Disclaimer- I own neither Sekirei nor Kamen Rider Agito
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
"Oaths"
"Dream/Visions/Flashbacks"
XXXXXXXX-(Scene Change)
AN: Hey all, Archangel Igneel here with an apology and a warning.
First off Sorry this chapter took so long to post. College hasn't been that easy and real life has to come before this. So as an apology I have made this chapter especially long. Over 60 pages and 27,000 words of chapter and plot goodness. I hope you enjoy it!
Now for the warning. As many of you are no doubt aware FanFiction is starting to delete stories with excessive violence or lemons. Now while I personally don't write lemons, nor do I have a problem with anyone that does, I believe that this is the wrong thing to do. I think it would be better if they install an MA content filter or maybe even have something that confirms the ages of the reader for those stories.
As such to FanFiction:
Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.
Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.
For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.
It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.
If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.
While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.
For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this. Also at the end of this AU is a link to please sign the petition to stop this. Thanks!
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www. change petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-f anfiction-net (AN there should be a .org after change and a / after org.)
Chapter 4: Winging's and Computers
XXXXXXXX- (Start)
The sounds of fighting pierced the silence of the night outside of the botanical garden turned jungle, the streets seemed to be a mixture of both frozen and melted from a battle between two individuals. On one side stood Homura, the black clad Sekirei whom, as of now, was holding a fireball in his hand while glaring at the...thing in front of him.
In front of Homura stood a woman who most would call beautiful, at least they would if it were not for the fact that her eyes reflected an emptiness within them. As if all the life was sucked out of them and the person was only waiting for their inevitable demise. The woman was wearing something that would give most men, and some women, nosebleeds that would probably leave them comatose due to the overwhelming blood loss. What her 'wardrobe'consisted of was merely a very thin kimono that was kept closed by intersecting chains, while wearing absolutely no footwear. She however did not seem bothered by her choice of attire as she seemed to be more focused on the opponent in front of her, an opponent whose flames bothered her not one bit as she herself was surrounded by air that was so cold it was actually freezing the water molecules in the air around her becoming deadly shards of ice.
Taking the break in the battle to regain his breathing Homura could only think of the events that had brought him to this situation. 'Why did this have to get so complicated?...This was just suppose to be a simple stake out to make sure that none of the more...unscrupulous Ashikabi came to claim No. 108...but noo~, that damn Minaka had to let everyone know about 108 hiding here.' After he was through ranting in his head about the situation he was now in he finally looked at his opponent and decided to get a few answers out of her.
"Whats something like you doing here?" His confusion mixed with distaste clearly evident inside his voice.
The woman in front of him merely stared at him with vacant eyes. She stood there silent for a moment more before she answered his question. "It..is as I said." Her voice clear and concise, yet at the same time...dead. "If I wish to not be thrown away again...I must accomplish this task...for my master!" Her voice, while still in a somewhat dead tone, gained a steel like quality to it.
At her answer Homura merely grunted, as more questions entered his mind. "What do you mean by 'master'?" He asked, his voice strained as his patience was beginning to wear thin. "It's impossible for a Disposed Number like yourself to have an Ashikabi!" Homura declared.
The woman in front of Homura gained a steel look in her eyes, the only indication that she was angry. "Perhaps," She admitted. "However, he is my master." Her hands becoming covered with shards of ice and frost. "For Him, I shall do Anything!" With that whispered answer she threw out her hand, sending a wave of ice and cold towards Homura who's only response was to send a wave of heat and fire to counteract it.
After the confrontation of elements, the two were at a pause, one for which Homura was grateful for. 'Dammit!' Homura thought while giving a slow agonizing pant. 'This has been going on for too long...I'm almost at my limit.' Giving a look back at the woman he gave a sigh. 'How long have we been fighting?'
XXXXXXXX- (Flashback)
Walking down the broken road Homura looked around, only to see mass amounts of damage that had been done to the surroundings; such as cracked roads and demolished tanks. Homura gave a small sigh at the carnage. "To go in through a heavily armed gate.." He contemplated as he gave a small nod of acceptance when he saw there were no casualties. "Well done. But where and who?"
"Ara, Homura." An upbeat voice chirped. "Hisashiburi desu ne?" (Its been a while)
Stiffening at the voice Homura turned around, what, or rather who, he saw did not make him happy. "So, you've come." Homura said with clear disgust in his voice. "You pest!" He snarled as he recognized this specific Sekirei. "No. 43, Yomi!"
Said pest was a girl who was hefting a really wicked looking scythe. The girl holding said scythe had light brown hair tied back with a bow, and pale skin. What she was dressed in was fairly standard, dressed in a white dress with a black corset with white poofy shoulders while wearing black gloves, more than likely to have a better grip on her giant scythe. However, her beauty was somewhat offset by the cruel yet taunting smirk on her lips.
At the sound of her name Yomi gave a light giggle. "Hohohoho, what do you mean by...Pest?" She asked with a subtle amount of steel in her voice. "Your too serious Homura." Yomi gave another small giggle before she continued. "You really need to learn to relax."
Shifting his glance at Yomi's companion, he asked a question. "Who's she?" Homura looked at the thinly clad woman, her face hidden from sight by her hair. "Another unscrupulous Sekirei?"
Only taking her eyes off Homura long enough to give her silent companion a glance. "Oh, who? Akitsu?" Yomi turned back to Homura before she continued. "She's not someone you need to worry about at the moment." Gaining a vicious smirk on her lips she continued. "The 'Green Girl's' owner is the first one to get it right?" Shifting her scythe into a more ready position she got ready for any sort of attack. "I'm merely here to...pick it up for my Ashikabi."
At Yomi's words Homura gave off a slight growl and got ready for a fight. "I can't hand over No. 108 to an Ashikabi who believes things like "The owner is the first one to get it"." A small fireball erupted from his hand, ready to be thrown. "Anyway," Shifting into a more ready stance Homura finished. "Your gonna have to get by me first!"
Giving off an annoyed sigh Yomi answered Homura. "I don't like it," Looking at Homura with annoyance and disgust. "How you act as if your the 'Protector of Sekirei's', it just really..Pisses me off!" Her voice dripping with disgust, however she did not attack, instead she just took a deep breath. "However, I don't feel like fighting you at the moment," Looking back at Akitsu she motioned for her to step up. "So, I'll let Akitsu deal with you." Akitsu only nodded.
As Yomi launched herself of into the air to enter the garden Homura launched a stream of fire at her unprotected back. As the flame was about to reach her, it was suddenly extinguished by a wave of, "Ice?" Homura whispered as he looked back at Akitsu who was surrounded by ice shards, both on the ground and in the air.
Looking back at the Flame Sekirei Yomi gave a laugh. "Hohohoho, sorry, but I don't have time to pay attention to you right now." Casting her gaze back to what was in front of her, her grin grew. "I'll just excuse myself now, it seems your going to have your hands full Homura!"
"Matte!" Homura yelled as he made his way to enter the garden. Unfortunately he was once again cut off by a wave of ice.
Akistu continued to look down with her dead eyes. "Your opponent...is me.." Raising her head to look at Homura, who gasped with unrestrained shock at the adornment of the Sekirei Crest that lay on her forehead, she continued. "This is the will of my master..." Her hands now enveloped in a frosty mist. "An...Absolute..Order!"
Looking back at the garden entrance and once more back at Akitsu. Homura only sighed. "This is going to be a long night."
XXXXXXXX- (Flashback End)
'I was right about this being a long night.' Homura gave off a sigh as he felt that this fight wouldn't end soon. Looking around him he noticed that their fight had drifted a good distance away from its starting point. 'Looks like this is going to be another sleepless night...DAMN YOU MINAKA!' Homura once again cursed the main cause for his woes. "DAMNIT IS ONE NIGHT OF SLEEP TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR?...IS IT!"
...
...
...
...
...
Suddenly realizing where he was Homura quickly regained his composure and once again thanked Takami for the mask she had given him that was hiding the massive blush of embarrassment that was present on his face. However, his thoughts were again interrupted.
"Would you like to talk about it?" Akitsu asked.
"NO!" Homura once again shouted as his tolerance level just broke. /(AN: Hey, everyone has their breaking point...)/
XXXXXXXX- (Tower)
Standing on the ledge of a, very, very high tower was none other the Minaka himself, looking out from the ledge as if he were ready to proclaim something of great importance...yeah right..
"Ahh, such a wonderful night!" Minaka exclaimed at the top of his lungs, brining his voice down he began to contemplate the goings of his Game. "I wonder if anyones claimed the prized Green Girl yet?" He wondered to himself. Grinning he couldn't help but think of the possibilities this Game of his could create. "Well, whoever it is will be one step closer to achieving ascension...To Ushering in the New Age of the Gods..Hehehe, HAHAHAHAHAHA HAA-AHHHH-CHOOoooOOO!"
For whatever reason, during his maniacal laughter a sneeze wormed its way in there somehow.
What caused it however, was the lesser concern of what was going on in Minaka's head at the moment. "Ch-Ch-Ch-ch-chotto matte!" What was the cause of his stammering? Well, somehow during his sneeze Minaka lost his balance...and was now clinging for dear life on the ledge from which he was standing on not 2 minutes ago. "H-hey! S-s-omebody g-g-g-give me a hand here! Hey...am I slipping..HAa Slipping..Defi-Definitely slipping!"
His rescue, /(Yeah right)/, came at the hands of a rather feminine pair of pale hands that no doubt belonged to a woman. The woman the aforementioned hand belonged was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white button up shirt and black tie combo that could be found on any office worker in the city. She looked like any other middle aged career woman that could be found in any office in Shin, Tokyo. Over her attire she wore a white lab coat that would seem more appropriate on a doctor of some sort then a business woman. She was a beautiful woman in her own right, with smooth pale skin, manicured hands, and a modest figure that could definitely grab the attention of someone passing by. The most noticeable things about was the fact that around her neck was a lanyard holding an MBI identification card, and the fact that her hair was snow white, covering her lone hazelnut colored eye. Oh! And of course the black eye-patch covering her left eye.
Giving a sigh she hefted up the man in distress. As soon as he was back on the building he began taking in big gaps of air as if they were his lover. "Ahghhg, th-thank you Takami-kun!" Finally gaining back his wits his disposition returned immediately. "After all a game cannot continue without a Game Master! HAHAHAHAAaaAhgghg!" His tyrannical laughter was replaced with blinding pain as he grasped the back of his head.
The reason for his sudden pain? Well, it could have something to do with Takami standing behind him with a clip board and an evil look in her eyes that no doubt promised a slow, but painful, end for whoever dared to look her in the eyes. "Would you can the 'Game Master' bullshit? I seriously don't have the patience for it right now." Takami drawled out as she turned to leave. "The next time you feel like laughing like a loon, at least have the sense not to stand on a ledge while doing...I might not be...quick enough the next time..." She left the rest for him to fill in.
Standing indignantly Minaka tried to defend himself. "Oi! I'll have you know that it wasn't my laughter that caused me to fall...It was a sneeze!"
Stopping for a moment Takami gave a sigh. "Maybe it's because you stand up here every night laughing like an idiot and caught a freakin' cold!"
"Hmph!" A sound of dismissal came from Minaka as if the idea itself was insane. "Takami-kun, you should know better then anyone that I never get colds!" He declared loudly and proudly.
Takami was about to rebuke his statement, but merely gave yet another sigh. "Thats right." At her admittance Minaka's grin became even more pronounced, but as they say the bigger you are the harder you fall. As was proven by Takami's next statement. "After all...Idiots can't catch a cold."
CRASH!
At Takami's statement of his apparent idiocy, /(Oh Yeah "Apparent")/,Minaka promptly became acquainted with the ground. "Takami!" He yelled with a boisterous voice. "Have you so little faith in me!" He dramatically posed while pointing at the retreating form of Takami, no doubt she got tired of his ranting. "After all! Would an idiot turn the finding of Sekirei No.108 into a first come first serve and send texts to the known Ashikabi telling her whereabouts?"...Ok seriously this guy MUST have a death wish.
This must be so because the second those words left his mouth Takami stopped dead in her tracks. She tilted her head, ever so slowly, to the side once again having the man in her sights. "What...did you say?"
Thinking Takami had seen his brilliance he repeated himself in the same boisterous voice while jumping back on the ledge with his back to Takami. "Why of course Takami-kun. I said that I turned the finding of Sekirei No. 108 into a first come first serve game!" And with that his fate was sealed.
Before Minaka could let out even a gasp of surprise, Takami was already behind him with her hand already in motion...
WHAM!
Once again the sound of clipboard meeting a skull resounded in the nighttime, only this time much louder, surely no other sound could beat it! "YOU IDIOT!" Well, I guess even the clipboard was no match for the scream of Takami's rage. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING SO EMPTY HEADED!" Takami continued to scream as her anger demanded itself be heard. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE COULD BE PUT AT RISK BECAUSE OF THIS?" Her anger finally subsiding a bit Takami finished her journey to the exit before returning her burning glare back to Minaka one final time. "How about you just hang there for a while and think about what you've done!" With that she exited through the door.
Meanwhile back with Minaka, he once again found himself on the business end with the edge of the ledge, barely hanging on. "O-O-Oi! T-Takami-k-k-kun...you still there?...Come on it's not that bad...hello?...Hello!... Hey...am I slipping..HAa Slipping..Defi-Definitely slipping!...WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AGAIN!"
XXXXXXXX- (Back to the Battle Site)
As Homura and Akitsu were exchanging their respective elements, a lone black car sat a good distance away from the battle. Inside of the limousine were two figures that sat in the shadows cast by the hood of the vehicle.
The first figure sat at the drivers seat, his face, while obscured had definite male traits. Around the neck of the figure, laid a pale orange scarf that was a big contrast to the all black attire that he was wearing.
The second figure wore a completely white dress suit that had gold outlines along it and frills along the cuffs and neck. In all, it seemed like the type of suit that someone from a rich family would wear. His face, much like the first figures, was shrouded in shadow allowing only pieces of brown hair to be seen. "Hmhmhm." A light sounding laugh rang in the car. "This is so fun! Don't you think so Mutsu?" The figure in the front simply nodded his consent. "Fire vs Ice. An old concept yet it's still so cool to watch!" The second figure was nearly bouncing in his seat from sheer excitement
The first figure at the front, now known as Mutsu, looked back at the figure behind him. "Mikogami.." His low monotone voice rang in the car as a contrast to the light upbeat voice of "Mikogami". "You should really calm down, it'll make you that much angrier if things don't go your way."
Mikogami just gave the sullen Sekirei a dismissive wave. "Don't be so negative Mutsu." He commented before returning his attention back to the battle of hot vs cold. "I sent in Yomi, there's no way that she'll fai-" He was cut off from his words when he felt a sudden jolt in the back of his mind. A few minutes passed before he spoke again. "Gone...Yomi's trace...disappeared." Bringing up his thumb to his mouth he began to furiously chew on the digit. "Tch!"
Mutsu simply looked ahead. "I told you not to get so excited Mikogami." Looking at the boy in the rear view mirror he noticed the angered expression on Mikogami's face. "You should stop...you don't want to make that a habit do you?"
Lowing his hand from his mouth he looked at Mutsu. "Get Akitsu...we're leaving now!" He grounded out with a furious look in his eyes.
Sighing at his Ashikabi's anger Mutsu pulled forward.
FWOOSH!
KKRRKLE!
Back and forth flames met ice and ice was stopped by flames with neither element willing to give an inch to the other.
The two Sekirei stared at each other unblinking, neither one making a sound. Surprisingly the one to break the silence was Akitu. "It appears...we're not getting...anywhere." Her sentence broken into three parts but still understandable to Homura. As she moved back into a stance she was once again
Despite himself he chuckled. "No..no we're not, but then that's to be expected." Raising his hand he reignited it. "After all," His face became devoid of emotion. "We're on opposite ends of the elemental chart."
Before they had a chance to renew their battle a black car screeched in between the two Sekirei with a sudden stop. The window facing Akitsu rolled down revealing the young face of Mikogami...and he was none too pleased. "Yomi failed Akitsu...time to fallback."
Akitsu gave a barely perceptible nod giving her acceptance of her order. "I..understand." She turned her attention back to Homura her impassive look never leaving her face. "I am exiting...from this fight."
Shaking off the original shock from the sudden appearance of the car Homura looked back at Akitsu. "Wait!" Akitsu stopped momentarily and ever so slightly inclined her head. "Tell me...Why is a Discarded Number outside the facility?"
Akitsu simply looked at Homura...debating wether or not to answer him. In the end she said three simple words. "...I don't know." With that she entered the car as it sped off.
"Hold it!" Homura shouted as he began to give chase.
BA-BUMP!
"Hurhg!" He stopped dead in his tracks as pain racked his body. "D-damn it...went too long." Homura panted as he brought up his hand. It was smoking as if it were burning. "Gotta be more careful...or I'll burn myself out..permanently." Looking back at the forest he remembered hearing Mikogami's parting words. "So the little one's found her Ashikabi. I hope they're kind to her." Shaking his head he made his way away from the garden. "I better get back...lest I face the wrath of an angry Hanya." And just like that he was gone.
XXXXXXXX- (108's Grove)
In the botanical garden turned jungle, the sound of a young child crying reverberated throughout its entirety.
"Ahh-Aha-Ahh!" Was the muffled cry of Kusano as she cried into Kyle's chest. He did his best to comfort her by rubbing her back soothingly and just letting her cry to get out all of her fear.
"Shh," Kyle gently whispered to her. "It's alright now. I'll protect you." She clutched him tighter as to chase away any uncertainty of him being there, and then her body went limp. Worried from the sudden limpness he checked her only to find that she had fallen asleep in his arms the stress being too much for her as she let herself fall into a blissful, and much needed, sleep. "Don't worry." Kyle told her as she slept. "I'll keep you safe."
As Kyle stood, hugging Kusano's sleeping form to his chest in a bridal carry, he turned to start making his way out of the labyrinth when a pair of voices stopped him in his tracks.
"KYLE-SAMA!" Kyle had half a millisecond to shift Kusano so she wouldn't get hurt before Musubi plowed into him, gushing the whole time. Your Alright! Well Of Course Your Alright Your Kyle-Sama!" Musubi continued to praise him, even going off into her own world.
"Well, Well," A rather familar male voice spoke up."I see someone managed to survive their time here in the jungle huh?" The figure turned out to be Seo who had started to laugh.
"Are there any more enemies?" Musubi asked, holding on to Kyle as she excitedly started to bounce on the balls of her feet. She only stopped when she realized something important...to her anyway. "Oh Kyle-sama look!" She said as she released Kyle and took a step back and spun around. "I managed to maintain my decency!" She pumped her fists in an excited motion.
Kyle could only sweat-drop as it seemed Mususbi took their conversation on 'decency' a little too seriously. "That's...good, Musubi-chan." Kyle said, happy that his lecture after the fiasco with the landlady had stuck, yet at the same time a little worried about her enthusiasm.
Finally after everyone had calmed down, they managed to see the young girl who had taken residence in Kyle's arms "So, it looks like you managed to find that Green Girl in time." Seo asked bringing attention to both himself and Kyle.
Musubi being her usual happy-go-luck self had to comment on it. "Oh! Kyle-sama you found her!" Her smile, if it was possible, grew even larger then what it was before.
Seo started eyeing Kusano while she slept in Kyle's arms. His eyes widened slightly as he took note of the back of her neck, obviously he expected her to be winged by him as soon as he found her, as it was bare from where her dirtied dress hung loose on her thin frame. "You haven't winged her yet?" Seo asked, his voice mostly unconcerned but with a hard edge of curiosity beneath it.
Kyle raised his right eyebrow very slowly and minutely. "She just got to sleep after having to spend who knows how long in this jungle of a forest, dealing with the guilt of its creation in the first place, has been alone for the same amount of time, and of course lets not forget number four has had a LUNATIC Ashikabi after her and sicking his Sekirei on her so that he could FORCIBLY wing her just because he felt it in his right as an Ashikabi...So Excuse Me For Not Winging Her And Letting Her Get Some Well Deserved SLEEP!" Though he kept his voice low and calm, for Kusano's sake, there was a lethal edge to his voice that even a deaf person could have heard.
"Ok, Ok...geez, didn't mean to upset ya. I didn't know all the facts ok?" The older man admitted, scratching the back of his head in abashment as he grinned sheepishly. He blinked as he seemed to notice that there was something missing from this picture.
"Wasn't there supposed to be another Sekirei here?" Seo asked, his voice casual as he glanced around the grove. "Guess you got lucky and they got lost." He threw his head back and laughed at that.
Kyle just gave Seo a deadpanned look. "No, unfortunately my luck is never that good." Kyle corrected him, his voice empty. "If you walk about twenty steps in that direction you should be able to find her." He said as he nodded his head in the direction that Yomi had landed after getting her ass essentially handed to her on a silver platter.
The light purple twin, Hikari, went in the direction Kyle's head had indicated. She stopped in her tracks when she found the body. Her twin sister Hibiki had headed in the same direction after her sister when she saw that she had stopped. When she reached her, she also stopped dead in her tracks as well. She looked back at Kyle with an expectant look in her eyes. "So you did it again?"
Kyle just slowly nodded his head, confirming Hibiki's question. "Yeah, though unlike last time," He gave the lightning twins a look that made them flinch, though Seo missed both the look and the flinch as he was still trying to process how a human could defeat a Sekirei. "A crest showed up on the back of her neck before vanishing completely...care to explain that?"
Ignoring everything else besides what was in front of him, Seo leaned over till he could see what all the others were looking at. He let loose a low, impressed whistle when he realized that there really was a defeated Sekirei present as well. He paused, glancing around the clearing. "Looks like there was a bit of a battle here," He admitted, taking note of the decimated clearing, enormous gouges from where the blades of wind had ripped large chunks of wood apart and spread them wildly and without a care. "The heck happened?" Seo questionedas he Kyle a look-over. His eyes seemed to notice something and they narrowed again. "Looks like you took a wound yourself." Obviously referring to Kyle's still bleeding shoulder, though on the plus side it had already started to heal
Noticing the wound Musubi jumped into action. "Ah! Kyle-sama! Your shoulder!" Musubi yelped, seeing the giant blood stain on his shirt. There was a blur of red and white, as Musubi had practically teleported to his side.
"It's nothing," Kyle tried to assure the worried Sekirei who was studying the patch of drying blood. Kyle shifted enough for Kusano to rest in one arm so that he could pull some of his shirt away for Musubi to see. Beneath there was nothing but some rough and mildly damaged flesh. "See? It's not that bad, its already started to heal." Which was true. Little fact that he knew about his transformation was that it had the useful ability to heal a wound on his body enough for it not to hamper him during a fight.
Finally deciding that he had spent enough time in the grove, started walking towards the exit. "Come on Musubi." He called out to her.
"Oh..Right Kyle-sama!" Musubi called out after him.
Finally getting their heads back in the game, the trio noticed that Kyle was leaving. "Yo! Where are you going?" Seo asked.
Never stopping his walk, merely turning his head, Kyle answered him. "Heading home! I think its time that Kuu-chan got to sleep on a bed...or at least a futon!"
"So where you heading kid?" Seo asked as they were beginning to exit the botanical garden. "Back to your inn?"
Kyle merely glanced back at Seo as he held Kusano in his arms. "Why do you ask? Besides I'm not exactly sure if its your business." He replied warily, he knew that Seo wasn't apart of the game...yet, that could change in the future...heaven help the poor Sekirei who gets winged by him. However, just telling someone you hardly know is never really a smart thing to do. Especially in this game where the players have little qualms about using lethal force.
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not trying to hurt you or the kid, just was wondering." Raising his hands in defense.
Giving Seo a look, he sighed. "Ok maybe I was a little...forceful with my tone. You did help us after all. Unfortunately, until I'm able to trust you and this mystery Ashikabi of yours," He gave a pointed look at the lightning twins. "I'm afraid the most you'll get is that I do have a roof over my head."
For some reason Hibiki and Hikari took offense for what Kyle said. "Hey our Ashikabi is very trustworthy!" Hibiki stated.
Sighing once more Kyle cast his gave at Hibiki. "Once again I'm sorry, I meant no offense. However, I can't trust someone who I've never even met. Speaking of which...why isn't he here again?"
Hikari decided to answer this question. "Its because he's not feeling the best at the moment." A worried look crossed her face, one that Hibiki matched. "He couldn't leave his bed...he was running a high fever." At this point both the twins looked accusingly at Seo. "Its because this lout mooches off of us! Our Ashikabi has to work at least two jobs, plus the ones we do, to keep all of us fed! He's overworking himself."
At this point the only one not looking at Seo with a slight bit of disgust was Musubi, and thats because she probably didn't quite understand what the problem was. "How come you just don't use the MBI card?" Kyle just looked at Musubi, but that got him thinking since that was a good point.
With the question asked Hikari answered. "Its because our Ashikabi has a bit too much pride. He told us that he was raised to "stand on his own", as such he would rather work jobs then accept charity." Seriously, they loved their Ashikabi to pieces but..Ah the wonders of the male pride.
"Oh! Kyle-sama is that way to!" Musubi cheered as Kyle nearly face faulted...and probably would have to if he wasn't holding such precious cargo in his arms. "He's the type of person to get by on his own skills!"
The trio of Sekirei and NOT-Ashikabi just looked at Kyle with bemused glances, more from Hibiki and Hikari then Seo though.
Kyle would have retorted but he was cut off by the sound of a helicopter. Looking up he saw where the noise was coming from. It was a black military grade chopper, but what really stood out were the big bolded letter, M.B.I. letting Kyle know right away who sent it. He did not however, know the why. "The heck is a M.B.I. chopper doing here." Kyle asked to no one in particular.
Surprisingly it was once again Musubi the one to answer. "They're probably here to reclaim her, that is..." Musubi trailed off as she looked back at the botanical gardens.
Seeing Musubi so sullen and then look back at the garden it clicked. 'Yomi...they're here for Yomi.'
"They're probably here to reclaim her because she lost her mark." Musubi said with that same sullen voice.
Now that gained Kyle's attention. "Reclaim? What do yo mean reclaim?" He didn't fail to notice the solemn faces of Hikari and Hibiki, heck even Kusano began tossing and turning, and she was asleep.
Musubi looked directly back at Kyle with a serious expression on her face. It was a drastic change from her usual happy self. "A Sekirei who has lost her mark...Can never return to her Ashikabi ever again."
With that simple statement Kyle immediately understood the full extent of this..."Game". It was an all or nothing deal; you win you gain everything, lose and you lose what you have.
'Would...would I really lose her?' Just the thought alone was enough to terrify Kyle.
Before his thoughts became an darker, saw his bike a few feet ahead. How it was still in one piece he didn't know, but he was thankful for the reprieve from his thoughts. Silently he handed Kusano over to Musubi...which proved to be a bit more difficult then it should have been. Turns out Kusano had quite the grip...and she decided that Kyle was too good a teddy-bear to let go of.
Walking over to his bike he revved the engines and got it started, which coincidentally broke everyone out of their depressed mood. "Hey Musubi."
"Yes?" Musubi asked.
"Do you think you could take Ku-chan back to the house? I don't think there enough room on my bike for all three of us." Kyle said not willing to risk either Musubi or Kusano on his bike which could only seat two safely.
Musubi only nodded. "Ok!" Was the only word she said before she jumped away. "I will see you back at the inn Kyle-sama!"
Kyle merely shook his head at Musubi's exuberance. Yet despite that, a small smile formed on his face. A smile that was taken when a certain someone started talking.
"So, you going back to the Izumo Inn?" Seo asked with a knowing smile on his face.
Kyle couldn't keep the shock off his face, and that only made the smile on Seo's face grow. "Kid, there's no way I wouldn't recognize Miya's cooking. Its unmistakable."
Shaking his head and deciding that this was enough for one night Kyle put on his helmet before getting onto his bike. Before he could drive away however, Seo came up to him with a card in his hand. "Here kid, feel free to call me if you need any help."
Looking at the card then back to Seo. "I assume I'll have to pay for your services?" He only got a nod and an unseen smirk. Kyle only chuckled before he sped away having more on his mind then he ever wanted.
As soon as he was clear Seo turned back to the twins. "So you two wanna tell me how he beat a Sekirei?" Seo looked at expectantly.
The twins looked at eachother before giving a united sigh. "Seo the only thing we can say...is that there's no way he's only human." Hibiki said.
Seo merely raised an eyebrow as if wanting them to explain more. Unfortunately that was all they were willing to give since he wasn't their Ashikabi...'Damn it! How the hell did the kid wing them before I did?' But what came out of his mouth was. "Well can I at least ask whats for dinner?"
That..was the wrong question to ask as both Hikari and Hibiki who were already walking away stopped dead in their tracks. As one they spoke. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?" With each word an arc of electricity flowed from their finger-tips.
The last conscious thought Seo had was. "Ohh~ SHI-!"
BZZZZZAAAAPPPP!
Many people would wake that night wondering who was torturing a poor cat.
XXXXXXXX- (Izumo Inn)
The Inn was unsurprisingly quiet with the absence of the more...rowdy tenants. While a little peace and quiet was good, a certain Landlady found herself missing the rowdiness...as long as they weren't rowdy in the house...then all bets were off.
Miya found herself sitting on the porch awaiting the return of her tenants with worry. "Oh my...I do hope their not doing anything inappropriate." Or she could just be waiting to chastise them...its hard to tell.
She was broken out of her thoughts as she heard the front door open. Standing from the porch she went to greet whoever had entered the house. To her surprise, and shock, Kagari came through the door, however, he looked as though he went twenty rounds straight. "Ara Kagari, are you ok?"
Kagari just chuckled, waving off Miya's concern. "I'm ok, some of the customers were a little more...rambunctious then usual."
As he began his way up the stairs to his room he looked back at Miya. "Oh, before I forget, you should probably set out another serving place."
Miya looked shocked, but it seemed almost fake...almost. "Oh, is someone visiting?"
"Probably," Kagami answered from the stairs. "But there will definitely be another person here...I hope." He finished the last part with a whisper, as he remembered seeing a certain tenant before he left the garden.
Miya only watched him as he disappeared up stairs. "I do as well." A knowing look appeared on her face
Up the stairs, he barely made it to his room before he collapsed on the ground. "Damn it!" Kagami grounded out in pain as he felt as though his insides were being incinerated. "Come on...come on...keep it together." Slowly but surely his body began to return to normal. "Hahh...Hahh...its getting harder...I wonder how much time I have left?"
Making his way over to his bed he laid back against his futon.
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Only to growl in frustration as his cell-phone decided to pick that exact moment to go off, interrupting Kagari from his relaxation time.
Growling in frustration Kagari forced his body to get up before making his way over to the jacket he hung on the chair. Reaching into the pocket he pulled out his silver colored cell-phone. "Hello?" Being so tired he immediately answered without checking the name, while silently promising to fry whoever called him.
"Hello Homura." A rather monotone yet feminine voice answered back to him.
Kagari gave a pause at the familar monotone voice of..."Hello Takami." Sighing quietly at the loss of frying the disturber of his rest. "So what do you need? Is there any trouble on your end?"
"Unless you count having to deal with Minaka's nonesense as trouble, none." Takamin drawled as she took a puff from her ciggarette. "However, we do need to talk. Can you be ready in 30 minutes?"
Giving another quiet sigh Kagari combed his hand through his ashen locks. "Yeah, so you picking me up?"
"Of course...Oh, and please look nice." Takami joked as she hung up.
Hearing the line disconnect Kagari shut his phone before plopping his half dead body back on his bed. "Of course, I can never get night of peace!" He lamented as he began to get ready.
Miya had entered the kitchen upon Kagari's hint of a possible new tenant. "Ara, I hope whoever it is won't cause too much trouble." Entertaining thoughts of punishing a certain heterochromiac.
As she began to put the ingrediants together she was once again broken out of her thoughts by the opening of the front door. Putting on her usual smile she headed over to the doot to greet her returning tenants. "Okaeri nasai." She called to the door.
"Tadaima!" The exuberent voice of Musubi rang throughout the inn.
Upon reaching the front she saw Musubi carrying a younger child on her back. "Welcome back Musubi, I see that you've come back with an extra tenant." Giving a small smile she noticed the lack of one of the only males in the Inn. "Who might she be, and where is Kyle-san?"
Musubi, ever her joyful self told Miya part of what she wanted to know. "Kyle-sama is on his way back right now." Shifting the little one sleeping in her arms to make her a bit more comfortable she continued. "He told Musubi to go ahead and bring Ku-chan here because there wasn't enough room on his bike to safely bring all three of us back."
Ganining a glint in her eyes Miya pressed forward. "So where did 'Ku-chan' come from? Also where is Kyle-san?"
"Oh! Kyle-sama is on his way here now, and Ku-chan was-"
VRRRMM!
However, Musubi was cut off by the sound of Kyle's motorcycle so she was not able to finish. Hearing the engine stop both of them patiently waited for the owner of the bike to come inside.
Upon entering the house Kyle immediately noticed the presence of his landlady and of Musubi carrying a still sleeping Kusano. "Hey Musubi, guess you beat me back...seriously how much faster then a motorcycle are you?" He asked jokingly while Musubi only continued to smile.
"Ahem." A soft but clear voice cut into the conversation, drawing the attention of the 2, soon to be 3, residents of the Izumo Inn to Miya. "Hello Kyle-san," Miya started with a light voice. "While its nice to see both of you back here...reletively without harm," She said somewhat playfully as she noticed the bloodstains just showing off of his left shoulder, indicating whatever happened, a good majority of the wounds were on his back. "I would like to know who this young girl is." The glint returned to her eyes, and it was not one that could be considered 'nice' by any stretch of the imagination. No, it was more of the, "You better give me an answer I'll like or your in deep trouble!" look. "I hope you're aware of the kidnapping laws here in Japan."
Feeling the slight trickle of sweat rolling down his neck Kyle thought of a quick cover up. "Uhm, yes I'm aware of the laws, and no she was not kidnapped." Ok, part of the anger had been abated. "She's actually a distant relative of mine who recently came to Shin-Tokyo. I was asked to keep an eye on her."
Miya seemed to accept the reason given as the glint in her eyes had disappeared. "Fufufu, well its a good thing you told me I had almost thought I was housing a dangerous perverted kidnapper." She finished with her had covering her mouth.
'Per-Perverted?' He could understand the 'dangerous kidnapper' part...barely..but 'perverted'? That had come out of left field. All Kyle could do to react was give out a nervous chuckle. "Well I guess its a good thing I explained since I wouldn't want the ever forgiving and wonderful Miya-sama to be mad at me." Yeah he laid it a bit thick, but for this person, overkill was underated.
"Fufufufu, of course you wouldn't want the Forgiving, Wonderful, and Young Landlady mad at you?" She began to laugh again while bringing the back of he hand to rest against her cheek.
Believing himself to be in the clear, he let go of the breath he didn't even know he was holding. Before he could get a word out the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caught everyones attention.
The first to react was Miya. "Ara, Kagari-san, a black tie. Is something happening?" She asked as the residents saw that it was Kagari coming down the stairs.
Seeing most of the tenants, plus Miya, waiting downstairs, Kagari only gave a small smile. "My job called me a bit ago. Seems a bunch of people are coming to the club tonight, so I thought I would put more apeal into my outfit." As he headed out he stopped at the door. "I'll probably be gone for a good while, so don't worry about prepairing anything for me, I'll either grab a bite out or eat any leftovers you have if thats ok?" Seeing Miya smile, he bid everyone a good night before exiting the inn.
Kyle just watched on as Kagari left. He didn't know why, but there was just someting about the guy that put Kyle on alert. It was nothing dangerous...just noticable. However, at the mention of dinner the young Sekirei's stomache decided to let itself be heard...in a big way.
GGRRGGLRR!
Upon hearing the immense growl both Kyle and Miya broke out a grin. "Well I suppose some dinner is in order." Miya chuckled as she headed back to the kitchen. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."
With that she entered the kitchen leaving the two tenants, plus a soon to be, in the hallway. Gathering their wits they headed towards the dining room, however, Kyle noticed that Kusano was stirring from her sleep. Apparently the need for food overruled the need for sleep.
With that revelation Kyle tund to Musubi. "Hey Musubi."
Hearing her name being called she turned to Kyle with a small smile. "Yes Kyle-sama?"
Giving a smal grin back he motioned to Kusano. "It looks like Ku-chan is waking up, let me hold her." Seeing the questioning look on Musubi's face he decided to elaborate. "Ku-chan passed out while I was holding her, before you got to us. She may get scared because your holding her for those reason, and I don't think she needs any more scares just after what happened in the gardens."
Musubi nodded seeing his point in letting him hold young Kusano, so without a word she handed Kusano over to Kyle before they continud their way to the dining room.
Seated around the dining table the tenanns waited patiently for the arrival of the food that was sure to come.
Around the table sat Kyle crosslegged. On his right was Musubi who was switching her gaze from looking hungrily at the table and adoringly at Kyle. Seated in the young mans lap was the still sleeping Kusano although she wouldn't be asleep for much longer as her eyes began to twitch open every so often.
Hearing the screen door open they were treated to the sight of the meal that would soon be eaten by the ravounous Agito and Sekirei, not that Miya new...right? Seeing Miya with a few extra plates of food Kyle shifted his place a bit before turning to Musubi. "Hey Musubi," Once again she turned to Kyle...only this time there were slight bits of drool falling down her face. "Um, why don't you help Miya bring the food in? I would do it, but I have a little passenger here that seems to be waking up."
Looking down they saw that the young Sekirei was indeed waking from her short slumber, no doubt from the talking and smell of the glorious food.
Shaking her head the young Sekirei started to groggily become aware of her surreoundings. Looking left, right, up, and down, but as she became more coherent she began to become more nervous. Such thoughts as 'where am I?' or 'who are these people' began to show on her face as they could see her unease.
Luckily when she looked up she saw a very familiar face. "Hey Ku-chan, did you enjoy your nap?" Kusano merely looked at the smiling face of Kyle as her eyes began to tear up, before once again launching herself into Kyle's chest.
For a second time that night he held Kusano's small form to him for comfort. "It's ok, it's ok." He began whispering in her ear again while Miya looked on with a soft look on her face. "See, I told you that you'd be safe."
GGRRGGLRR!
The moment was interrupted by the sound from Kusano's stomach. Apparently it'd had enough of being ignored and was now demanding attention and to be fed.
"Fufufu." On the plus side it got Miya to smile and give a small chuckle. "Well I suppose it is time for dinner. Lets dig in."
From there dinner went along pretty peacefully. Though with two of the tenants missing that was to be slightly expected. Although Kusano didn't mind as she was to preoccupied with getting as much food as she could.
Deciding he'd had enough of the silence, well...besides 'munch, munch, munch', Kyle tried to begin a conversation. "So, I saw that Kagari was pretty well dressed. Do you know where he works Miya-sama?"
Merely giving Kyle a smile she answered him. "Kagari usually works late as a Host in a club."
At the new word Musubi made herself known. "Host?"
Kyle obliged her with an answer. "Musubi a Host is someone who..takes care of people. Usually they're of the opposite gender, a Host deals with women and a Hostess deals with men."
"Oh!...Musubi also wants to be a hostess!" She declared loudly, figuring that as a Hostess she could probably get closer to Kyle...well...she was partly right. /AN (For those that don't know, a Host/Hostess is a person that works at a place such as a club, or cafe in some cases, and are paid to spend time with people of the oppsite gender. Usually just to talk and enjoy eachothers company.)/
At her declaration Kyle could only sweatdrop. "Um...Musubi..I don't think you actually understand what a Host does."
At his response Musubi only looked at him questiongly. "What do you mean Kyle-sama?"
Kyle only sighed. "I'll tell you later Musubi. It's not exactly a conversation for the table." He returned his attention back to the most wonderful food on his plate. Or, at least he would've if he hadn't noticed that Kusano's eyes had begun to slowly drift shut. Kyle merely smiled at the apparent struggle to stay awake...one that Kusano was apparently losing. 'Looks like her body was just letting her stay awake long enough to get some actual food. No telling how long she went without it.' Finally the battle was over and the young wagtail fell asleep with her head against the table.
"Fufufu." A giggle interrupted the young mans thoughts. "Guess that with her stomache full, her body no longer needs to stay awake." Kyle only gave a nod as Kusano shifted in her seat so that she was leaning against him. "Well, I'll go ahead and lay out some sheets in my room for her."
Kyle looked back at Miya, a hesitant look on his face. "Uhm...Miya?" He muttered somewhat softly, gaining the attention of the landlady of the house. "If its all the same to you, do you think that...just for tonight...she could sleep in my room?" At his question Miya stiffened, and Kyle knew that she was gearing up towards another "Hanya Attack", in which case he decided to try and head her off with a pre-emptive strike. "She's had a bad night. I just think that if she stayed with me for just tonight she may be more calm tomorrow." That seemed to halt the Hanya's coming, if only slightly. "She might panic if she wakes up in an unfamiliar place with someone she doesn't know." With his piece said he watched Miya's face for a reaction.
"Hmm." Miya "hmm'd" in thought, considering the options that Kyle had given. "Those are some good points. If she is your relative, then I suppose I could allow her to sleep in your room for one night."
At her answer Kyle sigh'd in relief. 'Guess one night's the best I'm gonna get.' "Thank you Miya-sama. I'll go ahead and start to lay out some extra sheets."
With his piece said he scooped up Kusano and began his ascent to the up-stairs. All the while Miya watched him go the whole way. 'Truly an interesting man indeed.' She smiled mysteriously as she began to clean up.
On an empty street Kagari found himself walking down it's length, as if waiting for someone. "Why can't tonight just end...I need sleep damnit!" He continued to mutter under his breath.
His apparent wait was over as a black tinted car began to pull up behind him. As he looked over his shoulder he saw a hand outside the window making a "come hither" motion. Walking to the car and opened the door. He was greeted to the sight of his person on the inside of Minaka's empire. "Meeting by a tinted car?" He gave a soft chuckle before entering. "How...prestigious."
Inside the car was Takami. However, instead of being in her usual business/doctors outfit, she was dressed in a black one-piece dress, not to mention a black eye-patch that had a fancy design of a cross. Sucking on another cancer stick she looked towards Kagari. "Well, if I had to come," A coy smile found it's way to her lips. "I might as well come with some style."
As Kagari entered the car Takai noticed that he was having some difficulty with his balance. "I inflicted more harm on you because of this event it seems." She took another drag as Kagari situated himself.
Kagari chuckled under his breath. "You seem more attentive tonight Takami. Could it be your actually developing a soft spot for me?" He said in jest.
Takami merely scowled at him. "Your being awfully whiny for someone with a cute face." Her face becoming blank she looked towards Kagari. "So Homura, or do you prefer Kagari? Whats No. 108's condition?"
Kagari/Homura's face became serious as they finally got down to business. "It seems satble for now, so there's no worries. And while not in mask, it's Kagari" Gaining a bit of a smirk he continued. "Her sleeping face looked very peaceful, probably the most peaceful sleep she's had in a good while."
Releasing a small sigh she looked out her window. "Really? Well, then I guess I won't have to worry because she lives there. Only a fool with a death wish would anger the landlady of that house."
Gaining a viscious smirk Homura looked towards Takami. "So you mean Minaka?"
"Psh." She couldn't help the look of amusement that spread across her face. "It's a nice thought. But sadly even he's not stupid enough to try and anger that woman." As she calmed down she once again gained a serious look. "I do have a question about No. 108. Who did she choose?"
At her question Kagari's smirk vanished, he looked at Takami with a look that could be described as a mixture of seriousness and confusion. "She chose a man named Kyle Shirahama."
With that simple statement Takami grew even more curious. "Shirahama? Thats the Ashikabi of No. 88 right?" At Kagari's nod she took a deep breath of her cigarette before sighing. "Great, the one Ashikabi we know absolutely nothing about."
"What?" Kagari nearly shouted in confusion. "MBI has no data on him?...How is that possible?" As loathe as he was to admit it, MBI knew everythingabout everyone on the planet. They'd know when a person wakes up, what they had for breafast, how their day went, and, if it suited them, childhood crushes. For Takami to say that MBI knew nothing about Shirahama...it couldn't compute in Kagari's mind at this moment.
Realizing her small slip Takami gave Kagari a very stern look. "Kagari, what I've just told you is top secret." At the sound of her voice Kagari regained his mental surrounding. "No-one can know that he is a unknown in this game. If word got out that he is a wild-card that even MBI doesn't know about...well, lets just say that he may not last too long."
Mentally nodding, a sudden thought occurred to him. "Actually, it may not be as easy to get him as they would think."
With his answer Takami's eye's shot at him, wide with shock. "You have info on him?" This just might be what she had been looking for, if there was an unknown variable in the game, knowing Minaka's imagination, it could provoke a disaster. "What have you got?"
"Unfortunately not much, just what I've seen and from what I've gathered first hand, both in and out of my mask." At her questioning look he elaborated. "He's staying at the inn, so I see him a fair amount." At her nod he continued. "At the inn, I've noticed that he's a bit laid back in his attitude, unless it involves training or when he needs to ask something of importance."
"Training?" Was this man a fighter? If so how good was he.
"Yeah, training, he's a fighter. A damned good one to." He looked Takami dead in the eye as he continued. "He managed to hold his own against No. 88 who is a Fist-Type!"
"WHAT!" The usually calm Takami shouted in disbelief. "He held his own against her?...The hell are you talking about."
Putting his hands up in defence he continued with his story. "Oi, oi, I said he held his own, I didn't say he won." Regaining his composure he continued. "Skill-wise, he had Musubi beat. Not all that hard seeing as how she seems to only aim for the face. When Kyle discovered that it became easy to predict what Musubi would do. From there the fight became more even as Kyle began to give her pointers on how to fight more effectively."
Finally calm enough from her outburst she resumed her questions. "He gave her pointers? Is he a martial artist?"
Kagari merely nodded. "I think so. He never said what he practiced, but from what I could tell it was a very fluid, if straight forward, style of fighting." Taking a deep breath for the next part, and hardest in his opinion, of his explanation. "Also, theres one more thing." Seeing that he had Takami's attention he resumed. "It was when I first saw him, back when he first winged No. 88, when he met her she was being chased by No.'s 11 & 12. When they leaped at him as he and 88 were about to run away...they stopped-" At that point Takami inadvertantly cut in. "Stopped? Why would they just stop before getting to-" "In mid air!" That immediatly quieted the one eyed inquisitor. "I can't explain it but thats what happened, they just stopped. But thats not the strangest part, next they get flung to the side as if someone had pushed him. All the while his eyes...they were glowing!"
At this Takami merely raised her eybrow. "Glowing? They just began to glow? I'm sorry but I'm afraid that just sounds a little to farfetched."
Giving a sigh Kagari continued. "I know, but thats what I saw. I think it means, and I'm not saying that it's a hundred percent sure, but it may mean that Kyle was the one who did it."
"Tch." Scoffing at the mere thought. "So what? Are you saying that he has some super-powers? Or maybe he's psychic?" Takamis said in a voice laced with sarcasm.
Look serious once again he looked at Takami. "Super-powers? No. ESP however, that may be something to look into." As she once again raised her eyebrow he defended his theory. "Its been mentioned, and scientifically proven, that there is a chance that a person can gain ESP. Regardless of how remote that possibility is, it's still a possibility." He gave another long sigh. "The only other option is that he's a Sekirei, but thats impossible. I saw him wing No. 88 myself. He's definitely an Ashikabi."
Conceding to a point Takami inclined her head. "...Fine. I'll look into it, but your gonna have to give me more to go on then "glowing eyes", ok Kagari?"
"Thats acceptable. I'll just need a bit more time." Kagari said as he felt content with what he got from Takami. "It'll take me a while to get the info you need, but...thanks Takami." Takami finally settled, and Kagari finally felt as though he could relax...until he remebered a certain unwinged bird. "Uhm...Takami.."
Opening her lone ashen eye she looked at him. "...Yes?" Oh~ this better not be anymore touble or she just might have to strangle someone.
Giving a gulp he pressed on. "There was one more thing that was bothering me...I..met a Disposed Product...outside of MBI." At this point Kagari was praying, praying, to any God that would listen that Takami would not take out her frustrations on him.
"...A Disposed Product?" Her voice was eerily calm. "Because I've been bound to Kusano's case I haven't heard a thing about that." She muttered something under her breath that Kagari barely heard. "It'd better not be one of Minaka's bad jokes!" Shaking her head slightly she looked back at Kagari. "Fine...I'll look into it." Seeing Kagari lay his head back, no doubt just as frustrated as she was, she came up with an excellent idea. "Well then..." She gained a very shark like grin. The kind of shark that just smelled fresh blood. "..Just to really score against the bastard..I brought this!" From out of her purse she retrieved a pure black credit card.
At the sight of said credit card Kagari began to stutter. "T-t-that card!...I-i-is it?" Dare he hope to dream?
Takami's grin just became more shark-like. "I stole Minaka's card! MWAHAHAHA!" She began to laugh hysterically maniacle. "I'll eat so many restauraunt's out of business!" She continued her hysterically maniacle laughter.
At the realization of what they held in their hands Kagari began his own laughter. "Ahahah! That's why I like you Takami!"
In his bedroom Kyle began setting up the extra futon for Musubi to sleep in. His original plan was for both Musubi and Kusano to sleep in the same futon. Unfortunately Kusano seemed to be...reluctant in letting go of her "Onii-chan". Looking over at Musubi, Kyle smiled. "Musubi." He called getting said Sekirei's attention.
"Hai?" Musubi called back, turning around to face Kyle. At this point Musubi was dressed in a gym shirt and bloomers, more then likely supplied by Uzume at Miya's request. Thankfully Kyle's lessons on decency seemed to be setting in...for the most part at least. She still seemed to have some problems remembering that it wasn't "decent" to change while there was a guy in the room. Though that probably had more to do with him being her Ashikabi.
Smiling a bit he looked her in the eye's. "I just wanted to say thanks." At her confused glance, Kyle elaborated. "For your help tonight."
Musubi blushed before shaking her head. "Musubi didn't do anything Kyle-sama." She gave him one of her bright smiles that seemed to make the world abetter place then it was. He thanked her for that smile everyday. "Kyle-sama is the one who saved Ku-chan. You were so cool Kyle-sama!" She bounced over to him and hugged him from behind, being careful of the young Sekirei who had a firm grip on the young Agito's neck. "The minute you knew Ku-chan was in trouble you left to find her. Even risking your own body to protect her." She shifted her hands to lay on his back as she leaned into him as if to try and take away his wound...this also pressed her assets further onto his form...causing his face to have a nuclear meltdown as he could feel her warm body being pressed to his.
Trying desperately to regain his cool Kyle resumed talking. "I-I just did what anyone else would have done Musubi-chan." He felt her shake her head against his back.
"Facing someone with a weapon to protect a weak person...not many people would do that." However, she began to shake. "But...Kyle-sama got hurt because Musubi wasn't there."
Kyle felt her quiver as his eyes began to soften. "Musubi." He muttered under his breath.
Before he had a chance to turn around he felt Musubi wrap her arms around him. "Kyle-sama...will be protected by Musubi...she will never allow him to be hurt!" She said in an exhuberant voice. The moment was cut short when Musubi let go of Kyle. "Of course..Ku-chan will also be protected by Musubi!" She declared in a loud and joyous voice. She then smakced her fist into her palm. "Oh! I should ask the landlady for some training!...And Kyle-sama too!" Pumping her fits in the air she had a smile on her face. "Musubi will do her best!"
Hearing the conviction in her voice Kyle couldn't help but give a small chuckle. "Hey Musu-" He turned around to talk to her some more, only to stop short when he saw that Musubi was already under the covers and sleeping. "Aha..hahaha!" He chuckled low enough so that he wouldn't disturb Musubi or Kusano. "That's just like you Musubi, become so full of energy that it's contagious, and then fall asleep with no care in the world." 'It's such a troublesome habit of yours...but it's a quality that should never change.' Looking down at the sleeping form of Kusano he smiled. "Well I gues that's our cue as well Ku-chan. Lets get some sleep." After shutting off the lights Kyle slowly began to lay under the covers while manuvering Kusano in a position where she would be lying on top of him.
'Your right about one thing Musubi. I will protect you and Ku-chan...I promise..' With those last thougts Kyle drifted off to sleep.
In a dark room, a lone figure sat alone. Surrounded by what appeared to be computer moniter. On the smaller monitors appeared to be streams of various data that whizzed by at incredible speed, reflecting off a glare of the figures glasses. One which no human could hope to keep up with. However, such data was being ignored in favor of the giant screen in front of the figure.
"Kukuku." A silent, yet feminine giggle, arose from the figure. "Such a mystery you are Himitsu-kun." The figure mused as it looked at the image of a sleeping Kyle with the resting form of Kusano on his chest. "So interesting." The figure brought a hand up to their chest, resting it upon it.
The figure, now able to be defined as a woman, never took her eyes of of Kyle for an instant. "I wonder, could he could be the one?" Her thoughts turning into curiosity of a "could be" were stopped as she saw something on her screens that made her pause. "Wait...what's happening?" The figures voice becoming worried with a tint of curiostiy hidden within it
Indeed, what the figure had been watching was correct as Kyle began to toss and turn while sleeping, as if he was having a bad dream. If anyone saw that then they'd be partially right. In a sense it was a night-mare, in another it was much, much more.
Deep within Kyle's mind visions appeared in flashes, one after another. Each one bringing more intensity then the one before.
"You are a sin! One that must be purged!" An enraged yet cold voice spoke
Turning his head to the right he saw faint images of a tall figure in his mind.
"Your existance is an abomination..An afront to our Lord!" It continued to speak in a way that would freeze even a volcano.
Another turn and he sees a faint outline of...something coming towards him. It was blurred, no doubt a memory of something better left forgotten. The only thing that was barely visible was pair of blue scaled arms with gold bracers and a pair of crimson slitted eyes that seemed to pierce..no..destroy the soul.
"Kyle!..Kyle run now! Get away from here!" A pair of panicked voices called.
"So this is the child?" The voice turned from cold to questioning.
His breathing increased rapidly to the point of hyperventalating. Sweat was pouring from his face the dream began to become more intense.
"Kyle do as your parents say and Run!" The last words said before being nothing more than ice sculptures.
"K-Kaa-san!..D-Dad!" Kyle constantly whispered as tears began to spill from his shut eyes.
"O-Onii-chan?" A young voice called.
"Hi-Hikari!" He whispered out more painfully.
"You may run child..but no matter where you go, you will always be an abomination...and I will find you."
"No...No...NO!" Kyle nearly shouted as he jolted awake at the dreams end. 'Wh-why? That dream again...wasn't once enough?...Why must I see it again in my dreams? Why must I constantly see it?' Looking behind him at the digital clock he saw that it was only 4:45 am. Letting out a sigh he began to gently remove Kusano's prone form from his body. 'Too late to go back to sleep, but too early to go to work...training?' Trying to move his body Kyle felt brief flashes of pain that didn't seem...physical. "Heh." Giving a small chuckle he shook his head. 'So I finally hit my limit for a while...figures it would happen after I get a gash in my back.' With that thought he rolled his back only to feel a slight sting. 'Healing's definately been slowed...guess it's just some coffee and some breakfast then.' Finally managing to remove Kusano's body from his, Kyle made his way down stairs. Never noticing that Kusano's eyes drifted open just before his door shut.
Kyle found himself staring at the barely visible moon as the last few bits of it's luminesence began to fade as morning drew near. He was sitting on the poarch with a plain thin blanket wrapped around him to ward of the cool morning air. "Mn...I just had to decide to wake up while it's still cold." Giving a sigh he saw brief outlines of his breath. 'What am I going to do? This "Sekirei Game" or whatever the hell they want to call it is playing with lives!' Kyle narrowed his eyes in disgust. Giving his head a quick shake he dispelled the negative thoughts.
Pat..pat..pat..pat.
Hearing a light tapping of footsteps behind him Kyle turned around. He was mildly surprised to see the young Sekirei awake and out of bed. "Ku-chan?" As she came closer Kyle saw that she still had some black rings around her eyes. "Why are you up?...Did I wake you when I left the room?" Seeing her give a brief nod Kyle sighed again before cating the slight shiver Kusano made. Kyle gave a small smile as he remembered that it was still early morning and thus cold, plus the light sleeveless dress that Kusano was wearing probably didn't help much. Making a decision Kyle lifted up his right arm and made an opening in his blanket. "Hey Ku-chan, why don't you come under here? It's pretty toasty."
As if there was a need for anymore icentive. All Kyle saw was a blur as Kusano ducked under the covers and cuddled up to Kyle's warmth. Giving a small chuckle he rapped the blanket around the young Sekirei, taking it off of himself, making sure Kusano was protected from the cold. "There we go, all nice and toasty ne?" Looking up at Kyle's face Kusano gave a small, but bright, smile. Kyle gave a small shiver as his body was reintroduced to the cold.
Once again Kyle found himself looking at the small garden of the inn. His eyes kept being drawn towards the tree...the same one that helped to save both his and Musubi's life. "You know Ku-chan," Getting the attention of said Sekirei as she looked up at him. "That tree over there, it helped to save, not only my life...but Musubi's as well." Looking at the tree in question Kyle had a brief flash of when he fell and the tree caught him...more precisely he remembered seeing a small child with open arms catching him. "Not only that, but as we fell I remember seeing a young girl with sandy blonde hair and a white sundress opening her arms, as if to catch us."
At the description of the young girl Kusano began to blush and look down.
Seeing her blush Kyle gained a smirk, figuring he had the young plant master, he decided to give her some light teasing. "Hmm, who does that remind me of?" Seeing her blush begin to grow his smile widened. "Now..who do I know that fits that description? Who do I know that has sandy blonde hair, wears a white sundress, and is able to control plants?" Her face positively steaming Kyle decided to end his teasing and placed his hand on the young girls head.
"Meep!"
Upon feeling Kyles hand on her head Kusano gave a small 'Meep' in surprise. "Hahahaha!" Kyle just couldn't keep it in any longer as he let out a low baritone laugh at the reaction that he got out of the girl. "Maybe it was you who helped us hm? It sure is a mystery."
Finally able to give a response Kusano gave a small nod of her head. "A voice...Onii-chan's voice...Ku, heard his voice." Gulping slightly as she was putting herself in the spotlight. "Ku could hear other people...but Onii-chan's voice was the loudest...and kindest. It kept saying 'I won't let anything hurt you, I will protect you'." Giving a small look of surprise at the child Kyle remembered thinking those words as he and Musubi fell. "Such a kind voice...Ku felt as though she could trust that voice...so she entrusted herself to Onii-chan...and called out to him." Before she could start back up again she felt a warm arm suround her...giving her a feeling of being protected. Looking up she couldn't help the blush that appeared on her face as she saw Kyle smiling softly.
"So it really was Ku-chan who helped to save me and Musubi huh?" Seeing her nod once again he gave a small chuckle. "Well then. I guess I put this off long enough huh?" Looking up at Kyle Kusano had a look of confusion. "I want to say...Thank you, Ku-chan."
At his thanks Kusano lit up with a bright smile. It was, however, replaced by a small blush and a look of nervousness. Getting up and shedding the blanket she walked closer to Kyle who had a look of confusion on his face. "Onii-chan? W-W-Will y-y-you," Looking at her intently as it appeared that this one question held alot of meaning he let her continue. "Become Ku's..Ashikabi?" Working up her courage she immediately planted her lips on Kyle's own in a simple and innocent kiss, much like how a younger sister would kiss an older brother, not waiting for his answer.
Upon the kiss a multitude of green feather like lights appeared and coalesced, making it seem as though there were two large wings sprouting from the young Sekirei's body.
The sight, plus the surprise kiss attack rendered Kyle speechles. However, his thoughts were another thing. 'Damnit! I know she's a Sekirei and wants me to be her Ashikabi...but she's only eleven years old! Thats a nine freaking year difference!' He decided right then and there that Miya must Neverfind out...or she may just kill him.
As the kiss ended the wings burst into green specs of light that littered the garden and the house. When the specs settled into the ground the gardens flowers and other fauna sprang to life, suddenly blooming with an intensity that represented spring at its finest...no...even better. As the flowers bloomed their stray pettles blew in the wind and surrounded both the occupants of the Izumo Inn.
After recollecting his thoughts he looked down at Kusano, hoping to talk to her about the kiss. However, as he looked down he saw that the young Sekirei had fallen back asleep with her head resting in her lap. At this Kyle couldn't help but sweatdrop. 'Ok, are they really asleep? Or do they do this intentionally just to avoid conversations and drive me nuts?'
Lifting Kusano back into his arms Kyle made his way up. His thoughts playing back the events of last night while at the same time wondering. 'Just what the heck will tomorrow bring?'
"Ara! What happened to my vegetables?" Miya asked in surprise as she saw that all her vegetables had somehow grown atounding proportions, not only that but they looked very healthy. "I wonder what happned?"
"TAYAHP!"
Was the resounding yell that rang in the mid-morning air. "Keep your feet Musubi!" Kyle's voice rang out strongly. "Remember when an opponent is using a weapon you need to be able to switch your direction on a dime!" Why was he giving advice on how to dodge a weapon? Well, earlier that morning Musubi had asked Miya if she could spar with her, her excitment was evident in her eyes the moment she saw Miya practice with her boken. From there...it couldn't be called much of a spar...more like a one sided lesson to Musubi who was dressed in her gym shirt and bloomers.
"EI!" With a simple thrust Miya made Musubi move to her left, barely dodgeing what would have been an ending blow.
After dodging Miya's strike Musubi leapt forward aiming a straight jab at the landlady's chest, hoping to get at least one shot on her. "TAYAHP!"
BAM!
"Itai!" Musubi covered her head with her hands trying to soothe the pain that was coursing through it after Miya had managed to get in a strike on the brown haired Sekirei's head.
"Hmm." Kyle gave a small sigh. "I've told you that you need to be able to switch directions on a dime Musubi, during the fight you allowed Miya-sama to control your pace and lead you to where she needed."
Miya gave a small nod and looked over to Kyle. "Kyle-san, may I please educate Musubi in what she did wrong?" At Kyle's nod Miya continued. "Musubi-chan, your breathing becomes too rough, this is because you are using unessecary movements. It's good to be confident in your physical skill, but you depend too much on it." Her face lost a portion of it's seriousness before she continued with a smile. "Please fix that first ok?"
"Musubi will do her best!" Musubi cried in joy at learning to fight better. Upon finishing their spar she looked over to Kyle who also had a smile on his face. Seeing that smile filled Musubi's heart with joy. She also noticed that Kyle had a young passenger laying her head against his chest.
At some point during the spar young Kusano had decided to plop herself down on Kyle's lap and watch the spar through her covered her eyes.
Giving the young girl a nudge Kusano looked up at Kyle. "Ok Ku-chan, the fights over you can look now." Uncovering her eyes and seeing that the spar was indeed over Kusano got up and raced over to Musubi's side with the intention of a big hug. One that Musubi was all to happy to respond to with one of her own.
As he gave a small chuckle at the two he drew their attention to himself. "Ah, Kyle-sama! Is it time for us to spar?" Musubi asked with lage stars in her eyes at the thought of sparring once again with her Ashikabi.
Giving another chuckle he looked at Musubi. "Sorry Musubi, not right now. I have to get to my job." Seeing her downtroden face he gave a smile at how easy it was for her to wear her emotions on her sleaves. "But, I guess after I get back we can have a short spar." At that Musubi leapt in joy. "So for right now, I'll see you later."
"Have a good day Kyle-sama!"
"Bye bye Onii-chan!"
"Don't forget your cell-phone, and I left your lunch on the table."
"Right, right I got it!"
Unseen by the tenants, Uzume was lounging about on the roof as she nibbled on a cracker as she took in the morning suns rays, not unlike a cat. As she bit into her cracker she heard the voices of the other tenants, plus the landlady calling out to eachother as they bid Kyle a good day as he headed off to work. Giving a small laugh at the play by play, she couldn't keep the smile that was forming off of her face. "Really...They have too much vigour for it to really be the morning...but then again...I guess thats what makes it fun.
As Kyle walked down the street to his job, yes walking, apparently Miya had...asked him not to take his bike since when he returned to the inn he had some blood on his back. Adding on to the fact that he was still partially limping that morning and she had come up with a very strong argument against him driving to work. 'Seriously, Miya can be truly frightening when she wants to be. I'd be surprised if anyone normal, heck even abnormal, could stand up to her...And whats with the Hannya face that shows up whenever she's mad?'
As he continued his trek his mind began to wonder to the concepts of the Sekirei Game, and all those who participated in it for the prize of 'Ascending'.'Whatever the heck that means. Still, I need to learn more about this "Game" if I expect for any of us to survive it.' His thoughts kept going back to Seo, even if he wasn't an Ashikabi, he still knew alot more about this game then anyone he's met so far. 'Musubi and Ku-chan don't seem to know alot about it. Ku-chan was probably in the garden before it started and thus doesn't know anything beyond the basics. Musubi seems more interested in the fighting so she's probably in the same boat.' Giving a sigh Kyle saw the tell tale signs of construction. 'If I want any answers I'll have to ask Seo.'
XXXXXXXX- (Construction Site)
"HE WHAT!" A voice rang out in the middle of the construction site.
A man that seemed to be in his late 30's, maybe early 40's, was talking to Kyle who had a shocked expression on his face. "Yeah, he up and quit. Just today actually."
Kyle's shocked face slowly turned into one of expected disappointment. 'Don't know why I'm surprised, looked like the guy was ready to leave the moment Ku-chan was out. Probably only started working here to get close and as much information as he could.'
The older man merely shook his head. "Well, it's not like I mind all that much. He didn't come to often, took alot of breaks, and pretty much anything to avoid work; so I didn't really know the guy." The man gave a small sigh as he thought of how the day was going. "Though I'm not exactly lookin forward to work today. The foreman won't be too happy he just up and quit, we're reaching our halfway deadline and if we half to use more time? Well, thats not good for the pay...then again the man did barely any work so it won't be that much different. Hah." The man gave a small chuckle as a thought entered his mind. "Well I guess he wasn't all bad. He was pretty laid back so he was easy to get along with." As his chuckle ended a shiver set in. "On the other hand those girls that would come to berate him were a tad scary."
"Yeah, those two can be a bit scary." Kyle gave a small laugh. 'Though, thats probably because the guy is taking advantage of their Ashikabi.'
XXXXXXXX- (Few Hours Later, around Noon)
"Ahhh~!" Kyle groaned out while giving his back a few pops, it now being nearly completely healed, as he began his trek back to the inn. "Work was a little harder today; probably because I'm still not at one hundred percent yet." 'Wonder what Miya's making for dinner?'
"Kyle-sama?" A familiar bubbly voice spoke out.
Turning around, Kyle was greeted to the familiar sight of Kusano and Musubi. "Musubi, Ku-chan? What are you two doing here?"
Musubi simply gave a closed eyed smile. "It was about time for your work to be over so Musubi and Ku-chan decided to come see you! Right, Ku-chan?" She looked down at the young plant controller who was somewhat hiding behind her leg.
Spotting the blonde Sekirei, Kyle gave a small, comforting smile as he bent over to look Kusano in the eyes. "Thanks for coming Ku-chan! It's nice to see your out of the house." Kusano just nodded meekly with the tiniest hints of a blush on her cheeks, as she gave a small smile. Looking back at Musubi, Kyle decided to ask a question. "Is there any other reason you two came here?"
At his question Musubi gave a nod. "Mhmm! Musubi got a request from the Miya-sama to run an errand." At Kyle's nod to continue she did so. "She said we were running out of food so she asked me to go to the store and get some."
"What did she ask you to get? Maybe can give a hand?" Kyle asked wondering if he could help Musubi with any groceries. 'Heck, how much do we have to get?'
Still smiling Musubi dug out a piece of paper. "Hmm...Oh! 50 kilograms of rice!"
Stopping and looking back at Musubi, Kyle had only one question. "Why do we need 50 kilograms of rice?" Musubi only gave a shrug. "Oh well, might as well get going." As he began to walk again he felt a tug at his shirt. Looking back he saw that Kusano was tugging his shirt, looking as though she wanted to ask him something. "Yes Ku-chan?"
Fidgiting slightly while looking at the ground, Kusano mumbled her request. "Um, Ku was wondering...could...could Ku hold hands with Onii-chan?"
Giving the child a warm smile Kyle took the young girls smaller hand into his own larger hand. "Of course Ku-chan, you can most definitely hold my hand." At his approval the young Sekirei immediately latched on to his right hand.
"Kyle-sama! Musubi to, Musubi to!" Musubi chirped as Kyle only chuckled at her exuberance as he took her right hand into his left.
"Ok, ok Musubi-chan." As he felt their hands intertwine he could feel his smile grow. "Well, lets get going, that rice isn't going to buy itself!" With that the trio headed off to the market for their rice.
XXXXXXXX- (Izumo Inn)
Miya was sitting on the poarch as she waited for the clothing on the lines to dry. She kept finding herslef thinking of her newest tenant, not like that she already had a husband, there was jus something about him that made her feel as though she'd known him from somewhere. The only problem is finding out exactly where the feeling came from.
"Tadaima!" Well, as the old saying goes, speak of the devil.
As she walked to the door she was greeted with the sight of her three newest tenant with both Musubi and Kyle holding up two large sacks of rice each. "Ara, Kyle-kun how thoughtful of you to help with the groceries. Though, aren't you back a bit early?"
"It's no trouble, I ran into Musubi on the way back and decided to help. As for my being back early, the foreman decided to call it quits for today, not sure why though." Kyle respoded as he brought in the rice.
Miya only giggled. "Well seeing as how your back early how about I start making lunch?"
Before Kyle could nod his head Musubi chose this time to speak. "Uhm, Miya-sama?" Said person looked towards Musubi at the call of her name. "Musubi was wondring if she could make the lunch today?"
The look of semi-surprise that appeared on Miya's face was quickly changed into one of light amusement. Giggling in her hand for a moment she gave Musubi her answer. "Of course Musubi-chan, though I have to ask; is there any particular reason for wanting to cook lunch today?"
"Yes! Musubi wanted to make lunch for everyone today to say thanks to Miya-sama for her spar this morning!" At her reason, Miya could only nod. After all how could she say 'no' for the reason that Musubi gave.
Kyle only began wondering how well Musubi could cook before a sudden thought entered his mind. "Hey, Musubi," At the mention of her name Musubi's head instantly turned over to Kyle, giving him her immediate attention. "Before you start cooking, I promised you a small spar this morning did I not?" At his statement Musubi's eyes positively lit up at the thought of training, Miya's eyes however, were a bit more...well a bit less positive. Something which Kyle noticed. "However, it'll just be a light spar, focused more on your movements then actual fighting."
"Movements?" Of course Musubi had a bit of a hard time understanding what Kyle meant when he said 'movements'.
Noticing this Kyle amended his statement. "I mean that we will be doing 'dodge' practice." Again seeing her look Kyle sighed. "Remember this morning when Miya-sama lead the entire fight and moved you into a bad spot?" Seeing Musubi's eyes light up in recognition he continued. "We're going to work on that."
Musubi only gained a determined look. "Ok! Musubi will do her best!"
"Well let me go get changed and we can get started." Kyle replied as he moved to go drop off the rice in the kitchen, then proceeded up the stairs to change. "Ku-chan," Hearing her name called out she turned towards the stairs. "If you want to watch, thats ok."
"Mm, Mm!" Was the only reply Kyle recieved, but because it had such a light tone in it, he decided that it was a 'yes' in Kusano.
Back in the yard where Miya and Musubi fought, Kyle once again wearing his black tanktop and black sweat pants, Musubi was also once again wearing her gym shirt and bloomers. They both stared at eachother, unmoving, Kyle was looking at Musubi with a calculating look in his eyes. Contrarily, Musubi once again had an excited look in her eyes. Then there was the third member in this setting, in the form of an observer named Kusano. She came to watch her Onii-chan and Musubi have their spar.
"Okay Musubi, remember that this is only a dodge practice on your end. I don't want you attacking at all in this one ok?" Kyle reminded Musubi of this spars purpose, it wasn't a offensive purpose but strictly defensive.
Musubi only shook her head yes. "I understand Kyle-sama!" Musubi replied with an air of confidence.
Nodding his head Kyle decided to begin the spar, but first looked back over at Kusano. "If you get too uncomfortable watching us you can cover your eyes, ok Ku-chan?" He warned Kusano as he remembered when Musubi and Miya sparred she watched through her hands, obvioulsy uncomfortable with fighting.
"TYA!" Kyle wasted no time as he started his assault with a reverse spin kick.
Of course Musubi was able to see it and react accordingly. "Hup!" She dodged to her left, Kyle's kick not even close to hitting her. However, Kyle came back with a fast left jab and clipped Musubi on her shoulder. Though it didn't do much to hurt her, it did manage to through her slightly off balance.
Kyle quickly jumped to the side and started oonce again with a kick that went under Musubi's guard. Musubi quickly ducked down and looped around Kyle's leg before kicking off the ground to gain some distance.
"Remember! You need to change on a dime!" Kyle yelled as he spun on his left and jumped up. The sudden unexpected high speed spin threw Musubi further off balance, as she desperatly dove to the right to avoid the oncoming kick.
Musubi had somehow managed to land lightly on her feet, albeit stumbling a tad bit before smilling at Kyle. "This spar is getting amazing Kyle-sama! Lets continue!" She declared smiling and Kyle let a small grin appear on his face for a second before his eyes went serious again as he ran at her.
As Musubi put up her guard to prepare for Kyle's charge, he suddenly ducked down low and swept out with his foot in a quick spin. Musubi quickly and easily jumped up above the kick as Kyle finished his spin, his fist held out close to the ground, he moved himself into a one armed hand stand. "Tya!" He yelled right before his leg connected with her stomache.
As the fight went on Kusano's eyes were glued to every bit of the action that happened, though everytime Musubi and Kyle collided she would flinch. Each flinch was accompanied by small squealing sounds, but Kusano was resolute in watching the entire fight from start to finish and see who would win.
Kyle's kick knocked Musubi slightly up in the air before being brouht back down to the ground. As soon as she landed she was forced to jump to the side to avoid a punch from Kyle.
"Tyaa!" Kyle cried out as he brought his arm down in a blur to the same spot where Musubi had landed. Musubi barely got her arm in position to block in time, as a result however, she was slightly pushed back.
As soon as Musubi blocked Kyle shot back in order to gain some distance between them. "Ok, Musubi-chan times almost up." He said and Musubi cocked her head curiously to the side.
"How come Kyle-sama? I thought we were just getting started" She asked and Kyle nodded his head as he tried to control his breathing.
"True we just got started, but I'm running on empty and I think you are as well." Kyle said and Musubi looked confused until a sudden trio of sounds made themselves known.
GRrggGLrr
Musubi made an 'O' shape with her mouth before sh smiled. "Ok Kyle-sama." She said before getting into a fighting stance. "One last strike?" She asked as she put up her guard.
Kyle only nodded as he sprinted forward. "Tya!" His left arm stretched out as he made an obvious punch.
"Hup!" Musubi said as she rushed to her left in order to avoid the blow. However, as she moved to the left, she felt her shoulder hit the fence. Flinching in realization that Kyle had forced her into an unfavorable spot for little defense and little movement.
When she looked back she saw Kyle coming in with a straight right punch, bringing a end to the spar. As the attack came Musubi closed her eyes and awaited the pain that was sure to come. She waited, and waited, and...wait a minute...where was the punch? Opening her eyes a bit she saw that the punch had stopped just short of her face.
Kyle was just standing there and smiling. "Game, set, and..." He changed his hand from a fist and moved his middle finger to rest on top of his thumb. "Match!" He flicked Musubi on the tip of her nose, causing her to flinch slightly.
"Indeed it is." A voice said that made them look over in surprise to see Miya standing at the side of the Inn. "Haven't we discussed this before Musubi-chan?" She said with a small smile and Musubi bonked herself on the head.
"Now why don't you two take a quick rest before you start up lunch, ne Musubi-chan?" She said before giving a small smile over to Kyle which he shyly returned.
"Ok Miya-sama." Kyle said as he and Musubi made their way back in the house as Kusano made to hold Kyle's hand on his way back in.
XXXXXXXX- (Dark Room)
In the same dark room as before the same figure kept their eyes firmly trained on the screens in front of them. The middle screen showed replays of the spar/lesson between Musubi and Kyle, while the rest of the screens showed various bits of random data about various different subjects.
The figures eyes were firmly placed on Kyle, many questions roamed through those eyes. More then likely trying to understand how a normal human could not only keep up with a Sekirei, but actually win and teach them how to use their abilities better? "Who are you Kyle-tan? MBI has no records of you and you are able to keep up with a fist-type Sekirei who are suppose to exel in hand to hand fights." A glint appeared in the figures eyes as the kept watching the replay's. "More information is needed before I make a complete analysis."
XXXXXXXX- (Izumo Inn Hallway)
As Kyle walked out of his room, after a nice change of clothes once he was out of the bath, his mind wondered back to some vibes that he had been getting most of the day. 'It's as if someone is watching me...but that can't be right...can it?' Shrugging off the feeling as paranoia he continued his trek. He was sporting a pair of black denim jeans and a simple light green tank top. As he descended the stairs he ran into Miya...who was wearing a very beautiful kimono. "Oh Miya-sama, that's a lovely kimono. What's the occasion?" He immediatly regretted his question though as he saw a brief look of saddness in Miya's eyes.
Quickly covering up the look with her usual closed eye smile she answered him. "Today is the day of my husbands death." Ok now Kyle felt like a heel reminding this wonderful, if absolutely terriffying, woman of her husbands death. Losing a loved one is never easy, and the scars always stay with you. "I should be back around dinner time, I had planned to go this morning but my spar with Musubi and making sure you didn't kill yourself on that machine of yours took up most of the time I planned to use to straighten the inn up before I would leave." Nodding at her reasoning and feeling bad e had kept her from something as important as what she was hoping to do, Kyle was about to give his condolences...until Miya decided to close the discussion. "As such," She turned back to Kyle...and he was sure he was staring at the gates of hell, or at the very least a demon had decided to come and drag him there. "I expect that you will behave yourself and nothing...indecent will happen." The shape of the demon was becoming clearer as she finished her statement. "After all, indecent actions in Izumo are strictly prohibited." And with a smile the demon behind her was complete it's eyesdaring him to try something. All Kyle could do was nod, and pray that it would appease the demon. "Very well then, I will return later."
Kyle would find later that he stood in that spot for a good five minutes before heading into the kitchen to see if he could make some lunch for everyone. Strangely there were only two thoughts flowing through his head during the time he spent standing there. 'What did I ever do to make her think I was a pervert?' Very understandable as he never once commited a 'indecent' act in his life...although the few instances in the inn could make one wonder. However, the other thought was a bit...stranger. 'I wonder if she could teach me how to do that?' Finally regaining his motor skills he moved to the kitchen. As he grew closer to the kitched a gentle smell caressed his sense of smell. Someone was cooking and Kyle had an idea of who it was. "Hey Musu-" His statement died in his mouth when he saw Musubi's state of dress, as a blush threatened to overtake his face.
"Ah! Kyle-sama, we were just fixing up some lunch." Gone was her usual white and red miko outfit and in it's place was a frilly pink and white french maid outfit. The skirt and shoulder 'puffs' were a vibrant pink while the torso area, which was kept together by a frilly whit bow in the back, was a stark white, giving an appreciative mixture of the two colors. To top it off, both figuratively and literally, she wore a white frilly bandana headpiece. "Lunch should be ready in a little bit." The sound of Musubi's voice brought him out of the daze Musubi's new outfit put him in. It was very stunning, and flattering, on Musubi as it accentuated her curves.
"Um..ok..Musubi..chan...wait 'we'?" Kyle asked shaking himself out of his daze enough to acknowledge that Musubi said 'we'.
Smiling as she shook her head yes. "Yes, Musubi and Ku-chan have been making lunch Kyle-sa-" She stopped mid sentence as she seemed to have remembered something. "I mean. Master." The fact that her eyes seemed to sparkle as she smiled served to put Kyle into a daze once again as he stood there admiring Musubi's beauty.
"Onii-chan?" Once again brought out of his daze, only this time by the familiar voice of Kusano, Kyle looked down and eyes slightly widened as he saw Kusano's new outfit. Kusano now sported a costume of what appeared to be a bird. It was definitely too big for her, but seemed to have been modified slightly to be able to fit. It was mostly black with a whit underbelly, two googly eyes rested on either side of it's 'head' as Kusano's own head rested in the birds 'mouth'. She held up her 'wings' to her face and was obviously nervous if the look on her face wasn't apparent.
Finally regaining full sense of self Kyle smiled as he took a knee to look Kusano in the eye. "Hm, now whats this cute little bird doing here?" At his words Kusano's face visibly brightened as a light blush appeared on her face. "Now I wonder what type of bird this could be...maybe a Sekirei?" /(AN Sekirei - translated = Wagtail, this was a pun in the anime/manga on the Sekirei's name.) At her nod Kyle just chuckled. "Well I guess if you two are cooking I should get out of your way. You can cook right Musubi-chan?"
"Hai! Takami-san taught me to cook while Musubi went under adjustment." Musubi happily said as she went back to cooking.
'Adjustment?' Filing away that thought for later questions Kyle made his way back into the living room to wait for the meal that was soon to come, before a sudden question entered his mind. "Hey Musubi," Hearing her name called she turned to face him. "Where, exactly did you and Ku-chan get those outfits?"
"Oh! We got them from Uzume-san!" He should've known. "She said that these clothes were approprirate for doing chores and that I should call you 'Master' when I saw you." She finished with a smile, obviously happy at learning something new about everyday life...or what she was told to have been part of everyday life.
'I'm going to get her for this...she won't know how or where...but I'll get her.' Kyle silently promised to himself. As he walked into the dining/living room, to wait for the meal.
It came a few minutes later as Musubi and Kusano both came out with two plates in their hands, one in each for a total of four. However, it's what wason those plates that had Kyle's attention at the moment.
"Musubi-chan…" He said and Musubi tilted her head curiously as she saw tears start to come from his eyes. "How is it… that you knew what my favorite meal is?" Kyle asked, making Musubi blush as she smiled happily.
The plates were filled, to nearly overflowing levels, of curry and white rice. Each of the doubled, heck maybe even quadrupled, servings had a small flag in the center that each had a little heart in them. It was also at this time that Uzume had come down, obviously having been woken up from her nap by the aroma of the food.
"Mmm, smells delicious!" At this point she noticed Kyle, who was giving her a small glare, but one that said 'I'll get you back!'. Her grin to him was an acceptance of the challenge, 'Bring it!'. "So bro, what do you think of Musubi's new attire?" The grin on her face made it painfully clear what she had in mind when she gave Musubi the outfit.
"I think, that Miya-sama might kill either one or both of us if she found Musubi wearing that and found out who gave it to her." Kyle said in a not-so-sweet-tone of voice that clearly said 'I've got you'. Certainly the slight paling of her face was enough of an indicator.
"Uh-heheheh, maybe we should keep this a secret huh bro?" This was her bid to avoid the demon that was Miya.
The rest of the lunch went on in silence after that, with everyone enjoying the food and eachother's company.
"Thanks for the meal!" Everyone declared at once, each of their plates cleared of the wonderful food that Musubi had made. The only exceptions were Kyle's and Musubi's plate which were nearly sparkling clean, with no trace of the meal left, in contrast to Uzume's and Kusano's plate which had smears of curry sauce on them still.
After the end of the meal Kyle helped Musubi clean up the kitchen as well as the dishes, smiling the entire way. On the other end both Uzume and Kusano had fallen asleep where they had eaten and were both laying out across the floor, more like cats then birds in this case one would think.
XXXXXXXX- (Dark Room)
Once more in the darkened room the figure was focusing on three different screens. One was of Kyle and Musubi's first spar, another was of their second, while the third was a live feed of the living room where they had just ate.
"Such an interesting man, you just keep gettiing more and more mysterious everytime I see you." The figure gently stroked the image of the young man with her finger. "The only thing anyone knows about you is that you are a wanderer and a good fighter, but why do I feel this way? A secret of mind and body," The light room the surrounding computers reflected off of the figures glasses as well as illuminating the rustic brown/red hair that they had. "There is no other way to reslove this enigma, then to use this body to discover the aswer." The figure silently put their hand to their chest.
Suddenly the screen switched to a picture of Musubi, as well as the live feed switching to the kitchen where both Musubi and Kyle were cleaning the dishes with smiles on their faces. "No. 88 Musubi, she's already this close to him." A glint appeared behind the glasses covering the figures eyes. "Kukukuku. Prepare for your downfall...my enemy!" At the same time red marks around the pictures of Musubi appeared, all saying enemy.
XXXXXXXX- (Kitchen)
In the kitchen Musubi and Kyle were straightening up the small mess that was created from the making of lunch. While cleaning Kyle decided to go ahead and see what they could make for a dinner since Miya was going to be gone for a good while. "Hmm, what do we have...uh oh." As he looked inside of the refrigerator he noticed something wrong with what he was seeing.
Musubi noticed the small amount of stress in Kyle's voice and turned to him "Is there something wrong Kyle-sama?"
Looking over at Musubi Kyle sighed slightly. "Ufortunately, we're out of a few things that we may need for dinner."
"What are we missing?" Musubi asked.
Looking back in the fridge Kyle took note of what they were missing. "Soy sauce, soy paste, and a few vegetables from the look of it."
Musubi it up in a smile. "Musubi can get them!"
Kyle looked up at Musubi. "Are you sure? It's ok if you don't I could do it."
Musubi shook her head. "Musubi can do it!" She looked at Kyle with somewhat pleading eyes.
Sighing in acceptance he looked at Musubi. "Ok, I'll make you a list of what you need and give you some money, but you have to do one thing first." Musubi looked confused at what Kyle wanted her to do. "You need to change clothes, it's not common sense to wear a french made outfit to the market." Musubi's eye's lit up in understanding as she rushed back up the stairs to change into her usual attire.
In her usual attire Musubi was at the front door with Kyle who was giving her a list of what she needed to get as well as the money she needed to buy the items. "Ok, so here's what we need, you sure you don't want me to come with?"
Musubi just shook her head. "Kyle-sama should just rest. You have been through alot lately so some rest would do you some good."
After he gave her a smile, Musubi excused herself as she made her way to the market. Not knowing that someone had different plans for her.
XXXXXXXX- (Market)
At the market Musubi stood near a vendor as she once again consulted the list that Kyle had given to her. "Eh, soy sauce, soybean paste, and...Oh! Just a few vegetables!" She was so involved in her work that she failed to notice a bright light appearing in the sky.
ssssssssssssshhhhhhh-
"Mm? Whats that noise?" Indeed there was a slight sound that was slowly growing louder with each passing second.
sssssssssshhhhhhhHH-
Looking up Musubi saw a bright light appear in the sky, and it seemed that it was getting closer and closer.
SSSSSSSHHHHHOOOMMM!
BOOM!
The light had impacted the ground causing a fairly large explosion. Now this had caught everyone's attention, however, before any could make a single comment on it-
SSSSSSSHHHHHOOOMMM!
BOOM!
Another blast had hit the area. While everyone's attentions were on the blasts, none noticed that the blasts had been acting in a pattern, why, well...
"Hup!"
It turns out that these blast were being centered on Musubi, the first one she had barely escaped due to how close it was, the second and subsequential ones after it were much easy to avoid now that she new what to look for. Musubi only had one question. "What is going on Here!"
XXXXXXXX- (Dark Room)
"Kukuku!" Once again, /(AN tell me who didn't see this coming.)/ in the same room the figure seemed to be watching Musubi dodge her way around the blasts trying to hit her, and seemed to watch it as though she were watching a television show. "As I thought, MBI's army-use satellite SBL, has great precision. Though...it's security defenses are quite lacking." Taking her focus away from her little pat on the back she looked back on the screen to see Musubi dancing around each blast. "Now that the main threat is now preoccupied, the main event can begin. Kukuku!"
XXXXXXXX- (Kyle's Room)
Kyle found his way back into his room as he had decided to change into more comfortable clothing since he had no where to be today. "I wonder how Musubi is doing. Probably ok, if anything she's probably getting discounts because of her great looks." Giving a small chuckle a stray thought entered his mind...Flirts. 'If anyone dares to flirt with her they'll need to be hauled off in a stretcher...where did that come from?' Filing away that thought for another time, though it was accurate to how he was beginning to feel about Musubi, Kyle began to undress. He got about as far as taking off his shirt, exposing his fairly toned body, before he heard his door open. Mentally he gave a sigh. 'Well looks like she still needs some help with common sense, oh well.' Putting that thought with the rest Kyle turned around. "Hey Musubi I guess you got back early-" His sentence was cut off when he turned around and saw that the woman before him was definitely not Musubi.
She had long auburn hair which reached down past her thighs with two long braided strands, and eyes, which were partially concealed behind a pair of glasses, were a lighter shade of auburn. She had a type of beauty, which unlike the more 'innocent', but stunning, nature of Musubi...seemed to be a more nerdy nature, yet this seemingly enhanced her beauty. She wore a peach colored cheongasm that had been modified to the point which it could make a regular man feint from a nosebleed if looked at in the right way. Her face, like Musubi's, was clear of any blemish and was quite beautiful. However, if one were to look closely they would see a spark in the nerdy girls' eye that would possibly scare them. The last thing that entered Kyle's mind was that he had no idea who this person was.
"Um...wh-who are you?" Kyle said giving a stutter, a great fight both in and out of his armor he may be, but man, and half naked at that, he still was.
The strange girl gave no response as she calmly strolled forward, with a small sway in her hips that Kyke had to force himself not to look at, and silently, yet gently, placed her index finger on his exposed chest while removing her glasses. "Shirahama Kyle," With his name called his attention was placed firmly on this new person as he was sure he had never met her before. "Age: 20 years old, Place of Birth: Unknown, Family: Unknown, Personality: Laid back but can be fierce when threatened, Grades through high school: Straight A's on record, Home before wandering: Unknown, Currently awaiting transfer papers into Tokyo U., In peak physical condition, Able to fight on near equal standings with Fist-Type Sekirei No. 88, Musubi due to skill-level." Placing her face so close that they were nearly nose to nose she continued. "To put it simply, an enigma of a man who's past, present, and forseable future is unknown. But," Her eyes gained a small glint to them that put Kyle's nerves on overdrive. "Is no doubt the one causing the reactions in this Sekirei's body." At her words Kyle's eye's instantly widened as he took note of her physical condition.
Her face was flushed, with a thin sheen of sweat appearing on her face. Her free hand was placed on her chest, where her heart was, as it seemed that she was struggling to keep her breathing at a normal pace. "To put it simply," With that she stopped trying to moderate her breath as her breathing became highly ragged, her voice began to deepen in want, and her eyes glazing over in lust. "You, who is such a mystery. Is the Ashikabi of Sekirei No. 2, Matsu."
Her face began to draw closer to his own and through it all his mind kept replaying one thought. 'Why? Why the heck is this happening...AGAIN!'
AU: Now as promised here is the Holiday Special chapter that was made last Christmas, sorry about the slow update! :)
Chapter Christmas
XXXXXXXX
In the cold air beautifully pure white snow descends down upon the city of Tokyo, specifically upon the Izumo Inn. Within its walls all the tenants were in a very joyous mood to celebrate the holiday of charity and good will.
The main room was being decorated with tinsel, wreaths, and food that could make anyones mouths water. Helping with the decorations were a total of six people, each different in their own way...but all special. Though for five of them...people in the traditional sense may have been an inaccurate description. They were still thinking and independent beings that deserved respect, but they weren't beings native to the planet...They beings that are known as Sekirei; beings that bond themselves to their destined person, their 'Ashikabi'. For this one person they would do anything for them, even die, so it would make sense that they would agree to a tournament in which the winner would be allowed to remain with their Ashikabi...and Ascend.
The first of these beings to be seen was a stunning girl with long deep brown hair that could remind one of chestnuts and equally brown eyes. She seemed to just radiate innocence that could make anyone believe in the positive things in life and look forward to a brighter tomorrow. She was garbed in a miko outfit that was predominately white with red tastefully mixed in around the sleeves and a red skirt. Keeping together the outfit was a pink sash that went down to her legs, which themselves were covered in white stockings and wearing dark brown boots. She appeared to be in peak physical condition with a body that could leave a man, and some women, speechless. Her face was clear of anything that would mar its beauty, and could give a smile that was so innocent that it could melt even the coldest of hearts. This young girls name was Musubi, also known as Sekirei No. 88, the Fist Sekirei, and she was decorating the tree.
Second to be seen is a beautiful woman with curly long blonde hair and blue eyes that would remind one of a clear ocean, who was hanging garlands upon the wall. She was garbed in a white skirted underdress which had not a speck of dirt tarnishing it while though tasteful, showed her cleavage, covering it was a regal black dress coat, on her neck she wears a black choker which while small did not seem to give any discomfort, and finally her legs were adorned with long brown boots with black stockings. Physically the woman had a body that most men would drool over. Her face was clear of any blemish that would dare detract from her beauty, which in contrast to Musubi's innocent radiance seemed to have a more mature style with a smile that, while stern, could brighten anyones day. Though despite her looks, one should be wary of her temper, otherwise you could end up being swept away by a torrent of water. Her name was Tsukiumi, No. 09 the Water Sekirei and declared rival to Musubi.
Helping Musubi decorate the tree was a young girl who, like Tsukiumi, had long blonde hair, only it was a dirty blonde instead of the sun bright blonde of Tsukiumis'; her eyes were a deep green that would remind a person of a tree full of green leaves. She was the most conservatively dressed, given her apparent age of 11, with a pale white gown...at least under her costume. Over her usual clothes was a costume that she received from another one of the tenants, this particular outfit was that of a reindeer which was a deep brown and came with attachable antlers. However, instead of a brown nose, she was wearing a bright red nose, thus she was Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. Her face was so full of wonder of the tree that anyone would have to resist the urge to pick her up and scream "CUTE!". This girl was known as Kusano or Ku-chan by her most precious person, and was known as Sekirei No. 108, the Green Girl.
Out of the way, and seemingly hidden behind the staircase, was another girl who had auburn hair and a lighter shade of auburn for her eyes which were partially concealed behind her glasses. She had beauty which unlike the more 'innocent' or 'stern' like the others seemed to be of a more...nerdy nature. She wore a peach colored cheongasm that had been modified to the point which it could make a regular man feint from a nosebleed if looked at in the right way. Her face, like Tsukiumi's and Musubi's, was clear of any blemish and was quite beautiful. However, if one were to look closely they would see a spark in the nerdy girls' eye that would possibly scare them. Her name was Matsu, Sekirei No. 02, and unlike the others she preferred to fight, not with her fists, but with her mind; giving her the title of the Wisdom Sekirei. However, due to her more...questionable tendencies she is better known as the 'Shameless Sekirei'.
The last woman in the room was a woman with pale white skin that would remind a person of the snow that was falling just right outside their door, her face the definition of blankness, only her sandy eyes, that matched her sandy hair, gave away any joy that she felt. Her figure was lithe yet full that could have a man follow her with his eyes and not care if he got caught. Though her state of dress...well if Matsu's could have a man faint from blood loss..then she could have a man fall into a coma from the blood loss...yet the man would have a smile on his face the whole time if he saw her at just the right angle; as her dress was just one loose kimono with intersecting chains keeping the front closed, which were helped by a black sash. Unlike most who had come to be staying at the Izumo Inn, this woman had been brought here only after certain events, and through those events has devoted her life to serve a certain man. This was Akitsu the Scrapped Number of the Sekirei who was formerly No. 07, the Ice Sekirei and she was bringing the food out.
The last person in the room was the only one who was human, though the term 'human' was one to be used lightly in the case of this particular young man. The young man had an athletic build that would make most girls drool in appreciation, his skin was tanned telling people that he had worked in the sun. His face was fair but held a mature quality in it, his hair was a light brown color and semi-short so that it would not get in his way, yet still framed his face quite nicely. However, if one were to look at him, they would be instantly drawn to his eyes, for the simple reason that they were different in color from eachother; one a deep blue much like Tsukiumi's, the other was a deep forest green which could compliment Kusano's own eyes. He was dressed in a red button up shirt that had two green lines falling down from shoulder to wrist on both sleeves, under said button up was a black muscle t-shirt that showed his toned body. Aside from his shirt he wore dark blue jeans to finish his more festive ensemble. Alongside Akitsu he was helping to bring in the feast that everyone would eat for the Holiday dinner. This man was named Kyle Shirahama, and he was an Agito, a being who sheds the light in the path of humanities evolution; however, more importantly this man was the one who all the girls previously mention devoted their lives to, he...was their Ashikabi.
'It's been a long couple of months.' Kyle thought as he helped to bring in the last of the feast's contents. Looking to his flock Kyle couldn't help but smile as he thought of how each of them had brightened his life...in their own ways of course.
Musubi was the first one that he had winged, and was without a doubt one of the most devoted to him and his happiness; which was only rivaled by Akitsu and Tsukiumi, though the latter had a very...interesting way of showing it. He had first met Musubi when she was running away from the Lightning Twins of Hikari and Hibiki, and their meeting was certainly the most...interesting and well remembered of all the others...moving on. After their meeting they had ran from the twins who were hoping to eliminate Musubi before she could emerge, however, they ultimately failed in that endeavor when it was found that Kyle himself was her Ashikabi. This resulted in the immediate...withdrawal of the twins, and subsequent finding of the Izumo Inn.
Kusano, or Ku-chan as he liked to call her, was his second Sekirei. She had been hiding in a forest like jungle she herself created from her power over plants in order to escape pursuers that had wished to...'collect' her. Thinking of it even now still left a bad taste in his mouth. After Kusano had sent him a message, via his dreams, he had set off to rescue her, defeating a the scythe wielding Sekirei Yomi. After defeating her and bringing Kusano back to the inn she had winged herself to him, making her his second.
Next on his list was Matsu...that encounter he could do without remembering seeing as how she had tried to not only 'delay' Musubi in her shopping, but had also seen fit to sneak into to his bedroom, while he was trying to take change his clothes no less, and try to...experiment with him. Thankfully that was interrupted by Musubi who had returned earlier than Matsu had expected. Later he eventually wound up winging Matsu and now was the main character in her...'Soap Opera'.
The meeting with Tsukiumi was next and it was...intense to say the least. Kyle had already been 'introduced' to Tsukiumi through his dreams...where she declared that she would kill him and prove that she didn't need an Ashikabi to be the victor of the Sekirei Game. Their first meeting met with alot of bumps, some being more dangerous than originally expected due to certain appearances. Still it was found out that Tsukiumi had more of a tsundere personality...which was partially the reason for her anger...joy. So with the right explanations she had accepted being winged by Kyle...though she was still quick to shoot him with water if her 'Husband' was spending too much time with his...'Concubines'.
Lastly, Akitsu was more of a bittersweet victory that later turned into a happy ending for Akitsu. She was known as a Scrapped number, and even right now is referred to as such by other Sekirei not part of his flock. Apparently she was called that because she spontaneously winged herself, which basically meant she was too powerful to be winged...well, by a normal Ashikabi anyway.
His smile becoming larger, Kyle finished brining out the food and sat down by the table getting ready to eat as he looked around viewing the work that his flock had done. With his smile still on his face Kyle gave them each a compliment on a job well done. "Girls, you've all done a wonderful job with helping out for the holiday's."
"THANKS!" Was the collective reply of four of his girls, now where was- "Ah...Thanks." There it was. Yes apparently Akitsu had something of a verbal tic of saying 'Ah' then waiting a few seconds to reply with some of her sentences, of course when she was in battle it seemed to disapear.
"Of course! Such trivial work is of no problem for the legal wife!" Tsukiumi stated with a voice full of pride.
Hearing the term wife Musubi jumped right into the conversation. "That's Right! The legal wives can do anything!" Musubi shouted in glee, declaring herself a wife as well.
"Musubi!" Tsukiumi shouted as soon as Musubi uttered the last sentence. "There is only one legal wife and thou art not it!" Tsukiumi declared as she began to rev up for yet another fight for title of 'Legal Wife'.
Of course rising to the challenge that Tsukiumi seemed to set Musubi spoke her mind. "Musubi is also the legal wife!" She declared with a smile on her face despite the fact she had something akin to the glare only much softer and more competitive.
Matsu, from her hiding spot just sat there giggling. "Kuhuhu~, its the confrontation scene of the Soap Opera! Kuhuhu!" There she goes again about her supposed 'Soap Opera'.
The other girls' reaction were thankfully more subtle. There were only 'fuhing' noises coming from Kusano as she cheered on Musubi, while Akitsu, bless her soul, was staying quiet but seemingly getting ready to jump in to stop any major damage.
Wanting to stop it before it got out of hand Kyle interjected. "Musubi, Tsukiumi; please, not tonight, not on Christmas Eve." He pleaded so as not to wake the sleeping demon who was coming out of the kitchen.
Before either could say another word, a dark chill went down their spines as they suddenly felt that their lives were in danger. Going against all survival instincts that spoke otherwise, they turned around and froze as if they saw the gates of hell themselves.
There, standing behind them was Miya, who was dressed in her standard purple and white kimono. She was holding a ladle and had a smile on her face that literally screamed 'innocent'. However, it was what was behind her that caused the sudden viewing of hell; behind her was what appeared to be a demon giving out an aura of dread, and was ready to eat them alive should they give an...unsatisfactory answer.
Smiling with her eyes closed Miya just 'looked' on at the two rival Sekirei. "Ara, what is happening here?" As soon as she spoke her question both Tsukiumi and Musubi held onto eachother as if they were life preservers. "It looks like you both were about to fight within the inn...and on Chritmas Eve!"...There goes the preserver. "But I must be mistaken as it is against the rules of the Izumo Inn for there to be a fight between tenants inside the inn...right?" With that question the two girls couldn't have nodded their heads fast enough. "Well then lets have some dinner."
Before the group sat down three voices made themselves known. "Well now, are we in time for dinner?" Spoke a playfully lazy voice.
"Ano, I hope we're not intruding." A more shy voice spoke in contrast to the exuberant first voice.
"Of course we aren't, Miya wouldn't forget us." The last voice said in a cool and confident kind of way.
Turning to the trio of voices the group saw three more guests who they knew.
The first was Kagari, who was dressed in his traditional white dress shirt and black slacks. He seemed to be leaning on the doorway leading into the main room. He was giving a small smirk as he entered the room while brushing the silver hair away from his dark brown eyes. Had Kyle been anyone else, he would have thought Kagari a human, but as fate would have it he was actually one of the few male Sekirei's, No. 06 Homura, the Flame Sekirei to be precise and was given the self appointed nickname of 'Sekirei Guardian'.
The second was Uzume, the girl was dressed in a purple shirt with a yellow star right in the center of the chest...which would draw ones attention more to her rather large...um..assets. Accompanying the shirt was a pair of dark blue ankle cut jeans. She had long brown hair tied into a side ponytail which accented her brown eyes. She was also a Sekirei, though her relationship was a little different then most other Ashikabi relationships. She was No.10 known as the Cloth Sekirei, and for a time was forced to do things she never wanted to do.
The last one to show herself was Uzume's Ashikabi, a young girl named Chiho. She was a girl who had light brown that was borderline blonde. She wore a white gown that had a blue tie to accent the color of the dress; the ensemble was finished off with a white wide brimmed hat. She was a small girl, the reason for which was that, until recently, she had been affected by a disease that had been keeping her bedridden. It was only until recently because Kyle saw fit to help the poor girl. Now she was no longer bound to her hospital bed and could spend more time with her beloved one.
Only giving an eye smile in return she gave her reply. "Ara, I don't know what you mean. We were just about to sit down."
The new guests only gave a few short laughs at Miya's attitude before joining the table.
Dinner was as eventful as always; everyone took their seats with Musubi and Tsukiumi arguing over who had the right to sit next to Kyle. Eventually Musubi decided to let Tsukiumi have the seat since she had gotten to sit next to Kyle Yesterday. From there dinner was decidedly peaceful.
At the end of dinner everyone decided that one of us should sing a carol to lighten everyone's spirits for Christmas.
"Musubi votes for Kyle-sama!" Just guess who spoke first.
"What?" Kyle spoke out in surprise not expecting to be chosen.
Seeing a possible chance for some entertainment Uzume spoke her vote. "Yeah go on Shy-kun!" She said with a chuckle as she called him by one of her two nicknames for him, the other being "Bro".
"Fuh~ Fuh~!" Kusano fuh'd her agreement in her Ashikabi having to sing.
Wanting to nip this in the bud Kyle tried to interject. "Wait wait wait! Don't I get a say in this." He asked hoping to bring them to their senses.
"Hmm, I believe it would be interesting." Hopes dashed, Miya just spoke her mind.
Akitsu simply nodded her head in agreement to Kyle's singing, her pale cheeks lightly colored by a blush.
"Yes, Kyle-sama is the best choice for this!" Tsukiumi nodded her head in consent as she believed that, as her husband, Kyle could be the best at nearly anything.
"Kuhuhu~!" Matsu giggled in her own...'special' way. "The lover being forced to sing out his passionate feelings...kuhuhuhu!" Ok~ we've lost her, moving on.
Seeing his chances of getting out of this dwindling, he tried one more thing to get out of his sentencing. "Wait, c'mon guys. You don't really want to hear me sing do you?...I can't sing worth crap."
The glint in everyone's eyes, except Musubi, Tsukiumi, Kusano, and Akitsu of course, just grew at the thought that Kyle may embarrass himself. Though Chiho just looked down embarrassedly so it was hard to tell with her.
Musubi ever being Musubi just cheered him on. "Kyle-sama, Musubi knows that you'll be great!" Musubi said with such a earnest smile that Kyle barely resisted.
Tsukiumi also voiced her thoughts. "Kyle-sama thou hast proved himself as a man who can beat the odds. You will have no problems with this!" Tsukiumi said so honestly that Kyle felt his confidence rise a bit more.
At this point Kyle felt his resolve crumbling which was only further reduced by what Akitsu said. "Ah...Ashikabi-sama can do it!" She said with such confidence that even when monotoned Kyle could feel the emotion behind her words.
However, the final blow came from Kusano herself. "Onii-chan is the best!" Her smile so radiant it could blind a person. "Onii-chan can do anything!" She cheered as she threw her hands in the air.
With that, the last bit of Kyle's resolve withered away and died. "Fine, fine!" He sighed in resignation. "I'll give it a shot." Kyle finished as he walked to the front of the room. 'Why is it that whenever I say I can't do something, my whole flock decides to gang up on me...cheaters!' Kyle concluded in his mind, though there was no heat behind it.
When he got to the front all of the more...exuberant tenants of the inn started 'Whooing', 'Fuhing' in Kusano's case, in anticipation of the performance that was about to commence.
'What am I supposed to sing?' Kyle thought desperately. Searching desperately in his memory to find a song that could stir positive emotion in a person. After a few moments of searching, he found the song...and it was...bittersweet. 'Of all the songs to remember...I hope that I can do you justice...mom.' Deciding that he needed to do this he finally spoke. "I am going to sing a song thats close to my heart for everyone." Those words caught everyones attention. "It's a song that my mother came up with, and used to sing every Christmas." At that everyone became solemn as they knew that his family was always a sore topic for Kyle.
Clearing his throat he began in a soft whisper...
(Please insert Andrea Bocelli: God Bless Us Everyone)
"Come together one and all, in the giving spirit."
At the sound of his voice everyone in the room seemed to relax as they let his voice lift their spirits.
"Gifts abound here great and small, joyously we feel it."
His voice slowly becoming louder as he begins to remember the holiday's that had come and past between him and his family.
"Blessings sent us from above, guide us on our way."
He began to think back to how his powers came to be and all that has happened to him since. Both the good...and the bad.
"We raise our voice, as we rejoice. Bow our head and pray."
At this point in the song he thought of how he came to Tokyo and the first thing that happened was Musubi landed on him, it made him give a small chuckle.
"A miracle has just begun. God Bless Us Everyone!"
At this point he had come to his favorite verse; it wasn't because of the religious connection, it was because it reminded him of the winging of all his Sekirei, from Musubi to Akitsu.
"To the voices no one hears, we have come to find you."
This verse reminded him of the night when he rescued Kusano, she was a voice that everyone knew about, but he was the only one who could 'hear' her. At the same time Kusano's smile deepened as she too linked the memory to it.
"With your laughter and your tears…Goodness, hope, and virtue."
With this Uzume began thinking of her time here at the Izumo Inn, how at the time Chiho had been bedridden and she had been a pawn for Higa as he was holding Chiho hostage with the only known treatment for Chiho's disease. Then how she made friends here that had helped and rescued them both.
"Father, Mother, Daughter, Son. Each a treasure be."
Kyle bit back a tear as he was reminded of his family, of the times they would huddle by the fire and sing songs during the holiday's...it hurt.
"One candle's light, dispels the night; Now our eyes can see-"
Tsukiumi held a wince as that particular phrase depicted her perfectly before she met Kyle, but her face quickly melted into a soft smile. She thought back to the point in time when she thought that an Ashikabi would only use her and take advantage of her; but Kyle, like a candles' light illuminated the truth.
"Burning brighter than the sun. God Bless Us Everyone!"
With each verse Miya's smile grew bit by bit as she could feel the amount of emotion that Kyle put into each of he words. The passion in each word struck a cord in her heart, all of them positive
"The miracle has just begun! God Bless Us Everyone!"
As Kyle sung this verse Akitsu thought of the miracle that he bestowed on her, a miracle is the perfect way to describe it as what he did she thought was impossible, and by all means it should have been impossible.
"Come together one and all, in the giving Spirit."
Before he began this verse he motioned for Musubi and Tsukiumi to come up and join him in singing. When they both got up there they made to mention that they didn't know the lyrics, but Kyle assured them and told them the lyrics and when to sing them.
"Gifts abound here great and small, joyously we feel it."
Kyle took both his Sekireis' hands into his before squeezing them. He look towards them to assure them that he knew they'd do great.
"Father, Mother, Daughter, Son. Each a treasure be."
With this verse there Kyle once again felt the pain that was still in his heart but as he began to shake, both Musubi and Tsukiumi squeezed his hands, chasing away the pain with the warmth of their love; reminding him that he had both them and the rest of his flock...and they would always be around...forever and ever. With the next verse coming up he gave them the signal to start.
"(One candle's light, dispels the night; Now our eyes can see-)"
As they began their verse they were at first unsure, but gained more confidence as they saw both Kyle and everyone else smile at them. With that their voices turned strong, and they sang beautifully.
"Burning brighter than the sun. God Bless Us Everyone."
When the two girls finished their verse Kyle started back up and he knew that he would have to finish out strong, and he knew that the girls would to so he gave them the signal to start.
"(The Miracle has just begun!)"
The girls sang their last verse and, like Kyle, they intended to end strong.
"God Bless Us Everyone!"
As Kyle began the last verse he began to drop his voice to near a whisper as this was the part his mother would drop to a whisper on, and he figured he should as well.
(End of Song)
At the end of the song everyone remained quiet for a time. For a moment he thought that his audience didn't like the song. Fortunately his thoughts were put to rest as he was tackled to the ground by his flock. Each of the praising him and showering him with affection, even the other tenants of the inn were giving him praise. It felt...it felt like home.
For the first time in years...he felt as though he was home for Christmas...and he couldn't be happier.
XXXXXXXX
Authors Notes:
A~nd CUT! Thats a rap. Well I think this chapter went pretty well, what do you think?
Anyway now that this chapter is done the next 2 updates will be on 'A Legends Rebirth', from there I will switch updates every chapter to keep things even. Luckily enough for me I've already started on the next chapter of 'A Legends Rebirth'. Please look forward to it and as always please R&R! Also as an added bonus I fixed up the first 3 chapters. Another bit of info is that I've posted some new story ideas on my Profile, please feel free to check them out and give me your thoughts.
This is Archangel Igneel sayin' Sayonara Bye-Bye!
