Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 5 Chapter 3 (section)

==3.01 Chiharu Part 6==

<br>

<nowiki>*</nowiki>

<br>

Gently swaying…

Lightly floating…

Chiharu's peaceful days were being torn down.

She desperately resisted, reaching her hands to the happy daily life she was about to lose.

—At some point it started raining.

Although the sky had been clear until sunset, when it became night dark clouds suddenly obstructed the moonlight.

From within these clouds one could see four giant eyes overlooking Shiou City. It was a purple swallowtail butterfly so large it seemed to cover the entire night sky. Mixed with the rain were also phosphorescent scales pouring down. 

Fighting on the rooftop of Shiou Elementary School, Chiharu breathed heavily and dropped to her knees.

"Hah! Hah!"

Chiharu's face, wet by the rain, was dyed in blood. Her clothes were torn and even from her hands fresh blood flowed.

"I won't let anyone… eat Daisuke's dream—"

Forgetting even the pain of her wounds, she rose up.

In front of her was one of the Original Three, Elvioréne.

The woman called Oogui narrowed her rainbow-colored eyes. Around her the Mushi produced by assembled scales were wriggling.

"How cute you are to pretend to be tough. —You sure get along well with her, right Aria?"

"Give me a break. She's my worst partner so far. She's stubborn and won't listen to anything I say."

One of the Original Three, Aria Varei living inside Chiharu replied.

"But what a pity. Her body is too inexperienced so she can't endure your ability. Even her fighting style consists of her merely swinging around her arms."

"…"

The several dozen Mushi assaulted Chiharu.

She concentrated on the nerves in both her hands. Her blue-dyed hair swayed and her arms glowed.

She shook off her right arm to the side.

A blue glow swallowed the Mushi. The energy released by fusion with space without restoring it destroyed them one after another.

She stuck out her left arm.

The devastating energy torrent approached Oogui while destroying the ground.

Elvioréne kept smiling without even evading. Her shoulders, her neck and part of her face were gouged out.

However—

"You seem to no longer have most of your power."

The raining scales became small Mushi that crawled over the woman's body, assembling at her lost parts. They transformed into flesh, bones and skin, mending Elvioréne's body.

"Uuh…!"

The bones of Chiharu's arms creaked. Aria Varei's fusion ability was not originally an offensive power. The attack that forcibly broke the power's balance created recoil that ate into Chiharu's body.

"I've told you, right? You can't beat El. If you want to destroy her you have to at least completely annihilate her body or it won’t work."

Chiharu couldn't even speak against Aria's voice she heard in her ears. Her weariness and sharp pain made her almost lose her consciousness. 

At this rate she would lose.

Chiharu would be killed and her brother Daisuke's dream would be eaten by Elvioréne.

"It's natural… for a sister… to protect her brother…"

Breathing heavily, she wore a smile.

"It's stupid how obsessed with your brother you are."

"It's not stupid. It's normal."

Death.

She found that idea so scary a shudder welled up inside her.

"…But I really might be a teeny tiny bit obsessed about him."

Chiharu said with a carefree smile like the usual.

Dying was scary. It was obvious.

But right now she had something she found much scarier than her death.

"I know. As I told you we're two hearts beating as one."

Aria's voice was slightly angry and seemed greatly resigned.

Still smiling, Chiharu rushed toward Elvioréne. Crossing her arms in front of her head, she sprinted as if enveloping herself in the blue glow.

"I know perfectly well what you're thinking about now."

The Mushi protecting Oogui flew at Chiharu. But the moment they touched her running in a straight line they were annihilated by the blue glow.

As Chiharu closed the distance, Elvioréne showed a calm expression without moving an inch.

Chiharu spread out her arms—

"You'd rather die than turn your little brother into a Mushitsuki."

"…!"

Hearing Aria's voice, Elvioréne stopped smiling for the first time. With her crimson coat fluttering she moved backwards.

But it was too late.

As if tackling her, Chiharu wrapped both arms around Elvioréne's waist.

"Sorry for involving you in my brother obsession, Aria."

The blue glow enveloped Chiharu and Elvioréne.

"I'm the one who's involved you. Why do you even need to apologize?"

A large amount of Mushi were produced around Elvioréne. But being touched by Chiharu's rapidly swelling power, they were scattered away all at once.

Dying was very scary.

Even now that she was going to annihilate Elvioréne together with her, her trembling didn't cease.

—But turning Daisuke into a Mushitsuki was much scarier. 

Even if Chiharu wouldn't eat his dream, Elvioréne probably would.

If so, then his sister could do only one thing for her brother's sake.

Even without Chiharu Daisuke would grow up splendidly.

Because he was a good boy who strong and kinder than anyone.

"…Bye-bye, Daisuke…"

She announced her farewell from her one and only brother.

Chiharu closed her eyelids—

"Not noticing this sweet smell must mean you are greatly exhausted, right Chiharu-chan?"

Elvioréne's cheerful voice shook her eardrums.

"…!"

"…!"

Chiharu and Aria Varei inside her. Their awareness was turned toward the entrance to the rooftop.

The smell of the dream approaching them was—

"…Daisuke…!"

Chiharu grimaced. Although she had resolved her mind once, it now crumbled down.

In the end—

Just for a moment before she died—

"Chiharu…!"

"…I want to see… Daisuke's face…"

Her face wrinkled and tears flowed.

Having relaxed her mind, the blue glow enveloping the pair also rapidly subsided.

"You are two hearts in one body, right Aria? Then you should understand that no matter how much you sympathize with her, no matter how strong of a will she possesses… in the end she's nothing more than a child, right?"

Elvioréne thrust Chiharu's body aside. Several Mushi rushed at her, using their claws to knock her off.

"Uh…!"

Rolling on the ground, she clashed into the railing. Although her regenerative abilities were enhanced through her fusion with Aria Varei, the intense pain caused her limbs to go numb for an instant.

"—Goodbye, Aria Varei."

But just after Elvioréne launched her Mushi…

"Chiharu!"

The one to appear on the rooftop was none other than Daisuke.

Chiharu's one and only brother. 

''Daisuke—''

For a moment she raised a weak smile.

But her expression immediately froze.

''You can’t—''

The figure of her brother rushing toward her reflected in her eyes as if she was watching it in slow-motion.

The Mushi unleashed by Oogui were already approaching Chiharu.

''Don't come here—''

Her expression slowly distorted into despair.

''You can't come here—''

"—"

A spray of blood danced in Chiharu's vision.

<br>

<nowiki>*</nowiki>

<br>

Ayukawa Chiharu landed at the streets of Shiou City from the raining sky.

Right after releasing Chiharu from her embrace, Shirakashi Ubuki breathed heavily and collapsed on the ground.

"I brought you here… just like you told me, but…! Is that, no way…"

She looked up at the giant swallowtail butterfly that could be seen covering the hill and groaned.

"B-but, I'm already at my limits…! I'll fly again once I'm recovered a bit—"

She spent several hours flying at her top speed all the way from Ouka City. She had probably mustered every last bit of her stamina and mental power.

"Thank you, Ubuki-chan!"

She could never be thankful enough to her, but Chiharu had no time. She left Ubuki behind and rushed to the residential area.

"Ah… Chiharu-tan, wai—"

Ubuki tried hurriedly chasing after her, but her feet tangled and she tumbled.

Chiharu started running toward the hill she could see on the other side of the residential area.

The smell of the rain and the town's nostalgic smell.

Mixed with that, Chiharu who had once been Aria Varei could perceive something.

A presence which could be called the lingering scent of Aria Varei's existence.

And also—

"Elvioréne…!"

She looked up at the giant swallowtail butterfly fluttering about inside the black clouds covering Shiou City.

Elvioréne was there.

Chiharu could certainly feel the existence of one of the Original Three.

Reaching the hill, she passed the barricade and started climbing up the road.

A bad premonition squeezed her chest.

After reaching her alma mater, Chiharu gasped.

On the rooftop of the school building across the playground she could see purple scales pouring down.

Climbing over the railing, she ran towards the school. The front door had been destroyed. She passed through the shoe racks and ran in the corridors. She rushed up the dark stairs.

''No way—''

Chiharu reached the fourth floor and went through the door connected to the rooftop.

''There's no way, right…?''

Desperately shaking off the despair clinging to her, Chiharu went out to the roof.

<br>

<nowiki>*</nowiki>

<br>

Blood danced in Kusuriya Chiharu's vision.

"—"

As she widened her eyes to their limits, her brother's body fell on her with a thud.

As the Mushi were trying to assault her—

Her brother cut in between them—

And was torn apart—

"aaAAaaAAAAaAaHHH!!!"

A scream that didn't seem like it came from her reverberated on the school rooftop.

Her arms hugging Daisuke were dyed in lukewarm fresh blood. She desperately pressed down on the lacerations on her brother's back, but the abnormal bleeding wouldn't stop.

"I never thought he would end up using himself a shield without any hesitation – without faltering at all."

Chiharu couldn't even perceive Elvioréne's voice.

"What a waste… the feast in front of my eyes is ruined."

"''In the end, that's what happened''? In the end I—"

Chiharu didn't even care about these words of the two Original Three.

While being pounded by the violent rain.

While simply embracing her still-bleeding brother.

She kept screaming.

<br>

<nowiki>*</nowiki>

<br>

Coming out to the rooftop, Ayukawa Chiharu's thoughts stopped for a second.

The rooftop of the closed Shiou Elementary School.

It was the exact same scene as five years ago.

In the midst of the violent rain a tall woman was standing.

She was clothed in a crimson long coat, had rainbow-colored pupils behind her round sunglasses, and wore a cheerful smile. 

Elvioréne. The being that was one of the Original Three and also had the name Oogui turned around to Chiharu.

"—Welcome back, Chiharu-chan."

Elvioréne, looking completely unchanged from how she was five years ago, welcomed Chiharu with a joyful smile.

"Have you come to deliver me a delicious dream just like I thought?"

A single boy was collapsed in front of her. He was heavily wounded and didn't move.

"—"

She still wasn't able to restore her thinking, but Chiharu started running unconsciously.

In this scene that was unchanged from five years ago, only the boy's grown form indicated the passage of time. 

First of all he had grown taller. When he was in elementary school he was about the same as Chiharu. But now his body grew more manlike, and he was probably taller than her.

His face also became slightly more masculine. His hairstyle was as plain as usual, but she thought his face became much more handsome than it used to be. He was definitely popular among the girls of his age. —Yet with blood streaming from his head, his eyes closed and his face pale he looked to be in horrible pain.

He wore the long coat provided to the members of the East Central Branch of the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Under it was probably some school's uniform. Because of the deep red blood dyeing it she couldn't properly judge the shirt's original color.

Chiharu unhesitatingly shouted.

"—Daisukeee!"

She held up her one and only brother that lay on the ground without moving.

The large amount of lukewarm blood dyed Chiharu's clothes crimson in no time.

—Just like five years ago.

Her brother was rapidly losing his body heat in her arms—

"—"

She could see the figure of her little brother approaching death both in her revived memories and even in reality.

Unable to endure the two merging consciousness, Chiharu screamed.