A Blue Seed fic by Mike Simmons.  Characters are property of Takada 
Yuzo.  Arigato, Takada-san, for creating a world for me to play in...
"Masquerade" is the only other time I've ever written using this style, 
normally I lean towards a novel-like, overdescriptive type of 
writing.  So if it seems a little stilted, it's because I'm still
feeling out how to write dialogue...

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* Eightfold Path: Ichiban Maru *
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Footsteps and soft singing.

"Hush, Aragaaami, don't make a move... Auntie Koume's got a 
bullet for you... Heh heh heh!"  The clicking of a safety.

"Uh... Koume?  Would you mind not doing that?"  Nervous.

"Relax, Yaegashi!  Aren't you having fun?"  Scoffing.

"Stuck in an underground tunnel with a plant monster and a 
homicidal gun-toting maniac.  Gee, I wonaaaigh!"

"Ha!  Any last words?"

"Owowowowowow..." Faint groans.

Gusty sigh.  "You could at least be quiet.  We're trying to catch the 
Aragami by -surprise-, remember?"  A pause.  "Come on, get up.  I 
didn't hit you THAT har-"

*rummmmmble*

*chunk!*

"Hey!"

"Dammit!  No lights!  Yaegashi, what happened?"  Urgency.  "Snap out 
of it, number-cruncher!"  A slap.

"Uh... one of the main power boxes must have been destroyed.  We'll 
have to pull back!  Hang on."  Rustling noises.  "Koume, did you have 
the radio?"

"Yeah, I..."  More rustling, searching sounds.  "Oops."

"Oops?"  Slightly hysterical.  "What oops?"

"Aaah, I musta dropped it when the lights went out.  Stupid..."  
Barely audible muttering.  "C'mon, help me find the thing."  
Exasperated.  The sound of a rifle being set down.  Scuffing.  

"Aaagh!  Yaegashi!"  Crunch.  "Watch the hands, you pervert!"

Pain-filled gasps.  "My fingers..."  A moan.

"Well, we're not getting anywhere messing around here.  Let's go find 
that Aragami!  The rest of them can catch up with us later."

"Uh... Koume?"

"Finally, a chance to blow something up.   Ya know, I've been going 
absolutely -crazy- just -sitting- around, waiting for Momiji to light 
up and -nothing- ever happens."

"Koume?"

"It's too bad Takeuchi ain't here, she's at least -useful- most of 
the time!  Oh well, you just stay back and lemme handle the Aragami, 
okay?"

"KOUME!"  

"Hunh?"

"What's that flaring down there?"  Curious.

"All right!  We found it!"  

*Rumbling, steadily growing louder.*

"I think it found -us-.  Yiiiii!"  The brief sizzle of energy.

"Whew, that was close!  Y'know, for a desk driver, you sure do 
duck fast!"

Panting.

"Is it still there?"

"Hang on."  A sharp burst of automatic fire, and the crackle of a beam.

"Yup."

Silence.

"I don't suppose Matsudaira had any super-duper techie tricks up 
her sleeve that she gave you this morning, did she?"  

"Well, no, but..."

"Great!  That means I get to do this the old-fashioned way!"

"Koume, wait!  I don't think that's such a..."

"Yaaaah!  Die, you overgrown dandelion!"

Running feet and the sounds of gunfire.

"....a good idea."

*crick*

"Hey, what's..."

*crack*

"Koume, get down!  It's..."

*crummmnbleCRASHBOOOM...*

Coughing.

"Koume!"

"Yaegashi!  What the hell happened?"

Stumbling noises.  "I think it was a cave-in.  I was worried about 
the possibility, there were already stresses in the ceiling struts, 
and sharp reports would have set something off, that's why I yelled 
at you."  Hesitant.  "Are... are you okay?"

Disgusted sigh.  "You don't need to apologize.  Just help dig me out.  
And if I hear so much as a snicker..."

"Yes ma'am."  Scraping noises, and small clatters.  "Man, you're 
really packed in like sushi!"  

"Yaegashi..."  Mock-threatening.  

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"  More digging noises.  

*scatter*

Whispering.  "What was that?"

*scrape* *shove*

"It's the Aragami!  It must be working itself loose!  Dig faster, 
Yaegashi!"  Frantic scrabbling noises.  

*krunch* *SCRAPE*

"Dammit!  This is taking too long!"  More scraping noises, and the 
shifting of stone.

*rummmble* *brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...*

"Unh... still stuck.  All right, listen.  Take the rifle, and aim for 
the sounds.  It's on full auto, as soon as the muzzle flash lights this 
place up, blast the mitama!"

"What?"  Nervous.  "Koume, are you insane?  I'm a computer technician, 
not a commando!"  

"We don't have -time- for this, Yaegashi!  All you have to do is hold 
it steady and pull the trigger!  Just hose the whole thing down, and 
don't stop until you run out of ammo!"  A pause.  "Trust me, it's not 
as hard as it sounds."  

*KOOOM!*

"That's it!  Yaegashi, go!"  Screaming.

"Can't find the trigger!"  Fumbling.  

*KOOOM!*

"Underneath, in front of the grip!"

"I got it!  Yaaaah!"

Deafening gunfire.

*	*	*

Light was irregular and wild.  The rapid strobing muzzle flashes 
from the rifle contrasted with the flaring blue electricity of the 
looming Aragami, heaving its enormous bulk through a hole in the rock.  
Contrasting periods of light and dark gave the scene a dreamlike 
quality, speeded up incredibly fast like blank frames on a projector.  
And through it all, the sharp crack of flying rock shards, the deep 
throaty roar of gunfire and the shrill screams of the Aragami.  Chaos 
reigned, for a few endless moments, in the deep places of the earth.  
Darkness fell, and with it silence.

*	*	*

"Yaegashi?"

Silence.

"Yaegashi!"  Straining sounds, and the shifting of rubble.  "I'm out.  
Yaegashi!"

A whimper.

"Yaegashi!"  Running and stumbling.  Frantic grasp of hands on fabric.  
"Come on, talk to me!"  

" . . . "

"Geez, you're bleeding all over the place."  Swift rustling, and 
shaking.  "Come on!  Show me I'm not wasting my time here Yaegashi, 
talk to me!"  Worried.

" . . . Aragami?"  Hesitant, interrupted.

"Dead as a doornail!  Ya did a great job!  Your technique could use 
a little work, but it's the results that count, right?"  

" . . . good.  . . . sick of being . . . so damn scared . . . "

Silence.  

" . . . or maybe . . . just sick of seeing you . . . get all the 
glory . . . "  Chuckles turn to coughs.

" . . . courage . . . Koume."

The edge of tears.  "Don't talk to -me- about having guts, you 
pencil-pushing little weasel!  Just stay awake, or I'll.. I'll..." 
Lapses into silence.

" . . . "

Sobs.  "Idiot."

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