Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 8 here.
Just to give you a heads up, Karasuba is a little less of a psycho in this Fic. She still considers humans and Ashikabi to be similar to slimes, but she's a bit more caring towards her fellow Sekirei.
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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 8: The Black Sekirei Descends
That Night
Sahashi Minato's House
"You really have a run of bad luck, eh Min-chan?" Takami chortled, "Having run-ins with Sekirei from both Higa AND Mikogami in less than two days. Has to be a record."
The woman was sat at the dining table with her legs crossed and an empty plate before her. Minato was sat opposite her. His Sekirei had vacated the room to give them some mother-son alone time.
"Laugh it up." Minato grumbled, "Seriously, what is with these people? Treating sentient being like pieces on a game board…"
"That's human nature, Minato." his mother replied seriously, "We're strong and weak, noble and cruel, loving and hating and that is just a fact of life. The unfortunate fact that a fair few of those who are like Mikogami and Higa are also Ashikabi is something we're going to have to deal with."
"Fair enough." Minato nodded, "Could you give Kurusu-chan and Yomi-san an examination to make sure they're OK?"
"Sure." Takami nodded, "Reminds me; a Sekirei will be dropping by. She's been reacting to you for a while now."
"Eh? I haven't seen any unknown Sekirei around." Minato said in surprise.
"Well of course not." the grey-haired woman smirked, "Yahan's specialty is stealth and infiltration. She isn't called the Sekirei of the Shadows for nothing."
"My ears are burning." a voice drawled as Yahan stepped out of Takami's shadow, making Minato jump in surprise.
"Yahan. I take it that you finished the job?" Takami asked. She was totally unperturbed by the Shadow Sekirei's appearance, having seen it too many times to count.
"Hai, Takami-sama." the dusky-skinned Sekirei replied as she drew a flash drive from her cleavage and handed it to the Head of the Sekirei Plan, "All but three of the female Handlers have done something to warrant either dismissal or punitive measures taken against them. The details are on the drive."
"Good work." Takami nodded as she accepted the drive, "Now introduce yourself to my son."
Yahan turned to face Minato and her expression was uncertain for a moment before it coalesced into resolve. She then went down on one knee.
"Minato-sama, I am Yahan, Sekirei Number Fifty-Seven, also known as the Sekirei of the Shadows. I humbly request that you Wing me as I have been reacting to you for the last three days."
Minato blinked at this display. It was as if he was a Daimyo or something taking an oath from a retainer.
"Err…OK." he said, "Please stand up."
Yahan stood smoothly, her eyes dancing with restrained excitement and desire as she looked upon the one who was her Ashikabi as he also stood up and walked towards her. She gulped as her reaction to him grew stronger with ever step closer to her, until she could no longer suppress it.
She started panting and she even mewled entreatingly when he stopped a foot away from her.
'The strength of his aura…! Dear Kami, how am I not Winging myself on him already?!' she thought deliriously as the heat in her body started to become unbearable. Evidently, her self-control was even stronger than she had previously imagined.
When he cupped her face with his hands, Yahan moaned. Just by being touched by him, she felt more pleasure than she had ever felt in her life! Why had she waited this long? She had been born just to be his, so why hadn't she jumped on him the first time she had seen him?
"Minato-sama…!" she said entreatingly, desperate now.
This made Minato smile before he brought his lips to meet hers.
Feeling her Sekirei Crest burn and her shadowy wings emerge from it, Yahan finally felt what she had always longed for…an indelible and irreplaceable connection with another being, unbreakable other than in death.
Takami's eyes widened as the shadows around Yahan and Minato convulsed and stretched towards the two, swirling around them in a vortex.
'I thought that Yahan's only power was Shadow Walking…no, I see now.' Takami thought in awe, 'The only power she could use while Unwinged was Shadow Walking. Now she can even manipulate the very shadows themselves…!'
Such a gap between power before and after Winging was unheard of, to the best of Takami's knowledge anyway. She hadn't overseen Yahan's Adjustment; that task had fallen to someone else under Minaka's direction.
So then…this was done purposefully? Deliberately limiting the powers of a Sekirei while Unwinged to a stupid degree? That did sound like something Minaka would pull, raving about fate and the age of the gods as he did so.
'I'd better pull up the files of the other Sekirei that I didn't adjust to see exactly what that idiot did to them.' she thought with a sigh. Not that she'd be able to actually do anything about it. Minaka had forbidden her to interfere with Winged Sekirei unless something was wrong with their Sekirei Tama.
While Takami had been lost in thought, Minato and his newest Sekirei had parted, panting from lack of air.
"My Ashikabi…let the shadows bind us together 'til the end of time." Yahan cooed once she had caught her breath.
"Welcome to the family, Yahan." Takami called once she noticed they had finished, "Just call me Okaa-san and we'll get along fine."
"Speaking of that, when is Yukari coming here?" Minato asked with a flush. He had almost forgotten that his mother had been in the room while he was making out with the latest addition to his 'Flock' as Matsu referred to a group of Sekirei.
"She's gone back to your grandmother's place to unwind after taking the entrance exams to her University." Takami replied, "Should be another couple of weeks before she comes to bother you. She isn't going to be happy about living with you, you know."
"That puts it mildly." Minato said dryly, "And what's with Hikari and Hibiki have been telling me about you giving them permission to punish her?"
"She needs put in her place." Takami replied as she waved for her son and his newest wife to sit down already, "She's more arrogant than I was at her age, which is saying something, and she'll get in serious trouble if someone doesn't make her sit up and take notice."
"I overheard them discussing whether to use a paddle or a riding crop." Minato said dryly, "Think about this Kaa-san; do you really want those two to train Yukari into a sub? 'Cause that's what'll happen if those two get their hands on her with your permission to punish her with little to no limits."
"There are limits to what they can do." Takami replied, "No marking her skin permanently and no psychological damage, so they can't 'train her' without her asking for it, which she won't."
"I take it this Yukari person is your younger sister, Minato-sama?" Yahan asked.
"Yeah…she's going to blow a gasket when she finds me surrounded by…lessee…Hikari, Hibiki, Musubi, Kurusu, Yashima, Uzume, Matsu and now you and Yomi…so nine beautiful women, eight of whom are my wives."
"You have not Winged Yomi?" Yahan was surprised by this.
"She hasn't reacted to me, and I only Wing willing Sekirei." her Ashikabi replied with a small smile that made her heart flutter.
"Takami-Okaa-san, why has Yomi not reacted to Minato-sama?" Yahan asked.
"Power is only a small part of what makes a Sekirei react to an Ashikabi." Takami replied, "A Sekirei's sexuality, personal preferences in their partners, attitude and the number of Sekirei an Ashikabi has already Winged are also taken into account. Yomi is bisexual with a strong preference for either strong men or weak women, arrogant and Min-chan has Winged seven other Sekirei. Something about either Min-chan or that list is stopping the bond from connecting the two of you."
"She did want me to Wing her, but as I could tell she wasn't reacting to me, I told her no." Minato said with a shrug.
"Good boy." Takami said approvingly, "Well, you'd better take Yahan to meet your other wives while I give Yomi and Kurusu an once-over."
The Next Day
Minato's Room
'I…have really got to set up a sleeping schedule.' Minato concluded to himself as he woke up, surrounded by his wives yet again. With the addition of Yahan and Kurusu to the mix, he couldn't even get up. Hell he could barely move without brushing against some part of the female anatomy, for crying out loud!
Musubi, who seemed to have claimed his leg as her 'spot' when in bed with him, was the first to stir. Levering herself up on one elbow she looked at him through bleary hazel-brown eyes.
"Ohayo, Minato-sama." she said sleepily.
"Ohayo, Musubi-chan." Minato replied with a smile. Musubi's innocent cuteness was very endearing and always managed to cheer him up. "Do you think you could give me a hand getting out of this?"
He waved a hand in a loose circle to indicate the pile of women he was currently pinned down by.
"Hai!" the Miko-look-alike chirped and lifted him out of the pile with one hand as if he only weighed as much as a rag doll. Minato made a mental note to not get his third Sekirei angry with him, given that she could inadvertently break him like a twig.
"Thanks, Musubi-chan." he said ant patted her on the head, making her blush and giggle.
Once breakfast was made and the rest of the Sekirei (minus Uzume) were up, he divided the work up. He had to study, so he was staying home for the day. He sent Kurusu and Uzume (once she woke up) out on patrol, Hikari and Hibiki were dispatched with Yahan to get daily necessities for the three newest additions to the family and had Yashima and Musubi act as guards for himself, Matsu and Yomi.
"Whatcha doing?" Yomi asked as he settled down to study on one side of the living room.
"Studying. I have an Entrance Exam to take in less than a week and I have to be prepared for it." Minato replied.
"Why? You have, what? Eight MBI VIP Cards?" Yomi asked in confusion, "You don't need to go to University or get a job if you have those."
"Yeah…I'm not exactly fond of the idea of being totally dependent on MBI for living expenses." Minato replied dryly, "MBI cards are one method they use to try and control the Ashikabi. Higa and Mikogami are independent of MBI because they have their own fortunes to dip into. It's why they act so boldly. What can MBI do to them other than send the Discipline Squad after them? Nothing much."
Yomi paled. "The Discipline Squad is enough of a threat. The Black Sekirei is rumoured to have slaughtered an entire battalion of human soldier all by herself. No way do I want to tangle with that bitch."
"A battalion?!" Minato asked in horror. A battalion was at least three hundred men strong!
"Why so surprised?" Yomi asked with a small grin, "For a Single Number, that much is to be expected. Even I could do that given ideal conditions. Humans stand no chance against Sekirei in any kind of confrontation, unless the Sekirei is weak or hugely outnumbered."
"I see…Yomi-san, you're the Death Scythe Sekirei, correct?" Minato asked to change the subject somewhat.
"Yup." Yomi replied smugly, "I'm an Elemental Weapon user. My precious death scythe can turn the wind itself into a weapon that can cut my enemies to pieces."
"Yikes…!" Minato flinched. He now felt glad that he had had Yomi deposit her weapon in a locked closet as a gesture of good faith, "Err…how many Elemental Weapon users are there among the Sekirei?"
"Not a lot." Yomi admitted, "No more than ten, maybe twenty, of us. I'm not sure of the exact number."
"I see…well, I have to study now. Feel free to watch television or whatever you'd like to do." Minato said with a polite nod, before opening his textbook.
"Boring~" Yomi groaned as she headed off to the couch and switched the TV on.
The house was quiet as Minato studied. Musubi was training in the basement again, while Yomi was channel hopping in the living room and Matsu was doing…something…in her room.
Minato had just decided to take a break when Matsu jumped into his arms trembling.
"Mina-tan!" she wailed.
"Matsu-chan? What's wrong?" he asked in concern.
"SHE is coming!" Matsu said trembling, "The Black Sekirei is coming here!"
"WHAT?!" Yomi yelped.
"Matsu-chan, calm down." Minato said soothingly, rubbing the small of her back soothingly in order to calm her down. It seemed to work, as the orangette relaxed into his arms.
"Now, start from the beginning." he said once Matsu was no longer trembling in fear.
"I had just finished hacking Mikogami's server and destroyed his files, when one of my alarms went off." the Wisdom Sekirei said with forced calm, "Number Four, Karasuba, is coming this way! If she finds me here, I'm doomed!"
"Right." Minato said with a determined nod, "Yomi-san, can you grab Musubi-chan? We'll need her strength for my plan to hide you and Matsu-chan."
The Death Scythe Sekirei obeyed his commands and scampered off.
"Matsu-chan, how long before she arrives?" Minato continued.
"A-About five minutes." Matsu replied after a little bit of mental calculation.
"Should be enough time…Ah, you should stock up on food and water, Matsu-chan, in case Karasuba-san does come here and stays for a while." Minato added.
"Why would she come here though?!" Matsu squeaked.
"She'd a friend of Musubi's." he replied with a shrug.
"What's with that plotline development!" she shrieked in response, performing a tsukkomi on him on instinct.
Five Minutes Later
Outside the House…
Minato decided to wait outside for Karasuba to arrive, pretending to have been cleaning up the front of the house and to have met her there.
Well, honestly, the front area was in dire need of cleaning up anyway. The previous owner had apparently had bad lumbago for most of the last couple of years and had thus been unable to do much in the way of gardening or clean up.
He was in the middle of sweeping up when he spotted a woman heading towards him. She was dressed in a grey kimono, black thigh-high boots and had a black overcoat draped over her shoulders. Her long grey hair was tied up in a ponytail and her gunmetal grey eyes were locked on to Minato, making him feel like a mouse under the gaze of a snake.
"Hello there." she said. Her voice was languid and lazy, not matching her eyes at all.
"Hello." Minato replied with a small polite bow, "How can I help a member of the Discipline Squad today?"
"Hooooh? So you know I'm a part of the Discipline Squad?" the Black Sekirei said with a small smirk, "Well you don't have to worry…look, no weapons. I'm not here to fight or anything. I just thought that I'd come and see Mu-chan now that she has an Ashikabi."
"Of course." Minato nodded, "Please come in."
He led her into his home and made her some sencha. The way she hummed as she sipped indicated she liked it.
"This is some nice tea." she said.
"My grandmother was fond of it, so I got good at preparing sencha." Minato said, "Please wait here. Musubi is in the basement training."
Karasuba nodded, but Minato could feel her eyes boring into his back as he walked out of the room. The feeling of danger he felt from her was almost stifling, the bloodthirst she had barely under control reaching out and throttling him with its intensity.
"Musubi-chan, you have a guest!" he called down the stairs to the basement, although she had been informed beforehand that Karasuba was en route. She had also been firmly instructed not to mention Matsu or Yomi to Karasuba.
"Haiii~!" Musubi called as she scampered up the stairs, dressed in her battle Miko outfit.
"This way, Musubi-chan." he led her to the living room, where Karasuba raised a hand in greeting to Musubi.
"Yo, Mu-chan. You doing alright?"
"Karasuba-sama!" the brunette said with a wide smile, "Of course I am! Minato-sama is a wonderful Ashikabi! So strong!"
"Hmmm…I can feel his power from here." the grey-haired woman nodded, "If I weren't already Winged, I might have reacted to him."
"EH?! Karasuba-sama has an Ashikabi-sama as well?" Musubi asked in astonishment.
"Yup. A guy called Natsuo, the Ashikabi of the Discipline Squad." Karasuba shrugged unconcernedly, "Well, he hasn't Winged Benitsubasa or Haihane yet, but it's a matter of time."
"So they are your kohai, Karasuba-sama?"
"Yep. The Third Generation Discipline Squad has been decided on." Karasuba said with what had to be the closest thing to an honest grin Minato had yet seen from the elder Sekirei, "Number 105, Benitsubasa is a Power-type like you, though her boobs are pathetic by comparison. Number 104, Haihane, uses a pair of clawed gauntlets. She's an odd one, that's for certain."
"Ehhh, they sound interesting!" Musubi said with an eager look on her face, "Especially Benitsubasa-chan! I wish I could spar with her!"
"Ha-ha! Always eager for more training, aren't you, Mu-chan!" Karasuba laughed, "How about we have a leisurely day together?"
"Is it alright, Minato-sama?" Musubi turned to him and produced WMD-level Puppy Eyes.
"You don't have to ask permission, Musubi-chan." Minato said as whatever argument he might have mustered crumbled under Musubi's cuteness factor, "Just be back in time for dinner, alright?"
"Hai!" Musubi declared proudly.
Minato rummaged in a drawer for a moment before pulling out a cell phone out and handing it to Musubi.
"Here's your phone and your MBI card. Keep an eye out for any of Higa's Sekirei." He said seriously, "After yesterday, they might try something."
"Higa? The Ashikabi of the East?" Karasuba asked sharply, "What's he been up to now?"
"Hunting the Unwinged Sekirei and forcibly Winging any he catches." Minato said in disgust, "Mikogami's up to it as well, but not here in the North. Some of Higa's Sekirei tried something yesterday, but Musubi helped turn them back. I'm worried that they might try something if they spot her."
"Tch. Human scum." Karasuba growled, "You don't have to worry about Mu-chan if I'm with her. Even Higa doesn't want to draw bad attention from the Discipline squad…especially if he wants his head to remain on his shoulders."
The killing intent in those words made Minato shiver, but he didn't let it show on his face as he replied, "Thank you, Karasuba-san. I take confidence in your words. Musubi, make sure you have a good time today, OK?"
"Haaaiii~!" Musubi sang eagerly as she skipped to the front entrance and pulled on her boots.
"Has she always been so…energetic?" Minato asked Karasuba as he escorted her to the door.
"Hmmm? Oh, Mu-chan? Yes, a regular bundle of energy." Karasuba grinned wryly, "Never satisfied with her current strength and eager to keep her promise to me…if she hasn't told you about it, I won't tell either. But, while we're alone here…"
She pushed Minato against the wall and stared him in the eyes. "Hurt her, limit her or let her get terminated…and you will not survive much longer past that. Understood?"
"Crystal." Minato croaked out.
"Lovely. So glad we had this little heart to heart." the grey-haired Sekirei said with a friendly smile, "I'll have her back by dinner. Have a nice day, Ashikabi-kun~"
Minato found that he was unable to move for several minutes after Karasuba left. He mentally upgraded his estimation of her…rather than a mouse caught in the stare of a snake, it was a mouse caught by the stare of a goddamn dragon!
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Next Chapter: The Ashikabi of the East
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