Good morning, day, or evening to you all. I come before you once again with a chapter of this tale between Hokuto and Sekirei. You have my sincere thanks for your support as well as your input. I quiet cherish the reviews that I get because it helps me keep in touch with the readers.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fist of the North Star, nor do I own Sekirei.

Chapter 4 - The House of Maidens

The air felt as though it could produce flames at any moment, the horizon wavering before his vision. The sun, an enormous ball of white death hovering above, pounded him with unforgiving heat. Each step felt as though it would be his last, but his feet kept supporting him and pushing him forward.
"Wa... water..." the words were cracked and barely audible, as though even the mention of the life-giving substance was to be parched and burned away by the hellish heat.
The derelict buildings looming before him were the promise of some respite from the bitter dust storms buffeting his ragged cloak and the over-bearing heat of the sun drying out his already cracked skin. The echo of his boots upon the pavement bounced off of the empty buildings.
The sand-covered pavement quickly blew up around him in a shower of dust and debris as a large net made of rope pulled his feet from under him. Too weak from lack of both food and water, he easily succumbed to the trapped.
A handful of men wielding crude weapons surrounded the net, grim faces staring at the captive.
"Water..." was the only word that could come out of his mouth, the only thing on his mind before his vision turned to darkness.

"...You will stay in this cell until the elder returns."

The sound came from behind him. Everything was still hazy, and he felt the cold stone floor under him.
"Looks like they caught another thief." The voice was close by, just to his left. It sounded like the voice of a young boy.
"Lynn! Get him some water." The footsteps of his captors faded away soon enough, leaving him with his cell-mate and this Lynn. His muscles groaned in protest when he attempted to push himself up onto his elbows. He noticed then, from his peripheral vision, the hands of a child placing a metal cup of water onto the floor beside him.
"..Th... thank you..."

Before he even had a chance to reach for the water, the other person in the cell lunged at the young girl and grabbed hold of her arm, knocking the cup of water onto the floor. With a grunt he pulled the girl up against the cell bars.
"Quickly! Get the keys!" he yelled, glancing over his shoulder. "What are you doing!? You also came here to steal from this town; if you don't escape they'll kill you!"
Rage building up inside like a dormant fire being stoked with fresh lumber, the man grabbed the young thief's arm by the inner elbow.
"Wha...? Wh-what are-?" His words were cut off as the man pressed a pressure point near the elbow joint, sending intense pain shooting up throughout his arm and hand. The thief screamed as his arm went rigid, sending him sprawling on the ground from the pain.
"Fuck... What did you do to me!?" he screamed, nursing his arm. The girl merely sat on her rump, blinking at what just happened.
"Can I still have some water?" The man asked, making girl snap back to reality. Nodding, she ran off.

"Fuck! He's strong!" The thief was still flapping his limp hand vigorously. "It hurts! Why did you do that?" The wanderer had laid down on his back, facing away from the loud-mouth. "If you run away, who will take care of her?"
The girl stopped walking, turning quickly after hearing what the man said. The boy looked incredulous.
"How can you talk like that in this day and age? I'm wondering how you've survived 'til now." The thief looked out through the barred window of their cell, to the well in the center of the ram-shackle town.
"This town has water, which means they definitely have food." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the well. "To survive, you need water and food! The strong seize it from the weak and thrive. Survival of the fittest is the only law that matters now."

Some men carrying crude pikes and swords busied themselves around the well, standing guard for any trespassers. The thief glared at them from the confines of the cell.
"In this village, the people have formed a militia to protect themselves. They're amateurs; any well-organized group can destroy them! Say..." the boy scooted over the the man sleeping on the ground. "Wanna be my partner?" In response, the man simply rolled over to face away from the thief. With a sharp sigh, the boy plopped back down onto the bench.
"Feh! Do whatever you want!"
The rustle of metal on metal as cups rattled on a thin tray turned their attention to the cell door, the young Lynn having returned with a cup of water, a tomato, and a small loaf of bread. The thief looked positively jubilant.
"Is that... it's food!"

After drinking his fill, the man set the empty cup down onto the tray. He smiled warmly at Lynn.
"Thank you, I feel much better now." The girl smiled brightly. "But, aren't you going to get in trouble?" Her cheeks reddened as she looked down at her feet, the smile still upon her face.
"Heh! She's blushing, what a brat." The thief said as he chewed through a mouthful of bread. The comment went ignored by the wanderer.
"I am Ken. And you, what is your name?"
"Don't bother, she can hear you but she's a mute." The boy swallowed his mouthful of bread and took a bite from the tomato. "Feh! It's normal. Her entire family was slaughtered by bandits in front of her. She has no family and she's a burden to the village, so they leave her to keep an eye on prisoners.
"In this world, kids are useless. Frankly, she'd be better off dead."
The boy glanced to the girl, seeing that tears were flowing freely down her face.
"Ah! So... sorry. D-don't stare at me like that!" Unable to look at the girl any longer, the thief quickly turned away and busied himself with a rock on the floor.

Kenshiro stared at her for a moment, watching her as she wiped away the tears. His tired voice held a tinge of sorrow.
"It's hard, isn't it?"
Lynn gripped a handful of her skirt tightly in her small fist and shook her head vigorously.
"No?" Kenshiro became pensive for a moment.
'This child has seen too much.'
Kenshiro stretched his arms out of the cell, his hands moving to either side of Lynn's head. The gesture surprised Lynn, who made to back away a step.
"Do not be afraid. I will not harm you." Kenshiro assured her, giving her a warm smile as his hands touched both sides of her face. His fingers found pressure points just below her jaw line, and gently applied pressure onto them. Something within the young girl awakened, the sensation evident in her widening eyes.
The thief, intrigued, had inched close to sit on his heels beside Kenshiro.
"What was that you did just now?"
"It was a technique that will allow her to speak once again." The boy blinked for a moment.
"What!? You can do that?" Kenshiro turned his gaze to the boy.
"Yes, but it is up to her now," he looked once more to Lynn. "The cry of the heart will give her the power to speak once more." The thief scoffed, stretching his arms behind his head lazily.
"Well, whether that's true or not, this is probably the first time anyone's been nice to her."

The sound of metal grating upon stone came from down the hall. The three turned their heads as one, seeing two guards jogging up the corridor to them. Pulling the cell door open, they pull Kenshiro up to his feet, firmly holding his arms behind him.
"The elder is here!" One of the guards proclaimed, giving their new captive a side-long glance.
An old man, possibly over sixty years of age, walked into the cell. He was ringed by armed guards, each looking at their captive suspiciously. The elder wore dark purple robes, his bald head and long white beard painting him as an old sage. The elder stared at Kenshiro for a moment, staring at his eyes to see if he could discern anything from this stranger to their home.
"Where are you going?" The elder's voice was soft and tired.
"Doesn't matter." Kenshiro merely looked down at the old man nonchalantly. One of the guards moved to the elder's side so as to whisper in his ear.
"What if he's one of Zeed's henchmen?" The elder, quiet for but a moment, motioned to the two guards holding Kenshiro.
"Search him. If he really is one of Zeed's bandits, then he should have their mark upon him."
The men quickly grabbed hold of Kenshiro's shoulders, yanking the fabric down to bare his chest. As Kenshiro stood there in silent defiance, seven scars uncovered, the sight of those scars made the elder's features pale. The old man's body began to shiver visibly. Some of the men seemed spooked.
"Elder! What's wrong?"
It took everything for the old man to swallow the lump in his throat. He held a trembling hand to hid face, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
"Hokuto... the star of death." His eyes looked up at the grim face of the man standing before him. "When Hokuto appears, violence will follow."

Before anyone could question the elder further, the loud rumble of engines reverberated throughout the building. Cries could be heard outside.
"It's a disaster! Zeed's men are here!" The men in the room stood in shocked silence. The growing noise of the motorcycle engines roused them from the temporary stupor, sending them running to the door. One of the men left turned to the girl before leaving.
"Lynn! You'll be coming too! You have to fight them with us!"
Lynn stood stiff for a time, swallowing through a dry throat. Looking up, she saw Kenshiro staring at her intently. Looking torn, she pulled the cell keys from her waist and tossed them to the floor near the cell door. Glancing back at Kenshiro, she ran outside.

The thief immediately leaped for the keys, snatching them up and moving towards the lock.
"Man! You really made an impression on her!" He exclaimed, hands working on the lock. "Since she knows she'll probably die out there, she gave you the keys so you could escape!"
Kenshiro's eyes narrowed to a dangerous glare.
"Killed?"
"Yeah! It's Zeed and his bandits!" The thief grimaced as he went through the ring of keys, one as useless as the next. "Men, women, children, his gang kills them all without mercy."
Kenshiro became eerily calm, his eyes taking on a deadly look. The muscles in his arms bulged as he gripped the bars of the cell. With a quick motion - akin to that of tearing apart sheets of paper, - the bars were torn apart in an instant. The sound of groaning metal echoed in the chamber. The thief had fallen on his behind, staring in shock at the ridiculous feat he had just been witness to.
Silently, purposefully, Kenshiro stepped through the gateway of warped metal. Dropping the now useless keys, the boy scrambled to keep up with Kenshiro.
"Wait! Where are you going!?" He exclaimed, trotting beside his taller counterpart. "The villagers won't last a minute against Zeed and his men! We need to escape while we still can!" If Kenshiro was listening to him, it did not register on his face.

The two stepped out into the light of day, only to fall upon a gruesome scene. Bodies were strewn about all over the battlefield. Bodies had been hacked to pieces, splattered blood lay upon most surfaces. Large, muscular men with cruel-looking weapons stood at the top of a rise near the prison entrance. The largest of them all, a good two feet taller than the other men, held poor Lynn in one giant hand raised over his head. Tattood across the side of his head was Z-666.
"Stop all resistance! Otherwise I'll crush this girl's head!"
The bandits had the elder and a handful of men surrounded, backed into a corner. One of the men standing between the elder and the bandits growled in frustration.
"It's too bad for her! We need to fight back!"
At the militia's words, the giant's hand gripped Lynn's head between his thumb and index finger, slowly twisting her head until she couldn't help but wince in pain. Kenshiro took a step forward, but as he began to move, Lynn's scream rang clear in the air.
"Ken!"
"Don't get any closer!" Cried the giant, keeping a firm grip on the child.
Both the villagers and the boy thief looked in complete shock, the thief voicing what they were all thinking.
"She... she actually spoke!" His eyes turned quickly to stare at the wanderer. "Just who are you?" Even as he spoke, Kenshiro had begun walking towards the bandits. Not wanting to receive an axe to the face, the thief hid behind a crumbled section of wall.

Seeing one man walk towards them unafraid made the group of bandits turn their attention to him. Kenshiro stopped as three of the bandits ran up to block his path. They were all a good head taller than he was.
"What's your problem, what's your problem!?"
"Yeah, huh!?"
"You got a death wish, punk!?"
The three bandits raved and yelled in his face, but could not ruffle his calm expression.
"Get lost," were the only words to come out of Kenshiro's mouth, cracking his knuckles loudly. The bandits stared at him with blank expression on their face, taken aback that their intimidation hadn't worked. As though only now realizing what he had said, they yelled with rage.
"Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"You bastard!"
"We're gonna kill you!"

Fast enough to seem as nothing more than a blur, Kenshiro's foot arced horizontally across their faces, slicing the air as he struck them all hard in the face with one well-placed kick. The force of the blow pushed them all back a step, the speed sending a billow of dust from the ground to roll behind them.
As soon as his foot once again touched the ground, Kenshiro pushed his body out into the air, flipping multiple times as though he were a leaf in the wind, to fall gracefully upon his feet before the giant known as Zeed.
The trio of blundering bandits blinked for a moment, taking a second to realize that their opponent was no longer before them. They all turned as one, face contorted with fury.
"Bastard! Are you screwing with us!?"
All three bandits stopped moving before their feet touched the ground mid-stride. A second later, their skulls exploded violently in a shower of gore and viscera, the bodies standing in a twitching, paralyzed state while blood sprayed a few feet high from the gaping maws that were their heads. After a horrifying few seconds, the lifeless bodies tumbled to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.
Everyone stared in abject horror, looking at the gruesome scene before them. The elder had paled even further - if that was at all possible.
"Ho... Hokuto Shinken!"

Kenshiro took another two steps towards Zeed.
"Let her go."
Zeed's face was contorted in a visage of rage.
"You killed my men!" If he was going to say something more, or act upon his rage, he didn't get the chance. Kenshiro's body shifted quickly into a fighting stance.
"Haaaaaaaaa...!"
His fists flew quickly and precisely, fingers, opened palms and closed fists striking at the giant's face.
"Ata!"
His hands became a blur as hundreds upon hundreds of blows rained down upon the giant, bombarding his body with precise strikes.
"Aaaaatatatatatatatatatatatat ata!"
The force of the blows, though minor on their own, were steadily lifting Zeed's body up off of the ground, suspending him in an endless flurry of fists.
"Watah!"

With one last great strike to the solar plexus, Kenshiro sent the bandit leader reeling.
Amidst the attack, the elder could only watch as he witnessed legend taking physical form.
'I thought that the Divine Fist of the North Star was but a legend, an ancient assassination technique passed down to one successor, the ultimate killing techniques unrivaled by any force on the face of the earth... but now that legend is here before my very eyes.'
Zeed's hold on Lynn had broken as he fell backwards onto the hard ground, the little girl falling straight into Kenshiro's open arms. Without even looking back to his opponent, Kenshiro began steadily walking away from the giant.
Zeed stood up awkwardly, picking up his large axe from the ground. His face was plastered with a wicked grin.
"Ha! Were those mosquito bites supposed to hurt!? That tickled!" He hefted his weapon, readying it to strike his adversary down. "I'm going to cut you open!"

Kenshiro's eyes stared with that eerie determination, gazing at something before him that was beyond. His raptor's gaze looked deep into something that only he could see.
"You are already dead."

Miya woke with a start. Sitting up from her futon, she stared wide-eyed at nothing, trying to calm her breathing. She was having such a strange dream, about a wanderer in a desolate land... and just before she woke up, it was as if the man was staring right at her. She placed her hand over her heart, feeling the rapid heart-beat finally beginning to slow.

Looking out at her window, she guessed that it was still late at night. Laying back down, staring at the ceiling, Miya recalled the man's face. The ragged features as he wandered the wastelands, the kind face he gave to that little red-haired girl, the grim determination he had when he stood against those bandits... the visions of gore and destruction floated up to the surface of her thoughts. She shook her head; that was something she did not want to think about. That someone could do that without some sort of advanced weapon is hard to believe.

Calming herself, reaching out with her heart, she could faintly determine where her potential Ashikabi was situated. He was most likely asleep as well; his heart was lucid and calm. Miya smiled to herself.
"Will you be a hero like him, Ashikabi-sama? I wonder..."

In another room of Maison Izumo, a girl squirmed in her bed. Sitting up abruptly, she blinked away the sleep still clouding her mind.
"...The hell was that?"

Groping around the side of her bed, she found her cell phone amidst random bits and pieces of costumes. Looking at the back-lit light of her phone, she saw that the time was most definitely not what she expected it to be when she woke up.
Grumbling, she flopped back onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow. The face of the man she saw in her crazy dream was burned in the darkness of her vision. A handsome face, nice figure, blue eyes...

She frowned for a moment. No, not just blue eyes. Those were sad eyes.
"Man~!" She exclaimed into her pillow - so as not to wake anyone else, - rolling around on her bed. If a guy like that was real, she'd eat one of her costumes.

In a higher-end hotel room, a blonde-haired woman sat on her bed, her face in her hands. Slipping a hand away from her face, she absentmindedly rubbed her temple. She had never dreamed of such things before. Why would she dream of a man? They were all filthy mongrels fighting for scraps in a desolate wasteland. And for them to attack children...
Caught up in the dream, having set aside her preconceptions for but a moment, she had cheered on the warrior who had come to the young girl's rescue. The bloody after-math was not what she expected would happen. Before she had roused from her sleep, the words he had spoken almost felt like they were directed at her. A chill went up her spine.

"Curse you, Ashikabi..." She muttered through gritted teeth. She was at a loss as to what she could do. What did this dream mean? Why did she suddenly feel the pull of her Ashikabi?
There were too many questions left unanswered, and she couldn't begin to fathom the solution to all of them.
The night was still young, and she could already feel a headache from lack of sleep coming on.
"I'll find that monkey..." She muttered groggily, her head hitting her pillow and dozing off into a dreamless sleep soon after.

Up in a smarmy loft apartment, passed out on a very nice looking couch, a voluptuous-looking woman slowly awoke from a hazy drunken sleep. She could barely make out her surroundings, let along remember what she had just seen. Sitting up and pressing her hand to her head, she waited until some of the alcohol haze lifted from her thoughts. She most definitely remembered one thing; the strong man who saved the people in her dream.
"Ahh~ What a nice dream..." A nostalgic air wafted around her, reaching for a nearly empty bottle of wine to keep her spirits up. Taking a swig, she got up and sauntered out into her bedroom, finding her cozy bed waiting for her.

Lounging in the bed, setting the bottle onto the floor, the woman put her forearm over her eyes, blocking out the moonlight from her vision so she could try and picture that handsome man's face again. Her cheeks flushed from something other than the wine at the thought of him. The bravery and selflessness he demonstrated brought her heart aflutter.

"Mmm, I want a hero like that..." She giggled to herself, reaching out into the empty air with her other hand, shaping the man's face with her fingers. Were that he were only real.

A child sat in the confines of her room, shivering. It was such a scary dream. The place looked terrible, and all the people were villains straight out of a fairy tale. She liked the little girl, and the man who helped her talk. What was his name?
"Kenshiro..." She spoke the name aloud, and smiled at herself. He was nice. He beat those bandits and saved everyone. The little girl shook her head when the images of the dead crept up from the darkness of her subconscious. She didn't want to think about that.

Hugging her pillow, the girl wondered about how strange the dream was, and if people like that existed out there in the world. Maybe she could meet friends like Lynn and Kenshiro. She smiled again, nuzzling her pillow and stifling a yawn. Maybe someday.

A young girl rubbed her eyes of sleep, her shrine maiden's outfit a stark contrast to the plain sheets of her bed. Some nice people had put her up for the night after she had helped them with their chores. She squeezed her fists tightly, recalling the amazing dream she just had. The man who fought those bandits was so strong! She didn't know why she would dream of something like that, but it was definitely a fun dream.
"Yosh! I'll have to be as strong as him if I want to find my Ashikabi!" She whispered loudly to herself, so as not to wake the residents who had given her a room for the night.

Lying down in her futon, she rolled from side to side, unable to sleep soundly with her thoughts lingering on her dream. A warm feeling in her heart tugged from a direction. Perhaps it was helping her find the way to her Ashikabi. She would have to remember what direction she felt her heart being pulled so she could renew her search tomorrow. It would be another exciting day.

Both Akitsu and Toyotama awoke, lying in their futons for a time. Toyotama propped herself up on an elbow to look at her fellow Sekirei. Akitsu was staring up at the ceiling for a brief moment before turning to glance at Toyotama.
They shared a knowing look; they had experienced the same dream. A dream about Kenshiro.

Their Ashikabi sat up against the wall near them, sitting in a meditative position. He looked tranquil, his facial features relaxed and bereft of the furrowed brow or grim stare. A cold feeling, one of the heart and not the body, swept through them. Toyotama immediately slipped out of her futon and nestled herself into her Ashikabi's lap, resting her head against his left shoulder, his arm draped over her back. His warmth was soothing.
Akitsu followed suit, wrapping them and herself in a blanket before settling down against Kenshiro's other shoulder.
Due to their presence near him or due to some instinct, Kenshiro's arms pulled them both closer to him in a protective embrace. The gentle pressure against them felt comforting, and they were soon swept off into a deep sleep.

Kenshiro stirred softly from his slumber. Without opening his eyes, he could determine a dead-weight upon him that wasn't there the night before. He felt warmth from it, and his fingers felt the soft touch of skin upon them. Opening his eyes, he saw the two maidens who had decided to keep him company during his time here, curled up in his lap. A blanket was wrapped around the three of them, keeping in most of their body heat.

They were quite attached to him. He did not understand why. He was not a man who deserved to love or be loved by another, that part of his life was beyond him now. The months he had spent with his beloved Yuria were the most cherished days of his life, and he would give anything to be with her again.
The man of Hokuto smiled; he would be with her again, someday. He was at peace with death, for it could do nothing more than bring him to his departed wife.
Though he could not reciprocate the love they felt for him, he still held love in his heart for them, for all of them. Whether he were to meet them or not, Kenshiro was bound to the Sekirei through the divinity of the stars. The heavens themselves connect them together, and in this way Kenshiro feels a closeness to them on a spiritual level.

Bringing himself back from his musings, Kenshiro gently placed Akitsu and Toyotama back onto their futons, covering them with blankets before slipping on the change of clothes the elderly patron had set for him and moving out of the room in complete silence. Not even a mouse could detect him if he wished it.
Moving downstairs into the tea house's front room, he noticed the old lady sitting at a table with a fresh pot of tea set before her. It was still quite early; they wouldn't need to open for a few hours yet.

The old lady smiled warmly, beckoning him to come sit with her. Pouring out a hot cup of green tea, she waited until Kenshiro was seated in front of her before passing him the steaming cup. He took it graciously.
"I imagine that you are here because of something important?" Though she smiled her grand-mother's smile, she cut straight to the meat of the matter. She was sharper of wit than she let on.
"Yes." Kenshiro blew some of the steam softly off of the tea before tasting it. Whether it was poisoned or not didn't matter; poisons do not work against a practitioner of Hokuto Shinken.
"I see." The old lady watched him for a moment. "As I am sure you understand, going into the lion's den with your fangs bared will be more trouble than it is worth in this instance. Whereas normally you could just walk through the city and destroy everything in your path, unfortunately this isn't something you will be able to accomplish here. There are many innocent people who live in this city." She gave him a bit of a warning look.

If he had any reaction to her stare, his expression betrayed nothing. Finishing the drink, he quietly set the cup down onto the tea tray. Seeing as he would not say anything, the elder continued.
"You will need to hide yourself among these normal people. Find a place to live for the time being, perhaps get a job so as not to rouse any suspicion." Kenshiro nodded, mulling over the words in his head.
"I have no knowledge of this place, nor do I of the situation I am in." He stared at her directly. "If I am to save these people, then I will leave nothing to chance. I shall take your advice and find lodging for the remainder of my time in this city."
The woman smiled and patted his hand.
"You do your ancestors proud, Kenshiro. I'm sure they are smiling down upon you from the blue sky."

For a time they sat together, speaking of the olden days, of Hokuto and of the differences between his time's Hokuto and theirs. She had been a devout follower - if not a practitioner, - of Hokuto Shinken and its principles. After living with the practitioners for so long, she had decided to retire to this city and open up a tea shop, seeing as that was one of her many specialties back at their homeland.
After the sun had risen and crept up to mid-morning, the two Sekirei came down the stairs. They looked at once relieved and a little malcontent.
"You could have woken us, Kenshiro-sama." Toyotama whispered to him as she slid into a seat to his right.
"We were worried that you had left without us." Though her voice and expression betrayed little, there were undertones of worry when she had spoken. Kenshiro gave them a quizzical look, surprised at the notion.
"You have both promised to be at my side; I would not dishonor you by leaving you here." This prompted twin looks of relief upon their faces.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought the girls' attention to the elderly matron.
"It seems that the three of you are without a rood over your heads at the moment. It just so happens that an old regular customer of mine owns a boarding house. You might be able to find room and board for yourselves there."
Akitsu and Toyotama shared a look. At least the hassle of finding a place to live was already over and done with, so long as they could get the room.
"Oba-sama," Akitsu said, breaking the silence. "you said it was an old regular, do they not come by here anymore?"
The old woman smiled wistfully. "Alas, since her husband passed, I don't think she fancies frequenting this old tea house anymore." She patted Akitsu's hand reassuringly.

After saying their goodbyes to the kind tea-house matron, the trio made their way to the northern section of the city. Kenshiro moved with purpose, forcing the Sekirei to keep up at a near-jogging pace.

"Kenshiro-sama,"Toyotama began, moving up beside him. "Mind if I ask you something?"
"Mm."
"Would you say no to some loving after we get settled in? I'd like to do it before anyone else has a chance to." Although the question was genuine, the blunt way in which she said it would have made most people splutter in confusion.
Coming up to his other side, Akitsu piped in, "Then I shall have my turn afterwards."
Shaking his head slightly, Kenshiro gave them both an incredulous look.
"Are you all like this?" They both looked at each other, and then to their Ashikabi.
"Like what?"
Kenshiro could only sigh inwardly. Of all the things he would find trying, the last thing that had come to mind was the completely clear advances from these strange girls. He was actually hoping to run into more of those Yakuza, if it would give him respite from their poorly-veiled invitations.

Walking briskly through the streets of Shin-Tokyo, arm-in-arm, the trio headed towards their next destination; Maison Izumo.

The sky was mostly clear of clouds today, the sun shining brightly and making its way up to its zenith. Miya, dressed in her traditionally purple and white garb, swept the front entrance to her boarding house as was per usual. She placed a delicate hand over her brow to look up at the sky.
"What nice weather today." The cool breeze with the bright sun brought a small smile to her lips.

What at first she believed to simply be the warmth of the sun seeping into her body, was now more distinct. Her heart was brimming with warmth. The intensity felt as though it was steadily increasing. Could it be that her Ashikabi-to-be was headed in her direction?
Moving up to the edge of the street, Miya glanced down the road to see if she could glimpse at the person who could be her own. The sun was glaring down in the opposite direction, making it difficult for her to see.
For the most part, her feelings were mixed on this. She was unsure whether or not she could move on, and for her to have an Ashikabi at this point...

Soft, faint foot steps echoed up from the street she was gazing down. Miya waited with bated breath, her broom forgotten in her hands. The steps echoed louder as they came closer. Her heart was beating faster, the heat within her chest now burning within her. She had to fight the urge to run up the street.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Miya took a steady hand to her broom, and continued to sweep. It wouldn't do for him to see her standing agape at the edge of the street like some fool.
Glancing to the side, hearing the steps just past the edge of the boarding house's fence, Miya leaned forward a little, a lock of her hair falling down past her ear.

The silhouette of a tall man, well over six feet, towered over her as he slowed to a halt before her. His dusty brown shoes, dark blue denim shirt and sleeveless jacket and red shirt stood out as odd. The finely-wrought muscles apparent upon his chest and muscles were impressive. Small pale discs, scars of some sort, poked out from the top of his shirt. When she looked up at his face, her breath caught. Sad eyes.
His bright blue eyes held deep sorrow within them, and she could see herself reflected within them clearly. Something within her heart wrenched, making her stomach feel heavy. It took some willpower to stop herself from taking a step forward.
"Are you the proprietor of Maison Izumo?"
His question made her jump back to reality. Blinking, she nodded. "Yes, I'm Asami Miya-san, the proprietor of Maison Izumo. And you are...?"
"Kenshiro."
"Kenshiro..." She repeated the name back to herself in a whisper, touching her fingertips to her lips.

The sound of footsteps rapidly grew as two girls appeared at his side suddenly. They were strangely dressed, it was obvious to her that they were Sekirei.
"Kenshiro-sama," The pale one said with a bit of exhaustion seeping through her fairly flat tone of voice, "you could have warned us when you were going to move like that."
The other Sekirei, holding a staff behind her, gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
"Didn't know you could move that fast for a human, didn't know you could move that fast."
Kenshiro touched their shoulders and whispered apologies before turning back to Miya.
"Did you have any extra room for my companions and I?"
The proximity to him was unbearable, the urge to move to him was overwhelming to say the least, but she could endure it for now.
"Of course, will it be just the three of you?" The two Sekirei nodded the affirmation. "Well, I do have a few rooms available, Kenshiro-san, you can take one while your friends can share another." This brought some protest from the two Sekirei.
"Why can't we share a room?" Toyotama asked. Miya giggled lightly, hiding her smile behind her hand. A Hannya appeared behind her shoulder.
"Lewd acts are prohibited in the Izumo household, it wouldn't do to have you sharing the same room now, would it?" That, and at the moment she felt territorial over her possible Ashikabi.

Her body nearly made her shift back a step when she felt an incredible amount of Sakki burst forth from Kenshiro. Something had appeared behind him much as her Hannya mask did when she wanted to threaten or coerce her tenants into obedience. A large man much the same as Kenshiro, glowing white and blue with power, hovered behind him. A face contorted in a visage of righteous fury glared down at her. The killing intent was not only evident, but was completely crushing. It lingered for a moment before dissipating, much like her Hannya. She would have to be careful, for his Sakki to react instinctively like that could only mean that he was a powerful individual.

She flinched instinctively when she felt a hand at her shoulder, bringing her back from her thoughts. Kenshiro's hand was gently placed upon her arm, a look of genuine concern in his eyes.
"Are you alright? You look pale."
"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry about me." She gave him a kind smile; it wasn't hard to muster one up. The reaction to his touch made her body tingle, like electricity coursing through her body.
Slipping away from his touch - albeit reluctantly, - Miya led them to the front door of the boarding house.
"Welcome to Maison Izumo everyone."

And there you have it. My apologies for the extended waiting period between Chapter 3 and 4; I intended for the dream sequence not to have taken so long, but I was having difficulty finding time to write without feeling completely exhausted. I would have ended the chapter much sooner but wished to get certain parts into this chapter before I ended it.

My apologies if the ending isn't as good as most times, I have difficulty finding a good stopping point. But hopefully you've enjoyed yourselves, and I promise that I shall begin writing the next chapter as soon as possible.

As always, thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review, I read and reply to all of them if at all possible, and enjoy seeing them.