PQ Angels - Chapter 2 As appeared in Nakayoshi, October 1997. Written by Takeuchi Naoko. Translated by Alex Glover. Version 1.02, 10.97. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "P!" "Yes!" "Q!" "Yes!" "Now begin the last selection, the jungle phase. Turn on! Boot up! Jack in!" A giant insect with six legs and sharp pincers appears, and charges toward them. Peanut jumps into the air above it, and slices through it with a sword. "She's fast!" thinks Kyuuri. The insect vanishes. "Where is it?" says Peanut. "The map!" Kyuuri projects a map with the bracelet on her wrist. She points ahead. "Bearing 188, angle of fire 1961! I'll cover you!" Peanut runs ahead. "This is easy!" she thinks. They attack with blasts of energy. "She's strong!" thinks Kyuuri. "We're good together!" They continue attacking. "Say," Kyuuri says. "Why don't we stay partners for a while." "Wow!" says Peanut. "I was just thinking that!" They attack the giant monster as it looms over them. It vanishes. Blackness surrounds them. An alien figure appears, with a large head and eyes, and no hair. A star shape adorns its forehead. The two girls snap to attention, standing straight and saluting. "At ease," the figure says. They stand with arms akimbo, and legs shoulder-width apart. "This ends the selection," he says. "Congratulations, P and Q! You have passed with the best record in the past. You are hereby appointed to the ranks of Her Royal Highness the Queen's strongest bodyguards, the Orc Halberd Oniwaban." ['Oniwaban' means 'inner guardian'.] He presents them both with small carved fish figures. "These golden dolphins are the sign of the Orc Halberd Oniwaban." [The word used for 'golden dolphins' and 'orc' is 'shachibone', which is a mythical dolphin-like fish. It does not really translate to English. This legendary fish is said to watch over and protect certain Japanese cities.] "Wow!" says Peanut. "Thank you, General," they both say. "We will succeed!" "Now I will take you across to the castle, and introduce you to Her Majesty. Then you will be given your instructions." The figure raises his arm, and the three are transported. They appear at the bottom of a long set of steps, leading to a castle sitting before a huge mountain. "That's Fujiyama Castle, where Her Royal Highness the Queen resides," says Kyuuri. She grimaces. "G- General... Isn't there some other way to reach Her Majesty without climbing all these stone steps?" Peanut bounds up the steps ahead of them. "Passions are eliminated by climbing up these 108 steps," says the general. "Her Majesty will only meet with those enlightened enough to reach her." "Hurry up!" Peanut calls. "I don't believe her," says Kyuuri. "Such stamina." "Yes, she is something," says the general. They see a dragon flying through the air. "Oh!" says Peanut. "Yamato!" "Yamato?" says Kyuuri. "Yoohoo!" Peanut calls out to it. "Ah, that is the roaring dragon Yamato, lovingly cared for by Her Majesty," the general says. "When you clap your hands, it calls out with its beautiful voice like the ringing of a bell. P, how do you know Yamato? By chance, have you come here before?" "Yes!" says Peanut. "I've come often to show the Queen TV and manga. But I haven't been here since I started training." "Hmph," thinks Kyuuri. "It has been well taken care of." "Yamato's voice is somehow different than normal," Peanut says. "I wonder what's wrong." A small cat sleeps at the top of the steps. Peanut bends down to pet it. "The sleeping kitty," she says. "Whenever I come here, you're always just sleeping." "This is the gatekeeper," says the general. "Touch it softly." "Okay." The three enter the castle, and kneel in the throne room. "Your Royal Highness, Queen Anko," says the general. "I am Paichuu. Behind me are P and Q, who have been honored with the duty of the Orc Halberd Oniwaban. Please bestow your voice upon us." Peanut looks up at the curtain draped down before them. She sees a shadow behind it. "Your Majesty?" she says. She jumps up and runs forward, throwing the curtain aside. "Queen!?" "P!?" says Kyuuri. They see a figure wrapped in a cloth. "Queen!!" Peanut says. "Hold on! What's..." She pulls off the cloth, and sees a girl with a large white head and no hair. "That's the clay figure shrine maiden, Honey!" says the general. "Just what are you doing here!?" "G- General!" says the girl. "The Queen is gone! I searched through the shrine, through all of Fujiyama Castle, but she isn't anywhere! The Queen has disappeared!!" "What!?" "Damnit!" says the general. "Her Royal Highness has--!?" "Why has she disappeared!?" says Peanut. "Where has she disappeared to!?" says Kyuuri. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peanut and Kyuuri jump up. "Queen Anko-sama!!" They look at the sun shining through the window of their house. "Wh- What...??" They sit back on the floor, confused. "What was that..." says Kyuuri. "Were our memories playing back? Could this be what they call a 'dream'?" She picks up a disk labeled "History of Japan." "I fell asleep listening to a study disk," she says. "Peanut, are you awake? Have you got the history of Japan in your head?" "History of Japan," says Peanut. "What part? The mammoths!" Her mouth waters. "That meat looked so good! And then... The country of Yamatai and the Edo period! I liked the Heian period." "Then the fireworks display, and the sold-out train, and the pachinko parlor, and the manga artist's fighting scene... It was amazing." "After that..." says Peanut. "After that, there was a huge number of wars. It was scary. So many people dying..." "Yeah..." says Kyuuri. "I know. War is terrible." They lean their heads together. "How about I show you something nice?" Kyuuri says. They go up to the roof of the house. The two golden dolphin statues sit at either side. "Oh!" says Peanut. "Our golden dolphins!" "I put them up," says Kyuuri. "They'll protect us and the house. How about it? Just like our own castle. Does that cheer you up?" Peanut smiles. "Of course!" "Well, I'll show you one more thing to enliven you. Since summer is really over already, we can't see them anymore. But for you, it's special." A burst of light appears in the sky. "A fireworks display!?" says Peanut. "All right!" Another firework goes off with a boom. The light shines down on the Hagemashi residence. Ouji jumps out of bed as he hears the noise. He runs to the window. Peanut smiles at him as she floats above the roof, her skirt blowing up in the wind. "Good morning, Hagemashi!" "F- Fireworks...??" he mumbles. He holds his alarm clock, which buzzes as it strikes six. Kyuuri floats out of the window of their house, leaning backward, with her skirt hanging away from her body. "Peanut..." she says. "Come on down from there and take a shower. I'll make breakfast." "Okay!" Ouji turns away from the window. "Those two... Why are they shooting off fireworks at six in the morning?? Am I hallucinating?? And they were floating again. I saw it! And I saw their panties too..." He takes a bottle of water from the fridge and drinks from it. "Now calm down," he thinks. "Kyuuri-chaaan!" Peanut calls. "I took a shower!" "Peanut!" says Kyuuri. "Put on some underwear!" The water sprays from Ouji's mouth. "You two!" he thinks. "The whole neighborhood can hear you!" The loud space aliens (?) who moved in next door are always appealing by being so friendly (?). But what planet are they from, and for what purpose have they come to this one?? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peanut runs out of the house in a sailor uniform. Good morning! My code name is P, and my nicknames are Peanut and Plum. Finally I have a chance to introduce myself to you all. She hugs Kyuuri. This is the partner I rely on. Her code name is Q, and she's Kyuuri or Quiche. For our first duty as Orc Halberd Oniwaban, we came to this world. We're Fuiren. The nickname for Fuiren is cockroa-- "Peanut," Kyuuri says. "Come on, who are you talking to?" They start walking. "Starting today, we are going to school in Protective Color Mode. Protect the Three Fuiren Principles! Don't involve humans more than is necessary! Don't reveal information! Protect these." [I'm not sure about that last sentence. It could either mean "Protect the aforementioned principles," or "Protect the other principle as well" (without mentioning it).] "Understood!" says Peanut. "And next..." Kyuuri transforms into a cockroach. She flies into the air, and lands on a man's lips. She changes back into human form, as the man runs away screaming. "It seems we should be discreet in this world about changing into Fuiren form. In this period, Fuiren are the vermin most hated by humans. We should be careful. Next, self-introduction. Report!" "Yes! I am Peanut, Plum! No, that's wrong... Starting today, I am Rakkasei Piiko. I am 14 years old, and am in 7th grade at Koganemushi Private Academy. My birthday is March 3rd, and my blood is type O!" "And I am Nigauri Kyuuko-chan. I am also 14, and am in 7th grade at Koganemushi Private Academy. My birthday is December 12th, and my blood is type AB." ['Rakkasei' means 'peanut', and 'Nigauri' means 'cucumber'.] They see Ouji on the walkway ahead of them. "Oh!" says Peanut. She walks up behind him and slaps him on the back. "Hagemashi! Are you going to school now too!?" "That's right," he says, turning away. "Wh- Why is she eyeing my mouth?" he thinks. "She's so noisy. At least I'll have some peace while I'm at school." "Hagemashi," thinks Peanut. "He's the first human we came in contact with after coming to this world. But even after calling out to him, he has hardly talked to us at all." "For somebody named 'Hagemashi,'" says Kyuuri, "he's a rather gloomy guy." [One meaning of 'Hagemashi' is 'cheer,' although it uses different kanji than Ouji's name.] "Communication with humans sure is difficult." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The two girls stand at the front of the room, in class 2-2 at Koganemushi Academy. "...and so please, call me Piiko!" says Peanut. "I like that name!" Kyuuri bows. "Unworthy though I am, I request the honor of your guidance along with Piiko." Ouji looks up from his desk. "Oh!" says Peanut. "No way! Hagemashi! We're in the same class!" He grimaces. "They act weird!" says one student. "And they have weird names," says another. "I wonder where they came from." "Were they students abroad?" "Wow, they have orange and green hair!" "I'm Sakurada Akina," says the teacher. "I teach classical literature. Be sure to purchase your textbooks and gym suits." ['Aki' means 'autumn,' as 'Haru' means 'spring' and 'Natsu' means 'summer.'] The students gather around the two girls. "What? You live together?" "Roommates, wow!" "They're cousins!" "Where are you from?" "Hawaii!" says Peanut. "Wow!" "Girls are powerful," says a boy. "It's amazing, all the questions they're asking. So, Hagemashi, are those two friends of yours?" "They are not friends!" Ouji says. "Piiko-chan," says a girl. "Do you know Hagemashi?" "We're his neighbors!" says Peanut. "So we plan to get to know him real well." "Say," says Kyuuri. "What kind of guy is Hagemashi?" "He's nice," says the girl. "What?" says another. "He looks kinda scary. He hardly ever talks at all." "He's a bit nerdy, and quiet," says another girl. "He's not like an 'Ouji' at all." [The word 'Ouji' means 'prince.'] "Ouji?" "His name is Hagemashi Ouji." "Hagemashi Ouji..." says Peanut. She stares out the window of the classroom, and sees Ouji in the garden. He looks at the flowers. "Oh, they're wilting," he says. "It's still so hot out." He turns on the hose to water them. "But hey, look. Hagemashi normally does that sort of thing. He's a sweet guy." "Oh yeah. Our class's flower garden is always more full of life than the other classes'." "It must be because Hagemashi cheers them up." Peanut stares at him. "Again," she thinks. "The top of his head is shining. It was like that when we first met, too. Something is glittering. The spray of the water must be reflecting the sunlight. So his name is Ouji..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The school bell rings. "Hagemashi Ouji-sama," says Kyuuri. Ouji turns around. "He was stopped by Peanut that day," she thinks. "It's mine," Peanut said. "I'll get him to return it myself. Leave it to me!" "I can't leave it to her," Kyuuri thinks. "I'd be worried." She smiles. "You found a pendant at the airport, did you not?" she says. "Would you be so kind as to return it?" He looks at her. "Ack!" she thinks. "I can't deal with him after all! Oh no, has he found out our identities and now he's going to blackmail us!? When there was a crisis and we metamorphosed..." "Sorry," he says. "Is that all? I'll look around for it, and return it tomorrow." Kyuuri grimaces. "Is this guy blood type O?" "But there is one thing want I ask," says Ouji. "You two aren't human, are you? What planet are you from?" Kyuuri's eyes widen. All the students stop and look at them. A boy holding a drink spits his water out at Ouji, as he and the whole class burst out laughing. "Hagemashi, you're so cute," says a girl. "Right to her face, oh man..." "That shocked me," thinks Peanut. "Ugh, horrible timing," thinks Ouji. "It's not that funny!" says a girl. "Cecile," says one of the girls laughing. "Why are you so mad?" "Because I believe," she says. "In extraterrestrials, and supernatural beings." Ouji looks at her. He turns and walks away. "Hey, what's going on!" says Peanut. "Who was that in the frame on the last page!? We're the heroines!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ouji walks home as the sky darkens. "Jesus... What a day... Now the aliens next door have them all..." He thinks of when the insect landed on his lips. "Why am I remembering that!? Right after that, I got knocked down by her, and..." He stops as he sees two figures in the shadows. They turn and see him, then vanish. "They disappeared!? Those two women, wearing black suits like they were coming home from a party..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And so he'll be returning your ID badge tomorrow, Peanut." "Jeez, I can't believe he forgot!" she says. "Didn't he ever learn that when you find something, you go to the person who lost it, or to the police?" "Once we've got the ID badge back," says Kyuuri, "we'll return for a briefing. We'll get a report and instructions from the general, and then begin action." "Finally, time for our activities as Orc Halberd Oniwaban!" "Would you like more bush clovers or great peaks?" Kyuuri asks. "Yeah, delicious!" "And shall I boil more chestnuts?" "Yeah! I'll have some!" Kyuuri looks at the clock. "Well, I should be getting to the store. Mushrooms should be good for dinner tonight." "I'll go too!" says Peanut. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The two figures in black suits stand outside the house, behind a sign advertising a magic show. They look on the roof. "The golden dolphin!" "The pinecone fish!" "Tempura!" "Fish paste!" "Fenitrothion!" "Fenthion!" "We are members of the Grand Pyrethrum Magician Society!" "Magicians in black! For short, the MIB sisters! It's a magic!" Energy gathers over the roof of the house. "The golden dolphins radiate unbelievable force field energy!" "It's a magic!" "And that house also is forming a peculiar magnetic field. We can't get near it!" "It's a magic!" They see the two girls walking down the street. "And those two who left the house as well." "Surely, it's a magic!" Peanut and Kyuuri spin around. The two magicians hide behind the advertisement sign. They look at each other and join hands. "Kyuuko-chan, could these be the same guys as before?" "I don't know why, but they're after us." "Let's make ourselves clear. P!" "Q!" "Warning Color Mode Call!!" The insect emblems on their arms glow. "Fuiren Aura!! Metamorphose!!" "If we don't dispose of them quickly, we may not be able to get dinner, P!" "What!? This is a crisis!!" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original manga copyright © 1997 Takeuchi Naoko. English translation copyright © 1997 Alex Glover. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Manga of Takeuchi Naoko | PQ Angels