CHAPTER 4
Summer
Hey everyone! Sorry this is late. Just a quick AN that I haven't given one last read to search for any errors on this chapter. I'll do it after I wake up in the morning, so don't be surprised when you get a second update alert, as that's likely just me fixing some errors, haha! See you guys at the end of the chapter.
Fearing what lay ahead, Miya reluctantly closed her eyes to continue the nightmare. To her surprise, a ray of hope came for Tanjirou when he discovered Nezuko, his closest sister by age and heart, still had a pulse and somehow survived the massacre. With little regard to himself, he scrambled to get the bloodied and injured girl to a doctor and carried her on his back down the mountain, desperation pushing his every step.
Then Nezuko's hand twitched and she began to flail around, causing the already exhausted redhead to slip. Miya herself gasped as she saw the two of them fall. Thankfully, they survived thanks to the thick snow, with the younger Kamado getting up even with her injuries.
However, Miya had also seen how Nezuko's eyes turned white and let out animalistic growls. The knowledge from the day prior played in her mind and the Sekirei's eyes widened as realization set in at the same time as the young girl attacked her older brother.
With some quick thinking, Tanjirou just barely escaped from being bitten by blocking his little sister's mouth with the hatchet he had brought along. Seeing himself about to get overpowered with his sister's newfound demonic strength, he called out to his little sister to return to her old, gentle self.
By some miracle, his words seemed to reach Nezuko who began to cry along with her older brother. Then before a conclusion could be reached, a third party came into view from the sky.
With a sword aimed at Nezuko's neck.
Just as the younger Kamado noticed the new arrival too, the redhead used the moment to roll the both of them out of the way, barely dodging the blow but getting his ponytail cut while the shockwave of the attack sent them careening into a tree.
Miya couldn't believe her eyes at what she was witnessing. A young girl turning into a demon? A human with the speed and strength of a sekirei? These were supposed to be things of myth and legend! The thought that the man actually was a sekirei occurred to her but was quickly dismissed. MBI had yet to release the flock from their labs and nothing of the modern world indicated supernatural entities to be walking around. Just what kind of life had her Ashikabi gone through?
While she was lost in thought, the memory continued to play. The interloper had quickly captured Nezuko, stating that it was his job to slay demons like her. Tanjirou had to beg for his mercy to let her go whilst declaring her innocence. While the redhead groveled however, the swordsman rebuked him in fury, reprimanding the boy for his weakness and inaction. Then he stabbed Nezuko in the shoulder, fully intending to decapitate her.
Spurred by his desire to protect his last remaining family, the redhead yelled and exploded into action, throwing a rock at the swordsman while running to grab the fallen hatchet.
Miya bit her lip however. Even if her Ashikabi was armed, she doubted a normal boy could even reach a man that had the power and speed of a physical-type sekirei. Then her eyes widened as Tanjirou used the trees as a cover, threw another rock at the man at the same time as when he flung the hatchet into the air. He had a plan! It was as simple as they came, but Miya nonetheless prayed to the heavens of the past to aid her Destined One and give him the strength to protect his sister. With the strategy set, all that was left to do for the redhead was to be as loud and as distracting as possible.
And he charged headlong towards the swordsman, not even caring for his own safety or current unarmed state. Had Miya not met him in the present, she might have gotten a heart attack at how reckless he was. As it were, it came as no surprise that Tanjirou had gotten knocked out and the memory cut off, bringing her back to Maison Izumo.
Along with a multitude of questions about her Ashikabi, and perhaps even the nature of the world she now lives in.
Japanese mountains were typically known for their dense vegetation, towering peaks, the stunning colors of nature, and the sprinkle of mystery that's hidden behind a faint veil of fog or mist. The beauty was self-evident to anyone, especially to Yukari as she stood in front of the 50 meter wide ravine that split the valley in two.
Swallowing the nervousness that bubbled up her throat, Yukari did one final check on the straps of her rucksack. Assured that the large and heavy bag was secured on her back, she gripped the katana by her waist, finding comfort in it despite being intended only for training, and secured the blade from falling out with her thumb on the handguard. After stepping backwards half a dozen times to build up momentum, she took a long, deep breath of the summer air, then exploded into a running start and launched herself off the cliff.
As she soared through the empty air, butterflies filled her stomach and her heart pounded with exhilaration at realizing that her feet were not touching solid ground. The gorge was deep, the raging river at the bottom hidden by the shadows of the valley, which made it look like an endless abyss with sheer cliffs on either side. Fear crept up from somewhere beneath her navel, but she quickly pushed it aside, choosing instead to focus on the rapidly approaching escarpment.
As she reached the end of her flight and passed over the top of the cliff, her mind worked quickly and her legs moved into a run to carry her momentum. Except that she tripped on an unseen root and almost faceplanted into a tree, had it not been for the hands that caught the straps of her backpack.
"Thanks Nii-chan, Jiji," she smiled in gratitude to the two amused men for having caught her for her first long distance jump.
Her heart was still racing after she straightened herself and looked back to the cavern she had leaped. It's been three months since she's started training and finally got Total Concentration Breathing down pat just last week. After that, they had taken the bullet train to the Kokura station, Kyushu, and have been making liberal use of the enhanced strength and speed, roof hopping through cities in the dead of night and climbing up mountains in minutes in what should've taken hours.
At the time, it hadn't sunk into Yukari yet just how superhuman the breathing technique made her. Everything before it felt like it could have just been called parkour with longer jump distance. But the jump? It made all the sweat and (metaphorical) blood she's poured into the training all the more real, and she was barely scratching the surface. Still, she couldn't resist feeling a surge of pride as she stood on the other side of the ravine while her body started flushing out the adrenaline.
"-kari, Earth to Yukari! Are you in there?" Her brother waved his hand in front of her and she swatted it away with a glare and a pout as she snapped back to the present, receiving a teasing chuckle from her sibling.
"Give her a minute to take it all in, Nato-kun," Their Great Uncle Kazuha chuckled as well while he leaned next to a tree. "Even you were shocked after I made you climb up the Grand Canyon in America."
"Well, that's true." Minato replied as he took the break for what it was and took off his own rucksack to grab a bottle of water. "What's the plan this month anyway, uncle?" He asked.
The white haired elder thumbed towards one direction and said, "Well, it's summer now, so I figured we should head to the coast soon."
That perked Yukari right up. "Wait- we're going to the beach?! Forget this dump then, Let's go!" She declared and was all but blasting off into the horizon. Until she was stopped by her great-uncle's hand on her shoulder, having zipped from his spot at the tree to appear right next to her. 'So fast,' she thought.
"Now hold on a minute there, kiddo!" He interjected with his ever present smile. "How soon we'll get to the beach totally depends on you."
"Me? Well, I guess I can't go as fast as you two but-"
"Actually, your speeds' not what I'm talking about," he waved her notion away and pointed to her sword. "If we were in a hurry, we'd just take the train again anyway. No, I'm talking about you finally putting that sword on your waist to good use!
She gasped, instantly knowing her great uncle meant more than just lugging the katana around or swinging it in one direction a thousand times. Despite that, she still had to ask. "Do you mean…"
The man nodded in the affirmative. "Yep! It's time you learned a Breath Style!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Yukari squealed while she jumped up and down, causing several birds along the valley to take flight. "Teach me! I'm ready for anything!" Already anticipating all the epic sword-slinging battles she'll be able to do.
"Well, someone's excited." Minato chuckled as he propped the rucksack on his back again.
"Well, with modern entertainment depicting sword fighting so flashily and exciting, it's an understandable reaction." Kazuha replied and gave her an indulgent smile, which caused her to blush and feel like a little kid. But then his expression turned deadpan as he looked at her older sibling. "Unlike yours."
Minato blinked and pointed to himself. "Mine? What do you mean, uncle?"
The white haired elder rolled his eyes. "Did you forget how you were too scared to even hold a katana last year?"
"He what?!" Yukari squawked and exaggeratedly placed a hand over her heart. "Nii-chan, that's heresy! How could you be scared of a katana? Are you sure you're Japanese?!"
"Hey, I just didn't think a katana, or weapons in general, were a necessity. And it's not like everyone in the U.S. carries a gun." Minato argued and crossed his arms. Then he smirked and teased her back. "Plus, I think it was way better to be against violence than running around, yelling at people 'Beware my Evil Eyes of Soul Reaping!' while doing bizarre poses."
Yukari's face reddened with embarrassment as her brother dug up forbidden history. She felt betrayed and, like all siblings who thought they were wronged, she retaliated. "Oh yeah? Well, you were a really pretty princess in your freshman school festival!"
This time it was her brother's turn to flush crimson. Yukari fully expected him to clam up and grumble, just as he had done in all the time they grew up together. So it was a big surprise when he opened his mouth and fired back his own jab. She had no time to think how out of character that was however, as the dogs of war had been let loose.
They went back-and-forth in ribbing one another, even digging up old memories to try and get one up over the other. Yukari remembers quite a lot of her older brother being wimpy and she didn't hesitate to remind him of that. And Minato fired back by telling her how much of a tomboy she had been.
Despite the constant taunts and quips, Yukari found the retorts funny and it was clear the same went for her brother. Neither of them were taking it too seriously and it was just your typical sibling banter, even if this was the first time they've ever gotten really into it.
Just as Yukari was about to escalate things by calling out her brother on never even having kissed a girl before, she got interrupted by their Great Uncle Kazuha. "Children, children, you're both pretty. Now let's get this show back on the road. Minato!"
At hearing the booming voice of their uncle mimicking a drill instructor, her brother played along and saluted. "Yes sir!"
"I want you to grab enough logs for a bonfire that'll last until dawn and get to the clearing at the top of the mountain. You've seen how much I needed during New Years, yes? Get to that before your sister starts asking for dating advice."
Minato visibly shivered at the words before complying with a, "You got it, uncle!" and disappeared in a flash.
"We're making a bonfire? What for? Yukari questioned, no longer fazed by the super speed.
"Of course, it's for your training," Kazuha replied. "It's the traditional way to start learning for your specific Breath Style."
"Oh…"
"Why do you sound disappointed? Weren't you really excited about finally getting a style?"
"I am, I am! It's just, I thought I'd get to choose my style on my own or name it myself."
Her uncle looked at her, bemused. "Out of curiosity, what sort of Breath Style did you have in mind?"
"Something flashy," She immediately answered with her fist pumped. "Like lightning! Or fire… or justice!"
"There's no Breath of Justice yet," Kazuha chuckled. "And Breath Style names are just that, names. Other than loosely mimicking what they're based on, they don't actually pertain to anything specific. A Water Breathing user can be just as fast as a Thunder Breathing user, nor would you start growing flowers on your head if you were a Flower Breathing user."
"I know, I just want something cool. I mean, screaming 'Breath of the Squirrel! Third Form! The Hidden Acorn!' doesn't exactly sound intimidating."
"Well, it's a good thing you're learning the main family's technique."
"Main family?" Yukari repeated, "Wait, I know you're like a master ninja, but are you saying we're actually part of a clan?! Like, is the main family a hidden village of ninjas like in Naru- Ow!"
"Focus," Kazuha said after lightly karate chopping her on the head. "Leave your question on our family tree for later."
"Right, right, the Breath Style… uh," Yukari trailed as she rubbed the top of her head. "What was it called again?"
"Oh, you're going to love it," Kazuha smirked. "It's called 'Dance of the Fire God(Hinokami Kagura).'"
Yukari's eyes lit up like the sun, her excitement renewed. 'Now THAT's a name!'
"The Kagura is typically passed down from father to son within the Kamado Family, the main family that I mentioned before of which your grandmother was part of before her marriage. Every new year, all its user's must perform a ritual ceremony where we offer the Hinokami a dance from sunset to sunrise to ward off threats and diseases. I expect you to do the same once I've given you mastery." He explained before moving towards a branch, snapping it off, and held it like a sword for clearer demonstrations. "Now the Breath Style is composed of twelve segments. The first is Enbu, which is a straight vertical slash, like so. The key is you arch your swing, while pushing the air to your back and legs. The second form is…"
Yukari's eyes were fixed on her uncle, taking in every detail as he explained the technicalities and the forms of the Breath Style. He spoke of its origin as the root of all Breath Styles, of its creator as the Kamado family's benefactor. And he imparted its philosophy of mimicking the sun in being extremely varied and having no set pattern.
Eventually, her uncle finished giving her an overview of the Style and the two of them made their way up the mountain, where her brother was already stacking logs for the bonfire. After they arrived, Minato was then sent off to train by swimming up a waterfall, making the older Sahashi sigh and took out his swimwear before heading back down the mountain.
With that, Yukari's real training began, mimicking her uncle as he slowly performed the Kagura's steps while adjusting her every limb, ankle, and spine to their proper place. Pretty soon, she was sweating from head to toe. While performing the stances at a snail's pace may look easy, her limbs started to feel numbed after being raised for a long time. Not to mention she had to be accurate in every move she made.
Even so, the more she practiced the style, the more her excitement built up. And though it might just have been her overactive imagination, she thought she could feel the Breath Style resonate with her heart and her anticipation grew by the second.
Little did she know she was getting more than she bargained for, as the white haired taskmaster would push her to practice through the night!
Miya sighed with relief as the first thing that came into view was Tanjirou awakening to grasp Nezuko by a makeshift haori wrapped around her form, alive and whole, with the addition of what seemed to be a bamboo muzzle.
The man that knocked out Tanjiro had still been there, apparently watching over them. He called himself Tomioka Giyu and instructed the young redhead to visit a man named Sakonji Urokodaki at Mount Sagiri as a starting point to cure his sister and to not take her out in the sun before moving far too quickly for a human to perceive his departure.
With the world finally giving her Ashikabi a moment to breathe, he and his now passive sister return home to bury their family. Tanjiro gave as much respect as he could muster with what little means he had left. As he prayed for their passing, Miya knelt beside him. Even if she was only viewing a memory, she offered her own prayers for the family's journey for the next life.
With his duties completed, the pair of siblings left their home, hoping one day to return and restore what they have lost.
After traveling quite some distance and finding a small cave for them to take shelter in, Tanjiro finally allowed exhaustion to take his body.
The next day, the sky had cleared up from it's gloomy overcast weather, prompting Tanjiro to venture to a nearby farm to procure materials for a makeshift basket and some straw and bamboo, adamantly insisting on paying for the materials, even though the owner was willing to give them to him for free.
Miya smiled at the event. While it may have been silly and nonsensical to most, it displayed just how great her Ashikabi's inner strength and kindness was even after suffering such a tragedy. When she had lost her husband, she was all but inconsolable, taking up months to recover and it was to her shame that it was Seo that had to prepare Takehito's funeral and burial, small as it were.
Afterwards, Tanjiro returned to the cave and quickly repaired the basket and covered any holes where sunlight might slip in. And while the basket was quite large, there should've been no way to carry a child just about to enter puberty in it. Luckily, after some coaxing, Nezuko managed to use her newfound ability to change her size and promptly shrank to a more adorable and portable form. With her safety from the sunlight secured, the two siblings resumed their journey.
As night approached, they neared a way station and Tanjirou detected the smell of blood and immediately went to help, making Miya cringe. She had just praised Tanjirou's kindness earlier, and yet that same attribute of his promptly led him to what was certainly to be a dangerous situation. She hoped that in the present, he had tempered his kindness with caution. Then again, if Tanjirou's sense of smell was just as strong as ever, he may have even picked up on the fact that she wasn't human, and still went to comfort her regardless. Her Ashikabi may just end up killing her with worry!
And sure enough, upon entering the way station, Tanjirou discovers a demon, feasting on three humans he had just killed. And unsurprisingly, the demon pounced on Tanjirou. He tried to defend himself with the same hatchet he had used on Giyu, but it was unfortunately no use as the demon instantly regenerated the damage. Fortunately, Nezuko comes in just in time and saves her brother by kicking the demon's head off… Except even after being decapitated, the demon still continued to attack.
As Miya watched the scuffle ensue, she bit her lip in worry. While the brawl showed that demons weren't necessarily more resilient than Sekirei, they could still instantly regenerate fatal wounds. Twenty years ago, she and four other Sekirei had defended Kamikura Island, cutting down any invaders that tried to get close to the still unborn Sekirei with ease. This led her to believe that they were the apex predators on the planet. Watching a decapitated head grow limbs and still control its separated body however instantly shattered that perception.
While she and many other Sekireis could deal with one demon, even restrain them until the sun rose, what if they had to deal with a dozen? A hundred? A thousand? On the other hand, if Tanjirou and the Slayers had succeeded in eliminating these demons, then that meant humanity was more powerful than they had thought. The question then was why weren't they sent to Kamikura Island when thousands of soldiers had been sent to their death?
So lost was she in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the moment the memory ended and simply found herself lying on her bed. This time, with a still sleeping Chachamaru curled up by her neck.
Minato had been looking forward to the beach. Sure, he hadn't been like Yukari, ready to rush off at the drop of a hat, but he had still looked forward to it. This was summer! The season of warm sunny days. Of bright, golden light bathing white sandy beaches while the waves of the sea crashed onto the shore and reflected the deep blue sky above.
It was supposed to be a time of endless possibilities, where one could relax, swim, sunbathe, or explore the hidden corners of his home country as the cicadas played their song.
Having already spent a year with his Great-Uncle Kazuha, Minato really should have known better!
Instead, he was out under a storm, on a tall craggy rock just off the shore, and his theme music the roar of thunder above and the waves crashing below. He wore a plain-old dark windbreaker jacket and pants, long since soaked from brine and rain. He secured a wide pair of goggles around his eyes, while his feet were clad in specialized buoy boots. They were like those arm floaters for little kids that didn't know how to swim… but on the soles of your feet. And while they could float on their own, they were worse than useless when worn by any human being as they would drag you to the surface, feet first.
When worn by a Breath Style user on the other hand…
The young Sahashi ran to the edge of the craggy rocks before he leaped out into the stormy sea, the boots surprisingly not popping with the amount of force his Breath-powered feet were putting on them. He reached the turbulent waves feet first, and for the briefest second, his foot found purchase thanks to the boots.
'Breath of Water! Ninth Form! Splashing Water Flow, Turbulent!'
Then Minato exploded into action, his figure a blur as he skimmed along the stormy sea surface as if it were solid ground. The rain whipped around him, the winds howling as if to tear him apart but the young Sahashi remained steadfast in his run. He wound his way up and down the ship-tipping waves, his vision almost a constant blur due to the deluge of water on his goggles.
Minato had never thought of himself as an adrenaline junkie, but he had to admit, being able to ignore the laws of physics and run fast enough to break the surface tension of water only after he lifted his foot was exhilarating. He hoped he wouldn't start thrill-seeking because of this. Rock climbing without any gear was laughable at this point and running on water in the middle of the storm was pretty hard to top.
Then he shook the errant thought away and concentrated back on his task. He needed to focus and keep his aural faculties open to anyt-
"On your left," Spoke the voice of his Great-Uncle Kazuha that definitely heard coming from the right.
Minato ignored the words, trusted in his body's instinct and raised his sword in a block. Blade met blade and the brief spark of light lit up the grinning visage of the elderly man and made it seem almost demonic. A year ago, Minato would've been scared out of his boots, but now he wasted no time and spun along the rebound from his opponent's attack.
'Breath of Water! Second Form! Water Wheel: Lateral!'
The young swordsman spun horizontally for one full revolution, spinning with such a force that he cleaved the upper halves of the waves around him and sent his uncle flying back into the misty haze of the sea. His ears had zeroed in on his uncle's peculiar tune however, and he ran after the older man to keep up the pressure.
'Breath of Water! Fourth Form! Striking Tide: Turbulent!'
Minato ran after the white-haired swordmaster and launched a bombardment of strikes and slashes, maneuvering his sword in a seamless and fluid fashion as they raced across the waves. 'Just the tip! If I can hit with just the tip!' He thought as he willed his katana to just reach his uncle so he could claim victory. Then his assault ended as the defensive tune of the older man switched to a counterattack.
Their steel rapidly and repeatedly clashed, briefly illuminating the storm-tossed grayness with a multitude of sparks. It was as if a series of stars burst into existence within the raging sea, only for the rolling waves to quickly swallow the flickering fragments beneath them, trapping the symphony of battle only to its two participants.
Slash met parry, block met riposte. Their swords met half a dozen times within a second before the two swordsmen disengaged as the waves crashed and churned into one another, before repeating the process once more.
Minato glared at the effort he was putting into the spar, trying every form of Water Breathing, combining one with the other, and sometimes trying a variation he's only thought of in his head, all to land just one hit on the wily geezer that was more slippery than an eel!
Eventually however, Minato's lungs burned and his legs started to shake from the constant running. He focused his ears to the sound of waves crashing against the nearest rock formation that soared over the waves and leaped up to its zenith where he could hear the wind caressing its top.
As he landed, he kept his body straight and continued T. . As much as he wanted to double over and gasp for air in exhaustion, doing so would entail some form of punishment from his uncle.
Speaking of the devil, the old man similarly landed on Minato's rock, not even winded and just as composed as ever from what he was hearing. He pursed his lips, hoping that keeping this training up would let him be as physically fit as his uncle at his age. Because if not, Minato was sure the man would even outlive him!
"You're thinking too loudly," His uncle called out.
Minato groaned. "Please don't tell me you can read my mind just from your sense of smell too."
"Ha, don't worry kid! Even that's outside of our superhuman senses. I can smell surface-level emotions but I don't need my nose to know the face you make when you start overthinking."
"I'm not overthinking things! Just… doing regular thinking."
The old man shook his head. "Come on, Nato-kun. You've been losing focus these last few days. Tell your Great-Uncle Kazuha your problems and maybe I can untangle your mind."
Minato looked down and stared at the katana in his hands, wondering why he had been so distracted. Then the metaphorical light bulb in his head lit up and he looked back to Kazuha, wondering just how he should word his epiphany.
"Well… Uh, hey Uncle, just so you know, I uhh… really appreciate you training me this year and a half. I'm really grateful for it! Like, I got to visit all sorts of places, meet my distant cousins, and even met Klavdiya-chan. I'm even able to scale a mountainside and-"
"Nato-kun, when you're leading up to it like that, you're just making me feel worse." The white-haired elder said with a grin. "Just get to the point."
"Right…" Minato said and took a deep breath. "I'm bored of this."
"Ah," the older man nodded. "I see."
"Yeah, sorry." He apologized and scratched the back of his head. "I mean, all this training and swordsmanship is amazing, really! I just don't see what more training would get me. I mean, it's not like I'm going to be fighting in some secret war or anything, right?"
Kazuha kept on nodding. "Yes, yes, I see the problem now."
"Really? So, does that mean–"
Kazuha then slammed a fist down on his palm, like a judge handing out a sentence. "I need to push you hard enough that you can't even think!"
"Huh?! H-hey wait a minute! I don't–"
"Nope! Break time's over! We train now!"
Before Minato knew what was happening, his uncle grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, jacket and all, then tossed him high into the stormy abyss, barely managing to keep his grip on his sword.
"Damn it Uncle!" He cursed whilst tumbling through the air, not knowing which way was up or down. Not being the first time he got chucked into the open air, Minato spread his arms out into an 'X' and arched his back upward to slow his uncontrolled spin until he managed to reorient himself to face the direction of gravity. Not being able to estimate the duration of his fall, he relied on his echolocation to calculate the time before he hit the waves beneath him and recover his landing.
Up until his sonar detected a massive body of water coming from the sky.
Confused, he looked up, and saw a massive waterspout heading right for him.
"What the fu-?!" Was all he could let out before instincts took over and he breathed in air into his lungs.
'Second Form! Water Wheel: Spin!'
Minato spun in the air like a buzzsaw, just in time for the solid tendril of water to swat him out of the air and into the churning sea.
'Sixth Form! Whirlpool!'
Not wanting to get dragged around by the tide, Minato twisted his entire body at a whirling upwards angle, burst out of the water, and immediately took another lungful of air.
'Ninth Form! Splashing Water Flow!'
He ran as soon as his feet touched the sea's surface, as another torrent of water came careening down on his previous location. Its crash further stirred up the already chaotic sea, and Minato nearly tripped as the water receded back to the point of impact before resurging into a great tidal wave. And inevitably, the wave tipped over, threatening to drag him back under the sea. The young Sahashi had to do a sharp turn and ran inside the pocket of air just as the wave fell like a surfer riding the wave, barely managing to avoid wiping out.
Then lightning flashed in the sky, grabbing the young swordsman's attention from his immediate surroundings and briefly illuminating further trouble.
'You've got to be kidding me!' Minato just barely had the time to think as more columns of water snaked their way above the sea, looking like massive tentacles from the legendary Kraken about to lash upon its prey.
Kazuha cackled as he watched his descendant struggling around the sea like a headless chicken. Had Minato seen it from up close, he'd notice the old man's eyes glowing almost imperceptibly and was more slitted like that of a cat out on an evening hunt.
Not wanting to give the youth any breathing room, the white-haired elder held his sword out to the side and began to rapidly spin his wrist like a tornado. Eventually, water from the sea and rain gathered around the vacuum of air. It kept on growing and growing until a waterspout formed right on Kazuha's hand. Then he flicked his arm horizontally towards Minato and the massive stream followed the momentum like a giant whip.
Kazuha was having way too much fun manipulating the elements to his liking. He was, of course, cheating just a bit. Even with his mastery over Total Concentration Breathing, it would be impossible to form massive jets of water and whip them out like an octopus appendage. Instead, he exerted just a little bit of his demonic power, making his arm spin far faster and excreting a small amount of blood on the waterspout just so it maintained its shape. He was also giving himself better night vision and the eyesight of a hawk, as he didn't want to rely solely on his sense of smell.
"Come on, Nato-kun. Show me you got what it takes to stand up for yourself."
Minato gritted his teeth as he ducked underneath another tentacle-like waterspout and ran as fast as he could, hoping to avoid the rebounding tidal waves the tendrils caused with each crash upon the sea. His mind whirled a mile a minute, trying to come up with a plan but was too busy deciphering the data from his ears and directing his feet to where he could keep himself afloat.
While the massive torrents were relatively slow for a Breath Style user, they turned the stormy surface of the sea even more chaotic. And with his burning lungs, it was only a matter of time before he slipped and was pulled beneath the waves.
Then one tendril, larger than all the others, came sweeping the sea surface from the front like a giant wave itself. There was no going left or right while retreating would mean the column eventually catching up to him as he'd be running against the tide. That left him with one final direction.
"Move it, Minato!" He screamed to himself as he gathered as much energy into his legs and jumped upwards, trying to leap over the spout. As he reached the apex however, he realized it was growing in size thanks to being in contact with the sea. He cursed as he was left with no other choice but to land on the surging stream itself, the surface of which was continuously twisting like a horizontal tornado.
Finally, his mind came up with a solution and he filled his lungs to the limit.
'Don't panic, don't panic. You can do this!' He encouraged himself and extended one leg forward to land first.
'Total Concentration!'
The tip of his boot hit the water and the current pushed against the side of his foot, forcing it to rotate along the tide's momentum.
'Water Breathing!'
Minato's body followed by the twist until he completed a full 360°. Then he precisely landed his columnother foot forward, once again being rotated along the tide. Then another step, and another, until he was sprinting at full tilt along the gyrating column of water while constantly rotating.
'Tenth Form! Constant Flux!'
He kept on spinning and rotating like a whirlwind himself and traveled along the length of the semi-solid current, taking step after step. The pressure on his body and boots mounted with each passing second. He ignored the rain battering him like a drum, and the wind howling at his back, even as he felt his lungs burning and muscles aching. This was his only chance and he had to take it or fall into the sea.
Soon, the spout's connection with its source was cut and began to collapse back into the water and he launched himself forward, somersaulting in midair before landing onto another column and continuing his sprint. In time, Minato was leaping from tendril to tendril, when his ears heard over a dozen sharp whipping sounds coming from the front and noticed smaller water tentacles lashing toward him like serpents.
With the momentum he's been building up though, his katana easily intercepted the tentacles and blew them away with ease. But as soon as he finished them off, another dozen charged at him from all directions. After dispatching those as well, the number doubled, then tripled. On and on, they simply kept multiplying.
Minato's eyes widened as he realized that he was surrounded and that he was running on the last large column, caught like a fly in a spider's web. While his echolocation searched for a way out, his eyes found his Great-Uncle Kazuha, standing on the same rock he had been thrown off of while swinging the sword that somehow controlled all of the spouts.
'Wasn't this enough?' whispered Minato's unconsciousness. 'You've fought a battle comparable to the legend of Susanoo slaying the eight headed Orochi. Just stop here and take your uncle's punishment. Maybe you'll get tossed around in the water a bit but it's not like he's going to let you drown. You're bored of this anyway.'
A tenth of a second after spotting his uncle, Minato's shoulders began to relax.
Kazuha frowned as he immediately spotted the tenseness of the young Sahashi dropping. It was as if the brat had stopped just before he could cross the finish line. So, in an attempt to give him a little motivation, he was going to draw out his fight or flight response.
The hundred year old demon king tapped into his power, exuding an amount of demonic energy that would make anyone less than a Pillar tremble with fear. He glared menacingly at the young swordsman, the gaze soaked with killing intent. And for the finishing touch, he morphed and contorted his body to a more gruesome appearance. Holes sprung up on his body like wounds, and each hole was filled with a pulsing red eye. The effect provoked a persons' inner trypophobia - the fear of clusters of holes - and Kazuha found the look to be surprisingly common in unsettling people, especially when displayed on the human body.
"Now then, Minato Sahashi. Will you surrender your life to fate, or can you harden your resolve and fight against it?"
Minato began to relax, his momentum and training keeping on the tendril but no longer at an accelerated pace. Then just as his eyes closed for a blink, the sound of his surroundings changed. The ambience of the storm was invaded by a high pitch, high frequency noise and a familiar chill traveled down his spine. He was no stranger to the sensation. He'd encountered it once last year while facing off a giant 12-foot-tall bear with nothing but a bundle of sticks in his arms because he stupidly forgot his sword. Except this time, the tune was far, far more ominous.
Suddenly a sharp lashing sound came right for his neck, aiming to decapitate him, and it was only thanks to his training that his body moved on its own, resumed its acceleration and cut down the attack with his katana.
Adrenaline kicked in, and his mind perceived everything in slow motion as his eyes snapped open to a changed surrounding. The smaller water tendrils were now blood-red and sharp as blades while the column he was running on was no better, the stormy dark-blue sea not far off from turning completely red. He searched for his uncle where he had last seen the man, only for a grotesque monster with erratic wiggling red eyes all over its body to take his place.
The monster was staring at him while licking its lips like a hungry beast. Its intent to do harm obvious even to the blind. It had its arms spread out and was slowly raising it to the sky, each glowing with a sinister light in the palm of its hands. As it slowly raised its arms, the tumultuous noise of killing intent grew more and more in Minato's ear.
'It wants to eat me!'
This was no longer just training, but a fight for survival!
'I'm going to die!'
Minato didn't know how it all happened or what happened to his uncle but he needed to get away! His echolocation desperately searched for a way out, but the tentacles weaved like a net and rapidly closed him in. He strained his ears looking for an opening, but all were blocked, all, except one-right where the monster was.
Heart pounding against his chest and his feet getting closer to the end of the column, Minato knew he had to fight. His mind raced at lightning speed as to which form of Water Breathing could help him reach the monster before the tentacles closed around him or grabbed him mid air.
The First Form, the Second Form, the Eight Form-even with momentum from the Tenth Form-they were all too slow! He needed something more immediate, more powerful, something with the potential to blow away the tentacles surrounding the exit before they can even touch him and deliver a fatal strike to the monster!
'If that's the case, then-!'
Minato clenched his teeth and sheathed his sword. He took another deep breath and immediately suffered the mind-numbing backlash as his muscles contracted in a new direction.
'TOTAL CONCENTRATION!'
Regardless, he leaned forward and timed to land his foot on the gyrating column the moment he was ready. He grasped every vein and fiber in his legs, and gathered every ounce of strength he had into them, before finally pushing it all out in one explosive breath.
'FLUXING THUNDERCLAP!'
Minato blasted forward with a sound akin to a roaring dragon. The force of Constant Flux combined with the first form of Thunder Breathing sent him hurtling at such an extreme velocity that even his clothing burned and exposed skin reddened from the friction against the wind. The air hummed around him as he moved, creating shockwaves in his wake. The tentacles tried to grab him or block his path, but his momentum blew them away, reducing them into steam.
Finally, he was face-to-face with the monster. And in the next moment, his katana was slicing through its neck, Minato not even giving it a chance to react.
To his surprise, his sword hit nothing but air. The lack of resistance left him off-balanced and caused him to stumble forward face first onto the craggy rock. His muscles spasmed in protest but he forced himself back up.
Only to find himself alone on the rock. What had been the gaping, blood-tinted jaws of a watery hell had gone back to a chaotic, but normal, stormy sea. Confused but wary, he scanned the area carefully, looking for the monster that had him gripped in fear.
Then a hand clapped him on the shoulder, making him jump and turn around swinging.
"Hey, good- whoa!" Kazuha exclaimed as he ducked under Minato's horizontal swipe. "Easy there, Nato-kun! Training's over!"
"U-U-Uncle K-Kazuha?" He stuttered as the older man gave him a raised brow. The young swordsman looked his teacher up and down while his ears told him that it was indeed his uncle, peculiar tune and all. "W-what's going on? There was a monster and-and-and I cut it's head off with my sword, b-but now it's gone!"
"Monster?" He repeated with a bemused expression. "You must've hit that rock harder than I thought. There's no monster here, brat."
"B-But… But- The Monster… The tentacles, the eyes, the everything…" Minato muttered, hands waving to the now empty sea while looking back and forth to the gray-haired elder.
Kazuha let out a hearty laugh and shook his head. "I don't know about any monster, but you finally using your Thunder Breathing was the real deal. Would've lopped my head off if I wasn't paying attention. It was about time you stopped being scared of using it."
"I- Wait, that was you?!"
"Well, yeah. There's only the two of-"
"Uncle! I… I was going to c-cut your head off!" Minato screamed, his arms trembling, the weight of his actions against the sole father figure in his life suddenly sucker punched him in the stomach. He looked down to the sword in his hand with disgust. "I-"
"Alright, alright, let's calm down a moment and clear our heads." Kazuha grasped him by the shoulder, coaxed him to sheath his sword and got both of them to sit on the craggy rock. "Deep breaths now. One-two-three, one-two-three…"
Minato closed his eyes and took deep breaths as instructed. He tried to calm down but then a thought suddenly occurred to him—that deep down, he was a monster and he had simply projected his inner demon onto his uncle—which is why he was just so ready to take his life. The weight in his gut seemed to double and-
"Hey, hey, none of that." Kazuha suddenly called and shook his shoulders. "Remember how to meditate. Throw every thought in your mind and just count. Come on now, Nato-kun."
The young Sahashi took another deep breath before closing his eyes once more and counted loudly in his mind, his inner voice screaming to be the only thing on his mind. After he had calmed down, his Uncle began to explain.
"Now, I'll start off by saying you're no psychopath, murderer, or anything like that. Your reaction to killing intent is completely normal."
"But-"
"No buts! It's entirely reasonable for someone to react with deadly force after being seriously threatened, and that extends to you too. Accept that fact first, Minato."
The young swordsman bit his lip. It sounded logical to his mind too, but something in him kept saying he had gone too far, that a good person shouldn't have done what he did. In the end, Minato took another deep breath and nodded his head, choosing to side with the logic within his uncle's words even if he couldn't reconcile it with his feelings.
Seeing his nephew come to terms with himself, the older man continued. "Right, since that's out of the way, do you want to know why it was that I dragged you away from third year high school and pushed you into training?"
Minato blinked and nodded in the affirmative, further pushing aside his inner conflict. Beyond just "being good for him", he was curious if his uncle had a deeper reasoning for all he's been made to go through.
"You remember what your grandmother said before in January? That you only looked like a man? Well, that's the entire reason for all this. Even last year's training was for that. To be a man. To be your own man! To be able to stand up for yourself and tell people 'No!'
"Listen Nato-kun, you got a good head on your shoulders. Smarter than I was when I was your age, and in this modern world, that alone could take you places. Maybe you'll invent the next best thing since smartphones. Maybe you'll even cure cancer! The problem was, you let people walk all over you.
"That school festival of yours in junior high, you got bullied into crossdressing, right? And don't try to defend your classmates by saying they didn't. Kari-chan found it hilarious, but I could smell how you hated being on that stage. In fact, I bet that wasn't the only case of people pushing you to do things. Tell me, did people "ask" you to do their homework for them too?"
Minato cringed as a dozen memories exactly as the old man described popped into his mind and he outwardly agreed.
"Hmph, well, you can admit that wasn't right for them to do now, yeah? You're a kind hearted kid, Nato-kun. Sure beats a bully that wants to lord whatever miniscule power they have over others, but remember that standing up for yourself is just as important as being kind to others."
Minato reflected on his uncle's words. Deep down, he knew his uncle was right. He had always been too afraid to stand up for himself. A psychologist could write up any number of reason for it, but it didn't change the fact he had let people take advantage of his weak personality. But now, after having fought a battle-even a simulated one- that's the stuff of legends, he felt something inside him shift. A sense of newfound confidence welled up in him to live his life for his ideals and for his own prosperity.
"Uncle Kazuha, thank you." Minato bowed to his uncle with newfound respect. "Although… I do still got a question."
"Hit me."
"Why all this?" Minato asked, waving his sword and gesturing to the surrounding sea. "I mean, if you had given me the speech about standing up for myself back at Russia after fighting the bear, I think I would've listened."
"It was just a precaution," Kazuha answered and crossed his arms. "I led you to go for lethal intent just for the experience and to refine your resolve. Hopefully you never need it, but if it does happen, I don't want you to end up freezing in hesitation, else you end up to be the one getting hurt instead."
Minato nodded, understanding that his uncle simply wanted him to be completely prepared. Once more, he bowed in gratitude to his Great-Uncle Kazuha. "I get it. Thanks again, uncle, for preparing me for the worst-case scenario."
"No worries, Nato-kun. Just live a life you could be proud of and not just a kind one." Kazuha smiled like a wise, kind old elder. Up till it transformed into the familiar smirk Minato was more used to. "So, does that mean you'll stop holding back now and finally use Thunder Breathing instead of Water?"
"Maybe after I do some more practice with it." Minato laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Don't want to hit my face on a rock again."
"Hmph, well I suppose that's true. Still though Nato-kun, for the most part, your trainings' done."
He tilted his head questioningly, "Huh?"
"I mean, you already know the forms of Water and Thunder Breathing back in winter. Most of your cousins stopped after that point too. All that's left is for you to refine the latter while not forgetting the moves of the former. By all accounts, you could go all the way back to Shinto Teito and physically attend your college."
"Wait, does that mean I'm a master now?"
"Ha! Look at this brat! Give him a little praise and his head gets all big!" Kazuha laughed and ruffled Minato's hair, much to his embarrassment. "No, Nato-kun, you're still far away from what I'd call a Pillar. I just mean that, had we still have the Final Selection Exam, I'm confident you could've survived. But well, if you're eager to get to the next level, aim to do Total Concentration Breathing twenty-four seven."
"Wait… What?! You mean I gotta be Breathing in my sleep too? How?!"
"Habit, mostly. Back in my day, I had people watching me sleep then whack me awake if I ever stopped. Moving on though, I'd like to ask you a favor."
"A favor?" Minato asked with a tilt of his head.
"While you can go to your university if you want, I'd like to ask you to stick around until the new year. Specifically, to stay until your sister finishes her training. Give her some pointers here and there. Join her in sparring against me and work on teamwork, that kind of stuff."
Minato mulled it over in his head. As much as wanted to finally start his college life, there really wasn't much to look forward to in his perspective. He didn't have any friends that entered U-Teito with him, nor did he have a great track record of making them based on his highschool life. Not to mention he didn't have any major classes until the spring of next year, so staying around with his uncle and Yukari for a few more months seemed like a good idea.
"Alright, I can do that," he said with a nod. Then he scratched the back of his head as he thought of something. "Actually, can you teach me how to cook like you do? I got attached to your cooking, I don't think I can go through college without it."
Kazuha laughed, a proud glint in his eyes. "Sure, brat! If that's that, let's get back to Kari-chan. Hopefully, she's been able to keep dancing and kept the bonfire lit even through this storm."
Miya came back to the scene of Tanjiro having defeated the decapitated demon, her Ashikabi preparing to finish it off with a knife with great hesitation. Then someone in a tengu mask grabbed the red head's shoulder, surprising not just him but Miya as well. The masked man then tells the youth that the knife was too blunt and would be unable to finish off the demon. Tanjiro of course questions a proper method to end the demon's life, but the tengu unhelpfully tells the boy to figure it out himself, causing Miya to stare at the old man with a deadpan expression.
Because of the strangers words, Tanjiro attempts to kill the demon with a rock but, in the end, hesitates long enough for the sun to rise and quickly burn the demon to ash.
With the demon gone and after checking that Nezuko was alright, the young redhead finds the older man giving a proper burial to the demon's victims. He introduces himself as Sakonji Urokodaki and questions her Ashikabi what would he do if his sister devours a human. Only to slap him for hesitating too long. For the umpteenth time, Miya wished she could interact with the memory and introduce the ones that keep hurting Tanjiro and Nezuko to her sword.
After Sakonji gives advice that Miya would like to see him to, the old man then says he would test Tanjiro if he was fit to be a Demon Slayer. Then he leads the eldest Kamado towards a mountain, the teenager struggling to keep up with the old man. Admittedly, her Ashikabi was carrying Nezuko on his back all the way, but the old man's endurance surprised her little, having already seen the Tomioka fellow from before.
And after they arrive at Sakonji's place, a worn-out Tanjiro asked if he passed the test. To his and Miya's surprise, they find out the test hasn't even started.
As it turns out, the test was for Tanjiro to descend down a mountain before dawn arrives. Tanjiro thought it too easy, but Miya was worried what new trick the old man was going to pull. And it turned out to be the thin air that made one dizzy and a multitude of traps that ranged from thrown rocks, pitfalls, wire snares, falling logs, bamboo whips, all of which could leave a nasty bruise at a glancing blow, not to mention break frail human bones.
Even so, her Ashikabi pushed on and endured the pain from failing to dodge the traps he wasn't able to detect. All for the sake of saving his sister. And though it was long in the past and would never reach her Ashikabi's ears, she cheered him on to keep going and surpass his limits.
And just at the break of dawn, a heavily injured and exhausted Tanjiro manages to reach Sakonji's house and falls down exhausted. Miya smiled and patted the redhead in pride, or at least tried to, as her fingers simply passed through the young teen. Even so, she wished her desires could transcend time and space and convey her feelings to her Ashikabi as she returned to the real world.
"Oh, Harada, Harada! I have you now!" Matsu let out an otherworldly, maniacal laugh that echoed within the walls of a dark room. The only illumination came from dozens of computer monitors that surrounded her, their light casting a murky shadow. Her keyboard clicked and clacked with a fury like that of a grand pianist on stage performing their magnum opus. She was on a mission, a mission for justice, a mission for revenge!
Then one final press on the keyboard signaled the end of her crescendo, her concerto ending in silence… only to be broken as the room was filled with the droning of a printer getting to work.
Matsu sighed and leaned back down on her futon, the room lacking any kind of furniture other than the table for her main monitor to stand on.
Searching for Harada hadn't taken her long. A week after Miya had left it to her, Matsu acquired every piece of information there was about him, up to an old medical report regarding an incident involving a toy getting lodged in a part of his body it had no business being near. And she had to wonder if that single event had been the reason why he had grown up so twisted. The proverbial moment that Pandora's box was opened. But unlike the story of the Greek girl, there was no light at the bottom of the box, just evil monsters.
Matsu eyed one of her screens, it's content currently being printed. And it filled her with fury.
The monitor displayed a child, a young girl no older than ten. In a position and wearing clothes that no child should be in, surrounded by men– no, pigs in the shape of men with lust clearly written behind their wicked eyes.
Harada had friends, or rather, customers - all of whom earned a VIP express tickets to the lowest level of hell in Matsu's opinion. They frequented the darknet website hosted by Harada, one loaded with over a hundred terabytes of child pornography in both images and videos. When Matsu had stumbled across it, she was heavily tempted to take control of MBI's satellites and start raining hellfire on the entire world.
And after calming herself down, she went about her task of finding out all of Harada's users as well. All 403,286 of them. In every corner of the world. As well as how she could help the children out from under these monster clutches. So yes, it took her all spring and a few weeks of summer to gather all the evidence, and mass email all the appropriate agencies so the net closed on all the scum at the same time.
And all she had to do now was make sure Harada was jailed without giving him the chance to tell his cronies to disconnect his servers.
Then Matsu's alarm rang and announced it was time for breakfast. With the printer still churning out a thesis worth of papers, most of which she'll be dropping off at a police station, the orangette decided she might as well get something in her stomach before heading out.
She was, of course, nervous. Being a high priority target of MBI, it was foolish of her to be going out for any reason. Even so, she had to do this herself. It was best if Uzume-tan remained ignorant of the monsters in human flesh she discovered, while Miya-tan may just start a bloodbath. No, it was better if Matsu handled this herself
She leaned against the hidden door to her room and rotated out into the second floor hallway. Instantly, she noticed an oddity. Usually, the aroma of Miya's delicious cooking drifted through the house, enticing her out of bed and into the kitchen. But today, there was nothing.
Puzzled, she made her way down the stairs and found the dining room and kitchen empty. She could, however, hear the methodical slashing of a sword slicing the air coming from the backyard. 'Had Miya-tan not noticed the time?' Matsu thought with a tilt of her head.
She approached the patio and saw the purplette in the yard, practicing with her sword. The sight itself wasn't something new. Matsu had seen the widow swing her blade on occasion in the afternoon. However, there was something different about her movements today.
Miya had always wielded her katana with power and grace, albeit with a tendency towards the former. After all, Zero-One was still a power-type Sekirei at her core. Matsu supposed that Miya's strength gave her the leeway to afford the elegance into her combat style, whereas the double digit Sekireis fought more like gorillas.
But now Miya's elegant movements equaled her power. Her blade glided and twisted in hypnotic patterns, almost as if her moves were choreographed instead of something used for a fight. Each step was more fluid, every twist smoother than the last. It was mesmerizing to watch, and even Matsu, who had no interest in combat, couldn't tear her eyes off the sight as the purplette ebbed and flowed, weaving through the air seamlessly like water.
"Oh Matsu-san, Good morning." Miya greeted as she finally took notice of her audience. Then she glanced at the sky and tilted her head. "Oh my. What time is it?"
"Good morning, Miya-tan." Matsu greeted back before glancing at the clock down the hall. "It's a few minutes past seven."
"Oh dear. I may have gotten too absorbed in my practice." Miya then sheathed her sword and hurried back inside with a sheepish look. "I apologize Matsu, I'll have breakfast right on the way."
Matsu waved off her concern. "No worries, Miya-Tan. Matsu and Uzume-tan are always in your care, so if anything, we should be returning the favor!"
"And burn my kitchen? I think not." Miya chuckled as she headed for the dining room, Matsu following after her with a question on her mind.
"By the way, since when could Miya-tan move like that? It looked almost like you were dancing."
"Hmm? Oh, it's just something I picked from a dream recently."
Matsu wanted to follow up further, wondering what kind of dream would lead her to such graceful swordsmanship but the staggering steps of their other housemate coming down the stairs caught their attention.
"Ah, Uzume-San. Good morning." Miya greeted the still half asleep brunette. "I'm sorry, but breakfast will be late."
"-s'kay…" Uzume yawned as she followed them to the dining room and promptly laid down on the tatami mats by her side of the table, presumably getting a little more shut eye.
Matsu followed Miya behind the kitchen counter and grabbed a pot for brewing. "I'm making coffee. Do you guys want some?" The orangette asked.
Uzume raised a lazy thumbs up while Miya placed a finger to her chin and nodded while readying a pan to cook some omelets. "I suppose it'll be a good change of pace."
Having been spoiled by Miya's tea brewing, the residents of Maison Izumo similarly enjoy quality coffee, so Matsu briefly joined Miya in the kitchen to perfect the brew.
"By the way Matsu," Miya called whilst preparing some miso soup. "I've been meaning to ask, how are you so awake this early? Usually, you're like Uzume over there."
"Ah, that's because I haven't actually slept yet." Matsu answered while scratching her cheek, earning a disapproving frown from the landlady.
"That's not very good for your health. I hope you have a reason for doing something so foolish."
"Well, this and that." Matsu avoided the question, for now at least, and grabbed three cups and the now ready pot of coffee. "I'll tell you with Uzume-tan at the table so I don't repeat myself.
Matsu heard her landlady wordlessly hum in reply and took it as her bid to leave. She then knelt besides the short-legged dining table and filled a cup for herself and Uzume. Said Sekirei crawled up to a sitting position, her legs crossed, and brought her still drowsy lips to the cup on the table, sipping on it like a kid.
Matsu meanwhile watched amused, wondering if that was what Miya always saw from both Uzume and herself. She waited a few minutes to give the brunette to rouse herself and asked her question once she seemed sufficiently aware. "Neh, neh, Uzume-tan. You're pretty good with clothes right? Can you help me with something?
"Sure I guess," Uzume shrugged and sat straighter to meet Matsu's eye level. "What'cha need?"
"Matsu needs a disguise."
"A disguise?"
"Yeah, yeah, like a trench coat, hat and all that?"
Uzume looks at her funny. "That's the opposite of a disguise. You want to blend in with the crowd, not stand out and look suspicious."
"Oh," she said and looked down at her half-empty cup. "Maybe Matsu needs more coffee."
"Perhaps you do," Miya cut in as she placed a simple breakfast of rice and omelet rolls with bits of vegetables and ham on the table. "So enlighten us on why you haven't slept since the night before."
"Thanks for the food!" Matsu started before revealing her plan. "I'm dealing with Harada."
Miya raised a brow at that "Still?"
"Who?" Uzume asked before recognition lit up behind her eyes. "Wait… Isn't that the guy the reason why Miya doesn't have any more tenants but us?"
"You must've lost your touch if it took you over four months to deal with him, Matsu."
"Actually, Matsu was already prepared to have him shut down a week after we talked." Matsu explained, only for her voice to drop a few octaves as she began to go further, the chopsticks between her fingers threatening to break with just a slightly harder grip. "I just didn't because I found out he had 400,000 friends that deserved to be thrown into the deepest, darkest pit on this planet and had to scrap every information about them too."
…
…
…
…
The beat of silence lasted until Matsu realized the other two Sekireis were looking at her with concern. "Sorry. Just… found something that would make Karasuba look justified. Trust Matsu, you don't want to know."
Miya tilted her head but shrugged in acknowledge. "Very well, if you say so. Ignorance is bliss as I've recently come to learn. Although you mentioned dealing with Harada. I'm assuming you're doing this personally which is why you need the disguise?"
"Got it in one, Miya-tan!"
"Matsu, this is crazy!" Uzume interjected. "What if something goes wrong and you get caught?"
"You go out all the time though," Matsu pointed a finger to the brunette.
"Yea, and I'm the one that managed to break us out of MBI." Uzume thumbed to her chest.
"Ugh, point." The orangette lowered her finger. "But Matsu still has to go. Matsu need to make sure Harada gets arrested to make sure he doesn't erase the evidence." Then she crossed her arms and pushed her chest up in full confidence. "Besides, Matsu has set up the MBI to go on a wild goose chase on the other side of the city. They'll be busy until tomorrow morning, whereas Matsu will be done right after lunch, so long as Harada sticks to his schedule."
"Very well," Miya declared her vote.
"Miya!" While Uzume objected.
"She's made up her mind, and besides, I had already left it in her hands back in spring."
Uzume bit her lip, clearly in objection but after a while let out a sigh. "Fine… But I'll handle the disguise to make sure you blend in AND you'll bring along a change of clothes just in case you do get spotted."
"Thanks Miya-tan, Uzume-tan! With this Mission Pandora's Hope is a go!" She exclaimed, unknowingly breaking the chopsticks in her hands thanks to her Sekirei physique, which earned her a deadpan stare from the other two. "... After a another cup of coffee… Or three…"
Harada walked past the glass sliding doors with an easy smirk, the mechanical bell chime announcing his entrance into Starbucks. He eyed the shop that was bustling with activity but not so much that every seat was taken. The wooden walls lit up by warm, yellow lights and the relaxed atmosphere were one of the reasons why he liked coming here. It was just too good a material not to use for some quick and easy videos without any effort on his part.
That, and the girls.
He passed by a table of highschoolers, all of which were eyeing him, and he gave them a wink. Their faces lit up as they smiled and blushed, giggling among themselves.
As he approached the counter, his eyes lit up as the girl manning it was quite a few points cuter than the gaggle of highschoolers and a not so modest bust. Being a regular at the cafe, he didn't recognize her, so he guessed she was a new hire.
"Hi, welcome to Starbucks. What can we get started for you today?" The barista greeted with a practiced smile.
"I'd like a tall Nitro, please," he said, still smiling.
"A Nitro Cold Brew, coming right up," she replied and punched it into the register. "Would you like anything else?"
"Yes, actually. I was wondering when does your shift end for the day?" He asked casually, leaning against the counter.
"Um, sorry, I'm not allowed to give out that information," she said, with a hint of hesitation in her tone.
"Oh, that's too bad," Harada said, his smile turning into a smug grin. "I was thinking we could maybe do something after you get off work. You know, have some fun." He winked at her, letting her know exactly what he had in mind.
The young woman blushed and replied in a stutter, "I'll uh- I'll get back to you on that." She then took his money and ran away to prepare his drink.
Harada's smirk grew wider. While the girl hadn't answered, he doubted she'd say no. They rarely ever did, and on the off chance she did, he had a couple of tricks up his sleeve. That's just the type of man he was, all thanks to his own God-gifted charm.
He leaned against the pick-up counter, waiting for his drink and watching the barista busy herself and eyeing the way her clothes fitted her body. Of course, the uniform didn't do her any favors being a basic black button shirt and pants under the tacky green apron, but they fit her snuggly, perfectly showing her… asset.
She must have felt his gaze as she turned to him then, so he met her eyes and suggestively raised his brows. The barista blushed harder and focused back on his order, and Harada made sure she heard him chuckle and 'mutter' the word cute. Soon enough, she was handing him his order while avoiding his eyes. Instead, she had scrolled a cell number along the bottom of the cup. He gave her a quick wink before moving to a nearby table to wait for his editor.
Sitting there, he started absentmindedly skimming through some posts on his phone when a distinctly feminine voice called out to him.
"Oh my god, are you Harada-san?!"
After he turned to look, he had to stop his jaw from dropping to the floor at the sight of the woman before him. If the barista's body could be described as slightly above average, then the one in front of him could only be described as out of this world. She had a sexy figure, clad in a pink and thin cardigan that revealed the white tank top and denim shorts underneath. The shirt could barely hide her breast, showing a generous amount of cleavage while the shorts followed the curves of her thighs and hips snuggly. Her orange hair was tied in two thick braids underneath a short-rimmed straw hat that sat perched atop her head. Her amber eyes sparkled with excitement behind her round specs as she stared at him with excitement.
"Yes," Harada replied with a smirk after quickly managing to get himself back in control. "And you are?"
The young woman smiled warmly and bowed before introducing herself. "My name is Fujimori Yoko," she said, still beaming at him. "I can't believe I'm meeting you in person! I know all about your work!"
"Oh, thank you," Harada half smiled, half smirked. He was already contemplating if he could postpone his meet up with his editor. "It's always nice to meet a fan. Thanks for watching my videos."
Immediately, her face flushed red and started fanning herself. "Gosh, your face is a lot more handsome in real life."
"Well, why don't you take a seat? Don't want you fainting on me now, do we?" Harada chuckled as he stood up and pulled up the other chair for her.
"Oh, thank you! You're such a gentleman too!" Yoko smiled and accepted the seat.
"It's not a big deal, that's just how my mother raised me." Harada lied. His mother was a downright witch. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but since you called me Harada, can I call you Yoko-san as well?"
"N-No, I don't mind," The orangette stuttered before tapped her index fingers together nervously. "A-Actually, you can call me Yoko-chan if you like."
Harada smirked inwardly, in complete disbelief at how easy the girl was being. 'Girls with her looks tended to get all bitchy about themselves,' Harada thought to himself. 'This one on the other hand is practically throwing herself at me.'
As he moved back to his chair, he noticed that the Starbucks cashier was watching them with a frown on her face. Well, tough luck lady. He didn't really care about her feelings either. He now had his sights set on this bodacious fan girl. And man, he could not wait to sink his hands on that huge rack of hers and make her scream his name.
As he looked back to his current target, he saw her pull out a folder from the drawstring pack she had on her back. "By the way Harada-san, it's really amazing how much work you do," the girl started as she placed the folder on the table and slid it towards him. "Especially the ones in here."
Curious, he flipped the folder open, only to immediately shut it as he recognized the photo had not been one of his public works but a popular photo on the darknet website he hosted. Any and all thoughts of sex were kicked out of his mind as his heart pounded in his chest as the situation began to sink.
His mind raced as he slowly raised his head back up to Yoko. Now that he realized the truth, he could see the vindictive glint at the corner of her eye. He needed to remain calm and buy himself some time.
"...What the hell is this?" He asked after a moment of silence. It seemed like she wanted him to stew at having gotten caught, so he played ignorant.
"Oh don't play dumb Harada-san. Your viewers wouldn't like to see you acting so ignorant." Yoko spoke with the same adoring fan in her voice, but her smile had turned sarcastic.
"My viewers? Are you streaming this? If this is a prank it isn't fucking funny."
"Oh, I'm sure you'd have loved for this just to be a prank from one of your 400,00 users, Mr. RoboTen." She spat the name like it was a curse and crossed her arms. "You tried real hard to keep your servers anonymous with Onion Routing protocols, but that's useless against me."
Harada could feel the cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He had never expected to get caught, and certainly not by some random girl pretending to be his fan. There was no use trying to deny it any longer. Warily, he eyed his surroundings, checking to see if he was in a sting operation. After seeing no one was eyeing, he leaned closer to the orangette, not wanting anyone else to hear about his crime.
"Listen, Yoko-chan," he began, his voice shaking slightly. "I didn't hurt anyone, I swear. I was just trying to make some quick cash, and it got out of hand."
Yoko narrowed her eyes, smile transformed to a sneer. "You expect me to believe that?" she asked incredulously. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You were profiting off the pain and suffering of innocent children."
His heart was now trying to beat its way out of his chest while his mind grasped for an argument to stop the woman in front of him. He couldn't let this girl ruin his life and career. "Look, what is it that you want? Money? Are you trying to blackmail me here?"
Yoko shook her head, her expression turning darker. "Money is not what I want from you, Harada," she said, her voice low and menacing. "What I want is justice for those poor children whose lives you've destroyed by creating a market for it with your website."
Harada gritted his teeth, the frustration at being cornered roused his anger. "So what, you're going to tell the police on me? Even if you call the police now, what makes you think I can't have the servers shut down and erase all the evidence? And don't forget, you broke the law too by hacking me."
"You still think you can get control of the situation, don't you? " The woman looked at him bemused. "What makes you think you can even get in contact with your little devil helpers to wipe all that data of yours? Go ahead, use your phone and try."
Harada stared at the girl dubiously before grabbing his phone and dialing one of his underground contacts. Instead of a ringback tone however, he hears the voice of a woman laughing. Specifically, the exact same voice of the girl in front of him, who was just eerily smiling at him but completely silent.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is likely under arrest at this moment. Please try your call later in jail." Spoke the voice on his phone while the woman in front of him didn't say a word.
"H-How?" he stuttered as he placed his phone down on the table.
"Matsu came prepared," she shrugged as she slung her drawstring bag over her back, leaving the folder on the table. "Well, it's time for Matsu to go now. Enjoy your stay in jail." She smirked mischievously. "Oh, and don't worry, you won't be alone! Matsu got the data of every single one of your users and reported them to their local police as well. Who knows, maybe they'll round you all up in one prison together- wouldn't that be nice?"
As Matsu, Yoko-or whatever the fuck her name was- stood up, Harada grabbed at her wrist. "Where the fuck do you think you're going?! He yelled, standing up himself and no longer caring about appearances. He wasn't an idiot. From the woman's words, he could guess the police were already on their way. If his life was ruined anyway, then he was going to take his pound of flesh. "Do you think you can just- just waltz up to me and ruin my life?! Bitch, don't think I'm going to let you get away that easily!"
The woman, however, kept up her act of nonchalance and just rolled her eyes at him. "Weren't you listening, Harada-tan? You're not in control. Matsu suggests you let her go now before the police have to take you on a stretcher."
"I'm going to make you pay, you slut!" He screamed, losing himself in the haze of anger. "If I'm going to jail anyway, then I'm going to fucking rape-"
Matsu put an end the criminal's mental raving by socking him on his pretty little nose with all her Sekirei-enhanced physique, propelling the living garbage across the room and onto an empty table.
"Ahh, that was so refreshing!" Matsu practically moaned, having loaded her punch with 3 months worth of disgust in that one moment. And with her post-punch clarity came the realization that everyone in the cafe was staring at her. She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment and hoped they didn't think of her like some gorilla. "You guys, uh- heard him threaten Matsu, right?"
The people of the café nodded their heads.
"Great! The police will be here in a second, so let them know he threatened Matsu with rape and that's he's a pedophile." She requested while waving the folder on the table to emphasize her point. Then she tapped her phone in her pocket and, with a quick use of her Sekirei powers, hacked into the security cameras and everyone that recorded her on their phones and deleted their videos in less than a second. With all loose ends tied up, she gave the crowd a wave goodbye. "Matsu will be taking her leave now!"
Sekirei Zero Two exited the café with a great big smile on her face at a job well done. And as she stepped outside, two police cars pulled over and skidded to a halt in front of the cafe. The orangette didn't feel the need to stay and watch, so she turned and walked amongst the crowded streets of Shinto Teito.
Then as per Uzume's instructions, Matsu ducked into an alleyway and quickly changed her disguise, slipping off the straw hat and cardigan with a normal sports hat and black hoodie inside her bag. With a final touch, she undid her braids and kept it at a simple ponytail. With the switch in outfits, Matsu rejoined the crowd.
Only for someone to suddenly saunter up next to her and asked her in a familiar tone. "Did'cha have fun?"
"You bet," Matsu nodded to a disguised Uzume, similarly wearing nondescript clothes. "Matsu can finally go back to browsing the tube sites without feeling guilty!"
"Good, good," Uzume nodded along. "So I guess that means you want to get home as soon as possible right?"
"Hm? Well, sure, Matsu wouldn't mind. Why do you ask?" The orangette questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Cuz you just got rid of a pair of MBI stooges back there, and there's probably an encirclement in this area." The brunette thumbed behind them.
"Wha-Wha-What?!" Matsu stuttered, "H-H-How'd they know?! Matsu made sure they were nowhere near here!"
"Who knows, maybe it's all just luck." Uzume shrugged before grinning. "Aren't you glad you listened to my advice on disguise?"
Matsu didn't have time to waste on that thought. "Who cares about that?! Let's get out of here before they send Karasuba!" She shrieked and grasped Uzume's arm, dragging her towards the direction of Maison Izumo.
Endnotes:
Oh thank God, this is finally finished! I'm late by *checks calendar* HOLY MOLY, 4 WEEKS?!
Hey everyone! First off, sorry this is almost a month from my supposed schedule of updates every 2 weeks. I don't really have an excuse other than Yukari and Minato's scene changing from my original vision. And, well… playing a little Rimworld to unwind. Being able to build a base and commit war crimes kept scratching my creative itch. Don't worry though, I'm mostly over the itch. So long as I don't start another game, I should be good! *pushes the desire to play Stranded: Alien Dawn to the corner of my mind.*
Secondly, I'd like to thank you all once again for taking time to read the work that came from these turtle fingers of mine! Like you, I wish I could churn out chapters quickly. You have no idea how I want to get Tanjiro back to Shinot Teito with Miya and the rest. Not to mention the chaos a fully trained Minato and Yukari would bring.
Third… uhh… I'll check the reviews from the previous chapter again in the morning to address anyones concerns that won't give spoilers. For now, I should really go to bed and prepare for, ugh, Monday.
P.S. Let me know what you guys think of Minato's scene. I originally intended for him to just slip and fail before the Thunder Breathing reveal, but my fingers insisted he keep going. So I made him succeed and ended up doubling his word allowance. I'm still not sure if I should keep this or go back to my original idea.