It's a little shorter than part 1 but here you go. Please let me know of any mistakes so I can address them. Longer Author's Note at the end.
Ash and Blades Part 2
Without another viable option, I gave in. She did let me change first, under direct supervision, into cleaner clothing. The way her breath hitched when my shirt was shed didn't help to improve my impression of her, like she was aroused rather than horrified at my collection of scars, especially the one over my heart.
"Tell me about all of them later, Shirou-chan."
The walk to the MBI building in the center of Shin Tokyo took about twenty minutes because of how near the center my apartment already was. I followed, was dragged by, Karasuba the whole way. I called my mother on the way. It rang twice before she answered.
"Yes, Shirou?"
"Mother, can you tell me about the Sekirei Plan?"
A pause, "Are you involved?"
"Yes."
I heard a deep breath over the phone, probably smoking. I didn't blame her, though I didn't like that habit of hers.
"You've winged a Sekirei?"
"Yes."
Another breath over the line. "You should be getting a personal call from the Director then. He'll tell you the basics, the rest is up to you. I can't help you."
"Already got it, but he didn't explain anything. Just ordered us to MBI Tower."
"Well that's weird, even for him. Who'd you wing? What number?"
After asking Karasuba, I answered my mother, "Number Zero-Four."
A pause. "Could you say who, I must have misheard the number?" her voice was cracking a little.
Now I really felt for her, so I tried to lighten the blow a little, "Mom, it's Number Zero-Four, Karasuba. The one that went to the airport with you." I hoped using "Mom" instead of "Mother" or "Takami" would help.
A gasp, then some coughing, "When did this happen?"
"About ten minutes ago in my apartment. She and another Sekirei, Haihane were waiting in my dining room for my return."
"They what?!"
"Relax, Karasuba offered me to be Ashi…Ashik—"
"Ashikabi."
"Yes, that, for the Disciplinary Squad, I think she called it. Haihane left saying she didn't like Karasuba's plan and something about a 'Red' already winged to MBI's Ashikabi. Then Karasuba kissed me, and now I'm an Ashikabi." I intentionally left out the sword part, Takami was probably stressing enough already.
"And you're headed towards MBI now?"
"Yes."
Another sigh."Shirou, the Disciplinary Squad is MBI's final enforcement against Sekirei and Ashikabi who break the rules. The Sekirei Plan is basically a battle royal, with MBI establishing the rules and instilling order. The rules are: 1) tell no outsiders;2) Sekirei are not allowed to attack other Ashikabi or regular humans; 3) Forbidden to leave Shin Tokyo and 4) One-on-one battles only between the Sekirei. Since you're her Ashikabi now, you'll have to be an Enforcer for most of the plan."
The number of similarities was uncanny, though attacking the master was prohibited. And I would be a part of rule enforcement. It sounded great. "Anything else?"
"Kara…"she hesitated, "Did Karasuba do anything to you?" The worry in her voice was obvious.
"No, mother, I'm fine," I reassured her.
The meeting was up on the roof of the building. Five people were already there when we arrived, two of them Sekirei. Haihane and the other Sekirei stood by a sharply dressed man, probably their Ashikabi. On the far side of the roof stood the Director and…
"Takami," I called out, hurrying to her, "What happened?"She had a black eyepatch covering her left eye.
"Nothing for you to get worried about right now," she stiffly answered, giving me a once over with her good eye.
"That's your Ashikabi, Black?" The other Sekirei looked early teens, strawberry colored hair all clipped to the side in a manner similar to Uzume. She wore an identical kimono-like uniform as Haihane, but it hugged her form instead of hanging from it and she wore padded gloves like Musubi."You set the standard pretty low."
"Now, now, Benitsubasa, let Zero-Four tell us her reasons," the man beside her suggested, "It's rather unlike her to defy orders."
"Exactly Natsuo-san," the Director responded, "So there's probably an exciting story behind it. Karasuba?"
In response, Karasuba pulled something out of her jacket and flicked her wrist twice, once at where Takami, the Director and I were standing, once towards Haihane, Benitsubasa and Natsuo. They were the pieces of my chef's knife.
"What the Hell is this? How is this important?" Benitsubasa demanded.
"Shirou-chan blocked my swing for a full second with that knife. Nicked my blade too. A special alloy produced only by MBI, damaged by mundane steel."
Takami looked at me with a mix of bafflement, consternation, and wonder, mostly consternation.
"I call bullshit," Benitsubasa stated, "How do we know that you're not making it up?"
Karasuba smiled, "Because—"
Her response was cut off by my cellphone , I answered, "Hello, Shirou Emiya, Repair Wizard.."
"Hello Emiya-san, might you be able to repair a wall here within the next few days?"
"Oh, certainly Asama-san," I replied, not noticing the changes of posture for Takami, Minaka, or Karasuba at the mention of that name, "I might even fit you in tommor…Hey!" While I was focused on the call, Karasuba had crossed the roof and plucked the device from my hands.
"Hello Miya, Shirou-chan is my Ashikabi now. Thought you might want to know. Bye-bye."
*CLICK*
And for further measure, Karasuba chucked my phone over the edge. 'She's just breaking everything of mine today.'
"Now, where were we?" she asked rhetorically, "That's right, proof. Like the hidden cameras I planted in Shirou-chan's apartment today." She pulled out a small device with a screen. After tapping it a few times, moving images started playing. She skipped to the part right after Haihane left and held out the device for myself, Takami, and Minaka to view, a satisfied smirk on her face. The angle of the camera showed the entire scene, from Karasuba's pounce to her winging. She then showed from a different angle, focused on the kitchen, specifically on me.
At the end, Minaka responded, "Your reasons are valid. An Ashikabi who can stand up to a Sekirei would be the perfect match for you. I'll allow it!"
"Like Hell I will," Takami growled, swinging her clipboard at Karasuba's face.
The smiling Sekirei merely caught my mother's wrist and squeezed, "As if you have the right to play the protective mother now, Takami. You lost that right fifteen years ago."
Takami's flailing stopped, and she looked at the Black Sekirei in horror.
"Karasuba," Minaka warned. Nearby, the other three had gotten closer.
"If you'd actually searched for him instead of accepting his death, or if you pulled him out of the fire itself, you could still call yourself his mother." Karasuba's face glowed with happiness, ill-fitting her words. She released her grip.
"I DID search… for weeks, months…" Takami retorted, her voice cracking. Her posture was beginning to shrink.
"Karasuba," I warned.
"And yet your little Akira-chan slipped through your fingers. And while you gave up, he was out, misspending his youth," she deftly sliced off the front of my shirt.
'Hey, I could have taken it off,' I thought, though I probably wouldn't have with my mother's current state. The chilly breeze didn't bother me.
"See those?" she gestured at the numerous scars on my torso, "See that one?" she pointed at the star-burst scar over my heart.
"Wow, he's got more than you, Haihane," Benitsubasa vocalized.
"Where were you when your Akira-chan was in danger? Not protecting him. None of those scars would be there if you actually were a mother instead of only pretending."
Takami had started sobbing, leaving most everyone in shock, except Karasuba, grinning like all was right in the world, and me…
Something broke within me, and the cold wrath borne of filial piety surged through me, all directed at that Sekirei. Dark shadows wavered at the corners of my vision and I heard startled reactions, but I ignored them. Recklessly reinforcing my fist, I punched at Karasuba.
Something snapped when she caught it but I didn't care. The pain was blocked. Smiling, she said, "I see you picked up Takehito's technique from Miya and twisted it. But foreplay can wai—"
*CRACK*
I slammed my skull into hers, cutting that mouth of hers off and knocking her down. "Shut up, Karasuba." I felt blood trickle down the bridge of my nose from my brow and saw a similar wound on her forehead.
Her grin had widened even further. "That's a good look in your eye, Shirou-sama."
"Shut up," I repeated.
"He's crazy," Benitsubasa yelled.
I directed my attention to the Sekirei, "You shut up too!" The wavering shadows crept even further into my vision.
She screamed and pressed her face against her Ashikabi's body. Did she deserve what I must have been doing? My own spin on the intimidation technique Miya used. Probably not, but the feeling was cathartic.
I looked down at Takami, crouched and sobbing. The shadows vanished. "Let's go, Mom," I offered her my hand, which she accepted hesitantly.
We walked slowly back to the elevator in silence, ignoring the stares of the ones we left. After the doors closed, I spoke, "She's wrong about the scars, Mom. Don't blame yourself."
"But—"
"Nothing. I'm alive, healthy and right here beside you. And nothing Karasuba says will change those facts."
"I take it you're going to tell me about how you got so many scars, then?" Already she was returning to the stern woman I'd known her to be. "Like this one?" she poked the star-burst over my heart.
"Um…you should see the other guy," I tried hopefully.
AN
Yes, Shirou did use the Assura mask, but it was a fluke caused by his intense rage and his brief exposure to the Hannya, so don't expect it to show up often. The reason Shirou didn't fight Kara more intensely last chapter or earlier this chapter was because he's trying to keep secrets. If he fought all out, win or lose, he's busted. Either Karasuba lives and tells his mother and MBI or Karasuba dies an he has to explain to his mother/MBI why there's a Level 4/5 Number Zero-Four riddled with stab wounds in his apartment.
I'm surprised that this has gained as much attention as it has. In ONE day, it's surpassed two of my other stories (NEEDLESS&Vampire and Phantom Task) in terms of reviews (24 to 15 to 18), favorites (49 to 14 to 23), and follows (65 to 17 to 31). Personally, I feel kind of like I'm cheating by riding GB's coat tails but I'll bear with it. I hope I can deliver the quality you expect, though I do not expect to because I'm no GB. I only wrote this because I wanted a fic with Shirou being Karasuba's Ashikabi and her being his only Sekirei. Because, don't get me wrong I love harems and how GB writes IF, but writing that many important characters is a nightmare. I kind of drew inspiration from Debt of a Sword when I first started because it's more like canon Sekirei than IF, so you can refer to "Sekirei" for what's happening with Minato most of the time.
I originally posted the first three parts on a forum here, so they're already written, I just need to 'publish' them, for lack of a better term. So the first three chaps are basically set, please don't be too harsh if there are things you don't like. As with chapter 1, I copy-pasted this from the thread so there might be the grammar mistakes caused by a formatting error. The formatting mistakes make it look like I cut to a different idea mid-sentence but I don't, the last word of one sentence gets cut out along with the first word of the following sentence. Please let me know if it continues to be a problem (GIVE SPECIFIC INSTANCES TOO, SO I CAN FIX THEM. SAYING THAT MY GRAMMAR SUCKS WITHOUT FURTHER EXPLANATION IS NOT HELPFUL, TO ME OR THE QUALITY OF MY WRITING).
I'll say this now, I don't have plans (as of yet) to bring Akitsu to Shirou's side. I love her character and think she deserves wings, not to mention the hilarious interactions relative to Shirou there would be between Akitsu and Karasuba, but Mikogami would have picked her up by now. Loyalty is Akitsu's schtick, especially the undying kind, and so she wouldn't join Shirou unless cast out or Mikogami died. Say what you will about Ashikabi of the South, I can't hate him because, forceful wingings aside, he views his Sekirei as friends and treats them as such.
For Part 4, I'm planning on introducing two Sekirei, Number 59 and Number 61 (unless either is already used in canon), both are female and have the same Ashikabi, Taro Tanaka (male, 19 years of age). One is an archer, the other is another weapon user, I'm leaning towards dual-tonfa. I'd like name suggestions for the two Sekirei, and maybe thoughts for physical description/clothing/Norito chant. I've asked already on the forum thread but haven't had any responses.
Part 3 will be posted sometime tomorrow or at least within 36 hours of this part.
Thanks for reading, drop me a PM or review this if you have any questions/thoughts/ideas.