02 – Reconcile
Homura had been running around for three hours now and had found no sign of Minato. After dropping off the young Sekirei girl at Izumo Inn where Miya had offered to take her in for the night, Homura had gone back out to search for the boy.
He still couldn't believe what he had seen.
Minato… The same soft, sweet-hearted (probably too much for his own good), gentle, and timid Minato, had just killed two people.
This was all his fault.
His teeth grit in frustration. How could he have been so careless?!
He knew why... He had seen two brain dead fools and figured them easy prey. He'd gotten cocky and failed to protect that girl that almost been enslaved. Then he'd actually let himself get caught and almost forced into a contract himself.
Both he and that girl would have seen the end of their free lives that night had it not been for-
"Minato…"
'Where did you go…?'
Minato was on his hands and knees, greedily gulping down gasps of air. He'd run until his legs had given out. He had no idea for how long, he must have been miles away by now.
He fell back into a sitting position, his back resting against a tree. He looked down at his quivering hands... covered in blood.
The vision was rushed and blurred in his head:
Kagari on the ground, the boy holding him down...
The knife in his hand, his grip tightening around the handle...
He heard his scream... the scream of the man he stabbed in the back.
Then he heard the cry behind him from the other boy, and then he charged him... more blood.
Minato's cheeks blunged and swung his head around, wretching into the grass behind the tree he lay against. He spit out the taste left in his mouth. Whether from shock, disgust, or exhaustion... or maybe all of them, he couldn't tell which one had caused him to lose the lunch he had thought was long digested.
He stood up and stumbled back away from where he was sitting, trying to put distance between him and the bile he had just upchucked. His legs finally failed from fatigue and buckled beneath him. Minato fell flat on his back with a grunt. Again, he inhaled air by the mouthfuls. His body was utterly spent. His muscles refused to respond.
Lifting his head, he saw the river down the hill from where he lay. The tall buildings of the city sparkled with lights in the dark on the other side. His head fell back to the ground and he could see the stars nestled in the sky twinkling above him.
A few cicadas creaked in the tall grass around him, the only noise heard aside from the occasional odd sound coming from the city across the river.
Exhaling a breath he didn't know he was holding in, Minato momentarily forgot the impossible acts he had just committed. He forgot about the Sekirei Plan. He forgot how pathetic and useless he had felt before...
He forgot that he had just killed two people.
The chirping cicadas coaxed him to close his eyes, and his mind was peacefully enveloped into the night.
Minato shot up with a gasp, his eyes wild with confusion. Looking around, his mind felt relief at the familiar sight of his room.
He wiped the sheen of sweat that covered his head as his breath became more controlled. The visions in his head were still vivid.
He... he had actually killed someone! Two someones at that!
His shoulders slumped and he chuckled. Now he was having nightmares. Nightmares about killing people to make it worse. He was seriously starting to wonder if her was going off the deep end. The Sekirei plan had been no help. The sight of battle and people being hurt and even almost dying had taken its toll on his head it seemed.
Without the guidance of his mind, his hand gained intent of its own and drifted away from his body to come to rest on something beside him that was soft...
Very soft.
His body instantly tensed up, but for a whole different reason. Based on past experiences, he had dreadful, yes DREADFUL and no other adjective to describe it, idea of what he felt in his grip.
Looking down at his side he found the pillow-soft object in his hand to be... a pillow.
Minato had to blink to be sure he saw what he saw. He just now realized he was alone in this futon. That was quite a change. Tsukiumi and Musubi usually had him in what Tsukiumi had insisted to be a "loving embrace." (Minato called it a death grip, pointing to the red outlines on his neck as his proof.)
But this morning, he woke up alone.
He frowned and stared for a moment at the object still in his grip, almost disbelieving at what he saw. But sure enough, it was just his pillow. Although a moment ago, its soft and bouncy texture in his hand had let him to believe it to be a-
The alarm clock began blaring in his ear, making him literally jump out of the vision that had been forming in his head a moment ago. He moaned, now fully connected to the fact that he was awake, the headache forming from the blaring alarm giving full proof of that. Without looking, he reached his hand over to hit the snooze button...
And felt something slice his skin open.
He retracted his sharply with a yelp. He opened one of his eyes that had been squeezed shut. What had pricked his-?! Both his eyes opened in horror.
The meat of his palm was cut, and blood was pouring out. A lot of it.
"What the- ?!" His voice strained under the pain.
Looking for the culprit, his pain vanished immediately when he found it.
On his bed next to his alarm clock was a knife... A switch blade knife.
Minato's pupils immediately shrank to the size of pin heads. His bloodied hand trembled as it reached out, desperately hoping what he saw was an illusion.
His bloodied grip closed around the handle, and rough, cold sensation reverberated through his palm. Bringing it to his face, every detail of the blade was seared in his mind forever. The brown the grip, the long blade, and the dark-dried substance on it let him know that all the blood was not his. Some of it had been spilled the night before.
His nightmare flashed in his mind: Homura, the screaming girl, the blood of the first boy he cut, the cry of the second boy, he wanted revenge for his brother. Minato struck first. The blood of the second boy he spilled, Homura, the girl, Homura, the blood, the blood, the blood, the blood, the blood, bloodbloodbloodbloodbloodblo odbloodbloodbloodbloodbloodb loodbloodblood...
The alarm bell was screaming his ear. He was deaf by this point. His own blood made the blade slip out of his hand onto the floor.
Minato squeezed his eyes shut, gripped his wounded hand, and screamed.
Onii-chan was taking a long time to get up.
Ku-chan was sure he didn't want to miss breakfast. He always had breakfast with them before he left for work. Besides, Miya-nee-chan was having that strange mask appeared behind her head and pour her tea in rather scary manner after Matsu-nee-chan was snickering about Minato having a long night, to which Tsukiumi-nee-chan began getting that one vein bulge on her neck again. So Kusano decided it would be a good idea to go wake him up before things got any worse.
The sound of his alarm clock made Kusano giggle, thinking about how annoyed her big brother was probably getting. Then she began to run as she heard him screaming.
Despite her small size, Kusano could do some very strong, incredible things when she needed to. Nothing got her moving like the sound of her beloved big brother in pain.
Throwing opening the door, she immediately ran to the boy.
"Onii-chan! Why are you-?!"
Looking down, her eyes went wide at the sight of his hand.
Minato looked up, his shaky mind managing to focus and clear his vision at the sight of his youngest Sekirei.
"K-Ku..."
She was staring at his bleeding hand. She began to shake.
"W-Why..." Her eyes teared up. "Why are you bleeding... Onii-chan? So much..."
Looking down, the blood all but coated Minato's hand. It looked like carnage more than a cut by this point.
Her head began to shake, desperately wanting to deny what she saw. "Onii-chan is... h-hurt..."
Minato's eyes widened at the sound of her shaking voice. "N-No! Ku, I'm fi-"
"N-No... ONII-CHAN NOOOOO!" Kusano broke down, wailing uncontrollably.
Minato panicked, the sound of Kusano crying so terribly both terrified him and broke his heart.
The small girl threw herself at her Ashikabi, desperately gripping him as if he would leave. Minato wrapped his clean arm around, desperately sputtering out assurances that he was fine, none of which seemed to get through to the erratic Kusano.
"MINATO?!" Tsukiumi's commanding voice resounded through the room. Minato looked up to see her lay a hand on the still screeching alarm clock, finally silencing it. With that taken care of, the Water Sekirei looked down on the other two figures in the room.
"Just what was that scream?" She demanded of her husband. "You truly frightened me with-"
She turned her gaze to small girl crying into his shirt. "Kusano!" The blonde woman knelt. "What has you so-"
Her gaze immediately fell to his bloodied hand.
"H-Husband..." She reached out, gingerly taking his wounded hand into her own. "How..."
Her eyes now zeroed in on the bloody knife laying on the floor. It's menacing shape made clear his construction for fighting. And such thing had wounded her gentle, almost docile Ashikabi.
"Minato!" She looked him in the eyes, concern clearly painted on her face, but her firm voice demanding an answer. "What has happened here?!"
Homura was starting to feel like Minato's personal nurse. How many times had he bandaged him up by this point?
He paid little mind to Tsukiumi and Musubi who nervously stood in the doorway, watching with intensity he could feel. Making one more wrap around with the gauze, he tied it off over the wound.
"Thanks Kagari-san... again."
Homura looked up wordlessly. The other boy did not meet his gaze, keeping it trained on his half-mummified hand. Minato no doubt had more than a few questions for him, but no doubt he didn't want to answer the ones Homura had for him.
"Ladies!" Miya's sing-song voice broke the heavy atmosphere. "I need your help in the kitchen!"
Both girls stayed put, still eyeing Minato worryingly.
Their Ashikabi smiled. "It's alright. Go ahead."
Tsukiumi nodded hesitantly, then started off down the hall. Musubi stayed behind for a moment.
"Minato-san..."
His breath caught. Her eyes pierced him, searched him, looking for what he wasn't saying.
"Musubi!" Tsukiumi haughtily called.
The girl looked at Minato once more, paying little mind to his earnest smile and nod to assure her, and then ran after the other Sekirei.
Homura and Minato both sat silently in the room. Homura wasn't shy and kept his eyes trained on the silent boy sitting opposite him. Minato kept his own eyes trained on the floor.
"Minato..." the Homura began.
"I don't-" Minato began. Homura stayed silent, encouraging the other boy to speak.
"I... killed... them..." His voice was an audiable whisper.
Silence hung over them again.
"You saved us." Homura responded.
Minato looked up in shock, as if just now realizing why he had done what he had done in the first place.
"Her name is Yashima, the girl you saved I mean."
Minato's eyes widened. "Is she alright?!"
Homura was taken back a bit at Minato's sudden urgency. "Y-Yes. She's fine. I brought her back here, but she left this morning."
Minato stared for moment, then felt a weight leave his chest. She was alright... The girl he had tried to save... she was alright.
He actually smiled and put a hand to his chest, feeling the weight of guilt lift for a moment and his heart flutter a bit. Then he looked at Homura again.
The other man had a serious expression. Minato returned in kind.
"You are... one of them too? A Sekirei I mean," Minato's voice left little room for a question.
Homura looked a way.
"I remember what I saw Kagari-san," Minato's voice slowly gained confidence. "You were there that night. I saw... fire coming from your hand."
Homura exhailed. "My real name is Homura. And yes Sahashi, like you said," He looked the boy in the eye. "I am a Sekirei."
Minato swallowed. Kaga- Homura-san (as his real name apparently was) had always been a little off. He mostly kept to himself, and while that was no crime, it made Minato wonder what he did all the time. Being a host ate up a lot of time, but was that really what he did all day?
"What you saw last night Sahashi, was me doing my other job."
The ronin's eye quirked. "Other job?"
"I've taken the role of a Sekirei guardian."
Minato suddenly remembered the girl's cry last night, calling Homura a 'Sekirei Guardian.'
"I protect unwinged Sekirei," Homura explained, evidently reading the question written on Minato's face. "Those, who have yet to meet their Ashikabi. Last night, I was protecting that girl from those men who were trying to force-wing her."
Minato recalled something about "whether we choose or not," being part of Matsu's explanation. He had never really delved into what that might entail. Now it was becoming all too clear.
"Some Sekirei, Minato... are enslaved."
The word made the ronin visibly twitch. Homura continued.
"They are taken by men who are not their destined ones. These Sekirei have a miserable existence Sahashi. They fight for those who have robbed them of happiness. And the only way they will ever be free of them, is to be defeated... terminated."
He paused and watched the kneeling ronin, letting his words sink in, observing the boy's reaction.
"So that's why I do what I do. I try to help those Sekirei find the one they are destined to be with. But even then..." his eyes look down. "They are still forced to fight."
Homura paused for moment, his own anger catching up. Minato stared intently at the Sekirei sitting across from him.
Homura cocked his head. Normally, from what he had seen of the boy, Minato was somewhat of an airhead, not always comprehending on what happened around him. Sure the boy was intelligent, of that he certainly had an instinct. But his lack of confidence gave off an air of aloofness. But right now, Minato seemed to be taking in every word he told him.
"Whether I save them or not, and sometimes I don't save them from forced winging..." Homura grimaced, seeming to recall such moments. "They all still fight Sahashi. That is what the Sekirei must do in this plan."
He paused once more before speaking again.
"Your turn now."
Minato blinked. "W-What?"
Homura's eyes narrowed, as if annoyed with Minato's perceived stalling. "Why were you there last night Sahashi? Why did you... do what you did?"
Minato swallowed again.
"As I said, you saved us last night Sahashi. Had it not been for you, I would have lost my freedom. So..." Homura bowed his head. "Thank you."
"Kaga... Homura-san..."
"But Sahashi..." Homura raised his head again. "What you did... I never would have thought you capable of..."
Minato felt the color drain from his face. The shame of it zapping his confidence away. His sin, laid bare for judgement...
"Minato... what happened? You've been different since the night you helped those two escape. What... happened?"
Minato closed his eyes and exhailed. "She... died..." The words nearly made him choke.
Homura's eyes widened. "Died? Who-"
"Musubi!" Minato almost shouted. "She... was killed... and I... didn't do anything..." The words didn't bring tears to his eyes this shock had worn off, but not the bitter feelings that accompanied it.
"It all felt so... real then..." Homura listened intently as Minato continued. The boy's hands fisted in his lap. "I knew then... I could lose her. I could lose all of them..."
He looked up at Homura. "I know... now..." He seemed lost for words.
Homura smiled sadly. "You know now what everyone fears: to lose who they love."
The white-haired sekirei sighed an stood up, seeming tired of the depressing conversation. He wasn't quite clear on the details about Musubi "dieing," but he had good idea of what it meant. he'd get the details from Matsu later. He walked to the door. "Breakfast should be ready."
The young Ashikabi began to stand up to follow.
"Minato," His firm voice stopped the boy briefly. "I won't say anything about what i saw last night. But in return, I ask that you don't say anything about me being a Sekirei."
"O-of course, yeah."
Homura paused for a moment. "...alright."
And with that, he left the room.
Minato poked his head into the living room. Kusano was sitting alone on the couch. She seemed to have calmed down now. "Nyan the Cat" seemed to be doing his part on tv, getting a laugh out of the small sekirei every now and then.
"H-Hi Kuu..." Minato nervously called.
She whipped her head around, and her eyes widened immediately at seeing who it was.
"Oni-chan!" She leapt off the couch and immediately ran to him, throwing herself into him. The hit made Minato grunt and chuckle at the same time, bringing his arms around her.
She looked up at him, the worry already returning to her eyes. Pulling on his hand that wasn't bandaged. she pulled him to the couch.
"H-Hey! Ku-?" The little girl ignored her Ashikabi's confusion and pushed him down onto the couch. She leaped onto his lap and pulled his wounded hand to her face for closer inspection. Minato smiled sadly at her worried expression as she looked over his bandage intensely.
He brought his free hand up to the back of her head and gently pet her.
"It's alright Ku-chan," he softly cooed. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Hope sparkled in her eyes. "Really?"
Her cute voice was enough to melt him. "Yeah... really..."
She smiled. "Good then." She then lay her head against him closed her eyes, breathing slower and nodding off to sleep.
Minato continued to gently pet her head. "Sorry I scared you..."
"Mmmmm." Kusano shook her head. "It's okay, Oni-chan."
And with that, she had fallen asleep.
Minato smiled, gently stroking Ku's hair as she softly breathed, lying against him.
"Minato-san?"
The boy turned his head around to find his landlady standing beside him. "Would you care to join me for tea?"
Minato smiled, accepting the offer.
The soft wind brushing the wind chimes and the clear night with a melody of cicadas chirping gave a deceptive sense of tranquility. No one would ever have guessed there was a war happening in this city from the looks on the surface. But Minato still bought into the tranquility, almost forgetting his actions the previous night completely, along with the anguish in his mind over the events that he experienced since moving to the city.
He slowly sipped the oolong Miya had prepared for them. He regarded her from his peripheral vision. She said nothing. Her eyes were closed and a small smile adorned her face. She seemed lost in the peace of the moment.
This was something new. They were on good terms sure, but she and he had never really spent much time alone. So why had she called him out like this? She'd never-
"Minato-kun," her voice interrupted his thoughts. She opened her eyes and caught his with her own.
The look she held was gentle, but an amount of concern was detected in it. Something... motherly almost.
Minato found himself blushing at being caught her gaze. He had never really appreciated just how beautiful she really was...
"Is everything alright?"
Minato's face nearly exploded in red. "Y-Yes! Everything's fine! I-I just- I didn't mean to-"
"Minato," her firm voice stopped his sputtering. It wasn't harsh, but it was clearly a command to listen. "Are you doing alright?"
The question threw him off. That was one he hadn't asked himself recently.
Was he alright?
"Um..." He didn't really have an answer.
"Minato, I understand that you've been through a lot lately... with the Sekirei Plan."
She turned on her knees to face him fully. "Matsu told me the details of what happened that night on the bridge..."
Minato looked away.
"Where did you get this Minato?" From the sleeve of her kimono, Miya produced the switchblade knife that had killed two men and cut Minato's hand, now cleaned and shining in the light coming from the house behind them.
Minato looked at the knife, then back up at her. Fear muted him.
Miya was patient, looking Minato right in the eye.
"M-Miya..." His voiced came out strained. "This isn't..." What could he say...
"I won't ask too many questions Minato. You're life is your own."
She smoothed out her dress as she stood. "But I can imagine seeing what you did that night would have quite the impact on you."
Looking up at the woman, Minato was effectively silenced by what couldn't be described as anything but sadness in her eyes. She knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Minato... I know what it is like to lose someone you love..." Her grip on his shoulder tensed slightly. "I know that seeing something like that could drive you to do something... Desperate."
She looked back at the knife on the ground, then at him again. "I just ask that you give consideration to what you do next Minato. And just... Be careful."
She stood up again, releasing his shoulder and wordlessly returned I side, leaving Minato alone on the deck.
He pulled his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms in front of him. Miya had read him perfectly. At least his situation. How much she really knew he couldn't say.
She was right about one thing: a desperate situation had driven him to a desperate decision. Homura had been right too, what he had done had saved him and that girl.
What he had done had been right… And necessary… And wrong…
And he could tell no one.
Wake up.
Minato obeyed the voice in his mind. He recognized it. He had heard it before...
His eyes opened. He was still out on the deck. The sky was still dark. Standing up, he returned inside the house.
He smiled at the sight of Kusano still asleep on the couch, softly breathing and clutching the pillow, probably thinking it was her Oni-chan.
The moment he had stepped into the living room however, the lights shorted out. He looked up in surprise. Had the lights shorted out? Light from outside still filtered thought the windows, so he could still see somewhat.
What he could see made his heart leap into his throat.
Where Kusano had been laying just a moment ago, now only her blanket an pillow remained. The little sekirei was no where to be found.
The second the lights had gone... So had she.
Minato's breath hitched. He was by no means brave, but it had been years since he was afraid of the dark.
"Calm down..." He whispered to himself. "Let's just go to bed."
He slowly, quietly made his way across the living room, refusing to look at the couch and abandoned pillow and blanket that he SWORE just a second ago had Kusano snuggled up with it.
The door to the deck. He softly cursed himself. He'd forgotten to close it.
He turned around just in time.
Against the light from outside, a figure was clearly visible, walking down the hallway with a shadow cascading across the floor of the living room. Minato had just seen it just before it disappeared out of sight.
His breath was shallow. It was clearly masculine shaped.
"H-Homura?..."
No one answered. Only silence.
Minato ran a hand though his hair. He was seeing things... Yes...
Even slower than the first time, he shuffled back across the living room toward the deck. He stopped at the hallway, looking down it for the figure he saw.
Pitch blackness was all he could see. And he had no desire to venture down the foreboding hall. He closed the door and latched it.
Turning around, he started back toward the stairs, but stopped cold at seeing the floor.
A long shadow starting from behind him... Someone was behind him, on the other side of the glass door. He grit teeth, and whipped around.
Nothing. Only the empty yard.
Looking back down at the floor, the shadow was gone.
He exhaled, frustrated with the games his mind was playing on him. This time he moved with a sense of purpose, making it through the living room to the stairs. He stopped at the foot of it.
His head... hurt.
Gripping the hand rail with one hand, is other hand held his head as he began to ascend staircase. With each step it felt like his skull got heavier. He's ears began to ring.
He tightened his grip on the rail, his feet were getting harder and harder to lift. The ringing grew deafening.
"What in-?!"
He looked up at the few steps he still had to climb. Looking back at him from the top of the staircase, was the figure that he thought was in his head.
With the screen, he fell backwards, tumbling down the stairs and landing at the bottom on his back his head banging against the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut and his hands covered his face. Terror and pain made it impossible to focus at all.
His arms then became like lead and fell from his face to his sides. His whole body felt like lead. He couldn't move.
Immobilized, Minato opened his eyes and looked up. From the top of the staircase, the shadowy figure stared back at him, and began to slowly descend…
To be continued...