Author's notes – Ok, here's the deal. Schally and I are writing ever other chapter, so I do chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, while Schally does chapters 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 (if it ends at 10 that is). Basically that means that this chapter is Schally's piece, I hope you all enjoy!

Rated – PG-13 (Koume, Koume, Koume, you'd think that after 14 years of being a mom that you'd clean up your language a little bit)

By – Merc and Schally

Second Chapter by - Schally

Chartreuse Seed

            "It doesn't make sense," Matsudaria murmured, her voice faint both from distraction and tiredness.  It had been a long day and she wasn't used to onsite research.  She clicked idly through several pages of onscreen data before leaning back in her chair, brushing back the stray lock of black hair that always seemed to free itself from her carefully-styled bun.  "None of this evidence correlates with what we know about the Aragami."

            "Well, 'splain it to me anyway, Matsu.  Use little words if you have to."  Koume buttoned the top of her trademark pink jumpsuit and sat down in her chair.  She and Yaegashi had both agreed to meet Matsudaria at the TAC headquarters, leaving the twins with the understanding that they were to brush their teeth and go to bed after finishing dinner.

            Matsu leaned forward, steepling her fingers under her chin.  "The last time the Aragami awakened it was because twin Kushinada were born, creating a disturbance that disrupted their sleep.  We learned that this hibernation was caused by the Kushinada pulse—Momiji used that pulse to put the Aragami to rest again, and she has now given birth to a single daughter who carries the bloodline."

            "Right, right.  No twins, so what's the problem?"

            Matsu nodded.  Yaegashi handed her a cup of hot coffee, which he had just poured from the office pot, and she accepted it gratefully.  "However, Akina is not an ordinary girl.  Like Kusanagi, she has some of the powers of the Aragami.  It's possible that Kusanagi's Aragami genes may have somehow reacted to Momiji's Kushinada genes, though how or to what extent I cannot say."

            "If the birth of twins was enough to upset the Aragami's sleep before, maybe the birth of a single child with Kushinada and Aragami blood could have been the trigger for their reawakening," Yaegashi added.  "That's our working hypothesis, anyway."  He offered a cup of coffee to Koume, who refused. 

            "Damn, these monsters are really starting to piss me off," Koume said.  Both her husband and her co-worker gave her weak smiles, but she only scowled back.  Normally, she would have loved the opportunity to kill more monsters.  But that was before the twins.  She had a family to take care of, now, and the Aragami were only getting in the way.

            "Our main priority is protecting Akina," Matsudaria continued.  "The rite of Matsuri is very draining.  Momiji barely survived.  To a child so young, it could be fatal.  We're hoping to use the Kushinada Pulse as an alternative.  We've been continually improving the pulse's efficiency, but it isn't perfected yet…"  Matsu sat her cup down on the table, glancing over at her computer screen.  "We didn't expect the Aragami to wake again.  Not so soon."

            Yaegashi also averted his eyes, opting to look down into the depths of his coffee cup.  Both he and Matsudaria had been assigned to the aptly renamed Kushinada Pulse Project.  They hadn't really slacked off on the research, but they had taken their time.  Maybe if they had moved faster, or worked harder, they might have had a viable Kushinada Pulse to use if a situation like this arose…

            Koume clapped her hand on his knee, startling him, and he looked up.  She gave him a fierce look.  "Don't even start that," she snapped, and Yaegashi smiled.  His wife knew him well.  "Nobody saw this coming."  She stood up, knocking her rolling chair back several feet.  "This sure is a lousy time for the boss to be gone."  Kunikida had left earlier that week to visit an old friend, taking Ryoko with him and entrusting his son in the hands of Ryoko's parents.

            "I sent word to Mr. Kunikida as soon as we found out," Yaegashi told her.  "He and Ryoko are on their way back.  They should be here within a day."

            "So now what do we do?" Koume asked.

            "Mr. Yaegashi and I are going to start working on pulse calibrations as soon as possible.  The sooner we perfect the pulse, the sooner we can send the Aragami into hibernation again.  I've already spoken with Momiji and she agreed to meet us at the lab within the hour."

            "Why all the rush?" Koume asked, frowning.  "If this is anything like the last time, it'll take months before big pods start popping up."

            Matsu and Yaegashi exchanged a look.  Matsu cleared her throat.  "If the Aragami were aware of the ceramic field when it was initially developed, surely they are aware that we have developed a way to duplicate the Kushinada pulse.  They may also know that we are close to developing a completed version—a pulse so accurate that the Kushinada will not need to perform the rite of Matsuri.  The Aragami have proven to be strategically clever in the past.  They will probably attempt to kill the Kushinada before we can complete a perfected form of the pulse."

            Yaegashi nodded.  "Even if they kill the Kushinada outside of a ceramic field and force themselves into hibernation, they will still gain an advantage over us," he said.  "We'll never get to complete the pulse, and eventually they may have an opportunity to awaken again.  The Aragami are an ancient race, after all.  They've got all the time in the world."  Yaegashi pushed his glasses up on his nose.  "What bad luck…"

            "You're damn right it's bad luck," Koume said, opening her locker.  "If those stinking monsters lay a finger—tentacle—whatever on Akina, I'll blow them to smithereens."  She began loading her weapons into her usual green duffel bag.  "I'll only get in the way, here.  I'll help Kusanagi guard Akina."

            Matsu stood, clicking a button on her computer.  "I'm going to start prepping my equipment," she said, stretching.  The printer hummed and began to spit out pages.  "Have Momiji bring this report when she comes down."  The biotech rubbed her forehead.  "I'd almost forgotten what it's like to have a deadline," she mused as she left the office.

            Koume didn't look up from where she was sorting her weapons.  "Yoshi, give Plant Boy a call and tell him I'm coming over."  Koume pulled out her bazooka and, after checking it over, carefully tucked it into her bag.  Damn, I never thought I'd get to use this thing again.

            "Koume," Yaegashi began, and she waved a hand at him.

            "I know, you hate bazookas, but they're handy sometimes.  You can never be too careful."

            "No, Koume, it's not the gun," he said, and she looked up at him.  He was holding the phone receiver away from his ear, a grimace on his face.  "No one's picking up," Yaegashi said.

            Koume's hand froze halfway between the duffel bag and the locker.  "Shit!"

*          *          *

            "Mom is going to kill us," Kazuo whined, hefting the backpack over his shoulder. 

            "No, she won't," Midori said, shrugging into her own backpack.

            "You're right.  She'll just kill you.  Because it's your idea."

            "Look, if you wanna say, fine.  Wussy."  Midori tugged on his ponytail, an action he couldn't return since her brown, feathery hair was cut short, and had always been.  Though Kazuo, like his mother, favored long hair, his sister had always preferred a neat, trim appearance like their father's.

            Kazuo sucked in a breath.  "I'm not scared or nothin'.  I'm just saying, Mom said."

            "I know what Mom said.  And I know what Dad said, too.  Aragami.  You know what that means."

            "Yeah."  Kazuo bit his lip.  "Akina's the Kushinada, and they'll try to—"

            "They'll nothin'!" Midori countered.  "Because we're gonna protect the Kushinada, just like Mom and Dad did.  I'm gonna kill all those stinking monsters."

            The two peered out of the back kitchen window and, after seeing the coast was clear, they sneaked out into the dark backyard, weaving their way through the forest.  They'd been exploring the woods near their home for years and, over time, had made a path that lead to the relative area of the Kusanagi household's backyard.

            "I wonder what Aragami look like," Kazuo whispered after they had been walking through the shadowy trees for several minutes.

            "I dunno.  Dr. Matsu calls them plant-based life forms.  So I guess…"

            "Like trees and mushrooms and stuff?"

            "Maybe.  I've heard Mom talk about one that looked like a frog and breathed fire.  I think it really pissed her off."

            "I think they all pissed Mom off."

            "True."

            The twins quieted as they neared the Kusanagis' backyard.  Midori stopped before they cleared the forest and frowned, motioning for Kazuo to stop as well.  "Mr. Kusanagi?" Midori whispered loudly.

            A favorite game of Kusanagi's was to sneak up on the twins and scare them, especially when they came over at night.  They reasoned it was because he couldn't sneak up on Akina, as her hearing was too sensitive.

            The house was silent and dark.  Kazuo cupped his hands around his mouth.  "Akina?" he called softly.

            A loud crashing noise echoed through the backyard, causing both twins to jump.  There was another crash, followed by a series of growls and yells.  Then:

            "Daddy!"

            The twins exchanged a look.  "Akina!" they said together.  The two took off towards the source of the crashes as the din continued from the side of the house.

*          *          *

            Makoto slipped the phone back into its cradle quietly, so as not to alert his grandmother of the fact that he was out of bed, and tiptoed back to the guest room.  Ever since Mr. Yaegashi had called with a message for his Dad he'd been curious.  He'd attempted, in vain, to call up Midori to ask what all the fuss was about, but no one was answering the phone.

            "This sucks," he muttered, feeling liberated at using a phrase his grandparents forbade.  He hesitated at the door to his room, then took a few more steps forward, peering into the living room.  His grandfather was asleep, snoring loudly in front of the television, and he knew that his grandmother was probably already asleep in her own bed.

            He could take his bike to the twins, couldn't he?  Maybe the phone ringer was turned off or something.  He could knock on Kazuo's window and find out what the big fuss was, right?

            But the twins' house was sort of far away from his grandparents.  It would take a while, maybe twenty minutes.  Akina's house was closer. 

            Makoto watched his grandfather snore, deliberating for a moment longer, then slipped back into his room.  He was always left out of everything.  Well, he'd just ride over to Akina's and find out exactly what the big special secret was!  He smiled at himself, knowing that Midori would be pleased with his get-go attitude, and began to pull on his jacket over his pajamas.

The End of Chapter 2

PLEASE REVIEW!!! Alright, having said that, I hope you all enjoyed the second installment of this latest series! Yay! And be sure to check out Schally's Blue Seed Page at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/7934/bseed.htm. Well, I guess the next chapter is up to me, so I'll see you all around very soon. Until then!