Out before Christmas, as promised. (part 2 I guess)
I want to take a brief opportunity to thank everyone thus far who has taken the time to review. I know I like to say reviews don't matter much, but they inspire me to keep working for the best possible story for you guys. Truthfully I didn't think I'd get as much as I have within the first batch of chapters but the amount of support has been amazing. So thank each of you and I hope you'll stick around for what's to come - we're not even a quarter way through this thing yet, so don't worry.
Special shoutout to the two madlads Ikrani and Phen0m20 for taking the time to give me some pointers and helpful criticism on the past few updates - your voice never goes unappreciated you two!
As always: read, review, and enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei; if I did, the situation with certain characters would've turned out very differently and we'd have more than two seasons of the anime. It belongs solely to Sakurako Gokurakuin.
"speech"
'thought'
"phone call"
"Norito"
SOUND EFFECT!
"flash back"
If there was one thing Matsu hated, it was owing someone anything. Well, there were other things as well – like pests, lack of respect for personal space, and oh of course not being able to leave her room because she'd planted herself squarely on MBI's shit list for taking an alien artifact that might or might not lead to the end of the world…
Ironically, it was because of that very hiccup that she was stuck here scouring government databases for any records on one Uemoto Tamotsu - all courtesy of her debt holder.
"Anything yet?"
Matsu forced back a growl of frustration. Just because she was the Sekirei of Wisdom didn't mean her patience was fathomless, and Uzume had been working her last good nerve for the last three and a half hours now. "Like I told you ten minutes ago, I'm still combing through the registry. I might be thehuman equivalent of a supercomputer but that doesn't mean I can scour thousands of pages for one obscure name – for which you still haven't said why, by the way."
Of course, Uzume didn't answer her but that was fine. She'd already concocted at least a dozen theories just a few moments after the brunette had all but barged her way in here earlier. Some were insane, some were lackluster, but all warranted at least some consideration. Naturally, included among the theories was the painfully obvious one which Matsu was both happy and annoyed with.
'If it's her Ashikabi, it'll mean I can finally tease the unholy hell out of them once she wings herself, but conversely I'm a bit put out by why she's having me do such a search like this. Am I really so untrustworthy? I only swiped her panties once! Once! And only because mine were still on the line anyway!'
Huffing to herself she turned back to her array of monitors, her eyes darting every which way and that as she soaked up the information provided. The national census logs were shoddy at best, but she'd still not found any sign of an Uemoto.
"You're sure that's the name he gave you?" Matsu ventured, hoping Uzume would take the bait.
"He didn't lie to me," Uzume asserted, folding her arms with a frown.
Matsu allowed herself a grin, swiveling in her seat to face the brunette fully. "So it IS a guy, Uzume-tan~!"
Uzume flared red at her blunder, trying to save face by coughing into her hand. "S-so what? It doesn't change anything!"
Oh, sweet child.
"Are you so sure? I was starting to think someone would have to fall into your lap before you reacted to anyone. So who is he?"
"Why do you think I came to you in the first place?"
Matsu's grin faltered slightly as her eye twitched.
Touché.
Still, two could play this game.
"The least you could've done was be straight with me about it," she scoffed, turning back to her screens. "Why all the secrecy? Afraid Miya-tan will bully you about it?"
"Matsu…" Uzume sighed. "I don't know ok? It's all weird right now… Tamo-chan-"
"Tamo-chan~?" Matsu echoed with a purr, smirking.
"-is important to me, and I want to set things right between us."
Matsu rose an eyebrow at that, a frown tugging at the corner of her lips. "If so, why did you need me? Want to find out where he's living so you can stalk him a bit?"
"Maybe."
Matsu's mouth shut with an audible click, her eyes widening in response. She'd been kidding! "Oh."
Uzume ducked her head, her gaze falling to her lap as she sighed. "I… messed up, Matsu. Bad... like really bad. He was the first person I felt something from, and it wasn't just because he just saved me from a few lowlifes."
Matsu's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, a chuckle escaping her before she could stop it. "Sorry, sorry," she said at Uzume's sour look. "I just find it really difficult to imagine you having trouble with a few punks, or any humans in general."
"Blame Miya."
Ah, that made some sense. Their landlady had been adamant about keeping their natures hidden as much as possible from the populace for some reason. Minaka could shout it from the top of his tower all he liked, but the matron of Izumo Inn would prefer to live as quietly as possible which, by extension, applied to all those who lived under her roof.
"So… he saved you then? Ara, quite the knight in shining armor then, ne?"
Uzume's smile grew strained at that, but it was clear she was trying hard to keep from laughing. "Yeah, whose image completely shattered when he darted over to the nearest dumpster to throw up," she remarked bitterly.
"My, how romantic~!" Matsu gushed, letting herself fall back as though swooning.
"Shut it perverted-glasses!" Uzume bit back, blushing.
Snickering, Matsu reigned in her amusement before fixing the woman with a hard look. "So why come to me?"
Uzume's gaze fell back into her lap, as though ashamed. "I panicked; I drove him away with the wrong words and… I was angry at myself for it."
"And now?" Matsu prodded, gently.
Uzume met her eyes and the steel that was there surprised the Wisdom Sekirei. "Now I want to fix it. So please, help me find him."
Were it anyone else, Matsu would've waved them off and nudged them out the door without so much as a smirk. But setting aside the obvious debt she'd likely spend a lifetime paying off, Uzume was her friend and had helped her when she needed it most.
"Well then," she said with a Cheshire grin, "why don't you let the professional handle this, noob."
Uzume narrowed her eyes at her at that as Matsu swiveled in her seat, finding that each of her screens had frozen. "Ah ha! There we are!"
"You found something!?" Uzume exclaimed, rushing forward and nearly bowling her over.
"Down girl!" Matsu scolded, shoving her back so she could see the screens. A single line had been highlighted, bearing two words that served to assert Uzume's claim. But the word next to them left her frothing with fury. "REDACTED?! How? Why!"
"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Uzume questioned, trading glances with the screen and Matsu.
Ignoring her for the moment, Matsu flew into a frenzy and brought up her keyboard, stabbing her fingers into the keys as though to kill it. "Alright then, let's see just where that little file went shall we?" she muttered with a hiss. Several keystrokes later, she learned the cause. "Dammit! Well… guess you do have an Ashikabi after all, Uzume-tan."
"Wait, really?! I mean… How do you know?" Uzume said, trying to mask her excitement.
Matsu pushed her glasses further up her nose, turning to the brunette with a pained smile. "Well, because MBI confiscated the files – just like they did with all the other Ashikabi who've winged Sekirei. Minaka wouldn't want anyone exploiting his players but him."
That made things a bit stickier. MBI's mainframes were shielded specifically against the likes of her – after all, she had written the code for them when she'd still been with the Discipline Squad. That didn't mean she couldn't however… It would just be a major pain in the ass and they would likely know it was her.
"…so we're stuck?" Uzume muttered dejectedly, her enthusiasm delfating.
Matsu swiveled around and clapped a startled Uzume on her shoulders, grinning ferally. "Not a chance! Leave this to me! You, however, should get some air. It'll do you good."
No thanks, I-"
"Uzume-tan," Matsu interrupted, leaning in as her glasses started to gleam, "I really think you should get some air and leave me to work – in peace. Get my drift?"
Let it be said that while she was no Miya Asama, Matsu still had the ability to leave her younger "sisters" on the verge of pissing themselves when push came to shove.
"Uh right – RIGHT! I'll uh, go for a run or something. Maybe check out a few stores, see if they have… something," Uzume babbled, scrambling to her feet, and backing away with her hands held up as though to protect herself and escaped.
Matsu sat there for a few moments before she turned back to her screens, letting out a short sigh. "…where's my Ashikabi anyways? Don't tell me I'm going to be last one to get winged. Miya will never let me live it down!"
"Achoo!"
"Eww, Nii-chan! What the hell?"
Minato wiped at his nose, shaking his head a bit with a weak grin. "Wow, sorry. Where'd that come from…?"
"You better not be getting sick after all that stuff you said before – no way am I covering your ass this time!"
"I don't know, it might be good to get some practice in. You'll have your hands full with that before long."
"Yeah may – HEY!"
As the pair began to squabble, the Sekirei alongside them just exchanged looks with each other.
"Shouldn't we do something?" Musubi asked her companion.
Shrugging his shoulders, Shiina just gave a bitter smile at that. "No, I think this is sibling bonding of a sort…
"Yukari - ow, OW! Let go of my hair!"
"...I think."
"I think they came out pretty good."
"…I look fat."
Tamotsu tried to force back a snort at that, but Mitsuha smacked him anyways. "You don't though. You're just too self-conscious."
"And you aren't enough! From the way you walk, the way your dress and even how you talk, you've got a lifetime of social class to catch up on!"
"Well, guess it's a good thing we've got that don't we?" Tamotsu pointed out with a smirk.
Whatever retort Mitsuha had prepped for deployment died in a fiery crash, her mouth snapping shut with a huff even as she scooted a little closer to him.
Sitting here with this beautiful girl – and even now that still left him in disbelief, even though Mitsuha never failed remind him of that fact – was the most peaceful moment he'd found in weeks. Sure, they'd fallen asleep together in bed before but that was more on part of exhaustion than anything. But here, amongst a veritable sea of other faces, he only had eyes for the blonde that sat next to him on the bench.
And now, he could see that same face whenever he wanted with these pictures. They weren't anything special at first glance, just two young adults sitting in a cramped photo booth trying to figure out which position to use. Most ended with either him or Mitsuha doing something right when the camera went off, like when Mitsuha turned to bark at him about something or him placating her for it.
One in particular made his heart throb slightly: the two had managed to find a cozy enough position to sit, only for Mitsuha to have sneezed right before it, leaving her red-faced and him laughing. The end result had been with her back turned, arms crossed and glaring out of one eye at him while he rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
Something welled up in his throat for a moment before he managed to push it down, gently rubbing the picture with his thumb.
"I still want a redo," Mitsuha grumbled from beside him, pouting.
Tamotsu chuckled.
Yes, he wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world.
"Ah, wait Jun-chan!"
His gaze was drawn to a mother who was scurrying after her daughter who was giggling merrily, as though she was playing a game and not about to be swept up in a crowd.
Her smile, the energy and the scene in general made something in his chest constrict.
'Would that have happened with us, as well?' he found himself musing. Thoughts of a little girl with black hair and boundless eyes of either green or brown filled his thoughts, drawing him in like the call of a siren…
"...Tamo!"
Mitsuha's voice snapped him back to the real world before the past could consume him, like it tried to whenever he let his guard down. Her pretty face set in that characteristic frown was further a reminder of that. "Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, sorry I…" he trailed off, gazing toward where the child and mother were, only to find them long gone.
Just like his own family.
He swallowed, forcing back a shudder that he hoped Mitsuha hadn't noticed.
Luck wasn't on his side it seemed.
"Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me, please."
It still amazed him how quickly the twin-tailed blonde could go from a stick of dynamite ready to go off at any second, to one of the tenderest people he'd ever met. Sure it was in part due to their connection, but today had proven that their bond wasn't just because of that.
He wanted to be with her in the real world, not in a lifetime long lost.
"I'm fine, Mitsuha," he told her, and he meant every word.
Her disbelief couldn't be more evident. Purple eyes narrowed, scrutinizing him. "You don't look fine."
"Is that a deal breaker then?" he asked with a smirk.
"Baka."
As he turned to her to say something, a flash of movement caught his eye. Of the dozens of people already passing by, two of them were easy to spot – Junichi and Yashima. Both were walking along but far enough from the crowds to not be swept up in them.
It would've been easy enough to ignore them, to turn his attention back to the person who deserved it. And whatever they were talking about wouldn't affect him or Mitsuha in the slightest if he just let them go…
But Junichi's face called something from deep inside him. He'd seen that stormy look before, the kind that showed when someone was at their wit's end. Hands in his pockets, his green eyes were practically smoldering with pent-up frustration as Yashima spoke to him – and each word she uttered only seemed to aggravate him more.
Finally, as they passed by a long corridor that led to an exit, Junichi grabbed Yashima by the arm and started to drag her outside. Yashima let him, but Tamotsu didn't miss the brief flash of fear that went across her face.
That feeling within him only got stronger and stronger, forcing him to move. It was the same kind that prompted him all those years ago, to stand for what he thought was right.
To face a demon.
"Tamo-? Hey, Tamo-kun wait!" Mitsuha called out for him, but he was already walking after them.
This wasn't happening… This wasn't happening…
He wouldn't let it happen.
Breaking into a run, he chased the two ignoring the calls for him following close behind.
'Don't, don't, don't you do it…'
His feet pounded across the floor, his steps echoing like some mocking chorus in tune with his heart. "No, no, no…"
It couldn't happen, not again!
He slammed his full weight against the exit, bashing it open-
"-FUCKING BITCH!"
He froze.
The world slowly dulled to a murmur, his heart thundering in his ears as his eyes laid on two individuals he'd only seen moments before… And one of them was slamming his foot into the other as she lay on the ground, trying to shield herself.
Ba-dump.
"Master, please!"
"SHUT IT! I fucking told you to shut the fuck up! I told you, and you never fucking listen you stupid bitch! Always acting like you know what I want, what I need – FUCK YOU! YOU HEAR ME?!"
His mind throbbed, his head pounded and he could feel his hands starting to shake.
'No… No, no, no-!'
Then, from the depths of his memories, one tore its way out kicking and screaming… literally.
"Ayato-!"
"Shut the FUCK UP! I told you to shut up, you fucking cunt! Don't you ever talk over me again, you hear me?! HUH?!"
BA-DUMP. BA-DUMP.
Tamotsu grasped his head and gritted his teeth, trying to block out the memory and all the feelings it brought back.
Misery. Pain. Desperation.
"STOP! I love you!"
"THINK I CARE, BITCH?!"
"But I love you!"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH CUNT!"
BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP! BA-DUMP!
"NO," Tamotsu growled out, losing himself to the surging tide of fury.
"Master stop-!"
"SHUT-"
"RAAAAGH!" Tamotsu shot forward like a cannonball, tackling the bastard out of the way, and tumbling across the alley.
"What the f- YOU?!" Junichi shouted, glaring up at him with both shock and outrage.
"Don't fucking touch her again you son of a bitch!" Tamotsu yelled, decking the bastard across the jaw.
"Fucker…!" Junichi shoved him off, pushing himself to his feet. "Couldn't mind your own business, huh? Now you're gonna get it!"
Junichi's arm sailed, fist clenched as it raced towards Tamotsu's face. His fury once more turned to shock as Tamotsu ducked and slammed his fist into Junichi's throat, sending him stumbling back clutching at it.
"F-fucking-!" Junichi swallowed a lungful of air, trying to clear his throat, "I'll kill you!"
"You'll try!" Tamotsu screamed back, darting back in for another round. Junichi tried to meet him, but most of his blows met nothing but air as the shorter combatant managed to duck and land several jabs into the larger man's gut.
Junichi collapsed to his knees, breathing hard as Tamotsu stood over him, breathing heavily. "…heh."
"What are you laughing about, asshole." Tamotsu growled.
Junichi's eyes flicked up to his, gleaming with arrogance. "Because you ain't just fighting me," he chuckled, eyes widening as he shouted, "and that was your last mistake!"
Tamotsu's eyes widened as he felt a presence behind him that wasn't there before. Whirling around, his face grew pale as he found very same person he'd been trying to save… lifting up a gigantic hammer as though to pulverize a nail, and he was the nail.
"Get away from Junichi-sama!" Yashima cried, further stunning him as she swung down.
Tamotsu froze, unable to break his gaze away from the hammer that was sure to cave his skull in.
'But… why? I… I helped… didn't I?'
"MASTER!"
KA-THWAK!
The very next moment, he felt something wind itself about his waist and jerk him away roughly as a gust of wind blew past him from the hammer crashing into the ground. One hard landing later, he felt a familiar hand grasp his shoulder followed soon by its purple-eyed owner settling in front of him.
"Are you ok?"
"Y-yeah…" Tamotsu swallowed, realizing just how close he'd been to death just now. If Mitsuha had been just a second late…
"Good."
THWAP!
His head shot to the side as the blonde cracked her hand across his cheek, leaving him stunned.
"OW!"
"Better I hurt you than let you get pulverized!" she snapped, effectively shutting him up.
"Oi, you two!" Junichi called out, drawing their attention. His smug grin was back and somehow, it only made Tamotsu that much more furious. "Well, well~! Lookie what we got here! A bonafide Sekirei… with an absolute loser of a master it seems."
Ashikabi? Wait, was he-?
"You're an Ashikabi too?!"
Junichi's smug grin grew even more somehow as Yashima came to stand before him, hammer held at the ready and not even winded by what she did. "Damn right I am. But the fact you are is just a fucking joke, man. How can you be an Ashikabi of that babe? You're clearly out of your league, kid."
Tamotsu gritted his teeth, making to rise up only for Mitsuha to shove him back down with a glare.
"No. You stay right there, Master. You don't stand a chance against a Sekirei."
"But-!"
"SHUT UP AND STAY PUT, TAMOTSU!" she screamed at him, shocking him. She never raised her voice at him like that unless he'd really done something to upset her.
That brought him up short.
What had he been doing anyways? Everything before now was a bit of a blur, and all he could think of was that… man, and what his life had been like.
Surges of memories tailored with emotions he'd long since repressed came back to the fore, threatening to overwhelm him. No, that wasn't right – they had. Tackling Junichi and beating him down were clear indications of that, no question.
Why? This bastard, as scummy as he was, wasn't that man… was he?
He grasped his temple, a pained grimace worming its way onto his face.
One single, horrifying notion bore its way to the surface and sent him into a panic.
'Did she hear anything I said? I… I can't explain any of that, I can't!'
His past was gone, and that's way he wanted it.
Why… why did it have to come back like this, and in front of her?
'I didn't want her to see me like this… I wanted…'
Thoughts whirled and raced inside his mind, blinding him to the world as his reluctant champion stood to defend him – like always.
'Damn it all…'
Mitsuha forced herself to keep from checking on Tamotsu, focusing on the very real threat that lay before them.
This was very bad. She wasn't prepared for a fight against a Sekirei right now, and not just because her clothes weren't designed for it either.
This was supposed to be a date, damn it! No fighting, no planning and no Sekirei bullshit.
But this asshole had to come and ruin it… all of it.
Tamotsu was just as much to blame, and she swore she'd give her master the third degree the second they got somewhere safe.
'This isn't like him. But then… how much of him do I know, really?'
It hadn't been hard to catch up with her master, but she hadn't been anywhere near prepared to come across what she did.
Tamotsu had attacked Junichi… and had been winning. At first glance, she might've thought that someone like that thug could pummel Tamotsu into paste and every sparring match she'd had with him to date only furthered that belief.
But seeing him fight… seeing him move… It was like he was a different person, someone she never expected could rest inside such a spineless but gentle soul. Up until now she'd seen him as someone she'd have to protect at all times, even when they weren't involved with the Plan.
All that changed when she saw how Tamotsu destroyed Tanigawa in a matter of seconds and had only been spared further humiliation by the timely intervention of his Sekirei.
If all this hadn't happened, she never would've realized just how much her Ashikabi was hiding from her. She knew there were secrets and she'd been willing to let him come to terms with whatever he harbored.
No longer.
'When this is over, I'll make him come clean about it all even if I have to string him up!'
Speaking of which, Tamotsu had since gone eerily quiet which only heightened her worries and tested her resolve.
Before she could chance a glance back at her master, Junichi's cackling cut across the alleyway interrupting her musings. "Man, who's really the master between you two? You're fucking whipped and she knows it! You're an absolute waste of an Ashikabi!"
It was true. Tamotsu wasn't the best and he certainly had his short-comings – more so now than she ever expected him to have. But he stuck by her, he cared for her and wanted nothing more than them to be happy together; so, she'd be damned if she let this cretin utter a single word more about him!
Mitsuha cracked her whip suddenly, leaving an indent in the pavement. "Shut your rancid mouth before I seal it," she uttered darkly, narrowing her eyes almost to slits and projecting as much killing intent toward the thug as she could manage.
Given how he flinched slightly, it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"You won't touch my master!" Yashima shouted in his defense, gripping her hammer tightly. "I will defend him against anything that could harm him!"
Mitsuha pursed her lips, grimacing.
The kind of loyalty that Sekirei had was wasted on lowlifes like Junichi, all the more apparent by how smug the bastard seemed after that.
"Sekirei are awesome, right? See, I can do practically anything I want to Yashima here and she'll still kill someone for me, ain't that right babe?"
"Yes, Master," Yashima answered, but the pain in her eyes was clear as day to Mitsuha.
She hated doing this as much as her counterpart.
"You're wasted on him," Mitsuha muttered just loud enough for her to hear.
"NO!" Yashima snapped, taking her aback. "You don't understand! There's good in him! I know there is! His love for me is real, I can feel it!"
The desperation, the longing in the girl's tone was heartbreaking to Mitsuha… And only made her hate towards the other Ashikabi grow ever more.
Still, nothing had come to a head yet. Yashima wasn't making any threats towards her and was only in a defensive stance. There was still a chance they could get away before anything happened.
"If you say so," she chose to say, hoping it would diffuse the situation. "Then we'll just go and-"
"Whoa, whoa, hold up there," Junichi cut her off, smirking devilishly. "Whoever said anything about letting you go? Don't you think we should even the score after your boy toy just went and attacked me out of the blue like that?"
'Not like you didn't have it coming!' thought Mitsuha viciously, gripping her whip tighter out of reflex, and shifting her foot back slightly as she glared at Junichi.
"We don't want a fight," she declared honestly. She flinched as Junichi barked out a laugh, a cold smile settling itself over his face.
"Who gives a fuck what you want? That little shit attacked me unprovoked, so I think he needs to learn a lesson…"
"If you come anywhere near him, I can't be held responsible for what will happen to you," Mitsuha warned, pulling her whip taut.
Junichi however just smirked, turning to Yashima. "Luckily I won't have to. In fact, I just had an idea. Maybe losing his Sekirei will show him what happens when he tries to barge in on other people's affairs. Yashima." In two long strides, he grabbed Yashima and yanked her into him, smashing his lips against hers.
…and pastel blue wings burst forth, glittering in the sparse rays of sunlight that shone on the alley.
Norito.
"Shit!" Mitsuha whirled toward her own Ashikabi, finding him still in a daze and swallowed. "I'll apologize later, Tamo-kun." Leaning down, she tilted her master's head towards her and captured his lips quickly before he could protest.
Molten golden wings burst forth from her own back as that sacred connection between Sekirei and Ashikabi was verified, granting her access to her true power.
She would use it all to protect that which mattered most.
Defiant amethyst met with stalwart gray as energy crackled between the two alien beauties, causing the ground to rumble.
"Number thirty-eight – Mitsuha!"
"Number… eighty-four – Yashima."
A gust of wind blew gently through the alley, ghosting across Mitsuha's cheek but she never looked away from her opponent. She gripped her whip tighter, shifting her footing slightly and waited…
Suddenly, Yashima made to shift into her own stance.
With a shift of her foot, Mitsuha moved. Bounding from wall to wall like a pinball, she surged towards her foe with the intent of ending this in one go. "Sorry it came to this!" she shouted, lashing out with her whip towards Yashima… only for the other Sekirei to parry her strike with the surface of her hammer. "WHAT!?"
"So am I," Yashima said, holding up the massive weapon as she kicked off into the air, "but I can't disobey my master!"
Mitsuha cursed, arching backwards just in time to avoid Yashima's heavy swing that would've knocked her skull clear off her body. With all the grace of a feline, she landed in a crouch and glared at the other Sekirei as she landed on her feet.
'So much for the direct approach,' Mitsuha thought with a frown.
Despite her low number, Yashima was still a force to be reckoned with it seemed. Her strength was nuts even by Sekirei standards and getting hit just once by that hammer would surely end in termination. It wasn't all bad though.
It was too early for assumptions, but Mitsuha could already tell that Yashima was nothing like Sai. She was defensive, preferring to stand her ground unless provoked as opposed to Sai who went all out from the get-go. Attacking her head-on was doomed to failure; getting her to attack on the other hand?
'If I can keep out of the way of that hammer, I might have a chance to trip her up and knock her out before she can use her norito. But if I get even a glancing blow from that mallet of hers, I'm done.'
And with her gone, nobody would be able to protect her master from that scum of an Ashikabi.
High stakes.
Despite that, she found herself grinning all the same. It was a shame that the first real fight she'd been in had been an accident, otherwise she would've enjoyed herself a bit more.
"Yashima, quit fucking around and take her out already!" Junichi barked, making Yashima flinch and Mitsuha scowl.
"Butt out of this!" the blonde snapped at him.
"If that is what you wish, my master," Yashima said glumly as she began to emit killing intent.
Mitsuha clucked her tongue and prepared to respond in kind, hoping it would be enough. If she was this strong without it, there was no telling just how powerful her norito actually was. She tapped into the bond between her and Tamotsu once again, blushing slightly as its powers swirled through her body.
'Tamo… give me strength!'
"With Furious Whips-!"
"The Hammer of my Pledge-!"
"-let my Ashikabi's obstacles-!"
"-shatter the enemy-!"
"-be crushed!"
"-of my Ashikabi!"
KA-THWACK!
WA-BAM!
Leather and metal crashed against the ground, ripping it up and sending debris flying between the two combatants. Mitsuha gritted her teeth, using her whip to smack away anything that could strike her with impunity. But one slab made it through and surged towards her face, intent on caving it in…
…or it would've, if Tamotsu hadn't suddenly decided to take the blow in her stead, catching it in the side of his skull. He gave a cry of pain and landed beside her with a dull thud, kicking up a bit of dust.
Her eyes widened in horror, her lips parting in a scream. "Tamotsu…!"
Falling to her knees, she quickly looked him over and reached up to where his head was, checking for any gashes. Her hand felt something warm and sticky, drawing back to reveal it slick with red.
Blood… His blood.
She gasped.
"Tamotsu!"
A groan sounded from him, his eyes peeking open to peer up at her. They were filled with pain, and it was clearly a struggle for him to stay conscious. "Did I… save you this time?" Before she could answer, his head lolled in her grasp and fell to the ground dully.
Her heart hammered painfully in her chest as the realization slowly set in: he had risked himself for her, not even caring he could die from a blow like that. All for her…
"Tamo…" she uttered, blinking back tears. "…TAMO!"
"What a fucking loser. Good riddance." She froze, turning to find Junichi smirking at her in a way that left her insides twisted. "What did he think he was going to do really? He's lucky he's not-"
"Not what?"
Junichi and Yashima jumped, whirling around in a panic and giving Mitsuha clear view to the other end of the alley. "Who the fuck are you?"
"Who, me? Just an innocent bystander is all," the woman said breezily.
Seemingly satisfied that she wasn't a threat, Junichi's sneer returned full force along with that same leer he'd become known for. "Well then," he drawled, putting his hands in his pocket, "then how about you and me-?"
"MASTER!" Yashima shouted suddenly, blitzing in front of him with her hammer at the ready.
"The hell?! Yashima what the f-!"
"Yashima-chan, is it?" the woman asked, seemingly unfazed by the fact there was now an angry hammer-wielding girl in her face. "Number eighty-four then. I wasn't expecting to run into such a low number today, and certainly not like this. Good grief, I've only heard him speak once and even I can tell you've got quite the nasty excuse for a master."
"Don't-!"
"Don't what? Don't talk bad about your master? Like you let yours just do so to another? Doesn't that make you a hypocrite, Yashima-chan?"
Faced with the brutal verbal lashing, Yashima seemed to quail but stood her ground against the woman.
Mitsuha could only stare, bewildered even as she held Tamotsu's unconscious form close.
Then, for a split second, the woman's brown eyes met hers and then darted to Tamotsu. For the first time her smile faltered, and she turned a glare on Yashima. "Here's some free advice: take a hike while you can."
Yashima didn't budge, but that didn't stop Junichi from bulling his way to the fore. "Listen here you uppity bitch-!" the punk had the gall to spit, grabbing the woman roughly by the shoulder.
TWHIP! SNIP!
Mitsuha stared in a sort of stunned amusement as Junichi's clothes came apart at the seams, his hoodie bisected as though shorn through with a scalpel and his pants weren't much better.
But she could've gone her whole life without seeing his undies.
Giving a girlish sort of scream, he grasped his trousers and yanked them up but that only made them come apart even more. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"Well, that's quite a wardrobe malfunction you've got there, pal. Best get out of here before someone sees you like that."
"You fucking-!"
"BEAT IT!"
That shout thundered like a cannon, making everyone present – Mitsuha included – flinch.
Even more pressing was the notion that this woman was by no means human, but something else… something she'd have to deal with it seemed if she wanted to get Tamotsu out of here.
Fortunately, Junichi's flight or fight instinct was stuck on the former so he grabbed what remained of his dignity and fled, shouting curses all the while. Yashima for her part turned a remorseful look back towards Mitsuha before fleeing in pursuit of her errant master.
Unbidden, a sigh forced its way past her lips and to the open air.
"How is he?"
Her eyes snapped open, finding the woman – a brunette with her hair tied into a side tail on one side of her head standing before them.
Instinct prompted her to shift to a defensive stance over her master, glaring at the woman who merely sighed.
"I'm not going to hurt either of you, ok? Now let me see him; I can help."
"How am I supposed to trust you?" Mitsuha bit out, still on edge around other Sekirei because that's precisely what this woman was.
The woman didn't hesitate in her retort. "Because I could've terminated both of you with ease."
That left her at a loss, so she begrudgingly parted so the Sekirei could look him over. She didn't let go of her whip though, keeping it gripped tight in case they needed to make a quick getaway.
That is, until she heard-
"Oh, Tamo-chan… What did you get yourself into this time?"
Mitsuha froze, her eyes locked on the woman's form. She knew Tamotsu… A Sekirei knew HER master.
"How do you know him?" she demanded before she could stop herself.
The woman said nothing to that, only busying herself with looking Tamotsu over until she got to his wound. "…he can't stay here. He's lost too much blood already. All I can do is patch him up." Wordlessly, she held up her arm and Mitsuha's eyes nearly bugged out when she saw a serpent of cloth come out, extending to about a foot before it cut itself off.
Mitsuha swallowed, keeping her whip handy just in case as she watched the woman wrap the cloth around Tamotsu's head, binding it firmly but gently.
"That should hold. It's a good thing he's an Ashikabi – he might've…" the woman trailed off, shaking her head a bit. "Come on, help me get him up."
"Hold on, we're not going anywhere with you-!" she tried to protest.
"Getting him to a hospital is his only chance, and you are in no condition to get him there plus he won't hold up well during the trip," the brunette cut her off firmly, making Mitsuha grit her teeth in frustration. "We'll bring him back to the Inn; I've got stuff to patch up both of you."
"You expect us to follow a complete stranger, someone who hasn't even told us her name?" Mitsuha shot back, refusing to relent.
The woman stared back down at her, uncowed… but finally gave a sigh, brushing some of her hair back. "Uzume – that's all you're getting."
It was hardly worth much, but it was enough for now what with her weakened state and Tamotsu's injuries. Stomaching her pride was a small price to pay. "Mitsuha, and the same goes to you."
Uzume rolled her eyes but still leaned down to heft Tamotsu up over her shoulder, pushing them both to a standing position. "Then let's go, it's starting to get dark."
"I can carry him – he's my master," Mitsuha argued, moving to flank Tamotsu and take his other arm. "Besides, why do you even care so much?"
"Because he's my-!" Uzume turned to shout, only to pause mid-sentence, frown and sigh. "Look, the longer we stand here bickering the worse he gets and that's something we both don't want, so let's can it until we're somewhere we can get him looked after – ok?"
It was far from an ideal situation and Mitsuha had the sinking suspicion that Uzume was far more familiar with her master than she let on. Unfortunately, as much as that bothered her, the brunette had a point. "Fine. But I'm watching you."
"Watch all you like, thirty-eight."
Her heart pounded in her ears, her legs ached, and each breath felt as though it was ripped straight from the depths of her lungs as she cut another corner, ducking around it. She tried to make as little noise as she could but the damp alley and the assorted litter on the ground might as well have been her wearing a large blazing sign over her head.
"Over here!"
"Cut her off!"
The voices of her pursuers had been on repeat for the last while now, tracking her from district to district of the city as she ran for her life. Mere hours before she had been wondering where she would be able to get her next meal, only for some rich boy to show up like some prince charming.
Had it not been for the fact he wasn't who she was meant for, she would've given her heart to the man for all the food he'd treated her to. Even now she still felt bad about ducking off like she had, but it was clear that the others who had come to meet him were his Sekirei – and that he intended on taking her for himself, reaction or not.
She couldn't allow it! She wasn't going to lose her chance at finding her destined one, not like this! Her powers had allowed her to make a speedy escape, but whoever that Ashikabi's Sekirei were they were experts at tracking. It hadn't taken them long to track her down and she'd been on the run ever since.
She'd been able to evade them thus far, but she was reaching her limits even for a Sekirei. And even if she managed to use her powers again, they would be expecting it this time. They'd have something in place to catch her and ruin her chance of finding her Ashikabi.
So, she ran; ran until her feet burned and her lungs were close to giving out. Night had long since fallen which gave her a bit of an advantage but not much.
'I can't give up! Not now! Not when I still haven't found them yet!'
"Found you~."
That voice. The second she'd heard it she'd wanted to scurry off to parts unknown just to get away from it. It was a voice that promised nothing but misery and horror, all in equal measure.
"No!"
The air shifted drastically and every instinct in her body told her to listen, so she dropped to the ground in a sliding crouch just a wave of air surged over her. A loud crash sounded from somewhere in front of her, followed by that of bricks falling one by one to the ground.
Before she could move, a thin web-like netting fell over her and constricted her movements. Her heart pounded so hard it felt as though it would beat out of her chest.
"Finally caught you, little mouse."
Chancing a glance behind her, she found a shadowy figure wielding a familiar-looking scythe standing at the other end of the alley. She was soon joined by two others: a twin-tailed blonde in a short dress, and a shrine maiden wielding a long staff.
"A fitting trap too," the blonde sneered at her, giggling.
"She shouldn't have run in the first place. We wouldn't have even had to do any of this if she hadn't," the shrine maiden admonished.
"That would've been so boring though~!"
"Children," the scythe wielder said firmly, silencing the two. "Now then, number forty-nine – Kujou-chan. Are you going to give us anymore trouble? Because I've about reached my limit for childish behavior for one evening."
"Y-you can't do this! I don't want this!" Kujou shouted, trembling fearfully.
"Oh, who cares what you want little girl. I only care what my Ashikabi wants – and he wants you, like all the others. So, he'll get you whole… or," she held up her scythe, adjusting it just enough for the blade to gleam menacingly, "in pieces. I'm sure he won't mind having project that has some assembly required."
Kujou shuddered, starting to tremble even more as the Sekirei advanced on her, intent on taking her freedoms from her. "S-stop!"
Suddenly, a wave of fire surged down from above, forcing the other Sekirei to leap backwards to avoid being cooked. Kujou's eyes widened, a gasp tearing itself free from her lips as a cloaked figure landed in front of her.
"Back off, vultures of the south! I won't let you do as you wish."
"Grrr, not you again!" the blonde whined, stamping her foot. "And look what you did to my dress, jackass!"
"Put it on my tab," the newcomer shrugged. "Seems you've been busy, Yomi."
"I can hardly let all my master's toys get swiped now can I, Guardian?" the scythe Sekirei returned, smirking darkly. "Of course, the offer is still on the table for you as well. I'm sure Hayato won't mind having some action figures to play with, heh."
"I'll pass, thanks. Now beat it unless you want me to turn up the heat."
"Hmph. Fine, you can have this one… But I wonder, by saving this one how many have you doomed to our clutches?"
"It's one less that you'll be without," the Guardian returned, letting flames surge about him.
Yomi chuckled softly, stepping back into the darkness. "I suppose we'll see if that's worth it in the end. Let's go."
The shrine maiden followed without question, but the blonde turned a sour look back on them before scurrying after Yomi as well.
Kujou dared not say a word, watching the Guardian as he turned on her… and lit up his hand!
"Wait, please-!"
A wave of fire spread out over her and let out a sharp shriek, expecting for the flames to cook her alive. Instead, all they did was burn off the net she'd been trapped in and left free.
"You alright?"
Kujou just stared, unblinking but her heart skipped a beat as the Guardian lowered himself to her height. He leaned in, his gloved hand howevering towards her face.
Deep down she knew he was just checking her for injuries, but between nearly losing her chance to find her Ashikabi - as well as her life - it was too much.
Her power heeded the call and came to her all at once, waving her gloved hands across her chest as spheres of light blossomed to life around her.
"W-what the-!"
"EEEEK!"
THWOOM!
Blinding light surged and flashed, leaving her unharmed but her would-be rescuer blinded from the effect.
"Gomen nasai!" she shouted as she ran off, never looking back for fear of the Guardian coming after her. Forget food! She was going to duck inside whatever hole she could find and not come out till morning! Then she'd start looking for her Ashikabi again…once she found food that is.
Yashima let out a cry as she was thrown against the wall, her hammer flying free from her hand and clattering on the darkened ground.
"God-fucking-damn it! How is it I ended up with a complete pussy for a Sekirei like you?"
"Mas-AGH!"
"Shut it!" Junichi snarled, kicking her in the stomach before leaning up against the wall. "That damned bitch... How the fuck she'd do that? I thought they could only fight with weapons or some shit."
Yashima tried to tell him otherwise, but the pain was inhibiting her for the moment. All she could do was lay there and whimper quietly as her master fumed to himself.
That is, until a hand held itself to her.
"Jun-kun picking on you again, Yashima-chan?"
"Aniki?!" her master exclaimed, jumping slightly. "Fuck, how do you do that?"
"Years of practice," Kei remarked offhandedly, his eyes never leaving Yashima's.
Instead of taking the offered hand, Yashima forced herself to her feet, albeit a bit unsteadily. Kei reached out to help her, but a glare warned him off. "I'm fine, Keitaro-san."
While she wasn't one to revel in such things, Yashima took a small amount of satisfaction that she had unraveled this man's composure even slightly as his face twisted. So the punch she got from Junichi was worth it, to some extent.
"Bitch! Don't talk to Aniki that way you fucking hear me?! HUH?!"
"Now, now, Jun-kun," Kei said as a form of admonishment, but Yashima knew better.
Sasama Keitaro was the kind of person who reveled in other's suffering, even more so when it was done on his behalf. In the short time she'd come to know the man, for as horrible as her master was to her, she was at least glad that she didn't end up as this man's.
He was the reason Junichi was like this, after all.
Satisifed, Kei seemed to finally take notice of Junichi's choice of clothing and barked out a laugh. "I had no idea you were feeling festive. I would've gotten you the hat."
Junichi's usual hoodie and pants were gone, discarded into the dumpster as they had fled from that other Sekirei. What he had now was what he'd managed to swipe from a second-hand store, albeit one that didn't have much in the way of security but Junichi hadn't cared much for what it was. He had been close to running naked through the streets after all.
"Bite me. I didn't have a fucking choice. That goddamn bitch ruined my clothes by just touching me."
Kei smirked at the younger thug, patting him on the shoulder. "Whatever you say Jun-kun-"
"No you don't understand! This little fucker attacked me out of nowhere - I won of course - but him and that blonde bitch of his managed to get a few good hits in."
Kei just chuckled, leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed. "That right," he muttered with a smirk.
"Fucking wimp though. All I had to do was call him a prick to get under his skin, heh."
Yashima didn't miss how Kei seemed to freeze in place at that admission. Curious.
"I see. Hey, you wouldn't happen to remember what this punk looked like would ya?"
Junichi scratched the back of his head, his face twisting as he rummaged around for an answer. "Eh, average as fuck."
"Details, you little shit," Kei snarled suddenly and Yashima felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.
Junichi actually flinched at that, backing away slightly. "Ok, ok lemme think! Uh... short black hair, scrawny, lavender eyes-"
"WHAT."
Yashima forced herself not to go to Junichi's side as Kei slammed Junichi into the wall, pinning him there.
"H-hey get off Aniki-!"
"Shut your mouth you little shit. You said this little prick had lavender eyes, yeah?"
"O-or something like that, yeah," Junichi stammered out, eyes wide.
Kei released the young man from his hold, and gave out a spine-chilling chuckle. "Well, well, ain't that just a kick in the ass," the older man muttered.
"A-Aniki?" Junichi questioned nervously.
"Jun-kun, grab Yashima-chan and come on. We got some shit to discuss, specifically about that little brat you dealt with earlier."
"What? He give you trouble, Aniki?!"
"Oh no, no... We're old friends, and it's long past due for a meetup. So Jun-kun, less you want Yuji to use you as a sofa cushion again, you're gonna tell me everything you know about this little shit, especially that blonde bitch of his."
Truthfully, Yashima would've preferred if Kei was spitting fury right now because his laughter was only sending shivers down her spine.
Glossary:
Aniki (less formal; literally "Big bro")
And done. This gave me a lot more trouble than I thought it would, but once I got into the fight scene everything kinda fell apart. I still think I got what I wanted here even if it was barebones. Seems that's how it is with a lot of my writing these days.
And there we have it, the rest of Mitsuha and Tamotsu's date as well as a brief glimpse into the dark past he harbors. It's not pretty and it doesn't get any better. Might touch on it a bit more next chapter because Mitsuha is going to want answers after this. And yeah, Tamotsu jumped the gun here but for the sake of not spoiling anything, I'll say it was justified. He just didn't account for the fact that said abusive asshole's victim actually had Stockholm Syndrome.
Oh yeah, and Uzume makes a return! She'll be a bit more active in the story from this point on I promise, but will she be the next member of Tamotsu's flock? We'll see!
And finally, Kujou makes her long anticipated debut. It went a bit off-script but most of what I wanted made it through. She's a scaredy cat and will be this way for a bit, even after she becomes part of Tamotsu's flock. It won't be permanent; character development people!
We're closing in on the end of Act I which is basically setting the stage for everything, establishing the major players and such. Rest assured we are nowhere near done with this and the really good stuff is still in store. After all, a flock's not a flock if there isn't some competition involved for their Ashikabi - plus we gotta get Minato and Yukari's flock together as well.
In closing, it's the holiday season and as much as I'd like to relax, sleep's not really coming to me much. Maybe that's affecting my writing, who knows? Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and nobody gets too pissed when New Year's rolls around.
Till then,
Take care.