If you see a seeded dandelion, be cautious to blow on it; for strange things might happen to you.
"Hm, well that's strange," the mushi master mused to himself as he walked along the meadow that chilly spring morning. He stared down at the lone dandelion perked up near his brown boot. "They usually don't grow nearly this early." With a cautious eye, he knelt down to examine the specimine. "Well, it appears to be a normal dandelion. Guess it's going to be an early summer."
xx
"Mama!" cried the toddler as she ran through the meadow. A young woman not too far ahead of her rose up to wipe the sweat off her brow, leaning against the hoe she used to turn up the land.
"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked as she caught her breath, pulling a strand of hair back that had fallen from her bandana. The child tugged on the bottom of her mother's yukata.
"Look what I found!"
The little girl raised her fist which clamped over a small, seeding flower. "Look at the pretty pink flower!"
Her mother lifted the toddler into her arms, letting the hoe fall to the half-worked ground beneath her feet. "Sweetheart, that flower is white. But it doesn't start that way. Do you know those yellow flowers that sprout up in the summer? That's what this is. This is called a dandelion..." The mother's eyes narrowed a little. "It is odd... a dandelion growing so early; and seeded, too."
"Dandelion," the toddler repeated, poking the flower with a chubby finger. "So pretty."
"Well, do you know what we do with a dandelion?" the mother asked, smiling at her daughter. "We blow on it, so that the seeds disperse all throughout the land. They're actually a weed, and we probably shouldn't let them grow here, but I've always had a soft spot for them. For a weed, they sure are beautiful."
"Let's blow on it, Mama!" the young girl said with a giggle. Her mother kissed the girl's forehead.
"Alright, all together now. One... two...three!"
And with a puff, the seeds floated into the air, and disappeared with the wind.
xx
Ginko took his wooden pack from his back once he entered the village, wiping the sweat from his brow. The chilly morning had passed, and it was afternoon now; a hot afternoon that swelled with humidity. It seemed it was just as uncomfortable for the villagers, who fanned themselves with paper fans, wide-brimmed leaves, and anything wide and flat they could find. Ginko settled for splashing a bit of water from his cantine onto his face, letting the cool liquid trickle down his face. "Ahh, now that's the stuff."
"Excuse me, sir," came a voice from the side. When he turned his head, he saw a young woman with tan skin and her hair cropped short. A long strip of cloth wrapped around her body to hold back her yukata sleeves, which showed that she had been working, probably in the fields that the mushi master had passed on his way into the village.
"Yes?" Ginko responded, recapping his cantine and placing it into his pack. The woman approached him, keeping one hand against her waist, the other hand drooping to her side.
"You wouldn't happen to be a mushi master, would you?"
A bit shocked, the master's expression was that of a surprised one, before it quickly went back to a gentle, yet serious, look. "Why, yes, I am. How could you tell?"
"I've heard about you," replied the woman. "I have a friend in another village that said man with white hair and one blue eye helped her niece and son, whose eyes had been infested by mushi."
"Ohh," mused Ginko, as he picked up his wooden pack once more. "Yes, that's true. I remember them well."
"Well..." the woman began, running a hand through her hair. "As much as I appreciate that, I'm afraid I must be in debt to you, as well. You see...I think this village has a mushi problem."
xx
"Do you have a cigar?" the woman asked, sitting cross-legged across from the same-situated Ginko. The white-haired mushi master nodded, as he reached into the pocket of his brown pants.
"So tell me," he began, pulling out two brown cigars and handing the woman one, taking one for himself. "...What kind of mushi problem are we talking about here?"
"Well," the tomboy began, leaning forward as Ginko lit her cigar for her. "It's these flowers that grow... Or weeds, whatever you want to call them. Dandelions. They look normal when they first sprout out, so they look like normal dandelions. But when they begin to seed..." She ran a hand through her short, black hair. "...The seeds glow light pink. Most people can't see it, though."
"But you can," Ginko presumed, puffing on his cigar. The girl nodded grimly.
"Yes. That's what led me to believe that they're mushi. But... " Her hands clenched on the edge of her yukata, and her eyes became serious. "...Being pink isn't all that they do. Anyone who blows on them goes gravely ill... They have breathing problems, then they can't speak...And then, they can't hear. Or see... And then they...and then they..."
Ginko had a serious expression. "They die, don't they."
The girl nodded, keeping her head low, as a single tear trailed down her cheek. "That's what happened to my sister... and her daughter, Yuko... Yuko's still alive, but she's a deaf-mute, and she's going blind..." Her hands clenched her yukata so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Please, you've got to help her. She's only five years old...She's got her whole life ahead of her. Please, don't let her die. Please..." She broke down, crying into her hands. The mushi master watched her for a moment.
"...Let me see her."
xx
As Ginko ducked underneath the doorflap on the entrance way to the small home, his sea-colored eye caught the visage of a young girl who stared off into space, holding a porcelain doll close to her chest. She seemed to hear nothing, and see very little if anything at all. The mushi master could only imagine how painful life must be for a girl that young to be trapped in her own body, without being able to see, or hear, or even talk.
"There she is," the young woman said, pointing to her young niece. "Yuko's her name. Poor thing... C'mere hun; come to Auntie Tomo." With that, the young woman, Tomo, plucked Yuko into her arms. The toddler then nuzzled her face against Tomo's bosom, closing her eyes with a smile on her face.
"I'll have to examine her," Ginko began, removing some medical supplies from his pack. "Set her down on that table over there so I can have a look at her."
xx
"Aha, just as I suspected," the white-haired male began as he removed the otoscope from Yuko's ear. "There's a ton of mushi in there. In her nasal cavity too, and her eyes. The mushi is called Eternal Seed. Normally, the wind gusts move its seeds in the same way it would to a regular dandelion, to reproduce. But when blown on close to the face, it enters the nasal cavity and eventually spreads to the throat and eyes. If prolonged, it could spread to the nervous system and eventually depress the entire body."
"S-so," Tomo started, as she ran her hand along her niece's head. "...Is there any way to cure her?"
"Well, normally we'd just remove the mushi," Ginko said softly, putting away his medical supplies piece by piece. "...But Eternal Seed are notorious for embedding themselves deep, and I'm afraid if we were to remove them all at once, the damage would be irreversible."
"So, wh-what can we do?" Tomo asked, her usual ruggedness toned down by the softness in her voice. The mushi master closed up the bag he kept his supplies in, and put it back into the wooden box he carried.
"We have to start slowly, but quick enough so the mushi don't spread by the time we're done with one affected area." Ginko watched as the toddler grabbed for Tomo, who quickly plucked her up into her arms.
"When can we start?" she asked, looking into the lifeless eyes of the young Yuko she held.
Ginko looked at the two. "Now, if you like." Placing a tanned hand to her cheek, Tomo smiled, giving her niece a kiss.
"I wish you could hear those words, Yuko," she whispered into the girl's deaf ear. "But, soon you will be able to."
A/N: Wow, my first Mushi-Shi fic! This is only the first installment, or chapter. I sort of scripted it like an episode would go. Don't worry, there's more chapters coming! R&R!