Note: Sekirei belongs to Sakurako Gokurakuin and the only thing I own here is my OC.
"Please tell me you can return us back, Rei." Takami said calmly after lighting a cigarette and taking a long draw.
The three of us plus a good chunk of the training grounds were currently in the Spirit Realm, a thin blue bubble around us, cutting us off from the rest of the Spirit Realm. When I hit the circle with a Gate:Open, there was a brilliant flash and then the circle pulsed with a blue wave which rocketed out about fifty meters outwards and then closed back in, converging on origin. Upon hitting the origin, there was another flash and suddenly we found ourselves in the Spirit Realm. The whole process took about a second and all of my recently recovered strength. Overall, this new ability seemed to take more than one and a half of my current power reserve meaning it was useless in actual combat.
"Somehow…I am not impressed by the Other Side." Dietrich grumbled, standing near the edge of the haze, looking outwards on the grey world. "You MBI lot wouldn't happen to make an immortality pill yet, would you?"
"Nope, but after we get out of here, I am bumping it up in my priorities list," Takami took another long draw, looking at the blue flames of souls slowly drifting about. "Somewhere towards the top."
"Rei, can you get us out?" Elizabeth kneeled near me as I lay there, recovering.
"I'll…try." I said before reaching out and pulling myself up using Elizabeth.
"You might want to hurry up, the dome is thinning." Dietrich mentioned calmly. "Rapidly."
However, before I had a chance to so much as consult Archive, the dome vanished with a low sound that seemed to roll right through us.
"Umm…" Elizabeth looked around. "Not sure what this ability could possibly be used for."
"I am sure Rei will find a use for Gate:Swap." Takami took a final draw and tossed the cigarette butt on the ground. "At the very least, it's a very nice damage limiting mechanism."
"It kind of takes more energy to cast it then I have." I sighed.
The moment the dome collapsed, we were pulled right back into the Real World, instantly. It was as if we never left…except the time seemed to pass at same rate between the two worlds. Still, I have no idea how Gate:Swap could possibly be useful to me. Even if I do manage to use it, it will drain all of my energy leaving me helpless.
The last memorable thing that happened was the day before I was scheduled to leave. It was during that moment that I realized why the camp was so empty, aside from the soldiers and the research staff. I was on my way to the final exam with Dietrich when I saw Takami direct her research staff as they unloaded about a dozen girls, who looked to be in their late teens, in simple white coats from a bus onto the wheelchairs I saw back aboard the ship. Standing by Takami's side was another woman who was slightly taller with light brown hair, wearing an open robe of sorts that revealed much of her curvy body with a lab coat sitting on her shoulders. When she turned to face me I noticed she had a crimson Sekirei symbol on her forehead.
"Oh, what is this, leader woman?" I walked over and asked Takami.
"Hello, Rei." Takami spared me a glance before turning back to the tablet. "This is the newest Sekirei batch to wake up."
"Eh?" I stared in confusion at the girls. "So…tiny."
Takami laughed at my disappointed face and then went back to yelling-directing the researchers. The girls in turn stared at me with wonder, awe and a bit of fear. I couldn't blame them, really. When I came back to my house and took a look at myself in the mirror for the first time I was awed too, especially when Elizabeth decided to stand by my side with a slight grin. The comparison was truly devastating. It was as if she stood by a giant clad in red and gold armour with two swords at hips and a black, silk half-mask covering the mouth and cheeks. That being said, I think that was the first time I actually stopped and examined myself in a mirror. Before now, I somehow didn't either have the time or the interest to do so.
Unsurprisingly, I was unlike the majority of people on site, Takami included. What was surprising, however, was the degree of similarity between me and Elizabeth. We both had blue eyes, hers slightly brighter than mine though, and we both had pale skin, unlike the Asians – or so Elizabeth claimed. Apparently, humanity was split into several 'races' of sorts and we happened to be in the area where the 'Asian' race was dominant. The notion was quite stupid to me, why would humans fragment their own race like so? Regardless, Elizabeth and I had similar facial structure, eyes and skin. Unlike the copper hair the woman had, mine was light blue, the same color as the ghostly flames of souls. After getting my armour I cut my hair so that it would only extend to the edge of the armour rather than touch my butt like before. At least that was the plan, however – much to my dismay and Elizabeth's laughter – it turns out that my hair spikes, hard, unless long in which case it behaves.
Yes, well, it turns out that I am rather different from the rest of my kind as well. Or at least from the twelve who stared at me with open mouths, in awe. They all seemed much closer to the 'Asian' race, unlike me. Also, did I mention how tiny they were? Takami was taller than all of them and she herself didn't even come up to my shoulder. Perhaps it's me who's different from the rest…
"Don't worry, Rei." Takami waved aside my concerns. "You do look differently, compared to the majority of Sekirei but there's plenty of Sekirei with all sorts of phenotypes."
After consulting Archive and learning that that was just a fancy, 'scientific', word for look types, I sighed in relief and turned to the woman who stood calmly beside Takami. She surveyed me with calm eyes even as I stared at her. This was obviously an elder Sekirei but who?
"Ah, right." Takami turned to the side in order to face us both. "Akitsu, this is Rei, Rei – Akitsu."
"Number 51, Rei, nice to meet you." I offered the woman a hand. She stared at it and then slowly reached out and grabbed it, shaking it gently.
"Ah, I am former number 7, Akitsu." Her voice was as calm and gentle as her looks. "Nice to meet you."
I stared in surprise at Akitsu. To think that a single number stood beside me so casually, a being of such power…
"Why former?" I just had to ask, I didn't know there was a way to be a former Sekirei, how did this happen?
"Remember when I told you things go really bad if we don't know things about you?" Takami lit a cigarette and sighed. "This is one of these times."
"Lady Takami was kind enough to take me in after I became unable to be winged." Akitsu said with a calm tone, showing that she made peace with the fact.
"So…Takami is your Ashikabi?" I frowned, I didn't know Takami was an Ashikabi.
"No-"
"Yes." Takami interrupted her forcefully causing us both to look at her in surprise. "I may never give you wings, Akitsu but I'll be damned if I ever abandon you."
"L-lady T-takami…" Akitsu stuttered in shock, for the first time showing a facial change as her cheeks reddened slightly.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere, Rei?" Takami glanced at her watch even as she smiled at shocked Akitsu.
"Oh crap!" My eyes widened and I turned around. "Nice meeting your Akitsu!"
And then I sprinted off to Dietrich before I was too late. The man greeted me with an evil grin and said that he could finally cut loose and see if I was at least worthy of a warmup for him. The amount of times I sincerely thanked Archive for coming up with the idea of armour in the next fifteen minutes was probably in high double digits if not triple. In these fifteen minutes I finally realized just how much Dietrich was holding back when he taught me in the previous two weeks.
My strength was worthless, I couldn't land a single solid blow and the rest just slid down his blades. My speed amounted to nothing, he just knew where I was going to hit before I even began going through the motions. My stamina, armour and perception were the only things that prevented him from completely demolishing me. Every time I saw his swords approach me I had to move my swords to either block or parry his blades or at the very least dodge enough so that his blade only nicks my armour. At the same time I had to be simultaneously attacking with at least one sword of my own. Dietrich was very keen on making sure I knew that offence was the best defence and with my strength I could afford to do both at the same time.
The final thing that prevented this 'warm up' from finishing within the first several motions was my power. Dietrich was quite keen on breaking my swords every time we trained, making sure that I knew just how fragile my weapons were and ensuring that I knew not to recklessly put them into danger's way. To counter this, I – along with learning not to needlessly put my swords into harm's way – began passively using my power to accumulate some energy down the blade. Not only did this severely decrease the time needed to activate Gate:Open, it also strengthened the blades, making them far harder to damage – let alone shatter.
"Not a bad warmup, Rei." Dietrich smiled as he stood before me, his breath only lightly laboured. "You keep working on your stances and blade technique and perhaps eventually you'll stand on the same level of sword skill as the greatest of your kind."
"Like Karasuba?" I gasped out in surprise. Dietrich was of very high opinion about the Black Sekirei and even once mentioned that if he was to die by anyone's blade it would be hers.
"With enough time and effort, I do not see why not." He nodded. "I'd say a decade of continuous practise should get you high enough to not die within the first minute of a duel with her if she's serious."
I let my head drop in failure as Dietrich began to laugh at my plight.
"You are forgetting something Rei." Dietrich sat down beside me after sheathing his swords. "Unlike you, Karasuba's strength lies within her blade. In order to get to where she is now, she could be nothing but god tier with her nodachi."
"You on the other hand, are a Spirit Walker." He nodded sagely. "Your power lies not in the blades you wield but in Gates you open and close. If you were to fight Karasuba with nothing but your swords, you'll die. That's a certainty, regardless of how much skill you have with your blades."
"Thanks, Dietrich." I finally sat up after recovering my breath. "Your lessons are invaluable to me."
The grizzled man smiled and then began to show me the stances and blade motions for me to replicate and practise on my own in the future. He was quite keen on showing me as much as he could after every training session, taking advantage of knowing that Archive would integrate it into my mind. I even had to do several stances and blade motions I've never done till now before he was satisfied. He was even going to have me swear that I'd continue self-perfect my swordsmanship but I was rather indignant that he even had the idea that I'd stop in the first place.
I couldn't care less about this whole bullshit about ascending to the heavens with my Ashikabi and I just wanted to live. The trouble was, not only did the CEO of MBI, that crazed bastard Minaka Hiroto, had the power to force me to play this sick game, the rest of the Sekirei were not so fortunate to have Archive in their head. Or so Takami said anyway. This meant that they took Minaka's mindless drivel for truth. So, unless I wanted to live the rest of my life hiding in the Spirit Realm - a motion I shuddered at – I would be forced to participate in the Sekirei Plan. Considering I wanted to survive the experience which is designed to have a 99.9% mortality rate, I needed every skill, every advantage possible to be that final Sekirei.
Takami told me, with certainty in her voice, that the final Sekirei-Ashikabi pair will be able to get a wish – any wish. I wonder if I could alter reality with said wish… Go back in time to the point where Minaka and Takami just found the Space Ship and there was no MBI. Minaka may be a genius, but his madness far outweighs his genius. I am certain that Takami alone would be enough to create a new MBI, especially if the Pillar and I help her. A new MBI that serves the Sekirei and protects them not uses them to play sick games. That is my wish that I'd strive and kill for.
After finishing the training I staggered over to the Administration Center, Dietrich was quite insistent that he'd give me the most he could on the final day. I was only thankful for his determination as it was fitting quite nicely with my own. As I passed the guards at the inner doors who merely watched me warily, I sighed in relief to find Takami yelling at the scientists running around like headless chickens.
"Takami…got a minute?" I tapped her on the shoulder and ducked the tablet.
"Rei..." She paused before gesturing for me to follow. On the way she shook her head at Akitsu, telling her to continue her work who merely nodded in acceptance. We made it to her office where she dropped into a chair and gestured for me to do the same.
"Well?" She asked after I sat down while pulling out a cigarette.
"I…" I hesitated, this topic was overdue but it was only today that I finally realized just what I wanted to ask. "Why am I so…different? Why 51?"
"Hmm…" Takami took a deep pull on the cigarette. "You know, only about a tenth of all Sekirei ask this question."
She took another pull and fell silent for a minute while I waited, afraid to interrupt.
"When we found you…The ship had only 1 adult, 8 embryos and 99 fertilized eggs. Of course, we woke the adult up first, then, with her help, we took the first four embryos out of the stasis for a test run. The adult, with the first four came to be the First Disciplinary Squad."
As she took another draw, I stayed quieter than a mouse, so intent I was on this information she gave out.
"After realizing just how powerful they were, we – I, Takehito and Minaka – decided to power down the rest. We failed to do so with the rest of the embryos, nearly fatally so with 7 and 6." Takami lit another cigarette, the memories the topic brought up making her eyes haunted. "We have managed to figure it out with the fertilized eggs though, or maybe it was just easier because they were less developed, or perhaps both… Regardless, it's been a little over seventeen years since we took the first batch of dozen out of stasis and put them into the growth tubes after 'adjusting' their future power level."
"But…how are we to compete with the first ten?" I asked bewilderedly. I was supposed to be fighting legends, monsters of the highest caliber, and here they said that they cut down my power.
"To be honest, #1 decided against participating and even that idiot Minaka can't make her." A ghost of a smile graced Takami's lips. "As for the adjusting…we didn't handicap your power, merely your growth. The first group's power grew too quick and they've wrecked plenty before they managed to somewhat control it. We decided to take away that explosive growth. You'll still reach your full power…just not over a couple weeks like they did."
I opened my mouth to argue. Then I thought about it and closed it. If my power came to me instantly…I shuddered at the thought of plunging the whole island to the other side by accident.
"Okay, I guess I can live with that." I said slowly.
"Don't worry; getting their full power without effort played a foul trick on most of the first group in the end. They, for the most part, didn't bother training it, taking it further than what they had." Takami smiled condolingly. "Now, about your number…"
She took another pull, staring at me through the smoke she caused.
"We give Sekirei numbers based on the order they wake up in. There's a little bit more to it than that but you don't really need to know it." She finally said. "Albeit you were among the first to be adjusted and pulled out of stasis, you woke up months, if not years after your group. For a while we feared that we screwed up something when we adjusted you."
"And no, I don't know why." She leaned back in her chair and brought up her tablet. "Was there anything else you wanted to ask Rei?"
"I…no, thank you for your time, Takami." I stood up and bowed shortly in thanks.
"Don't worry about your age, Rei." Takami said as I reached for the door knob. "You Sekirei don't age past your prime. As far as we know, your lifespan is only reflective of your Ashikabi."
I paused and then quickly walked out of Takami's office. I had too much to think about and albeit the information Takami gave me was priceless, I needed a breather before she decides to dump more on my poor head.