A/N: Would have had this up sooner if not for having car troubles. A couple of weeks ago my car broke down on way to work. Had to pay almost $900 to get a new timing belt for it. It's back now, and hopefully I won't need to send it back to the shop for at least another year or two. This shit really set me back.

XXXXXX

Trial By Fire: Part I

Tsukiumi tenderly cradled her injured ribs, delicately clutching the area as if safeguarding a precious secret. The pain etched across her face was a tempest of anguish and discomfort, akin to a swarm of fiery hornets nesting beneath her skin. With each shallow breath, every step forward resembled a fragile bird, its wings fluttering desperately to escape a cruel trap. Summoning her strength, she extended her hand to her Ashikabi, who struggled to rise from the ground. As his grip tightened, a jolt of pain shot through his pierced palms, causing him to wince and his eyelids to twitch in response.

"My apologies!" Tsukiumi said, letting go of him once he was upright. The relinquished touch lingered momentarily as if suspended in the air, a fading memory of camaraderie. "Art thou alright, husband?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." he exhaled exhaustedly as the remainder of his lovelies joined him on their feet one after the other, save for one.

Tsukiumi gasped and Minato caught the sound of someone stumbling. He looked back to find Benitsubasa, having caught Kazehana mid-fall and was holding her upright. She had her arms around Kazehana's waist, and now Minato's face was devoid of anything but concern and fear for his lady.

"Kazehana! Are you alright?"

The windflower smiled amidst the concerned glances of the others surrounding her and Benitsu. "Never better–hrough!" Kazehana doubled over, the contents of her belly spilling at her unsteady heels.

Benitsu held firm as she let Kazehana have a knee. "No, you're not. You're really not." She corrected her shaking her head 'no'. Kazehana wasn't faking. Being a close-combat fist type, Benitsubasa had to be able to read body language like it was her fist. And the messages "windy tit's" was sending off was transparent and abashedly honest. "We need to get you that cure. Immediately."

"How are we going to get her up and out of the pool to go get it?" Haihane asked. "Do you think we may need to–"

"Don't even say it, Haihane!" Minato raised his voice enough to make Haihane jump, as well as the others. "Sorry for startling you, but nobody gets left behind."

"I'll just carry her on my back." Benitsubasa proposed.

"Let me go, Benitsu." Kazehana requested struggling to get herself upright again. "I-I think I'll be alright. It's just that the suspense in the air got to my head all at once. All I need is a minute to collect myself."

Benitsu did as requested and Kazehana took an attempted step forward. She didn't stay vertical for long though. She collapsed to her hands and knees and began coughing. More vomit tinged with blood spilled from her mouth moments later.

Kazehana!" Minato yelled, panic clear in his posture and expression as he stroked her back, helpless to do anything more to help her.

"We don't have a minute." Benitsubasa said harshly. "Not a moment to spare. I'm carrying you, that's that. Either that or we'll need to leave you behind."

"It won't come to that!" Minato hollered.

"Listen to her, Kazehana." Matsu pressed, resting her hands gently on her heaving shoulders. "Any more overexertion and who knows what might happen."

"Everyone just shut up and follow me up the pool ladder." Benitsu said, taking charge. She collected Kazehana in her arms and after some twisting, she was on her back. Benitsu aimed her sight at the pool's edge. "I'll go first so if she slips off my back one of you can catch her."

"Good idea, Benitsu." Minato nodded. "We're right behind you."

Not long after she made the order, the group had reached the summit of the pool's edge. One by one they crawled themselves over one after the other.

Minato came up second to last with Homura not far behind him, his eyes searching Kazehana's face with no small amount of confusion and even a touch of...anger, "Kazehana, you're going to be alright. I swear it." he said, which Kazehana smiled at weakly. "And Jigsaw is going to pay."

Painted arrows directed them to the only way onward. As the group approached the double door ahead of them Benitsubasa went to do that thing she was now known for only for Minato to seize her by the collarbone.

The pinkette hummed and glanced at him. "Sup, pipsqueak?" she asked.

"Allow me." he responded, and she stepped aside. His right leg hurled forward, the sole of his sneaker kicking the doors dead center. They flew open.

"Not bad." Benitsu critiqued him, her head bobbing up and down like a buoy in a stormy sea, riding the waves of comprehension and enthusiasm. "Your form was off though. Overall I give it a solid six-out-of-ten."

Minato clapped his hands of dust only to be instantly reminded of how bad an idea that was. "Ow!" he shrieked, shaking his hands.

"You good?" Homura asked

"Yeah." his Ashikabi hissed.

"I suggest we move on then." Homura said, instructing everyone to go inside.

A trail of blood dripped from Minato's palms as they all wandered into the darkness ahead where the stench of smoldering death immediately assaulted them all. Cold air clung to the walls of the lengthy corridor, the scent of dampness permeating the atmosphere like a ghostly reminder of decay. The doors slammed behind them as they always had and the wall-mounted lights suddenly thummed on.

Their eyes squinted as the sudden fluorescent assault made them dip their heads away. As their pupils adjusted, Minato and the flock found that Minaka had for some reason constructed a crematorium, and a big one at that. Did he wish to dispose of the evidence on site after these deadly games had finished? Beneath the domed ceiling the walls were lined with tightly packed rows of dozens of human-length ovens, some sealed and occupied by rotting stiffs, some wide open and empty.

As his Haihane did her best to focus on careful breaths, she forgot to look where she was going and stumbled into something: A rope ladder. On its rungs at eye level was the message: Trial by wind. She took a step back to climb it with her eyes. It hung from one of many platforms surrounding the circumference of the massive dome above.

"What would wind have to do with this?" she muttered.

The air, heavy and acrid, hung with the charred remnants of past lives. It clung to the skin like a deathly shroud, each inhalation tinged with a bitter tang that scratched at the throat and seared the lungs. The crackling flames within the sealed iron chambers danced with an unholy fervor, lashing twisted shadows over everything they swept past. The sizzling sound of flesh meeting fire reverberated through the room, a symphony of anguish and release. The crackling embers glowed like dying stars as the bodies were slowly reduced to ashes. The group did their best to maintain their distance from the oppressive heat and stink. It licked their skin, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps and nausea.

Directly below the domed ceiling in the center of this haunting chamber stood the centerpiece of dread—a monstrous, elongated furnace that stretched out like a malevolent serpent, its metal skin tinged with rust and stained with the residue of countless souls who had met their fiery fate within its maw. "Trial By Fire" was etched into the side by a blade held by one with no finesse.

Next to the extra-long furnace, oddly, was a bathtub, half full of grimy water with four automobile batteries and jumper cables next to it. "Trial By Water" was written on the floor between two of the batteries.

"Damn, this thing has to be like forty feet in length at least…" Haihane commented, knocking her knuckles on its solid alloy. The others joined her in her inspection. At the bow and stern were two iron doors, each with a quartet of slots. The one facing the doors they entered the room through was bolted shut, while the one at the opposite end was wide open. "What do you think the car batteries are for?"

"Probably to shock something," Homura said, voice echoing.

"Chances are that one of our later tests will involve electricity in some shape or form, and I doubt having wet clothes would help matters."

He went around the furnace to analyze things from another angle. "Or someone."

They came to the hatch at its entrance and Minato bowed to a knee and peeked his head inside. "Too dark to really see anything."

"That'll probably change once we find out what on earth to do here." Matsu said as he bowed his head out of the iron door.

"Look everyone," Tsukiumi called out. "I found a tape recorder."

"Good. Let's see what it says…" Minato said.

The water Sekirei thumbed 'play' and the group fell silent.

"Hello and welcome to your second to last lesson," John informed them. "Inside the device in front of you is the third and final antidote for the nerve agent which courses through one of your systems."

The group felt relief upon hearing that. It did not last long.

"However, retrieving it will come with a price. A game must be played to earn it. A trial of elements. Think long and hard about who should be the ones to brave each trial before you, for only one may enter to retrieve the antidote and there will be no turning back. Better hurry though, as in twenty minutes if no decision is made the antidote will be destroyed as well as any hope of the ill among you escaping this building with their life. If they have already perished, however, simply wait out the timer and proceed to the final game once the door unlocks. Further instructions will come once the chosen one has entered the trial by fire. Minato must brave the trial by wind and he may choose one partner to join him. Those remaining may partake in the trial by water. The choice is yours."

20:00…19:59…19:58…

"We're really cutting it close, aren't we?" Benitsubasa said, coming to a knee and letting Kazehana slide off her back against a wall. "Make your choice, pipsqueak. Who goes in?"

"Let me think for a moment."

"We can't afford to waste time!" Benitsubasa shouted.

"I volunteer," Kazehana weakly raised her hand, coughing.

"Not funny." Homura stated. "I'll go in. I am the Sekirei of flame after all."

"Yeah, and you're still covered in that sticky flammable gunk from when we saved you." Matsu pointed out. "Those flames touch you once and it's over. Let me do it."

"Nay, Matsu." Tsukiumi spoke up, stepping forward. "I shall venture inside."

"You sure about that, blondie?" Benitsubasa asked. "We just saved you."

Tsukiumi straightened her posture. "Positive. Furthermore, I need to do this."

Minato sensed a mournful determination in her voice as her eyes became glossy. "Tsukiumi, I know you're brave, but–"

"But nothing!" Tsukiumi fired back, squeezing her fist. She spun on her heel to face the others. "Precious time is wasting, Minato. Make thy ascent. Let us endure the game as one."

"Sounds like she's decided, pipsqueak."

"I know, but I'm still curious as to what's driving her decision." he elaborated. "I know Kazehana's sick, but something tells me there's more to this than that."

Tsukiumi's eyes fell to her boots, "Alas, there is."

"Tell us then." Matsu said. "Best get it off your mind."

"Following our capture, I had a moment of weakness."

"A moment of weakness?" Minato pressed.

"What do you mean by that?" Matsu added.

"I art responsible for the landlady's suffering." She revealed. "I madest her game unwinnable."

Unbeknownst to Miya, she was being watched. In another room in the condemned Church was a person draped in a red wrestling robe and hideous pig mask, as was usual for Jigsaw's goons. It watched her on a series of monitors, sitting back and enjoying the show just the way she had planned it.

"What, you mean Miya's dead?" Minato hyperventilated. "No, it can't be!"

"Worry not, Minato," Tsukiumi reassured him. "She is still alive, albeit unresponsive."

"I don't recall waking up at all following the staged kidnapping," Matsu commented.

"Indeed, thou wouldn't. Jigsaw had further use for Homura and me following the said scandal."

"What did he need of you?" Minato asked exasperatingly.

"He intended to fulfill a promise he had given Homura involving the game master." she explained. "As for myself, I was to be an overseer for Miya's trial. With all I had done to assist with forwarding the old man's plans, he instructed me to oversee the landlady's game."

"Why didn't he just have Akitsu run the show? He was building her to be a successor was he not?" Homura questioned.

"Do you not recall? He needed her and thee to retrieve the remaining Jinki," Tsukiumi replied. "He felt she was best suited for that role and at the same time needed someone he could trust so the landlady could face her obstacle unimpeded. He viewed me as the most honorable to their word, and I was until I learned something."

"And things went wrong I'm guessing?" Minato spoke, "What did Miya need to do?"

Tsukiumi clamped her eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"

*SLYNCH!*

*CLICK!/FLASH!*

*SLYNCH!*

*CLICK!/FLASH!*

*SLYNCH!*

*CLICK!/FLASH!*

*SLYNCH!*

*CLICK!/FLASH!*

"Maim her hands. She now has no fingers." Tsukiumi answered. Everyone cringed at the thought. "Jigsaw had explosives in her house that would have detonated if she hadn't done so. I was given full control of the test and was instructed to release her if she passed." Tsukiumi hung her head, a tear dripping from her nose's tip. "I decided against it."

"Why?"

"My mind was clouded by strong vengeance." She explained. Tsukiumi began to slowly pace back and forth in front of the furnace as she went into more detail. "A vengeance I felt was righteous at the time. I learned not long before the abduction of Miya's origins as the pillar of Sekirei. How the Sekirei Plan could have ended on her whim if she had just done something. Because of her inaction, everyone's lives were affected for the worst. We all suffered. Every Ashikabi and every Sekirei, you most importantly, Minato. She was a goddess among us all, yet nothing was expected of her but a single battle after all but one remained. She just got to sit in her cozy inn while we were left to all fall in battle one after the other and she still had the nerve to deny me the touch I desired from my husband all because she lost hers." her fist sailed into the steel, anger twisting her expression. "If she had acted Kusano would not have been slaughtered, yet she still firmly held her secrets long after that, and for what? For my husband to be taken by a serial killer as a manipulation tactic? It all just…spiraled out of control."

"So in other words you figured she was best left for dead?" Benitsubasa said. "Can't say I blame you."

"But Tsukiumi," Minato spoke, "didn't you want to participate in the tournament anyway? You're always going on about being the strongest and wanting to prove it."

"That was before I met you, Minato." Tsukiumi halted her steps and her watery eyes wandered to her Ashikabi. "All I wish for now is for us to live happily together. All of us." She glanced down at Kazehana who began to cough more. Tsukiumi sighed mournfully.

"How exactly did you go about rigging the landlady's test, Tsukiumi?" Matsu inquired. "Not trying to call you dumb or anything, but you're not exactly known for being handy with gadgets and gizmos."

"I sabotaged it the night before the abduction took place." she elaborated. "I used my water to short the safety mechanisms before it was fully constructed and Miya was fastened in. I used a blueprint Kramer left behind to locate them all."

"Did Jigsaw ever find out?" Minato asked.

"He did not." She replied. "The security cameras he installed turned on an axis. I timed my treachery when I wasn't in their line of sight."

"Ooh, she's a sneaky one." Benitsu chortled.

"So what happened after you sabotaged the trap?" Haihane asked.

"I stowed myself away in the monitor room as instructed and waited for her to awaken. When she did, I experienced what has to be the longest three minutes of my life. I saw her sever each finger one by one. Then as if on cue following the trap activating, the police department arrived. I narrowly escaped after one of them wandered from the group."

"Did he see your face?"

"Nay, Minato. I hath been wearing a mask at the time. He did manage to remove it though…and then…"

Then Katsuya looked up; the last mistake he would ever make.

*POW!*

She shook her head to clear the gory aftermath. "the young man paid with his life."

"You killed him?"

"Not personally. I led the man into a trap. I never knew buckshot could be so loud."

"Why didn't you leave the moment they started searching the building?"

"I wanted to ensure Miya's end. I used the computer console to try and make the process faster. I just wound up confused and it resulted in me nearly being caught."

"Are you remorseful?" Kazehana asked.

"Indeed. But not for the landlady. My grief lies with the innocent police officer who lost his life doing his job. Miya needed to fall, but not in that way. What I did was cowardly. I should have fought her, even if it resulted in me falling at her heels." Kazehana hacked up more blood. Tsukiumi blinked and turned her back to them, looking skyward. "There's no more time. Make thy ascent, Minato. Our love whilst guide us onward." She glanced over her shoulder. "I trust in thee."

Minato nodded and paced over to Tsukiumi, putting his arms around her. "I don't care what you did. All of this is Jigsaw and Minaka's doing. All of us are innocent as far as I'm concerned."

Tsukiumi rested both palms on his embracing arms gently. She smiled sweetly. "Oh, husband…" she let out a startled gasp as all the others who weren't sick joined in on the PDA. "Thank you, everyone." he glared at Benitsu, "Benitsu, you're with me."

"You got it." she said.

A moment later everyone pulled away and Minato turned on his heel, hightailing it to the ladder alongside the pinkette. He grasped the ladder's eye-level rung and began to quickly climb his way up with Benitsubasa following his lead. He kept repeating the mantra 'Don't look down.' in his mind on his way, faster and faster the higher he went. He pulled himself up to the platform waiting for him several stories above the flock. He found a lever on the wall.

"Alright, Tsukiumi, we're safe."

"Aye, Minato." The fierce water Sekirei gazed at the fiery maw before her with determination burning in her eyes. With the safety of her dear comrade at stake, she steeled her resolve and lowered herself into the infernal pit. "I art going in." The others observed Tsukiumi through the small opening she crawled through as she pulled herself forward upon knees and forearms. "My," she thought aloud, voice sounding tinny from reverberating off the alloy surrounding her. Her head slowly swept from right to left as she advanced further in. "Tis quite cramped." then her head bumped something in the dark. "Ow!" she hissed and rubbed her noggin.

"Something wrong, Tsukiumi?" Matsu questioned, concerned.

"What's going on," Minato hollered so they could hear. "Is everything okay down there?"

"Don't wander too close to the edge, pipsqueak." Benitsubasa lectured, seizing his shoulder and pulling back.

"I'm fine." Tsukiumi said. "My head just bumped something. Looks to be a barrier."

"She says she's fine, Minato." Homura called to him.

"If you can't go any further, try looking around. I know it's dark but your eyes probably adjusted."

"Indeed." she raised her head and looked forward. "Iron bars."

"What?" Matsu cried.

"The barrier is made up of iron bars. Tis akin to a prison window. I can make out another barrier just beyond this one too, made much the same. There looks to be several."

"I guess that's good to know. Can you squeeze your body through them?"

"Not with those tits I'm betting." Benitsu roasted her.

"What, are you saying you're better fit for this." Haihane cackled. "Because your boobs are mosquito bites?"

"Can it, you!" Benitsubasa shook her fist and blushed.

Tsukiumi rolled her eyes at the noise of their nonsense and turned around onto her back to get a better look at things above her. Like a beacon of hope, she spotted it—a vial glimmering in the darkness. "I believe I hath found it. It hangs above me."

"Really now?" Matsu wondered. "This sounds almost too easy."

"Pray tell, should I takest it?" Tsukiumi asked.

"You probably need to for the test to start." Homura concluded.

"Do you see anything else around you?" Haihane asked.

She dipped her chin at the light beyond the iron door. "Nay." she shook her head.

Kazehana upchucked again, the sound of which made Tsukiumi cringe. They wasted enough time. She had to do this now if at all.

"I can no longer dilly dally…" Tsukiumi reached out and clutched the vial tightly in her hand and dragged it toward her. Or attempted to at least. It didn't have much give at first, so she made an angry face and pulled harder. Then it was out. A second later the iron door slammed shut.

"Hey, why did the door close?!" Minato shouted.

"Why dids't thou shut the door?!" Tsukiumi yelled. She slammed her heel against her only means of escape. "Open up!" a cruel realization washed over her—her path back was obstructed, and the furnace roared to life at her brown heels. Every nerve in Tsukiumi's feet screamed in agony as the blistering heat invaded her skin and crawled up her frilly black dress like a fuse to dynamite. Realizing this, she disrobed immediately and kicked her burning garment away, her legs immediately retreating back to the rest of her body where she nursed them against the iron bars, scampering away as far as the furnace would let her. "Fool!" she cursed herself. "I should have known better than to go in wearing this!" She held her knees to her chest as she hurriedly undid the antidote from the mechanism above her, clutching it close to her chest. "Steel thyself, Tsukiumi. Breathe and remain calm…"

"Come on guys, we have to get her out of there!" Haihane panicked, grabbing the iron door only to immediately recoil from it scalding her palms. "Agh! Fuck!"

"It's no use." Homura argued. "The game has started. It's all up to Minato now."

Jigsaw's voice then came through on an intercom. "Hello everyone, I want to play a game. To endure this trial of elements, a team effort will be necessary from all of you. The rules are simple: Once this message ends a fire will attempt to cleanse the occupant of their sins. Every ten seconds the fire will advance inward. In order for the cure's retriever to escape with their life, a display of courage is needed from your Ashikabi. From where your Ashikabi and chosen ally stands are eight platforms. Each requiring a leap of faith. The ropes between them shall aid in this endeavor. Located on each platform are winches that must be turned. Doing so will allow the furnace's occupant to advance further inside and away from the flames that pursue them."

Jigsaw paused, and the domed ceiling groaned and groveled, its previously unnoticed central hatch creaking open, revealing a hidden malevolence. Minato and the group looked on in confusion as a mast began to descend from it. With an ominous thud, the mast finally reached its zenith, mere baby steps below the platforms Minato and his ally must traverse. The silence shattered as two monstrous rotor blades unfurled from the mast, stretching across the entire length of the dome with an unholy span. The blades' rotation, slow and deliberate, soon quickened its cadence. Their rotational force gathers momentum, a visible whirlwind of motion. The sound grows louder, building up to a crescendo of power, resonating through the surrounding space as it effortlessly flung the dust and debris below.

"Are those fucking helicopter blades?!" Matsu and Homura jointly shouted in disbelief.

Haihane's eye twitched, her head tilted skyward. "Only Minaka could come up with something this crazy…!"

"You may have noticed the bathtub. This is where the allies come into play. Surrounding the tub are batteries and jumper cables. In order for the forces of nature above and before you to shut down, a power surge must occur. In order for that to happen, the electrical current from each battery must be connected to the water. The batteries, however, have no power as of yet. To power them, Minato must flip the switch following he happened upon once he reached the ceiling. However, it will only work once each winch has been turned." Following another pause to let the information sink in, he ended things as normal, "...Let the game begin."

With every passing second, the blades become a blur of motion, defying the eye's ability to discern individual revolutions, a literal mindfuck. Their tips trace fiery arcs, leaving ephemeral trails in the air. The stench of the corpses had now all but vanished, the atmosphere now reverberating with an intense symphony of whooshes, blending into a harmonious cacophony.

As the helicopter rotors reach their pinnacle of speed, their rotation becomes a spectacle of sheer force. The air bends and contorts, trying to keep up with their voracious appetite for velocity. The blades' tips blur into a continuous circle, a seamless halo of power and precision. The wind howls, overwhelmed by the fierce push of air displaced by the oversized blender above.

Minato's eyes hung on the horror below him, his jaw unhinged. That was before Benitsu snapped him out of it.

"Minato!" she shouted. She shook him. No response. He was frozen solid. "Minato!" she shouted again. She grabbed him by the arms and spun him around to face her, then slapped him. "Wake up!"

He gasped and shook the cobwebs with a quick head shake. "What?!"

She paused, giving it a moment to ensure he was listening. "We got this…" her head bowed, but her eyes kept locked firmly to his jolted stare. "...right?"

He took a moment before forcing a nod, "Right!"

It wasn't the first time he had to lie to keep up appearances tonight. He was unsure of himself since the beginning, but now more so than ever.

Especially now since Kazehana had just slumped to her side and fainted.

XXXXXX

A/N: Yeah, I got nothing on this trap. I knew going into it that I wanted Minaka's hands all over it, to make it something only he would think up. I think I succeeded at that. I did notice some plot holes here and there in regards to the Tsukiumi twist. I plan to go back one day after the fic is complete to iron them out.

Fun fact: The Tsukiumi twist is actually a remnant of what I initially planned for the ending of the story years ago. My original direction for the fic was to make it a tragedy and to have almost everyone die. At the very end it would have been revealed that Tsukiumi was the one behind the deaths because she wanted to truly be Minato's one and only wife after it was all over. The only problem was that I simply did not want to write all the horrific tragic bullshit leading up to that twist, so I axed it and I feel the fic is better for it. The only thing that remains from that ending is Tsukiumi rigging the Miya test because I still wanted to keep a small element of that twist in the story.

Hope you all enjoyed. One more test remains after this one, and I can guarantee it will be the most emotional and climactic out of all of them.