Blue Seed Episode 20

    Episode twenty begins in downtown Tokyo at night. Everything seems normal at first: the bright glittering lights of the city shine on the people out and about. But unbeknownst to them, the next part in Susano-oh's plot is about to unfold. A huge plant comes bursting out of the river and many others start popping up all over Japan as well. Momiji, who has been fast asleep, wakes up, her mitama aglow, and senses an enormous power. She makes her way over to the window and has a sudden vision of Kusanagi. She realizes with a start that she can hear Kusanagi's thoughts...
    The next morning, the TAC is flooded with monster reports and reports of these root like objects springing up everywhere. The secretary to the Prime Minister calls and demands that Kunikida find out what they are, telling him that the future of the TAC depends upon it. Kunikida in turn, concludes that Susano-oh is currently in Takachiho where the cherry blossoms are in bloom out of season. He also notes that the only areas of Japan where the normal foliage has NOT been dying are the areas that contain an Amano Iwatto: Ise, Takachiho and Izumo. Based on this information, he wants to go to Izumo, which is where Susano-oh and the Kushinada of legend first met. He says that he's sure that this is the iwatto that is most important to the storm god.
    Kusanagi, however is on his way to Takachiho, hard on the heels of Murakumo, Kaede and Susano-oh. He follows them all the way to the iwatto where Susano-oh has just gone through another ritual and is now older than before, but still a boy. Murakumo awaits Kaede and Susano-oh just outside the opening, and as they come into view, Kusanagi confronts them. He tells them that he intends to kill Susano-oh and demands that Kaede move out of the way. She refuses, and he tells her that she's changed. But her decision to shield Susano-oh doesn't change his mind. He charges them, willing to go through Kaede to get to Susano-oh, but before he reaches them, Murakumo stops him, long ropelike tendrils wrapping around him. Kusanagi and Murakumo fight, and Murakumo gets Kusanagi literally tied up in the air. Kusanagi manages to break free and charges Susano-oh once more. It's the god that stops him this time with a huge burst of energy that stuns Kusanagi, but doesn't really hurt him. Before Kusanagi can make it back to his feet, Murakumo closes in on him and tells him it's time for him to die. But Kaede prevents him from killing Kusanagi, and Muakumo reluctantly withdraws as they get ready to leave for Izumo.
    Meanwhile, Kunikida, Ryoko and Momiji are on their way to Izumo, and Kunikida encourages Momiji to enjoy her return home. But Momiji becomes agitated at his suggestion. She says that she wants to help Ryoko and Mr. Kunikida, because she's been feeling very sensitive lately, and she knows that something terrible is about to happen. Mr. Kunikida doesn't know what to say, but he seems reluctant to let her help, perhaps thinking that she needs a break. Kunikida asks Ryoko to stop the car and they all get out, standing in front of a path that leads up to the Cave of Restoration where it all began.   Momiji has a flashback of the first time she met Kusanagi when he had been trying to kill her and thinks what a terrible way it had been to meet him.
    Momiji goes home and is reunited with her mother and almost immediately after hugging her, she eagerly turns to Mr. Kunikida and Ryoko and says that she is ready to start working. Before they can respond, her best friend, Akiko arrives, and the decision is made for her: Momiji will go with Akiko and Ryoko and Kunikida will search alone.
    But even while Momiji is with Akiko, she is working, responding absent-mindedly to her friend while trying to find the iwatto. She has several visions, seeing first Izumo in ancient times and then Kaede and the boy Lord Susano-oh in a Tokyo that has been overrun by the huge plants. Her last vision results in her knocking ice cream out of Akiko's hand and upsetting her friend, who tells her that she's changed. Momiji denies it, but Akiko just turns away from her and tells her she's going home.
    In the meantime, Kunikida and Ryoko have searched high and low for the Amano iwatto in Izumo and can find no record of it anywhere. Kaede, Murakumo and Susano-oh are now in Izumo near a group of children. One of the little girls loses her hat and it blows over to Susano-oh who picks it up and hands it to her... (strange actions for a destructive god, eh?). Kaede tells him that they are in Izumo, the place where they first met so many years ago, hinting that she is the incarnation of the first Kushinada.... While this is happening, Momiji has a heart to heart conversation with Akiko and the two friends make up.
    Later that night, Momiji and her mother, Moe, are outside playing with sparklers (fireworks). They talk and you get a sense that Moe is sorry for what Momiji is going through because or her blood. But Momiji stops her and thanks her, saying that because she is the Kushinada she has been given the chance to meet someone really wonderful (I wonder who THAT could be... hmmm). Ryoko and Kunikida have run out of leads as to where the iwatto is located and so they go to talk to grandmother who shows them a picture of the Ceremony of Tamafuri which looks like a way of creating more Aragami, and they are horrified that this might be what Kaede is trying to do. Then, we see Susano-oh, Kaede and Murakumo who are also talking about the ceremony of Tamafuri, so we are not left in doubt as to the plans of the trio.
    The story abruptly jumps to Momiji who is purifying herself in the Cave of Restoration, thinking about the vision she had of Tokyo and telling herself that it was her future too, and she wouldn't let it become like that, adding out loud, "Isn't that right, Kusanagi?" Since he is nowhere around, she is more than startled when she hears his voice and realizes that he heard her call him. They share a moment of communication and Kusanagi speculates that the reason for it is because their mitamas came from the same Aragami, Orochi. Momiji tells him that no matter how far apart they are, they're still together. Kusanagi says he guesses that's true, and then tells her that they both need to do the best job they can.
    The episode ends with Kusanagi finally catching up with Susano-oh's group and confronting them, telling him that he will follow him until he's finally managed to kill the storm god.