The Ice Maiden
Morning soon came upon Shinto Teito, and soon a lot of people were about to start their day by going to work. The focus, however, wasn't on the city itself, but rather on the outskirts of the city docks, where three MBI ships sailed in a general vicinity of the water.
One MBI soldier looked over on the side of the ship he was on for a moment, before giving a deep sigh then talking into his radio. "We've searched for hours, ma'am, but there's no sign of vessel T-124."
"This was the last vicinity where that ship last reported in. It couldn't have just vanished without a trace."
"We'll keep searching, Madame Sahashi, but I'm not seeing anything to indicate-" The soldier kept saying, but was interrupted when another MBI soldier came running up to him.
"Sir! We've found one of the crew members of the vessel!" The new soldier said as he pointed behind him. All the boat sailed in the direction and managed to find one soldier simply floating in the water, before they managed to pull him up on board on of the ships.
The lead soldier approached the survivor already took note of the state he was in. He looked frazzled and his eyes were darting constantly in a crazed fashion, like his was expecting them all to attack him.
The leader knelt down and calmly addressed the survivor. "Soldier, what has happened here?" He asked, but received no answer, causing him to frown in annoyance. "What has happened to the rest of your men?"
"Those...those large...yellow eyes..." The soldier muttered to himself and shivered frantically. "Tentacles...as long as a building..."
"What happened to your ship?" The lead soldier said more sternly, causing the shaking man to finally look at him, which just seemed to unnerve him even more.
"It was swallowed...by a monster." The man whispered, causing everyone present to widen their eyes in shock.
/
"Oh, Alex~."
Alex groaned in his sleep as he something heavy pressed up against his chest, and felt a pair of slender arms around his body, constricting his movements. He was finally fully awakened when he felt a soft pair of lips pressed up against him.
He was instantly awakened and had a huge blush on his face when noticed Uzume laying on top of him. What's more, she was only dressed in her panties, meaning her large breasts were pressed up against his chest.
Uzume pulled away from the kiss and gave a flirtatious smirk. "Well, good morning, my darling." Uzume said.
"Wow...good morning, Uzume." Alex said, feeling a bit stunned. "This is definitely a different way to wake up."
"Nothing but the best for my Ashikabi." Uzume said as she pressed her forehead against his and smirked. "If you want, I can give you a very good morning."
Alex's blush became even darker at what he just heard. Uzume is by far one of the most beautiful women he has ever met in his life, and he counts himself very lucky to be in a relationship with her, if that is what you want to call whatever this bond they share is between an Ashikabi and Sekirei. The problem was, he has no experience with someone this overly affectionate.
Before Uzume could make good on her offer, the sliding door slammed open, causing her to freeze up. Both Sekirei and Ashikabi looked to see Miya standing by the doorway, with her purple aura completely surrounding her, contradicting her sweet smile.
"I may have agreed to let you share a room together, but that doesn't mean that my rule for no sexual relations within these walls has been lifted." Miya said in a sweet, yet sinister tone.
"Oh, come on, Miya!" Uzume said with a wine. "I'm allowed to show my Ashikabi some love, aren't I?"
"Oh, then perhaps you won't mind going a day without any food, since you think the rules don't apply to you." Miya said in the same tone, but this time that damn purple mask appeared again.
"Okay! Okay!" Uzume exclaimed in fear, which was shared by Alex, as she backed away from him. "Just put that thing away, will ya!"
"I don't know what you mean." Miya said innocently as the mask went away. "Breakfast will be ready soon, so please get ready." With that said, Miya closed the door and left.
"Wow, that was pretty terrifying." Alex said with a shudder.
"Yeah, but you get used to it." Uzume said as she got off the bed and picked up her clothes.
"Well, I better go and get breakfast then." Alex said as he got up as well, but paused when he glanced out the window, getting a view of the massive city. "Hey, Uzume?"
"Yeah, Alex?" Uzume said as she picked up her shirt.
"Did you really mean it, when you said that you have to fight against the rest of your kind for the right to stay with me?" Alex asked with worry.
Uzume became sad a bit, before she answered. "I'm afraid so, Alex. That's just how it is." Uzume said with a frown. "If we come across another Sekirei and their Ashikabi, it's a flight or fight situation, and it always end in a fight."
Alex frowned at this implication, as he didn't come to Japan to fight in the first place, but it seems that he has no choice now. He looked on the corner and noticed his backpack with his golden arm brace sticking out. "Yeah, I know what that feels like." Alex said with a sigh.
"But, hey, those fights probably won't happen to us, for a while." Uzume said, trying to stay positive. "There are still a lot of Sekirei that haven't found their Ashikabi yet, and those that haven't tend to avoid conflict."
"Yeah, but that still means we're still going to have to fight eventually." Alex said with a sigh, before giving a look of conviction as he looked towards Uzume, who just finished getting dressed in her casual outfit. "Uzume, I may hate this situation that we're in, but I promise that I'm gonna do my best to help us survive this stupid game."
Uzume was stunned by his strong words, and couldn't fight the blush on her cheeks from how handsome he looked when he held that strong look. She smirked as she placed her hands on her hips. "Keep talking like that, stud, and I may just get naked again."
Alex blushed and chuckled sheepishly at that. "I'd rather not incur Miya's wrath." Alex said.
"Yeah, that's a good point." Uzume said as they both exited her room. "Come on, we don't want our breakfast to get cold."
(Back Downstairs)
"And so, police are still investigating the cause of these disappearances, and we will be right here to deliver the news on what they find."
Kagari just made a few glances at the TV as he continued to read the newspaper. Miya set him a bowl of food, before she too glanced at the TV.
"Oh my, that's pretty awful." Miya said as she glanced at Kagari. "Please be careful when you go out tonight for your job, Kagari."
"Don't worry, Miya. You know I can take care of myself." Kagari said with an easy-going smile, before he noticed Uzume and Alex both came in and sat at the table as well. "Well, if it isn't our resident monster tamer."
"I'm not really a monster tamer, Kagari." Alex said with a sheepish smile. "I never went out looking for monsters to 'tame' them."
"Then how did you get those monsters you used to save me?" Uzume asked.
"I don't know where they came from." Alex answered with a shrug. "Sometimes that brace sends me an image of a creature in my head, with even its name, and then they just appear when I'm in trouble."
"Hmmm, that is rather odd." Miya said with an inquisitive look. "To have such a powerful artifact and not know the origins, or the inner workings, of its power."
"Yeah, it is strange, but it's definitely helped me out of a jam or two." Alex said, before his hands widened in shock. "Oh, man! I forgot to call my aunt and uncle yesterday, to tell them I found a place to stay!"
"Well, to be fair, you did get kind of distracted." Uzume said with a chuckle.
"You better call them now, though." Miya said with a chuckle as well. "Wouldn't want them to worry about you even more now."
"Yeah, you're definitely right. If they called me before, I wouldn't have heard it, because I had my phone on silent." Alex said as he turned his phone on, but then his face morphed to confusion. "What the heck?"
"What's wrong?" Uzume asked curiously.
"I've got over a hundred and thirty-seven missed calls, and close to over two hundred text messages; all from an unknown caller!" Alex exclaimed in disbelief. He was going to write it off as spam, but then again, he's never had a spam call that goes this nuts. Just then, the phone silently indicated it was getting another call from the same line.
Uzume's face changed to a frown as she sighed. "Might as well answer it now. They're never gonna stop calling until you do." Uzume said as she ate her breakfast.
"I'm out of here." Kagari simply said as he got up and left the dining room. Miya just remained silent, but one could tell that she was anything but happy.
Confused by the change of mood, Alex decided to answer the call. "Um...hello?"
"WELL, IT'S ABOUT TIME THAT YOU ANSWERED!"
Alex had to tear the phone away from his ear form how loud the voice was. "Ow! Hey, what's your problem?!" Alex exclaimed angrily over the phone.
"Well, I've been trying to reach you all day yesterday, and I received no answer! I have to say that is very rude!" The voice said in a condescending tone.
"My phone was on silent." Alex said simply. "Now, who the hell is this?"
"Of course, allow me to introduce myself!" The voice said in a jovial tone. "I am Minaka Hiroto, the Chairman of MBI, as well as the game master of the Sekirei Plan!"
"Minaka? The one who started all this?" Alex asked in shock, but also in slight anger.
"The one and only!" Minaka said, full of self-confidence and arrogance. "First of all, I'd like to say congratulations for winging Number 10, and for taking part in this magnificent game of mine!"
"Magnificent?!" Alex exclaimed in even more anger. "This isn't magnificent; this is sick! You're forcing these people to go out and find the one they want to spend their life with, and then fight each other for the right to stay with them!"
A chuckle was heard of the line, before Minaka spoke again. "Sometimes, my dear boy, the stairway to the gods is built upon the suffering of others. Sacrifices have to be made for one to achieve their dreams." Minaka said without a care in the world.
"These are innocent people; you can't just do this to them!" Alex exclaimed angrily, causing Uzume to smile at him with a blush on her face.
"That's the beauty of being the game master, young man; I can pretty much do anything I want." Minaka said with a chuckle. "Now, before I go, I must also I warn you that the Sekirei Plan is to be top secret! Not a single soul that isn't a part of it is to know about it! If you tell anyone there will be some dire consequences! Good luck to you, young man!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Alex called out, but it was too late, as Minaka had already hanged up. "Man, that guy's a complete narcissist in real life too."
Uzume leaned in close and gave Alex a peck on the cheek. "You know, I just love that passionate side of yours." Uzume said with a flirtatious smile.
"Yeah, well, I only spared a few sentences with that guy, and I already hate his guts." Alex said with a frown. Just then, his phone got an alarm. "Now what?" Alex looked through it and his eyes widened slightly. "Huh, the P.O. Box I set up at the post office before coming to the city has a package for me. I didn't order anything, though."
"I know what it is." Uzume said with a knowing look. "We better finish up breakfast and go pick it up."
"But what is it?" Alex asked curiously.
"Just some of my stuff that was leftover at MBI. They delivered it to you because you're my Ashikabi." Uzume explained.
"But why didn't they just deliver it here?" Alex asked in confusion. "I mean, they already have my number, and my P.O. Box, so I'm pretty sure they must know where I'm located."
"They probably have their...reasons." Uzume said as she gave a slight glance at Miya, who was still quietly eating her breakfast.
"So, should we get it now?" Alex asked curiously.
"Yeah, might as well." Uzume said with a shrug, before looking at Miya. "You need anything while we're out, Miya. I can pick up the groceries I accidentally dropped yesterday. I feel a little bad loosing."
"That's alright, Uzume. You had a perfectly good reason for losing them yesterday." Miya said with a dismissive wave and smile. "I will go and pick them up myself." She then chuckled a bit as a thought crossed her mind. "Hopefully I won't get attacked by a dragon, as well."
"No need to worry about that." Uzume whispered to Alex's ears with a chuckle. "She's scarier than any dragon."
"Hmmm? What was that, Uzume?" Miya asked with a closed-eye smile and that purple demon mask peeked over her shoulders.
"Nothing!" Uzume exclaimed as she hid Alex, who looked terrified as well. She quickly got up and dragged Alex to his feet and made their way to the door. "Well, Miya, we're just gonna go now, bye!" With that, the two of them raced out the door.
Miya chuckled to herself as her eyes glanced over of a picture of herself being held by a man with silver-hair, who gazed at her lovingly. "I still got it, Takehito." Miya said with a fond smile.
/
"Man, living under that house for my stay here is going to make my heart trace skyrocket." Alex said with a groan as he and Uzume walked together towards the post office.
"Don't worry about Miya. She can be scary, but she likes to think of herself as the kind big sister looking out for all of us." Uzume said with a smile.
"She kind of gives off a motherly vibe, in my opinion." Alex said with a shrug, but paused when Uzume got in his face with a dark shadow covering her eyes.
"Don't say that when she's near." Uzume said seriously. "She's sensitive about that."
"Okay, okay." Alex said quickly. "I'll keep that thought to myself."
"Good." Uzume said in satisfaction, before she noticed that they reached their destination. "Looks like we're here."
The two of them entered the post office and talked to the one at the front desk. After rummaging around in the back for a good minute, the person brought out a large box and handed it to him.
The Sekirei and Ashikabi duo eventually went outside and opened the box of contents, revealing spare casual clothes that would fit Uzume, as well as more veils that she could manipulate. At the center of it all was a single black card with the MBI logo on it.
"What the heck is this?" Alex asked in confusion as he looked at the black card.
"That's an MBI card. It's a credit card for Ashikabi's to purchase whatever they want. It's also got an unlimited amount of money in it." Uzume answered with a grin.
"Wait, seriously?!" Alex said in disbelief. "Just how rich is that looney bird, Minaka?!"
"I also should mention that Miya won't accept it for use of rent. She has no desire for MBI's currency." Uzume explained further.
"That's fine. I already know the perfect thing for us to use it on." Uzume said happily.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" Alex asked curiously, causing Uzume to smirk at him.
"Our first date!" Uzume said cheerfully, as she then began to drag him off to who knows where.
/
A young, beautiful woman sat alone on a park bench, with others passing by that are wither ignoring her, or looking at her uncomfortably and just walking away.
Her attire was next to nothing, with her only article of clothing being a lab coat, that had a blood stain on it, that barely covered her naked frame and large bust. She had short light-brown hair, light milky skin, and dark eyes that almost seemed dead to the world.
The most notable feature about her, however, was the Sekirei symbol on her forehead.
'I...am broken...' The woman thought to herself, as she just stared down with no emotion on her face whatsoever. If one could not see the rising and descending of her chest, which even that was barely noticeable, one would assume she even looked dead to the world.
'No one will want me...' The lone woman thought again as a tear fell down her face. 'I will never have...an Ashikabi.'
/
"Wow." Alex said in shock by what he was seeing. "That's...a lot of food."
"Hey, a girl's gotta eat." Uzume said as there was a table with a full spread of food in front of them.
Needless to say, this date has been a pretty fun and enjoyable experience for the both of them, and Uzume had not stop smiling throughout the entire thing. They went to an arcade together, which Alex was pretty bad at. He did, however, manage to win her a white scrunchy, which she proudly wore on her wrist. She took him on a tour around the city so that way he could get an understanding of the layout, which would also help him navigate the area in case another monster showed up.
To Uzume, however, it was that was that way they could understand the areas to avoid, less they want to be attacked by another Sekirei and Ashikabi. So far they were lucky to not have run into any trouble, but this game is unpredictable, and trouble will sooner or later find them.
Still though, she was happy to share this nice date with her destined Ashikabi. Now, that sat together at a buffet restaurant and were enjoying a nice meal, with the Sekirei grabbing more food than him.
"Honestly, Uzume, don't you think that's too much?" Alex asked with a sweatdrop on his head.
"I may not look it, but I can definitely eat this much." Uzume said casually as she ate her food. "We Sekirei have a high metabolism, so we have to eat a lot in order to keep our strength."
"Really?" Alex said in surprise. "Dang, that's pretty lucky."
"Yeah, it is pretty lucky; especially for you." Uzume said with a sultry smirk as she began rubbing her foot against Alex's under the table. "It also means that we have pretty high stamina."
Alex blushed in embarrassment at this, but couldn't help but smile sheepishly. "You hold nothing back, do you?" Alex asked with a slight chuckle.
"You better get used to it, babe." Uzume said with a smirk as she pointed her chopsticks at him. "I have no filter, and proud of it."
Alex chuckled again as his eyes gazed out to the window. "You know, being part of all this wasn't what I expected when I came here." Alex said with a sad smile. "All I wanted to do was be here for the grand opening at the museum for my parents and brothers' discoveries."
"But with them being...gone, who will be in charge of it now?" Uzume asked.
"Their old partner, Doctor Arkeville." Alex answered as a happy smile. "He's been a friend of the family for years, and has been their partner in many of their expeditions."
"Pfft." Uzume wanted to laugh hard, but help back as much as she could, lest she wants to spit up the food in her mouth. After taking a deep breath and swallowing what was in her mouth, she finally spoke up. "Seriously? His name is Arkeville? Wasn't there an evil scientist in that cartoon with robots that turn into cars called the exact same name?"
"Yeah, he's pretty sensitive about that." Alex said with a chuckle of his own. "Best not to mention that in front of him, unless you want to get an earful."
"Still, you must be pretty excited to be seeing your families' discoveries being immortalized in a museum." Uzume said.
"Yeah, but I'm kind of scared to go." Alex said as he looked down in sadness. "I'm not sure how I'll feel about it when I see all that stuff my parents discovered."
Uzume gave her Ashikabi a sad look as well, before she smiled softly and held his hand. "I may not know much about your parents and brother, but I think they would want you to go. Think of it as a way to honor them, and to see their life's work be immortalize in that museum."
Alex thought about it, and she was right. His family worked hard in their archeological trips, and the least he could do is see them being displayed at the museum. He looked at Uzume and gently squeezed his hand with hers. "Thanks, Uzume. You're pretty good at this." Alex said with a nice smile.
"I'd better be." Uzume said with her smirk back. "If we're gonna be together forever, I gotta know how to make you smile."
"Together." Alex whispered to himself as he continued to smile at Uzume and they both continued their meal. 'If I wasn't sure about this whole situation before, I am now. Being with Uzume forever...it definitely works for me.'
/
Night had soon fallen and Alex decided to take Uzume for a walk in the park to end their date. Needless to say, both of them had a great time, and they figured this was the best way to end their day.
"I gotta say, Uzume, this was the best way to spend the day." Alex said with a smile.
"I'm glad you liked it, because I definitely could tell you had some tension with this morning." Uzume said with a smile as well, with her arm looping around his.
"Well, I definitely don't feel that anymore." Alex said as he looked up at the night sky. "I still don't like this whole situation we find ourselves in, but I can definitely say that we can face it together." Uzume smile became more radiant as she blushed at his words, before she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, causing him to blush as well.
As they continued to walk, the air gained a bit of a chill, making them shiver a bit.
"I know it's night, but dang did it get chilly." Alex said with a shiver.
"Yeah, no kidding." Uzume said in agreement. Pretty soon, her eyes were drawn to something that made them widen in shock. "Alex, look."
Alex looked to where she was pointing to, and his eyes widened in shock when he saw a young woman sitting alone on a bench, being almost completely naked with only a lab coat over her shoulders that bare held her innocence.
What shocked Alex the most, however, was the Sekirei mark that was planted on her forward, instead of her back, like Uzume said it usually stayed. Alex looked towards Uzume, and he could see the horror and pity in her eyes as she gazed at the woman.
"Uzume, is she what I think she is?" Alex asked for clarification.
"She is." Uzume said with a sad nod. "She is a Sekirei, like me."
"But then, why is her mark on her forehead?" Alex asked in confusion.
"It's because she is what is known as a Scrapped Number." Uzume answered with sadness.
"Scrapped Number?" Alex repeated in confusion.
"It's a very rare phenomena, where a Sekirei cannot be winged, so she is unable to unlock her full power. Because of this, she is unable to find her Ashikabi, and is therefore unable to compete in the game." Uzume said in complete sadness. "She is unable to find her destined one, and forever to stand alone. This makes her easy pickings if another Sekirei wants to take her out of the game."
"Oh man." Alex said in shock, before looking back at the lone Sekirei and walking up to her. "Well, we can't just leave her here like this."
"Are you sure about this, Alex?" Uzume asked as she followed him.
"Yeah, it just wouldn't feel right to walk away." Alex said as the two of them approached the bench the woman was sitting on. She didn't acknowledge their approach, only briefly looking up at that them, before staring back down at the ground with a dead look to the world. Alex decided to go first and spoke up. "Um...hello. Are you okay?" He inwardly flinched at that. 'Crap, why did I say that? Of course, she's not okay!'
The women didn't respond at all, before her lips just slightly moved. "Broken...useless..."
"Why do you think that?" Alex said as he knelt down, though he made sure to focus on her face than...other parts of her.
"Cannot be winged...I am useless..." The woman whispered softly, still not even look at him. "Adjusters said...I am scrapped..."
"Wait, what?" Alex asked in confusion as he then looked towards Uzume for clarity. "Who are the adjustors?"
"They're scientists at MBI who place limiters on our physiology and powers so that we don't cause too much collateral damage, or even hurt our Ashikabi." Uzume explained.
"Wow, you guys are that powerful?" Alex said in shock and awe.
"If it wasn't for them, there are some Sekirei that would have caused catastrophic accidents throughout the whole city." Uzume said with a nod.
"Wow." Alex said in amazement, before he turned back towards the scrapped Sekirei. "Well, you don't seem broken."
"I am...I will never find...an Ashikabi..." The Sekirei said, who still didn't look up from the ground.
Alex sighed as he gave her a sympathetic look. "Well, I don't want to leave you hear all by yourself. If you want, we can set you up at the place we're staying at." He looked back at Uzume. "Miya wouldn't mind another tenant, would she?"
Uzume smiled as she shook her head. "She wouldn't mind at all." She said in approval.
The woman finally looked at up at them, and they could see that her expression was slowly becoming surprised. "You...would help me?" She whispered in shock. "Even though I am broken?"
"Come on, enough of that." Alex said with a smiling chuckle. "I don't know why you keep saying that, because you don't look broken to me."
Those words really made the Scrapped Sekirei's eyes widen in shock. Even though she was destined to not have an Ashikabi, here he was saying that she wasn't broken in his eyes. His words seemed to resonate with her as a blush started to form on her face, though inevitably, she couldn't feel the heat radiating from her core like it's supposed to.
Uzume couldn't help but smirk. 'He really is a smooth talker.' She thought to herself.
"You know, I just realized something." Alex said to himself in surprise. "What's your name?"
"My name...is Akitsu." She introduced herself, while still gazing at him.
"Well then, Akitsu, my name is Alex and this Uzume, and we know a landlady who can set you up with a room at the inn she owns. You can have your own room and a nice cooked meal there." Alex said as he stood back up and held his hand out for her. "I think that'll help you get back on your feet before you decide what to do."
"Believe me, you can trust him." Uzume said as she held Alex's free hand. "He's being honest with you, and we can definitely help you."
Akitsu continued to stare at him, before her eyes lingered on to his offered hand. She honesty was content to just stay here and die, or at least have another Sekirei take her out of the game. She honestly wasn't expecting anyone to help her, let alone an Ashikabi.
But when her eyes met the young man's, she could see no deceit in them. He truly wanted to help her.
She slowly lifted up her hand and was about to take the offered gesture, but then...
"Now wait just a minute!"
Everyone looked behind and saw two individuals approaching them, and this put Uzume on edge. The first one was a boy who looked to be about fifteen years old, wearing a white suit with gold trimmings, and had an arrogant smirk on his face. The second one was an older young man, with messy grey hair, grey eyes, and wore a long-sleeved black shirt and pants, with an orange scarf around his neck. To complete his look, he had black, finger-less gloves on both his hands.
What really put them on edge was the katana on his hip.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this tender moment, but that Scrapped Number is coming with me." The boy said arrogantly. "She's a rare piece and will be a great addition to my collection."
"Collection?" Alex asked incredulously. "She's a person, not an object!"
"Either way, she'll help me win this game and I will get the grand prize." The young man said without a care.
"Be carefully, Alex." Uzume said with her hardened gaze focused on the guy with the sword. "That kid is a Ashikabi, and that guy with the sword is a Sekirei."
"Wait, so we have to fight them so soon?" Alex said in shock.
"I'm afraid so." Uzume said.
"This doesn't have to end in a fight." The sword wielded said calmly. "Just surrender and leave. There's no chance for you if this ends in a fight."
"Wait a minute, this doesn't make any sense." Alex spoke up as he addressed the teen. "You're the one who should be walking away. You already have a Sekirei, so there's no point."
The teen just looked at him in surprise, before he started laughing. "Hahahaha! Wow, you must be a real newbie at this game, aren't you?!" The teen exclaimed as he held hid sides in laughter.
"Hey, what's so funny?!" Alex yelled angrily.
"Alex, Ashikabi's are able to wing more than one Sekirei." Uzume explained as she looked back at Akitsu, who had an unsure expression on her face. "Whether they are willing or not."
Alex's eyes widened in shock at this notion. Here he was thinking that one Sekirei was the option, but now he finds out that an Ashikabi can have multiple Sekirei?
"That's right, and this Scrapped Number will be another piece to add to my ever growing collection, and I intend to collect more in the future." The teen said in arrogant tone.
Alex's eyes narrowed in anger by what this kid was implying. "Sekirei are people, just like you an me, and you can't just treat them like some high collectible from a toy store!"
"Once I wing them, they officially serve me, so they can be whatever I want them to be!" The teen exclaimed with his smirk growing.
"Well, you're not getting your hands on her." Alex said as he stood protectively in front of Akitsu, causing her eyes to widen even further as she gazed up at him. "She needs someone to help her, not some arrogant brat who probably cries to mama every time he breaks an action figure!"
That seemed to have struck a chord with the teen, as he had an enraged expression on his face, and then turned to his Sekirei. "That's it! Mutsu, take this guy down and his Sekirei, then get me that Scrapped Number!"
Mutsu sighed as he knew this fight was inevitable, but complied nonetheless. "Great, now he's in a bad mood. That's gonna be an earful back home." Mutsu said as he approached the two and held his katana, but didn't unsheathed it from the scabbard. His gaze hardened as he started down Uzume. "I'm Sekirei No. 5, Mutsu. You must be his Sekirei, am I right?"
Uzume's eyes narrowed as she raised up her hand and a veil surrounded her body, before she was now in her battle outfit. "Yes, I am. I am Sekirei No. 10, Uzume." While she may look ready on the outside, inside she was very concerned. 'Crap. He's a single number. This isn't going to be easy.'
Well then, let's..." Mutsu was about to make the first move, but paused when eyes caught something weird. "Is your Ashikabi's jacket supposed to glow like that?"
Everyone became confused at that remark, before Alex looked down and noticed that something was glowing in his jacket pocket. He reached in and pulled out his golden brace, and it was glowing a bright golden light.
"Oh no." Alex said with dread. Just then, a purple fog stared to form low to the ground, confusing everyone present, but it filled Alex and Uzume with slight dread as they knew what this meant.
"Where did this fog come from?" The teen asked in surprise.
"Fog isn't purple." Mutsu said with his eyes narrowing. Something about all this was making the hairs in the back of his neck stand on end.
"Grrrrr..."
Everyone looked in the direction that noise was coming from and could make out a figure with glowing yellow eyes peeking out of the bushes. The future stepped out to reveal a really large wolf with silver fur and was growling with its fags bared at them.
"What the?" The teen muttered in confusion. "What kind of dog is that?"
"Looks more like a wolf to me." Mutsu muttered with his eyes narrowed. "But why is there a wolf in Shinto Teito?"
"Alex?" Uzume said as her veils started to flit around her. Even Akitsu stood up from her bench and her stoic expression only slightly becoming surprised by their predicament.
"Yeah, that's no wolf." Alex said with his eyes narrowed as he placed his brace on his forearm.
"Whatever it is, it's getting in my way." The teen said with a scoff. "Mutsu, just deal with that mutt."
Mutsu was about to do just that, but paused when he heard more growling sounds coming from the foliage around them. When they all looked around, they noticed even more large wolves coming out and surrounding all of them. Pretty soon, over two dozen wolves surrounded them, and they circled around and bared their teeth, ready to strike when they see an opening.
"Okay, which one?" Mutsu said dryly.
"This isn't going to be simple." Alex said as the golden wings flashed onto his brace. "We're going to have to work together if we're going to survive this!"
"Please. You don't expect us to work together, do you?" The teen asked sarcastically as he held his hand up and snapped his fingers. "Finish them, Mutsu."
"Sure thing, Mikogami." Mutsu said as he took his sheathed katana and then slammed the tip onto the ground. "Smashing Point!"
From the epicenter of where his sheathed sword impacted the ground, the ground began to shake and started to break apart. The results were several slabs of the ground rising up and crushing some of the wolves in their path. Some of them tried jumping out of the way, but they ended up falling in the trenches from where the ground opened up, and then ended up getting crushed by the collapsing earth.
Alex looked in surprise by the display of power he just witnessed. "Wow! That guy's strong!" Alex said in awe. What started as two dozen large wolves was just reduced to a measly six in five seconds.
"The power of the Single Number." Akitsu said.
"That's why I was so tensed to fight him, Alex." Uzume said with her eyes narrowed. "Single Number Sekirei are said to be the toughest Sekirei out there."
"I can tell." Alex said as he sweated a bit, but then noticed one of the surfing wolves lunging at them, and was about to sink its teeth into Akitsu. "Akitsu, look out!"
Before the wolf can even sink its fangs into her, Akitsu simply raised her hand and sent a wave of ice from ground, completely skewering the large wolf multiple times, causing it to dissipate in purple smoke.
"Wow." Alex said in surprise, before he smiled at her. "Ice powers, huh? I swear no pun intended, but thats just really cool!"
While it may not appear visible, at first, the hint of a blush appeared on Akitsu's cheeks, and she did have a tiny smile form the praise.
Two more monster wolves tried attacking them, but Uzume was able to wrap her veils around them and pin them in place. "Showl Lance!" Uzume used her veiled-lance to strike each of the monster, completely destroying them as well. She gave a little smirk as she placed a hand on her hip. "Compared to that dragon the other day, this is pretty easy."
"Well, no sense in sitting this one out." Alex said with a smirk as one of the wings on his brace started to glow, before an image appeared on it. "Kaiser Sea Horse, appear!"
A flash of golden light illuminated the area for a brief moment, before a new figure stood next Alex. This being was a bipedal, humanoid creature, wearing armor that seemed to be aquatic, with a color-scheme of teal and purple, and an all dark-purple helmet with spikes that only revealed its yellow eyes. On one hand, the wielded a shield with a fin-like design, and the other hand wielded a double pointed lance. Everyone around Alex, save for Uzume, looked on in shock by what had just happened.
"What the?!" The teen, Mikogami, exclaimed in disbelief. "How did he do that?! Mutsu, tell me how he did that!"
"How the hell am I supposed to know that." Mutsu said in annoyance. As if he would have the answer on how this guy summoned some kind of monster out of thin air.
"That's a new one." Uzume stated with a smile.
"Yeah, I figured I'd give this guy a test one. I've only ever summoned him one time." Alex explained as he looked towards his new monster companion. "Alright, Kaiser Sea Horse, time to put these dogs down!"
Kaiser Sea Horse nodded as it tightened its grip on the lance it wielded, before charging right at the remaining three wolves. The thee beast monster all charged at him, but he used his shield to deflect one strike, and then stabbing the other with his lance, causing it to dissipate in purple smoke.
The remaining two wolves circled around him, before both lunching on opposite sides. The armored warrior simply spun and slammed the side of his lance onto the midsection of one of the wolves, and carried the momentum right to the other one, slamming both monster wolves into the ground. To finish them both off, he plunged his lance right into the two downed wolves, finishing them both off at once.
"Nice!" Alex said with a smile. "That takes care of that!"
"Looks like another successful monster bust." Uzume said with a grin. "Maybe we should go into business."
"Hey, you!" Everyone looked to see Mikogami glaring at him with an enraged expression. "How did you do that?! What was with that light and summoning some monster of your own?!"
"Look, it just happens sometimes, but it's none of your business." Alex said with a glare.
"It's that thing on your arm, isn't it?!" Mikogami said as he noted that the creature only appeared when one of those protruding wings glowed. "I want to summon my own creatures to work for me! How much is it?! Name your price!"
Alex's eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared hard at the teen getting on his nerves. "There's no price you can put on this thing. I'll never let anyone have it!" Alex exclaimed.
Mikogami glared at that, before snapping his fingers again. "Mutsu, this guy has got on my last nerves! Finish him and his Sekirei off, take the Scrapped Number, and get that golden thing off of him!"
"Very well." Mutsu said with a sigh as he approached.
Uzume stood in front of him and glared defiantly. "You heard my Ashikabi. It's important to him, meaning it's important to me, too." Uzume said as she was about to unleash the full might of her veils. "You will not lay a hand on him."
"I may no want to hurt him, but it's not up to me." Mutsu said in a bored tone, as he was about to unsheathe his sword.
Alex's mind was racing as, if what Uzume told him about Single Number's was true, then the odds of her getting out of this fight were pretty slim. Plus, he didn't want to pander that guy, Minaka, by taking part in his sick game so soon. He had to find a way out of this, but how was he going to do that?
His eyes widened when he gained an idea, before turning to Akitsu. "Akitsu, I need you to stay close to me." Alex advised. She was confused by this, but one look in his eyes and she agreed. She stepped closer to his side, as he leaned in to whisper something to Uzume. "Uzume, I've got an idea to get out of here without us having to actually fight."
"What did you have in mind?" Uzume asked curiously, causing Alex to whisper in her ear.
Mikogami saw this and got a little ticked off at that. "Hey, no strategizing! Mutsu, hurry up and finish them!"
"Fine." Mutsu said as he charged at them as he unsheathed his sword.
"Got it." Uzume said with a nod, which Alex returned.
"Alright. Kaiser Sea Horse, intercept!" Alex ordered, causing his creature to charge at Mutsu in return and clashed his lance with Mutsu's sword.
Mutsu's eyes narrowed as this creature was pretty strong, but he was more experienced than whatever this thing was. He broke out of the weapon lock and tried slicing the creature, but it just blocked the strike and sidestepped away, before lunging and ready to strike. Mutsu flipped over the attack and bought his sword down, striking Kaiser Sea Horse in the shoulder.
When Mutsu landed back down on the ground, he half expected the creature to at least roar in agony from the slash, but her was surprised to see that the creature didn't even let out a whimper, or nay sound at all. What's more is that the slash mark that went right through its armor didn't show blood, but rather a glowing slash mark.
"Does this thing even bleed?" Mutsu asked in surprise. His eyes narrowed as he tightened the grip on his sword. "Either way, it can't survive without a head."
"Good thing you won't see that." Alex muttered to himself as another image appeared on another wing from his brace.
Mutsu glared hard at Kaiser Sea Horse, before he charged forward. "Here we go!" He exclaimed.
However, before another clash could occur, another golden flash happened right in front of the sword-wielding Sekirei, forcing him to halt hiss stride. When the glow subsided, coming between him and Kaiser Sea Horse, a new creature appeared, but this one was a bit unorthodox. It looked like a portion of a wall being hold together by weather and bamboo poles, but what really creeped Mutsu out was the appeared on an entire pale face on the wall.
"Meet the Wall of Illusion." Alex said with a smirk.
The pale face's eyes opened and created a purple glow, which immediately drew Mutsu's attention. The minute he stared into the glow, his body became paralyzed, unable to move even a single inch. It was as if he had become a statue.
"Mutsu?! What are you doing?!" Mikogami exclaimed in disbelief.
"Don't worry, he'll snap out of it as soon as we're a good distance away." Alex said with a smirk as the image of Kaiser Sea Horse disappeared, causing the creature to vanished in golden particles. "We're gonna be leaving now, so I suggest you teach your spoiled butt some manners during your free time."
Mikogami growled angrily at this as he glared hard. "Just know that I won't forget this." Mikogami stated.
"Whatever you say, you brat." Alex said dismissively as he looked towards Uzume and Akitsu. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"You got it." Uzume said with a nod, before looking at Akitsu. "So, despite all this craziness, you still want to hang out with us?"
Akitsu looked at the ground for a moment, her expression still blank as before, but when she looked into Alex's eyes, she couldn't help but blush at the kindness he showed. The willingness to help her even though she considered herself a broken Scrapped Number.
'It cannot be so...but still...' Akitsu looked at Alex and gave a slight nod. "I wish to go with you."
"Well, alright then. Let's go back to Maison Izumo." Alex said with a smile as the three of them walked out, with Uzume detaching a veil to cover Akitsu up. Better than a bloody lab coat, that's for sure.
As soon as they were a good distance away, Wall of Illusion disappeared in golden particles, releasing the hold it had on Mutsu. He gasped when he regained his senses, as he looked around. "What? Where'd they go?"
"They left, Mutsu!" Mikogami exclaimed angrily as he glared hatefully in the direction Alex left. "And next time I see that bastard, he's going to regret stealing such a valuable piece from me!"
/
It took half an hour, but Alex, Uzume, who was back in her casual clothes, and Akitsu eventually made it back to Maison Izumo. The trek was quiet, mostly, with Alex attempting to make conversation to Akitsu, but she mostly just gave short one or two word responses. Alex didn't mind that, as he know she was probably still getting used to everything happening to her. Needless to say, so was he with everything going on in his life.
The three of them entered through the front door and took off their shoes, save for Akitsu, who didn't have shoes. "Miya, we're back!" Alex called out.
"Oh, my. You both took a long time getting back." Miya called out as she approached. "I was afraid that you might have gotten hurt or..." Miya paused mid-sentence when she noticed the extra guest that they brought along with them, more importantly, her current lack of dress. But what really drew her attention was the mark on her forehead. She instantly knew what that meant, and her heart nearly broke from seeing it.
Still though, best to have fun with the situation her two tenants have found themselves in. She gave her trademark smile, complete with the purple demon mask appearing. "Well now, just what type of criminal offense have you committed, Alex? Do I need to call the police?" Miya asked in a sickly-sweet tone.
"No! No! You got it all wrong, Miya!" Alex exclaimed as Uzume, even Akitsu, hid behind him in fear. "There's a perfectly good explanation for this."
Miya put away the scary demeanor and gave a light chuckle, putting them at ease. "It's okay, I understand." Miya said as she reached forward and grabbed Akitsu's hand. "Come on, dear, let's get you some proper clothes." Akitsu looked at Miya stoically, before she looked at Alex for confirmation. Alex smiled and gave a nod, showing her that she could trust Miya. With that confirmation from him, she followed after Miya and went into a separate room.
"Hope she'll be okay. We have no idea what she's been through before we came along to that park bench." Alex said with worry.
"Don't worry, Alex, she's in good hands here." Uzume said as she placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort. She looked to see that there was something else bothering him, as he held a contemplative look on his face. "There's something else on your mind, is there? Is it about that Ashikabi we ran into and his Sekirei?"
"Nah, I'm not worried about that spoiled brat, though his Sekirei did intimidate me a bit. What's bothering me is those large wolves that attacked us." Alex said with his eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, that was pretty creepy." Uzume said as she remembered all that. "Especially with that purple fog rolling in."
"Yeah, that was new to me too." Alex said as the two of them sat on the mat in the living room. "Plus, I've never had to deal with a monster literally the next day after dealing with another one. That's never happened before. A year, sure; a couple months, a little grating, but I can handle that easily; a single day, however, that's troubling."
"Well, what's matters is that we're home and we're safe now." Uzume said as she got behind him and hugged him.
"Thanks, Uzume." Alex said as he grasped her arm draped over him. He heard a noise and looked to see Kagari dressed in a nice suit and was about to head out. "Hey, Kagari. Where are you going looking all fancy?"
"I gotta head to work. It's a late shift so I'll be back when everyone is asleep." Kagari said, before he gave them both curious look. "By the way, I thought I overheard Miya talking to someone. Do we have company?"
"Yeah, we may have a new tenant living here, until she gets back up on her feet." Alex said, but Uzume had a sneaking suspicion that she may be here longer than what Alex believes, if by the subtle look Akitsu gave him was anything to go by.
"Really? Well, I'm gonna have to meet her tomorrow, but I'll be sure to introduce myself. Later, guys." Kagari said before heading out the door.
"What does Kagari do for work, anyway?" Alex asked curiously.
"He works at a Host Club. I hear he's pretty popular with the ladies." Uzume said, before she gave him a teasing grin and leaned in on his back, pressing her breasts to his back. "I'll bet you were pretty popular with the ladies too."
"Well, actually, I didn't have that much experience when it came to girls back then." Alex said as he blushed from the close physical contact between him and Uzume. "Fighting monsters with monsters' kind of puts a hamper on the dating experience."
"Well, that works out for me." Uzume said with a satisfied smile.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked in confusion.
Uzume smirked as she leaned in a bit more and whispered in his ear. "It means that when we take that step, I'll be your first."
Alex's eyes widened in shock by what he said, and his blush became atomic red as well. "Well, I...uh...wow..." Alex stuttered as he couldn't figure out a to respond.
"We're back."
Alex and Uzume, who unlatched herself from him to give him a break from her teasing, looked to see Miya and a now fully clothed Akitsu enter the living room. Akitsu now sported a light blue kimono with pink flowers along the robe, and black obi tied around her waist.
Alex was stunned by the way sho looked, as the kimono really accentuated her natural beauty. "Wow, Akitsu. You look great." Alex said in all honesty, causing her to sport a very tiny light blush on her cheeks, as she and Miya sat down with the two.
"Akitsu gave me a light description on what happened to you all tonight. That must have been so terrifying." Miya said with concern.
"It was a little nerve-wracking, but we got through it okay." Alex said as he smiled at both Akitsu and Uzume, causing them both to blush, but one tried to hide it with her stoic look.
"Well then, let's end this night properly by having dinner." Miya said with a kind smile. "It hasn't been out that long, so it should still be good for you all."
"Great, cause after tonight, I've worked up an appetite." Uzume said as they all went to grab their dinner.
Alex got up, but noticed Akitsu still sat down with her blank expression still present. He smiled at her and held out her hand for her. "Come on, Akitsu, let's get you something to eat."
Akitsu looked up at him and stared at his offered hand, reminding her of when he did the same thing back at the park, but there moment was interrupted. Now, there was nothing stopping her, and she still couldn't help but feel drawn to him in some way. She wasn't getting the rush of heat that one gets when they feel the presence of her Ashikabi; she will never feel that ever, but she was feeling something.
With her mind being made up, she reached out and gently grasped his hand, allowing him to delicately pull her up to her feet.
"Great. Now let's grab some grub." I said as I was about to head to the dining room, but paused when I felt Akitsu still holding my hand and would not move. I turned to look at her and she was staring deep into my eyes, almost like she sees right into my sole. "Akitsu, are you okay?"
"I thought I was broken...that no one would care for me..." Akitsu said as she slowly stepped towards him and placed a hand on his cheek, causing Alex to blush from her touch. "You cared for me...protected me...even though I thought of myself as useless..." Akitsu's blush began to grow as she began to lean in. "This won't be official...but I want to be here for you...to call you...my Ashikabi."
She eventually sealed the deal and kissed Alex on the lips, leaving the young man stunned by what was happening. As expected, no wings of light sprouted form her back, but the Ice Sekirei still felt a rush of emotions going through her from the kiss. It was pretty exhilarating, and she wondered if this was what it felt like to be winged by your one true Ashikabi.
Akitsu soon separated form the kiss, staring deep into Alex's eyes, with a tiny smile on her face. "My Ashikabi...now and forever." She said as she hugged him close, with Alex still stunned by what happened.
"Oh...wow." Alex muttered, unsure of how to respond to this situation.
"Wow, ice queen really doesn't waste any time, does she?"
Alex quickly turned to see Uzume standing along the doorway with a plate of food on hand, and Miya behind her. Uzume had a bit of a smirk on her face, while Miya had a slight smile behind her hand, trying to contain her chuckle.
"My, Alex, you really are a womanizer, aren't you?" Miya said in a teasing tone.
"I am not a womanizer!" Alex exclaimed in embarrassment, with Akitsu hugging the right side of his body. "Uzume, I swear, it's not what it looks like! She-"
"Oh, would you relax, you big worry wort." Uzume said as she walked up and poked him on the forehead. "I told you Ashikabi's can have multiple Sekirei, so this is really no big deal." Uzume said as she looked towards Akitsu. "I know that it may not actually be official, but welcome to the team, Akitsu!"
"Thank you..." Akitsu said with a stoic nod, still clinging to Alex's right.
Uzume smirked as she then latched on to Alex's left. "Two Sekirei, huh, Alex? Looks like this is the beginning of an exciting adventure."
"Or a stressful one." Alex muttered as he felt the large breasts of both girls pressing up against him.
"I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on you, Alex." Alex said as her purple miasma leaked out a bit. "Can't have a womanizer like you get too grabby with the tenants."
"I'm not a womanizer!"
/
Back at the park late at night, the orange elf creature in the purple suit stepped out of the shadows and inspected the damage from the battle that took place not that long ago.
"Well, now. That was quite a show." The elf said with a chuckle. Just then, a purple dark cloud with glowing red eyes emerged from the ground, and extended close to him to be at his height. "Everything is going according to plan. The three keys will soon emerge and be ours for the taking."
"How is it that you were able to create a shadow gate to let multiple Silver Fangs into this realm?'
"That girl, the unwingable Sekirei, was filled with such negative emotions that I was able to gather enough darkness to open a bigger gate. A test for what is to come, once all the preparations have been met." The elf said confidently.
"Excellent, Witty Phantom. I can feel the darkness and negative emotions spreading across this city, and these Sekirei are a vital part of it. My resurrection will come soon, and the world shall experience the gift of shadows when I return."
"We still have quite a ways to go." Witty Phantom said with a bit of a frown. "We have only discovered one of the keys, and the other two remain hidden. Without all three, your resurrection will be forever delayed."
"In due time, my servant. Destiny cannot keep the keys hidden forever. They will emerge when the time is right. For 5,000 years I have slumbered and have plotted my revenge in my dreams. Now that darkness has once again arisen, my time is at hand."
"I will ensure that everything will go smoothly." Witty Phantom said as he bowed his head to the ethereal dark cloud in front of him. "Your resurrection will come in due time, my lord."
"I know it will. Just make sure that our pawn does his part." With that said, the dark red-eyed cloud dissipated, leaving Witty Phantom to himself, before he started to walk off.
"Be prepared, young Alex." Witty Phantom said with a sinister smirk on his face. "You're about to be a part of history. The historical Ragnarok that will ravage this world and end it!"
/
Hey everybody, I'm back with a brand-new chapter!
It's been so long since I updated this story, and I wanted you guys to know that I have not abandoned it. This was an incredible chapter to write, as Akitsu has always been one of my favorite Sekirei. Plus, we got to see more shadow monster action here.
Well, now Alex has two Sekirei, technically one and a half, since Akitsu still has the mark on her head, but don't worry, I intend to fix that in the future. He will be getting more Sekirei, but I'm just letting you all know, I already have a set number of Sekirei for him. So, I'm sorry to say, but I will not be taking any requests for Sekirei for Alex to wing.
Another thing, I will not be taking Minato's Sekirei, because Minato is going to appear like he usually does, but I do intend to give him a really great role for this story, while still keeping his personality intact. I have big plans for him, and I can't wait for you all to see it.
I guess one of my inspirations for writing the next chapter was because I have another Sekirei story in my arsenal that I want to start writing. This one is going to be a Minato-replacement Sekirei story, but it's also a crossover with Superman, or more accurately, a young Clark Kent before he became Superman.
Ever since My Adventures with Superman came out, fantastic show by the way, I've just been on a Superman fan craze lately. So, I've got a Superman x Sekirei crossover in the works, but also a Superman x Owl House crossover in the works, and I can't wait to write those in the future.
Well, that's all I have to say, everyone. Stay healthy, stay safe, and I'll see you all next time!