I do not own Sekirei or Fate/Stay Night. I am writing this for fun and for no other reason. The only original character I own is Eiyuo Kamiya. If you like this then that's fine by me. If you don't, you can exit this story and go elsewhere. I'm not making you stay.
-THE GOLD ASHIKABI-
Chapter 1
Shin-Tokyo was a sprawling metropolis which held the headquarters of the mysterious Mid Bio Informatics or MBI for short. With their technology spanning into just about every possible field from medical to mundane, the economy had received a massive boost. Buildings were clean, health issues had been resolved, and employment for the most part was up.
For the most part…
Inside a dingy alleyway sat one of the few homeless that the city pretended didn't exist. He was a teenage fellow wearing a dirty brown jacket with a stained yellow sweater and jeans. A hood was covering his head and a plain dark scarf most of his features but his hair was revealed to be a dirty blonde and his eyes were an odd shade of brown, almost red. He was dirty and downtrodden, which was somewhat to be expected considering his condition. He simply sat on the ground, seemingly ignoring both the chill in the air and the people walking around the sidewalks outside of the alley.
His name was Eiyūō Kamiya.
Eiyūō hadn't come to where he was out of circumstance, but out of choice. He used to live in a nice home with a nice family out in Fuyuki City. However, one night there was a black wave of darkness out at the Ryuudo Shrine and it left Eiyūō…changed. At first Eiyūō didn't know that this change had occurred. Not until one of the local tough guys decided to try and extort some cash from him at knifepoint. That was when his…change came up and turned the man into a pile of mush. He tried to convince himself that it was a bad dream, but when it happened two more times when the tough's friends tried to get payback for their friend. Two more people turned into piles of mush by his…change.
Eiyūō couldn't deny it any longer. What had occurred to him made him extremely dangerous and he couldn't control it! So far it took out three people and who could guess that something else would make it go off again. Worse, what if it went off where there were dozens of people present?-!
Knowing that nobody was safe around him, Eiyūō ran away from home. He kept himself isolated and alone to prevent the…change from hurting anybody. Unfortunately, now and then people would try to get near him for good and for ill and someone would get turned into ground hamburger. They were always guys who wanted to hurt Eiyūō, but what triggered the change could be more than just self-preservation and Eiyūō didn't want to risk finding out what. So the dirty blonde boy kept on moving, avoiding everyone so that his…change wouldn't trigger and kill somebody. He eventually came to Shin-Tokyo, the city which was formerly known as Tokyo before MBI set up headquarters and revolutionized the city. On paper and maps it was still called Tokyo, but everyone else called it by its new nickname. Eiyūō thought that with the numerous alleys and abandoned buildings here and there he'd likely never be pegged beyond a vagrancy charge or something.
"Hey you!"
Speaking of which…
Eiyūō looked up bleakly, revealing bags under his eyes. A result of his sleepless nights on account of nightmares of the people he had accidentally killed over the year since he had run away from Fuyuki. Looking to the source, he saw a police officer stomping towards him. He seemed like a slightly round fellow with grizzle on his face. Likely he was one of those barely adequate cops who were assigned to the low-level positions so not to cause trouble. Of course, it always left them in a bad mood which they'd take out on whoever was unlucky enough to get in their way.
Unfortunately, that counted for Eiyūō at the moment.
"You scum, dirtying up the streets," the officer growled as he stomped over to Eiyūō and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. Forcing the teen to his feet, he eyed the blonde like he was looking at dog crap on the sidewalk which he was forced to clean up. "When are you freaks going to get the message and go get jobs or something? Stop fouling up our streets!"
Eiyūō said nothing. He wouldn't try to justify himself to the cop since he chose this kind of life. Besides, trying to talk would usually get the guys like this cop mad and would maybe smack him around or something with the false pretence of resisting arrest. However, the cop's face started to turn red in anger as he took Eiyūō's compliant silence as some kind of insulting arrogance.
"Punk!" the cop growled, tossing Eiyūō closer to the opposite end of the alley which broke into four corners between four buildings. The blonde boy crashed into some garbage cans which were left out by the owners. Scrambling out of the filth, Eiyūō dazedly got into his feet. His sleep deprivation from the previous night was making his reflexes sluggish and unreliable. Perfect timing.
"You caught me on the wrong day," the cop growled as he massaged his fist, approaching the stunned teen. "Superior demoted me for letting off a buddy of mine on a speeding ticket and landed me here. I need some stress relief."
'Oh crap,' Eiyūō groaned mentally.
The officer began to approach with a snicker on his lips and the golden-haired boy began to feel fear seep into his body. It was like electric surges running through him and…
…oh no
"Run…" Eiyūō whispered, horror tainting his voice. "Gotta…run!"
"Oh, there's no running from you punk," the cop laughed. "Otherwise I could get you for fleeing an officer."
"No," Eiyūō choked, feeling like circuits of fire were coursing through him, growing hotter and hotter and more power flooded them. "You have to run!"
"Ha! Like I'd run from a homeless punk!" the cop laughed, continuing to approach.
"NOOOOO!" Eiyūō cried, pleading for the cop to leave. "RUUUUUN!"
*WHOOM!*
A pulse of power erupted from Eiyūō's body while a beam of light rose above him. It flickered before spreading into a golden wall of light which sparkled and shone like a star brought to earth. Which the sparkling wall, bulges appeared before each one slowly revealed what looked to be an ornate weapon which seemed to exude some kind of pressure just from their presence. Swords, scythes, hammers, daggers, staffs, spears, axes, all of them revealed themselves from the glowing wall with their deadly tips aimed at the cop.
"What the-!" the cop paled, staring at the wall of death.
"RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!" Eiyūō screamed.
It was too late…
The weapons were fired with the force of bullets from their holding place. They cut through the air with lethal intensity before colliding with the cop with just as much force. They cut through his body like hot knives through butter. The blades cut through flesh, bone, and organs like they were nothing. Mercifully, the cop died when a red barbed spear had pierced his heart before the others collided but it didn't stop more from shooting out. For a deadly few seconds, weapons rained down on the spot where the man stood, cratering the ground or walls when they missed and utterly destroying what flesh they hit.
"STOP!" Eiyūō screamed, clutching his head. "STOP! STOP IT! STOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
The fiery circuit feeling in his body died, leaving him feeling empty and exhausted. The wall of light began to die down as the weapons yet to be launched were drawn back into it. The weapons already sticking out of the ground dissolved into gold dust which was sucked back into the golden light before it vanished altogether.
What it left behind wasn't a pleasant sight.
The area where the cop stood was cratered and broken in several places with no single section remaining untouched. The cop himself was a giant red splatter with meat steaming and quivering underneath the shreds of a uniform. It would be difficult to tell who the man was and without the swords, it would be hard to believe he died of anything less than being thrown into a woodchipper. "Oh God," Eiyūō moaned, his eyes wide and unblinking at the sight. It happened again! He'd killed someone again!
A flapping of fabric caused him to look up at a building where he spotted a strange figure standing on the top and staring down at him with wide eyes. He was dressed entirely in black with a long coat and a black mask covering the rest of his face. He could have been handsome if the mask wasn't in the way, but what was most shocking about him was that his hair was pure white despite obviously being a man in his prime.
Eiyūō felt the blood drain from his face. Someone had seen him! Panicking, he dashed away both from the strangely dressed man and the scene of the murder. He prayed that no one would call the police before he could get a change of clothes for himself. The white-haired man hadn't seen his face so he lucked out. A quick change of clothes and he'd be set to hide in plain sight.
Now he just had to find some clothes.
"What…was that?"
Homura gaped with open shock at what he had just witnessed. He had been doing patrols and looking out for his fellow Sekirei who had yet received their wings as was his personal duty to them when he heard a scuffle in an alley. Fearing that one of the birds was being attacked by an unscrupulous Ashikabi or some punk who wanted to be one. He came upon the sight of a cop harassing what looked like a homeless teenage boy. Homura was suspicious of the scene since most Sekirei were essentially homeless until their found their Ashikabi. It was standard for all of them to receive an MBI card to fund their search but some of them would jump the gun and break out before they could receive that card and end up hungry on the street. With how much a Sekirei needed to eat, that was a pretty bad thing. Homura suspected that the homeless boy was one such example.
His fears were confirmed when the boy brought up that gold light, but then when the swords appeared and fired…the fire-user had seen many disturbing things in his life but what happened to the cop who became little more than ground hamburger was by far the worst. He first thought that he was seeing one of the more ruthless of his kind, but then recalled the look of absolute horror on what little of boy's face he could see and how he pleaded for the cop to run.
The boy couldn't control his power, likely meaning he was a Scrapped Number. How he got out was a complete mystery since MBI kept the Scrapped Numbers under very tight security. Still, he had been stunned enough by the sight for the boy to get away into the crowds before Homura could try to get some kind of identity on him.
Looking away from the ground paste of the former officer, Homura reached for his cell phone to call up Takami to see if there was any way they could cover up this incident. As much as he hated the Sekirei Plan, he could appreciate how it managed to keep its secrets.
The sun had set and Eiyūō had taken shelter inside one of the parks that Shin-Tokyo sported. It took some doing, but he managed to spot a department store that was unloading stock. While the workers were off having lunch, Eiyūō stole a red sweater, denim jacket, and black jeans. He ditched his old outfit in a wastebasket and headed off, trying not to look suspicious. He didn't attract police attention, but some of the local girls giggled as they walked by him. Without his hood or scarf, Eiyūō was revealed to have fair features which once he matured enough, might earn him the title of bishounen if he managed to take better care of himself. His hair, though a bit greasy from lack of washing seemed to naturally look good despite it's condition. No one would suspect that he was homeless unless they looked at his dirty hands.
With night approaching, Eiyūō decided to tough out the night in the park and see what he could do to find a place to sleep for the night. Finding a small grove of trees seemed good enough for the time being. As he moved to remove his jacket, a slow mist began to creep into the park.
"Perfect," Eiyūō groaned, eyeing the mist distastefully. "So much for keeping warm tonight."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that."
"We have the perfect solution for you."
"Mikogami-sama will be happy to give you a warm room in return for your loyalty."
Eiyūō blinked and turned towards the source of the three female voices. Out of mist came three very shapely females who for some reason seemed to feel…different to Eiyūō's eyes. Of course, he wouldn't deny that the three of them were very pretty and very…developed.
The first was a blonde woman who had her hair split into two ponytails. She was wearing white gloves and a one piece dress which clung to her figure tightly. It was black on the sides with a yellow stripe down the middle which matched her black boots which went up to her thighs. The girl next to her was dressed in the exact same way and looked like her in down to the hairstyle, making Eiyūō believe that the pair were twins.
The woman behind them seemed to be a bit more mature in terms of figure. She was dressed in a white jacket which was opened on the front and left a lot of her cleavage exposed along with down to her stomach. She thankfully wore a white skirt with black straps around her hips. Her hair was a striking shade of gray which ran down past her hips and her face was pretty, if not a little intense.
"Uh…" Eiyūō blinked, stunned slightly by the trio's looks. Beautiful women never wanted to talk to a homeless vagrant after all so it had been a while since he had true female contact. "Wh-who are you three."
"Number 65: Taki," the gray-haired woman introduced.
"Number 38: Mitsuha," said the twin on the right.
"Number 39: Mitsuki," the twin on the left smiled. "Care to tell us who you are?"
"Um…" Eiyūō blinked, speaking out of reflex on account of his manners. "Eiyūō Kamiya."
"A last name?" snickered Mitsuha. "That's cute! Okay, so what's your number?"
"Number?" the blonde boy blinked. Were they trying to hit on him? "I…don't have a cell phone."
This seemed to get Mitsuki mad, "No you dolt! Your Sekirei Number! What is it?"
Eiyūō blinked in further confusion. What the hell were these people talking about now? "Sekirei? As in a wagtail? Do I look like a kind of bird to you?"
"I think we have a stubborn one," Taki commented. "Oh dear."
"I like the stubborn ones!" Mitsuha laughed. Suddenly lashing out with her hand, a black whip launched out and quickly ended up wrapped around Eiyūō tighter than anything else he had felt in his life. "Ha! Got him!"
"Hey!" Eiyūō cried, tugging against the whip bindings, but feeling like he was wrapped in cast iron. "Let me go!"
"Kind of hard to believe this guy killed a cop," Mitsuki shrugged. "Oh well, another Sekirei is another Sekirei," she looked at Eiyūō with a smug smirk. "Don't worry, one kiss and it'll all be over. Mikogami-sama will get us to the end."
Eiyūō continued to struggle against his bindings as the twins laughed while the gray-haired woman watched on in resignation. The blonde boy struggled and pulled, but the whip was wrapped tight and Mitsuki's strength didn't let him get any kind of leeway. Just what the hell were they talking about? One kiss? End of what? Were they talking about some kind of forced slave ring or something?
"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" Eiyūō struggled against the bonds. He pulled and tugged some more, but the twins' smirks only said they found it amusing rather than any kind of challenge. Feeling his anger boiling, Eiyūō reached his peak in patience, "I SAID LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!"
*WHOOM*
The golden light of his power erupted again from just behind him and the points of all of his weapons emerged from wherever it was that they came from. Swords, spears, axes, the works all pointed down at the trio of strange women who could not possibly be regular humans.
"Ah!" Taki gasped.
"What the-?-!" Mitsuki cried.
"Holy shit!" Mitsuha gaped.
The trio didn't have time to recover before the weapons began shooting at them at high speeds. The twins reacted instantly to the threat. Mitsuha yanked back her whip and began lashing out wildly, knocking the weapons out of the air. Mitsuki uncoiled lengths of string from somewhere and coiled them together into ropes to help her sister. Each weapon they struck flew wildly through the air, crashing into the ground or getting stuck in a tree somewhere. Eiyūō was finding himself too angry to care, his mind addled by sleep deprivation and lack of food only weakened his reasoning. All he wanted to do was make the trio GO AWAY!
*SLINK!*
"Ow!" Mitsuha grimaced as a sword slipped past her guard and nicked her shoulder.
*SLINK*
"Ack!" Mitsuki growled as a spear cut her hip, slicing through her dress.
Taki remained behind the girls, looking quite afraid and nowhere near as confident. She was a support-type, not an outright combatant! They were told that this Sekirei had a kind of storage pocket of some kind, but nothing like this! They knew he was violent which was why Mitsuki and Mitsuha were chosen to find him, but this was too much! Where had he gotten all these weapons from?-!
Mitsuki and Mitsuha were good, but it was obvious that their bodies were getting tired. Nicks and scratches from the blades which missed them were becoming more and more frequent as they missed more and more blades. Sooner or later, they were going to miss and get sliced to ribbons! They had to pull out!
From above Eiyūō, another dagger appeared ready to be launched at the three women who had become a threat to him. This one was of course ornate and held some kind of presence like the others. It had a short handled and an odd blade which was purple in a zig-zag patter before ending at the tip. The handle was wrapped in leather but the hilt was brown with gold decoration. Among all of the weapons fired thus far, this dagger was unique in a way Eiyūō had no comprehension of.
Rule Breaker, the blade in which All Spells Must Be Broken.
Coming to position, it was immediately launched at the trio of women, aimed to kill them if it could. Like the other blades, it cut through the air at the targets. Despite how unique it was, Mitsuki and Mitsuha didn't really take the time to admire it with so many other blades they had to block. It missed Mitsuha's whip and continued flying before managing to avoid Mitsuki's coiled strings. Both obstacles avoided, it continued flying and came right between the twins who were so busy trying to protect themselves from the onslaught of blades. They hadn't even noticed it go by since it didn't cut them like the others. Unfortunately, Taki did see the blade coming and her eyes widened in fear at the dagger which was coming. She tried to move, tried to scream but it did her no avail. Rule Breaker zoomed in at her and struck her dead centre between her collarbone and breasts.
The effect was instant as she unleashed a scream which echoed through the night. It was enough to snap Eiyūō out of his rage and make his ability stop shooting the blades. Mitsuki and Mitsuha both stopped and turned to see what was happening to their comrade. From Taki's back, a weird symbol which looked like a bird with its wing raised up with a tao symbol beneath it with magatama markings on either side rose from between her shoulder blades. The marking shone brightly with wings of what looked like fog or mist unfurling from it. However, the marking then flickered before going out completely and the wings faded into nothingness. The light show gone, Rule Breaker fell from where it struck Taki, leaving only a small scratch before the woman herself fell to the ground as if her strings were cut.
Mitsuki and Mitsuha turned back to gape at Eiyūō with the golden light still behind him along with even more blades pointed in their direction. His eyes were wide, his face pale, and he was breathing so fast it looked like he was about to have a panic attack. Still, the twins' eyes were more on the weapons rather than the person holding them.
In a silent mutual decision, both girls leaped away and vanished into the fading mist, leaving their comrade to rot on the ground.
"Oh god…" Eiyūō gasped. Again! Again! Again! Again! It happened again! The swords vanished back to where they belonged like always as the burning in his body likewise disappeared, taking the gold light with it.
"Please be okay! Please be okay! Please be okay!" the boy begged as he dashed to the downed woman's side. Yes, they were bitches and wanted to kidnap him but he didn't want to kill them! Kneeling at the woman's side, he lifted her up slightly to examine her. The only mark on her was the slight puncture wound the twisted dagger had left her, but obviously it had done more than that! Eiyūō shook her, but she wouldn't wake. So he set her down and pressed his ear to her chest, ignoring her large breasts as he tried to listen.
…badump…badump…badump..
A heartbeat. A strong one.
Eiyūō choked back a grateful sob. He hadn't killed someone! For the first time his curse hadn't ended someone's life when it activated! Shifting back from Taki, he admired how she was completely safe from his curse with only a small cut to show for it. Clutching his face, he sobbed in happiness, so desperately relieved that he managed to avoid killing someone for once. Thoughts about the vanishing mark or the wings of mist didn't factor into his mind as he simply enjoyed the sensation of finally having his curse fail to kill someone.
As Eiyūō sobbed over the good fortune, seeing it as a small beacon of hope for his future, Taki slowly returned to consciousness. Groaning softly, she rubbed her head to nurse a somewhat bad headache. She remembered the other Sekirei and those terrifying flying weapons of his. She touched her chest and felt the light puncture wound which had already scabbed over. It wasn't very deep, but would sting for a while. Still, that was only secondary in her mind at the moment. What was first and foremost to her was the fact that her bond to Mikogami had been severed. She couldn't feel the spoiled and rather dark boy anymore.
"What…happened to me?" she whispered to herself. Reaching to between her shoulder blades underneath her clothes, she didn't find the telltale ridges which would say she had been winged. If her crest was gone, she should have been rendered inactive and brought back to the labs at MBI. How was she still functional?
Looking to the side, she spotted the Sekirei she and the twins were supposed to capture for their Ashikabi. He was crying quite audibly and seemed completely unaware of his surroundings. Mikogami's agents, paid spies who were keeping an eye out for any Sekirei which looked unwinged did mention this. He seemed somewhat out of control with his abilities and possibly only needed to be winged to fix them. However, no one suspected that they were this out of control. Perhaps it was the reason he hadn't been winged yet?
For a moment, she sat and watched him cry before her gentler instincts, ones that she had to put on hold for the sake of staying out of trouble with Mikogami came up once again. Getting onto her knees, she shuffled towards him to see if he would allow her to comfort him. She had no loyalty to Mikogami anymore and since she hadn't been shut down maybe she could find…her…Ashikabi…?
What was that nice smell?
Shuffling closer to the crying boy and feeling a little flushed all of a sudden, she reached out and touched his shoulder. He jerked up immediately, looking at her with tears running down his face. He stiffened at the sight of her, looking like he was torn between wanting to run from her or to see if she was okay.
"Are you…okay?" she asked. Was it getting warm all of a sudden?
Eiyūō choked back a sob again before he lunged at the woman, his mind a whirlwind of emotion and pain before wrapping his arms around her continuing to cry, "I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you! I just wanted to make you go away!" Normally it wouldn't be seen as intelligent by any means to hug a woman who tried to kidnap you, but Eiyūō was in anything but a proper state of mind at the moment and his relief in seeing someone he could have killed alive and well just made him want to hug her and be assured that she was real and not a ghost out to haunt him.
"EEP!" Taki gasped, her internal temperature spiking as she felt the close proximity to the boy make her world turn rosy. Her face lit up like a light and her breathing came out in short gasps. The boy continued to sob into her shoulder, apologizing profusely for almost killing her, begging her to forgive him. He was obviously distraught and his mental processes likely weren't firing on all cylinders if he was hugging a woman who had come to kidnap him.
'So warm…' she dazedly thought to herself. All those swords…no one would be able to touch this boy if he managed to master that skill. She could picture a ring of protective steel around him…keeping him safe…with her at his side…both of them would be safe…and together…
WAIT!
Taki's eyes snapped open as her clouded mind came to a conclusion. She knew this feeling! It had been taught to her since she was little! But…how could this be happening to her when she was with this boy? He was a Sekirei too…right?
Eiyūō pulled back from the stunned Taki and wiped his eyes. He looked so alone and miserable the Sekirei of the Mist wanted to cry as well. Her logical mind tried to work through what was going on, telling her that she had to be looking at another Sekirei since there was no way humans had such an ability to launch weapons out of a pocket dimension. On the other hand, her Sekirei instincts were yelling at her to do something about his tears. He was in PAIN! He was HURTING! He needed COMFORT! She was the one who could HELP! KISS HIM! HUG HIM! HOLD HIM! TAKE HIS PAIN AWAY! LOVE HIM!
Needless to say, biology won out.
Taki scrambled closer and wrapped her arms around Eiyūō, pulling him close to her body so that there was practically an airtight seal made between their bodily contact. Secured in her arms, she moved her head slightly and captured his lips in a heated kiss. From her back, the bird marking reappeared in a flourish of white as wings made of mist stretched out from the center; giving Taki a somewhat angelic look, not that Eiyūō was in any state of mind to appreciate it. For Taki a rush of pleasure ran through her body which made the winging feel so incredibly special rather than a cold mockery like when Mutsu managed to pin her down for Mikogami.
Eventually the light died down and Taki pulled back with a satisfied sigh and smile. Beaming at the stunned Eiyūō, she whispered to him, "And now we are united, forever and ever."
Eiyūō couldn't find it in himself to speak.
Mikogami Estate
Mitsuki and Mitsuha reported back to their home where their Ashikabi lived and quickly told him what had happened. They were inside one of the living rooms and were sitting across from a fifteen-year old boy with brown hair and average build wearing a white formal outfit. Next to him was an older male who was dressed in black with a yellow scarf around his neck. He had narrow eyes of someone who was constantly strategizing andhad brown hair which was so pale it could have been mistaken for gray. The boy was Hayato Mikogami A.K.A. the Ashikabi of the South while beside him was Number 05: Mutsu.
"Wow, so we lost Taki," Mikogami blinked, listening to his two Sekirei's report. However, rather than someone who lost what could be counted as a life partner, Mikogami merely acted as if he had lost a preferred plaything which in honesty could be replaced. "That sucks."
Mutsu frowned as he heard about this new Sekirei's abilities. Mikogami's contacts through the city reported the incident to him since the boy couldn't be bothered with such things. He had thought that he was inexperienced with his powers he'd be an easy catch, but instead it seemed his powers activated with his emotions and now it had cost them Taki who was an invaluable support-type with her ability to control fog. It would make keeping activities secret more difficult.
"Did you get this Sekirei's name?" asked Mutsu.
"Called himself Eiyūō Kamiya," Mitsuki replied. "The stuck-up jerk wouldn't even give us his number."
"Said he didn't have a phone," Mitsuha grumbled. "As if we would fall for a lie like that."
"So he's likely a Scrapped Number," Mutsu nodded.
"Like Akitsu?" wondered Mikogami, reaching into his pocket for some bubblegum.
"Yes. He likely broke out of the labs like she did," Mutsu nodded. "However, it seems he cannot control his abilities as well as she can but well enough that they can activate when he needs them. He just has difficulty turning them off."
"Didn't have any trouble with that when he fought us," Mitsuha mumbled, rubbing one of the scratches she suffered. "More like he had trouble keeping it on. When he took down Taki he got distracted and the attack stopped."
"So control issues in both ways then," Mutsu nodded. "Still, with as powerful as he is then if we want a chance we'll have to use Akitsu. Fighting a Scrapped Number with a Scrapped Number is the only chance we'll have of collecting this Sekirei."
"Cool," Mikogami grinned, popping his gum into his mouth. "I can't wait! Those other Ashikabi won't know what hit them once I break out this guy!"
MBI Headquarters
One of the lab technicians who was on duty sipped his coffee as he looked at the lists of the Sekirei, checking to see who was winged, unwinged, or out of commission that night. Reading through the 60's, he spotted Number 65 suddenly shift from 'winged' to 'unwinged' in a single blink. Confused, he brought up her profile to see what the problem might be. A Sekirei didn't become unwinged after they were winged, but deactivated. Reading through Taki's profile, he frowned as the data of her Ashikabi Hayato Mikogami was erased. Before he could pull up the data streams to try and figure out what the problem was, Number 65's profile made a chiming noise, alerting him to her change of status.
Number: 65
Name: Taki
Type: Support/Elemental
Specialty: Mist
Ashikabi: Eiyūō Kamiya
What followed was all of the data needed to contact Eiyūō Kamiya like with all of the other Ashikabi. However, there was a notice saying that according to the police, Eiyuo Kamiya was a missing person. The technician frowned as he read down the information. The CEO was going to have to know about this so they could be told how to proceed.
Shin-Tokyo Park
"Uh…wha…" Eiyūō gaped as he stared at the gray-haired woman who had quite brazenly hugged him close to her body and kissed him. It more or less fried his brain at the point of contact and now he was struggling to put the pieces back together.
"I'm sorry about all of the distress I helped cause you before," Taki apologized, shuffling back slightly while taking hold of the blonde's hands. "However, I was under orders from my previous Ashikabi to claim you since we thought you were a Sekirei like us. Now I know for sure that you are not. Another Sekirei wouldn't have made me react like I did."
"I…uh…" Eiyūō continued to fumble with his words. Taki giggled at his cute confusion. Granted, everything that happened must have come as quite a shock. She would need to get him someplace comfortable where they could give him some time and a little bit of space so he could come to terms with what happened before she explained herself.
Standing up, she gently tugged Eiyūō who was still looking at her in desperate relief and more than a little confusion. Smiling gently, Taki merely said, "I will explain everything later," before leading him by the hand towards the direction of where the nice hotels and such places were located. Luckily she always carried her MBI card on her in case she needed to buy extra clothes or something after a tough fight in which they got shredded by an opponent. Since reports from Mikogami's contacts said he was dressed dirty and grungy, it meant he was likely homeless. That meant it would be up to her to find a place to stay. She didn't mind. For her true Ashikabi, the one who rescued her from Mikogami, a nice place to stay was the least that she could give him.
The pair walked through the streets, Eiyūō being so emotionally drained and confused he simply decided to go with the flow of events and see what would happen. Taki smiling reassuringly at him every few minutes to let him know that everything was okay and that nothing bad was going to happen helped keep him calm. The pair entered he lobby of a very nice hotel which Taki felt would be a very welcome change for her Ashikabi before making the arrangements for a honeymoon suite. The clerk quite blatantly ogled her before he glanced at Eiyūō enviously as if he were the luckiest bum on the planet before he handed over the keys to the room. Smiling her thanks, she took Eiyūō's hand and walked him to the elevator. Stepping inside, they began their ascent to the top floor.
"Why are you doing this?" the blonde boy asked weakly, the curiosity finally becoming too much for him. "I could have killed you back there. I almost did too. I'm amazed you only got off with a scratch. Everyone else this curse of mine activated against ended up being chopped meat."
"Well, I can't say I didn't deserve it since me and the twins were trying to kidnap you," Taki sighed sadly. "As for why I'm doing this? Simple. You're my Ashikabi now. My true Ashikabi," she smiled gently at him. "You freed me from my previous false master and allowed me to bond with you just as a proper Sekirei should. It's my duty and pleasure to ensure your happiness and this is the first step I know to take."
Eiyūō blinked at his former attempted kidnapper turned caregiver. Did he do something to her when she kissed him and that light show appeared or was it when that one dagger managed to strike her in the chest? There was no way that she could have normally wanted to be so helpful to a guy who could have turned her into hamburger like he had done so many people before.
"I know you're confused right now," Taki nodded. "But I will explain everything once we're at our room."
"…right."
Silence ruled the elevator once again.
Rooftop — Shin-Tokyo
Homura stood on top of one of the many rooftops within the city. Since the demonstration he got from that Scrapped Number, he had been looking for any sign of him that may pop up. Considering his abilities, he had to be stopped lest he accidently kill someone again. During his search, his cell phone had gone off and he quickly answered it hoping it was from Takami.
"Wait, you mean there isn't a Sekirei that can make swords?" the fire user blinked in shock.
"That's what I said," the voice of Takami Sahashi, the head geneticist of MBI and his source for all of the Sekirei who had been released replied. "There is no record of a male Sekirei who has the ability to shoot swords out of a glowing wall. Are you sure you saw what you said you saw?"
"Dead sure," Homura nodded. "I reported the incident to you. Haven't you guys found the body of that police officer?"
"…yes," the woman's voice replied, sounding a bit weaker. "I'll admit something turned him into hamburger but it definitely wasn't one of the Sekirei. Whatever this guy is, he isn't one of ours."
"Tsk!" Homura hissed. This was not good. Just what the heck was this guy? "So there's nothing odd going on with the department?"
"Well, one of the overseers of the Sekirei came to the top brass with something odd," the geneticist replied, a frown in her voice. "A while ago Number 65: Taki had suddenly become unwinged. She didn't shut down, but all of the data about her Ashikabi was erased. A minute later, she became winged again with a different Ashikabi."
"What? Re-winged?" Homura blinked. "That's impossible!"
"So is the ability of hurtling numerous amounts of weapons out of a wall of light for non-Sekirei yet you say you saw it," Takami retorted. A flicking sound came from her end of the line, indicating that she was lighting up a cigarette. "The guy's name is Eiyūō Kamiya. His data records him as a missing person so he has no fixed address. He might be that homeless kid you saw."
Homura nodded, easily seeing the connection Takami was talking about, "Maybe. Do you know where he is?"
"Taki's MBI card was used a few minutes ago to purchase a honeymoon suite at a classy hotel," Takami answered. "I'll text you the address. Chances are the two of them are there. If he is this sword kid, then there's something going on we don't know about. It might very well change things considering he can re-wing Sekirei."
"Right," Homura nodded. "Don't let that lunatic find out though. You know how dedicated he is to his sick little game."
"Don't I know it," Takami groaned, giving off a long-suffering sigh. "Likely he'll consider doing something about it for a day or so but if this kid keeps off the radar he'll likely get bored and go on about something else. He always does."
"Just try to help me keep this quiet then," Homura nodded. "Thanks for the info."
"I'll text you the rest," Takami answered. "Take care."
"I will," Homura nodded. Taking his phone away from his ear, he ended the call and began waiting for the address of the hotel where he could find his answers.
Hotel
Taki and Eiyūō entered the hotel room and the female Sekirei found it to be quite appropriate for their needs. It was a massive room which had a lot of tasteful decoration and even a kitchen nearby. Of course, being a honeymoon suite there was only one bed which was meant for two. Of course Taki planned it that way. The bathroom was likewise elaborate from what bits of it she could see from just stepping into the room and that was certainly a nice touch. So far, the room looked like it would have everything she would need to help calm and comfort her true Ashikabi.
Eiyūō could only gape at the incredibly fancy and no doubt expensive room which Taki had gotten for the two of them. He had never been inside such a fancy hotel before and for the past year even normal hotels were beyond him. Being inside likely one of the more expensive hotels in all of Shin-Tokyo was like something out of a pipe dream.
"This will do nicely," Taki smiled as she gently brought Eiyūō into the room, letting the door shut behind them. Bringing him to the sofas, she gestured him to sit. He did, and she immediately sat next to him, but still able to face him. "Now, I'm sure that you have many questions about what happened tonight. I will explain what I know as best as I can."
"Okay…" Eiyūō nodded. "So…why did you and those two others try to kidnap me? Why are you being so…loving now?"
"Well, the reason we tried to capture you is because we thought you were a Sekirei like us," Taki explained, looking a little ashamed of her actions. "We were told of what happened with that police officer incident and figured you were a Sekirei. My old Ashikabi wanted you on his side and sent us to capture you so he could wing you."
"You guys called me a Sekirei before," Eiyūō commented. "I know it means wagtail, but what does it mean for you?"
"Well, a Sekirei is one of the 108 beings who have been released into Shin-Tokyo by MBI for the sake of the Sekirei Plan," Taki explained. "Each of us hold a special ability that makes us unique from all of the others. For example," she gestured to herself. "I am able to control mist. I was using it to hide our presence from any onlookers while Mitsuki and Mitsuha were to capture you."
"So, you're some kind of meta-humans who are participating in some kind of plan set up by MBI?" Eiyūō frowned. "Why?"
"We don't really have a choice," Taki sighed. "MBI found our ship and saved us all. It was the CEO who developed the Sekirei Plan for the purpose of what he calls 'ascension' although what that means is anyone's guess."
"And that Ashikabi bit?" Eiyūō pressed.
"An Ashikabi is the destined partner of each Sekirei," Taki explained, her smile widening. "You see, each Sekirei seeks out their destined partner to unlock their full abilities as well as bond with a certain human before they can take part in the Sekirei Plan."
"So you had an…Ashikabi before me?" asked the blonde boy.
"I did…but he wasn't my true Ashikabi," Taki explained. "Some people try forcing Sekirei to bond with them and in my case it happened. Fortunately, whatever you did to me severed that bond and allowed me to react to you as my true Ashikabi!" the gray-haired woman finished with a bright smile that made Eiyūō flush under its light.
"So it means I'm your new partner for the Sekirei Plan?" asked Eiyūō.
"Yes. My partner, my confidant, my mate," Taki flushed slightly. "My husband."
Eiyūō's eyes bulged at the confession. She wanted to be his wife? Okay, that was something he was not expecting? She wanted to be around him, couldn't she tell that he was dangerous?-! Beginning to breathe hard, feeling panic and fear for this beautiful girl setting in, Eiyūō stood up and stepped back. Taki looked on in concern as she saw the panic setting over her Ashikabi's face.
"Eiyūō-sama?" she asked in concern.
"No. No, no, no, no, no," he repeated over an over. "No, you don't want me as an Ashikabi. I'm the absolute worst choice for a partner. I'm too dangerous."
Taki felt a sting at her heart. Was he rejecting her? He wouldn't! She needed him and she could tell that he needed her too! "But Eiyūō-sama!"
"Look at me!" the blonde boy cried, gesturing to himself. "I'm a homeless bum! I'm worthless! I'm just some kid off the street. I'm the last guy who should be picked for something like this!"
"You are not worthless!" Taki insisted, standing up with a huff. "You're just in a bad situation! I will do everything I can to help you in your time of need! I can take care of all your needs while you get back onto your feet and into a proper home," she stepped closer, looking imploringly at Eiyūō. "That's what I'm here for now. You don't have to struggle alone anymore."
Her words were like a siren's call to Eiyūō who had been alone for a very long time now. Someone who wanted to ease his pain was such a grand temptation. The fact that it came from a beautiful woman like Taki just made it all the more irresistible. Eiyūō hated to be alone, being on the outside looking in on all of the people around him who were carefree and didn't have to worry about killing people who so much as pointed a pocket knife in his direction. But he had to keep people away because he didn't know how his curse kept activating, kept going off. Someone could only pretend to try and scare him before setting it off and getting skewered like a stuck pig.
"I'm too dangerous," Eiyūō argued weakly. "You saw what I did. I can't control it! I don't know why it keeps going off except when someone goes after me! All it takes is one bad look and sets off my…my…curse and people get turned to hamburger! You're not safe around me!"
"I think I am," Taki retorted, walking closer to Eiyūō without pause or fear. "I don't think I could be anywhere safer." She reached the blonde boy and captured him in the warmest, tightest hug she could muster. "I will never hurt you, never make you sad, never make you feel lonely. I just know you'd never be able to hurt me now that we're together."
Eiyūō's eyes were wide and his pupils dilated. Stress, emotional trauma, lack of sleep, nightmares, lack of food, and now a beacon of hope before him was just making it all too much to bear. Once again, he began to cry and clutch onto his Sekirei and self-proclaimed wife.
"Everything will be better now," Taki smiled, hugging her new love close. Eiyūō's cries ran down as he managed to get his fragile control back. Taki released him and stepped back with a smile still on her face, "Now please do not be offended Eiyūō-sama, but you need a bath. You're a little stinky." The blonde boy snorted, agreeing with his Sekirei. He knew some of the downsides of living like he did.
"I…guess I do need one," Eiyūō laughed. "It would feel nice to have one again."
"Good," Taki nodded. "I'll order room service. I'm sure we could both use something to eat. You seem to need it since you look so skinny. Leave everything to me."
Izumo House
Within the confines of her hidden room, Number 02: Matsu was hard at work on her computers. She was a curvy specimen who wore a Chinese dress that was coloured pink with detached sleeves and an opening to show off her cleavage. Her hair was an auburn red tied in two brains with some left over. Her glasses reflected the images on the computer screens, showing numerous images of data and reports. Matsu was a brain-type Sekirei, meaning she had no aptitude for battle and was instead best at gathering information. She was currently unwinged, but that would likely change for her soon since Minato Sahashi had begun living at Izumo House. Of course, Matsu wasn't one to just jump into things so she was busy researching Minato to see what kind of person he was. Of course, it wasn't the only thing she was up to. She was also doing research favours for Homura to keep an eye out for certain Sekirei who might be in trouble.
"Let's see," Matsu mumbled to herself as she typed in data. "Number 65: Taki. Where are you?" Hitting the enter key, she brought up the profile of the Sekirei of the Mist. Reading it over, she blinked in confusion, "Huh? Ashikabi is Eiyūō Kamiya? Wasn't she winged to that Mikogami guy before?"
She quickly began typing up commands to see just who this new player was. His profile came up and she quickly began reading it over. He came from Fuyuki city, graduated from high school, decent grades, no kind of police record even for delinquency. All in all, he seemed like a decent fellow. What was weird though was that for the past year, he had been considered a missing person. Where had he gone? Why did he pop up now in Shin-Tokyo just as the Sekirei Plan was in its first stage?
"Fuhuhuhu!" Matsu giggled to herself. "I smell a mystery!"
Honeymoon Suite
Eiyūō towelled out his hair, finally clean after so long and looking more like gold than dishwater blonde once again. The bath had done wonders for him and he finally felt relaxed and able to think straight. The day had been a mix of highs and lows before coming down. He'd killed someone, almost killed someone, apparently met a supernatural being called a Sekirei, got himself mated to her, and now he was lucky enough to be in an expensive hotel room with an actual meal waiting for him. He could have called himself lucky since he was getting a room and a meal from a beautiful girl like Taki. Although all of her talk about a Sekirei Plan needed some explaining still. Hopefully Taki would be willing to talk a bit more about it.
Pulling his clothes on, he walked back out into the suite. He immediately noticed three trolleys laid out with a wide variety of food. Sitting on the bed was Taki who was talking to someone on the phone.
"Yes Professor, I'm fine," she reassured the person on thee other end. "No, he has been very nice to me so far. No, he doesn't know what it is he did, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. Oh yes! I think he's my true Ashikabi! I have no doubts! Oh thank-you Professor!" glancing up with a smile, she spotted Eiyūō. "Oh, here he is Professor! Should I put you on? Okay!" Taki lifted the receiver from the phone and held it out for Eiyūō. "It's for you."
Now very confused, Eiyūō trekked across the room and took the phone from his Sekirei's hand. Lifting it to his ear, he gave a hesitant, "Hello?"
"BUM BA BUM BUM BA BUUUUUUUUUUM!" the voice of a man cheered out, trying to imitate a dramatic drum roll. However, the phone wasn't the only place in which the voice was coming from. The TV had suddenly turned on in front of the sofas to reveal a man in a lab outfit with a large cape, rectangular glasses, and shock white hair.
"Congratulations young man!" the strange man grinned widely. "Your ingenuity and abilities have allowed you to become part of the Sekirei Plan and receive a chance to ascend!"
"Uh…" Eiyūō blinked. This was odd, and considering his curse it was able to hurl swords out of some kind of pocket dimension that was saying something.
"Indeed when we found that Number 65: Taki has been suddenly re-winged we were quite understandable shocked," the man continued, folding his arms imperiously. "We feared that perhaps an enemy agent had managed to sever her bond and force her to side against us! Now though it seems we can rest easy for the most part."
Eiyūō looked to the phone and hung it up. Walking to the television set, he sat down in front of it. The weirdo's gaze followed him, indicating that he was somehow able to see him moving about through the screen. Was there a camera somewhere? Still, this was likely his chance to likely get some answers.
"So…uh…is there anything I should know about this Sekirei Plan then?" the blonde boy asked.
"Ah, I cannot tell you much. That is up to Taki since I cannot show such favouritism!" the man grinned. "However, I can tell you one thing. It is up to the Sekirei and their Ashikabi to fight, and fight, and fight for the right to ascend until there is only one left!"
"So it's a tournament then," Eiyūō nodded.
"Yes! One which must be held in the strictest of secrecy!" the white-haired man nodded. "You must not tell anyone about its existence or of the Sekirei lest you force us at MBI to bring down all of our resources in silencing you."
'I'd like to see you try with what I have stashed away,' Eiyūō's darker side bragged silently. Ignoring it, he decided to ask something else which came to mind when he realized that the Sekirei Plan was a tournament. "Am I going to be in trouble for taking Taki away from whoever her other Ashikabi was?"
"Bah! Of course not!" the man laughed. "You are a living wild card anomaly! I just love those! They make the game more interesting for all of the other players! So long as you keep that ability to yourself, I see no reason why you cannot continue! Besides, Number 65 seems much happier with you than Hayato Mikogami anyway!"
Eiyūō felt some relief at that. He didn't want to have to fight off people like MBI who were rumoured to be so powerful that they even managed to employ their own private army to fight off the number of corporate spies and terrorist assaults on their branches all over Japan. If they could control meta-humans like the Sekirei then did he really stand a chance.
"And now I will leave the further details to your Taki," the man smirked, striking a pose. "I wish you luck and remind you treasure the bond between you and your Sekirei for it will your key to victory!" With a strange dramatic laugh, the man vanished from the television leaving it blank once again.
Eiyūō blinked at where the strange man had beeen and wondered why he wasn't in some kind of special home. Movement on the cushions alerted him to Taki sitting down next to him. Glancing to her, he saw her smile gently as if trying to reassure him.
"So…care to explain the Sekirei Plan?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course," the mist-user smiled.
Shin-Tokyo (Host Club)
Number 03: Kazehana was a girl who liked to party. Having one of the most voluptuous bodies out of all of the Sekirei helped her get into just about any celebration out there. She was wearing a purple dress with an incredibly short skirt with a neckline running down to her naval with only criss-crossing strips of fabric keeping her decency intact. Her long obsidian hair looked silky to the touch and made for a pretty face like hers. Despite having the appearance of a lush party girl, she was a former member of MBI's Disciplinary Squad and responsible for protecting the Sekirei ship from the numerous soldiers who attempted to take it for its secrets. She was skilled, intelligent, and canny but in the end she was just a girl who wanted to have fun. So she partied and she partied hard. Of course, she was also a world class flirt and would often go to host clubs to have men lavish attention on her and see if she could unnerve them.
So far she was batting 100 in that regard.
But that wasn't tonight.
At the moment she was enjoying sips of mild sake as she sat across from one of her fellow Sekirei, Homura. The flame user would work as a host in his spare time to support himself between patrols to protect his fellow Sekirei. She'd stop by and say hello, share some drinks, and offer some of the rumours she had heard about her fellow Sekirei from her misadventures in bars. At the moment, she was hearing about something new.
"A boy that can create swords?" she blinked, looking at Homura with a raised eyebrow. They were seated at a comfortable sofa with the busty woman leaning against the white-haired man dressed in a casual suit and clothes like a man who was born to charm women. Taking their roles seriously Kazehana might do, but she couldn't resist trying to unnerve her fellow Sekirei at the same time. Unfortunately, his news put a hold on those thoughts.
"Are you sure he's not a Scrapped Number?" she asked.
"I thought he was until I called Ta…that woman," Homura replied, recalling Kazehana's dislike for Takami. The woman did manage to beat Kazehana of all people to the man she loved. "She said that all of the Sekirei are accounted for and that he's not one of them. What makes it weirder though is that he managed to unwing Number 65 from her Ashikabi and wing her to himself."
THAT got Kazehana's attention, "He did? But…isn't that impossible?"
"Thought it was, but apparently not," Homura frowned. "I'd go look for him, but there's something else that needs my attention."
"What?"
"Number 108 is in the middle of the botanical gardens," Homura reported. "She was out on a daytrip when she got attacked and she made them grow out of control to protect herself from that Ashikabi who tried to take her."
"Wait…Kusano? That little sweetie?" Kazehana gasped. "She's all alone in there?"
"Yes," Homura nodded. "She's safe at the moment but I've spotted an Ashikabi or two sniffing around trying to see if there was an unwinged Sekirei around. I've been keeping them at bay until MBI could recover her, but so far nothing's been done. It's been making me uneasy."
"I see," Kazehana nodded, her eyes narrowing. "You feel that your first responsibility is to her and you're asking me to keep an eye out for this sword boy?"
"Yes," Homura nodded. "I know you don't want to take part in the Sekirei Plan. I figured since his ability doesn't apply to it…"
"I get it," the voluptuous woman nodded. "I don't see the harm. So tell me what this handsome lug looks like and I'll keep my eyes peeled for him."
"Appreciate it," the fire-user nodded before he pulled out his cell phone and began cycling for the image Takami had sent him earlier.
Hopefully they'd be able to solve this mystery before someone got hurt.
Honeymoon Suite
Eiyūō blinked as he digested everything Taki told him about the Sekirei Plan and even the full story about what a Sekirei was. Apparently two decades ago the CEO of MBI, Hiroto Minaka had discovered the Sekirei ship with one Sekirei onboard and 107 fertilized eggs of the remaining Sekirei. He used the technology he managed to gleam from the ship to begin MBI and revolutionize the fields he applied the technology to. Why he started the Sekirei Plan Taki wasn't too sure. What she did know was that it was currently in phase one in which the Sekirei were gradually released into the city to find their Ashikabi.
Battles with the Sekirei had a strict set of rules. Sekirei who fought were not allowed to attack the opposing Ashikabi, but Eiyūō had knew that in any game so long as the people in charge weren't watching there were those who would break the rules. To actually win a battle, the opposing Sekirei's crest had to be removed either by having their enemy touch it and recite what they called a 'Norito' or simply beat up the opponent to the point they couldn't function anymore.
This information sort of made Eiyūō understand why what he did to Taki was so confusing. The blade he hit her with managed to remove her crest but instead of shutting her down like it was supposed to, she simply reverted to her unwinged status and became available for another Ashikabi like him.
The Ashikabi and Sekirei pair was busy with their meals which were long overdue. Eiyūō had a tray to himself filled with a number of expensive foods which tasted like nirvana after his time living off scraps. Taki on the other hand was plowing through two trays of food and it didn't look like she was slowing down. Apparently Sekirei required more food than a human did. It certainly explained how she was able to stay so thin if she needed to eat so much.
"Your old Ashikabi probably won't be happy about this," he commented, hearing the information about Sekirei Crests. "Is he likely to come after me?"
"I doubt he even remembers my name now," Taki sighed. "Hayato Mikogami is called the Ashikabi of the South by the others. It's a title he earned by having so many winged Sekirei on his side. There are two others with multiple Sekirei who are in the east and west parts of the city while the north remains unclaimed."
"Sounds like a big shot then," Eiyūō commented. "That many Sekirei reacted to him?"
"No. Likely only Mutsu did," Taki huffed. "He forced the rest of to be winged by him. Likely the others did the same. One or two is normal, but seven including me? No, he forced us. Some of us adjusted better than others, but I for one didn't enjoy myself."
Eiyūō shuddered at the frosty tone in her voice. If winging was a big a deal as Taki said it was, then forcing it was something akin to rape, "So just who is this Mikogami guy anyway? Was he that bad?"
Taki sighed and chewed aggressively on a piece of fish before she made her reply, "He's a fifteen-year old spoiled brat. The Sekirei Plan is one big game to him and we are all just his toys. I really doubt he gets just how serious it can get. He's certainly showed it off enough times. Just recently he ordered one of his Sekirei to attack an MBI employee just so he could forcibly wing they were on a day trip with. It was at the botanical gardens and I was forced to run interference with my mist so no one saw."
Eiyūō frowned at the description he was hearing of the Mikogami brat. It seemed he had no sense of the real world or that actions had consequences. Everything that seemed to matter was simply what he wanted. The guy probably didn't even consider the fact that he could have killed someone.
"I seriously doubt he's going to go after you for unwinging me," Taki continued. "Of course, he's thrown tantrums at games he's begun losing or was put at a disadvantage with in the past if his video games were any indication. Once he finds out you stole me from him then there might be troubles."
"Great," Eiyūō grumbled.
"But don't worry!" Taki insisted, brightening up again. "With your sword ability I'm sure that he won't be able to even get close to you! I'll bet even a single digit like Mutsu wouldn't be able to get you!"
"That…doesn't fill me with confidence," Eiyūō sighed. "I hate this curse of mine. I can't control it."
"I'm sure you could with a little practice," Taki replied. "Many of us Sekirei had some troubles with our own powers at first but with some training and practice we managed to get the hang of them in the end. I know you can too!"
Eiyūō remained silent. It was nice to hope he could get a hold on this curse of his, but with no idea how it kept triggering beyond adrenaline, he decided to instead keep out of the ways of people and avoid risking their lives on a moment of surprise turning them into shish-ka-bobs. He'd always seen practicing with it as a surefire way to kill something or someone.
"Still, that's for later though," Taki continued. "Right now we should concentrate on getting you situated as a proper Ashikabi."
"And how do we do that?" asked Eiyūō.
"A shopping trip of course!" the mist user beamed. "Every Ashikabi at least has to have a cell phone so that they can be kept up to date on everything concerning the Sekirei Plan and changes to the game! Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't say no to a new wardrobe either!"
"And how are we going to pay for that?" the blonde boy replied, digging into his bowl of rice. "I have no money."
"But I do," Taki smiled. "Every Sekirei is given a special MBI card that has unlimited funds so we can buy anything we want!"
Eiyūō blinked, a little surprised at that turn of good fortune. Unlimited funds? Really? Well, considering how much Taki alone needed to eat feeding 108 Sekirei altogether would have been expensive and MBI must have decided to shoulder the burden of that since not everybody was able to buy everything like they could. Actually, it would make being partnered easier since they wouldn't have to worry about expenses all the time and would be able to concentrate on the Sekirei Plan and what to do about his curse.
"I dunno…" he mumbled, a little ashamed for even considering letting Taki buy him things when he really didn't do anything to deserve it. Hell, buy him things should be the absolute last thing she should be doing considering he almost got her killed.
"Oh don't worry about it," the mist-user insisted. "Consider it a necessary expense to becoming an Ashikabi."
"Well…" since she put it that way, he could justify it.
"Excellent," Taki beamed. "We can go shopping tomorrow!"
Justified or not, Eiyūō felt like he was in for a long do once the sun went up. Speaking of which… "Say, if there's only one bed where am I supposed to sleep?"
"With me of course!"
"…HUH?-!"
Higa Pharmaceutical
Standing inside of his office was the Ashikabi of the East, Izumi Higa. Heir of the Higa Pharmaceutical company, he found out about the Sekirei Plan by employing the best hackers in the world to try and steal some of the secrets which MBI had and instead stumbled onto an outline of the Sekirei and the plan. He naturally saw it as a means of toppling his family company rivals in MBI.
To that end, he had used his resources to track down all the Sekirei he could and forcibly wing them. If he couldn't wing them himself, he paid or blackmailed their Ashikabi into serving him. His cutthroat tactics allowed him to claim the east side of Shin-Tokyo for his territory in the Sekirei Plan.
To Higa, the Sekirei weren't human and this not worth his time beyond how their abilities could serve his cause. He didn't trust any of them and certainly had no qualms about pushing them to their breaking points for the sake of his goals. It was an unsurprising mindset for him since he didn't even treat his employees with an ounce of trust but human laws prevented him from pushing them in the ways he did his Sekirei.
At the moment, Higa was in his office with one of his Sekirei, a woman who wore a white sleeveless top and a purple skirt. She had white hair and glasses which could hang around her neck by the strings which were attached to the frame. Her name was Kochou, a brain-type Sekirei who was for all accounts the backbone of Higa's operations in the Sekirei Plan.
"A man who can generate swords?" Higa asked sceptically.
"Yes," Kochou nodded. "Reports that I took from MBI databases says that he was able to unwing Number 65 without consequence before re-winging her to himself."
That managed to garner Higa's attention. Turning to look at Kochou over his shoulder, he raised an eyebrow in interest, "Is that confirmed? I was told it was impossible to re-wing a Sekirei."
"The data does not lie," the brain-type nodded. "This Eiyūō Kamiya is able to unwing a Sekirei without consequence and re-wing them to himself."
"Interesting," Higa commented, turning his gaze back out to look over the city. Obtaining an Ashikabi like that onto his side would be a boon to his plans and strategies. He would no longer have to bribe or blackmail other Ashikabi in his territory, but just have this new fellow unwing their Sekirei and have them become wings to Higa himself. "Where is he now?"
"Inside a hotel near the middle of the city," Kochou answered. "Shall we send Ichiya and Toyotama?"
"No," Higa replied. "Observe him for now. Learn his habits and then we'll approach him with an offer later."
"Very well," Kochou nodded before she turned and left the office.
Higa wasn't one to jump without first knowing what he was up against. If he was, he wouldn't have gotten to where he was no and he certainly wouldn't be on the road to becoming the future ruler of the world.
Ten-Faced Paladin: Okay, not I KNOW that I broke rules in the Nasuverse so fans of that universe will likely hate me and want to flame me. How Eiyuo got the Gates of Babylon will be explained as the story progressed...if this story continues. He won't be the only one with such special abilities of an Ashikabi either. If you want this story to go on, great. If not, I tried.
