Acts of Faith

Chapter 4 – Shaken Faith

(Maison Izumo – Back Yard)

The sound of someone training began drawing a small crowd. Miya arrived first and watched as one of their newest tenants was trying to put herself through a small training exercise. The girl had potential, but she didn't have a clear knowledge of how to use it. Instead her movements were rigid, straight lined, and lacking a good deal of the focus they needed. It was almost like watching Musubi all over again. There was a grace to it, but it needed to be directed. She walked out and cleared her throat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think that I would bother anyone out here," Takara said as she bowed lightly.

"You're not. I was watching you practice," she answered.

"I want to protect him. I've been too weak before. Every time he stepped in and made certain that I would be fine. It's my fault he was so hurt," Takara said as she looked at the ground.

Miya shook her head and looked up at the sky for a minute.

"It wasn't your fault. Believe me, I understand what it feels like to walk with that kind of burden. To think, to wonder if what had happened was caused by some action you didn't take. All I can tell you is that regardless of what you may or may not think it was love, true love that made him do what he did," Miya replied.

"I still should have been the one fighting. He stepped in to save me the first time. I was being chased by another Sekirei who wanted to bring me to her master. I ran from her for what seemed like hours until I finally ran into him. He heard her shout and jump toward me. Without any hesitation he stepped in front of her and took the blast of ice she shot toward me. He shielded me by using himself," she said.

(Shinto Teito – Industrial district – a month ago)

She ran hard down the alleyway. The ice powered Sekirei had nearly caught her before, and now she was nearing her again.

"I will not fail in my mission. To fail is to be thrown away, again, and I will not be thrown away again," she said.

Before anything could be said in reply ice formed around Takara. She felt the coldness of it creep up her legs and stop at her hips. The sekirei chasing her walked toward her. There was a cold determination in her eyes. It was almost like looking into a dark lifeless void. There would be no mercy there, no chance of appealing to any form of humanity, instead there was every reason to try and get away.

"My master desires to have you in his collection," Akitsu said.

"No, please, he is not my Ashikabi," Takara replied.

"You do not know if he is or isn't, but it does not matter," Akitsu said as she began to prepare to encase Takara in ice completely.

She brought her had back and threw the blast of cold air only to have it land on the back of a man dressed in black. The man flexed his back causing the ice to break and fall off. He turned to face her. Takara watched as the two of them battled. He moved with the same speed and grace that the sekirei had moved with. In the end he knocked her out, broke the ice from Takara's legs and hips.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She felt it as she looked at him. Her sekirei symbol was burning, the intense connection forming between the two of them, and all of it began hitting her at the same time. She reached out and touched his hand.

"Ashikabi-sama," she said.

He looked questioning at her for a moment before she reached up and touched his cheek.

"You are my Ashikabi-sama. You are meant to make me emerge," she said.

She leaned in toward him. The smell of him filled her nose, and she let her lips touch his own.

(Present time - Maison Izumo – Back Yard)

Miya listened as Takara finished telling her about meeting her Ashikabi. She smiled and touched the girl's hand.

"Your wish to protect him is a good one, and if you wish I will help train you," she said.

Miya watched as Takara ran toward her. She touched a stone and her entire arm became like that stone. It moved, reflected, and acted like a normal arm, but it was no composed of the stone she had touched. She swung it at Miya who blocked it simply with her sword and then kicked Takara back with ease.

"You're an elemental type. It's a rare power, and a wonderful gift, but you need to learn how to use it throughout yourself. Your power needs to be able to flow freely. You want to be able to direct your power like that of water. It can be still, calm, and peaceful at one moment, and in the next moment it can pour down in a torrent. Once you can make your power do that you will be a formidable force," she said.

(AN: This is a shorter chapter, but a short chapter is better than no chapter. I wanted to do a little backstory, explain the meeting between Takara and Jason. And I also felt that I needed to establish Takara's power. The idea of an elemental sekirei sounded really awesome. The ability to copy the strengths of an element by tactile contact is amazing. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea of the fight that will eventually happen. Not to mention we've still got to wonder who the informant is in the Church. What will happen next? Will the game change thanks to these new players? Continue to read and review true believers.

-LF)