Previously in Jade Ashikabi:

He sat down, his back against the tree trunk, and crossed his legs. "That was fun. It's been a long time since I've climbed a tree. Even longer since I've climbed one this high. I'm EJ, what's your name?" he asked, smiling at the girl. Now that he was up there, he realized her hair wasn't light brown but a soft, golden yellow. And, to his surprise, she had green eyes, just like he did.

"Kusano" she answered quietly.

…..

"WHEE!" Kusano screamed in his ear, before leaning back and looking at him. "Can we do that again?" Harry just laughed, bumping his forehead against hers before setting her down. 'Only a Sekirei child would think Apparation was fun.'

"Another time, okay? Right now, I want to introduce you to your big brother." She immediately turned around, and saw Minato wide-eyed in front of them. She took a few slow steps towards him, then sprinted and leapt into his arms, tackling him to the ground.

"ONII-SAN!" she cried out, squeezing him tightly. Harry just laughed at the boy's predicament, then beckoned the twins as he turned and headed back towards the others.


Several minutes later, after Minato and Kusano caught up to them, the five emerged in the initial battle ground. Harry was both amused and surprised at the area, half of everything was frozen, the other half on fire, quite a few trees were felled, several small craters dotted the area, and the same four fighters were still going at it. And off to the side, Uzume was acting like she was at a professional wrestling match. All that was missing was the nachos.

His sentiment was shared by the twins, which he shared bemused looks with before they shook their heads and took off, taking several leaps before leaving the clearing altogether. Minato was stock-still, slack-jawed as he watched. Kusano's eyes were lit up in excitement, the fighting exciting her as well. 'Has to be a Sekirei thing. Wait, that girl in black seems familiar. So does the one she's fighting. Why does she look familiar?'

By this point Harry had moved over to where Uzume was, ignoring the girl's cheering as she went between the fights. Apparently the one in black was called 'Homura', and the one she was fighting called 'Akitsu'. Upon hearing the name, Harry felt a few more bells going off, but was distracted by the amazing fights.

Kusano was really enjoying them, and even took a few steps towards them as well. This got two of the girls' attentions, as the one with the scythe suddenly screamed "THERE SHE IS!" With a swing, she clocked Musubi upside the head, and ran towards the group. The one in black turned and hit her with a fireball, sending her careening into a tree. But she herself was summarily attacked by the ice user, who blasted her across the clearing.

Turning her attention towards the group, she raised her hands, and the four of them were surrounded by ice. More than likely would've been encased, had Harry not put up a powerful shield spell laced with a warming one. The heat of the shield kept the ice away, which surprised the ice user long enough for Harry to send a fireball back at her. The protective ice wall she put up deflected the fireball, but blocked her vision. Harry took the presented opportunity and apparated right in front of her.

As she lowered the wall, she went to attack him again, but stopped, her stoic eyes widening slightly in recognition. Harry himself froze, as another memory tore through his mind.

~~Flashback~~

"Harry, I'd like to introduce to you Number 7, Akitsu. Akitsu, this is a friend of mine, Harry."

Harry couldn't help but gawk at the well-endowed woman. How the provided clothes were holding up against her assets could only be attested to magic. Powerful magic at that, as he could practically hear the fabric screaming for help. A quick elbow nudge by the smirking silver-haired man reminded him he was supposed to say something. "Um uh... Hello, uh... Akitsu" he uttered loquaciously, feeling his tongue swell up.

To her credit, she didn't get angry at his open gawking, or laugh at his discomfort. She did, however, blush. "Ah… hello, Harry" she said softly, trying to hide her face. The two just stood there very awkwardly, Takehito failing to hide his amused smirk.

~~End Flashback~~

He was viciously yanked out of the memory by being suddenly blasted by an ice pillar. Flying across the clearing, he was coherent enough to cast cushioning charms, which mitigated his impact somewhat. But the damage was done; he could already feel his own magic working to repair himself. Never before had he been more grateful for the years of grueling training, let alone the ritual he went through that increased his durability.

Coughing up and spitting out a wad of blood, he slowly got back to his feet to see the very well-endowed woman approaching him, her face angrier than any woman he'd ever seen before. He was leaning against the tree, quickly taking in the sudden change of pace. He saw Uzume had taken to bodyguard duty for Minato and Kusano. At least he was assuming the woman in white veils was Uzume, as he hadn't sensed anyone else enter the clearing. She had all three of them in a spherical cocoon of sorts, and was pulling them all up back into the trees. He saw 'Homura' coming back to, taking in the area as well. Musubi was standing guard over the scythe user, clearly torn between helping him and watching her charge.

He turned his attention back to the woman, whose very footsteps were freezing the ground as she approached, rage dominating her demeanor. 'First Miya, now this Akitsu? What in the fucking nine levels of hell happened back then?' The raising of her arm had him diving out of the way. Good thing, too, as a spike impacted the tree he was leaning against, and even caused the titanic trunk to rock a bit.

Rolling back to his feet, he got another shield spell up as a flurry of ice spikes were sent his way. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn she was getting more powerful as the fight went on. That, or whatever he did to her was pissing her off. '"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." Got that fucking right. I haven't taken this much damage in a fight since fighting Voldemort. Fucking hell.'

As if divining his thoughts, she created a mini snowstorm, and sent icicle daggers his way from above. Getting his warming charm-laced shield up, she caught him off guard by freezing the ground behind him. He had only begun to adjust to this development, before an ice wall formed in front of her, and was suddenly moving towards him. Realizing he was quickly getting pinned, he created a wall of fire around him, an overpowered inferno tempest to counter it all. To his immense surprise, while the wall and ice floor shattered, they didn't so much as melt or disappear as he expected but were vaporized. The result was a very thick fog of steam built up between and around the two fighters.

Realizing his sudden opening, he disapparated as quietly as he could up into one of the limbs. He took stock of the aerial view, saw that Akitsu had not advanced on his last known position. Instead, she just stood there, the [ironic] fire in her eyes evident even from his point of view. He decided to just end it as quickly as he could: disillusioning himself then apparating behind her. He was nearly caught off guard, as she flicked a hand back in his direction, how she knew he was there was beyond him. He sidestepped the singular spike, then cast a river of stunners at the woman, having expected her to block some of them. Again, to his surprise, she didn't, and collapsed after the 3rd one hit her.

A sudden shattering sound behind him had him spinning around wand up. There, not a meter behind where he had initially apparated, Musubi was standing, her fist outstretched where she had punched the ice spike. 'Ah, so it wasn't me she was aiming for. Ok, phew, that is oddly reassuring.' He looked the brunette in the eye, saw the violet eyes there instead of chocolate, and nodded at her. The stoic face nodded back, smiling softly before reverting to the chocolate-eyed, chubby-cheeked face of young Musubi, who was blinking in confusion as she realized she'd moved.

"Black-sama!" she suddenly cried, running over and hugging him tightly. "We won! We won! Yay!" Harry had to tighten every muscle in his back and stomach to avoid being crushed by the surprisingly strong young woman's grasp. Though, that only helped slightly, as his already damaged ribs and muscles made themselves known. 'Ohhh lordy, gonna be in SOOO much pain tomorrow.'

"Is everyone alright?" he asked after she let him down. He waved his wand a few times over himself, reading the self-diagnostic and grunting at what he already expected to see. 'Damn, that woman packed a punch. Strained my left shoulder, lots of bruises developing. Gonna be sore in the morning that's for sure. This was NOT how I imagined this evening going. Not to mention what Musubi just did to me. Oof.'

"I'm alright. Just a bit sore" Kagari's voice offered from the black mask, rubbing his neck. Harry fought his reaction at discovering why they seemed familiar. "That's what I get for taking my eyes off a scrapped number."

"'Scrapped number'? What's that mean?" Harry asked, looking over the dirty blonde laying at his feet. He bent down and waved his wand over her, doing his standard check. He noticed, while waiting for the parchment to fill, that she had a strange symbol on her forehead. It looked like a bird of some sort, with a yin-yang symbol underneath, and a few… he wasn't sure how to address them, teardrops maybe? Almost looked like quotation marks, but that seemed dumb. But, then again, tattoos only had to made sense to the person who wore them.

"'Scrapped Numbers' are Sekirei whose adjustments failed. Akitsu is unable to be winged by an Ashikabi; that's why her Sekirei symbol is on her forehead" Kagari answered, and Harry's demeanor towards the symbol darkened. 'Well, that answers that question. It's a brand. Still need to learn what this "winging" is, but that can wait. But if Uzume is "winged", where is hers?'

"So, these symbols, do all Sekirei have them? If so, where are they normally?"

"Only those who have been winged have their symbols appear. The exception being before your feet. As to where they are normally, usually on the back somewhere, but I've heard they could appear just about anywhere. The Lightning Twins' are on their thighs, for example." Harry thought over the encounter when they'd first met, and remembered seeing matching tattoos on their thighs, mirroring each other. Though, he couldn't remember what they looked like.

"Mine is right between my shoulder blades, if you're wondering." Uzume's voice drew attention towards her, as she brought her charges back to ground level. Kusano was riding piggy-back to Minato, who was looking very worried at what had just happened, and no small amount of concern towards Musubi especially.

"How have I never seen it, then?"

"I cover it up before any of our shenanigans happen" she answered coyly, as Kagari turned red. Black just chuckled.

"So, 'Homura', where is yours?" Harry emphasized the person's name, smirking at the man's surprise. To his credit, he recovered quickly. And looked away in shame.

"I am un-winged, still. I don't have a crest."

A sudden peeling of tires had the group looking towards the road, and saw a black limo take off down the street.

"Mikogami Hayato" Kagari provided to the group. "I guess he didn't appreciate two of his Sekirei losing."

"I thought you said Akitsu couldn't be 'winged'?" Harry asked, indicating the still unconscious girl. "How could she be his?"

"She told me before we started fighting that he found her in a park, abandoned and discarded. Apparently, he took her in, and she agreed to be his Sekirei in exchange.

Harry had gotten angry at hearing the woman before him had been simply thrown away, likely due to being unable to 'wing', which he still didn't quite understand. But he was getting the idea it was some sort of bond formed between Ashikabi and Sekirei, and important to the Sekirei to do so. Considering the bird-tattoo/ symbol on her forehead, 'winging' seemed apt.

He was unaware of how much magical power he was putting out with how angry he was, that it wasn't until Musubi grabbed his shoulder and turned him towards her that he calmed down. Though, it wasn't so much that it was Musubi, as the violet-eyed passenger she had that was forefront that got him to relax. It was as he looked down to take a deep breath and get his occlumency under control that he realized she was completely topless, with only her white panties and red gauntlets still in one piece.

Chuckling, he waved his wand and turned the scraps into another gi, similar to what she was wearing before. She looked down and laughed, before leaning in and hugging him in thanks again. "That'll hold you off until we get you back to Izumo." He glanced at the other raven-head. "You can look now, Minato, she has clothes on again."

"So I can protect my modesty!" she suddenly chanted, to Harry's confusion. Kagari and Uzume just laughed, and he quirked a questioning eyebrow towards the latter, who just shook her head and mouthed "later". He nodded, and turned towards the short-haired brunette, who had relapsed to her chocolate-eyed persona.

"What do we do with her?" he asked, pointing at the woman with the scythe who was still unconscious.

"Well…" Kagari drew out, uncomfortable about whatever it was he was about to suggest. "Technically, she was defeated in battle, so we could take her crest." Uzume and Musubi stiffened at that, even Kusano tightened her arms around Minato.

"I take it that's a big deal?" Harry stated slowly, taking in each of their reactions.

"Taking her crest removes her from the game, EJ-sama" Uzume prompted hesitantly, albeit softly, while Musubi just nodded. "It means she won't be woken again until it's all over, if at all."

"'If at all'? What do you mean 'If at all'? Why wouldn't she be reawakened?" At that, Kagari just snarled, Musubi just looked down, and even Uzume cringed a little. Only little Kusano didn't seem to understand the implication. Admittedly, Harry was internally surprised Musubi did, but was trying to give the absent-minded girl the benefit of the doubt.

"Minaka has it in his mind that we're all 'gifts from the gods', or some shite" Kagari spat out. "This 'game' is his way of weeding us out, making us fight each other until there is only one left. He has this plan that whoever wins the stupid game will bring in a new 'Age of Gods', with him holding the reigns."

"Why does he think that?"

The three girls all exchanged looks, even Kusano seemed to shrink unto herself. "I think we should take this conversation back to Izumo. Miya should be a part of it."

Harry exchanged looks with all of them, even a questioning on with Minato whose confused expression matched what he was feeling, before nodding his agreement. "Alright. But I'm bringing this one with us" he added, pointing at Akitsu. Before anyone could question it, he knelt down and picked her up bridal style. "She knows me somehow. Something from our past. Probably the same way Miya does. I need answers, and she can give them to me."

"Or she'll try to kill you again" Uzume prompted, shifting back to her normal form.

"Or that" he conceded, adjusting his hold on the woman. "But the only time I've ever seen a woman that angry was when I … well, actually, don't think I've ever actually seen a woman that angry before. Not at me, at least. That was worse than Gabby was when… never mind, that's a long story for a different time." Realizing he was rambling, he turned away from the group, carrying Akitsu towards the roadway before turning around. "Whatever you have to do to take her crest, do it so we can get out of here."

He kept walking, carrying Akitsu all the way to the car. To his surprise, the barricade was gone. Correction, he realized, seeing the bodies cut to pieces and the actual barricade in splinters nearby, it was removed. By someone with a sword, if the slices were any indication. 'Hmm… I don't think it was her, as she'd have come and said hello or something. Of course, knowing now that she's a Sekirei certainly explains a few things about our "relationship." I wonder if she's "winged"? Add that to the list of things to discuss tonight.'

Making it to the car, he realized he had no way of getting his keys. Thankfully, Uzume showed up only a moment later. After a quick tease about it usually being the guy getting in the girl's pants, the door was unlocked and he was placing Akitsu in one of the back seats. It was only after he set her down that he realized he could have just apparated with her back to the Inn. 'Ugh, must've hit me harder than I thought, not even thinking straight at the moment' he moaned to himself, shaking his head. The rest of the group came up shortly after, Minato still carrying Ku piggy-back. Doing a count, he realized they were two heavy, not just one.

"Alright, looks like we're doubling up. Uzume, still up for sitting on my lap?" he asked with a wink, and she hip-checked him.

"Always, stud muffin. Do we have to be wearing clothes while I do so?" she said in her sultry voice as she turned and rubbed her chest against his arm, and he felt himself hardening up. 'Point to Uzume'. Minato's nose exploded in a shower of blood, the rest of his face matching his embarrassment as laughter rang out. Even Kusano was giggling, though not understanding why it happened, just thinking it was all funny.

Kagari's phone rang again, and he excused himself to take it. In the meantime, the rest of them were discussing who best to sit next to Akitsu on the off-chance of her waking up. They agreed that 'Homura' would be best, as apparently Musubi and Minato had not yet figured out their black-masked friend's identity. Their discussion was cut off by a sudden shout from said person.

"How many are chasing her? Where is she? Right, copy that. I'll head over there right now. Yes, I will make it. I'm gonna ask a favor from a friend to help out, he can get there faster than I can." With a snap, he hung up what Harry realized was a flip-phone, and turned towards him. "There's a Sekirei being chased by some of Higa's goon squad. She was thought to have been captured already two days ago, but apparently escaped before being winged. She's again on the run."

Harry felt himself freeze at hearing the man's name. 'So, those were indeed Sekirei. And if I'm to fill in the blanks correctly, he's forcing some to work for him unwillingly.' "I feel as if there are details missing from that, but ok, you've got my attention. What do you need?"

"They're on the other side of the city. Higa's territory is…"

"In the East, likely the area surrounding that hospital and where most of his business is done."

"Exactly" Kagari answered, clearly surprised but didn't question his knowledge as time was against them.

"And you want to go and what, capture her yourself?"

"NO!" he shouted at him, before taking a deep breath. "My job is to protect the unwinged. Like when you first met Musubi here, I was watching, and stopped the Twins from following you three after she grabbed you and ran. I need to protect this girl from scum like Higa who forces Sekireis to wing themselves to him. But I don't think I can get there fast enough. Your weird teleporting ability, how far can you go? Can you get us to his territory?"

Harry exchanged a look with Uzume, whose face was one of thunder as if she wanted to go and chase them down herself. He lightly touched her arm, and she turned and nodded at him firmly. He matched it slowly, then handed her the keys. "If you or Minato can drive, take the car and head back to the Inn. I'll go help this girl, then apparate us all back to the Inn. Depending on how long it takes to find her, should be there within the hour."

Uzume looked like she wanted to argue, but he squeezed her arm to stop her. "No. You have a very good reason to hate Higa, we both know this. I hate him as well, but mine is almost entirely professional. Plus, I've nearly a decade of experience doing shit like this."

She still didn't like it, but nodded her acquiescence. "Just be careful, EJ-sama. You saw what Akitsu did to you in one-on-one. You're going against three, don't underestimate them."

He just smirked at her, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry about it, toots" he replied in English with as much of a New York accent he could supply. She just backhanded him in the shoulder, before hugging him quickly and turning back to the car.

"Alright, this is going to feel really weird, like going through a straw. You know what a straw is, right?" he asked with a mischievous smirk. Before Kagari could answer, they disappeared with a *pop*.


"Get back here!" one girl yelled, hopping from building to building.

"Damn it! How is she so fast!"

"She can't keep going like this!"

In front of the three, another girl in a half-sleeved kimono was running frantically as fast as could, hopping across rooftops when suddenly she was tackled from the side. It was so quick and sudden the girl didn't even have time to scream in surprise. Right where she had landed, a black-masked figure skid to a halt in front of the trio as a soft *pop* was heard off to the side.

"Damn it! Where'd she go?! Who the hell are you?!" one of the girls with green hair called out, landing on the roof they'd last seen their target on. Next to her, a short-cropped ebony-haired woman landed next to her, her assets nearly spilling out of her yellow and purple cleavage.

"Well, well, look what we have here. The Guardian Sekirei. Tell me, have you been winged, yet?" She was clearly nonplussed about losing the small girl they'd been following for two days, as coming across an unwinged single-number was a rare occasion indeed.

The third woman landed on the green-haired woman's other side, her kimono-style qipao lightly waving in the wind. "I believe number 6 here would be an appropriate substitute for losing number 40." She too was completely nonplussed, and was quickly coming up with a strategy to capture the new target.

"I believe you're right, Kaori. Certainly an upgrade from that pipsqueak" the short-haired woman replied, getting into her fighting stance. Her powerful legs were twitching as she was eager for some actual fighting to happen.

Kagari just stood there, decidedly not answering. Admittedly, he was somewhat concerned as to whether or not he actually could take on all three of them. But he was going along with Black's crazy plan for some reason, so needed to buy time. And he knew just how much silence annoyed most people.

"Maybe not, Ichiya" Kaori replied, watching their new target. "After all, he's not moved since he arrived. Maybe he's stupid."

"Maybe he just thinks you're a moron for opening your mouth" Green replied, swinging her staff behind her.

"Shut up, Toyotoma. You know the consequences of returning to Higa empty handed."

"What more can he do to us, huh? You're the only one here that reacted to him, Kaori. I was perfectly happy being on my own."

"Are you really going to do this again, Toma?" Ichiya asked her incredulously. "And here? Now? Suck it up, already. We're winged, willingly or not. Deal with it. Let's just get this over with." Before she could move, a red light hit the third girl of their party suddenly , dropping her on the spot, as the back of her head hit the roof with a disturbing *crunch*. Both girls just stood there in shock, before Toyotoma suddenly dodged out of the way as a red bolt hit her staff that swung into the space she'd been standing.

"Show yourself!" Ichiya declared, spinning around to look for their attacker. Sharing her sister's sixth sense, she ducked as a fireball flew through the space where her head had been, and she turned around to see the black-masked sekirei preparing another attack. With a scream, she charged at her, only to be tripped up by ropes suddenly wrapping around her, and she crashed to the rooftop, and skid to a stop at the Guardian's feet.

Toyotoma had the sense to move to where she could keep an eye on the flame-user, and the direction the attacks were coming from. A sudden flurry of lights came flying at her, and she masterfully spun both herself and her staff to either dodge or deflect all of them.

"Not too shabby" a male's voice called out from far closer than she'd care for.

"Show yourself, coward!" she cried, backing to the edge of the roof.

"Me? Coward? Says the one with two friends to chase down a little girl. And I'm the coward? No, no, no. Most certainly not." The man in question appeared in front of her, seaming to materialize from thin air. She was surprised she could see his striking green eyes, and was taken aback with no small amount of trepidation when she realized they were glowing. "Now I've shown myself. What are you going to do now, Miss Toyotoma?" Her response was to charge at him, swinging her staff with ferocity.

The ensuing fight, from Kagari's perspective, looked more like a comical dance, as EJ spent nearly the entire time dodging or taunting the woman. Normally he'd have advised against such a thing, as arrogance is often folly in a fight. But, considering he'd yet to be touched, Kagari kept his mouth shut, and tried not to laugh at some of the antics. He'd spun Ichiya round so she could watch the fight, and he couldn't deny being amused at the woman's shock.

15 minutes into it, Toyotoma, in a rage, tried spinning the staff like a bat at the man who'd been infuriating her. All were surprised when he caught it, then yanked it towards him. With her grip so tight on it, she was pulled forward as well, and he wrapped her up in one arm, her face close enough for him to kiss her, and he did just that. Or, so Kagari thought, as he angrily charged forward.

He stopped about two steps away, as he realized EJ had only kissed the girl's cheek, evident by her mouth frozen in an "O" in shock. He stepped back, releasing the staff as she crumbled to her knees, and just sat there looking defeated.

"Higa's going to kill me" she muttered, pulling her staff into her lap.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, crouching down next to her.

"Because I failed. Higa doesn't accept failure, and punishes those who do. He already hates me for trying to escape after he winged me. I nearly succeeded too, til M.B.I.'s Disciplinary Squad stopped me. He might actually kill me this time."

"Not if he can't get to you" Harry replied, and she looked up sharply.

"What're you talking about?" Ichiya called out, surprising both Toyotoma and Kagari. She'd been so quiet – odd, considering her normal, mouthy, arrogance - both had forgotten about her.

"Just what I said" Harry responded, levitating the tied-up woman. She screamed at first, mostly from surprise, partly from the outrage of being manhandled like that until he lowered her on her knees next to the green-haired woman. "Higa can't do anything to either of you if he can't get to you."

"And just where would we go, huh? Higa owns the entire East side of town. And if we go into the South or the West, we'll be attacked by the Ashikabis there."

"Which leaves both Central and North" Harry finished, squatting down to both their levels. "And Higa thinks he's bigger and badder than he really is. He's just an entitled rich kid who thinks because he has money everyone should bow down to him. He's an obstinate and self-righteous wanker is what he really is."

"What's a 'wanker'?" Kagari asked for all three present, repeating the strange English word.

"British term for someone who masturbates. Doesn't really translate to Japanese well. My point is, Higa is a punk trying to play in leagues he's far outclassed in." During this diatribe, the two conscious girls were just staring at him in surprise, though Ichiya's was more amusement than surprise.

"So, what are you planning on doing about him, then? If he's so small and you're such a tough guy?" Toyotoma asked, standing up and leaning on her staff. "And can you untie Ichiya, it's really weird seeing her tied up like that."

"Oh, I don't know, I think she looks pretty hot like that" Harry snarked, winking at said girl, who snarled at him. "Looks like she needs a spanking to go along with it. Maybe some hot wax as well."

"If you think I'm just gonna let you play out your perversions you've got another thing coming pal!" the leggy woman snapped at him, fighting the ropes. Her green-haired companion had seen the mischievous glint in the green eyes and was fighting back a laugh. Though, internally, she wondered how much of what he had said he would actually do if given the chance. She couldn't help but let her mind wander...

While Toyotoma checked out into her fantasies, Harry and Kagari just watched in amusement as Ichiya did her darndest to get out of the ropes. With no success.

"FUCKING HELL what are these made of!? How are they so strong?"

"Magic" Harry answered casually, and Kagari had to turn around to hide his laughter. "Anyways, I've a date with the ladies of Izumo Inn today. We've a long conversation ahead of us so we gotta finish this up. What am I to do with you two and your napping partner over there?" he asked, thumbing the girl still knocked out. "She looks familiar for some reason…"

"If you've been to Higa's hospital, she's one of his personal bodyguards" Toyotoma offered, pulling at the ropes tying up Ichiya. "Well fuck, how the hell are they so tight?"

"Magic" he replied again, Kagari turning around once more. "You gonna behave now, sweetheart?" he asked the tanned woman, waving his hand over her.

"I'll show you 'sweetheart', pervert!" Feeling the ropes loosen, she hopped up and swung her right leg around, only to have it caught by her target's left hand. Slowly but sensually, he slid his right down her leg, adding increasing increments of magic to his touch as he neared her core. By the time he'd reached her thigh, she was visibly shaking, fighting the effects of what he was doing. Deciding to play nice this time, he dropped her leg, and she collapsed under the sudden surprise.

"Whaa… What… was… that?" she asked, looked up with lust-filled eyes, breathing heavy as she squeezed her thighs with her hands, fighting off her own body's reaction. Inwardly surprised at how easy that was, and the extent of the reaction to what he meant to be a simple tease, the green-eyed man didn't outwardly react, just stood there and watched for a few moments before answering.

"That… was me showing you just how much at my mercy you are" Harry answered, all trace of humor gone. "I can practically feel the pent-up energy both of you have from lack of stimulation or release. Years of having a Veela around does that to you. The fact something so simple nearly had you blowing is all the proof I need."

"Please…" she whined, surprising all three of them, Kagari having rejoined them. The woman that normally looked prepared to face down a bull was on her knees, one hand on her chest, the other slowly rubbing herself over her clothes. "We're not able to get off without an Ashikabi's permission. And Higa refuses to let us do so, says it would interfere with our training."

"You can't even orgasm without your Ashikabi?" Harry was taken back by that. While entertaining and useful in some very specific avenues, say the ones he and Gabby enjoyed playing in, to be physically incapable to orgasm period unless your Ashikabi allows you to seemed a bit much. That would be really, really bad for those who don't enjoy BDSM whatsoever. Worse if you not only dislike such a thing, but are unable to find your Ashikabi. Kara and Hana's advances suddenly took on a whole new meaning. Uzume's too, for that matter.

"Thankfully, as we're unwillingly winged, it isn't limited to just our Ashikabi" Toyotoma added, dropping to one knee next to her sister, rubbing her back. "At least, that's what Karasuba said."

Yet another bell ringing, though this one was akin to that of Notre Dame than a Christmas choir bell. "You know Karasuba?" he asked, not trying to hide his surprise.

"Of course. Every Sekirei knows the Black Sekirei. She's on the Disciplinary Squad." Yet another puzzle piece finding its place.

"The gay boyfriend that works for M.B.I." Harry provided, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. All three were nodding, though Ichiya's with difficulty and heavy breathing, before almost simultaneously processing what he said, and openly gawking at him.

"Wait, YOU know Karasuba?" Kagari prompted. He just nodded. "HOW!?"

"She's tried to kill me a few times" Harry answered nonchalant. He was still piecing together this new information and applying it to every female he knew in Tokyo. And wondering if any of the males were involved.

"What do you mean, TRIED?" Kagari was getting hysterical. "She NEVER fails to kill ANYONE! She practically LIVES just to kill people. That's why she's feared so much!"

"I'm not just anyone, Homura" he replied, using his Guardian name. Sighing again, he couldn't help but laugh at her expressions. "I've known her for nearly two years now. We first met about 3 months after I first came to Tokyo for a patient of mine. She was hired to kill me. Refused to tell me by who, but it was a good fight. Every third or fourth visit after that she made another attempt. In fact, she tried again just three days ago. Though, I don't think her heart was in it that time. She was awfully distracted by some 'game'."

"The Sekirei Plan" Kagari voiced. Harry just nodded as if going along, not wanting to give too much away of his ignorance.

"She didn't even use her sword this time, which I was thankful for, as I've been awfully distracted myself. The fight lasted about two hours before we called it quits."

"Wait, you went toe-to-toe with the leader of the Disciplinary Squad, a woman who has never failed to kill anyone she wanted to kill, except perhaps Number 1, and came away not only in one piece, but joking about it? And this has happened how many times?"

"Hired like 10 times that I know of, a couple times she was doing multiple contracts at once. Has attempted maybe two dozen times, including this last one? I honestly don't know, I stopped keeping track. Especially when some of the fights involved other activities between them, so you wonder if it was one long fight or two separate ones."

"'Other activities' as in what?" Toyotoma asked suspiciously. He just glanced at her, then pointedly looked at her partner who was still getting herself worked up on her knees. Toyotoma cocked her head questioningly, before looking at her friend. The sudden snap of her head back at him wide-eyed had him chuckling again. Kagari was stock-still frozen, unable to process what he'd just learned.

"I admit, I initially thought it was strange she wanted to sleep with me. Thought it was just another ploy at killing me. But, that first time she made the offer, she even left her sword in her apartment and showed up looking fancy. Was a nice date, I must say."

"You realize she's going to kill you for talking about it, right?" Toyotoma chimed, her mind a million miles an hour on how to use the information as blackmail leverage.

"You realize she's going to kill you for ever bringing it up, right?" Harry countered with a grin, and Toyotoma's mind halted faster than a car into the side of a dam. The fact that Karasuba would probably kill her for even knowing about it suddenly had her scared witless, and vowed herself to silence on every deity she could think of.

"Please…" Ichiya repeated, crawling towards Harry. "Just please, I need to release. Whatever you did, please, finish it. I need to release. Just a little bit, please." While Harry enjoyed begging, and hearing the Amazonian-esque woman begging was such a major turn on, it sounded oh so wrong coming from her. She was very much the take charge or fight for dominance type. That she was weakened due to an uncontrollable bodily function took all the fun out of it, and Harry was more than a little angry at her so-called Ashikabi for not taking care of those he's responsible for.

Sighing deeply, Harry nodded, and she was hugging his leg in appreciation before moving to his buckle.

"WAIT WAIT WAIT you're going to do that HERE!?" Kagari screamed, indicating the rooftop.

"Would you prefer it back in your bedroom, Homura?" he retorted, and Toyotoma's eyes lit up in mischievousness.

"Maybe he's just jealous that he's not invited" she offered, and Kagari's face began turning crimson. "We don't even know his name and we're about to get some. You've known him how long and weren't able to score? Tsk tsk." She wagged her finger, punctuating each syllable.

"It's Black, EJ Black" he offered, and both girls froze, wide-eyed.

"You're shitting me" Ichiya voiced, sounding more normal in that statement than she had the previous five minutes. She lowered her hands and stood up looking at him. "Fuck me!" she whined, pulling at her minimal hair as she stomped away.

"Well I might've. I take it you've heard of me?"

"Heard of you? Higa LOATHES you!" Ichiya yelled. Toyotoma was slowly twisting the staff, indecision etched on her face. "He gave us orders to kill you if we ever came across you. Even had us memorize your picture."

"Guess you didn't memorize it very well, then, eh?" Harry teased, and Toyotoma began smacking her forehead with her staff.

"I blame the dark" she muttered. "I also thank the dark that I didn't recognize you. This fucking sucks."

"I'm wondering now if he was the one to hire Karasuba this time" Harry theorized. "After all, Higa is a competitor to M.B.I., I highly doubt she'd be all that eager to help her boyfriend's competitor."

"Natsuo isn't her boyfriend, he's her Ashikabi" Toyotoma countered, staring off into the dark. "She works for M.B.I. as well. The head of M.B.I. is the self-stylized Game Master of the Sekirei Plan."

"Because of course he is" Harry grumbled, throwing his hands in the air. "How much of this stupid game has to do with them buying up all of Tokyo?"

"We don't know, but Higa, or, more accurately, Kocho, has theorized that it was how they were going to explain the sheer amount of damage this game is going to cause, by deeming all of Tokyo private property. That way, we Sekirei can destroy as much as we want without risk of the Japanese government stepping in.

"Ok, see, that's where I'm calling bullshit. There's no way Japan would just sell their capital. Something else is going on, and I don't think I'm going to like it." Sighing and running his fingers through his hair, he turned towards Kagari. "We better get back. That discussion just became even longer." He looked at Kaori still on the ground unconscious. "Before we go, though, we should probably settle this. Obviously, the girl is gone."

The three of them blinked for a moment, the fact that they were all there because two of them had been chasing a Sekirei, and the third was saving her had been forgotten. The all glanced at each other, suddenly unsure of what happens next. Thankfully, the non-Sekirei had the answer.

"Since Higa already hates me, you can easily, and truthfully, blame losing her on me." He turned towards the unconscious girl. "Or… would it be unheard of if maybe your foe had attacked back and injured one of her pursuers? And you two stopped to check on her?"

"Considering Kaori helped capture each of us, yeah, that would be strange. We'd sooner attack her ourselves than help her."

"Ok, but would the little girl's successful retaliation be enough of a surprise to distract you two long enough that you lost sight of her? And by the time you found her, you saw her climbing into a blue and black car and being driven away?"

"I'm guessing you're going to be this unsung hero, then?" Ichiya smirked, holding her hand on her hip. Harry just shrugged.

"He already hates me, might as well be me" he repeated. "Do either of you know cars?"

Ichiya pointed at the green-haired girl as she answered "I do."

"Know what a Bugatti Divo is?" The girl's jaw just dropped.

"You're fucking me."

"Well no, not tonight I'm not" he just answered, Ichiya choked back a laugh.

"You own a Bugatti Divo? How've I not seen it around town?"

"You did, driving away with your prey."

"What!" she screeched, before the previous conversation came back to her. "Ohhh...right... Yeah, no, telling anyone you have a Bugatti Divo is going to cost you actually showing me the Bugatti Divo, and giving me a ride in it."

"I can do that" he answered nonplussed, shrugging a shoulder. "I just bought it a week ago, needed something to get around town in."

Toyotoma looked halfway between murdering him and mounting him. "You just bought a Divo… to drive around town in... ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND! WHY WOULD YOU CONDEMN SUCH A BEAST TO THE FUCKING STREETS! SHE NEEDS TO BE BROKEN IN! SHE NEEDS TO BE RODE INTO THE GROUND! GODS DAMMIT SHE NEEDS TO FUCKING FLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY SIDE SCREAMING HER HEAD OFF!"

Somewhere in that screeching she'd dropped her staff and was shaking Harry by his collar. He couldn't help but be amused. "If you want a ride all you have to do is ask."

"YOU'RE GODS-BE-DAMNED RIGHT I WANT A FUCKING RIDE!"

"Okie dokie" he answered calmly, before pulling out his wallet, ignoring the woman trying to yank his shirt off and give him whiplash in the same movement. He pulled out the hotel key and held it out to Ichiya, who was the more calm of the two, though completely bemused by her friend's reaction to a car.

"This is the passkey to my hotel room; the name is on the front obviously. The penthouse suite. I doubt I'm making it back tonight, so you two can crash there. Tomorrow 'Toma here gets her ride and you two have your story."

"You're just going to trust us with a penthouse key? Just like that?" Ichiya asked incredulously. Harry just shrugged.

"Money truly is no big deal to me. I've enough of it I could have a dozen great-grandkids and they'd never have to work a day in their lives. If you two destroy the room, I'll lose the money but will gain the knowledge you two can't be trusted, and next time I won't be so nice to either of you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't have a safehouse ready, yet. I just bought a place sometime this past week, but it hasn't been brought up to speed. Honestly, hearing how many Sekireis are being winged unwillingly puts a very bad taste in my mouth. More so, that M.B.I. is going to have near-total control of Tokyo for this game is already pissing me off. Over the past week I've discovered just how many people I'm acquainted with are involved, including my ex-professional relationship with your Ashikabi. Who is Kocho, by the way? Is she that woman with the glasses that was hanging out with him and Kakizaki?"

The two girls blinked at the segue, their minds searching for who he was talking about. "Yeah, that's probably her. She's Kakizaki's Sekirei, and he works for Higa, so she does as well. She's the brains of his little troupe."

"Thought so. Anyways, I bought some land and a place here in Tokyo. I'm going to be here awhile and wanted to have my own place, but it's not ready yet. In the meantime, you two can stay at my hotel suite tonight. Tomorrow, we can figure out what to do next, whether you bother returning to Higa at all or not."

Both girls' eyebrows raised at that, and they shared a look. "But tonight, crash there. Maybe I'll be back tonight, maybe not. Depends on how this conversation goes. If so, I've got another key to get in. Feel free to make yourselves at home, just don't try to access the trunk next to the TV. Trust me, you won't be able to get into it, so you'd be wasting your time." Pulling out his phone, he checked the time and realized he'd long passed the hour he told Uzume.

"Alright, you two get going. Homura and I will deal with your friend here. That girl you were chasing, what is her power or ability?"

"Blades. Has the two large V-shaped blades that she keeps up her sleeves, those are her primary. But also, a rack of throwing knives on each hip, and rope darts up her sleeves as well. That's how she escaped in the first place, hit a tree out a window and swung away."

"I think I'm going to like this girl" Harry muttered, shaking his head. "Alright, thanks. Get going, I'll see you two tomorrow." He tilted his head in the direction of the hotel, and with one last shared look, they nodded at him and took off, disappearing into the night.

"What are you thinking, Black-sama?" Kagari asked, stepping up next to him. The entire night's events went from simple extraction to incomprehensible mayhem. He'd worked as a host for a long time, and never seen someone dismantle a woman, let alone two, as easily as EJ had. 'Then again, he's an Ashikabi and they're Sekirei. Winged or not, they're naturally susceptible to Ashikabis. If she was right, being winged unwillingly dampens the bond a bit, enabling Sekirei to look outside their Ashikabis, giving EJ an edge. Plus, this magic he uses certainly gives him another edge, and he's not bad looking, plus apparently rich, and has confidence to boot. Yeah, those two never really stood a chance. But Karasuba? Still having a hard time believing that one.'

"I originally thought to put some marks on her to show that girl fought back. But, honestly, now that I'm about to, it suddenly seems wrong. But, she's another Ashikabi's Sekirei, a man I despise. And apparently has been helping capture and forcefully wing other Sekirei for her Ashikabi, so I should. But, she's unconscious. It's too easy. Need to create the scene for the story. She's defenseless. You see the frustration."

"You want to create a few knife wounds so when M.B.I. reports how she was terminated, it would appear she fought back. But you don't want to do it to a girl unable to fight back herself." When he nodded, the Guardian went on.

"To be completely honest, I'm not even sure if M.B.I. reports how a Sekirei was terminated, just that they were. As those two seem to believe she's going to have knife wounds in the morning, it's their word against the possible lack of word from M.B.I."

"True. But, if I know anything about Higa, or at least people like him, he's got someone in M.B.I. on his payroll. More likely, a handful of someones ignorant of each other. So, while M.B.I. themselves might not report it, someone inside will. That's the problem."

"I'm guessing the fact you use magic is supposed to be a secret?"

He nodded. "We're not supposed to use it in front of non-magicals, or NOMAs as they're called here in Japan. It's a breach of the Statute of Secrecy. Higa isn't a Wizard, so having them tell him I took her out using magic isn't feasible. He might be a squib, which is a person born with magic but unable to use it, but I wouldn't be able to tell without scanning him."

"Why is that?" Kagari was trying to follow along, but came up with more questions than he was getting answers to.

"Because even NOMAs have magic to some degree. They just can't utilize it whatsoever. Squibs have a somewhat larger volume of it, but no core to focus it. There's an ability called Mage Sight that I used to have, but I lost it when I underwent a ritual that enhanced my durability."

"Why'd you do that?" Not that he knew what Mage Sight was, but from the fiction books he'd read, magical rituals usually weren't anything to mess around with. He wondered how accurate those novels actually were in that regard.

"Long story requiring lots of alcohol. Another night that isn't tonight" he waived off before turning back to the girl. He cocked his head, a new idea coming to mind. "Hmmm… Homura, as the Guardian, have you ever taken a crest while defending an unwinged Sekirei?"

"Yeah, twice, the second time was Number 43 an hour ago." He turned a questioning look at him. "The one with the scythe that fought Musubi. Why?"

"I think I've a better idea than blades. You. You're well-known to defend the un-winged. A little burnt clothing, and you simply caught her mid-jump with a fireball. She landed badly, getting knocked out. Seeing as her head cracked a bit from my stun spell, it already fits. Her crash-landing and your surprise attack startle her friends long enough for that girl to get away into my car. Leaving their comrade, they chased after me. You came in and took the crest of this one before following us."

"Certainly a lot simpler than the blades idea. And much more believable, from what they told us" Kagari nodded, lighting a hand on fire. "This will only put a bigger target on your back, you know. And mine."

"It's Higa, I really don't care what target he thinks he put on my back. I've been dealing with ponces like him in one form or another my entire life. As for you, you're already a target being unwinged AND interfering with Sekirei captures, and that was before tonight, let alone meeting me. That girl was nearly dead when I took her back to Izumo. I was afraid I'd killed her when I tackled her so abruptly. Practically ribs and bones, and I'm pretty sure she actually passed out from exhaustion during the apparation, which is beyond insane. No. I'm taking her under my personal protection. And, I have a feeling I'm more involved in this 'game' than I've been aware of."

Kagari frowned at him, and he just shook his head. "Later, when we get back. Like I said, very long discussion tonight. Think I'll stop and grab some alcohol, I'm going to need it. Fry her, take her crest, and I'll pop us back."

"There's a convenience store with a liquor license about 3 blocks northeast of the Inn. Miya actually forbids Sekirei from arriving at high-speeds, so expect a chew-out for simply appearing in her yard. Granted, you rescued someone so she'll likely let you off this time, but still, better not to antagonize her."

While saying this, he'd burnt enough of the girl's clothes to look like she took damage, but not enough to be inappropriate. After a quick discussion of nearest parks, Harry popped over to one, which Homura simply jumped to, due to how close it was. After taking her crest, they waited 'til M.B.I. choppers were on their way. Then they clasped arms and disappeared into the night with a small *crack*.


Half an hour later the duo, with Homura having changed out of his Guardian outfit somehow, walked back into Izumo Inn. "Honey, I'm home!" Harry called out. A shriek followed by thundering feet and a leaping blonde later, he was holding Gabby to himself whispering reassurances to her about being okay.

"Well, that certainly took a lot long than you said to Uzume" came a sweet voice from the doorway. Miya was there, hands clasped and relaxed. Or, at least that was the persona she displayed, Harry realized. After the events of the day, he was beginning to analyze everything about everyone he'd encountered in ways he'd not needed to do so in years. And at the moment, Miya was more akin to a momma tiger eyeing a potential threat to her cubs, poised and ready to pounce with sweet vengeance. Harry truly wondered for the first time since he was 15 if he'd survive the encounter.

"Made a couple new friends, sent them to our hotel room for the night to hide out. Learned a few new things, too. Not entirely sure what to make of it all."

"Oh? And what things would that be?"

"Long is the list, Miss Asama. And great is the volume of liquor I have with me. I fear we, meaning I, might likely need it before this night is out."

"I must admit I wonder if that is so. I do hope you intend to share, as I would greatly appreciate a drink myself. After all, you are my guest here." That demon visage came out, and Harry couldn't help but internally marvel at it. 'I really need to learn that trick.'

"Of course, Miya. That is a nice little trick you have there, but it was unnecessary. I do hope you share its secret with me in the near future" he added, and she smiled the demon's smile that had everyone but him slightly trembling.

He laughed. "Right, then. I've no idea where to start this conversation, so how about we move to the table, and you two fill me in and what you discussed?"

"That is acceptable. I daresay I have quite a few questions of my own. And also" she added, her voice turning hard, "there is the question of what you specifically are doing here. However," she relapsed into her landlady persona, "Gabby-san has told me about your theory, so for now we will have a truce."

'Whatever it was that happened must have been horrific.' "Agreed." With that, and after doubly reassuring his bond-mate, they moved to the dining area. Everyone sans Kusono, Akitsu and the unknown girl were present, which raised his question. "How are Akitsu and the two little ones?"

"All are asleep at the moment. Akitsu under whatever spell you put her under, Ku ate too much dinner, coupled with being in that forest for several days, and Number 40 has not woken yet. I admit I am very worried about her; she does not appear to have eaten in some time."

Harry nodded sadly. "That was my conclusion as well. I had hoped she'd wake long enough to eat, but she is also exhausted. A delicate issue." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I can magic some food into her stomach. It's not recommended but she'll get the nutrients she needs. Tomorrow, when she wakes I'll have a potion that'll keep her awake long enough to eat, then knock her back out for another 24 hours."

"Magic seems a wonderous thing, Doctor Black" Miya verbalized, a thoughtful look on her face.

"It can be, yes. That's why I became a doctor; to use it to help people."

"Is that the only reason? It has nothing to do with your military experience?" Miya asked, surprising everyone. Harry turned a questioning look at Gabby, who was shaking her head quickly. He thought it over, about to sign it off as a blind guess or remarkable deduction, when he almost absently looked at Musubi. And there it was, the violet, intelligent eyes that'd been plaguing him, not the innocent and free chocolate brown ones.

"Ah. So you decided to show yourself for this meeting, did you?" She just nodded slowly, and everyone besides Miya looked confused, though she was capable at hiding her emotions, so she may just be doing that. Minato was doubly so than anyone else.

"What do you mean? Is Musubi not supposed to be here?"

He glanced at Minato, thinking quickly. He glanced at Miya, whose confusion was starting to show, but seemed to grasp what he wanted to know, and nodded at him. Harry just shook his head. 'Because why not. It's not as if this night can get any stranger.'

"That's not Musubi, Sahashi" he began. Before said boy could respond, he held up a hand. "It's Musubi's body, yes, but the person you see is not her. Please, tell the class who you are." Though being polite, he left no room for argument in his voice, and he saw a quick dilation of her eyes before she responded.

"It certainly took you long enough to ask, Ha- EJ-sama." Harry took a quick glance at everyone to see if they caught the near slip-up. To no one's surprise - well, no one if they'd realized it - Miya was the only one who did, shown by the quick glance his way. "I am the Sekirei of Fate: Number 8, Yume."


A/N: Ok, so the big reveal isn't all that big for those familiar with the Sekirei canon. For those of y'all who think this story is eratic: it's supposed to feel that way.

Most of this story is from HP's perspective, and what he knows is broken information that he's piecing together as he bullshits his way forward.

The amnesia feels like a cop-out: I assure you it is not. It serves a purpose, a purpose that'll be revealed in due time.

Until next chapter, Ciao!