Time to write has been taken out of my work schedule. Time to work on the chapter illustration has also been taken out of my work schedule (I doodled it in the 30 mins it took my coworkers to arrive at the office so I'm sorry if it's a little rough.
Obviously I know this isn't how I should be doing things but everything will be going back to normal soon. Hopefully. Lol.
Thanks to every one of you on pa treon and, as always, thanks Sherlock.
X
"You're all too slow! Get your asses in gear before this shitstorm snowballs any more than it already has. I wanted blocks A and B out and running five minutes ago!"
Sahashi Takami was in the control room to say her piece for all of a dozen seconds before storming right back out. She didn't wait to hear their reactions; none of them had time for that. She could only hope that they got the message.
She wished that she could honestly say that she couldn't believe that Minaka did this. Unfortunately, she could believe it all too easily. That man didn't think. He didn't think about alternatives, consequences, anything. He never did.
It went without saying that there was no point in asking him what this was all about. There was a good chance this was nothing more than a passing vagary on his part.
Nonetheless, antagonizing Homura to this degree could only be bad for MBI and particularly bad for Minaka himself. He knew that Number Six hated him with a passion, right? This was bound to push him over the edge.
She was almost certain that Homura would be coming straight here.
That wouldn't be a problem, normally. As strong as he was, Homura could not stand against MBI alone. But now that he had every Ashikabi with a shred of ambition hot on his trail? There was no way to really say what could happen.
This was why they should have kept a tighter leash around Karasuba's neck. That psychopath was a dog liable to bite the hand that fed it, but at least it was one that reliably bit everyone else's hand too. For all that Takami wished harm on the woman, this would have been the time to have her around.
MBI was not the same force without her and that could not be denied.
"Miss Sahashi."
The man's recognizable voice made her slow her pace until she came to a stop in the brightly-lit hallway. She about-faced and stared down Ichinomi and Benitsubasa.
"Can I help you? Shouldn't the both of you be heading out by now? I hope you're not keeping the chopper waiting."
Ichinomi kept a straight face while Benitsubasa frowned.
"We were at the med bay when we got the summons," the man told her. "We just thought you'd want to know that the doctors are saying that Haihane is in better shape now. She might wake up soon."
Takami's shoulders slumped. She turned away and sighed.
"...Sorry,"
In the moment, it was all that she could think to say. She was at the end of her wits but it didn't mean that she had to be an insensitive bitch to the fact that their colleague almost died.
Takami opened her mouth to say something but shut it once she realized that she didn't know what was going to come out. She thought about it for a moment then tried again.
"Karasuba's Ashikabi did a real number on her. Do you think she'll make a full recovery?"
Benitsubasa's frown deepened, obviously preoccupied with something.
"...Hey, Takami, please be honest. Is Karasuba's partner really her Ashikabi?"
Ichinomi blinked at her. Takami felt just as lost.
"What do you mean?"
The smaller girl's fists tightened. Her knuckles turned white.
"Humans can't do that. What he did to Haihane shouldn't be possible… right? He's got to be a Sekirei. He and Karasuba must be sharing an Ashikabi: one that's been hiding this whole time."
Takami crossed her arms.
"I don't know what to tell you. Our systems say that Karasuba reacted to, and was subsequently winged by, Emiya Shirou quite explicitly. There is no 'mysterious Ashikabi' in play here; MBI takes data collection concerning these matters quite seriously. It's just him."
Ichinomi hummed.
"But you have to admit that it's strange. If he's an Ashikabi, then he's human. There's no way for a Sekirei to wing another Sekirei, right? Because of this, when we attacked them, we were operating under the assumption that Karasuba—and Karasuba alone—was the threat in direct combat. We were proved wrong in a spectacular fashion and Haihane's current condition is the result."
…Hah. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Ichinomi was glaring at her. His expression was tight and his lips were curled down. He had a far-off look in his eye, though; he wasn't looking at her.
"Have something you want to get off your chest, kid?"
He narrowed his eyes. It was the closest thing to genuine emotion that Takami had ever seen from the young MBI employee. He was all smiles, usually.
"I really didn't think it was the case at first, but Emiya Shirou is just like her."
She didn't like the sound of that.
"'Her'. You mean Karasuba?"
Benitsubasa didn't seem to know where he was going with this either. The younger girl stared at her Ashikabi with a lost expression.
"Whaddaya mean?" the girl asked. "Like, he's a violent, sardonic bitch?"
"His behaviour was incredibly passive," Ichinomi explained. "Or at least, it seemed that way to me."
Takami didn't let any emotion cross her face. She waited patiently for the man to elaborate.
Benitsubasa, however, was quick to disagree with him.
"Hah? What do you mean by that, Natsuo? They wiped the floor with us. If there's anything they have in common, it's being violent. The only thing that went our way was when those Sekirei came and kidnapped Karasuba."
"...Was that what it seemed like to you? To me, it just felt like she didn't particularly care enough to stop them. Neither of them did." The man's eyes looked empty as he recalled the events that took place. "For all the damage they caused, I doubt they were doing much more than going through the motions."
Ichinomi's far-off look was almost sad. Melancholic.
"I didn't get it at first: why she chose him over the disciplinary squad. But now I do. If she well and truly reacted to him as she says, then he's possibly the closest thing to Karasuba that exists on this earth."
Takami stuffed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat.
She needed a cigarette. Would anyone stop her if she lit one here?
Ichinomi stared at her blankly for a moment longer before his everpresent smile slipped back onto his face.
"Ah. All of this is to say… Just because Karasuba is out of commission doesn't mean that her Ashikabi shouldn't be a worry of ours."
Takami didn't quite chuckle, but the noise that escaped her nose was close enough. She turned back around and continued on her path.
"That much goes without saying, Ichinomi. Stay alert—both of you."
X
Minato's hand was shaking. It was so bad that he could barely read the text MBI just sent out.
He was the only one in the living space right now. Miya-san, who was usually always in the adjacent kitchen, was out running an errand. Matsu-san was in her room and everyone else was out back.
Empty as the table was, his turbulent thoughts were the loudest thing in the room.
There was only one Sekirei left and every Ashikabi just got an invitation to try to wing him.
Kagari-san. It had to be Kagari-san.
He jolted when he felt a lithe finger tap him gently on the shoulder. He whipped his head up to see Tsukiumi-san's concerned face.
"Are you okay?" she asked him gently.
When did she get here? He thought that she was in the yard with Musubi-san and Kuu-chan.
There was nothing more that he would have liked to do than smile up at her reassuringly. If Tsukiumi-san could make such an expression, it was obvious that he would want to show her his good side so that he could see it more often.
He couldn't, though. Not right now.
"Kagari-san is in trouble," he told her truthfully. "I just got the CEO's message saying that the Ashikabi who wings the final Sekirei will receive a 'gift'."
It was clear that she didn't understand right away. It took her a moment to put two in two together.
Her eyes widened.
"Ah! Kagari? A Sekirei? Really?"
They narrowed a moment later.
"What are your intentions toward that man, Husband? Your present company is the extent of what I'll have to compete with, I hope."
Thoughts occupied as they were, Minato still couldn't help but get flustered.
"No! I mean, I'm not interested in men that way and neither is Kagari-san! But—"
"That's all that matters, I suppose. Shall we go then, Husband? To save our acquaintance."
"..."
Minato caught himself staring at Tsukiumi.
She was radiant. The woman was the jealous type; she seemed so self-assured right now, though. He hadn't ever seen her like this before. Did something happen?
His worries dragged him back down to earth before his mind could drift off any further.
"I… I want to help him but I can't."
The blonde sat down. She had a completely different air about her when she wasn't fighting with Musubi over who got to sit next to him at the table. Just having her here in that moment was enough to ease some of his frayed nerves.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Minato kept his gaze set firmly on the wood surface in front of him.
"He's in a bad way right now. We spoke earlier and he told me that if I really wanted to help him, the best thing that I could do would be to stay away."
"What?" Tsukiumi-san exclaimed. "That doesn't make sense. Why would he want you to stay away from him? Did you do something to make him upset with you?"
His shoulders tightened.
"No! I mean… I'm not explaining it properly. I think… I think Kagari-san knew that this was going to happen. I don't think he wants to be saved; he wants things to happen this way."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
It wasn't Tsukiumi's voice. It was coming from the kitchen.
"...Kazehana-san?" he tried. Both he and Tsukiumi-san were moving their heads around trying to find her without luck.
Kazehana-san then stood up from behind the kitchen counter.
Tsukiumi-san jumped to her feet, face red. She pointed at the dark-haired woman indignantly.
"You! Were you spying on us?"
Ah. And just like that, Tsukiumi-san was back to normal.
Kazehana-san scoffed.
"Of course not. I was sleeping until just now."
On the kitchen floor?
She pretended that she didn't say something so outrageous and came up to us, kicking aside an empty bottle of wine as she did so.
"Do you care for Kagari's well-being?" she asked Minato directly. There was no sign of the hangover that she probably should have had.
"Of course I do!" he shouted.
"Then it's fine to let him drive himself into the dirt just because he asked you to?"
"No! I…"
He trailed off. They didn't know the whole story but he couldn't just tell them that Kagari-san was reacting to him. This was a deeply personal matter for the man. Regardless of how things played out, he wouldn't betray that trust, at the very least.
"Do you want him to get hurt?" Kazehana-san asked again."
"No," Minato answered easily.
"Would you save his life even if that means he hates you for it?"
He paused.
How much did Kazehana-san actually know?
"Yes," was what eventually came out.
Her hand slapped him on the back.
"See? That wasn't so hard. Stop overthinking things."
A small smile crossed his lips. He looked at both Kazehana-san and Tsukiumi-san.
He appreciated them so much. More than he could possibly hope to convey.
"Yeah. You're right."
Kazehana-san laughed.
"Of course I am. I'll go get Musubi and then we can go rescue Homura. The Sekirei guardian deserves a better fate than whatever awaits him."
Minato had a determined look on his face.
"Mm!"
He ran upstairs to get ready. Kazehana-san went out to the yard.
Tsukiumi was left alone at the table, the smile on her face frozen.
A moment later, she snapped.
"Hey. Hey! WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID ABOUT HOMURA? BOTH OF YOU GET BACK HERE! I—"
X
"Hey! Get back here! Are you listening to me?"
He wasn't.
Shirou ignored the shouts of the strange girl that had challenged him to a "Sekirei battle" just before. He didn't have time to be humouring her.
Not if MBI's message meant what he thought it meant.
There would be a mass congregation of Ashikabi and Sekirei wherever Homura ran off to and there was no chance that there wouldn't be a fight were that to happen. It wasn't possible for the Sekirei to hide anywhere remote since MBI was keeping all of them locked within the boundary of a densely populated urban area.
The consequences would be catastrophic.
"Hey, slow down! What's going on? Uzume asked him. The girl was doing a good job of keeping pace with him, probably because she was a Sekirei herself. Thankfully, the other girl and her Sekirei either had the presence of mind to not attack them while they were giving chase or it simply didn't occur to them to do so.
"We have to find Sekirei Number Six," he told her, his head kept up as his eyes scanned the rooftops. "He's the last one left unwinged and MBI just sent every Ashikabi his live location."
Uzume's expression hardened.
"You're going after him too?"
"Of course not," he snapped back. She would have recoiled were they not trying to keep up a quick pace. "Do you have any idea how many people could get hurt if so many Sekirei start a fight right in the middle of the city? I'm going to mitigate as much of the damage as I can, though you're certainly free to lend me a hand.
She didn't respond so he took the time to shoot her a glance over his shoulder. The look on her face was one of astonishment.
"Well?"
"Y-yeah!"
"Okay."
He tilted his head a little further back.
…They hadn't lost the Ashikabi girl completely but she was a little farther behind now.
BOOM!
The sudden distant explosion was strong enough to rattle the ground but far enough away that it didn't knock them off their feet.
The smoke rising above the skyline was as good an indication as any of where they needed to go.
X
Minato shielded his eyes. The blast wasn't super close or anything, but since Kazehana-san was carrying him underarm as she flew through the sky, the wind pressure was enough to throw them off-kilter a little bit.
"Are you okay?" Kazehana san asked worriedly. He smiled at her reassuringly.
"Well, I feel a little emasculated, but I'm fine otherwise!"
She giggled.
"Good to hear!"
Musubi-san gave him a thumbs up from where she was down on the ground. He shot her one in return.
A determined expression crossed Minato's face.
"Just wait for us, Kagari-san!"
He would save him. Even if it meant—
"Ah!"
Kazehana-san quickly shifted to the side, shaking him up a little. Some sort of projectile shot right past them.
"We're being attacked!" he exclaimed. Kazehana-san quickly lowered her altitude and dropped Minato next to Tsukiumi-san.
Musubi-san jumped up to join them. They didn't know where their attackers were but at least they were positioned well and ready for whatever came next.
"...!"
A strange-looking woman appeared before them.
Her expression was distant, almost as though she were nodding off. Her Kimono fit poorly, tight in some places, loose to the point of falling off in others. It was a chain of all things, wrapped around her neck, that was preserving her decency.
Her most noticeable feature, however, was her missing arm. The empty sleeve of her kimono billowed to and fro.
"Who are you?" demanded Tsukiumi-san with crossed arms. The woman didn't answer, however.
"I'm so happy you could join us, fellow Ashikabi!"
The sound of a man's disembodied voice had them all on edge once more. A moment later, a familiar figure jumped up from the streets below with a boy in a white suit in his arms.
Minato's eyes widened.
"You're—"
A katana was at Minato's neck in an instant. It was only the back of Musubi-san's reinforced glove that held its blade at bay.
A bead of sweat ran down Minato's back.
This was the male Sekirei from the airport.
"I would appreciate it if you could keep that information to yourself," the man muttered, his voice just loud enough to be heard by the boy in front of him.
"Hey, hey, Mutsu!" the boy in the white suit complained. He stood next to the woman in the kimono with his hands held behind his back. "Don't attack them right away! I want to talk first. It sucks the drama out of the whole thing otherwise."
The male Sekirei relented and leaped back a few paces to create some distance between the two groups.
Minato furrowed his brow.
"...You said you wanted to talk?"
The boy in the white suit smiled wider.
"Yeah! I'm Mikogami Hayato, the Ashikabi of the South. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ashikabi of the North."
…Huh?
Minato didn't know what that meant.
He looked to the left. Neither Tsukiumi-san nor Musubi-san looked like they understood either.
To the right.
Kazehana-san had a serious look on her face, but even still, she wasn't saying anything either.
Mikogami blinked.
"Oh? You don't know? You're quite the infamous figure right now. Considering how powerful you are, it's no wonder you'd be here to take a stab at the race for the final Sekirei."
Him? Powerful?
"Ashikabi of the North?" Minato repeated. "What does that mean?"
The boy in the white suit took a step forward, making Minato take a step back in turn.
"How many Sekirei do you have?" the boy asked. "You have three with you right now. You don't think that's common, do you? Most NPCs can barely handle one. How many of them are single numbers, by the way? I know that black-haired big sis used to work with Mutsu, so she's one."
Minato shook his head and took a deep breath. Time to focus.
"I don't know what you're talking about. What do you want?"
Mikogami scratched his head.
"Huh? Isn't that kind of obvious? We're here for the unwinged Sekirei. We just can't let you get to him first."
That was the extent of the warning that Minato got before the two enemy Sekirei attacked them.
The male Sekirei and Kazehana-san got into it right away. They seemed to be evenly matched with neither one of them being able to grab the upper hand. The Male Sekirei was a master with his katana, but every one of his attacks was diverted by an invisible blade of wind.
The woman in the kimono seemed to be a bit trickier for Musubi-san and Tsukiumi-san to handle, however.
Musubi-san tried her best to keep up, but she just couldn't. No two ways about it. The kimono lady seemed to be able to control walls and spikes made of ice to a frightening degree and the pugilist couldn't even hope to close the gap between them.
Tsukiumi-san was faring much better due to the similarity of their fighting styles, but even still, it was a bad matchup. Every time Tsukiumi-san tried to manipulate water, her attack was just frozen solid before it could move.
Things weren't looking too good. He had to think of something!
Things suddenly took a turn when the male Sekirei tried to get the better of Kazehana-san by aiming a kick at her midsection. Acting quickly, she shot a powerful-uncontrolled block of wind in his direction, sending him flying off the rooftop and toward a neighbouring highrise building.
"Look out, Mutsu!"
Mikogami's warning wasn't enough. Out of nowhere, a ribbon-like weapon came crashing down on the man before he could make impact, sending him into the ground below instead of some unsuspecting person's living room. All present were forced to turn their attention to the newcomer.
Minato's eyes widened.
"...Uzume…san?"
It was Uzume. Unlike the other Sekirei, she wasn't wearing any strange outfits. She looked exactly the same as she did the last time he saw her, only now she held a long, white ribbon in her hand that fluttered in the high-altitude winds.
She had a serious look on her face.
"Shirou and I are here to help! We're going to limit the collateral damage as much as we can. Shirou is below redirecting bystanders as we speak; he'll keep that other guy out of the way long enough for you guys to get by."
Minato's blood ran cold.
How come he didn't think of that? They were in broad daylight. Staying out of sight by travelling over rooftops was one thing, but there was nothing to stop a stray attack from wrecking someone's home or dropping onto some unsuspecting person on the street if they weren't careful.
"I—"
"There's no need to say anything! Just go on ahead. You're chasing Kagari too, right? The sooner we can get this all sorted out the less bad stuff will happen."
"Hah?" whined Mikogami. "Who are you supposed to be? This is—"
"Shut it, you!" Uzume shouted back. "Minato. Go!"
Close to the edge of the rooftop as he was, Minato looked down.
He could see Emiya-san below. The male Sekirei was slow to get up; in the meantime, the white-haired man was rushing around and directing people away from the city block. As far as he was, Minato could pick up some words like "Movie set" and "new directing method". The fibs were a bit of a stretch, but Emiya-san was trying really hard to keep innocent people out of this.
…This wasn't the worst of it. There was definitely more than just these two Sekirei chasing after Kagari-san. Who could say how bad things would get the longer it took for him to reach the man?"
"Thanks, Uzume-san!" He said. "Can I leave it to you and Emiya-san?"
Now outnumbered, it didn't take much for the combined efforts of Kazehana-san, Tsukiumi-san and Musubi-san to push back the kimono woman. Mikogami had a frustrated look on his face.
Uzume smirked.
"Of course! Shirou… He's a pretty dependable guy, isn't he?"
It took Minato a second to realize what the woman said.
"Yeah… Yeah, he is!"
He was glad. Uzume-san understood it too: Emiya-san had a good heart.
"Tsukiumi-san! Kazehana-san! Musubi-san!" he exclaimed. "Let's go!"
X
"Sorry, Ma'am. We'll try to be more careful."
Shirou smiled and waved at a woman and her daughter who were passing by. Thankfully they bought his explanation that they were filming a movie in the area and that this was all just special effects.
The coast was clear for now, more or less.
He turned to the Sekirei that he was keeping pinned down to the ground with several Black Keys; the man was struggling mightily but to no avail.
The Sekirei glared at him.
"You! How—"
A giant icicle almost gored Shirou. He had enough awareness to move out of the way before it happened but there was now a large space between him and his opponent.
The ice Sekirei and their Ashikabi appeared between them. Uzume came down a moment later and landed next to him.
"..."
There was a tense moment of silence. The male Sekirei was about to say something but the weapons holding him in place disappeared before he could. Cautiously, he got to his feet.
"Ashikabi-sama," started the male Sekirei. "We should go."
His words fell on deaf ears for the moment.
The two Ashikabi stared each other down, Shirou's gaze apathetically meeting the younger man's smouldering glower.
Shirou broke eye contact first. He focused on the woman in the kimono who had a fair amount of consternation in her body language.
The stump stood out.
"Ah," he said lamely, "Sorry about the arm." It was the first thing that came to mind.
Her Ashikabi visibly recoiled. It was as though something had just occurred to him.
"You! You're the—"
He couldn't finish his thought. The male Sekirei swept him off his feet and ran away as quickly as he could. The other one, the one whose arm he blew off, shot him one last parting glance before following suit.
He and Uzume just watched them leave.
"Hey. 'Sorry about the arm'? What was that about?" Uzume asked.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Last time we met, I knocked her arm off by accident. I was aiming… somewhere else."
She shot him a strange look but didn't press the issue. "...Sure. You think it's smart to let them get away?"
"They're not the only ones causing issues. If they're willing to stand down, we should take the opportunity to move on. The more ground we can cover, the better."
Hearing his reasoning, a tiny smile slipped onto Uzume's lips.
"Doing the right thing is nice too, every once in a while."
He quirked a brow, not understanding what she was talking about. She disregarded his inquisitive look and went on ahead.
He was quick to catch up to her.
X
Everything burned.
Homura meant that both figuratively and literally. His flames consumed everything: his surroundings, all these pain-in-the-neck Sekirei, and even himself.
Had he been in any other state of mind, it would have hurt to think about all of this. The Sekirei and Ashikabi chasing him were pairs that he nurtured and protected. The wisps of fire licking the ground were scarring buildings and burning greenery. Now, though, the only thing that hurt was his body falling apart.
Honestly, the most joyful thing to have struck him in recent memory was that at the very least, it would all be over and done with soon.
He was surrounded on all sides by a group of girls. None of their names came to mind right now, but he recognized all of them. Their brows were sweaty. A consequence of the sweltering heat, no doubt, but it wasn't like they were any worse off than he was. They would get no sympathy from him.
"You're in a sorry state, Homura."
…Kazehana?
Weakly, Homura looked around him, a crazed glint present in his eye. He spotted the woman in question quite easily as she positioned herself squarely in front of him.
Hah. he was in such bad shape that he couldn't even recognize that she was here until she called out to him.
"What do you want?" he asked, his breathing laboured. "Did Miya send you?"
"Of course not."
He heard the sounds of combat behind him. Quickly, he turned around to see the disabled bodies of the Sekirei that were hunting him. Musubi and Tsukiumi stood over them triumphantly.
Those three. That couldn't mean–!?
"Minato put you up to this?" he whispered angrily.
"That's all you have to say for yourself, Homura?" demanded Tsukiumi indignantly. "You think you can get away with scurrying around right under my nose this whole time!?"
Hah… were it any other time, he'd be willing to humour the girl. Her eccentricities aside, he was happy that she found herself a good man.
Right now, however, he just needed her to keep her mouth shut.
Kazehana shot him a worried look.
"Homura—"
"Enough!" he tried to scream. It came out as more of a rasp.
A ring of fire burst outward forcing all of his assailants to put more distance between them.
Almost there. It was almost the end.
He didn't manage to take out that bastard with him, but at the very least, it would all be over soon.
An ending on his terms.
Almost… There…
"Kagari-san!"
!?
A pair of arms were wrapped tightly around him. He heard a sizzle and a pained grunt as it happened.
He didn't even see him coming. How was this possible? The flames were too hot for any one person, human or Sekirei, to withstand. No one should have been able to reach him.
"Minato!? What—" he swallowed, "what the hell are you doing here!? I told you to stay the hell away from me! Don't spit in my face like this. I don't ask for much. I… I never did! Just—"
"I'm sorry, Kagari-san. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I…"
The combined expression of hurt and anger melted a little when he saw the tears trickling down Minato's cheeks. The boy looked utterly torn.
Homura frowned.
"Hey," he whispered weakly. "Aren't I the one that's supposed to be in pain right now? Quit making such a miserable expression. And let go of me! You're hurting yourself."
The flames kept burning brightly. They were long past the point of being something that he could control. In his current semi-delirious state, he could barely process what was going on right in front of him, let alone outside of this blazing fiery circle.
Minato kept babbling.
"I know you didn't want me anywhere near you. I know! I know! But I can't— I can't stand it! I don't want you to die. I care about you!"
Something swelled in Homura's chest.
No…
Let go, Minato. There's no reason for you to die too.
"Shut up!" he bit back at the boy. "Just shut up. Stop talking."
He didn't.
"Is the idea of being my Sekirei so horrible?" Minato got out between sniffles. "To the point that you'd rather kill yourself? Really?"
It wasn't like that. Minato knew that it wasn't like that. He explained all of this to him before.
This was his body, broken as it was. If even that was taken from him, then his existence would have really been nothing but one big ball and chain until the last breath he drew.
He wanted to be Homura right till the end. That was his one lousy wish. Just that.
That couldn't have been too much to ask for, right? Right!?
"Minato, you—"
He cut himself off. He was pretty sure that there would be tears streaming down his face too if he had any form of liquid left in his body.
There was no more anger. Only anguish.
Fear.
"Kagari-san. Please! Please! Whatever you're afraid of… Whatever it is. We can work through it together. I'll be by your side. Forever and ever."
Hope.
"No! No…"
His pleas were weak. Meaningless.
His heart wasn't behind it anymore.
When Sahashi Minato reached up to touch his cheek, it was Homura who closed the gap between them. Large red wings, burning brightly, sprouted from the back of Sekirei Number Six.
For better or for worse, he no longer cared.
X
From the distance of a nearby rooftop, Shirou and Uzume observed the winging in silence. While Uzume watched with a content smile, Shirou couldn't help but soak in the strange sequence of events with a morbid fascination.
There they were. Minato and Homura were hugging each other tightly, crying in each other's arms and refusing to let go. The turbulent fire was gone and his other three Sekirei were free to come up to them and rejoice in good faith.
He had seen a lot of awful things during the past few years, but not many of them hit so close to home.
There was no fighting it in the end. It could almost be described as an inevitability.
Could this be called "saving someone"?
He supposed if there was nothing else he could call it then "saving someone" was indeed what it was.
Awful.
Awful.
Awful.
It made him sick to his stomach.
Was there even such a thing as "choice"? Did that elusive concept exist for anyone?
There wasn't one for Homura. Not for himself either.
And not for…
His shoulders relaxed. He looked up to the sky.
As he thought about his Sekirei, he was aware of some tremor through his heart. A subtle thing that called forth deep resonances.
He wondered what this emotional reverberation could have been.
The frown disappeared from his face.
"Hey, Uzume. I've gotta step aside for a bit."
She was so absorbed in the positive mood that it took her a second to register the fact that he was speaking to her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Uh, sure! Talk to you later."
"Mm."
Reinforcing his legs, Shirou jumped down from the roof. He took his time strolling through the empty alleyway until he leaned against a nearby brick wall and slumped down to the ground.
He allowed himself to get lost in his own thoughts for a moment longer before an earpiece was traced in his ear.
"Karasuba."
She was on the other end of the line. Like usual, she wouldn't answer him.
"You told me that you loved me."
"...Pardon?"
There she was.
"'I love you'. You said that."
"I did," she easily agreed.
"Did you mean it?"
"I did."
He sighed.
"You were being particularly difficult, you know."
"I do know."
Shirou pursed his lips.
He thought of Homura – his protests, his immolation, his tears, his final surrender – and wondered if there was a better way to phrase his next question.
"Do you… hate loving me?" he asked her.
"I did," Karasuba replied simply. "I never wanted this."
It finally hit him at that moment. The feeling that had plagued him since bearing witness to that morbid display: the robbery of agency and autonomy.
What Karauba had stirred within him was a part of his very self that shouldn't have existed anymore. Not since that night.
Guilt.
It felt almost foreign. He'd made innumerable hard choices over the years. He must have murdered thousands to save so many more, numb to its effects with the salve that it was the right thing to do.
And yet Karasuba's true feelings were all it took for it to seep through the brittle metal he called "conviction" like one of Raiga's kintsugi.
"Mm," was his nonverbal acknowledgement.
Shirou dropped flat on his back. So tall were the buildings sandwiching the alleyway that his eyes could look at nothing but the thin streak of light that slipped through their peaks.
He didn't need her to do this. He never did. He could just as easily have her stay put there and deal with her last. It would even be simpler that way.
"And now," he muttered, "how do you feel?"
"I love you," she said. It came out smoothly. It didn't feel like an admission at all. Probably because it wasn't.
It was what it was.
Shirou closed his eyes.
"The way that you Sekirei love is rotten." He muttered. "Can you even call it love at all? Who can say that anyone actually wants this if their feelings don't matter after the fact?"
"Is there something you'd rather call it then?" she rebutted. "The way I see it, your human love is the same brand of brainwashing."
Every awful feeling that Matou Sakura made him feel however many years ago came back to him all at once.
"Yeah," he agreed lamely.
"Karasuba?"
"Hm?"
"I love you too," he answered her.
It came a little abruptly. He knew that.
"..."
A strange noise came from Karasuba's end. She was probably shuffling around, making the microphone crackle a little bit.
She was caught by surprise, then. How novel.
Sighing, he picked himself up, dusting himself off as he did so.
"I'll come pick you up soon, then."
"... Yeah."
Her reply was faint.
X
A pair of heavily-armoured guards opened the doors to the prisoner's cell cautiously. The alien smiled at them brightly just as she always did, though somehow that smile felt a little different.
"The boss wants to see you again.
"Get ready...!"
Their hearts almost stopped.
Karasuba held out her arms in front of her.
"I think something happened when you boys took me out last time," she said. The ropes were all loose! Could you wrap them up again, please? I won't try to run away or anything; even I can't fight two fully-armed men empty-handed.
They shared a look and nodded to each other.
"...Yeah," one of them agreed. "Stay still. No funny business."
"Gotcha, gotcha."
The woman was perfectly still as they finished restraining her.
The guards nodded.
"Good. Let's go."
No fuss was raised as her chair was lifted and carried out of the cell. The doors were closed shut and locked as they left and the bright lights were dimmed.
There was no one present to catch the shimmering glint of a metallic object materializing behind the security camera.