Yashima's confused in these past few days. It's been day two since she found herself freed, unwinged, uncaged or unshackled from her Ashikabi.
Memory of her Ashikabi resurfacing, she can't help but shudder in fear and revulsion.
Ever since she had found out she's no longer bound to Junichi, she was exhilarated. Ecstatic even as hope came to her then came the disgust.
She's disgusted of herself.
Junichi, her Ashikabi was a natural reaction. She sought him out, not realizing the hell that she is about to subject herself into pleasing her Ashikabi. She never imagined it would entail both physical and sexual abuse, her body as a tool for dear Ashikabi to use however he want. It's how they lost access to their own MBI card, Junichi using said card to live like a king and throw around MBI's name. Unfortunately, the company didn't like it when the card is being used under illegal activities. Yashima doesn't know what kind activities was those but she's glad she didn't find out.
Without money anymore, Junichi went for violence. Yashima felt dirty, unclean and downright awful when they first rob their first victim. For the a week, they have been stealing their finances from people her Ashikabi targets. As the muscle of the pair, it's her duty to 'rough up' the victims.
One of the main rules given to the Sekirei is to never harm civilians or anyone not included in the Sekirei Plan, it will ruin the game. Junichi didn't care and she can't disobey. Bound by obedience, she simply followed.
Yashima's surprised that the Disciplinary Squad wasn't deployed to cull them.
Except they found someone worst.
Junichi found a target, someone with a cool bike in his words. He said it could fetch a good price or he could simply have it for himself. Honestly, Yashima has no knowledge about bikes but the one her Ashikabi is pinning over is by far not normal. It looked like one of MBI's inventions. She tried warning her Ashikabi, to ignore it. She had an ugly feeling with such idea. Instead, it earned her a beating. A Sekirei can't harm their Ashikabi, I can only take the beating even if it hurts.
For the sake of her Ashikabi.
Then came the night of the deed and Junichi died. Her? She remembered passing out as she failed in her duty and was terminated. Yet instead of darkness, she found herself awakening back in MBI labs, alive and well.
She wasn't terminated.
She was unwinged.
She was free.
At first, she cried. She cried for loss and shame. She cried for the loss of the man she loved. Shame followed when an errand thought came to her.
She didn't love Junichi.
Such thoughts are a betrayal to her species, as a Sekirei. Of course she loved Junichi, no matter how despicable and vile he was. She reacted to him, so it's safe to say it was love.
That's what she thought at first.
Then why? Why did it feel so relieving to be free of her Ashikabi? Why did she felt satisfaction of his death!? Why is she happy to be free after losing her Ashikabi?!
She doesn't understand. No one can, not even the Doctors could give her answers. The only she could think of that could give her the right answer is the man who did this.
The man who soundly defeats her.
The man who killed her Ashikabi.
The man who freed her...
Then she felt. Something she haven't felt a long time ago since she was underneath Junichi's palms.
Her heart thumping loud, beating wildly.
Her breathing became labored.
Her thoughts coming back to that man, his face resurfacing to her mind again and again.
She's reacting.
And her body answered.
She didn't know how but she simply broke through the containment room she was held by her bare fist. One punch it took. It left her knuckles bloody and somewhat mangled with broken digits but she ignored them. She escaped MBI immediately for a simple quest.
To find her TRUE Ashikabi.
He will give her the answers she needs.
In her escape, Yashima began to notice as she evaded MBI and the Disciplinary Squad on her tail.
She was stronger.
Faster
Durable
And more.
Even her ruined hand, from punching her escape out of MBI, was healed into pristine conditions in one day. Something fundamentally changed inside of her.
She's scared.
MBI adjusted Sekirei before releasing them into the world, not to limit themselves but to avoid killing their future Ashikabi. Sekirei's are different compared to humans. They are way different in terms of physiology. If left unchecked, a Sekirei could accidentally break or kill their Ashikabi in some innocent act of love.
Is that what's happening to her? Had she regressed to that state? Her pre-adjustment stage?
Too many questions, no answers.
No matter, she will find him.
And then, she will find the truth.
From her Ashikabi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh, Minato! Need help in moving today?" Shirou asks as he flipped the meet simmering in the pan, eyes trailing at the new residents of the inn.
"Uhm, no need. Me and Musubi got it from here, Emiya-san." Said boy stuttered, still afraid of him and Miya.
Understandable when said boy mistook him as Mr. Asama when he returned, greeting both Miya and Sakura-chan yesterday.
Minato Sahashi, the same name Karasuba's been throwing at him, was an ordinary boy. Average build, no muscles or fat. Jobless and failed to enter college twice now. No set of skills displayed yet.
The moment they met, Shirou is already on guard and have been keeping an eye out of the boy. Karasuba ain't gonna simply throw names at him randomly, that woman is far too playful like a cat with her food. There's a reason she gave the Sahashi name to him. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the resources to dig things up.
Yet.
Then there's Musubi.
"Musubi-chan, don't hold Sakura-chan like that. Here, let me show you." Miya chastised the young Miko.
"Sorry! It's just she's so soft." Musubi squealed, rubbing her cheeks against Sakura's who let out baby squeals of her own as she reaches for the Sekirei's face.
The moment Shirou saw Musubi, he instinctively began tracing Lancer's exorcism tools. Musubi is clearly a Sekirei, she had the scent like all the others, a flagrant scent of sweet honey mixed with what he could describe as bear-like?
But there's a difference.
It's faint but he could sense it. He only noticed because he was high alert due to Miya's last call. Something clearly happened before Karasuba arrived. As such, he was able to discern a secondary scent on Musubi. The only time he encountered such is when he finally realized Sakura's being possessed by Angra Manyu.
[I ain't apologizing for that. I was this fucking close!]
Shut it.
Despite that, Musubi didn't exhibit any signs of possession. The Sekirei had a rather strong personality despite her cluelessness and lack of common sense. Clearly, she's the dominant personality between her and whatever is possessing her.
But as allowance, he made sure to leave behind some Lancer's tools for Miya to use when Musubi's passenger snaps without him around.
"Would love to help you too, bro. Unfortunately, I got some commission to deliver today." Uzume said, sitting not far away from Minato.
"It's fine. We can handle it." Minato replied with a deadpan, causing Uzume to laugh.
Him and Uzume get along well, more so by Musubi's cluelessness that would lead to some very awkward but humorous antics, much to Minato's chagrin and Uzume's entertainment. She's been treating the duo as prime time entertainment drama ever since the Ashikabi and Sekirei came crashing down to Izumo Inn, getting a front row seat to Miya's evolution in her techniques. Uzume didn't remember Miya able to produce insect sounds with her Hanya but damn, it made it more scary!
Also because they both made little Sakura cry but that's over already, Uzume's just milking as much drama as she can.
"Hey, what about lending Musubi for me for a while. I need some female models for my work and I can pay her while you're still finding a job. How does that sound?" Uzume offered.
Minato bit his lip. It's a good offer honestly from the Sekirei. Oh yes he knew the Inn's residents are all Sekirei with the exception of Miya-san, Asa- oh he meant Emiya-san and his daughter. Musubi tried to challenge Uzume upon introduction before Miya put her foot down on the young Miko, literally.
Violence in Izumo Inn is prohibited.
Then there's Kagari, the other Sekirei. They haven't seen each other much but Minato thought the other man is actively avoiding him since yesterday night in their introduction to the Inn. Doesn't matter anyway.
What matters is getting money. Sekirei's are normally given MBI cards to let them survive outside of the labs by Musubi's information. Unfortunately, said girl lost hers. With her appetite and new place, their financial needs have to be taken care of.
"Alright but no funny business. Musubi can quit anytime she wants." Minato replied to the waiting seamstress.
"Deal!" Uzume shook his hand, licking her lips as she looked at Musubi, mind already racing as ideas began to form.
"Why does it feels like I made a deal with the devil?" Cause he is.
In the future, he would blame Uzume.
"Alright, breakfast is ready." Shirou came from the kitchen, bringing plates of food and dishes for the day.
"Already? Let me help you. Hold her carefully, Musubi-chan." Miya offered, giving the infant to Musubi.
"Hai!"
"Where's Kagari?" Shirou asks, placing the food on the dining table while Miya trailed to the kitchen for the other dishes.
"He said he'll eat later. Last night was rough for him, he said." Uzume replied.
It was the truth. Since Yashima's escape and the MBI forces running around to find her, Homura's been high alert and have been monitoring their movements for anything suspicious. Matsu even helped him. As for Uzume, her boss has been hounding her to find the escaped Sekirei despite said Sekirei escaping MBI and the Disciplinary Squad.
"Huh? I'll leave some for him then." Shirou muttered before his eyes trailed to Minato. Of course he noticed Kagari avoiding Minato.
Is it a Sekirei thing or something else?
"Wah! They smell so good!" Musubi drooled, looking at the prepared food.
"Ye-yeah." Minato agreed.
Compared last night's feasts, today's breakfast is far more different. The scent is already calling for them to dig in. They could only imagine the taste.
Seeing their reactions, Miya pouted in defeat.To think her kitchen would be usurped from her by Shirou under a month or so. She honed her skills in the kitchen as a wife, that meant she's no slouch. Yet the evidence is clear, Emiya-kun have conquered her kitchen.
The little smug smirk Emiya have doesn't help.
"Miya, can I have Sakura?"
"No. It's my turn." It's only fair she would be petty.
"Miya!"
"Sakura-chan, your daddy's bullying me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Minato and Musubi left after breakfast, Uzume soon after to buy supplies and prepare whatever she had in mind for Musubi. This left behind Shirou and Miya with little Sakura (and the hidden Matsu). Today's a free day for Shirou, allowing him to take care of the infant.
Unfortunately, someone began to be a little possessive.
"Miya, please." Shirou chased after the woman with his daughter in a calm pace.
"Noooo, let me have her for the day." Miya whined with a teasing tone as she ran away in a slow yet ahead of the redhead. In her arms, the giggling infant happily watched the drama.
"I think it's my turn today, Miya-san." Shirou deadpans at the woman.
"Mou, your Dad's no fun, Sakura-chan." Miya finally relented as she handed the infant to her father.
Upon receiving into his arms, Sakura immediately launched herself to her father's face. The infant babbling and reaching on his face with wild gusto as the baby played. Shirou smiled, having used to it and some what missed it due to his work taking much of his time. Besides them, Miya giggles at the sight.
"Care for tea? It would be noon till those two come back." She offered.
"That would be appreciated." Shirou accepted, dodging Sakura's attempt to pull his lower lips.
As the landlady left to prepare said tea, Shirou sat on the balcony overlooking the garden. He placed the excitable infant in his lap, letting the baby sit and play with the only place she can reach, his collar. His callouses hands carefully wrapped around the girl to steady her, making sure she doesn't topple from her playfulness.
Looking at her eyes, Shirou began to wonder.
Would everyone be happy to see the fruit of their sacrifice? Everyone died and yet here he is, alive and changed. It hurts remembering the short amount of time he met the participants of the war. Despite only meeting them at such a short time, they had fundamentally change Shirou through the entirety of the Grail War.
For one, he was no longer human. In truth, he had no idea what he is, not even a Dead Apostle. Only Medea truly knows as she's the one who have been altering his body ever since he picked up the sweet pink haired servant that fateful afternoon in the park. What she did to him was the biggest betrayal he have ever received from someone.
Yet said betrayal stemmed from one single thing, Love.
Medea loved him. Loved him so much that she's willing to throw away her chance with him in her scheme to save Sakura from her condition. A scheme that ended everyone's lives.
Save for one.
One little miracle that is currently in his arms, babbling and playing with his chin. His daughter and precious treasure. His little Sakura.
Would they be happy to see this little Miracle?
"Emiya-kun, here." Miya finally arrived with a tray of brewed tea. Taking position beside him, she joined him in the balcony.
"Here, let me have her for now while you drink." Miya opened her arms to receive the infant in Shirou's arms.
"Now your just being sneaky." Unfortunately, said young man couldn't be simply tricked. He lived under the same roof with Illya and Assasin, those pranksters being too tricky to keep up with.
"How rude. Are you insinuating that I would trick my own residents? Shame on you, Emiya-kun. What would my dear husband would say?" The landlady replied with faux hurt. Shirou rolled his eyes but decided to play along.
"He would probably distract me while you kidnap my daughter." He replied.
"Now that's just rude assumption. Kidnapping is barbaric, I prefer borrowing." Miya said as a matter of fact with a sniff.
Shirou laughs this time. The absurdity being too much for him. To think Miya had this naughty side of hers.
"Alright I give. What's this all about?" He asks, going straight to the point as he handed Sakura to her arms.
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head in question.
"You have been trying to distract me this past few days. You've been trying to hog Sakura-chan in my time. Of course I would notice."
"...Oh, I thought I was being subtle?" Miya had the decency to blush in embarrassment at being called out in her behavior for the past few days.
"So why?" He asks again.
"... It's because Emiya-kun have that look."
"That look?"
"The same look I have when Takehito passed away."
"Oh."
"Your mourning, Shirou-kun." Miya's said softly, "I can tell. Everytime you have nothing to do or with Sakura-chan, you have this expression. Is Sakura-chan's mother..." She trailed off from her question.
"Dead. She died delivering Sakura to the world." Shirou muttered.
"...I'm sorry in bringing up memories." Miya apologized.
"But I cannot simply watch you slowly descend to the same place I was before." Miya sighs, looking at the infant in her arms.
"You have a daughter, Emiya-kun. Your not alone despite your loss. Sakura still needs you, so don't go to that place. It took me years to climp up from the pit I fell into. I don't want you to fall into the same trap." Miya explains, all the while Shirou listened closely.
He messed up.
"Was that how I look like?" He asks.
"Hmm." Miya nodded, much to Shirou's silent dismay, "Uzume and Kagari would never see it. They haven't experience such thing yet but I do. Losing someone special is like losing a part of yourself. You would think you would never recover from it but it will take time to heal." She continues.
"It's already been years since my husband. It hurts, yes. But I'm not the same woman as before who slowly declined in his passing. I simply want to avoid such thing from happening to you when you have Sakura-chan here."
"I..." Shirou had no words at all.
She was right.
He was mourning and he didn't even realize.
Since at the end of the Grail War, he really didn't have enough time to do something for everyone. He was too busy taking care of Sakura-chan as a first time father, afraid and confused as the one now responsible for her. Then came his escape from Fuyuki, the enforcers going after him and the trail of bodies he left behind in defense against those who dared to take him away from his daughter.
By the time he arrived at ShinTokyo and everything else happened, he simply defaulted to what he did when Sakura was possessed by Angra Manyu, taking responsibility of everything and bottling it all up.
Suddenly, Miya's fingers wiped at his face. Shirou staggered from his seat. He's crying. He had never cried ever since the fire. He remembered that it was because the Fuyuki Fire dried up all of his tears.
So this new body of his do have some surprises afterall.
"Shhhhh. Don't worry. It's only us here now. Let it out." Miya quietly offered.
Shirou chuckled bitterly but didn't reject her offer. As such after so many years after the fire, Emiya Shirou cried silently for the first time. Beside him, Miya silenty soothed him as she hold his daughter who's confused of the ordeal.
The only thing she knows that her daddy is sad.
Sakura-chan didn't like it when Daddy's sad. It meant she can't play.
So she began to weave.
And so her Cradle shifted once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Servant Profiles
Name: Medea
Class: Caster
Alignment: Neutral
Description: "A young woman who volunteered to be turned into a Soul to help the old Successor. She uses her inexhaustible magical power to win on the battlefield."
(Note: Theorized that Medea served Adam, son of God or Adam's successor. Either way, Medea had front row seat in the creation of Kamihime and Eidolons and more than capable of recreating the same feat by God and Adam.)
Skills
Aura Attribution: Allows Medea to attune her attacks to match her opponent's mana, bypassing any kind of defenses from both passive and active sources.
Emoni Revelation (A): Grants Clairvoyance
Magic Wisdom: Medea's knowledgeable to ancient magics from ancient era.
Abyss Enchant (EX): Medea had delved into practitions that are both taboo and forbidden. Allows her to convert anyone from a normal person into something else.
Noble Phantasms
Golden Fleece: Her greatest defensive and offensive Noble Phantasm that functions under two states.
Gold Wool Protection (Passive state) - Under this state, the Golden Fleece turns into her cape, granting superb physical and magical defenses to anyone using it. To Medea, she's invincible while wearing the Fleece. No known way to pierce it's defenses except for Archer's Noble Phantasms.
Gold Sheep Calling (Activation) - Upon Activation of the Noble Phantasm, the defenses granted by the Golden Fleece are removed for offensive power! Upon Activation, the Golden Fleece is used to summon it's living brethren, a bloodlusted Divine Ram with parameters way beyond average servants.
(Current user: Emiya Sakura)
Argonauts (B+): A special sword wielded by Medea to kill anyone standing in her way. Its blade twines around its victims, torturing and then killing them. Once activated, it could reveal one's TRUE feelings and erasing said feelings. (Current user: Emiya Shirou)