~Petal 6: The Genius Wagtail ~

Saturday, 4:50 PM

2020

Izumo Inn, Exterior

Not more than thirty minutes after Homura's arrival at the inn, Minato, Musubi and Akitsu all approached the front gates with a still-dreaming Kusano, Seo, and the lightning twins in tow. To be honest, he'd tried dumping Hibiki, Hikari, and their Ashikabi off somewhere by stating that all their walking through the Arboretum had tired him out and that he just wanted to go home and relax, but damnable Seo completely ignored every single thing he said (whether deliberately or not) and insisted on "catching up" with Miya (judging by the drool that had been running down the side of his face at the time, Minato was pretty much positive that he just wanted to mooch some of Miya's dinner). Less than a foot from the gates proper, Minato stopped and turned to face Seo, who had his hands around the twins' waists with a boisterous smile.

"Seriously, Seo-san," he said, shifting Kusano's weight in his arms. The girl had grabbed his shirt even more tightly when she'd fallen asleep, so he'd been carrying her since they left the arboretum proper. "I understand that you just want to say hello, but I haven't been living here that long and I don't want to ruin my reputation with Asama-san by just bringing home people without giving warning. I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay for dinner."

Seo shook his head and laughed again, letting the twins go, and brushed past Minato to go through the open gate and straight to the front door. "I keep tellin' ya, kid. Takehito and I go way back. Ain't no way his wife's gonna kick me out because I showed up suddenly for dinner! I used to do it all the time! Plus I helped get this place into shape. She can't deny me anything I ask her for—within reason, anyway. So if I stop by and say I want food, she'll give it to me without a second word." He banged on the door with the bottom of his fist, and yelled, "Yo, Miya! It's Seo! Been a while, hasn't it? I can smell somethin' good in—"

The door opened, and a metal serving tray whistled through the air as it smacked Seo in the forehead, knocking him flat on the ground. Miya emerged from inside afterward; her mouth was fixed into the most pleasantly wide smile that would fit on her face, and her eyes were almost completely shut since the smile was pushing them closed.

In total contrast to that, a raging storm of dark clouds seemed to hang around her entire body.

Minato had never seen such a contradictory yet terrifying sight in his life.

"Welcome home, Sahashi-san, Akitsu-san, Musubi-san," she said, turning to each person as she addressed them; her smile relaxed a little bit, becoming authentic and calming, especially when she looked at Kusano nestled into Minato's chest. She then turned to Hikari and Hibiki, who each had raised a fist in her direction. Both girls immediately began to shake when Miya made eye contact with them; the pressure in the air was back on in full force at that time, either because they were Seo's Sekirei or because of how skimpy their battle outfits were, Minato couldn't tell for certain. "I see you brought a few interesting guests with you."

Seo immediately got up from the ground, ignoring the egg-shaped lump on his forehead, and grinned. "Hey, Miya! How're things going? You started dinner yet?"

Miya didn't even turn in his direction, facing Minato once more. "I must ask why you chose to bring this piece of useless scum with you, though," she said, and when she finally spared a glance at Seo, her smile stretched back to being fake. He flinched away and laughed nervously, but Miya's smile just grew wider as a shadow flickered over her face, and he shut up immediately. "I just cleaned the house today. I don't want his stink fouling it up."

"I didn't invite him," Minato said, gently rubbing the bottom of his black sneaker against the pavement. "He sort of just came along. I tried telling him it wasn't polite to just show up, but he didn't want to listen."

Miya sighed, but her aura persisted despite her gentle expression. In fact, Minato could have sworn that there was a demonic mask looming from the dark cloud hanging around her. Its glowing red eyes were focused on Seo, possibly staring right through to his soul. "He never does. Scum is terribly persistent."

"You picked up some of Takehito's crappiest traits, you know that?" Seo muttered, ignoring the cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Damn shame that a sexy widower like you has such an attitude even if you can cook nearly as good as he could." He immediately regretted his words, as another random projectile—a sizable rock, this time, easily the size of Seo's head—skipped off of his forehead and bowled him over, this time putting him out like a light. Miya then lowered her hand, and though her face had yet to even budge from that smile, Minato could feel the burning-hot annoyance simmering underneath it.

"The landlady is really, really scary," Musubi whispered, looking at Miya with awe and terror written across her wide-eyed stare. Beside her, Akitsu simply nodded, even if the expression on the ice Sekirei's face implied that she was doing little more than watching paint dry.

"Now, Sahashi-san, why don't you say goodbye to your friends and come inside," Miya said. The dark cloud around her vanished, and her expression returned to open eyes and a normal, small smile as she addressed her tenant. "That child you abducted looks like she needs a bath and a good meal."

Minato would have balked at the "abducted" comment, but he was in no mood to test if he could dodge Miya's magical throwing arm. Instead, he turned to Hibiki and Hikari with a shaky grin. "Thanks for helping me out today, you two. Thank Seo-san for me once he's awake, as well."

Hibiki shrugged and lifted up Seo, slinging him over one shoulder. "Whatever, lazybones," she replied over her shoulder as she walked off. "Guess we'll see you around."

Hikari, ever more polite, bowed to Minato and Miya, and said, her head still lowered, "I'm really sorry about his behavior at lunch, Sahashi. And miss, we didn't mean to cause any trouble here. He's really stubborn and doesn't like to listen..."

Miya shook her head gently. "I've known Seo for a while now. He was like that when Takehito was alive as well." She put a hand to her cheek and clicked her tongue. "If he hadn't been so rude, I would have fed him for Takehito's sake, but I'm afraid he exhausted my goodwill. However, I most certainly won't let his behavior affect what I think of you personally. If you find yourself in need of food, I don't mind if you stop by occasionally to pick up some leftovers." The smile twitched outward for a bit before receding again. "You shouldn't bring him with you if you do, though. At least not for a few days. I think I'll be willing to tolerate him for a little bit after he spends some time away from here."

Hikari forced her bow to go down a few inches more, completely at the waist now. "Thank you so much, thank you, thank you!" She then straightened up and followed after her sister, leaving Minato and the others to watch them walk down the sidewalk.

"Really, Asama-san, I tried to get him to leave," Minato said, turning back to his landlady with a frown. "He did say that he was friends with your husband, but even so I didn't want to just bring home extra people for dinner..."

Miya gently tapped his forehead with her pointer finger, silencing him. "I said it was all right, Sahashi-san. Now, come on. The baths are ready, and I imagine that after all that work at the construction yard, you're tired and hungry. You can tell me where you got this little one from after you get clean and put some food in your stomach."

6:30 PM

Thanks to the sheer number of people that were cycling in and out of the bath, it took some time for the population of Izumo Inn to settle around the dinner table, but when they did, everyone was clean and refreshed. Minato, sitting on the right side of the table, had switched to a plain white shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, while Akitsu, on his right side, had put on the pale blue sleeveless dress that she'd picked up as one of her casual outfits. A fully awake Kusano was snuggled into Minato's left side, easing up on occasion to eat some of the chicken that Miya had delicately prepared for the meal, while Musubi sat on Kusano's left, wearing a blue T-shirt with black sleeves and black shorts. Her plate was empty already, so she simply watched the others eat with a small, thoughtful smile. Homura hadn't come down from his room to join them, but Uzume had, dressed in her preferred clothing, and sat opposite Minato and Kusano.

"So, bro," Uzume said, swallowing a piece of chicken as she eyed Kusano curiously, "who's the squirt?"

Kusano's response was to stick her tongue out at Uzume. "I'm not a squirt, my name is Kusano."

"One of my mother's old friends went out of town for a while and dropped Kuu-chan off with me," Minato replied, absently ruffling Kusano's hair with one hand. He'd spent some time thinking of a cover story while he was in the bath; he couldn't just say "oh yeah, Kuu's a Sekirei" and let that be the end of it. "My mom sort of volunteered me to watch over her, so she'll be here a while."

"Then, for the time being, she can sleep in my room with me," Miya said from the head of the table, setting down her chopsticks with a gentle clack on her now empty-plate. "That way, we won't need to occupy another room that another tenant could use."

Kusano pouted. "I want to sleep in onii-chan's room," she said, folding her arms and puffing her cheeks out.

Miya simply smiled down at the little girl, and allowed a tiny hint of steel to creep into her voice. "My decision is final, Kuu-chan." Even without the dark aura, her words immediately silenced Kusano's protest, and the little Sekirei frowned cutely as she picked up her spoon, loaded it with more rice and chicken, and put it into her mouth, chewing with a furrowed brow. Musubi frowned secretly to herself, not noticing that Akitsu did the same, and both girls would have been surprised if they knew what the other was thinking: is she going to try snuggling with him too?

Uzume, Minato, and Miya noticed each girl's mood separately, but only Minato was particularly concerned. Things were going to get very crowded in his bed overnight (and even as he used that specific phrase in his head, he held back a cough as he realized what it sounded like); it would be bad enough that he'd probably go starving for breakfast again.

Maybe once I grow thin and sick from missing my first meal of the day too many times, they'll stop sneaking into my room, he thought to himself, pressing a hand to his face and yawning. Who knows...

Sunday, 7:00 AM

Izumo Inn

True to his prediction, Minato awoke on Sunday morning with three separate bodies enclosing him. This time, though, Akitsu had taken his other arm as opposed to his leg, while Kusano was spread out on top of him, snoring into his chest; Musubi simply clutched his right arm as always. When he shifted to get up, both Akitsu and Kusano woke up, though only the former let go and got up. Kusano simply mumbled a bit, then pulled herself up closer to Minato's face in a groggy daze, her eyes gradually opening to fix on him. The little girl wasn't dressed in her usual white shift, but a cotton pajama set of long sleeved shirt and long pants; orange, trimmed with white, and styled after a simple Oriental outfit, with a high collar.

"We didn't get to do it in the tree park, onii-chan, but...Kuu-chan wants you to be her Ashikabi," she whispered. Before Minato could even protest, she pulled forward one last time and pressed her lips onto his, causing the wings of light that he'd seen during Musubi's winging to burst from her back. They were pale-green in color, and somewhat smaller, possibly due to her age, but Minato was almost positive now, half-awake as he was. He could feel a warmth coming from himself and from Kusano that was the same as what happened to him when he channeled his ki with breathing techniques. Could it be that Sekirei already have to use ki as a part of their powers? If that's so...then Musubi, she...

As Kusano pulled away from him and sat up, smiling cutely, Minato's brain let that particular train of thought derail, mostly because it was just now realizing that he'd basically become the life-mate of a relatively young child—in accordance with her will and somewhat against his (wait, somewhat? No no no no no, that can't be right at all, he thought to himself, growing pale). He began to break out into a cold, shaking sweat, managing to keep his calm with only the greatest effort. The only thing that would be worse was for Miya to walk in, see all of his Sekirei, and then—

"Ah, here she is," the landlady's voice said suddenly, sounding terribly clear for some reason. Minato turned his head ever so slowly toward his now ajar door, saw Miya's smiling face peeking in, and felt every bit of willpower drain from his body as he let out a long, wailing moan.

"Now, now, Sahashi-san, there's no need for dramatics." Miya shook her head as she stepped inside. "Not even I am so foolish as to think that you would be able to get three people in this room, one of whom was sleeping in mine, without me realizing it. In light of the fact that you are not responsible for this, you are exempt from further punishments related to your Sekirei sleeping in your room from now on." In the next second, her long-necked ladle was in her hands, and she was smiling her favorite too-broad smile as she looked down on Akitsu (who was sitting with her legs folded under her and returning the gaze impassively), Kusano (who began to eye the ladle suspiciously), and Musubi (who was still fast asleep, smiling as a track of drool slid down her chin). "These three, however, are not."

As the sound of metal smacking flesh echoed through the room, another figure, a woman, peeked in, smiling and pushing up the glasses that slid down her nose, before chuckling and sneaking back down the hallway, toward the stairs. Only Kusano was in a position to see this stranger, but was too busy cowering from the "gentle" tap that Miya had given her with the ladle to notice.

At the end of the hallway, the spying woman, a redhead with two braids draped over her shoulders and a mass of unbound hair that streamed down her back, pushed on the left side of the wall, causing it to tilt inward and reveal a dark room illuminated by many computer monitors. Some were blank, while a good number of the ones that weren't had views of different rooms in the Inn—the bedrooms, the porch and yard, the dining rooms, the laundry rooms, the baths, and more. Once inside, she pushed the wall back into place, and sat down in front of a keyboard, causing her white dress to spill out all around her. Her chuckle echoed ominously in the sporadically lit darkness. "Ku hu hu hu. Minato-san seems prone to getting himself into a lot of trouble," she said aloud. "But still, I can't deny it now." She placed a hand on her heart, feeling its increased beat and the flushed warmth of the skin beneath her fingers. "I wasn't sure of it when I first saw him here in the inn, but this feeling is unmistakable. His strength of character, his manliness, his bravery...! He is most definitely my Ashikabi. And my rivals for his heart must be defeated before I move in and claim him!"

She put her hands on the keyboard and entered a series of rapid strokes, pulling up Minato's personal profile—the culmination of her weeks of research—on the primary monitor that she favored, a flat, 17-inch screen. The primary picture was a bust shot of Minato, dressed in his karate gi; it had been taken for a magazine that interviewed him for the Young Dragons' martial arts tournament two years ago, and even in the transition from seventeen to nineteen his face hadn't changed much, retaining the angular chin and jawbone that he'd inherited from his mother.

"Prepare yourself, Minato Sahashi!" she said, allowing a lecherous grin to spread across her face. "I, number 02 Matsu, have you in my sights."

9:30 AM

After a hasty breakfast, Minato had run off to his job, leaving Musubi, Akitsu, and Kusano with Miya and Uzume. With Minato absent, Musubi and Miya immediately went down to the yard and began to exercise, leaving Akitsu, Kusano, and Uzume to watch them from the porch. Miya was using her cane sword, albeit keeping it sheathed, to lash out with the sharp movements that characterized the Iaido style that she preferred to use with her live blade—she would swing out, striking with the part of her cane that resembled the tip of her sword, and return it to her side as soon as Musubi took the hit or ducked out of the way.

Akitsu could see clearly what influence Minato was having on Musubi's movements and attack patterns. Having been witness to her lessons, as well as to Minato and Yukari's fight, had given the ice Sekirei a rough idea of what direction Musubi would be growing in as she got more skilled at Rindoukan, and so far Musubi was adhering to that idea. Musubi was breathing evenly and constantly, and evaded every blow much like Minato had, shifting and ducking before attempting a counter punch that synchronized with the release of her breath. Miya would often push aside the counterattacks by nudging Musubi's outstretched arms with her cane, and would return fire by sidestepping, moving forward, and hitting Musubi's unprotected head, shoulders, or limbs. Both the upper body and lower body were out of the question, as Musubi's footwork and dodging, amateurish or no, was enough to keep both of those areas safe.

Kusano simply watched them go back and forth, flinching and shaking when a hit was landed or staring with sparkles in her eyes otherwise.

At length, the spar ended when Miya swung low, striking Musubi's leg; the Sekirei flinched and staggered, but managed to recover. However, it wasn't enough; Miya quickly shifted her cane back into resting position and struck at Musubi's head. Musubi immediately turned her palms inward and attempted to clap them on each side of the weapon, but her timing was off. Her hands smacked into each other, and the cane sword smacked her square on the forehead, sending her into the dirt face-first.

"Musubi-san, that doesn't work very well in real life," Miya said politely, putting a hand to her mouth to hide the giggles spilling out."You might be able to pull that off considering your special talents, but with a bladed weapon that would just hurt you unless your hands were properly protected."

Musubi smacked her hands down on the ground and pushed, pulling her face up from where Miya's blow had planted it. "Yes, Landlady-sama," she said, taking a moment to spit out a few clods of dirt. "I'll keep practicing then."

"Oi, Miya, you shouldn't tease her like that," Uzume said from the porch. She was laying flat on her belly with a catlike smile on her face. "No Sekirei on earth could catch a weapon if you're swinging it."

Musubi's eyes went wide as saucers. "Wait! Uzume-san! You know about Sekirei?"

In response, Uzume simply rolled onto her back and sat up, turning away from Musubi. She then brushed aside her hair pulled down her collar. Sure enough, a small Sekirei mark, colored red and flesh like Akitsu's, was stamped right at the nape of her neck. With a lazy flick of her hand, she let her hair and clothes settle back in place, then turned to face Musubi again. "It never came up before, but I guess it's better you know now anyway. I was gonna tell Sahashi-chan at some point, but it slipped my mind. Didn't want him to get the wrong idea about me keepin' it secret."

Musubi began to tremble in her usual super-excited way as she inched closer to the porch. "So, then, Uzume-san...how about we have a quick—"

Uzume raised her hands in surrender, and crinkled her eyes with a sheepish smile. "No, no, that's not for me. I don't like to fight, Plan or no Plan. Plus, you know what Miya says about fighting in Izumo, yeah? I don't think you want to get punished with no lunch today."

Musubi's stomach, empty thanks to a lack of breakfast, chose that moment to growl, and she slumped to the ground, her head bowed. "Oh, right." Though Akitsu sat stolidly on the porch, her own stomach let out a petite rumble, as did Kusano's; the former chose to respond with a slight twitching of her cheek and a stifled grunt, while the latter splayed out on the porch, whining, "Kuu is hungry~"

"Musubi-san, I'll need you to go shopping later on today," Miya said. "If you move quickly, I'll have a special meal ready for you when you come back." She shifted slightly, standing in what Musubi recognized as her ready position; body tilted to the side, with the hilt of the cane sword at hip level and facing forward. "In the meantime, shall we continue?"

Musubi nodded once and took her Rindoukan stance, grinning. "I'm ready anytime you are, Landlady-sama!"

Meanwhile, Minato was in the middle of dropping off a load of bricks near the base of the building on-site. Seo hadn't shown up at all to the yard, and when Minato had asked the foreman where Seo had gone, it turned out that he'd quit working at the site entirely ("and it's a good thing too," the foreman had muttered. "Damn fool was either skipping out or bringing those girls around all the time. You know how many people we had hurt themselves staring after those two maids?").

"Well, he'll show up at the inn eventually, I guess," Minato said. "Though, I'd rather not see Asama-san use his head as a bowling pin again. Especially not with a rock." He shuddered. Seeing Miya so casually throw a rock the size of Seo's head without even straining herself really made him wonder what the hell she was made of. The only thing more impressive was if the scruffy Ashikabi had managed to stay alive afterward.

After a moment, he shook his head and picked up the wheelbarrow, ready to pick up more bricks, but paused when Hikari's voice called out, "Hey, lazybones!" He groaned, and looked toward the entrance to the site, near the beam where he and Seo had eaten lunch the other day, and saw her standing there in her maid outfit, her narrow eyes looking surprisingly bored. He put down the barrow as gently as he could and jogged over to meet her; what was she doing here now that Seo wasn't working?

"What is it, Hikari-san?" he asked her as he came within earshot. "If you're looking for Seo-san, he quit..."

The lightning Sekirei grimaced and closed one eye. "Nah, nothing like that, though I wish you hadn't reminded me about that," she muttered. "Seo wanted me to give you this, is all." She produced a business card that had written on it "Seo Kaoru, The Helpful Freelancer—I Do Everything", as well as a phone number and address; as Minato took it from her, he noticed messy writing in the corner, and squinted to read it.

" 'You get the friends and family discount'—wait, what?" Minato's eyebrow shot up into his hair. "Discount? He actually has the nerve to charge people for something vague like this?!"

Hikari sighed. "You only met him yesterday, but I would figure even a dumbass like you would have Seo pegged by now. When it comes to cash and feeding himself, he'll do just about anything. The only question is whether he'll do it right."

"I thought I already had a conversation with one of you two about name-calling, Miss S&M Number 1," Minato replied, his tone flat. "Anyway, thanks for the card, but you should probably beat it for now. The foreman doesn't like it when you hang around here, he says you distract people so much that they get injured."

Hikari rolled her eyes and shrugged, fighting back the urge to snap at Minato for making fun of her clothes. "Fine, fine. Anyway, we'll try to keep that idiot from swinging back around to Izumo until your landlady doesn't feel like killing him. Til then, take care of yourself, Sahashi."

With that, she walked off, and Minato groaned, pocketed the card, and jogged back to where he'd left the wheelbarrow. "Why didn't her sister come instead? Her attitude's so much much better."

5:30 PM

Izumo Inn

As Minato walked down the street where Izumo Inn was located, he sighed, a tired, satisfied smile on his face. All things considered, the work hadn't been hard, but the exercise that he'd gotten on site had really invigorated him. If he had time before dinner, it'd be a perfect time to show Musubi some more moves, depending on how her training with Miya had been going in the daytime. Right when he got to the gates of the inn, the front door opened and Musubi trotted out, smiling broadly. Her expression only grew more bright when she saw Minato, and she immediately rushed over to hug him. "Minato-sama! How was work?"

"A good exercise," he replied, smiling back and returning her affectionate squeeze. "My muscles are nice and loose. I was thinking of showing you some more moves, but it looks like you're headed out somewhere."

"The landlady sent me to get groceries!" Musubi said, releasing him and beginning to bounce in place. Minato then noticed the canvas bag slung over her shoulder, presumably for the groceries in question. "And she already started making some special curry for me to have for lunch tomorrow! I love curry!"

Minato chuckled at her boundless energy and rubbed her head, squishing down one hair of hers that liked to stand up. "Well, if she wanted you to go, then you should probably get gone. The shops won't be open for too much longer since it's Sunday, and it's already kind of late. When you come back, we'll train."

Musubi nodded once and immediately set out, calling out over her shoulder, "Goodbye, Minato-sama! See you soon!"

Minato nodded in response and headed for the gates, unaware that the entire thing had been captured on camera, and that in her secret room, Matsu was watching them both from her room via monitor, grinning like a madwoman as she pulled up the control systems for a satellite. "And now, while you're out and distracted, Number 88, I'll have my precious satellite laser play with you. Then, once Minato enters the bath to soak, I'll have my way with him, ku hu hu~"

5:50 PM

The shopping district that Miya preferred to frequent was on the eastern side of Shintou Teitou's central area; for Musubi, the trip by roof was relatively quick, letting her avoid the flood of pedestrian traffic and any number of other hangups that would have kept her out later than she wanted. She was super excited to get back to the Inn and spar with Minato; her footwork had taken some major strides since Miya had started training her, and she was positive that she would impress him enough to start learning real moves, like the ones he and his sister had been throwing around during their match.

As she exited the supermarket with the ingredients for dinner, she patted the woven cloth of the brown canvas bag and smiled, singing a tune to herself. "We are fighting dreamers, aiming for the very top...fighting dreamers, no matter how we look...fighting dreamers, doing things that we believe in..."

Many, many miles above her, a satellite shifted its position, following her perfectly until it was almost directly on top of her. Then, a small spark of light gathered at its cylindrical base; the spark soon grew into a sphere—and then disappeared, as a column of light blasted down from the bottom of the satellite.

Back on Earth, Musubi had just hopped up onto a roof when something tingled at the base of her neck. Frowning, she shook her head and jumped to the next roof. Just as she landed atop the round skyscraper she'd been aiming for, the satellite's shot hit the ground, passing through the gap between buildings that she'd just crossed over with her jump. Confused by the sudden flash behind her, Musubi turned toward it and heard the shot pulverize the concrete on the street below, only to see something flash in the sky at the very top of her vision. The tingle at her neck returned, and she immediately jumped again, going to the streets this time. As she broke into a full sprint through an alley that led back to a main street, another burst hit the ground just behind her, followed by another, and another, and another.

"I have no idea what's going on here, but I think it's time I get a little more serious," she said to herself, her feet pounding down the sidewalk. "Landlady-sama is expecting me back soon." She clutched the bag closer to her body, afraid that the light would hit it if it flew out behind her, and began to breathe in and out, remembering what Minato had told her about ki during one of their private morning training sessions.

"Ki makes your body stronger. It gives you the strength to take hits you wouldn't be able to normally. It helps it move smoothly and quickly. It can't accelerate your healing or anything, but it can overall make you much tougher than you should be—so long as you maintain that breathing."

Once she got her pattern down, her limbs surged with new energy, and she took off at a breakneck speed, blurring the world around her and moving her pace from "just keeping ahead of the mysterious light" to "taking a comfortable lead".

5:55 PM

Izumo Inn, Matsu's Room

In the computer room, Matsu was staring in shock at her main screen, her jaw practically unhinged from her face.

"How is this possible!?" the redhead wailed, pulling at her braids. "Even with the delay on the laser, it shouldn't be possible for a Sekirei to outrun it! What is going on here?" She flicked her eyes over to another monitor, observing the bath; the only one inside was Uzume, sighing comfortably as she sank into the water. In contrast, another screen showed Minato out in the yard, continuing to train and exercise, with Akitsu and Kusano watching him as intently as they had Musubi and Miya earlier in the day. "And why won't he go in to take a bath already? I won't be able to sneak up on him unless I can get him by himself for a while!"

A monitor that was tracking Musubi's movements and syncing the satellite with her location began to beep loudly, and when Matsu looked at it, she had to fight back an unholy screech. Damned Musubi had actually made it to the outskirts of the neighborhood where Izumo was located. If she didn't stop the laser now, at the speed Musubi was going she'd have it cutting up the inn's front yard in only two or three minutes at best. With muttered curses, Matsu relinquished control of the orbital death ray, giving it commands to go back to its proper orbit. Her plan had failed, for now. She would just have to take her chances with plan B.

6:00 PM

Izumo Inn

Musubi sighed and shook her head as she fished the keys to the Inn out of the shopping bag and opened the front door. The weird attack had finally stopped as she got closer to Izumo Inn, and so she'd finally eased up on her breakneck running pace. However, even with the deep breaths she was taking, she was noticeably winded, and she could feel the sweat beading on her forehead and staining her undergarments and armpits. I really could go for a bath right now, but then I'll just get sweaty working out with Minato-sama. I'll have to wait, I guess.

"I'm home!" she called.

"That took longer than I expected," Miya's voice replied, and Musubi looked to her right just in time to see the landlady walk down the hallway and turn the corner. The moment Miya saw Musubi's disheveled appearance, she blinked in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "You're sweating quite a bit! Musubi-san, what happened?"

Musubi slipped the shopping bag off of her shoulder and gave it to Miya, then sighed, scratching the back of her head with her eyes closed. "I was on my way back from the shop when these weird explosions started following after me from the sky. They looked like beams of light. But Minato-sama's breathing technique gave me lots of energy to run!"

The moment she said that, Musubi immediately clapped her hands over her mouth as if she'd said something foul. Miya blinked, but inside of her head, a warning flag went off.

"What time did you leave the store, Musubi-san?" Miya asked, shifting the grocery bag to her shoulder. Musubi's unintended slip couldn't really be taken advantage of since she'd already realized what she said; Miya would need a different tactic here.

"It was just about 5:50," Musubi said, scratching her head again. "Why do you ask?"

Now Miya knew for sure that something was up. Admittedly, Musubi might have been taking less pedestrian routes to get to the store and back considering that she had made the walk there in twenty minutes when it was closer to thirty or thirty-five normally for Miya. But ten minutes flat would be difficult for most Sekirei, even at the peak of physical fitness. Ignoring all that, she had Musubi's very own words, albeit words Musubi hadn't meant to was wrong here.

I do believe that it's time to press Sahashi-san a little bit harder about some things, Miya decided, allowing a small frown to cross her face. Musubi skipped over to the porch and yard, greeting Minato with a cheerful "I'm ready, Minato-sama!"

As soon as Musubi called out to him, Minato stopped his drills and returned her affectionate hug when she came out to the yard. Once they separated, Musubi beamed up at him, clenching her fists. "So will you teach me techniques now, Minato-shishou? I've been working hard on my movement and my breathing and I think I'm ready!"

"Well, that depends," Minato replied, glancing to the porch as Miya came from the hallway and stood, watching them silently. "Asama-san, how has Musubi been doing? Do you think she's made enough progress?"

"I don't know very much about what you intend to teach her," Miya said, her voice surprisingly cold. Minato seemed slightly taken aback at his landlady's shift in demeanor, and Musubi, Akitsu, and Kusano all looked between him and Miya with confusion written on their faces—they'd heard it too, then, Minato thought to himself. "I will leave it to your judgment, Sahashi-san."

After a brief, awkward silence, Minato nodded, and turned back to Musubi. "Then we'll start you off easy," he said, putting his hands on his hips and shifting his bare feet on the ground before continuing. "There are basically three levels of attacks you will be learning. We have the intermediate techniques, which are all just strikes with specific names and applications. Then there are the advanced techniques, which are usually strong enough to deal with opponents that basic and intermediate techniques can't defeat. The last set of techniques, above the advanced ones, are the 'succession' techniques. There are three of them, and they're the hardest moves to execute in Rindoukan—they will build on everything you know already, and are pretty much...lethal for opponents, when applied correctly." His voice faltered a bit, then, but he eventually shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, we'll start with the intermediate techniques. Since the Kazami is something you're already familiar with—" here, he took his stance and fired off a jab with his rear hand, turning into the blow—"we'll move to the Kaoruna."

He returned to stance and clenched his lead hand closed, then took a breath and a short step forward. When he put his leading foot on the ground, it was more of a slam than a step; he pushed himself forward, let out the breath, and struck with a short punch all at the same time, keeping his elbow bent. Despite the short range, Musubi could feel the tremors from the step and see his fist shake as he hit the imaginary target.

"This is good for surprising your opponent up close—when they think that even your fastest jabs will be too predictable, or will take too much time for you to land one successfully," he said, relaxing from stance and standing normally once again. "The step gives you slightly more range than you think, but if you overestimate it, you'll be in trouble. You also have to take a second to set your feet, so make sure that before you use it you're already braced." He stepped back a bit, and gestured with one hand. "Do it a couple of times on your own, and then we'll move on to the Shimaki and the Yamase. That'll be all I teach you from the intermediate set, for now. Once you get those two correct, I'll teach you the Hayate from the advanced set, and we'll go from there."

Musubi nodded once, took stance, and immediately began to practice. Though he was watching her carefully, Minato could feel Miya's eyes locked onto him, and wondered what he had done to upset his normally-placid landlady. He resolved to ask her privately, once dinner was finished; something about her expression disturbed him, even if he couldn't put a word to it at first.

7:30 PM

Minato and Musubi spent another hour training before dinner was ready, and they ate without incident, though Miya was silent throughout. The moment everyone got up from the table, Minato stayed behind to help Miya pick up the dishes, as he usually did, but waited until everyone left the room before he began to speak to her. "Asama-san, what's wrong?" he asked, stacking his plate, Musubi's, and Akitsu's on top of one another. "Ever since Musubi-san came back you've been really quiet. Did something happen?"

"Musubi-san simply told me an interesting story," Miya replied, gathering the plates on the opposite side of the table. Unlike Minato, who was already cradling the ones he had, she let them sit where they were, ignoring them in favor of looking him directly in the eye. "She said she was attacked by a light from the sky. And that she used your 'breathing technique' to outrun it."

Minato immediately felt a chill crawl down his back. He was unable to hide the stiffness that came over his posture, and Miya continued, her face still set in a neutral mask. "Now, both you and I know that Musubi-san isn't quite normal, but she made a trip that takes me thirty-five minutes or so at a normal pace in ten minutes. Now if she shaved maybe five or ten minutes off of that time, I could believe that she was, say, jumping on the rooftops. However, I am positive that ten minutes is far beyond her ability. I'm sure you can see what I'm getting at."

Minato put down the plates and let his body sag, inclining his head as he tried to figure out what to say. At length, he recalled his father's words once more. "Can't tell just anyone about 'ki', Min. If you're gonna teach someone Rindoukan, or you can trust 'em with a secret, go on ahead."

I guess I might as well show Asama-san that trust that I couldn't before.

His decision made, Minato raised his head and nodded. "Asama-san. What I tell you has to stay absolutely secret." He paused again, gathering his thoughts, and said, "One of Rindoukan's fundamental skills is the skill called 'breathing and walking'. It emphasizes control of ones breathing and movement at the same time. My father's grandfather eventually found out that when he did this while concentrating his mind to the utmost, he could tap into the spiritual potential of the human body, ki. Eventually, he developed a process that would enable people to draw out their connection with their ki without deep meditation, and push their body's power, resilience, and performance to higher levels. However, not everyone can control ki properly enough to learn how to apply it to Rindoukan. It takes practice, dedication, and to a certain extent, luck."

"I see," Miya said. "And so you think Musubi-san might have been able to access this power? But how? She's a Sekirei, and you said that ki is a human trait."

Minato shrugged. "When Sekirei are winged, it seems to release some form of ki from their body, in the form of wings. I've been thinking about it, and it may be that anything which is alive and sentient has the power to use ki. If that's the case, Sekirei might using it without even being trained, which could be why they're better than humans on a baseline level." He folded his arms. "I think Musubi-san demonstrated what would happen if that basic use was actually focused and concentrated with formal training."

Miya took all of this information in with the same stoic face. Unsure as to what she was thinking or what she would do next, Minato simply sucked up what was left of his pride and bowed deeply. The gesture made her blink, but as he couldn't see it, he kept talking. "Asama-san. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about this when you were asking me about my fighting style. But you have to understand that this isn't something that Rindoukan students tell people who aren't supposed to know." He held the bow until he heard Miya's footsteps approach him.

Then, a small hand patted the back of his head, rubbing it gently. "Stand up, Sahashi-san," Miya said. "If you stay like that for so long you'll break your back." Confused, he did so, and looked down a bit to see Miya smiling gently at him. "I understand your reasons, even if I am a bit disappointed that you were hiding something so important from me. At the very least, though, I think you should explain it to Akitsu-san—she'll keep the secret, and when your sister comes over to play, that will be one less thing Akitsu-san will have to worry about."

Minato returned Miya's smile with a small grin at her choice of words. "I did give her a bit of a scare, didn't I? Well, I'll tell her right away. No need to worry about that." He moved closer to the table and picked up another two plates, then put them atop the stack he'd been holding and began to make his way to the kitchen.

Before he could leave, though, Miya said, "Sahashi-san, I want you to answer one more question for me. Why do you describe your father's family as if they aren't your family?"

Minato stopped in his tracks and blinked. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Miya folded her arms. "You will call your father 'Dad' every now and then, but your grandfather is always 'father's father', and your great-grandfather is always 'father's grandfather'. Is there a reason for that or am I just picking at semantics?"

Minato was silent again, but when he spoke, he did so slowly, without turning around. "Well, my real father, I...I don't know him. The guy I call Dad is my mom's...well, I guess you could say her boyfriend. He's the closest Yukari and I have to a father. I've gotten used to him so I can call him dad and not think twice about it, but when it comes to his ancestors I feel like I don't have the right to call them grandpa and great-grandpa or anything like that. They're his ancestors, not mine. If Dad and Mom were married, then...then, it'd be different, but they've been dancing around it for years."

Miya gathered up the rest of the plates and let those words sink in for a while before she said anything more. "I see. I'm sorry for prying, Sahashi-san. I was just a bit concerned by some things and I used that as an excuse to be nosy."

Minato laughed in reply, and shook his head, smiling. "No, it's fine. I just get too used to bottling things up now and then. I forget that it's good to talk to people when you have things like that on your mind."

Miya was about to respond when she looked at the paper-screened dining room doors and saw the faint shadows of people standing behind them.

Outside, in the hallway, Musubi, Akitsu, Kusano, Uzume, and even Homura, unaware that their shadows had been seen, had been listening in on the entire conversation. Homura and Uzume were the most surprised by what they'd heard, realizing that Minato had effectively stated he could outperform normal people just by breathing differently, while Musubi and Akitsu were the least (the former because she knew already and was still beating herself up for letting the secret out, and the latter because, well, Akitsu was Akitsu).

Kusano understood absolutely none of it and was simply tagging along because everyone was crowding the door.

"So bro actually has some kind of human superpowers," Uzume muttered to Homura. "I never would have guessed that was how he walked away from a beating like his sis gave him." She scratched her chin. "Isn't that cool, Kaga-chan?"

"Sure," Homura said, ignoring the fact that Uzume had somehow managed to cute-ify his fake name. But if a Sekirei accessing their own power was that simple, why would an Ashikabi even be needed in the system of the Sekirei Plan? Wouldn't Minaka have discovered this on his own somehow? And does this mean that those breathing techniques might help me control my fire? If it's all derived from that ki stuff, there's no reason why...

While they pondered that question, they failed that Miya had moved to stand in front of them until she cleared her throat. "I most certainly hope you all realize that I am not blind. I saw your shadows on the door." Eerie red lights shone in the cloud around her and echoing howls blew through the hallway. "Now, what shall your punishment be~"

The other residents of the Inn trembled in fear as the very corners of Miya's mouth twitched upward.

7:35 PM

After Miya scolded everyone for trespassing so carelessly on the private conversation and forbade them from having desserts for the next few days, Minato traipsed off to the bath; though he'd made sure to warm up and cool off properly after working with Musubi, his body had basically reached its limit in terms of endurance. He hadn't been sweating much, but a good shower and then a quiet evening reading would suit him best for now, especially since school would be starting up a week from tomorrow.

The tub water was still warm, and Minato's sore muscles cried out in relief as he let himself steam in it. From the feel of it, Miya had probably set up so that he could go in right after dinner, and he appreciated the thought. Her scary moments aside, his landlady really took pains to look out for him and the others. It was sort of like having a second mom.

When he got out of the tub, rinsed off, and wrapped his towel around him, he heard someone slip into the bathroom. They were walking softly, but having lived with Musubi and Akitsu for a while, he could tell that whoever had entered wasn't either of them, nor was it Kusano; Musubi's steps were firm and quick, while Akitsu's were softer and slower, but no less decisive. Kusano tended to walk whimsically, putting her feet all over the place. He then assumed that it was Homura, or maybe (and hopefully not) Uzume, given that he hadn't been around them long enough to get a feel for their footfalls. It most definitely wasn't Miya, though; she knew that he was in here and wouldn't have bothered entering.

He turned to face the newcomer and was mildly surprised to see a buxom redheaded girl with two braids, red-brown eyes, and a towel wrapped around her body, approaching him with a sultry, hungry smile. In fact, his surprise was so mild that he flinched away, hit the wall with his back, and wound up nearly falling and busting his ass on the floor before he steadied himself. "What the—who the hell are you!?"

"Minato Sahashi, age 19," the girl said. "Native of Wakayama, residing there with his grandmother, sister, and legal guardian until graduating high school age 18, at which time he moved to Shintou Teitou to prepare for entrance exams. Mother, Takami Sahashi, is employed at MBI. Biological father unknown."

Her voice was low and calm, and Minato was trying to think of what to do when he realized that she was rattling off private information like she was reading a shopping list. "Legal guardian, and father by proxy, Masaru Takada: self-employed, current Master of the Rindoukan School of Karate, whereabouts at present unknown. Subject is currently an incoming first-year student at Shintou Teitou University; scored at the top of exams in middle and high school, and graduated as #1 student in the class. Winner of the Young Dragon tournament hosted in Oosaka two years ago, as well as a number of smaller competitions. Currently the heir to the Rindoukan School upon the recommendation of his legal guardian, but has yet to complete the ceremony that will formally transfer the title to him."

She paused, and allowed her smile to grow wider, crossing the distance between them and pressing him to the wall. "Such a man is my Ashikabi? It's hard to believe, and yet my body isn't lying to me."

Minato did his best to control his raging emotions and focus on this girl's face, even as it inched closer and closer to his. "So you're a Sekirei, then? Mind giving me a name and explaining to me why you thought a bath was the best time to jump me before I throw you out of here?"

"A girl doesn't make a confession in public, is what I thought," she replied. "And as for my name...I am number 02, Matsu."

He should've seen it coming, but that final push on Matsu's part squished her bust against his chest, and the feeling distracted him. Noticing this, she pushed her head all the way in and kissed him, closing her eyes to savor the moment. Amber wings of light spread out from her back, and while Minato felt the warmth of ki flowing from them, it was less noticeable than Musubi's or even Kusano's. Does that mean she's not as strong, I wonder, the rational part of his brain asked, before realizing that Matsu had given her number as two. Wait a minute, didn't Musubi-san say that single digits were stronger than...?! His eyes widened slightly. I just winged one of the strongest Sekirei. Where the hell did she even come from?! How did she know all of that stuff about me? Could she be an MBI spy?

When the wings faded, Matsu pulled back, her cheeks flushed. She immediately clasped her hands together and began to wiggle in an extremely disturbing fashion. "Iyaaa~ it was amazing. My body feels wonderful, and even now, those lips, those lips! I can taste them still~" Her smile broke into a wide grin, and the hunger came back onto her face, stronger than ever, as she reached out to Minato with trembling hands. "Ku hu hu hu. I think it's time, my darling Ashikabi, my prized test subject. This bath shall be the perfect place for us to consummate our union and begin our lifelong experiences~! Now and forever~~!"

For some reason, Minato thought, feeling his eyes shrink in his skull at the bald-faced lechery that Matsu's body was practically radiating, I feel like I need an adult. Right now.

"Oh, my, my, my. I thought I heard some odd noises coming from in here..."

Matsu froze immediately the moment that Miya's voice echoed off the walls of the bath and the sound of slow, deliberate steps followed in their wake. Minato's response was similar, but he managed to get a hold of his mouth before things could get (relatively) worse. "Asama-san, I swear, I didn't—I don't even know where she—I'm innocent! I swear to every god there is! It's all her fault!"

"Now, now, Sahashi-san. It's all right. I know exactly where Matsu-san came from and what it is she was doing. You have no need to worry, I don't intend to punish you." Miya said, continuing to take slow, deliberate steps toward them. When she fully came into the bath, he and Matsu noticed two things. One: she was carrying her cane sword in hand, with the blade fully revealed. Two: her smile was just a hint too wide, and the ghostly demon mask that she had used to intimidate Seo was back in full force, peering over her shoulder amongst the dark cloud that surrounded Miya.

"Matsu-san," Miya said slowly, whispering each syllable with utmost calm, "lecherous acts in Izumo Inn are not allowed. And on top of that, seduction of other tenants—particularly, impressionable young men, in the bath or anywhere else—is not allowed."

The edge of the blade sparkled, and Minato very quietly stood up and inched his way out of the bath, leaving Matsu to quail in fright as Miya drew ever closer.

Shortly afterward, Matsu and Minato were standing in the living room with Miya, fully clothed. Matsu had put on a pair of large, round-lensed glasses, and a long-sleeved white dress, which had a high collar, notched in the front, exposed her shoulders, and had a small diamond-shaped opening positioned on her cleavage. "Let me reintroduce myself. As I said in the bath, I'm number 02, Matsu," she said, bowing slightly. "I know you haven't seen me around, but I'm a tenant here, too. My room is 201, at the end of the hallway near the stairs."

"But all that's there is a wall," Minato replied, scratching his head. "Unless you're saying there's a secret door...?"

Miya nodded. "The wall turns inward to allow access to the space. Takehito had that scummy fellow build it for him; my dear husband was rather fond of practical jokes like that. As for how Matsu-san came to stay in there, well. Let's say that she and MBI have a rather poor relationship, and when she came to me for help, I couldn't turn her away." The not-smile returned as she looked placidly at Matsu. "Then again, considering that she had you wing her in the bath and then attempted to have improper relations with you, perhaps I should evict her..."

"Please, Miya-tan, don't do it," Matsu wailed, crocodile tears streaming down her face. "I promise I'll behave. I really will."

Miya simply turned and headed out of the room. "See to it that you do, Matsu-san," she said over her shoulder. "Also, I should warn you now that Sahashi-san's other Sekirei make a habit of sneaking into his room in the night—I understand how you want to stay alongside someone that means so much to you, but in this house those kinds of acts are not permitted, and you should avoid joining in."

Matsu wilted, letting her head hang as if her neck had been broken. "I understand, Miya-tan," she mumbled.

Once Miya was gone, Minato shook his head and sighed. "You're planning on doing it anyway, I can tell," he said, and Matsu blinked. "I'm pretty much positive that the other two and Akitsu-san will get into my bed somehow tonight, they always do, and you don't seem like the type that takes no for an answer. They should still be awake upstairs, so let's introduce you so that the morning isn't awkward."

"You're pretty calm about this, Mina-tan," Matsu said, folding her arms and tilting her head to look at her Ashikabi. The glare of the light caused her glasses to shine and hide her eyes. "Aren't you going to get in trouble, too?"

Minato scratched his head. "Asama-san has figured out that I'm not the one that gets them to come into my room, they just do. So they get the punishment, not me. It only started today but I'm pretty sure she'll keep it up if they keep trying." He felt a blush cross his face. "I...well, it's a little hard to wake up, but I'm used to it, and it feels nice to have everyone around me for a little bit. I get that Sekirei are really attached to their Ashikabi, so...I understand."

Matsu pouted, but smiled after a moment. He's so cute when he's embarrassed, and I already knew that he really likes the others, but he actually admitted that he likes to cuddle. She just barely managed to keep her lips from twisting her expression into lechery. Ku hu hu. I think I made a very good choice.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, everyone. Got moved into a new place and my internet was out for a while so I didn't get a chance to post this chapter even though it was ready to go. :(

By and large, a lot happened this chapter, but hopefully it is to everyone's liking. Hopefully I've managed to capture some essence of Matsu here;

I'm experimenting with trying to perfect a new style of writing, so hopefully my tendency to be verbose is less of an issue now (except when Tsukiumi talks of course). It will probably become more obvious once I write chapter 9, as that's the only thing I have to do freshly for the first time in a while.

Review Response:

As always, to those that complimented without asking specific questions, I give thanks and am happy to hear that you enjoyed the chapter.

Guest: Your point about that whole scene with Seo is noted and a corrected version of the chapter has gone up to address the point. To be honest I sort of forgot about how Hikari and/or Hibiki would react to something like that actually happening, since it was intended to be comic relief slapstick. As far as Miya and Homura's reactions to Kusano's winging, I would say that it has less to do with the act itself, and more with the fact that (1) Minaka offered up Kuu as a prize to whoever could get her first, which could have been extremely bad for her emotional heath to put it bluntly, and (2) he doesn't care about how much of a danger she could be without her powers being fully adjusted. Musubi's ideal of the Sekirei relationship comes pretty much whole-cloth from Yume, just like it does in canon. I'll have to find a way to touch on that momentarily...

As for what program I use to write, good old LibreOffice does the trick for me (migrated from OpenOffice within the last year or so). I don't find it any harder to use than, say, Microsoft Word, and since it's free that makes my life ten times easier.

I've managed to get over my writer's block, and Chapters 7 and 8 will be good to go on their dates. 9 is in progress now.

With any luck, I will see you all on August 17th with Chapter 7. Take care and enjoy.

~ZS