Chapter 4
Kusanagi limped through Susano-oh Park, lost in a haze of recollection so thick he was utterly oblivious to the world around him. Suddenly it occurred to him how he must look; a green haired slit eyed fang faced freak marching around the park mechanically with a menacing scowl on his bruised and scabbed face. Snorting derisively, he mocked himself for the umpteenth time that night. Freak, he thought to himself. Freak, freak, freak…His tirade of self loathing was ended only by the sharp pains that suddenly cramped his stomach, the result of one too many kicks in the kidneys. Doubling over, he fought to control his spinning vision and limped over towards a bench underneath the spreading limbs of a giant cherry tree. A week had gone by and still these cramps and pains weren't going away. Unable to keep his balance any longer Kusanagi flopped down onto the weathered wood and leaned back, feeling himself waver in and out of consciousness.
Peering up groggily at the pink blossomed branched he grinned to himself. How ironic, he thought. Right where Kaede and Susano-oh and this whole deal ended. He spent a lot of time haunting this park; it was filled with the shadows of the only two people he had ever loved, and who had both left him. Hard to blame them was the mantra he echoed over and over again while staring at his hands in his lap, the strange mitamas winking at him in the pale moonlight. If I wasn't so sure that no one would miss me I might be concerned I was dying he thought to himself with a wry smile as he slipped faster and faster down the steep slope into unconsciousness, finally splashing down into the dark icy waters of his inner mind and sinking below the surface.
~*~*~
Frantically, Momiji raced out the doors of her apartment building and out onto the dusky streets of Tokyo. Todd was right…I have to find him and tell him the truth! Taking off running down the streets, Momiji searched every shadow and alleyway she passed. She couldn't shake a gut-feeling that something was wrong, that Kusanagi was seriously injured. She had no idea where he could be hiding, or where he had lived for the last 5 years. He could be anywhere! she protested. I'll never find him in time! Visions of a dead, wounded, or in-various-stages-of-dying-Kusanagi paraded through her head, spurring her on to new speeds.
Out of the blue, a thought occurred to her and she stopped abruptly. She knew that she no longer had a mitama, but she was the Kushinada, wasn't she? If that mumbo jumbo Kaede had been saying about the Kushinada being in control of the Arigami was right, then shouldn't she have some idea where an Arigami might be? Or at least one in particular…Brow furrowed in concentration, Momiji stood perfectly still on the street corner and closed her eyes, oblivious to the people streaming around her like water around a rock. She imagined her mind was a giant web and cast it out over the entire city, letting it settle and hoping for something to brush a strand. Time ticked by and she felt nothing but the exasperated bumps of people trying to move around her. Just when she was giving up hope and thinking the plan was an altogether stupid one, accompanied by a tirade on Kaede's ignorance, she felt a tickle. Excitedly , Momiji concentrated harder and thought…felt…maybe…Yes! There!
Momiji jumped and took off in the direction the tickle was dragging her, towards Tokyo's giant equivalent of Central Park created during the rebuilding of Tokyo after the Arigami attacks. Reaching the towering gates she raced through despite the caretakers cries that the park was closed. Pausing to orientate herself Momiji began making her way towards the towering monolith of a cherry tree that stood in the center of the park, gently raining pink blossoms down on the lawn below. On that lawn amidst the snowshower of petals was a bench with what certainly appeared to be Kusanagi slumped over on it. Momiji's heart leaped into her mouth and froze there as she saw the unnatural angle he was resting in. Oh please no… she thought frantically. Don't let me be too late!
Scrambling up the grassy slope towards the bench, Momiji searched for signs of life from Kusanagi. At first she thought the worst, but then a short, shallow breath hitched in his throat and she about started to cry. Thank you God, thank you thank you! Running over to his side, Momiji knelt down by the bench and tried to feel for his pulse.
"Kusanagi! Kusanagi!" she cried out, and his brow wrinkled faintly at the sound. Momiji shook him by the shoulders slightly, hoping to bring him back to consciousness. After trying repeatedly with no luck, Momiji sat back on her heels and chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do. She only knew one person who might be able to help at a time like this, so she did the only sensible thing a girl in her position could do. She ran to the nearest payphone and called the TAC.