A Chase Down the Yamato Highway!
Love Under Fire
Episode fourteen begins with Murakumo and
Kaede traveling through the darkened landscape of Nara, the infant Susano oh
with them. They are on a hillside and Susano oh begins to cry, making
his mitama glow. At the same time, he triggers the growth of a new
Aragami; one that exudes pollen spores that can kill.
The next scene begins with Sugishita going over the new
case with the rest of the TAC aboard a train headed towards Nara. After
the meeting, Kome and Momiji are sitting together, and Kome begins to question
Momiji about what she is planning to do in her current situation with
Kusanagi.
Momiji's response: "I'm going to wait and see
what happens." Momiji starts to think about her declaration of love
to Kusanagi, and decides that it wasn't a very smart thing to do. In
retrospect, she doesn't even know if he heard a word she said...
Momiji comes of the train and trips, stumbling right into
Kusanagi. After a moment of embarrassment, Momiji asks him if he saw her
underwear; a perplexing and odd question from Kusanagi's point of view.
But his reaction is enough to reveal to Momiji that he hadn't seen the message
that was intended for him.
Kusanagi then changes the subject, asking Momiji if she
senses Kaede's energy. This upsets Momiji and she says no, and then
apologizes. Kusanagi looks away from her, a distant expression on his
face, and he tells her there's no need to apologize and then walks away.
Momiji tries to go after him, but a crowd of passengers debarking from the
train get in her way and once they are gone, so is Kusanagi.
While the TAC is in Nara, Kunikida is getting prepared to
meet a new member; a US CIA operative and faith healer who has come highly
recommended. He goes to her hotel room and discovers, much to his
embarrassment and dismay, that the new member is Sakura.
Back in Nara, Kome, Yaegashi and Momiji are visiting a
shrine where both Momiji and Yaegashi makes separate pledges, hoping to have
their hearts' desire fulfilled. While still there, they are called by
Ryoko who tells them that the Aragami has resurfaced and they head out to
fight it.
It's during the battle that we discover what Momiji's
pledge is: if she can kill this new monster without Kusanagi's help, she prays
that Kusanagi will love her the way she loves him. Momiji succeeds in
firing a rocket launcher at the Aragami, hitting it, but she doesn't damage
it. Instead it comes after her, getting ready to attack, but at the last
minute, Kusanagi shows up and pulls her from its path.
When he gets ready to join in the battle, Momiji tries to
stop him with jumbled reasoning. He doesn't really understand what she's
saying, so he's still preparing to fight it when he sees Kaede and hears her
call his name. Distracted, he leaves and searches through Nara, looking
for her, but never finding her. And his defection from the battle,
instead of relieving Momiji, only serves to upset her.
While Kusanagi is scouring Nara for signs of Kaede, the TAC
are having a meeting. They are discussing the new weapon that's been
developed to kill this new Aragami; an artificial photosynthesis
machine. Kome and Yaegashi have volunteered to fire the two electrode
devices; Kome because that's what she does ^_^ and Yaegashi because of reasons
above and beyond the call of duty. Yaegashi's pledge is now revealed: if
he can kill this Aragami monster then he and Momiji will always be
together...
He reveals his pledge to Momiji which shocks both her and
the rest of the TAC, and he tells her that he wants to take care of her.
Momiji is left speechless and Kome and Yaegashi move out to deliver the
new device. They both manage to pull it off, but Momiji ends up helping
Yaegashi with his part, telling him in the process that his offer was very
sweet, but that she just doesn't feel that way about him.
Together they fire the final part of the device at the
Aragami monster and then Matsu activates it, destroying the mitama. The
Aragami becomes a dead tree and begins to topple, the path of its descent,
right where Yaegashi and Momiji are standing. Just as they are about to
be smashed to itty bitty pieces, Kusanagi swoops to the rescue...again.
The episode ends with the TAC sans Kusanagi standing on the
hillside overlooking the surrounding mountains and Momiji's declaration that
she hasn't given up on Kusanagi. But she is left to wonder what he will
do the next time he sees Kaede and wonders too, just what kind of person Kaede
is...