Intermission
In the old days…
…people lived off the fruit of the land.
The seasonal produce was grown where they were born and raised.
Fruit of the land?
Be it watermelons or tomatoes…
…they are only at their best for maybe a day.
Only one day?
There’s nothing like freshly picked fruit.
I’d love to try that.
But the crows know about this as well.
They come when the fruit is at its ripest.
As for which one takes it sooner…
…it’s up to whether the humans or birds are wiser.
But how do the birds know…
…when it’s best to eat watermelon?
Who knows?
Maybe they’re looking for a change in color…
…or maybe they can smell it.
Whatever the case…
…both the birds and watermelons…
…live on the same land at the same time…
…so perhaps the birds instinctively know.
At the same time…
The here and now…?
The here and now, which includes all of the past and the future.
The past and the future?
Even in the smallest of rice grains…
…a great deal of time is invested.
The rice stalk that produced the grain…
…and the time in which its predecessors lived…
…and its predecessors…
…the insects, grass…
…soil, rain, and wind…
…all spending time, basking in the light of the sun.
The time flows…
…and I come into existence.
Now, look at these green stalks.
Huh?
The grains that will become rice are there…
…way at the bottom, slowly taking form one at a time…
Such a small speck…
…within the leaves.
Everything comes to life from that state which is unseen.
It’s the same with human beings like yourself.
From way before you were born…
…when you were still inside your mother’s womb…
…the eggs that become the next generation…
…were already within your own body.
From before I was born…
Episode 9: Before Birth
Reporting.
After analyzing data from the monitoring stations worldwide…
…as well as S.E.E.D.’s data…
…it is clear that there is a definite organic connection…
…between the abnormality in Earth’s magnetic field…
…the unusual mantle convection…
…and the Van Allen Belt microseismic phenomenon.
You’re not saying it’s a pole shift?
Are you saying Earth’s poles are moving?
All the data seems to point in that direction.
But if a pole shift is happening…
…not only will that be the end of civilization…
…but it’ll also mean human extinction.
Can we trust that data?
Is it going to happen in time, Chris?
The true awakening of the TI-2?
TI-2, Juna Ariyoshi…
…is in a state of great uncertainty with respect to her TI abilities.
In other words…
…the period of birthing pains.
However, I will surely lead her to an awakening….
…even if it costs my own life.
Earth Maiden Arjuna
She decides what you should eat and what you shouldn’t eat.
She doesn’t know how the food feels.
H-Hey…!
What?
What are you trying to pull?
You better not push yourself too much and have another attack.
I’m fine with just this grapefruit juice.
Just when Juna finally agreed to eat regular food…
Sorry, sorry.
I just feel kind of sick.
My head feels like it’s going to explode.
You sure don’t show me much consideration.
Always coming home in the wee hours.
It’s because you’re so uptight that Dad took off.
Kaine!
You two are both so uptight.
Stop that.
It hurts.
Come on.
I at least switched to Miracle Lights.
No.
I just heard the voice of a small boy say “Stop that. It hurts.”
Stop that!
You’re creeping me out.
“It hurts…”
Like a voice coming from inside you.
Thanks.
I managed to make it on time.
Ah, it’s nothing.
Here.
Here’s your lunch box.
I don’t know how well it turned out, but…
…I did include your favorite fried chicken.
Wow.
You sure are considerate.
Well, I’ve got to go.
Right.
Juna!
I wonder what a high school girl would be lamenting about…
…in the middle of the day.
What do you want?!
Did something happen again?!
Maybe you got dumped by your man because you’re always so edgy.
I’m going home!
Are you going to run away?
What is it today?
The Raaja?
Or did something happen to Chris again?
Don’t worry.
I’m just here on my own today.
On your own?
What’s this?!
You saved Chris that time in the basement at S.E.E.D.
I figured I’d at least give you a token of my appreciation.
No matter how dense a girl you may be…
…you might as well have a pretty handkerchief…
…to wipe away the tears from a broken heart.
How rude!
It’s not like things between Tokio and I are definitely over.
Have you ever kissed him?
Uh, of course I have.
Did you slip him the tongue?
Huh?!
Well, uh…
Have you slept with him?
What… all of a sudden?!
I see.
I guess you haven’t yet.
Hey!
Don’t you be reading my mind like that!
Besides…
…I don’t appreciate being talked to like that by some kid!
Well, shall I tell you how that would feel?
Huh?
You’re kidding! At your age?!
I guess if I was dense like you…
…I’d wonder what kind of happy life I could have.
Didn’t I tell you?
I can feel everything that happens to me physically…
…before it actually happens.
Like picking up someone’s thoughts…
…and reading it like a mystery novel…
…only to be told part way who the culprit is.
It’s the pits.
You feel it before it happens.
That woman.
She knew full well that I was already in her womb…
…but she’d go off and sleep with a different man every night.
Why would she do such a thing?
It’s not like she even liked any of them!
She’ll think of things like what clothes to wear the next day…
…or paying back her loan.
She didn’t even know whose child I was!
Why?!
Why do I feel it so much?!
Why is it that it feels so good?!
Don’t tell me you’re…
I knew what it felt like from before I was born.
How could anyone expect that I would grow up normally?
But…
How could a baby in the womb understand anything like that?
If you think it’s all a lie…
…then use the ears of your spirit and listen in.
Imagine that baby.
You should be able to hear it, too.
The voice of those babies’ spirits.
The spirits…
Not yet, not yet, not yet…
…not yet.
I want to stay.
Shima Hospital
Doctor, we have the due date for Mrs. Takeuchi in Room 307.
Given the dilation of the cervix…
…I would say it’ll happen early Saturday morning.
Oh, I see.
For the safety of the mother…
…I think it’s best to deal with it earlier.
I understand.
Then I will administer the labor inducement drug.
Right. I’d appreciate that.
No! No!
Congratulations.
She’s a beautiful little girl.
No.
No, no, no, no.
– No! – 3160 grams.
Now, let’s clean you up a bit.
Mom, Mom, Mom.
Hold me.
Hold me, hold me.
Earth Maiden Arjuna
Hey, did you know…
…that babies don’t cry much when they’re born?
Huh?
They don’t cry?
That’s right.
When babies are born through natural delivery…
…they’ll let out one gasp in order to clear the windpipe…
…but won’t cry if they’re feeling secure.
But that baby back there was crying a lot.
They get pulled out from the warm womb…
…dragged out under the bright lights…
…and get separated from their mothers right away.
Then, why do they?
It’s just the way it is.
It’s a common belief that a loud cry…
…at birth is proof that the baby’s in good health.
Besides…
…a lot of babies wouldn’t have been born…
…if hospitals didn’t exist, after all.
Well, modern people just aren’t capable of hearing…
…the voices of the babies’ feelings.
But…
…I heard the voice of that baby before.
No, no, no.
128,000 yen!
How can I come up with that kind of money?
Kaine?
Which means…!
No, no, no.
What are you going to do?
Your silly sister.
The baby inside of her is calling.
Mom, mom, mom.
You can hear it, too, can’t you?!
Juna!
What are you doing here?!
Don’t…
…don’t you get an abortion!
The baby within you is calling out “Mom! Mom!”
Wh-What are you talking about?!
What a fool. No tact at all.
I don’t need to have a kid like you talk to me like that!
Uh, but…
I don’t know who you heard it from…
…but how can you expect me to have the child…
…of a guy I don’t even love?!
You don’t even love him?
Just leave me alone!
Thanks for waiting.
Hey, Tokio…
…you want to go see Hirotsugu Mochida in concert next time?
Or maybe you’d like Kana Yumeno instead?
At the hospital…
You heard it as well, right?
The feelings of a baby before she’s born.
Before she’s born?
Of course…
…a baby doesn’t use words to explain how she feels.
We’re just able to translate that baby’s feelings into words.
But didn’t you hear it like this?
Not yet.
That’s right.
She wanted to stay longer.
Why do you think?
I don’t know.
How am I supposed to know?
You know…
…babies can decide for themselves…
…when they want to be born into this world.
No way.
Can babies really do that?
A baby can feel everything in the little ocean that is the womb.
Whether it be the mother’s voice, or heart beat.
What she’s eating, or what she’s drinking.
Whether she’s laughing or whether she’s sad.
A baby can also feel the tides and the phases of the moon.
And then it decides it wants to be born.
It sends a message with its heart and with its hormones.
Why is it that the mother can’t feel that?
Why can’t the mother understand what the baby is feeling?
Chris said…
…that everyone does feel it.
But the clutter of words and knowledge interferes…
…and they’re not able to hear it.
No…
Chris’ mother and father…
…were both archaeologists.
Chris’ parents?
While they were exploring the world…
…digging up sites and decoding ancient scripts and such…
…they realized that the ancient people…
…were far more aware of things than we are.
They realized that those people felt the spirits…
…of plants and animals, water…
…wind, and even rocks, and of course the baby in the womb.
It was then that Chris’ mother…
…while she was living on a small island in the South Pacific…
…heard Chris’ words before he was born from within her womb.
Chris’ words?
What’d he say?
To the sea.
To the sea…
Cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un…
…now!
Happy birthday.
When people are born into this world…
That’s why Chris is so gentle.
He understands what true love is.
Hey, do you really like that guy?
Uh, well…
…sure I do…
Probably…
Then why haven’t you gone past kissing?
Uh, well…
Oh, boy.
You sure are a true Japanese.
You shouldn’t have to worry too much about size.
But, well…
…Tokio likes big breasts, and…
…well, I’ve never done it.
I wouldn’t like it if it hurt…
…and, besides, what if I get pregnant at my age?
But, I was once ready to do it.
If back then…
…I didn’t run into that Raaja…
…and if I hadn’t met you…
…Tokio wouldn’t be…
…so turned off by me…
Boy, you sure are dense.
What’d you want?!
Why don’t you go and find out for sure?
How he really feels about you.
Not with words…
…but with your heart.
I really enjoyed myself today.
Well, good luck.
– Um… – Huh?
Oh, excuse me!
Hey, Oshima…
…how about some karaoke tonight?
There’s a really good place near Toa Road.
Huh…
Come on.
All you have to say is “Huh… Huh…”
Huh…
Oh, nevermind.
I was ready for a long-running battle.
See you later.
Huh?
Uh, hey!
Wait!
Sayuri!
Tokio…
Juna…
Let’s go to the sea.
Huh?
Not this one.
But the real sea.
Uh, um…
Nothing happened between me and Sayuri.
Last night, we just went to karaoke until midnight…
I can feel it now…
The sea that lies within me.
The sea, huh?
Don’t come!
I won’t make good company now!
I’m looking my worst right now!
I didn’t want you to be taken away.
I didn’t want her feelings to shift toward you anymore!
You can cry, you know.
That’s what a human does.
Why?
Why are you so kind, Chris?
Why?
I’m sorry, I…
…I’m sorry, at such a crucial moment.
I…
It’s more than enough.
Your feelings are more than enough.
I’m so sorry.
Mom…
Earth Maiden Arjuna
I set my sights far away Tooku naru yubisaki megakete
Over and over, I call out your name Nandomo nandomo namae yobu
Beyond time and the heavens Toki wo sora wo koete anata wo
I want to say I’m protecting you Mamotteiru to tsutaetai no
Even the cool air Hiyayaka na kuuki mo
Has penetrated deep in my heart Mune no oku yadotta
It won’t steal the warmth Netsu wa ubaenai tatoe ima wa mada
How fleeting my love still is Chisakute hakanai ai deshika nakutemo
I aim my sights far away Tooku naru yubisaki megakete
Over and over, I call out your name Nandomo nandomo namae yobu
Beyond time and the heavens Toki wo sora wo koete anata wo
I want to say I’m protecting you Mamotteiru to tsutaetai no
You should go home, Tokio.
Is some monster going to come after this place?
So, am I in the way then?
Hey, you want to come to my place tonight?
Genetic engineering…?
You must’ve loved him.
Sometimes loving someone doesn’t make any difference.
Modern civilization is a pile of garbage.
So, I’m in the way.
It’s begun.
Begun?
You’re wrong, Tokio.
Will you not understand until the world is destroyed?
Episode 10: The Flickering Genes