This story idea has been plaguing me constantly, and then the story outline, character notes, and chapter 1 all exploded onto the page.
So this is a thing now, and you'll notice that I'm still more or less on track for my usual schedule- this is because I write like a motherfucker. Expect chapters of this to come out after chapters of Monsters from now on.
And speaking of monsters...
Sahashi Takami was a lot of things. As the head researcher of the mega-conglomerate MBI, she could likely be considered one of the most powerful women in the world- her net worth rivalled several small countries, and she had the presence to match, even if she'd never really given a damn about wealth.
What most people didn't know was that, twenty one years before Tokyo city became the host of what would then be called the 'Sekirei Plan', Takami, along with the CEO of MBI, Minaka Hiroto, had discovered upon the newly uncovered Kamikura Island an alien spacecraft, of all things.
Most people didn't know that the one hundred and eight beings, and the technology that that ship contained, were the secrets of MBI's formation, and success.
But what no one, not even Takami herself, knew was that almost four years after that, Sahashi Takami quite possibly became the savior of every species on the planet- arguably the savior of the earth itself.
And that that monumental hidden achievement had nothing to do with the one hundred and eight aliens belonging to the Sekirei race.
Nothing at all.
It didn't really understand the things around It, but It enjoyed watching them. It didn't really understand the noises they made, and so It listened until It did. The things around It seemed to get excited by the way It repeated their own sounds back at them, and It enjoyed that as well.
Everything was new- and thus everything was interesting.
It didn't really understand what this thing called a 'holding cell' was supposed to be, but It believed the thing that told It that the cell was for Its own safety.
After all, every other thing listened to this thing… what was the word again? … 'Human'. That was it, the things around It were 'human', and the human that everyone called 'Doctor Sahashi' was the leader of these humans.
It wasn't quite sure why that was, but if everyone else listened to… 'her', then shouldn't It do the same?
After all, 'she' had found It when It was confused and alone, and she had brought It here, where It was warm and safe and not alone.
She even offered It new things to eat, and had humored It when It had requested that she not give It things that did not move- only when It ate moving things could It fully understand them, fully learn from them- and It liked learning new things. Based upon that, It had attempted to do so as she told It so far, and everything had turned out for the better, so clearly, that action was appropriate.
After all, not only had Doctor Sahashi found It, she had made It so that It could learn new things.
It would later learn that the feeling It was experiencing was 'gratitude'.
It liked learning new things, and when It learned new things, Doctor Sahashi would sometimes show It the thing she showed the other humans, when they did something she approved of. It didn't really understand why the corners of her mouth would move upwards when something she approved of happened, but if she directed that expression at It, then it meant that It had done something good, did it not?
It enjoyed that, and so It kept trying to do things that would cause that expression.
It was a bit confused, though, and hadn't decided if It should ask or not. It had watched the humans in the box that moved and made sounds like the humans that were there with It, despite how the humans in the box were not there with It.
The box was something called a 'TV', and it allowed one to observe beings that weren't present, and learn of them. It often wondered why the humans in the box were made of light, unlike the humans around It that were made of food It didn't think It should eat.
It thought all of this was rather fascinating, but it was also the source of Its confusion.
Several of the females on the screen had been given a 'title' of sorts, a name they were called other than their name… the title corresponded to the 'role' they were given, and yet, Doctor Sahashi was given the title of 'Doctor' instead, despite fulfilling the same role.
Truly mysterious.
… Her hand left a red smear on the wall she leaned against, and the DNA recognition pad on the door let her in after she coughed up blood all over it.
Takami was aware she was dying- they'd gotten her lung, not fully punctured but definitely close. Each breath she managed to take felt heavy and wet, and it was getting harder to remember why she should keep drawing breath in the first place.
VIP status did not, in fact, make you bullet-proof, the coroner's report would state.
There, at the opposite end of the main room was the giant 'fish tank' made of fused silica glass- the kind found on windows in a space shuttle. There, taking up roughly a quarter of the aquarium-sized tank lay a misshapen mass of 'something dark'- the creature known as Myriad 1.
She'd learned over the past half year that that was what Myriad 1 looked like 'at rest'- and that the Sekirei hadn't prepared them for alien life that didn't look or think like humans.
Upon noticing her, it flowed into motion, pressing up against the tank wall in her direction, rippling erratically. She observed with only passing interest, dragging herself along the console until she could get to the main terminal.
It took her half a dozen tries, but then alarms and warnings blared- the ceiling of the tank slid open with a pneumatic hiss, and Myriad 1 didn't even hesitate at its first taste of freedom.
Like a waterfall flowing in reverse, it washed up and over the walls of the tank, and suddenly, it was looming over her, still giving those strange ripples (shivers).
She was going to tell it that it was free- it could slide its way though an opening the size of a 100 yen coin, it could easily escape into the ventilation. She wanted to tell it to escape, that the people coming there to find it would not treat it gently as they had- that the people… Americans? Russians? She couldn't remember… they did not have the experience of dealing with the Sekirei, and probably weren't aware of the benefits to coexistence.
They would dissect it, experiment on it until it died, and treat its corpse with just as much dignity.
She at least, didn't want that.
But the words never made it out.
The words never made it out, because It spoke first, and it was a challenge to make out its words… normally, its voice was slow, but fluent… actually, how did it even have a voice? They'd theorized vibrations since it didn't have any vocal-
"MOtHer! ArE… yOU… WeLl?" Its voice was an imitation of those around it- an amalgamation of the voice of herself and her team.
Normally Myriad 1 was more fluent than that, this was its first display of what could be called 'agitation', then. Dimly, the fraying scraps of her clinical mind noted that it seemed as if Myriad 1 was making an attempt to push her blood back through her open wounds… no wait, what was it that it just…?
"... What did you just call me?" The delirium had set in, anemia would do that- reduced blood flow to the brain could easily cause auditory hallucinations, of course it hadn't-
"MOther…PrIMARy... FeMalE CaRES… YOung.. YOu ArE?"
… The conclusion was wrong but the logic was sound.
She should correct it. She was a scientist, deliberately offering false information like that went against- "That's… exactly right. I'm… I'm your mother."- anemia, exhaustion, delirium and poorly suppressed grief.
Her principles as a researcher lost, and lost badly.
Badly enough that she couldn't even comprehend why she was gently stroking the face it didn't have, and smiling because the shuddering had stopped.
She had resented it for acting the child that one in a million odds had conspired to steal from her. Now she was treating it like the little boy she'd never get to bounce on her knee.
What a joke.
"... Sleep then, Mother… all will be well."
Sleep?
Yeah, that sounded like a good idea.
She was tired… god she was so tired.
Mother was sleeping, and was wearing that… what was it… 'smile' that told It that It had done something worthy of praise.
It had worked long and hard to resonate with Mother- enough that It felt confident in Its understanding of her, despite not having consumed her as was Its way. It had felt that consuming Mother and the other researchers would result in more loss than gain.
Truly mysterious.
It hadn't managed to put all of Mother's internal red back inside of her, but IT had managed to pry out all the foreign, strange tasting metals. Furthermore, Mother wasn't leaking anymore, Its study of humans suggested that leaking red was not a regular function- It believed such things qualified as 'injury'.
Now, she was sleeping peacefully … sleeping was good for her. It was aware that she, and the other researcher's usually improved their condition somewhat after sleep, though her habit of sleeping in strange places at strange times was still going strong.
It had never understood why Mother never seemed to get enough sleep... perhaps she was not putting aside enough time for such activities? It had noticed that Mother seemed to work more than the other humans, so…
No, that was not important.
There were strange humans here, pointing strange things at It and demanding that It not move, that It put down Mother.
It scrutinized them carefully, making no attempts to return their noise.
The things in their hands smelled like the metal that had hurt Mother, and the red upon their garments smelled like Mother and the other researchers.
It felt reasonably satisfied that Its conclusion was correct, as to what had happened. But It also had the sneaking suspicion that these… intruders would not like the decision that had arisen from that conclusion.
When Mother awoke to find herself safe and the intruders gone, It hoped she would smile for It once again.
It was hard to imagine that twenty or so years had already passed- Kazehana wasn't sure if she was moving up or down in the world.
Once, she'd defended her brothers and sisters as a member of the Disciplinary Squad. Now, here she was, sitting on an industrial crane overlooking the ocean, enjoying the breeze off the water, with nothing for company but the moon and a bottle of good sake.
That, and the young man standing at the edge of the other crane in the dockyard, carefully removing his shoes and neatly placing them on the crane beside him.
How manly, her more than a little drunk mind praised. Why, the height didn't bother him at all- which was pretty impressive for a human, and the way he peeked over the edge made her almost imagine he was going to jump off or something.
Kazehana laughed quietly to herself, shaking her head.
Maybe she was a little too deep in her cups, of course he wasn't going to jump, that would kill him for sure-
The cup dribbled booze down into her cleavage, spilling over the edge of the cup as it came to a sudden halt, halfway to her mouth.
The young man was calmly removing his jacket, and had neatly folded it to place it on top of his shoes.
"H-hey now, d-don't you think that's a little much?" The words stuttered out despite there being no way he could have possibly heard her.
Despite that, his head whipped her way, and the strong eyes of a Sekirei allowed Kazehana to take in his calm, placid smile as he gave a slight bow in greeting, and turned away, walking towards the edge of the crane and towards the water of the bay.
Kazehana was not nearly as flighty as she liked to appear- she had more life experience than almost any other Sekirei in the city. Kazehana should have known that startling a person in a situation like that was the worst possible choice she could make. Kazehana also was, in fact, quite a bit deeper into her cups than she'd intended to be- drinking away the melancholy carried in on a lonely ocean breeze.
And so, she did something else that she really shouldn't have done in a situation like that.
Panicked at the sight of someone just… giving up.
Nearly doing what she had done- what she did a little every time she opened the bottle.
And so the scream ripped from her throat before she could stop it.
"YOU CAN'T!"
Startled by her shout, the young man stumbled into a ruinous fall, towards the great yawning maw of the ocean below.
The wind hurled her towards him before she'd even noticed it shifting direction.
Minato unbalanced and fell, twisting his gaze towards the woman who had been keeping him company from afar. As he toppled, he realized that catching himself in a situation like this would probably 'look weird', and resolved himself to falling.
Then, despite his best efforts, 'something weird' happened, and it was warm and soft and kind of smelled like alcohol.
Reminding himself that people could do incredible things in stressful situations, Minato twisted to put the woman above him as gravity did its work- it was a long fall, what if she got hurt?
The breeze shifted in a bizarre direction, briefly slowing their descent.
Peering over his shoulder, Minato concluded that if he was lucky, he could probably cushion their fall without the woman noticing. Ocean breezes were odd though, throwing off his trajectory once again as it rolled them about, slowing but not halting their descent.
Giving up on subtle and apologizing to Mother internally, Minato ripped out the back of his shirt, spreading out in order to negate the coming impact, pulling the woman more tightly against him so that she wouldn't notice.
This succeeded perfectly, and backfired spectacularly.
One final freak gust of wind spoiled his aim in decisive fashion, and while he caught them with enough leeway for her not to be seriously injured, it did result in them banging their heads together.
This included their lips, and the woman's rich brown eyes shot open wide as they did.
That was understandable- he was a bit shocked to be having his first kiss by accident, so perhaps it was the same for her?
… Wings?
The wide-eyed woman on top of him had sprouted massive wings of pure, warm pink- like the flowers of some titanic flower, blooming in the moonlight. They were beautiful… it was as if…
As if Minato had never once witnessed color before that moment, as if everything good and lovely in the world was contained within those shimmering pinions.
As he gazed up at her in awe, a dry part of his mind asserted that first kisses really were as magical as the movies made them out to be.
The woman lifted her full chest off of him, tilting her head back and hugging herself with a throaty moan as they sunk to the ground. She remained as beautiful as ever as her wings faded- her hair a violet that drank in the dim light, eyes the deep, rich brown of dark, polished wood. The woman was incredibly curvaceous, and her lush figure was only nominally concealed by the clinging, high-collared purple dress that she wore. It was a tiny thing cut to expose large swathes of pale skin down the center, from her breasts all the way to her navel.
There were still hints of bewilderment in her eyes as she lowered her gaze to meet his own, but there was a giddiness there as well. When she smiled, Minato couldn't believe his luck that she would direct a smile that breathtaking towards him.
"Number 03, Kazehana of the Wind," each word was soft and rich, as if it were drops of honey rolling off her tongue, "I'll drive away every cloud of despair that clings to you, my Ashikabi, no matter what it takes. Forever and ever."
Slowly, she leaned down once more, draping herself across him until their faces were inches apart.
Minato wondered if she understood how deeply those words had resonated within him- of how they would remain with him as long as he lived.
"Well, my Ashikabi? Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Her mysterious little smile suggested that perhaps she did understand the weight of her words.
"Minato… my name is Minato."
"Min~a~to," the woman repeated that word as if she was tasting it.
Then she- then Kazehana was closing what little distance remained between them, and soon, her wings bloomed once more in the night.
He didn't realize what he'd done. He'd... he'd healed her- the moment their lips met, he had freed her from a love that would never be returned. Who knew it would be so simple?
Love was a mysterious thing, almost as mysterious as her Destined One, her Ashikabi.
And as wonderfully, breathtakingly romantic as this was…
None of it provided Kazehana the slightest hint as to what she was supposed to do if she found her Destined One…
And he turned out to be suicidal!
He'd been seconds away from jumping into the ocean!
What was she supposed to do!? Kiss it better, pour him a drink!?
No, no, she couldn't panic- she couldn't panic- she was definitely panicking!
She hadn't even realized she'd swept him up in her arms and taken off until they were out of the docks, and his only reaction was to murmur "ah, I forgot my shoes". Emotions spiralling out of control, Kazehana was left with one single thought, repeating over and over.
'Miya will know! Miya has to know!'
She couldn't even spare a thought for how the way she leapt building after building only seemed to spark curiosity in her Ashikabi.
The woman- Kazehana, had carried him over a public park and four blocks worth of houses before it belatedly dawned on him that she probably wasn't human.
They'd crossed over another half a block before he dismissed the information as of little import.
Minato barely noticed where they were going- despite how she was crossing half a block or more in a single leap, Kazehana's movements were very gentle. That breeze that had caused them so much trouble earlier was being rather considerate now, cushioning her footfalls to the point where he could barely feel it each time she touched down. It was a strange, but not unwelcome sensation- the moment their lips had met, he'd felt a… spark? Maybe? In that instant, he'd understood with every fiber of his being that Kazehana was 'someone important'... in a different way than Mother was important, which baffled him.
Important was important, where was the nuance supposed to be?
These thoughts occupied his consciousness until it became apparent that they had reached their destination.
There on the porch was something unimaginably vast- a being that towered high over head, despite the porch being only inches high. Whatever the creature was had crammed itself into the shape of a Japanese woman of slightly above average height- slim but shapely, clad in a traditional haori and hakama. Her garments were purple, likely to compliment her lavender hair, the bangs of which were in a hime-cut, and the rest gathered into a long, high ponytail.
That her brown eyes carried clear warmth only served to unnerve Minato further.
He had to conclude that they were in over their heads- he wasn't even certain that he could buy enough time for Kazehana to escape if he sacrificed his life to battle the Thing on the Doorstep before them.
The only option then, was to not provoke it, and hope it wasn't hungry.
Wholly unbothered by his scrutiny, the thing gazed at Kazehana in with a slightly bemused expression, cupping its cheek with one hand as it regarded its prey.
"Miya, help me, please!" Yes, begging was probably appropriate…
No, wait a moment, he'd just heard something strange there.
"Kazehana? Take a deep breath, and tell me, whatever has you so flustered?" The creature questioned softly. "No, perhaps we had better speak in private. Please, both of you, come inside."
Oh, so he was right, they were both going to die, and so, like the jaws of some great beast in hiding, the unassuming doors of an unassuming inn slid gently shut.
Minato was very confused.
The creature had yet to devour them, instead, it had invited them into its home, seated them at the table, and poured them tea.
Good tea.
Then the TV had turned itself on, and a thin man with snow white hair and, of all things a cape had appeared upon the screen, wearing a grin that kinder souls would call 'exuberant' and the less kind might call 'manic'.
"Oh, hello Director." Minato greeted quietly, immediately latching onto something that made sense.
The man froze in mid pose, and focused his gaze in Minato's direction. His gaze then swept over to Kazehana, and when it fell upon Miya, he offered a polite greeting, it seemed they knew each other. And then his gaze snapped almost violently back to Minato.
'That man' was Minaka Hiroto, CEO of MBI, and both Mother's, and occasionally his employer.
The Director leaned towards the camera, blinking slowly as he peered over his glasses at Minato. When Minato gave a small wave, the Director's grin returned with a vengeance, before he burst into laughter, cackling uproariously with his head thrown back.
Minato's gaze flickered towards the women in the room, wondering how they were reacting to this- and wished he hadn't looked.
Miya's eyes were cold and dark, and Minato was immensely grateful not to have such eyes turned his way.
Kazehana though, was of greater concern- not just because she was Kazehana- there was a tightness in her eyes and a downward curve to her glossy lips. Something about her expression looked… distant, painful and perhaps a little lonely, and Minato didn't like that very much at all.
He glanced the Director's way, and determined that the laughing figure was somehow the cause.
Initially, he wondered if he should kill the Director for that, but he had yet to entirely puzzle out Kazehana's feelings on the matter. More importantly, the Director was out of reach at the moment, and thus left without an immediate solution, Minato turned his focus once more to Kazehana.
Gently shuffled in a little closer to her, he placed a hand on her thigh, and gave it a little squeeze. When she jolted and looked his way, Minato smiled, doing his best to make it seem 'reassuring'.
His efforts were rewarded after a moment of stillness- Kazehana's lips quirked upwards and her cheeks colored. She ducked her head as if to take shelter from his gaze behind her bangs, but, as he remembered from observing Mother, that when someone's cheeks colored like that, it meant that pleasant emotions had caught them off guard. It was soon his turn for a shock, though- when Kazehana's hand gently closed over his, Minato felt immensely validated, even though he had done very little.
… And was it just him, or had all of Kazehana gotten even more interesting?
Truly mysterious.
It would be some time before Minato understood that his tendency to closely scrutinize things that interested him could be dreadfully unfair to the thing that interested him.
"Interesting, interesting, how truly intriguing!" The Director was carrying on in his usual way. "To think you'd qualify as an Ashikabi- I had my hopes, but to have them confirmed is truly extraordinary! And to think, a Single Number at that, truly the impressive entry into the game, my boy!"
"Ashikabi? Kazehana called me that as well, but what does it mean? And what's this about a game?" Minato questioned with a tilt of his head.
"Oh, has dear Kazehana not gotten around to the explanation?" The Director questioned back. "Well, no matter, the two of you can cover that later, but for now, allow me to welcome you into the Sekirei Plan!"
Minato remained silent, watching the Director as he spoke.
"The Sekirei you've winged will battle against others until only you and your flock remain standing! You, my boy, have earned the right to compete for the honor of ushering in the Age of Gods!" Despite his flailing and ranting, Minato recognized that the Director seemed very interested in how he was going to react.
"The Age of Gods, is it?" Minato pondered aloud. "That sounds dangerous."
"Oh? An interesting response indeed." The Director's keen gaze was somewhat less concealed than usual, Minato noted.
"What are the rules then, Director? If Kazehana is to fight, then I presume that I can do the same?" Kazehana's grip tightened for some reason, when he asked that.
"No no, Sekirei are forbidden from attacking Ashikabi- of course the reverse is true!" Minato noted that Ashikabi attacking Ashikabi was not forbidden, but…
"And in the event those rules are not obeyed?"
"Well, I can hardly begrudge a bit of self-defense if no one goes overboard, now can I?"
"Understood," Minato nodded, before turning his gaze to Kazehana, who had been staring at him this whole time. "If something goes wrong, Kazehana, I will protect you." He promised her.
Kazehana's cheeks flushed a luminous red, but when she spoke, her tone and her expression didn't quite match.
Truly mysterious.
"W-well that's all very manly, but do you think I need protecting? I may look like this, but I'm pretty strong, you know?"
"What do you mean? Obviously you're strong." Minato returned, his confusion clear.
Kazehana gave a huff, though she looked somewhat mollified by his statement. "Well good, that's good, but if you know I'm strong then what's this about needing protection?"
"This and that are separate things." Minato insisted.
Kazehana quirked an eyebrow.
"No one can be strong all the time," Minato recited the words that had been drilled into his head (which was just a 'saying', and not literal, for which he was thankful), "and when that moment comes for the women in his life, it's a man's duty to be strong for them."
Kazehana's blush deepened, and she wriggled in her seat, a motion that Minato found intensely interesting.
"Oh my, that is manly~ who taught you that, Honey?"
Was that a 'pet name'? He had clearly done something right.
"Mother did," he told her, before placing a finger on his chin in thought. "I believe the reason she put me through a corner was for emphasis."
Kazehana's long lashes fluttered as she blinked.
"Errr… don't you mean 'in a corner' like 'in a time-out'?"
"No," Minato shook his head, "I mean 'through a corner' like 'during a spar'."
"... Wait, are you trying to tell me that your Mother put you through a wall in a sparring match!?" Kazehana's tone was incredulous. "What kind of mother-"
She was cut off by the most terrifying of terrifying noises as a feminine roar emerged from the TV.
"MINATOOOOO!"
"And suddenly, it makes perfect sense," the until then silent Miya murmured in distaste.
Minaka disappeared from sight with a yelp, escorted by the end of a long slender leg.
And then Sahashi Tamaki stormed into view with a thunderous scowl upon her face, and Minato cringed when those fierce eyes zeroed in on him.
"Ah, hello Mother," Minato greeted with a wince.
"She's your mother!?" Kazehana shrieked.
Mother's eyes flicked her way briefly, before returning to his.
"What have you gotten yourself into this time, fool?"
"There's a reasonable explanation for this, Mother."
"Oh, is that so?" Mother smiled sweetly, fooling no one. "Well, go ahead and tell me what happened, Sweetie."
She only called him that when she was angry, the situation was clearly beyond his control.
"There isn't a good explanation," he surrendered. "Please don't be mad."
That phrase had never once worked for him, and that night was to be no exception.
Mother had chased off the Director so that she could scold Minato without distractions, and was now seated on the desk of one of the most powerful men in the world as if she owned it. One leg was crossed over the other, and bouncing testily, as she lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
"Now," Minato sat up straighter as the word snapped out, "How exactly did you get dragged into this Sekirei Plan mess?"
"I assume it was because I became Kazehana's Ashikabi… whatever that is." Minato dutifully replied.
"Oh my, so it was that," Miya murmured quietly.
"You winged her?" Mother asked.
"'Winged'?"
"You kissed her, she sprouted wings, forever and ever, that sort of thing?"
The Sekirei (and Miya) did not seem to approve of the casual summary, but that seemed about right.
"Yes. Though I'm a bit worried," Minato confessed, not noticing Kazehana's look of shock, "I kissed her by accident, can I really be her Ashikabi with just that?"
"... By accident?" Miya interjected, her expression cramped as she looked towards Kazehana…
And giving way to confusion as, rather than seeing one of her younger sisters distraught at what should have been a tragedy, and, she'd assumed, the reason for Kazehana's distress, she found something completely the opposite.
Kazehana's free hand (her other had refused to release Minato) was on her cheek, and the furiously blushing Sekirei of the Wind was twisting to and fro with a giddy, blissful smile.
"... No, no I don't think you have to worry about that, Minato," Takami reassured drily after a moment's pause. "How big were her wings?"
"Worryingly so," Minato hesitantly confided- as this was the reason he'd assumed Kazehana had panicked, "I don't understand how she's supposed to fly with wings so large."
"Then it should be fine- wingspan corresponds to compatibility," Takami offered as Miya placed a hand to her chest with a quiet sigh of relief. "And those wings aren't used to fly anyways."
"Oh, then we must be very compatible," Minato replied happily, though his expression didn't show it very well. It was good to know that he hadn't ruined things for Kazehana- who seemed even happier after he had just said that.
"Yep," his mother replied, popping the 'p'. "Now tell me, how did you kiss her by accident?"
"Oh, we fell off a crane together, but it was strangely windy so it was hard to fall safely, and we kind of bumped into each other a little." Minato replied candidly, before stiffening as he realized that he'd been lured in.
It was truly mysterious, though- Kazehana was the one being glared at, both by Mother and Miya.
"'Strangely windy', huh?" Mother drawled. "I wonder why that happened?"
Kazehana squirmed nervously, but there was a hard edge in her eyes as she lashed out. Miya's presence had driven off her earlier panic as if it were nothing… and now it was back with a vengeance.
"Okay, so it was my fault," news to Minato, "but shouldn't you be asking why your son was up that crane in the first place!? It's not like we were sitting on the same one!"
"I am curious, but I feel like I'm going to be really annoyed about it so I've been putting it off." Takami admitted bluntly, taking another puff of her cigarette.
She seemed unbothered by how the two women in the room were glaring at her, though Minato couldn't say the same about being in the room with them.
"How can you say that!?" Kazehana snapped back. "Shouldn't it be obvious!?"
"No." Takami coldly denied. "Minato, why were you up on that crane?"
"I was trying to jump into the ocean?"
Kazehana flinched, and Miya went still- leaving Minato confused but guilty, wondering if he might have said something wrong.
... Kazehana was gripping his hand rather tightly, now.
"... And why were you trying to jump in the ocean, no, actually, I'm coming over, and you can start at the beginning," Takami led on… why was Mother scowling like that?
"Is that going to be a problem, Miya?"
Miya had a soft frown as she stared silently back at Takami, but after a moment, she relented with a shake of her head, before glancing his way.
"No, I suppose it can't be helped."
"I'll be there in ten minutes, don't cause anymore trouble while you wait, Minato."
"... Yes Mother." He wasn't sure how he felt about being in clipboard range right about now.
It was with clear reluctance that Miya allowed Takami into her home- and when she did, there was some strange, silent confrontation between the two.
Takami was the smaller of the two, even in heels, though she didn't act it- a slim woman with large breasts, the chin-length hair framing her features was an unusual shade of extremely pale blue, offset by dark red eyes. She'd ditched her customary labcoat, and was dressed in the woven, sleeveless turtleneck she wore beneath, tucked into white slacks.
The strange stare down came and went without incident, and she was invited into the residence- this was the point where Minato realized that he'd stopped breathing, and chided himself for the error.
Offering Takami a seat at the table, Miya poured the woman tea and sat down at the head of the table. At first, Mother didn't say a word to him, just placed a large envelope on the table, sipped her tea, and glanced at him with one thin eyebrow raised.
Understanding what she desired, Minato launched into the explanation before she had any more time to stew in her displeasure.
"So you see, the water was out in my apartment," Minato began, "And I looked down the drain but couldn't find it. I hadn't had a shower yet, and so naturally I decided to look for another option. The first place I found was a park, but park ponds are surprisingly filthy, so that was no good."
Takami pinched the bridge of her nose as Minato continued on, but at least she wasn't scowling yet.
"I recalled that there were public pools that had showers, but I didn't think those would be open after sun down," Minato said. "Then I remembered one of the documentaries I had watched spoke of the benefits of swimming in the ocean, and I like the ocean." He nodded quite seriously to his mother, who was looking remarkably worn out, for some reason.
She must not be getting enough sleep again, he would have to remind her about that more often. Sleep was important.
"But then, I remembered that you told me high tide was very dangerous, and so I decided to go over it." Minato confided. "Thus I needed a high place from which to jump, and happened to catch sight of a shipyard crane that seemed ideal for my needs."
"... So you climbed a crane to jump into the ocean, just so you could clean yourself off?" Takami exhaustedly replied. "That doesn't work- you have to wash the ocean water off anyways."
"... Oh, I forgot that. Apologies, it seems I was in error." Minato admitted honestly. "As I was saying, I was removing my clothing when I slipped, falling to the ground. I am unsure of how Kazehana managed to reach me, but when she did I of course did my best to protect her."
"... You were trying to jump from that high so you could 'get over' the tide?" Kazehana whispered. "Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Yes? I don't have any reason to lie," Minato responded in confusion.
"There was no way you would have been fine from that far a distance," She shook her head, still speaking with that strange, heavy whisper and staring at him intently. "Please, you can tell me-"
"And yet, here he is, uninjured despite falling on asphalt rather than water, and despite the 'strange wind'," Takami blandly pointed out.
Kazehana blinked, slowly… she hadn't even checked- the moment she'd processed the situation, she'd fled in a panic with Minato in tow, desperate for Miya's advice.
… It was true that it was good he'd avoided injury, but if he hadn't, she… she could have…
"Minato," Takami softly spoke up, ignoring the flustered Sekirei with ease of long practice. "How do you feel about this Sekirei business? To 'wing' a Sekirei is to bond with them- they really do mean it when they say 'forever and ever'."
Mother was worried, and so was Kazehana- something about that question frightened the Sekirei.
"Strange, I suppose," Minato admitted. "I don't really understand it, but… the moment our lips met, Kazehana became 'someone important', but in a different way than you are. It's… mysterious. Truly mysterious, but… the idea of 'forever and ever' with Kazehana makes me feel happy, I think."
The invisible tension in the room seemed to vanish like a soft sigh, and Minato barely noticed. Instead, a hand lifted, gently brushing away the clear drop of moisture trickling down from one of Kazehana's eyes.
"What's wrong, Kazehana? Please don't be sad."
Shaking her head gently, Kazehana cupped his hand against her face and nuzzled against it.
"I'm not sad, Minato- quite the opposite." She smiled back, despite her watery eyes. "Do you…" her expression turned vulnerable, "do you promise that it was just my mistake? That you weren't going to… hurt... yourself?"
"I don't like pain," Minato nodded- not that the fall would have hurt. "And there are people who would be sad if I was hurt. That's reason enough not to take actions like that."
"Yeah, you're right… we would be sad if you got hurt."
"You should probably just tell her, Son," Takami ventured gently, after a small silence. "It will come out eventually, and I doubt she'll think any less of you for it."
"Tell her what?" Minato briefly glanced her way. "Oh… was that important?"
"I'd say so, yeah."
He didn't really get it, but…
"Kazehana- I'm not a Sekirei or a human."
"... Eh?"
"... Then what are you, Minato?" Miya questioned softly, and Minato eyed her warily, feeling as if she was truly looking at him for the first time, and not liking it one bit.
"I don't know," he said honestly, looking back at her.
"You don't know?" She didn't seem to quite believe him.
"No," Minato replied with a shake of his head. "I am the only one of my kind I'm aware of, for all I know, my kind has no name because I have yet to give myself one."
Miya glanced towards Takami, who shrugged.
"It's not like we knew the name 'Sekirei' before we were told it, either- Minato was too young to know anything when we found him."
"You found him in infancy, then? Where did you find him?"
"We assume as much from his early behavior, and the 'where' was a crater- and a small asteroid."
"Well I suppose it's fine then," Kazehana said with a shrug. "It'd be more than a little silly for me to hold you being an alien against you- especially since you're a cute alien."
"Ah, thank you." Minato returned with a small smile. His form was based off Mother, so complimenting him was like complimenting her- and the logic of Kazehana's acceptance was more or less what he'd used when confronted with her own inhuman nature.
His appearance was somewhat… androgynous, he'd heard from time to time, but he did look quite like a taller, yet younger male version of Takami- though his hair was a little shorter and less neat, a dusky black to go with his eyes.
"So if you don't mind me asking, Hun, is this what you really look like?"
"Yes." Kazehana flinched in surprise as the word was snapped out with narrowed eyes.
"H-hey now, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just-"
"Oi, don't get all defensive, moron," Takami cut her off, her tone scolding as she stared sharply at Minato. "She won't know unless you tell her."
Minato closed his eyes, exhaling slowly, but his fists resting on the table remained clenched.
"... Sorry. Before I was 'Minato', I was nothing," he explained in a slow, measured tone. "Just an empty space that had yet to be filled by... anything at all."
Takami reached across the table to take his hand in her own, rubbing her thumb soothingly across the back.
Kazehana and Miya stared at her in quiet shock- they'd never seen the woman act in a way even remotely close to 'tender' before now. Despite hearing how she'd cared for the younger Sekirei she'd adjusted, they hadn't truly thought her capable of it.
"Minato, darling, you can show them," she urged gently. "Don't be afraid, I'm right here."
"Actually, maybe you shouldn't." Kazehana interjected after a long, slow exhale.
"... And why is that?" Three different voices asked the same question.
"Because I don't care," Kazehana shrugged, before reaching over to poke Minato in the cheek with a teasing smile.
"As the Doctor was saying, they're pretty sure they found you as a child, right?" Minato nodded.
"And so how you looked as a child is different from how you look now, right?" Another nod from Minato.
"That's normal though, isn't it?" Kazehana pointed out. "Everyone looks different when they grow up, so what if you changed more than most on the way?"
"I see… I didn't think of it that way." Minato nodded, feeling immensely reassured by the easy to follow logic.
"Right, so you can show me baby pictures if you want, but the Minato in front of me right now is the Minato that I'm most interested in." Kazehana affirmed.
"And I told you 'forever and ever', didn't I?" Kazehana leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, murmuring against it; "we'd all be in trouble if forever was such a flimsy thing."
"... Thanks, Kazehana."
"... That is a... gross oversimplification… but if they're happy with it then I guess it's fine?" Takami said under her breath, reassured but not certain if she liked the reason why she felt that way.
At least this way Kazehana would stop pining over that madman Minaka. That was enough for the time being.
"There really is no logic to love, I see," Miya murmured softly, unheard by the one who had first spoken it, as she was still lost in her Ashikabi's eyes.
Takami and Miya heard one another, though- and their eyes met in a rare moment of solidarity.
… That moment of solidarity mutually made their skin crawl, and both silently resolved to never have another.
After things had settled down, Takami began to explain some of the more general details about Minato.
"You're probably wondering why he looks like me- it's because I adopted him." Takami said, rather matter-of-factly despite the oddity of her statement.
"I see, I see…" Kazehana nodded. "... Is that really what you expected me to say?"
"Hmm? I mean, if I'm Mother's son, shouldn't I look like Mother?" Minato pointed out, as if it were obvious.
"... I mean, you're not really wrong, but…" Kazehana seemed to have lost her retort as she was speaking it.
"He does have my DNA- blood, specifically." Takami casually revealed.
"You gave him your blood?" Miya questioned, more than a little puzzled (concerned) by the revelation.
"Not intentionally- at the time, I was busy dying, and he was busy trying to plug the holes shot in me. Since he absorbs material through the skin, some of it got a little mixed up in there."
"You're saying a lot of ridiculous things with a straight face, you know," Kazehana said with a rueful smile.
"When Mother claimed me as her son, I took a form that reflected that, and became 'Minato'." Minato 'clarified' in what he probably thought was a helpful tone.
Kazehana just laughed- she had switched from holding his hand to embracing his arm- it was partially engulfed in warm cleavage, and Minato couldn't help but observe that her method of 'engulfing' was quite a bit more appealing than the method he was used to.
"There's really not much else to tell- and honestly, we still don't have the tech to learn more." Takami shrugged.
It should bother her more than it did, as a researcher- but her son was her son, anything else was secondary as long as he was okay. Reaching into the folder, Takami pulled out a trio of photographs and spread them out on the table.
The entirety of each photo revealed a dark, almost inky blue substance.
"And what is it we're supposed to be seeing?" Miya questioned as she scrutinized the photos.
"This is Minato's bodily structure, barring any foreign elements, and before I took him in." Takami explained. "Notice anything different between the three images?"
After a moment, Kazehana and Miya both shook their heads.
Takami tapped each photo, one at a time.
"This one is using the same resolution used to record Sekirei cellular structure. This one is a high end professional camera at its highest magnification. This last one was taken with my cellphone."
"And yet the photos are identical, beyond quality."
"That's just it- the only identifiable characteristics Minato has is of materials he absorbs- and there's no correlation with volume. He took in half a pint of my blood, almost two decades ago, but 50% of his genetic structure is still mine. The rest is just miscellaneous bits and pieces, blank space and whatever he had for dinner last, unless he's digested it."
Minato decided not to comment on how it was Monday, and so he still had some bear from his weekend 'hiking trip'.
It had been a big one, so he hadn't finished 'storing it' yet.
"Almost two decades?" Miya asked- her question was obvious without having to say it out loud.
"We discovered him a few years after the Sekirei were encountered." Takami confirmed.
"I noticed you skimmed over the part where you were attacked," Kazehana pointed out.
"Well, certain individuals weren't having much luck with the Sekirei," Takami admitted.
"... Could you tell me what happened?" Kazehana inquired delicately. She could guess the facility had been attacked… she hoped 'they' hadn't been able to get ahold of Minato, not after what had happened to poor Number 88.
"Bad things happened," it was Minato who answered, his voice toneless as he shrugged, "so I happened back, and made the bad things go away."
Kazehana took his hand and gave it a little reassuring squeeze, offering a small smile to show that she understood.
… Once upon a time, she had been one of the ones making 'bad things go away'.
"Actually, maybe more good than bad happened," Minato amended with a tilt of his head. "That was the first time I got to call Mother that, and once she'd recovered she took me in as her son."
"Best hospital stay of my life," Takami agreed- Miya and Kazehana were visibly taken aback by the dreamy smile and the flush of her cheeks as she recalled the start of those happy days.
It was easy to think that Minato had been 'changed' by Takami when he literally created his body based off of her. But, it seemed that the reverse was true as well, and, it seemed there was one more thing in common- for both of them, things had turned out for the better.
"You're an Ashikabi, so perhaps that is why Minato became one," Miya reasoned.
Kazehana thought there must be more to it, as her and Tamaki weren't compatible at all. She wouldn't have reacted to her even if they were the last women on earth.
Clearly, if Minato inherited anything from her, he only got her good points.
Kazehana hadn't really figured out that her opinion of Takami had already started to reverse itself, and when she did, it would be even longer before she admitted it.
From there, it was mostly a rundown of the Sekirei Plan- until the majority of the Sekirei released throughout Tokyo had been winged, it was little more than one on one battles between Sekirei who stumbled across one another.
"Is it just me, or is this 'First Stage' kind of haphazard?" Minato questioned.
"The Director came up with it," was the answer he was given, and it really was answer enough.
"Anyways, since your apartment is already falling apart on the first night, I think you should cut your losses," Takami began. "And since Izumo House has vacancies, and I imagine Miya will want to keep an eye on you until she knows you're trustworthy, I imagine she'd be fine with you moving in here?"
Miya pursed her lips as every eye turned on her.
"While your delivery leaves something to be desired, yes, I would be happy to house both you and Kazehana here."
She wasn't the only one taken off guard by Minato's reply.
"I don't think that's a good idea," he denied immediately, with a shake of his head.
Kazehana was cut off by Miya's raised hand before she could even say a word.
"And may I ask why that is?"
"Because I don't know what you are, even more than you know what I am," Minato bluntly replied. "And that means I don't know if you're a threat to Kazehana, any more than you know if I'm a threat to Kazehana."
Rather than alarmed, Kazehana seemed rather pleased by his reasoning. Minato and Miya locked eyes in a silent staredown, Takami watching without reacting in any noticeable way.
Eventually, Miya relented with a soft smile and a shake of her head.
"There is no violence in Izumo House," Miya gently replied. "And those who live in it, provided they abide by that rule, are under my protection, whoever, or whatever they may be. You have nothing to fear from me as long as you remember that."
It was a subtle shift, at first.
The massive being that was disguised as Miya still loomed overhead, but in a way that was protective rather than threatening.
It somewhat reminded him of Mother.
"... Then as long as Kazehana is happy with it, I would like to live here, if you'll have me."
Miya smiled gently and offered a tiny nod, before they both turned to Kazehana.
"Yes please~ you have the best cooking in all of Tokyo, Miya."
Takami hid a smirk behind her hand as Minato turned slowly to a curious Miya.
"You should have just led with that." Minato told her quite seriously.
This was the second most serious event of her life.
The first was, of course, the best accident in the history of accidents, which was being winged by Minato.
This was more like a 'battle'- gaining her mother-in-laws approval.
Even if it was 'that' woman- it was secondary to her first chance to speak alone with her Ashikabi's mother. Actually, Kazehana was more than a little surprised at how easy it was to put aside that she'd competed with Takami over the same man and lost.
… No, actually it was pretty simple, she mused to herself.
She just had a sense that if she and Takami were ever at odds, the first one to lose would be Minato- that being completely unacceptable, she would bury the hatchet as deeply as she could, and only pretend a little that the place she was burying it was Takami's skull.
"Let's not beat around the bush," Takami's voice snapped her out of her musings as the woman lit up a cigarette. "My son is a monster."
… And that was nowhere near how she imagined this conversation would start.
"How can you say that!? He's supposed to be your son!"
"And it's because he's my son that I can say that." Takami bluntly refuted. "If people were to learn what he is and what he can do, that would be the first word out of their mouths."
Past the puff of smoke was a savage grin.
"And that's why I claimed that word first." She declared. "When he hears that word, what he'll hear is a reminder that I love him no matter what, that he is, and always will be my monster. And now that he's winged you, he's your monster as well."
"I…" What exactly was she supposed to say to that?
"Which is why it's only fair that you're made to learn that the traditional meaning of 'monster' fits Minato just as well," Takami calmly continued, "and that we have a responsibility to help him keep that under control."
"Does this play into why Minato promised to protect me, despite seeming to have a pretty good idea of how strong I am?"
"Part of it is just how I raised him, but he is capable of protecting you from just about anyone but your fellow Single Numbers," Takami admitted. "Sure, he doesn't have any fancy elemental abilities like some of you Sekirei, but if he can't handle a particular 'issue', he'll just become something that can." Takami let her words sink in before continuing.
"But, more than that, you need to understand that Minato doesn't solve problems, he eats them. As much as he tries to act human, an act is what it is."
"I think you're wrong."
"... Oh? Do tell." Takami's smile was like that of a cat with a canary… or a wagtail. "After all, he's already changed for you."
Kazehana noted that she didn't explain how he'd changed, and it didn't matter. If anything, it proved her point, after all, she would change for Minato if he needed her to, and happily so.
If that was the price she must pay to be with her Destined One, then it was a cheap price indeed.
"I don't think his feelings are fake." Kazehana refuted. "Maybe he is just imitating the feelings he doesn't understand, but that doesn't make them false- and I don't think he was lying when he told me that I was important to him. In the end, though, it doesn't matter- if Minato doesn't understand love, I'll just teach it to him."
Takami stared at her in silence for several long moments, casually smoking her cigarette.
"'Fake it til you make it', huh? Maybe you are a little more than the drunken stripper you dress like," Takami's tone was laced equally with venom and approval. "See that you do then, just be aware that if you hurt my boy, I'm not above giving Karasuba an excuse to come knocking."
"I understand," Kazehana nodded quite seriously.
"Well good. Now, shoo-"
"-That means I have your approval, right, Mother?" Kazehana sing-songed with a syrupy smile.
"... Don't push your luck, brat."
Kazehana was still laughing when she sauntered off and left the disgruntled Takami behind, heading back inside to be with her Ashikabi.
She would take it as a win- after all, Takami hadn't actually refused the title.
It would be two days before Minato and Kazehana found themselves participating in the Sekirei Plan in earnest.
It would be one day before Takami spit coffee all over her keyboard, after receiving a text from Kazehana without any sort of warning or context;
"Can ur son get me pregnant?"
Of course, after a bombshell of a question like that she immediately dropped everything to call up the drunk; aware that she hadn't explained the 'particulars' of winging to her Ashikabi, Kazehana had carefully broached the subject. Minato, it seemed, hadn't understood what she was saying at all, but Kazehana had seemed entirely too happy about it once she discovered the reason.
Kazehana had been positively gushing when she recounted Minato's reply to how winging was meant to be, or at least lead into marriage. That it was a mating ritual.
"Wait, you mean we aren't married?" Minato had replied with a scratch of his head, as Kazehana had gleefully attested. "I thought that's what I agreed to when you said 'forever and ever.'
While Takami approved of her boy going after what he wanted, even if she wasn't quite convinced he and Kazehana were on the same page (yet), she wasn't sure if she would ever be ready for her little boy to be dating. Let alone bonded for life with a different alien species. And she most certainly had not wanted to hear Kazehana's admittance to nearly asking Minato for a 'hands on demonstration' in regards to the answer of her earlier text.
Thankfully, Miya had a strict policy about indecent behavior in Izumo House… which she could imagine that Kazehana was already planning around.
It wasn't like Miya was against such things, per say, despite being a bit old-fashioned... it was just that if such things happened in Izumo House, she had no choice but to be aware of it, in explicit detail.
Superhuman senses were apparently not all they were cracked up to be, especially for a widow running a boarding house.
Takami had decided that she was just going to do her best not to think about it. Besides, she didn't actually know if Minato could reproduce to begin with, but then again, the whole point of winging was to find a compatible mate, aaaaand she was still thinking about it.
… She needed a smoke.
The various dilemmas of Takami and Miya aside, it was not as if Minato and Kazehana were the only fated meeting that had occured.
Sekirei wandered Shin Tokyo, searching for their 'forever and ever'- such meetings were happening everywhere.
… Even if those involved didn't know it at the time.
If she was being honest, she didn't really know if it was a dream or not. After their first meeting, he had promised to return- he had kept his promise, but only ever visited her at night.
Her midnight prince, who had taken to slipping through her fifth floor window as if it were an open door.
… Just like tonight, it seemed.
So, just like she often did, she pretended to be asleep when the breeze carried in the scent of honey and wildfire. After a suitable pause, she let her soft brown eyes crack open, and there he was, standing in the moonlight as if it shone just for him.
A smile illuminated his handsome face as their eyes met, and he took a knee as if he were some knight of old, gently taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back of it. Her blush deepened as she was presented with the cherry blossom in his hand- his dark claret eyes twinkled with mirth as she hid her flushed cheeks behind his gift to her.
Kneeling at her bedside, his eyes regarding her carefully, he spoke to her in that dreamy, lyrical voice of his.
"It's good to see you, Chiho… how are you feeling tonight?"
He was always so kind to her… and so the least she could do was be honest with him, even if it was a little embarrassing.
"Better, now that you're here, Homura."
He blinked once, and chuckled as his charming smile softened into something more honest and pure.
"Funny you should say that, Chiho… I was just thinking the same thing."
Not for the first time, Hidaka Chiho prayed with all her heart that if this was a dream, she wouldn't wake up until after it ended.
And… done.
Not a lot of action in the first chapter, save some offscreen devouring, but next chapter will make up for that.
Man, there's so much I could go over, but I'll try not to go overboard.
First off, our protagonist- this was kind of the starting point of the fic, I never did like Minato in canon… and now that Minato died in the womb, and Takami adopted a monster who was given the name she had set aside for her human son.
That's something to keep in mind- this Minato is a monster, and his thought processes are kind of patchwork. That being said, don't expect him to kick all the ass and solve all the problems- he has weaknesses of his own, and this story is still largely about Sekirei.
Though, while there are hints here or there, you'll notice that I didn't exactly lay out how Takami saved the world. Or you know, how with all of MBI's massive resources, she had a miscarriage in the first place.
You'll also notice that there's no Yukari mentioned. That's because Yukari's only redeeming trait was Shiina, and I can keep Shiina without keeping her.
Which brings us to another thing- the Sekirei pairings are my bitch now. I'll do what I want, and that starts with making Kazehana Sekirei numero uno, and pairing up Chiho and Homura because holy shit that scene was fun to write. Though I will say, the main flock is mostly the same.
Other than that, the trend of Takami being more involved will continue, she's a single mother to a single child and the circumstances are more than a little strange.
Next chapter will include buckets full of fluff, carnage, and likely more of Minato using sound logic to reach bizarre conclusions.
Anyways, let me know what you think- I'm looking forward to hearing from readers both new and old, and for the earlier category, know that I make a point to reply to reviews as promptly as possible.