Dyspnea: Part I
Haihane's jaw dropped, her newly healed hands leaping to her mouth as her eyes went wide. Did that just happen?
Minato's reaction was much the same. Haihane was already bonded to a different soul, yet her wings emerged with the same intensity as Musubi's when they first formed their physical contract, which felt so long ago. Another light on his collar was also gone. Two noritos remained. Was it a malfunction, or did he literally just wing an already-bonded Sekirei?
"Oh my God!" she gasped. "Minato, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
"It's alright, Haihane." Minato reassured her. "It was out of your control."
"I know but..." She had felt something; a strange sensation in his chest like someone squeezing her heart. It was not painful, though. In fact, it wasn't even unpleasant. But it definitely wasn't pleasant either considering the horrors they had just endured. She felt free, and loved for once. She also dreaded how Benitsubasa would take this news. She was always adamant about her faith in Natsuo and she was already at odds with her over their kidnapping. If she were to find out about it, things might not end well for either of them. Kissing Minato might be interpreted as a betrayal of their chosen one.
The crackling of flames from the fire pit behind them raged on as Minato's neck turned to the gate at the opposite end of the tunnel. The noise it let out broke the silence and it unlatched slightly swinging open a crack into the darkness beyond.
"We should move on." Minato swallowed rolling over onto his belly and crawling forward toward whatever waited beyond.
Haihane nodded, "Right."
Moments later, Minato grasped one of the several iron bars the gate was comprised of and lightly pushed it open. Gathering himself, he nudged it open with ease, letting his legs dangle over the edge before pushing himself onto the concrete floor. The lights above blinked on, sputtering as they did so. He looked skyward at the ceiling looming over them and around the area. He was taken off guard once he realized the setting of their latest predicament: they were at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. As he offered Haihane his hand to help her out, the rest of his flock also emerged from their chambers aside from Kazehana who weakly slumped out, clutching at her chest. She was definitely getting worse the longer this went on.
Maybe this room had the antidote they were looking for?
The others had little difficulty emerging, but Benitsubasa was a different story. Her gate seemed to be stuck for some reason.
"Gah! The fuck?! Piece of shit! Fucking open!" She roared in frustration as her boot mercilessly smashed through it, sending the gate flying across the room and against the opposite wall. As it violently clattered to the floor, she pulled herself out without effort. Dusting herself off, she marched over to the group gathering around Kazehana. Homura and Minato helped her to her feet as Benitsubasa neared them.
"I was certain one of us would have to die." Kazehana said with an obvious strain on her vocal cords. A cough sent red droplets flying as she tried keeping her knees steady. She snorted, smearing the blood dribbling from her mouth off with her forearm.
"Maybe you should sit down for a while..." Minato recommended cautiously.
"Alright, you win. I'll take a breather." She conceded. He helped lower her to the floor. "That last game took a lot of stamina out of me. I've never been this winded." Kazehana looked up at him and smiled. "I'm so proud of you for solving the riddle."
"Truth be told I'm surprised I solved it given the time crunch we were on." Minato explained. "All of us could have gathered in one tunnel because of all the room they had."
"I wish I could have thought of that," Homura said, glancing at the one he chose to leave behind. Haihane. Looking into her eyes, he sighed and hung his head in shame. "I'm supposed to be the guardian of Sekirei, yet I left you for dead. I'm such a failure. I am so sorry."
"I understand, Homura." Haihane said, reassuringly. She walked over to him and put her hands upon his shoulders. "I don't blame you one bit. You're not the one who put us here." she tearfully smiled. "I forgive you."
He smiled weakly, then glanced at Minato. Before he could speak a raspy noise that sounded like air and bags crinkling and chains clattering caught the group off guard and their chins rose slowly in the direction of its origin. Their heads wandered the two sets of pool ladders bolted into the concrete where their eyes fell upon two diving boards looming above them. A metal cage encased both of them as well as a lifeguard tower. Their heads continued to drift to the very top of it, eyes focusing on the chained damsel.
Minato gasped upon focusing in on the blonde, "Tsukiumi?!"
Tsukiumi's exclamations of confusion were muffled by an oxygen mask and plastic tubes connected to a pump which seemed to be the source of the crinkling. Clamped around her ribcage were two slabs of solid metal connected to the left and right of the tower's innards. Her limbs hung semi-loosely in chained shackles that dangled from the joists in the ceiling not all that far above her.
She aimed the tip of her nose at the group as far as the device would allow her to do. "Thank thee, holy spirit. They're all safe..." she sighed.
"Tsukiumi, are you alright?" Minato asked calmly with patience. It appeared she had been awake for quite some time, due in part to her not freaking out upon noticing her situation.
"Nay, husband." she responded from high above, blinking tears from her eyes. "I've been waiting for thee. For so long. Doubts of thy arrival have been brimming in my mind. Once I heardest the explosion I feared the worst." her breath became more hitched. "Fortune seems to have favored us this night."
"Don't worry, we'll get you out of there." Minato reassured her. "Just try to remain calm. Going by the mask you're wearing, your breathing is likely paramount in getting you free."
Tsukiumi dipped her chin. "Indeed, though it seems to not be active. When I woke up I was breathing quite heavily and it seems to have had no effect on my contraption."
"Yeah yet..." Benitsubasa sniffed. "That's all likely to change once the game starts."
Speaking of which…
*BZZZT!
A television blared to life, startling almost everyone their eyes swerved to the static tube where their creepy buddy bid them welcome. Billy began to fill them in on the details.
"Hello, Minato, and congratulations on making it this far. Now for your next lesson..." the puppet paused. "Tsukiumi, for as long as you've known the world, you held a hatred for all Ashikabi. You remedied this once you chose the one before you as your own. However, your possessiveness of him as well as your violent outbursts have gone too far on many occasions. This lack of self-control is toxic, to put it mildly, so today we're going to test whether or not you can maintain this toxicity when it truly matters."
Minato swallowed as it continued to speak, the others doing the same as the doll spoke again. "This game will focus on a simple element; the element of air. Once the game begins, every time you take a breath, the clamps at your sides will close in until you are crushed."
A spotlight boomed upon a second lifeguard tower right behind Minato, which by no coincidence was directly across from Tsukiumi. Their eyes followed and Billy spoke again.
"At the top of this second tower are two handles which are wrapped in barbed wire. In order to save Tsukiumi from this fate, both must be held throughout its duration. Each time Tsukiumi fills her lungs, the chains the handles are attached to will also pull, thus injuring your hands in the process. Hold steady though, however, as this will prevent the clamps bolstering Tsukiumi to close in significantly less upon each breath. In order to earn her back, you must endure for no longer than four minutes. You may choose to go it alone, but depending on whether or not there were survivors from your previous tests, you may have a second option..."
Another two spotlights highlighted the diving boards flanking the left and right of Tsukiumi's tower.
"Beneath Tsukiumi are two diving boards, therefore you may choose up to two from your supposed party to assist in the matter. Standing on one will significantly lessen the strength necessary for Minato to exert, standing on both will further amplify this effect and make it 50% less difficult to hold on. However, if for any reason Minato is to let go of even one handle during the game, the corresponding diving board will give way, and send its occupant to their doom as well as forsake Tsukiumi. Once this tape is finished, you will have five minutes amongst yourselves to decide who, if anyone, will assist in this matter. Consider your options and decide soon. Let the games begin..."
The lights went dark for a moment before power returned. The silence was deafening. Soon after, the clock began its five-minute countdown. All eyes turned toward Tsukiumi, whose teary gaze was fixed on Minato.
5:00...4:59...:4:58…
Minato's fingers curled into his palms as her directed his gaze to her, "I'll get you free, Tsukiumi. Along with everyone else here!"
"Thank you, Minato, for putting yourself through this for all of us." Tsukiumi wept.
Minato shook his head, "No, thank you for being there for me. I couldn't do any of this without you. And I love you for it. Just like everyone else here."
Benitsubasa blushed at his statement. Did he really mean everyone or just his flock in particular?
As she pondered, her eyes fell on Haihane's hands as she removed them from Homura's bare shoulders and took a light step back. "Haihane..." she muttered. "Your hands...they're healed!"
The group gasped as all of them immediately honed in on her.
"Oh my, they are!" Kazehana blinked, coughing again.
Haihane gasped and her arms instinctively went to hide behind her back. Uh oh…
"Yeah, about that..." Minato cringed. Now was not the time to argue about this of all things. Tsukiumi needed him now. Everyone did.
"Minato, what happened between you while you were both in that tunnel?" Matsu questioned. A pedobear grin formed on her lips as she lightly snickered. "I bet it was something naughty!"
"Not only that but..." Benitsubasa pointed at the explosive collar Minato was wearing. "Another light is out." her teeth bared enough to hear her jaw crack. "Haihane, don't tell me-!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, Red!" Haihane began sweating bullets.
"No use trying to hide it, Haihane." Minato sighed. "After I saved her, Haihane awarded me with a...kiss."
"Makes sense," Matsu suggested, adjusting her glasses. "A kiss for saving one's life isn't shocking."
"That isn't the shocking part." Minato trailed on. "Her wings emerged."
"No way, that doesn't make sense at all," Benitsubasa said, shaking her head. "Natsuo is her Ashikabi. You can't just undo that!"
"Not anymore, I'm afraid." Haihane's eyes wandered to the floor. "My connection seems to have shifted to him somehow."
"How can you know for sure?" Matsu asked.
"I feel it. It's so strong now." she grabbed the bandages wrapped around her chest and clenched at the warmth in her heart. "Not even Natsuo's connection felt nearly as intense."
"Thou hast seven Sekirei now?!" Tsukiumi barked, immediately reverting back to her old self. Yeah, now really wasn't the time for this. At all. " Minato! Explain thyself this instant!"
"I will!" Minato shouted up at her. "Just gimme a sec to process things!"
While Tsukiumi threw her tantrum, Benitsubasa on the other hand stomped over to her partner and got all in Haihane's face.
"I'm with Miss Squirty on this! So you just turned your back on Natsuo?! He's supposed to be ours now and forever, and this is what you do?! The fuck, Haihane?!" Benitsubasa roared, tearing at her bubblegum-pink side ponytail.
"It couldn't be helped, Benitsubasa, please!" Minato desperately tried to reason.
"Can it, pipsqueak! Haihane is supposed to be helping us get to him and she decides to cuck him for a ronin loser?!" she glanced over at Minato, fire blazing in her eyes. "And it's Benitsu!"
"My husband art not a loser!" Tsukiumi shot back.
"If Minato winged Haihane, I guess that proves this game idea is working," Homura grumbled.
"Who's idea?" Matsu inquired. This was news to her. Did she not know everything? "Jigsaw's?"
"You're not going to believe this everyone, but Minaka is working with Jigsaw."
They all took a step back, mouths wide in shock.
"How can you be certain about that, Homura?!" Matsu asked hurriedly.
Homura leaned against the concrete wall, "I was there when Minaka proposed the idea to him."
"Minato propositioned him to torture us?! Willingly?! But why?" Minato picked his brain.
"It's a long story, but the gist is that a Jinki was broken due to the little killing spree Jigsaw's been on. Yukari killing Mikogami started a domino effect. One of his Sekirei, Akitsu, attempted suicide with said crystal after coming to the conclusion her Ashikabi was dead, which cracked it and her blood somehow corrupted its core. I saved her life. Not long after that, we got Minaka."
"And what did he have to say about the Jinki?" Minato inquired.
"He said it was unusable and that the Sekirei Plan couldn't continue without it or be used to revive the terminated Sekirei. He then came up with the idea to test you."
"For what purpose?"
"He thinks by you saving everybody your power will grow exponentially with each success. That doing so will result in Akitsu reacting to you. If that happens, the corruption in the Jinki might be reversible if you wing her. According to him at least."
"That's insane, even for him!" Matsu hissed, dumbfounded.
"It gets even better!" Homura forced a laugh. "Not only did Minaka provide Jigsaw with all the assets to test you, but the terminated ones are also here, and Kuu is among them."
"This is all so much to take in at once..." Minato sauntered off as his scattered thoughts swarmed in his head like a bee's nest. As if the stakes couldn't be raised any higher…
Kissing Haihane was not part of the plan. They were supposed to save his flock, Natsuo, and go home. He didn't think Jigsaw meant he'd be saving literally everyone! His flock, sure, but all the terminated feathers too?! As if death traps with a new threat lurking around each and every corner weren't enough to fuel his paranoia. Homura had to drop this shit on him now too? It was too much for him to handle. He needed time to process everything. He had to think. He had to figure out how to fix this mess. He promised everyone a light at the end of this long arduous tunnel, and he meant it.
"Odd," Kazehana choked, her dimming eyes wandering over the test chamber. "You'd think Jigsaw would have chosen me for this game since it involves air."
"Yeah," Benitsu agreed, "You'd think her game would involve drowning in water or something since, you know, it's her element."
"Jigsaw doesn't test people by providing an advantage to them." Minato shook his head. "He uses our flaws to kill us."
"Indeed..." Matsu muttered. "So, who gets to play this time?"
"No one if I could help it..." Minato cringed. "I'm tempted to go it alone to spare you guys any unneeded misery."
"Look, pipsqueak," Benitsubasa began to argue, "That's all very admirable and shit, but now is not the time. If Jigsaw provided a way to make the game easier, use it. He's counting on you being indecisive about this."
"I agree." Haihane stated. "And I volunteer." she further added.
"You're willing to go up there? Why?" Benitsubasa asked, befuddled.
Haihane crossed her arms and leaned forward, "Because I know Minato will pull through for us. He saved my life several times already which bonded me to him. He won't let any of us down."
"So you'll risk your life for the sake of everyone?" Matsu questioned.
"Yes!" she nodded. "I'll do anything for Minato."
Benitsubasa pursed her lips. "Haihane." she said slowly. "I don't think you understand what you're saying. Natsuo is still alive you know, and he needs us! US!"
"Fuck it," Haihane spat. "It's worth the risk. I can't die here tonight and I won't. Not after everything we've been through together."
Minato looked at her with concern. "Haihane…" he began, reaching out for her arm.
She pulled away, shaking her head. "No! No more fucking around! We've been playing this game for far too long! It's time for us to stop running from each other and face reality!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. She spun her head back at them, "We're all going to die someday! My wounds are healed and I'm going to prove my worth to this group! So, fuck it! I'm going to save someone just like you did for me!"
Hearing those words made Minato's heart race. He hadn't expected this. He didn't think Haihane'd be so quick to sacrifice herself for him of all people, especially while Natsuo needed her. Did she really trust him this much? He had that kind of effect on people, but he never understood why.
"I'll go up there too." Kazehana volunteered, raising her hand before another bloody hacking fit forced said hand back to her lips.
"I don't think so." Minato said bluntly as he crouched down to meet her eyes. "You're already in bad shape as it is. Even if I pass, you're still likely to let go of your own handles and...and I don't want to even think about what would happen then..."
"Minato's right," Homura said, hanging his head and leaning back further against the wall. "Right now our best bet is an abled body. I'm hurt but I can still manage better than you can right now, Kazehana." His brows rose as he glared at his Ashikabi, "It's your call though, Minato, who joins Haihane?"
Minato stroked his chin as he considered his answer carefully...
XXXXXX
A/N: Sorry for the delay. I figured since the last chapter dropped one of the best plot twists in fanfiction history and made me a 'witch doctor' (Jakeros' words, not mine) that I'd give it time to breathe.
It was going to be longer but I had an issue deciding on who to join Haihane in helping Minato complete this trial.
I have ideas for all 3 candidates I'm willing to go with (Kazehana is out for obvious reasons) but I can't seem to choose any one over the other. Then I got the idea of letting my readers decide. Therefore I created a poll on my profile page. Go there and vote for your choice. The winner will be who I go with.