A/N: Well, the reboot has finally surpassed the number of chapters the original has as of now, and I'm still not done fixing and splitting all of them up yet. The changes for this chapter were huge, especially towards the end.

Purgatory

11 Days Prior to Minato's Trials…

"Make the call, Takami," John murmered. "and be sure to put it on speaker."

Takami nodded and pulled out her phone. She began dialing.

"Are you sure this is going to work, mom?" Yukari asked, leaning into the table.

"Of course I'm sure, just let me do the talking. I know all the right buttons to push…"

XXXXXX

Homura sat sipping coffee outside a mall downtown. Minato had been gone for more than 24 hours and the mood at the inn hadn't been very positive, so he took it upon himself to escape from the drama. As he drank his hot beverage, a vibration in his pocket tingled against his leg.

Homura sighed, slipping his hand into the side of his pants and putting the phone to his ear. Given the ringtone, he knew exactly who it was.

"What is it now, Takami?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"You still up to killing the game master?"

He sprang up from his seat when those words were spoken. The coffee spilled everywhere.

His pupils sharpened to daggers as his eyelids narrowed. "Do I even need to answer that? What's come up?"

"I can't explain everything right now, but you need to do me a few favors. This is for Minato's sake."

"Minato's sake? Wait, hold on! What happened to him?!"

"Don't ask questions, Homura. Just do as I ask and I'll send you the coordinates to where we are. Minato is safe and with me, that's all I can say about it at the moment. But it won't stay like that long unless these favors are taken care of."

"Okay, okay, I hear you!" he reassured her, trying to be as quiet as possible. Some people across the street were staring at him and whispering to each other like he was some sort of madman. "What is it you need of me?"

…

Homura leaped across the rooftops as he relayed Takami's phone call in his mind.

"First, I need you to track down a thug by the name 'Junichi Tanegawa'. Find him, knock the fucker out, and text me. When you do, I'll send the coordinates of where to bring him. After that, go to the Ashikabi of the West's penthouse on the wealthy strip about a quarter mile from MBI tower. Mikogami was recently murdered, and his Jinki is still locked up there in a vault. Fetch it for me. I need to go. Speak to you soon."

"Wait, Takami, I-"

**boopboopboop**

He landed on his feet and walked over to the building's edge, commanding his gaze at the specks wandering below.

"What on earth could Takami be up to?..." he thought aloud, crouching at the edge of a building like a gargoyle without wings.

He veered his head towards the distance, west of the tower. Mikogami's penthouse wasn't far off. He could easily snatch the jinki first then track down the thug afterward. Something was also calling him to the place immediately; not a voice, but a very strong feeling in his chest. This sixth sense kept telling him to get over there pronto. Why he had this feeling he didn't know. According to the media, Mikogami was missing and presumed dead, so all his Sekirei must have joined him in death as well. But he decided to go check anyway.

After taking a long leap and gliding over a number of skyscrapers, he was but a street across from the place. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and the place seemed locked up tight. Not a soul was in sight. However, upon further examination, he noticed a window on the far side of the building was wide open.

That was his ticket in.

He took another long leap and landed on the edge of the windowsill. He swished the velvet curtains aside and hopped down to the polished wood floor. Shivers engaged his body as he ventured in. He coughed up some of the chilly air. He looked for signs of life, but found none. He did, however, gasp when he found a sign of death. Amidst a hazy waft of red frost just across the room, Akitsu lay slumped over in a crystallized crimson puddle by a fireplace.

"Shit!"

Homura rushed over to her and knelt down. His nerves numbed over in the biting bloodfrost. He gently rolled her over to her side and held her head in his arms. The sweat and tears on her face had honed to icicles.

He shook the icy Sekirei in attempt to jerk the life back out of her, administering mild slaps to her cheek. "C'mon!" *slap* *slap* "C'mon, wake up!"

Homura's eyes scanned down past her chained bosom and found what he came for…

Mikogami's Jinki jabbed straight through her wrist.

He went to check her pulse…

...

20 Minutes ago…

In the foyer of Mikogami's penthouse, Akitsu's knees pressed to her icy heart as she sat weeping. Her Ashikabi had been gone for a little over two days, and since that time, Mutsu had been mysteriously terminated by unknown means. She knew full well what this meant; the one she vowed to serve for the rest of her days was no more.

In her left hand, a Jinki marked #1 was clenched.

"Any hope for happiness in this world has abandoned me…" she spoke, huddling up into a tighter ball. "Everything I come into contact with ends up dying…" she clenched the crystal tighter as she stared into her reflection looming over its crimson core. "I am nothing but a nuisence…my creator was right to throw me away."

XXX-Flashback-XXX

13 Days Prior to Minato's Trials…

After leaving Mikogami's crime scene, Saito and Kaho travel to his penthouse to relay the bad news…

"No, you're wrong!" Akitsu screamed as she sent a tunnelling flurry of frost towards Kaho. "He can't be dead! I won't accept it!"

She dodged, albeit barely.

Saito jumped in and grasped her by the wrist. Akitsu shook him off with ease.

The PI flew back into a wall, and slumped down to his backside.

"Agh, fuckin' hell." he groaned. "Why didn't my powers work? You should have been subdued!"

"I am broken. You cannot bind me."

Kaho helped Saito to his feet as he shook the cobwebs.

She looked at the enraged Ice Queen. "Look, I'm sorry things turned out the way they did, but attacking us isn't going to bring your Ashikabi back."

"Silence!" she screamed. "You have not found a body and nor will you! Hayato is still alive! He has to be! I have faith in him!"

Saito took a step towards her. "Look, Akitsu, I-"

"Don't come any closer!" Dozens of icy stalagmites flurried up from under her skirt and swarmed around her like spearheads. They sharpened their points at the two. Saito and Kaho remained still, but a moment later they took a step back. "Unless you want death, leave! My Ashikabi WILL return!"

Saito whispered to Kaho. "Poor girl's lost it. We better get out of here while we still can…"

"But what about the jinki she has?"

"Later, when we have backup…"

XXX-Flashback End-XXX

Akitsu got up and approached the window, whisking the velvet curtains aside before sliding it open. She took a long hard look outside through bloodshot eyes. Her gaze was as cold as the ice she manipulated. A flock of wagtails soared past and into the sunset like angels ascending to the heavens.

It was then she decided she would join them in flight.

#07 climbed to the balcony and perched herself as she looked down. It had to be at least a fifty-story drop. As she closed her eyes and let herself fall, her eyes flashed open and she grasped the window again at the last moment.

"No. I will die as I lived. Cold and alone."

Akitsu climbed back into the penthouse and looked around for anything that she could use without causing much of a ruckus. She would just stay here and become one with Mikogami's home overtime as her 'worthless' self decomposed.

Then she looked at the jinki in her hand. The sapphire crystal was sharp as a dagger at the end and could easily puncture a major blood vessel if forced in hard enough.

Following a roll of the sleeve, she sat on the couch on the far side of the window. She turned her forearm to it's underside. She raised the jewel high above her head. As the grip became stronger, her hand began to shake and jitter.

"I'll be with you soon, master…" she snarled, heart now thumping against her ribcage. A grimace poured onto her otherwise expressionless face as she immediately began profusely sweating. "In death we shall be together…"

She stopped jittering, her arm solidifying to focus on the bulging artery in her wrist.

"...NOW AND FOREVER!"

The jinki sailed downward.

...

A scarce, fleshy beat pumped at Homura's fingers from the underside of Akitsu's jaw. She was still breathing.

He motioned his fingers away. "Thank god, she's still alive."

He looked down at the gaping wound in her wrist. "I'm gonna have to cauterize her wound, and fast…"

Homura took off his jacket and wrapped it around her arm like a tourniquet, knotting it and pulling tight to cut the blood flow off. He yanked the sharp jewel from her arm and put it aside. It was cracked in places, likely due to the extremely low temperature of Akitsu's blood and inner body 'heat'.

He grasped her arm and encircled the wound, digging his fingers into her flesh. Flames smothered his hands and intertwined around the little bird's lacerated limb like barbwire. Faint whimpers escape Akitsu's abdomen as the scorching heat presses inward and welds her wound shut in searing hisses.

"That should stop the bleeding for now…" he whispered to himself. "Now, to get you to a hospital..."

He pulled out his cellphone and began to dial 119. He stopped himself before putting it through.

"Dammit…" he whispered out loud, looking down at Akitsu's face. "All the hospitals in the area are run by MBI, and knowing Akitsu's Ashikabi is dead, who knows what they might do to her?"

He decided to redirect his call to Takami; she would know what to do.

The dialtone purred for a few moments. "C'mon...pick up, pick up!"

Then she answered.

"Found the fucker already, have we?" she asked.

"No, something's come up. I have an emergency and need to see you right away. It's about the discarded one…"

"#07?"

"Yeah, she's hurt, Bad." he explained, approaching the window for a better signal. "I don't want to drop her off at an MBI controlled hospital; they might dispose of her since her Ashikabi died."

"Good point, I'll send the coordinates. There's a good doctor here with us. Just make sure no one follows you..."

The line went dead, and he snapped the phone shut, pocketing it.

Homura trekked back to Akitsu and lifted her frail body in his arms. He approached the window he came in through, making sure to swipe the jinki off the table before leaving. He kicked off with his feet and soared through the sky, leaping from building to building as the dusk swallowed the city sky.

…

Homura arrived at the lair no more than fifteen minutes after receiving the coordinates. Takami, Yukari, and Dr. Gordon were the first to greet him. Having been told the situation prior to arriving, a gurney was prepared for when the Sekirei of Flame arrived with his special payload. Homura followed as Dr. Gordon carted Akitsu past John's office and into the infirm. John awaited their arrival inside. He sat between the cots holding Minato and Shiina. The former was still unconscious, but Shiina, though weak, was capable of at least sitting up and speaking. Yukari sat with him.

"I see your outside contact has finally arrived, Miss Sahashi," he said, getting up from his chair and approaching the one in question. He offered Homura his hand. "My name is John. Takami informs me that our goals are similar."

Homura decided not to shake. "If by that you mean putting an end to Minaka's madness and ripping the bastard's head off, you'd be right. However, I don't shake anyone's hand right when I meet them; especially when they're holding my Ashikabi's life hostage."

"Minato is only here as a means to an end." He explained. "Once Minaka is dealt with, he will be free along with every Sekirei in the capital. Believe me, our partnership is mutually beneficial."

"I'm still not shaking your hand, old man."

John dipped away. "So be it then."

He then took note of the Sekirei on the gurney; the Sekirei crest on her forehead immediately drew his attention.

"Who is this woman?" he asked as he leaned in closer to her forehead to inspect her oddly placed Sekirei crest. He swiped his rough palm upon it. "My, she's so cold…"

"Her name is Akitsu." Homura said. "She's a discarded Sekirei."

He looked at him. "Discarded?" he questioned. "What does that mean?"

Takami spoke up. "It means she's incapable of becoming winged; a failed experiment among the Sekirei, if you will."

Homura pulled out the Jinki from his coat. It was still a little bloody. "When I arrived at the penthouse I found this jabbed through her arm. My guess would be she tried to commit suicide since Mikogami was killed. Wanted to join whom she felt was her Ashikabi in death."

"Are you sure she wasn't attacked?" Dr. Gordon inquired, inspecting her wound.

"Very unlikely." he said. "I've battled Akitsu before; she wouldn't go down without a fight. And if there was a fight, the entire penthouse would have been torn apart with police investigating the place. Save for the frozen lake of blood I found her in, the penthouse was in good standing and completely void of life."

"Or at least it would have if you didn't get there when you did." Yukari said, holding Shiina tight at the waist.

"This is all so sad..." Shiina whimpered, shaking his head.

Yukari frowned, blaming herself for Akitsu's condition. The memories of having to kill Mikogami were bad enough, but knowing they led to this made her feel even worse. This Sekirei must have truly loved the kid. And she took him from her. She turned back to Dr. Gordon. "So what do we do now, doctor? Nurse the girl back to health?"

"It's all we can do at the moment." He answered, leaning over the counter into his fist. He pushed himself to his feet. "Luckily I 'borrowed' a good amount of medical equipment from MBI, so getting Akitsu back on her feet should take less than a day."

"That's not going to do any good." John said, shaking his head. "If she attempted suicide because Mikogami died, she'll do it again. There is only one way we can help her."

"And how do we go about doing that?" Homura asked.

"By showing her how precious life really is…"

XXXXXX

"Now calm down, Homura!" Takami ordered as he went about his ranting.

His fist sailed into the locker beside him. "Like hell I will! First Kusano dies, then I find out you're working with a psychopath who's holding Minato hostage, then you tell me Yukari MURDERED Mikogami, and now this sick fuck 'Jigsaw' wants to try and test the discarded one in the same way?! How can I fucking calm myself?!"

"I understand your frustration, Homura, but we NEED to see this through! For Minato's sake!"

"Minato and Akitsu have done nothing to deserve this shit!" he screamed. "NOTHING!"

"You're right, they didn't, but we need to endure it all for now. If we don't we fail our games and Minato will die!"

"Stop referring to this as a game, dammit! It's not a game! Lives are at stake here!"

"Tell that to Jigsaw, not me! Look, we're all in this together. The Sekirei Plan is going to come to an end after all of this is through. I personally called you because I knew if we could count on anyone to help end this madness, it would be you! So please, play ball!"

He grumbled under his breath. "Minaka. He had better be dead after all of this is done. If not, I'm killing that old man and his doctor. And if Akitsu dies, so help me GOD I WILL WATERBOARD THAT MOTHERFUCKER IN GASOLINE AND-"

…

Yukari and Shiina watched through a porthole window as the argument inside the locker room got more and more heated (no pun intended). Their voices were muffled, but they could still tell Homura was one step away from his head exploding like an erupting volcano.

"Damn, Homura's pissed." Yukari commented out loud. "I really hope he doesn't catch wind of Karasuba working for John."

"If he does this whole building is going up in flames." Shiina responded, dreadfully.

"Come on, Shiina," Yukari whispered softly. "She's hardly around that often anyway. So just get her out of your head, okay."

Shiina looked away and then back into his Ashikabi's eyes. "Yeah, alright. I suppose so."

"Come now, you two." They turned around as John approached them from behind. "Let Takami and #06 talk in privacy."

"John? What are you doing here?" Shiina inquired.

Yukari got straight to the point. "What do you hope to gain by testing her? She already tried to take her own life. Won't something like this just push her even more over the edge?"

John huffed, halting his movements. He shrugged his shoulders after a moment of pause.

"It may send her over the edge and it may not. The way I see it, she made a conscious effort to end the one life she had; just like I did when I drove my car off a cliff those many years ago when I found out I had cancer. That right there already tells me she's been pushed over the edge. I'm giving her the opportunity to push back. Sometimes all someone needs to carry on in this world is for someone to reach out to help them. If she doesn't want it, she can just let the time run out and be no more. The choice…"

Holding hands, Shiina and Yukari looked at John with unnerved expressions as he angled his sight over his shoulder.

"...is hers."

"Is there anything we can say to make you reconsider testing her? I mean, she's been through so much already." Yukari asked. "Perhaps you should just try talking to her when she wakes up. Surely we don't need a torture device to talk some sense into her."

John snorted. "Very well. If you have a concept for a game she can play, let's consider it. Meet me in my office in ten minutes."

They lifted their heads and their expressions grew brighter upon hearing that. The old man proceeded down the hall and shut the door to his chamber for preparations of the events to come. Shiina began to cry, overjoyed. Yukari encircled her arms around him, holding him tight.

"It'll be alright." she said. "Don't you worry."

...

"Those who do not appreciate life do not deserve life…"

XXXXXX

"Feeling better now, Shiina?" Yukari asked her beloved with tenderness in her voice.

The two sat on the edge of the bed in the infirmary, with Shiina's head tucked firmly into his mistress's chest. Doctor Gordon left a while earlier to assist John in attending to the remaining two discipline squad members. While they were out like a light, their bodies…convulsed on occasion.

The only other person sharing the room with them was Minato, still deep in his coma-like slumber. He looked at peace lying there tucked under the cool weight of a white sheet, completely oblivious to the chaos ensuing around him as he sank into the cushy foam mattress. A simper even curved his lips upward as his sister embraced her Sekirei, though that was most likely a coincidence. In retrospect, they were alone.

"Im so happy John considered and went with our idea. She didn't deserve to be tortured to join us."

She hugged him tight and a kiss was soon shared between them.

XXXXXX

Homura halted his pacing as he walked past the infirmary. A luminous light gleamed outward from within the door's window. He peeked in after it dimmed, and what he saw brought a smile to his face. Inside, the two love birds lay cuddled close in their cocoon. Shiina's wings draped the two of them like a quilt.

'At least their bond still remains strong even after all that's happened,' he thought to himself. He went to turn away, but then a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Homura," Takami called out from down the hall, peeking her head out from the door. He glanced towards her. "I need to speak with you. It's important."

He made his approach. "What is it?"

"Come in here, and I'll explain."

Following Takami as she backed from the doorway, he entered the room. It was spacious, but compact with tables and contraptions hanging from the ceiling like bodies from a noose. Dozens of them, showcasing John's past experiments; mainly the failed ones. A twisted museum stacked with the insane musings of a deranged psychopath.

At the room's center, an angled pillar of light beamed in through the skylight on the roof, revealing a plethora of dust particles in its trail. Takami walked past the luminous ray, while Homura kept his distance at the other end.

The Sahashi matriarch extracted a cigarette from her lab coat pocket and leaned back into a table as she lit it up. She took a quick puff and exhaled the smoke from her nostrils. She frowned and looked skyward at the doves flying past the skylight.

"What I'm about to say isn't something you're going to take kindly to, but considering that you're in this for the long haul, I figure it's best you hear this from me than anyone else."

"What is it you need from me, Takami? Just cut to the chase. If it's something bad, no amount of sugar-coating is going to make me feel less bitter about it, so just spit it out."

"Very well then, you make this easy," she went on, snuffing out more smoky fumes. "The Black Sekirei is working with John."

"What?!" Homura stammered. The surprise and utter shock in his eyes told the whole story. The flashbacks of Kusano's murder and black feathers all swooped through his memory in an instant. Not only was he now working with a convicted serial killer, but a child murderer as well. "Why?! And how the hell is that even possible?!"

"You heard me correctly. And to answer your inquiry, John nabbed her Ashikabi much as he did with Minato. In order for her to live, she needs to abide by his orders, which include helping us get to Minaka."

"Why the FUCK didn't you tell me this sooner?!" he shouted in righteous anger as he slammed his fist on a table. Some of the experiments bounced a bit, while others rolled off and onto the floor where they fell apart, much like Homura's sanity was at the moment.

"Because earlier you were poised to rip someone's head off and finding out Ku's killer would show up now and again would have resulted in a lot of collateral damage."

Before Homura could motion a response, a pitch black feather drifting down from the skylight landed upon his head. He plucked it from his silver hair and stared into it briefly before averting his gaze back to the pillar of light. The skylight lay unhinged, and The Black Sekirei knelt before him in the dusty ivory beam.

"Somebody call my name?" she asked, the scars on her face curving along with her grin.

Homura took a few steps back upon seeing The Black Sekirei's mangled visage but quickly regained composure. Those scars, he would have questioned himself why she had them, but nothing registered in his brain besides rage. Rage, revenge, and the desire to avenge Kusano.

Flames encompassed his frame, head to toe. He was ready to fight.

"Monster!" he yelled. Fiery serpents coiled in his palms to form fireballs.

As he went to throw a volley of them at the child killer, Takami hopped between them. "Homura, no. Not now. Think of Minato. You strike her and it's all over."

This stilled Homura briefly, but the fire behind his eyes and in his palms hadn't diminished.

Karasuba laughed at her words. "No need to worry Takami. He wouldn't be able to hit me to begin with."

The Sekirei of Flame was shaking at this point, not from fear, but pure unbridled fury. The one responsible for Kusano's death was standing right in front of him, but he couldn't do anything.

Karasuba's teeth showed through her sick grin. "What's the matter? The raven got your tongue?"

Homura was on the verge of spontaneously combusting. "You…you're sick. How could you do such a thing to a defenseless child?"

"It's easy, first I unsheathe my sword like this and-"

"Enough, Karasuba!" Takami demanded. "We may all be working under Jigsaw's oath, but as the Sekirei Plan is still active you must follow my orders as I am second-in-command behind Minaka. Stop taunting him, NOW!"

Karasuba's pupils darted over to Takami, but she did not turn her head to look at her. "Relax, Miss Sahashi. You should know better than anyone how well I follow orders. It was you who put me up against the child in the first place and you even begged me to end it quick. Did I or did I not deliver on your request?"

Homura became dumbfounded by the she-witch's words. "Takami, w-what the hell does she mean by that?!"

"She's trying to psyche you out, Homura! I made every attempt possible to try and prevent Kusano from facing Karasuba. The Game Master wouldn't allow it."

"Blame it on Minaka all you want, Miss Takami," Karasuba said, shrugging her caped shoulders. "You know as well as I do that her death was caused by a fuck up on your end."

"It should have been obvious that I wanted you to simply erase the crest on Ku's neck! That way she could have been brought back from firing the Jinki!"

Homura raised his voice. "You told her to kill Kusano?!"

"I told her to make it quick, as in get behind her and recite the incantation to erase her Sekirei crest. I never told her to cut the poor girl down!"

"You never told me not to either," Karasuba cackled. An exhale followed her next spoken thought. "Next time, perhaps you should be more specific."

"You disgust me, both of you," Homura commented.

Karasuba sneered. "I think you should be more disgusted with yourself. You call yourself the Guardian of Sekirei, yet you failed to save the lives of so many, including that little girl. How pathetic."

Homura stood his ground, growling at the adversary in front of him. Although he hated to admit it, every word she spoke ate at him. There was nothing he could do. If he threw even one volley of fireballs at her, Minato's life would be forfeit. He had to play by the rules, Jigsaw's rules.

A rusty squeaking then further soiled the hate-filled ambiance.

"That's enough, Karasuba," John's raspy voice uttered as he entered the room. Mathis followed him in, pushing along a timeworn wheelchair. In it, Akitsu sat strapped and her head slumped like a napping grandmother. "Akitsu should be awakening within the hour. That being the case I need assistance putting together the tests of Junichi and the Ashikabi of the East."

"I would be happy to help, Ashikabi-sama," Karasuba spoke.

"From both you," he said, pointing his finger at Karasuba, then motioning it to Homura, "and from him."

The Sekirei of Flame refused outright. "Fat chance, John. I'm not going to help you torture one of my own."

The Black Sekirei laughed at this statement. "Ha! You make it sound as if you have a choice in the matter. You don't. You either follow John's orders, or the machines keeping your Ashikabi alive will just stop working."

"Karasuba, enough." He switched attention back to Homura. "She is right, however. You must follow my orders. We are all about teamwork in my workshop, and you both best remember that."

"I'll cooperate on two conditions." Homura declared.

"You're in no position to be making demands, but I'm open to considering them. Speak."

"I'll nab the human thug that abused Yashima and any other Ashikabi who isn't innocent, but Sekirei I won't target."

"I see..." John nodded, "And your other condition?"

"When we capture that bastard Minaka, I want to have some time with him. Him and me, alone, in a room, with no one else. To make him pay for everything he's done."

"So long as you do your part, I can agree to that, but with the added caveat that you may only have one minute with him. And just one minute. Any more than that, and there will be consequences."

Homura huffed. "One minute is more than enough time..."

XXXXXX

Hours later…

Akitsu's eyes begin to flutter open as her mind gives way back to consciousness. She was in a dark metal room, chained shut from the outside. A single lightbulb swung ominously above her. Almost judgingly. She looks around and goes to stand but can't. She was just too weak. Weary she reaches for her head and begins to remember. That's right. It was all coming back to her now. The death of her Ashikabi. Her suicide attempt. It all crept into her mind like roaches to filth. She wondered for a moment whether or not this was real or an illusion brought on by a DMT release.

She looked down, eyes falling upon a cassette player imprinted with the words 'play me' on her lap.

Akitsu took it and sat still for a moment, her legs huddled to her chest, pondering whether or not she should. Maybe she'd get answers, maybe an explosion to the face if she clicked it on. Whatever the case, it felt like a win-win for her.

She pressed play.

"Hello, Discarded One. Welcome to Purgatory. The tightrope between life and death you've narrowly walked has led you here to make a choice. A choice where you must look inward if you want to go on living. Before you awoke, you were fed a substance as toxic to you as your constant sense of worthlessness and lack of meaning. It will render you dead unless you complete the formula and render it inert. In this room are several jars, each labeled with the name of someone meaningful. But only the one who truly defines you will work, and you must guess correctly, for the wrong choice will lead you to your grave. Make your choice quickly though, as the temperature in this room will start to rise, symbolizing a descent from purgatory into the depths of hell. Let the games begin…"

Four bulbs clicked on in front of her, the jars the tape mentioned beneath them and each labeled with a name just as the recording said.

"A game of who defines me?" she thought aloud, trying to stand again to try and inspect the jars. Upon her failure, she felt the chair glide forward a bit. It was then she realized she was in a wheelchair. Whoever put her in this death game was awfully considerate.

She rolled herself over to them, inspecting the names of all four. From left to right were Mikogami, her Ashikabi. Minaka, the game master. Kazuma, the scientist responsible for her being broken. And someone named "John". The first three she understood, but she never in her life ever even met someone with that name before. It perplexed her. Could it have been the one on the tape?

Akitsu instinctively went for the jar labeled her Ashikabi as the temperature began to rise. She twists off the lid, and a pungent odor draws her nose away. It smelled exactly like acetone. She closed the lid and put it back on the display. Mind games, obviously. She knew it couldn't be that clear a guess.

She picked up the second jar and opened it. Again, acetone. Minaka was also poisonous to her apparently. Sweat started dripping from her neckline with the second surge of heat. Perhaps Kazuma then? No, acetone. That left one more: the jar labeled 'John'. Surely this one had to be it, right? Wrong. Acetone. They all smelled of acetone. Every last one of them. More heat accompanied the revelation and a spell of dizziness crept through her head.

"The poison must be starting to kill me now." she surmised. "I want to make a choice, but they all seem like wrong answers, identical in every way except their label."

Akitsu considered her options. She considered maybe sipping from all of them. No, he said only ONE can define her. One choice, once chance. She then had the idea to freeze the jars to see if that would make a difference in any of them. The walls of the room began to glow red. It was at least twice as suffocating as a sauna now. If she was going to do it, it had to be now before it got any hotter and she got any weaker. She gathered all the jars at once, placing them upon her lap and began to freeze them in her grasp. Frost began to appear inside them all, but it soon melted away as the war between hot and cold started to unfold. Akitsu exerted more effort, furrowing her brows in determination as she desperately tried to solve the riddle. The jars began to crack from the building pressure and suddenly shattered, their contents exploding into her hands and lap. She gasped in horror as the substances mixed together at her feet. Her only hope for survival fell to the floor in fragments.

"No!" she cried, falling out of the wheelchair and to her hands and knees. "I was so close!"

She slammed a fist on the ground as the room began to cook her alive.

"I don't want to die!" she wailed.

"I don't want to die!" tears began pouring down her face, her heart racing ever louder as embers whirled around her like a tornado of locusts.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" An enormous blizzard roared forth from inside her like an icy phoenix, crying out from the very depth of her soul.

The heat was gone, and the entire room had frozen over from her sudden frenzy… including a weakened, rusty section of metal plating that caused her to turn her head as it dropped to the ground with a solid *pang*.

Groggy from her outburst, she crawled over to the secret alcove. Inside was a fifth jar, labeled Akitsu.

She removed it and twisted off the cap, extracting a heat-proof bag. Inside was another tape recorder.

She pressed play.

"Congratulations. Had you entrusted your fate to any of the other jars over your OWN judgement, your OWN intuition, and your OWN power, you would have died. All four jars contained acetone and the poison you felt in your system was merely a potent but harmless sedative. Had you tried to complete yourself, define your decisions, by someone else, it would have killed you. The poison of your emptiness, your need to find fulfillment, can only be counteracted by yourself, not by ceding control of your life to someone else. Some people are so ungrateful to be alive, but not you. Not anymore."

As Akitsu wiped the frosty tears from her lashes, the door to the test chamber opened and John walked inside.

Akitsu's eyes peeped open as her hazy mind cleared, and her head ascended slowly to meet John's.

"Who-who are you?"

"Welcome to your rebirth. My name is John. I help people find purpose in life. Would you like me to help you on your journey to find yours?"

She looked at the bandages tangling her forearm, then back to him. "You saved me. Why? I am broken."

"You're wrong, Akitsu. You saved yourself. You only stay broken if you choose to remain that way. Broken things can always be rebuilt, and you clearly want to be."

"But I've no master to serve. Sekirei all require a master, without them they cannot be complete."

"In due time an Ashikabi will come, but for now I don't feel it's a master you need, but a mentor. I can be that. I can teach you everything I know."

"What value do you see in me? What can I possibly do for you?"

John smiled and looked into her eyes. "Helping me help others like yourself is as good a place to start as any."

A/N: Going to come out and say it right now, the Akitsu trap was all Ikrani's idea. In the previous version I used the reverse bear trap for no other reason than I ran out of ideas and wanted to draw a connection to Amanda Young right off the bat. Ikrani's idea just works better and was a lot more fitting to her struggles.

Also, I've decided to take the fic in a new direction. Won't say how, but fates from the previous rendition may or may not be altered as updates continue to flow. That said, drop a review if you haven't already and if you want to join a Sekirei Discord server I'm active on every day, leave me a DM and I'll invite you on in. We even have voice channels so if you ever wanted to hear what my voice sounds like, now's the time to do it!