I finished this chapter with some help from the weather. Snow days are perfect for writing. This chapter catches up with Midori, Fuuma, and the remaining dragons. A father-daughter reunion isn't too far away, but of course it won't be smooth sailing. I hope anyone who is reading this fanfiction is enjoying it.

The Season of the Witch
By Angel Maxwell

Chapter 5: Homecoming

Despite her most charming pleas, Midori was ordered by her caretakers to stay and rest for another day before departing. Deep down she knew that the two women acted out of concern for her, but that was little consolation to her when faced with the delay in finding her father. Also, being of the motherly nurturing sort, Michiko and Mimi insisted that the injured young girl travel only halfway to Tokyo by train, and have an escort meet her to take her the rest of the way. This meant that Midori had no choice but to call the only name in her pretty pink planner.

The phone call itself had been awkward enough. Now she was so nervous that her palms were sweating, just knowing that Professor Munou would be the one to greet her at Shizuoka Station. But she wasn't as scared as she thought she would be, at least not in regard to her handsome teacher. Most of her anxiety, Midori realized, was coming from the baffling and terrifying events of the past two days. Compared to the abduction of her only family, even her biggest crush seemed of minor importance.

When the train stopped and she saw him standing on the platform, however, her heart still managed to beat a bit harder. Professor Munou was dressed in casual clothing, which made him look like an ordinary man instead of a respected educator. As Midori exited the rain car and walked towards her escort she could see that his face was colored with concern. It made her feel guilty that she had called him all the way out to get her. But then, she didn't really have any other options.

"Good afternoon, Miss Sumeragi," Fuuma greeted in his usual polite tone. "Do you have any bags you need to pick up?"

"Good afternoon, Professor," she replied shyly. "I don't have any bags, just what I'm carrying."

"You travel light," he said, cocking his head curiously. "Well, if there's nothing else you need to take care of here we can head back to the car… Unless you'd like to get something to eat first."

"Oh… uh, that's okay. I'm not hungry." It was a lie. Midori really was hungry. But her heart was already racing and her hands were damp with perspiration. She felt that sharing lunch with Professor Munou might very well kill her, and she needed to stay alive if she was going to find her dad.

"Uh, Professor Munou?" she asked as they approached his blue Toyota. He smiled a bit awkwardly at her.

"We're not in class right now, you don't have to call me Professor," he said. "Mr. Munou is just fine."

A warm blush seeped into Midori's cheeks. "R-right," she said. Then, remembering what she was going to say, she bowed humbly. "Mr. Munou, I just wanted to thank you for coming all the way out to Shizuoka to pick me up. I'm so grateful. And if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, anything at all, just name it and I'll do it."

Fuuma chuckled a bit at his student's excessive bowing. "Just get straight A's in my class, alright?"

"I'll try my best," she responded. Then she got into the passenger door that he had graciously opened for her and buckled her seatbelt.

The first half-hour of their car ride passed in silence. Mr. Munou didn't even venture to ask how his student wound up stranded alone in the country, or why her head was wrapped in a bandage. So it was up to Midori to offer the information on her own and clear the air.

"I suppose you're probably wondering how I got myself into this mess." As she spoke Midori was visually nervous, twisting the hem of her t-shirt in her hands. "You see, my dad and I were traveling on the train to Kyoto. Then these guys in suits attacked us and… They kidnapped him… and they left me for dead."

"Left you for dead?" Fuuma asked in shock.

"Yeah," Midori replied. "I was lucky though. Two very nice women found me and took care of me. I owe them my life, but…"

"You miss your dad," Fuuma intuitively completed her sentence. "Did you call the police?"

"No," Midori sighed. "These people who took my dad, they weren't… normal. They were supernatural. I don't think the police would even know how to deal with them."

"Supernatural, eh?" said Fuuma thoughtfully. "I guess it does make sense, though. You're descended from a long line of onmyouji, aren't you Miss Sumeragi?"

"Uh, yes. That's right." The young woman wasn't that surprised that her teacher knew about her family. After all, the Sumeragi Clan was very well known. "My dad is the current head of the family. He's very powerful. It's hard to imagine that anyone would be able to abduct him."

"It doesn't matter how they did it," said Fuuma bluntly. "All that matters is how you go about rescuing him. Do you even have a plan?"

Midori looked at him in awe. Mr. Munou's directness and honesty was one of the things she liked best about him. Still, he managed to surprise her by saying exactly what she needed to hear when others would have probably held back.

"Well," she began. "I wanted to get back home first. I need to get in touch with my dad's friends. Mr. Aoki and Mrs. Shiyuu have powers too. And they've known him longer than anyone. Beyond that, though… I guess I don't have a plan."

"You've got more of a plan than most people in your situation would have," said Fuuma. "Though, I'm not sure many people have ever been in this situation before."

It didn't seem to take much longer for the unlikely pair to arrive in Tokyo. It was already evening and the colored lights of the city twinkled and glowed in the reflections in the windows.

"So, Miss Sumeragi, where do you want me to drop you off?" asked Fuuma. "Are you going to stay at a friends house?"

Midori blushed in embarrassment. "Actually, my only close friends are out of town right now. I was just going to stay at me and my dad's apartment."

"Alone?" Fuuma asked, astonished.

"Yeah, I guess I would be alone," the passenger admitted.

"Out of the question," the driver replied. "You shouldn't be spending this time alone in an empty apartment. Miss Sumeragi, you've been through quite an ordeal and I don't think it's safe for you to be on your own tonight. We'll stop by your apartment so you can get anything you need, but tonight you're staying at my house."

At the apartment, Midori grabbed pajamas and a change of clothes as well as her toothbrush and Subaru's address book. Her heart was pounding in her throat the entire time. I should have just lied, she thought to herself. I'll never be able to concentrate on what's important now. As the car headed towards Mr. Munou's home Midori sat silently in the passenger seat, too afraid to even make eye contact with him. When the car finally rolled to a stop it was in front of a beautiful shrine.

"You live here?" the girl gasped.

"Togakushi Shrine," stated Fuuma. "Home sweet home."

He directed her up the stone path that led to the main house. Midori never had any idea that her teacher lived in a place like this, which proved that he was still, very much, a mystery. From the outside the house seemed rather small and plain, but inside it was very spacious and welcoming. Midori wondered if he lived here all by himself. Mr. Munou led her down the hallway and stopped in front of a door.

"You can stay here in my sister's room," he told her. "The bath is down at the very end of the hallway. Now, I'm going to make something to eat. It should be ready in about a half an hour."

"Thank you very," she replied kindly. "But… uh, do you think your sister will mind me staying in her room."

"She wont mind," said Fuuma. "She passed away… many years ago."

"Oh," said Midori. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he replied softly. "I've made my peace with it. She was a very generous person and I'm sure she'd be happy to know that her room was being used."

"Well, I guess I'd better go make some phone calls… to tell someone where I am…" she sheepishly replied.

An hour later Midori was climbing into bed, her body clean after a hot bath and her belly full of Mr. Munou's delicious oden. She had called both Mr. Aoki and Mrs. Shiyuu, emphasizing that it was an emergency but supplying only vague details. Both were cutting their family vacations short to come home and Midori had to force herself not to feel guilty. After all, Subaru's life was at stake.

It wasn't all that late yet and she wasn't quite ready to go to sleep, so Midori scanned the room around her and tried to guess what Mr. Munou's sister had been like. The color scheme of the room was a bit girly for her tastes, mostly pale pinks and blues. Above the bed there was a painting of horses in a meadow and all the furniture was delicately carved from pale wood. She must have been young when she died, thought Midori. Then she yawned and reached over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table, but as she did her hand knocked over a framed photo.

"Oops," she said to herself as she picked it up. The photograph was of three young children, two boys and a girl, dressed in yukata and smiling widely. Midori recognized the taller boy immediately as a very young Mr. Munou, already showing signs of his budding good looks. The little girl, she realized, had to be his little sister. She was gorgeous, golden curls hanging around her sweet face like a halo. The only mystery was the little boy holding her hand, who had piercing blue eyes and an innocent expression that reminded Midori of her father. Did Mr. Munou have a little brother too?

Midori gingerly replaced the picture on the table, turned out the light, and finally closed her eyes to sleep. She thought about love and loss. About the little boy who had been taken from Michiko Arisugawa. About Mr. Munou's sister who had died young. But mostly she thought about her dad, hoping that wherever he was he wasn't in pain. She finally did get to sleep, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. All night long her dreams were haunted by the face of a little boy with piercing blue eyes.

Fuuma made omelets with rice for breakfast. Midori made sure to get dressed before coming out of her room. It wouldn't be appropriate for her teacher to see her in pajamas. She trudged the kitchen groggily, but by the time she had finished chewing the last yummy bite of egg she was feeling quite awake. Under different circumstances Midori would be keyed up to tell Maki all about Mr. Munou's omelets. Instead she felt anxious and impatient. The doorbell rang and Fuuma excused himself to answer it.

"Alright, where is she?" The shrill voice from the doorway was so loud it could easily be heard in the kitchen. It was Mrs. Shiyuu, and she sounded furious.

"I'm right here," said Midori as she emerged into the hallway. Seeing her calmed the angry pregnant woman a bit. She relaxed her shoulders and pulled the young lady into a dramatic embrace.

"Oh sweet little 'Dori! You're alright," she wailed. "When I heard that this is where you were… well, I was really worried for your safety."

"You really didn't have to worry," Midori replied as she pried herself from Yuzuriha's bear hug. "Mr. Munou was a total gentleman. Nothing inappropriate happened."

"I still don't think it's proper for a young female student to be alone with her male teacher at his house. But I guess it's too late for me to complain. Go ahead and collect your stuff, dear. We're going over to the Aoki household to discuss everything that's happened."

As Midori scampered back to Kotori's room to get her belongings Fuuma spoke privately to Yuzuriha, who was once again irate.

"Ma'am, if you don't mind, I'd like to come with you," he said. "Miss Sumeragi told me about what happened to her father and I'm very concerned."

"I think you've done enough!" she spat back.

"Well," he said, unfazed by what he assumed was just hormonal moodiness. "If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask. The welfare of my students means a lot to me."

By now, Midori had returned and was watching as Yuzuriha shot Fuuma a death glare. There was something beyond anger in her normally sweet brown eyes. There was hate. As hard as it was to believe that Mrs. Shiyuu could hate anybody, it was even harder to believe that she could hate Mr. Munou. Had her teacher done something terrible that Midori didn't know about?

"I'm ready," she interjected. Then she turned to thank Fuuma, but Yuzuriha yanked her out the door by her arm before she could finish.

The Shiyuu family car was idling outside, with the imposing Kusanagi behind the wheel. Midori knew that Yuzuriha's burly husband was a gentle giant, however. It was the passengers in the backseat that had her dreading the ride. Shinya and his little sister Izumi were engaged in an energetic tug-of-war over the stuffed bunny he had won at the festival last week and exchanging crude names.

"Give 'im back you stupid dog fart!" the little girl squealed.

"I won him you booger!" her brother barked back. That's when Izumi saw her mother returning with their extra guest. She immediately relinquished the toy and greeted them.

"Hey Mommy! Hey "Dori!"

"Hey Midori…" Shinya drawled slyly. "You get to sit next to me…" It was going to be a long ride.

It was comforting to see Maki again, though Midori didn't have much time to catch up with her. She had been at the Aoki's house scarcely five minutes before Sei'ichirou and Yuzuriha called a meeting of all the adults and Miss Sumeragi in the living room.

"How come 'Dori gets to stay, but me an' Izumi an' Maki hafta go play outside?" whined Shinya.

"Because she's directly involved," his mother answered. "Now run along and try not to fight with your sister."

As Yuzuriha shooed the other kids, Midori gave Maki an 'I'll-tell-you-everything' wink. Then she politely sat down in a comfy armchair surrounded by Sei'ichirou, Yuzuriha, Kusanagi, and Sei'ichiro's wife. Shimako Aoki had not been directly involved with the end of the world, but she was always an active participant in her husband's life. So, one last time, Midori gave the detailed account of what happened during that fateful train ride. When she had finished, a contemplative pause followed.

"You say these people wore black suits," somebody said. Surprisingly, it was Kusanagi. "And they wore armbands?" The young girl nodded and he continued. "Do you remember if there was any writing or symbols on their armbands?"

"I-It was a cherry blossom, I think… with a capital R in the middle." Midori's voice was still shaky from reliving the event.

Kusanagi scratched his chin with a massive hand. "I think I've seen that logo before."

"When?" his wife asked eagerly. "Where?"

"Underground," he answered solemnly. "Beneath the Government Building. One of the few times I went there I remember seeing some people dressed in black with armbands. But they passed through a secure door before I could get a really good look. Still, I think that symbol was on them."

Everyone in the room except Midori knew what Kusanagi meant by 'beneath the Government Building. He was referring to the headquarters of the Dragons of Earth, of which he had once been a member. The statement made Yuzuriha and Sei'ichirou uncomfortably aware that Kusanagi had once been allied to their enemies.

"Well, then I think we should go there," said Midori, interrupting the silence. "Do you know how to get there?"

"Slow down," said Mr. Aoki. "I'm not sure that what Mr. Shiyuu just told us is enough to go on."

"But it's all we've got," Midori protested. "My dad could be behind that door, just waiting for us to rescue him. Or worse, he could be in trouble! And every minute we spend here talking…" She couldn't finish her sentence as tears squeezed out of her eyes.

"I agree with her," said Yuzuriha. "It's the only lead we have and we should follow it. We won't find Subaru by sitting on our butts. Mr. Aoki and Kusanagi should head to the government building as soon as they can."

"And I'm coming too!" Midori chimed in.

Kusanagi shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not quite that easy. The door that these people passed through was very protected. I don't have access to it."

"So it's a dead end?" asked Yuzuriha.

"Well, not exactly," her husband answered. "There is one person who I know can get us through that door. But I'm not sure he'd be eager to help us. After all, you were pretty rude to him today, honey."

Yuzuriha's face reddened as she realized whom he was talking about. But in her heart, she knew that Subaru was more important than her residual fear and anger. For his sake, she would have to apologize to Fuuma Munou, and convince him to help their cause.

To be continued…