Nothing to say except he'll wing one sekirei before the third phase begins and one... Relatively soon, but not yet.

"I've decided that we will compete, as soon as things heat up. I hate minaka and everything he stands for, but we have a strong possibility of winning, and I'll be able to take care of you girls for the rest of our lives. Also, it has come to my attention that I'm likely to wing more sekirei..." He trailed off looking at each of his sekirei for their reaction.

Uzume had an observant but at the mention of more sekirei she began to slowly smirk.

Yashima and nanaha simply nodded.

Toyotama narrowed her eyes slightly. She knew she had to share him already. She knew she was selfish for wanting him all to herself. But she'd share, still. And though she wouldn't say it loudly... Yet. Toyotama would strike down his other sekirei if it came down to it.

"However, I'm going to try and not wing more sekirei." Ryu said breaking the silence. He got mixed reactions but he ignored them. It was for the best. "It may help me get stronger, but I'm not filling this place up." He said with slight firmness. Yeah he could wing more sekirei, but he wasn't going to shack up the entire izumo inn. He couldn't see himself doing that, and then miya... "I know some of you have some bad history with MBI and I understand if you don't want to fight, I won't make you. But I thought I'd ask will you fight with me?"

He wouldn't say it out loud, but karasuba calling him soft had a slight effect on him. But, she was the black sekirei she had access to information, classified information. Regardless of his opinion he listened to the black sekirei, she knew a lot more than she lead on. She put it simply that they'll be the last two standing. That's when it dawned on ryu that he was indeed part of this game.

It infuriated him to end. But until he knew more, and recovered and got stronger he'd have to play along. Somewhat.

"Ryu, it doesn't matter. As long as we're with you we're happy. We'll stand behind you no matter what. I speak for all of us when I say we'd be happy to fight with you."

"Thank you, girls. I can't tell you how much this means to me." He said rummaging through a bag of things MBI sent him. They sent him so much he couldn't get rid of it all... So he put it in big black bags and shoved them in his closet. He pulled out a laptop looking at it with a curious expression. "How about we hook this up to the TV and watch a movie." Ryu said with a soft smile.

"Sounds great, but I'm going to take a bath, get a change of clothes, and you need to eat." Said toyotama as she stood up and headed for the door.

"I'll come with you." Said uzume as she got up to follow toyotama out, but toyotama looked apprehensive for a moment before frowning. "No way, you can't keep your hands to yourself!"

"I swear I won't do anything!" Uzume said sincerely. Toyotama studied her intently with narrow eyes. She sighed quietly, she could see uzume wasn't lying, surprisingly she took something serious instead of being a... Perv. "Fine, but if you touch me..." She let the warning linger.

"I swear, I won't now let's go!" Uzume said sliding the door open and pushing toyotama out closing it behind her. As their footsteps became quieter through the walls. Nanaha moved to follow them but as she opened the door she turned back and ran to ryu, as he stood up and began to hook up the laptop to the TV. She tapped him on the shoulder, as he turned around to face her she kissed him passionately on the lips in one of rare moments of emotion, something that few people other than ryu ever got to see. Ryu wrapped his arm around her and kissed her back with as much passion as he could muster. After about a minute, she pulled away from him her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily.

"I'm happy you're back. I know you would be back eventually, but I missed you all the same." She said lovingly.

"I missed you too, nanaha." He said. She gave him one of her rare smiles. It was a simple thing, but it lit up his world when she did it. However, right now it just made him feel guilty for asking her to fight.

Yashima's eyes widened like saucers when she seen the two kiss. She wanted to scream but she kept quiet, fearing she'd make ryu angry again. The thought still lingered in the back of her head but she kept pushing it further back. But it was futile in the end. She lowered her head looking at the floor, she wanted a kiss...

"Yashima-chan, I didn't forget about you." Ryu said sitting cross legged in front of her taking her hands into his own rubbing them tenderly. Yashima shivered when she felt his touch, it was spine tingling, how she missed it. His warmth, his strength, now she had him again. She clenched his hands tighter hoping this wasn't a dream, that her ryu was really back.

"Ryu!" She cried slightly trying to hold her tears back. Ryu wrapped her up in a hug doing his best to comfort her, yashima cried quietly in his shoulder hugging him tightly. Ryu gently massaged her back embracing her. He was an ass for treating her the way he did before, the way he just threw her out of his room. But that was the past, he had to look forward.

"I thought you hated me... And left because I made you upset that night." She cried into his shoulder. She blamed it all on herself, she didn't even know what transpired between him and miya, it had been kept a secret. In fact it still was a secret. But it wouldn't matter even if she knew, he was so distant, so cold back then.

"Why would you think that!?" Ryu asked with just a hint of annoyance but empathetical all the same. He didn't know what to say, or what to do to make her feel better. He knew, regardless of what he said, yashima would always have the fear of him leaving again. It'll always be there, he really screwed up, but still he wanted her reason for it. Nanaha was resolute, uzume and toyotama were happy, uzume was near tears but didn't cry.

"Because, I said I was sorry." She said quietly pulling herself together. She shouldn't be crying she should be happy he was back.

Ryu gently cupped her chin in his hands lifting her head so she was looking into his irises. She felt her knees shaking under his stare, she wasn't afraid, she felt naked, like he was looking into the deepest depths of her soul. But it made her stomach twist and a lump build up in her throat, swallowing the dry lump, she stared into them. "But, I never said I didn't forgive you." Ryu said quietly giving her a tender kiss on the lips.

It was much different with yashima than the others. She was extremely sensitive, ryu dared to say hyper sensitive. If she was even scolded she'd be near tears, he just didn't get it in all honesty. Nanaha was passionate when they kissed, what emotions she didn't show were all felt in that minute. Uzume was just... Uzume. Toyotama had a firmness and liked to take control, but ryu couldn't let that happen. And then there was karasuba she was just... But he realized yashima needed extra attention he didn't want to be unfair, but she was so different.

Yashima's eyes widened in shock, she wasn't expecting a kiss, she didn't realize it at first until she felt him wrap his arms around her gently. Her mind was buzzing with a thousand thoughts and memories.

He was right, he never did say anything. She recalled it vividly, she said it with so much sincerity and he didn't even acknowledge it, she felt crushed and thought from then on he didn't forgive her, and maybe even hated her. But...

After about two minutes ryu broke the kiss, yashima's cheeks flushed and her breaths taken in heavily. She was breathless, how she missed him. And more so, she was even with nanaha now. The two had developed a rivalry over the progression of time. "I forgive yashima, I did then, and I do now. Okay." Ryu said soothingly brushing away her tears with his thumb. He sent a pulse of affection through their bond, yashima felt her body heat up from the exchange. A small smile crept onto her face as she stared lovingly at him.

"Okay!"

"But, I have to ask." Ryu said quietly making sure miya didn't hear him. "What made you just take off your shirt out of the blue like that?" He asked curious. He couldn't put it together, uzume yes, toyotama yes, but yashima wasn't so... Open?

Yashima looked at her feet shuffling them with a small blush on her face. "Promise not to yell."

"I promise." Ryu assured.

Yashima took a deep breath calming herself. She was nervous and scared at the same time, nervous about explaining what she felt, and scared about ryu yelling at her. But he never broke a promise, so she explained. "When you touched the deepest part of me, it's a little more..." Yashima fiddled with her fingers. How could she put it? "Intimate..." She said quietly.

Ryu looked at her for a moment absorbing the information. That would explain something, in fact... It all made sense now. "So, when you said wanting to be one you meant..." Ryu blushed slightly. Yashima looked at him nodding her head slowly.

"It felt so good." She said almost silently, even with his heightened senses he had to strain his ears.

Master was right. Ryu thought scratching the back of his head with a blank face trying to think of something to say. "I understand now, thank you for explaining yashima. But, when we do that we'll be out of the inn." He said sternly, he didn't want to be too hard on her, she had been through enough thanks to him. And it'd take a while for her to recover he knew that well. But he'd follow miya's rules.

"I understand, and I'm okay with that. I'll wait as long as it takes." She said with a small smile. Ryu looked shocked for a moment, it was such a bright smile, with an innocence to it all. She kissed him on the lips again, ryu's eyes darted wide in surprise as she stuck her tongue into his mouth. It lasted for about forty five seconds before she parted away from him breathing heavily. She was a little nervous about it at first, just going for it and kissing him. But uzume said to just do it, uzume would just kiss ryu at random.

Ryu smiled softly. He was so lucky. His stomach began to grumble loudly, he dared to say as loud as yashima's at times. "My stomach." He whined slightly putting a hand over it. I've heard of hungry, but I feel completely empty! He exclaimed mentally shocked by it. He'd have to guess his sekirei genes were slowly taking over. "I'm going to get something to eat, you should take a bath yashima." Ryu said finishing hooking up the laptop to his TV setting it down carefully.

"Kay!" Yashima said bouncing out of the room happily. Ryu would've been more shocked, but seeing as what just happened he wasn't so surprised. Now that just left one more...

Ryu looked at the wall with a blank expression. He wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen. But he did owe her an apology as well. She was his sekirei, and he left right after he winged her. But, if nanaha kissed him and yashima as well, he didn't what matsu planned to do. He took a breath he had to do it regardless. He knocked on the wood quietly waiting for an answer. "Matsu-san."

He heard a quiet tap on the other side of the door, it slid open a few seconds later matsu peeking out staring at him. "Ryu-tan." She said in a slight bubbly manner, she seen all of what happened and couldn't help but snicker at it all, it was just like a soap opera. "You want to talk?"

Ryu nodded.

Matsu moved back so he could enter, closing her secret door as soon as he was seated. She crawled passed him kneeling in front of her keyboard. "What does ryu-tan want to talk about?"

Ryu wasn't exactly sure how to start, but he knew matsu was well... A nerd as one would put it. "I think you heard me, but I'd like to say it to you. Personally. I'm sorry." He said quietly. Matsu looked at him smiling softly. She knew he'd be back, she never had a doubt in her mind.

"Matsu-tan understands. Ryu-tan just needed his space to think." She said understandingly. She looked at him carefully. "You can see fine right?"

"It's a little blurred." Ryu admitted.

Matsu smirked perversely turning around and putting her hands right on the sides of his legs. She got one upped by nanaha and yashima, and by karasuba. She'd fix that. Soon. "Now it's matsu's turn!" She said crashing her lips into his gripping the sides of his kimono she pushed him down onto her futon straddling on him while deepening her kiss. Ryu was surprised, that was an understatement, matsu was... Amazing, but he was sure matsu heard miya warn them. If she found out... He'd run faster than lightning. Matsu had more experience and was more versed than him, ryu was surprised when she started taking off his kimono rubbing her hands all over his torso and just below his waist. With one last passionate kiss and dodging with ryu's tongue she parted her lips with a small smile her eyes taking a serene, peaceful look that made ryu completely calm. She adjusted her glasses, oh how she wanted to continue, but she'd wait until later. For now she'd refrain. "Wow..." Ryu said breathing heavily his lips tingled still. "Matsu..."

She giggled quietly. "Ryu-tan wants more?" She asked giving him a quick peck as he sat up. "Ryu-tan has to wait, or miya-tan will be furious."

Ryu paled for a moment remembering. "Right." He said putting his kimono back on. "So, since you have this house bugged. Would that mean you have that night recorded somewhere?" Ryu asked carefully.

"Bugged, I don't know what you mean." Matsu said.

Ryu fished in his pocket pulling out several broken cameras that were tiny perfect for surveillance. Matsu looked at him sheepishly. "Have you seen it?" Ryu asked quickly.

She shook her head. "Can't say that I have."

Ryu nodded his head before looking at her computer. "I want you to erase all traces of it and give me the tape." Ryu said sternly. The last thing he needed was miya somehow, someway seeing that. He didn't know how, but she always popped up out of nowhere.

"Why?" Matsu whined she wanted to watch it.

Ryu closed his eyes smiling slightly, it was a sweet smile. Matsu felt a shiver go down her spine as a dark aura surrounded ryu. "Delete them please, and give me the tape." He said in a calm voice with the same smile.

"Okay!" Matsu cried flickering her fingers away on her keyboard after a few moments and a few clicks all traces of the video were erased, she gave ryu the tape containing the rest of the film. "Why do you want it?" She asked curiously.

"I'm going to smash it to pieces and throw it away." He said bluntly putting it into his pocket and standing up to walk away until he seen a slight pout on matsu's face. He always ruined her fun. He turned around kissing her passionately on the lips. "I'll make up leaving to you okay?"

Matsu smiled devilishly. "I have a few things in mind." She began to giggle quietly. Ryu began to feel incredibly nervous seeing that smile on her face. But he was a man of his word, so he'd make it up to her.

"Write them down." Ryu said pushing her door open exiting slowly. Matsu continued giggling perversely oh did she have the ideas for this.

Okay, my last update for good now. Until I get more material I'll be taking a break after this. If you couldn't tell this is before minato comes into the scene way before, and before musubi was released. So sooner rather than later I'm going to go the canon route somewhat with some tweaks.