreation of the hagoromo." Wei: "Correct." Kagami: "If this fossil metamorphoses into a hagoromo, it could be a powerful sample indeed. We'll have a new hagoromo before too long... without having to ask Shiso where Ceres' is." Wei: "You mean... we don't need Shiso anymore?" Kagami: "What we needed, Wei, was *Aki Mikage* as the *reincarnation* of Shiso. It's easier to rally an organization when they have a symbol of sorts." Page 67 Kagami: "The man who stole Ceres' hagoromo... he's the genesis of this entire C Project, and Ceres as well. Moreover, he's our trump card to lure Aya, and consequently Ceres. Although we could've worked on Aya much sooner if he'd remained Aki, we couldn't possibly have predicted that the real Shiso would fully emerge. If Shiso no longer holds any usefulness as far as the hagoromo is concerned, then he's nothing but an obstacle now. And if that's the case... perhaps we should bring Aki's personality back out. Otherwise... eh?!" [The fossil begins to change under the influence of Chidori's power, moving and churning in shape...] Kagami: "The fossil--!!" Page 68 Gladys: "Amazing... that she could muster this much power is simply...!" Tech: "It's beyond any comparison for Type B, is what it is!" [Chidori concentrates harder... and the glass dome to the hagoromo fossil shatters, spraying glass.] //PAN// Page 69 [Kagami stares with satisfaction as the transformed fossil floats before Chidori.] Voice over loudspeaker: "Success!" Kagami: "Excellent! Bring the hagoromo to B-Room now!" Tech: "Chief!" [The tech whispers something in Kagami's ear.] Kagami: "Tooya and the Aogiri family... coming here...?" [Wei blinks in surprise as he overhears this.] Kagami [looking out across the lab at an exhausted Chidori]: "And here I was planning on letting her rest for a while beforehand..." Page 70 Chidori [weakly]: "...Shouta..." [Two techs take Chidori by the wrists and bring her to her feet.] Tech: "This way." Chidori: "What?! Isn't this mess done with already?" Tech: "Not yet. You have an important surgery to undergo, so..." [Chidori looks utterly horrified.] Page 71 Chidori: "Surgery...!! No!! Let me go!! Shouta!! Shouuutaa--!!" [Back at the Aogiri household...] Suzumi: "...Aya! Aya?!" [Aya is in a complete stupor, staring blanking and resting in seiza position.] Kyuu: "It's no use! She's been like this for two hours, 15 minutes, 21 seco--" Page 72 Suzumi: "She won't be surprised by see you up close anymore..." Kyuu: "Maybe she'll mistake me for Norika Fujiwara instead..." {Fujiwara Norika is a famous--and very beautiful--Japanese actress. Sounds like more of Kyuu-san's wishful thinking. ^v^} Suzumi: "did you say something just now?" [Kyuu puts her wig on Aya's head. Aya doesn't even bat an eye.] Suzumi [dragging Kyuu away]: "Don't do something so pointless! Aya might be pregnant, and it's a very serious affair!" [Aya suddenly snaps out of it.] Aya: "Thought so... it's true after all, isn't it? I didn't notice it... my periods were off, but I didn't think I might be pregnant." Page 73 Aya: "It just doesn't feel real... that I could have another life growing inside me as we speak. I suppose it wasn't exactly a shock... more like a kind of wonder. It's Tooya's child... that we conceived in unity..." [Aya blinks and scratches her head.] Aya: "What am I saying? That's completely natural..." Suzumi: "Aya..." Page 74 Kyuu: "Kyaaa! Aya! It's not scary at all!" Suzumi: "It'll be okay! Let's go to the gynecologist together tomorrow. It's not certain yet!" Aya: "No... it's not that I don't want it, or that I'm scared... it's just... how can I explain..." Aya: Tooya's baby... Tooya's... and mine... Suzumi: "I'm gonna bring you something hot to drink... it might settle you down a bit." Page 75 Suzumi: "Aya's having Tooya's child..." Suzumi: "It's about time that Tooya and the others got to the Mikage Laboratory. I can't tell Aya that they went to save Chidori and Shouta. I hope they all safe--!" Page 76 [A group of men in black suits are huddled together by the side of a road near an ominous building, checking weapons and going over a map on a laptop.] Man A: "This is the inside of the Mikage Science & Technology Lab." Man B: "This is it... heading south along Ridge A... on to basement level B5. If we can get into the air ducts through the maintenance access points..." Man A: "...take out the sensors..." Man B: "...the main computer in the control room..." Man C: "Okay. Let's split up three ways. Lead the way." Tooya: "Well, I'll make my way in through another basement." Man: "EH?! Hey, where do you think you're--" Yuuhi: "I think we'll go this way. You old farts take care of yourselves, hear?" All Men: Who the hell is he calling an 'old fart'? Page 77 Tooya: "Somebody let me go from here before. We can get inside through this drain. Our problems come after that. Regardless of whether our friendly men in black get the security system, those Mikage bastards already know we're coming, right?" Yuuhi: "Tooya... why are you going out of your way to do this?" Tooya: "Because they're Aya's friends, and they're precious to her." Page 78 [Yuuhi and Tooya proceed through the sewers in relative silence.] Yuuhi: "...You seem to be getting along with Aya well..." [Tooya glances back at Yuuhi.] Yuuhi: "Nah. Never mind." Page 79 Yuuhi: "By the way, I heard you got your memory back? My sister told me a bit about it." Tooya: "Yeah..." Yuuhi: "Good! Then, you'll be happy with Aya..." Tooya: "Still... there are some things I don't know. After all, I don't really care who I was... but I have to know if it had anything to do with Ceres or the hagoromo." Page 80 Tooya: "We're here. Aogiri, you wait until I come back with Chidori and Shouta." [Yuuhi leaps on Tooya and wraps his jacket around his head, going SD and yelling.] Yuuhi: "Don't make a fool out of me! I've been useful! More importantly, how can I make excuses to Aya if you get your sorry ass in trouble! I can take care of myself!" Tooya: "I guess you're right... you've protected Aya much better than I have." [Yuuhi looks stunned at this.] Tooya: "Sorry. Let's go." Page 81 [Shiso sits, reading. As his finger pauses briefly over a map of Japan, Wei comes running in.] Wei: "Master! Tooya and the others seem to have revealed themselves. Still no sign of Aya Mikage with them, though." Page 82 Shiso: "All right! I could care less about the rest of those fools. Just bring Tooya to me... alive!" Man's Voice on Radio: "Yuuhi... are you all right?" Yuuhi: "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going down to 4B now." Page 83 [Tooya drops from a panel in the ceiling, and lands crouched on the floor of a hallway. He notices a Mikage guard rounding the corner, and slices through both gun and fingers with his sword quickly.] Page 84 [The Mikage guard screams, and then goes silent as Tooya threatens his with the tip of his sword.] Tooya: "Where are Chidori and Shouta Kuruma?" Mikage Guard: "Uh... ah..." [Suddenly, the elevator chimes, and Yuuhi goes SD as he spots more Mikage guards coming out.] Yuuhi: "Kyaaa--!" Page 85 [Yuuhi jams his chopsticks into the gut of one guard. The other one reaches for his gun.] Guard: "You little brat!" //PAN// [Yuuhi deals with this guard as well, much less politely.] Page 86 Yuuhi [trying to calm his beating heart]: Off-guard... they caught me off-guard...! Tooya: "Did you take care of the others? I found out where Chidori is." Yuuhi: "Did you kill them?" Tooya: "Of course not. They fainted dead away when I threatened them with force." Yuuhi: This guy is way too calm about this... [Tooya tosses Yuuhi a gun.] Yuuhi: "Whaa!" Tooya: "Keep one. Aim for the arms or legs if you have to use it." [The two of them get underway...] Yuuhi: "Operating Room?! Chidori? Why?!" Tooya: "Shh!" Page 87 [A pair of lab techs wheel Chidori out of a pair of double doors on a gurney...] Yuuhi: "CHIDORI...!!" Tooya: "Aogiri...!" [Wei's link whip wraps itself around Tooya's arm.] Page 88 Wei: "Welcome, Tooya... don't move, or I'll pluck your arm off like a twig." Tooya: "Wei...! Yuuhi [who by now has knocked out the lab techs]: "Chidori! Wake up, it's me!" Chidori: "Mmnn..." Yuuhi: "Chidori!!" Page 89 Chidori: "Yuu... hi...?" Yuuhi: "It's okay now... we can go ho..." [Yuuhi trails off as he notices two Mikage guards pointing guns at him.] Wei: "Too bad, Tooya..." //PAN// {gunshot} Page 90 Aogiri Mercs [running by and gunning down the Mikage guards]: "Both of you, RUN!!" Yuuhi: "Whoa... the old geezers..." Tooya [over radio]: "Aogiri, go! I'll follow after I rescue Shouta... get going!" Yuuhi: "But--" Tooya: "Don't worry! I'm all right! I promised Aya I'd come back soon!" Page 91 Yuuhi: "All right! I'll be waiting for you where we came in!" Wei: "Wait--" Tooya: "Wei! I'll blow your head off if you don't take me to where Shouta is." Yuuhi: "Chidori... you okay?" Chidori: "...yeah..." Yuuhi: "Shouta'll be on his way too, soon! Page 92 Yuuhi: "But what's with this operation? What the hell did they do to you?" Chidori: "I don't know... they anesthetized me... but... I'm glad... you came to save me... even though it was just me, Yuuhi." Yuuhi: "Of course! There, we'll be there soon!" Chidori: "Mm-hmm..." [Chidori rests her head against Yuuhi's shoulder... and as she does, she notices a shadow lurking around the corner. Her eyes widen.] Page 93 [...and the shadow raises a gun...] Chidori: "YUUHII!!!!" [Chidori throws herself in front of Yuuhi... just in time to take a bullet in the back for him.] Yuuhi: "CHIDORI!!" Continued in Part 4...