I'm going to dash everyone's hopes right now.
No, Takehito is not getting his memories back soon, that's going to take a while. I'm trying to explore a new type of character I haven't written before, an educated scientist... a mad scientist technically. If I just give him his memories back... then what? What's left of his character is there to explore? What mystery is left for him? Not much really, even worse since he wouldn't earn it back if he just hit his head and get everything back, if he someone just explains everything to him, ect, you get it.
Now, enjoy your good story with an MC that isn't a wet noodle.
Chapter Five: In The Blood Too
By the time Takehito had gotten up, it was around 7 p.m.
The drowsiness of sleep left him nearly the moment he noticed it. He was alert and wide awake in seconds. The thing was that it took him forever to get out of bed, Miya would always have to drag him out, or else he'd never get anything done.
He sighed. "Another new and odd thing about myself to ponder."
Takehito frowned as he spotted the binder next to the futon he was sleeping in.
He shook his head, everyone was probably eating dinner right now or something.
Getting up from his spot on the futon, he picked up the binder and left the room he and his wife shared.
"Time to see if the lout had made good on his promise." He mumbled as he made his way upstairs.
Takehito had "asked" Seo to construct a secret room for Matsu since he knew she'd steal one of the Jinkis. The two had planned it beforehand to try and drive a wrench in Hiroto's whole plan.
...Not that it did much to stop Hiroto's plan.
He sweatdropped as soon as he saw the Matsu-sized hole in the fake wall to his right. "Yeah… gettin' Seo to fix this."
He flipped the fake wall and walked in. "Knock, knock, hey Matsu."
It was dark, only illuminated by the many computer monitors that littered the room. Hot too, no airflow.
Goddammit, the lout cut corners… again… as usual.
"A-Ah!" Matsu yelped, though she relaxed once she saw who it was. "Takehito! Don't scare Matsu like that!"
"Sorry, sorry," he apologized, he raised the binder. "I come bearing gifts."
Matsu's eyes lit up. "The research!"
Takehito smiled wryly. "Yeah, after a… uh… riveting conversation, I decided to look through it with you instead of by myself."
Matsu gave an equally wry smile. "That's good to hear."
She took the binder in her hands, staring into his eyes, smiling as she did so. "Matsu is glad to hear you trust her with this."
The mood, from Takehito's perspective, turned a little awkward as Matsu kept staring intently at him.
"Ground Control to Matsu…?" Takehito quipped in an attempt to get her back to her senses.
"H-Huh?" Matsu blinked, then blushed as she realized she was staring. "A-Ah, Matsu apologizes!"
She raced to her chair and began flipping through the binder in a panicked frenzy.
Takehito raised an eyebrow at the confusing way she reacted, but gave a smile at her amusing antics.
Reacted…
Reaction…
It only now dawned on Takehito that, yes, he was, in fact, an Ashikabi. That Miya reacted to him, that he winged her when no other potential Ashikabi could even get the slightest spark out of her.
Was Matsu…?
"Oh...oh no..." Matsu distressed, snapping Takehito out of his thoughts, those were questions for later.
"What happened, Matsu?" As Takehito leaned over her shoulder, she shut the binder before he could see anything. "M-Matsu!?"
Mutsu's chair turned around, and stared at Takehito with wide disbelieving eyes. She took his hands in hers as she got up.
"Takehito, you should sit down for this, we… we need to take this slow." She said as soothingly as she could.
He gave her a confused look, but did as he was told, and took her place in her chair. She spun the chair until Takehito was facing the binder on her desk.
Takehito felt a looming sense of dread.
Brain-type Sekirei were not only well-documented for their ability to telepathically interact with electronics, but also their ability to process information to a superhuman degree. They could read large textbooks in minutes, and grand epics spanning several large novels in under an hour.
...Matsu wasn't even a quarter of the way in before she shut the binder. What in the world did she see that made her believe he should take it slow?
Takehito reached out with his hand, but before he could touch the binder, Matsu's hand grabbed his.
He didn't say anything, and neither did she. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, any irritation he held vanishing as she saw the concerned and conflicted look on her face.
"Matsu… it doesn't matter if this is Pandora's Box or the god damned Necronomicon itself. Matsu..." He looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm opening this, and I'm finding out what's wrong with me."
BGM: Silent Hill OST - Fear Of The Dark
Matsu stared at him for a few more seconds before she hesitantly let go of his hand.
Takehito flipped open the binder, to the very first entry of notes.
April 23, 2003
My name is Hiroto Minaka, bringer of The Age of Gods. But, as of right now, I am merely a man trying to fix what I have unwittingly wrought onto a cherished friend. The Jinki had gone out of control, and my friend, Takehito Asama, sacrificed his life to save mine, my ex-wife's, Sekireis number 105 through 108, and any other Sekirei that was currently undergoing adjustments. This memoir will be kept, in order to look back on past attempts to wake up my best friend, and to remind myself of what I have done… So that he may never be forgotten.
Takehito stared at the first entry, reading it over a few more times…
He never knew he meant that much to Hiroto.
He continued, 2003 through early 2005 was pretty standard. Nothing really happened, just a few examinations with no changes. Hiroto did list a few theories about the Jinki's effects on a non-Ashikabi human, and even speculated that letting one go out of control and reversing the energy field generated might be a possible solution. Luckily, he deemed that idea far too dangerous as he didn't want to murder the population of the city before the S-Plan kicked into motion.
Mid 2005 is where things get interesting…
Takehito skimmed over the notes about the first "tumor".
"He said it was sudden, like one day it wasn't there the next it randomly showed up..." He mumbled, flipping through a few more pages. "Even took pictures..."
The gray-haired researcher paused as he saw the CT scan that showed the eye in his brain, dead center in her frontal lobe. After that was an actual picture of the eye during the brain surgery Hiroto was performing on him when he was under the assumption it was a tumor. A single eye with a blood-red iris buried in gray matter - his gray matter - staring directly at the camera taking a picture of it.
Takehito stared at the picture of the eye for a minute straight before flipping the pages all the way to the end for the final CT scan.
He paled. "Holy shit, I should be dead..."
Matsu looked surprised. "H-Huh?"
Takehito handed her the scan, her eyes widened.
"Oh..."
"The majority of them are in the forebrain, but there's one in the midbrain, two in the hindbrain, and even one in the damned spinal cord!" He exclaimed. "That last one should kill me, or at the least leave me braindead!"
Matsu let out a shaky breath as she looked over the scan. "One in the brain stem, one in the Cerebellum, one in the Thalamus... the Hypothalamus and Posterior Pituitary are abnormally large. In the Cerebrum, there's one in the Corpus Callosum, right in between both hemispheres. One in the Basal Ganglia, four in the Frontal Lobe, two in the Parietal Lobe, two in the Occipital Lobe, and three in the Temporal Lobe..."
Takehito did the math in his head. "Sixteen eyes..."
He looked at the date the scan was taken.
A few months before he woke up, which means there could've been further developments.
"B-But, you've exhibited perfect mental health!" Takehito raised an eyebrow at Matsu's assessment. "...Aside from your case of schizophrenia. But I'd say it's too soon to diagnose you without proper observation."
It was true… the hallucinations seemed to be its own isolated thing. Mental functions weren't impacted, in fact, it seemed like everything was boosted in a way. The new instincts, the faster reflexes… Takehito even noticed that he wasn't so much as skimming through the pages as he was reading them in its entirety in mere moments and not really noticing it until now.
...Who knew what else these new eyes brought with them? But it was clear not everything was beneficial.
Takehito sighed. "...What the actual hell. Alright, let's check the blood tests."
He took out the lastest results of the test and handed it to Matsu as he read over Hiroto's memoir about it.
His mouth was slightly agape in disbelief as finished.
BGM: Nebula - Myuu
October 24, 2019
I, as a man of science, can no longer call my friend Takehito Asama a human being. I struggle to refer to him as a creature of this world. Nay, this dimension, the Sekirei would be considered more human than him by pure genetic standpoint. The human cell contains 23 chromosomes, Takehito's cells… varies. The smallest amount being 3 and the largest ones numbering in the thousands. His blood can no longer be called blood, more like his body is a crock-pot for an unknown genetic substance that mimics blood.
While this substance that has replaced Takehito's blood has shown healing properties in animal testing, its mutagenic side effects leave the substance far too dangerous for further testing. One guard died being mauled to death by a giant mutated rat. As redundant as stating this may seem, strength, and even speed increased tremendously for the creature the rat became, as well as durability considering it took over 30 bullets from the Glock 19 the other, breathing and alive, guard was armed with.
Such an uncontrollable and unpredictable substance cannot be used in good conscience for the betterment of mankind. As I have deemed the dangers too great for further testing, I will only continue with its observation under a microscope.
As ashamed as I am to admit this, I must…
I find myself struggling to continue calling the thing in that casket, my friend, Takehito Asama. As amazing as the Jinkis are, the changes he has undergone are far beyond its abilities to affect the Sekirei and humanity. His blood is a mutagenic substance that can heal the sick, but turns them into monsters as consequence. There are a total of, as of now, 16 eyes in his brain, yet brain activity has improved instead of diminishing or stopping.
...With each passing examination, I struggle to continue in my attempts to rouse him from his coma. I cannot be certain that what awakens will be Takehito Asama. As such, I feel it would be in better service to cease these attempts and let my friend rest. But, at the same time, this guilt will never absolve itself until he awakes, it is my duty to my fellow man of science, and my best friend, that I continue with my attempts at treatment. It matters not if I am opening The Gates of Tartarus upon the world, or even if it shall bring about my doom.
...I am sorry, my friend, but I must wake you.
The memoir slipped from Takehito's fingers as he stared at the place it once was.
"I… just… what the fuck…?"He just sat there in shock.
Matsu started at Takehito with a disbelieving expression once she was done reading the blood test report.
"...M-Matsu needs to see that for a second." She said as she took the discarded memoir. "Okay..."
The information was processed nearly instantly, it was only one page after all, and she was a brain-type Sekirei, but she kept reading it over and over again for at least thirty seconds…
With shaky hands she put the pages down on the desk.
Matsu had already thought things were very bad when she was only a quarter of the way through the files. This… this far worse than she could've predicted.
Despite all biological facts about humans, Takehito was alive. He was alive even though his brain should be irreparably damaged. The liquid that flowed through his veins wasn't technically blood…
Matsu flipped through the files to earlier entries, she stopped at a particular one in 2017… one that documented the fact that they found traces of mercury in his blood. Fortunately, he exhibited no symptoms of mercury poisoning, but after a few months, Hiroto came to the conclusion that Takehito's bone marrow was producing mercury as well as blood.
...Wonderful.
The redhead stared at Takehito in his shell shocked state. Though Sekirei only share a true bond with their Ashikabi after a kiss, just reacting to them can give a faint link…
As muddled as it was, she could feel the disbelief, the panic, the dread… she could feel the existential crisis he was going through.
Matsu hugged him, causing her reaction to flare up once again, but she bit her lip and endured the intense heat in her body. Her Ashikabi was going through some shit, finding out that he was a walking corpse whose blood turned things into monsters… getting her wings could wait.
BGM: Blazblue: Continuum Shift OST - re:strung
Takehito said nothing as the side of his head was pressed into Matsu's bountiful breasts, he didn't so much as twitch, still staring at his own shaking hands.
"I… what am I…?" He asked, but did not expect any answer.
Matsu held him tighter, a concerned expression on her face. "Shhhh… It'll be alright."
"But… It's… I-I'm not..." Takehito could barely form coherent words.
She ran her hand through his long hair as he began to start shaking and hyperventilating.
"It's okay," Matsu said soothingly. "It doesn't matter what you are, Matsu doesn't care… Miya won't care. You're Takehito Asama, as long as you're that, you'll be alright."
"H-Huh…?" He was starting to pay attention now.
"Repeat after Matsu..." She combed her hand through his hair again. "I am Takehito Asama."
"I… I-I'm T-Takeh-hito As...Asama…?" He stuttered.
Matsu hummed encouragingly. "Again."
"I'm… I'm T-Takehit… Takehito Asama..."
"Again."
"I-I'm Takehito… A-Asama." His breathing started to calm down.
Matsu smiled softly. "One more time."
"I'm… Takehito Asama." His heartbeat slowed down.
She nuzzled into the top of his head. "Just one more time."
"...I'm Takehito Asama." His tense muscles relaxed.
She took in his scent, finding herself enjoying it immensely. "One more time… for Matsu."
He took a deep breath, fully calm. "I'm Takehito Asama."
Nothing was said after that…
If Matsu had her way, she'd keep him here forever. Everything could wait… the intense heat of her reaction towards him… her very own wings… the Sekirei Plan… the world.
...Just everything.
Everything could wait as long as she could hold him like this.
...But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Matsu wouldn't do that to him, or to Miya. He was good to her, he'd always been.
Always…
Oh so reluctantly, she removed her arms from him, her heart beating in her chest like nothing she'd ever felt. The heat in her body made it feel like she might actually be on fire, but she would endure.
Takehito took another deep breath. "Thank you, Matsu, I needed that."
Matsu felt a good chunk of her iron will, that she never knew she had, crumble. Why did he have to look at her with those grateful eyes of his…?
She could stare into those gray-blues of his and get lost for eternity.
"N-No problem, Takehito." She was glad the blue lights of her computer monitors somewhat masked the redness of her face.
He ran a hand through his hair, sighing as he did so. "I… I'm sorry for losing my composure like that."
"It's fine, don't worry," Matsu comforted. "But are you alright? Do you want to keep going, or should we stop for the night?"
Takehito looked at the open binder with apprehension, but steeled his face. "I can keep going."
Matsu knew he wasn't ready for anymore, putting on a brave face wasn't an actual display of bravery, and she could faintly feel his emotions. He was far from ready, he needed to get away from this for a few days at the least…
...But part of her iron will did not include refusing her, soon to be, Ashikabi's requests. Though, she at least should have someone else here with him in case he has another episode.
That someone being Miya, of course.
"Come on, let's get Miya, she can help us with this." Matsu proposed. Honestly, even if he didn't accept, she'd drag Miya here kicking and screaming if she had to. She was not letting him go through this by himself.
Takehito didn't respond immediately, she could see various expression flow on his face. She could feel the emotions clearly enough…
Apprehension, fear, dread, self-loathing, shame, apathy…
He bit his lip and took a deep breath, and exhaled.
...Acceptance.
"Okay, let's get Miya..." He said.
Matsu gently grabbed his hands, barely not flinching as her reaction flared up again. She ran her fingers over the top of his hands. They felt nice and cool, maybe even cool enough to calm her body down…
No! She had to get a grip! He didn't need to be burdened with more shit on his plate right now, adding onto it wouldn't help in the slightest.
He helped him out of the chair, he was a bit unsteady on his feet after his episode.
They only made it a few steps before his unsteadiness became their undoing.
...Takehito tripped over one of the many messy wires Matsu had sprawled about her room.
"Eep!" And she went down with him.
Matsu landed on Takehito, but he hit his head on the floor, rather hard too.
"Huh… that didn't hurt." He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head in confusion.
His face was close. So close…
And just like that, the last of Matsu's will broke.
Her hands held the sides of his face as she closed in.
BGM: Blazblue: Continuum Shift OST - Pinky Promise
Takehito blinked. "M-Matsu what are you-!?"
Her lips were smooth, sweet… hazelnut and vanilla; they met his, a little rough, but soft, and with hints of black tea…
"Wisdom of my pledge..."
From her back, her crest formed, and pale gold light flooded the room.
It was a mere instant, but Takehito saw it all oh so clearly.
The light as it flooded the dark room…
The fragments of pure energy that came from her back, swirling around almost like a tornado…
For both Matsu and Takehito, it felt like something snapped into place, and at the same time, her wings fully emerged.
A dozen floating pinions bound by an invisible, ethereal frame.
Pale gold light shone ever brightly as Matsu's wings fully formed.
The feeling of getting her wings went beyond simple bliss, beyond Nirvana. As if everything in the world had just left her, like it all held no meaning except this and nothing else. Matsu would never be able to put the feeling of this to words.
...The feeling of being complete.
"...Bestow the teachings of the world, to my Ashikabi!"
Matsu's kiss never extended past lip contact; it was pure, very unlike how the usually perverted Sekirei was…
...Takehito's eyes widened as he realized what just happened.
...He winged Matsu.
He. Winged. Matsu.
...Fuck!
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Panic crashed through his mind like a raging tsunami.
What did he do now!? How did he fix this!? How could he do this to Miya!?
Matsu finally pulled away and smiled nervously at the panicked look in his eyes, not to mention clearly feeling his emotions now.
She felt him go through all Five Stages of Grief, looping through it a total of three times before settling on a mix of Denial, Depression, and Bargaining.
"Take-kun, it's alright, Miya said it was okay." Matsu explained.
Just like that everything stopped. His emotions, his panicked expression, just… everything.
Matsu wasn't sure if she should've been impressed or disturbed.
"...What?" He spoke as if he'd heard the most profound thing in his life.
"...Ehehehe." Matsu could only giggle nervously at his disbelieving stare.
A voice came from the hole in Matsu's revolving secret door. "She's telling the truth."
BGM: Blazblue: Calamity Trigger OST - Hollow
They turned to see the smiling face of Miya staring back at them, her brown eyes carrying hints of amusement… as well as annoyance.
Takehito blinked. "How long have you..."
"A while." His wife said simply as she pushed open the revolving door and walked in.
Sitting down, she adjusted Takehito's head so that it was resting in her lap. She smiled down at him as she began playing with his hair. Takehito couldn't look her in the eyes, both her and Matsu felt shame rolling off their Ashkabi in waves.
"So, you already know that..."
...That I'm not human.
Miya leaned down and kissed her husband, the man she forsaken her wings for. The same wings that bloomed into existence behind her, shining lavender radiance into the room. The very same wings he gave her after doing the impossible and coming back home… to her.
...To Takehito, it was like looking at the most beautiful star he'd ever seen.
He felt her emotions pour into him. Her devotion, admiration, and love. It was intense, overwhelming even.
Miya pulled back, and giggled at his dazed expression. "...I don't care what you are. You're my husband, my Ashikabi," she leaned down and kissed him again. "...my Takehito. Nothing will ever change that."
He nodded dumbly, smiling as he stared back into her lovely brown eyes.
Matsu marveled at how quickly Miya was able to calm Takehito down, it was like she was walking anesthetic for him.
Though Matsu did feel she was being left out, she was also his Sekirei after all.
She leaned forward and playfully nipped his neck.
"M-Matsu!?" He squeaked.
Oh, now wasn't that a cute reaction?
The redhead gave a sly smile. "That's rude you know, ignoring Matsu like that."
"Uhhh… s-sorry?" He apologized unsurely. "I'm… still trying to get a hold of myself."
She began playing with his collar. "Hmmm, you can make it up to me by letting my 'experiment' on you~"
Miya grabbed her hand. "No."
"What? Why!? Don't tell me you turned back into a prude again!" Matsu pouted.
Miya's eyebrow twitched at being called a prude. "No, I'm just not sure if it's safe to put him through such activities so soon after he came back."
Takehito raised an eyebrow. "Uh, I knocked out a guard and snapped a guy's wrist when I was a twig."
The lavender-haired woman sighed. "Honey, please."
"Now that I think about it, we should probably wait a few more days to see if I gain any more muscle mass, as well as a few strength tests." Takehito said. "I wouldn't want to break anything by accident… or anyone."
Matsu smiled perversely. "Oh, but Take-kun, you can break Matsu anytime~"
Takehito stared at Matsu after her blatant sexual advances.
He needed a cold shower after that one.
Miya chopped the Wisdom Sekirei over the head. "Matsu no! Bad Matsu."
Matsu retained her perverted smile. "Awww, but come on, you'll be joining in too~"
Okay, he needed a cold shower after that one.
Miya paused, a blush slowly started crawling up her face. She coughed into her hand, her face still red, and gave Matsu a bland look.
"Does the window need a hole too, Matsu?" She threatened.
"No! No! Matsu will be good!" The redhead panicked, waving her arms around.
"Wonderful, now," Miya turned back to her husband. "You need to get away from that," she pointed at the binder. "and come downstairs, and have dinner, and a bath."
"Ummm..." Takehito looked between the two otherworldly beauties and the binder.
"Come on, Matsu promises cuddles." His newly winged Sekirei offered, kissing him on the cheek as she did.
Hmmm, dinner, a bath, and cuddles… or more existentially traumatizing secrets with a dash of body horror.
"I'll take your offer." He said, getting a smile from both his Sekirei. "That thing can wait a few days. Hell, it can wait a week."
Miya and Matsu helped him up to his feet and they left the secret room of Izumu Inn.
Takehito did his best to ignore the sensation of his brain eyes seemingly nodding sagely at his decision.
Chapter End