Ice Chronicles
Chapter 23: Final Entities Pt. Seven
It's been three days since the Disciplinary Squad attacked me. During the past couple of days, I have been recuperating. My wounds have fully healed, but my arm however, is still broken. Right now, Takami and my uncle are checking my data.
"Alright Ren; you are now healed up and is allowed to leave today. However, your arm still needs time to heal. I say about one more day or two should be enough," Takami told me. "Just keep it in the cast, don't do anything stupid, and you'll be fine."
"Thanks for your help Mrs. Sahashi; I really appreciate it," I replied smiling. She returned my smile.
"Don't mention it; I'm just glad you're a well-mannered young man instead of a pervert like your uncle," she stated.
"Hey you're talking to a man working in a place with a bunch of hot women. What would you expect?" Clyde questioned. Takami continued writing.
"Your nephew is surrounded by seven really developed women, but he seems to be handling himself alright," she pointed out. I smiled at her response and scratched my cheek.
"I'll admit, my sekirei are good at tempting me; but I have gotten used to it," I spoke up. "Speaking of sekirei, I better let them know I can leave now."
"No need," uncle stated. He and Takami then started moving away from the door as he said,
"They'll be here in three, two, one."
On perfect timing, Musubi and Tskumi burst through the doors. I pointed at them and looked at uncle.
"How did you," I started. He laughed.
"Because the moment I called Takehito I heard these two leave the house and saw them down the hall," he explained. I nodded my head and looked back at the girls. I stood up and used my good hand to give them a hug.
"I'm glad to see you girls," I told them. They smiled and told me how they decided on who would pick me up when I could leave.
"Now Ren; let us be on our way," Tskumi stated. She then started dragging me along with her, but I dug my feet in the ground to slow us down.
"Bye uncle, Mrs. Sahashi; thanks again for helping me. Uncle, I'll give mom a call when I get settled in again," I said. Before he could respond, I was out the door and in the hallway.
"Tskumi, there's no need to rush."
"Yes there is; we need to get back to the inn before any pursuers show up. You may have recovered, but you're not in fighting shape, so we have to hurry," Tskumi replied. We reached the entrance, and I had to hang onto Musubi very tightly with my good arm on the way to the inn.
"Did anything good happen while I was hospitalized?" I asked them. Both then suddenly started snickering. I was confused.
"You'll see when you get back to the inn," Musubi said. I was even more confused. What happened while I was out? When we did arrive at the inn, Miya was out sweeping the walkway.
"Oh welcome back Ren; I'm glad to see you're okay. You had everyone worried more than usual," she said. I rubbed the back of my head.
"Yeah, sorry about that; I honestly was out looking for someone when I got attacked," I told her.
"Well, nice to see you back on your feet," Miya replied. She turned her head towards the inn.
"Ren's back!"
The moment she said that, the area started shaking. The door bust open, and my remaining five sekirei raced out and tackled me to the ground. Surprisingly though, my bad arm was held up to avoid damage.
"I'm happy to see everyone too; but take it easy with the hugs. My arm is still broken," I warned everyone. They got off me, allowing me to stand up. Kazehana then caused everyone to get jealous by hanging onto my good arm.
"Welcome home darling," she said and rubbed her head against my arm. I just turned my head and laughed nervously. You could plainly see the enviously auras emanating from my sekirei.
'Someone please help me.' I said in thought. As if on cue, Takehito walked outside.
"Well, look who is finally back on their feet," he stated smiling.
"I somehow managed," I told him. We all walked back inside, where Jason and his sekirei greeted me; but four were new to me. Makes me wonder what he's been doing.
"Glad to have you back Ren," Jason said. Ku then ran up and hugged my legs. I ruffled her hair and smiled. Then I pointed at the girls behind Jason.
"Your new sekirei?" I asked.
"Yep, now I have seven, just like you," he replied. I nodded in agreement then looked around.
"Where's Kagari?" I asked. That's when everyone immediately started snickering. I looked at everyone. Akitsu was the only one not laughing.
"What? All I did was ask where's Kagari?"
They snickered louder, making me scratch my head in confusion. One of the girls behind Jason walked up to me smiling. She was the one with the long gray hair.
"Hello Ren, it's good to see you again," she said. I just blinked my eyes.
"Uh, I'm sorry; but have we met before?" I asked. She giggled at my response.
"Yes, we have met; you should remember; I do," she said.
"Okay then," I replied with a quick nod. "Then do you know where Kagari is?"
Everyone started laughing again.
"Seriously, what's so funny?"
The girl stopped giggling and looked at me.
"Ren; I'm Kagari," she revealed. My mouth literally dropped after hearing that sentence.
"WHHHAAAAAAATT!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
I was flabbergasted. I looked at her from head to toe and no part of her resembled Kagari. I pointed my finger, but it was shaking in astonishment.
"You're Kagari?" I asked her.
"Indeed I am," she replied.
"I…but…you…how…why?" I stuttered
"Actually, my real name is Homura. Do you remember when you and Jason were saved from Sai and Ichiya? I'm sure you already knew, but that was me; and to prove it."
She held her hand out and a fireball conjured up. Now I know he or she is telling the truth.
"Okay; I believe you. But tell me; are you now a complete female?" I questioned.
"I am," Homura said with a quick nod. I continued to look flabbergasted. Uzume waved her hand in front of my face.
"He'll be fine; he just needs to get to use to this," she said. She shook me awake, and I regained focus. I looked back at the rest.
"Then who are these three?" I questioned.
"From left to right, these are sekirei no. 84, Yashima, sekirei no. 78, Nanami, and sekirei 40. Shi, and finally, sekirei no. 6, the new Homura," Jason introduced. The three said their hellos, but I think Shi might be scared of me because she hid behind Jason whenever I look at her. After I finally relaxed a bit, Takehito summoned Jason and me to the backyard. Everyone else came out as well to watch.
"Okay guys, the reason why I called you out here is to have you demonstrate your ashikabi prowess. I have felt a change in your abilities and want you to show me," Takehito explained. "Now activate your 'norito' if you would."
We nodded and then started our chants. Jason went first then I went after him.
"Shield of my power, give me the ability to defend against any attack. Stronger than steel, make my opponent's assault kneel. With defenses impenetrable, no attack is passable. To shield those precious to me, this is my contract; grant me use of Diamond Dax."
"The lightning flashed and the thunder crashed; make my speed reach a pinnacle that cannot be surpassed. Lightning and thunder come together fuse inside this being. Make my speed increase further. Grant me the power of Zonin Thunder."
A phenomenon happened as we chanted. A blue aura started forming around me and a red aura formed around Jason. I felt a strange sensation coercing through my veins; it felt amazing. The others were watching in awe as well. Takehito saw what is happening and smiled at us.
"Good you guys, it's reacting to your chant. Now execute your ability," he explained. We nodded again. I went first and started moving. A second later, I went from standing in front of Takehito to standing beside Akitsu. Everyone turned their heads, but I vanished back to where I was before they could catch me. Then I started moving in random places, kicking up dust trails as I race across the yard. Takehito nodded his head and smiled.
"Hmmm, not bad Ren; you have incredible speed. I bet you can match Kazehana with that speed. Alright, now to test Jason.
He then turned to the girls.
"Miya, are you ready?"
She smiled and stepped forward. In her hand, a katana was held tightly in her grasp. The look in her eyes changed. They were now menacing.
"Jason, Miya here will attack you with her sword. If what you described about your ability is correct, you should automatically deflect the attack. Don't worry about her hurting you; Miya is very skilled with a sword. Now prepare yourself."
Without a moment to spare, Miya rushed forward with incredible speed. Speed that rivaled Kazehana and my ability. She slashed the sword with its sheathe still on. When her attack landed, a gust of wind kicked up and dust spread out everywhere. Once the dust cleared, we saw Jason blocking Miya's attack with his wrist. There were no scratches anywhere. He was completely fine. Miya moved back and this time, removed the sword's sheathe.
"Jason, I have to say; you definitely have an impenetrable defense," she stated. I could see Miya's eyes become even more menacing. There was a sudden cloud of dust, and Miya dashed forward once more. Jason reacted to her overhead slash by crossing his arms and putting them in the line of fire, but she suddenly changed directions and slashed upward. The attack hit the bottom of his hand and stopped it cold. Jason was shocked at how close to his eye the blade came.
"Hm, excellent job Jason; but don't assume you will know your opponent's target." Miya stated and pulled back her blade. She sheathe the katana as Jason lowered his defenses. Takehito clapped his hands as he walked beside Miya.
"I'm impressed Jason and Ren. Your abilities are incredible. That's all I wanted to analyze. Now for something else of importance, I should tell you know Ren that there are only two sekirei left out there; and everyone is out looking for them. I don't know when your dreams will occur, but if occurs too late, then those sekirei will not be yours," he stated. "So far though, your dreams are happening in their own way; but that doesn't mean this one will be the same."
"Gotcha," Jason said.
"Understood," I stated. That's when something crossed my mind.
"Hold on, what about the other three ashikabis? Have there been any details about them being pursued as well?"
"I'm afraid not. There have been signs of attacks, but no one has been able to defeat the four ashikabi or any of their sekirei," Takehito stated. He turned around.
"But I'm sure everything will be fine. Just relax for now; you Ren especially need to."
He walked to the entrance with Miya following behind. That just left Jason and me along with our sekirei. Jason's which jumped him from watching him and Miya. I knew I was next so I quickly dashed away, but was suddenly caught by veils. I couldn't get free so instead, I ran around in circles at a quick pace. After counting to ten, I stopped and looked at what I did, which wrapped my sekirei in Uzume's veils. I smiled as I freed myself. I walked to my girls and began untying them.
"Sorry about that girls, but from now on, if you want a hug, you are to ask. I will gladly hug you. So no more jumping me," I said as I untied the veils and released them. I held my bad arm up.
"Remember, I still have a broken arm."
Yomi then pointed her finger at me.
"You should also remember that you will still be punished," she stated. I sighed.
"I figured as much," I replied.
'I still know the order though.' I said in thought.
"I will still accept anything you throw at me," I told everyone. They smiled and then walked to the inn. I could see Yomi pouting, knowing she would be last to go. Jason's sekirei went with mine and left Jason and me to ourselves. We sat on the patio.
"Man that was intense. I never knew Miya was so dangerous with a sword like that," Jason said. I laughed at his comment.
"At least you weren't harmed," I replied. "She's the definition of 'looks can be deceiving'."
"Yeah, I agree with that," he said.
"So what happened ever since I was hospitalized?" I asked. He looked up, thinking of past events.
"Well, I winged three sekirei in one day. I had to save Homura from dying. Your sekirei were watching this pole for your 'signal'. And that's about it," he stated. Jason then told me in more details about what happened. After he finished, it was already noon.
"Wow, you've been working a lot," I said. "But I do want you to tell me something; how did you first get involved in the sekirei plan?"
He scratched the back of his head and smiled.
"It started during the beginning of spring. I've been living in the inn for a while now; but before, I used to live with my grandparents. They allowed me to move here and they were kind enough to pay for fares, which is why I don't have to pay rent," he said and then cleared his throat.
"Anyway, I was working out everything with Miya and Takehito and started living here. That's when I met Ikki the next day. I was walking around the city, getting use to the landscape. I got lost a few times, but managed to find my way around. Then I heard this commotion and went to check it out. I saw Ikki and surprisingly the lightning twins fighting each other. I didn't know what was happening, but I just watched from afar. I was really focused on Ikki; she looked so cute that I couldn't look away. Anyway, I saw the lightning twins shoot their elements and double team Ikki. Now normally, you would walk away from someone who is able to shoot lightning, but I was actually amazed," he explained.
"You blew your cover didn't you?" I asked him. He scratched the back of his head and laughed.
"Actually no; you see, I didn't like that it was two against one. I had to get Ikki's attention to help her. She yelled at me though for getting in the way, but she listened. I told her a little suggestion, and she actually tried it. Ikki managed to drive the twins away, and we continued talking. On the same day, you could say we became a couple. I was then entered in the Sekirei Plan after winging Ikki. When I brought her here, I had to lie to Miya and Takehito saying Ikki was my girlfriend from my old town and she followed me. Thing is, I didn't know Takehito was a higher up in MBI and he knew I was lying. He explained the plan to me and what's going to happen from then on. That's how I met Ikki and started the plan. As for Kusano, it was the night after I first winged Ikki. I saw her in a dream. We were playing with each other like now; but she then suddenly disappeared. I remember the area in my dream and found her there, but she was being attacked by this girl with blond hair and a whip," he continued. "Ikki fought her off and we got Ku away safely; however, when Miya came to the door to let us in, she ran inside, ran back, and pointed a knife in my face for 'kidnapping' a little girl."
"That's understandable," I told him laughing.
"She gets jealous really easily as you know, but she's precious to me. That's basically everything; you already know the rest," he finished explaining. "And you know; I'm glad I met Ikki that day."
"Yeah, I know how you feel. Meeting Akitsu for the first time really changed my life," I stated. We continued talking about different stories we had with our sekirei. He also told me about the problem with Homura. We talked for a long time because it was already six o'clock.
"Jason, Ren; I have dinner prepared for you," Miya stated.
"Thanks Miya," Jason replied. She smiled and went back into the dining room. We stood up about to proceed inside.
"Oh yeah Ren; I like your good idea with the sekirei rotating in our rooms."
I looked at him confused.
"What idea?" I questioned.
"Huh? Your idea; the suggestion you said before leaving. Kazehana said that you came up with this idea about each night, our sekirei would sleep beside us and rotate in the order they were winged," he explained.
"I did?" I asked. "I never said anything like that."
"What? Seriously?" Jason questioned. I nodded yes, and we just kept it our secret. We did get into trouble at dinner. Thing is, since my right arm is broken, I can't feed myself. Soooo, Musubi is on my right and Uzume is on my left. Both are trying to feed me. Tskumi just broke her chopsticks in anger.
"Ren, if you dare accept that food, then you will punished even more," she threatened. I just laughed nervously.
"Jason, a little help here please," I requested, but he was in the same boat. Ikki was on his right, Nanami was on his left, and Ku was sitting in his lap. The three tried to feed him and had a determined aura about them.
"Um, I'm kind of in the same boat," he said.
"Ahhh," someone said. We turned our heads and saw the landlords doing the same thing. Miya was feeding Takehito, and he gratefully accepted. The couple looked at us.
"What?" They asked in unison. Jason and I sighed and just accepted being feed. Sometime later, Miya said she has prepared the bath, so Jason and I went to clean up.
"A bath sounds nice don't you think?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, it does," I replied untying the cast around my arm.
"You sure you should be doing that?" Jason questioned.
"Don't worry; I can wash it at least; I just can't do anything that will mess it up. That's why I told my sekirei not to jump me from now on," I told him. I put the cast in the basket with my clothes. I stepped into the water; but,
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I shrieked. I jumped out of the water and back up to the wall. The water was FREEZING cold. I looked at Jason, who is laughing his ass off.
"Did. Did you just scream like a little girl?" He asked.
"The water was freezing!" I yelled, causing him to laugh harder. I smiled devilishly and picked him up.
"Ren, what are you doing?" He asked. I walked to the bath.
"Wait. Wait a minute," he said. Before he could say anything else, I tossed him into the bath.
"AHHHHHHH, COLD SO COLD!" He yelled as he jumped out. Now it was my turn to laugh. I had tears in my eye. We then had to get Miya to reheat the water for us. As we bathe, Jason had a different look about him.
"Ren, can I tell you something?"
"Sure, I'm listening," I replied gently rubbing my right arm with water.
"I've been having these reoccurring nightmares. It's the same hurtful dream over and over again. I thought it would last only a day, but I keep having it. Why do you think that is?" He asked.
"Hmmm, what is the nightmare about?" I questioned. His expression changed immediately.
"Never mind; your expression is all I needed to know. I can't tell why really, but my guess is there's something related to you trying to show its face. What I mean is, there is something you haven't conquered yet and it's starting to run wild inside your head. You've been ignoring something important. That's only my opinion though," I said. He looked at the water with an angry expression.
"You have Ikki and the others for a reason. They can help you if you need someone to talk to; I'm also here."
We got out of the water, dried ourselves off, and put clean clothes on. I put my cast back on.
"Now if you excuse me, I have an ice goddess to speak with."
After saying that, I went in search of Akitsu, who was sitting on the patio looking at the night sky. She noticed my presence and looked my way.
"Hello master," she greeted. I smiled and hugged her from behind.
"Hey Akitsu; you have some explaining to do," I replied. She placed her hand on top of mine.
"Forgive me master; I know I said I wouldn't punish you, but I felt like I should teach you a little lesson," she said. "Are you angry?"
"No, I'm not angry. I was just surprised that's all. However, thanks to you, I was extremely cold. So, I am going to hug you to warm myself up," I told her.
"As you wish master," she accepted. I could feel many presences behind us. We looked behind us and saw my other sekirei leering at us. Tskumi and Yomi were completely jealous. Akitsu then added fuel to the fire by kissing me.
"I look forward to sleeping next to you tonight Master Ren."
Akitsu walked back inside smiling. I tried to stop her, but flinched before turning around to look at the others.
"Uh, I'm really happy to be with you girls again," I stated. "I was lonely while at the hospital. So; I will give you your hugs."
I held my good arm out and let them gather in. Akitsu then jumped in to get another hug. Later that night, she was lying with her head on my chest. I had my arm around her waist.
"Master, I was lonely without you," she stated. I smiled at her statement.
"I was lonely without you too Akitsu. I missed you so much," I replied. She rested on top of me.
"Master," she whispered. We soon drifted off to sleep and woke up the next morning. I was already awake, but I'm sure the others are still sleeping. I walked into the backyard and got some fresh air.
'She's still out there somewhere, and I have to find her. I wish I knew where to start.' I said in thought.
"Well you're up early," someone said from behind me. I turned and noticed Miya standing at the door.
"Good morning Miya; I always wake up early. I get it from my parents," I replied.
"I see. But are you sure you shouldn't be resting?" Miya asked.
"I'm fine; it's my arm that need to rest. I can't use it very often," I said.
"Well, I suggest you follow those words," she told me. I smiled and nodded my head.
"Yeah, I will. Also, have you noticed something wrong with Jason?" I asked. She put her finger under chin.
"Hmm, I have notice a change, but I'm not sure what's wrong," she said.
"He's been having nightmares lately. My guess is because he's been disregarding something important and his mind can't take it anymore," I explained.
"Oh well that's too bad," Miya said. "I hope he'll be alright."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," I replied.
"I agree," Miya said and walked off. I soon saw petals falling down and immediately knew who it was.
"You really know how to make an entrance," I stated. On cue, Kazehana appeared in front of me.
"Good morning darling," she greeted.
"Morning Kazehana; how long have you been up?" I asked. She walked forward and put her finger on my chest.
"I've been up ever since you've been up, but don't worry about that. I wanted to know if you remember what I've requested of you," she said. I nodded my head yes.
"I remember. You wanted to go out, and I could only call you nicknames. Saying your name will result in you getting one free command," I told her. I then blushed a little.
"Then after the date, we are to have our night together."
She kissed me.
"I'm glad you remember," she said. "I can tell that you're nervous about that. Well you shouldn't be. You've done it three times already; and I know two more will soon be added."
"Then you about Musubi?" I questioned. Kazehana giggled.
"I do now," she said. "That also explains why she snuck out one night."
It makes me wonder how much she truly knows. I suddenly wrapped my arm around her waist and hugged her.
"Oh? Can't wait now can we? Hehehe, I can feel your heart beating faster," she pointed out.
"It's because you're here with me," I replied. She kissed my cheek.
"I will always be with you," she stated smiling beautifully. We separated, and Kazehana proceeded inside, but she stopped at the door.
"One more thing, we will not be going in a specific order."
My eyes widened a little and she walked into the inn.
'But Yume said that they will be going in a certain order. Sigh, I bet she just said that to get my hopes up.' I said in thought. It might be a good time, but I was hesitate. I decided to go to Matsu's room and talk to her about something. Like I said, I was hesitate. Now that I know that orders are not happening, I'm being on guard. I slide the door open and saw Matsu at her monitors. She turned her head and smiled at me, which made me a little frightened.
"Morning Ren; you seem tense," Matsu pointed out. I rubbed my shoulder.
"Yeah well I just found out that you will not be going in a certain order," I replied. She fixed her glasses and continued to smile.
"Is that so? Well you heard right," she said. I sighed hoping it was a joke. I looked back at her and saw her holding her arms out at me.
"You girls really like hugs," I replied.
"Only if you're the one giving them," Matsu stated. I granted her request and gave her a hug. After that, we were just sitting in her room with some tea Miya prepared. I took a sip of mine, but it tasted strange. It tasted different from normally. I looked at Matsu, who had a devilish smile across her lips.
That's when it happened. My entire body became paralyzed. Matsu then crawled to me and took the cup from my hand. I couldn't move any part of my body.
"Matsu; what did you," Matsu interrupted me by pushing me down on my back with my limbs spread out. She then tied my arms and legs to four different places. She then smiled down at me.
"Matsu?"
Her lenses shined and she moved her fingers up and down repeatedly.
"Now it's time for my experiment," she stated. Matsu suddenly pulled out this machine with big white hands.
"The effects of your paralysis will last for about five minutes; however, I plan to keep you immobilized longer than that. Now then, let's begin."
She activated the machine and its hands began moving towards me. I gulped a little spit and braced myself. That's when it began tickling me in my ticklish parts. I couldn't hold back my laughter and burst out.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I…I can't breathe. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Even if you beg, I will not release you," Matsu stated. She turned up the power, making the machine tickle me harder. She kept at it for three hours straight. She did stop tickling me, but I was panting heavily. The effects wore off hours ago. She rubbed my cheek.
"You have been tortured enough, so I'll let you go now." She untied me, but I was too worn out to move.
"Like I said in the hospital, you will be sore."
"Huff, huff, very sore," I replied. She giggled at me and wiped the sweat off my face.
"I can't even move now. Another thing, how did you slip the potion in the tea? Miya was the one who brought it in, and I was closer to it. Wait; it was Miya wasn't it?"
"Hmhmhmhm, I had her put the potion in your tea. I knew it wouldn't work if I did it while you were in here. So, after hearing you talk to Kazehana, I asked Miya to make something to drink and put the potion in yours so you would never know," Matsu explained.
"But how did you know I would choose the right cup?" I questioned. She took the opportunity and lay on top of me.
"It's a common thing for people to grab the cup closest to them. Miya purposely set the cups so that yours would be closest to you and mine closest to me. Your instincts told you to grab the closest cup; and that one had the potion," she elaborated. Matsu hovered above me and kissed me.
"Can you move now?" She asked. I tried moving my limbs. Thankfully, I could move them again. I sat myself up with Matsu sitting on my lap. My body was still sore from the tickling. My broken arm though is still fine as well.
"Sigh, this is only the beginning isn't it?" I asked back. She nodded yes and showed her trademark grin.
"This is only to teach you something. We are not angry at you," she reassured me. I sighed.
"Now I suggest you go before you get into trouble again."
She kissed me again, and I left her room. I was still sore so I had to use the wall to keep myself up.
"Man, what happened to you?" Someone asked. I looked up and saw Uzume standing in the hall.
"Matsu's punishment; she paralyzed me, tied me up, and tickled me for three hours straight," I told her. She started snickering.
"Wow, sucks for you. Hmm, now I want to punish you so come with me to my room," she ordered. I sighed and followed her. I hoped her punishment was not as bad as Matsu's; but it was just as worse. Right now, I am wearing a blue maid's outfit that Uzume made oddly for me. She laughed as she studied me.
"It kind of suits you," she stated. She asked me to make different poses; and I couldn't back down either. The entire time, I was blushing embarrassed and Uzume was taking pictures. She finished and pulled out another outfit. This time, it was a suit and tie.
"Now wear this," she said. I reluctantly switched outfits. Uzume handed me a platter and told me to make different poses again as she took pictures.
"Please tell me you won't show anybody those pictures," I said. She smiled at me and went through them.
"That depends; I honestly want to," she said. Uzume walked to me and touched my chest.
"However, if you act like a waiter for everyone, I will not show anyone the photos. I will keep them, but I won't show the others."
If I didn't want the others to see those photos, I had to agree. I nodded my head yes.
"Fine, I'll do it," I stated. Uzume clapped her hands together and went to gather everyone to the dining room. I was to wait by the stairs for my signal. That's when Miya came to me with a platter of cups and snacks.
"Ren, Uzume told me what she's doing. So you are to serve these to everyone, including me," she explained to me. I took the platter from her and counted everything on the platter. There were SEVENTEEN cups and plenty of cookies. I'm surprised I can carry this thing.
"Good luck."
Miya walked back into the room. A minute later, I heard a bell go off. That was my signal to come out. Everyone was sitting at the table, looking at me with the platter in my hands. I started going around the table gently setting the cups and cookies down.
"A cup of tea and cookies for the beautiful ladies; and some for the handsome gentlemen," I said like a gentleman. When I got to Yomi, she asked me,
"How much do I owe you?"
I smiled at her and responded.
"There's no need; your beautiful smile is more than enough."
She blushed brightly and returned my smile. I then got to Kazehana.
"May I have another treat?" She asked.
"Of course milady," I answered. I took her plate and served her another.
After serving everyone,
"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask me."
That's when Uzume stopped me and asked,
"What do you love best about serving people?"
Everyone looked at me, waiting for my response. In my head, I sighed; but in reality, I smiled at them.
"I love to see everyone's delighted smile. To know that their wishes have been fulfilled, pleases me greatly. I love to see the beautiful smile of a satisfied customer," I stated. I bowed and left the room, where I heard everyone clapping. I walked back in and talked normally.
"So how was that?" I asked.
"Very good performance," Yomi stated.
"I'm amazed; you really knew what to do," Miya said. "I think you did a wonderful job."
"Good because I won't be doing this again," I stated. My girls whined in disappointment.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a suit to put back," I said and walked to Uzume's room. After I put the suit back, Uzume walked in and closed the door.
"Very good performance out there," she complimented. I scratched the side of my face.
"You think so? I was honestly nervous," I said. She giggled.
"You were? But you always talk like that, so I thought it would be a breeze," she said. Uzume held up her phone.
"Now then, I remember our agreement; but I will only honor it if you kiss me."
She walked forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. We closed the distance between each other and kissed for a few minutes. We separated and she hugged me.
"Three down and five to go; I say five because I know someone is reacting to you. I wish you luck."
We walked out her room, but she had a sly smile across her lips.
"Ren; remember how I said I wouldn't show the others your photos?"
"Yeah," I replied with a quick nod. She rubbed the back of her neck.
"Well, I didn't include Chiho in that. Sooooo; bye," she stated and ran out the inn. I was too slow to stop her and could only sigh and face palm myself. I looked at the time and noticed that it was eleven in the morning. I walked down the hall and met Jason's sekirei. They looked sad about something, telling me that something is bothering Jason.
"What's wrong with him?" I asked. Ikki shook her head.
"We're not sure. He refuses to talk to us about it. Not even Ku can get him to talk, so we wanted to know if you could try," she said.
"Leave it to me," I stated. They told me where he is, and I found him sitting on the patio with his knees up and his head on his arms.
"What's wrong Jason?" I asked. He didn't look my way.
"I'm just looking at the sky," he lied. I knew he was lying. I saw the look in his eyes and knew what he's thinking.
"You're thinking of the past aren't you?" I questioned. He lowered his head more, telling me that I'm correct. He knows I have him so lying is out of the question.
"How did you know?" he asked back. I leaned against the door.
"Because I know that look in your eye. No one would have that look if they were thinking of good events," I explained. He stayed quiet for a while.
"Ikki and the others sent you didn't they?" Jason questioned.
"They did; and I'm here to see what's up," I told him. "Your girls are worried about you, and you won't talk to them, which is making your sekirei sad. You don't have to talk about it; but it may make you feel better if you do."
Jason sighed and continued to look down. I sat down beside him and rested my head on my left palm.
"A long time ago, I used to live with my mom, dad, and little sister. We were a happy family and loved each other very much. But my sister Sabrina, she was born with a weak body and was mostly hospitalized. Sabrina and I always played together, but I absolutely made sure not to exert her. Sabrina's body was fragile and exerting herself too much would hurt her. Everything was going fine; until my parents started to change. My father, he didn't like that my sister was so weak and blamed my mom for Sabrina's weakness. He ended up leaving us so he wouldn't be around in case the worst happened. It started tearing us apart, but it made my mom change drastically. After dad left, mom blamed my sister for it; and everything went from bad to worse. Every day, my mom would beat my little sister for causing dad to leave. Every day would be the same and every night, I would be lying beside my sister comforting her as she cried her eyes out. She had many bruises and a few cuts. One day she asked me, 'Big brother, why does mom hate me so much? Did I do something wrong? Have I angered her?' I couldn't tell her anything inspirational so I just held her. Another day, I went to my neighbors as quick as I could and told them what's been happening. However, they never knew dad left and mom changed so they just thought I was talking nonsense. I ran back home, but I found Sabrina on the ground covered in bruises. She had to crawl over to me for me to hold her and cry. And the worst part is, I couldn't do anything to help her. I couldn't do anything to make things right. All I could do is stand there and watch like a little helpless child! All I could do was watch as my sister cried in pain!" He shouted and banged his fist on the floor.
Jason raised his head, but rested his forehead on his fingers to hide his eyes. I heard people behind us and looked to see, only to see all our sekirei, including Uzume, at the door. Jason's were in tears and mine were nearly there. Musubi pretty much broke down and ran off before making a sound.
'That's Yume and Musubi together; they couldn't handle it.' I said in my head. 'Since it's both of them combined, they're tolerance level for this is incredibly low. I looked back at Jason, who was in tears himself. Even though his eyes are covered, I can plainly see the drops falling down his cheek. He gritted his teeth.
"Jason, if it's too much, then you don't have to say anymore," I told him.
"Have you ever felt so useless in your life? Have you ever witness someone you love in so much pain and all you can do is watch them suffer?" He questioned ignoring my statement. "It wasn't her fault though. She didn't know her body would turn out to be so weak. So why? Why was she the only one who suffered? Why was it her who had to go through so much pain. Why did she have to be born with a weak body?"
Jason was now shaking as more tears fell down his face. I looked back at the girls and saw that all of them were in tears with their hands over their mouths. I went back to Jason.
"Jason, there's no more for you to say. You can stop now," I told him.
"One day, I made the worst mistake in my life," she stated still ignoring my words. "I had a plan and was about to initiate it. I made sure mom was preoccupied with something for a good period of time. My sister wasn't feeling too well, so I had to act fast. I ran next door for about five minutes, just five minutes. I asked our neighbor if I could use their phone, lying that mom was using ours. They allowed it, and I called for help. The people I called said they would see the situation, and I hurried back home."
"Jason, please stop," I begged. He didn't listen and continued, but he was on the verge of breaking and talked in a sobbed voice.
"When I opened the door, I found Sabrina lying on the ground again; but this time, she was covered in more bruises, there was blood on some areas, and she was unconscious," he said. "I went over to her and tried to wake her up, but she didn't respond. I could hear a little mumbling."
He sobbed a little louder and shook more. Once more, I looked at the sekirei. Mine have left, but Jason's were still at the door in more tears than before. I could feel them breaking. One last push was all they needed; but there was one question. One question that needed to be asked and answered; and I was going to regret asking it.
"Jason; what happened to Sabrina?" I finally asked. That questioned caused him to cry loud enough for everyone to hear. There was no use hiding his face so he lowered his arms, letting me get a clear view of the stream of tears falling down his face.
"She died," he stated. His sekirei dropped to their knees after hearing that. Everyone was full of tears.
'Let it all out Jason; it will be okay.' I said in my head.
"Her body couldn't sustain the damage she's taken and her health deteriorated. In those five minutes I was gone, she died and passed away; and it was all my fault!" He exclaimed. Jason pounded his fist on the floor again in sadness and anger.
"It was all my fault. I was the one who left her! I was the one who couldn't help her! I was the one who abandoned her when she needed me most and just left her there to die! It was all my fault! If only I wasn't so useless! If only I had been there for her! If only I had been a better brother! I was her older brother and yet I couldn't do anything to protect her; why am I so useless?! It's not fair!"
He finally let everything out and cried aloud. His sekirei walked out and gathered around him. They wrapped him in a tight embrace as the eight of them cried. Jason didn't look up so instead hugged the person in front of him, who happened to be Ikki. I left them alone and walked inside to my sekirei. I hugged them to comfort them.
"Don't keep things to yourself and tell me if anything is troubling you. I will gladly listen to your troubles," I stated. "Listen, I'm going to cheer Jason up. I swear I will be back safe and sound; I swear on my life that I will be back and welcome you with a nice big hug."
They looked at me and slowly nodded. I kissed their foreheads and asked Uzume to wrap some of her veils around my arm and a piece around my shoulder to hold it up. I then gave them a kiss and walked back to Jason. He seemed to have calmed down and his sekirei are cuddling a part of his body. I walked in front of them to get their attention.
"Jason, I am here to help you. Come with me for a walk; it'll help calm your mind," I told them. He looked at me.
"Trust me on this; I don't go out on walks to get into trouble. I do it to clear my head of anything negative; and right now, that's what you need to do."
He didn't respond and thought about it.
"Girls, I'm borrowing your ashikabi so get your hugs and kisses in before we go."
I was basically taking him anyway, so they did as I said. Now Jason and I are at the front door entrance.
"We'll see you later girls," I stated. The girls watched us leave the inn and make our way to who knows where.
"Sigh, I know I'm gonna get into trouble for this," I stated. I was hoping Jason would laugh, but he just kept his head down.
'Well that didn't work.' I said in thought. We kept walking, trying to enjoy the cool breeze; I enjoyed it, but Jason kept the depressed look on him. That's when we came to a familiar area. I looked up at the sky and suddenly saw four people jumping across the building. I counted them and count four exactly. I showed a serious expression; it's time to act.
"Jason; you have two choices," I told him. I pointed at where the four people are and his eyes widened.
"First off, you are not useless; and you're going to prove it. So here are your choices. You can either A; stay here and mope around like little child. Or B; you can get off your ass and help the sekirei reacting to you. If want to be useful, then there's a sekirei that needs your help. So; what's your decision?" I interrogated. He looked down at the ground.
"I…I choose,"
A/N: All right guys, here is the next chapter. I'm sorry if there wasn't any action, but everyone has been asking me to explain how Jason entered the sekirei plan. So, here it is; and I just had to explain his backstory about Sabrina. Now you know more about Jason. The next chapter will be the finale for this arc, which will introduce the two sekirei Ren and Jason have been dreaming of. Also, do you guys like the punishments I've put in. I had people send in ideas and I really loved them. If you guys have any ideas for the next chapter of a future one, I'm all ears. Like Ren said, I will gladly listen to anything you have to say. If you have anything you want to discuss, don't hesitate to ask me. One more thing, compared to the other authors you're following, who would you say is the fastest up loader? Well this has been MalevolentDarkness16; I hope you enjoy this chapter. BYE!