Blue Seed Fan Fiction ❯ Mitamas: After The End ❯ The Mother ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: scandalousbehavior 
After the long wait, a battle with a monster brings to light the conflict brewing between Shanna and her mother...
Anime/Manga: Blue Seed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.06.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 295 | Status: Completed
After the long wait, a battle with a monster brings to light the conflict brewing between Shanna and her mother...
Anime/Manga: Blue Seed Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Drama / Hentai / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 11.06.2001 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.2K | Visits: 295 | Status: Completed
Mitamas: After The End
Chapter 3: The Mother
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
As soon as Shanna pulled her white VW Bug into the small black top of a basketball court, the nearest place to park both she and Masuki were out of the car and running. The woods weren't that dense but they were far enough away that it took them a little bit to see the lake.
Branches and small underbrush grabbed at her white jean clad legs, her outdoor boots making easy of the terrain that would have killed her if she was still in the slip on shoes that were part of her High School uniform. Feeling every presence of the trees, the animals, all the life force seemed to call out to her. In the back of her mind she knew that Masuki was already there, his power of his own body so much greater than her own. To hear again the blood curling screams of frightened ten and eleven year old girls only made her legs move faster until she came out onto the bank of the lake, face to face with the monster.
Shanna saw that Masuki had already gotten the girls to run back through the forest away from the monster that had Kimiko in its hand. Coming to stand next to him, Shanna thought to all the writings she knew of and then it clicked as she again saw the drawn picture and description of this exact monster on file at the TAC.
"It's Kappa. It sucks the blood out of living things." Shanna explained.
"Well, it won't for long," Masuki announced and leapt into the air, his leather jacket forgotten on the lake's bank as out of his arms came what looked like a sword-thorn shaped object made of his own flesh yet hard like a sword blade.
With two swipes at the monster he had cut the hand that held his sister off and jumped to catch her in his arms, then onto the bank to lay her next to Shanna. Out of no where the arm seemed to come alive by itself and clawed into Masuki's shoulder, causing reddish green blood to spray and pull him under the lake's surface. Kneeling by Kimiko's side, Shanna touched her forehead.
Out of the corner of Shanna's eye she could see a moment and saw the profile of Mamoru Kusanagi in mid air fighting with Kappa, his own arm blades cutting at the beast only to have the wounds inflicted heal up as soon as the blade made a cut. As if Kusanagi was an annoying pest the beast backhanded the older man and Momiji screamed her husband's name. Moving at the last minute to keep himself from being hurled onto the lake's bank, he made another swipe at the arm that held his son underwater. The arm pressure gone from his back Masuki swam to the surface and inhaled air.
The cavalry having shown up, Kome grabbed two big bazooka cannons, handing one to Yaegashi they fired at the beast distracting it from Kusanagi and Masuki, both now on the edge of the lake near Momiji and Kimiko. Ryoko was speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie when out of the darkened forest came Sugishita with a blonde that needless to say everyone was surprised to see. Holding a spell up to her face she repeated words and threw the incantation at the beast causing vines to bind it together as it struggled it let out a piercing sound that was shattering the glass in the nearby houses as well as causing all the people to grab their ears.
"What are you waiting for?! Do something!" came the impatient voice of the woman beside Shanna.
Closing her eyes, stepping into the lake, she held out her hands words flowing from her lips as a great blue light centered itself between her palms and as she felt the creature approach, having released himself from the vines, she pulled back the blue ball of light to her chest, repeating the ancient words in her mind and then as it stood to it's height of twenty feet she threw it at the creature, ripping it into the center of the body as it collapsed back into the water. The wave of water that moved at the creature's collapsed flowed over the four sides of the lake and as the head of the creature remained, where Masuki sensed the mitama was, he leapt towards it and with a swift cut removed the creature's head causing the mitama of a yellowish hue to break into tiny pieces and vanish. The creature's body became water mixing with the remaining water of the lake.
Shanna collapsed onto the bank, with Keizo and Ryoko coming to see if she was all right. Both looked a little surprised when Shanna's eyes were pure white and at a blink returned to its normal color. Keizo held her lightly as her body was in pain from the power she created from it, and when she finally got the strength to stand up, Masuki already being treated for his shoulder wound and Momiji fussing over her husband and son, keeping Kimiko in sight, Shanna turned to her father.
"What is she doing here?" Shanna demanded, looking at the well-dressed petite woman.
"Shanna, sweetheart.." Shunichi started, as the woman cleared her throat.
Shanna's eyes moved to the woman, whose own hand tossed the blonde hair over her shoulder, before returning the young girl's glaze.
"What a greeting, kiddo," Sakura Yamazaki proclaimed in a cheerful voice, "after having not seen each other in so long."
This was getting everyone's attention as Shunichi moved his feet unable to do much between the two.
"Not long enough, Mother."
~ ~
Kusanagi sat in the living room of his house watching the girl he knew he would protect with his life as he would his wife and own children stare out the window into the backyard her green sweater arms wrapped around herself. She hadn't said a word since saying that to Sakura, confirming what he had thought for years to who the girl's mother was. He didn't blame her for not telling them, he hadn't ever thought that Cherry Blossom would ruin her figure and have a child and it shocked all of them who knew Sakura.
Masuki was in his room, made to stay there by the will of Momiji, and Kimiko was in trouble but mostly Momiji was just glad neither one was too hurt. In the den were Shunichi and Sakura with Momiji, Daitetsu, Ryoko, Kome, Yaegashi, and Matsudaira. Keizo was keeping Masuki company upstairs now and Toyoharu had just left.
"Are you going to say something?" Kusanagi wondered, "or is the silent treatment something I need to get used to?"
A small smile crossed her lips and he was at an angle that he could see it. A vent that rested next to the chair Kusanagi sat in, which led conveniently up to Masuki's room where the two males were avidly listening after having heard Toyoharu leave, something that Keizo noticed had lessoned the tension in Masuki's body, had both their undivided attention at this point.
"I would think a little silence would be heaven to you about now," Shanna thought out loud.
"Sometimes, but others when people seem to need to take a load off it doesn't seem to hold that same kind of magic."
"You guys never asked about my mother, I thought for a while my Dad would have told you and then remembered that Sakura wasn't exactly a favorite in this household," Shanna's face was turned so he could see her grin that matched his own, "with her being so rival like with Momiji and being a bother to you. I could respect that, even envy it. At least you had a clear reason for her acting the way she does around you guys. I never understood Sakura, one of the reasons it's hard for me to call her Mother."
"She's not exactly the easiest person to get along with." Kusanagi stated.
"And it's even worse when you're her daughter. Especially one that has more power in her finger than the entire accomplished Faith Healer can ever imagine. It doesn't exactly lead to harmony in the home, especially between me and my sisters," Kusanagi looked surprised, "and that proves my point. No one knew I even had sisters, or that I even talk to them as much as I do. They both understood but still got upset at me because I didn't get along with Sakura like them and because Sakura never really accepted me. I was born second, so in Sakura's eyes I was supposed to be second best. To compete with my beautiful older sister or talented younger one not to be the center of attention from the time I lit my curtains on fire at age two just by touching them. Not to compete with my mother," Shanna turned to face Kusanagi, her back leaning against the sliding glass door, "I think that kinda made her think of Momiji. Always competing with her for attention and for you."
Kusanagi lifted an eyebrow but let her continue.
"You knew Sakura had the feelings for you, for a while anyway. Until she realized that she could never get you away from Momiji," Shanna gave a little laugh, "it's kind of hard to compete with destiny and with a girl who could make a guy give up his own life just to have her live again. Dad always told me that story when you all saved Japan and in the look that would come over her, I knew it bothered her. To have someone love you that much. Oh, I knew she loved my sisters and me but deep inside I think apart of her hated me. Dad must have seen it and that was why he filed full custody of me. Until then he was a pop-in and pop-out dad. My sisters have the same father but I think I was some sort of unplanned result of their affair, which is why my stepfather never cared for me either. He wasn't mean but he had a way of making me feel removed from what he considered 'his family'. So when Dad finally moved me here I decided with him not to mention her. She wasn't apart of my life anymore until she showed up here."
Having been so into what she was saying neither her nor Kusanagi heard the den door open and a pained Sakura stood there looking at her daughter as if she just hit her.
"Oh, Shanna, you don't honestly think that, do you?"
Looking to her mother, Shanna couldn't help the tears that entered her eyes.
"What was I supposed to think, Mother? That I was just like my sisters, that you loved me just as much when not once did you do anything to make it seem like I was anything but a burden. That I was something not planned and un-wanted by anyone but Dad. It hurt worse when I saw you look at me after they did all those tests on why I could start fires and do other things with elements that I was a rival, someone to be jealous of when I didn't ask for these powers. For people to try to kill me from day one," Shanna's eyes were filled with tears now, "do you think it would have been better if you just aborted me from the start like you wanted to?"
Even Momiji gasped at that. Wishing them all away, she ran out of the room, up the stairs and the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut echoed down to the adults.
~ ~
Keizo and Masuki pulled their heads back from the vent, equally shocked looks on their faces at what Shanna had said. Masuki ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly and Keizo let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. They sat on Masuki's bed and glanced to each other.
"Well, that was intense." Keizo stated.
"Hard to believe that her mother would make Shanna feel like that," Masuki spoke softly, "and I always thought her mother had died and that's why she didn't talk about her."
"I've been around her a lot longer than you have and I have never heard Shanna say anything remotely like that. Being around your family must have been a real eye opener to what a real family acts like from what she went through."
"To think I was jealous of her," Masuki said and Keizo grinned, "hey, she was getting all my mom's attention for a while and then I come back to see that she was being the perfect child that I wasn't."
"No one was replacing you, Masuki. After the hell she had gone through it was natural that your mother, being so open and kind to everyone, would feel that Shanna needed her."
"And I take my parents for granted."
"Doesn't everyone?"
They just sat there wondering how anyone could think that Shanna wasn't good enough.
~ ~
The instant the bedroom door of Shanna's room had slammed shut, Kusanagi stood and caught Sakura's arm in order to keep her from heading up there.
"Don't you think you've done enough, Cherry Blossom?" Kusanagi asked coldly.
"Let go of me, Carrot Boy. That's my daughter." Sakura demanded, jerking her arm to get out of his grasp but to no avail.
"She might be born of your blood, Sakura, but she is ours my choice." Kusanagi informed her before tossing her arm away.
"Shanna never even told me that she felt that way." Sugishita spoke up, causing Sakura to glare at him.
"We should let her rest for a while, she's been through a lot today." Momiji stated.
"Do what you want but I want to see my daughter."
Momiji moved and blocked Sakura from going upstairs.
"You are NOT going upstairs, Sakura," Momiji explained, her whole body spoke of her determination, "she doesn't need to see you least of all right now."
"She's my daughter, not yours Momiji."
"How convenient for you to remember that now." Kome muttered.
"Look, I'll be in town for a couple of days. I will be back tomorrow to speak to Shanna."
Sakura turned on her four-inch heel and stocked out of the house. Ryoko watched pain flicker in Shunichi's eyes.
"Shanna never said a word about Sakura treating her like that and I left her there." He whispered astonished that he didn't know about it.
"Shanna's a tough kid to understand at times and I'm sure she doesn't blame you for it. Probably she just wanted to forget it all and move on, that took a lot of courage for someone so young. You should be proud of her. Shanna's a remarkable young woman." Ryoko comforted.
"I suggest that we talk about this later," Daitetsu stepped in with.
"Right. Although," Matsudaira added, "if it would be alright with you both I want to bring Shanna in to see about her level tomorrow. She collapsed and maybe it has to do with her power," seeing Kusanagi's warning look, "When she wants to, of course."
"Thanks, Azusa. I'll talk to her in the morning," Momiji told them glancing towards the stairs, "I doubt she'll want to talk to anyone tonight."
"Okay."
The group started to leave, Sugishita stopped in the front doorway.
"Thank you both for taking such good care of her," he said quietly, "I doubted she would be half as accomplished if she didn't have you both helping her."
"We love her, too, Shunichi." Momiji told him and he smiled saying goodnight.
As soon as the door closed, Kusanagi looked at her exhausted face.
"Some night, huh?"
"I knew Sakura could be horrible at times," Momiji put her arms around her husband, "but I had no idea she could make her own daughter feel like an outsider."
"Come on, Momiji, let's go upstairs."
Passing by Shanna's door, Kusanagi knocked and then opened Masuki's. Seeing Keizo smile lightly at him but Masuki's expression remained emotionless.
"I know you both heard," he stated as Momiji kissed his cheek and headed to check on Kimiko, "so if either of you feel up to seeing if she wants to talk, I don't think having one of us talk to her."
"Sure, Mr. Kusanagi." Keizo offered.
Nodding, he closed the door. Keizo lifted an eyebrow at his friend.
"You want to talk to her?"
Masuki gave him a 'Are you kidding me' look.
"Alright, I'll go talk to her. But you better be ready to say something to her come morning and I don't mean about her not going any where without someone."
"Well, at least I know she can protect herself."
Keizo smiled and left Masuki's room, walking the ten steps to knock on the white door of Shanna's room.
"Shanna, it's Keizo."
A muffled, "Come in." made him open the door and see her curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. Her eyes red from crying and he gave a sad smile, as he closed the door after him. Sitting on the bed, he brushed part of her loose hair from her face.
"I feel like such an idiot. Telling it like that. Everyone probably feels sorry for me know."
Keizo shook his head, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones.
"No, Shanna. We don't feel sorry for you. We feel sorry for what you had to go through because your mother didn't understand you. Mainly the adults are pissed at your mom."
"Hey, well." She sat up and touched her head, "Man, do I have a head ache."
"Fighting a monster and then dealing with your mom, I'm sure you do."
Shanna sighed and a small tear made its way down her cheek, "I didn't think I'd see her again."
"I know you didn't."
Shanna felt more tears fall down her cheeks and he hugged her to him, as she cried into his shoulder. Over his shoulder, the door was halfway open and Masuki stood there watching.
~ ~
Akihiro had been there when Kappa attacked. He watched every play by play with avid interest and then to see an amount of power come from Shanna, caused a great deal of esteem to rise in him for her. The girl could hold her own, and it had seemed that Masuki wasn't the weakling that he once was. It was going to prove interesting. Although he didn't get the Kushinada, something he really wasn't aiming at just yet, it was a very entertaining night.
Just wait, he thought, until Masuki sees the one person that even he won't be able to fight without guilt. How intriguing things were about to get.
~ ~
After Keizo had left for home, Shanna had changed into her pajamas and settled under the covers of her bed. All cried out, she laid there and when her eyelids felt like they could stay open for one more second, they closed. Her sleep troubled, that it went unnoticed that on her right hand a white light had begun to glow in the outline of a mitama before she fit fully turned over on her stomach, the glow fading.
~ ~ ~ ~
Well, about time we find out who her mother was, huh? More to come.
~ Scandal ~
November 6, 2001
Chapter 3: The Mother
Written by: Scandalous Behavior
~ ~ ~ ~
As soon as Shanna pulled her white VW Bug into the small black top of a basketball court, the nearest place to park both she and Masuki were out of the car and running. The woods weren't that dense but they were far enough away that it took them a little bit to see the lake.
Branches and small underbrush grabbed at her white jean clad legs, her outdoor boots making easy of the terrain that would have killed her if she was still in the slip on shoes that were part of her High School uniform. Feeling every presence of the trees, the animals, all the life force seemed to call out to her. In the back of her mind she knew that Masuki was already there, his power of his own body so much greater than her own. To hear again the blood curling screams of frightened ten and eleven year old girls only made her legs move faster until she came out onto the bank of the lake, face to face with the monster.
Shanna saw that Masuki had already gotten the girls to run back through the forest away from the monster that had Kimiko in its hand. Coming to stand next to him, Shanna thought to all the writings she knew of and then it clicked as she again saw the drawn picture and description of this exact monster on file at the TAC.
"It's Kappa. It sucks the blood out of living things." Shanna explained.
"Well, it won't for long," Masuki announced and leapt into the air, his leather jacket forgotten on the lake's bank as out of his arms came what looked like a sword-thorn shaped object made of his own flesh yet hard like a sword blade.
With two swipes at the monster he had cut the hand that held his sister off and jumped to catch her in his arms, then onto the bank to lay her next to Shanna. Out of no where the arm seemed to come alive by itself and clawed into Masuki's shoulder, causing reddish green blood to spray and pull him under the lake's surface. Kneeling by Kimiko's side, Shanna touched her forehead.
Out of the corner of Shanna's eye she could see a moment and saw the profile of Mamoru Kusanagi in mid air fighting with Kappa, his own arm blades cutting at the beast only to have the wounds inflicted heal up as soon as the blade made a cut. As if Kusanagi was an annoying pest the beast backhanded the older man and Momiji screamed her husband's name. Moving at the last minute to keep himself from being hurled onto the lake's bank, he made another swipe at the arm that held his son underwater. The arm pressure gone from his back Masuki swam to the surface and inhaled air.
The cavalry having shown up, Kome grabbed two big bazooka cannons, handing one to Yaegashi they fired at the beast distracting it from Kusanagi and Masuki, both now on the edge of the lake near Momiji and Kimiko. Ryoko was speaking rapidly into a walkie-talkie when out of the darkened forest came Sugishita with a blonde that needless to say everyone was surprised to see. Holding a spell up to her face she repeated words and threw the incantation at the beast causing vines to bind it together as it struggled it let out a piercing sound that was shattering the glass in the nearby houses as well as causing all the people to grab their ears.
"What are you waiting for?! Do something!" came the impatient voice of the woman beside Shanna.
Closing her eyes, stepping into the lake, she held out her hands words flowing from her lips as a great blue light centered itself between her palms and as she felt the creature approach, having released himself from the vines, she pulled back the blue ball of light to her chest, repeating the ancient words in her mind and then as it stood to it's height of twenty feet she threw it at the creature, ripping it into the center of the body as it collapsed back into the water. The wave of water that moved at the creature's collapsed flowed over the four sides of the lake and as the head of the creature remained, where Masuki sensed the mitama was, he leapt towards it and with a swift cut removed the creature's head causing the mitama of a yellowish hue to break into tiny pieces and vanish. The creature's body became water mixing with the remaining water of the lake.
Shanna collapsed onto the bank, with Keizo and Ryoko coming to see if she was all right. Both looked a little surprised when Shanna's eyes were pure white and at a blink returned to its normal color. Keizo held her lightly as her body was in pain from the power she created from it, and when she finally got the strength to stand up, Masuki already being treated for his shoulder wound and Momiji fussing over her husband and son, keeping Kimiko in sight, Shanna turned to her father.
"What is she doing here?" Shanna demanded, looking at the well-dressed petite woman.
"Shanna, sweetheart.." Shunichi started, as the woman cleared her throat.
Shanna's eyes moved to the woman, whose own hand tossed the blonde hair over her shoulder, before returning the young girl's glaze.
"What a greeting, kiddo," Sakura Yamazaki proclaimed in a cheerful voice, "after having not seen each other in so long."
This was getting everyone's attention as Shunichi moved his feet unable to do much between the two.
"Not long enough, Mother."
~ ~
Kusanagi sat in the living room of his house watching the girl he knew he would protect with his life as he would his wife and own children stare out the window into the backyard her green sweater arms wrapped around herself. She hadn't said a word since saying that to Sakura, confirming what he had thought for years to who the girl's mother was. He didn't blame her for not telling them, he hadn't ever thought that Cherry Blossom would ruin her figure and have a child and it shocked all of them who knew Sakura.
Masuki was in his room, made to stay there by the will of Momiji, and Kimiko was in trouble but mostly Momiji was just glad neither one was too hurt. In the den were Shunichi and Sakura with Momiji, Daitetsu, Ryoko, Kome, Yaegashi, and Matsudaira. Keizo was keeping Masuki company upstairs now and Toyoharu had just left.
"Are you going to say something?" Kusanagi wondered, "or is the silent treatment something I need to get used to?"
A small smile crossed her lips and he was at an angle that he could see it. A vent that rested next to the chair Kusanagi sat in, which led conveniently up to Masuki's room where the two males were avidly listening after having heard Toyoharu leave, something that Keizo noticed had lessoned the tension in Masuki's body, had both their undivided attention at this point.
"I would think a little silence would be heaven to you about now," Shanna thought out loud.
"Sometimes, but others when people seem to need to take a load off it doesn't seem to hold that same kind of magic."
"You guys never asked about my mother, I thought for a while my Dad would have told you and then remembered that Sakura wasn't exactly a favorite in this household," Shanna's face was turned so he could see her grin that matched his own, "with her being so rival like with Momiji and being a bother to you. I could respect that, even envy it. At least you had a clear reason for her acting the way she does around you guys. I never understood Sakura, one of the reasons it's hard for me to call her Mother."
"She's not exactly the easiest person to get along with." Kusanagi stated.
"And it's even worse when you're her daughter. Especially one that has more power in her finger than the entire accomplished Faith Healer can ever imagine. It doesn't exactly lead to harmony in the home, especially between me and my sisters," Kusanagi looked surprised, "and that proves my point. No one knew I even had sisters, or that I even talk to them as much as I do. They both understood but still got upset at me because I didn't get along with Sakura like them and because Sakura never really accepted me. I was born second, so in Sakura's eyes I was supposed to be second best. To compete with my beautiful older sister or talented younger one not to be the center of attention from the time I lit my curtains on fire at age two just by touching them. Not to compete with my mother," Shanna turned to face Kusanagi, her back leaning against the sliding glass door, "I think that kinda made her think of Momiji. Always competing with her for attention and for you."
Kusanagi lifted an eyebrow but let her continue.
"You knew Sakura had the feelings for you, for a while anyway. Until she realized that she could never get you away from Momiji," Shanna gave a little laugh, "it's kind of hard to compete with destiny and with a girl who could make a guy give up his own life just to have her live again. Dad always told me that story when you all saved Japan and in the look that would come over her, I knew it bothered her. To have someone love you that much. Oh, I knew she loved my sisters and me but deep inside I think apart of her hated me. Dad must have seen it and that was why he filed full custody of me. Until then he was a pop-in and pop-out dad. My sisters have the same father but I think I was some sort of unplanned result of their affair, which is why my stepfather never cared for me either. He wasn't mean but he had a way of making me feel removed from what he considered 'his family'. So when Dad finally moved me here I decided with him not to mention her. She wasn't apart of my life anymore until she showed up here."
Having been so into what she was saying neither her nor Kusanagi heard the den door open and a pained Sakura stood there looking at her daughter as if she just hit her.
"Oh, Shanna, you don't honestly think that, do you?"
Looking to her mother, Shanna couldn't help the tears that entered her eyes.
"What was I supposed to think, Mother? That I was just like my sisters, that you loved me just as much when not once did you do anything to make it seem like I was anything but a burden. That I was something not planned and un-wanted by anyone but Dad. It hurt worse when I saw you look at me after they did all those tests on why I could start fires and do other things with elements that I was a rival, someone to be jealous of when I didn't ask for these powers. For people to try to kill me from day one," Shanna's eyes were filled with tears now, "do you think it would have been better if you just aborted me from the start like you wanted to?"
Even Momiji gasped at that. Wishing them all away, she ran out of the room, up the stairs and the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut echoed down to the adults.
~ ~
Keizo and Masuki pulled their heads back from the vent, equally shocked looks on their faces at what Shanna had said. Masuki ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly and Keizo let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding. They sat on Masuki's bed and glanced to each other.
"Well, that was intense." Keizo stated.
"Hard to believe that her mother would make Shanna feel like that," Masuki spoke softly, "and I always thought her mother had died and that's why she didn't talk about her."
"I've been around her a lot longer than you have and I have never heard Shanna say anything remotely like that. Being around your family must have been a real eye opener to what a real family acts like from what she went through."
"To think I was jealous of her," Masuki said and Keizo grinned, "hey, she was getting all my mom's attention for a while and then I come back to see that she was being the perfect child that I wasn't."
"No one was replacing you, Masuki. After the hell she had gone through it was natural that your mother, being so open and kind to everyone, would feel that Shanna needed her."
"And I take my parents for granted."
"Doesn't everyone?"
They just sat there wondering how anyone could think that Shanna wasn't good enough.
~ ~
The instant the bedroom door of Shanna's room had slammed shut, Kusanagi stood and caught Sakura's arm in order to keep her from heading up there.
"Don't you think you've done enough, Cherry Blossom?" Kusanagi asked coldly.
"Let go of me, Carrot Boy. That's my daughter." Sakura demanded, jerking her arm to get out of his grasp but to no avail.
"She might be born of your blood, Sakura, but she is ours my choice." Kusanagi informed her before tossing her arm away.
"Shanna never even told me that she felt that way." Sugishita spoke up, causing Sakura to glare at him.
"We should let her rest for a while, she's been through a lot today." Momiji stated.
"Do what you want but I want to see my daughter."
Momiji moved and blocked Sakura from going upstairs.
"You are NOT going upstairs, Sakura," Momiji explained, her whole body spoke of her determination, "she doesn't need to see you least of all right now."
"She's my daughter, not yours Momiji."
"How convenient for you to remember that now." Kome muttered.
"Look, I'll be in town for a couple of days. I will be back tomorrow to speak to Shanna."
Sakura turned on her four-inch heel and stocked out of the house. Ryoko watched pain flicker in Shunichi's eyes.
"Shanna never said a word about Sakura treating her like that and I left her there." He whispered astonished that he didn't know about it.
"Shanna's a tough kid to understand at times and I'm sure she doesn't blame you for it. Probably she just wanted to forget it all and move on, that took a lot of courage for someone so young. You should be proud of her. Shanna's a remarkable young woman." Ryoko comforted.
"I suggest that we talk about this later," Daitetsu stepped in with.
"Right. Although," Matsudaira added, "if it would be alright with you both I want to bring Shanna in to see about her level tomorrow. She collapsed and maybe it has to do with her power," seeing Kusanagi's warning look, "When she wants to, of course."
"Thanks, Azusa. I'll talk to her in the morning," Momiji told them glancing towards the stairs, "I doubt she'll want to talk to anyone tonight."
"Okay."
The group started to leave, Sugishita stopped in the front doorway.
"Thank you both for taking such good care of her," he said quietly, "I doubted she would be half as accomplished if she didn't have you both helping her."
"We love her, too, Shunichi." Momiji told him and he smiled saying goodnight.
As soon as the door closed, Kusanagi looked at her exhausted face.
"Some night, huh?"
"I knew Sakura could be horrible at times," Momiji put her arms around her husband, "but I had no idea she could make her own daughter feel like an outsider."
"Come on, Momiji, let's go upstairs."
Passing by Shanna's door, Kusanagi knocked and then opened Masuki's. Seeing Keizo smile lightly at him but Masuki's expression remained emotionless.
"I know you both heard," he stated as Momiji kissed his cheek and headed to check on Kimiko, "so if either of you feel up to seeing if she wants to talk, I don't think having one of us talk to her."
"Sure, Mr. Kusanagi." Keizo offered.
Nodding, he closed the door. Keizo lifted an eyebrow at his friend.
"You want to talk to her?"
Masuki gave him a 'Are you kidding me' look.
"Alright, I'll go talk to her. But you better be ready to say something to her come morning and I don't mean about her not going any where without someone."
"Well, at least I know she can protect herself."
Keizo smiled and left Masuki's room, walking the ten steps to knock on the white door of Shanna's room.
"Shanna, it's Keizo."
A muffled, "Come in." made him open the door and see her curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. Her eyes red from crying and he gave a sad smile, as he closed the door after him. Sitting on the bed, he brushed part of her loose hair from her face.
"I feel like such an idiot. Telling it like that. Everyone probably feels sorry for me know."
Keizo shook his head, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones.
"No, Shanna. We don't feel sorry for you. We feel sorry for what you had to go through because your mother didn't understand you. Mainly the adults are pissed at your mom."
"Hey, well." She sat up and touched her head, "Man, do I have a head ache."
"Fighting a monster and then dealing with your mom, I'm sure you do."
Shanna sighed and a small tear made its way down her cheek, "I didn't think I'd see her again."
"I know you didn't."
Shanna felt more tears fall down her cheeks and he hugged her to him, as she cried into his shoulder. Over his shoulder, the door was halfway open and Masuki stood there watching.
~ ~
Akihiro had been there when Kappa attacked. He watched every play by play with avid interest and then to see an amount of power come from Shanna, caused a great deal of esteem to rise in him for her. The girl could hold her own, and it had seemed that Masuki wasn't the weakling that he once was. It was going to prove interesting. Although he didn't get the Kushinada, something he really wasn't aiming at just yet, it was a very entertaining night.
Just wait, he thought, until Masuki sees the one person that even he won't be able to fight without guilt. How intriguing things were about to get.
~ ~
After Keizo had left for home, Shanna had changed into her pajamas and settled under the covers of her bed. All cried out, she laid there and when her eyelids felt like they could stay open for one more second, they closed. Her sleep troubled, that it went unnoticed that on her right hand a white light had begun to glow in the outline of a mitama before she fit fully turned over on her stomach, the glow fading.
~ ~ ~ ~
Well, about time we find out who her mother was, huh? More to come.
~ Scandal ~
November 6, 2001