I would like to thank you for the support you've given me on this endeavour. From encouragement to critique, I've taken it all into consideration. I hope you will continue reading.
I neither own Hokuto no Ken nor do I own Sekirei, as they belong to their respective owners.
Enjoy.
Chapter 2 - Blue Eyes
The light of a new dawn crept up over the horizon, making the clouds in the sky blush with color. Everything from the buildings to the concrete roads were bathed in a dulcet glow. The morning air held a crisp coolness from the previous night, the day's heat having left the ground for greener pastures.
Within the musty shade of an old warehouse, Kenshiro stirred from his deep slumber. His mind awoke into darkness. Experience had taught him to refrain from giving away his position in an unknown environment, no matter the circumstances. Reaching out with his aura, Kenshiro could sense someone just outside of the warehouse walls. There didn't appear to be anyone else with them. Unbeknownst to him, this individual had been keeping an eye on him for the better part of the night once he had arrived.
Puddles of sunlight obscured his vision when he finally opened his eyes. The light came down at an angle from the massive hole in the roof. His muscles groaned in protest when he got to his feet, the awkward position that his body was in having cut off circulation in certain areas. He would need to move around for a bit before he could feel limber again.
After his first step, Kenshiro realized something very amiss; he appeared to be without any article of clothing. The man of Hokuto's brow furrowed in confusion. A memory from the day before came back to him; only his body would be able to be brought over, clothes were not a part of him and therefore would not be capable of transportation by the God-King's power.
His eyes were finally adjusted to the morning light. The building was a wreck; his arrival couldn't have done this much damage, could it?
Walking out in the open with nothing to shield him from the elements would be fool-hardy, he would need to search this place for cloth of some sort, or even discarded clothing. A careful appraisal of his immediate vicinity led him to discover a tattered piece of tarp that must have once been used to cover boxes or materials. It would have to do for now; his appearance did not matter to him.
Kenshiro whipped the tarp around himself, simulating the tell-tale sandy cloak that would often grant him private solace during his journeys through the desolate wastelands which were once his home. The tarp slid off of his head and rested upon his broad shoulders. As far as he could tell, his face would not give away his presence to any bandits; there shouldn't be anyone here who could know who or what he is.
The dull patter of his bare feet upon the concrete flooring echoed around him as he made his way outside. The surroundings that greeted him widened his eyes; it was as though he had gone back in time.
The sky was a beautiful blue, everything looked clean and pristine. What greenery he could see around him wasn't struggling to bring life into the world. Kenshiro closed his eyes for a few seconds, afraid that he was simply imagining things. When he re-opened them, he was still here.
"Lynn, Bart... if you could see this... just once." His voice was a hoarse whisper, even his soft tone carried the harshness of his experiences.
With one last look at the place that he had come from, the cold concrete womb of a new world, Kenshiro began to make his way out of the deserted street.
After walking for some time, Kenshiro realized that the area he had been brought into must be some sort of slum or lower class living sector; from a quick glance at the main street that he was walking along, he could spot many brigands and thieves. It did not matter whether or not they were well-dressed; their eyes told him everything he needed about them. Sometimes, that's enough.
It took a moment before Kenshiro noticed the people milling about in their daily lives. Many were civilians taking care of daily chores outside, or going to and from stores. Some appeared to be students of some sort, most likely heading towards their respective schools.
His ears caught soft gasps here and there, as well as surprised faces or flushed cheeks. It was a bit of a strange occurrence for him, to say the least.
'What could be making them act in such a manner?' he asked himself in thought, looking down at himself. He was still fairly wrapped in the tarp, though his scarred chest showed a little more. Perhaps it was that he was covered in a strange material? Or perhaps his scars?
Kenshiro finally noticed when he walked past a gaggle of school girls who had stopped to look at clothing in a window. When he stopped before them so that they could let him past, the girls collectively gasped. He could only look at them with quiet confusion.
The tallest girl, possibly 5'8", did not even stand up to his lower chest. The awkward silence was not bothering him, but the impediment to his path was.
"What is wrong?" he asked, looking down at them with an expectant look. The sound of his voice made them collectively jump, as though someone had dropped a book in front of a sleeping student.
"N-nothing sir! I was just day-dreaming... hehe." The girl who had spoken, the tallest one, gave a slight bow before moving her friends aside so that he could pass.
With a slight bow in return, Kenshiro kept moving, the sound of his bare feet on the concrete lost in the noise of the city. He did catch a whisper from one of the girls as he passed them.
"Those blue eyes..."
She had been looking at him for a few hours that night, gazing at his form sleeping in a pile of rocks and glass. Ever since she had seen the light come down into this area - so close to where she had stopped for a rest, - Toyotama, Sekirei number sixteen, could not curb her curiosity any longer.
Although she was expecting some sort of satellite or some anti-MBI aircraft that had been shot down by one of their satellites or the like, she most definitely was not expecting a completely nude man to have fallen from the sky. He must be quite durable to have survived a fall like that.
'He's definitely not a Sekirei, I know that for a fact.'
She had watched him for the entirety of the night that she had found him. She couldn't explain it, but there was a warmth within her after she had discovered him. It wasn't like the heat within her heart when a Sekirei finds her Ashikabi; it was more profound. Pure.
Somehow, whatever feeling that hadn't been there was returned. Had she not been given this warm feeling, Toyotama would've never realized she had been missing something in the first place.
Staff at her side, poised upon a nearby roof top, Toyotama looked on as the man finally awoke. Now a different kind of heat came to her face. It wasn't often she would get the chance to see such a specimen in the buff like this.
She looked at him curiously as he wrapped himself in an old cargo tarp. His footsteps were the only thing she could hear over her heart beats in this empty area.
'It couldn't hurt to keep an eye on him for now, would it?' The thought brought a small smile to her lips.
Although he did not seem to know where his destination lay, and despite the fact that he had no shoes, this man was making steady progress through the streets. His long legs were most likely the cause of that, and by the size of his frame and muscles, stamina most likely was not a factor.
Toyotama let a small smile of interest touch her lips when she realized that he was oblivious to all the stares he was receiving. Passing through a crowd, he was nearly a head and chest higher than most of the people on that street. It made him look like a giant.
She had to move onto the fire escape of a nearby building in order to get a better look at him when he moved beside the adjacent building across the street. A group of teenagers were inadvertently blocking his path. She was just barely able to hear them when she moved close from her position.
The sound of his voice gave her pause for but a moment. There was a depth to that voice that she could not understand. Toyotama was glad that she could now place a voice to the body; the deep voice most definitely matched his completely relaxed demeanor.
The Staff Sekirei blinked for a moment; she had been lost in thought, and now had lost her prey. Quickly glancing around in case she had simply misplaced his position, she took to the roof tops in order to relocate him. He wasn't walking quickly, and did not have shoes on; it ought to be fairly easy for her to find him again.
When Toyotama had finally caught up to him, she found him in a bit of a predicament.
He was in a side alley, surrounded by a dozen men. Yakuza, or some such organization from this area. She couldn't hear what they were saying from her distance, but she felt the need to intervene; human or not, this was a perfect excuse for her to flex her muscles for once.
He found himself in a bit of a predicament.
Awake for nary an hour, and trouble has already presented itself to him. Although, perhaps they merely pass through this part of the city in the hopes of catching a would-be victim unawares. It would do them no amount of good to accost him, seeing as he has nothing to his name.
Kenshiro flexed his fingers from under his cloak. The chances of him walking away without a confrontation were infinitesimal; men like these weren't known for their leniency, whether you were poor or not.
A second glance at them helped him notice that one of the men was roughly of his stature. Good, maybe this chance meeting could be turned to his favor after all.
One of the men, shorter than the rest and with his black dress coat draped over his shoulders, put his right foot atop an old milk crate, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee. A sneer slithered on his face. If ever there was a man who resembled a snake, this one could definitely contend for first place.
"Well well..." jeered the gangster, looking up at Kenshiro with his conniving stare, "looks like we've found our little vandal, am I right brothers?" The other men chuckled and grinned, some cracking their knuckles, other fingering their weapons; chains, knives, baseball bats, the sort of thing these thugs normally carried with them. The smaller man waited for his comrades to quiet down before continuing.
"Some of my sources found you leaving the scene of a vandalized warehouse." He pulled out a cigarette, holding it to the side without taking his eyes off of the man before him. On cue, one of the men behind him quickly knelt to the side and lit his smoke.
"Now, I'm not sure if you knew this," he took a drag of his cigarette, "but that warehouse you came from, that's property of the Kuroryu family." The man tapped the end of his cigarette on the toe of his shoe. "I'm afraid that we'll have to ask you to pay us for the damages you've caused to our property," he said with that tell-tale sneer of his, "or things will get... complicated for you."
Kenshiro hadn't taken his eyes off of him for a moment, but tracked every little twitch, every shuffle of feet, every tensing of their muscles.
"Why would a group of bandits want with an old, abandoned warehouse?" The man of Hokuto's gaze was penetrating, the heat of his quiet glare making the small man feel even smaller, if that was at all possible.
"That's not really your-" The man began to say.
"I'm giving you this one chance to walk away," Kenshiro commanded, pulling his muscular arms out of his tattered cloak and cracking his knuckles, "if you don't get out of my way, I will make sure that none of you leave this street alive."
The tone of finality in his voice when he proclaimed his intentions made the men behind the Yakuza lieutenant take a collective step back, their faces ashen. Kenshiro's eyes showed a quality that most would only ever find in a deadly predator. Who is to say that there isn't one before them now?
The lieutenant threw his cigarette to the ground in anger, pulling out a knife. His face was screwed up in a look of rage and indignation.
"What did you just say to me? Huh?!" He tilted his head to the side, in that recognizable way that Yakuza and their ilk would do in order to intimidate their victims. How they honestly believed such a strange posture could possibly be perceived as threatening was beyond him.
"C'mon men, let's teach him not to mess with the Kuroryu!"
Normally at this point, Kenshiro would have taken his natural stance for dealing with riff-raff such as this, but he knew he did not have to. Even as they began to surround him, the man of Hokuto knew that he was safe from well-dressed bandits such as these.
He had known that she was following him since the moment he had taken his first steps outside. He had slowed his pace in order for her to find him again when she had moved in the wrong direction after his run in with the school girls. And now he would force her hand.
Kenshiro would know within the next few moments whether the person following him was a potential ally or merely a pawn of another fool wanting his head.
'Why isn't he defending himself?'
This thought immediately came to Toyotama's mind when she saw the Yakuza surround him. He hadn't moved after having threatened them. What was he waiting for? If nothing was going to get done, he was going to get killed.
The man had no weapons with which to defend himself against theirs. Time felt as though it was going by too fast, she would have to act.
"Damn it."
The Staff Sekirei launched herself off of the building, soaring through the air and landing silently behind three of the men who were still standing behind their lieutenant. Her staff leveled horizontally before her, Toyotama pivoted on her right foot while crouched, sending the tip of her staff crashing into the knees of the first man on the right, forcing him to crash on his side into the concrete. Twirling her weapon in her hands, she swung it in an arc aimed at the second assailant's head, the tip of the staff whistling in the air as it collided with the man's temple, rendering him into nothing more than a puppet with its strings cut.
Both the third man as well as the lieutenant spun around when two of their brothers crashed to the ground. They turned to meet face to face with a voluptuous looking woman wielding a staff, her long green hair coming down over her shoulder after having taking out two of their men. Her outfit was a little provocative; a very tight blue and white top that revealed her ample chest, as well as black gloves and black stockings. All of those were minor details that registered in the backs of their minds when the main factor of her unnatural strength came into question. That they now had to deal with two people was one thing, but for two of their men to already be incapacitated was quite another.
The remaining lackey raised his baseball bat to take a swing at the woman, only to have the wind knocked out of him when she slipped past him, running the side of her weapon hard into his gut. Without pausing, Toyotama quickly spun counter-clockwise, twirling her staff above her head before sending it down in a wide arc, crashing into the lieutenant's hand. With a yelp of pain, he released his grip on his knife, the blade clattering on the concrete before getting kicked away somewhere during the scuffle.
Quickly readying herself in a defensive crouch, Toyotama launched herself forward, thrusting her staff low. The tip of the weapon smashed into a knee, sending one man flying into the assailant next to him, the duo sprawled onto the floor in a matter of seconds. Two other men lunged at her, catching only air when she jumped over their heads. They soon kissed the ground rather unceremoniously.
The man she had come to protect was moving out of his opponents' reach, taking measured steps back as they swung their chains and knives awkwardly, always catching air.
Toyotama's staff flew into their midst, catching one of them square in the jaw as he made for a lunging attack. Before the weapon had time to touch the ground, Kenshiro had already kicked it back in the direction of its owner. The sound of whirling metal filled their ears the more ground she gained on them, the staff ends battering the remaining three until their were beaten and broken in a heap on the ground.
Neither Kenshiro nor Toyotama were breathing heavily after the ordeal. The Sekirei turned to speak to the man she had been following, but took a step back when she saw him close the distance between them almost instantly.
The crunch of gravel brought her attention to someone behind her; the short lieutenant. He was holding a second knife in his left hand, poised in mid throw. She had her back turned, and wasn't sure if she could get completely out of the way in time.
Time stood still as Toyotama watched the man loose the knife, sending it shooting towards her. The heavy weight in her stomach lessened when a shape moved before her. The man was standing between her and the blade, ready to take the knife for her.
His hand reached up casually at the exact moment when the blade passed between his fingers, its momentum completely stopped in its tracks when he closed his middle and third finger onto the blade.
"Ahh-" was the only sound that the Yakuza made, before Kenshiro - with a back-handed flick of his wrist, - sent the blade flying straight towards him, pegging him square in the eye.
The lieutenants broken scream was warranted, considering the amount of pain he was in. His hands scratched at the blade embedded into his eye, all the way to the hilt. Such was the amount of strength put into the return.
The cloaked man stared at the man scrambling to extricate the blade from his face with quiet indifference, before muttering the words "Hokuto Nishi Shinku Ha."
Toyotama could only stare at the man incredulously. How did he so easily catch the blade, let alone throw it back with such accuracy and in such a short amount of time? Her memory of all the Sekirei she could remember was flying through her mind during that moment, attempting to bring up any moment where a Sekirei showed a similar amount of reaction time as well as hand-eye coordination. She couldn't think of any.
'I'm positive he isn't a Sekirei, so what is he?'
What few men who managed to regain consciousness staggered to their feet, fleeing the alley with their wounded leader over their shoulders. Those who remained would not likely wake for another hour. Luckily, the girl had struck the tall one in the temple, immobilizing him.
Without pause to confront the woman before him, Kenshiro crouched beside the unconscious thug, loosening his pants and shoes. After a bit of work, he had pants, socks and shoes. It would have to do for now.
Toyotama watched him closely as he went about his business. Her face did not betray her thoughts, nor did she show much emotion unless she wanted someone to see them. Her memory of the knife flying back into the man's face made her smirk slightly, a small smile that would otherwise go unnoticed.
'I like this man.' Her eyes took him all in, now that he had removed the tarp cloak from his now-decent figure. He was taller than she was, quite muscular, but with no trace of fat on his body from what she could discern. His legs were lean, and his muscle pattern was almost chiseled. Staring at him for so long heated her chest.
Sudden realization crept into her mind.
She started to walk towards Kenshiro, her pace steady, but faltered a bit when he turned to face her. Seven cruel scars marred his chest, where large holes were pierced into his flesh. The sight of them surprised her; there was most definitely more to this man than she had at first thought.
Her gaze went up to look at his face. It was a grim face to be certain, but with a hint of interest; most likely due to her sudden appearance. It was his blue eyes that had arrested her.
Those blue eyes. They appeared to her as though they glowed, even though he had his back to the morning sun. There was something behind them that tugged at her heart, but for the life of her she could not put her finger on it.
Giving herself a mental shake, Toyotama walked up to Kenshiro, staring up at his face with her cold eyes. The only thing that betrayed what her eyes showed was the small smile that had crept onto her face. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips.
Without another moment to spare, Toyotama put her arms around his neck and pulled herself up so that she could press her lips upon his. She looked genuinely surprised when her lips had touched the rough skin of his hand.
Letting her hands slip from his neck to rest on his chest, she appeared perplexed. Her surprise melted into humor, a wry smile growing on her face.
"What's wrong? Never had a beautiful woman try to kiss you before?" She hoped to get a rise out of him, a fluster. Something. He kept looking at her with those sad eyes for a few seconds longer, before turning towards the end of the street. Toyotama frowned. 'This one is strange, I'll give him that.'
Her hand gently touched his forearm, pulling him to a stop. She moved to the side so that she could get a good look at him.
"We're linked, you and I." Her voice had a serious tone to it. "You shouldn't stop a Sekirei from choosing her Ashikabi." His eyes widened when she mentioned the word 'Sekirei'. He turned fully towards her, looking at her more closely.
"Are you truly one of the Sekirei?" He seemed almost incredulous, as though he believed she was some sort of mythical creature. Toyotama chuckled.
"I am, else I wouldn't have been able to all that." Her hand flicked towards the unconscious bodies as though they were a mere after-thought. She licked her lips once more, moving close enough so that she could press herself against him.
"Now are you going stop me again? Or will I have to pin you down and take you myself?"
"If it will help me protect you, then I have no other choice." His voice was grit and manliness, what you'd expect someone like him to sound like in a movie. She gave him a seductive smile before pulling herself back up to his face, lips pressing against hers. Her wings ignited from her back, a bright aquamarine glow emitting from them before fading away.
She held on for a while longer, gently prodding at his lips with her tongue before slipping back down onto her feet.
"Sekirei number sixteen, Toyotama is yours now and forever, Ashikabi-sama." Flush from being winged, Toyotama gave him a mocking look.
"Was it your first time kissing a girl? Can't say I was very impressed." She whispered in jest. The look in his eyes gave her an absolute chill down her spine.
"Sorry. That was-" She began to say. His hand gently touched her lips to quiet her. The man shook his head, removing his hand from her lips.
"Love is something I was forced to forsake a long time ago. I have made peace with that fact."
The grave tone with which he answered her made her heart sink. 'Why would he say something like that?' A flash of genuine worry crossed her face, but she set it aside.
"Things are different now, my Ashikabi." She gave him a somewhat seductive smile as her arm snaked around his. She could lose herself in those blue eyes of his.
Blue eyes.
They reminded her of the Big Dipper.
