Chapter 6
A/N: Blah, blah, I don't own anything, blah, blah don't sue me penniless. I mean really, it's being posted in a fanfiction site, do you think I'm getting paid for this (or anyone would pay to read it for that matter)? I'm issuing a challenge to my readers: I want you folks to find and point out the references. Let me know which ones you catch in a PM. Also, the bottom AN will address some of the obvious points I believe readers will criticize me over, so before you post a scathing review I undoubtedly deserve, read that first to see if I covered my bases right.
If he stopped to think about it, this was a rather suspicious situation: Hanatarou was at the base of a set of old, worn stone steps alongside a mountain peppered with budding sakura trees. The wind was unnaturally loud, with its flight just short of a roar in his ears despite the breeze being rather mild if the swaying of the tree limbs were to be believed. The amount of sunlight was akin to a mid-spring noon, yet there was no sun in the sky or clouds, for that matter. The normally perceptive accountant didn't take note of any of these details and began his trek up the stairs. Some ways up, he did notice Komainus starting to appear on either side of him. Not much longer after the guardian dogs began to appear, Hanatarou found himself right at the tori (gate). The shrine he ascended to was nothing short of magnificent, and if he'd bother to pay attention to it he'd be in silent awe. There was a distraction present however: He couldn't see her face at all or her upper torso for that matter. It was as if those parts of her were being seen through a nearly obtuse glass window. What he could tell was she had straight, long, raven-coloured hair, was of slightly above average height and was wearing a traditional red shrine maiden skirt. With the strangest feeling he's been here before, he stopped as whatever was compelling his subconscious ceased its peculiar pull.
Hanatarou wasn't aware of it due to the unnatural blur surrounding her, but apparently the maiden turned around and noticed him, "Ah, there you are. I was afraid I didn't enter your dreamscape after all. My apologies on having you climb up here. I wasn't aware your dreams could be so detailed yet massive."
A puzzled look covered the apparently dreaming Ashikabi's visage, "Entered my dreamscape…?" he questioned softly and slowly.
While Hana-tan couldn't see it, the miko frowned, "Yes. If I were a more capable psychic I would've had you appear within the shrine so we could speak properly. My name is-" right as she said who she was, the wind's volume rose drastically and completely drowned her out but she went on, oblivious to whatever caused the interference, "and I-" that was all she got out before Hanatarou suddenly began to rise and he gazed up at the sun, which for some reason was actually in the sky this time, the light eventually drowning out everything.
With a sharp intake of breath, the now wide awake stockbroker found himself in bed, the psychic dream already partially forgotten. One detail did stick out and he quietly voiced his concern involving it, so as to not disturb his gorgeous bedmates, "What the hell was I doing at a shrine?"
-~Barathrum~-*
On the afternoon following what turns out to be the fifth time he had that dream, Hanatarou and Matsu were seated at the table playing Chess. Matsu brought it up and while she was a novice to the game, #02 still managed to not only beat her Ashikabi, but beat him fairly consistently. "I don't know what's with that dream. It just keeps happening. Check." He spoke in a resigned tone initially but ended a little confidently, having placed his remaining knight in a favourable position, in which Matsu had to re-position her king but then lose a bishop.
#02 took a moment to lean forward, as if she needed to look at the board more closely when in reality she just wanted to expose her cleavage to her Ashikabi, who gave an appreciative glance towards the valley of male's bane, "Matsu has a theory. It sounds as if a Sekirei who isn't quite compatible with Hana-tan is reaching out to you anyway. It's possible her destined one rejected her, died or has left the city and she is now making due with you," she said, re-seating herself and moving her king out of harm's way.
Hanatarou took a few seconds to digest his partner's words before answering, "What makes you say that, the unnatural volume of the wind?"
The Sekirei of Wisdom nodded, "It's the only thing Matsu believes it could be."
The pensive accountant raised a hand to his chin, scratching it lightly, "That's one possibility. I've thought of another," The technologic sorcerer repositioned her glasses in anticipation while Hana-tan paused to take a breath, "The Sekirei in my dream was basically sending out a signal to me, right?
"Right."
"Let's say, for example she's a radio station. The volume of the wind in my dream was static because her signal strength is too low-"
"-Which means the Sekirei isn't making due with Hana-tan, she's just not a powerful psychic. The distance and her lack of signal strength explains the wind's interference," with a smile reserved for those who've come to a great realization or discovery painting her gorgeous face, Matsu lightly slammed her fist on the table and continued, "That's it!"
"Ma~ybe not quite," Hanatarou interrupted #02 before she could get ahead of herself, "Let's not discredit your theory just yet. Considering I'm the radio receiving the signal, I could be set to a slightly different frequency that's close enough to not get me a different station but far enough to also explain the interference. You could be right as well; I just came to a different conclusion," intensifying the scratching of his chin, he pressed on, "Unfortunately we've got no real way to find out which idea's right."
"Not quite, Hana-tan. There is a way to tell which of our theories is correct." Removing his hand from his face, the attentive Ashikabi tilted his head slightly, awaiting the answer, "We get the Sekirei close to you and see how strong her reaction to you is."
"By reaction, you mean the flushing of the face, sweating, heavy breathing-"
"-Mild disorientation, increased sensitivity to physical sensations, dilation of the pupils. Yes, all of that," Matsu nodded in confirmation.
Hanatarou grunted softly and returned his gaze to the game board, returning to his thoughts on tactics now that his mental palette has been cleansed. He moved a rook forward and put the Sekirei of Wisdom in check again.
#02 wasn't quite finished with the conversation yet and spoke up, "What do you want Matsu to do?"
Hanatarou raised his gaze from the board to his Sekirei, "You mean, do I want you to track her down?"
"If only Hana-tan was as good at reading Matsu's intentions on the board, Hana-tan would be winning," she quipped with a shit-eating grin.
"Yeah yeah, talk all the trash you want when you're not in check sweetheart," he fired back challengingly.
Matsu made the only move available to her, quickly losing a bishop afterwards then following up with her queen taking a pawn in revenge and placing Hanatarou in check. What wasn't immediately obvious was the diagonal route his previous move opened up to his rook and #02 counted on her Ashikabi missing that. Taking the time the pensive accountant was using to ponder his next move, she continued the previous tangent of their conversation, "Back to our previous point, yes. Would Hana-tan like Matsu to track her down?"
The stock-broker temporarily turned tactician leaned back in his seat and decided to think on the ultimate internet lurker's question before anything else. It took him the better part of a minute before he answered, "No. As much fun as it would be to have another alien wife with out of this world beauty, I'm not too keen on triple timing, plus with work I only have so much time. To add on more to that, dating three girls simultaneously would be a slow and painful death sentence for my savings. I've still got the future to think about, y'know? Besides, the important question would be whether you and Uzume would be ok with another girl taking my time and attention. It's bad enough you have to share with each other, but with a third? And with what you mentioned about how an Ashikabi's power increases based on how many Sekirei he's bonded to, how many more will I attract then? I understand you Sekirei seem to have passed kindergarden's sharing class with flying colours but this is a little different than that," he finished with a matter-of-fact tone.
The whole time her Ashikabi went on his little tirade, Matsu gave him her undivided attention. If they were being monitored by MBI scientists, some of them would assume it was the mere Sekirei conditioning to listen to their 'master' no matter what. While it was true initially, #02's reasons changed overtime; Hanatarou always, always thought ahead. He could spout out various scenarios off the top of his head, his experience in the real world gave him insight to potential problems which he voiced plus he wasn't above critique. The far-seeing accountant stressed to Matsu on their first discussion to not be afraid and tell him if she didn't agree with something he said or to throw in her two cents. He particularly believed in bouncing ideas off another brain, as they would give a different perspective and potentially see a problem he overlooked or just couldn't notice and therefore couldn't account for. To say the man had a good head on his shoulders was a tad of an understatement, although he'd be the first to say otherwise publicly, while the moment he got within the privacy of his home would proceed to stroke his ego shamelessly.
Matsu guesses he doesn't know she'll come to him on her own given enough time. But will she have the time though? Shin Tokyo isn't exactly a safe place right now, least of all for naïve Sekirei trying to find their life mates, #02's thought process were already ahead of her internal dialogue and a plan came to fruition. Now, it's just a matter of getting Homu-tan in on it. As soon as Matsu finishes this game she'll retire to her work station and call him about it. Matsu doubts he'll say no. With an internal nod of satisfaction, the Sekirei of Wisdom finally got around to answering her Ashikabi, "While Matsu can't speak for Uzu-tan, Matsu doesn't see anything wrong with Hana-tan winging another Sekirei. Matsu thinks of what would happen if Matsu was the one looking for you, she was your first and if Matsu were to be rejected just because of a sister being selfish, it would be devastating. Plus, the reason she is calling out to you through your dreams is the same reason Uzu-tan was; you and her are destined to be together," while Matsu was talking Hanatarou had made his move and the game continued. It took #02 eight more moves but she forced her Ashikabi into checkmate, excused herself to her work station and left Hanatarou with a hand on his face, shaking his head in disbelief.
Rousing her various towers from sleep, Matsu checked her live map of the city detailing other Sekirei positions and conditions. So far, not a single Wagtail has been terminated, although a few scraps have happened here and there. There was a noticeable amount of wingings in the southern and eastern part of Shinto Teito, with the majority bonding to a single Ashikabi on each side. Taking mental note of this, #02 picked up her cell phone and proceeded to dial a contact named "Homu-tan."
-~three days later~-
Hanatarou finally got to his street after walking back from work. A pleasant sight for sore eyes, he trudged on with added zeal after seeing his destination. Right before Hana-tan got to his front gate, he heard a pair of shoes clack on the sidewalk right behind him. He turned around to see a masked person with white hair and a black slacks and overcoat with a white button-up shirt underneath. Before he could chastise himself for not noticing someone so close to him, the man pulled down the mask and stepped forward into the light to reveal himself as Kagari, who Hana-tan vaguely recognized as a resident at Uzume's former home Izumo Inn. Figuring Kagari wished to speak with him, Hanatarou turned around fully and waited.
"Good evening Tanaka-san. Would you mind if I come in?" Kagari asked with a cool smile and a small bow. The weary Ashikabi contemplated for a second just having the impending conversation on the street but realized he hadn't overlooked Kagari on the street but rather he just got there, as if he appeared like magic. Or at the speed of a certain secret he was forced to keep on punishment of whatever MBI would do to him.
Catching on to whatever matter Kagari wished to speak of should be done in a private location, he nodded his consent and opened the gate and barely got in front of the door before it was thrown open by Matsu. "Good, Homu-tan's on time," #02 said after giving her Ashikabi a welcome-back smile and she held the door for both men as they followed the respective traditions of "I'm back" and "Pardon the intrusion."
Sharp as ever, he noticed "Kagari" was called "Homu-tan" and decided to question it later; normally he would insist on speaking outside because #06 wasn't entirely who or what he said he was but since Matsu seemed to not only trust, but was expecting him, he let it slide. Walking into the living room, he saw Uzume lounging on the sofa (and decently clothed thankfully), laughing at a certain cat and mouse going about their cartoony antics. Matsu mysteriously disappeared upstairs without the customary inquiry as to how his day was and/or a romantic manga (not H stuff anymore, he convinced her to stop that after nearly killing an older postman by heart attack) cliché. #10 rose from her seat to pick up Matsu's slack, tightly embracing him and asking how his day was.
The weary Ashikabi merely sighed deeply. Uzume returned a sympathetic look, took one of his arms and began to lead him towards the kitchen, "My poor, tired ma~n! I hope you're not too tired ta cook for yourself. And us too maybe?" She kept her face out of Hanatarou's sight so he wouldn't see her biting her lower lip to prevent a snicker.
A (mostly) mock sigh escaped his lips, "Gee, su~re. Why don't I cook for 'Homu-tan' and the entire team of Manchester United while I'm at it?" He said, his words tearing apart at the seams with sarcasm.
A regular (and very enjoyable in her opinion) game started between Uzume and Hana-tan. "We~ll I dunno 'bout those fellas but could Homura join us? Ple~ase?" Having already led Hanatarou to the stove, she locked her fingers on his chest as she questioned him sweetly.
Hanatarou gasped dramatically, "Why Uzume, are you implying I wasn't about to ask our guest if he would join us for dinner?! What kind of terrible host do you take me for!?" He asked in a false hurt tone.
Homura decided to join in the conversation, "Um, if this is a bad time I can come back..." he suggested as he tried to bow out of the impending domestic drama, feeling rather confused since over his and #10's previous phone conversations she gushed nothing but good things about her Ashikabi.
Uzume couldn't contain her mirth and broke out into laughter while Hana-tan couldn't keep the shit-eating grin off his face. "It's all goo~d Homura! Hanatarou's just a big, witty meanie is all. I can't believe he wanted ta mess with ya so bad though~" #10 sighed in false exasperation, seeing an opportunity to turn the tables on her Ashikabi while #06 tallied this off as the fourth weirdest day in his head (third being told by Takehito about his X and Y chromosomes sometimes loses the Y-factor. The second being Kazehana drunkenly mistaking Homura for Minaka, probably due to the silver hair and giving him the most intense match of tonsil hockey he had at the time which ended with #03 then flying away wailing something unintelligible while the Flame Sekirei was left on the floor, a sputtering, red-faced mess. The gold medal goes back to Homura's first day on the job as a host. Let's just say he learned a valuable lesson in looks can be deceiving).
"Oh?" Hanatarou grumbled, "Throwing me under the bus, eh? This calls for punishment!" He began to jab at her sides lightly.
Uzume did an odd mix of a yelp and a laugh then just kept right on laughing with an occasional "Don't!" or "Sto-" and other things along those lines thrown in. Once she was left on her knees breathless from laughing Hanatarou came out of the kitchen with both arms over his head, "A~nd the winner by T.K.O. is Hanatarou Tanaka~!" He began to imitate a crowd cheering and bowing to the imaginary audience.
A low guttural growl that would remind one of a lioness defending her kill from scavengers emanated from the kitchen. The overconfident Ashikabi did an about face only to be constricted by two veils and 'slammed' onto the sofa. Before he could finish gathering himself, Hanatarou saw Uzume already airborne and on a collision course. She landed like a wrestler would on him, forcing out an "Oof!" then straddled him before locking lips, an action she relished. Initially, Hanatarou had set some ground rules for living here and his lips being off-limits was one of them (read: was). It had been no more than two days since he decided to lift said rule, mainly because it didn't do any good past the first two weeks. The purest white wings brightened the room for a few seconds until Hana-tan patted Uzume's thigh, signaling his need for air. She reluctantly complied and also got off him so he could sit up, only to claim his lap once he settled back into the couch. Hanatarou quirked his right eyebrow before speaking, "Uzume, not in front of company. It's fine to be shameless when we're alone but we have witnesses..." he 'chastised' his flirtatious Sekirei, apparently going back to the original game of messing with the guest.
The Veiled Sekirei merely slid a hand to the back of his head to bring his visage closer while she moved her face to his simultaneously, "I want him ta look Ashikabi-sama..." she breathed out huskily.
Finally Homura protested playing the unwilling voyeur, "Can you two not though? I've got work in just under an hour and I'd appreciate it if we could get to business!" the Flame Sekirei cried with a dab of nervous energy.
Hanatarou then lifted Uzume bridal-style and set her down on the sofa as he moved towards the kitchen, talking as he went, "Well then Homura, I hope you don't mind if I cook as we ta-"
"W-wait! Matsu is al~most ready!" #02 cried out, finally emerging from the second floor. Hana-tan turned to ask her what she meant but instead had his question answered before he even asked: Down the stairs came Matsu carrying a large dry-eraser board, complete with wheels, hobbling a step at a time. The irate Ashikabi rushed to assist her, earning a grateful look from the physically weakest adult Sekirei (A/N: Kuno might be weaker? Hard to say, she can fight without assistance, sort of). With his assistance, they set the board at the spot she directed, which was by the TV in the corner. "Phe~w, thank you so much Hana-ta~n! You really took a load off Matsu's back. Now c'mere so I can show you my gratitude~" Matsu advanced slowly towards her Ashikabi, eyes unseen behind the lens glare as she made weird grabbing motions with her hands.
Homura's patience ran out. He summoned three flaming orbs that ominously orbited a single finger as he spoke up, "Can't you be serious for once you lavicious witch? I haven't got all night to watch you try to get in your Ashikabi's pants!" Homura threatened #02.
Matsu made puffed her cheeks before growling a rebuttal, "Mrgrgr! It's not fair Uzu-tan gets all the attention!" #10 giggled in the background, Hanatarou had the decency to look embarrassed on the way back to the kitchen and #06 merely shook his head and face-palmed. Calming down a bit, she continued, "But it's OK! Hana-tan will pay Matsu back tonight~, huhuhu~h!" Homura shook his head while in the background Hanatarou muttered something under his breath that sounded something like "Who's doing what now?" but was too distant to be heard.
Matsu then moved in front of the board and turned it around to reveal a map of Shinto Teito, with Hanatarou's home in the West and Izumo Inn in the North-East marked, along with several smaller markings scattered across the city. "Firstly, introductions. Hana-tan, this is #06 Homura, the Flame Sekirei. He was asked by the Director of the Sekirei Plan, Takami Sahashi to watch over the unwinged Sekirei as they roam the city and try to find their destined ones. As you can see," #02 jabbed a finger at the border of the map and traced a circle around the city, "it's a big city for just one Sekirei to handle. As a matter of fact, Matsu seriously doubts the wisdom of Takami-tan merely asking one Sekirei to do this. But Matsu is getting off-track. So Matsu had the idea for Uzu-tan to join Homu-tan on patrol while Matsu will them assist via surveillance."
Taking a moment to rise from his leaning position on the kitchen counter, he spoke up, "Yeah, question. When you say surveillance, do you mean satellite, security cameras or GPS?" This was a solid and understandable question. Hanatarou hadn't seen Matsu behind a keyboard and several monitors yet; he felt it was rude (plus he enjoys staying sane) to snoop on whatever caused her to occasionally cackle like an old lecher.
Thanks to her lens glare yet again, the approving look in #02's eye went unnoticed, "All of the above, Hana-tan. Matsu will use MBI's Sekirei tracking system to get their general location then Matsu will zoom in, so to speak, via any security cameras near-by. Or Matsu will actually zoom in with the satellites, depending on what's needed," she explained.
"Another question," he got out, "I've only met three Sekirei, but from what I understand even the weakest of you are stronger than a grown human. Is it really necessary for you lads and ladies to need a Guardian, let alone a pair of them?"
This time Homura answered, "While all Sekirei received a crash course on human culture, economics and such, most are still rather naïve. It won't really occur to most of them if a group of thugs or yakuza approaches them promising a good time is in actuality a trap. Not only that, but as has been proven by a pair of Ashikabi, some aren't above forcibly winging Sekirei," #06's last line came out as more of a snarl than anything.
With a hand partially covering his mouth, he nodded slowly, "It's a nice plan of action, plus I see why it's needed now. My only problem with it is, even if you divide the city cleanly in half, it's still going to leave half a city for a single superhuman to patrol. That's pretty ridiculous, even if Matsu were to have a radio and give them live updates to what's happening in the city. Although, considering what you have to work with, it's very good," he finished and made his way within the kitchen to finally get started on dinner.
"Uh, Hana-tan?" Matsu called out.
"Yeah?" answered the disembodied voice of her Ashikabi, along with the clatter of a few pots and pans.
Now for the reason she held this meeting, "Do you approve?" she asked hopefully.
The clang of metal on metal paused as Hanatarou's head appeared in the window, his face puzzled, "I could've sworn we just went over this?"
Comprehension lit up Matsu's face, "No, Matsu meant to ask do you approve of Uzume-tan and Matsu assisting Homu-tan?"
Now he stepped back into the living room, tilting his head to show his growing confusion, "Approve of you two helping Homura? Why do you ask?"
"Well, as our Ashikabi, what Hana-tan says, goes. So Matsu is asking Hana-tan's permission to assist Homura," she states matter of factly, as if she knew his answer already and her asking was merely a formality.
Hanatarou puts a hand under his chin and begins to nod his head, "Yea-no. I don't like that."
The reaction from the Sekirei population in the room is immediate: Matsu gapes at her Ashikabi in shock and mild hurt, Uzume drops her ever present smile and Homura is still; it's not a natural sort of stillness where you still fidget just a bit if you look closely enough, but the absolute stillness one finds before a major storm. The Sekirei of Wisdom recovers first, "Wh-why not?!"
Starting with a terrible accent then speaking normally after his first line, the witty accountant replies, "Elementary my dear Watson! You and Uzume are sentient beings, more than capable of deciding what you want to do in life. You don't need my permission to do as you please, as long as you don't inconvenience others. So yeah. This asking my permission thing? Kind of pointless, if you catch my drift," he said airily. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like t-"
Hanatarou was unable to finish speaking due to excessive glomping via flying Matsu (turbo boosted by Uzume's veils). "Mo~u, Hana-tan, Matsu loves it when you treat us so nicely~" #02 purrs while attempting to create the largest static charge Sekirei-ly possible with her Ashikabi's chest acting as the rug. Though it would be nice if you finally got intimate with us~! She thought to herself in a mildly cross thought tone.
Said Ashikabi once again found himself winded due to being struck by a projectile-based Wagtail and was unable to respond for a few seconds as he refilled his lungs with air. "Good lord, you gals are going to be the end of me…" he said, "Although, from a guy's standpoint, it's not the worst way to go, death by overzealous glomp." He snickered at Matsu's relentless snuggling, "Alright, get off me already! I'll never get dinner started and then we'll go to bed hungry, plus Homura has to go soon."
Once the Perverted Glasses got off him, the Sekirei of Fire approached the floor-ridden accountant and offered a hand while chuckling lightly, "I'll have to pass on dinner I'm afraid. While you two were having your moment, I got a call from Takami. A batch of Sekirei were just released a few minutes ago and I'd like to head out and do what I can to see them off safely. Don't worry," he added hastily once he saw Uzume begin to rise from her prone position on the sofa, "You can stay for now. It's best if we got those radios Hanatarou here suggested before we put the plan into action. Plus I didn't get to mention to Takami I got two recruits…?" he paused, lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "Well, I guess you two enlisted yourselves more than anything, huh?" The group shared a quick laugh while #06 moved towards the door. "I'll call Takami once I get back to Izumo Inn, so expect her to contact you at any time after about two to five hours; the Director of the Sekirei Plan keeps the weirdest schedule. Thanks for everything and I'll be seeing you three real soon." Homura opened the door and waved at them coolly while the other hand raised his mask and then he vanished into the night.
Uzume tilted her head and pouted, "How ru~de! Homura-kun left before we could even say good-bye!"
"Eh, that's alright with me. More food for us, am I right?" Hanatarou said with a chortle, getting a short laugh from the pair of Sekirei in the room with him. What he was actually thinking was he didn't feel comfortable with an unallied Sekirei in the room with them. It's not like he didn't have faith in Uzume, as she already proved to have amazing reactions the one time he nearly slipped down the stairs and showed she knew her way around her veils with her casual yet precise use of them for small things around the house but fire plus cloth equals ashes the last time he checked. It was a terrible match-up and the less he was around, the fewer opportunities there would be for things to turn sour.
Dinner was an interesting affair; Hanatarou decided to be a little adventurous and branched out to a French recipe by the name of choucroute garnie, which is made with various pork products topped with some sauerkraut, along with the Japanese staple steamed rice and soup on the side. Matsu and Uzume don't help him often in the kitchen, since the first time they both attempted they wound up making a great mess of things, which the accountant took in stride and just went to get take-out while the ladies cleaned. Now that they learned their lesson not to get overzealous and follow directions, things went much more smoothly. Nothing spectacular happened at the table save for Matsu getting flustered of all things, involving her feeding Hanatarou a rather large piece of sausage. It ended with her Ashikabi face-palming with a snap when he realized the innuendo then having to fend off a lightly panting #02 while Uzume hit the floor with laughter.
-~The next day~-
In the early afternoon, Hanatarou rose from the basement and went immediately to the kitchen, a wicker basket in hand. Uzume was in the living room and was the sole witness to her Ashikabi's odd behaviour and moved to lean on the entranceway of the kitchen, "What'cha doin'?" she asked curiously with a tilt of her head.
He didn't look up as he kept pace with his pseudo-assembly line of sandwiches, "Getting a picnic ready."
#10 tilted her head in the other direction, "Why?" she inquired, although she already had an idea.
Hanatarou turned and gave her a look that said something along the lines of "Really?" and finished the last sandwich while he pulled out a pair of thermoses from the fridge, holding a preferred drink of his and Uzume respectively.
The Veiled Sekirei giggled and wrapped her arms around her Ashikabi from behind so as to not interfere his work, "C'mon…I just want ya to say it," she said as she twirled a finger on his chest lightly.
With a false sigh of exasperation, Hanatarou caved in, "Fi~ne. We're going on a date," he said in mock shyness, preparing himself for the spin he would go through in three, tw-.
His internal count was off. He was made to do a 180 and got his lips occupied by Uzume's for a quick peck while she bounded off and up the stairs, calling out, "I love you, Hanatarou!" as she went. The bemused Ashikabi let out a puff of air through his nostrils as he finished prepping the pic-a-nic basket. Since about two weeks after Uzume's winging, Hanatarou figured he had a basic grasp on his housemates and found them fun to be around for their own reasons: Matsu is a delight to have intelligent conversation with; the sharp accountant had started out by pitching his plans on what to do with his stocks and #02 in all her genius and technologic sorcery would research and give both factual and personal feedback.
This would set the foundation for the conversation to steer towards other paths, an example being the mutual interest in computers. Hanatarou had his own tower in the basement, which he showed to the electronic goddess. Once he popped the lid, turned on a desk light to show the components and stepped aside so Matsu could get a good look, he was subject to a smirk and a single word, "Casual." Hanatarou opened his mouth to retort but found he couldn't refute the truth. His silence and acceptance was further cemented when #02 took her Ashikabi to their mutually shared work room and gave him a look at her towers.
While Matsu kept Hanatarou satisfied primarily in an intellectual manner, Uzume had him covered from the emotional end. This is not to say he loves Uzume over Matsu; he's rather hesitant to use such a strong word despite an obvious soft spot for the both of them that is continuously growing. It's more along the lines of having someone he can really cut loose and joke around with. The Veiled Sekirei is a true free spirit and has the amazing ability to play along with his wisecracks, from simple one-liners to raunchy, borderline sexual harassment jokes that would have him fired if told in the work place and even dark humour. This, coupled with her tendency to be rather physical despite his early reservations against such actions, eventually wore down his resistance somewhat and he warmed up to her.
Due to his appreciation of both members of his flock, he's decided to put some more solid effort into getting to know his housemates, which both girls greatly enjoyed. Hanatarou managed to have a semi-civil discussion with the both of them over the schedule and whether they were ok with having a double-date every now and then. It was agreed amongst the three of them for the order to be a single date to each, a double and then alternating single and double dates from then on. Usually he'd take one of them out individually or as a pair once a week, however since he was a little overdue for the next date and Matsu got the individual treatment last time, he decided to spring this up on Uzume today. More often than not, a man's funds would play into how often he'd take out his lady (or in this case, ladies) and normally it would hold him back because bills and everyday expenses, but since his supervisor Hirano and several of his co-workers, including some higher ups going over to see the World Cup game of Japan v. Portugal (score was 3-2, a rather high action game too) and the cordial accountant and #10 played the amazing host (apparently, every guest was pretty shit-faced by the time they left), he wound up getting a raise. The increased pay kept his books in acceptable numbers, even if in the first week he had to cash out on a few of his smaller personal investments, which was in its own way acceptable; they were whimsical investments and while he's normally above letting himself be so light with such choices, he was in a different mood that one evening thanks to his ladies.
Stepping out from the kitchen with the basket in tow, he opened the door and exited the building to bask in the early afternoon sun. Reaching under a chair to find a rubber ball, he set the basket on the chair while bouncing the ball on the wall of his entryway back to him as a way to kill time waiting for Uzume. He started tapping the ball on his forehead like a football player would and had his hands out to help stabilize himself. Once he turned away from the door it opened silently to reveal #10 dressed in a form-fitting, smooth red blouse with yellow stars of varying sizes all over it. A black skirt that reached just above her knees, a slim coat and dark grey flats finished her ensemble. Hanatarou heard the door open and merely let the ball fall to the floor before he turned around. He sighed once again and had his hands to his hips, almost as if he was very disappointed. #10 looked mortified, "W-what?"
"You dressed so well you're going to make me look bad," he quipped, getting a small blush and a slap on the arm for his efforts. Hanatarou was in a sky-blue and white button-up shirt with creases in places that would remind someone of a certain philandering drunkard's own shirt, dark blue jeans and black shoes. Patting his pockets to ensure he had everything before leaving, he led Uzume to the garage on the side. Opening the side door and pushing the unlock button on the clicker, he gestured for her to sit down as he opened the garage door and gate. Once the obstruction was removed from his car's path, he moved to the driver side while Uzume tossed him the keys overhand before settling in the passenger seat. Hanatarou deftly caught them as he opened the door with the other hand and they both slid into the car with the sort of synchronization that should've required years practice, but was done via the sub-conscious telepathy they shared due to their bond. The mild-mannered Ashikabi started his '15 Honda Accord. While a few years old already, he only drove it enough to keep it from gathering dust and he took decent care of it, so it probably had a couple years before it needed any major repairs or replacement parts.
It was a fair day for a picnic; the temperature didn't go over twenty-two degrees Celsius, a fair breeze that barely clocked in at five kilometers graced the city of Shinto Teito and an occasional cloud would lazily glide by. The drive to the park of choice was fairly uneventful, just a little small-talk amongst housemates. The park Hanatarou chose had a tendency to be comfortably populated. There was always a place to settle down and relax on with some distance from the other city folk, but never too much you couldn't at least see a handful of them either roaming about or relaxing themselves. It was ideal for the way the Sekirei and Ashikabi pair liked to kill time when alone. They found a spot with a well-worn metal bench and both of them agreed it would do. Hana-tan popped open the basket and started serving for the both of them. It was no extravagant feast, being nothing more than turkey breast with black forest ham sandwiches with some of the leftover sauerkraut from yesterday and a hearty fish stew with bits of beef as an accent he worked on since late morning. They sat down next to each other and got to chowing down, making small talk about Hanatarou's work or Uzume's unofficial class about human culture being taught to her by Matsu sharing her discoveries within the depths of the internet or Japan's regular TV programs. #10 had filled a spoonful of her Ashikabi's delicious stew and made to lift it to feed him; he scooted closer and leaned towards her and accepted the kind gesture willingly, earning envious stares from the few men close enough to witness the act. As Hanatarou swirled his stew around a bit in his mouth, pondering on the blend of spices and whether it would work with chicken and fish instead of a small amount of beef and fish, Uzume spoke up, "I've gotta ask ya Hanatarou. Where did ya learn to cook like this?"
With an audible gulp and a mental note to try this with a smaller amount of paprika and with chicken over beef, the culinary explorer responded, "Well, I was raised in a house of women. And one thing they all had in common were they all had a certain talent in the kitchen. Unlike my brothers, sisters and cousins, I didn't act as if I ran on cold fusion and could manage to sit still for hours. I would simply plant myself on a stool against a wall during family gatherings and watched the controlled chaos of a large kitchen filled with several women running to and fro, making sauces, prepping whole chickens, goats or pigs to be roasted outside, grinding peppers in old pestle and mortars and so on. Occasionally I'd ask a question or fetch a bag of rice or something along those lines, but most of the time my aunts or mother would just talk about what they were doing at the time and why. And back then I was just a sponge when it came to information; not only did it stick, but by the time I was a teenager, I took up the apron and began experimenting on day one. Naturally it started pretty hit or miss but once I got the practice to back up my theory, things took off from there. Then I discovered the internet and websites with recipes and then it just got ridiculous," he finished his mildly lengthy answer with a bob of his head and proceeded to chunk his sandwich.
"Heh, guess that explains how you're so patient with Matsu 'n me," Uzume says with a cat-like grin. "How many siblings did ya have?"
"Eleven. Two brothers and nine sisters. I was the third oldest, second oldest boy," he paused, taking a moment to reminisce about previous mischief with his family.
"Hm, not that many huh?" #10 questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Actually for humans, that's plenty. No surprise considering my mother was a whore." Hanatarou stated matter-of-factly.
The Veiled Sekirei tilted her head in confusion, "What's a whore?"
The embarrassed Ashikabi cringed slightly, forgetting for a moment despite how Uzume looks, she is in fact not human, "Er, a whore is someone who sleeps with others for money. I guess in a way, she was the Sekirei antithesis huh?"
One could almost see the question marks spawn above Uzume's head, "Anti-what now?"
Hanatarou took a breath to gather his thoughts for this explanation, "Antithesis means the exact opposite of. I'll give you an example: Sekirei are supposed to find their destined one to bond and basically love him or her and only that person right? Well a whore would 'love' anyone for money, with no emotional investment whatsoever. Hence my mother was your races' antithesis."
#10 nodded slowly and gave him a pensive "Huh…" for a response before she tilted her stew bowl and downed the broth. It was then Hanatarou noticed the whole while he was answering questions Uzume had took the time to eat and was now done while he was not even half way through with his portion, albeit it was human-sized so this wouldn't take him long to finish. Soon, he devoured his meal and suggested they walk around to digest the food after leaving the basket with their used dishes in the car. The Veiled Sekirei readily agreed, locking arms with her Ashikabi, much to the envy of onlookers. The path they took had plenty of old trees, with limbs reaching out in every direction and leaves aplenty to provide ample shade. As they strode down the walkway, the amount of other pedestrians began to thin out and they found themselves in a secluded spot, which is rather rare for any place in Shinto Teito. Once they neared a rather beaten up public restroom, Uzume had an idea. Before she could act on it however, Hanatarou's phone wound up ringing, which he had to have his arm freed to get. Glancing at the caller ID to see it was Matsu calling, he swiped 'Answer' and put her on speaker, "Hey Matsu, what's up?"
"Hana-tan, Homu-tan just called. He's going to work soon and he asks if Uzu-tan wouldn't mind patrolling for a few hours while he's busy?" Hanatarou didn't answer, simply turning to #10, awaiting her response.
She returned a questioning gaze, raised eyebrows and all, to which he fired back a shake of the head, a small bow and an extended hand palm up, indicating it was her call. While the Veiled Sekirei was a little off-put at being interrupted before she could tug her Ashikabi to the restroom for a good kiss or two…or ten and maybe more afterwards, it wasn't Homura's fault he had a job, plus she did promise her help with guarding the unwinged ones. Matsu on the line was about to ask if Hanatarou was still there, unaware she was on speaker only to hear her bond-sister answer, "Homura wants his new gal on patrol already? Geez, can't even enjoy a date in peace, huh?" she huffed before she relented, "Yeah, I can help out. Ya let Homura know I've got his back, but I get another date with my man tomorrow!"
"Our man, Uzu-tan," Matsu was quick to fire back, "But you have a deal. I've got several unwinged Sekirei reading within six kilometers of your location in various directions. Why not take to the rooftops to get a good vantage point and make a call on who could use a hand from there?"
#10 nodded even though her bond-sister couldn't see her, "Right. Now, I'm gonna change, no peeking alright Hanataro~u?" she snickered before continuing, "Ah who am I kiddin', I want ya ta look," she winked with a come-hither smile and swayed her hips slowly yet with a sharp accent, kind of like a belly dancer, the whole way to the ladies room.
The hot and bothered (although you wouldn't know it by looking at his face) Ashikabi got away with shaking his head with a smirk and a gesture to the restroom, "Just get in there! 'Sides, little point in peeking since I've seen it all already," he said while groaning inwardly. I just had to remind myself of thaa- the mental picture of both his girls sleeping on either side of him stark naked vividly appeared before his mind's eye and he snapped out of it and aimed his gaze downwards to glare at the bulge in his pants. "I know what you're thinking buddy, and it's a-it's a bittersweet idea," he muttered to his junk. To the casual onlooker this would look plain insane but he had a perfectly good reason to do this: He was reinforcing what was left of his will to resist giving in to the delicious temptation of his girls. By saying this out loud, he was attempting to hypnotize himself essentially. "You gotta resist man. Yes, it would be consensual and it would be amazing for both parties but it's not that simple. They're programmed to love me. I'd be taking advantage of them if I did this. And no point trying to explain it to them, that would open a can of worms I'm not ready to deal with so, settle down!" With the lack of stimuli, he eventually cooled off and sighed.
No pun intended, but this is only going to get harder as time goes on. He thought morosely. I got to find a way to deal with this. I'd hit the red light district but that's a no-no. Cheating is unbecoming, plus it wouldn't work since the girls there can't compare to Matsu or Uzume. For half a minute, Hanatarou stood there, fruitlessly searching for the solution to this conundrum before settling on the realistic answer, The only way I can think for this to get better is just to say 'Fuck it' and fuck them. But then my damned conscience will speak up and make me feel like shit afterwards. With a bitter and weary face, he shook his head vigourously and lightly slapped his cheeks with both hands, pulling himself out of his funk somewhat. The right answer wasn't the right answer for his moral compass and he knew he wouldn't come up with anything satisfactory with what little time he had before Uzume returned from changing. Realizing he still had a bit of a sour mood about him, he solidified his stoic mask and endeavoured to emit his usual aura.
As soon as he had a passable façade, the Veiled Sekirei emerged in all of her barely socially acceptable glory. Doing a double take, Hanatarou very nearly lost his sanity then and there but thankfully he knew how to keep appearances and merely raised his eyebrows. "We~ll? What do ya think?" #10 struck a pose, dragging a hand down her side to accentuate her waist and hips, then turned around and thrust her hips out and waggled her eyebrows suggestively as she whipped her head back to lock eyes with her Ashikabi. It was a bit unnecessary to ask, as she caught his double take but she wanted to milk his reaction a little more. With an audible breath, Hana-tan opened his mouth but found words failed him. With a louder inhale and a gesture with his hands as if it would help him speak, he once again found himself mute. With a face so smug she'd give a certain young redhead with violet eyes or a pair of red and green armoured cavaliers a run for their money, she strut her stuff right past him saying, "Struck ya speechless, eh?" The silent accountant could respond with naught more than a noncommittal shrug and slight shake of his head. Before he could turn around and actually try to speak, he noticed the weirdest tickling sensation between his thighs and snapped his head down. As soon as he tried to ascertain what the fuck that was, he was quickly wrapped from neck to toe in one of Uzume's veils.
With an incredulous expression, Hanatarou faced his second Sekirei, "Did you just-" in less than a second, what passed for the Veiled Sekirei's poker face cracked and he could've sworn he heard a short and derisive "Heh" from Uzume. "You-" That was all Hanatarou got out before he experienced first-hand the closest a human would come to flight without a machine's help.
The amazed Ashikabi, like all humans at least one point in their lives, had fantasized about flying. To be able to experience the pseudo-flight that is more likely than not the closest he'll get to the real deal caused him to forget the mild irritation at his flirtatious Wagtail for molesting him. To his disappointment their dance through the skies (a bit flowery of a description, considering they didn't even break fifty-five meters high) ended rather quickly, as #10 got to a rooftop with efficient effort. Once Hanatarou was de-mummified, he was struck with a realization, "Wait, Uzume?" The Veiled Sekirei turned her attention from the streets below to her Ashikabi, "Why did you bring me along? Not that I mind, it's just I'm not a fighter and you having to carry me makes me feel like dead weight."
A puzzled expression painted #10's beautiful face, "Ya know, I guess I didn't think about it. I kinda just brought you along for the ride," she shrugged in a 'it can't be helped' kind of way and returned to her surveying her surroundings.
Hanatarou shrugged back, although nobody saw it and he stepped towards another side of the building and began to scan the streets as well; he figured since he was here now he might as well do something. It didn't take the scouting accountant long to notice something, or rather someone odd: A girl who would've passed as a typical, yet cute Japanese citizen, if it weren't for the massive hammer she was slinging over her shoulder as if it weighed as much as a 2x4 of a shorter length was walking alongside a young man with short, unkempt brown hair, wearing a slightly oversized green pullover and faded jeans. Not that far in front of him was another girl who also could've passed for a regular Shinto Teito commuter if there wasn't something blatantly odd about her: This time, the odd girl was wearing a yellow and black skintight jumpsuit, the likes of which reminded Hanatarou a lot of a certain deceased martial artist. What really stuck out was the Sekirei symbol in plain sight on her left hip. It was a matter of seconds before they were close enough for neither party to miss each other. "Spotted," Hanatarou called out in a loud voice. Immediately, Uzume was beside him and he extended a hand, pointing towards the soon-to-be confrontation.
A grin one could almost call feral painted #10's face, "He-heh, time for some action!" she cried out. She didn't even bother slinging Hanatarou in her mummy wrap, opting instead to just carry him bridal-style. He muttered something about gender role reversal but the words were lost on Uzume as she had already pumped her amazing legs and sent them flying to a rooftop right above the trio they were tracking.
By the time they landed above the confrontation, things were already heading south. The man next to the hammer-wielder stepped forward menacingly while the jumpsuit wearing girl took a few steps back. The armed Sekirei looked apprehensive if anything, almost as if she was afraid to fight. Due to Hanatarou and Uzume's distance they couldn't hear what was being said but it didn't matter as #10 decided it was time to intervene.
Right as the Veiled Sekirei lightly landed behind the Wagtail/Ashikabi pair, she caught the back end of whatever the man was saying, "-n't care what ya want, go get that bitch!" He swatted the hammer-wielder's ass with a sharp smack, elicting a yelp and an embarrassed flush from the girl.
Hammer stepped forward and with a quiet, almost defeated sounding voice finally spoke, "#84 Yashima."
Jumpsuit looked past the hostile pair for a moment to see Uzume raising her finger to her lips and silently shushing her. Getting the hint, she decided to stand her ground; while the unknown Wagtail didn't seem to mean any harm, her current enemy was winged and she didn't like her odds of getting away from her. "#86 Katsuragi." Throughout the confrontation, her face had a melancholic look about it. Weirdly enough it stayed but her overall body language subtly shifted to a ready stance. As much as Katsuragi appeared to be prepa~red**, she would quickly find out the power gap between an emerged and unwinged Sekirei; a shadow suddenly loomed over #86 and she looked up, eyes widening in fear to find she was already about to be crushed by #84's hammer. Uzume quickly shot out a veil and wrapped around the part under the hammerhead and gave it a tug, just enough to slow down the weapon and let the Bruce Lee imitator get out of harm's way. With a resounding crash, Yashima's hammer cratered the sidewalk. She took a moment to closely inspect her weapon, completely oblivious to #10 behind her trying not to laugh. Yashima shook her head gave chase after Katsuragi, who had dashed down a side-street while her Ashikabi ran slowly behind her. The man thought he saw someone on the right with his peripherals but after he popped out of the entryway of the street to check he saw no one. Shaking his head in disbelief and muttering something about it being his imagination, he turned back towards the fight and pursued.
Above on the rooftop, Uzume let loose her built-up mirth while Hanatarou just shook his head in disapproval, even if he wanted to laugh too. "Didja see the look on her face? It was like 'whuh?!'" #10 made a comical confused face to go along with her sound effects and just went right laughing.
Not even her Ashikabi could contain a snicker, although he found Uzume's antics more amusing. However, the situation was supposed to be serious, so he had to put his foot down, "Will you get a grip? One of your sisters is about to become a pancake if you don't do something about it!"
Before the conversation could go on, an audible vibrating sound emanated from Hanatarou's pocket. He withdrew his phone and read the e-mail aloud, "Stop flirting and help Katsu-tan! …it says," he gazed skyward for a moment then looked down at his phone with a conflicted face, "Good lord, I kissed the world's greatest stalker."
"That's ri~ght, bro, and she's a~ll yours!" Uzume called out, jumping in the direction of the action as soon as she finished talking. With a slow, counter-clockwise spin she flew through the air. Upon landing on the next building, she front flipped the whole way to the edge and did a very slow cartwheel over to yet another rooftop and looked down. Katsuragi had managed to get in close, nullifying the effectiveness of Yashima's hammer. Regardless of their shenanigans earlier it looked as if shit hadn't hit the fan yet. With a slight jarring sensation, Uzume landed, flexed her hands, popped her neck and grinned. "Showtime," she whispered to herself.
#10 stepped over the edge of the latest rooftop she found herself on and once again landed silently. Katsuragi finally ate a shoved hammer handle to the face, falling flat on her behind, stunned. Yashima raised her hammer like an executioner's blade, ready to end the battle but her instincts warned her of imminent danger and she bounced to the right to dodge an obi jab. Her Ashikabi emerged from behind the dumpster he used as cover, anger painted all over his face, "Who the fuck are you?! What the hell are you doing interrupting them?" he shouted at Uzume.
The curvaceous brunette ignored Junichi and instead walked over to Katsuragi, extending a hand, "Is this guy botherin' ya?" #86 hesitated momentarily but took the proffered help and remained silent.
If Junichi wasn't furious before, he sure as hell was now, "God dammit, you bitch, don't ignore me! What the fuck are you doin' here?!"
The Veiled Sekirei was unfazed by the insults and disrespectful tone, "Just lookin' out fer a sister in need. Now the fight's two on one, ya sure ya wanna go down this road, bub?" she asked with a sassy tone and a saucy grin.
Yashima appeared to be uncomfortable and turned partially towards her Ashikabi. Whatever she intended to say was lost, as Junichi already came up with a well thought out and intelligent plan, "Fuck that shit!" he snarled. With a quick jog towards #84, he grabbed under her chin with one hand while the other snaked around and roughly groped her decent-sized bosom. He slid his tongue down her throat for a few seconds, causing violet wings to bloom forth while Uzume quickly elbowed Katsuragi and gestured with her head towards the rooftops behind them. The Bruce Lee imitator got the message and they both made a tactical retreat. Once the gruff Ashikabi of Yashima finished manhandling his Sekirei he began to give her orders, "Now, go kick their asses!" It was only after he spoke did he turn to see both of the upstart bitches who dared piss him off weren't there anymore, "What the fu-!? Where the hell did they go?!" he asked nobody in particular.
The hammer wielding Wagtail looked up and saw the pair of birds land on the rooftop of a sizeable apartment complex, "Up there," she pointed out, both with her words and her hammer. While she still didn't like the two on one odds, Yashima still had a Norito boost up her sleeve. The (over)confidence it gave her instilled the belief she would come out of the impending skirmish just fine. "Please wait here, Ashikabi-sama. I will take care of the enemy," she said calmly. Without waiting for Junichi to respond (a wise decision, as he'd probably just verbally abuse her), she leaped with speed and power unseen before in the gravity manipulator. About a quarter of the way to the soon-to-be battleground, the purest white wings brightened the mid-afternoon sky and #84's face blanched as she realized the other Sekirei had her Ashikabi with her as well. Even worse, she was already mid-flight and had no way of stopping or redirecting herself. Had she bothered to remain calm or had any experience with her Norito-boosted abilities, she might've realized she could simply just increase her own gravity enough for her to miss the roof and hit the wall.
Turning to Uzume, she was rather surprised to see Hanatarou had done his best at amateur parkour and had just landed on the far side of the rooftop she just landed on. With a stumble, the accountant hit the ground and fell to his knees and looked up to find #10's face less than a foot away from his and closing in fast. Before he could even think as to how fast she got from her landing spot to his, she had already kissed him. The Veiled Sekirei uncharacteristically pulled away from the kiss quickly, eyes full of resolve and a glow surrounding her, as if she were some divine being. She spoke, "I gotta take care of some business, alright bro? Just sit tight," she finished with a wink and did a 180.
It was like the world was running at half-time. She could see the minute changes in Yashima's facial expression as she descended to land, from the clenching of her jaw in fear, to the determination in her eyes to follow her Ashikabi's directive and…something else Uzume couldn't quite put her finger on; the frown and furrowed brow were noticed but she failed to interpret the meaning behind them. The moment she did the about face, she absently noticed how easy the movement was. It was as if she didn't even send the command to turn, her body simply already knew. She made a note to speak of the difference between a Norito boost in a combat situation and some loving time with Hanatarou. Thinking of Hanatarou, she mentally squealed in delight before continuing her thoughts in coherent words, He's gonna see me be such a bada~ss! Although, with the way he looked at me with such fire when he first saw my battle outfit, I hope he's not too busy staring at my ass. Although he can look all he wants, he-heh! Oo~h, maybe he'll take me to a love motel afterwards? Or maybe… #10's thoughts quickly went to the gutter as she imagined just how she'd be ravaged and where, the daydream getting more and more debauched by the nanosecond.
Another thing about the Norito boost Uzume had experienced just now, yet wasn't quite conscious of was not only had her physical prowess get boosted several stages, so did her overall mental and even psychic abilities. Hence why despite the moments she spent marveling in her increased power and the little daydream she had took less than five seconds when normally it would take at most half a minute.
The Veiled Sekirei focused on the matter at hand; Yashima finally situated herself across from her, both Wagtails in a Mexican standoff. After a tense ten seconds, the gravity manipulator spoke up, "#84 Yashima."
Uzume understood her succinct statement, "#10 Uzume," and payed the same respect given to her.
Taking a wide stance and bracing herself, the hammer wielder called out, "Hammer of my pledge, shatter the enemy o-"
A/N: Anyone ever watch the Sopranos? That's partially why it ended this way. The main reason, I will admit, was I'm simply starving my readers for my mediocre story and I feel bad. Sure, I'm going to give you guys shit as I write on, as you no doubt noticed even now with that disgusting cliffhanger ending slash on point reference but I still want you folks to enjoy my work (besides, would you rather I give you shit than not give a shit? This is another way of saying, I'm not dropping this, I do care about you but I'm an asshole so it comes with some strings.)! Long breaks between chapters however, isn't the way to go about this so know that I will endeavour to get the next bit out to you sooner. This Sopranos thing will NOT come back. It's a one-time deal, mainly because someone did it to me and I'm well aware it's fucking awful (in a good way). Some of you might have noticed Matsu isn't overly perverted. Let me tell you this much: In a house where Miya isn't there to stop her, yet her lover is kind of acting spineless, she knows now's not the time to pounce. The walls around Hanatarou's heart have to be worn down more before she can really get things going.
Another point I'd like to bring up. Uzume has an accent. She talks kinda fuh-ny. I've read several works with her in them, either as a minor or major character and I'd like to put a different interpretation out there. One of the big things is I'm not overly (well, more like not at all[though I probably should?]) using the chuckle "he-heh" even though it suits her. Another is she's not going to call Hanatarou "bro" all the time. Sure she's a tomboy but she's aware, albeit subconsciously she can't stick herself into the position of being "one of the guys," even if she has no concept of the idea. Now, to more specific reviewer responses.
Shpongled Windseeker: I'm going to quote Severa from FE:A: "I'm just getting started!" Let me actually get into the real swing of things and you may find the relationships will be intricate. The only complaining point I see you having for what I have planned will be it took too long to get there, but that's a core weakness of mine.
Noire Ryjyn: This is a little harder than I remember. I want to give you your epic length chapters, I really do. But as I read the first, second and third draft of this chapter, I came to the same conclusion with each, although the second took longer for me to get there, and even longer for the third. I'm too longwinded. I get weary reading my own bloody works, and writers are usually biased towards their own stuff, whether they like it or not.
Anyway, gave a little background on our Ashikabi, built a little character, lightly laid out the framework for the first major arc. There's more to come ladies and gents, so stick around.
*: This is archaic, even for me. Barathrum is the name of Spirit Breaker in Dota. Notice how Spirit Breaker starts with the same letters as Scene Break? Yeah. That's a stretch I know, but I'm going to put more like that in here and I want you folks to at least have a fighting chance at catching them so I pointed this one out. Everybody gets one (alright, this one's easy).