Chapter 9: Patrolling the City

"Are you sure this won't wake him up, dear sister?"

"Unicorn isn't sure...but big brother looked like he was in a lot of pain, Unicorn wants to help..."

"I'm fairly certain all that moving and groaning last night was for an entirely different kind of stiffness he was suffering from, little sister~."

"Big sister Victorious needs to let Unicorn concentrate..."

Alesandro cracked open his eyes only to discover the slightest of verdant glows illuminating the room in calming shades of emerald, an odd warmth and relaxation permeating every muscle and bone in his body. The cause of said glow was Unicorn kneeling beside him with her stuffed toy set aside, hands lightly splayed over his chest as she concentrated on whatever it was she was doing.

"Are you going to pretend to be asleep forever, master Alesandro?"

Illustrious's knowing words caused the male to open his eyelids fully, asking, "And just how were you able to tell such a thing, if you don't mind me asking?"

The sight of him now awake caused the smaller Sekirei to 'eep' in surprise, pulling back her hands from his body as she once more took up residency behind the safety of her toy.

"Actually, scratch that...was that your Sekirei ability, Unicorn?"

Shyly nodding the young woman responded, "Unicorn can heal others...it feels stronger now that big brother is Unicorn's Ashikabi..."

A strangely hopeful and excited glance was sent his way by the purple-haired Sekirei.

"Unicorn is sure that it would be even stronger if big brother was to kiss Unicorn and make use of her Norito..."

Victorious was quick to shut that idea down before it could come to pass, stating, "Petitioning our Ashikabi for a morning kiss under the guise of experimenting with out powers is a sneaky move, little sister. And an impolite one as well."

Sensing the disappointment that arose within the Sekirei Alesandro quickly stated, "And I have morning breath, Unicorn. I doubt you'd enjoy it that much."

"Unicorn isn't so sure about that..."

Before the conversation could derail itself any further Illustrious clapped her hands, stating, "Now now, we have a schedule our Shikabi laid down that we need to keep, let us not dally any longer, sisters."

A mumbled groan came from Formidable, still wrapped around his arm like it was some kind of muscled body pillow as she sleepily complained, "We have just discovered our Ashikabi, is it so necessary to wake up this early in the morning?"

The blonde frowned with disapproval, crossing her arms under her generous chest and causing the male—who was still on his back—to raise an eyebrow at the sight of a hairless, puffy mound that was exposed as his shirt rode up on her shapely hips slightly.

"Sister Formidable, such slovenly behavior is not acceptable this early in the morning! Come, the mornings sun has risen and with it a new day in which to further our Ashikabi's ambitions!"

A content sigh escaped the ashen-haired woman as she snuggled even closer around the man's arm...and a yelp promptly escaped her as Victorious leapt atop of her body, playfully ticking her thighs and nipping at her neck, mock growling, "This dallying behavior will not be tolerated, sister dearest~! Come, arise! Or I shall ensure that you are too breathless to come with us on our journey and are left behind!"

Unable to help the wide smile that pulled at his lips as his two Sekirei interacted, the empathetic bond—which thankfully seemed to have calmed a great deal over the course of the night—transferring over their affectionate delight and closeness.

"Big sister? Big brother's cock is growing..."

Unfortunately, the sight of two buxom and beautiful women playfully wrestling with the other while his borrowed clothing rode up on their bodies, revealing creamy skin and firm asses spoke to a different part of his anatomy.

"Oh my, and so it does, dearest little sister~."

Giving the two other Sekirei a suffering glance didn't do his erection any favors, as the pair were just as provocative in entirely different ways. Unicorn had shed her dress and shoes, clad in simple leggings, bra and panties of pure white that accentuated her innocence and womanly charms, even if she wasn't as busty as her sisters. Illustrious was much the same color wise, but wore garters while the underwear was far more lacy and sexual than Unicorn's was, straining against her impressive chest.

"...Is it going to stop growing, big sister? Unicorn isn't sure she can take it inside of her if it keeps getting bigger..."

"Nothing a bit of patience, gentleness and lubrication can't fix, dear little sister. I'm sure our Ashikabi will play nicely with you~!"

Heaving out a sigh Alesandro rolled himself out of bed amid the squabbling and teasing aliens that were now a part of his life, remarking, "I'm going to go take a shower and then make us breakfast, head downstairs when you're ready and we'll start our work for the day."

Not waiting for a response he headed towards the bathroom, mentally pondering, "I hope they really are that eager to have sex because another morning like that and I don't think I can hold myself back...we'll see if they're up for it later tonight."

"Do you mind if I ask all of you a question?"

"Of course not! Ask any manner of inquiry you wish, master Alesandro~!"

[I would wager we can answer it too!]

Smiling at the eager replies that came from both speaker and mouth the male asked, "Did you decide your names? While I think they fit all of you perfectly you have to admit they're unconventional by most naming conventions."

Flanked by Unicorn and Illustrious Rastus glanced towards the rooftops where Victorious and Formidable could be seen occasionally leaping from building to building, listening in to the conversation over wireless headpieces after they had raised all manner of objections to being forced out of sight.

They were already attracting all sorts of gazes from passerby thanks to Illustrious and Unicorn's exotic features and his height, they didn't need the added novelty of the two other Sekirei's wrecked and tattered attire...especially Victorious's, as it revealed quite a bit of her body.

"Not that I'm in any way complaining—they're beautiful beyond compare—but it wouldn't hurt to also purchase a spare set of clothes for more casual settings..."

"A valid question, master Alesandro. After we were awoken by MBI in the confines of Kamikura island our means of access to the outside world were...limited. To that end we often watched many documentaries and videos about past events, or read articles and books that we could find on the limited internet access we were given."

Formidable picked up the story as she calmly explained, [We found tales of wars past to be fascinating and distressing in equal measure, thus we studied them quite extensively and the events that occurred within each conflict...the world wars were of particular interest. And within that conflict certain factions and events stood out to us, that spoke to us as Sekirei and to the powers we wielded.]

Fascinated by their explanation Alesandro listened with rapt attention, Unicorn continuing with, "Big sisters and Unicorn learned about the HMS Illustrious, Formidable, Victorious and Unicorn during world war II, of how they served during the battle of the blitz and other conflicts...it spoke to Unicorn and her big sisters in a strange way."

It was Victorious who finished the explanation with, [The tales of battle, the professional and royal majesty the United Kingdom was renowned to have...we wished to emulate that, to embody aspects that we admired and be wielded by our Ashikabi as the dignified weapons we could always be.]

A moment of silence passed between the group, Illustrious seeming uncharacteristically shy as she asked, "You do not find that...strange, master Alesandro? That we named ourselves after warships?"

The young man shook his head, honestly replying, "Not in the slightest. If anything it's impressive, that you so strongly sought out an identity that you felt meshed with who and what you wanted to be. And like I said before...you embody those names incredibly well."

He chuckled, quietly musing, "Illustrious, Formidable, Victorious and Unicorn...yes, those are absolutely fitting titles."

Even in its calmed state the bond between him and the Sekirei began to positively overflow with happiness and satisfaction, the moment ending as they approached Victorious's place of residency, a fairly well-to-do hotel as he heard the Sekirei mutter, [Ahh, such shame...it seems I shall have to spin a tale of a slightly more than exciting convention to explain the ragged condition of my attire.]

As she leapt down from the rooftops—a nearby bellhop blinking at the sight before apparently deciding he'd just been on his feet too long—Alesandro couldn't help but chuckle at the remark, the blonde giving him a pout as she strode inside to collect her things.

Her dress had seen better days.

[Well shit. If Urion was up and about then you know Barak and Eliana are sure to follow. I'm honestly shocked we haven't seen any signs of them yet, they're not exactly the most subtle of individuals out there.]

"True...but just because they're arrogant psychopaths who fancy themselves as Demigods doesn't mean they're stupid, uncle."

[Which sounds like a contradictory statement if ever I've heard one, but hey, what do I know? So we've got Sirens and MBI to worry about now? Sounds like a fun time.]

Alesandro leaned back in his chair, idly commenting, "We figured this wouldn't be easy, no need to get too bent out of shape by it."

[Who said anything about getting bent? I'll talk to you later, kid. Stay safe out there, if Barak and Eliana know it was you who took out Urion they'll be gunning after your ass.]

"Yeah, I know. Until next time, uncle."

Hanging up Alesandro turned to his three attentive Sekirei, only Unicorn missing as she retrieved her things from the hotel she had been staring at.

"So what would you have us do now, master Alesandro?"

Formidable's question was answered with, "Do the pair of you know any MBI employees or researchers who might be sympathetic to your cause? That may be willing to take a stand against the company to pitch for the Sekirei?"

There were a collection of unsure gazes passed around between the trio before Formidable hesitantly stated, "There...might be one in particular, master Alesandro. A researcher who often interacted with us on a more personal level, a woman by the name of Sahashi Takami. While she never outright stated it she had a definite distaste for some of the factors involved in the Sekirei plan. If she would be willing to openly go against the company, however?"

The exotic-eyed Sekirei shook her head, Illustrious adding, "She is also fairly high up their chain of command, she may simply not wish to jeopardize her standing when she could remain in a position to more directly affect the company's decisions."

The Ashikabi nodded, idly replying, "Always a balancing act between actions that can be taken and how far upper management is willing to let you get away with them. Any particular reason she seems amenable to perhaps siding with all of you over the company?"

This time it was Victorious who explained, "We've heard rumors that she has children of her own, that it makes her more...emotional?"

Tapping his lip in thought the male then asked, "And what about this Disciplinary squad? And what do you know of the Pillar, the most powerful Sekirei that would have been on your ship? They clearly had to interact with MBI at some point otherwise they never would have gained access to your embryos."

Yet again appearing mildly uncomfortable at not having the answers their Ashikabi desired he quickly reassured them with a burst of comforting emotions transferred through their bond, a gesture they seemed to relax at as the pale-haired Sekirei remarked, "The Disciplinary Squad is a mixture of single number Sekireis—or at least it used to be—that acted as MBI's personal enforcers and agents when we were still growing up. Most of their original numbers—which included the Pillar, if I had to guess—have either died, disappeared or outright defected from MBI...the only remaining original Sekirei is #4, Karasuba...the Black Sekirei."

Noting the disdain and apprehension among his flock at the mention of #4 Alesandro asked, "Judging by your tone this Karasuba doesn't necessarily have the best of reputations."

Victorious scowled, stating, "She holds no love or passion in her heart...only a cruel desire to dominate and slaughter. I know not how such a woman is a part of the Sekirei race. The only thing to match her amoral nature is the skill of her blade."

"Hmm...sounds like quite the interesting character..."

Inwardly running through what he had just now been told by the trio and the information that was already available he was able to formulate a rough plan of action, ignoring how his flock seemed perturbed at how he had described Karasuba as 'interesting'.

It seemed that when the colony ship had first been discovered the Pillar had joined forces with the initial exploratory team, helping or guiding them in awakening the other Sekirei. The group that would later become MBI had a falling out with the world at large, prompting the 'battle' of Kamikura island where the Pillar and likely the original members of this Disciplinary Squad fought off a significant-sized military force and cemented MBI's position as a major player on the international stage. Then, for reasons still unknown, most of the members of the group fled or retired from MBI, Pillar included which left MBI mostly free to experiment as needed.

"It seems I need to locate this Pillar or other members of the old Disciplinary squadbefore any real progress on figuring out just what the extent of MBI's meddling is can be made. All while making sure the Sirens don't suddenly find a way to get ahold of a collection of Jinki when no one is looking, or gather too many Sekirei under their wing...christ this is going to be a headache."

Rubbing his temples in agitation Alesandro asked, "None of you would happen to know where this Pillar or AWOL Disciplinary members would be, do you?"

"...No. Our sincerest apologies, master Alesandro."

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure something out. And on that matter what sort of time table are we looking at here? You said there are waves of Sekirei that will be released?"

Far happier to be able to answer their Ashikabi's question in a more complete manner Formidable explained, "If the current rate and number of Sekirei being released stays accurate then all of the currently adjusted and prepared embryos will be released into the city within three weeks. Once that occurs and nine out of ten are successfully Winged, the second phase will begin."

"Second phase?"

Shifting nervously Victorious carefully stated, "While we have no hard evidence of the precise details...rumors abound that the city will be annexed, turned into a battleground for all of the Sekirei and Ashikabi to compete in."

The male frowned, realizing that if MBI was truly capable of such a feat then he and the rest of the Custodes Avem would essentially be stuck on a heavily militarized island with little hope of outside aid should it become necessary.

"Well, nothing for it, then...we had simply best make our move within three weeks time, or at least have a plan to follow for afterwards."

Shaking off his scattered thoughts as Unicorn returned carrying a small bag alongside her toy he stood and stretched, casually remarking, "Everyone gathered everything they need?"

A round of nods greeted him as he stated, "In that case why don't we stop by a clothing outlet and grab some backup outfits for all of you?"

Confusion and slight apprehension played out across the Sekirei's expressions as Unicorn quietly asked, "Does big brother not like the way Unicorn and her big sisters are dressed?"

"Far from it. But it's a plain fact that all of you are incredibly eye-catching, add in your outside the norm clothing and we'll be a massive spectacle no matter where we go. I think a bit of humble—yet elegant—outfits for all of you will be best so we can walk around the city without a gigantic crowd forming."

Reassured at his words the four Sekirei nodded in compliance, Illustrious happily stating, "Understood, master Alesandro. Is there any location you had in mind in particular?"

Shrugging, the Ashikabi replied, "Why don't we walk around for awhile, see what comes up while we get to know each other better?"

Clearly ecstatic at such an offering the quartet quickly formed up around their Ashikabi, Illustrious wasting no time in linking her arm with his as Unicorn hesitantly placed her palm in his far larger one.

"So what manner of attire do you think would suit us best, master Alesandro~? We'll be sure to model all of the latest trends and fashions just for you..."

Sahashi Takami resisted the urge to sigh as she stared at her boss and ex-husband with no shortage of impatience, even less-inclined than she normally was to listen to his inane complaints and ramblings.

"And? Why do you need me to tell you what you already know, Minaka?"

"Because it's so unexpected of a response, Sahashi~! I never expected one of the Ashikabi to be so reticent towards what I'm offering them."

"Which speaks more to your failing mental state than it does the morality of the competitors. Anyone with a halfway working moral compass or brain would look at this whole debacle and ask what the Hell MBI is thinking."

Not letting such thoughts show on her face the pale-haired woman instead remarked, "It doesn't matter how against the plan he is, you heard him. He's going to compete and the actions against MBI he could possibly take are all of inconsequential nature, especially with someone like Karasuba on the prowl. And I know the royal sisters, they'll keep him from doing anything that might bring down the weight of MBI. Hell, take a look at this."

She flipped around her tablet, showcasing a record of all monetary transactions run by the MBI cards they had gifted to the Sekirei before being released.

"He's already using our money to pay for his Sekirei's things, those aren't the action of a man all that opposed to us or an intelligent one that wishes to remain independent."

She flipped the device back around, scowling openly.

"So, again...why the Hell did you call me away from the labs to tell you what you've already realized? We're in the middle of adjusting several of the Sekirei who are scheduled to be released and don't have time for this nonsense."

Frantically waving his hands in a motion no doubt intended to be conciliatory the head of MBI replied, "Okay, okay! Geez, no need to get your panties in a twist, I just wanted to get a second opinion! I already told you, it just surprised me that an Ashikabi was so resistant to my amazing tournament and its prize, vague as the details might be..."

Takami resisted the urge to punch the idiot—in some respects—across from her and instead settled for growling out, "Then are we done here? I have important work to do."

"Yes yes, work yourself to the bone, my dear. But still, quite the interesting man, this Alesandro Rastus...the royal Sekirei had always been quite picky about their requirements for an Ashikabi, I wonder how they came to select him as their chosen..."

Shaking her head at Minaka's musings—knowing full well he had shut out the outside world in order to focus on his train of thought—Takami left her boss's office, thoughtfully frowning as she returned to the labs.

"...I get the distinct impression that Rastus was leading us on. His voice and tone during the message, as well as what he said...his file states that he's part of a company that helps others find firms to work at so he must know the benefits of being friendly to both sides of the game. Why would he so openly aggravate us, especially if he has a bone to pick with the way we operate?"

Takami paused mid-stride for a second, eyes widening before a smirk crossed her lips, resuming her walk with a bit more energy than before.

"Unless he wanted us to write him off as all bark and no bite. Not to mention Illustrious and her sisters wouldn't pick a dolt or simpleton as their Ashikabi, and they would have definitely stopped him from openly aggravating the CEO of the company responsible for their well-being."

She chuckled, curiosity piqued at this newest development.

"Minaka is too butthurt over Rastus openly decrying his stupid game to take him seriously, more than willing to write the man off as an interesting competitor but nothing more than that...the question is what do I do with this information?"

Takami had never really agreed with the Sekirei plan, not when it had been turned into some grand and absurd game that would possibly result in the destruction of vast swathes of Humankind...she had seen firsthand what the Jinki could do and had no intention of letting those damn things be used by anyone if she could help it.

And she wasn't alone in that notion, a few of the more emotional or sympathetic employees in MBI had begun to grumble about the increased workload and ethical dodginess of what they were attempting with the Sekirei, creating slowly escalating tensions throughout the company that would no doubt spill over once the game become properly underway.

...The question was, what did she want to do about it? If she openly went against Minaka's wishes she would be removed from the project without delay, just as others had been. Contemplating the issue Takami tried to think of a way to ensure this sudden resource didn't go to waste-

-and grinned as a thought came to her.

"Rastus isn't the only one with a bit of a sore spot against MBI...I think he and Miya would have a lot to talk about."

Quickly searching up Rastus's personal contact information she discreetly sent him a message with directions to the Izumo Inn, where the woman with the most information he could make use of resided.

"All that remains to be seen is if she'll be willing to tell him about the truth of the Sekirei plan...Miya can be pretty touchy at the best of times."