*Drunkenly stumbles in* What the hell? Where are all the reviews for chapter four?
You haven't posted it yet.
Wh-
You haven't even FINISHED it yet.
. . . So yeah I may have gotten. . . sidetracked. But I always return! *ignores half a dozen unfinished and abandoned Naruto fics*
Breakdown
It was at that moment that Rini truly understood she was screwed. "H-hey, Sukaime." The sekirei just glowered at her with a murderous intent that let her know that being related to the woman was the only thing keeping her safe. "I-I can explain-"
"I don't think you can," Sukaime finally spoke. She stepped into the house and her hand flew up, grabbing Rini's ear.
"Owowowow!" Rini was dragged into her living room and then roughly thrown onto her couch. "Um-"
"Sit down and shut up!" Sukaime finally snapped.
Sairiko, bless her, tried to come to Rini's defense, "If this is about the fight, I-"
"You stay out of this! I have no love for you!" Sukaime turned on the sekirei. "Leave!"
"Wh-"
"OUT!" Sukaime shouted. Rini shrugged helplessly and the bigger, stronger sekirei shuffled timidly from the room. After that, Sukaime began pacing back and forth, fuming internally. Rini could only imagine what she was thinking. Sairiko was probably right, and it was no secret that Sukaime loved Benitsubasa just as much as her father. Some would argue she loved her even more.
"Um-" Rini's nerves peaked at the torturous silence.
"She's your mother!"
"I-I know, but-"
"But nothing! She was in the hospital barely more than a week ago!" Sukaime yelled. "What the hell were you thinking? You know full well Sairiko is even stronger and you had her go all out!"
"But she-"
"Shut the fuck up! I'm not done!" Sukaime's voice broke. She was crying. "What if she'd messed up? Do you have any idea what we went through? The kind of pain we endured? Real pain! We don't need more of it from you!" Rini didn't even try speaking again. "If you ever, EVER do something that stupid again I will terminate Sairiko myself!"
"What!? No! You can't-"
"I CAN AND I WILL! DO NOT PUSH ME!" Sukaime roared and the whole room shook. Sometimes Rini forgot that just like her other mothers, Sukaime was plenty powerful and could be terrifying if she wanted to be. She was still a sekirei. "Now say it!"
"I-I... I won't do it again..." Rini whimpered.
"Fucking hell, you're supposed to be the smart one!" Sukaime pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes, trying to calm down. "Anyway, all I heard was that she pissed you off. What the hell happened?"
Rini hung her head. Thinking back about it, she felt childish – and certainly not like "the smart one." Nevertheless, she told the story, though she didn't go into great detail. She didn't want to relive it, not after Sukaime had shoved enough guilt down her throat to make her sick.
"Dammit, Beni..." Sukaime spoke under her breath and sighed, sitting down beside Rini. For a split second, Rini almost felt better, feeling that maybe she really wasn't all to blame, or that her actions weren't entirely unjustified. "Oh no, you're still on my shit list!" Sukaime glared sideways at her.
"Did you jus-"
"Read you? Yes." Sukaime squinted. "Well, at least now I know what happened."
"Y-yeah?" But what exactly did she think of it all?
"You're an idiot. The special kind of idiocy you can only inherit from your mom..." Sukaime grumbled. "Really? This is what it took to put you two in sync?"
"What?"
"Are we talking about me now?" Sairiko poked her head into the room... only to have it bitten off.
"Sairiko, I swear!" Sukaime's arm whipped out, pointing violently in the other sekirei's direction. "Your ass! In a blender! OUT!" With a concerned whimper, Sairiko slunk off once more. Sukaime took a deep breath before continuing. "What I'm saying is that I'm pissed that this is what it took for you to draw her power out and that you then proceeded to unleash it on your mom. I've heard you two were having... issues."
"Yeah, but we worked those out a while ago." Rini didn't understand.
"Really?" Sukaime looked at her with the utmost condescension.
"I-I thought so..." Rini hung her head. "W-we talked and I thought things were better."
"Eh? What? Like... one time?" Sukaime raised her eyebrow. Rini didn't respond, just doing her best to shrink herself down and blend into the couch. "Yeah, and I'm sure it gave you butterflies and squiggly wigglies-"
"Squiggly wigglies?" Rini blinked.
"Shut up, I'm talking at you!" Sukaime snapped and went on. "And then every time you thought about it, you felt nervous so you ignored it and tried to just move on like everything was suddenly fixed."
"And?"
"And ignoring your feelings is the exact opposite of what you're supposed to do, numskull!" Sukaime slapped the back of her head. "You're just pulling away from her all over again! The worst part is that I don't get why! Your father had a good reason to be freaked out in the beginning, but you two actually know each other and it's just the two of you!"
"Well maybe I just don't like girls..." Rini muttered quietly, lest Sairiko overhear.
"Why not?" Sukaime looked at her blankly, seeming legitimately confused.
"Not everyone is like you! You can't just learn to be that way!" Rini kept glancing at the doorway, afraid Sairiko was still eavesdropping.
Sukaime scoffed. "Your mother learned..."
"OK, ew! I don't need to hear about that!" Rini squirmed and shuddered.
"But didn't you have at least one girlfriend?" Sukaime asked and Rini broke into a coughing fit.
"I kept them a secret! Were you spying on me?!"
"Yes," Sukaime told her bluntly. "The one I saw was cute too. If I didn't know how things were gonna turn out, I'd have said go for it. Actually, the polygamy thing can work-"
"OK, OK! We're getting off topic! Obviously it didn't work out! We never even kissed!"
"Yeah... me and her were real disappointed about that..."
"Please stop reading minds." Rini's eye twitched.
"No promises." Sukaime shrugged. "So, you had secret girlfriends that you never kissed and then a bunch of boyfriends, who you also never kissed."
"You can't know th-" The look in Sukaime's eye suggested that she definitely knew that. "OK fine, your point?"
"Why?" And there it was. She really didn't want to have this conversation again, and definitely not with Sukaime of all mothers.
"B-because..."
"Yes?"
"Because I'm the exact opposite of you! You can feel everything if you want! Your emotions, other people's emotions, but when I try to get close to someone I just feel empty!" She was in no condition to be repressing things, unfortunately.
"And how long has this been a problem?"
"A-almost... ten years."
Sukaime's face fell into her palms. "Holy shit, Rini." She took a deep breath, let it out, and then took another. "D-did we do something wrong? Is it us?"
"What?"
"Why would you keep something like that to yourself!? Do you not trust us?"
"No! It's just... I was... embarrassed. I didn't think you'd understand." Honestly, she still wasn't sure they would. Part of the reason she'd felt that way was because her parents all seemed so happy. She'd thought that if she couldn't be like them, then something was wrong with her. Of course she didn't want anyone to know that. She was the oldest child, she had appearances to keep up and examples to set. She'd just buried it all and given up on relationships.
"Hm. So you don't feel anything for your sekirei? Wow, that sucks."
"I-it's not like that." Rini's cheeks flushed a little. Sukaime practically tripped while sitting down and looked at her with total befuddlement.
"Then what the hell is the problem!?"
Rini had no answer. If she'd known that, she'd have fixed it by now.
"Ah, wait, no... I get it." Sukaime crossed her arms. With the initial shock over, it seemed she'd thought of something. "You've got the yips. You're gun-shy."
"Eh?"
"You grew up with five moms, all of whom are sekirei. Then, you also grew up around Avaron and her sekirei. And then two ships filled with even more sekirei crashed and you grew up with them. And on top of all of that, you're some weirdo with sekirei powers or something."
"Weirdo huh? Gee, thanks, Sukaime..." Rini sighed. As if she wasn't self conscious enough as it was.
"Oh get over it." Sukaime rolled her eyes. "Point is, you spent your whole childhood with sekirei, feeling that connection, and then when you grew up and it was time to ogle all those lovely high-schoolers, it's no wonder they came up short. Something was missing."
"S-so... you're saying-"
"To put it hilariously, I'd say you're sekirei-sexual. Thing is, when you hit puberty and were ready to date, all the sekirei were either way older than you, or too young for you. So of course you started your romantic escapades with boring old humans. You know what happened from there."
"And?"
"And because all those relationships failed miserably, I'd say it's no wonder you'd be freaked out and lost once you winged a sekirei and started feeling something. To put it in comparison, your father grew up normally, had a few girlfriends, and then found sekirei. I mean, aside from being awesome, we at least look human enough, so it's not much of a leap. More of an upgrade really." Rini decided to ignore how arrogant that sounded... "Not only did you not know what to do with those emotions, you were just plain scared of the idea of a relationship."
"Oh..." Rini supposed that made sense. It was a lot to take in, but... wasn't it kind of a good thing? Well, maybe not, but in her situation it meant there was hope, right?
"Which of course sucks royally for Sairiko who has to deal with your skittish bullshit."
"Ugh..." Rini slumped over, once more feeling that guilt slam into her.
"You can't keep hiding from those feelings!"
"Well what should I do?" Rini was at a loss.
"I dunno. Drag her into bed and see where that leads?" Sukaime shrugged.
"H-hey! That's not the kind of thing a mother should say!"
"Come on, how do you think you got so many siblings? It's totally natural for an ashikabi and his or her sekirei to-"
"NOPE!" Rini slammed her hands over her ears. She didn't need to hear it, she'd never forget the time she caught Kaie in her old outfit, telling Madoka it was for "old time's sake." She'd spent the rest of the day out of the house trying to bleach her brain.
"Fine, fine." Sukaime rolled her eyes but Rini kept her hands in place. "Are you done?"
". . . I guess." Rini let her arms drop to her sides and Sukaime pulled her close, gently stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to deal with, but you gotta get your head on straight, OK? Sairiko needs you. We all need you."
It seemed she'd survived the wrath of Sukaime. The woman didn't stay much longer after that, no doubt wanting to return to Benitsubasa. The issue was that with her gone, Sairiko was once more free to move about.
She supposed she had to deal with that now. Again.
When, and more importantly how, was she to put her issues with Sairiko to rest? She felt like she kept making progress, but in the form of baby steps. Baby steps up a mountain that everyone expected her to scale by the end of the week.
And that was the worst part. She didn't know how long she really had. Maybe she did have all the time she needed to figure things out. Maybe Minaka would attack tomorrow.
She decided to take the initiative and headed to the back of her house to find Sairiko. She found her sitting in the hallway, back against the wall and expression vacant. "H-hey..."
Sairiko blinked rapidly and snapped to attention, "Oh, Rini-sama. Do you need me?"
"Yeah, uhh, I guess we should probably talk again. You know, about us. I mean, with what we're up against, we should probably get everything figured out, huh?" Rini laughed nervously,
"No." Sairiko said simply, to Rini's surprise.
"No? I... don't understand."
"I overheard-"
"Oh no... H-how much?" She had to imagine that some of what had been said might really mess with Sairiko's head.
"Enough. I can tell there are things I missed, but I heard enough to understand what you're dealing with... I think." Sairiko stood up so she could face Rini properly. "I know we have a bond, and that bond is important, but what Minaka is doing has nothing to do with that." Honestly she wasn't sure she'd ever seen Sairiko look this serious outside of battle. "I'm your sekirei, so how we define 'us' is always going to matter, but I don't want Minaka to be part of defining that. I don't want to... rush, or force you. After we deal with Minaka, then we can worry about that."
"A-are you sure? Everyone says-"
"I'll be strong enough. I... have a goal now. I need to win to come back to you, right? I won't let Minaka stop me and ruin this." And truly, Sairiko looked determined.
"You know, I told my mom that I was scared." Rini bit her lip. "But... I'm not the one fighting, am I? The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm scared for you-"
"And that's why I'm going to win!" Sairiko put her hands on Rini's shoulders. "I won't let you be scared anymore! And then, when there's nothing left to worry about, you can figure out exactly how you feel. It would feel wrong otherwise."
"Heh, look at you being all brave. You probably don't even need me. Compared to you I'm pretty much useless. Might as well go ahead without me right?" With all the mistakes she felt she'd been making, she honestly wasn't sure she was wrong.
"Don't be ridiculous." Sairiko looked deep into her eyes. "I can't use my norito if you're not there."
". . . right." Rini averted her eyes and sighed.
Without warning though, Sairiko pulled her close and wrapped her arms around her. "I... love you, Rini. I think I have for a long time. Thank you for letting me be your sekirei."
Rini was caught off guard and it took a moment before she could will her hands to shakily move up and embrace Sairiko in return. "I-I... love you too." No matter what, that was the truth.
. . . 2 Days Later. . .
Madoka reached down toward his office phone. It was really more of an intercom to reach other employees, but that was besides the point. Before his hand could reach the receiver it began beeping at him. Instead of dialing, he just picked it up. According to the particular light that had lit up, it was Takami.
What could she want?
"Hello-"
"Madoka! Are you aware of what's going on?" She sounded... upset.
"You'll have to be more specific." He hoped it was something he was already aware of. If there was seriously another fire to put out he might actually go insane.
"Well, Madoka, you're the Sekirei Liaison, are you not? The one who deals with sekirei-human relations?" Takami asked him. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Y-yeah."
"Well, Madoka, for the past week or so, I have been doing your job, but I can't cover for you any longer. As the public face of MBI when it comes to sekirei, you need to show your face. There's a small mob forming outside..."
"Covering for me? Isn't it your company?" Madoka told her. He was no doubt that people, if upset, were upset at MBI, not him specifically.
"Yes, Madoka. Yes it is. I run MBI, which you work for. And as your boss, I hereby suggest you do your job!"
"O-of course. Sorry..." He gulped. "Err, when you say a mob-"
"The media."
"Dammit." He'd have preferred an actual mob. At least then he could have had Benitsubasa scare them off...
. . .
"Do you know why these sekirei have being going out of control?"
"Is this another incident like before?"
"Do you think this will draw in foreign military forces?"
"Should people be afraid?"
Madoka was sweating. It was an absolute shit-show, and he had no good answers.
"I assure you, we have things under control." If only. "There is no cause for alarm. We have handled every incident so far, and will continue to do so."
"You say that, but with every 'incident' the collateral damage is worse! An entire forest was wiped out!"
"Yes, Madoka, what do you have to say about that?" The last voice was very familiar. He looked down and had to resist the urge to hide under the podium – it was Higa. Strangely, he pushed his way past the crowd and approached the podium Madoka stood behind. "If I may?"
"Uhhh-" Before Madoka could answer, Higa continued on his way. The security force began to move, but Madoka stopped them. Could it really get any worse? "Higa, what are-" But rather than speak to him, Higa just pushed him aside and took the podium for himself.
"Now, listen. You may or may not know who I am, but my company has in recent years begun working with MBI rather than competing. It's no wonder, really. For all MBI's technology, their reputation has taken a long time to repair. An issue I quite frankly did not have. Hence, through my company, I like to think that people have been able to benefit from recent medical advancements rather than turn their head at the MBI name," Higa began. "So let's talk about that problem, shall we? Sekirei are no longer a secret. It is these sekirei that MBI abused and through that abuse caused untold amounts of damage and distress. And yes, MBI has many faces, but only one that mattered. Minaka Hiroto, that is where the bulk of your hate and anger should lie. Or rather, I would have hoped he was forgotten about."
Madoka was stunned. Was Higa... helping? It was certainly true that lately the man had been far more tolerable, but this was... unexpected.
"These incidents we're having now? It is Minaka rearing his head again-"
"But then it is the same as before! History is repeating itself!" The mob of media began to rile itself up again.
"Excuse me!" Higa cleared his throat loudly. "In a way, yes. But we cannot blame MBI at this time. It is this man here who stopped Minaka in the past, and it is the good people at MBI who took their opportunity to depose Minaka as head of the company and do away with him! It is none of them who let that monster out of the dark cell he should have stayed in! Madoka-san's time, and that of the rest of MBI, would be much better spent doing anything but answering your rather inflammatory questions. Instead, why don't you write a strongly worded letter to whichever government official is your favorite and ask them how Minaka got out of prison?" Higa smiled for the cameras, but he was clearly pissed deep down. "Now, if you have any further questions, I, as someone who was involved with the past events regarding sekirei, will be happy to answer them to the best of my ability." He then placed his hand over the microphone before him and turned to Madoka. 'Run.' He mouthed.
Before Madoka could thank him or take two steps, something reached his ears, even over the clamoring crowd below. It sounded almost like explosions, or gunfire, but it was distant. He turned his head and he could see smoke rising above the buildings in the distance. Of course the crowd of camera's and reporters saw it as well.
And it was no mystery where their minds went.
"I tried." Higa shrugged helplessly. There was no saving Madoka now.
"Yeah, you did." But Madoka couldn't deal with this mess now. A new one had just appeared. There was only one thing in that direction that Minaka would be after.
. . .
Madoka jumped out of his car, leaving it parked practically in the middle of the street. There was no time to find parking, and he had a feeling traffic would be avoiding the area like the plague anyway. He was before a secondary MBI facility. It was more of a vault really, one which held sekirei technology.
More importantly, it held the jinki.
There were holes in the walls, some big, some small, and smoke was pouring out of the roof. They hadn't been delicate on their way in. Suddenly a spray of dust and debris spat out of one of the walls – and then another. Soon it was like someone was blasting the wall from the inside out with a machine gun. Madoka had to dive to the ground before he was shredded. The next thing he knew, the wall busted open entirely. When the dust cleared, Benitsubasa crawled out of it.
"Oh... hey, Madoka. You're... wearing a suit?" Benitsubasa tilted her head at him. "I-is that fucking hair gel?"
"It's a long story." Madoka grit his teeth.
"More importantly, what the fuck are you doing here?! It's not safe!" Benitsubasa pushed herself to her feet. At least this time she was intact, if not worse for wear.
"I could say the same to you!"
"Yeah? Well I'd rather they focus on me than anyone else!" Benitsubasa growled.
"My hero." Madoka chuckled. "You know, there is one thing we didn't get a chance to try last time. Something they can't do." He was thinking of course about a norito.
"I like how you thi-" She didn't get a chance to speak. Out of the hole in the wall stepped Hyoushi, hand raised and taking aim. It was clear he didn't care who got caught in the crossfire. Benitsubasa jumped at Madoka, body sparking up with energy in an attempt to take the hit. She held him down and all he could think was that even if he survived, she wouldn't.
He expected to feel her body shake under Hyoushi's barrage – expected to at any moment feel her blood pour over him. He expected his heart to break. None of it came true. Soon, both realized that there was no barrage to weather.
They poked their heads up to see an angry looking Hyoushi, but he wasn't looking at them. A new figure suddenly dropped down between them all.
"Moetatsuka?!" Madoka was surprised but damn happy to see her.
"Nariko sent me ahead of her. I'll deal with this." Moetatsuka crossed her arms.
"Is that so?" Hyoushi didn't back off. "You really have turned your back on us."
"Don't be a fool! The only time I turned my back on anyone was when Minaka messed with my head! I am exactly where I should be, and as I am now you should not dare to stand before me!" They could feel the heat beginning to radiate off of Moetatsuka.
"Wow. Arrogant much?" Benitsubasa muttered.
"Eh, she's a good match for Nariko, really," Madoka quipped.
"Just... wow again."
"Perhaps, but it's just you." Hyoushi didn't seem intimidated. Moments later Sadashi also stepped out of the building. She had a new, much bigger shield strapped to what was left of her forearm. This new shield was different from the piece of shaped scrap metal she'd had before. Minaka had put his stolen goods to use it seemed. Her new shield actually looked mechanical in nature, with four quadrants, and much thicker.
Before the fighting could begin, a car screeched to a halt across the street. It was Rini's.
"I made it!" Rini announced as she stepped out of the car. "Good, it'll be a fair fight then!"
"Yes!" Sairiko stepped out of the passenger door. She then reached back in for her sword, which lay in the back seat. It got stuck. "Um..." She tugged on it, but couldn't get it past the front seat. "R-Rini, how do I-? I-it's stuck."
"Oh, uh, there's a lever. No, on the side of the seat. Not that one. Yeah, pull that one... no the other way." Finally the front seat slid forward to make room. "There you go..." She'd just had to get a coupe.
Sairiko pulled her sword free of the vehicle and walked over to join the battle about to begin.
"Nice entrance." Benitsubasa smirked.
Sairiko glanced back. "If you're going to make fun of me, please do so from a safe distance." She then turned her attention back to her enemies, leaving Benitsubasa with her jaw hanging open.
"Well, you heard the woman. Come on." Madoka took Benitsubasa's arm to lead her away.
"Cocky little..." Benitsubasa grumbled that and a few other choice words under her breath, but went along.
. . .
"I'll take Sadashi. I won't be losing this time," Sairiko said to Moetatsuka.
"Understood. I owe Hyoushi for last time anyway. He won't escape me again." Sairiko nodded. The two sekirei then each split up, getting a safe distance from each other to avoid friendly fire.
Hyoushi struck first, but, after all the distractions, Moetatsuka had been given plenty of time to get "warmed up" and wove a wall of pure heat in front of her, turning his attacks to slag on contact.
"I don't know where your confidence comes from. Whatever strength your ashikabi has given you, it won't be enough to bridge the gap between us." Sadashi stared down Sairiko. "And this time I have plenty of reason to break you."
"If I remember correctly," Sairiko brandished her sword, "there wasn't much of a gap."
Sadashi's lips curled into an angry snarl and she charged forward. Her new shield still had a wicked point on the end. Sairiko swatted the attack aside with her blade and then pushed forward, ramming her forehead into Sadashi's face. As the other sekirei stumbled back, Sairiko swung again. Sadashi just barely raised her shield to block, being forced even farther back from the weight of the blow.
Off to the side, she could see Hyoushi being pushed back as well, Moetatsuka blasting the melted shrapnel of his own projectiles back at him.
"I'm here! Oh good, you're winning, Moetatsuka!" At that moment, Nariko ran onto the scene, finally catching up with her sekirei.
"Yes, please don't get too close," Moetatsuka requested.
Meanwhile, Sadashi was looking increasingly frustrated. Clearly she fully blamed Sairiko for her missing hand and the sizable chunk of forearm that had gone with it. She charged in again and Sairiko pulled back her sword, aiming a stab.
Sadashi was forced to raise her shield to block, sparks flying as the point of the blade raked across its surface. Sairiko had waited until the last second to attack, to make sure she wouldn't miss. Sadashi wouldn't be allowed to slip past like last time.
Sairiko pushed in closer, ramming her shoulder into her opponent, trapping her arm to her chest. She then shoved the hilt of her sword up into Sadashi's chin. With her off hand, she aimed to punch out her dazed opponent, but Sadashi recovered fast enough to catch it with her own, remaining hand. Her grit teeth told the story – Sadashi couldn't hold back Sairiko's strength.
She pulled back and let go, allowing Sairiko's momentum to carry her forward as she slipped around behind her – only to immediately be met by a back-kick. Sairiko turned, bringing her blade down, again forcing Sadashi to block, nearly doubled over and completely off balance.
The two struggled, pushing against one another, but still Sadashi couldn't push her back. Despite this, she wouldn't disengage, instead straining against Sairiko's blade. Sairiko didn't understand why she was being so stubborn. If she was smart, she'd break off again and try a different angle. At this rate she'd just be flattened.
But then she saw a glint of metal out of the corner of her eye.
"Sairiko, watch out!" Rini shouted, but it was too late. Sairiko turned her head just in time for a large, metal object flew into her face. It hit like a truck and threw her flying to the ground. She groaned, feeling blood running down her face from at least three places. She propped herself up and saw that a third had joined the enemy's side. A girl with black hair, red eyes, wearing a black bodysuit much like Saki's. However, unlike Saki, she also had armor in the form of a chest plate, and upon her head was a circlet, but it was thick and wide enough to offer decent protection for her forehead.
She wielded a huge hammer, but it was strangely shaped. It was like three thick, dull ax-blades side-by-side instead of one solid hammer face. Each "blade" extended back and fused into one pointed tail, like a pick. Like Sadashi's new shield, her armor and weapon actually seemed well made.
Had the blades been actually sharp, Sairiko was pretty certain she'd be dead. That said, she was almost entirely certain her nose was shattered from the blunt force.
"K-Koumi? Koumi! Stop it, it's me!" Nariko pleaded, but was barely even spared a glance. Her knees grew weak – her fear had come true.
In Koumi's other hand was a large metal case. She tossed it to Sadashi and then looked over to Hyoushi. "Cover us."
Hyoushi nodded and aimed his hands skyward. In a flash, dozens upon dozens of spherical projectiles shot up high.
"Sairiko, move!" Moetatsuka shouted and then rushed back to Nariko's side. Sairiko quickly understood the problem. Hyoushi wasn't aiming at them. She forced herself to her feet and ran to Rini.
"Wh-what are y-" Rini didn't get to speak as Sairiko pushed her down and then stood over her, sword raised, flat side aimed out. The projectiles rained down, and Sairiko could feel them pelting against her blade. Had it been any smaller, she feared she wouldn't have been able to keep them from hitting Rini behind her.
She looked over at Moetatsuka who had successfully burned away the ones that had threatened her own ashikabi. Even Benitsubasa had been forced to scoop up Madoka and simply run to avoid being hit. Thankfully she was fast.
But so were their enemies. They had all run the second Sairiko and Moetatsuka had been forced on the defensive. Sairiko supposed at least she hadn't lost... to Sadashi. She coughed and spat up blood. Her nose and mouth were practically flooded. That surprise attack had done a number on her.
"S-Sairiko... are you OK?" Rini asked shakily.
"I'm... fine..." Sairiko panted. She was more angry than hurt, honestly. She had a nasty headache, but it would fade. "Here." She held her hand out to help Rini back up. "You should probably worry more about your sister."
"Well, yeah, but my sister isn't spewing blood like a faucet." Rini gulped. "You... sure have a lot of blood."
"I'll find a rag." Sairiko tried to pinch the bridge of her nose, only to be painfully reminded that it had just been broken. ". . ." She looked like she was trying not to cry.
"Be strong." Rini patted her sekirei on the arm, only getting a taught-faced nod in return. She decided it was best to do as Sairiko had suggested. Everyone seemed fine, relatively speaking, except her sister who looked shaken.
She was still on her knees, not having moved since Koumi had appeared. Her face had since gone blank, her gaze was fixed on the ground and an increasingly anxious Moetatsuka seemed unable to snap her out of it.
"Hey, come on, Nariko. It... it'll be OK. I promise." Rini had to say it, for herself just as much as for Nariko. She could barely stomach just the thought of failing to bring all the stolen sekirei home.
"No it won't," Nariko responded, her voice just above a whisper.
"Nariko-"
"No matter what, nothing will ever make this OK!" Nariko snapped, pushing herself to her feet. "You saw her! She barely even noticed I was here, let alone recognized me!" Her body heaved and her eyes glistened with tears. "He's gonna pay..."
"What?"
"First Moetatsuka, then the twins..." Her hands clenched into fists. "They're not his to keep! They're mine! Moetatsuka will make him pay!"
"Y-yes! Of course!" Moetatsuka gulped nervously, snapping to attention.
"Look, Nariko, just calm down. I want to save them as much as you do." Rini placed her hand on Nariko's shoulder, but it was slapped away.
"Don't baby me! I don't need to calm down, I need to find him and make him suffer! The second we know where he is, he's dead!" Nariko was on the warpath. She'd always been temperamental, but this was getting out of hand.
"Sheesh, we sure she's not my kid?" Benitsubasa and Madoka walked over as well.
"Nariko..." Madoka sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked at a loss. "OK, just promise me you won't actually kill him."
"I can't be held responsible if Moetatsuka's hand slips..." Nariko glowered.
"Nariko." Moetatsuka pulled her ashikabi close, face first into her chest. "I promised I would bring them back to you, and I will. Please don't let yourself get so upset." Rini could see the twinge of pain in Moetatsuka's eyes as she spoke. Being seen only as Nariko's tool of vengeance and a means to rescue other sekirei couldn't have made her feel good.
"Psst," Rini got Moetatsuka's attention. 'You're still her favorite,' she mouthed to her. It took a moment for it to click, but once it did the sekirei's eyes went wide and her face turned bright red.
"Think you can hold it together for a bit?" Madoka asked his younger daughter. Finally they got a nod from Nariko. "Good." He let out a long sigh. "Someone has to be able to..."
"Come on, don't lose it now, dear." Benitsubasa slapped him on the back.
"Ugh, let's go. We all need to talk." The way he said that made Rini nervous. What exactly had been stolen?
. . .
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY STOLE THE JINKI!?"
"The fuck is that?!" Nariko was too ignorant to be panicking as hard as Rini.
"OK. OK. But only one set right? I mean-"
"Doesn't matter. It only takes one set to cause some serious damage." Madoka sighed. "From what we can tell, at long range, the jinki will largely only affect sekirei from the same ship, but at short range, in more targeted applications, they're dangerous to all sekirei. Maybe it was for defensive purposes, I don't know. We didn't build them. It honestly doesn't matter what set Minaka took, we need to stop him before he can use them."
"Well unless we know where he is, I don't see what we can do. It's the same as it has been this whole time!" Nariko scoffed, her perpetual anger seeming to have been given yet more fuel to burn.
"About that." Being back at the tower, they were now joined by Avaron. "It's been a long time since Minaka was head of MBI. We've upgraded our equipment quite a bit over the years. Since Sadashi came back into view, I was able to get a better lock on her this time. Our satellites honed in on her biological signature. We eventually lost it, but we believe that's only because she's underground."
"And...?" Rini didn't want to assume anything, but suddenly she felt a spark of hope.
"Underground as in a secret base that we now know the location of?" Nariko seemed plenty happy to assume away.
"Exactly." Avaron nodded. "As soon as Sairiko stops choking on her own blood, I believe we can send you after him."
"Good. Only one last heart attack for me to deal with then." Madoka crossed his arms.
"Aww, come on! We were totally winning that last fight! We'll knock them around a bit, capture Minaka, and bring the sekirei home!" Rini grinned, trying to keep spirits high. They were cutting things close, but this was definitely a big break.
"Well, before you do that, give us a few days. We want to make sure you're prepared," Avaron told them. "I have an idea or two that might be helpful."
"Can we afford to wait? Sairiko will heal pretty quickly," Rini pursed her lips. She didn't like the idea of Minaka having his hands on the jinki for any longer than necessary.
"Yes! I'll be fine!" Sairiko insisted, her voice nasally, as she stood there with a solid inch of gauze and cotton taped to her nose.
"I say we go right now." Nariko, surprise, surprise, was raring to go.
"Regardless of how ready to go you feel, you're outnumbered. One wrong move and those sekirei still have more than enough power to put you down. They could even gang up on one of you and go for your crest," Avaron told them firmly.
"So we need a plan, except we don't know much about where we'll be fighting or what kind of preparations they have. No matter how you look at it, we're winging this," Rini countered with a sigh.
Benitsubasa had been pretty quiet ever since returning to the tower. As the conversation progressed she'd been growing more and more agitated. Finally she snapped. "For fuck's sake, Rini. Shut your mouth and just give us like three days!" Before anyone could question her sudden outburst she stormed out of the room.
"O... K..." Rini swallowed hard. She didn't really have an argument for that one.
"Don't take it personally. She hates all this more than anyone I think." Madoka stared out the doorway Benitsubasa had disappeared through. "I'll talk to her..."
. . .
Rini looked up at a starlit sky. Back home, she'd asked Sairiko to carry her onto the roof.
"So, think we're ready?" she asked her sekirei.
"I think so." Sairiko glanced at her. "I'm... eager to get it over with."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Rini chuckled. She'd almost been kidnapped and everything. The sooner they caught Minaka and got the sekirei back, the better.
"No, I-... yeah..." Sairiko bit her lip. Now Rini really did know what she meant. Once Minaka was dealt with, she'd officially have to sort out her feelings. She felt like such a coward. Sairiko was letting her procrastinate, no matter what reasoning she gave. When it came down to it, it was a simple question of how she felt. No matter what she had to keep herself from pulling away, but that left her with another question – did she even want to?
She'd known Sairiko forever. What was she afraid of?
Sairiko jumped in her skin. She looked down to see Rini's fingers interlacing with hers. When she met her ashikabi's eyes, the other girl smiled and then rolled over, laying her head on Rini's shoulder.
Neither said a word, and neither wanted to. It would have just ruined the moment.
. . . 3 Days . . .
"Time's up, d-" Rini poked her head into her father's office only to find he wasn't there. Well, it wasn't the first time this had happened. She pulled out her phone. 'Where r u?' She fired off a quick text.
'Engineering. You here?'
'Yep.'
'Good. Hurry over.'
Rini shrugged but beckoned Sairiko to follow her and headed to the elevators. It was a long ride, considering how fast the elevators were, but soon she was entering the engineering section of the building.
"Ah, there she is!" Rini saw a face she hadn't seen in some time.
"Kouji? Didn't you quit?" Rini's eyes went wide. He'd worked for MBI for a while, but eventually he'd left to do his own thing. Once most of the new sekirei had started getting older and their tuning was done with, reverse-engineering their technology hadn't been as pressing.
"Ah, well, your father said he wanted my help with a project. Needed it done fast!" Kouji grinned. "Heh, even after all these years I can't say no to the man."
"Like a good soldier." Madoka smirked and shook his head. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here early. We have something for Sairiko and Moetatsuka. I guess we'll show you two first." He grabbed something and held it out to Sairiko. "Put this on."
Sairiko took it and frowned. "It's... err... thin. And stretchy..." She didn't seem to like it.
"Oh hell no, I don't care if we're fighting, Sairiko's not dressing like a whore! Half of those old outfits didn't even make sense!" Rini glowered. Those memories of Kaie and her father were coming back again.
"It's just a base layer! There's more to it!" Madoka insisted.
"Ugh." Rini decided to take his word for it. "Fine, go put it on," she told Sairiko who hurried off to find a quiet corner away from prying eyes. A minute later she was back in a tight, black bodysuit that left no curve to the imagination, though the only exposed skin was her face. It had a wavy texture to it, almost like fish scales. Her face was a starkly contrasting scarlet and she looked horribly uncomfortable.
"So, is the fit good?" Kouji asked.
"Y-yes. It's... not uncomfortable. I just... wh-what am I putting over it, please?!" Sairiko pleaded.
"Ah, good. It's actually pretty strong stuff, and breathable as well, so you won't sweat to death-" Kouji began to babble, but Madoka smacked the back of his head to make him focus. "Right." Kouji hurried over to a large metal case that was attached to the wall. It was like a large locker.
He punched in a code and the door popped open. Inside was what could only be armor. It was no suit of knight's armor, but it was armor none-the-less. Thinking back, it looked similar to the plates of armor that had appeared when Sairiko used her norito, but this clearly covered areas that the norito hadn't, like pieces of a puzzle that had until then been missing.
"We looked over Sairiko's imprints and figured we should give her every advantage we could," Madoka said. "Try it out."
The armor was a mix of thin, overlapping plates and thicker blocks of armor that would have weighed down a lesser being. Sairiko probably wouldn't even notice the added weight. The thinner plates were for her midriff and legs, while the heavy plates went over her chest, left arm, shoulder., and feet in the form of boots with shin guards. Her right arm was left bare, but Rini knew that would change if she used her norito. The thick plates were angular with hard edges, keeping in theme with her large blade. The last piece was a thin, plated skirt that hung over her rear, which helped the entire outfit look and feel less awkward.
"How does it feel. Can you move OK?" Rini asked. Sairiko didn't answer right away, looking herself over and twisting around. The armor didn't seem to restrict her movement all that much.
"It feels... right." Sairiko nodded.
"Well, like I said, it came from your imprints. You were meant to wear it. Hopefully it won't be all that relevant, but it should be able to take a pretty nasty hit and keep you intact," Kouji told them.
"So you have armor for Moetatsuka too then?" Rini recalled they'd mentioned both sekirei.
"Not... really. There wasn't any armor in her imprints. She's a different kind of sekirei, after all. We were able to make an outfit for her, one that won't get singed when she goes all out," Kouji told her. That was good at least. Moetatsuka's clothes didn't go up in smoke or anything, she had enough control over her flames to spare her clothing for the most part, but they did get a bit... toasty.
"Can I see?"
"Might as well get them out. Your sister should be here soon." Madoka nodded. Kouji went to another container, soon revealing the outfit.
The color theme was red, white, and gold. The entire outfit was trimmed in gold, with a high collar that would be tight around the neck and went down over the shoulders into long sleeves of white, with intricate red patterns running down it, fittingly much like flames. The middle was covered by what seemed like a corset, they way the material was stiff and laced together.
Farther down was a pure-white skirt that was longer in the back than the front, with red stockings coming up from red and gold boots.
Rini took the top and turned it over, revealing that the back was nothing but strings. From the hips, all the way to the shoulder area was a crisscross pattern of thick, red threads.
"It's a bit... racier." Rini swallowed hard, glad that her own sekirei wouldn't be wearing it. She then sighed, "Nariko's going to love it..." She supposed it was still better than Kaie's outfit.
"Probably." Madoka pursed his lips. Undoubtedly, Moetatsuka would look great and Nariko would swoon over her.
"So this is it, then?" Rini asked. "We're going after him?"
"That's the plan." Madoka let out a stressed sigh. "We have a boat ready. Once Nariko gets here, we'll get you two over to the island."
"Don't be so worried dad, Sairiko would die before she'd let something happen to me. Right?" Rini put on a brave face.
"That's what I'm worried it'll come to." Her assurances did nothing to relieve the tension easily visible on his face. He was momentarily distracted by a vibration from his phone. "She's here..."
No putting it off any longer.
. . .
The relocated to a helicopter pad where they'd be catching a ride to the boat. They could have taken a helicopter all the way there, but figured the boat would be stealthier. They didn't need to draw attention and get shot down by Hyoushi.
"Are you sure-"
"Dad, come on. It's kinda too late for second thoughts now. We have to do this," Rini told her father. "Relax. We'll be home for dinner."
"I hope you have a lot of kids some day. It's only fair that you experience even half the shit I'm going through right now." Madoka shook his head.
"I'll see what I can do." Rini smirked.
"Rini! You're so brave!" Suddenly Rini was accosted by a newcomer who smothered her in a crushing hug.
"G-gah! Masukagami? Wh-" Rini choked out what few words she could muster.
"Hey. I'm here too." As Masukagami released her, Rini saw that Sukaime had also joined them. "We figured we should all show up and give you a proper send-off," she explained.
"It's not like we're going off to war..." Rini rubbed the back of her head.
"Holy fuck, mom!" Nariko's piercing, annoying voice interrupted them. "I don't need to look pretty for fucking Minaka! Back off!" She swatted Kaie away, where the woman had been adjusting her hair.
"I... I know I just..." Kaie's face fell. One could only imagine how helpless she must feel, being forced to send her teenage daughter off to fight their battles.
"Chill! Moetatsuka's like super strong, I'll be fine." Nariko crossed her arms.
"Not even a scratch." Kaie turned to Moetatsuka, a warning tone in her voice. The other sekirei just stiffened up nervously and nodded.
"Speaking of moms... where's mine?" Rini looked around. "You know, the biological one?"
"She's... uhhh..." Madoka cleared his throat. "Don't worry. You'll see her. This isn't easy for her, you know. She thought she'd ended this once already."
"She really hates that you have to do this in her stead." Sukaime frowned. "I can relate."
"So, it's just us going then?" Rini wondered if there was any other reason they were all there to see them off.
"Yes." Avaron was there as well, of course. "Despite all the faith I have in Masukagami, I know we'd just get in the way. If you have to worry about us, you'll be vulnerable, no matter how strong those two are."
"I'll be cheering for you from here, so give it your all!" Masukagami smiled. It was nice to know someone was optimistic. It was a welcome change from her father's constant worrying.
"Tha- . . ." Rini suddenly tilted her head in confusion. "Is that Katsurou?"
Sure enough, her brother also joined them, walking over, "Yeah. I am going," he told her.
"You are?" she glanced around in confusion, wondering if he was hiding a sekirei somewhere.
"Uhh, no. No you're not," Madoka told him.
"This isn't up for debate." Katsurou walked over to the helicopter.
"Excuse me?" Madoka was so taken aback it took him a moment to react, moving to grab his arm, but he jerked it away.
"You're not stopping me!"
"Why do you suddenly want to help so bad?" Rini asked. "I mean... how can you help?"
"Last I checked, I have the same power you do," he told them. "I might as well be a part of this!"
"But you don't have a sekirei!" Madoka argued.
"That's fine. Just means we have one boost for each sekirei we do have between us." Katsurou crossed his arms. It was a surprisingly good argument.
". . . you're set on this aren't you?" Madoka's face fell into his palm.
"Just say the word, Madoka. I'll drag his ass home," Sukaime told him.
"No." Madoka shook his head. He placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'm proud of you. All of you." He then ruffled the boy's hair. "Keep your sisters safe, huh?"
"Pfft!" Nariko scoffed. "Please, we'll be keeping him safe!"
"Actually, it's more that Sairiko and I will be keeping all of you safe..." Moetatsuka spoke up, earning a withering glare from Nariko. "I mean... um... s-sorry, Nariko-sama..."
"OK..." Rini took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No more standing around then. Let's get this over with."
She was the last one to step onto the helicopter, throwing a glance behind her as she stepped up. It seemed her mother really wasn't going to send her off.
. . .
The helicopter dropped them off at the dock and then they boarded the boat for the remainder of the trip to Minaka's island. The longer the trip went on, the more Rini's anxiety grew. She believed in Sairiko, she really did, but capturing Moetatsuka had been their last real victory. They'd been on a losing streak since then. Sadashi had escaped, albeit injured, and the jinki had been taken, never mind the twins being stolen behind their backs.
On paper, Sairiko should have every advantage; she was winged and they were finally comfortable as a team. Moetatsuka was even there as back-up. Still, Rini couldn't help but worry.
She gripped the boats railing, trying to keep her breathing even. She didn't want to psych out Sairiko by letting her fears show.
She jumped as she felt a hand slide over hers, "It'll be OK, Rini."
"Wh-" Rini swallowed hard as Sairiko smiled at her. "I-I'm not... worried..." She pouted, not wanting to lie to her sekirei's face. "How'd you even know?"
"I could just tell," the other girl admitted.
"I wasn't doubting you! I swear, I j-"
"I know."
"Is there anything you don't know?" Rini raised an eyebrow. She thought Sukaime was supposed to be the mind-reader.
"Umm... what's for dinner?" Sairiko tilted her head after a moment of thought. Rini giggled.
"After this? Whatever you want," Rini told her, watching the girl's eyes light up.
"Is that it?" Sairiko squinted into the distance.
"I... think so, yeah."
Coming into view was the island in question. The far side was lush with untamed vegetation, but the shore they were headed to was nothing but sand, rocks, and tall cliffs. The satellites were precise – wherever Minaka's hideout was, it was on that rocky shore.
Soon enough, the boat pulled up as close as possible and the five of them departed in motorized raft to land on the island.
"So... do we start turning over rocks?" Katsurou sighed, kicking a small rock to punctuate his point. There was no obvious sign of an entrance. What Minaka lacked in morals, he made up for in being crafty.
"Regretting coming? Too much time away from your games?" Nariko taunted him. "Screw it, if we can't find it soon, just start blasting! Between Moetatsuka and Sairiko we can dig up his little base no matter where he hid it!"
"Or we cause a collapse and kill the sekirei we came to save," Katsurou shot back deadpan. "Or have you given up on them?"
Nariko grit her teeth angrily, but conceded. Katsurou had a point after all. "Ugh! Just start looki-" Her eyes shot wide when with no warning Hyoushi stepped into view, coming from behind a large rock that sat against the cliff face before them.
"No need to be so drastic. The entrance is here." Hyoushi lifted an arm and pointed at Rini. "You. You can enter. The others stay."
"Like you have a say in the matter!" Nariko snapped.
"She's not wrong. You alone can't stop us!" Rini agreed with her sister.
"Argue and the entrance seals. Even if you could blast your way in without crushing everyone inside, by the time you forced your way in they'd be gone. Minaka-sama wasn't unprepared for this," Hyoushi told them. "Be glad he's letting any of you enter."
"It's obviously a trap! You'd be outnumbered!" Katsurou told her.
"Then follow me when you can." Rini sighed. She wasn't letting them slip away. Trap or no, she trusted Sairiko to power her way through if needed. She stepped forward, walking past Hyoushi with Sairiko at her side. Sure enough, there was an opening in the cliff behind the boulder.
It was a tight fit, but it soon widened and she saw signs of human intervention in the shape of the tunnel. It wasn't too long, and at the end it opened up into a huge, dimly lit cavern.
"Ah! Madoka's first-born daughter. Welcome!" A voice rang out over hidden speakers, echoing off the walls loudly. Minaka, no doubt. "It's been so long since I've been able to play a game with sekirei. I'm glad you could come and let me have one final hurrah!"
"I'm not here for games, Minaka! I'm taking the sekirei home!" Rini shouted back. He was really calling it a game. The man had a one-track mind, apparently. It made her sick.
"Oh, but that's where we have a problem. They don't want to go with you! Do you, girls?" The man's chuckle reverberated off the walls as two figures slipped into view, out of the shadows at the edges of the cavern.
Koumi, now with Tetsuko by her side. However, strangely, neither had arms or armor at hand.
"H-hey, guys. Look, I know he's messed with your heads, but please... you remember me, right? O-or Nariko? You guys love Nariko, a-and she's right outside so-" Rini was cut short, a gasp escaping her as Tetsuko's body shone with light and then she flew into particles, converging on Koumi. Within moments, Koumi had her armor and hammer back. Tetsuko WAS her weapon.
It seemed she wasn't going to talk.
". . ." Rini hung her head. "Do what you have to, Sairiko."
"I won't terminate them, don't worry." Sairiko stepped forward, blade brandished.
It began. Both parties rushed at each other, and weapons clashed. Rini felt it in her teeth, the power they collided with was monstrous. However, Sairiko proved superior. With an extra burst of effort, she shoved the hammer aside, opening Koumi up for an attack. Sairiko swung, turning the blade around so as not to slice her in half. However, Koumi shone this time.
Tetsuko popped back into reality, now with armor on her arms and legs while Koumi vanished. It seemed Koumi could also become a weapon, in this case a large, four bladed shuriken. Sairiko's attack swung through naught but air as Tetsuko twisted and threw the shuriken without her feet even touching the ground.
Sairiko leaned to the side, letting it fly by harmlessly. However, in a flash, even with distance between them, the two switched again. Sairiko had to spin around and block as Koumi swung the massive hammer into her. It struck only the flat of her blade, but her feet still slid back a considerable distance.
Sairiko without hesitating threw her own, massive sword at Koumi. Koumi hopped back, and the blade stuck into the rock before her. Sairiko wasn't far behind, jumping and grabbing the blade's handle, swinging forward to kick, aiming to plant both feet into Koumi's chest. However, the two switched and Tetsuko threw the shuriken straight up into the air.
Sairiko slid to a halt, having missed. The shuriken bounced off the stony surface of the ceiling and they switched again, Koumi bringing her hammer down from above, slamming Sairiko into the ground.
Koumi stepped on the side of Sairiko's face, pinning her as she swung, the hammer crashing into her ribs. She then lifted her foot and swung again, this time sending Sairiko flying back to Rini, her body rolling to a stop at her feet.
"Sairiko!" Rini knelt down, but Sairiko was already pushing herself up. Her lips were bloody, but she still looked determined.
"I-it's OK. I can do this... just a minor setback." Sairiko staggered back up onto two legs.
"No. We end this now!" Rini stopped her, grabbing Sairiko's face.
"Wh-" Rini silenced her sekirei with her lips, causing the girl's wings to burst forth.
"Just remember we want them alive." Rini said, her lips still hovering above Sairiko's as she whispered to her. "You know what to do."
Sairiko gulped and nodded, red-faced from the sudden kiss.
She turned and faced Koumi who looked apprehensive now. "My blade holds strong my pledge! Overwhelm the opposition before my ashikabi!" However, Sairiko had to reclaim her sword before she could do anything more. She charged forward and Koumi swung, trying to hold her at bay, but at that moment, nothing could stop Sairiko.
She jumped, clear over Koumi and landed by her sword, ripping it out of the cavern floor.
"BLADE FUSION! DREADNOUGHT!" Now it was Sairiko's turn to shine – literally. When the light faded, once more her blade had become one with her armor, covering her right arm. With the new armor supplied by Kouji, Sairiko's appearance truly did befit her norito's name.
She was a walking weapon who radiated power.
Once more, the two clashed, but this time it wasn't even a contest. Sairiko swatted the hammer from Koumi's grasp. This time, the two didn't switch. Tetsuko popped back into reality, having been knocked clean back into her human-shaped form.
Koumi, now alone and unarmed, fled, rushing to Tetsuko's side.
"Give up, you can't match me as you a-"
"Well! It seems we'll have to make this more interesting!" Minaka's voice cut Sairiko off.
Soon they realized what he meant. From the opposite end of the cavern, Sadashi appeared. Koumi pulled Tetsuko to her feet and the two made their way to Sadashi's side.
"Now, as I'm sure you know, Sekirei are quite malleable. Programmable if you will," Minaka told them. Rini grit her teeth. What was he talking about?
"What have you done, Minaka?" Rini shouted into the cavern.
"Just watch!" he spoke gleefully.
Rini's jaw nearly hit the floor. The cavern lit up, but not from any lamp. Koumi and Tetsuko's wings spread without warning.
"As you can see, I've bypassed the normal requirements! A norito at the flick of a switch!" Minaka laughed over the loudspeakers.
"Oh crap." Rini swallowed hard. She could only watch as the twins chanted and their forms simultaneously turned to light, jumping not to each other, but to Sadashi. Now their opponent was just as armed and armored as Sairiko.
Could they still win?
. . .
Moetatsuka was getting frustrated. She'd thought beating Hyoushi would be easy. However, his ability to attack from multiple angles, and any angle, at the same time was more dangerous than she'd realized. Quite frankly she couldn't output enough power to nullify all his attacks at once.
She was always at risk of being hit, which meant she had to focus so much on defense that she couldn't fight back! The few attacks she did launch were sloppy and desperate, and thus easy to dodge.
She was collecting cuts and bruises while Hyoushi was unscathed. Apparently almost losing to her before had caused him to set his mind to figuring out how to beat her. She was afraid he'd succeeded.
He launched three large clusters of shots at her, and when they got close they "exploded" peppering her with steel. She could only cross her arms in front of her vitals and attempt to melt away as many as she could.
Just when she thought it was over, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her knees. She began to fall, but another barrage blasted her from head-on. Her focus was destroyed – she went down.
"Moetatsuka! Come on, don't give up!" Nariko shouted from the sidelines.
"I-I'm not..." Moetatsuka struggled to speak. She was quickly getting exhausted and was short of breath. "But-" She tried to push herself up, but another shot struck her hand and she collapsed once more. The next went for her head, and it was all she could do to burn it down before it penetrated her skull.
"Moetatsuka!" Nariko sounded panicked. "I..." Moetatsuka turned her head to she Nariko take a step back. Suddenly she just grabbed Katsurou's wrist and ran, dragging him away with her.
She felt the strength drain from her body. Her ashikabi had fled. Perhaps it was for the best, though. They could take the raft to a safe distance. Maybe Sairiko could win all on her own and then at least they'd all be safe.
She didn't care about her own life – just so long as Nariko was safe. Though, even if she didn't care... she'd hoped Nariko did.
"OK!" Nariko's voice reached her ears once more. What? "It's all clear! Just blow him up!" Nariko shouted to her.
Moetatsuka glanced back once more and saw that Nariko had fled to a distance and found a large rock to hide behind. She then turned her gaze back to Hyoushi.
Both sekirei came to the same realization. With Nariko and Katsurou at a safe distance, Moetatsuka didn't have to worry about collateral damage anymore.
As Hyoushi tried to aim his next attack, Moetatsuka dug her fingertips into the ground beneath her, red-hot cracks spreading like roots from them. The ground erupted in a pillar of blazing shrapnel, and she rose with it. Hyoushi was forced to shield himself from the blast, and when he raised his eyes a burning maelstrom stood before him.
More. Hotter and hotter. She felt so free. There were no trees on that rocky shore for her to worry about. She could just do.
Hyoushi summoned a veritable constellation of steel shots, but within moments they began to glow red and got sucked into the storm that now swirled around Moetatsuka. It was like standing before the sun. Everything would burn and succumb to her will.
And then it exploded. The ground bucked and the whole island must have shook. Flames roared and spread hungrily in all directions before vanishing just as soon as they'd flared up.
Nariko and Katsurou both huddled behind the rock they'd found, hands over their ears. Finally Nariko was brave enough to poke her head out. She saw Moetatsuka standing in the middle of a sizable crater than had been blasted into the very rock of the island. Hyoushi was back against the cliff face, head drooped and unconscious, singed from the blast and smoke rising from his body.
"What the hell was that?" Nariko shouted. "I thought you couldn't make fire! What the hell was there to burn?" Moetatsuka controlled heat, she couldn't just spit fire out of nowhere, and looking around it was all sand and stones.
Moetatsuka just smirked, "The oxygen in the air."
Nariko swallowed hard – her sekirei was kind of scary.
. . .
Rini's teeth vibrated as the whole island shook. She was going to lose her mind at this rate. The clash of titans taking place before her had her on the verge of a panic attack. She was pretty sure that last tremor had come from outside, so clearly Moetatsuka was in battle as well.
Part of her was second guessing their decision to come to the island, but she knew there hadn't been any other choice.
It was then that she noticed something was wrong with Sairiko. She seemed... sluggish. Each time they clashed, one would inevitably shove the other away, and each time Sairiko seemed to be slower and slower to press her next attack.
Sadashi swung her hammer and with only one hand to wield it she still brought it down with crushing force, even considering her opponent. Sairiko lifted her blade to block and then shoved the weapon to the side. However, Sadashi still had her shield, leaving no opening for Sairiko to exploit.
Sadashi blocked and shoved Sairiko back, forcing her again on the defensive. This time, Sadashi seemed to take total control. She swung viciously, again and again, crashing down on Sairiko like a tidal wave.
Finally Sairiko stumbled back, creating some distance in an attempt to catch her breath – but she couldn't. She fell to her knees and with a dull flash her norito fizzled out, her sword clattering to the ground.
"Oh... no..." Rini's eyes widened in horror. At best it had been an even fight with Sairiko's norito.
Sairiko scrambled to retrieve her weapon now that it was no longer physically attached to her body, but even as she lifted it, Sadashi swatted it from her grasp, and then cracked the hammer across her jaw, blood flying from her mouth as she spun around. Sadashi then kicked her to the ground and spun the hammer around, bringing the wicked, rear spike to bear.
Rini could only hyperventilate in total panic as she watched, helpless. She didn't want to watch, but she couldn't look away. She felt that averting her eyes would be to betray her sekirei, but this was the last thing she wanted to see.
"OK! The cavalry's here- OH SHIT! 'TATSUKA!" The sudden shout drew Sadashi's gaze from Sairiko just in time for a barrage of red-hot shards to crash into her and explode. It staggered her, but the armor from the twins' norito seemed to deflect most of the damage. "J-just in time..." Indeed, Nariko and Moetatsuka had finally made it.
"I'll handle this." Moetatsuka super-heated the ground at her feet, pulling apart the very stone to create her weapons. She wove them around her and then shot the the air like a spear, just as she had against Saki.
"Wait!" Rini was too late. There was no way Moetatsuka could win right now. She was painfully correct. Moetatsuka simply bounced off of Sadashi's shield, being flung back like a mere annoyance. She was wide open for Sadashi's counter attack, the hammer slamming into her rib-cage and sending her back to lay prone by Sairiko.
"N-no way! Just like that?" Nariko's jaw dropped. "M-Moetatsuka! Get up, dammit!"
Moetatsuka struggled, but it was all she could do to lift her head; a head she might not have for much longer. The shuriken, now affixed to the shield, began spinning and she flung it, the weapon arcing through the air on course for Moetatsuka's neck.
Rini couldn't see a way out this time. It had just been the two sekirei. There was no rescue coming.
How had it gone so far downhill so quickly?
She flinched. Her eyes shut. Any moment and her sister's anguished cry would no doubt hit her. And then what? Would her own follow when Sairiko's turn came?
"Ah? What's this?" Instead, Nariko was silent and instead Minaka's voice once more echoed through the cavern.
Rini cracked her eyes open to then have her mouth fall open. "MOM!?"
Standing defiantly before their two fallen sekirei was none other than her mother, Benitsubasa, the shuriken captured tightly in her grasp, and for some reason her clothes and hair dripping with water.
"Rini. The fuck?"
SELF-REFERENTIAL CLIFFHANGER! Eh, it's mostly to break up the chapters and give you guys a break. Was approaching my trademarked "Epic Length" so I was like "snip." Ugh, it's been so long I'm all nervous I'm forgetting something...
So why did this take so long? Well, instead of telling you my life story, I'll give you the cliff notes.
Real life drama, followed by almost getting kicked out of my house, followed by me buying almost every Pokemon game for the 3DS, followed by me drastically over-correcting and getting three jobs. One of which I no longer have, 'cause fuck 'em.
Then the lovely DMacIntosh sent me a PM about how much he liked Violent Hearts and was like "OK, back to work." Kinda like what SpecialRelativity did for, well, Violent Hearts back in the day.
This is why you gotta support your authors, guys; we're fickle, lazy fucks when we don't have the proper motivation. Well, at least I am.
So, um... happy holidays?
Til' next time!