Before I begin the story, here is the poll for the Jason x Chiho pairing.
3 – yes
0 – no
Keep voting guys; I actually want to see how it turns out. Now, without any further ado, enjoy.
Ice Chronicles
Chapter 38: The Plan Pt. Two
I woke up at five in the morning, mostly due to my habit but also because I remembered Jason telling me how he had something important to tell me. I felt weight on my being and saw Uzume resting on top of me. Neither of us was naked and she was the only one in here besides me.
'Oh yeah, she wanted to sleep next to me.'
I stroked her hair as I managed to get up without disturbing her. I walked over to my dresser and grabbed some lounge pants to wear. Jason told me he would arrive around six so I proceeded to the room door, but someone grabbed my wrist. I looked behind me and saw Uzume reaching out to me.
"Where are you going?" She asked. I walked over to her as she sat up.
"I'm going to wait downstairs for Jason; he said he wanted to tell me something important," I replied.
"Okay," she whispered. I kissed her cheek, but she moved her head and we kissed instead. I went back to moving downstairs, but Uzume hugged me from behind.
"Let me come with you; I want to hear it too."
"Alright, let's go," I complied.
"Carry me please," she requested. I couldn't help but smile at her. She held her arms out, and I picked her up bridal style, carrying her downstairs as she leaned her head on my chest; but she looked sad.
"What's wrong Uzume?" I asked. She moved a little.
"I'm sorry Ren."
We sat down in the living room couch with her in my lap.
"This is still about yesterday isn't it?" I asked. She simply nodded.
"What's the problem?"
"I'm still worried about Chiho," she replied. "I know you said to have faith in everything, but it's just nerve racking for me; I can't stop thinking about her. I just want her to stay safe; I wish she was never involved in this mess."
I held her close to my chest and rubbed her hair and she hugged me back tightly.
"I understand that you're worried about her and that this is painful to bear, but I promise you that everything will work out in the end."
She looked up at me with tears filling up her eyes.
"Believe me Uzume; I'm worried about her just as much as you."
I cleared her face before the tears fell.
"I'm just so scared, sad, and hurt; I can't stand it, all I can do is wait and it's tearing me up inside," she whispered into my shoulder. I gave her another tight hug. She rested her head on my shoulders and looked at me.
"I understand Uzume, but you have to be strong for her; we can't do this if you don't have faith in this plan."
I rubbed her head again as she placed it in the nook of my neck.
"Do you have faith in me Uzume? Do you trust me?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"Do you want to see Chiho safe and sound?" I asked.
"More than anything," she replied. I kissed her forehead.
"Then stop crying Uzume; it will only make things worse. I'm sure Chiho isn't crying so you shouldn't either," I stated. "I understand how you feel Uzume, all you want is for Chiho to be safe; I get that, but nothing will happen if all you do is cry about it. I know you're strong Uzume; and I'll do anything to make you feel better. We're going to safe Chiho, no ands, ifs, or buts."
"But…"
"Ah-pa-pa-pa-pap, no buts Uzume," I interrupted. She opened her mouth to speak, but I pushed her down and kissed her passionately, roughly sticking my tongue in her mouth and flicking hers gently as I ran it around hers. I placed my hand on her waist and pulled her against me. She ran her fingers through my hair as she let out a soft moan. I pulled back from the kiss as she let out a soft gasp, having a small strand of saliva connecting our lips.
"I don't want to hear any negative things from you, understand?"
"Yeah," she whispered. I caressed her cheek.
"I want to make you happy again Uzume. What do you want me to do; please, tell me and I will do it."
She kept my hand on her cheek.
"I want to kiss more."
I smiled warmly at her.
"As you wish," I replied. That's when I heard a faint knock at the door. I gave Uzume a peck on the lips and went to the door. Upon opening it, Jason appeared behind it.
"Hey man," he greeted. Uzume and I greeted him back and let him in. He sat on the chair across from us and twiddled his thumbs.
"So what was so important that you needed to tell me Jason?" I asked. "First off, is it good or bad?"
"It's all good, but it's something you two will have to agree on," Jason replied. Uzume and I looked at each other and then back at Jason, who looked up at us.
"Yesterday, while I was with Chiho, I learned something."
"Was it about her parents?" Uzume asked. Jason nodded and leaned in the chair.
"When I heard her story, she told me how she was glad to have you two around. When she tried remembering her parents, all she saw was you two; and I can see why actually. Uzume always make sure she's happy and tends to her needs, acting like a mother should. Ren is like the big, strong father who would die for his family."
"What are you trying to say Jason?" I asked. He intertwined his fingers and held his fingers and held his hands in front of his mouth. He gave us a serious expression.
"When we manage to cure Chiho and she's out of the hospital, do you think you two could adopt her and make her your daughter?"
Uzume became wide-eyed as my mouth dropped. Jason's gaze never faltered, telling us that he's completely serious. He didn't say anything else and waited for a response.
"Hold on, repeat that please," I said.
"Will you two take Chiho in as your daughter?" He repeated. "The reason why I'm asking is because I believe that she needs someone to look after her. She needs you two to give her the love she needs. So I'll ask once more; will you take Chiho in as your daughter?"
Uzume and I looked at each other.
"We need to think about it," I replied. Jason nodded in agreement and stood up.
"That's all I'm asking; and I'll be looking after her after ten. I'll be back when it's time for combatants to be chosen."
He left after saying goodbye, leaving Uzume and I to think about his question. Uzume turned sideways to me, resting her head on the head pillow.
"Well, what do you think?"
I thought about it for a little bit.
"I'm not sure really."
"We should do it," she replied quickly. I looked at her.
"That was quick; have you been considering it for a while?"
"Not really, but now that he mentions it, we should agree with Jason. I think that would be the best choice for Chiho," she said.
"Still, I don't think we're ready to be parents," I replied. She scooted closer to me.
"Don't say that; you and I both know that she needs us and that we're more than capable of taking care of her."
She placed her palm on top of mine.
"Please Ren; you said to be strong for her. This is the strongest thing to do for her. Please?"
I let her words sink in.
"Let me think about it some more; I'm still not sure."
Uzume hugged me.
"I understand."
She looked me in the face and brought her face closer, kissing me softly. She guided my hand to her cheeks again and separated.
"I want to continue from where we left off."
I laid her down on her back.
"As you wish."
I kissed her again as she wrapped her arms around my neck. She pulled me closer as our lips moved in tandem. I gently dragged my hand down her legs and massaged her thighs, eliciting a soft moan to come out from her mouth, which parted as our tongues danced around once more. Oxygen was needed so we broke the kiss, but she kept her hands on my cheeks.
"Ren; I have something important to tell you also."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Do you remember that day when you asked me to think about why I should give you my virginity to you?" She asked. I simply nodded my head with a serious look on my face.
"I want to give you my answer."
"I'm listening," I replied. She gave me another kiss on the lips.
"I love you Ren; that's the best way for me to confess. I. Love. You; and being with you is the best thing to ever happen to me. You don't know how happy I am when I'm with you. Every time we hug, I feel so secure. Every time we kiss, I feel so much love; and whenever I hear you say you love me, my races so fast that I feel it might explode. I just want to be with you so much; you're always there for me, even when we didn't know each other."
"What do you mean by that last part?" I asked.
"Remember when we first met, I was angry and accused you of some stuff?" She asked back.
I nodded.
"I'm sorry about that; I wasn't angry at you. I was just having a really bad day. I was agitated because Chiho was getting worse and I suddenly ambushed by Higa's sekirei; it was just a bad day. I honestly didn't mean to accuse you of anything, but I thought you were trying to do the same with Higa. The bottom line is, I'm extremely grateful for all you've done; I've never met an ashikabi like you and I'm glad that you're mine."
She pulled my face closer and kissed me.
"You're amazing."
Another kiss.
"Strong."
Another kiss.
"Smart."
Another kiss.
"Compassionate."
Another kiss.
"And I just love you so much."
One last kiss; she looked me in the eye.
"Ren, please make love to me."
I kissed her forehead.
"Do you believe I earn it?"
She pouted at me a little.
"Ren, you know how we all feel about you. There's no doubt in my mind that we wouldn't say you deserve this; we know you just want to hear us say it, but you already know our answer. So no more asking if you deserve anything from us when you already our answers," she replied bluntly. I kissed her lips.
"Then let's; but not now okay?"
She smiled and closed her eyes, wanting to continue our session, which we did with heated passion.
P.O.V Change Jason
I was on my way back to Izumo Inn. I was pondering if I did the right thing about telling Ren and Uzume how Chiho felt about them. I just kept thinking if it was my place to tell them. I heard the sounds of birds chirping and felt the light rays of the now rising sun. I approached the walkway of the inn and stopped at the door.
"I wonder what their choice will be."
I opened the door quietly, but was immediately caught by Miya and Takehito. They didn't seem angry, which was good in mu opinion.
"Am I in trouble?"
Takehito spoke first. "No, but I would like for you to explain where you went to so early."
There was no use keeping it a secret.
"I needed to talk to Ren and Uzume about something."
"And that would be?" Takehito interrogated, resulting in me sighing.
"I asked them if they could adopt Chiho and make her their daughter."
They simply stared at me.
"Say what now?" Takehito responded.
"Yesterday, Chiho told me that her parents died when she was young. So, after hearing how she felt towards Ren and Uzume, I asked them if they would take her in as their daughter so she would have a family again," I explained. Takehito responded.
"And what did they say?"
"They wanted to think about it, which I understand because I just sprung it on them," I said.
"Well, you just have to wait and see. In the meantime, you better get some more rest. It might your turn today," Takehito notified. I nodded in agreement and went back upstairs to my room, where I found my sekirei, except Homura, still sleeping; however, I saw Shi breathing heavily. Her back was turned to me so she didn't see me come in. I proceeded over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Shi, are you okay?"
She tensed up and screamed, pushing me away.
"NO! Don't hurt me!" She yelled. Her screams woke the others up. They shot up and saw Shi hugging herself as she cried her eyes out. I crawled over to her, hearing her repeatedly whisper to herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry; please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me; I'm sorry."
Suddenly, Homura burst through the door with fire in her hands.
"What happened? Who screamed?" She interrogated. The landlords soon appeared with Miya carrying her wooden sword. They saw Shi in the same condition as she continued crying to herself.
"What's wrong with her?"
I sighed. "She had a nightmare about her previous ashikabi."
There was a moment of silence.
"Wait what?" half the room said. I stroked her hair, but when she saw me, she screamed again.
"Please, don't hurt me! I promise to obey!"
I grabbed her wrist, but she tried pulling away from me. I grasped her other wrist and pinned her against the wall. She continued to shake and scream.
"Shi; I'm not that man. I'm not going to hurt you and I refuse to make you do something against your will."
She stopped squirming, but kept her eyes shut as tears continued to fall. Softly, I continued talking.
"Listen to my voice Shi; I'm not the ashikabi you were with before. I'm not the man who caused you so much pain. I'm the one who saved you from that man. He can't, and won't bother you anymore."
Shi slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.
"Jason?"
I smiled at her.
"Who else would it be?"
She threw herself at me, hugging me tightly. I returned her hug while trying to calm her down.
"Okay hold up, who is this man you keep talking about; and what do you mean by previous ashikabi?" Homura asked. I didn't turn around but responded either way.
"Takehito, is it okay if I told them?"
"Might as well," I heard him say. I stroked Shi's hair some more.
"It was the day I met Nanami and Yashima; they were being attacked by this man. Because of the rules, they couldn't attack and could only let it happen; but then Ikki and I came along and saved them. I pissed the man off, and he forced Shi to kill me, beating her if she refused. As Ikki fought her off, I contacted Takehito and asked him to tell me how to sever Shi's bond to her ashikabi."
"You can do that?" Kaho asked. I nodded.
"Takehito tried hiding it, but I overheard him talking to Miya and Homura one day. After winging Nanami and Yashima appropriately, I freed Shi from her shackles; and to be honest, I thought she was going to run, but she chose me instead. That's how Shi came to be mine."
"He didn't tell you all because I forced him not to. Ren doesn't even know and he will continue to not know, understand?" Takehito questioned. We all nodded and watched the landlords leave. I looked back at Shi as I continued rubbing her hair.
"Her nightmare made her like this," I said. Shi managed to calm down and drifted off to sleep again.
"You all better head back to sleep as well; I will be attending my duties at ten so I want you all to meet me at Ren's house. I'll arrive there just in time for the next combatants to be selected."
"You're going to see her again?" Ikki questioned with jealousy in her tone.
"That's what Ren and Matsu assigned me to do, but I understand that you're jealous," I replied.
"Have fun," Homura stated with a yawn. The girls' focus shifted to her.
"How are you so calm about this?" Kaho asked. She leaned again the wall with her arms crossed.
"I have nothing against him taking care of Chiho. You're all just worried that she'll take him away from you."
They blushed, causing me to laugh softly so I would wake Shi.
"Don't worry girls; I'm still loyal."
'Despite the fact that Chiho and I hugged twice yesterday.' I thought. I turned my head and flinched at seeing everyone except Homura glaring at me angrily. Homura just covered her face and sighed.
"I said that out loud didn't I?"
"Yes, you did," Homura responded.
"You hugged Chiho, even though it was the first day you met her?" Ikki questioned.
"Well she hugged me, and I just returned it," I replied.
"That's even worse! How could you?!" Ikki complained.
"You make it sound like I've committed a crime or something," I pointed out. Ikki responded to that by showing me her ring.
"How could you hug another girl, who you just met, when you have a fiancé?"
My first instinct was to look at my sleeping Shi.
"Do you not see me holding Shi here? What about the others? I hug them all the time."
The others, including a blushing Homura, agreed with me on that one.
"That may be true, but they have a stronger bond with you than Chiho, who again, you just met," Ikki replied.
"She was just expressing her thanks," I pointed out.
"By hugging you? Did she kiss you?" Ikki interrogated. They got in my face, waiting for my response.
"No she did not; and no I did not kiss her. We only hugged I swear."
"Then give us a hug and a kiss," Ikki demanded with the others nodding. I gently laid Shi on the futons and hugged my sekirei, giving the kiss, except Ku who had to settle for a kiss on the cheek. Homura requested one on the cheek as well, but I gave her one on the lips instead. She blushed just as bright as the element she controls.
"There, is everyone happy now?" I asked. Ku flailed her arms around.
"No fair! I want a kiss like everyone else too," she demanded.
"Still too young," we all said. With all that out of the way, I looked at the time and saw it was only seven. I decided to go back to sleep and set an alarm to wake me up in time to go see Chiho. I did have a dream about Shi; it was both good and bad, but I knew it was a dream and made it an only good dream.
P.O.V Change Ren
I was eating breakfast with everyone, having to deal with Kazehana and Akitsu trying to feed me. A couple of others, mainly Musubi and Tsukiumi, were completely jealous. Tsukiumi tightened her hands so much that she snapped her chopsticks in half.
"Ren; I don't care how fast you are. If you dare accept that food, I will punish you."
I sweat dropped as I continued eating, but I didn't want to disappoint the girls so I accepted their offers when Tsukiumi wasn't looking. Afterwards, Akitsu helped me wash the dishes as I thought about Jason's question.
"Master, is something wrong?" Akitsu asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"No, I'm just thinking of a question that Jason asked me," I replied. That's when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it. Can you finish up for me Akitsu?"
"Yes master," she replied. I kissed her cheek and went to open to the door. I moment I did, someone hugged my legs.
"Hi big brother," Kusano greeted. I smiled and ruffled her hair as Jason's other sekirei appeared, but without Jason.
"He's with Chiho?" I asked, letting them in. Ikki was the first to respond.
"Yes, he is."
There was a obvious hint of jealousy in her words. My sekirei soon walked into the living room.
"Are you jealous because Jason is with another girl right now?" I questioned.
"She hugged him," Ikki revealed and then showed me her ring. "He hugged her when he has a fiancé; that's unacceptable."
I just blinked at her as I heard Matsu and Yomi snickering.
"That's it? Chiho hugs me all the time when she's depressed or had a nightmare."
"He's right; I'm sure she was just expressing her thanks for Jason," Uzume spoke up with me nodding.
"WHAT!" Tsukiumi exclaimed. The moment I turned around, she was standing right in front of me.
"You hugged this girl behind your wife's back; and who else have thee been hugging. Have thee swapped saliva with anyone else? CONFESS!"
"First, yes I hugged Chiho; I won't deny that. Second, I've been hugging you along with my OTHER sekirei. And finally, I've only kissed you and my OTHER sekirei," I replied. Matsu and Yomi soon burst out laughing. Kazehana, Toyotama were trying to keep theirs in, and Akitsu only smiled as Musubi giggled. I looked at Jason's party.
"But yes, she was most likely expressing her gratitude."
"That's exactly the same thing Jason said," Ikki replied. I nodded my hand.
"Ah, you worry too much," I said, but Matsu decided to add fuel to the fire.
"I don't know Ren; Jason is ALL ALONE with Chiho and with the way their relationship has been going so far, I'd say it's only a matter of time before we start hearing he and Chiho are officially a couple."
Her hypothesis sparked even more anger in the girls. Homura was the only one who remained calm. And Shi, she was just sitting by herself looking terrified.
"What's wrong with Shi?"
Homura responded. "She had a nightmare, but Jason managed to calm her down a little; at least we hope so. It was really bad if she's like this."
I nodded with her, but then something came to mind.
"Homura; I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Shoot," she replied. I clapped my hands together,
"Okay, now the question I'm about to ask you is something you don't have to answer. If you don't want to answer, I completely understand; all I ask is that you don't burn me alive."
"Um, okay," she said in a confused manner.
"When you changed…genders, did your penis disappear with it?" I finally asked. There was complete silence. If a nail dropped, everyone would be able to hear it. Homura only looked at the floor as she clenched her fists, causing fire to roar. She held it up to me as I slowly started backing away.
"I'm sorry Ren, but was that about not burning you alive?" She asked with an evil smirk and glare. As cowardly as it seems, I hid behind Akitsu for protection.
"Wait hold on! You just agreed not to burn me once I asked the question; THIS, is not part of the agreement," I stated. Homura died the flames down after a while and turned her head with red cheeks.
"I'm… not comfortable answering that."
"And I understand that; I just wanted to know, but if it's embarrassing then you don't have to tell me," I replied. I got from behind Akitsu, seeing as I wasn't about to die anymore. Suddenly, Matsu appeared beside me with her signature grin and snicker.
"Ku, ku, ku, maybe we should find out for ourselves. I have some theories I want to test out myself."
That's when Akitsu pulled me away as Homura snapped to Matsu and blasted her with reconstructed fire.
"AAAAAHH!" She screamed. Smoke spread out everywhere, causing Kazehana to blow it away and revealing a soot covered Matsu. Her hair was all puffy and her clothes were in tatters.
"Are you okay Matsu?" I asked. She fixed her glasses and then dusted herself off, but she forgot something.
"I'm fine; thanks for asking. Homura doesn't know how to take a joke."
"Um Matsu?" I called out.
"The things you do don't count as jokes," Homura retorted.
"Matsu?" I called again.
"Maybe if you lightened up a bit, then you'll see," she said, ignoring me.
"As if anyone would see that as a joke," Homura responded.
"MATSU!" I yelled.
"What?"
"Your hair is on fire," I pointed out. At first it was small, but due to her obliviousness, the fire expanded and set half her head ablaze.
"AAAAAAAH!QUICK! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!" She squealed, trying to snuff the flames out. Tsukiumi quickly doused her with water, putting the flames out and soaking Matsu in the process. Her hair was still intact, a little dark, but intact either way. I walked over to her and gently rubbed her hair.
"Are you hurt Matsu?"
"Mmmm, I'm okay," she said in a sad tone. Homura was doing her best to keep her laughter in, as did Uzume, Yomi, and Toyotama. That's when the door opened, and Shi shot up and ran to it.
"Hey Ren; I'm here WHOA!" Jason called, suddenly exclaiming. I proceeded to the door, seeing Shi laying on top of Jason, who groaned from being tackled.
"Ugh, Shi; what's the matter with you?"
She didn't respond. Jason stood up, and Shi followed, not wanting to let go. She walked with him inside as his sekirei, except Homura, gave him an angry glare.
"What?"
"How was your time with Chiho?" Ikki asked with her arms crossed.
"Is this still about the hug event?" He asked back.
"No, no; we're just upset that our ashikabi went about hugging another girl behind our backs," Ikki replied sarcastically. The others nodded, and Jason looked at Shi.
"She is your sekirei; Chiho is not."
"All we did was talk I swear. I did nothing to her, and she's still doing fine. She was a little weak, but I kept her in bed," he said. Homura sighed as Matsu snickered.
"Huh?"
He saw his girls fuming.
"No! I didn't mean it like that."
I approached the situation.
"Hey now let's all calm down…"
They shot me a pissed off glare that immediately shut me up. Jason responded.
"Listen, I promise that I still have you all in my mind. While with Chiho, I'm also thinking about you girls."
There were a few moments of silence; until someone's phone received a message. I checked mine, but Jason's was the one to receive it. He honestly wasn't surprised, more like he was expecting it.
"What does it say?" I asked him.
"A one-on-one fight between sekirei only; I have to go to the stadium where you fought," he replied. He closed his phone and turned to leave.
"Let's go."
We all traveled to our destination seeing another crowd filled arena. Since it wasn't my fight, my sekirei and I went to take our seats as Jason and his party stayed behind.
"Good luck," I told them. Jason simply nodded, but there was something about him that felt…off.
P.O.V. Change Jason
I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I just felt so uneasy about something, but I don't know what it is.
"Jason, what's wrong?" Homura asked me. I sighed.
"I don't know. I just feel unlike myself for some reason."
"Will you be okay?" Ikki asked.
"Hopefully," I replied. Someone started tugging on my shirt. I looked beside me and saw Shi sweating like crazy as her eyes were so wide and her body was vacillating.
"Shi, what's…"
I stopped to look in her direction, only to clench my hands into fists and grit my teeth.
"Who is that Jason?" Kaho asked. Shi hid behind me.
"That's Shi's former ashikabi," I stated. There were some gasps as I stared at the man who abused Shi and tried to force wing Yashima and Nanami. But, there was one question,
"He has another sekirei?"
"Yes," Shi whispered. "He has another."
"I see," I replied. The man approached us, making Shi even more scared. He stopped several feet away.
"So I'm fighting you," he said. I didn't respond as his lips curled to a grin.
"Now I'll enjoy ripping you and this bitch apart."
"But I'm the one doing the ripping," someone stated. The man froze in his place as someone appeared behind him. The person was a young girl with clothing similar to a miko that consists of a white haori and red hakama. Her hair was dark and unkempt; however, she was equipped with a pair of wicked swords. She had a demonic expression, not even close to Miya's but had one either way. She glared at me with a wicked smile. Her ashikabi though was silent as she passed him. His face was a little blanched and he was trembling slightly.
"It's been a while Shi," the sekirei said. Shi just hid further behind me, making the sekirei smile wider.
"K-Kaiha," she whispered loud enough to hear. Kaiha looked back to me.
"And you must be the one who stole Shi away from us."
"Your ashikbai abused her; that's why I took her," I replied. Kaiha started laughing.
"Oh I know; he abused her, made her his slave, and even had the nerve to…"
"DON'T say that last part," I interrupted, my anger clearly showing. Kaiha laughed again and tilted my chin up. My sekirei were about to act, but I held my hand up to stop them.
"I see I've struck a nerve. Does that make you angry, knowing what happened to your precious Shi? How does it feel knowing you can't claim what can never be brought back? All she did was take every single punishment; every beating, every insult, every torturous thing you can imagine, she took all of it without any second thoughts. And she has never won against me in a fight so I suggest you choose your sekirei carefully," Kaiha stated. Shi slowly moved back as Kaiha glared at her menacingly. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and talked in a teasing manner.
"But you are a special one. What would you say if I ask you to break my bonds with my ashikabi?"
"I'm afraid you're not my type; and I wouldn't be able to since your heart is too strong towards him," I answered. She giggled as she let me go and walked to her ashikabi, giving him a surprise kiss. He followed her as I clasped my fists so hard that blood started coming out.
"Jason?" Ikki called out. I didn't say anything, but managed to lower my anger a little. I looked at Shi, who went back to crying as she held onto me.
"It's okay now Shi," I told her. I patted her head, causing her to grip my shirt tighter. Soon, Minaka appeared on the big screen. Like last time, he, along with Takehito, Takamai, and Ren's uncle, appeared on the tower.
"Today everyone, we have two combatants ready to face off. On the screen, we have Jason Dax and Shun Ichinose," Minaka stated. The screen showed our respective pictures, but we all saw Minaka's grin widen.
"Jason here is special however."
My picture was the only one up there now.
"Jason has somehow managed to break the bond between his current opponent and his 'former' sekirei."
The screen showed Shi's picture, causing some of the crowd to start booing. I didn't care in the slightest; but instead, I texted Takehito.
"Is this still worldwide?"
"Yes it is, but why do you ask?" He asked back. I didn't respond to that and signaled one of the camera people to film me. He acknowledged me as I saw my face appear on the screen. Everything and everyone got quiet. I gathered my thoughts and calmed my nerves. Once I was ready, I stated,
"Yeah, I took Shi away from Shun; but I have a perfectly good reason for it."
I pointed at Shun and continued. "He abused Shi, tormented her, and made her his slave. An ashikabi's job is to love and care for their sekirei as if they were married; but he on the other hand, showed no love or concern for Shi. Apparently, he's scared of his sekirei and so forced Shi to do things against her will because he was too afraid. He constantly warped her mind by insulting her, beating her, and making her feel inferior."
I tightened my fists more. "He was even evil enough to rape her."
I gritted my teeth. "And it annoys the hell out of me! It just pisses me off to no extent; every single time I hear about it, it just makes me angry. I won't stand around and let Shi suffer because of this bastard of an ashikabi."
P.O.V. Change Ren
Everyone could see Jason going off as his anger steadily increased. Many of the crowd's expression were of pity as they continued to hear Jason's rage.
"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it; and having to live with the pain without anyone to take it away, it just pisses me off!"
That's when everyone saw it. The air became thicker from where I sat. Jason's hair covered his eyes, his teeth grinding, and his fists clenched. Jason shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I DESPISE EVERYONE LIKE THAT!"
The air continued to thicken as a trademark aura appeared around him, a sinister black aura. The landlords summoned hanyas, I summoned a hydra; Jason, summoned a grim reaper wielding the infamous death scythe. Jason pointed at his opponent.
"I'm gonna make you pay bastard."
The reaper twirled its scythe and pointed it at Shun and his sekirei. Many people started trembling in fear, even Jason's sekirei backed up a little.
P.O.V Change Jason
I shot daggers at my opponent as my beast made the crowd quake in fear; but I didn't care. I was too pissed to care anymore. I turned to my sekirei after turning off the beast. They were all surprised, and I really couldn't blame them.
"Shi," I called out firmly. She flinched a little upon being called on. "I want you to fight."
She slowly stepped back and shook her head.
"I-I can't; I'm no match for Kaiha."
I placed my hands on her shoulders.
"You can do this Shi; don't let them get to you. They have no right to insult you Shi, because you are indeed stronger than Kaiha. I have faith in you and will be behind you every step of the way.
I cupped her cheeks.
"You can win this Shi: and you won't be fighting alone. We're here and we're gonna help you win. I'm going to help you get back at those two for the pain you've suffered.
She started to tear up.
"Don't cry!"
She jumped in surprise.
"No more crying Shi; you have to stand up and prove to Kaiha and Shun that you're not weak. You need to show her and him that you won't be pushed around anymore/
"Whoa," I heard Homura say.
"Time for crying is over; from now on, we fight," I stated. "Shi stayed quiet for a moment as she looked me in the eye. She closed her mouth and wiped her tears, showing me a confident expression. She nodded her head, and I smiled at her. I turned to face my opponent.
"Let's go!"
Shi and I proceeded to the battlefield; but I forgot the roaring cheer of the crowd. I looked at Shi.
"Good luck."
She smiled and walked ahead of me, her shoulders broad as they can be. Kaiha also stepped forward with her wicked smile.
"So you're really going through with this; I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."
Shi didn't flinch and extended her blades. Kaiha readied hers and licked her lips.
"Our matches before were only for spar. Now, this is a fight to the death."
The buzzer sounded for the match to begin. Kaiha rushed at Shi, dragging one of her blades against the ground. Shi rushed in and cut to her right, avoiding Kaiha's uppercut. She then retaliated by stabbing her sword, but Kaiha back flipped into the air and came back down with her own thrust of the sword. Shi jumped back, but Kaiha quickly caught up to her and kept attacking as Shi barely had time to evade. She managed to with some of her hair falling. Shi moved out of Kaiha's range and regained her footing.
"Well, well, you've certainly improved since the last time I fought you. Maybe switching ashikabi's was a good thing for you," Kaiha said. She grinned. "But will that defeat me? That is the question."
She charged at Shi and obliquely swung her sword. Shi twirled out of the way and kept spinning, increasing momentum and unleashed a potent horizontal strike, Kaiha crossed her swords to defend, but was pushed back by the vigor. While she staggered, Shi went back on the offensive. She jumped and slashed down, but Kaiha swung right and blocked it. Shi then threw a kick as Kaiha ducked and went for another uppercut. She missed but then grabbed Shi's leg, slamming her on the ground and making her arch up. Kaiha positioned the blade above her and stabbed it straight down. Shi made an X with her blades and stopped the attack; however, she couldn't stop the blade from coming.
"Now die!" Kaiha exclaimed. Her blade was about to connect; however, after chanting my words, I stepped in and blocked the attack, causing a loud blow to erupt and kick up dust. Thanks to my ability, the damage was minor, but I still got cut and blood came out. Kaiha saw me and started laughing.
"So you decided to save her; but why aren't you hurt?"
"Diamond Dax, an ability that ups my defenses and weakens damage; so unless you can cut through diamond, you have chance at hurting me," I replied. She continued to grin.
"You're the first ashikabi who isn't scared of me. Usually, the people I fight end up scared of me after I rip their sekirei to shreds."
"Why would I be afraid?" I asked. The question made her eyes turn even more wicked.
"Because you will die!"
Kaiha pulled her blade back and thrust the other one. I ducked while simultaneously grabbing Shi. Kaiha stabbed one down, and I moved out of the way with Shi; but it was a feint for Kaiha was right in front of me. She stabbed her blade, but I couldn't dodge it in time. CLANK! Metal hit metal as Shi blocked the attack.
"So you're still going to fight me, even though you know full well you don't stand a chance at winning?" Kaiha asked.
'You're wrong," Shi replied. "I know I can beat you; I'm not the same weak person I was before. I'm stronger now."
"Tell her Shi," I stated. Kaiha jumped back and smiled at us.
"Since you're seeing this to the end,"
She held her arms out on either side of her.
"Then how about one last fight? Our final battle; you and me, a fight to the death; what do you say?"
Shi nodded confidently and crossed her blades.
"Hmhmhm, your ashikabi has done wonders for your confidence. Let's go then."
Shi charged at Kaiha, who followed after her. She attacked parallel, but missed and did a three sixty to power the second strike in which Shi jumped over to avoid decapitation. As she jumped over Kaiha, Shi blocked a barrage of thrusts and slashes. She landed safely and continued to deflect attacks from Kaiha as she stayed on the offensive to stop Shi from countering. Shi made sure all her blocks were perfect, but Kaiha found an opening and kicked her in the face then slashed slantwise. Shi tried moving out of the way, but was hit in the shoulder and body. Blood gushed out as I yelled her name.
Shi dropped to her knees, her blood pouring to the ground and staining her outfit. Kaiha didn't stop there however and slashed down on her. Shi managed to pick herself up and dodged the attack. Kaiha's attack was so strong that she didn't have time to recover as Shi took the opportunity to return the favor by stabbing her in the shoulder and then swiftly executing her own Omni-Slash. Kaiha found the gaps conversely attacked within them, keeping up with Shi and hitting her each time. Blood and drops of sweat flew out like sparks, which did as metal grinded against medal. Kaiha stabbed Shi in the leg, but she hit her in the gut in retaliation, making more blood gush out. The two dropped to the ground, and I proceeded to Shi.
She tried to stand as Kaiha merely laughed while remaining supine on the ground. She easily sat up, but wobbled due to her legs being barely able to keep her standing. She saw Shi struggling to get up, but she couldn't do it. Kaiha slowly walked to me with her trademark smile on her face.
"You did a great job at training Shi. Before, she couldn't last five minutes against me. Now she can actually keep up and match me blow for blow."
She made it to me, but continued walking to her ashikabi. I walked over to Shi and helped her stand.
"Are you okay Shi?"
She nodded. "I need to keep fighting."
"I know; and I'm going to help you," I replied, tilting her head up and kissing her. Her wings sprouted for everyone to see. I looked into her eyes.
"Go get her; I know you got this."
She nodded and walked ahead of me. I noticed that Kaiha has done the same with her ashikabi and is now standing across from Shi.
"It's time we finished our fight. I'll admit, it's been fun fighting you; but all good things must come to an end."
Shi nodded, and the girls began channeling their auras. Suddenly, the auras began affecting their weapons as they chanted their prayers.
"By the blade of my contract, may the perils of my ashikabi be cut apart," Shi chanted.
"This is the blade of my contract; allow me slice apart the darkness that haunts my ashikabi," Kaiha chanted. Her weapons grew in size and connected to each other, creating a double end blade with a grip in the middle, in which Kaiha proceeded to grab and spin around her twice her size sword. Shi's blades began to glow with a white energy. As she moved her swords around, white streaks appeared in the air. Those streaks turned into sharp projectiles and flowed around her.
"Moonlight Shower!" Shi exclaimed. She waved her right arm, sending the projectiles at Kaiha, who twirled her blade and repelled the attacks. As she did that, Shi ran towards her, leaving white streaks behind her. Once she finished blocking the attacks, Kaiha struck down on her. Shi was taken by surprise and jumped out of the line of fire, only to see another strike coming. She made a shield by creating white streaks in certain directions. The blade hit said streaks and shattered them, revealing a disappeared Shi.
I looked up and saw her creating more projectiles. As she descended, Shi launched her attack. She then put her swords' tips together and started gyrating, creating a torpedo of white light.
"Lunar Sanctum!"
Kaiha smirked as she twirled her weapon as a black aura surrounded it. She spun it so rapidly that it resembled and black buzz saw. She pulled her arm back and chucked it at Shi while yelling,
"Iron Fang!"
The saw left a black trail behind it as it easily rebound Shi's projectiles, but when it collided with Shi, black and white energy began surging. It pelted the ground, forcing me to get out of the way. The funniest part was when the energy went to the stands and electrocuted Seo and he passed out. Shi and Kaiha's noritos continued to go at it, pushing each other back. Suddenly, I could hear a war cry from Shi as she managed to break the blade in two and continued descending. Shi crashed down on Kaiha, engulfing her in the bright light, which expanded throughout the arean. I covered my eyes to shield the blinding light. When I thought it was safe, I unshielded my eyes. There was dust rising into the atmosphere and a giant crater rested in front of me. I saw someone's hand rise up and attempted to pull themselves up. Soon, Shi popped out and crawled out of the crater. She had tons of marks on her being as blood stained more of her body. I smiled happily and ran to her as she lost all her energy and started falling. I caught her just in time and propped her up as her eyes slowly focused onto me.
"Shi, Shi, speak to me."
"Mmm, Jason? Is that you?" She asked, her eyes finally meeting mine.
"Yeah, it's me Shi; I'm right here," I replied. She smiled at me.
"Did I do good Jason?"
I caressed her cheek. "You did an excellent job Shi; you were outstanding."
I helped her stand, but she couldn't keep herself up and fell into my arms. Before we could do even take a step, Kaiha walked out from the crater. Her clothes were badly torn, blood trickled down parts of her body, and her weapon reverted back to its original state but was broken. Her hair covered her face, but her wicked smile was plainly visible. She started laughing softly, struggling to proceed closer. Soon, her head rose as she burst out in uncontrollable laughter. She continued walking towards us, but her weapon dropped to the floor. Even so, she continued.
"That was…an amazing fight; I never…thought…you'd get so strong," she managed to say. Shi struggled to move ahead of me in hopes to shield me, but her strength was completely depleted. However, Kaiha did something completely unexpected; she wrapped Shi in tight embrace, taking her by surprise.
"K-Kaiha? W-W-What are you d-doing?"
She only smiled. "I'm sorry for all the pain I've caused you."
Shi gasped.
"I never actually wanted to hurt you; all I wanted for you to get stronger. I couldn't baby you though so I had to be strict; and because of that, I have caused you much suffering. For that, I am sorry."
Kaiha groggily raised her head to look at me.
"Keep doing what you're doing with Shi; I want to see her become even stronger now. Take care of her okay?"
I nodded my head. "She'll be fine with me."
Kaiha giggled, quite cutely I might add.
"You know, now that I got a good look at you, I must say you're actually kind of cute. If only you were ashikabi, but I still love him either way. Yeah, I said it; I love the guy. Take care…Shi," she whispered, slowly falling to the ground. Her crest started to glow and slowly faded away. Her body ceased moving, signaling she has been terminated. Shi bowed to her and walked into my arms again. Ren's uncle came down and checked the scene. He let out a whistle.
"That was an excellent fight you two."
He looked at Minaka and shook his head, causing him to smile ear to ear.
"And the winner of this match is Jason Dax; he has claimed victory."
Ren's uncle carried Kaiha away as her ashikabi followed him. After that, Takami approached us with a Jinki in her hand.
"Congrats on winning your match Jason; I present your prize," she said, offering the crystal. I accepted it and heard the crowd cheer.
"Take good care of it."
"I will; and it's nice to finally meet you Mrs. Sahashi," I replied. She smiled and nodded.
"Likewise; and thanks for saving Homura."
"No problem; I was happy to help," I replied. Takami proceeded back to the other superiors as Shi and I returned to our party. Minaka dismissed the crowd, and Ren approached us with his party.
"Nice job out there," he stated. I scratched the back of my head as I chuckled.
"It was rough, but we did it."
"So taking Shi," he deadpanned. My chuckles stopped.
"Well you see, Takehito made me promise not to tell anyone, including you."
"Well, at least it was for a good cause," he replied.
"Yeah, so what now?" I asked. Matsu fixed her glasses.
"Now it's time for me to explain the truth behind the Jinkis. Since you both have one, I will explain everything you want to know."
I held my Jinki to the sun as its rays shined upon it, radiating its number two.
A/N: Here you go guys, another chapter ready to be viewed. I had fun writing this chapter; especially the fight scene between Shi and Kaiha. Speaking of which, how did you guys like what I did here? Please READ and REVIEW; I am also always listening for suggestions. For instance, I want to thank ShadowUzumaki55 for giving me the idea for this chapter. And think about Jason's question. Should I have Ren and Uzume adopt Chiho? Tell me in a review or pm. This has been MalevolentDarkness16, wishing you a good one.