A/N: Hello everyone; I'm back with another chapter for you all. I would first like to apologize for the late update. I've just been having writer's block for some reason. Hopefully, it should be over, but I could really use your help with ideas. Just leave one in a review or pm like you always do and I will deeply appreciate it. Thanks for listening; and now, let us begin.
Ice Chronicles
Chapter 56: Decision
Three long days have come and gone, as our beach trip came to an end. My girls and I entered our beautiful house and set our things in the living room, where I took a whiff of our house's nice aroma.
"It feels good to be back," I stated. I turned to my girls, whom had a sad look on their countenance. I let out a heavy breath. "Come on girls; I know you didn't want the trip to end, but now we have bigger things to do. I promise we'll head back as soon as we finish planning."
"We had so much fun though," Yomi said. I pulled her into a hug and dragged my fingers though her hair.
"I had fun too, but this is more important. Don't you all want to be ready?"
They looked at me and nodded. "Just bear with it; I promise to take you all back to the beach. We can stay an entire week; how does that sound?"
They found their smiles again, making me smile back. "Those are the beautiful smiles I've been looking for. You're all so much more beautiful when you smile."
We all went to putting our stuff away, but I could tell my girls were still sad about leaving too early. So, I came up with a plan to help ease their sadness. I pulled the girls into my room one by one and hugged them tight, starting with Kazehana. I cupped her cheek as I placed her back against the wall.
"Talk to me Kazehana; you're still sad about this."
She hugged me. "I had so much fun spending time with you, but now we have to go back to fighting."
I kissed the top of her head. "I know you don't want the fun to end, but this is important."
I lifted her head and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. We then planted subsequent kisses on each other's lips and embraced one another. I cupped my wife's cheek again.
"Now you know I love spending time with you and would never stop unless something very important is happening. I understand that you want to go back; I do too, but this takes priority first. Please understand that I didn't bring you back because I wanted to; I did it so that in the future, we won't have to worry about fighting again."
"And I do understand, but darling; you're as smart as can be. I know you would've figured something out while we were still there," she replied. I caressed her cheek.
"I didn't want to risk being compromised. Kazehana, please understand that I did this for all of you."
I patted her shoulders. "And honestly Kazehana; I do not want our children growing up in such a brutal game."
She blushed deeply and found that gorgeous smile again. I smiled back and kissed her lips again. After hugging her for a bit, she kissed my cheek and left with a smile on her face. I talked to my other sekirei, giving them hugs and kisses, and drawing their smiles out again. I stopped at Uzume and Chiho; we all sat on the bed with our daughter in between us.
"I'm just saying Ren; we could've stayed just a little bit longer. I understand that you wanted to avoid being compromised, but you didn't have to talk about it; we could've stayed longer and then discuss it," Uzume said. I let out a sigh.
"Look; I'm sorry that we had to end our trip so early, but with something of this magnitude, we need all the time we can get."
"Chiho, talk to your father," Uzume said. She looked back and forth between us and then twiddled her thumbs.
"I understand why dad wanted us to come back now, and when you stop to think about it, he makes a fair point. Think about it mom, wouldn't you want to be as prepared to take down a multibillionaire business as to not be prepared at all?"
Her mother hung her head down in defeat. "Even my daughter disagrees with me."
Chiho and I chuckled at the statement. "Sorry mom, but you have to admit that dad is right in the sense."
"Bam, the daughter has spoken," I smiled. Chiho giggled, and Uzume ended up tackling us on the bed. We continued to laugh as we felt Uzume kiss our cheeks.
"I love you two," she stated. I placed my hand on her back.
"We love you too," Chiho and I declared. I picked the girls up, causing them to yelp in surprise. They hung over my shoulder, giggling as I walked downstairs. They playfully pounded my back and demanded to be put down. I set them down and hugged them both.
After everyone finished putting their things away, we all gathered in the war room's observational lounge. Matsu sat at the computer, doing her magic on the keyboards. On the giant screen Carmen lowered, it showed a giant list of objectives.
"Okay everyone, listen up; we don't have much time before the final phase starts. When it does, we have to be ready for the right moment. Here's how it's going to play out," I said. Before I could continue, my phone went off. I checked the ID and Jason on the other end.
"Yeah Jason?"
"We're at your front door; however, Carmen has a giant turret pointed at us," he answered. I snapped my fingers.
"I knew I forgot something. Okay hold on."
I covered the other end with my hand. "Carmen, disable security and let Jason's party in. From now on, alert me to any approaching people."
"Yes director, unarming system," she operated.
"Okay Jason, you're free to come in. Sorry about that; we're in the war room. Before you ask, no there are no traps laid down," I reassured him.
"Thank you kindly," he hung up, as did I. I then rubbed the back of my head and laughed sheepishly.
"Whoops, I almost annihilated Jason and his team."
"You forgot to disable security didn't you?" Matsu questioned.
"Maybe," I replied. She laughed and shook her head.
"What are we going to do with you?"
When Jason's party arrived, I resumed what I was about to say.
"Alright, now back to what I was saying. For this plan to work, we have to knock any forces that will stand in our way. As Kai said before, taking out the Discipline Squad will be our biggest matter. He and Jason's party will handle the armed forces while we take on the Discipline Squad."
"You really think we can beat the Discipline Squad?" Matsu asked. "I don't have to remind you that they are incredibly powerful."
"So are we; I know we can do it, but we'll have to prepare. So, that's why I had to bring us back early. So that we'll enough time to grow and increase our odds. That's why I created this; Carmen, initiate Project Omega."
"Affirmative, initiating Project Omega," she responded. The ground began to shake, as everyone stared at me. I waited for the rumbling to stopbefore letting everyone see the new layout I have installed. Some gasped at the view.
"This, is Project Omega," the war room sported tons of lasers, turrets, and buzz saws that traveled around the ground. The walls were reinforced with steel, as I demonstrated the ricochet effect of the lasers, which bounced off the walls. Drones filled the room with their level nine battle strength. At the master control, a holographic panel elevated, giving me access to the entire simulation. I moved the drones and commanded the saws to stop, rotating the turrets, and fire a round of lasers, which recoiled off the walls and attacked the drones. However, I commanded them to split up and forced the lasers to collide. A big explosion erupted, but the walls and everything else remained unscathed.
"This will be our training setting. Matsu here will set up the difficulties and will only go higher until she knows for sure we can handle it."
"Whoa, this took a while to construct I bet," Jason stated. "Wait a minute, you said we. So that means."
"You and I are going to train as well," I finished his sentence. He looked at me in shock.
"You can't be serious. Why me though?"
"You and I will be the main target most likely. If we die, our sekirei die, and the entire plan will fall apart. We need to be able to defend ourselves just in case, so we must train as well," I explained.
"You can defend yourself," he retorted.
"So can you with the right training. You saw how outmatched we were against Kai," I pointed out.
"That's because he had special training for who knows how long," Jason replied. I sighed and looked over him, seeing Ikki tip toeing closer with one of her kodachis in hand. She gestured me to be quiet as she brought her sword down; however, Jason dodged to his left.
"Whoa," he looked at his hands. Ikki giggled and kissed his cheek.
"Ren's right Jason; you can become stronger too with the right training. Dodging my strike proves it."
I nodded in agreement. "We don't have to use the Omega program. I can set it up so that we can get stronger at our own pace."
He looked at his staring sekirei, sighed, and nodded. "Well, I'll kick myself if I'm the only one not doing anything. I'll train too, but I want a system specifically for me. You are already stronger so you go ahead with yours, but I need my own system."
"No problem, just tell me what you want and I'll see to it," I told him. Matsu dialed the difficulty of Omega down so the girls could warm up. The surprising moment was when Kuno wanted to go in with them.
"Kuno, are you sure you want to do this?" Jason asked. She nervously nodded.
"Y-Yes, I want to try it. I-I have to be strong too."
She stared with her eyes begging Jason to accept. He let out another sigh.
"Fine, you can go; however, if things get to rough, I'm pulling you out. It's not that I don't have faith in you; I just don't want you to start off with something too challenging."
She nodded again and went out into the war room with her comrades. Ku tugged on Jason's shirt and showed him the fire in her eyes, but he placed a hand over her head.
"Definitely not you; I don't care how much you beg, I'm not letting you go out there."
She pouted at him, as he patted her head.
"Still no; you can start off with something easier."
I stood at the master panel and worked my magic. I made the drones search for the girls and try to eliminate them while the lasers and turrets scoured the field in search of anything that moved. The saws began cutting the floors, waiting for someone to test their edge. Jason and Ku watched beside me, as Matsu slightly increased the difficulty. All we heard were explosions, gun fires, and lasers bouncing off the steel walls. We could hear the battle cries of the girls, except for the harpy shriek of Kuno. I felt someone tug on my shirt and looked to see my daughter trying to get my attention.
"Hey dad, that man you said was after me, do you think he'll have a hand in this?"
I narrowed my eyes at Higa being hinted. It also made me remember what Ryan told me.
"Higa will definitely try something. He's planning something against me since I beat him in the match. There was someone I've encountered on multiple occasions. He said Higa considered me a threat since I've winged so many single numbers in such a short time and built a strong team of sekirei."
"Well that makes sense; you and Jason has still yet to lose a sekirei," Matsu said. Jason couldn't help but grin.
"We're awesome that's why."
"So what do you think Higa will do?" Matsu asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm not sure. I tried getting Ryan to help, but he refused. He's too loyal to Higa, just like Kakizaki. That's why I had to being us back home, because I can't have Higa or MBI finding out about this. Though I bet the latter already knows a little. Even so, we have to keep planning."
"I'm still working out the fundamentals. So far, if I calculate every successful factor, our chances of succeeding will be about seventy-five percent and that's with some generous rounding," my brain-type estimated.
"Seventy-five percent huh? At least it's not half and half, though that other twenty-five will be a pain no doubt," I responded. "We'll have to best the Discipline Squad first and foremost. If I'm right, Minaka will put us together, along with a fight between ashikabi."
"Well you were right about Higa so you may be right about this one. Who are you going to choose to fight them though?" Jason asked. I looked out the observation window and saw the girls still going at one another while dodging every laser and turret that fired at them. I picked three of them and nodded my head.
"I'll let you know when that time comes. I know the ones I pick will be our ticket to success."
"What do you think Kai is doing?" Jason asked back.
"He's either still at the beach or is back at his house," I answered.
"Maybe, but are you sure we can trust him? I'm not saying he isn't trustworthy, but how can we trust MBI's Discipline Squad's Ashikabi's cousin?" Jason questioned.
"You heard him yourself; he wants to live in peace with his sekirei, not watch them murder each other. Just because he's the Discipline Squad's Ashikabi's cousin doesn't mean he can't be trusted. I bet he has his own place and everything so his sekirei can do whatever they want. I trust him," I replied.
"You'll trust anybody. That kindness will only take you so far," he reminded me of what Tsukiumi told me.
"Tsukiumi said the same thing. You know how my luck is, but I managed to come this far. Kai may seem untrustworthy since he's part of MBI, but Matsu stayed in touch with him for a long time. Wouldn't he have told Minaka of something by now?"
Jason proceeded to respond, but closed his mouth at my logic. He scratched his head and tried talking again, but didn't have anything.
"I see your point."
"Mhm, and he even helped suggest how to start the plan. If he couldn't be trusted, would he have suggested a way to help further our goal?"
"Okay, you've made your argument."
I nodded and we all went back to looking at the girls in the war room. Chiho and Ku played with one another while I tended to the master panel. After a while, I could tell everyone was getting tired so I had Matsu stop the program, where they all pretty much collapsed on the floor. I let them rest while Jason and Ku headed to their party. Chiho went to check on her mom and aunties while Matsu and I stayed in the observation room.
"Ren; I really think you should tell me who you've chosen. I have a right to know," my brain-type said. I whispered the chosen fighters in her ear and watched her nod.
"I see. You've made good decisions; I wouldn't have chosen any better."
"Matsu, be honest with me; do you think we have a good enough chance of succeeding?" I asked. She let out a sigh and turned in the chair. She intertwined her fingers.
"I'm not going to lie to you. I do think we have stand a chance, but you need to remember that this is MBI we're going against. Even if we defeat the Discipline Squad, Minaka will have much more forces to stop us. He won't go down easily so you have to be at your absolute best; we're all depending on you to lead us to victory."
"Wait me?" She nodded her head.
"Ren face it, you're the leader of this team. You're the smartest, the…"
"Okay hold on wait a minute; I'm the smartest?"
She fixed her glasses. "Even with all the vast knowledge I possess, there are some things even I don't know. However, I bet you do, even if it's not familiar to you. You have proven to show you're smarter than most people at such a young age, and you continue to get smarter and smarter."
"Well yeah, but that's doesn't mean I'm."
She held up a finger to pause me.
"How long have you been deciding on who fights the squad?"
"Um, ever since I heard Takehito talk about the same plan we're working on. That was when Minaka issued that bounty on the four sector ashikabi and the whole Yamato thing," I answered. Matsu nodded.
"Which was months ago, when you didn't even know full well what we were working on. What about the time you encountered the squad for the first time? How did you manage to survive for as long as you did?"
"That one was because they fought in similar styles the others do so I just used that knowledge," I said. She hopped off the chair, cupped my cheek, and firmly pressed her lips to mine. I was surprised by the sudden affection and kissed her back. She ran her fingers through my raven hair and straddled my waist. She pulled back and looked me in the eye.
"Who else would figure out how to best them just from watching their own team train? You're smarter than you realize; and you know that. You're the leader Ren. No one else can take that place. I'm sorry to put all the pressure on you, but you're the only one who can guide us successfully. Where would most of us be if not for you? I want you to tell me that."
"Akitsu would be with Mikogami. Tsukiumi would probably be Seo's since she was attacked by the twins. Musubi; I'm really not sure. She only came because I was being attacked by Ryan, but since I didn't emerge any single numbers to make him attack me, Musubi would've never found me. You would still be at the inn, probably with Jason. Yomi would probably be Higa's. Uzume would be Jason's as well since she stayed at the inn. Kazehana would be like you, waiting for her ashikabi to come, and Toyo would also probably Higa's."
She gave me another kiss. "Now tell me you didn't save us. I'm not saying I wouldn't like to be Jason's sekirei, but he's not my type. Uzume would like him, but not me. You saved all of us; you're the reason we're living such happy lives. So how can you sit there and tell me you aren't leader material? You fought Mutsu, which was really stupid of you. You confronted Tsukiumi, which again, was stupid of you really. I mean Akitsu told you of her hatred of ashikabi, yet you still searched for her. Musubi and I came of our own will so don't worry about us. You helped save Uzume from Higa's clutches, Kazehana was attracted towards your love and kindness, and Toyo was saved from the Discipline Squad because of you."
She gave me one more kiss before standing up. "I can't tell you what makes you the leader. You're just going to have to figure it out on your own."
She removed her glasses. "I do want you to know that no matter what, I will always support you. I came to you that night, risking being captured by MBI, and mostly likely killed just to be yours. Want to know something else? I never regretted it either. I knew what was at stake, but I didn't care. I came to you because I saw the one who would make me the happiest, in more ways than one."
She showed me her most beautiful smile. "I came to you because I've fallen deeply in love with you."
She put her glasses on again, pulled me up, and hugged me tight, nuzzling her head in my chest. I returned her hug and held her in my arms.
"Thanks Matsu; I appreciate the vote of confidence. I promise not to let you down."
She giggled. "I know you won't."
By the time everyone walked into the observational room, Musubi's stomach roared like the bear she is. She blushed and rubbed her stomach as everyone else laughed. With her, more stomachs began rumbling, which was my cue to start cooking. Akitsu followed me into the kitchen and helped me prepare lunch. I could hear Akitsu's stomach as well and laughed. She blushed in embarrassment and continued cooking.
"Ren, once this plan is finished, what will you do in the future?" she asked.
"Hmm, I haven't decided on that yet. Maybe I'll start writing a book of my adventure with you all. I'm sure that will entertain people. What about you Akitsu?"
I saw her blush brighten. "I… wanted to have the same dream Musubi and Kazehana had a reality."
I processed what she just said and froze. Akitsu noticed my paralysis and shook me a little. When I regained composure, I scared her by placing my hands on her shoulder.
"Akitsu, boy or girl?"
She simply blinked at me and then blushed again while staring down at the ground.
"I-I didn't think about it, but personally, I would like a son."
I nodded and tended to the food. "A son huh? Hm, yeah that definitely sound good. Out of all of you, a son is a must. We have to preserve the family name."
My ice sekirei couldn't help but giggle. We finished preparing the food and called my group to lunch. Jason's party remained in the war room under Carmen's watchful eye. Now joining the circle, Chiho showed the girls up by offering me her food; and the thing is, they can't get angry at her since she's their niece. When everyone filled their stomachs… for now, Akitsu and I tended to the dishes while everyone went back to the war room. We talked more about the kid situation, as I mostly discussed names for the kid. Akitsu blushed the entire time, but still participated.
When we finished cleaning the kitchen, I gave Akitsu a kiss on the lips and headed to the war room; however, Akitsu grabbed my wrist and stopped me. I turned to face her, only to feel her hug me tight. I smiled and returned her hug, rubbing her head gently. I lifted her head and kissed her again. We placed subsequent kisses on each other's lips and enjoyed the other's embrace.
"Ren, will we really be able to end the sekirei plan?"
"Well, we're going to see aren't we? I'm not going to lie; I'm very scared about this," I said. Akitsu gasped and looked up at me.
"Really?"
I nodded. "There's a lot riding on this. My life, your life, the sekirei and lives, and everyone else involved; they're all riding on this operation. If we fail, if I fail, then I would've let everyone down. Everyone is counting on me to lead them, giving me their complete faith, their strength, and the power over their lives; it's definitely a lot to fathom. One slip up is all it takes to end everything; and if it happens, I'm the one to blame."
Akitsu continued to stare at me with an appalled look. She shook her head and hugged me again.
"You won't fail; it's impossible for you to fail. That's why we trust you so much, because we know you'll help us succeed. The reason why we're giving you our strength is that you're able to use it to its full potential. That's why we trust you, that's why you're our leader."
She looked up at me. "That's why we love you. From day one, you've shown nothing but bravery and intelligence, kindness and compassion, strength and power; you've proven time and time again that nothing in this world will keep you down. Now you have to prove it again, not to us, but to you. Ren, you have the power to succeed, but you must abandon this incompetent nonsense; it's unbecoming of you. Ren, look me in the eye and tell me that we deserve no better. Tell me, right here and now, that there is no one out there who can give us the same things you have."
I stayed quiet and nodded my head while letting out a heavy breath. Akitsu stood on her tippy toes and kissed me passionately. She cupped my cheek and pulled my head down, as she stood flat on her feet. She went bolder and invaded my mouth with her tongue, heating up our session. I ended up breaking the kiss and pulling Akitsu in a big hug.
"Thanks Akitsu; I do always criticize myself don't I?"
"Ren, you're better than that. You're smart enough to realize that you deserve anything we give you," she kissed me again and hugged me once more. "Think about it Ren; you know I'm right, and you know if the others were to tell you the same thing, they would be right too."
She gave me one last kiss before heading to the war room. I sat on the couch in the living room and thought about Akitsu and Matsu's statements. Their words played through my head, but the thoughts were broken when I felt someone's hand land on mine. I looked up, only to be kissed on the lips. A pair of beautiful violet wings flashed, as she and I continued to kiss. I placed my hand on her waist and placed her on my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pushed her face closer. When we needed air, Kazehana pulled back and smiled at me.
"Matsu told me what she said to you. I completely agree with her. You've come a long way since you first entered the sekirei plan. Now it's all coming down to this. While I agree that you are our leader, Matsu shouldn't have put so much pressure on you at once. She should've let you relaxed more and come to a certain point before springing all this on you."
"She right though. Everyone is counting on me; I'm putting their lives and all of yours on the line for something that can either kill us all, or bring us freedom. What happens if I fail? If I fail, I'll just."
Kazehana cut me off by cupping my cheek and kissing me again. She kissed me deeply, forcing her tongue in my mouth and fiercely dragging it inside. She began rubbing her body against me, her large breasts sliding on my chest. She grinded her hips against my groin and continued our kiss. She moaned softly and grabbed my hand, guiding it to her breast. She moved my hand until I decided to act on my own free will. I squeezed her breasts while she continued to grind her hips against me.
We pulled away to gather air, and Kazehana cupped my cheeks again. She inched her face close to mine so we could feel the other's breaths on our lips.
"Ren, you can't focus on the negative. You need to keep your cool and focus on succeeding. The captain leads his squad and their performances are based on his enthusiasm. If you're all negative and doubtful, how do you think we'll perform? Our strength and power are at their best when you are in confident mode. You affect our abilities to fight, but we can't do that properly if you doubt everything."
I listened to her words and then wrapped her in a hug, making her giggle. She gave me a peck on the lips.
"Ren; I'm always here when you need me. You may be strong, but there comes a time when everyone needs someone to lean. Lean on me Ren; I'll take care of you. Use me to alleviate your stress."
She gave me more pecks on the lips and then a full kiss. I massaged her waist as her soft lips moved against mine. I cupped her cheek and broke the kiss.
"Kazehana, when we succeed, I mean when we're all free, I really want to have that baby with you."
She smiled and blushed deeply. "Really?"
I nodded. "Hmm, what do you think of a daughter?"
She giggled and pecked me on the lips. "I think we should make some magic."
She giggled again and kissed me once more, as I fondled her breasts. Her large melons filled my hands while her hand rubbed my crotch. About an hour or so later, we ended our lovemaking. With some simple commands, Carmen sprayed us with a heavenly scent to mask the sex smell. Kazehana hugged me as I zipped her dressed up.
"Kazehana; I want to thank you for the encouragement. It's just a lot to take in at the moment, but I'm fine now. I'm ready to lead."
She nodded and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad to help, just remember darling that I'm always here to soothe you. Just say the word and I'll be there."
She gave me one last kiss and then walked away, strutting her hips, and swinging her nice ass. I couldn't look away, which she noticed and giggled. When she was gone, I thought back to the speeches given to me and figured out my conclusions. I intertwined my fingers and rested my elbows on my knees.
"I do need to relax more. Maybe coming home early wasn't such a good idea after all. I still need more time to completely factor all this in."
I looked up and sighed. "I have to tough it out though. For my girls and anyone else who suffered from this game, I have to do this for them."
I stood up. "And I will. Don't worry girls; I promise to set you free."
A/N: That ends this chapter, which I again apologize for the lateness. I hope you all enjoy it, because I've been having trouble with ideas. I could really use your help with the next chapter; please send in some ideas. I would gratefully appreciate it. Let me know what you think of the chapter in a review or pm please; and if you have any ideas, which I desperately need, or praise, which I really need to hear, let me know. With something to think about, this has been MalevolentDarkness16, and I will see you all next time. Thank you and take care.