Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Seed or the characters.

Hey everyone! I apologize for the long wait! I hope you guys like the story so far. I think I should end it soon, though. Anyway, please review!

Chapter Ten

Murakumo stepped closer to Momiji and Kusanagi with a grin on his face. "I've finally found you," he said. "I was beginning to think you had already left the forest."

Kusanagi shook his head, while Momiji stood behind him. "We left the campsite, since Kaede and her giant were coming towards us," he said.

"That giant is Susana-oh," he said, and looked at Momiji. "They are coming for you."

Momiji shuddered in fear. "F--For m-me?" she stuttered. "Why do they want me?"

Murakumo only smiled and said, "So we won't use you as a sacrifice to ruin their plans." He walked closer to Kusanagi. "But if we used her as a sacrifice, it would be bad for both the Arigami and you, right Kusanagi?"

Bewildered, Kusanagi stepped back, knocking into Momiji. She fell to the ground, letting out a loud yelp once she landed. He turned to her and stared down at her. Flashbacks flew through his head at deadly speeds, forbidding him to think straight. They were all of him and Momiji, being with each other. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, him protecting her from Arigami. They must have been his past, but he doesn't fully remember them. He knew that he wasn't dreaming up these images, since in the state of mind he's in, wouldn't permit him to think that way.

Momiji blinked her eyes. "Kusanagi?"

He didn't move as he kept his eyes locked on her. Flashback after flashback, he slowly became the person he was before he felt the Arigami were the supreme power. The person that fought against the Arigami. The same person that loved Momiji.

As he bent down to help her up, there was a rustle in the woods and then a bolt of green light shot at them. Murakumo quickly pushed Kusanagi onto Momiji, and then blasted a bolt of his dark energy into the shrubbery. The sound of a body hitting the ground echoed through the forest.

Everything after that moment went in slow motion. Murakumo vigilantly walked toward the shrubbery, where he had shot his energy. The shrubbery reached the height of 5 feet, so he could easily see right over it. While keeping his guard, he carefully looked over the shrubbery. The only sound that made noise after that was the croaks of frogs that were on their way to leave the forest.

Murakumo leaped over the shrubbery and kneeled next to the body that lay half-dead. "I finally got you, Kaede," he said, and turned over the body.

Once he saw her face he screamed the loudest scream ever heard. That face, that hair, those eyes. All of which that did not belong to Kaede, his original target. No, it was not her. It was the last person he would ever want to kill in cold blood. His beloved, Akima.

He scooped her up in his arms, having her head rest on his shoulder. She felt cold, but he could still feel her breathing, although it was faint.

"Akima?" he whispered, shaking her slightly. "Say something. Please."

Akima's eyelids opened. She shifted her eyes to see Murakumo's face above her own. "Murakumo," she said softly, smiling. "I knew I would see you again."

His eyes started to get watery, but he managed to keep tears from falling. He didn't want her to see him crying, since she would think he had lost all hope in her from recovering.

"Where's Kaede?" she said, flinching a little as the pain slowly bit at every wound on her body. "She somehow got me pinned to the ground and started to attack me. I couldn't defend or protect myself. So I let her continue until I built up enough power and blew it full-force at her. She disappeared suddenly. Then I heard something in the woods over there, so I started to shoot, thinking it may be Kaede. But--"

"It was Kusanagi and I with Momiji," he said, finishing her sentence. He tucked the hair that fell into her eyes behind her ear.

Her eyes widened and she looked down at the hole in her chest, straight to the heart. Right then and there she knew that Murakumo was the one to hit her with energy. "Murakumo… You are not to blame for my carelessness."

He shook his head. "You weren't careless," he said. "I was the careless one to let you go out all by yourself. You aren't as strong as you were when you had the other mitama. It's my fault for forgetting that."

She smiled and lifted her hand to his face. "You win your battle, Murakumo," she said, as tears slowly rolled down her face. "I will be waiting on the other side for you."

He squeezed her tightly to him. He never wanted to let go, because if he did, he knew he'd never be able to hold her again. He wanted to have that single moment suspend in the air like a helium balloon floating off into the sky, never to come back to touch the ground. But even a balloon looses it's ability to float…

"I love you, Murakumo," she said so quietly that it was hard to hear her.

He kissed her forehead. "I love you, too," he said.

She smiled one last time and closed her eyes, releases a slow band of tears. Her breathing became slower and more far apart. After a few more breaths, she took her final one. She passed away right there, in his arms, where she was always meant to be.

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To Be Continued…

Please Review!

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I know this was a really short chapter, but I promise to make a longer and more action packed chapter next time!