Hello all and all :)

Hope you are all well.

Well as you can see, the next chapter is uppity up - meet the new DS! Discussions of Uzume are beginning. Who knows what will happen. Feel free to review.

First Steps

Minato, Homura, Matsu and Miya sat together in Minato's room as they began to devise a plan to save Uzume; Miya, looking joyfully as she smiled at Minato's sense of determination that grew greatly as his empathy increased.

"Sahashi, you do know that this is dangerous. There are 4 members of the Disciplinary Squad and the newest member is rather advanced in combat. There could be deaths involved…" Homura spoke, looking out the window as the bright sun glistened.

"Kagari-san. I know. But this is something I want to do, and I would like all of you to help me" responded Minato as she looked everyone in the eye, one by one.

"But Tora-tan… She's going to be a lot more dangerous because she is very emotional at the moment." Matsu looked Minato in the eyes, assertively trying to sway her Ashikabi from going through with this – as she though it was – far-fetched plan.

"Something tells me she would help us out, if we were to ask her politely" Ekai was quietly sitting in the corner of the room, so quiet and unnoticeable that nobody even knew he had been there the entire time; watching, protecting and caring for his beloved Musubi. Minato and Miya looked at Ekai and nodded. They smiled as a friendly expression flashed across his face.

"I shall call her! Tora-san is our friend. She will help us, I'm sure of it" Musubi jumped up and ran out of the room to find her phone and call Tora.

"Minato, what is your plan?" Miya asked, interlocking her fingers and peering through the space she had left.

"W-well… I didn't have an entire plan because I was hoping that I could get more information on Tora-san, before I had it in dead-lock. But I do have a vague idea…" Minato wryly smiled, running his hand nervously through his black hair.

"It's a rather straight forward-plan that you could easily help pull off, with the help of Tora-chan, is it not Matsu?" The motherly Sekirei glanced at Matsu as she grinned, the Hannya mask appearing. Miya knew that Matsu, as perverse as she was, cared a lot about Minato's well-being. So much so, she was planning to make it seem like an impossible plan.

"E-e-eh… Yes…" Matsu looked down and kept her head down, mumbling "We have maps of the headquarters for the entire building and also patrol times of each person. Only problem is, we do not know where they have kept Uzume-tan. It could be one of four different rooms"

"Then we will look in all four of them. We can split up. I'm sure Tora-san could give us some useful help" Minato smiled at Matsu, who still had her head down. Ekai and Minato's eyes met for a split second and Minato was almost sure he saw a look of desperation in the eyes of the green-haired Sekirei before his expression changed back to his normal, emotionless demeanour.

...

"… Being a member of the Disciplinary Squad. I hope you live to the end of the Sekirei Plan and you are able to rise and Ascend with your Ashikabi" Benitsubasa spoke in a monotone key, reciting the typical introduction that had been drummed into both herself and Haihane from the moment they became Disciplinary Squad members. "Here are your patrol times and routes on a normal day when we are not teaching people discipline" Benitsubasa shoved a pile bunch of papers on to Tora's chest and held it against the breast of the Orange-haired Sekirei who, at the time, was not paying much attention. The pink haired Sekirei pushed the papers a little harder on to the chest of the Tora, until Tora finally snapped out of her trance and gently took the papers out of the hand of Benitsubasa, leaving Benitsubasa's hand on upon her chest. When both Sekirei finally realised, the pink haired Sekirei violently began to blush and rapidly withdrew her hand from Tora's chest. Tora looked down at her chest before looking Benitsubasa in the eyes, then smiled at her and said thanked her before walking away to her room.

Haihane and Benitsubasa watched as the Sekirei, Tora, walked with both her new outfit and the patrol sheets in her hand down the hall. The two shared a look before looking again for the Orange-haired Sekirei, who had seemed to have disappeared down the hall almost a little too quickly.

"She's strange. I do not Trust her." Benitsubasa spoke to Haihane in hushed tones as they both walked down the hall together to report back to Natsuo.

"She's upset, Benitsubasa. She's just been taken away from everyone she loved and has to live with people and care for people she does not even know…" Haihane looked ahead with an expression of thoughtfulness.

"She's still strange. What if she turns out to be a… What if she betrays us?"

"That would result in Natsuo being killed. Resulting in herself being killed as well as the rest of us"

"What if she wants to be terminated?" Benitsubasa spoke and as the words left the lips of the Sekirei, the two shared a look, worried about the Sekirei that has just come in to their lives.

...

"As the vice president of the Pharmaceutical department of the MBI I do believe I have the authority to request such a simple task to be carried out." Natsuo sat on the phone at a desk, his head in his free hand as he held the phone to his ear.

"Ichinomi-Sensei. I do understand what you are asking of me, but it is just out of my power to accept your procedure for even consideration" A young student that Natsuo had once taught was talking to him, trying to be as respectful and firm as possible.

"You were taught by me, I know there are ways you can get around. Talk to Sahashi-sama."

"She is the head of this department, Sensei. Therefore any message from me has to go through at least 8 people before it gets to her. Your secret will not stay sa-"

"I do not care! I will not ask you again. Find a way to get my Sekireis' filters taken off." Natsuo ended the call and through his phone at the wall in a fit of fury.

...

Tora looked at the Squad outfits as she laid on her new bed, in the room of her new home. She tied her hair up into one, her bangs still out in all their glory. Tora sighed deeply and made her way into the bathroom as she considered what her new life could be like from then-on before being snapped out of her trance by a gasping Haihane.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were in here. I can leave if you want." Tora turned around and spoke over her shoulder, taking a sneaky glimpse of Haihane's naked body.

"N-no. It's fine, jump in. I just did so myself… Saves water" Haihane smiled softly, flicking a bubble out of her proximity as she gestured to Tora to jump in the bath with her. Tora turned around and looked Haihane in the eyes, looking for another sign of approval before making any movements towards the bath. Haihane nodded, her white hair already wet, stuck to her neck.

"So, why isn't Benitsubasa in here?" Tora questioned as she undressed herself and slowly sunk into the piping hot, relaxing bath.

"Well, she's not talking to me" Haihane shifted in the bath and sat beside Tora as they both laid their head back to lay in the bath.

"Why not? I would have expected the both of you to be close"

"Yeah, we are… Were…"

"So… What happened?"

"Ahh, it's nothing, it's silly." Haihane sat up and shook her head like a wet dog, the, not very warm water in her hair, going everywhere.

Tora grabbed the shoulder of the Sekirei in front of her, "No. Relationships are important. What happened?"

"Well, you see… Natsuo… Benitsubasa is angry with me because she thinks him and I slept together"

"And did you?"

Vummp vummp. Vummp vummp. – Musubi

Tora froze as she looked at her phone vibrating and flashing before her eyes. Haihane nodded to indicate that she could proceed and answer the phone call. Hesitantly, she answered it.