Prologue

-Divergences-

Despite having been raised with a roof above his head, and spending a part of his youth living in the luxurious property of the Main Branch, he never grew attached to the lifestyle offered by the walls and the roof of a manor, or even those of a simple house.

Given his personal history and that of his family, it was never a priority to make him connect with the sort of life of an average citizen, or at the very least to grow into the living conditions of those of his kind mingling with those citizens. Even his experience living alongside the Main Branch had been that of a guest by necessity, and it had not lasted but a handful of years before the recently ascended head of the family took over.

It had been this new head of the family, the second child and only daughter of the previous one, who had ordered his departure not just from the property, but from the city as a whole.

Discarded once his usefulness was deemed over and the risks involving his prolonged stay too high- just like the time he had become the last of his family, just like the time after the destruction of the Saiki, and just like the time after he had been sent to annihilate the Demon Hunters.

Many others would have refused in silence or even open rebellion, perhaps bargained their compliance to obtain some form of benefit or sought protection from a third party.

However, he was not like those people.

Frankly, there was no such thing like him in the current times, besides the current head of the Main Branch. Even if she kept on repressing that side of hers, and seeking to hide the truth by commanding the exile of the daily reminder of what she could become.

He did not mind. He would not condemn or resent her for such a decision, just as he did not resent his imprisonment like an animal under the Saiki, or the sort of house arrest during his stay with the Main Branch.

He had no interest in openly judging his extended family, though he could not deny a part of him was curious not just about the future of the one similar to him, but of the future of the person whose path he had helped carve.

"Hmph, in the end we may never cross paths again during what is left of our lifetimes, no matter how long they are to be."

With all of that said, the better question would be what lies ahead of his own future.

Under normal circumstances, he would have retired to a life of permanent isolation deep in the woods, unable to maintain proper contact with those of the modern world but also unable to bring harm to them. Guilt was not a heavy weight on his heart, nor was pity, but he found no joy or fulfilment in massacring those weaker than he was, nor did he seek to topple down the strong to prove his own might.

Perhaps his limited experiences were meaningful in their own way, perhaps it was an unexpected side of his own mixed nature, but he found himself wishing to avoid unnecessary carnage. Even if the orders extended to the whole of Misaki, there was no reason he could not find a place deep in the mountain woods going beyond the borders of the city.

A place to disappear quietly, even from the memories of his extended family as nothing more than a ghost or a rumor.

Fate, it seems, had other plans for him.

It had been an unexpected encounter on the road, just as he was preparing to make his way up to the mountains.

He had saved the life of a man who was about to find his grave under the cargo spilling from a truck, most likely the result of carelessness.

Despite not being cruel and having enough control of his nature to not seek mayhem at random, selflessness was not a virtue he lived for, nor was it mercy. After all, he had been responsible for the extermination of the majority of an old family of hunters, and the one member he spared he had done so on a whim.

Just like the man who spared him after almost killing him, a man he had personally slain years later alongside many of his clan.

And just like he had done with this simple man, a stranger who had no role to play in his own life as far as he knew. Yet, he still did it, most likely on another whim.

But what had been a strange show of kindness for himself, meant much more for the one benefiting from it.

The very grateful older man, who happened to be the truck driver, offered to invite him for a drink as thanks. When he had expressed his lack of interest in going into a public place, the man in question acted on a whim of his own and offered a drink of his.

"I can't be seen with this while driving, no matter if I never touch the bottle before arriving at my next destination, so you would be doing me a favor to help me empty it a couple of days before I take the road once more"

"…it would be simpler to just throw it away" –he replied evenly but without any bite in his voice. That got a laugh from the older man, who replied with mirth to his mysterious benefactor.

"Now THAT would be a crime. This is a gift from a very satisfied client and a very good quality product at that. Regardless of your reasons, I want you to share a glass or two with me as thanks for saving my butt and letting me go back to my family. I insist, boya."

Having no reason to make any further protest, he accepted the invitation.

And just like that, the two men sat close to the truck as they shared not just liquor, but stories.

Hideo, the truck driver, was very open about his life. He told him about his own teen years, about his job and family, and about what he thought about life in general.

While lacking any reason to seek a connection by sharing his own experiences, he had no reasons to not give some truths to the stranger who would most likely never see him again.

A stranger who managed to get him to socialize while none of the Tohno or their Servants ever succeeded.

He told Hideo about a boy who lived as a beast, feared by his own family until he snapped and became a self-made orphan.

About a boy caged as a beast, only to be released by a hunter who had marked him as his nemesis before killing all of his jailers.

About a teenager sent to help in destroying said hunter and all of his family, succeeding but finding no great reward except living amidst those who scorned or feared him.

About a young man sent away by an heiress interested in burying the hatchet and creating a safe haven to have the closest to a normal life with her soon to arrive brother, the sole person spared from the massacre he had helped in years ago.

Unaware of the details omitted in the narrative, Hideo the truck driver saw in his companion a young adult hardened by a though life, raised as a dog of hunt by a family with important nexus to the Yakuza in Misaki, which had eventually gotten into a feud with another clan and used their dog to remove the problem. A young man who never experienced a normal life or a normal family, who only knew violence.

And yet, Hideo had been saved by such a young man who had no business protecting others from harm, or accepting the offer from a stranger to have a heart-to-heart talk while partaking in a good bottle of his favorite drink.

"Tell you what, boya. Your case is extreme, but I have seen before youngsters with similar backgrounds, as much as I wish that was not the case. Maybe you are better disappearing from the world, maybe you are better for something else" –he stopped for a moment to see the empty glass and the empty bottle signaling the party was almost over. He then turned to look at his companion, who looked quite sober despite drinking the most between the two of them.

"Those who have made wrong decisions with their lives, and those who have been dealt a poor hand during their lives… even they can have a second or a third chance, if they are willing and lucky enough to find the opportunity. Take the drink and the advice for free, but consider what I'm about to tell you the actual thanks for saving my hide.

I am taking a day of rest to let this wonderful drink out of my system, and then I will leave Misaki for the capital. Whatever stupid name that bastard has the gall to put on it, Tokyo is still Tokyo to me, but I will not shy away from a good opportunity for a job. And neither should you. They are making some renovations for whatever is in the mind of that cuckoo from MBI, and they are looking for additional muscle without needing any complex experience. You have a strong body and you could do well with using all of that strength for something else than leaving more bodies for someone else to bury. They throw you away after what you have done on their orders, I say throw them away as well. I know some people in the capital, people who will value your gifts and can allow you to find a new path in life away from the mess that Misaki has become."

As Hideo spoke the younger man remained silent, listening to every word and mulling them over. Hideo looked glad he was being taken seriously, so he looked deep into the only eye present on the face of the young adult before finishing his talk.

"Live, boya. Whatever mistakes you made, whether your destiny is to return to a life of violence or to find a kinder path for your strength, take this opportunity to make your own path. I will be waiting for you at this same spot until five in the noon and, if you accept, I will give you a ride to the capital and introduce you to a friend of mine in charge of construction and another who can give you a place to start over."

With that final piece said, Hideo bid his benefactor goodbye while smiling.

When the young adult appeared in front of him the next day, an hour before the time limit, an even wider smiled appear on his face.

It took them about three days to go from Misaki to the capital, and the time together had been spent mostly getting to listen to the older man talking about many other things important and not. While he himself was not fond of spending a long time talking about anything, he was used to listening patiently.

The man who was his companion during those three days was not treating him as a dangerous beast nor as an "honored guest", concerned mostly about teaching the younger man at his side as many things as he could about the world outside of Misaki. Geniuly curious about all those things and happenings valued by those living outside of the world he was born into, he took in every piece of information offered by the worldlier of them two. He made his questions brief and to the point, he pondered about those he considered strange from his own experience and expressed his thoughts to his companion.

Hideo proved to be a very patient man, always trying to understand even while there were multiple times they diverged in their worldviews. Even when there was no point in a human trying to understand an inhuman existence, the older man still talked to him and sought to offer him a different perspective from the one he had been living by since his birth.

Even if their conversations had been done mostly by Hideo, he had talked and interacted more with a normal human being during those three days than he had done so in the rest of his 24 years of existence with anyone else.

It had been a very unique experience for him, and one he was surprised he did not mind.

But with the end of those three days, the journey toward the capital came to an end and so did such experience.

But as Hideo had promised, that was but the beginning.

He had been introduced to the friend in charge of one particular construction project, and after a small show of his physical abilities and a recommendation from Hideo himself, the exile from Misaki found himself an employed young adult in Shinto Teito.

The most surprising meeting was yet to come, however, as Hideo led him to the other friend he had in the capital.

A kind widow who lived in the northern area and who had been seeking new tenants for her inn.

Asama Miya had rarely experienced a genuine threat to herself or those under her protection, with the exception being the psycho who used to be her comrade during their time in the first iteration of the Disciplinary Squad. Even then, Miya knew she was superior to Karasuba in both skill and power, a fact that remained unchanged even nowadays.

Even if she had not seriously practiced with the blade for years, Karasuba would not get better by killing those vastly weaker than both of them.

Even if a fight between the two of them would probably end with a mutual killing, she knew that bastard Minaka preferred to use Karasuba as a deterrent to keep Miya from interfering. The best Miya could do for her feathers was to offer a safe haven to those she could reach, but even Minaka knew best than to tempt the worst case scenario that could ruin his game.

And so, even as she silently lamented and mourned her lack of reach to interfere, Asama Miya knew she and those under her wings were safe here in the north. It was the one thing she could be sure of all these years since the death of her beloved Takehito.

But today, such notion had been abruptly dismantled.

Standing at the side of Hideo-san, an old friend from the times when her husband still lived, was the reason for it.

Dressed in black pants and wearing a black sleeveless jacket which allowed the observer to gaze at the strong muscles in his arms. His curly long hair and the only eye uncovered by it were also black, giving a very uniform look with only his tanned skin as a contrast.

Such figure stood taller than the human and Sekirei present at the entrance of the house turned into an inn.

For there was no way she could consider this being a human like Hideo-san, even if she could not discern him as one of her own. Amidst her kin, only she was able to immediately discern them from the common folk on the streets, an ability that enabled her to immediately separate the imposing figure from the human standing at his side.

Just as her eyes had been on him, his solitary eye was focused exclusively on her. Even if he gave no open reaction to her presence, she could detect the small signs in his muscles and his posture that spoke of readiness for combat should the situation call for it.

She was probably the same.

But until she could find the right time to unravel who (what) he was, and what he was doing in her home, Miya had no choice but to keep playing the humble widow. If only to protect Hideo-san.

"Good afternoon, Hideo-san. What brings you and your companion to my humble abode?"-she started with a smile and closed eyes, letting no edge or tension in her voice as she spoke.

"Ah Miya-san, it's always nice to see you beautiful and radiant face after days on the road" –replied the ignorant man, having been fooled by her act. While it was unclear what was going inside the mind of the stranger, Miya continued the charade.

"Ara, such compliments are always welcome. But I always have to wonder if you are hitting on this poor widow despite being a married man, Hideo-san. Are you perhaps having troubles at home?"

Instead of being offended by her comment, Hideo-san let out a snort and then gave a reply of his own, even if his eyes changed a bit

"Miya-san, your beauty is without question and had I remained single to this day I would not have shied away from trying to lighten this house in a more permanent form. But my wife and I remain together for more than just beauty, and I know we have both been exposed to more examples than your own. Even then, is always nice to pay a visit to one bearing such a smile, no matter how much I wish it was as genuine as the one you had when Takehito-kun still lived."

Her play is almost stopped by that last comment, and Miya's mask almost cracks if a little. Hideo-san had always been a very perceptive person, despite remaining ignorant to many of the affairs hidden from normal eyes taking place around him. At the very least, she should be more straight forward in her approach, if only to acknowledge his genuine concern.

"I'm grateful for you concern Hideo-san, but I assure you I have things that make me smile nowadays thanks to the people I have with me, like you and the ones living in this inn"- this was accompanied with a genuine if smaller smile, which seemed to work to improve the atmosphere given his face –"But let's go back to business, shall we? I don't think you brought this young stranger just to chat about the past after your return"

"Ah yes, sorry for going on tangent" –the apology was quickly followed by his left arm tapping on the shoulder of the taller younger man, before he continued –"Miya-san, this boya here saved my life from a mishap with my cargo when I was about to leave Misaki, and I decided to pay him back by offering him a chance to start over. I already helped him with finding a job, but he needs a place to stay until he has enough money to decide what he wants to do next."

That such being came from outside of Shinto Teito was very unusual, though she supposed it was not impossible. Despite being the oldest and most experienced of her kin, Miya was not the most knowledgeable and even her life with Takehito and Matsu had only given her what was necessary to make a life for herself within this city.

She would need to press her former sister in arms, now turned into a pervert freeloader, to research into this issue with utmost urgency.

"…No wonder you befriended Takehito. You are always looking up for those younger than you, Hideo-san. You are like every teenager's secret uncle, or perhaps grandfather would be more accurate, right?-" –she teased him at the end, while keeping her eyes and ears open for changes in the behavior of the third gear in the entrance.

"Hey now, I may be a grandpa but I'm not that old! But back to my request, this young man has been dealt a bad deck by life yet he still found in himself the kindness to help a stranger, and even accepted my invitation to try for better in our city. Can you help me with this, Miya?"

Using her name without honorifics, that means he is all business and no jokes with his words. He means it when he says he wants her help to help this stranger by offering him a roof in her inn.

She was not sure of the strength he possessed, but Miya's instincts acknowledged him as a genuine threat to her life. What kind of help could she offer to this stranger and why would he seek it in the first place?

There were so many questions she could not find an answer to, and the challenge may prove to be too much even for someone like Matsu.

The easiest choice would be to reject the request. Make up some excuse to justify her decision, even something as simple as saying she was not looking for new tenants at the moment. Even earning a disappointed look from Hideo.-san could be better than risking exposing her tenants to a stranger with the potential to upset the delicate balance existing in Shinto Teito.

Her purple eyes looked into the solitary ebony eye focused on her, millions of questions passing through her mind that may not find an answer in the short term.

The reality was, it was better to keep him closer than lose sight of him somewhere in the city, especially if her decision led him into the hands of Minaka and MBI.

She didn't know him. She didn't know his past, his intentions or abilities, or even what kind of baggage he could bring with him in the future. But she could learn about it and perhaps do more than watch from the sidelines as the world changed for her and her feathers, if she took this chance.

Her choice made, she spoke for the first time to the character responsible for upsetting the balance in her life by merely standing inside her home.

"My name is Asama Miya, owner of this inn which was built with by my late husband to offer support to those who needed a place to be themselves, and to start anew. I do not take money from MBI, but I am willing to wait the first month before you get your first pay before pressing you for rent. There are other tenants you will meet sooner or later, and some key rules which I will tell you in a moment. But before all that, I would like to welcome you to the Izumo Inn.

May I know your name?

And for the first time since he had been invited within the walls of the Izumo Inn, the mysterious young adult from Misaki finally spoke.

"…Kishima. My name is Kishima Kouma."

Feathers in Vermillion

A Tsukihime/Melty Blood x Sekirei Crossover

So I finally got this out of my head. It's been there for years, just as long as I Can't Believe It's Not a Game. For all the impact he had in Tsukihime and Kagetsu Tohya, Kishima Kouma has always remained in the shadows when it comes to fanfiction. There are very few stories which include him in one way or another, and I have yet so see a single one where he has a leading role even as the vessel for a SI.

This is the guy who was established to be an equal for your average Servant, the monster of the Tohno who could only be surpassed by Akiha going full Vermillion and probably growing up a couple more years. A character who embodies a perfect mixed-blood but does not accommodate for the popular tropes like edgy, nice guy, blood-knight or evil bastard. A demon who has beliefs tied to budhism, a killer who is neither empty nor fulfilled with his path and who chose isolation without being raised into mercy or compassion.

There is so much potential with someone like Kishima Kouma beyond his amazing abilities, and yet he remains just as unknown in fanfiction as he was for most characters in Tsukihime.

And so, as a way to clear my mind for my pending obligations and for the update you are all waiting for my more popular project, I give you this.

As usual, I do not have ownership of the characters from Tsukihime and its many different iterations, Sekirei or those belonging to any other show I reference here and in the chapters to come. I recommend going for the original source material whenever you can, especially to get more familiar with characters like Kouma and to give support for the people whose work allows me to write this.

Have a good week, everyone.

See ya!