Following the destruction of the gunships the world broadcast was brought to an immediate halt. Enough had gone out though to make people and governments all over the world question just what was happening in Tokyo now.

M.B.I. made no further effort to interfere with Minato and his sekirei as they brought Shiina and the others with them back to the castle. Along with the sekirei they also brought Yukari's body as well as the unconscious ashikabi Kakizaki. As they went a couple M.B.I. helicopters were dispatched to keep an eye on them. After their return they remained a discreet distance to maintain surveillance.

No one knew exactly what happened to a sekirei when a crest vanished beyond the fact they would become unconscious. Even Matsu was totally in the dark. It was quite possible that the shock was lethal. So they all waited nervously to see what would happen to Shiina and the others.

When one of the enemy sekirei opened her eyes after a few hours they all let out a sigh of relief. Within eight hours all the sekirei had woken up and seemed perfectly fine. Except for the lone sekirei belonging to Kakizaki they all knew somehow that their ashikabi were dead. Some took it worse than others, a number of Higa's ashikabi seemed to be not too upset and were much more worried what would happened to them now.

Shiina was deeply crushed and went to the room he and Yukari had shared to be alone. Even Kusano was asked to leave him be.

Except for Shiina Minato and his sekirei met with all the other sekirei to explain to them what had happened and what their options were.

"You're free to go if you want," Minato told them. "We're not enemies anymore and I don't plan to try and force any of you to serve me." He looked directly at Kakizaki. "Though some of you had a hand in what happened I can't blame you if you were simply being loyal to your ashikabi or to your boss. You can simply go, but I should warn you that M.B.I. may very well try to capture you since all of you lost your crests."

One girl made her decision immediately. She was Toyotama; she had been beaten by Musubi and lost her crest that way. She was holding firmly to Kakizaki's arm and looked frightened. "I want to stay with my ashikabi!"

Kakizaki nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder that appeared to comfort her some.

Minato shrugged. He didn't like the man very much but he would not punish him for following orders if he was not going to punish Higa's sekirei for doing the same. "That's fine; you can both go in peace."

"Actually Minato-san," Kakizaki spoke up in a calm and certain way. "I would like to pledge myself and my sekirei to your service. I will be a loyal subordinate to you just as I was to Higa-san."

Minato frowned at him. "You don't have any shame at all do you?"

The man simply shrugged. "I'm a practical man; I understand I have only one sekirei. The odds of our surviving long are almost zero. The best chance is to ally myself with a stronger ashikabi. I offer you not only my services but the services of my sekirei, number sixty two, Toyotama."

Toyotama immediately bowed her head acknowledging she would follow whatever path her ashikabi chose. Even without the connection they had previously shared she still loved him and wanted to stay with him no matter what.

Had it only been Kakizaki he would have thrown him out, but he didn't want to do that to his sekirei as well. "Fine you can both stay."

"Well we're not staying!" The cute little Oriha announce in a melodic voice. "No way are we staying with the guy who killed Higa-san!" She turned to her friend. "Right Katsuragi?"

The girl in the black and yellow track suit looked very uncomfortable as she slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm staying."

"What?!" Oriha shouted in outrage. "But he killed our master!"

"Oh grow up Oriha!" A girl in black clothes with a couple empty sword scabbards said. "He did what he had to just like Higa always did."

"Ichiya how can you say that?" Oriha cried.

"It's true! Any way he just used us like a general commanding his soldiers," she sounded bitter. "It's not like he ever loved us or really cared about us. He's gone now so we don't owe him anything more."

"We owe him not helping his killer!"

"Oh grow up," Ichiya repeated. "I've talked to some of his sekirei and they all really love him and say he cares about them. I think Minato would make a better ashikabi."

"Hold on!" Tsukiumi spoke up quickly. "You can stay here if you like but you cannot become his sekirei!"

"Why not?" Katsuragi asked.

"Because a sekirei can only be winged once and you have already sworn to Higa!"

Akizu spoke up. "I originally became the sekirei of Mikogami before I became Minato's. And since I was a broken sekirei I wasn't winged either time but still thought of myself as their sekirei and each of them as my ashikabi. I don't see why they couldn't swear to serve Minato even if he can't wing them."

Tsukiumi looked horrified.

"In that case, number fifty eight, Ichiya offers to become your sekirei."

One by one most of the others did the same.

Oriha was the only one to refuse and wound up leaving.

The remaining sekirei formed a line and began walking towards Minato. Tsukiumi jumped ahead of them waving her arms furiously. "Wait! As his legal wife I refuse to let you kiss him!"

"Isn't that a sekirei's right?" Akizu asked.

"You stay out of this!" Tsukiumi shouted. "They can't be winged so there's no real reason to kiss him!"

"Even if we can't be winged we want to perform the ceremony and proclaim our allegiance properly!" Ichiya argued.

The others nodded their heads.

"Ah such love for their new ashikabi," Kazehana said happily and began to dance about. "It's a beautiful thing!"

"Musubi thinks you will be happy with Minato-sama for an ashikabi!"

"We'll have to work out a schedule," Akizu said seriously. "Master will be busy having to satisfy so many sekirei."

"Gak!" Tsukiumi choked out. "Minato say something!"

Looking worried he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh, well I'll do my best."

"That's not what I wanted you to say!" Tsukiumi cried desperately.

In the end she had to watch as seven new sekirei pledged themselves to him with a kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

A little before midnight a limousine arrived at the castle gate. Takami stepped out and entered. She was surprised to find Minato and Tsukiumi waiting for him on the small foot bridge.

She was completely surprised at the hard look on his face and the coldness in his eyes. The last time she had seen him had been more than two years ago when he had originally left for Tokyo. He had been a confused weak willed kid back then, still not yet and adult. Someone who was easy to intimidate and didn't yet have a strong sense of self. She child have seen him on many occasions over the past two years, but somehow it had never been a high enough priority to take her away from her work.

She suddenly wished she had made the time to see him before this. Her sweet little boy was gone now. In his place was a man, and she thought he might be a very strong man. It made her feel at once very happy and very sad.

"Are you here for yourself mom, or are you here for M.B.I.?" Minato asked her in a harsh voice.

"Who told you?" She asked as she stepped onto the bridge.

"Homura and Kazehana, they felt I needed to know since I decided to revolt against M.B.I." he told her. "I would have really liked to have known about this sooner, but I appreciate them trusting me with it now at least."

"Well, I suppose I can't really fault them for telling you," she took out a cigarette and lit it. "I guess I should just be glad they kept quiet as long as they did." She inhaled and looked at her son closely. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I finally realized the Sekirei Plan was insane and that there was no reason at all for it. I just decided I wouldn't allow any more innocent people to suffer."

"Just like that?" She asked with a grin.

"I suppose Yukari dying might have had something to do with it," he told her with a smoldering anger. "Did you know mom? When I went to Minaka about this did you know Yukari had been kidnapped?"

She was startled by his rage. She had never really seen him become angry before. Even when he was being bullied he would never show any real resentment. Yes, her son had definitely grown up. "Yes," she answered him. "I knew."

"And you did nothing."

She nodded her head. "That's right son, I did nothing. God knows I regret that now. If I'd known what was going to happen I swear I'd have made him do something one way of the other. I honestly never really thought she would be hurt."

"Your own daughter was kidnapped and you did nothing," he looked away from her and out at the water. "What do you want mom?"

She glanced at Tsukiumi. "Could we talk alone?"

"Whatever you want to say to me can be said in front of my wife."

Tsukiumi crossed her arms and glared at the woman. "We all agreed I should be here in case you tried to hurt him or even kill him."

She gasped. "You think I would do something like that to my own son?"

Tsukiumi shrugged. "Homura and Kazehana both seem to know you pretty well, and they didn't seem sure what you might do."

Do they really think me such a heartless bitch that I could ever do something like that? Well… Kazehana might, but Homura too? "Minato you know your mother would never do that don't you?"

"I'm not sure what I know about you mom," he said still looking at the water. "Until just a few hours ago I thought you worked for a pharmaceutical company."

She gave a hollow grin. "Well technically speaking I do, that's what M.B.I. originally started out as."

Now he turned an angry face to her. "Don't make jokes about this! You've been lying to me my whole life!"

"Son it's not like I could have told you back then! What should I have said? Hey kids, guess what I did today. I spent the whole day checking the DNA of an alien who we have stashed away on this secret island. Do you really think I could have told you the truth then?"

"What about after Yukari and I both became ashikabi then?" He demanded. "When we were dragged into the Sekirei plan against our will. You couldn't have told us something then?"

"I thought I was protecting you by stating out of it."

"That's a lie!" He screamed. "You could have helped us! Advised us! You stayed out of it because that's what was best for you!" he stared at her accusingly.

"Minato…"

"Why are you here mom? Are you really here because you're worried about me? Or is it something else?"

She finished her cigarette. She tossed the but down and crushed it beneath her heel. "What are your intentions Minato?"

"I'd rather not tell you," he said.

"In that case I'm authorized to give you a message direct from Minaka. He wants you to know that your actions put you in open revolt against him and the Sekirei Plan. He is however willing to show some restraint given the emotional events that took place."

"You mean Yukari being kidnapped and then murdered?"

She continued trying not to react to his bitterness and anger. "That's right. He states that if you hand over the unwinged sekirei he will forgive your actions and pretend they never happened. If you persist however he will have no alternative but to bring you down with all the force available to him. He is willing to give you twenty four hours to consider this offer, until midnight tomorrow. After that you can consider yourself to be at war with M.B.I." She waited a moment. "So do you have a reply?"

"Tell him I'll think about it."

She grinned. "You've grown up some, but you're still not a very good liar."

He shrugged. "Obviously I didn't inherit the trait from you."

She winced; he'd scored a clean hit.

"You should go home now mom, I doubt this place is too safe. M.B.I. probably has every weapon it has aimed here." He turned to leave.

"Son I'd like to talk to you a little more," she called.

"You had plenty of chances to talk to me mom," he said and continued to walk away.

Tsukiumi remained where she was. "I am very glad my husband is nothing like you."

Takami laughed dryly as she turned to go. "Yeah, it's a mystery to me where his personality comes from. It's definitely not from me or his father."

XXXXXXXXXX

He met with Homura and Kazehana. "I need you to bring Matsu here," he told them. "I need her to not only go over the plan with us but to play a special role." He looked at Kazehana. "Are you all right with this? I know your feelings for him. If you don't want to take part I'll respect that."

She shook her head. "I'm your sekirei and my heart belongs only to you my love. I… I just ask you not to request me to actually hurt him. Otherwise I'm fine to fight against him."

"No problem," he said. He was sure Homura would be more than happy to do that himself. "We need to get everything ready. At dawn we hit M.B.I. Tower and end this once and for all."

XXXXXXXXXX

Author's Notes: Next chapter will be the conclusion. There may be one additional chapter after that as an epilogue.