Blue Seed Manga Novelization

By schally

 

Disclaimer:  The purpose of this project is to provide Blue Seed fans with the storyline content of Yuzo Takada’s manga.  All ideas, dialogue, etc., belong to Yuzo Takada.  I have kept the story as close to the original as is within my non-Japanese-speaking power.  If you like the story, thank Takada by buying his lovely art or supporting his current projects.

 

Blue Seed

Chapter 1: Jinchu

 

               The child sat amidst the blood and bodies that were scattered across the floor of the temple.  An older woman, perhaps his mother, lay sprawled several feet away, her blood pooling and trickling across the lines in the cement. 

               “Child, I have decided,” a voice whispered.

               The boy peered, not comprehending, and a roll of thunder echoed across the darkening sky.

               “I will give you seven souls,” the voice said.  A light emerged from the darkness and the boy became aware of an enormous green monster with eyes of fire, towering over him with eight heads.  “Become the strongest man on Earth,” the voice continued, clam and measured.  One of the heads plucked up a nearby body and began to chew it mercilessly.  The boy stared, wide-eyed, unsure.  “Find Princess Kushinada,” the voice ordered, “and protect her!”

 

*             *             *

 

It was October 10^th, 1980.  In Izumo, Japan.  Outside of the Fujimiya family shrine the weather was snowy and cold.  Inside, a young girl stood knee-deep in the water of a small, circular pool, her ceremonial robe drenched.  She looked towards the entrance for a moment, as if hearing something, and said, “I feel something strange through those trees.”

The old woman sitting by the side of the pool was unperturbed and remained seated on her pillow.  “An ill omen,” the elder said.  “Have one more shower.”

The girl began to pull herself up on the rocks by the side of the pool, nonplussed by the suggestion.  “Please, let me go.  I’ll catch cold.”

The old woman craned her neck, raising a wrinkled hand to her ear.  “What?”

The girl leaned in closer.  “I.  Will.  Catch.  Cold!” she yelled, emphasizing each word.

The old woman smiled brightly and leaned over her teapot.  “Oh, I’m fine,” she said.

The girl sighed.  It was often difficult to tell whether her grandmother was hard of hearing or incredibly stubborn.  “I’ll be late for school,” the girl persisted.

“Momiji,” the old woman said, her voice gentle but firm.  She held out the bucket again.

“Okay.”  The girl accepted the bucket and poured the contents onto her body, drenching the robes yet again.

              

My name is Momiji Fujimiya.  I’m fifteen years old.  I’ll be a freshman in high school starting this April, in 1999.  I’m a normal student, even though I have a really strange family.

 

Momiji headed off to school, waving goodbye to her grandmother as she jogged down the steps leading away from the shrine.  “I’ll bet taking a cold shower to clean the soul isn’t normal for a high school student,” she muttered to herself, scanning the crowd at the bus stop for her friend, Ah-chan.  Momiji stood next to her, holding her school bags in front.

“I just want to have a normal life,” she said, in lieu of a greeting.  “Like having a boyfriend or sleeping late.  You know, Ah-chan?”

Ah-chan simply sighed and looked to see if the bus was coming.  She was all too familiar with Momiji’s fascination with “normal life” outside the shrine.

Momiji was oblivious to her friend’s disinterest.  “The forbidden real world,” she cooed, holding her hands under her chin. 

“I’ve heard this a hundred times,” Ah-chan said.  “I already told you, the only way to live a normal life is to quit all those weird religious rituals.”

“Yeah, I know.”  Momiji gave a small smile and shrugged.  “Actually, I don’t even know what I’m preparing myself for…”  She thought back to the times when her grandmother had lectured her as a child.  Remember, Momiji.  Your life is not your own.  It is for all the people of Japan.  Don’t be tempted by frivolous things.  When the time comes you will have to devote your life to the people of Japan.

“Right,” Momiji said to herself.  Then, to Ah-chan, “I’ve been taught that ever since I was a little kid.  I’ve accepted it as my destiny.”

The bus pulled to a halt in front of them and Ah-chan began walking towards it.  “I don’t understand it,” she said.  “It’s so old-fashioned.”

Momiji started to follow her, then hesitated.  …What?  I sense something… She turned away from the bus and headed back towards the shrine.

               “Hey, Momiji,” Ah-chan called, glancing at her friend over her shoulder.  “Hurry up!”

               “I’ll catch the next bus!” Momiji called back, heading up the steps.  The path quickly lead into a forested area, and she found herself stopping on the snowy path, glancing around anxiously as the wind blew through the trees.  The strange feeling was stronger than ever, now, and she glanced over her shoulder, only to see a man standing there.

               He was tall and exotic-looking with cat-like eyes.  He was also sporting angular eyebrows—four of them.  His hair was a deep shade of green, his skin slightly less so, and if it weren’t for his burgundy trench coat he might have blended in with the forest completely.  Otherwise, his clothes and gloves were dark.

The man studied her for a moment and then said, “You’re the daughter of the Kushinada family, right?”

               Momiji blinked, surprised.  “What?”

               “You’re the twin sister of the Kushinada,” the man said, this time with more conviction.  “I’m sorry, but I’ve come to kill you.”

               Momiji stared at him, allowing his words to sink in.  “What?!”  Suddenly, the trees to the man’s left began to break, violently splintering in half.  “Watch out!” Momiji screamed, throwing her arm up as the tree trunks smashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of snow and splinters.  The snow settled quickly, leaving a tangled mess of trees and branches across the path.  The man was nowhere in sight.

               “Hey, wait!” Momiji yelled, thinking the man had run away.  “What’s going on here?!”  She glanced up the path and saw that the man wasn’t there, either.  Could it be that he had been crushed under the trees?  Momiji ran to the mess, trying to see inside the snowy nest of split wood and branches.  “Are you okay?”  She called.  “Can you hear me?”

               “Your twin sister died yesterday.”  The man’s voice was coming from behind now, and Momiji turned  to see him standing mere meters away.  “You’ll be next.”

               “Who are you?”  Momiji asked.

               The man looked away.  When he glanced back at her, he had a sly look on his face.  “I don’t think a silly girl like you could ever understand.”

               “Silly?”  Momiji took a step closer to him, momentarily forgetting his threats.  “Hey, you should be polite, even if I am a silly girl!”  She shook her finger at him and he gave her a surprised look—his first show of emotion during their entire conversation so far.  “…I know I’m kinda silly, though…” Momiji continued, glancing down at her hands.  “Anyway, I’ve never heard of this Kushinada.  This is just a misunderstanding.”

               The man looked away from her quickly, almost as if he had forgotten she was there.  The wind picked up pace.  The man frowned, narrowing his eyes, and said, “Stop following me.”

               “Huh?” Momiji asked.

               The man’s hand darted forward and he grabbed the front of Momiji’s jacket without so much as glancing at her.  “She’s mine,” he hissed, and Momiji gasped in surprise when she saw he was addressing a large, shadowy creature that was sitting among the trees.  “You beat me yesterday,” the man continued, “but not today.  I’ll kill her.  I’ll beat you and then I’ll be free.”

               The shadowy creature rustled and made an unfriendly noise.

               The man smirked.  “I know you’ve got less power in the daytime,” he said.

               Momiji tugged at the man’s grip, but he had both hands around her throat, preventing her escape.  “Just… let me…”  She reared back and punched the man in the face.  “…Go!”

               The man grabbed the side of his face and Momiji jumped away.  “I’ll call the police!” she yelled.  “STOP IT!”

               “I was careless with you,” the man said, reaching for her again.  She struggled to get away from him, accidentally taking one of his gloves in the process.  She found herself staring at his hand.  He moved his other gloved hand to cover it, but not before she caught a glimpse of a bright, blue, nine-shaped bead embedded in his hand. 

What’s that…? she wondered.   A blue bead?

               The man frowned.  “It’s hard to believe a klutzy girl like you could move faster than me.  Even I’m powerless under the sun.”  He started to say more, but hesitated at the sound of a car engine.  Both turned as a sedan pulled up.  An older man with thick black eyebrows, dark hair, and a prominent nose rolled down the window.

               “Is there a way through this road?” he called to them.

               Momiji heard a sound and turned back to the younger man, only to see him vanishing into the forest.  “See you tonight.  I’ll kill you then.”

               “Kill me?!” Momiji yelled after him.

               The older man stepped out of his car and surveyed the trees that were blocking the road.  “Do you know where I can find the Fujimiya’s house?” he asked.

               “Huh?  My house?”

               “I’m from Tokyo and I got lost,” the man continued, looking at his watch.  “Oh, it’s already 8:30…”

               “Damn!”  Momiji screeched.  “I’m late for school!”  She took off down the path at a full run.  “Go back to Ichiban city and go north!”

               “Hey…” the man called, but she was already out of ear-shot.

               In the forest, the shadowy creature faded into the darkness of the trees.

               The man did not notice the retreating presence—instead, a strangely-shaped object in the snow had caught his eye.  He walked over to the object and picked it up, examining the smooth, firm sides.  It was a long, thin, stretched-out octagonal shape.  “This is a special ceramic,” the man mused.  “But why is it here?”  He ran his thumb over the edge of the ceramic and frowned.  “They’ve already found her.  I have to hurry.”

 

*             *             *

               Meanwhile, in class 3-D, Momiji hurriedly took her seat, relieved that class hadn’t begun yet.

               Ah-chan turned around in her seat.  “Where have you been?” she asked.  “You’re late.”

               “I don’t feel well,” Momiji said distractedly. 

               “Huh?” Ah-chan asked.

               Momiji looked down at her desk absently and thought of the man she’d met earlier that day.  I’m sorry, but I’ve come to kill you.  She frowned, remembering what her grandmother had said.  When the time comes, you will have to devote your life to the people of Japan.

               Has the time finally come? Momiji wondered.  But I don’t have a twin sister… and I don’t even know what a Kushinada is.

               Ah-chan waved a hand in front of Momiji’s face, waking her from her reverie.  “You’re acting weird today.  I bet you took a shower for too long and you caught a cold.”

               “Do you know what a Kushinada is?” Momiji asked.

               “You don’t know that old legend and you’ve lived here for fifteen years?  You really are an airhead.”

               A roll of thunder crackled noisily outside and Momiji gulped.

 

*             *             *

 

               Outside, Momiji’s attacker stood silhouetted by the darkening sky.  Another roll of thunder echoed and he frowned, glancing at the backs of his hands.

               “I hate this weather, it makes everything dark…  I can’t wait until night.”

               Thunder rolled again and, as if cued, the strange beads on his hands began to glow.

 

*             *             *

 

               Momiji paged through her book as other students worked quietly around her in the library.  According

to Kokiji[1] there was an elderly couple with eight daughters in Izumo.  There was a huge monster, called Yamata no Orochi, with red eyes and eight heads.  The monster came down into the village each year to eat one of the daughters.  Eventually there was only one daughter left.  The only thing the elderly couple could do was cry.  But Susano-oh, the savior, appeared and beat Orochi.  The last daughter married Susano-oh and she was called Princess Kushinada.

               “I don’t get it,” Momiji said, sighing.  “What does this story have to do with me?”  She closed the book and made her way to the shelf where she had found it.  “Maybe I really am an airhead.” Absently, she opened the window next to the shelf.  “Wait, is my family preparing for the Kushinada?”  She stepped away from the window, then hesitated.  “I’ve got that strange feeling again.  I guess I’ll ask grandmother about it later.”

               The loudspeaker blared to life.  “Momiji Fujimiya of Class D, you have a call from your family…”

               Momiji looked up, surprised.  “I wonder what—“  Hearing a noise behind her, she turned, only to have a giant vine snake around her neck.  She dropped the book with a scream.  “What?  What’s going on?!  Somebody help!”

               The vine wrapped tightly around her neck and mouth, cutting off her cries, and dragged her down into a vent. 

               Meanwhile, the loudspeaker continued to blare.  “Momiji Fujimiya of Class D…”

 

*             *             *

 

               At the Fujimiya family shrine, Grandmother sat silently, a picture of a young girl clasped in her hands.  After a moment she said, “I see.  The Arigami killed Kaede.”

               “I’m sorry,” the older man said, bowing.  “I couldn’t save her.  And I’m afraid they know about Momiji now.”

               Grandmother regarded him.  “Hmm,” she mumbled.

               “We’re all very sorry,” the older man continued, still bowing.

               “Fifteen years ago, when the Arigami awakened, I gave up the lives of my granddaughters.  But I’m afraid that the power of the Kushinada has passed.”

               “Don’t give up.  Momiji is our hope.  Please let us, the agency, protect her.”

               Grandmother considered this.  “Yes.  If Momiji is in danger—“

               The nearby sliding door opened and Momiji’s mother, Moe, stepped into the room cradling a portable phone to her chest.

               “Mother, Momiji isn’t answering the page at her school…”

 

*             *             *

 

               Momiji let out a bloodcurdling scream as the vines dragged her down the wet ventilation shaft.  “Somebody help me!”

               The vines burst out of the sewer, taking Momiji and chunks of concrete with them.  The vines’ violent emergence occurred directly in the middle of the street, where a bus was riding by.  Both Momiji and the bus driver screamed as an enormous monster burst out of the ground under the bus, sending the vehicle careening into the air. 

               “Help!” Momiji screamed. 

               The bus hit the ground, exploding on impact, and the creature lurched forward, dragging Momiji with one of its tentacles.

               “Where are you taking me?!”

               “Don’t worry,” the creature said, startling her into temporary silence.  It was the shadowy creature she had seen in the forest!  “I won’t kill you here.  I’m taking you to the ceramic field.”

               Momiji continued to struggle against the creature’s grip as it whisked her away through the darkness of the forest.  “Who are you?!  Why are you trying to kill me?!”

               “Because you are the Kushinada.  You have power in your blood.”  The creature barreled up the stairs leading to the Fujimiya family shrine, only to halt abruptly as it neared the pillars.

               “Stop.  She’s mine.”  A man stood atop the pillars.  Momiji recognized him as the mysterious man she had met earlier that day.

               “Kusanagi?!” the creature roared, displeased with the intrusion.

Kusanagi placed his right hand on his chest, revealing the softly-glowing bead embedded in his flesh.  “Give me the girl who has the power of Jinchu[2]!”

The creature charged forward, shattering the pillars and sending Kusanagi leaping for safety.  “No, I won’t!”

“You idiot.”  A long blade extended from Kusanagi’s right forearm, the bases lying directly under the glowing bead on the back of his hand.  He leapt towards the creature.  He severed the tentacle holding Momiji with his right hand while grabbing her with his left.  The creature let out a roar of anger as Kusanagi nimbly jumped away, carrying Momiji in his arms.

“You only have one head now,” Kusanagi jeered.  “How can you beat me when I have seven mitamas?”  He sat Momiji on her feet. 

So that’s what those blue beads were called.  Mitamas.  “Who are you?” she asked.  “What’s a Jinchu?”  She gazed up at the creature.  It stared at her with unwavering red eyes.  Could it be Orochi, from the Kushinada legend?

Kusanagi lifted  his arm, giving her an unobstructed view of his arm-blade.  “It means that if you die, Kushinada, all the monsters will die as well.  So I’ll kill you right here.”  He grabbed her by the hair with his left hand while drawing the blade up to her throat.

Oh God!  Momiji squeezed her eyes tightly shut.  Grandmother!

               Kusanagi held the blade to her neck while Orochi watched patiently.  Finally, Momiji opened her eyes to see him grimacing, the blade still pressed tightly to her throat.

               “I can’t do it,” Kusanagi whispered.  “I can’t kill her.”

               Orochi loomed from behind as Kusanagi pulled his arm-blade away from her.  “I suspected as much, Kusanagi.”

               “What do you mean?” Momiji asked, relieved.

               “Finding and protecting Princess Kushinada is my mission in life,” Kusanagi said sourly.  “For a long time, the Kushinada bloodline served as a sacrifice.  If the Kushinada died without a descendent, all of the Arigami would be forced into a deep sleep.  For the last few hundred years the Arigami have been powerless because of your bloodline.  Your family became a Jinchu and they saved the people.  But fifteen years ago, you and your sister were born on October 10^th.  The power of the Kushinada was split between you and the Arigami awakened.”

               “I don’t have a sister!” Momiji insisted.

               “You were separated from your sister at birth for security reasons,” Kusanagi told her.  “There is a government agency that hunts the Arigami.  Your sister was raised by them.”

               Orochi edged closer, still towering over the two of them.  “We had to avoid your sister until we could make her the Jinchu in a secured place.  Using a human for this purpose was easy.  We have the power to control the human mind.  We used this power to order a human to kill your sister.”

               “I failed in my mission to protect the Kushinada,” Kusanagi said, glaring at the creature darkly.  “But now I’ll end my mission once and for all!”

               Momiji’s eyes widened in surprise.  That means the one my family has been preparing for is me…

               “Don’t worry, Kusanagi,” Orochi rumbled.  “You won’t have to protect anyone anymore.”  An organic spike shot out of the creature’s mouth, impaling Kusanagi squarely in the back.  The spike went completely through Kusanagi’s torso, embedding itself in the ground inside the shrine’s cave.  Blood ran from Kusanagi’s mouth as he stood awkwardly, pinned to the ground by the spike.  He stared at the walls, a look of realization slowly crossing his face.  Smooth, dark plates had been placed on the floor, ceiling, and walls of the cave.

               “Are you okay?” Momiji yelled, running into the cave after him.

               “Stay away!” Kusanagi told her over his shoulder, wincing.  “This is a ceramic field!”

               Momiji froze, seeing the dark plates for the first time.

               “Yes,” Orochi said, blocking the entrance to the cave.  “The ceramic field will restrict the Jinchu’s power.  Human science will nullify the power that has terrified us for thousands of years.”

               Momiji knelt next to Kusanagi, then glanced up at the monster.  “Because of the ceramic field, you won’t have to protect the Kushinada anymore.”

“Yes,” Orochi agreed.  “If we kill the Kushinada now in this field, the power of her blood will have no effect on us.”

“Some people call them monsters,” Kusanagi said.  “Others call them demons.  They are the creatures which have the biggest bodies on earth, and the longest lives… They don’t have muscles or brains, but they can control any creature on earth.  Surely you’ve heard of such plants.”

“Plants?!” Momiji asked, standing up.

“It is time,” Orochi said, his massive head looming near.  “Your mind will be mine to control, Kusanagi!”  An organic spike with a toothy, pronged head shot from the monster’s mouth.

“No!” Momiji yelled.  “I won’t let you!”  She jumped in front of Kusanagi, her arms spread.  The spike impaled her in a sudden, abrupt movement, the head entering her chest and jutting out of her back. 

Momiji began to glow with a strange white light.  Both Kusanagi and Orochi hesitated, startled by the strange light.  Kusanagi acted first, slicing off the head of the spike with his arm-blade.  Mitama fell from between the teeth.  A trickle of blood ran down Momiji’s chin, then sideways, then up into the air as her hair and her clothes slowly began to float.  Suddenly, both she and Kusanagi were engulfed in a sphere of white light.  The light flew outwards and, before he could react, Orochi was destroyed.

 

*             *             *

 

Momiji opened her eyes slowly.  She was at home in her own bed.  Moe and Grandmother, who were both sitting beside her, exclaimed, “Momiji!” when they saw she was awake. 

               “I was…” Momiji mumbled, her voice trailing off.

               “I knew she would be alright,” the older man said, smiling.  Momiji remembered him from before.  The man from Tokyo who had been running late…

               Moe grabbed Momiji, hugging her tightly.  When she finally let go Momiji stood, tentatively walking across the room.

               “There are many things I must tell you, Momiji,” Grandmother said, watching her.

               “I know.”  Momiji smiled.  “It’s okay.”  She walked to the door and opened it.  “Why did you save me?” she asked, looking outside.  Moe, her Grandmother, and the older man looked at each other in confusion.  Who was she talking to?

               “If I had been killed, all the Arigami would have been put into an eternal sleep, and you would be free of them,” Momiji continued.  She gave a small smile to Kusanagi, who was standing in the branches of a large tree that overlooked the house, and pulled down the front of her robe, exposing the bright blue mitama on her chest.  “Thank you for saving me…”

               Kusanagi crossed his arms, frowning.  “I just made that Arigami go into hibernation.  I didn’t save you or anything, it was just in my best interest to keep you alive.”

               Momiji’s smile grew and, and for the first time, he smiled back.

               “What are you gonna do?” Momiji asked.

               “Because you’re still alive, I still have my powers.  I can’t kill you…  I’ll destroy all the Arigami instead.  See you later, Momiji Kushinada.”

               “See you, Mr. Kusanagi.”

               “Mamoru,” he corrected.  “Mamoru Kusanagi.  Fight your destiny.”  And with that, he vanished, jumping through the trees so quickly he was a blur.

               Yes, Momiji thought to herself.  I’ll fight against it.  She watched as, in the distance, the sun began to rise over the snow-covered hills.