03 - Hunter/ed
The falling rain had washed away most of the blood by now. But the looks of fear and pain were still burned into the faces of the two corpses at her feet...
Sekirei number 55, or Saki as she preferred to be called, knelt beside one of the two dead men, taking a close looker at the deep slice across his throat. Her teeth clenched at the sight of it. The kill was so... messy. Sloppy even...
"Ma'am?"
Saki pushed her hands against her knees, regaining her stance.
"Find them?" She asked.
"We did," the young man affirmed. He held out a computer tablet for proof.
She offered the young man a sweet smile in appreciation as she took it from her hands. "Arigatou, Minase-kun." She specifically emphasized the honorific.
The young man's face lit up red like a traffic light. Excusing himself with stammer, he quickly hustled away. He passed by an older officer, who gave a disapproving glare at the sight of his goofy grin.
Saki was slender with shoulder-length blue hair. Her clothing was black, from her top that showed off her midriff to her skirt and leg-long stockings. She had body that guys were hypnotized by, and she wasn't afraid to use that power.
She giggled once more at the young officer Minase-kun who was vulnerable to such power. If only it worked on the older one coming towards her.
The older man, half way through his fifties, made his way over to the Sekirei, his frown lightening into mild annoyance.
"Not feeling jealous, are you Ryota-san," Saki asked with a playful smile. The man's stone face did not flinch at all.
"Brothers Yosuke Tachibana and Ryunosuke Tachibana..." The senior MBI security officer went straight to business, not even dignifying Saki's flirting with a response. He glanced over at the taller of the two corpses.
Saki frowned. The old salt of a cop was no fun at all. "I know," she replied, her eyes falling back on the tablet in her hands.
"One was an Ashikabi, the other wasn't. Both have a record. The younger for robbery, the older for two assaults."
He watched the Sekirei girl for a reaction. When she didn't look up from the tablet, he continued.
"I don't need to tell you this a big problem." Ryota's eyes narrowed at the sight of the two corpses.
"This whole... plan was supposed to keep humans OUT of harm's way. Two of them killed by a Sekirei-"
"A Sekirei didn't do this," Saki interrupted the long speech she knew was coming.
The officer quirked an eyebrow. "How can you-"
"The cuts," She motioned behind her at the dead bodies, kneeling beside them again and gesturing at the gruesome damages for emphasis. "A Sekirei would never do such a sloppy job."
"Besides," she turned around, locking eyes with the officer. "A Sekirei would never kill a human."
Ryota didn't look convinced in the slightest. "Then why did Minaka send his spymaster to look into it?"
"Because an Ashikabi is dead," she reminded him. "That isn't supposed to happen."
Ryota pinched the bridge of his nose with a groan and looked up at the dismal grey, cloudy sky. "If word ever got out about it-"
"It won't," she assured. "This was a murder. Plain and simple."
Both of them were distracted by the sound of car pulling up along side the curb down the hill.
"Your ride I take it?" Ryota inquired.
Saki rose to her feed with a word and began making her way for the black car, the grass crunching under feet.
At the sound, she paused, and immediately cursed herself for it. Ryota caught the action.
Looking down, Saki saw the grass beneath her feet was charred black by fire. She had definitely not seen that before. She closed her eyes, feeling Ryota's own look down at the spot beneath her feet, and then traveling up to glare at her. Without even looking, Saki could feel his eyes piercing her back.
Grass did not just catch fire. A Sekirei had been here...
"Ryota-"
The damage was done. The old cop was already storming off. She could just imagine the scowl on his face.
"God-damned monsters..." He snarled.
Saki pursed her lips but said nothing. It wouldn't do any good. She'd learned that by now.
Takami offered the wet girl a towel as Saki stepped out of the rain and into the back of the black American-built Cadillac. The car immediately drove off the second the door shut.
"Was that Ryota I saw?" MBI's top researcher inquired.
"Yes," Saki replied with sigh.
Takami looked out the window in thought. "Still not friendly?"
Saki said nothing in response as she dried herself.
Takami sighed. "The man is good at his job. He was one of the best Tokyo Metropolitan ever produced." She lit a cigarette as she continued. "Unfortunately he's more than a tad racist when it comes to the Sekirei."
"He sees us as invaders," the Sekirei girl said. "We took away his city. And he sees us as a threat to the citizens he protects..." She trailed off, looking out into the night through the rain splattered window of the moving car.
A moment of silence passed before the doctor spoke again. "What did you find out?"
"The two boys were not killed by a Sekirei." By this point, Saki had lost count of the number of times she had said that. "The kill strikes were not professional. Whoever did kill them was... desperate."
"Suspects?" Takami inquired.
"No weapon, no witnesses, and MBI's surveillance cameras don't reach the park."
Takami took a long puff from her Marlboro. "Sounds like it was well executed. Good place, good time-"
"Bad luck," the girl countered. "Like I said, the kill was too sloppy to be professional. I believe it was the boys who picked that spot, not the one who killed them."
"Come again?" The doctor asked.
"Ryota said they both had criminal records. One of them was for "assault"..."
Neither said anything. They both knew what was implied.
"But their bodies were the only ones there," Saki asserted again. "If they did have a girl... she got away."
"Was he trying to help her?" Takumi referred to the killer.
"I don't know... maybe..." the Sekirei pondered.
"So we do have a witness then," Takumi assumed.
"More than one," Saki corrected. "I also found scorch marks at the crime scene."
The cigarette dropped from Takumi's mouth. She cursed as it singed her pants. She quickly snatched it up and threw it out the window. Saki said nothing the whole while.
"I'm guessing you know it was," the Sekirei sarcastically remarked.
"The other girl must have been a Sekirei," the doctor remarked mostly to herself.
Saki frowned, not liking the redirect. "Is there something I need to know?"
"Homura would be there if a Sekirei was in danger." She hit her pack of Marlboros against her palm, popping up a fresh stick and grabbing it with her lips. "If he ever did kill someone, he wouldn't be so sloppy."
She looked the younger woman in the eye as she brought her lighter to the tip of her cigarette.
"He wouldn't leave a body..." With a flick of her thumb, a flame burst to life.
Saki eyed the flame thinking over the burned patch marks she had found at the site and the discussed Sekirei's special ability. "But he was there."
Both women eyed each other for a moment. Saki knew about Homura, and what Takumi was having him do. This accounted for why she was protective of him. But...
"It'd be nice to talk to him if I could..." Saki attempted.
Takumi's one good eye narrowed. "I'll handle Homura. You handle Minaka."
The car rolled to a stop. Saki looked out the window at monolithic building which served as the headquarters of the said man's empire. She stepped out of the car and looked up at the monolithic castle, illuminated against the rainy night like a star on Earth.
"Tell him only as much as he needs to hear," Takumi advised the Sekirei. "Chances are, he already knows more than you think."
As far as relationships went, the one between Sekirei number 55 Saki and MBI President Hiroto Minaka was tolerable in Saki's own words.
As his personal intelligence operative, the relationship they had was no where near that of an Ashikabi and Sekirei. Saki would not even entertain that notion. The Ashikabi was someone special to a Sekirei. She held a fist over her heart as her mind whispered the title. A brief flutter in her heart was followed by a descent into loneliness, a sensation she had grown accustomed to by now. Still, she wondered if... but DEFINITELY not with Minaka. No, they were simply boss and employee as far as she was concerned. And even that was... strained.
The reason for that strain was creeping up behind her. The pulsing vein on her forehead flexed as she threw her elbow back right into the face of the man who was attempting grope her. Minaka's glasses shattered upon impact, and his whole face caved in at the girl's powerful strike.
"G...Good evening... S-Saki-chan..." Minaka mumbled between rattled teeth and Saki's elbow nearly shattering them.
Slowly retracting her limb, Minaka fell to the ground in heap.
"Minaka-sama," she politely replied and bowed to the pathetic crumbled form of her superior behind her.
Looking forward again, she gasped at the appearence of a massive flat-screen lowered from the ceiling of Minaka's ridiculously tall office. The IMAX like screen hung from the three story tall ceiling above them. It displayed an over-shot of the crime scene from which she had just come.
"He knows more than you think..." Takumi's words echoed in her mind.
"Tell me," Minaka had regained computes and was returning to his desk beneath the monolithic screen. "Just what have you learned?"
The Sekirei spy took a breath before repeating her report a second time. Minaka watched intently as she spoke. Saki didn't so much as falter as she finished her explanation, stopping short of detailing the burn marks she had found on the grass. To date, she had never detailed Homura's activity to Minaka at Takumi's insistence. It was a delicate balancing act she performed; one that she hoped would not end with crashing down on her head.
"Interesting..." Minaka remarked. "But you found... Nothing else?"
The scorch marks on the grass were at the forefront of her mind. She could almost feel them burning through as she lied through her teeth.
"Nothing."
The corporate president merely eyed her for a moment, grinning.
"Very well, that will be all then."
The girl turned to go, but was careful not hurry out of the office.
"Saki." His command stopped her cold her tracks and she shivered involuntarily.
"Would you be free this weekend for a night you will never forget with the the greatest genius in all the universe?!" Minaka dramatically played up the biggest Casanova voice he could muster.
It took all of Saki's strength not to keel over from her stomach fighting to throw up everything she had ingested over the past week from just hearing the request.
"I-I'm terribly sorry sir. But this investigation will leave me not much free time."
And with that she hurried out of the room, not even glancing back to see Minaka's pouting face and fisted hands on his desk, looking more like a spoiled brat than the CEO of the most powerful company in Japan.
When the doors had closed behind the Sekirei, Minaka allowed the facade to drop from his face, and his dark smile returned.
"For a spy," he said to no one in the empty room. "You're a pretty bad liar."
Minato could do nothing but stare as the figure came down the stairs. It moved slowly, each step reverberating so hard the boy felt his spine rattle. He felt cold sweat run down his forehead and neck.
The figure now stood directly over him. Minato could at least get a better look at him now. With a masculine build, the figure was clocked with a heavy coat, a hood covering his face. It knelt down over him bring them almost face to face. Minato's head was throbbing, and the ringing in his ears was unbearable.
The figure leaned in close. Fighting the terror that Minato knew was going overtake him soon, he tried to see what was hidden behind through the darkness of the hood and get a look at the face.
He regretted it.
Something sinister looked back at him. Minato almost had mistaken it for a skull, but it was a metal impersonation. The teeth looked sinister, permanently gnashed together, but looked as it they might open to take bite. Nothing but empty eye sockets stared back at him. The masked face drew close, and Minato felt his soul be sucked in by those "eyes". Red embers were pulsating to life in those obscenely huge sockets, and it was then Minato got a better look:
The face was a metal mask. The closer it leaned in, the better look he got. The "eyes" turned out not to be so empty. Inside them, strange machina adjusted, as if bringing him into better focus. Minato didn't dare imagine what may lay behind it.
Then the ringing in his ears stopped.
Nothing existed for a moment but his and the masked figure crouched over him.
"Minato." It spoke to him.
Wake up.
And the words made him do just that. His eyes opened. He could feel his arms and legs. Command over his body had returned to him. He sat up instantly and frantically looked around. He was in his room and light was shining through the window, accompanied by the chirps of birds. Never before had he been so relieved to hear that sound, which normally annoyed him as it usually woke him up early.
Again, he looked around. There was no sign of the ghost.
He exhaled loudly. Another nightmare.
"Onii-chan?"
But at least this time he didn't wake up alone. He looked down to see a worried looking Kusano sitting on his stomach.
"Hey Ku-chan," he smiled. Looking around, it was clear the nightmare had ended.
Sunlight shown through the window, and life had returned to the Inn. He could hear Miya humming on the kitchen, and little Ku was still perched on his lap, her worried face still waiting for an answer.
He kept up his smile for the little Sekirei's sake. "It's alright Ku. Just a nightmare."
"Onii-chan has had a lot of nightmares lately." She worried.
He smiled as he eased off of him. "Don't worry they can't hurt you."
The child looked down at the bear she had held in her arms. "Kuu is not so sure..." She murmured to herself.
Minato raised an eyebrow in question, but was called before he could say anything.
"Mina-tan!" Matsu's voice called.
The Ashikabi turned around to where he thought he heard it, but saw only an empty hallway.
"Matsu?"
"Up here!"
Minato's jaw dropped and he gagged in surprise at seeing the girl's head and torso hanging upside down from a trapdoor in the ceiling. The girl's face was totally calm as if her actions were totally normal. Sadly, in the case of Matsu, they were.
"You need to see this!" She exclaimed.
Both sets of eyes were glued to the main screen of Matsu's computer in her dark, cramped room. He was seriously starting to sweat, and not from the claustrophobic quarters.
On the screen, a Sekirei had confirmed to be terminated. She had long brown hair, wide and wide green eyes with a slight look of sadness despite the smile she put on. She used a bow staff as her weapon. She had never terminated another Sekirei.
Her name was Chiyo.
"Type-4 termination" was typed in large print next to the female Sekirei's picture.
But what made Minato sweat was Matsu's explanation:
"Her Ashikabi is dead."
And he had a bad feeling about who had done it. Minato was no actor, but he put on the best look of surprise he could. "W-What?"
The Sekirei nodded grimly. "A Type-4 termination occurs when a Sekirei's Ashikabi has been killed."
"Apparently," she continued as her fingers clacked away on the keyboard, "it happened just recently too."
Her face twisted into a frown with growl as her computer chirped a disapproving sound.
"What's wrong?" Minato asked.
"For some reason," she sounded obviously frustrated. "I can't look at the file! They've rigged it with a kind of tripwire!"
"You can't hack the security?" Minato's was surprised to hear that something sounded impenetrable to the great computer-whiz Matsu.
"Of course I could!" She exclaimed, sounding almost insulted. "But if I did, they would trace it right back to Maison Izumo."
She rested her chin on her hand for a moment, trying to think, then started typing again. "For some reason, they've put serious security around the police reports. They don't seem to want anyone to find out about what they've found." She grunted again as the computer repeated its loud rejection at whatever trick she had just tried.
"So, we can't find out what happened?" Minato asked.
"Well," Matsu offered. "I can at least see who her Ashikabi was."
What Minato dreaded was confirmed with another ensemble of clicks and clacks from her keyboard.
Up on the screen was the face of the man he had killed just last night.
"Ryunosuke Tachibana," And now he had a name.
"Seems..oh."
"What's wrong Matsu?" Minato asked.
"It seems..." She explained with a frown and narrowed eyes. "He wasn't supposed to be that Sekirei's Ashikabi."
Minato raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Minato..." Her eyes met his as she fixed her glasses with her middle finger. "That girl was winged by force."
Minato's heart skipped a best, recalling Homura's explanation of "force-wing."
"Some Sekirei Minato... Are enslaved."
He brought a fist under nose, the explanation making his brain run at ridiculous speeds. This girl on the screen had been... (the word felt dirty and forbidden)... enslaved.
"Minato?"
"Huh?" Minato's head jerked back to the girl, who seemed to be waiting for a reaction.
For once, his high intelligence came through for him when he needed.
"So she... Could she have done it?"
Yes! Motive, certainly capable, she could easily be blamed for the man's murder, as underhanded as it was.
"No." Or not, according to Matsu.
"One would think, but Sekireis never strike down their Ashikabi. Even if they're Ashikabi is not their destined one, they're still loyal."
Minato could think if nothing to say, so he crossed his arms over his chest.
His behavior was telling to Matsu. She could see the explanation was making her own Ashikabi uncomfortable. She had enough to make the concept clear, so he switched subjects.
"This is big Minato," her attention turning back to the screen. "An Ashikabi dying is a big deal. MBI will be all over this."
Minato exhaled loudly. "Great."
Whenever Homura stepped into a club, people took notice. It was evident with the women practically falling all over him.
"Kagari love!" One called.
"Megumi," he cordially replied with his lady-killer smile. She nearly fainted.
Megumi was one of his regular clients, as were most of the other women in the room.
Others called for him, and replied in kind to each of them. His business required etiquette at its finest.
"Popular as always. No wonder I can't get a night with you."
Homura turned towards the voice. His eyes widened when he saw the owner.
"Saki..." He was genuinely surprised.
The young woman stood before him in a small black dress, hanging from her neck and zipped up in back. Black high-heels and matching long black gloves complemented her attire. But his eyes were fixed on her face. Her deep blue eyes, matching her hair and earrings, and her lips painted with scarlet lipstick would catch any man of guard. Were he not so well versed in the art of seduction himself, he might have carelessly fallen for her as well.
Without looking, he could feel the stabs of jealousy from the other women in the club. Saki was drop-dead gorgeous, and everyone in the room knew it. The competition was especially evident by the female variety.
Suddenly Homura didn't feel so safe between Saki and every other woman in the club.
"And what has brought you here this evening, mon cheri? He asked with his signature smile and smooth jazz-quality voice. "And alone none-the-less... For a beautiful woman to be by herself is criminal."
She grinned and eyelids lowered as she leaned forward. "Perhaps you should arrest me," whispered.
He raised an eyebrow. He'd always known she was quick on her feet, but to see her in action really was... Impressive.
"I thought that was your job," he countered.
She raised an eyebrow and her smile faltered. Homura knew he was flirting with the line in the sand: never discuss their private lives. Still, she recovered.
"As much as I love the idea of putting you in handcuffs, I'll settle for your company for the night."
He sweat-dropped as she lead him away from the seething women who he knew at heard that last little quip. No doubt punishment for his flirt with danger.
The live saxophone in the background helped Homura's tension. Saki was not a Sekirei to take lightly.
As MBI's top spy, she had Minaka's ear. Anything she got out of him would go straight to the madman's desk. Takumi could only protect him to a point.
Across from him she stirred her drink, half-lidded eyes staring at him with a limitations grin.
She didn't intimidate him. He was too familiar with this dance to be caught flat-footed.
"I am curious as to what brought you out tonight, Saki." He ventured. "You normally don't go for the social scene."
She stopped stirring her drink.
"I told you," she answered. "I was hoping to see you."
"Oh?"
"An Ashikabi was murdered last night."
Homura made no show of surprise. It would do no good. Saki's business was information.
"I know." He answered with a straight face.
Saki was genuinely surprised. She'd thought he would at least try to lie his way out of it.
The male Sekirei smiled. "Not much happens in this city that I don't hear about Saki."
"Or see for yourself," she countered with a frown.
Homura carefully paused before asking: "I beg your pardon?"
"You left your calling card, Kagari." The girl emphasized that alias as she waved her hand over the flame, hinting at what she meant.
He inwardly cursed, scolding himself for being so careless. He must have left a burnt mark from the battle somewhere around the park. Of course most wouldn't have thought to look for that, but this was Saki he was talking about.
"Homura," she began carefully, both of her hands wrapped around her drink as she stared down into the red concoction that was her vodka cranberry, as if collecting her thoughts and focusing them before looking up.
"Two humans are dead. One is-was an Ashikabi. That isn't supposed to happen."
Homura's eyes narrowed. "And you think I had something to do with it?"
The girl thought carefully before answering. "No."
The man sitting across from her nodded with satisfaction, then took a sip of his drink.
"But I know you were there. You know what happened."
His eyes narrowed. "You're right, I do know what happened."
He leaned forward across the table. "Two arrogant bastards tried to force a girl under their control. I came there to stop it, but was almost was forced myself."
He let the words sink in for a moment. The uncomfortable look on her face told them they had.
But it wasn't enough to dissuade her.
"How did they end up dead?"
"Someone killed them," he answered bluntly.
"Who?" She demanded.
He said nothing, his eyes wandering to the side as he pondered the question.
She waited expectantly, then he looked her in the eye.
"I honestly don't know."
She read his face. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.
Saki sighed. It was never straightforward. Never with him.
Homura gave a sad smile, sensing she had given up.
"Don't work too hard Saki," said as he stood to go.
"What?" She lamented coyly. "No dance."
Homura chuckled. "Maybe on the next date."
Minato was walking the street alone with his thoughts. When did he start thinking about it all this much?
Force-winging, termination, all the misery the Sekirei Plan brought.
For the longest time, Minato's mind had been aloof with the realities of the Plan. The strength his Sekirei had shown made it all seem so faraway. He had never thought of the problems being his own.
Until Musubi almost died that is.
"Minato?"
As if his thoughts could summon her...
Sure enough, looking up, there the girl stood on the rooftops, the moonlight illuminating her. Just one look at her smile, and all his fears seemed to melt away.
But her eyes told him not all was well. She jumped down to his side.
"Hey," she gently took his hand as she softly spoke. "Let's walk together, okay?"
The two walked in an uncomfortable silence. At least, it was uncomfortable for Minato.
It must have been evident.
"Minato..."
The boy jerked his head at the mention of his name. "Y-Yes?" He was never good at keeping secrets.
The girl smiled sadly. "Are you okay?"
He looked away. "Um..."
She waited patiently as they continued walking down the street.
"I guess I've been acting strange, huh?" Minato admitted with a nervous laugh.
He looked down, his smile vanishing. "I suppose... after what happened on the bridge I..."
His eyes screwed shut with frustration. "I JUST-!"
A hand gently touched his arm. "Minato."
He looked up to a gentle smile on Musubi's face. "I know this all seems dangerous, but remember:"
Her confident smile returned as she pumped her fist for effect. "I promise to protect you, and I will win-"
"But that's just it!" He pulled away, shocking the Sekirei.
"How many battles will we have to go through?! How many other Sekirei will you defeat?"
Musubi reached out to him again, this time not as confident. "Minato...?"
His mind flashed back to watch her fall to the Discipline Squad, then to the girl who was almost force-winged.
"I almost lost you Musubi..." His voice dropped low and soft, his fists clenched at his sides. "Now... Will we make someone else live through that agony?"
"Minato..." Musubi' face showed sadness and even regret and... Wait a minute.
Minato's eyes widened for a second, then narrowed. Something was wrong.
"Minato, this plan..." Her voice was different.
This wasn't Musubi he was talking too.
Looking into her eyes, he saw something else besides the cheery girl he loved. These eyes were experienced... older.
"This plan is cruel. Making us all fight one another," the deeper voice spoke.
Minato had heard this voice before, at the bridge when Musubi had... died. The voice had taken her body over, and defeated the Discipline Squad without bead of sweat.
"T-then... Why do it?" The boy asked.
The girl held a fist over her heart. "It is destiny," she answered. "It is the battle we Sekirei must undertake for the ones we love."
"But I promise you Minato," the girl's smile returned. "When the battle is won, I will release all those birds who's wings have been clipped. They will fly in the sky once more."
Liar.
Minato gripped his head. A sudden pound blurred his vision for a moment.
"Minato?" The girl masquerading as Musubi stepped forward, concerned.
"You know it... This woman is lying to you."
Minato looked up with one eye open. Suddenly both shot open.
Behind "Musubi"... There he was. The one from his dreams. Minato forced himself to focus as he got a better look at the figure.
He was draped in same heavy coat with a hood, which turned out to be green. From underneath the hood he saw those same damned red eyes. While he couldn't see it, he knew the same horrible metal mask was underneath. Black pants clothed the things legs, and on its feet were black boots.
It stood right behind his Sekirei. One of its arms drew up, showing its hand to be wearing a glove and holding something.
"Oh God..." He whispered.
The knife. The one he'd had.
"Minato?" The fake Musubi repeated. "Are you okay."
She stepped forward with her hand out, but came no closer.
Behind her, the ghost of a figure drew its hand behind the girl's neck and brought it around to her front, holding the blade right to her throat.
"Musubi" made no acknowledgement, like he wasn't even there. Was he?
Both stared at Minato, waiting.
His head continued to pound as Minato stared back.
His ears rang.
"Who... Are you?" He wasn't sure which one he was asking.
That's when his phone rang.
Minato's eyes snapped shut and then opened again, jerked out of the weird limbo.
"Minato?" Musubi...
He looked up. She had returned. The strange persona, voice and all, that had possessed her, was gone, and so was the the masked man in the coat.
He grabbed at the insisting phone.
"H-Hello?"
"Minato!" A song-song voice chirped back.
"O-oh! Miya-dono! What's up?" She couldn't have called at a better time.
"You've been gone for awhile. I was beginning to worry."
Minato checked his phone for the time. A full hour had passed. He knew he had left the inn no longer than twenty minutes ago.
"What the..." He murmured aloud.
"I hope you and Musubi are not out doing anything inappropriate..." Her deceptively sweet voice sang. Behind him, Minato knew a certain mask of terror had emerged.
"N-Not at all!" He quickly insisted.
"Well... If you say so." Miya relented with a giggle. "I could use Musubi's help with moving a bag of rice. A certain good-for-nothing scum has come to borrow food again."
"Seo..." Minato tiredly mumbled aloud to himself.
"How did you know?" Miya asked facetiously.
"U-um, were on our way." Minato said as he hung up.
He looked up again at his Sekirei. "Looks like Miya needs our help." He explained as he scratched of his head nervously.
She giggled. "Alright, I'll head back first then."
Before jumping off into the night, she stopped and turned back to her Ashikabi.
"Um... Minato?"
"Yeah?" The boy answered.
"Um..." She put a finger to her chin as she thought out loud. "Was there something I wasted to tell you?"
A moment silence passed before Minato answered. "Must not have been important," he chuckled.
"Guess not," she shrugged an apology and jumped off in the direction of home.
Minato watched her go for a moment before starting to follow.
He didn't get to take a single step before stopping cold as he looked to the end of the street.
There the man in the coat stood once more, red eyes piercing right through Minato's own.
"Y-you..."
The man simply stared back. Not moving.
Was he really there?
Minato pinched himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't.
The man continued to stare.
Taking a deep breath, Minato bypassed every fiber of his being screaming at him to run away, and instead walked towards the phantom.
His steps were slow, but despite every bit closer Minato got, the other man did not so much as flinch. It just stayed in place, squared off to him.
When he was within arms-length, curiosity just barely trumped fear as Minato reached out to touch the man's coat.
But the man raised his own, causing Minato to jerk back in alarm.
His head turned, following his pointing hand, looking out to the city beyond.
Minato followed his gaze. The two of them were staring out at the city lighted against the night and the wide river then separate it from the rest of the world.
It was clear what the man was pointing at.
The bridge... That damned bridge, now cut in half.
Only a yellow tape, no guards, had pathetically tried to block any trespassing. Minato stood alone on the dark bridge.
The damage of the battle was still clear to see. The bridge was still plainly split in half, it's support structures still twisted and wrecked by Tsukiumi's power.
He looked out to other side, where he and his Sekirei had managed to ferry Kuno and Haruka to safety.
Finally, he walked up to the modest crater pounded into the pavement.
The spot where she'd died. The spot she had left him.
His shoulders shook and he bit hit lip. Even now... It still hurt to remember.
A cold wind bit at the nape of his neck. Covering it with his hand, he turned around...
And faced the man in the mask.
"You-"
The figure lunged at him, hands reaching for Minato's throat.
"WHA?!"
Minato and the figure crashed to the ground hard. The figure's hands were fiercely wrapped around Minato's throat, squeezing tight.
His head banged hard against the ground. Minato's head throbbed and his vision blurred, struggling to focus on the phantom choking the life out of him.
Minato's own hands desperately grabbed at the offender's wrists. He gagged as he struggled, his feet flailing uselessly under the heavy man's body. The attacker on top of him simply continued to squeeze, it's red eyes unblinking, staring down at him.
"S...Stop..." Minato desperately gagged.
"No." The creature hissed.
"P-please..." The boy begged.
"...no." The creature hissed again, a sneer heard in its voice.
Minato's vision was tunneling, the attacker wasn't letting up.
"L-Let...g-go..." Minato's teeth clenched as he struggled. The attacker didn't respond, simply continuing to apply pressure, indifferent to his pleads and suffering.
"Let. GO!" Minato threw his arm out in frustration, clocking the man across his metal face.
He flew back, and Minato gasped for breath, holding his head which stung from striking the hard mask, quickly struggling to his feet.
Stumbling back against the guard rail, Minato turned his head, seeing a long drop ending with a cold splash in the dark waters below.
The phantom's dark chuckle grabbed Minato's attention. The masked figure readjusted his mask as he slowly got to his feet.
"About time..." He droned. "I'd wondered if the first time was a fluke."
Minato managed to regain control of his breathing, albeit raspy. "What...do you...want?!"
The man didn't answer, but rather lunged again.
Minato was alert this time and his survival instincts had kicked in. He lunged to the side, avoiding the attack. He still stumbled, his balance still suffering from the hit he had taken and fell to his knees.
"Better focus brat!"
"What?!" Minato jumped to his feet again and spun around to face his attacker.
Who had changed.
"Y-You're...what?!"
The phantom had vanished, and in his place a familiar face stood.
Her bright pink hair, the ugly scowl, and that unmistakable bloodthirst. It was that girl from the Discipline Squad: Benitsubasa.
Minato was totally confused now.
"What..what are you..."
"THINK FAST BRAT!" The girl spun widely in the air and kicked him across the head. The boy went flying with a cry and crashed to the ground. He felt the ground give way beneath him and suddenly he was hanging on by his hands. Looking down, the water below looked hungry to devour him.
"Minato! I'm coming!"
"Musubi?!" Looking up, sure enough, Minato saw the girl come running for him.
This was...
A firm stamp on his hand made him hiss and broke his train of thought.
"Stay right there!" Benitsubasa snarled. Musubi complied immediately.
"Another step, and I'll drop him," the pink-haired girl smiled smugly. Musubi hissed with frustration.
To Minato it was all surreal. He had been through this before...
"Now...stay right there." With a carefully aimed palm strike, Benitsubasa sent the other Sekirei flying. Musubi flew back with a cry, hitting the pavement. The other girl charged after her, forgetting Minato in the process.
"No!" The Ashikabi cried. He desperately pulled himself up. He did so just in time to seem the Discipline Squad operative wailing on Musubi with blow after blow.
Minato knew what he was seeing. He had seen it all less than a couple of days ago.
He had returned to that night. He was seeing it all happened again. And he knew what was coming.
Like a slow running nightmare, he saw the girl land pound after pound on his beloved Musubi. The Sekirei guarded her head with her arms, blocking each strike as best she could.
Benitsubasa stopped, breathing heavily.
Musubi, looked up, crawling towards Minato who still lay in the ground, just having pulled himself up from the edge of the bridge.
"Mina...to..."
The Ashikabi's eyes widened. Benitsubasa had that sick look on her face the boy remembered. She was readying for the killing blow. She looked down at her prey, eyeing the Sekirei crest on her nape like a prize.
Minato's heart skipped. He knew what was coming.
'No...not again...' He couldn't handle it again. He couldn't look into his Sekirei's eyes.
He looked away.
His eyes suddenly zeroed in on the rubble their battle had accumulated. Specifically, the rebar sticking out... like a sword in the stone. The metal bar was leaning toward him, like it was offering itself.
He didn't blink. Minato grabbed the bar and pulled it out, then flew at Benitsubasa.
The girl looked up with annoyance. "Huh?"
"AAARRGHH!" Minato drew back his weapon to strike.
"WHAT THE-?!" The metal came crashing over her face and sent her flying. The shock threw her far and sent her crashing to the ground.
Minato's face was twisted into a frightening scowl, his heart pumping fast. He felt like his strength had surged. Adrenaline had kicked into full power.
Not this time... Not this time would she...
"You're mine now... BITCH." Minato spat the word. His own voice sounded like a stranger's to him, deep and rough. He was too caught up in the moment to care.
The girl struggled to her feet, holding her head.
"Ah...ah..." Blood poured down the side of Benitsubasa's face. First shock was on her face as she looked at Minato, then twisted to rage.
"You...LITTLE-"
Minato didn't wait for her to finish. He struck again, but she caught the bar this time.
"Nice try," she snarled, then delivered a swift kick to his stomach. The boy flew back, losing his grip on the rebar. He slid on his back before coming to a stop.
Benitsubasa threw the bar away, then slowly began stalking towards her new target.
Minato's hand grabbed something soft. Looking down at it, Minato found gravel running through his fingers. Grabbing a fistful, he threw it at the Sekirei's face.
"AHHH!" The girl screamed. "MY EYES!"
Minato quickly rolled away, running for the rebar. He was tackled to the ground by a blinded Benitsubasa.
"You're too loud you fu-" Minato kicked hard at the girl, his boot hitting her square in the nose. She let go, her hands retreating to cover her wounded face.
Frantically he lunged for the bar. Grabbing it, he stood up and turned to face the Discipline Squad girl. She was beginning to stand, one hand covering her nose, the other bringing her off the group to one knee. Her eyes were still screwed shut from the pain inside them.
Brining the bar up over his head, he pointed down at the Sekirei. With a yell, he brought it down with all his might.
The girl screamed and his eyes were forced open as the rebar plunged into her back and pushed out through her stomach on the other side. She fell back to the ground, forcefully exhaling blood through her mouth.
She coughed hard.
"Y-you..." She gagged, turning her head to look up while feebly propping herself up on her elbow. "Yo-you think...you'll get-AAHHHHHHHH!"
She screeched as Minato twisted the bar forcefully, churning her insides.
Her head fell to the ground and was silent.
The boy stumbled back, breathing hard. At his feet the girl lay dead. He stared for a moment, the turned away to find-
"MUSUBI!"
He ran to where she had been laying. She was gone. Only the crater remained.
"Musubi?" No one answered.
He looked back to Benitsubasa. She was gone as well.
His eyes widened in disbelief. Running up to where he had left her, finding there was no trace. Not even the blood he knew he had spilled. All that remained was the rebar he had impaled her with, sticking out of the ground.
Turing around, looking everywhere, it was clear he was the only one on the bridge now.
The vision had ended.
"Guess there is hope for you."
The ghostly voice in his head made Minato spin around. The masked man had returned.
"What..." Minato asked breathlessly. "What...was that?!"
The phantom took a moment before answering. "What you should have done that night."
Minato stared, then scowled and ran at the man with a roar.
The masked ghost reached out and grabbed his throat, lifting him into the air.
Minato's teeth clenched and growled as he grinned the man's wrists, resisting with what little strength remained.
His grip wasn't choking him completely, but holding him still.
"So..." It spoke again. "You're feeling it..."
"W-What?" Minato forced out.
"...me." It answered. Minato thought he could hear a smile in that voice.
"But still..." The man walked across the bridge with his arm outstretched, holding Minato by the throat. He stopped over the hole; the same one which Minato had nearly been dropped down by Benitsubasa. Beneath him, the water churned and leapt up angrily demanding him.
Minato dangled above them.
The phantom held him firm as his red eyes locked on to Minato's own.
"So much to learn." And he let him go.
Minato dropped and was swallowed whole by the black waves of the river below. Cold water froze his body, and exhaustion robbed him of any notion to struggle.
His vision began to blacken, and he tiredly accepted it.
The masked-man's words echoed as his body and mind sank to the oblivion.
"You're feeling...me... Guess there's hope for you."
To be continued...