He was dreaming. He was certain, because between going to bed and opening his eyes on top of a tall building, he had no recollection of having made his way there. He was by no means a sleepwalker either, so the only answer was that he was dreaming.
He wasn't alone. A couple meters away from him, stood a woman. She stood close to the edge of the rooftop, her back turned to him. The most immediate and attention-grabbing thing he noticed about her was that, sitting by her side on its massive head, stood an almost comically oversized hammer, its long and thin handle clutched in one of her hands. She was short, petite even, with short brown hair that reached her neck, but stopped just short of her shoulders. Her thin frame was clothed in a form-fitting white gown with black and blue accents that stopped barely over her thighs. She also sported a blue headband on her hair, the long strips of leftover fabric waving in the wind, along with black thigh highs, boots, and long gloves of the same color that went up to her elbows.
Before he could even start to wonder how and why such a small girl was in possession of such a large hammer, she spoke. "Ah, I finally found you, Ashikabi-sama." Her voice was soft, a tangible sort of relief coating her soft spoken words. She turned to look at him, letting him see her gray eyes for the first time. The look in her eyes matched the tone of her speech, speaking of relief at the end of a long search. "I'm so glad… I really hope we can meet soon."
"Ashikabi..?" He questioned, the unfamiliar word adding to his confusion from this strange dream.
"I wish I could explain more, but you seem to be waking up." Her words sounded truly apologetic, and even as he began to regain consciousness, all he could focus on was her. "I promise to explain everything when we meet, my Ashikabi!"
He tried to reach out to her, to speak even one more word to her, but-
Akimitsu yelped and grunted out a half curse as he found himself back on his bed, his blanket strewn about half-fallen off the bed and having just unceremoniously slammed his hand against the wall his bed was closest to, his attempt at grasping the fading dream having earned him some small scratches on his knuckles.
"Motherfu…" He trailed off, sighing in annoyance as he inspected the damage. Nothing much, really, the small scratches would probably be healed by tomorrow.
That settled, he flopped his head back onto his pillow, his mind going back to the girl he had seen in his dream.
"Who was she? And what was she talking about?" The contemplative mutter seemed to echo through his quiet room. She called him an 'Ashikabi', whatever that was supposed to mean, and looked as if she had been searching for him…
"Ugh, why am I even thinking about this?" He grumbled as he sat up, dragging himself out of bed. He didn't even remember his dreams most of the time, and even when he did he promptly brushed them off without much trouble. Just what was it about this dream that stuck to his mind?
Pausing in putting on his pants, he considered the girl he had seen. "Hm… She was pretty cute, must be why." He concluded quietly.
___________
As he cracked an egg into the frying pan–he didn't feel like putting too much effort today, so some eggs on rice would do, along with some tea for drinking–he contemplated recent events.
Akimitsu had finished his freshman year of college a couple days ago, which meant he had some time for himself until next year. While most would be happy at getting through the first stage of a higher education…
Honestly, he was contemplating dropping out more and more. Call him crazy, but the whole thing was just not agreeing with him.
His grandpa had passed away two years ago, really the only family Akimitsu had. The grumpy old man was a hardass, but Akmitsu loved him and knew the feeling was mutual. Because as much as the old man hated talking about his true emotions, he wouldn't have raised the pink haired teen so well and taught him so many things about life in general if he didn't love him.
And one of the things gramps would always tell him when he talked about college during high school was:
'Bah! All that bullshit about college is a waste of time! If you need a job, do something you love! All those high-end jobs that you could choose will just turn you into another drone that makes society run. Never let that happen, Akimitsu. Plus, it's not like you'll have financial problems anytime soon! Hehahaha!'
Honestly, that old man was way too carefree. Even in his deathbed, he was joking about Akimitsu finally getting his inheritance, saying that he had plenty of time to choose what to do with life before money became a problem. While also saying that if he straight up became a NEET the old man would come back from the dead just to set the teen straight himself.
Truly, the duality of man.
Alas, despite his grandpa's warnings, Akimitsu got into college with average scores. And he was starting to see the point the old man was always trying to make.
The faint smell of burning eggs brought him out of his contemplation, and he swore as he turned off the stove. Thankfully, the eggs weren't ruined, just a little toastier than he preferred.
After placing his breakfast on the table and a brief prayer, Akimitsu sat down and began to eat. As he did, he looked at the empty seat across from him. While most of the time the table's only occupants were Akimitsu and his grandpa, the lack of an older man scolding him for not eating healthier made the place feel… empty. And not just the table, the house in general.
Akimitsu's grandpa made good money. A lot of it. The old man preferred to separate his home and work lives, so he never quite told his grandson just what his job really was. The teen had once wondered if his grandfather was involved in some illegal things, but dismissed the idea. With how many times the old man had warned the teen to walk on the straight and narrow, it'd be insane if he was involved in something like that.
After his death, all the money Wasuke Hashimoto had saved up was inherited by his grandson. Since Wasuke had no living children, with Akimitsu's mother having been his only child in life, the inheritance process was smooth. The pinkette didn't know exactly how much he had in his bank account now, but he knew it was enough to safely put him in the 'wealthy' spectrum. You couldn't really tell from just looking at his possessions though.
Yes, his two-story house was big, but nothing too far off from what a middle-class family would live in. Wasuke had never been one for extravagant expenditure of money, and neither was Akimitsu. Aside from one or two luxury products, like a gaming console, their house was deceptively normal. Comfortable and spacious, but normal.
Now, it just felt empty. The old man always had a big presence that seemed to bring the whole room's attention to himself, and Akimitsu grew up around that presence. To suddenly be deprived of it…
Even two years later, he still wasn't quite used to it.
After finishing his breakfast, the teen moved the bowl and cutlery he had used to the sink in order to wash them. With his hands occupied, his thoughts once again moved to his dream, and the strange girl that had spoken to him. She was cute, sure, but was that really enough reason for him to be so stuck on it?
He didn't remember his dreams that often. And when he did, he only thought about them for a couple minutes before moving on and promptly forgetting about them. And whatever he did usually remember about them was faint, more a general thing than what precisely his subconscious had decided to cook up during his sleep.
This time, though? He could remember every detail. The feeling of gravel under his feet, the sight of the city's skyline under the night, and most of all, that girl and the words she had spoken to him.
'My Ashikabi'. He had never heard the word before. Or rather, had never heard it be used in that context. It means something like 'reed sprout', he thinks? What did that mean for him then, since that girl had called him 'her Ashikabi'?
He would question again why he was thinking so hard about this, but he couldn't help it. If the dream and that girl stuck to his mind so much, then there had to have some meaning to it, right?
He sighed as he dried his hands. He'd get a migraine if he kept thinking so hard about it. Running a hand through his hair and scratching his scalp, he decided to clear his head a bit. After putting away the cleaned dishes to dry, he moved back up to his room to get dressed. He put on a white shirt, and his trademark red hoodie and black jacket combination over it. Spring had just started, so the cold chill of winter had yet to leave completely to make space for much milder temperatures. Not that it mattered too much, the only time his usual outfit felt uncomfortable to wear was on the hot heights of summer.
Pulling on some black pants and stuffing his feet, snugly fit with white socks, into some red shoes, he was ready to go. Grabbing his phone and house keys, he locked up his home and left, intending to take a stroll around the city.
Fate had other plans though.
_____________
Akimitsu always liked taking walks. Whether those be quiet walks along the beach by himself or strolling through a park with company, it was always a relaxing thing. Hell, even the crowded sidewalks had their own charm to them, allowing him to momentarily get lost in the hustle and bustle of life as people came and went to their everyday jobs.
Having eaten breakfast less than half an hour earlier, Akimitsu wasn't feeling like buying any snacks, so he was just trudging along the sidewalks of Shinto Teito, hands in his jacket's pockets and mind drifting. His stamina was nothing to scoff at, since he was pretty sure he could go to the other side of the city at a sedate pace and only feel mildly exhausted, so by the time he felt something, he was already many city blocks away from his house.
He didn't know what it was he felt, and couldn't exactly describe it. The closest thing he could compare it to would be a mixture of a gut feeling and, weirdly, a pull. Not a physical pull, but, like, a mental one. It was a weird feeling, like something was gently tugging at his mind to go in a certain direction. He felt he could ignore it if he wanted, but for some reason he also felt inclined to follow it.
Despite the inherent sketchiness and, frankly, bizarre feel of this situation, he followed the feeling, and walked to where he felt he should go. The more he walked, the stronger the feeling got, so he assumed he was getting closer to whatever was causing it.
He hesitated briefly when he noticed he was going to enter an alleyway, but reasoned that he had gotten out of isolated alleyways before, and many of those times he had not so pleasant company with him. So, shaking off his hesitation, he took a step around the corner, enough to peek into the alley.
And then he froze where he stood. She was there, the literal girl of his dreams. She was exactly as he had seen her, her hair, her clothes, even her massive hammer was the same. This and the feeling that had brought him to her were proof enough that something was going on, he just didn't know what.
After that conclusion, he finally noticed that the girl wasn't alone. Her back was to him, but she was facing two other women, seemingly older than her. The two had various similarities, same black hair, eyes, same facial structure. The only physical difference he could spot between the two was the significant difference in bust sizes. If they weren't twins of some kind, he'd bite off his own finger and swallow.
They were also dressed in revealing outfits. Honestly he'd be tempted to compare their clothes to BDSM cosplay. Their outfits were very similar in composition, having a purplish shade shared between them, but the outfit of the one on the left was a couple shades lighter than the one on the right.
Oh and their hands were sparking. With electricity.
What kind of shonen manga bullshit did he just walk into? Superpowers were real now? I mean obviously he was strong but if his eyes weren't deceiving him right now, he was seeing two women holding electricity in their hands, without any visible devices that could explain it away.
Weird prophetic dreams, cute girls lugging around massive hammers, electric BDSM twins, when had his life become a manga?
He quickly hid himself around the corner, hoping that the twins that were threatening the hammer wielding girl hadn't noticed him. He let out a small sigh of relief when they seemed to carry on speaking with her without acknowledging him. He peeked his head around the corner, trying his best to get a good look at the situation without being seen.
"Seriously number 84, you're making this way more difficult than it needs to be." The woman in the lighter colored bodysuit spoke, her words measured but having a degree of exasperation behind them.
"Yeah, just stop running and let us terminate you already! I'm getting tired of chasing you around this damn city!" The other one complained loudly, her clenched fist sparking with purple electricity, as if to accentuate her frustration.
Hold on, they're saying some concerning stuff! Terminate? As in, kill? And did she say they have been chasing her around the city? Neither of the three seemed particularly built for stamina, though all of them were undeniably some kind of fit. Could it just be an exaggeration? Hyperbole?
Man, what was he saying? Those two women had lightning coming out of their hands, might as well put superhuman physical prowess in there as well. As interested as he would have normally been to find other 'gifted' people like him, the current situation wasn't right for that.
The brunette shook her head at the more temperamental woman's demands. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. No, I won't do that!" She denied vehemently. "I still have to meet my Ashikabi. He's waiting for me, so I ask that you please leave me be." She hefted her hammer, lifting it with ease despite the apparent weight of the oversized weapon. The threat was apparent, even if not spoken out loud.
"Oh? So little hammer girl has some backbone after all?" The woman in the darker bodysuit taunted with a smirk on her face as she put a hand on her hip.
"This won't be easy like we thought, Hikari…" The less endowed of the two warned, her tone cautious as she watched the petite hammer wielder for any sudden moves.
The more endowed woman scoffed. "Come on, sis," Seems they really are twins. "It's the two of us against her, we'll be fine." She reassured.
Akimitsu couldn't see the hammer wielder's face, so he couldn't tell if she had openly reacted to being underestimated or not. The minute tightening of her grip on her weapon's handle was telling enough though.
'Okay, seriously, what do I do here?' He thought. He was pretty sure this whole situation was why he had felt that weird tugging earlier, encouraging him to come here. And if his dream was to be taken seriously, the hammer girl was probably what had called him here in the first place. She had even talked about an Ashikabi, just like she had in his dream. That was basically undeniable proof that, whatever was going on here, she and him were connected somehow.
Now, he could have just walked away.
"Number 84, Yashima." The brunette introduced herself, finally giving Akimitsu a name to call her by. She leveraged her hammer, taking a steady and prepared position.
It would only make sense, he didn't have to get involved in all this.
"Number 12, Hibiki." The less endowed of the twins responded in kind with a resolute expression, grasping her sister's hand.
It's what a normal person would have done.
"Number 11, Hikari." Her sister copied her, a small smirk on her face as their joined hands began sparking with purple electricity. In unison, they lifted their free hands and pointed them at Yashima, their bodies seeming to act as both conductors and amplifiers for their electric powers. The hammer wielder tensed in preparation.
Akimitsu wasn't normal. He never had been, and he doesn't think he ever would be.
"Lightning of Standing Needles!" The twins shouted in unison, as multiple thin bolts of purple electricity shot at Yashima, who had already been prepared to dodge.
It was unnecessary, as from out of left field, a circular object was thrown in front of the lightning blast. The alleyway lit up in an explosion, smoke erupting from the point of contact as Yashima moved to cover her eyes to protect them from the light and the dirt the blast had kicked up.
Akimitsu didn't hesitate, his body moving almost on autopilot–similar to when he decided to throw that trash can lid in front of that attack a couple seconds ago–he ran to Yashima, and with a shocked yelp from the girl, he grabbed her hand and ran out of the alley at full tilt, not wanting to stay long enough for the twins to see him.
'Gotta get as far as possible.' That was really the only thing going through his mind. If his mind wasn't completely focused on this one task, he'd be able to divert enough brainpower to note that despite his physical prowess allowing him to clear 50 meters in 2 seconds back in high school, Yashima was barely having any problems keeping up with him, all while carrying that hammer of hers.
He doesn't know for how long they ran or how far, just that when his brain decided that they had gotten far enough to divert brain power to focus on other things, they had already been a couple city blocks from his house. He allowed himself to slow down then, being short of breath for the first time in a while. Normally he could run for hours without getting exhausted, but that was by conserving his stamina and utilizing it in an optimal way, and the panic he felt back there didn't really allow for critical thinking.
He looked back at Yashima, seeing her in a similar state, though she merely looked winded. Either she just had that much more endurance than him, or wasn't panicking nearly as hard, which allowed her to regulate her breathing properly while running.
He noticed he was still grasping her hand, and promptly let go. The loss of contact seemed to make her focus back on him, though he was a little puzzled when he spotted what seemed like disappointment on her face for a second.
Shaking the thought off, he finally spoke to her. "S-Sorry about all that," He gestured vaguely to refer to the events that happened… some time earlier. "I just saw what was happening and kinda… acted." He tried to explain, failing miserably.
Her face seemed to brighten at his words. Yashima shook her head softly, a smile on her face. "It 's okay. I'm really glad…" She looked down slightly, but her eyes were still on his. "I'm glad you came to find me, Ashikabi-sama."
Akimitsu rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, his eyes shifting away from her strangely happy gaze that seemed to look at him with adoration. "Well, I'll be the first to admit I didn't know what I was walking into when I went that way. I just felt like… something was calling me there." He admitted, looking back at her in question. "That was you, right?"
She paused in thought for a moment, seemingly mulling his words over before answering. "Well, I'm not sure what you mean by 'called there", but I do know that I started reacting to you yesterday, and even saw you in my dreams…" She put her hand over her nape, gently running her fingers against it in a way that had Akimitsu tilting his head in confusion. She looked back at him as she put her hand down. "Although I've never heard of an Ashikabi being able to sense a Sekirei without having winged her." She admitted.
Sekirei? Like the birds?
"Right, I should've asked this earlier– what the hell was that back there?!" He asked a bit too loudly, Yashima flinching at his outburst. She blinked in surprise as he cleared his throat. "Sorry, I'm still processing everything that happened. But seriously, how were those two throwing lightning around like that? And what're Ashikabi and Sekirei?" From the way she had spoken, it was obvious that whatever an Ashikabi was, he wasn't the only one.
Her bewildered expression remained for a couple more seconds before she was finally able to brush off his outburst and respond. "Well, it is a bit of a long story, and definitely something that shouldn't be discussed… here." She used her hand–the one that hadn't been dragging her hammer behind her–to gesture around them. What she meant was pretty easy to pick up, whatever the explanation was, it wasn't something for simply anyone to hear.
Akimitsu nodded with an understanding hum. "M'kay. Follow me then, my house is only a couple blocks from here." He gestured with his head while putting his hands in his pocket.
Yashima nodded, easily agreeing. "Understood, my Ashikabi." She said, dragging her hammer behind her as she followed him.
He smiled at her. "Ah, right. Name's Akimitsu Hashimoto, call me whatever you like. You're Yashima, right? I heard when you three did that whole introduction thing." In hindsight, it was admittedly a little cool, like two–or three in this case–warriors preparing for a duel.
With a small blush on her face, the brunette nodded in confirmation. "Yes, that's my name. May I call you Akimitsu-sama?" The question made a little heat seep into his cheeks as well.
He scratched his head bashfully. "A-Ah, maybe stick to something else for now." He doesn't think he can handle such a cute girl calling him '-sama'.
_______________
The walk to his home was… strange? There was some awkwardness, particularly from his own part since he had never taken a girl home in any way (gramps is probably laughing his ass off in the afterlife, the jerk), but there was a weird comfort as well. They had just met a couple minutes ago, so… why did he feel comfortable around her already?
Akimitsu didn't really open up easily to people. Yeah he had a couple acquaintances he was chill with during school, but he can't say he had ever had a true 'best friend' to just hang out with and talk to about stuff. This kind of comfort… the only thing he can compare it to was his relationship with his grandpa, but that didn't feel like a good comparison either. More questions, though these ones without definite answers for now, he thinks.
They got some weird stares, because you can't be a girl who looks like Yashima, dragging around a hammer that's basically as big as her, in Japan and not expect tk get stared at. Thankfully that didn't last long, and they got to his house without any trouble.
Once he unlocked the door, they got in and left their shoes at the entrance. He left his keys on top of a drawer and turned to Yashima, who had been inspecting the living room, since it was directly conneced to the doorway, and basically the rest of the house. The kitchen was also directly connected to the living room, separated really only by a counter.
He checked the time on his phone and called her attention. "It's close to midday now," He said, walking over to the kitchen. "I'll whip something up for us. You got any preferences or allergies?" He asked.
She thought for a moment. "Um," She hummed uncertaintly before shaking her head. "Not that I know of, no. And I don't have any big preferences. I'm sure whatever you make will be delicious." She declared with certainty, nodding with a smile on her face.
Akimitsu paused in bewilderment at her faith, but shook it off and continue getting the ingredients for a simple meal of soba and some smaller side dishes. He couldn't help a small smile from blooming on his face as he spoke. "Flattery will getcha everywhere, Yashima. I might just make my best dish yet because of it." He joked, and yet felt a small blush on his cheeks as the brunette giggled at his words. He might just do that for real.
'Is this what gramps meant when he said I should learn to talk to girls, because otherwise everything they did would leave me a blushing mess?' Well, he thought he was doing pretty well for himself till now, but still. 'Sorry for not listening, gramps! I'll just have to wing it and pray not to embarrass myself!'
He could feel Yashima watching him as she worked, the distinguishable sound of a chair being moved a telltale to the fact she had sat down by the counter to do so. He decided that it was best to get the portant things out of the way. "So," He started, grabbing her attention–or well, even more than he already had apparently. "Sekirei and Ashikabi, you can start by telling me what they are."
"Ah, right." She cleared her throat before speaking. "How did it go again..? Ah, yes! 'Sekirei are extraterrestrial lifeforms that came to earth long ago, and they have now been freed into Shinto Teito to find their Ashikabi'." She said, obviously reciting off of a script or something similar.
"Extraterrestrial? You mean you're an alien?" The pinkette turned to stare at Yashima in shock. Just how many surprises did she have in stock for him today?
She smiled wryly, tilting her head slightly to the side. "I guess that's not inaccurate to say. So yes, in a manner of speaking, we Sekirei are aliens."
"Damn, meeting an alien girl was not on my bingo card…" He muttered to himself, before speaking properly. "What about Ashikabi? You said I'm yours, but I'm pretty sure I'm not an alien." Though that would be pretty cool.
"An Ashikabi is a Sekirei's 'fated one'. The one who can help her awaken to her full power, and the one she is destined to be with." Yashima said, a bit of a wistful tone coloring her words. "When a Sekirei gets close to their destined Ashikabi, they'll start to react to them. This mostly manifests as shortness of breath, accelerated heart rates and… well…" She blushed, looking down slightly as she muttered out the last bit. "...lust."
Akimitsu, who had been carrying their plates of soba to the counter so they could eat, froze in his tracks as he processed what she had just said. He set down the bowls slowly as he thought deeply about what he heard.
"Oh." He said intelligently, a blush covering his face as he looked back at her. "So it's like that, huh?"
She nodded. "Yes, it's like that."
That being the Sekirei had been released into Shinto Teito so they could find their destined partners–that is, their mates. It felt weird to refer to them as that though, since apparently Sekirei looked just like humans, so perhaps destined lovers was a better descriptor.
And Yashima said earlier that she had reacted to him. That's why he had seen her in his dreams. He never gave all this fate stuff much thought, didn't even really believe in it, but it was clear that Yashima was interested in him.
Though… for now, that was just because he was her 'destined one', no?
He grabbed a chair and sat across from her with a sigh. "Well, this is no doubt the weirdest confession I've ever gotten." He joked, earning an amused giggle from the brunette.
'Not like I've been confessed to many times before, anyway.'
He stayed silent for a moment, watching in thought as the two plates between them steamed, waiting to be eaten. After a couple seconds, Yashima began fidgeting, a nervous expression on her face, so he took a deep breath and grabbed his chopsticks.
"Let's dig in before it gets cold, then we can talk a bit more about this. I still have some questions." 'Specifically about what this all means for me.' He thought as he separated the two wooden sticks.
Yashima blinked in surprise, before nodding nervously as she grabbed her chopsticks as well. "O-of course, Akimitsu-san."
"Ah, just call me Aki." He said offhandedly. "My name's always been a mouthful, even my grandpa complained about it sometimes." Which wasn't something a lot of people did, but gramps was never typical anyway.
His words put a smile back on Yashima's face, the hammer wielder nodding happily. "Alright, Aki-san." She said.
A quick prayer later, and both of them began eating. His cooking quickly earned praise from Yashima, which he bashfully accepted. And he had to admit, he had outdone himself this time. Guess cooking for a cute girl automatically gives a boost to his cooking skills, go figure.
The lunch was relatively small, and thus went by quickly. Yashima had moved to the living room couch at his request, acting scarily obediently as he went to wash the dishes, thoughts and questions about what this Sekirei business meant for his immediate future swirling around in his mind.
After drying his hands, he went and joined Yashima on the couch. It was a decent-sized thing that could comfortably fit three people, so he just sat right beside her. She had placed her hammer on its head beside the seat, and he noticed how red her cheeks were as he sat down. She also seemed to be trying to steady her breath, but seemed to be having difficulties, especially once he got closer.
"Yashima, are you okay?" He asked in concern. He wanted to ask why she had been fighting those twins earlier today–Hikari and Hibiki he thinks they said--but her "reaction symptoms" seemed to be affecting her a lot.
"I-I'm fine." She tried to reassure him, which didn't really work when she looked almost as red as a tomato and seemed to be struggling to breathe properly. She put her hand over her heart, and he could deduce that it was probably running a mile an hour. "It's just, it seems that being around my Ashikabi for so long is affecting me more than I realized…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "I was told what to expect, but… I didn't think I'd feel this hot inside."
He gulped slightly. Her voice had steadily been growing more and more… lewd, as she spoke. She honestly looked like she was ready to jump his bones any second now, and he did not know how he felt about that.
But really, she seemed to be struggling to keep herself calm, and he doesn't think he likes seeing her struggle with herself so much. So, casting aside his doubts for now, he asked, "Is there any way I can help?"
She was surprised at his question, but with a nervous gulp, she answered in an unsteady voice. "W-Well, the only way would be to wing me…" She trailed off at the end.
"And how do I do that?" He asked, encouraging her to continue.
She blushed even more, if that that was possible, her breaths growing quicker. "W-With a k-kiss… But wait!" She shook her head, seeming to come back to herself for a moment as she stared up at him in shock. "Winging a Sekirei means you're sealing the deal! The connection between a Sekirei and her Ashikabi is practically unbreakable! If you wing me…" She looked down shyly. "Then it's forever. Will you really do that just to help me?" She asked, seemingly not wanting him to make this decision on a whim.
Honestly, she was looking like this and still wanted him to think it all through, to not seal this relationship, this intimate connection, on a whim.
She didn't need to worry though. It wasn't totally a spur of the moment thing.
Akimitsu was lonely. This he could not deny. His grandpa had left a hole in his life he hadn't been sure he'd ever be able to fill, the house was feeling emptier every day, and his motivation to pursue any occupation waned with every passing minute. He had no driving force to keep him going. If he kept going like this, he didn't want to think about the unpleasant places he could've ended up in.
He also had no idea how to build relationships. He knew how to be nice, how to treat people fairly and respectfully, but making friends? Romance? Beyond him, really. Some of the things gramps failed to hammer into his brain, no matter how much he tried.
And now, this girl showed up out of nowhere, saying they were meant to be. Even if he didn't really believe in fate, even if people could call him a coward for taking such a shortcut… wasn't this exactly what he needed? A strong bond with someone else? Someone to connect to? To laugh with? To talk to? To cry with?
To love?
Akimitsu smiled down at her, and her breath seemed to hitch. "Yes, I will." He declared.
Those three words were enough to make the dam burst, because he barely finished talking before Yashima tackled him down onto the couch and pressed her lips to him in an unexpectedly passionate kiss. There wasn't any tongue or anything, and he was by no means an expert in kissing, but there was definitely a lot of passion and enthusiasm behind it.
His hands had reflexively fallen to her waist, which made her shudder against him. He watched as his home lit up, as brilliant wings of blue energy emerged from Yashima's back. A strange kind of crest appeared over her neck, looking like a bird in flight, with a ying yang symbol surrounded by four teardrop shapes under it.
The crest lowered onto her nape, and the wings of light slowly dissipated as well. Yashima's lips left his own, and as she whispered, he couldn't ignore the sheer happiness in her eyes and voice. "Forever and ever." She said, and the deal was sealed.
That was his first kiss, and he was now basically married to a cute alien girl. Gramps was definitely laughing his ass off at the amount of steps he just skipped. Not like it was a bad thing, mind you.
He was definitely not complaining about the cute girl on top of him. No, sir. Though, he should probably say something by now, they had been staring at each other for almost a minute now, and he didn't think he could stop his hands from wondering without distracting himself with talking.
"That… was quite the lightshow." He commented idly. Yashima seemed to come back into focus at his words, and she giggled at his attempt to start a conversation after that emotional encounter.
"Yeah, it's one of the quirks of our biology. One of the many things the scientists at MBI still don't understand about the Sekirei." She explained, laying her head on his chest, seemingly content to just lay against him now. "Some say that it's a way to let other Sekirei know that one of us found their destined one. I like that theory." She said happily.
Akimitsu hummed idly, letting a comfortable silence fall over them as he considered their newfound connection. And he means it quite literally, he can feel it in his mind, the bond that connects him and Yashima in a way he had never felt before. That really sent home the fact that he had now commited himself to a lifelong relationship with this girl despite meeting her today.
And even with that… he couldn't find it in himself to complain about it.
Wait, wind that back. He barely even noticed it, but did she say MBI?
"Hey, Yashima." She looked up at him as he spoke. "Did you say 'MBI scientists' just now?"
She nodded. "Yes. They are the ones that helped us find our footing on earth long ago, along with teaching us the basics of fighting, and also the ones who make adjustments to us so we can better.live among humans." She explained.
"Adjustments? What do you mean by that?" He didn't quite like the sound of that.
"I believe I can answer that question, my boy!"
Akimitsu flinched as the TV seemingly turned on by itself, showcasing an eccentrically dressed person on its screen.
"Did-Did the TV just talk to me?" He asked in bewilderment as he sat up, making Yashima have to adjust herself so she didn't fall. This resulted in her straddling his lap in a rather compromising position, but he didn't care as he stared in shock as the very recognizable man on the television answered his question.
"Indeed, young man! I, Minaka Hiroto, have discovered that you just became partners with a Sekirei!" The CEO of MBI declared dramatically. "Congratulations are in order, for both of you!"
"T-Thank you, professor." Yashima thanked him shyly, embarrassed at being seen in her current position, but not being really willing to move.
"Y-Yeah, thanks." Akimitsu imitated her, scratching his head in confusion. "So, can I ask why the most famous man in Shinto Teito is talking to me via my TV?" How was he even doing that anyways?
"Because, young Hashimoto, by winging a Sekirei, you have just joined the most important game in human history!" Minaka declared with a flourish of his arm.
"A game?" The pinkette questioned in confusion and slight suspicion. How the hell did he know his name? Just what kind of information network did MBI have to know pretty much immediately that he had winged Yashima?
"YES! The Sekirei Plan!" Minaka declared, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in, flourishing his white cape dramatically. "The rules are simple. There are one hundred and eight freed Sekirei in the city right now. These Sekirei fight, and fight, and fight, and fight! And the Ashikabi of the last remaining Sekirei shall be allowed to ascend!"
Akimitsu stayed silent as he processed this explanation. So, this whole thing was a battle royale to the last one standing? Was that why Yashima had been fighting the twins? Had they attacked her in hopes of neutralizing a potential enemy before she found her Ashikabi?
"Also, I presume you can rationalize this by yourself, but the Sekirei Plan is something that should be kept strictly in secret from the public." Minaka warned. "If any information were to be leaked, and MBI traced it back to you, we would retaliate against you with all the force at our disposal."
Well that was fucking ominous. A good policy to have, considering the importance of keeping superpowered aliens secret from the world, but still ominous.
"Message received loud and clear." Akimitsu said, furrowing his brows as Minaka nodded in satisfaction. "Can I ask a question, though?"
"Hm, well, I suppose as long as the answer doesn't give you a tactical advantage… I don't see why not! Ask away!" The eccentric man conceded.
"What's the point of all of this?" His question seemed to give Minaka pause. "Why do all of this? Why make the Sekirei fight? What does 'ascension' even mean?"
"The point? To bring about a new Age of Gods of course!" Minaka declared, not answering a damn thing. "Now, I've given you enough of my time. I wish you good luck, young Hashimoto!"
Akimitsu opened his mouth to demand a proper explanation, but the television had already turned off. Instead, he let out a frustrated sigh, dragging his hand over his face.
"Akimitsu, are you okay?" Yashima asked, her hands clenched together in concern.
"Yeah, just… reeling from all of that." He grumbled while gesturing to the TV. "I seem to be doing that a lot today."
"I'm sorry, Minaka's a bit…" She trailed off, probably trying to find a nice adjective to give the orchestrator of this whole thing.
"Utterly insane? Yeah, I noticed." He finished for her, and while she seemed hesitant to agree, the fact she didn't outright deny it was very telling.
"Ugh, honestly, I did not sign up to participate in a battle royale." Akimitsu groaned, flopping back onto the couch in frustration. Yashima stayed straddling his hips, putting her hands on his chest to steady herself. Any other time, the sight and feeling of such a cute girl on top of him in such a compromising position would have made his brain bluescreen, but right now it was too occupied thinking over the Sekirei Plan and how it would affect his life.
"I'm sorry, I should have told you…" Yashima apologized, obviously feeling guilty. It felt like she was gonna add a 'before you winged me' to her sentence, but he had a feeling she didn't want to even imply that she regretted the forming of their bond. And really, he didn't either, and he wasn't gonna let her think he did.
"I don't blame you, Yashima. You were going through it because you were reacting to me, so it's not like you were in the right state of mind to warn me of the Sekirei Plan." He gently laid one of his hands on hers.
"But, it's because of me that you're being dragged into all of this, if I had just-" She tried to take the blame again, but he cut her off by placing a finger to her lips with a gentle shushing sound.
"It 's alright. We both went through a lot of shit today. I don't blame you for forgetting." He conceded, because it was a pretty important detail she had forgotten to mention, but it was understandable. "Now, if we're gonna make it through this "game" our resident madman has thrown together, I need you to tell me everything I need to know about Sekirei, Ashikabi, and any additional details on the Sekirei Plan itself."
He'd really rather not participate at all in this game. If he could, he'd take Yashima and fuck off to Brazil or something. But something was telling him that leaving the game wasn't possible, especially from the way Minaka had spoken of leaks and their consequences.
So, despite his reluctance, he'll do everything to protect and nurture this new source of meaning in his life.
And he'll finally get to put this damn freakish strength of his to use by punching anyone that tries to threaten it.