Chapter One: The Secret of Atlantis

This chapter is dedicated to the late Jonathon. Thanks for everything

It happened seven months after the end of the Celestial Project on Earth, and fourteen moons after the Great War on Gaea. In the garden outside a dance dojo, a woman named Suzumi was drinking in the fresh air. She had been trying to meditate, but found it impossible to concentrate on clearing her mind. And now she paced in her garden, not knowing what she could possibly do next. Nevertheless, as she deeply breathed in the clear morning air, she felt content. Everything was over now, and the Mikage tradition of killing girls that could possibly be Tennyo has ended. Her mind feels oddly blank now that this isnt on her mind anymore.

She was bending down to smooth out a crease in her kimono when the girl passed, jogging. Normally, she would not have paid much attention to just any girl running by in a t-shirt and jogging shorts. But this girl... This girl attracted her somehow.

"Hello," she called out to the girl after a moment of hesitation. The girl turned around and smiled uncertainly. She was pretty, although her soft brown hair gives an overall boyish look to it. As she ran, she obviously remembered something to her liking, and a brilliant smile lit up sparkly and energetic green eyes. But this was not what sent Suzumi a shock of surprise. What surprised her was that, as this girl smiled, her life force flared noticably brighter-her aura was a pinkish purple.

"Hello," the girl was saying politely, "did you say something to me?"

"Um, yes," Suzumi replied hesitantly, "are you running for some training or something of that sort?"

"Yes. For track. At school," the girl flashed another smile, "There's a huge competition tomorrow and I want to be in shape."

"Good luck then," the girl smiled again. Her aura flared again. There was no mistake about it now.

"Thank you very much," the girl turned around and started to leave.

"Wait!" Suzumi called out frantically. The girl was slipping away fast now, "What's your name?"

"Kanzaki," The girl replied with a puzzled look on her face after a pause. "Kanzaki Hitomi."

Aya turned the phone off, looking puzzled. How could there be a C-Genoma left in this area? Or more importantly, how could there be one who has not died with the others or like Shuro had died? But Suzumi would not have called her and told her about if it she was not completely positive.

Aya set the cordless down and walked into the bedroom she shared with Touya and her child Aki. There, she found a very gentle Touya setting their sleeping son down in his crib. Aya hid a knowing smile, but couldn't help worrying as she noticed that Touya looked a little weaker than a week ago. She had started noticing his weakening a little before Aki was born. And she feared the worst.

She could not help but wonder if he would die soon. He had said "a year, maybe two." But even he wasn't sure. What if he died earlier than expected? She knew that he would leave her sooner or later. But she still selfishly wished he would never do so.

But for now, she would just have go on with life and see what would happen, because "today?is what's the most important. She would worry about tomorrow when that came.

"Touya," she said softly so the baby would not wake, and didn't wait for an answer before she continued, "Suzumi wants us to talk to someone-she found another C-Genoma."

"I'm home!" Yuuhi dropped his bag in his room with a thud and said this in his best irritated voice.

"Ah! Yuuhi-kun!" Kyuu-san's face popped in his sliding door with that trademark smile, "How was school?"

"Eh? Don't treat me like a little school-kid! I'm not in high school anymore."

"But," Kyuu-san said smilingly, "you're in college. And college is school."

"Oh shut up," Yuuhi muttered, "Stop smiling like that. Your face is scaring me again."

"That's why," Suzumi said in a calm voice, "You shouldn't provoke Kyuu-san."

"Eh? 'Sis? When'd you come in?"

"Never mind that," Suzumi waved his question off impatiently, "I think I have another job for you!" She grinned cheerfully with an equally cheerful victory sign.

"... I hope it's not another Tennyo-protecting job," he rubbed the back of his head, as if remembering every moment of pain during that "job.?br>
"It was not that bad, was it? I'm sure it'll be fun this time around, too!" Kyuu-san said in a still more smilingly way.

"Argh!"

"My Lord!" a knight scurried to Van's feet, "We found something!"

"Eh?" Van sighed impatiently. His goal was to rebuild Fanelia. But these knights who knew nothing but to grovel at his feet were absolutely no help to his cause. He didn't want to be cruel or mean, but he was sure that he'd run out of patience. And soon.

"People, Van-sama," another knight added, "Strange people."

"Is that what it's about then?" Van sighed again. These people always making a big deal out of nothing.

"People," an older knight said urgently, "who claim to be your kin! It's preposterous!"

"It wouldn't be impossible after all," Van dismissed the doubt immediately, "My mother was from unknown origins."

"Ahem," an the man coughed, "The advisors you have in court, Van-sama," he advised, "would not like to hear you say that."

"..." Van said audibly.

"Shall we bring them in?"

Van sighed again, "Very well," he said, and mounted his horse. Hopefully, this would not take long. On the other hand?he might meet his relatives?

Hitomi turned off the shower, dried herself, pulled on some loose clothes, then started to dry her hair. This morning's run was uneventful as it usually is, or rather, as it's supposed to always be. Who was that woman on Friday anyways? Hitomi sighed. She hadn't done too well at the track meet. She had ended up only third out of the school. And she was lower still on the list among all the other schools. However, throughout the whole weekend she couldn't help wondering who the woman she had met was and why she had been so interested in Hitomi.

She glanced at the clock briefly. 9:21 am. She should start studying. College entrance exams will come up in less than a year. So she settled down at her desk with that thought and began studying Calculus, although somewhat reluctantly.

Before long, it was 10 am. But it was at 10:07 that the doorbell rang. Grumbling her impatience, Hitomi opened the door, irritated. There she saw a redheaded man-he was tall and holding a small baby-and a blond woman who could not have been very much older than Hitomi herself.

"Can I help you?"

"Erm," the blond seemed hesitant.

"Yes. You can," the man interrupted unblinkingly. He looked tired, "We were looking for a Hitomi Kanzaki?"

"That's me," she forced a cheerful smile onto her tired face.

"A friend of ours," the man said, caressing the baby's soft hair absently. The baby cooed, and Hitomi thought he looked adorable, "informed us of a very interesting case. She wanted us to talk to a girl-you."

"My lord," an old woman kneeled before Van, "It's an honor and pleasure to have met you at last."

"What do you mean?"

"Why," the woman looked up and stared at him unblinkingly, "Everyone has heard of the great Van-sama, who was essential in the winning of the Great War. Surely, no other Draconian has ever done a feat this great."

"Except for, perhaps," a young girl within these people's group laughed and interrupted the woman, "those who created this planet."

"Non-sense," a soldier sneered quietly, but shut up when Van gave him A Look.

"Van-sama," the woman said, "your mother," her voice shook, "they say... she died because she had dared married a human. Is it... true?"

"No," Van said coldly, "and of course," he added, "you would also be of her kin-and mine."

"Yes, Van-sama," the woman said, "we had wanted to see you for so long."

"Oh?" Van merely looked amused, and once again one must notice how much he's changed from his older self. He was so impatient and always acted before thinking. The past year had added not only age but also wisdom to him. "I would like to believe you," he commented, "But I would need... proof."

The woman looked uncertain, and turned to raise an inquiring eyebrow at an old man who seemed to be the leader of this small clan, "Yes. My lord."

And indeed, gray wings sprouted from her back gracefully, as everyone gasped and stared.

"All right. I believe you then. But?they're," Van commented, "so... frail. So gray."

"Ah," the woman said, "I'm afraid age has gotten to me, of course."

And Van heaved a sigh heavily and stepped down from his horse, taking the woman's hands, "Please," he said, "would you and your clan," he asked urgently, "join me at my castle. So that I may learn of the history, the culture, and everything else about our race that I was not taught?"

"Of course we would," she smiled in a motherly way, "it's what we came to you for. We looked for you so that you may know of these things, my child."

Van gave a tired smile and nodded his thanks silently, and proceeded to arrange their transportation to the castle.

"I'm sorry to just burst in like this," the blond woman said, taking the baby from the man's arms, "But our friend Suzumi informed us of a girl who was jogging by her place two days ago."

"Would that woman," Hitomi asked curiously, "happen to have really pretty gray eyes, straight purple hair, and perhaps wear a pretty kimono?"

"That would be her," Aya replied nonchalantly.

"Let us," the man said, "begin by introducing ourselves. My name is Touya, from 'ten' and 'night.' But that's part of the story we want to tell you."

"My name," the woman smiled warmly, "is Aya Mikage. And this is our son, Aki Mikage, named after my deceased twin brother. But then, that's also part of the story."

"I've heard of," Hitomi said thoughtfully, "of a family also called the Mikage. I read a report on it-The Celestial Project. You wouldn't happen to be..."

"Yes. I was, in fact, on of the key characters, if I do say so myself."

The truth was, Hitomi didn't just "read a report on it." She had studied into it deeply, and was shocked to find that there was a race called the Tennyo-a race other than the Draconian. And she was really kind of curious about whether there was any connection between the two or not.

"You aren't," Hitomi backed away a little, "the host of... Ceres... are you?"

"I was," Aya said in a suggestive tone, "I'm just kidding. I won't hurt you. I can't, even if I wanted to. Not now. I was the host of Ceres until she achieved her complete form and left us."

"Oh," Hitomi whispered in a small tone. This was the woman who had single-handedly brought down the Mikage family. This was also the single survivor, other than her mother, of the Mikage family line. Moreover, this was the woman who had shown the most powerful and unusual telepathic powers in recorded history.

"We were told," Aya continued, "of a girl who showed a strong aura."

"Me, I suppose." Hitomi sighed, "Come in. This will take a while, don't you think?"

"Forgive us for intruding," the red-headed man murmured just barely audibly as he stepped in, taking off his shoes.

"You said something about the Draconians creating Gaea," Van noted.

"Yes," the old man sighed, "But it's a long story," he warned. "Since you're king, you might not have time to listen to all of it."

"Continue. I'm listening."

"Long ago-many, many years ago-our ancestors lived in a different world. The Mystical Moon was ruled by them. They had been the most advanced people on that planet for many years. They had grown proud. They had, in fact, built a great empire, and established their own structures in many places of that world."

"These structures made up a machine. A machine that could predict the future so that they can avoid bad happenings. But I hear," he said grimly, "that another variation of this machine was created-the Fate Machine. This one lets one control fate."

"We destroyed that," Van commented.

"Just as well," the old man sighed, "Because that machine helped them predict the future. They were still unable to escape their fate. Even if it was one they foresaw. In the end, it destroyed them. We learned a lesson. We know not to become so proud. In the beginnings of the empire, law was just and all were fair. But we grew proud and stupid. We over-ruled the original laws and created our own-none. And in the end, a great catastrophe occurred. The Cataclysm. The world was mostly destroyed, but the kami let some live. Some of those people stayed, and some used their powers-their Atlantean ones-to create a new planet. The reason Gaea is so dependant on will power is because it was created by a group of people's wills. And those humans stayed on Earth. No real Draconian remained on Earth. Those of us-marked by our wings-came here. There are only humans on Earth. And..." he paused, "other creatures."

"We know that these things are accurate, because we have learned a lesson from all this, so we have recorded them down and engraved them in our minds deeply."

"So you see," Aya finished, "Suzumi must've confused you when she talked to you. She was surprised. Really. You are, Kanzaki-san, a Tennyo."

"I see," Hitomi sighed, "I've wondered before whether I might be a heavenly maiden. But I ruled that out because I would've been found by the Mikage long before now, wouldn't I?"

"Well," Aya said slowly, "They conducted the medical plot about fifteen months ago..."

"Fifteen!" Hitomi gasped, "But-I wasn't here fifteen months ago. I was... gone... for three months!"

"Gone?" Touya raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I... I was in another place..." Hitomi bit her lip, "But if it's you, I... I suppose I can tell you."

Aya looked inquiringly, "If it's me?"

"Because... maybe you can... ease the confusion in my mind a little, I guess," Hitomi looked off distantly, "I never thought that there would be other heavenly beings..."

"Other heavenly beings? You mean..."