Chapter II
Izumo, a boarding house... What's a boarding house?
Zeilla was getting sick of finding more questions than answers. Practically every answer led to at least two questions as well.
And why did Yukari insist on going to the store and simply giving me directions for the last three streets? Bah, I'm not cut out for civilian life.
The Spartan paused as she turned onto the path leading to her destination. A silver haired young man in a formal black suit was dragging his immaculate dress shoes through the grass as he walked from the garden to the door of the building.
"Excuse me, sir."
The young man shook himself and nearly broke the laws of physics with the speed at which he turned to face her.
"Uh, good morning." he said cautiously, visibly tensing as he took in her height.
At least with this cloak people aren't freaking out completely.
Zeilla approached him slowly, hoping not to seem too threating. "Is there a Sahashi or Musubi living here?"
The man nodded, straightening his suit a little. "Both. Why do you ask?"
"I need someone strong and was directed to Musubi." she told him plainly.
Suddenly the door swung open, but no person appeared. The man poked his head inside for a moment, then gestured for her to follow him.
Zeilla frowned and gripped the hilt of her energy sword, eyes darting between her motion tracker and the doorway until she crossed the thresh-hold. The silver haired man pushed the door shut quickly and an orange-haired woman with glasses pounced, pushing back her hood and unclasping the cloak just before receiving a light punch to the gut.
The Spartan was about to back away to create some space to move about in when the woman spoke.
"B three twelve Zeilla, your micro reactor is about to go critical."
Zeilla froze.
"I'll... Just... Go to bed." the silver haired man said, then departed down a hall to the left of the main entrance.
"I have been keeping an eye on you since you entered the northern section of the city." the redhead continued. "I hacked into your armour's computer as soon as you came in range and already know the situation. I can help you."
"Why should I trust-"
"Because I am a Sekirei with a massive IQ and profound electronics knowledge and skills. I already have the means shut down your reactor but we only have an hour - your HUD's data is incorrect." the woman told her with a smirk.
Shit.
"Besides, in exchange for your life the least you can do is let me have a look at all the wonderful goodies that power-suit has." she added as the smirk grew into something bordering on lecherous.
Out of the frying pan?
Under the cover of darkness Zeilla crept out of Izumo and headed south, cloaked as before but noticeably thinner. Also, significantly lighter.
Sekirei #2, Matsu, had prepared a mechanical device to take apart the main and central piece of the MJOLNIR armour. Once removed from the Spartan's back the two made quick work of the damaged components and successfully reduced the reactions the absolute minimum. That was where the good news seemed to end. In depth analysis of the entire piece discovered great need for repairs, leading them both to the conclusion that continued functionality was too risky.
Reluctantly Zeilla allowed Matsu to shut the reactor down, effectively decommissioning the entire suit until repairs could be made - which without access to the means and materials would be impossible. Without power for its shields and other systems, it was going to draw far too much attention she wasn't sure she could handle. Matsu promised she would find a way but admitted both to the difficulty of the task and her desire to copy everything. The Spartan gave permission against her better judgement.
Without the armour she could believe Earth's gravity to be lesser than that of Reach where she had trained. That said the support for her bad leg and pressure on her many wounds were less, allowing her to feel the full burden of her survival.
At least I still have my energy sword... But I no longer have my helmet's translator or map data. Crap.
Looking around Zeilla spotted a tower like no other. It's architecture was quite misplaced and dwarfed even the tallest structures elsewhere. The perfect vantage point to pick out a landmark near Yukari's flat.
Without further thought she set off at a brisk walk in that direction. The Spartan ran across the occasional shady character as she took darker streets that kept her on a more or less direct path, but all seemed wise enough to keep their distance from her. Well, save for two large men who were rather enamored of themselves. Key-word: were. Zellia repelled their ambush, took their knives, belts, illegal revolver and crowbar which left them with only their dignity and modesty.
The Spartan took a break at the main road bordering the north to fasten both belts about her thighs for the small weapons recovered. She would have to continue holding the energy sword or hope against need for it if she was to place it in the pocket of the cloak Yukari had given her. Life without mag-plate holstering was going to be irritating at best.
Using the gun was going to be awkward when her finger only just fit within the trigger guard but at least its recoil was nothing she couldn't handle sans a finger on the grip. The knives however... That switchblade was puny enough to be trouble and the combat knife barely qualified as more dangerous than her fists - power-armour or no.
With a sigh Zeilla trudged onward, once more kicking herself for becoming so reliant upon her armour and its gadgets.
Crossing the street appeared to be a major issue until she remembered how reduced gravity was compared to her norm, after which she simply leapt across to the center line and flipped over a car in the far lane with quick push off from her arms as it passed.
Out of curiosity the Spartan ducked into an alley that seemed to lead toward that massive tower and tried jumping as high as she could. It took a few attempts but Zeilla managed approximately four meters directly upwards, much greater distance horizontally if she had a run up. This opened new possibilities previously limited to jump-pack ODST squads.
With a genuine though pain laced laugh for the first time she could recall Zeilla began to leap from roof top to roof top, the sound of her joy echoing about the streets.
After twenty minutes, she reached the tower.
Impressive.
On the other hand, she was exhausted.
She took time to relax in the shadow of a jeep, but once her legs felt alive again she sprinted forward, leapt up and grasped a windowsill of the tower, having pocketed the sword hilt. Taking advantage of her height and relatively light weight the Spartan was able to pull herself up one floor at a time. To save her arms from tiring too much as elevation became potentially deadly she began using the inset of each column of windows to brace her legs on, edging up slowly.
At the top the view was perfect for her purposes. Besides a bespectacled man extravagantly dressed in white staring at her like she'd grown an extra head or some such. Zeilla ignored him and squinted out to the south for any structure that seemed familiar, such as the building she had punched a hole through when she crashed the night before last.
After a few minutes the man cleared his throat.
"Magnificent view is it not, fallen star?"
Zeilla about-faced slowly, raising a brow at the fact he had chosen to speak English. "I'm sorry, fallen star?"
"But of course!" he declared with a wide grin and wild gestures. "You descended from the heavens in a blaze of fire to land in the grounds of this game of the gods!"
For a moment, the pair stood there frozen, one contemplative and the other seeming triumphant.
"Okay, I'll bite. Game?"
The man flicked his white hair with enthusiasm and slipped a small red device from one sleeve, then proceeded to type vigorously with one digit while giggling to himself in Japanese. Once done he belted out laughter at an impressive volume.
"That's not something you see every day." she mumbled under her breath.
"Ah, things are about to get very interesting." the man said as his exuberance subsided marginally. "Even the gods are watching. What will happen now in this glorious love story? Who can say?"
The guy is missing a few rounds in the clip.
A door opened and closed with footsteps in the shadows, setting Zeilla on high alert. Moments later a grey-haired woman left the darkness in tight black attire and what the Spartan thought of as a cross between a cloak and a jacket a shade darker than her hair, fluttering in the breeze. The woman was young, contrary to the assumption implied by her hair, and bore a sword in scabbard on her left hip. Her face was relaxed but her half-closed eyes overflowed with contempt.
The white clad man struck a pose and grinned even wider. "Ah, Karasuba-kun! Give our gods-nova a ticket to the qualifier!"
Instantly the woman appeared in front of Zeilla and gripped her left shoulder like a vice, simultaneously jabbing a syringe into her neck and thumbing the plunger. The Spartan threw a punch but the woman easily and gracefully spun out of reach, smirking devilishly.
An intense burning sensation flared up inside her skull.
"What the hell did you just give me?!" she grimaced as the burning spread to her chest.
"A gift from the gods to me, the game master, to you!" cackled the still unnamed man, inspiring the presumably named Karasuba to dash forward again.
Try as she might Zeilla was just too slow to stop her injecting another syringe. This one spread biting cold at first as the burning flowed to her extremities, but the cold gradually boiled unbearably hot and spread faster than the first drug. She lost all control of herself and sprawled across the rooftop, hissing in pain. Zeilla held on to cogniscience even so.
She was rewarded with blurry glimpses of being dragged through corridors by her shoulders for about five minutes, then darkness won out.
Ouch... Deja vu...
Zeilla opened her eyes but was not greeted by her HUD. Sighing as recent events came back to mind she ran a manual check of her body while sitting up and attempting to clear the fog of sleep from her senses. Everything seemed fine until she lost her balance and fell sideways. She remained still for a few seconds, then examined her surroundings.
It seemed to be the interior of a limo. Certainly not built for luxury, merely transport and protection. Also of note was the distinctly foreign feeling of flesh pressed against her own. Turning her gaze revealed herself and Karasuba to be in a semi compromising position.
Needless to say, the other was nonplussed.
Zeilla extricated herself from the woman's personal space cautiously. Karasuba eyed her for but a moment, then looked out the window. The Spartan followed her gaze to find they were moving through the city. It was likely a corner that put her off balance earlier.
The limo abruptly halted and Karasuba kicked a door open. The meaning was abundantly clear.
Gathering the small pile of things she had collected from the seat opposite her, Zeilla wondered if her captor was one of the hundred plus Sekirei. Her speed was beyond anything she had ever seen.
Pausing at the doorway the two women locked eyes. In that single moment Zeilla was certain Karasuba was not to be taken lightly. She was most certainly a Sekirei and bore a hot, ruthless hatred behind her cold and collected mask.
She knew those eyes well. She used to see them every morning.
Zeilla gave a mock salute, then departed the limo proper. She looked to the tower and determined she was in the south. The Spartan set off for the closest tall building with sightseeing once more in mind. It took less effort to leap across the rooftops this time and her injuries no longer nagged at her. She took the blessing without any real desire to know how... For now.
Perhaps Matsu knows far more than she let on.
Pausing to catch her breath a commotion caught her ear. Two voices. One male and angry, one female and distressed. Zeilla gritted her teeth. There were far too many unsavory creatures in the world she came from, and as her ears proved this one was the same. Well, any world, one could assume.
Hang on... I have no important or secret mission or time constraints, just a desire to return to Yukari's flat. My last order is complete and it was supposed to the end for me. I lack an objective... I have time for diversions. But what do I do? I can't just kill someone or incapacitate them - no regular UNSC troops are going to sweep in after me and deal with the loose ends.
The female shrieked and Zeilla shut her considerations away. As typical of soldiers, compartmentalising came as naturally as breathing.
She stepped off the roof and landed in the narrow street below, rolling to dissipate the force. With practiced expertise, she jogged towards the sounds of a struggle and reached for her rifle.
Oops.
Shaking off her ingrained action she ducked into an alley and flattened herself against one wall. There were two figures a few meters ahead, the source of the commotion. Pulling the compacted switchblade out she took aim and threw it at the male. The little handle bounced off the back of the male's head and he cried out in surprise more than pain.
Zeilla selected the crowbar next.
Having begun searching the alley the male was able to duck just in time to avoid the steel projectile taking his head off. It clanged loudly against the wall, causing a frightened yelp to join the echoes of its landing.
The Spartan drew the revolver and strode towards them.
The male seemed more outraged than intimidated, chattering confrontationally. As her eyes adjusted further to the darkness she saw the female looking a little worse for wear and clearly afraid but not injured.
Zeilla decided to up the ante. Stepping forward she raised the pistol one handed like the insurrectionists usually did. Intimidating perhaps but mostly stupid - you might feel cool but two hands on your weapon and a combat stance is steadier. The young man growled but backed away from his victim. He wasn't game to test her skills, fortunately for both of them. She watched him moving away for a moment, then put the gun away and went over to the girl.
"Are you alright?"
The girl stared at her blankly.
"Great, the language barrier again." she sighed.
Suddenly she heard movement behind her. Zeilla spun around just as a fist connected with her ribs. Surprisingly it didn't hurt. She punched the opportunist in the shoulder, staggering him back several paces. He seemed to hesitate at her unflinching response, then went for the crowbar.
Huh, maybe this is what all those brutes see when picking on us Humans: small cowards.
He came at her with shouts of anger and wild swings she easily ducked or backed away from. The fact that none of his attacks connected only enraged him further, resulting in a few chunks of concrete coming free of the walls. Her foot bumped something eventually so she pushed him back two meters with a relatively gentle kick to allow her a glance at her footing.
Woah, that's the biggest hammer I've ever seen.
Zeilla smacked the next swing up away from her and kicked him again, then bent down and hefted the huge hammer up onto her shoulder with a grunt of effort. The man blanched and backed away again. With her effective range now significantly increased even he realised how unwise it would be to attack again.
The Spartan raised the hammer in preparation to strike and he bolted out onto the street, vanishing around the corner.
With a smirk Zeilla laid the weapon back on her shoulder, turning again to the girl. The brunette looked up at her with an awestruck expression on her face, causing the Spartan to chuckle at the realisation of how strong she was in comparison to normal Humans.
Zeilla held out her free hand palm up as if to say 'friend' and hoped her smile actually looked like one. The girl took her hand and said something in an appreciative tone, then came close and embraced her arm tightly.
"Well, at least it all worked out anyway." she sighed. "Thankfully some things are universal - and not just threats of violence."
With language being an issue in resolving matters the Spartan resumed her search for Yukari's flat, dragging the girl along too. Or rather, the girl refused to let go. Eventually Zeilla ended up carrying her like an infant on her hip when she fell asleep
By the time their destination came into view it was well into the day and nobody was home. Zeilla was ready to crash too after letting herself in the open back window of the bathroom. After all it was no easy task to handle a limp body through a window without causing injury, nor was her own size any help with the process. She found a corner out of the way and propped herself against the walls, laying her cling-on-companion's head in her lap and draping the borrowed cloak over the girl.
As B-312 drifted off to sleep she thought about how weird all the people she'd met so far had dressed.
For the first time in recent history 'ouch' was not Zeilla's first waking thought. Instead she woke to find Yukari standing over her and the girl she had rescued last night clinging to her again.
"You got one too now, huh Z-chan?" Yukari giggled.
Zeilla blinked. "What? Who?"
Yukari cocked her head to one side. She pointed at the Spartan. "Z-chan." she said, then pointed at the brunette. "Sekirei."
Zeilla's eyes widened. "You're joking."
Yukari pointed to the door. "She's a weapon type. The absurd size of her weapon outside was a dead give-away."
Okay, I'll give her that one. I should have thought of that.
"To clarify, she was under attack from a thug so I stepped in. I found the hammer during the confrontation. She wouldn't let go of me once the guy fled, so I came here in the hope you could help with the language barrier again."
Yukari nodded. "I knew learning English would come in handy someday. I can't help you all the time though so maybe you should learn Japanese while I'm around."
"If you have time to teach me, sure." she agreed. "I don't have a clue how to start. For now, I think we need to talk about this whole situation. I've found a Sekirei who seems to like me, what does this mean?"
Yukari snickered then conversed with the girl for a few minutes. "Her name is Yashima, number eighty-four. She says the man you fought off was trying to wing her. If not for the rule against harming bystanders she could have got rid of him herself but instead he managed to overpower her." she paused and growled. "I hope you beat the crap out of him for that."
Zeilla shook her head. "You're going to need to explain what you mean by 'wing'."
Yukari blushed and looked away. "Sekirei become more powerful and bind to their Ashikabi... With a kiss. Wings of light appear when the bonded do it, hence the name."
Yashima blushed too, having picked up on the vibe.
"So, I'm not her Ashikabi then."
"Not for sure, as any Ashikabi could wing her." she confirmed. "But Shiina told me Sekirei will react to certain Ashikabi. They get... Er... Hot all over... And it gets more intense the closer they get. It helps them find their Ashikabi. Yashima says she is reacting to you."
Zeilla looked down at the girl on her arm who looked back with a shy smile, blushing again. She put the backs of her fingers on Yashima's forehead and found enough heat to cause concern of a fever.
"I see."
Yashima moaned and leaned into her hand.
"Umm... Yukari?"
"Wow, she really is reacting." Yukari snickered. "Well, Z-chan, are you gonna kiss her or what?"
Zeilla raised a brow. "You who were getting skittish simply talking about 'winging' are telling me to kiss an alien girl I've just met?"
"Hey, it's not a huge deal as we're all girls here. But, if you don't watch out then she might decide-"
Suddenly Yashima grabbed the Spartan's head and pulled their lips together.
"- for you... Like that."
Zeilla was too surprised to respond. Before she could formulate a suitable response the Sekirei forced her tongue into her mouth, resulting in the iconic glowing wings to appear from her back. Blue light flooded the room as the violet flash of the Sekirei symbol appeared on Yashima's back.
Ten seconds of kissing later and Yukari started to get nervous. The Sekirei was really going for it and showed no signs of stopping. Fifteen seconds... Twenty...
Zeilla's brain caught up and she pushed them apart, more than a little stunned.
"That... Wasn't a kiss... That was attempted murder by suffocation." she mumbled while Yashima happily panted something out in Japanese.
"It's official." Yukari said. "She made the oath. Congratulations, you are now bound together and part of the game."
Shiina exited the bathroom and paused. He looked at the pair of females sitting on the floor, then at Yukari's sheepish behavior. He said something that his Ashikabi nodded to and Yashima kissed Zeilla on the cheek.
"Please tell me I'm not going to be getting suffocated in my sleep." the Spartan muttered under her breath. "Okay, Yukari, what exactly am I supposed to do now?"
The other Ashikabi thought for a moment. "I suppose... Pit your Sekirei against those of other Ashikabi. That's what we are supposed to do according to MBI. Shiina and I have been too busy looking for Ku-chan to think about fighting."
Shiina spoke up again to which Yukari whined back at in Japanese, her mood seeming to darken though he merely sighed. Yashima gasped and asked a question. Shiina nodded and Yukari shrugged.
"Should I be clued in here?" Zeilla asked.
Yukari scratched the back of her neck hesitantly. "Apparently, our search for Kusano and our- well, my way of dealing with uncooperative people has caused some to call us the 'Demon Ashikabi' and the 'Death God'. It's made it harder because now people try to run away."
"If you are that feared then you definitely aren't going about this the right way." Zeilla replied.
Yukari pouted but said nothing.
"If language wasn't a problem then I'd see if I could find her for you." she offered. "Unfortunately, with my armour damaged I can't power the helmet translator."
"A shame. That is one epic suit."
"Indeed. Having spent several years practically living in it only to lose it now... I feel naked without it." Zeilla sighed, awkwardly getting to her feet with Yashima attached. "Speaking of my armour I want to go check on it."
"Not like that you aren't!" Yukari declared, exasperated.
The Spartan looked down at her body. "Problem?"
"What, you don't carry proper clothes around in your armour?"
"This ballistic body suit provides the best buffer between flesh and the armour-plating layer of the MJOLNIR. It's tough enough to protect against the vacume and absolute zero temperatures of space. In addition, it absorbs and channels sweat to join the waste system to erase potential discomfort based distractions." Zeilla rattled off quickly. "It's better than civilian gear."
Yukari slapped a hand over her face. "That's not the point. What if it was flesh coloured, not dark grey?" she groaned.
Zeilla cleared her throat. "Ah, I see."
"Okay, look, keep the cloak over the top for now. Later we can go shopping for some real clothes."
"In case you have forgotten I don't own a thing, have no money and can't get a job because I'm mono-lingual." she snorted.
"I know, but as an Ashikabi you now have the means to provide for yourself and your Sekirei." Yukari countered, withdrawing from a pocket of her skirt a black and silver plastic sheet the size of an ID card. "Each Sekirei has an MBI VIP expense card for that purpose. For one they usually get their clothes torn up in a fight, and they can eat like no tomorrow. Shiina isn't even close to being an active person and he eats more than I do so imagine how much Yashima needs to be able to swing that hammer around."
#84 held up an identical card with a smile.
Zeilla rubbed her temple and ruffled the girl's hair. "This is crazy... But if this MBI is going to hand out free money to contestants in their game I wonder what they get out of it."
"Nobody knows for sure." Yukari shrugged.
Yashima's stomach gurgled. Shiina smiled and called to her, getting up and heading to the kitchen. The aliens left and Yukari turned to follow.
"Yukari?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm going to need a map I can read. I can't rely on you to help me around the city."
The girl raised a brow. "You want to go somewhere?"
Zeilla nodded. "I know someone who could be persuaded to do me a favor, and if those cards are what you say then I can think of a few things I'll need to acquire - for my own peace of mind at the very least."
"Let me get my laptop and I'll google one for you. It will be out of date due to all the 'redecorating' from Sekirei battles - but mostly accurate."
"Good enough for me."
"I'll help Shiina make dinner so it will be ready sooner. We were going to go out tonight anyway."
Hmm... Let the populous beware.
