Jigsaw's dialogue will be entirely in italics.

As always, a straight horizontal line over a passage will indicate a moment in present time.

This (~o~O~o~) will indicate a flashback, AND two of said symbols side-by-side (~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~) will indicate a flashback WITHIN a flashback.

And this (XXXXXX) will indicate when a perspective changes from one person to another.


A/N:

Phen0m20: Alright everyone, I'm not gonna lie. My inspiration and motivation to write has all but tanked in the last few months. I would have had this chapter out a lot sooner if I felt more inclined to get things done, but the fact is that I've reached burnout. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I want to stop writing all together; in fact it's the exact opposite. I want get this fic out there with all my being, but there is too much real life bs that's bogging me down. My elderly father recently had a stroke, and most likely won't be around too much longer, I need to get a license, a job, and an apartment to move into after he's gone. Shit has been really stressful as of late, and as much as I want to keep this fic updated on a regular basis, other things have kept me distracted and therefore have also kept me from giving it my all.

I'll just say this now; I'm not dead, the fic is not dead, it's just that everything around me is dying and I can't concentrate or put my full effort into this work with all this stress on my mind.

Pyromania101: "Just…read and review, people. Is that too much to ask?"

The Clown King Of Chaos: "I had basically nothing to do with this installment,but I don't mind that much. This was mostly dialogue, and I tend to not do so well on that; I'm better with Traps and death scenes. Why, I've already orchestrated one that shall be coming soon..."

Phen0m20: As a final note before I begin, I just wanted to mention that I commissioned my first piece of artwork for the "Tell Me" fic. It's almost done, and despite only seeing the sketch, it looks bloody amazing. Anyway, lets get this chapter started...or continued...whichever works for you. :3


Trauma For Truth: Part 2

"…Oh, he's safe," the grief stricken and violently angry Yukari answered, crossing her arms. "No thanks to you."

"When I got word that my son never came home from work two days ago, I thought nothing of it-"

"Of course you didn't," the Demon Ashikabi mocked.

"Let me finish Yukari!" her mother snapped. Takami continued. "Minato is a man now, and should be able to fight his own battles! He also has the largest active harem of Sekirei in the capital, so I figured they would keep him safe from any danger!"

"Hmph," she scoffed. "I see, so you wanted others to do your job for you?! Is that it?!"

"I don't have super powers in case you didn't notice, Yukari!" Takami shot back. "Besides, he wasn't even gone for that long! I assumed he was out having fun for once in his life and would be back by the time I woke up!"

"And what would you have done if he wasn't?!"

"I would have sent out a search warrant, and if all else failed, enlisted the Discipline Squad to track him down…"

The Demon Ashikabi's skin condensed around her body, tensing a snarl in her visage at the mere mention of the Squad's existence. "The…Discipline Squad?"

She clenched her fists, taking slight steps towards her mother.

"Yukari?"

Yukari slammed her hands on the table at full force as she hunched over; her mother jumped back. She raised her head to meet her birth giver's gaze.

Eyes shadowed from view, she began, slowly. "Are you even…aware…of what they did to him, mother?" Yukari slurped the damp air deep into her nostrils. "Does the night of the bridge escape…ring any bells to you?"

"That was when Musubi was nearly terminated by the squad," her mother recalled. "But even so, they wouldn't harm Minato. They couldn't! Harming an Ashikabi is off limits for Sekirei! They know this full well!"

Her daughter let out a disappointed sigh, shaking her head left to right in a wavering displeasured 'no' gesture. She pushed herself away from the table and reached into the black leather bag slung under her shoulder. She pulled out an iPhone, fiddled her thumb on the touch screen for a bit before sliding it across the table, and into her mother's hands. A video was buffering.

Takami looked at it for a brief moment, shifting her gaze from the screen to Yukari's visage. "What is this, Yukari?"

"Press the play button."

For a moment, Takami's eyes drifted back and forth between the phone and her now loathing daughter. With reluctance, she raised the phone off the table and tapped the play button with her thumb.

It was night time. The video was presumably being shot from the top of a high building, as it looked down upon the now devastated bridge at an angle. It started to zoom in, pinpointing on what appeared to be a standoff between #88 Musubi, and #105 Benitsubasa.

The former was distracted by something, but did not keep her eyes off of her pink-haired adversary, who stood dangerously close to the edge of the broken bridge. She looked confidant, however, despite being literally inches away from the watery grave hundreds of feet below.

"Don't you move!" the red Sekirei threatened. It appeared she was stepping on something, or smearing the sole of her boot against it rather, but it was still too far to tell what.

It zoomed in closer. Takami's heart sank into her stomach; the urge to vomit it back up was overwhelming.

The red Sekirei was grinding her boot into her son's hand! He was hanging off the edge of the destroyed bridge by his very fingertips!

"Hurry, I can't hold on much longer!" Her son pleaded in groaning agony. "I'm gonna fall!"

"Minato, hold on!" #88 called out to him in desperation.

"Come any closer, and I'll drop him!"

As her mother continued to watch in eye-twitching horror, Yukari leaned her visage in. "Who's that hanging off the bridge, mom?" she asked.

All Takami could do was swallow.

"Tell me," Yukari paraphrased. "Who is it?!"

Her mother set the phone down on its screen.

"No…" she denied. "No, thi-this isn't right…"

"I wanna know, who the FUCK THAT IS, MOTHER!"

She kept silent, shaking her head in a violent left-to-right sweep.

Grasping her mother by the hair, Yukari continued to shout. "WHO IS IT?!"

Takami curled her neck towards her daughter, not daring to look her in the eye. Her gaze focused back to the desk.

"My son," she whispered.

"WHO?!" she roared, nearly deafening her as she yanked her hair harder. "SPEAK UP!"

"It's my son!" she squealed back. She paused for a moment, exhaling as she paraphrased. "It's my son…"

"That's your son?" she repeated. "That's your son?"

The Demon Ashikabi's voice lowered in pitch as she loosened her grip and distanced herself. "Like hell he is."

She glanced over her shoulder. "You chose developing the Sekirei Plan over taking care of your own children. If it weren't for the Sekirei Plan, the game YOU helped create, he never would have been there! You are responsible for that! You never gave two flying fucks about either of us!"

"How dare you!" Takami kicked the chair out from beneath her and stood up. "After everything I did for the two of you, paying for your college intuition, sending you money to feed yourselves when you were unemployed. I supported your sorry asses all the way, and this is the thanks I get from you?!"

She waved off these excuses. "Oh, you paid to get us into college and gave us money from time to time. Whoop-dee-fucking-doo! What about BEING THERE for us?! Helping us when we needed you as an EMOTIONAL support?! You didn't raise us! You were never there!"

"You don't think I wanted to be?!"

"It doesn't matter what you 'wanted', mother!" Yukari loudly retorted. "The fact of the matter is that you weren't there! If we really mattered that much to you, you would have abandoned this sick Sekirei Plan battle royale bullshit and came home! Everything that happened to Minato that night on the bridge is YOUR FAULT! You caused it!"

"The Sekirei Plan was Minaka's sick idea! If it's anyone's fault, it's his!"

"You're also a major part of its creation, Mother!" Yukari shot back venomously. "Hell, it could be argued that if you weren't there to help him, the Plan may not have ever been created! You ARE in charge of it after all!"

"Besides," she continued. "All that does is make you look even worse. From the logic you're giving me, you'd rather spend your time helping set up Minaka's sick idea that can very well destroy countless innocent lives more than being there for your kids!"

"That's not true!"

"STOP THE LIES! YOU'RE A LIAR!" she screamed, pressing the button again. She released it a few moments after she collapsed to the ground.

"Quit denying it, mother! You're in no position to tell me what is and isn't true! You say it isn't true, but your actions show otherwise! Every time we needed you, you were off helping Minaka put the Sekirei Plan together, putting us under the false pretenses that you simply worked for a pharmaceutical company; doing something that was actually helpful for other people in the world! But no! Instead, you spent more time helping create something that nearly gets your children killed than your actual children!"

"You're…a hundred years…too young…to sass me… the way you are…child…" Takami panted. "I never…meant…for either of you…to get involved in this…Yukari! Why else do you think I've…been so secretive about it?!"

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit about 'the Sekirei Plan is supposed to be held in secret' garbage! Do you really think for one miniscule FUCKING second that releasing 108 super-powered, genetically enhanced humanoid aliens out into the world and having them all fight to the death in a tournament until there's only one left standing wouldn't get noticed?! Have you SEEN the property damage?! I think people have caught on by this point!"

She took a deep breath. "We were blaming the damage on terrorists…"

"Terrorists?" Yukari paused, then sneered. "Yes, terrorists. Terrorists that can shoot lightning from their hands, and jump more than fifty feet in the air at the most populated areas in the city in broad daylight. That ought to cover things up, right?! Because it's not like anyone in this city has common sense, correct? People can only suspend their disbelief so much, you know."

Takami pulled herself to her feet. "All right, all right! Point taken; But I still never thought either of you would become Ashikabi…"

"And that's supposed to make what you're doing all right?!" Yukari objected.

"You're working with Jigsaw, Yukari! A notorious serial killer! How on earth can you think that's right?!"

"Hmph, then I suppose working with homicidal maniacs runs in the family, then?" Yukari snarled. "Don't act as if you're any different! Hell, in fact, you're even worse! You helped enslave an entire race and forced them to fight to the death for the entertainment of a psychopath!"

The tension began to calm a bit. "How many people died because of the Sekirei Plan?! How many lives has Minaka torn apart?! Say what you want about Jigsaw, but at least HE goes after people who actually deserve it. Minaka went into this knowing full well that there would be casualties, but he didn't give a shit about any of the innocent lives that would be lost! He could have simply let all the Sekirei go find their Ashikabi and live in peace without any battle plan, but NO! He wanted to watch these creatures tear each other limb from limb for his sadistic entertainment, and you helped him put it all together!"

Slumping her shoulders, Takami hung her head with a heavy sigh. She hunched over the table, eyeing the truth puzzle she tore her flesh to create.

A moment of silence passed, and then she spoke. "And you don't think I'm ashamed of myself for it…Yukari?"

She raised her head to glance at her fuming daughter. "Minaka is by all purposes…a genius. There is no denying that. I knew the Sekirei Plan would come to fruition with or without my help; he's dedicated to it more than his own health. If he didn't have someone watching him…someone there to make sure things didn't get too out of hand…things would be far worse. That's why I stayed; why I'm in charge of the plan. Someone needs to keep that maniac under control…and considering I was his wife…I knew I had to be the one to do it; not just for your sake, but for everyone's sake."

"Don't pin the blame of every tragic event that's happened on that slime ball, mother," Yukari said. "You yourself made a decision that cost Minato something far greater than his life; his happiness."

The Sahashi matron became confused. "Yukari, what are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb, mom. You know exactly what I'm talking about," was the vicious reply. "Kusano is dead because of you."

"I am aware of what happened between her and Karasuba, but I had absolutely nothing to do with it, Yukari!"

"Well, that's not what Karasuba said…"

~o~O~o~

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

The One They Call Mathis wrapped his wiry masculine arms around the pretty boy's small frame as he motioned to charge at The Black Sekirei.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Shiina shouted again, his hatred burning away any rational thought as he squirmed in vain. The One They Call Mathis only continued to tighten his vice-like grip.

The marks of rebirth scraped into Karasuba's visage gave Yukari an 'I just shit myself' expression. She could hardly breathe.

"Gordon," she began, horrified and shaking. "what the hell is…she doing here?!"

Dr. Gordon looked just as surprised as they did, if not more so (well, except for Shiina, of course).

"Oh, I just came by to welcome our new initiates," the Black Feather began, withdrawing her blade. "How long has it been since I last saw you two? Three months?" She started to cackle as she twirled the flesh-craving steel in the light, enraging the scorned Shiina even further.

"LET ME GO!" The Death Sekirei shouted.

Tears now rolling down his face, he focused his threats back at Karasuba, arms pinched to his sides. "I'LL REDUCE YOU TO NOTHING BUT DUST, YOU FUCKING BITCH! GAHHHHHHH!"

Her grin intensified at his screaming, opening her wounds to resemble the gills of a slaughtered salmon. "Oh my, someone's cranky," she mocked. "Is it my new look?"

"Karasuba!" Dr. Gordon addressed. "I thought we had a deal!"

He went on. "You promised not to make your presence known until I told you they were settled and ready!"

"You knew about this?!" Yukari interrupted.

"Hmph," the raven scoffed. "Last I checked, the only person I have to answer to is John…"

"GET OFF ME!" The ferocious Shiina squirmed more. "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO KUSANO! YOU MONSTER!"

Karasuba paid the mourning Shiina little mind. "My, how flattering."

"Please Shiina, stop!" his mistress begged. "She'll kill you!"

"Without effort at that," Karasuba added, a glazed film encrusting in her slanted gaze. "Unfortunately, John has forbidden me from doing such." She sighed. "Sad really. It pains me not being able to reunite you with your beloved sister…"

"Karasuba, please!" Dr. Gordon demanded.

"Oh relax, doctor," she said. "That rule applies to them as well."

"Doctor, what the hell is she talking about?!" Yukari asked as she tried calming the reaper's blazing temperament. "Calm down Shiina! Please!"

"LET GO OF ME! GET OFF!"

"Oh, I assumed they told you by now," the Black Sekirei said. "There is to be no fighting amongst us, for if either of us lay a hand on one another, we'll lose any chance to regain what we're fighting for."

She tilted her head to them, smirking. "In other words, if you so much as lay a hand on me or anyone else without John's approval, your brother will never draw breath again."

Yukari's eyes became watery. "You…"

"I'LL FU-" Shiina began to slur his words. "I'LL FUCKING-"

"Shiina!" Yukari called out to him. "Are you all right? Talk to me!"

Shiina felt as though the world was spinning around him. No, not spinning-flipping upside down. He felt sick, he felt afraid, he felt angry; he felt a whole lot of things! And it was taking a toll on his consciousness. He heard voices around him, though he could not, at the moment, tell who they belonged to, even though he should have. Memories flashed through him, and he didn't know why: he saw Kusano, his adorable little sister, smiling at him and jumping into his arms; he saw the same adorable little girl get cut down by Karasuba, a look of shock on her innocent face as the cruel blade and its even crueler wielder ended her life with orgasmic pleasure. Tears rolling down his face, Shiina's body went limp in the hired muscle's tight grip, and consciousness finally left him altogether.

"Oh no, Shiina!" she expressed. She shook him. "Shiina!"

The One They Call Mathis loosened his grip, letting the pretty boy fall into his Ashikabi's arms.

Karasuba let out a loud, cackling laugh. "Was it something I said?"

Tears cascaded down Yukari's visage as she turned back to her, teeth grit. She didn't say anything, she couldn't say anything. Instead she lifted the Sekirei's small frame into her arms and laid him on the bed.

"Get out of here!" Dr. Gordon shouted. "The two of them have been through enough already!"

Offering the doctor a cold glare, she shrugged her shoulders. "Hmph, It's not my problem the Sahashi girl has such a weak Sekirei."

"Shiina is not weak!" she shouted. "His body was already weakened by what we had to go through today! He damn near went into hypothermia!"

She laughed again. "So the Reaper himself falls from a drop in temperature. Pathetic." She paused. "But not as pathetic as your worthless brother."

"Don't you DARE talk about Minato like that!" Yukari wanted to charge at the woman, but used all her strength to hold herself back. She didn't dare risk her brother's life. Ironically if Karasuba hadn't informed her of the 'touching' rule, Minato would have been dead by now. She inadvertently saved his life.

"Yes, just sit there like a good little pet," the raven mocked, taking steps towards her. "Wouldn't want my efforts lugging the boy's unconscious body half way across the capital to be wasted, right?"

"So it was you?" the demon Ashikabi whispered. "You brought him here."

"Enough, Karasuba!" Dr. Gordon begged.

The hired muscle crossed his arms as Karasuba approached the death Sekirei's bedside. He simply observed the Black Sekirei stare down into Yukari's teary gaze.

Karasuba pointed at a splotch of blood on her cloak. "Do you see this stain?"

Yukari stayed silent.

Karasuba continued. "I kept it as a memento…from that day."

Yukari's stomach turned. "You're detestable."

The Black Sekirei's eyes narrowed. "How kind of you."

She leaned in closer, her stare widened to something more psychotic. "#108's demise was inevitable. She was frail, weak…and too soft." She inhaled an orgasmic breath; her pupils dilating with the exhale. "Oh, was she soft…"

"How could you be so cruel?"

"A Sekirei's destiny lies in bloodshed. Only the strong can survive, and the weak are all but useless; their only purpose being that of meat puppets to be cut down."

The Black Feather tainted more of the air with her crowing. "Speaking of which, nice job chiseling out the heart of The Ashikabi of the South."

"You saw that?"

"Indeed." Her smile grew, if such a thing were possible. "I was standing right next to my Ashikabi and we watched your little scuffle together. The blood. The tears. The sorrow! The hopelessness! It was all so…stimulating. John certainly knows how to provide quality entertainment for a lady…even if it isn't intentional."

"You actually got off to that? " The demon weakly whimpered. "You have no soul…"

~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~

John to Karasuba: "I'll give you…a tool…to discard the vices which have so corrupted your soul."

~o~O~o~

Karasuba scoffed. "I don't have a fucking soul." She pulled away, whisking her cloak into the air as she turned around and walked out of the doorway. "I believe this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Leaving a moping Yukari behind, The Raven Feather recalled an unmentioned detail. She halted her steps at the archway, not even motioning to look at the ridiculed demon again. "Oh, and be sure to give your mother my regards next time you see her. I've yet the chance to properly thank her for offering me such…" she exhaled an orgasmic sigh. "…easy prey."

A stunned expression flooded Yukari's facial features as the Black Sekirei left the room, and disappeared down the hallway…


"You actually believe what Karasuba said, Yukari?!" Takami expressed. "She's playing mind games with you! I would never do such a thing!"

Yukari reared her head back. "All the cards are stacked against you, and still you lie."

"I'm not lying!" she shouted, trying to desperately reason with her daughter.

Yukari tilted her head to her shoulder. "Oh really?"

The Demon Ashikabi reached into her shoulder-slung bag, extracting a manila folder.

She flicked it on the table. "Then what the fuck is this?"

~o~O~o~

A livid Yukari Sahashi stormed into John Kramer's workshop. "What the hell is she doing here?!"

"That depends," John said, unphased as he rotated away from the monitor feeds in his swivel chair, and proceeded to read through the contents of the folder he was holding. He peered over the classified document. "Just who do you mean by 'she'?"

"You know DAMN right well who I mean, John; or 'Ashikabi' as she calls you!"

~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~

John to Karasuba: "Do not. Call. Me that."

~o~O~o~

"I see." He set the folder back down to the desk. John leaned in, lacing his fingers together over the document. "Doctor Gordon was supposed to take care of that small issue. I sincerely apologize for any hardship that beastly woman may have forced you to relive."

"All right, cut the bullshit!" Yukari demanded. "You have some explaining to do, right now! Just why the FUCK are we working with Kusano's killer, and why didn't you tell us?!"

"The severity of your anger is more than understandable, Miss Sahashi," John sympathized. "Rest assured, we had every intention of telling you of the presence of MBI's dog, though we wanted to ensure you were both settled first."

"Settled?! You're using Minato to blackmail us into helping you! There is no way we would feel any semblance of comfort here!"

"Ah, but were you not relieved to see that your brother was alive and breathing?" he questioned. "I'm sure that put your troubled mind at rest somewhat."

"I would hardly call that being alive!" she argued. "He's fucking comatose!"

"It is true he is incapable of speaking to you in that state, but Minato does, in fact rest among the living…which is what I promised. I said you can see him anytime you wish. He is your brother, after all."

"Sure, he's still breathing now, but what happens when you no longer have a use for us?!" She wheezed. "I'm sure you'll have that fucking sword wielding gore-hound cut him down just like she did Kusano, wouldn't you?! WOULDN'T YOU?!"

John rose from his seat, stepping out from his desk.

"Come with me." he said, pushing in his chair. "I would like to show you something…A token of my sympathy."

"You've done enough, John! I'm going back to be with my brother and Sekirei." She started to back up. "Now if you excuse me- unph!"

Before the Demon Ashikabi could turn around, something reminiscent of a brick wall halted her movement. She looked up, yet again meeting the beady little eyes of the pig mask dawned by The One They Call Mathis.

The startled Yukari jumped back on instinct and lost her footing, falling back onto her rear. She pulled herself away from John's hired muscle, and peered back at John himself.

"Was he watching us this entire time?!"

"He was here before you stormed in."

"How the hell did he get here before I did?!"

"He…FOUND…a way," John snorted. "What I'm about to show you is quite important, and I doubt Mr. Mathis will allow you exit before I have the chance to show it to you."

"R-right," she stuttered. "What exactly do you need to show me?"

"You'll see." He motioned to the hired muscle. "Mr. Mathis, would you be so kind as to help our new family member to her feet?"

"What?!" The now shocked Yukari shrieked.

The One They Call Mathis nodded at his aging superior's command. Before the Demon Ashikabi could even think, he pinched her temples with his thumb and pinky, dead lifting her by the head with one arm. Before the moment could even register, she was already on her feet and facing toward John. She had the urge to do 'you know what' again, but given the bruise on her leg from before, she realized her trump card was going to do more harm to her than good.

She glanced up at him briefly. "Uh, heheh…um, thanks."

He simply nudged his chin towards John, and she more than willingly heeded his gesture.

"Come, Yukari," John said.

She followed the eerily calm elder; The One They Call Mathis stood guard by the door. They approached the blood-soaked chair and knives she had seen upon arrival, standing on opposite ends. She tried focusing more on Jigsaw, as the gory scene reminded her too much of the struggle she had with Mikogami, as well as the aftermath of Kusano's demise. It made her sick just thinking about it.

"You have seen the relatively fresh scars on Karasuba's face, correct?"

"Um, ye-yeah…" She swallowed. "Is this-"

"It is as it seems."

"You mean-"

"I tested her?" he interrupted. "Indeed; just yesterday in fact."

Jigsaw now had Yukari's full, unbridled attention. Just how was this man able to subdue such a major player in the Sekirei Plan, let alone the Black Sekirei, head of MBI's Discipline Squad?…

John 's charisma continued to ooze into her psyche. "Having been responsible for not only the demise of #108, an innocent child, but also that of countless other lives as well, both of human and Sekirei descent, she needed to realize the severity of her actions and be tested accordingly. As much as it pains me to work beside such a filthy creature, Karasuba's assistance is vital in ending the Sekirei Plan; but I also needed to keep MBI's dog under control with a leash of sorts."

On cue, the television monitor behind John blares to prominence, taking the Demon Ashikabi by surprise and making the already uneasy contents in her stomach vibrate and jump. On screen, Natsuo Ichinomi was shown still grafted to the elevator, looking ten times worse than he did the previous day when MBI's dog was tested positive for rabies.

John's gaze diverted from the monitor and back to Yukari's, who now had her hands cupped over her mouth in shock.

"The man before you on the TV is the leash; Natsuo Ichinomi, Ashikabi of the Discipline Squad. His life and freedom depends on Karasuba's cooperation, for if he were to die, she would as well."

~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~

Karasuba to Jigsaw: "You do realize I could have my freedom back whenever I choose, right? As a matter of fact…"

*BZZZT!

~o~O~o~

Swallowing, Yukari stayed silent, and allowed the man to continue.

He rested his rough palms on the chair's armrest. "The device we are standing before could have been escaped without effort if the leash was not put in place to subdue the animal, but don't think the decision to incorporate her Ashikabi in the game wasn't taken lightly. Mr. Ichinomi is a cold individual. After the demise of his male lover, he has condemned the world and everyone in it. His callous hatred for humanity has led to not only the stability of the Sekirei Plan, but the neglect and lack of appreciation of all those whom care for him as well, including his own Sekirei; Benitsubasa in particular…"

~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~

"…those who do not appreciate life, do not deserve life…"

~o~O~o~

"…said neglect reinforced a proliferating bitterness in her otherwise tender heart. I will deal with her in time. Hopefully it isn't too late to show that little bird there are actually people who care."

This was almost too much for Yukari to take in at once. But as her reasoning stewed within, she realized just how fortunate she and her brother were. John could have easily put Minato in the same situation that Natsuo was in, and used it to blackmail and scar her even further. But Minato hadn't done anything as cruel or deceitful deserving of such a fate…in John's eyes at least. She could even see her brother, embrace him as he slept. Karasuba had no such luxury, and she didn't fucking deserve it either. Not her or her neglectful Ashikabi.

The gore-splattered knives now drew out a pang of morbid satisfaction from her. As much as the sight of all that blood made her queasy, just knowing that the bitch suffered for her crimes and her beauty was carved away forever in penance for killing Kusano made Yukari smile on the inside. Said smile grew bigger knowing she had to follow orders or else her life would be put to an abrupt and well deserved end. Perhaps John wasn't all bad after all…

But that still left one question lingering on her mind.

"Given how Karasuba referred to you as her Ashikabi, and how little the game actually affected her outlook on things, I have to assume there is another element keeping MBI's dog in check, correct?"

He nodded. "I promised to reunite her with an old friend…an old friend she'll never be able to see again without my assistance…and her cooperation."

"Someone she has a score to settle against, I assume?"

"Among other things."

"Other things you're probably not going to tell me about, I guess?"

"All that's important is that Karasuba is working with us whether she likes it or not, and precautions have been taken to ensure it stays that way."

"Is there anything else that you may deem 'important' for me to know?" she questioned.

"Quite," he exhaled. "Tell me, Yukari, has your mother ever elaborated on what her occupation was?"

XXXXXX

The Raven Feather stood atop John's lair, gazing into the dusk sky as the sun faded beneath the city's landscape. It was fun spoiling the Sahashi girl's reunion, though the intense gravity of the black hole in her chest no one would dare call a heart bartered her the belief that things would only get more fun from here on out. It was at times like this, Karasuba would sweep the streets below in search of more potential targets; virgin blood that had yet felt the sting of her carnivorous nodachi. So many little cherries just waiting to be popped…yet she couldn't do anything about it. Shame.

In spite of bearing the title of MBI's dog, it was only yesterday that she felt what a leash truly felt like. John was able to tame her…for now. It was strange holding back her murderous desires. But sacrifices needed to be made. He WAS her Ashikabi after all. Natsuo may have winged her, but he was but a puppet in her eyes, a simple pawn.

#04 slid her fingertips down her cheek, savoring each moment they glided over the soldered gills, like plucking the strings of a guitar. He can never hope to leave his mark…the way John did.

She then leapt from rooftop to rooftop, cackling as her silhouette eventually disappeared into the night. Although the sun had set, Yume's return was on the horizon…and she would kill to see her again.

XXXXXX

Yukari jumped back at John's statement. Given Minato's presence as well as her own, she knew exactly what this meant. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize what John was about to segue into. "Don't you dare drag my mother into this!"

"Oh, but Yukari," John began. "Miss Takami was the one who dragged herself into this; not me. From her lies and deceit, she put your lives, as well as every life in the capital at risk."

"What are you talking about?" Yukari knew her mother was secretive, but what could she have done to capture Jigsaw's attention? Well, despite being a Sahashi, of course.

"You know your mother works for MBI, correct?"

"I do," she answered. "I kinda found out by accident when I was a kid."

"But do you know the specifics of her occupation?"

Those words made Yukari's mind backtrack. "Come to think of it…no." Something told her she wasn't going to enjoy what Jigsaw had to say.

John shook his head. "So many years of living in the dark…to finally be exposed to the light of truth will be excruciating."

"Just what the hell are you talking about?! What do you want with my mother?! What did she do?!"

John let out a hallow exhale. "Everything."

He gestures to the barstool and countertop behind the knife chair 2.0. "Please, have a seat. What I am about to show you will be rather…difficult to absorb."

She did as asked, and planted her posterior onto the leather stool.

She crossed her dangling legs, watching her captor walk behind the counter she was seated before. He knelt down to a filing cabinet, pulling open the second to last drawer. The entire thing was loaded, but he had no quarrel finding the file he needed. Well he's organized, I'll give him that much, she thought.

File in hand, John cocked his cold gaze over his shoulder. "Before I show you this, there are a few details I need to elaborate on."

She would have none of it. "What's in the file?"

"Evidence."

"Evidence regarding what?"

"Evidence revolving around your mother's careless decisions involving the Sekirei Plan's participants."

"Wait," she paused. "Are you saying my mother is involved in the Sekirei Plan?"

"More than involved, Yukari," John answered. "Your mother is a very high-ranking MBI scientist, only outranked by The Game Master himself."

"Wow…" she stammered. "I knew mom's job had to be of great importance, given how often she's been away on business, but damn." Then again, she was Minaka's wife at one point, so maybe the high rank is The Game Master's way of trying to bribe himself back into bed with her.

"There is more to it, Yukari," he revealed. "You're mother isn't just involved in the Sekirei Plan. She IS the Sekirei Plan"

The Sahashi girl read through the lines. "I take it that you mean she's in charge of it; or Minaka gave her the responsibility?"

John nodded.

She presented her hand, gesturing him to hand her the evidence with the curl of her fingers. "I'll believe it when I see it."

XXXXXX

Yukari flipped through the evidence, trying to be as thorough as possible. Some of the things present were hard to look at, but she knew there would be no sense getting worked up over it all if it were simply a sick attempt at blackmail. It could have been forged for all she knew, but the more she skimmed, the more accurate and spot-on the information became. She was dumbfounded. Not only were there implications of her mother's family life, but the lives of her children as well. The information here was too personal to have been faked. It was something only MBI would have access to. Something her mother had to have archived.

"Your mother is one of the heads of MBI, Yukari," John said calmly as her wide-eyed glare grazed over the text. "She is also the head and overseer of the Sekirei Plan itself."

"B-but…she said she worked for a medical c-company," Yukari said, tilting her head.

"MBI is a medical company," John said. A part of him wanted to criticize her for not noticing that, but that would be rude, and knowing Takami, she probably would have found a way to trick her kids into thinking she worked for a different medical company if they ever got suspicious.

"Takami was with Minaka when he found the Sekirei ship," John continued, taking out a small manila folder and opening it. "She was in on it from the start." He handed another folder to Yukari, who reached into it and pulled out several photos. "She oversaw everything, from monitoring Sekirei once they found their Ashikabi to picking up the bodies of any terminated Sekirei…including #108."

"No…no," Yukari insisted as she looked at the photos, many having Takami in them. One photo made her cringe severely. Takami, a cigarette in her mouth and a sour look on her face, was standing next to a man-an MBI soldier, judging by his uniform-who had something small tucked under his left arm. No, not something; someone! A little girl with long blonde hair, though it was matted with blood. It was Kusano.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the 'Demon' Ashikabi as she beheld the photo that exposed the truth. John looked at her pityingly, and motioned his hired muscle to approach. He slipped an SD card out from under his thick garbs and handed it to his aging superior.

"This was taken on the night when a fight on a bridge occurred between the Discipline Squad and an escaping Ashikabi and his Sekirei," he said. "I believe you should take a look at it, as nothing can further describe my motivations behind ending the Sekirei Plan than this."

Looking away from the photos, Yukari shook her head. "No," she whispered tearfully. "I-I believe you." She sniffed, then added, "Why would mom lie like this? Why?"

He grabbed her attention. "Yukari, look at me," he stated. "This is something you have to see. To fully understand why your mother must be tested."

Her head slumped into her hands, her breathing became more off pattern and jumpy. "F-fine," she said. "Show me it."

"Let me see your iPhone."

"Okay." She extracted her phone and handed it to John.

He inserted the card, and fiddled with the touch screen. He handed the phone back as the video begins to buffer.

XXXXXX

The video had finally finished. Yukari could barely breathe. Her teary, wide-eyed expression twitched as the phone slipped from her grasp and onto the floor, the SD card ejecting on impact.

"Minato…why?"

"As you can clearly see from the footage Dr. Gordon had taken from that night, the Sekirei Plan has brought you and your brother nothing but sorrow, and your mother took part in putting it all together."

"I can't believe this," Yukari stated, still shaken. "Minato never did anything to hurt anybody!"

"You were wronged, Yukari. Would you like answers?"

Yukari looked at the man and, after a moment's hesitation, nodded. "Yes," she whispered, but with conviction. "I want to know why she did this."

"Very well." Bending his knees, John rose from his seat. "Then there is one more thing I must show you."

He turned his attention to his hired muscle. They nodded to each other. The One They Call Mathis extracted one more manila folder from his robe, and slapped it on the table before Yukari's eyes and trudged out of the room without a word.

The Demon Ashikabi flipped the document open, eyes drifting thoroughly through the information. It was a tournament bracket of sorts. It was a few months old, as many of the participants on the card had been terminated by this point. A red circle supposedly marked by Jigsaw encircled the match-up-–if you could call it that-between #04, Karasuba, and #108, Kusano .

She took a brief glance at John. "What is this?"

"The documents you now hold are the final renditions of the Sekirei Plan's tournament bracket," he said. "Everything you see there had been looked over AND APPROVED by the Sekirei Plan's head observer."

"N-No way!" Yukari said as her speak staggered briefly. "The-there's no way mom would ever agree to put Kusano against that monster! There is just no way!"

She looked at the bracket again, and sure enough, her mother's signature was right there at the bottom, in her own writing.

~o~O~o~ x ~o~O~o~

Karasuba to Yukari: "Oh, and be sure to give your mother my regards next time you see her. I've yet the chance to properly thank her for offering me such…" she exhaled an orgasmic sigh. "…easy prey."

~o~O~o~

"I'm afraid it's true Yukari," a disheartened John lamented in a stoic tone. "Before it was signed, your mother had every opportunity to make changes in any way she deemed fit…but didn't."

"Then that means she's…responsible for everything." She wept as she wheezed. "And willingly put these events in motion…"

Her chest began to heave in and out as the emotions took over, their intensity clamoring past climax with every syllable. "God, Minato…how could mom do this to you? To us?! To Kusano?! TO EVERYONE?!"

Jigsaw reached out to the grieving Demon Ashikabi and gently clasped his rough palm on her shoulder as the tears dripping from her drenched visage soaked Ku's innocent mug shot; their warmth causing the red ink to run down her bubbly face.

He spoke the ultimatum as her teary gaze met his smooth complexion. "How much trauma must be inflicted to get to the truth, Yukari? Make your choice…"


"S-signed and approved by Taka-"

Yukari tightened her grip on her mother's hair, yanking back and staring daggers into her visage. "Signed and approved by WHO, mother?!" She forced her head back towards the document, nearly slamming her head into the desk again. Yukari was in a whole other world now. The Demon Ashikabi finally WAS. "Who's signature is it?!" She snarled.

"S-signed a-and approved by…T-Takami Sahashi… MBI lead researcher and head observer of the Sekirei Plan."

Yukari released her grasp on the matron's lock of hair. "You sent Kusano to her death!"

"Please Yukari!" The Sahashi Matron pleaded. "Let me explain!"

Her daughter would have none of it. "What's there to explain mother?! The proof is right there in the folder! You have no fucking excuses!"

"Yukari, you listen to me!" Takami's visage distorted into that of a hannya mask, its glowing silver eyes staring daggers directly into her so-

*SLAP!

The Demon Ashikabi's backhand slapped the mask right off her mother's face. It faded to nothing as it fell to the concrete floor.

Takami grazed a palm on the newly deformed welt on her cheek, taking in what had just happened. The silence was so deafening, the vibrations the slap made continued to echo for what seemed an eternity.

The moment passed, and Yukari finally spoke, her voice now having a much more serious and tearfully heartfelt demeanor. "How dare you think that trick would work on me at a time like this."

Her mother stayed quiet, taking only shallow breaths. All she could do was rub her cherry-red cheek.

"Just who the fuck do you take me for? How submissive do you think I am?" she went on. "I can understand you being away on business, I can forgive you not being there for us, I can sympathize with wanting to keep Minaka under control…" The tension in her fists intensified as she clawed her nails into her own palms. "But approving the death sentence of an innocent child…UNFORGIVABLE!"

"Yukari…I understand why you're upset but-"

"BULLSHIT!" she snapped. "YOU DIDN'T SEE THE BLOOD! YOU DIDN'T SEE WHAT SHE FUCKING DID TO HER!"

After a few huffs of blind rage, Yukari continued. "Right before Minato's eyes Ku was murdered and he hasn't been the same since! That girl called him "onii-chan" mother! MINATO WAS HER FUCKING ONII-CHAN AND SHE WAS SLAUGHTERED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

Takami was shaking at this point. Her nerves were shot. "I KNOW!"

Yukari went on. "I've been living at Maison Isumo since the incident, trying my best to be a much needed emotional support for Minato, and where the fuck were you?! Sucking the game master's cock?!"

Takami couldn't say much of anything at this point. Her thoughts were scrambled. "I didn't want this."

"Neither did Minato. You mean nothing to me anymore, mother. Minato did your job for you. He was my care giver, and was there for me all the way while you were off enslaving a race for some crackpot maniac. You are a terrible mother."

Takami hung her head in shame.

"Despite everything you did, you got off lucky with this test. All you needed to do was tell the truth for once in your life, and you failed. Shiina nearly froze to death, and I…had to kill somebody to save him."

"You did what?!" Takami wasn't expecting this.

"Mikogami tried to kill Shiina after he nearly froze to death trying to save him. I retaliated with fatal results…yet another thing that could have been avoided if you hadn't helped Minaka launch the Sekirei Plan to begin with." Yukari began to get more choked up. "Because those are the lengths I will go to in order to protect the ones I love."

"Yukari…"

"I want him back."

"What?"

The Demon Ashikabi's blood reached its boiling point. "I SAID I WANT HIM BACK!"

Yukari leapt onto her mother, tackling her to the ground. All sanity left her eyes. She grasped the Sahashi matron's neck, and dug her nails into the flesh.

"I WANT HIM BACK! I WANT HIM BACK! GIVE ME MY MINATO BACK!" she cried, slamming the back of her mother's cranium into the concrete again and again.

The One They Call Mathis immediately trudged to action, rushing over, and dragged the enraged Yukari off of the MBI head researcher. She screamed and cried incoherently as she struggled for freedom.

Takami regained her bearing's, and gasped for breath. "You…let go…of my daughter…this instant!"

She pulled herself back to the table.

Yukari's body began to exhaust itself. Mathis let her go, and she dropped to her knees.

Takami looked on as her daughter cried her eyes out and finally spoke her piece.

"Yukari…let me explain." Her mother took a deep breath. "I…tried to prevent Kusano from meeting such an awful fate. While I was planning the brackets for the tournament, I did my best to match Kusano up with the most fair competition. I originally wanted her to face #106, Shijime, as they were of similar age…but after she passed away in a bicycle accident involving her Ashikabi's reckless driving, I was forced to find another opponent for her to face."

She sighed as she continued. "Unfortunately, it had slipped my mind that a rule was set in place, stating that the Ashikabi with the most Sekirei would have to face at least on member of the Discipline Squad, and since Minato's other Sekirei were locked in against their opponents, and Benitsubasa and Haihane were locked in with theirs, that only left me one option…"

She went on with the story. "I begged Minaka to allow me to make the changes…"

~o~O~o~

"Minaka, please!" Takami pleaded. "Kusano doesn't stand a stand a snowball's chance in hell against the Black Sekirei! I beg you, allow me to substitute Kusano with one of the others!"

"And miss out on this fantastic opportunity for emotional drama?!" The Game Master reiterated. "Dear Takami, you of all people should know the potential the green girl has. You and I would be fools to let a chance to unsheathe her true strength slip by!"

"Dammit Minaka, don't do this!"

He wasn't even listening to her at this point. "I shall look forward to this contest with a great deal of interest! I'll see to it that the battle takes place in three days time!"

Takami scowled at her former husband as he cackled his demented homicidal pleasure. "Damn you, Minaka."


"When I realized my attempts at talking sense into Minaka were futile, I confronted the Black Sekirei herself."

~o~O~o~

The Black Sekirei smirked as the Sahashi Matron groveled at her feet, begging for mercy.

"Karasuba, I beg you, please don't make her suffer. End it quickly"

"Very well."


"But I wasn't specific enough in my request…and as opposed to simply terminating Ku, she murdered her in cold blood." She was getting more and more choked up. "I fucked up…Yukari, I am so sorry."

As mother and daughter stared into each other's broken spirits, one of the observing swine figures removes their mask. He steps into the light revealing himself to be John. He looks at both subjects simultaneously, taking in their raw emotion, then focuses solely on Yukari.

"We have succeeded in our quest for truth, Yukari," he said. "Now your mother's ultimate fate rests in your hands…"

John slowly paced back and forth between mother and daughter, never breaking eye contact with the latter as he went about his briefing. "The woman before us has lived a life of deceit, lies, and treachery. In her efforts to protect you and your brother, she blinded you to the truth, and in turn caused more harm than good as a result. She took part in the enslavement of an entire race, put countless lives at risk, which inadvertently led to the demise of an innocent child at the hands of a cold-blooded psychopath…"

"But even in our darkest of hours…" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a key. "There is a chance for redemption."

"The key I hold in my hand will release your mother from her shackle, and grant her a new beginning…if you deem her worthy of such a luxury. Alternatively, the three of us may simply leave and seal the door behind us, leaving her to rot."

"Will Takami live or die?" He hands her the key. "Make your choice, Yukari."

She stared at the key for a long moment, and then heard her mother speak.

"If you let me go…I promise to help you," she coughed. "I will do everything in my power to put an end to the Sekirei Plan, and revive the terminated Sekirei. Please…let me join you…"

The Demon Ashikabi's thoughts were spinning. Was she worthy of forgiveness? Would forgiving her mother prove to be a mistake? Her mother's lies led to her damnation; she had no one to blame but herself…but what of her knowledge? Leaving her would be scrapping a valuable asset. The trauma she endured made her desire freedom for her redemption and who better to put an end to the Sekirei Plan than the one who put it together in the first place.

All Yukari could focus on was the truth, lies, redemption, and damnation.

Truth, lies, redemption damnation, truth, lies, redemption, damnation.

Truth. Lies. Redemption. Damnation. Truth. Lies. Redemption. Damnation.

Truth! Lies! Redemption! Damnation! Truth! Lies! Redemption! Damnation! Truth! Lies! Redemption! Damnation! Truth! Lies! Redemption! Damnation!

TRUTH!LIES!REDEMPTION!DAMNATION! TRUTH!LIES!REDEMPTION!DAMNATION! TRUTH!LIES!REDEMPTION!DAMNATION! TRUTH!LIES!REDEMPTION!DAMNATION! TRUTH!LIES!REDEMPTION!DAMNATION!

KFKAKDJGHDKJGNAJRHASNJGNAILNGKJRNJNDFJGAJDNFJASKJG BZXKJBKJANGJLNFJGAKJFGJLDFNJGNAJRNGJN,JGASDFJNVJFG ZHNF,JGNARGAJNBRGABJGNERLGNLSTBKLNFGKLNRGNARGNKLFN GKALGNERKLGNARNGKLAFGLJSNTJAHIJTNEILGTKLNJLNFGIKNJ RLGNSLGNALNLKJNGLRNGLSERLGTNERLGHLARNGLERGO!

~o~O~o~

Yukari to Mikogami: "I hate your guts but I will not kill you. My brother would help you, and so will I…"


The daughter staggered to her feet, and approached her mother. She knelt down to the shackle, but before inserting the key, she looked her in the eye. "Don't get the wrong idea about this, mother. I'm not letting you go because I can forgive you…I'm doing it because Minato wouldn't be able to forgive me if I didn't."

She inserted the key. The tumbler clicked. Her mother was free. "Thank you, Yukari. I give you my word, Minaka will be stopped."

"We'll see, mother." She motioned to exit the room. She glanced over her shoulder. "But as of now, you're dead to me. Let's go."


A/N:

Phen0m20: At long last this chapter is finally done. I know the whole "tournament bracket" plot element isn't canon, but keep in mind that this fic was outlined a year ago, before the chapters delving into that issue were released. Plus I needed to somehow connect Takami to Ku's untimely death, and a technical fuck up with the tournament bracket seemed to be the most logical route to take at the time.

Anyway, Yukari always gave off this brother-complex vibe when she was around Minato, and I always wondered how she would react if someone close to her would wrong him in some horrible way; and given that she's the Demon Ashikabi, psychopathic rage is the conclusion I came to.

Here are some comments from my co-authors:

Pyromania101: "I know there wasn't much action, but you people better appreciate this! R&R"

The Clown King Of Chaos: " As I mentioned, i didn't have much impact or input on this particular installment, but it was not that much a deal towards me since I had other things to occupy my twisted mind with. See, I, apparently unlike my two friends here, also try to focus on solo works and projects, so actually i've been killing my energy levels lately. See you next time...
*Laughs evilly while sharpening knife*"

Phen0m20: In conclusion, I'm happy with the way this chapter turned out. Join us next time when we rejoin Minato and Benitsu in their ongoing vendetta. Take care gaiz!