The early morning air swirled through the deserted streets of Izumo, carrying with it stray leaves and bits of trash from the streets. A high-pitched whistling echoed through an empty alley; the pack of stray cats within scattered instantly into the street, frightened off by the wind's unnatural keening. The critters' sudden departure knocked over several trash cans, showering the ground with food remnants and bits or waste.
	A small white blob slowly emerged from the chaos. Its puffy body was dirty and had scratches across its hide; one of its long, rabbit-like ears was ripped along the edges. The dark pink jewel adorning its forehead lit up briefly, then dimmed. "Puuu....," Mokona whimpered softly before turning and limping down the street.

Tora-chan Productions, Ltd. presents

*~* Namida no Tokoshinae - Eternity's Tears *~*

Book I: Shinketsu no Akuma - Demon's Blood

Chapter 2

	*After the war in Heaven, when I lost a third of My children to Evil,* Kami-sama explained to the gathered Norns, *I knew that I could not possibly contain all the evil in the world. So I made a pact with the being then known as Lucifer; the forces of Good and Evil would have one final battle for the souls of the worlds . . . .*

*~*

	Morning dawned early over the shattered remains of Juuban district in Tokyo.  The broken streets were a veritable sea of white and red; Red Cross tents and hastily erected one-level buildings smothered the newly-designated hospital district. Swarms of volunteer workers and doctors from all over the world weaved their way through the rows of tents on their morning rounds, treating the wounded and caring for those people still homeless after the Aragami's devastating final attack.
	A teenaged girl shuffled slowly through the mass, a red-furred wolf at her heels. Her long scarlet hair was braided down her back, nearly reaching her knees; she was outfitted simply in a slightly ragged pair of red overalls, a white T-shirt, and a pair of scuffed sneakers. Her face was what made her stand out, though; pale skin drawn tight over high cheekbones, dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes . . . . Her deep crimson eyes were cold and hardened against the adversity of the times, but behind the steel was a haunted collection of memories that threatened to overwhelm her.
	Shidou Hikaru stopped in front of a nondescript tent hesitantly. "Gomen, Hikari-chan," she said to the wolf, "but you aren't allowed in here. I don't want to get the doctors upset."
	Hikari whined softly, nudging his master's hand as if begging her to reconsider. "Iie, Hikari. Sit and stay here until I'm finished, OK?" She knelt down and hugged her pet, drawing strength from the wolf's unwavering love for her, and then turned and walked into the tent.

*~*

	*. . . . I gave Lucifer two choices for a time period to have this battle: 2014, with the advent of Adam, Lilith, and the Angels; or 1999, with a clash between fourteen avatars, seven for each side.
	*Lucifer, however, has broken all the rules by beginning the battle early . . . and has thus put even the lives of the gods in danger . . . .*

*~*

	In another area of Juuban, a hapless teen was packing an armload of supplies down a broken street when she tripped over a crack in the pavement. Dried food packages and plastic bottles of water went flying everywhere as she tumbled to her knees. "Moouuuu . . . ," Tsukino Usagi complained as she sat down hard, wiping away a small trickle of blood from her skinned knee. "I should've made that brat Shingo come with me . . . . Nani?"
	Before her stood a small child. She couldn't have been over two years old; her cherry-red hair was done up in heart-shaped odangos, the curls which spilled from them framing her chubby little face. Her bright red eyes seemed to study the older girl, as if trying to ascertain something important; the sparkling depths of her eyes were strange . . . almost . . . hypnotic . . . .
	Usagi shook her head suddenly. "Nan desu ka . . . ?" she murmured; why were her thoughts so fuzzy? She began to stand up, then noticed that  the child was still standing there, watching her curiously. "Shouldn't you be with your parents, ko-chan? I bet they're worried sick about you by now!"
	Her chubby little hands clutched her pink parasol, a sad look on her face. "Oh, are you lost?" There was still as small percentage of people trying to find their families after the mass exodus from the Aragami, especially in the Tokyo area. Usagi sat back on her heels for a second, then pointed to herself and said, "I'm Tsukino Usagi. What's your name?"
	The child studied her carefully again, her gaze holding an odd wisdom for one so young. Finally, she nodded in satisfaction and grinned.
	"Chibi Chibi! Chibi chibi chibi chibi chibi . . . ."

*~*

	*. . . . Everything that I have set forth, all of My plans, have now been rendered useless. My avatar has been seduced to the Darkness; My other child has perished at My chosen's hands. Yggdrasil, the living computer I created to mediate the general forces of the universe, has shut itself down; the boundaries of the universes are weakened because of it.*
	*Then what can we do, Kami-sama?* Belldandy asked, her voice quavering slightly.
	The eyes of the Lord remained fixed upon the small globe in his hands. *Nothing,* he said softly. *Nothing at all . . . .*

*~*

	Hikaru slipped through the tent flap quietly. "Fuu-chan? May I come in?"
	The figure sitting on the makeshift cot shrugged her shoulders, not bothering to turn around. Taking that as an affirmation, the teen walked inside and looked around.
	The "walls" of the tent were a faded ivory, the fabric being so thick that little sunshine could light the room. The thick grass beneath her feet made for a fragrant carpet. A makeshift bench held untouched bowls of miso soup and rice. Alongside the bowl was a vase filled with drying flowers; the blossoms were a splash of color in the otherwise dreary room.
	However, it was the girl sitting on the cot that had Hikaru's full attention. The shadows seemed to envelop Hououji Fuu's slender frame. Her golden locks had been shorn close to her scalp; a baseball cap hid most of her head. She wore a oversized green T-shirt that came down past her knees. The shirt, a gift from one of the gaijin Red Cross workers, was printed all over with cheery little seahorses frolicking with equally cheery fish. The happy print looked almost ludicrous, especially considering the thick air of despair that filled the tent. Fuu turned away as Hikaru walked closer, shielding her face from view. "Fuu-chan?" Hikaru asked again, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder tentatively. 
	She was silent for several seconds, then quietly said, "They took the bandages off today."
	Hikaru remained silent, somehow knowing that her friend needed to talk. "The doctors were very kind about it afterwards, even though I could see it shocked them. They told me I didn't have to look, but I asked for a mirror anyway . . . . They said that they may be able to repair the damage after the hospitals are rebuilt and functioning again, but that could be months from now. Until then, I could always use a veil, I suppose . . . ."
	"Fuu-chan . . . ."
	She turned around, taking off the baseball cap and letting the light hit her full in the face. Hikaru gasped in shock, her hands flying to her lips. 
	Fuu looked at her friend levelly, her one eye peering out from the shapeless mass of scars and raw flesh that had once been her face. "You should have let me die, Hikaru-san," she stated. "You should have let me die in the fire with Umi-san."

*~*

	*I have sent many of My children down to Earth, to try to discern the Adversary's plans,* the Lord God continued. *The reports . . . are grim.*
	He turned away from the Norns and clasped His hands behind His back. *I am bound by the Light; as the living embodiment of all that is good, I cannot use foul means to anticipate Satan's moves. He, however, can manipulate everything and everyone, even those whose hearts are committed to Me . . . .*

*~*

	Okawa Nanase shifted a stack of files and sat down with a sigh. "Where did you find her again, Usagi-san?"
	The Tsukino family was gathered in the Family Services "office," which was little more than a renovated two-room apartment. Limited space forced Usagi's father and little brother to wait in the hall; even then, Usagi had to stand in the corner to make enough room to walk. Filing cabinets and portable generators filled the remainder of the room. The social worker, Okawa-san, was perched rather precariously upon one of the generators, somehow managing to balance both her laptop computer and a huge binder on her lap. Usagi's mother sat upon another; perched upon her lap was the little pink-haired foundling that Usagi called "Chibi-Chibi."
	"I had come from one of the rations centers in Juuban when I just, well, stumbled on her," the teen said. "She just looked so lost and sad that-"
	"You did the right thing, Usagi-san. Unfortunately, there are many families that are still separated from each other, and even though we reunite over 150 families a day, there are still those that slip through the cracks." She pecked at the keyboard. "Apparently, this child is one of those. There are no families in Japan claiming to be missing a child like her." Okawa-san knelt down in front of the child, who glanced towards Usagi hesitantly. "Usagi-san, you say that the only word she can speak is 'chibi'?"
	"Hai. I mean, I think so; that's all she would say to me." Usagi smiled and patted the girl on her head. "It's really kawaii the way she says it, but . . . . I can't figure out why that's the only word she can say."
	"Oftentimes, when a trauma occurs, such as the recent events in Japan and her separation with her family, the child becomes traumatized. He or she may withdraw into themselves, regress into behavior that's only suitable for children half his or her age, or- like our lost lamb here- the child can lose all vocabulary. In her case, I'd say she's fixated on one word -'chibi'- because it reminds her of family. Perhaps her parents called her 'Chibi-Chibi' as a pet name." She scooted closer to the child. "If you don't mind, I'm going to talk to her and see if I can't get her to talk more." She put her laptop computer down and said softly, "Chibi-Chibi-chan, I'm going to ask you a few questions. I want you to answer these questions as truthfully as you can, OK?"
	The child nodded her head. "What is your name, dear?"
	"Chibi-Chibi."
	"What is your family name? The name that you got from your mommy and daddy, what is that?"
	Silence answered her. "Do you know your mommy's name, ko-chan?"
	She paused. "Chibi chibi chibi chibi chibi," she answered.
	Okawa-san sighed. "This is getting us nowhere," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Chibi-Chibi-chan," she tried again, "I'm going to ask you some easy questions. I want you to nod your head if the answer is yes, and shake your head if the answer is no. Do you understand?"
	To the woman's surprise, she nodded vigorously. "Good girl. Now, do you live here in Tokyo?"
	She shook her head no. 
	"Do you live in Yokohama?" Another negative.
	"How about in Kamakura?" Yet another negative.
	After giving the names of ten other cities and getting negative replies, she asked her, "Do you even know what city you live in?"
	Chibi-Chibi paused, her little brow furrowed as if in deep concentration, then nodded. "Chibi chibi chibi," she said gravely.
	Okawa-san groaned inwardly. "I dearly wish you could say something besides 'chibi'- what? What is it?"
	The toddler had grabbed her sleeve and was pointing at something eagerly. "What are you pointing at? What-" She turned around in the direction she was pointing and saw a small map of Japan plastered on the far wall. "Can you show me where you live on that map?" the social worker asked incredulously.
	She nodded happily, slipping off Tsukino-san's lap and bounding over to the map. Standing on her tippytoes, she reached up as high as she could. Okawa-san lifted her up to the map's level. "Now, Chibi-Chibi-chan, I want you to point at the city where you live. Can you do that for me?"
	The toddler stared hard at the map, deep in thought, scanning every section of the nation. Suddenly her face lit up in a kawaii smile, and she planted one chubby little finger directly over a dot on the map. "Chibi Chibi! Chibi chibi chibi chibi chibi chibi chibi . . . ."
	Okawa-san had to lean forward to read the tiny name printed on the map. 
	"Izumo?"

*~*

	A light morning rain had begun to fall in the forests on the fringe of Hokkaido. The continuous patter of raindrops on the maple trees and the slight whisper of the wind through the grasses set a serene backdrop for the small forest path. Mists swirled around the tree basesand kissed the forest floor with dew. The occasional twitter from a small bird could not even break the quiet calm of nature.
	The earthy tan of ship's sails drifted into view, gently pushing it's way through the fog. The tiny boat was rough and weathered from many travels; the faint kanji inscribed on it's starboard side read simply "Hope". It swayed gently in rhythm with the slight ocean currents, a silent witness to nature's majesty.
	A lone figure stood on the bow, staring out into the open with eyes shimmering in quiet joy. "Home," Saotome Ranma whispered, her blue eyes shimmering with some unknown joy. "Home at last."