Thanks to my beta reader Ikrani!
agirl00z: I'm really glad you are liking the story and yes I am staying safe.
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"Saya, there you are!"
As I break away from the kiss, I see Akitsu and Haruhime running down the sidewalk. Their expressions, as well as the bond, convey their worry.
As they get closer Akitsu quietly says, "I was concerned when you suddenly disappeared, Mistress."
I look at Akitsu and then to Haruhime. "I can ex-"
I'm cut off by Yahan. "Yeah, sorry about that, but don't worry. I'm Number Fifty-Seven, Yahan. You two are my fellow Sekirei, right?"
Akitsu nods. "Yes. I'm Number Seven, Akitsu."
Haruhime runs up, grabbing Yahan's hand and shaking it. "Oh my god, a new sister! Yay! I'm Number Twenty-Five, Haruhime! It's so nice to meet you, Yahan!"
I pull my keys from my pocket as I briskly start towards my car. "Come on, girls, let's go home."
As I get to the car, a dreadful realization hits me. I look to Akitsu as she enters the passenger side. "Akitsu, what happened with that Nishi guy?"
"He won't be a problem," she says, as I quickly slide behind the wheel. "I trapped him inside a thick cube of ice."
A sigh relaxes my anxious body. "Good! We should leave, now, before his Sekirei breaks him out. Quick thinking, Akitsu-chan! Good work!"
As I start the engine, I quickly glance to the backseat; to my relief, everyone is in the car. No time to check seatbelts: I quickly pull out onto the road. Despite my faith in Akitsu, it's three intersections of checking mirrors before I trust that no Sekirei, or motorcycles, are following us. I can finally be at ease.
My gaze shifts back to the road as I ask, "So Ya-chan, why were you robbing convenience stores?"
As I glance back at her through the rearview mirror, she shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I had no choice. I was hungry and desperate and didn't know what else to do. I couldn't exactly apply for a job."
"All Sekirei are supposed to get an allowance. Didn't you get yours?"
"No, I ran away."
She reaches to her hip and pulls out-
I blink. "Is that a dagger?!"
"But I never stole any money, only food." She isn't listening, too busy turning the dagger around in her finger, over and over, pinching the back of the blade or letting the handle rest in the crook of her thumb before-
"Wait," I say, remembering who's driving, and who should notice the light was blue. "Why did you run away?"
"Like I said before I kissed you, I was afraid. On top of everything else, my adjuster was a pervert. He was always feeling me up or sticking his nose in my hair."
"Well you don't have to worry about that. I'm not like that, and I'll make sure you don't go hungry."
"Thanks, Saya, that means a lot to me." Her knife returns to her side, gone again. "In exchange, I'll protect you, even if it costs me my life."
My hands tighten against the steering wheel. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
Turning on the road through Shinjuku chūō kōen, the rest of the car ride was done in complete silence. Akitsu was her usual stoic self (and so beautiful, staring out the window), but I was surprised by Haruhime. After the first words of their meeting, I expected her to be chatting up a storm with Yahan.
As I get out of my car, my phone vibrates. I pull it out of my pocket as I step towards the elevator. It was another text from Minaka, congratulating me for winging Yahan. Spots stain my eyes as I roll them at the overhead garage lights. Of course he knows. Even in a back alley on a side road, he knows. I have to wonder if this is his way of reminding me, or if he simply gets so enthused about a Sekirei being winged . Knowing him, it could be both.
The elevator ride is equally silent. When we reach the top floor, Haruhime is the first through the doors, the first inside the penthouse living room, and the first to flop down on the couch. "Saya, what's for dinner? I'm starving!"
"Well, let's see what I can make."
"No, no!" Yahan says nudging me over to the couch. "You sit down, Saya. Leave the cooking to me; I'm a pro!"
"But, I…"
"No buts! It's my pleasure to cook for my Ashikabi." With that, Yahan turns and walks into the kitchen. I want to insist, given the day she's had so far, but her attitude discourages me. It's funny: I didn't expect the Sekirei of Shadows to be a master chef, but nevertheless do as I'm told. She wants to show off her cooking skills, so who am I to deny her?
I sit down on the couch next to Haruhime, grabbing the remote from the coffee table as I move. "So, Haru-chan, anything you'd like to watch?"
She steeples her fingers. "Hopefully you won't think of me as childish, but I like cartoons!"
"There is nothing wrong with liking cartoons, Haru-chan! What kind do you like?"
"Well... There was this one about a pirate with a straw hat!"
"You mean One Piece, Haru-chan?"
"Yeah, that was it! If that's on, can we watch that?"
"That depends on if Akitsu-chan wants to watch it." I turn to the auburn-haired Sekirei, who is seated on my other side, mirroring Haruhime.
"Anything is fine, Mistress."
I give Haruhime the remote. "You get to decide what we watch tonight. One of your sisters will get to choose tomorrow. "
"Yay!" Haruhime grabs the remote and starts flipping channels. She flips past a couple of networks, showing game shows, a few documentaries of some kind, plus a very explosive commercial for Sega, until she finds just what she was looking for. Just in time for the opening credits, too.
"Onnnne Dream. Onnnne Wish. If you want to make it come true, Over The Top."
As we watch TV, the scent of Yahan's cooking floods the room and it smells... heavenly. She certainly works fast.
I manage to get through one episode of One Piece before I hear Matsu's voice from behind me. "Saya, what's for dinner? Whatever it is, it smells amazing!"
I turn to look at her. "Ask Ya-chan. She's the one cooking, not me."
"Ya-chan?" Matsu turns towards the kitchen. "Oh, that's #57, I take it, the one you went out to search for."
"That's right, Matsu," Haruhime says, still glued to the TV, "and she's also our new sister!"
"The food is ready!" Yahan calls. "Now go sit down in the dining room. I'll be out shortly with the food."
As I walk to the dining room, I notice Matsu stopping to introduce herself. I continue through the archway and sit down off the end of the table, closest to the archway. Akitsu shuffles in behind me and sits to my left. Haruhime sits to my right, with Matsu on her right.
After waiting a minute or so longer, Yahan comes out, a row of plates carefully balanced on her left arm. She sets the plates down, one in front of me and one in front of Akitsu, sliding the last one down to Haruhime
I look down at the plate. The meal contains pork curry with a small side of steamed vegetables, a spoon sticking out from beneath. The smell alone makes my mouth water; I can't wait to see if Yahan's cooking tastes as good as it looks.
Yahan comes back with two more plates. She sets one at an empty space at the table. The other goes in front of Matsu.
Haruhime claps her hands together and yells, "Itadakimasu!"
No more stalling: I grab my spoon and take a bite. A rush of flavor hits my mouth. The curry is spicy, but also sweet. The two flavors are perfectly balanced, making it some of the best curry I had ever had. "Ya-chan, where did you learn to cook like this?"
"I taught myself!" she replies, swallowing a spoonful of curry. "The food at MBI was awful, so I would sneak into the cafeteria late at night and make myself something."
"Well I must say, your food is amazing!"
Matsu hums with delight as her mouth closes around her spoon. "I agree: the food is amazing. You'd think MBI could spring for some quality chefs, if even one of us could salvage that swill."
Akitsu droopily eyes her food, rubbing her spoon between her fingertips. "The shrimp wasn't swill…"
"Anyway, now that we're all here, this seems like the perfect time to bring something up," Matsu says, taking another bite. "Mmm, so good… I did some digging while you were gone. Most Ashikabi won't pose much of a threat, since they only have one Sekirei."
I take a bite as Matsu continues. "But there are others like you, who have more. Those four are the biggest threat to us if we want to win this thing. The first one you already met: Sahashi Minato. He has four Sekirei so far: Numbers 88, 108, 84, and according to MBI records, he just winged Number 9 about three hours ago. People on social media are calling him 'The Ashikabi of the North'. If he could get a notorious Ashikabi-hater like Tsukiumi-"
"Who?" Yahan asks, while savoring the result of her work.
"Number 9, Tsukiumi. She vowed to win the Sekirei Plan without being winged, and to kill anyone who tried. If Minato could get her to join him, his power as an Ashikabi will likely attract more."
Yahan pauses, processing it, before asking me, "Is he nice?"
I nod, smiling. "Very much so. I could take you all to meet him, if you'd like."
Matsu coughs before taking another bite. "The next one to worry about is Higa Izumi, The Ashikabi of the East. He has 10 Sekirei under his control: Numbers 16, 18, 31, 40, 49, 62, 85, 86… 79, I think, and 101. He also has several Ashikabi working for him, in deals that I refuse to believe are all legal."
Higa Izumi, one of the few people besides Minaka who still has some pull in the city. He's the CEO of Hiyamakai Enterprises, a large pharmaceutical company and hospital in eastern quarter.
"Next we have the Ashikabi of the South, Mikogami Hayato. He's the Ashikabi of Number 5, Mutsu, as well as 15, 21, 38, 39, 43 before she lost her crest, 65, and 103." Matsu shrugs. "Buuut he's just a spoiled rich kid with a lot of money. Not as much influence as Higa, but he's not to be underestimated just because he's a kid. He does have Mutsu, after all. "
"Mutsu?" Akitsu says softly. "I fought him at the Botanical Gardens."
Akitsu's words bring back memories of her fight with the Earth Sekirei, and the boy in the limo.
"Last, we have The Ashikabi of the West, Sanada Nishi."
"Nishi?!" Haruhime exclaimed, angrily squeezing her spoon. "We ran into him earlier. He was trying to wing Yahan!"
"I see. Well, little is known about him. He's kind of an enigma. MBI records show that he has 5 Sekirei: Numbers 14, 17, 48, 58, and 106."
"Make that four Sekirei," Haruhime says, looking up from her empty plate. "I defeated 17 in battle earlier."
"That's both a good and bad thing," Matsu warns. "Good because there's one less Sekirei to compete with. On the other hand, if he doesn't already, I guarantee he'll hold a grudge against us, especially after what I'm about to tell you."
"And what is that Matsu-chan?"
"He once had a 6th Sekirei, Number 20, but she was eliminated by The Veiled Sekirei."
"Uzume..." Matsu's words hit me. It is a bad thing. If he realized that Uzume is meant to be mine...
As if reading my mind, Matsu says, "I don't need to tell you the problems that will cause. When he realizes you reacted to Uzume, he might get to you through her. She's strong, but with no Ashikabi, she loses the fight if Sanada's present."
"Who knew that Nishi was one to stay bitter." I rub my arm, as if to soothe the pangs of guilt. "He seemed like a lecherous idiot, but he did have a soft side."
Yahan nodded. "He seemed pretty torn up when Haru-chan took out Seventeen. He truly cares for all of the Sekirei under his control; I almost feel bad for the guy."
"He tried to wing you," Akitsu pointed out.
"I said 'almost'."
Matsu lays a hand on my shoulder, then leans in to nuzzle my cheek. "As long as you don't let those feelings cloud your judgement when the competition truly begins. Plus, I don't think he'll share the same sympathy as us."
Her soft lips peck my skin.
"Right! Of course, Matsu-chan!" I get up from the table. "Okay, girls, I'll get the dishes if anyone wants to help me.
Haruhime raises her hand like a schoolgirl trying to get the teacher to call on her. "I will! I will!"
"Thank you, Haru-chan!" I grab Akitsu and Yahan's plates.
"If you don't mind Saya, I'm gonna go take a bath," Yahan says. "I haven't had one since I left MBI, like, 4 days ago."
"Okay, Ya-chan. The bathroom is across from the living room, on the left." I smile at her. "Thank you for the amazing dinner!"
"Thank you, Saya," Yahan replies, turning and walking towards the living room. "I'm glad you liked my cooking."
"Of course, Ya-chan. You're welcome."
"Although…" Yahan shuffles back to me. "Could I double-check?"
"Double-check what, Ya-chan?"
She kisses me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Her tongue shoves itself into my mouth, as jet black wings fill the space behind her, membraned like a bat's more than a bird's. My surprise gives way to… To a moan… Her breasts are pushing against mine. They're so soft.
Our lips part with a pop. Yahan licks her chops and hums in delight. "Just making sure: it was amazing."
Composing myself, and hoping never to find out what embarrassing expression I made when I moaned, I walk to the sink with Haruhime with in tow and start rinsing the dishes. As I finish each one, she takes it and fits it in the dishwasher, sliding them upright into the rack.
Suddenly, an incredibly strong force hits me, causing me to fall to the ground. Haruhime falls, too, twisting to avoid the row of fragile crockery.
I rub my shoulder where I hit as I sit up. "Haru-chan, what was that?"
She quickly jumps up with incredible speed. "It's that lady with the purple dress from earlier. She's standing outside on the balcony."
As I slowly use the counter to pull myself up, sure enough, Haruhime is right. Standing in the doorway is Kazehana, an alcohol bottle dangling from her right hand. She stumbles inside, her arms swaying back and forth as she teeters from side to side. Slowly, she makes her way towards the couch, falling face-first over the armrest.
"Is she dead?" Haruhime asks, looking over Kazehana's unconscious body.
"No Haru-chan, she's been drinking. She passed out from too much alcohol."
I couldn't very well wake her up and send her off, not in her current condition. She was clearly in no shape to be wandering around by herself. However, I couldn't let her sleep in such an uncomfortable way; the back pains would hurt as much as her inevitable hangover.
I gently wake her up as I help her sit up. "Kazehana!"
She manages a wobbly smile. "Hey *hic* you!"
I slowly help her to her feet. "Haru-chan! Grab her other side and help me take her to one of the spare bedrooms."
"Right!" Haruhime says, grabbing her other arm. "Will she be okay?"
"She should be, after a nice long rest. Akitsu!" I call, knowing my faithful Ice Sekirei is always on hand. "Could you fill a tall glass with water? Kazehana needs hydration!"
The three of us nearly fall again when Kazehana's leg buckles.
"Whoops!" she giggles, favoring her other leg. "*hup* Aaah, am... I sorry?"
Akitsu's hand appears over my shoulder, holding a filled plastic cup, but withdraws after a moment. "Maybe I should get a pitcher, Mistress."
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special announcement!
A poll will go up along with this chapter. This poll will decide the fate of Kazehana and who will be her Ashikabi!