Running across the rooftops, Homura rapidly scanned the roads and alleyways for any sign of the missing baby, even taking his time on observing people with actual babies with them.
No sign of Sakura.
He cursed under his breath. This search is getting longer and the longer the infant is not found, the greater the risk will come to said infant. Already, he had already taken off his disguise and now in his usual Sekirei outfit to move faster in his search.
A while ago, he had already split with Uzume, leaving the other Sekirei behind to get her gear to help finding the baby.
"Where is she?" Homura sighs heavily, stopping on an edge of the building to overlook the busy streets of Shin Tokyo.
How could he find a baby through all of this? When this is all over, he's gonna convince Matsu to bug this baby to track her next time this happens. He just hopes there's no next time.
Suddenly, his phone began ringing in his pockets. Picking it up, Homura sees it's from Uzume.
"Uzume, where are you?" Homura asks as he accepts the call.
"Not enough time! Check the forums! They got her!" Uzume cried out. In the background, he can hear the wind blowing through. She's clearly running and moving fast in urgency. The phone call abruptly ended there.
Check the forums?
The forums, where Ashikabi and Sekirei discuss and share information with on another is a place he doesn't visit often times due to disgusts to the abhorrent discussions these people have. From forcibly winging Sekirei to boasting about their fights, the limits are endless to these people. As such, he had left it Matsu to extract what he needed without blowing himself up in anger.
Till now that is.
The moment he saw the photo, he almost crushed the phone in his grip tightening around the flimsy device. In the photo, a pair of individuals are posing with a certain baby in their arms in what looks like a construction site.
The message before it:
- We found this little cutie in the road. Do come in this address if you want her back :)
"Fuck." Of all people to pick her up, it's these two.
These two Sekirei had been a thorn to his side since he took up his self appointed duty as Sekirei Guardian. Not only he has to contend against Mikogami Hayato, one of the most prolific collectors of Sekirei through forced winging but he also got competition in the form of Higa Izumi, CEO and supposed rival to MBI (allegedly). Unlike the former Ashikabi, Higa's far more dangerous due to his corporate background and resources.
That ambush on Yashima? That was ordered by him.
Not only the man has multiple Sekirei, he could also field other Ashikabi through other means. Homura doesn't know how or why but that man's dangerous with that said.
Then came those two.
Those two have been the biggest thorn on his quest to protect unwinged Sekirei, moreso than the lightning twins who are actively hunting unwinged Sekirei. They're hit hard, fast and brutal. They have eliminated more Sekirei in plan by themselves, only second to the Black Sekirei. Among all the Sekirei in the plan, they're one of the ones he actively avoid due to their skill and experience combined. He could take on one equally alone but together? That would be a death sentence to him.
Hate to admit it but this is the time where his powers cannot actually carry him through alone.
Yet right now, he's throwing himself into a trap set up by the pair!
*Scene Break*
"Aww ~ aren't you just the cutest!" Ichiya cooed, pinching baby Sakura's cheeks as said baby played in the sand. Meanwhile, Toyotama rolled her eyes with a smile at her partners supposed tough girl act melting at the baby's cuteness before resuming her watch.
They're currently in an abandoned construction site of a highrise apartment. A place that got caught in Sekirei battle and had it's entire plan stopped to assess it's environment for safety. In truth, the entire place was bought with MBI's hush money.
As for their position, the duo had taken the top floor to get some sun and take high ground advantage. Wherever the Sekirei Guardian or Homura appears, they would see him a mile away and have enough time to prepare the ambush. Obviously they're using the baby as bait but not truly.
They're not that kind of monsters.
The baby is actually safely tucked away in a little sand box in the floor, something they made in relatively small time and with what leftover sandbags are left in the area. Based on how the baby is crawling and making small hills with her impromptu playground, she definitely liked it.
Not to mention, Ichiya has already won over by the baby's natural cuteness.
"He's here." Toyotama said as she spotted a rapidly approaching blur on the nearby rooftops.
Ichiya huffs from her position, irrated that her time with the baby was cut short, before standing up. Making sure that the sandbag barriers around the sandbox couldn't be scaled by the baby, she joined her partner to see said blur enter the construction site's ground floor.
"He's either gonna climb, use the elevator cables or the stairs." Toyotama said, looking down below to find the male Sekirei.
"Don't bother. There's only one entrance point in the top floor. We just need to be on guard on that side and ambush him. Remember, no eliminations. We need him functional to retrieve that bounty." Ichiya replied, reminding her partner in their true goal.
Finding Yashima.
It didn't take long for their adversary to finally show up. Homura calmly walked into the top floor, a blank expression on his face as he stood far from the smirking duo. It was a standoff on the top. Only the sound of wind blowing over backdrop could be heard as they gauge one another.
For the duo, they found his behavior abnormal. Homura is never passive when it comes to these encounters. Maybe it's the presence of a hostage? If so, they have all the cards in this encounter.
Meanwhile, Homura is taking the entire environment. No rooftop, high up above, little to no cover except for finished walls or left behind pallets around. The wind is also blowing strong, enough to make his jacket's tailcoat whip around.
That's a good sign for him.
"Where's the baby?" He demanded to them to start. The duo's smirk grew wider. That's their cue and confirmation.
"Safe and sound. Can't believe you could produce such a cutie though. Your a sly dog for hiding a baby from MBI, Homura." Ichiya replied, hinting him a warning.
MBI didn't want any Sekirei to get pregnant or have kids during the plan. As such, all Sekirei had been thought sex education early on and most Sekirei agreed not to have kids during such dangerous times.
But looks like Homura broke that rule.
Said man winced at the reminder of another troublesome mishap and mistake. Seriously? Why can't they tell that Sakura is not his baby at all?! Just because they have almost similar hair color doesn't mean it's his baby! He blames Uzume for this mistake and he's so gonna make her regret it later.
The twins too. They started this mess.
"I don't care what MBI wants." Homura snarled, lighting up a fire in his hands in preparation for combat. Both girls took a step back at the sign of aggression.
"Are you stupid?! Your gonna hurt the baby if you throw those flames here randomly!" Ichiya snarled, subtlety moving herself in between of the man and the hidden baby's direction. Toyotama noticed it and followed her example, moving in another position.
Homura silently cursed. They saw through the ruse. Sakura is truly here but they're hiding the right direction where by blocking two different directions. He could attack and go at Ichiya's direction but what if it's a trap? Toyotama would be free to punish him and that would be bad for him. This is why he doesn't like going up close and personal against power type Sekirei.
Even though his flames are effective in this area, Ichiya's right in warning him. He can't attack when he's not sure where the baby is!
Negotiations it is!
"Show me the baby first!" Homura demands, going all in as he lifts an arm with a ball of fire ready.
Both girls sucked a breath. He's clearly bluffing. He can't attack not without accidentally hurting the hidden baby! At the same time, they can't simply attack and make him go with their demands. Homura's a strong elemental type and despite their physical advantage, one wrong move could toast them in an instant.
Yet there is one simple problem.
Homura has bigger lost than the two of them. The duo could simply retreat with the baby as hostage right now if the man proved to be uncooperative. Their goal is gain Homura's cooperation in finding the fugitive Sekirei but not a requirement. To hell, they could make the baby a permanent hostage to actually control Homura.
Just like what they did with another particular Sekirei in the false family photo.
Of course they would recognize Uzumi, she's their best harvest in their blackmail schemes. It looks like she would have a friend soon.
"Toyotama, get the baby." Ichiya broked the standoff, signaling her partner.
"What?! Why?" The pole user hissed, wondering what's on the other girl's mind.
"Just do it." Ichiya hissed, never taking her eyes against the Fire Sekirei. Toyotama's expression was torn between obedience and worry before leaving the two. She can only pray that Ichiya knows what she is doing.
"You only want to see the baby right?" Ichiya said as she addresses Homura. "Then you have to listen to what we want or else."
Homura narrowed his eyes. Not the best scenario but he can work it. He just need to see Sakura and work with what they want. He just hopes he could take her back from this two witches.
"AAAAAAAAH!"
As the two plot against one another, a shriek of horror tore through the air, alerting the two at the sudden development. Ichiya moved first, rushing to her partner's side as quick as possible. She ignored the way Homura followed her, her partner's well being coming first. By the time they both arrive on the scene where Toyotama is, it's too late.
They both saw the pole user on her knees, weapon discarded next to her as she stared forward with a horrified expression. Her jaw hanging wide open from her earlier scream.
Moving their sight to what made the girl cry in terror, both Homura and Ichiya found the source.
In the makeshift sandbox, they could see the shopping bags and discarded toys, something the duo bought on the way for the baby as entertainment, around the box.
Except there is no baby.
The baby is gone.
The only warning Ichiya got was the flash of searing heat next to her before she threw herself to the side, dodging the burst of flames from a very livid Homura. The same attack also broke Toyotama back to lucidity as she grabbed her weapon and went to attack Homura, stopping his torrent of flames as he hopped back to avoid the girl's sweeping attack that would catch his neck.
"Where is she?!" Homura snarled, launching a basketball-size fireball at the advancing Toyotama, forcing the girl to retreat.
"I don't know! Toyotama?!" Ichiya replied before turning to her partner. Grabbing one of the sandbags, she threw it straight to Homura.
The Fire Sekirei cannot destroy said bag of sand immediately with just a flick of his power, best he could do is turn it into glass mid-air before hitting him. As such, he had no choice but to stop hid behind the surrounding pallets in the area. It wasn't long till he found himself bombarded by a salvo of sandbags of all things.
Fortunately for him and unfortunately to the duo, there is only so much sandbags in the area before it runs out and both parties know it. Although it wasn't enough, the duo managed so and regrouped as they retreated by jumping off the floor and climbing down by the unfinished skeleton of the building.
"Toyotama! Where's the baby?!" Ichiya snarled, still unsure what happened.
"I don't know!" Toyotama replied, following Ichiya's lead as they land on the middle floors.
"I just went back to get the baby as you said so and saw that the baby's gone! She's literally gone!" The pole user continued to explain, making Ichiya curse.
They were too hasty and so is Homura. If he didn't attack, they could find traces of who took the baby. Instead, the man exploded like a volcano and currently rampaging up top based on the explosions ringing above them.
Wait! Above them!
"Move!" Ichiya pushed her partner out of the way as she leap away. Just in time as the floor above them cave in a fiery explosion as someone landed in between them. From the raging inferno, Homura emerges and he is not in a good state.
The man's shirt is gone, having burned away by his own flames, leaving him topless. His pants are still intact but are singed short. All over his body, fire erratically moved and flicker. Meanwhile, the man's bloodshot eyes are trained on them as his lips are drawn in a snarl.
"Where's is she?!"
They might be in trouble now.
*Scene break*
Zouken chuckled as he looked away from the collapsing construction site. Youth these days are really scary. Too bad they're not as scary as his great-granddaughter.
Speaking of granddaughter, it looks like she found her first prey.
A pair of lovers, curious at the sound of crying infant, lured in an alleyway like a bunch of moths to the flame. They never saw the entity rising from their own shadows as they picked up the not-infant. They didn't even make a sound when it enveloped and consumed them in one gulp.
"Had your fill?" Zouken asked the shadow as it swayed, it's multiple tendrils waving lazily.
He could still remember that day when Sakura rebelled and killed him with those same tendrils. His limbs torn apart, his entire collection of familiars consumed and his very soul claimed as her's and now her daughter.
The shadow then sank back, replaced with the blinking not-infant. She stared at him for a while before crawling away. It looks like she's still hungry.
He snorted. Whatever this creatures are, he pity them for rousing Sakura's appetite. He could only watch and follow her, only allowed to act when it's needed.
A silent guardian and a tool for her. A far more lighter sentence to what he had done in his life. Honestly, he didn't mind it.
As long as he's with his dear beloved, his happy to obliged whatever the girl wants.
"Let's go, Sakura-chan. I think my familiars spotted another couple not far away."
"Babaaa!"
"Hmm, yes they are delicious."
*Chapter End*
Hint: Zouken's Fate