Heart of Shadows

Chapter 37: New Addition

Kai sped through the streets on his way to work. With his helmet protecting his skull, the lightning user accelerated on his trusty bike. The other day, Jacob informed Kai of the sudden release of Vash and Zane, and the speed specialist assisted in the search for them. Nothing has been uncovered related to their location, but the guys made sure to keep their eyes peeled.

When Kai arrived at the police department, he took the time to relax a bit first. He placed the helmet on the handlebars and eased his shoulders. He thought back to his date with Hibiki and skipped to their encounter with the man Kakizaki. Kai recalled his request to help Higa, but the only thing it succeeded in is making Kai angry. How dare that bastard send his secretary to enlist Kai's help when he knows the amount of hatred Kai has towards him? He comes to Kai looking for more power and even attempts to blackmail him, but he only made Kai angrier at him in the end. To make matters worse, Kai and Hibiki were attacked after the deal didn't go so well. They did manage to make the enemy retreat, but now Kai is even more worried about Chiho. His chest started to ache just thinking about it, the scar on his chest causing him pain again.

Kai stretched his arms out a little, but he could still feel the pain on his chest and strength seeping from his body. So many things filled Kai's mind and it all involved Uzume. Should he tell her now, or wait until after he returns from his home to do so? Either way, she'll be angry, but which time would be more appropriate? He didn't like keeping his meeting with Chiho a secret and it made him feel worse whenever he saw that smile of hers; he knows that it'll crush her if she finds out.

He sighed. "What do I do? I can't keep this a secret for long, but I know she'll be crushed if she finds out."

"You know she'll be crushed either way," a familiar voice stated. Kai sighed once more and felt someone place their head on his shoulder. He looked beside him and saw Storm sitting next to him, sporting an elegant gown very similar to Yomi's, except where parts should be black, they're gold. "No matter the time you tell her, she'll be hurt."

"That's what makes it hard, but I know I'll have to come clean eventually," Kai responded. "Also, I love your new dress."

She smiled and stood before him, curtseying, and twirling.

"You do? Ever since you brought me back, I've been thinking of a new outfit. I really like the dress that scythe sekirei of yours wear and decided to make one of my own," she explained. Kai nodded and sized her up, stopping at her huge rack. He entered a thinking position.

"Well it does bring out your nice rack and sweet ass."

Storm blushed furiously. "Kai! Don't just talk about my breasts and ass."

"What? I'm only being honest. No one can hear me since we're communicating telepathically and I'm just staring at your nice assets."

He nodded and smiled. "Very nice indeed; and I'm the only one able to see you so it makes it all the better. I know what I'm doing tonight."

Storm flushed even brighter, making Kai laugh.

"I have to go, but I will see you tonight to chat. Hug it out."

Storm smiled again and didn't hesitate when hugging her partner. She vanished from his sight and saw through Kai's perspective.

"Alright, get your ass moving," she stated. "You have work to do."

"Gee thanks boss," Kai taunted.

"Shut up and get moving; I don't like being here," his partner told him. Kai hopped off his bike and grabbed the files he arrived with.

"You're just jealous of the attention I get," he said and walked into the building.

"You've only been here for a few days and everyone loves you, especially the women," Storm responded with a 'humph.'

"I can't help it that I'm so likable," Kai replied with a smile and short chuckle. "As for the women, I have no comments."

"As long as no more join your legion."

Kai didn't respond and just kept walking.

"Kai? What are you thinking?"

"Nothing, just my legion," he said. "I'll talk back when I finish my errands here; it shouldn't talk too long."

"Fine, but I'm going to be watching you like a hawk."

"Kinda doing that now," Kai retorted. He proceeded through the building, heading towards his department. He already has the place memorized so navigation isn't a problem. As he treaded through, he greeted his co-workers with a friendly smile; and just to tease Storm, he winked at the female workers. When he arrived at his department, his teammates greeted him and filled him on their progress on the analysis. That's when Kai turned in his files with data regarding the cases the evidence are related. His team was surprised by how much he gathered and how fast he presented them, but that's what they expected from him. Kai left the data in the hands of his assistance.

After checking out his department, the Head of Forensics headed towards the commissioner's office for a chat. He continued to greet his fellow co-workers and tease Storm as much as he could.

"I am going to kick your ass when we meet," she threatened. Kai nearly doubled over in laughter but managed to keep his composure. He head up a few levels and arrived at his destination. He knocked on the door and heard the signal to enter. Upon said enter; he spotted Commission Wilson sitting at his desk doing paperwork. The boss didn't have to look up to know it was Kai.

"Ah, Mr. Sasaki, how can I help you?"

"Is this a bad time?" He asked back.

"Not at all, come on in," Frank told him. Kai closed the door behind him and sat in the chair across from the commissioner. "So, what brings you here? I assume you've finished your work."

"Yes sir; I just turned in some documents a few minutes ago; it should speed up the analysis process. I came here to speak to you about something that's coming up for me," Kai offered. Wilson nodded his head without looking away from his paperwork.

"I see. I'm all ears."

Kai explained the situation to Commissioner Wilson, who nodded throughout the story.

At the Sasaki household, Uzume sat in the living room with her teammates; however, the atmosphere was heavy around them. The other day, Uzume received a call from James, telling her that something big is going to happen soon; and unless she goes to Higa, James will allow Chiho to be used for whatever Higa has planned for her. He gave her an ultimatum; she can either stay with Kai, letting Chiho suffer, or go to Chiho and risk angering Kai. Both choices were extremely difficult to make and it gnawed at her to choose. She had until Kai returns to give her answer. To make matters worse, Kochou and Akitsu found out about her call and confronted her about it. The same day, they had to keep it a secret from Kai and would discuss it the next day, meaning now while Kai is active.

Uzume explained her call to the rest, and even they couldn't come up with a silver lining. They know how important Chiho is to Uzume, but they also know how strong Kai's rage can be. The last thing they want is to make him angry, but they didn't want anything happening to Chiho as well. It was quite the conundrum indeed. Yomi let out a groan and covered her face.

"Why does this keep happening to us? Why can't people just leave us alone?"

"Toying with Uzume's emotions is unforgivable," Oriha stated. "How can someone stoop so low?"

"The thing that worries me is how they know Kai is leaving for a few days," Kochou spoke up. "When did they find that out I wonder?"

"No clue; should we be worried though?" Oriha asked. Kochou contemplated about it.

"I don't think we should, but be more cautious. Since Jacob's brother knows, there's a high chance that Higa will too and he'll use the opportunity for something."

"Hey Kochou, why aren't you wearing your glasses?" Yomi pointed out. She's right. Kochou didn't have her glasses on, which showed off the true beauty of her eyes.

"I've decided to try something new and change my look a little. I wanted to see if Kai would notice and he did immediately. Remember the other day when I told you about the outfit I was going to start wearing. I was seeing whether or not I should include the glasses. I have great eyesight; I just wear them for fashion. But anyway, Uzume, have you decided on what to do?"

The woman in question sat beside Akitsu, who let the brunette use her shoulder as a pillow. Uzume shook her head no.

"I can't decide. I'll be hurting someone either way."

"Uzume, no offense, but you've been doing that before you even met Kai," Yahan stated. The brunette hung her head low again. "I'm sorry Uzume; I didn't mean it that way."

"No, it's okay," she said. "You're right either way; but I don't know what to do now. If I go, Kai is going to be furious with me and who knows what he'll do, but if I don't, who knows what they'll do to Chiho."

"With Higa getting full custody, he'll force wing her and have her do his bidding," Kochou hypothesized.

"That's one of the things I'm scared of; he'll cause even more pain than before," Uzume said. She sighed depressingly and leaned back in the couch. However, Hibiki felt a tugging feeling in her chest. After hearing everything that's been mentioned, she recalled something that happened during her date with Kai.

Yesterday

After the lightning duo managed to drive the other sekirei away, the two stayed alone in the park. The man they encountered, Kakizaki, was taken away with the enemy sekirei. Hibiki stared at the angry look on Kai's face and tugged on his arm to grab his attention.

"What's the plan Kai?"

He let out a sigh.

"I have my reasons, but I want to focus more on the now rather than the future. In meantime though, I want you to promise me something Hibiki."

"What is it?" She asked back.

"Everything you heard here needs to stay between us, understand?" He requested.

"I understand, but why keep it a secret?"

"I know there's a chance she'll be contacted, but on the off chance that she's not, I don't want her to find out yet. I know I should tell her immediately, but I think it's better to keep it between us for the time being. Will you do that for me, please?"

Hibiki gave him a hug.

"Why didn't you save her exactly? Was there something that kept you away?"

Kai nodded back.

"One reason is because I didn't want to risk anything. When I first saw Chiho, she was severely hurt and injured. I knew that if I freed her, I wouldn't be able to move as dexterous as I can. You see, I moved mostly through the vents, but with Chiho in my grasps, I would have to rethink my entire strategy and stick to the shadows. However, that might give away our position if I carried her back."

Hibiki nodded in understanding.

"Any other reason?"

Kai showed her the scar on his chest.

"James knew I was there and sucked more of my strength away. I was weak when I found her, and getting out was even harder. This ties back to the first reason; I couldn't get her out with James knowing I was there. He would've alerted Higa and sent every force in the building after me."

He hid the scar again and then placed his hands on the calmer twin's shoulder.

"Again Hibiki, please keep this a secret. I'll come clean when it's time, but this needs to stay hidden. Promise?"

She nodded and pecked him on the lips.

"I promise."

She started pulling him forward.

"Come on, you still promise me a nice dinner?"

He couldn't help but smile and nodded.

"Let's go."

Present

Hibiki twiddled her thumbs as she heard the conversation go on; however, her twiddling didn't go unnoticed by her older twin. Hikari slyly turned her head back to the main conversation and contemplated about what her sister could be hiding.

Minato sat in his brain-type's room, watching her fingers move like lightning across her keyboards. Beside him, little Kusano hugged his arm while the bespectacled beauty sat in his lap and pulled up data on his transformations.

"Okay, from the data I've gathered, we are correct in assuming this all took place during the bridge escape. Do you want to guess where particularly you started to change?" she asked Minato. He didn't want to think about it but he recalled the various events that operation presented. It didn't take any thought to know where everything started.

"It was when Musubi got terminated," he answered. Matsu responded to that by kissing Minato on the cheek, causing him to turn red, which she giggled at.

"That's correct. That's the main reason why your powers ran wild; and it took a lot to calm you down again. After that, you had to witness the death of more people, Haruka and Kuno. That's when you could call on that power again but not gain full control. Things started to get even worse when you saw Kai get defeated and up in a coma. From what the others told me, you had a burst of rage when someone insulted Kai."

"Y-Yeah, that's true. I just don't like it when people insult Kai; he might not get angry, but it infuriates me. People don't have a clue what Kai has been through and it just makes me mad when people make fun of him because of his past," he explained. Matsu leaned back against and crossed her arms.

"That's probably your brotherly sense taking over. You don't like people messing with your siblings. Well I can see why it ticks you off so much, but did you know that you were only speeding up the control loss?"

"No, I didn't. You're saying I've been increasing the chances of rage this entire time," he clarified. Matsu nodded and straightened her glasses.

"It's likely. Your pent up aggression charges your power and causes you to become more aggressive in the long run."

"So what do you think I should do? Should I stick with the original plan?" He asked.

"Yes, that is the best route to go with," she answered. "Kusano, do you mind covering your ears; this is something only adults can hear."

She pouted at the request, but Minato coaxed her into accepting. The little one covered her ears while the others spoke.

"Now Minato; I am not lying when I talked about your libido. I am one hundred percent serious about that; you need to stifle your excess desires, which is why I'm telling you this now."

She whispered in his ear, "My room is completely soundproof; and I have alerts when Miya or Takehito is coming. They can't spy on us, they can't overhear us, and they can't intrude on us. If you ever need relief just let me know. My door is always open for you so don't be afraid to let me know, promise?"

Minato flushed furiously.

"Okay," he said softly. Matsu removed her glasses and kissed Minato on the lips. The ashikabi could feel the little one shuffling around, but he ruffled her head to keep her calm while he kissed his brain-type. When she pulled back, Matsu put her glasses back on.

"Don't forget what I said and remember to keep yourself calm. We'll help you anyway we can, but you have to trust us. Do you trust us?"

Minato nodded.

"I trust you."

She kissed him again.

"Then you'll come back here tonight so I can run a few tests."

"Tests?" He blinked at her.

"Nothing serious, just some mental tests. I want to see if you're still mentally strong, because it can help control your powers. When you know everyone is asleep, come see me; and if I'm sleeping, just wake me up," she explained.

"Got it," Minato signaled Kuu to uncover her ears. She tugged on his shirt.

"Big brother; I'm going to go play with Shiina."

"Okay."

She hugged Minato and left the room. Matsu went back to her monitors while Minato watched.

"Hey, there's something that's been on my mind for a while," he told her.

"What is it?" His brain-type offered him some potato chips. He accepted the snack and responded to her question.

"It's about Kagari," he said. Matsu spit up the chips in her mouth, shocking the dragon ashikabi. "Matsu?! What's the matter?"

She caught her breath and fixed her glasses.

"N-Nothing; I'm fine, just took me by surprise. So, what's wrong with Kagari?"

"Well, I feel like he's been glaring at me lately, as if I've angered him or something. I try not to impose, but I can't help but feel he's in pain somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it, but that's how it feels like to me. What do you think? Maybe I'm just going crazy," he explained. Matsu had mix feelings on what her ashikabi said. On one hand, she was amazed that he managed to figure out the case, but on the other hand, she was pondering whether or not she should tell him.

"I don't think you're crazy Minato, but why would Kagari be in pain?"

"I'm not sure. I know it's strange, but I know there's something wrong. When I ask him about it, he always snaps at me. I can tell though that he's trying to hide it," he said.

You're very spot on Minato, but I can't tell you the truth. You'll have to figure it out on your own. Matsu said in her mind.

"I will admit; I've noticed something between you two, but I just thought you made him angry. I didn't suspect he would be in pain or anything. Maybe you can just give him some time; he'll probably come around eventually."

"I suppose so, but I just can't help but wonder," Minato told her. Matsu giggled at her ashikabi.

"You really are considerate aren't you?"

"Well yeah, I've always been according to Kazehana," he said. Matsu giggled again and removed her glasses, setting them on the keyboard. She repositioned herself so her face was directly facing Minato's.

"Now that you know my room is soundproof, how bold are you willing to go? Are you willing to risk the landlords coming in, or just stick with the simple stuff?"

Before she could say anything else, Minato silenced her with a firm kiss on the lips.

At the Lykos residence, Jacob finished showing his new addition to his team, Kaho, around his house. She's already met his other sekirei and became quick friends with them. After Jacob showed her around, he went back to deciphering the documents Kai retrieved from Higa's building. He managed to decipher most of it, but a huge chunk still remains encrypted. From what he's managed to decode, the Ashikabi of the East is planning to create a special type of machine. The only question that popped into the wolf ashikabi's head is what it could be used for. He frowned at the possibilities and intertwined his fingers to contemplate on the subject.

"What could Higa be planning? This machine has to be important somehow, but the question is, what is its purpose? Hmm, the more important data is still encrypted so it will take a while to find out. Maybe the guys at work can decode the rest of it."

As soon as Jacob was about call it quits, his phone vibrated, and a familiar lightning user's name appeared on the caller ID.

"Hey Kai what's up?"

"Hey, I was calling to tell you that Commissioner Wilson approved of my temporary leave," the caller replied.

"I knew he would. What did he say about your work?"

"I turned in about three to four weeks of it so I'm free to do as I please."

"I see. Well that's good to… wait what?"

Kai laughed at the second person to do that.

"Yeah, I don't stop working until my task is complete; and I tend to do more in a shorter amount of time."

Jacob simply shook his head and chuckled.

"At least you're dedicated to your job. I knew recruiting you would be a great idea. So are you all set to leave? How's the packing coming along?"

There wasn't a response, causing Jacob to wonder.

"Kai? Kai are you there?"

There was still no response, until,

"CRAP!" Kai exclaimed. His shouting made Jacob jump in surprise. The latter nearly dropped his phone and fell off the couch, but caught himself just in time.

"Kai what the hell?"

"I forgot to start packing my stuff. I've been so focused on the girls and other matters that I forgot to pack my stuff," Kai replied.

"Seriously? Well you're lucky I reminded you, or you would've been in some trouble."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me. I better get started so I'll actually be ready to go. I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun," Jacob chuckled and hung up the phone. He continued to chuckle as he shook his head.

"I don't know what we're going to do about him."

Kai speed back through the streets on his way home. His new mission was issued; start packing for his trip home.

"I cannot believe you forgot to pack," Storm said.

"Why didn't you remind me?" he asked back.

"I didn't know you would've forgotten," she retorted. "Don't blame me; this is your fault here mister."

He groaned loudly.

"I know, I know, but you have to admit that I had a good reason for forgetting."

"If you say so," Storm sighed at her partner, who continued to accelerate through the north sector; however, he received a sudden neural shock that even Storm felt. "Whoa, what was that?"

"I'm not sure, some kind of alert maybe," Kai guessed. He felt his heart rate increasing, but he subconsciously turned the wrong way and followed his heart, literally. "There's something wrong; I can feel it. I'm not sure what, but it's close by."

Kai picked up the speed and accelerated to where his heart led him.

Close by, she dodged another attack, but received a heavy smash in the back, knocking her forward. She was them knocked off her feet, but she managed to recover and land on her hands. She started spinning with her legs extended and blocked her enemies attack while striking them at the same time. She lands on her knees and pant really hard. Sweat poured down her face, which showed several bruises and abrasions scattered around. Her hair, a beautiful scarlet, her eyes, a combination of both pink and brown, an exotic hue to say the least, and her expression, one of sadness, even with the marks staining her cute face, was visible to the naked eye. Her outfit, a tight fitting yellow jumpsuit with black long sleeves, the sekirei crest located on her left hip, and long dark brown flat boots, was torn in several places, revealing parts of her chest, midriff, arms, and legs.

A stray attack came from her right side, but managed to pick herself and dodge it. Suddenly, a multitude of blades flew towards her and cut her more, causing her blood to fly out her shoulders, and sending her to the ground. She hit the hard concrete with a loud thud and struggled to get up, but her wounds burned like an intense flame and made her feel weak.

"Wh-Why are you… doing this to…m-me," she spoke in a melancholy voice. She was kicked in the stomach, being lifted in the stomach, and then slammed back onto the ground. She coughed vigorously and tried to stand again, but one of her opponents stomped on her back to keep her in place.

"Just be quiet," the stomper stated. "You wouldn't be in this mess if you'd just agreed to come with us to our master, but you had to be so stubborn. Well look at where it gotcha."

The one on the ground couldn't move. She was too weak to do anything except watch as her opponents gathered around her. Two were mentioned before when they met a certain lightning pair on their date. They, along with two others stood around the injured sekirei.

"Tch, we can't just kill her?" Sai questioned. "What good will she do if she can't listen to orders?"

"Master said to bring her back however we can. So what if she's a little beaten? We can still bring her back," Toyotama replied. "Let's just take her back already."

The green haired sekirei reached for the injured sekirei; however, an unusual bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky. The four girls saw it and moved in time, but it struck the injured girl instead. A bright white flash covered her as the impact caused the broken debris around them to fly away. The girls that dodged the bolt covered their faces until it was safe to look. However, the green haired and blonde haired sekirei gasped in shock when they found the source of the lightning.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kai asked the injured sekirei. She groaned and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw is Kai staring at her, but her eyes slowly expanded as a bright red blush appeared on her cheeks. She found herself mesmerized by Kai's appearance and her heart beating so fast. In fact, Kai could feel his heart beating just as fast as the sekirei in his arms.

"Did you hear me? Are you okay?"

She painfully nodded her head and felt her eyes getting heavy. She tried to stay awake, but her strength was practically depleted. She mustered whatever strength she has left just to stay awake, only for Kai to close her eyes for her.

"Rest here; I'll get you out of here," he reassured her. She didn't respond, for she basically passed out. Kai took off his jacket and placed it over the sekirei as a blanket. He rose to his feet and loosened his muscles.

"Ready Storm," he spoke telepathically.

"Ready," she agreed. Kai stopped stretching and pivoted. Storm appeared in his hands and knocked away a couple of blades hurdling towards her partner. Kai rested his sword against his shoulders and faced the four sekirei. He instantly remembered the green and blonde haired ones, but the other two were a mystery to him.

"So your ashikabi fails to recruit me and he takes his anger out on an innocent sekirei. My have low your bastard have sunk," Kai insulted. Sai and Toyotama glared at him while showing their teeth, but other two however, ended up like the injured sekirei, admiring Kai's presence with red blushes on their cheeks.

"You watch your mouth you bastard," Sai retorted. "No one talks about master like that and lives to talk about it."

"He's an evil, useless, worthless piece of shit who doesn't know how to treat people right. He's a big coward who can't do anything for himself except tell people what to do. He hides behind people and let them do his dirty work, can't stand losing or insubordination, blackmails people into obeying him, keep people hostage, and most importantly,"

"HAAAAA!" Sai exclaimed as she launched her string blades at the ashikabi. She growled in fury. The blades were only inches away from Kai, until they missed their target and clashed with the brick wall instead. Kai vanished from his spot, causing shock.

"He's nothing compared to me," Kai finished, reappearing behind Sai. The girls jumped in surprise and turned around; however, Kai smashed his sword against Sai's neck and dropped her to the floor, knocking her unconscious. He kept the sheath on his sword and charged at the green haired sekirei, who reacted in time and blocked the attack with her staff. Kai

"You son of a bitch," she insulted angrily. "I'm going to make you pay for talking about my ashikabi like that."

"A guy can't tell the truth?" Kai moved back. "I'm only saying what's true."

"No you're not; you're spreading lies," she responded. "My ashikabi is not a coward!"

"Then why did he send his secretary to recruit me when he should've done so himself?" Kai questioned. The green haired beauty gritted her teeth and charged the enemy. She twirled her staff and slammed it down, but Kai easily blocked it without moving from his spot. The sekirei growled again and attacked in rapid succession, thrusting the staff repeatedly. Kai saw the attacks coming and deflected them all. On the final thrust, he slipped into the sekirei's area and hit her in the leg, forcing her to her knees.

She tried to stand back up and attacked the ashikabi again. Kai leaped over her and slammed the sheathed sword on her shoulders, knocking her back to the ground, but still conscious. She tried to stand once more, but it felt like her leg was broken; she couldn't stand, and her shoulder caused her intense pain. She grunted and turned her head to see Kai standing above her.

"I won't be beaten by a worthless piece of trash like you."

"That bitch," Storm said to her partner.

"Calm down Storm; she can't do anything," Kai reassured her. "Just relax."

Kai turned towards the other two sekirei, whom shook their heads to snap out their trance.

"Don't just stand there you two. Kill his ass!" The green haired sekirei commanded. But the two were completely enthralled by the lightning ashikabi's grace and dexterity. They couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes.

"Great, more girls to add to your fandom," Storm complained. Kai cocked his head a little and then straightened back up.

"Now I'm sure they're just nervous," he spoke telepathically to his partner. He proceeded towards the duo and stopped right before them. "If you would be so kind as to let me through please."

Without a moments haste, the two stepped aside and let Kai pass while trying to hold back the urge to squeal like high school girls. The green haired beauty growled again.

"You two are useless!"

She tried to stand up again, fighting back every aching sensation coursing through her body. Her leg ached like crazy, but she fought it and finally stood on her two feet. She watched Kai proceed to the scarlet haired sekirei, but she finally realized something. She smiled wide and chuckled softly to herself.

"I knew it! I knew you seemed familiar," she stated. "You're no. 10's ashikabi!"

Kai stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened. The green haired sekirei laughed aloud, knowing she had Kai in her grasp.

"That's right; I know no. 10; she's been trying to rescue her sister or whatever. I knew you and her were connected in some way, but now I remember and I'm going to get a lot of mileage out of this one. My how bad it must feel to know your sekirei is working for another ashikabi. Well at least it's someone a lot better, richer, and more handsome. I bet it eats you up inside, knowing your sekirei is a traitor. Maybe she prefers my ashikabi better than someone like you. Now I know you're weakness."

Kai lowered his head, trying to hide the rage that's building up. His hands trembled as he held back the urge to cut her head off.

"Kai, I would say keep your cool, but I remembered how she insulted you so I'm not going to," Storm told him. The sekirei could see him trembling. The green haired sekirei found it pleasing while the others did not. They could feel an intense anger boiling up inside, causing them to slowly back away and hope he doesn't lash at them.

"Aww, what's the matter?" The green haired sekirei taunted. "Did I strike a nerve? You were all high and mighty a second ago, and now you're at a loss for words. Does it make you angry to know your sekirei is a traitor? Does it infuriate you that she's working for the one you call worthless and useless? Well let me tell you something that she must've kept hidden."

"Um, Toyotama; I think you should stop," one of the other sekirei stated.

"Why? He can't do shit now," Toyotama replied. "Besides, he should know what nearly happened to his sekirei."

Kai raised his head and turned it to see the green haired sekirei. He shot her a glare that caused the other two to move away. Toyotama on the other hand, laughed at the scene.

"So you are interested. Well I know it's going to piss you off, but that's what I'm aiming for. Ooh, I am going to love this."

"Toyotama, please don't say anything; you're only making it worse," the second other sekirei begged.

"When your precious sekirei was brought to Higa, he ripped her clothes off, tried to force himself on her, and nearly had his way with her."

That's all she could get out before blood gushed out from her shoulders and splattered all over the ground. Her eyes widened as the pupils trembled. Kai appeared behind her with his sword unsheathed and the blade ready for slashing. The evil glare in his eyes could be felt from a distance away. Kai turned and knocked Toyotama off her feet, but he grabbed her by the neck and slammed the back of her head into the brick wall. He started chocking her and raised her high with his sword pointed at her left lung.

"You should've listened to your friends. They tried to warn you, but you were too stubborn to heed it. Now all you've done is make me mad and given me an even well enough reason to murder that bastard you call ashikabi! You're lucky I don't rip you apart while I'm at it. Now I have a bigger drive to stab him right between the eyes and cut off his fucking head," Kai threatened. "I don't care what you call me. You can insult me until your face turns blue; I don't care, but I will not tolerate anything said or done towards my sekirei. I am far from being average, and trust me, I can kill you right here; but I'll do that another time. I hope you enjoy being part of my list, because now there are you, Higa, Kakizaki, and James. Come near my sekirei or loved ones again and I will personally see to it that your time in this game ends."

He threw her clear across the alleyway into another wall. She fell to the floor and lost consciousness. The other two were trembling with fright. They tried to warn her, but Toyotama didn't listen. They watched Kai sheathed his sword and progress towards the scarlet haired sekirei, who woke up not too long ago and witnessed Toyotama's defeat. She too trembled at Kai's evil stare and found herself unable to move. Kai kneeled in front of her and saw her trembling.

"Are you alright?"

She could only nodded her head and looked down to see Kai's jacket covering her.

"You passed out so I covered you with that," Kai told her.

"Oh, I…I see. Th-Thank you," she responded. Kai nodded and took his jacket.

"Can you stand?"

The girl hesitantly nodded her head.

"I…I can," she rose to her feet but stumbled about. She nearly fell over, but Kai caught her just in time.

"Don't worry; I gotcha. Let's go get you washed up, okay?"

She saw the look in his eyes and nodded again. He spoke softly to her and so considerate.

"My name is Kai; what's yours?"

"Ka…Katsuragi," she introduced.

"Katsuragi; I see. What about your number?" The ashikabi questioned. Her eyes widened in surprise; she didn't know that he's an ashikabi. "You have nothing to worry about. I am an ashikabi as well."

She bit her lip a little before responding.

"Number 86."

Kai nodded back and helped her towards his bike.

"Don't worry Katsuragi; I'll keep you safe until you find your ashikabi."

Kai assisted her on the bike and grabbed the helmet.

"Why?" She asked. Kai stopped what he was doing and faced the sekirei, who stared down at her seat. "If you're an ashikabi, why didn't you wing me?"

Kai put the helmet on and lifted the visor.

"I'm not going to take advantage of you. You were ambushed by enemy sekirei and almost dragged back to be forced against your will. I didn't want anything else happening so I refrained from telling you; but you know don't you?"

A bright red blush appeared on her cheeks.

"When our eyes met, I could feel my heart beating so fast. I knew I'd find you eventually, but I wasn't expecting it to turn out this way."

"Better it was now than later," Kai told her. He studied Katsuragi's injured condition and removed his helmet. "Here."

He offered the helmet to her.

"You need this more than I do."

She stared at the helmet and slowly reached for it. Her hands landed on Kai's, causing her to retract them. Kai blinked at her, seeing her face turning even redder. Katsuragi felt her chest jumping like crazy. She didn't know why she pulled back, but it made her feel nervous inside.

"So what do you want to do now Katsuragi? If you stay out here, you'll only be attacked again; but if you come with me, my team can keep you safe and make you stronger," Kai told her.

"Oh no, please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing," Storm groaned.

"What am I doing?" Kai acted dumb.

"Don't play dumb mister; I know exactly what you're doing. You know what; I'll see you tonight," Storm didn't respond after that, in which Kai mentally cheered for himself. He continued to watch Katsuragi, who refused to meet his gaze. As Kai studied her, he noticed that she reminds him a little of Akitsu. He rubbed his chin and thought to himself.

I wonder how she would respond if I rub her hair.

Kai set the helmet on his spot and gently place a hand on Katsuragi's head, reassuringly stroking her hair. She gasped at the sudden contact and flushed ferociously when she felt his hand rub her scalp. Unconsciously, she found herself leaning against Kai, enjoying his warmth. She gasped when she realized and leaned off him.

"Are you okay?" Kai asked her. Katsuragi nodded and continued to blush badly. Kai rubbed her hair more, finding out that Katsuragi is indeed similar to Akitsu. He couldn't help but smile. "Come with me Katsuragi."

She gasped again and raised her head, seeing the smile on Kai's face.

"Do you…really want me?" she asked.

"It wasn't just a coincidence that we met today," he responded. Katsuragi tilted her head in confusion, but then realized what he meant.

"You mean,"

He nodded and then planted the ceremonial kiss on her lips. Katsuragi found her heart racing like never before, feeling the intense hotness in her body beginning to cool over. She closed her eyes and kissed Kai back, as the ceremony continued with the sekirei's wings forming beautifully behind her, and ending with her chant.

"I am sekirei no. 86, Katsuragi. May my strength protect my ashikabi, for now and forever."

Kai placed the bike helmet over Katsuragi's head and took his seat. He started up the engines and felt his new sekirei wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his back.

"Hold on Katsuragi," he warned her before taking off towards their destination. Katsuragi held on tight, not expecting to take off so fast. She didn't want to open her eyes, fearing she would be blown away with the tremendous wind; however, the longer she stayed on, the less scared she became. Katsuragi opened her eyes and saw what the ride had to offer. She enjoyed the beautiful landscape and plethora of stunning flowers surrounding Kai's home. They pulled into the Sasaki household's yard and parked the bike. Kai straightened his hair, which was messy due to the wind. After that, he helped Katsuragi off and showed her, her new home.

"This is where you'll be living from now on," he told her. "Please note that there are eight other sekirei inside; all of them are mine, well two will be mine in the future but they're still mine either way."

"I see," she responded. "Wait eight? You have that many?"

Kai nodded and walked with her to the door.

"I know I have a lot, but they're very good sekirei. You'll have a great time with them," he reassured her. Kai opened the door, gaining everyone's attention. "Hey girls; I'm back, and I've brought someone new to the family."

He pushed Katsuragi forward and saw her tense up. She stuttered her words and bowed to her new family.

"H-Hello, I'm Ka-Katsuragi."

"Katsuragi!" Oriha screamed and tackled the sekirei in a big hug. Kai kept the girls balanced and watched the disk thrower crush the new addition in a massive embrace. "Ooh, Katsuragi; I'm so happy to see you. I'm so glad Kai managed to wing you."

Katsuragi returned her hug.

"Oriha? I didn't expect to find you here," she said. Oriha giggled and broke the embrace to stare at her friend, but gasped when she saw all the cuts and bruises she possessed.

"Katsuragi, who did this to you? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Oriha dashed around the scarlet haired sekirei while asking a million questions. Kai walked deeper into his house, but flinched at the intense and livid stare the lightning twins gave them. They had their arms crossed under their chest and glared angrily at Kai.

"What?" He asked.

"Who the hell is she?" They asked back in unison. "We agreed no more winging except for Uzume's sister. You broke your promise."

Kai wagged his finger back and forth.

"Ah, now that's where you're wrong. You see, I said I wouldn't wing anymore sekirei until you and Chiho were my sekirei. You two are still wild cards and Chiho is still free so I am still good on my promise. So, you can't do anything."

The twins tried to speak, but everything Kai said is true. They couldn't retort on the case and snapped their fingers. Kai chuckled and pulled them into a hug.

"Don't worry though; I still promise not to wing anymore sekirei."

After hugging the twins, he gave his other sekirei a hug, especially Uzume. He still remembered what Toyotama told him and made sure to hug the brunette tight.

Much later, when everyone was sleeping, Kai and Uzume met up in the living room for a quick chat. Kai could tell she was nervous and placed a hand on top of hers for reassurance.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked him. He squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry; you're not in trouble in anything. I just want to clarify something."

"Okay," she nodded.

"When I encountered Katsuragi, I found out something quite sickening. Now I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me, agreed?" He spoke softly. She only nodded and received a kiss on the forehead. "Is it true Uzume, that Higa tried to force himself on you?"

Uzume didn't respond and hugged herself. That's all Kai needed to see in order to confirm the message. He pulled Uzume into a soft embrace and rubbed the back of her hair.

"I see. Then you know what I must do right?"

She nodded and buried her head in his chest.

"I won't stop you. In fact, I want to be there when you do it."

"Then so it shall be," Kai lifted her head and kissed her on the lips. "You're sleeping with me tonight; it'll keep you from having bad dreams."

"Carry me?" She requested. Kai picked her up bridal style and felt her head on his shoulder. He carried her up the stairs and into his room, where he set her down on the bed and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead once more and joined her on the other side. She placed her head on his chest and snuggled close.

A couple of hours later, Kai stood before a pacing Storm, who asked him a million questions about their day. He could only stand and watch as she interrogated him, but he would soon ignore her to stare at the ground. He still recalled the message he received and frowned at the remembering. His fists tightened and his teeth gritted together. He let out a shout and punched the ground hard, sending a storm of lightning bolting everywhere. Storm jumped in surprise and shielded herself, but none of the bolts touched her. She faced Kai and saw the livid expression standing on her face. He had every right to be angry; he found out that his sekirei was almost made a victim of a diabolical word. Kai sat on the ground and let his anger calm itself. Heavy growls escaped his lips, in which Storm completely disregarded her lecture to kneel behind him and hug him. She kissed his cheek a couple of times and wrapped her arms around his neck and waist.

"What are you going to do now?"

Kai intertwined his fingers and let his partner soothe him.

"The same thing I wanted to do in the very beginning," he told her. He opened his eyes to reveal the evil and murderous glare blasting from his pupils. "I'm going to make him pay in the worst way imaginable. I'm going to take my sweet time and make sure he doesn't die too soon, or too late. I want to hear him scream for mercy."

Storm tightened her hold.

"It's okay; I'm not completely insane…yet."

She went back to planting kisses on his cheek.

"I'll be there for you whenever you need me. As my partner, I'll make sure he suffers for his actions."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Kai said and placed her on his lap. "I am going to need you to calm me down first."

She smiled and straddled Kai's waist. She kissed his cheeks and forehead before placing his head in her large chest. Storm rubbed his head comfortingly and whispered words of reassurance. She could tell a lot of anger formed this time and did her best to bring it back down. She had him breathing calmly again and let him do whatever he wanted to her.

"I'll help you take the bastard down and anyone else you want dead. That secretary, dead, that green haired bitch, dead, that brother of my brother's partner, dead, and that bastard of the east, he'll lie dead at your feet."

She kissed the top of his head and found out he finally fell asleep. She laid him down on his back and materialized a nice soft blanket for her and him to share. Storm softly kissed Kai on the lips and rested on his chest, squeezing his hand tightly to keep him sane.

A/N: There you have it everyone; another chapter done and ready for your viewing pleasures. I do hope you like everything that went on in the chapter and the new addition to Kai's harem. A lot of people wanted me to put Katsuragi in his party so now I have; and she and Oriha are the best of friends. Don't you feel bad for Uzume? I know I'm working everything how I want, but even I feel bad for her. Well, do all that following and favorite; please leave a review or pm please; and I will see you all tomorrow for a special chapter. This has been MalevolentDarkness16 and I will see you all tomorrow. Thanks for reading and take care.