Hidden Fires: a Blue Seed semi-dark fanfic
by jessica faith hardy
Disclaimer: *Blue Seed* is owned by Takada Yuzo, ING, Star Child, Takeshobo,
and a bunch of other people. All hail to the great Takada-san!
Oh, BTW, *~* starts and ends flashbacks. Just thought you might like to know.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kusanagi Mamoru collapsed in front of the tiny shrine hidden deep
within the forests outside of Tokyo. Streams of copious green blood flowed
down his bare chest and dripped onto the worn tatami. His breath came in
short gasps; a gaping wound in his side seemed to suck in and out with
every breath. *Damn you, Murakumo,* he cursed mentally, dragging himself
painfully up the steps into the Shinto temple. *How did you do it? How did you
brainwash Kaede into helping you, you demonic bastard?*
Kusanagi had been hot on Murakumo's trail ever since he had seen
Kaede during the rebirth of the god Susano-oh. Just that morning, he had
found the cave where they had been hiding and had tried to break in.
Somehow, the tiny infant god had created horrific monsters to fend him
off. He had won, but during the fight Kaede and Murakumo had somehow
slipped away. Even now, one image burned in his tormented mind: the image
of Kaede smiling down on him as one of the Aragami stabbed him in the
chest....
"Must... not.... give up," he groaned, collapsing in a heap in
front of the altar. He could feel his wounds tingle as his superhuman
healing powers began to kick in; his strength vanished as his body tapped
into his already strained energy reserves. "Momiji... have to...
protect...." His slitted eyes drooped shut as he succumbed to his
weariness; the last thought that entered his mind was *Kaede...Momiji...
be all right....*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"....No, please don't kill me....!"
The men in the shadows laughed. "You worthless piece of trash, you
don't deserve to live!" They moved in quicker than lightning, pinning her
to the hard pavement; one man crouched over her and thrust his face in
hers. "Remember us in Hell, baby!"
The last thing she saw before the knife plunged into her throat
was a red comma-shaped bead buried in the man's forehead....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The hideous Aragami-mantis reared up on its hind legs and let out
a supersonic roar as the bazooka fire slammed into its abdomen. "All
RIGHT!" Sawaguchi Koume cheered, shaking her now-empty gun at the monster.
"Koume! Stop shooting at it for a second!" Matsudaira Azusa, the
TAC's leading scientist, picked up a printout from the laptop computer and
scanned it hurriedly. "We can't risk destroying the Aragami in its current
state!"
"Why not? What's wrong, Matsu?" Takeuchi Ryouko's voice asked over
the intercom.
Yaegashi Yoskiki spoke up from his position by the computer. "The
Aragami's bodily fluids are made up of an extremely alkaline substance. If
those fluids were to leak out onto the surrounding area, all life in this
area would be wiped out!"
"To destroy it," Matsudaira continued, "we're going to have to
neutralize the alkaline substances in its body."
Koume and Takeuchi raced back to where the main group was
standing. "So what do we do about it then?" Koume demanded.
A jeep suddenly swerved towards the group, Kunikida
Daitetsu at the wheel. It squealed to a stop in front of them; Fujimiya
Momiji suddenly popped out of the back of the jeep.
"Here's the supplies you wanted, Mrs. Matsudaira!" She handed the older
woman a large bottle filled with a clear substance and a specialized
hypodermic needle that was almost half her height.
"Thank you, Momiji," the scientist replied, pulling on a pair of
chemical gloves. "Takeuchi, you distract the Aragami while I load this
into the rocket launcher!"
As the sharpshooter ran back out, her guns blazing, Matsudaira
filled the hypo full of the liquid and hurriedly shut the lid, loading it
into the huge gun. "Koume, you need to aim for a place containing a large
amount of bodily fluids. Be quick; I don't know how long it will be before
the acid eats through the hypodermic needle!"
"No problem, Matsu!" Koume ran back out into the battlefield,
aiming at the monster. She pulled the trigger; the rocket/hypo soared
through the air and lodged itself into the monster's eye. Almost
immediately, poisonous fumes began rising from the Aragami's body; it
shuddered and roared one last time as its body began to dissolve. Huge
chunks of smoldering plant-flesh began to fall from the monster as it was
being digested from the inside out. The monster swayed unsteadily, then
began to fall directly towards the jeep where Kunikida and Momiji were
waiting-
A strong pair of arms grasped the both of them around the waist
and yanked them out of the car just before the Aragami smashed the jeep
flat. The person carrying them suddenly stumbled, flinging them from his
grasp. "Owww..." Momiji moaned as Yaegashi helped her up from where she
had landed. "What happened- Kusanagi! Oh no!"
Momiji ran towards the prostrate figure laying on the ground and
crouched beside him. Her Aragami-created protector raised his head
slightly and stared at her; green blood oozed from the corner of his
mouth, and his body was feverishly hot. "Are... are you OK, Momiji?" he
gasped weakly.
"Kusanagi, what's wrong? What happened to you?!?" She struggled to
help him up, then pulled back as he screamed in agony. Her hands came back
dripping with his blood. His eyes slowly closed as his breathing became
even more shallow.
"No...." Momiji was pushed aside as the team gathered him up into
the truck, Matsu barking orders at them as she pulled out her extensive
first-aid kit. "Kusanagi......"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matsudaira quietly shut the door leading into the TAC's
mini-infirmary. "I've run just about every test I can, and I still can't
isolate the main cause of Kusanagi's illness," she said softly. "The tests
show that there is some sort of parasite infecting his lymph system.
However, the parasite itself doesn't actually interact with his body; it
just seems to sit there." The scientist folded herself into a nearby chair
and sighed a bit, the only indication she would ever give of frustration.
"What about his other injuries?" Kunikida asked, passing
Matsudaira a small cup of hot tea.
"Well, I've stitched up the wounds in his chest and shoulder, but
what puzzles me is that they should be healing up on their own. From the tests I've run, it would seem that Kusanagi has extraordinary powers of regeneration; for some reason, possibly due to the parasites, his self-healing powers are not working. If he doesn't improve
within the next forty-eight hours, I may have to put him in surgery to
repair the damage."
Um... Mrs. Matsudaira?" The team turned to look at Momiji. Her
normally cheerful demeanor was wiped away, leaving her withdrawn and
quiet. Her face was drawn with worry; her eyes were shimmering with unshed
tears. "Is... is Kusanagi going to be all right?"
"I can't say for sure, but," and the older woman laid a gentle
hand on the teen's shoulder, "Kusanagi was in excellent health before
this. That improves the odds quite a bit. And Koume and Yaegashi are at
the hospital now picking up some antibiotics that should help him."
"We can get him the best help in the nation, right, Matsu?"
Takeuchi spoke up, trying to be helpful. Her words fell flat in the tense
silence.
Momiji suddenly stood up, clenching her hands together. "Could I
go in and see him?" she asked in a tightly controlled voice.
"Of course, Momiji-" The teen disappeared through the door before
waiting for an answer.
"So what *are* the odds of Kusanagi making it, Matsudaira?"
Kunikida leaned forward intently, his voice lowered so that no one in
another room could hear.
Matsu glanced at him, them lowered her eyes to the table. "The
best we can do now is hope," she said.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Murakumo studied the five humans in front of him. Each person's
face was blank; the red mitama buried in each of their foreheads glowed
slightly. "You've done your jobs fairly well, considering how inferior you
humans are," the Aragami said, slipping out a long platinum blade from his
forearm. "Now you can have your eternal reward.... Kiyah!" There was a
flash of silver, five arcs of blood spewing into the air, and five severed heads tumbled to the floor. Murakumo
studied the carnage blandly as he withdrew the blade; in his hand was the
five red mitamas that has previously been within the humans. "Soon,
Kushinada," he smirked as he walked away, "soon we will be rid of you
forever...!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The infirmary was deathly quiet inside; the only sounds were of
the monitors gently clicking and humming. Momiji could barely hear
Kusanagi's labored breathing over the machines. She hesitated just beside
the door, then forced herself to step further inside. *Kusanagi,* she
thought, *what happened to you? It hurts so much to see you like this....*
A low groan snapped her out of her thoughts. She instantly threw
aside her fears and rushed to his side. "Kusanagi?"
There was no answer; the teenager leaned forward slightly, for the
first time actually seeing the extent of his injuries. His bronzed skin
was several shades lighter than normal, the result of prolonged blood
loss. His gaunt face was battered and bruised. A blood-stained bandage
wound around his right shoulder and continued around his abdomen. The
mitamas on his chest throbbed with a sickly blue glow. Momiji gently
reached out and brushed aside a stray lock of his hair; the heat of his
skin was intense, almost scalding. She abruptly withdrew her hand. *What
am I doing? If he caught me-* The thought was broken off by another glance
down on him. His face was contorted in pain, yet behind the pain seemed to
linger a type of sadness that made her heart ache. "Oh, Kusanagi.... I'm
so sorry...."
A tear slipped down her cheek and splashed onto the man's bare
chest. She loved him so fiercely that it made her soul ache; seeing him
now was almost more than she could bear. Momiji leaned forward slightly,
hesitantly, her lips trembling. "I love you, Kusanagi..... please be all
right...." Trembling even harder, she took one of his hands in her own and
laid it against her cheek, letting her tears run against it. "Please..."
Outside the windows of the TAC, a single cherry blossom drifted in
the wind.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*~* The delicate scent of cherry blossoms was completely nullified by the overwhelming odor of fresh blood. The grass in front of the shrine was soaked in
crimson; two corpses lay sprawled and dismembered across the lawn. Sitting just
in front of the gory scene was a quietly awed infant. Young Kusanagi Mamoru, just
turned a year old, stared up at the wavering eight-headed, plant-like Aragami known as Yamata-no-Orochi with open curiosity. He was too little to comprehend his parents' deaths; he just knew that there had been screaming, then his parents collapse to the ground, and then a metallic stench that could almost be tasted filled the air. The silence was marred only be the soft hissing of the giant demon wavering in front of him.
"Kusanagi....." it hissed; the infant gaped at it, recognizing his name. "I shall give you seven of my family's souls; use them to grow strong and protect the princess Kushinada....." Seven of its heads arced high into the air, pointing directly at the child. Faster than the eye could see, the monster's heads plunged down and into the child's body. The bright blue glow seared into his flesh; three gleaming beads implanted themselves in his chest, while the other four embedded themselves into his hands and feet. Instantly, the infant's body began changing. His pupils pulled themselves into slits;
his skin flashed into an orange-copper color; his thick mop of shaggy black hair turned deep green. His internal organs were forcefully altered by the invading mitamas, some developing new parts while others disappeared. Yamata-no-Orochi's remaining head leaned back and laughed as it snatched the infant up in its tentacles.
The last sound to be heard before the Aragami slipped away was an infant's agonized cries. *~*
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Matsudaira quietly opened the door into the infirmary; Koume followed her, packing an immense cooler. The scientist flicked on an overhead light and advanced into the room. Momiji was sitting next to Kusanagi, one of his hands gripped in hers. Startled, she glared at the women for a second before recognizing them. "Mrs. Matsudaira, Koume! I.. I wasn't expecting-"
"Hey, Momiji, we got the stuff right here." Koume dumped the cooler onto a nearby table. "Damn, that thing's heavy!"
Matsudaira sighed and opened up the container. "There are some antibiotics and some antiparasitic drugs, but I can't give a guarantee that they'll work." She pulled up an IV bag of saline solution. "Koume, if you'll excuse us...."
"Huh?" Koume looked puzzled, then walked over to where Momiji was sitting. "Sure, I'll get out of your way."
The scientist shook her head, gesturing towards the door. "We need to be *alone,* Koume."
"Oh! OK." She nodded, slapping Momiji on the back heartily. "Buck up, kiddo. He'll pull through, you'll see." Giving Matsudaira a meaningful glance, she marched out of the door, leaving the other women alone.
Matsudaira looked over her shoulder at the worried teenager, then sighed again. "Momiji, would you get the IV stand out of the closet for me?"
"Huh? Oh, sure." She reluctantly let go of her protector's hand and walked over to the closet. Her mind was on anything but the task at hand; she absently yanked too hard on the IV stand and-
*CRASH*
The older woman turned around to look at the heap in the floor. "Are you all right, Momiji?" she asked, helping the teen to her feet.
"I'm... I'm fine, I'm just so clumsy...." She stuffed the rest of the junk back into the closet as Matsudaira began setting up the IV. Pulling up her chair again, she sat back and watched her friend probe into the inside of Kusanagi's elbow.
"Could you hand me that roll of surgical tape, Momiji?" Matsudaira took the tape and fastened the IV to his arm. Withdrawing a syringe from her pocket, she injected a clear yellow fluid into the shunt. "There, that's done." She tossed the needle into a biohazard wastebasket and began pulling supplies out of the container. "You may want to leave the room now."
"Wha- Why? Is something wrong?" Momiji started, worried.
The scientist shook her head. "No, but I have to change the dressings on Kusanagi's injuries, and it's not a pretty sight. I don't want to-"
"I'm staying." The teen's face was set into a determined frown. She swallowed hard, then asked in a soft voice, "Is there anything I can do?"
Matsudaira's face softened; she knew there was no way she could get the teenager to leave his side. "All right, then....."
The two women began working silently, Matsudaira drawing upon Momiji's faith to keep her spirits up. *To have the faith she has..... how can I tell her that there's nothing else we can do?* She sighed deeply and began unwinding the bandages around his shoulder. "Momiji, has Kusanagi ever told you anything about himself, such as about his past?"
Surprised, the teenaged Kushinada looked up at the older woman. "No- no ma'am, he hasn't. Why?"
Matsudaira finished pulling off the last of the bandage and, rolling it up in a wad, tossed it into a nearby biohazard disposal. The ragged flesh had swollen up around the neat black stitches; yellow-green fluids leaked from the wound. Momiji turned away and swallowed hard. The scientist calmly drew on a pair of surgical gloves and began gently washing the area. "Are you sure you want to stay?" she asked softly.
"Y- yes." The teen gritted her teeth and turned back to see her friend begin rewrapping the wound.
Silence descended upon them again. "Momiji, can you- I mean, do you understand how serious this illness is?"
"He's really sick, isn't he..... I mean, he's always bounced right back every other time he gets hurt.... But he'll be all right now, won't he? After all, we're giving him medicine and-"
"Momiji." The sadness in Matsudaira's eyes made the teen stop in her tracks. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, but...."
"What?" She leaned forward, a small seed of fear blooming in her heart. "What is it? You've got to tell me!"
The scientist swallowed heavily, then bowed low to the girl. "I'm sorry, Momiji, but I- I don't think Kusanagi's going to live through this."
Momiji sat down hard, tears welling in her eyes. "You mean... Kusanagi's going to... to die?" She stared at the man she loved, watching the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed; then, with a sudden ferocity, she snapped, "No way! I'm not going to let him die! He's come through worse things than this before; I believe in him! He can't die.... I- I never told him that I love him...." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She brushed them aside angrily and begged, "Please, Mrs. Matsudaira.... How can I help him get better?"
The older woman started to protest, then finally relented. "Come with me; I'll show you how to monitor him...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kunikida Kaede gently laid the infant god Susano-O down on a tiny futon to sleep. "Will we now be able to rid ourselves of the other Kushinada?" she asked the figure lurking in the shadows of the cave as she stood up.
"Of course," Murakumo sneered. "Though why you insisted on making a cure for that imperfect soul Kusanagi is beyond me. Are you still pining after that fool?"
"No, I'm not!" Kaede whirled on the Aragami, a fierce light in her eyes. "I just don't see it necessary to kill off what could be a valuable asset to our cause."
Murakumo looked skeptical. "Very well, then, but the minute he tries to fight me, I swear I'll kill him on the spot! Understand?"
"I understand perfectly. Now leave before you disturb the slumber of our lord." She settled down to sleep on the floor of the cavern.
The Aragami bowed once to the god, then left the chamber. *Only with the death of that imperfect soul can the Aragami rise again,* he snarled mentally, pulling the deformed red mitamas out of his pocket. *I don't care what you want, Kushinada, but I will kill him one way or another!*
