Kusanagi was sitting at home phone by his side on the kitchen table as he downed his fourth cup of black coffee. It was stone cold, but he didn't notice as he drained the last drops from the bottom. He put it down for a moment then tried to take another drink before realizing it was empty. Instead of filling it up he just stared at it. He'd felt the pain, felt the power released, but somehow he couldn't believe that she was dead. The only time he'd felt anything similar was when Katie had died, but Katie hadn't really been then either and that alone gave him hope.
Next to his cup, propped up on a flower vase was the picture he had taken of himself and Momiji on the road where they had first met. Right before the picture they had promised to start over, and Kusanagi had thought she had meant so they could be together, but for some reason she had pushed him away. At first he'd thought it was because she thought him a freak, but he'd asked one night hurt when she'd turned away from a kiss. He remembered exactly how she'd looked then, horrified that he could think such a thing. For a few moments she let down her walls as she took his big hands in her own quickly stripping his mitts off so she could trace the matama with a gentle fingertip.
"These allow you to be strong Mamoru Kusanagi. They allow you to fly. to do amazing feats and survive when you shouldn't have." She then took his hand and placed it against her chest at the base of her throat. "They allowed you to come back to me when everything was against us. They are a part of you yes, but they do not define you. I swear Kusanagi my feelings toward you have absolutely nothing to do with the blue souls you posses."
She'd looked so sincere that night, her hands around his and her eyes so full of emotion that he couldn't have not believed her. He'd wanted to ask, why then do you turn away from me, but he couldn't bring himself to do it knowing that those words would make her return to the closed person she'd been. Instead he kissed her trying to express all his feelings in the one kiss, but the next morning she'd gone back. He could see it in the way she held her body ridged as she looked at the reporters camped outside. Her back was ram rod strait and her muscles tied up in knots. Kusanagi had put a hand on her shoulder, but instead of leaning into him she'd turned away claiming to be late. He'd checked his watch, a Christmas gift from Momiji, only to discover that she was an hour early.
Kusanagi tried to take anther sip of his empty coffee finally getting up to put the cup in the sink. He walked back by the table snatching his picture before taking the phone and moving to sit on the stairs. He cradled the picture in his palms careful not to crease the center as he remembered everything he could about her.
It hadn't been soon after that day when the nightmares returned. Momiji tried to hide them, but it was hard for her to cover the bags beneath her eyes. She had had problems eating too, whatever the dreams being about scared or hurt her very much. She lost pounds nearly overnight. Now that Kusanagi thought about it he remembered that Momiji hadn't started being so very cold until right after the nightmares started.
The phone rang startling him his thoughts. In his haste to answer it he dropped the phone twice. Finally he managed to jam the talk button ad shove the receiver to his ear. Mr. Kunikida asked him if he was okay to which Kusanagi reassured him.
"Any word?" He asked hope brimming in his eyes. It was quickly squashed it as he was told no. He'd told Kunikida about the pulse being released the morning before. The T.A.C. and the Japanese government had issued a city wide search, which hadn't been hard to execute since only half the city was occupied. Despite the fact Kusanagi felt sure she was close by they hadn't found her.
The leader of the T.A.C. Had called to inform him that the search was complete. Kusanagi thanked him and hung up the phone taking out his picture one more time. He traced the line of her face before tucking the picture in his pocket and leaving to resume his own search of the dead sector.
Her head pounding, Momiji scratched at the burning on her chest. She had trouble getting to the itchy part as her fingers kept meeting a hard object that got in the way no matter how she tried. Frustrated she finally forced her eyes open blinking rapidly at the sudden light. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and began to rub her eyes. The door opened and she dropped her hands.
"How are you feeling today?" The man in white asked her happily. Momiji growled at him looking at the tray of food in his hands. In hopes that being nice might get her food, she looked up with what she hoped was an apologetic look.
"I feel like someone hit me with a ton of bricks but I'm also starving. Is that for me?" She asked pointing to the tray. The man in white looked at her for a moment longer before looking down at the tray. Nodding he placed it on the bed beside her taking a pair of chopsticks from his pocket.
"That's understandable. We had to use the paddles to resuscitate you after the surgery. The voltage was a bit extreme, but under the circumstances, we felt it necessary." He held the chopsticks out to her.
"What circumstances?" She asked before reaching out to grab the chopsticks. Her hand made it halfway. On the back over her hand was a blue matama.
Momiji blanked. She'd had this dream before but always she'd woken up to find it just that, a dream. Looking from her hand to the face of the man next to her she couldn't believe she was dreaming. She raised her other hand to find another one. Momiji quickly lifted her gown to find more on her knees and with dread she looked down at her chest. Nestled just above her breasts were the remaining four.
"No." She whispered to shocked to voice anything louder. She swallowed a couple times touching the matamas on her chest with shaking fingers. They had been the source of the itching and even still the skin between and around them itched. There wasn't the scar tissue that she'd had before as her skin now smoothly met with the matamas. Her hands too had very little scaring.
"Why, why did you do this to me?" She whispered looking at the man's ice blue eyes. Something like pity flickered there before it was swept away replaced by the dead look he always had. He thought over his reply before answering.
"The matamas were collected during the Rite of Matsuri when the Kushinada sacrificed herself. Originally there was twelve, but four were destroyed during testing. The other eight were soaked in chemical compounds designed to enhance the powers they give a person. The founders of this branch of the government, it's funders more like, wanted an Aragami on their side someone like the Kushinada's protector, in case the Aragami return or to use," and here he took a deep breath. "a weapon. Someone to do their dirty work. They searched the government archives to find someone who was not only alone in the world, but they felt them capable of killing. They chose a female for their controllability, and thus you were brought here." He finished just sitting there and watching her.
It was an answer, but it didn't tell her why they had done this to her. It was a mistake, a very big mistake but one that she knew very well could not be fixed.
"Get out." She told the man, a quiet intensity in her voice. She didn't want to face a man who could talk about doing such a horrible thing as though it were the morning news. The man didn't move and Momiji looked up at him anger burning in her eyes. "I said get OUT!" Her voice rose to a shout and the man leapt to his feet.
Momiji felt her matamas react to her anger as she also rose to her feet the bank backing up before her. He looked utterly confused but the young woman in front of him looked menacing her blue matamas glowing gently. He beat a hasty retreat shutting the metal door behind him and snapping the lock just as she pounded a fist into it. The door, solid steal, dented slightly.
Momiji stood staring at the door for a long time before looking at her hand. She'd split the skin over a knuckle and it was oozing green blood. Cradling her hand she gently sat on the bed momentarily forgetting the tray of food next to her as she intently watched the blood stop flowing and the skin knit together. Accelerated healing that's for sure. Sighing she took the food tray and began to eat hungrily. She hadn't been this hungry for months.
When she was done she was done she was oddly tired, probably something in the food. Either that or using her matamas drained her. She didn't remember Kusanagi ever mentioning it but he had long since become used to his matamas. She wished she could ask him, but even if she'd been near she would have never had the courage to ask. He shouldn't have to answer the question of someone so dumb.
Then an odd thought struck her. True she would never work for these people, but that didn't have to stop her from training and learning as much as she could. Somehow she might even find a way to redeem herself and be worthy of Kusanagi's feelings. She smiled to herself as she turned on her side to sleep.
Next to his cup, propped up on a flower vase was the picture he had taken of himself and Momiji on the road where they had first met. Right before the picture they had promised to start over, and Kusanagi had thought she had meant so they could be together, but for some reason she had pushed him away. At first he'd thought it was because she thought him a freak, but he'd asked one night hurt when she'd turned away from a kiss. He remembered exactly how she'd looked then, horrified that he could think such a thing. For a few moments she let down her walls as she took his big hands in her own quickly stripping his mitts off so she could trace the matama with a gentle fingertip.
"These allow you to be strong Mamoru Kusanagi. They allow you to fly. to do amazing feats and survive when you shouldn't have." She then took his hand and placed it against her chest at the base of her throat. "They allowed you to come back to me when everything was against us. They are a part of you yes, but they do not define you. I swear Kusanagi my feelings toward you have absolutely nothing to do with the blue souls you posses."
She'd looked so sincere that night, her hands around his and her eyes so full of emotion that he couldn't have not believed her. He'd wanted to ask, why then do you turn away from me, but he couldn't bring himself to do it knowing that those words would make her return to the closed person she'd been. Instead he kissed her trying to express all his feelings in the one kiss, but the next morning she'd gone back. He could see it in the way she held her body ridged as she looked at the reporters camped outside. Her back was ram rod strait and her muscles tied up in knots. Kusanagi had put a hand on her shoulder, but instead of leaning into him she'd turned away claiming to be late. He'd checked his watch, a Christmas gift from Momiji, only to discover that she was an hour early.
Kusanagi tried to take anther sip of his empty coffee finally getting up to put the cup in the sink. He walked back by the table snatching his picture before taking the phone and moving to sit on the stairs. He cradled the picture in his palms careful not to crease the center as he remembered everything he could about her.
It hadn't been soon after that day when the nightmares returned. Momiji tried to hide them, but it was hard for her to cover the bags beneath her eyes. She had had problems eating too, whatever the dreams being about scared or hurt her very much. She lost pounds nearly overnight. Now that Kusanagi thought about it he remembered that Momiji hadn't started being so very cold until right after the nightmares started.
The phone rang startling him his thoughts. In his haste to answer it he dropped the phone twice. Finally he managed to jam the talk button ad shove the receiver to his ear. Mr. Kunikida asked him if he was okay to which Kusanagi reassured him.
"Any word?" He asked hope brimming in his eyes. It was quickly squashed it as he was told no. He'd told Kunikida about the pulse being released the morning before. The T.A.C. and the Japanese government had issued a city wide search, which hadn't been hard to execute since only half the city was occupied. Despite the fact Kusanagi felt sure she was close by they hadn't found her.
The leader of the T.A.C. Had called to inform him that the search was complete. Kusanagi thanked him and hung up the phone taking out his picture one more time. He traced the line of her face before tucking the picture in his pocket and leaving to resume his own search of the dead sector.
Her head pounding, Momiji scratched at the burning on her chest. She had trouble getting to the itchy part as her fingers kept meeting a hard object that got in the way no matter how she tried. Frustrated she finally forced her eyes open blinking rapidly at the sudden light. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and began to rub her eyes. The door opened and she dropped her hands.
"How are you feeling today?" The man in white asked her happily. Momiji growled at him looking at the tray of food in his hands. In hopes that being nice might get her food, she looked up with what she hoped was an apologetic look.
"I feel like someone hit me with a ton of bricks but I'm also starving. Is that for me?" She asked pointing to the tray. The man in white looked at her for a moment longer before looking down at the tray. Nodding he placed it on the bed beside her taking a pair of chopsticks from his pocket.
"That's understandable. We had to use the paddles to resuscitate you after the surgery. The voltage was a bit extreme, but under the circumstances, we felt it necessary." He held the chopsticks out to her.
"What circumstances?" She asked before reaching out to grab the chopsticks. Her hand made it halfway. On the back over her hand was a blue matama.
Momiji blanked. She'd had this dream before but always she'd woken up to find it just that, a dream. Looking from her hand to the face of the man next to her she couldn't believe she was dreaming. She raised her other hand to find another one. Momiji quickly lifted her gown to find more on her knees and with dread she looked down at her chest. Nestled just above her breasts were the remaining four.
"No." She whispered to shocked to voice anything louder. She swallowed a couple times touching the matamas on her chest with shaking fingers. They had been the source of the itching and even still the skin between and around them itched. There wasn't the scar tissue that she'd had before as her skin now smoothly met with the matamas. Her hands too had very little scaring.
"Why, why did you do this to me?" She whispered looking at the man's ice blue eyes. Something like pity flickered there before it was swept away replaced by the dead look he always had. He thought over his reply before answering.
"The matamas were collected during the Rite of Matsuri when the Kushinada sacrificed herself. Originally there was twelve, but four were destroyed during testing. The other eight were soaked in chemical compounds designed to enhance the powers they give a person. The founders of this branch of the government, it's funders more like, wanted an Aragami on their side someone like the Kushinada's protector, in case the Aragami return or to use," and here he took a deep breath. "a weapon. Someone to do their dirty work. They searched the government archives to find someone who was not only alone in the world, but they felt them capable of killing. They chose a female for their controllability, and thus you were brought here." He finished just sitting there and watching her.
It was an answer, but it didn't tell her why they had done this to her. It was a mistake, a very big mistake but one that she knew very well could not be fixed.
"Get out." She told the man, a quiet intensity in her voice. She didn't want to face a man who could talk about doing such a horrible thing as though it were the morning news. The man didn't move and Momiji looked up at him anger burning in her eyes. "I said get OUT!" Her voice rose to a shout and the man leapt to his feet.
Momiji felt her matamas react to her anger as she also rose to her feet the bank backing up before her. He looked utterly confused but the young woman in front of him looked menacing her blue matamas glowing gently. He beat a hasty retreat shutting the metal door behind him and snapping the lock just as she pounded a fist into it. The door, solid steal, dented slightly.
Momiji stood staring at the door for a long time before looking at her hand. She'd split the skin over a knuckle and it was oozing green blood. Cradling her hand she gently sat on the bed momentarily forgetting the tray of food next to her as she intently watched the blood stop flowing and the skin knit together. Accelerated healing that's for sure. Sighing she took the food tray and began to eat hungrily. She hadn't been this hungry for months.
When she was done she was done she was oddly tired, probably something in the food. Either that or using her matamas drained her. She didn't remember Kusanagi ever mentioning it but he had long since become used to his matamas. She wished she could ask him, but even if she'd been near she would have never had the courage to ask. He shouldn't have to answer the question of someone so dumb.
Then an odd thought struck her. True she would never work for these people, but that didn't have to stop her from training and learning as much as she could. Somehow she might even find a way to redeem herself and be worthy of Kusanagi's feelings. She smiled to herself as she turned on her side to sleep.