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:
In case anyone is wondering; yes, the title is a Slayer reference.
I was originally going to update my Veil of Passion story before this, but my editor for that story has been off the radar for a while so I figured I'd tackle an update for this.
I'll say this right now, if you're a huge fan of Miya, you're not going to like this chapter. You just aren't. Some people look at her as a wise, nurturing, and motherly figure while others see her as a hubris-spouting, condescending, delusional she-devil who let her strength delude her into thinking she's some kind of goddess.
Guess which category I fall under?
But enough of my ranting. During our absence we've managed to get another writer on board with the story, and it's none other than the author of Crimson Wings; Firefly567. If you haven't already checked out his story, I highly suggest you do so.
I think it's also worth mentioning that I've written a new story under the Queen's Blade category. It hasn't gotten much feedback yet, so I figured I'd pitch it here. It's a crossover with Brutal Legend which showcases hot warrior chicks in a world inspired by hard rock and heavy metal; a match made in heaven if you ask me. It's also the raunchiest thing I've ever written, so if that tickles your fancy give it a gander.
Pyromania101:
"...I've been looking forward to this. (Evil chuckle)"
The Clown King Of Chaos:
"I offered very little to this, but I ain't ashamed of it. I don't do intense very well. But what I did present to Phen0m, we kinda edited it in a major fashion."
Firefly567:
Hello, everyone! It's an honor to be working on this story along such other talented writers. I didn't have much to contribute to this chapter outside of edits, but I hope to do more in the future.
Altar of Sacrilege
4 days prior to Minato's trials…
The Landlady's violet brows descended into an angry arc as the demon doll spoke in it's trademark dry voice.
"You believe yourself to be a goddess. A deity for lesser mortals to worship and obey in turn for mercy and salvation. This being the case, I constructed this Cathedral especially for you- a self-proclaimed goddess made flesh. However, I see you as no more than a delusional tyrant blinded by bitterness. As a Christian, I myself worship divinity; a savior, the father, son, and holy spirit. You, on the other side of the coin, put more pride and value over needless possessions as opposed to the lives of the very race you were tasked with preserving and nurturing. Look below you, Miya. All the proof you need is right here in front of you."
The self-proclaimed 'goddess' looked down and gasped. Seated before the throne in her personal place of worship, images of the past looked on. Every terminated and deceased Sekirei offered the god who failed them cold, dead stares and permanent simpers. Among them were Kusano and Uzume, whom were seated in the front row. The detail on them was...extraordinary. Both of them were designed exactly how they looked before they died; hair, clothes, everything. Uzume had a large puncture wound through her chest, while the deep, long red streak inflicted by Karasuba's nodachi blade scraped diagonally down Kuu's petite body.
This angered Miya, but for some reason she continued to listen.
"As you sit high atop your pedestal, look at all of those you have failed. Out of the 108 Sekirei in existence, an overwhelming majority are now dead or terminated, two of whomwere tenants at your inn. Even as the ones fortunate enough to survive fought to protect you and the grounds you walk against Higa during his ambush, did you chose to inspire them? No. You chose to sit idly by and smile while scolding them for letting your home get damaged, instead of assisting with the battle.How like a protective goddess…"
Miya gritted her teeth at the puppet's words. How dare it say such things! She was the goddess of the Sekirei, and her word was law at Izumo Inn! She had done nothing wrong! She had simply used strict discipline to keep order within the walls of her house, and her late husband would have congratulated her for it had he been alive! This creature made her think of the way Homura had snapped at her during the failed escape attempt. Speaking of Homura, she had yet to decide how to punish him for his disobedience. Well, she'd get to that as soon as she was out of here.
"The device wrapped around your throat is a garrote. It is made of the strongest substance known to man; carbon nanotubes. A normal human could never wish to break such a strong-bonded substance, but you are a goddess among Sekirei. Withlittle effort, you should be capable of freeing yourself...However, I would advise against this."
She wasn't even listening to him at this point. His words just went in one ear and out the other.
The image on screen frothed over in plaid static; a new setting began being broadcasted. She was about ready to get up and tear the thick wire from her neck...then she saw the image on screen.
Linked together by heavy chains coiling their their limp limbs and steel cables around their waists, the tenants of her Inn sat in roundabout fashion. The fumes gripped their awareness into submission and] their heads drooped to their bosoms. They encircled a large stack of explosives. A timer rested on top of it and remained at a static 3:00.
Miya loosened her grip on the near-unbreakable rope. Her hand slumped to her lap as her pupils shriveled to dots. Musubi, Tsukiumi, Kagari, Kazehana, and Matsu...all rendered helpless and incapable of saving themselves.
Now Billy had her attention.
"Now you may recall me mentioning that your tenants had games of their own that they were to participate in. What I didn't mention, however,was that unless you participate in your test, they won't even have a chance to face their own. Do their surroundings look familiar? They should. They're still in your boarding house, Mrs. Asama; your husband's legacy encompasses them all. As you can tell, everyone inside has succumbed to the noxious fumes. Their powers have temporary withered and each are helpless. But the question remains, what are YOU going to do about it? The moment this tape ends, the three minute timer will count down. However, the timer itself is not linked to the explosives, but your own device. All you must do to save them is simply participate and not exit the game before it's completed. You see, cheating is the only way you can possibly fail here, for if you do that you lose everything. Your legacy, your friends,EVERYTHING YOU LOVE WILL DIE. In this game, you have two options, and each requires you to make a sacrifice. To locate the first option, all you need do is look in front of your hands. At the end of both of this chair's arms are two mechanisms. On both are five holes, corresponding to each of the five fingers on your hands. Inside the end of all them are buttons that must be pressed. However, each time one is pushed in, the finger which did so will be amputated. In order to escape the device with your life and ensure the safety of your home and tenants, you must press them all. Both thumbs, and
EVERY.
LAST.
FINGER.
MUST.
BE.
AMPUTATED.
"If this method comes off as too painful, however, you can simply wait for the timer to run out. When it does, the garrote looped around your throat will be tugged back. It will be pulled so tight that a normal human's neck would be snapped in an instant. Given your status as goddess, however,you should last considerably longer. As violent and horrific as that fate sounds, the lack of oxygen to your brain will render you unconscious within a few moments. You will join your husband in death, but the the tenants will be set free, your home will still remain, and the pain you will experience will be much less excruciating. So I ask you, Miya,will you sacrifice a part of yourself as all other Sekirei have done for the ones they care for, or will you let it all whither to dust without so much as lifting a finger like you did the lifeless spectators before you? Make your choice..."
*3:00 Bleep… 2:59 Bleep… 2:58 Bleep…*
Miya shook her head violently as the briefing ended. She could hardly think! Every high-pitched tick and tock that squeezed through the speakers of that busted old television set blistered her eardrums! And that pungent scent of those cinnamon-scented candelabra sure as hell wasn't helping either!
"Repulsive clown..." she muttered through her scowling teeth. "Whoever you are, show yourself! Release me at once and I will be merciful! If you do not, I promise your death will not be a quick one!"
The spoiled deity's words echoed and there were no answers following. Save for the eight-dozen lifeless wax dummies below her, she was alone. Their soulless, plastic eyes remained locked open. Stoic faces and eternal grins fixated in anticipation for their 'savior's' inevitable late sacrifice.
She wouldn't admit it, but their stares sent an icy chill creeping through her spine.
I need to get out of here...
She took another look at the timer. To her astonishment, not even half a minute had passed. Why was time going so slow now? Was it because she felt threatened? Vulnerable? NO! It couldn't be! There is absolutely no way a being of her power could be brought to her knees groveling so easily! And by a man hiding behind a bug-eyed dummy of all things?! Hah!
...still, what else could she do at the moment? Sure, there was always the chance of the man behind the doll bluffing about the dangers of forcing herself free. She could pull at the wire with all her might until it snaps and nothing may happen. Then she'll hunt down the craven little harlequin, whoever he may be, and put him in a deadly game of her own alongside the little friend she lets hang over her shoulder now and again! Yeah that sounded like reeeeeal fun...
Speaking of the Hannya apparition, it just now took shape in the video being broadcasted. It hovered over the unconscious Sekirei, hissing black flames out through its horned teeth. Although they were all out of it, a dark blue sickly hue flushed over all their faces. They could tell it was there even though they were all half dead… If anyone else were in the room at the moment and stared into its eyes, they'd likely be dead. However, Jigsaw's pigheads likely left shop once the timer and bodies were put in place. How fortunate for them…
But unfortunate for Miya. Now she couldn't use her threats and scare tactics to get her way.
Another ten seconds passed. Two minutes and twenty seconds remained before the decision would be made for her.
Sweat poured from her face as she looked down at the crowd once more. They were sweating too… Her eyes had to have been playing tricks on her…
NO! WAIT! They were Melting! They were all melting away! Their waxy skin tugged down in ripples into gloppy puddles at their feet. The eyes on some rolled back while heads and limbs clumped off others with gory squishes.
Miya clamped her eyes shut and jerked her head away. They were all fading away and she could do nothing about it! What did she do to deserve this treatment?! Nothing! She did nothing!...
Outrage grinded in her head! "All those words are lies! They have to be! I wasn't arrogant or condescending; I had simply been wise and helpful! The ones below me died because they were not wise enough to heed my advice! I AM the Sekirei goddess, and therefore my word had to be listened to! I am strong; they are weak! The needed guidance! It was their fault! Theirs! They were too full of themselves to heed it! My late husband Takehito would have seen nothing wrong with my methods!"
Or was she just saying that to try and convince herself?...
These thoughts swarmed around Miya's head with great ferocity like angry hornets...yet, a small-microscopic, even-bit of her conscience was actually listening to some of the things that wretched jester had said and was...agreeing with it. Why HAD she allowed Minaka to commit so many atrocities against her race? Why did she relinquish herself from stopping the Sekirei plan well before it began? Why had she ordered Minato's Sekirei to hold back when the ilk that belonged to Higa had assaulted the inn when a repairman could have been easily summoned to restore the inn to its pre-battle state?
Why?
...Because she was a goddess...right?
'Well,' a snarky voice whispered from the back of her mind, 'you don't look like a goddess now, do you? Free yourself then, Miya. Prove your power. Free yourself so you can once again rule over the beings you doomed to extinction.'
Her eyes then opened. She looked at her hands and repeated the phrase. "I did nothing" she murmured, looking back at the dead. "I did nothing to save you…"
Still they just sat there, boiling over in the scorching heat and observing without actually seeing. Just like she had done when they needed her…just like now while her friends needed her…
The Sekirei below her fought valiantly until the end to be by their partner's side forever. They played the game until their hearts beat their final beat and their lungs breathed their final breath. And here she was retired after the passing of her own partner, having the luxury of sitting on the sidelines in her cozy little inn while the ones beneath her were no more.
She felt envy swelling in her belly. Was this why she couldn't be bothered to help any of them? Was she so bitter after losing Takehito that she would see to it that the Sekirei Plan went into full force, knowing full well she had the strength to put a permanent stop to it? No, instead of fighting to prevent as many of her brethren from meeting the same fate she did, they would be made to suffer as she did! If she couldn't stand side by side with her beloved for eternity, she would be damned if any of her lowlies would either!
Miya was but a spoiled child! She deserved to be here and made to suffer! She went too long in this tournament of bloodshed without lifting a finger to stop it, so therefore her fingers must be done away with!
A tear rolled down her sweat-greasy visage but she stopped herself before breaking down.
She wheezed deeply and readied herself.
"Maybe I have been a tyrant…more fortunate in life than I've given all of you credit for." she went on, motioning her hands to the devices. She rested her fingers atop it, drumming the nails on them nervously. She took one last look at the timer, then at the crowd. Some eyes dangled out from their sockets and slithered down on their laps.
"If this is how it must be, then fine…" She pulled them away, and began pushing them inward. "I will take your pain unto myself..."
She took a deep breath through her nostrils, and inserted the first finger. If she truly were worthy of being called a goddess, she would prove her strength and resilience. Show them AND herself why she should be looked up to as such. The pain couldn't be that bad for her to bare.
"...and I will suffer as you had to."
The button motioned inward.
*SLYNCH!*
The landlady's pupils dilated to dots; A scream rivaling even the fiercest of harpies tore out her throat! An inferno blazed within the moment her finger was gone. Flames plumed upward from the device; Room temperature reached beyond infinity! The trap was cremating it! And cauterizing her at the same time!
She pulled the stump from the device and held it in her other hand writhing about in agony! Red vital fluid geysered out the seared hole in her finger's stump. It wasn't fully cauterized! If she didn't put it back in to burn, she'd bleed to death!
She just couldn't stop screaming!
The wax Sekirei continued to observe their deity in doll-eyed silence; dreamless as they slicked away into a bubbly abyss…
~o~O~o~
Earlier the night before…
Katsuya Yagami, Saito, and his nephew, Oosumi, cruised over star-lit highways trying to find leads to Kaho's whereabouts. They had searched all day; morning to night. It took some digging, but they finally found a lead.
Saito took the left exit after following the main road. He meandered off to a dirt path and rolled to a stop in front of an old meat packing plant. "Are you sure this is the place, Uncle?" Oosumi inquired, gulping. Katsuya leaned forward in the back seat and showed Oosumi the map on his smart phone. "Yep, this is it. I'm sure of it."
Mr. Yagami had spent the last few days cracking the hidden message in Kaho's ransom message. In all his interpretations, it led to this very spot.
"A-alright," he stammered. "Are the snipers in po-"
Saito cupped a hand over his mouth. "Shh, shhh...They may have the grounds bugged. We don't want the ones holding your girl hostage finding out our little surprise."
Oosumi turned his head away. "Err-right-right. Sorry. I'm just kind of nervous is all…"
Saito patted him on the shoulder. "It's ok, kid. We'll get her out of there. We just got to play by the rules. Do you still have the crystal?"
Oosumi lifted his jacket off his legs. There it sat on his lap, pulsing brightly.
"Good, good," he said, unlatching his door. "Now, let's get in there."
"Are you sure we can't bring backup?" Oosumi asked, following him out into the cool night air. Grey clouds began suffocating the night sky above.
The PI shook his head. "Afraid not. Message said only the two of us can enter to retrieve the girl. Everyone else has to stay outside."
"I'll keep a look out for anything suspicious, Mr. Fukushima." Yagami reassured.
Oosumi was growing more anxious. Rearing his head up to the dark clouds, he threw his hands up and slaps them to his sides. "Wonderful."
Saito spun his nephew around and pulled him into an embrace. "I got your back. If I have to sacrifice myself to get the two of you out of there, I'll do it."
Oosumi gently pushes him away. "Don't say that, uncle..."
Saito began walking towards the building, gesturing Oosumi to follow."C'mon."
Oosumi followed close behind his uncle's husky stature as he led him to the front of the old meat packing plant.
The piece in Saito's ear gave off some static.
A voice whispered to him, "Snipers are in position. All exits and entrances are covered."
He grumbled in approval as they approached the door. A security camera swiveled on its axis and took note of the two. Saito and Oosumi stared into it for a moment.
"Kid," Saito said.
"Uh, yes?"
"Show them your housewarming gift."
"Oh, um...right."
Oosumi took the coat off his Jinki and held it up for the camera to see. An unlatching came from behind the door shortly after.
Nowthey knew thiswas the place.
Saito pushed the door open and pulled out his flashlight after stepping in. He glided the beam on the timeworn walls. They were slushed over in moss and mildew. Some graffiti belonging to local gangs also took residence in this dingy place. A droplet of water plopped on Saito's head. He looked up and saw busted pipes and many holes in the ceiling.
"Place is a real shithole," Oosumi remarked, coughing.
"Home sweet home for Jigsaw I bet…" he kept on guard. "Just stay close."
Saito swept the light beam across the floor. Crimson arrows led them down a path and to a slide door. Saito tried pulling it open, but a lock and chain kept them from entering. Just above it, blade-etched kanji read 'one free bullet'.
"Dammit," Saito cursed. He handed his nephew the flashlight. "Here, take this. I'm gonna try shooting the lock off the chain."
"Oh, okay." Man this place is spooky...
Oosumi kept the light on the chain as Saito lined it up nice and good in his sights. A bullet snapped out and the chain crinkled to the ground like a dead garter snake.
Keeping his firearm at the ready, Saito carefully slid open the steel door. Inside was a small, empty room with a window. On the other side of that window was a chamber bathed in black.
However, the lights of another even smaller room beside them clicked on. One of Jigsaw's Pigheads took residence inside.
"Welcome…" it said, taking the two by surprise.
Saito aimed his pistol at the beastly man.
"Down on your knees!" he shouted, stepping forward and shoving Oosumi behind him.
The pigmask spoke, its voice garbled via voice changer. "I'm afraid the law will not be the ones giving orders today, Mr. Fukushima," the swine said. "Now," he/she pointed across the room at a chute in the wall. "Unless you want to see Kaho again, I suggest you cooperate and relinquish your weapons."
"I think it's best we do as he says, uncle," Oosumi surmised.
Saito grumbled. "And what happens if I say no and shoot you in your ugly face through that glass window?"
"This is bulletproof glass, jackass! Try it and Kaho dies!"
The lights in the other room thummed to life upon the pighead hitting a switch. Inside, Kaho stood on a platform; her arms anchored above her head in some kind of glass box. The bottom of it was filled with blood which slithered from lacerations in her forearms. She noticed Oosumi and screamed, lurching towards him. No sound could be heard from within, but it was clear that the pull hurt her quite a bit.
Oosumi rushed over to the window and banged his fist into it, repeatedly screaming her name.
Saito scowled and roared at the bastard. "You sick fuck! Let her out of there!"
"The platform #87 is standing on is rigged to give way if you don't comply to my demands in one minute. When it does, the trap door beneath her will give way and her arms will drag down through the razors until they are completely severed! The timer starts now!"
[1:00…0:59...0:58…]
The pig head opened another chute to his small office. "Relinquish your weapon AND the crystal. I will not ask again!"
"DO AS HE SAYS, UNCLE SAITO!" the tearful Oosumi screamed. "DO AS HE SAYS!"
"Alright, alright!" Saito backed away to the chute and dropped his weapons in after undoing his holster. He turned back to the pighead, hands in the air. "See, all gone!"
The pighead crossed it's arms. "Now, tell your sniper team to stand down!"
Saito's eyelids retracted to his skull. "Wha-? How did you-?!"
"JUST DO IT!"
Saito took a deep breath and put a finger to his earpiece. "Snipers...stand down. That's an order."
The pupils in Miya's bulging eyes twitched as she strained to think out loud.
"One more…" she groaned. Her wrist convulsed as if stricken by a seizure devil as she inched her final finger into the device.
*SLYNCH!*
Miya's psyche was so shot now that she hadn't even reacted when the tenth digit was clipped off and burned.
Shallow, phlegmy exhales slip from her abdomen as her hand slid down from the device, smearing a fleshy streak where her finger once shifts her eyes from the melted wax puddles that observed her in grave silence and neutral expression to the monitor. The timer centered between the tenants had stopped at 0:19 seconds. A few moments later, Jigsaw's team of pigheads came to view on screen and undid their restraints, removed the explosives, and carried the Sekirei away.
A deluge of emotion sent a river of tears down the landlady's exhausted guise. She had done it. It cost her all of her fingers, and she didn't know what their fate was to be or if she would ever see them again, but she had done it.
"Thank the heaven's they're alright for now..." she weakly murmured. "There is hope for them...I gave them hope…"
Miya put her fingerless palms to her face and stared long and hard into them. The sharp agony, smell of her flesh being barbequed, the layer of dry blood cracking as the severed stumps bloated and swelled...she took it all in. It was a feeling unlike anything she had ever felt - one a goddess could certainly never experience. This was the pain that had been forced on her race.
Miya knew better now. She couldn't have her way all the time. Death itself challenged her will and it brought her to her knees with careful planning. And although she won in the end, she would never be the same. This was the fate of all mortals, yet she felt empowered by it; more so than when she were a goddess to be worshipped. It was respect. She respected the lives of petty mortals now. She was so high strung on her godhood that the deluded luxury of immortality and invincibility that once graced her shoulders made her think less of them. In truth, they were truly the ones to be respected. The pain they went through day after day just to get by in life, she mocked it when she should have applauded their effort. If anyone was petty and simpleminded in their way of thinking, it was her. She was a fool to think herself as better or superior. In comparison to deities, mortals were stronger in every way. She was humbled to have learned her place. Now she would no longer labor under the delusion that she was a goddess.
The hannya spirit possessing Miya drifted upward from her body and faded into the flesh-scented air. Her eyes were open, and she would never talk down to another of her fellow mortals again so long as she drew breath…
Miya took another look outward at the expanse of deceased Sekirei. They were no more. Gone forever, but she was still here, alive and with a new disposition and respect for them.
"I'm thankful…" she said. "I'm thankful to be alive…"
...then Miya was suddenly pulled back.
"Gyah-!"
The garrote around her neck tightened! Her head gnashed into the throne! Clinks of cogs and gears vollied about in echos as it reeled her in!
She gagged, gasped for breath, but to no avail! Her blood greased palms brushed the metal rope! Her fingers were gone! She couldn't grab onto it! She tried pulling with her neck, but that just made it harder to breathe!
She took another gasp in shock! No! No! She couldn't die now! Not when she had learned so much! Not when she had learned her lesson! She won! She passed her test! Why wasn't she released?!
The mechanism grinded as her neck began to pop and crack. The material was too strong and the blood she lost made her too weak to pull herself free! The world was fading all around her! Everything was going black!
XXXXXX
Unbeknownst to #01, she was being watched. In another room in the condemned building was a person draped in a red wrestling robe and hideous pig mask, as was the usual for Jigsaw's goons. It watched her on a series of monitors, sitting back and enjoying the show. Savoring every second, imprinting it into its memory. Not one second of this glorious event could disappear. Beneath the mask, it was safe to surmise it was smiling ear to ear.
However, the fun suddenly came to a halt. The red bulb above the monitors began flashing.
That could only mean one thing: interlopers.
With a few strokes on the keyboard, the screens switched from the landlady to one of the doors that lead into the building. Sure enough, four people were coming. Seeing this, the watcher could not help but sigh into its voice altering mask.
"Pests."
XXXXXX
"Are you absolutely certain this is the place, Kaho?!" Oosumi inquired in a loud, serious voice as he helped his Sekirei out of the police cruiser.
#87's hair was coated in dry blood and her arms were heavily taped up in bandages, but somehow she still seemed very capable of using them.
"I'm certain." she nodded, cracking her knuckles and reaching for her weapon. She slashed down on the lock fastened to the door.
~o~O~o~
Meat Packing Plant
"Good," the masked psychopath said as Saito called off his little surprise from the sky. He turned to Oosumi. "...now, the jinki."
Oosumi rushed over with the crystal. "Yes, YES! It-t-it-t's all yours!"
He dropped it into the box." There, there! I swear to God it's the real deal! Now please, give me my Kaho back!"
The pighead looked at it sternly before nodding its head. "It's genuine. Very well." The lights in the small office went out. The door leading to Kaho clicked open. "We're done here."
Oosumi burst into the room and ran up the platform to Kaho's aid.
"I knew you would come for me, Oosumi!" she cried tearfully.
He came to a stop right before her and panted. "That's what being an Ashikabi is all about Kaho; now and forever!" He leaned in and brushed her lips with hers.
The force of the kiss made the box above swing a bit; the razors brushed into her arms, making more blood surface.
He backed away immediately as she whimpered on his lips. "Oh, shit! I'm sorry! Did I hurt you? I thought the box was more secure!"
"No, you didn't hurt me at all," Kaho blushed, looking away. "In fact, I feel so much better now that you're here…"
"So do I," he added. He looked over his shoulder. "Uncle! Get in here and give me a hand!"
"I'm on it!" he called out, hustling in. He took one hard look at the razor box and the blood inside. He wasn't feeling very comfortable about even touching the thing. "How are we supposed to go about freeing Kaho without hurting her more; that's the big question."
Kaho briefed the two. "The top of the box is removable. Mr. Fukushima, you're going to have to give Oosumi a boost so he can get it off. When he does, all he needs to do is reach in and twist the blades counterclockwise. That will loosen them and I'll be able to pull my arms through.
"Alright," Saito hunches over and cups his hands. Oosumi took a step up and Saito hoisted him up to the top of the box. "Easy does it now, kid."
He unlatches the top and flips it off. Kaho pulled her arms out upon a few quick twists of Oosumi's wrists. She slumped to her knees as her Ashikabi climbs down.
The two embrace despite the blood. "Thank you...thank you so much, both of you!"
Saito nodded his approval at the loving reunion. "It's what we do."
Oosumi inspected her wounds more as he pulled from the hug. They were still bleeding quite a bit. Without the razors there to hold off some of the blood, she might lose too much.
"C'mon Kaho," He said. "We gotta get you to a hospital."
"No!" she said. "I'll be fine. Just wrap me up."
"Why?" Oosumi asked.
"Yeah, we better have physicians look you over before you bleed to death!"
"I've been hurt worse!" she cried out. "There's another game that's going to be taking place soon. I overheard those pigheads. They mentioned where they're taking #01. We have to hurry!..."
Kaho twirled her naginata to it's butt and charged into the door with a battle cry. It burst open.
The first thing that met their senses was the suffocating smell of boiling wax and burning flesh.
"Gah!" Oosumi gasped as he covered his nose with his arm. "What is that stench?!"
Saito knew full well what it was. "You don't want to know, kid."
Upon regaining herself and coughing a few times, Kaho let her sight drift to the top of the alter. Grinding crunches and searing squeals were emanating from the apex. She gasped upon seeing Miya; fingerless and gasping for breath. The garrote around her throat was winding back and she was coughing up blood. She wasn't going to last much longer if they didn't act now!
The four rushed up to the altar. Behind the throne which the landlady sat was a massive machine. In a hurry, the group scoured it from top to bottom but there were no buttons, let alone a control panel. The object in question must have been in some other part of the building.
"Katsuya!" Saito shouted. "Do you still have your firearm?!"
He nodded. "I do!"
"Use it to shoot through the wire!"
The detective immediately drew his weapon and fired at the thick metal rope. The bullet just bounced off!
"Shoot it again!" Saito screamed.
Again he discharged a bullet. Not even a scratch!
"I'll go look for a switch!" Katsuya shouted, backing away and rushing out of the room, holstering his weapon.
"Hold on, kid! Wait a-" When Saito motioned to reply, he was already gone. "Dammit!"
Kaho then took initiative. "If firepower won't free her, they're only one option left!"
She looked to her Ashikabi. "Norito; NOW!"
"Alright!" Oosumi nodded.
Their lips locked together not a moment later. Kaho's wings emerged. She drew her naginata from her back and leapt high into the air. Her wings sharpened as she recited her incantation. "This is the dance of my pledge; slash the calamities that befall my Ashikabi!"
Steel met steel. Sparks clashed as the blade slowly sank in. In any other situation, her naginata would have snapped in two, but with the power of her norito, the nanotube serpent squeezing the life from the landlady was severed.
But was it too late?
Miya fell from the alter and onto the floor, choking up and gurgling on more blood. Her neck had to have been fractured from that.
"Quick! Call an ambulance!" Oosumi shouted. The sight of the Landlady's bloodied gasps was enough to make him want to vomit.
Saito snapped his phone shut. "I already have it covered."
He looked down at Kaho, who was cradling Miya's head in her arms and lap. "How's she doing?"
"Not good. She's twitching and writhing about!" she said. "C'mon, Miss Asama, stay with us! We're going to get you out of here! Don't give up!"
XXXXXX
In his desperate attempt to find a control panel, Katsuya noticed something odd coming from his right. At the top of the steps a teal light flickered and the faint aird hum of a computer was heard.
He decided to go check it out.
Once up the steps, he saw that the light came from a room stationed half way down the hall and to the left. Katsuya readied his glock and held it to his pelvis as he approached the door.
He peeked in.
Inside, a pig-headed deadbeat sat observing the monitors. Something was off here; the guy HAD to know Saito had arrived. Why had he not attempted to make his escape yet?
Katsuya shook his head. It mattered not. All that mattered was apprehending the suspect and making him free the victim. On the count of three, he 180'd out of cover and locked the pighead in his sights.
"Hands above your head; NOW!" he shouted, nervousness making his voice shaky.
The pighead froze for a second, but didn't look at man holding it at gunpoint. Katsuya shouted again. "HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!"
Slowly, the pighead complied.
"Now, stand up; NICE AND SLOW!"
Itdid this as well. Katsuya had a bad feeling about all this but there was no turning back now. He approached the suspect, grabbing his cuffs from his back pocket.
The individual in question was a lot smaller in size than he anticipated too. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought.
He grasped one of the boar's wrists and wrenched it behind its back. Motioning to put the cuffs on, there was a slight pull.
Katsuya got cocky and shoved a knee into the perpetrator's spine, prompting it to grunt. "Hey, stay still!" he shouted. "Now how do we free the woman?! Answer me!"
It motioned its head to the screens.
Taking sight off the suspect for a moment, Katsuya looked at the monitors. The landlady was free and the EMTs had just arrived. Thank God they managed to get her out of there…
"Alright, so she's free. Now you come with us. You have the right to remain silent."
As he went to tighten the cuff, he noticed the pighead had freed its gloved hand. It was too late to take initiative, as the pighead then grabbed Katsuya by the arm and wrenched it around, slamming the law enforcer's head into the steel desk. It bolted off as Katsuya slumped to the floor.
Static gurgled in Katsuya's ears as his blood poured from his forehead. He staggered to his feet as the pighead hightailed it out of the room. Although dazed,he knew he couldn't let the suspect get away. Nearly tripping over his steps, he gave chase.
"You son of a bitch! Get back here!"
Katsuya drew his gun and took a few shots at the escaping suspect. Each missed, and the pighead turned a corner. Katsuya followed, leaping over desks and furniture the deadbeat left in its wake.
As Katsuya caught up, the pighead burst through a swinging door, launching itself over the barricade. Before it went all the way over, Katsuya reached out and grabbed its mask, pulling it off; the inertia sending him to his rear.
Katsuya regained his barings, grasping at the rail and peering down the stairwell. The drop had to have been at least fifteen feet. There's no way a normal person could have jumped that distance without breaking something. Yet to his astonishment, there the pighead was, as if it landed as safely as one would on a mattress.
This led him to one conclusion; the suspect in question was a Sekirei.
The suspect continued to run off again. Despite tearing the mask off, he had still yet to get a good look at the suspect.
After leading him through a few more winding corridors, they came to a dead end. Nowhere for the little piggy to run now…
The pighead halted its footing, facing the wall.
"Turn around nice and slow," he said.
As the pighead did as asked, Katsuya took slight steps toward him; his foot caught on something. He looked down and noticed his sneaker brushed up against a thin wire. Then Katsuya looked up…
XXXXXX
*POW!*
Saito and the others jumped as the noise rang throughout the building. It sounded like a car backfiring. Even with the whirring sirens of the ambulance blaring outside, the sound of the blast still made their ears ring.
"That didn't sound good…" Oosumi said, head over his shoulder. He turned back to the EMTs, who were stabilizing Miya's vitals. "You guys better get her out of here quick!"
The one in charge nodded.
The EMTs hoisted up the stretcher after the neck brace had been encircled around the landlady's neck and wheeled her out of the building.
"That it didn't," Saito commented. "Oosumi, I want you to accompany Miss Asama to the hospital. Kaho, stay with me."
They both nodded in agreement.
...
After some thorough searching of the building, Saito finally found what he was looking for.
"Katsuya...no!"
He ran up to his fallen comrade's body. Kaho could hardly breathe.
The young detective's head was completely blown apart, and he was laying in a pool of his own brainmatter.
Above, four shotguns aimed downward, hidden by the archway. A tripwire found beneath his foot stretching across the floor linked their triggers.
"Poor kid...you didn't deserve this…"
"Are you- are you alright, Fukushima-sama?" Kaho said sorrowfully.
"Katsuya had promise. He was a good kid...and now he's gone…"
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.
Saito took a deep sigh. "Best notify the family. Other than ensuring his body is tended to, there's nothing we can do for him."
"Will you be okay?"
"This job never gets easier, but I'll manage..."
...
3 Days later…
Saito clutched his fedora to his abdomen as the physical therapist walked out of Miya's hospital room. He had just arrived not an hour after attending the funeral of his subordinate, Katsuya Yagami. Spirits weren't exactly high for him at the moment; Katsuya had a fine future ahead of him and now he was decomposing in the ground. Maybe the landlady would be able to have information as to who may have been responsible for his death. A few days had passed since she was admitted to the hospital, so the doctors should have had some news about her recovery and if or when she should be able to speak.
"What's the prognosis, ma'am? When will she be able to speak again?"
She sighed. "I'm afraid the damage she sustained is permanent. Whatever happened crushed the poor woman's larynx into irreparable fragments. She'll never be able to speak again."
He stomped his foot. "Dammit!"
The therapist gasped.
"How about sign language?"
"Huh?"
"You know, sign language?! The method deaf people use to communicate!"
"Her fingers are gone, remember?"
"Then put them back!"
"We can't, Mr. Fukushima! The wounds were cauterized! And most of them were burned beyond repair!"
"Could she at least nod her head?!"
The therapist shook her head. "She can't even move her neck, I'm afraid."
"Is she even aware that people are around her?!" he asked frantically. "Give me something to work with here! The Jigsaw killer is going to strike again if we don't do something! I need info! If I ask her to blink, can she do it? Blink the left eye for yes, right eye for no?!"
"We have her sedated," she explained. "If she blinks, it'll likely just be a natural reflex. The pain in her neck won't go away for at least three months, so I'm afraid she will not be any help to you for the time being."
Saito let out a roaring scream, and put his fist through the wall. He stormed out of the hospital, empty handed.
A/N:
Phen0m20:
Well there we have it; chapter 10 is finally in the books.
A lot of people will likely take my portrayal of Miya as simply character bashing, and while part of that may be true, keep in mind the role she played here was vital for story progression. If it wasn't for her giving part of herself, Minato would have never had an opportunity to rescue his Sekirei to begin with. I also ensured that the entirety of her test wasn't entirely shown. This is because something like that would have just come off as torture porn and since we all know Minato's Sekirei are still alive, the choice she would make was obvious. Dragging out the test and showing each finger get cut off would have been monotonous and wouldn't have made the overall story any better. Keeping it short and sweet was the best course of direction.
pyromania101:
"In case I haven't said this before (and honestly, I don't remember if I did), I hate Miya! Every jab Jigsaw took at her in this chapter about her character, I completely agree with it. She's not wise or helpful; she's spoiled, controlling, overly hypocritical, and nosy."
The Clown King Of Chaos:
"Next time on S:TTOMS, people die and other discover themselves in a very spiritual way."
Firefly567:
Ouch. Well, this has been a fun first chapter to take part in. I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Phen0m20:
The next chapter is finished and will be up soon! It's a bit short in comparison to what this fic is accustomed to though. The reason for this is because it's the first entry in a 3 part story arc!