Chapter one

Life requires endurance

Mountains are the test of one's physical strength, mental capacity, and endurance to reach the top of a mountain is considered a very high accomplishment. This is what a certain family did every year so much so, that this family was given money to climb the most of rigid mountains and vigorous descents. No one ever stopped this family from climbing after all they were famous for it, so why upon today did this family lose almost everything? was fate being cruel or did the gods above decide to give this family the ultimate test?

"Come on Kai, come on Kai wake up its morning!" a rather boisterous voice shouted from outside the tent, it being a woman's voice who's teeth chattered from the cold of the mountain. The male known as Kai woke up with a startled expression on his cold face due to the inclement weather luckily for him he was in his snow gear. Kai was just at the ripe edge of nineteen about to be twenty in nine more months.

Standing at full height Kai was 6 foot 4 and had his mother's features including her long black hair that just reached down the middle of his back. He kept his hair in a ponytail due to his father's influence of how a man should properly have his hair, a small chuckle escaped him as he fastened his reddish snow cap given to him by his friend Minato Sahashi. The two were friends during their childhood and Kai planned on seeing his friend after this little Mountain trip was done.

Coming out of the tent Kai's teeth chattered hating this particular cold mountain why did his parents have to drag him here? granted Kai loved climbing mountains with his parents it was there own little family bonding experience. His mother who was in front of him shook her son's shoulders to get the blood going in his system.

His mother Reina Amaya who's age seemed to fluctuate whomever looked at her, due to her Japanese looks along with her black hair that was tied in a bun safely secured under her cap. Her age was 41 years old as of today, August 8th she wanted to climb this mountain with her family to celebrate her birthday. Of course her family had been climbing this mountain for approximately three days now and just made it near the peak of the summit.

"I'm ok mom thanks, now let's finish climbing this mountain and then go home!" Kai shouted through chattering cold teeth, that being the only thing he was going to say as his father nodded giving his son a gloved thumbs up and smiled. Kai's father drew out his pickaxe and delve it into the crevice of the frost covered rock; testing it for any faults or cracks which it did have, but they were very small cracks and would not hinder them.

As his father made his way up the mountain slowly, Reina followed along behind her husband making sure it was safe too for her son. Kai sighed to himself his teeth still chattering from the cold, but were more manageable shakes now and climbed along behind his parents.

'Maybe after this mother and father will finally retire and call it quits? after all they are getting old and do not need to be risking their lives anymore to do this. Besides, no matter how much money we get... to come back home covered in frostbite and blisters with dangerously bad fevers is not worth it.' Kai thought with a grimace in his head while ascending the mountain.

Several hours later the Amaya family finally began to see the summit, Kai's father reached out to grab the ledge needed to ascend one of the most horrendous mountains in history, and smiled victoriously pulling up the ledge with relative ease. His father did tend to work out a lot and it was needed to surpass over greater heights especially this mountain.

"Yes I've done it! I have finally reached heights that man can only dream about take that world!" Kai's father shouted to the cold frost covered sky reveling in this beautiful achievement. Reina climbed over the ledge to look out and embrace the descending sun, it brought tears to her eyes which soon froze over. This mountain was exceptionally cold as Reina wiped away the tear breathless at accomplishing one of her lifelong goals.

"So beautiful, our family has finally climbed Mt. Fitz Roy this is a wonderful birthday present..." Reina cried happily embracing her husband in a tight hug warming herself up from the cold and just glad they all survived the treacherous journey. This was the second most best achievement in her life, the first being able to give birth to her son Kai.

"I'm glad too, now let's go home mom and dad before we are turned into popsicles," Kai joked with a small chuckle when he climbed too, over the ledge exhausted from the journey up now he understood why no one climbed this mountain. The extreme drop in temperature was more than enough to kill a person, along with the slippery slope and cracked ice every step they took up here. His parents immediately embraced him into a hug warming him up, it brought one of rare smiles to him treasuring the time he had with his family.

But, this smile was short lived as things took a terrifying turn for the worst when the mountain started to shake slightly could it be an earthquake? Kai looked to his parents in worry at this strange shaking, as his father only smiled bringing out a digital camera documenting this historic event. Paying no attention to the small quake and turned on the camera zooming it on his face.

"Hello world! this is the dawn of a new era we the Amaya's have bested this mountain. Say hello to the world Reina and Kai come on this is history," he cheered while Reina rolled her eyes simply waving into the camera. Kai waved into the camera for a split second before shaking his head rapidly something felt off about that tremor.

"Come on dad enough. Let's leave this mountain, yes we bested it, but we're not going to lose our lives over it!" Kai shouted annoyed that his father paid him no mind and continued his rant into the digital camera. Promptly punching his father in the shoulder lightly, did his father look at him and begrudgingly agreed with his son. So packing up the camera and other belongings the Amaya's looked down the mountain while shaking from the cold.

"We could always just climb down later... no need to rush that quake was only a small one," Kai's father tried to weasel out of leaving the mountain yet, after all it was not many times that one could conquer the unconquerable. Kai gave his father a mute look about to protest when the mountain started shaking again, this time shaking their whole bodies, and with that tremor all were in agreement.

Ascending a mountain is difficult and risky going down a mountain is much worse. The Amaya's knew this and continued to descend down the mountain with Kai in the lead his parents making sure that he was descending at a very good pace. even though, Kai had been climbing mountains with his family for six years they tended to treat him still like a child.

'Come on just a little further and this frozen nightmare will be over...' Kai chanted this in his head, he wasn't exactly feeling good when he got up this morning. His whole body felt on fire, but did not tell his parents not wanting to risk another day for them to be up here. So with great endurance Kai continued the trek down the mountain unaware of the impending danger he was in.

"Kai stop! stop son!" Reina shouted over the steadily dropping temperature and blizzard it was so cold she could swear her ribs were playing football, in which who could crush the organs the fastest. Kai barely could hear his mother over the cold that and his snow cap was doing its job of insulating the cold and sound. All of a sudden his vision started going blurry a voice ringing in his head like church bells.

"P-Please save me... help me... just make the pain stop." the voice resounded in his head Kai gripped his head in utter pain the mountain shaking like it would break apart. Kai's parents rushed over to him at seeing their child in pain, and scooped him into their arms holding him caringly as Kai fell unconscious.

"He's burning up badly Reina... Kai has a fever," Kai's father spoke after checking his son's temperature he was a scientist after all that knew about the body physiology. Reina choked back fear for her son, that would have explain why he had a tough time keeping up with them on the mountain, but why did he not tell them of his condition? containing herself from panicking, she nodded to her husband who surveyed the area remembering that when they first came up there was a cave not to far away.

Thankfully he had an eidetic memory. He grabbed a hold of his son and hoisted him on to his shoulder with a groan of pain, Kai wasn't exactly light the man did weigh about 185 pounds. He pointed in the direction of where the cave was and made the lengthy trek towards it with his wife. Once, they reached the cave shortly after thirty minutes of relentless trudging through snow, Kai's father propped his son near the back of the wall while his wife brought out from her backpack materials to make a fire.

Meanwhile, Kai was going through a very weird unexplained phenomena as he saw himself hovering over what appeared to be a woman strapped down to a table screaming out in pain. The screaming due to the many doctors trying to sedate the woman and calm her down, but she was not listening. Strangely enough parts of the floor started to rise rocks and concrete flying around the room, slamming into the walls of the room.

"Please save me! help me! make the pain stop!" the woman screamed her heart out whose auburn hair covered her face, as Kai saw her eyes glow an unnatural brown from the veil of her hair. The woman continued to scream louder and louder even the building shaking too, before long the woman calmed down finally sedated by the medicine, the last look on her face was utter despair tears sliding down her cheeks which made Kai's inside shiver and freeze more than the mountain did.

"P-Please save me... help me... I am so scared..." The woman murmured this being the last thing she spoke. Kai felt enraged by the woman's sadness angry over his own inability to help this woman whoever she was, his anger was cut short by a man walking into the now destroyed room. The doctors that were still alive and that was a very few gazed at the man who came in, the man looked like to Kai a madman whose smirk could kill newborn puppies.

"It seems this little bird is not ready to leave the nest. But soon it will not matter the gods have decided upon us and it is my duty to see the ultimate game realized! I will usher in a new era of the gods!" The madman cackled madly his glasses threatening to fall off his face. The remaining doctors could only look on an astonishment at the man, the head doctor who was still alive shook his head truly afraid for the world.

"Minaka... you are a deranged bastard..." the head doctor grumbled leaving the destroyed room to wash his hands of yet another mess created by the Sekirei whose powers were considered a hazard, hell all of these Sekirei were a ticking time bomb for the world, and this doctor had his fill going to resign in the morning.