CHILDREN OF SARJALIM

By Angela

 

Monday, Day Eight:

 

It was morning.  Haru hadn't slept.  He had lay in bed for hours, watching the glow-in-the dark stars fade slowly, becoming invisible in the dark room only to reappear as dawn forced its way through the blinds.  As Shukkaido, he remembered that sky--lying in the tall grass of his mother's yard, staring hard at the stars and wondering if he'd ever get to visit any of them, then deciding that being a doctor was better than being an astronaut.  He couldn't have known, way back then, that he'd get to do both. 

 

He was Shukkaido.  He knew it wasn't just a dream and he knew it wasn't the kind of thing he could make himself forget.  Just going to the meeting that night proved it.  Part of him was happy to have seen the familiar faces--Enju, Shusuran, Hiiragi--he hadn't seen any of them in so long.  The rest of him was ashamed.

 

They all knew what he'd done to Shion in his last days on the moon.  They all knew everything about what had happened last year and why, but they still wanted him there.  They still counted him as part of the group.  It made him feel worse. 

 

Didn't he owe it to them to help?

 

He thought of his dreams, the eerie feelings that something terrible would happen if they let the visitors go unchecked.  Ayame.  She'd been his friend, his lover for a short time.  He wanted to see her.  Nadeshiko and Hinagiku.  He didn't know if they were friends or not.  He couldn't decipher their intentions, but he remembered the panic on Alice Sakaguchi's face when she heard the name.  Could he leave them and all their intentions in the hands of a nine-year-old child?

 

No.  He wouldn't have Shion's life on his conscience.  Not again.

 

Sitting up in bed, he reached for the phone.  Mikuro would be getting ready for work by now, maybe in the shower or eating breakfast.  After a few rings, the answering machine picked up. 

 

"Mikuro?  Hi.  This is Haruhiko—Kasama Haruhiko.  I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to meet you and Tamura for lunch today, after all.  I--I have a test to study for, so I'll be eating at school.  Tell Tamura I'm sorry."

 

After hanging up the phone, Haru grabbed his biological warfare book from under the bed.  If these aliens were planning what he suspected, he wanted to be prepared.

 

*****

 

Sakura couldn’t concentrate on a thing her teachers said.  The clock on the wall seemed barely to move; even its second-hand seemed chronically lagging.  It wasn’t even lunchtime and it felt as though days had passed.

 

Shion was going to the moon that night.

 

Sakura wanted to go, too.

 

She thought she understood the problems of teleportation.  Clearly, she’d have to convince Shion to take her with him.  She’d probably have to beg—no, reason would be the only thing to work with that one.  But the opportunity was too huge.

 

This was probably her only chance to go back.  She wanted to go; to see for herself that her friends had been safely tucked away into their capsules; that the world hadn’t fallen apart after she died.  It was irrational, she knew.

 

But she wanted to see Enju, to touch the things she’d touched and confirm, once and for all, that it was Issei she wanted, rather than the memory of her dearest friend.

 

The bell rang for lunch. 

 

“Sakura!” a friend called from across the room.  “We’re meeting Yuka and Akane in the courtyard.  It’s your turn to get drinks.”

 

Sakura made up her mind.  “I’m sorry, Tomoko,” she said, shoving her notebook into her satchel.  “I’m not feeling well.  I think I’m going home.”  She folded her arms close to her stomach and tried to look pale.  “My mother’s been sick for the past week,” she added, her mind spinning ahead.  “I wonder if I caught what she has.”

 

Her friends, concerned as they were, stepped back.  Sakura almost smiled.  Of course they cared about her, but not enough to get themselves ill.  If Shion refused to take her with him, she could always declare it a false alarm, but on the off chance he gave in, she’d have a group of alibis to tell the teacher she’d been really sick.

 

She said goodbye and left the classroom, taking pains to walk slowly.  She explained her situation to her homeroom teacher on the way out and managed to curb her exuberance until she passed out of the school’s gate.

 

Finally free, Sakura broke into a run.  She had to call Daisuke and work out a story that would convince her mother that it was all right for her to be gone for a while.  She considered trying to reach Issei, but he’d left for Hokkaido that morning, along with Jinpachi and Alice.

 

Oh well.  They said that absence made the heart grow fonder, right? 

 

Let Issei miss her.

 

*****

 

Except for a couple of incompetent night watchmen, the Tokyo tower was vacant.  Rin had spent a busy day in the library, doing research on genetics and cloning.  He'd forged a letter to his principal excusing him from the camping trip, using his mother's writing to explain a family emergency.  With his family thinking he was with the school, and his school thinking he was with his family, he had an entire week accounted for.  Six days to get to the moon, fix things, discover their intentions, and get home.  Since he'd had to occupy himself the entire day, he thought some research would put him on more even footing with the enemy.

 

Enemy.  He never said the word out loud--too afraid to scare Alice or the others.  Too afraid that he was right about these aliens from the mother planet.

 

Now that it was dark--moonless due to the new moon's cycle--it was time to go.  Pulling his baseball cap low over his eyes, he teleported to the top of the tower.

 

He was shocked to find the others already there.  Alice, Jinpachi, Daisuke, Sakura, and Issei.  To see him off?  "What are you all doing here?" he asked, not masking the surprise in his voice.  He turned to Alice.  "Aren't you supposed to be in Hokkaido?" he demanded.

 

"I didn't learn teleportation after all," she confessed quietly, "but I couldn't just let you go by yourself."  She looked at her feet, blushing.  "I was going to make you take me."

 

Jinpachi grinned.  "It seems that Sakaguchi, Issei and I all had the same plan," he explained sheepishly.  "After I decided that the moon would make a better field trip than boring Hokkaido, I came up here and they were already waiting."

 

Daisuke nodded.  "No one in my family even knows I'm in Tokyo," he explained.  "I figured I should give it a try, since I had nothing better to do."

 

Rin was aghast, barely listening as Sakura described a similar epiphany.  They really wanted to risk it?  He thought Mikuro was right—even if Jinpachi could manage it, two teleporters couldn't carry the rest of them.  He looked at Alice, who immediately looked away, staring down at the lights of the city.  "You can't come with me," he said decidedly.  "We might not even make it.  With only two ESPers--"

 

"Three."  Haruhiko appeared suddenly, smiling and barely breathing hard.  "I'm coming too," he announced.  He gave everyone a shy grin and looked seriously at Rin.  "I know more about them than any of you," he said confidently.  "Besides, you'll never make it as far as the moon without me."

 

Jinpachi was quick to interject, his face flushed red.  "But what about your heart?" he demanded.  "You said that it'd kill you, and that guy--"

 

"Mikuro's not a doctor," Haru said, keeping his voice light, "but I was.  Don't you think I know more about my own heart condition than anyone else?"  He turned to Daisuke.  "You're in charge here, right, Hiiragi?  You know you would never get there with just Shion and Gyokuran transporting.  I can help." 

 

Daisuke's firm expression didn't change.  "I know what I can do," Haruhiko protested, getting frustrated.  "Do you really think I'd come if I thought I wouldn't survive?"

 

Rin was speechless.  He was pretty sure that Haruhiko was bluffing, that he had somehow made up his mind not to care if this killed him.  He was impressed.  A new respect for the older boy built itself inside of him, and he suddenly didn't think it would be right to deny him this chance to help the group.

 

"I agree," he announced, smiling as six pairs of shocked eyes turned to him.  "Shukkaido would know his own limits, I think."  He turned to Daisuke, lifting an eyebrow to ask for the official okay.  "It's your mission, Captain; what do you think?"

 

Daisuke smiled, making Rin think that he was glad to be back in control of this adventure.  "I think we'd be foolish to look a gift horse in the mouth," he said slowly.  "You're sure?"  He looked quizzically at Haruhiko.  Haru nodded.  "Then let's get going."

 

Rin let Daisuke organize the order of passage.  He watched as Daisuke linked Jinpachi's hand with Issei's, Issei's with Alice's.  Rin stepped up to take Alice's free hand, glad to see with Daisuke's nod that it was what the older boy had planned.  On his other side, Sakura slid her fingers around his, smiling nervously down at him as Haruhiko grasped her other hand.  Daisuke situated himself between Haru and Jinpachi, completing the circle.

 

"As you can see," Daisuke explained seriously, " we have a teleporter situated between all of the non-ESPers, myself included.  Except that we didn't have anyone to fit between Mokuren and Enju, so you two have to concentrate the powers you do have and do your best to feed it to the others.  Gyokuran," his voice was stern as he leveled his gaze on his neighbor.  “Focus, okay?” 

 

He smiled suddenly, a lopsided grin that seemed almost fatalistic to Rin.  "I guess I'll see you all on the moon."

 

Rin focused his thoughts on the soft feeling of the skin of Alice's hand, the clenching strength of Sakura's.  They were his responsibility.  His power had to carry them both.  He could see Haru and Jinpachi focusing similarly before closing his eyes.

 

"Wait!"

 

"Haru!"

 

Rin's eyes flew open just in time to see the elevator doors slide open.  Two men burst out.  "Haru!" Tamura's deep voice repeated urgently.

 

Mikuro reached his friend first, yanking his hands abruptly from Sakura's and Daisuke's.  "You can't do this," he growled in a low voice.

 

Haruhiko pulled away, refusing to look at Mikuro or Tamura.  "I can and I will.  Please leave us alone."

 

Tamura grasped the boy's shoulders, giving him a hard shake.  "I won't let you throw your life away like this," he said, his voice shaking.  "I'm taking you home."

 

Haru twisted away, surprising both Tamura and Rin, who was watching closely.  "No!" he insisted, clenching his fists.  "I can do this.  I have to.  These people are my friends and they need me."

 

Mikuro snorted, looking pointedly at Rin.  "Some friends."

 

Haruhiko looked at Mikuro, his eyes full of some emotion that Rin didn't recognize.  "They need me," he repeated.  "I know what I'm doing."

 

Something in the younger boy's tone got through to Mikuro.  He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Haru's.  "You're determined to do this?" he asked softly.

 

Haru nodded, looking more like Shion than ever before. 

 

Smiling sadly, Mikuro nodded back.  "Then I'm coming too," he announced.

 

Rin dropped the girls' hands, jumping forward.  "You can't come!" he cried, overwhelmed by this turn of events.  "You're not from the moon base--you'll be out of place."

 

Tamura made a choking noise.  Mikuro rushed to reassure.  "You need another teleporter," he declared, matter-of-factly.  "Haru might be able to get there on his own, but there's no way he could survive if he had to support anyone else." 

 

Daisuke raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.  “Actually, this is probably for the best,” he conceded right away, surprising Rin.  “Shu, why don’t you move to stand between Mokuren and Enju?”

 

Haruhiko did as he was bid and Daisuke motioned Mikuro to the spot he’d just vacated. 

 

Mikuro looked hard at Haru for a long moment, then stepped into his place in the circle, grasping Daisuke's and Sakura's hands tightly.  "Haru, don’t you dare try to move anyone but yourself,” he instructed forcefully.

 

Tamura stood outside the ring, cursing under his breath.  “Haru, don’t,” he pleaded.  Rin almost snickered.  It was bad enough to be called Mastudaira Takahashi’s mother—did this guy have to be Shukkaido’s as well?

 

Daisuke grinned, admirably hiding his stress.  "Change of plans," he announced.  "Shion, can you handle both Mokuren and Shusuran's teleportation?"

 

Rin nodded.  Especially if Alice tried to help, it shouldn't be too hard.

 

The captain looked at Jinpachi.  "Enju is your responsibility," he said.  "We'll all try our best to keep this a flowing circle of power, but if it doesn't work, focus on Enju."

 

Jinpachi's chest puffed up with responsibility.

 

"And I look out for you, right?"  Mikuro peered at Daisuke through the fringe of his bangs.  He looked over at Haruhiko and have him a half-smile.  "Take care of yourself, Kid," he urged quietly.

 

Tamura looked like he would protest again, but Haru smiled.  "It's okay, Mr. Tamura.  We'll be just fine."  His voice was light and gentle, and it seemed to calm his anxious friend.

 

Rin closed his eyes, once again connecting with Alice and Sakura.  He could feel the tingle of power from within himself, as well as a faint tickle from Alice.  He silently begged her to find the source of her energy. 

 

Focus, Mokuren.  I love you.

 

He was consumed by energy from all sides--the familiar power of those born to the mother planet and the alien shiver of Mikuro's energy.  It almost hurt, in a cool, electric sort of way.

 

He thought he heard Alice cry out.  Opening his eyes, he looked sharply at her.  She was Mokuren, her Kitche glowing from her forehead, her blonde hair streaming behind her.  The others had transformed too--for the moment consumed by their former selves.  Shion closed his eyes, concentrating on Sarjalim, on the moon. 

 

Another surge of power thrust though him, and everything went black.

 

*****

 

Alice felt like she was floating, sliding through matter and space as though her molecules had split, opened up to let everything flow through.  Even Rin's fingers--previously so solid and concrete--had drifted into nothingness.  Only the steady wash of energy let her know she was not alone.

 

The arrival came with a slam--bone pressing bone and insides sloshing.  Alice felt sick.  Every part of her body hurt and her lungs were straining for breath she couldn't catch.  Even before she could open her eyes, Rin's thin body fell hard against her, knocking her to the cold floor.  She heard his gasp and the groan of the other--Kasama Haruhiko--as she yanked his hand.

 

"Haru!"  Mikuro's raspy voice was strained, exhausted, but he managed to lunge across the circle in time to catch his friend before he hit the floor. 

 

Rin looked up slowly, his hands gripping Alice's sweater.  The room was dark, but she could see the outlines of their friends as her eyes adjusted.  Together, with the others, they watched as Mikuro checked the unconscious Haruhiko's vital signs.

 

"He's not going to die, is he?"  Sakura's voice sounded small.

 

Mikuro pressed his ear to the boy's chest, making a choking sound as he listened.  "He's having a heart attack or something!" he growled.  "Ayame!  Nadeshiko, anyone!  Get over here and help him!"  His voice cracked as he bellowed the command.

 

"We need a doctor!" Jinpachi added, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his yell.

 

Sakura fell to her knees and Issei dropped down beside her, sliding his arm around the girl as she began to whimper.

 

Alice was afraid to move.  She clutched Rin hard against her, glad that he was okay even as she was terrified for Haru.  She'd believed that everything would be all right, that the dangerous part was going to come later, not right away, when they should be celebrating their success.

 

Suddenly a door burst open and they were bathed in light.  A young woman with short black hair ran to Mikuro and Haruhiko, her face panicked.  "What's happened here?" she asked sharply, already scanning him with a strange instrument. 

 

"He has a weak heart," Mikuro supplied.  "I think the trip was too much for him."

 

After a momentary examination the woman stood.  "We have to get him stabilized.  Can you carry him?" 

 

With a grunt, Mikuro scooped the smaller boy into his arms.  He followed the doctor out of the room.

 

Alice looked at the others, still too shocked to speak or do anything other than hold onto Rin.

 

"That--that must have been Ayame," Issei said softly.  "She's one of the best doctors to ever join the space program," he reminded them.  "If anyone can help Shukkaido, she can." 

 

The doctor had left a hand-held lamp on the floor.  Illuminated, the room was familiar--one of the casual gathering rooms on the base.  The walls were thick with plant life--vines and runners had stretched themselves through the ducts and across the plated walls, their roots pushing deep through crevices, searching for the cool, dark places where water condensed and accumulated.  The floor was a thick carpet of grass and weeds, weak and white from lack of natural light.

 

Alice looked at the old couches and shelves of books and magazines, remembering days when Mokuren did nothing but read, curled up on the chair in the corner.  It was a strange sensation, remembering Mokuren in the third person, as though she weren't really a part of herself.  A cold chill prickled her skin.  She didn't like remembering Mokuren so vividly--the lack of herself, of Sakaguchi Alice within the memory made her feel insignificant.

 

"Welcome home!"  A light female voice pulled Alice's gaze to the doorway.  A tall slender woman with light blonde hair stood just inside.  "That was Shion, wasn't it?  I'm sure Ayame will get him back to you in no time."

 

"Actually," Daisuke stood, running a hand through his hair, "that was Shukkaido.  We've all changed quite a lot since we were here last."  He smiled weakly.  "You're as beautiful as ever, Nadeshiko."  Alice was shocked at his easy words and tight control.  He was unsteady on his feet, but it was clear he'd never let the other captain know that.

 

She was visibly startled.  "Hiiragi?"  Her eyes widened.  "What happened to you?"

 

"Clearly a case of reincarnation."  A tall, broad-shouldered man entered the room just behind her, putting his hands on Nadeshiko's shoulders.  His confident voice sent shivers down Alice's spine.  Hinagiku.  She wished she could remember why she disliked him.  "You all died out here, only to be reincarnated on Earth; am I right?"  It was as though he were seeking approval for something he'd already decided was the truth.  He glanced over the exhausted group.  "I'm amazed you were able to find each other again."

 

Nadeshiko smiled at the man, clearly impressed by his deduction.  "Shall we make introductions?  I am Nadeshiko--security officer, biochemist, and captain of this mission.  You just met Ayame, the ship's medical doctor and genetic expert.  This is Hinagiku; he's the one who reminds us to pause to reflect upon Sarjalim when we get too caught up in our work."  She put a hand over one of his, surprising Alice with the implied intimacy.

 

Hiiragi smiled at the other man, nodding slightly before proceeding with his own introductions.  He motioned to Rin and Alice first.  "This young boy here is actually Shion," he explained.  Rin clambered to his feet.  "His Earth name is Kobayashi Rin, but we'll use our old names up here.  And this," he helped Alice to her feet, " this is Mokuren."

 

Rin faltered, clearly more worn out than the rest of them.  Alice steadied him with one arm.  She hoped he wasn't going to be sick.  She glanced up, trying to be polite to their new hosts, but looked back down when she saw Hinagiku's deep gray eyes staring into her.  He knew that she knew the truth about him, she suddenly realized, but was instantly confused.  What was the truth?  Realizing that she'd have to give it more thought later, she tried to dismiss her worries, instead guiding Rin to sit on one of the sofas.

 

Gyokuran, Shusuran, and Enju were all introduced as well.  "And that other guy, the one who carried Shukkaido out of here," Jinpachi hurried to explain, "that was Mikuro.  He's a friend from Earth with similar Sarches powers."

 

Alice saw something flicker in Hinagiku's eyes as he casually pushed a stray lock of his chestnut hair from his face.  Why would he be interested in Mikuro?  She watched him carefully as everyone began to talk, catching up on personal information or learning more about what brought these others to Earth.  Nadeshiko embraced Issei, ignoring his blush as she teased him about his attractive male form.  She smiled at Daisuke too, pinching his youthful face and chiding him for being so young while she had no choice but to get older.  Hinagiku didn't let his gaze leave Nadeshiko's face until Jinpachi dragged his attention away with questions.

 

Alice let Rin lean on her while she listened to the others, stroking his hair as everyone chattered.  The others from the mother planet were the only ones left, it seemed, and they'd been sealed away in hibernation chambers for the past eighteen years while making the long trip to Earth.  That would explain why they hadn't aged, why they were in their mid- to late-twenties instead of pushing forty-five or fifty.  They'd been on the moon for a couple of days, trying to crack the computers' codes to get the life-support systems activated.

 

"We were just about to move that skeleton out of the garden observation room and into a capsule," Hinagiku was saying.  "That way, we could make the room useful again."

 

"No."  Rin sat up straight, his eyes meeting those of the older man.  "Please, I--Shion was happy there.  Let him stay."  He closed his eyes and leaned against Alice once more.  "He belongs in there, with Mokuren's flowers."

 

Alice didn't like the way these newcomers were tampering with things.  She didn't like the out-of-body feeling she had in the pit of her stomach as Mokuren's memories bombarded her.  It had been a mistake to come--they were from Earth.  What could they possibly do to help these aliens, and why had it been so crucial for them all to come?  She cradled Rin's head in her lap, determined to be more concerned for her neighbor and less worried about her wary feelings. 

 

He fell asleep almost immediately, prompting Nadeshiko to hurry them all into the sleeping chambers.  She had prepared all the rooms, hoping they'd arrive soon.  The new team occupied two of the seven, so Alice chose to stay with Rin while Issei and Jinpachi agreed to bunk together.  Alice guided her sleepy charge into the dark, chilly room--Shion's room.  Her face flushed as she remembered all that had once transpired there, but she pushed it out of her head as Rin curled up next to her on the narrow bed.  There would be enough time to remember later.

 

*****

 

Though he was just as tired as his friends, Daisuke didn't allow himself the luxury of sleep.  With one of his crew possibly near death, it was his responsibility to see that he was getting the best care before turning in.  His feet carried him automatically to the medical rooms, each turn surprisingly familiar only after he'd decided to make it.  He slid the med center's door open as quietly as possible, not wanting to interrupt whatever was happening in there.

 

The room was dim with just the pale blue lights of the backup power system.  Shukkaido seemed very small and young on the bed in the middle of the chamber, hooked up to at least half a dozen machines that were, in turn, hooked up to a portable generator that hummed in the corner.  Mikuro sat close beside Shukkaido's bed, his expression tense.  He looked up as Daisuke walked in, but turned his gaze back to his friend's pale face as soon as he'd identified the visitor.

 

"He's stabilized," a soft voice said from a dim corner.  Ayame sat on a stiff chair, her hand on her forehead as though in frustration or exhaustion.  Daisuke hoped it was the latter--frustration didn't bode well for his friend's situation.  She stood and approached him.

 

"You're the captain?" she asked.  Before he could answer, she continued.  "Truth be told, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it.  I have him on an artificial blood pump and respiratory device right now.  The pump should act like a normal heart for an indefinite amount of time, and the breathing device just makes certain he doesn't give out in his sleep.  I induced a coma for a while," she explained softly.  "His heart is irreparable."

 

"So he's going to die?"  The words tasted bitter in his mouth.  Clearly this was his fault--if only he'd refused to let Shukkaido come along.

 

Ayame smiled grimly.  "Not necessarily," she said, silently guiding him to her workstation at the far end of the room.  The worktable was home to a small tank of fluid.  Something was floating inside.  "I've taken a tiny, undamaged piece of the patient's heart and checked the DNA codes.  He wasn't born with this heart condition, so using the genetic codes, I've begun to build a new organ."

 

Daisuke was astounded.  He'd known that the mother planet had the technology for genetic regeneration, but until that moment he hadn't realized how incredible the science could be.  He stared hard at the lump of flesh in the murky fluid.  A new heart.  That could cure Shukkaido permanently.  "How long will it take?"  His voice was hoarse.  "How soon until Shukkaido can wake up?"

 

Ayame started, visibly stunned.  "Shukkaido?" she asked weakly.  "I thought--" 

 

She probably thought he was dead.  "We were reincarnated," he explained quickly.  "His Earth name is Kasama Haruhiko, but he's also Shukkaido."

 

She abruptly turned, hurrying to Shukkaido's bedside.  Daisuke followed, wanting an answer.  She stared at her patient's face, touched his black hair.  "Shukkaido," she whispered.

 

Daisuke felt like he was intruding, but he had to know.  "How soon?" he repeated.

 

The pretty doctor looked up at him, professional once more.  "Give me four days," she answered confidently.  "The organ will be ready for transplant within four days."  She looked back at Shukkaido, still as death beneath the tubes and contraptions.  "The hard part will be keeping him alive that long," she murmured.  "Mechanically, it's no trouble, but he has to want to hang on."

 

He remembered that Shusuran and Enju had rescued the boy from an attempted suicide last year.  Daisuke was worried.  Unless a great deal had changed since then, they were in for a rough time.

 

Mikuro, who hadn't seemed to be listening all this time, suddenly leaned in close to his friend.  He grasped the boy's hand, squeezing it urgently.  "Come on, Kid," he whispered.  "Hear me.  You've gotta hang on."

 

The young captain hoped that, if nothing else, the earnestness in his friend's voice would keep Shukkaido with them.  Daisuke's eyes met those of the doctor.  It was clear they had both been thinking the same thing.