A/N: Well everyone, me again. I know, bit of a small greeting but honestly I have been feeling somewhat unmotivated again but rest assured, I'm still writing. At any rate, I wanted to inform you all of a minor detail that is about to reveal itself within the next few chapters. Mainly, after Kochou gets winged then Yume will also be winged. Reason for this is because until the start of the third stage, the chapters will mostly be used for filler and building relationships with Matt and his sekireis. What that also entails is that this chapter will be the last one chapter with fighting until the destruction of MBI tower. Yes, some events from the anime I still plan on keeping intact but the difference this time is that Karasuba won't be fighting Musubi. And the reason will be coupled with the fact as to why Karasuba will undergo a major OC moment in the next chapter. But until then, continue to enjoy Cold Veils of Discipline!

Standard.

Techniques/Limit Breaks.

Flashbacks/Cell conversations/Thoughts/Dream sequences/Various lines/Emphasis.

Chapter XIV: Battle at the Hiyama-kai hospital!

(Title: Twinleaf Town day. Artist: Creatures and Game Freak. Album: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum OST.)

"So Matt? Tell me, how were you able to wing Akitsu-san?" Benitsubasa asked while him along with Uzume, Akitsu, and herself were walking to the Hiyama-kai hospital. "Um, honestly I'm not entirely sure myself but if I had to guess... I'd say that probably because right from the get go we shared a strong bond." is what he replies in a straightforward manner. "Indeed. When he helped me out when I was down, I could truly feel the love emanating from him despite that I was unable to be winged before." She replies with a hand over her heart while smiling. "I see." Benitsubasa replies while thinking. "By the way, Uzume? You never told us why we're going to a hospital." Matt suddenly asks her. "Oh. Well you see, there's a dear friend of mine in there named Chiho. She's been very sick since she was little, at least from what she's told me." "Oh, I see. Are they at least taking good care of her?" "Yeah, the only problem was is that the hospital is owned by a man named Izumi Higa. See, when he admitted her he wanted me to be his assassain and as such was chasing me a lot." "Oh yeah... and that was when I stepped in." he finishes thoughtfully. "At any rate, I'm glad you're with me Uzume. I tell you, if I ever see that man then I'll make sure he pays for what he tried to do to you. After all, sekireis aren't meant to be winged by force because that devalues the bond between the sekirei and ashikabi!" He finishes while shaking a little in anger. "Thompson-kun?" Akitsu asked in worry. Even Benitsubasa is a little awed by his passion as he calms himself. "Sorry about that. I got a little passionate in my feelings for a moment." All three of them then hug him as they shake their heads. "No, don't be. That is how an ashikabi should be and you were absolutely right in saying that." Akitsu says with a warm smile on her face. "Yeah, that just lets us know how you really feel about us!" Uzume says with happiness. "That's right! Don't ever let anyone tell you different; you are very precious to us!" Benitsubasa adds in with a bright smile on her face. "Thanks you guys. I appreciate that very much." Matt says returning the hugs. "Now come on, we still have a little ways to go." So with that, the four continue walking.

Meanwhile...

As the four were walking on, the same sekirei from earlier was watching them with a close eye from a hiding spot as she was being chased by a man that was hired by Higa names Junichi Tanagawa and his sekirei Yashima #84 along with two other sekireis; #54 Kuruse and #18 Ichiya. "That's him; no doubt about it, he's my ashikabi." says Kochou to herself as to not draw any attention. But then a loud crack could be heard nearby as Ichiya landed hard near Kochou. "Sorry to disappoint you bitch, but if I can get you to that Higa guy then I get paid!" calls out Junichi as he along with Yashima and Kuruse walk out. "Is that a fact?" Kochou carefully asks knowing full well that being a brain type sekirei that she wouldn't be able to stand up to all three of them in combat. "Oh you can have your little 'paycheck' human. I'M just itching to get some revenge for the idiot that decided to attack my friend!" Ichiya says slowly getting up while cracking her knuckles. "Whatever. Now then, Yashima; Kuruse! Don't let her escap..." he starts to say until she slowly pulls out a small cylindrical object. "Wait, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he asks in anger. She just merely smiles and says one word; "bang". And with that, she throws down a flashbang she had for just such an occasion. "GAH!" he cries out while the other three shield their eyes. "Now's my chance!" she says and runs away as fast as she can.

Back at the Hiyama-kai hospital...

"So this is the place?" Matt asks Uzume while gazing up at the building. "Yeah, she's in here." she says while frowning a little. He then looks at her and says "Listen, if this place really is owned by Higa then it might not be a stretch to say that he may have some guards watching this place carefully so be on your toes girls." They all nod and as he goes in he feels someone watching him. "Hmm, it feels like someone is watching me but for some odd reason they don't feel hostile. Far from it, they actually feel like..." as he thinks this he remembers his dream. "Could it be?" he asks himself as he follows suit. Then upon reaching the reception desk, "Good morning sir may I help you?" the receptionist asks with a wary eye when she takes in the appearance of Matt and his sekireis (He is in his Advent Children outfit with the first tsurugi blade on his back) "Actually yes. You see, my girlfriend here and her sisters; we are actually friends of a Miss Chiho Hidaka? We're here to visit if that is all right." After studying their faces, she then gives a smile and says "I see, truth be told I was afraid that you all were here to stir up trouble except our Uzume here." He waves it off and replies "No worries, actually we all work with MBI and they gave us the day off to go see her; in fact Takami Sahashi is also a friend of Chiho's and as such wanted us to go in her stead as she is very busy." "In that case, go right ahead. Her room is on the second floor; room 205." He then thanks her and adds "By the way, you guys haven't seen anything weird around here like purple lightning have you?" At that, she blinks and says "Uh no, what do you mean?" "Well, along the way here I actually saw some cars blow up in an explosion or something." he explains. (A/N: This is actually true, though it was mainly due to the fact that Hikari and Hibiki had accidentally pissed off Mika and the unknown ashikabi) "Well just keep an eye out, I hear some strange things have been happening around town lately." She sweatdrops and replies "I... see."

Outside...

"Phew... I made it." Kochou says while catching her breath looking back to see if she shook off her pursuers. "Oh did you now?" Ichiya says jumping from some bushes. "What the, I blinded you!" Kochou says in shock. "Oh, you honestly thought that a little flashbang like yours could affect me? I merely let you run; after all, there's no fun in a chase if you constantly have the upper hand." Ichiya smirks as the other three come out. "Got ya now, nowhere left to run bitch." Junichi sneers while Yashima and Kuruse reluctantly ready their weapons.

Back inside...

"203...204... ah. 205." Matt said as him and Uzume looked for Chiho's room while Akitsu and Benitsubasa decided to remain outside the room in case anything went south. "I should warn you, she may not be feeling very well today so try not to excite her too much." she cautioned as Matt started to open the door. "No problem, I'll try not to." he replies as they finally enter the room and see a rather young and innocent looking girl looking out the window. "Hey there Chiho, I'm here!" Uzume says with a wide smile. Chiho turns and with a small smile says "Oh hey there Uzume. How are you today?" she then looks at Matt and asks "Oh, hello there. Are you one of Uzume's friends?" He smiles and says "You could say that. I'm actually her boyfriend." she blinks and asks "Um, forgive me for asking but are you into cosplaying?" He laughs at this and remarks "Yeah, but that's not why I'm wearing this. You see, when I met Uzume she was being chased by some bad guys." Chiho gasps a little at this, "What? But wait, she looks ok. So did you..." He proudly pounds his chest and says "That's right, I rescued her and made sure she was safe." Then Chiho relaxes a little but then asks "Oh, ok; I see. But then why do you have that big looking sword with you?" "Well you see, this was a sword I specially created because I'm a bit of a swordsman; namely my family was actually a part of a long line of sword wielders who are widely known as the Shiranui." Her eyes widen at this and she asks "Pardon me for asking, but what is your name?" He sheepishly smiles and replies "Oh yeah, I never gave my name. My name is Matt Thompson, but my real last name is Shiranui." Uzume looks at him and says "I thought that Thompson was your last name." "Well it is, but that's actually because-" he starts to explain until a loud crash can be heard outside.

A few minutes earlier...

As Matt went inside with Uzume Akitsu and Benitsubasa stood guard nearby. "What do you think Matt meant by Higa having guards watching this place?" Benitsubasa asks looking outside. "I'm not sure, but we should be on the lookout-" Akitsu starts to reply until she notices some fighting going on outside. "Well, looks like Master was right; something is happening." she softly says while Benitsubasa looks on in shock. "Come on, we have to go let him know!" she replies as they go to reach Matt.

Back inside Chiho's room...

"What was that?" Uzume and Chiho both ask. He looks outside and says to himself "Well damn, looks like I pissed Higa off a little when I injured that sekirei of his." "Uzume, we have to go." She nods in understanding as he looks at Chiho. "I'm sorry that I have to cut my visit short but it's hero time again for me." He says in a calm tone as to not cause any excitement. She then gently smiles and says "It's ok. Just promise me; take care of Uzume ok?" He smiles and says "It's a promise." "Matt!" Benitsubasa says after Matt and Uzume are rushing outside. "Benitsubasa, what happened?" "There was some fighting going on outside and we heard a loud crash!" "Thompson-sama, what should we do?" He merely replies "What else? Hero time!"

Outside...

"What the hell? What do you think you're doing?" Ichiya cries out in anger as Kuruse blocks her attack that was aimed for Kochou. "I'm sorry, but this one shouldn't be forced!" Kuruse replies while holding a trident as her weapon. "And what does that matter to you?" Ichiya asks while sneering. "Listen, I may be Junichi's sekirei and he may be working for that ass Higa but unlike the other sekireis I have a strong will. And my heart is telling me that this is not right!" "Then you can die in hell!" she yells as she throws a heavy punch at Kuruse which she blocks easily but suddenly she feels another powerful impact and something inside of her crack as Yashima slams her hammer in her side while she was distracted. "I'm sorry..." Yashima sadly says as Kuruse is knocked to the ground. Coughing up a little blood, she replies "I am also sorry Yashima; I can tell that you were forced by that idiot. It's not your fault..." Just then however, a hail of ice shards (no pun intended) come flying out of nowhere to interrupt the fight. "What the?" Junichi asks in shock as Matt and the others come to the fight scene. "Looks like I made it a little too late, a sekirei got downed." Matt says surveying the damage. "Well now, you saved me the trouble of looking for you." Ichiya says smirking while stretching. He looks up and says "Let me guess; more of Higa's sekireis?" "Correct, or at least for the most part." she says while glaring at Kuruse. "I'm sekirei #18, Ichiya." "And I'm Yashima, #84..." she trails off which makes Junichi back hand her in disgust. "You idiot! Why are you acting so polite to them, destroy them OR ELSE!" he yells out. "I'm #10, Uzume!" she says with her veils unraveling themselves revealing her in her battle outfit. "Benitsubasa, #105!" she says while punching and kicking the air in anticipation. "And lastly, I'm #07; Akitsu." is Akitsu's intro as she calmly stands by. "Ah, the former scrap number; I've heard about you." Ichiya says after finishing. "Too bad that Kochou is going to be Higa's sekirei." "Tch, you bastard." Matt says addressing both Junichi and Ichiya. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" they both yell in astonishment. "Did I stutter? And personally you make me sick Ichiya. When is that dumb ass master of yours going to learn that he can't beat me?" He then turns to Junichi "And YOU... treating your sekirei like that..." He then gets a dark look as he readies his sword and says "I'LL KILL YOU." "Why you... well what are you two waiting for; get him!" Junichi yells out in fury. "Hold on Benitsubasa, get that injured sekirei out of here." "You sure?" she asks while hesitating a bit. "Positive; and Akitsu, protect Kochou over there. Make sure that she is all right." "All right, just be careful." she says moving back. "Will do." He then looks at Uzume and says "I'll handle Ichiya, can you handle Yashima?" she nods and then he finally says "Ok, bring it on!"

(Title: Battle 2. Album: Final Fantasy IX OST.)

"With pleasure, I'll get you for what you did to Toyotama!" Ichiya yells as she throws out a rolling kick to start with but he easily dodges it and retaliates with a downwards slash which she narrowly avoids and then she tries to move in close to attack but he manages to keep his range. While this is going on, Uzume throws her veils at Yashima's hammer trying to take it away from her but Yashima jumps to avoid her attack and uses her momentum to attempt a crushing blow to Uzume but with her agile moves Uzume is able to easily redirect the attack and then she lashes out with a veil that is shaped like her own hammer to which it connects and sends Yashima flying. "You doing ok so far Uzume?!" he asks while still fighting Ichiya, neither him or her giving an inch. "Yeah, I'm all right. Just focus on your fight!" He nods and continues to fight against Ichiya with her not landing a blow due to his quick and nimble moves but he is unable to land a blow of his own as she clearly has very good agility to dodge the attacks from his big sword. However, after she throws a ill timed kick he parries it and then smacks her in the belly hard with the blunt end of the sword knocking the wind out of her. "Damn... you!" she chokes out as she lands hard regaining her stance. "Now take this!" he yells as he decides to try to attack her again to try to knock her out by swinging the blunt end again but she catches the blade which leads to a struggle for dominance. Meanwhile, Yashima is slowly getting up as Junichi walks over to her. "Man, you are so useless; come here!" he says yanking her up and kissing her forcefully which causes her Norito to activate. "Uh oh... this could be bad." Uzume says readying herself. "So that's a Norito..." Matt muses seeing the bright light. "By the hammer of my contract, my ashikabi's enemies will be crushed!" Yashima chants as her hammer glows with energy. Then she rushes forward and leaps up for a final attack. "GRAVITY HAMMER!" "Uzume, look out!" He yells but then suddenly a blur rushes by them and Matt can hear the distinct 'shink' of a sword being drawn. Then as the attack comes down the blur rushes by Yashima and then a 'clink' of a sword sliding back in the scabbard can be heard. "K-Karasuba?" Matt yells in complete surprise. She then merely turns around and smiles that smile of hers. "My, did I come at a bad time?" As she says this then the hammer loses its glow and at the same time cuts erupt all from Yashima's body as she screams in pain then falls to the ground with her crest fading.

(song end)

"Tch, the black sekirei; I'm out of here!" Ichiya says while leaving behind Junichi. "Yeah, well who needs you anyway!" he yells before a voice clears its throat and taps him on the shoulder. "Yeah, what do you-" he says as Matt impales him with his sword right then and there. "...sorry but you're going to die now. May you burn in hell..." Matt says as Junichi falls over dead as Matt completely impales him in his heart. Karasuba smirks at this and remarks "Wow, the defender killing someone. THAT'S not like you..." He then flicks the blood off his blade and 'hmphs'. "He deserved it; treating his sekireis like they were garbage..." He then looks back and sees Kochou. "Hey, are you ok?" she smiles and replies "Yes, I'm fine now thanks to you." "Listen, this may seem a little crazy but I actually had a dream about you." she nods at this. "That's right, and since you and I are here; guess you can figure out what comes next." He then smiles and says "In that case, will you be my sekirei?" "Sure thing, my new lover..." she says as the two kiss and her wings of silver shine brightly. "May we live our lives together now and forever..." she finishes in happiness. "Indeed, now and forever..." he adds. "Good, now that the fight's over..." she finishes while getting a perverted smirk on her face. "Uh, why do you look like that?" He says uneasily while looking at her. "Maybe I can show you how much I appreciate you rescuing me..." she says making the same grabbing motion as Matsu. "Oh god... just WHAT have I got myself into now?" he says as she hugs him then changing to a warm smile. "Well, I can say for sure that my ashikabi is finally with me now. I wonder where this will lead..." she thinks just enjoying his presence as he hugs her back.

A/N: Well, there you have it. Not going to lie; this took a LONG time to write. And after much slacking off, I finally finished it. Anyway, as for why Karasuba suddenly showed up; that will be for next chapter. Until next time everyone, please read and review.