Chapter Sixteen -- To Be Or Not To Be
Chapter Sixteen -- To Be Or Not To Be The police on the mainland had been notified and had arrived on the island three hours later in a sleek and powerful catamaran. They proceeded to take statements from everybody: the family, the children's...
Chapter Fifteen -- The Candyman Can
Chapter Fifteen -- The Candyman Can The sound of a door and of footsteps approaching brought Aiko out of her drug-induced doze. She opened her eyes, thinking it was the nurse again. But instead a face she would never have expected came into focus...
Chapters Fourteen -- Paradise Lost
Chapter Fourteen -- Paradise Lost Aiko had been awake since dawn and was relaxing with a second cup of tea in the sun-filled kitchen when the children began to wake and come downstairs for their breakfast. Benjiro was the first to emerge: he...
Chapter Thirteen -- Old Friends
Chapter Thirteen -- Old Friends The Expo was a huge affair, drawing visitors not only from Japan, but overseas as well. The stalls ranged from simple canvass-roofed structures, barely large enough to show off one display, to huge prefabricated...
Chapter Ten -- Three's A Crowd
Chapter Ten -- Three's A Crowd "Sakaki, this is nice of you, but Miyatsu and I would really rather just go home." "Nonsense! I went to a lot of trouble arranging this party at short notice." Sakaki gazed about the room with satisfaction....
Chapter Nine -- Jealousy, The Green-Eyed Monster
Chapter Nine -- Envy, The Green-Eyed Monster The Circuit Hotel was a pleasant surprise after the depressing greyness of the hospital. It catered to wealthy GMA owners, and as such was equipped to deal with every contingency, from exotic diets to...
The Miyatsu File Chapter Eight -- A Fraction Legal
Chapter Eight -- A Fraction Legal Aiko returned from a shopping errand one lunchtime to find a visitor at the house. She took one look at the round, cheery man sitting with her mother and father and flung herself at him, hugging him. "Uncle...
The Miyatsu File Chapter Seven -- On The Circuit
**PART TWO** Chapter Seven -- On the Circuit Aiko stood at the entrance to the stadium. All around her washed the sounds of GMA battle practice, but she felt a curious sense of unreality. The winter wind was chill, she could feel its icy...
The Miyatsu File - Prologue and Chapter One - Bittersweet
Prologue Aiko's father finally gave in to her pleas and agreed to let her see the kittens. "Just remember," he told her as they drove through the Japanese city of Miyatsu to his workplace, "these are genetically-enhanced creatures; they don't...
The Miyatsu File - Chapter Six - Who Your Real Friends Are
Chapter Six -- Who Your Real Friends Are Aiko punched the lift button for her office. As the lift rose, she wrapped her arms about herself with a dreamy smile. For once it was not Suzu who was late in to work, but Aiko didn't care. Her mind was...
The Miyatsu File -- Chapter Four - Love Not Human
Chapter Four -- Love Not Human Aiko relaxed on the grass with her back against a tree trunk. Miyatsu was stretched full-length beside her, his head propped up on both forepaws as he slowly read aloud from a newspaper on the ground in front of him,...
The Miyatsu File - Chapter Three - Biology 101
Chapter Three Biology 101 Afternoons no longer held any fear for Aiko. Gone was the once-familiar depression and crushing sense of loneliness that her receptive psychic ability had previously picked up from Miyatsu. It had been replaced by a...