For future reference, I'n going to refer to the mental link between Sekirei and Ashikabi as their Bond, at least when it involves Minato.

His method of emphasizing certain terms is bleeding over to others, in effect.

… Not for the first time, it bothered Hibiki that her boobs were small.

Sure, she was aware that her boobs weren't actually that small, as in she'd looked into certain things and found out she was still above average for Japan, but…

There was no denying that among the adults of the flock, she was bringing down the curve.

Because there were a lot of curves in Minato's flock.

Like a lot.

That Minato's first Sekirei was quite literally the most stacked woman Hibiki had ever seen meant that she had no choice but to think that his tastes leaned that way.

So Sister fit right in, but… meanwhile…

"Holy shit you're pretty."

Meanwhile, holy shit she was pretty.

"... E-E-Eh?"

"Don't mind me, I was just being reminded that it wouldn't be strange for me to have ended up with a girl for an Ashikabi," Uzume said with a shrug.

From long habit, Hibiki hadn't locked the bathroom door since Hikari would be up before long, but to her surprise, the one to join her had been Uzume, right as the calmer and more punctual of the Lightning Twins was getting ready for her date with Minato.

"But seriously, you've got like an inch in height on me but I'm pretty sure your legs are miles longer." Uzume continued on, gesturing up and down Hibiki's body with one hand. "How the hell do you make a denim miniskirt look so… graceful?"

"... I don't know?" Just like she didn't know why she'd obediently handed the brush over to the other Sekirei, and thus was having her hair brushed by someone who was neither her sister, nor her adjuster, for the first time in her life.

It was strange, but pleasant. A reminder that their hearts had more room to spare than they ever could have guessed.

"Hehe~ so, whatcha got planned for the day, anything naughty?"

What did it say about her that a question like that helped her calm down?

"Not quite. We're trying not to cut in line, so the sooner you get freaky with our Ashikabi the sooner we can give the bed a nice send-off." Oh right, what it said about her was that a lustful nature was a shared trait with Hikari.

A glance in the mirror confirmed that they might have that in common with Uzume, given the way the other woman had gotten very quiet and very red.

Hibiki's soft lips curled into a smirk.

… It would be a good way to keep herself busy until Sister was awake, wouldn't it?

Rubbing her eyes as she gravitated towards where her sister was, Hikari meandered quietly through the hallway, natural charm making her half-awake walk seem more sensual rather than slovenly.

"H-have you seen Akitsu I think I need to cool down-" A very red faced Uzume rapid-fired, brushing past her without slowing as Hikari shrugged.

Her other half was in front of the bathroom mirror, looking like a cat with a canary.

"Your bad habit came out, didn't it Sis?"

"Uzume is cute." Hibiki offered, by way of explanation.

Understanding fully, Hikari nodded wisely in response, but it was the expression that replaced that naughty smirk that fully caught her attention.

"... Told ya you were worrying for nothing, Sis."

"... Mm." Yeah, that was much better.

Sure, the flock was pretty stacked, but…

Hibiki didn't really have a lot to worry about.

… That bit with Uzume was good info, though.

Both the Lightning Twins had reacted to a girl or two over the years, so it was good to know that one of their flock sisters was definitely gonna be on board to 'experiment'.

From the common room where she had fled to, Uzume shivered in a way that had nothing to do with Akitsu's colder-than-usual hands on her cheeks.

Despite the collective threshold for what was considered 'strange' at Izumo Inn having risen considerably over the past few weeks, something strange was happening at Izumo Inn after breakfast.

A line of adult women were finding themself arranged, side by side, the beauty on display enough to make it seem like they were lining up to walk the catwalk, despite actually being in a meticulously kept backyard.

And despite how the 'organizer' was a little girl.

"Mhm, mhm, mhm," said that same little girl.

Puzzled but in good humor, the women of Minato's flocks obediently followed Kusano's directions as they were herded into some unknown semblance of order.

Once finished, Kusano made her way to where the line started, which was Akitsu, and then promptly hugged her way down the line, beaming up at each woman in turn.

Task complete, Kusano scurried over to the porch and hopped onto it, turning to face the flock as she put her hands on her hips, sighing largely and making several large, enthusiastic nods.

Turning to the newest addition to the Inn, who had been sitting on the porch watching in bemused silence, she pointed her finger at the flock.

"Look, Shii!" She proudly declared. "Look how many big sisters Kuu has now!"

"There sure are a lot of them, Kuu." Shiina agreed with a jerky nod, giving the yard a nervous glance.

Curiously, Kusano followed his gaze to where her big sisters were standing in fragile silence, the innocent gesture the straw that broke the camel's back.

Kusano, who had suddenly (and happily) found herself more or less buried in hugging, cooing big sisters, was confronted with a big problem-

She didn't have enough arms to hug with!

Maybe Big Brother would let her borrow some of his?

Walking with a beautiful woman on each arm, Minato felt the clear sensation of having won.

He didn't know how he'd won or what he'd won, but he had undeniably won.

The twins wore outfits that matched at first glance, but were distinct in more than a few ways upon closer inspection.

Much like the twins themselves.

Hikari's t-shirt was purple and Hibiki's was pink, shoulderless crop-tops that were bold without being tasteless. Hikari's plunged at the neckline, showing off her assets to great effect, whereas graceful Hibiki's had cutouts to render her own shirt nearly backless. Paired with them were white denim mini-skirts, tight and minimal for Hikari, while Hibiki's frayed and layered hems gave a classy, artistic feel.

Their shoes were matching black wedge heels that they got mixed up all the time, since both twins had the same shoe size.

"Hm… whatcha smiling about, Babe?" Hikari asked, twisting to look at his face in sync with her sister.

"You." It was convenient that he didn't need to specify he was talking to both.

"Hm, well, we are a pretty good reason," Hibiki calmly agreed.

The twins leaned across him to bring their wicked smiles closer together, before turning those carnivore smiles his way.

"Let's give you another." One or both of them said, before taking him by the hand and dragging him off the main street.

In what was quickly becoming tradition among the flock, the Lightning Twins took the realization that Minato was hard to give hickeys to as a challenge.

It was weird.

Awesome-weird, but weird.

… The complicated vocabulary was 'Biki's thing, not hers.

The twins were used to sharing, but it didn't feel like sharing somehow, when they were with their Ashikabi.

It made things kinda confusing when things got steamy, because at one point, she hadn't actually been able to figure out which one of them was kissing Minato.

With a look, Hikari confirmed that her sister had been thinking the same, and agreed it was a little strange, but welcome.

Something to have fun getting used to.

Twin heartbeats quickened as the hint of laughter in Minato's eyes revealed that they were something he was 'having fun getting used to'.

Embarrassed, Hikari huffed and averted her eyes, while Hibiki gave him a reproachful but plaintive look for talking like that in public.

Neither gesture had their intended effect, as Hikari's hip had pressed in a bit closer on the bench, and Minato's arm that was currently in Hibiki's possession was suddenly being hugged rather closely.

Minato's hint of a smile merely grew in response.

… Several moments passed before the twins realized that they'd had a third person participating in their silent 'twin-speak'.

A few more moments of Minato being stared at with wide eyes passed, before the puzzled young monster quietly asked "sorry, was that conversation private?"

"... He doesn't get it, does he, Sis?"

"No, I don't believe he does, Sister."

"No, no I do not."

The twins could only laugh, confusing their poor Ashikabi even more.

Their first date with their Ashikabi ended up being a good deal more tame than they'd imagined (read; fantasized about). A quiet cafe (not theirs, obviously), a walk in the park, and a few slightly less public make-out sessions.

Despite being less racy then they'd envisioned, it still remained true that at least one, and often both of them, were in direct physical contact with Minato for the entire date.

Were they being a little clingy?

Yes.

They'd argue it wasn't really their fault though- it was their turn to monopolize and be monopolized, and more importantly, Minato liked it when they were clingy.

And they were properly holding themselves back, since consideration for the other members of the flock was pretty much the only reason they would remain virgins by the end of the night.

The other thing they were holding themselves back from-

"Hey Babe, do you club at all?"

Minato tilted his head slightly to one side as he considered what she probably meant.

Concluding the question had nothing to do with blunt force trauma, Minato shrugged.

"I've never tried, but it sounds fun." Minato answered in response to their unspoken hope. "I've had a lot of practice dancing, even if I didn't dance with people very often."

"That's interesting, was it something you did for fun, or was there another reason?" Hibiki asked. Minato had told them that he'd had to do some 'training' to be ready for human society, though he hadn't gone into much detail.

"Dancing was one of the methods Mother had me practice to keep my movement 'human'." Minato nodded. "Bone structure was a surprisingly important factor."

As a child, he hadn't really understood 'fun' or 'play', but learning things alongside Mother was a fond memory for both of them, so he supposed it had served its purpose.

"... Yeah, never really though of that, but I guess it makes sense." Hikari hummed. "But anyway, if you're down with it, we should invite some of the others, make a night of it. I think at least Kazehana and Uzume would have fun, dunno about Tsukiumi or Akitsu." Kusano was a little young for clubbing, but some play-dancing to keep her from feeling left out would probably be hella cute.

"Group activities are a good idea," Minato agreed. "We'll add that one to the list."

He wasn't sure how much they'd enjoy it, but Akitsu liked to be included in things and Tsukiumi disliked not being included, so they'd probably be willing to try it out at least once.

It was another way to learn about each other, which was really enough for Minato all on its own.

It was also good to do those sorts of things now, rather than later- the Sekirei Plan would likely get less and less peaceful as time went on, even if for no other reason than the Director liking to keep things 'interesting'.

"Yeah, and maybe if we're lucky we'll get jumped once or twice on the way home," Hikari said with a sudden grin. "Been feeling better than ever since you winged us, so I'm itching for a good brawl to show off a little."

Though Hibiki's demeanor was outwardly calm, as she nodded he could tell she was just as eager.

"Maybe we'll go to some of the farther away clubs," Minato mused. "The closer to Miya's neighborhood, the quieter things are." And that wasn't true for just Sekirei- most 'things' that were aware of her would hesitate to draw the attention of the cities' largest predator.

Back at Izumo Inn, Miya's knife halted halfway through a carrot as she felt an ever so small twinge of irritation.

The cut finished with a little more force than necessary as Miya unreasonably and unrepentantly decided to blame Karasuba.

Despite the incidents he'd participated in so far, it was hard to call Minato an 'active participant' in the Sekirei Plan.

By his nature, Minato wasn't very proactive without the involvement of 'someone important'. Barring hunger, the next biggest catalyst for Minato's action was curiosity.

And the presence of the flock in his life was a constant source of satisfaction for that 'curiosity'.

Thus, they, the flock, had no idea.

No idea at all that whenever the city counted its blessings, the flock should have been near the top of the list.

Kazehana had received a text from Minato saying 'they could use the rest, so I don't think we're coming home tonight', which she interpreted as the trio not making it out of the twins' old apartment.

The next message required no interpretation, and, one look at Uzume and Akitsu confirmed, had no need of being passed on.

A gentle warmth that felt like it was slowly wrapping its way around her had crept its way through their Bond. It felt like she could feel her Ashikabi's affection with every inch of her body, and she wouldn't have been the only one looking to let her wings out if their Ashikabi had been in the building.

… Uzume seemed to clue in at more or less the same time, so their bewildered expressions met between double-takes.

… As much as they all conspired to do their best to make sure she didn't feel left out, it remained true that Akitsu was not, could not be winged.

She shouldn't have the same 'link' to Minato that the rest of them did.

But the same heat they felt on their cheeks was coloring hers, and her quivering gaze was directed the same direction their hearts were quietly tugged towards.

Nodding to Uzume, Kazehana silently rose, and made her way around the table to kneel beside their resident ice maiden, who sat rigid upon her cushion.

Akitsu jolted as Kazehana placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and though her expression remained blank, something plaintive glimmered in Akitsu's ever-so-slightly wide eyes.

Smiling softly, Kazehana gently wrapped her arms around those delicate shoulders.

It was such a slight gesture that Uzume would have easily missed it had she not been watching closely, but the two shared a warm glance as the body in Kazehana's arms leaned more fully into her embrace, just a tiny bit.

Elsewhere, Tsukiumi would appreciate how the privacy turned to intimacy, and Kusano, who had fallen asleep during a bedtime story from Shiina, murmured happily in her sleep to someone not in the room with her.

"... You sap." Takami's brief smile was reflected on her monitor screen.

It was somewhat fitting that what she was currently working on involved her son.

… Even if the 'new information' she was working with was more than a little morbid.

Her predictions had been right, though it was hard to call that a good thing, to confirm that there really were two methods of 'growth' for his empathic traits.

The morbid part came into play with the unanswered question as to whether or not there was a notable difference in the growth rate her son displayed when a Sekirei was winged by him…

As opposed to eaten by him.

Takami did not consider herself a good person by any stretch of the imagination, but she was still a bit happy to know that one sample group was a good deal smaller than the other.

Naturally, she was aware that such a state of affairs wouldn't last, but even if she could stop it, she wouldn't try.

Because she was his mother, and she would choose her monster over anyone else.

Most of all, Takami would never let herself forget how much of the blood on his hands was staining her own.

"We have it on good authority that you're the best 'guide' available." The lead kidnapper said.

There was no way in hell they should know that. Whoever they'd bought was someone on her own team, which meant it was time to consider going back to not having one.

Hiroto was gonna have a field day with that, most didn't realize how hard the Director cracked down on betrayal, and most were better off for it.

"Now now, Doctor Sahashi, the silent treatment is hurtful." The goon said. "Aren't we all friends here?"

"I don't have any friends who use rifle-butts in place of invitations, shitstain."

"We did apologize for being less gentle than planned, didn't we?" It probably wasn't their fault that they didn't know that things like chloroform were less than effective on her, but her headache offered reason enough to blame them.

"All we need from you is an address and a door key, Doctor Sahashi." The man gently urged. "Normally, we'd have to insist on inviting you along for your own safety, but we're even willing to drop you off within Japanese borders if you play nice until we have proper access to Project Legion."

'Project Legion'? So that's what they called him overseas. Fitting, even if she preferred 'Minato', herself.

… However, they knew too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things if they were trying to use her as a bargaining chip to catch 'him'.

She'd die before she caved, and she'd do it with a smile.

Anyone who told she was a good mother was an ass-kisser at best, but she was pretty sure letting her little boy get carted off overseas to be experimented on was bad parenting.

And probably a war crime… against the country that got a hold of him, that was.

But he was a good kid to the point he was wasted on his mother, so if she got to contact him, he just might listen if she demanded he stay away. Or run straight to Hiroto, who would probably send Yume.

Not Karasuba. The loon had to know that revealing her little boy to Karasuba was a recipe for a bigger disaster.

"Uh… Sir?" A slight diversion alleviated her from having some jackass try the nice approach with her.

Only a matter of time before they stopped asking and started telling, so she'd take what she could get.

"Report."

"There's someone at the perimeter." Naturally they'd moved away, but they didn't know that even better hearing was one of the 'perks' she'd ended up with.

"Unfriendly?"

"... Maybe?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well sir, it's… he's… just a little kid."

"All the way out here? There a missing child on the local news?"

"That's just it, sir. The kid, we're pretty sure…" Takami hung her head as they glanced her way. "We're pretty sure he's her kid."

"Look again, the file says no spouse, no kids."

"Well sure, but…"

Takami raised an eyebrow as another person entered the room. Judging from the walk it was a woman, and… drinking on the job?

She probably wasn't the only one that had to double-take as the woman tried to salute with the hand holding her gun, and clocked herself a good one in the process.

"Wendy has nothing to report… sir?" The 'woman' blankly reported, standing in a way that looked like she'd fall over at any moment.

If Takami's hands weren't tied behind her back, she would have covered her face with them.

"Agent, what the hell is wrong with-"

"I believe I am wearing her properly yet everyone is staring, how truly mysterious." The ominous incongruity was only heightened by how the 'woman' briefly glanced at Takami for answers like an obedient child.

Not that anyone else understood that much.

But she supposed it didn't really matter, because it was too late, and so they all watched as 'something dark' shrugged off its disguise like an old coat, locking eyes with every surviving kidnapper at once.

Seething in silence, the shadow out of time laid claim to the darkness.

"I am still learning how to feel, but every breath you people take troubles me. Does that mean it is 'anger' that I am feeling right now?"

… Takami would remember that day as the first time she'd been kidnapped.

And the fourth time her son had killed for her.

"MOtHer? ArE… yOU… WeLl?"

The morning after the date with the Lightning Twins began-

"B-Babe!? If you touch me there~!?"

… Noisily.

Deciding that he could be satisfied with that, Minato patted Hikari on her quivering back and rose, turning to Hibiki with a blank look.

"Uhm… I-I think I'm okay…" Hibiki stammered, hugging herself as she retreated with flushed cheeks and glistening eyes.

"... You do not seem okay at all, though?"

Minato stepped forward, and Hibiki stepped back.

Minato stepped to the side, and Hibiki stepped to the other.

Minato nodded once, and a slender pair of arms wrapped around Hibiki's waist as a chin rested itself on her shoulder.

"S-Sister!"

"Don't worry, Siiis~" Hikari reassured with a grin that was not at all reassuring. "You'll feel like a neeew woman afterwards~"

"W-wait a sec, I haven't braced myself!"

"I will be gentle, I promise."

"I appreciate that and it doesn't help at all!"

Hikari shoved her forward and into Minato's arms.

Hibiki froze like a mouse in the coils of a serpent, and Minato struck the finishing blow.

"Please?"

Hikari and Hibiki's former neighborhood was almost as quiet as their current one-

"AAAAAAH~~~!"

… Most of the time.

Thankfully, she had 'recovered' by the time the trio returned home… their Bond had gotten… noisy for a bit.

"Hun, why do the twins look like they ran a marathon at 9 in the morning?"

Minato looked back and forth between the two twins, who were leaning heavily on his either shoulder, and then back to Kazehana.

"I am supposed to give warnings before I give massages, and I may have forgotten." He confessed.

What followed next became a fond memory for the adults in the flock, and an embarrassing one for Miya (and also the flock). The landlady had expected to scold her tenants for indecent behavior, and instead received an apology for being left out, and an entirely earnest offer that was harder to refuse than she cared to admit.

Miya aside, that day would be marked as the first collective defeat for the flock, at the many hands of their own Ashikabi, no less.

Grinning happily, Mikogami Hayato watched proudly as the hard work of his newest Sekirei paid off, reminding himself not for the first time to be careful about distracting Juusa by cheering.

Her leveling was going pretty well, and a sidelong glance confirmed that Mutsu's frown didn't quite reach his eyes, which was Mutsu for 'trying to be strict but actually proud'.

Mutsu had told him that Sekirei didn't have levels at all, but he also couldn't prove that they didn't have levels, which was why their strategy operated under the assumption that they did.

After all, if his Sekirei didn't have levels, then how come they got stronger the more he paid attention to them? That was how it always worked when there was no shared exp with inactive party members.

A little gasp drew his attention back to the fight, just in time for a much louder exclamation as Juusa swung her staff like a baseball bat, catching the other Sekirei in her midriff and launching her into the air.

She fell down with a crash of dirt, her shortsword sinking into the ground, well out of reach.

His grin grew even wider as Juusa kept her back to him, staff at the ready.

Mutsu had nagged her countless times about turning her back on an enemy.

When the moment stretched on and the Sekirei remained motionless, Juusa relaxed her stance with a shaky sigh, twisting to smile back at him and flash a victory sign.

Her cheeks colored when her Ashikabi beamed at her, and she missed entirely what he was holding out a hand in Mutsu's direction to receive.

"See, Juusa!?" Hayato exclaimed happily, making his way over to her. "I told you you could do it!"

"Aha… thank you, Master." Juusa planted her staff in the dirt as she rubbed the back of her head with the other hand. "... M-Master?"

His big smile had disappeared in favor of something poutier but just as adorable.

"... You have to lean down. You're too tall until I get my growth spurt." Juusa was the tallest woman in the flock, somewhere between Taki and Mutsu in height.

"O-okay?" Obediently, she did just that, bending slightly at the waist and putting a hand on one knee.

Hayato immediately tore the packaging off of what Mutsu had handed him earlier, sticking his tongue out slightly as he carefully lined it up.

Juusa blinked in surprise as something covered the thin slice on her cheek, and placed a hand over it.

Her heart thumped in her breast as she realized her Ashikabi had just put a bandaid over her wound.

Then her heart was thumping much more strongly as her master took advantage of the lower level of her head in order to pat it.

"Good work, Juusa, I'm extremely proud of you." Hayato said, his smile warm, but his tone calm and measured.

"... thank you, Master." If Juusa's cheeks were any hotter, they might have made the air steam.

"And just like that, she's done for the day." Mutsu noted quietly, smiling briefly while no one could see it, and skirting around them to check on the downed Sekirei.

Turning her over, Mutsu confirmed that her crest was gone- Juusa must have done some internal damage.

… Poor kid was better off, hard to spread your wings when you've got an Ashikabi who sends you out to fight all alone.

Glancing over his shoulder, he caught Juusa's eyes, and gave a small shake of his head.

Juusa closed her eyes briefly, but her attention returned to Hayato quickly enough.

Good, it looked like the new girl would be okay a little while longer in this lunatic game.

The better off the flock was, the longer they could keep that smile on their Ashikabi's face when he came face to face with the thinly-buried nasty side of the Sekirei Plan.

… Poor kid didn't deserve this either.

Thoroughly satisfied with the day's harvest, Hayato had used the time it took for MBI to retrieve the deactivated Sekirei to contact Taki, who would have preparations for the night's celebration well under way.

A Sekirei's first victory was something to be celebrated, after all.

… Though, as per the norm, it was inevitable that he would somehow end up the focus of the little gathering, even if he'd done little more than carefully choose Juusa's opponent so that the victory was attainable but well-earned.

It was always the way with the social gatherings he attended, be his fellow attendants Sekirei or human.

They always wanted 'something' from him.

… Perhaps with enough time, Hayato would be able to determine how his Sekirei managed to make that usual state of affairs seem somewhat… pleasant.

But more importantly, the number of unclaimed Sekirei were dwindling!

He was running out of chances to grow his collection, and the last unclaimed Sekirei Mutsu found for him had had poor 'compatibility' so winging her would have been pointless.

Of the eleven Sekirei he'd had the opportunity to wing, he'd chosen seven- the other four, upon closer inspection, simply wouldn't do.

His current theory was that his well-honed gamer's sense had identified Sekirei whose leveling requirements wouldn't have been worth the return, which hinted at a hidden game mechanic that he had yet to properly identify.

Fortunately, the size and quality of his collection remained comparable to the other top competitors, with the biggest threat he had identified yet being the Ashikabi of the North.

Sahashi Minato.

Now, Hayato had considered the possibility that Sahashi's obvious connections to MBI had been leveraged to give him an advantage, but his thoughts on the matter could be mostly summarized as 'so what?'.

Mutsu had been relieved by 03's choice in Ashikabi, and so Hayato wanted to believe that Sahashi was like him, and only winged compatible Sekirei.

So what if Sahashi had the connections to meet more compatible Sekirei than anyone else in the game?

It meant nothing if that compatibility didn't exist, and if a Sekirei as high-ranked as 03… Kazehana (?) was happy with him then he doubted the other bonds were false.

In summary,

"I want him!"

"What!?"

The car screeched to a halt.

"Whoa, Mutsu, what's the big idea!? And Juusa, there's no need to yell! No… hold on, Juusa, what are you mumbling about?"

"A 'he'? Master wants a 'he'... does Master not notice us because we're the wrong gender?"

Mutsu sighed as he glanced at Juusa in the mirror, who was mumbling rapidly and biting her thumb.

"Having clouds over your head is Taki's shtick." Mutsu muttered. "So, Master, that came out of nowhere. Want who, and why?"

"Sahashi! 03's Ashikabi."

"... Go on." It involved Kazehana, so it meant a headache, that's just how it was.

"Person of influence with a huge flock, he respects the game mechanics, and his first Sekirei was a single number, just like me!" Hayato began excitedly, leaning forward in his seat. "He's perfect!"

The two men ignored the little wail from Juusa, Hayato because he didn't know how to deal with and Mutsu because he didn't want to deal with it.

"Perfect how?"

"As my rival, of course!"

"... You're not wrong." Mutsu allowed. "So, Juusa, snap out of it."

"A rival… a rival? Yep, yep, definitely a rival, a rival but not a love rival, right, exactly, uh huh, perfect!"

"Mutsu, what is Juusa so worked up about?"

"Probably just excited that you've found yourself a good rival." Mutsu suggested.

"Aha!" Hayato turned to beam at his still babbling Sekirei. "I knew you'd understand, as expected of my Sekirei!"

Juusa went red, and silent, at the brilliant smile directed her way.

Mutsu smirked, and put his foot back on the gas.

Kazehana was excited.

Bursting with anticipation, even.

In fact, if they had been living elsewhere they probably wouldn't have made it out of the house before she made it out of her dress.

Which also meant she had no idea why she was getting nervous now of all times.

Maybe it was different because before, 'that' had been meant to be a highlight of the date, instead of the purpose of the date.

So maybe, just…

"I feel so shameless."

"And how, pray tell, dost that set apart the present from thine usual state of being?"

Kazehana blinked several times, long lashes fluttering as she realized that no, she wasn't alone in the room.

It was kind of amazing how quickly the flock had dropped their guards around each other.

Tsukiumi looked at her with one eyebrow raised, leaning against the wall.

"Is that how you really think of me?" She hadn't meant to ask that, and she hid her wince as Tsukiumi blinked.

"In mine eyes, thou art… caring, wise, and considerate, far more than thou chooseth to reveal," Tsukiumi said softly, not looking at her. "Save our Dearest, there is none more vital to the wellbeing and safety of the flock."

"... Tsukiumi."

"Neither thy shameless nature, nor the oft empty bottles in thy wake, have any bearing upon these truths," Tsukiumi finished with a smirk, one that widened as Kazehana gaped at her.

The moment of stunned silence ended when Kazehana burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha~! Good to know you can dish it out as well as take it," Kazehana continued to laugh.

It was just what she needed, apparently- being all wound up didn't suit her in any meaning of the phrase.

Her laughter trickled off as she caught the brief and quickly hidden shift in Tsukiumi's demeanor, a tenderness that reminded her of why their Ashikabi thought of her as 'warm waters on a sunny day'.

"... You know, the more I look at you the more I think you're going to be a great mom."

Tsukiumi went absolutely still.

For several seconds, the only motion was the blood rising to her cheeks.

"Ehehe~"

"... F-fool. How am I to be a mother when I am kept waiting by thee?" Tsukiumi mumbled, "Get thee hence, and keep our b-beloved waiting no longer."

"Mm, I like the way you think~" Rising sinuously from the bed, Kazehana lifted her arms and arched her back in a luxurious stretch, moaning lightly as her back popped and her breasts bounced.

Tsukiumi, still a little red in the face, slid the door open for her as Kazehana flounced across the room with a wink.

The blonde stiffened in surprise as Kazehana pulled her into a firm hug, sighing a moment later and returning the embrace.

"Thank you, Tsukiumi. Really." Kazehana whispered, barely audible.

"Thou art most welcome, Kazehana," Tsukiumi whispered back.

Steps once more as light as they were meant to be, Kazehana swept through the halls to find the other half of her heart.

When Kazehana invited him out on an 'adult date' to make up for their interrupted outing from a few days prior, Minato had been aware that she was incredibly serious in a happy way about something.

He also hadn't been aware that you could be incredibly serious in a happy way before he'd met Kazehana.

He also hadn't been aware that apparently the appearance of him in a casual suit was 'dangerous if he didn't warn them'. It was a novel experience for him, as usually when his appearance was 'dangerous' to look upon the threat was to the viewer's mental wellbeing, rather than their blood pressure.

Minato didn't have a lot of experience with 'physical attraction', but having people important to him gain happiness from the act of observing or touching him did have some appeal.

Kazehana in a cheongsam did not have 'some' appeal.

Kazehana in a cheongsam had enough appeal that for the first time in his life, Minato felt that his number of eyes were lacking.

Unsurprisingly, everyone else had at least a portion of their attention on the most beautiful woman in the room, but Kazehana only seemed to notice their fellow nightclub patrons when they gave her something to be smug about.

The ones who had paid a little too much attention to Kazehana (Minato couldn't figure out the ones staring at him, and thus ignored them for not being Kazehana) had experienced sudden bouts of inexplicable nervousness, and mild nausea, to keep them distracted.

It was truly mysterious how Kazehana seemed to notice every time he 'intervened', but the way she seemed to revel in it was much more noteworthy than the acts themselves.

He'd learned from Kazehana that one of the reasons she tended to favor short dresses was that she'd always found having too much of her legs covered uncomfortable.

The first reason was that she liked to feel the wind, understandable, given her power set.

The second reason was that it was sexy, understandable, given that it was Kazehana.

Those two reasons, among others, explained why the heaviest lower body clothing in her wardrobe were three quarter yoga pants, and why if her dress was mid calf length but barely covered her legs, or even her hips, at all.

It was a purple so dark it was almost black in the dim light, the texture of the fabric ever so slightly glossy. Coiling about the body of the clinging dress were sakura petals, patterned as if carried by a whimsical breeze, and a subtle gold trimming.

The collar was high and thin, but it led down to a diamond cutout that revealed a hint of collarbone and a good deal of her plump bust. The back of the dress… basically didn't exist, but the skirt did just as good a job of emphasizing the curvature of Kazehana's butt as the high slits of the skirt did of exposing the curvature of her hips.

Given how high the side slits were, the very thin side strings of her black panties were revealed, and Minato thought it truly mysterious how wearing an outfit that exposed your underwear was classy if you were Kazehana.

Those incredibly long and shapely legs of hers were left bare, leading to tall black heels. Draped over her smooth, exposed shoulders was a wispy purple shawl, a shade or two lighter than the dress. It floated around her and draped around her arms in a way it probably shouldn't have been able to, but the impish wink that followed Minato's earlier comment on the topic was answer enough.

Something about the outfit added an extra edge of mystery to Kazehana's composed, effortlessly sensual way of carrying herself, and Minato was immensely interested in unraveling that mystery.

Kazehana was actually glad for the people in the room, because this was her favorite nightclub in the whole prefecture and having an audience reminded her not to do things that would get them kicked out.

Her being bent over a table would get them kicked out.

Kazehana would never admit how much effort she'd put into convincing herself that it wasn't quite worth it.

… He was driving her crazy.

And not just for how mouthwatering he looked in a perfectly fitted suit, all dark and slender yet oh so vivid and manly.

Because even though he wasn't acting all that different, something about Minato had… intensified, towards her.

And the only way she had kept her feelings about that from flooding their Bond was that she was using romantic love to drown out the kind of love that was somewhat less appropriate for in public.

To Kazehana, it was as if the fact that she belonged to him, and him alone, had become more true than it had ever been.

Like… she was untouchable, unapproachable without Minato's explicit permission, verbal or otherwise.

She was certain that even if the room could be packed to the ceiling with bodies, it would somehow still be 'just the two of them'.

It was steadily driving her mad with desire, and Kazehana was slowly forgetting why her each and every response to him shouldn't be 'just take me'.

Maybe because she had told him.

She had told him exactly how she wanted the night to end in no uncertain terms, without flowery language or any of her carefully rehearsed seductions.

Because as much as she craved being swept up in a whirlwind of love and lust, Kazehana carried the very real fear that her beloved would simply go with the flow and be swept along with her, not stopping to consider at all if he might want the same.

She wouldn't allow the slightest shred of a chance that she would end up 'forcing him' into anything.

So she'd given up on that whirlwind, and consoled herself with the idea that there would be plenty of time for spontaneity in their 'forever and ever'.

She'd given up on the whirlwind, but…

Her precious, beloved monster had taken it upon himself to stir up his own.

And she was all too willing to be swept away.

The temperature in the room spiked when a hand found itself inconspicuously resting on her bare thigh.

Suddenly, she was keenly aware of every person in the room.

Did they see the hand?

Did they see him move?

Did they see her squirm?

Ahh~ it was all so sinful~!

"H-Honey!" She whispered in a fluster.

"Hm?" Minato's blank look was just as innocent as it always seemed to her, at least at first.

But there was mischief in those dark eyes.

"Kazehana, do you remember what I told you?" It was vague and mild.

But she knew, almost immediately, what he was referring to, and it left her blushing furiously and deeply appreciative of how the bartender had his back turned.

She had told him what she wanted, out of the night.

The second best mistake of her life was asking what he wanted out of the night.

It was the first time she'd ever been looked at like prey.

"Sorry, but I don't really know what I want out of the night."

"But I doubt you are satisfied with that answer, so instead I will tell you what I want from you, Kazehana."

"Everything. I want anything and everything that there is to Kazehana."

"Even the Kazehana you hide from everyone, even the Kazehana you hide from yourself."

"Everything."

"I won't give you all of me, because I love you too much for that."

"Maybe it's cruel, but that is what I am."

"I am a monster."

"And you, Kazehana, are mine."

… The dress she'd been wearing at the time was ruined, because she'd half torn it off herself before she was even aware her hands were in motion.

He'd told her that she couldn't have all of him, and then offered an unfiltered glimpse at a Minato she'd never seen before.

How cruel.

How lovely.

Kazehana had never imagined that she would submit to another, even if it was her Destined One.

She had stopped to reconsider that belief more than once, smiling every time.

Kazehana's first best mistake was the one that led to her being winged, obviously.

For the record, Kazehana's color choice of 'midnight purple' for her dress was very much deliberate given her present company, and for visual reference, it's based somewhat off Rachel's 'Alluring Mandarin Dress' from DOA6.

I had my reasons to stop there, but don't think anything is getting skipped- the first of many lemons will be next chapter.

Had a good mixture of fluff and fanservice with a bit of action, this is a bit of a quiet patch before things go off the rails a little.

Mikogami Hayato will appear more and more as time goes on, he's taking Seo's place in the sense that he'll be one of the most active Ashikabi in the story, and Yomi not being the one to go down in the Botanical Maze was a setup for that, since losing a Sekirei to Minato was a somewhat poorly implemented point of contention in canon.

And lastly, mixed in there was a small bit of foreshadowing towards Akitsu's future.

Next chapter release will be for my brand new story, which is well underway.