Gotta give props to F3mi for catching that bit about Kurama's lightning bolt splitting apart in different directions. It's true, Kurama is less than half himself at the moment, which won't last, btw, but let's just say that he's going to cause major destruction later.
2: Maison Izumo
"So, let me get this straight," Sasuke said, holding up his hand to the pair in front of him, directing his gaze at Yashima, "This guy, Minaka Hiroto, found your race that descended from another planet in search of these Ashikabi," Sasuke said, getting a nod out of the girl clinging to the blond's side, "And now he's forcing you all to fight in some sort of game he calls the Sekirei Plan?"
"That is right, Sasuke-san," Yashima smiled as she leaned into Naruto's side. Naruto, for his part, was more embarrassed than Sasuke could remember...except that one time in the classroom when Sakura had bumped into him and...ugh, he didn't want to remember that!
"And, apparently, Naruto is your Ashikabi?"
"That's right," she said, smiling still, "And he's so brave! He took on that thug even though he was clearly injured!"
Sasuke nodded, seeing that it was something Naruto would do. "And this game...how does it end?"
Yashima looked down, worried, "The last Asikabi and one Sekirei belonging to the Ashikabi shall ascend the the High Skies Above."
"You mean Heaven?" Naruto asked, shaking his head, "No thanks, I've died enough for one lifetime, thanks."
"We won't die, Ashikabi-sama," Yashima said, clutching onto him tighter, "I will fight for you until the end if I have to!"
"I've done enough of that, too," Naruto sighed, slumping, and looked up at Sasuke, "So, where does that leave you and me? We gonna keep fighting, or are we done?"
Sasuke shrugged, "At this point, I think it's pointless to keep fighting. We don't even know anything or anyone in this place, hell, we can't even use our chakra right now, so what good would it do us?"
Naruto grinned, "Friends again?"
"Truce," Sasuke corrected him, "It took three of us to get here, and it might take three of us to get back...speaking of which, where the hell is that overgrown furball?"
Naruto shrugged, "No idea. When I landed, I was alone, until Yashima-chan found me - "
"Heehee," Yashima giggled.
"Then you came along and finished off that jackass over there," Naruto motioned to the corpse a few feet away.
Sasuke rolled his eyes slightly, "Don't tell me that you're still being a baby about killing?"
Naruto shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, Teme, I probably woulda killed him myself." He said, casting a small glance at the girl at his side, "Besides, he was being rude the Yashima-chan." To this, Yashima cooed and leaned into him once more. Sasuke had an urge to vomit.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Yashima, tiny as she was, let out a rumble from her stomach that rivaled even the Kyuubi's roar...or Naruto when he went a day without ramen...it was close in comparison.
Yashima blushed heavily, clutching at her stomach, "S-sorry...I guess I'm a little hungry?"
A little? Naruto and Sasuke thought.
"Well," Sasuke sighed, "I did manage to swipe a bit of cash from some idiots that attacked me earlier because of the way I was dressed," he reached into his robes and pulled out a wad of paper bills, "This is money, right?"
Yashima looked at the bills, "Yes, that appears to be around fifty thousand yen."
Naruto whistled appreciatively, "Not bad for a bunch'a thugs," he said, then looked back at Junichi, "What about that guy?"
"Haven't checked him, yet," Sasuke said, and rose, striding toward the corpse. Yashima looked a little green as he kicked the corpse onto its back, and started rifling through the pockets. "Hn, seems like our dearly departed friend was quite a big spender." Sasuke raised up, holding a stack of money in one hand and small folder in another, "If I had my guess, then I'd wager this guy just got paid for running drugs if it's anything like back home."
*Gurgle* Naruto grinned sheepishly as his own stomach put in its two yen saying. "Well, we might as well put it to good use, eh?"
Sasuke pocketed the money, "Is food really all you ever think about?" *Gurgle* Sasuke started. "Uh...that wasn't me..." Naruto and Yashima both grinned at him, the latter hiding it behind her hands. "Seriously! It wasn't!" Sasuke snapped. Sure he was hungry, but that hadn't been him!
Sasuke started looking around the area for a moment, soon followed by Naruto with Yashima tailing after him.
Sasuke was beginning to feel that chill again. What is that? What's calling me? He wondered as he moved ahead of the others. "Who's out there?" He came out into another area of the park... and there she was.
"Akitsu-neesan?" Yashima said from behind him, "What is she doing here?"
"You know her?" Sasuke asked over his shoulder.
Yashima, a little afraid of her Ashikabi's friend, hid behind him and nodded, "She's a scrapped Sekirei. Her adjuster treated her badly, and tried to force himself on her, and prematurely activated her crest. She can't be winged like the rest of us."
For some reason, this angered the Uchiha, "Is she strong?"
"Very," Yashima nodded, "She's Sekirei number seven. All single digits are stronger that double or triple digits."
Sasuke hummed in thought. So she was strong? That certainly appealed to him. But if she couldn't be winged...He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "You two go on ahead. I'll find you later," he tossed them the folder containing Junichi's money. "Yashima, make sure not to spend all of that. There's no telling when we might need it. And Naruto, don't go on a ramen binge."
"Aw, come on~!" Naruto whined, "I haven't had any in months!"
"Suck it up," was Sasuke's reply as he strode toward the girl, "Now scram."
Naruto grumbled and turned around, mumbling, "Grumpy, duck-haired, Teme."
"I heard that."
Yashima giggled, despite her fear of the man, and followed after her Ashikabi, failing to notice the two gleaming red eyes following them.
Sasuke, meanwhile, made his way over to the girl, blushing ever so slightly. Akitsu, for all that she was said to be strong, was covered in blood, and wore nothing more than a stolen lab coat. She looked up at him as he approached.
"Sorry," the boy said, "But do you mind if I sit beside you?"
Akitsu shook her head. "Ah...I don't mind."
Sasuke took a minute to look her over, seeing that she was virtually uninjured, save for a few scrapes and bruises here and there. Other than that...she just needed a few clothes...
"Why are you out here by yourself?" Sasuke asked as he took a seat, "Isn't there anyone willing to help you?"
"No," she said somewhat angrily, "I am...broken...useless...I cannot be winged."
Leaning back, Sasuke took in the night sky for a moment. "Would you like to know what I hate about large towns like this?" He asked, barely waiting for an answer before he continued, "You can't see the stars." He said, making the girl look at him strangely, "Of the few things I've come to love in the world, looking at the stars was one of them."
Akitsu looked up, seeing nothing for the bright city lights. "Ah...I cannot see them."
Sasuke shrugged, "Humans have an inborn fear of the dark, stars or no stars." He said, "When it all began, humans had fire to chase the night away. Now we have all these artificial lights around. Because of that, we can't see the stars." He sighed and leaned down, casting her a small gaze, "Fear is also the reason humans build cities. We're afraid of being alone." He smiled at her, which caused a small blush to rise to her cheeks, "Are you afraid of being alone?"
=x=
Takami sat in front of the containment cell where their newest guest was staying. The fox refused any and all food it was given, nor would it take water. Yet, they had already lost five handlers to the creature. It would seem that the fox had a taste for human flesh.
"So," Takami said, not really talking to the fox, "Just what the hell are you, anyway?"
The fox lifted its head from its paws, surprisingly hand-like, and growled at her, sending chills running through her. Then, without warning, it opened its mouth and blasted the glass with flames. Takami was so surprised that she fell back out of her chair, forgetting that the glass would protect her.
The fox seemed to take a bit of enjoyment out of her fear, and grinned at her before laying back down to nap. Takami growled as she got back to her feet, "I hope that moron knows what he's doing, keeping a thing like this."
"Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing, Sahashi-chan," Minaka said for himself happily, "And if I'm such a moron, then how is it that you're working for me?"
Takami nearly shrieked when the man appeared behind her, "Dammit, how many times have I told you to stop doing that!?" But Minaka ignored her in favor of the beast behind the glass, which was leering at him with one large eye open.
"It's frustrating, isn't it?" He asked of the beast, "Not being able to just smash yourself free, as you likely would have, if I didn't have these placed all around," He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like an ordinary piece of paper, save for the intricate design on its face. Kurama's eyes shot open. "Yes, I see you recognize this. It's amazing how a monster such as yourself can be contained by something as simple as a sealing tag such as this." Minaka smiled gleefully, "I'm afraid that you won't be going anywhere until I've had my ways with that awesome power of your's."
Kurama rose from the floor and stalked toward the window, startling Takami into retreating a fair distance away. By the time he reached the glass, Kurama was staring the deranged man in the eyes, "You wish to harness my power, do you?" Minaka was slightly shocked, but less so than the woman behind him, by the fox's words, "You are a fool to think that you can use me. I am far above you, in many more ways than you can count. I have seen the beginning of life, and the end of all things. What can a wet-behind-the-ears wretch like you do?!"
Minaka, overcoming his surprise, smiled at the leering fox. "You don't seem to understand just how brilliant we humans can be. You see, I am in the middle of ushering in the new age of the gods, my dear Kitsune, and, with your power, I believe I can up the power of a select few individuals, or even place you in the game itself," Minaka's smile widened as the fox snarled at him, "You see, since you've been here, we've been syphoning off what power you have left, and transferring it to a certain items in our possession." Kurama's glare could have melted steel had it not been for the spelle tags in place, "As for you, my friend, once we've weakened you enough...let us say that you will be more...fun-sized."
Kurama slammed his fist against the glass, rocking the entire building, "You had better hope that you destroy me, Human, because when I get out of here, you will know the pain of a thousand years in hell!"
Minaka simply kept the smile on his face, "I look forward to it, actually, future Sekirei #X-01."
=x=
"Ashikabi-sama certainly likes ramen," Yashima smiled as Naruto grabbed multiple bowls of instant ramen, "Shouldn't we get something else for Sasuke-san?"
Naruto looked at her with his arms full of ramen, "Like what?" Yashima giggled, "What's so funny?"
She pointed at his load, "Do you realize you could feed twenty people with that armful?" Naruto looked at his choices, shrugging.
"This'll probably last me all night," he said, much to the girl's confusion. "But was there something you wanted, Yashima-chan?"
"Well," she looked around, and spotted something at the counter, "Oh, there's some half priced bentous over there!" She grabbed his hand, forcing him to drop his bounty, "They'll be much better than cup ramen!"
"No way," Naruto grinned, "Ramen is totally the food of the gods!"
Yashima giggled again and started filling her basket with as many boxes as she could manage, "Trust me, Ashikabi-sama, these you don't even have to cook since they're already prepared, and you'd have to wait about three minutes for the ramen to cook."
Minutes later, the pair walked out of the store, laden down with bags. Naruto had gotten at least a few cup ramen bowls, but had to admit he was just looking forward to eating something.
"Hey, Yashima-chan," the girl turned her attention to him, "I've been meaning to ask...what is an Ashikabi, anyway? I mean, you kissed me and then, well I felt this really warm feeling in my chest, like we were...I don't know how to describe it...like we were joining."
Yashima blushed happily. "An Ashikabi is the one we Sekirei are meant to be with," she explained, "We actively look for the one that makes us feel a warmth within ourselves, knowing that person is our destined one...but it doesn't always turn out the way we want it." She sighed, looking down as they walked, "A lot of other Sekirei are forcibly winged by Ashikabi that just want our powers. I'm sure that man Sasuke-san dispatched would have done exactly that. Once we are winged, we cannot disobey our Ashikabi, even if we wanted to. Our Ashikabi's word is final."
Naruto looked at the girl in question, "Woah, wait, so you're saying that if that guy had kissed you, you'd be with him? No matter how much you didn't want to be?"
"Yes," Yashima nodded shamefully. "I would have wanted to be eliminated as soon as possible."
Naruto didn't like the sound of that. "It didn't happen, so don't worry about it." He said in way of comfort, "You don't need to worry about that anymore, because I'll protect you now."
Yashima shook her head, "Now that I've got my wings, I can fight in the game, too." She said, pumping her fist, "I may not be strong, Ashikabi-sama, but I'll do my best to make you happy!"
"And I don't want to see you hurt because of some stupid game," Naruto said gently, "Look, I know we barely know each other, but...I really want to protect you, Yashima-chan!"
Yashima blushed, and smiled at him as she leaned against his shoulder, "My Ashikai-sama is so kind."
Naruto sighed, a slight tint to his cheeks, "Could you just call me Naruto? This Ashikabi-sama skit's a little...embarrassing."
"But a Sekirei has to show her respect for her Ashikabi!" Yashima said vehemently.
Naruto laughed, "Respect? What's that?!" He brayed, shaking with laughter, "I haven't had any respect since the day I was born! Ha!"
"Could you be any louder?" Sasuke's voice drifted to them. Naruto grinned and looked up into the trees, "Seriously, Dobe, the easiest thing to do when someone's looking for you is to just listen for that loud mouth of your's!"
Naruto just kept grinning as he saw that Sasuke now had a companion, "So, what happened to you two?"
Sasuke just jerked his thumb at Akitsu, "I don't know how to wing her, and she already tried a few minutes ago." Akitsu looked down in depression, "I'm afraid it's hopeless."
"Ah...I'm sorry." Akitsu sighed.
The Uchiha gave her a solemn look, "Don't blame yourself. Maybe I just wasn't the one to do it." He said, then dropped down from the branches, "Anyway, I didn't wanna leave her there, dressed like that," he said, indicating Akitsu's state of dress, or lack there of. "After that other guy, who know's what other pervs are on the loose?"
Naruto grinned, "That's not a bad idea, Teme," he said, and help up one of the bags, "Come on, we've got the food, so let's find a place to dig in. It might even help us unscramble our chakra systems?"
=x=
Meanwhile, high above the foursome...
"I'm sorry," Musubi said, "I was so excited, I didn't think about how we were going to fet down."
=x=
Naruto and the others had just finished eating when two distinct screams came from above them. Not a moment later, two people came falling out of the sky, crashing into a tree in a yard across from where they were sitting. "Okay, does anything normal ever happen in this place?"
Sasuke gave his friend a look, "Define normal for us, Dobe."
"Good point," Naruto said, "Think we should check on them?"
Sasuke shrugged and got to his feet followed rather closely by Akitsu while Naruto hopped off the wall he and Yashima were sitting on.
Naruto and Sasuke peeked over the wall around the yard and found a young man lying on the ground beneath a shapely young woman, "Are you okay, Musubi-chan?" He groaned.
"I'm fine," Musubi said, embarrassed, "Sorry, Minato-sama."
"Talk about a fall," Naruto commented, drawing their attention, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that girl in your lap's a Sekirei, right?"
"Ah," Akitsu said as she popped up beside Sasuke, "Sekirei #88, Musubi."
"Hi, Musubi," Yashima said, "You found your Ashikabi?" She asked, looking at the surprised Minato.
Just as she was about to answer, a woman with lavender hair stepped out of the house, followed by a tall white-haired male, "Goodness, what's all the noise about?"
"Seems we have guests," the man said.
=x=
"Hiroto-san, we have reports that Sekirei # 84 has been winged," one of the lab assistance said, "But we've yet to find any data on her Ashikabi."
"Really?" Minaka smiled in interest, "Do we know anything about him at all?"
"Only that he appears to be a man with blond hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and three whisker-like scars on the left and right sides of his face." The assistant said, "Also, it appears that the scrapped number is in the same area as he is at the moment. We don't know if she's allied herself with him or not."
Minaka smiled wider as he started typing, looking over the physical in front of him, "Interesting. We'll have to wait and see what that brings, won't we...oh, give that little snot a push in Akitsu's direction, would you? It'll make things slightly more fun for them, I think."
"Yes sir," she said, the looked at the data, "Sir, if you don't mind, what is that?"
Minaka smiled ever wider, "This, my dear, is an artificial Sekirei I'm working on...she will be my finest work when she's ready to enter the game!"
Well, that's chapter two, and you all see that Kurama's in deep ****, also, to answer a question
Naruto's Sekirei: Yashima - Kuruse - PENDING
Sasuke's Sekirei: Akitsu - PENDING - PENDING
Suggestions, opinions, I wanna hear it all!
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