Editor's comments and actions are denoted by [brackets]. Sound effects are written {like this}. (Parenthesis) indicate side notes in the dialogue bubble or the mangaka's note. And finally, italics are thoughts.

In a small, rocky bay, seagulls fly overhead.

{sound f/x zaa: wind blowing softly}

{sound f/x basabasa: bird wings flapping}

Birds gather around a bloodied arm, lying limp in the shallow water.

{sound f/x chichi: birds chirping}

Suddenly, the birds all take off at once.

{sound f/x ba: the sudden movement of the birds taking off}

Reaching a small window, the birds land on it and begin pecking at it frantically.

{sound f/x kon: small tapping noises on the window}

Inside of the greenhouse, a cute young girl sits feeding peas to small birds as kittens gather around her.

Girl: Today he's making green pea soup for me, so don't eat them all.

A tiny kitten, half covered in bandages, come up to the girl.

{sound f/x myaa: meow}

Girl: Morning! I'm glad you're feeling better!

{sound f/x pito: the girl gently touching her forehead to the kitten's}

Girl: We don't have to worry anymore, do we. I can't feel the "pain" and "loneliness" I felt when I found you.

{sound f/x kon: birds tapping on the glass}

Girl: [looking up] Morning! Wait, I'm opening it up now.

The girl pulls a cord that opens the window on top of the greenhouse. The birds come flying in and begin circling the girl.

{sound f/x basabasa: the birds flapping their wings frantically}

Girl: Wh... whaat? What happened!? Huh!? Who!? Who's... here?

The birds fly back out the window. The girl follows them down to the beach.

{sound f/x rin: jingling of bells on the girl's hat}

{sound f/x pasha: splash of the girl's footsteps}

Half propped on the rocks, a dark haired figure in bloodied Ashurum uniform lies unconscious. By quick process of elimination, it's obviously Kai.

Girl: What awful injuries~!!

The girl drops onto her knees before Kai.

{sound f/s pasha: splash of water as the girl drops down}

Girl: We've got to get you help, fast!!

{sound f/x gyuu: the girl grabbing Kai's arm}

The girl pulls on Kai's limp arm as hard as she can. He doesn't budge.

Girl: (Mm~~~...) (MM——~)

{sound f/x tsuru: the girl slipping}

The girl finally slips, sending both her and Kai back into the water.

{sound f/x bashan: loud splash}

{sound f/x goki: Kai hitting something hard}

{sound f/x jua: blood leaking out into the seawater}

{sound f/x saa: wind blowing through}

Girl: (Just now... he made a funny noise...) I'm so sorry!!

{sound f/x rinrin: the bells on the girl's hat tinkling}

Girl: I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry~!! (I didn't mean to~)

{sound f/x chichi: birds chirping}

Girl: I'm going to go get someone!! If I don't hurry, you're really going to die!! Ow~!?

The girl looks down in shock to where Kai's hard grips her own arm tightly.

Girl: It hurts——! ......!! L...... Let me go... What power... ——huh? I can feel it——...

{sound f/x rin: the tinkling of the girl's hat}

{sound f/x pota: the girl's tears dropping onto Kai's face}

Girl: You're seeing... some sort of sad dream...?

Kai's eyes open slightly as the girl's tears continue to drop onto his cheek. He sees the girl's outline before succumbing to darkness again.

Kai: Who's...that...?

{sound f/x kashan: crash of dishes cracking on the floor}

Kai's dream. A young Kai lies on the ground, having been thrown into a cupboard.

{sound f/x kehogeho: young Kai coughing}

Uniformed men, covered from head to toe in protective gear, are gathered in young Kai's house.

Young Kai: Hey you! Don't get near Hikaru!!

Young Hikaru: KYAA~!!

Lying in bed, a young Hikaru cries as the men inject something into her neck.

{sound f/x pashu: someone injecting Hikaru}

Young Hikaru: KYAAAA!! No...

{sound f/x on: soft roar of energy gathering}

Young Kai tries to look beyond the men to where his sister lies in bed. Energy can be seen gathering around her.

Young Kai: !?

Young Kai watches in shock as young Hikaru erupts in light. The men closest to her are flung backwards, before dissolving beneath their gear. The men holding onto Kai simply watch the proceedings.

Young Hikaru: (NOOOOOO)

{sound f/x ka: Hikaru lighting up}

{sound f/x do: gear exploding}

{sound f/x buaaa: hiss of one of the men melting away}

{sound f/x dosa: the man's gear falling to the floor}

Man: (——)

{sound f/x zawa: rustling of action amongst the remaining men}

Man: (——)

Young Kai: Hika...ru...?

Young Hikaru: Help me, Oniichan!!

Young Kai: HIKARU~!!

In the dream, young Kai burst forward from the uniformed men. In real life, Kai burst up so he's sitting up in bed.

Kai: HIKARU~!!

{sound f/x gaba: Kai grabbing his chest as he's shocked out of dream}

Kai finds himself in a bed in the middle of a greenhouse. Sunlight streams through the windows and birds fly around. He's bandaged from head to toe, it seems, and covered in a robe.

Kai: [panting hard] ......Where am I? [doubling over] ~...ow...

{sound f/x zuki: sharp pain hitting Kai}

Kai: [staring at his bandaged arms] Someone... treated me?

Kai suddenly snaps his head up. At a table close by, Yuuki and another shadowed figure sit in chairs watching Kai.

{sound f/x musu: Yuuki steaming to himself}

Yuuki: ...did you wake up?

Kai: Yeah... It's that guy from

Kai flashes back to when he first saw Yuuki, saving him from the falling building. He suddenly looks shocked. Yuuki now stands before Kai, gun in one hand and small stick in the other.

Yuuki: Kai Kudou. We confirmed your identity from the crid stick we found in your uniform. We've got a bunch of urgent things we want to ask you.

Kai glares back at Yuuki. Yuuki kicks the other figure under the table and begins whispering furiously.

Yuuki: Oi! Doctor Yabu!!

{sound f/x gan: Yuuki kicking the doctor in the knee}

Yuuki: He really can't attack us, right!?

{sound f/x dokidoki: Yuuki's heart pounding wildly}

Yuuki: I mean, you've really been boozing it up today!

Yabu: [holding up a bottle] Yuuki, isn't this stuff watered down?

{sound f/x gi: Yuuki whipping around to glare at Yabu}

Yuuki: (Your life's at stake, you know!) Get serious!! This's really important!!

Yabu: ......... Don't worry. He's lost quite a lot of blood. And until he reaches the numbers to use his power, his Psy index won't go up.

Yuuki: ............ You know a lot about this.

Yabu: .........

Yuuki: [turning his attention back to Kai] What are you guys? Why did you kill people and destroy the city?

Kai: That's not it!! We were just sent to protect people with powers that are illegally not registered and gain control of the Guerrilla base! We didn't come to kill...

Yuuki: Get real. Not just criminals, but one third of Gard's harmless, poor citizens vanished with them. They weren't just blown off by the explosions that sunk the city, they literally disappeared, they vanished. That day 10,000 people died.

Kai: The city... and 10,000 people vanished———...

Kai looks at Yuuki in shock and begins to again to remember the past. In the south warehouse district, he again fights with Shen-Long.

Shen-Long: Don't get in the way!! Kai!!

Shen-Long throws bolts of energy at Kai. Kai slowly begins to gather his own power.

{sound f/x fuoo: power gathering in Kai's hand}

{sound f/x riri: Kai's power spreading out}

{sound f/x ria: the roar of Kai's power}

Shen-Long: ! He's counter attacking!? Kai is!?

{sound f/x ta: Kai dashing forward}

{sound f/x gyuaa: Kai's energy quickly flinging forward}

{sound f/x kiii: high pitched squeal of Kai's power}

Shen-Long quickly makes a shield around himself, but Kai's power begins to cut through and hit his shoulder.

{sound f/x do: impact of Kai's energy hitting Shen-Long's shield}

{sound f/x bi: energy whipping though Shen-Long's shoulder}

Shen-Long: Dam~...!!

{sound f/x doga: giant explosion}

{sound f/x dan: Kai hitting the ground}

{sound f/x suu: Kai slowly powering down}

{sound f/x fura: Kai drifting slightly above the ground}

Kai: [gasp gasp]

{sound f/x ooo: wind howling through warehouse}

{sound f/x su: smoke slowly clearing}

In the cleared warehouse, Shen-Long stands smirking at Kai.

Shen-Long: Hmph... You finally see how to use real power. That's great, Kai... It's miserable being helpless. I'll teach you that. [For those who may not notice, this is identical to the end of part 5.]

{sound f/x kyuaa: Kai whipping his energy forward again}

{sound f/x doo: blast of Kai's power}

Shen-Long: (Hmph)

{sound f/x gagaga: Shen-Long absorbing Kai's power}

{sound f/x shuu: Kai's energy blast disappearing}

Kai looks at Shen-Long in shock.

Shen-Long: This is reeally different from those times in training when you couldn't do it and just said stuff like, "I don't want to hurt anyone with my power." [chuckling] (But that's how it is.) Sorry, Kai. Until now I've been treating you like you've got no power... But you're a talented killer, if you can do this much.

Kai suddenly remembers the civilian mother he accidentally killed.

Kai: Ah... That's right... With my power I've——... killed...

{sound f/x gata: Kai trembling in shock}

Voice: Y~... you......!

{sound f/x ka: footstep}

Kai and Shen-Long whip around to where one of the guerrillas stands over Shin-Lu's body with a large knife.

Guerrilla: Get out of here now!! You monsters!! If you don't disappear soon, I'll kill this... I'll kill your friend!!

Kai: Stop~!! If you do something like that...

Shen-Long merely seethes at the guerrilla.

Shen-Long: Don't get near Shin-Lu... Do you understand? Kai. This is what humans are like. Is there anything wrong with killing guys like them?

Kai: Shen-Long...

Shen-Long: You're someone with special powers like us. They're different. But still, don't we go on living while being scorned by them?

{sound f/x voan: Shen-Long's power gathering}

Shen-Long: With their pity?

Kai: Wh..at are you going to do... Stop, Shen-Long...

{sound f/x zuaaa: rustling of Shen-Long's power}

Shen-Long: We live in secret while being treated like monsters...

Kai: SHEN-LONG~!!

Shen-Long: What a joke.

Guerrilla: You two! What're you whispering about! Draw back and fast! If you don't———

Kai: Don't you understand that doing that sort of thing is useless!? If you don't want to die, hurry and run away~!!

Guerrilla: Monsters like you... can shut up!!

{sound f/x gui: the guerrilla grabbing Shin-Lu's uniform}

Shen-Long: DON'T TOUCH SHIN-LUUUUUU!!

The guerrilla's arm suddenly breaks off below the elbow.

{sound f/x juu: the arm dissolving into nothing}

{sound f/x bashu: a blast exploding around the guerrilla}

Guerrilla: WAAAAA~

Shen-Long's power engulfs the guerrilla as Shin-Lu's limp body floats into his arms.

{sound f/x fuku: Shin-Lu floating}

Shen-Long: ...Kai. If I kill you, Shin-Lu will cry, but...

{sound f/x byuoaa: Shen-Long's power swirling around him}

Kai: SHEN-LONG~...

{sound f/x go: sudden menacing atmosphere}

Shen-Long: This's bye bye.

Shen-Long smiles calmly at Kai. The warehouse breaks up, and then Gard explodes. Back in the present, Yuuki and Yabu continue to sit with Kai.

Yabu: The surrounding area that was vaporized doesn't look like it's been contaminated but it's the nucleus, so it can't be helped.

{sound f/x tokutoku: glug glug of Yabu pouring himself a drink}

Yabu: They're a useful weapon... "E'S" are.

Yuuki: "E'S"——?

Kai looks at his bandaged hand sadly. Yuuki turns his attention to the other boy.

Yuuki: Do you feel like you've committed a crime like the others?

{sound f/x gishi: creaking of the bed}

Kai: ...I'm......

{sound f/x kachi: Yuuki cocking his gun}

Kai: "human——" ...... ......human...?

Kai begins to lose himself in memory again.

Civilian Mother: Monster!!

Kai: Can I really call myself human?

Shen-Long: You're someone with special powers like us. They're different.

Kai: I'm...

Guerrilla: Monsters like you...

Kai begins trembling as tears well up in his eyes.

Kai: I can surely... kill people indifferently now. ...That gives me no right to call myself human.

{sound f/x zuzu: Kai slipping to the floor}

Kai slides to the ground from the bed. Yuuki continues to warily point his gun at the other boy. The door to the greenhouse suddenly flies open.

{sound f/x kara: the bell on the greenhouse door ringing wildly}

Voice: YUUKI-CHAN!!

{sound f/x gyo: Yuuki spinning around in shock}

Voice: The soup pot's just being awful~!! Can I turn off the burner!? But~...!

{sound f/x shishi: shoo shoo-ing motions}

Yuuki desperately tries to shoo the newcomer out of the greenhouse.

Yuuki: Idiot, didn't I tell you not to come in here!!

Voice: KYAA~!! Yuuki-chan, why're you holding a gun!? (And Sensei, too, I told you no drinking~) [Sensei is a term that, among other things, can refer to medical doctors.]

A belled hat comes flying into the room.

Voice: How mean!! You shouldn't point a dangerous thing like that at other people!!

{sound f/x da: the newcomer dashing forward}

{sound f/x chiri: the bells on the hat chiming wildly}

Yuuki: Ah! Oi!!

{sound f/x kan: footsteps}

A ladle is heaved at Yuuki's head. Panting on the ground, Kai can only stare in shock as the girl from earlier suddenly leans forward and touches her forehead to his.

Girl: Are you okay? You're not scared anymore?

{sound f/x pi: the girl gently touching her head to Kai's}

{sound f/x niko: the girl's bright smile}

Girl: I'm Asuka. Nice to meet you!

Kai: [backing away in shock] Ah... Ah ni nice to meet you.

{sound f/x bosu: Kai's head bumping the bed as he backs away}

{sound f/x gupi: Yabu gulping down his drink}

Yuuki sweatdrops, ladle in one hand and gun in the other.

Yuuki: ......

Part 5 | Part 6

Manga belongs to Yuiga Satoru, G Fantasy Comics, and Enix, taken from the E'S, Volume 1 manga, ISBN4-87025-596-0. Not like the story makes sense if you haven't read the manga anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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