Chapter 2 – The Evening Frost
"You killed her."
A flash of the blade, a spray of blood. A deafening scream filled the air, full of pain and anguish. She couldn't tell where it was coming from but it surrounded her like a thick blanket, smothering her with its pervasive noise. Her throat burned with an unquenchable thirst.
"You KILLED her."
A body stood impaled on her blade, buried up to the hilt in its chest. Blood, there was so much blood... It dripped from her hands, it pooled at her feet, it covered her face in its cloying thickness.
"YOU KILLED HER."
Bloody hands cupped her cheeks with a feather-soft touch. She leaned heavily on her, touching chest to chest. She had always been a little taller, so she had to gather the last bit of her strength to stand up on tippy toes to be heard. Her final breath filled her ears.
"You killed me, Karasuba-chan."
The gentle caress of her cheeks turned into an excruciating pain as delicate fingers turned to wicked talons digging into her face. Her face twisted into a cruel caricature of itself until it slowly warped into a more familiar visage. Brown eyes faded to a dirty grey, short brown hair lengthened into a mottled silver. As if staring into a mirror, what she found staring back filled her with a revulsion and horror beyond her capacity to express. Her lips curled into a malevolent smile devoid of all warmth.
"You killed me, Karasuba-chan. And I will never let you find peace."
She grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back, exposing the flesh of her neck. Sharp fangs sank into the side of her throat and tore it out before throwing her to the floor in disgust. Karasuba's hands clutched futilely at the wound like trying to block a river with a single stone. She left her lying there to choke on her own blood, desperately gurgling for air.
Karasuba finally realized that the screaming was her own.
Minato had been experiencing a rather odd dream where he was kissing birds that turned into headstrong, intimidating girls before he was startled awake by a loud scream. Heart pounding with a sudden rush of adrenaline, he jolted upright before he remembered just where he was and who was in bed with him. Inadvertently pulling Karasuba up with him, a sharp whimper from her was all it took for him to regain enough presence of mind to clutch her shivering body to him.
Gently stroking her hair, he murmured soothing sounds into her ear as he attempted to slowly rouse her from whatever nightmare it was she was having. Years of experience doing the same for Yukari as they were growing up together made the gestures instinctual for him, not quite fully realizing yet that it was his new Sekirei and not his little sister in his arms. Karasuba's shivering eventually stopped as she slowly relaxed into his embrace.
Blinking the last few grains of sand out of his eyes, Minato came fully awake with an unfamiliar scent in his nose. He was only momentarily confused until he saw Karasuba's distinctive hair color. Strangely unflappable this early in the morning, he simply continued rubbing small circles into his silver-haired Sekirei's back until she laid a hesitant hand on his cheek.
"Minato?" she asked in a soft voice. He realized on a deep subconscious level that she needed a delicate touch right now. His delicate touch.
"I'm here."
Karasuba simply buried her face into his chest without a word, a little of the tension in her shoulders fading away. She didn't know why. Maybe it was shame at showing such weakness in front of her Ashikabi or, a small part of her wasn't afraid to admit, maybe she just found comfort in his embrace.
Drawing on all the years of people reading and tact he learned the hard way from the women of his family, Minato left her alone and didn't attempt to pry. He only drew her more tightly into his arms and let her take as much time as she needed to regroup her thoughts. His embrace seemed to have a calming effect on her, sending a mental resonance through what he later realized was their burgeoning bond.
A loud pounding at the door suddenly cut through the atmosphere of the moment, sending Minato into a full panic. The both of them turned toward the door before turning to look at each other to decide a course of action.
"I really hope that's not the landlord knocking because he heard a scream, please don't be the landlord knocking because he heard a scream..." he begged every deity out there.
"Minato," Karasuba rasped, voice still a bit hoarse from the scream. "You should probably get that."
"Are you sure, Karasuba? I'm sure it's just a door-to-door salesman, nothing to worry about." Minato laughed nervously.
"Sahashi! Oi, everything alright? I heard a woman's scream, what's going on in there, boy?"
"Oh shit," he swore under his breath.
Though he was hesitant to part with Karasuba right at that moment, he really needed to go smooth things over with the landlord and come up with a plausible excuse for what had happened. Stubbing his toe on the coffee table worked just fine, right? With a small apologetic smile and fleeting glances at Karasuba who only gently, but insistently pushed him towards the door, Minato slowly made his way to the door in order to stall for time for his brain to come up with better excuses.
Opening the door only just enough for his face to peek through the crack, Minato faked a yawn and pretended to paw at his eyes groggily.
"Mornin', Genzaburou-san. Whassa matter?" He slurred a bit for dramatic effect.
"Don't play dumb with me, boy. I heard a scream, damn nearly woke up the whole floor too. What's going on in there?"
"Oh nothing, nothing. I must have had a... bad dream or something and yelled in my sleep. I didn't realize I was so noisy, I'm sorry."
"It was a woman's voice, I know one when I hear one! You got a woman in there, Sahashi? It's against the rules!" Genzaburou insisted.
Minato's eyes widened slightly in panic and he had to discretely pinch himself to keep his nerves under control.
"No no, absolutely no women in here, Genzaburou-san. You know me, I'm a serious student, no time for girls even if it wasn't against the rules in the first place! Aha ha..."
The old landlord practically smelled blood in the water with the way his face lit up with a cruel sneer. "Well then, you wouldn't mind me coming in for an inspection then, Sahashi?" Genzaburou then attempted to force his way into the door before Minato tried desperately to keep the door closed.
"Um, of course, haha! Just give me a moment to tidy up a bit, you know how messy single guys can get!" He did his best to send a discrete signal to Karasuba to hide, but couldn't risk turning around to make sure she got it without giving it all away to the landlord. "Please, come back in a bit!"
Karasuba watched the entire exchange with a thoughtful expression on her face. Perhaps it was the perfect opportunity to kill two, no, several birds with one stone. She strongly felt that her Ashikabi deserved better than scraping by in near squalor, but she sensed he wouldn't accept moving for no reason. His was a kind soul who wouldn't take what he saw as a free handout, that much was evident from his lifestyle and from small talk they had made over dinner about his mother's allowance for him each month. If she got him kicked out, she'd be able to more or less force him to accept moving into a better home for the both of them with minimal fuss. Several birds, one stone – just the perfect amount of killing efficiency she liked.
With that in mind, she quietly snuck up behind him without anyone the wiser. No. 04 placed a firm hand landed on Minato's shoulder suddenly, startling him enough that he lost ground to the landlord. Throwing the door open in triumph, Genzaburou was met with the sight of a silver-haired girl, her hair tied up into a loose ponytail and wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt, practically draped over Minato's shoulder.
"Good morning, you must be Minato's landlord I've heard so much about. Pleased to meet you," she said as she extended a hand in greeting, voice still husky from the morning's events.
Both Minato and the landlord turned to gape at her, the two of them speechless with a mix of shock, anger, and muted horror on their faces.
"S-S-SA-HA-SHIIIIIII!" Genzaburou yelled. "THIS IS A CONTRACT VIOLATION! How dare you bring a... a WOMAN here? Pack your bags and get out by the end of the week!"
"W-wait, I can explain!"
"You heard me, Sahashi. OUT!" The old landlord turned to storm off in a fit of rage.
"B-but today is a Wednesday, h-how am I supposed to—"
"BY THE END OF THE WEEK!" He yelled, not even bothering to turn around.
As soon as the landlord rounded the corner, Minato weakly shut the door and slumped against it. "Oh Karasuba, what are we going to do? We have nowhere to go, I barely had enough money to pay the rent here and it was the cheapest I could find! How am I supposed to find a place for us to live with such short notice?"
"I wouldn't worry so much about that," She smirked seeing his distraught expression, but it quickly slid off her face with a slight bit of guilt. They say the only way to make an omelet was to break a few eggs, but seeing him so genuinely upset was not quite a part of her plan. Still, she pressed onward.
"Each Sekirei is given a special MBI black credit card for his or her personal use throughout the duration of the game. With the financial backing of the company, it's got practically no limit. We could afford any place we wanted."
"But I—"
"I won't take no for an answer, Minato."
Minato's refusal to accept handouts warred with his sense of pragmatism. On the one hand, becoming a freeloader mooching off of his Sekirei was an entirely unpalatable situation that he wanted to avoid if at all possible. He was already planning on securing a couple of part-time jobs to support the both of them as it was before this all went down, rather than ask for more money from his mother to cover the costs.
But on the other hand, it was unlikely that he would be able to find something in time to scrape together enough money for a rent deposit even if they had found a place within their budget. The end of the week deadline gave them only a few days to look, and Tokyo was an expensive city. Swallowing his pride, he knew the rational course of action would be to have Karasuba to pay for whatever housing she wanted even if it did leave a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Alright then, Karasuba. If that's what you want, we should get to looking. Time's a-wasting..."
After they washed up and had a quick breakfast, Minato and Karasuba headed to a realtor's office to apply for housing. With the newfound financial flexibility afforded to them by the MBI black card, they had the pick of the litter so to speak. Of course, most of Minato's more frugal options were outright thrown out as were Karasuba's more extravagant choices, but they eventually settled on a two-story home with a master bedroom and 5 other bedrooms located in the northern sector of Tokyo.
"Why do we need such a big house for, Karasuba? It's only going to be the two of us living in it, I don't think we'll need that much space ever!" Minato asked curiously as they signed the last bit of paperwork.
"I refuse to live in a place without plenty of room. You can always leave unused space empty, you can never summon up more space when you need it."
He had to admit it was sound logic, if not a bit wasteful by his standards. Still, if Karasuba felt so strongly about it, who was he to oppose her decision? After all, she was now the official breadwinner between the two of them.
Having found a new home so quickly, Minato's worries were alleviated slightly as they returned to the apartment to pack up Minato's meager belongings. He didn't have much, so it didn't take very long at all to gather everything up nor was it particularly difficult to transport it all. The landlord stopped by to collect the keys and make sure Minato didn't attempt to steal any of the apartment's furniture.
"Thank you for taking care of me during my stay, Genzaburou-san." Minato bowed lightly to the crotchety old man who sputtered a bit at his earnestness.
"Hrumph. Well, at least you kept the place tidy, Sahashi."
"Yes, thank you for taking care of my Minato, Genzaburou-san. Now, about his deposit...?" Karasuba smiled pleasantly, but lurking just beneath the surface was a dangerous predator used to getting her way.
The landlord paled, sensing a vague discomforting feeling emanating from the tall silver-haired girl. "O-of course you'll be refunded the deposit." He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Minato with a slight hitch in his voice. "Now get out of here, I need to hurry up and find a new tenant."
Walking alongside Minato as they finally gathered their belongings to move out, Karasuba and her Ashikabi had settled into a comfortable silence without any awkwardness. As the sun shone brightly in the sky, birds chirped overhead, and a refreshing winter breeze blew through the trees, she thought she could get used to a different pace than usual. Sure, she wasn't doing any killing or murdering or general raising of mayhem, but this... This wasn't so bad. She could almost forget the whispers that lurked in the corner of her mind. Almost.
Karasuba was pleasantly surprised at how quickly and smoothly the moving process had gone. From getting evicted from the old apartment, to finding a new home, to moving out of the apartment and into the new home, everything had gone according to plan. Admittedly, it had been a bit callous of her to deliberately show herself like that to the landlord in order to get Minato kicked out, but the look on that old coot's face was more than worth it in her opinion. Minato's face was hilarious too, now that she thought about it. Teasing Minato was more fun than she expected, not quite at the level of fun of a good battle but still substantial enough to matter to her at least.
Still, showing him that pathetic side of her was not part of any plan she made. The nightmares were nothing new of course, she had been plagued by those for years, but having another soul since her witness them was. She had hoped never ever to reveal that side of her to her Ashikabi if she could have helped it, but what was done was done. The lapse that had happened that morning would simply have to never repeat itself in the future, but that could be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The weather outside was too pleasant to waste on such thoughts.
Suddenly not feeling the presence of her Ashikabi around her, she whirled around to see him a couple dozen yards behind her. He was as pale as a sheet and clutching onto the back of a park bench for dear life.
"K-karasuba... C-could we take a break...? I can't go on anymore...!" Minato wheezed. Face sweating all over, her Ashikabi looked completely exhausted. He had insisted that they be as frugal as possible, so her initial suggestion of renting moving services had been rejected in favor of carrying their meager belongings themselves. Neither of them had many possessions to transport, but it was the combination of his stubborn refusal to let her carry it all with the comparatively blistering pace she had absentmindedly set while lost in thought that drained him faster than she expected.
She had forgotten he wasn't exactly the most physically fit representative of his species. To his credit, she realized they had trekked nearly two-thirds of the way there before he had keeled over and called for a rest. Considering he had been carrying nearly 40 pounds of weight on his back (she carried the remaining 90 or so without breaking a sweat) over 6 miles without complaint, maybe he was stronger than she thought.
The Black Sekirei nodded her assent, and as if he was waiting for it the entire time, Minato unceremoniously flopped into the bench and plopped his sack of belongings at his feet. Suppressing the urge to laugh at loud at how miserable her Ashikabi looked, Karasuba chose to just sit down beside him instead. Now probably wasn't the time for teasing, but she mentally filed that look on his face away for use later.
"H-how... how are you doing, Karasuba?" Minato practically gasped as he sat in the shade. "W-want... a drink or something?"
There was that peculiar habit of his again. It confused her how his first instinct seemed to be her well-being, even before his own sense of self-preservation. This wasn't the first time either. Throughout the past few days, he had done little things like ask how she was or if he could do anything for her before but this was the first time he had done so like this. Bone tired and looking ready to blow away with a stiff breeze, yet still trying to look out for her? Odd. Very odd. She had seen other men and women alike throw their pride, their honor, their friends, and comrades for even the barest shreds of a chance at escaping from her blade. Humans were supposed to be universally selfish and self-centered to the bone, but Minato turned her assumption on its head.
"I'm fine, but you look like you could use a drink more than me," she said aloud.
Minato chuckled weakly. "I guess that's true. I'm pretty out of shape, I should probably start exercising regularly again if I want to be able to keep up with you somewhat... Sit tight, I'll be right back."
With a visible gathering of his strength, he heaved himself off the bench with a puff of exhaustion and gingerly made his way to the nearest vending machine. Karasuba had never met anyone who was that selfless before.
No, that was wrong. She was just the same as Minato, always asking her how she was doing or doing her little favors here and there. The Black Sekirei scoffed to herself, the whole notion of it was ridiculous. The both of them treated her like some kind of fragile china doll or something, as if she wasn't fully capable of getting by without them. She had done just fine before she had met her, she did just fine after her, and she would do just fine after Minato too.
"That's right... No one would just help someone like you without an ulterior motive..." The tiny voice at the back of her mind whispered. "She left you all alone, she betrayed your trust, and he will too. It's only a matter of time..."
But it felt so... right to be with Minato. He genuinely seemed interested in her well-being with no strings attached. He made her feel welcome, for the first time in a long time. And besides, who could she trust if not her Ashikabi anyway?
"You know that's bullshit... You can only trust yourself. Remember the last time you let someone in?"
Oh, she remembered all too well. She remembered it almost every night. Was it only a matter of time before Minato betrayed her too?
"Yes... Better to strike first before you are struck yourself..."
A small part of her screamed in protest, knowing full well that killing Minato would inevitably end in her own death as the Sekirei dead switch activated. Even self-preservation aside, he had treated her well! He didn't deserve to die!
But the seething, roiling part of her psyche latched onto that stray thought. It thirsted for his blood. He was weak now and exhausted from trekking so far without rest, it cajoled. She could end him at her leisure, in this empty park with no bystanders. No one to intrude on her intimate banquet with her Ashikabi. She could show him a rare mercy by ending him quickly so he wouldn't suffer. Much. He deserved the special treatment as her fated one. After all, she could only feast on one in her whole lifetime, there would be no seconds.
"Now is the perfect opportunity," her mind crooned.
There would be no interference. No one to interrupt her, only she would be audience to his exquisite final rattling breath as his life left his lungs. That sweet, sweet sound was like music to her ears, and no one else had the right to partake of it but her.
Karasuba licked her lips hungrily at the thought of it all. What would his final moments be like, she wondered, fully enraptured by the throes of her bloodlust. Would he scream and cry, futilely begging on his hands and knees for her mercy? Maybe he would try to run, she quite liked it when they ran. It made things far more exciting when she finally cornered them and extinguished the last bits of desperate hope in their eyes. Or maybe -
A hand came to rest on her shoulder, startling her out of her reverie. She whirled around, a murderous scowl half-formed on her face until she abruptly came face to face with Minato. He raised an eyebrow at her odd behavior and handed her a cold bottle of water.
"Something the matter, Karasuba? You seem a little out of it." he asked curiously.
How could she have dropped her guard so low that even an untrained human like Minato could get the drop on her? Karasuba desperately tried to rein in her savage bloodlust. He had committed no wrong and there was no reason to attack, not to mention the sheer suicidal insanity of killing one's own Ashikabi. She bit down sharply on the inside of her cheek, drawing blood to take the worst of the edge off and immediately felt a little more clear-headed. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she simply shrugged and took the offered drink.
"I would have gotten you something else, but I didn't know what flavors you like." he said, completely oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Now that I think about it, I just got those coffees the other day randomly without thinking about it. What do you like to drink, anyhow? For future reference."
She could have laughed out loud. Here she was, plotting his murder and all he could think about was what drinks she liked? Her innocent fool of an Ashikabi really didn't know how close he had come to death, did he? That was twice now that he had unwittingly done that, but each time was proving more and more difficult to snap out of her murderous haze.
"Water and coffee are fine. I've never really had anything else, so I can't say what my favorites are."
"What?! You've never had anything other than water or coffee?" Minato's jaw gaped in shock. "How have you lived without trying anything else?"
The Black Sekirei only shrugged helplessly. She couldn't very well explain to him how she had spent the past years of her life while in the Disciplinary Squad. He wouldn't understand, she and he came from far too different worlds. Minato might even come to be repulsed by her bloodstained past, and she couldn't risk seeing her deepest fears come to pass. No, better not to even bring it up in the first place.
"Okay, that's something I'm going to have to rectify ASAP!" Minato continued excitedly. "Oh man, when you taste the literal world of beverages out there, you're sure to find something you like! After we settle in, how about we should go out for dinner and try some drinks?"
Karasuba allowed herself a tentative smile, her Ashikabi's exuberance was proving to be infectious. He seemed to have forgotten his previous fatigue in his excitement.
"Sure, if you're paying." She teased.
As he deflated somewhat at the thought of it, she let out a peal of laughter. Teasing him really was such fun. She still didn't know how to feel about this new life she had found with Minato. Was it better than the constant slaughter she had drowned herself in? She had yet to find something that was truly more invigorating than the adrenaline rush of battle but she supposed finding new ways to fluster the human who had become her Ashikabi was a serviceable second.
But this peace could only last as long as he remained blissfully ignorant of the sins she had committed. The less he knew about her past, the better.
"Eventually, he will find out. And once that happens, do you really think these carefree days will go on?"
She prayed she would never have to find out.
About a week or two after getting fully settled in their new home together, Minato was starting to feel cooped up and restless.
Without the overwhelming pressure of university entrance exams to worry about anymore, he realized he didn't really have much else going on in his life. Most of his friends were back home, and he hadn't made very many other acquaintances in the city in the time since he had moved there. Most of his waking hours were devoted to studying, so he hadn't had time or energy to spare on socializing. Sure he had a couple of study buddies in the cram school he attended, but they weren't particularly close. And he was quite certain they hadn't passed the exams like he had. If he had called them up to hang out, it would surely seem like he was rubbing it in their faces.
Chores weren't really a big part of his routine either. Despite insisting that he take care of everything in their home (mostly out of guilt for letting Karasuba pay for it all), he really did not spend all too much time on them. Both he and Karasuba were tidy people with few personal belongings to clutter the home, so cleaning wasn't as big of an ordeal as in a normal household despite their large home. Laundry wasn't particularly difficult either since neither of them fussed about their personal appearance, especially around each other. There was a bit of awkwardness (mostly on Minato's part) when he washed Karasuba's delicates, but the only time she acknowledged it was the one time she laughed at him after walking in on him blushing with her panties in hand.
Karasuba on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to lie about the house simply relaxing or observing him. It was almost eerie how her eyes seemed to track his every movement, as if she were studying his behavior and making mental logs of it. He didn't know how to feel about it, but he chalked it up to another one of her peculiarities. She was probably just trying to get to know him better in her own way, so he didn't mind it as much. Still, it was a little bit discomforting to have her follow him around and watch him all the time.
As an extension of that hobby of hers, she insisted on sharing the master bedroom with him despite his offer to concede the room to her. He had thought she would have wanted her own personal space, but she was surprisingly affectionate in day to day life. Karasuba loved skinship like lounging around with his head in her lap or cuddling with him on the sofa for naps. She did have her days where she seemed extremely on edge, disappearing at times to go exercise off tension he didn't quite know the cause of. Those days she absolutely refused any physical contact with him though she would always "make it up to him" later by being even more affectionate than usual. It was difficult to adjust to her mood swings at first, but he was steadily getting better at reading her emotions through the bond they shared.
Of course he used all of the time they spent together to try get to know her better, but she still seemed very guarded around him. Much like the first night they had spent together, Karasuba would occasionally wake up shivering in the middle of the night from nightmares and wouldn't be able to calm down until he held her in his arms. She would never tell him what she saw in those dreams, no matter how hard he tried to get her to open up. He tried to be as open and approachable as possible, though it didn't seem to have any effect on getting his Sekirei to relax around him. He was determined to learn at least some things about her every day, no matter how superficial like what her favorite color was (black) or what her favorite animals were (cats). It was slow going, but he was determined to work at it patiently.
Through his own careful observance of her schedule, he managed to glean a few helpful nuggets of information about her. If she wasn't sleeping or watching him do chores, she was training with her blade. She took extremely meticulous care of it, always keeping it polished to a shine and inspecting its edge for imperfections or nicks daily. He still wasn't entirely sure why, but Karasuba seemed more invigorated when she had her nodachi in hand. She rarely let it leave her side or hands except to sleep, and even then it was always within arm's reach. No. 04 kept herself in just as good shape as her sword, training each day by practicing kata or sparring against imaginary opponents in their backyard. He once asked her why she worked so hard only for her to smile enigmatically in reply.
He envied her work ethic. Minato did put in the effort to get in shape, but that too was slow going. He still couldn't keep up with her own monstrous work-out routine, and though he did feel a little discouraged about it, her slightly impressed smile each day he woke up with her to exercise made it all worth it in the end.
Still, he couldn't very well spend the rest of his days cleaning and exercising and sleeping all day. He needed a purpose, some kind of activity to occupy his time. It finally hit him one day that he should probably get a job, or at least a part-time one. It would get him off his feet, out of the house, and give him some money to supplement his mother's monthly allowance. He could have slapped himself with how obvious the solution was from the get go, but refrained lest Karasuba think him crazy.
"Minato, why do you look like you could slap yourself because you finally realized a painfully obvious answer to whatever was bugging you all this time?"
Speak of the devil.
"Oh, well..." he chuckled sheepishly. "I figured I should probably get a job. It would give me something to do and give me some spending money. Can't mooch off you forever, right?"
"I already told you it was fine, though." she replied. "Unless you've grown tired of me and are just trying to get away...?"
An almost imperceptible tensing in her shoulders and a tightening of the grip on her blade were all Minato needed in order to know this wasn't exactly a light-hearted question. Even so, he could almost feel a slight sense of pain and loneliness coming from his Sekirei somehow. He knew that his answer was of the utmost importance to her right now. With that in mind, he quickly drew Karasuba into a warm hug.
"I could never grow tired of you, Karasuba. I've been blessed to have you in my life these past few weeks, and I wouldn't want it any other way." He said softly into her ear. "I only want to be of some use around the house, that's all!"
"I-is that so?" she said with the slightest of hitches in her voice.
Karasuba had stiffened at first, but relaxed into his arms gradually the longer she spent in his embrace. Mustering up every ounce of his courage, he decided to take an uncharacteristically forward course of action. His lips met hers in a soft, chaste kiss that filled the living room with the light of her black wings as she returned his kiss and embrace. The very vaguest hints of a blush dusted her cheeks when they broke off.
"You are my Sekirei, and I am your Ashikabi. Now and forevermore, right?"
A quiet smile bloomed on Karasuba's lips.
"Now and forevermore."
In another part of town, a certain woman was approached by an unfamiliar face who told her he would be taking charge of her routine tuning for the foreseeable future. She wasn't particularly attached to the woman who normally performed her check-ups and tuning, so she only shrugged and went along with the man to the MBI labs. Besides, she reasoned, the woman had told her she only had about a couple of weeks left to go in the process and she could be released into Tokyo to find her Ashikabi! Her cheeks colored a bit just thinking about it, and the barest hints of a smile peeked out on her normally reserved face.
Lost in her pleasant daydream, she didn't notice that the man was leading her along a different path than the one she usually took to the tuning labs. By the time she realized, she found herself in a strange part of the labs she had never been to before.
"Ah... Excuse me, where are we?" she spoke up finally, tugging on the man's lab coat to grab his attention. She nearly leapt out of her skin when he whirled around, a furious snarl on his face for the briefest of moments before he forced an awkward smile onto his mouth.
"We're heading to my special lab, almost there."
She tilted her head in confusion, but shrugged and went along with it anyway. It did bother her though, the look on his face right when he turned around, but she simply assumed she had imagined it.
"It must have been a trick of the light or something," she reasoned.
True to his word, after a short minute or two more of walking, they finally arrived at a non-descript lab similar to the ones she had been in thus far. The man gestured at the table in the middle of the room, telling her to lie down. With a quiet nod, she did as told.
"Now, I'm going to step out for a second to prepare for your tuning. My assistants will help you get comfortable."
As he walked out, a snap of his fingers brought a couple of mousy-looking fellows scurrying into the room after him, full of a nervous hustle and bustle. They placed a strange mask over her mouth and told her to count to 10. This certainly was not what usually happened during her tunings.
"Ah... What is this for?" she asked curiously.
"D-don't worry, this is just to uh... check your lung capacity! Yes, just breath in deeply and count to ten for me."
"Ah... Okay. One, two, three, four –"
Slipping in and out of consciousness, she could barely make heads or tails of where she was or what she was doing. She couldn't remember why she was here, but her body felt drained of all energy. Her limbs felt like they weighed thousands of pounds more than usual. Distorted voices echoed around her, but she could barely tell where they were coming from.
"Final checks completed, ready to begin procedure."
"Sir, we've not yet received clearance from Dr. Sahashi yet."
"Tch. I don't need any fucking 'clearance' to do these adjustments, I'm the best fucking tuner in this goddamn company. If this goes according to my calculations, and it will, we will accelerate the tuning process far beyond the current standards. We proceed now, I don't need to wait for that bitch's approval."
"But sir, I really don't think –"
"You're not getting paid to fucking think, you're getting paid to fucking do. Or am I going to have to find another assistant smart enough to shut the fuck up and do what they're fucking told?"
"... Beginning initial diagnostics, sir."
"That's what I fucking thought."
A bright light suddenly filled her vision, and then she could feel nothing but pain. It exploded behind her eyelids, pulverizing her brain and searing itself into every nook and cranny. She knew nothing, she felt nothing other than its claws gouging into her head.
"Sir, we're losing her! Vital signs are dropping!"
"Fuck! I'm so close, don't you fucking dare shut down now!"
She heard these words but she didn't have enough spare cognitive power to understand anything beyond the liquid fire pooling in her forehead. It burned white hot with its intensity. She wanted to scream, to lash out at whatever was causing it, but she couldn't even open her mouth or twitch her toes. The pain was beyond anything she had ever felt before.
"What the hell is going on in here? Shut it down, now!"
"Sahashi, you bitch, don't you interfere with my work!"
"I said shut it down, you've botched this up enough!"
Blessed peace replaced the pain, and with it finally came sweet unconsciousness.
She didn't know how long she was out for, but when she finally came to it was fully dark outside. She laid in bed, feeling the cool hospital linens on her bare skin and merely staring at the ceiling trying to make sense of where and when she was. A sudden low growl startled her and she jolted upright in bed, head whipping about trying to look for the source.
"So you're finally awake, you fucking piece of shit."
Bloodshot eyes stared back into her own from beyond the foot of her bed, sending a chill down her spine that wasn't entirely due to the air conditioning.
"It was supposed to be a fucking easy procedure." The voice was coming from a man slouched in a chair across from her hospital bed, a bottle of something clutched in his hand. The same man who had led her to the strange lab.
She could hardly find her voice to answer the sudden statement. "W-what?"
"But no, it all turned to shit. I don't understand, my calculations were perfect. I ran the fucking numbers myself." He took a swig from the bottle.
"Ah... I don't know what you're talking about."
"The problem clearly wasn't me, I was the rising star of this company. A few more months, and I was sure to take the head researcher position from that fucking bitch Sahashi." Another swig, a longer one this time that spilled out from around his lips and down the front of his shirt. "No, if the problem wasn't me or my calculations then there leaves only one fucking answer. You."
The man suddenly stood and slowly lurched his way towards her.
"You fucking bitch, this is all YOUR fault! You were destined to be a 'Scrapped Number' from the start, how could I have known?"
"Ah... I'm not a Scrapped Number, I'm normal..."
The man barked a harsh laugh, his grating tone driving its way into her sensitive ears and setting off a fresh wave of pain through her temples. She hastily tried to put as much distance between her and him, cowering against the backboard of the bed. Her hands frantically scrabbled for the call button but she dared not take her eyes off him.
"What a fucking joke. Sahashi said it herself, you're a 'Scrapped Number' now, you can never be winged by anyone."
She felt her blood turn to ice in her veins as she froze up. No, that can't be, she thought wildly. The floor seemed to drop away beneath her. Tears silently streamed down her face. That was impossible, there was no way -
"I lost it all... I was fired from my fucking job, the entire division was too... Everyone hates me, they think it's my fault they all went down for my fuck up. No, it wasn't me, it was YOU. This is YOUR fault!" He smashed the bottle on the foot of the bed, holding up the jagged edges in the moonlight. "Now, you're gonna fucking pay."
With a savage roar, he lunged toward her in an attempt to slash her with the broken bottle. There was no time to think about the bombshell that man had just dropped on her. The world around her seemed to slow to a crawl as the adrenaline began to pump through her system. Heart pounding in her ears, she reached out a hand and channeled her innate powers toward her attacker. In the blink of an eye, she fired an icicle at the former researcher that speared him through the chest and stopped him in his tracks.
His eyes widened and he clutched at the spear of ice protruding from his body. "Y-you... fucking bitch..." he managed to spit out before he collapsed onto the bed.
She bit back a wave of nausea that swept through her. Taking several deep breaths to calm down, she desperately tried to regain her composure. If this man was right, there could be more people on their way to get their revenge on her. She needed to escape, to run away from MBI as fast as possible before anyone else showed up to try to kill her.
From her rare outings out with her usual tuner, she knew how bitterly cold the Tokyo nights could be in the wintertime. She needed some kind of clothes first, or she'd freeze to death. With a slight grimace, she pulled off the bloodstained lab coat of her assailant and pulled it on. The rest of it was unsalvageable so she would have to find shelter quickly, but it was certainly better than nothing. Running to the window, she realized the floor she was on wasn't that high up. She could easily jump out and make a run for it.
It was then that she noticed her reflection staring back at her. A bright red crest looked tattooed onto her forehead. With growing horror, she shakily reached up to touch it as tears flowed anew from her eyes. The man wasn't lying to her after all, her last tiny hope crushed. The stomping of feet echoing in the hallway snapped her out of her sorrow. There was no time to stand there and feel sorry for herself. She needed to escape, to live on regardless.
She formed another icicle in her hand and used it to smash the glass separating her from her freedom. Without looking back, she leaped out into the night air and hit the ground running.
"ARGH!" Minato screamed in frustration.
Job hunting was far more frustrating than he thought it would be. He had been roaming the streets of Tokyo, scouring every little shop and boutique for openings with little luck. It was growing late, and he didn't fancy the thought of coming home empty-handed. Realistically speaking, he really hadn't expected to land a part-time job on the first day of trying but it was still a blow to his pride. He was an incoming Tokyo U student, for crying out loud!
By the time it was dark outside, he decided to call it a day after the latest rejection. Maybe if he was lucky, Karasuba would be taking one of her usual naps when he got home and he wouldn't have to get teased for his lack of success. He wasn't sure what was worse, not being able to find a job or having to continue freeloading off of her until he did.
He heaved a heavy sigh of disappointment and slowly trudged his way back home. He debated on whether or not to take a detour through that park he and Karasuba passed through on their move-in hike. He really liked that particular one, full of trees and wide open spaces for picnics. Which reminded him, he had been planning on taking Karasuba on one soon but never really found a way to bring it up in conversation. The hustle and bustle of moving in and getting settled in had occupied most of their free time together for the first couple of weeks as they fiddled with room setups and furniture arrangement to get everything just right. When they finally did manage to do so, the lethargy of day to day life set in and he fell into the groove he was presently trying to get out of.
After a short while of walking, he eventually reached the park entrance.
"I really should be getting home, but I might as well take this opportunity to scout out a nice place for us to have that picnic. Gotta get everything just right on the first try or Karasuba will never want to go on another one again!" he thought to himself.
And with that, Minato strolled right in. The cool night air wasn't particularly biting, more refreshing than anything. Partly because of the warm scarf Karasuba insisted he buy when she looked through his bare-bones wardrobe. He was grateful, happy even that she cared enough about him to buy him things, but he couldn't quite shake the nagging sense of guilt he felt about it. Even up until now, he hadn't been able to buy her anything in return with his own money. Of course she told him he had done enough for her already as her Ashikabi, but his pride as a man and her pseudo-husband/boyfriend (was he allowed to call himself that?) demanded that he spoil his partner rotten. How else was he supposed to show her that he lo—
*wham*
As he sat up from his sprawled out position on the ground, he mentally beat himself over the head for his clumsy mistake. There he went again, getting lost in thought and not paying attention to where he was going. How many times had he tripped over or ran into things because of that already? What had he even tripped over this time anyway –
"Ah... Are you okay?" A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Looking up, he met the eyes of a young woman curled up on the bench in front of him. She had short brown hair, messily styled with a bright red tattoo on her forehead. He didn't mean to stare, but it seemed familiar to him for some reason. He blushed upon seeing she was wearing nothing but a lab coat for warmth, but embarrassment quickly turned to alarm when he noticed the dark bloodstains on it.
"I'm okay, but are you alright? You have bloodstains all over your coat, are you bleeding anywhere?" he asked worriedly.
"Ah... No injuries. This is not my blood."
"Oh, thank goodness." He heaved a sigh of relief. "But what are you doing in this park all by yourself, without any proper clothes on too?"
"I was running away. But running is pointless. I no longer have a purpose."
"Wait, what? Running away? From who? Do you need me to call the police?"
"I am a Scrapped Number."
"What does that mean?"
"I... can never be winged. I can never find my destined one."
Outwardly, her face did not change from its neutral expression but the pain and sorrow she must have felt was clear to Minato from her body language, from the look in her eyes. She must have been crushed when she found out the news. Wait, winged? That sounded like -
"Hold on, are you a Sekirei?"
"I was. Not now. I can never be a fully fledged one."
Minato's heart clenched in sympathy for her. He couldn't imagine life without Karasuba now that she had so forcefully stormed her way into his heart. If he had never been able to meet her, if she had never been winged... He couldn't even begin to fathom it. For this girl to never be able to experience that for herself? That was just too much, too unfair. He couldn't just leave her alone, not in this park by herself and certainly not while wearing that. Getting up onto the balls of his feet, he dusted himself off and met her eye to eye.
"I think first things first, we should get you out of this cold and into something warmer. I know this sounds incredibly suspicious, but... I have a Sekirei waiting for me at home. You might know her, her name is Karasuba."
Her eyes flickered with recognition, but he decided not to comment.
"Do you want to come with me? I live nearby, maybe she can help you out!" He reached out a hand to her.
She seemed to hesitate for a second before taking his hand. Hers was small in his, cold to the touch. Gently helping her up, he took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He did up the buttons for her to cover up the fact that she was only clad in a bloody lab coat. Fortunately for him, her, and his coat, the stains seemed thoroughly dry and hopefully wouldn't come off on it.
"What's your name? I'm Sahashi Minato."
"I am No. 07, please call me Akitsu."
Karasuba was beginning to get bored waiting at home all by herself. After Minato had left to go look for a job, she had quickly run out of things to do in order to pass the time. Exercising and napping could only entertain her for so long, and without Minato to observe or tease, she didn't really have anything better to do. Part of her was more than a little embarrassed to admit that he had wormed his way into her heart and she was growing more and more dependent on him in her day to day life.
Was it really so bad though? He was attentive, caring, and still knew when to back off to give her space. It was almost unreal how perfect of a lover he was, but he was the real deal. The only things she could find wrong about him were how wimpy he could be sometimes or how much of a blushing virgin he was around her more... vigorous teasing. He probably was a virgin, but that only meant she could take his chastity herself. A most intriguing prospect, to be sure.
*growl*
The rumbling of her stomach interrupted her thoughts, a light dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks. When would that Ashikabi of hers get home already? She was hungry and she didn't know how to cook without him around. She had tried a couple of times, but after cooking a mostly rare steak and almost starting a kitchen fire on separate occasions, Minato had insisted that she refrain from cooking without his direct supervision.
"Really, who does that little human think he is anyway?" she thought to herself, a small smile coming to her face unbidden at the thought of him putting his foot down for once.
He rarely was forceful with her, so she had come to appreciate the few moments she riled him up enough to elicit such a reaction. Part of the fun of teasing him was to push him to the edge of his patience for those outbursts of power. She could honestly admit she found him incredibly more desirable when he did.
*growl*
She groaned aloud and flopped into a couch in their living room. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was nearly 7PM. What in the world was taking him so long? She was beginning to fret over him, why hadn't he come home yet?
"He must have taken the opportunity to sneak away, I told you this would happen..." the voice whispered in her mind.
No. She couldn't allow herself to think that way. He had promised before he left that he would come back by 6, didn't he? She had to trust her Ashikabi of all people. If that wasn't the case, then what if he had been attacked by enemy Sekirei? She hadn't been deactivated, so he obviously was still alive. But what if they had captured him and were holding him hostage? What if they were torturing him?
She got off the couch and began to pace frantically, a worried look on her face. She hated him for doing this to her, to make her so uncharacteristically worried about someone else. The last time she even gave a damn about someone else's well-being was her, and it wasn't to the extent that she was feeling for Minato. She hadn't felt this nervous or restless before either. She hated feeling this way, but she hated herself more for letting him go out by himself and putting them all in this situation in the first place. The former MBI Dog knew that the Sekirei Plan was under full swing, and soon the streets of Tokyo would be unsafe for a lone Ashikabi to be walking about if they weren't already. Especially at night.
Why oh why hadn't she gotten one of those stupid human cell phones when he had suggested it? If she had one, she could have just called or texted him by now and everything would have been solved without worry. Punching her palm in frustration, she resolved to get one for herself but more importantly, to never let him out of her sight again if she could help it. She never wanted to feel this way again.
A clattering at the door had her practically running to meet what was surely Minato finally getting home. Only a supreme force of will made her stop and take a deep breath before taking a more measured pace there. Oh, she was going to give him a piece of her mind and a tongue-lashing he was sure to never forget.
The doorknob turned and as the door swung open, Karasuba raised her trusty nodachi up to hit him over the head with it. She wasn't going to hit him very hard, only just enough to make it clear she was not happy with him.
"Minato, do you have any idea what time it is? What took –"
She froze mid-sentence and mid-swing upon seeing him standing there with a girl at his side. She was wearing what looked like his coat and not much else. So that was what was taking so long? She was waiting at home frantic with worry, and he had stopped to bring home some strumpet?
A wild rage filled her every being, a blazing inferno of hate ignited in her chest. A dull roaring filled her ears, and the all too familiar bloodlust demanded satiation.
"HE BETRAYED YOUR TRUST, HE MUST DIE."
The whispers were right, she had been betrayed by the man she trusted. How dare he –
Before she could even react, she felt Minato's arms wrap around her and hold her tight.
"Karasuba, I'm home."
"W-wha-what?" She immediately snapped out of her trance-like berserk state, rage replaced with uncharacteristic confused embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for making you worry," he said. "I was on my way home when I ran into Akitsu. She was practically naked and she looked like she was in deep trouble. I think you might know her, she's a Sekirei as well."
All of the fight had left her and she just felt incredible mental fatigue. Minato hadn't betrayed her, it was just his usual self not being able to resist helping other people. She could almost laugh with how foolish and ashamed she felt for doubting him. A gentle finger wiped under her eye and she realized with a start that she had shed a tear. How unusual.
"Oh no, I really did it now huh? I'm so sorry, Karasuba. You must have been so worried when I didn't get home on time. I'm so so sorry, please forgive me."
"Welcome home..." she said softly. How many more times would it be that he was going to have to comfort her like this? She didn't like showing this weakness in front of him, but it was... nice to be able to let her guard down like this sometimes.
"Ah... Pardon the intrusion." A soft-spoken voice said, startling the two of them in their intimate moment. Both had forgotten that Akitsu had been standing there the entire time.
"Ahaha, where are my manners?" Minato said sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Akitsu. Please, come in. Make yourself at home, I'm going to run up and grab you some clothes to change into."
Minato scurried off and an awkward silence settled over the two Sekirei standing in the entry way. Karasuba eyed the new girl with suspicion. Knowing that she wasn't just any random tramp Minato had found on the streets but a Sekirei instead was not making her feel any more at ease. She supposed this moment was inevitable. It was entirely within the realm of possibility that Minato would wing multiple Sekirei. Given that she, a single digit, had reacted on her own to him, it was fairly obvious that he was a strong Ashikabi himself and more Sekirei would begin to react to him as well.
Knowing and accepting were two entirely different things, however. Was she jealous? She wasn't afraid to admit it, to herself at least. That rage she felt upon seeing them for the first time was proof enough of that. But if Minato had seen fit to bring this Akitsu girl home, she would have to grudgingly accept her. For now.
"Has he winged you yet?" she asked Akitsu aloud, breaking the silence.
"Ah... No," she replied, picking nervously at the collar of the coat she was wearing.
Karasuba heaved a sigh of equal parts relief and exasperation. Her emotions were running more wild than normal ever since she had been winged, probably because of the acclimation process for the Ashikabi-Sekirei bond. Some took to it better than others, and it seems like she wasn't one of the fortunate ones. The surprise entry of this Akitsu girl into her and Minato's lives was not helping things either.
"Well, you had better come in. Take a seat over there."
The two Sekirei walked into the living room and sat across from each other. The awkward silence settled over them once again. Karasuba studied the girl again. If she hadn't been winged yet, then it was only a matter of time until she was. It was a rare Sekirei who reacted to someone and changed their minds about it. After all, the attraction was on a genetic level, some might even say destined level. But what was that strange crest on her forehead? It looked almost exactly like a winged Sekirei's crest, but something was not quite right about it. The more she looked at it, the more unsettled it began to make her feel.
"Why do you have a Sekirei crest on your forehead?"
"Ah. It is proof that I am a Scrapped Number."
"What does that even mean?"
A look of deep sorrow flitted across the girl's previously impassive face before she reigned in her emotions. "I cannot be winged by anyone."
Damn. Now she felt a little guilty for treating her with such disdain. If what she said was true, and there was certainly no reason to lie about a condition of such magnitude, then she could never experience a true bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi. How pitiful. Karasuba could not imagine a life without Minato now that he had wormed his way into her heart, no matter how hard she had tried to lock him out of it. Where would she be if not for him? Who else but him would have accepted her for all her faults? But if she couldn't be winged...
"Why did you come home with my Minato if not to be winged by him then?" Karasuba asked. "What are your intentions?"
"Ah. Minato-sama saved me. He reached out to me when he had no reason to and saved me from the loneliness. I want to be his Sekirei, if not in name then in spirit."
"Sama?"
"Minato-sama saved me," Akitsu said again. "His kindness cannot be repaid."
"What are you talking about? From what you've told me, all he's done is walk you home and lend you his coat!"
"Ah. It is warm." Akitsu fingered the collar of the coat again, a blush on her face. "Minato-sama went out of his way to help me, he did not have to do so."
Karasuba sighed with exasperation. Leave it to Minato to unwittingly woo a girl with his bleeding heart and kindness alone. Really, the girl he had brought home was acting more like a love-sick puppy than anything. But she supposed when someone was thrown into the depths of despair like that girl had, Minato would have seemed like a true savior indeed.
"Sorry I took so long, everyone." Minato said as he came down the stairs with a bundle of clothes in his hands. "I grabbed one of my old long-sleeved t-shirts and a pair of shorts. I almost forgot where we had put everything, Karasuba!"
Akitsu took the offered bundle with a small bow. "Thank you, Minato-sama."
"W-what?" He looked taken aback by the sudden formal honorific. "Please, just Minato is fine."
"Ah. Okay, Minato-sama."
"..."
"Is there something wrong, Minato-sama?"
"...Nothing, nothing at all. Why don't you take a bath and get clean before you change? The bathroom is down the hall to your left."
"As you wish, Minato-sama." Akitsu bowed before heading toward the bathroom.
When the door closed, Minato could only sigh and hang his head in his hands. "What have I done?" He groaned.
"Apparently, you've brought home a stray." Karasuba deadpanned.
"What was I supposed to do? You should have seen her, she looked miserable all curled up on a bench with nothing on but a bloody lab coat! I couldn't just leave her alone by herself like that."
"Yes, you could have easily just walked away." she thought to herself. Karasuba thought up a dozen things he could have done instead, none of which were particularly pleasant, but all were viable alternatives to adopting a stray Sekirei into their home. Still, voicing those suggestions might not be the best of things to say at a time like this. Even if she wanted to say it.
"Hm," she said instead.
"Do you think we can do anything about her... condition?"
"Probably not. She said she's a 'Scrapped Number,' but I didn't know it was even possible for something like that to happen to a Sekirei. Maybe MBI can do something, they were the ones responsible for tuning the Sekirei."
She wasn't a technician, nor did she really care for that kind of thing when she was employed by MBI. Honestly, she couldn't think of a single case of a Sekirei being scrapped and becoming unable to be winged. Karasuba doubted the MBI scientists could do anything about it or they wouldn't have put Akitsu in a situation where she panicked and fled. All of this was fairly obvious to anyone with half a brain, she didn't know why Minato was being so dense. Especially considering how mad she was right now. Didn't he realize he was on the top of her shit list? Instead of worrying about this random Sekirei, he should be worrying about how he was going to beg her for forgiveness!
After a short pause of awkward silence, Minato finally seemed to sense her displeasure by the expression on her face. He took a seat beside her and gently took her hand in his. He lightly rubbed her knuckles with his thumb in soothing circles, just the way she liked.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Karasuba. I should have phoned home or something when I realized I was going to be late."
"Who said I was worried about you?" she said in a huff, pulling her hand away from his and crossing her arms. "Don't be so full of yourself."
Minato lightly grabbed her shoulders and slowly rubbed her arms with his thumbs in the same soothing circles as earlier. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. How about we go on a picnic soon? It'll be great, we can go to that park near our house!"
Was he bribing her with food and attention to make up for this colossal blunder of his? The nerve of him, as if her mercy was so easily bought! Then again, Minato was a wonderful cook and he made the most delicious curry she had ever tasted.
"... Will you make curry?"
"As much as you can eat."
Her stomach chose that exact moment to remind her that she had been hungry this entire time, rumbling loudly like a car starting its engine. She quickly stamped down the blush that was threatening to bloom on her face.
Minato choked back a laugh at her expense, managing to simply smile at her instead. "Well I suppose I should get to cooking tonight's dinner for starters. It's a good thing we went grocery shopping yesterday, we've got another mouth to feed."
As the hot water of the shower poured down on her, Akitsu took the time to try to relax a little. She had been on edge, running on practically pure adrenaline since waking up from the waking nightmare of a procedure that left her unwingable. Thinking over the chain of events that led up to this moment, she came to the belated conclusion that she had been extremely, incredibly, remarkably, and supernaturally lucky for things to have turned out so well for her.
After leaping out of the window at the MBI hospital wing, she managed to make a beeline into the city without encountering a single person along the way - not one other enemy Sekirei, potential Ashikabi, or general ne'er-do-wells. If that wasn't enough, upon reaching a seemingly safe spot, she had promptly collapsed with exhaustion into a bench in the middle of an empty park. Considering her state of undress and general emotional distress, it was almost a miracle that the first person to find her was Minato-sama. And he had practically fallen into her lap. Things could have gone far, far worse for her if someone else had stumbled upon her unconscious body first. A chill ran down her spine despite the hot water bath at the thought of it.
"Ah... Minato-sama..."
Her thoughts then turned to her unlikely savior. To be honest, she was only a little mistrustful of him at first. What convinced her of his trustworthiness was the look in his eyes as he spoke to her. They were filled with a kindness and sincerity that no one could fake. He didn't have to take her into his home and offer his help, he could have easily taken advantage of her if he chose to. Weak with exhaustion, she had been in no condition to fight back at all. Pure survival instinct had powered her up until that point, forcing her to move her limbs on autopilot even just to get away. But when her legs finally gave out and her lungs felt like molten lava, her will to live drained away as she laid on that bench. She realized the futility of living continuously on the run from a faceless organization without even the benefit of clothes on her back or money to her name, choosing to give up instead.
It was Minato-sama's selflessness that saved her from that hell. It was his kindness that gave her the strength to keep on living, for the sake of somehow repaying that debt she owed him. Even if she could not wing herself to him, she would pledge her life to him to use as he saw fit. As she pictured his face in her mind's eye, she felt a sort of warmth in her chest that slowly grew in intensity the more she thought about him but also an intense migraine as well. It didn't matter if the crest on her forehead sent stabbing pain through her temples, that pain was well worth the price to pay for what she instinctively knew as the beginnings of a reaction to him.
"But that was supposed to be impossible!"
Her mind raced, confused, ecstatic, and in agony all at the same time.
That researcher told her that she was a Scrapped Number, doomed never to be winged by anyone. The crest on her forehead was proof enough of that, so how was it that she was reacting to her Minato-sama? She shut off the water, sinking to her knees as she clutched her hands to her pounding heart. The pain lanced through her head, but she refused to give into it. It was proof – twisted and perverted, but still proof nonetheless - that her feelings for Minato-sama were real and that there was a deeper significance to what had happened that day. Everything, from the procedure to the escape into the city, must have been fated to happen in order to bring her to that park to meet Minato-sama. Akitsu's mind spun with the possibility, the glimmer of hope that she could yet become whole with the help of the one causing such bittersweet agony in her. For the sake of that man, she would bear any pain if it meant even the slightest chance of becoming one with him.
She slumped against the wall, gasping for breath as she fought down a sudden wave of nausea. The Ice Sekirei forced herself to let go of the warmth building in her chest. She needed to get out of this shower and share what had happened with Minato-sama. Her life was in his hands now. Only he could decide if he wanted to take a chance on her or not, but that would never happen if she stayed paralyzed in here.
After shakily towel drying her body and hair as best she could, she put on the clothes Minato-sama had so graciously loaned her. Upon stepping out of the bathroom, a wave of delicious smell wafted into her nose and loudly reminded her body that she had not eaten for the entire day.
"Akitsu, you're just in time! I'm practically done with dinner. Could you please help Karasuba set the table? I just need to put the final touches on it and we can all eat. I'm sure you're as famished as we are!"
No. 07 put a hand on her rumbling stomach with an embarrassed nod, walking over to where the silver-haired Sekirei was laying out the silverware. It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to speak privately with Minato-sama after the meal. She could be patient a little while longer.
"Ah. Do you need help, No. 04?" Akitsu said hesitantly. The Black Sekirei's reputation was well-known to the flock at MBI. People would speak about her in hushed tones, and the tuners would use those few rumors circulating among the Sekirei to keep unruly Sekirei in line like she was some kind of boogeyman (or rather boogeywoman in this case). Meeting the actual woman in the flesh was something she rationally knew was bound to inevitably happen in the course of the Sekirei plan, but at the same time it wasn't exactly something she hoped to have happen sooner rather than later.
"Don't bother, I've just finished." Karasuba set the last spoon on the table and fixed her with a heavy stare.
Akitsu forced herself to meet her eyes with an unwavering stare of her own before Karasuba smirked and gestured for her to take a seat.
"So, Akitsu was it?" Karasuba sat down as well, folding her arms across her chest. "You seem to know who I am, but you'll have to forgive me if I can't exactly say the same for you. I never really paid all too much attention to my erstwhile siblings outside of the ones who had the pleasure of working alongside me, you see. So, what number are you?"
"I am No. 07."
Karasuba quirked an eyebrow, mild surprise registering on her face. "Oh? A single digit, huh? You must be quite strong then."
"I am confident in my abilities." Akitsu said simply.
A burst of laughter escaped Karasuba's lips, a strangely unnerving sound to Akitsu's ears. It was less mirth and more predatory in nature. She had a faint shudder run through her body, but refused to back down or let herself get intimidated.
"Is that so? I'm going to have to see that for myself sometime."
Terse silence enveloped the two Sekirei until Karasuba abruptly cleared her throat.
"At any rate, if you're going to be a guest under this roof, there are a few rules you should be aware of."
"Ah. Alright."
"Firstly, Minato is the chief authority in this house. I'll tolerate no sass or disrespect from you."
"Understood."
"Second. If Minato is the executive branch, I am the judge, jury, and executioner of his will. As his first and only Sekirei, you will obey me like you would him."
"Ah, I- " Akitsu managed to get out before Karasuba continued on uninterrupted like she hadn't heard her.
"I don't know why he's taken a shine to you, but I will make this very clear so there are no misunderstandings – I don't feel the same way. You came out of the blue to interrupt my and Minato's happiness together and I do not appreciate that in any way, shape, or form. Because Minato likes you, I will tolerate you because killing you would make Minato most unhappy."
Akitsu's blood ran cold, and any objections she might have had to the rules withered and died in her mouth before she had a chance to voice them. Being on the receiving end of No. 04's displeasure was terrifying. It took every ounce of emotional control she had to maintain a neutral expression rather than let the naked fear and growing sense of impending doom she felt screaming in her heart show on her face.
"Because you are unwinged, you have no real ties to my Ashikabi save for the ones you claim to hold for yourself. If I know Minato, and I do, he will naively believe this is more than enough to prove your loyalty. But that isn't nearly enough to satisfy me. I'll say this only once. If you betray Minato, I will end you. By the blade of my pledge, I swear I will hunt you down and wipe your miserable existence off the face of this planet with as much pain as I can extract from you before I allow you to die. Do I make myself clear?"
A single bead of sweat ran down the side of Akitsu's face, and the massive amount of killing intent Karasuba brought to full bear on her made it difficult to breathe. Still, it was the absurdity of Karasuba's insinuation that gave her enough strength to fire back. The very idea of her betraying Minato-sama was unthinkable – she would sooner kill herself than betray the man who had given her life new meaning, the man that had beyond all hope caused her to react with the possibility of becoming whole.
"I will never betray Minato-sama."
"Good. For your sake, I hope I'll never have to test that resolve."
Just then, Minato walked out of the kitchen with 3 bowls of food in his hands, unwittingly breaking up the ominous atmosphere brewing.
"Everyone looked pretty hungry, myself included, so I went with something quick to make yet really filling. I hope you all like katsudon!" Minato said cheerfully, not noticing the slow relaxing of Akitsu's stony expression or the slight twitching of Karasuba's eyebrow.
"Ah. I like it."
"Smells good, Minato."
"Dig in!"
Silence once more filled the room, interrupted only by the clattering of chopsticks or crunching of the crispy pork cutlets.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting your conversation just now. I think it's really great that you two are getting along!"