Chapter 4

Disclaimer: It should go without saying but I don't own Sekirei, any of the other shows/games/comics/manga I reference, or any of its characters. Please don't sue me broke, I'm poor enough as it is!

Hana-tan tilted his head slightly and began to ask, "Wait, you know he-" He interrupted himself with a face-palm, "Ugh, of course you do. You're related." The self-deprecating Ashikabi ended the last sentence with a slight upward inflection.

The Sekirei of Wisdom bobbed her head up and down, then scrunched up her face in a show of indecisiveness and decided to explain, "Sort of? It's like how all humans are related if you keep looking up the family tree. It's pretty much the same with us Sekirei in that regard, just on a smaller scale. As a matter of fact, the only direct relation I can think of would be the Lightning Twins, Hibiki and Hikari."

Hanatarou nodded and grunted an affirmation he understood then remembered his Sekirei's previous question, "Well uh, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to meet Uzume at least." As soon as he finished speaking, Matsu snapped her phone open and moved to speed-dial her soon-to-be sister-in-arms but was held back by her Ashikabi's hand. "Wait! Wait. It's still too early for that. I keep an ungodly schedule." He motioned with other hand towards the oven clock to show it was barely 7 in the morning and continued, "Plus, I've questions left to ask you. So if you wouldn't mind settling back in, I'd like to continue."

Matsu hesitated for a millisecond then settled back into her seat across from Hanatarou, unable to deny her Ashikabi's request. #02 really would've preferred for Hana-tan to meet and wing #10 already; sure, the Sekirei Plan was a ways off from starting but increasing her Ashikabi's bond with what would be his only combative Sekirei for a while until other Wagtails are released would be a fine idea, seeing as how a Sekirei's ability increases based on the bond they share with their Ashikabi. All this time allotted to the three of them to strengthen their ties before the game even begins would be such an advantage that even single numbers (excluding Miya and Karasuba) would be hard-pressed to defeat the Veiled Sekirei, theoretically. The mild unease Matsu felt vanished quickly as she rationalized her worry away. It's not as if a couple hours or even a few days will really matter in the long run. Either way Hana-tan will wing and grow to love Uzume-tan, just as he will grow to love Matsu. The slightest of smiles appeared on the Sekirei of Wisdom's face for the briefest of moments and vanished as #02 re-adjusted her glasses and sat at attention once again.

"Alright!" Hanatarou started then paused as he procured a toothpick from a little dispenser he had on the countertop in front of his sink and began to poke out the renegade strands of salmon stuck between his teeth. He kept finished jabbing at the spaces between his teeth and continued, "So there's you," He accented the word "you" with a small rotation of his wrist and proceeded, "And your brains. If the Sekirei are having a battle royale, I figure it would be a little weird if you guys did that via duels of the mind; it wouldn't make a grand spectacle all that entertaining for Minaka's God complex." Matsu nodded slightly to show she was paying rapt attention, as if the unflinching stare wasn't enough, "What else can you Sekirei do?"

With another adjustment of her spectacles and a deep breath to show this would be a longer tangent than normal, Matsu began to speak, "Matsu will begin with the simpler Sekirei. You have your unarmed-types. Martial artists you could call them although it's not as if they've really learned any of the disciplines as far as Matsu knows. There's also the armed-types. They're practically the same as the unarmed-types, besides the obvious difference. Then you have the branch of the armed-types like Uzume-tan who use unconventional weapon." A raised eyebrow from Hana-tan and she decided to delve into detail about her soon-to-be comrade, "Uzume-tan uses cloth in a sort of free-style manner. Her imagination is the limit; she could choose to make a simple spearhead for a piercing attack, weave together a sort of hammer, a shield or even a drill, although that's not much different from a spear. And all that without being possessed by a spirit who enjoys bossing her around and the desire to eat nothing but pudding." Hanatarou decided not to question that last sentence and waited for his Sekirei to continue. "Then there are the elemental-type Sekirei. This type of Sekirei isn't as outstanding physically, compared to an armed or unarmed-type Sekirei they lack strength, durability and stamina but don't underestimate them; having dominion over an element is something else. Matsu remembers how #03 was capable of downing numerous helicopters simultaneously with her command of the wind and how #05 could collapse the ground underneath several tanks with a strike of his sheathed katana..." A faraway look glazed #02's eyes as she began to reminisce about her days as a Guardian of the S Plan.

Hanatarou noticed how #05, despite seemingly being an elemental-type was still armed and inquired about how he seems to be a hybrid. The Sekirei of Wisdom snapped out of her nostalgia trip, nodded approvingly at her Ashikabi's insight and went on, "Matsu was about to get to that. Last but not least are the unique Sekirei. #05 Mutsu is capable with his blade, but his main style of attack is to use his sheathed katana like how a Black or White Mage would use a wand or staff as a catalyst for his or her energy to burst forth. Unfortunately Matsu cannot really describe the unique Sekirei without going into explicit detail of each and every single one which would take hours, so Matsu will simply say each unique Sekirei really breaks the mold." #02 chuckles a bit then adds on, "Although the same could be said of every Sekirei." The reddish-brown haired Sekirei a moment to drink some tea and dutifully awaited her Ashikabi's next line of inquiry.

During the long tirade Matsu went on, Hanatarou had intertwined his fingers together and rested his chin on his knuckles while his elbows rested on the table, silently absorbing everything his Sekirei said. After a brief moment of silence spent digesting the information, the attentive stock-broker lowered a hand towards his own cup of tea, took a long swig and moved onto his next interrogative, "Alright…considering there's armed and unarmed Sekirei, I take it conventional training would be a good way to strengthen their fighting capability?"

Matsu shook her head and spoke in her lecture tone, "Matsu is afraid not, Hana-tan. Sekirei may look human but Hana-tan has to remember we are not. Don't misunderstand, conventional training will help hone reflexes and techniques would be nice for the close-combat types, but it would mean little in the grand scheme of things. Sekirei are beings of emotion after all; it would be much more effective for the Sekirei and Ashikabi pair to have strengthened their bond. Love and trust in one another is much more effective than any amount of training regimens would be for a Wagtail." Despite being one of the largest perverts known to Sekirei-kind, Matsu could actually be serious from time to time.

While the pensive Ashikabi spaced out for a moment to digest another tid-bit, a perverted grin appeared on Matsu's face while she approached Hana-tan with her hands in front of her making grabbing motions with her hands. She was already right on top of Hanatarou by the time he noticed and soon found himself pinned down by his lecherous Sekirei. Matsu's face was somehow shrouded in shadow, leaving only her wide smile visible. With a seductive tone, #02 began to almost sigh out, "And so, without further ado Hana-tan~! Let's strengthen our 'bonds' hmm~?"

"Matsu…" Her beloved Hana-tan muttered as his hands gripped her thighs and began to lift her dress. A delighted but surprised squeak escaped her lips and soon she bit her lower lip in anticipation; #02 believed her beloved Ashikabi to be shyer about such things and yet here he was playing an active role. "Matsu…" The aroused accountant muttered once again as he sat up while the Sekirei of Wisdom straddled him, kissing and nibbling on her neck and working his way down towards her half-exposed-

"Matsu!" A banana peel suddenly slapped her on the face, snapping her out of her stupor.

"Ngah!" The daydreaming Wagtail so intelligently articulated as she jumped half-way out of her seat and flailed her arms about in brief panic. Matsu flicked the banana peel onto the table and came back to the world of the living. "Oh boo. I should've known it was too good to be true…" The irate Sekirei mumbled to herself.

Hanatarou kept the poker face up strong but on the inside his sides were destroyed, Holy shit, 'Ngah!'? Man that's fucking rich pfft! He made sure to memorize the scene that played out in front of him to the best of his ability for later; it was sure to cheer him up on a long day at work sometime down the road. With a bite of his preferred after-breakfast fruit, he spoke up, "Do I want to know or shall we continue with the Q&A?"

Matsu finished polishing her glasses with the hem of her one-piece, placed them on their rightful spot on the bridge of her nose and just shook her head and waved her hands in a way that said "Get on with it!"

The bemused accountant nodded slightly with the smallest smirks gracing his decent-looking face. "Well alrighty then!" He clapped his hands together lightly and began to rub his hands, trying to remember what he hadn't asked yet. Once the figurative lightbulb went off above his head, he resumed his game of Twenty Questions, "So. We're in this battle royale thing, right? Is it really just fight to the death until one pair is left standing?"

"Well, Matsu's knowledge of the later stages of the S Plan is far too limited. As to what exactly the Director has planned for his participants, Matsu can only guess. However, knowing Minaka and his love for theatrics, it would be a safe bet if there were some more organized matches further down the road amongst the big players of the Sekirei Plan." #02 went back to her lecture tone, albeit it lacked its previous crispness. This was most likely due to her perverted daydream being just that, a daydream.

Hanatarou with his astounding attention to detail noticed the decreased energy level in his partner and hesitated. It was only his second day of being an Ashikabi. There was no manual or guidebook for when such problems arise. He considered reaching over to pat one of Matsu's hands that was resting on the table to reassure her then re-called her earlier words, Sekirei may look human but Hana-tan has to remember we are not. The pensive accountant wasn't inexperienced in dealing with women but who sat in front of him is an exception to his previous ventures. Despite his high Int stat, he was unfortunately drawing a blank as what to do to cheer her up. "We've been flapping our gums for a while now Matsu. How about we take a break?" Hanatarou questioned softly.

Matsu nodded slowly, knowing a ticket to get away and recollect herself when she saw one. #02 excused herself from the table and scurried up-stairs while hitting the speed dial to reach Uzume. A dial tone sounded out the first time and Matsu was all smiles. The dial tone gave a repeat performance and the bespectacled Sekirei had a much smaller smile now. The dial tone was currently on its third lap and Matsu's apparantly very thin patience was as well when the tone was abruptly cut off by #10's sing-song voice crying out, "Matsu! You're OK!" The last part had the slightest hint of a question attached to the end of it.

The red-headed pervert's beginning of a scowl vanished the moment the Veiled Sekirei answered and decided to get right to the juicy part, "Matsu is better than ok Uzume-tan, Matsu has met and been winged by her Ashikabi~!" Neither Matsu or Uzume could contain their girlish squeal; Sekirei are beings of love and the meeting of their destined ones is like for a human to find his/her life's calling and be able to do just that for the rest of his/her life. It not only brought immense joy to one's life, it completed them.

The busty brunnette immediately started firing off questions with a gradually growing blush and excited tone, "What's he like? Of course he's treating you nice, right? Oh, did you already consummate your marriage? Was his size bigger than average?" Uzume was wiggling the whole while she interrogated Matsu on her future Ashikabi.

Her friend's energy and enthusiasm rubbed on her and perked Matsu up from her funk. Naturally the pervert caught #10's lack of questioning towards his name and her belief she's being treated well, confirming the Veiled Sekirei was Hana-tan's second-to-be. Matsu had enough of her calculating mind for the moment and switched completely over to her girl side, "Hmph! Hana-tan refuses to ravish Matsu for her honeymoon yet, but Matsu can tell he wants too~" The voluptuous red-head started preening, remembering Hana-tan's attraction to her. Once again, the fun had yet to begin. "Oh, he mentioned you already, you know~? Matsu can't even enjoy a day with her man before some other woman comes and tries to steal him~? Really, did you have to react to him already?"

Matsu could hear the pout in Uzume's voice, "Oh shut up, you pervert! That's what happens when an Ashikabi and a Sekirei, a former Disciplinary Squad member to boot, bond! They get their powers increased." Uzume was right about the both of them, even if Hanatarou potential as an Ashikabi wasn't amazing: Since she's one of the stronger psychics in the Sekirei Plan, maybe she was acting as an amplifier for Hantarou's ability to draw in Sekirei? Plus there was evidence of Uzume's basic understanding of the bond already; Neither Hanatarou or Matsu had dreams of the other, but the evening immediately after she's winged, from what #02 could understand her Ashikabi had a rather vivid dream about Uzume. It's like Hanatarou is an electric guitar and Matsu is a speaker: The guitar can play on its own sure, but you can't really hear it unless you're right next to the source. The moment Hanatarou figuratively plugs into Matsu, his 'sound' gets a lot more powerful.

Matsu put a finger to her lips and in a contemplative tone murmured, "Well, that's actually a real good possibility Uzume-tan. Matsu, being a single number probably raised Hana-tan's EXP level really high, like an Entombed or a trio of Movers."

Uzume sweat-dropped and asked, "Uh Matsu, what are Entombed? Or Movers?"

Matsu waved her hand dismissively and said, "Forget that Uzume-tan, I didn't get to tell you how severe a case of morning wood Hana-tan had this morning~!" Her perverted old man cackle began to escape from her lips.

Before Matsu could continue gushing about the man in her life, said man called out from down-stairs, "Matsu~, I'm going shopping. I'll be back in 2 hours at the most. Is there anything you'd like? Dressed in a simple button-up white shirt with no tie, black slacks and his older, more comfortable pair of black loafers, he was at the door ensuring he had his wallet and phone with him.

"Ah, Uzume-tan, Matsu has to go, she's got to see off her Ashikabi~. Bye-bye~!" Before Uzume could even respond she snapped her cellphone shut and slid it between her cleavage.

#02 came bounding down the stairs straight to Hana-tan and handed her Ashikabi a rather large list. Before he could even glance down at it, Matsu's free hand grabbed his chin lightly and kissed him with passion known only to Sekirei. Hanatarou was taken aback for half a second but responded, if a bit half-heartedly; Sekirei may jump into their relationships but he was still human, plus his mother taught him to take these kinds of things slow. The red-head's set of sunflower-yellow wings blossomed from her back, illuminating the hallway, living room and kitchen from her position of just by the door. After an eternity in the enamored Sekirei's mind, she released her beloved Ashikabi, "Thank you very much for your consideration Hana-tan. Matsu is sorry for her extensive list, but please show mercy in disciplining your naughty Sekirei when you come back alright~?" With a radiant smile and a shine of honeyglow in her cheeks, she kissed Hanatarou once again, but much shorter this time and scurried towards the living room, waving good-bye for now to the object of her world.

Hanatarou was dumbstruck. While he wasn't quite familiar with the action of Norito yet, he was witness to its power increase, even if he wasn't aware of the cause of it. During and after the kiss, Matsu's psychic power was increased, and instead of just a lukewarm reception of what #02 was feeling, Hanatarou felt exactly what was running through his Sekirei's mind: The young accountant was the Wisdom Sekirei's universe. #02 recollected everything about him, from his smile and laugh and how it would set her heart to a jackhammer-like setting to back in the beginning when the stockbroker got annoyed and threatened to call the cops on her. Her fear in that moment dispelled any doubt he had left. Their bond is not what a human's marriage is now, with divorce and annulments possible. It's not even like what a human's marriage was; he could treat the Sekirei of Wisdom as terribly as he wanted and she would still love him, until death did them part. Matsu's earlier comparison of a Sekirei/Ashikabi bond to the human ritual of marriage was done to better get her point across but it didn't even begin to describe what it really was. A Sekirei's love for their Ashikabi was undeniably and irreversibly unconditional. As a gentleman, he knew what he had to do: He had to respond in kind. Alas, life is not so simple as to know what one has to do and to simply do it. After all, Hanatarou is only human. He can't deny he's attracted to Matsu's razor sharp wit and it goes without saying she's absolutely stunning physically, but one doesn't just jump head-first into matters of the heart simply because your mind attempts to command it. The building of bonds for humans takes time and effort from both sides. While Matsu is most certainly trying with all she has, Hanatarou is ashamed to admit he can't answer in kind yet. And yet is the key word here; it's not like he can get rid of Matsu. She explained a winging was permanent, plus he told her he would accept responsibility. Now that he understood just what he meant to her, Hanatarou couldn't in good conscience give her the boot. Therefore, the only options were remain distant and make both of them unhappy or try to meet her halfway and both of them could experience bliss for the rest of their lives. And what sane man would willingly choose unhappiness over its opposite?

And so, Hanatarou finally set off from his home, making a bee-line towards a clothes store before he had an idea he should have had before he took off. He re-entered his home and once again called out to his Sekirei, "Matsu~? Would you like to come shopping with me?"

From the living room, an audible "Hauuu~" sounded and out came #02, a look of shame with an added blush painting her beautiful face. Matsu approached her Ashikabi, fidgeting the whole while until she threw her arms around him and spoke, "Matsu is so sorry Ashikabi-sama~!" Hanatarou noticed her use of his official title and the "-sama" honorific and held his silence, "Matsu has still not shared all the info she should have with her beloved Hanatarou."

With a sniff and a re-adjustment of her glasses on her face, the Sekirei of Wisdom opened her mouth to continue until she was interrupted by a second voice coming from the living room, "Hello~? Is Hanatarou Tanaka home~?" the voice, undoubtedly male, called out. Both Sekirei and Ashikabi met eyes, Matsu with an expression of nervousness and the beginning of horror, the young accountant confusion and growing irritation, Who the hell broke into my house this time?! He fumed in his head.

Hanatarou advanced to the living room while Matsu clung to his back, avoiding a direct line of sight with the television, knowing how he works. Once the self-made stockbroker got in front of the screen, the CEO of MBI, the Gamemaster of the Sekirei Plan, the Director, Minaka Hiroto was being broadcasted to them, in his usual white suit with cape and a ridiculous collar. Seated in his throne, with his hands joined and one leg over the other, smiled at the sight of the newest Ashikabi and the reddish-brown head of hair peeking out from behind his left arm and spoke, "You can come out from behind your Ashikabi #02 Matsu, I'm not upset at you anymore. Now that you're an active member of the Sekirei Plan, I'm giving you a pardon for your thieving actions earlier." The addressed Sekirei started to sweat even more and moved to Hanatarou's side, her crimes laid bare before her Ashikabi. The Director continued, "Considering your Hanatarou's background as the first from his family to graduate from a university and his stock portfolio, which by the way is fantastic!" The last part being directed towards Hanatarou, "It's always nice to see investors put so much faith in my MBI to keep rising. But I digress. Congratulations Hanatarou Tanaka, you have winged a Sekirei and have become an active participant in the Sekirei Plan! The rules are simple. The Sekirei must fight, fight and fight until there is only one left. The prize for the winning Sekirei is to be with their beloved Ashikabi forever. The prize for the winning Ashikabi is the chance to usher in the Age of the Gods!" The Director raised his fist and struck a dramatic pose that would make Jojo fans proud and went on, "Of course, if other countries learned of what we're doing and what exactly Sekirei are, there'll be war brought onto Japanese soil so it is imperative you, Hanatarou Tanaka, keep this a secret or MBI will retaliate with every resource at our disposal." Minaka paused to let this sink in then moved to conclude his speech, "If you've got all that, I'm afraid I've got to get going. It's not easy being the CEO of a company after all! Best of luck to you Hanatarou and to you #02 Matsu, and may the odds-whoops, wrong line. Anyway, good luck!" The T.V. turned off and the room was left in darkness and stiff silence.

Matsu didn't bother trying to roll what was revealed under the rug and decided to get it over with. She put a bit of space between herself and Hanatarou and sat down in seiza facing her Ashikabi. The sharp accountant also sat down, gave Matsu a loaded look. #02 knew what he was asking and bowed into dogeza and spoke in a low tone, "Matsu is deeply sorry for not letting you know earlier. Matsu is a, now former fugitive of MBI for stealing an object of great importance to them."

Hanatarou kept a neutral expression and tone when he responded, "I take it the reason you were a mess yesterday was because they chased you?" A miserable looking Matsu nodded her confirmation. Hanatarou resumed, "Considering their knowledge of me, even going so far as to examine my stocks, it goes without saying they know where I work, who my family are, where I live, which by extension is where you are and they could've barged in during the evening and enacted their revenge on you and possibly even myself?" The former Disciplinary Squad member was on the verge of bursting into tears, nodded and was about to beg for her Ashikabi's forgiveness until he continued, "I see. Well I forgive you." A wordless cry, probably an attempt at a "Huh?!" sounded out from Matsu as she looked at her Ashikabi with an expression filled with dozens of emotions, the most prominent being surprise, hope and the ever-present love. Hanatarou scratched at his head and leaned back a little, gathering his thoughts for a second before he spoke, "I did say I'd accept responsibility, plus I understand why you withheld the recent pieces of information. There's a very good chance I would've rejected you and had you leave if I knew MBI was hunting you. But I already accepted your contract, your bond, whatever you'd like to call it so while I'm very clearly in over my head, I accept your problems as my own." Apprehension leaked into Hanatarou's expression, "Although, I've got to as-"

The understanding Ashikabi couldn't get another word out as he was suddenly glomped by Matsu, her bust threatening to end his life in a way countless men and some women would be envious of. Tears finally flowed from Matsu's face, not sad ones, but tears of pure joy. #02 couldn't contain herself as once again her Ashikabi thought ahead to her reasonings and showed his ability to understand and keep his cool. "Matsu is-" sniff, "-the luckiest Sekirei ali-" sniff," -ive~!" Hanatarou's arms grabbed both of Matsu's shoulders and tried valiantly to free himself from her loving Sekirei's massive bust but his efforts were futile; sure Matsu was amongst the weakest Sekirei physically but she still had surprising strength and there was no way she was willing to let him go anytime soon. If anything, Matsu took his resistance as a sign he wanted to motorboat her. She shook her breasts in his face as finally the lack of oxygen took its toll on the (lucky as fuck) Ashikabi and he blacked out. Matsu's tears finally started to slow and she noticed Hanatarou's limp state and released him only to see his soul trying to escape through his slack mouth, the soul muttering "I have no regrets" as it began its ascent to Heaven. Matsu's face was slapped by her own hands and she screamed, "NOOOOOO! Don't go towards the light Hana-tan, don't go towards the liiight~!"

-~Scene Break~-

Hanatarou's free hand rubbed his temples as he and Matsu continued on their way towards a department store. For the whole walk, Hanatarou had been scolding Matsu over her very inappropriate behaviour, from burying his head in her bust to motorboating herself. Both complaints were heard by #02 but she was in a state of nirvana, unable to fall from her radiant mood. She refused to let go of his arm and snuggled her face on the miffed accountant's shoulder. It was only as she was rubbing her cheek on him that he remembered he had a rather important question to ask his Sekirei. "Matsu, I need you to come down from the clouds. I've got an important question that needs my wise Sekirei's serious answer." Unable to ignore her Ashikabi's request, the Sekirei of Wisdom stopped trying to give herself a static charge and re-adjusted her glasses, awaiting Hanatarou's inquiry. "What exactly did you steal from MBI to bring them down on you like that? Minaka doesn't seem like the kind of guy to remove a Sekirei from his 'game' before it even begins unless it was for a good reason."

Matsu squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with the question. She knew he would have find out eventually but it wasn't the right time for knowledge of the Jinki to reach any Ashikabi, even if it was her own. All the while the perverted glasses withdrew into her world to ponder how to break it to Hanatarou, the Ashikabi in question was examining his Sekirei's reaction with close scrutiny; it was pretty easy to considering Matsu still didn't let go of his arm so she was right next to him this whole time. He concluded the answer to that question was either very personal or it was knowledge that would put him into some form of danger so he piped up, "You don't have to tell me now. Or ever, really. Ignorance is bliss after all."

#02 was struck speechless yet again. Never let it be said Hana-tan will stop surprising Matsu. She thought with a wiggle. Taking a page out of a certain sake-drinking love freak, she slinked both her arms around Hanatarou's torso and squeezed her delicious bust against his back, hands exploring her beloved Ashikabi's chest. "Oh Hana-tan, Matsu knows you know this, but Matsu loves you." She snuggled her face in between Hanatarou's shoulder blades, the declaration of love painting the young man's cheeks with a light rosy hue. Of course, they were walking down a rather busy street so such a PDA was gathering a large amount of notice, from men with their own girlfriends drinking in the redheaded Sekirei's jaw-dropping figure to single men and woman looking upon the couple with jealous eyes. Thankfully for Hanatarou, they had finally reached the department store and he used it to his advantage, "Matsu look! We're here! Now, why don't you get to shopping while I go get us some drinks? They've got a good juice stand over by the elevators!"

The Sekirei of Wisdom took a quick moment to contemplate her Ashikabi's suggestion and decided to fire back her own, "Matsu would prefer it if you stuck with me while selecting. This way you can see whether you like what Matsu picks plus Matsu doesn't go over your budget too much?" She wasn't stupid; she knew Hanatarou wanted a quick moment away from her to breathe and recollect his cool front so the pressure towards the mental barriers preventing him from getting closer to her too quickly can reinforce themselves.

Hanatarou figured Matsu knew what his plan was, and while she rose good points, he still went for a change of tactics, "A good idea, but here's another. You shop here while I head up to the electronics department and see what I can do about your computer wishlist? I can't guarantee everything here, but I can set up payment plans for what I can't?" A fantastic move positioning-wise for the young accountant, he put up a solid defence with the part about payment plans so his wallet doesn't figuratively cry anime tears while simultaneously attacking with the knowledge of buying some of what Matsu asked for.

Their eyes met and both saw exactly what they were expecting: two tacticians battling for supremacy in this game of words. One of them was used to getting what he wanted by subtly planting the ideas he needed in the opposition's mind while the other simply didn't want to be parted from her Ashikabi, and the sudden tense atmosphere from the supposed couple took many onlookers by surprise considering they were just acting so lovey-dovey half a minute ago.

Matsu shifted her weight to her left leg and tilted her head in thought. There's going to be no end to our back and forth. Matsu guesses she'll have to be the adult here. #02 finally uttered, "Fine." She leaned forward and in an ominously sexy tone whispered, "But you can't run forever." Hanatarou could be classified as a professional poker player if he knew how to play the game. His face didn't twitch, his eyes didn't roam anywhere. Too bad his valiant efforts were worthless, as Matsu could still get a fuzzy read on his emotions. She caught the slight spike of surprise when her words struck a chord in her Ashikabi. With the knowledge she was already gradually wearing down the walls to Hanatarou's heart, she strode towards the clothing department, emphasizing the sway on her luscious hips, catching the eyes of every man in sight including her man and several women. The young accountant slid a hand across his face, shaking his head as if clearing a mental fog and proceeded towards the elevator to reach the electronics department.

Just imagine the timecard from that one Spongebob episode saying 2 HOURS LATER here.

The rapier-witted pair fortunately traded cell phone numbers on the walk to the department store and they met up at the arranged rendezvous point of just outside the Northern entrance. Hanatarou handed Matsu the receipt and pointed out its delivery date two days from now, "I'm afraid I'm going to be at work during their normal delivery hours so you're going to have to sign for it. Since you specifically asked for all of this, although why without a single monitor I'll never know, you're in charge of making sure it's all in one piece when it gets here." He paused, then remembered a very important piece of information he just said out loud, "Wait, you ordered 3 of their most powerful computers available and you didn't get any monitors? That's like buying a house without bathrooms, why the hell did you do that?" Words cannot express the puzzled stockbroker's confusion; he knew Matsu was one smart cookie, how the monkey did she make such an obvious slip-up, and more importantly how did he not catch it before when he was right there in the store able to buy appropriate displays?

Matsu dismissively waves her hand. A bit of a chore, considering the bulkiness of her clothes bags got in the way while Hanatarou finishes counting what he had left in his wallet for grocery shopping, "Oh, that's alright Hana-tan. A friend of Matsu's doesn't live that far off from our home and Matsu happens to know her late husband has several machines that he unfortunately won't be needing anymore." She bowed her head slightly, giving the fallen a moment of silence then continued, "After we return our purchases, would you mind accompanying me to pick them up?" On a scale of one to Light, this move is a Light-level of deviousness; the friend Matsu speaks of is Miya, the land-lady of Izumo Inn which houses Uzume. She guarantees her Ashikabi meets his second Sekirei and spares his wallet from an even worse beating.

Said Ashikabi whips out his phone to check the time, his head and lips tilting as he ponders his Sekirei's request. "As long as you call ahead and it's ok with your friend we show up kind of late, I don't see why not." He responds. "We best pick up some take-out to eat though; there's no way we can put away your clothes, the groceries and whip something up before it's too dark."

Once again Matsu dismissively waves her hand, "Oh, don't you worry about food Hana-tan. Matsu's friend is a fine cook and she won't mind feeding an extra pair of mouths, as long as Hana-tan is polite."

Hanatarou dead-pans #02 for a moment, then dons a strange pair of sunglasses before shouting out, "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

Matsu returns her Ashikabi's dead-pan, not even dignifying the accountant's admittedly well-timed reference with a verbal response. Hanatarou throws away the glasses, startling some dumpster diving cat and scratches the back of his head, miffed. "Tough crowd..." He mutters and slouches a bit before continuing to walk to the local market.

Delicious time-skips!

Once the call was made and Miya (the landlady mentioned before) OK's a visit from Matsu and her man, plus the groceries were bought and tended to, the pair found themselves at the doorstep of Izumo Inn. Hanatarou took a moment to drink in the sight of classical Japanese architecture and nodded his head in approval; while his own home was more modern, he's a man who appreciates the classics. Matsu stepped into his line of sight and made a show of standing aside and quipped, "Welcome home, bocchan!"

Giving Matsu a repeat performance of his dead-pan, he fired back, "And you thought my references were lame!" The Sekirei of Wisdom just stuck her tounge out at her beloved Ashikabi, linked arms with him and knocked on the screen door once they got in range.

A moment later, the door slid open to reveal a lavender-haired woman dressed in a violet and white kimono. About the same height as Matsu, her hair was laid down, would reach to her waist in length and had long bangs covering most of her forehead. While her figure wasn't as curvy as his Sekirei's, it had the advantage of being very much in shape; lean muscle could be noticed if one looked hard enough. Thankfully Hanatarou had enough tact to not stare so he didn't notice. Hanatarou dipped in a quick businessman-like bow he's grown accustomed to, then he spoke up, "Good evening ma'am. I apologize for bothering you so late, but I believe you are an acquaintance of my friend Matsu here." #02 pouted a bit when she was referred to as a friend but didn't interrupt, "My name is Hanatarou Tanaka. What's yours?" As he spoke, Hanatarou remembers he's not here on business so his manner of speech relaxes.

With a relaxed smile and closed eyes, Miya responds in her serene tone, "My name is Miya Asama. And yes, Matsu thankfully had the good grace to call ahead this time." A "Hrk!" could be heard from Matsu as the verbal jab struck, Miya giggled and continued, "Please, come in. Would you both enjoy some tea?" Ever the good host, the landlady stepped aside, allowing her guests to enter. They removed their shoes next to the door and were greeted by the smell of fish being seared and vegetables being boiled as apparantly they caught Miya as she was cooking supper. "Why don't you both sit down at the table and join us for dinner? I made sure to cook extra when Matsu called so don't worry. You won't steal a meal from a resident." Once #02 and her Ashikabi were seated and given cups of tea, she resumed cooking. As soon as she lifted a ladle to stir the vegetables, a male voice called out from the first floor hallway, "Miya? I heard voices, do we have guests?" From said hallway emerged a handsome silver-haired man who went by the name of Kagari. Those more in the know however, knew him as Sekirei #06, Homura. Dressed in his usual attire of a white button-up shirt with his black coat thrown over his shoulder and black slacks, he moved to the entryway of the kitchen and answered his own question. "Yo. Name's Kagari. Nice to meet you." He extended a hand towards Hanatarou, which he rose and shook. He also aimed his hand at Matsu, feigning ignorance of them knowing each other, which Matsu naturally caught on to and took his hand.

Both guests introduced themselves and Kagari quickly shifted his attention towards Miya, "I'm off to work. Sorry I can't stay for dinner." #06 turned to the guests, "And I'm sorry to you two as well, to have just met you and go. It's never nice to be struck by a hit and run." The group of four share a quick laugh at the joke. Everyone wishes Kagari a safe trip to work and he goes off to help unwinged Sekirei as the Sekirei Guardian.

Miya finishes dinner a few minutes after Homura departs, serves her guests and prepares two other plates. "If you'll excuse me, I must go awake my other tenant."

Once Miya ascended to the second floor, Matsu turned towards her Ashikabi, "Are you ready to meet Uzume, Hana-tan?"

Hanatarou, who had decided to taste-test Miya's food, had his mouth full with a piece of seared salmon so his answer was quite tactful, "Mmh?" An audible gulp is heard, "Damn that's good...Oh yeah, meet Uzume? I didn't know she lives here." For being told he's about to essentially meet his second wife he's taking the revelation rather calmly. Then Matsu's words sunk in and he had to use serious effort to keep his face straight, "I see." As it turns out, Matsu's psychic ability has ranges for power levels, and in very close proximity she can really get a peek into Hanatarou's head. While on the outside he seems calm, his mental state is going through some turbulence. So I'm about to meet my second alien wife who has super powers. Swell. "You could've warned me Uzume lived here. I would've thought up something to say!"

Matsu couldn't help the scowl painting her face. Why does Uzume get special consideration?! Granted, #02 broke into her Ashikabi's house without ever letting him know she existed before, but she's still a woman so of course she'd be upset. "Oh~? Want to make a good impression for your second Sekirei hmm~? Matsu guesses one's not good enough for Hana-tan, huh?"

"Oh, don't give me that! I couldn't prepare for so-" Hanatarou cuts himself off as he tilts his head, listening.

Footsteps could be heard, thunking down towards the pair. An audible yawn is heard from Uzume as her and Miya appear before Hanatarou and Matsu. Once #10 finishes her cat-like stretching, she opens her eyes to see Matsu, alive and well and her destined one both looking up at her. She froze, a warmth spreading slowly through her body and growing even slower in intensity. The Veiled Sekirei would've stayed there, staring at Hanatarou if Matsu didn't speak up.

"Uzume-tan~!" The Sekirei of Wisdom ran to her friend and soon to be sister and wrapped her arms around Uzume, slowing bringing her out of her stupor. "It's so good to see you again~!"

#10 fully regained her cognitive functions and hugged Matsu back, delighted to see she really was ok, "Matsu! You're really ok!" She grabbed #02's shoulders and extended her arms to get a good look at her. At the same time, this put Hanatarou in her peripheral vision and her eyes were glued back to him. "So that's your-"

Matsu raised a hand and slapped Uzume's mouth shut before responding with, "Our Ashikabi. Don't be shy now, go and say hello!"

Despite Matsu's earlier words of encouragment, Uzume was showing an uncharacteristic display of shyness; she slowly walked over and sat next to Hanatarou, fidgeting all the while. The silence was quickly getting thick and thankfully Hanatarou spoke up to break it before it got too bad, "Well. It's nice to finally meet you Uzume. I'd introduce myself but I already did." He bowed, this time not business-like, but respectfully.

He picked up his head to notice Uzume's light rosy hue had become a full on blush and her hands were over her heart, almost as if she was suffering an attack. Thankfully Matsu was in proximity and could read her Ashikabi's feeling of distress over #10's condition and interjected, "It's her reacting to you Hana-tan. You should wing her before it gets worse." Hanatarou turned towards Matsu, a look asking if it was really alright. #02 smiled a rueful smile and nodded, his concern as touching as always.

The nervous Ashikabi decided the direct approach was the best approach, but not before asking for permission of course, "#10 Uzume, would you do me the honour of becoming my Sekirei?" He kept eye contact and his head raised, despite how embarrassing and twisted the fact he was essentially asking Uzume to marry him in front of his wife.

Uzume's breath caught in her throat. She opened her mouth to answer yes verbally and found words failed her. After she squirmed and grasped at the air for a second, she donned a look that said something along the lines of, "Fuck it." and grabbed her Ashikabi's shirt and pressed her lips to his. Bright white wings, bloomed from between her shoulder blades. If one looked really closely, you would notice the wings seemed to be made of cloth. Once the demand of oxygen was about to become too much for Hanatarou, both Uzume and himself pulled away simultaneously. Uzume rested her head on her Ashikabi's chest before speaking, "#10 Uzume, my silks are yours, forever and ever." Right as the pair caught their breath, Uzume captured Hanatarou's lips again, drawing a small wave of jealousy from Matsu and irritation from Miya. A few seconds in to their second round of tonsil hockey, Miya's aura starts to leak out and become the manifestation that gave her the moniker of "Hannya of the North."

A Hannya mask, with a dark cloud flowing behind it while it opens and closes its mouth floated behind Miya, while she smiled and spoke, "Uzume, you know lewd acts between unmarried couples are prohibited here at Izumo Inn." The mask behind her growled its affirmation.

Uzume and Hanatarou were in the mask's direct line of influence, so naturally they were terrified. Matsu was behind Miya so she got the long end of the stick and just shuddered. "Aw c'mon Miya, I just found my man! Besides, you know a Sekirei winging is past marriage, so can't ya let this one slide?" #10 paused, her voice losing itself for a moment then pressed on, "Besides, I'm not gonna be a tenant here anymore. I've gotta move in with my hubby here~!" She flung herself on Hanatarou snuggling her cheek with his. This whole time, her Ashikabi was muttering very lowly, although an occasional phrase could be heard, like "Why does its mouth move?" or "What the hell is that thing?" or something else along those lines.

Thankfully for the mental health of Uzume and Matsu's Ashikabi, Miya relented in her aura-based pressure and pondered Uzume's words. "Well, since you're no longer a tenant, I can't exactly force my ideals on you, but you can't violate the rules of my house either, as a guest. So I'll just ask you nicely to not do that again." The Hannya of the North's smile widened as she continued, "Now why don't we eat dinner before it gets any colder?"

Timeskips one helluva drug.

After promising Miya they'd be back for the monitors, several additional computers, 2 tablets and Uzume's stuff, Hanatarou and his flock found themselves at their home. After showing Uzume where the bathroom was, her and Matsu went in to bathe together. Hanatarou couldn't be more thankful; the whole walk back, both of them trapped an arm each between their cleavage and his resistance was on its last thread. It also didn't help he apparantly caught another tease with Uzume, who teamed up with Matsu to verbally poke and jab at him all the way. When words got boring, they'd both use their bodies in ways that made it hard to act rationally. He climbed the stairs and went to a room he hasn't been to in a week. Overlooking the east side of what he could see of Shinto Teito, in a spacious room sat a grand piano. Sliding back the piano bench, he rested his hands on the ivory keys. A graduation gift from his parents, he took a moment to relish in this familiar feeling. It's only been two days but it seems like it was in for one hell of a change. Not to mention, since he was part of the Sekirei Plan, his Sekirei had to fight until one of them was the last one standing. Not only would they have to eliminate their siblings, but they'd have to fight themselves at the end too. And he hasn't even seen a Sekirei fight yet. He shook his head and returned to the physical world. He looked hard at the piano in front of him and figured there was no better way to calm his nerves then to play them out. The few songs Hanatarou could play ran through his mind. He eventually decided on a medley of three jazz pieces he enjoyed listening to when he was small (look up Sakamichi no Apollon medley on the toob if you want to hear the pieces). As he started to ping away at the keys, starting a little slow and with a light swing, he quickly withdrew into his own mind and his hands began to play on their own. As the music progressed, his body began to sway more and faster, keeping tempo with the music without a conscious thought. About a minute in, he began to grow bolder, adding more swing and greater contrast between volumes, throwing in crescendos and decrescendos, various accents and legatos, making sure not to slam the keys. Not even twenty seconds later, a grin grew on his face as wide as he could make it as he really let go and just let the music flow. As the big finish loomed, he rose from the bench, almost slamming his fingers on the keys, willing the piano to play louder, faster, just more. When the final note echoed through the near empty room, he sank into the bench, placed both elbows on his knees and propped his head on his palms, sighing. He was starting to care about Matsu, and while he didn't know Uzume he could tell she was a nice person at least. He loved his parents dearly, especially since they made going through university so easy on him. But the one thing that holds the nearest and dearest place in his heart, and he'll never admit it to anyone, was music. Nothing brought him out of his shell quite as fast as performing a piece, any piece on his piano. He caressed the keys, a faint smile on his face as he brought down the cover and scoot the bench back to its position just under the piano. He turned around and saw both his Sekirei there, wrapped in towels and dripping wet. From the puddles formed underneath them, Hanatarou could tell they came as soon as they heard him start playing. Wordlessly they both advanced, grabbed a hand each, dropped their towels and dragged him to bed.

A/N: To quote the Clap-trap, "Whoa! You're not dead?!" Yea-no. I'm not. That daydreaming bit? Heh. I bet you were expecting them to fuck right then and there. Oh, and that whole, "Oh they didn't fuck" deal? Heh. Well, here's my attempt at fixing what's broken. Hope it worked out.