A/N: Sorry for multiple updates. Changed cover info, changed title of the chapter, and realized an error in the chapter itself after posting. Sorry!
Still not British or Japanese.
April 18, 2020
Saturday
Downtown Tokyo
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The week following Chiho's escape was quite mellow in comparison. At least for Harry Potter and company. None of Izumo's resident's were aware of what had occurred in Higa's office, nor of the hunt that had ensued. Nor were any particularly concerned, either. They'd seen nor heard neither hide nor hair of anyone from the East, and were content to leave things be. Harry did have the occasional stray thought it was too quiet, but wasn't going to complain about some peace.
Kusano, or Ku, as everyone had taken to calling her, had quickly wormed her way into everyone's heart. Even Harry had been surprised at how much he smiled when she was around, and took plenty of time to play with her. This endeared him quite heavily to Miya, who had pseudo-adopted the girl. Uzume had started a betting pool on when Ku would wing herself to Minato, and had been nearly scared shitless when Miya called her out on it, before placing her own bet with a slight chuckle.
Chiho was regaining her strength again quickly. Harry had been correct in assuming there were some "additions" included in her meals and IV bags, and had quickly flushed those out of her system. What really rocked the boat was how, in just over a week's time, again with some potion help, she was managing to walk from her room to the washroom on crutches slowly. Very, very slowly. But that she was able to do it so quickly surprised everyone: not the least of which was EJ. While being a squib made the potions themselves more effective, as opposed to being a NOMA, the rate of recovery was remarkable even still. He absently wondered if being an Ashikabi had anything to do with it, but certainly wasn't going to complain. The downside - at least, according to Chiho and Uzume - being that just the night before, Miya had assigned her a room of her own, much to the two women's chagrin.
Harry and Gabby had moved out the previous Sunday: vacating both the hotel and Izumo not that they'd actually moved in. They'd later learn how fortunate their timing was in leaving the penthouse early. The place they'd bought was conveniently only a block away, and the Yokai - one of several long-time rivals of the Goblins - had told them it was fully warded. He had to hand it to the strange race, they certainly rivaled the Goblins in warding, as there'd been a few wards he himself didn't even recognize. No wonder the Goblins had so much difficulty expanding into Asia.
Having done so, they'd offered Chiho and Uzume room and board. They'd initially accepted, but Miya countered with the knowledge Chiho would have a larger support base at Izumo. Even Harry couldn't deny the truth of that. Besides, it wasn't as if they wouldn't be at Izumo more often than not. After much discussion, it was agreed that if Izumo reached capacity, overflow could start going to their new place as a safehouse.
Also in the meantime, Harry had officially met Seo, and learned how to spell his name. Apparently Seo was an old friend of Takehito's, and was every bit the lazy bum Harry pegged him as. That he'd met the man while he was coming to bum food was a prime example, and that his two Sekirei had to drag him away, whilst heavy 20 kilo of rice apiece, added to it.
The only real downside of the week for the green-eyed doctor had been Shi. While grateful to Harry for rescuing her, she was near-deathly afraid of him. The wizard reasoned being abruptly kidnapped, even for her own sake, likely had a hand in that opinion. Anytime he'd enter the room, she'd freeze and duck behind someone, usually Kagari or Miya. Sometimes even Minato, much to the smaller man's surprise.
Being unwinged, she had admitted to Gabby that she knew Harry was an Ashikabi, as a small part of her wanted him to wing her. But that was mostly out of gratitude than personal desire. She'd further confessed that it was Minato who she wanted, but was afraid to make that commitment, thinking it insulting to the one who rescued her. In one of the few actual conversations they managed to have, with both Miya and Gabby there as buffers, Harry gently refused her small desire to be his Sekirei, saying, "such a long-term commitment should be of your own free will, not as repayment or obligation. I am honored by the consideration, but I must decline."
It did surprise all that the small Sekirei, in a sporadic bout of courage, leapt over and hugged him profusely, repeating "thank you thank you thank you." It was several moments, after he managed to overcome his surprise and gently hug her back, before she regained her composure. And, with a cute squeak, bolted from the room, and right into Minato who'd been happening by. The collision was adorable between the two young and awkward teens, before their respective embarrassments at the predicament sent them both running in opposite directions. It was no surprise to Harry that Minato's overt kindness, and much less abrasive personality, was winning her over. Not to mention the adorable interactions such as what he'd just witnessed, and so began another betting pool for the knife-thrower. After the trio stopped their laughter, that was.
But as with all good things, the peace was bound to come to an end. And that end began with a young woman and young man absently careening into each other.
Harry and Gabby had been out wandering around, exploring for the most part. The week had been fun, crazy, interesting, and more than a little frustrating. The ritual to return Harry's memory had failed them, somehow. They checked, double checked, triple checked, even went to Japan's version of Diagon Alley in Osaka: though why there wasn't one in Tokyo confused both of them. They'd bought a book on rituals in Japanese and had Miya AND Chiho translate for them, just in case. Still nothing.
So, they resigned to it just coming back normally. Harry kept thinking he was overlooking something, but every time he thought he had it, it slipped away. The madness was getting to him, to both of them, which was why'd they taken to long walks through the city.
On this particular day, they were wandering around and had just glimpsed a young, black-haired woman crash into an even younger-looking silver-haired man. The bonded couple had taken notice, as the guy's silver hair was remarkably similar to Kagari's. They were about to move over and question them when two women suddenly landed on the rooftop near the observed duo. Both Harry and Gabby instantly recognized Akitsu, and took off running as the other woman's whip cracked the pavement where the young, new couple had just vacated, and were sprinting down the street with surprising speed.
To their surprise, Kagari showed up, from where neither knew, and was having a conversation/ argument with the whip-carrying woman. They slowed to a walk as they approached.
"Even though we lost Number 107, maybe we should just take you instead" the girl voiced, cracking her whip and wrapping it around Kagari. Laughing in victory, she turned towards them. "And what do you two want? Get out of here before you get hurt!"
"Before we get hurt?" Gabby scoffed. "Please little girl, you may as well surrender now if you want to walk away from here in one piece."
"How dare you threaten me! Don't you know who I am?"
"A little prepubescent child with entitlement issues? Please, nothing about you scares me."
"I am Number 38, Mizuha! And I will collect as many Sekirei as I can for my Master!"
"Didn't I already tell you?" Kagari interrupted, the air around him heating up. "You can't beat me!" His whole body caught aflame, and the whip was turned to ash.
Gabby was openly gawking at the man, her eyes alight in amazement as she stepped towards him, entranced by the flames. Harry just smiled, watching as his bond-mate's feathers slowly covered her arm as it entered the flames.
Homura hadn't initially realize EJ and Gabby were there until she was practically next to him. He had been distracted by Number 38, Mitsuha if he wasn't mistaken. It wasn't until he had flash-burned the whip off of him that Gabby's presence next to him was known. He had widened his eyes in alarm as she stretched her arm out, then in shock when she began playing with the fire, even holding some of it in her hand.
And if that didn't shock him, as he felt his heart racing faster in excitement, her outstretched arm was growing feathers! He had been reacting to Minato on a low-level basis since he moved in. It got worse since meeting EJ, and discovering he already had a Sekirei. Then Minato winged Musubi, and the reactions got worse. But, they were males. Despite both of them having good qualities, and some bad, they were male!
But, here was his dream, a woman that he was reacting too. More so, a woman that was enchanted by his fire, and wasn't getting burned by them! He didn't know what to make of it, and was completely distracted by this woman, until she suddenly tackled him to the ground.
He was stunned for a moment as to why, until the sound of a whip's *crack* reached his ears. The asphalt where he'd been standing was broken, and he looked up to see the woman still on the roof holding another whip. 'Spatial compression is a bitch sometimes. Who knows how many whips she has on her.' He became very aware of the woman on top of him, as she was slowly grinding against him, despite the circumstances.
Or because of the circumstances, he amended. He didn't know EJ very well, but he'd demonstrated enjoying trouble and chaos to psychologically disturbing degrees, and it was not a stretch that the woman on top of him did as well. 'OH SHIT! EJ! FUCK! She's with EJ BLACK!' The fire-user couldn't believe his luck, finding an Ashikabi who was with another man. So caught up in his inner turmoil, he missed the woman's second attack, that resulted in wrapping Gabby up in the whip this time.
Surprising both Sekirei, Gabby just laughed.
"What the hell is so funny, you puny pathetic human! You're interfering with my mission! I'm going to eliminate you!"
"How?" Gabby shouted at her, still slowly grinding Homura, much to his frustration. "You think this sorry excuse for a tie-down is enough to… what? Please. EJ-sama ties me up soooo much better than this! You're just a sexually repressed teenager with a fetish she's unable to capitalize on, so takes it out on unwilling victims."
This little diatribe was clearly working the girl up, and likely hitting home as she got more and more angry, even jumping up and down in a tantrum. "Shut up shut up shut UP!" she shouted the last, pulling on the whip, tightening the slack. This proved to be a mistake, as Gabby grabbed the whip with her free hand that neither Sekirei had noticed, and yanked back, pulling her off the roof in surprise.
With the slack that provided, it fell to the ground around her feet, and Homura had the unexpected imagery of her clothes doing the same, and had to fight back his own physical reaction to such. Gabby bent over and picked up the whip, rolling it up in her hands as she stood up before putting it in a pocket. Homura was still on the ground, and was again surprised as the pocket didn't bulge. 'More spatial compression! What the hell! Does she work for M.B.I.? No. Not likely. Especially with how much EJ seems to hate them. But… how? No. What if spatial compression is actually the result of magic? What if M.B.I. employs people able to do magic? But…" His inner monologue was cut off, as the golden blonde girl pulled out yet another whip, and was currently going Indiana Jones on Gabby, with little success. The lithe silvery blonde woman was dodging each lash with not much more than manipulating her torso, taking a step forward with each failed attack.
Screeching in anger, Mitsuha pulled out a fourth whip from under her skirt, double wielding them and with both, lashed out. Gabby just smirked, letting them wrap her up, arms and all.
"AHA! Get out of that you pathetic human! Now, stay there like a good girl while I capture Number 6 here." She stepped forward, holding both ends of the whip, tugging on them to ensure they were tight. While Homura was trying to look bored with the girl, but kept sending glances towards the other blonde, said blonde just began cackling.
"Oh you are adorable!" she mocked, shaking her head at the blue-eyed blonde. 'OOH! Blue eyes AND blonde! Wonder if I should bring her home for Harry?' "Once again, you think this is enough to capture ME? Puh-leeease!"
Number 38 was mixed between angry and confused, that this human was mocking her, her!, yet was still captured. "And how exactly does a weakling like yourself plan on escaping, huh? There's no one around that's going to help you."
"Mon dieu, c'est chiant. That's where you're wrong, child. I don't need my mate's help. He is busy with your partner up there. Hopefully really busy" she added with a waggle of her eyebrows. The black and yellow-dressed girl was confused for a moment, before red creeped up her face.
"Why... you… SLUT!" she screeched through her loss of words. Gabby couldn't help but laugh.
"Only when my master lets me be!" She added a shake of her butt to the statement, accented by being wrapped up by the whips that stopped conveniently at her waist-line. Even Homura was red in the face at that, his heart racing at the girl's open sexuality. "But, let's get on with this. All this excitement is making me horny, and I need to get him home so he can fuck my brains out."
"You're still my prisoner! I'm not going to just free you!" she screeched, pulling on the whips hard. To both her and Homura's surprise, Gabby jumped in the air. The ensuing tug pulled her as she flipped her body, and double kicked the woman in the chest, sending her somersaulting backwards. Gabby herself landed on her butt and back, then kicked-up and landed back on her feet.
"Word to the wise, kiddo" the Veela admonished, walking towards the girl who was slowly getting to her feet. "If you're going to wrap someone up to incapacitate them, get their legs as well. So they can't do THIS!" she nearly yelled the last, spinning and kicking the young Sekirei in the face with the back of her foot.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!" the younger girl screeched charging at Gabby. The woman braced herself, and both went rolling as Gabby was tackled. The tied-up girl pulled her knees to her chest, and pushed the Sekirei off of her. "So, you wanna fight, then?"
"I'm going to kill you!" she screeched, pulling out two more whips.
"Oh, you've got more? In that case..." Gabby shifted, her body transforming into the Elven-esque Harpy her people were suggested to have descended from. Her feet became talons, her hands that with only three digits, but several inch claws protruding from both. Homura froze, having gotten into a crouching position as he was standing up, watching the transformation with fascination. Every inch of skin visible had feathers of some sort covering it. At least he thought they were feathers, he couldn't be sure.
But that was nothing compared to what happened next, as her hands were suddenly alight. The fireballs were slowly circling the young woman's body, her fingers rotating as if juggling them before they became a solid ring of fire around her. "...You won't be needing these!" The ring of fire encased her like a cocoon, and when it dissipated, Gabby was standing there, a pile of ash at her feet, with a look of a predator staring down her prey.
And prey, the teenager was, as she quickly realized, before turning and high-tailing it down the street. Unfortunately for her, the transformed woman had impeccable aim with her fireballs, as one smacked in her the back of the head, and another between her shoulder blades, before a third hit her feet, sending her face-planting into the ground.
Another moment later, the girl had a body on her, holding her arms behind her and tying her up. Initially surprised, she started struggling too late, recognizing that her own whip had been used to bind her arms. She started screaming, but was suddenly gagged by a cloth being stuffed into her mouth. Her legs summarily followed, tying her at the ankles, then tying ankles and wrists together.
Gabby, still high on adrenaline, picked up the girl by the whips holding her together, and carried her like a rucksack over her shoulder, skipping back to where Homura was still blinking owlishly at her. She dropped her cargo, before dragging Homura into a scorching kiss, then grinded against him with a wink.
Turning around and looking up at the roof where she saw Harry and Akitsu still talking, she frowned at the lack of action before molting, returning to her normal self. She plopped down on Cargo's back, and made herself comfy in the crook of the girl's tied up arms.
.
"Well, well, Akitsu. We meet again." While the whip-wielder was distracted by Gabby and Homura, Harry had apparated behind the duo on the roof. The stoic woman merely turned, completely unsurprised and un-phased by his sudden emergence behind her.
"Greetings, Potter. You appear to be well." Inwardly he winced. No honorific, no familiarity, he truly had fallen far in her eyes. Once again, he couldn't blame her: a decade-absent Ashikabi he had been, and even upon reemerging in Japan he'd not sought her out. He knew he had good reason for it, but it didn't diminish the scorn she must've felt.
"Greetings, Akitsu. I am well, thank you. I am also glad to see you are well. It is unfortunate that we must meet again under these circumstances.
"My Ashikabi has tasked me with capturing un-winged Sekirei. I aim to complete that task" she responded. "You are merely an obstacle that must be overcome or eliminated. As well as your lady-friend" she added, absently pointing towards Gabby. Neither looked, but both could hear the sounds of the fight going on, and the whip-woman's loud screeches of frustration.
"You will not touch Gabby, Akitsu. She is no danger to you, so you will leave her out of it."
"I will do what I must to fulfill my Ashikabi's objective" she responded, still in that emotionless monotone. "Maybe I will capture her as well."
"She is not a toy to merely be collected. Nor is she a creature. She's a human being, just like you. Saying you're going to 'collect' Sekirei or 'capture' my bond-mate demeans them, and I'll not have it."
At hearing him refer to Gabby as his bond-mate, she raised an eyebrow. "I see. So, I was not good enough as your Sekirei, so you replaced me with another. Then I suppose I shall simply eliminate her entirely to demonstrate how much of a lesser being she is than I."
Harry just shook his head. "I did not 'replace' you, Akitsu. Until we ran into each other at the park, I didn't even remember you."
"So not only was I not good enough, I was not even worth remembering? I see. That is why you abandoned me. I shall endeavor not to be so easily forgotten or ignored by my Ashikabi "
"I would greatly appreciate if you stopped putting words in my mouth, Akitsu. I said none of those things. That I didn't remember you was outside of my control." She didn't answer, but he could feel the temperature in the immediate area dropping. "How much do you remember about me from 10 years ago, Akitsu?"
"Everything, Potter. Everything. Every conversation, every moment we spent together; sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with Yume as well, I remember every second of it, Potter."
"So you remember that I am able to do magic, then, right?"
"I believe I just said as much, Potter."
"Then you should know that magic is capable of many things, Akitsu. Including the ability to manipulate memories."
"Ah. So you used this 'magic' of yours to remove your memories of me. So it was not simply I was forgettable, but you were so repulsed that you intentionally forgot me. If this is your attempt at reacquainting, then I must insist you desist from this action."
"Maybe if you stopped jumping to ill-conceived conclusions, Akitsu, we'd arrive to my point." She said nothing, nor reacted in any physical way, so he continued. "I did not intentionally or unintentionally forget you, Akitsu. Truth in fact, I've been slowly remembering you, Yume, and anyone else I interacted with those two weeks. The people I worked for at the time, Monarch, removed my memory of the visit. Why? I do not know. The night we last saw each other, I contacted my former superior after you left. He refused to tell me what all they did to me, nor why they did it. Since then, Gabby and I have tried half a dozen rituals to return the memories to me, or remove the blocks, but nothing has worked.
"More importantly, just standing here talking with you, I've remembered a few more things about you: I remember your favorite color, Lilac. Jasmine tea with two teaspoons of honey and one splash of buttermilk is your favorite drink, though you were fond of the Mountain Dew and Peanut M&Ms combination I introduced you to. I snuck you out of the lab the second night we met, and took you to a pizza place, where we had one with steak and shrimp on it, a first combination for me, and the first pizza for you."
Throughout the monologue, Akitsu stood there, stoic as always, hands clasped before her. But, if one were to look at her eyes, closely, they could see a slight softening of them as she was pulled into the memories with the man standing across from her.
Said man looked down and shook his head. "We kissed the first time that night as well. You went to kiss my cheek and I turned to say something, and we connected. I remember falling out of chair I was in: from both your wings sprouting and surprise at being kissed. I remember apologizing to you nearly a dozen times, and almost left you at the restaurant because I'd kissed someone who wasn't Yume."
He kicked an imaginary rock on the ground, a slight smile on his face at the remembrance. "I'd made it nearly two blocks full sprint before I realized just how much trouble I'd be in for leaving you behind. Then I spent another hour apologizing for THAT." He looked up at the woman, taking a step forward. "I remember Yume nearly crushing me to death in happiness that I'd winged you, and I spent the entire next day pinching myself that me, the scrawny, emotionally damaged, 15 year old boy, had TWO beautiful, older women eager to kiss me as often as I wanted.
"I remember, Akitsu. And it's thanks to you that I do." He took another step forward towards the still- stalwart woman. "Bits and pieces come and go, but the longer I'm around you, the more about you I'm remembering." He stepped forward again, and was now within arm's reach of her. "I made you a promise I had every intention of keeping. I failed to keep it, I admit. And though the memory of it was taken from me, I failed to do enough to return to you." He stepped forward again, reaching out to caress her hands, looking down at them, deep in thought before meeting her eyes.
"I failed you, Akitsu. Badly. I failed Yume, equally as badly. She has been imprisoned for a decade due to my failure. You were left alone, due to my failure." He brought the clasped hands to his lips, kissing them before lowering them, but not releasing them. "No one in their right mind would blame you for what you did. I cannot imagine the pain you went through being so alone. I also cannot apologize enough, nor could I. There aren't enough words to express how sorry I am. You entrusted me with your heart and I broke it." He took a deep breath, not realizing until that moment just how much the past week had been weighing down on him. And as he kept talking, the full gravity of the past decade was catching up to him in regards to the two Sekirei he'd bonded to all those years ago.
"I would love to just blame it all on my being an ignorant and naive 15 year old, one being hounded by my own problems, one unable and unwilling to fight back against the system he had sworn to obey and protect. It would be so easy. But I won't. I messed up. Even without my memories, I knew something was missing, that some parts of the story I'd been told didn't add up. I knew someone was looking for me, the rumors had reached my ears of a beautiful woman seeking me out. But, once again, I failed. I let the environment I was subjected to dissuade me from following my instincts. I chose the easy way out, putting it all behind me so I could focus only on what I was doing."
He rubbed his thumb over the woman's hands, debating on how much he should reveal to her when they were on such tentative speaking terms. Part of him wanted to reveal everything, try to win her over with the truth. But, despite their past, and how dedicated she was to him, it did only last two weeks. And while he had an understanding of the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi, she had already told him she'd broken it, so there was no guarantee anything he said now would be kept secret.
Everything in him was practically screaming to just grab her and run. But he didn't. He couldn't. He needed her to come back willingly, of her own volition. Something inside him told him that was a terrible idea, that nobility wouldn't work in this case, that it wasn't the correct approach, but he shoved it down. After leaving her for nearly a decade, what right did he have to waltz back into her life as if nothing had changed? So he relented, and with a deep sigh made his decision.
"Are you happy with your Ashikabi?" Once again, he was viewer to the sheer absence of emotion, as the segue didn't even faze the woman.
"I am pleased that I was accepted anywhere, being a discarded number" she answered in that grating monotone. "Mikogami-sama asked me to join him, and I accepted, because no one else wanted me. I was condemned to wander alone until the end of the Game, but Mikogami-sama wanted me. He gave me a purpose, somewhere to belong to."
"You didn't answer my question, Akitsu" Harry replied, hopefully the jealousy he was feeling was not prevalent in his voice.
"I have answered it as much as I am going to at this time, Potter-shi." Harry took a step back at being addressed as such, releasing her hands as he did. He'd not have felt worse or more surprised if she'd smacked him in the face with a sledgehammer. The absence of an honorific would've been preferable. She turned and glanced at the ground, where Gabby was sitting on her partner for the day, who was hogtied at the moment. "It would appear our attempt at capturing 107 has failed, as has the subsequent attempt at capturing Number 6." She turned back towards the Potter scion, who was still reeling. "Thus, our conversation is at an end. My Ashikabi will not be happy that you have interfered yet again."
She started walking past Harry, who suddenly awoke from his daze and grabbed her hand. "Wait… please." Akitsu didn't look at him, but remained still nonetheless. "As I said before, there aren't enough words for how sorry I am. I…" It was not often that words failed Harry, especially when talking to women. It was even less often he was on the groveling end of it. But he found himself struggling now, and was nearing just collapsing to his knees and begging her forgiveness.
He could beg her with words, bribe her with being able to reverse whatever they did to her. Give her back her empathic abilities. He could do just about anything she wanted. But what value would any of it have, if it wasn't what she wanted? "Anyway, my mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect." Luna's voice echoed in his head, and he felt himself releasing his hold on the woman's hand.
"Be careful, Akitsu" He finally muttered, feeling the emotions catching up to him. She turned her head slightly towards him. "Despite what you think and feel about me, and I deserve it all, I do care about you. Please, be careful."
She considered him for a few moments. Neither moved, neither spoke, it wasn't even certain either were breathing. Until she nodded her head slightly. "Until we meet again, Potter-san." He closed his eyes, a small trickle of tears squeezing out as she jumped away.
.
April 19, 2020
Secret Room, Izumo Inn
0100
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"107 found, eh? By Sahashi's sister, no less. He'll be surprised when he finds out. I can't believe he's managed to avoid Ku so long from winging her. Miya certainly doing her best to win the bet, hehehe." Fingers fly across a keyboard as a few images pop up on a collection of monitors.
"Sahashi Minato, age 19. Birthday, September 15, 2000. Failed the Tokyo U entrance exams twice, though was second in his class in high school. School counselor suggests he has Test Anxiety, directly contributing to his failing to make valedictorian.
"Winged Number 88 Musubi, who is currently sharing her body with Number 8 Yume, which is… for another time to consider. Chosen Sekirei by Number 108 Kusano, and if the collective observations are to be believed, also the chosen Sekirei of Number 40: Shi. Younger sister Sahashi Yukari likely to wing 107, if her googly eyes towards the pretty boy are any indication.
"Father, unknown, though I've a suspicion. Mother is… yeah. If he's going to be surprised at his sister's involvement, wait until he finds out his own mother's involvement. Known family total of four members: sister, mother, grandmother and himself. No mention nor assistance from father in any medical history.
"Overall observation? General nice guy, passive personality, kind-hearted, highly intelligent but succumbs to pressure and insecurity. Inferiority complex towards strong women. Physically speaking, he is slender but not pencil-then, messy black hair and soft eyes, your general cute wimp that you just wanna hold and protect. Despite everything going against him, he is highly protective of those close to him. And, while generally unremarkable, I can't deny that I'm reacting to him.
"However…"
Several more keystrokes, and another four screens displayed information on another person.
"You, I'm reacting to heavily, you green-eyed adonis.
"Doctor Evan James Black. Age 24, birthday July 31, 1995. Parents, unknown. No record of him before July 2005. Put up for adoption by unknown parties. Adopted by parties under false aliases that were summarily destroyed the next day, until formally and publicly adopted by his godfather Sirius Orion Black in May 2008. Rumored to have been associated with Monarch, but unconfirmed. Sirius Black deceased June 2012. Cause unknown. EJ Black assumed to have received entirety of inheritance, no known benefactors from godfather's passing. Hmm...
"Hacking into Monarch remains a low priority due to lack of necessity or known activity in Japan, or Eastern Asia in general." The figure picked up an old-school tape recorder. "Note to self: re-evaluate Monarch threat assessment, and any potential connections to current events." She returned it to her bosom and continued on.
"Homeschooled, received his Bachelor's at the age of 17, fast-tracked through Medical school, focus on virology and epidemiology, multiple Doctorates at age 20 and opened his own practice at age 21 as a concierge doctor.
"Married to… wait, married? …one, Daphne Greengrass of Wales in May, 2015. Wife died… oh shit… in childbirth, Halloween night, 2016. News outlets say hospital was attacked by terrorists, and hospital reports say Daphne Black, who was visiting for a checkup, went into premature labor as a result. Neither the wife nor child survived.
"Black disappears from public eye for several months, seen only when travelling for work. Took no new cases until August 2018, when contacted by Hidaka Maru, and wife Hidaka Sanyu. That brought him to Japan to first meeting our third resident Ashikabi, Hidaka Chiho. Surprisingly, I am not reacting to her at all. I suppose that reaffirms my primary attraction to males, with a passing interest in females. Something to think about later.
"Digressing, current beau Gabrielle Delacour, daughter of Sebastien and Apolline Delacour, aristocrats in the French government. Sebastien has declined running for minister four times despite party pressure. A magazine article from 2018 stated they had known each other for 9 years at that point, suggesting they met when Black was only 13 or 14, and got together early 2018. Hmm, something to look into, possibly? Both were seen fornicating in the French Riviera May 2018 with Julia Rajoy, daughter of the Spanish Prime Minister. Ooh, you really do like the high class ladies, don't you? The association rumored to have led to the Vote of No Confidence, resulting in the Minister's removal from office. Ouch, sorry pal. Oh, I take that back. Somewhat. Rajoy had publicly claimed to be his illegitimate daughter, but was later discovered to be… well, that's an ugly mess. Sorry, not sorry Minister, you're still a sleazeball. Wonder if they've recovered all that money yet? They never did determine how much, maybe I should find the rest and re-appropriate it? Hmm…" she added further instructions to her recorder before returning to her screen, "something else to think about.
"So, Doctor Black, you've a lot of pictures and information since 2013. With the exception of your University enrollment, of which all classes were done remotely, there's almost no record of you before then. Heck, none at all before your adoption. Where did you come from, Mystery Man? Who are you really? AND HOW THE HELL ARE YOU PREVENTING ME FROM LISTENING TO YOUR CONVERSATIONS!?"
The short-burst temper tantrum resulted in her frustration being mirrored digitally by all her screens, as eight copies of her digital self were pulling their hair out as well.
"AHGHGHGH! What is he doing to my network? Both he and this Delacour girl keep preventing me from listening in. Cameras and mic's keep shorting out, or just picking up a buzzing sound. Does it have to do with that little stick that the French bird pulled out from her sleeve before my cameras go blind? It has to be magic. I've never thought magic was actually real, but after what she showed Miya before Black woke up, I am forced to admit magic is real. Which only brings up more questions.
"And speaking of the bird…" she settled down, more keystrokes as an ATM camera feed came up, showing Gabby turning into the bird-like being the day before. "There is even less information about you except that which is associated with Mr Black or your father. I was lucky to even find this footage, and after a dozen programs to clean it up, I still can't get it any better. If it wasn't for Doctor Black being there, I'd have thought it was just another Sekirei. Wonder what happened to Homura? He's been locked up in his room ever since they returned. The Frenchie didn't wing him, so what's the problem? A failed winging? Is that even possible?
"Gahhh…" she droned whiningly. "I already hate magic. It's illogical. Being able to create things from nothing? That breaks the laws of physics in so many ways. And the other things she mentioned, like transforming one thing into another? And potions? Alchemy, transmutation, next you're going to tell me werewolves and vampires are real too." She suddenly straightened up in a panic. "BAD MATSU BAD! You just jinxed yourself. Though… a dragon would be pretty neat to see. I wonder if cerberuses… cerberi?... are real. Or chimaeras? Maybe a sphinx! Hmmm… this requires more investigation. The problem is, if we accept that what she is saying is true, and magic is real, then it is highly unlikely they're the only two magic-users on the planet.
"Extrapolating from there, it would not be illogical to assume that an entire magical community exists. It does call into question how many 'magicians' are actually magical and using showmanship as a cover. It would be fairly clever of them. That being said, if a community does exist, if it is large enough, a government would exist as well. All this alludes to a secret society that has lived in the shadows for years, centuries even.
"Suddenly, the witch hunts of old have a lot more weight to them. But, if any are as capable as these two, it is unlikely that any actual witches were caught. But, that's a theory for another time.
"Whatever's going on with those two, I need to get to the bottom of it. Besides…" and an evil smile appeared, her glass eyes glinting over, "they're both so open about their sexuality, they'd be perfect for some experiments, heh heh heh." She began drooling, losing herself in her imagination as hands slid down her bodice.'
.
1330
.
"What's this talk about ghosts?" Harry and Gabby had come over, loaded up with food, deciding to treat Izumo Inn to lunch. Miya was particularly surprised by it, but relinquished them the kitchen. She was hardly going to turn down a free meal, especially when she found herself slightly drooling by the smells. She was quick to wipe it away, but Harry's knowing smirk suggested he didn't miss it.
They were placing the dishes on the table when the topic of ghosts had come up. Ku had seemed particularly concerned about it, and was refusing to leave Minato's lap.
"Ku-chan left her room last night, and apparently saw a ghost" Miya provided, laughing gently. "I found her in the room of Sahashi-san, and I thought he took her and was having her evil way with her." She tittered at that, while Minato was giving fire trucks a run for their money in how red he was in embarrassment.
"It wasn't like that, Miya-san!" he shouted, waving his hands in front of him. "She was so scared! I went looking for it, but I didn't find anything."
"Don't tell me you're afraid of a widdle ghost, Ku-tan" Harry stuck his lip out at her, and she stood up right quick, hands on her hips.
"I am not LITTLE!" She charged Harry, who pretended to fall over at being tackled. "I'll show you little, EJ-EEEK!" Her adorable, childish rant was cut off by EJ's sudden tickling of her, and she was shrieking in laughter as she fought to get away. There were smiles all around.
A few minutes later as they settled down, Ku plopped herself in Black's lap, dragging her bowl over to her. Minato turned a questioning eye towards him, and Harry just shrugged, both missing the knowing looks between the girls.
"So tell me, Ku-chan, what did this ghost look like?"
She had a spoonful of food in her mouth, and became pensive while she chewed. "Well… she was an Onii-san with long, hair. It was too dark to see what color it was, but it looked like two branches hanging down the front." Harry turned a confused glance towards Gabby and Uzume. The blonde pulled a handful of hair together to her chest, twisting it and mouthed "braid" to him in English, to which Harry "o'ed" silently and turned back towards the girl, who was still thinking.
"She also had glasses, and a creepy smile. And wore a long dress to her ankles." Uzume had a lightbulb moment that Miya quickly cut off with her demon look.
"Ahh! That must be…"
"Uzume-san…"
"NOPE! No one I know! Heh heh heh." She backpedaled quickly, earning a chuckle from her Ashikabi and Gabby who were next to her. Harry raised a questioning eyebrow towards the landlady, and flicked his eyes up towards the unaccounted for area. Miya merely smiled, turning her attention to Minato.
"How can there be a ghost here? There's little chance something like that will show itself here."
"Ah heh heh yeah… she must've been dreaming" Minato agreed weakly, succumbing to the demonic allure. Harry had to purse his lips to keep from laughing.
"You know, Ku-chan, ghosts aren't really that scary."
"What do you mean, EJ-sama? The ghost I saw last night was REALLY scary."
"Was she really scary, or were you just surprised to see them?"
"Well… I guess I was surprised… I didn't know who she was. And it was dark out."
"Probably was just someone playing a mean prank, Ku-chan" he added, squeezing the girl lightly to his chest. "I promise you, there are no ghosts here in Izumo. I checked."
She turned and looked at him with hopeful eyes. "Are you sure? Who was she last night, then?"
"You're a stubborn little bug aren't you" he chuckled, kissing her forehead. "I'm sure whoever that was will introduce themselves when the time is right."
"If you say so…"
"Tell you what, I'm going to give you a special necklace." He pulled out a necklace from his pocket, a small pendant with a purple orchid on it. Her eyes lit up. "This is a safety necklace. Wear this at all times. If you ever feel scared, and Minato isn't around, press this button on the back." He flipped it over and showed a small, green lightning bolt. "It'll send a signal to me, and I'll come right to where you are."
"Really?" she looked at it in fascination.
"Really" he reassured. "Here, ask Minato to help you put it on you."
"Why can't you do it, EJ-sama?"
"Cause Minato is your big brother, remember? And I'm hungry. And I think my leg fell asleep from your big butt sitting on it" he teased, tickling her as she shrieked, scrambling away to Minato, hiding behind him as Harry slowly leaned towards her with his hands outstretched, growling playfully at her.
"Save me, Onii-san! He's gonna get me!"
"We better put on that safety necklace then really quick" he immediately responded, the big brother coming out in him. Her eyes lit up, her young mind having almost forgotten the necklace in her hand. She handed it to him, and he put it on her, closing the clasp.
Harry blinked a few times before holding both hands to his head. "Nooo!" he called out dramatically, falling over on his back. "She's wearing a safety necklace! I can't get to her!" The girls were all giggling at his antics, and Ku had buried her head in Minato's shoulder, holding the necklace in her hand. Even Miya had a smile on, shaking her head slightly.
"Oh, Kagari, glad you could join us." Miya's sudden comment had all turning towards the doorway, where the young man was entering. His hands were bandaged, and he was avidly looking anywhere but at the four Ashikabis present. While this didn't really faze Harry, it was the very wide berth he gave Gabby and Chiho, walking the long way around the table, that confused him. He wasn't the only one, as the Landlady had a pensive look on her face as well, even turning and looking at the blonde and redhead. The two of them exchanged a curious glance, having a silent conversation that ended with Black turning a wondering look at his bond-mate, who was conversing with Chiho and Uzume, while tapping his fingers on the table.
Miya, however, was looking at Kagari, who'd taken his normal place next to her, across from Harry, the two men flanking the landlady. Miya almost smirked when Kagari met her eyes, and blushed at the triumphant understanding in the elder woman's eyes before averting his own and eating with gusto.
"Y'know, Kagari…" The sudden addressing had the man jumping in surprise. Asama and Potter stifled their smirks, not looking at each other for fear of laughter. After clearing his throat softly, Harry tried again. "Y'know, if those are burn wounds, I can heal them for you."
"That's alright, Black-san. It was just an accident."
"Accident or not, it's no trouble. I've a potion and a salve that'll have them healed up by the day's end."
"No, really, it's nothing."
"That's awfully generous of Doctor Black, Kagari-san. Why don't you two take care of that after lunch?" The betrayed look on Kagari's face nearly had Harry bursting out in laughter, but managed, barely, but managed to keep his professional exterior. "From my understanding, burn wounds can be quite serious. Since Doctor Black has offered to look at you, it is only prudent his assistant Gabrielle aids him in the wound treatment. Wouldn't you agree, Doctor Black?" She turned that sweet smile towards him, but her eyes were dancing with mischievous laughter. Harry was quickly storing all his own laughter into an inner vault so he could release it all at a safe location while appropriating the professional facade.
"Of course you are correct, Doctor Asama. Burns can be quite tricky indeed if not properly looked at in a timely manner. She would be happy to assist me."
"Excellent! Until then, let us return to this wonderful meal. I must give my thanks and appreciation, it is truly delicious." The rest of the meal continued in peace. Musubi asked Miya to train with her, and Kusano elected herself and Minato to watch. Uzume and Chiho decided to join them in observation, after making sure that Shi got some lunch. The poor girl was still avoiding the men, mostly, not that Harry could blame her.
The two bonded and Kagari made their way to his room, where Gabby unfolded a table and had him place his hands on them. "So…" Harry began, as they unwrapped the man's hands. "Want to tell us why you've been avoiding Gabby?" The woman in question froze at that, turning a questioning look towards both men.
"I'd rather not talk about it, if it's all the same" Kagari muttered, pulling his hands back. Harry grabbed his wrist, locking him into place.
"Nuh uh uh, none of that. Miya gave you an order. Wouldn't want me to go and tell her that you're being uncooperative, would you?" Kagari blanched at that, and was avidly looking around the room at anywhere but Gabby, confirming the last of Harry's theories. He slowly got up, releasing the man's hand as he did. Kagari snatched it with both of his own. "No! Please. I'll… send Gabby, if you must. Don't leave me alone with her."
Harry hated seeing the hurt look on Gabby, especially when she had no idea what she'd done to earn such a comment. He sat back down, continued his unwrapping. "You're reacting to her, aren't you" he said softly. He felt more than saw Gabby straightening up in surprise, her unwrapping forgotten. He glanced at her, and sure enough, her mouth was agape.
Kagari was panicking, but the fear of Miya stepping in won him over. He sighed. "It's worse than that." Now Harry was looking at him, confused. The man stifled a sniffle, turning and looking out the window. "I don't think I can be winged." From their many conversations with the girls, the two of them had learned the importance of such a thing. Harry's theory of it resembling his bond with Gabby hadn't been that far off.
That admittance had Gabby nearing tears of her own in sympathy, and was caressing his arm in comfort. "What makes you say that?" she asked gently.
It was a long minute before the man answered. "When you kissed me, after defeating Number 38, I felt the winging begin. But it hit a block of some sort. I couldn't connect to you. It was like a wall, some force preventing me from being winged. I felt my own wings start to sprout, but when I hit that wall, it was as if my wings folded in on themselves."
He held up his unwrapped hands, the burns on them evident. "I already have difficulties with my powers. There's another Sekirei who has made it a habit of putting out my fires when I lose control. I thought… I hoped… that if I found my Ashikabi, she'd help me gain control of my power. But, when that block hit me, it was as if I got hit with my own fireball, but tenfold. After we parted yesterday, my body began immolating." Both of them let out a small gasp, Gabby even putting a hand to her mouth. "If Tsukiumi hadn't come along, I'd've burnt up from my own power."
Theories were running through his head: some simply outrageous, others with some plausibility. The pieces of the puzzle that was the Sekirei Plan were still being collected, such as the fact that of the four Ashikabis he was personally acquainted with: Minato, Chiho, Seo (having discreetly scanned him when he came to pilfer food), and now Gabby, were all squibs or witches. He himself being a wizard, made that 5 for 5. The commonality of course being all had magic to some degree. He hadn't had the chance to do the same with Higa or Kakizaki, not that he was so inclined to, but his money was leaning towards the same result.
'At least the truth of why Hana won't kiss me is revealed' he thought, wondering if he was repeating himself. He was absently applying the burn salves to Kagari's hand, ignoring their conversation. 'But why didn't she get winged by Gabby when they kiss? Or maybe she already is winged? No… we'd have noticed wings sprouting from her. What if… wait. She didn't even kiss Gabby until about a year ago. I remember her half-freaking out when it happened, as if expecting some sort of repercussion. But, that didn't last long, and then she was making out with her as if her life depended on it. We didn't think anything of it more than just a violation of her rules at the time.
'But… would it be too much of a stretch that the same thing happened with her that just happened with Kagari? Kara isn't a fan of kissing either. Well… then again, we rarely did any kind of foreplay outside of trying to kill each other. Claimed it was purely for the release: in, off and out. I'm now wondering… but Uzume? No. She was already bonded to Chiho when we met. So… extrapolating from there, existing bonds can't and won't be broken even if kissed or attempting to wing to another. Why kissing, though? So odd. I've done practically everything conceivable sexually to and with Hana except kiss her on the lips. But kissing is how they're winged. Such strange rules. Is that how their biology works, or a result of these "adjustments" that I've heard mention a few times.'
Harry finished up his hand, then pulled out two vials from his bag and set them on the table. "Take this when she's done. Take the other before dinner. They're pain-reliefs. The salves will allow you to use your hands without bandages. But, they'll still be tender, so the relief will handle any pain 'til your nerve endings finish regrowing." Kagari nodded. Harry kissed the top of Gabby's head before leaving the two of them alone.
"Did you get your answers?" Miya was carrying a load of laundry up on her way to the bath. Harry nodded, stepping aside so she could pass, before following her in, leaving the door open.
"I'm afraid so" he conceded, grabbing a couple towels to put away.
"Something went wrong, didn't it." It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyways.
"I'm afraid so" he repeated, rolling another towel that he was pretty sure belonged to Uzume, if the Pokemon were any indication. Harry couldn't help but inwardly laugh at the correlation, the idea of "collecting" them all was all too similar to this Sekirei plan. Though, it did give him an idea, one that he had completely ignored. One that Musubi was on top of on a regular basis: training.
"What happened?"
He was almost startled by the question, losing himself in his thoughts again, before putting the towel away. He turned towards her, concern on her face for her friend and new acquaintance. "A failed winging."
It wasn't often that Miya was surprised, according to Kagari and Uzume. It simply didn't happen. But apparently Harry had done it more times in the past two weeks than the years they'd known her. And here he was once again, surprising her. He only wished he could enjoy it.
"How?"
He shook his head, unsure how to put into words his theory. Especially when he had no proof, and no way to test it outside of the obvious. And he was quite certain neither Kagari nor Miya would be in favor of it. And while Gabby wouldn't mind, she wouldn't push for it either if it wasn't what Kagari wanted.
"We don't know." He tilted his head, pensive. "Not for certain, anyways. I have an idea, but… to test the theory may have consequences. Likely, would have consequences" he amended, looking her in the eye. "Consequences that you wouldn't approve of, and Kagari doesn't want."
"You would have to try winging him yourself, wouldn't you?" Harry nodded. "Does this have anything to do with your relationship with Miss Delacour?" Harry dryly chuckled.
"Yeah, it would. Obviously, there's more to it than we've told anyone. Nothing against any of you, we just don't know you well enough to get into it." Miya nodded, accepting the honesty for what is was. So long as it didn't affect her charges and wards, she had no trouble letting secrets remain secret.
"What else aren't you telling me?"
The two of them stood there, in the washroom, staring each other down. Harry's mind couldn't help but imagine all the scenarios that could happen right now, and, even if they were his last, he'd enjoy each and every one of them. And would make damn certain she would too.
That being said, she was holding the basket win her hands, pressing it against her hip in front of her, awaiting his answer.
"There are quite a few things I'm not telling you, Miya-san. But, as far as Kagari is concerned, that is up to him. His burns will be healed in a few minutes, but the pain will take the afternoon, so I've given him some pain relief potions. Anything else we discussed is for him to divulge. It's not my place."
She considered his words for a few moments before nodding her acquiescence. "Very well, as you wish." Before anything else could be said between them, the two plants in the washroom suddenly sprouted to several times their size. Several shrieks and shouts from outside were heard, and both rushed to the small window. Harry was looking over Miya's shoulder, but needn't have, as the garden and yard were suddenly a massive overgrown mess.
They could hear Musubi's triumphant shouts, mixed with Uzume and Chiho's laughter. They saw, to Harry's surprise, Shi was even smiling, though not moving from her place in the tree she'd appropriated.
"So…" Harry broke the silence, shaking from holding in his giggles. "Who won the bet?"
Miya shook her head, turning her smiling face towards Harry, holding in laughter of her own. "I believe it was Uzume or Kagari. I thought I could at least succeed until Monday, but it seems I underestimated Ku-chan's determination."
"You did also leave her alone with her big brother while partying in the bathroom with me" he added with a waggle of his eyebrows. She smacked him in the stomach, catching him completely off-guard with the teenage move, and showing off her strength as he doubled over to catch his breath. Though, as she walked out, he didn't miss the smile she had on her face, so he took it as a win.
.
That evening after dinner, Gabby decided to have a girl's night at their place, leaving Minato, Kagari and Harry staying at Izumo with Miya, who turned down the invitation. The guys got to know each other better, even bringing Miya in on the conversations when she wasn't engaged in her book. Harry's reading of Japanese still sucked and couldn't read the title well, but he'd recognize the cover anywhere: Temple of the Winds. He shook his head, surprised.
Late that night, after the guys turned in due to working the next morning, and Miya begged off a nightcap, he settled for taking a bath. He loved his jacuzzi-style bathtub in their place, but there was something about the sauna-style that had its own relaxing atmosphere. He'd have to look into getting his own. Maybe renovate one of the extra bedrooms?
He was propped up against the back wall, soaking in the hot steam with a towel over his eyes. Meditation had never been his strong-suit, but he couldn't deny that it was a boon to both his occlumency skills, and overall skill level when it came to magic. Hermione had once theorized that it and yoga were direct contributors to his immense magical prowess, but there wasn't any definitive proof unfortunately.
Hermione.
Why was it that the past always hurt more than the present? His oldest friend. Her father had been his first instructor, and her mother his unofficial guardian. Hermione had terrified him at first with how much she talked. He never knew if or when he was allowed to speak, so never did. It hadn't been until that first Christmas, when she gave him his very first Christmas present that he had first hugged her, let alone initiated it, surprising both of them. It ended up being the catalyst that started a long friendship.
He shook his head, nearly knocking the damp towel off his face. He reached up and corrected it before resuming his relaxed position. 'Bad time to be losing myself in the past. What's done is done.' It was only the soft creaking of a floorboard that alerted him he was no longer alone. So deep in his relaxation he'd neglected to be mindful of his surroundings.
'Then again' he reminded himself, 'I am in the wash. Maybe Miya is taking me up on that offer after all? Unlikely, but a guy can hope.' He gave no indication he heard the intruder, focusing on his senses. Whoever it was was used to sneaking around, her soft footfalls almost imperceptible even to his ears. 'Ah. So, she's decided to reveal herself. How curious. This'll be interesting to say the least.' Relaxing a bit more, giving the illusion of sleeping, he listened to the intruder mutter to herself.
Harry had to admit, she was thorough. He could hear her going over all the information she'd collected on him, including a number of photos she'd discovered of his liaisons. Inwardly he was chuckling, as she repeatedly came back to the point of unknown data in regards to certain issues, such as his origins. Or his schooling before University. He was only mildly surprised to hear her mention 'magic' a couple times.
She seemed indecisive, and Harry was wondering if she was chickening out. She'd already approached him when no one else was awake, and when the Inn was the least crowded he'd seen it since arriving. "Are you going to stand there all night, or join me?"
While just above a whisper, his voice sounded like a megaphone in the silence, and the woman shrieked as such, jumping back a few feet and holding a hand to her chest. "How long have you been awake?" The last Black pulled off the towel, laying his eyes on the woman for the first time.
And he wasn't disappointed.
He estimated her height around 160 cm/ 5'3. While short, she had an ample bosom that rivaled Hana's and Musubi's. She had long, red hair - 'more of a scarlet', he thought - that trailed to below her rump. She had two long braids, that he was itching to call 'plaits', something Gabby would do with her schoolgirl outfits. What the difference was he had no idea, though he imagined it was something about how it didn't use all the hair. Pigtails were pigtails as far as he was concerned, and made excellent handlebars. And speaking of handles, she had a small waist, but wide hips, which made for lovely curves. And, considering how high up the towel was sitting, very long legs for her height.
Her face was framed by uneven bangs: whether that was a style or not he had no idea, but somehow they didn't get in the way of her cinnamon-colored eyes, something he'd never seen before. Well, not outside of nocturnal creatures and humanoids such as vampires. Which, he amended, might actually be appropriate, considering the nighttime seemed to be the only time she ever left her room.
"I was never asleep" he finally answered, and the woman frowned. "I was curious if you were going to have your evil way with me or not, so I sat and listened to you rambling to yourself."
"I was certainly considering it" she admitted, clasping her hands behind her back, pushing out her chest. "After all, I don't get to experiment with people very often. And I've so dearly needed a new test subject."
There was little doubt in the man's mind what experiments she was referring to, and he had every intention of obliging. "You could've just asked me." She smiled evilly, slowly twisting in front of him. "Tell me, do you have a dragon tattoo?"
"Nooo" she said coyly, stepping towards him. "But I can get one for you, my Ashikabi."
Now he was smiling broadly. "Ah, so that's all I am to you, just a DNA source?"
"If it suits the purpose" she responded, stepping over the low wall into the bath.
"And what purpose is that, luv?"
She stopped before him, going to her knees. "My body. It's on fire. At first, I thought it was just the number of Ashikabi in the house. Then, I thought I was just horny."
"And now?" How he wanted to just take her right there and then. They both knew she'd do anything he wanted at that point, and they hadn't even touched each other. Her chest was heaving with each deep breath. He was counting down the seconds until she either ripped off the towel, or it fell off of its own accord under the strain.
He could see the sweat forming on her chest as she leaned forward. Her hands were rubbing her thighs as she seiza'd before him. Her eyes were clouded over, looking at him in need. He could make out the dilations her eyes were going through, and his inner animal was growing feral at the prime female kneeling at his feet submitting herself to his will.
"Now, I know it is you. My body has chosen you. My mind has chosen you. My heart has chosen you. I, Number 2 Matsu, offer myself fully to be yours as your Sekirei, if you will have me."
There was no secret he wanted her. Not to him, as he knew the moment she walked in he would claim her if she asked him to. And now, after her proclamation, it was certainly not to her, as his anatomy was forcing itself to be made aware. Her already heaving chest became more pronounced as she took notice, her breathing deeper as its form was known, creeping out from underneath the towel. Her hand was reaching out for it as she licked her lips.
It was only inches away before he stopped her, grabbing her wrist firmly but gently. "Did I say you could touch it?" The voice was soft, but it sounded like a gong in her ears as she looked up at him, begging with her eyes.
"Please" she whispered, reaching with her other hand, only to have it stopped as well. She was now leaning forward in an awkward position, her forward weight being held up by the man she so desired.
He eyed her, deciding how long he wanted to drag this out. "When was the last time you came?"
"The morning of April 1st, before we ran into each other." The date didn't really matter to him at first, but the second half caught off guard. He did a mental recap of that day.
"'Before we ran into each other'? When did we…" His eyes lit up a little. "Ah, you were the woman with the head cover on, outside the library."
She nodded, as enthusiastic as she could in her haze. "Yes, sir. I was on my way back and in a hurry so I wasn't paying attention and bumped into you. I was trying to get back here so I wasn't seen. I admittedly didn't even remember until I was looking you up and found the video clip of it and remembered."
He tugged on the arms slightly, pulling her more off-balance. "Don't fall over now."
"Yes, sir" she breathed to his smile.
"Why so long since you came, my pet?" She whined at the connotation, her tongue hanging out slightly.
"Because my Ashikabi didn't say I could, sir."
"If you knew I was your Ashikabi, why didn't you approach me sooner?"
"I didn't know, sir. I was preoccupied at the time, and it wasn't until after Sahashi-san's arrival that I even tried again."
He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"
"I started reacting to him as well." She looked mildly ashamed, hanging her head a bit. He softened his voice.
"Look at me." She did so, and found him smiling at her. "As an unwinged Sekirei, you cannot control who you react to. No need to apologize for it, is that clear?" She nodded quickly, grateful for his understanding. "That being said…" his voice hardened, back to the domineering that she was willfully succumbing to. "From here on out, there will be no other males but me, understood?" Her eyes widened, but her smile nearly broke her face as she grinned, nodding fast enough to remind him of a few house elves he'd known.
"Good girl." Her body shook as she whined again, and she felt herself drenched as everything in her was screaming for a release. He held her a little while longer, watching her body rock back and forth before he leaned forward, holding her arms at his sides.
"Cum for me." With a squeal, her body exploded, and she felt her warm juices running down her legs. If she hadn't been so pent up she'd've been afraid she'd pissed herself with how long it continued. A couple minutes later it finally subsided: three weeks of pent up orgasms all hitting her at once. Everything in her wanted to just collapse into the man's body, but his hold on her arms said otherwise.
He gently set her hands on his thighs, taking care to place her right away from his member. After ensuring she wouldn't move them with a look, he slid his hands up her arms, rubbing them. They mirrored each other as they moved up over her shoulders, to her neck, their thumbs reaching down and teasing her uppermost chest before cupping her head. "And now, you are mine, forever." He pulled her forward as he leaned in, and when their lips met her wings lit up the washroom. The resulting surge shorted out the electronics in the house for a few moments, including the redhead's lab. Had Matsu been coherent enough to think on it, she'd be patting herself on the back for all the upgrades and precautions she'd taken in hardwiring everything so they wouldn't completely fry.
But, as it was, she was lost in the kiss, her body aflame in joy but at peace, the bond with him a humming undercurrent. A few minutes later they parted, and the normally bespeckled woman was smiling broadly, before standing up quickly, surprising Harry. She spun around, showing off the glowing red wings, and the crest that appeared on her left shoulder. "Wisdom of my pledge, bestow the teachings of the world to my Ashikabi!" She curtsied deeply, lightly pulling at the bottom of the towel as she simpered, looking beyond thrilled at her new development. "Number 2 Mastu, your Sekirei, at your everlasting service, sir."
She sauntered back to him, cross stepping before returning to her position at his feet. She turned that look that would boil every straight man's blood on him, leaving absolutely no room for misinterpretation on what she wanted. Not that there was any real question, Harry mused, as he wanted to give it to her badly. "What is thy will, my Lord?"
Unfortunately for them, she never received her answer, as the door to the wash suddenly slid open with a *BANG*. Standing there in the light was Miya in her indigo dressing gown that ended halfway down her thighs, and wielding what Harry thought was a katana. Behind her was Kagari, who was in pajama pants and a loose shirt, with all the raggedness of someone who just rolled out of bed.
"Impure acts in Izumo's bath is prohibited, Matsu-san" she declared with that demon visage, stepping forward towards the pair. Kagari just leaned into the doorway, yawning as he did so. "I take it you two are the source of all the electronics having issues?"
Not one to be surprised, Harry was still sitting there, fighting back a smirk at the intruders. What did surprise him, was the speed that Matsu moved to hide, which meant next to him and squeezing his left arm for dear life as she ducked her head behind his shoulder. He just sat there and watched as the woman stepped over the bath wall, sword gripped tightly in hand.
"Sorry, Miya-san. You're mad, aren't you?" The woman lifted her sword, and tapped the point on her neck near her jugular. "Yeah, you're mad. Sorry" she whined, but not letting go of Harry. He just shook his head with a smirk as the woman turned her gaze on him.
"Yeah, that's our fault. Didn't think the surge was that bad, though. My apologies, Miya."
"I believe I told you no fornications of any sort were to occur in this domicile, Black-san."
"EJ, please, Miya. I think we've known each other long enough, and well enough, for you to call me by my given name.
"And in response to your query, you told me none were to happen in my bedroom. Don't recall you saying anything about the washroom, Miya" he added with a quick flick of both eyebrows. Kagari was mid-yawn when Potter made that response, and nearly choked on it before creeping out and hiding behind one of the walls. Though, Harry saw him peeking in from his safe-harbor.
Matsu was less discreet, as she bolted away, abandoning her Ashikabi to his fate, running for the door. Not quick enough, she learned, as Miya's firm left grip caught her shoulder, holding her in place.
Despite catching one of her targets, the open challenge had caught Miya off-guard. Whether it was the challenge itself, the open offer that he never rescinded, or the fact that all of this was happening while he sat there with nothing but a towel covering his anatomy, no one was sure, least of all Miya.
Perhaps it had been the combination of the above, all being processed by a sleep-addled brain that hadn't fully expected such an interaction that night.
Deciding to just deal with it in the morning, she turned towards her captive. "You, however, did know the rules, Matsu-san. It would be a shame if I had to kick you out, wouldn't it?" The sugary sweet voice and smile had Harry nearing having fits, as Matsu was reduced to trembles.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Miya-san, please forgive me!"
"Is that the truth?" Miya asked, tightening her grip on Matsu. Harry was certain he heard a bone pop.
"Yes" she whined, bowing to the landlady. "I won't do it again." She stole a quick glance at Harry questioningly, who nodded and she nearly sprinted out of the room. The distinct sound of a door swinging shut reached their ears.
"As for you…" the swordswoman turned back to the green-eyed man, still sitting there in all his glory but a covering towel.
"Offer's still open, Miya. And, you've ensured we're alone."
She raised her sword again, holding the point a fraction of an inch in front of his face, right between the eyes. They heard the sound of another door closing, which the raven-head presumed was Kagari disappearing as well, leaving him to his fate. "Is that your attempt to add me to your collection?"
"It's not really a collection when technically Matsu's my only Sekirei" he responded calmly, not phased by the sword. Well, not outwardly. He was inwardly fighting his own body from getting a stiffy at the dangerous woman in front of him. Damn his attraction to troublemakers.
"So you did wing her. That was the source of the power troubles."
"I would wager so" he casually responded, before tapping her sword away from his face. She lowered it in front of him, not taking her eyes off his. He had to give her credit at not checking him out. Deciding it was time to hit the hay himself, he stood up. He realized very quickly that Miya was the same height as Musubi and Yume, coming in around 5'6. Hadn't ever really thought about it before. He also realized that she had actually joined him in the bath, as she had both feet firmly set inside the bath wall. He chuckled at this, getting only a questioning look from the woman.
"I just realized you actually did take me up on my offer." Her gaze didn't waver. "You're standing here in the bath with me. I should probably be more specific about my intentions next time." That did the trick, as her set jaw broke into a smirk as she turned as stepped out, with Harry on her heels. After shutting off the water and steam vents, he moved to the clean towels, taking one and began drying himself off.
"Yes…" she voiced softly, and he looked up at the doorway. She was standing there, facing out, but had her left hand on the inner wall and looking back at him with a coy smile. "Perhaps you should have." With that she departed, and Harry was left slack-jawed.
'What just happened?'
.
A/N: Welp, back to the library I go. The move was not kind to my poor hard drive. Sigh. I knew it was fragile but daaamn. At least now I can convince myself to invest in a better graphics card. I miss playing StarCraft.
Anyways, don't y'all be dissing on my M&Ms and Mt Dew. Try it. It works with any M&Ms, but I recommend ones with peanuts in them so you can still eat them after. Difficult to do with the other types.
How to do it? If buying a 20oz Mt Dew, buy a standard M&M bag from any convenience store. Open and drink it down to just above the label, then add the M&Ms. Close lid, and watch the magic. Careful when you open 10mins later. Not as explosive as coke and pop rocks, but will still overflow if too high volume. For 1Ltr attempts, buy a sharing size for similar effects. You can really add as many M&Ms as you want, I use two of each, but these are good starting ratios to see if you even like it.
