Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Blue Seed ideas or characters!
Awaken, My Dear Kushinada
Ch. 2
Mia walked along the path that led to her front door holding her scar. 'Just a little longer and I'll be home,' she felt as though she was going to collapse; no one was home at her house, and the next house was to far for her to walk. Mia could feel herself growing weak as she reached for the door knob, the last thing she remembered was rolling over on to her back to see a pair of glowing blue eyes "go to sleep, milady."
Mia woke up the next morning remembering everything perfectly well. 'It's a good thing I didn't have any homework,' Mia thought with a smirk. She got dressed and ran down stairs to the dinning room to meet her mother, who was cooking breakfast.
"Good morning, milady," her mother placed a plate in front of her. Mia had always remembered it this way; her mother and father called her nothing but milady unless she asked them to.
"Morning mother, do you know were my book bag is?"
"I placed it by the door, are you leaving without breakfast?"
"Yes, I had some homework I didn't do and I need to go to school early." Mia had never been one to flat out lie to her mother, but something told her it was all right for now. Mia yelled a small farewell to her mother and left for school. As soon as Mia was halfway down the path she felt a familiar feeling and stopped to look at the trees, they were so thick she couldn't see anything but she knew it was somewhere in there. It was watching her waiting for the perfect moment to come out and surprise her.
"Come out of there, Kusanagi, what are you ten years old? For crying out loud, hiding in trees is the most immature thing I've ever heard of." Mia looked at shaded figure in the tree nearest to her.
Kusanagi was baffled, how could she have sensed him. "Right," he whispered to himself and jumped down from the tree branch to face her. "So, you want to try and kill me again or is it something else this time." Kusanagi's voice was full of sarcasm and he had a sexy smile separating his lips.
"No wonder I felt I had to leave my house early, you were spying on me." Mia seemed uneasy and was glaring at him, "do you realize what could have happened if my mother sensed you?" Mia walked briskly toward him in an angry manner. Kusanagi had to admit that he was a little afraid when she stopped right in front of him. "Idiot, she would have killed you," Mia reached forth her hand and slammed him into the nearest tree.
"Momi- I mean Mia what are doing?" Mia was frozen in front of him, she didn't look scared or angry; Mia was empty, or looked it anyway.
"He's coming this way, you need to go before he sees you." Mia said quietly, looking down the path at an approaching figure.
Kusanagi scrambled to his feet, "whomever it is, he can't hurt me?"
"Fool," Mia pushed him into the woods and ran down the path.
"I'll just see for myself who this guy is," Kusanagi jumped up in the trees and hopped down to where Mia was.
"Nyoko," Mia looked at her longhaired boyfriend and smiled. His lips kissed the top of her hand and smiled back. "What are you doing here?"
Nyoko pulled Mia into a hug letting his shadowy hair fall beside her, "I needed to make sure you're alright." Nyoko's echoing voice flowed up to the treetops and were caught in the branches. Mia heard a quiet snarl.
"I'm fine, would you like to walk me to the bus stop?" Mia was quick to offer.
"I will accompany you then," Nyoko turned and was visible to the trees, which let out a quick gasp. Mia and Nyoko walked off.
'Damn, where did Murakumo come from?' Kusanagi glared at the now sliced pieces of tree that had been next to the path. 'Mia didn't recognize him as Murakumo, and she wasn't afraid.'
Kusanagi felt disgusted, he had tried so hard to find Momiji, and now he finds out it was the Aragami that had taken her away from him. Kusanagi was pissed beyond limits.
Kusanagi jumped along the path toward Mia's school as thoughts danced in his head. He couldn't understand it, Aragami surrounded her, but she didn't know anything. He was glad that she still had her mitama, so there was hope for her regaining her memories. Kusanagi moved faster toward his hotel room, he was anxious to tell the TAC the news.
"What? I don't follow you Kusanagi, you found Momiji who is now called Mia and she is with Murakumo, who is now called Nyoko?" Kome was sitting next to Ms. Tacheuchi with a dumbfounded look on her face.
"Yes that's right," Kusanagi stood up from his seat facing the rest of the TAC. "I have to go now and do my part, I have to tell her who she is; when I tell her who she is she should come back."
Kunakida shook his head and allowed him to leave. 'What are we going to do?'
Mia was humming a soft melody as Nyoko walked anxiously beside her, holding her hand.
"Mia, you know I love to hear you sing, but could you pick a different tune." Nyoko gave a short impatient squeeze on Mia's hand. Mia stopped humming and walked silently for a second.
"I wonder what that melody is," stated Mia, not expecting Nyoko to answer.
"It's the melody of Matsuri."
Mia stopped and slid her hand out of Nyoko's, "Matsuri... The ceremony of human sacrifice." Mia stopped as if she was remembering something, a red light.
Nyoko took up Mia's hand, "are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Mia lied.
"No, she's not." A voice floated up to them from behind. Mia and Nyoko turned around to find Kusanagi.
Murakumo flinched held Mia's hand tighter as she began to speak to him. "Kusanagi, what are you doing here?"
"You were remembering, weren't you, Momiji?" Kusanagi took a step toward both of them and saw a flash in Mia's eyes. "Do you remember now, do you remember who you are?"
The flash in Mia's eyes disappeared, and she clung to Murakumo for protection. "Will you just leave me alone, what do you want with me?"
"I want you to remember, I want you to come back to me?" Kusanagi took another step toward them. He was on the verge of getting her mind back and he wasn't going to stop.
"Leave her be," Murakumo stepped in front of Mia. Kusanagi drew his blades in a challenging way, expecting Murakumo to charge at him. What happed Kusanagi wasn't prepared for.
Murakumo was shocked and drew back, that's when Kusanagi noticed he didn't have mitama's on his hands. He was completely human.
A humming noise came from behind Murakumo, a soft gentle melody. Both Kusanagi and Murakumo flinched in pain. The melody stopped.
"Momiji?" Kusanagi waited for an answer from the figure that remained behind Murakumo.
Murakumo moved out of the way and saw that Mia was running down the sidewalk away from them. Murakumo called after her, but she didn't stop running.
"Now look what you did you blundering idiot," Murakumo turned around to face Kusanagi. "Just who are you any way?"
Kusanagi looked at him in surprise, "You mean you don't remember?"
"You seem familiar but I just can't seem to tell..."
Kusanagi retracted his blades and jumped into the trees to follow Mia.
As Mia ran she dropped her book bag only heading for her home, and sanctuary. "Why don't you remember?" Mia stopped dead.
"Who said that?" Her voice was shaky
"Me" Mia closed her eyes and fell into a large blue room.
"What do you want?"
"I want myself back, and only you can give me that gift." The voice boomed from the shaded figure stalking toward her. Her footsteps were soft and graceful. She walked toward her until the shadow disappeared from her face. She had rosy cheeks and dazzling green eyes, her face shaped by long chestnut strands of hair.
"Your Momiji, Kusanagi wants you." Mia stood there just admiring the girl in front of her. She seemed so elegant and friendly.
"No Mia, he wants us. You see we are two people as one. You are everything that I'm not, so you became me when I could no longer hold my own. You are me, and I am you."
"You want out, so go out. No one is stopping you." Mia stated.
"Then you will remain in here again, as before?" Momiji questioned her.
"Yes." Mia said, Momiji closed her eyes and chanted something. Suddenly a spark exploded between them. Momiji opened her eyes and stared at Mia. "What, what's wrong?"
"We are no longer one, this body is yours." Momiji was transfixed on Mia.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" Mia was desperate.
"I can come out only for a short period of time, but-" Momiji was cut off when Mia grabbed her cheek and said 'ouch.'
"What was that?" Mia said between clenched teeth.
Momiji smiled, "Kusanagi has found your body in your unconscious state. It seems Kusanagi is trying to wake you up by slapping you." Momiji smile disappeared, "allow me to use your body to speak with him."
"Sure, just make him stop slapping me." Mia had both of her cheeks grasped in her hands. Momiji began chanting again.
"Mia, wake up. No you can't be gone, wake up." Kusanagi was frustrated and tired. He had slapped her twice, but still no response.
Mia's eyes popped open but they didn't have any of Mia's pizzazz in them. A soft smile extended her lips. "Kusanagi," Momiji breathed.
Kusanagi's mouth dropped a hundred feet. Momiji was there in front of him, in Mia's body. "Momiji, is it really you have you returned to me forever?"
The smile faded from Momiji's face, "yes it really is me, but no I have not returned to form forever, as you say."
"I don't understand, what are you trying to tell me?" Kusanagi moved to the side, allowing Momiji to sit up.
"This is Mia, she is me and I am her. She is my opposite balancing soul; she is everything I am not; she like me in another dimension brought to life in our world. But don't be confused she is very much human." Momiji rose to her feet and stood tall in front of Kusanagi. "Some things are changing."
"What about Murakumo, what happened to him?" Kusanagi urged for answers.
"The aragami were afraid and not sure if I was really gone, they had taken the king and overthrown him. Murakumo is a servant to his own kingdom, The Kingdom of the Roots. The ones who took his thrown took his soul and placed it in my mitama, they erased his memory and placed one saying that he and Mia were lovers. He is bound to her by love, just as you are to me." Momiji stopped and waited for Kusanagi's response.
"Does everyone have an opposite balancing soul?" Kusanagi was quite curious how the whole system works.
"Only those in need of one, such as you, Kaede and I." Momiji was pretty confident she knew his next question. "Do you want to know who your other soul is?"
"Do I know my opposite?" Kusanagi questioned.
"Quite well," Momiji smiled a little. "In fact you two meet on a regular basis, but you're sworn enemies." Kusanagi couldn't wait much longer. "Your opposite is Murakumo."
Kusanagi was shocked.
Suddenly Momiji started quivering. She fell to her knees and tried to catch her breath. "Kusanagi, I have to go, I'm trying to hold on but this body is not mine. Her will is my opposite. I love you." Momiji passed out and laid still.
Kusanagi kneeled at her side and put his head down on her chest to see if her heart was still beating.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" The body began to move. Kusanagi looked at the young woman's face, it was Mia. Kusanagi jerked back and stood up instantly.
"I was checking to see if you were alright." Kusanagi scratched the back of his head and smiled as Mia rose to her feet.
Nyoko was confused Mia and that weird guy just ran off, and he was left standing there like an idiot.
"Do you want to come home?" A voice came from the near by trees.
Nyoko jumped, "who said that?"
"Answer me, do you want to come home to remember?"
"Remember what?"
"Your life."
"Should I, or should I stay this way?" Nyoko whispered
"Welcome back," the trees cried. A flash of blue light came from the trees and mitamas' covered Nyoko's body. And Murakumo was born again.
Mia sat up, and looked Kusanagi in the face. "As I told you before, and what Momiji probably told you just now, I AM NOT HER! Do we have that clear?" Mia was breathing deeply.
"Yah, yah, but you need to come with me to meet the rest of the TAC." Kusanagi took Mia onto his back and jumped into the trees, he swept through the forest rarely touching a branch with his feet.
They were jumping up on the roof of their first building when Mia remembered something. "Ohmygosh, what about Nyoko? We just ran off and didn't tell him anything. He must be worried. We need to find him and tell him I'm okay."
"Right now," Kusanagi whined.
"Yes!" Mia stated, she was satisfied when Kusanagi started heading toward the place where her and Nyoko were.
"Hmm, a familiar scum approaches." Murakumo looked to the trees, he could smell Kusanagi's presence; there was another smell mingled with Kusanagi's that was very familiar, but Murakumo couldn't remember what it was.
"Are we there yet, Plant Boy!" A voice that sounded familiar too, but Murakumo still couldn't recognize the other person. Maybe it was that pest of a Kushinada.
Kusanagi jumped down out of the trees and Mia hopped off of his back.
Murakumo looked at them, they both looked at Murakumo.
"Nyoko, I'm okay, this is Kusanagi." Mia began to walk toward him with a slight smile on her face.
"I know who he is, you pathetic human!" Murakumo was about to strike Mia when Kusanagi wiped her from his view. "Where is the Kushinada, Kusanagi?"
"You nearly killed her, idiot."
Murakumo withdrew his blade, "what, that wasn't the Kushinada."
"Not exactly, but Momiji is kind of inside her." Kusanagi stood in front of a shocked Mia.
"But how, magic like that hasn't been used for millenniums, and only the king of Aragami can do that." Murakumo was thinking very hard. "I'm the king, and I didn't do that."
"Your not the king anymore, how do you think you got here to this little town?"
"I...I...I don't really know." Murakumo flew off leaving Mia and Kusanagi alone.
Mia fell on her knees, "why did he attack me, why does he have those things on his hands?" Mia was going to cry, she just knew it, but she didn't want to. "I love him, I thought he loved me."
Kusanagi looked over his shoulder, "That wasn't Nyoko, that was Murakumo." He didn't know what else to say, "It's like you and Momiji."
Mia looked up, "you mean Nyoko is still in there!"
"No, Nyoko's gone. You were really in love with Murakumo, he just can't remember you." Kusanagi looked straight ahead now, at the place where Murakumo just stood.
The TAC expected something a little more Momiji like, but instead it was Mia stood in front of them. Everyone gave Mia a funny look, they were utterly speechless. Mia didn't know what to say, she just stood there and looked out the window with Kusanagi to her right and the group of adults in front of her.
Mia, snapping her gum loudly, made it clear that she found this annoying.
"I have to go home soon, you know?" Mia looked out the window, not wanting to stare at the shocked adults anymore. She had other things on her mind, like Murakumo.
"Oh, yes indeed, but I think that it might be helpful if you stayed in the TAC's custody, considering that Momiji was. Where are your parents so we can get this all sorted out?" Mia heard Kunikida quite well, but she just thought he was crazy.
"Do you honestly think my parents would let a complete stranger take me from my home...or are you just stupid?" Mia rolled her eyes when she got no response. "Hey, plant boy, I'm leaving, this is a total waste of my time. I have things I need to do, too." Mia turned to make her exit, when she saw everyone getting up to follow her.
"We'll take you home, I need to talk to your parents." Kunikida said as he slipped his arms into his jacket. The rest of the TAC followed them out the door, including Kusanagi.
Mia sighed and then opened her door, "Mom, we have company." Mia looked at the TAC as they walked in after her. Kusanagi looked alert, like he expected something to be wrong. He was right.
"Is it a friend of yours," Mia's mother's voice floated out from the kitchen. Mia felt a burning sensation coming from the scar on her chest.
"Not exactly, but they would like to talk to you." Mia could feel her lungs getting heavy, she never used to get these feelings at home, something was wrong.
"Oh, who are they." Mia's mother came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel; she took one look at Kusanagi and dropped the towel in her hand.
Mia's scream pierced the silence that followed. "MITAMA!"
Mia's mother began to melt into another form as a blue seed on her forehead began to glow, "Kusanagi, you traitor."
"Figures," Kusanagi picked up Mia and jumped out the door into the trees. He set the fainted Mia on a branch, and extended his blades. "This is going to be fun!" He attacked the aragami, and a short battle followed.
"MURAKUMO!" A scream came from the branch that Mia was lying in, and rode the wind till it finally reached Murakumo's ears.
"MURAKUMO!"
Murakumo heard the scream quite clearly. He was already shooting toward it, even though he didn't know why. He just felt like he had too.
Kusanagi had taken his eyes away from the monster to look toward Mia, which was a big mistake. The aragami took advantage of the opportunity to make a deep gash in Kusanagi's chest. Kusanagi focused on the aragami once more and continued battling, not noticing Murakumo jump on the branch with Mia.
"Murakumo, not Nyoko." Mia said as she looked at Murakumo's glaring eyes.
"Oh, it's just you, pathetic human." Murakumo looked at the battle below. "Why did you call for me?"
"I needed you...I mean I NEED you." Mia was exhausted, she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Pathetic," Murakumo turned and was preparing to leave, when he felt grab his wrist. He looked back at her.
"Please... please don't go." Suddenly the burning sensation on her chest returned, but this time Murakumo felt it as well.
A mitama was pushing its way out of Mia's chest scar. It was glowing brightly.
Below, Kusanagi had finished killing the aragami when he saw the blue mitama float down from the tree.
