Eh heh heh...um...hi there everybody! Uh...I know what you're all thinking and I REALLY have a few good excuses for this one. A few days after spring break one of my friends got into a rather serious car crash so there was a gigantic storm and fuss around here about that. In that exact same week I had realized that over my spring break I had forgotten to do my break homework as well as study for my upcoming tests so that devoured my time like Kazehana chugs Sake. THEN Pokemon Black and White came out which isn't a good excuse but damn you Zoroark and Volcarona for being so bad ass! With that out of the way I sat down to write my next chapter until...well something rather unexpected happened. I guess the simplest way I can put it is that I am now an engaged Aglingua42! Needless to say that has been taking up my time, concentration, along side the insane amount of school work my professors have been pushing on me lately. Despite this I return from the hail of gunfire to give you another chapter and to apologize a million times over for the wait! I will try to make this the first and last super long wait between chapters so without further ado please read, review, and most of all enjoy the newest chapter of Claws and Kisses!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 11: Truth
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~START~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Haihane stared down at the blood on her claws, her breath coming in short and staggered gasps. All along her body she was covered with cuts, slashes long ago having torn away her bandages and leaving only the trunk of her body still bound in scarlet stained cloth. Bits of her kimono littered the surrounding concrete, whatever was left on her body nothing more than cursory rags that clung to her bloodied bandages or the scarred leather belt around her waist.
By her side Minato struggled to his feet, his wounds much less severe than her own but more than enough to slow the more fragile human down. His clothes were ripped and torn, friction burns littering his legs through the holes in his pants while his arms and torso trickled blood from numerous cuts and scratches. A thick stream of soil ran from the side of Minato's face down to his chest, his one mud covered eye squinted shut as he finally pushed himself to stand on quaking heels.
Musubi panted in exertion, the wounds of her own battle showing loud and clear as she held her stomach in agony. A slight trickle of crimson fluid dripped from the corner of her mouth but she was quick to wipe it away on the back of her scarlet sparring glove. Her clothing had been cut and torn, her decency just barely held back by scraps of white cloth stained a dark pink. With great difficulty she stood up beside Minato, her eyes narrowed as she tried to ball her hands into fists in preparation for her next attack. A sharp wince crossed her features as her hand returned to her stomach, teeth gritting and a hiss of effort sounding from her clenched jaw.
"Can you help us?"
~~~~~~~~~~Zah World~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"And when he took me in his arms and puckered his lips so cutely before he kissed me...oooh! It was almost too much for my beating maiden's heart to take!" Her voice was loud and rather boisterous given the calm and collected nature of the city street. Dressed in her typical dark purple silk dress and high heeled shoes Kazehana strutted her stuff with every ounce of skill she had, gawking faces watching every sway of her hips and bounce of her gigantic bust.
"Th-That's nice...can we talk about something other than my stupid onii-chan?" Sahashi Yukari walked side by side with the busty Kazehana, her smaller and plainer looking girlish body paling in comparison to the curvaceous woman beside her. Had anyone known either of them on any sort of level, let alone the connection between Yukari's mother and the purple clothed Sekirei then one would have to stop and pause to question why the two women were talking so congenially. Or at least why was Yukari even bothering to talk to Kazehana in the first place.
Ever since Minato had returned from the hospital Yukari had become a very large presence at Izumo Inn, her almost daily excursions to check on, or in layman's terms bother, her older brother introducing her to all of the Sekirei that her brother had winged. In the course of harping on her brother for slacking in his studies or not taking it easy enough in concerns to his injured hand she would find herself spending time with some of the many others found at the Inn.
Right off the bat Yukari had found a friend in Musubi, the simple and cheerful girl warming up easily to Yukari who enjoyed Musubi's innocence and naiveté. She actually seemed to enjoy those aspects of Musubi a little bit too much, her devious nature and amusement at seeing her brother squirm more than once causing her to convince Musubi to do something risqué to embarrass her brother into a quick beating from his purple haired landlord. Despite this Yukari enjoyed talking with Musubi, her happiness and natural effervescence more often than not becoming contagious from simply being around the orange eyed girl.
Tsukiumi was more often than not a bit too difficult to understand from time to time, her old and complicated style of speech confusing Yukari so much that she would have to ask Tsukiumi to stop so she could decipher the blond woman's words. Despite this the two could see eye to eye on many subjects, from Minato's indecisiveness and lack of conviction to the surprising warmth and kindness he showed others. Aside from Minato they also had a wide array of subjects to talk about with each other on a surprisingly even level, no matter how much Tsukiumi would deny the fact following every conversation. It also didn't hurt that Tsukiumi had a credit card with an unlimited balance with her and when that was coupled with Tsukiumi's insistence to treat her 'sister-in-law' to an afternoon of shopping then Yukari was completely and utterly sold.
Kusano and Akitsu were two that Yukari found more trouble dealing with but both for very different reasons. Kusano was just a child so that in and of itself made Yukari just a bit nervous, her ability to deal with children nothing to be proud of thus making her nervous and awkward in handling interactions with any type of child of any age. Hence when Kusano was in the room the blond haired runt spent most of it hanging on Minato's arm, the dark haired young man smiling politely and talking calmly while Yukari sat on the sideline awkwardly shifting from side to side. There was also the fact that Yukari could have sworn she caught Kusano glaring at her from behind her back, the child's forest green eyes narrowed into slits before she smiled brightly and skipped off to her own devices...it was almost as if the blond haired child was trying to psyche out some sort of competition.
On the other hand was Akitsu, the well endowed and stone faced woman with the odd marking on her forehead. It was the way that Akitsu reacted to everything that creeped Yukari out, that naturally neutral stare holding firm and true no matter what the conditions or the emotions present. Yukari had been raised in a family where emotions were very close to the surface, both her mother and herself had no problem showing their anger, joy, or anything else so all around them could see. To be faced with someone who held their emotions so in check that they seemed to completely lack them was downright frightening to her. There were also the instances where Akitsu would say some of the most off the wall things with the same cordial conversational tone that one would use to describe a blank piece of paper. These comments eventually resulted in a conversation outside of the Inn in which Akitsu had asked Yukari if she had ever found any porno magazines under Minato's bed. When nervously asked why by the younger black haired Sahashi Akitsu explained that she wanted to know what material Minato liked so she could use it for reference when she finally convinced Minato to take her to a love hotel. That response promptly shut Yukari's mind down for a day and a half.
If one wanted to create a nuclear holocaust then it would be as easy as placing Haihane and Yukari in the same room as one another and giving each of them a stockpile of atom bombs. Both of them always found a way to spark an argument with the other, their personally designed and specifically honed cat claws rearing out the moment a single word was passed from one to the other. Haihane's calm and smooth off handed jabs clashed with Yukari's forward and upfront insults, stiff smiles crossing both of their faces as invisible lightening clashed between their eyes. Even the presence of Minato couldn't dull the bickering the two would invariably come up with, Haihane clinging onto Minato and taking simple pot shots at the Yukari from behind the shoulder of her brother. Sooner or later Yukari would retaliate and the arguments would escalate, Minato slipping away from the room with a sigh before the two were silenced with a powerful whack on the head with one of Miya's wooden spoons.
And then there was Kazehana...
Aside from the reclusive Matsu, Kazehana was the one Sekirei that Yukari had seen the least out of all the others, the busty woman more often than not indulging in her sake habit atop some far off sky scraper or pressing herself against Minato much to the rest of his other Sekirei's chagrin. Yet the few times that Yukari had been able to speak with Kazehana she had found that the wind user was rather wise for her flighty personality, her mind holding a wellspring of information and a heart full of wisdom that Yukari found uniquely interesting. Kazehana had traveled around the world so she was quite literally a world-wise woman, something that Yukari could look up to in a similar way she could look up to her mother's ferocity and intensity when it came to getting things done. She also had a credit card that had no limit too which was the final nail in the coffin when the curvaceous woman invited her out for a bit of shopping that afternoon...
That was until Kazehana started talking about Minato.
To say that Kazehana cared about her brother was akin to saying that the grass on the ground in the summer was just a little green. Given the chance Kazehana would gush about him for hours, her almost fangirl-esque fawning for her brother's warm and sensitive side pissing Yukari off more than once. Trying to get Kazehana off of the subject was also an exercise in frustration, the older and wiser woman always finding a way to connect their conversation or something she randomly picked out the air with Minato. She was like a school girl that had asked out her long time crush only for him to tell her he had felt the same about her since they first met. It was sweetly disgusting, completely annoying, and utterly repulsive...if it wasn't so damn heartfelt.
Kazehana obviously had feelings for her brother, as did the rest of his Sekirei. From Musubi's innocent devotion to Tsukiumi's tsundere qualities they all really cared for Minato. Akitsu swore her devotion regularly while Kusano would grab hold of Minato and never let go, pleading with her 'Onii-chan' to play with her every chance he could get. Matsu...well was Matsu and even Haihane, loath Yukari to admit it, was completely and utterly in love with her brother.
And for some reason that burnt Yukari up.
It riled her in so many ways that she couldn't even begin to describe them all. It wasn't hatred or anger for her brother, abuse him or not Yukari still loved the soft hearted idiot. If it were anything...Yukari wished she could have something like he did. For once in her life she actually envied and was jealous of something that her brother had. Never once had she felt that feeling before, Minato was always too much of a coward or a chicken to get what he wanted while Yukari took everything she desired. To have this feeling of jealousy over her brother now though...
"Alright Yuka-chan," Kazehana giggled as Yukari was shaken from her thoughts, "if I can't talk about Minato-kun then what do you want to talk about?"
Yukari was silent for a moment before her mouth blurted out her thoughts without her permission, "Why did you choose my brother?" Kazehana's eyebrow quirked at the heat behind those words, the unintentional envy leaking into Yukari's voice slightly stunning Kazehana and sending Yukari into a deep blush, "Wait! No, that's not it!"
Kazehana chuckled as she shook her head, "Ah, ah, ah, no taking back what you've already asked."
Yukari sighed, rolling her eyes as she grumbled, "just get the Minato sensitivity sermon over with please, there's still a few more shops I want to visit before I go insane."
Kazehana smirked, "Hm...Alright, how about I tell you something about the Sekirei that will help you understand why I chose Minato?"
Yukari quirked an eyebrow, all annoyance in her gaze gone as she turned to Kazehana with interest, "Alright, I'm listening."
"First and foremost Yuka-chan Sekirei are meant to love," Kazehana said with a smile, her hand laying over her heart as she spoke, "we might be very powerful but in the end we just want to be loved like anyone else. However, unlike humans we know who we are destined for by listening to our hearts and our bodies."
"We all listen to our bodies," Yukari said dully, "what difference does that make for you?"
"When we find the one we are destined to love our bodies react," Kazehana's voice sighed dramatically as a soft smile crossed her lips, "our hearts beat faster, our entire bodies feel like they are on fire, we can barely think clearly. If the heart of a Sekirei finds the heart of an Ashikabi that they will be most compatible with, we are drawn to them like a moth to a flame. From there on it's just a matter of getting winged Yuka-chan."
Yukari stared at Kazehana for a moment in surprise, her mind working through her thoughts before she spoke, "What does this have to do with my stupid onii-chan?"
Kazehana giggled softly, "Minato-kun has a very big and very warm heart and because of that kindness and care many Sekirei have reacted to him. For Minato-kun he might have many Sekirei, but for us there is only one Minato-kun with the one heart we love so much."
Yukari looked down to the ground, her voice a tiny whisper as she muttered, "I know...I like that big heart too."
Kazehana's smile grew, her mouth opening to speak but just as quickly closing with a quiet snap. Without warning Kazehana turned her head up to the sky, her cat like eyes narrowing just slightly as she stared out into the distance of the sky. Bit by bit Kazehana watched as something small and white drifted from the sky, a minute tattered bit of silken colorless cloth fluttering down on the gentle breeze. With smooth and careful movement Kazehana reached up and grabbed hold of the material, her thumb and forefinger gently rubbing it between one another as she silently felt the fabric.
Yukari watched the whole display with a curious gaze, her voice speaking up as Kazehana gently fingered the tattered cloth that fell from the sky, "What is that?"
Kazehana turned to Yukari with a sad smile, her free hand reaching between her breasts as she pulled out her M.B.I. card, "Sorry Yuka-chan but it seems something's come up. You take my card and go on without me. We'll meet back at the Inn alright?" Without waiting for an answer Kazehana handed Yukari her card and in a hurricane of force the busty woman lifted off into the air, her impressive leap sending her high above the buildings as she vanished over the rooftops.
"...wait, what?" Yukari stared at the card in her hand, her mind still trying its best to piece everything together only to be interrupted by a loud shout.
"Get back here you brat and become Mikogami-sama's Sekirei!"
~~~~~~~~~~~Zah World~~~~~~~~~~~
Why did it have to be them?
Why did they have to show up and interfere with her mission...
She hadn't wanted to fight them yet, hell she hadn't wanted to fight them at all but in this game...no one was safe.
She sighed as she sat on the loose gravel roof of the small apartment building, her body draped in a cascading wave of sterling white scarves and veils. Yet, no matter how pristine the fabric may be it was still in shreds and tatters, torn scraps hanging from her shoulders as a trail of confetti cloth ran from her to the edge of the roof. Every so often the wind would gust past her, the swirling air picking up another handful of snow white pieces before throwing them over the side and onto the busy streets of the city.
Sighing softly she pulled her loose white veil from her face, her head tilting back as she looked up into the endless blue of the sky. Deep chocolate brown eyes gazed up into the endless azure as deep brunette hair fluttered on the wind, the face of number 10 Uzume staring up to the bright sun above.
Hai-chan...
Musu-chan...
Why did they have to show up?
Why did they have to see that?
Slowly Uzume let loose a quiet sigh as her gaze turning from the sky to the rooftop gravel below, several scraps of her once magnificent veils laying about her like so much trash. She had remembered when she first met her Ashikabi; they were so beautiful and glorious. She remembered the heat of her heart when they first kissed; her body reacting like an inferno of passion as she finally met her one true fated one. How much her veils danced, how majestic they must have looked on that day...
And now all she could see was the blood she had spilled, a deep ruddy stain forever permeating her porcelain plumage, never to be washed no matter how hard she scrubbed or scoured.
Slowly Uzume lifted her hand, one eye staring lifelessly at the limb as she continued to think. How could she ever hold her Ashikabi with these hands, things that have been stained so many times with the lives of the innocent? Tearing apart futures, ripping destiny to shreds, destroying the will of fate for her selfish love...
But she couldn't stop
She would never stop
As long as it was for her Ashikabi, she would continue for as long as it took.
"Hm, so this is where you are Uzu-chan," a familiar voice called out, her eyes snapping open and his gaze turning from her hand to the figure that stood soundlessly before her.
"Nee-san..."
~~~~~~~~~~Zah World~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nice to meet you, my name is Sahashi Minato," Minato spoke as he bowed slightly, the brown haired boy before him giving him a curious look before nodding slightly.
"Haruka Shigi," Haruka spoke, his own head bowing before he waved a hand to the blue clothed girl by his side, "and this is Kuno."
Kuno smiled slightly, bowing her head as she spoke, "N-Number 95, Kuno. Very nice to meet you."
"Very nice to meet you too," Minato said as he returned to small smile, his head turning to the two Sekirei at his side as he spoke, "I take it you have already met Haihane-chan and Musubi-san?" As usual Haihane had lazily latched herself onto Minato's arm, her own limbs wrapped around his as her head sleepily set itself on his shoulder. Musubi had staked a claim on the other arm, her typically proper seating ruined by her slight lean towards Minato as well as her insistence to keep his forearm held tightly to her well endowed chest.
The pair nodded in tandem as they both looked at the two Sekirei, Minato's voluptuous and curvy girls far outdoing Kuno in any department. While this fact had little effect on Haruka Kuno was quick to cross her arms over her chest protectively, an embarrassed blush tinting her cheeks as Haruka spoke, "Yes we have. Thank you for helping us."
Haihane cracked open her one visible eye, her calm tone and lazy demeanor speaking volumes for her attitude and personality, "Hm? Oh yeah, no problem."
Musubi smiled brightly, bouncing slightly in her seat causing her breasts to giggle around Minato's trapped arm, "Musubi was happy to help!"
Minato laughed nervously before he cleared his throat with a quiet cough, "Well...to be honest I was really surprised to see someone had moved into my old apartment so quickly."
Haruka's eyes turned from Musubi's almost hypnotic chest to Minato, Kuno being the only one who had noticed Haruka's momentarily trapped gaze, "Huh? You were the previous tenant?" Minato nodded before Haruka gave him a curious look, "Really? The landlord told me that the previous renter was some guy who'd bring over girls and do whatever he wanted. He sounded like some kind of loser to me."
"Eh heh...is that so?" Minato muttered, a nervous drop of sweat forming on his brow as he spoke.
In the blink of an eye he found himself on the end of two very pointed stares, Musubi's lips turned up into a small and awkward smile while a dark and hazy animalistic force started to form at her back. Haihane on the other hand was far more direct; her narrow eyed stared accompanied by a slightly tighter squeeze on the arm in her grip. Musubi however was the quickest to speak as her arms tightened around Minato's arm as the growing animalistic visage behind her quietly growled, "Minato-sama won't even let me wash his back in the bath so that can't be true, right Minato-sama?"
"I agree mega boobs," Haihane said with a hollow grin, a dangerous gleam dancing past her slitted sanpaku eyes, "surely I can still take Minato to a Love Hotel and deflower him sometime right?"
Minato's face was hotter than the center of the sun as he sputtered, "Wh-What! Of course I never had anyone over when I lived here! And Haihane-chan, d-d-don't say th-things like that in public!"
"Oh...so in private's fine?" Haihane asked, a playful smirk replacing her agitated glare, "Alright, how about we move this to the bath...I'm sure they won't mind. Then I can say whatever I want."
"Musubi too! Musubi wants to go into the bath with Minato-sama too!" Musubi quickly chirped in, Minato's mortification growing as Haihane's grin grew.
As Minato grasped for words Haihane spoke, the red on Minato's face nowhere near deep enough in her opinion, "Alright mega boobs...I've got a job for you, I think Minato'd love it if you gave him a titfu-"
"Haihane-chan!" Minato's urgent voice cut Haihane off quickly, his face inventing new shades of red as Haihane served him a silent sly smile.
As the trio continued to argue amongst themselves the other two in the room grew progressively more and more embarrassed at the increasingly amorous actions taking place, their cheeks tinting with every provocative comment and suggestive movement by the grey haired Haihane. However it was when Haihane abandoned the pretense of a bath and instead began to speak of Love Hotels that Haruka looked like he was going to have a heart attack, his nose trickling a slight bit of blood as Musubi insisted to be part of the 'group' that went. When Haihane began brainstorming ideal 'positions' for their stay in the hotel Haruka's eyes instantly shot to Musubi's generous assets, his imagination working overtime as more blood began to dribble from his nostrils.
Kuno on the other hand only seemed to curl further and further into herself, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as her back continued to hunch further and further to hide what little features she had. Every risqué comment that Haihane made caused the girl to blush deeper, a self pitying look crossing her face as she looked down at her thin and petite body. It only got worse when she cast a glance toward Haruka, his hypnotized eyes and bloody nose more than enough to tell her what her Ashikabi was thinking about.
Looking down once more at her frail body Kuno could only feel her ego and self-confidence plummet into the depths of her stomach. Not only had Minato's two Sekirei beat her out in looks but judging by the single attack it took to disrupt and demolish the veiled Sekirei's attack they far outranked her in strength. Maybe Haruka had made a mistake when he had found her; maybe fate really had overlooked the possibility that she would even get an Ashikabi and meeting Shigi was sheer dumb luck...
Jumping slightly Kuno felt a hand on her shoulder, her head popping up from its depressed hang and turning to face the now concerned eyes of Haruka. A silent question passed from his gaze to her own, his worry at her silent emotional broadcast loud and clear making her shrink into herself once more. It only took a single glance toward Minato and his Sekirei for Haruka to get the idea, Kuno's self-conscious huddle causing him to sigh softly. "Don't," he whispered quietly, Kuno's gaze turning up to his with curiosity, "don't try to compare Kuno...I like you okay."
Kuno's face was suddenly overcome with a mask of heated crimson, a bright blush lighting up her cheeks at Haruka's quiet but heartfelt words, "H-Haruka..."
"I...I'm sorry for...you know staring," Haruka muttered with an embarrassed blush, a single hand scratching the back of his head, "It...It's kind of hard with what they're talking about." Haruka chuckled quietly, turning fully to face the blushing Kuno as a small smile crossed his lips, "but you know I'm starting to think that maybe the landlord was telling the truth about Sahashi-san."
This prompted a soft giggle from Kuno, the pale skinned and blond haired Sekirei gently taking the hand of her Ashikabi into her own. She wasn't perfect but neither was he...
"Yo," Haihane's voice shattered the moment like a wrecking ball falling into the center of a frozen lake, the pair's hands jumping apart as if they had just touched white hot metal before they turned to face the grinning grey haired reaper, "that's cute and all...a bit too slow for me...but why don't you ask Minato what you wanted to?"
"Ah...yeah," Haruka muttered, his face bright red but nowhere near as brilliantly scarlet at the now mortifyingly embarrassed Kuno. With a soft cough and shake of his head Haruka was mostly normal, his gaze turning from the floor of his room to a now more disheveled looking but attentive Sahashi Minato, "Sahashi-san, you...you don't seem like that bad of a guy. A little perverted but not bad so we'll tell you everything."
Minato sighed at the comment while Haihane smirked, her body rubbing against Minato with great intimacy as Haruka continued his speech, "honestly, we really don't wish to fight. Well, actually it's more like we really can't. She's not that skilled and a bit of a klutz."
Kuno frowned slightly as her hands wringed one another with nervousness and shy agitation, "I'm not a klutz...I'm Kuno."
"All of the competitors that we've seen have had these crazy powers or something," Haruka continued, unabated by Kuno's complaint, "and that's why we wish to leave this place. We want to withdraw from the Sekirei plan completely."
Minato's eyes opened wide, surprise filling his features as he spoke, "withdraw from the plan? That...that's…the M.B.I. has the entire city on lockdown, every border is closed-"
"You think I don't know that?" Haruka interrupted Minato with a growl, his hand reaching for the curtain nearby and tearing it open. Hovering in the air and circling the city were numerous helicopters, massive steel birds fluttering around the concrete trees of the urban forest, "those helicopters patrol the city at every hour and every exit out of the city is crawling with M.B.I. officers, I know, I've checked them all!"
Minato too knew of the existence of the M.B.I.'s private military, their militia might more than once stopping him and asking him for identification before letting him go and registering his movements as an Ashikabi. However, meeting that force and taking it head on...to actually try to leave the Sekirei game...
"Haruka-san," Kuno mumbled quietly, her hand gently tugging at Shigi's clothing, "when you kissed me...called me 'your girl'...that...was the happiest time of my life." Kuno's body began to quake and tears pooled in her eyes as she turned toward the other three people in the room, "I'm not strong and...if some other Sekirei were to come and put Haruka-san's life in danger...I wouldn't be able to protect him..."
"Then run away!" everyone in the room jumped at the sudden voice, the cheerful tone of Musubi turning all attention toward the heavy chested cherubic girl, "run away with all of your strength! It's okay, even though you might not be strong, even though you're weak, if you have someone precious in your heart then you will always be safe! Your heart will never lead you astray!"
A small smile crossed Minato's face at Musubi's heartfelt words, her honest voice speaking her mind and her trust in the will of fate and the strength of their loving bond...
"And even if you do run into that veiled Sekirei and lose, Musubi will make sure you two find one another again!" Musubi's words caused a collective drop of nervous sweat to roll down the brows of everyone present, her skill at delivering otherwise horrible news with such a cheerful disposition almost legendary in and of itself.
Minato chuckled softly as the shock slowly wore off, admiration and a drop of something more filling his eye as he looked at the excited Musubi at his side. She had a pure heart that couldn't be sullied no matter what trash surrounded her, an indomitable spirit that refused to give up no matter what. She wasn't the brightest, nor was she the most observant, but just like all of his Sekirei she held a special little space in his heart. A place that was reserved for Musubi and Musubi alone...
"I agree with mega boobs," Haihane chuckled, a slow smirk dressing her lips as she leaned even further into Minato's arm, "you're pretty pitiful but you've got someone that loves you. Might as well fight for that the only way you can, even if it is running."
"Haihane-chan," Minato's surprise was evident in his whisper, his gaze turning from the now confused and interest Musubi to the grinning reaper. Haihane was never one to back away from a battle, Minato knew this greatly from the number of times that the grey girl sparred with the other Sekirei at Izumo Inn. To hear her speak so kindly of running for the sake of one another...it was almost too bizarre to believe.
"Besides," Haihane continued, her eyes darting over to her steel cylinder propped up against the small cabinet by her side, "if we help you out the disciplinary squad will probably jump all over us...it'll be a damn good fight."
The drops of sweat from before only grew at Haihane's declaration, Minato softly shaking his head and chuckling silently to himself. Just like Haihane to make one comment and have it mean the complete polar opposite. But then again it was that type of charm that had captured him in the first place, Haihane's sly remarks and cunning wit unexpectedly drawing him in like a moth to a flickering flame. She was dangerous, slightly scary, and kind of crazy but she was also kind, sweet, and unexpectedly gentle when you got to know her. Maybe it was those conflicting yet complimenting qualities that gained her a slightly larger than average spot in his swiftly quickening heart.
With a sigh Minato shook his head, smiling at both Haihane and Musubi in turn before he spoke, "I think I understand now." As Haihane and Musubi found their cheeks under assault from rising blushes Minato turned to Haruka, "I too wish to help the two of you stay together and leave the city."
The relief on the faces of Kuno and Haruka was almost palatable, held breaths escaping with relieved sighs before Haruka held out a single hand, "Thank you. I can't trust anyone else in this city but I think I can trust you."
Minato smiled, his one hand slipping from Haihane's grasp and toward the extended palm of Haruka, "No problem."
Musubi cheered as Haihane smirked, their faces tinted a light pink as Musubi threw a fist up into the air, "Alright! We've come to the conclusion of 'dropping out' of the Sekirei plan!"
"Musubi...could you please lower your voice?"
~~~~~~~~~~~Zah World~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been hours since the trio had first entered Haruka's apartment, their planning and secret conversations keeping them awake deep into the late hours of the night before they were through. With a cordial parting, accompanied by more than a few yawns, the two Sekirei and one human Ashikabi struck out for their humble home, the small and classically designed Izumo Inn. High above in the pitch black of the twilight sky hung a full and rotund moon, a pale sphere glowing in the sky and surrounded by hundreds of millions of twinkling stars. The peaceful silence of the twilight hours had long since settled on the streets, barely a foot step to be heard and only the soft electric hum of the infrequent street light to fill the empty air.
The quiet was quickly shattered however when Minato let loose a slow yawn, his arms stretching up high into the sky in a sleepy flex of his weary muscles. A gentle pat of his hand against his gaping mouth gradually silenced his exhausted breath, eventually drawing it to a close before he let his hands slip into his pockets once again. Given the late hour and the intensity of their discussion he had certainly earned his rest for the night, his sluggish movements telling the tale of a worn body while his growling abdomen sang the song of an empty stomach.
When Minato had first met Haruka Shigi and Kuno it would be a lie to a say that he wasn't a little bit nervous, Haruka's cautious and slightly paranoid nature coupling with Kuno's withdrawn and quiet personality made the pair more than a little difficult to approach. However, with time and after their initial conversation about the 'dropping out' plan Minato began to find that the two before him were as simple as himself, scared young people trapped within a Spartan game not of their making. More than once Minato found himself bonding with Haruka over the subject of the local prestigious university, their equal desire to attend and their eerily coincidental failure rate causing a quick friendship to precipitate and taking the edge off of Haruka's tense attitude. Likewise, as Musubi and Haihane talked with Kuno the quiet girl started voicing up just a bit more, granted it wasn't much but when the three started to compare what little notes they had about the Sekirei plan all three grew more and more comfortable with one another.
Bringing these groups together and the real discussion began, 'Operation: Withdraw' gradually coming to form into a legitimate and potentially successful plan. However, there was a definite problem with their plan, something that caused every scheme and preparation to come crashing down into the realm of failure. It was the constant and utterly inescapable eye of the M.B.I. that quickly undermined their plot, the constant surveillance of the Sekirei and their Ashikabi making escape utterly impossible no matter what exit they try to use. Every train was guarded, every border walled, even the ocean had dogged patrols by groups of boats; the plan was there but the route was very unclear...
And it was on that note that the group decided to part ways, the late hour of the night doing nothing to aid in their cognitive processes while their collective hunger ebbed away the very last of their will power, tempers, and mental faculties. With tired and slightly bitter farewells the two Ashikabi exchanged phone numbers and Minato's group was off, a slow and even pace taking them from Haruka's apartment to the comfortable Izumo Inn.
Yet, as the trio continued their sluggish speed towards home it became apparent that is wasn't just exhaustion that had wormed its way into the young Sahashi's body; it was something far graver than that. Hanging in the back of his mind was the image of the broken world, the shattered earth hurtling towards nameless destruction in the black curtain of space. Billions of lives snuffed out instantly as a planet full of breaths came to a death stop. With every plan they formed the image grew dimmer, the bleak future being sliced by slivers of hope breaking through the cracks…but just as quickly the image returned, cruel reality slamming back down and making that vile image actuality as they realized the glaring error of their plan and it was turned to scrap.
But...perhaps if he could...
If he could find a way to make the plan work...
To help Kuno and Haruka escape the city...
Perhaps ending the plan was closer than he could ever hope.
But it was so confounding and frustrating, his hand more than once fisting in his uncombed mop of pitch black hair as the dreaded image came in and out of focus with maddening speed. One moment brought relief while another brought dread, the uncertain future turning from sand to stone right before his minds unwavering eye. How could they be so close while being so utterly far away? One last piece was missing and they couldn't find it, a single section keeping them from finding an escape...from beginning the end of Manaka's hellish spectacle. The solution was quickly becoming as invisible and reclusive as Kazehana's alcohol tolerance limit. Meanwhile as Minato's growing headache and frustration slowed his walking to a crawl he was unaware of his aggravation being broadcast all around him, waves of irritated aura rolling from his skin in an invisible rhythm.
Haihane was oddly silent for the discomfort that Minato was in, her usual reaction to this sort of behavior being a quick and flirtatious intervention followed by some good natured joking. However for some reason it seemed that her typical course of action would be a rather dangerous gambit at the moment, the unique and utterly un-Minato like emotion emanating from the otherwise kind and goofy Sahashi leaving the bandaged reaper at a total loss.
Musubi on the other hand was much more obvious and forward with her concern for Minato, her hands gently wringing one another as she nervously glanced over toward the seething Ashikabi. She had never seen Minato so angry and for some reason it filled her with fear, a terror that she had somehow initiated this reaction from the gentle black haired man. Was it her willingness to involve him with the escape plan? Had she made a mistake in volunteering even before she had asked him? She just had to know...
"Minato-sama," Musubi suddenly spoke up, her unusually subdued voice bringing a bout of tired surprise from the young Sahashi, "Musubi knows she should have asked Minato-sama before volunteering to help Kuno-san and Haruka-san. Musubi is sorry Minato-sama but Musubi thought that-"
That was right, Musubi had volunteered before she had even come to ask him. To be honest it was a little agitating to have her willing to do things like this without at least asking him first but...that didn't worry him that much really. It was the hopelessness of the task, the impossible nature of the feat that started his blood to pulse again and his headache to increase in rhythm and intensity. What if they did fail...what if they all met their deaths...what if the future he saw really did come to pass...
How could he stop it?
It was all so frustrating!
A soft chuckle interrupted Musubi's rushed explanation, his sleepy laughter surprising Musubi and Haihane with the disguised bitterness hidden beneath the surface, "It's alright Musubi-san, I would have helped them even if you hadn't already agreed to it so don't worry too much."
"Minato-sama," Musubi said with worry, a tinge of fear entering the burnt orange iris of her eyes, "are you alright?"
Minato's smile was strangely stiff as he turned to Musubi and Haihane, his steps coming to a complete halt as he faced them with that odd grin, "Of course Musubi, why would you think anything different?"
"Minato-sama..." Musubi's voice shook slightly at the empty stare that Minato sent her, his eyes hollow as he continued to chuckle.
"Minato," Haihane suddenly spoke out, her voice sharp and forceful but oddly quiet for the grey haired girl's normal tone, "what the hell is wrong? It can't just be what Musubi did so what?"
Haihane-chan...
Musubi-san...
Minato softly shook his head, one hand going up to his forehead and gently laying atop the clammy flesh. Beneath the chilly skin of his forehead he could feel the rapid pulse of pounding blood in his skull, a constant and quick paced throb echoing against the rough skin of his palm.
No, he couldn't be this angry; he shouldn't get this frustrated...
This called for a cool head.
For a concentrated mind.
Most of all, for the patience to make it work.
With a slow breath Minato turned back to Haihane and Musubi, the worried looks on their faces melting slightly as Minato's calm and cheerful smile returned in full force. They looked so worried, so concerned for his wellbeing that it almost made his spill his guts right then and there. His story about his time in the coma coming out in a tidal wave of emotion and confession...but he knew he couldn't. He didn't want to share it with them just yet...he wanted to keep them safe, even if it was for a few more days, "I'm sorry, it's just been a really long day and...well with everything we talked about..."
Musubi smile happily, her forgiving and naive nature prepared to forgive her Ashikabi's momentary moment of anger and mysterious topic evasion...
Haihane on the other hand was not.
"I don't believe that," Haihane said sincerely, that small danger sense at the back of her mind twitching slightly as she remembered those hollow eyes and that emotionless smile, "from the moment I met you you've never done something like that...something big is going on isn't it?"
Haihane knew that look, that gaze of faded consciousness, that blank stare out into nothingness epitomizing the phrase 'lights are on but no one is home.' She knew it because she was the same way, her killer's eye and Minato's vacant stare close cousins in their dark emotional expression.
"Haihane-chan," Minato's voice was filled with surprise as he quietly whispered Haihane's name, his heart beat pulsing in his chest at her words. She had always been able to see right through him, to pick apart anything that bothered him...but he couldn't...he...he wanted them safe...
"Is that true Minato-sama?" Musubi piped up, his once happy gaze transformed back into a worried stare, "Minato-sama can trust Musubi and Haihane-san can't he?"
"Musubi-san," Minato began, his head lowering in shame as he scratched at the back of his head, "It's not about trust...it..."
"It's something that can get us hurt," Haihane muttered, her single visible sanpaku eye staring out from the shadowed mane of silver hair, "you wouldn't hide anything this much unless it could hurt us."
Minato's silence was more than enough proof for the two Sekirei before him, Musubi being the first to speak up as she voiced her exuberant opinion, "Minato-sama shouldn't worry about that! Musubi and Haihane-san are really strong just like Akitsu-san, Kazehana-san, Ku-chan, and Tsukiumi-san! Matsu-san is always hiding with Landlady-sama so Minato-sama doesn't have anything to worry about her so why is Minato-sama so worried?"
"I want to know too Minato," Haihane said with slight irritation in her voice, memories of her conversation with Miya playing in the back of her mind at the thought of what Minato could be hiding, "you can count on us to handle anything so spill it."
Could they?
Could they really handle it?
With grit teeth Minato clenched his eyes shut, the world around him quickly being swallowed by the darkness of his eyelids. Could they really handle the storm that he had seen, the destruction that would come to pass?
But then, with his eyes tightly locked away from the world around him, something started to form; Minato's shut and shaded ocular orbs started bearing witness to a spectacular sight in his self made visual seclusion. Sitting there in the darkness of his eyelids were a pair of pale blue strings, small threads that seemed to flow from his body and out into the vastness of the universe. He could recognize those threads, the pale azure strands that seem to stretch into eternity and beyond…they were his bond to this world...
To Haihane-chan
To Musubi...Musubi-chan
To all of those attached to his heart.
They were there to keep him within this time
In this place
Takehito's words rang strong in his head as he thought of the strands, that formless voice telling him of the threads strength and the source from which it came. He was the strength; he could help each strand grow into a river of might…
Maybe this was an opportunity to do just that...
Slowly Minato turned his head up to face his two Sekirei, his eyes locked in a rare moment of pure determination as he spoke, "I want to end the Sekirei plan."
"What," Haihane was first to respond, her voice dripping with shock as she stared at the mysteriously resolute Minato, "do...do you know what you're saying?"
Minato nodded, his gaze turning from Haihane to an obviously surprised Musubi and back again, "I want to end this game and let the Sekirei live like everyone else without having to fight."
"But Minato-sama, we Sekirei are made to fight," Musubi was deeply confused, her Ashikabi's words going against almost everything she had come to know about the Sekirei and herself, "if we don't have the plan then-"
"Then what Musubi-chan? You won't know who to fight with?" Minato interrupted Musubi unexpectedly, something that didn't bother Musubi as much when she took note of the affectionate suffix Minato had attached to her name, "do you know what happens at the end of this plan?"
"The final Sekirei gets their wish granted and they reach ascension with their Ashikabi," Haihane said with a slight hint of heat, her one visible eye glaring at 'Musubi-chan' briefly before returning to Minato, "What does that have to do with this plan Minato?"
For a long moment Minato was silent before he quietly whispered, "Have you ever heard of someone named Takehito?"
Without warning Musubi seemed to jump, her body seizing slightly with an acute electric shock as her voice suddenly spoke, "Takehito Asama was the adjustor of the first generation Sekirei disciplinary squad as well as several other of the early Sekirei meant for the Sekirei plan." Minato and Haihane both stared at Musubi as she quickly shook off her shock, her dark orange eyes looking between the other two in confusion, "Did Musubi say something?"
"Right...anyway," Haihane shrugged as she turned back to Minato, "if what mega boobs said is true then that would make Takehito the first adjuster...someone that I was told died a long time ago."
That seemed to send a chill of ice down Minato's spine but he swiftly shrugged it off, his breath coming out in a soft sigh before he spoke, "well in some way, Takehito-san showed me what Minaka has planned for the end of the Sekirei plan and what he plans to do to the whole world when it ends." The enthralled stares of Haihane and Musubi prompted Minato to continue with a croaking whisper, "at the end of the plan an explosion will tear the world in two...every last thing on this planet will die."
"That...That's-" Haihane began but Minato's slow chuckle cut her off, his head shaking back and forth with each slow laugh.
"Impossible? I thought so too," Minato's voice was accompanied by a sad smile, exhaustion from the day mixing with the fatigue of holding his secret for so long, "but I saw it and what will happen if we don't end it. Takehito-san trusted me with stopping the Sekirei plan from getting to the end…and I promised that is exactly what I would do."
For a moment silence reigned over the trio, all of them not saying a word as the facts of the situation slowly began to sink in. Bit by bit understanding over the situation began to form, their minds assimilating the massive chunk of fresh information…until of course Musubi began to talk.
"Minato-sama…Musubi waited a very long time to meet her Ashikabi-sama and compete in the Sekirei plan…Musubi one day dreamed about wining and reaching ascension with her Ashikabi," Musubi's voice sounded sad, a slow and regretful tone in her voice that slowly faded into silence. However, her pause was only temporary, a bright smile lighting up her features as she clenched her hands and faced Minato with renewed vigor and strength, "but now that Musubi has meet Minato-sama Musubi would do anything for him! Musubi will help Minato-sama with whatever he wishes!"
Relief flooded Minato's features as he smiled and thanked Musubi, his worried eyes turning to the reluctantly fidgeting Haihane. In the back of her mind Haihane knew what the consequences of agreeing to any of this were. They would most likely be killed on the spot if anyone else heard, their lives becoming forfeit the moment they showed any sort of aggression against the M.B.I.
What better reason to join and protect her precious 'Ashikabi-sama'
Her beloved Minato-kun
"Yeah," Haihane's trademark smirk crossed her face as a hint of red touched her cheeks from Minato's hopeful smile, "before we met I would want to kill you for trying to stop this plan but…we are 'Ashikabi-sama's' Sekirei right? Who knows, if this Takehito is right then we might even save the world."
Minato's overjoyed grin couldn't possibly get any wider as his arms wrapped the two girls in the biggest hug he had ever given anyone in his life. Both of the beautiful women blushed a deep crimson hue at their Ashikabi's emotional embrace; each one returning the hug and silently hoping that it would never come to an end…
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