Chapter 21: Cosmos

COSMOS

CHAPTER 21 OF THE MANGA

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Chapter Overview
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This Chapter's Story
One faithful morning, Hazumu awakens to see the Alien Being already in her bedroom. He is quick and to the point. He tells Hazumu that her 'Life Coefficient' is weakening, and therefore she as only about a month to live before she dies (dies for a second time; Hazumu has already died and been brought back to life once already.). So Hazumu does what she always does when she is troubled and upset---she withdraws from contact with anyone, and spends time alone on Mt. Kashima, with only Nature for company. At this time of year, Mt. Kashima is completely covered with fall foliage. "Life Coefficient(?)", puzzles Hazumu in her mind. She recalls the conversation that she had with the Alien Being earlier this morning. He tried to explain what is going on, but he did so in the terms and concepts of the scientific principals and alien people that he is most familiar with. Concepts that make little or no sense to human beings on Earth.

The Alien Being told Hazumu that there is nothing wrong with her body, or the way it is functioning. The Life Coefficient is not an indicator of one's measure of health. It is, given all the factors of life that a living being can experience, an estimation of how long that a living being will stay alive, before death overtakes them. The combination of all these life elements are taken together into functions that set one's time of death. For Hazumu, the factors show that she will die in about 30 days. Hazumu trips while in such deep thought, and falls to the forest floor.

This very morning, Hazumu's parents are all flustered that she left without telling anyone where she was going, least of all saying that she was on her way to school. The friends are at Hazumu's home, finding out what has happened from the parents. The three friends are without a remedy for what has happened, so they agree to continue on to school, hoping that Hazumu is already there, and hanging out in the school rooftop garden. Arriving at school, Tomari is the first one to check the rooftop garden. No Hazumu!!! This means that she is actually either missing, or deliberately being alone for some reason. Ayuki points out the fact that one time before, Hazumu wanted to be entirely alone, and chose to go to Mt. Kashima. Regardless, school must go on. So as the teacher goes through the class lessons, many of the students, as well as the friends, do not have their heart in their work. They keep staring at the empty desk in the classroom.

Meanwhile, Hazumu is indeed wandering around Mt. Kashima. She comes upon the bed of flowers and plants that she shared with Yasuna (see Chapter 1, Flashback section). All of the plants and foliage are withered and brown. From behind a tree, Jan Puu peers at Hazumu, but because her back is toward Jan Puu, Hazumu does not see Jan Puu.

Tomari becomes incensed at school, and decides to skip the rest of the school day and go look for Hazumu. Asuta advises against doing so, but that only makes Tomari all the more determined to go. She proclaims that Hazumu has never hidden her worries from her friends. Something must have happened that we don't know about. Yasuna clasps Tomari's hand into hers, and states that she is going with her, too. Tomari tells Sora what she is going to do, however, Sora only confirms that "he" (Hazumu) is, in fact, on Mt. Kashima right now. Sora then drops an atomic bomb of a comment. Hazumu is trying to escape from the fact that "he" has only about 30 days remaining to live......actually now only 29!

The friends meet that revelation from Sora with disbelief. Horror crosses Yasuna's face as she realizes what that supposedly means---Hazumu is going to die ! Tomari takes it as a really bad joke. But no joke ! Sora never jokes about anything. Ayuki applies logic to the statement, countering Sora with the thought that if he brought Hazumu back to life one time before, certainly he can do it again ! In fact, Ayuki grabs Sora by the front of his lab coat, and boldly shaking it, demands---

"SO, BRING HER BACK TO LIFE....!!!"

A very distraught Ayuki continues to shake the coat of Sora, repeating the demand several times over. Sora is merely silent. Finally, with a grim and serious look on his face, Sora states that he is only an alien life form, he is not omnipotent. His alien race is more advanced than humans, but not superior to them. Ayuki, upon hearing that, bursts into tears of pain and sorrow. Sora observes that this is the first time that he has ever seen her cry, as he tenderly holds her chin in his hand. Sora then makes an unusual and cryptic comment, to the effect that the emotions that he is seeing in Ayuki, and the rest of the friends, are typical of humans. Emotions such as these are not seen in his race of alien beings. This being the case, there might be something that can be done, providing hope for Hazumu after all !

Meanwhile, Hazumu is resting by sitting down at the trunk of a large tree. She muses, talking to the surrounding trees. The trees are silently listening.

Back at school, Sora begins a lengthy commentary and explanation. He begins by saying that he has been researching why and how Hazumu had their physical sex changed during the reincarnation. Ayuki interrupts, saying that it was his mistake (actually it was Jan Puu's mistake) that caused Hazumu to die and have to be brought back to life, wasn't it? Actually, NO ! On that faithful day, when Hazumu was atop Mt. Kashima, his 'Life Factors' empirically dictated that his life would run out of it's own accord ! Actually, Hazumu's Life Coefficient was going to come to an end that day, by any conceivable means, no matter what. Sora says that he was not aware of that at that time, and ordered the A.I. software to revive Hazumu by any process available. The A.I. was actually the one who chose a female configuration on that basis, and not because it had only female blueprints for a human. The A.I. used the only 'Life factors' that were available, and they just happened to be female. That is how Hazumu became a female. But that was just an elaborate 'trick' to buy Hazumu more time to live. Now that 'borrowed time' is coming to an end.

The friends ask if there is any way to save her, given those circumstances ? Yes, there is ! If a 'Life Factor' is given by another human being, and entered into the Life Coefficient algorithm, then the life expectancy can be pushed forward into the future. Thus, one's Life Factors can be shared. Hazumu's male Life Coefficient had already expired. Her female Life Coefficient will expire in 29 days. That can't ever be changed ! The only way for her to keep on living is to depend on obtaining someone else's Life Factor, by sharing, no other way ! But sharing can be tricky. The sharing would have to be done by pure hearts, and sterling motivations. The strength of those emotional and personality traits would have to be great enough to effect a transfer. Anything less or different would be a 'no go'. Abject survival is not enough to institute a transfer, no matter how strong, and the person would just die on their day of destiny. Asuta want's to know if the transfer will make Hazumu a male again? NO ! The physical sex change was a one-way process. It is never undone.

"A single destiny shared by two...." Both Yasuna and Tomari 'get it' as to what this means. But the strength of purpose and life has to originate with Hazumu, and has to be pure and free.

Hazumu, continuing her aimless wandering on Mt. Kashima, comes upon a large bed of flowers. Cosmos Flowers, in fact. Staring at the Cosmos Flowers, Hazumu melts into a daydream, wondering how many places that she has been to, and people she has known. Yasuna and Tomari predominately come to mind. All these Cosmos Flowers have lived up till now. The setting sun, the chilly sky, the rustling leaves, all these things have lived up to now, and will continue on. I am going to live, and continue on, too !

(to be continued....)

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