Mirage

A/N: Okay so, I came up with this idea and kinda fell in love with it. I know in this chapter things might be a little vague, but questions will be answered and the plot will be developed throughout the story. This story is a mix between canon and AU (mainly AU), so as long as you know most of the plot from the Sekirei manga/anime then it should be easier to follow. There is an equal amount of OC and canon characters in this fic so look out. Please read and review!

11 May 2037, 05:43- Kyoto, Japan

The ringing of an obnoxious alarm clock filled the air of a small one bedroom apartment, interrupting an already turbulent sleep. Dark lashes fluttered against pale skin, revealing a dull pair of grey irises. Chapped lips parted to release a heavy sigh as his hand harshly hit the top of the alarm clock, leaving an uneasy silence in the room. Lifting himself off his bed, the thirty-six year old man stood on the cold wooden floor, shuffling to his dresser. After changing into a stained grey t-shirt and some jeans that had seen better days, he went into his dimly-lit kitchen and struggled to open his refrigerator. Eventually prying open the door, light cast on the twelve pack of some cheap beer and a carton of white eggs that were about to be past their prime. A shaky hand pulled out two, cracking them over a worn out frying pan that barely stood on top of a gas stove top. As the eggs sizzled, the male reached back into his refrigerator and grabbed a can of beer, opening it and taking a big swig.

A loud knock broke the silence, grey orbs shifting to the shabby wooden door that currently was being banged on. Visitors were rare, so this put a small glint of anxiety in the male as he trudged to the door and swung it open. There stood two people-a man and a woman; one wore a white lab coat while the other wore a Lolita-ish dress.

"Sahashi Minato?" The male in the lab coat spoke out, making direct eye contact with the other.

"Erm…uh…yes?" Minato answered cautiously, eyeing the two that stood before him.

"Ah great! It is you! You know, you're not easy to find anymore." The lab coat male spoke coolly, allowing himself and the young lady next to him inside the other's apartment, then comfortably sitting on the torn pee-smelling couch in Minato's sad excuse of a living room.

"U-Uh… what who are y—"

"Ah, he doesn't remember us, Kuno," The male looked at Kuno, placing a hand in her short, choppy blonde hair.

Kuno? Minato thought, but was quickly distracted when the other stood up and walked over to him.

"…My name is Shigi Haruka, but you might remember me as one who you and your many little sekirei helped escape the sekirei plan—'member?"

Sekirei? Sekirei plan? These words were something Minato once knew quite fondly, but the memory now left somewhat of a bitter after-taste.

"…Yes…" The black haired male answered shyly, avoiding eye contact with Haruka.

"Well, good thing you do!" The male spoke happily, winking at Kuno who blushed and buried her face in her hands. Sighing, Shigi's facial expression turned more serious, looking back at Minato and gesturing towards the couch. "…Why don't you come and take a seat?" The black haired male knit his dark brows, glancing at Kuno who was avoiding all eye contact. Awkwardly shuffling to the end of his tattered couch, Minato uncomfortably sat, anxiety pooling into his chest.

"When you and your sekirei helped Kuno and I all those years back, we took your kindness and decided to help people like us—people trapped by MBI's 'game'…anyway, fast forward a few years when MBI's tower was destroyed, we created our own organization with fellow sekirei and their ashikabi, tracking them down and protecting them, and eventually taking down MBI."

"…Good for you." Minato spoke coldly, crossing his arms and growing irritated by the memories of his sekirei and MBI. Shigi looked at the visibly upset male and sighed, walking forward to Minato's dingy window and stared out of it.

"…What happened to them, Minato-san?"

"Nothing you need to know about."

"Heh…'nothing I need to know about'? Well, we already know…I just thought I'd give you the chance to talk about it on your own, but I guess it's still a little sensitive, eh?" Minato said nothing, grey irises staring at his calloused hands, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he reminisced about his sekirei. "…Did you love Musubi, Minato-san?" Jerking his head up, the former ashikabi's face was stained with red, brows furrowed in embarrassment and anger.

"W-what?! T-That's…that's none of your busine—"

"Okay, fine, let me rephrase: did you ever make love with Musubi?" Shigi's spoke bluntly, amber orbs meeting the emotional male's grey ones. Of course, Shigi already knew the answer was yes, but he wanted to know if Minato would acknowledge it. "It was a couple months after that when Musubi was defeated by Karasuba and MBI was destroyed—right?" Minato swallowed hard, body beginning to twitch slightly. These memories that were flooding back caused the male to grow angry, yet he tried to suppress it.

"Why…w-why does it…does it matter…?"

"Glad you asked!" Shigi walked back to Kuno and Minato, sitting on the shabby coffee table and looking at the other in the eyes. "Well, when Musubi was defeated her crest had disappeared, her body stayed in this comatose state, MBI had taken her along with the other sekirei that had been defeated in the past…she was kept 'alive' because…well…you got her pregnant!" He clasped his hands together and let out a cheesy smile. Minato's face was one of shock, jaw hanging open with eyes the size of saucers. Pregnant? Musubi…pregnant?! They only had sex because Musubi wanted to—and he loved her more than the others! It was only once and they moved on! "I can imagine you have questions, but those will have to be answered with time." Standing up, Shigi gestured for Kuno, who scurried over to her ashikabi and stayed right by his side. "Your child was taken into our care after birth and MBI's destruction, and was released into a ahm…'very special person's' care. I'm telling you this because, well, MBI has rebuilt itself, continuing the sekirei plan that had been paused for all these years…your sekirei will have to fight just like they had before, and your daughter, is a prime target."

"T-t…t-target…?"

"Yes, target. She is a new sekirei, sekirei #109…the only sekirei to date to be conceived by a sekirei and an ashikabi. We don't know her 'type' or much about her, but we know she has not been winged and will be sought after when the game commences." Shigi sighed, feeling a tad awkward about dumping all this vague information on the emotionally unstable male.

"H-how do you…how so you know it's mine?! How do you know its Musubi's?! Musubi is gone a-and I'm done with this ashikabi bullshit! Y-you can't barge into my house and-and tell me I have a daughter…a-and that the sekirei plan is b-back on—with her a part of it!" Minato stood up and shouted, tears streaming down his cold cheeks.

"I understand your frustration, Sahashi-san. But she is you and Musubi's daughter." Minato's eyes were red and puffy, tears flowing like water from a faucet. He has a daughter…Musubi has a daughter… a sekirei…and an ashikabi…this was too much for him to handle. He abandoned his remaining 5 sekirei and this 'game' after Musubi's defeat…he can't handle this game and sekirei again—along with a daughter!

"W-why are you t-telling me this now?!"

"She needs your help, Sahashi-san."

"M-MY HELP?! I couldn't protect Musubi-chan! I-I abandoned my s-sekirei! A-and now I n-need to protect a d-daughter I didn't know I even had!?"

"She's 16 years old and lives in the Izumo Inn. Her name is Hitomi, sekirei #109; any other information is in here…" Shigi gestured over to a file Kuno placed on the coffee table, then bowed along with his young sekirei and turned to leave. "…Try to look beyond your grief and help your flesh and blood. We just came to warn you—Shinto Teito will become the warzone we once remembered it to be. Bye, now." Shigi waved, opening the door and leaving. Kuno followed, but stopped at the door and turned back to Minato.

"E-erm…your e-eggs are burning…g-goodbye…" Kuno bowed, scampering off and shutting the door.

Smoke filled the air in the room, irritating his already puffy eyes. Coughing, he wiped his eyes and ran to the kitchen, turning off the stove and throwing his burnt eggs into the trashcan full of beer cans. When the smoke dissipated, Minato trudged over to the splintered coffee table and picked up the manila folder titled 'SAHASHI, HITOMI #109' and opening it. Inside there was a headshot of Hitomi, a girl with long, choppy dark brown hair with long bangs that mostly covered her heterochromatic light grey and light brown eyes that had no pupils. Her skin was pale, and her facial expression seemed melancholic…she resembled Minato in many ways, but also maintained Musubi's…well…bust and facial structure. She was a perfect combination of her parents, even with her well…odd eyes. Moving aside the picture, there was a piece of paper listing her information; Name: Sahashi, Hitomi Masuyo, DOB: 23/08/21, Sex: Female, Blood type: AB, Race: Asian; Japanese, Sekirei no. #109, Sekirei type: Unknown, Disabilities: Blindness, etc. Minato's eyes widened upon seeing 'blindness' listed. She's…blind…? Her sekirei type is unknown? What…what even was she? Well, the answer was simple: his daughter—Musubi's daughter. Groaning angrily, he tossed the file on the floor, papers scattering all over the dirty, unkempt floor. Burying his face in his hands, he felt warm tears stream down, teeth grit as memories of his time with his sekirei, more specifically Musubi, played in his mind like a melodrama. Why did this happen to him? He didn't ask to be a part of this plan; he just wanted to live a normal life in college and settle down and have a wife and kids in a conventional way. But sadly, that wasn't reality—not his reality. Minato didn't know how to react or what to do, but he was sure of one thing:

He'd have to return to Shinto Teito.

A/N: First chapter done! Hitomi and the other sekirei will be introduced in the next chapter so stay tuned! I hope you all remember Shigi and Kuno! I will try to update soon, please read and review!