"Minato, why are we here?" Tsukiumi asked while sending a hostile look at Hikari and Hibiki.
"There's a sekirei in there that needs rescuing," he said.
"And why should that be any concern to you?" She demanded. "You already have two sekirei, that's already one more than you need! Why do you want another one?"
"I, ah, don't want another one. But I heard her crying and I just can't walk away if someone needs my help."
"Minato-sama has such a good heart!" Musubi said as she began jumping about. "That's what Musubi loves the best about her ashikabi-sama!"
Tsukiumi crossed her arms and looked away. "Obviously this is going to be a huge bother, but if this is what you truly want Minato then as your wife I will support you."
"Great that you two are on board," Seo said with a grin.
Minato looked nervously down the street at all the soldiers and armored vehicles that stood between them and their goal. "So how do we even get into the botanical gardens?"
Seo grinned. "Through the front door of course."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Retreat!" A sergeant howled as he took off running after his men.
All around the street were downed soldiers groaning or unconscious. Several armored vehicles with huge rubber tires were broken open like eggs or tossed on their sides like discarded toys. There was a crack of thunder as a pair of lightning bolts descended and struck some soldiers who had taken cover behind one of the overturned vehicles. Another couple who still wanted to fight were hit by a geyser of water and slammed into a wall.
"Musubi is having fun!" The girl shouted playfully as she lifted a six ton assault vehicle over her head and threw it.
Minato and Seo both stood back at a safe distance and watched their sekirei tear through M.B.I.'s troops.
"They're really impressive aren't they?" Seo said.
"Ye… yeah," Minato said.
Seo grinned at his young friend's obvious nervousness. "Let me guess, this is the first time seeing what your girls can really do?"
Minato nodded. "Tsukiumi took me flying over roof tops once, and I knew your sekirei could use lightning and that Tsukiumi-san could use water. But I had no idea Musubi was so strong or that their powers could do this."
"The girls are pretty amazing," Seo said. "Course they can be pretty damn annoying sometimes too."
Minato had to jump back as a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and struck Seo, making him shout and jerk about.
"Seo you bastard! I heard that!" Hikari shouted.
"See… what I mean?" a blackened and slightly smoking Seo said.
The fighting was quickly ended as the last soldiers broke and ran rather than face them anymore.
"Musubi is really excited! What do we do next?"
Minato was surprised that both Musubi and Tsukiumi were looking to him. "What?"
Tsukiumi let out an annoyed sigh. "You are our ashikabi Minato we are waiting for your orders."
"Orders? But, ah, why would I give you orders?"
"Musubi will always do whatever Minato-sama wants!"
"Minato," Tsukiumi spoke in a strained voice. "I know you promised not to give me orders, but the fact is we are both here because it is what you want. As our ashikabi it is our duty to protect you and fight for you. Tell us what you want us to do and we will do it for you. Now try and be more confident, remember you are my ashikabi and my husband. So long as I am here there is nothing for you to be nervous about."
"Heh," Seo said. "Not bad kid, you've actually got a couple pretty obedient ones."
The next second Seo was being choked and shaken violently back and forth. "Who the hell are you calling obedient you dirty little monkey?!"
"Hey! Let Seo go!" Hikari yelled.
"That's right! We're the only ones allowed to beat him up!" Hibiki shouted.
"Tsukiumi-san! Please let him go before you kill him." Minato pleaded.
"Fine," Tsukiumi released him.
"Ah, why don't we hurry up and find the missing sekirei?" Minato suggested.
XXXXXXXXXX
From a nearby car a fifteen year old watched the battle end and the two units of ashikabi and sekirei enter the gardens. "Well this makes things more interesting." He turned to the two women sitting in the back of the luxury car with him. "Yomi, Akizu, you know what you have to do. Bring me number 108 no matter what. Don't bother to return without her, I have no use for weak sekirei."
"Heh, no need to worry master," Yomi replied with a smirk.
"Yes master," Akizu answered solemnly.
XXXXXXXXXX
"This place is a jungle," Seo complained. Even the grass had grown out of all proportion, leaving them struggling through waist high vegetation. "How are we going to find this girl?"
"She's this way," Minato said as he veered off from the direction they'd been heading.
"Eh, how can you be sure of that?" Seo asked.
"Because I can hear her crying," Minato replied.
"Minato, are you sure?" Tsukiumi asked. "I don't hear anything."
"I'm sure Tsukiumi-san, it's really, really, faint but I know I can hear her. She's alone and scared and we need to get to her."
"What are you talking about? There's no way you could hear someone crying if none of us can," Hikari said. "A sekirei's senses are far sharper than a human's."
"If Minato says he can hear her then he definitely can!" Tsukiumi said.
"That's right!" Musubi said. "Minato-sama is amazing!"
"You know I wonder if you already have a connection to this sekirei," Seo wondered aloud.
"How could I have a connection when I haven't even met her yet?"
"I used to have a close friend who was a researcher and adjuster with M.B.I. His name was Takehito and he would tell me about his work. He was a little bit of a romantic even if he was a scientist and he believed that each sekirei would find a way to meet the ashikabi she was meant to be with. He believed that under some circumstances they might contact each other subconsciously, perhaps in their dreams."
"Minato-sama had a dream about a lost girl last night!" Musubi said.
"Oh really?" Seo said with interest.
Whap!
"Owie!" Musubi rubbed the back of her head where Tsukiumi had just slapped her. "Tsukiumi-san! Why did you hit Musubi?"
"Don't go around telling people things about Minato," she told her. "Even if we're working together now we may have to fight them one day."
"Tsukiumi-san I'm sure it's okay," Minato said. "Seo, Hikari, and Hibiki are all our friends now."
"Yes we are," Seo said with a happy smile. "For now."
Hikari and Hibiki both nodded. "Tsukiumi has it right," Hibiki said. "Even though we have no interest in the Sekirei Plan as sekirei we have to fight. Even if we don't want it we may have to be enemies one day."
"Would you really do that Seo?" Minato asked.
"I wouldn't want to, but it might not be my choice. 'The sekirei must fight and fight until there is one left standing.' Sound familiar?"
Minato could only nod at the reminder of Minaka's words. "I don't want that, I definitely don't want to have to fight people I like."
Seo shrugged. "Neither do I, but it would be stupid not to realize it's a possibility."
XXXXXXXXXX
Minato continued to lead them like a blood hound through the dense wood. At last the others began to hear the girl crying as well. They came to a large tree and there she was, a small child curled up on a branch sobbing. Minato gave a startled gasp when he realized he recognized her.
"Ku-chan?"
The girl stopped her crying and looked down to see the people who had just arrived. Her eyes immediately turned to him. "Oniichan?"
Smiling Minato stepped closer to the tree and held his hands out. "Go ahead and jump, I promise oniichan will catch you."
The little girl looked down at his waiting arms and hesitated. Then without a word jumped down. Minato caught her.
"Oniichan, you came for me." The little girl sobbed into his chest.
"It's all right now Ku-chan, you're safe."
Looking on Seo shook his head. "Looks like that sekirei has chosen her ashikabi."
"You're amazing Minato-sama, she'll be your third!" Musubi turned excitedly to Tsukiumi. "Isn't it wonderful?"
"Wonderful," Tsukiumi said dryly. "Well… since it's a little kid I'll accept it. Go ahead and wing her Minato."
"What? She's a little girl I can't do that!"
As he answered Kusano gave a long yawn and fell asleep in his arms.
"While I'm not thrilled about it it's obvious she's chosen you as her ashikabi, and looking at this place it's just as obvious that even if she is just a kid she has plenty of power."
"Power that belongs to out master!" A girl with a scythe said. Beside her was another girl with brown hair, a white and black dress, a chain draped around her neck, and most noticeably a sekirei crest on her forehead.
"Please give the girl to us," the other one said in a solemn tone.
Tsukiumi and Musubi immediately moved to get between Minato and Kusano and these two new arrivals. "Even if I don't like it Minato has decided to accept this girl as his sekirei," Tsukiumi announced. "That means you can't have her."
"Are you two strong?" Musubi asked, shaking with excitement. "Musubi wants to fight you!"
"Come on Akizu! Let's crush them!" The girl launched herself at them with her partner beside her.
Tsukiumi and Musubi launched themselves as well meeting them in mid air.
"Should we back them up?" Hibiki asked.
"No," Seo said. "That sekirei is taken, this doesn't involve us anymore. Let's just go."
XXXXXXXXXX
Yomi lifted her scythe, eyes blazing. "I'll strip those clothes right off you!"
Tsukiumi's lips twisted in distaste. "What are you some kind of hentai? Only my husband gets to do that!" From out of her hands a jet of water caught her opponent and sent her flying back to the earth.
"Ughh," Yomi cried as she crashed.
"Musubi really wants to fight!" She threw a punch that would have gone through a couple feet of steel reinforced cement. Instead it hit a wall of ice, shattering it.
"You won't be able to reach me like that," Akizu said calmly.
They both landed safely on the ground.
"Musubi won't ever give up!" She threw herself at her enemy again only to again be blocked by a sheet of ice.
"Purely physical attacks won't work against me," Akizu said and promptly showed her why.
At Musubi's feet the ground froze and ice quickly rose. Musubi found herself frozen solid up to her waist.
"You'll break out of that momentarily," Akizu said calmly. "But not soon enough."
She dashed past her trapped opponent.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Taste my full power!" Tsukiumi shouted. A sphere of water fired from her hands and struck Yomi with explosive force. She was sent rocketing backwards where she crashed into a tree and collapsed to the ground.
Tsukiumi landed beside her and placed two fingers on her exposed sekirei crest. "Well spring of my heart; wash away all threats to my ashikabi." With her norita spoken the crest vanished.
"N… no… for… give… master," he girl called out before falling unconscious.
With her foe beaten she looked up to see if Musubi needed help. She gasped to see Musubi in a block of ice and the other sekirei standing in front of her ashikabi. "Minato!" She raced to get to him but knew it would be too late."
XXXXXXXXXX
Minato held Ku-chan protectively and backed up until he was up against a tree. The other sekirei merely looked at him, calm and resolute. "I don't want to hurt you," Akizu told him. "Please give me number 108 or I will have to freeze you."
"Ku-chan doesn't want to go with you or your ashikabi," Minato said.
"That doesn't matter," Akizu replied.
The ground beneath Minato's feet froze solid. As he began to shiver Ku-chan stirred awake.
"It... it's all… alriiight, Ku... Ku-chaaan," he stuttered as he felt the chill enter his body. "I'll pr… proteeeect you."
Not looking scared in the least the little girl reached up and put her face near his. "Oniichan, please be Ku's ashikabi, now and forever."
She kissed him.
Light in the shape of wings appeared and a sekirei crest formed. All around flowers bloomed within the vegetation.
Seeing this happen right before her eyes Akizu stopped the freezing process and collapsed despondently to her knees. "I failed you master."
"Bitch! I will kill you for threatening Minato!" Tsukiumi screamed in righteous fury.
"Tsukiumi-san wait! It's over! There's no more need to fight!" Minato shouted.
Tsukiumi looked unbelievingly at her ashikabi. "Minato she would have hurt you!"
"She was just fighting for her ashikabi the same way you and Musubu were doing. Since she's stopped fighting there's no reason to hurt her anymore."
"No," Akizu called resignedly. "Go ahead, kill me, I'd rather die than be abandoned again."
"What are you talking about?" Minato said in horror. "You can go back to your ashikabi; no one's going to stop you."
"I no longer have an ashikabi," she told him. Her face was cast down and she seemed defeated. "He told me that if I failed to retrieve number 108 not to bother to return."
"That's heartless!" Minato said. "You two share a special bond right? Maybe he'll change his mind if you go and see him."
"No," Akizu said. "Hayato-sama is not the sort to ever change his mind. There is no bond between us; I served him because he gave me a home and a purpose. Now I am alone again."
"But you're his sekirei! How can there not be a bond between you?"
"She's a scrap number," Tsukiumi said. "She was a test subject used to perfect the winging process. That's why she has a sekirei crest on her forehead rather than on her neck. Unfortunately for her that means she can't be winged, she can't have the usual bond with an ashikabi, or use a norita."
"What's a norita?"
"It's a special ritual prayer that only winged sekirei can use. It allows us to access a special power and to remove an enemy's crest if we are in physical contact as we speak it." She nodded over to the unconscious form of her beaten enemy. "That's how I finished her."
"Your sekirei is correct," Akizu said. "I am nothing but a scrap number, an outdated and antiquated piece of equipment that belongs on the junk heap. I am alone and without purpose, death would be better than that."
"Don't say that!" Minato said. "I know how miserable it can be to be all alone! Before I met Tsukiumi-san I spent two whole years alone without any real friends or girlfriend. But just because you're alone now doesn't mean you always will be. Even if you can't be winged so what? Regular human beings can't be either and we live our lives just fine. You're a living person; don't think of yourself as junk! Your life has meaning! Don't give up on it just because you've hit a hard patch. If you just try I know your life will get better, I promise you."
Still sitting on the ground Akizu looked up at him questioningly. "You really believe that?"
"I do," he said firmly.
"I wish Hayato-sama had been more like you."
"Then why don't you become Minato-sama's sekirei?" Musubi, finally free, said as she came over. "Minato-sama is a wonderful ashikabi; you would definitely like him better than your old one."
"Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!" Tsukiumi snapped. "He's already got three!"
"But four would be even better!"Musubi said. "She doesn't have an ashikabi of her own anymore and she's really powerful and we have plenty of room at the house. It would be wonderful. What do you think Minato-sama?"
Akizu looked at him hopefully.
Minato knew there was only one answer. He just couldn't look the other way if someone needed help. "What's your name?"
"I am Akizu," she said.
"Well Akizu my name is Sahashi Minato. I really don't know what sort of ashikabi I am, but if you want I'll be yours."
She slowly rose to her feet. "I would like that." As Tsukiumi glowered and Musubi cheered she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Unlike his other sekirei there was no new crest and no light appeared. But for Akizu the ceremony had every bit as much meaning as it did for them. "I pledge to you my faith and unquestioning loyalty, now and forever."
"Grrr, fine! But let's get the ground rules set right now!" Tsukiumi said irritation ripe in her voice.
"Ground rules?" Akizu asked in that steady tone of hers.
"Yes ground rules! First off I am the legal wife! The kid there," she nodded to Kusano who was again fast asleep in Minato's arms. "Will be Minato's new little sister, he already has one so having one more shouldn't be a problem. You and Musubi are both concubines!"
Akizu lifted a single questioning eyebrow. "I am a concubine?"
"That's right!" Tsukiumi snapped. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"No," she replied calmly and turned to face Minato. Reaching up she undid the snaps to her dress and allowed it to fall to the ground. She was not wearing a bra or panties. "Master, please feel free to use this body however you wish, as often as you wish."
Blood shot from Minato's nose and he had to struggle to keep from passing out with Ku-chan still in his arms.
Tsukiumi turned a deep shade of red and jumped in front to hide her figure from Minato's view. "Wha… what are you doing you shameless woman?!"
"I am behaving in my new role as concubine," Akizu replied calmly.
"That's not what a concubine does!"
"I think perhaps you do not understand the term. A concubine's main function is to provide a man comfort and sex upon demand."
"What's sex?" Musubi asked curiously.
Akizu turned to her to reply.
"Don't you dare answer that!" Tsukiumi screamed.
Struggling from momentary blood loss Minato looked on the scene while trying not to pass out. "Akizu please put your clothes back on so we can go." Man, I really hope I don't get any more sekirei for awhile.
