Warning: Shoujo-Ai has been known to cause toothaches. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Chasing Legends "Seek the impossible, and it becomes possible." excerpt, Teachings of Yun .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Misaki-chan sat on the side of the desk, kicking at the air with her legs. Hatoko was changing into her nightclothes just a meter away. They were at Shuuko's house in Misaki's bedroom. "Aren't you glad you can move around a bit easier now, Misaki-chan?" Hatoko asked as she slipped her nightgown over her head. Misaki-chan nodded. "But you must still be careful about being seen in public. Most people aren't used to seeing angels that walk when they are not on a layer." Misaki-chan nodded her head again. "Hmm..." Hatoko began as she looked at Misaki-chan. "We haven't seen you fly yet. Maybe... try tonight?" "Fly!..." Misaki replied, and the angel stood up. Hatoko threw her dirty clothes into the laundry basket and turned back to see Misaki-chan. The angel closed her eyes, and a flash of light filled the room. When it had disappeared, a set of wings had sprouted upon Misaki-chan's back. "Beautiful... Misaki-chan... Who would have thought?" Hatoko said softly, gazing at the angel in front of her. "I suppose it's not very hard for you to do either, like Icchan-san said." Misaki-chan nodded, flapping her wings. Her body lifted from the desktop slowly, a little with each stroke. And then, after reaching some height, the angel glided in gentle circles around Hatoko. "Fly!..." Misaki repeated, excitement in her voice. The angel landed softly on Hatoko's shoulder, and reached to place her hand on Hatoko's cheek. "Still... Miss... Warmth..." "It still is to bad it had to be this way, Misaki-chan, but I get the feeling we are learning about something wonderful at the same time." Hatoko replied, and Misaki-chan nodded, only to notice a hand mirror on the ground. The angel glided to the ground, and peered at herself in the mirror. Misaki-chan ran her hand through her sea blue hair. She stood still for several more minutes, only to run her hand through it again. "Hatoko-chan... Memories... Come to me..." Misaki started, and Hatoko looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you saying, that perhaps long ago... Your appearance was similar to the angel's now, not counting size?" Hatoko asked carefully. Misaki-chan turned to her, nodding. "Really..." Hatoko wondered out loud. As the night progressed, Hatoko grew tired, and Shuuko came in at precisely the right time to put her to bed. Shuuko soon noticed the angel flying above her head. "Misaki... The flying Deus." Shuuko commented as Misaki glided to a stop on her opened palm. "You handle the angel like you would Hikaru." Misaki-chan nodded. "Misaki still can't wait to be normal again, but she is happy that we are helping her. She is happy we are here for her." Hatoko stated, and Misaki-chan nodded again. "I am glad she has you Hatoko, I know that you can make things right, even without anyone's help. You have great willpower, you know." Shuuko commended. "Anyways, we will talk more tomorrow, it is time for bed." Shuuko helped Hatoko into the covers and said goodnight. Misaki-chan flew over to the light switch, and once the door had been closed behind Shuuko, switched it off. In the dim light, a soft glow could be seen coming from Hatoko's chest, and from Misaki-chan as well. The angel glided back to Hatoko's head, and folding up her wings, snuggled up to Hatoko. Hatoko clutched Misaki-chan gently in her hands, bringing her close to her heart. "Don't... squish me..." Misaki whispered. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Hatoko yawned, Shuuko had made her get up early so they could go to the stadium at the same time. She munched away breakfast at half speed. Misaki-chan was carefully removing clean silverware from the dishwasher and placing it in the drawer it belonged in, one piece at a time. "Hatoko, we only have a few days before you go. We need to gather as much information as possible today." Shuuko said, Hatoko nodded. "I want to be prepared, for Misaki's sake." "And for yourself, Hatoko. Remember what you have discovered about your relationship. You cannot allow for there to be an error. You're just as important to me as Misaki. This past year... It has brought back memories of my first love, who was in fact a girl about Misaki's age." Shuuko added, and Hatoko listened intently. "Her name was Sayoko-chan... We had so many good times together, until I met her sister..." Shuuko detailed. Misaki-chan flew over and landed softly on the table. "Her sister was very jealous it turned out, and she managed to ruin the relationship. I never found myself chasing after girls again." "That is to bad," Hatoko replied quietly, watching Misaki-chan watch her. "It really is." "Well..." Shuuko shrugged, "All I can do now is remember the good times." Hatoko nodded. "I think it's time to get going, Icchan will be waiting by now." After quickly clearing the table, Shuuko and Hatoko left the house, with Misaki-chan flying closely behind, gliding to a stop in the car. Shortly later, they were entering the elevator. "Misaki-chan, it might be wise to act like a doll." Hatoko started. "It's okay, Hatoko-chan... Icchan has the entire level working on finding some clue as to why you must head halfway across the world. There are many smart people here, you know." Shuuko replied, and Hatoko smiled. Misaki-chan smiled as well, showing her gratitude. "We'll solve this mystery in no time at all." Hatoko said to Misaki-chan, and the angel nodded. The door of the elevator opened, and Misaki-chan glided down the hall upon seeing Icchan, landing on his head. "I see you have managed to open your wings, Misaki-chan. Quite impressive, the entire thing, really." Icchan said upon noticing the flying angel. Yuuko was impressed with the whole display, this being the first time she had seen the miracle Misaki doll. "So, it does move..." Yuuko began to say, but Icchan interrupted her. "Not 'IT'... Misaki-chan!" Icchan exclaimed. "There is a genuine soul behind that face." Yuuko nodded apologetically. "You're right there, Icchan," Yuuko replied. She looked over to Shuuko. "We have discovered something that shows some potential. It turns out that the philosopher Plato once mentioned an island in the general area that sunk into the ocean at around 9,000 BC." "And, what was the name of this island?" Shuuko asked. "Antilia, although it goes by a much more recognized name: Atlantis." .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. A small group had gathered in the staff room. Icchan, along with his close aids, was there, along with Shuuko and Hatoko. Misaki-chan was flying around the tops of their heads. Shuuko's eyes were closed, as if she was daydreaming. "Before I continue, we are dealing with something that defies all known scientific laws. Therefor, we must process this information with one thing in mind: Anything is possible." Icchan started. "Misaki-chan was murdered by a foul being, and yet she is her with us now, flying around in the body of a doll. Hatoko-chan can breathe underwater indefinitely. Both girls can summon storms, can change the wave patterns, and wreak havoc upon the entire Pacific Rim, from what we've gathered. This is not a fairy tale. Furthermore, everything we talk about is confidential." "Chief Mihara... can I go to bed now?" Oogata whimpered. "No. Go read the next book." Icchan ordered. "But..." "Misaki-chan... Can you do me a favor?" Icchan pretended to ask, and Oogata furiously pulled out the next book. "Oh, wait... Never mind. Anyways, I will be leaving with Hatoko and Misaki in a few days for Europe to right this situation, we must gather all information available about the subject before then. Additionally, it has come to my attention that the murderer is still on the loose, however Hatoko believes she is somehow connected with the teacher that was killed just a couple days ago." The group went silent for awhile, with nothing to say to start the day, and Shuuko picked up a book lying on the table, bookmarks sticking out of it. She opened to one of the bookmarks and began to read. "The Sun fell upon the sea, and night covered the world. The great temples shook in their foundations, the trees splintering as the island rumbled like a beast that had just risen. High Elder Yano stood upon the highest mesa at the top of the island, and willed his spirit to hold the island up, but it was a fruitless ambition, the dark magic at work had taken hold of the land, and the seawater washed over the soil. "Yano stood upon the solid rock as it descended into the sea, and called his daughters Mia and Miu to him. He instructed them to remember their love for each other, for all eternity. They agreed without delay or hesitation, pink dancing upon their cheeks, and as the water washed around their feet, a mighty wave crashed into them, and they disappeared. Yano stood amongst the chaos and cried, knowing full well it would be many thousand years before they would return. "However much Yano wanted to die that moment, he could not. The sea loved him so, it refused to kill him, and he whispered to the great blue, 'If such a grand seed could ever be planted in such a grand sea, let it be my daughters. Let their pure hearts live in this sea until they are ready to emerge in a new world. Let the sea teach them what it knows, let it strengthen their love for each other. And when the Great Balance arrives, let them be strong enough to fight it with their hearts and live with utmost happiness upon this world with each other, for all eternity.' "Yano, exhausted, sat down upon the mesa, and until his daughters return, will not rise. When they arrive, it is foretold, the sea will finally let him rest in piece, and grant his knowledge to the girls who seek him so they may forever keep Atlantis alive in their hearts." Shuuko rested the book upon the table, opening her eyes slowly and placing a hand on her head. The room watched her silently, Misaki-chan hovering over the blank pages of the book Shuuko held open against the table. "Shuuko-san has recovered another piece of this puzzle," Hatoko said, looking at the youthful woman intently. "The sea was talking to her it seems." "There are no words on this page, Oogata, why did you bookmark a page with no words?" Icchan asked, turning his head to stare intently at his employee. "Umm..." Oogata began hesitantly. He must have bookmarked the page without thinking. "Icchan, I get the feeling I am somehow connected to this mess." Shuuko started, and Icchan turned to her. "As do I, you should come with us to Gibraltar. Of the people who receive messages, you are one of them." Icchan replied. "Oogata, go reserve another ticket." Oogata left the room at a fast pace, closing the door behind him to block out whatever Icchan might want to add to his request. He got lucky with this latest punishment, not to bad. "Shuuko-san, are you feeling alright?" Hatoko asked, and Shuuko looked at the child. "I feel like the dark truth is trying to enlighten me. That name... Yano... He is the person we must seek when we arrive." Shuuko replied. "If that is so, what is the Great Balance? And, how are the daughters in the story... Mmm... Mia and Miu, connected with Hatoko and Misaki?" Yuuko asked. The table went silent for some time, until Hatoko spoke. "I have a feeling that those girls were once Misaki and myself, long ago, however, I cannot figure out what 'Great Balance' could mean." "I have a hint!" Oogata exclaimed as he entered the room again. He looked through the books scattered on the table, only to withdraw a fairly modern history book about government. Opening the book to the first and only bookmark, he read, "Plato once wrote that everything will naturally try to balance itself out. For every positive feeling or action, there will always be an equally negative feeling or reaction. All evil in this world occurs because of the good. And all good in this world occurs because of evil. In reference to governments, which Plato wrote about on many occasions, he once hypothesized that all corrupted governments in the world would create a nation of good people, and all good governments would create a nation of swindlers. However, because of the scale of both bodies, of nation and of government, it was actually always a mix. "Plato, however, was not prepared to say that, because of good always being canceled out because of evil, the world would seemingly get nowhere. He said there were always ways to sidestep the effects of good or evil by taking a path with both sides of the equation already mixed in. "A good example of this would be the gun. While it was created for the good, i.e. to hunt for food and to protect, it served the other purpose of killing fellow humans and launching countries into war many times. It shows that even with a constant issue of balance, the world can still advance through the ages." Oogata set the book on the table, open to the page he had just read from. "This is the only reference to Plato I found in this book, but, it might help." "Indeed, Oogata, you have earned the right to get everyone some morning pastries. Here's some money, go get some coffee for yourself too." Icchan pushed Oogata out the door once more. "I am feeling good about today." "I feel like this information is all good, but... What about Misaki? We know she will live once more... But how?" Hatoko asked, but once again, no one could say anything. "I believe Yano is the one that knows that, and no one else. We must understand the situation, and then when we go to the ruins of the island, we will be able to proceed with proper, but not undue, caution." Icchan said finally, and Misaki-chan nodded. "My thoughts... As well..." Misaki whispered. Yuuko, along with a couple other of her associates, jumped slightly. "So, she can talk. Even while dead, that is some feat." Yuuko commented, and the angel in front of her turned and smiled, only to fly over to Hatoko and sit on her head. "Silly," Hatoko said softly, and Misaki-chan patted Hatoko's head. "Good... Hatoko..." Misaki added, and the doll giggled soundlessly, rolling off Hatoko's dark hair, only to glide back to the table surface and draw on a sheet of blank paper with a relatively large pencil. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. The day carried on, buoyed much by the information that had been learned that morning. Icchan had devised a map with the general area in which Atlantis was rumored to be, marked in several areas which warranted exploration. Yuuko, being her resourceful and prepared self, made a list of all the things that should be brought, even a change of clothing for Misaki. Oogata, even after two cups of coffee, had passed out twice that day, and it was Misaki-chan's duty to knock him awake, which she did in an artful manner each time. Oujirou had visited that day as well, and Icchan wasn't prepared to tell him about what happened to Misaki, but it couldn't be helped, Misaki-chan was flying around the bewildered Oujirou's head the moment he walked in the door. He even wanted to go to Gibraltar, but Icchan refused. "We must keep the group small, we do not want to attract attention. I'm sure the coast guard is going to have a fit if they find we are tossing a six year old into the water, which does concern me as well." Icchan turned to Hatoko, "How good of swimmer are you anyways?" "I'm okay at swimming, and because I don't have to worry about breathing or being cold, I should be okay. Misaki will be with me too, I can do anything when she is near." Hatoko replied confidently, and Icchan smiled. "Very true, from what I've heard, you and Misaki make a great team." Icchan replied, satisfied with the answer. Oujirou wondered what Hatoko had meant, not having to worry about breathing and such, but left the room without any further questions. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. The day ended, and Hatoko followed Shuuko out to her car, only to run into a group of fans. Misaki quickly went into lifeless doll mode and severed her connection to the angel. "Is that your new angel Hatoko-chan?" one asked. "Yes it is," Hatoko replied nicely, trying to find a way to escape the gathering. She was at least happy they hadn't recognized Shuuko, although of course, she wasn't with the trademark angel Athena. "I'm sorry everyone, but I must get going." She broke away from the group, waving kindly before dashing through the car door and closing it. "Hatoko, I have just realized something, you haven't been to the Piffle Princess lately to practice. Would you like me to take you there tomorrow morning?" Shuuko asked. "I would love to go, of course, if I do go, Misaki-chan gets to beat everyone that asks about her. She needs to practice too, you know." Hatoko replied smiling. .o.o.o.o.o.o.o. Author's Notes: Another chapter done, yay! Revised August 5th, 2004 .o. Munkii
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