Celestial Sonata 8 Amagi Sayuri Princess Comics / Akita Shoten Amagi Sayuri Welcome to volume 8! The first story arc is finally resolved, after all the pain and hardship. I'd truly like to thank all of you. Please keep reading and don't abandon me yet! Celestial Sonata 8 Contents The Three Moon Tears (Finale) p.5 Side Story: Promise p.107 The Black-Winged Angel p.147 [The first ever story starring Filla!] Two Peter Pans p.177 Chapter 12: The Three Moon Tears <> Micael : It's all right, Wari. I won't try to sneak away. Wari : No, I have to watch you until Filla comes back. Micael : Did he leave? Wari : He went back to the castle. Micael : But he's hurt! Wari : He seemed all right. Micael : Um, Wari… Wari : Yeah? Micael : Don't tell my parents about this. <> Wari : I talked with Filla last night and we decided not to tell them. Micael : Thanks. I don't want to cause my mother any more trouble…it's already hurt both of them enough that I'm their son. Filla : I'm home, Beelze! Beelze : Filla! What happened last night? You went to Wari's and didn't come back! I was worried! Filla : I spent the night there. Sorry for not letting you know. Beelze : Did something happen? Filla : No, nothing. Beelze : Then how did you get hurt like that? Filla : Oh, I was riding a horse at night, and I hit a tree branch. <> Filla : Hey, what are you doing? Those are Wari's clothes! Beelze : You're an awful liar. Tell me the truth, Filla. Filla : Don't look so scary! Really, it's…ow… <> Beelze : Filla! Tell me what happened. Filla : Beelze… Beelze : Tell me who hurt you! Filla : Fine, I'll tell you. <> Beelze : I don't know much about the four great powers, but it looks like they play dirty! Filla : I actually don't know whether or not it's really the Bael who's one of the four great powers. It could be someone else with that name, right? Beelze : I don't know… Filla : I just can't believe that someone who used to follow Satan-sama could ever do such a thing. Beelze : You're so naïve. The world is made of the powerless overthrowing the powerful. There are many times when people try to overthrow their masters and ascend to the top. Filla : You may be right… <> Filla : Anyway, I'm going to the Dark Castle to find out. Beelze : I'm going too! Filla : Beelze, you have to work… Beelze : I can't do any work with the heavens like they are. I feel sorry for those dead people, but their souls will just have to drift around for a little while. Filla : It's too dangerous, I'll go myself. Beelze : No! You left me here when you went to Hades. This time, I'm following you. <> Beelze : If you don't let me come, I'll tell Wari. Filla : OK, OK, I'll take you. Beelze : Really? Filla : What do you think I am, stupid? You stay here or you'll get hurt! Beelze : But Filla…don't you think Micael must be lonely and depressed? Beelze : Don't you think you should stay with him? Filla : Well, it's not as if he's alone. Wari and Fall are with him. And I don't want to just stay there and not do anything. I need to feel like I'm doing something to help him. I can't just stay with him and know that I could be trying to save him instead. Filla has long hair in the side story. I think he must have cut it once before he went to Hell. Someday I'd like to draw a story about what happened before they became adults, and what happened once they met up with each other again. Oh no, the horror! It's my debut manga! It is its anniversary, after all…I drew it all of four years ago. I was just an 18-year-old shop clerk then…Micael didn't even exist in my mind yet. It seems strange to me now that Filla didn't even mention Micael in the story, even though the side story shows how he's trying to become Micael's partner. Now I can't even imagine Filla without Micael, or Micael without Filla. Thanks for looking at such a horribly drawn manga… <> Filla : I'd just feel hurt and helpless… Beelze : Filla…If Micael ever fell under Bael's control…he'd attack Satan-sama, wouldn't he? Filla : Probably… He is the Emperor of Hell, and he must not be lost. He mustn't be killed by Micael. If he ever held up a sword against Satan-sama…I'd kill him. <> Filla : I'd kill Micael…I wouldn't want anyone else to do it. Filla : But why'd I get so serious all of a sudden? Well, let's get going now. Beelze : If it ever came to killing Micael, you probably couldn't live either, Filla. Filla : Beelze! Let's go into town and borrow a dragon! Beelze : Yeah, with a dragon we could be there soon after noon. Micael : Filla's late… Wari : He'll be here soon. <> Micael : "We'll take on Bael together!" Wari…you don't think he might have gone to the Dark Castle, do you? Wari : No, I think you're worrying too much. Fall : Yeah, there's no way Filla would do something that dumb. Micael : But if he did, then he's really going to get killed! Wari : Calm down, Micael. He'll come back. <> Beelze : So this is the Dark Castle…amazing… Filla : What an ominous place… <> Beelze : It's strange that the gate's open… Filla : Beelze…the door's open too. Beelze : This could be a trap. Filla : Still, we've gotta go on. Let's hurry! <> Beelze : What's this? Isn't it the exact place we were before? Filla : This is a trick, Beelze. Beelze : A trick? What should we do? <> Filla : Think nothing, and reduce your soul to nothingness. Beelze : I can't do that, it's too hard! <> Beelze : He's gone…what should I do now? Filla : It's so quiet. There's not even a mouse around. <> Filla : The silence is frightening…it's as if the entire castle were enveloped by darkness. Bael! <> Filla : Is this some kind of joke? <> Filla : Damn! <> Filla : Damn you, Bael! I hate the dark! <> Filla : There's water coming in… Bael : You've only come here to throw away your own life. Filla : Bael! Are you really Bael, of the four great powers? Bael : Naturally. <> Filla : Why are you trying to kill Satan-sama? Weren't you his most faithful servant? Bael : I've already said this—you're not in my scenario. You're just a bug to be crushed. You should struggle in pain, in the darkness, until you take your last breath. Filla : Give me an answer, Bael! Bael : It was brave of you to come to the Dark Castle. Bael : I compliment you for that. Beelze : How am I supposed to get in here? I must've come back to the entrance 40 or 50 times already. Filla : Beelze! Beelze : Is that you, Filla? <> Filla : This way, Beelze! Beelze : Down there, Filla? <> Filla : It's no use, Beelze. Leave without me. Beelze : There's no way I can just leave you here! Filla : Hurry, it's getting dark. Beelze : No! I won't leave you! Filla : Go! Beelze : Filla? Filla : I'll think of something! Please…tell Micael not to worry about me… Beelze : All right. Filla : Now go! <> Beelze : I'll never forgive you if you croak in there! Filla : Take care, Beelze. --It's getting dark. --The seal's going to be broken tonight. --What are we going to do? <> Ishuma : Micael…even if you pierced your eyes, the Sky Blues are going to be revived. What you did came to nothing. --Archangel! Can you really not care that the seal is going to be broken tonight? --That Cherubim boy who's calling the Sky Blues… <> --Has been missing since last night! --If we don't do something soon… Gabriel : Silence! We must not let ourselves fall into disorder. --But, Gabriel-sama! Gabriel : I trust the Archangel. The fate of the heavens has been decided by the gods. <> Michael : Micael…if you are truly that boy of the prophecy, then you do not have to be controlled by the Sky Blues. <> Michael : Fear not, Micael, for your Moon Tear does exist. Filla : It's no use…I'm not strong enough to reach the ceiling. <> Filla : Is it hopeless now? --Filla… Filla : Satan-sama! Satan : You must not be defeated. Believe in me, Filla. You are the Moon Tear. <> Filla : The Moon Tear… Micael : Let me go, Wari! Wari : Don't move, Micael! Micael : Something happened to Filla! Why hasn't he come back? Fall : Calm down, Micael. <> Fall : Beelze-san? Beelze : I've brought word from Filla. He says he's coming back very soon, so don't worry. <> Micael : Where's Filla now? Is he safe? Beelze : You can't see, so you need to stay here quietly. Micael : But he did all this for me! Beelze : That's right. Everything that he does is for you! So why don't you believe in Filla for a change!? Beelze : Now, the moon is going to rise soon and the Sky Blues are going to awaken. Don't worry about it, just try and change everything in your heart to positive energy. Right now you are in the darkness…picture Filla there in the middle of the darkness. Time and time again, he pours golden light into the darkness. Don't think about anything else. Don't look at anything else. Beelze : Fill your heart with trust and love towards him. Forget for now that you're a man, or that you might trouble Filla. Hold his golden smile within your heart. Michael : Thank you, Beelze. <> Beelze : You were there the whole time? How embarrassing! Fall : Not at all, I thought that was very touching. Beelze : Thanks, I made it up myself. <> --The temple! Bael : The time has come… <> Micael : The Sky Blues…they're coming to me…from the north and the south… <> Wari : Fall! <> --Micael… Micael : Filla? <> Micael : Erinoa! That can't be…I shouldn't be able to see! Erinoa : You have lost your vision. You're seeing me with the eyes of your heart. <> Micael : But how can I see you, Erinoa? You died! Why are you here in front of me? I killed you! And it was my fault that Elmelia-san…I should never have been born! Erinoa : You are wrong, Micael. You have a great mission. Micael : A mission? What do you mean? Erinoa : I existed for no other reason than for you to go on living. However, Fillanzea is different. Micael : How do you know Filla? Erinoa : I know everything about you, and him, and the entire world. Erinoa : That is why I came here. Fillanzea is someone who should live his life together with you. He loves you so much that it could nearly break his soul apart…and you are no different. From the first silver-blue hair on your head to the last white toenail… <> Erinoa : You seek him out. That is because you are the Sky Blue, and he is the Moon Tear. Transcending the thousands of difficulties and hardships, your two souls will in the end become one for eternity. Micael : The Sky Blue and the Moon Tear… Fall : I'm sorry, Wari, I… Wari : You're not hurt, are you? Fall : You were trying so hard to use your magic, and I just got in the way… Wari : It's all right, Fall. Beelze : Wari! Micael's not here! Wari : Micael? He might have gotten knocked outside by the shock! Micael! <> Micael : Filla's in danger, Erinoa! I have to save him! Where is he? Where's Filla? Fall : Who are you talking to, Micael? Wari : He said…Erinoa? <> Beelze : Watch out, Wari! --"Micael"? That is not a name that suits you. <> --You will be assimilated, for Bael's use. Resistance is futile. Micael : Quiet! I'd rather die than be Bael's servant! Erinoa : Micael! Micael : Erinoa! Filla… <> Erinoa : Give me your hand, Micael! He's at the Dark Castle! --Do you think you can escape? Wari : What do we do now? Fall : I don't know, Wari! Micael disappeared along with the Sky Blues! Beelze : And I could do nothing but watch… Wari : I couldn't see anything, but was Erinoa there somehow? <> Micael : We're going to cross over into Hell and disappear! Erinoa : No…this time is different. Micael : All right, Erinoa. <> Micael : Right now I don't care whether I'll never be able to go back to Heaven, or whether my body's going to turn into some evil monster…if I can only save Filla… The Sky Blues! Erinoa : Micael! With Chapter 12, this story arc in Matendou is finished, at volume 8. Thanks so much to everyone for reading this far! When I started this series I was just drawing randomly with no idea where it was going to go. Then things gradually began to start being connected and taking shape…and now it's a real story! I couldn't have done any of this just by myself. All my friends have been with me through the good times and the bad, talking with me and giving me advice. I also liked reading everybody's letters and seeing all your different perspectives and opinions. Please keep on reading! <> Erinoa : Go ahead of me, Micael. Micael : Erinoa! How can I go alone? Erinoa : You won't be alone. No matter what happens, you will always be with Fillanzea. He is the other half of you. All right, Micael? Micael : Erinoa… <> --I won't let you escape, Micael. Erinoa : You cannot go on, Sky Blues. --You think you can stop us? You're a corpse! Erinoa : I am not a corpse. Erinoa : I am the Moon Tear of Heaven. Micael : So this is Hell? The air is so cold, I feel naked. Yet I can see clearly inside my heart. <> Micael : This is the Dark Castle where Bael lives. Bael : So you've come, Micael. <> Micael : Bael! Where is Filla!? Bael : You truly are the one of the prophecy. You must be able to hear the sound of the darkness sealed inside starting to stir. It's coming to welcome you. Micael : No, I can't hear it! Give Filla back to me! Bael : I will give him to you if you want him. However, he is no longer alive. <> Erinoa : Fillanzea is your wings! <> Micael : Erinoa? Bael : The time I've awaited for so long has arrived! Sky Blues, devour my sacrifice to you! <> Micael : Filla…Filla…Filla! Bael : What is this vibration in the air? <> Micael : Filla? Filla : The evil Sky Blues… Micael : Filla! <> Bael : How is this possible? Filla : Because I am the Moon Tear. <> Bael : Foolish. <> Bael : I will… <> Bael : Someday… <> Micael : It's dark…I can't see! <> --Don't cry. Micael : Who are you? --I'm you, Micael. <> --I live inside you. Micael : Light! <> Filla : Your eyes… <> Micael : Hey, Filla! Don't fall asleep here! Filla : Sorry, I was really sleepy. Micael : It's no wonder you're tired…your aura was really amazing there in Hell… Filla : Was it me who flew us out of Hell? Micael : I don't know, I was unconscious. Filla : But what a romantic place to wake up, Micael. <> Beelze : I can't believe that Micael could go into Hell! Micael : I won't be able to again. These were special circumstances. Erinoa guided me there… Fall : But I'm glad that the Sky Blues and Bael are gone now. <> Wari : I wish I could've seen Filla there. Beelze : It's strange that now you can see again. Micael : Yeah, I don't know why it is… Wari : You sealed the evil Sky Blues in your eyes…now your eyes are actually the holy sky blues. <> Fall : Neat, Wari! Micael : I'm sorry, Erinoa. Bael used you to get to me, and I killed you without knowing that. And then I came to hate you… <> Micael : But now I realize that behind the hate I truly loved you. Even while hating angels, I wanted to become one. Filla : Micael! Micael : Filla! Filla : You're not going to go home without telling me, are you? Micael : You're tired, go to sleep! Filla : I'd rather go home! Micael : Then you can go with Beelze. Filla : I want to go with you. Micael : I'm going to see the Archangel! Filla : I'm going to see Satan-sama! Micael : Well, then, let's go as far as the city together. Filla : OK! Filla : Too bad I missed your birthday…Happy 19th birthday, although I don't have a present for you. Micael : I thought you already gave it to me. Filla : Huh? Micael : Same as last year! Filla : But I want to give you "one thing more" than I did last year! Micael : Don't press your luck, pervert! Filla : Micael! Filla : We'll be there before you know it if we fly. Let's walk slowly instead. Micael : Don't get too close to me! He loves you so much that it's almost enough to break his soul, Micael. Transcending countless hardships, your two souls will in the end become one eternally. Micael, Fillanzea is your wings…the wings of your life. [OK, in unison now… Awwwwww…] <> Anaume Corner "Two Peter Pans" is an old story of mine. I know the art is pathetic…please forgive me…most of you are probably much better at drawing than I am. But that's all right…this is my own special treasure. Even if it's bad, there's a lot of love in it. I'd like to write about these two again someday… Utsuki Kunihiko 14 years old I know in the manga it say "Uzuki" but it's really supposed to be "Utsuki"! Hano Ritsu 14 years old <> --Jose, my beloved, I will not return you to the human world again. Rest in the ice castle, in eternal sleep. Matendou Sonata side story: Promise <> --It will be a world just for the two of us. <> Matendou Sonata side story: Promise <> The school play, "The Winter Spirit," finished up…and so concluded the school's anniversary celebration. --The one who played Jose was great! --Yeah, but he'll be graduating this year. Micael : I'm glad our last anniversary celebration finished safely. Filla : Hey, I've been meaning to ask you… <> Micael : What? <> Filla : Why did you decide to play the winter spirit? Micael : What do you mean, why? Filla : Well, the year before last, after you played Yurie, you swore you'd never play a woman again. Micael : Arctina has blue eyes that freeze people's hearts… Arctina, the spirit of winter, fell in love with a human hunter named Jose. It all began when she saved him after he had fainted in the forest during a blizzard. <> Micael : Love between a human and a spirit can't be requited…she only watched the young, golden-haired Jose from far away. In the end, she found out that her beloved had a lover, and she felt a rage that pierced her chest. She killed his lover, causing Jose to forget that Arctina had once saved his life. He blamed her and hated her. In her grief, Arctina wrapped the forests and towns in blizzards. A winter of death and silence controlled everything and continued for many months. <> Micael : Jose went to where Arctina lived to save his village from the long winter. So, she made the man she loved hers for all eternity, but still… Filla : So she killed Jose? Micael : Yes, Jose died in the end. Arctina was selfish…she only thought about herself. I'm the same way. Filla : Micael… Is that why you took the role? <> Filla : I think it's just that Arctina loved Jose too much, and was too true to her feelings. Micael : Loved him…too much? Filla : And I can't help but think that Jose liked Arctina too. Micael : No way! Filla : You don't think so? Micael : You just have the kind of weird personality that could be friends with someone like Arctina! <> Micael : Jose was just a sacrifice for Arctina. Filla : Do you feel like Arctina's a mirror for your heart, Micael? Filla : When we grow up, I want to be paired with you. Micael : Don't be silly. I'm a year below you. Filla : Well, it's true that by the time you're an adult, I'll have already graduated. Micael : Plus, I haven't decided that I'm going to be an angel yet. Filla : But the year before last— Micael : You did win that bet, Filla. But that doesn't make it a promise. I still hate angels. Filla : All right. It's your life, and I won't push you. <> Filla : I've wished that you would become an angel, but now that I say that, I see it may have just been my selfishness. <> Micael : I'm not going to get a halo…or grow white wings… That field far away is shining with gold. It's the season for harvesting wheat again…it's shining like a golden wave… <> Micael : OK, I'll go. Filla : Really? You'll go to the Winter Spirit Festival with me? You said you wouldn't last year, and the year before that, so I thought you didn't like festivals. Micael : Well, just because it's your last year here. Filla : Micael… Micael : I won't be able to see him any more after he graduates… Micael : We won't be able to see each other… Filla : Is something wrong? Micael : No, nothing. Why do I feel like this when I think that I won't be able to see him any more? <> Micael : That kind of thing shouldn't affect me… Filla : Thanks, Micael. Micael : Huh? Filla : I'm really glad that we can go to the Winter Spirit Festival together this year. Micael : Beelze always goes with girls, doesn't he? Maybe you should try that some time. Filla : No…I don't really know why, but I've always wanted to go with you. <> Filla : Look over there, Micael! It's Arctina's castle! Micael : That's really well done… Filla : And it wasn't even there last year. Wanna go see it? Micael : No. Filla : Aw, why not? <> Filla : I'm sure the view from up there is great! I guess they made it out of glass because ice would have been too cold… Micael : It's cold even though it's glass… --Jose… <> --Finally I've found you. Don't leave me and vanish again. Micael : Arctina!? That's not possible! --I love you, Jose… <> Micael : Filla!? Filla, where are you? The pillars and the floor are turning to ice… <> Micael : It's the ice castle! <> Micael : Filla! <> Micael : Filla! Give Filla back! Arctina, he's not your Jose! Give him back! Filla! <> Micael : I have to go look for Jose! Jose! Jose! <> Micael : How long have I been going on? I can't even feel the cold anymore…I can't go on any further. I can't. <> Micael : A golden wave…no…no! <> Micael : You're in there, aren't you, Jose? Please, save Filla! Save him! <> Micael : Give him back! Jose… <> Jose : Thank you. Today, your tears broke the spell. Micael : You must hate Arctina…that's why you ran away, right? Jose : On the contrary, I love her. It was of my own free will that I went to the ice castle so long ago. You must think me awfully unfaithful, because she killed my girlfriend… Micael : Didn't you love her? <> Jose : Yes, certainly I loved her. But from the day I met Arctina in the forest—from that very moment—my soul was hers. But the autumn spirit used his magic to seal me up in here for hundreds of years. I thought I would never see Arctina again. Micael : He has the same color eyes as Filla… Jose : You remind me of Arctina… <> Micael : I hate her! She took Filla in your place! She must be really stupid not to even know the face of the person she loves! Jose : And yet, that woman is everything to me… Micael : Filla! <> Filla : Micael, what's wrong? Micael : I'm not hurt…and the castle's not there anymore. <> Filla : There's something in your hair…hmm, it must have fallen out of the sky. Micael : Filla was right…Jose really did love Arctina. <> Micael : She just loved him too much… Filla… Filla : What? Micael : Do you think I can become an angel? <> Micael : Do you think it would be all right? Filla : Of course it would, Micael. Don't be silly. <> Filla : Well, this is goodbye…I may be gone from now on, but you'd better become an angel anyway! Micael : I will. After all, I promised. Filla : Yeah, you can't break a promise between men, Micael. Beelze : Come on, Filla! The graduation ceremony is about to start! Filla : OK, Beelze! <> Filla : See you later, Micael! After this, I'll probably be paired with an angel… <> Filla : But I really want you to be my partner someday. I'll be waiting for you. <> Micael : Goodbye, Filla. Filla : Goodbye, Micael. I'll come and see you when I can…so… until then… <> Filla : This is just a momentary farewell. <> The Black-Winged Angel --I've received a piece of air mail from an old friend who lives in New York. It seems that his son is coming to visit our estate soon. He's feeling a bit down at the moment because of his mother's death, and his father thought he should immerse him in another country's culture to cheer him up. You should co-operate. --Yes, boss. <> Filla : That was some crash landing! This is Japan, I guess…I thought I was supposed to be going to France… This isn't really a place that suits a demon… Well, I don't suppose it matters where I am; the important thing is to make a contract with someone's soul. Filla : Shoot, I've been spotted. --Are you…? Filla : Yes, I am… --Filla-kun! Filla : How'd you know that? --I got a letter from your father telling me to look after you. Filla : My father? --You just do whatever you like until you feel better! But you can't stay in that pond forever, now. Why don't you take a bath and change clothes? Filla : Um, I… <> --We've brought the boy, boss! --That suits you very well! Filla : Merci. Are demons really supposed to wear kimonos and carry bouquets of crysanthemums? <> --I am Karatsu Suzunosuke, head of the Karatsu group and an old friend of your father. It must be a terrible thing to lose one's mother at your age. Filla : Wait a minute, my mother's alive! --I can understand why you don't want to believe it. I met her once, when you were two. She was gorgeous, an angelic woman with green eyes just like yours. Filla : Yeah, my mom's an angel. --Well, yes, perhaps she is an angel up in heaven now… Filla : What are you talking about? Both my mom and my dad were angels long before I was born! They're alive and well in Heaven! --It worries me to hear you joking around like that… Filla : Are you sure you haven't got the wrong person? I'm named Filla, but I'm not a human, I'm a demon. --That's a bad joke, boy. --It seems you haven't studied enough. Demons have big horns and black wings, and a tail. Filla : You're the ones who haven't studied enough! The only demons who have horns are Diables, who are born that way. Normally you start out as C-class, and get a tail at B-class and wings at A-class, and then you're an official adult. I'm still C-class, so I don't look very demonic, but the whole reason I'm here is to test whether I could make a contract with a human soul! --That sounds like a story out of a manga. Filla : Can't you tell by my ears? --Now, your dad's ears were a little pointed too, and yours might be a bit more or less so, but it's nothing to think too deeply about. Filla : But I— --It's all right if you want to joke around to make yourself feel better, but since you've come all this way you should learn about Japanese culture. Filla : Japanese culture? <> --Good night, boy. --Good night. Filla : What a big room…I think I'm in the wrong place after all. I'm tired out from being made to do all those weird things. It's really a kind of culture shock… Filla : I'm going to Hell! <> Filla : I'm going to become a demon! Mother : No, you're going to become an angel! Father : You'll never be able to come back to Heaven if you become a demon. We'll only be able to see you in the Realm of Magic. You can never return to your hometown again. Filla : My mind's made up. I'm sorry, mom, dad. <> Beelze : Gold hair is unusual here in Hell. Were your parents angels? Don't you think an angels' kid should become an angel? Filla : I've admired Satan-sama ever since I was little. I want to be beside him and work for him. Beelze : You must be some kind of singleminded fool. <> Beelze : I still think that white wings would suit you better. Filla : Satan-sama… They dried my clothes for me? --Are you up, Filla? --It's morning! Time to get up! <> Filla : No more avoiding it! Today I'm going to make someone sign a contract! <> --Good morning! --Hello there, everyone in the Karatsu group! You're up early this morning! --Getting up early is good for your health, and cleaning the estate lifts my spirits! Filla : I don't really feel like I could go against them now… <> --Breakfast time! --It was Genzou and Kojirou's turn today… --Do you have any business at our house? Filla2 : Are you Karatsu Suzunosuke-san? --Indeed I am. Filla2 : I'm Michael Ash's son, Filla. <> --But Filla's…over there. Filla : Hello! --Hmm, that really is Michael…which means… Filla : So you've finally figured it out. --Huh? Filla : That I'm a demon! Filla2 : You're a real demon? Filla : Yes, I am! <> Filla2 : If I give you my soul when I die, will you grant me a wish? Filla : Yeah, if it's something I can do with my magic… Filla2 : Let me see my mother! --Can you do that? Filla : His mother must be in Elysium, so the magic to summon her… I'll do it. --Wait. <> --I'll sign the contract. After all, I'm old enough that you'll probably get my soul anyway. Will you accept that, Filla? --Boss! --Suzunosuke! Filla : All right. What is your wish? --I want you to grant this boy's wish. Filla : Then, if you'll just sign here… <> Filla2 : Mom! Mother : Filla!? Filla2 : I'm sorry, mom, I wanted to apologize to you. Mother : Why? Filla2 : It was my fault that you got sick! It was because I was such a bad kid… Mother : That isn't true, Filla. It was just the will of the gods. It's nothing for you to be sad about, so cheer up. Mother : I'll always watch over you from the sky. Filla2 : Mom… Filla : Well, I guess that worked. Filla2 : Thank you, um… Filla : Filla. Filla2 : Thank you, Filla! <> Filla : You shouldn't thank me like that. I'm a demon, after all. I just did what I was supposed to. --No, I think you're more the type to be an angel. Filla : Even humans think so? <> --You fail. Filla : What? But I did it! --Just listen! There are 3 reasons. The first is your failure in properly descending to Earth. You were supposed to go to France. The second is that calling back dead souls is forbidden to C-class demons. It is hard magic, and had you failed, she would have been stuck wandering around on Earth forever. <> --It's one of the Seven Wonders of Hell that a dunce like you actually succeeded! Filla : But I did succeed! I have the contract right here! --The third reason is the contract. Filla : What do you mean? --It's written on the back. Filla : That side wasn't the front? But the other side was all rough and hard to write on! --Didn't you listen to anything in class? The contract signature… --Is supposed to be like this! And in red, not black. And if you need other reasons why you failed…you also failed last month's report and the magic test! So, I have to say, you can't pass this time. <> Filla : Demon! Inhuman! --All that's true, but… Filla : I'm not going to give up! I will become an A-class demon! <> Ritsu and Hiko were just like Peter Pan and Wendy. I was a little girl who read fairy tales with excitement and watched the two of them intently… <> --Watch out! --Hiko! <> Two Peter Pans <> Ritsu : Get up! Don't leave me alone, Hiko! --Hano…Hano… Ritsu : What's this guy saying? Shut up! --Hano… Ritsu : Be quiet! --Wake up… <> Ristu : BE QUIET! --You've got some nerve, telling me to be quiet every time I try to wake you up, Hano! If my class is so boring, then you can just go stand in the hallway! <> Ritsu : That dream must have been because of the adventure novel I read last night…I'm Hano Ritsu, 14 years old, 8th grade, class 3. Hiko got eaten by a dinosaur…That's him over there, Uzuki Kunihiko, my best friend. <> Hiko : I'm surprised how well you can sleep in the hallway, considering how cold it is. Ritsu : That's none of your business! Ritsu : I used to save you from the neighborhood bullies when you were a little crybaby, you know. Now's not the time for you to be getting an attitude. Hiko : I think I've grown since then. I don't want to be in your way forever. Ritsu : But ever since we started middle school you've been mixed up with spirits and supernatural stuff. If I don't help you out, who will? Hiko : I think I can handle it myself. Ritsu : No way! In that dream— Hiko : What happened? Ritsu : I can't talk to him about that anime-ish dream… Kazemachi : You two! <> Kazemachi : I got these from my dad. Will either of you guys go with me? Um, I don't mean, like, on a date or anything, just as a friend, that's all! I'm just interested in going, but it would be boring going by myself…and I think you'd like this… Hiko : A dinosaur museum! <> Ritsu : Dinosaurs… Hiko : Wow, I'd really like to go! Hey, Ritsu… Ritsu : You go with Kazemachi. Hiko : I thought you wanted to go too, Ritsu! I mean, I would like to go… Hiko : But I thought that you'd want to go too… Ritsu : OK, I'll go…I could never say no to a face like that, although I'll need 400 yen… Kazemachi : You two go together. Hiko : But Kazemachi, you were interested in it, and they're your tickets… Kazemachi : Don't worry about it. I'll just ask a favor later. Hiko : I feel like I've done something wrong… Ritsu : Yeah… <> Kazemachi : I'd better just leave them in their Neverland. I'm not a storybook Wendy; I'm just the girl reading the book. Hiko : And that's why you weren't going to go to the dinosaur museum? Ritsu : I know it seems strange of me to worry about a dream… Hiko : If it were one of my dreams, I'd expect it, but your dreams aren't premonitions, Ritsu. Ritsu : That's right. <> Ritsu : In the first place, I wouldn't expect to be rescued by Hiko… What's so interesting? Hiko : Look at this, Ritsu. What do you think it is? Ritsu : It was a stone that felt weird, with blue and green in it… That's a strange color. Hiko : It looked white until I picked it up. Ritsu : Really? Then I'd better take it for safe keeping. Then we'll look into it. Hiko : No fair! I found it! <> Ritsu : It could be dangerous to you! Hiko : 200 million years ago, dinosaurs lived on the Earth… and now they're fossils sleeping deep inside it. Ritsu : The seconds after their era piled up, and up, and now it's our era…It was so long ago, but the seconds passed one by one, until the present… <> Ritsu : The seconds are going to keep passing, until the present becomes the past and the past becomes the future… Hiko : We're just riding the escalator of time for a few moments… Ritsu : Don't you think it's strange that the two of us are riding it at the same moment? Hiko : Yeah, I do. <> Hiko : It would be nice if we could stay together until it's time for us to get off. Ritsu : What is it? Hiko : I thought I saw one look at me. Ritsu : A dinosaur!? That can't be, they're just models! Hiko : Sorry, it was just my imagination. <> Hiko : Ritsu! <> Ritsu : Don't leave me alone, Hiko! Hold on! Every time you got wrapped up in one of these weird things, I said I'd save you…I really wanted to save you…really… <> Ritsu : I want to always protect you! Hiko! Hiko : I just passed out from the shock. Ritsu : You protected me… Hiko : Yeah… Ritsu : You said that wasn't a prophetic dream! You knew! Hiko : Even I can save you sometimes, can't I? Hiko : I don't want to be a burden for you forever. Ritsu : Thank you, Hiko! Hiko : Ritsu, there are people around! Ritsu : Hiko…is time stopped? Hiko : For everyone except us, it looks like… <> --I'm sorry for putting you in danger. Hiko : Who's there? Ritsu : I can hear something in my head! It must be telepathy! An 8-inch dinosaur floating in the air began to shine with a greenish- silver light… Ritsu : Are you the one behind that telepathy? --I am a spiritual being known as Shuldeen. <> --On my way back to my home planet, my spaceship landed here. I should have been able to fix it and take off soon, but I realized that my Levi was gone. Hiko : Is a levi a part of a spaceship? --No…he's my dear child. Hiko : Child? --He could not live long in this planet's atmosphere, and though I called to him with all of my mental powers, he could not answer me. In the end he may die… Hiko : I feel a wave of lonely sadness… <> Ritsu : So you want us to look for your kid? --No…Levi is inside you. Ritsu : Wait a second! --When I felt that Levi was gone, I released a wave of energy towards you. Ritsu : Which is why you tried to attack me… --Just then, Levi's thoughts reached me and I knew that you had saved him. Ritsu : Where is this child in me? Hiko : Ritsu, that stone I picked up on our way here… Ritsu : Is this your kid? --Yes…my dear egg, Levi… Ritsu : You can communicate telepathically with an egg? --Your life energy gave him back some energy… <> Hiko : Was it you who gave Ritsu that premonition? --What is a premonition? Hiko : It's a dream you have when you're asleep. --No…it must have only been floating around inside your own mind. Ritsu : So it was a real premonition? --Thank you, earthlings. I can now return home. Ritsu : Then I could hear other people moving about again… Ritsu : …And we were again riding the escalator of time. First we have to go to the infirmary! --It still puzzles me how you got hurt like that… Hiko : Thank you! Ritsu : I guess that little dinosaur is flying in space again. Hiko : Yeah…I hope she gets back home safely. Hiko : Look, it's snowing! Ritsu : It looks like lots of little eggs falling from the sky. Hiko : Or maybe it's more like the clouds giving birth? Ritsu : The whole world seems almost wondrous now… Hiko : To me, too. <> Kazemachi : Wow! Hiko : I've even got the wounds to prove it! Ritsu : Bandaged up like that, you look like a healthy young man! Hiko : What do I usually look like, a weak little girl? Ritsu : I never said that. Hiko : But you implied it! Ritsu : Well, I guess you don't believe that story… <> Ritsu : You can say it's just silly, if you want. Kazemachi : No, I believe it. --Hey, Ritsu! Hiko! Come to the home ec room quick, or you'll be late! Ritsu : Thanks, Kazemachi! I'll take back what I said before…they're both freely flying Peter Pans. <> Someday they'll each find their own Wendy, but for now, they're two Peter Pans. 1 44