Chapter Six: The More Things Change...
The cold evening air seeped into Seo Kaoru's small, traditional, Japanese townhouse as he slid open the window to peek outside into the still snowing city of Shinto Teito.
Seo was a fairly tall man, lean-built man with brown hair and a gruff, wild look to him. He wore his usual outfit as always, a white undershirt with a pair of jeans, and a dog tag hanging around his neck.
He sighed. "Still snowing, and way too damn cold. If the site wasn't already closed, I'd skip work."
Didn't matter really, with the weather the way it was, the construction site he was working at had to temporarily close down. He had to rely on freelance gigs now for cash. Shouldn't be too hard considering all the snowfall, a lot of people would pay good money for someone to clean up all that snow in front of the houses, or at least something like that. He'd figure things out, he usually did. He was able to keep a roof over his head for over sixteen years for a reason after all.
His Sekirei, Hikari, and Hibiki were working at the maid cafe downtown. It had a Christmas theme going on, they were probably wearing sexy Santa outfits…
...Now the motivation to go outside came back.
A true man never misses out of the joys that sexy Santa outfits give!
Then again… he had shit to do anyway.
Like, check up on Miya after the light show she pulled three days ago!
Seo closed the window and collapsed onto his futon.
He sighed again. "Dammit, Miya. What the hell were you thinking?"
Seo had known Miya for years, she was his best friend's wife after all.
After Takehito died…
He almost didn't want to think about it.
...About when she would tear the inn to pieces in despair driven rages.
...About when she used to stare at the shrine of Takehito he constructed for her with silent tears in her eyes, one step away from fully bawling her heart out.
...About when she realized that she had gotten used to Takehito no longer being in her life, and how empty her voice sounded, how lifeless her eyes had been.
Miya and Takehito were practically made for each other, and was the real tragedy of it all. Even though he wasn't an Ashikabi, those two completed each other in a way winging just… didn't. It was beautiful.
He had done what he could for her, he owed Takehito that much.
He taught her how to cook, helped her out with paying bills for the inn, taxes, and even that secret room he made for Matsu a few years back.
Seo had done the best he could for her, and that was to be there for her. And while she'd always give him shit for his lazy attitude, there was no mistaking that they were close friends.
...Which made how he felt about her getting winged rather complicated.
On one hand, good for her, she finally moved on and found love again. She deserved to be happy after all these years.
On the other, holy fuck Miya Asama joined the god damned Sekirei game, they were all screwed.
Seo got up from his bed, slipped on his boots, and put on his jacket.
All this talk about Miya and Takehito made him want to visit his best friend's grave again. He hadn't checked on it in a while. The sad part about it was that when he died, they weren't even given the body to bury.
...Just another reason on the long list of shit he hated Hiroto Minaka for, but it was the one that hit them the hardest.
After that, he could go visit Miya and see what poor sap she unwittingly dragged into this mess… maybe mooch a free meal too.
Just as his hand was about to slide open the front door, there was a knock.
Seo blinked. "Who the hell…?"
He wasn't expecting anyone to come over, and anything he ordered online was delayed for a day or two… he knew he should've gotten Prime.
With furrowed brows, he slid open the door.
"Yo, can I help yo-"
Pow!
All he saw was the image of a fist rapidly approaching his face before he realized that he was looking at the ceiling.
...Then the pain came.
"Ugh! Fuck!" His hands shot up to his face in an attempt to soothe the agony he was experiencing. Good news, his nose wasn't broken, but it was bleeding.
He heard footsteps approach him, they sounded deliberate, and menacing.
Seo was about to see who had the balls to deck him in the face out of nowhere, and by God, this fucker was going to pay!
The one responsible for his predicament had finally come into view.
Gray hair, gray-blue eyes, soft but handsome features…
Seo froze, what the fuck? Like seriously, what the actual fuck?
The face before him was Takehito Asama, his best friend who died years ago.
"Merry Christmas, you filthy animal. Heard you were taking advantage of my wife's generosity while I was gone..." Takehito said, smiling all too sweetly.
Well, that explains the punch…
Okay, seriously, what the fuck!?
Pain was forgotten, all he could do was stare.
This… was impossible. He was dead. Like… dead. D-E-A-D dead! You don't just walk away from that like nothing happened!
Was this a dream? It had to be, Takehito couldn't throw a punch for shit.
"You're not dreaming you, deadbeat motherfucker," Takehito said blandly. "Do I need to punch you again?"
Oh, he said that out loud.
Seo scoffed. "Oh really? Let's do a little test to see if you're really Takehito and not some dumb clone or some moron in disguise."
Takehito blinked. "Are we really doing this?"
Seo stared at his long thought dead friend above him, his nose still bleeding. "Yes."
"Christ, fine!" Takehito threw his hands in the air.
"Favorite movie?"
"John Carpenter's The Thing."
"Favorite video game?"
"Resident Evil 2."
"Favorite Band?"
"Queen."
"Favorite food?"
"Pizza."
"Toppings?"
"Ham, bacon… and pineapple."
"You monster!"
"You deadbeat mother fucker!"
"What happened on your thirteenth birthday."
"No one can prove I did it!"
"What's the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything?"
"Forty-Two."
Seo's eyes widened. "My god, it is you Research Idiot!"
"Don't make me punch you again!"
[-]
BGM: Ib OST - Blind Alley
The two friends sat in the living room, two mugs of hot chocolate between them.
Seo's nose was stuffed with tissues to stem the bleeding, as he stared across the table at Takehito who stared back.
The former researcher wasn't in his usual tracksuit and sweatpants like he usually was. Instead, he wore a dark-green pullover hoodie and blue jeans Not much of an upgrade, but it was a nice change of pace.
"Okay, I'll just ask it..." Seo declared, his voice a little nasally. "How and why?"
Takehito smiled wryly. "I have no clue about both of those. I was in a coma, woke up in the termination chamber at the deepest level of the MBI tower. I was in one of those caskets they made to store terminated Sekirei. No one was there, nothing in the room indicated something was used on me to wake me up… I just did."
Seo scratched his head. "Wow… that explains fuck all."
Takehito shrugged. "I don't know what you expected. Minaka-kun was the one doing check-ups on me while I was fucked up worse than our freshman year of college."
The longtime friend's expression turned serious. "Did… did he go mad scientist on you while you were in a coma!?"
Takehito shook his head. "Honestly, him going Dr. Frankenstein on me would've been preferable. All he did were standard medical check-ups ranging from blood tests to MRI, and CT scans."
Seo looked at him in disbelief. "You're shitting me."
"Nope, he's been trying to get me out of that coma for years."
"My God, he actually has something resembling a heart." Seo took a sip from his mug. "Go figure..."
Takehito raised his own mug to take a drink. Seo's hand shot up and stopped his hand just before it reached his lips.
"Hold on, I forgot how much you hated hot foods and drinks, I'll get you some ice cubes for it," Seo said as he let go of Takehito's arm.
The former researcher raised an amused eyebrow. "Just watch this."
Without warning or hesitation, Takehito brought the mug to his mouth and gulped down its blisteringly hot contents in seconds.
Seo stared, his jaw slightly agape. "Bro, what in the Nine Hells?"
He set the mug down with a satisfied sigh. "Apparently, my mouth is made of fucking kevlar now."
"I noticed! Wished you had that back when we were kids. I still remember the intervention me, Takami, and Minaka had to give you to get off your ice cream only diet!"
"Come on, I wasn't that bad."
"This coming from that guy who would bitch and moan about anything above lukewarm. Dude, I get that you can eat literal garbage and not gain a pound, but there are limits!"
Takehito looked a little embarrassed. "Okay, maybe I was that bad."
Seo smiled and shook his head, but then his expression grew apprehensive. "So… I take it you already know?"
"Know what?"
"That Miya was winged."
Takehito gave him a smug look. "Who do you think winged her?"
Seo stared. "No..."
Takehito kept his smug look. "Yeah..."
"No..."
"Yeah..."
"How?"
"I have no clue? Might have something to do with the fact that I'm a human-shaped eldritch abomination now."
The lout blinked. "...You're what now?"
"Yes, before you is no mere man. I am the ageless organism housed inside the meat suit you call Takehito Asama, because my real name is unpronounceable by the human tongue."
"...What?"
"I mean, it does explain how I got married to Miya despite not being an Ashikabi at the time."
"Are you..."
"I guess you could say my game was..."
"Don't you dare..."
"Out of this world."
"You motherfucker!" Seo groaned. "You haven't changed at all..."
Takehito cackled sadistically. "Suffer, you little shit!"
Seo rolled his eyes taking a sip of his drink. He stared at Takehito's eyes, noticing that they were far colder than he'd ever seen them, and he'd seen Takehito when he had hit his lowest, but this was far worse... like it was a step or two from being dead. Saying that he hadn't changed at all was completely wrong.
Sure, his personality was unchanged… for the most part. His puns had gotten worse.
But the way he carried himself…
His movements carried unnatural grace and fluidity. His eyes scanned everywhere as if he was paranoid.
...And that punch?
Seo had known Takehito since they were eight, both random kids in an orphanage that grew inseparable. So, if anyone knew that Takehito was shit when it came to fights or any kind of hand to hand combat, it was Seo.
Takehito changed quite a bit in the near seventeen years he'd been gone.
"So, you just woke up in the termination chamber and waltzed out?" Seo asked.
Takehito took a sip from his own mug, only to realize it was empty, and set it down awkwardly. "Not exactly. I woke up, thin as a twig, did some sneaking, and knocked out a guard with one punch to the head..."
Seo blinked. "...You what?"
"After stealing his clothes, having an existential crisis about being in a coma for almost seventeen years… and my reflection started talking to me..."
"Your reflection did what?"
"I got the hell out of there, and some dumbass tried to mug me, I broke his wrist and went on my way..."
"You broke someone's wrist." Seo was extremely skeptical.
Takehito shrugged. "With one hand."
"Hooooooow?" The man stressed.
"I squeezed, and then it snapped." He said nonchalantly.
Seo could tell he wasn't lying, but still. "You just fucking squeezed his arm, and broke his wrist."
"Yep."
Seo got up from his seat. "Give me a second, I'll be right back."
As he walked out the living room, he ran over the things he was told.
Knocked out a guard? Broke a man's wrist by just squeezing? And all after being in a coma for nearly seventeen years!? Seo wasn't a crazy scientist like Hiroto or his friend, but even he knew the effects of a coma on the human body, and one as long as the one Research Idiot went through...
Takehito wasn't one for lying, he was a pretty honest guy, all things considered. But this was just too absurd for anyone that wasn't a Sekirei.
He entered a small room down the hall, he kept his tools and various things there. Sometimes he just threw things in there when he didn't have a place to put them. It was absolute chaos in there, but it was organized chaos, he knew where everything was at a glance.
He wasn't even in there for ten seconds before he was out, holding a metal rod in his hand.
"What's that?" Takehito asked as Seo came back into the living room.
The man held it out. "Bend it."
The researcher raised an eyebrow before taking the metal rod in his hands… and doing exactly as Seo had told him to.
The lazy man's eyes widened as the rod bent easily in Takehito's hands. Like it wasn't even metal, it looked more like he was bending something that came out of a Spaghetti Play-Doh mold than actual metal.
Seo paled. "Fucking hell, man. You punched me when you had strength like that!?"
Takehito snorted as he placed the metal rob, now bent into the shape of a pretzel. "Please, I only gave you a light jab."
"Yeah, a light jab that could've killed a normal man!" He yelled.
"The enhancements I gave to your body when I was awake made you durable enough to take lighting bolts to the face, you're fine."
It was true, Takehito did mess with his body biologically, but Seo asked for it. He got the ability to cancel a Sekirei's powers with just his touch… and incredible durability.
"Yeah, and what does that say when the guy who can take lighting bolts no problem starts bleeding from a single punch?"
Takehito shrugged. "Eh, that's fair. Sorry for nearly decapitating you with a love tap."
Seo hung his head. "Ugh."
The lout's brows furrowed as a question formed in his mind Takehito never said when…
"Hey, how long has it been since you woke up?" He asked.
"Hmmm, four, five days tops."
Seo's jaw dropped. "Five days… tops?"
"Yes."
"And you said you were a twig when you woke up."
"Seo, you could see my ribs and spine poking out. I was more like a skeleton with skin stretched over it than a normal human being."
He stared at his friend with wide eyes. "Fuck..."
"After eating a whole lot of food, I got some sleep, and woke up completely fine, as if I didn't look like the undead just hours prior." Takehito took off his hoodie and shirt, showing his new, muscular body. "Hell, I looked better than how I used to."
Seo nearly did a spit take.
He himself was a pretty muscular guy, mostly from all the physical labor he did over the years, but Takehito? He was built like a fighter, like he was ready to step into the ring and beat Muhammad Ali using Mike Tyson as a bludgeoning instrument.
His frame was still on the thin side, he wasn't some Schwarzenegger clone. Lean, athletic, functional, and built to take and dish out damage.
"I'll say! You're buffer than me! Christ, I don't know what kind of workout routine you did, but I swear to God, if you start ending every fight you get in with one punch..."
There was an awkward silence for nearly a minute.
"Was… that a reference to something?" Takehito asked unsurely.
Seo sighed. "I've finally realized that I was talking to someone who just left 2003."
"Yeah… it's going to take some getting used to." Takehito's expression changed, almost like he was back in high school and heard the most absurd rumor. "Speaking of things to get used to, did you know that Miya can cook now?"
Seo smirked. "Of course, I taught her."
The researcher blinked. "Shit… really?"
He nodded. "Yeah, after… you're untimely departure, I was helping out Miya." Seo frowned remembering darker days. "She took your death hard, Takehito."
There was a slight pause before Takehito spoke. "...How bad was it?"
BGM: Silent Hill 3 OST - Never Forgive Me, Never Forget Me
Seo sighed. "It's one thing to know that a Sekirei will die if their Ashikabi dies… it's a completely different thing to know why. The despair-driven rages where she'd tear up the inn was… I wouldn't say it was an easy thing to deal with, but I'd take it over how she was when she finally realized she was used to you not being there anymore."
The lazy man searched for the right words before he spoke, his face shifting through various versions of pity and depression. The memories alone made his heartache in ways he never thought was possible… at least not until that fateful day.
Seo glanced at his long-time friend. He was leaned back in his chair, his head facing the ceiling, one arm hanging limply from his side while the other ran through his now long locks of hair.
"I remember it far more vividly than I should." He started. "It… it was a few months after I made her a shrine of you, it was to help her cope. It was night, I came back from a job, I wanted to check on how Miya was doing. From the outside of the inn, it already looked like all hell broke loose. The front door was torn off, a few walls were obliterated, windows shattered..."
He rubbed his stubble. "The inside was arguably worse. The tatami was ruined, pieces of the damn mats were still in the air. The walls were undoubtedly fucked, torn to shreds. I found her in her room, everything looked like it had been put through a blender, the only thing that was untouched was the shrine. She was curled up in front of it, rocking back and forth like she was on the edge of insanity, tears streaming down her face."
Seo's hot chocolate had cooled down enough to actually take gulps, and so he did, finishing off his beverage, wishing he was drinking something strong. He knew he should've stocked up on beer…
"...When she looked at me, I thought I was looking at a corpse for a second. When she spoke, she sounded like Miya… but it was so empty, I hardly knew it was talking to the same person. It was then that I realized just why Sekirei terminate when their Ashikabi die." Seo let out a shaky breath, shivering from the memories of those corpse-like eyes. "It's because the sheer anguish and heartbreak it causes them is enough to drive to insanity."
Takehito bit his lip, but gave no other response.
Seo gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Some real Romeo and Juliet shit, right? The lovers die together. But what happens when Juliet is an alien being whose very life revolves around love? What happens when she can't make that very connection that completes them with the person they love? What happens when she still loves them with everything she has despite that? ...What happens when her Romeo leaves her all alone, and she can't follow?"
A few tears left Takehito's eyes. "I really fucked up didn't I?"
Seo sighed, he refused to sugarcoat this matter. "I'd say it's up there with forced wingings in the cruelest things you can do to a Sekirei. Things… things a least got better once Matsu and Uzume showed up years back with a stolen Jinki."
"God… dammit..." The former MBI researcher rubbed his face with his hands, wiping away some of the tears. "It was one choice, you know?"
"How you… died?" Seo inquired.
"Yeah, a Jinki went out of control, Minaka-kun called me in..." He paused. "I reversed the pulse so it only took out me instead of everyone else."
"...I see."
"Looking back on it, knowing what I do now, knowing what's become of me..." He looked back on his decision that fateful day. "...I made a mistake doing what I did."
"You can't change the past, but at least you're back now..."
"Five..."
Seo blinked. "Five?"
"At most, there were five Sekirei in the building, counting Karasuba. As far as I knew, Takami and Minaka-kun were the only ones with Ashikabi potential still there." Takehito explained. "The casualties would've been seven at minimum… the Sekirei Plan would've ended then and there, Miya wouldn't have to suffer, and I'd still be human, all I had to do was... nothing."
The lazy man stayed silent. Takehito was right…
Wait a minute, what did he mean by…
"What do you mean by 'I'd still be human'?" Seo questioned.
"Remember that eldritch abomination joke I made earlier, I wasn't exactly kidding." He looked his friend right in the eyes. "I have eyes in my brain."
Seo stared at Takehito incredulously. "...Yeah, two of them, they're called your eyes. I'm looking at them."
Takehito sighed. "No, dumbass, I have sixteen god damned eyes in my fucking brain."
"Oh god, you're serious..."
"It gets worse."
"It gets worse!?"
"Remember how I said Minaka-kun was doing medical exams on me, blood tests included?"
"...Yeah."
"Turns out my bone marrow has been producing mercury, and my blood is now a mutagenic substance that mimics blood."
Seo blinked, this was getting ridiculous. "Mutagenic?"
"Mr. Dumb, pale, and with ever shining glasses tested out my blood on some lab rats. Turns out my blood has healing properties, but ended up turning one of them into a giant, mutated version of itself that killed a guard and the other one had to blast thirty bullets into the thing before it died."
"You're starting to push my suspension of disbelief here, Research Idiot."
"My suspension of disbelief was shattered when I woke up and was greeted with the world's worst migraine followed by images and voices of what I can only describe as the unholy union of Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft!"
"...Wow."
"Maybe throw a dash of Edgar Allan Poe in there too."
"For fuck's sake!"
"I don't even know what else is wrong with my body, Takami and the whitest guy we know… who isn't even white, did one last exam on me the day after I woke up."
Seo gave him a look. "Are you telling me that you willingly went back to that asshole, Minaka?"
Takehito sighed. "Sort of had to. My mind went full Silent Hill on me, and I had a breakdown right in front of everyone. Minaka-kun had been examining me for years, he knew the situation better than I did."
Shit… he was having full-on hallucinations. Those brain eyes though…
"How bad are the eyes in your head?" Seo asked.
"To put it bluntly, we shouldn't even be talking right now." He received a very disturbing answer.
He paused. "...Elaborate."
"Well, the one in my brainstem should've killed me, or, at the very least, leave me braindead."
That was a lot worse than he thought. "God damn…"
"That fact that we're having a coherent conversation is a miracle in it of itself," Takehito stated. "The hallucinations haven't been too bad since I woke up. Craziest thing that's happened was that I played poker with three versions of myself all looking like they went through a slasher movie or two."
"Ugh, poker, I could never read your face when we played that back in the day."
"Really, that's what you got out of what I just said?"
"Yes, edgy narcissistic hallucinations mean nothing over my salt."
"But… your salt's right there..." He said pointing at a salt shaker at the center of the table.
Seo paused, like really paused. "I need to catch you up on modern lingo. What about your crazy-ass blood?"
"Minaka axed that particular project the moment it started killing people."
"...Holy shit, he did something sensible!?"
"He's crazy, not stupid."
"That's debatable."
"The Sekirei are predictable, he knew how to control them to a degree, my blood was something he couldn't make heads or tails out of. 'Better the devil you know' as they say."
"Fair enough."
"Anyway, after the last exam, I was given all the files he had on me over the years to try and see if I could make any sense out of it."
"...And?"
"I don't have the slightest clue. For all I know Cthulhu did it."
"That's dumb."
"Quite."
A comfortable silence took over the living room of Seo's household.
The lazy man was washed over with a sense of nostalgia. How long had it been? Since he just talked with a friend… Hell, Seo and Takehito were basically brothers in all but blood.
"You've changed." His best friend said.
"Huh?" Seo let out a confused sound.
"You look older, but that's not all. You've got… uh, a different air about you. You're still a lazy asshole, but you seem a good bit more reliable now." Takehito said with a somber smile.
Seo snorted. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I meant it as one, you're going to have to work for another one."
"Heh, wouldn't have it any other way."
Takehito was silent for a few seconds, letting out a long sigh before he spoke. "Honestly, everything's changed..."
Seo crossed his arms. "I'd figure, it's been years after all."
"When I finally got to Miya after waking up, it was like not even a second of time had passed, she hadn't aged a day. It… It was one thing to see the date on a phone, but when I saw Uzume and Homura… I had to accept it." His fingers tapped against the table. "They grew up, and I wasn't there for them. A lot of Sekirei grew up, and I wasn't there for them. Matsu hadn't aged a day too, just like Miya, I bet I could say the same about Kazehana, but everyone grew up in a way, became more mature."
"Ha! Matsu, mature?" Seo laughed. "I could say the same about Kazehana, the woman could out drink an entire bar and then some."
Takehito smirked. "Heh, I knew Minaka-kun rejecting her hit her pretty hard, never thought she'd end up in drunkard route."
"Honestly, it's been so long that it's hard to remember her as anything else. Still hot as hell though..."
"Heh, don't doubt it." He sighed. "Miya... the last time I saw her, she was a mess at most things other than combat. Now..."
"..She's an army of scary housewives rolled into one?"
"Yeah, that."
"...And a sadist with that mask trick you taught her?"
"Yeah, that."
"...And a prude?"
Takehito deadpanned. "Do you have any idea how thin the walls are at the inn?"
Seo paused, he had done a lot of work on the inn for years, he knew just how thin those walls were. "...Ah shit, never thought about it that way. You could have a conversation with someone three rooms away and they'd still hear you. If she allowed sex, then no one would be getting any sleep."
"Yeah, things were a lot easier when it was just the two of us there..."
"Would you change it how it is now?"
"Fuck no, I bought that inn expecting chaos, and like hell the world's holding out on me!"
"So…?"
"It..." Takehito let out a depressed sigh. "It just hurts knowing, and seeing how the world just moved on without me."
Seo nodded. "Mmm, I see. But, you're here now, and you got all the time in the world to fix it. I better see Miya with a smile on her face at all times, got it."
He smiled. "Heh, but of course."
Seo got out of his chair. "And while you're here, I could use a hand. I gotta do a beer run, and I need a pack mule for the job, and just so happens that my best friend came back from the dead with super strength."
Takehito sighed, getting up. "Ugh, this is the one time I do this for you."
Seo grinned. "And I'll milk it for everything I can! I was planning to head over to Izumo Inn today, might as well get everyone drunk while I'm at it!"
"Of course..." Takehito headed to the front door.
Seo paused. "You're still shirtless, you know!"
The researcher walked back into the living room, slightly red in the face. "My bad."
Seo laughed as Takehito fumbled with his shirt and hoodie. Though a question did pop up in his head…
"So, does Miya know you're here?"
Takehito froze. "Uhhhhh..."
"Pffft! You are so fucked!" Seo doubled over in laughter. "She's gonna put you under house arrest, man!"
"Shut up!"
[-]
BGM: Silent Hill OST - Eternal Rest
"..And after he came back, with Seo and the most amount of alcohol I've ever seen in tow, she then put him on house arrest," Homura said, smiling under his mask, the black coat he was wearing flowing in the winter wind.
The Guardian Sekirei stood on top of a tall building in downtown Shinto Teito overlooking the city, the heavy snowfall that had taken over the city finally showed some signs of letting up.
A melodious giggle came from his left. "Oh my, it certainly sounds like Izumo Inn has gotten more lively since I last visited."
She gave off an aura of confidence, elegance, and a hint of danger.
She was an absolutely gorgeous woman with long blonde hair that flowed in the wind as her blue, gem-like eyes observed the city below. The beauty wore a white, frilled shirt that strained against her large breasts. With a large, black waistcoat with a few buttons undone, which accentuated her generous curves, and a long, black coat. She wore leather hotpants, black knee-high stilettos, thigh-high stockings, with lacy black garters visible.
Her choice of clothing led Homura to believe she wanted a sexy modern take on Victorian fashion. And in the pyrokinetic Sekirei's humble opinion, she worked it damn well.
"Well, only since Seo showed up to get an earful from Miya, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions otherwise..." Homura sighed. "What about you, Tsuikumi?"
She crossed her arms, her pink lips curving into a frown. "Dull, though the lasting Christmas atmosphere is nice."
Made sense, she was a woman known for her combat skills, and while protecting the new batches of Sekirei released from MBI periodically had its action-filled moments, they were child's play for a woman of her caliber.
After all, Tsukiumi was someone who went head to head with the Black Sekirei regularly for years. Those usually ended in a draw… still, she could fight Karasuba of all people to a draw! And it typically ended with both of them in medical with heavy injuries.
Though it was comforting that someone with such skill and power had his back in this line of work.
Right now she was staying at an expensive hotel, making full use of her MBI card. Homura never used his, he hated Hiroto with a passion, like hell he'd use anything that bastard provided.
"Those Lighting Twins have the spirit, but they don't have the skill or creativity to bring out the most of their abilities." Tsukiumi crossed her arms, pushing up her large breasts. "It's like they've never even heard of a railgun before..."
Homura paused, then shivered. "Don't even joke about that, those two using their powers as an improv railgun… I doubt anyone able to stop them at that point."
"There also several ways they could use their powers aside from throwing electricity at every which way." The Water Sekirei sighed. "Then again, most Sekirei with elemental prowess throw around their abilities with little to no finesse."
Homura shrugged. "Well, not all elements can be as flexible as water."
Tsukiumi raised her hand, and the many snowflakes around her turned into water, which reformed above her hand as a basketball-sized ball of water.
"While true, my element does give me quite a few options, that's not an excuse for missing the obvious, that includes you too, dear." She chastised.
Homura chuckled. "Fire doesn't really lend itself to creativity."
Tsukiumi shook her head. "Nonsense, you command fire, and what state of matter is fire?"
Homura blinked. "Uhhhhhh..."
"It's plasma, dear." She explained, giving the clueless Sekirei an amused smile. "Condense your flame as much as you can, and you have a weaponized plasma cutter. And that's only something I just thought of, the point I'm getting at here is that there's more than one way to skin a cat. You can burn things, but you can burn them in different ways."
Homura stared at his hands before giving Tsukiumi a look. "Huh, I never figured you to be the scientist type."
"Oh please, dear." Tsukiumi smirked. "I'm not the scientist type. But you'd be surprised what an hour of Google searching, some creative thinking, and living with an actual scientist can do for you."
Homura then realized he had basically everything she listed. "...Go figure."
"Just keep an open mind, and you have more options than you think you do."
"Heh, understood. I'll have to do some research when I get back..."
She raised a knowing eyebrow. "...And bug the good doctor?"
Homura nodded. "And bug the good doctor." The Sekirei Guardian stretched his arms as he approached the edge of the building. "So, same as route as always, right?"
Tsukiumi nodded. "Of course."
With that, Homura jumped to a lower building, making his way through the city from rooftop to rooftop.
The Water Sekirei's eyes turned cold once Homura left the building, she frowned slightly. She turned her head to the full moon in the sky, the sight of it bringing many unpleasant memories to the forefront of her mind.
"I suppose that's why I haven't been dreaming lately..." She said to herself. "You actually woke up. The old man's mercy wasn't just flowery words, and thus forgotten everything, haven't you… Good Hunter?"
She smiled, it was a bittersweet expression.
"...Or should I call you my Ashikabi?"
[-]
Takehito sighed as he stared at the moon, the lunar celestial body brought out such complicated feelings in the man. He couldn't really make heads or tails of it, but…
He at least found the sight of it somewhat comforting.
The researcher sat on the open entrance to the yard, but thanks to how soft the snowfall was tonight, there wasn't really a risk of making a mess, but there was one of him getting sick. Well, if he could even get sick due to his mutations.
And that's how Miya found her husband after Seo and his two Sekirei, Hikari and Hibiki… as well as Uzume and Matsu, passed out drunk in the living room.
...Staring at the moon as if it was a puzzle to be solved.
"You'll catch a cold like that, Takehito." Miya said as she sat down next to him.
"Probably, but for some reason I kind of like the cold." Takehito let out a long breath, watching as it turned white. "Almost feels nostalgic."
The lavender-haired woman put her hand over her husband's, feeling only a mild chill, which brought some relief to her worried mind.
She smiled at the feeling of his hand in her own. "Is that so?"
He himself smiled, turning to her. "Yeah, I can't really explain it, but I haven't been good at explaining a lot of things lately."
Miya scooted closer to Takehito, hugging his arm, and resting her head on his shoulder.
She closed her eyes as she relished in the feeling of his warmth and the bond they shared. She could feel the sheer amount of love he held for her, it was intoxicating, like a step or two away from being a drug.
...Her husband was her love drug.
She giggled at the thought.
"Hmmm?" Takehito gave her a questioning look.
"Oh nothing, I just thought of something funny." She intertwined her fingers with his, giving a blissful sigh as she did.
For the first time in years, everything just felt… right.
...Guilt.
She felt guilt in his emotions.
She opened her eyes and looked at his face. His head was hung low, a downcast expression on his face as he stared at the snowy yard.
She held his arm a bit tighter. "What's wrong, Takehito?"
His head snapped up, as if he didn't notice what he was doing… as if he was lost in thought.
"N-Nothing! Uh, um, nothing..." He wouldn't look her in the eyes. "I'm… I'm fine."
Miya frowned, he couldn't make it more obvious he was lying even if he had a neon sign saying "Liar" in big bright letters.
"Tell me." She commanded simply.
Takehito blinked. "I-I'm fine... really."
He still wouldn't look her in the eyes.
She poked him in the side. "Tell. Me."
He sighed. "Miya..."
"Tell me!"
"...Fine." Her husband relented. "Just… not now. I'd rather not have every three seconds since I woke up be one depressing episode after another."
"Hmph!" It may not have been the answer she wanted, but she would at least get it soon enough.
...Though it had been a long time since she acted so childish. It may have been a little embarrassing, but she still knew how to push her darling husband's buttons.
BGM: To The Moon OST - Everything's Alright
Maybe, just maybe… she could indulge just a bit more.
She gave Takehito a teasing smile. "The moon's really pretty tonight, isn't it?"
"Huh? Well, I guess it is..."
"Takehito," She pointed at the moon, at a particular spot. "look, over there. On the moon… there's something near the rabbit ears?"
It took him a few seconds, but he let out a soft gasp when he finally noticed it.
The floating island, Kouten, its wings looking like a ribbon on the ears of the rabbit silhouette of the moon. She had done this before, when he was with her all those years ago, moving the floating island she had control of, the look on his face whenever she did it never got old.
...Though this time was different. There wasn't some exasperated expression of shock.
He stared at it, eyes slightly wider than usual, lips parted.
She could feel him go through so many different emotions so quickly, various shades of shock and surprise, a heavy sensation of nostalgia, guilt once again, but he finally settled on joy.
The start of a strangled smile turned into full-blown laughter. Tears streamed down his face as he grabbed his sides.
Suddenly, he brought Miya into a hug, kissing her, her wings unfurling from the act. She could feel the love pouring into her through their bond, it really was an addicting sensation.
He pulled back, giving her a loving smile.
She was rather surprised by his sudden affectionate gesture. "T-Takehito...?"
Takehito said nothing, only holding her one again, her head resting against his chest as he leaned back on the doorframe, both husband and wife bathed in the winter moonlight.
She could hear the sound of his heartbeat, it was soothing.
He ran his hand through her lovely lavender hair.
"Don't worry, everything's alright..."
Chapter End.