[FFML] [fanfic][BlueSeed][repost]Hidden Fires 1-3

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 Yoshiki 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-oh 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!*

Hidden Fires chapter 2

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	Momiji dipped the soft cloth into the basin of ice water and gently wrung out most of the water.  Kusanagi's fever was dangerously high, and none of the medications that Matsudaira had given him had been able to lower it any.  She was sponging him down with the cold water in a last-ditch effort to lower the fever.
	She dipped the end of the rag back into the basin and let the water drip onto his bare chest. The teen watched the droplets roll over his orange skin, tracing the contour of every muscle; she wiped them away just before the water could soak into the bandages that wrapped his torso.  Momiji then grabbed another bit of cloth, soaked it in the icy water, and gently draped it over his forehead.  He shuddered and moaned softly from the depths of his coma; the teen's heart lit up with hope. "Kusanagi? Can you hear me?"
	There was no answer; Momiji sighed and returned to her task.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	*~* The next four years of Kusanagi's life was spent in training underground. The morning of his transformation was but a dim memory in his mind; every waking moment was spent in endless training. Katas, obstacle courses, sparring with his master, all were commonplace. His five-year-old mind was continually infused with blind knowledge of  survival tactics and information on modern weaponry and technology. At night, or what passed as night in that underground world, his mind would reel with memories of the past. There was no time for childhood pleasures in this solitary world.
	Kusanagi was in training to master the use of his arm blades when he first rebelled against his Aragami masters. The child's mind was blurred from lack of sleep; he barely managed to dodge a flying tentacle before crashing into a craggy stalactite. *Get up and try it again,* Yamata-no-Orochi hissed, it's huge head wavering in front of the boy.
	He began to cry softly; his child's body was battered and bruised and near the point of exhaustion. "No!" he sobbed. "I don't wanna!"
	*What??* Orochi's eyes narrowed in anger. *You will do as I say, little toy;  now get up and fight me!*
	"Go to hell!" Kusanagi shouted back through his tears. "I'm not gonna do it!"
	*You little bastard....* The Aragami's eyes flashed bright red; suddenly, every mitama on the boy's body began pulsating in an eerie blue light. Daggers of pain shot up his arms and legs; the three mitamas on his chest seemed to sear through his flesh down to the bone. He screamed in agony as wave after wave of spasms ripped through him. The mitamas on his hands blazed into light; twin blades split his forearms and snapped into place. After an eternity, the pain began to fade away and his shrieks died down into helpless sobs.
	*Good.* The monster appraised the child, grasping one arm in a slick tentacle and prodding at the sword that jutted out. *Remember this well, and always be prepared to attack with your weapons. Now go and gather your strength for the next exercise.*
	Kusanagi struggled to his feet, retracting the blades into his forearms. He wiped away his tears and began to trudge away when his master stopped him.
	*Kusanagi?* The child turned; one thick tentacle lashed out and backhanded the five-year-old, knocking him across the cavern. *NEVER even think of disobeying me again, boy," Orochi snarled as the child picked himself back up. He stared up at it, one side of his face swollen to twice its normal size, then turned and fled the cavern.*~*

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	"Momiji?" The teen glanced up from her tender ministrations to see Kunikida standing in the doorway. "It's almost midnight; why don't you let me drive you home so you can get some sleep?"
	She dropped the washcloth into the basin. "What? But- but I can't just leave him like this! I promised Mrs. Matsudaira that I'd watch over him! Besides," and she fought back the tears, "I can't go... something might happen to him...."
	Kunikida sighed. He knew that she would just fall asleep; what purpose would letting her wear herself out serve? Watching her, though, he knew that she would never sleep at home, either; she would just keep herself awake worrying over Kusanagi's condition. "All right, then," the older man conceded, "but you have to promise to try to get some sleep. Making yourself sick won't help him any."
	"Thank you, Mr. Kunikida," she whispered, forcing a faint smile. The head of the TAC nodded and stepped outside the infirmary, shutting the door behind him.
	"How is she?" Matsudaira asked. The office was now empty except for the two of them. "I sent the rest of the team home; there was nothing else they could do here." Her face was drawn, although she kept her professional demeanor intact. 
	"She begged to stay here with him." He stripped off his overcoat and plunked himself down at a computer terminal. "I'm going to stay here and get some paperwork done. You need to go home yourself, Matsudaira."
	She shook her head. "I've got some cultures developing in my lab that I want to test some medications on. And, Mr. Kunikida.... I told Momiji about Kusanagi's chances for recovery."
	"She seems to be taking it well enough, I suppose, though I wish you had waited to tell her." He shuffled a set of papers and filed them away in a folder on his desk. "I just hope that you're wrong about Kusanagi."
	"So do I, Mr. Kunikida. So do I."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	Murakumo stepped back to admire his next victim. The king cobra hissed at the Aragami from behind its prison in the zoo; it bared its fangs and struck at him viciously. He laughed and grasped the serpent's head in his fist. A blue light glowed along the snake's body as it began to grow....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	The fax machine began buzzing and shooting out papers at the same time that the phone began to ring. Kunikida looked up blearily and picked up the phone. "TAC, Kunikida speaking.... What?!? We're on our way!" He shot up out of his seat and grabbed his overcoat. "Matsudaira!" He shook the scientist awake roughly. "There's an Aragami loose outside Tokyo! Go get Momiji; I'll page the others!"
	Matsudaira nodded, clearing the sleep-induced fog from her mind, and burst into the infirmary. Momiji had fallen asleep at Kusanagi's bedside. The teenaged princess's head rested on his uninjured shoulder; one arm was flung over his chest in a sleepy embrace. The remnants of tears streaked the man's orange skin. "Momiji! Momiji, wake up!" the older woman barked, shaking the girl.
	She bolted awake. "Huh? Wha- what's going on? Is Kusanagi all right?!?"
	"It's not that; an Aragami has been sighted just outside of Tokyo! Hurry up!"
	Momiji nodded grimly and, taking in one last look at the comatose man beside her, jumped up and reached for her jacket. She paused for a moment. Spying Kusanagi's tattered red trenchcoat hanging on the inside of the infirmary door, she grabbed it and slipped it on. "I'll be right back.... Hang on, Kusanagi," she whispered as she shut the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	Momiji huddled in the corner of the van as the TAC raced towards the site, drawing comfort from the oversized trenchcoat she was wearing. It had the slightest odor of freshly-mown grass, underlined with a trace of sweat. The ragged edges of the sleeves were stained with his foreign blood. She waited silently, brooding, until the mitama on her chest began to glow slightly. "It's coming," she breathed. 
	"What?" Takeuchi exclaimed. "Is it close?"
	"It's coming towards us.... Mr. Kunikida, stop the van! Stop!"
	As the van skidded to a halt outside of a dense forest, the trees began to rustle and bend. A colossal serpent slithered out of the area, hissing maniacally. Gold-tinged venom oozed from its eight foot long fangs; its scales shimmered in the beginning sunrise. The hood around the king cobra's head was ringed with vicious spikes that continued down the sides of its body to end in an immense spike on the tip of its tail. The ground around it was littered with trashed jeeps from the Self-Defense Force and with not a few fresh corpses. Koume leaped out of the van and immediately fired upon it with her bazooka; the charge did little more than knock a few of its scales off. "Damn, that thing's tough!" she shouted.
	Yaegashi tumbled out of the van with a huge briefcase, followed by Matsudaira. "Koume, Takeuchi, distract that thing while we get the bio-reactor ready-" A blue ki blast suddenly slammed into Yaegashi, slamming him into the side of the van.  
	"Yaegashi!" Koume immediately dropped her bazooka and dashed to his side.
	"Your bio-weapons are useless against this creature," a voice taunted the team. Murakumo hovered in the air above them, watching them contemptuously; he examined the carnage and sneered. "I see that imperfect soul Kusanagi isn't here with you. Such a shame..."
	"What's *that* supposed to mean?" Momiji shouted. She whipped her pistol out of one of the trenchcoat's pockets and aimed it directly at the Aragami. 
	"It means, princess Kushinada," Murakumo stated, "that soon we will no longer be troubled with that traitor." He laughed as sudden comprehension dawned onto the TAC. "That parasite I infected him with will slowly destroy him from the inside. A fitting way for him to die."
	Livid with rage, Momiji charged him, firing blindly through her tears. "I'll NEVER let him die, you... you jerk! He won't die! I won't let him!" Two strong arms suddenly pulled her back, restraining her.
	"Momiji, no! He'll kill you too!" Kunikida yelled over the din. "Don't fire at him!"
	The Aragami laughed again. "I don't have a ceramic field set up here, Kushinada, or you would be dead by now. Think about what I have said, humans. Soon, our kingdom, the kingdom of the Aragami, will rule this world again!" His sneering laugh echoed through the air as both he and the snake-Aragami vanished.
	The TAC stared after him in confusion. "Why would he leave when he has us at a disadvantage?" Takeuchi wondered aloud, reluctantly putting her revolver away. Kunikida turned to the team; behind him, Yaegashi was struggling to his feet. "Let's get back to the office now before he changes his mind and decides to come back."
	"Mr. Kunikida, Mrs. Matsudaira, what he said.... it can't be true, can it?" Momiji begged, tears running down her cheeks. "Please..."
	The two could only stare back at her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	"I have set it up as you wanted, although I think you are making a mistake."
	Murakumo leaned back against a tree and watched as Kaede began a purification ritual for the tiny shrine in the woods. She was dressed in the traditional robes of a *miko*, or Shinto priestess; the infant god Susano-oh was swaddled up and laying in a thick clump of grass, his piercing gaze following every move of the princess Kushinada. "We are here to follow our lord Susano-oh's wishes, not speculate on the reasoning behind his wants," she stated simply.
	"Hmmm......" He stepped forward, past Kaede, and touched a spot on the tatami inside. A fleck of dried green blood came off onto his finger. "Now I see why you are performing this ritual. It seems that imperfect soul has been here recently."
	She shrugged. "Remove that tatami and replace it with a fresh one. I can have no impurities soiling the bed of our lord." She gathered up several branches from the sacred sakaki tree and waited for him to move before beginning the ritual.
	Murakumo leaned back up against his tree, incinerating the blood-stained tatami with an offhand ki blast. "The Aragami cannot wait forever, princess Kushinada," he snarled under his breath. "And we shall *not* wait much longer...."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

	Momiji was the first to hear the high-pitched strains of an alarm going off inside the office. She ran for the infirmary and threw open the door-
	Kusanagi had somehow tumbled to the floor and was caught in a paroxysm of seizures. The convulsions thrashed his body against the equipment, knocking over several monitors. Blood had soaked through the bandages on his torso and was now seeping onto the floor. The teen dashed to his side, Matsudaira hot on her heels. Just before they could reach him, his eyes flew open as he let out an inhuman scream of agony. His body arced in the air, transfixed by the blinding light of his seven mitamas; suddenly, he gave one final gasp and collapsed to the floor.
	The alarms began blaring as the heart monitor faded down into a flat line.

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<HEAD><TITLE>Hidden Fires: Chapter 3</HEAD></TITLE>
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<H1 ALIGN="CENTER">Hidden Fires</H1>
<H3 ALIGN="CENTER">A <IMG SRC="bstitle.gif" ALT="BlueSeed Logo"> fanfiction</H3>
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<H3 ALIGN="CENTER">Chapter 3</H3>
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<H6>Disclaimer in <A HREF="fire1.html">Chapter 1</A></H6>
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<IMG SRC="mitama.gif" ALT="spinning mitama" ALIGN="CENTER">
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	"<EM>It's not working, Matsudaira!</EM>" Kunikida roared over the din. His hands were clamped one over the other so tight that his knuckles were pure white; his brow dripped with sweat as he rhythmically pressed his fists into Kusanagi's chest, forcing the blood through the man's body. Takeuchi was crouched beside him, her mouth clamped over his, propelling vital air into his lungs. The constant, high-pitched whine of the flatlined heart monitor reverberated throughout the room, adding to the urgency of the people inside. "Do something!"
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	Matsudaira rushed to the bedside, hurriedly tapping the air bubbles out of a large syringe. "Move out of the way!" she ordered, shoving her boss aside. Her graceful fingers prodded the man's ribs until she found a spot not far from a weakly throbbing mitama; she plunged the hypodermic needle through his skin, between the ribs, and straight into his heart. "Keep working at it, Takeuchi! Yaegashi, get me another-"
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	A single, abnormally rounded heartbeat blipped on the monitor. "Come on," the scientist urged, injecting another round of heart stimulants into a vein in his arm. "Start pumping-" 
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	A series of the irregular heartbeats flashed across the monitor. Before anyone could respond, the rounded marks began increasing in speed and power until they were flying across the monitor, sounding off another alarm. "Damn! He's gone into V-tach! Koume, get the paddles <EM>NOW!</EM>"
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	Koume came flying across the room, pushing a huge machine in front of her. The redhead plugged the contraption in; Matsudaira snatched two huge paddles from the front and rubbed them together. "Yaegashi, charge this thing to half-power!" she bellowed, placing the paddles at ninety-degree angles from each other on Kusanagi's torso. "<EM>CLEAR!</EM>"
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	Everyone jumped back from the bed as she pressed the paddles against his chest; the young man's body arced in the air as the electricity surged through it. The reading on the monitor slowed a little, then sped up faster than before. "Three-quarters power! Ready . . . <EM>CLEAR!</EM>" Sizzling sounds echoed as Kusanagi's unconscious frame recoiled from the shock. The monitor bleeped, then flatlined.
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	"Charge it as high as it will go, Yaegashi!" Matsudaira screamed over the uproar. "If this doesn't work, we'll probably lose him! <EM>CLEAR!!!!!</EM>"
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	The charge swept through his body, raising him almost a foot off the bed as every muscle in his body contracted; he suddenly went limp and fell back against the bed, perfectly still.
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	The heart monitor beeped softly, silencing its previous alarms. One small, weak, but normal heartbeat thumped onto the monitor, followed by another, until his heart was beating at a slow, regular rhythm. His mouth parted slightly; the ragged sounds of his breathing accompanied the tone of his heartbeat. Matsudaira dropped the paddles back into their slots and sagged against the machine, suddenly exhausted. "He's all right," she sighed softly. "He's going to live."
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	A slight whimper behind the group drew abruptly drew the group's attention; they turned to see Momiji standing in the far corner.  "Is he . . ." she barely made out.
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	Kunikida stepped towards her, his hands stained with green blood. "It's going to be all right, Momiji," he told her softly.
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	The teenaged Kushinada nodded once before bursting into tears.
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<IMG SRC="mitama.gif" ALT="spinning mitama" ALIGN="CENTER">
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	"What the hell happened?"
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	Momiji stared at her hands; she could make out the voices of each individual  TAC member as the group chattered angrily back and forth. "Well," Matsudaira's wearied voice echoed, "from what I could tell, he had a reaction to the antimicrobals I had given him. His physiology  is such a strange mix of human and plantlike forms that I can't tell what medications will react with him."
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	"Is that what caused his seizures? The medications?" Kunikida asked.
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	"I can't be entirely sure until I run a few more tests, but I believe so."
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	Koume's impatient voice broke in. "So Kusanagi had a couple of seizures that made his heart stop, right?"
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	"No. The seizures are apparently unrelated to his heart failure. The parasites that the Aragami infected him with have spread into his cardiac and respiratory systems, causing the attack. He has to be constantly monitored now, to guard against another attack of PVC."
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	"PVC? The plastic thing?"
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	Matsudaira sighed. "No, Koume, premature ventricular contractions. During the attack, the bottom chambers of his heart began beating so rapidly that his heart could not fill up with blood. It's nearly as bad as complete heart failure. That's why I had you bring out the defibrillator; his heart had to be jolted out of that rhythm before it killed him."
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	Momiji shuddered when the scientist mentioned the word "killed." "So . . . what happens if Kusanagi has another attack like that?" she queried hesitantly.
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	The older woman put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I honestly don't know, Momiji. The defibrillator puts a great deal of strain on the body; his heart is already weak from the infection. I . . . I can't give any guarantees-"
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	Standing up, Momiji swallowed hard and nodded her head. "I understand," she whispered. "I- I'm going to sit with him . . . ."
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	She rushed off before anyone could say another word.
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<IMG SRC="mitama.gif" ALT="spinning mitama" ALIGN="CENTER">
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	Murakumo crept towards the tiny shrine, a scowl on his face. "Damned Kusanagi," he cursed under his breath. "If it wasn't for Princess Kaede's objections, you would be dead by now." The mitamas on his hands throbbed softly as he reached the battered torii; he snarled under his breath and kept going. "I'm <EM>not</EM> going to let the Kushinada interfere with your destruction!"
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	He could see the princess curled up on a bed of tatami in the entrance to the shrine. Carefully, he slunk closer to her, then pulled a vial out of her voluminous robes. The Aragami studied the bluish liquid carefully, then slipped the vial into a pocket inside his jacket. He placed another vial, filled with tinted blue water, back into her robe. "I'm not taking any chances . . . ." He paused when he saw the infant god Susano-oh staring at him. "I do this to protect you, my lord," he told the child. "I will not let the Kushinada risk your life just for that imperfect soul!"
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	The infant stared back at him calmly, a wisdom beyond any found on earth lurking behind his eerie gaze. Murakumo bowed once and slipped back into the darkness to maintain his vigil on the shrine.
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<IMG SRC="mitama.gif" ALT="spinning mitama" ALIGN="CENTER">
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	*~*<FONT COLOR="#CCFFFF">Yamata-no-Orochi watched cautiously from among the trees as the seven year old Kusanagi stepped out into the human world for the first time. His master's words rang in the young boy's ears as he leapt from branch to branch. <EM>The Kushinada is here inside the park. You will watch after her from the shadows and make sure no harm comes to her. Make sure to keep yourself hidden from the humans unless absolutely necessary.</EM> He rubbed a huge bruise on his shoulder from where Orochi had shoved him out of the cave. <EM>Now get out of my sight and don't return until I call for you!</EM>
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	Landing amidst the branches of an old maple tree, Kusanagi scanned the open park area. Images of Kaede had been implanted in his mind by his Aragami master; he examined every face until a young girl with blue hair and a sailor's type school uniform ran down the path in front of the tree. "That's the Kushinada?" he asked himself, unimpressed. He stared down at the girl as she pranced around in circles laughing and singing to herself. A craggy man in a grey trenchcoat followed behind her, smiling and chatting with people as he passed by. Kaede suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground with a shout; Kusanagi started, but the older man reached the girl first.
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	"Are you OK, Kaede?" He lifted her up and wiped the dirt from her scraped knees.
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	She sniffled a little, wiping away her tears with one hand. "My knees hurt, Father," she whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
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	"It's all right, Kaede. Here," and he swung the little girl up onto his shoulders, "I'll carry you back to the car and we'll bandage those scrapes right up. OK?"
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	The young Kushinada giggled as her father strode back the way they came. Kusanagi began to follow them, then stopped. They seemed so . . . . so happy together, as though they hadn't a care in the world. His little mind flared with resentment as he thought about the scene that had just transpired in front of him. Why did he have to suffer just for her? He hated that smile, those joyful eyes; his memories were of nothing but pain, endless drilling in the processes of destruction. Far back in his mind were vague memories of infanthood, but they were clouded over with cold statistics and battle techniques. Tears began to well in the young boy's eyes; he angrily dashed the tears away. <EM>I won't do it,</EM> he snarled in his mind. <EM>I won't follow them, I don't care what that jerk Orochi says!</EM>
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	"Hey, you! You, up in the tree! You wanna play baseball?"
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	Kusanagi looked down, startled. A trio of boys were standing under the maple's branches, looking up at him. He shrank away, unsure of what to do. "Aw, come on! It'll be fun!"
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	Fun? The Aragami-created child wasn't entirely sure as to what fun was, but it has to be better than just sitting up in a tree. And his heart longed to go out and frolic like normal children, although he did not know that as being normal. Ignoring his master's previous warnings, he jumped down from the tree and landed perfectly on his feet. "OK," he said shyly.
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	"Great! My name's Ranma, and I'm six years old! This here's my friends Ryouga and Akira. What's your name?"
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	"Um . . . . .  I'm Mamoru."
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	The boy named Ranma grabbed him by the hand. "C'mon! Let's get over to the playing ground!"
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	Four more boys, all about six years older than them, were waiting for the group when Ranma, Kusanagi, and the others arrived at the small baseball diamond. "OK, guys, we've got another player," Ryouga said. "Let's get started!"
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	"Wait a second." One of the older boys stepped forward. "What's up with the green-haired kid?" He reached over and pulled a hair out of Kusanagi's head. "And you've got funny lookin' cat eyes, too!"
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	"Leave him alone, Hiro," Ranma said. "He's OK, really!"
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	The other preteens pushed the younger kids back and encircled the bewildered Kusanagi. "You look like a walking carrot," one of them jeered, poking him in the chest.
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	"Stop it," he whispered, suddenly aware of how alone he was. His eyes darted about frantically, looking for any sign of his master hiding in the trees. "Leave me alone!"
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	"Leave him alone, Hiro!" Ranma shouted, charging him. He found himself pushed aside again; the older boy had six years of martial arts training over him, and was much stronger. Ryouga came over to help Ranma, but two of the older boys came by and pinned them to the ground.
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	Hiro then grabbed the young Aragami's hand and stared at the mitama imbedded in the flesh there. "What's this thing?" He prodded it with one finger-
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	-and Kusanagi shoved the older boy aside roughly. "I said <EM>leave me alone</EM>, dammit!!" Bringing his hands together, he generated a ki wave from his mitamas and blasted the boy.
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	The ki blast threw Hiro back several meters; he sat up slowly, grabbing his arm in pain. "He broke my arm!" he wailed. 
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	The other boys stared at him in shock; he shrank back, suddenly horrified at what he had done. "I- I didn't mean to hurt him . . . . I'm sorry . . . . ."
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	"<EM>Freak!</EM>" Another of the young men picked up a rock and flung it at him, hitting him in the face. "<EM>Weirdo!</EM> Get away from us!"
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	A stick struck him in the shoulder, followed by a piece of brick and an empty bottle. "Freak!" they shouted as they bombarded him with trash and other objects. "Monster!"
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	Ranma and Ryouga pried themselves free and ran to their new friend's aid. "Mamoru! Hey, you jerks, leave him alone-"
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	The two boys stopped in their tracks. Where the bottle had cut him seeped green blood, staining his T-shirt and running down his arm. "He- he's not human . . . ." Ryouga whispered, pointing at his wound.
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	Kusanagi stared at them with haunted eyes filled with tears. "I'm . . . I'm sorry," he sobbed; before they could react, he leapt into the nearest tree and vanished from sight.
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	"Mamoru . . . ." Ranma called after him. "<EM>Mamoru . . . !</EM>"
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	Kusanagi kept running until he reached one of the entrances to Orochi's cave. He dropped to the grass and huddled up into a ball, sobbing. <EM>Why are you back here, toy?</EM> a sibilant voice hissed from the foliage.
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	"I- I saw the Kushinada, but she left, and then I met some kids and they started pokin' me and I used a ki attack on one of them and the kept calling me a freak and I-"
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	<EM>WHAT?</EM> Orochi's eyes flared red; brandishing a many-forked tentacle, he struck him hard across the back, shredding his T-shirt. <EM>I told you not to let yourself be seen!</EM> He lashed out again; Kusanagi screamed and curled up into a tiny ball to minimize the surface his master could strike. <EM>Worthless trash! I should destroy you now!</EM> The tentacles tore into the skin of his back until the blood flowed freely; Orochi drew back and studied his pupil with disdain. <EM>Now, are you sorry you disobeyed me, fool?</EM>
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	"Y- yes, master," he choked through his sobs. "I won't - won't do it again . . . ."
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	The Aragami lifted the boy up in his tentacles and carried him back into the cavern. <EM>I'll heal you now and let you rest,</EM> the demon conceded as he bore him down the tunnels. <EM>But for now, let this be a warning . . . . .</EM></FONT> *~*
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<IMG SRC="mitama.gif" ALT="spinning mitama" ALIGN="CENTER">
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	Momiji adjusted the oxygen mask that covered the lower half of Kusanagi's face and tucked the sheets back around him. He kept tossing and turning, murmuring from the depths of his coma as memories of his past haunted him. The teen stroked his cheek, concern etched on her face. "You'll be all right, Kusanagi," she whispered. "I'm here for you . . . ."
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	A single tear, tiny and sparkling, slipped from one eye and slid along the contour of his cheek before dripping down onto Momiji's hand. "Oh, Kusanagi," she murmured quietly, touching the droplet to her lips. His face was contorted in pain and sorrow from the memory; it twisted her heart to see it. Slowly, she leaned down and, hesitating, brushed her lips against his forehead. "I'm here for you, Kusanagi. I promise, I'll never leave you . . . ."
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	The constant beeping of the monitors was her only answer.
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<A HREF="fire2.txt">Go back to Chapter 2</A>
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Chapter 4 coming soon to an FFML near you....
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