In front of Azusa stood a tree far larger than one of the second generation.
'Incredible..' He murmured in surprise and even thought that he was transported outside of the Heaven's Tree. As far as his eyes could see, were lakes and blue skies and from where Azusa stood their was five passes at the end of each path stood the tree of the first generation.
'This way, little Azusa,' Mitsuki called to Azusa and she lead him to one of the passes. During the walk Azusa kept silent as he hesitated talking while the rite continued. There at the end of the path stood a first generation tree.
'lady Mitsuki, what tree is this?' Azusa asked to Mitsuki.
'We are now alone now, you and I.. please call me Mitsuki as usual,' she turned to him and said.
'.. Yeah.'
'little Azusa,' laying her hand on the tree, Mitsuki looked at Azusa and said. 'This is my tree.'
'What! Yours!? But this is the tree of the first generation trees, isn't it?' in wonder Azusa asked her. To his surprise it was a natural the rank of the trees and it meant a great importance in the order in the imperial families. If one had a first generation tree, it was possible for him to be the next King of Jurai whether the present King chooses him or not.
'Oh, little Azusa. This tree still does not have a name. Will you please give it one?'
''Give it a name? But that means that..'
'..Yes, I want you to take it.'
'Wha..what are you saying, Mitsuki? I can't take it. It's yours. And anyway I can't hear the tree's voice'
To this, Mitsuki replied quietly; 'You already are hearing it.'
'..What do you mean?' Azusa looked at Mitsuki in wonder with her words. Then he felt the figure of Mitsuki, who was smiling, fade.
'.. Mitsuki!?'
all of the sudden, Mitsuki fell down and Azusa rushed up to her and held her up.
'Mitsuki! Hold on, Mitsuki!' Azusa cried to her.
'I am all right.'
'Your face is so pale. You need a doctor.. Lets go back!'
'Wait! .. There is something I have to tell you.. please,' Mitsuki grabbed on Azusa desperately but by looking at her face you could see that her life was fading rapidly.
'What are you saying?! You can tell me later, just now you need a ..'
'Please.. Little Azusa,' like she was throwing her self to Azusa she stared at him. her hands grabbing his sleeve were shaking, Azusa tried his to resist and begged her to get a doctor,
'But Mitsuki..'
'Please. There is not much time left now.. so..'
Watching her smile, Azusa sensed that her time was coming close.
He wanted to do something. He wished he could have done something for her.
But if she was dying, and wanted to tell him something, then-.
He held himself from crying and helped her sit under the Royal tree.
The flame of life inside her was fading.
"Why? Why is it!?"
Azusa shut his eyes tight so not to show his tears while Mitsuki held his hand.
'.. I.., I have to apologize to you for many things..'
'It is because you brought me to your garden, isn't it? But I don't care about it.'
'No, not only for that. It is all because of me that your mother is not allowed to return to Jurai.'
'What?' Azusa opened his eyes and looked at her.
'What Shyuzan told you is not correct. Of course Shyuzan does.. No, only the King of Jurai and lady Seto knows about this,' turning to the blue sky with no clouds, Mitsuki began to talk about the truth.
Mitsuki's father was from another country like Azusa's father. The real identity of her father was a spy from a pirate guild, which was hostile to Jurai and since he noticed her ability, he gaining information about Jurai from young Mitsuki. As she was only an innocent young girl, Mitsuki synchronized to the heaven's tree and told him secrets, just to see her father's delightful face, whom she loved.
And one day, the minister of a country, who was a good neighbor with Jurai, was attacked by a pirate fleet on their secret way to Jurai. The information earned from Mitsuki's ability made them find out the route. Fortunately the attack was made in a large scale and Seto noticed this operation from her own information net and sent the nearest imperial ship one of Masaki family ships reached there to help. For this, the minister was safe, however, all other ships were destroyed. For this accident, Seto made an internal checkup where Mitsuki's father was found as a spy and her ability were also revealed.
'.. Of course it was impossible to declare the truth to others. It was obvious that the relationship between other countries would break and people of Jurai and also foreigners would doubt the King.. My ability was powerful enough to destroy one country. .. Though I was only a child what I have done was outrageous and nothing could help me from being prescript from Jurai. .. If I was healthy as others, then Grandfather would have done so.. but.. I can only live here..' Mitsuki watched Azusa in a sad face then looked away again.
'You can only live here?' Azusa asked her.
'.. I do not know if it is related to this power or not. but I cannot live without the help of the Royal trees. All of these five Royal trees are first generation trees and must help me like a life-support system..'
'Then if you leave Jurai..'
'When the person of the Masaki family, who saved the minister from the pirates, found out about this.. he took all the responsibility and was banned from Jurai and everything he had, had been taking from him.. all for me. .. It is he who was your mother's brother,' a tear ran down her cheek. 'Not only that, but I was almost going to have to make an un correctable mistake on you, little Azusa. .. also all about Shyuzan. .. and yet I kept on living, and living with the misery of everyone without doing anything..'
'It's not your fault, Mitsuki! If you didn't have such powers, then you could live longer, as a normal person!!'
'I have already.. lived long enough. As part of the imperial family it might be short, but long enough as a normal person..'
'But. But you didn't get any common happiness!' Azusa could not stand it and cried out in a louder voice.
'..Little Azusa.' Mitsuki turned and looked at Azusa.
'My mother and my uncle were not unhappy! It doesn't matter whether we could come back to Jurai or not! It's so silly! Look! I'm not angry now and if I'm angry they are laughing at me with that grimalkin! My uncle whom you were talking about, too is laughing hearing my mothers story.. It's you, Mitsuki who is .. unhappy!' Azusa held on Mitsuki and wept. He did not know what he was saying. He couldn't understand it.
Where else does that kind of sad truth exist?
How can a person be so unhappy?
Why? Why should it be Mitsuki?
Mitsuki is so kind.
So kind.
Why is it all like this!!
Mitsuki patted Azusa's head who was crying with tears.
'Please don't cry, little Azusa. .. You see, I am not unhappy. Grandfather and lady Seto have done well for me and .. and at the end I have met you, little Azusa. I am so happy,' speaking to Azusa in a soft tone, Mitsuki gently hugged Azusa.
'Don't say the end!'
'Darling little Azusa. Will you please take this tree?' she asked him.
'What are you saying. This tree is your life, isn't it? And I told you, I can't hear this tree's voice..'
'You are. You really are hearing it..' laying her hands on Azusa's cheeks, she slowly let him turn to her.
'I was always watching you little Azusa for a long, long time. Since you came to Jurai.'
'..! Mitsuki, your eye.. it's the Royal tree's..' Azusa found that Mitsuki's right eye was made from the gem of sap of the Royal tree.
'Yes, for a long time, I was.. watching you..'
The strength in her hands on Azusa's cheeks fainted and they dropped down along with them. Grabbing her hands Azusa cried out as much as he could. 'Mitsuki! Oh, Mitsuki!!'
'..please take me, little Azusa. You told me that you would show me the outside world before, didn't you?' Mitsuki said in a weak voice.
'I will take you with me! If you want to go, Mitsuki, then I'll take you anywhere!! So please..'
To Azusa's words, Mitsuki smiled happily.
'.. Little Azusa.. Little..Azusa.. I.. love..'
And she quietly closed her eyes.
'It's not true! No, it can't be. No, no. Please open your eyes. . I'll take you, I will, so please. Open your eyes, Mitsuki. .. Mitsuki!!!!'
Azusa shook his head as a spoiled child, as if shaking off the truth.
Azusa kept holding on to Mitsuki's cold hands while the time passed. The sun began to set and the rubious light of the evening covered them. On Azusa's swelled eyes from crying, the marks of his tears were left behind. Azusa kept on watching Mitsuki's face with no will to make a move.
Then, he suddenly showed a sense of movement. A sound or rather a music came from around, which he heard somewhere before. The beautiful and light melody gently poured into his ears.
'.. This music is the that Mitsuki was playing..'
Small lights ran and spread between the trees and the sound came in like a melody. 'The Royal tree.. I see, so, you, too are..' Lifting his face, Azusa let him self go in the melody of which the trees played and watched the stars starting to twinkle.
'.. I will take you, Mitsuki. It's a promise. Together we will go with this tree, we will be.. together for ever.' Azusa stood up and walked into the 'URO' of the Royal tree carrying Mitsuki with him in his arms. Inside the 'URO', was crystal pond of the sap and it looked like a spring.
There he laid Mitsuki.
Mitsuki sank down into the crystal without a sound.
Her gentle voice, her lonely smile.. all of the minds in her heart melted into the tree. When Mitsuki's hand, which he was holding sank, a tear ran down from Azusa's eye.
'....Mitsuki..'
When he came out from the 'URO', the Sun had already set and it was dark outside. The full Moon was shining in the firmament lighted Azusa.
'.. The Moon. The sealing of the fog..'
Looking at the Moon, it reminded Azusa of the fairy tale, which Mitsuki told him before. The story of the God of the Water, who hid the Goddess of the Moon by the sealing of the fog.
'.. Fog (KIRI), .. Sealing (TO)..' Whispered Azusa in a small voice.
'KIRITO'- he decided to name for the tree so.
He would live together with the tree, together with Mitsuki, for ever.
*'URO': A room, hole in a tree. Like that where Tenchi and Sesami jumped into in OVA 2. Or from where Ayeka came out in the beginning of OVA 2.