Karasuba stared out the window. It was a couple hours later, with day light still holding on, just barely. She laid sprawled on the couch, letting the slight draft cool her hot body down. She rested her head on Ryu's back with both arms wrapped around his waist. She didn't take him as the cuddling type of person, and she never thought she was either, but here she was holding onto him while he kept both of his hands over her own.

"Did we have to get a hotel room?" She asked, tone just a little mocking.

Ryu couldn't see her smile, as he had his back to her, but he could definitely feel her smiling. "I prefer if snow wasn't falling on me while we're doing it."

"Doing it?" Karasuba asked with a sultry tone, a little amused with Ryu's terminology. She knew that humans had weird, strange, and outright vulgar ways of saying sex.

"It means I was humping you." Ryu said, stopping himself from scratching the back of his head. He didn't feel like letting go of Karasuba's hands, and since her face was practically right there, he didn't want to do it.

"Yeah, no shit. Why don't you just say sex?"

"I don't know. Normally, people aren't so quick to say it in that sense."

"Ryu..." Karasuba whispered. She laid a kiss on his back, tightening her hold around him. "You're rambling."

"How? I'm answering your question. " Ryu turned his head a fraction, looking at Karasuba from the corner of his eye.

"I see some things will never change. Never mind." Karasuba said, amusement in her tone.

Ryu turned his focus forward once more, at the wall directly before him. He had been staring at it for hours while riding the high of the clawing passion he experienced with Karasuba. He could feel the euphoria shimmering down, and with that came the thoughts he had been battling with before. Karasuba offered him an odd solace in keeping his mind off of it, and giving him an extra push, but...

He just couldn't get over it.

Karasuba was content to stay silent and just nuzzle Ryu's back. She'd place a kiss on it every so often and she'd let her hands roam freely. Yume had always spoke of the Sekirei and Ashikabi bond in a sort of reverence-as if she worshipped humans. Yume found them to be most important, in the bond, and it was just something she couldn't agree with. The Ashikabi gave the Sekirei more strength, but without the Sekirei in the first place-the human was just a human.

If Yume had explained this part to her, though, she may have been more open to consider. Ryu made her experience things she had been completely ignorant of and had no interest in. Though she rarely seen Ryu these days, he was still very important to her, and she did love him with all her being. Being together like this always made her feel a little lighter, and her duties could be momentarily forgotten.

"Oh darling. Are you still upset?" Karasuba mewled, pressing the side of her head into his back. She would rather rest her head against his chest, and straddle him, but this would do fine for the moment.

Ryu turned back to look at her his black mane flaring as it followed his course. Growing tired of only seeing a fraction of Karasuba, he turned around with super speed-unhooked her arms from his waist, and pulled her into his lap. He adjusted himself and Karasuba's weight bearing on him, only relaxing once he was comfortable and could look her clearly in the eyes.

"You can talk to me, Ryu. I'm not going to criticize you.." Karasuba spoke softly, giving him a peck on the lips. She pressed her bosom against his chest, adjusting to his engorged length.

"You're not going to call me a monkey?"

"I never said it in a disparaging manner. Besides, you're my darling Ashikabi, so I'll call you darling.'

Ryu shook his head, just a little exasperated. Karasuba always did enjoy messing with him and getting him riled up. If anyone could understand what he was going through, it'd be Karasuba. People swore that she was always sadistic and bloodthirsty, but he didn't believe that. She experienced, seen, or went through something-or events, that shaped her to be that way.

She was a child at one point, and as a child she couldn't have been licking her lips at the prospect of shedding blood. She would have been like any other child, for the most part, save for being a Sekirei. Minaka couldn't have made her into such a thing either, because for all of his lunacy, he wasn't a stone cold killer. He enjoyed seeing things pan out in a way he thought they would, or wouldn't.

Perhaps Karasuba always hated humans. As far as he knew, every Sekirei, including Miya, had been given studies for lack of a better term that had to do with the planet earth and the humans. Learning about such things at a young age, could have effected her outlook on humans. It could have made her wary and resentful of them.

Genocides. Slavery. Bombings. War. Slaughters. Women and children suffering the worst of it all. That is humanity's history-one steeped in blood and conflict. In enmity and hatred. He really didn't like people to start with. They're lofty and self important. They believe that their problems are more significant that another person's. Because they have a child or children, that makes them more important.

Most of all he seen how people looked at his Sekirei whenever they were out in public. The men would ogle and the women would glare.

Humans are a pesky bunch.

"A yen for your thoughts, Ashikabi-kun?" Karasuba asked with just a hint of amusement in her tone. "I'd be getting really excited about now if you were focusing on me so intently, but I know your mind is elsewhere and not on me."

The only time she seen Ryu ever look so intently was before they began to have fun, or if he was deep in thought. At times he'd get lost in his thoughts, or he'd brood. Recently she was more inclined to think that he was brooding more than anything. Just alone in this hotel room, he spent about two hours staring at the wall, barely saying a word to her.

This was all a risk. Minaka didn't trust Ryu, and quite frankly he seen her Ashikabi to be an uncontrollable and unpredictable variable. Just like Kai before he joined the Squad. Just like Syrus before he joined the Squad. Their respective Sekirei. Ryu would never join them, and he'd never yield or go along with what Minaka has planned in the long run. It would have left them at a severe impasse, but something tipped the scales.

Ryu helped Kuno and Haruka escape-he fought Koto, and had a part to do with the entire bridge collapsing, even though Benitsubasa used her pulverizer to put the final nail in the coffin. His simple actions caused two things. The first was putting a target on himself for going against Minaka's wishes. Minaka didn't want anyone escaping or leaving, and Ryu helped two people do just that. The second thing was making Koto an enemy-perhaps his mortal enemy.

"Why did they betray me..." Ryu almost hissed, laying his head against the wall.

"I don't understand. I thought the bond of Sekirei and Ashikabi was supposed to run deep." He bit out.

Karasuba didn't respond verbally at first. She just closed her eyes and let herself sink into the current atmosphere that smoldered around them.

"The bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi runs only as deep as the two allow it to, or want it to."

"Are you telling me that I caused Miya to lie to me?"

Karasuba blinked, surprised, not expecting him to be this aggressive. The way his tone and voice changed would have alarmed anyone else, perhaps alarmed even Miya to some extent, but it didn't rattle her. It surprised her, but that's it.

"You're one of the better Ashikabi out there, so I'm not saying it's your fault or you caused it."

"Hn." Ryu grunted, turning away from her gaze.

Karasuba pressed a finger to his jawline, slowly turning his focus back to her eyes.

"You and Minato...I guess Seo and Sanada as well. You're better Ashikabi. People like Higa and Hayato who hate the Sekirei and view them as toys, they are better off dead. We Sekirei still have our own emotions and wants, but we dedicate ourselves to our Ashikabi. We gain strength from each other, the deeper the bond goes, the stronger we become. That being said-one of Higa's Sekirei could betray him, for their own reasons. One of Hayato's Sekirei could betray him for their own reasons. And, just the same, one of your Sekirei could betray you for their own reasons..."

Ryu said nothing. His expression was impassive and stony. There was no emotion in his gaze or in his expression. It made sense, after all, Karasuba didn't exactly love him up everyday-they were still bonded, and close, but it was...Different. But, Sekirei weren't supposed to even have the thought of betraying their Ashikabi-for a Sekirei that'd be nothing short of madness.

Even Higa's Sekirei, treated as horribly as they were, were completely devoted to him. They'd do anything he said. Follow any order. They'd do it without hesitation. Some would do it with a smile on their faces. It was the same for Hayato. The same for him. The same for Minato. The same for any Ashikabi. However, none of the Sekirei should have an inkling pertaining to betrayal. If it did it represented problems, internal and external.

"I figured that I should tell you this. We have recruited more members to our squad. Takami brought in five men, and they brought along roughly two thousand to fifty thousand men with them, respectively. Of course, Koto and I cut them down during testing, so there's not exactly that many left. In addition to this Natsuo has stepped down from his post. We've also recruited two Ashikabi, and the second more recently. Minaka is taking our focus from just enforcing the rules to preserving and maintaining the peace and order in Teito."

Ryu's eyes widened visibly, his breath catching in his throat as he clenched his teeth.

"Takami is trying to make moves."

"Indeed."

Ryu took a breath in, centering his thoughts. Karasuba was speaking the truth, and that meant the Discipline Squad wouldn't be just a rare occurrence whenever someone was stepping out of line. It was going to be frequent, too frequent in fact seeing them patrolling the streets, and with that would certainly come several of them testing people, or him. They'd also start to whack down the rabble that were running a muck through Teito.

He'd be forced into a confrontation, one that he wouldn't run from.

"I think Takami is doing what she is because she doesn't want Minaka to do whatever he intends to do. What that is, I'm not sure. But, for her to take such drastic actions is a bit alarming, if not amusing. Minaka has always had more than a few screws loose, but within the last few years he's really went off the deep end. The First Generation Discipline Squad was formed with the purpose of protecting the Sekirei and Jinki from the world governments. It is a far cry from this Third Generation, formed for different purposes. Back in those days we'd leave mountains of bodies...Things are coming full circle."

Ryu nodded his head in understanding. Karasuba was very clearly saying that the Sekirei weren't always on earth, and whenever they had arrived or their ship crashed, Minaka found them. Karasuba being one of the first, must have been around, or growing up at that point in time. Nobody really knew where the Sekirei came from, and nobody bothered to figure it out. Only those in the know like Miya, Takami, Karasuba, and the earlier Sekirei were privy.

Minaka was also planning something huge. Perhaps the third round wasn't his ultimate objective, and perhaps the Sekirei Plan wasn't his marvelous dream-as he'd often call it-as he, like everyone, first thought. It was something so crazy that now Takami was making dangerous moves in MBI to see to it, that whatever Minaka was planning, didn't go off without a hitch.

Ryu couldn't begin to guess, nor did he feel inclined on guessing what that could be. Right now he was more focused on his Sekirei, and this betrayal. If and when Minaka tried testing him, he'd leave the man's head rolling, but until that time came...It'd more likely be Discipline Squad members that he'd be facing down in the near future.

"Karasuba...I'm not..."

Karasuba cupped both of Ryu's cheeks, pulling him close to her. She always loved how decisive and fearless he was. She loved how he showed little reservation in battle. Most of all, she loved that he never suffered from indecision. But, it would have been foolish to believe he'd never be faced with indecision. Ryu was a mortal, and he still had to face sickness among other things. There was just no way around that.

She could understand why he was suffering from indecision. Uzume and Hari betrayed him, Karei betrayed him as well. Miya and Kazehana were covering for Uzume and Karei. And, there was still the fact he lost three of his Sekirei-three Sekirei that were good. Part of her was vexed that those three passed away, but another part of her wasn't. This meant that Ryu would know have to embrace his darkness in the same way that she did, and still does-and in turn, he'd wreak havoc.

Ryu had been anticipating Miya would be forthcoming. Miya hadn't been.

"There is only one thing people like you and I can do, Ryu." Karasuba said, tone soft. Unlike Miya, her nor Ryu would ever relegate themselves to an inn lady, or anything else. They'd always stand on and by their strength.

"We fight and we wreak havoc. Those who stand in our way are finished."

"I guess you have a point there."

"But, there's always an equalizer. Someone that is the polar opposite of people like us, that will always get in our way."

Ryu looked out the window, eyes narrowing. Minato...

Minato...

Perhaps it'd be good to train him, or assist him in getting stronger...But, first he'd have to experience the pain of losing a Sekirei. Then and only then will Minato understand, and only then will he take the necessary steps to better himself. It'd also be good for entertainment-if Minato took a stand against himself, it'd be a good fight, and if he took a stand against MBI and everyone else-it made things interesting.

"Fight and wreak havoc, huh?"

"That is all we can do."

By the time they finally got all of the boxes situated accordingly the whole front hall of the house was packed. The hallway leading to the first living room and bedroom was also packed. The area around the first set of stairs to ascent to the second floor was packed. And, ironically enough, the second floor was packed. It was all packed with boxes, some small, but most of them were big and had good size to them.

Ahiko plopped down on the couch, hands tangled in wires, a weary sigh escaping her lips. She knew Matsu was a Brain type Sekirei. She had more wit than brute strength, more intelligence than power, more cunning, flexibility, and dexterity than speed. However, she had never taken into account just how many computer screens, monitors, and everything else she had seen Matsu pack into small room, ever amount to this much. It never appeared to be this much back in the inn.

Matsu gently untangled the wires from Ahiko's wrist and fingers, careful not to damage the internal circuitry. She really didn't want to go out to an electronic store to get the things that she needed.

She'd find a room to set all of this up in. She would have got on in immediately, but since Ryu lost three Sekirei...And, those three Sekirei had rooms in this house. It wouldn't be wise to just pick one of their rooms, by accident. She'd never been in here before until now. Ryu would try avoiding going in this rooms, or around those rooms, as much as possible.

There'd be nothing but pain there. Sure, he had the fond memories, and the good times they shared. But, Yomi, Yashima, and Nanaha were gone now. Those memories would only serve to make him feel pain and angst. It'd make him feel rage for his inability to protect them. It'd make him feel hatred for the Discipline Squad as a whole. It'd turn him into a monster.

He'd be just like Karasuba, in some aspects.

She shook the thought away, focusing on Toyotama and Ahiko.

They both looked worse for wear, and Ahiko was steadily drinking from her third water bottle.

"Thanks for the help, you two."

Toyotama wasn't too fond of technology. She didn't even have a phone, and the only reason she used it was to stay in contact with Ryu whenever he was out. She also spent a lot of her time training, and getting her to take time off was almost impossible. Matsu could appreciate how devout she was. While she took care of things on the inside, Toyotama would be out the fighting and making sure Ryu was well.

Toyotama must have known this, and was the reason she kept a steady pace when they were hauling the stuff inside. She didn't want to run the risk that someone, somewhere was watching them. It was an eerie thought, but one could never be too sure at this point in time. Teito was growing darker by the days, and with things starting to close out into the third round...

Matsu pushed the idle thoughts away. Whatever may come their way, they'd handle it.

"It's no problem. It's better to keep nosey people away." Toyotama remarked, tossing Matsu a water bottle.

"Thanks." Matsu opened the bottle and took a sip. "MBI's satellite is really a pain. I can easily hack it, but still..."

"Are you talking about destroying it?" Ahiko asked, one eyebrow arched.

Matsu waved her hand, a bit dismissive. "It is a fun idea, but it's not exactly possible. For starters it orbits the planet, nothing can reach it. Even if I were to make something that could destroy it...It'd be so obnoxiously massive we'd have the whole of MBI's military, plus the Discipline Squad marching over here."

"And, what about the Jinki?"

"What of it?"

Toyotama narrowed her eyes, slowly crossing her arms over her chest.

Matsu cleared her throat, looking more serious than before. "Only Minaka knows the true extent of the Jinki...I just know a little bit."

"And?" Ahiko pressed.

"The Jinki, besides the Sekirei, are the sole reason the world governments invaded Kamikura Island. It is the reason why the First Generation Discipline Squad and the Second Generation Discipline Squad were formed. As things stand, Minaka has kept the flames of war at bay these last few years because of his immense power and influence. But, if one Jinki were to be used, that'd all fall apart. We'd have every world government trying to invade Japan-the whole country would be embroiled in war, and it'd turn into an internal war as well."

"That doesn't answer my question." Toyotama pointed out.

Matsu sighed wearily, closing her eyes for a moment. Toyotama wasn't exactly the sharpest. To be more exact, she was just straight forward. She didn't add words or speak in a manner that gave way to detail. The fact the world governments were willing to attack Kamikura Island and Japan for the Jinki should have made things more than obvious.

Matsu opened her eyes, gaze steady. "The Jinki are energy, basically. A lot of energy. One could power the entire world, just one. So, could the Jinki I have destroy MBI's satellite? Yes. It'd be like a flamethrower and a gnat. But, if I did that-what fragile peace there is will be done away with. Japan will be invaded. Kamikura Island will be invaded. Both places will just be battlefields."

"Ahhh..." Ahiko nodded, eyes shading with understanding.

It explained why the Jinki were basically hidden and known, but also unknown. People in the Sekirei Plan knew about them, but they never seen them, or knew what they're really capable of. It also explained why Matsu had been hunted down, and still was, basically. She was in possession of something that could vaporize all of Japan, easily. It could reduce MBI tower to nothing but ashes. There'd be no debris left, no chunks of cement, no bodies...Nothing.

Matsu also answered her unspoken question. Just what were the Jinki? Ahiko has assumed that they were basically pure energy, kept inside of something that was able to contain and harness it. There was always the chance it could some liquid, but she'd go with energy, considering how quickly MBI climbed up in the world as the top pharmaceutical company. Their military was also a par above-while they didn't have the bombs and other things of destruction other world governments did-the ground forces had sophisticated weapons.

So much so that they could shoot down hordes of enemies.

"Ahiko..."

Surprised by Matsu's hard tone, she turned to the older Sekirei.

"Do you know of Uzume's and Hari's betrayal?"

Ahiko turned away from Matsu-looking at the wall. She felt a wave of emotions crushing down on her, but slowly, carefully, she suppressed them. She composed herself. She had always felt skittish around Hari, and whenever the girl had been around Ryu-things were often weird. She had her suspicions of the girl being more than just a naïve and bubbly girl.

Uzume was a whole different story entirely. Toyotama had informed her of the betrayal, but she still didn't want to believe it. She could face the reality of the situation, but denial was so much easier. Denying it was so easy. Ryu never played favorites, but Uzume being his first Sekirei was something significant to him. It was special. It meant a lot to him.

After losing three Sekirei...

Uzume...

Ahiko put a lid on her fury before she spoke. "I am well aware of the situation."

"I want to make sure that we're all on the same page." Matsu affirmed.

Ahiko lowered her gaze slightly-Miya...

"We are, I understand."

Toyotama nodded. "Good, because I want to put something stringent into place. A code, one that we all have to follow, even Ryu."

"I was thinking of the same thing. We need to stay together, more than anything. At this point in time we can't afford to have what is happening, happening in the first place." Matsu added.

Ahiko looked between the two of them. "A code?"

"Yes." Toyotama nodded. "And, if I can help it, all of us Sekirei will be wearing the same uniform as well."

Ahiko leaned back in her seat, brows furrowed. "What may that uniform be?"

"What I'm wearing right now."

"And, what of this code? You were both thinking it should be stringent..."

Matsu shook her head gently. "We'll wait to speak on that. It'll be better when Ryu, and the rest of his Sekirei are present before we touch on that."

Yukari tried to push the thought of Higa snapping at one of his subordinates out of her mind. She tried to push the thought of the Ashikabi being dragged out of the room kicking and screaming bloody murder. She knew how bad Higa could snap. He had taken out an entire Yakuza syndicate and raided a building where some ronin had been holed up. Though, he hadn't been there himself, he ordered it.

Her duties were getting harder to fulfill, but being able to have Shiina with her at her dorm now was something she didn't take for granted. Quite frankly her Sekirei was the only thing she had, as she could hardly contact Minato. Between schoolwork and her duties, she had no time for anything else. It was starting to weigh on her, seeing what a tyrant Higa was and could be with everyone under him, seeing Kakizaki delight in dishing out punishment, only for Higa to nearly break his fingers.

The only person who didn't get the lash from Higa was Juma. She was ranked above Kakizaki, and even she got treated differently than the man. Unlike the rest of his Sekirei, Higa had a rapport with Juma and wasn't so hateful. The emotions were still there, but they weren't being exuded, so to speak. He didn't spit in Juma's mouth to wing her or make her suck on his saliva slick finger.

From experience Yukari knew that she could easily snap Higa's neck, and would. The woman didn't play any type of games and was more impassive and reserved, though she had her moments with Akane and a few others. She reinforced everything and was in charge of all the Sekirei-even the ones that Kakizaki may have winged.

"You remember where those rebellious pests are, Yukari?" Higa broke her out of his train of thought.

She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, suddenly very conscious of the snowy weather, and her need to stay in the warmth of this limo. She was still surprised Uzume betrayed Ryu. Minato would often speak of the man, and usually had good things to say-Ryu was the only person to not treat him so lowly. A friend of her brother's was a friend of hers, though, she couldn't recall meeting him.

Yukari just knew that Uzume was Ryu's Sekirei. There was nothing more or nothing less. Higa didn't inform her of anything more. Shiina didn't say anything more than that either, and that they should avoid Ryu because Karasuba was also his Sekirei.

She heard a lot of things about Karasuba.

"Somewhere on ninth avenue, by that one nightclub." She finally answered, vaguely.

She was still giving him a straight answer, with a little sass. She couldn't stand being so subservient to this man, even if he was a bishonen. After the things she's done, experienced, and witnessed under this man's hand, his looks were the polar opposite to his personality. He should have a fat face, and a square jaw, and a beard going down to his chin. His gruff attitude and horrible demeanor fit well with such an appearance.

"You should just give a straight answer instead of yapping." Akane said, eyes hard.

Yukari bit her lip, stopping herself from making a retort.

"Shut up Akane and focus on the objective." Juma said, tone calm, but lethal.

"There's not much Sekirei left, so we need to wing these two without any problems. They've evaded us once because the Discipline Squad interfered, that can't happen again" Higa said.

He wouldn't allow any sort of failure this time around, and retreat wouldn't be an option. He didn't want to go on the war path with MBI and the Discipline Squad just yet, but he wouldn't hesitate to put them all back in their place. He wasn't going to tolerate interference from anyone. If he had to go on the war path with MBI and the Squad, then he'd have to change his plans. To do that now would cost far too much, and he wasn't willing to risk that much.

"I understand, Higa-sama."

"Don't take it too far." Higa warned.

"We're nearing the place." Kakizaki informed, turning to look back from the driver's sear.

"I'll move first with Ichiya. Aika and the others will flank us in unison." Oshino declared.

"Very well, I will only provide support if it is needed." Juma conceded.

Yukari inhaled quietly, starting to grow more and more anxious. She could feel her bladder starting to move against her. She wasn't sure how this was going to go, but if all went well, the squad would be arriving here within just a few seconds. She'd just have to trust her mother and hope that everything went well. She'd never get out from Higa's thumb quite yet, but being able to delay Higa's nefarious plans brought an unseen grin to her face.

"Time to move." Juma broke the silence.

Yukari took a deep breath, eyes going to Shiina.

"Go." Came the simple command from Higa.