Title: A Selfish Boy
Characters: Mikogami H. & No.05/Mutsu
Summary: 'The Story of how Mutsu may have become bound to his Ashikabi.'
Disclaimer: Sekirei belongs to the mangaka Sakurako Gokurakuin.
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It's been a few days now since he had left MBI headquarters. He has no need to find his Ashikabi at the moment. With the single numbers released, the Sekirei Plan has begun and he wants no part of it. He knows he won't be able to evade it forever, but he has no desire to be chained down to a human.
The Sekirei Plan, once a plan to help protect their sleeping brothers and sisters, has now become nothing more than a massacre disguised as a competition. Mutsu isn't sure if the prize, the gathering of the Jinki, will end this farce of a game. He isn't sure he wants to know.
He spends the first two days acquainting himself with the city. It is unlike anything he has ever seen before. Having been kept at the island (for their own good), it is only natural that he explores with this new freedom he has now. He avoids the other Sekirei and steers clear from the Ashikabi.
Their numbers increase as more and more Sekirei are released. He watches as his brothers and sisters become 'winged'. Overall most find their destined ones. But there are instances where they have not and instead have been forcibly 'winged'. It disgusts him to see how cruel humans are. How greedy they are. The lust and excitement in their eyes never fail to sicken him. He does not help as he cannot interfere. He is helpless to stop this game. Minaka holds all the strings to the game. And he cannot cut them.
It is on one of his daily walks through the city that he suddenly feels short of breath and heat starting to pool and surge through his body. Biting back a curse, he leaves the street in favor of the rooftops. As he leaves he catches sight of a pair of golden-brown eyes staring at him in surprise. He has found his Ashikabi.
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oOoOo
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He follows him the next few days and what he finds just cements his first thoughts of the boy. His potential Ashikabi is incredibly spoiled. He watches as the boy orders around the servants that work in the mansion. His entire presence radiating arrogance just grates on his nerves.
He should have left after determining the type of person he is but he doesn't. Annoyed, he makes himself leave and promises not to come back. The next day he finds himself tailing after his Ashikabi as he goes into store after store and coming out with large bags that are carried by his bodyguards.
He wonders why he can't just go and not look back.
All the while, he ignores the heat that rises to his cheeks as he watches the boy smile and laugh in delight over his new purchases.
He frowns when he sees the smile fade slightly. The boy has seen something. He turns to look as well and sees nothing out of the ordinary. There are shoppers wandering about and–then he sees it. A child who looks lost and doesn't seem to be accompanied by an adult. The child seems to be on the verge of crying.
He watches as his Ashikabi walks toward the child and comforts her. His heart beats faster as his Ashikabi gives a different sort of smile. This smile seems softer. He watches as the child is reunited with her parents and sees that smile turn brittle.
The expression on his Ashikabi's face reminds Mutsu of an abandoned dog.
It is only later does he realize that not once in his entire surveillance of the boy does he see any presence of the boy's parents. And he wonders if the appearance of the child's parents caused that smile to become that way.
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oOoOo
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A week later, he notices a break in the pattern. The maids are in more of a hurry than usual and he hasn't seen the boy all day. Curious, he continues watching them until finally his Ashikabi appears with an incredibly neutral face. Unsettled, he watches as the boy waits and waits and waits. The sun has gone down and Mutsu does not know how many hours his Ashikabi has just sat there watching the front door. There is a strained silence in the mansion. One by one the servants begin to leave. One detracts from the group and speaks softly to the master before leaving as well.
Only when does it becomes completely dark does the boy stand up and leave the entryway.
Spying on the maids, he learns that the boy, whose name he finally learns is 'Mikogami', had waited for his parents to come home only to be told that they had delayed their return and won't be coming home for another few months.
Mutsu decides that he doesn't like that blank face his Ashikabi had on. He chuckles self-deprecatingly as he realizes that he's going to chain himself to a human either way.
He reveals himself the next day. He is surprised to note that the boy doesn't seem to be as surprised as he should be. He finds out later that the boy has also kept an eye out for him since the first time they caught a glimpse of one another.
Their first meeting is spent in silence. Their second meeting goes better as Mikogami ventures to ask him who he is. The boy's face glimmers with interest when Mutsu tells him about the Sekirei and the game. The boy's gaze becomes intense when he finally tells him over what it means to be an Ashikabi.
"So, are you mine?" he asks.
Mutsu pauses before saying "if you want me to be. The choice is yours."
Mikogami scoots closer to Mutsu and responds quietly "Yes." His entire demeanor is different than how he usually presents himself. And Mutsu finds that he quite likes this side of his Ashikabi as well.
Tilting his head down, he meets the boy's lips for the first time. As his wings flared out, gaining a wide-eyed look, he whispered "I am now yours Ashikabi-sama, now and forever."
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Author's Note: Just to be clear, I made up Mikogami's background as there's little to no information as to how he and Mutsu first met. And I based this whole oneshot on Mutsu's conversation with Miya when Miya expresses surprise that he has become the South's Sekirei. Mutsu states that he "lost" to an expression of Mikogami he sometimes shows, the eyes of an "abandoned dog", and thus became his Sekirei. Which I found sort of cute :)
I see Mikogami as someone who's really lonely and is either oblivious or ignores social niceties, especially when he sees Sekirei as something to be collected. Despite the way he treats his other Sekirei, it's obvious Mutsu is his favorite and is granted more leeway in their interactions.