Back on my bullshit.
read, review, enjoy
Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei; if I did, the situation with certain characters would've turned out very differently and we'd have more than two seasons of the anime. It belongs solely to Sakurako Gokurakuin.
A blanket of fog consumed his vision, rolling and tumbling across the sky. Looking down, he realized the sky was the ground and vice versa, with step leaving a sort of ripple not unlike that of a disturbed pond.
'What…is all this?'
The fog enveloped all, never abating even as he traversed through its soupy contents. After what felt like hours, he finally emerged and found he was no longer alone.
Two figures – even from this distance he could tell they were women – were standing ahead of him by themselves with their backs to him. Their features were wreathed in shadow, with only the lower half of their bodies being visible.
The only things he could make out were their boots – one white, one black.
"Hello...!"
The figures didn't answer, not even showing signs to having heard him in fact.
That didn't deter him, and he pressed on – making his way towards them. Somehow he felt they would be important to him; why, he couldn't comprehend. All he knew was that their presence was like a flame, drawing him in like he were but a moth.
When he got close enough, he could make out one distinct feature that made one of them unique – a large arch of some sort hovered behind her, and…it was moving.
Swallowing, he made his way towards her and reached out – only to be swatted by what felt like cloth.
It stung like hell too.
But why was she rejecting him? Wasn't she the one who wanted him here?
"It's not time yet," a disembodied voice seemed to whisper, echoing throughout the area.
"I don't understand! Time for what? What do you want from me?!" he shouted to the wind, for all the good that would do.
"You will in time…Master," the voice answered and with it came the roar of the wind.
He felt himself dragged forward and thrust back into familiar throes, never taking his eyes off the two shadowy figures that turned as one towards him…
Tamotsu's eyes shot open with a gasp, panting heavily.
His heart pounded in his chest but soon began to settle down…and allowed him to take in his new surroundings.
This…wasn't Sanada's flat. It was far too clean for that.
From the luxurious décor and furniture, he surmised that it was a hotel room and a quick look to his left found a ceiling to floor window that provided a breathtaking vista of the capital.
"Where the hell...?" he muttered, moving to stand up from the bed-
Squish
-only to find his hand landing on something extremely soft and warm. Whatever it was, it sure as hell wasn't a pillow.
"Mmm…"
And the subsequent moan that escaped just then cemented that crucial fact.
That was definitely not a sound he was familiar with!
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, all but throwing himself off the bed in a panic.
Risking a glance, his eyes nearly bugged out as he took stock of the blonde nymph that was occupying the other side of the bed, now hugging a pillow to her chest with a flush dusting her cheeks.
In another situation, Tamotsu wouldn't have questioned his good fortune. Here he had been slumbering peacefully next to one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever laid eyes on, and clearly had been the one to bring him here.
But right now, the only thing he could process was:
"What in the fuck?"
Suddenly, the sole tv in the room blared to life and damn near made him shit a brick. The static crackled and fizzed before it was replaced by a grinning bespectacled man dressed in white.
"Congratulations my boy! You have just become a part of something grander than anything you could possibly imagine!"
Tamotsu blinked, staring at the tv for a few moments before spying the remote on the nightstand. He didn't even hesitate.
"You have been selected to – wait, wait, don't touch that-!"
BLIP.
The tv shut off, Tamotsu giving a sigh of relief…which was immediately sucked back in as the tv came to life once more, starring the crazed four eyes.
"Gah!"
"Now as I was say-!"
BLIP.
"You are-!"
BLIP! BLIP! BLIP!
"Would you st-!"
Even changing the channel didn't seem to do the trick; the weird guy would not go away no matter what he did.
"Fine then, get around this," he grumbled, making to head towards the tv and gripped the power cord.
"I wouldn't do that Uemoto-kun-!"
Tamotsu froze.
His name. Why did the man know his name?
"That's right, young man. I know who you are. Now could you be so kind as to let go of that cord before you do something you'll regret."
Biting his lip, he reluctantly let go of the cord and made his back in front of the tv to where the man was once again grinning at him. One look in his eyes told Tamotsu all he needed to know about the guy.
'He's completely off his rocker.'
And his next words cemented that belief.
Giving a grin that should've split his face in half, the madman proclaimed, "Now then, I am pleased to welcome you into the ceremony that will usher in the age of the gods: the Sekirei Plan!"
Tamotsu just stared at him blankly. This guy was a total loon. He didn't need to listen to this crap. He aimed the remote again, his finger glossing over the button when the madman's eyes seemed to gleam.
"Number thirty-eight – Mitsuha-chan, was it?"
Tamotsu's heart stopped, eyes widening as the man's grin somehow widened even more.
"That's right Uemoto-kun, I know all about your little adventure with thirty-eight over there. And from here, it seems there was one adventure I missed out on. Boo."
Tamotsu felt compelled to stare over at his bedmate, still somehow undisturbed by all of this as she slumbered on peacefully.
"Quite the specimen isn't she? Admittedly, she isn't quite as impressive as some of the others but she has her perks all the same – as all Sekirei do, as it turns out."
There it was, that word again – Sekirei.
"It wasn't a dream," he said aloud, more to himself than anyone in particular and with growing worry.
"Indeed my boy! No dream could ever come close to the glory that was presented before the world last night – and the show only got better after you became her Ashikabi."
Tamotsu felt a migraine coming on as the man spoke, letting out a low growl of frustration. "Ok, look. Assuming I'm not insane by this point, what in the hell is all this? Sekirei plan? Ashikabi? Age of the gods? What in the hell are you talking about four-eyes?!"
For once, the man in the tv lost his grin and looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded to himself. "Perhaps starting from the beginning would be more appropriate. Maybe then you'll come around the reality you find yourself in. Theme music!"
A canny tune began to blare from the tv as it showed a viewing of a familiar structure: the MBI tower. The man's profile was minimized to a tiny little screen in the corner as pre-recorded message began playing.
"Mid-Bio Informatics," a spokesperson began to narrate, "better known collectively as MBI was founded by the young Minaka Hiroto after a monumental discovery that changed Humanity forever. The discovery of an alien vessel on a deserted island catapulted MBI in size and influence, quickly becoming the frontrunner of all corporations in Japan. Today, MBI has become the single-leading entity of Japan to which it owes all of its recent strides in progress to."
Naturally, Tamotsu found the sales pitch to be less than enthralling, made only inaner by the fact that the grinning man had pulled out a bucket of popcorn and was happily munching on it.
"With the way paved with their tantamount string of success, Chairman Minaka has arranged for an event to take place that will elevate mankind to unseen levels of prosperity," the spokesperson continued. "It is the Chairman's vision that those of MBI shall uphold, and we look forward to him leading us into a land of magnificence."
The screen flipped back to a full profile of the man who grinned widely at him, still eating his popcorn.
Tamotsu felt his eye twitch as he forced out a sigh, "Chairman...Minaka-sama, I presume?"
DING! DING! DING!
The sound of a bell ringing echoed from the tv, the man nodding like a kid high on sugar - for all he was coming off, he might as well have been. "Yep, yep! Got it in one, young man! Quite the sharp one you are. I just know you'll be an interesting one to watch as the Sekirei Plan unfolds!"
Tamotsu felt like tearing his hair out at the man's absurd words, "What plan? What Ashikabi? What Sekirei?!"
"Oh it's quite simple really! You and a select group of others within the Shinto Teito area have all been selected as promising players for event known as the Sekirei Plan. As an Ashikabi – a master of Sekirei – you and your Sekirei will battle against other masters with their own Sekirei in vigorous death matches of which there can be only one winner!"
Tamotsu just stared in horror at the man as he grinned back at him, his eyes wide with glee.
"But wait, there's more!" Minaka crowed excitedly, eyes gleaming. "If you beat all the other Ashikabi and Sekirei, you and your own will gain access to stunning prizes: cash, fame, women, with one of them being a wish that can grant anything you desire! So, how bout it Uemoto-kun? Interested~?"
PIIIII.
Tamotsu tossed the power cable over to the side, breathing heavily as he steadied himself on the appliance.
Wishes… Sekirei Plan…deathmatches…
"What in the hell is all this?"
"I take it you don't approve."
"You're damn right I don't!" Tamotsu shouted back on reflex, his eyes widening immediately afterward. He risked a glance behind him and found two purple eyes staring back at him, their owner laying down supporting her chin with her hands. He swallowed. "How long have you been awake…?"
"Ever since you touched my boobs," Mitsuha retorted waspishly, sporting a blush.
He mirrored it, his face heating up quickly as he ducked his gaze. "I uh...S-sorry."
"About touching my boobs or waking me up like that?"
Tamotsu sighed, giving her a weary glance, "Whatever stops you from kicking my ass across the Pacific."
Mitsuha rolled her eyes at that, brushing a slender hand through her long flowing hair, "That would be pretty stupid on my part, even if I wanted to."
"Why?"
"The Chairman will fill you in."
Tamotsu sported a scowl as he glanced back at the dead appliance, "I don't want to hear anything more that psycho has to say. I've heard more than enough as it is. And while we're on that, how are you not upset by any of this!? You're…you're a Sekirei, aren't you? So why aren't you even the least bit pissed off about having to fight your own kind?!"
Mitsuha stared at him for a long moment, studying for…what he didn't know. Finally, she pushed herself up, got off and walked to the window…in nothing but in pair of yellow and black lace panties.
His face flamed.
"You really don't get it, do you?" Mitsuha said quietly, not turning to face him.
"Get what?"
"Why we're fighting like this…why I'm fighting, and more importantly what an Ashikabi really is."
Tamotsu shot a sour glance to the side, "I refuse to make anybody my slave," he hissed.
"Idiot, that's not what he meant," Mitsuha scoffed. "We're not slaves to an Ashikabi, and it doesn't make me one to you!"
"So what then? What the hell is an Ashikabi supposed to be?"
A tense silence reigned in the air, even as Mitsuha finally turned and met his eyes almost shyly, the blush on full display. "Put simply – they're our spouse, which makes you my husband and I your wife."
Tamotsu stared, blinking as the words fell on deaf ears.
Spouse… Husband… Wife…
Marriage…
"You…you mean we're married? SINCE WHEN?" he screamed, eyes burning with disbelief and panic.
Mitsuha rubbed her arm, fidgeting a bit, "Since we kissed."
Tamotsu clawed at his face, trying to make sense of it all, "On what planet does that make us an item?!"
"Mine," Mitsuha's response was cold, her gaze even more so though the blush remained.
Tamotsu's throat locked up, stumbling over to fall on the bed that was fortunately right behind him. "I…I…I don't understand any of this. Why me? I'm nobody."
"Don't ever say that!"
His eyes shot up, stunned to find Mitsuha's face only a few inches from her own, her eyes blazing with outrage. "Don't you ever say that again, you hear me? I won't have my Ashikabi – my husband – berating himself like that."
"Husband?! I only met you yesterday! How can you be ok with this?!"
"So was it a lie?"
Tamotsu backtracked, a little off put by her words, "What?"
"You kissing me – was it a lie? Were you that hard up for some action that you'd take my first kiss without thinking about it?"
"HELL NO!"
"THEN WHICH IS IT?!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" he screamed in her face, panting heavily as he kept his eyes locked with hers. Finally, he broke contact and stared down at his feet at a loss. "All of this – all of it is so far out there while I'm still trying to register the fact I woke up with a bombshell of a woman next to me. Things like Ashikabi, Sekirei Plans, and marriage I can't process right now. This is…just too much. I don't even know you, Mitsuha-san. How could you say that you want me when we're little more than strangers?"
Mitsuha didn't answer but he could feel her gaze burning holes into the back of his head. He couldn't say anything more either – everything he told her was the truth, and come what my he would accept whatever she felt about that.
He expected a fiery condemnation from her, maybe even some tears. What he never expected was for her to kneel down and hug him.
"H-huh?"
"Don't think you're the only one who's overwhelmed by all this, Tamo-kun," Mitsuha said softly, but fiercely. "This isn't easy for me either…not with all these feelings running through my body. Ever since that kiss, all I can think about is you. So seeing you beat yourself like this is as if you're the one hurting me."
"But…but that's-!"
"Just shut up and listen for a minute, idiot!" she snapped, and he wisely did so. "To a Sekirei, their Ashikabi is everything. I told you I'm an alien – on my planet, that title is reserved solely for our life mate, our destined one. You're right: I don't know you and you sure as hell don't know me. But," she turned his face up to look at her and that small smile melted his worries, "I really want to."
And she kissed him, once more causing those beautiful golden wings to sprout from her back, hammering it home that she was not human in any way.
He was an Ashikabi, and she was a Sekirei; one average human, one spectacular alien; and she was kissing him, calling him her husband.
How could he say no to that?
When her lips left his, he swallowed what was left of his insecurities and tried to put together something that would make a decent case.
"Does that mean I can call you by a pet name?"
Mitsuha grabbed his cheek and yanked on it.
"Ow…!"
"Don't get cocky, Master," she scolded, giving him a stern look. "You are far from my ideal Ashikabi and you better believe that before I'm through with you, you'll be a regular heartbreaker," she gripped his collar once again, grinning like a shark, "mine, that is."
Patting his cheek a few times, she rose up and stretched, "Right then! Now to business. First we need to head down to MBI and get my card, register you in the system, and start looking for a place to live. Can't exactly live out of a hotel forever…plus the room service sucks… And where the hell are my clothes anyway?!"
'Oji-san, it's your grandson. I have no idea what I've gotten involved with and while I have the feeling it's going to put me through untold misery,' Tamotsu thought, trailing off as he watched his alien wife scamper around, grumbling about where her clothes were, 'but somehow, if it means I get to spend my life with her…I think it'll be worth it.'
There was still the dream that lingered in his mind, but the fact that he was now involved with a beautiful girl couldn't help but make him smile in bliss.
Lost as he was in his thoughts, he was completely unaware of said alien sneaking glances at him out of the corner of her eye, a small smile playing upon her lips.
"We've got a lot of work to do, Tamo-kun. And nothing is going to get in our way."
Tamotsu was at his wits end.
Since coming to the capital he'd been nearly tossed out of the train terminal, prevented the mugging of a beautiful girl, got turned down by said beautiful girl and later beaten within an inch of his life by said muggers. And to top it all off, this morning he'd found out that everything that happened the night before hadn't in fact been some wild dream and that now he had an alien wife who could quite easily snap him like a twig if she felt the urge to.
But with all that, everything he'd went through, every hardship he'd faced – absolutely nothing came even remotely close to the current predicament he now found himself in.
"What do you think Tamo-kun? The red or the pink one?"
Despite his significant lack of experience with the fairer sex, he now found himself square in the same situation as most romance anime protagonists eventually did with their love interests.
The dreaded question of: which one?
If it had been tops or skirts, he might not have been anywhere near as nervous as he was. He could've just made a choice and went on with his merry day.
But no, it seemed Mitsuha was going to start evaluating him as a man right away and had drug him into the absolute last place he'd ever be caught in:
A lingerie store.
A few unsavory friends of his would've chewed their arm off for a chance at getting even within a meter of this place without being chased off by girls. Perverts they were of course, but even he hadn't dismissed the curiosity of being able to go in.
Never did he think he would be all but dragged inside by his new alien wife; double that for being the judge for her new pair of sleep wear that she would – likely, or likely not – be wearing when it was just them.
Even now he could feel the stares on his back, as the clerk had offered to assist them once she had seen the unlimited MBI card they picked up this morning from MBI.
And boy hadn't that been an experience.
'I didn't even know they could build ceilings that high,' he mused in awe. 'You could've fit the old castle back in Hikone in there and still have more than enough room!'
"Tamo!"
"Y-yes?!"
"Well~ I'm waiting," Mitsuha urged, flushing deeply as she drilled a hole into him with her stare.
Tamotsu made a pained face, forcing down as much of a blush as he could prepared to dig his grave.
But Kami must've took pity on him as a familiar voice met his ears.
"Yo, kid!"
Tamotsu's eyes widened, starting to pale even further.
'There is no way my luck is that bad,' he groused.
But one quick glance to the side proved him dead wrong; Seo and the twins, Hikari and Hibiki were heading over to him, the man grinning wolfishly at him. "Kaoru-san…what a surprise."
"Well, well, well! Didn't think I'd ever catch you here of all places! I'd be impressed if it wasn't so creepy," Seo remarked, rubbing his chin.
"Speak for yourself, pervert!" the twins chorused, blushes on their faces.
"Details, details," Seo dismissed, ignoring the glares the twins gave him. "Still, what are ya doing here kid? Not trying to get any sneak peeks are we?"
"YOU!"
"What...? YOU?!"
The twins and Mitsuha stared in astonishment at each other, both Hikari and Mitsuha pointing a shaky finger at one another.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" they echoed in stereo.
Seo glanced at Mitsuha then back to him, raising an eyebrow, "She with you, kid?"
Tamotsu somehow could feel Hibiki's eyes on him now, swallowing hard, "Yes, Kaoru-san. And before you ask, I know what she is – and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say the twins there are the same."
This time the twins both shot a look at him, eyes wide with shock.
Seo on the other hand just let out a low whistle, giving Tamotsu a devious grin, "Well, that's something. I take it blondie here is with you?"
Immediately, Tamotsu felt Mitsuha come up behind him and draw him closer to her, flaring up a bit as he realized she was still only clad in a bra and panties.
"Is that a problem, Ashikabi-san?" Mitsuha asked calmly, but an undertone of threat in her voice.
The twins also clustered around Seo, glaring daggers at her accompanied by the faint smell of ozone in the air that suggested things were about to come to a head.
Seo stared long and hard at Mitsuha as she held her Ashikabi close to her, protectively, before giving a chuckle. "Nah, just checking out the competition is all. Gotta say kid, she's got quite the look. And if she can rile up 'kari and 'biki here, she must be something."
"More like a nuisance," Hikari grumbled, glaring at the blonde who returned it.
"Looks like introductions are in order, I suppose," Seo said, jabbing a finger at himself. "Kaoru Seo, Ashikabi. These two are Hikari and Hibiki: numbers eleven and twelve, respectively."
"Number thirty-eight, Mitsuha," the blonde uttered tersely, never taking her eyes off the twins.
"So, you two are Sekirei," Tamotsu murmured, eyeing them with a strained expression. "Somehow I'm not surprised."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hikari demanded, folding her arms.
Tamotsu chuckled, "Anybody who can nail someone in the face with a bento from that distance isn't human – no offense."
If anything, Hikari preened at the acknowledgement of her skills, "But of course."
"My face still smarts from that by the way," Seo grumbled with a sour look at the Sekirei who smirked.
"I didn't hear any complaining from you," the eldest twin remarked smugly.
"She's got a point," Tamotsu threw in his two cents.
"Master," Mistuha butted in, squeezing him tightly, "it's not a good idea to cavort with the enemy like this."
Tamotsu shot a wild look up at her, "Enemy!? What are you talking about?"
"Remember what the Chairman told you?"
Tamotsu gritted his teeth at that, "Unfortunately."
"This is a free-for-all, Master, which means these three will ultimately be our enemies in the days to come," Mitsuha explained calmly.
Tamotsu just stared in horror up at her, in disbelief…but a quick glance at the trio gathered showed a similar sort of tension and…acceptance. "You're…you're serious?"
"As a heart attack, kid," Seo grunted. "I don't like it anymore than you do. And it's not just you – it's everyone with a Sekirei, even Sanada-kun. And the same goes for you too; so you better get your mind right if you don't want to end up losing."
"But this is insane!" Tamotsu shouted, drawing a few looks from others in the store. "How can you go along with this madness! We're talking about pitting innocent people against one another all for some madman's sick amusement!"
"Because we have something we want, and no one will stand in our way of it," the twins countered, staring down at him with cold eyes.
"What could possibly be worth putting your own lives at stake for the delusions of a psychopath?!"
"To be with our loved one forever," Mitsuha answered for the twins, leaving him stunned.
"What…?
"Each Sekirei is bound to their Ashikabi by a bond that is deeper than mere love. It goes beyond that of lovers, bonding them to their Ashikabi not just on a physical and emotional level, but a spiritual one. I told you Sekirei have their life mate – I wasn't lying. And I, just like these two, am willing to give everything to have that chance to live together with my beloved Ashikabi – with you, Tamo-kun." Mitsuha turned a glare up at the twins, "And I know you two feel the same – otherwise you wouldn't have terminated so many unwinged Sekirei…like you tried to do to me."
Tamotsu stared at the twins with mounting horror, inching back from them, "Ter…terminate? You've killed other Sekirei already?" A hollow pit filled his stomach as he addressed his own Sekirei, "Did…you do that last night?"
"Terminate and killing are two different things, kid," Seo broke in before Mitsuha could, leveling a glare down at him. "My girls have been going around terminating Sekirei, namely those who hadn't found their Ashikabi yet – but they haven't killed anyone. The difference between terminating and killing is that the former just deactivates them, just like your girl did. For that, 'kari and 'biki's hands are clean."
Unbidden, a faint memory of a familiar image bore itself to the forefront of his mind and made him suck a sharp breath. "The tattoo… Does it have something to do with that, then?"
Seo shrugged, "More or less. Terminating just means making it so the Sekirei can't fight anymore but the simplest way is for either 'kari or 'biki here to touch that crest, recite their norito, and drop them."
"Why…are you telling me all of this?" Tamotsu asked quietly, his gaze to the floor.
"Simple: because if we're going to fight one day, I want it on even terms. And the way you are now," Seo sneered, "you won't last a week before your girl's nothing more than a doll."
For all the things he'd endured, all the things that had been said – the thought of the girl who had dragged him into her world fading from his life…
Quicker than even the Sekirei could react, Tamotsu shot up and gripped Seo by his collar, glaring daggers into his eyes, "You won't get the chance to see that!" he snarled at the man, not even caring of the two Sekirei that were now aiming their hands at him, electricity crackling.
"Let him go now!" the twins demanded.
"Tamo-kun!" Mitsuha shouted, drawing forth her whip and brandishing it threateningly at the twins.
Throughout it all, Seo's expression didn't change even as Tamotsu refused to release him, just staring into the hard lavender eyes of the younger man stoically.
Then he smirked.
"I like that look in your eye, kid," Seo chuckled, breaking Tamotsu out of whatever state he'd been in. "Shows you do give a shit, even for how little time you've known her. I've met some real shitty Ashikabi already but you – you ain't one of them. A man that's willing to stand up for his girl only has my respect. Now, could you lay off a bit? I'd rather the twins didn't turn you into fried chicken."
Tamotsu blinked, releasing Seo as he stumbled back, falling back to his seat as Mitsuha fussed over him. "I… I'm sorry."
Mitsuha just held his chin up, her focus only on him and not the enemy Sekirei behind her.
"Never be sorry for standing up for what's important to you," Seo chastised before throwing his hands behind his head. "Well then, see you around kid. Take good care of that girl of yours…and anybody else you might snag along the way."
Tamotsu's head shot up in alarm at that, but Seo was already walking away with the twins, both aiming warning glances at him as they followed their Ashikabi out.
"You certainly have a way with people, Tamo-kun," Mitsuha muttered, looking him over for the tenth time. "Are you all right?"
"...do you really want that?" Tamotsu asked suddenly.
"What?"
"To live together with…with me? Forever? It's like you said earlier: I'm far from your ideal choice and I know I'm pretty pathetic myself. Could you really be happy with me…risking yourself, for me?"
"I'm not going to say it again," Mitsuha told him, curtly. "Once was enough for you."
Despite himself, Tamotsu chuckled and pulled the girl into an embrace, causing her to flare up.
"H-hey, what are you-!"
"Thank you, Mitsuha-san," Tamotsu murmured, holding her against him.
Mitsuha huffed but returned the embrace, relishing in his hold, even as her eyes shone with unshed tears. "Idiot…"
If there was one good thing that could said about MBI, it was that they opened up many doors.
Hours after the encounter with Seo and the twins, Tamotsu and Mitsuha made their way across town to find a new place to live. The hotel where Mitsuha had been staying was far too expensive to live, even on an MBI card, and Tamotsu personally didn't care for all the ritz and glamour of the place.
Practicality was foremost in his mind; so long as they had a roof over their heads, a place to rest and could keep themselves fed – he was content.
His blonde companion however took some persuading; she clearly was used to a certain way of living. She hadn't let him just buy the first place he saw. It wasn't until the fifth apartment complex they looked at – and getting the most expensive one there – that she was finally satisfied.
Again, satisfied being the operative word there.
"Ugh, it's like being cramped into a sardine container in here," Mitsuha's grumblings floated back to him from the bathroom. "Where am I going to put all my stuff?"
"Do you even need that many things to get ready?" he wondered aloud, in jest. He was wholly unprepared for the glower that came around corner, daring him to continue with that line of thought. "…I said nothing."
The blonde gremlin went back to her ranting before closing the door to take a shower, leaving him with some time to take stock of where they really were.
The flat they had was pretty spiffy compared to all the others they'd checked out. It was on the 6th floor of a very well-off apartment building, reaching almost 100 square meters all around with a decent-sized kitchen, a sizeable bathroom and a balcony that provided a spectacular view of the city…including the tower.
'I could do without that eyesore,' he groused.
Still, never in all his life did he ever imagine being able to afford a place like this. He'd have to sell his soul twice over just to make a month's rent!
'I guess today is full of firsts,' he thought wryly.
Waking up next to a pretty girl, finding out said pretty girl was not only a super-powered alien but your new wife, and now living together with her in a luxurious apartment.
His grandmother would never believe him, even if he told her.
He'd called her earlier today while Mitsuha had gone in to "negotiate" the rates on one of the complexes they looked at. All he could really tell her was that he'd found a job in the city that paid relatively well but was very demanding. He hated having to lie to her but again all it would do is cause her undue stress at her old age, and he didn't want to be the one that finally caused her to keel over.
Fortunately, Mitsuha still had no idea she existed which was no end of relief for him. If those two met…
He shuddered. He already had one busybody in his life – the last thing he needed was for his Sekirei to become one.
Tamotsu let out a sigh and laid back on the queen-sized bed they – or rather Mitsuha – had helped buy. It still astonished him to see someone as delicate as her pick up a mattress that would've taken two full grown men to lift with ease.
"Sekirei… MBI… Ashikabi… Even now I still can't believe I'm part of it all."
And it wasn't just him. Seo and Sanada all were Ashikabi, even if it took him a bit to determine the latter which meant at some point he'd have to fight them.
It tore at him something fierce that the first thing he'd be doing to pay back his savior was turn against him. Sanada had been nothing but kind to him if a bit of a hardass at times.
He glanced over towards his phone that was sitting on the nightstand, studying it.
'Screw it, I'll tell him. He probably already knows anyways.'
Tamotsu reached over for the device, only to freeze as the bathroom door swung open revealing a vision of beauty that caused his heart to nearly relocate to his throat.
Mitsuha stepped out clad in only a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her hair, steam billowing from the bathroom giving her an almost ethereal look. "At least the hot water lasts for a bit," she mumbled, rubbing her head a bit. Then she noticed him and smirked, "See something you like, Master?"
"Agpfh," was his eloquent response, phone forgotten.
Mitsuha actually let out a giggle, "What kinda noise is that?"
"The…the one I make when I see something beyond expression," he managed to return, struggling to control his heartbeat, and failing.
Mitsuha's smile become saccharine as she sashayed over to the bed, crawling onto all fours up to him, leaning in close enough that he could smell her shampoo. "Why don't you try anyways?"
Tamotsu damn near passed out from a nosebleed.
"I'm just kidding," the blonde teased, planting herself next to him. "…I may not be able to read your mind, but I know you're troubled by something."
"Is that some kinda Sekirei intuition?" he joked.
"Tamo-kun."
The boy sighed, "Alright, alright. I was thinking about a few things, namely the Sekirei as a race. You said you're aliens – do you know where you come from? Or how many are on Earth?"
Hes answer shocked him to his core.
"I can answer the latter; according to the Chairman, there are one-hundred and eight of us."
"WHAT?!" Tamotsu shouted, eyes flying open in horror. "Only one-hundred and eight? And they're all a part of this Plan of his?!"
"Yep."
"Don't yep me! How can you be so calm about this? How are any of you so calm about this! You… My god you're an endangered species, and he's having you fight each other – possibly to the death! That son of a-!"
"TAMO!" Mitsuha shouted, grabbing him by the face and making him look at her. "…you think I don't know that? You think any of us don't? We know what's at stake here, what we have to lose…that we're fighting our kin for the chance at being with our destined ones is all the more reason why we're here."
"I…I can't… I can't just…!"
Mistuha sighed, maneuvering herself so that she was seated in his lap, leaning back against him. "Fine, then let me ask you this. Suppose the Plan was called off and all Sekirei were free to do as they wished – would that make you feel better?"
"Well of course it-!"
"I'm not finished," she cut him off, softly. "Consider this: we Sekirei aren't like humans. We're much, much more than that and while I think you know that it goes deeper than you might think. We're warriors, each of us. We are driven to fight one another for countless reasons – pride, privilege, or more likely the chance to be with our Ashikabi. Even if the Plan didn't exist, we'd still have to fight."
"Why can't you all just live together peacefully?"
"Why can't humans?"
Tamotsu found himself at a loss on that one.
"We bear similarities to humans, even that urge to fight. But that's where they end; we're dangerous Tamo-kun and the Chairman, for all his faults, is someone we owe everything to for giving us the chance to live and fight for our destined ones, even if many won't get that chance."
"You mean the twins," Tamotsu surmised, unconsciously wrapping his arms around her. "Did they really go after you?"
Mitsuha squeezed them back, giving a nod. "It was just after I was released from MBI; they were on me after the fifth block from the tower. I gave them the slip but they were persistent."
Tamotsu held her tighter, forcing away the notion hat he'd come so close to having never met her.
"As wrong as it is for them to go after un-winged Sekirei, I know they aren't doing it to be total bitches," she remarked, eliciting a faint chuckle from her Ashikabi. "They love that caveman, even if they don't show it much. Were I in their position… I can't say I wouldn't do the same if I felt it was the only thing to keep me with the one I love."
"I can't see you doing that."
Mitsuha said nothing, only leaning herself deeper into his embrace. "Tamo-kun?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you love me?"
"That's…"
"I told you what an Ashikabi means to their Sekirei but I want you to know that these feelings I have…the feeling I have now being held by you… It's real, and I'm so glad it is."
"Mitsuha-san…"
"I can already guess your answer," Mitsuha interrupted, giving a forlorn sigh. "Truth is, you're right. We don't know each other and though I really want us to, I won't force anything out of you. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."
Tamotsu weighed her words, letting them sink in for a moment before he loosened his hold on her. "I want to," he answered quietly.
But there were some things he just wasn't ready to let her know yet...
"Tell me about you."
"M-me?" Mistsuha stammered, unprepared for the turnabout.
"We want to learn about each other, and since I'm a gentleman I do believe it's proper for the lady to go first," Tamotsu insisted, hoping she wouldn't press for anything.
For once she didn't and for the next several hours, Mitsuha relayed to him the story of her "childhood" at MBI.
It wasn't one sided either. They traded off, one story for another as they slowly built up the foundation which had steadily become a bond that linked them together stronger than lovers ever could achieve.
By the time dawn reared its head, both were still fast sleep in each other's arms. With their heads leaning against one another completely ignorant of the coming day, their hands remained entwined, like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place.
A failure.
"We've run all the tests…"
A waste.
"How could this have happened?"
An experiment gone wrong.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!"
All of it for nothing.
"We're very sorry, but due to a lack of understanding of how your kind works, we have no choice but to let you go. We never wanted this."
What about what she wanted? What she desired? Did that ever matter to them?
Was finding a way to make her so special so important as to render her like this?
These questions haunted her day in and day out. It had been day since she was released from their clutches, and all she could think about was her grief.
Her sorrow, relentless and unyielding.
It threatened to consume her.
Much like the ice she had been born to command.
But without the meaning of her existence…that final, absolute piece of the puzzle that was a Sekirei – what was she then?
A Scrapped Number, they'd called her.
For the former #7, there was only one thing she knew she could call herself now:
"Nothing."
Longest chapter thus far! Hope you guys enjoyed it!
I don't know exactly what housing conditions are like for first-rate apartments in Japan, so please bear with me if that seems too much. I'll adjust it if someone gives me better info. I just wanted to give those two a decently sized apartment for the other two - maybe more - Sekirei that'll be living there in soon.
And yes, Akitsu will be present in this fic but not how you might think. That's all I'm saying for now.
And Tamotsu and Mitsuha bonding, dawww. Might've seemed forced, but I felt it was pretty standard for how Sekirei go with their Ashikabi. After all Minato and Musubi grew close in an instant.
I'll work on the next chapter over the next few days but the next update might not come till Friday unless the muse cooperates.
Till then,
take care.