A/N: Thanks to chatgpt I was able to punch this banger out in one night. I'd say it's even better than novelai and it's free to use. Hope you all enjoy.

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Dyspnea: Part III

Seeing Matsu and Haihane were now in position, Minato stared straight ahead and into the eyes of his beloved fourth feather. The oxygen crusher, a monstrous creation of sadistic genius, loomed ahead in the darkness like a ravenous beast, hungry for the breath that sustained Tsukiumi's very existence. Its presence alone sends shivers down Minato's spine, and his heart quickens with a primal fear.

It was a hulking metallic structure, encrusted with rust and grime as if it had witnessed countless agonizing deaths. Its menacing jaws, resembling a grotesque mechanical predator, chewed at Tsukiumi as if to devour its helpless prey. Tsukiumi found this out the hard way as she instinctively took a breath, not realizing the game had apparently begun. The concrete clamps slowly began to drill their way into her ribs like razor-sharp teeth, reminiscent of a predator's fangs. The chains Minato grasped slowly tugged into the walls.

She let out a yelp and Minato called out, "Tsukiumi! Hold your breath! As long as you can!"

Tsukiumi clamped her eyes and puffed her cheeks with what air she had.

As more seconds ticked down, it was a matter of time before another breath was needed. As it drew closer, the sickening stench of fear and despair filled the air between husband and wife, mingling with the acrid odor of cold steel. The contraption's inner workings, exposed and invulnerable, resemble a maze of twisted gears and hydraulic cylinders, poised to snap shut with bone-crushing force.

The claustrophobic enclosure beckons like a macabre sarcophagus crossed with an iron maiden. Tubes snake from the chamber, connecting to a series of canisters, each one embodying a dwindling lifeline. As the game begins, the valves turn, slowly closing off the oxygen supply, suffocating the trapped victim, robbing them of their very breath.

The sound of machinery fills the air, a symphony of doom. The creaking gears, the hissing hydraulics, and the ominous hum of the machine create an eerie soundtrack.

Every second counted now for the next four minutes, every gasp for air becomes more desperate, as the oxygen supply in the tsundere's lungs dwindles to a cruel trickle over and over until the brain demands her to wait no longer.

Not a peep was made by either her or her Ashikabi, their focus resolute and determined. Occasional murmurs from the onlookers below cast a cloud of uncertainty.

As the distant sound of a ticking clock echoed through the chamber, the crusher came to life with a spine-chilling groan once Tsukiumi's lungs couldn't bare more prolonged inactivity. She gasps, quick but deep. The contraption's massive jaws began to screw deeper into her ribcage, creaking and grinding with a menacing deliberation. She hissed in pain but Minato still held on, preventing the contraption from further torturing her, at least for now. The gloves Benitsu had provided him were of huge benefit. He could feel the razor-sharp barbs poking and scraping against the thick material between them and the flesh of his palms.

Another twenty seconds went by, Minato still holding strong, unyielding to the growing discomfort. "Tsukiumi, don't be afraid to take a breath, but make sure it matters when you do!" he yelled.

She shook her head wildly up and down, her face red with the exertion of keeping herself under control.

A battle she lost once again much like a star would against gravity, but not without effort. Her lips sucked in another zephyr on cruel instinct and the victim's body convulsed, a marionette in the hands of a merciless puppeteer. The crushing force of the contraption relentlessly pursued the latest vestiges of breath, squeezing tighter, and yanking Minato's chains wider apart. He tensed up, exerting more strength not to let them retreat further into the walls at his sides. He felt metal jab through his flesh like a needle. Half a dozen in fact.

"Gah!" He screamed.

"Minato!" Tsukiumi gasped, forgetting herself. Her eyes went wide. With a mechanical hiss, the Oxygen Crusher came to life, its twisted gears grinding in perverse harmony, not unlike a loyal militia. It began to crank again, drilling the organs deeper toward Tsukiumi's spine. She grits her teeth, and Minato did much the same as the barbs penetrated deeper into the flesh of his hands.

"Keep your cool, Tsukiumi!" Minato grunted, flinching from the pain. "Jigsaw is testing your ability to keep your emotions under control! Don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"

"Listen to the pipsqueak, blondie!" Benitsubasa yelled. "Close your eyes and think of something else if you have to!"

"Like what exactly?" Haihane asked, glancing down at her.

"I dunno, taking his virginity or something?" Benitsubasa thought off the top of her head.

"No are you crazy?!" Matsu blurted out. "That would just make her hyperventilate!"

"Speak for yourself you pervert." Homura jabbed at her.

"Don't lie, Homura. Everyone here would like to get freaky-deeky with Minato, including you."

Homura turned away and blushed. As did Benitsubasa and Haihane. Kazehana did too, but she did nothing to hide that fact.

Minato glanced down at them, "Come on guys, be serious! I don't need to think about that right now. My blood is needed elsewhere!"

"Okay, then think about your favorite animal."

Tsukiumi clamped her eyes shut as images of seals bounced into her mind, and all was quiet again for another thirty seconds. Being the water Sekirei had its benefits as holding her breath for long periods while submerged against many a foe had won her dozens of confrontations. Minato braced himself again as he knew she couldn't hold on to a lone breath forever.

Her crying lungs forced her to gasp once more and the jaws clamped with a guttural creak. Minato tightened his grip despite the pain as the chains once again dragged themselves through the pulleys in the walls and spread his arms further open like a bird with its wings partially spread. He shrieked as the barbs in his palm dragged the wound open like a zipper. More barbs sank deeper through the gloves. He felt them scraping his skin. Another breath on Tsukiumi's part would no doubt rip the protective layer open. He blinked and snarled at the test of his resilience. Two and a half minutes remained.

"Almost halfway there, Tsukiumi. Don't give up." he reassured her.

Her glossy eyes gleamed in the flickering light. She gave him a slight nod as she kept her focus on the task.

Minato called out to her as the timer ticked down another thirty seconds. "Two more minutes. Award yourself with a breath if you need to. Let's try to keep it under control three more times, okay?"

She gave a nod and herself that reward with great hesitance. Minato was so kind. She was so happy he turned out to be her destined one. After getting out of this mess and back home she was going to be the first maiden he'd take to his bed, Miya's rules be damned. Her eyes drifted down to the onlookers in the pool. They shut as if she were somehow remorseful. But that didn't matter now. The twisted machinations binding her and her beloved knew no mercy, no respite. The mechanical jaws dug deeper through her abdomen, constricting her organs like a toying python. Minato's arms were now stretched to their limit. He could still hold on with effort, but soon he would start to feel like a wishbone on that weird American holiday he once read about.

More barbs scraped their way through the gloves, three to be exact, each lancing his hand like a Hoplite, yet his grip remained firm as his fully extended muscles tensed. Crimson droplets leaked through his firmly coiled knuckles and pitter-pattered to the floor. He snarled in agony, wincing as the tension and greasy blood caused the pointy invaders to dig about.

"Easy now…" he spoke to himself. One minute and thirty seconds was just on the horizon. "It's almost over."

As the ninety-second landmark came and went, however, so did the lights. Pitch blackness strangled the sight from everyone's eyes, causing everyone to gasp, including the water Sekirei. With this gasp of precious air, the jaws contracted further, their jagged edges sinking deeper into vulnerable flesh. If anyone could see, they would clearly note the crimson rivulets that trickled down the blonde victim's dress. The oxygen crusher was now drawing blood.

The lights began to strobe like the endless flashes of a paparazzi horde. The light fixtures above the swimming pool were malfunctioning the worst. In moments they went nuclear and detonated like dynamite-infused fireworks. With nowhere to run, they all ducked for cover as the heated glass rained down on top of everyone inside and shredded open both attire and flesh.

Recovering as the light show finally ended, the group looked up at Minato and their eyes went wide in shock.

Tsukiumi was much the same, but worse. The victim's face contorted in a mask of abject horror, eyes wide with primal fear. "Minato!" she cried. "Behind you!"

"I can't see behind me! What's there?!" he shouted. He got his answer when his head was suddenly yanked back by the hair. His adrenaline skyrocketed when he peered into the fire-engine-red eyes of its source. Mr. Mathis.

"What the fuck?!" Homura gasped.

"How is he still alive?! I burned his ass back in the library!" Benitsubasa growled in disbelief. She went to reach for the knife at her sash, but it was gone. "What? Where did the knife go?!"

Minato's skin crawled as his eyes drifted from the glowing irises of Jigsaw's enforcer and to the Ka-Bar knife glinting ominously in his hand, the same one Benitsubasa had scavanged from Kazehana's game. Mr. Mathis pressed the cold edge of the Ka-Bar against the tender flesh of Minato's throat, carefully tracing an icy path that threatened to spill the very essence of life. The steel blade gleamed malevolently, catching fragments of moonlight like an ominous omen. Drops of sweat dripped from Tsukiumi's fully raised brows, dripping with anticipation. The dimly lit room was suffused with an air of palpable tension, thick as smog, as Mr. Mathis' twisted pig face and eyes aflame with malice, had the ronin cornered and at his mercy. Minato began to panic, cerebral folds flashed open in unearthly horror as he did his best to remain calm.

The same could not be said for Tsukiumi. Her blood-curdling screams filled the stale air as her composure shattered, reverberating against the cold, decaying walls. The victim's ribs threatened to splinter under the relentless pressure, their futile attempts to escape thwarted at every turn. With every frenzied gasp of precious air she took in, the jaws contracted further, their jagged edges sinking deeper into her vulnerable flesh.

Benitsubasa, known for her fierce and impulsive nature, was poised to shatter the boundaries of Jigsaw's game. She yearned to unleash her wrath upon Mathis, to break the rules that bound her. Her mind was clouded with a fiery vengeance as if the very essence of her being was consumed by a blazing inferno not unlike the one she left this hamhead in.

She readied herself to pounce before it was too late. Before she did however, Minato called out to her. "Benitsu! Don't come up here! Don't touch him!"

"He's going to kill you if I don't!" She screamed.

"Just trust me! You'll just make things worse if you do! You can't use your abilities if a game is in play! You know that!"

Benitsubasa grumbled as she considered the boy's words.

Minato began seething, but not from fear. He was angry. Furious at both his body for nearly giving out on him when it mattered and at this beast for testing his resolve at such a crucial moment. The barbs dragged his wounds wider, carving through to the webbings of his fingers which had begun to slowly unfurl. Still, he would not let go. Doing so meant certain death for everyone. Tsukiumi, Matsu, and Haihane needed him. He would not fail them.

"You know," Minato glared daggers into the eyes of Jigsaw's beast, straining his words as he fought against the greased lightning in his cardio. "If you're going to threaten me with a knife…" his next move was uncharacteristic, to say the least. He leaned his head closer to the blade, slicing open the flesh just beneath his jawline. "You may as well cut me a little."

Minato knew it was either sink or swim. Showing courage in the face of impending doom may have been just what Tsukiumi needed to see to calm her nerves. It had to work. It needed to. His fingers were close to being pried open by the pressure. He couldn't hold on much longer if she couldn't get herself under control.

"You don't scare me. Go ahead. Kill me. You'll have to if you want me to let go. If you think for one second I'll let fear keep me from my flock, my wives, my chance to get Kuu back, you have another fucking thing coming!" the ronin snarled. "Go on, cut me open! Do it!"

At this, Mathis paused and took a moment to blink. The subject worked up the nerve to actually challenge him. As Mathis considered this unexpected heroism, he mistakenly took more than enough time for Minato to get the answer he was looking for.

"You can't, can you?"Minato grinned, "Jigsaw won't allow it, will he?"

"Holy shit…" Benitsubasa muttered, awestruck. "The pipsqueak called his bluff and won…"

"Go crawl back to your master. To the filthy cave you both crawled out of." he grits his teeth and hissed as the chains scraped more bloody ribbons out of his palms. "I'll never be at your mercy."

Tsukiumi's eyes glistened with shedding tears as her Ashikabi stood his ground in the face of the onset of sudden terror. She was so proud of him and took a deep controlled breath which she intended to hold in earnest. She would not let herself be weaker than him. Not after that. She let out a pained squeak as the vice winded down deeper into her organs, the points of her ribs digging into them like a pair of giant claws. She shut her eyes, determined to hold them and her breath to the very final stretch.

Minato did much the same, preparing for whatever was to come next. Would Mr. Mathis show him mercy? His head ricocheted forward as the pigheaded deadbeat's ironclaw-like hand released his hair.

The room once again went black only for the lights to come back on moments later. Mathis had vanished and only twenty seconds remained on the game's countdown.

Benitsubasa let her arms fall to her sides once the danger was no longer an issue. She felt something at her side. "What the?" she looked down and saw the Ka-bar back in her sash. "I guess he wants me to keep it."

After glancing at it briefly, Minato dipped his chin as he felt both his triceps on the verge of tearing.

"You can do it, Minato!" Haihane called out to him.

"We can do it, Haihane!" Minato furiously declared as his adrenaline rush pushed him past his limits, to the moon, and the stars beyond.

"Ten seconds!" Matsu howled.

"Nine, eight, seven…"The group began counting down out loud as the game reached its conclusion. "...three…two…one…"

And finally zero.

The contraption entombing Tsukiumi's slender body pulled apart, and the chains binding her limbs released all at once. The oxygen mask peeled from her face as she fell forward, nearly going overboard and into the pool as she took her first breaths in what had to be well over a minute.

Minato weakly let go of the chains and his arms fell flat to his sides, dangling like jelly. As his adrenaline rush began to fade, his blood pressure suddenly dropped. And so did he, like a rock. Right down into the empty swimming pool.

"Minato, no!" Tsukiumi cried, reaching out to him as he went tumbling down.

"I got him!" Benitsubasa declared. She somersaulted into the air and caught the boy just before his cranium met the concrete.

Everyone gathered around the unconscious Ashikabi as Benitsubasa gently layed him down. Even Kazehana weakly crawled herself over. She put her arms around him as Benitsubasa delivered a hard slap to his face.

"Come on!" she slapped him again. "Wake up!"

"Cease this backhanding of my husband at once!" Tsukiumi roared, leaping down into the pool. She stuck the landing on a knee and came to her feet gracefully before walking forward, favoring her ribs.

"Relax, I'm just making sure he's not dead." Benitsubasa argued. She gave him a good shake at the shoulders, causing his head to bob. "Come on, show us some life."

"He's exhausted," Homura concluded. "Give him some time."

"We don't have time." Benitsubasa reminded him. She aimed a finger at the five-hour timer on the wall as proof. There was an hour and twenty minutes left before the collar around the kid's neck would detonate and spell the end for all of them.

Homura inhaled through his nostrils, realizing she was right. "Crap…"

"Look," Matsu pointed out. "His eyes are opening."

Everyone eyed him with relief heavy in their hearts as he came to.

"Hey guys," Minato whispered. "Did we win?"

Tsukiumi entered his view. "Thou has done more than just win, Minato."

At that, everyone nodded. Minato took a moment to take it in, then closed his eyes and smiled.

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As Akitsu eyed the broadcast of the latest game on the monitors, she felt her heart skip a beat.

Dr. Gordon glanced at the discarded one and asked, "Everything alright?"

"I felt something just now."

"Did you now?" he wondered. "A reaction?"

"Yes, I'm certain."

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A/N: This chapter is short, but I feel the test accomplished exactly what it needed to in spite of the word count I dedicated to it. I'll be honest, writing this trap sequence intimidated me and I put off trying my hand at it for a long time before working up the nerve. Part of the reason for that is because I wanted it to feel climactic in a sense. I have chatgpt to thank for assisting me and sparking my imagination. It really did give me a lot to work off of and I'll definitely use it in place of novelai from now on. Time to cancel my subscription, haha.

Next time we dive more into the circumstances involving Jigsaw and Minaka. I'm sure you're wondering where Minaka and fam are while Minato's game unfolds and that and more will be unveiled.

Leave me your thoughts in a review. The closer TW gets to breaking the 157 review barrier, the quicker I pick up Veil of Passion again.