And we're back.
There was a reason for the big delay, but it's gone now so the next chapter should come much more promptly.
It was the perfect opportunity.
None but herself and her Ashikabi, for the first time since they had been bonded.
It was the ideal opportunity to impress upon her Ashikabi just how truly fortunate he was to have her by his side, forever more.
To bedazzle him with her charm and grace, and attain the affection and admiration that was hers by right.
Why, she could just picture it now, those deep, dark eyes that gazed into the very soul, staring at her and her alone-
"If you're not ready, I don't mind waiting?"
"Kyaa!?"
"Women can even make screams sound adorable. How truly mysterious."
… Perhaps Tsukiumi was not as ready as she thought she was.
He'd expected Tsukiumi to be mad at him for startling her like that, but her temper had rapidly fizzled the moment they were arm in arm.
… Well, she'd shot water at him and gotten bonked by a ladle before that, but it was still true she was in a good mood at present.
It probably didn't hurt that one of the first things he'd done was compliment her outfit, and it probably helped that it was pretty easy to compliment.
It was inspired by her combat outfit- a black leather bolero jacket, over a white one-piece dress with pleated skirts. Though the high-waisted skirt was longer than usual, going to mid-thigh, Tsukiumi was still showing off more leg, as she was wearing ankle boots and no stockings.
While he remembered that it was bad to think about other women when you were with one, Minato couldn't help but think that all his Sekirei were cute in their own way.
Tsukiumi was the ocean, but, just like the color of her hair, she was sunlight as well- like warm waters on a sunny day.
It was truly mysterious, because Minato didn't particularly like sunlight, but it felt that with Tsukiumi, the light was gently diffused until there was little brightness, but plenty of warmth.
… When he put it like that, it was definite proof that Tsukiumi's presence in his life had irreversibly changed it for the better, and-
"Dearest, pray tell what hast thee so distracted from thine betrothed?"
"You're right, it's silly to spend all my time thinking of you when I could be talking with you instead," Minato agreed. "Sorry about that, Tsukiumi."
"Hmmph, at least thine attentions remain suitably directed," Tsukiumi huffed, a hint of a smile accompanying the way she pressed against his arm more firmly.
Tsukiumi hadn't wanted anything elaborate for her date (which had surprised a few of the others, for some reason); she had wanted to enjoy a nice quiet meal and chat, a chance to get to know him better with just the two of them.
… It was a steeper requirement than expected, but Tsukiumi was one of the bravest people he knew so it would probably be fine.
"See, fun as it is, I'm not really sure it counts as 'free-diving' when I do it," Minato was explaining. "I only run out of air if I forget to hold it in."
"... 'Tis the usual way of things, is it not?" Tsukiumi pointed out with a wry smile.
"... Hmm… I suppose you're right," Minato allowed. "The point is, I don't know how to drown, so running out of air doesn't really mean anything to me."
He could stay beneath the surface forever if he wanted. It would be more tempting if his important people could do the same.
"Perhaps, but by my reckoning, tis a task few wish to master, Dearest," she chuckled as she brought her tea cup to her lips.
Tsukiumi had been curious about his aforementioned fondness for the ocean.
The short answer had recently become 'it reminds me of Tsukiumi', but she would probably have a hard time continuing the conversation if he led with that.
"For myself, I have yet to tread upon a beach, nevermind enter the ocean itself, though I have been near it."
"We'll fix that," Minato said immediately. "I think that sort of thing would be fun with the whole group though?" Several memories hinted at the beach being more fun with friends, though he'd yet to experience it for himself.
"Verily so, there shouldst be some measure of enjoyment to be had for all, methinks." And it was certainly another chance to show off one's charms to their Ashikabi, which she certainly wouldn't be alone in wishing to capitalize on.
N-not that she needed something so base as a show of skin to seduce her betrothed!
… T-though she supposed if such a thing did occur, then a certain… responsibility would fall on her, and thus there would be no helping it?
Tsukiumi's daydreaming came to an abrupt halt when she became aware of Minato's hint of a smile, sipping his tea and watching without seeming to mind that the conversation had trailed off.
"... Cease." How was it that he could even look fondly upon an unintended silence?
Though she herself was not aware of it, Tsukiumi was currently doing a fine job of proving why the sight of them together had been appreciated and admired by just about everyone they'd passed along the way.
Minato, however, was well aware, and fully intending to savor every moment.
… Tsukiumi was restless.
In a cute fidgety way, so he didn't really want to interrupt her, but he was also pretty interested in what she was grumbling under her breath.
Though, he was still trying to figure out why she was looking for somewhere… out of the way?
Oh.
Ohhhh…
He'd done something similar with Kazehana… maybe he and the flock were creating a 'tradition'? The requirements for doing that were rather vague, social constructs could be truly mysterious at times.
"... Dearest? … M-Minato?" Tsukiumi gave a puzzled little exclamation as Minato suddenly diverted their path, steering them into an alley, and then around a corner.
It was a dead-end he'd found earlier while investigating the area.
Turning himself so that he was facing Tsukiumi, Minato took both her hands in his own.
"They're very bright, but they also conform to the shape of the space they're in, so if I do this then we can hide pretty easily."
The somewhat vague explanation was accompanied by a brief glance over her shoulder, and Tsukiumi reluctantly tore her gaze away from his face in order to look.
… The once open end of the alley had gone completely dark, the faint shadows having deepened until even the eyes of a Sekirei found their vision denied.
It made the alley seem much… smaller, but being alone with her Ashikabi meant that 'smaller' quickly shifted to mean 'intimate'.
Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, Tsukiumi's grip on Minato's hands tightened ever so slightly, and she returned her gaze to its proper place to find Minato already leaning in.
A surprised squeak was cut short as their lips met in a brief kiss.
Tsukiumi's wings were a clear blue that gave an impression of great depth and yet remained graceful in their shape- like an ocean that, when viewed from high above, was shaped something like the wings of a butterfly.
Curiously, Minato noted that when the wings curled around the two of them, they gave off a faint, gentle warmth… very fitting for Tsukiumi, who had seized his collar for another, deeper kiss.
Minato's thoughts didn't do a whole lot of wandering after that.
With quiet, confident steps he wandered through the gentle gloom, breathing deeply of air that tasted far cleaner than the air of a sprawling metropolis had any right to be.
The towering trunks and emerald canopy muffled even the ever present noise of Shin Tokyo at midday, as if the forest was offering respite from the city itself.
And, best of all, none of it… not one branch or blade of grass…
Was afraid of him.
While he couldn't 'talk' to them like Kusano could, Sekirei Number 107, Shiina, could ever so slightly catch hints of 'emotion' from the plant life around him, or rather, their fear of him. Maybe it was because they were siblings, and their powers overlapped in some small way (the researchers might know, but he'd never told because Kuu liked having a secret just between them).
And it was probably something about their sibling-like relationship that meant Kuu-grown plants welcomed his presence, just like Kuu did.
… Which was also why there was no way he was going to wither a forest this big, aside from the ever-important detail that it would make Kuu sad.
That, and he was hoping that the forest would offer some clue, as it was the only place that he knew for certain that Kuu-!?
… Pale eyes went wide, and a boy who never rushed unless he needed to broke into a dead run.
Tsukiumi had decided that she rather liked being alone with her Ashikabi, but alas, the alley had nowhere to sit, and it was a clear, warm day, so the two of them had taken to the rooftops.
Truthfully, she had never expected to have an Ashikabi who could keep up with a Sekirei, and so Tsukiumi was left mystified by just how delightful that knowledge was.
Having just leapt from a lower roof to a higher one, Tsukiumi turned in midair, twisting as she leapt so that she landed looking down upon her Ashikabi, hands on her hips and a challenging smile on her lips.
… A smile that cramped up as a mischievous wind practically flipped her skirt inside out.
Tsukiumi's taste in underwear was, like most Sekirei, rather modest. They tended to wear simple, undecorated white- largely due to that being what was provided for them at the lab.
… Then Kazehana had gotten involved.
So while Tsukiumi was still in white, there was very little modest about it- her panties were glossy satin that covered precisely what they needed to cover and nothing more.
Being himself, looking away never even crossed Minato's mind, even as Tsukiumi's cheeks pinked.
Petrified, she made no move to straighten out her skirt, and so it drifted back to place with a slowness that, to the poor Sekirei, was almost agonizing.
The wind died, and stillness settled in as embarrassment slowly shifted to righteous anger.
Not very convincing anger, because she was actually rather flattered-
"... What…" A deep breath, "dost thou have to say for thyself?"
… Tsukiumi's words and thoughts were often misaligned.
After a brief pause, Minato blinked and dropped a fist into his hand.
"Oh that's right, where are my manners? Those look very nice on you, Tsukiumi. The way they show off your hips is very appealing." Minato emphasized.
… Her ire was cast aside in favor of not falling off the ledge.
"W-w-what art thou s-saying!?" She stammered out as she recovered. "T-t-twas not thine opinion that I s-sought!" Though she was once again flattered!
"... It wasn't?" Minato tilted his head the other direction, confusion radiating off of him as he crossed his arms. "I thought you're supposed to compliment a girl when she wears something new?"
"How dost thou knowest the newness of mine undergarments!?" Tsukiumi half-shrieked, one hand keeping her skirt in place and the other thrusting a finger at him like it was a sword.
Minato tilted his head to one side, a gesture Tsukiumi was rather annoyed to find cute.
"I didn't, but you wear fluttery skirts and jump around a lot, and since I've never seen that particular pair, I just made an assumption?"
"W-w-w-wa… wa…."
He didn't really understand why she was embarrassed, but in a way, it was kind of Kazehana's fault that Minato didn't really understand modesty between couples.
"Water Celebration!"
"... Is it too soon for this to feel nostalgic?"
While she would never admit it, even if she had been a little frustrated by Minato's insistence upon dodging, Tsukiumi still found it reassuring that he could (even if naturally she hadn't tried all that hard)... if he could evade her, then surely the number of Sekirei that could endanger his life were few and far between.
… Not that she would allow them the opportunity to do so while she still drew breath, but she had no intention of telling him that either.
… Well, maybe after she was done 'scolding' him.
Coincidentally, what occurred on those rooftops would later be falsely documented as a rooftop skirmish between Sekirei.
… His first guess was that it was the scene of a fight between Sekirei.
The more he searched, the more he became convinced his first guess was wrong.
The more he searched… the more he began to hope that his first guess was right.
The forest clearing was torn to shreds.
Bark gouged, earth scarred, roots crushed.
It was like every predator Shiina could think of had gathered together for a vicious brawl, deep within the woods where no humans would ever bear witness.
… And had managed to do so without shedding so much as a single strand of fur or feather, and without spilling even a single drop of blood.
The forest was cold, and its shadows seemed so very deep and dark.
Minato and Tsukiumi had returned from their date with happiness radiating off of them, which had been enough to leave the rest of the flock feeling a little giddy.
That fluffy feeling had only deepened when, the moment the women were all alone in the bath, the first thing Tsukiumi had done was apologize to them.
… By her own words, Tsukiumi had found herself wishing to 'monopolize' her Ashikabi a bit too much, and had shamefully confessed that she had considered more than a few excuses to spend just one more minute alone with him.
Except that it was completely impossible to be mad at something that was not only entirely reasonable, but utterly adorable.
Hence why Tsukiumi was currently spluttering, blushing and protesting while being embraced by two naked women, one of which was naturally herself, and the other being Uzume.
If Kazehana were forced to summarize her thoughts, she would probably just quote Uzume and yell out 'how are you even real!?'.
Even Akitsu (who had subtly nodded along with just about everything Tsukiumi had 'confessed' to), was gazing warmly at the water Sekirei, who was currently too flustered to feel guilty anymore, or protest at being embraced.
Tsukiumi apparently didn't like to be touched, but the flock could apparently get away with it if they didn't push their luck.
… Which they weren't going to do, just in case Tsukiumi remembered that she had gallons of hot water on hand.
Reluctantly taking mercy on the red-faced blonde, Kazehana and Uzume released her, making their way into the tub proper.
"Anyways, putting aside how cute you are to tease," Kazehana easily ignored the dirty look the blonde shot at her, " wanting to be spoiled by your Ashikabi just proves you have a good one. And it's not like none of us ever want the same-"
Taking their cue, Akitsu and Uzume nodded without a trace of shame-
"But, the fact that you two were perfectly punctual despite that desire just proves that we can trust you." Kazehana finished. The rest of them had never treated the planned return time as literal to begin with.
"... P-perhaps thou hast a point." Tsukiumi allowed. "Nevertheless, that is no excuse-"
"Maybe I shouldn't be the one to say it…" Akitsu spoke up for the first time, "but I think it's okay for you to be a little more selfish, Tsukiumi."
"... Akitsu." Tsukiumi murmured in surprise.
"Yep, which is why the rest of us are going to sleep in my room tonight." Uzume declared.
"A-ah… that is… there is no need for thou to go so-"
"That way I can get away with it tomorrow!" Uzume proudly declared, puffing her chest out and putting her hands on her hips.
"... And now I simply feel the fool for feeling so aggrieved."
"Don't worry, Tsukiumi," Uzume grinned. "Minato thinks your awkward side is hella cute!"
"... Was it truly necessary for all of thee to nod so readily!?"
It truly was.
Tsukiumi pinched the bridge of her nose and gave a long sigh.
"... Thy strange amusements aside, there is but one more sentiment I must convey to all of thee, before we retire for the eve."
"Hm? And what's that?" Kazehana prompted, curious.
Tsukiumi didn't actually say anything more, she just directed a heartfelt smile their way.
… Later, the other three women would dazedly agree that the bath water must have been way too warm.
Kusano hadn't minded giving 'Tsuki' a private night with their Ashikabi ('cuz he plays with me the mostest'), but…
"Nuh uh, Big Sis Zume." Kusano gave a big shake of her head. "If Kuu doesn't need to keep an eye on Big Brother, then Kuu is gonna have a sleepover with Big Sis Miya."
"... Miya? Why's that, Kuu?" Not that there was anything wrong with it, and they doubted Miya would mind, but…
"Cuz Big Sis Miya gets lonely sometimes." Kusano explained in that same serious tone. "Kuu thinks her bed is too big for one person."
"... Too big, huh?" Kazehana and Uzume shared a wry smile as they drifted off into silence.
… Of course her bed was too big, they'd just never-
In the quiet that followed, a pale hand that gently fell onto Kusano's shoulder.
When Kusano looked up, Akitsu offered the little girl a thumbs up with her other hand, her unchanging expression managing to make the gesture seem remarkably solemn.
Kusano's big grin melted the guilty silence away, like the first warm day of spring.
"Mhm, mhm! Leave it to Kuu!" The Green Girl gave a cute little salute, before spinning away and running off.
The women of the flock would later agree that the amused but puzzled look Miya wore as she obediently allowed herself to be dragged away that night was strangely adorable…
… They also agreed not to say that to her face.
"P-pardon me," a small voice accompanied the sound of the opening door.
Minato's smile was immediate- though the rest of the flock had naturally wanted to wish him a good night, the moment he was alone, the bedroom had suddenly began to feel like much, much too big of a space.
Truly mysterious, but the feeling had vanished the moment Tsukiumi entered the room, so he dismissed it without another thought.
The nightie Tsukiumi was wearing was smaller and tighter than the one she usually wore, but clad in nothing but the thin white garment, the lovely blonde had an air about her that was almost angelic.
He was pretty sure angels and monsters weren't supposed to get along, but it was a stupid rule if it got between him and Tsukiumi.
… A furtive sort of silence seemed to follow- she had something to say but she wasn't ready to say it, and the two of them were sitting with their legs beneath the covers (and their bodies touching beneath) when Tsukiumi found her voice.
"Dost thou… believe me selfish for wishing a night alone with thee?" She asked quietly, without looking at him.
"I guess it is kind of selfish, now that you mention it," Minato lightly replied, also not turning his head her way.
Slim shoulders slumped in silence.
They straightened back up and went rigid when the next calm words spoken aloud were "but I like that kind of selfish."
"... Thou dost?" Tsukiumi timidly questioned.
She peeked at him out of the corner of one eye, only to find him smiling off into the distance.
"Tsukiumi, one of the few things I know about myself for sure is that I'm your Ashikabi. I like being reminded of that."
Maybe it would be different if one of the Sekirei demanded his attention at the expense of the others, but he knew Tsukiumi wasn't like that (nor were any of the flock), even without Kazehana filling him in on some of the 'juicy details' as she put it.
"And I mean, you said it yourself that my species was irrelevant, didn't you? It's hard to explain, but thsat… that meant something to me."
Minato wasn't so different from other people in that he wanted the people he liked to accept him.
A soft hand cupped his cheek, and Minato obediently let his head be turned to meet a warm and gentle smile that he was in no way ready for.
"Ufufu~" she had actually intended to say something, but the way those deep dark eyes had widened forced a fond chuckle from her mouth. "Hmm~ t'would seem that the one caught off guard is thee, for once."
With a full heart and a proud smile, Tsukiumi did away with the distance between her lips and his.
The two of them eventually ended up beneath the covers, lying on their sides and facing one another, hands linked between them, foreheads pressed lightly together, and legs entangled.
Eyes unhindered by the tender darkness, Minato bore witness to how Tsukiumi's smile didn't falter in the least, even long after she gently drifted off.
The furious tapping of a keyboard faltered for several long seconds as the result she expected but didn't wish to see at last appeared on her screen.
A Level Five.
The first one of the Sekirei Plan, and contrary to her earliest predictions, 04 had had nothing to do with it.
Usually, the roster update was nearly instant, but 'body unrecoverable' naturally took longer to confirm.
But confirm it they had- or at least, decided to stick with the assumption.
Sekirei Number 31- Sai, the Whip Blade Sekirei, bonded to Higa Izumi, the Ashikabi of the East.
The only Sekirei to have entered the Botanical Garden Maze and never left.
From the creation of the Botanical Garden Maze to the night of the Green Girl's rescue, exactly three Sekirei had entered the forest, excluding the Green Girl herself, naturally.
The two other Sekirei were present and accounted for, and, after a brief investigation, displayed no signs of having engaged in battle while within the maze.
The profiles she had of them and Number 31 had given nothing to suggest that either, or even both of them would be able to take down Number 31 completely unscathed, and while she couldn't dismiss that scenario entirely…
Her gut instinct kept returning to the unknown variable in the equation.
The Ashikabi whose entry and exit to the maze wasn't caught on any camera at all.
The same one living in their house.
… She was unaware that, once again, her self-imposed rule of not spying on first dates had denied her the opportunity for answers.
Even she didn't know how much of that rule came from consideration for her fellow Sekirei, or fear of provoking the one she had never once managed to observe in secret.
Not that she had the option, currently- the Ashikabi had been alone in his room, the recording showed, but the instant 09 had opened the door, wearing something Kazehana must have talked her into wearing…
Every single one of her cameras in the room had simultaneously gone offline.
… She had no intention of replacing those.
"... Hold on, if the rest of your clothes aren't real then doesn't that mean you're actually walking around naked?"
So was Uzume's first question of the day about his 'peculiarities'.
Minato shook his head.
"Mother had the same thought a long time ago, and made a rule" he explained. "So only my t-shirt is fake, the rest of my outfit is proper clothing."
Uzume had remembered his 'demonstration' where he turned into her, and since his clothes had shifted with him, had guessed that his clothing was a part of him as well.
"I can store the rest of my clothing away, but if I have to react quickly then I might rip through it." Minato continued. "But I tend to use my hands for things just like humans and Sekirei, so this way I don't have to worry about ruining my sleeves in an emergency."
"... That's okay, I'm good with just imagining that you wander around shirtless all the time," Uzume answered candidly. "Not that you don't have good style."
Mother had told him that appearance was important, so he'd borrowed the appropriate knowledge from those who seemed most popular with the opposite sex.
He had learned that fit was one of the most important things, and he could always fit his clothing properly.
"I was taught to dress for the occasion." Minato shrugged. "Our first date is definitely an occasion."
Uzume chuckled happily at that, hugging his arm a little tighter.
The way she'd dressed for their date was plenty stylish, but fairly casual, something she could have fun in- a tight, thin woven pink turtleneck with three quarter sleeves, tucked into denim short shorts and paired with strappy brown sandals.
Under her breath, Uzume commented "Speaking of preferences, I try to always have sleeves when I'm going out- that way I always have a weapon without having to worry about flashing anyone. Not that I need to since you did your little trick, but…"
To emphasize the point she was making nonetheless, the sleeve covering the arm entangled with his briefly lengthened by a few inches.
"Clever," Minato said approvingly. "Oh, this is the place, right?"
"Yep, sure is!" Uzume said, fixing her sleeve and pulling him along.
Uzume had wanted to check out an arcade for quite some time, but she didn't have any friends who were into that sort of thing, and didn't want to go alone.
Minato had never been to one either, and was interested because Uzume was, so that was decided as the first stop on their date.
"We should look for a shooting game," Minato said suddenly.
"I'm down, you like those kinda games?"
"I don't really have an opinion on them, but apparently you can play ones where you fight off alien invaders and I think that counts as 'ironic' if we're the ones playing it."
Uzume gave a nod, and then blinked as his words sunk in.
She was still laughing her head off when he opened the door for her.
"... Hugging faces, bursting out ribcages… I like the pretty aliens I know much better." Minato admitted, as he and Uzume abandoned their defense of the planet in favor of a less violent arcade game.
"Right? We're much more fun to look at." Uzume agreed with a grin, taking advantage of the arcade's crowded nature to practically glue herself to her Ashikabi's side. "And speaking of fun, I've never driven a real car, soo…"
That Uzume had never driven a real car turned out to have been for the best, if how she drove a pixelated one was any indication.
They had actually planned to do other things on their date, but they ended up spending hours at the arcade together instead because they were having fun.
Minato hadn't actually developed a strong opinion about arcade games, but something about an otherwise dim exterior illuminated by flashing colors was oddly captivating to him.
"Maybe it wasn't the most grownup way to start a date, but it was pretty fun, huh?" Uzume prompted, nudging him with her hip.
In spite of the flippant delivery, Minato recognized it as a serious question, so he took a moment to think before replying.
"Even if I didn't actually like the arcade games, watching you play would have been pretty fun on it's own." He concluded.
"... I actually have no idea if that's a compliment." Uzume blankly returned.
"You're really cute when you're having fun, Uzume."
"... D-did you really need to clarify?"
"I did."
"No hesitation at all!"
"Mutual understanding is important in a relationship… probably?"
"And yet we stumble at the finish line!"
… Talking to Minato was a lot of fun.
But all good things come to an end, and Minato turned his head away suddenly, gazing away without stopping his feet.
Strange, but for some reason, Uzume felt like that was the first time he'd looked away from her on their date, even if that couldn't possibly be true, could it?
Though her joints screamed at her from the awkward movement, Natsu nevertheless managed to duck below the huge sword aiming to cut her in two.
… Only to feel the top of the other Sekirei's foot smash up into the underside of her chin, scooping her up off the ground and flipping her onto her back in an arcing kick that looked gentle but felt anything but.
It was hard to call her lucky for it, but crashing into a trash heap cushioned the worst of the impact, which was the only reason she kept her wits about her enough to avoid the hurled spear aimed to finish her.
She still screamed as it gouged her exposed side, stumbling to her knees and dropping her knives.
Clutching at her side, with teeth grit, Natsu hauled herself to her feet and drew another of her blades, something that wouldn't have meant anything if her opponents were in a hurry to finish her.
After all, why should they be?
"... Ya know what, explain how you knew how many of them there were later. Are we going to help them?" Uzume questioned in a brisk whisper, her brown eyes gazing at him intently as she crouched by his side on the rooftop.
The fight, if it could even still be called that, was taking place in a back alley loading bay, not entirely secluded but still out of the way enough.
"Uzume, take out the swordswoman from above, but keep your back to the wall. I'll take the opening to deal with the Ashikabi."
Uzume blinked, but a glance down below showed there was no time for questioning, and she'd give them away if she asked for a kiss, so…
Minato could still feel the warmth of her lips on his cheek as Uzume leapt into the air.
In silence, the shadow left behind on the rooftop slipped away, and with its passage, even the rats in the walls found somewhere else to be.
At first, Natsu thought she was seeing things, as she fell onto her butt in surprise.
For a moment, she could have sworn that the Sekirei with the greatsword, advancing slowly to finish her off, had just been crushed with a giant snowball in the middle of summer.
And then that 'snowball' came unraveled, taking the form of multiple ribbons of pure white cloth, fluttering in the air around the woman in short shorts who had just dropped out of the sky in its wake.
Not bothering to finish her downed enemy, Uzume hopped to the side of the Sekirei she'd just saved, positioning herself slightly in front, but at an angle to keep all the Sekirei in her peripherals.
Uzume shot the seated girl a wink, chuckling at the wide-eyed, wide-mouthed look she was receiving in return.
"Guess your luck didn't quite run out, huh?"
"W-w-why would you-" Natsu shrieked as a veil snapped out in front of her face, smacking away the pair of thick metal needles that had been thrown in an attempt to finish her off.
"Maybe later, huh? Up you get."
Before Natsu could do anything, another length of cloth had wrapped around her waist, pulling her gently to her feet.
Grimacing, Natsu set her stance and lifted one of her knives, only to be tugged towards her Ashikabi, stumbling into his arms as he caught her. A length of cloth remained wrapped around Natsu's waist as an impromptu bandage.
With those two in one place, Uzume didn't prepare to fight her two remaining opponents, though it wasn't like she had dropped her guard, either.
Her lips twisted into a cocky, sexy smirk as 'something dark' loomed over the shoulder of the rival Ashikabi, and then the fight was over as the punk cried out in pain and surprise.
The man was on his knees, one arm twisted painfully behind his back and painfully extended to the limit by the same person who had planted his foot on the human's back.
Funny though it was, Uzume couldn't help but notice that the only one who seemed really worried by 'their' Ashikabi's plight was the chick with the spear.
… Huh, did that mean?
A shiver swept through the area as a dull voice stated "the fight is over, disagree and I start breaking things." Minato pressed his foot down a little for emphasis, putting further pressure on a shoulder joint that couldn't take a whole lot more of that.
… Well, Uzume's shivers weren't exactly from fear, but she still remembered to take the opportunity to close the distance on the chick with the needles, swiftly snaring both her arms while she was distracted so that she didn't get the idea to take potshots at anyone's Ashikabi.
… The last of the spear wielder's hesitancy dropped when a pair of cold dark eyes latched onto her, and, face pale and eyes darting nervously between Minato and her Ashikabi, she slowly, carefully placed her spear on the ground.
Without looking their way, Uzume waved her hand at the duo they'd saved in a shooing gesture.
"Ah, y-yeah, thank you, but uh-"
"If the question is 'who are you' then you have better things to be doing, don't ya think?"
That shut him up, though the pretty thing with the knives still managed to thank them as they limped off, prompting a brief smile from Uzume.
Uzume's eyes briefly met Minato's with a silent question.
Minato shook his head lightly in return.
"Alright you three, beat it." Uzume ordered in a tone of callous dismissal. "None of you are gonna walk away from a Round 2."
Sword-girl was barely conscious, Uzume was frisking Needle-girl for said needles, and Spear-chick was the only one worried about the Ashikabi, apparently.
Checkmate, as Sis would probably say, but Uzume still agreed with Minato's decision not to push their luck. They'd totally dominated the mind game, so best to take the win and not get greedy.
"Put your weapons on the ground and start walking that way." Minato tonelessly instructed, jerking his head towards the alley opposite the one the escaped pair had taken. "I'll release him once you're clear, but if I hear you stop, you're getting your Ashikabi back in pieces."
… They probably assumed that Uzume was the one who would do the cutting.
Releasing the unarmed Sekirei, Uzume shoved her towards the swordswoman, who didn't seem like she'd be able to leave on her own.
She did feel a little bad for Spear-girl, who kept throwing nervous glances over her shoulder at her trapped Ashikabi, but she seemed clever enough to know not to try anything.
Minato, meanwhile, was considering whether or not to kill the Ashikabi at his mercy.
It was a quick internal debate; there was no scenario he could think of where it wouldn't make things take longer, and most importantly, Uzume might get scared if he 'disposed' of a body in front of her.
He didn't want to skip that part, naturally, because he hated waste.
No, this was the best way to get back to more important things, he concluded, and so no one in Shin Tokyo fell prey to a monster that day.
"I'm glad we managed to save those two, the girl with the knives had a great ass."
"... Did we just save someone for their butt? Today is full of new experiences."
"Right? Never a dull moment with me around!" Uzume grinned, but her sidelong glance at him was a good deal more keen than her playful words suggested.
"Sooo… why'd you send me after the swordswoman first? Wouldn't it have made sense to go for one of the ranged ones?"
The question didn't surprise him, not from Uzume. She was a lot more worldly and tactically minded than she let on.
"Normally perhaps, but I thought that you'd have the least options to defend against a blade that big."
"Yeah, a spear ain't hard to deflect but that sword would go right through my cloth if I had to block it." Uzume said after a moment, nodding with approval.
"Looks like we haven't been followed, and we're up on a roof." It was Minato's turn to change topics with no warning.
Though he wasn't showing any expression, Uzume immediately got the hint when he patted his outstretched legs.
Uzume's smile turned sultry, and she swung a leg over, straddling his lap as her knees sunk lightly into the picnic blanket he'd produced earlier with his little magic trick.
Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him, one hand sliding up to tangle in his dusky black locks. At the same time, her veils looped gently around them both as if to both hide their activities, and bind their bodies together.
"Yeah," Uzume admitted in a low, throaty whisper as she leaned in, "this is the kind of 'excitement' I was ready to go for next."
Akihabara was bustling at just about any time of the day, and even more so at night.
And that's why no one witnessed a crime about to occur on its outskirts, and even those who noticed something amiss didn't notice enough, regardless of how they would have acted if they did.
The end result was a gorgeous cosplayer, dressed in an aggressively sensual take on a school uniform, being led into a dark alley by a quartet of men who probably shouldn't have been trusted to lead anyone anywhere.
A true professional, none of the noises of what occurred were permitted to rise above the sleepless din of nighttime Akihabara.
Using a handkerchief to wipe the head of the 'tool' that had escaped notice until too late, the 'cosplayer' emerged from the alleyway with a disappointed sneer on her full lips, carelessly discarding the red-stained cloth a moment later.
The freshly cleaned riding crop slapped into her palm with a satisfying sound as she sighed, quietly giving her dismay voice.
"Hmph, it would seem Dr. Myajima spoke the truth- as if I would allow such graceless brutes to lay hands upon one such as myself." No, her chosen pet (she believed they were sometimes referred to as Ashikabi) would have to be a member of the fairer sex.
Yes, that seemed more desirable- a cute little thing in need of both protection and affection, someone who would be just as lovely to look upon whether being teased or spoiled.
Indeed, that was a much more pleasurable future to look forward to.
The results of her 'evening amusements' would be found the next morning, but, for good reason, not a single image of what occurred was ever released to the general public.
Busy busy busy.
Dates between main characters will vary in length depending on what I want to convey, but this one was mostly showcasing places where Tsukiumi and Uzume differ in canon.
After all, Tsukiumi is being a bit more… open to certain things, while Uzume is saving a girl she nearly ripped apart in canon.
Shiina has had his introduction, and we've had the chance to witness the 'crime scene' from Chapter 4…
Also, the first two of our yet to be named Crossover Sekirei got their screen time, though you'll have to wait and see which one of those might be important.