A/N: Well it's here, the moment you've all been waiting for. I bet you're wondering if I dare do what I did last time around. Time to find out...
XXXXXX
Pins & Needles: Part IV
After Benitsubasa received her annual booster shot from hell from none other than Minato himself after chickening out much like he did, the three meandered back into the nurse's station and readied themselves for the final minigame migraine the corridor offered: The needle pit. Ugh…
"Alright," Minato began, swallowing a lump. "It's a bit of a drop, so we might not be able to get out without some assistance from someone."
They didn't really notice it upon discovery, but the pit was quite deep, at least nine feet down to the surface of the needle bed, and it likely went even deeper. Just where did Jigsaw get all these used needles anyway?
Minato pointed over to the mattress they through off the entrance of the pit earlier. "Do you think we can somehow get that mattress in there with you? That way all three of us can search and use it to climb in and out."
"No, it's way too wide, like Benitsu's butt."
"Watch it, you!" Benitsu grumbled.
"It's a compliment dear. What you lack upstairs you more than make up for below the waist."
Minato became red, knowing how right she was, the memory of the lightbulb puzzle still squashed into his mind.
"Okay, so who's going to stay up here to pull you us back to safety?" Benitsubasa asked.
"I was thinking me and you can go in, Benitsu."
She blushed at the utterance of 'me and you'. "Oh, um, why's that?"
"Because Kazehana's already sick and whatever is in those syringes down there probably won't make matters better for her if she gets poked by one."
"Are you certain you don't want my help, Minato?" Kazehana asked, sure of herself. "I feel fine, sweetheart. Maybe somewhat light-headed, but I can keep up."
"Yeah, you can now," Benitsubasa remarked. "That's likely to change in a bit, so you best sit tight and rest up."
"Wow, Benitsu, you're on board with this?"
"I don't see why I shouldn't be. The bigger our group, the better chance we have to survive. I don't want to screw us by letting her drop all of a sudden. Who knows what those needles have been around…"
Again she said 'us'. She really was turning a new leaf it seemed.
Minato sat himself down and dangled his legs over the edge of the pit. Benitsubasa soon joined him.
"Ready, pipsqueak?"
"More so than I was with the bodies in that other room."
"Same. I'll drop down first, then I'll help you in. I'll catch you to make sure you don't stumble and get infected with hepatitis."
"My, how reassuring." then he remembered something. He glanced at Kazehana, "Hey, just thought of something, can you go back to the body room and get some more of those toxic waste bags? I'm thinking we can fill them with the needles and toss them up so we can find the key easier."
"Good idea, sweetie. I'll be back in a sec." she said, ditzfully wandering off.
"Wanna wait for her?" Benitsubasa asked.
"Why? Cold feet?"
"No, I just don't want us to be down there and then all of a sudden something happens to her while she's gone. If that happens, who will pull us out?"
Minato stared down at the needles beneath his dangling sneakers. "Hmmm, good point."
A moment of silence passes before Benitsubasa decides to break the ice as they await Kazehana's return.
"So, Minato…"
"Yes?"
"When we make it through this- if we make it through this… would you like to keep in touch?"
"Keep in touch?"
"Well yeah, we've kinda been through a lot already, and there's a lot more waiting for us. It would be a shame if we drifted if we live through this."
"I suppose we could. Can't say I was expecting this."
"You and me both, actually. For what it's worth, I like ya. I mean Natsuo is my main squeeze now and forever, but you, I don't know…if we were to have crossed paths first, I can't help but wonder whether or not I would have reacted to you."
"Are you for real?"
"It's strange, Minato. I think I'm starting to see what boobsy and the others see in ya."
"Is that why you threw a dead person's heart at me ten minutes ago?"
"Yeah, I did get kinda worked up there, didn't I? I was in panic mode, spitting up blood here and there and everywhere. There was urgency in what I did. But you pulled through for me in spite of it and saved my life again."
"Benitsu, do you think…do you think you might be reacting to me?"
"I'm already bonded, so that's definitely not the case. Still, it's a strange feeling." and it's just getting stronger with every trial we face… Oh man, this is bad!
"I'm back, you two lovebirds!"
Benitsubasa shrieked. "Gah, did you hear all that?!"
Kazehana tilted her head. "Hear what?"
"It's nothing," Minato spoke up. "We were just talking about what our lives will be like when we get out of here. Not if. When."
"That's the spirit, Minato! It's that kind of attitude that can weather any storm, even the strongest winds I can blow can't topple that kind of confidence!"
Benitsubasa felt tears well up in her eyes as she felt the raw emotion in Kazehana's words, bitterness, envy, and a nameless third feeling -an emptiness she had always ignored previously- coursed through her in waves.
When had Natsuo ever said anything like that, or even thought it for that matter? This drunken floozy messed her life again and again and she still managed to find someone who cared enough about her to forgive the past and hope for better?
What about Benitsubasa, the loyal fighter, the eager enforcer? She had subjected herself to constant experimentation to match the power of the Single Numbers, of being close to Karasuba, and had Winged herself on the person that made her React. Why didn't any of it make a FUCKING DIFFERENCE?!
She deserved to be happy, and Natsuo was the one she knew would do it if only she could get him free and show him. If she could just get a tenth of the love from her Ashikabi that Kazehana and the others got from Minato, she would never need anything else.
Kazehana was unaware of Benitsubasa's inner turmoil as Minato had managed to verbally give her an adrenaline injection. The confidence in her abilities that was so blatantly obvious in his voice was able to do what all her mental struggles had failed to perform: Give her that last bit of energy to keep going.
She pressed against the wall in her mind made up of weakness, illness, and doubt even as her body began to flag. She could feel it, she was close, she only had to refuse to give up, to say "no" one more time than Jigsaw's judgment of her said "yes".
"Well, Minato. Let's do this." she pushed herself off the ledge, the bloodied needles beneath her feet snapping and cracking beneath the soles of her boots. They crinkled as she whirled around on the broken glass. She looked up at the ronin and reached out to him. "Take my hand, I'll catch you."
He nodded and reached out to her gloved palm. He pushed himself into the pit with his free hand and Benitsu braced him as he landed, stumbling like she earlier predicted.
"You good, Minato?"
He hobbled up right. "Yeah, thanks for that."
"Don't sweat it." she looked up at Kazehana. "Ok, hand us the bags."
Kazehana supplied them as well as some more gloves so they can layer up their hands within a moment's notice.
"Now, let's remove some of our clothing?" Minato said.
"Wha, why?!" Benitsubasa reddened.
"So we reduce risk of injury while we dig. We can use them as a scoop as well as an extra layer of protection for our hands."
"Oh, right…that's what you meant."
Kazehana lazed about relaxing on her stomach, kicking her legs while observing the two work together in the pit with her chin resting upon her crossed fingers. She heard everything they said earlier, or at least enough to know for a fact that Benitsubasa was starting to get the hots for her man. She couldn't blame her. If anyone could get a Sekirei who was already bonded to react to them it was him. It begged the question though, could Minato break a bond like that? She knew for a fact that the connection Miss Daisy Clips had with Natsuo was more or less a failure. Doomed to end horribly whether she rescued the man's sorry hide or no. Maybe it's weak enough for her to be granted a second attempt at happiness? It was a perplexing thought, but a welcome one. She didn't mind having another in the flock. There was just something about Minato that helped people change for the better, something that brought out the best in them. Kazehana truly believed everyone should have that, minus the Black Sekirei, of course. She just needed to not exist anymore.
She peered back into the pit and saw that they had filled two of the three bags she had found. "Pass the bags up here once they're full. I'll empty them and pass them back down."
"Will do." Minato replied. "Just let us fill this last one and wait, I think I found something! It's glowing!"
He kicked some of the needles and shards of glass to the side and carefully reached for it. There it was, the key with a glowstick attached to its chain.
"Well, that was simple enough." Benitsubasa scoffed, glad they solved the puzzle earlier than expected. She divined it to be buried much deeper than it was. But whatever.
Minato raised his chin at Kazehana and handed her the key to their freedom. "Kazehana, try to unlock the door with this before helping us out of here. Jigsaw may have hidden several keys in this mess and I'd rather not have to go through the trouble of getting back in the pit again after we're out."
"On it, hun!" she took the key and went to open the door.
As she wandered off with it, Benitsubasa turned back to address Minato. "I think that's a record for us. The safe took like three minutes, but this only took like two."
"All the more reason to keep up the pace. Every second counts here."
"It works!" Kazehana cheered.
"Awesome!" Minato said with a toothy grin.
Kazehana knelt at the edge of the pit of syphilis and offered her hand to whoever would take it first.
"Ladies first." Minato offered Benitsu.
She shrugged. "Fine by me." She grabbed Kazehana's hand and plants her boot print on the wall of the pit. She attempts to kick off and jump to the edge, but the sole slips on it. "Whoa!" she shrieked, dangling by Kazehana's arm and about to fall at any moment.
Minato scurries beneath the pinkette just as her grip slips as well. She drops in his arms bridal style. Their eyes meet and they immediately look away from each other.
"Shit! You two alright?!" Kazehana asked concerned.
"Uh, yeah, we're fine. I got her don't worry." He sets her back on her feet.
"Sure hun?"
"Yeah, I think." He looks at Benitsu. "You good? That was quite a scare."
"I think so, yeah."
"Let's try a different approach to this then. Benitsu, let me boost you up so she can get you out to safety."
"Yeah, that'll work better I think."
Minato presses his back to the wall and squats to strengthen his core. He didn't want a repeat of what happened the last time they were in this situation to occur. Definitely not here. Fuck that noise.
Benitsubasa raised a knee and boosted herself from his open palms. Kazehana did the rest of the work, no harm, no foul. Now all they needed to do was get him out of there.
"Okay, now both of you reach out to get me."
The Sekirei above did as commanded and he tightly gripped their wrists for dear life. Benitsubasa's strength was more than enough to lift him from the pit but Kazehana kept it stable as he skipped his way up the wall enough for them to easily drag him out to the floorboards above. Salvation at last.
"Phew," he panted. "Well, that's over." he glances at the newly opened door Kazehana unlatched. "I suggest we move on to the next trial."
The rest of his flock needed him, they were counting on him and he had to remain strong for their sake.
Although given some catharsis by their earlier conversation, Minato couldn't help but worry about Benitsubasa's state of mind. Despite the nearly fatal end it took, being reunited with Kazahana had given Minato something denied to his erstwhile pinkette partner, namely a respite from the worry and the stress over the fate of his loved ones. As much as he had fretted over the rest of his flock, having...her with him gave him a sense of comfort and support.
She's strong Minato thought to himself But no one can be strong forever.
The trio came to their feet, triumphantly mosying out of the room and onto their next challenge waiting to be conquered.
After checking at least another dozen or so rooms on the way just in case an antidote was stashed away in some trash pile somewhere, each one more broken down and decayed than the last, they finally came to stop at a T-shaped intersection. On the wall across from them was a large red arrow pointing down toward the east end of the hall, where the few working lights flickered fitfully.
The paint was bright and fresh to the point where the sight of it was jarring against the muted colors of the dying edifice like a fresh blood spatter on an old corpse. The three looked at each other and a mutual nod was shared between them. Apparently, Jigsaw was not expecting a great deal of mental cunning from them if this was the kind of 'subtle hint' they could expect. Without a shred of obscurity, the arrow pointed the two down the corridor like cattle to the slaughter.
Just like Jigsaw no doubt intended.
A set of large, steel double doors met them at the end of it. Smeared on the doors in gory Kanji was the message "Apprehension". Beyond its threshold was their next trial. It had to be.
Benitsubasa gave her neck a swift crack to the shoulders as her glance pointed toward the ronin.
"Oh yeah, I shouldn't kick down doors, right?"
"Wait a second." Kazehana nodded and scooted herself to the left, Minato following suit. "By all means, squash anyone stupid enough to stand behind them...and in our way," she added with an exaggerated flourish.
Benitsubasa gave his a bloodthirsty, and dare she admit it, an approving grin as she popped her knuckles, "Don't mind if I do."
The door's metal hinges snapped as Benitsubasa's boot mercilessly slammed into the center of the double doors, the doors themselves falling to the ground with a reverberating *BANG!*. Once Minato and his milf removed the fingers from their ears, they both checked the edges of the fallen entrance, morbidly hoping to see some blood from an unsuspecting 'ham head' as Kazehana had idly dubbed them. Mildly disappointed by the clean floor they were confronted with, they all wandered inside.
Fortunately for them both there was no rigged device placed to impale or blow them to bits, although if there had been such in the room they would have been triggered by Benitsu's...discrete move, so Minato supposed the point was rather moot.
Just above them on the wall was a timer, likely connected to the door that was kicked open. It started its countdown at twenty minutes, and to its left and right were two branching paths, both ominously silent and dark. And below that the words: ONLY TWO MAY PLAY. SEVERE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE WHO DISOBEY.
20:00...19:59...19:58…
Below the timer was a multitude of glowing red question marks and two arrows, one pointing to the left and the other to the right that lit up shortly after the timer itself, further cementing the fact that this was the latest 'game'.
"So, which way should we go?" Benitsubasa questioned aloud, voice echoing in the empty room. She could tell that even without a light, the room they were in was pretty bereft of anything inside it with the way her voice bounced all over the place. She felt pretty safe in assuming it was meant to make them feel small and unsure before the test, at least that's what time with the 'Professor' taught her.
"Something tells me we're going to have to split up." Even before she could grimace Minato continued on and voiced her pending objections, " Then again, that might just be Jigsaw playing with our heads considering the question marks. I'm not sure if it'll make any difference, but I say we head to the right. We don't have a lot of time and at the very least you can move faster than me and go back to the left side if we are wrong."
He gave a sour look at the steadily sinking timer, "Not like we have a lot of space to be picky."
Benitsu grunted, shaking her head in disagreement, "It's a nice idea in theory, but you're forgetting the puppet's penchant for slamming doors in place. So we can't risk us all going down the same path." Seeing Minato pause as the idea took hold, Benitsu kept going, "I think in this case we're overthinking things and you had it right the first time, we split up. The place is pretty damn empty so we should be able to hear each other, and if we're lucky Jigsaw'll have something so we can at least screw each other over clearly." She rolled her eyes at Minato's lack of amusement with her gallows humor,
"We gotta laugh sometime kiddo."
Kazehana shrugged listlessly, "I'll laugh when my man gets us all out of here safe."
"Hey!" Benitsubasa barked, "'When we get us all out of here safe', didn't we just go over this, we're a team remember?! We already lost a minute here, let's just get to the end of these tunnels, and if there's something we can use to talk great. If not, then we get to shout a lot. It's a win-win."
"Yippee for shouting." Kazehana sneered. "So, who gets to play this time?"
Benitsu glances at Minato. "Up to you, Minato. Who stays behind?"
"I don't want to leave anyone behind, but again, given the message, it'll likely be considered cheating if we don't do as it instructs. Kazehana should keep out of harm's way as much as possible until we get her that antidote. Speaking of which, I'm actually feeling a lot better since taking it. That stuff works fast it seems."
"Yeah," Benitsu added. "I feel more chipper myself too come to think of it. The cure was probably developed by MBI if it's this potent."
With that Benitsubasa strode off to the left, leaving Minato to his initial choice of which path to take, her steps rapidly growing fainter the more she went further in.
Minato gave Kazehana a hug. "Stay safe, Kazehana."
"Don't worry about me, you two just have fun now." She returned the favor, nearly forgetting herself and almost kissing Minato on the lips before he stopped their advance with the tips of his fingers. "As much as I'd love to…" he points to the three glowing lights on his collar.
"Oh, right, my bad."
"It's fine. Well, I better get going, the game awaits their player."
Minato whispered to himself, before taking long and steady strides down his own tunnel, feeling the darkness closing in around him as he left the light of the timer and Benitsubasa's cadenced steps.
18:57...18:56...18:55…
XXXXXX
As they progress onward in their lonely walks, the two start to hear a very peculiar hissing noise coming from their left and right, respectively. Benitsubasa wondered just what kind of place it was, the ceiling and walls covered in pipes that seems to either run along the walls entirely or disappeared into the depths of the building. Maybe we finally hit the boiler room she mused to herself dourly, and me without my pork dumplings.
Minato for his part just wondered how any of it was still running considering the level of entropy that seemed to be taking hold. Entropy that seemed to ignore the partition between he and his pinkette partner, if the shining edges at the top and bottom were anything to go by. Once again he felt so utterly confused, why was he worth doing this to? Why was it worth potentially killing people like Kazehana to teach him a lesson? He pushed down the rising rage at that train of thought, needing all his focus and awareness for the challenge ahead. But when he got to Jigsaw, not if, when. When he got to the bastard, there would be a reckoning.
Both of the pair noticed that there was a spike in temperature, the further they went in. Said heat was radiating off a straight, rusty pipe that most if not all of the other pipes fed into, and along it were five evenly spaced valve wheels stretching down towards a dead end where a lever was placed. Minato and Benitsubasa didn't take long to figure out they were about to be in some seriously hot water with this 'game.' but the lack of screens or tapes left them at a loss as to how to proceed, made all the worse by their isolation from each other. It might not have been long, but their time in the 'games' had left them used to relying on each other to an extent, and the lack of that former presence made them...off kilter.
The lights, as usual, were either broken or dying. All this effort to torture us but kami forbid our eyesight should be safe from his deprivations, Minato whined. He knew it was a childish concern compared to everything else going on, but to Minato, it seemed to sum up Jigsaw's spiteful inconsistency perfectly at the moment.
Minato took the time to inspect the surroundings further, being very careful not to touch anything initially. He couldn't see any slots or depressions that would indicate where a tape would be or the player, but that didn't mean anything in this pit. He worked his way to the wall to his left and quickly noted something was off about it. It looked...bumpy. He got closer and saw that it wasn't solid at all, but in actuality was a chain link fence. He moved slowly towards it, he didn't know how small the holes were in the links and there were plenty of projectiles that Jigsaw could have rigged. Once he made it next to the wall, he gave it a good shake and quickly moved to the side out of any potential line of fire. After waiting for a counted twenty-second, the most time he would allow himself, he moved back to the fence wall and peered in.
At first, he couldn't see anything but then leaned closer and saw the reason for the extreme heat that had been steadily dampening his clothes. Although he could barely make it out in the darkness, he could see a jet of scalding hot steam erupting from the pipe and outward into the pitch black void. He also saw some parts of the pipe looked thicker than others, almost like nuts or... plates or something. His lack of interest in engineering had to pick now to bite him in the ass of course.
Self-flagellation put aside, Minato looked beyond the steam and darkness and thought he could see into the other side of the wall. The more he focused and his night vision adapted, the more he could quickly pick out a rapidly impatient Benitsubasa who was tapping her foot while glowering at the lever in front of her. And before he could shout at her that he could see her or get her to stop, Benitsubasa grabbed hold of the lever and pulled...
XXXXXX
(three minutes prior.)
Benitsubasa stomped forward, giving the tunnel around her a cursory glance now and again but otherwise letting her instincts take the fore as the fighter made her way further in. She knew Jigsaw wouldn't put any traps right now, not before he had a chance to wind them up a bit more.
Fuck, how does Minato deal with having to get inside this sicko's head without becoming even more of a basket case? She mentally asked herself, once again grudgingly impressed with the guy she had originally seen as the avatar of Uke.
Shaking her head to reset her thoughts, Benitsubasa soon came to a similar setup to the one Minato had found himself faced with, only reversed so the valves were on the left and the chain wall on the right. A thorough but rapid search found her area bereft of any further clues or hints beyond the large floor lever smack-dab in front of her,
"Gee, I wonder what this does? Summon the pudding Kami maybe?" She snarked out loud to the empty hall. She looked up at the ceiling again and noticed a few areas where there were almost indiscernible seems, evenly spaced like lights or walls. If she hadn't been a Winged Sekirei, she probably wouldn't have noticed them, but she had and now she needed to decide if it was worth the risk to test out the lever.
Fuck it¸ she decided after a moment, We don't have the time to waste and I can always make a run for it a lot better than the pipsqueak. Yes, she had promised not to call him that, but he was still tiny and made some amusing noises when pressed. Wiping the smile the memories of his 'eeps' had caused away, she braced herself as she reached for the lever. If something happened, she was going to be damn sure she was ready to move if everything went to shit.
*thunk* She gave a firm but not hard pull...and nothing happened, although Benitusbasa thought she heard Minato calling her-
Minato had tried warning her to stop her from pulling the lever, but she had evidently not heard a word. Minato cupped his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice. "Beni! Can you hear me?!"
"It's Benitsu!" Was the prompt and irked response from the Sekirei, as was the smack against the link wall on her side.
"Hah." Minato laughed to himself, I knew that would work. "Can you hear me now?"
"Yeah, yeah, just speak up so I don't have to strain over this fucking broken pipe ok? Why ya asking, is there a problem over where you are? Need me to kick another door down or something?" She peered through the barriers between them and saw that Minato at least looked unharmed. She felt a chill run down her spine when she realized that the lever could have done something to Minato if Jigsaw had been so inclined. She'd let her impatience risk their chances again.
Minato's words jolted her back into focus again, "No, not at all. In fact, there's another lever here just like you said there'd be! I think we need to pull them both at the same time." Minato saw Benitsubasa's expression brighten up only to immediately fall down into suspicion,
"You sure about this, pip-, er... I mean Minato? We'll probably be trapped like rats again, and if that's the case I won't be able to protect you from whatever hog-headed horror these levers might let out." Minato nodded at Benitsu's fear of being trapped but kept going,
"That's a risk we have to take, Benitsu. If that twenty-minute timer goes down to zero, I doubt the results will be pretty." Despite the grimace that distorted her features, Benitsu nodded in turn,
"Okay, fair enough."
The two of them met each other's eyes as they walked over to their respective levers, tension building as they reached out,
"Got a good grip, pipsqueak?" she winced minutely as she failed to catch herself this time.
"It's Minato! And yeah, I do.. On three, we'll pull them. Ready?" It was harder to see each other from their positions next to the levers, but Benitsu thought she saw Minato swallow nervously.
"I'm ready."
"Okay...One...Two...Three."
They yanked the levers back in unison. Not long after the sounds of gears shifted echoed around them, a blaring siren went off, and rotating beacon lights dropped out of the ceiling to revolve and flash above their heads. The assault on their senses had the pair covering their ears and squinting before their attention was shifted to a more troubling occurrence.
A series of five gates crashed down behind both of their corridors one after the other in rapid succession, but slowly enough for both to see that each space contained one of the valves they noticed earlier. Benitsu remembered the seams she had seen earlier and cursed that she'd been right about their being trapped, just what the hell were they going to have to go through now?
"Minato?! You alright in there? I heard something fall. And what's with those sirens?" Kazehana called out, worried.
"We're fine…for now. But trapped at the moment. Try to see if you can get us free."
"Sure thing, hun."
Hidden under the cover of the blaring siren, a third voice feebly called out from beyond their respective enclosures,
"Huh? W-what's going on?! Where am I?!" the new, gravely voice cried out, its timbre would have marked it as female to anyone who heard it. Not that it mattered much as her moans were drowned out by the cacophony anyway. Not to mention Benitsu and Minato still had their hands tightly pressed inward on their ears it was so incessantly noisy. Benitsubasa's superior hearing made the ordeal twice as painful to endure and she wondered if blood was going to start dripping if it kept up any longer.
The metal wall behind the levers slid up to reveal various spotlights flaring to prominence in a square room with a single silhouette that was frustratingly shadowed from their eyes, the flashing lights rendering their night vision null and void. Both, however, couldn't shake off the vague feeling of familiarity that crept up inside them as they watched the hidden figure struggle.
The siren's wail soon mercifully died down and their struggles to see were aided by a bright light directly over a very recognizable person to them both...
XXXXXX
A/N: And everyone takes a huge sigh of relief. As you can see, a lot has changed with this new direction of mine. Kazehana is still with us, but keep in mind that poison is still coursing through her veins. One has to wonder how she'll manage as time goes on. We'll see, won't we?