Okay now, here's the first full chapter, which prompt I used is not going to be revealed until the end each time but this one should be pretty apparent anyway. To make it clear I'm using a continuity in which both Haihane and Akitsu are with Minato and have been for some time. This is inspired by the excellent 'Claws and Kisses' but will not be referencing events from it because a) I don't have permission and b) I'm not sure I want to do so anyway.
Well here it is and I hope you enjoy.
First Feather
Was it that her high body temperature involved a rapid metabolism perhaps. Maybe it was simply the habit of extended periods with little time to sleep. A quiet voice wondered if it was due to her staying in her room so far from where her Ashikabi slumbered.
Squashing that thought and shoving away the longing behind it Homura continued to wonder drowsily why she found sleeping in so difficult. The pre dawn light through the curtains testament to the early hour, one she had not intended to see today.
It was kind of annoying really, there were no more unwinged Sekirei and she could hardly work as a host any more (the female equivalent having too high a reputation for promiscuity for her tastes even when she had had the hosting job) so she could in fact afford to sleep a lot more. Knowing that she could sleep late for once she had even taken pains to stay up even later then usual. Planning to enjoy, for once, a leisurely afternoon rise from her bed. One with much falling back asleep and rolling over and Minato bringing her breakfast in bed and her...stopping that train of thought right now. She still wasn't ready, wait...
'When in hell did I start thinking of myself as she?'
It was a difficult answer to find, especially still being half asleep. Normally she -'no! He dammit! He!'- he would pulse a wave of power through his body. Just shy of the point it could start a flame, the almost painful wave of heat never failed to wake him up. However right now sh-'he he he he he he!'- he felt far too hot. The idea of adding to this heat was already unbearable.
It was odd really, it shouldn't have been this hot with the season being what it was, yet he felt like he was about to ignite. Not in the pleasant way he occasionally felt when around Minato either. This was a wave of heat rolling back and forth through him and leaving him feeling hot and sweaty. His joints seemed to ache with it occasionally as well.
All in all this morning was not going as well as had been hoped, fortunately being drowsy still, meant there was a simple solution. So he rolled over and closed his eyes. Sleep didn't take too long at all.
When she next woke up it was feeling for relaxed and not nearly as warm. Well except for that odd heat below her waist.
Rolling her hips a little, wondering absently at the difference in them since she had started reacting those months ago, she found a distinct warmth all about her pelvis. Throwing her hips a little off the bed she found that the heat seemed to be coming from both her own skin and the bed. Pondering that she let her hips drop the scant inches she had lifted th-
Squilch
'Oh Gods I wet myself.'
She hadn't done that in years, not since the days of her earliest tunings. Even in youth it had been a rare occurrence.
'Okay no need to panic, Miya will understand, this can be kept quiet. Worst case and Minato finds out kill yourself and then him. This will work Homura...oddly sticky for...'
New hope rose, that it might be something else entirely, some spilled drink perhaps, had she gone for an early morning snack without realising. No problem then, Miya would be more angry but the embarrassment of having urinated her bed was gone. All this in mind Homura cheerfully lifted the sheets to find out exactly what kind of alcohol she had wasted so foolishly...
…
.
.
.
terror and panic and horror an-
A tidal wave of roiling emotion surged through Minato where he slept. The emphatic connection he shared with his Sekirei screaming inside him. He went from peaceful slumber to fully awake in a moment. Before he even heard the scream that woke everyone in the building he was on his feet. Bodies that would have resisted any amount of struggling shifted aside even in sleep to the fervent request of their Ashikabi.
Unthinkingly reacting, he was not burdened by his normal hesitations. As rapidly as they stirred even Akitsu (who slept so lightly a breeze could stir her) awoke just in time to see him sprinting out the door. She and the others coming awake in short order.
Minato was barely into the corridor when he was met by a sheet-swathed frame topped with silver hair (moving with blurring speed) which proceeded to tackle him to the ground still screaming.
Heedless of the impact with the ground his hands found themselves inside the sheets and about the shaking form inside them. He was already rocking her gently back and forth. Her body already calming under his influence, even as the rest of the Inn's population arrives on scene. The centrepiece a welcome distraction to the twin horrors of Miya's eyes and hair. The first showed no mercy to those who were intruding in her Inn, the second none of her tenants would dare to talk about in its untamed form.
"Homura. Homura, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" trying to keep his voice calm Minato nevertheless shook with worry. Heedless to anything but his Sekirei looking more terrified then he had ever seen her and relying on him to help her.
After several long minutes his whispers and assurances took hold, another voice floating into the otherwise silent air.
"I'm injured, I absolutely must be injured."
Pulling her closer to himself Minato was about to question further when he noticed the legs now on either side of his waist, one having drifted over him as he comforted her. With his eyes down there, there was no missing the amount of blood staining the sheets there, or that the epicentre of this spreading redness was without doubt between Homura's legs.
Tear-filled eyes met his own, then seeming to notice the others for the first time she looked to each of them too. Repeating the same whispered self-assurance again and again. It was at this point Minato made his largest mistake, he couldn't be blamed too much. He was the only male present and having grown up with girls about him even before that, knew very well what was happening. His staggering intellect had really known for a while, the panic keeping him from thinking clearly enough to acknowledge his own thoughts. Yet now it was certain and it was not something he knew how to deal with, nor was he comfortable with it.
So of course he made a mistake.
Without really thinking about what was coming out of his mouth Minato spoke, "Th-there's no need to worry, this is perfectly natural, all wo-" and then stopped speaking.
Mainly because he had been punched right across the hall and landed cleanly in his room. A stony eyed Homura rising and bowing stiffly to Miya with a muttered apology, before stepping quickly to the door to the furo. A door which slammed quite firmly.
Several hours later the sheets Homura now sat upon were clean and crisp. A long dint in the bath had removed the blood. A swift flame had stopped any attempts to help by the others. Even Miya dared not mention the extra laundry around Homura's shocked pale and and furiously blushing face. A facial combination that defied biology going un-remarked-upon that day.
Minato had been offered some ice by Akitsu and firm advice not to go anywhere near Homura for a time with his stupid, guy, insensitive mouth by each of his Sekirei in their own words. Even Kusano had shaken her head at him: her normally wonderful Onii-chan could be stupid as a rock sometimes.
Having been busy debating the benefits of drowning herself in the bath as opposed to facing anyone ever again. Homura had not realised that the concern shown by her fellow Sekirei was anything but mocking. Nor that Minato had not come to see her purely because even Miya had warned him not to.
Instead she sat and bathed in self-pity and depression. Admittedly with a pretty good excuse for it.
'Arggghh!'
This was even worse then waking up to find herself with an entirely different crotch.
By that point he'd given up his (futile and upsetting) attempts to get winged out of despair, the toilet shift was odd but not too bad, some parts were even improvements. Less problems with tight clothing for one. And hiding reaction from Minato would have been even worse.
'That's right, just keep blabbering away in your head and you won't have to think about the fact that I have a goddamn menstrual cycle!'
Having the...anatomy had been one thing, but this kind of visceral, proof of function. That the change was even in her insides.
'It's deeper then that, how long have I been finding she more natural then he?'
He looked down at himself and saw a woman's body, far from voluptuous, but definitely a woman's curves and lines. A body he once might have found attractive. A body he now felt utterly comfortable in, more comfortable then his old one though that was probably the winging rather then more of his cursed biology.
The winging. Her Ashikabi. A straight man. Who had been giving her the same occasional, unthinking look he gave all but the youngest of his Sekirei. One of attraction concealed even from himself, a shy look, a look she had delighted in, not least because only she seemed to have noticed them yet.
Looks she had started getting around the same time she had first started slipping into actual femininity.
From the one person who had absolute control over her body.
These distracting thoughts found themselves propelled beyond mere distraction by an uncharacteristic rush of anger. A sudden change in mood that had her thinking hard. Even as she sped from her room to another. One also located on the currently empty upper floor of Izumo Inn. One in which the bastard who did this to him for his own desires was hiding from his guilt.
Bursting through the door with a flame in each hand. Homura spoke with deadly restraint, "Well you can't hide from me you lying bastard."
Minato was on the floor, sitting in the middle of it in fact, his eyes snapping open at her entrance. Before he could utter one word of protest. One honeyed, silver-tongued lie and she'd be back to fawning over the lying bastard! Extinguishing one hand he grabbed Minato by his shirt and lifted him from the ground.
Before he could barbecue the bastard he found himself hesitating. What if he was wrong, Minato had told him he was fine as he was-
His throat shivered, mouth starting to form words. Lies! Foregoing the flame he instead struck Minato in the gut twice. Assured he wouldn't be speaking quickly, he threw him across the room. Hard.
Once again finding Minato on the ground before him. Homura stepped lightly over to the wall against which he slumped, the walls of this Inn were pretty tough, she thought they would have been a dent after that. Maybe lying p-p-perverts bounced.
'It's creeping in again! I need to finish this quickly, termination is better then being a slave to this man, to following his lies like a dog. I will live free!'
"Wh-cou-cough, agh."
"What was that Minato? Why? You tell me huh. Let's hear what bile you plan on spilling in my ear this time."
Lifting him up and ruthlessly squashing the horrified concern. The guilt and self-loathing imposed on him by this man. One sentence was all he'd be allowed. Any more and she risked falling back under his spell.
"Wh...What's wrong?"
'What?'
"It's okay Homura, if someone's forcing you to do this it's okay. I forgive you, j-just do it."
Her Ashikabi's eyes were steely with determination at that. Yet they still seemed so soft. Now it was her on the floor before him, her knees unable to support her. Before she could finish collapsing he had her, a trickle of blood down his forehead going ignored as he looked down at her. So gently.
"You're crying Homura, tell me what's wrong."
She was crying, yes, she'd been crying since she first thought of coming here. Since she first thought he might have lied to her. Used her.
That she didn't really mean anything to him.
Stripped of the odd anger that had driven her to his room she vaguely wondered if mood swings meant she was pms-ing. Oh gods.
She was clinging to him now. That it was the second time that day might have bothered her if she hadn't been so lost. Adrift in guilt and fear and disgust and it was her damn body, why couldn't she be left alone. Why'd it have to keep changing. Why couldn't she just get comfortable in her own skin.
'Why dammit!'"Why dammit!"
Her own voice brought her out of it, suddenly left to wonder just how much else she'd been saying aloud without meaning to.
"I'm sorry, I never wanted this for you. Never."
His words stilled the chaos, banished any lingering anger and soothed her fears all at once. If he was here, if he cared then she would get through it. With a jolt she wondered at her luck, her Ashikabi had not bound her to his will. He left her free, that she could even contemplate killing him was proof of that.
The shame came back at that, guilt too. How had she even thought about it. He was better then he had dreamed he would get, so what if there were issues with his gender. Some would have thrown him away for this...
"I'm sorry Minato, no-one is forcing me. I thought you were...you were lying to me, that you were changing me. That you d-didn't c-c-ca...I got angry! I lost control, I can't be forgiven for this, I-"
"You don't need to be forgiven. I can't even...How terrified you must be by this, how you can keep calm most of the time...or at all...I-I can't know. Just know that I'm here for you, and that whatever happens I won't abandon you. Of course I care Homura, you are my precious Sekirei."
His words cut across her own easily, where she spoke with quiet hesitance, his words overflowed with conviction. She realised just how...manly he was at times like this, a wave of love sweeping aside her pain.
Swiping at her eyes she grudgingly struggled from his arms, his head would need to be treated. Oh was she going to get it from the others for this.
'I won't stop them, losing control like that was disgusting. No matter how scared I fe-'
"I'll say I fell down, don't worry about my head, it's just a cut. Do you need anything else."
Or he could completely eliminate the issue, that was a bit much, she had hurt him pretty badly hadn't she?
"I threw you at a wall, I punched you! Hard."
"Oh this is nothing, not compared to what I got when I lived with Yukari. They say teenage girls are tsun tsun then dere dere. She was all tsun. All the damn time."
A careless smile and that was that, Minato'd already forgotten it, already forgiven it completely. How did he do that? How did he just...
'I lose to you again, Sahashi Minato...no, my Ashikabi.'
Shrugging off his concern Homura stood and left the room, promising to make it up to Minato as she left, despite the assurances that wasn't necessary. She walked to her room and closed the door. Sitting once more on her bed, a moment more and she let herself fall back onto it. Lying sprawled atop the covers.
What the hell had been thinking, Minato lying. Minato tricking her. Minato doing this to her for his desires. Nonsense.
No way in heaven or earth it was her Minato doing this to her. He had clung to flames for her. With his life at threat he thought only of her, asked only what was bothering her so much. With women happily clamouring for him to use them as he wished, he still thought only to try and treat them with respect and with love.
He wasn't doing this.
So what was, he had told her she was fine as she was, so why was she still changing, why was it not going back to how she was. Why did she increasingly find herself thinking...well as herself. Being female almost seemed more natural to her now. No, it did seem more natural...
Now she thought about it Minato had not just said she was fine as she was, he had then said she should be as she wanted to be. Kagari-san should be Kagari-san. Or something along those lines, he had told her to be what she wanted to be, he had handed power over her body to her. Given her back control of her life. Given her what no other had ever even thought to.
And so her body had gone from meaning she had less control over her life then any other, to giving her more control then most imagined having.
'So if it is anyone's desires that this form is responding to...'
Thinking back to when he still used Kagari more then Homura in his life at the Inn...
Kagari had found the thought of loving a man alien. Yet he had desperately wanted to love Minato, to hold him tight and never let go. So he had, perhaps, on some level, welcomed the changes. Maybe they would have stopped at the winging and he'd have regressed to a male but he had wanted them not to. Of course as ever he was just as dishonest about his feelings as Tsukiumi, maybe even more so. Yet it remained that he had wanted to become she, to stop feeling that slight revulsion at the thought of holding Minato, the thought he couldn't stop thinking-
So of course he had done it, how could he not have done it when he had that thought imposed on him every moment of the day. The agitation of that thought has him on his feet and pacing. It's not love, it's just enforced obsession. How could it be anything else.
Guarding the unwinged he had seen the pure hearts of Sekirei falling for the very worst of Ashikabi. No sense to it, even they had recognized it as insanity. Was their love just a cruel illusion. A way to make slavery more palatable. Convince them obedience is love. An imposed emotion, never allowing it to bloom for itself.
Why else would anyone serve Higa, a man who openly called his most devoted allies pawns. Who thought them mere game pieces, just for not being human.
Mikogami, another one. The selfish child treated everyone around him like game characters. Shamelessly refused to truly care for them. Who could love that?
Seo, a useless bastard who...is actually pretty good to his Sekirei. Who treats them like precious people...admittedly he's still not very good but that's more due to him being a useless, perverse excuse for a person about ninety percent of the time.
'Thank you again Minato, Tsukiumi definitely didn't deserve him, though he was probably kidding about winging her. No need for...the...electrocution...'
Seo was a good Ashikabi, personal flaws aside. And his Sekirei were most definitely not obedient slaves. Even the more level headed of the two shocked him frequently enough to have killed a lesser man by now. Surely that was not the behaviour of a puppet.
That they stayed with him anyway, that they dealt with his faults, and lived with his issues, shared in the difficulties of them even...was that not love. Real love.
'What was it Kazehana sometimes said; "no logic to it'"..not sure I agree completely. But then this is a woman who pinned her Ashikabi to a bridge and tongued him repeatedly when she was winged. There's no shortage of differences between us. How Minato puts up with her breath for one thing, flowers and a brewery, not the finest scent...'
How did he put up with it, why did he have to. Surely if they were having feelings imposed on them they'd change for him too. Why did Tsukiumi's pride nearly get him killed. Why did Haihane remain battle crazy, or Akitsu as hard to read as ever. Even for Minato that had to be at least a little bit of a hindrance. Why did they stay as they wanted to be...
'Because even for love they won't change who they are. He never tried to enslave them, I wonder if he even could any more...no, he could have twisted me before, but aside from taking the opportunity to give me back to myself...he let me go. Now I'm free forever.'
Her thoughts turned to Karasuba, that psychopath was still not exempt from the rules. From what she had seen of her Ashikabi though he was too...off to have cared to enslave her will. Hell it would probably have dulled her edge too much. So with freedom in hand she had chosen to not care. Which meant...
We do have a decision.
'And I chose him, forever...I did, I really...chose him...not that I'd ever admit it...'
Unable to deal with his feelings, for once unable to stand being dishonest about them. Stuck between a path he couldn't take and a retreat he wouldn't ever take. He changed himself to fit the better choice.
He could not deal with holding Minato so he started wanting to be held. She even started thinking of herself as a woman at some imperceptible point. She hadn't really changed, hell even most of the male mannerisms she had held remained. Aside from her body the largest change was simply one of being honest about her feelings. Of letting herself accept those feelings, it had taken more then it could've to do so but she was happy with this.
The snort that left her at the next thought in this runaway train was unmistakably unfeminine.
'It's really proof that I'm free. I never wanted to be gay, to feel like my body didn't match my lover's. And my feelings weren't changed, my love refused to do it, so I became what I wanted to be without changing the most important thing.'
She looked again at the body that she would once have found attractive and smiled brilliantly.
'Myself'
Sighing to herself Homura stood from her bed with a new resolve. She looked to her computer for a moment then dismissed it as too likely to give bad information and thought for a moment more. Miya, she would ask Miya for what to do*, reliable information and utter discretion. It was about time she dealt with this. With that thought and the beginnings of a list of what to do forming in her head she felt better already. Now calm and collected, as she had tried to be since the moment he was born, Homura walked out the door of her room and went down to eat.
First Feather; Blood
*-Homura found Miya to be the ideal educator on 'womanly concerns' indeed she was so calmed by this that, when Minato came in looking for Miya to pass on a message, she only punched him halfway across the room. She even managed to remember that she was fully clothed and a quiet speaker -meaning there was no need to try and cover herself and she could stop sniffling in humiliation-...a few seconds after she had made it to her room and slammed the door.
Now before anyone starts flaming with "you're a homophobic raarrrghh!" Let me make something clear. I'm asexual, for me to have the slightest problem with Homosexuality would be kinda...insane, my inclinations (or rather lack of them) is rather more "unnatural" after all. The body not matching their lovers thing is simply what I made up for Homura. Because on the one hand I don't see him as being homophobic, but on the other hand he obviously doesn't want to be gay. Which is understandable. Most people like staying as they are.
A lot of this was to try and express my little theory on the mentality of Homura while also making a nice little lovey dovey oneshot. And come on, who else finds this idea hilarious XD. I also want to make clear that the violence was waved not because it was girl on guy/guy on guy/wtf on guy, but because it was done by someone in a frankly terrifying position. You remember puberty. Or maybe you're still in it. Well Imagine going backwards through it, then going through it again but for the other gender. Without having made any conscious decision on the matter.
I think I'd be a little unstable too, also a joke on mod swings. Who else hates living with women at that time of the month XD
As always, hope you enjoyed this, read and...well you've obviously read already. So uh...review...pwease.
