Hello once again dear readers and welcome to the third chapter of "Towards Blue Skies"! I am happy that my readers have stuck by me even with my long posting periods, but I am trying to work something out where I can get more content out sooner. Anyway this chapter found me in a rather tight spot…so it will be more or less more AU stuff, since the third prologue chapter introduces Yukari in the manga and well…that's not in our story just yet. However it does contain many scenes where Minato runs into his future partners, so I figured I'd do the same.
This chapter will be the conclusion to the opening act, and after that we can finally get under way. The plot of this is well…filler! Elijah bumps into a few more of his Sekirei (he's already got two and met one). Chronos is up to no good either, and Elijah and Kuruse go to deal with another Hyper-Zoanoid. Finally the tension is too much for Kuruse and she makes a move on Eli?! Well tune in and story start!
Last time on Towards Blue Skies
"I love dog piles!" Musubi shouted as she dove into the duo, landing on top of Kuruse, which pushed her further into Elijah. Kuruse blushed at the contact with her Ashikabi, but Elijah's mind was already heading toward the gutter, and she smacked him as she began to feel his joy.
"Sorry," he muttered, but she just smiled, taking solace in the fact that her Ashikabi found her appealing. She just kissed him on the cheek and the three got up. "So are you girls hungry, because I could go for some breakfast." Then, what sounded like a large bear roaring, a sound emitted from Musubi's stomach. "I'll take that as a yes; well let's see what we have here…" Elijah then began digging around for food.
'He really is something else,' Kuruse thought to herself, 'I am lucky to have him as an Ashikabi, and even if I have to share him with Musubi, I think I can be happy…'
Moto Abazu Place
A few days later
'No, no that can't be right. How did the lady on TV do it?' A sudden crash filled the room as a mixing bowl full of ingredients fell to the floor. The noise caught the attention of one of the resident's and he bolted into the kitchen to find a blonde woman covered in a sauce on floor in a heap.
"Kuruse, what on earth are you doing in here?" 20-year-old Elijah Vargas asked his Sekirei. The 54th Sekirei looked up at her Ashikabi and blushed.
"I was trying to make lunch for us by watching a cooking show. If I am to be a proper wife by your human standards, I think I should learn how to cook," she replied to her Ashikabi. Elijah just shook his head and sighed at his Sekirei.
"If you really want to learn, I can show you sometime," Elijah told his Sekirei, who cocked her head to the side and was awaiting an explanation from him. "Well when I was all alone with my father, I had to learn skills to survive and I guess when I inherited my trust, I just delved into it a bit more is all."
"Your father really isn't something you bring up much. What was he like?" Kuruse asked innocently enough. Elijah stiffened up a bit at the question, but answered her none-the-less.
"He was a good man…he had a strong sense of right and wrong; he was my hero as a kid, but I quickly grew out of that when he was taken by that bastard and his little Zoanoid pet," Elijah growled out. Kuruse's eyes widened at her Ashikabi's ferocity, but then recomposed her features. "That's the reason I really don't ever talk about him, is because of what Chronos did to him, no my entire family. Ever since the Guyver unit found its way into my life, I've lost my sister and mother, then my father."
"So there is a chance that your sister and mother are still alive? Why haven't you been out looking for them?" Kuruse demanded of her Ashikabi. The man gave her a sharp look and it quickly deflated the fifty-fourth Sekirei.
"You don't think I haven't been looking for them? That's the entire reason I even came to Japan. My father told me the story of how he and my mother had first met. He was sent out by the American counter-intelligence agency and ended up crossing paths with my mother who then worked for a small branch of the National Police Agency, under the guise of a small pharmaceutical company that was stationed near the Shin district in Tokyo," Elijah explained to his Sekirei, who was listening intently. "That is why I came here in the first place…so I can find my mother. Katami Vargas." Suddenly Musubi came bounding into the room out of nowhere.
"Did someone mention Takami?" Both Kuruse and Elijah stared at the young Sekirei, and this caused her to look down. Currently Musubi was standing in the kitchen wearing nothing more than a pair of white panties. Sighing heavily, Elijah addressed her.
"Musubi, what did I tell you about modesty?" The young Sekirei quirked her head at her Ashikabi.
"That I should try to protect it!" The Sekirei replied diligently, causing Elijah to nod before he continued.
"And what aren't you doing now?" He asked her. She thought for a moment and then gasped as she pieced the puzzle together. She then covered her bust and ran out of the room. Elijah looked over at Kuruse, who was looking at the ground muttering something that he didn't quite catch. After a few moments, Musubi returned to the room wearing her normal garb and then sat before her Ashikabi. "Isn't that better now?"
"Yes, thank you Ashikabi!" Elijah just rolled his eyes, and addressed her again.
"So who is this Takami that you mentioned before, Musubi?" The young Sekirei thought for a moment, and then grinned.
"She was my adjuster before Mr. Minaka released me with the others. She is the head researcher at MBI, and I think that one of the other Sekirei told me that she's responsible for picking up the bodies of defeated Sekirei," the Sekirei explained, but this only served to further confuse the man.
"Wait, wait. This woman is the head researcher of MBI, and she's also your adjuster? What does that term mean, Musubi?" The eighty-eighth was about to explain, but Kuruse beat her to it.
"Well before we Sekirei were born, and I use that term loosely by human standards, our powers were so great that Minaka had his scientists 'adjust' us, so that our bodies could handle the power and that we'd be able to compete in this damn game of his. That is what the adjuster is for. As far as Takami goes, I've heard of her before, but like Musubi said, she's only dispatched to oversee the retrieval of the defeated Sekirei." 'Interesting,' Elijah thought to himself before speaking.
"Well then perhaps she could be useful to me in trying to gather information, but if she only comes out when there's a Sekirei battle, I guess we'll need to go find another Ashikabi and convince him to do battle. Come on girls." Not waiting for an answer, Elijah put on a coat and headed out the door. Musubi and Kuruse looked at one another and then proceeded to follow their Ashikabi.
Motoakasaka District
Thirty minutes later
After picking up a tip from a few low-lives that were wandering the street, Elijah had gathered that many people avoided this place due to its seeming reputation of street fights. While this was normal in the lower parts of Tokyo, what set them aside was that the thugs had said who the combatants were. Namely, scantily clad, buxomous women whose wielded weapons of giant proportions or were said to command nature.
So that is why the trio was now standing in the middle of a rundown city park, just hoping some naïve Ashikabi would take the bait and start a battle. After what seemed like hours, Elijah saw a teenage boy with blond hair, wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. However it was the person who was following him that piqued the Guyver's interest. She stood about the same height as Kuruse, but had black hair and was dressed in a sleeveless, red turtle-neck that had a large '44' emblazoned on the front. She donned black pants and red arm warmers that matched the material of her top. The duo didn't seem to notice the trio, so Elijah decided to make his presence known.
"Excuse me, sir," Elijah called out to the other Ashikabi, "is this where I can find the local Ashikabi?" The teen looked over at Elijah, and glared.
"Depends on who's asking," the young man said brazenly. Elijah smirked at the fire in the teenager, and then decided to fuel it a bit more.
"Who else would be looking for an Ashikabi besides another Ashikabi? If you're that dense, then I don't think my girls should waste their time here. Come along Kuruse, Musubi, we're leaving." As the Sekirei looked at one another, they simply followed their Ashikabi, until the teenager moved to intercept Elijah, who just smiled slightly.
"Whoa there, where do you think you're going?" The teen sneered to the older man.
"I believe that I will be heading home now and continue my search for an opponent at a later date." This only served to further enrage the teen.
"I obviously have a Sekirei, and so do you, and you don't think you can just come into my territory and insult me, then expect to just walk away, do you? I don't think so, so prepare to lose your Sekirei because I haven't been beaten yet! Let's go Yosuga, and show them what you're made of." The raven-haired Sekirei nodded to her Ashikabi.
"As you wish Keito!" She then looked to Elijah apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I need to obey my master, nothing personal." Before Elijah could respond, Kuruse stepped up and did for him.
"Funny I was going to say the same to you forty-four. I am number fifty-four, Kuruse," she said proudly, and then Musubi moved beside her, also in front of Elijah.
"And I'm number eighty-eight, Musubi; I hope we all try our best!" The busty shrine girl stated. The three Sekirei took fighting positions, as the two Ashikabi stepped back to let their girls go to work. Yosuga lunged for Kuruse, but she was interrupted by Musubi, who launched forward and slammed her across the cheek with a sucker punch. The forty-fourth went flying and bounced until she collided with a stone wall. Yosuga drug herself up and ran back toward Musubi. The younger Sekirei met her charge and their firsts collided. A massive shockwave was expelled and pushed both Ashikabi back. 'I had no idea Musubi had that kind of power.' Elijah mused to himself as he watched the unfolding battle.
Yosuga had pinned Musubi to the ground and was about to deliver a fatal attack, until spears began raining down from the sky. They nicked at Yosuga's flesh, causing many cuts to appear along her body, and they began cutting her clothing. Number forty-four looked up to see Kuruse flying right at her brandishing a spear. Yosuga jumped out of the way, and Kuruse's spear slammed into the ground. Musubi and Kuruse rushed at their opponent and did a double team.
Kuruse summoned multiple spears and forced Yosuga on the defensive, but as the older Sekirei dodged the spears, she was blindsided by a flying punch from Musubi. The two power types collided, and Yosuga was sent flying into the ground. Musubi flipped over her, and landed neatly. Kuruse took the opportunity while the forty-fourth was down, to conjure up another spear in her hand. Elijah smirked at his blonde Sekirei, knowing what she was planning. Yosuga drug herself from the small crater she had made just in time to see a blonde blur try to run her through.
Kuruse inwardly cursed as she missed her target. Yosuga jumped up from the crouch that had saved her neck from Kuruse's spear, and she kicked off from the ground. With a fist extended, she rammed into Kuruse, sending the spear-wielder crashing to the side. Elijah gritted his teeth at the display, but then smirked as he saw Musubi. The young fighter rushed the older fighter, and the two bodies collided once more. Kuruse jumped up from where she was and joined in the fray. In a flurry of motion, the two Sekirei teamed up on Yosuga, Kuruse brandishing her spear in a blur to keep the forty-fourth on edge, and Musubi landing the actual hits while the eldest Sekirei's guard was down.
Yosuga was knocked down repeatedly by the same tactic, but a slip-up on Musubi's part allowed the Sekirei to make a sound retreat to her Ashikabi, and Elijah's eyes widened slightly as he realized their plan.
"Musubi, Kuruse, I don't think they should be the only ones to have all the fun, don't you agree?" His two Sekirei instantly got the message and ran to his side, ready to activate their respective Noritos. Elijah leaned in and first kissed Kuruse, and the blonde let out a happy sigh. She jumped back from her Ashikabi, and yelled out her pledge.
"Spear of my contract! Strike down the woes of my Ashikabi!" The golden energy that she used to summon her spears emitted from her palm, and she called out the name of another spear. "Sleg de Lug!" A wooden staffed spear appeared in her hand. The blade of it was set off by a giant ring of metal, which was connected to the pole. Hanging from the ring were a few leaves and feathers. Elijah didn't seem to recognize this spear, but nonetheless it appeared to be powerful. Next, he pulled Musubi into a kiss, which sent the eighty-eighth's heart soaring, but made the fifty-fourth's blood boil. Musubi's wings emerged from her back and began to glow a brilliant white.
"Fist of my contract! Break the unhappiness of my Ashikabi!" she shouted, and while it didn't seem to be an attack, an aura appeared around the Sekirei, which seemed to boost her own powers. 'I see. So Musubi's Norito seems to boost her strengths, just like Kuruse's, but Kuruse's Norito is an actual upping of her normal powers, I wonder if Musubi's is like that or just an increase in sheer physical skill,' Elijah thought to himself as the enemy called out her attack.
"These are the arms of my pledge. Seize and bind the enemies of my Ashikabi!" Yosuga called out, as an aura emitted from her as well, although it seemed to stay just around her arms. The time for talking was done, as the three women charged into battle once more.
Musubi punched the earth below her and giant chunk of the ground upheaved and created a barrier between the Sekirei. Kuruse brandished Sleg de Lug and slashed at Yosuga. The forty-fourth went to block with her arms, but the spear sliced across her chest, apparently ignoring all of her defenses. Musubi took advantage of Yosuga's dropped guard to move in and slam her with a punch. She went sailing due to the sheer power of Musubi's punch, and Kuruse was on the downed Sekirei in a heartbeat. She stabbed the spear down, but by sheer luck Yosuga managed to roll out of the way in time. Kuruse gritted her teeth and slammed the butt of the spear into the forty-fourth's head causing Yosuga to fade in and out of consciousness.
"I'm sorry for this, but it must be done," Elijah said honestly to Keito, the other Ashikabi. The younger man looked at him in question, but then he saw the dark regret on Elijah's face. "Finish it, Kuruse." The blonde Sekirei bent down to Yosuga, and touched a place on the back of her neck. It began to glow.
"Spear of my pact! Impale the sins that hinder my Ashikabi!" Kuruse shouted out. 'Her prayer is different in this…I wonder why that is.' A blinding light came from the base of Yosuga's neck and in a flash it was gone. The forty-fourth slumped over, terminated. Keito rushed over to his downed Sekirei and then glared at Elijah.
"You bastard! Why did you have to do this to her?" Elijah looked at the young teen sternly and shook his head.
"You challenged me; you knew full well the consequences of losing. How do you think the other Ashikabi felt after you defeated their Sekirei? I am only doing what you were trying to do. Win." Elijah turned away from the man, and walked over to his two girls.
"Eli, what did you say to that boy?" Kuruse asked him.
"I simply told him that he shouldn't be so full of hate toward me. He knew full well going into this tournament that he could lose her," her Ashikabi replied without emotion. Kuruse eyed him for a moment, but Musubi rushed to his side.
"That's a horrible thing to say! Even though she was our enemy, we still must feel sorrow for the loss that boy has just had!" the young Sekirei pleaded with Elijah, but he shook his head.
"Showing sympathy toward him would do no one any good. For now, we stay with her body as the rules say, and when the recovery team comes, I want a few words with this Takami woman."
Half-an-hour later
Elijah and his two Sekirei looked towards the skies as a low rumble filled the area. The Guyver squinted and could make out a Chinook helicopter flying in the distance. As the aircraft neared the three moved to the area it would be touching down. After a few more moments, the craft landed in a clearing near the battle site and a back cargo hatch extended downward before various people dressed in all white rushed to the body of Yosuga.
"So where is Takami at, Musubi?" Elijah asked his younger Sekirei. Musubi simply pointed to the ramp of the Chinook, and a woman in black trousers with a white collared shirt, black tie, all under a white lab coat. She had short, grey hair and a cigarette in her hands. Elijah eyed the woman for a long while, something seemed so familiar about her, but he couldn't place his finger on it.
"Ah, hello Musubi, I didn't think I'd be running into you so soon after your release. How did you fare against number forty-four?" Musubi's adjuster asked the young Sekirei. The shrine girl smiled cutely at the older woman.
"Oh! It was amazing, the rush of the battle was so crazy, and it left me feeling great! I couldn't have done it without Kuruse, though!" Musubi gushed to the MBI employee. Kuruse put her hand on her neck and laughed nervously.
"Ah, number fifty-four, how are you holding up?" Takami asked Kuruse seriously. Kuruse moved closely to Elijah, perhaps unknowingly, and smiled briefly.
"I've done well since I've found my Ashikabi. We've only been partnered for a short while, but this man is amazing. He's taken good care of Musubi and I. I'm both proud and glad to call him my Ashikabi," Kuruse replied happily. Elijah looked down and saw she had entwined his arm within hers, and he looked at Takami. "Well, Eli, aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"Ah yes, where are my manners," Elijah said, snaking his arm out of Kuruse's grasp, much to her dismay, and offered his hand to Takami. "I am Elijah, Ashikabi of these two Sekirei. I actually had a few questions about the tournament, which your employer failed to answer for me."
"If it does not break the confidentiality of my position, I will gladly answer any questions you may have, but I'm sorry I didn't catch your last name." She responded, shaking his hand in the process. 'Now why on earth would she want to know that, but it couldn't hurt to tell. Minaka already has my name on file, so I doubt it would make much difference if I didn't tell her.' Elijah thought before replying.
"My full name is Elijah Vargas." Takami's eyes widened significantly before she seemed to distance herself from the conversation, lost in thought. Elijah looked at his two Sekirei, before looking back at the other woman. "Excuse me, Takami, are you alright?" That seemed to bring her back to reality.
"Ah I'm sorry; I just seemed to remember that I need to take care of something over with the staff. If you'll be on your way now, I will contact you at a later date." The woman stood impatiently waiting for the group to leave.
"Of course, please be in touch soon," was all Elijah said, before he turned away from Takami and began to walk away from the researcher. Kuruse and Musubi were quickly in tow.
"Oh Samuel…what happened to our boy…"Takami whispered breathlessly, almost too quietly for human ears to pick up on. She stared longingly after the man as he walked away before joining the other MBI staff to tend to the downed Yosuga.
Moto Abazu Place
Later that night
Elijah paced back and forth across the living room while Musubi and Kuruse sat silently on the couch, watching their Ashikabi carefully. For nearly two hours, Elijah had mulled over what they were going to do about the tournament. Takami had not been helpful at all, a point Elijah kept bringing up, for Musubi to always defend. Elijah stopped moving after a few more minutes and looked over to his Sekirei.
"Well, what do you think we should do? We've got no idea the time frame or the stages of this tournament, and yet all we've come up with is fight and survive. There must be something we can do to gather information, but as of late, all our leads turn up bad." Elijah looked at Kuruse.
"What I think, Eli, is that we just need to play it by ear, and keep our eyes open for new information. Things like this will resolve quickly, and while I'm not saying we must keep seeking out fighting, we can at least be on the lookout for either new Sekirei that have yet to be winged, or for other potential threats that can be taken down quickly."
"That sounds like a good plan, but we always need to be ready in case of an attack, from anyone." Kuruse knew full well who he meant by anyone, "I suggest that until we figure out something solid, we just do as Kuruse suggested and play it by ear. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, Musubi could you do something for me?"
"Yes Ashikabi?" Musubi asked excitedly. She hadn't been able to contribute much to the planning, but she would do whatever was asked of her now. Elijah smirked slightly at her enthusiasm to help.
"I need to take care of our financial matters now, and we have nothing to prepare for dinner, would you mind going to the market and fetching something for us to dine on?" Musubi nodded swiftly before she moved to door, and was preparing to leave. "Forgetting something?" Elijah flashed some yen in his hands before he walked over and handed it to her. "Nothing fancy tonight, some rice and perhaps a small chicken dish will be all."
"I'll do my best!" Musubi pulled Elijah into a quick, strong embrace and bolted out the door. Elijah watched her sprint from the building and out in the direction of the market district. Kuruse observed her Ashikabi in silence for a few moments before getting up to stand with him.
"What financial matters do you have to take care of now, Eli?" Kuruse asked, remembering he had to balance an account a few weeks back to cover some damages from their first encounter with Chronos.
"The organization that I work with is asking for a donation from me so they can expand their operations in Japan. They are called Zeus' Thunderbolts, and in return for my donations, we can expect at least in the future, aid and more information from them." Elijah moved to a desk with a computer set up on it, and took a chair in front of the device and began working away. Kuruse, bored of the lack of attention, moved to stand next to Elijah.
"So how much are you giving them?" Kuruse asked, trying to get Elijah's attention once more. The Guyver looked up at her briefly before returning to the screen.
"Over the next five years? Roughly ¥480 billion, I'm not too sure yet. They may ask for more, but the contract we have now is that amount for access to their databases and limited troops when approved."
"That seems like an awful lot of money to be throwing at an organization that you have little dealings with," Kuruse said skeptically. Elijah shook his head, still facing the screen.
"My father's grandfather had managed to strike a rare substance one day while mining at the location of what now is my family's old estate. It is an uncommon chemical compound that the Brazilian government uses in for primarily military purposes. When I became of age, two years ago, I was contacted by a representative from their government and they were claiming eminent domain over the estates so they could mine when they needed."
"Is that where all this money you have keeps coming from? The Brazilian government?" Kuruse asked Elijah, he nodded.
"While that is correct, they did not just seize my estate. We worked out a compromise instead. When it was all said and done, I divvied up the land between myself and the government. I had given them the most rich deposits as long as I could keep a few miles of the mountains and the estates, to which the agreed. The compensation for the land was an annual percentage of various incomes of the national government that dealt in military or anything else that was a direct product of the compound."
"I understand now. So what do you do with all that money, even a small percentage of it must be astounding?"
"I sort it out through various assets and trusts. I have a major bank account in a few major cities of the world, due to travel, and what not. Now then that this is taken care of, what shall we do until Musubi returns?" Kuruse jumped into his lap and looked at him shyly. Elijah eyed her oddly. "What are you doing?"
"Sitting with my Ashikabi, is that alright with you?" Kuruse asked childishly. He smirked at her, nodding.
"I don't see any issues with it, but I doubt you want to start anything before Musubi gets back," Elijah warned, causing Kuruse to pout slightly. "Cheer up, at least we still share a bed, and you're my first Sekirei, you'll always have that."
"You're right…you always are, so then what do you think-" Kuruse was interrupted by an alert that appeared on the computer screen. In a black box, a jumbled string of a few letters and many numbers appeared. "What is that, Eli?" The Guyver instantly moved to get up, holding onto Kuruse so she wouldn't fall.
"They're coördinates," was all he said, before he moved out the door quickly. "Kuruse, you're with me." Kuruse nodded, all business, before she followed her Ashikabi to their destination. 'Hopefully Musubi doesn't get too worried.' Kuruse thought.
Tsukuiko Shiroyama Park, Kanagawa
Elijah, who had donned the Guyver armor, sped along the forest floor, Kuruse keeping pace in his flank. As they slowed down, Elijah noted that they had arrived at the given coördinates. He looked around and saw absolutely nothing.
"What on earth are we doing nearly two hours from home, Eli? What did those coördinates mean?"
"They were sent by a contact of mine in the Thunderbolts, and he is never wrong. He informed me of Chronos the last time we fought. They must be up to something around here; otherwise we wouldn't have gotten them at all. We just need to look around." The orbs atop Elijah's skull began to whir around with activity. A strong electric current nearby was causing an effect in the electromagnetic waves of the area, and Elijah picked up on it instantly. "This way."
Kuruse followed Elijah, who held up his hand for her to stop as they slowed. They were on the edge of a small cliff and it overlooked a shrine. Down in the shrine was a bald man of small build, standing among a team of Gregole. Elijah scanned the area and noticed they seemed to be setting up an apparatus, communications probably. The solidarity of this shrine combined with the height of the mountain made it the perfect place.
"What do we do, Eli? We can't go storming in there, those guys look pretty tough," Kuruse commented.
"You're right. You could probably hand the Gregole. Their bark is worse than their bite, trust me. That other man…he must be a Hyper-Zoanoid since they seem to be listening to him, yet he still remains in a Chronos uniform, not the garments of a Zoalord. If we are to attack them, then we need stealth. I will infiltrate their ranks, and then wait for my attack. Strafe the area with your spears, and then we go from there. Got it?" Kuruse nodded. Elijah concentrated and his armor rippled slightly before it molded into its battle form. "New trick, you like it?"
"That way…you don't put out the light when you change your armors, good thinking. Anything else new you can do?" Elijah nodded, and then suddenly thousands upon millions of little reflective pieces in his armor began to shimmer, and suddenly he had disappeared from sight "Show off."
Down the hill
A few moments later
"Elegen, where do you want us to put these?" A large Gregole asked its leader. The small bald man shook his head in annoyance.
"With the other parts, then get to sorting them. The Doctor wanted this site ready to go by sun up. If we fail, it's your hides, not mine, so get a move on!" The man shouted at the team of Zoanoids. The beasts picked up their pace, but when the ground around the shrine suddenly caught fire, the Gregole moved inward, ready to fend off the unknown adversary. "Who is there?" Elegen called out to the air.
"My name is no concern of yours, Zoanoid, but you should be afraid. I don't like what you're doing in my country, and I'm here to make sure that this device never makes it to activation." Elijah blurred into view as he disengaged his camouflage. Elegen took a hard look at the new armor.
"Ah, you must be Elijah Vargas. Dr. Barcas will be pleased to have your head on a platter alongside the launch of this machine." Elegen then suddenly began to twist, until he morphed into his Hyper-Zoanoid form. He stood a bit taller, a slim blue eel like creature with six tentacles buzzing with electricity. 'Great, bio-electrics.' Elijah thought.
"So you know, who I am, and yet you still want to fight. Intel must be horrible in Chronos; otherwise they would have told you how I killed the entire platoon at the docks a few weeks ago, except that bastard Derzerb got away."
"It doesn't matter what you did to that platoon, these Gregole are newly optimized with the latest technology from Chronos, and they are more than enough to handle you. I hardly doubt you can take us all on." Spears suddenly began raining from the sky into the ranks of the Gregole. Some pierced the hides others simple plunged into the earth, shattering the stone of the shrine floor.
"He's not alone," Kuruse said as she jumped down beside Elijah. "Are you ready, Eli?" The Guyver nodded wordlessly, and the two lunged for the company of Zoanoids. Elijah activated the four high-frequency blades on his arms and began slashing at any and all things in his way. He plowed through the Zoanoids, and made his way straight to Elegen. The Hyper-Zoanoid's tentacles rocketed outward and latched onto the Guyver. He began to pump electricity into Elijah. Kuruse saw this, generated a spear, and threw it at the blue creature. Distracted, Elegen stopped his discharge in time to dodge the incoming projectile. Eli took the moment to slice at Elegen's appendages and free himself.
Elijah fired his head-beam at the Hyper-Zoanoid, but it was having no effect at all. Elijah remembered Elegen not even flinching at the flames of his initial entrance. 'He must be immune to flame…' Elijah's armor suddenly shuddered as the material of the suit shifted into something else. The Hyper-Zoanoid whipped his electrified tentacles at the Guyver, but when one struck Elijah the electricity was quickly routed through the Guyver's armor and into the ground.
"What the hell? That should have incapacitated you!" Elegen shouted in anger, but Elijah tackled the raging monster, and the two tumbled down the hill. Kuruse saw this and moved to help, but a Gregole blocked her path. Kuruse brandished her spear and rammed the beast through the chest. She jumped backwards onto another's back, leapt off the air, and as she came down she generated two spears and slammed them into the impaled one's shoulder blades, disabling the thing completely. The summoned a massive collecting above her head, and aimed them at the remaining Gregole.
After nearly a minute onslaught of launching spears, she stopped and saw that all but a few had been taken care of. She generated a spear in her hands and moved swiftly to take care of the stragglers. 'I hope Elijah's alright.'
As the two modified humans tumbled down the hillside, Elijah began punching at the beast in all the normal puncture points. Elegen jumped up from Elijah and began to hover in the air with the aid of his tentacles. The Guyver activated the gravity-controller on his belt and began firing his pressure cannon at the Hyper-Zoanoid.
Elegen flitted about in the air, dodging the incoming fire of the localized miniature black-holes. Elijah switched tactics and flew into the air at blinding speeds, taking the eel-like Zoanoid by surprise. Elijah's armor began to glow a very deep purple, and he slowly began to try and rip the Hyper-Zoanoid in half. As the beast cried out in pain, Elijah felt good. 'Too good, what is this armor doing to me?' Elijah stopped what he was doing and instead ended Elegen swiftly. He pelted the beast with his sonic oscillators and after a few moments he was no more.
Elijah flew up the hill and saw that Kuruse had finished the others off. He nodded promptly and fired his head-beam across the machine and its parts. It exploded soundly as the sun was beginning to rise in the east. Kuruse ran over to Elijah as he disengaged his armor. She tackled him in a running hug.
"Oh thank God, you're alright!" Kuruse cried out as she embraced her Ashikabi. Elijah pulled himself up along with Kuruse, and looked down at her.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be? You've seen me fight and the new armor seems to react to danger and tries to defend me automatically by adjusting itself. I doubt it'll be much on large scale, but the electric attacks were easy enough. What is this about Kuruse?" The blonde woman blushed and looked at the ground.
"It's just…I can't hold in these feelings anymore Eli! Ever since you winged me, this passion and everything kept welling up inside of me, and I don't know what to do with myself. I know you can handle yourself, but I still worried when I fought those things. I just can't stand the thought of losing my Ashikabi in battle. We were taught that the Ashikabi stay on the side lines, nothing more. This goes against everything we were taught and plus…ever since Musubi came into our lives also, it just seems time between us is little aside from anything related to the stupid Sekirei Plan."
"Kuruse, I know that it has been difficult to adjust to the situation, especially with Chronos becoming more active as the game progresses. I don't know why they are moving now, but we need to be on our guard, and sometimes our relationship falls to the way side. I don't mean for it too, I haven't really had anyone in my life for six years, and suddenly I have two. It's been tough to make time for you guys, but I try I promise you that. Please forgive me," Elijah responded.
"There's nothing to forgive, Ashikabi," Kuruse whispered, still in his embrace, and he in hers. "I understand, and will try to cope with this new situation, but that doesn't mean that I won't stop loving you or being your Sekirei, ever, got it buster?" Elijah smiled genuinely at the woman before him, and he nodded.
"Yes ma'am," he replied, and she swatted him on the arm. He chuckled and then grabbed her tighter and pulled her close to his face. "That wasn't very nice, Sekirei."
"E-Elijah…what are you doing?" Kuruse gulped out as she blushed from the his face. The Guyver smirked boyishly and engaged her in a kiss. Kuruse's blush deepened, but she reciprocated, and her golden wings burst from her back and the sunrise was a perfect accent to the golden aura given off from the kiss. "Well, that was nice…"
"I agree," the man said softly, he then looked around them and then saw the time. "So are you ready to get out of here…I bet Musubi will have a fit when we get home." Kuruse laughed at the joke, and Elijah suited up once more, and the two took off toward town to catch the train back to Moto-Abazu.
Moto Abazu Place
Two hours later
After the long train ride back from Kanagawa, the couple arrived at their home. Musubi was asleep on the floor, a bowl of half-eaten rice sitting next to her. Elijah rolled his eyes as he shifted the shrine girl up onto the couch, and he carried the bowl to sink. He saw the left overs on the table, as did Kuruse, and he began to prepare them.
Kuruse's stomach growled loudly as the smell of food filled the air that morning. Elijah set out two places on the kitchen island and they began to eat the food in a content silence. The Guyver watched his partner eat her fill and smiled. She saw him looking at her, and she blushed slightly, but smiled back at him. The two finished in quiet and after a quick rinse of the dishes the two retired to their room for sleep, even though the morning light was shining through the windows.
As the door shut to their room, Musubi stirred on the couch and looked around the apartment. 'Ashikabi must still be gone…' she thought tiredly before rolling onto her side and falling asleep once reigned in the home once more.
Well…that's it for this chapter. I promised in my early notes that we meet other Sekirei, but the battle fit my purposes more, as did the explanation of the fiscal resources. This will come into play later on, as will the mysterious substance buried deep under the Vargas Estate. Anyway, thanks for being patient with me. I don't even know how many people follow this story, but thank you if you do. R&R!