I've told several of you that certain things weren't going to occur for a while, but…
… Look, sometimes these things just happen, alright?
I know better than to ignore my own muse.
He had a sneaking suspicion that Kazehana would just do that 'giggle behind her hand' thing if questioned, but Minato was rather curious as to why Kazehana had woken up pink.
That was the best he could describe it- every 'sensation' he picked up from her, if it had anything to do with him, was the same soft, warm pink of her wings.
Which is why when someone threatened to taint that color with their actions, Minato nearly tore their head off in the middle of the street.
Hikari was not a morning person, but that wake up was especially unpleasant- it wasn't strange to have her vision blocked by her twin's dark hair (soothing, if anything), but something was smacking none too gently on her arm.
Hikari grumbled incoherently and nestled herself more snugly against her sister, only for the tapping to get almost painful.
Swearing as her already frayed temper snapped, Hikari pushed herself away from Hibiki with a snarl, the air already crackling as-
Hibiki rolled away from her and promptly fell off the bed.
"... The fuck?"
Hibiki groaned from the floor, and a very much confused and not entirely awake Hikari crawled over while wondering where all the covers had gone.
Her usually calm expression tense, Hibiki used the bed to haul herself upright, wincing as she clutched her side with the other hand.
"S-Sis?"
"If you didn't want me to get up without you, you could have just asked."
Irritation cooled rapidly as Hikari flinched, Hibiki relented with a sigh. "Sorry, Sis… you were squeezing a little tight, but you were also fast asleep so I shouldn't really hold it against you."
"... M'sorry too." Hikari mumbled, feeling like a total ass for waking up ready to fight, only to discover that she herself was the source of the problem.
Hibiki slowly rose, and carefully sat on the side of the bed- Hikari just naturally slotted herself in between her twin's arms when they opened wide.
"So… are you going to tell me who you're reacting to?"
Hikari flinched for the second time that morning, but Hibiki held her in gentle silence and didn't press any further.
"... When'd you figure it out?" Hikari asked with a bitter little sigh.
"Lotta nightmares, Sis."
"... Figures." Hibiki had always been the smart twin.
"If… if you've got it that bad for him, then maybe I should see him too?" Hibiki carefully suggested. "Might be exactly who we're looking for, don't you think?"
"... Maybe." She was just being a wimp because she was too freaked out about what might happen if Hibiki didn't react.
So was Hibiki, but at least one of them was putting on a brave face.
"So… did you get a name? Are they cute?" Hibiki gently probed.
The long silence that followed was broken down by a long, weary sigh.
"I dunno, Sis."
"... What do you mean?" If Hikari was reacting this strongly, then it wouldn't be strange for her to not only know the wouldbe Ashikabi's name and face, but to have spoken within the dream world.
Or so they'd been told. This was new for both of them.
Hikari shook her head against Hibiki's chest.
"That's just the thing, I don't know anything about them… every dream I have is just darkness."
A darkness that one could only get lost in.
A darkness that Hikari just couldn't deny wanting to get lost in.
… The sisters didn't share another word all morning.
… Kazehana immediately pegged the woman as dangerous, and not just because of that 'classy homewrecker' vibe she was giving off. It wasn't even (entirely) due to her bias against some random hussy interrupting their date in public.
It probably had to do with how thin and sharp she seemed- the woman gave off the same sort of fox-like charm that Karasuba gave off when she was feeling personable (by Miss Crow's standards, anyways).
And the way her yukata seemed ready to slip off or slip open seemed a good deal more deliberate than Akitsu's dislike of restrictive clothing (she hadn't figured out why literal chains didn't contradict that), and, most of all…
That enigmatic, tempting little smile surely concealed nothing pleasant.
"Oh my, Sahashi, wherever did you find such a lovely bird?" The woman spoke in a honeyed tone, her eyes on Kazehana but her body practically draped onto her man's- leaning across him in a way where any touch might have seemed coincidental to anyone less invested.
Kazehana immediately decided that her initial distaste was valid.
… And took no shame in enjoying the way the woman's pale skin went a shade paler, and a healthy distance was taken, the moment Minato turned to look at her.
The woman took a step towards 'enemy' in Kazehana's mind when she felt her Ashikabi's displeasure, tinged at the edges with a dark and subtle venom.
Acting on it would be premature though, and thus, with the full knowledge and acceptance that she really was a vindictive woman at heart, Kazehana just glued herself a little more blatantly to Minato's side and flashed the woman a 'polite' and curious smile.
"Hm? Who's this, Hun?" She questioned innocently. "Work buddy?"
"Something like that. Daji's just friendly."
… Speaking in that dangerous tone wasn't fair to either woman- Kazehana felt the heat pool while the woman laughed awkwardly.
That vixen couldn't hide her panic from anyone who knew how to play, which meant the game was already over.
"Forgive this one her meager jests," Kazehana decided to ignore the sudden shift towards formality, "But we could not waste the opportunity- we must speak, and soon- else this one would not be so boorish as to interrupt."
Minato was silent for a long moment.
"Later."
"As it pleases you," the woman relented, perhaps a bit hastily.
Kazehana was left blinking as the woman was suddenly gone, even with the sparse crowds, a strange breeze was the only lingering sign of her presence.
"Honey, what was that about?" She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but her tone didn't convey that as much as she would have liked.
"... I don't know." Minato admitted. "But I think it's important to find out. Be right back."
He didn't wait, and suddenly, a street that was far from empty became a lonely place.
There were ways through the city that people never knew, and it was those routes that she walked as naturally as breathing.
… Things like breathing abruptly became a luxury when It seeped out of the shadows like a curse given life.
'Something dark' that had come from beyond, and claimed dominion over the shadows of Tokyo, simply by virtue of being a deeper darkness by far.
"O-oh, dear," she tittered as her thin smile cramped. "'Tis a momentous day when the Gluttonous Star shines twice upon the likes of this one."
It flowed back into the shape of a man- taking little care to conceal what seethed beneath that thin facade.
"Your timing needs work."
That simple phrase may as well have been a death sentence, in her mind.
"F-forgive us, we-"
"Stop that." Minato told her flatly.
A strange and undignified sound escaped thin lips, and she pushed herself off the wall she had backed into, and into a fragile semblance of proper posture.
"I don't mind if you tease me," it was an unspoken agreement, or rather permission, to spare their pride in the face of one who had little use for such things, "but not when family is around."
"We must beg your pardon, we had intended to wait, but our curiosity got the better of us," Daji hastened to explain, "We were simply surprised to find that Lord Hunger had laid claim to one of the strange birds, yet not taken so much as a single bite."
"Family isn't food."
Daji read between the lines- she and Lord Hunger were not family, and it was never entirely certain if more than two categories existed in Its mind.
"M-many are wondering," she hurried to deflect, "a good number of these birds that smell of stars are fluttering their way through the city- has Lord Hunger laid claim to them all?"
"You'll know which ones are mine, so keep your distance."
"And… of the others?" She dared to ask, knowing the question would need answering on her part before long.
"... I won't tell you not to play with them, but don't play for keeps. They've already been forced into one game too many."
"... Understood."
Lord Hunger said nothing more, for It did not need to.
"We have not been able to confirm and dare not look deeper, but there are strange lingerings at the edges and corners of the city." Daji forged gamely on, getting to the crux of the matter.
"Your kind of lingerings or my kind of lingerings?"
"The later, we fear."
"... Got it. Be careful, and if I need to step in, ask quietly."
"... You have our most sincere gratitude." The gratitude was genuine, in spite of her agitation.
"Anything else I should know?"
Daji shook her head.
"I'll be going then, she'll be starting to wonder."
"Do not let this one keep you."
Minato turned on his heel-
Daji forgot to breathe once more as the darkness turned to teeth.
"TrEAD LiGHTly, FoX." That violence from beyond the sky whispered. "NeVER fOrgeT thAt I HaVE nO NEEd OF aNY of YoU."
Fangs tickled a thin throat as she nodded desperately, unable to form a verbal reply.
And then It was gone as swiftly as it arrived, and she swayed, flinging out a hand to catch herself against the wall.
Yes, it was true that the one they fearfully named Lord Hunger graciously allowed them to amuse themselves at Its expense. It allowed them to avenge some small measure of pride, but only when it was at Its expense.
Yet It and her kind had a fundamental incompatibility that left the balance of power almost comically lopsided in Its favor.
And it was her most solemn duty to make certain that none forget, lest they receive a reminder that none could afford.
He didn't return right away- he had things he needed to think about, and when he was with Kazehana it was important that he only think about her, he felt.
Like how he was glad it was just a little cold for the season, today, because it made Kazehana extra cuddly. And he got to see her in that tight, knitted sweater-dress she'd been looking forward to wearing-
… It wasn't his fault that Kazehana was so interesting, especially compared to inhuman things that had come from the earth, rather than beyond it.
He knew them as the Very Old Folk, those people that had existed in Tokyo before there was a Tokyo.
Like Daji, who claimed to be 'a Daji' and not 'the Daji' as if that were somehow significant- Minato just knew her as the (surviving) representative of the Folk. Usually, they knew better than to show themselves around others (Mother because of his wishes and the rest of MBI because of theirs), but he supposed it must have been serious if Daji was willing to risk provoking him.
He'd still considered pulling out one of her tails in vengeance- having six seemed excessive anyways.
Unbeknownst to him, Daji was currently and rightly reminding herself that he and the Folk were not friends, and never would be.
After all, the starting point of their 'truce' had been his dislike of waste, and their nature as what he believed qualified as 'empty calories'.
Daji had fainted dead away the first time he told her that.
… Actually, maybe that had something to do with what had just happened?
Women's grudges were scary.
Kazehana didn't mean to act too suspicious of him- he'd made it very clear who between her and that strange woman he valued more.
What little suspicion she kept nonetheless nearly vanished the moment he returned, and their eyes met- she felt that minute current of joy and gratitude, the one that made it feel like he thought merely laying eyes upon her was a worthwhile accomplishment.
"I missed you," he said without a trace of guile, as if it had been days and not minutes since their parting.
Curiously, Kazehana noted that her arms had wrapped themselves around her Ashikabi, and mentally applauded her limb's initiative, and indulged in that little thrill of feeling her embrace reciprocated.
"So who, or what was that?" She asked mildly, pulling away just enough so they could see eye to eye.
Minato froze, and his expression went blank- truly empty of expression, rather than mostly empty as per the norm.
"I trust you to have your reasons for not saying anything, but I would like to know those reasons, please." Just a hint of pushiness at the end- she didn't want to force him, but it felt important to not simply let it pass without comment.
"..." Minato opened his mouth, and closed it when no sound emerged, a hint of a frown appearing. "I'm sorry... but I don't know what to tell you, Kazehana."
"In what sense?" There was a reason, and it wasn't the lack of a good excuse, she felt.
"... Secrets are dangerous."
"They can be, if you tell the wrong person."
"Sometimes there is no right person." Minato said firmly. "And I… I don't know how to tell which kind of secret is which."
He could keenly remember the Lost Day, and with any luck, he would be the only one who ever would.
… He didn't want to see Mother like that, not ever again.
How he felt about that must have shown in some way, as Kazehana's demeanor softened almost instantly, and warmth and assurance came flooding through their link. Kazehana's hands slid up his body until she was cupping his cheeks, and then she pulled his head down slightly so that she could plant a kiss on his forehead.
"I can't decide that for you, Hun, even if I wish I could help you more." She murmured. "But I want you to keep something in mind for me… no, for us."
It was an inclusive sort of 'us', which Minato took to mean 'the family' and not just the 'flock'.
"If you have a reason to keep a secret, don't let that reason be fear of how it might make us think towards you." She said with all the gravity she could muster. "Our feelings for you will never change."
She couldn't help it- a giggle escaped as Minato's eyes widened in an almost childlike expression of wonder… that didn't reach the rest of his face at all.
"... Is it really that simple?"
"Sure is, Hun, you're stuck with us forever and ever."
… He'd been told something like that before, by her and the others.
It was truly mysterious how each time felt just as significant as the first.
"Vice Captain Elizabeth Mably, reporting for duty." The young woman formally declared, standing sharply at attention.
"Ahaha, no need to stand on ceremony Miss Mably, come in, come in!" Minaka Hiroto laughed.
Standing on ceremony was Sekirei Number 23's default state, so her relaxing didn't look anything like his relaxing, but that was part of the fun of those raised under Scenario A.
"You wished to speak with me, Director?" The young woman asked politely.
"Indeed, indeed, I almost forgot to pass on vital, classified and highly amusing information!"
Big blue eyes blinked one too many times.
Grinning eagerly, Minaka spun in his chair (also one too many times), before thrusting his finger at one of the screens.
"What do you see, Miss Mably?"
"That's Sekirei 03, and… whom I can only assume is her Ashikabi." Given the way 03 was practically draped over him, it only made sense. "Is that perhaps Doctor Sahashi's son?"
"Very astute, Miss Mably, that is in fact past footage of 03 and her Ashikabi." It was past footage because he didn't want to interrupt Myriad 1's date without good reason. "He's to be our Ashikabi of the North, even if he hasn't realized it just yet."
Not that he would care, though that would serve just fine.
Myriad 1 was rather territorial, after all, even if it didn't manifest in a way most could understand at first.
A glance in the reflection of the screen left Minaka pleased to note that Number 23 hadn't missed the qualifier of 'past' footage, and that she'd taken the initiative to read over the screen on the left, listing Myriad 1's current Sekirei.
"I had heard that the younger Sahashi was under MBI employ, and so, given that he's become an Ashikabi, will he be working alongside the Disciplinary Squad?"
"Not in any official capacity, though he might be of assistance if the right person asks."
"Such as the Doctor?"
"Very good, Miss Mably," Minaka praised.
"... Begging your pardon then, Director, but I'm not sure I understand why you wish to bring this to my attention?"
"Ah, that's simple, it's because I like Squad B." Minaka blandly admitted.
"... Because you like us?"
"Which is why I'm going to tell you this, Number 23."
Elizabeth naturally snapped back to attention as Minaka spun in his chair to gaze at her directly.
"While he does not have any special privileges in the game, if, for whatever reason you catch Sahashi or his Sekirei breaking any rules, inform him, but do not, under any circumstances, attempt to enforce discipline. Better yet, don't provoke him at all."
"... Pardon me?" What good was a Disciplinary Squad that didn't do its job?
"Honestly, if he becomes a problem just tell his mother."
Elizabeth opened and shut her mouth without a sound being uttered.
"The situation would change if the Captain was present, but I'd prefer she be kept in the dark for the moment." Minaka continued on without slowing. Myriad 1 wasn't quite ready for Karasuba's interest.
"... F-forgive me, Director, but you're not making any sense." Elizabeth recovered eventually.
"I get that a lot," Minaka shrugged. "The point is, tread lightly around that one. Like every other top competitor, Sahashi has advantages that give him an edge in this game of gods."
Miss Mably made no comment, busy staring at the footage of Myriad 1, scrutinizing him carefully to see if she might glean any insight.
While she did that, Minaka pressed a few keys on the keyboard, grinning to himself as he surreptitiously switched the satellite feed to live footage.
Almost instantly, the Myriad 1 on the screen twisted his head up to look the Vice Captain dead in the eye, one eyebrow quirked in a silent display of curiosity. His gaze then shifted to meet Minaka's, and a subtle wave of the hand was offered.
Even someone with Elizabeth Mably's level of composure couldn't quite hide her shock.
"Well, I did warn her." Hiroto said casually to himself, once the Vice Captain had left, a good deal more pensively than she'd arrived.
It was only a matter of time before Myriad 1 was discovered, and it was more dangerous for Squad B to go in wholly blind when they did.
… It would also be very interesting, which was why he hadn't given away anything of substance.
All of the Scenario A Sekirei had… particular views, which meant that none of them would be able to overlook Myriad 1. They truly and sincerely believed in the burden of power- of the duty of the strong to safeguard the weak.
That he obviously looked fondly upon Myriad 1 would simply become ample reason to view his actions more strictly than anyone else. And, equally obvious was how it was only a matter of time before Myriad 1 again applied some creative interpretations to the rules of the game, giving them cause to confront him in some fashion.
Squad B could be rather rigid in mind and morals- idealists in stark opposition to the being who adapted only what suited his needs, and discarded the rest without exception.
It was going to be a grand old time, playing witness to that encounter.
A few weeks ago she would have laughed at anyone who told her she could be so easily distracted from 'that', and yet that was precisely what was happening.
Kazehana was supposed to be a woman on a mission- this was her day to have her Ashikabi all day and all night, and she had planned from the start to take things all the way.
And yet she kept getting distracted- despite how that strange hussy from earlier didn't even count as a distraction in her mind.
The long and short of the problem was Minato.
She kept getting lost in him- in those deep dark eyes, or in the way his hair didn't reflect any light, or in observing any number of the little things that made him who he was.
She'd always imagined herself with an Ashikabi who was fun to tease, and while her Ashikabi didn't fluster easily, the way he mirrored her curiosity with just as little pretense more than made up for it.
The other girls had noticed it as well when he was with them, but the whole time, it seemed like his eyes were on her even when his eyes weren't aimed at her at all- like she was the only thing he was truly looking at in any given moment.
… Which was why her tea had gone cold, and they'd shared less than a dozen words despite apparently having been at the cafe for an hour and a half.
It was also why not a single moment felt wasted.
Neither of them had realized in the slightest that the rest of the cafe was just as spellbound.
The sight of the two getting lost in one another transcended any feelings of envy- the kind that might have arisen in the presence of an absolute heartthrob with eyes for one man, and one man alone.
Because it was the kind of sight that would surely remind anyone that beauty was alive and well in the world.
It was the kind of sight that would surely remind anyone that beauty was alive and well in the world.
Call him melodramatic, but Homura honestly thought that when he was granted the privilege of seeing Chiho's smile in the daylight.
When Chiho had told him that she'd been able to go outside more often, lately, he'd been genuinely happy for her.
When she shyly segued into wondering aloud if, just maybe, he'd be available during the day sometime, he'd nearly died of a heart attack, it was that cute.
It was also true that Homura had never imagined himself as a huge sap, but he didn't really mind being wrong on that front, because he wasn't ashamed in the least.
Say what you want about MBI, but they definitely didn't skimp out on their hospitals- the 'garden' was practically a small park in size, so there were plenty of spaces for them to enjoy together.
Pushing Chiho's wheelchair around definitely felt like a date, and she probably felt the same way, but… it was still just a little bit of a shame.
He didn't like lying to Chiho, even for something as mundane as that.
But Homura was loath to ruin the moment, and so dutifully pretended that he could smell the flowers that Chiho so happily showed him.
He was going to smoke at least half a pack the moment they had gone their separate ways, though- at least then the clinging scent of ash would make sense.
Being able to truly let her guard down was something terrifying, and yet exhilarating for Kazehana.
And by the end of the night, it had nearly become a regret that would last her a lifetime.
It was a good thing that belligerence was part of her sister's charm, otherwise their jobs could have been under very real threat that day.
Hikari was fraying at the seams, slowly but surely, and Hibiki had no idea what to do about it.
It was maddening.
So when a solution of sorts presented itself, her body moved before her mind could catch up.
The city street was nearly empty as they made their way home from work, and the cafe wasn't all too far from one of 'those', and so it was simply a matter of timing.
They rounded the corner, and Hikari jolted back- a choked gasp escaping her lips as her legs decided that they'd had enough, and promptly gave out on her.
Her sister's eyes were wider than she'd ever seen them, a strange and heartbreaking cocktail of hope, fear, and desperation swirling about in those hazel orbs.
… Too focused on her other half, Hibiki had no attention to spare towards how her own breaking point had just come and gone.
Bumping into a pair of Sekirei wasn't anything strange, but Kazehana wasn't particularly worried- a coincidental meeting was unlikely to end in violence unless her fellow feathers were feeling particularly feisty.
That didn't mean she wasn't paying attention, but she couldn't really be blamed for being a step slow when a total stranger took one look at her Ashikabi and nearly fainted.
The other, nearly identical Sekirei seemed much, much calmer- and still seemed that way when she fired a gigantic bolt of lightning at them from less than two storefronts away.
It was just too many strange things at once, at a time when her guard was probably the lowest it had ever been in a public setting.
It was not so with Minato.
He turned and shoved Kazehana away, hard, and took the bolt of lightning square in the back.
His body convulsed violently and collapsed, the sound eerily close to that of a rotten fruit being smashed.
Face down on the ground, 'something dark' began to pool into the concrete beneath his still form.
If he'd been able to think such thoughts, he would have thought it rather strange that the woman, with a slender arm still outstretched, was the most 'shocked' of all.
A clinical part of Hibiki's mind informed her in brisk fashion that not only was the human dead or dying, she'd just ruined her sister's best shot at happiness, become a murderer, and, lastly, in a few short seconds 03 was going to kill her.
Then, a morbid part of Hibiki's mind followed up by helpfully informing her that things couldn't possibly get any worse.
"S-Sis…?"
Now, if only that morbid part of her mind wasn't the first thing to be proven wrong.
Matching hazel eyes met, and moved as one… following it to the end of a slim arm upon which violet sparks still danced.
"I-I-I didn't…!" She didn't do it? She didn't mean to?
Whether the words actually escaped her lips, no one would ever know.
… It was the same color as the night sky above, that dark pool beneath the body.
And it was undulating about like a stormy, gooey sea beneath a body that had begun twisting and jerking like a crazed marionette.
The twins could only watch as those last tenuous threads of rationality were cleanly severed.
He had a sneaking suspicion that Kazehana would just do that 'giggle behind her hand' thing if questioned, but Minato was rather curious as to why- "TrEAD LiGHTly, FoX."- "Family isn't food."- He could keenly remember the Lost Day- She claimed to be 'a Daji' and not 'the Daji' as if that were somehow significant, but Minato just knew her as the (surviving) representative of the Folk.-That was the best he could describe it- every 'sensation' he picked up from her, if it had anything to do with him, was the same soft, warm pink of her wings…
… Mind all a jumble in both the literal and figurative sense, Minato stuck his fingers into the right side of his head and began to forcibly wrench it back into its proper shape.
A bit of him squirted out the back of his neck and splattered down his back, but thankfully he was able to suck it back in before it could stain his coat.
A bolt of panic coursed through him as the current events reasserted themselves in his mind- they hadn't been attacked, and she wasn't injured, so what had happened to Kazehana?
She was kneeling at his side with the traces of something like a smile on her lips, and yet her eyes were glassy and unfocused- the 'white noise' he was getting suggested that she was no longer conscious.
Even more strange, the resonate ones were in a similar state- the sisters who would never fully be separate.
'Twins' was the term, he was fairly certain.
… But it was just the four of them.
Minato hadn't the foggiest idea why he was the only one conscious, though he did have the sneaking suspicion that current events were somehow his fault. That the monster was the only one left standing clearly suggested that the monster was to blame, or so the stories usually went.
"... This must be what profiling feels like." Minato complained quietly as he carefully scooped up Kazehana. "... And how am I supposed to carry all three of them without getting scolded later?"
Mother would most certainly give him 'the look' if he started another urban legend.
Stirring with a quiet murmur, Kazenana blinked the sleep out of her eyes and sat up, half-lidded gaze seeking out her Ashikabi by instinct alone.
The moment her vision settled upon him, eyes with the deep brown gleam of polished wood snapped open wide, and her arms were around him, an awkward position since she hadn't let go of his hand.
"There there, Kazehana," Minato muttered gently, patting her on the back with a free hand. "I'm just fine, see?"
Kazehana pulled back to arms-length, and the way her hands started roaming would have seemed a good deal more suggestive if it wasn't for the slightly wild look in her eyes.
"H-how can you be fine!? I saw you-! I…" She just barely managed to keep the words from slipping out as she belatedly noticed that they weren't exactly alone, and a child was present.
Minato must have carried her home- though she had no idea why she could have been out for that long.
"This probably isn't very convincing, but I wasn't actually hurt at all."
Maybe because of the circumstances, but accepting the words of her honest Ashikabi at face value never even crossed her mind.
"Honey, I know what electricity does to people," she said somewhat crossly, her grip on his shoulders firm.
Stress-induced crankiness faltered a bit when Minato nodded immediately in response, seeming vaguely pleased by the answer.
"Right, but I'm not people." He helpfully reminded. "Hibiki wasn't actually trying to hurt me, so she didn't, but electricity is… not exactly a weak point, but an inconvenience?"
"... I think getting hit by lightning is inconvenient for anyone," Uzume interjected drily, "but you said something pretty ridiculous there."
Minato twisted his head to look at her curiously.
"... 'Hibiki wasn't trying to hurt me, so she didn't'?" The Sekirei quoted back at him.
"That's how it works, I think," Minato replied. "The last Sekirei was definitely trying to hurt me, so those knives kinda stung-"
The temperature in the living room had plummeted to dangerous levels, and Akitsu wasn't responsible at all- too busy checking him over for knife wounds.
"... Pray tell, Dearest," Tsukiumi began slowly, her voice as sweet as syrup and as dangerous as a tidal wave, "what dost thou mean by 'the last Sekirei'?"
"Hmm?" He wasn't sure what he'd done wrong, only that it had apparently been very wrong. "Oh, that's right, I never did tell you about the Sekirei I rescued Kuu from, did I?"
"The mean girl!" Kusano helpfully contributed.
"Oh my, I've heard the story from young Kusano, but I wasn't aware Sahashi was keeping it a secret from the rest of his flock." Miya said, hand cupping her cheek.
"... Neither were we," Kazehana replied softly, gaze piercing deeply into Minato.
"... I don't understand why everyone is angry." Minato admitted honestly after a moment of being stared at. Three out of four adults of the flock had quite suddenly grown angry, scared, and just a little disappointed in him, and not having any idea as to why was troubling.
"If memory serves, thou claimst to have not run afoul of any trouble." Tsukiumi spoke sharply.
"I did, yes."
Miya stopped herself as a thought occurred, so instead it was Uzume who said "and getting attacked by a Sekirei doesn't count?"
"No? … At least not that one?"
… It wasn't hubris, she suspected. Her tenant wasn't attempting to downplay the danger, rather it seemed that he genuinely did not believe that there had been any danger involved.
"One would argue that any fight contains an element of risk, no?" She gently prompted, her theory confirmed when Sahashi blinked one too many times.
"That's true, isn't it?" His words gave the others pause as well, with the way he made it sound like new information.
"So then, why then, why did you keep it a secret, Hun?" Kazehana, questioned just as gently. It was good that she had caught on- agitation had been replaced with something just a little bit like shame, though the Wind Sekirei was hiding it well.
"... There could have been danger, but there wasn't, so I thought that telling you would worry everyone? You're not supposed to worry your loved ones if you can help it, but Sekirei do that human thing where they worry about things that could have happened but didn't."
Yes… it was all too easy to expect him to think in a manner that befitted his outward appearance.
"So then, why wasn't there any danger in the end, Minato?" The young man certainly caught onto the change of address, but he met Miya's gaze without falter.
"Because I won." It was a phrase no Ashikabi should have been able to utter, spoken with the dismissiveness of one who had resolved something trivial.
"Mhm, mhm," Kusano cut in innocently, "Big Brother made the meanie go away!"
… Forever, it would seem.
It was made clear that a discussion about proper communication would need to happen, and soon, but nonetheless, the conversation at last went to the elephant in the room.
Except that someone would have pointed out that they weren't elephants, or in the room, but Minato wasn't all that good with idioms to begin with.
Speaking of which-
Miya blinked, and her gaze shifted slightly upwards and to the side.
"I imagine our guests will be awakening before long, so I will excuse myself to go check on them." The slight emphasis on the words 'guests' seemed to linger.
Miya hadn't demanded any immediate answers from him, merely enlisted his help in getting the two twins tucked into a futon and a vacant room.
Miya also hadn't seemed to mind his lackluster explanation, she'd just listened patiently (with a twinkle in her eye) when he told her "I think this is my fault but I don't know why".
"So should I wing them if they ask?" Minato thus questioned without any preamble.
For some truly mysterious reason, Uzume, who had been standing still, suddenly stumbled.
"How did the topic shift to that!?"
"Hmm? Wasn't that what this conversation was about?"
"Not even close!"
"Memory is such an unreliable thing."
"It's been like five minutes!"
Feeling pleased, Minato nodded once more to himself, reminded once again that this thing called 'banter' was quite enjoyable. It was efficient as well- improving Uzume's mood tended to cause a positive chain reaction among the others, and himself.
That aside, his main goal was, at current, to keep anyone from holding a grudge over the wrong thing. While it was true that he was a little peeved at the shaded twin for scaring Kazehana, it had been an accident, and violence in defense of family was never wrong.
Though he still would have killed her and the bright one if they'd meant serious harm, since they weren't family yet, naturally… even if they were probably supposed to be.
"Tsukiumi, you're going to feel very silly if your expression gets stuck in a frown like that." It was a rumored phenomenon that was unverified, but no need to risk it.
The blonde gave him a puzzled look, but the conflicted expression he'd just tried to chase away quickly returned.
"'Tis of little import- mine own hypocrisy has reared its head." She admitted.
Minato's eyebrow raised.
"I meant to strike thee down, hast thou forgotten?" Tsukiumi softly said. "'Tis foolish to begrudge one for a similar deed committed in error, no?"
"You did? When did that happen?"
Stumbling when they weren't moving was another habit people had that he couldn't make sense of.
"W-w-what dost thou meanst by that, Dearest!?" She half-shrieked. "However couldst an attempt on thine own life slip thy mind with such ease!?"
… Several long seconds of Minato seemingly trying (and failing) to recall what she was talking about seemed to prove that yes, yes he could forget that easily.
"... Alas, I find myself feeling a good deal the elder of this morning's Tsukiumi."
"I'm pretty sure that's how time works for everyone, Tsukiumi."
"And I feel more the fool for finding thine oddities so endearing."
"Yeah, love you too."
When Miya quietly made her way back down the stairs, it was to the sound of warm laughter, and the sight of Tsukiumi's pale cheeks flushed warmer still.
… That warmth quickly died away when the gathered feathers caught sight of those trailing along in her wake.
The twins took the initiative though, and perhaps it was for the best- they took one look at Minato, and, still clinging to one another for support, sank to the floor on trembling knees.
Breath coming in quick and hot, rapidly pounding hearts beating in perfect synchronization as they stared wide-eyed at Izumo Inn's resident Ashikabi, as if he were the only person in all the world.
Thankfully, the scene had stolen the focus of everyone else just as surely, and thus, the small giggle that escaped her lips went unheeded.
"... This is twice in one day where I've felt like the bad guy without doing anything." her most amusing tenant muttered, still showing that hint of a sulk that had set Miya off to begin with.
Hibiki couldn't get her thoughts in order at all.
Just too much had happened in one day- she'd met the Ashikabi her sister had been having nightmares about, and almost murdered him by accident.
Then she and her sister had watched as that same Ashikabi had casually squished his half-melted body back together like it was modeling clay, and the next thing they knew they were in Izumo Inn being tended to by 01 herself.
Not only that, but the man that both their lives were meant to lead to, their very own Destined One, was the man she had electrocuted on sight.
… Hibiki felt like she'd accidentally burned down paradise with her own two hands. A deep and intrinsic sense of having done something completely irredeemable.
'At least don't turn your back on my sister,' Hibiki's heart cried out.
She was instinctively aware that those deep dark eyes were the darkness Hikari had dreamed of.
They were so very dark, and so very, very cold.
"Miya," a glacial voice chilled the air with every syllable. "I'm going to have to bend your rule just a little, I'll accept punishment later but it's very important."
The Sekirei Pillar pursed her lips ever so slightly, but made no move to stop him as he advanced on her.
And thus they were forsaken.
Hikari's eyes narrowed and her arms tightened defensively around her, and Hibiki appreciated that even if she knew it was futile. Hikari said… something, and she couldn't even make out the words past the sound of two hearts hammering to the same rhythm.
The man's arm raised high and came down fast, arching suddenly at a seemingly impossible angle to-
"Kyaa!?" A shrill and embarrassed scream echoed through the inn, her mortification only amplifying as the sting spread and the realization sunk in.
Did he… d-d-did he just!?
Uzume broke the stunned silence.
"Babe, did you just spank her?"
"And thus justice is served." The Ashikabi grandly and tonelessly declared.
Befitting that absurd declaration, Kusano giggled.
Too bewildered to feel any real sense of humiliation, Hibiki just clutched her stinging rear, gaping up at that face that remained expressionless and yet seemed ever so smug.
Miya, meanwhile, muffled a sigh that befitted her age, far more than she cared to admit.
But Minato wasn't done quite yet.
"I felt awkward then and you must feel awkward now, so if we're on the same page why don't we call it even, and start over?" He suggested to Hibiki.
Unable to slow her reeling thoughts, Hibiki opened her mouth without the slightest idea of what she might say.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I'm-"
"Hibiki, Hikari." Learning their names from Miya had been prudent, it seemed- that was all it took to bring them to a total halt.
He knelt down to bring himself to eye level and flashed them a little smile.
"Would the two of you like to be my wings?"
And then he was on his back as the twins completely lost control, in the best possible meaning of the term.
Guilt at having lied to her other half.
Guilt at having struck down her Destined One.
Fear of leaving her behind.
Fear of being left behind.
Hikari's fear/ Hibiki's guilt.
Hibiki's fear/ Hikari's guilt.
Flipped on its head so violently, it felt like someone had gripped the horizon and upended the whole world.
Every negative emotion reversed itself and went mad, every bit as wild and uncontrollable as the lightning in their veins.
A fundamental truth of who they were, something that they had desperately sought all their life, and never once found.
They were not meant to be two.
There was more to them, more of them, than Hikari and Hibiki.
Her lips met his, and they were complete.
Thunder roared a joyous chorus from a cloudless sky.
Lying on his back, Minato was struck with the strange sensation of having seen everything, yet still having managed to miss something.
It was probably good that Akitsu had covered Kusano's eyes, though he wasn't sure why Akitsu and the rest of the flock were blushing.
Maybe it was because Hikari and Hibiki were positively radiating the exact same gooey shade of pink, or because they were gazing down at him with feverish eyes and sliding up their shirts-
"While I am very happy for you two girls, I must inform you that… especially when children are present," it was impressive in and of itself that the twins even registered the words, "indecent acts within Izumo Inn are prohibited."
The twins gave muffled shrieks, and pulled Minato up into a sitting position so that they could hide behind him, as pale horror stilled the air.
Minato was in little better of a state- he'd stopped 'looking' entirely, yet could somehow still see that haunted mask glaring down at him from behind Miya's shoulder.
… Once that monstrous apparition had passed them over, it was Kazehana who first quietly broke the silence.
"Honestly though, I'm not even mad that they almost stole a march on me."
Akitsu of all people gave her a mildly incredulous look.
"I'm only a little mad that they almost stole a march on me," Kazehana smoothly corrected. "But…"
Shivering slightly, their two new sisters looked at each other, and then Minato, and then back to one another, before promptly bursting into wailing tears.
"... But I think it's going to be easy to forgive."
It was just past midnight when she awoke and abruptly sat bolt upright, her sister and Ashikabi awakening as well, as if it were only natural.
"Babe, I mean this in the nicest way possible," Hikari told Minato, "but what the hell are you? You melted and unmelted and no one thought it was weird!"
Deep dark eyes blinked once, twice, and the rest of the flock stirred ever so slightly as a strange tremble went through their Ashikabi's body.
In the dead of night, within the deep shadows of an old, dark house, the laughter of a monster could be heard… and yet that dreadful sound disturbed no one.
… No one fully asleep, that was- one who was only dozing had just tipped a half-empty can onto her keyboard.
Busy busy chapter.
So to clarify the AN at the start of the chapter, I'd intended to wait a while before growing the flock, but the Lightning Twins straight up hijacked this chapter.
It just felt like too big an issue that Hikari was dreaming of an Ashikabi that Hibiki had never even met, when their number one goal was to have the same Ashikabi.
So I took it and ran with it and fun things happened- you'll notice a few pertinent questions got 'skipped', but they'll be addressed quickly in the next chapter, there were just too many topics to address in regards to the twin incident to go through all at once without feeling tedious.
But the cast is sleeping on it, that's all. Or… trying in Hikari's case haha
I'm sure you're also aware that Kazehana's date got canceled, and naturally it won't be long for that either- she can be lenient but she knows exactly what she wants.
We met the Very Old Folk- the 'local' monsters so to speak, and we've also encountered our first crossover Sekirei to be named (though she's third to appear).
Elizabeth Mably, who some of you might know as a Pandora from the series Freezing.
Might give you a bit of a hint towards the rest of Squad B's identity, and speaking of hints, Minaka's 'Scenario A' covers why Elizabeth doesn't follow typical Sekirei naming conventions, as well as other things.
Got to see Homura and Chiho together again, but someone isn't able to smell the roses… nah, it's probably fine.
And naturally, plenty of Minato in this chapter as well- his hidden dealings with the Folk that now only Kazehana has any clue of, and a glimpse of the reasonings behind his many, many secrets and his hesitancy to share.
He's a monster that even other monsters find uncanny, and on a deep level represents and interacts with things that the sane simply weren't meant to know.
The implications of that will be far reaching indeed.