Author's Note: hello and welcome to Chapter 2.
I have put a poll up on my profile regarding who gets into Minato's 'Flock', so if you haven't voted yet, go to my profile and vote!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei. If I did, the manga would be released in English already.
"Minato." - Regular Speech
'Musubi' - Thoughts
"Kaminari!" - Sekirei Incantation
Chapter 2: Wagtails and Wings
Limo, En-Route to MBI Hospital
The silence in the back of the limousine was more than slightly uncomfortable for Hikari and Hibiki, for multiple reasons. For one, they wanted to Wing themselves on their Ashikabi, who was sitting not a foot away from them.
For another, Sahashi Minato was eying them warily. Obviously, he was still a bit wary of the pair of them after watching them blast his former Landlord with purple electricity.
Deciding that an attempt to break the ice had to be made, Hibiki cleared her throat. "Minato-san is your arm alright?" she asked.
"Eh? Oh…yeah." Minato nodded, "It's just throbbing dully right now. I guess breaking my other arm last year hurt so much because it was the first bone I'd ever had broken. This is…bearable, if barely."
"Did the pig ever say why he's trying to extort so much money out of you?" Hikari asked abruptly.
"He…Ondori-san used to own a lot of apartment buildings all over Shintō Teitō." Minato replied hesitantly, "MBI used bylaws and Health and Safety laws to have most of them closed up by the Government. Those that weren't closed by those laws, Ondori-san had to fix them up, which…pretty much bankrupted him. He had to sell them off until the building back there was the only one he had left."
"So he's bitter and he tried to get his money back by extorting you." Hibiki sounded disgusted, "What a pathetic excuse for a human."
"I wish I could argue otherwise, but my arms would beg to disagree." Minato said with a wry smile that had the twins subtly rubbing their thighs together.
"So…can I have your names?" he continued with a moment's pause.
"Ah…sorry about that." Hibiki felt like an idiot. They hadn't even introduced themselves to their almost-definite Ashikabi, "I am Sekirei Number 12, Hibiki. And this is my onee-san, Sekirei Number 11, Hikari."
"Sekirei?" Minato asked in confusion.
"We are, to put it simply, aliens." Hikari said shortly, "Well, 'alien' for a given value of the word; barring Numbers 00 to 09, we were all just eggs when we crash-landed on earth. We aren't human though, that much is true."
"There are 108 of us, not including Number 00." Hibiki explained, "The higher the number, the older and more powerful the Sekirei. The Single Numbers are many times more powerful than most of the rest of us. All of us possess enhanced strength, stamina and endurance compared to a human. Some of us have the ability to control the elements. You…saw my sister and I use our element back there."
"Electricity." Minato nodded.
"We prefer to think of it as lightning." Hikari said grumpily, "But yes. Unfortunately, my sister and I need to touch one another in order to use our power, so we need to have the same Ashikabi."
"Ashikabi?"
"One of the things that make us different from humans, powers aside is our ability to select our mates." Hibiki blushed slightly as she got to the root of the matter, "On a purely genetic level, we are perfectly compatible with humans and can have children with them. On a spiritual and physical level, we…react…to someone who is a match for us. The higher the compatibility, the more powerful the reaction."
"For a Sekirei, we only have one mate, for the rest of our lives. By kissing our chosen Ashikabi, we 'Wing' ourselves on them." Hikari continued, "By doing so, we bind ourselves to the Ashikabi, mind, body and spirit. From that moment on, we can never even consider touching another Ashikabi in a romantic fashion."
"Are…there many Ashikabi?" Minato found himself asking.
"More than you might think." Hibiki replied, "Humans are very genetically compatible with Sekirei and vice versa. The ratio of Ashikabi to Sekirei is at least 3:1, according to MBI."
"Wow. So…have you found your Ashikabi yet?" Minato asked as he took this all in.
"We…thought that we had." Hikari said slowly, "But…we've started reacting a different Ashikabi."
"Eh? Is that possible?" Minato seemed taken aback.
"We though it wasn't possible ourselves." Hibiki said smoothly, "But apparently, we can react to multiple Ashikabi. To go by nature's laws, we should choose the Ashikabi who we have the strongest reaction to, and our reaction to the first one was…well, to put it bluntly, the first person is like a lit match. The new person we're reacting to is like a blazing bonfire by comparison."
"There's such a large difference?" Minato asked curiously.
"Pretty much." Hikari said with a shrug that did interesting things to her cleavage, making Minato flush red as his eyes automatically followed her movement before he forced himself to look away.
Hikari was a little smug that she had made him react like that. Obviously physical compatibility wasn't going to be a problem. She had noticed him sneaking glances ay Hibiki as well, so this was all good.
"Of course, we wouldn't Wing ourselves on someone we didn't like, regardless of how much we reacted to him, but since we've met him, I think we can safely say that that isn't an issue. Wouldn't you say so, Hibiki?" Hikari said with a small smile at Minato.
"Mmmmm…I agree, nee-san." Hibiki said wearing a matching smile.
Minato was completely inexperienced when it came to the nuances of the fairer sex. His mother and little sister were not the typical examples of females, both of them being capable of beating up groups of thugs with absolute certainty, as well as being domineering, stubborn and hardheaded.
He did, however, have a fairly intelligent mind and a sharp intuition. Therefore, the fact that the two of them looked at him in a hungry way as they said that made two and two add up in his mind.
"Err…correct me if I'm wrong…" Minato said hesitantly, "But…by any chance are you reacting to me?"
The twins' eyes widened slightly as he said that. Takami had warned them that he was sharp, but this was surprising. She had also warned them that he was as dense as concrete when it came to insinuations, so they had bee using some pretty obvious ones, but he had picked up on them pretty quickly.
"As a matter of fact, yes." Hibiki said carefully, "It is currently taking all of our self control to not Wing ourselves on you as we speak."
"But…I'm no one special." Minato protested, "I'm just…me."
"An Ashikabi's origin has no bearing on their power, Minato-san." Hikari said pointedly, "What does is their genetics, and you have at least one Ashikabi parent: Takami-san."
"Eh? My mother's an Ashikabi?" The surprise on his face was very obvious, "But then…why didn't you react to her?"
"Because, while we may be bisexual, we prefer men over women." Hibiki said, "Yes, sexual orientation, on both sides, has an influence on whether we react or not to an Ashikabi. Most Sekirei are women who are bisexual, but strongly favour men. A few out-and-out lesbians, but most of us would prefer the touch of a man rather than the touch of a woman. There are only a few guys and most of them are straight as well."
"Huh…" Minato wasn't surprised by most of this information. It would make sense that the preferences of both parties would be taken into account when you were talking about a species that mated for life.
"I have to say that the fact you made both of us react took me by surprise." Hikari added, "I mean seriously, the only other person to make us react in even a small way was a fully grown man, so we-"
"You, not we." Hibiki put in, "You were disbelieving that a kid -no offence, Minato-san- could possibly make one of us react, let alone both of us. And look at us now. All he'd have to do is crook his finger once and we'd be Winged."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Hikari grumbled, "Rub it in why don't you?"
"I plan on it…Hi-chan." Hibiki smirked, using her old nickname for her elder twin.
Hikari slumped. "Great."
Minato grinned a bit at the interplay between the sisters before he became serious again. "I…this is a lot to take in. Do you mind if I talk to my mother before we…settle anything?"
"Of course." Hibiki nodded, "Just remember something…we only have so much willpower and that is greatly helped by the fact you are injured and we don't want to hurt you. Once the injury is healed however…that incitement will be gone and we will not be able to hold ourselves back for long."
"It takes months for a broken bone to mend though." Minato pointed out.
"Ah, but MBI has developed some interesting technologies for rapid healing, based off of technology found on the Sekirei Mothership." Hikari replied knowingly, "Plus, when the doctors finish up their part, we can Wing ourselves on you, which gives you a vitality boost, as well as speeding up your natural healing process."
"OK, that sounds useful." Minato acknowledged, "Just let me think about it, OK?"
"Sounds fair." with that, the sisters sat back on the limo's seat and waited for the vehicle to arrive at the MBI hospital.
Things were getting interesting.
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Afternoon
Adjustment Labs, MBI HQ, Teitō Tower
"Well now Musubi-chan, all of your vitals check out." Takami said. She was standing in front of a slender, but large-busted, bubbly young woman wearing a sketchy version of a Miko's outfit, as well as red gloves and black boots. She was practically vibrating on the spot with energy as she listened to Takami,
"Can I go out and find my Ashikabi-sama now, Takami-sensei?" she asked eagerly.
"Yep." Takami wasn't surprised when that simple word made Musubi jump around like a kid on raw sugar in glee.
"Thank you, Takami-sensei!" Musubi squealed in joy.
"Calmly does it, Musubi-chan." Takami smiled, "As it so happens, the hospital you are to be released from is where my son is being treated, so we'll be making a quick detour to his room before you are released."
"Takami-sensei's son?" Musubi tilted her head to the side cutely, "Is he OK?"
"A broken arm." Takami had to restrain herself from glaring, as the Raiden Sisters had more than likely zapped the man to within an inch of his life long before now, so she put it out of her mind. "He's an Ashikabi so he's being treated at the MBI hospital."
"He's an Ashikabi-sama?" Musubi's eyes lit up, "Who is his Sekirei?"
"Number 11 and Number 12." Takami said as she led the excitable Sekirei to the garage, stopping off on route to grab the Twins' MBI cards, as well as Musubi's card. "Rather, he's going to be their Ashikabi. They doubted me, but if he doesn't make them react, I'll be very surprised. He does have a broken arm though, so they'll hold off until it's healed before pestering him to Wing them."
"Why wouldn't he Wing them in the first place?" the brown-haired Sekirei asked as she frowned cutely.
"Likely, he wants to ask me if it's alright with me for him to Wing them." Takami sighed, "He's a good kid, but both I and his sister are fairly…domineering. He hasn't had much in the way of confidence because we keep pushing our own opinions onto him. Hopefully getting the Raiden Futago as his Sekirei will give him a bit of backbone…he'll need it."
"Why?" Musubi asked as they got into a limo.
"Those two need a firm hand; otherwise they'll push him around." Takami replied, "They'll be more subtle about it than me or Yukari would be, but it would happen nevertheless."
"Musubi doesn't really get it, but I'd like to meet your son." Musubi said with a smile, "What's his name?"
"Minato." Takami smiled internally. Hook, line and sinker.
The two spent the trip to the Hospital chatting about the Sekirei they both knew, which was quite a few. Asama Takehito, the Head of Sekirei Adjustment, had died a few years ago, leaving the vast majority of the Sekirei unadjusted.
Hiroto Minaka, the Director of MBI, promptly dumped all of that responsibility onto Takami's shoulders. She was at least vaguely familiar with the Sekirei that passed through her hands, but a few stood out, like Musubi, because they were something special.
Musubi had been one of the two Sekirei that had been kidnapped by a foreign nation, possibly America, and taken to an island for study. Minaka had ordered that the Discipline Squad be dispatched. Of the two members of the Disciplinary Squad dispatched, only one returned, with both Musubi and Kaho in tow.
"Takami-sensei, we're here!" Musubi said excitably.
Takami shook her head at herself for dwelling on memories as she acknowledged the bubbly Sekirei and stepped out of the limo. Walking through the Hospital to the High Security Ashikabi Section, the two were eyed furtively by all red-blooded males in the vicinity.
"I'm looking for Sahashi Minato." Takami said to the first nurse she came across in the Ashikabi section.
"Room 5." the nurse said.
"Are there any Ashikabi here other than him?" Takami asked just to be safe.
"No ma'am."
The two walked on, and Takami noticed that Musubi was becoming flushed and was also panting slightly. A small grin flashed across Takami's face at this. Either Minato had Winged Hikari and Hibiki already or he was a far more powerful Ashikabi than even she had imagined.
"T-Takami-sensei…I feel…hot!" Musubi panted out, "What's wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you, Musubi-chan." Takami soothed her, "You're just reacting to your Ashikabi."
"My…Ashikabi…?" Musubi looked happy, in a slightly drunk way.
"Yep. Now, walk this way…" Takami steered the tottering Fist-type Sekirei towards Minato's room. Judging by this, she must have a really high compatibility with her son.
She knocked on the door of room five and entered and was treated to the sight of Hikari and Hibiki practically anchoring themselves to their seats to stop themselves from jumping her son's bones.
"Ta-Takami…thank god!" Hibiki gasped.
"Any trouble with Ondori?" she asked the twins.
"Fried the bastard." Hikari said tightly, "Now please talk to your son so he will Wing us, please! And who's that?"
"Musubi, Number 88." Takami introduced the staggering Sekirei, who was staring at Minato, who was lying on the sole bed in the room and gazing at his arm in disbelief, "Min-chan, I see the doctors have fixed you up nicely."
"Kaa-san?" Minato jerked his head up, "Um, yeah…it's amazing. It actually only took a couple of hours to fix…the medicine here is amazing…"
"It is rather." Takami agreed, "Now, why in the name of sanity haven't you Winged these girls? Holding themselves back isn't healthy for them, you know."
"You mean...it's alright with you?" Minato asked in acute disbelief.
"That was actually the reason I sent them, rather than men in black suits." Takami explained, "I knew that you'd be an Ashikabi because I'm one, so I decided to help you out with my first two daughters-in-law."
"Daughters-in-law?!" Minato spluttered, "First two?!"
"Winging a Sekirei is the equivalent to having a marriage ceremony." Takami said in amusement, "As to the last, why do you think Musubi here is staring at you like that? She's reacting to you as well."
Seeing the surprised face on her son, she grinned. "What, did you think that Winging Hikari and Hibiki would be the end of it? No, the more Sekirei you Wing, the more powerful your… Ashikabi 'aura' becomes, thus allowing you to Wing more powerful Sekirei. Not that any of the Sekirei are weak, but there are some that stand head and shoulders above the others."
"The Single Numbers, right?" Minato stated.
"Exactly." Takami nodded, "There are powerful Sekirei outside the Single Numbers of course, but they are few and far between. Anyway, you have my blessing to get married to these three, so hurry up and Wing them!"
"By…Kissing them?" Minato asked, as he blushed at the longing stares that the three Sekirei were giving him.
"Membrane-to-membrane contact via the lips." Takami said with an evil grin, "Or, to put it more plainly, a kiss on the lips."
Minato flushed bright red. "EH!?"
"What did you expect?" Takami was glorying in her son's discomfort, "I did say it was like a wedding. 'You may now kiss the bride', get it? Or 'Brides' in this case, I suppose."
"Even if you say that…" Minato had calmed down slightly, but he still looked like a tomato.
"Minato-san…" The twins had snuck up on him while his mother had distracted him. Flanking him on both sides, they crawled onto the bed and approached him. Having two beautiful women crawl towards him like that made Minato's blush return full force. He also unconsciously leaned towards them.
Takami grinned like a clown. Most people thought the whole 'Winging' phenomenon was something that only affected the Sekirei. Takehito had theorised that it could also affect the Ashikabi if the reaction, and thus the compatibility, between the Sekirei and Ashikabi in question was high enough.
In this case, Minato was just as attracted to the Raiden Futago as they were to him, which caused his hidden instincts as an Ashikabi to subtly push him into Winging them.
'Wh…what's going on…I feel…hot…' Minato thought dizzily. He could feel an aura of power in the air, drawing him closer to the girls. A part of him, the part that feared his mother, was trying to assert control and stop this from continuing.
A larger part, the part that had defied her and chosen to come to the New Capital to apply for Shintō Teitō University, was having none of that and urged him to kiss them. Hell, his mother was encouraging this, so why not just go for it?
His mind made up, Minato didn't resist when the lips of Hikari and Hibiki planted themselves on his own at exactly the same time. A pale purple glow played over the three before, from the Sekireis' backs, a pair of identical symbols emerged. It was of a Katayoku no Tori (One-Winged Bird), presumably a Wagtail, with a Yin and Yang beneath it, flanked on either side by two magatama.
With a cry of what must be ecstasy, or possibly rapture, a pair of wings burst forth from both of the twins and spread across the room before fading into nothing once again.
"Wow…" Minato breathed. That had to be one of the most amazing things he had ever seen.
The twins cuddled into him and sighed in happiness.
"Our Ashikabi, from this day forth." Hikari muttered with a rare smile on her face.
"Let the heavens resound with our light and sound, until the end of time." Hibiki said happily.
Takami was watching with a proud smile before she frowned. If Minaka was as punctual about giving his usual introductory speech as he usually was, he ought to use the MBI network to show up any second now…
"Greetings, Sahashi Minato!" blared from the small TV at the foot of the bed, which at unilaterally turned itself on, the screen showing a grey-haired man wearing dark sunglasses, a white suit and an equally white high-collared cape.
…right on schedule.
"Minaka, shut up will you?" Takami growled as she stepped in front of the TV.
"Ara, Takami-kun." Minaka wasn't surprised to see her there, which was irritating. He had probably been informed of everything she had said and done since this morning, the stalking voyeur. "Checking up on your injured son? How very maternal of you. I trust your lawyer will prosecute Ondori-san to the limits of the law for breaking Minato-kun's arm."
'Smug bastard.' Takami thought as she replied, "Yes he will be. Now, I'll give the introduction to my son, if you don't mind."
"I suppose you'll be obdurate about this, won't you?" Minaka asked rhetorically, "Very well. As Minato-kun has no place of residence as of this moment, I will be sending Hikari and Hibiki's clothing to his hospital room. It should arrive shortly. And…is that Number 88? Long time no see, Musubi-chan!"
"It has been a while, Hakase (Professor)!" Musubi chirped faintly. She was kneeling on the floor, panting slightly.
"…As it seems that Minato-kun will be adding you to his 'Flock' momentarily, I'll have your clothes sent along as well." the Director of MBI concluded, "I must compliment you on your taste, Minato-kun. The Raiden Futago AND Musubi-chan in a single day? I look forward to seeing which Sekirei you Wing next."
"Err…thank you?" Minato didn't know how to respond to that last remark. It sounded like a compliment, with an underlying current of amusement at Minato's expense.
"Arigato, Hakase!" Musubi called.
"Very well then. I must be off now, so Takami-kun, you make certain to tell Minato-kun all of the details of the Sekirei Plan." Minaka said with an admonishing finger wag in Takami's direction, making the gray-haired woman snarl before executing a perfect heel drop kick on the TV.
{Beep-be-be-Beep!}
Takami took out her phone and scowled at the message.
'The cost of replacing that TV is coming out of your pay check, Takami-kun.
;-}
Minaka.'
"Cocky sonofabitch." Takami said lightly, "Now then. Daughters-in-law #1 and #2, kindly make way so Musubi-chan can Emerge."
Flushing at their new titles, the twins very reluctantly withdrew from their new Ashikabi and stood to one side while Musubi made her way to Minato. Judging by how shaky Musubi was, Takami guessed that adding two Sekirei at once had made Minato's Ashikabi 'aura' skyrocket in strength.
"Mi-Minato-san…" Musubi barely made it to the bed before she collapsed. Minato automatically reached out and caught her before she hit the bed, his touch making the brown-haired Sekirei's heartbeat skyrocket. Minato wondered at how soft Musubi felt before she put her arms around his neck.
"Minato-san…I'm…sorry that…we don't know each other well…but…I can't take it anymore…!" Musubi panted out before she darted in and softly pressed her lips to the man who was her Ashikabi.
This time a soft, light pink aura played over the Sekirei and Ashikabi. Takami, sharp eyes locked onto where Musubi's Sekirei Crest emerged from, saw the faint outline of another one underneath it, with a small silvery-white aura around it as well.
With a joyful cry of rapture, Musubi's pink wings sprouted from her Crest, and the concealed Crest also shot out small wings to signal that it too had been winged.
'Yume…looks like even as a Sekirei Tama, you can still get an Ashikabi, thanks to Musubi…' Takami thought with a smile as the wings of light faded.
"My Ashikabi-sama…" Musubi snuggled into Minato, "Our fists are joined as one. Let them protect each other until the end of time…"
"Whew…why is it so hot in here…?" Hikari muttered. Hibiki nodded.
"It's the backlash of Musubi's Winging resonating down Minato's link to you both." Takami informed them both, "Your link with him seems to be very stable and strong, despite the short period of time that you have been Winged. Must be because Min-chan's power is so powerful."
"I'll say." Hibiki said with a shiver, "From a foot away, it was like we were standing next to magma. We had to be Winged by him. It was all that we could think about."
"Fair enough." Takami grinned, "Well Musubi-chan, how do you feel?"
"The best I've ever felt!" the Fist-type Sekirei replied dreamily, "Minato-sama's power is amazing~!"
"You'll gradually adjust to it until you're accustomed to it." Takami grinned again, "Now, off you get and sit in a chair. Min-chan has to be filled in about the Sekirei Plan and having a cute wife like you draped all over him isn't going to help his concentration any."
Pouting slightly, Musubi stood up and bowed slightly to Minato before sitting in one of the nearby chairs. The sisters sat next to her and nodded at her.
"Well then. Where to begin…?" Takami mused as she grabbed the last free seat and sat in it, "Well, I'm assuming Hikari and Hibiki filled you in a little on Sekirei in general?"
At Minato's cautious nod, Takami continued, "Well then, Sekirei 101. First off, grab these."
She threw three cards at Minato, who caught them with slightly more grace than she'd expected. "Not a bad catch, Min-chan. Those are special MBI Unlimited cards. An important fact about Sekirei is that they have a far larger appetite than a regular human does. A 'Sekirei-sized' helping is about three times the size of a regular human-sized helping. These cards are to offset the food expense incurred, as well as for clothes and the like."
"And I have three of them." Minato shook his head in amazement.
"It'll help you buy a house." Takami said with a shrug.
"These are really Unlimited?" Minato checked.
"Pretty much. If not enough is being judged to be being spent on things for your Sekirei, they could be cancelled." Takami said with a thoughtful look on her face, "I've cleared the whole house thing with Accounting, so no problems there. I even have one picked out for you, a place in the northern area of the New Capital."
"Wow…thanks Kaa-san." Minato was stunned at this generosity.
"Only complication is, you'll have to share it with Yukari." Takami watched in amusement as her son paled at this.
"Yukari?" Hibiki asked curiously.
"My daughter." Takami said with a shrug, "She got accepted into Shindong Women's University just yesterday, although she doesn't know it yet. I'm going to make her live with you for the sake of safety."
"Oh yeah, Yukari's an Ashikabi as well, isn't she?" Minato realised, "Wait, how'll I explain having three women living with me?"
"Ah. That is tricky." Takami nodded sagely, "You see, MBI has just begun something called the 'Sekirei Plan'. Releasing all 108 Sekirei into Shintō Teitō to look for their Ashikabi is the first stage. When 90% are Winged, the Plan moves to Phase 2. Essentially, this is an immense survival tournament based in the capital. Secrecy is paramount and you aren't allowed to tell anyone not involved about it. If you do…yeah, just don't do that."
"O….K?" Minato said slowly, "What should I tell Yukari though? You know what she's like about girls with big busts."
"She still does that?" Takami face palmed.
"Yep." Minato replied wryly.
"Ano…what is it that she does?" Musubi asked innocently.
"She grabs the breasts of any woman who has a bust bigger than herself." Takami said dryly, "I'm not sure if it means she's bisexual or if she has breast-envy. This means that Hikari and Musubi are almost certain to be victims."
"A human has bigger breasts than me…" Hibiki muttered with a dark cloud hanging over her.
"Her bust is an 81. You are a 79." Takami said helpfully, "The difference isn't that much."
"You look fine as you are, Hibiki." Minato added with a smile.
"Y-You think so?" Hibiki brightened up at this compliment from her Ashikabi. When he nodded in confirmation, Hibiki very visibly preened as she sat up straighter in her seat.
"Smooth." Takami said to her son, "It helps that is what you think as well. Anyway, regarding Yukari. I think if you admit to being in a relationship with the twins here, she ought to buy it. It isn't a stretch to imagine that a pair of identical, same-gender, twins would have similar tastes in men. It also has the novelty of being the truth."
"And Musubi?" Minato asked.
"A friend of the twins who needs a place to crash after moving to the New Capital." Takami said promptly, "Also true. You're just omitting that the friendship is fairly new and that you have a relationship with her as well."
"That feels…kinda wrong." her son admitted, glancing at Musubi, "She is my Sekirei as well. It isn't right I have to lie about the fact we're together as well."
"Minato-sama…!" Musubi was touched by this admission, "If it is to help you, Musubi doesn't mind it."
Takami looked proud of her son for admitting that excluding one of his 'wives' from the relationship seemed wrong. "That's the right attitude to take, Minato. It is only until she Wings a Sekirei of her own, so don't worry about it. You can come clean to her about it. Even better, Musubi-chan, as a Fist-type Sekirei, is more than capable of stopping Yukari from sticking her foot in your face."
"Yeah…that's a point." Minato sweatdropped at that. Yukari could get very temperamental about people lying to her about pretty much anything. Her automatic reaction is to kick the subject of her ire into submission.
"Listen, I have to go now." Takami said as she stood and checked the clock, "Here's the address of the realtor who has the house reserved for you. Give him this letter, then one of the Twins' cards to pay for the house."
She passed the letter and note to Hibiki, who tucked them into her pocket.
Minato examined the MBI cards. Two had a pair of crossed lightning bolts in the bottom left corner. The one that was Musubi's had a clenched fist over a Yin and Yang symbol in the same place.
"Right." he nodded, "Um…will the house have furniture?"
Takami blinked. "No, I don't think so. You'll have to check the place out before going furniture shopping. Make sure you get a big bed for your wives."
"KAA-SAN!" Minato yelped in embarrassment. Hikari and Hibiki flushed red as well. Musubi had a question mark floating over her head as she looked slightly bemused.
"Heh. You don't have to worry about them getting pregnant either." Takami continued, "MBI gave them a drug before releasing them that prevents conception for about a year. If, by some miracle, the Sekirei Plan continues for longer than a year, they'll be recalled to have the drug re-administered to them. Enjoy."
With that, Takami made her way out of the door, smirking at the mortified expression on her sons face and the bright red faces of two of his other wives.
'Not to self: Sit down with Musubi to explain the facts of life to her.' Takami thought idly as a pair of men in black suits carrying boxes walked past her, 'Other than that, Operation Embarrass-Son-to-death-in-front-of-his wives was a complete success. Hehehe…I wonder how long it'll be before I'm a grandmother…?'
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At the Same Time
Izumo Inn, Northern Area of ShintōTeitō
"Miya-tan." a tall redhead wearing glasses said as she popped her head into the kitchen of the Inn. She wore what loosely resembled a cream-coloured Chinese cheongsam.
"Matsu?" the subject of the redhead's conversation, a purple-haired woman dressed in a white haori and purple hakama. The two were very beautiful, despite their casual attire.
"Sahashi Takami has manipulated her son into joining the Sekirei Plan." Matsu said quickly, "He's already Winged Numbers 11, 12 and 88. From what I was able to observe, he is an immensely powerful Ashikabi and with three Sekirei adding to that, he is a veritable Sekirei magnet."
"Did he forcibly Wing them?" Miya asked quietly. She had been chopping vegetables for sukiyaki and she unconsciously altered her grip on then knife as if she held a sword instead.
"No, that's it. He actually attracted them just by being near them." Matsu said in mild wonderment, "Number 88 practically climaxed when he winged her, he's that powerful."
"I fail to see why this is a cause for concern, Matsu-chan." Miya replied as she relaxed her grip on the cooking knife, "He may be powerful, but that has no bearing on whether he attracts more Sekirei, and as he Winged them as a result of them reacting to him, it makes him a better Ashikabi, in my opinion."
"He's moving into our street." Matsu said.
Miya paused. "I beg your pardon?"
"His mother contacted a realtor around about midday and placed a reservation on Matsuyama-tan's house that he put up for sale after he moved to live with his daughter in Hokkaido." Matsu babbled, referring to a house across the road and two houses down the street from Izumo Inn, "He has the resources of three MBI VIP cards to buy and furnish the house! I like the look of him, Miya! He's going to attract me as soon as he walks down the street! What if MBI is doing this to draw me out?!"
"I remember Sahashi Takami quite well, Matsu-chan." Miya said quietly, "She visited Takehito in the labs a couple of times. She always declared that she would try and keep her children out of the S-Plan -as it was called then- if she could. The fact that she is instead actively aiding her son in gathering a Flock of Sekirei means that she ran out of options to prevent it from happening. She wouldn't do this otherwise and she wouldn't let her son be used to create a secondary Discipline Squad. If his power calls to you, go to him. Don't let suspicion rend you alone, Matsu-chan. You deserve happiness with an Ashikabi."
"Miya-tan…" Matsu said in surprise.
"Make sure you tell Uzume and Kagari as well." Miya said as she turned back to the chopping board, "Knowing Kagari, he'll go off to his Host Club for a while rather than risk being Winged by a man."
"Uzume-tan will probably leap at the chance." Matsu remarked, "The only person she reacted to got transferred to a Hospital in America the day after they met."
"As with you, if it is what she desires, she will go to him." Miya said calmly, "If it is the will of the fate we call love, then it shall be so."
"Hai, Miya-tan." Matsu said quietly as she slipped out of the kitchen. It was moments like this that made the Sekirei of Wisdom's heart ache for Sekirei Number 00/01, Asama Miya. She had lost her beloved husband and had mourned him ever since, locking out the possibility of being Winged with sheer willpower, although as the Pillar of the Sekirei, it was a big 'what-if' as to whether she could have been Winged in the first place.
"'The fate we call love'…huh…" Matsu whispered. She made for her secret room.
She had research on one Sahashi Minato to do.
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Next Chapter: Houses and Hammer Time
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