Hey, sorry for the wait. My power went out for a while because of a snow storm, so I wasn't able to edit this for a few weeks. Good news is that I hand wrote the next couple chapters, so all I need to do is type them up and then edit them, which I'll be getting some with with from my new beta, Ikrani. If any of you feel like looking him up, he wrote Fear of the Dark, a MinatoxFlock story with Kazehana as his first Sekirei.

True to Kagari's prediction, Sora thoroughly enjoyed taunting him over how she got a call asking whether or not he should be reported to the pedo-police. Just about the only times Kagari managed to escape from the constant mockery were when his Ashikabi fell asleep and when he was out on his patrols. It got even worse when Sora mentioned his little run-in with the elder Akiyama to Asa, who then began joining in on the fun.

Despite the heckling at home, Kagari had to admit that he was a little happy with the way things had turned out. Sora, while still not at all pleased with being involved in Minaka's game, was slowly opening up to the idea of having Kagari around long term. She wasn't exactly getting down on one knee, and he knew she'd punch him if he mentioned it, even as a joke. But she didn't seem to mind his presence as much now; for the first few days, Kagari had half-expected her to throw him out on the streets.

Still, the thought of Sora being left alone while he was on patrol put Kagari on edge. He almost wished he'd found an Ashikabi who didn't have anywhere to go but to Maison Izumo. After a while, though, Kagari decided to simply be thankful that he had an Ashikabi at all, something which he'd been told may not have even been possible.

As Sora came back from class, she saw that no one was home. Not all that concerning, considering that Kagari had been spending more and more time outside the arboretum. Sora began to move towards the fridge, figuring that she'd make dinner before she went next door to pick up Yui.

Before she was even able to open the fridge door, her phone rang. Idly wondering if it was Asa wanting to place her order, Sora was surprised to see her boss' number flash across the screen.

Knowing that Sora didn't have much patience for small talk, her boss cut to the chase. "Miyamoto-san, I know that you have the day off from work, but one of the other girls quit today and another one called in sick. You mentioned a little while ago that you wanted some more shifts; do you think you could take theirs, for today at least?"

"What shifts did they have?" Sora asked as she lazily checked the cupboards to see if she had stuff for sandwiches, her go-to menu for when she got calls like this. Not exactly gourmet, but it kept her neighbors alive; the Akiyamas only complained if it went on for days on end. It wasn't often, but occasionally her boss would try and fail to find a different replacement for a few days and would be forced to call her last-minute.

Slightly bemused at his answer, Sora could understand why her boss had sounded so desperate to find a replacement. Usually, her boss tried to find someone other than Sora because, while she was a good worker and could double as a bouncer for the less pleasant customers, she also worked so many hours that he almost certainly had to pay her overtime for any additional shifts. Apparently the two errant waitresses had shifts that backed into each other, with one supposed to be taking over for the other at eight that night. The first shift generally wouldn't be a problem for her boss to fill, but the second shift ended at two in the morning, and most of the waitresses refused to walk through the neighborhood at that time.

Shrugging, Sora agreed to be there in an hour, before turning her attention to making enough sandwiches to feed everyone. Which, unfortunately included Kagari.

And he thinks I'm going to invite another Sekirei into this house? Not unless their power includes cooking for twenty. As she piled the veritable mountain of sandwiches onto a plate, and covered it with plastic wrap, Sora considered sending him a text to let him know where she was going. But, she decided to write him a note instead; the last time she'd had a late shift at work, Kagari had insisted on leaving his patrols to take her home, as though she was some kind of helpless maiden.

Snorting at the memory, Sora wondered if Kagari would even have a chance to read her note. Apparently most of the Ashikabi who were after that Sekirei in the arboretum only operated at night because of all the media attention during the day. As a result, Kagari had taken to a schedule that was more fitting for a vampire, usually returning home just in time for Sora to wake up to him sliding into bed. He was better than an alarm clock, really.

Sora paused for a moment as she realised that she was supposed to help Kagari move his stuff the next day. She then shrugged, deciding that the shifts wouldn't really be much of a problem for that. With Kagari's new sleeping schedule, he probably wouldn't wake up before her anyway.

After work, Sora had to admit that she was tired, having been awake since five in the morning. Yet she was also feeling somewhat energised, perhaps because it was the first time in days that she had been able to leave her house without having Kagari following her. Sora could get that he was worried about her, but damn if it wasn't stifling to always have an escort, especially when she told him that she'd be going alone and then catch him following her out of the corner of her eye.

Humming softly, Sora decided to make the most out of her freedom and go for a run. She'd always enjoyed running, particularly at dawn or dusk when no one was out, but between Yui's care and Kagari's paranoia, she hadn't been able to go out for a while. Detouring towards the park that she had gone to with Yui, Sora could feel her thoughts drifting to the strange turns that her life had taken recently.

Thinking on it now, she still felt amazed. If someone had told her a month ago that she'd be living with an alien, and a man no less, she'd have asked them what kind of illegal junk they were smoking. And yet, now that it had happened, Sora found herself trying to adjust to all of the changes Kagari had brought to her daily life.

Coming up on the edge of the park, Sora thought about how she had been waking up next to him for several days now, and she wouldn't go so far as to say that was a bad thing. She didn't exactly mind that she had someone to help around the house, on the rare occasions that Kagari was awake while she was there. But at the same time, she couldn't decide whether she would, or even should, allow him to continue dictating the sleeping arrangements. He may get the idea that she'd allow more in time, something that Sora would have to nip in the bud. But then, he hadn't protested when Sora had told him flatly that he didn't have a chance. And Sora had to admit that, aside from him sneaking into her bed every night, he had been a perfect gentleman, never doing anything more than holding her while they slept.

He even helps with Yui without me having to ask him, Sora mused, while finding a path that would take her along the outer reaches. But what happens if he can't handle the fact that this is the way things are going to stay? The most likely scenarios would be that he'd either learn some kind for acceptance, or he might leave. And what then? It would hurt, but I'd be able to keep going. What about Yui? She's never really had any interaction with any men, aside from seeing them on the street.

Then again, it wouldn't be good for her to never see any men. She could end up being too sheltered. But should I let her see Kagari all the time? She likes him, and if he were to suddenly disappear from her life, what would that do to her?

Sora was so absorbed in her circular thoughts that she didn't notice she'd wandered into the actual park. She'd only intended to make this a short run, skirting around the edges in order to burn off some of her excess energy, but her feet had taken her onto one of the many paths that cut through the grass.

When she finally did realise she'd drifted off-track, Sora was more surprised by the fact that she could see the hunched form of a person sitting on a park bench. Not only was it late, but this person was wearing very little. Even from a distance of a few dozen feet, Sora could tell that the unmoving person was a woman due to the thin cloth that clung to the top of her bust. For a moment, Sora thought that the woman might be homeless, but even that wouldn't explain why she was there. The police in this area did regular sweeps in order to clear out any squatters.

As she got closer, Sora was shocked to see that what she had assumed was a thin jacket over the woman's shoulders was actually a lab coat. Which also happened to be the only thing that the woman had on, making Sora shiver in sympathy at the thought of wearing so little clothing in this weather.

Pausing, Sora debated whether or not she should call the police, particularly when she noticed blood rimming the edge of the coat. Resuming her stride, Sora decided to see exactly what was going on before she did anything. For all she knew, the woman could just be part of one big joke, or she'd been the victim of a crime and didn't want to report it to the police.

When Sora reached the bench, the woman didn't even look up. If anything, she seemed to shrink into herself even more, something that Sora hadn't even thought possible. The woman looked like the portrait of defeat, with her legs pulled loosely against herself and her head and shoulders hanging down.

Realising that this woman wasn't going to be the one who started the conversation, if she even bothered to respond at all, Sora decided to start small, simply saying "Hello." When that garnered no response, not even a glance upward, Sora decided to just go with what she was comfortable with. Sora had never been one for pleasantries, and she somehow doubted that this woman was in the mood for them either. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?"

Upon hearing the questions, the woman raised her head, though not far enough for Sora to see her face, and said dully, "I have no home. . . Or anywhere else to go."

"Is that so?" Sora questioned thoughtfully, trying to figure out what to do now. "Well, why are you here then? I mean, you could've decided to just plop down anywhere, so why here in particular?"

"I'm broken; I can never spread my wings," the woman stated before dropping her head again, clearly expecting Sora to leave.

Meanwhile, Sora was getting a bad feeling about who this woman might be, especially with the way she was fixated on being winged. Why does this shit always have to happen to me? It's not my job to help people get over every bad thing that happens to them. For a couple seconds, Sora considered accepting the woman's dismissal before she got pulled into some even more fucked up shit. Unfortunately, she realised very quickly that if she just left this woman here to... die, Sora supposed, then she'd regret it. Maybe not immediately, but it would nag at her.

Deciding to leave that particular issue to one side, Sora asked, "So, what? You just want me to leave you here until you either freeze to death or starve?"

Hearing a noise of assent, Sora decided that she was done coddling the woman and simply stated, "Bullshit." Slightly satisfied by how she finally jerked her head up, Sora wasn't all that surprised, more resigned, really, to see a bright red tattoo in the middle of the woman's forehead: a bird atop a yin-yang symbol.

Frowning slightly, as something about the tattoo being there bothered her, Sora decided to deal with the issue at hand before piling more problems onto her plate. "If you really wanted to die, you wouldn't be sitting here. You'd be somewhere with a knife in your hand or at the top of a very tall building. Instead you're here, in plain view where anyone can see you and without any easy or immediate way to go."

Peering through to the other woman's soul, Sora allowed her voice to soften as she spotted that all-too-familiar ache. "Tell me the truth. You don't really want to die here, do you? You just don't want to continue living the way you are now." The surprise she saw confirmed Sora's suspicions. Leaning a little closer, Sora asked, "It's painful to not be needed, isn't it?"

"No one needs a broken Sekirei," the woman stated flatly, though Sora could still see the her despair.

Well, I guess she really is a Sekirei, Sora concluded before finally remembering what was wrong here. Wait a minute, didn't Kagari say that that tattoo only appears on the backs of winged Sekirei? Maybe she and her Ashikabi had a fight and that's what caused the tattoo to move?

Sora inwardly sighed at her own crappy logic, but decided that it was probably the best working theory she had at the moment. Bringing herself back to the present, Sora tried to figure out what to do. If the woman did have an Ashikabi, then she should probably try to get them back together in order to avoid starting some kind of a turf war between the herself and whoever her Ashikabi was.

But the way the woman was acting, Sora didn't think that was the case. For a few moments, Sora questioned whether or not she should ask the woman (and she really needed to find out what her name was) before realising that she should focus more on finding out about the situation than on making friends.

Tired of getting the same answer, Sora asked, "Did you lose a fight or something? I get that you guys take your fights seriously, but don't you think this is a bit much?"

The woman told her, "I'm broken. I can't be winged by an Ashikabi."

Well, that was helpful, Sora thought, her irritation returning. Well, at least it looks like I don't have to worry about her Ashikabi coming after me if she doesn't have one.

"If you can't be someone's Sekirei, then how does 'executive babysitter' sound?" Sora asked. Receiving a confused look, Sora figured she should explain. "I'm an Ashikabi and, while I can't say that I particularly care for this sick game, I can live with it. Problem is, I also have a daughter who could end up getting caught in the crossfire. So if I had someone like you, who doesn't have anywhere else to go, around to protect her, things would be easier for me."

"You don't want to wing me," the woman stated morosely. Sora blinked as the woman's head dropped once more.

Sighing, Sora acknowledged that she had known that this could happen. "From what I've heard, Sekirei usually want to be winged by an Ashikabi that they're reacting to. Since you don't seem to be reacting to me, I figured you wouldn't want to be winged by me." Seeing the woman flinch for some reason, Sora took a deep breath and decided to bite the bullet, so to speak. "Look, it's not that I don't want to wing you. But from what you've said, it seems that it's not possible for some reason. If you want me as your Ashikabi, I'm not against the idea, even if it's only an... honorary position."

At the fierce hope that she saw spring to life in the woman's eyes, Sora finally got up from her crouched position, wincing slightly as her now stiff muscles protested the movement. Holding out her hand, Sora said, "It's three square meals a day and a roof over your head in exchange for keeping an eye on a little girl. So, what do you say?"

Smiling softly as she felt a the cool hand touch her own, Sora added lightly, "Glad to be working with you. I'm Miyamoto Sora."

"Akitsu," the woman replied as she stood up, forcing Sora to realise that not only was she wearing just a lab coat, but that the coat was too small for her. Her next realization was that she was ogling Akitsu, as her head only reached the Sekirei's chest, and upon dropping her gaze, a blush formed on her cheeks as she rediscovered Akitsu's panty-less state.

There's just no way around this, is there? she joked to herself.

Sora let go of her hand in order to pull off the hoodie that she was wearing. Even if Kagari said that Sekirei weren't affected by the cold, which was evidenced by the fact that this woman didn't seem at all chilled, Sora didn't want to deal with Akitsu being mistaken for a flasher.

However, before she got the chance to fully remove her hoodie, Sora heard a pair of voices approaching. While that would be slightly alarming in and of itself considering the time, the thing that really made Sora's blood run cold was hearing the louder, higher-pitched voice say "Mutsu".

Ignoring Akitsu's confusion, Sora tried desperately to remember why that name would twist her guts. Shaking her head slightly, Sora once more grabbed Akitsu and pulled her towards the nearby trees. Finding a tree that still held leaves, Sora pushed Akitsu against the trunk, whispering to keep quiet.

When a few minutes passed, Sora began to wonder if she was panicking for nothing. Sure, there were at least two men coming towards them, but they could have an innocent reason for being here. They could've been at a party, or just gotten into town. Hell, they could've been coming home from work, like Sora. Even if they did have ill intentions, Sora was certain that she'd be able to handle them.

Despite that, Sora's mind kept coming back to that name: Mutsu. Sora knew she'd heard it before. Dropping her head against Akitsu's chest as she tried to think, Sora listened to the two men's voices slowly drawing closer.

A small part of her mind kept telling her that she should just go home and deal with what may come of it. But the larger, smarter part of Sora's brain was telling her that she didn't want to get into a fight with two people that she didn't know, possibly with an injured woman dragging her down. Especially when that name kept nagging at her. Sora would have just ignored it, taking it as a coincidence, or maybe the man was an acquaintance of hers, but something stopped her.

It wasn't until Sora heard the deeper voice, who she assumed was Mutsu, say the word "Mikogami" that everything clicked into place. Over the last few days, Kagari had been giving her a crash course in not only Sekirei biology and habits, but also the more dangerous Ashikabi running around.

If Sora was remembering correctly, Mikogami was the Ashikabi of the South, and Mutsu was one of the strongest Sekirei in the city. She was also pretty sure that Mikogami was the one obsessed with winging every Sekirei he could. One mystery solved, Sora tried to figure out why they were here until she felt Akitsu shift her weight slightly.

Oh.

Ooooooh. Not promising.

Blushing slightly at having missed something so obvious, Sora stood up on tiptoe, once again cursing her tiny frame, until her lips came close to Akitsu's ear. "I don't have any proof, but I'm pretty sure those guys out there are an Ashikabi and Sekirei. The Sekirei is supposedly one of the strongest there is, and we can't fight them when you're like this. Stay close, keep quiet, and hopefully they'll move on soon."

At Akitsu's nod, Sora focused once more on the conversation taking place on the other side of the tree. From the sound of it, Mikogami was throwing a tantrum about the Sekirei they were looking for not being here anymore. As he began to wind down, Sora held her breath, hoping that they wouldn't decide to look around the area. For a few seconds, Sora cursed that she hadn't hadn't taken the chance to run when she'd had it; even the most perfunctory search on Mikogami's part would get them caught.

Sora was finally able to breathe again when she heard the two decide to go back home, with Mutsu saying something about Mikogami's 'collection' being big enough already. Gritting her teeth slightly when she realised exactly what collection Mutsu was talking about, Sora waited a few more minutes for the two to scram before she slowly pulled away from Akitsu.

Peeking around the tree, Sora couldn't see anyone. After giving Akistu her hoodie, Sora began leading the woman home, trying to convince herself that the only reason she was hurrying was because of the cold.