Dreamer Awakened

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

"Yo!" Momiji heard the sound of Kome’s voice and she turned away from Sakura and Kusanagi.

"Kome!" she called. Her relieved eyes roamed over the redhead standing in the doorway, noting the diaper bag slung over her shoulder and the bundle of soft blankets that she cradled close to her body. "I was beginning to wonder if something had happened to you and Yaegashi," Momiji stated as moved forward to greet her friend, all too aware that behind her, Kusanagi and Sakura hadn’t stopped shooting each other dirty looks yet. "Help!" she mouthed in desperate accents as she came to a stop in front of Kome, her voice soft so that only the blue eyed, redhead could hear her. She gave an almost imperceptible jerk of her head back towards the other two occupants of the room who were now engaged in what looked like a heated, if somewhat quiet, exchange of words, and Kome’s eyes followed the movement, wondering what had them looking like a cat and dog engaged in a tense confrontation.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Kusanagi gritted out between clenched teeth, trying to keep his voice low enough so that only Sakura could hear him.

"Why, I’m Sakura Yamazaki, of course," she replied coyly, batting her eye lashes at him, "the greatest psychic to grace the planet in the last fifty years."

"If you’re the best we’ve got, I’d hate to see the really bad ones!" he muttered furiously. "And you know damned well that’s not what I was referring to. I want to know what it is you thought to accomplish just a minute ago, talking to Momiji that way."

"What?" Sakura asked innocently, her crimson eyes staring guilelessly at him. "I was just making idle conversation, exploring a few avenues that had never been considered before."

"Come off it," Kusanagi hissed, even more infuriated by her feigned ignorance, "you’re not that stupid, Sakura! Your words were specifically designed to hurt Momiji – not to mention, piss me off! I’d always had you pegged as a cold, arrogant bitch, but I never believed that even you would stoop so low! Are you so hard up in your own life that you have to go around screwing with the lives of others?"

At his words, Sakura dropped the wide-eyed look, her body stiffening in anger.

"What?!" she demanded in outrage, her eyes coldly raking him up and down. "You have some nerve, Carrot Boy!" she retorted, making a sharp, pointed gesture with her finger in his direction, "- talking to me that way when all I was trying to do was to get you two idiots to open your oblivious eyes and see what the rest of us have been seeing for years! But I can see the efforts I made on your behalf are not to be appreciated!"

"You’ve got that right!" he growled acerbically. "I don’t need you sticking your nose in my business, Faith Healer! I’ve told you that before!" he hissed, his eyes narrowing in fury. "I can manage things between Momiji and myself on my own without some flaky, quack psychic, messing it up! - God, I truly pity those that are shortsighted enough to rely on your powers for anything, considering your insensitive nature! And as for you being the best psychic in fifty years – don’t make me laugh!" he sneered. "You may think your talent is unique, but it’s more like your botched coffee than anything else – It’s extremely unstable, it’s prone to failure and BOY DOES IT STINK!""

"Is that so?" Sakura challenged softly, a dangerous glint entering her eyes at his virulent attack. "We’ll just see about that, you obnoxious weed!" she stated in a menacing way, and Kusanagi’s anger quickly transformed into wariness, aware that he had let his temper goad him into saying some very unwise things.

Kome’s blue eyes flickered past Momiji and she continued to assess the situation. "Who’s winning?" she asked in sardonic amusement as she transferred the bundle of blankets she had been carrying to Momiji.

"Not me, that’s for sure," Momiji grumbled. "It’s terrible to have to sit and listen to them snipe at one another. It just keeps getting worse and worse" Momiji declared quietly. She let her eyes swept over the serene face of baby Noa, who was fast asleep, before she raised them back to Kome, a pleading expression within their depths. "Sooner or later, one of them is going to say something that they will regret, and I don’t want to see that happen. Please, Kome, you have to help me think of something!"

Kome’s eyes drifted from Momiji’s troubled countenance back towards Sakura and Kusanagi once more and she declared, "Really, Momiji - I can’t say that I blame Plant Boy for not liking her. More power to him if he can take her down a notch or two!"

"Kome!" Momiji exclaimed in a pained voice, "your attitude is not helping me any!"

"Okay, okay," Kome grinned, "but what do you want me to do, kiddo? Making peace is not something that I’m very good at – that tends to be more of Matsu or Ryoko’s strong suit."

"I’m not asking you to be peacemaker, all I’m asking is for you to help me try and keep them from each other’s throats," Momiji responded.

"All right. I’ll try to think of something," Kome agreed reluctantly with a sigh. She moved further into the room and passed by Momiji who turned and fell into step alongside her. "- But you know, it won’t be easy for me. My natural inclination is to side with anyone who’s against Super Slut."

"Kome!" Momiji exclaimed again.

Kome chuckled. "Take it easy. I was just kidding – WHOA!" She gasped waving her hand in front of her face as she came to an abrupt halt next to Sakura and Kusanagi. "What the hell is that smell!?"

Neither Sakura nor Kusanagi said anything. They just continued to stare balefully at one another.

"That would be the explosion of whatever was in the flask that Matsu left sitting on the hot plate," Momiji interjected quietly after a moment .

"How the heck did that happen?" Kome asked curiously. "Did it spontaneously combust or something?"

Again there was a moment of silence. "Er, no-" Momiji stopped and bit her lip, reluctant to add anything further, lest she stir up more trouble than what was already brewing. "Please don’t ask," she finally said, "it’s not really that important anyway."

Kome’s gaze moved from face to face and after a moment, she shrugged it off, accepting Momiji’s.

"I see you finally managed to bring the Aragami sprout in," Sakura observed. She took advantage of Momiji’s silence to neatly sidetrack the conversation away from any outside chance that someone (namely, Kusanagi!) would say that the explosion might be her fault. Feigning an interest in the sleeping infant, she leaned in Momiji’s direction and trained her eyes on the squashed up face huddled inside the nest of blankets.

Kome took an involuntary step backwards upon the blonde’s nearness, the reek of Sakura’s chemical stained clothes and hair almost too much for Kome to bear. Even Noa twisted fitfully in his sleep, a fretful whimper escaping from him as his nose, too, discovered the none too pleasant odor.

"How about, let’s open a window," Kome wheezed, moving as quickly away from Sakura as she could. "I know it’s cold out and it will chill the room down, but - good lord, we need to get some breathable air in here!"

No one said anything and she took that to mean unanimous agreement. So she reached for the window and jerked it open, taking a deep, cleansing breath as fresh air flowed into the room.

"Ahhh," she sighed, turning around and facing the other occupants of the room, a relieved look on her face. "That’s much better."

"Where’s Yaegashi?" Kusanagi asked her.

He reluctantly let his cat-like eyes waver from Sakura’s dubiously mild expression to look at Kome, aware that if Sakura were planning any other nasty verbal bombs that there was little he could do to stop her. He was just going to have to concentrate on trying to repair the damage she had done when he and Momiji got home.

"He’s outside, transferring some of the baby’s things from our car to Momiji’s," Kome informed him.

Uninterested with the current topic of conversation, Sakura flicked a look at Momiji from beneath her lashes, and despite Kusanagi’s warning, or perhaps because of it, she introduced a new subject that had very little factual merit, but one that was infinitely more interesting.

"Fascinating isn’t it??" she murmured in low tones to Momiji, keenly aware that Kome and Kusanagi had quit speaking to look at her with mixed curiosity and suspicion.

Kome frowned in a puzzled way and Kusanagi clenched his fists, his eyes smoldering as he gave the psychic another hard look, knowing it was not going to do him any good.

He was right.

Sakura ignored them both.

"What’s fascinating?" Momiji wanted to know, unsure of what Sakura was talking about.

"Just how much alike they look," the priestess observed.

"They? You mean Noa and other Aragami?" Momiji tried to clarify. "Actually I don’t think that Noa looks that much like an Aragami myself – except, of course for the mitamas – "

"No, silly," Sakura interrupted impatiently, amazed at Momiji’s obtuseness, "I mean, isn’t it amazing how much Noa resembles Kusanagi! It’s almost as if that little sprig was Kusanagi’s… sprout." She finished her statement by jabbing a finger in Kusanagi’s direction. Then she hurried on before anyone could interrupt, "I wonder what the gestation period for an Aragami baby would be. You know, I bet it’s a lot shorter than a regular human’s," she speculated, "which would mean that while Kusanagi was missing for those three months, he could have been… well, let’s just say that, theoretically, he could easily have fathered this brat –"

"What a load of crap!" Kome interrupted furiously, "Noa doesn’t look anything like Kusanagi, does he, Momiji?" She expectantly turned her head in Momiji’s direction and waited for verbal confirmation.

"Well, actually," Momiji began, her eyes moving over the baby’s face, studying him intently, "he does look a lot like Kusanagi – " she began for argument’s sake.

"What!?!" Kusanagi exclaimed, his startled eyes moving to Momiji. "Just what the hell do you mean by that? Surely you don’t think that I…!?"

"Of course she doesn’t, you fool!" Kome responded scornfully, but Kusanagi made a sharp motion with his hand, cutting Kome off and keeping his attention on Momiji, waiting to hear it from her.

"Well - no, of course not," Momiji agreed slowly. Her green slid over the relieved look on Kusanagi’s face, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was relieved because it wasn’t true, or because she didn’t believe it to be true. There was a world of difference between the two possibilities. "I mean, that would be logically impossible, don’t you think? - Since Noa’s mother was human and you’re also human– it would make it unlikely that such a short period of time would result in the birth of a baby, despite the Aragami mitamas that you have imbedded in your body… Three months just doesn’t seem feasible… it would have had to have happened before that …" Momiji stuttered to a halt when she saw the look on Kusanagi’s face.

"So you’re saying that… that you believe that I was with another woman during the three months that I was gone?"

"N- no, that not what I –" Momiji stuttered.

"Then you’re telling me that you believe I fathered him before I left Tokyo, before I left you. Is that it?" Kusanagi asked in a quietly goaded voice.

"N-no," Momiji hastened to assure him quickly, "that’s not what I meant –" and even though she truly meant her denial, she couldn’t dismiss the fact that he knew all too well how to please a woman – she had discovered that from first hand experience. And she also knew that she hadn’t been the one to teach him that knowledge. But he had learned it from somewhere. The only questions were when had he learned it, and with whom? "I only meant that…"

"Forget it," Kusanagi muttered harshly, a sense of humiliated discomfort washing over him when he saw Sakura’s satisfied expression and Kome’s suddenly interested one. "We’ll talk about it later," he informed her coldly and Momiji mutely nodded, just as acutely uncomfortable as he was.

"Hey, Plant Boy," Kome said suddenly. "What happened to your gloves?" she asked, noticing their absence for the first time.

Kusanagi heaved a heavy sigh and replied impatiently, "Nothing happened to them."

"But you’re not wearing them," Kome doggedly pointed out.

"So!?" he scowled.

"Forget it," Sakura advised sourly, waving her hand in Kome’s direction, "he’s not going to tell you. I’ve already asked and – " she stopped as a strong gust of wind came through the window and the cold room suddenly got even colder. The irritation faded from her face, a look of absorption taking its place as her crimson eyes trailed away from Kome, focusing just to the left of the redhead and she stared intently off into space.

"And what?" Kome prompted, but Sakura seemed to be enraptured by the wall and didn’t reply. Kome waited or several more seconds, watching Sakura’s strange behavior and then snorted dismissively. With a shrug, She turned her attention back to Kusanagi, so she could amuse herself by badgering him about his missing gloves.

Zan Kazai entered the lab through the open window, his attention focused upon the chestnut haired, green-eyed girl who clutched the key to the Tengugaki’s power within her arms.

So this was the Kushinada, he thought.

His eyes burned in his pale face, fascination animating the deadly darkness within them. Was this truly what the Arch Daemon of the Withered Kingdom feared? This small scrap of human flesh? He could scarcely believe that such a tiny and helpless looking creature had brought the downfall of the entire Aragami race and wondered if Lord Akumakai had somehow overestimated her power.

But no, he amended silently. He could feel the waves of pure, pulsating energy, even as far away as he was. And it made him want to get closer to her. He was seduced by the draw of it, the feel of her innocence in direct contrast to its corrupting rawness.

This power; were all of the Kushinada’s steeped in its force? he wondered, awestruck.

He eyes burned even darker with desire, wanting to be able to stand close enough to her so that he could feel the waves of it vibrate through his body. What a pity he would be unable to siphon it away and combine it with his own strength. But without one of the mitamas that Lord Akumakai guarded so carefully, Zan Kazai could only hope for a brief taste of it before the winds would scatter it away, dispersing it into the sea of eddies and currents of spiritual energy that flowed in never ending motion throughout the Overworld.

With each wave that touched him, his excitement grew, fueling his imagination. Obscene thoughts began swirling in his head, creating a vortex of images, the focus of which centered around the young Kushinada. The dull buzz of human conversation faded into the background and even the hybrid child received only a passing observance as his covetousness and hunger for the young Kushinada grew. For the first time since he could remember, he wished he were human again; for a sustained presence would give him the advantage of being able to physically touch her for a prolonged period of time, become enveloped by the power that was inside of her before he moved to destroy it.

Drawn forward by his dark thoughts, Zan Kazai stealthily slipped around the redheaded human who had led him here and slowly approached Momiji, further studying her appearance. Her skin, her eyes and even the air around her hair radiated with her power and he could barely restrain his impatience to drink it in and release its force, anticipating the feel of it thundering through his body, if only for a few moments. Coming to a stop close to her, he closed his eyes in pleasure as the waves passed through him, pulsing in time with the beat of her heart. He stood like that for several seconds before awareness pierced through his euphoria.

He was being watched.

He snapped his eyes open and turned towards the window, expecting to see one of Akumakai’s Tengugaki warriors spying on him. But there was nothing. Frowning, he turned his head away and encountered the crimson colored eyes of a human trained in his direction. It looked as if she were staring at him. But that was impossible, he thought. No human could see him unless he chose to reveal his presence. And yet, her gaze remained steadily trained on him, and his dark eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Cautiously, he moved away from Momiji and watched as the human’s eyes moved with him. Surprised alarm bolted through him, but he didn’t stop to analyze the sensation as he became a blur of motion, ripping past the red head and out of the window, moving farther and father away from his intended target.

Who was that girl, that she could see him? he mused in incredulity.

She would most probably alert the Kushinada of his existence, he concluded, not that it mattered. That girl might have been able to see him, but there was no way that she could know of his plan to kill the Kushinada. Even so, he thought uneasily, he didn’t like it and told himself that the sooner he carried out his plan, the better off he would be.

"Awww! You’re not gonna tell me, are you?" Kome sighed after having prodded Kusanagi for the fifth time about the missing gloves.

His expression had gone from being blank and unmoving to dark and sullen. Kome found his reaction highly amusing. It wasn’t often that one could find a chink in Kusanagi’s armor and she couldn’t help herself from hammering at it a little bit, hoping that it would give way and provide her with a brief glimpse beyond the barriers he had erected and give her a better sense of who this man was that Momiji loved so much.

Well, if he weren’t willing to talk, then maybe she would appeal to his partner in crime who stood next to him, a guilty look on her face.

Stifling her grin, Kome turned to Momiji and inquired, "You wouldn’t happen to know the reason why Plant Boy’s not wearing his gloves, would you Momiji?"

Momiji shifted from foot to foot, more than tired of this particular line of cross-examination.

"Er, no, not really," she muttered before quickly adding, "Hey, Kome, I meant to tell you that Matsu called this morning. She wants you and Yaegashi to return to Tokyo along with Sakura." Momiji shifted her attention to the blonde. "Isn’t that right, Sakura?" she prompted.

But Sakura wasn’t paying any attention to her. She was still staring off into space, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.

"Why the sudden change?" Kome wanted to know, her attitude becoming all at once business-like as Momiji relayed all of the details. "Do you think you’ll be all right here on your own with the baby?" She asked after Momiji finished, her eyes sliding down in concern to Noa.

"We’re not going to be on our own," Momiji replied, "Don’t forget that Kusanagi will be here too."

"I haven’t forgotten." Kome assured her. Her eyes left Momiji and flitted down to Kusanagi’s bare hands and an amused glint once more made a brief appearance in her deep blue eyes. "But I’m suddenly wondering if I should be more worried about that than relieved." And then she was all seriousness again as she gave Kusanagi a hard look. "I don’t know exactly what’s on your mind, Kusanagi, but you had best remember what I said to you in the hospital that day," she told him with a meaningful look.

Kusanagi’s gave a slight nod of his head, remembering only too well the threat the redhead had made.

"I haven’t forgotten," he informed her and then added wryly, "and I like my lungs right where they are, by the way. But that’s beside the point. " … you broke her heart… Even now the words were painful. Then he looked over Kome’s shoulder and stared out the window, saying in a very soft voice, "It will never happen again, of that you can be sure."

After a long moment, his eyes came back to steadily focus on her and Kome gave him a penetrating look, weighing his words carefully. Finally she nodded her head in satisfaction.

"What are you guys talking about?" Momiji stammered, burning with curiosity. Their conversation was so roundabout that she knew they were talking about her.

"Nothing you need to know at this particular moment," Kusanagi told, noting the immediate pout that crinkled her nose at his words. "If you’re ready, I think we’re done here." He looked back at Kome with a raised brow. She just shrugged her shoulders, and so he took Momiji by the arm. "C’mon," he said, pulling her reluctant body towards the door, "let’s go."

"No! Wait!" Momiji protested, and Kome watched Kusanagi lead her away despite her efforts to try and pull her arm out of his grasp. "Hey! Tell me what you and Kome were talking about! - WAIT, DARN IT!! - KUSANAGI!!"

Kome chucked a little as the sound of Momiji’s fading complaints were carried back to her through the open door, and a small, satisfied smile curled her lips when she heard Kusanagi’s muted reply.

"I’ll tell you, later - when we get home. Ow! Stop that Momiji!"

"Well, I didn’t mean to step on you," came Momiji’s faint reply, "but you got in my way – and if you would just… erg!… let… erg!… go! – " the rest of her words were cut off, and Kome surmised it was because they had boarded the elevator and the doors had closed.

She stood there for a moment longer and then snorted. "It sure as hell took you long enough, Plant Boy," she muttered softly and then turned to Sakura who was just standing there frowning at nothing. "You need a ride back to the city?" she inquired reluctantly, not really wanting to make the offer, but forcing herself to do it because Sakura was part of the team too. Sakura didn’t say anything, that distracted look still ensconced on her face. Kome, out of patience, waved a hand in front of her eyes and exclaimed sharply, "Hey! Faith Healer, I’m talking to you!" That seemed to do the trick and Sakura finally focused her eyes in Kome’s direction. "I asked you if you needed a ride into the city."

"No, thanks," Sakura said disinterestedly and turned away, heading towards the door. "I had my car brought down a couple of days ago since I had no idea how long I would be stranded in this godforsaken place," she threw over her shoulder. "So, I’ll drive myself back. I’m sure you guys don’t want to wait on me anyways - I have a lot of packing to do before I’m ready to leave."

"I’ll bet," Kome murmured, privately wondering how many outfits the blonde had brought with her to Izumo. "Are you sure you can fit everything into that tiny car of yours?" she asked with a sarcastic edge to her voice.

"No," Sakura sighed, taking her question seriously, "I don’t think I can, but that just means more things to buy when I get back, doesn’t it? See ya!" With a wave of two fingers she sauntered through the door and left Kome to close the lab down and lock the door, her mind heavy with thoughts of Noa, the Tengugaki and the Aragami.

After a few abortive attempts on Momiji’s part to get Kusanagi to tell her what he and Kome had been talking about, she heaved a frustrated sigh and gave up. Lapsing into silence they walked out of the building; not another word spoken between them. It was late afternoon now, and despite the sunshine overhead, a pervasive chill seemed to envelope her, creeping into her bones. Momiji shivered, the warm little body of Noa doing little to ward of the insidious cold and huddled deeper within her coat and saw a flash of movement next to her car. It was Kome’s husband..

"Hey! Mr. Yaegashi!" Momiji called.

He was bent at the waist, working diligently to adjust Noa’s car seat that he had removed from his car and put into hers. At the sound of her voice, Yaegashi turned and waved, but kept on working. By the time Momiji and Kusanagi reached his side, he had finished the job, and they briefly stood talking to him about the new developments.

"I hope Matsu finishes the DNA evaluations soon so we can update the Telemetry Land Tracking System. If we can isolate the necessary isotope, we’ll be able to track the Tengugaki more efficiently. It worries me to think that you guys are going to be here on your own with no way of knowing when something is coming," he stated gravely, pushing up his glasses as he spoke.

""How far off are you guys from being done with that?" Momiji inquired.

"Not far, I think," Yaegashi, speculated, "but it really all depends on how fast we can collect the new data in Tokyo."

"I hope it’s finished soon," Momiji replied. "Think of all the people we could save if we could see the Tengugaki’s movement ahead of time."

Yaegashi agreed, and after a few more moments of conversation, he bid them farewell and went to find his wife who had yet to emerge from the building.

After he was gone, Kusanagi turned and watched Momiji strap the still slumbering Noa into his car seat, thinking about her interest in the TLTS system and asked, "You’re not worried about being without the TAC’s technical support, are you, Momiji?"

Momiji straightened and looked at him, answering without hesitation, "Of course not. As long as you’re here."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she abruptly stopped, seeing a look that she couldn’t quite identify on Kusanagi’s face before she ducked her head to avoid his gaze. How stupid was she being? She chided herself. She hadn’t forgotten that Kusanagi wanted to talk to her about what had happened last night. And statements like the one she had just made weren’t helping the awkwardness she felt in regards to all that had transpired between them.

But then, she reflected, neither were the ones that Sakura had made. They only fueled Momiji’s uncertainty about what lay ahead for her and Kusanagi, despite Susano-oh’s assurances that they were destined to be together.

Momiji moved towards the driver’s side, door, but Kusanagi got there first and opened it. He blocked her from getting in and held out his hand, signaling for her to hand him the keys. Momiji was a little startled. She hadn’t expected him to want to ride with her. She had been certain that he would have wanted to get home as quickly as possible and shower off the debris that still coated his hair and back. So much for her deductive reasoning, she grumbled silently.

Would she never learn to anticipate him? she wondered as she handed him the keys and went around the car to climb into the passenger seat next to him.

With a feeling of dread, Kusanagi folded himself into the car seat and stuck the key into the ignition. It was a short drive to Momiji’s house, but knowing that didn’t help. He was too aware of what hung in the air between them, too aware of what needed to be said, especially now that Sakura had stampeded through already treacherous ground with her harmful rhetoric

Damn, Sakura! He silently condemned as he drove out of the parking lot. This day was not turning out at all like he had planned! Fuming in angry frustration, he slid a sideways glance at Momiji, and his already tight jaw clenched even harder. Damn! Damn! Damn! She kept her eyes pinned to the road for the most part, but he could tell by the way she plucked at the missing button on her shirt and fidgeted with the strap of her seat belt that she was thinking about everything that had been said at the lab. With a scowl, he turned his attention back to the road, and slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The car shot forward in a sudden burst of speed, swerving sharply as they went around a curve.

Startled by the suddenness of it, Momiji’s hands jerked to the dashboard in order to brace herself, and her head snapped in Kusanagi’s direction. She took one look at the ferocity of his expression and her eyes widened in alarm.

"Kusanagi?" she began querulously. "I – "

"Not now, Momiji!" He growled. He stifled the urge to have it out right then. No, dammit! He wanted to do this right. He needed to get rid of this god-awful stench before they talked about anything, he told himself determinedly.

Kusanagi’s words were spoken with such finality and with such vehemence, that Momiji bit her lip and lapsed into silence. Had Sakura’s words disturbed him as much as they had Momiji? Or was it… something else? she asked herself remembering the look that had been painted across his face when she had failed to quickly deny the possibility that Noa was his son. Was that why he was upset? Suddenly she felt horrible, almost as if she had betrayed him in some way. Why was she doubting him? Even when he had been away, she had never truly believed that he had been with another woman; so why let such an idea bother her now? She couldn’t explain it. Even to herself, and before she had time to reflect further upon it, she realized that they had pulled up in the driveway in front of the house.

Kusanagi was already out and around to her side of the car before she had her seatbelt unbuckled. She watched as he opened the door for her, his eyes, solemn and brooding as he looked down at her.

"Do you need help getting – the baby – out of the car?" He wanted to know, stepping quickly away from her as she straightened to a standing position.

"No," she responded faintly, still feeling extremely awkward.

"I’m going to go get cleaned up," he told her and she nodded. Turning, he grabbed the portable crib that Yaegashi had put in the back seat and pulled it free, heading towards the house with it. But before he went inside, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Don’t plan on getting too immersed in anything, Momiji. I still need to talk to you."

Momiji nodded her head, watching him until he disappeared through the doorway before she moved to get Noa out of the car, trying to push away the sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach. Perhaps this was a good thing, she told herself bracingly. After all, when she had said that she loved him last night, he had kissed her… well he had actually done a little more that kiss her her, she amended hastily; but that was beside the point.

But try as she might, she couldn’t take comfort from it. For she knew that a physical response was not the same thing as an emotional one – just because he had responded physically, didn’t necessarily mean that he loved her the way she loved him –

"Well," she sighed in resignation as she opened the car door and bent down to remove Noa’s car seat. "I guess I’ll find out soon enough." – Just as soon as Kusanagi finished showering.

As Momiji carried Noa up the stairs, she heard the soft click of the bathroom door and then the sound of water as Kusanagi started the shower. It wouldn’t take him long, and Momiji quickly moved down the hall towards her room, wanting to get Noa’s crib set up and have him settled into it before Kusanagi finished. She stopped short when she stepped through her bedroom doorway though, noting that Kusanagi had already taken the time to set up the crib for her.

Moving slowly into the room, Momiji ruefully wondered if it had been thoughtfulness on his part that had prompted him to do so, or if it was done with the intention of making sure that she would have no excuses when he was ready to talk to her.

It didn’t really matter, she supposed and she put Noa next to the crib and bent to unbuckle the straps that held him in place. Her ears strained to hear the sound of running water, dreading when the soft hissing noise would cease. But it wasn’t the cessation of the shower that sent her nerves unraveling. It was a scream, the timbre of which was chillingly familiar.

It was coming from outside Momiji’s window, from the back yard, and it ended just as quickly as it had started. Momiji vaulted to her feet and moved to pull back her blinds. Her green eyes raked across the grass, the early evening sun creating long shadows from the trees that bordered the edge of her yard.

There was nothing there, but Momiji continued to scan the perimeter of the trees until her eyes caught the bright flash of red hair and she pressed closer to the window, watching as a bloodied Kome stumbled out into her back yard.

"Oh my god!" Momiji breathed and she yanked the window open and stuck her head out. "Kome! Kome!" she called frantically, watching her friend reel drunkenly across the yard towards the house, sobbing.

"Help me, Momiji!" Kome cried, her right hand pressed again her left side where a bright crimson stain soaked through her shirt. "It’s Yaegashi! One of the Tengugaki attacked – oh god, Momiji," she sobbed, "I don’t know if he’s going to make it!"

"Hang on!" Momiji called, "I’ll go and get Kusanagi – "

"NO!" Kome cut in frantically, "There isn’t time! You must come now! Please, Momiji!" she begged, visibly wincing and clutching at her side even harder.

"All right," Momiji hurriedly agreed, "I’m coming!" She quickly pulled her head back inside the window, closing it with a snap and skidding across the room to where she had left Noa.

Reaching down, she grasped the handle to his carrier and dashed towards the bathroom, her heart racing and her thoughts in a frightened turmoil, the bloodied image of Kome burned into her mind. The shower was still running, but she barely noticed it as she flung the bathroom door wide and set the baby carrier on the floor, going behind the door to the small closet to get her first aid kit.

Kusanagi heard her enter and he stuck his spiky, wet head around the shower curtain, watching her as she hurriedly pulled some things from the shelf, not quite sure what she was doing. "Momiji?"

"Kome and Yaegashi have been attacked by the Tengugaki," she explained succinctly without looking at him. "Kome’s outside waiting for me, and she says Yaegashi is badly hurt." Momiji whirled around and headed for the door, watched by an alarmed Kusanagi.

"Momiji, wait!" he exclaimed.

"I can’t!" she called back, already out in the hallway and heading towards the stairs, "Kome said it couldn’t wait. He needs help now! When you get done, come and find us!! And hurry, Kusanagi!"

"No! Wait, dammit!! - Momiji!" Kusanagi cried in alarm, but it was too late. She was out of sight by now and Kusanagi was left to hurriedly wash the soap out of his eyes and shut the water off. He jumped from the shower barely giving himself time to towel off before he tried to jam his damp legs into a clean pair of jeans and throw a shirt over his head. "She left you with me," he muttered, looking at the sleeping baby, "but what am I supposed to do with you?" He reached down and grabbed the handle of the carrier, a scowl on hi face. "I guess you’ll have to come with me, although, I doubt that’s the wisest plan. - But I sure as hell can’t leave you here either."

If there was a Tengugaki nearby then this little Aragami halfling was the reason why. Momiji should have realized that, he silently castigated as he tore down the stairs after her. She should have realized that Kome could have led the Tengugaki right to their backdoor. The little idiot should have waited and her recklessness had the effect of riling his temper in the way that only Momiji could.

Momiji grabbed her cell phone and threw open the front door, racing around the side of the house and into the backyard, where Kome stood waiting. She was gasping for breath, her shoulders slumped and her head bent, watching Momiji approach from beneath her lashes with intent eyes. She looked close to collapse, Momiji thought with concern as she reached her friend’s side.

"Where is the Aragami child?" Kome asked sharply her voice sounding oddly discordant, striking a note of unease in Momiji.

Bewildered by the suddenness of the feeling, Momiji gave her a strange look before she replied.

"He’s inside. Tell me what happened," she murmured urgently as she began dialing an emergency number to call for an ambulance.

"I don’t know, it all happened so fast," Kome replied raggedly in between gasps of breath. Her eyes narrowed as she focused intently on the phone in Momiji’s hand. "The - Yaegashi realized that he had forgotten to put some of the Aragami child’s things in your car, so we were bringing them to you. But then, not far from here – a Tengugaki – ran out into the road and Yaegashi swerved to keep from hitting it. It managed to get in the car and pull Yaegashi out. I tried to stop it, but," Kome looked down at her bloodied side, "it slashed into me before it dragged him off into the trees. I followed as best as I could, managing to shoot it and wound it before it could finish him off. I watched it burrow beneath the earth. It’s no doubt returning to the Withered Kingdom to lick its wounds."

There was an odd cadence to her words that not lost on Momiji as she stood with the phone poised to her ear. She watched Kome pause for another breath, a strange hissing noise coming from the red-head’s throat and as Momiji continued to stare at her in a horrified, fascinated way, her own throat tightened in reflex. It sounded almost as if Kome had forgotten how to breathe. It was a disturbing noise and Momiji tried not to listen to it as she turned her phone off when it failed to make a connection.

"That’s odd, " she commented absently, "the battery must be going dead. Do you have your phone with you, Kome?" she inquired, watching Kome give a negative shake of her head and noting that her face was deathly white.

"Are you all right? You look like you’re going to pass out any minute." She frowned in concern, reaching over and taking her friend’s arm.

A look that resembled sly satisfaction skittered across Kome’s face before her countenance crumpled into a grimace. She collapsed against Momiji, leaning heavily into the smaller girl’s frame for support, her hand coming up and firmly grabbing the one that Momiji had placed around her shoulders.

Kome’s fingers were numbingly cold and Momiji found that her friend’s body was even colder, sending a shudder up her spine. She’s going into shock! Momiji thought in alarm and swung her around towards the house.

"No," Kome hissed lowly, discerning Momiji’s intent. "You – we cannot go that way."

"But Kome, You’re on the verge of collapse. I think it would be best if we got you into the house. That way, we can call for help and then Kusanagi and I can go after Yaegashi – " she suggested. But Kome resisted, and Momiji’s mouth fell open as Kome’s fingers tightened painfully around her wrist, pulling against her with more strength than Momiji would have thought possible given her condition.

"No," the redhead rejected sharply, tugging even harder and Momiji stumbled at the power behind the gesture.

Something flickered within Kome’s deep blue eyes, as Momiji struggled to keep from going to the ground, something akin to violence. It was gone almost instantly, but it gave Momiji a moment of pause, the feeling of unease in her stomach beginning to turn to fear. Something was very wrong here. This was not Kome, a little voice whispered to her even though her eyes told her differently. Reacting on reflex then, Momiji tried to pull way, but Kome thwarted her efforts by slumping against her even more, causing her to stagger under the red-head’s weight. Kome’s feet began churning then, carrying them towards the line of trees, her grip so tight she restricted the blood flow to Momiji’s hand.

Truly scared now, Momiji made several more vain attempts to free herself, gazing in terror at Kome’s pale profile. "Who are you?" she whispered, still dragging her feet.

Kome turned to meet Momiji’s frightened eyes, a terrible smile contorting her familiar features and exposing long, sharp canine teeth. The pupils in her blue eyes dilated until there was nothing but black, and they bore into Momiji’s green ones, dark and compelling. A harsh low laugh rose from Kome’s throat as they entered the trees, disappearing from the view of the house.

"So, Kushinada, you have finally realized that I am not your friend. How very astute of you," she remarked in cruel amusement. "But it doesn’t matter. Your knowledge has come too late. These trees will shield us from the eyes of your guardian. And by the time he comes to find us, it will be too late."

"Who are you?" Momiji demanded again, this time her voice stronger. "You’re not Tengugaki -"

"No," the image of Kome agreed, "I am something far more powerful. Would you like to see with your own eyes?" she asked, and, as she spoke, she stopped moving and let go of Momiji’s arm.

Momiji found herself free. But she was still unable to move, as long as her eyes were locked with the black orbs that gazed at her with open hatred and malefic hunger. Unable to do anything but watch, Momiji saw the image of her friend waver before her eyes, replaced by the shadowed figure of a man. His gaunt face was colorless except for the dark eyes that burned with an odd light within their sunken sockets. He didn’t look real, Momiji thought. No, she amended, he didn’t look alive.

"You see before you, Kushinada, Zan Kazai; a wraith that, unlike the parasitic Tengugaki, knows the real meaning of power," he exclaimed, moving towards her.

Momiji’s chest rose and fell rapidly in fear as the wraith stepped closer to her, his cold, harsh breath falling against her face. She wanted to shrink away from him but she couldn’t, still trapped by his hungry gaze. His long fingers came up and he caressed Momiji’s cheek leaving a trail of numbness where he touched her.

"Do you know what that power is, Kushinada?" he whispered raggedly, leaning forward as if to brush his mouth against hers. Momiji whimpered as he drew closer and the sound seemed to give him pleasure. An ugly smile carved itself across his mouth and just before his lips touched hers, he stayed his motion, hovering centimeters away from her. "You are that power, Kushinada. For you are all that lies between me and removing Akumakai from his throne within the Withered Kingdom.

"I was sent here to kill the child, you know. To kill him and take his mitamas back to the great and all-powerful Arch Daemon, Akumakai. But then, I decided that that wouldn’t be a very wise thing to do, for it would only serve to free the Tengugaki and give them unlimited control in your world, while accomplishing nothing for myself beyond the empty accolades of their unworthy leader. What good are words, I ask you, when they do not bring me the power that I crave?

"Yes, I quickly realized that there was a much more efficacious way of gaining the power that I desire. Shall I tell you what it is?" He asked idly as his fingers continued to stroke against her cheeks. "Since they have yet to obtain the hybrid child, the Tengugaki are still vulnerable to the power of your sacrifice. If you are gone, then my way to Akumakai’s throne would be assured. So you see, while killing the child would gain me nothing, killing you, would accomplish a great deal. But before I do," he whispered, finally closing what little distance that still separated them so that his lips were against hers, "I want to taste you, drink that which the gods have granted to the earth as a means of salvation."

He slid his lips against hers in a mockery of a kiss and her skin crawled at the lifeless feel of his touch. His dark, violent eyes continued to pierce her, and Momiji felt tears of violation form at the corners of her eyes. Standing so close to her, the waves of raw power fairly crashed through him, exciting him in ways that he hadn’t experienced in all the centuries that he had wandered the Road of Death, and he wanted more. Increasing the pressure of his lips, his fingers came up and pulled sharply against Momiji’s chin and with a moan, Momiji tried to keep her teeth clenched shut. But Zan Kazai would not be denied his growing lust for her power, and the strength of his grip proved too much for her. Her mouth was forced open and she felt him open his at the same time. Momiji braced herself for the invasion of his tongue, but it never came. Instead, Zan Kazai drew in a deep breath and Momiji choked in shocked response, unable to breathe, as the air was sucked from her body.

With a growl of pleasure at the sweet flow of her power, Zan Kazai wrapped his fingers around the sides of Momiji’s head and sealed his mouth even more tightly around hers to keep her breath from escaping into the atmosphere. Taking another deep breath, he eagerly drank in the flow of life from Momiji’s body, once again, wishing that he had the means to permanently capture its potency within his body, instead of being forced to feel it fade away almost as quickly as he drew it from her.

Zan Kazai kept her locked in his embrace for several moments until he felt her body begin to weaken as she approached unconsciousness from lack of oxygen. He could have ended it then, but he didn’t. Instead he pulled his mouth from hers, to allow her to breathe, but kept his hands on both sides of her head and waited. He wasn’t quite ready to kill her just yet. He still had a little time and he planned on savoring her power for just a while longer.

Momiji almost gagged as she gulped air into her lungs, and Zan Kazai laughed at her frantic efforts to catch her breath.

"Are you not ready to die, Kushinada?" he taunted, "I thought that your life would have been spent preparing for that eventuality, since that is what your were born for."

"No," Momiji replied breathlessly, the defiance in her voice strong despite in how thready and weak she sounded. "I am not afraid to die. If you kill me, I will die knowing that the Tengugaki have been vanquished."

At her words, Zan Kazai laughed again. "Once you are dead, the Tengugaki might not be able to break their shackles to the UnderWorld. But you don’t think that will make a difference for the humans, do you?" he asked her scornfully, "Once you are gone, I will hold the power that the Daemons of the Underworld are now seeking, and my own army of the dead will march upon the face of the earth. For you humans, the outcome will still be the same; your race will be annihilated. You are such a fool, Kushinada to think you’re your death could change the outcome of that!"

Momiji didn’t respond, but her heart jumped in her chest when she heard an achingly familiar voice from behind Zan Kazai’s back.

"You may think she’s a fool, but you’re the bigger fool," he growled not far from where they stood, "if you think that I would let you kill Momiji." Momiji heard the rustle of leaves as Kusanagi came closer, his voice rough and hard as he said, "You’ll never get the chance to carry out your plans, but if you want to see annihilation, then turn around, you bastard, and face me. I will show you what true annihilation is!"