Secret of the Ashikabi

Nature of the Game


"Good morning, Minato." The landlady greeted him warmly as she served breakfast. "You're up earlier than usual. Today is your first day of work, isn't it?"

"Good morning, Miya. And yes ma'am, it is." He thanked her for the food and then dug in, enjoying the usual deliciousness of Miya's cooking.

Musubi and Akitsu were eating on either side of him. The other two tenants of the boarding house were nowhere to be found. Kagari works late at the club so he usually doesn't wake up too early and as far as the three of them knew Uzume only showed herself in the afternoons or evenings so she was absent as well.

"And what will you girls be doing today?" asked Miya as she placed her empty bowl down and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

Musubi answered her enthusiastically, "We'll be accompanying Minato to work today!" Akitsu nodded in affirmation.

"Oh, how nice of you girls."

When they were done with breakfast they helped Miya clean up and then walked to the front door. As they were leaving, Miya called out to Minato and handed him a boxed lunch.

"Ah, thank you so much, Miya! I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome. You have a good day now!"

On the walk to the construction site, Minato took the opportunity to talk more with the girls and learn about the Sekirei plan. He knew so little and he felt that he needed to understand more about the situation he was in. From what little he knew, not knowing more was dangerous and potentially even life-threatening.

"So, how many Sekirei are there anyway?" he asked.

Musubi, as usual, was the one to respond. "There are one-hundred-and-eight Sekirei, and we're all here in the city."

"I see. And each one is a different type?"

"Well... not exactly every one of us. Some have similar types. I know there are other fist types out there, as well as kicking types too."

Akitsu finally spoke up, "There are not too many element types, however. And none overlap."

Musubi and Minato looked at her when she said that.

"So you're the only ice type?"

She nodded.

"Okay, I think I understand. Now do your Sekirei numbers mean anything?"

"You bet! They're essentially our ranking. The lower the number, the stronger and older the Sekirei," said Musubi.

Minato contemplated that for a little while, "So you're saying that you're the 88th ranked Sekirei?" He didn't like the idea that eighty-seven other Sekirei out there were stronger than Musubi.

She seemed to realize what he was thinking and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Minato. Higher numbered Sekirei can defeat lower numbered ones. And don't worry about me, I won't lose!" Her confidence and positive attitude were infectious and he couldn't help but smile and feel a little relieved.

He turned to Akitsu, "So that means you must be really strong then, Akitsu. You're Sekirei number seven, aren't you? That means you must be really strong!" Much stronger than Musubi, he thought. His mind flashed back to seeing her in action, and the way she had somehow manipulated the temperature over a wide area. She really was on a different level than Musubi.

She gave a small nod.

"But... explain to me this. You call me your Ashikabi, and I think of you as my Sekirei, yet we're really not bound that way. Right?"

A look of sadness passed through her eyes before vanishing as she looked away.

Minato caught it though and kicked himself mentally for being so tactless. "I'm sorry, Akitsu. I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," she interrupted him. "You are right. We are not bound by the contract, as you and Musubi are. However, I... I cannot enter into a contract any longer due to what happened to me a while back... when I was discarded... So wherever I go, whomever I follow, is of my own choice. And," she paused and looked at him, "I've chosen you."

They had stopped walking at that point. Minato reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, their gazes meeting. "I'm honored that you've chosen to be with me. I promised to take care of you, Akitsu. And I will keep that promise, remember that."

She reached a hand up and placed it over his own and nodded, a small smile playing at her lips. "Thank you, Minato," she whispered.

Musubi looked on, happy and touched at the scene but also feeling a bit of jealousy. Minato was hers after all! She had found him first. Still, the reason why she had chosen him was because of his heart, for moments like this, and she knew that she had to get used to the fact that he was a very caring person and would care for more people other than her.

The sound of helicopters flying close overhead got their attention, interrupting the moment. All three of them looked up in time to see four helicopters passed over them, MBI painted in large white letters on their fuselages.

"MBI," Minato shifted his gaze back to the two girls as they resumed walking, "They're the ones behind the Sekirei plan, right?"

They both nodded.

Musubi explained further, "MBI raised us and then released us into the city for the Sekirei Plan. They control and operate the Plan."

"Which involves you fighting each other. I remember when you were explaining to me before." He looked back up at the sky and saw the helicopters seemed to be circling the area. "But you never told me, what happens if... if you lose?"

"Well, you see.." Musubi started to say but both girls stiffened for a split second before diving forward and grabbing Minato. Together they leaped out of the way just as the spot they were standing on exploded.

"What the hell!" cried Minato in surprise, a few dozen feet away. Both girls stood in front of him protectively, their bodies tense and eyes searching for the unknown assailant.

A man and a woman walked out of an alleyway nearby, and the man smirked as they approached the three of them. He was tall, thin, and bald. He wore some unassuming clothes: an old sweatshirt, a pair of unremarkable jeans, and some shoes that showed signs of wear. Following him was a with long waist-length brown hair and what looked to be a wand at the tip of which was a glowing green jewel in her hands.

"Greetings. You're another Ashikabi," the man noted, "I'm guessing you're off to the Arboretum too?"

Minato glared at the man, upset that he had attacked them. "No, I'm not. I'm off to work, actually," he replied stiffly, "Why did you attack us?"

The man smirked again, "It's part of the Sekirei plan. They must fight each other, and the last Sekirei standing wins... and it so happens to be that my Farrah will be the winner of this little MBI game."

Before Minato could say anything, Musubi stepped forward with her fists up and ready. She had a gleam in her eyes that Minato had first seen when she fought off the twins in the alleyway.

"I am Sekirei Number Eighty-Eight, Musubi. And I am the one who is going to win the ultimate prize, so I challenge you to a fight!"

Minato didn't like this one bit. "Musubi! No..."

She looked over her shoulder at him and winked, smiling. "Don't worry, Minato. I already told you, I wont lose!"

"No." Akitsu said sternly, causing them both to look at her with surprise. "I will handle this. You are not ready." She stepped forward, stopping next to Musubi. "Move him to a safe distance please, Musubi."

Musubi's eyes narrowed and she was about to protest when Minato grabbed her hand. "Let her handle this, Musubi." Seeing the look on her face, he realized how much a first fight meant to her, but he could not let her do this. "You'll have more opportunities to fight, Musubi. But please, for me, let Akitsu handle this one."

She didn't respond for a moment before finally relenting. "Fine. But the next battle is mine," she stated clearly before taking hold of Minato and jumping up to a nearby balcony to watch the fight. Minato let out a gasp from suddenly going airborne, but quickly forgot about it as they landed on the balcony safely. He rushed to the edge, hands on the railing, watching with anxiety filling him.

The bald man chuckled, amused at her enthusiasm. "Very well. Farrah, take care of this." He stepped aside as his Sekirei moved forward.

"I am Sekirei number seventy, Farrah." She raised her wand, the jewel glowing brighter.

Akitsu remained expressionless. "I am Akitsu. Sekirei number seven," she said flatly, small ice particles forming around her immediately after she finished speaking.

The man balked at that revelation, and even Farrah took a step back with widened eyes. They did not expect such a formidable opponent.

"She's a single number?" the man said, placing a hand on his bald head. Fear gripped him then, but he quickly shook it off. "It doesn't matter, Farrah. You're strong enough to beat her!" he growled.

The girl nodded firmly, gripping her wand tight. Her legs were planted in a fighting stance, body tense as she readied herself.

Meanwhile, Akitsu stood perfectly still. Her legs together and the same emotionless look that actually made her look bored. She was certainly not phased by what was happening.

Yelling a war cry, Farrah launched her attack. Swinging her wand around swiftly, she used the energy emanating from the jewel and controlling it sent out whips of green energy to lash at Akitsu. Before the whips could reach her, a wall of ice materialized out of nowhere. The ice wall exploded upon getting hit by the energy whips, causing air to blast outwards at everyone.

When the mist cleared from the exploded ice wall, Akitsu was still standing in the same spot.

"Damnit, Farrah! Don't hold back! Finish her!" yelled the bald man, pointing at Akitsu.

Farrah ran closer to her target, sending balls of energy at Akitsu, who simply moved out of the way and let the energy balls fly by her. Getting annoyed, Farrah made a series of sweeping motions with her wand, lashing out again with energy whips. She followed up by jumping up into the air and raising her wand high she brought it downwards with force. A large beam of green energy shot out from her wand.

Again the ice shield went up and there was a big explosion. Smoke, debris, and mist all covered the area at once.

Farrah landed nimbly on her feet, wand at the ready. When the smoke cleared, Akitsu was gone. A small crater formed on the spot where she had been standing. "Hmmph.." she smiled triumphantly, "Not too strong after all."

From the balcony, Minato couldn't believe it. Akitsu... she had lost?

Musubi placed a hand on one of his that was gripping the railing tightly. "She's strong, Minato. She won't easily be defeated like that."

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Then he saw her, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in.

Akitsu stood atop one of the nearby buildings, the same blank look on her face as she gazed down at her opponent. Her dress fluttered slightly in the wind. "Not bad," she said. "My turn."

Farrah turned and began to wave her wand about, green energy surrounding her.

Moving swiftly, Akitsu sent a wave of razor sharp icicles at the girl as she ran along the rooftop. Launching herself into the air and moving with amazing speed, she sent another wave of icicles towards her target. As soon as she landed at street-level, bracing herself by going down onto a knee, ice shot out from where she stood. The ice covered the street and made a line towards Farrah, who was fending off the icicles.

Akitsu stood up then and raised her hand, palm facing Farrah. Her hand closed into a fist.

As Farrah deflected the last of the icicles, she realized that ice now encased her feet. Unable to move, she twirled her wand about as ice stalagmites shot up from the ice-covered ground. She managed to let out a burst of energy that shattered the stalagmites but as she prepared to release her feet from the ice an icicle embedded itself into her right wrist. She let out a scream of pain. Her wand flew out of her grasp, covered in blood, as the red liquid flowed from the wound. The icicle had gone through and was stuck in her wrist.

Her eyes went wide, heart racing, as she came to the realization that she would not win this battle. Her wand was both her strength and her weakness, because that was her ability - the ability to wield the power of her wand. Nobody else could except her. Without it, however, she was powerless.

"You lost," stated Akitsu simply. Without warning, ice stalagmites erupted once more from the ground and pierced through Farrah's body from different angles. Blood soon covered the area. Farrah slumped over, held up by the stalagmites that ran through her body. Her Sekirei symbol at the base of her neck glowed and then disappeared.

"No.." said the old man in disbelief, "Farrah..." His eyes teared up as he fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

The sound of helicopters reached them as Musubi and Minato got down from the balcony and walked over to Akitsu. As usual, she showed no emotion as she walked away from her defeated opponent.

Within a few minutes, MBI choppers hovered overhead and one of them actually landed. A team of soldiers with a stretcher rushing towards Farrah, a red cross band wrapped around their arms and a red cross on their helmets. An MBI officer also got out of the landed chopper and strode over to Minato.

"Hello. Are you Minato Sahashi?" asked the officer as she gave a nod of greeting, her hair waving in the wind generated from the choppers.

"Ye-yeah."

"I see." She looked at Akitsu. "And you were the one who defeated number seventy?"

Akitsu gave a silent nod.

"Do you recognize Minato Sahashi as your Ashikabi?"

Again there was a nod.

"That's all I needed to know. Have a good day," she turned around.

"Wait!" Minato needed to know something.

"Yes, Mister Sahashi?"

"Will she..." his eyes darting to Farrah and then back to the officer, "Will she be okay?"

She appraised him for a moment, surprised at the question though not outwardly showing it. "Yes. Sekirei are resilient beings and they heal particularly well when treated properly. MBI will take care of her. Now I must be going. Goodbye."

Her team had already extracted Farrah from the ice and was securing her to the stretcher.

Minato watched the scene with a mixture of emotions. He saw the bald Ashikabi reduced into a crying mess, his previous confidence replaced with shock, sadness and despair. He observed the team scrambling to treat Farrah's serious injuries as they rushed her to the chopper. This is what happened when a Sekirei lost a battle. He clenched his jaw, hands balled into fists. He vowed that would not lose any of his Sekirei in such a manner.

"This is a despicable game," he said to no one in particular. The harsh reality of the situation he was in hitting him hard.

Musubi and Akitsu shared a look before grabbing hold of either side of him.

-xxxxxx-

They walked in silence after that. Minato was late to work, but he didn't particularly care at that point. He had seen the true extent of the Sekirei plan first-hand. Although he had known what it was all about, it was different to actually watch it happen in person. There was a difference between knowing an idea and seeing it carried out, and what he had seen did not sit well with him.

He was glad that Akitsu was successful and had been victorious, yet he could not help but sympathize with the bald Ashikabi and his Sekirei. He looked so broken. So alone. And she was of course badly hurt. He was relieved to know that she would be okay, however. That made it less difficult for him to accept the true nature of the plan, but it was still very difficult nonetheless.

Finally arriving at the construction site, he turned to the girls. "Musubi. Akitsu. After what I've seen today... I... I don't to lose either of you, so please be careful okay?" He held each of their gazes for a moment and grabbed a hand from each, giving them a squeeze. Then he went into the construction site without another word.

He was berated by the chief for being late and when asked why he was tardy he simply said that he had gotten lost on the way.

"I'm sorry, chief. It won't happen again," he assured him.

The chief was about fifty years old, lines and wrinkles on his face showing his age. He was still big and strong though thanks to all those years working construction, so while his face showed his age his body was that of a younger man. He had close-cropped black hair and a black thick black mustache and he was several inches taller than Minato.

"Good. I won't tolerate any further lateness. Next time, take a map with you in case you get lost. Now get to work!" he barked.

"Minato..." said Musubi softly as she and Akitsu watched him report in.


Author's Notes: I know it's been pretty slow going so far, but that's just the way I wanted it to start out. Things should begin picking up from here on out, and I hope you enjoyed this particular chapter. For those who think I'm following the original storyline a lot, well I did say that this is my take on the Sekirei story so it should be following the general path of the story, only with differences added as we go on. Some major deviations are coming soon enough though! (I think this counts as one, right?)

Also, yes I am pulling some dialogue directly from the TV show but that is part of my plan. I don't expect you to understand, but if you at least take a look at how many words I've gotten directly from the show compared to how many I've written you'd see that my supposed "lack of creativity" is merely a figment of your own imagination.

On the surface it may look the same, but delve beneath the surface and you will see it isn't what you first thought. :)

The Wandering Bard