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"Minato." - Regular Speech
'Musubi' – Thoughts
"Kaminari!" - Sekirei Incantation
Beta'd by BigCC
Chapter 26: Eighty-Seven versus Eighty-Eight
Minutes Previously
Spare Room, Sahashi Minato's Residence
Kaho's eyes snapped open abruptly, her last memory was of battle and she quickly began to scan her surroundings in search of her attackers. Instead, she only found a dark room, sparse in furnishings but not with bare walls, nor any devices meant to secure or hold her against her will, so not a prison some kind? What the...?
The Naginata Sekirei frowned as she tried to remember what on Earth had happened to her before she had lost consciousness.
'I was ambushed…by those most rude Sekirei who follow the Lord of the South…we engaged in battle for a time…that coward Taki refused to fight one-on-one…the staff-wielder, Jūsa I think they called her, managed to land a lucky blow…I was knocked into a passing limo…' she thought, slowly going through her most recent memories as she tried to remember what had happened afterwards and what had caused her to lose consciousness. Had someone managed to hit her with a Sekirei-strength taser or something?
Then the rest suddenly came flooding back.
"Number Eighty-Eight!" Kaho hissed in remembrance, eyes narrowing. Her rival had stood in front of her, as cheery and 'genki' as ever. She had been prepared to fight...then the Ashikabi she had suddenly started Reacting to in the limo had put his hand on her shoulder...and she'd been lost adrift in a sea of physical pleasure that put her infrequent attempts at self-gratification to the lowest depths of shame by comparison.
Remembering such put a dark pink hue across her cheeks and made her sacred place begin to moisten at the mere memory of the sensation, the desire and instinct to act on her arousal looming at her from within.
'No! I can't! Not in someone else's house!' Kaho rejected the idea firmly, even as her thighs rubbed together against her will. She had never been so aroused in her life! Not even the one time she Reacted to someone before now! Just how powerful was the soul of Number Eighty-Eight's Ashikabi?!
'How is it that she is able to garner so much fortune?' Kaho thought, a slightly bitter feeling rising in her chest. Yes, the bubbly Sekirei had literally died thanks to her Sekirei Tama being destroyed, but Yume-sama had sacrificed herself, giving Number Eighty-Eight her Tama instead! Not only that, because of Yume-sama's sacrifice, Karasuba-sama had only ever given Musubi the time of day. No matter how hard she trained, Kaho had never rose above the significance of a gnat in the Black Sekirei's eyes.
And now Musubi had a powerful Ashikabi, and had undoubtedly eclipsed her in strength. Being bound to an Ashikabi allowed a Sekirei to surpass all of their previous limitations, with the exact limits of that growth depending wildly upon the strength of their compatibility with their Ashikabi and the power of the Ashikabi's soul. Or at least, that is what the rumours floating among the Sekirei had said. With MBI having increased the limitations Unwinged Sekirei's powers were under, it made those who were either Single Number Sekirei, or Sekirei with a loving Ashikabi, all the more prominent in the New Capital.
Having been in hiding save for food runs until recently, Kaho had no clue just who her rival's Ashikabi truly was, but the sheer power of the man had left only two real options; the Ashikabi of the West or the Ashikabi of the North, the only two members of the Cardinal Ashikabi who treated their Sekirei with genuine love and affection.
'Regardless of who it is, I have to face Musubi in combat.' Kaho thought determinedly, before pausing in thought. 'But...since I am reacting to her Ashikabi like this, fighting her to the finish is probably not an advisable idea. He wouldn't want me if I terminate one of his Sekirei. If she wins...so be it. But while she may be more powerful than I am now, I know that my skill still far exceeds hers.'
Looking around her room again, the Naginata Sekirei spotted her namesake weapon leaning against a wall, the blade currently covered by a leather holster but still as sharp as it had been when she'd last seen it when she removed it to check a few moments later. Another glance showed her that her leather boots were sitting near the foot of her bed. She quickly sat up and grabbed them, ever grateful that a Sekirei's night vision was infinitely better than that of a human.
Slowly and methodically lacing each boot up, Kaho planned out what she was going to do from this point. Like Musubi, she ascribed to the theory that an Ashikabi was the Destined One of a Sekirei, more than a mere life partner. Turning away from one, especially when her own Reaction to him had been so powerful, was simply anathema to her. So, she would need to negotiate her entry into his Flock, as well as somehow coerce or persuade him into allowing her to fight Musubi beforehand.
Given how he had been out on a date with one of his Sekirei when he'd gotten caught up in her fight, the Ashikabi here obviously cared deeply for his Sekirei. While good in the long-term for her, it also complicated her chances of getting to have the duel with Number Eighty-Eight that she desired, but hopefully her 'younger' sister was just as hard-headed and honour-bound as ever and would beg for the chance for a fight.
With them both eager to test themselves against each other, and a sincere promise to keep the match non-lethal, they'd hopefully be able to convince their Ashikabi to allow it.
'I am already thinking of him as my Ashikabi!?' Kaho realized with a blush as she finished lacing up her boots. Shaking the thought away, she quickly rose to her feet, smoothed out her rumpled hakama and top and silently moved over to her weapon. Why yes, she could move almost silently while wearing leather boots; the advantages of having, by human standards, a preternatural sense of balance and ability to judge where and how to step on things. Most Sekirei didn't think much of such skills, preferring powerful, flashy moves over such high-skill moves that offered no boost to their combat power.
Kaho knew better. When you lacked power, skill had to bridge the gap.
Reaching out, she carefully, almost lovingly, picked it up in one hand. While she had trained with many practice naginata as she had matured, this one had been expressly made for her to use in combat, using the best of MBI's metallurgy skills to forge the blade, and the finest of materials for the shaft. It was the perfect length and weight for her to wield, which meant that most human women wouldn't have been able to so much as lift it, let alone wield it.
Lightly spinning her naginata around once as a test, Kaho hummed happily as it was still exactly as she remembered it. Her weapon and partner hadn't been altered in any way while she was asleep. That further soothed her worries about the character of the Ashikabi she was reacting to.
Letting out a breath, she started walking towards the door, not bothering to keep her steps silent anymore. It was time to meet her host and his Flock.
With Minato
As Kaho came down the stairs and entered the living room, the Ashikabi of the North was struck, once again, by both how similar she looked to Musubi, and yet how different the two actually were. The similarities were simple and straightforward; their clothing styles, their straight and honest gazes and their way of walking that was as dangerous as it was elegant. They drew the eye and made one notice them. It was when one took a moment to actually study the two girls that the differences became just as apparent.
Where Musubi had something of an hourglass figure, Kaho was more modest in both her chest and rear, but still looked good.
Where, even now, Musubi had a bit of an airheaded air about her when she spoke, Kaho's sharp gaze gave the impression of someone that didn't miss much.
The list went on, but they were clearly two very different and distinct individuals. There were similarities yes, which were only enhanced by their similar choice of clothing. Minato couldn't help but wonder if that was deliberate choice on their part or simply a coincidence.
"Hello, Kaho-san." Minato said aloud as the black-haired Sekirei came to a halt behind one of the couches, all of his gathered wives subtly tensing at her approach; regardless of the fact that she was Reacting to him, having an unaffiliated and armed Sekirei near their Ashikabi would make any Winged Sekirei tense. "I hope you're feeling alright?"
"I am, and I thank you for your concern." Kaho replied politely, inkling her head ever-so slightly. "I feel I should apologize again for accidentally drawing you into my battle with the Sekirei that served the Ashikabi of the South. It was not my intention."
"They were already my problem, Kaho-san. I've already made myself very clear on my opinion of the South and East's 'Sekirei hunting' activities." the ravenette replied with a tight smile. "Even if you hadn't been thrown into the limo, Matsu-chan had already been directing Musubi and Yashima to assist."
"Ah, so you are truly the Ashikabi of the North then? I had suspected as much." the Naginata Sekirei nodded. "Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Number Eighty-Seven, Kaho, the Naginata Sekirei. I thank you for your aid against those who would have taken my choice from me."
"Sahashi Minato, Ashikabi of the North." Minato replied. "And yes, Sahashi Takami is my mother. You already know Musubi. The two you met earlier are Number Forty-Three Yomi and Number Eighty-Four Yashima. The rest are Number Three, Matsu, Number Seven, Akitsu, Number Ten, Uzume, Numbers Eleven and Twelve, Hikari and Hibiki, who are my First Sekirei, Number Fifty-Four, Kuruse, Number Fifty-Seven, Yahan, and last but not least, Number One-Hundred-and-Eight, Kusano. I am also allied with my younger sister, Yukari, who has Winged Number One-Hundred-and-Seven, Shiina, and Number One-Hundred-and-One, Oriha, so please don't attack them unprovoked if you see them here."
Akitsu perked up as he spoke her Number aloud, as she always did. The poor girl was still half-afraid that she'd wake up again as a Scrapped Number. Minato made a note to kiss her again at some point today, affection and seeing her wings always lifted the ice-user's spirits.
Kaho gulped as she took in the fact that there were two Single Numbers in the room, one of whom was formerly the infamous Scrapped Number.
"I see...you must have a remarkably strong soul, Sahashi-san. It is no wonder that you have attracted so many Sekirei." she said after a moment. "I doubt I need to ask this, but they were Winged willingly?"
"Of course. I don't force myself onto unwilling Sekirei." Minato sounded disgusted by the very idea of it.
"Minato-sama saved me from being forcibly Winged by someone." Yashima shivered as she remembered her own close brush with that most despised of fates.
"Same here. That bitch Taki who went after you was also in charge of hunting me." Kuruse added with a slight scowl. She was irked that, yet again, she had missed a chance to get payback on the Mist Sekirei for what she had done.
Minato sighed. "Yeah, we're going to have to do something about Mikogami. Matsu-chan, when we're done here, can you set up a minor punishment for him? From what we could overhear and the way his Sekirei were arguing, it sounds like Taki was overstepping her authority this time, but a minor slap on the wrists will drive it home that the actions of his Sekirei will result in him getting punished as well."
"Given that Yashima-chan eliminated one of his Sekirei in the process, that could be taken as a punishment in and of itself, but I'll see what I can do." the orangette agreed with a nod. Compared to Higa Izumi, Mikogami Hayato was a saint, so what she had done to punish Higa wasn't inappropriate. Thankfully, as something of a hikikomori herself, Matsu had a very good idea what would work as a punishment for the bratty little prodigy. "Ufufufufufufufufu~!"
"Uwah, there she goes again, straight into Creepy Glasses Mode." Uzume flinched away. The only times the Sekirei of Wisdom did that was either when she was thinking something perverted, or when she was planning some kind of evil prank.
The Veiled Sekirei was just glad that she wasn't the target of Matsu's mischief this time.
"Ahem." Kaho coughed, shuffling away from the cackling Single Number as well. "Might I ask how involved your mother is in your activities, Minato-san?"
"She provides guidance and advice, mostly." Minato answered truthfully. "She's asked for help once against a bunch of military goons trying to do to Akitsu-chan and Ku-chan what happened to you and Musubi-chan all those years ago just a while ago."
A thick burst of killing intent and rage emanated from the Naginata Sekirei as she took that in. Her eyes narrowed, her grip on her weapon grew tight and she ground her teeth together. Only for a moment before she regained control of herself, but the slip in control of someone who came off as very self-possessed and in control of herself told anyone who had eyes that she felt very strongly about this.
"I...see." Kaho said softly, eyes flashing in restrained anger. "Might I speak with her on that issue at some point?"
"I'll make arrangements. She might be busy with the Sekirei Plan, but given your past with this subject, I think she'd make time to talk to you about it." the Northern Ashikabi reassured her.
"I thank you." the Naginata Sekirei bowed to him in thanks, before straightening up. "By your words previously, you are aware of the past shared by Number Eighty-Eight and myself, I presume?"
"Most of the salient points, yes." Minato confirmed and briefly went over things as he understood them.
"Number Eighty-Eight was more forthcoming with you than I might have thought she would have been." Kaho mused. "Ordinarily, she and I do not discuss our promise with Karasuba-sama outside of the three of us, for all that she mostly ignores my own existence."
"Minato-sama is Musubi's Ashikabi! Of course Musubi told him about it!" the Miko look-alike exclaimed, offended slightly by her rival's words. "As soon as Musubi needed to, Musubi told him!"
"Of course, my apologies." the raven-haired Sekirei did look as if she realized that she had spoken out of turn there. "My last question is...would you consider allowing myself and Number Eighty-Eight to fight?"
"Not to the point of one of you being terminated." Minato said immediately. "There's a reason that Musubi is going to be almost always on house-sitting duty when she isn't on patrol or bodyguard duty from this point on. It has to do with her Tama..."
What followed was the most shocking discussion of Kaho's short life.
Kaho looked thunderstruck at the revelation that, despite her body dying, her saviour was still alive. "And...and you're sure that Yume-sama is alive within Number Eighty-Eight?" she asked tremulously.
Deciding that seeing was believing in this instance, Minato got up, pulled Musubi to her feet and kissed her, allowing her beautiful pink wings to emerge, fluttering as she enjoyed the kiss. Emerging from the small of her back, however, were a second set of much smaller wings, making Kaho drop to her knees in shock.
"Th-those are Yume-sama's wings..." she said, tears welling in her eyes. "Sh-she's been trapped inside Number Eighty-Eight's body...ever since then...oh Maker, I never would have prayed to be saved if I'd known it would cost Yume-sama this price!"
"I think, given that Yume seemed to understand how to save Musubi, she somehow knew what the price for doing so would be." Minato said gently as he kept holding Musubi in a cuddle. Ever since she had started to lose her airheaded tendencies, the realization of what had befallen the Sekirei who had saved her life had started to hit the Fist-type Sekirei whenever the subject came up, so Minato had taken to holding her until she recovered.
"H-How...?" Kaho asked in disbelief.
"Genetically, Yume-tan and Musubi-tan are mother and daughter. It wouldn't surprise me if she saw the connection between them and it guided her on how to save Musubi-tan." Matsu broke in with a sigh. "Yume-tan was known as the Sekirei of Fate, and though she preferred to only think about the bonds between Ashikabi and Sekirei, her ability gave her insight into the likely result of any action she was about to enact."
"I thought her ability was positron manipulation?" Minato blinked.
"Yume-tan was extremely powerful, even among the Single Digits, in that she had not one, but two abilities, albeit only one was truly combat-worthy. The most well-known, and overt, was positron manipulation as you said, Mina-tan." the Sekirei of Wisdom lectured. "Her second ability was entirely psionic in nature; a unique form of clairvoyance, or perhaps enhanced intuition would be a better term. It allowed her to sense and feel what she called 'the bonds that connected things together,' particularly things like the bonds between Sekirei and Ashikabi, as well as allowing her to, as I said, see the result of any action that she undertook."
She paused there before admitting awkwardly, "Well...actually, it would have shown her the most likely outcome of her actions, but the point remains."
"A future sight ability...that's a scary power, even if it was limited to just her own actions." Yahan said with a shiver. "I mean, jeez...combine that with Musubi's strength and speed, as well as the power of a Single Number, and she probably didn't need to use her position beams on anyone aside from another Single Number!"
"Yume-sama was as strong and fast as Musubi is...more so, even." Musubi confirmed from her position of blissfully hugging her Destined One. "Even Musubi's Norito would lose to her."
"Even...even for a Single Number, Yume-sama was exceptionally powerful." Kaho added. "Only Karasuba-sama and Number One were rumoured to equal or surpass her in power."
'Again, this mysterious 'Number One' shows up in conversation.' Minato mused as the rest of his Sekirei nodded in agreement with Kaho's statement. 'Everyone fears her, everyone respects her, and no one will say anything about her. I'm really going to have to find out who the heck she is.'
(Elsewhere, a 'simple widow' with lavender hair demurely sneezed, looking around in confusion.)
"Ahem. Anyway, to return to the subject at hand, I don't see why you can't have a fight with Musubi, so long as we can keep it under controlled conditions for obvious reasons." he said with a cough, releasing a now-calm Musubi and returning to his seat between Yashima and Yomi. "Not tonight, however. I'm tired, and my girls have been working hard today. Tomorrow, we'll all go to the park, have a picnic, and you two can have a good sparring session."
"By 'all' of us, you mean...?" Yashima trailed off hopefully.
"Yes, all of us." Minato smiled at his quietest Sekirei. "You girls have worked hard for quite a while. 'Work hard, play hard' is a thing for a reason. We'll get Yukari, Shiina and Oriha to house-sit for us."
That made all of the 'Flock' break out into happy squeals and chatter while Minato watched in amusement. It brought the old saying 'three women together are noisy' to mind. He idly wondered what a saying would be for over ten Sekirei being in one place?
"That...sounds like an equitable arrangement, Minato-san." Kaho agreed after a moment's consideration. "Would...would you mind if I remained here tonight? I don't want to risk returning to my current accommodations with the South and East being desperate for all the remaining Unwinged Sekirei..."
"I don't see any problem with that, you can keep using the room you woke up in until tomorrow and then we can go forward from there." Minato agreed amiably. "Before I head off to make dinner, can I ask whether you want me to Wing you after your match with Musubi?"
"Eep!" the weapon-wielding Sekirei quickly looked away demurely, blushing a deep red. "I-I...I would be most...pleased if you would do so, Minato-san. I have only ever reacted to one person before, and he left Shin Teitō before I could even approach him. And my Reaction to him is incomparable to how much I React to you..."
This time both of them blushed, remembering how she orgasmed when touched in a place that was only remotely sensitive (her shoulder, near to her neck).
"Wow, she has it even worse than I did." Yomi stage-whispered to Yashima, who giggled in agreement. Minato levelled a dry stare at the pair of weapon users before sighing and getting up. It was time to cook enough food for a dozen Sekirei...oh, and him as well.
The Next Day
Park, Northern Area, Shin Teitō
Hikari snuggled into her Ashikabi's side, her sister mirroring her on his other side, and smiled happily. Thus far, their little picnic expedition was going absolutely swimmingly. All of the Sekirei with some cooking ability had politely but firmly insisted that their Ashikabi leave the picnic food preparation to them, while he relaxed. In all honestly, this was but the first move of the Sekirei in a long campaign to get Minato used to letting his Sekirei handle the majority of the household chores. It just wasn't right for an Ashikabi to serve his Sekirei like that! The Sekirei were supposed to protect and serve their Ashikabi, not the other way around!
'Then again, that is why Minato-sama is Minato-sama.' the Lightning Sekirei though fondly. 'He wouldn't be our sweet and kind Ashikabi-sama if he didn't try to spoil us.'
All around them, the Flock was laughing, eating and having a good time. Yahan was leaning up against a tree, eating a sandwich and keeping a weather eye out in case of sneak attacks by other Sekirei. It wasn't likely, the park they'd chosen for this outing little outing was deep in the Northern area of the city, but the Sekirei of Shadows was nothing if not stubbornly pragmatic. Even if the chance was minimal, someone needed to keep an eye open just in case.
Matsu, on the other hand was hiding under another nearby tree and keeping an eye on a palmtop computer she had brought along. Even without her slight agoraphobia, the Wisdom Sekirei wasn't really much of a 'park' person. She'd take the dark of her room and the artificial glow of her computer monitors any day.
Musubi was a bit disappointed that she couldn't make her special curry for this picnic, but curry wasn't really picnic food. Minato had promised that she could make it tonight though, which had perked the bouncy Sekirei up.
...seriously, despite their initial hesitance in letting her join at the beginning, Musubi had a way of growing on you like a bad itch. She was just so adorable…in an I-want-to-see-her-on-her-knees-naked kind of way. Oh, for when she finally grows her wings to their full length...
Anyway, the (current) odd one out was also enjoying herself. Kaho was daintily eating a sandwich, with her naginata (blade covered) lying in the grass nearby, still within easy grabbing distance. Aside from her obvious Reaction to Minato-sama and her minor breakdown yesterday regarding Yume (not that any Sekirei could really blame her for either), Kaho was proving to be downright impossible for one-half of the Thunder Twins to get a good read on. She wasn't perfect, but Hikari also wasn't the one who dealt with this kind of subtle shit. She was the fighter between her and her sister, the one who took the lead when it was time to charge in and bring the thunder.
Hibiki had always been the more patient of the two of them and a lot better at the more subtle things. Hikari had indulged her sister and did her best to learn beside her (just as she indulged her in learning more combative arts) and she wasn't half-bad at it. Unfortunately, trying to get a read on their newest prospective sister was like trying to look through an opaque window for her. Hopefully she'd loosen up when she and Musubi had their match and she'd be able to get a decent read on the girl.
Still, the few bits and pieces she'd seen when the other girl's reserve had been lowered pointed to her being an honourable person, someone who'd hopefully make a good addition to the Flock once she and Musubi settled their little score.
Hell, anyone who had that right mix of guts and sheer crazy to be ready to stand toe-to-toe with the Black Sekirei was okay in her books. Sometimes you needed that extra bit of crazy if you wanted to get what you wanted.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, it was time for the sparring match between Musubi and Kaho. The two similarly dressed Sekirei stretched and limbered up standing across from one another, several meters away from Minato and the rest of the Flock, neither shifting their eyes from the other. The tension in the air was almost thick enough to cut with a knife. When Musubi tightened her red gloves and Kaho unsheathed her naginata's blade, the tension tightened to the point that the small group could barely breathe.
Minato cleared his throat pointedly, dispersing a bit of the anxiety in the air. "I want a clean spar you two." he reminded them pointedly. "If it looks like you're going to take things too far, then I'll have Akitsu step in and freeze you both until you cool off. Understood?"
Akitsu preened at being given such a responsibility by her Ashikabi, and thrust her chest out slightly. Given how well-endowed she was, and how tight her t-shirt was, it was far more obvious than the absent-minded Single Digit had likely intended.
"Hai, Minato-sama!" Musubi answered cheerfully.
"Very well." Kaho nodded her own understanding.
"OK then...take your stances." the Ashikabi of the North called, holding back a sigh. He was a non-violent person by nature and would honestly prefer to avoid fights that weren't absolutely necessary, but his connection to Musubi had told him that this was something she considered very serious indeed. Whether he liked it or not, both Sekirei felt that they needed to settle this themselves, and thus he had caved into the inevitable, and had instead done his best to at least ensure their match would end without anyone getting seriously hurt.
Moving smoothly, Kaho shifted to a balanced ready stance, one which allowed her to shift to either attack or defend at the drop of a hat, while Musubi took her usual aggressive ready stance, showing her plan of attack was to simply to attack.
How very Musubi.
"And...start!" Minato declared.
The words were barely out of his mouth when the two Sekirei clashed, Musubi fending off a slash from her opponent with a quick left backhand, even as she threw a bone-breaking right straight at Kaho, who immediately leapt over Musubi, using the chance to try and smack her opponent with the haft of her weapon. The Fist-type Sekirei leaned back, and let the wood pass just in front of her breasts before kicking back to gain some distance from Kaho.
"You've gotten better, Number Eighty-Eight." the Naginata Sekirei called, a small smirk on her face.
"Musubi has been fighting the Sekirei of the South and East." the CQC Sekirei answered as she shifted to a slightly different stance. "Musubi won't lose to you, Number Eighty-Seven!"
"That remains to be seen!" Kaho shouted as she charged back in.
"Wow..." Minato blinked, his eyes trying and failing to keep up with the speed of the two battling Sekirei.
"Kaho-san really is very good." Yashima commented, sounding suitably impressed. "The greatest weakness of anyone who uses a polearm as their main weapon is that they can easily grow reliant on the extended reach that their weapon affords them. If an opponent can get under that reach, then they are likely to lose focus and make a mistake. She's showing absolutely none of that."
Now that Yashima brought it up, Minato could sort of see what she meant. Kaho was taking advantage of her weapon's length, but she was also fighting cautiously with it. She was also unafraid to use the entirety of her weapon, not just the bladed portion, to attack Musubi. His lessons from his grandmother in traditional sōjutsu (spear techniques) reminded him that most spear-users tended to rely almost entirely on their weapon's blade, forgetting that the shaft and butt could be just as dangerous in skilled hands. That hyperfocus was their biggest Achilles Heel and often lead to them panicking if an opponent managed to bypass the 'weapon' part and get into their guard.
"Well, considering the overwhelming difference between human and Sekirei, it is fairly obvious that she wouldn't fall into the same traps that a normal human would." Matsu stated with an absent-minded shrug. It sounded a bit arrogant, but it was honestly simply a fact. A Weapon-Type Sekirei was a savant with their chosen weapon incomparable to even the greatest human masters that had ever lived. Seeing Kaho cutting a trench into the ground with the blade of her Naginata, swiftly followed by Musubi shattering a tree into kindling, with just the air pressure from one of her punches, really drove that fact home.
Kaho narrowed her eyes as she saw the destruction of the tree. That was out of her expectations for her rival's strength. She had always known that Yume-sama's claim that love was the true source of strength for a Sekirei was true, but this surpassed even her wildest expectation.
Were this an actual battle, with both of them placing their lives on the line, then this would be the moment she would begin to use her special techniques to try and gain an advantage. However, this was not a battle but a spar, and as such she was unwilling to use her decidedly more lethal techniques in such an outing. Instead, she would have to rely on superior technique and tactics to overcome Number Eighty-Eights brawn. As the humans were fond of saying, it was time to fight smarter, not harder.
One thing that hadn't changed was the Fist-Type Sekirei's overly aggressive tactics, so making her frustrated was likely an easy way to get her to make mistakes, leaving an opening that Kaho could exploit.
Minutes later and it seemed as if her plan was working; by focusing solely on defence and avoidance, Kaho saw the frustration on her opponent's face grow and grow with every missed punch and kick. Her form became slightly sloppier, and the brunette Sekirei started taking chances she likely would have avoided had she been a bit calmer.
"Kuma-ken!" Musubi shouted, drawing back her fist and launching it at her frustratingly hard-to-hit enemy.
Kaho responded by leaping into the air, avoiding the punch easily. It also set her up for one of her weaker techniques, so she'd use this chance to finish it.
"Sekirei Butō: Senki no Mai! (Sekirei War Dance: Dance of the Valkyrie!)" she declared as she brought her weapon down as she descended towards her opponent, who swung one powerful leg up in a kick.
"Kuma-geri! (Bear Kick!)"
The two attacks landed in an explosion of air pressure that made Minato have to look away. When he hurriedly looked back around after the wind died down, Kaho was lying on the ground, her naginata impaled into a nearby tree, with Musubi's fist held millimetres from her opponent's throat.
"I think Musubi wins." he said aloud. "Kaho-san, do you concede?"
"I do." the downed ravenette answered immediately. "Astonishing...you truly have become stronger, Number Eighty-Eight."
"That's because Minato-sama makes me strong! When you join, you'll get even stronger too Kaho-chan, then we can have an even better match!" Musubi replied with a beaming smile. She grabbed Kaho's hand and pulled her to her feet, before letting go and skipping across to get her reward from Minato; another kiss.
As Musubi's pretty pink wings blossomed, with Yume's delicate silver ones intermixed and hidden within, Kaho bit her lip and rubbed her thighs together as her Sekirei Crest throbbed in time with the heat pooling in her womanhood. Her focus on the match had allowed her to put her Reaction to one side for a while, but with it over and done with, it was all she could do to not fall into a dogeza and beg him to Wing her. Kaho had more dignity than that!
To take her mind off of it, she went to the tree where her prized weapon had been impaled and carefully drew it from the wood. Inspecting the blade, she sighed in relief when she saw that it was thankfully intact, and hadn't been chipped, broken or dulled by Number Eighty-Eight's kick.
'That kick...her strength was always in her punches before.' she thought seriously. 'To think that Number Eighty-Eight can overpower me with her kicks...such is the power of a Winged Sekirei, I suppose.'
Of a truly Winged Sekirei at that. Kaho had fought off several so-called 'Winged' Sekirei that had belonged to the Lords of the South and the East, all of whom had likely been forcibly Winged. None of them had displayed anything close to Musubi's growth since being Winged. The difference was simply that Musubi had reacted to her Ashikabi, while the others had not. The profound difference in capability was obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
After once more covering the blade of her weapon, she moved to stand demurely in front of Minato, who was cuddling an ecstatically happy Musubi, who was proud she had won and made him proud of her.
"Minato-san." she greeted him.
"Kaho-san." he replied respectfully. "Do you still want to be Winged? If so, here or at our house?"
The Naginata Sekirei flushed at the thought of being Winged out in the open like this!
"At home, please." she requested, forcing her blush down. "I do not wish to expose my wings to those outside of the Flock needlessly."
"That's fine." Minato said with a nod. "A more intimate ceremony is fine for a wedding anyway."
Kaho felt her face almost glowing red at that, making her future sister-wives laugh good-naturedly at her.
The walk back to the house was quiet and peaceful...which really should have made them suspicious. Just as they turned into the street where they lived, a female voice sang with the invocation of a Norito.
"This is a song of my pledge...please light the path for my Ashikabi!"
"That's Kuno's Norito!" Uzume exclaimed in worry as a song emerged from where their house was.
"How?! I've been keeping an eye on the house from here!" Matsu waved the palmtop her held frantically. "No one, not even that bitch Kōchō, could hack into the network while I'm accessing it!"
"At a guess, it started while they were elsewhere and Haruka and Kuno were chased back here." Minato said with an annoyed sigh. He'd asked them to not go wandering about, but Haruka had evidently not listened to him. "Hikari, Hibiki, Kuruse, Yashima, go and intervene. Lock the area down until we get there. I don't want anyone leaving before we get there. Try to stay out of the range of Kuno's song."
"Hai!" the four Sekirei named replied and started running.
"Yomi, Yahan, Musubi, you three are on guard duty of Matsu-chan, Uzume-chan and myself." the Ashikabi of the North continued briskly. "Akitsu, you are to patrol the area. If you find any Sekirei that we don't recognize, politely ask them to evacuate the area. If they attack you, defend yourself, but do not eliminate any of them unless they belong to the Ashikabi of the East or one of his subordinate Ashikabi."
"By your order." the Sekirei of Ice nodded regally and leapt to the nearest rooftop to start her patrol.
"Sorry about this, Kaho-san." the Ashikabi sighed. "Looks as if your Winging will have to wait until this brouhaha is over and done with."
"It is hardly your fault, Minato-san." the ravenette Sekirei shook her head. "Let us go quickly. The sooner this is over with, the sooner I can be Winged."
Nodding in agreement, the group started moving quickly towards their home to see exactly what kind of trouble Haruka had gotten into this time.
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Next Chapter: The Sadistic Thirteenth Sekirei
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