And here we go.
read, review, enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei; if I did, the situation with certain characters would've turned out very differently and we'd have more than two seasons of the anime. It belongs solely to Sakurako Gokurakuin.
Uzume blinked at the voice of the newcomer, both she and the thugs whirling around to see a young man standing awkwardly in at the mouth of the alleyway.
"The hell? Buzz off kid, we're busy!" Yuji sneered.
"So I can see," the kid remarked dryly, and shot her a brief look.
In that moment, as their eyes met, Uzume felt something – it was brief, but it sent a shudder through her that wasn't entirely the thugs' doing.
But before she could ponder on it, Kei stalked away from Uzume and his friend, growling, "Eh…? Got something you wanna say, punk?"
Uzume kept her eyes firmly on Yuji as he was too close to her, but she was silently pleading for the young man to go about his way. This wasn't anything she couldn't handle after all – she'd just get scolded later by Miya, at the worst. She was a Sekirei after all.
But rather than turn tail and beat it like a normal person - perhaps call the authorities - the guy scratched his head and sighed.
"Yeah, actually. Isn't too bright out to be doing this?"
Uzume blinked.
Yuji and Kei blinked.
The strange kid just cocked his head to the side, "What?"
"…the fuck are you on about?" Kei muttered, eyeing the kid warily.
"Well, I mean I get it's the city and all, but don't you think you should be doing this at night? Isn't that when all you guys like to come out? Less chance of getting caught, you know?"
Despite the situation, it took all she had not to slap her head in disbelief.
'Is this guy for real...?'
"Oh come on, it's not that hard to consider. Anyone with half a brain could see how that might be a better option than doing it in broad daylight, where all it takes is a squad car – or worse, an MBI patrol, rolling by to see this. You mean to tell me you guys didn't think this through? And you call yourselves thugs? For shame."
It was lunacy – sheer, undeniable lunacy that this nobody was standing here trying to educate muggers on how to actually mug. Of course, she didn't miss how he was insulting them…and unfortunately, neither did her captors.
If the situation wasn't quite so serious, she might've laughed.
"You calling us dumb, asswipe!? You got ten seconds to make like a whore's legs and split before you end up with the rest of the garbage," Kei snarled at him, whipping out a switchblade.
Uzume's innate Sekirei sense for danger clicked in there and she all but glared at the young man to take a hike before someone ended up dead – hopefully not him.
But, either he was an idiot or just didn't care – or both because the next words that came from him changed everything.
"Well, you guys are what you eat I guess."
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Kei rushed forward in a mad blitz, going for a stab at the boy.
Uzume's eyes widened, "NO RUN-!"
The words died her throat as she saw not only the knife miss the kid, but him knock the knife out of mugger's hand.
…what?
"That was a bit rash," the boy remarked, before blocking a punch from the older man. "So was that."
"You're fucking dead, kid. Should've minded your own damn business," Kei snarled at him, glaring bloody murder at him as he went in for another round.
"Now what makes you think I'd let two-bit crooks like yourselves have your way with an innocent woman if I could stop it? I'm no saint, but I'm not heartless either."
Uzume felt her heart lurch strangely at those words but kept her focus Yuji since he still had the taser. Sekirei or not, if he touched her with that thing it would effectively disable her. She'd need him distracted before she could make a move…
Kei lashed out again clumsily, but the young man just seemed to dance out of the way of his blows. The thug's arm went wide, and he paid the price for it with a kick to his back, sending him careening into the side of a dumpster.
The loud CLANG as his head bounced off the side of it brought a nasty smirk to her lips.
"Kei! Ok you little shit, you asked for it!" Yuji, lunging toward the young man who faced him with a stern gaze.
Now free, she made to race after him but for some reason she stopped. Why?
The reason, she found, was quite simple. She had to see how this would end. Call it curiosity but…
'I know he's not normal,' she thought as she forced herself to stay in place. 'And…'
The way her heart was pumping right now had nothing at all to do with adrenaline.
"Come here you little shit!" Yuji made to stab at the young man, hoping to render him into a pile of jelly with his little device. None of his hits struck however, missing by miles as his target again danced out of the way of his strikes. "Damn it! Hold still!"
"And get shocked within an inch of my life? No thanks, but I appreciate the effort!"
"GRRR DIE YOU LITTLE PRICK...!"
Her heart leapt up to her throat as she saw Yuji's taser barreling towards her rescuer's face, but then something happened that only she saw.
In an instant, the look in his eyes shifted – something colder, something harder replaced it and it showed in his next actions. Were she not a Sekirei she would've missed just how fast the kid lanced his elbow into Yuji's windpipe, effectively stunning the man and robbing him of his breath-
-and his weapon, which was quickly turned on him. With around 50,000 volts coursing through his body, Yuji howled in agony as he fell to the ground, jittering and jostling like a leaf.
The look in the young man's eyes as he gazed down upon them though was anything but sympathetic and in some ways, it reminded Uzume of another of her kind – one who cared not for the lives of others and only lived for the slaughter…
Then, the moment passed, and he blinked. His eyes – lavender, she noted idly – regained some light to them but the cold fury was still present.
"Fucking…little…shit," Kei growled, coming to. Scrambling to his feet, he raced over to his "friend" and dragged him to his feet, "Whatever kinda martial arts horse shit you just pulled off ain't going to-"
The sound of sirens filled the air, cutting off whatever Kei had been about to rant.
"See this?"
Uzume's and the thugs' eyes were drawn to the phone the young man held up, glaring at them – at the thugs, not her.
"Way I hear it, you've got less than a minute before those sirens get here, and things get a little dicier for you guys. Want my advice? Beat it."
Uzume head whirled toward her rescuer, stunned when she found him just next to her. When did he get so close? How couldn't she sense him until now? Was she that out of it?
And what's more he wasn't paying any attention to her – only the thugs, who were glaring at him with unbridled hate in their eyes.
They would kill him if she didn't do something.
And somehow that thought...enraged her even more than the notion of them violating her.
'Like hell they will,' she thought viciously as she made her way behind the young man, releasing a bit of her aura just enough so the lowlifes could feel it.
The effect was immediate.
"S-SHIT...! SHITSHIT! Come on Yuji, we're out of here! …COME ON YOU FATASS GET UP!"
"Can't…work…legs," Yuji groaned, struggling to stay on his feet as his friend hoisted him up.
With their tails between their legs, the duo beat a hasty retreat as the sirens got closer and closer. Uzume watched them go with a glare until they were out of sight even for her, idly noting the sirens as they got closer and closer…
…and raced by them without showing signs of stopping.
Blinking, she turned to look out down the street in complete bewilderment. "W-what…?"
Glancing back toward where her savior stood, he lowered his phone and slipped it into his pocket, giving a sigh.
"They bought it..." he muttered it just loud enough for himself, but her evolved hearing picked up all of it.
Uzume blinked, the reality dawning on her suddenly.
'It was…a bluff?'
That was the only way she could explain it. But what she couldn't begin explaining was how this seemingly weak human had managed to not only stand his ground against two older and stronger humans – and win.
Shaking her head quickly, she refocused her attention on the here and now.
'One mystery at a time, Uzume. First thing's first...'
"Well I... I guess I owe you some thanks," she said nervously, rubbing the back of her neck as she approached him. "You got me out of a tight spot. What's your-?"
"Hold that thought," the kid cut her off tersely and immediately darted over to the dumpster… where he spewed his guts out.
'Uh…what?'
Stumbling back while keeping a hold on the rim of the dumpster, the young man started to tremble, "That…was freaking terrifying! I can't believe I did that… What the hell did I do that for?"
Ranting and raving about what he just did, Uzume was left at a bit of a loss right now. But she also knew that just standing there quietly wouldn't help anybody - least of all him.
"Um…"
"I mean, this isn't some anime. How the hell did that work?"
"Excuse me-"
"And those guys! They had weapons! All I had was a dead phone! What if they had g-!"
"HEY!"
The kid let out a yelp and dove backwards, right into the dumpster which elicited a yelp of pain from him. His eyes clouded over for a moment but soon settled down as he finally seemed to register that she was standing behind him. "Oh…oh it's you… You're not…hurt are you?"
Uzume stared.
Wonders never ceased apparently. Instead of being more worried about himself – which had had been, initially – he turned his worries to her instead.
'What a strange kid.'
"You're asking me that? I'm not the one who just took on two armed thugs by himself!"
"Yeah that's something huh… Oh God, I think I'm going to hurl again…" His face seemed to balloon for a sec but somehow, he kept it down, "Nope, nope I'm good… But now I'm even hungrier than before. Crap."
Uzume just stared, blinking a few times before her own cheeks ballooned up.
"Pfff…haha…hahahaha!"
Tears burned in her eyes but she paid them no heed, trying her best not to bust a gut from the sheer absurdity of it all.
"IS MY MISERY A JOKE TO YOU WOMAN?!" the kid yelled at her, but that only made her laugh harder.
"I'm…I'm sorry it's just… I haven't laughed like that in ages. I'm not making fun of what you did – especially that."
"Could've fooled me," he grumbled, folding his arms like a petulant child.
Uzume giggled again, but managed to keep it under control this time.
Truly, her rescuer was quite the interesting person.
"Thanks for the save, really. I was in a pretty bad spot until you showed up. I owe you one," she tried again and gave him a bow that left him flustered.
"Yeah well… You're welcome, now stop bowing to me – it's weird," he said, eyeing her awkwardly.
"Only if you tell me your name."
"That's it? It's Tamotsu – Uemoto Tamotsu. Tamo is just fine though."
Tamotsu… Tamo-chan was it? The way his name tasted upon her lips sent a delightful thrill through her and made her want to know more about her mysterious rescuer. At this point it didn't matter why he'd done what he did – only that he had, and obviously stepped way out of his comfort zone to do it.
That more than made him a friend in her eyes.
"Tamo-chan, then," she settled on and the way his face lit up red made it hard for her not to start giggling again.
It didn't hurt that he was quite the cutie too.
At first glance, he was pretty average – shorn brown hair that wasn't used to be combed, lavender eyes that held a certain wisdom to them beyond their years, and a decent build if the broadness of his shoulders were anything to go by.
"Oh man, just look at what I've gotten into. And I still haven't found anything to eat yet," he grumbled once more, holding his head in his hands.
Uzume found a smile worming itself onto her face quickly, already cooking up a scheme that would have had Matsu applauding her.
'Well, looks like I'll be able to repay him after all…and then some.'
And if the fluttering in her heart was any indication, then it thought so too.
The hunger was stronger than ever now, but somehow the notion he'd helped save a pretty girl tempered it somewhat.
The hunger wasn't to be ignored though, oh no. It rebelled against his compulsions, demanding he seek out sustenance at once or face the consequences.
He sighed.
'I could've been been halfway to a burger but nooo, I had to be the hero. Never mind the fact I actually did it. Seriously, why me? How is this day just getting worse and worse?'
"So…hungry I take it?"
"Considering I just barfed up most of my breakfast, I'd say so," he replied, rubbing his head a bit.
…wait a second.
He looked up and found a beaming brunette with chocolate brown eyes and her hair tied into one tail on the side of her head standing before him.
"Hi."
"Uh…you didn't take off yet?"
"Should I have? It would've seemed pretty rude if I did," the brunette replied with a bit of a frown.
"Well that's true but…"
GROWL
His face flamed as the monster made its presence known, eliciting another peal of laughter from the girl. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
"I'm really sorry… I'm not laughing at you as much as I am the situation we're in. I wasn't expecting to get cornered like that. You really came through for me."
"I didn't do much-" he started to say, but the next minute she was in his face.
'…holy crap her eyes are pretty,' were his first thoughts even as she began to dress him down.
"Like hell you didn't. You got me out of a bind and as far as I'm concerned, that makes you someone I'm gonna look out for," the brunette said with a proud grin, rising back to her feet.
'And her breasts are just…wow,' he thought again, grateful he hadn't said anything aloud…
Oh…wait. Was that why she was blushing?
"AGH!" His face flared in an instant, "I-!" he was quick to stammer as she shot a stunned look at him, unconsciously covering herself in the process. "I didn't mean to – I just – I…I'll just shut up now."
Silence reigned between them for a few moments before the girl spoke again.
"…you're not like them," he thought he heard from her.
"Wha-?"
"N-never mind that, now up!" Taking his hand, she yanked him up to his feet and without preamble started dragging him back out onto the street.
Immediately, heads turned as they found him being escorted by the lovely brunette.
'Oh, sure now you want to take notice!' He couldn't help but grouse, but the blush on his face had nothing to do with frustration.
"Wait! W-where are we going err…"
Damn, he hadn't gotten her name yet?!
"Uzume," was the quick retort, accompanied by a smile and a wink that put his heart into palpitations. "You said you were hungry right? It'll be my treat since you helped me out of a tight spot."
"But I really shouldn't take advantage of you-!"
"You're not," she said suddenly, aiming what he thought was a devious grin over to him, "I am."
DOKI
His heart wouldn't survive her, and he knew it. And yet somehow...he was ok with that.
'Grandmother, I have no idea what kind of hell this is supposed to be… But if it's the company of her, I might as well accept it.'
After all, who could say no to a free dinner with beautiful company?
Now really, you didn't think I'd do that to my favorite Sekirei did you? For Shame. Granted, she didn't get to bust some asses this chapter but she will get her chance very soon. After all, those two worms are anything but forgiving and f they are anything like Harry and Marv from Home Alone, they hold grudges. It won't be the last we see of them.
And hopefully I portrayed Tamotsu in a believable manner. It might seem a bit weird how he just handled all of that with little effort but there's a reason behind it. I've been keeping his past vague for a reason but I assure you - his grandmother means a lot to him because she saved him from a personal Hell. I'll get into that later on. For now, just bear with me.
Speaking of which, we have Tamotsu and Uzume's first meeting. Believe it or not, I had originally planned to have Mitsuha meet up with him but felt that introducing him and Uzume first would build a sort of tension later on when the other girls showed up. She's going to be integral to Tamotsu's development going forward, at least as far as his past is concerned.
But enough of that. Don't want to give too much away. Let's focus on positive things: like Tamotsu getting roped into an impromptu date with a beautiful brunette who is already interested in him.
Should be fun.