Thanks, Sherlock.
X
Uzume stood in front of Higa Izumi's office with her head bowed. Her arm was raised as if to grab the doorknob but she was thoroughly paralyzed.
She knew exactly what would be waiting for her in that room.
The Sekirei thought back to the other night. She told the kid that she couldn't help him– that she wouldn't help him. He didn't take it personally; he just thought that she wasn't willing to stick her neck out for a stranger. It was true, in a way. She wasn't, much less for a killer that acted more like a wild animal than a person and a man sick enough in the head to put up with her.
But that wasn't why she refused to help rescue Karasuba and her Ashikabi. The reality of it was that she was just as implicit in the matter as the people that Minato and his flock were opposing.
Sure, she didn't tell Higa that the kid would be showing up, but it didn't matter. The man got his way.
Besides, she had her own role to play in all of this.
Karasuba had been captured, she was told. A really bizarre outcome since the point of the operation was to kidnap the Ashikabi. Hell, to come out the other end with an indisposed Karasuba almost seemed impossible.
How everything went down, how this conclusion came to be, she didn't know. What she did know was that she had been asked to show up here when Kakizaki finished his mission with Karasuba in tow.
Uzume took a deep breath and opened the door.
Her entrance was met with silence. Higa was sitting behind his desk, fingers tented like the pompous, b-movie-like villainous bastard that he was. He didn't even spare her a glance; rather, he had his sights locked on his trusted right-hand man.
Kakizaki had his back facing her and so did his captive. The man's Sekirei, the brain type whose name wasn't coming to mind, had her hand firmly pressed on the shoulder of an individual whose entire body was restrained from head to toe. A straight jacket, chains, shackles, rope, everything.
Still, Uzume couldn't trust those measures to hold and she didn't know how these people could.
That was Karasuba next to them, after all.
That woman was the only one who seemed to be willing to acknowledge her presence. With what little mobility she had, she strained her neck in order to smile at her.
"Hey there!" was all that the grey-haired woman said.
Higa waved a finger. He was motioning for Uzume to stand behind him.
Quietly, of course. She wasn't part of this discussion. At this moment, she was nothing more than a setpiece.
Higa waited a moment before getting right into things.
"Kakizaki. Would you care to explain what's going on? Judging by what my eyes are telling me, there are a few leaps in logic too many that have to be made for me to even begin to piece things together … as you could imagine."
The bespectacled man cleared his throat.
"Of course. We accompanied Sahashi Takami and her MBI operatives as instructed. Unfortunately, the Ashikabi of the North seemed to have had a stake in this as well. He was at the airport; his Sekirei held off our combined forces enough to make getting close to Number Four's Ashikabi… difficult."
Uzume frowned. Ashikabi of the North? Was that what they were calling Minato now? She supposed that he did wing a bunch of powerful Sekirei…
Higa glanced her way for a moment and she froze. He didn't think that she had anything to do with this, did he?
…Well, yeah, she didn't tell him that it was gonna happen, but…
Higa brought his attention back to his front.
"Right. And how did that lead to you capturing Karasuba?"
Kakizaki had a faint blush colouring his cheeks despite his expression remaining as stern as ever.
"Well, we had to improvise, Sir."
The blond-haired man narrowed his eyes.
"You're telling me that you had an easier time capturing the Black Sekirei than a human man?"
"Ah, uh, circumstances permitting, yes."
Higa wasn't buying it, and frankly, neither was Uzume.
She wasn't there to see it happen with her own eyes, obviously, but in what world would "circumstances permit" them to capture Karasuba and not her Ashikabi? There was obviously something strange about that man, but a human was still a human.
Besides, Karasuba looked like she felt awfully good about herself right now.
She didn't look upset. She didn't look worried. There was an easygoing smile spreading her lips.
With that woman, it was just as easy to assume that she wasn't taking this seriously as it was to assume that she was scheming something that wasn't about to end well for the people that thought that they had gotten the better of her.
From the corner of her eye, Uzume saw something.
In Karasuba's ear. Something caught the light in a way that skin wasn't reflective enough to do.
She squinted, but upon further investigation, there was nothing there.
Was she just imagining things?
"Uzume."
The girl straightened. She forgot where she was for a second. Higa's stern tone snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Yes?"
"I've decided," he said, grabbing his phone from where it rested on his desk. "There's something that I want you to do for me."
The way he said it filled her with a sense of trepidation. No matter what came next, saying "no" was not an option for her.
"Of course," she responded tentatively.
"You live on the same property as Sahashi Minato, don't you? If anyone would know where Number Four's Ashikabi is right now, it's them. Find out where he is and get close to him."
By his own standards, the instructions were vague. The bad feeling in her gut wasn't going away.
"Get close to him?" she repeated. "You mean follow him? Or…"
Even now, he wouldn't look at her. She wasn't worth looking at. She wasn't a person. A Sekirei was nothing more than a tool.
"Get comfortable with him. Rather, get him comfortable with you. I don't care how you do it. You can fill in the blanks yourself, I'm sure."
The repulsion that she felt was visceral.
Was he… was he asking her to…
She chanced another glance Karasuba's way. For once, that woman wasn't smiling.
The look was unreadable, but she could still empathise, more or less. To hear of plans for your Ashikabi to be taken advantage of, that was–
Uzume gulped.
Who was Karasuba's Ashikabi, really? She had heard very little of him, but none of what she did hear was good. How trusting was he? How far would she have to take this?
Chiho… Her darling Chiho…
She couldn't hurt her beloved Ashikabi. She wouldn't. There were certain lines that she wouldn't cross.
But was it even up to her? Higa wouldn't think so. The fucker had her by the shorthairs. He knew it. She knew it. Could she afford to act on her own moral compass?
No.
Higa had already moved on from their discussion. Calmly, he addressed Karasuba.
"You understand what's going to happen now, don't you? This isn't how we'd usually go about things… but with you here, there isn't anyone to stop us from having our way with your Ashikabi. MBI has made it very clear that they have cut ties with you. From this moment onward, you belong to Hiyamakai Enterprises and its subsidiaries. If you fancy your own life – the life of your Ashikabi – then you will do what I say, when I say so. Am I understood?"
Karasuba didn't answer at first. Her smile slowly returned to her.
Uzume would not be privy to where this discussion would go, however. Higa dismissed her with a quick flick of the wrist.
He was not telling her that she was free to go. He was telling her that he wanted her out of the room.
Not that she would complain.
The only thing that stuck to Sekirei Number Ten's mind as she left was that, in all the times that she had seen Higa give the exact same spiel, not once had the Sekirei on the other end of that desk seemed so uncaring of the situation at hand. She brought most of them to the man personally.
Beyond any shred of a doubt, Karasuba was the outlier. In what ways it mattered, she did not know. She could only hope to not find out.
She suspected that Higa felt the same way.
X
Miya was not a woman who anyone would describe as exuberant. With that said, she was far from unexpressive.
The pan sizzled on the stovetop before her. A slight smile was ever present on her lips, never becoming anything more, never waning.
As subtle as it was, anyone who knew her would immediately be able to tell that something had put her in a good mood this morning.
And yet, no one would dare ask what that "something" was just in case she didn't notice. She was usually so conscious about keeping to herself; it would be a shame if she inadvertently felt like she had to wipe that grin off her face.
It was a shared sentiment between those who were seated at the breakfast table.
Miya turned off the heating element and with one last crackle, the flame died down.
"Minato-san!" she called out over her shoulder. "Would you grab Emiya-san, please? It's just about ready."
The boy was snapped out of his daydream. For the past ten minutes or so, he had been absentmindedly watching Tohsaka-san teach Musubi-san some sort of card game.
"Right away!" he responded. He quickly got to his feet and left the room. He knew where to find the man, after all.
Once he left the room, Minato fell right back into his thoughts.
Emiya-san came back with them last night. Despite the awkward way that he and Tohsaka-san ran into each other, they were both acting very civil. As if all of this was normal.
None of this was normal. They were both adapting to whatever it was that was going on right now much too quickly.
Tohsaka-san was always a strange one– or rather, he now realized that she was always strange. She was calm, gentle and polite right from the moment they met, but she was never not that. Something was going on between her and Emiya-san, and after everything that happened yesterday, she still had no issues playing with Musubi-san as if she didn't have a care in the world.
Emiya-san was just as bad. Worse, even.
That man couldn't even begin to pretend to care about what happened to him– to Karasuba-san. Was all of yesterday erased from his mind or something?
It took a bit of convincing on his part, but Emiya-san followed him back to Izumo Inn for the time being. Everyone was a little worried, sure, but it was actually Miya-san of all people who said that it was okay for him to stay. She put him up in a spare room until everyone could figure out where they'd be going from here.
Minato passed by the man this morning on the way down to the kitchen. He was sitting at the edge of the engawa, admiring the garden with a cup of tea in hand. He looked so peaceful. It was like he didn't have a single care in the world.
Was he a bad person for thinking ill of Emiya-san in that moment? He felt like he was forcing his own feelings on the matter. He didn't know the man. He didn't know how he was actually processing all of this. He only knew what he saw.
And yet, the feeling wouldn't leave him. Neither Tohsaka-san nor Emiya-san did anything to make him think that they were anything but good people, but…
His footsteps slowed as he approached the porch.
Hm? Was he speaking to someone?
Minato heard the man's voice. The sounds were faint; whispers at most. They were angry; quick and fleeting. He couldn't even be making out what was being said. Was Emiya-san even speaking, or was it just the wind playing tricks on him?
He got a little closer. Emiya-san came into sight.
…No, he was alone. Strange. Maybe it was the wind after all.
The boy put on his best smile.
"Emiya-san. Good morning."
The white-haired man paused, scratched his ear and turned toward him.
He matched the smile. It was a kind one. Easygoing.
"Good morning, Sahashi-san."
"Miya-san's calling everyone for breakfast."
Emiya-san got to his feet and dusted off his samue. Honestly, he didn't know where the man got the thing. Did Miya-san lend it to him?
"I'll be right there," Emiya-san told him.
Minato only nodded. Head in the clouds as it was, he didn't trust himself to do anything more.
X
"Kazehana! Hey!"
Someone grabbed her by the wrist and called out to her in a hushed tone. The woman stopped in her tracks in the hallway leading to the kitchen.
"Kagari?" she uttered confusedly.
Homura wasn't looking too good.
He hadn't let go of her yet. The man was hunched over with sweat caking his hair to his forehead.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Never mind that!" he bit back. "Do you mind–" he inhaled sharply, as if pained, "–explaining what the hell is going on right now? I've been looking for a chance to pull you aside all morning. Why is that man here? What did you people do last night!? I talked to Miya and all she said was that you guys 'saved' the guy but that Karasuba got captured. Karasuba."
"..." She grimaced. "It's a long story."
He finally let her go, though his visible discomfort did not ease up in the least.
"...Is it safe to have him here?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Then–!"
She put a finger to the man's lips.
"Look. My Ashikabi – all of us – jumped through too many hoops to get that guy here alive for me – or for you – to protest him being here. For now, just act normal. Do not let your guard down. I don't know what he's up to but I don't like it."
Homura frowned.
"You think he's up to something, then."
She nodded.
"He must be. The way that everything happened… it's not sitting well with me. If nothing else, there's more to this situation that either he or Karasuba is letting on. They know something that we don't. That MBI doesn't know."
"Obviously. That guy didn't look worried in the slightest when I saw him earlier. Are you sure that Karasuba is really–"
"No, I'm not. In fact, the one thing that I'm sure of is that she allowed herself to be taken. Not once did Emiya act like he gave a damn. Actually, the whole time he was–"
She cut herself off. Homura looked at her curiously.
"He was what?"
"...Never mind that. Let's go. Miya'll probably get angry if we waste any more time."
X
Everyone seemed to have arrived at once. Kazehana-san showed up with Kagari-san just as he and Emiya-san came in from outside.
For a moment, Minato stared at Kagari-san worriedly.
His face was damp and red as if he had been trying his best to wash it not that long ago. Was he tired? He was definitely putting on a brave front, but the man had been a little more lethargic than normal lately.
The others were already at the table. Tsukiumi san and Musubi-san were sitting next to each other and Tohsaka-san was seated across from them storing away her deck of cards.
Oh. Actually, come to think of it, where was–
"Emiya-kun. Good morning."
Tohsaka-san's voice was cutting.
Until that moment, Minato had never described a voice in that way before. "Cutting". Though it crossed his mind quickly, he couldn't quite describe what it meant, exactly.
Her voice wasn't particularly loud and yet he doubted that anyone would try to talk over her. Whether it was because of what she said or how she said it, he didn't know.
He observed Emiya-san from the corner of his eye with bated breath. He was sure that everyone else was doing the same.
Emiya-san and Tohsaka-san didn't get along… probably. Their relationship was strange, to say the least, and this was the first time that they had a chance to speak properly with each other now that the hectic situation was behind them.
Really, he didn't know what would happen.
"Good morning."
…Apparently, nothing happened.
Nodding politely, he took a seat next to her and they proceeded to mind their own business as though they were nothing more than cordial acquaintances.
Minato wanted to say something. He wanted to ask questions.
But what? What could he possibly ask? What did he even want to know?
Kazehana-san brought him back to reality.
Or rather, it was her… uh…
"Kazehana-san! I can't breathe– hmf!"
She shoved his face into the side of her chest a little harder.
"Ease up, Minato-chan~" she slurred. She wasn't drunk, was she? It was seven in the morning! "You look so tense! Have a seat next to onee-chan, okay!"
He wasn't given a choice in the matter. The poor boy was dragged down to the ground; Tsukiumi-san and Musubi-san started arguing over his head seconds later.
He wanted to cry.
"Heyo! Sorry I'm late!"
He was given a momentary reprieve. Uzume-san finally made her entrance.
"Oh? And where have you been all this time, hm?" Miya-san asked, coming in with another large bowl. Kagari-san, who was still standing, took it from the woman and set it down for her. "Not sleeping in, I hope?"
The easy-going brunette laughed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Ah, well you see–"
"Please sit down," Miya-san asked kindly.
Uzume-san sat down right away.
Scary.
Kagari took the place next to her. It wasn't long before Miya-san joined them at the head of the table.
Everyone was here now.
"Well then!" Miya announced. "We have a new guest staying with us for the time being. Emiya-san, have you had the opportunity to acquaint yourself with everyone?"
The man took a quick look around.
"Ah, well–"
"I don't think we've met," Kagari-san announced. He didn't quite smile, but he didn't seem upset either. He stretched out a hand for Emiya-san to shake. The other white-haired man didn't waste any time in leaning over the table to return the gesture. "You can call me Kagari. I work night shifts at my job, so you probably won't see me around very often; I took the day off, so I'm here with everyone today."
Emiya-san hummed.
"I'm glad to have this opportunity to make your acquaintance, then, Kagari-san."
Ah, that's right. Come to think of it, it was pretty rare for Kagari-san to join them for breakfast. He said that he took the day off. Was he feeling all right? From what little he'd seen of the man lately, he didn't look too great, but he definitely wasn't showing any of that right now. Kagari-san was acting like he was perfectly fine, actually. Maybe he was feeling a bit better.
Nonetheless, it seemed that a good first impression was made. The only issue now was…
Minato peered over at Uzume-san.
She was usually really nice, but he could tell that she wasn't too sure about being around Emiya-san. She seemed pretty adamant about not helping, after all. Not that he blamed her any. He could only hope that she didn't feel uncomfortable staying in the same house as him.
To his surprise, she was all smiles.
"You can call me Uzume!"
She offered her hand as well. Shirou, who was still shaking Kagari-san's, unclasped his hand and leaned over toward her.
"Likewise, Uzume-san. Our first meeting wasn't on the best of terms, but I hope we can get along.." He let go and leaned back into his spot. "That goes for all of you, of course. I appreciate you having taken me in for the night."
Uzume-san let out a soft chuckle.
"Yeah… it was pretty crazy, huh? I mean, your reputation definitely precedes you, but despite that, I really don't think you're a bad guy. You definitely seem chill and Minato-chan vouches for you, so… if you have any questions about anything, just ask onee-chan, okay? We can have a nice long chat."
Her usual, friendly not-quite-flirtations were met by reactions ranging from groans to laughs. Even from Emiya-san himself.
Minato was relieved, though. Uzume-san phrased that in a very particular fashion that was suggestive in more ways than one; it was good that Kagari-san didn't catch on to anything strange.
Before now, he was pretty worried about how things would go down once Emiya-san sat down with everyone properly. Sure, he knew that his reputation was undeserved – he was the one who wanted to make sure that MBI couldn't get to him – but they didn't. They didn't know the things he did. They didn't see the things that he saw.
He shouldn't have been worried after all. Everyone was welcoming him with open arms.
Kagari-san didn't know the man so that wasn't a problem, Tohsaka-san wasn't acting strange, Miya-san didn't have any issues with him staying at her inn, Kazehana-san was at least cordial, Musubi-san didn't have a hateful bone in her body and Tsukiumi-san didn't care – which, in his mind, was the closest thing to welcoming that he could expect from her.
And now, Uzume-san. Her interactions with Emiya-san were few and far between, so it was a display of their own good character that she could be so accepting knowing that Emiya-san was being spoken of as if he were the boogieman.
Minato beamed. Everything would be just fine. They just had to find a way to get to Karasuba-san.
"Emiya-san," Miya-san spoke up. "Is everything to your liking?"
He took the time to swallow whatever was in his mouth before answering.
"It's fantastic. You're an excellent cook, Miya-san."
Daintily, she covered her giggle with the tips of her fingers.
"I'm sure you'll love dinner just as much, then."
Emiya-san blinked.
"Oh. I'm sorry if I caused any confusion. I'll be gone by then. I do appreciate you letting me stay the night, however."
Minato jumped to his feet without thinking.
"What!?"
Everyone was staring at him now.
"Is there an issue, Sahashi-san?" Emiya asked him.
Minato frowned before looking at Kagari-san from the corner of his eye. He had to choose his words carefully or–
"Kagari-san?"
The man in question rose to his feet and smiled down at them apologetically.
"Sorry, everyone. I guess I'm not used to getting up this early. How about we have a better chat later?"
He didn't wait for anyone's response. The happening garnered some attention; it felt like everyone was staring at the man's back owlishly as he left the room.
"Is he okay?" Musubi-san asked worriedly
Miya-san sighed.
"Yes, it's a common occurrence, I assure you. I do apologize for his behaviour, however. That was still rude."
Well, if she was sure...
Still, that was strange. The timing of it was, at least. It felt less like a tired man caving and going back to bed and more like someone who couldn't stand something to the point that he needed to get away. Was it because they were talking about Emiya-san?
…He was probably projecting. Minato promised himself that he would check on Kagari-san after breakfast.
But first, there was a more pressing matter at hand that he didn't want to drop.
"You said you'd let me help you," he said, staring accusingly at Emiya-san. As he spoke, everyone at the table was dragged back into the moment. "That you'd let us help."
"And you did," the older man rebutted. "You gave me a place to sleep. You've repaid the favour in double."
Everyone else was quiet. No one was backing up Minato here. Even Tohsaka-san, who convinced Emiya-san to come in the first place, merely leaned forward and rested her chin on webbed fingers.
He had enough of this.
"Don't you get it!?" Minato snapped. "This is about more than just you! It's great that you're safe, but Karasuba-san isn't! There's a difference between not wanting to impose and acting like you just don't care!"
The boy froze.
Ah… he said it.
His head dropped.
"...Sorry for yelling."
A tense, silent moment passed.
Emiya-san sighed.
"No, I'm sorry. I never explained myself properly. I have faith in Karasuba; I can trust that she's not in any real danger. That's why I'm not so hung up on trying to get to her right away. It's best that I take my time with this."
"Still, that doesn't mean that we can't pitch in, right? You probably already know it by now, but most of us here are Sekirei. We know what it's like to be separated from our Ashikabi, and it's not great."
"..."
Minato was caught off guard. Of all people, it was Uzume-san who spoke up first. He was amazed at how quickly she had a change of heart.
Musubi-san and Tsukiumi-san followed her example not long after.
"It's wrong for you two to be kept apart."
"No one should stand in the way of love, Emiya-san!"
For whatever reason, the man suddenly looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Tohsaka-san finally spoke her mind.
"What's wrong? Embarrassed? It's not that difficult to admit that you love her, is it, Emiya-kun?"
Emiya-san stared at her as though she had said something truly awful.
Still, as a fellow Japanese man, it wasn't like he didn't understand where Emiya-san was coming from. Sekirei were aliens. They didn't share identical biology, sure, but they didn't share their values either. Saying things like "I love you" was embarrassing, even if it was true!
Minato couldn't help his eyes gravitating toward his Sekirei.
Even he didn't quite…
Musubi-san leaned over the table and grabbed Emiya-san by the hand. The man was visibly caught off guard.
"She knows that you love her, right? Oh, you must tell her! It's important! Sekirei are beings of love, after all. It's obvious that she loves you, just as it's obvious to me that you love her!"
Her hand moved to his chest. Musubi-san's smile was sweet.
It wasn't her usual smile, though it was just as kind.
…Was it just him, or did she seem different somehow? Musubi-san was doing everything that Musubi-san would do, but her mannerisms didn't feel like Musubi-san at all. He only just noticed now.
"There's no need to be scared of love, Emiya-san."
Emiya-san was stiff as a board. His eyes didn't leave Musubi-san's.
Tohsaka-san clapped her hands.
"Well then! Would you all mind if I pulled Emiya-kun aside for a moment? There's something that I'd like to talk to him about."
Minato noticed that he was still standing and sat back down.
"Oh! Uh, well…"
He was bad at this. Usually, he was fine with letting others have their way, but for something so serious…
Tohsaka-san must have known what was on his mind.
"Don't worry!" she said with a bright smile. "I'll get him back on track for you! I promise."
Emiya-san frowned.
"I–"
He wasn't able to get a word in. Tohsaka decided that breakfast was over, evidently; she grabbed the man by the shoulder and pulled him out of the room.
"..."
"Well, this was nice," Uzume lamely remarked.
X
"So, Emiya-kun. Now would be a great time to reminisce, no?"
The woman sat at the edge of the engawa. Were he a less observant person, he would've surely thought it a terrible time to "reminisce". However, he immediately noticed that despite looking like the landlady's garden, it wasn't her garden at all.
It was nothing more than a facsimile. A bounded field. No one would bother them here.
It was secure in that they had privacy and dangerous in that Tohsaka had him trapped.
To some degree, at least.
He hated this feeling. It was just like how it was back at the airport. Her very presence meant that he was already in a check. He was stuck.
Saving the city. His efforts being all for nothing. Knowing that no matter what he did, how he acted, how he thought, she would still hold the cards to counter him at every move. In every fashion imaginable, she was his greatest obstacle. The one thing most dangerous to him and his ideals. Nothing else even came close.
He had to force himself out of inaction.
"Reminisce?" he repeated. "That's a strange place to start. When did you get here, Tohsaka? Why are you here? I have no business with you just as you have no business with me."
She smiled, though there was not so much effort put behind it that it was able to reach her eyes.
"Though I'm sure you'd like for that to be true, I'm afraid it isn't. We can't ignore the aliens running around everywhere, can we?"
A cold sweat ran down his back.
He didn't want to face it, but this was just the fact of the matter. Tohsaka was here for a reason, and that reason was the very same thing that had been keeping him here all the while. It would have almost been preferable to hear that she came to Neo Tokyo to put his head on a pike.
So then… why? Why try to bring up the past now? Why not ask about the Sekirei? What did she know? What didn't she know?
What did–
"Calm down, would you? The Association doesn't know about this if that's what you're worried about."
Despite himself, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
His thoughts were brought to a halt. Tohsaka grabbed him by the chin and pulled him in close. He could feel her breath against his face.
"I said… Let's reminisce, Shirou," she repeated.
His shoulders slumped exhaustedly.
It seemed they were going to have this conversation one way or another.
X
Hey everyone. Chapter 16 is back up like I said it would be. You're not missing anything, I didn't make any changes to it. Angry reviews are fine, but I don't really appreciate death threats in my DMs. Whether it was one guy with a bunch of troll accounts or just a bunch of people with a bunch of accounts, I do not know and it's not really relevant. It's crazy to think that a few thousand words of fanfic can elicit such a response, but it is what it is. None of that happened on the other websites, thankfully, so I left it up there.
My thoughts were that a lack of a chapter would result in a lack or responses. I've since learned that this isn't how it works lol.
Anyway, feel free to ignore this message. Just thought I should explain things.