The countdown clock keeps ticking.

Arashi asks the others what's going on on their screens, and they report that they have an error. Meanwhile, his is still on the "cancel" screen, meaning his terminal is not responding. They decide to try again, but it's no use. The terminal is too far gone.

Ango says they've wasted their time and tells everyone to regroup in the control room with Hotaru.

But Semimaru says it wasn't a waste. At first the ship was scary, but learning about the people on it and their normal lives changed how he felt about them. Ango doesn't get it, but Arashi agrees.

They power down the terminals, which makes Arashi wonder if there's a way to power down the entire ship. Hotaru says she'll look into it. Arashi says since he's already down that way, he'll go into the engine room and try to turn off as much as possible. Semimaru and Natsu decide to join him.

When Natsu turns around, she notices the door frame is covered in bacteria, which hadn't been there when she came in. She steps over it carefully and see the way she came has been entirely eaten up, so she goes the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Ango arrives back in the control room. Hotaru says there's no way they can access the main power, as all that is password-protected. Ango thinks about how he wasn't taught anything about machines and computers and would never have been able to find the codes on his own. He wonders if everything they learned growing up was a waste.

Ryou contacts the control room to say they've had no luck, either. All the exits are blocked by thick metal doors. Botan says they'll have to try and find another way out.

Ango asks Ryou if he thinks everything they learned was a waste, but Ryou doesn't answer. Matsuri notes that Ango sounds down, and says she's feeling kind of down, too, after thinking about delicious curry. She asks Ryou what his favorite type of curry is and he says he doesn't have any likes or dislikes, that as long as it's edible, it's fine with him. She asks if he has any likes and dislikes when it comes to people, specifically if he likes her type. When he asks for clarification, she says, "You know, someone who's spunky and cheerful and petite and cute and has a bit of a natural perm…" He interrupts to ask what a natural perm is and she says curly hair. He says he doesn't hate spunky people with curly hair.
She falls silent and then says, "Oh…oh really…?" He thinks, I meant that in a positive way, and can't seem to understand why she's suddenly down. She thinks he must have been thinking of someone in particular when he answered, and it shocks her more than she expected it to.

Ryou finds a map on the wall showing where they are in the ship. It turns out they're still underwater and can't go any further up. Matsuri notes that the ship is on end and wonders if the missiles will shoot out the tip, which gives Ryou the hint he needs. They might be able to get out through the missile hole. He tells Ango he might know an escape route, but that he's going to confirm it.

He then asks Matsuri if she's still glad she came onto the ship and she says yes without hesitating, thinking that she's much closer to Ryou than she was before. Ryou tells Ango it's all how you think of things, and that if you think something's useless it is. Ango is surprised Ryou would say such a thing and thinks it's unlike him. Ryou says he'll be back in touch.

Meanwhile, Semimaru rushes back into the control room, having been unable to meet up with Arashi due to everything being rusted and eaten up by bacteria. "What are they gonna do, Ango!?" he says. "They can't get up here!"

As for Arashi, he's busy turning off all the switches he can find, though there are many places he can't reach due to the bacteria. Please stop, he thinks over and over as he works. If the missiles fall, it will kill Hana and the other teams and all the plants and animals, and of course Arashi's own group.

Natsu is running through the corridors, the bacteria seeming to chase her. She meets up with Arashi and helps him switch stuff off, telling herself she must be imagining it about the bacteria.

Ango checks out the damage and agrees with Semimaru that the ladders are unusable, but he says they'll find a place where they can pull the others up by rope. Semimaru's amazed that Ango and Ryou are able to make such quick decisions about what to do next, but Ango just says it's only reasonable.

Back to Ryou's group now. He says he saw a ladder going up the wall when they were on the elevator. It turns out to be a maintenance ladder going up along the missile shaft. He says there has to be some sort of exit above for the missiles, and they'll be able to get out that way, too.

As the clock ticks down towards three hours remaining, Ango contacts Arashi, telling him that he and Semimaru can't get down there due to the bacteria. He tells Arashi and Natsu to hurry and find a different way back up. Semimaru asks Natsu if she's okay and she says yes, that she doesn't feel afraid at all. Ango says she should feel afraid, that it's only natural in this situation. He tells her she needs to be more careful so she doesn't make mistakes.

Hotaru contacts them then and tells Arashi and Natsu to head to a nearby shaft, then for Ango and Semimaru to find the same shaft on their level and pull Arashi and Natsu up by rope.

Arashi says he wants to try shutting a few more things off first, and Ango says they're already cutting it too close. Arashi says he'll send Natsu first and they can pull her up, and that he can pull himself up later if they leave the rope down.

However, right then Natsu notices the door is completely eaten up by bacteria. She jumps back in surprise as the bacteria seem to come for her, and knocks into Arashi, who bumps into something and cuts his arm. The bacteria immediately surge up around the drops of blood and the two of them run out of the room.

Arashi says it looked like the bacteria was coming after Natsu, and she says she thought that might be the case, that she felt like they were chasing her for a while. He says she should have said something, but she says she thought maybe she was imagining things, then he asks her if she's hurt and she admits that she's on her period. He apologises for asking, then says he doesn't think the bacteria would attack humans in general, but do come after blood. Natsu wonders if her throwing away that toilet paper earlier is what awakened them. They run for the shaft as Arashi tells Ango they're both coming now, with the bacteria close behind.

Ryou's group has gotten high enough in the shaft to see the exit. Ryou says he'll look outside and see if it looks like they can get out, but Botan says she'll take care of that and that he should join Ango and help Arashi and Natsu instead. Ryou agrees, and as he leaves, Matsuri calls out for him to be careful and that she'll worry about him without her there. He looks back at her fondly, causing her to mentally squee in excitement.

Arashi and Natsu race for the shaft, as do Ango and a flustered Semimaru, who keeps asking "what's going on!?" When they get to the shaft on their level, Ango looks down and thinks the rope might be long enough, but just barely. As Semimaru frets that he's not strong enough to pull them up, Ango yells down to Arashi and Natsu that he's going to pull them both up at once.

Chapter 5

A case of mistaken identity during a break-in at Moichi's hospital leaves Sei shaken and wanting answers. Who is this mysterious Rin and what light can he shed on Sei's past?

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They open door number one to find a single computer console standing in the middle of the room. Ango says he doesn't know anything about computers and orders Arashi to do it. Natsu contacts Hotaru through the intercom, and Hotaru also connects them to Botan's group.

Arashi turns on the computer and a question pops up on the screen: "What is your favorite book?" Arashi and Natsu have no idea where to start, but Botan suggests putting in "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", saying that the captain quoted from it.

Arashi inputs the title and it works, but then there's another box asking for an eight-character code, specifically "the same code as before". Arashi asks Hotaru if she has the instructions to fire the missiles. She does, and she reads them to everyone.

In order to start and stop the self-destruct, one person is needed in each of the four booths. They must each set their own confirmation question and choose an eight-character password. Then all four must simultaneously press and hold the button for three seconds.

Realising that they need to get all the questions and passwords, Ango tells Hotaru to guide them to the captain's room in hopes that he left the code written somewhere.

The captain lies dead in front of the captain's room, and while the others search inside, Natsu looks at him, wondering if he has a note or something in one of his pockets. She doesn't want to have to touch him to get at it, though, as she's scared of the bacteria.

It's then that she notices one hand is oddly free of the bacteria. There's a bracelet on that wrist, silver or platinum, which the bacteria seem to have no interest in. As she looks closer, she sees there are numbers and letters on the bracelet and she realises what that means.

Once they're back in room #1, they input the code from the bracelet, and a pop-up asks if they want to stop the missiles. They press yes and head for room #2.

Since they have no idea who the other people would be other than the captain, Arashi thinks they won't be able to get anywhere with the second question, but when it pops up a picture of a kitten and the question "What is your pet's name?", Natsu recognises the kitten from the photo she picked up. "Mimi-chan!!" she cries.

"Mimi" turns out to be the correct answer, and now they know where to look for the code, in the rooms around where she found the photo.

Natsu says they should split up and Arashi and Ango should check out rooms 3 and 4. She says now that she knows all about the hidden ladders and the intercom and the room numbers, she'll be okay. Ango agrees and says he'll leave room 2 to Natsu. "Natsu," Arashi says, "let's stop those missiles," and then they high-five (which Ango flat-out refuses to participate in).

Meanwhile, Semimaru is tired of doing nothing and volunteers to go to room 3. The question there turns out to be "What is the most popular menu choice for dinner?" At first he thinks there's no way they could ever figure that out, but then they all talk about how much they love curry, and even Ango admits that the Summer A candidates had all loved curry, too. Semimaru inputs "curry" and then says the guy must be a chef, so he's off to check out the kitchen.

Ango and Arashi head down to room #4 only to find that the bacteria are really bad down there. There was a shootout, and the metal from the bullets and blood had attracted the bacteria.

However, the computer still works, and the question it asks is "What sport can't you play on a ship?" It's a multiple choice question and says they're allowed three mistakes before they're out.

Arashi reads out soccer, basketball, bowling and golf, and Semimaru says there was a bowling set and Matsuri says there were golf clubs and soccer and basket and volleyballs, too.

As the others continue to debate what sport it might be, Semimaru explores the kitchen area, finally going into the freezer, where he's confronted with the sight of the chef's rotting corpse. He had hanged himself.

There's a bracelet on his wrist, too. Semimaru sees it and says the chef must have hanged himself after hitting the missile switch. "Sorry, but we're going to stop them," he tells the chef. "I bet your curry was delicious." Then he apologises for disturbing him and closes the freezer doors again.

While he'd been talking with the chef, the others had realised the answer to the sports question was baseball, so now Ango and Arashi are heading to the gym.

Meanwhile, Natsu is looking for Mimi's owner. She puts the photo back and apologises for taking it. This time she isn't afraid. She finds a corpse with an untouched hand just like the captain, but there's no bracelet. She wonders if maybe it fell off when the ship changed position and spots a ring in the corner of the room.

They now have all the codes but one, however, Ango and Arashi are having no luck in the gym. There are no dead bodies anywhere. But when they look in the lockers, they find a set of dog tags with the code on it inside a baseball trophy. Ango asks how Arashi knew to look inside it and Arashi says from the question he figured the guy liked baseball.

Ango tells Arashi to go back to #1 and he will go to #4. As Arashi is about to leave, Ango calls out to him, but when Arashi asks what he wants, Ango says it's nothing. Summer B's not totally incompetent, he thinks.

Now that they've all input their codes, Hotaru tells them she will count down from five and on zero they should all press the button.

She reaches zero and they all press cancel…but the missile countdown doesn't stop.

Ryou pushes open the hatch and they find themselves in another corridor. He tells everyone else to rest while he scouts things out up ahead. Ango goes with him.

Semimaru's amazed that the two of them aren't even winded, as he's exhausted, and Arashi says it's because they were prepared for this, trained for it.

Then Semimaru bursts out with, "By the way, we looked all over for you!" Arashi apologises and says he got washed away. Semimaru grabs him by the shirt and says next time he should use a rope. Then Arashi tells Semimaru he stinks, and Semimaru says Arashi does, too.

Natsu is watching them, and when Semimaru catches sight of her, he yells at her for wandering off, too. But after scolding her, he asks if she gave it her all, and when she says she did, he ruffles her hair and says good job.

Meanwhile, Ango and Ryou are only coming across doors that lead down. Ango says that Arashi told him they should have run, and then asks Ryou if he ever thought about it. Ryou says of course not, and Ango says, "Yeah…it wasn't an option."

"Or…was it?" he thinks. He then thinks maybe he should have told Koruri and Mayu to fly away on Koruri's glider during the test. Maybe then things would have been different.

But Ryou interrupts Ango's thoughts and tells him not to use this as another way to torture himself. "We don't know what might have happened, but we're here now."

They finally find a way up, complete with ladder. As Ango tests the ladder, Ryou points out that Ango can use his right hand now. Ango says it's like Shigeru fixed it. "Maybe it was Arashi," Ryou says, and then Ango says Arashi reminds him of Hana. Ryou says they both remind him of Ango, too, the way Ango used to be. Ryou says maybe that's one reason Ango didn't like Hana. Hana rubbed Ango the wrong way even before they found out she was Takashi-sensei's daughter.

Ango doesn't respond, just silently takes that in, and then starts climbing the ladder. When they get to the next level they hear a voice…it's Botan.

Everyone's really excited to see her, and Semimaru and Arashi talk over each other trying to bring her up to speed on everything that's happened. She tells them to calm down, and then says she hadn't expected to ever see Arashi again.

Hotaru tells Ryou she's glad the time came for him to tell his story, and then Botan clarifies that they heard them all talking through the vents. She says she understands that Ryou and Ango have been through a lot, and she has questions she wants to ask them later, but right now she has something to tell everyone.

She explains about how the people on the ship all attacked each other and how the captain pressed the countdown button. Natsu realises that really was missiles she saw, and what the clock meant.

Botan says everything's so rundown, the missiles and everything probably don't even work anymore, but Semimaru says they say them moving. They realise there is a good possibility the missiles really will fire, and Botan says it's a good thing they all met up here.

Ango says they have three options. The first is to get off the ship ASAP and get as far away as possible so they don't get caught up in the explosion, and whatever happens with the missiles will happen. Ryou says that since it was their presence that started everything, the self-destruct might stop once they leave. Semimaru reminds them that their own boat is stuck in the algae and they won't be able to get away quickly.

Ango agrees that's a problem, and says their second option is to try and stop the missiles. They still have quite a bit of time, so they could put all their efforts towards stopping the missiles until the very last moment.

Arashi asks what the third option is, and Ango says they could blow up the ship to sink it. "Blow it up!?" Semimaru exclaims, and Ango says that since there are ammunitions on board, it should be doable. Ryou says the hard part would be creating a timer so the explosion doesn't happen while they're still onboard.

Semimaru says there's still the problem of their own boat being caught in the algae, and Ango agrees. He also says that they have no idea what would happen with the missiles in that scenario. They might shoot off somewhere else, or just scatter radioactive material over the area.

"Let's stop it," Arashi says. "There are still people in Japan. There's the Autumn and Spring teams, and the rest of Summer A. And there might be other people somewhere else, too." Hana is out there somewhere, he thinks. "We can't let those missiles fall. That's ridiculous! We have to stop them!"

Hotaru says there are the plants and animals to consider, too, and Matsuri says it's their fault this happened, so they should stop it. Semimaru adds that since they're talking about nukes, even if they got far enough away to avoid the explosion itself, they'd still be affected by the fallout.

"You're right…" Botan says. "Well, then…" But she is interrupted by Ango, who takes charge and begins to give instructions.

Hotaru says that she found what appears to be the switches to stop the self-destruct. However, there are four of them and they are scattered throughout the ship. It's unclear if just one will be enough to stop it, or if they would have to get all four (and if so, in order, as they are numbered one through four).

Ango says he'll go to #1 first, and when Ryou volunteers to go with him, he tells Ryou that he should look for a way out, so they can escape when it's time, especially since the power may go out and they might be in the dark.

Instead, Arashi and Natsu volunteer to go with Ango. "Good luck, Natsu!" Matsuri says, and then volunteers to go with Ryou herself.

Then Ango remembers about the bacteria. He says that since they eat metal, they may have had an effect on the ship's systems. He tells everyone to be careful, and as he's about to leave, Ryou calls out to him and asks if he's okay. Ango says of course he is.

After they leave, Semimaru giggles about Ryou's concern for Ango. He says Ryou must love Ango, and Ryou says he followed Ango because he believes Ango had the skills it takes to be a good leader, so he wants Ango to get a hold of himself, that's all.

Semimaru grins. "Oh, Ryou-chin," he says, hugging Ryou from behind, "I think maybe I like you!" Ryou immediately flips him over in a judo throw, and Matsuri shouts "Ippon!" As Semimaru lies on his back, dizzy, he wonders if Ryou is a black belt.

Botan says she'll go with Ryou and Matsuri to find the exit, and tells Hotaru and Semimaru to stay here. Hotaru says she figured out how to use the intercom, and then uses it to call out to Ango's group. She tells them there are intercom buttons scattered throughout the ship, and to use them if they need to. Natsu passes by one and tests it out and it works. Ango realises he had seen them in passing, but it hadn't even occurred to him what they were.

Hotaru then uses the intercom to give them directions where to go. They come to a large gap, but Ango sees a handle in the wall and is able to pull out a bridge so they can cross. It's then that Ango has a revelation. This is a place where people lived, not a maze or a cave. He realises he hadn't been looking around or really seeing anything. He then noticed numbers on the wall, and tells himself to learn the layout of the ship.

Meanwhile, Botan's group heads for the way she came in, only to find it closed off. They decide to look for the way Matsuri and Ryou came in, though they aren't hopeful. Botan says she can feel the fear of the people who built this ship, and wonders if perhaps the world was at war when the meteor hit.

They contact Hotaru to let her know the exit was blocked, and that they're going to look for another way. Hotaru then contacts Ango and gets them up to speed, then asks how they're doing.

He says they've arrived at #1 and will get back to her once they've had a look inside. If there are no exits, their only hope is to stop the missiles.

I had never heard of this series before I got the request, but ended up really enjoying it and definitely recommend it. You can find more info about the series on Baka Updates, as well as links to the scanlation group who are working on it.

Beneath the cut is a detailed summary of Ryuu no Hanawazurai vol. 7 by Kusakawa Nari. Don't click through if you don't want spoilers. Download the raw here.

The volume opens with Shakuya realising that Lucien attacked her in order to help her get her powers back, that he deliberately made himself the bad guy in order to help her.

She blushes at the thought, which makes Lupina concerned. When Lupina goes to get water for her, Kuwan says he'll keep an eye on Shakuya. Lupina says if he does anything bad, she'll never forgive him. He asks what, exactly, she'll do, and she says she'll make him drink a thousand needles.

Once Lupina's gone, Shakuya goes back to thinking about Lucien and what it must have cost him to do what he did, since he's normally so gentle. His words echo in her mind: when he asked her not to leave, when he told her he loved her, and when he told her how her letter was what gave him strength when he'd lost his memory.

Kuwan asks what Lucien did to her, and she says he helped her get her strength back. She thinks about her love for Kuwan, and about how many times she told Lucien that it was Kuwan she loves. Even after Kuwan's betrayal, her flower tattoo didn't fade. But now Lucien's flowers have grown, too, and as Kuwan takes her hand, his eyes widen in surprise at the sight of them.

Then Lupina returns with the water, which she brought in her hands since she had no cup. Grabbing Shakuya's hand, she pulls her away and says she should go lie down.

However, it's Lupina who falls asleep, while Shakuya lies awake thinking. She's not sure how she feels about Lucien's roses growing, but she knows she has to thank him. Just then he interrupts her thoughts, asking if she's having trouble sleeping.

She feels nervous and starts blushing and stuttering when she talks to him. She thanks him for helping her get her powers back, and he thinks that the reason she's so nervous is that she thinks he'll assault her again. He won't believe her when she tells him that's not it, and he just says he's glad she realised why he did what he did.

He gets up to go get some more branches for the fire, and when she grabs his sleeve, exposing her hand and wrist, Kuwan steps in and claps his hand over hers, hiding the roses. Lucien asks Kuwan if he's hiding something, but Kuwan denies it.

Later on, Kikoku and Kuwan are sitting around the fire. Kikoku asks Kuwan how long he slept after being healed by the gem and he says about three days, but he thinks Amaranth will wake sooner than that.

Kikoku says the Lord of the West will come after the princess, and Kuwan agrees. Kikoku asks if Kuwan will risk his life for her again, and if he'll be doing it for Amaranth. Kuwan says that goes without saying, but also that his time at the oasis was too comfortable. He thinks about the sense of superiority he felt when he saw that Shakuya's flowers hadn't faded after his betrayal, as well as his relief.

The next day, everyone heads back to the oasis on Shakuya's back, but as they get closer, they see that a sandstorm is attacking the palace. When they land, they find the head of the Kiri family and some other policemen attempting to get close to the palace. Kiri tells them that Shakuya's mom is trapped inside. He also says that while he's been in contact with the heads of the Sei and Rakka families, he hasn't heard from the Jouha or Kuda families.

Shakuya informs him of Jouha's betrayal, and says Kuda might be a traitor, too. She then says she's going to try and get into the palace, and her dad says that this is their chance since their enemies are not expecting them to be here.

However, before they attempt that, they tell Kiri about Kuwan's betrayal, and he throws Kuwan in jail. He says he has no words for how disappointed he is in Kuwan, but Kuwan asks to be let out, saying he can fight better than anyone else on the police force and he won't betray them again. However, Kiri says he just can't trust Kuwan anymore. Kuwan says if Shakuya agrees, he'll accept that.

Meanwhile, Shakuya is grateful for what Lucien did, but feels a distance between them now, so she decides to tell him about the flowers and show him how grateful she is. "This is why I've been so awkward!" she says, pushing up her sleeve.

But he doesn't believe her, thinking she just painted the flowers on, so she makes him touch it, and he realises it's real.

She explains that she's just nervous, and he pulls her into a hug, saying he's wanted to do this for a long time. As he holds her, she thinks this is what it means for two hearts to be in tune with one another.

Then there are footsteps, and Lucien recognises them as Kuwan's and asks why Kuwan isn't in jail. Kuwan says that Kiri let him go on the condition that if Shakuya didn't want him to fight with her, she could put him back behind bars. He even gives her the key. She asks him why he wants to fight and he says it's simply that he doesn't like the Lord of the West. He says he won't admit any other reason unless he's alone with her on his death bed.

She realises that what she felt when Lucien hugged her was the same as what she felt that time with Kuwan. It hadn't been just one-sided; their hearts had been in tune.

She asks him to hold out his hands and she undoes the handcuffs.

With Shakuya in dragon form, they attack the palace, which is defended by sand people. They find a man still loyal to Shakuya and her mother, who tells them of Kuda and Jouha's betrayal, and says that it was them who brought in whoever's creating the sandstorm. He tells Shakuya where to find them, and also that her mother is pretty much on her own as there are only a few people still able to fight. Shakuya reassures them that everything's all right and goes off to find her mother and the traitors.

The head of the Kuda family is sitting in the tower, wondering if Shakuya's mother Itoki is dead yet and talking about how Shakuya must be married to the Lord of the West by now, when Kuwan and Hakurai arrive on Shakuya's back. Kuda is first shocked by the fact that Shakuya hasn't lost her powers as they were told, and then by the fact that Hakurai is here. She realises the whole story about him being thrown out was a ruse and accuses him of plotting against them. "I could say the same of you," he says, and points out that she sold them out to the Lord of the West.

Meanwhile in the upper part of the tower, Lucien and Shakuya attempt to rescue Itoki. However, the sand men keep reforming whenever they're cut down, and they can't get to her. She tries to use her tail to take them all out, but the mages just stop the sandstorm and instead concentrate all their power on forming more sand men, and it's too much even for Shakuya.

Lucien tells her to change back to human form and they jump out the window. She doesn't know what he's planning at first, but when he tells her to fly high, she realises his plan. She breaks open the tower and pours water down into it, washing the sand away and saving Itoki.

When Itoki sees Hakurai, she collapses into a chair he has handily provided for her, having guessed she'd react that way. She is prickly, but their affection for each other is clear. Kuwan asks Shakuya if that's what she'd like in a relationship and she says, "So what if it is?" and he says, "Well, it is ideal." He then changes the subject back to the situation at hand, and Shakuya says it will now be all-out war with the Lord of the West.

Meanwhile, the maids tell Lucien he should just give up and call him pitiful. They admit they're surprised Kuwan finally seems to be showing in interest in Shakuya, but now that he is, Lucien should just back down gracefully. But Lucien says he doesn't feel pitiful.

Later, Shakuya is changing his bandages and says it looks painful. She remarks that it would be better if they had the gem, but he says he prefers having her tend to his wounds. She asks him if he's ever been unhappy with being her fiance.

He says he hated it when he was little, and that he used to think he could have had any woman he wanted, so why was he saddled with her? She's shocked that innocent little Lucien would have thought such a thing. He says he doesn't think so now and asks if she remembers what he said before. She repeats what he said about a leader needing charisma, but he says she left out the important part, the part where he said she should ask him to give his life to her. She says it sounds too much like a proposal, and he asks her if she knows what fiance means. She says of course she does, and then sort of trails off. He asks her to at least say half of it, then, and when she asks if it has some meaning, he says it has meaning for him.

"Come on, say it," he says. "Say it with a smile." So she smiles and says, "Give me…" and he leans in and kisses her on the head. Just then Lupina clears her throat and interrupts them, saying Itoki wants to talk to them.

Itoki explains that with everything going on, with Kuwan's betrayal, and the betrayal of two of the five houses, she is breaking off Shakuya and Kuwan's engagement and doing away with the five houses altogether. And although Lucien has done nothing wrong, she is breaking off the engagement with him as well. She wants Shakuya to choose a suitable husband herself.

The next chapter opens with Shakuya thinking about how sheltered her life had been. First she had grown up knowing she would have an arranged marriage, and then even once she had two fiances, the choice would be made by whoever had the most flowers. Now she has to make the choice herself.

Itoki goes on to say that while Kuwan's betrayal is difficult to forgive, there is the matter of the police force's morale, so they should keep it a secret for the time being. Then she asks Lucien what he will do now that he is no longer Shakuya's fiance. He says he'll fight; no matter how strong the dragon's powers may be, Shakuya is still just Shakuya, and he can't send her off to face the Lord of the West on her own. They may not be engaged anymore, but she is still important to him, he says.

Itoki then tells Kuwan to stay in the palace until the time comes to fight, and he agrees. She says she'd like to cut him to pieces right now if she could, for what he's done.

Once she dismisses them all, Lupina tries to reassure Shakuya, saying that most people don't have arranged marriages.

Lost in her thoughts, Shakuya stumbles, and Kuwan catches her. He calls her "Shakuya" instead of "Shakuya-sama", which startles her, and then he explains that it's because they're no longer engaged, and wonders why it should make her blush so much.

Once Kuwan's gone, Lucien steps up and cups Shakuya's face, then after looking her in the eyes for a moment while she blushes and looks nervous, he turns away and says he's going to go play with the tigers.

Just then the ground shakes and the two of them fall. Lupina says Lucien's heart has turned into a poltergeist from all the pressure, but then someone comes to tell them that a palace has risen up out of the desert.

It's the Lord of the West, and Shakuya can sense the gem inside the palace. She realises he may be using it to increase his power.

She starts to dash off, saying she'll transform and protect the townspeople, but Lucien grabs her by the wrist and says she should leave that to the police. She then suggests helping keep the sand from burying the city, but he reminds her that she is the one the Lord of the West is after. He says that as long as the gem is in the enemy's hands, she should conserve her strength; she can't just go dashing off as she's used to doing. He says if she falls, then they really will be drowned in sand.

Shakuya starts to protest again, but then Hakurai and Itoki show up, and Itoki says she agrees with Lucien, and also reminds Shakuya that Shakuya is not the head of the dragon clan – Itoki is.

Shakuya reluctantly agrees, and they go to get Kuwan. However, when they arrive at the room where he's been locked up, they find Ginga and Kintora unconscious and Kuwan missing. Shakuya realises that Kuwan stole the key from her when he embraced her.

It turns out Kuwan has gone to see Amaranth. She wakes up and he tells her all their friends are safe here in the oasis. She asks why he's wearing his uniform and he tells her that since Shakuya lost the gem while protecting their friends, he has to help her get it back. She tells him it's foolish to go alone, and when he responds that he isn't the type to take on a losing battle, she says he is the type to take on a battle where the odds are against him.

"Is that how you see me?" he says. "I find it oddly irksome when you're kind like this," she responds. "Really? Because I've always meant to be kind to you."

She then remembers their childhood and how him losing his eye strengthened their bond. "It may have been a fire born in darkness, but it was warm," she thinks.

Back to the present, where he tells her he's leaving. She takes his hand and says she's glad she can't see how much that flower is tangled around his heart. She then tells him she can feel the gem nearby, and when he leaves, she tells him not to die.

Meanwhile, Shakuya is shocked to realise Kuwan has gone after the gem on his own, and wonders if he means to give his life for it.

As Kuwan is racing down the hall on his horse, hands of sand suddenly reach up and kill the horse. He recognises this as a warning.

Shakuya bursts into Amaranth's room, but Amaranth tells her if she's looking for Kuwan, he's gone to the Lord of the West's palace. Shakuya orders Ginga to go look for him, and tells Lupina to go help with the evacuation. Before Lupina leaves, she gives Lucien some extra clothes for Shakuya, and then tells him to make sure Shakuya brushes her teeth before bed and to not give her too much of her allowance at once. XD

Amaranth tells them Kuwan knew his chances of getting the gem back were slim, but went anyway. She then apologises for the things she's done, and Shakuya tells her apologising doesn't make it better.

Lucien asks her what she was thinking when she stabbed him five years ago, and she says she was thinking about how she had killed someone at his age, and that she hated herself for attacking a child, but more than that, she was thinking that she refused to let it end without taking over the oasis.

He says, "Well, that's what's happened," and she agrees. He then gives his condolences, and says now she may lose the second most important thing as well.

Shakuya asks her if she's worried about Kuwan, and then tells her there's nothing she can do about it.

Kuwan finds the Lord of the West and plunges a sword though his head, but he just melts like sand and calls Kuwan a fool for coming alone. Kuwan tries to blow him up, but that still doesn't kill him. The Lord of the West says if Shakuya had been born sooner, she would have been a formidable enemy, but lucky for him, she's still young. Then as Kuwan begins to scream, he starts sucking the life out of him, and says, "Tell me how it feels to be mummified alive."

Meanwhile, as Shakuya leaves Amaranth, she tells her that she will be the one to make Amaranth's hopes come true, not Amaranth. After she's gone, Lucien asks Amaranth if it's galling, and she says it is, then with a grimace, tells him not to ask her just how much.

When Lucien rejoins Shakuya, he asks her if she means to rescue Kuwan, because that's what it sounded like she meant. She says Kuwan still means a lot to her, and she won't stand for him dying like this. She says she still needs to yell at him, and Lucien agrees. Then he says, "Even if you end up choosing Kuwan…" and holds out his hand. "I'll go with you." "Where…?" "You want to show him the dragon's power, don't you? Come on, let's go rescue Kuwan."

Shakuya remembers asking Lucien for his life, and thinks about how she loves Lucien's kindness, and how his kindness makes her strong. "Thank you, Lucien," she says, while thinking she still can't tell him that yet.

Meanwhile, while helping the townspeople evacuate, Lupina runs across her mother and six little brothers, the youngest of whom is rescued from a sudden wave of sand by a still-handcuffed Kikoku. One of the policemen asks him what he's doing there and he explains that the sand that spilled in broke open his cell. Lupina thanks him for rescuing her brother, and he says it's a good thing there wasn't a banana peel around. She says, "Did you do something to a banana in a former life?" XD The policeman grabs him and tells him to come along, and he says to Lupina that if he didn't have handcuffs on, he would have petted her hair, then says goodbye.

Then the policemen look up and see Shakuya in the sky, heading for the Lord of the West's palace. "Don't let anyone make you cry anymore, Shakuya-sama," Lupina thinks.

The next chapter opens with Hakurai saying to Itoki that he's not sure letting Shakuya go was the right decision. She agrees, saying there's no one else who can defeat the Lord of the West, but that it's scary to think the fate of the oasis is up to Shakuya."If only she were a little older, maybe she would have been able to control the gem," he says. They agree that the Lord of the West has an advantage, and Itoki wonders if Kuwan going after the gem will turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Meanwhile, Kuwan is still fighting the Lord of the West and it's not going well. Kuwan pulls a knife, but the Lord of the West observes that Kuwan must already be losing feeling in his right forearm, "like a dying tree".

Kuwan's arm turns to bone and snaps off, but just then Shakuya and Lucien arrive. Seeing Kuwan's arm, Lucien calls out to Shakuya. "I know…" she says. "I'm…calm…"

Kuwan tells them the gem is still in the Lord of the West's chest, and Shakuya responds with "I know" again, and then tells the Lord of the West that she is here to defeat him. "I wouldn't make it sound that easy," he retorts, but when he puts his sand hands on her, she tells him it will take more than that to dry a dragon's scales.

The Lord of the West attacks her again and tells her he had originally thought if there was anyone who would be a match for him, it might be the dragon princess, but his fears were unfounded.

Shakuya asks him what his goal is in destroying the oasis. He says he is culling the oasis. "Culling!? To make it easier for you to control…!?" she says, and he agrees, but adds that it is to give himself time…time to enjoy wielding his power.

"I must defeat him! But first I have to get the two of them out of here…" Shakuya thinks, and tells Lucien to grab Kuwan. They grab on to her, but as she tries to fly them out, she transforms back into a human and they fall to the ground.

Lucien realises how much more powerful the Lord of the West really is when Shakuya doesn't have her gem. And he also realises that Shakuya knows this, too.

Kuwan is dehydrated and running a fever. Lucien wonders if they'll really be able to get Kuwan out of there safely.

Just then, the Lord of the West attacks again, and Kuwan urges the other two to leave him behind. "I didn't think you'd come after me," he tells Shakuya, and she says she came to yell at him. Kuwan says he thought Lucien would stop her, and Lucien says, "Don't ask the impossible."

As Shakuya cries over Kuwan, he tells her that he wants her. He says when he was with her, he'd occasionally imagine that this could really be his life. He'd thought it laughable when she was a child, but now he really does want her. "Not that I can do anything about it…" he says.

She asks him what about Amaranth, and he says she's precious to him. Shakuya holds his hand in hers, the chains of flowers clearly visible on each hand, and he says, "You of all people should know that a heart can love more than one person…"

He tells her again to leave him and she wonders what she should do. The Lord of the West is strong, and in his present condition, Kuwan will just be in the way. But… "I love you, Kuwan. You are precious to me."

The Lord of the West creates a sand prison around them, sucking all the water out of them. Shakuya tries to strengthen the water wall around them, but because she can't reach any outside water, the only water she can use is what's in their bodies, accelerating the dehydration.

Shakuya realises there's only one thing she can do. Lucien tells her to stay calm, and she replies that she is. "You probably think you are…" he says. He also says it's true she hasn't lost control lately, despite thinking about the oasis all the time. Her control has gotten better. Kuwan tells her to control the gem, that's the best course of action.

The chapter ends with Lucien looking chagrined and saying that Shakuya's heart still belongs to Kuwan.

The final chapter opens with Shakuya saying she'll try controlling the gem. Kuwan asks Lucien if he will save Kuwan, and Lucien responds that the oasis needs Shakuya and she'll wilt if Kuwan dies.

Shakuya can feel the gem. If she can just gain control of it, she can attack the Lord of the West from within. She thinks, "I'm done with letting the dragon's power control me…!"

Meanwhile, Kuwan asks Lucien why he's doing this. This could be his chance to make Shakuya his own. Lucien says he's not doing this to be kind; it's a matter of pride.

The Lord of the West can feel Shakuya trying to get at him. He attacks, but she refuses to back down. Lucien tells her that if she needs more water to strengthen the barrier, she can use the water in his body. He was just taken by surprise before, but this time he can bear it. She says she can't, but he insists.

She holds him in her arms and sucks the water from him as she attacks the Lord of the West. Then she says to Kuwan that it's true you can love more than one person, but that is why she wants to choose just one. He asks her who she'll reject, and she says, "You, Kuwan," and then, "Lucien, give me your life. Please."

"This is who I want to love," she thinks, and Lucien says, "Then you won't get mad this time?" and then kisses her.

The Lord of the West can feel Shakuya's control over the gem growing stronger. "Why…!?" he shouts. "I won't let you have the gem!"

"Fine," Shakuya says, now in dragon form. "If you won't relinquish it, that will allow me to defeat you." Then with one final flood, she defeats him and washes his palace away.

Kuwan says one day Shakuya will be spoken of the way her dragon ancestor is now, and Lucien agrees.

Three months later the oasis is still recovering from the Lord of the West's sand attack. Kikoku is in prison along with Amaranth, and Lupina hasn't seen him since.

While Lupina is out, she comes across Lucien and Shakuya bathing the tiger cubs and eavesdrops. Lucien asks Shakuya if she regrets her choice and she says she's fine. He says he wants to see how much the roses have grown over the past three months and she pulls open her shirt to reveal them all the way up to her collarbone, however, they turn out to be just painted on. Lucien is disappointed, of course, but Shakuya says that while it's just paint right now, it will eventually grow that far, and that he shouldn't worry about Kuwan's flowers.

Just as they kiss, Kuwan shows up, saying he's going to prison today and wanted to say his goodbyes. He thanks Shakuya for visiting him in the hospital. Then he congratulates Shakuya on her engagement, and Lucien says, "No congratulations for me?"

Kuwan goes down on one knee before Shakuya and says he doesn't think one man could handle the dragon princess alone, so once he's out of prison, would she accept him as a lover. She gasps. Lucien looks annoyed.

The final narration says, "This is the story of a white dragon in the desert a long, long time ago. Tattooed flowers break through her scales, blooming sweet and maddening, until the day the dragon closes her eyes."

The bonus story, "Lucien the Father", has Lucien walk in on his daughter drawing a picture of Kuwan. He panics and tries to lock up his daughter and her maid in a drawer. When Shakuya sees the drawing, she immediately calls Lupina, who explains that their daughter must have seen Kuwan today when he came to visit after his release from prison, and thought he was cool. "So what!? Get a hold of yourselves!" she says.

Once Lupina leaves, Lucien turns to Shakuya and says, "That's right…he was here today. Kuwan and Amaranth haven't changed a bit. Shakuya, you did refuse his offer, didn't you?" She says she did refuse to take him as a lover, and also got him and Amaranth to promise to help rebuild the oasis, so there will be no problem. She then laughs and comments that it's funny how Kuwan still has such an effect on her and Lucien, and he agrees. He picks up their daughter and says he now has both Shakuya and their daughter, so he's no longer pitiful.

Then their daughter (who is never named in this, by the way) asks for money so she can hire "the man in black" as her bodyguard…

But then Lucien wakes up and realises it was all a dream. The series ends with him kissing Shakuya on the cheek and saying, "…Oh well, whatever."

Anyway, I had already done most of the first chapter of vol. 20 when I decided to (maybe) call it quits, so I just finished up the chapter tonight. I may finish up this volume, or I may not, just depends on how much time I have to devote to it and how fast Tsukihana works. XD But for now there's this. :)

Beneath the cut is a detailed summary of 7 Seeds vol. 20, chapter 102 by Tamura Yumi. Don't click through if you don't want spoilers. Download the raw here.

The volume opens with Arashi's question: "Why didn't you just run away?"

The scene then switches to Semimaru, Matsuri, and Ryou. Something's moving, and Semimaru thinks it's missiles. "No way," Matsuri says. "It couldn't really be missiles, could it?" She says maybe it's fuel or something.

There's a brief flash to Ango again, with just the word "Why…?" like an echo. Then it's back to Semimaru & co. Even if it's missiles, that's not something they can eat, so Semimaru says they should just ignore it. Matsuri agrees and they wonder how they can move higher in the ship when there doesn't seem any way up. Semimaru leaps around and manages to make it up onto a higher level, and though he expects Ryou to be angry with him, Ryou just exasperatedly agrees that's probably the best thing to do.

They wander along calling out for Natsu, Ryou still tapping on the walls to try and communicate with Ango. But then he hears a voice. It's coming from a vent, and they quickly identify it as Ango's voice. He's talking about their test, which Ryou doesn't like. But then another voice interrupts: "Why didn't you just run away?" Matsuri and Semimaru cry out excitedly, but Ryou silences them, wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.

Arashi asks couldn't they have all worked together to get out and get help? He asks if they were on an island or locked up or guarded by people with weapons, and Arashi says no, but then insists that there was no use in running because then they wouldn't have been chosen. Arashi asks if he wanted to take the test, then, and Arashi says no, but keeps insisting that of course they had to come to the future. "Something's not right, Ango-san!" Arashi says. "Something's not right with what you're saying! You're clearly in pain right now, so how can you say 'of course'!? What did those teachers do to you!?"

Semimaru starts to ask Ryou about Ango's revelation, but Ryou interrupts and tells him they need to get through the vent to where the others are.

Meanwhile Arashi keeps pressing Ango about it, asking him if they really all took the test knowing people would die, if they wanted to go to the future so badly they didn't care if their friends died. He says they were brainwashed. Ango gets more and more flustered, thinking about how he was the only one who knew what would happen if they didn't take the test, since he'd seen Nobara. He insists to himself that there was no other option, that everyone else would have felt the same had they known. He argues with Arashi, telling him it was his own decision. But Arashi keeps asking him if he really thought about it, if he thought about why they had to come to the future, why they couldn't run, etc.

Arashi starts crying, and Ango wonders why he can't answer him when the answer is so clear. Then Arashi says he's been horrible to Ango, that what he was saying is like asking someone who's been abused why they don't just leave their abuser. He says he's more angry with the teachers for making Ango and them unable to think for themselves than for killing people.

Natsu starts crying, too, and as Ango insists again that there was no escape, Arashi says there was, there always is, they were just made to believe there wasn't, made to believe it was their choice. "You shouldn't have taken the test," he says, and that seems to shock both Ango and Ryou.

Arashi tells him they're the same, that they were all sent here without being asked or given a choice. He says they were just made to think they wanted to go, but that Summer A and Summer B are really the same. "But now…we're free," he says. "Now we can make our own choices."

This just causes Ango more pain, as he asks, "So then what about Shigeru? It's my fault he died for a test we shouldn't have even taken!" And Arashi tells him that under those circumstances, nothing that happened was his fault.

Then Ryou speaks up. Natsu, Arashi, and Ango look up to see Ryou, Semimaru, and Matsuri. Ryou says there's something he never told Ango, that he wasn't sure if he should tell him or not, but now he thinks not telling him was the wrong decision. "When you were hanging there in the cave," he says, "it was Shigeru…who cut the rope."

Ango says Ryou's the one who cut it, and Ryou says he did, but at the same time he cut it, he felt Shigeru cutting it as well, that Shigeru cut it in order to save Ango. Ango says Shigeru would never do that, and Ryou says he thought so, too. He thought Shigeru was weak and stupid. Ango protests that he didn't think that, but Ryou says yes he did, and that Ango never thought Shigeru could save him, because he was the one who most refused to see what Shigeru could do.

Ryou says he saw the things Shigeru did for Ango during the test. Going up against Ukai, leading Ukai into the forest, and then going down into the cave to save Ango. He says it changed his opinion of Shigeru a little, and that Shigeru was more use that night than Ango was by far. "You can't admit it, can you?" he presses. "You want to think Shigeru died because of you." He tells Ango he's full of himself. Shigeru made his own choices, and it wasn't Ango's fault that he did.

He tells Ango that Shigeru died to protect him, and that it's probably something Shigeru was proud of. "Admit it," Ryou says. "He's not your property. He's not a minor character in your story. Let him be the main character for once."

Ango then remembers Shigeru promising to rescue him, and saying that this never happens, so he's actually glad to have a chance to rescue Ango for once.

Ryou tells him that Shigeru told Ukai that Ango would be the one to go to the future. Someone who makes their own decisions, makes their own moves, and takes responsibility, that's who should go to the future according to Shigeru. "Be that person, Ango," Ryou tells him.

Ango sees himself walking with Shigeru. This time Shigeru is telling him Ango never trusted him, always treated him like a little brother. He said he wanted to be friends, to be equals. "We are friends," Ango says. "Then you wouldn't get annoyed if I came in first?" "Well…I would," Ango says. "'Cause then we'd be rivals." And Shigeru says, "I like the sound of rivals."

Then Ango says there were things he never said to Shigeru, like thank you and I'm sorry, things he was too stubborn to say. He says he would have died without Shigeru, and thanks him for saving his life. "Good luck in the future," Shigeru says, and clasps Ango's hand. "See ya."

Back in reality, Ango looks at his empty hand and then starts crying while the others look on.

After a while, Ryou says he's coming up, that they should all climb up and meet at the top. When Arashi asks Ango if he can make the climb, Ango turns and makes to punch him, but stops with his fist right on Arashi's jaw.

As Ango begins to climb, he remembers Akio saying they'd been sheltered, and now realizes maybe he was right. Semimaru says there's nothing wrong with being sheltered. He says a wildflower can never be anything but wild, but a hothouse flower can be anything. Ango doesn't answer him, but instead yells at Natsu to hang on and climb up herself.

Arashi's words echo in Ango's head: "But now we're free. Now we can make our own choices." He also remembers Akio saying there's joy in choosing one's own path.

Title:　テガミバチ (Tegami Bachi)
Author: Asada Hiroyuki
Publisher: Jump Comics
Genre: Shounen
Info: Baka Updates
Downloads: Volume 12

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Relationships are the focus of this chapter. Hiroyuki is the father of Haruna's baby, but he's not her boyfriend. Instead, she finds herself developing a crush on a boy in another class, Daigo. Meanwhile, it's not just Yagi-sensei's work life that's not going well; things are rocky between her and her boyfriend, too.

This is the end of volume one, so I've also provided a rar file of the entire volume here, for those who want it.

Starting in 2012, I will be alternating between A Child's Child and Yasha again.

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Nothing is going right for Yagi-sensei. The other teachers don't take her seriously, the parents are unhappy with her choices, and even her students won't listen to her. The last thing she needs when she's already stressed out is to hear Haruna say she thinks she's pregnant.

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In the meantime, I've updated my collaborations page with two new projects I've been working on with Kotonoha, A Girl by the Sea and Sadness of the Heart, both of which are pretty neat, so you should check them out.