I know, I know, I'm late.
It's been a a messy last couple of months. First my car got hit last month - after I moved it so it wouldn't be - and had to deal with insurance. Fortunately there was full coverage from the one who hit me, so repairs were all paid for including the rental. Then I started taking extra shifts at work to make up for what I lost over the summer. That's the last time I go without collecting unemployment, I swear.
I can say now I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Whether or not that'll be good for the quality of the story, only time will tell.
Alright, now that all that's over -
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.
"speech"
'thought'
"phone call"
"Norito"
SOUND EFFECT
"flash back"
The ticking of the clock and the low hum of a computer were the only sounds playing in the office in which one Sahashi Minato now sat. Trying his best not to fidget, he took in his new surroundings with the same kind of awe that one from the countryside would admire the city with. But unlike the excitement that would thrum when in an environment like this, Minato instead felt a mixture of mounting dread and incredulity.
He'd come here with the intent of facing his mother and telling her the news of his exam failure in person, if only so he could face her rage and be done with it. Instead, he had been whisked away by a small army of security goons who while not roughly but firmly led him up into the tower proper. And with no word other than to tell him his mother – or rather, Sahashi-sama – would be here soon enough, they left him alone in this intimidating excuse for an office.
One quick glance around the room provided Minato with an insight into the kind of environment his mother worked in day-to-day. Degrees pertaining to various fields of study hung on one side of the room, all neatly arranged. Each frame's glossy surface caught the ray of sunlight pouring in through the ceiling to floor window, offering an impressive view of the city proper.
While such a view would leave one in awe, it only made Minato sweat that much more.
'Mom's work is literally above everyone else's,' he mused.
Speaking of work, another reason he had come to MBI personally was to get answers.
Sashahi Takami couldn't really be called a bad mother; distant perhaps, but never horrible. When she was around, she did the best she could for him and his sister but rarely directly.
That wasn't to say she didn't get involved when she needed to; Minato could vividly remember one instance where he had been caught up in a fight and had been blamed as the cause of it. Bullying was the cause, but Sahashi Takami couldn't have cared one wit less what caused it and had made it painfully clear to the principal that it wasn't to happen again.
Her work, as she had said time and again, took precedence and thus she usually used her indomitable persona to get things done when forced to intervene.
When asked, she told Minato she worked for a pharmaceutical company in the capital which was the truth. But even from a young age, partially due to Yukari's snooping, he had his suspicions about what their mother was really up to. At first he had thought it might pertain to his father – Takami refused to go into the subject, and either distracted him or yelled at him to drop it. But as he grew older, he made connections on his own and all signs pointed to something big.
And, despite Yukari's protests that he should stay out of it, he had come here to get answers once and for all. Granted, facing the woman who reared him and dictated nearly all of his life until now was going to be terrifying to say the least.
But if he could stand up to his grandmother – who, in his opinion, made his mother look like a saint when it came to her temper – then his mom shouldn't be too much worse… right?
The clock ticked on. Minutes passed in silence as Minato's dread mounted slowly but surely. What was taking her so long? Surely she would drop everything to find out why he had come here of all places. Or was her work – whatever it was – really more important than seeing her own blood?
'Then I'll find her myself.'
His mother's name clearly held some weight around here. All he would have to do is throw it out and, with any luck, the people here would gleefully lead him to her.
"Anything's better than sitting around here like this," he said aloud with a sigh, moving to stand up.
Just then, the creak of a door behind him drew his attention – and in poked the head of a bespectacled man with a grin that served to unnerve him slightly.
"Takami-kun~! How goes the tuning on the next batch of birds? It was awfully rude of you to block my number like that earlier. And here I went through all the trouble of getting you a new-!"
His eyes landed on Minato and something in the young ronin's mind stung at him. But before he could ruminate on it, the man stepped in fully wearing a ridiculous getup in all white, including a cape. "Well now, what have we here? What brings you to my dear subordinate's abode, young man? I'm sure security wouldn't have let one without reason get this far, though if they did I'd have to cut their salaries..."
Swallowing a bit, Minato forced himself address the man, "N-no sir, I was led here and told to stay put until my mother showed up."
The man stared at him for a moment before walking over towards him, stopping right in front of Minato. "Mother, you say?" Then, he leaned in, cupping his chin with a gloved hand as if to study him like some sort of specimen.
"H-hai." What was it about this man that left him so on edge? Why did it bother him anyways?
The man rose back to his full height and took a seat across from him, right in what he presumed to his mother's chair, "Your mother… I presume then that you are Takami-kun's child, no?"
"Yes sir."
"Her child…" the man muttered, tilting his head just enough so the light gleamed off his glasses, hiding his eyes.
Minato felt that same dread from before seep back in, trying his best not to flinch as the man began to tap the desk in a slow, rhythmic pattern.
This man knew his mother and was close enough to address her in such a way, but the vibe he put off sent shivers up Minato's spine.
And then, like the flip of a coin, the man's expression brightened to an almost mad grin that somehow unnerved him even more. "I see, I see! You must be Minato-kun, yes? Ah, I had wondered when I'd get to meet you!"
"You know my name, sir?"
The man made a face at that and scoffed, "Bah, none of this sir business. I'm not your boss… Unless you want a job, that is?"
Minato leaned back reflexively as the man leaned in close, eyes gleaming with almost childlike excitement, "Eh, no-"
"Then call me Minaka, my boy! I won't have Takami-kun's son be stifled by such propriety if I can help it! Sure it comes in handy sometimes, but mostly it's dreadfully monotonous. But since you're not under my wing – still, offer is up if you want it – then don't worry about such things with me! I much prefer simple conversations like this!"
The more the man talked, the more Minato got the feeling that he was a bit out there. From the way he dressed, the way he talked and the way he carried himself all signified he was not all there.
Suddenly, a name came back to him in a flash and it took all his willpower not to pale at the realization.
"Minaka… Hiroto-san?"
"Got it in one, Minato-kun! You are sharp as your mother says," the man now revealed to be the head of all of MBI said with a gleeful grin.
His mother worked closely with one of the most powerful people on the planet, a person who for all intents and purposes might as well have been the self-proclaimed ruler of Japan for all of MBI's recent advancements. The man had gone and taken the city of Tokyo and rebranded it as Shinto Teito for Kami's sake!
This was a man who could very easily have him erased with but the snap of his fingers…
And yet he was sitting here, chatting with Minato like they were two old friends.
His mother had a LOT of explaining to do. Speaking of which-
"You know my mother, Minaka-san?"
Minaka made another brief face at that moniker but seemed to let it slide, spinning in the chair like a kid, "But of course! As her – ahem – employer I am obligated to know all of my employees, so I know where their allegiances lie. Great things are afoot my boy, and I've come too far to see them unravel due to a few unsightly and short-sighted pursuits."
"But you seem to hold my mother in especially high regard," Minato noted.
Minaka gave him a smirk. "She is the queen in this game I'm playing, and rightfully so. Without Takami-kun many, many things wouldn't have been possible up to this point. We're partners, you see. We both have a desire to see the age of the gods come about!"
Minato blinked a few times at that declaration, leaning back slightly, "The… age of the gods?"
And it was here that Sahashi Minato realized just how truly bonkers his mom's boss really was.
As though stung in the ass, Minaka leapt out the chair and now stood upon the desk like an explorer claiming unknown territory in the name of his country, hands planted upon his hips. "Allow me to regale you, Minato-kun, of a glorious era that will soon arrive and thrust all of Humanity to the pinnacle of magnificence! When the time where gods will clash and set about a new standard of existence for all that reside upon this planet we call Earth. I, Minaka Hiroto have been placed with the sole duty of ensuring that all of this comes forth with no hiccups and no deviations – and your mother has been my partner in crime through it all."
Minato just stared at a loss. Age of the gods? Glorious era? New standard of existence? "All of… what?"
Minaka glowered at him, and or one terrifying second he expected the madman to flip out on him… But again, Minaka showed he was not just a loon but one who knew he was fully in control. "To believe such things blindly, you would indeed be quite the fool young Minato. So to that end, let me show you the truth. Come."
Minaka leapt off the desk in one bound, landing somehow directly behind Minato, his cape billowing slightly. "But my mother-!"
"Aren't you curious what your mother has kept from you and your sister all this time?"
Minato's words died in his throat. He even knew about Yukari – just how much did this man know about his family? What had his mother let slip all these years? Why had she never told them about what she did, or who she worked for?
For all his eccentricities, the head of MBI had him pegged – he was curious, more so now than ever.
"Come, Minato-kun," Minaka bade him with a knowing smirk. "For you to understand, you must see. The age of the gods is coming and if you do not wish to be left behind like so many others, then come."
Minaka walked away… And Minato followed him out of the office, intent on finding either his mother or whatever else it was she was hiding from him.
His son.
Right here was the person he had wanted to meet for years and years, kept away from him by the boy's mother… until now.
Minato followed behind him, doing his best to not show how intimidated he was by his surroundings – or more specifically, who he was walking with. Eyes watched their every move but with practiced ease, Minaka merely smirked and went along his way.
"Keep along son," Minaka found himself saying.
"Son?" Minato parroted.
Minaka winced reflexively.
Damn. Let that slip did he?
"You worry far too much about the eyes of others when yours are what matter," Minaka bullshitted, trying to sound sage-like.
"I didn't realize you were a philosopher, Minaka-san," Minato remarked, keeping pace with him.
"I'm many things my boy, all of which serve their purposes."
Chairman of MBI, philanthropist, genius, researcher, explorer, politician – the list went on.
Only one role mattered to him and that was the harbinger of the coming age.
'Harbinger… yes I do enjoy the sound of that,' he mused with a grin.
Soon enough they approached an elevator that was flanked by a pair of MBI security guards, all eyeing the young man behind Minaka with suspicion. "Sir."
"Just going for a walk, gents – plus one this time," the chairman said with toothy grin.
"Sir? You never-"
This was wasting both his and his son's time, so Minaka aimed a glare at the guard in question. All he needed to do was say one thing to keep his forces in line. "Number four."
Unbridled fear splayed upon the men's faces, stiffening up as though they were statues, "Apologies Chairman, you may both proceed."
Damn it was good to be in charge.
"Come along young Sashashi," he addressed Minato, knowing just how much it would make the guards shit themselves hearing it.
If possible, they stood even more rigid as Minato walked past, eyeing them uncertainly as he and followed Minaka into the elevator.
"Number four...?" Minato asked once the doors shut.
"A little code I use when dealing with unruly grunts like they," Minaka stated, putting his hands in his pockets. "Pay it no mind – it won't matter to you unless you want to work here… Speaking of which-"
"I want to go to college first, Minaka-san," Minato stated quickly.
Drat. Oh well, he couldn't begrudge the boy for wanting to get his credentials even if he was just fine without them.
"Admirable," was all Minaka said, smirking to himself. "The age of the gods will certainly benefit from someone of your integrity in the coming times."
"Where exactly are you taking me, Minaka-san?"
Where indeed, that was quite the question. Perhaps a stroll down memory lane?
"To the beginning, young Minato. To where it all started."
After all, if the Fates favored him, then this would all be his someday.
Minato didn't know what to expect at this point, but when he stepped out into a laboratory that could only be described as cavernous all he could do was gape.
Setting aside its weird CEO, MBI itself certainly wasn't a slouch when it came to its place in the world. In a blink, the fledgling corporation had turned what the world knew of science on its head and had ushered in a new era of innovation.
For instance, medicine had become more powerful and more effective. In the past, patients put in for serious injuries like broken limbs were out of commission for weeks to months on end, depending on the severity. Today, short of an amputation, anyone could be released from rehab in a matter of days if not hours.
Minato had wondered all this time just how it was that MBI could come up with such miraculous advancements that had seemed almost fantasy up until recently.
Now the proof was right in front of him. And if it hadn't been for Minaka telling him beforehand, he would never have believed the man's next words.
"Behold, the gifts of the heavens! See now how their grace has elevated our kind to prosperity since unknown!" Minaka preached, spreading his arms out to his side.
There had to be at least a hundred or more people working in this room and they all just glanced briefly at their boss – with more than a few eyes lingering on Minato himself – before carrying on with their task.
'This is normal for them?!' he screeched mentally.
But Minato still couldn't help but be awed by what he was seeing.
Arranged around the spacious lab were several pieces of equipment that, by all accounts, didn't look anything that human hands could create. They each were sleek, streamlined and seemed to thrum with an energy that both unnerved and calmed him. A small army of MBI researchers and scientists clustered around them, taking readings and jotting down notes on their clipboards.
"I… I don't know what to say," Minato finally managed, blinking.
Minaka turned to him with a grin, "Overwhelming, isn't it?"
"T-to say the least, yeah."
Minaka nodded to himself, crossing his arms as he turned to stare up at the objects, "I remember when I first came across these. Takami-kun and I were but students at the time – mere children with nothing but grand dreams and nothing to show for it."
"You and my mother were classmates?" Minato ventured, shifting his gaze back to Minaka's back.
"Oh yes. You could say she was the only one able to keep up with my genius where others merely saw me as a nuisance. If you ask anyone from our peer group, they would've said she was the one to keep me in check. And while she will never admit it aloud, the truth is," he turned his head just enough to show his eye, grin widening, "I excited her."
Before Minato could pry further into that remark, a middled-aged researcher garbed in a white lab coat strode towards the pair, addressing the MBI CEO.
"Chairman, you've got good timing. We're just about to run trials on the next batch of samples, sir."
"Samples?" Minato questioned, glancing between both the researcher and Minaka.
"Why tell you when you can see for yourself?" Minaka suggested the researcher could ask any stupid questions. "Show us," he added with a stern glare to the researcher who quailed instantly.
"Y-yes sir," the man stammered nervously, swallowing a bit. "This way please."
Following the man through the throngs of other bodies performing their duties, Minato couldn't help but gaze around at the constructs surrounding them. His mind whirled with questions: where had MBI found these? What did they do? Who made them?
Soon enough, they followed the man into a chamber that was rectangular on all sides, set up as an observation deck for a deck one floor beneath them. There a team of techs were surrounding a shirtless man who was sporting a rather grotesque rash that covered most of his torso.
"Shingles." Minato observed.
The researcher turned to Minato with an approving nod, "Indeed. This case is but one of the many we've got lined up to receive the sample. Ordinary treatment consists of antivirals but it does little to offset the condition. But research has thus proven that it only contributes to allowing the affected to live with it – not cure it…"
"Until now, you mean," Minaka deduced, folding his arms across his chest.
"That's our hope yes," the researcher admitted, turning back to the scene. "Preliminary studies into the function of object designation Gamma have proven that it secretes a gel-like substance which, we hope, will provide a more applicable alternative to current medication for the condition."
"Have you tested it before?" Minato questioned.
"Not on this scale, no. But we've run a few tests before now on volunteers with similar conditions, namely skin irritations and the like. When the gel was applied, compared to current medicine, subjects showed a thirty-four percent increase in recovery."
"But Shingles isn't an ordinary skin condition," Minato pointed out with narrowed eyes. "To bank all your hopes on this miraculous gel you've discovered seems risky for all parties involved."
Unbeknownst to Minato, a small smirk appeared momentarily on Minaka's face before his attention was garnered by the proceedings below. "Either way, allow me to ask a question Minato-kun. How do you think MBI elevated itself to the height it enjoys now?"
"Through medicine, I guess? Mid-Bio Informatics is a pharmaceutical company, right?"
"Yes and no."
Before Minato to press any further on that, a loudspeaker went off with an automated message.
"All personnel standby for clinical trial #237. All unauthorized personnel are to clear the testing deck immediately."
Several individuals left the room below, leaving only a handful of medical techs around the shirtless man. Then, one of them walked over to a crate in the corner of the room and unlatched it. Steam billowed out of the container as the lab tech reached in and withdrew a single cylindrical object that contained a blueish-green substance. The glow from the object reminded Minato eerily of radioactive material from slides he'd watched in school.
"Are we safe up here?" Minato felt the need to ask suddenly.
"Perfectly; all safety regulations have been followed to the letter," the researcher with them assured with a scoff.
"Relax Minato-kun, and watch closely – this is the gift the gods have given us," Minaka intoned with a grin.
Minato turned back to the testing area, watching as the researcher holding the container unlatched a piece of it and pulled out a single vial of the glowing stuff.
"Proceed with application," the head researcher ordered through the intercom.
The researcher approached the subject and squeezed out a dollop of the gel onto his gloved hand, reaching over to apply his hand to the test subject's torso.
Minato watched, mesmerized as the gel seemed to mold itself into the man's body upon contact – and it was growing!
"What-!"
"Sample is reacting to the subject," the voice of one of the researchers below chimed in. "All reaction teams remain on standby."
The test subject seemed nervous initially, as evident by the look of worry plastered on his face. But soon, it faded into a sort of calm with an obvious sign of relief taking over.
"What's happening? Is it working?" Minato queried, anxious.
"Incredible," the head researcher breathed, eyes wide behind his glasses. "We anticipated results, but nothing on this level."
Minato blinked, turning back to the scene… and let out a soft gasp.
Where before the man's body had been riddled with pus-filled red sores, now they seemed to be receding by the second! The relief and elation on the man's face as he realized that something he would've had to live with for the rest of his life was being cured was palpable, even if he was but a stranger to Minato.
"Amazing," Minato breathed, transfixed. "This could revolutionize medicine as a whole!"
"More than that, young man," the researcher added, excitedly jotting down notes to his clipboard. "This will elevate MBI to even greater heights!"
"This, Minato-kun, is but one of the many gifts that the gods have left for us," Minaka began, turning to the young man. "And I assure you, it is far from the greatest."
Minato shot a wide-eyed look at him, incredulous, "You just all but cured a skin condition that has plagued mankind as a whole for hundreds, no thousands of years! What else can top this?"
Minaka wrapped an arm around the young man's shoulders, grinning at him, "As I said, seeing is believing. Doctor, forward the results to Takami-kun and continue with the trials."
"Yes sir," the researcher said, half-listening as he continued madly scribbling down more notes.
"This way, young Sahashi," Minaka said once more, leading Minato along with him.
'All of this is unreal,' Minato thought, mind whirling. 'If this is what MBI considers miniscule, then what do they consider of worth?'
Ba-bump.
This feeling…
Ba-BUMP.
Why was she reacting this way…?
Why now?
Was it time? Was her destined one near?
Her Ashikabi…
Was today the day she could finally be with him?
Her heart pounded, thumping against her chest with an almost painful intensity.
She could feel him… Closer, closer…
"…attention!"
Oh, the tuner was speaking to her.
"Gomen nasai!" she said, offering a sheepish smile.
"The sooner we're done with this, the sooner you can go I promise," the tuner told her.
It was all she could do not to squeal with glee.
Soon, soon she could go and find her ashikabi and be with him.
To fight and protect him with all her might – the vow of her fist wouldn't be broken!
Minato could feel the blood rushing to his face in waves, threatening to knock him out. It took all his willpower not to stare, but it was damned difficult.
Minaka had led him – rather forcibly, he might add – to this area, where beyond sat a chamber sealed off with a number of medical techs within…
Along with a dozen or so half-naked girls.
His face burned bright red upon seeing them, turning away almost instinctively at first… Only to have Minaka turn him back to the sight with a gleeful cackle.
"Feast your eyes, Minato-kun upon the future of humanity!"
"I-I'd rather not, actually," Minato stammered, averting his eyes.
"Ah, human morality and chivalry still in play even at this stage," Minaka remarked with a chuckle, patting him on the shoulder. "But you need not worry about human morality, my friend. After all, these ladies are not human."
Minato's mind screeched to a halt.
What?
"Then….what are they?" Minato asked, dreading the answer.
Minaka grinned at him and this one seemed more maniacal than all the others the man had shown this far. This one was almost rabid with glee, in way that unnerved him. "Wagtails, of course."
'Wagtails...? Wait…'
"…Sekirei?"
Minaka clapped him on the shoulder thrice, giving a laugh that alerted all the women – the Sekirei within. "You are your mother's son, Minato-kun!"
Immediately, Minato felt the eyes of the dozen or so Sekirei all land on him and paled. The reactions varied, unsurprisingly; some rolled their eyes, some sneered but a few gave him a few once overs that made it feel like they were undressing him with their eyes.
But of the group, only one of them caught his eye and she his – a short-haired brunette who stared at him with obvious surprise, blinking a few times before the tech next to her barked at her. She offered a sheepish smile but gave him one final glance before turning back.
Throughout it all, Minato felt something within him throb not unpleasantly, but it left him intimidated all the same.
"What are they exactly, Minaka-san?" he said after swallowing hard.
"Beings from beyond our realm, my boy!"
"I'm serious!" Minato snapped, before paling rapidly.
Minaka, however, merely laughed at him and clapped him on the shoulder again. "As am I, Minato-kun. These women you see here are not in fact human like you or I, but beings from beyond this Earth."
Minato shot an incredulous look at the man, stammering, "They're... a-aliens?"
Minaka shrugged, "In basic terms, perhaps. To the unenlightened that is how they would appear, but these women are so much more than that."
"I… I don't understand. Why show me all of this? I'm just an ordinary guy. Shouldn't this all be classified?"
"It is," a cold, stern voice said that made them both stiffen slightly as they turned to the source.
There stood the person he'd come to confront, standing with a glare aimed at him – or was it Minaka – that threatened to burn a hole through his head.
Despite his earlier bravado and husto, the sight of his mother actually furious still frightened him. "K-Kaa-san," he stammered.
Her eyes darted to him briefly, narrowing slightly before locking onto Minaka, "Chairman, would you care to explain why it is that an unauthorized person is in MY labs without my approval?"
"Why, he's your son of course! Of course he's authori – EKGH!"
Minato stared in shock as the woman who reared him dropkicked her boss, knocking him on his ass and his glasses sent flying.
"Kaa-san?!"
"Minato," Takami growled, eyes shifting to him. "You better have a damned good explanation why you're here and not in school. But we'll talk about that after I get through with this idiot."
"Kaa-san wait, that's the thing – I'm not," Minato said, stopping her mid-rampage.
"…what?"
Swallowing hard and summoning what he had left of his newfound courage, he addressed her, "I failed the exam, again. I'm sorry."
Takami stared hard at him for several long, tense moments before she spoke again, "And you couldn't tell me this over a text or a phone call because…?"
"Because I wanted to tell you in person, for once. I'm sorry." Bowing before her, he waited for Takami to issue her trademark scowl and bark at his antics.
But instead, the Sahashi matriarch gave a sigh and rubbed her temples, "Damn it Minato," she muttered. "Fine. We'll talk about this later. For right now, go to my office and park your ass there – understand?"
"Hai but Kaa-san?"
"What."
"Tell me the truth – about all of this," Minato stressed, looking his mother in the eye. "No more secrets. Minaka-san has told me enough already."
Behind him, Minaka flinched as Takami turned her glare on the man who did his best not to pale at her.
"Is that so…" Takami muttered darkly, cracking her knuckles. "Very well. Now go, I'll have someone lead you back."
"No need. I can find my own way. Minaka-san, thank you for the tour."
"Of course Minato-kun!" Minaka beamed, only to squeal as Takami planted her heel in his rear.
"As for you, looks like I'm going to have to remind you of company policies – again."
As Minato left the CEO to his fate, he glanced once more at the Sekirei as they all were now watching Minaka getting the crap kicked out of him by his mother. But he missed the way the brunette from before watched him leave, eyes glistening with excitement.
Takami barely, just barely resisted the urge to bang her head against a wall until she was unconscious. Of all the things to happen during the day, her son had to show up to MBI to tell her he failed his entrance exams – again. That alone might've been annoying at best, but the fact that her boss – and Minato's father – had roped her son into a tour of MBI proper including revealing the existence of the Sekirei... It was enough to make her want to scream!
The fact he'd managed to find out where she worked was already stress-inducing, but now she had to worry about the inevitable inquiries into the Sekirei.
'If that idiot blabbed about the plan, I might have to kill him this time...'
Dealing with the likes of that man on a day-to-day basis was going to be the death of her. She was already going gray for god's sake!
Sighing, she made her to her office and steeled herself for the oncoming mess. Pushing open the door, she made her way inside and found Minato sitting in the chair right before her desk, just like she asked.
'Somethings never change at least,' she thought gratefully.
"Kaa-san," Minato greeted, smiling nervously.
On the way here, she had ran through a number of ways to try to diffuse the situation. Most of the results led to her having Minato escorted out by security – armed security – with a stern message to not bother her at work again.
But all that went out the window with Minato's next words.
"Why lie about this?"
Takami withheld another sigh.
She really needed a drink.
"Minaka should've been proof enough," she remarked, striding over to plop down in her favorite chair…
That felt strangely high for her liking.
Minaka messed with her chair – HER chair. The one she beat him for even breathing on.
'Definitely killing him.'
"About what?" she hedged.
"I'm not stupid, Kaa-san. MBI, your job, what you do," Minato ranted, staring hard at her. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"You didn't need to know."
And that was the truth, at least in her eyes. Her deal with Minaka was two-fold; in exchange for keeping away from her children, she would help him with whatever he needed for the Sekirei Plan.
Minato and Yukari had nothing to do with any of that.
That was how she wanted it.
"But," Takami said, leaning back in her chair, "guess that's out the window now since you're here. Seriously Minato, you didn't have to do this. You've caused a lot of trouble by coming here."
"I wanted to tell you face to face this time," Minato asserted, adding, "and I needed answers from you."
Her eyebrow raised slightly at that. This bit of bravery from Minato was unheard of until recently. Being raised by her hardass of a mother had tempered her to act much the same, carrying on that trait to her daughter but doing little for Minato. The boy had been under her thumb for most of his life up until he decided to attend Tokyo-U.
'Still amazes me he stood up to mother,' she remarked, feeling proud of her son despite it all. 'She's a force of nature.'
But unlike such simple resolves, Minato was on the cusp of discovering something far beyond him and something she never wanted him involved with. Minaka be damned, but she would not allow her children to take part in that madman's game.
"I don't know what you want from me," Takami said dismissively. "You've seen more than enough already."
"You mean the Sekirei."
Takami slammed a hand down on her desk, making her son jump in his seat. Forcing herself to calm down and not hunt down Minaka, she settled for glaring at her son…who returned it. "So he did tell you."
"Showed me, but yes. And I want to hear it from you, Kaa-san."
"No."
"Why?"
"Don't talk back to me Minato."
"Then don't lie to me, Kaa-san," Minato pressed, unapologetic.
Damn it, where did her son discover his backbone? Was this late development on her part or something else? Normally he'd fold whenever she got serious, but the young man in front of her held his ground.
Biting her lip, she sighed, choosing a different tactic. "So this is your choice? Instead of focusing on your school, you chose to go on some crusade for the things I've kept from you – to protect you and your sister?"
Ah the mother's trusty guilt-trip, oldest trick in the book.
It was also complete bullshit to her son.
"First, that excuse doesn't hold water anymore Kaa-san with all I've learned. I've not been in danger coming here – hell it seems as though your boss," she winced slightly at that rebuke, "welcomed me with open arms once he realized who I was."
For one horrifying second, Takami feared that Minaka had spilled everything to her son, including their relation. If that happened, she wouldn't know how to face him.
"And who is that, exactly, boy?" Takami scoffed.
"Your son, the son of MBI's head of research."
Thank Kami! She would've had to kill Minaka if that were the case, but it wouldn't stop people from targeting her children at that point.
"I see..."
"And I'm not giving up on school," Minato went on, firmly. "But I wanted to face you before I did anything else. I had to, if only so you know that you can't keep things from me anymore. I won't stand for it"
That made Takami's scowl return full force. "Listen Minato-!"
Suddenly, there was a commotion from outside and some shouting from the two lunkheads who were positioned outside as insurance. They had orders to keep Minaka out if he tried to barge in, and unlike the vast majority of everyone else, they weren't scared of Minaka simply mentioning Karasuba.
And yet, from the sounds of things, they were getting their asses handed to them.
'Don't tell me-'
BAM!
Two former JSSDF-trained security guards toppled through the door, bearing bloody noses and scratches, all while grappling with a certain young woman who was glaring daggers at Minato.
"Onii-chan you jerk!"
"Wha-?! Yukari!"
Takami's head hit the desk with a groan, lamenting her luck for the day.
"I'm sorry ma'am, we couldn't-!"
"QUIET!" Takami shouted, fed up, bringing everything to a halt. Glaring daggers at the fresh trio, her daughter grappling with the pair of guards who were missing their helmets, she growled, "OUT. NOW." The guards were wise to not challenge her on that and beat feet, with her daughter moving to do the same, "Not you, young lady. Sit."
"Eeep!" Yukari at least seemed to know who was still in charge and complied, planting herself right next to Minato in the spare seat, offering him a sullen glare. "Grrr, Onii-chan~! See what you've done!"
"You're the one that burst up here like that," Minato deadpanned.
"And you," her daughter snapped, jabbing a finger at his forehead, "didn't wait for me! I told you not to bother Kaa-san while she's at work-!"
"So it was you," Takami growled, glaring daggers at her daughter who shriveled up like a dried tomato, trying her best to blend in with the furniture. "You told him."
"Ah, Kaa-san I-!"
"She didn't," Minato spoke up in defense of his sister. Yukari turned to her brother with awe, only for him to smirk deviously at her, "But she did drag me along on all her escapades as kids whenever she got curious. So that helped a bit."
"YUKARI…"
Yukari's cheeks puffed out, shouting, "Nii-chan, that was a secret!"
"Speaking of secrets," Minato went on, unfazed, turning a stern look on Takami, "Don't you think you should come clean with yours? We both know you work for MBI as its head of research at this point, and I'm willing to bet you know something about the Sekirei as well. So what else aren't you telling us?"
For the first time in a long time, Sahashi Takami felt herself boxed in not by a political adversary or corporate upstart – but by her own children. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself not to resort to her tried and true tactics of yelling them into submission. It might've worked on Yukari, but Minato was… different.
'He's grown up, and I wasn't there to see it,' she realized with a pang of guilt.
"Sekirei? What are you talking about Nii-chan?" Yukari asked, glancing between her and Minato.
Once again, she sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk as she pondered her options. Simply put, there were none…save for one.
'Damn you Minaka,' she cursed for the umpteenth time.
"Fine," she finally said, looking the two dead in the eye. "But what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. Nobody else unless they become directly involved are to know about it."
Minato seemed to study her for a long tense moment before giving a nod, Yukari doing the same albeit uncertainly.
"In 1999, I was part of an expedition to an island off the coast of Japan. The island itself, named Kamikura, was declared a geographically impossible formation given its location as well as its proximity to Honshu. Together with Minaka, we were sent to explore the island and there we made a discovery that would change Humanity as we know it."
"The Sekirei," Minato deduced.
"Yes and no," Takami corrected. "We found the wreckage of a crashed starship that was mostly intact, and within it was the last vestiges of a space-faring civilization we have come to know as Sekirei. Of the 108 members of this advanced race, 103 were still fertilized eggs and the others were mere embryos save for one that was in her teens."
"So you helped discover an alien race?! That's too cool!" her daughter gushed, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Takami couldn't help but chuckle bitterly at that. "It might've been, if Minaka Hiroto wasn't the one who was with me at the time."
"What do you mean?"
This…would be the hard part.
"Minaka saw the Sekirei as something… divine I guess. Something grander than Humanity, the ones who would usher in a new age or something. With that all in mind he raided the ship and extracted all of the useful technology from the ship to help MBI become a global powerhouse. All of the advancements MBI has made over the last twenty years has all been to serve one purpose: to bring about the Sekirei Plan."
"Does this have anything to do with the "age of the gods" he kept going on about?" Minato pressed, and she winced.
Takami winced at that, but sighed nonetheless.
"He never shuts up about it. From anyone else you could call it insane rantings of a man drunk on power and prestige. But the truth is much darker than anyone can imagine. His rants about the age of the gods are all tied to the Sekirei Plan, and there's only a few people outside of this room who have any idea about what's about to happen."
Looking her children dead in the eyes, she swallowed a bit and delivered the news that, were she anyone else, would see her either locked away… or killed.
Part of her told her to cut it off there, to send her children away before this all could even more out of hand. But her children had seen too much – heard too much to be left alone at this stage. As much as she hated it, there was only one thing to do:
Come clean.
The Sekirei Plan, the role of the Ashikabi, MBI's true prupose – all of it.
Takami laid it all out for the two people she wanted more than anything to keep out of this horrid mess but had ended up dragging them in without realizing it. The irony was killing her.
But not more so than Yukari's conflicted expression, and Minato's dark gaze at her. It was all she could do not to shudder as eyes far too similar to his father's for her liking were leveled at her, accusing and judging.
When she finished, she ducked her head away from their eyes, unable to face them for once. Silence reigned in the empty room for several long moments, only interrupted by the tick-tock of the clock.
Finally, after an eternity, Minato spoke.
"… why are you letting him do this?"
Why indeed. Had anyone else asked her that, she would've tore their heads off for even daring to question her. In the past something similar would've worked on her children but not anymore it seemed. So what else could she say?
"To keep you both safe."
Minato's eyes narrowed at that admission. "By damning other people – an entire race of beings – to some madman's game."
"Onii-chan!" Yukari gasped, aghast.
Takami clenched her fists, unable to refute that fact no matter how much she wished to. "Think what you will of me, but I do all of this so I can see you two grow up safe and live relatively normal lives. At the end of the day, that's all that matters to me. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
That, of all things, she would be damned if anyone mocked her for – even her own children.
But Minato's next words might as well have been a sledgehammer to the already fractured psyche of her mind.
"Then let me help you."
Takami expected many, many things from her son when he learned the truth of her work. Granted, he had lived up to that and had been prepared to face all of it with the same stalwart bullheadedness she'd become infamous for. But Minato's request might as well have just sent her tumbling out of the window in freefall.
"W-what?"
"Onii-chan?!" Yukari exclaimed, just as shocked.
Minato however stared straight at his mother and repeated, "I want to help you to stop all of this."
Takami blinked once, twice and even a third time before she let loose a bitter chuckle. "That's sweet of you, but what can you do really? You're not employed here, have no college education and you're not even an Ashikabi-!"
"I am though."
Her thoughts careened to a screeching halt, the metaphorical train derailing with box cars flying everywhere against her brain.
What? HOW?! Since when had he...?!
"…no. No you're not."
"Kaa-san, you described the connection an Ashikabi has with sekirei as a sort of tingle in their minds, a tugging somewhere in the back that draws them to one another – correct?"
"Hai…"
"Then that's what I've felt – am feeling right now in fact, in this building. I felt it earlier when I was with Minaka-san but didn't have time to look back on it."
Takami's mind raced. If her son was telling the truth, then that meant a host of new problems… and possibilities. While she and Minaka were Ashikabi themselves, none of them had any Sekirei of their own as it would've caused one hell of a conflict of interest.
'Not to mention it might've caused a small civil war within MBI that would've escalated to the public way before we could cover it up,' she mused bitterly.
But their children – her children, she corrected firmly – were a different beast altogether. There had been no chances, no opportunities to get each of them tested which was fine at the time. She wanted to keep them as far away from this mess as humanly possible. Still, that didn't change facts: they were the offspring of two Ashikabi which, if the theories she'd crafted held any water, made them something different than typical Ashikabi.
It was true that there were some stellar examples amongst the Plan already such as Higa Izumi and Sanada Nishi, but they were born from normal humans. But her children could be the first of a new generation of Ashikabi, standing at the pinnacle of what they could achieve.
It pained her to admit it, but there was potential there – great potential. And even more frustrating was the fact that them being so made them qualified to participate in the plan.
Her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her.
'Did he know? Is that why he showed all of that to him? Why he showed him the sekirei?'
When it came to the Plan, Minaka didn't give a damn about being a father to his children and Takami was fine with that. But she had a sinking feeling that somehow the madman knew and despite the backlash he would get from her, he led Minato to this point and left the ball in her court.
What happened next was entirely up to her.
"Do you realize what you're asking me? This city is about to become a warzone. Minaka took Tokyo for this very reason, so that when the plan starts it can serve as his own personal arena. He doesn't care about relations when it comes to his vision – if you do this, I can't protect you from what happens."
Leveling her gaze at her errant son, she studied him carefully for any signs of hesitation. They existed, of course. This wasn't a decision one could make lightly, and it still raked at her something fierce to even have him make it at all. This was the last thing she wanted for him – for either of them.
Speaking of which…
"And what do you think about all this, Yukari?"
"Uh…" Yukari hedged, squirming a bit in her seat, "I think it's wrong, all of it. And if there's something we can do to help, then we should. And I'm an Ashikabi too, I guess."
"Of course you are, of course," Takami said with a deep sigh, shifting her gaze back to Minato. "Well?"
"I meant what I said," Minato said firmly, undeterred. "I want to help – we want to help."
"Even if it means you could die?"
At that, Yukari whined nervously a bit.
"…yes."
Then that was it then. Much as she hated to admit it, this presented a rare opportunity for her. If her children were players in Minaka's game, then that meant she could have an inside source to what was happening in the plan itself. She wouldn't put it past Minaka not to keep things from her if he found them interesting, for fear of her stepping in to "ruin his fun".
Sucking in a deep breath, Takami placed both palms on her desk and pushed herself to her feet. "Then let's go."
"Where to?" Yukari said, rising immediately with Minato following after.
"To your new lives, of course," Takami replied with a sardonic smile.
Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
All he had to do was wait up for her so they could confront their mom together, as a team. But her brother just couldn't wait for her, could he?
'Baka-nii,' Yukari groused as she followed behind her mother and brother.
Still, she had to admit he had impressed her. The Minato she'd known had been wrapped around her, her mother and her grandmother's finger up until recently so this bout of confidence was… surprising to say the least.
And now he had gone back to his usual dopey self, chatting amiably with their mother about his recent failure with the exams. For all his courage, that topic still had him wincing as their mother tore into him.
'At least some things haven't changed,' she thought, relieved.
"You had months to study for this, and yet you still failed," Takami chided her brother.
"I don't know why! The pressure got to me, I guess?"
Yukari could feel their mother roll her eyes at that remark. It was the same excuse he gave when he failed the exams the first time.
"And yet you expect me to believe you can help with something as important as this," Takami drawled. "And speaking of which, just what do you intend to do regarding your studies with all of this? You think you'll be able to handle dealing with the Sekirei AND that?"
"You held down this job and raised us, so I'd say I'm capable," Minato returned, smartly.
Takami grumbled something under her breath but said nothing else, further impressing Yukari.
'Nii-san has definitely changed. How come we never saw it?'
Her thoughts were drawn to a halt as the trio finally approached a series of chambers which Takami had sarcastically referred to as "The Nursery". Inside, Yukari couldn't help but gape in both shock and envy at the astoundingly beautiful women that were inside, each one watching them carefully before turning away.
Some, however, lingered on her brother… but none more so than the brunette in the back wearing what she could only describe as shrine maiden cosplay.
'And gigantic tits to boot,' Yukari remarked a bit lecherously.
"So," Takami said, turning to Minato, "Ashikabi-san, which one is it?"
Minato stepped forward; eyes locked squarely on the brunette in the back whose face seemed like it would split from the grin that was blooming. Smiling back, the brunette started to bounce in her seat even as the tech hollered at her to sit still. "It's her."
Yukari turned to their mother, watching her reaction carefully. Takami followed her son's gaze, eyes widening briefly before her lips parted silently, mouth moving to form words.
'Should've been a lip reader,' Yukari groused briefly.
"You have some kind of luck, Minato," their mother muttered before keying the intercom. "Rikudo, are Eighty-eight's adjustments finished?"
"Mostly, but-!"
"Then send her out. Her Ashikabi is here."
Yukari couldn't help but take a step back as all of the women – and the men, she noted with surprise – turned to shoot looks at them. Their gazes once more shifted to the bubbly brunette as she all but skipped through the chamber, ignoring the looks of envy some were giving her.
"Well Minato, moment of truth," Takami spoke, eyeing him sternly before giving a smirk. "Will you take responsibility?"
Yukari nearly choked at the wordplay, even as Minato's face burned red.
"K-kaa-san," Minato grumbled.
The doors to the chamber might as well have been a silo door, releasing a brown-haired missile that all but glomped her brother, knocking them both to the floor with a squeal of utter delight.
"Musibi's so happy to finally meet you~!" the brunette chirped, nuzzling her brother like an over-affectionate cat.
"I- erm-uh," Minato spluttered, face flaring as the bombshell cuddled with him.
"Musubi-chan," Takami spoke up, smirking at the situation her son was in, "I think you're breaking him."
"Eh? Ah! Gomen-nasai!" Musubi said quickly, clambering off Minato so he could sit up.
"It-it's fine, Musubi-san. So, um… Kaa-san, how do I…err…"
"Make her yours?" Takami supplied, smirk widening.
Both Minato AND Musubi blushed hard, with Yukari having to bite down on her tongue just to keep hers from exploding like that.
"Kaa-san! Do you have to phrase it like that?!"
"It's the truth," Takami said, sobering up in an instant. "Musubi is reacting to you, and now all you need to do is make her yours. After all it's what she wants most."
"Hai, Takami-sama," the brunette confessed, turning to Minato and taking his hands in hers, "Musubi has been waiting for a long time to meet you, and can't wait to be your Sekirei."
Minato stared at her, face still flushed as he swallowed and turned to their mother, "How then?"
"Kiss her, you fool."
"Huh? Wait, wha-MPMPH!?"
Musubi's lips sealed his in a kiss that made some of the steamy shoujo manga she'd read look tame, leaving her gaping.
And then to seal just how insane this all was, wings – frigging wings of light erupted from Musubi's back, fluttering oh so gently behind her.
Minato seemed to get with the program after a few moments, kissing Musubi back with equal fervor.
Yukmari felt her face getting hotter and hotter as she watched the two try to suck each other's faces off, peeking through the holes in her fingers with a slight grin.
"Ahem!"
As if electrified, they both sprang apart but kept holding hands, exchanging fleeting glances with each other. Minato's smile was small, but it was the happiest she'd seen her brother in a long time and Musubi's smile was so bright it might as well be the Sun.
"CONGRATULATIONS!"
Yukari couldn't have been faulted for the girlish scream she made because a) she was a girl, and b)-
'WHERE THE HELL DID HE COME FROM?!' she screamed mentally.
"Minaka-san?! Where did you-?" Minato started to demand, only for Musubi to burst in cheerfully.
"Professor! So good to see you!"
"Yes, yes, you are quite the lucky one indeed eighty-eight to bag such a promising Ashikabi!" Minaka remarked, giving a loud laugh. His gaze then shifted to Minato, smirking, "And you my boy are in for quite the- GLEGH!"
Yukari didn't know whether to be frightened or amused by the fact her mother literally punted one of the most powerful men in the world.
Of course, that wasn't just who he was but her lips were sealed on that measure.
"Oh, now you show up jackass!" Takami spat.
…if only because her mom would annihilate her if she even breathed it.
"But of course!" Minaka blustered, not even fazed from where he was now slumped on the floor. "I couldn't very well miss Minato-kun's inauguration into the Sekirei Plan after all! And as a bonus, Yukari-chan too!"
Yukari's eyes widened, shooting a look at the grinning man, "Ehhhh?! I don't have a Sekirei-!"
"Are you sure?" Minaka pressed, his eyes darting to the side.
As if spawned by his words, a tingling feeling wormed its way through her mind, compelling her to look back over to where the other Sekirei were. Sure enough, out of the other dozen or so within the room, there was one of them staring at her with equally wide eyes… a hint of a blush.
"Oh boy..."
Glossary:
Kaa-san (a respectful way of saying "mom")
Onii-chan (big brother)
Nii-chan (big bro)
Baka-nii (stupid brother or bro)
Gomen-nasai (I'm so sorry!)
Shoujo (a genre for comics and books, tailored to women's tastes)
Ronin (someone who failed to make it into college; in Minato's case, he's a second-year ronin)
Done. And finally.
I didn't expect this chapter to give me such a challenge, but the real headache was figuring out how to handle Minato confronting his mother - and Yukari thrown in because fuck it why not?
Yes, Minato and Yukari are going to have a bit of a larger purpose to the grand scheme of the Sekirei Plan. Essentially they will both be Takami's inside agents, able to manipulate the game in a way that leads to a more peaceful outcome.
That's the plan anyways, along with giving the two a decent harem.
Minato's Sekirei will be much the same as it is in canon apart from how he gets them. Musubi might be his first, but the others will come in different orders. For example, Kazehana isn't going to be as simple for Minato to wing this time around for... undisclosed reasons :3
As for Yukari... Obviously her first will be Shiina, but as for who else... Who knows? Mutsu and Homura are still unaccounted for, for now.
Next chapter we return to familiar settings for Tamotsu and Mitsuha, and perhaps another who will get her chance to butt in? Wait and see.
As for the whole bit about shingles, I apologize for anyone who has relatives that have it. I did a bit of research on it and threw in what I found accountable. I don't mean to come across as insensitive but this is fiction, and super-powered aliens are being pitted against each other in a free-for-all - can I be blamed for taking some liberties with the universe? And given that there's next to no real established lore regarding their civilization, I'm making this up as I go.
Once again, I apologize for how long this took. Keeping everyone in character and coming up with believable scenarios was an absolute pain, but Tamotsu and Mitsuha will be relatively simpler to write. So with any luck, the next chapter will be out before Christmas.
Till then,
Take care & Happy Thanksgiving guys!
