The Snow Ashikabi

Dinner

"Saya, there you are!"

As I break away from the kiss, I see Akitsu and Haruhime running down the sidewalk. Their expressions, as well as the bond, convey their worry. 

As they get closer Akitsu quietly says, "I was concerned when you suddenly disappeared, Mistress." 

I look at Akitsu and then to Haruhime. "I can ex-"

I'm cut off by Yahan. "Yeah, sorry about that, but don't worry. I'm Number Fifty-Seven, Yahan. You two are my fellow Sekirei, right?"

Akitsu nods. "Yes. I'm Number Seven, Akitsu."

Haruhime runs up, grabbing Yahan's hand and shaking it. "Oh my god, a new sister! Yay! I'm Number Twenty-Five, Haruhime! It's so nice to meet you, Yahan!" 

I pull my keys from my pocket as I briskly start towards my car. "Come on, girls, let's go home." 

As I get to the car, a dreadful realization hits me. I look to Akitsu as she enters the passenger side. "Akitsu, what happened with that Nishi guy?"

"He won't be a problem,” she says, as I quickly slide behind the wheel. “I trapped him inside a thick cube of ice."

A sigh relaxes my anxious body. "Good! We should leave, now, before his Sekirei breaks him out. Quick thinking, Akitsu-chan! Good work!" 

As I start the engine, I quickly glance to the backseat; to my relief, everyone is in the car. No time to check seatbelts: I quickly pull out onto the road. Despite my faith in Akitsu, it's three intersections of checking mirrors before I trust that no Sekirei, or motorcycles, are following us. I can finally be at ease.

My gaze shifts back to the road as I ask, "So Ya-chan, why were you robbing convenience stores?"

As I glance back at her through the rearview mirror, she shifts uncomfortably in her seat. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I had no choice. I was hungry and desperate and didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t exactly apply for a job."

"All Sekirei are supposed to get an allowance. Didn't you get yours?"

"No, I ran away.”

She reaches to her hip and pulls out-

I blink. “Is that a dagger?!”

“But I never stole any money, only food." She isn’t listening, too busy turning the dagger around in her finger, over and over, pinching the back of the blade or letting the handle rest in the crook of her thumb before-

“Wait,” I say, remembering who’s driving, and who should notice the light was blue. “Why did you run away?”

"Like I said before I kissed you, I was afraid. On top of everything else, my adjuster was a pervert. He was always feeling me up or sticking his nose in my hair."

"Well you don't have to worry about that. I'm not like that, and I'll make sure you don't go hungry."  

"Thanks, Saya, that means a lot to me." Her knife returns to her side, gone again. "In exchange, I’ll protect you, even if it costs me my life." 

My hands tighten against the steering wheel. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Turning on the road through Shinjuku chūō kōen, the rest of the car ride was done in complete silence. Akitsu was her usual stoic self (and so beautiful, staring out the window), but I was surprised by Haruhime. After the first words of their meeting, I expected her to be chatting up a storm with Yahan.

As I get out of my car, my phone vibrates. I pull it out of my pocket as I step towards the elevator. It was another text from Minaka, congratulating me for winging Yahan. Spots stain my eyes as I roll them at the overhead garage lights. Of course he knows. Even in a back alley on a side road, he knows. I have to wonder if this is his way of reminding me, or if he simply gets so enthused about a Sekirei being winged . Knowing him, it could be both.