Authors Note: Back again with another chapter. This one took a little longer to come out with because I had to figure out how the dialogue was going to go down, as well as think out a few scenarios. It took a WAY longer than I thought so I thank you for your patience. Also, a ton of stuff when down since the last update. I graduated college, found an apartment, took care of some personal stuff, and found a new job.

Also, thanks a ton for reviewing the story, following, and favoring. Thanks to you guys, the story has reached the 100+ milestone. I really appreciate the support.

I was practicing a little with Photoshop and created the cover art for the story. What do you guys think? It was actually my first attempt at Photoshop. It's a little choppy, but it will do for the image I wanted to have for this story.

Lastly, this might be my last chapter for a while. Considering all that has happened between now and the last chapter, life is going to get crazy for me. I am starting a new career soon, so I won't be able to update as often as I would like. But I didn't want to leave you hanging by last chapter, so I decided to hunker down and finish this chapter before getting myself situated. It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoy.

Anyway, here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Warning: Same spelling warning as usual.

Unbound

Chapter 7

There comes a time in our lives when you are caught doing something you're not supposed to do. It's like when your mom catches you with your hand in the cookie jar. There is a sinking feeling in your stomach as well as a pounding in your heart when you realized someone saw what you just did.

Yeah, that was sort of how Roxas was feeling at the moment as he and Akitsu stared at each other. Only you would have to times that feeling by a couple hundred and add in the dread factor. There was definitely a sinking feeling in Roxas's stomach as he witnessed the look of pure disbelief on Akitsu's face. It was so obvious that she saw more that he wanted her to see.

In this kind of situation, Roxas didn't know what to do…or what he could even say. She had just seen him do things that were normally impossible for a human to do. And she just witnessed him using the keyblade to break the Sekirei bond between Yashima and her abusive Ashikabi. What were you supposed to say in this position? How was the conversation even supposed to start?

There was complete silence between them, as if they were waiting for the other person to beak the ice. The only sound was coming from a sobbing Yashima just a few feet away.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Akitsu opened her mouth. "R-Roxas. What…what was that?" Akitsu asked quietly, still trying to comprehend what she had just saw. She could barely put the words together to ask the question.

Roxas felt his mouth go dry, his voice completely leaving him. He didn't know how he was going to talk his way out of this one. He had no excuses, no lies, and no way to deviate from this topic. He was caught red-handed, simple as that.

"I…I just." Roxas fumbled. "I don't know what to say."

Akitsu continued staring at him, making the poor nobody really uncomfortable. It was clear through her gaze and also through the bond that she was not going to take that as an answer. How in the world was he going to explain this?

The soft sound of choppers overhead caused Roxas to look up. He noticed through the trees that a few MBI helicopters were slowly descending upon the botanical gardens. The tops of the trees swayed back and forth in correspondence with the close proximity of the helicopters.

Biting his lower lip, he looked between Akitsu and Yashima a couple times. They needed to get out of there. He didn't know why MBI was on its way, but he would rather not stay and find out. It already looked suspicious enough as it did with him standing there.

"Akitsu." Roxas started, turning his attention to his Sekirei. "We can continue this later. But for now, we have to leave."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she tore her gaze away from Roxas and glanced up at the helicopters. She saw them slowly descending as well. However, she looked back at Roxas, her eyes narrowing just slightly. "I…Understand but…"

Roxas could see the conflicted look on Akitsu's face. She really wanted to know what he did and how he did it. Based on past experiences, he could tell she was worried he would dodge the question again like he did in the past. And he couldn't really blame her either because, if he were in her shoes, he would want answers too.

"I promise Akitsu, I will answer any of your questions when we get out of here. Please." Roxas begged as he looked up at the helicopters. They were slowly getting closer to the top of the trees.

"…Ok." Akitsu replied quietly.

Roxas gave a small sigh of relief as he looked over at Yashima. She was hunched over next to her giant hammer, nearly in a fetal position. She was still crying a bit, but her sobs had calmed down quite significantly. However, she looked exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. He gently knelt down next to her.

"Yashima." Roxas said, causing her to flinch a bit at his voice. Slowly, she looked up at him a little fearfully. "MBI is on its way, so I'm going to ask. Are you going to come with us? Or are you going to stay here?"

Yashima swallowed as she thought about his question. She knew that MBI would most likely come after her because a Sekirei was not supposed to be able to unbind themselves. They would most likely catch her, detain her, and experiment on her in order to find out how she did it. If that happened, she could say goodbye to ever finding her Ashikabi.

But then again, after her experiences with her own Ashikabi, did she want one again? Would it be a better option to just be done with this game and go back to MBI? Yeah, she told Roxas she wanted another chance, but did she really? Did she want to give humans another chance?

"Hey."

Yashima felt a warm hand on her shoulder but she instantly flinched away from it. She looked up into the blue eyes of the boy who had freed her. Her heart started to beat just a bit faster, causing a small blush to form on her cheeks. However, she was much too preoccupied by her own fear to pay much attention to it.

Roxas noticed her fearful reaction to his touch and retracted his hand. "You don't have to come with us. You're free to do what you want now. But if you want to come, tell me now because we have to go." Roxas said, an urgent tone in his voice.

Yashima pondered her choice again. She could go back with MBI and be done with the game. She could leave right now and try to escape MBI, but she knew she was too weak to escape them, and even if she did escape, she may not be able to resist if another Ashikabi came along and tried to wing her.

Her last option was to take the mysterious boy's offer and go with him. Even though she saw him do some strange and impossible things, he still helped her. He was the only one that ever did.

And that was enough.

"Please…take me with you." Yashima said meekly.

Roxas nodded as he stood up. Yashima tried to do the same, but her legs refused to hold her up. Even with Roxas's cure spell, her entire body was incredibly fatigued after all she had been through. She collapsed on the ground again, giving a soft hiss of pain.

Roxas glanced over at her before he knelt down again. He reached out, but she flinched away from him again, as if she was afraid of any form of physical contact.

Retracting his hand, Roxas contemplated what to do. It was clear that she had been through quite an ordeal, but he didn't have time to figure out a way around this.

"Yashima, I promise I won't hurt you. We need to get out of here."

Yashima pulled her arms close to her body, obviously afraid of the thought of being touched by this boy, but she knew he was right. She couldn't get out of here without his help.

"O-Ok. Just please…don't hurt me." She whimpered.

Roxas scrunched his eyebrows a bit. It was really sickening to see someone abused to the point where they were scared of just being touched. It just proved that Junichi got what was coming to him.

Gingerly, he reached over and slowly scooped her up off the ground, bridal style. She instantly tensed, clenching her eyes shut. He could tell she was terrified, but there was nothing else he could do at the moment. She was light though, as if she had not eaten a decent meal in a long time.

"My hammer." Yashima whispered, her eyes still clenched shut.

Glancing over at the enormous weapon, Roxas knew they would have to leave it behind for now. It was too large. It would make them really easy to spot if someone decided to come after them.

"We will have to come back for it." Roxas responded. He felt a tiny shift against his chest, signifying that Yashima nodded her head in understanding.

Turning to his Sekirei, Roxas could see the confusion in her eyes as she glanced between Roxas and the Sekirei he just freed.

"We can't just leave her here." Roxas said.

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she looked up at the helicopters. "I know."

Biting his lower lip, he could feel the emotional state of his Sekirei. There were to many feelings emulating from her. From confusion, to even fear, he could feel them all and none of them were good.

But even so, this had to wait. Turning around, he faced the direction of Nozomi Inn.

Akitsu watched as her Ashikabi crouched down with the Sekirei in his arms. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she just saw, but that could wait until they got home. However, she was once again surprised when he blasted off the ground, jumping high into the air and landing on a nearby tree branch. He then leaped off that branch, scaling the trees like it was second nature to him.

She just paused for a moment before she quickly followed after. How was her Ashikabi able to do these things? How was he able to block Yashima's Norito with pure strength alone? How was he able to unlock the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi?

Who…or what was her Ashikabi?

Just as Akitsu disappeared into the midst of the trees, a group of people suddenly burst into the clearing.

"Hurry, he was right here…" One of them said before he paused, looking around the empty and destroyed area. "He was here; I know I saw him. He saved me and Kuu-chan."

"Where? Where is he? Is he another Sekirei? Can I get the chance to fight now Minato-san?" An overly energetic woman said, nearly bouncing on the balls of her feet, stars in her eyes.

"Um…I don't think we need to fight him Musubi-chan. He did save us."

"Oh, right." Musubi said as she bonked herself on the head.

The other figure took a few steps into the clearing, looking around at the destruction of the trees and ground before he gave a low whistle.

"Minato, you sure?"

Minato nodded his head, glancing down at the little girl in his arms. She had fainted right as she and Minato escaped the hands of Yomi. "Seo, I swear, this guy saved us. I think he was a Sekirei, but I didn't see his face. He was wearing a…black coat."

"A black coat huh?" Seo hummed as he scratched the stubble on his chin. Sounds like Homura managed to get here in time to save you and the green girl."

"Homura? Who's that?" Minato asked.

"Yeah…You really don't need to worry about him." Seo said as he walked further into the clearing, his two Sekirei following close behind. "But still, this place is wrecked. It must have been quite the battle."

"You can say that again." Hikari said as she wandered further into the clearing.

"Um…Guys. I think you should see this." Hibiki suddenly said from further in the clearing.

The whole group walked over to see what she was staring at. Immediately, all of there eyes widened.

"T-That's her! She was the one that attacked us." Minato said, pointing a shaking finger at the downed girl.

Musubi walked up next to Minato before glancing down at the deactivated Sekirei. She had a somber look on her face as she glanced up at the descending helicopters. "I was hoping I would get a fight."

Seo stared down at the deactivated Sekirei. His eyes narrowed a little as he studied the marks that ran down her body as well as the blunt trauma to the Sekirei's head. Slowly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes before lighting one up. He breathed out a steady stream of smoke.

"Well this is interesting."

Minato, his Sekirei, and the lightning twins glanced over at him curiously.

"What's interesting?" Hikari asked.

"Nah, its nothing. Just thinking about something." He said as he dropped the cancer stick and stomped it into the ground. He knew that Homura specialized in fire-based attacks. But there was not a scorch mark anywhere on this Sekirei…or even in the clearing at all. A sharp blow to the head caused the deactivation. That was not Homura's style.

Did that mean there was someone else protecting the Sekirei?

"Seo, what's up?" Hibiki asked, feeling the confused emotions of her Ashikabi.

"Don't worry about it. What's important is that we saved the green girl." He said as he looked up at the descending MBI helicopters. The soldiers would be here any second now to pick up the deactivated Yomi.

Turning to leave, he noticed Minato and Musubi were still standing there. He glanced over his shoulder to see Musubi standing over the downed Sekirei, as if she was waiting for MBI to pick up her body.

Chuckling a bit, Seo turned around and beckoned for his Sekirei to follow. "Lets go home." He said causing Hibiki and Hikari to nod in agreement. Their job was done here. However, just as he was about to exit the gardens, a quick movement caught his eye. He glanced up to see three shadows jump out of one of the helicopter and speed along the rooftops.

He narrowed his eyes before shrugging.

It took only a few seconds before Roxas and Akitsu were out of the gardens. They were hopping along the rooftops, trying to keep in the shadows and away from the searching helicopters overhead. Roxas could feel Akitsu's stare on his back. It was obvious she was not expecting him to be able to leap rooftops like the Sekirei could. He was dreading the talk they would have when they returned to their house.

Yashima was still a bit stiff in his arms, but after feeling the cool night air flowing through her hair and gently brushing against her body, she relaxed just a little. The arms that secured her were gentle and warm, completely opposite of her former Ashikabi. Every time she had experienced any form of physical touch, it always amounted to pain. But here, being carried like this, it was nice…almost comforting. For the first time since she was released, she felt a minor bit of warmth in her heart.

Unconsciously, she snuggled up a bit into his chest, hoping she could feel just a little more of that warmth.

Roxas felt Yashima shift in his arms. Looking down at her, he noticed she was not nearly as tense as when he first picked her up. Her eyes were closed, but he could tell she was not asleep. She had her head pressed against his shoulder, her hands gently clinging the front of his coat.

He was curious about this Sekirei though. During there battle, he knew he felt her emotions at one point. Her hopelessness, despair, sadness, loneliness, everything. He felt it through her like he usually felt through the bond he had with Akitsu. Why did that happen though? Wasn't that only supposed to happen between an Ashikabi and there Sekirei?

BLOODLUST

Roxas instantly felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes widened in horror when this familiar sensation washed over him.

"Oh Shit!" He cursed as he landed on a rooftop. Akitsu landed behind him, a bit confused as to why he stopped. Yashima also stirred slightly at the sudden halt, glancing up at Roxas's face to see his eyes narrowed and hardened. It was almost scary.

Slowly, Roxas's face steeled over as he turned to his Sekirei. "Akitsu, I need you to listen to me."

"Ah…" Akitsu's eyes widened just a sliver when she saw the look on Roxas's face. She had never seen him this serious or intense before. It was obvious he meant business right now. "What is it?"

"I need you to take Yashima and get back to the house, right now." Roxas said, his heart beating extremely fast.

Akitsu blinked a couple times. "What…what are you talking about? Why?"

"Akitsu." Roxas said calmly. "I need you to do this for me. Please!"

"But…I can't leave you here-"

"Akitsu." Roxas growled, his oblivion appearing in his hand despite him still holding Yashima. "Go!"

Akitsu bit her lower lip as she dipped her head. She walked forward and carefully took Yashima from his grasp, her hair overshadowing her eyes.

"Ah…As you wish, Ashikabi-sama."

Roxas winced a bit as he felt a spike of emotional pain through the bond. He felt like crying because of the way he was treating his Sekirei right now. But…this was something she couldn't handle, not after her battle with Mutsu. He had to get her and Yashima out of here, not matter what.

Not another word was said as Akitsu walked away from Roxas with Yashima in her arms and leaped off into the air. He watched as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop until she was out of sight. He felt just horrible for barking at her like that, but with what was coming, he knew he could not defend her and Yashima at the same time. Carefully, he flipped on his hood and crouched down in his one keyblade stance, the oblivion clenched in his hands.

Looking up at the rooftop of one of the buildings, he stared at that position, waiting and feeling the bloodlust grow stronger.

Finally, he saw it.

The moonlight reflected off of three individuals as they landed on the roof of the building in front of him. They all wore the same outfit that consisted of the black miniskirt, and the grey Haori with the symbol of the wagtail on the collar. One of them had pink hair and a more slender figure. Another had grey hair, as well as talons on each of her fingers. However, these two individuals didn't catch his attention.

No

The last individual he knew well. The source of the extreme bloodlust was coming from her. He had felt it many times and had honed his senses to pick up on her lust for blood, no matter how faint it was. After all, he had many death dates with this individual.

"Karasuba." Roxas whispered quietly, his keyblade clenched in his hands.

Karasuba stared down at him, her eyes closed and that eerie smile on her face. For some reason, this look was a lot more frightening that her psychotic battle loving smile.

"Well, Well, Well. What do we have here?" Karasuba said, excitement dripping in her voice. "And here I thought we were chasing down the recently…un-winged number and now we have someone standing in our way. What to do. What to do."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the way she was talking. It was like she was pretending she didn't know him. Why was she playing dumb?

Deciding not to worry about that right now, he looked at the other two individuals. They didn't seem nearly as strong as Karasuba, but he could tell they were no pushovers either. Taking on all three would prove to be a challenge. There was no way he was going to hold back this time.

Slowly, his left hand released the oblivion. He got into his other stance before another flash of white light appeared in his hand.

The Oathkeeper.

He crouched down in his two-keyblade stance, ready to take on three opponents this time.

Karasuba's eyes widened just a bit, her smile becoming a bit crazy. It looked like it was taking all of her self-control not to draw her sword. She was literally shaking with anticipation. However, she clenched her fists as she slowly sat down on the edge of the rooftop, still not taking her gaze away from him, but putting on that eerie smile again.

"Benitsubasa, Haihane. Why don't you have a little fun with our guest." Karasuba said as her hand clenched the hilt of her sword in an attempt to calm herself down.

Benitsubasa stared at the leader of the disciplinary squad. Usually Karasuba would jump at the opportunity to fight, but now she was giving them the chance instead. That was very unlike her. And why did she seem so…intense all of a sudden. I mean, Karasuba was always intense, but it looked like she was using all of her willpower not to jump down there and skewer this…Sekirei…or whoever this guy was.

"Why? We were tasked to retrieve the un-winged number. There is no point in fighting him." Haihane said.

Karasuba gave the bandaged Sekirei an overly cheerful smile. "What was that Haihane?"

Haihane felt a shiver down her spine as she straightened up. "N-Nothing Karasuba-Sempi." She responded quickly before she turned to her pink haired companion. "Lets just get this over with so we can complete the mission."

Benitsubasa gave a sigh as she looked down at the lone figure on the roof, the strange weapons in his hands. Fighting two against one, this was almost an insult to her pride as a member of the disciplinary squad. She had been trained to fight and defeat numbers much higher than her own. Taking down this person would be a cakewalk.

"Haihane, wait here, I will be done shortly." Benitsubasa said as she leaped down from the roof, landing in front of the cloaked figure.

Karasuba couldn't help but smile in amusement. Benitsubasa didn't know what she just got herself into. Even with the help of Haihane, they wouldn't be able to beat the "Mystery man."

Haihane grumbled a bit as she sat down next to Karasuba, resting her clawed hand against her cheek.

Slice

"Aug!" Haihane yelped as her sharp claws scratched her cheek. Blood started leaking from the side of her face.

"Haihane." Karasuba said quietly.

Haihane ignored the scrape on her cheek as she turned her attention to Karasuba.

"Get ready to bail out Benitsubasa."

"W-What? Why?"

"Because she is in way over her head." Karasuba said, her eyes opening just a sliver as she watched.

Haihane looked between Karasuba and the two figures standing there on the rooftop. She narrowed her eyes at the cloaked figure with the strange duel weapons, trying to get a read on his ability. She then glanced at Karasuba, only to flinch at her expression. She still that that eerie smile and her eyes were open just a sliver, but the intense gaze didn't escape her. Haihane had only seen that look a few times, and each time was more frightening than the last.

Karasuba had one hand was on the hilt of her sword while the other one was clenching the edge of the rooftop, putting a clean indent in the metal. It looked like it was taking all of her self-control not to rush down there right now and stab the kid through the heart with her sword.

But…

Why was Karasuba acting this way? Why did she seem to know what this kid was capable of?

Benitsubasa cracked her knuckles as she walked up to her opponent. Up close, she didn't see anything really intimidating about him. He was about as tall as she was, maybe even a hair shorter. He seemed to be of a slimmer build as well, signifying that his specialty was speed over strength, which she didn't have a problem with.

She stopped within two feet of him as she put her hands on her hips.

"Listen here shorty, we have a mission to complete, but Karasuba seems to have an interest in you. So to make both our lives easier, why don't you just get out of our way?"

WHAM

Benitsubasa didn't even see it coming. All she felt was a wave of pain hit her left cheek and her body being thrown back by the force of the blow. She was seeing stars, but her training suddenly kicked in. She rotated her body backwards and landed on her feet, sliding a bit backwards before coming to a halt. However, she fell to one knee. Her vision was blurry because of how close the strike had come to her eye. It almost felt like her cheekbone had been shattered.

She would have grinded her teeth in anger, but it was too painful. Instead, as soon as she regained her vision, she glared at the boy who just bashed her with his blunt weapon.

"You little shit!" She screeched as she stood up. "I'm gonna beat your fucking face in-" Her was cut off when the boy suddenly shot at her, swinging his black weapon at her face.

She instantly ducked before launching a punch to his stomach, but her fist met the cold metal of the weapon in his other hand. Wasting no time, the boy launched a flurry of attacked, swinging both weapon with deadly precision. Benitsubasa was forced to block with her forearms, but the weight of the blows was extremely painful.

She tried leaping back to put some distance between her and the boy, but he reached back and actually threw one of his weapons. It was so unexpected that she was unprepared to block it. It slammed into her chest, causing her to fly backwards again. This time she landed hard on her back. Benitsubasa was quick to recover though, rolling over her shoulder and quickly jumping to her feet, leaping back to put a bit more distance between them.

The pink-haired Sekirei was breathing hard. Her cheek was throbbing and major bruises were forming on her forearms. She could not believe that she, a member of the new disciplinary squad, was being pushed back by this guy.

And he wasn't letting up either. He shot at her again, almost like a white blur. She raised her arms and clenched her fists, ready to retaliate. As soon as he was within distance, she let loose her fist. It sailed righted at his face, but he quickly took a ninety degree turn and shot around her. Pivoting around, he threw another punch, but it was once again blocked by the metal of his white weapon.

Deflecting the punch, Roxas swung the oblivion, aiming it at her face, but the Sekirei quickly raised her forearm and blocked the blow. But she couldn't help but wince at how heavy it was. In that instant where she was distracted by the pain, Roxas swung the Oathkeeper, connecting it with her upper shoulder and landing a heavy blow.

Benitsubasa winced as she was thrown like a ragdoll across the roof. She barely managed to rotate over and give a somewhat decent landing only for her eye to widen and her arms to raise in defense again as the black weapon was thrown. It smashed into her arms and ricochet off before flying back to the owner's hand.

Roxas wasted no time in rushing forward, ready to strike while she was down. However, right when he was in range, another person landed in front of his target, swiping down with her clawed hands and forcing him to leap back to avoid being slashed.

Looking up, Benitsubasa saw Haihane standing there with her claws outstretched.

"Well…Even for you that was pathetic. One would think you could move faster with that flat chest of yours."

"Screw you Haihane." Benitsubasa growled, flipping the bandaged Sekirei off. She would have argued more, but they had a common enemy right now.

Roxas help both his keyblades in his hands. It had been a while since he used Oathkeeper and if felt good to use dual style again. However, now he was facing two opponents at the same time. He was use to fighting overwhelming amounts of heartless at the same time, but these people were just a bit stronger than the creatures of darkness. So far, the pink-haired one was pretty fast and quite durable, able to fend off his attacks with her arms. The other one seemed pretty ferocious with those claws. He had to watch out for those.

However…

Both of them seemed like they were close range fighters, so Roxas had an advantage.

"It has been a long time since I used this." Roxas murmured to himself, too quiet for anyone to hear.

Soon, a white glow began to emit off his body, causing both Benitsubasa and Haihane to narrow their eyes. They instantly got into their stances, trying to get ready for anything he might throw at them.

Karasuba was also watching, her eyes growing a bit more excited with each passing minuet. However, when she saw that white glow, her anticipation doubled. She was extremely excited about what Mystery man would show her next.

And how much he had held back in their spares?

Slowly, Roxas drew back his Keyblades, pausing a moment to let the power of light flow through him. Then, in one quick motion, he trust both of them forward. Immediately, 5 Pillars of light burst into existence before they rushed forward at the two amazed Sekirei.

It didn't take more than a second for them to react. Benitsubasa rolled between two while Haihane did the same. The pillars of light slammed into the building behind them, causing five huge gashes to run along the side.

Benitsubasa glanced over her shoulder, her teeth clenched as she saw the destruction.

"Flat-Chest, WATCH OUT!" Haihane screamed.

Benitsubasa barely managed to turn her head before she saw a glimmer of black metal heading straight for her face. She barely had time to duck and throw a punch at her attacker's midsection. However, he was extremely agile as he literally flipped backwards while simultaneously swinging his weapon at the approaching Haihane, sending another light pillar at her.

Haihane leaped to the left as she continued to rush forward. She leaped into the air as she tried to swipe downward with her clawed hands. However, Roxas rolled under before slashing upwards. Another pillar of light shot at Haihane, but she was in no position to dodge this time. The pillar slammed into her, sending her flying through the air before crashing on the ground.

Roxas felt a heavy wind current heading straight for his head, so acting on instinct, he ducted as Benitsubasa fist sailed over his skull and connected with the rooftop. Instantly, her fist sank into the bricks, bunching a hole straight through.

Roxas took this time to dash away from her before sending another pillar of light in her direction. It was easily sidestepped before Benitsubasa got back into her fighting stance.

Roxas looked between Benitsubasa and the now standing Haihane. Haihane had a few scratches from his last attack, but nothing too substantial that she would be out for the count. Gritting his teeth, he knew he had to end this soon before he wasted to much energy. After all, …

Karasuba would be up next, there was no doubt in his mind.

Suddenly, the Oathkeeper vanished from his grip as he clenched the oblivion in both his hands. Karasuba, Benitsubasa, and Haihane all watched as the light aura suddenly increased dramatically.

Roxas felt the power of light course through his veins in a very familiar way. He had not used this attack in a VERY long time.

"Event…" Roxas started, the Light energy increasing even more. Both Benitsubasa and Haihane threw up their guard, ready for anything. However, noting could prepare them for this.

"Horizon." Instantly, Roxas shot toward them, faster than they could even track. All they felt was pain as blow after blow was landed on their bodies. Roxas speed around them, landing hit after hit, faster than they could see, but they could definitely feel it. Finally, Roxas finished off by swinging his Oblivion at them, sending an array of light pillars rushing at their prone bodies. They were in no condign to dodge at this point. The pillars slammed into them, throwing them over the edge of the roof, in the alleyway, and down into the hard pavement below.

Roxas stopped as he fell to one knee. The light energy slowly faded away as he took a couple deep breaths. He didn't know if those two Sekirei were even alive after that…

BLOODLUST

But he had other things to worry about. Slowly, he turned to look up at the rooftop where Karasuba was sitting. However, she was not there anymore. Hearing the very air being cut, Roxas quickly rolled just in time to dodge a Katana as it flew over his head.

Jumping to his feet, he saw Karasuba standing there, her grin even more crazed than usual. Her eyes were nearly glowing with excitement and anticipation.

"I knew they wouldn't stand a chance against your mystery man. And now that those two are out of the way, I think another date is long overdue. I have a serious itch that needs to be scratched, and you are the only one that can do it for me." She said, her voice husky and seductive.

Roxas was almost frightened by the amount of bloodlust she was putting out. It was like her katana could cut it if she wanted to. With a quick flick to his left hand, the Oathkeeper appeared again.

"And to top it all off, you have been holding something back on me. Can you imagine the kind of fun we could have if you just went all out? I getting hot and bothered just thinking about it." Karasuba said, licking her lips. "But I guess I can't be too mad. I mean after all…" The air sudden got thick as a dark aura suddenly surrounded Karasuba.

Roxas's eyes widened a bit as he witnessed the aura. Had he known better, he would have thought it was the powers of darkness, and even though it was similar, there was something different about it. This power was actually coming from Karasuba. It was dark, but not quite as evil as the darkness that created the heartless.

But still, there was no denying the power that Karasuba had.

"So how about it, Mystery man? I don't know when I will see you again, so how about we hold nothing back and have a very Passionate dance tonight." Karasuba said as she raised her blade, allowing the silver moon to reflect off its edge.

Honestly, Roxas didn't know if he had a choice in the matter. When Karasuba was like this, there was no reasoning with her. If he wanted to survive, he would have to go all out.

Soon, the light energy began to radiate off his body again. It was the perfect opposite to the power that Karasuba was emitting, causing her grin to increase. "You know, I never told you this before, but you remind me of someone." Karasuba started. Roxas didn't say anything as he got into his duel wielding stance. "Yes, she was a person who I desperately wanted to kill, but she ended up dyeing before I got the chance. You and her share a very similar aura, which is part of the reason I enjoy these little dates of ours." The dark aura continued to increase with each word she uttered. "I sure hope you don't disappoint me Mystery man."

With that, Karasuba shot towards him with speed he had never seen from her. He barely had time to raise his Keyblade to block the weapon. But the instant Karasuba's blade touch it, his arms almost gave out. The sheer force of that blow caused the concrete roof to crack slightly beneath them. It was that moment that Roxas knew Karasuba would probably kill him if he held back.

So he wasn't going to this time.

Clenching his teeth, he used his immense strength to push her back before the onslaught of attacked occurred from both sides. The two foes became nothing but blurred of black and white as they speed around the rooftops, clashing weapons and fighting as if their lives depended on it. Sparks and flashes of light showered the air as the two continued to exchange devastating blows.

It was at this point that Karasuba was laughing manically. In all their battles, Roxas had never seen her so insanely happy before. Even when he managed to land a few blows, they just seemed to add to her endless glee. She had clipped him a couple times as well, giving him a few decent gases. However, he didn't even have time to cast a cure spell because of how heavy her onslaught was. If he even stopped for a second, she would skewer him through the heart. There would be no recovery from that.

Roxas attempted to dash away, but Karasuba was right on his tail. Quickly, he spun around and launched both his Keyblades at her. "DOUBLE STRIKE RAID!"

Along with the Keyblades, a series of light pillars burst into existence and shot at her as well. She easily deflected the Keyblades before he side-stepped the pillars. They did nothing to slow her down as she quickly approached him. Drawing back her sword, Roxas quickly stretched his hand towards the sky.

"THUNDER!"

Immediately, a bolt of lightning fell from the sky and hit the ground right between Roxas and Karasuba. It barely managed to deter her, giving Roxas the opportunity to put some distance between them. He summoned both the Keyblades back to his hands as he prepared for the fight to continued. He was breathing ragged already. After taking on Yami, Yashima, Benitsubasa, Haihane, and Karasuba in the same day, Roxas was beginning to feel a bit fatigued right about now.

Karasuba was also breathing heavy, but it was more out of arousal and bliss than anything else. She looked at the scorch mark where the lighting hit before she locked her gaze back on Roxas. "You really are full of surprises. I just get all tingly when I fantasize about what else you can do."

Roxas could not believe what he was hearing. Never had he met anyone who was this battle hungry. He could see it in her eyes. She had absolutely no fear of his abilities. In fact, it made her even more excited.

And that was frightening.

Karasuba launched herself at Roxas again. He retaliated by dashing at her as well. They met at the center before their weapons clashed, sending a shockwave across the roof.

Roxas didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. It seemed that the longer Karasuba fought, the stronger she became. He could not say the same about himself. He could feel his arms grow weaker as He tried to withstand his opponent's strength.

"I have to end this." Roxas murmured to himself. Using the last of his strength, he shoved Karasuba away before thrusting the Keyblades downward.

"BLIZZAGA!"

Instantly, ice erupted from the tip of the Keyblades before quickly crawling over the rooftop. Karasuba found her feet completely frozen to the ground, but this did little to stop her. Instantly, she started slashing at the ice in an attempt too free herself.

Roxas used this as the opportunity he needed to put some distance between them. He rushed to the center of the roof before he attempted to summon what little light and magical energy he had left.

"If this doesn't stop her, then I am as good as dead." Roxas murmured. He felt the last of his light energy well up within him as he called it to the surface. Instantly, the light energy erupted around his frame, actually lifting the nobody into the air.

Karasuba had just managed too free herself before she noticed the hooded figure floating in the air, suspended by the sheer about of energy he was emitting. Had she not been so crazed for battle, she would have stopped to admire it for a few more seconds.

But instead, she shot at him, her eyes as wide as her grin.

Roxas realized this and pointed his Keyblades at the approaching Sekirei.

"Magic Hour"

Karasuba didn't know what to think when she saw a barrage of light projectiles erupt from the Mystery man's weapons. She was to focused on carving up his body to care though. She rushed right at them, attempting to swing at one with her sword, but instead, the light projectile slammed into her body, sending her flying backwards. Instantly, the barrage continued, pounding her body into the rooftop. She couldn't do a thing as Roxas unleashed an unforgiving number of projectiles at her.

Finally, with one last push, Roxas sent his final wave of projectiles at her, blasting a whole completely through the rooftop and into the room below. Roxas nearly fell to his knees as the light energy faded away. His breathing was coming out in forced gasps at the sheer amount of light and magic he had used today. He was completely and utterly drained at this point. He didn't even have enough magic to cast cure on himself.

However, he slowly pushed himself to his feet as he looked over at the large hole he made in the top of the roof. He didn't see anyone below and there was no movement from the lower floor.

Taking a large breath, he let it out slowly as he allowed the Keyblades to vanish. That last attack was one of his limit breaks. In the past he had used it against armies of heartless and they never stood a chance. There was no way that Karasuba would be getting up after that.

Turning away from the hole, Roxas slowly limped to the side of the building. He had held off Karasuba, Benitsubasa, and Haihane for long enough. No doubt Akitsu had made it home with Yashima. Now he would be able to use the Corridor of Darkness and go home…

PAIN

Pain erupted from Roxas's back as he let out a silent scream. Instantly he fell forward and crashed face first on the cold rooftop. Gasping in complete agony, he didn't even have time to wonder what happened as more pain shot down his back, forcing a yelp to erupt from his throat.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder to see what happened. Instantly, his eyes widened. Karasuba was there, straddling his back, one hand on the massive gash she just made on his back. She was bleeding heavily from her head, blood basically dripping into her eyes, but she didn't even acknowledge it. She was resting her bloody sword over her shoulder as she stared down at him, her grin ever so present.

More pain shot down Roxas's back as Karasuba dug her fingers into the massive cut. forcing another yelp of pain from the downed Nobody.

"Ahhhh...I don't think you understand how that sound makes me feel. Every little date we have had, you didn't know how much I wanted to drive this sword through your heart and taste your blood." She said as she slowly removed her blood soaked fingers from his wound. She eyed his blood before he seductively sucked it right off her finger. "Delicious."

Roxas was almost horrified at what she was doing, but then again, that was just like Karasuba. It didn't really surprise him that she was acting this way. But it was still morbid the way she was so arouse from the taste of his blood.

Another gasp of pain was forced from his mouth as she dug her fingers back into his gash. "You know; it would be such a waist to kill you because you are my only source of entertainment now days." Karasuba started, causing Roxas to look up at her again. "But then again, I just can't stop myself now. My sword wants to be buried into your heart and I can't resist when you are so vulnerable now."

Roxas felt his heart beat harder in his chest as he saw Karasuba raise her blade and place it directly over his heart. He couldn't do a thing about it either. She had him pinned down and he used all his strength for the day with all the battles. He had let his guard down and Karasuba had taken advantage of it. The pain was so severe that he couldn't even focus enough to call the Corridor of Darkness to make his escape.

Was this how he was going to die? Did he get this chance to live only to throw it away?

Akitsu…He had mistreated her in the end. She had always been there and he barked at her and hurt her on more than one occasion. Now he wouldn't be able to make amends. He would die knowing that yelling at her was there last interaction.

He closed his eyes as he saw the blade descend on his vulnerable back. "I-I'm so sorry…Akitsu." Roxas whispered.

The instant that Karasuba was about to drive her blade through Roxas's heart, her heightened battle senses picked up something heading straight for her. She barely managed to look up to see a massive ice spike flying directly at her. Instantly, she leaped backwards as the ice slammed into the roof between Roxas and Karasuba.

A figure landed on the roof, garbed in a light kimono. Her brown, shoulder length hair radiated the moonlight and her usually stoic face was courted in rage.

"A-Akitsu." Roxas gasped. He could not believe she came back for him. Was she crazy? She didn't stand a chance against Karasuba.

Akitsu glanced down at her bleeding Ashikabi. Her rage increased dramatically, causing the entire rooftop to freeze over in a layer of ice. Slowly, she turned her deathly gaze at the bleeding Karasuba, who merely raised an eyebrow at the particular situation.

Karasuba glanced between Roxas and Akitsu a few times, the gears in her mind working. The timely arrival of Akitsu had snapped her out of her extreme bloodlust. But why was Akitsu here? Shouldn't she be with her Ashik…

That's when Karasuba's eyes widened a little. Her mind came to the conclusion as to why Akitsu was here. And what an interesting conclusion it was.

The temperature continued to decrease as Akitsu prepared to fight one of the most powerful Sekirei in the game. No matter what happened she could not allow her Ashikabi to die.

However, instead of attacking, Karasuba whipped her blade to the side, freeing it of Roxas's blood before he slowly began to sheathe it. Akitsu's and Roxas's eyes widened at seeing this.

"Honestly, you shouldn't be surprised Mystery man. Like I said earlier, it would be a waist to kill you now. And…" she said as she glanced over at Akitsu. "Now that this development has occurred, I find you even more interesting than before. So for now, I think I will let you live. Try to become stronger so you can continue to entertain me, Mystery man." Karasuba finished as she looked over the edge of the roof where Benitsubasa and Haihane fell.

"Well, what a bother, I guess I have to take these two weaklings back to MBI so they can get fixed up. I don't need the director to chew my ass for letting them die." She said in a melodramatic tone. "Oh, and scrapped number…" She said, getting Akitsu's attention. "Make sure he doesn't die." She finished as she leaped off the rooftop to gather up Benitsubasa and Haihane.

Akitsu and Roxas couldn't believe what just happened. Karasuba actually backed off. Roxas was sure she was to crazed to even consider that idea, but it seemed that the arrival of Akitsu had knocked her out of her bloodlust.

Seeing that the threat was gone, Akitsu looked down at her Ashikabi, her face betraying nothing, but Roxas could tell she was mortified by his state. She was mortified and completely furious.

"A-Akitsu." Roxas started, but Akitsu quickly reached down and placed a finger on his lips.

"Ah…save your energy. Don't talk…at least not yet."

If Roxas had the strength, he would have winced at the sheer fury he was feeling through the bond. A bit of it was directed at Karasuba, but the majority was directed at him. He chose to follow her advice and shut his mouth. Though he did wince a bit as she not so carefully picked him up. But he couldn't really blame her for not being gentle though.

It didn't take long before they were back at the house. Akitsu basically kicked open the door before walking to the living room.

A sudden gasp caught Roxas's attention, causing him to look over at the sofa. Sitting there was Yashima. She had her hands over her mouth in horror as she saw Akitsu walk in with a blood soaked Roxas in her hands.

"W-What happened?" Yashima whispered.

Akitsu didn't answer as she quickly knocked all the items off of the table before laying Roxas down on it. She quickly unzipped his coat before tearing it off and throwing it to the side. Yashima's face paled a bit more as she saw his bloody shirt beneath the coat. Akitsu wasted no time in ripping that off him as well, revealing a chiseled, but badly cut torso.

"Lay on your front." Akitsu demanded.

Roxas was in no position to argue as he slowly turned around and laid on the table, his back to Akitsu. He winced a bit at his activated cut, but for the most part, that's all it was. Luckily, Karasuba didn't hit anything vital when she cut him.

Akitsu's hands curled into fists when she saw the cut. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it looked. Quickly, she retreated to the kitchen to grab an assortment of items. The first aid kit and wound sterilizer. Soon she returned to the living room with the items.

"Ah…Yashima." Akitsu started, causing the horrified girl to look up at her. "Please get me a bucket of warm water and a sponge." She said.

"R-Right." Yashima said as she attempted to stand. Her legs were feeling a bit better after Akitsu brought her to this house. She managed to stand and walk to the kitchen to fetch what Akitsu asked.

When she was gone, Akitsu wasted no time in unscrewing the sterilizer before literally dumping a large amount directly on the bleeding cut.

Roxas clenched his teeth as his eyes watered. The sterilizer began to bubble and hiss, causing the wound to coagulate as it began to work its magic. After a few seconds, Roxas gave a small sight of relief now that the stinging had worn off.

Yashima has returned to the living room with the bucket of water and a clean sponge. She gingerly placed it next to Akitsu, who nodded in thanks. Carefully, she soaked the sponge in the warm water before gently applying it to his back, attempting to clean a bit of the blood off.

She was a bit gentler as she cleaned around the wound, but Roxas could tell she was still pissed off.

"Ah…Roxas." Akitsu started as she continued to gently clean around the wound.

"Yeah?"

"You knew the disciplinary squad was coming, didn't you?" It wasn't a question.

"…Yes."

At hearing this, Yashima's eyes widened. She stared down at the boy with disbelief in her eyes.

"Did you send me away so you could fight them on you own?"

Roxas felt his stomach drop again. His heart filled up guilt. "Yes."

He felt Akitsu's hands pause in cleaning his back. "Then…when you had me stay back and fight Mutsu, you never planned on informing Seo. You planned on fighting Yomi yourself to protect the green girl."

Roxas felt like a complete asshole now. With every word Akitsu was saying, the guilt continued to rise. "Yes."

Yashima couldn't believe what she was hearing. How in the world could a human do something like that? Why was a human strong enough to take on a Sekirei? And why would they risk their lives to save someone else? In all the time she had known humans, they were just terrible creatures that only thought of themselves…

But then again, maybe that was because the only interaction she had with Humans was her own Ashikabi.

Roxas felt Akitsu's hand shake a bit against his sore back as immense sadness flooded through the bond. Carefully, he looked over his shoulder to see tears in her eyes. If it were possible, it made him feel ten times worse.

"Ah…Do you really not trust me that much? Why do you do these things on your own?"

"It's not that Akitsu, I promise. It's not that I don't trust you. But I have fought Karasuba before. I know how powerful she is. There was no way I could have fought her and protected you both at the same time."

"You fought her before?" Yashima whispered in disbelief.

Akitsu was also thinking the same thing, but that thought process could wait. "Ah…that's not for you to worry about. A Sekirei is supposed to protect their Ashikabi, not the other way around."

Roxas shook his head. "I don't see it that way. I don't just see you as my Sekirei. I see you as someone I don't want to lose, ever. I can take care of myself. I don't care what happened to me."

"But I do!" Akitsu responded, her voice growing a bit louder. "Don't you understand how I feel when I see you like this? You're not even supposed to be injured in this game. You're not supposed to fight."

"But I can." Roxas said back. "I want to fight and I chose to fight. If I don't do anything when I can do something, then what's the point of having this strength in the first place? There is no debate Akitsu, I am not going to just watch as the people I care about get hurt."

"Ah…then why do I have to watch you get hurt?"

Roxas didn't know what to say to that. She made a very good point. It was a bit hypocritical of him to say that.

"You…Somehow have this strength, so you choose to fight. Even if you are strong, why do you always leave me behind?"

Roxas paused, trying to find a suitable answer. "Because…I thought this was something I could handle. This was a challenge I thought I could face alone."

Akitsu gently placed both her hands on his back, careful to avoid the cut. "Ah…That's not how this works anymore Roxas." She said, causing Roxas to glance over his shoulder again. "Whatever you face, what ever challenge that comes your way, I want to stand by your side. You don't have to do everything on your own anymore. We are a team now Roxas." Akitsu said, tears cascading down her cheeks. "Just as you don't want to lose me, I don't ever want to lose you…because I love you."

If it were possible, Roxas felt even worse. It was hypocritical of him to think along the lines he did. If the roles were reversed, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be completely pissed at her.

"…Your right Akitsu. I'm sorry." He said as he turned away from her and pressed his forehead into the table. He felt horrible for everything he put her through. The lies, the deception, the selfishness. It was amazing that she even tolerated him now. But what else could he do? This was literally the only thing he could come up with to save both Akitsu and Yashima.

Suddenly, he felt Akitsu's forehead resting against his back, her arms gently creeping around his body. "Ah…we are a team now. So please have more faith in me. No more secrets between us, no more running off on your own to protect me. You don't have to do things by yourself anymore. Please let me in."

Incredibly enough, through the sadness and anger he felt through the bond, another feeling suddenly came forth.

A warmth.

Roxas felt immense warmth in his heart. Akitsu was such an incredible woman to still feel this way about him after everything he put her through. He couldn't do that anymore. If he continued to act like this, then he would eventually push her away.

"I-I promise Akitsu. No more secrets. No more doing things on my own." He responded.

Through this whole scene, Yashima was watching in amazement. Was this how the relationship between an Ashikabi and a Sekirei was supposed to be? Why in the world did she get stuck with someone like Junichi if this was what it was supposed to be like? As she watched the interaction between Roxas and Akitsu, she felt a bit of envy enter her heart.

They stayed like that for only a few more minutes before Akitsu raised her head and finished washing off his back. She then took the bottle of salve from the kit before applying a bit to her fingers. She then proceeded to apply it down the center of the gash.

Suddenly, another pair of fingers joined her. She looked up to see Yashima also applying the salve, causing her to raise her eyebrow.

Honestly, Yashima was still a bit frightened by the thought of even touching another person, but this boy had saved her from her Ashikabi. She wanted to do something to help.

Roxas was also curious about the second pair of helping hands, but his conversation with Akitsu still consumed his mind. It was a bit frightening to think about, but he would have to tell her everything about himself. No more secrets.

It didn't take long before the salve was completely applied. Now it was time to bandage the poor nobody up. Gingerly, Roxas sat up on the table with Akitsu behind him and Yashima in front. Akitsu would wrap it around his back while handing it to Yashima, who wrapped it around his front.

Roxas stared at the newly un-bound Sekirei curiously. She still had a bit of fear in her eyes at being so close to him, but he could also see that she just wanted to help out. It only took a few seconds before his torso and back were completely bandaged up.

Giving a sigh, Roxas winced as he attempted to stand, only for Akitsu to secure his shoulder and give some assistance.

"Thanks." He said before he turned his attention to the other Sekirei in the room. "So…Yashima. What are you going to do now? MBI is going to be looking for you unless you find an Ashikabi."

"I-I don't know. I think I will have to start looking right away." She said quietly.

Knock Knock

Roxas jerked his head to the door. Who the hell was knocking on his door at this time of night?

…

Only one person was rude enough to do that, and unfortunately it was his only tenant.

"Akitsu, can you take Yashima to the bathroom and clean her up."

"Ah…" Akitsu paused as she glanced at the girl. Now that everything had calmed down, she could understand why he asked. Yashima was filthy. Her brown hair was matted with dirt and grim. Her body was covered with dirt, dried blood, and bruises. She definitely needed a bath. "Ok."

She gestured for Yashima to follow her to the bathroom. Yashima glanced around with uncertainty before slowly standing from the couch. She followed Akitsu to the bathroom.

Roxas on the other hand limped to his room before slowly putting on a fresh shirt to hide the bandages. You could tell he was still a bit messed up, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Walking back to the front door and taking a look through the peephole, it confirmed what he already knew. Seo's grinning mug was on the other side, along with his two Sekirei. Carefully, he opened the door before he was nearly knocked over by the older man as he basically burst through the door and walked past him.

"…come right in." Roxas said sarcastically as he closed the door.

"I appreciate it squirt. At least I knocked this time." Seo said as he made his way to the living room. Roxas's eyebrow twitched a little as he watched Seo stroll down the hallway like he owned the place. Thankfully, his Sekirei gave Roxas an apologetic look as they also entered the house. Roxas gave a sigh as he followed them down to the living room.

"Holy shit! What happened here?" Seo asked.

Roxas glanced over at what Seo was looking at before he nearly face palmed. He completely forgot to clean up the mess. There was a bucket of bloody water and bandage wrappers littering the floor.

"We had a little mishap." Roxas responded simply as he grabbed the bucket of dirty water and took it to the kitchen.

"You don't say. It looks like you are trying to cover up a murder or something." Seo said, his Sekirei nodding in agreement.

Roxas ignored him as he returned from the kitchen. His eyebrows twitched again as he saw Seo casually sat himself on the couch before pulling out another cigarette. His Sekirei seated themselves on either side, looking at Seo with a little disapproval. He was just bout to light the cancer stick when Roxas reached over and plucked it from his mouth, causing the older guy to pout.

"What do you want Seo? It's late."

Seo blinked a few times as he rested back against the sofa, his Sekirei casually leaning into him.

"What happened man? You skipped out on the main event." Seo said, a small grin forming on his face.

Roxas nearly rolled his eyes. "You weren't at the construction site. So Akitsu and I went to the garden's without you. There we met another Ashikabi's Sekirei. A woman and a man."

Seo rubbed his chin. "Say, the woman didn't happen to have a Scythe now, did she?"

Roxas bit his lower lip, trying to play it cool. "Yeah. She got past us while Akitsu, Homura, and I held off the guy. I think his name was Mutsu."

Seo blinked a few times as he gave a small whistle. "You guys took on Mutsu?" He asked, causing Roxas to nod. "Damn, now I can see why this place looked like an ER after surgery. How bad was your Sekirei hurt? Where is she by the way?"

"She is ok. She is take a bath right now."

"Damn though, Mikogami really pulled out all the stops by bringing him. So you met the Sekirei guardian, Homura?"

"I did. He tried to stop us from entering the gardens, but we ended up fighting Mutsu together."

"And it's a good thing you did. If Mutsu managed to get into the gardens, there was no way we would have been able to save the green girl."

Hikari and Hibiki looked a little offended by that statement, but they knew Seo was right. Mutsu was not one to be messed with.

Roxas's ears perked a bit, but still tried to play along. "So she is safe? Did we succeed?"

Seo nodded his head. "Fate is a funny thing. I actually met her Ashikabi at my last day at the construction site. Can you even imagine the coincidence?"

Roxas was honestly amazed. "You did?"

"Yeah. He is a scrawny little guy named Minato. I took him with me so we could find the green girl. What's even more funny is that he is a new resident at Izumo Inn."

Roxas felt enormously relieved. Based on that brief description, the guy that escaped with Kusano was actually her Ashikabi. However, that feeling was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread. Why?

Because Roxas freaking showed Kusano his face and told her his name. He thought that he would probably never see the girl again after he saved her, which was part of the reason he showed his face at all. But now he learned that she was with her Ashikabi, and they lived at Izumo.

"W-Well, that is…interesting. Good for her." Roxas shuddered, trying to think on the spot. If Kusano blabbed that he saved her, his entire cover would be blown. Hopefully she would forget his name, or something along those lines.

Seo raised an eyebrow at Roxas's reaction. "Say, how long did Akitsu and Homura fight Mutsu?"

Roxas paled further. He forgot to ask Akitsu about that fight. He didn't know how long they fought, or what happened during the battle. However, considering that Akitsu had found him pretty fast after he deactivated Yomi, he could only assume the battle didn't last much longer than his fight with the deranged Sekirei.

"It didn't last that long. Why?"

"Just, something I was curious about." Seo responded as he stretched his arms into the air, bringing them down around his two Sekirei before pulling them close. He glanced around. "How bad was Akitsu hurt. From what it looks like, she might need to go to the hospital."

"It was just a few flesh wounds, nothing too serious. She got a little hurt with her fight against Mutsu."

"Yeah, I can see that. Mutsu is a pretty powerful Sekirei." He said as he cracked his neck. "You don't look that good yourself. Did something happen to you?"

"Not especially." Roxas said, trying to hide that fact that he was even struggling to stand."

"Hummm?" Seo hummed, not looking convinced in the slightest. "Well, I just wanted to fill you in. At first, I thought you chickened out on me, but you did good for a little brat."

Roxas gave a small breath of relief; glad he dodged the bullet on that one. "Chickened out? Get real!" He said before a grin crossed his face. "Get ready bright and early Seo, we got apartments to clean in the morning."

Seo's face paled a bit. "You can't be serious! You are going to start working me like a dog already?"

"Yep. You're done at the construction sight, so I got to keep you busy."

"You're evil!"

Roxas shook his head as he made a shooing motion with his hands. Seo and his Sekirei stood from there spot and walked out the front door. He could still hear his Sekirei making fun of their Ashikabi as they walked to their apartment.

In the bathroom, Akitsu could not believe what she was seeing as she sat behind Yashima, cleaning the grim off her back and hair. Her back was littered with bruises and small cuts here and there. She was also pretty malnourished as well. The ice Sekirei was able to see Yashima's ribcage as well as her spine. She didn't show it on her face, but she was completely appalled by the way Yashima's Ashikabi treated her.

Even though she tried to be gentle around the more injured areas, she could see it was still a very painful experience for Yashima. Each time she grazed a bruise or a cut, Yashima gave out a small hiss of pain.

Moving to the front wasn't any better. Her stomach, chest, and even her breasts seemed bruised and battered.

It took a while to fully get the grim out of her hair as well. Her head was littered with sensitive nots, as if she had been hit quite a few times there as well. Was there any part of her that wasn't abused?

Finally, Akitsu had finished cleaning Yashima up for the most part. After rinsing off the suds, Akitsu entered the main bath to relax a bit. Glancing over at Yashima, she was still sitting there, soaking wet with soap bubbles all over her body.

"Ah…are you going to join me?" Akitsu asked.

Yashima glanced over at her. "I-Is it ok?"

"Yes." Akitsu responded, a bit surprised she even asked.

Yashima rinsed off the suds from her body before she slowly made her way over to the large bath. Carefully, she crawled in and let the warm water wash over her sore body. It had felt quite amazing to finally be clean. She glanced over at Akitsu, who was staring at her intently, making her feel just a little uncomfortable.

"Is-Is something wrong?" She asked carefully.

"Ah…" Akitsu paused. "You just seem like you haven't bathed in a while."

Yashima's eyes became a bit down case. "That's because I didn't. My Ashikabi didn't really pay the water bills and he couldn't afford much food either. I-I don't know when the last time I took a good bath."

"Couldn't afford it? What about the MBI card?"

"MBI deactivated it." Yashima said, her eyes becoming downcast.

Akitsu's eyes widened quite a bit. "Why?"

"He used MBI's money to buy drugs, guns, and…other questionable things. MBI warned him to stop, but he continued to do it. He was…Pretty mad the day they turned off his card. I-It wasn't a really pleasant night for me." She said as she slowly closed her eyes.

One again, Akitsu was completely appalled. When she was scrapped, she would have given anything to have an Ashikabi. But this Sekirei had one, and he treated her like this? How could a human possibly be this evil?

Yashima felt memories of Junichi wash over her. Flashback to the major beating she took after MBI disabled his card popped into her head, making her cringe. Her body started shaking when more memories started forming in her head of the time she spent with that disgusting man.

Suddenly, she felt two warm arms gently wrap around her shoulders. The other Sekirei that preoccupied the bath with her carefully pulled her into a warm embrace. The gentle touch was almost alien to her, making her body stiffen. The only other gentle contact she had was with Roxas.

Akitsu could feel her go ridged, but continued to hold her close. "Ah…No one should have to go through that. I promise you that no one will hurt you here Yashima."

Yashima felt her body relax finally against the soft embrace of the ice Sekirei. This was the second time today that she felt just a bit of warmth enter her heart after so long.

It was a few moments later that Yashima slowly pulled away from Akitsu before turning towards her. "T-Thank you."

Akitsu gave a very small smile as she rested her back against the bathtub, enjoying the feeling of warm water over her skin.

"Um…Akitsu?"

Akitsu looked over at the other Sekirei.

"How is Roxas…as your Ashikabi?"

Akitsu was a little surprised by the question, but she looked up at the celling, thinking about how to answer it.

"Ah…Roxas is an amazing Ashikabi. He is kind, shy, and apparently…very strong." She said before she looked over at her. "But he also is very secretive. He does not trust easy." She said a little sadly.

"How-How did he do it? How did he free me? How is he so strong? Humans are not supposed to be that powerful."

"I don't know. In a way, I was the same as you. He was able to free me as well. Then I reacted to him." She said. "But like I said, he has a lot of secrets. He does not like talking about them, not even to me."

"But I can see that he does care about you." Yashima said, causing Akitsu to look over at her. "I can see it. You can see it. I-I would have given anything to have someone care about me the way he cares about you."

Akitsu's eyes fell a little. Yashima did have a point. It could have been different. She could have been stuck with an Ashikabi like Junichi. But instead she was with someone who treated her with respect and kindness.

"Ah…I guess your right." Akitsu said as she looked over at Yashima. However, her eyes widened a sliver when she saw a blush forming on Yashima's face. Her cheeks were a bit red as well, and not from the bath.

"I-I don't know why, but when I think of him, my heart races. I Haven't felt like this before."

Akitsu didn't even need to think about what was causing this. It was clear as day. This recently freed Sekirei was reacting to her Ashikabi.

Roxas was laying on the couch, his eyes closed, but his mind still active. Even though everything seemed to be clear between him and Akitsu, he still had to deal with the fact that she would want answers from him. That was a bit worrisome, but she deserved that much. And what about the other Sekirei, Yashima? He didn't know her at all and wasn't really keen on telling her about himself when he had absolutely no reason to.

Roxas heard the door to the bathroom open and close, signifying that Akitsu and Yashima were done with their bath. He could hear the sound of their soft footsteps as they entered the bedroom down the hallway. He could only guess Akitsu was offering Yashima a few things to get dressed in.

It didn't take long before he heard the door to the living room slide open. He glanced up to see Akitsu standing there in more casual cloths than her usual kimono. Standing slightly behind her was Yashima. She was also wearing some of Akitsu's cloths, but they were a bit too big for her considering Akitsu's rather impressive bust size.

Slowly, he pushed himself up to a seating position, inviting his Sekirei to sit down next to him, which she did. However, Roxas didn't put his arm around her quite yet, still feeling a little ashamed of how he treated her previously.

Akitsu seemed to sense his thought process as she gently leaned into him, careful not to aggravate his injury. She also glanced over at Yashima, who was staring at the two of them, a small blush on her face. She beckoned her to also sit on the couch, which she did with a bit of hesitation.

Roxas glanced between the two of them curiously. "Is something wrong?" He asked, noticing the strange behavior between the two Sekirei.

"Ah…Yes. But I think Yashima should tell you." Akitsu replied.

Roxas raised his eyebrow as he glanced over at the other Sekirei. She was sitting there, looking extremely nervous and even a bit frightened. She looked over at Roxas, making eye contact with him. She was about to open her mouth, but another knock on the door suddenly interrupted her.

Knock Knock

Roxas almost growled at all the interruption they had that night. Seo really needed to leave them alone right now.

"Give me a second." Roxas said as he stood from the couch and exited the door, leaving the two Sekirei alone in the room.

Now that they were alone again, Akitsu glanced over at Yashima. "Ah…Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Yashima hesitated but nodded. "I-I feel like I can trust Roxas and you. You both have been nothing but kind to me. And if you're right, I don't want to lose this opportunity."

Akitsu nodded, but she was a little conflicted. She had really enjoyed the alone time she had with Roxas. It was just the two of them in this house, struggling to make everything work out, but that was something she enjoyed. But now there was another person who would be in their lives. Roxas would have to give them both attention now.

But then again,

Yashima seemed like she was a very nice person who was unfortunate enough to land herself a very horrible Ashikabi. Akitsu knew that there was a possibility that Roxas would wing more Sekirei, but if that had to happen, then Yashima was probably the best option.

Roxas limped his way to the door, not even looking through the peep hole this time. He threw the door open.

"Seo! It's late! Go to bed…Oh Shit."

Standing on the other side of the door was definitely not Seo. In fact, it was one person who he really didn't want to see standing on his door mat.

"Good evening Mystery man. I was hoping you didn't die from your injuries."

Roxas felt his heart stop. He was about to slam the door shut when a hand caught it.

"Well, that's rude. Not even inviting me in when I traveled all the way down here to see you."

"What do you want Karasuba." Roxas growled, not even denying that he was her frequent sparring buddy.

"Oh, you're not even going to try to deny who you are. That's what I always did love about you. No bullshit, Just action." She said as she forced the door open, grabbing a fist full of his shirt and forcing her way into the house. "Why thank you for letting me in. Would you mind giving me a full tour of the house."

"Screw you!" Roxas growled as he tried to pry her hand away from his shirt.

"You know, if I weren't already winged, I would consider it." Karasuba said as she strolled down the hallway and tore open the door to the living room.

Akitsu and Yashima were still sitting on the couch, but the moment they saw who was standing there, they immediately jumped up. The air started to freeze already as a very uncharacteristic hate began to form in Akitsu's eye.

Karasuba just grinned as she drew her sword with her other hand and rested the blade against Roxas's neck.

"Relax, I am satisfied for today. I am simply here to make a deal with you all."

Akitsu's eyes widened in horror as she saw the blade nick the side of her Ashikabi's throat. A think trail of blood started to fall from his neck. However, she did stay her hand, knowing that if Karasuba wanted, Roxas's head would already be separated from his shoulders.

Roxas knew he was in trouble. Sure, Karasuba was also injured, but he had the worse end of it. Also, his coat was off, so he couldn't use the Corridor of darkness to escape. "How did you find out about me?"

"It was rather easy. There is only one reason a Sekirei would try to fight me. And that's to defend their Ashikabi. I simply connected the dots. Who is Akitsu's Ashikabi?" Karasuba said, allowing them to piece together the rest of the information.

At hearing this, Akitsu's heart stopped. So it was because she showed up? That's why Karasuba figured out who Roxas was? But then again, if she didn't intervene, then her Ashikabi would have died.

"What do you want Karasuba?"

"Straight to the point as always." Karasuba said in her overly sweet voice. "My demand is simple. As long as you continue to satisfy my itch, then your secret is safe with me."

Roxas looked over his shoulder at the insane woman. "What?"

"You heard me. I want to live at this complex and every time I need someone to fight, you will indulge me."

Everyone's face went pale at that, even Roxas's. "You're insane!"

"Why thank you." Karasuba responded before she pulled out a small flash drive out of her coat pocket with her other hand. "Right after I dropped off the two weaklings, I visited another Sekirei I knew could get me this. I don't think Higa will be to happy knowing I threatened a Sekirei under his control, but what is a girl to do?"

Roxas glanced over his shoulder at the flash drive. "What is it?"

"Oh, just the one and only footage of our steamy battle. Can you imagine what Minaka would do if he saw this footage? I was lucky enough to have Number 22 erase all the data in the satellites and MBI's database after she made this copy for me."

Roxas felt his stomach drop a bit. He knew that Minaka was crazy, but what would he do if he knew that Roxas had such abilities as were shown on the footage.

"So what do you say? Will you give me a lease? I like keeping my targets close by." She said, waving around the flash drive with a taunting look on her eye.

Roxas didn't know what to do. He glanced over at Akitsu, who was on the verge of attacking. They made eye contact, sharing a small nonverbal conversation.

Finally, Roxas gave a small sigh. "Honestly, I don't know if I can survive many more battles like the one we just had. And how in the world will we stay off MBI's satellites when we fight?"

"You let me worry about that. And also, the fight we had was…stimulating, but that will only happen once in a while." She said in a sickly sweet voice. "What I want is to go back to the way things were. When we would meet up weekly and have a modest spar."

"A modest spar." Roxas scoffed. "You have a very twisted idea of a modest spar."

Karasuba ignored him. "How about I sweeten the deal." She said as she glanced over at Yashima, who instantly shrunk under her gaze. "MBI has developed a very unhealthy interest in that Sekirei over there because of her being un-winged. If you agree to my terms, I will look the other way today and give her the chance to run. If she manages to find her Ashikabi, then there is nothing that MBI can do about it since she is back in the game."

Both Roxas and Akitsu gritted their teeth. "Ah…manipulative Bitch." Akitsu growled.

Karasuba grinned a bit more as she pocketed the flash drive and gently caressed Roxas's cheek, causing the Ice Sekirei to become even more infuriated. "That's my final offer, so what do you say?"

Roxas was left with no choice. Both he and Akitsu didn't have the strength to take on Karasuba. She could easily defeat them both and take Yashima.

He couldn't allow that.

"Don't expect a discount on your rent." Roxas growled.

Her creepy grin increased as she removed her sword from his throat. "Glad you see things my way. And send the bill to Natsuo Ichinomi of MBI. He has more than enough cash to spare."

"Noted, now get out."

Karasuba grinned as she turned around, her Haroi flipping in the air. "How about the usual schedule? Same time, same place?"

Roxas nodded in agreement.

"It's a date. I will see you then, Mystery man." Karasuba said as she exited the living room. Roxas heard the front door slam as the deranged Sekirei exited the building.

The air was completely silent as everyone tried to process what just happened. Karasuba knew who Roxas was and what he was capable of. And if he didn't agree to her terms, then she would use her blackmail against him and turn Yashima over to MBI.

Collapsing on the couch, Roxas leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. Too much had happened this day, and it was all because he wanted to help one small girl. If he just minded his own business, everything would have been fine. Akitsu wouldn't have seen him, Karasuba wouldn't have figured out who he was, and this entire situation would have been avoided.

But then again, the green girl would have most likely been forcefully winged, and Yashima would still be with her abusive Ashikabi.

So the question was, did he make the right decision here?

Feeling the couch shift on his right, he glanced over at Akitsu, who was extremely furious despite the fact that she didn't display any of that anger on her face. Also, her anger was not directed at him this time. She knew why he made the decision he did in agreeing to Karasuba's terms.

Yashima felt almost guilty about the situation. She knew what Karasuba was capable of and she could only guess that was the reason Roxas was in the state he was. The only reason that Karasuba didn't take her then and there was because Roxas agreed to her terms. That was more than enough to convince herself to go through with her plan.

"Ah…Roxas." Akitsu said, getting her Ashikabi attention. But truthfully, she didn't know what to say in this situation. Their hands were tied.

"It will be ok." Roxas said as he leaned back against the couch. "I fought Karasuba each week for about 3 months before I met you. If it's the same as that, then I think I will be fine."

"Ah…Ok." Akitsu responded as she bit her lower lip. She hated this. There was nothing she could do in the current situation.

"R-Roxas." Yashima said as she made her way over to the couch.

Roxas glance dup at the Sekirei, his eyebrow raised.

"Thank you." She said shyly.

"Don't sweat it. But you don't have much time left. You need to find your Ashikabi." Roxas responded as he rested his head back against the sofa. He felt a small shift on the couch beside him, causing him to glance over. Yashima was sitting there on her knees, facing him, her eyes showing a large amount of uncertainty, but courage as well.

"I-I think I have found my Ashikabi already." She said

Roxas blinked a few times. "W-What?"

"You are my Ashikabi. You are the one I was supposed to be bound to." Yashima said, her hands shakily reaching for his face.

"Me? How? why is it me?" Roxas said, his heart racing at how close Yashima was getting to him.

"I don't know why. My body is reacting to you though. I have seen what you are capable of. You are kind, brave, and strong. I wanted someone like that as my Ashikabi, but I never had the chance. Please, let me be bound to you."

Roxas as almost panicking. He glanced over at Akitsu, but she had a natural look on her face. However, she just nodded her head, a small smile on her lips.

He felt Yashima's hand grasp his cheeks, Turing his head towards her. She was slowly inching her head forward.

"Is this really what you want? Are you sure you want to be bound to me? A nobody?"

Yashima nodded, though a bit confused as to why he described himself that way. "I do. I am a little scared, but I know you are a good person. So please, become my Ashikabi." She finished as she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his and forcing her fear down.

The instant their lips touched, Yashima felt an immense warmth enter her heart, more than anything she had ever felt in her life. The fear and anxiety seemed to melt away, giving place for something that she never thought she would experience ever again.

Love.

Instead of shaking at his touch, she pressed her body closer to his, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. She wanted to feel more of this since it was deprived of her from her last Ashikabi. She even went as far as to crawl into his lap.

Roxas also felt another bond firmly form in his mind. He felt all of her uncertainty, pain, and suffering slowly melt away. It was still there to a degree, but not to the point where it could control her actions any longer.

Finally, Yashima broke away from Roxas, sitting up on his lap with her eyes closed. The bight white wings permeated the room, lighting it up quite significantly.

"Hammer of my pledge, Shatter the enemies of my Ashikabi." She chanted. For the first time, saying those words brought so much joy to her heart.

As Akitsu watched, she didn't know what to think at first, but seeing the formally abused Sekirei in such a state of happiness, she couldn't help but smile a bit. However, that smile vanished when Yashima suddenly grasped the back of Roxas's head and pulled him in for another kiss.

The wings burst forth again, but this kiss was cut short as Akitsu managed to pull them apart. Yashima was a bit dazed as she was pushed to the other side of the couch, as was Roxas. But Roxas noticed that the weight on his lap was instantly replaced. He looked up to see Akitsu there, frowning down at him.

"Ah…Jealous." She said as she pressed her lips against his, allowing the icy wings to erupt from her back.

Yashima was blushing up a storm, completely surprised that she actually did that. Not only did she just get her wings again, but she couldn't stop herself from kissing her Ashikabi once again after that. She didn't expect that from herself at all. And to top it all off, it was almost amusing to see Akitsu shove her away and capture Roxas in a Kiss.

Slowly reaching up, she touched her lips and thought about how gentle and wonderful it was. It was nothing like Junichi. It actually made her happy, made her want to do it again and again.

But…

There was something else that she felt. The bond that was formed between her and Roxas allowed a deeper look into his heart. What she found surprised her greatly…Or rather…what she didn't find.

While her bond with Junichi allowed her to see the depths of his evil heart, Roxas was nearly empty. The little he had in his heart was growing, but even Junichi was filled with something, even if that something was evil.

Why was her Ashikabi like that? Why was he so empty?

Finally, Akitsu pulled back, completely satisfied by the exchange of saliva. However, her bliss did not stop her from wanting to ask a very important question.

"Roxas." Akitsu started, getting her Ashikabi's attention. She continued to straddle his hips, making sure he was not going anywhere. "You promised to answer my questions."

Roxas stared at her for a few seconds before glancing over at Yashima. There was no reason he needed to hide what he was from her anymore since they were now bound to each other.

"Ask away." Roxas said.

"Who are you? What are you?" she asked, staring down at him and listening intently. Yashima did the same, not wanting to miss why he was so powerful…or what was the cause of that void in his heart.

Giving a sigh, Roxas looked between Yashima and Akitsu a few times. "If you are to understand that, then I must tell you about a boy…named Sora."

Homura gave a large sigh as he approached the entrance to Iziko Inn. It had been a long day, but at least the green girl had been secured. He had at least succeeded in his job today with some assistant against Mutsu.

Upon entering the building, he walked up the stairs to the second floor and was about to walk down the hallway, but the door that lead to Matsu's room suddenly burst open.

"HOMURA! You have to see this!" Mustu yelled as she basically grabbed Homura's coat and dragged him into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Homura stumbled a bit before glaring at the red-head. She was already tying commands into the computer at inhuman seeds. "What is it Matsu? It's been a very long day."

"I know, I was watching your battle with Mutsu and Akitsu. You have to admit; the scrapped number is really strong."

"Former scrapped number." Homura corrected. "You didn't drag me into your room just to tell me that did you?"

"No, you need to see this." Matsu said in a rare moment of seriousness. It was so surprising that Homura narrowed his eyes a bit and sat down on the ground behind her."

"I was barely able to copy this footage before it was erased out of MBI's database."

Homura perked up at hearing that. "Someone else was able to hack into MBI?"

Matsu nodded in confirmation. "The only other number that could do that is Number 22."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. I was lucky enough to see that footage as it was happening and made a copy. Did you know that MBI actually released the disciplinary squad tonight?"

Homura's eyes widened just a bit as he shook his head. "No. Why would they do that? This was just an ordinary Sekirei battle."

Matsu paused as she stopped typing on her keyboard. "Homura, has there even been a case where a bond between a Sekirei and there Ashikabi was destroyed, and the Sekirei survived?"

Homura raised his eyebrow at the particular question. "Not that I know of. It should be impossible."

"That's what I thought too, but in the botanical garden, Number 85 Yashima was unbound and still active. It looked like she and her Ashikabi responded to the message sent by Minaka and went to the botanical gardens to get a shot at the green girl. But somehow, the bond between her and her Ashikabi was severed."

"That's…That's not possible."

"That's what MBI thought, which is why they released the disciplinary squad. They wanted to retrieve her. But that's where things get interesting."

"How so?" Homura asked, clearly interested now.

"Like I said, I was interested as to why MBI sent off the disciplinary squad, so I watched through them through the satellites. You would not believe what happened."

"Stop delaying it Matsu, what happened."

Biting her lower lip, Matsu hit a few more commands into the computer before a playback was displayed on the monitor. What Homura saw next could only be described as incredible. Benitsubasa, Haihane, and Karasuba were confronted by the strange cloaked individual that saved Musubi. Benitsubasa and Haihane were dispatched quickly, but the battle between Karasuba and this stranger was a sight to behold. The more he watched, the more his mouth dropped open. The sheer power between these two was indescribable.

"W-What the hell is this?" Homura whispered.

"We haven't even got to the good part yet." Matsu responded as they watched Karasuba about to drive her blade through the stranger's back. Right before she did, a massive ice spike nearly impaled the black Sekirei. Out of nowhere, Akitsu appeared, ready to take on Karasuba. That's when the playback stopped.

Homura stared at the still frame of Akitsu standing between the cloaked stranger and Karasuba. The gears were working in his mind as to what it meant, but it didn't take long.

"No…What you are suggesting is impossible." Homura said.

"Is it?" Matsu asked as she pulled up Roxas's profile. "MBI has nothing on Roxas. No birthplace, no parents, not even his last name. Don't you think it's interesting that MBI can't dig up anything on him, and it just so happens that his very own Sekirei shows up to fight Karasuba to protect the cloaked stranger?"

Homura bit his lip, his mind completely confused at this new development. It was true the stranger said he wasn't a Sekirei, but was it possible Roxas was this stranger? And if he was, how in the world was he strong enough to take on someone like Karasuba.

"I-I think I just need to sleep on this." Homura said.

"You and me both." Matsu replied. "It's still strange that this entire battle was deleted from MBI's database. I can't think of one reason why."

Homura was about to exit the room before he glanced over at the still frame of Karasuba, the stranger, and Akitsu. He looked into Karasuba's eyes to see a joyful, yet deadly twinkle in her eye.

"I can think of a reason."

Author's Note: Yeah, this took quite a bit longer to come out with because it was tough to think of what kind of dialogue would happen between Akitsu, Roxas, and Yashima. So, what did you think? You like it? Hate it? Some of you may not like the way I had Roxas treat Akitsu, but sometimes we make mistakes when we talk to the ones we love. And we make decisions with good intentions, but they just end up hurting them more than helping. It's just a fact of life.

Also, like I said in the beginning of the chapter, this may be my last update for a while. I am starting a new career in just a couple days and I don't know if that will give me time to write fanfiction as much as I would like to. So I would just like to tell all of you who have read both my stories, Thanks for a great year of fan fiction writing. I have enjoyed it and hope I can find time to continue in the future.

Until then!