~Petal 11: The Will of Wagtails~
Shintou Teitou, Izumo Inn
2020
Monday, 7:45 AM
At first, Minato's Monday seemed to be terribly unremarkable.
Just as he had been doing for the last two weeks, for six days out of seven, he got up at the crack of dawn, surrounded by his Sekirei enfolding him on all sides. With the addition of Tsukiumi to the group, he now needed Akitsu's help to get his limbs and neck free; Tsukiumi and Musubi were pressed on opposite sides of his body, while Kuu laid on his chest and Matsu grabbed one of his legs, leaving Akitsu the other one (which, without fail, she relinquished when Minato awoke). Not long after that, Musubi, slowly weaning herself from her sleepy-headed habits, would awaken as well. Both she and Akitsu would join Minato in freshening up for the morning, taking turns using the sink in his bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their faces. Afterward, they returned to their individual rooms (though Minato had to take an extra step and shoo out the other Sekirei that were still in his), changed their clothes, and headed downstairs.
Miya usually had breakfast started by then, but it was never quite ready, so Minato and Musubi would go and sit on the porch, performing breathing exercises to center their minds. Once the food was ready, everyone that was up (which usually meant everyone but Homura) would sit and eat, with no conversation due to the time of morning and an unspoken gloom that lightly hung over them. After finishing breakfast, Minato would leave for the train station—and Musubi, Tsukiumi, and Akitsu would go with him. The moment they stepped outside of the inn, the loud wobbling sound of a helicopter's blades overhead would break the silence between them; no one needed to look to know that the chopper had the words MBI printed on it in white block letters.
The walk to the station was constantly marred by MBI's constant displays of presence. Their troopers were milling around idly in the streets, guns lowered and heads covered by helmets and visors. Their vans were parked pretty much anywhere that there was space for them. Even getting on the train required that Minato and the girls hand over their tickets for inspection before MBI troopers let them get on, and every day, the guards looked at them with clear hostility.
Ever since the city had come under martial law, this had been the reality that Minato and his Sekirei dealt with.
Shintou Teitou, Izumo Inn
2020: Two Weeks Earlier
Sunday, 11 AM
"MBI is officially taking control of the imperial capital, starting today," Minaka said, his voice calm despite the wide grin on his face. "The age of the gods is to be seated here, in this place, at this time. To that end, we have been consolidating our power, waiting for this very moment. And now that we stand here at the cusp of its beginning, it is time to welcome the new world."
"I don't even understand him," Minato said, rubbing his face with his hand. "I knew he was crazy, but this is too much. What is he talking about?"
"Mina-tan, listen," Matsu whispered, and Minato turned to look at her. To his surprise, she was almost a shadow of her normal self; her shoulders were drawn in, her head hanging low. "Now that the second stage has started...there's nowhere to run. There's a real risk that you could be challenged by other Ashikabi who are looking for the last few un-winged Sekirei—or who want to get rid of the competition."
"I wasn't planning on running in the first place, Matsu-san," Minato said. His voice was even, his posture calm and untroubled. Matsu, bewildered, broke out of her funk to stare at him. "I made a promise to Musubi. I'm gonna stay and see this through with her, and all of you. And once the plan is over, I'll do whatever it takes to beat that smug asshole Minaka."
Matsu let her glasses slide further down the bridge of her nose, and hardened her eyes. "Mina-tan, I'm serious! Literally, no Sekirei and no Ashikabi can leave the city anymore. MBI will have guards posted everywhere to look out for them. If we try to run, we'll be forced to stay, or even terminated. If Yukari-tan has second thoughts about the plan, then she can't get away either."
Minato almost asked how she knew his sister was even an Ashikabi since they hadn't met at dinner that night, but he filed it under "stuff Matsu just knows thanks to her computers" and didn't bother asking. "Well, I doubt she'd run, either. My sister's stubborn. If I'm going to stay here and fight, you can bet she will too."
Matsu frowned, and almost said something else, but Tsukiumi, of all people, cut in, leaning forward and smacking her hands on the table. The platters shook slightly, but she paid no mind to that. "Enough!" she said. "If my husband has declared that we have no intention of leaving, then it is so. You are his Sekirei too, are you not? Do you have no faith in his ability?"
Musubi nodded and leaned forward as well, a determined smile on her face. "Tsukiumi-san is right. We have to believe in Minato! He said he was going to help me win, but we're all a team now, so he'll help all of us win!" After a moment of silence, she added, "And he's my husband too!"
Tsukiumi barely managed to hold back the growl that nearly made its way out of her throat, while Akitsu stared directly at Minato and Musubi, and Kusano clutched Minato's shirt with a quivering frown. Silently, Minato shifted his gaze to Miya, pleading for a little help, and in reply, she put on her best wide smile. "Now, everyone, we should be eating. Why don't we turn off the TV?"
As usual, the landlady's tone brooked no argument. Uzume silently lifted the remote and did precisely that before she started paying an uncommon amount of attention to her plate; Minato's Sekirei ended their staring contest to follow Uzume's example. Minato nodded in silent thanks to Miya, and she replied by relaxing her smile and giving him her own pointed glance.
Minato saw it, and sighed. That last argument had pretty much proven it. His Sekirei were officially at each others' throats now. He would have to step in and lay down the law.
Shintou Teitou University
2020
Monday, 10:30 AM
As part of the plan that they had all agreed on, Musubi, Tsukiumi, and Akitsu would all split up and hang around the campus to make sure that Minato could move safely from class to class without fear of an ambush; one of them would stay near him while the other two would branch out. Matsu had provided Tsukiumi and Akitsu with cellphones, already programed with Minato and Musubi's numbers. At the moment, Akitsu was hanging around near the center of campus, while Musubi was watching the building where Minato's next class would be from the rooftop of another one nearby.
Tsukiumi, currently on main guard duty, was inside the building where Minato was currently in his math class, sitting quietly on a bench outside his classroom. Her arms were folded, and a thoughtful pout was crossing her face. "To think that I would have to negotiate time with my own husband,"she said, tossing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "A sad sight this is, indeed." A boy walking by stopped to stare at her, and Tsukiumi raised her head once she felt his eyes on her. The violent narrowing of her eyes and the furrow between her brows quickly drove him off, and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "And the attentions of these fools... Would that I could make them understand I am no porcelain doll to be admired."
She had no time to switch back into her brooding posture, though, as the door on her right opened up. Immediately, she turned her attention to the line of people filing out of it, though she made a point of only looking from the corner of her eye. Soon enough, Minato emerged with a weak smile on his face, and Tsukiumi stood up gracefully, folding her arms as she looked up at him. "And how did it go, Minato?" she asked, frowning as usual. "You were studying for a test in this class earlier, were you not? You seemed terribly worried."
Minato shook his head. "I managed all right, Tsukiumi-san. It wasn't anything complicated. Studying paid off, but I was still kind of nervous. We'll just have to wait and see how things turn out. Are Musubi and Akitsu-san in position?"
"They are." Tsukiumi's pout grew more distinct. "And, must I tell you again? You need not stand on formality with me. Simply call me Tsukiumi, as you do with Musubi."
Minato's lips twitched. "It took a while before I was comfortable enough to do that. It's not really out of disrespect for you or anything..."
The rest of his words were cut off when Tsukiumi stormed into his personal space and glared up at him. She was clearly blushing, but at the same time, her eyebrows were drawn into an angry slant. "I am glad that you respect me, but it is my wish that you simply call me Tsukiumi. Is that one request truly so difficult for you to heed?"
Minato let his eyes dart around, pressing his lips together. Tsukiumi refused to break eye contact with him, and he sighed. "For right now, yes. And I'm really sorry about that. I just..."
Tsukiumi sucked a tooth and spun around, walking down the hallway. Her dress flared out around her as she turned. "We should be on our way to your next class. Musubi waits on us, and I shudder to think what trouble that scatterbrain could find herself in with such lecherous louts as your classmates wandering about."
Minato felt his stomach flop at the scorned tone in her voice, but two weeks of getting to know the proud Sekirei had taught him that she wasn't going to listen to a word he had to say, until she was ready to. Shifting the strap of his satchel, Minato followed in Tsukiumi's wake, eyes cast to the ground. He could feel people staring at both him and her as they made their way out of the building, across the campus, and to his next class, but no one said a word to either of them; aside from a few people, Tsukiumi's reputation and temperament had become well-known amongst the Shinteidai students, enough so that no one wanted to even come close to her—and, by proxy, him. If he had been the type to be concerned about his popularity, it would have really bothered him, but the Sekirei Plan had more or less supplanted any desire he had to make any friends.
As they approached the building, Musubi looked down at them from the rooftop, then hopped over the edge and landed right in front of Tsukiumi with only the slightest sound. The blonde Sekirei jumped back, then shook her head, snarled, and punched Musubi in the back of the head. After her hand bounced off of Musubi's skull, Tsukiumi winced, shaking it slightly before she folded her arms and glared at Musubi. "Fool! Are you mad, jumping around in plain sight? What if you had been seen?"
"No one here pays attention to us anymore, Tsukiumi-san," Musubi said. "They're usually too busy ignoring you and anything around you. It's probably because you keep staring at them like they stole your food."
Tsukiumi's growl couldn't have sounded more beastly, but rather than speak again, she simply stormed off, waving a hand in disgust. "My part is done. Minato, go. You have matters to attend to away from here, do you not?"
Minato reached out to her, but stopped when he saw that she clearly wasn't going to turn around. He grimaced and pressed a palm to his face, then shook his head. "Damn it."
Sensing her Ashikabi's distress, Musubi put a gentle hand on his shoulder. When he started, she shook her head. "Talk to her later, Minato. Right now, you really have to go to class."
Minato wanted to argue the point for a moment, but Musubi's unusually stern gaze made him hold his tongue, and he nodded. "Then, I'll see you when I'm done, Musubi," he said.
Musubi smiled and squeezed both of Minato's shoulders with her gloved hands, then patted them. "Take care, Minato."
Izumo Inn
Monday, 5 PM
Minato sighed as he pushed open the front door of the Inn with Musubi and the others in tow. His math test had left him almost totally drained that morning, and the rest of the day had been just as tiring. He wanted to do something that had nothing to do with school for a while. He and the girls stopped at the foyer and removed their shoes, but right as they stepped into the house proper, Miya came around the corner with three empty canvas bags. "Welcome home, Sahashi-san," she said, smiling. "How was school today?"
"Same as always," Minato said. He stifled a yawn and rubbed his face. "I think I need a quick nap before I train anyone today. Math is really not fun."
"Well, I already have a job for Musubi-san and the others in the meantime, so go right ahead," Miya said, placing each bag in one of the girls' hands. "By the time you wake up, they should be on their way back."
Minato raised an eyebrow, but Miya didn't do anything except smile a bit wider, and he immediately got the feeling that whatever was going to happen was probably not something he wanted to get too involved in. So, he nodded, and went straight for the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, Miya turned to the girls, placing her now empty hands behind her back. "Now, girls," she said, "with the addition of yet another mouth to our little group home, I've found myself hard-pressed with the shopping these last two weeks, if only because some people can't eat as if they were raised with manners."
Musubi blinked, missing the insinuation entirely, while Akitsu gave a sidelong glance to Tsukumi. Tsukiumi's reply was to growl menacingly and stare back. Before either of them could act, though, Miya let her aura flare up slightly, and all three of the Sekirei focused their attention back on her. "I've also noticed that despite the fact that all three of you spend an entire day with Sahashi-san, you are all completely incapable of acting like civilized young ladies when it comes to dinnertime." Miya's brow darkened slightly even as she kept on her smile, causing Musubi and Akitsu to shrink into themselves. "How is it possible that you always fight about who sits with Sahashi-san? Do you know what a poor example you set for Kusano by acting like children?"
Tsukiumi opened her mouth to respond, but Miya simply focused her smile a little differently, and Tsukumi's skin began to crawl so unpleasantly that she shut her mouth with a slight click of teeth. Satisfied, Miya continued her speech. "So, I've decided that your nervous energy can be best put to use by making you all replenish our groceries. I will give you each a list and expect you to stay under budget while picking up every single item. The first one back here with all of their items in one piece shall be the one that gets the seat. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Landlady-sama," Musubi said, clenching her fist.
"Yes," Akitsu said, nodding.
"Crystal clear, Landlady-sama," Tsukiumi muttered, folding her arms and pouting.
"Your lists are in your bags, and so is your money," Miya said, waving gently at the door. "Go on, now. If you waste time, Sahashi-san will be done with his nap before you all get halfway there, and he wants to train with Musubi-san, remember?"
Without a word, Tsukiumi slipped back into her boots and rushed off like a madwoman possessed. Akitsu immediately followed, not even bothering to put on her slippers. Musubi gasped, slung her bag around her shoulder, and grabbed her boots, hopping out of the door as she tried to pull one of them on with the other tucked beneath her arm.
Miya sighed, but the smile never left her face. She looked to the stairs, shaking her head. "Ah, young love."
Monday, 5:24 PM
Minato groaned as he rolled out of his futon, pressing his palms to his eyes. The nap had done him some good, but he still felt a little worn down; it was a feeling more and more familiar to him the longer he had to try and operate normally under the stresses of the Sekirei Plan. MBI's presence everywhere in the city was an unwelcome strain, far worse than dealing with school. After running a hand through his hair, Minato slowly made his way downstairs, scratching his bottom. Right as he got into the foyer, the front doors burst open and Musubi leaped into the house, a huge smile stretching across her face. "I won!" she shouted, spinning around on one foot like a ballerina. The bag on her shoulder spun as well, fanning out in a wide arc."Yeah!"
Akitsu and Tsukiumi came in right behind her, their bags equally full, but their expressions couldn't have been more different from Musubi's. Akitsu's face was impassive, but her eyes betrayed a slight edge of disappointment. Tsukiumi's eyes were almost pinched shut in her anger, and her mouth was twisted into a harsh frown. "That damned strumpet," Tsukiumi said to herself, her voice barely rising above a growl. "How was I so easily outpaced? Vexing beyond words, that she so easily..."
Ignoring Tsukiumi, Musubi stopped spinning and latched onto Minato with a happy giggle, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hello, Minato!"
"Hello to you too," Minato said. "So you 'won', huh? What were you doing?"
"The landlady had us race for groceries," Akitsu said, lowering her head slightly. "Musubi was faster than us. She gets to sit next to you at dinner, Minato-sama."
"But only this once!" Tsukiumi shouted, her hair flaring upwards. "I will die ere I let any strumpet take my place at my husband's side again!"
Minato's eyes tightened, and he gently put his hands on Musubi's back. Understanding the meaning behind his gesture, Musubi let him go, and Minato immediately faced Tsukiumi with a hard glare, folding his arms. "Tsukiumi-san, you're my Sekirei just like Musubi, Akitsu-san, Matsu-san and Kuu-chan. That means that you don't get the right to look down on them, and they don't get the right to look down on you. I don't intend to say this again. Am I understood?"
Tsukiumi seemed taken aback at first, but eventually recovered from her shock enough to nod. "You are."
At that precise moment, Miya came from the back part of the inn. She was smiling. "Why, Sahashi-san, I couldn't agree more," she said. "I think that if Tsukiumi-san is so intent on forgetting her manners, I might be able to help her recall them."
"With all respect, Asama-san, I think Tsukiumi-san and I have managed to come to an understanding. And if we haven't after all—" he gave Tsukiumi a sharp glance, and she flushed bright red—"I would be glad to accept your help."
Miya's smile relaxed, and she nodded. "Sounds like a plan, then. I'll leave you to it." She collected the shopping bags from Minato's Sekirei, then went back towards the kitchen, humming a soft tune underneath her breath. Minato then turned to Musubi, and said, "Let me go upstairs to change. Go do your warm-up exercises in the yard."
Musubi nodded and skipped off to do as he'd asked. Akitsu looked at Musubi's back for a moment, her brow shifting slightly, then turned to Minato. "I...would like to join you today, Minato-sama," she said, bowing at the waist. "I know that Musubi is your student, but..."
Minato laughed. "Relax, Akitsu-san," he said, and Akitsu lifted her head, a small frown crossing her face for a brief moment. "I don't mind at all. In fact, if you practice hard enough you might be able to catch up to where Musubi is, if you really want to. Even if you don't, just the meditation might be good for you." The look in his eye became slightly distant. "In fact, it might be good for everyone..."
If Minato was looking at Akitsu, he would have seen the excited sparkle that flashed in her eyes. "Thank you, Minato-sama. I will go and wait with Musubi." With that, she bowed and excused herself, leaving only Tsukiumi and Minato in the hallway. The blonde Sekirei blushed violently at the fact that they were now alone, but before she could say a word, Minato wandered off upstairs, still lost in thought. After a second, Tsukiumi just sighed and took off her boots, setting them next to Akitsu's slippers and Musubi's boots before she went to the yard to join her fellow Sekirei.
At the top of the stairs, Matsu came out of her room with a perplexed frown on her face, just stopping herself from walking straight into Minato. Minato immediately noticed the lack of a smile on Matsu's face, and frowned as well. "Are you all right, Matsu-san? You seem worried about something."
Matsu blinked a few times, then shook her head, sighing as she adjusted her glasses. "Well, I kind of am, Minato-sama," she said, rubbing one eye with a bleary frown. "Do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something."
Minato immediately gave Matsu a once-over, noting the stiffness of her posture, before nodding. "Musubi just came back from a shopping trip," he said, smiling softly. "She and Akitsu-san are waiting for me downstairs. Do you mind waiting until later tonight?"
"Right after dinner then, Minato-sama," she replied, returning the smile with a thin one of her own. Minato saw her shoulders relax significantly, but the rest of her body still held a lingering tension. "Make sure that everyone else comes with you, too. OK?"
Minato nodded. "OK."
Down in the yard, Musubi and Akitsu were sitting together on the ground, while Tsukiumi, Kusano, Kagari, and Uzume were watching the two of them perform breathing exercises. However, Tsukiumi was only sparing a glance from the corner of her eyes every now and then, preferring to stare angrily at the porch as she leaned against the door frame.
For Akitsu, it had been quite an experience. She knew that in matters of martial arts, Musubi's normal hyper-activity and ditzy behavior could be directed to significantly more productive ends. But it was quite another thing to have Musubi, of all people, calmly and gently instruct her on the art of breathing. With the brunette Sekirei's guidance, Akitsu had easily settled into a pattern, and could feel the normal surge of cold that came from making her ice in the pit of her stomach. It had never been a problem for her to control it since the incident, but she had never felt this...in-tune with it before.
It was the first good memory she could actually associate with her 'mastery' of her power.
Footsteps sounded on the porch, and Musubi stood up, turning to face Minato and Matsu as they came out onto the porch. Minato was dressed in his gi, and smiled warmly at his two Sekirei as Akitsu got up from the ground, dusting off her pants. Minato looked to Musubi first, then to Akitsu. "You two ready to roll?"
"Yes, Minato-shishou!" Musubi said, grinning.
"Yes, Minato-shishou," Akitsu said.
Minato nodded, then stepped back. "Musubi! Show me a Hayate."
Musubi immediately sank into her stance, taking a breath before she yanked her fist backward, with a sharp rustling of cloth. Her foot slid slightly, crunching the dirt beneath her foot. Akitsu felt something surge when Musubi took a breath, and moved to the side alongside Minato. Musubi then extended her free hand and opened it wide before turning it sharply. Then, she stepped, and shouted from her stomach, punching in sync with her shout and her movement. "CHESTO!"
Minato could feel it, the rippling of her energy through the air and the steadiness of her blow; even her braking was spot-on."That's it! Excellent!" he said, grinning widely. "You're ready to move on. I'll show you the next move as soon as I get Akitsu-san started. In the meantime, keep practicing that."
Musubi loosened for a moment, sinking back into a stance, before re-composing herself. "Yes, Minato-shishou!"
Minato then turned to Akitsu, shrinking his grin just a little bit. "OK, Akitsu-san. I know you've been watching us practice for a while, but since you're new to this, I need you to follow my lead, all right?" Akitsu nodded, and Minato came closer, within arm's reach. "Let me show you how to do this stance, then. First, spread your feet..."
As Minato's hands guided her limbs, Akitsu felt a blush come to her face. Aside from clutching onto him in his sleep, she didn't make a habit of touching him very often, so the sensation of his broad palms helping direct her movement was still deliriously new for her. Warm, she thought, then blinked as she realized that his calloused palms were no longer touching her. She focused her attention on the outside world again, physically willing her blush to fade as she tried to memorize the way her arms and legs were positioned. At her side, Minato stepped back a bit, examining her. "Now, do you remember what I had Musubi doing when I started with her?" he asked. "You need to hold this stance somewhat while you do those breathing exercises. Remember, it's all right to move a little bit, but if you move too much, then you're not doing it correctly."
Akitsu nodded again, but her mind was already focused on maintaining her breathing. The strangely pleasant sensation of the cold rising and falling in the pit of her belly began to spread throughout her body, but as always, it remained under her control. She could understand why Minato was so intent on having Musubi start and end the training sessions with the breathing exercises now. Being so in tune with one's own "self" would no doubt go a long way in helping to regulate and monitor one's own strength; for someone like Musubi, that regular restriction and control over her internal power would go a long way.
After watching her for a few moments, Minato let Akitsu continue her exercises, walking over to Musubi. "All right, Musubi, that's enough. I think it's time for your next techniques. I'm going to show you two of them since they're relatively simple as compared to the Hayate, so you shouldn't have any problems pulling them off. First off is the Rising Justice Fist, the Fukiage." He took a breath, then spread his legs out into a horse stance and punched upward with his left fist, shouting loudly. Musubi immediately recognized it as the punch Yukari had used to knock him into the air during their short spar weeks ago. When he relaxed his body and stood straight up again, Minato rolled his shoulders, smiling at the rapt attention on her face. "You can do it with either hand, but the most important part is to synchronize your breathing and your moment, just like always." He then took his stance again, and after taking another breath, he raised his rear hand and swung it into a forward chop, crouching into the blow and shaking the ground when he struck it. Musubi jumped slightly, as did everyone else watching them, while Akitsu was unperturbed, continuing her breath exercises without stopping. "That was the second move, the Falling Hand Blade Strike, Oroshi. It's a strong move, but the more power you put into it, the slower you have to do it in order to synchronize your ki and the blow."
Musubi nodded, then took her stance, immediately raising her rear hand and dropping into an Oroshi with an excited shout. Unlike Minato's, though, there was no force behind her strike when she hit the ground; she blinked and made a questioning hum, then looked up at Minato with wide, puppy-dog eyes.
"Your breathing is poor," Minato replied. He snapped his hand back as if he were going to do another Oroshi. "You need to do it like this." He gently brought his hand down, performing the move in slow motion and evenly releasing his breath. "Now, you try it."
Musubi did just that, and Minato watched her until he was satisfied with her progress; he then turned his attention back to Akitsu for a while, becoming absorbed in correcting her slight flaws in breathing and posture. From the porch, Tsukiumi snorted to herself, standing fully upright instead of leaning on the doorframe, and glared at the scene before her. "To think that I allowed myself to be joined to a man who spends no time with me and plays teacher to those concubines," she said, her voice low. "At least he is accomplished as a fighter if nothing else."
Uzume chuckled, rolling onto her back from her stomach. "Sounding pretty bitter there, blondie. You know, Sahashi-chan will let ya join in if you ask."
Tsukiumi simply stared at the other Sekirei like she'd grown a second head. While fighting was prohibited at Izumo Inn, Tsukiumi never quite let her guard down around Uzume; any Sekirei that wasn't Minato's was, or could become, an enemy, and that merited caution. "I have no interest in those physical arts. I have all the power I need."
"Ain't nothing if you can't apply it, Tsukki," Uzume said, looking up at the ceiling with a smile. However, if one looked at her closely, they would see the briefest tinges of regret and sadness twist around the edge of her mouth, pulling the corners tightly into her face and pressing her lips together tightly. "But hey, you do what you like. When it comes down to it, it really isn't my business."
Tsukiumi rolled her eyes, but didn't move or reply, continuing to stare at Minato, Musubi, and Akitsu with the same harsh frown.
Monday, 7:30 PM
After practice, dinner, and baths, Minato and his Sekirei all met in Matsu's room. A cheap sign, scrawled on a scrap of paper, was pasted to the wall that served as the door to Matsu's room, saying "Matsu's War Room is in Session, Please Stay Out". Inside, Matsu was seated in front of her computer wall, pulling up multiple Sekirei files before turning to Minato and the others, who were sitting in a semicircle around her, with a grim frown on her face. "These are MBI's files on terminated Sekirei from the Sekirei Plan," she said to the group, adjusting her glasses. "I've been monitoring them since the start of the second stage, mostly because I'm concerned about what competition we may have to face in the future, and I noticed some very odd things." She picked up a pointer from seemingly nowhere and pointed it at a specific section of one of the profiles that was pulled up. "As you can see here, the level of injury a Sekirei took prior to their termination is listed here—and almost all of these cases are near-fatal levels of damage. What's really abnormal, though, is this." She slid her pointer down to the line below the damage report; it was completely blank. "This spot is supposed to have the name and number of the Sekirei that terminated this one. But it's blank, just like the rest of these profiles I have here."
Minato frowned and stared at the profile, while Musubi and Kusano blinked and Tsukiumi mimicked Minato's action. "I don't really get it. So MBI doesn't know who terminated them. Why is that odd?"
"Clearly the victorious Sekirei did not stay till MBI came for the body of the defeated one; otherwise, MBI would have confirmed that information immediately, " Tsukiumi replied, her brow darkening as it furrowed. "Sekirei are taught to stand by the bodies of their defeated foes, Minato. Surely you have seen this before? It is a rule that no Sekirei would dare break—except this shameless cur, whoever they are." Even while sitting, Tsukiumi's arms were folded, and her hands gripped her biceps as she continued to speak. "To violate the sanctity of this battle...no, they are worse than shameless. Someone such as this cannot be allowed to taint the Sekirei Plan."
"Tsukiumi-san, it's already pretty tainted," Minato said, giving her a flat, pointed stare. "Recall that this entire thing is a bloodsport being run as some cockamamie contest by a man who is veritably insane. I didn't think you'd actually fallen out of touch with reality so badly."
Tsukiumi's retort was sharp, even for her, as she returned Minato's look with a stare of her own. "I did not forget our discussion regarding this, Minato. But that does not change the fact that this mysterious fighter is both breaking the rules and could potentially be a dangerous opponent—if we do not know who they are, we could encounter them by chance and be completely defeated. Regardless of your feelings about the Sekirei Plan, this Sekirei must be uncovered and stopped." She stood up, projecting her usual aura of superiority. "I intend to go and find them."
"I'll go too!" Musubi said, standing up with clenched fists. "Someone like that is probably super strong!"
"Neither of you are going anywhere."
Minato's words made both Tsukiumi and Musubi flinch, but only the blonde Sekirei whipped her head toward him, ready to argue. The words on her lips died the moment their gazes locked; the gray in his eyes was flinty and hard-edged like in the second dream they'd shared before they met, brooking no argument. "If this Sekirei, whoever they are, is attacking other Sekirei with the intent to terminate them, we're not going anywhere near them. In fact, I think that the reason Matsu-san was willing to tell me about this in the first place was specifically so that I could warn the rest of you off from doing something stupid." He looked at Matsu for a moment, and she nodded with a soft half-smile. His theory satisfied, he then surveyed his other Sekirei, his expression softening just slightly. "Of course we'll keep an eye out for someone suspicious. But no one here is going to go out on a wild goose chase for this other Sekirei. It's too dangerous. Is that clear?"
Both Tsukiumi and Musubi nodded, as did Akitsu and Kusano. With a satisfied smile on his face, Minato stood up. "Well, I've got some homework to finish for tomorrow, so I'll go get started on it. Matsu-san, thanks for your hard work. Everyone, don't stay up too late. Tomorrow's another long day."
With that, he left, and Kusano quickly tottered out behind him with a playful spring in her step. Tsukiumi, Musubi, and Akitsu didn't move, though, not until the wall slid back into place and Minato's footsteps were barely audible in the hallway. Once she was certain he was gone, Tsukiumi looked over to Matsu, then to the monitors. "Is there anything you can tell us about the movements of this mysterious Sekirei? Mayhap their targets were all found in close proximity to one another...?"
"Nothing like that, no," Matsu said, sighing and pushing her glasses up to rub at her eyes. There were dark bags beneath her bottom eyelids, and she had to stifle a yawn after a moment. "I've been looking over this data for a while, and I can't find any real links or similarities between the Sekirei that were targeted, except for the fact that each Ashikabi only had that one Sekirei. That's even more dangerous, to be honest—it could mean that almost anyone is their next target." As she slid her glasses back down, she gave Tsukiumi a pointed glance. "You aren't thinking about ignoring Mina-tan's orders, are you? Even if he can't physically stop you from going, I can promise you that you don't want to push him too far. You saw that look in his eyes before, didn't you?"
"I am well acquainted with it," Tsukiumi said, mumbling the words almost under her breath. "Needless to say I am not particularly eager to invite it upon myself..."
"Then you'll simply have to listen to what Mina-tan told you to do," Matsu replied. "If you don't, then he'll probably give you a look that'll make that one look a puppy-dog pout."
Tsukiumi's cheek twitched, but she didn't say anything else. Matsu snickered, hiding her mouth behind one hand, at the blonde Sekirei's frustration.
Shintou Teitou: Hiyamakai Hospital
Wednesday, 3 PM
Uzume had never been fond of places like the hospital. Call it an ingrained response to the environment that the Sekirei had been living in since they were small, but any room that was pure white and smelled as clean as the hospital room she was in right now made her feel edgy enough to hop out of a window instead of come up through it. Still, she hadn't been to see Chiho since last Saturday, and she would probably get an assignment from him sometime soon. Best to see her Ashikabi now, rather than later.
As she quietly closed the window behind her, Uzume looked directly at the bed where Chiho was sleeping, her sandy-blonde hair spilling out on the pillows and her pale skin glowing slightly in the barely-lit room. With a crooked smile, Uzume approached the bed and gently kissed her Ashikabi's forehead, then straightened up, sighing softly.
"Chi-chan...I'm sorry I didn't come by this morning like I usually do. I was...a little busy." Uzume's voice bounced off of the blank white walls, and her hands balled into a pair of matching fists as she remembered how just that morning she had terminated yet another Sekirei as part of her "job". Even here, in this place, the memory of her white shawls being painted red wouldn't go away, and she hated herself for even bringing those dirty thoughts close to her Ashikabi. "But, you know, lately, things at the Inn have been great. Akitsu-san finally joined in with Musubi-san and Sahashi-chan with his whole Karate thing. It's so cute, watching her do the breathing exercises and seeing him show her how to punch and kick and everything. And Musubi-san is practicing this one chop, but she can never get it right at full speed, so she has to go super slowly all the time and breathe out really slow. It's like watching a fish at an aquarium make faces."
Chiho's eyes remained closed, and her chest rose and fell beneath the pristine covers of her bed. When Uzume's eyes fell on the sheets, she saw her own shawls in her mind's eye again, and pushed the image out of mind before blood stained it again. "More than anything, Chi-chan...Chiho...I want you to meet them. All of them. You'd love them. They're always so happy, and Kuu-chan is so cute..." She pressed the back of one hand to her left eye, then her right. Her throat felt like it was swelling up with words that she couldn't get out, but she managed to keep on talking, pushing the words out bit by bit. "She loves those costumes I got. The other day, she was bouncing around in the wagtail one, and that smile...that smile could light up the night for years. It was beautiful."
As she stood there, trying not to cry any more, Uzume suddenly heard a distinctive set of footsteps from the other side of the door. Hastily, she bent down and kissed Chiho again, this time on the lips, and whispered, "I'll be back to see you soon." Then, she walked to the door and left the room as casually as she could, just in time to meet a man in a white suit with dark hair and glasses in the hallway.
"Not as punctual as normal, I see," he said, smiling at her. "What's the matter?"
"I was busy doing your boss's dirty work like always, is what the matter was," Uzume replied. Her voice had taken on an angry bite, and her shoulders were stiff, forming a complete contrast to the playful Uzume from Izumo Inn and the sensitive Uzume that only Chiho could bring out. "Now if you've got another job for me, tell me what I need to know and get the hell out of my face. I'm not in the mood for games today."
Chuckling, the man produced a photograph of a woman with long dark hair tied into a ponytail by a green, beaded string. She wore a purple dress with a pattern of X's on the shoulders that exposed the skin beneath the fabric, and her eyes were sharp and narrow, set above a thinly-smiling mouth on a mature face. "This is number 03, Kazehana. She may be high-ranked, but she has no Ashikabi, so she should be easy enough for you to defeat. In addition, you are to seek out number 19, Ikki, and number 95, Kuno. And do be quick about it. Mr. Higa doesn't appreciate slowness and he is still keeping quite the eye on your Ashikabi."
Uzume took the photograph and spun around sharply, causing her long hair to move from her back and exposing the yellow "10" written on the back of her shirt. She then went back into Chiho's room without saying a word, nearly slamming the door shut. The man in glasses simply chuckled and adjusted his tie, then walked down the hall to the elevator.
"Number 10...quite willful, as always. But, ultimately, still obedient."
Izumo Inn
Wednesday, 5:15 PM
Minato's day had been relatively quiet so far, and he was thankful for it on a level he never would have appreciated before school started. It had been two days since Matsu's warning about the mysterious Sekirei, and his firm warning against taking action had a clear effect on his own partners—whenever they were out on the street in the morning or the evening, Musubi, Akitsu, and Tsukiumi would each keep an eye out on everyone that passed them by, as if they could find the attacker by sight alone.
At the moment, the three girls were out on a shopping race, and Uzume and Homura were both absent, leaving Minato to help Miya sweep off the porch and hang up the laundry while Kusano and Matsu did whatever they usually did. The work was light and pleasant, and the sheer physicality of it kept his mind off of mental work for once; it was refreshing and he loved the chance to not think about school or worry about the Sekirei Plan for a while.
"Ah, Sahashi-san," Miya said, turning away from the sheet she'd just pinned to the clothesline. "When you get a moment, could you give me a few of those linens in that basket over here?"
Minato immediately put down the broom and did as Miya asked, coming to her with an armful of the lighter sheets and blankets in the basket. Miya plucked each one from the pile and clipped it to the line with practiced ease and speed, humming a song under her breath. As a gentle wind blew through the yard and the house, Kusano came out of the hall in a brown mouse suit, waddling down the steps and over to Minato.
"Onii-chan, lookie~" she said, poking Minato in the leg. "Uzu-nee-chan gave me another costume to play with~"
Once Miya took the last sheet from him, Minato bent down and rubbed Kusano's head with a grin, causing her to squeal and bat her arms at him. "It looks really cute on you. Did you say thank you to Uzume-san?"
"Of course Kuu did. She is good with manners!"
Miya chuckled as she clipped another sheet to the line. "We know, Kuu-chan. We know."
As the little girl beamed and waddled off, Minato stood up with a slight grunt, dusting some invisible dirt from the knees of his jeans. "One of these days I ought to ask Uzume-san where she got all of those suits from. She never did tell me when I asked her before."
Miya's smile dimmed slightly as she turned away from the clothesline. "Well, someone...important to her seems to enjoy it when she wears them," the landlady said. "That person rarely gets to see Uzume-san, so every moment they spend together tends to be a lot of playing around with those costumes." Her expression became even more thoughtful as she recalled how Uzume would come to her, dressed in one of those costumes with a broad, and sometimes teary, smile on her face.
The sadness in her voice gave Minato pause as he stopped to consider who could possibly be so important to Uzume, but soon enough, he figured it out. "You're talking about her Ashikabi."
Miya nodded once. "I won't share any more than that. If you want to know, you need to find out from her. You should be well aware that you may not get an answer you'll like."
Minato's lips quirked into an uncertain frown, but instead of speaking, he simply stared away from Miya, releasing a quiet breath from his mouth. "That's the way it happens sometimes, I suppose," he said, walking back to the half-swept porch.
Miya watched his back with the same inscrutable expression on her face, then looked up to the sky and closed her eyes. Indeed, Sahashi-san. Indeed.
Wednesday, 7:30 PM
Uzume sighed in both relief and annoyance as she came through the front doors of Izumo Inn and took her socks off. The Sekirei she'd been forced to terminate before visiting Chiho had put up quite a fight, and all of the time she'd had left to herself after meeting that bastard at the hospital was 'reserved' for trying to find any of the Sekirei that she was supposed to be targeting. In the end, she'd been unable to make any headway during the search, and was more than ready to take a shower and collapse into her futon.
The hallways were empty, as everyone had already eaten and dispersed for the evening; Uzume therefore went straight for the baths. On the door to the showers, a sign saying "Ladies' Time" was posted in clear sight; it was part of a system Miya devised to make sure that no one walked in on Minato taking a bath accidentally (or deliberately). Even if it hadn't been up, Uzume's hearing was good enough to hear the faint echoes of his voice outside in the yard, shouting out kiai as he went through a Rindoukan form. Smiling for a brief moment, Uzume quickly slid the door open and went over to the nearby wall of shelves, where she stripped off her clothes and placed them in one of the baskets. Her weary frown became a nasty grimace when she looked at the now-torn up cuffs of her capri pants and saw a bloodstain there; quickly, she turned the pants over, hiding the stain, and grabbed a towel before heading into the baths proper.
"Oh, hello, Uzume-san!" Musubi said, smiling widely and waving Uzume over to the tub where she and Tsukiumi were steaming together, their hair and torsos wrapped with towels. Tsukiumi looked up at Uzume and grunted, but offered a jerky nod of her head regardless before going back to stare at the water.
"Heya, Musubi," Uzume replied, allowing some authentic cheer back into her voice. "What's eating blondie?"
Musubi tilted her head slightly and continued to smile. "Tsukiumi-san's just being Tsukiumi-san. Minato invited her to practice with us and she said 'I have no need for that, Minato', but then she couldn't stop watching us train and even left halfway through. I wanted her to stay but she just gave me this look like I said a bad word."
"Did you even take a breath betwixt all that babble?" Tsukiumi muttered, adjusting the towel on her head as Uzume slid into the bath. "I already explained why I would not benefit from Minato's training, did I not? I am not a physical fighter like you. It would be pointless for me to partake of training that does not increase my control over my power."
"Akitsu-san is the same way, but she still practices with us," Musubi replied. "She says that the breathing exercises make her feel like she's using her power without actually using it, and it's really calming. Just try it once before you say it doesn't work." She folded her arms and pouted cutely. "It's not healthy to be a big grouchy meanie all the time."
Uzume's laugh could be heard through the walls of the entire first floor. Matsu, coming inside from watching Minato practice a few advanced forms he would be teaching to Musubi eventually, heard it and decided to peek in to see what was going on. When she looked inside of the bathroom, she noticed the basket with Uzume's clothes leaning out of the shelf like it was going to fall, and quickly moved to catch it before it spilled out onto the ground. In the process, she saw a tiny hint of the caked red stain on the pant leg, and her eyes narrowed.
Quietly, Matsu tore a small piece of the bloodstained pant leg loose from the rest of the cloth, then put the basket back and left for upstairs, her face set in a bemused frown as her mind went into overdrive.
It's coincidental...but it's not impossible. She wasn't here this morning, and has been gone a lot with 'work'. It's entirely possible that she could have been gone long enough... Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she came off the last step and turned toward her room. But I don't have evidence. At least, not yet. At the very least, I may be able to identify this DNA. If it matches the bloodtype of one of the missing Sekirei, then...
Author's Notes:
Got a little caught up in work yesterday, so I wasn't able to sit down and put this out like I wanted to; here it is now, before I get a little bogged down again. Surprisingly, we're coming up to the end of the story now, as I slightly overestimated just how long it was going to take for me to cover the events of the first anime. Personally, that's fine with me, since I'd like to give the manga some more time to develop before I even think about writing a Part 2 to this story. With that said, it's highly likely that the next story I work on will be the long-awaited Substitute School: Second Semester, but in the intervening time I may finally put up a one-shot that I've been struggling with, if I can finish it. I'd like to get a good buffer started, though, so I can't promise anything right now.
Review Response:
As usual, thanks to those that are still with me and just enjoyed Ch. 10 without any questions.
Tobi (Ch. 10): I don't answer those kinds of questions. You'll just have to wait and see.
And with that, I'll take my leave. Chapter 12 is out around January 19th, so keep your eyes open. See you then.
~ZS
