Heart of Shadows
Chapter 35: Interlude
He blocked a strike from her scythe and retaliated with a horizontal slash. She leaped back and fired a few vacuum waves, but her opponent moved around them and appeared behind her. He brought his sword down, but she pivoted and blocked the attack with the shaft of her scythe. Yomi pushed Kai back and fired more vacuum waves, but he expertly dodged the blasts and rushed her. Yomi swiped her scythe and met Kai's blade, the two metals raking against each other and spreading sparks. Yomi smiled and pulled back. She pivoted and swung her scythe like a golf club. Kai sidestepped and then thrust his sword. Yomi couldn't move in time, but Kai stopped right before her eyes and tapped her head with the dull side.
"I win," he declared. Yomi let out a groan.
"I almost had you."
Kai tapped her nose and smiled, causing her to blush.
"Maybe next time; you're getting much stronger though."
She giggled and set her scythe aside. She wrapped her arms around Kai's neck and pressed herself against him.
"It's because I have such a wonderful sparring partner to train with."
She kissed his lips and hugged him tight, feeling her ashikabi's strong arms wrap around her waist.
"Well while I'm gone, I want you to keep training. Tell everyone that too."
"Roger, but tell me something, what did you and Hikari do yesterday? She looked really angry yesterday; did you do something wrong?"
Kai rubbed the back of his head.
"I did nothing wrong, except take a peek at her panties, but that was because of her dress. We were fighting this sekirei and ashikabi pair; however, Hikari ended up in more than just a sekirei fight. I didn't even call it that; it was more of a cat fight."
"Oh, what happened?"
"Yes, tell us what happened Kai," Uzume and the other girls questioned. Uzume, Kochou, and Oriha had their arms crossed while Hibiki, Yahan, and Akitsu did not. Hikari was the only female not present.
"Well we mostly stayed around the park. We went to this secret area the twins found and just talked, which soon ended in a make out session, which was really nice by the way. After that, we walked around some more, enjoyed the fresh air and nice breeze, but then we were attacked by this other sekirei and ashikabi pair. That's where things got serious. For one, the sekirei called Hikari a whorish bitch, which pretty much started everything else. I didn't even stay near her after that; she was so pissed that I kept my distance during the fight. She and the sekirei kept insulting each other until Hikari won with her more…developed features," Kai blushed as he told the story. "Jacob soon arrived and dealt with the pair. Hikari on the other hand, dragged me to that secret place and went on and on and on about how angry she was. I listened while trying not to laugh, but it didn't work. She yelled at me, but it soon turned into another make session, which was also really nice. We stayed there in the secret area for a bit and cuddled until she decided to come home."
He breathed in some air and exhaled. Hibiki sighed.
"If only I was there."
Kai pointed at her. "I said the exact same thing. Anyway, what's with the angry stares?"
"You said you were attacked by a sekirei and ashikabi. What did you do?" Uzume questioned. Kai looked up in thought.
"I just watched Hikari's catfight. Other than that, I did nothing really."
"I don't believe that," Oriha stated.
"What did you really do?" Kochou interrogated. Kai scratched his cheek and placed Yomi in front of him.
"As I said, I did nothing really. Well I sort of cut the ashikabi's hand off."
Yahan and Hibiki face palmed themselves while everyone else stared at him exasperatedly.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Kai flinched a little at the scream and backed up.
"Now hold on, I had full right to do it."
"What could they possibly do that called for cutting off someone's hand?" Yomi inquired.
"He pulled a knife out on me, didn't heed my warnings, and tried to stab me," he listed.
"Makes sense to me," Yahan said. Hibiki nodded in agreement, but the others didn't agree.
"No it does not; he didn't have to cut off his hand," Oriha stated. They stared at Kai again.
"Is that all you did?" Uzume asked him.
"Yep, I just cut off his hand. You can ask Hikari because she saw it roll on the floor," her ashikabi responded. Oriha shuddered.
"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it."
"He should've heeded my warnings. I don't say them just to act tough you know."
"Still, cutting off his hand was too far," Kochou pointed out.
"Hey I subdued him didn't I?" Kai asked back. "You can't say I didn't disarm him."
"He has a point," Hibiki agreed. Yahan nodded with her, but the rest again didn't agree. They continued the argument while Hibiki snuck away to find her sister. She found her twin sitting on the sofa watching television.
"Hikari, how did it feel going out with Kai yesterday?"
The older twin blushed immediately at the question. She could feel her heart beating faster as she remembered the intimate moments they shared.
"It was amazing. Even though we didn't really go anywhere, just being there with him was amazing; he's really considerate and compassionate. When I went on and on about how angry I was, he listened to every word, though he didn't have to laugh at some parts. Overall, it was very nice; he's also a really great kisser."
"So I've been told," the younger twin replied. She sat down next to Hikari. "Did you feel anything different by being with him?"
"Yes," she immediately replied. "It was like a whole new experience. I could feel my heart beating so fast, as though I was finally reacting to someone; but I don't know why. I mean, Seo is still ours technically, yet I acted so bold around Kai."
Hibiki nodded. "I see what you mean. I've been feeling the same way ever since he woke up from his coma. It just feels so right being with him."
"Yes, it does," Hikari agreed. The twins looked at one another. "When Kai comes back from his trip, do you think we should tell him?"
Hibiki nodded. "We should tell him after he comes back so he'll be more surprised. Are we still in agreement?"
Hikari nodded with a grunt and the twins high-fived one another. However, a bright red blush appeared on Hibiki's cheeks.
"You don't think he'll make us do something related with our battle outfits do you?"
Hikari blushed brightly as well.
He leaned against the wall in his room. He stared at his hands, more specifically, his fingers. The images of yesterday played through his head and a soft growl escaped his lips, which he covered up after realizing. Minato sighed and uncovered his mouth. He looked down at his hands and couldn't get yesterday's assault out of his head. He spoke to Matsu several times about it, but he mostly paid attention to the mark he gave her in the process. He narrowed his eyes and stared out the window, where he saw Musubi, Tsukiumi, and the landlady doing their daily sparring. Miya's words entered his mind as well, especially the part where she will have to end things permanently if it gets too out of hand.
Suddenly, a familiar scent entered his nose. He turned his head towards the door and saw it opening to reveal his little sister. Yukari entered his room and found him leaning against the wall.
"Hey Minato; do you have a minute?"
"Sure, what's up?" He nodded and gestured her forward. Yukari closed the door behind her and approached her brother.
"Are you feeling alright?"
He nodded his head.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just doing some thinking. What about you?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Meh, I'm doing fine. I came by to see if something was troubling you."
"Minato looked at his feet. "There are a lot of things troubling me."
"It's about mom and me isn't it?" Yukari questioned. Minato wasn't surprised by the question. At first, he remained quiet.
"Not really just you, but it's one of the main reasons. I had a dream the other day where I relived the belittlement. It was somewhat like an alternate life, where Kai never came to the family and we would've never got another brother. It was so much more extreme though, and when I was trying to fight my instincts, I kept being reminded of what would happen if not for Kai. I saw what I would look like if Kai never came into our lives. I learned what my heart had truly wanted, but I thought of it as a lie."
"Minato, you know I'm sorry for everything I've done to you right?" Yukari asked. "I never wanted you to hate me. I just had so much fun teasing you that it got out of hand. I never wanted you to resent me."
"I know Yukari and I do forgive you. I know you were just trying to have fun; I don't blame you for that. I will admit that after Kai came along, I had fun with your teasing because I could retort back; but apparently, a part of me still resent those moments."
Yukari looked down at the ground, but felt Minato's hand ruffle her hair.
"But, I'll still think of something to do. Don't worry; I'll work this out some way."
Yukari smiled at her brother.
"You better; I'm sure Kai wouldn't like his brother hurting his sister."
Minato dreaded the thought of what Kai would do.
"He already knows what happened, but seeing a scar on you would piss him off greatly."
Yukari nodded in agreement. "So control those dragon powers of your or our big brother will see that you will."
Minato waved his hand.
"I'm pretty certain I can hide if Kai tries searching for me. Outrunning is the impossible thing. Also, I want you to gather my sekirei for a little meeting. I have some apologies to make with them."
"That's right, so I wish you luck; and try not to die," Yukari gave her brother a quick hug and left his room. She did as he requested and told his sekirei to gather in his room. The girls gathered in his room where they all sat in a circle. Minato sat with them, but he could tell the atmosphere was awkward.
"Okay, I've asked you all to come here so we can talk about what happened yesterday. First off," he got on his hands and knees, surprising everyone. "I'm so sorry. I'm absolutely sorry for hurting you all. I swear to make it up to you; please forgive me."
The sekirei looked at one another.
"Minato, there's no need to bow," Kuruse told him.
"Yes there is; this is the only way I could think of to start my atonement. What I did was unforgivable and for that, I sincerely apologize for my actions. I ask that you please forgive me so I can make it up to you."
His sekirei were shocked to see their ashikabi on his hands and knees, but Matsu executed her signature laugh.
"You'll do anything we tell you?"
"Yes, anything that doesn't get me killed by the landlady. I'm already in hot water with her and I don't want to get into more trouble. So, Matsu; I suggest you rethink that request," Minato raised his head and let out a menacing growl, causing the brain-type to cower behind the buxom fist-type.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but tease you."
Minato's eyes reverted back to their original form.
"Sorry; I didn't mean for that to happen. However, you better rethink your request, because you all will be in hot water too if Miya doesn't approve of it."
"He's right you know," Kuruse agreed. "But you already know what I want, just a simple date will do."
"Since my husband requests it, I too wish to go out with thee. Tis should be enough," Tsukiumi responded. Kazehana hugged the dragon ashikabi from behind, pushing her breasts against his back. Minato turned a bright red as a couple of his sekirei frowned at the affection; however, Minato whipped his head around and fired a dagger from his dragon eyes. The intense glare made the jealous people scoot back. Kazehana giggled and continued to hug her darling, his eyes returning to normal again. Minato groaned and covered his face with his hand.
"Ah, there it is again; I keep acting on different instincts. Sorry about that."
"It's alright Minami," Kuruse hugged his arm. "We understand your problem, but you need to keep calm."
Minato let out a heavy breath.
"Yeah, okay. What were you saying Kazehana?"
The purple-haired beauty rested her head on Minato's shoulder.
"You don't have to do anything special for me. A little cuddling will do me nicely. What do you think, Mi-na-to?" she sung in his ear.
"That'll work; it won't get me in trouble with the landlords at least. How about the rest of you?" Their ashikabi responded. Matsu left from behind Musubi.
"Well, I can't experiment with you so I'll have to think of something else. Give me time to think on it."
Minato nodded. "Alright then. Musubi and Kuu, what about you?"
Kuu raised her hand. "Oh, I want to go out with big brother too. Everyone keeps talking about it and I want to see for myself."
"Okay, that's fine; and what about you Musubi?" Minato asked his first sekirei. She tilted her head with a finger on her chin.
"Hmm, I want to do that thing we did at Kai's house," she requested. Everyone except Kuu looked at her in utter shock. Minato's face flushed a crimson red while the rest, except Kuu, stared speechless at the bubbly fist-type. Musubi noticed them staring and tilted her head again.
"Why is everyone staring at me? Did I say something wrong?"
Kuruse ruffled her head. "No Musubi; you said nothing wrong. You just said something utterly shocking."
Kuu crawled towards her big brother and shook him into consciousness.
"Huh? What did I miss?" He questioned. Kazehana whispered the request in his ear, making the bright blush return to his face. He looked down and rubbed the back of his head.
"M-Musubi; we can't do that here. The landlords won't allow something like that."
"Really?" She placed a finger on her chin again until a light bulb appeared over her head. "Ooh, how about we ask Kai again?"
Minato received a vicious image of how that would turn out. He adamantly shook his head.
"We can't ask Kai either; that would be very disrespectful to him," he told her.
And also suicidal. He added mentally.
"How about I just take you out somewhere as well?"
She smiled happily and hugged Minato tight, bringing his face deep in her chest.
"Oh thank you Minato; I can't wait."
Minato tried to pull away, but Musubi's monstrous strength kept him prisoner. It took the entire group to set him free; and when he was, Minato breathed in as much air as possible. He nearly suffocated, but decided not to admit he enjoyed the hug. Kazehana and Matsu giggled at their ashikabi.
"Well Minato; you have a lot of work to do," Matsu told him. "I suggest you start controlling your powers; and when you're getting tired, you should use one of us as comfort."
"Umm, I get the first part, but why the second?" He asked confused. Matsu held up a finger.
"I theorize that another reason you've lost control of your instincts is because of repressed libido."
Tsukiumi and Minato turned even redder at the statement. Kuu and Musubi looked at one another and blinked in confusion.
"Ooh, Minato; I never knew you were so secretive," Kazehana snuggled against him. "Why didn't you tell me you were holding back? I would've gladly helped you."
Minato continued to brighten.
"Matsu; I don't think that's the problem."
"As I said, it's only a theory. Dragons are very powerful and ferocious creatures. They are also really aggressive, which is the polar opposite of you. So, with the addition of your new dragon characteristics, you are also gaining their aggressiveness. By that logic, it's safe to assume that your libido must be more powerful as well. Because of that, you will need to decrease said libido along with your aggressive behavior; and who better to decrease your drive than your sekirei?" Matsu elaborated. Minato and Tsukiumi continued to stare at the snickering brain-type. Despite her shamelessness, Matsu did bring up a valuable point that Minato couldn't argue. He opened his mouth to retort, but couldn't argue and closed it. Matsu snickered again in triumph.
"You understand what I'm saying. So, now we have to decide on orders so it won't get out of hand."
Tsukiumi crossed her arms under her chest with a "humph"
"Obviously, as Minato's true wife, I shall be the one who tends to his needs."
Kazehana seized Minato's arm again, pushing it in between her even larger breasts.
"Sorry Miss Panty Flash, but I believe I should be the one who tends to our darling. I am the superior candidate," she taunted. A vein popped into the water sekirei's head.
"Stop such foolish squabble. Thee is merely a shameless harlot; I have the true skills of a wife and so it shall fall upon me to tend to my husband," she stated. Musubi raised her arms.
"I'm Minato's wife too. I still remember that thing we did at Kai's house."
"Don't forget; I too experienced such intimacy with my husband so that automatically entitles me as his legal wife. Musubi, thee is too scatter brained to tend to such duties," Tsukiumi retorted.
"Hold on there Miss Panty Flash; don't forget that we are bonded to Minato just like you. It doesn't matter if you did have sex with him, we are just as important," Kuruse told her. The two water related users shot lightning at each other. Secretly, Musubi, Kuu, and Kazehana snuggled against their ashikabi while Matsu snickered at the soap opera playing before her. Minato on the other hand, was not in the slightest mood for drama. He tried talking the girls down, but they didn't hear him. He frowned at his sekirei and silenced them with a menacing growl. The girls immediately stopped bickering and faced the dragon, hearing a soft roar escape his lips.
"Kazehana, Musubi, and Kuu, release me," Minato demanded. The three didn't talk back and did as commanded. They released their prisoner, whose sights settled on Tsukiumi and Kuruse.
"You two, stop fighting; I told you before that I forbid fighting among you. Every time you fight, there will be consequences. Either listen, or accept your fate; and Matsu, whatever you're thinking, stop it. The landlords already put me on probation, and your constant fighting and comings are not helping in the slightest. I know you all want to spend time with me, but consider my feelings on the matter first; we cannot upset the landlords any more than they already are, understand?"
The room was silent. A pin could hit the floor and emanate enough sound to be heard; that's how quiet it was. The girls stared at Minato wide eyed and mouth hung open agape. They all separated from one another and sat obediently around their ashikabi, who pointed at each sekirei once.
"Kuruse, Kuu, Matsu, Tsukiumi, Kazehana, and Musubi; that's how the order will proceed. Any blasphemy of this order will not be tolerated and in doing so will result in consequences. You will enforce this order and will not intervene in the person's time. Meaning, Tsukiumi and Musubi; I don't care what you see. I want you to keep those jealous feelings controlled, got it?"
The two nodded their heads, feeling their hearts race like never before. The girls flushed deeply at Minato's sense of authority. He spoke with an iron fist, which the girls loved. They felt their hearts beating with excitement as they mentally begged Minato to yell at them more. They didn't know what it was, but hearing Minato yell at them made them so happy in more ways than one.
Jacob rode through the city on his bike. He scoured the corners in search of the escaped suspects. He didn't care that he's almost breaking the speed limit; he just focused on finding the two suspects.
"Damn it; where could those two be? I can't believe they've managed to escape. Who knows what they could be up to; I have to find them."
Jacob revved up his bike more and increased his speed. He dashed through Teito, but couldn't find the two suspects anywhere. He growled in anger and cursed to himself; however, he soon spotted a scene that made him come to an halt. He spotted a group of thugs that instantly reminded him of Junichi. They surrounded this single girl. She was a beautiful young girl with long black hair with a bow and brown eyes. She wore a Yukata with another bow tied around her waist. The three thugs surrounded her, as she looked very uncomfortable. Jacob parked the bike and proceeded closer, but he could feel something strange happening to him. Those flashes he had played into one big movie. He saw that same girl in the flashes, but he soon realized that the girl in the Yukata was the exact same girl in his visions.
"Please go away; I am trying to find my destined one. None of you seem to be one I'm looking for," the girl told the thugs. The one in the middle, most likely the leader smiled wide.
"A spunky one huh, just the way I like them. So you're saying none of us is your destined ones, yet how do you know for sure. For all you know, he could be standing right here in front of you."
She shook her head.
"No, none of you are my destined one. I don't feel the same feeling coming from you three so please leave me alone."
"You heard the lady, piss off," Jacob stated appearing behind the group. The thugs glared at the wolf ashikabi; however, the girl found herself feeling very differently. Her legs began to buckle underneath her as her heart began to race tremendously. A bright blush appeared on her cheeks as she stared dreamingly at Jacob. The more she stared the hotter her body felt and the stronger a pull she experienced. Her body felt so hot and her heart was pounding heavily.
"My ashikabi," she whispered.
"Hey, who the hell do you think you are?" The thug leader interrogated. Jacob crossed his arms.
"No one special, just, the Wolf of Flames. I suggest you listen to the lady; she said she's not interested."
The leader gritted his teeth. How dare this punk nose into their business? Who is he by the way, just some random guy sticking his nose where it doesn't belong?
"Boys, we've got ourselves a tough guy. He thinks he's all big and strong in front of a girl, but how about we show him his place?"
The other two thugs grunted in agreement and charged Jacob while the leader watched with a confident smirk. Jacob kept his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face. The two thugs aimed a punch at Jacob's face, but he sidestepped out of the way and let the two pass. They turned around, only for one to be kicked dead in the face by the ashikabi. He flew back and slid across the ground, as the other attacker threw a barrage of swift punches. Jacob effortlessly dodged them and retaliated with a strong kick to the thug's stomach. The thug blocks the kick and throws a left hook. Jacob dodges it and launches another kick, which slammed into the thug's leg and sent him to his knees. The thug grunted in pain, as Jacob pivoted and threw one more kick into his stomach and knocked him back.
Jacob turned back to the leader, who tauntingly clapped his hands with a huge grin on his lips. He walked closer to Jacob and analyzed his appearance.
"That was an excellent display of combat skills, but I knew you could easily defeat them. That's what I would expect from you, Jacob," he stated. The wolf ashikabi was taken back a little. How did this guy know his name? The leader chuckled at Jacob's shocked face.
"You're wondering how I know your name; and here I thought the famous Jacob Lykos would know of such matters. Because after all, you did lock me up."
Jacob gasped loudly. The thug smiled wider and laughed.
"No way; Zane?"
The person in question suddenly changed appearance. His hair grew out until it touched the back of his neck and shined a crimson color. He wore a black long overcoat with silver trimmings and sharp edges. The letter Z was centered on his belt buckle, which along with the belt, held up his long dark pants. He tilted his head and smiled happily at Jacob.
"It's been a long time Jacob. Do you remember me now?"
Jacob gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in anger, which was easily displayed by the sudden burst of fire erupting around I'm. The girl that watched the entire thing stared in awe at the beautiful flames burning around the wolf ashikabi.
"Zane, how did you escape?" Jacob interrogated. Zane lost the smile and put on a serious look.
"Your brother set us free."
Jacob growled. "So it was James."
"Yes, after all this time of being locked up, I can finally roam free again; and now you want to take that away from me," Zane narrowed his eyes. Jacob did the same thing.
"We locked you up because of the crime you committed."
"Then you know why I won't go back; and I'll die before letting you do so," Zane tightened his fists and suddenly vanished before Jacob could fry him. The fire user gritted his teeth and died his flames down while cursing mentally. Zane vanished without a trace, leaving Jacob alone with the girl, who was completely flabbergasted by what happened. She was frozen.
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and looked around for any traces of Zane, but didn't find anything. He saw the girl on her knees and approached her.
"Hey, are you okay?"
She finally snapped out of her thoughts and found Jacob kneeling in front of her. She felt her heart racing even faster than before and the hotness increasing. Her face turned a bright red, which made Jacob tilt his head.
"You okay; did they hurt you?"
The girl couldn't speak and simply shook her head. Jacob took a whiff of her and nodded his head.
"Yeah, there's no doubt about it; you're a sekirei alright."
She let out a gasp. "How did you?"
"I'm not new to the sekirei plan. I have five more waiting at home," he explained. "I'm Jacob Lykos; how about you?"
He helped her stand, but having his hand in hers felt unreal.
"I'm Kaho; it's nice to meet you," she introduced.
"Kaho, why are you standing out here like this?" Jacob asked. Kaho lowered her head to hide her blush, but the intense hotness of her body overwhelmed her.
"I'm…searching for my ashikabi. I've waited and waited, but now I've finally found him."
Kaho quickly seized Jacob's lips before he could react and caused her wings to appear behind her. The intense hotness began to cool, but the racing of her heart sped up. When it was all over, Kaho pulled back from the kiss and stared at her new ashikabi.
"It's a pleasure to be with you, my ashikabi. Sekirei no. 87, Kaho; I'm yours, for now and forever."
A/N: That does it for another chapter everyone. I'm sorry for the late update, but I've been trying to get my mojo back. I've decided that the longer updates will be a normal thing because I write too much and need to take longer breaks; this is for both your pleasure and mine. I hope you all understand and thanks for reading. Leave a review or pm please and I will see you all in the next update. Thanks and take care.