Everything had been cleared through the T.A.C. Excuses had been made to the local police and their investigation was dropped. Momiji, although deeply shaken, had been reassured over and over again by both members of the TAC and Kusanagi that she had done only what she should have to remain alive and unhurt. That didn't make it any easier for Momiji to face the fact that she was a murderer. She was as bad as the worst of her kind, those condemned by society for crimes just as heinous as hers. She got of because she was doing it to protect herself, they were condemned because the had done it for some other reason less excusable.
Finally after almost two weeks of moping Kusanagi took her aside and looked at her sternly. She wouldn't meet his eyes so he grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
"I don't know who you think you are, but we can't afford for you to continue on like this. You're part of a team now and we need you capable of doing your part. You aren't the only one who's killed before nor will you be the last." His eyes were so intense that he no longer needed the bone breaking grip on her to keep her attention. Of course he had killed before, protecting her or her twin Kadee but she was the Kushinada; Protector of Life. She could hardly tell him this though and he was right and she didn't want to admit it. Although the TAC and begrudgingly admitted her into their ranks as Dorien she really was part of the team. She was supposed to be training and helping them fight the Aragami.
Once Kusanagi and decided that Momiji as Dorien must have come to the same conclusion he let her go and stepped away. The sounds of life around them, which had faded away during their one sided conversation now came back and Momiji realized they were on the street in front of everyone.
"You are right of course Kusanagi." She said looking away from him over the treetops of the park across the street. Kusanagi leaned against the store building next to them and looked at her.
"Damned strait." He had the cocky look back on his face and it struck Momiji as odd at how serious he'd been and how much her actions had effected him. She wondered why but since Dorien wouldn't have thought anything of it she was supposed to act as though she didn't either. Momiji tried to think of a smart retort but the moment she opened her mouth to say something pain flooded her body spreading out from all of her matamas to engulf her body.
Unable to breath let alone stand when the pain faded a bit she found herself on all fours dizzy and seeing spots. Kusanagi stood beside her in pain but not nearly as effected and he was searching the area trying to ascertain where the source of their troubles was. Another wave hit Momiji but this time when it stopped she didn't just sit there. Yes she was dizzy but nothing was going to change unless she did something. Relying on her memories of the last time she carried a matama she closed her eyes and through them look around trying to sense something. She found what she was looking for within seconds.
"It's below us." She croaked out forcing lungs that could barely support life to allow speech. As reward for the attempt she grew even weaker and spots started dancing before her eyes. Kusanagi held onto a light post and leaned over the street looking down a storm grate. Only darkness met his eyes.
"You sure? I don't-" An explosion of water cut him off as the storm grate flew up into the air pushed by a twenty foot water spout. The water continued to soak them and the surrounding area but the grate fell smashing into someone's windshield. There was a screech of tires on wet asphalt then the crunch of twisting metal. Momiji hoped that whoever it was had survived. All down the street water spouts sprang up from grates and manholes covering the sewer and the storm drains. She tried to stand but another wave of pain overtook her.
This time instead of making her weak it shot energy throughout her body till she felt like she was going to explode. At millions of points all over her body, pure red energy poured out and a primal scream wrenched itself from her throat as the pain became unbearable. Momiji could feel her skin parting as not only did the blades on her arms emerge but the protective armor of spikes and plates she'd only seen on Morakumo erupted from her shoulders and back. She clenched her hands in pain only to receive more pain when her elongated fingernails cut into her palms and her shoes were ripped to shreds as her toenails tried to do the same. Around her neck formed more plates with such a speed that one clipped her on the cheek when she turned her head. Down the front of her chest to just above the first matama was the last of the plates.
Her jacket was torn to shreds but mercifully the white sleeveless midriff shirt she'd been wearing remained in tact. Remarkably once the transformation was complete she no longer felt any pain.
"What the hell?" She asked standing up in the pouring water. Catching a glimpse of herself in the store window of the building they'd been by she uttered a cry not of pain but of complete shock.
Plates of what look like steel protruded over her shoulders and covered the uppermost portion of her arms while an array of spikes the same color and shape of the ones on her arms came up over her head out of her back. The same steel plates went halfway up her neck leaving her free to turn her head but not much else. Her fingernails had grown almost four inches and along with the long blades by her elbows she had a series of two to four inch long mini blades running from her elbow to her wrist in a strait line down the back of her arms.
Aside from the physical aspects Momiji had never felt so much power coursing through her body except the moment before her death in the rite of Matsuri. This was what it felt like the be an Aragami, and it was so similar to the power of the Kushinada that Momiji didn't know what to think.
Breathless and slightly scared Momiji finally managed to come back to her senses. Her throat was raw and every muscle seemed a little sore but it was a good sore, like after an excersise.
"Interesting improvements. Now you really look like an Aragami." It was hard to tell if that was a compliment, coming from Kusanagi as it was, or a complaint. For once Momiji was to awed to care.
Meanwhile the street had filled to overflowing and from the center manhole a blob of a gray jelly like substance was ozzing out with small green flecks of something floating inside. The blob grew larger with every passing moment soon taller than they and still moving. Momiji took to the air followed closely by Kusanagi but she faltered when a faint voice called out to her.
"Kushinada." Came the whisper as soft as the breeze but sorrowful enough to make her want to cry only from hearing it. She couldn't discern the source but the general direction was from the blob growing in the street. Kusanagi hadn't noticed anything as he was floating higher up watching the monster thoughtfully. Sirens wailed in the distance coming closer. Momiji alit on the corner of a building chewing on her lower lip as she thought.
Only once before had an Aragami spoken to her in such a manner, but that had been years ago. Since then they'd just wanted to kill her so why was this one different? The voice came again, louder this time and Momiji thought she saw Kusanagi twitch. Could he hear it? There had been times when they could sense each others thoughts even without the mitamas, could he hear it though her?
"DORIEN!" Her assumed name was belted over a mega-phone. The TAC van had pulled up on an adjoining road and with Kome climbing out from behind the wheel they were all springing out from the back doors. Ryoko was the one with the megaphone while Kunikeda was fitting a bazooka like weapon on his shoulder. "CATCH!" Ryoko yelled and Kunikeda fired a small silver ball up in the air. Momiji leapt to catching turning the small ball over in her hands until she found a small seam.
The ball split in half revealing two ear pieces with little microphones on them. Momiji tossed Kusanagi one and put hers on.
"Why the hell didn't you call us the moment you sensed an Aragami and what the hell is going on?" Kunikeda's voice blasted over the little speakers. In the back round was Ryoko trying to get him to calm down.
"You see a pay phone around here old man?" Was Kusanagi's snide remark. Momiji could literally see steam coming from Kunikeda's ears but he didn't yell again.
"Just get down here, both of you!" He ordered instead. Momiji grudginly complied hoping she wasn't in for anything. She received shocked looks from almost everyone although Ms. Matsudera had that gleam in her eye that said 'oh gooddy new toy to play with.'
"Plant boy meet plant girl." Muttered Kome under her breath. Momiji would have blushed if it hadn't been true. At least she was lucky enough to have kept her top. One spike in the wrong place and she didn't want to think about it.
"What happened." Matsu actually sounded concerned despite the malicious grin that was still in her eyes.
"I guess it was a reaction to the Aragami." Momiji motioned over her shoulder careful of the blades. She would have to be extra careful to keep from impaling herself. Kusanagi always made moving seem so easy and he'd never hurt her with one of his.
"Makes sense. I first got mine when Orochi first went after the Kushinada." He didn't notice when Momiji jumped slightly at his phrasing. Still the thought of that day was enough to give her goose bumps.
"Well let's stop dillydallying there's an aragami to stop." Only Kunikeda would use a world like dillydallying but his voice had the bark of an order.
"Dorien could you please get me a piece of the Aragami so I can get a DNA test before you two destroy it." Matsu asked pulling her equipment out of the back of the van. Yeagashi had the computers up and running so Matsu started plugging the equipment into the computers. Momiji turned to the Aragami with a sigh. Now was the moment of truth, she supposed.
Leaping into the air she hovered over the van stealing herself for this, then in an eye blink of motion she was hurtling toward the Aragami. Aiming for a section at the top and to the left. Shoulder forward she used her arm blades to make the first incision. A sharp mid-air summersault reversed her to where she could make a second slice and remove the chunk of goo before it could reattach to the main body.
The Jell-O like substance tried to escape her fingers but she was careful not to lose any. Only a moment had passed before she was back on the ground dropping the small slab in the silver tray waiting for it. Matsudera was ready for her and as soon as Momiji's hands were clear she activated the electromagnetic field. The blob sufficiently contained she turned her attention to all the little probes.
"Kushinada." The voice whispered in her ear. Momiji jumped slightly the voice being close enough to have come from behind her. Kusanagi looked around a suspicious look on his face. She had to kill this thing before it gave her away. Grasping the small piece of ceramic in her pocket for good luck she took to the air again approaching the blob. A large green mass had risen from the street to take place in what must have been the blob's head. Arms began peeling up from the sides in a tentacle sorta way.
Kusanagi was following her closely taking as intense a look at the monster as she. The only place it could be hiding a matama was in the green mass but there were now more than twelve tentacles whipping around. Kusanagi passed her slowly so that she could see his muscles flex a moment before he launched at the Aragami a war cry on his lips. Two tentacles were laying on the ground when his attack was over but they tried to wiggle back to the Aragami. Using a burst of energy Momiji seared them until only smoking chunks were left.
"I don't think that's going to work." She said as the amputated limbs were replaced by new tentacles. Kusanagi joined her in the air watching the Aragami.
"I got that idea." He grunted. There was an explosion from the TAC area. Kome had a real bazooka on her shoulder and a wide grin on her face. Turning back to the Aragami they watched as the crater in it's side disappeared.
"It's algae based. Without the lipids we used to use you'll just have to find the matama. Dorien if you could see if you can sense it while Kusanagi keeps it distracted." Kunikeda told them while Matsu kept giving them information. Momiji nodded to herself running a hand through her short hair while Kusanagi hauled off at the Aragami, probably to take out some aggression. Closing her eyes she reached out with her mind searching for the blue seed of the Aragami. As she expected it was in the big green blob. Where else would it have been hidden she could see through the creature everywhere else.
"It's in the green blob in it's head." She informed everyone via the headset. Kusanagi growled in reply. Watching from above she could see him flit from tentacle to tentacle hurting the monster as much as possible as he made his way towards the center. He was concentrating to much on his goal and didn't see the tentacle that slammed him into a building.
"Kusanagi!" She yelled chasing after him. The building had crumbled around his body showing how hard exactly he'd hit it. Kusanagi himself was a bit dazed and didn't realize that another strike was aimed at him. Putting on a burst of speed Momiji made it just in time to block him with her body. The tentacle took her fool on the back and she hissed in pain bracing herself against the building over Kusanagi. Her eyes were wide open but she saw only red light as the skin of her back felt like it was peeling off.
When the pain faded and she could see again Kusanagi was looking up at her, an odd look in his eyes. An explosion from behind them made her turn around and momentarily forget the pain. Kome's bazooka blast had left all of the tentacles in a mass of confusion giving her one shot at the matama. Bunching herself up against the wall she gave one good push to propel herself at the Aragami.
Moments before she actually came in contact she extended her arms so that the spikes would cleave the goo around her body. Diving in, the momentum of her push brought her all the way through the other side.
Without looking back she flew on to land in front of the TAC van and the TAC members. Slowly she opened her hands and let the shimmering blue seed fall. Before it had barely moved down she had unleashed two shards of energy to split the matama first in half then in half again. The pieces rained down twinkling on the asphalt. Momiji eyed each of the TAC members in turn then flew of to help Kusanagi.
The blast of the air conditioner had goose pimples traveling up her arms except where the plates and spikes protruded. Even standing in from of the window in the sun she couldn't get warm. Maybe it was the beeping of the machines, the suction cups attached to various parts of her body or even the fact that her back had been nearly flayed but Momiji continued to feel chilled to the bone. Neither could she get that soft echoing voice out of her head. It had been years since she'd heard the voice of an Aragami in her head except Kusanagi's not that she considered him an Aragami but this was differenty anyway. How she couldn't explain.
"having never gotten to examine an eight matamaed Aragami before" matsu glared at Kusanagi, "Especially in this form, I'm not exactly sure what to expect but from the guesses i can make i would say that even in this form your strength surpasses anything we've seen from both Kusanagi or Morokumo. It's okay to assume that with the training of your physical and mental facilities that both of you could easily outstrip what we know now." She told both Momiji as Dorien and Kusanagi who was sitting in a chair by the door. Kusanagi didn't say anything and Momiji didn't know what to say. She continued to stand there trying to keep her shoulder spikes from hitting the window. The machines continued to beep trying to fill the silence.
"Well then." Matsu said." Kusanagi your turn." She started removing the apparatus on Momiji.
"Do I gatta?" He asked removing his trench coat and tossing it over the chair. Momiji tried hard not to watch his rippling muscles or the way they moved when he walked.
"Of course. I want to make sure that hard knock didn't damage that thick skull of yours." Momiji smirked. That sounded like something she would have said. Finally unhooked, Momiji moved to stand over by Kusanagi's chair while he was fighting with Matsudera and soon they were so wrapped up in their struggle that neither of them noticed when Momiji slipped out of the room.
Outside she felt better but the depression wouldn't go away. She was in no way surprised when she found herself in front of the TV station before the little shrine by the oak tree. Feeling still cold and even more depressed she went to wrap her arms around her self but couldn't. Concentrating she pulled her armor and weapons back under her skin then hugged herself.
In the shrine were the few remaining pieces of the matama that had belonged to the second oak once standing before the studio. When it had been cut down the oak had come in contact with the matama and with it's feelings of loss and depression the oak had come back looking for a way to rejoin it's partner.
Sensing Momiji's similar feelings she reached out to the young Kushinada trying to find solace. Now having the same thing happen for a second time Momiji wondered why it had called to her. Wash she sharing some new emotion with them? Other than being lost and alone she didn't feel to different than she had. She still wanted to be worthy of his love and to be able to keep him from having to protect her all the time. She had half of that now but the other half was further away than ever. He thought that Momiji was dead and that this new person was someone else entirely.
Night had fallen around her and a thick fog began to role in. Before leaving Momiji held her hand and it's matama over the center of the shrine reaching to the small flicker of sentience that resided within. All she could sense was a deep contentment and appreciation which made her smile just a little.
"How'd you hear about this place?" Came a voice from the fog behind her. Whirling in place Momiji tried to see who was there but the fog only swirled empty.
"All the TV and radio stations talked about it. I though everyone knew." A rush of adrenaline filled her and the small bit of fear began to fade.
"Good answer." The voice almost sounded-she knew who it was.
"There a reason you're interrogating me Mr. Kusanagi?" She asked trying to make her tone icy. It was hard to do when she really just wanted to cry. The fog swirled again before she could make out his form while he walked towards her with that closed off expression she knew so well.
"Just wondering how you knew of this place. It used to mean a great deal to Momiji." He kept his tone of voice neutral so Momiji had no clue what he was about.
"Yeah so? This was the only place i remembered an aragami had been killed. They weren't exactly advertised." She sounded casual and hopefully a little snooty. She must have for he just turned sideways so she could walk past. Slightly confused by his behavior Momiji took to the air and with Kusanagi following she beat a hasty retreat home.