Two months... Roughly two months had passed.

The suffocating heat that smothered Teito was still present, but it wasn't as intense. The wind was a bit cooler and the leaves would soon start turning into a barrage of orange, red, and yellow. The ground and landscape would be painted with natural beauty.

They were a solitary two months which consisted of training, recovery, more training, and in some people's cases nothing but devious intentions.

More Sekirei had been winged, Higa and Hayato were especially recruiting more under them and at times through force. The number of unwinged Sekirei was starting to dwindle.

For Ryu and his Sekirei it consisted of strict training at their new home. They'd start in the morning and finish well into the evening. Karei had settled into the same room and Uzume and the two were steadfast in their bonding and getting comfortable. Luckily neither of the two groped Toyotama or bothered her too much, as the green haired amazon would even talk and laugh with them.

They'd visit Maison Izumo from time to time to talk, and for Ryu's Sekirei to spar with Minato's. Ryu had come like he did to check up on Matsu and her progress with getting all of that technology out of her room. So far there was progress, but it seemed so little considering how much she had packed in there. Minato's Sekirei had undergone an intense training regimen by the hands of Miya and Yume themselves. Musubi was progressing steadily, with her former master and Miya training her she was more than enthralled, it definitely showed. Tsukiumi was progressing in her own right, everything set out before her she adjusted to it well... Just like water, she grew and grew in skill and power, but she had the same bad habit of being too offensive and not bothering to work on defense at all. Kuruse was making leaps and bounds, one of Minato's smaller Sekirei she made up for that with her quick wit, speed, and dexterity.

Kazehana participated a few times, though it was more for fun than to be serious. Not many Sekirei could match her in terms of power or skill. And, Kusano being too young was kept out of it when things started to get too intense, and there was the danger of her powers flying out of control... She was still a child, and despite being a Sekirei it'd be a long time before she was mature and cunning enough to control and use her powers without worry.

There had been a few times when Matsu rushed and ended up blowing a fuse. Miya had been brutal with her punishment quite literally throwing Matsu into the wall so hard she was stuck to it and her body left a perfect indent. Ryu had to pry her loose afterwards and knead the pain from her body until she said she was okay... It went anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, at times he thought Matsu set up the whole thing to go the way it did.

There was also something interesting developing between Ahiko and Tsukiumi. Nobody had taken notice at first. The two girls, like the others competed and sparred with all intents of proving who was the stronger between them. So it was quite common, but that had changed when Ahiko decided to wear the same outfit as Tsukiumi and challenged her to not flash their panties.

Ahiko had won easily every single time relegating Tsukiumi to endure being called 'miss panty flash' by everyone more than she had been. Since that day Tsukiumi vowed to defeat Ahiko, though that had yet to happen.

Minato found himself pondering more and more as the days stretched and he seen his Sekirei hard at work training themselves to the bone, Ryu training and even sparring with Miya, and Ryu's Sekirei sparring save for Uzume who was too lazy, Karei who wasn't his Sekirei and spent her time gossiping with Kazehana and Uzume, and Hari who would take a break every so often to gather her breath. He found that he should be doing something more, but whenever he asked his Sekirei assured him that what he was doing was more than enough... He didn't believe it, but he didn't say this aloud... He'd nod with a small hum of acknowledgement before going back into his deep thought.

When he wasn't in this deep thought he was studying for the upcoming exams. This time... This time he would pass!

MBI had quadrupled their security. There were now tanks rolling through the streets by the hour. Helicopters nosily flew overhead almost day and night constantly scoping the city. There were now outposts on every outskirt of the city, every exit, every bridge, every airport, every docking port, in short they were wrapping a noose all around Teito and tightening it.

For regular people it was a huge problem. The streets were clogged with lines of cars. There were many fights that broke out among the angry and irate drivers, at times it was almost a field of people brawling sending curses left and right. MBI soldiers and members of the Discipline Squad quelled these disputes, at times through force like smashing a car into a sardine can-something Benitsubasa had done multiple times. The citizens turned all of their hatred and discontent onto MBI, the very place that threw the whole city into a tailspin-the country itself into a tailspin. MBI responded in kind with tightening their security perimeters even more, though they were courteous at the very least allowing anyone who was not affiliated with the Sekirei Plan to take their leave.

It was just the matter of what happened before this that turned a spark into a fire. Had the people not started fighting and smashing each other's heads through car windows they could have simply been on their way without the need of being hauled down to the cement and physically detained.

For the Sekirei and Ashikabi it couldn't have gotten worse.

Yukari hadn't spoken to her brother more than two minutes on the phone. The times and days she could call varied greatly, if she completed her task without any troubles Higa was kind enough to grant her permission. She had noticed a pattern since her stay here. Juma was definitely at the head of the helm alongside Higa, she gave the orders and seen to it everything was complete, but Higa also kept a stern eye on all activities. Yukari guessed Higa trusted Juma the most next to Kakizaki, which was odd considering how he'd shun some of his Sekirei and correct Kakizaki on overzealous plans and schemes. Besides herself and Shiina there were dozens of others who were forced to work under Higa.

They of course stayed on the floor above her, whether it was because of their ranking among the tower or just Higa's personal preference she wasn't entirely sure. The only thing she knew is that she was on a floor below them, rarely seen them other than in passing or when she returned from one of the less than savory tasks Higa gave her to complete. If it was according to rank than it was clearly obvious. Higa was at the very top of the tower, she was at least forty or fifty stories below him, some of his Sekirei stayed near him while others were on the lower floors.

It became obvious that Higa didn't think of the Sekirei Plan as she or Shiina did... In fact it was the polar opposite of how her Sekirei had explained it to her in her dorm all that time ago. There were no one on one fights, there wasn't any traded pleasantries and I challenge you, it was quite simply a slaughter. If anyone dared to oppose Higa they were taken care of, usually left in the middle of the street to bleed out, there were a few occasions when these people were hauled back to the tower. She had observed they all had Sekirei, thus was the reason they were hauled back like bags of rice.

Her tasks varied from simple patrols to straight out assassinations. She settled into a schedule which consisted of waking up and eating, sitting in her room until the afternoon, and then she'd be called up to Higa's office where Shiina would be waiting pensively with Akane and Aika flanking him with frightening expressions. Their first task had been to eliminate a Sekirei and Ashikabi pair that were causing Higa a lot of problems, the mission didn't take too long, thankfully, and Yukari returned to the tower to see a smirking Higa.

She had passed the first test. She saved her own life and Shiina's. But, her competency signaled her out in a very big way. She found herself being called up to Higa's office more and more as the weeks went by, she was to scope a part of the east and then return, after this she was to wait for another task that Higa dished out later in the day or night. Yukari as well as Higa's Sekirei avoided the outskirts where the Discipline Squad was creating barriers and slowly pushing their way into the territory, she had only heard rumors about the squad and their new recruits, one was said to be so fast he almost couldn't be traced. There was a woman with wicked double swords, but what was glaring at her was rumors of a black haired woman which rarely left the speedster's side.

In any regard Higa never sent her to these outskirts. Rather he had her in the heart of his territory making sure everything was going how it should be. She was partly thankful for Higa's tact on the situation. If she was in the outskirts she wouldn't have stood a chance of surviving, and Shiina despite his unique power would be useless against the squad. It... Was hard to believe that her brother had stood up to them, hard to believe that Ryu-the man she only seen a couple of times fought toe to toe with Koto. This news traveled long and far, and there were Ashikabi and Sekirei that were determined to escape just as Haruka and Kuno had. There was one big difference however and that was those two had Ryu, his Sekirei, Minato, and his Sekirei backing them up.

She had an idea to escape, to get out of this ridiculous farce and live the rest of her life in peace, but she negated these thoughts as quickly as they came to mind. She had no hope of escaping now. All she could do was follow Higa's orders, and she followed them to the T. Hayato-the Ashikabi of Mitsuha-the mouthy wench that had chased her and Shiina for miles was making his presence known in the south sector. Out of the less than twenty percent of Sekirei that roughly remained he had winged about half of them with Higa in the same boat, at this point there were only a few Sekirei maybe three at the most that still had yet to be winged.

Yukari hadn't been there during the first confrontation with Hayato, but she had heard the explosions from the tower, and she had seen Juma depart with a murderous gleam in her eyes saying something about scalping Mutsu before putting his head on a stake. Juma hadn't returned until later in the day without a single scratch on her, there had been blood staining her outfit and some even splattered on her face just above her left eye. Naturally, the Discipline Squad was also on the outskirts of these two territories their grip ever increasing on the city of Teito.

Vaguely, she wondered why there were people so foolish as to try and escape. She could understand their hate for being oppressed and forced to play this sick and twisted game, but they had to have more sense than that. Even Higa hadn't made any notions of escaping or going near any of the outposts which MBI had set up throughout the city. His reasoning was that they would focus on the east and not concern themselves with what was going on in the city of Teito. It was understandable to reinforce the fort as it were which he lived in, the sector of Teito which he controlled... If Yukari didn't know any better she would say there were 'factions' starting to appear.

Yukari sat in her room, her new home by all means. She was sick of looking at the same walls, sick of sleeping on the same bed, tired of eating the same food, but she was sick of not being able to see Shiina. She couldn't help but worry for her Ashikabi, she seen him only a few hours everyday before he was taken away, at these moments she wanted to scream and thrash around but that'd only result in severe punishment... Shiina would be the one to suffer for her own impulsiveness. Yukari perked up as her door opened slowly, the stoic and cold Juma walked in without a care shutting it behind her. "Where's Shiina-san?" Yukari questioned, careful to keep her emotions in check.

"Ahh, that little boy. He's upstairs with Higa." Juma said dismissively, looking at her nails pointedly ignoring Yukari's presence altogether. She didn't care for the young girl, she had a hard time keeping her emotions in check, had a bad habit of glaring when she thought nobody was looking or couldn't see her, but she followed orders. She was successful in every task and mission Higa had her undertake. She was a stupid and mouthy girl, but she was smart enough to know her life was in her hands. "You don't need to concern yourself with Shiina, little girl. You've been successful as of late with your tasks, you are starting to gain Higa's favor. Your little boy toy is safe thanks to you."

Yukari nibbled on her lips. "Can I call my brother?"

"Nope." Juma replied bluntly. She sauntered over towards the wall and leaned against it folding her arms under her breasts. "Your calls are limited, you know this. Asking is really pointless. You know he is good friends with Ryu, the Ashikabi of the North. Do you take us to be so naive that we'd allow you to pull something right under our noses..." Juma snorted. "And, with my consent no less. I don't know if you're devious or plain stupid."

"Did you come here just to insult me?" Yukari bit out. She didn't want to hear Juma's condescension right now, she had dealt with Akane and her sadism daily, she was not about to deal with Juma too. She may have not been as sadistic as Akane, but she was a lot more frightening and imposing, Yukari felt her chest heave and her lungs constrict every time she seen her, every time Juma would even glance in her direction she felt her blood run cold and fear taking a firm grip of her. There was just something ghastly and overwhelming about the green eyed Sekirei.

"Tch. I could kill you where you stand without as much as flinching." Juma spat, able to catch Yukari's attitude without any trouble. It was easy to spot it, she'd glare just slightly, she'd clench her fists and visibly shake for a moment as she reigned herself in. Juma allowed a smirk to grace her face as Yukari visibly moved further onto her bed giving her a shocked and frightening expression. "But, I won't kill you."

"Because of Higa." Yukari said accusingly.

"I have my own reasons, Yukari." Juma said pointedly. Higa was a big part of why she wouldn't kill Yukari, but in all honesty Higa couldn't do a damn thing if she decided to kill Yukari. It's not like he'd be extremely upset about it, there were always more people to manipulate and control, always plenty of people to pay off handsomely, Yukari just would have been another death to Higa's cause. But, Juma didn't want that, despite her spitfire attitude Yukari was useful. "You don't need to know them, they don't concern you in the least, but just now up to this point it's because of me you've survived so long. Granted you're pulling your weight now, but keep that in mind."

Yukari was about to retort before she stopped herself. Juma... She spoke the truth. Every time Akane came into the room with that wild look in her eyes and twisted smirk of glee on her face Juma had been there to literally throw her out of the room. It just wasn't Akane that would enter her room without permission and malice intent, there had been a few times where Kakizaki came in, Ichiya, Aika, and there was another Sekirei that wouldn't speak a word but glared with murderous intent. There was also those who were under Higa, and had been for much longer than her. They didn't take kindly to her rising through the ranks. Had Juma not been watching over her she would be dead by now. "Why did you come here? Do I have another task?"

Juma shook her head and walked towards the door. "I just wanted to inform you that Shiina will be down with you in a few hours. He's just going over the details of the last mission you two took with Higa." Juma stepped out the room, slowly closing the door. "So, you can stop pacing back and forth."

"Why are you helping me?" Yukari whispered to her vacant room. And... I am alone again..

Ryu sighed contently letting the water fall onto his head, and streak down his shoulders. The hot water soothed his tired and tense muscles. It had been another hard day of training for all of them, he was even pushed close to his limit. Since the battle of the bridge he had a sinking feeling in his stomach, he had a thirst for power, maybe thirst wasn't the right term, but power was on the top of his list. It may have been cold of him to think this way, but he wouldn't be able to protect his girls if he was weak.

"That was really nice today." Toyotama's sultry voice broke him out of his thoughts with a slight jolt. She turned towards him, making no move to cover her breasts as she lathered some shampoo in her hair. She had missed the days of sparring intensely with her hunk of a man, their days had turned into lounge days simply sparring idly at the inn or just relaxing there. It was nice and all, but it was way too lax for her in all honesty. She'd never understand how Miya was so nonchalant about this whole thing.

"It was a good training session." Ryu nodded in agreement, giving her a careful gaze before turning away to rinse his back again. No matter how many times he seen his girls naked he was certain he'd never get used to it. It went double when they'd just enter the bathroom when he was taking a shower and join him without a single care in the world. He understood that they really had no reason to hide their body from him, but he wasn't expecting them to just saunter in body glistening with sweat and chest rising and falling rapidly.

If he had less self control he would have pounced on Toyotama and then proceed to throttle her. He'd need to leave the bathroom because the tub would overflow and he didn't the floor rotting away and eventually collapsing. That would be quite the scene, him and Toyotama falling two stories ass naked and dripping wet hot with arousal and desire. Thankfully Toyotama, Hari, Uzume, and Ahiko didn't take advantage of the situation and make an advance often.

"It is a shame Uzume-san wouldn't join us." Ahiko lamented.

"Yeah, I really wish she would have joined. It's not as fun if everyone isn't involved." Hari said.

Ryu stifled a laugh. How many men would die to be in his position? How many men would give an arm and leg just to have ten seconds of this bliss. Way too many to count, he'd hazard a guess of about at least five thousand men. He was used to taking showers alone and baths alone, considering Miya was very strict when it came to the bathhouse. He couldn't take a bath with his Sekirei even if he wanted to, he vaguely wondered if it was Miya getting a little jealous but such things were below Miya. She just had rules, and it was better there was order in the bathhouse instead of chaos. He never anticipated he'd be having a conversation with his three girls while taking a shower at the same time. "She did join the last time and we worked her to death, she could use a break." Ryu said thoughtfully. Uzume had been in a good effort the last time to the point she was gasping and cursing him for being so hard.

"Well, if you say so." Toyotama snorted softly, careful not to get any water in her nostrils.

"Well, recovery is just as important as the actual training. It does you no good to be powerful but tired." Ahiko knew Toyotama was a hard ass. Out of all of Ryu's Sekirei she had to be biggest hard ass aside from Karasuba who was in a league of her own. Toyotama could be abrasive and had a nasty temper, she didn't particularly like anyone but she was civil enough to talk to the rest of his girls and in time get along with them... It had been a long and turbulent road, but finally it seemed they were all on the same page. "It's like showering. You get all dirty and have to clean yourself, if you don't you'll get sticky."

"That makes perfect sense!" Hari chirped, rinsing the rest of the shampoo from her long and dark hair, stepping out a second later to dry off.

"Of course the ditz would think it makes sense." Toyotama laughed softly exiting next.

"Can't argue with logic." Ryu quipped, shutting off the water and quickly stepped out snatching a blue towel. Hari's towel was a few inches away from him, she could always dry off really fast. He busied himself drying himself off starting with his legs and moving upward until he got to his hair. He set the towel over his head and viciously moved it back and forth ignoring the ends of his hair that tickled his shoulders. Once he was sure he was dry he slipped on a pair of red shorts keeping his torso bare so the air could dry the rest of it. Toyotama had already finished and left the bathroom. Ahiko was working the towel over her body for the dozenth time carefully wrapping it around her bare torso.

"You're not going to leave like that are you?" Ryu looked at her expectantly.

"I forgot to bring clothes." Ahiko said a bit too innocently. "Unless you want to carry me out and run the risk of this towel coming loose. But, then again there's no rules against me or the others walking around naked."

"Don't. Do. It." Ryu said each word firmly. Honestly he wouldn't care if they all threw caution to the wind and sauntered around ass naked baring their all to him, but there were windows, and there would always be peeping toms. He knew if Seo was around-the man had been avoiding him since the incident back at the construction site he wouldn't hesitate to get a good view of his girls, and in turn he would be obliged to gouge Seo's eyes from his skull. More importantly if anyone came, friend of foe, he didn't want them to see his girls naked. "Don't let Karei see you."

"We're both women why would I have to hide my features from her?" Ahiko giggled quietly, tucking her towel in more towards her armpit, her breasts keeping it secured in place. For once they weren't a complication. "You are so possessive, Ryu-kun. Don't worry I won't let Karei-san see me in all of my naked glory." She sashayed out of the bathroom giving him a small and teasing smile.

I swear she's trying to seduce me when she does that... Ryu stared blankly for a few moments and then exited the bathroom, glancing around a few times before heading down the hall and towards the staircase. Now... What do I do? By all means this Sekirei Plan is a farce, by all means this is a war... He only had three options at this point and none of them were favorable. The first was to keep going along with this ridiculous farce. The second would be to make allies, and at this point he wasn't even going to bother with that. Third and the most extreme he launch an attack on one of the Ashikabi before they could attack him.

This wasn't a game... This wasn't a plan. It was nothing but war. Yomi... Yashima... Nanaha... He felt the burning surge of sorrow and remorse, he stiffly shook his head banishing the emotions from his mind. Feeling that way wouldn't do anything now, it'd only make him an easier target for the competitors in this "game". He heaved a sigh...

It was heading in that direction.

So he only had one choice after all.

"Oh, good afternoon Ryu!" Karei said pleasantly. For the second time in one day Ryu found his train of thought being broken. Ryu glanced at her with his usual blank stare and turned back around, then he quickly looked at her again before his eyes widened and he rammed straight into the nearest all groaning as he hit the ground with a loud thud. "Oh my gosh, are you okay!?" Karei bolted towards him concern and worry evident all over her face.

"No! I am not okay!" Ryu said quickly, almost snappishly as he scrambled up to his feet only run into the same wall again. He hit twice as hard however. He hissed softly, placing a hand over his forehead. That was going to leave a bruise in about ten minutes. He wasn't normally so rude, but Karei... He could see her long, oh so long luscious legs, her tiny waist, her generous mounds of flesh, her perfect and round ass. "Why are you walking around naked in my house?"

"Oh!" Karei blinked owlishly, surprised for a moment she looked herself over. "Uzume said it was okay if I walk around naked. There's no rules here against that."

"Hey! What's all the noise about over here?" Uzume sauntered into their view stark naked just like Karei looking at Ryu for a long moment. If she had to guess he was ready to either snap or pounce on her. "Oh, good evening Ryu." Uzume twirled around so he could get a good and long look. She grinned widely, scratching the back of her head. "It sure is breezy huh guys?. Such a nice day."

"Why are you both naked!?" Ryu snapped, slowly gathering himself off of the floor before he composed himself. He should have figured Uzume would be the one behind this, Karei was far too proper to be strutting around naked, Uzume would be the only one to throw caution to the wind. "Go and put on some clothes!"

"There's no rules here that say I can't walk around naked or Karei can't walk around naked." Uzume stated matter of factly, using her fingers for emphasis as she counted off as she spoke.

Ryu raked a hand through his hair, he wasn't sure if he should be irate, horny, or frazzled. Seeing Uzume naked was well, something only he could see. He didn't mind his girls walking around naked it was a good view, but there were far too many possibilities of someone seeing them. There was always a peeping tom somewhere around, the off chance that leech Seo was around he wouldn't hesitate to get an eyeful and in turn he would be getting his eyes gouged out for doing such a thing-but he had been avoiding him since the incident and the construction site.

But, Ryu wasn't naive enough to believe Seo didn't know where he lived. Uzume was right, there were no rules pertaining to this, he had been more concerned about the infighting that had been taking place then... But, Karei wasn't his and thus This had to be put to an end. "Uzume I am only going to say this once. Go put on some clothes at least put on bra and panties!"

"Why should I?" Uzume questioned.

"I'll go and make myself decent-"

"No Karei you stay naked!" Uzume ordered holding her in place. "I don't see why it's a big deal. We're all women and have the same parts."

"That isn't the point!" Ryu snapped. Of course Uzume didn't care. Why would she care anyways, she had always been a free spirit and would sooner take a nap than fight, and would rather walk around naked than get dressed like a civilized person. They weren't living out in a jungle, whether it was a friend or a foe he didn't want them to see his girls stark naked, especially Uzume... She was his first Sekirei and only he could see her in all of her naked glory. There was a time and place for it though, and now wasn't the time. Ryu sighed deeply as both girls stood, Uzume firm, and Karei awkwardly. "Karei, please put on some clothes."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you're checking her out!" Uzume glared accusingly.

"That's ridiculous!"

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yes! She's naked! You're both naked!" Ryu snapped. There was no way this was going to get turned around him when Uzume was leading the pack. "What do you expect me to do, run into the wall again!?"

"Go ahead you klutz!"

"I am not a klutz! Look at you!"

"I know by boobs are big!"

"I can't believe I'm really having this conversation right now..."

"I'll go put on a bra and panties then." Karei shrugged. Ryu and Uzume were so silly, it took all of her might not to break out laughing watching them go back and forth, to boot Uzume was ass naked.

"Pants and a shirt." Ryu added.

"Of course! How could I forget?"

I'm beginning to wonder the same thing... Ryu thought. Sekirei had a tendency of being so indecent it seemed it was intentional.

"Hmph!" Uzume inclined her chin, staring defiantly into Ryu's eyes as she crossed her arms under her breasts pushing them up suggestively. She wasn't going to stand for this! Ryu ruining her fun all the time, if she wanted to walk around naked with Karei then by all means she was going to do just that. "I will have you know I will not be getting dressed today for any reasons!"

"You intend to strut around naked?" Ryu snorted.

"No, I'm going to watch TV!" Uzume said glaring at him for several long moments. She turned away from him haughtily sashaying her way out of his view swaying her hips obnoxiously. She wasn't sure what Ryu was going to do once Matsu was able and ready to move in, she'd be partaking in this as well and Uzume was certain Matsu would be the one to start leading the charge when it came to this. She was carefree and easygoing, but Matsu was shameless... That woman didn't know any shame. "I do not want to be bothered about putting any clothes on either! The answer is no!"

Ryu stood in his place almost dumbfounded. He could hardly believe that just happened. He wasn't a klutz by any stretch of the imagination, he was always quick and concise, balanced and had extremely quick reflexes. He was the farthest thing from a klutz. He hadn't been expecting to see Karei naked, hadn't expected to see Uzume naked though given her history of throwing caution to the wind. Not only had he seen Karei naked, he had got into a debate with Uzume while she was naked about putting on clothes, it was so beyond ridiculous he couldn't even find a word for it. Now she was going to go in the living room where Toyotama was no doubt. "I'm going to get a migraine." He drawled out raking a hand through his thick hair again.

Ten long minutes later Ryu found himself in the living room seated on the couch watching an episode of World's Dumbest, Toyotama had one arm in her grasp and Ahiko had the other. True to her word Uzume was stark naked looking very stubborn, despite Toyotama demanding she go and put something on Uzume held firm. Ahiko wore a t shirt and jogging pants, Hari wore the same exact outfit keeping her hair down to dry, and thankfully Karei was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white t shirt. Of course, the only one naked was Uzume.

Ryu centered his focus onto the TV trying his best not to glance in Uzume's direction. The lecher in him was screaming for him to look, just to take a small little peek, but he didn't give into his baser urges. If he looked at her he'd only be encouraging her to do this again, not that she needed any encouragement to start her naked antics. "She's really not going to wear any clothes?" Ahiko asked after a few minutes.

"It looks that way." Ryu nodded.

"Shouldn't we all just be naked then?" Hari asked softly.

"Absolutely not." Ryu said firmly.

The last thing he needed was all of them walking around naked, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything.

"We need to be decent, some of us actually have home training." Toyotama muttered, glaring at Uzume who sat with a pleased expression eating a cookie. She had just been getting ready to unwind and watch some TV when Uzume can sauntering in stark naked completely unabashed. She then proceeded to snap at Uzume and demand that she puts something to cover herself up, even a blanket, but Uzume held firm. She was ready to strangle the naked girl but the Ryu came in followed by Karei, Ahiko, and Hari.

"Oh, so it's modesty?" Hari titled her head.

"Yes." Ryu nodded stiffly. He began to wonder how he winged a shameless Matsu and an almost equally shameless Uzume. He would need to keep Hari away from these two at all costs. A few minutes passed, Ryu was so absorbed in what he was watching he didn't even bother to answer his phone. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings. Five rings.

"Ugh! Can't you answer that?" Toyotama asked in annoyance.

"It's not important." Ryu said. "Besides this is a good episode."

"Yeah! It's the one where that one girl and guy fall off of that stand thing while dry humping." Karei said with a wide smile.

Six rings.

"Ryu, answer your damn phone. That thing is giving me a headache!" Toyotama pleaded. She really wanted to see what Karei was talking about, and they were on number fourteen at the moment just about to hit thirteen. If there were people really dumb enough to do what Karei said then she had to see it... It was called World's Dumbest after all.

Seven rings.

Toyotama hissed softly, annoyed beyond annoyed. It was normal for Ryu to just ignore phone calls, if he didn't know the number he didn't answer it, and since the only number he knew was Minato's and Miya's well there were a lot of calls he wouldn't answer. It didn't help his phone consisted of nothing but annoying ringtones that were high pitched or sporadic. She finally had enough and reached across Ryu and Ahiko snatching the phone off of the nearby table and clenching it in her hands for a moment before flipping it open. "Ryu there's ten text messages on here." Toyotama looked at him more than just a bit annoyed with how lazy he could be.

"Who is it from?" Ryu asked. "I sweat one day I'm going to crush that thing."

"Like you did with that one before?" Ahiko asked, clearly amused. Watching Ryu punch a phone to pieces was too funny.

"No I'm going to crush it."

"As if I'd know who it is..." Toyotama muttered, pressing her thumb to the screen and sliding it sharply to unlock it. She had an idea of who it could be... It could be another woman, a human woman, one of his ex girlfriends, who else would text him so persistently? She kept this thought to herself however since Ryu would get peeved if she said it aloud, he didn't like his loyalty or love for them being taken into question. It could be Miya, but Ryu would have answered it faster than she could blink. Well, it's not a woman... I know that much now. Toyotama mused mentally as her blue eyes glared sharply at the phone.

"What did that phone do to you?" Karei joked with a light laugh.

"It looked at her." Uzume quipped.

"Why don't you go and put on some clothes!?" Toyotama snapped.

"Why don't you take yours off!?" Uzume questioned back, crossing one leg over the other.

"Ehm. Let's not and say we did." Ryu cleared his throat gently, setting a hand on Toyotama's leg capturing her attention once more. Toyotama wouldn't strip down so easily, but he wasn't going to chance it. If Toyotama was goaded while she was irate she could very well rip her clothes to shreds and sit down naked just like Uzume to prove a point. "Who is it from?"

Toyotama took a slow breath, gulping slowly as she did so. "The Ashikabi of the South... He wants to meet with you..." Toyotama sneered, suspicion and anger clear in her voice as she spoke. "That little bitch. I bet it's a trap."