.: Tokyo Babylon :.

Tokyo Babylon :: Clamp
VOLUME 4
:: translated by hecate :: editted by tenno yukie and hachi mitsu ::
:: volume 03 :: CRIME :: SAVE A :: SAVE B :: volume 05 ::
Annex

volume 4

Tokyo Babylon
VOL.4/CRIME

CRIME : Noun. (Latin Crimen, Accusation) Deliberate homicide. Unforgivable action. Infraction of the law punishable by an inflictive pain or obrobrious action. For Budhism, Christianity, and other major religions: an act contrary to set principles.

(subaru standing outside a shrine, holding a painting canvas, a group of construction workers are taking down the shrine)

WORKMAN : Ok, slowly now! A little more to the right!

(subaru leaves, next scene he's in a mcdonalds, looking around trying to find someone... from the other end of the room, hokuto waves and yells for him very loudly... completely embarrassing subaru ~.~)

HOKUTO : Subaru! Hey, Subaru!
SUBARU : Don't yell so loudly, people will notice... (sits down next to her with a red face ^^)
HOKUTO : Yes, but if I hadn't called you, you'd still be looking for us! [ohoho] (i'm assuming it's getting cold since they are all wearing thicker cloth)
SUBARU : Sorry I kept you waiting! (seishirou is also there)
SEISHIROU : Don't worry about it, I was talking with Hokuto-chan, and I didn't even notice the time!
HOKUTO : We were talking about graves...
SUBARU : Graves? (looks at them curiously) ? ?
HOKUTO : These days it's more interesting to have a grave than a house! (subaru looks very confused, with a big "WHAT??" behind him) Besides, the price of a grave isn't ready to lower yet! The price of plots of land is really high in Tokyo. Not many people can afford a grave in the city! Unfortunately, people work their whole lives to buy a grave that will vanish if they don't have heirs...
SUBARU : Even if they've invested their entire fortune?
HOKUTO : Yep, that's the law! (subaru looks at her with a sweatdrop)
SEISHIROU : We spend our whole lives paying for a house, and when we finally get it, it's time to buy ourselves a tomb...No matter what, we're never happy... (subaru looks sad)
HOKUTO : What is it, Subaru? You don't look so good! Did something happen?
SUBARU : No, not really...but...on my way here...I saw a Shinto temple being demolished...
HOKUTO : A Shinto temple?
SUBARU : We all know that you shouldn't displace a tombstone, at the risk of waking the sleeper beneath! That's why I really believe that people should never destroy Shinto temples!
HOKUTO : Why?
SUBARU : Since forever, those temples have served as seals, and since forever, men have brought to them many dangerous things...to prevent them from someday leaving those temples, they carefully covered them over with ishuzue (grave stones)...but the demolition of a temple...
SEISHIROU : ...Could unfortunately provoke some undesirable leaks...
SUBARU (sadly) : I feel so powerless...Whenever I see a temple being destroyed, I feel horribly uneasy...
HOKUTO (suddenly put her arms around subaru's neck and pulls him towards her with funny face, subaru has a funny face as well ^^;;) : Oh no you don't! Don't start that again! Why do you always have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders?! Aren't your own problems enough?! (turns serious) Life is very short, and we have a lot of things to do. You're right to help others, but you can't do it to the detriment of yourself...Subaru, you can't save the Shinto temples and toris (temple gates) that are destined to disappear, so please, forget what you've seen and save your energy for another good cause!
SUBARU : Hokuto-chan...
SEISHIROU : For the time being, I'd suggest you eat your egg McMuffin and your chicken McNuggets!
HOKUTO : Go on, eat! You wouldn't want to go against poor Sei-chan who loves you so, right? (subaru smiles, leaving the unhappiness behind)
SEISHIROU : Subaru, what are you doing this afternoon? Do you have work?
SUBARU : I have to visit Yasukuni Shinto temple...
HOKUTO : Yasukini temple? Why?
SUBARU : It's for school, I have a drawing to do!
HOKUTO : But no one asked me to do one!
SUBARU : That's normal, I'm the only one who's missed almost all the art classes, so the teacher gave me a make-up assignment!
SEISHIROU : Do you miss class because of work?!
SUBARU : Yeah, but whatever the reason, I have to make it up! The teacher told me that if I keep up with art class, he'll give me enough extra credit to go into the next class. It's really nice of him, since it'd be easier for him to just make me take it over!
HOKUTO : Today is Sunday, and it's a beautiful one too!
SEISHIROU : It's a lovely day for drawing!
HOKUTO : If you'd told me earlier, I would've made you a lunch box!
SUBARU : Don't worry! This'll do me.
HOKUTO : What'll you do for dinner?
SUBARU : Since you're eating out, I thought I would too!
SEISHIROU : Are you going out tonight, Hokuto-chan?
HOKUTO (the ohoho laugh) : Yes, I have a "date'!
SEISHIROU : That's wonderful!
HOKUTO (~.~ face) : I feel so sorry for you, my poor little Subaru, When I think that you must dine alone!
SUBARU : Don't worry about it, I'm perfectly capable of fending for myself when you're not home!
HOKUTO : He never eats when he's on his own, I know it!
SEISHIROU : Why don't you come over to my place? I'm a bit hesitant to cook for you since I'm not as good as your sister, but I'd be happy to have you... (subaru blushes on cue)
SUBARU : No! But! (very red... is ignored in moments like this)
HOKUTO (plotting-with-seishirou-about-subaru's-future mode) : Sei-chan, how kind of you! Thanks to you, I can go out worry-free! (has officially sold subaru to the wolf)
SUBARU (lots of sweatdrops) : H... HOKUTO-CHAN!
SEISHIROU (with determination) : I'll make him a tasty meal to show how I love him...
HOKUTO (sing-songy) : Go Sei-chan! At this rate you'll be able to move in together soon!
SUBARU (-_-||| at the two of them, people are giving them funny looks) : Quiet down...everyone's staring!

(scene changes, somewhere in a temple, subaru is sitting alone, drawing peacefully... suddenly seishirou comes to mind ~.~)

SEISHIROU : It's still early, I think you'll be down tonight...I'll expect you around eight and hope you like my cooking. I'll be making it with love...
SUBARU (blushes thinking about it) : [Hokuto-chan's always in cahoots with him...but I think they're just playing around...I still can't believe that he could be related to the Sakurazukamori... (shakes it off) No, it's impossible, he's such a nice guy...But still... (turns thoughtful) When I was doing an exorcism at Tokyo Tower, it seemed like he could use magic... (glance distantly) I'd really like to know who Seishirou-san is...] (suddenly something struck him) What...what was that? (runs around the temple searching) [It felt like the magnetic force given off by a spirit...it felt like it came from the heart of the Shinto temple...But... (he suddenly sees a woman standing alone under a tree, there's something odd with the dirt that she's standing over) What is this aura...... (feels something painful, he walks up to the woman)] Did you...did you bury something here?
WOMAN (turns around nastily) : Leave me alone! I forbid you to disturb me! (runs off)
SUBARU : Wait!! (grabs her hand)
WOMAN : Let go!
SUBARU : What are you hiding?!
WOMAN : No one can stop me! No one! (sinister smile)
SUBARU : Oh no! You made an inugami... *An evil spell using the body of a dog or other animal*
WOMAN : How do you know!?
SUBARU : Why did you such a thing!?
WOMAN : I can do what I want!! No one can accuse me of comiting a crime!
SUBARU : Stop yelling! Listen to me...I don't know what pushed you to do such a thing...but be very careful, because the spell you cast will soon return to you...
WOMAN (crazed look on her face) : It doesn't matter... I've been living in hell for too long...no suffering can be greater than that which I have known....now I don't care what happens to me... (a long pause, they end up sitting down and talking) Do you read the newspaper?
SUBARU : Yes...of course!
WOMAN : Do you remember the case about the kidnapping and murder of a little girl in Tokyo, two years ago? That girl was...my daughter. She was only six years old...she was about to start elementary school...we bought her book bag and her uniform...my husband worked for an optician...with our daughter, we were a united family. Until the day it happened...I met my husband at work. We had an apartment...we were a normal family like any other... (image of a little girl with a tiny umbrella waving happily in the rain) It was raining that day, and my daughter was late from school...no one could find her... (there was a single shoe left in the rain) The police searched for her...as did our neighbors...but no one could even find a trace of her. Then, her body was found (a girl's body lying in the river), one month later, on the banks of one of the rivers nearby...the month while we were looking for her were a nightmare...at night, I would imagine her dead, strangled, stabbed....every morning I woke with a start...and the doubt which let me hope was the worst of the tortures... (imagining her struggling in the river and someone trying to drown her) the murderer was a stranger. No one had ever seen him, and no one knew where he came from. He had seen our daughter going home from school, and he tried to take her...but since she screamed, he was afraid that someone would find them, so to make her quiet, he plunged her head into the river...He told the police that she suddenly became...very calm...
SUBARU : Was he caught?
WOMAN : Yes...of course...But he wasn't accused of murder... (smirk)
SUBARU (surprised) : But...why?
WOMAN (she sat in court): A psychiatrist declared him insane, and that he couldn't have known what he was doing...when the verdict came, I made my decision: Since Justice didn't want to execute him, I would do it myself. I wished for his death so much that the idea of killing him in the heart of the Palace of Justice crossed my mind...but I knew that the justice who would not find him guilty would quickly condemn me for premeditated murder. So I decided to take my vengeance later, after I had a plan that would allow me to eliminate that man while looking completely innocent in the eyes of the law. The medium that looked best to me was magic. I knew that if I cursed him, he'd die soon, and no one could accuse me of the crime...the folly that allowed him to escape justice would be remedied, and without any contact between us! No one could ever prove that I'd killed him...the murder of my daughter was not committed soley by that man. Justice was responsible too...as it applies laws without regard for feelings... Those who read the rumors...those who sought information...those who defended the criminal... (somewhere, the mother hugged the daughter's backpack and cried) those who discovered his mental illness...and those who protested his innocence...none of them...none of them...ever knew...will never know...my suffering... (scene of the funeral) After her death, I began to frequent libraries, to read ancient spells...I sought a way to kill him...by cursing him! During my studies I took an English literature course, very different from my research. So I learned everything...and so I discovered the spell to this curse! The explanation of the Inugami was in a library book... (picture of her holding a bloody decapitated dog head) we had a dog that my daughter loved...I decaptitated it during the night a week ago...According to the spell, it works well to decapitate a dog you love, and to bury it's head in a place not often trod upon...unfortunately, there aren't many of those places left. That's why I came here, to the Shinto temple, Yasukunijinja...the dead dog is an Inugami now. Soon he will do as I wish, in the guise of a Tsukai-ma (domestic devil). Before I never could have killed an animal. But now I am capable of anything...Today I feel free to talk to you, even if you want to tell everything to the police, no one would ever believe you...in the worst case, they'd think I was crazy...
SUBARU : Wait, those who perform a curse will have the same effect reflected upon them. If you do this, someday you will......!
WOMAN : That's fine. I don't care if I die. My beloved child, my happiness...... The happiness that I slaved thirty one years for...... and now because of some stranger who I've never met, has broken in an instant...... (angry tears)
SUBARU : [I have to stop her...I have to stop this woman!] ...... (suddenly) What was your daughter's name?
WOMAN : ...Mai!
SUBARU : Do you think Mai-san would want you to do this? In any case, I don't think she'd want to see you kill her dog...I think she'd want you to be happy-
WOMAN (fiercely) : What would you know? She's not here to say it! All I want is to hear her voice!! And I never will...
SUBARU : I'm not so sure as you...
WOMAN : What are you saying?
SUBARU : If you want, I can ask Mai to speak to you one last time...
WOMAN : I can't believe it...
SUBARU : You've read a lot of magic books, right? So you certainly must know about the mitamayose (séance) some exorcists perform?
WOMAN : You mean magic that can...call the spirits of the dead?
SUBARU : Yes, and if you want, I can put you into contact with her...
WOMAN (uncertainly) : Who are you......
SUBARU : As strange as it may seem, I'm a medium. It's my profession!
WOMAN : You want me to believe that you're a medium!?! No, it's impossible!!
SUBARU : Please, believe me! I need your help to call Mai...listen to what she has to say about the curse you cast...react before it's too late...listen to what she has to say!

(the woman finally gives in, they sit down face to face and subaru is ready to cast a spell)

SUBARU : When I call her name, open your eyes...(chants)

(the spirit of a girl appears behind the woman, subaru looks on happily, but the little girl hugs her mother and cries)

MAI : [I can't breathe...I hurt...Mama, help me! Avenge me...punish him for what he did to me... (cries, screams) I hurt...I hurt so much...] SUBARU (shocked) : No...it's impossible...
WOMAN (impatiently) : Tell me what's happening! Can I open my eyes? (she opens her eyes and sees the girl) Mai...... (happily open her arms to her) Mai...Mai...Mai! (cries in disbelief, but she can't hear what mai is saying) Tell me! What is she saying? I...I can't hear her! Please! Tell me! (subaru looks at them, not knowing what to do) What's she saying? I have to know!
SUBARU (doesn't look at them) : She says that... (sweats, tries not to look at the girl's crying face) she doesn't want you to use magic...and she...she wants...she wants you to be happy!
WOMAN : Mai! Mai! AHHHHHHH (buries her face in her hands)
MAI (turns around and looks at subaru) : It hurts! It's painful! (it's like an accusation that subaru doesn't dare to face, he turns away guiltily)

(it's raining that night, seishirou's cooking in the kitchen)

SEISHIROU : It's raining...Subaru will be soaked! (door bell) Coming... (he's surprised to see subaru standing at his door, dripping wet) I should have come and gotten you...what with the weather, I was starting to worry...
SUBARU (looks down) : I'm sorry, but I can't stay for dinner...I have to go home...to think...
SEISHIROU : Subaru, what happened? (his face is wet, tears mixed in rain)
SUBARU (suddenly) : S...Seishirou-san!
SEISHIROU (carries him in his arm) : If I let you go in this state, you might catch a cold and Hokuto would kill me!

(inside he gets subaru a cup of warm water and wrap him in blankets)

SUBARU : I lied to her! I lied to that woman... I couldn't tell her the truth...I couldn't tell her what her daughter said...If I'd told her the truth, she would have suffered so much... (crying) I never thought this kind of work was any thing enjoyable...... but today...... just today...... I...I think that...maybe I was wrong...I hid the truth from her because of my convictions....to satisfy my ideas of my life view...I reacted too personally.
SEISHIROU : Subaru, your reaction was normal. People always think their own views. Truthfully, only that woman could judge you-
SUBARU : But-
SEISHIROU : Subaru, you had only good intentions. We can't condemn someone who acted badly by mistake, can we?
SUBARU : No...
SEISHIROU : So...you have to forgive yourself! (lets subaru rest his head on his legs) If it makes you feel any better, I think you were right to lie to her. Now you aren't the only one who was wrong...there are two of us...
SUBARU : Seishirou-san...
SEISHIROU (puts his hand over subaru's eyes) : I think you need to rest...In any case, don't worry, I'll be right here, and if someone dares to accuse you of lying, I'll be here to defend you.
SUBARU : Seishirou-san....
SEISHIROU (smiles) : Yes?
SUBARU : Thank you... (tears drip down his face)
SEISHIROU (tucks him into bed) : Good night.

(he leaves subaru's room and sees his own reflection - the kind smile - in a mirror outside, the mirror suddenly cracks for no reason and seishirou punches a hole in it. there was a flickering dark light in his eyes and the broken mirror pieces on the ground reflected a very different image of seishirou)

SEISHIROU : If things continue like this, I'll be winning the bet...... Subaru-kun.

end of CRIME

top

volume 5.1

Tokyo Babylon
VOL.5/SAVE.A

KUNIKO : [Help me.]

(on a rainy day, the class is all noisy, in front of the room, the teacher tries unsuccessfully to get the class's attention)

TEACHER : Shut up! Listen to me! Next month the green class will go to Shizuoka. Since we'll be there over night, I'd like you to form small groups so that I'll know who's staying in a room with who...
GIRL : Wow!!
TEACHER : All set?
GIRL : wait for me!
GIRL2 : Emi, come with us!
TEACHER : Hashimoto, what is it? Is there a group that Miss Hashimoto can join? (realizes that one girl was sitting alone in her seat)
GIRL : No, not mine!
GIRL2 : Mine either! (giggles evilly)

(the lonely girl sits there and looks down... after class...)

SIGN : Teacher's Room
TEACHER : Miss Hashimoto, you are a very calm girl, that's good, but you need to make an effort to be more sociable! If you continue like this, you'll never make friends! I've heard that you never sit with the other girls at lunch or during recess...now that you're a sophomore, you should know that your future life will be based on friendships and acquaintances, in your life and at work...so, I'm counting on you to try a little. If you don't make friends now, you'll be alone your whole life! I know the girls in your class aren't particularly friendly, but they aren't bad, just immature...you have to make the first move. This is a problem that starts with you, and only you can fix it...

(after school, she walks home alone but gets surrounded by a group of girls)
HEADBAND GIRL : Hey! I hope for your sake that you didn't tell the teacher about us...
ODANGO GIRL : You know what'll happen if you talk...we'll never forgive you!!
HEADBAND GIRL : So, Hashimoto, are you still mute?! You make a funny face! (grabs her chin) Stop looking at us like that! Don't hesitate if you've got something to say! (pushed her down onto the muddy ground)
SHORT HAIR GIRL : Oh, you touched her! You'll get sick now!
BARRETT GIRL : Yuck! How gross! Hashimoto, lick my shoes!
ODANGO GIRL : Oh no, I got mud on my skirt!
SHORT HAIR : I didn't notice how late it's gotten; it's already time for my cram course!
BARRETT : I've got to go program my VCR
HEADBAND : Let's go!
SHORT HAIR : Really?!

(the girl kneels alone in the rain, crying)

KUNIKO : Help me...

(subaru's house... hokuto is pouring tea in the background, subaru looks like he just got up)

HOKUTO : This is the first time I've ever seen Subaru sleep so late!
SUBARU : Ok...I had a lot of work last night...I worked really late...and I got to bed really early this morning! (quickly getting dressed)
HOKUTO (serves breakfast) : What time?
SUBARU : Around 10AM.
HOKUTO : So you only got two hours of sleep?!
SUBARU (claps hands, ready to eat) : No, a little more than that...thanks!
HOKUTO : [Enjoy!] A little more?
SUBARU : To be precise, I think I got two hours and twenty minutes of sleep...
HOKUTO (falls down, get up, explode in his face) : Two hours or two hours and twenty minutes, it's the same thing...so stop teasing me!! You work too much...if you keep this up, you'll get sick! (ties subaru's tie for him, just like a good sister)
SUBARU : Yes, but...
HOKUTO : I know you take your school work very seriously, but today is the anniversary of the founding of our school, and you know that almost no one will be there...so why do you want to go to your make-up classes?
SUBARU : I have to go since I missed so much school since the beginning of the year...
HOKUTO : In Japan it's only required to go through middle school, and you've had the courage to get through the first year of high school...Do you really think college is necessary?
SUBARU : Yes.
HOKUTO : I understand, you want your dream...
SUBARU (blush) : Y, yes.
HOKUTO : The Sumeragi family have been the spiritual protectors of Japan since the dawn of time...and you, Subaru, you're the 13th head, so consequently you're one of the rare grand masters of Yin and Yang in the whole world...you're as rare as an endangered African animal! And to think that your childhood dream was to be a zoo keeper... It's not even a gag. (sweatdrop... looks at him seriously) ......What are you doing with your job now?
SUBARU (smile) : Continuing it... If another master of Yin and Yang among us could possibly replace me as head of the family, I'd gladly give up my place. I'll never give up on my dream...
HOKUTO : So. You'll do whatever it takes to become a zookeeper?
SUBARU : Yes!
HOKUTO : I always knew you were honest and hard-working...but I'd forgotten how stubborn you were! I'll always be by your side to cheer you on! So go for it!
SUBARU (honest smile) : Thanks!
HOKUTO : I know they'll be a marvelous couple! Subaru and Seishiro "Vetinary Associates"...they were made to meet!!
SUBARU (lots of sweatdrops) : HHHHokuto-chan...
HOKUTO : Not forgetting that Seishirou-chan is a member of the family of assassins, the Sakurazukamoris...and no one knows who he really is! The story is absolutely perfect for a shojo manga! [OHOHOHOHOH]
SUBARU : Grandmother told me that people named Sakurazuka aren't necessarily members of the Sakurazukamori family... Besides...I think Seishirou-san seems too nice a guy to be part of that family.
HOKUTO : Yes, he does "seem" very nice. But the mystery remains for me, since you can't really tell anything....from appearances! (she's smiling more meaningfully)
SUBARU : Hokuto-chan? (suddenly phone rings) Hello...yes...yes... ok, I understand...good bye, and thanks for calling! (hokuto's dressing him up and picking out his cloth while he talks)
HOKUTO (grabs a mirror before subaru) : Ohohohoh...et voila! Subaru, you're magnificent! Your outfit is perfectly coordinated! You can go to class no problem!
SUBARU : Sorry, Hokuto-chan, but...could you call my teacher, please?
HOKUTO : What?! You want me to tell him you won't be there?! But why?!
SUBARU : I have work...
HOKUTO (suddenly hugs him) : Don't forget that I'll always be by your side...I'm proud of you, you're right to pursue your dream... (very sweet moment)

(later on the streets, subaru is running around searching for something)

SUBARU : Wha...? Ok, here I am, in the right place,...but where's the woman? Oh! Excuse me! (he sees someone carrying the identifying object and bows to the person)
OBASAN : You haven't changed, Subaru!
SUBARU (looks up, it's a familiar face) : Oh! Is that you, Grandmother?!

SUBARU : I you'd told me you were going to be in Tokyo I would have visited you!
OBASAN (they're sitting in a old fashioned room): When I arrived in Tokyo, I went to the Imperial court. The head of the Bureau of Investigation told me that he had a mission for you. I asked him if I could talk to you myself, and he gave me all the details. I also had...certain personal things to tell you...

SUBARU : What about?
OBASAN : First let's talk about your work...surely you know that today there are many religious groups that exist in our country, or rather, new sects.
SUBARU : Yes, basically...
OBASAN (hands Subaru a booklet) : That's why the national Minister of Education asks you to conduct and inquiry on one of these new groups.
SUBARU (flipps through the booklet) : An inquiry from the Minster of Education?
OBASAN : It appears that the creation of new religious groups has accelerated considerably. Most of the members of these groups have already been inspected by the Bureau of Investigation of the Minesterial Cabinet...but the difference between those groups and the one you will inspect is that this group is almost entirely made up of middle and high school students!
SUBARU (looks surprised) : Middle and high schoolers?!
OBASAN (has a dark look on her face; Subaru also looks serious): If the men from the government go into a school, they will be thwarted immediately. That is why they thought of you...the name of the group is "The Center for MS Research". You'll find the details in the document.
SUBARU : Thank you!
OBASAN : Tell me, Subaru... Have you had any problems recently?
SUBARU (smiles cheerfully) : Nope, Hokuto and I are doing great! Are you sure nothing's wrong?
OBASAN (the background shows Subaru's obasan sitting before a cubic shaped pile of logs with fire shooting from the center. Many others site behind her in a similar fashion with heads bowed in prayer) : I saw your future during the Kakai (fire divination a la Sailor Mars) that is held on the 9th day of each month.
SUBARU : You saw my future?! So tell me, what's going to happen to me?
OBASAN : The cherry tree...

OBASAN : Subaru, you will become the prey of the cherry tree! (gorgeous spread with Subaru surrounded by flurry of sakura branches and petals.

SUBARU (looks confused and worried) : Of the cherry tree?
OBASAN (grabs hold of Subaru's gloved hands): I hope you always wear your gloves...
SUBARU : Yes, Grandmother...
OBASAN (shows flashback of Subaru's obasan running towards a young version of Subaru standing under a sakura tree) : That night....it's all my fault...I never should have left you alone...If only...I hadn't left you alone... (buries her face in Subaru's hands, looks close to tears)
SUBARU : Grandmother...
OBASAN : Don't let the cherry tree take you away....be careful....don't let it capture your spirit!

(In the gym of a school, a bunch of girls are playing basketball under the supervision of a coach)
TEACHER (blows whistle) : Miss Hashimoto! If you don't show a little more enthusiasm, I'll have to give you a zero in gym! Make an effort to catch the ball! (all the other stand behind the teacher starting mockingly at Kuniko Hashimon, who stood alone)
HEADBAND : Come on, Hashimoto, catch! (the girl flings the basketball she was holding at Hashimoto, hitting her in the face. Hashimoto falls onto the gym floor)

HEADBAND : Here, catch this Hashimoto! (all the students began hurling their basketballs at Hashimoto too) But sir, I threw it so gently!
TEACHER : (Hashimoto was hit in the face and is bleeding all over, and crying) Oh no! With a student injured in my class, I'm going to have problems at the next teacher's meeting!

KUNIKO (sitting on a swing in a park alone; it is night) : Help me...I need help! I can't do it anymore...
KUMIKO (a woman wth softly curled hair walks up to her wth a smile) : What is it? Why are you all alone here? Here! If you need to talk, I'm here to listen to you...you have problems at school, don't you?
KUNIKO : How did you know?
KUMIKO : I knew it! (she offers Kuniko a handkerchief and wipes her tears away)

KUMIKO : I can perceive the suffering of the unhappy people...
KUNIKO (wide eyed surprise) : Really?
KUMIKO (glowing very brightly against the dark park) : Yes! I know how to recognize unhappy people who suffer in silence...it's a gift from God! You don't need to be afraid...I'm here to help you!
KUNIKO : Really?
KUMIKO : Yes, I can help you to leave the shadow...do not be afraid, tell us your problem...let your heart speak.
KUNIKO : (at the MS Institute, in what looks like a high floor of the tall building. There are many other people sitting on the floor around them.) Where are we? Who are those women?
KUMIKO : Our job is to help those who suffer. We're your friends. We're going to help you!
(Meanwhile, unnoticed by all is a dark bird of prey perched of the windowsill, observing them quietly. Flying off the bird lands on a man's shoulder. The man is wearing a black suit under a black trenchcoat, he on a building in front of a SONY billboard. The man is an evily smiling Seishirou; and the bird is his shikigami - spiritual bird)
(back at the Kuniko's school)

GIRLS (all the students are running into the school) : Good morning! Hi!
HEADBAND : Look, it's the ghost of Hashimoto! She's back!
BARRETT : Quick, write a letter to the paper-"the seven mysteries of the school"!
(Kuniko's desk is draped in a while sheet with a vase of flowers and a sheet of paper that reads "Here Rests Kuniko Hashimoto" Kuniko rips the sheet off before running away to the sound of the other girls laughing.)

(Kuniko runs to MS)
WOMAN (opens the door and greets her cheerfully) : Kuniko, what is it?
KUNIKO (crying angrily) : I prayed...I prayed with all my heart! I followed Professor Kumiko's instructions to the letter! BUT NOTHING HAS CHANGED!
WOMAN : Maybe your prayers weren't sincere enough...

WOMAN : Don't lose faith in yourself...the results may not be immediate, but if you keep on praying, you'll be rewarded. Today I'd like to introduce you to a new classmate. He's going to join our group! Come in, Subaru! Here, this is Subaru Sumeragi, who's joining us because he wants to learn more about our organization. Subaru, this is Kuniko, who's been with us for a little while. Be nice to her... (introduces Kuniko to an evercheerful Subaru)
SUBARU (bows) : Hello! Nice to meet you!
WOMAN (rushes the two of them down the hall to their classroom) : Come along! Class is about to start!
SUBARU : Today is Friday...they should all be in school;...so why are there so many here?
PAPERS : MS Research Center. Group founded in 1989, composed of 10,000 members to date. Average age: 16. Main office: Shinjuku. There is no God worshiped. They seek to purify their spirits, to gain an internal peace. This is a common basis for a new religion. The leaders are called "Professor" and organize seminars like private classes.

SUBARU : There is no guru, but the leader of the group is Kumiko Nagi....It really is like a school...
KUMIKO : Hello everyone! My name is Kumiko Nagi!
SUBARU : That's her?! Now that I'm here, I wonder how I'm going to do this...

(At Seishirou's house)
HOKUTO : Hel-lo, I'm here! It's me, Hokuto! (Hokuto comes in with arms full of food, the cat Seishirou looks terrified with its fur standing on ends)
SEISHIRO : Good evening...
HOKUTO : I came to make you dinner! (The traumatized cat runs back into its cage)
SEISHIRO : Hokuto, you really are adorable! But where's Subaru?
HOKUTO : He's working...he told me he won't be home for dinner for three or four days...
SEISHIRO : It was good of you to come see me...but aren't you afraid that Subaru won't eat if you aren't around?

HOKUTO : Don't worry, I left a casserole in the oven. He can eat whenever he gets home!
SEISHIRO : Hokuto, you are an exemplary sister!
HOKUTO : I hate eating alone! Thanks for agreeing to eat with me!
SEISHIRO : It is I who must thank you...where's Subaru working?
HOKUTO : Cooking is best!!! He told me he was going to investigate a religious organization...at the MS Research Center in Shinjuku.... (Seishirou looked shocked at this)

end of SAVE A

top

volume 5.2

Tokyo Babylon
VOL.5/SAVE.B

(It is at MS, all the students are seated for the "lesson")
KUMIKO : God is in all of us...if you can live in so cruel a world, it's because God is in you! Each of us is unique. Have confidence in yourself and forgive your mistakes. The world needs you, and soon each of you will find your place in it. Forgive yourselves and others. Let the strength within you express itself! (the class, with the exception of Kuniko and Subaru, looks vaguely dazed, even zombie-ish)

CLASS (the lesson is over and all the students, except for the aforementioned duo, runs after Kumiko in tears of happiness) : Professor Kumiko! Professor Kumiko!
KUMIKO : Whatever happens, don't let yourself be beaten! You are gods! Nothing is impossible, you just have to want it!
SUBARU : There's nothing special about her, not in her gaze or in her voice...so...how could she excite them much?
CLASS : Professor, I'll pray everyday! Me too! Professor Kumiko!!
SUBARU (sees Kuniko) : But that's the girl...the one I just met!
CLASS : From today on I'll be strong and brave! No one ever told me that we're all gods!

BOY : It's so cool, I believe in myself!
WOMAN : Kuniko! Subaru! Come with me, I need to talk to you!
SUBARU : Yes?
SIGN : Director's Office
KUMIKO : Tell me, Subaru...
SUBARU : Yes...
KUMIKO : Ha ha ha! Don't be so nervous!
SUBARU (sweatdrops) : Sorry...
KUMIKO : What do you think of our center?
SUBARU : What do I think? Um...how can I say this...I was surprised to see so many middle and high schoolers...
KUMIKO : True...but let me explain why. I think that religion is a moral support, an indespensible one, since it gives the power to believe...the hardest part of life is adolescence, primarily. That's why I think that it is young people who need moral support the most. They have so many choices to make that will affect their future lives....choices that will vanish when they grow up. So I opened this special research center to help teenagers! Subaru, you seem to have some worries, seeing as you're having trouble talking...

KUMIKO : Take your time. Whenever you're ready, don't hesitate to come and talk to me....it would be my pleasure to help you! You too, Kuniko! Our meeting wasn't mere chance. Destiny put me in your way.
KUNIKO (angry tears in her eyes) : But...professor Kumiko, I prayed with all my heart, just like you asked me to...I did everything to make me accept myself for who I am, and to love love....but nothing has changed! No one came to me!
KUMIKO : You must keep on praying. Everything will come in its own time! I know that your classmates are cruel to you...but you must forgive them to make yourself stronger. You must forgive and love them!
KUNIKO : No! You don't understand!
SUBARU : The woman is so gentle...she's more like a music teacher than a guru!
(In the secluded section of a park, the band of girls are abusing Kuniko again. Kuniko had fallen on the ground and the girls surrounded her, taunting her)
BARETT : Why haven't you been to school lately?
ODANGO : We like playing with you...we missed you!
HEADBAND (Kuniko is silent, the girl grabs hold of her hair and yanks her up) : So you don't want to tell us, Hashimoto?!
SHORT HAIR (sees Subaru walking towards the) : Look out! Someone's coming.
BARRET : Hurry! Save yourselves!
HEADBAND : Hey, wait up! We'll finish this later, Hashimoto!
SHORT HAIR : Ha ha ha! Shirai, your menacing lines remind me of old Samourai movies! (The girls run of laughing, cowards)
SUBARU (sees Kuniko tumble out of the bushes) : Hey! Oh, you're-

SUBARU (sees Kuniko stained, bleeding and crying) : What happened? Are you hurt?!
KUNIKO : Leave me alone!
SUBARU : But you're bleeding!
KUNIKO (slaps Subaru and scratched his face x.x): Go away!
SUBARU (looks surprised for a moment, but smiles, handing Kuniko his handkerchief): Here, take my handkerchief. Don't worry, it's clean! My sister washed and ironed it...uh, did I say something wrong?
KUNIKO : (Kuniko and Subaru are sitting on the swings in the park) Why did you got to the Center?
SUBARU : What? I read an article about it and...she can't know the truth...
KUNIKO : I met Professor Kumiko in the park...I was crying because the girls in my class were persecuting me...the even beat me up...but the teachers think this is all some petty squabble....The reality is that I'm a victim of senseless violence. Every day of my life...
SUBARU : Tell your teachers-
KUNIKO : I already did. But they didn't listen. They keep telling me that it's all my fault because I'm not more friendly...I'm a calm person, but that's no reason to mistreat me! What did I do to deserve this?! You know what Professor Kumiko told me? She just said that I have to accept myself. She also said that all humans are made to listen to themselves...and that I should pray and be patient.... So I prayed with all my heart. Then I took classes at the MS Research Center...but nothing changed. Each day follows the next, and still I am tormented...
SUBARU : (they've gotten off the swings and Subaru puts his coat over Kuniko's shoulders) I'm sorry...um....I don't know what to say. I'm trying to imagine how you must suffer....but I don't think I'll ever really know what you feel...I'm very sorry...
KUNIKO : (smiles gratefully) Thank you.

(At Hokuto's apartment, Hokuto is baking cookies and Seishirou is helping her. Subaru walks in.)
HOKUTO : I'm a little housewife tra la la! Wednesdays and Fridays tra la la...I take out my trash with the neighbors from upstrairs tra la la! Leaving already, Subaru? (Subaru is getting ready to walk out again)
SUBARU : Yeah, I don't have time for dinner with you....
SEISHIRO : Going to work?
SUBARU : Yup!
HOKUTO : Are you still working at the MS Research Center?
SUBARU : Yup!
HOKUTO : Is your investigation going well?
SUBARU : Yeah, fairly well...it's hard to draw conclusions right now...
HOKUTO (feeds Subaru a cookie) : Here, this is your reward! I'm proud to see you working so hard! Subaru, you are tasting my new cookie recipe!
SUBARU : Thanks, Hokuto, they're delicious!
HOKUTO : You don't have to tell me, I already know! Here!
SUBARU : Thanks!
HOKUTO (hands him a prettily wrapped bundle of cookies) : Take these for a snack.
SEISHIRO : Be careful!
SUBARU : See you later!
HOKUTO : Ciao! Poor Seishiro! Subaru is very busy and you miss him...it's ok! Come, be brave my dear! (patts poor Seishirou on the head)
SEISHIRO (has a Look on his face) : Tell me, doesn't this bother you?
HOKUTO : What do you mean?
SEISHIRO : Well...I meant the fact that Subaru is falling for someone like me...
HOKUTO (holds a long dangerous looking kitchen knife to Seishirou's throat o.o): Not if it makes him happy! But...if you ever make him suffer....I will kill you! (she has a dark knowing smile on her face)
SEISHIRO (long pause) : Hokuto...don't you smell something burning?
HOKUTO (sweatdrops, the two of them run off trying to save the poor smoldering cookies) : Damnit! My cookies! My cookies!

(At the MS Institute)
KUNIKO : Hey...
SUBARU : How's your injury?
KUNIKO : Better, thanks!
SUBARU (Gives her the little bundle of cookies wrapped in lace and ribbons) : These are some cookies that my sister made...you can have them if you want!
KUNIKO : Oh...thank you so much! It's so pretty! Oh!
KUMIKO : Begin!
KUNIKO (reaches into her pocket to find Subaru's handerchief) : I....I have to....
KUMIKO : Rise! Be seated!

(At school again, it's art class.)
BARRETT (sneers) : I didn't know you were so talented, Hashimoto!
SHORT HAIR : She really does draw very well, but...
HEADBAND : Her picture lacks a bit of blue... (takes a paintbrush and smears paint on Kuniko's painting) there! Don't you think that's better?! Hang on, I'll erase it...
KUNIKO : No!
HEADBAND : ...with this!(grabs Subaru's handerchief from Kuniko)
KUNIKO : NO, STOP IT!! (another girl grabs her to keep her from stopping the headbanded girl)
HEADBAND : Don't worry, Hashimoto, I just want to make your picture prettier! Why are you looking at me like that?! (Hashimoto grabs her and knocks her back, hitting her) Kyaaa!! Hashimoto, let me go!! (grabs a spatula-like painting device and stabs Kuniko's eye)

KUNIKO : NOOOOOOOOO!!!
TEACHER : What happened?!
GIRL : Teacher!
TEACHER (stares at Kuniko who's just had her eye stabbed out) : Miss Hashimoto, are you hurt?! (Kuniko is still crawling towards Subaru's stained handkerchief lying on the floor)
TEACHER : Quick, take her to the infirmary! I want to see the teacher in charge of this class right now! Call an ambulance!

(At MS Institute, Kumiko's office, Kumiko is flipping through Subaru's file - interesting note: Subaru's school is listed as CLAMP School)
KUMIKO : Come in!
SUBARU : Good evening!
KUMIKO : Forgive me for the lateness of this meeting...have a seat...
SUBARU : What is it?
KUMIKO : I have something important to tell you! (she flipps the book to Kuniko's page)
SUBARU : I hope she doesn't know about my investigation...
KUMIKO : It's about Miss Hashimoto...
SUBARU : Miss Hashimoto?
KUMIKO : You might know that some of the girls here go to her school...well...they just told me that she was stabbed this afternoon....

SUBARU (angry, knocks over his cup of tea) : She was stabbed?!
KUMIKO : Yes...by one of her classmates! She'll have the wound for her entire life...
SUBARU : But...
KUMIKO : ....her whole life...
SUBARU : But...why was she stabbed?
KUMIKO : The student who was always picking on her had a palate knife in her hand...they fought and the knife accidentally stabbed Miss Hashimoto's face....
SUBARU : Her face...
KUMIKO : If only she had been more patient, none of this would have happened! She didn't pray enough...and her prayers weren't sincere enough, that's why she ran aground...I told her to forgive them! But she was incapable of listening to the voice of reason...she was too weak...her classmates were only teasing her...Subaru...I know that you have an unusual power, don't you? This power embraces you...and makes you suffer!
KUMIKO : Let me help you before it's too late! I have the power to save you!
SUBARU : No...you don't have the power!
KUMIKO : What?
SUBARU (extremely furious now) : You think you understand what that girl has endured? You don't have the faintest idea of what her classmates subjected her to! Do you think you could forgive someone who beat and insulted you everyday of your life?! You can't understand what you've never been through!
KUMIKO : Subaru?!
SUBARU (the background darkens behind him, Subaru is furiously pointing at Kumiko with accusation) : She'll carry that wound on her face until she dies! And you dare to accuse her of not praying enough!? I don't doubt that you have spiritual power, but you have no love for others....you seem to help them, but in reality, you are a monster!

SEISHIRO (leans against the door before walking into the scene) : You are perfectly right!
SUBARU (surprised) : Sei...Seishiro! But... (is pushed back unconcious)
KUMIKO : Who are you?
SEISHIRO : You don't need to know my name ... since I am going to kill you now.
KUMIKO (smiles nervously, not believing) : What?
SEISHIRO : After my investigation, it seems that you really do have a spiritual power.
KUMIKO (is worried now) : Why do you want to kill me?
SEISHIRO : If I let you, this sect could have about three hundred million adepts in six years....that's why I think that you need to disappear now.
KUMIKO : I understand...you're jealous of my success, because you too have created a new religious group!
SEISHIRO : Me? No, you're wrong, there's no conflict of interest!
KUMIKO : So why do you want to kill me?
SEISHIRO : Because...it's useless, you know. Your powers won't help you... You know that you have no chance against me...
KUMIKO (terrified, trying to get out, but the door won't open) : No...stay away! No! No! Help me! (she is engulfed in sakura petals) Sakura... (lies sightlessly on the ground, a terrified look still in her open eyes)
SEISHIRO (stands gorgeously over the dead body, kicking it with a smirk on his face.): Good night...Professor Kumiko Nagi! (walks toward Subaru who lies sleeping on the couch) Do you remember our first meeting? It was seven years ago...Subaru... (hovers over subaru with one hand around his neck and the other on Subaru's gloved hand) I don't think I'll be able to keep my promise... (tries to take off the glove, but the magic on it stops him and causes Seishirou's hand to bleed) I see that your grandmother has attempted to make you forget our past. For her sake.... I will leave you alive today...Subaru! (returns his full attention to Subaru's throat and face)

(at the hospital)
VOICE : Dr. Oyama...emergency!
NURSE (giggles over Subaru who walks in carrying an armful of flowers) : Look at that boy...he's adorable!
KUNIKO (calls out from her room) : Who is it?!
SUBARU (stands outside the door) : Subaru!
KUNIKO : No! Don't come in!
SUBARU : I'll leave your flowers out here....I'm sorry to have bothered you...
KUNIKO : Wait! Your handkerchief! I never gave it back!
SUBARU : What?
KUNIKO : The handkerchief you lent me that day in the park...can I keep it a bit longer? You know, I feel strong now! But like Professor Kumiko taught me...

KUNIKO : Today I'm not afraid of life...and I want to live it...with all my heart! I needed help...I think that Professor Kumiko could really change my life...but I was wrong! I think that to love others, you first have to love yourself, and accept yourself for who you are...but...There's limits to love, and there are some situations in life that you shouldn't accept. Sometimes you have to fight to be loved. It's no good to be depressed....it's better to be respected than pitied, because respect is the first form of love...

KUNIKO (clings to the handkerchief) : Every time I see this wound on my face...I try to smile...but I still feel weak...and I have trouble seeing you....when I'm stronger...I'll come and return your handkerchief...but until then, can I keep it? (crying again, but she is smiling)
SUBARU : Of course! I'll be waiting for you!

(outside in the car where Seishirou and Hokuto are waiting for him)
HOKUTO (talking to Seishirou who is reading a newspaper as Subaru gets in - Hokuto is wearing a devil's costume complete with curled horns, little bat wings behind her neck and a tail...) : I'm sure that the price of train tickets will keep rising! Hey, Subaru! All set?
SUBARU : Yes...Sorry to have kept you waiting!
HOKUTO : So tell me, who were you visiting? A girl?
SUBARU : Yes, but I didn't see her...she promised me that we'd see each other soon though.
HOKUTO : What?! You're going to see her again! Seishiro, do something! Don't tell me you'll accept this treason?!
SEISHIRO (looks vaguely hurt, still reading his newspaper) : No, no...
SUBARU : I'm sorry, I always keep you waiting...
SEISHIRO : Subaru, I think I'd take anything from you!
HOKUTO (points to a news article with a picture of Kumiko) : Oh, look! The director of the MS Research Center died...
SEISHIRO : No?!
HOKUTO : Poor Subaru! Your investigation was for nothing; looks like they're going to close down the center for good.
SUBARU : That reminds me of something strange that happened to me last night...I was at the MS Center...then I woke up this morning in my bed with no memory of coming home!
HOKUTO : But that's impossible!
SUBARU : But still...I'm sure I went there last night...so how...

SEISHIRO : Let's hurry, or we'll be late for lunch at Hazuki's.
HOKUTO : I'm gonna pull your ears! Something wrong, Seishiro?
SEISHIRO : No, not at all!
HOKUTO : I get the feeling you're trying to hide something from us...what do you think, Subaru?
SUBARU : Uh...yes?
SEISHIROU : AHAHAHAHAHAHA~
HOKUTO : (screams) Seishiro, you're crazy! We could have an accident! Stop laughing and look at the road!
SEISHIROU : AHAHAHAHAHAHA~

The End for now...

Do you hate Tokyo?

end of SAVE B

top
:: volume 03 :: volume 05 ::