Today's forecast, dark with a chance of lightning.
To say Hibiki woke up confused would have been an understatement.
Yesterday, she'd nearly made the worst mistake of her entire life- she'd electrocuted her Destined One, the Ashikabi that both she and her twin had reacted to.
It could not be understated enough how phenomenally tragic that could have been.
How unforgivable that should have been.
She'd nearly destroyed their family on the first meeting.
She'd nearly deprived the world of an Ashikabi who could look upon a Scrapped Number, a Sekirei who could not be winged, with kindness.
Kindness, but not pity.
… It was an easy line to cross, and yet he didn't.
Their Destined One.
Their Ashikabi.
Their… Minato.
That she apparently hadn't actually hurt at all despite half-melting him!?
And she somehow hadn't managed to find the timing to ask about at all because she may have been swept up in the tide of affection from a bunch of Sekirei that had every right to hate her guts, flock mates or not!?
She didn't even know his last name!
… No wait…
If it was his last name, and he was their Ashikabi, didn't that kind of, sort of, just a little, mean that it was her and Hikari's last name too?
Was it hot in the room? It was definitely hot in the room, of course it was, there were eight people in it and eight people worth of body heat would make a room hot, which was why the room was hot.
… Usually, when Hibiki got too wrapped up in her own head, it was Hikari who helped her snap out of it before she could get too worked up.
That was how it had always been, just as it was always Hibiki who helped reign in her sister's temper. But Miya had turned a blind eye to having the entire flock piled into one room, that night.
… The hand on her cheek was smooth and cool, the eyes gazing deeply into her own, the still, dark blue of a frozen lake.
"You are… not dreaming."
As it fully sank in that 'the way of things' was forever changed, Hibiki found herself imagining that the winter chill might actually be a gentle sort of thing.
Being struck by lightning was convenient in the sense that it gave him inspiration to explain certain things.
Minato was reasonably certain that telling Hibiki wouldn't make her happy, so he intended to leave that detail out. It might be good for everyone to learn a bit more about him, so he'd spent most of the night ruminating over which of his secrets might be sufficiently 'safe' to share.
It might also offer Miya some peace of mind to know that he wasn't as reckless as she thought he was.
It was morning, so both Homura and the shy one were fast asleep, but everyone else was gathered around the dining room table, leaving one end open.
He noted approvingly that the twins had found themselves deprived of the use of one arm each, and that Kusano was, as expected, probably the only other person they were comfortable to let sit between them.
Kusano was the hardest member of the flock to say no to, after all.
He was going to surprise someone no matter what, so Minato didn't waste time.
"There is no cause for alarm, but I am melting."
Minato took it as a good sign that no one fainted when he did.
Kusano's immediate and excited shriek of "Squishy!" likely helped, as did…
…
… How truly mysterious.
Flushed cheeks, disordered breathing, elevated heart rates, something akin to 'excitement' filtering through the link…
As was often the case, Uzume recovered her voice first.
"H-hey is it just me, or does anyone else really want to cuddle him right now?"
Belatedly, Minato remembered that Mother had reacted in a similar fashion to 'this version' of him, in the past.
Though he didn't understand it, his appearance as a soft roundish blob of 'something dark' was apparently something very much-
"C-cute."
Calling her Ashikabi a 'somewhat tall blob' wasn't exactly flattering, but in that form, Honey wasn't really shaped like any living thing that Kazehana knew of.
His body was vaguely translucent and darkly blue, with tiny pinpricks of light winking here or there. It made her imagine that, rather than an alien, what had fallen down to the earth all those years ago was a piece of the midnight sky, in liquid form.
But, when one of those larger pinpricks of light held her gaze for a moment, Kazehana was struck with the sensation of 'making eye contact'.
… Maybe that's why it felt like he was never really looking away from them.
The other thing she noticed was that his silhouette seemed oddly flat- she couldn't quite describe it in a manner that satisfied her, but it felt like neither light nor shadow fell upon his body, muddling her perception.
… She would later learn that the rest of the flock came to the answer at one point or another, over the course of the conversation.
Uncanny yet earnest, their Ashikabi truly was a darkness unto himself.
With her usual regard for personal space, Uzume had swiftly made her way around to kneel on his side of the table, not so much hugging him as falling into him. Minato carefully gave way to make sure he didn't get in the way of her being able to breathe.
Uzume gave her impressions with a long and blissful sigh, wearing an expression to match.
"Babe, have you ever considered being a bed?"
"I have not, but I suppose I could if asked?"
More than a few people had to hold themselves back from a knee jerk 'yes please'.
The strange silence dispelled in pleasant fashion, Kazehana took it upon herself to get the conversation back up and running as Uzume got herself up with clear reluctance, though she made herself comfortable at Minato's side quite naturally.
"... Was this what you looked like, before you were given your name?" She asked gently.
Their Ashikabi rippled in a way she was fairly certain was meant to be a nod.
"It took more work to hold a consistent shape, but yes." Curiously, Kazehana made note that she couldn't quite tell where he was speaking from. It made sense, she supposed, since he didn't seem to have a mouth.
No, hold on, if he could absorb material through the skin like that woman had said, didn't that mean that all of him was kind of like a…?
"... Minato, does that mean you don't consider this appearance the 'real you'?" Hibiki delicately broke the silence, raising one hand slightly.
"That's right," Minato answered.
"... So we're just gonna skip the 'our Ashikabi is also an alien' part, huh?" Hikari cut in, somewhat belatedly.
"More a monster than an alien, though both are correct."
"Okay… so our Ashikabi is a space-monster?" She didn't know how she felt about her Ashikabi calling himself that, but no one else seemed to mind so-
"So then, does it matter?" Kazehana asked levelly.
Hikari didn't seem to notice that the eyes of the rest of the flock were suddenly all on her, but Hibiki certainly did, shuffling awkwardly.
"No, why would it?" Hikari tilted her head to one side with an eyebrow raised.
Hibiki sighed, but she wasn't the only one to smile warmly at her twin.
Turning back to their silent Ashikabi, Hibiki asked "so, you looked something like this when you were younger, and then turned into 'Minato' sometime later, am I getting that right?"
She got the 'yes ripple' in response.
'… His gestures and lack of expression are still just as cute, huh?' Kazehana thought to herself.
"Oh wait, I got it!" Hikari crossed her arms, somewhat smugly.
"Hm? Got what, Hikari?" Minato asked, little lights twinkling just that bit more.
"It's like how a butterfly doesn't call itself a caterpillar, right!?"
The room went still.
"... Sister…"
"What? What did I say?"
"Our Ashikabi is no insect, fool," Tsukiumi interjected somewhat crossly.
"That I know of." Minato followed up.
Tsukiumi stopped herself in mid-nod to narrow her eyes at him. The effect was somewhat lessened by how she couldn't figure out whether or not she was making eye contact.
"But that comparison does explain it pretty well, Hikari."
"Hah, nailed it!" Like hell she was going to tell anyone that she had immediately felt like an idiot for blurting that out.
Hiding her smile, Hibiki turned a blind eye to how Hikari's ears had reddened at their tips.
A knowing smile that faded with the sudden sensation that she had been exposed to her Ashikabi's gaze, in a manner a good deal more serious than the silly conversation would have suggested.
It made her want to squirm in shame… but it wasn't unpleasant, in spite of that.
"Think of what happened yesterday like this- you can make yourself stop breathing, but otherwise you don't need to breathe on purpose, correct?" Minato began without preamble, certain she would immediately clue into the topic being presented.
Hibiki gave a meek nod.
"Maintaining a human shape is like breathing, for me." Minato explained. "But just like I don't need to breathe, turning back into a liquid mostly just makes wearing clothing difficult."
"As usual, you say some pretty crazy stuff with a straight face, Babe," Uzume said with a wry grin.
"Silly Zume, Big Brother doesn't have a face right now." Kusano said with a shake of her head, prompting a few chuckles.
She'd wanted to bounce on Big Brother too, but she could do that later cuz she needed to take care of her new big sisters who were still feeling a little scaredy.
"I'm highly conductive, so electricity basically shuts down everything that isn't important, which includes my ability to hold a solid shape."
"... Somehow, I'm a little confused about what to feel bad about," Hibiki admitted, recovering somewhat. "But I… I really am sorry."
"I forgive you." He wouldn't have acted any differently in her place.
"'Tis not my place to chastise thee for thine errors," Tsukiumi said on cue, "my first meeting with our dearest was far from genial."
"Meh, you're sorry and Babe is fine, good enough for me," Uzume shrugged.
Akitsu said nothing, but nodded slowly, taking care to make sure Hibiki noticed the gesture.
Kusano hugged Hibiki around the waist, smiling cutely up at her.
Every gaze turned to Kazehana, the only witness to what had happened.
Minato's first Sekirei briefly closed her eyes, exhaling softly through her nose.
"I won't hold it against you because it's obvious you regret it," she began carefully. "But given that your reaction seemed to surprise you more than anyone else, I think a bit of an explanation would be good."
Grimacing a little, Hibiki gave a little nod, sharing a glance with her sister before opening her mouth to speak.
"Uh uh, lemme start things off, Sis." Hikari cut her off, waving away her protest. "So I was the first to react to you," she told Minato.
"It was only for a moment, but I saw you and Lil' Kuu at the subway station, and reacted big time. Maybe another Sekirei would have tried to chase after you, but…"
"But we didn't want to be parted." Hibiki carried on where her sister faltered. "Both of us have reacted to other Ashikabi in the past, and some of them have been pretty strong reactions, but…"
""Never to the same Ashikabi."" They said in perfect, albeit bitter harmony.
"We searched for years, ya know?" Hikari admitted sourly. "So just kinda freaked me out to be reacting so strongly with no Sis around, and I… and I turned tail. Was scared it would be just like all the other times, but worse."
"There were a few… sleepless nights after that." Hibiki continued softly. "And then when we bumped into you, Sister was reacting, and I… I just… panicked."
It seemed people underestimated how deftly she could move, at times.
One moment Kazehana was at a different side of the table from them, the next she was gently leaning against Kusano from behind, an arm around either twin pulling them in together.
"Okay." She said softly. "I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like that- I won't say I know what the two of you went through, so instead, I'll just say…"
With her next words, Kazehana rendered the incident a thing entirely of the past.
"Welcome to the family."
As the twins leaned their heads on Kazehana's shoulders, Kusano twisted around in her seat, doing her best to fling her little arms around all three of them.
That little bit of loneliness still clinging to the Lightning Twins vanished, this time for good.
Another hour or so passed before they were done- with the major concerns addressed, the conversation mostly involved catching the twins up to speed, both in regards to Minato, and what had happened with the flock up to that point.
Miya had excused herself briefly to carry Kusano up to bed when the little Sekirei dozed off, and Minato took the chance to address a more pleasant topic.
"So, would you like to go together or separate, the first time?"
"Huh? Go where?" Hikari shot a confused look between her sister and him.
"On our date?"
The effect those innocent words had on the twins was immediate, and adorable, with the added effect of increasing feelings of solidarity from the rest of the flock.
Being blindsided by their Ashikabi (usually in a good way) was normal, after all.
"W-w-what do you mean by 'together or separate' though?" Hikari managed, trying not to stutter and failing badly.
"You might be different people, but it feels wrong to separate the two of you without your input, somehow." Minato said. "It might be because you are twins, but I don't know any other twins so it's hard to say."
… Admittedly, the twins going silent again had him wondering if he had said something wrong, but everyone else in the room was smiling.
He could even feel a faint warmth from Miya, who had chosen to make her way to the kitchen instead of returning.
Their biggest fear by far had always been separation.
And yet on some level, they had resigned themselves to always being 'the twins'... of always being treated like a package deal.
But, Hikari was not Hibiki, any more than Hibiki was Hikari… they were, in fact, still 'different people'.
They'd never imagined how wonderful it would feel to have an Ashikabi who treated them as such, without having to be told.
She'd gotten over her anger at her Ashikabi being 'attacked' rather quickly, all told.
It was an accident and (somehow) no harm done, plus, them being 'part of the flock' automatically made it easier to forgive them.
It was the same sort of logic that led to the twins easily accepting their Ashikabi's otherworldliness- to a Sekirei, accommodating their Ashikabi and their flock just made sense.
Though, it was just as true that Kazehana liked Hikari and Hibiki, independent of that.
They reminded her of Uzume, in the way she felt like she could trust them to keep the party going, just as readily as she could entrust her back to them in a fight.
Having two more lethal and sexy Sekirei to protect and love their Minato was a big plus all around, really.
The sisters had wasted no time in putting in their month's notice at their little apartment, and moving everything out on the same day.
… Everything but their bed and their couch, that was, and she'd seen the hungry way they smiled at Minato when they casually announced that decision.
Their Ashikabi was in for a good time, a good time that the twins had promised not to cut in line to deliver, which was promising for flock dynamics.
They got extra points when they decided that having a date with the two of them would be less of a wait for her, since she'd turned down their offer to postpone their date as an apology for interrupting hers.
Everyone had filtered out into the backyard to get some fresh air, after that, and the twins were going back and forth, swinging a happily giggling Kusano by the arms between the two of them.
They were, as Kusano put it, 'the bestest at it cuz they're the same height', which was an adorable reason that no one could fault.
At her side, Minato twisted his head suddenly, as if noticing something, nostrils flaring slightly.
"Hm? What is it, Hun?"
"I smelled something burnt, I'm going to go check if Miya needs a hand." He said. "Be right back."
Kazehana planted a quick kiss on his cheek (because it was within reach, naturally), as he rose, before turning her gaze back towards the yard.
… If she had been paying more attention, she would have remembered that Miya never burned anything, or noticed that the direction Minato was heading was the opposite from the kitchen.
Tumbling against an alley wall that was thankfully not made out of wood, Homura's teeth ground together as he desperately tried to bite back a scream.
Scrabbling blindly, he tried to tear his flaming coat from his back, but his burnt fingers were spasming from pain and couldn't get a grip.
Panicking, he flung himself onto the trash heap, twisting with spastic agility to come down on his back, and hopefully smother the flames.
Homura succeeded in his goal, in the sense that the flames trying to roast him were extinguished.
He was left coughing, spluttering and briefly unable to see when the source of said dousing was a deluge of salty water dumping on his head.
Hacking and gasping, Homura rolled off the trash pile and onto all fours, spitting up water and wiping his stinging eyes.
A blurry dark shape knelt at his side, supporting him as they gathered his hair out of the way and rubbed his back, murmuring something he couldn't make out.
He couldn't have said how long it took to recover, but when he did, the first thing he did was thank Tsukiumi for putting him out again, naturally.
And, just as naturally, he received the usual reply.
"That's not the first time I've been mistaken for a girl."
"Sure, sure… come again?"
Homura nearly fell over again when he laid eyes on his rescuer.
Gazing expressionlessly down at Homura with his deep dark eyes, Minato paused for a moment to consider what words would be appropriate in a situation like that.
"Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Homura?"
The way the Sekirei gaped up at him for asking that question was almost as mysterious as the phrase itself. Try as he might, Minato had yet to discover the wrong or right side of his bed or any other.
Rather than returning home, they ended up at something like a small, forgotten park.
Homura would have preferred to get changed, and dry, sooner rather than later, but if he went back too quickly someone was bound to notice, and he probably owed Minato an explanation, though, on the note of explanations…
"Thanks again for putting me out, so while I'll admit I'm pretty curious about how you pulled that off, as a sign of gratitude I'll keep those questions to myself."
"That would be helpful," Minato nodded, as he wrapped Homura's fingers with bandages he'd 'just happened to have with him'. "I'm not very good at lying."
… There was silence, as the words settled in.
The laughter that followed went a long way towards allowing Homura to forget the pain and the panic.
He appreciated that Minato had extended the same courtesy about not pressing for answers.
That last 'incident' had been out of nowhere, and he shivered to imagine what might have happened if he'd decided to greet the rest of the household before his first cigarette of the day, rather than after.
"I'm a bit… unstable, compared to most Sekirei," was what he decided to start with. "My powers, that is. Being strong is pretty handy as the 'Guardian of the Unwinged', but to even things out I occasionally light myself on fire by accident."
Okay, so maybe the adrenaline wearing off had him in the mood for gallows humor.
"I think you might be taking good sportsmanship a little far, Homura."
"... I actually don't know if you were joking or not."
"I'm not very good at jokes either," the Ashikabi blandly returned.
"... Right… You know, you're uh… awfully calm."
"I am calm because your injuries are not serious," and he may have cheated somewhat to make it so. "Though your jacket is ruined, not even your shirt is damaged."
"Oh good, I like this shirt."
"But if you need to put some ice on it, ask Akitsu," Minato suggested. "Hers takes longer to melt than the ice from the freezer."
"I'll keep that in mind." Homura said, giving him a strange look. "... Okay, so I know I said that I wasn't going to ask questions, but what have you been staring at this whole time?"
"Hm? Oh, nothing, I thought I saw something, but it must have been a bird."
"A bird, huh?" Speaking of 'birds', he should probably check to see if Matsu had been keeping tabs on him, the poor girl would probably be worried out of her mind if he was on fire the last time she saw him.
What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!?
Completely caught off guard, a keen yet overactive mind was whirling like a feather in a hurricane.
It had just been coincidence that she'd seen Homura leave the inn with barely a trace of his usual poise, so she'd followed him on the cameras out of worry, ignoring the rumblings of her just awakened stomach.
She'd noticed how his jacket had started to smoke before he did, and when it got bad, fast, she'd frozen in place, locking up when the exact thing she should have been was screaming for Miya to help.
… And before she could shake off her terror, it was over.
Moving from right to left, 'something dark' had obscured the monitors she had connected to the street cameras.
Before she could make sense of what was happening, her view of the alleyway that Homura had stumbled into was blocked by that inky blue darkness and the twinkling of tiny stars.
It was like a piece of the night sky had fallen from above, but in broad daylight.
Then the darkness was gone, and trash and debris was being washed out of the alleyway, as if someone had poured a whole swimming pool worth of water down the walls.
And then he was there, kneeling at Homura's side but looking right at her, and holding a finger to his lips-
Every camera with an angle into the alley cut out, and every monitor screen in her room went dark, for a moment.
… The letters that appeared were a pale, shifting white in no font she could think of, scrawling their way messily across the centers of multiple screens.
SSSShhH
hhH
ssSSHhH
Hhhh
Long after she'd fainted dead away, the letters remained on the screen.
One of the side benefits of being twins was being constantly aware of the other.
They were confident they could find another on the other side of the world (not that they'd ever let themselves be that far apart), and when one twin was feeling out of sorts, the other would be ready to offer comfort, regardless of whether they were actually beside each other or not.
It also meant that they were extra useless when both of them were feeling 'out of sorts' in the same way, because they'd get trapped in a feedback loop where they constantly reflected and amplified one another's emotions.
In summary, it could be said that the twins were extremely skilled at panicking.
"Why are you freaking out, you're supposed to be the calm one!"
"Well why are you freaking out, you're supposed to be the brave one!"
"I feel like we should be intervening but this is kinda fascinating," Uzume admitted with her eyes a little wide.
"Thy strange tastes remain ever strong, I see." Tsukiumi sighed.
"You're not helping them either."
"Needless distress o'er the first outing has been an experience shared by all, save young Kusano," Tsukiumi returned with feigned haughtiness. "Far be it from I to thwart tradition."
"Oh yeah, they're really fitting in, huh?" Uzume nodded. "I'd cheer them on if I thought I could do it without interrupting them."
""We can hear you, you know!"" The twins rounded on them in perfect sync.
One who had been silent up until then took it as an opportunity, also having heard Uzume.
"Fight-o?" Everyone in the room turned suddenly, to where Akitsu was sitting in the corner of the room, only having moved to slowly but firmly thrust her fist up into the air.
With her fist still raised, the Sekirei of Ice returned the stares, a slight tilt of the head the only hint of her own curiosity.
Kazehana had left helping out the twins to the other women in the flock- she'd had business with Miya that couldn't be put off. With that soon concluded, she opted to seek out the other half of her heart, instead.
His eyes were closed, as he rested beneath the sole tree in the backyard, but she could tell her presence was felt- the thin line of his mouth began to curl upwards at the edges as she approached.
Leaning over him, she tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear, already feeling soothed by proximity alone.
One eye cracked open, and he slid one hand from behind his head, opening his arm up to the side.
Giving a brief hum as she 'thought it over', Kazehana quietly lowered herself onto the grass, stretching herself out against his side as his arm wrapped around her.
Once she was still, she opened her mouth to-
"Feel better?"
A little chuckle escaped as she found herself beaten to the punch- she'd thought she'd done a pretty good job of keeping things out of the link, but not quite good enough, it seemed.
"This sort of thing is nice, every once in a while," she said, aware she didn't really need to answer the first question.
"Mm."
Content to savor the whisper of the wind and the warmth of her Ashikabi, it was a good while before Kazehana deigned to speak once more.
"I noticed earlier, but Kusano was the least surprised out of everyone at your little reveal."
"When Kusano dreamed of me, she caught a glimpse of what I used to look like- the 'me' from before I was 'me'. She's seen that other form when she was awake, as well."
"Your play-date?"
"That's right."
"I see. So… don't take this the wrong way, Honey, but from how you acted I expected to see something a bit more… unusual."
"I showed you who I used to be, not everything I can be now."
A moment of silence.
"So, will you ever let us see the rest of you?"
"No."
"... That immediate refusal kind of stings."
"I told you there were some secrets that should not be shared."
"And that's one of them."
-Mother was screaming.
"... That's one of them."
She felt a little awful for thinking it, but…
The first thing that caught Chiho's eye about the boy was that he reminded her of Homura.
His hair was a little more silver than gray, and just like Homura, it felt like either 'beautiful' or 'handsome' were equally appropriate descriptors, but…
Breathtaking yet ethereal, impossible to look away from, yet seemingly all alone in the bustling garden.
Like a ghost lingering on the summer breeze.
His eyes were a pale, grayish blue, like the sky on a day that wasn't cloudy yet didn't really feel sunny, either.
But the jewel-like tear trickling down a thin cheek was the first thing about him that Chiho was certain was real.
When she'd made up her mind, she found her chair was already wheeling her in his direction.
Naive.
He'd been naive to think he could find Kuu in a city as big as Shin Tokyo.
Because he'd never really understood what a 'big city' really was, because he'd never been anywhere else but the island and the lab.
For someone who thought half a dozen humans were a lot, there was no way he could fully appreciate how much space it took to contain millions.
He'd been following the vague sensation of 'Kuu is that way' for days, and so far, Shiina wasn't honestly sure he'd taken even one step in the right direction.
He needed help, and the only person he knew of that might help him was Homura, Sekirei 06 and the 'Guardian of the Unwinged'.
Doctor Takami made sure that every Sekirei set to be released from the lab knew of him, but Shiina had broken out of the lab before he learned of any way to actually contact him.
If he was this bad at finding one Sekirei, searching for a second would just give him another thing to fail at.
… Leaving Kuu's forest was a mistake.
The city was noisy, and cold, and its colors were either too dull or too bright.
The people were either too busy staring, or pretending they couldn't see him.
And…
And they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
A soft, gentle brown, like lovingly polished wood warmed by the sun.
Absolutely captivated by the big eyes gazing worriedly into his own, Shiina entirely missed what the owner of said eyes was trying to say to him.
But if anyone had asked, he would have sworn up and down that the girl's voice was the most beautiful sound he'd heard in all of his life.
When Chiho would look back on the day she met Shiina, she would guiltily remember one more thing he and Homura had in common.
The way they looked at her as if she was the only thing in all the world that mattered was incredibly, incredibly embarrassing, and also…
… It was perfect and he hated it.
Homura really, really wanted to… not light something on fire because only a psychopath would do that in front of a hospital.
But he'd found two things he was looking for at once- the lost Sekirei Number 107, Shiina (really easy to identify when there were… four, five male Sekirei?), and Chiho, who was making a weird and shitty day instantly better by just existing.
What should have been a phenomenal stroke of luck certainly didn't feel like it when Shiina was clearly reacting on sight to Chiho.
Was he jealous? Yes.
Angry? Yes.
Of course he knew that who Chiho might talk to was no business of his.
… Unless they had ill-intentions, because 'ill-intentions towards Chiho' translated to 'highly flammable' in his mind and no one could tell him otherwise.
Rightful exceptions aside, even if he had had the gall to believe he had some sort of 'claim' to Chiho, he would have given that claim up the moment he decided that he would never seek her as his Ashikabi.
And Chiho was the only thing in all the world that he would prioritize over his given 'duty' as the Guardian of the Unwinged.
Yet here was… an opportunity to do right by Chiho and fulfill his duty.
Winging a Sekirei might be exactly what Chiho needed to make it onto the road to recovery.
The bond between an Ashikabi and Sekirei strengthened both.
… At least if the Sekirei wasn't him.
And that was precisely why the situation was perfect, and precisely why he hated it so much.
Because winging Shiina could be the best thing that ever happened to Chiho, while winging him could very well be the worst.
From shadows deeper than the day should allow, countless eyes watched a metal railing begin to warp and bubble beneath slim fingers.
To say Shiina was feeling overwhelmed was an understatement.
He'd been lost, despairing, and then he'd met the most beautiful girl he'd ever met in all his life, who was also his Destined One.
Being next to a hospital was also a stroke of good luck, because he was fairly certain that his pounding heart was busy bruising itself against his ribcage.
"U-um, pardon me, I didn't mean to startle you," the angel carefully apologized. "It's just you seemed sad, so I thought I would come over and see if there was any way I could help you?"
A pounding heart lurched to a near dead halt when the girl's worried frown brightened into a beaming smile, genuine joy tinged with a hint of shy pride.
"But you definitely don't seem sad now, so we're off to a good start!"
This was probably the part where he was supposed to speak.
With words.
Yes, words.
Those things that he should be speaking with.
"S-Shiina." He managed, his cheeks hot for some unknown reason.
"I-is that your name?" The girl asked carefully, her own cheeks dusted with pink.
Shiina managed a jerky nod.
The pounding of his chest renewed itself in grand fashion as the girl smiled, and bowed in her wheelchair.
"It's very nice to meet you, Shiina," she said, her tone formal but not at all stiff. "Hidaka Chiho, but call me Chiho please."
"... Y-yes. It's.. nice to meet you as well, Chiho." Mentally, Shiina added her name to the list of things that were perfect about her.
He was feeling lost for an entirely different reason- he was a Sekirei and she was the one meant to be his Ashikabi, but how was he supposed to explain that? He had been looking for Kuu, not an Ashikabi, and was Chiho alright, why was she in a wheelchair? No, this was a hospital, so maybe-
From behind him, Shiina heard a surprised gasp as he whirled on his heel, and perhaps it was for the best that his back was turned to Chiho, so that she couldn't see the expression on his face.
It was as if every trace of innocence on the young Sekirei's face had been frozen over by the pitiless chill of the grave.
Grim and silent, the Sekirei of Death bared his cold fangs, body tensing in readiness-
"Oh! Homura, hello!" … Chiho noticed the approaching Sekirei too, and waved her thin arm with a delighted smile.
Frigid animosity wilted and faded, only to be rapidly replaced by a sinking feeling in Shiina's gut.
Chiho was an Ashikabi, and it made perfect sense that any other Sekirei to lay eyes on her would have their heart stolen.
Dark red eyes flicked towards his face with a hint of readiness, but the older male Sekirei was all smiles for Chiho.
Chiho already had a Sekirei.
With too many ups and downs to allow him to stop and think things through clearly, Shiina splendidly jumped to a conclusion that should have been correct.
He nearly staggered as the hopelessness of the past several days came crashing back down with more weight than ever before.
He couldn't find Kuu, and he had missed his chance to have an Ashikabi, and-
"What a coincidence," the other Sekirei spoke with an amused smile. "I was hoping to introduce the two of you."
… He hadn't imagined the emphasis on 'introduce', had he?
The older Sekirei's amused smile briefly turned gentle, with a hint of something else he couldn't quite place.
Shiina was forced to conclude that he had no idea what was going on, but that maybe, just maybe, things really were looking up.
"Heck of a coincidence," Homura was saying with a laugh. "Shiina and I are cousins- distant ones, so this is our first meeting, but family's gotta look after family, right? And since he's new in town and doesn't have any friends his age, I was thinking of introducing you to him, Chiho."
Another easy laugh.
"Of course, I was going to run it by you first, but… saved me a step, huh?"
"Ehehe, I do see the resemblance, now that you're sitting beside each other," Chiho covered her mouth with her hand, her chair facing the bench the two Sekirei were seated on. "Good looks must run in the family…"
Though Homura was much more subtle about it, the three of them began to blush in unison.
"I didn't mean that!" Chiho stammered. "W-well actually I definitely did mean it because it's true but I didn't mean to s-say it out loud!"
"Hehe." It was so quiet that they almost missed it.
Shiina's blush deepened as twin gazes were directed his way, fidgeting awkwardly as the two smiled warmly at him.
Homura's internal sigh was a bit bittersweet.
Shiina being there felt right.
Shiina would take good care of Chiho, long after he was no longer around to do so himself.
"Chiho, how are you feeling?" He asked gently.
Though Shiina showed a brief flash of concern, Chiho caught onto the meaning immediately, smiling gently.
"Today has been a good day, so I'll be able to enjoy being outside a while longer, I think."
"Good, that's good," he said, and meant it. "Mind if we join you?"
"Please do."
Shiina's eyes betrayed his hesitancy as surely as they did his hope.
Homura's nod, and then Chiho's smile, put one of those emotions to rest.
The day had been full of too many coincidences to have been anything but fate.
Far be it from Homura to deny that, no matter how it might hurt.
It felt like the last few days had been a lie.
The strange scene in Kuu's forest, the stress of being lost in a seemingly endless city, searching desperately for her, praying it wasn't too late…
For the first time since he had broken out of the lab, Shiina felt like he could truly breathe.
That was just how much finding Chiho had meant.
The three of them had spent well over an hour wandering the hospital garden, but to Shiina, the time he'd spent pushing her wheelchair had felt much, much longer.
The sense of urgency, the desire to be winged right now had cooled somewhat, left with a feeling of peace and acceptance.
'Greetings, I'm an alien and I'd like to spend my entire life with you' probably wasn't a line you dropped on someone out of nowhere, even if he had his suspicions Chiho was somewhat aware that he and Homura were more than they seemed.
Saying goodbye to her for the evening hadn't even hurt- it had felt like they could pick up exactly where they left off, no matter how much time passed.
Homura had offered to buy him dinner, and now they were sitting together in a small diner.
They were getting a lot of looks, but Homura had assured him it was normal and not to worry, and he felt like he could trust the older Sekirei.
Also, he needed to make a good impression on his future flock-brother!
"If you're wondering why Chiho doesn't know anything about Sekirei, it's because I haven't told her," Homura calmly revealed.
"B-break it to her gently, right?" He guessed.
But Homura shook his head, almost immediately.
"That might work for you, but I'm not going to ask her to wing me."
"... H-huh? W-why not, she's y-your… she's… but she's Chiho!" Shiina eventually settled on.
"She is, isn't she?" Homura chuckled. "Which is why you should definitely get winged by her, and why I definitely won't."
"I-I don't understand."
"You should know that Chiho has spent most of her life in that hospital." Even as he wore that bitter smile, his voice was still fond when he spoke of Chiho. "A Sekirei might be just what she needs, but me? I'm unstable, and I can't risk passing on that instability to her. I won't risk it."
That shut Shiina up almost immediately. Unstable? What did he mean by unstable?
"The reason I'm telling you this is because you should have been my flock-brother." Homura continued, voice still calm as ever. "I'm counting on you to help me look after Chiho, alright? We're all she has, and more than anything, she doesn't deserve to be alone."
"O-of course she doesn't, b-but…" It wasn't right. Homura was meant to be with Chiho as surely as he was.
"Hey, hey, don't look so glum," Homura smiled. "It's not like I'm going anywhere, and someone who just found their Destined One shouldn't be down in the dumps."
"That's not fair, Homura," the younger Sekirei sulked. "What am I supposed to say if you're happier for me than I am?"
Homura just chuckled, circling the ring of his coffee cup with one slim finger.
"Let's put that aside for the moment, yeah?" Homura suggested, not unkindly. "If you don't mind me asking, why'd you bust out early? Get too excited about meeting your Ashikabi?"
The teasing smile faded when Shiina shook his head lightly.
He fidgeted at first, hesitating- not because of a lack of trust (Homura was supposed to be his flock brother), but because he was hesitant to burden someone who seemed to have burdens enough.
"Um… actually, I'm looking for someone else. A Sekirei." Shiina said, prioritizing Kusano in the end as usual.
"A Sekirei? Which one, I should be able to point you in the right direction-"
"Number 108, Kusano." Shiina said. "Kuu and I were raised like siblings, and when I heard someone had tried to kidnap her, I got worried and broke out to-"
It was his turn to be cut off as Homura drew every eye in the building by throwing his head back to laugh.
Though there was a special restriction in regards to the Sekirei Plan (for the sake of fairness), barring that, there was very little information his clearance level didn't allow access to.
Like any hospital registry in the country, MBI-financed or not.
He'd been respectful of Homura's privacy and hadn't listened in or read their lips, but he did know what she looked like, so all it took was to find her face on a thumbnail.
Even on a tablet screen, looking directly at several hundred small images at once was a task hardly worth mentioning when one possessed as many eyes as they wished.
Hidaka Chiho.
Orphaned at a young age, admitted to the MBI-owned hospital just shy of twelve years ago. An unknown illness that current medical advances had been able to slow to a crawl, but nothing more.
Mother would be angry if she knew they had lied on a medical file, wouldn't she? Chiho would have been cured years ago if she was anywhere on any relevant priority list.
It may have seemed like poor luck on her part, but Chiho would also likely be much worse off, or simply dead by now, had she been admitted to a non-MBI hospital.
And he suspected that Homura would be much worse off if he had never met her- Chiho must have been 'something important' to him if seeking her out had been the first thing Homura did, after his brush with near-self-cremation.
Comments from staff had nothing but kind things to say about Chiho, which meant that if she did become Homura's Ashikabi, his plan for dealing with Homura's Ashikabi would be easily executed.
He wasn't sure if he should consider 'meddling' as of yet, but it didn't seem urgent, and tomorrow was for Hikari and Hibiki.
Minato looked up from his tablet at the sound of a crayon dropping, and then rolling off the table.
Kusano, the one who had dropped said crayon, was sitting up completely straight, big eyes widened to be bigger still.
"Kuu? Are you alright-?"
"Shii! It's Shii!" The little girl shrieked excitedly, practically leaping to her feet.
As she bolted out of the room, yelling that word over and over, Minato rose to his feet to go after her, sharing a puzzled glance with Akitsu, who had discarded her book to follow.
Minato would never have let Kusano run towards an unknown Sekirei under ordinary circumstances. Ordinary circumstances, of which these were clearly not.
First off, the young male Sekirei approaching the house was a familiar face, two, was being led by Homura, and three, the moment Kusano laid eyes on him, her happiness had spiked so high the whole flock must have felt it.
"K-Kuu!?" The new Sekirei managed to exclaim without really being loud at all. "Kuu, there you are! I was so worried!"
"Shii! Shii!" The boy knelt to catch the little Green Girl who flung herself into his arms, and then they were both laughing, and crying, and-
"Good work, Homura."
"Apparently," The Sekirei replied, gazing warmly at the scene.
"Oh my, we've got a warm reunion on our hands, don't we?" Kazehana said with a smile, exiting the house at the head of the pack, and coming up to stand alongside the gently smiling Akitsu.
"... Is every day with you this busy?" Hikari asked him.
Minato didn't need to answer, because, though her expression remained unchanging, Akitsu nodded immediately and empathetically on his behalf.
"I'm so happy Kuu found a kind Ashikabi," Shiina was saying with a bright smile.
"Kuu has the bestest big brother… ever!" Kusano followed up, nearly smacking Shiina in the nose with her raised hand (as she'd immediately plopped herself down in the other Sekirei's lap).
"I've been looking for days, trying to find her- this city is just so big, it feels like I could walk forever and not see everything." Shiina said, his voice energetic yet still soft. Homura averted his gaze with an awkward cough as the younger male beamed at him, before saying, "I don't know what I would have done if I didn't bump into Homura, but what a coincidence he lives with Kuu and her Ashikabi!"
"Ah, speaking of living arrangements," Miya interjected gently, "may I ask if you've found a place to stay?"
The boy stiffened guiltily, shuffling in his seat as if he'd been caught doing something wrong.
"Umm, no… I haven't found... anywhere."
"Anywhere?" Tsukiumi's eyes sharpened. "What of thy MBI card, hast thou not used it to pay for thy lodgings?"
Shiina shook his head, though he seemed a bit confused by her manner of speech.
"Uhm, if you're talking about hotels, I was worried that MBI might know if I checked into one, and I escaped the lab early to find Kuu. I've been sleeping in manga cafes."
"Thou art a fool," Tsukiumi said with finality, before her expression softened into an approving smile. "But… a fool worth knowing, of that I am sure."
"... Mmm… thanks?"
"Such a good big brother, running off to find his little sis. Looks like you have some competition, Hun~" Kazehana shot Minato a teasing smirk as she did, an expression that faltered somewhat as she found Minato nodding quite seriously, gazing blankly at Shiina as he did.
"I do, don't I?"
If one looked at him with the eyes of a human or Sekirei, one might find a polite and soft-spoken young boy who took his role as Kusano's 'big brother' quite seriously.
If one were to look at him with the many eyes of Myriad 1, they would see the same.
… As well as undeniable evidence that Sekirei 107 was more than qualified to rescue and protect Kusano all on his own.
Pale blue eyes as cold as the grave met deep black eyes as dark as the night.
The silent end and the hunger from beyond.
Threats to any and all life.
Threats that, in that brief moment of eye contact, moved one another to the list of exceptions.
Kuu would be sad if they fought, after all.
Shiina smiled, and Minato smiled back.
So then, there was no other choice but to be friends, was there?
"Silly Big Brother, silly Shii." Kusano rolled her eyes, ending the brief staredown.
Relaxing ever so slightly, Miya hid her smile behind her hand, and her ladle behind her back.
Inevitably, the topic of Shiina's Ashikabi came up.
The women in the room got rather lively as the question caused the beautiful young boy to begin blushing, furiously.
Though she found the sight just as adorable, Miya let the boy squirm for just a little before taking mercy and interrupting.
"If you have yet to find yourself a home, then look no further," she said gently, once she had his attention. "I won't accept the MBI card, but have no fear, you may earn your meals by doing chores around the house."
"Uhm, that's… that's very kind of you, but I wouldn't want to impose," Shiina hedged, not quite meeting her eyes.
"Nonsense." Miya denied firmly. "My husband was not one to turn anyone away, and it wouldn't do to have a young man such as yourself homeless." A sly and mysterious smile tugged at her thin lips. "More importantly, are you certain you wish to refuse?"
Miya's dark brown eyes dipped downwards meaningfully, and Shiina followed the gaze to find a pair of honey-brown orbs staring plaintively up at him.
"D-doesn't Shii want to live with Kuu?" The little fairy in his lap asked.
Not a soul could blame him when Shiina caved in an instant, and the residents of Izumo House increased by one.
GG no re, Kusano is the hardest member of the flock to say no to.
My bad for taking so long, but among my HOTD-crossover was having its finale, and a final chapter takes a lot of work to write.
Anyways, this chapter focuses on new Sekirei a lot- the twins are integrating smoothly into the flock while making no secret about what they want, and Shiina is now a resident of Izumo Inn.
Speaking of residents, Matsu and Homura are both just fine.
Super fine.
Nothing to worry about there.
Minato, for his part, showed off what he 'used to look like', in the sense that the whole flock + Miya have seen his 'rated E for Everyone' form. A few details were omitted, so Kusano remains the most informed member of the flock.
Shiina as well, though, got a peek behind the curtain, as he and Minato have their own similarities.
PS- once summer has passed, I'll be starting a fourth story, another never-before-seen crossover to replace the last never-before-seen crossover.
We'll be taking a familiar protagonist (for some of my readers at the very least) to a setting similar in this one, at least in regards to the amount of cloth-ripping, fanservice filled combat.
Taking its place at the bottom of the update order will be 'Queens of Grisaia'.