Author's plug:
I'm a beta reader! I beta read things! One of the things I beta read is "The Snow Ashikabi" by BrookBB. It has Akitsu in it, and Matsu, and Minato, and a scientist-turned-Ashikabi named Saya. I know two things, since you've made it this far: 1) Y'all like Kazehana, who as of writing is growing more frequent in her appearances and 2) Y'all can give OCs a chance. So after this, you should all go read "The Snow Ashikabi" straight away!
And after you do that, vote on the poll. BrookBB (as of April 2021) has a poll on their profile, related to "The Snow Ashikabi''. I talked them into one of the more… iiiinteresting choices on it, but please, don't vote for my sake. Only cast a vote if you actually read the story.
Speaking of beta readers, I'd like to thank Earth Dragon Arnighte for beta reading this chapter, and SilverSoulXIII for beta reading this and the last 34 chapters of this fic, and all the chapters on all my other fics.
My Eyes They See, But Can't Believe
At times such as this, someone like Musubi would say that the solution is, like most bodily ailments, a nice, hot bath. In this instance, Homura was inclined to agree with her.
"Where are you going?" Kazehana asked as he passed her in the hallway. When he took her arm, she amended it to, "Where are we going?"
It had been about an hour since Kagedansu left. It has also been an hour since Homura got absolute confirmation that, as it stood, Minato was a lost cause.
"I need a bath," said Homura. "We need a bath."
"A bath?" said a curious Musubi, poking her head in from the kitchen. "I want a bath!"
Homura pushed Kazehana into the changing room, where Matsu was pulling at her cheongsam. "Do you see anything wrong with Minato, Musubi?"
The brunette thought for a moment. "...Why? Is he sick?"
"Then you're not invited," Homura said, closing the door.
Musubi was taken aback, to say the least. Homura hadn't made her cry. Not even a little, just a single drop! Except not a single drop, he hadn't made her cry at all, the meanie!
Covering her eyes, so no one could see she wasn't crying, Musubi ran upstairs to her room and shut the door. She dropped onto her bedroll, and continued to not cry into her pillow.
Meanwhile…
Matsu draped her pink cheongsam over a laundry basket. "Don't be so nervous, Homura. After all, you're the one who called this meeting."
The Sekirei sighed. "I know, it's just…" He tapped his temple. "I'm still a guy up here. At least, I think so."
"'You think so'?" Matsu echoed, unclasping her pink bra. "Is that up for debate?"
"It…" He sighed again. "Just get in the bath and we'll talk. This isn't just about Minato. I think we all have some things to get off our chest."
Homura glanced at Kazehana. The busty Sekirei had her purple dress above her arms, her behemoth breasts flopping down as the fabric cleared her nipples. Her breasts were now so big and full that they'd long overtaken her top ribs. Kazhana's underboob nearly reached her navel; they were even bigger than her head. Yet, they still had that perfectly curved, teardrop shape to them. This made it all the more surprising that the inevitable dirty joke, about someone getting on her massive chest, never came.
Homura looked down at his own body, where two rounded female breasts protruded from the contours of his pectorals. He'd assumed they would stop once he was winged, but they were bigger than the pert half-spheres he'd possessed when he tried to kill Minaka. Now they were rounded, the skin underneath folded from the mammary glands filling out.
You heard me, he thought. Get off my chest.
Covering his bust, as well as the area where his hermaphroditic genitalia once dwelt, Homura allowed Kazehana to open the door to the bath. He was glad Miya hadn't asked any questions about his "private bath" request, because frankly, Homura had a bad feeling about where the conversation would take them.
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Akitsu blinked. "You're serious?"
Uzume rolled her eyes, then returned them to the ceiling of Kagedansu's vacant bedroom. "Look, I know Kagedansu's in a bad spot, and I know we shouldn't trust him completely. But if he says Musubi of all people has the answer, then maybe you should ask her."
Akitsu stepped inside. Her eyes wandered the empty space, doing some thinking of her own. When they fell upon a corner of the room adjacent to the door, one that wouldn't be seen while entering, her eyes fell upon something else.
"The Thing," Akitsu said.
"What thing?" Uzume asked, before tracing her gaze. "Oh. Kagedansu must've left it."
It was a DVD case, depicting a man in a parka with a bright white light coming out of his hood. Its title was unremarkable, but the tagline wasn't.
Man is the warmest place to hide.
Retrieving it, Uzume noticed there was black marker scribbled on the cover.
This is that fine piece of overrated cinema that I mentioned. Don't show it to Kusano.
Frowning, Uzume juggled the case in her hands. She recalled finding a DVD the night when Chiho was put to sleep. Just like last time, she wasn't sure what to make of it. Needful Things hadn't really shed any light on the current situation, though relationships seemed to have deteriorated like the ones in the film had.
The thought gave Uzume pause. Could it be that… No, that's exactly what Hametsu would want her to think. He seemed like the type who'd ruin a romance just for yucks.
Bracing for anything that might jump out at her, Uzume popped the case open. No surprises, for just like last time, there was more black marker on the disc.
Who is Palmer? Who is Vance? Who is Blair?
"So," said Uzume, "whatcha gonna do, Akitsu?"
Akitsu's expression went blank, and she left the room.
Uzume shrugged. "Okay then. As long as you're happy."
Her thoughts returned to the DVD. She'd seen the movie before, but had trouble remembering the characters' names. That was down to the effects; names didn't really stick with her while a guy's chest was eating someone.
Uzume closed the case and started pacing. She tapped it against her chin, listing off everyone she remembered.
Palmer, Vance, and Blair... Well, MacReady's the hero, and Childs is the dark guy who always doubted him. Nauls was the other dark guy, with the roller skates. There were the two Norwegian guys who died in the beginning… Bennings got shot in the leg and taken over later… Windows! The curly-haired radio guy was Windows, and Palmer was… The split-headed Thing who bit his head off.
Uzume's footsteps stopped, mimicking the seizure of Blair's pocket watch from the movie. Blair was the one who went crazy and got locked in the shed. He became a Thing, too.
Uzume glanced at the DVD again. "Who are Palmer, Vance, and Blair?" she read aloud.
Wait, "Vance"? There wasn't anyone named Vance. Uzume racked her brain and started listing off the names. MacReady, Blair, Palmer, Childs, Bennings, Windows, Nauls… Dr. Copper and Garry… Norris... Fuchs… Vance? No, Clark. Clark was the dog handler. So who's Vance?
She resolved to go back to Izanagi's apartment and watch the film. Her dilemma, then, was whether she should let Chiho watch it with her.
If her memory had served her better, or if Hametsu hadn't trained her to look far more closely at his clues than she needed to, she might have gone on her phone and discovered "Vance" was the first name of Norris. In the film, he was the third man, along with Blair and Palmer, to be secretly replaced by a Thing imitation.
But Hametsu had played his game too well; he had her looking for a passage in a book when the answer lay in the title. Uzume wouldn't realize the pattern of taint until much later.
By the time she did, The Great Finale would've already begun.
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Homura soaked in the tub, keeping it hot from the simmering power of his frustration. He let the scrub brush slide from his fingers to clatter to the floor. Steam wafted from the tub, spilling over the edges to coast above the floor, splitting and reforming around the ankles of his two companions. Matsu sat on a wash stool, but Kazehana occupied the bath tub's edge, her feet planted not in the soothing water, but the chilly tile.
"So," he sighed, having put it off long enough, "Minato."
Kazehana ran her fingers through her long hair, billowing it past the edge of the tub as she untied it from its wash-knot. "Minato."
Matsu emptied the wash bucket over herself. "Well, let's figure out the problem first. What's wrong with him?"
"What's wrong," Homura said, "is that Kagedansu's got him wrapped around his finger. No matter what we tell him, no matter what happens or who gets attacked, Minato finds a way to explain it."
"It's actually kind of brilliant," Matsu admitted, twisting her hair into three strands. "He's created this persona to cover his tracks; literally any move he makes can be explained by some supernatural power."
Kazehana smiled wearily. "Because we superpowered alien hotties are just a regular thing in nature."
Matsu, annoyed, still couldn't help but chuckle as she started braiding her orange hair. "Okay, some creepy supernatural power. He has the psychic sensory manipulation to make his villain seem otherworldly, but put enough… How to put this, 'mundane'? 'Regular'? You know, things like dropping a roof on Tsukiumi or tangling with Musubi. Ways to hurt us, make us afraid of those illusions."
Homura nodded, climbing out of the tub. "If all he did was put on a show, we'd catch on and stop reacting. But because Hametsu can punch us, maybe even burn us with his fire, we stay afraid when he appears."
Kazehana looked away. "Or he gets us to do it…"
Matsu held a hand in front of Kazehana's breast, but stowed her perversion and put it on her friend's shoulder instead. "No one blames you for that, Kazehana. Never forget: it's not your fault."
"You're right," Homura said, angrily making a fist. "It's Minato's."
Matsu and Kazehana both looked at him, their interest piqued.
"Wanna elaborate?" Matsu asked.
"Look at the big picture," said Homura. "Every time 'Hametsu' appeared, it was always near Minato. Kagedansu faked that attack and came back to the inn, not a hospital, even though his Ashikabi could've been in danger. Then he faked another run-in at the hospital, even got someone to shut off the power, so he could run out and mix it up with you guys while you were chasing me. The First Match: Minato was on hand to dig Tsukiumi out of the rubble."
"He banked on Minato being there when Uzume came running?" Kazehana asked.
"She didn't…" Homura's fist started to smolder. "That bastard. I brought it to Minato. He knew one of us would come find him, so he made sure Minato was there when we broke the news."
Matsu shrugged in resigned admiration. "He's a brain-type alright. Hametsu seems more real, while Kagedansu seems more sympathetic."
"Then he came back to the inn after Uzume left," Kazehana said. "Talk about a sympathy play; I felt so bad for him. Then he talked Minato into training, then all that junk about being a 'real man,' as if Minato wasn't good enough."
"Actually, I think that's the key: Minato's own insecurities," Matsu said. "Minato can't admit to Kagedansu's lies because that would mean all the lessons were lies, too. To admit Kagedansu's a fake would make Minato's new confidence fake, at least to Minato. He likes his new self too much."
"Good point," Kazehana said. Swivelling around on the edge of the tub, and dipping her feet in the water, she hefted her breasts, now so huge she could barely see her thighs. "I wonder if he's why these things keep growing. I was only an N-cup when I met him."
"Don't talk to me about body changes," Homura spat. "It's because of Minato that I'm stuck in this body, not to mention this brain..."
Matsu frowned. "What do you mean?"
Homura flinched. "N-Nothing."
"No no," Kazehana tutted, standing up and striding over to him. Her hands rested on her hips as she bent over, her massive melons swinging in front of him. "No secrets here, Homura; that's what got us into this pickle. If there's something on your mind, tell us."
"It's just…" Homura's hands pulled at his silver hair. "God, it's like going through puberty all over again."
"How so?" Matsu asked, shimmying next to him.
"I just… Screw it..." He sat up straight and wheezed, "I… I LL-... I Li-… I like Minato."
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Sekirei No. 103, Juusa, tucked her black hair back in front of her left shoulder, the wind from atop this skyscraper quickly picking up again. Rolling her eyes, she tapped her staff against her heel and scanned the ground again. Still no sign of Akitsu, or any hostile Sekirei.
Juusa sighed. "The things I do for friends…"
No, she shouldn't be like that. Master may not have ordered them to, but the Sekirei of the South had all made a pact. Akitsu wouldn't be gone forever, and when she came back, they'd be there to escort her to Master and make sure he came to his senses. Banishing her was an impulsive thing to do, all because she came back for her cell phone without telling him.
Personally, Juusa was glad for her friend. Knowing her, she could've been afraid of defying him, and so kept her return brief and secret. Master had an aura that commanded loyalty, and for the longest time, Juusa thought Mutsu had been the only one immune to it. She hoped that courage would spread to her, someday. Being able to check Master's eccentricities was definitely a useful skill.
Not to mention, it might've saved Yomi, Taki, or Momo. Taki got lucky, but the other two...
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Digging a hand into her obi sash, the purple color making it hard to see the secret pouch on the side, she fished out the device and flipped it open.
A smile bloomed on her face when she saw who it was from.
Everyone,
I've done it. I'll be returning to you all very soon. But first, I must have you alone. Don't tell him where, and don't let him find you. If he tries to stop you, I know you wouldn't refuse him. Please, when I ask, come to me. I know I've caused him much grief, but it's going to work out, I promise.
Once again, don't let him find you until our matters are settled. In fact, it may be best if you turn off your phones so he can't order you back once you come. I hope I see you all there, once I determine where. I promise, it will be worth the wait.
It was a little strange, reading all this from Akitsu, but Juusa didn't get any bad vibes from it. If anything, the fact she was openly telling them to defy Master made her seem cooler (ha!) and more badass, like Mutsu.
That being said, as she ignored a message from Master to return home, there was this nagging twinge of skepticism that wouldn't go away. It told Juusa that this grand revelation wasn't so grand after all, at the very least not grand enough for her to be punctual. So, Juusa decided to sit down, enjoy the view from the skyscraper, bask in the cool wind and warm afternoon sunlight, and maybe be just a little late, if she was in the mood. After all, if it was so important, why would Akitsu ask her to switch off the phone? She might need to ask where they were, if they were late, but that clearly wasn't a concern.
If nothing else, it's a lesson she could teach Akitsu about emphasis and priorities. What were friends for?
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Kazehana was shocked, so much that she chortled. "That's all? Homura, sweetie, that's a perfectly normal thing to think. There's a lot to like about him, present situation aside."
"No, you don't get it," he said. "I'm… I'm in a woman's body, but I have a man's brain. I like women."
As if to prove his point, he started staring up at Kazehana's thick bust. "I've always liked women, ever since I started liking anything. I've dated women, I've kissed women-"
Now that was shocking. "You kissed someone besides Minato?" Kazehana asked, disturbed by the news. True, Minato was her first kiss but not the only one. However, everyone else had been for a Sekirei promise, not a shot-in-the-dark winging.
"I was getting desperate. Anyone who felt even remotely like I was reacting to, I kissed them," Homura admitted. "Nothing. I even seduced a few girls to trigger a winging. That's how Sekirei were originally supposed to bond, according to our genes. Takehito told me that. MBI changed it when they adjusted us."
"So…" The pieces clicked together in Matsu's mind as she figured it out. "You don't like guys?"
Homura shook his head, never shying away from Kazehana's cleavage. He almost seemed afraid to break his gaze. "Never. Not one. Except for Minato."
Kazehana set her hands and lowered herself into the water. "How much 'like' are we talking here?"
"B-... Badly." Homura blinked. His eyes darted away for a moment. "I… I want…"
He finally broke his stare and clutched his skull. "I shouldn't feel like this. The things I want him to do to me, the things I want to do to him, some of them used to bother me. I had nothing against people doing them, I just didn't want to hear about it. Now, though…"
Kazehana leaned on her knees, her breasts smothering her arms with their fluffy mass. "Now?"
Homura swallowed. "Every time… Every time I look at him, I start… Well…"
Screwing his eyes shut, he rose from the water and pointed to his feminine nether regions. "This happens."
Kazehana and Matsu both honed in. All the parts were there, all in healthy colors, exactly as a woman should have, with droplets of water dotting the skin. Nothing out of the ordinary for… Wait…
"I see," Matsu said. She straightened up. One side of her hair finished, she set about braiding her other side. "But that's not the real problem, is it? You're afraid this is just the beginning."
"Yeah…" Homura covered his eyes, clutching at his hairline. "This isn't me. I know me. I remember a time when I wasn't like this. I remember the exact moment I became like this. My body had been changing for a long time, and I thought I'd just have to live with it. I'm more than my body; I even asked Takehito to find me a new one for a Sekirei core transfer. But these feelings... They weren't gradual. They weren't something I could live with. Minato kissed me, and suddenly they were there."
The Fire Sekirei grimaced. Wetness pooled around his palms, threatening to drizzle down his face. "He did this to me. He made me feel like this. I can't even be angry because of these feelings I have for him…!"
Homura splashed down and started to sob. Kazehana reached out a gentle hand and guided him into her soft bosom. Maybe it was the closeness, maybe he sensed a kindred spirit, but Homura broke down for real and started crying.
"Who am I?!" he bawled. "Who will I become? How long till I can't tell the difference?"
Kazehana kissed his silver hair, stroking it. Her sad gaze drank it all in: Homura's fear, his paranoia, his feeling of losing touch with himself. It reached her deep, so much that she was tearing up a little herself. "It's hard... I know."
"How could you possibly know?!" Homura wailed.
"I know, because…" Now Kazehana blinked as a drop of sadness escaped her eye. "I've been wondering that myself."
Homura continued to bawl, in no shape to offer support, so Matsu rose to the call, literally, out of her stool, and took up the reigns. "What about?"
Kazehana's head dipped. Her mouth disappeared into Homura's soft hair. When it came back up, it formed the words, "Am I a bad person?"
Matsu recoiled slightly, aghast at the notion. "Where'd that come from?"
"I don't know where, or when…" Kazehana laid her cheek on Homura's hair, comforting herself as much as him. "But it came to a head the day of the rescue."
Matsu rose and rushed to Kazehana's side, embracing her as the usually stalwart and sexy Sekirei started to unravel.
"I took Minato away," Kazehana confessed. "I took him out for the date. I slept with him. Kagedansu didn't make me, I just… I should've been thinking about protecting Maison Izumo and the Jinki. Instead… Instead, I was thinking about myself, my good time…"
Kazehana's palm rose to clutch at her face, as if to dam the flood of tears ready to burst forth. "I… I didn't want to share. I wanted him all to myself, just for one night... I wanted to feel like when we first met, before I had to share him… And because of that, because I took him, Tsukiumi almost..."
A light bulb went off in Matsu's brain, but she put it on hold while Kazehana continued.
"I wasn't always so... selfish," Kazehana hissed at herself, a self-loathing grimace showing her teeth. "I remember sharing him. I remember enjoying sharing him. What changed?"
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"Wait, Akitsu!" Musubi called, trying to catch the Ice Sekirei as she flew down the stairs towards the front door. She was happy for Akitsu, and glad their talk made them both feel better, but still!
"Don't try to stop me, Musubi," Akitsu called over her shoulder. Halting on the front step, she froze a wall inside the door frame. "Mas-... Mikogami needs me more than Minato does."
Musubi's hand speared through the ice, to pat her on the shoulder.
"I know he does," said the distorted image of Musubi. "I was just thinking you should call him first. He's probably worried about you."
"I would," said Akitsu, turning, "but I don't have my phone. I left it with him."
"I have a phone!" Musubi called, karate-chopping her way through. "Just let me run back inside-"
Breaking into a run, Akitsu waved goodbye to her professor in the humanities, the girl who finally helped her see. And, for the first time in what felt like a long while, Akitsu smiled.
I'm coming, Mikogami, she thought. I found what I needed, and I never betrayed your secrets.
That being said, as she took one last upside-down look at Maison Izumo, amidst a somersault over the rooftops, she thanked her absent-mindedness. Having Master… No, wait, having Mikogami pester her with calls would've crippled her with anxiety.
As it was, the anxiety was merely twisting her stomach like the world's worst pretzel.
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"Minato changed," Matsu sighed.
Tearfully, Kazehana looked up into the faltering gaze of Matsu.
"He's gotten more complacent," Matsu said. "And that reflects on us. Minato might not have made that decision for you, but he enabled it. I remember when he was far too cautious to ever pull a stunt like that. He left us divided and drained, and if Tsukiumi hadn't… If Kagedansu hadn't injured Tsukiumi, I don't know if he'd regret it."
Matsu was growing physically sick at this line of thinking, as if her body was fighting to suppress the truth.
"Minato's still being complacent, and we need to change that." She laid a hand on the back of Kazehana's neck. "We need to make the best of what we got, and I just thought of how."
Kazehana sniffed and looked at her friend, a spark of hope shimmering in her mournful eyes.
"We can resolve all of this: Minato's ego, your anxieties-" She looked at Homura, too, when she said it. "-not to mention getting the Jinki back. Instead of turning Minato against Kagedansu, we need to turn him towards us."
Matsu rose and started to pace, a gentle bounce in her naked breasts as she stepped. "This whole time, Kagedansu's been getting to us through Minato, probably thinking we wouldn't defy our Ashikabi. That, or…"
She looked at Kazehana. "Hoping Minato would steer us wrong. That ends now. If Homura's raid on Izanagi tells me anything, it's that he's counting on Minato not being with us. That's why he made his move while you were away: so Minato couldn't be there to power us up. Can you imagine if you or Tsukiumi or even Musubi had fought him at full power? His 'black hand of doom' wouldn't have mattered: you would've mopped the floor with him."
Kazehana wiped her eyes and sniffed. "So what do we do?"
"We make Minato's priorities clear," Matsu said. "We give him an ultimatum: it's Kagedansu or us, and I know he'll choose us. This is the Sekirei Plan, and sooner or later, some hard choices are going to happen. Get him on our side, then we regroup, settle things, and start playing hardball before Kagedansu's plot can finish."
Matsu smiled at Kazehana. "We know we can make the hard choices. Now it's time Minato made them, too."
Homura, himself finished with crying, raised his head from Kazehana's soft bosom. "Okay, but what do we do right now, today?"
Matsu's smile faded from her face, her orange eyes hardening. "We leave him. Today, now. For his own good, we're not his Sekirei until he remembers he needs us on his side, not Kagedansu."
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Minato descended the stairs, towing a blushing Tsukiumi behind himself.
"Really, Minato…" She drew her blonde hair to cover her blue eyes like a pair of curtains. "We mustn't. What wrath might thou suffer from the Landlady?"
"What? From mud wrestling?" Musubi asked, eagerly following behind.
Minato stopped at the bottom so he could wheel Tsukiumi towards the bathroom by her shoulders. "What's the harm? I wasn't planning on watching you change."
"'Tis not mine opinion, which thou shouldst fear," Tsukiumi said quietly.
"Afraid you'll lose?" Musubi cheekily remarked, walking behind them.
Tsukiumi's nervousness evaporated. "Nonsense! Thou shalt have thy words for lunch!"
Minato quietly thanked Musubi; she made a good wingman. Wingwoman? Co-pilot? Actually, that last one sounded kind of dirty; he should pitch it to Matsu and Kazehana.
Right now, Minato knew he had her, his tempestuous tsundere. He knew she knew how much he liked seeing her in a bathing suit. He knew she knew their bond gave her power. Minato couldn't get over it: here he was, about to get very handsy with an all-natural blonde bombshell, and not only was she into it, but it also doubled towards helping Kagedansu out of his bind. Not that Minato needed an excuse, but circumstance allowed him to do it now, without guilt, in preparation for battles to come.
"Weee!" Kusano was outside, watering the garden with Miya, the front of her dress peppered with moisture. Minato had to find a way to get her inside before she started making requests. Hope sprang eternal when, while steering Tsukiumi towards the bath, he saw Matsu, Kazehana, and Homura emerge from the changing room.
"Hey, could one of you play with Ku for a while out front?" he asked. "Us three are, um…"
"We are going to partake in spousal activities," Tsukiumi said, her veneer of purity asserting itself as she folded her arms. "'Tis in preparation for battle."
Matsu shook her head as she passed him. "We're leaving."
Minato stepped in front of Tsukiumi, trying to intercept the other two. "Where are you guys going?"
Homura pushed past him with his shoulder. "Away from you," he spat.
"...What?!"
Minato caught Kazehana's arm. Tsukiumi did the same with Homura. "What weed of madness hath grown in the washroom?!"
"Ask your Ashikabi," Homura snarled, pulling away. "He's the one who's gone crazy."
Aghast, Minato regarded Kazehana, who couldn't look him in the eye. "Is that what you think?"
Closing her eyes, Kazehana gently laid a hand on Minato's and… Actually, her fingers lingered over Minato's digits, as if she were hesitant to pull away, like she wanted to touch him more, not less. But, pull away she did, keeping her head low as she walked past him.
"It's for your own good, Minato," Kazehana said, before whispering, "and ours."
"Your-?" Minato still couldn't believe it. "Hey, wait!"
The rogue Sekirei hastened their exit, power-walking to the door and leaving Maison Izumo. Minato caught up just as Homura picked up Matsu and took flight, sailing over the fence with Kazehana not far behind.
"WAAAIT!" Minato shouted, his legs shaking as he ran out the front gate. "TALK TO ME! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"Learn to listen!" Homura called, nearly a block down the street already. "Then we'll talk!"
Minato felt reality spin. He was cognizant enough to slump against the fence, for if gravity had its way he would've collapsed on the sidewalk. His Sekirei… Had they left him-left him? Is that what he felt? He'd never had a girlfriend before Kazehana, so he lacked a measuring stick, but every show and movie he'd ever watched told him yes, he'd just been dumped. The sheer impossibility of it made his head hurt. He couldn't fathom it. These were women who'd kissed him, loved him, pledged to be with him forever. Even Homura, who Minato admittedly wasn't into, still seemed pretty dedicated to the whole "eternity or bust" idea.
Running his hands through his hair, the young Ashikabi, formerly of six but now… still of six, as soon as he figured out what the hell was going on.
The clip-clop of boots approached him. Tsukiumi skidded to a halt next to him, grabbed him, and hauled him to his feet. Minato's legs buckled and he fell against the fence again; all of Kagedansu's training did nothing.
"Be strong, my husband," Tsukiumi said, yanking him up a second time. "Thou canst not win the Game if thou concedest now."
"I-I know… It's just…"
A pair of hands clasped his cheeks, though from the gloves, they weren't Tsukiumi's. Time seemed to slow as Musubi, upside-down and halfway over the fence, pecked him on the lips before completing her somersault. Time resumed as she landed, the dangling ends of her sleeves flying out as she spun.
"We'll get them back, Minato," she said, clasping his hand against her chest. "You love us all so much: me, them, all of us, and they know you do."
Minato swallowed, his head still spinning. "That's not what I gathered…"
"Nay, Musubi speaketh true," Tsukiumi said, looking to where the rogue Sekirei had gone. "They are three who wish to be chased. 'Tis a test of reconciliation."
"Um, Big Brother?"
All three looked down to see Ku nervously holding her hands up, miming demand to be carried. She looked halfway to crying
"W-We need to go to the park," Ku said.
Tsukiumi frowned. "Of all places, why?"
Musubi leaned down and picked her up. "Why the park, Ku?"
The Green Girl pointed down the street. "That's where they're going. That's where everybody's going."
"Who's everybody, Ku? You mean us?"
Ku shook her head. "They're going to the park, but so is everyone. I don't know who else is going, but I got a really bad feeling in my chest and I just know that someone told them to go to the park."
Minato sharpened up at light-speed. The three adults all looked at each other, and they all had the same idea, the same horrible, dreadful idea.
Tsukiumi reached out and reeled Minato over to herself. "To the park, then."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
While leaping and bounding to the meeting location, Juusa had expected to run into one of several people.
The person she actually ran into was not on the list.
"What're you doing down here?" Juusa asked.
"I found what I need," Akitsu answered, the wind on the rooftop billowing through her outfit. Amazingly, the Ice Sekirei was wearing panties.
"I get that," Juusa said, leaning on her staff, "but aren't you supposed to meet us in the park?"
Akitsu frowned, a rather uncharacteristic change in expression for her. "What are you talking about?"
A ragged sigh ruffled Juusa's lips. Some things hadn't changed, it seemed. Taking out her phone, and impatiently waiting while it powered back on, Juusa flicked past the duo of messages Master had sent out, all of them commanding them to return to him, or at least tell him where everyone was. After which, she found the one Akitsu herself had sent not more than a few minutes ago.
"Remember this?" Juusa asked, showing Akitsu the screen.
Everyone,
Come to the place where the Green Girl was hiding, the place where Yomi was terminated. It's the one place you all know, and where he would not want to come. But, if he follows you, let him. This is about him as much as me.
Akitsu's eyes, normally fixed in their cold, chloric look, grew a little bigger. "I never wrote this."
"Could've fooled me, since it came from your phone."
"Juusa, I don't have my phone. It's still at Mas-... at Mikogami's house."
"But you came back and got it a few nights ago, didn't you?"
Akitsu shook her head. "Until today, I was too afraid to return at all, for fear of Ma- Mikogami's anger." She spread her arms. "Search my body. I don't have a phone."
Now, Juusa wasn't a brain-type, nor a math genius, nor even a talented writer (despite all the Sailor Moon and Gundam fanfiction on her laptop). But even she knew when things weren't adding up.
Juusa seized Akitsu's hand. "We need to find Master, right now."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Even on a crowded bus, the buzz of a phone could still compel its owner to flip it open. Good thing she did; the sender was someone she owed, big time.
It's me. I'm calling in that favor. Go to the willow grove in the park and stand by, outside it, out of sight.
Rolling her eyes, the owner texted back, What, now? Really? I'm kind of in a bad spot.
After a little while, another message appeared.
Don't give that. You owe me.
She thought about it for a moment, and while she was thinking, another message came.
You might have to do nothing, if nothing happens. Just be there.
Well, she supposed she could do that. Not like they couldn't take care of themselves, if things got hairy.
Pocketing her phone, she eyed the emergency roof hatch and grinned, reaching up and pulling the lever. The alarm sounded, but she didn't care; what good was the Sekirei Plan if you couldn't break a few other rules? Turning to her Sekirei, she slipped her arms around him and nuzzled his cheek.
"Guess we're done laying low," she said as the bus slowed down. "Let's go, Shiina."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kazehana and Homura touched down on the pale, white grass, silently deciding to stop here. Homura turned Matsu loose from his arms, her bare feet going chalk-white from grass stains. The weeping willows swayed in a gentle breeze, as if whispering a warning to nearby pedestrians. The people throughout the grove, as wide as Maison Izumo's entire plot of land, began to pick up their belongings and vacate, recognizing the airborne persons for what they were. Around them, the curtain of neon blue willow leaves kept them separate from the rest of the world. This would be the place, open yet private, where they would finally settle things.
"How long until he catches up?" Homura asked.
Matsu glanced at the midday violet sky while she silently did some math. "A few minutes, tops."
Kazehana whirled on her heel. "What was that?"
Where she looked, a handful of willow branches scissored past each other, as if someone had just walked through. No one was there, and the feeling of alarm quickly abated.
That is, until-
"You stay put!" Kazehana shouted, a wave of her hand sending the grinning black figure into the willows. He disappeared before he reached the curtain, though something passed through the leaves. "Wait your turn. We're... busy..."
A wave of nausea flowed from her chest to her stomach, making her light-headed. She'd never quite felt this way before.
Very well, then, came his fake voice, echoing all around. I shall do so.
Matsu, perhaps to show solidarity, leaned on her friend so their busts touched together. "Good call, keeping him at a distance. He can't hurt us from a distance. Keep an eye on the grass though: he might jump the trees and try to sneak up on you."
Kazehana nodded, and there the trio stood, waiting.
...oblivious to the fact that it was Minato who Kazehana attacked, having been flung through the trees when he approached them. Good thing Musubi was there to catch him; at the speed he'd moved, a tumble on the grass might've been fatal.
"Kazehana?!" he called, striding forward again. "Thanks, by the way, Musubi. Matsu? Homura?! You wanted me to listen, so I'm listening!"
The three Sekirei just stood there, a quiet comment from one of them the only sounds they made.
Musubi's hand fell on Minato's shoulder. "Let me try."
She stepped out from the willows. Homura attacked this time. When she got three meters in, the Fire Sekirei swept a hand that blasted the ground with fire. Had Musubi not jumped back in time, her shoes would've melted.
"Ow! Hot!" She lifted a leg and blew on her sock. "That wasn't nice."
You are me, whispered the voice, coming from the… tree trunk behind them.
You are all me, it said. So do as they say: wait. They're very busy, after all.
"Whatever you're doing," Ku whimpered, fearfully clinging to Minato's leg, "stop-, stop it!"
Mmmm… Eventually. For now, sit, relax. Wait for the rest to file in.
"The rest?" Tsukiumi said, her water blade drawn and flowing around her hand. Warily, she looked around beneath the canopy. "Who dost he expect?"
Soon, they got their answer. Another Sekirei arrived: one of the Lightning Twins, Hikari. She stood in the middle of the grove, anxiously and angrily rubbing her arm while walking in circles.
"I know that girl!" Musubi said. "But what's she doing here?"
Three more Sekirei arrived. One of them, Minato recognized: Chiyo, the bikini-clad scythe-wielder Musubi fought while they were after Hametsu. The other two he didn't recognize, but they were cut from the same cloth. One looked as malnourished as Chiyo. Her black bangs were as long as Chiyo's, though her crop of hair was longer and tied in a ponytail. Same black bikini, same pale skin, same elbow-length black gloves (though the right one had skulls on it), and her black pants had both legs to Chiyo's one. She looked like she had the world's biggest game of cat's cradle strung between her fingers; Minato reckoned it was her Sekirei weapon. An anxiety but eager smile twisted her lips, her sinister eyes roaming the trees, as if waiting for something.
The other Sekirei stood out in that she cut a much fuller figure, well-fed and well-rounded. Hers was a lovely olive complexion, once more bared under a black bikini top. Her black pants had vertical cuts along the inside, exposing more lovely skin, and her hair, while only neck-length, flowed down the sides of her head to leave her face exposed. Her eyes reminded Minato of Kazehana: they carried that hint of mischief he'd been missing from his first Sekirei. However, unlike Kazehana, this was a hostile mischief, uniform with the looks of her two companions.
They snickered something about "going on strike" and "how he's going to lose it," which Minato had no idea what to make of.
Soon after these three, a motorcycle came roaring into the park, its driver caring not for the "No Vehicles" sign as it barreled down the stroller path. Minato only saw it after it pulled up next to the willow circle, its leather-clad driver stepping off with-
"West?" Minato asked, recognizing his three child-like Sekirei.
"North," grunted Sanada, taking off his helmet and shaking his black ponytail loose. "What're you doin' here? Shijme, hold it!"
His hand snagged the sleeve of his white-haired youngest, before she could run towards the crowd of Sekirei.
"I followed my Sekirei here," Minato said, looking out into the group. "They're not acting like themselves. They said they wanted to… leave me. No, well, first they wanted to leave, then they wanted me to listen, now they said to stay away. One of them even attacked me when I tried to get close."
"Which one, kid?" said a new voice.
"Seo?!"
"You!" Sanada snarled.
Gritting his teeth, Seo slid his arm off of his other Sekirei, Hibiki, and approached the men, hands in his pockets. "You. Ee!"
Hibiki withdrew her finger. Small sparks of lightning still danced on the tips. "Focus, Seo. We're here for my sister."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey Minato, it wasn't Homura that attacked you, was it?"
Minato shook his head. "It was Kazehana. Homura attacked Musubi."
Seo was aghast. "You're shitting me. Kazehana?! She's practically your shirt, kid!"
"I know, right?!" He hoped Ku wouldn't ask about that last innuendo. "There's something wrong with them. Hametsu, he's put them under an illusion. Anyone who enters the clearing looks like him."
"Who cares what we look like," Sanada said, hoisting Shijimi up in his arms. "How do we snap 'em out of it?"
Shijime blossomed with happiness and wrapped her sleeves around his head, purring like a kitten.
"Kissing them should work," Minato said.
"Nay!"
The three looked to Tsukiumi, latched on to Minato's back with her arms around his waist. Meanwhile, Sanada's dark-skinned Sekirei, Kujika and Kuzuri, were chatting up Musubi and Kusano.
"Tsukiumi?" Minato asked. She looked pretty deadset on her objection.
That is, until she looked away, turning her cheek against his back and blushing slightly. "My apologies, husband. 'Twas… reflexive. Sour me it might, but thy solution is sound. Lighting the bonds of thy Sekirei should purge their taint, just as it did mine own."
Sanada paled a little. "All of them?"
His eyes glanced over to his black-clad Sekirei, idling in the clearing and seemingly oblivious to the foes around them.
He winced a little. "Hope they don't bite my tongue."
"So that's the name of the game, huh?" Seo asked. His arm pulled Hibiki against him, leaning his head against hers. "What're we waiting for?"
"Patience..."
Seo and Sanada's eyes widened. Kujika and Kuzumi ceased talking, on the alert and scanning their surroundings.
"Where is he?" Kujiki whispered.
"I don't know!" Musubi answered.
"Me neither!" wailed Kuzumi and Kusano.
"Patience..." echoed the voice again. "Indulge me this once, and in exchange, I shall reveal myself to you. Even so, we all stand to gain from this."
Minato's eyes narrowed, glaring up into the leafy canopy. "You can keep my gain, if you gimme back my Sekirei."
"And mine," Seo snarled.
"Mine, too, creep!" Sanada's fist clenched at his side.
Just as Minato was about to signal the charge, more shapes arrived from the sky. The three men and their girls quickly scanned the newcomers, Seo doing a headcount.
"Wait a sec…" His finger tapped the air as he noted them again. "Those are all Mikogami's Sekirei."
"The South?" Sanada asked.
"I wanna play!" Shijime shouted, leaning hard towards the gathering.
"Whoa!" Sanada nearly dropped her. "Hey, not yet, Shijime. We, uh, gotta figure out the rules, first."
Minato nudged Seo's unoccupied side with his elbow. "Hey, Seo, doesn't the South have more than those four?"
"Yeah, he does." Seo squinted. "Let's see if I got this… Nanami's the blonde with the tuning fork. Himeko's wearing the kimono." He glanced at Musubi, then returned to recounting. "Taki's the silver-haired girl. Racing Stripe on the end is Mitsuha. No, wait, that's not a whip… Mitsuki, that was her name. I always get them mixed up."
"I'm not telling you again!" shouted a loud but immature voice from the other side of the trees. "You three, get over here! RIGHT NOW!"
On the far side of the grove, a familiar swordsman, his orange scarf fluttering as he descended, landed at the treeline. Under Mutsu's arm, slung like a sack of rice, was the infamous South Ashikabi, Mikogami.
...who was pulled into the willows by his escort as a whip-like cable snapped at them.
"What the hell!" Mikogami cried, dusting himself down. "Juusa, stay in the treeline!"
Wondering who he was talking to, Minato soon found out. A staff-wielding Sekirei fell into the willows, her sleeveless kimono tangling slightly, followed by… Akitsu. Minato would've been hurt, if not for the insanity.
Mikogami didn't seem to care, as it took Mutsu's bear hug to stop him from marching into the clearing.
"Lemme go!" he demanded. "They're mine! They wouldn't hurt me."
"At laaast, the arena has reached capacity. Come out. Show yourselves, but do not approach."
Even Mikogami froze at that. Just how many pies did Hametsu have his fingers in?
Minato didn't have time to dwell on it, as he motioned for Sanada and Seo to spread out before entering the grove. He whispered to them, "Be ready. Figure out which one to kiss first."
The other two nodded, then shot glares at each other as they walked… one with slightly more difficulty.
"Nishiii," Shijime whined, "I wanna plaaay!"
"And you- Hey! Ngh, you will! Not quit squirming or no playtime at all!"
"Awww, that's not fair!"
Minato felt a tiny hand take his own. Kusano looked up at him, spots of light speckling her face from between the willow leaves.
"Am I a good girl, Big Brother?"
Minato smiled, a little less tense than before, and ruffled her blonde hair. "Of course you are, Ku. Of course you are."
"Am I?"
Minato turned to his other side, where his second Sekirei was beaming through her big, brown eyes.
Minato kissed her on the cheek. "Always, Musubi."
"Bah! Enough talk!"
Two heaving handfuls of Tsukiumi's melons slammed against his back, walking him forward. Tsukiumi matched his step, he assumed, as she parked her jaw on his shoulder.
"Courage," she said into his ear. "We four shall prevail. I'll not win the game through some cowardly phantom's trickery."
As they walked, Seo and Sanada emerged from the willows, about seven and fifteen meters away, respectively. Mikogami emerged directly across from Minato, the other end of an uneven half-hexagon.
Then, came the guitar notes.
Minato stopped cold. If… Wait, was it Kagedansu who left these songs? Because… If not...
"We must press on, husband," she said, 'pressing on' in her own way. Minato didn't complain, but didn't obey, either.
Turning his head, he kissed her on the cheek. "Don't you want to know?"
His cool level-headedness was a mask for his anxiety, gnawing at his gut and whispering that he'd been wrong, that this hadn't been Kagedansu warning him but Hametsu luring him, corrupting their common interest to serve his goals. Anxiety turned to regret: about his lax attitude, about not listening to his rogue Sekirei, about his cavalier attempt at "training" via half-naked mud wrestling with Tsukiumi and Musubi.
It turned to regret the instant he heard the first lyrics.
Welcommme to the shooow.
The Great Finale's finally here…