Pre-story notes: Sorry, had this chapter done for a while, but not.. done done. Still, at least now it's done. Thanks to all that reviewed, or favourited, or followed, or any combination of the three. The fact that people might actually like this amuses me as much as it scares me.

I'm unsure of how to word this properly, so I shall simply go ahead and say I own none of the content here, which is specifically the characters and certain plot elements owned by their respective companies and/or people in this story, except the story itself, which I wrote.

See? Awkward phrasing, that is.

===========Booting Up============

"CONGRRRAAAULATIONS!" The man in white screamed out, every dragged out syllable injected with as much boisterous grandeur as humanly possible. He paused for dramatic effect, his hands still stretched outwards in a deliberate sweeping gesture. Heck, the man was dramatic effect personified, with bleach-white hair and a just as blinding white outfit complete with a cloak and high collar. And Keima swore the man was even wearing platform shoes.

The man stayed in his funny little pose, making Keima believe he was supposed to react humorously to this. Quite possibly shock, or confusion, or whatever would entertain the man. Keima regarded the man with a look of utmost seriousness, and then he decided,

"No."

*Click*

The video feed immediately cut off. Keima was about to put down the PFP when..

*Click*

The screen was back on, and the man was not pleased.

"What do you mean, NO? I am-"

"NO."

*Click*

And then the man called again, prompting the same response by Keima. And so this went on for quite a bit…

Musubi merely acted as the audience to this comedy act, not willing to interfere. In a way, it was like a verbal tennis match, with the childish screams of the older man bouncing off one side of the room and Keima's angry responses off another. After a while, It was apparent that Keima was winning, as evidenced by the increasingly higher pitched voice of the man in white. Finally, it reached to a boil as the man came to hysterics.

"WHYYY WOONN'T YOUU LIISSTTEENN TOO-"

"I SAID NO!"

Keima wasn't entirely sure why he did it, but he needed to muffle the sounds of the annoying man-child, and so in an impulsive act, he shoved the PFP where he thought it would never see the light of day again; that is, between Musubi's breasts.

"… What the- Why is it so dark?!"

Keima was left staring at what his actions had done, where the man's muffled complaints could be faintly be heard- Musubi herself was struck speechless by Keima's act. He definitely knew that wasn't the best of ideas, but to be honest, he was contemplating leaving it there. Musubi looked at Keima on what to do, but he merely shrugged. Finally coming to a decision, Musubi fished out the console, with the enigmatic man still on the screen now on the verge of tears.

"Number 88! Don't tell me such a cruel young lad has become your Ashikabi!"

Musubi didn't refute that outright, but she smiled kindly enough. "He's nicer than he looks, professor!"

Hold on, so he didn't look nice in the first place?..

"Face me towards him, would you?" Musubi obediently raised the PFP's screen to face height. Amusingly enough, Keima by then was facing a wall, conforming to the admittingly childish idea of "if you can't see them, you don't have to deal with them." After a hard nudge or two, Keima grudgingly turned to meet this 'professor.'

"Well, well. I'm not entirely sure how you managed to block me out!" Apparently ignoring the last few moments of his comedy act (or, at least, Keima hoped it was an act,) He had resumed using his overdramatic tone. "Then again, this little piece of technology has been modified quite a bit, eh?" Referring to Keima's PFP, The man nodded his head in approval. "Probably worth a lot more than your standard, off-the-rack model."

No response from Keima.

"Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm here to congratulate you for being one of the lucky few in Shin Tokyo to become the partner of a Sekirei!"

The man's eyes were obscured by the white glare coming off his glasses, and in the faint reflection of the PFP's screen Keima could make out his own pair. He never really felt his glasses added to his image, but a pair of glasses on that man practically screamed "magnificent bastard" all on their own.

"By becoming a partner with dear number 88-" Musubi flashed off a quick smile at the mention of her apparent assigned number- "The two of you are automatically entered into the Sekirei Plan." He rolled off the last two words off his tongue with an attempt to make the term sound like an exotic spice from a distant land.

No response from Keima.

"What is the Sekirei Plan, you might ask? Well, it's where 108 Sekirei's fight! Fight, and fight, and fight on until one is left on the battlegrounds of Shin Tokyo, where their Ashikabi shall be allowed to ascend to the heavens!" His hands were flailing above his head. Eerily, Keima was reminded of his similar actions yesterday, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"But.." He suddenly took on a playful and threatening tone, although it was still on the cheesy side of the acting spectrum.

"You see, the Sekirei Plan is a secret to all but those who are involved, now including you. If you happen to mention the plan to anyone.." He made a deliberate slitting motion with his index finger. "Well, I'll make sure MBI sends 'representatives' over to clear anything up. Got it?"

No response from Keima.

Believing he had delivered his performance so well that Keima was shell-shocked, He believed his explanation was done, and so his voice immediately perked up to a level rivalling that of Musubi's. "Well, that's it! Take care, number 88!" He waved one gloved hand in good-bye.

"Ah, good-bye, Professor!" having to still hold her arms outward to hold the PFP up to Keima's face, Musubi had to lean forwards and look at the PFP upside-down, almost toppling over in the act.

And with a click, the screen turned black, leaving Keima to once again glare at his own reflection.

Musubi raised her head and noticed Keima was still staring straight at the PFP, his jaw set and his eyes narrowed in apparent thought. "Keima?"

Keima reached out for the PFP and turned it back on, tapping away rapidly at its controls. She thought that he was simply starting up his game again, but then came a sound not unlike the one heralding the apparent "professor's" call.

"… do you really have to be like that every time you call somebody?" A voice off-screen alerted Keima to a female presence. Whoever it was sounded very exasperated with the 'professor.' He was currently still sitting on his little throne, although he wasn't looking at the camera or whatever he used to talk with Keima.

"Well, it worked! He was, dare I say, awestruck.." Keima noted his voice, although still very overbearing, had managed to calm down a notch or two.

"Yeah, any man would be awestruck by the crap that spews out of your mouth." The man recoiled in mock pain, unable to shield the heavy blow the words carried out. Keima immediately felt a kindred soul in whoever this woman was.

"Hold on a minute, the camera's on." The out-of-sight voice suddenly announced. The actor in white instantly snapped his head towards Keima, an amused smile plastered across his face. Keima immediately sensed a change in tone, and he didn't like it.

"Ara, ara. You're awfully talented, getting past MBI's security like that." His voice managed to discard the game show host qualities he loved so much, thank goodness. "I've never had somebody go to such lengths just to talk with me, Keima Katsuragi."

Keima's face rankled at the mention of his full name. Intimidation, maybe? "Who wouldn't want to talk to the famous Minaka Hiroto, director of the super-conglomerate MBI?" Although he instantly adopted the same business-like manner of the CEO, he couldn't muster enough suaveness to rival Minaka. It appeared the man really was a good actor, or good enough to appear competent, at least. Keima decided to pay a bit more attention to Minaka now.

"Oh, so you do know who I am! Ah, but to be honest, I can't imagine anybody who hasn't!" He was becoming genuinely aggravating now, and Keima clenched his teeth, noticing that the way things were progressing, the conversation would ratchet up to playing-mind-game levels.

"I just want to ask a question or two, really."

"Oh? Well then, shoot!" Minaka's voice was far too friendly for Keima's tastes, but nevertheless..

"Well, I'm just reconfirming- I'm not the only one in this type of situation? Where somebody meets a 'Sekirei' and ends up becoming their 'Ashikabi?"

"mmm-hmm!" Keima thought back to the twins and the man named 'Seo.' So he was also an Ashikabi, involved in this.. 'Sekirei Plan.' He wondered if everybody would be as crazy as him and his Sekirei.

"And Sekireis are what, exactly?"

"Aliens. Powered by love, if you haven't noticed." Merrily said, although Minaka didn't know this obtuse answer served to irk Keima more.

"Aliens. Powered by love." Keima repeated.

"Anything else?" Minaka said, eager to please. Keima didn't say anything, but he still stared dead on into Minaka's eyes. Keima's head was chock full of questions ready to be fired one after another like a machine gun, but something began tugging on Keima's mind, an inquiry different than the rest: for Keima had emotional investment in this one, simple question.

"Why?"

This actually stunned the man on the white throne for a second- it was asked so bluntly and so.. harshly. A lot of weight was put behind it. Atop Minaka's little throne, he began to think this new contender in his machinations was going to be a very interesting variable.

"It's just, why? Partnerships with aliens to win some sort of tournament, fine. But why love specifically? Why throw in love in all this?"

Minaka actually smiled. A genuine one, too, which threw off Keima. "Because, as you and I both know, love is what drives mankind unto greater achievements." While the man's personality and way of speaking was a bit annoying, Keima had managed to discard all feelings of actual dislike towards this man. But that particular sentence? Wrong. Wrong in every way possible.

And so Keima frowned at that.

"I think you and I have different ideas of what love is, Minaka Hiroto." He said it a bit too quietly for his own taste, and turned off the PFP without another word. Musubi looked concerned, having sensed the uneasiness from Keima. He merely sat in place, eyes glazed over and his face still locked in deep through. Musubi shifted in her place a bit, unsure of what to say, but a knock on the door managed to serve as a distraction. Keima could only pray it was room service, but he knew better as he opened the door..

"You're from MBI, right?" The man, well-built and quite frankly mountainous, nods, and took out a simple brown package. It was open, and Keima saw that it was filled with extra clothes for Musubi, along with thin envelope neatly placed on top. Keima accepted it, passing it along to Musubi. The messenger turned on his heels and began to walk away, but..

"Ah, hold on a second." The man stops. "Can you possibly get a message to Minaka Hiroto?"

The grunt.. grunts, for lack of a better term. "Depends on what it is."

Keima inhaled in a deep amount of air.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"ALIENS? POWERED BY LOVE? A SECRET TOURNAMENT?!" Keima started to rant, despite the illicit instructions not to yell those specific details out in public. Yet the messenger simply stood there as Keima continued on with his outburst.

"THAT WAS THE WORST EXPLANATION EVER! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO DO! HE DIDN'T EVEN EXPLAIN ANYTHING ABOUT THE FIGHTS! IF THIS WAS A RPG, IT'D BE LIKE THROWING A PLAYER INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD WITHOUT A TUTORIAL!"

The messenger decided that ultimately killing Keima Katsuragi was worth too much trouble, and he shuffled off, but not before Keima also yelled out,

"ALSO, THAT WAS THE WORST ACTING I'VE EVER HEARD!"

He slammed the door, turning to a freshly-changed Musubi. Well, sort of- it was a set of her old clothes, just not ripped and burnt. As anybody would react when confronted with an angry outburst, she looked quite worried; Keima looked off to the side, still fuming and feeling embarrassed that he had thrown a tantrum so easily.

"Keima-sama.. Do you not want to be part of the Sekirei Plan?"

Keima knew full well that denying the plan meant in turn denying Musubi. And if what Minaka said was right, Sekirei would be 'powered up' by their emotions of love (which, really, was something that confused Keima immensely- he'd have to figure out specifics later.) That, and he wasn't a callous guy. He didn't like the real world, but he couldn't hate the people there for living in it.

Well, most of the time.

" I'm just ranting. Let's go out, there's a game I've been meaning to pick up." He sounded a bit grumpy, but he seemed to be in a better mood. Before he could head out of the door, however, he paused. He pondered on saying a certain something, but ultimately couldn't summon enough nerve to say it. Instead..

"You're, uh, a good person." He added. It was completely out of the blue, and the words were far from impactful, but Musubi could sense the kindness in them nonetheless. And Keima was genuinely trying to be kind. Alas, the radiance and sunbeams that emanated from Musubi's smile could not shine on the cold, frigid wasteland that was currently Keima's face. At least she wasn't depressed, now.

Something occurred to Keima, though. He was supposed to leave his hotel today- If he had to stay in Shin Tokyo for longer.. Keima pondered on what to do. Call his mother? He shuddered at the thought at having to explain any of this. Also..

"Arrrrghhh.." Keima realized his vacation was now officially over. "I don't have enough money on me for a hotel…" Upon hearing the word money, Musubi piped up, "Ah, they gave me a replacement for my card that I lost!" She held up the thin envelope that Keima had overlooked.

Keima's eyes contracted the second he heard that word. "Card?"

(So!)

Keima shuffled up unto the front desk of the hotel, the short angry hotel manager glaring at him. "Anything before you leave?" There was a faint hint of happiness in that sentence. Still, Keima paid no heed as he asked courteously,

"I'd like to rent out that room for the time being, actually. "

Mr. Manager raised an eyebrow. "Sir," as he said very sparingly when it came to Keima, "I'm afraid your room might be too expensive for your-" Keima swiftly handed him the card, MBI emblazoned in thick black letters on the front. He squinted his eyes, and then his brain came to a full stop.

"HHHRRRKK!"

The manager might've suffered a heart attack right then and there, for he immediately recognized the name of the giant, multi-billion company that was plastered on front of the card. MBI cards were only given to people of.. prestigious ranking in the company. The manager remembered fondly a woman with one of those same cards racking up a fortune in alcohol alone not so long ago. With a shaking hand, he quickly entered the card's details. The cold hand of silence had both Keima and the Manager in its crushing grip as the Manager waited for confirmation from his computer.

[Accepted]

"Th-thank you, and don't hesitate to call if you need anything.." The manager was simply dumbstruck at what this kid had managed to obtain. And with the amount of cash he was now packing, perhaps it was wise simply to accept this generous windfall. Besides, the woman last time was also a generous tipper..

Keima accepted it with a shaking hand, as he asked one question.

"Is there a limit on this card?" It came out as barely a whisper.

"HHHHNNNNNNGGG!"

============== Loading ================

Keima almost had a bounce to his step as he and Musubi made their way to the nearest electronics store to rob it of all its stock. Keima held the credit card in his hands gingerly, thinking of the many, many things he would buy. He'd buy all the newest copies of games he wasn't able to afford the first time he went out. He'd buy a second copy of each as a backup. He'd buy a fleet of PFPs, all sleeker than the last. Accessories? Why not- he could afford a solid gold case, if he wanted to.

"I'm happy that you like it so much, Keima-sama." Musubi was infected by Keima's mood, feeling in quite the jolly mood herself. "I wish I could've remembered to take my card when the plan started; I'd been starving and been without shelter for weeks!"

"And now I will buy all the video games I want!" Keima announced to the world, oblivious to the grimness of Musubi's last sentence. Then again, so was Musubi. He held out his arm to her, and she happily accepted, and so arm-in-arm they pranced along the streets of Shin Tokyo-

"Hungry.." A desolate voice groaned below. Keima stopped mid-skip to look down at a pitiful man lying face-down on the street. He was wearing nothing but ragged jeans and a frayed, old bomber jacket. Well, moving on-

"Keima.." Musubi tugged at the edge of Keima's shirt. Keima supposed the hard times Musubi went through before meeting him made her sympathetic to this starving man. Well, he did have a potentially unlimited source of cash, so Keima could spare a poor man one meal. "Do you want a meal, sir? I can happily pay." His euphoria was so high that he even managed to sound like a generous, well-adjusted young man out to do a good deed.

The stranger rolled over, and Keima met the unshaven, dirty face of the man named Seo.

"That sounds great, kid!" He flashed a toothy smile at Keima. Yeah, no, he could go ahead and starve.

"WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME?!" Seo had hooked unto the teenager's leg as Keima attempted in vain to get away. "NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!" Keima furiously denied the man's existence, all frivolity from before gone now. "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT SOMETHING HAS GONE RIGHT-" "THEN YOUR LIFE'S BETTER THAN MINE, MAN!" Seo was close to the edge of tears. "I JUST WANT A SMALL MEAL! I SAVED YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" To make matters worse, his pitiful wailing had alerted two awfully familiar figures in awfully familiar maid outfits.

Musubi gave a short gasp and instantly readied herself for a fight. "Ah, you two-"

*CRRAACCK!*

"SEO, YOU IDIOT!" "Seo, you idiot.." The two known as Hikari and Hibiki arrived on the scene. Immediately spotting Seo clinging unto Keima, they flung two well-aimed shocks- Keima hadn't felt a thing. He almost heard Seo whimper like a dog as he dropped and the two picked him up by the ears, one each, and started to yell in that respective ear.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE MOOCHING-" "Don't you have any pride, Seo?" The man was being chewed out by the maids, and Keima almost felt pity for the man. On the other hand, it was quite interesting to look at, now that Keima wasn't on the bad end of the twin's attitude. He could see the minute differences the twins did in their actions- Hikari was twisting and blaring out demeaning insults in Seo's left ear, and Hibiki was pinching and lecturing the right side. "Buuut hee offerrred.." Seo moaned, two simultaneous headaches developing in his head. Hibari ignored him, turned to Keima and bowed deeply. "We're sorry that our useless master had to bother you-" Hibiki flicked her head back up, finally realizing who she was standing in front of. "You!"

Musubi immediately dashed in front of Keima, fist out in a defiant pose. "If you want to fight again, I'm ready this time!" Hikari dropped Seo and stood next to her other half, a sneer quickly developing on her face. "Yeah, well, we still haven't paid you back for-"

*ggrawwwll* *grrrrrrrrr..*

….

Musubi turned toward Keima. "Did I eat breakfast?"

"You did. Twice." The twins blushed as their stomachs yearned for sustenance, and Keima really felt he should've just left Seo alone. Deciding that there was no way to get out of this event, He walked over to Seo, once again face-down in the cement. He kicked him over so he could see his face, Seo's mug burnt and depressed.

D:

"Fine. Let's go."

:D

"Really?"

"Really." Seo jumped up, and led Keima away. "Well, I know this great place.."

The two Ashikabi were quickly leaving behind their Sekirei, still prepared to attack each other on the drop of a hat. Well, two now as Musubi ran after Keima soon after. "I'm hungry too!" She spontaneously decided. Hibiki and Hikari looked at each other.

"… I guess free food is free food in the end." Hibiki conceded. She promptly turned to catch up with the rest. Hikari stood in place, looking conflicted, but the temptation of being offered a free meal was too hard to resist in the trying times that she found herself in. Still..

"I still hate Seo." Hikari mumbled, setting off behind Hibari.

==========Loading===========

Now, It should be noted that Keima ultimately decided that he eventually would have had to seek out Seo- after all, he was the only other Ashikabi he knew of aside from himself, and he was a potential wealth of information. However, he stressed the word eventually. As in, not today, the one time he would feel relaxed since this whole Sekirei affair. As in, later, and not spend the better half of an hour staring at this scruffy man stuff himself with food. And good lord, the man sure as hell was stuffing himself with food.

"Oh, man, these pancakes are great!" Seo said, mouth bulging with the fluffy concoction. He was sitting in-between Hibiki and Hikari, sitting on his left and his right respectively. "Don't eat with your mouth full, idiot!" Hikari, unaware that she was doing the same, chided Seo, zapping the man with a poke of the finger. It was enough to make him twitch, knocking a platter of fruit over as a result. "My food…" In turn, Hibiki leaned across and knocked her sister on the head with a spoon. "And you as well," She said calmly, taking a sip of coffee afterwards.

Musubi giggled. This was a pretty nice moment, actually; she was enjoying a nice little parfait herself.

Keima absent-mindedly rapidly pressed away at the buttons on his PFP, hoping life had a skip button he never knew about until then. You see, he had never sat down to a meal and hadn't eaten himself- He believed the act of eating was a waste of precious time that could be delegated to.. well, you know the picture by now. So normally, he rushed through his meals with gusto, and having to wait for other people eat..

Finally, Seo had stopped gorging himself, patting his stomach contently. "Alright then! Big Brother Seo's here if you need me, kid!" he held out his hand, and Keima shook it, albeit not very energetically. "Katsuragi Keima." Seo offered another broad grin, settling into his seat and wrapping his arms around the twins (who were nonplussed about the action, oddly enough.)

"So, you just winged that pretty lady of yours, huh?" Musubi smiled at the mention, but Keima's eyes narrowed. "How'd you know about that?" Seo gave off the most casual of shrugs. "She wasn't winged yesterday, wasn't she? Can't imagine you and her hanging around if she wasn't." Keima snapped his fingers in apparent realization. "Right, I remember now, that was after your Sekirei attacked the both of us!" The twins beside Seo had their mood soured, but they ate their meals in silence nonetheless. Seo's eyes looked upward in mock thought, but Keima knew his act was as flimsy as his own. "Hell if I know what these two get up to when I'm not around." Plausible deniability, huh?.. well, Keima wasn't wrong in that this man was more intelligent than he appeared.

"I've got questions." Keima decided to get straight to the point.

Seo rubbed two fingers together. "It'll cost ya." Keima bristled at how easily the man jumped into the opportunity, but the topic of money made Keima realize something. He should've realized it earlier, the minute Seo had asked for a meal, actually. He took out the black MBI card from his pocket, catching the sunlight and glinting in his hand. "You don't have this?" Seo shook his head. "Two, actually. Just like'd to always have paper on me for emergencies, you know?" Keima scoffed at the idea of forgoing TWO sources of unlimited money just to fill a wallet, but he didn't press further.

"I paid you for the meal, didn't I?" Seo scoffed. "Yeah, for saving your life. You and I both know you would'a been fried to ashes if I hadn't come along." Keima grimaced, but next thing he knew Seo suddenly laughed. "All right, just for you, Keima buddy ol' pal. One question. As a freebie." Keima shuddered at how close Seo was being with him. Plus, one question? The asshole.

"Well, I'm just wondering what to do now." A broad enough question to receive multiple answers.

Seo laughed again. "Kinda a broad question, isn't it?" He waved the matter away. "You got the call, right?" Keima nodded. "Well, there are going to be scheduled fights, but for now all the Sekirei haven't been winged yet. So, just take this time to relax. Have some fun with your girlfriend. Don't get killed. Maybe wing another Sekirei."

Keima ignored the casual mention of death in the middle of his sentence. "Wing another Sekirei? You can do that?"

"Well, yeah! How'd you think I got these two lucky ladies?" He began to rub the assets of his two Sekirei, who responded in kind by simultaneously jolting him through his hands; He comically coughed out a black puff of smoke.

"So.. just wait?" Keima felt very, very irritated by that. Seo stood up, stretching his arms. "Yep. Don't worry, you'll find something to do." The way he said it suggested that whatever would occupy Keima's time wouldn't be by his own choice. Seo patted Keima on the shoulder and offered him something. "My business card."

"We do everything?" Keima quoted from the card, oddly enough looking just as dingy as its owner. "For the right price. C'mon, girls." He beckoned to the two Sekirei, also on their feet. Hibiki bowed and offered a thanks and an apology, while Hikari just uttered a word of thanks. The three strode off, Seo lazily waving a hand in good-bye and saying "Thanks for the food, kid!"

Musubi waved back until they were out of sight, and then turned to her Ashikabi. "So what now?" Keima laid Seo`s card and MBI`s card next to each other on the diner table, noting that where was even a contrast in how the thin strip of plastic looked vastly superior and of higher class (as classy as a strip of plastic could be, anyway) compared to the faded paper with Seo's phone number.

"Is there anything else I should know, Musubi? You've heard the.." Keima refused to use the man's first name, because that would indicate some respect. "Professor, and now Seo." Musubi didn't look up from her food, offering something quite unexpected. "Oh, nothing for now. I'll tell you things when you need to know." It was said with no ill intent in mind, but Musubi waving the matter aside with such a vague answer was.. off-putting. Keima attempted to push a bit further.

"Well if there's anything I need to know now.. anything at all.." Keima attempted to be as calm as possible, but he stressed this particular sentence very, very much. If he was going to enter a secret tournament, the last thing he'd want to do is go into it blind. Musubi then had a sudden burst of insight.

"Ah! Sekirei are named after birds!"

*WHACK*

"I KNEW THAT!" Keima shouted, whacking Musubi on the head with a karate chop, and another, and another.

"Uuuuuu.. Keima-sama.." Musubi held her hands on top of her head to soften Keima's blows (which, as anybody who've experienced it in the past could tell you, is pathetically weak.) However, this didn't stop her eyes from forming into big globes with tears forming in the corners as she comically whimpered.

"…." He couldn't tell why, but he actually felt bad now. Waving a server over, he asked..

"Do you want something else to eat, Musubi?"

Immediately, she shot off rapid orders in quick succession. "Ah! Well, I have wanted to try the cheesecake, the pie, the frozen yogurt.." leaving the shocked waiter to scramble on their self for a pen and paper to write down Musubi's numerous requests.

.. Hold on, did he just get tricked? Looking at Musubi, who was now starting on a dish comprised of some sort of baked dessert (he honestly didn't have enough time to figure out what it was before she ate it,) she didn't seem like she was the type of person to demonstrate such coyness. No, it was that her love of food made her aggressive. Or so he hoped.

Hidden agendas aside, the fact that an alien race that had superpowers due to love was named 'Sekirei' was not lost on Keima. Having garnered an impressive knowledge of world history from historical and fantasy-based games alike, he knew of the significance of the 'wagtail,' which was the direct translation of Sekirei. The bird played in a role in Japanese legends of old concerning the heavenly deities Izanagi and Izanami, a couple who was said to create many of the islands of Japan. Izanagi and Izanami encountered a pair of wagtails fawning over each other, cooing and nuzzling each other lovingly. It is by encountering these birds that Izanagi and Izanami decided to imitate the birds, having been so delighted by seeing them: And so, the act of love was created-

"Ah, no, actually, the story goes that the pair encountered the birds actually mating, which they decided to copy." Musubi corrected him between bites of a superb mixed-berry pie.

"Ah, that's right. I suppose it's more romantic to view it as simply- Wait, What?" Keima said.

"What?" Musubi replied.

"This pie is delicious!" She added.

*WHACK*

"Uuuggyyuuu.." She was back into curling up into a ball, which was still a mixture of heart-rending and adorable, but Keima held back no blows this time.

"How'd you do that?" Keima was having a monologue, and he was pretty sure monologues were not meant to be said out loud.

"Dooo whhattt, Keima-samaa?..." What, so she wasn't aware of it? There was no way that that wasn't suspicious- with such perfect timing, Keima was beginning to think that Sekirei could read minds. Keima stared at Musubi's cowering figure, hoping his eyesight could drill right into her soul, to lay out her personality bare and figure out what made a Sekirei tick- these last few moments were serving to cast doubt on Musubi's seemingly straightforward behaviour, and.. well, the naïve ones were always the ones with something to hide, right? Or.. at least.. in games.. or was that also applicable to the real world?

But alas, after a moment of thought he merely waved the matter away for future observation.

"Never mind. Keep eating." She obediently obeyed with gusto. After a very long sigh of which only the oldest, wisest members of the human race on their deathbed could use, Keima turned his attention to another matter that nagged at his mind: the MBI credit card.

Why was Seo so wary of it? Would it be that MBI would one day dump the deed of paying off the bills of the card in one's lap if they did something out of line? He began regretting his act of renewing his hotel suite, and Keima's planned costs for his upcoming shopping trip would far outweigh a mere four-star hotel in the middle of the city.

But then the flow of his logic was interrupted by a sudden realization: the only reason Keima would worry about MBI is if he didn't play by the 'professor's' rules. Was he already beginning to plan out an act of anarchy against this game of his?

By all means, Keima's usual actions would be to simply play out this game as quickly and flawlessly as possible, and resume his normal- ah, damn it all, Keima knew that things would never play out as simply as that. Still, plans for the future ahead, he still had to worry about the now. Would he really risk being in the position where he'd be neatly snug under the heel of the shadowy, world-spanning conglomerate that was MBI, or would he fully indulge in splurging?

Musubi finished off the last of her desert with a satisfied sigh, stacking the numerous plates neatly together. "Musubi." Keima piped up.

"Ah, yes, Keima-sama?"

"Remember what I say, okay?.."

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If Musubi didn't know Keima Katsuragi liked games, well, she did now. Heaving an impossibly large bag of video game goods on her back (which, although oversized and attracting the attention of many a passers-by, didn't register on Keima's normality radar one bit,) she found herself straining to keep up with Keima's glowing figure as he hovered above the streets and flew from one place to another.

And this wasn't hyperbole, either. He was actually hovering, and he actually flew- The powers of the capturing god knew no bounds. That was good, though. Musubi was worried about Keima for a bit, but now he had seemed to completely cheer up once he had started on his shopping spree.

Ok, so Musubi still didn't understand why Keima was so addicted to video games, but in all fairness, nobody did. And as Musubi recalled the argument they had once they first met, she was convinced that although their opinions about love were.. different, Keima had proven himself to be a man who loved dearly, and Musubi could ask no more from her Ashikabi.

"Keima-sama, wait up!" Musubi found herself rapidly falling behind the eager teenager. But before she knew it, Keima had rounded a corner and reached possibly supersonic speed. She laughed. He really was something, wasn't he?

"Gamesgamesgamesgamesgamesgam es…"

*CRASH!*

Keima had unceremoniously crashed into another person. "Gammmeess.." Keima sputtered out.

"The hell you going on about?.." The second victim of this accident rubbed his head. He shifted his red cap, and put his grey hood back on. He looked particularly fierce, and Keima, not wanting to get caught up with a potential delinquent, did what he did when he needed to fake courtesies in the real world. Say it with a robotic voice and get the heck out of there. It wasn't very tactful, but frankly it was a miracle Keima used manners at all.

"Well-I-am-sorry-for-running-into-you."

It wasn't that he was rude, it was just that he found manners a complete waste of time when he could simply run away from the situation and get on with playing his games. Of course, everybody else still thought otherwise, and so Keima found himself held by the collar of his shirt as he made a break for it. He comically tried to keep running as the delinquent held on.

"That's the worst apology I've ever heard.." Keima couldn't make out his age, but it was apparent that he wouldn't care about any age difference if he wanted to punch Keima in the face. However, the man then simply let him go, muttering "Just watch where you're going." After he disappeared into the crowd, Keima's shock subsided, and he moved unto priority number one again.

"Gamesgamesgamesgamesgames.." He shot off as he sped down the streets of Shin Tokyo.

Somewhere near and yet somewhere far, before she knew it, Musubi had completely lost track of Keima. She actually stopped for a bit to catch her breath, having dashed through endless intersections and side alleys all in search of her overeager Ashikabi. And this was a woman who could easily beat top athletes in their respective sports- but then again, capturing gods and athletes were on a different level. Alas, she had no luck in finding him, and she found herself on the corner of St. Nowhere and Somewhere Ave. Before she could run off once again in pursuit of Keima, however..

"Musubi." A voice appeared out of nowhere. Calm, soothing, and familiar to Musubi, she looked everywhere for the source of the voice, but to no avail. The voice was gentle, egging Musubi on in a friendly, joking manner. "Calm down, look in every direction."

Left. Right. Ahead of her? Behind of her?

"One more direction to go.." The owner of the voice was always amused at how Musubi was. Quite refreshing, really, compared to how serious and/or violent some Sekirei were. And for a race that were so influenced by love, there happened to be quite the number with.. personality quirks that was sure to spice up any relationship.

She looked down.

"Up, Musubi." A small chuckle accompanied these words.

"Ah, Homura!" Musubi chimed, her head so high that she was in danger of falling backwards. The person, or rather Sekirei she was talking to stood on top of a ledge of an abandoned building, managing to blend in enough to avoid any passerby's wandering gaze.

Clad in a very simple but elegant black coat, the cool, calm and collected Homura was a unique Sekirei in that he had taken up the mantle of protecting Sekirei that haven't been winged, shielding them from potential dangers such as the pair of twins that had been causing a lot of trouble lately. Also, in a related note, he was special in the fact that he was a 'he.' There were male Sekirei, but the female population far outweighed the male.

"I notice you've been winged." The voice was muffled by a black mask that covered his mouth, but it was audible nonetheless.

"Hmm-hmm! He's kind, and smart, and a bit weird," Musubi said, "but kind." This second 'kind' mattered all the world to Musubi. Still, Homura was particularly wary of Musubi, as her endearing personality was also what worried him just the slightest. And about the Ashikabi, well..

"He left you the first time." Apparently, Homura hadn't missed a tick about the goings-on in Musubi's life. But that was to be expected, considering she had an encounter with the twins, who were becoming thorns in Homura's side. In fact, he had seeked them out afterwards and taught them a little lesson- They wouldn't be bothering any other unwinged Sekirei anytime soon.

Musubi nodded.

"But he came back."

"But he came back, yes." Homura lingered. He would to like to leave her in the hands of a capable Ashikabi, but to be honest? He didn't feel like the boy he saw was fit to be a good Ashikabi. Aside from being a bit young, Musubi's description of "weird" was very, very understated. "I'm curious to know when you decided he would make for a good Ashikabi."

"Ah, when he saved me again from those mean twins.. He was even ready to fight for me!" She paused. "I'm sad, though, that I couldn't protect him. We only got away by luck." She looked a bit sheepish, having suffered a double blow: the opportunity for a good fight, which Musubi lived for, and the fact that she couldn't protect Keima, who she would gladly give up her life for.

Homura blinked. He hadn't heard about this second incident. He felt a bit frustrated, considering the amount of Sekirei that needed protection spread out around the city and how hard he worked to protect them all. Still, if the kid risked his neck for her..

"Then I'm happy for you, Musubi."

"mmm-hmm!" She beamed. "You should hurry and find your own Ashikabi too, Homura! Find your own warmth and fuzzy and lovey-dovey feelings-" Kagari stopped her mid-sentence, sounding a bit conflicted, to say the least.

"Right, but my main priority is protecting unwinged Sekirei." Abruptly, He swiftly jumped unto another rooftop, but not before offering, "I'll see you later." Musubi waved good-bye as the figure leaped from one building to another.

"See ya!"

She set off at a brisk pace once again, only to suffer the same fate as her Ashikabi when it came to blindly running in the streets. The deity of fate sure favoured Musubi; it hadn't even been a full minute until she ran into somebody.

"Kyah!" "Ahh!" The two women struck each other in the head, simultaneously falling to the ground. The bundle of games was mostly unharmed, but Musubi was a bit dazed until a helping hand helped her up.

"Ah, sorry, I was preoccupied with something.." The voice was inviting and easy-going, and Musubi found herself staring into the navy blue eyes of a blond-haired girl. Musubi patted the dust off herself, voice chipper. "Oh, no problem. I was kinda in a rush, so I should've looked where I was going-" Hold on.

"If we get separated, and you encounter anyone suspicious, try to memorize what they looked like." Keima's words from earlier rang in her mind.

Musubi's gaze suddenly turned fierce towards the young girl, and if there were glares sharp as daggers, then Musubi had a gaze sharp as a chainsaw. She leaned in towards the girl, who crumbled underneath the Sekirei's intense gaze. She was even giving off sound effects.

"CHUUUUUU…" muttered Musubi, the onomonopia for staring being said under her breath. She was beginning to lean way too close for the girl's liking, Musubi far into her comfort zone.

"Are.. you by any chance a Sekirei?"

"I- wait, what?" She leapt back in order to get some space; Musubi stepped in time with her, managing to not only close the gap but to actually get in some extra distance, peering in closer to the poor girl's face, close enough that their noses were almost touching. The girl was convinced that Musubi was a Sekirei, if the question and her speed were anything to go by. However, Musubi didn't make any other movements, simply giving her that intense glare.

… A minute or two passed.

"Uh, er, is this the part where we fight? This is my first fight, and.."

"CHUUUUU.." Before long, she had burned the Sekirei's image straight into her eyes.

But Musubi wondered if such a description would satisfy Keima. Perhaps it was time to take a page out of his book. However, said book was not light reading material, but a tome with the contents the size of a library. If visual descriptions were one thing, personality traits would be another to a gamer like Keima, right? "If you were to describe yourself, what would you say?" She didn't mean to sound intimidating, but at that proximity, one could ask what the weather was like and still appear to be a serial killer.

The girl wasn't expecting to be put on an interview on the spot; after a moment of stuttering and mumbling, she began to honestly just blurt out whatever formed in her mind.

"Old-fashioned. Sharp-dressed. Thinkative. Philosophical. Elegant?" That last trait seemed a bit arrogant in her opinion, one of those words wasn't even real, and her limited vocabulary had been depleted by stress. "Er.. Female."

"Female." Musubi repeated. And in the blink of an eye, Musubi leapt back, having reverted back to her casual self. "Well, Ok! sounds good to me!" The girl actually stumbled back a step, startled by the wind that blew to Musubi's whims when she moved backwards; the grace and speed of which Musubi demonstrated was flawless, an act that would surely impress most Sekirei.

"Wha- OK?" The girl was torn at what to expect anymore. "We're not gonna fight or anything?" Musubi gave her a quizzical look. "You're not winged yet! We can't fight if you're not winged." The Sekirei instinctively reached for her back, where a crest would form when a contract was made with an Ashikabi. They had been facing each other this whole time; how did she notice?

"Ah! Keima!" Musubi had just realized that she spent quite too much time attempting to analyze the Sekirei she had just met, and before the other girl could even raise a finger, Musubi demonstrated once again her uncanny physical prowess, dashing off in the other direction.

"I, uh, what- what the hell?.." The poor girl was left to reflect on what the hell just happened.

============== Loading ================

Musubi and Keima, oddly enough, reunited in a video game store. Her eyesight was particularly impressive, and she scanned the many windows and storefronts that lined the streets until she found her Ashikabi standing still for the first time since they went out on their trip.

He was playing a game on one of the store's demo consoles, all trace of the hyperactive floating deity gone from his system (or repressed, anyway.)

Before Musubi could even say hello, more piles of games, consoles, and what appeared to be half of the contents in the store they were in were piled unto her arms. It became such a mountain that you couldn't see her face- merely the plastic smiles of a heroine on a game cover. And it wasn't as if she would complain: for one, this wasn't even close to being a burden to Musubi's strength, as she carried the bundle with ease (if not with encountering some difficulty in how she walked.)

It was quite the comedic moment as Musubi almost waddled alongside Keima as they walked on through the streets, with Musubi carrying the burden that 10 men themselves couldn't carry on both her back and in her arms. They had managed to make their way to the far suburbs, the bustling city giving way to the moderately peaceful streets which winded their ways over hills and bridges and past numerous houses, with the sun now beginning to dip over the horizon.

And so it was the perfect moment that Keima chose to speak.

"Musubi." Musubi attempted to neck her head around the pile in her arms, but to no avail. She could only see out of the corner of her eye, seeing the form of Keima's fuzzy profile, PFP ever in his hands.

"Yes, Keima-sama?"

"I'm sorry." She immediately stopped walking; he didn't. He was right in front of her now, completely obscured by her luggage.

"For leaving before, I mean." There was something to his voice, but Musubi couldn't figure it out, not without looking at his face, and that meant dropping the purchases. "Do you want a hug?" she offered. Keima immediately screamed out "NO!" in response. He coughed, and then added, "The games. Protect the games."

Still, she wanted to at least see his eyes. She rather liked how.. intense they were. Intense, but not enough so that it would be callous or harsh, despite Keima's usual behaviour. She had seen a softer side of Keima, and those eyes still sparkled with such strength, as if all he could see was her and nothing else in the world.

Oh, she really wanted to hug him. That was another thing she liked about him, too. He was young and skinny and the way he looked all stern made Musubi want to hug Keima till something broke, like hugging a grumpy puppy with glasses.

"It's fine, really. You came back!" She tried to reassure him, but Keima still sounded off. "Yeah, well.." He exhaled a long breath, having pondered about something he didn't manage to say earlier. To be honest, it was stuck in his mind for a great part of the day. He didn't say this particular sentence because he didn't have the nerve to, but what was different here was that it wasn't because he was trying to convince Musubi, but himself.

He looked off to the side and scratched one cheek, an awkward little tic he had. Musubi shuddered, sensing she was missing an adorable trait of Keima's.

"I'll stay with you.. until this is over. I won't leave you."

A declaration of emotional attachment. And this was big for Keima, who had only spoken similar statements to other two women in the world; one being his mother, and one that wasn't actually a declaration per se as it was along the lines of "You're kinda useful."

Keima saw the Sekirei behind the pile of games almost vibrating for a second, and then unceremoniously, she dropped everything she was carrying and almost tackled Keima, attempting to kiss and love and essentially smother Keima to death. He desperately held her back, but found himself locked in Musubi's embrace, his arms pinned to his sides. "Ah, get off me- it's nothing- get off!" He was lucky he was tall for his age, lest he find himself smothered in another way by Musubi. And despite legions of teenage boys who would've killed to be in his position, Keima simply worried for the various games and items littered throughout the street. "The games, Musubi- they might be damaged-" Keima cried to no avail, as Musubi kept attempting to kiss Keima on the lips. He managed to wriggle away just enough so that every smooch was on his cheeks, but It still served to fluster Keima more and more as he found himself regretting the words he said.

And at last, she managed to embrace him fully, lips meeting his and her arms wrapped around his back. He immediately stopped struggling, and for better or for worse, settled into the kiss. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but he registered when Musubi finally let him go, giggling like a little schoolgirl.

"I forgot," she tittered. "The words."

"The words?"

"Mmmhmm, that I'd love you, protect you, be with you.." Keima wondered what exactly made this statement special. He could tell, though, by how much she treated these memorized words with reverence, though, that it mattered greatly to her.

"Forever and ever." Musubi nuzzled herself into Keima's body again, the warmth from her words seeping into Keima's chest.

"Forever." Keima repeated. So there was the kicker. Keima wasn't sure how to react, and all the unpleasantness from yesterday arose. He pledged to stick it out until the end, didn't he? Forever didn't seem like it would be that bad. He dealt with forever before. And honestly, it didn't seem like that long ago.

"Forever and ever." Keima echoed, a bit more resolution in his words this time. He even managed to wriggle one arm out and pat Musubi on the back, although it was in a very uncomfortable angle. And so they stood in their lover's embrace, a half-awkward hug that carried no grace and no oomph compared to any passionate scene in any movie or book. It was almost romantic.

…..

"Wow."

Keima turned his head ever so slightly. Right next to the couple was a young lady in a belly top and a short pair of jeans, regarding the two with a mild interest. Keima felt himself boil up with shock and embarrassment.

"Never knew kids were so proactive these days." She sounded amused, at least. "And look at that! She's even older than you! Good job, bro!" She raised an enthusiastic thumbs-up in recognition of Keima's mad skills. Musubi had finally noticed the newcomer as well, letting go of Keima instantly and bowing in apology. "I'm sorry for the mess!"

"Ah, It's no problem, although I guess you should pick the stuff up.."

It all hit Keima then, poor boy. The contact, the intimacy, the feelings, and oh god, as the unknown lady took a step forward to talk with Musubi, the fact that his purchases was scattered all through the street. A bird was pecking at a nearby case; a mischievous group of kids was taking his games for their own, and his PFP-

*Crack*

"Ah, sorry, this yours?" The newcomer raised Keima's PFP, a hairline crack now visible on its screen.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG GGG.."

The woman reeled back in shock as Keima was beginning to break down. "Uh, he all right?"

Musubi scratched her head in confusion; it was something Keima had said earlier in an order of utmost importance. Since he was going crazy now, it must be… the thought evaded Musubi's grasp. What was it? A car drove by while she thought on, every fracture and break audible as numerous games and products alike were run over. Musubi then slammed her fist down into her palm like a gavel, having figured it out. "Ah! I remember now, he said 'Don't break the games!'"

"-RRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG-…" Keima screamed in the background. He wasn't going to stop until he blacked out or he died, and his loud voice, along with his unhealthy trait of shaking uncontrollably, was a good indicator that death was entirely feasible.

"Seriously, guy, are you all right-" She turned to Musubi. "Shouldn't we call an ambulance?"

Musubi shrugged. "He's like that; I don't think we can do anything about it until he stops."

"…-GGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH-…."

(So!)

Keima woke up.

"What a familiar ceiling," he thought.

It was odd that his brain, although addled and confused still, would attempt to register the familiarity of the roof above him instead of say, his physical health or, even more importantly, the status of his purchases. And it wasn't even a familiar ceiling, he knew this. But he had seen so much walls and décor and furnishings in his lifetime that everything seemed to be the same room, simply disassembled and reorganized like set pieces from his mind. And what was interesting was that normally this feeling of déjà vu wasn't just limited to Keima; basically, this feeling of familiarity was available to anyone who had accumulated enough life experience. But where others might've registered this room as familiar, Keima would acknowledge it as "recycled," as if he could see the very particles that made up the room, and they were merely the same patterns with different palettes, like a pixelated game of old where the only difference between the sky and the ground was a mere blot in the repeating-

"Uh, kid?" He turned his head just a fraction, the woman who caused his meltdown staring at him nervously. "You.. uh.. conscious?" Keima had had his eyes open and fixed on the ceiling for quite some time now during his musings, making her believe that he might've spontaneously woken up and died at the same time. Another tilt of the head revealed his loot bought throughout the day stacked up all around him, games, bags, boxes all aligned in a bizarre shrine to the god who currently lay atop a futon.

"Yeah."

She gave off an audible sigh of relief. "Good, I kinda thought you'd died." Her voice carried a smoothness and confidence to it, but it was not hard to notice the ever-so-slightly present note of worry. "Cause, you know, you were staring at the ceiling for a while, and that was pretty creepy. Might've thought you were staring up into heaven.." She gave off a laugh, which she thought was easy-going, but in reality was pretty forced, and Keima picked up on that. And she picked up on Keima picking up on that, so her laugh ended in a nervous sputter not unlike a failed attempt at starting up a car.

"Where am I?"

"I, uh, live here. Izumo Inn. Not far from where you fainted." The name was foreign to Keima, but it began to stir something in his head. "After you collapsed, I told your girlfriend that you and her could crash here, just till you get on your feet." She thought back on that moment. "Pretty impressive, the way she was carrying you and all these.." her eyes wandered around the room, filled to the brim with bags and boxes. "stuff."

"Girlfriend." Keima parroted, noting Seo had also used that term. He supposed he really couldn't deny that, as there was no easier way to describe (or rather, lie) about his circumstances to anybody, but it was still odd to hear such a term associated with himself.

"Yep." She made no move to correct herself. "Listen, just rest here, alright? I'll go get her." She strided off, leaving Keima to his thoughts. He noticed that his PFP, the one which suffered a war injury, was beside the futon- he picked it up, gave it an once-over, traced the thin crack with a finger, then laid it down. He honestly felt compelled to hold a service for the console, but there would be other times for eulogies.

"Izumo Inn." The words rolled off his tongue. He got up, navigating the labyrinth made by his purchases, winding his way through until he came across the exit. Looking behind him, Keima realized he wasn't in a bedroom, but rather what appeared to be a large living room outlooking a garden; honestly, he couldn't tell with the mountains and hills of discs and cartridges clogging up the area. It was dark now, and although the stars weren't out yet, the moon managed to bathe the spacious garden, styled with a traditional Japanese theme in mind, just as the whole place was. Keima could actually appreciate good architecture and interior designs; backgrounds were always essential in design.. in games.

"Ah, Keima-sama?" Musubi was on the other side of the 'retailed valley,' her voice barely audible. "Here, Musubi." He answered. He waited until she managed to make her way through the maze herself (a few crashes and the sight of a tower toppling made Keima wince, however) and plant herself right next to the boy. The two merely admired the sight in front of them, listening to the gentle sounds of nature; the suburbs were quiet.

Keima honestly thought background music would make this better.

"So." Musubi clapped her hands together, and turned towards Keima. Her normally radiant self was even, if possible, brighter than ever, and she was almost aggressively nice to Keima. "Today was nice, hmm?" She wasn't implying anything, but the tender moment from before Keima blacked out was still on her mind. Keima was trying to push said moment out of his mind.

"I suppose." Keima's tone was attempting to be flat and emotionless as Musubi was cheerful; however, his face had reddened just a shade, and he tried awfully hard not to make eye contact. If Musubi noticed, she didn't push any further- she didn't say anything, merely content to look upon his face. After a while, however, she decided to initiate conversation, if not just to get Keima talking.

"Today was a long day, huh?"

"Yep." Not exactly an answer that would properly carry on a conversation, but the capturing god was not one for idle talk. However, the sentence was very true, now that he had time to think about it. Just yesterday, the only things he worried about was if he could afford a game for the train ride back home, and within the span of a little under 24 hours, he had encountered Musubi, got involved with a fight with two Sekirei, and then saved her the next day in the early morning, which made him get involved with another fight with the same two Sekirei- that then lead to the meeting with the professor, and then the shopping trip that took up the rest of the day. Such lightning quick development; if only the rest of the Sekirei Plan could go this fast.

"Anything happen while we split up?" He asked Musubi latched onto the specific word 'split,' and she began to pout just a little, puffing her cheeks out. "Uuu.. I thought so.. So you left me on purpose.." Keima didn't bother to correct her, but his response wasn't satisfying, either. "I have no idea what you mean."

With an 'hmmph!' Musubi turned her head away from Keima, who was beginning to (slightly) enjoy teasing her. "So did anything happen?" she replied once again with an grunt, although it was more haughty than anything, so Keima knew he didn't a commit a serious offense. He wasn't fazed by this passive-aggressiveness (as Musubi managed to make even cold responses adorable;) he knew exactly how to counter her pouty mood. He simply inched closer towards her, leaned into her ears, and with a gentle voice, asked ever-so-nicely, "Please?"

As expected, she turned around and happily looped her arm with hers, laying her head against his shoulder. "Well, if you ask so nicely~!" Keima felt his body jerk in response with the human contact; during the last two days he had encountered more skinship than he had in his entire life, and to be honest? That was actually quite impressive. At least there wouldn't be as much kissing this time around, he hoped..

"I did meet somebody." She excluded Homura because he didn't fall under the category of suspicious, as she knew him for quite some time. "I bumped unto her on the street- she was definitely a Sekirei." She closed her eyes in thought, recalling the list of traits that she had worked very hard to memorize.

"She says she was old-fashioned. Sharp-dressed. Thinkative. Philosophical. Female."

Keima nodded his head in approval. Those traits would definitely be easy to pick up from somebody with enough conversation, and that was a wise move on Musubi's part. Well, somewhat. He wasn't sure if 'thinkative' and 'female' were errors on Musubi's half, but satisfactory nonetheless. He wouldn't go ahead and congratulate her just yet, but he did give her a pat on the head with his free hand, which made her almost-dog like inhibitions rise up, and she sat there happily accepting praise.

"Ah, so nice, so nice.." She said, more to herself than to Keima.

"You deserve it." Keima said, egging Musubi on. He petted her for some time, and when she last expected it..

"And what did she look like?" he asked innocently.

"I forgot!" she happily chirped.

"YOOUUUUUUU!"

Keima had got behind Musubi, and began to squeeze Musubi's cheeks apart like putty, distorting her words as she began her sob routine. "Buuut Keiimma-Sammaa.." she attempted to pry his hands off, but apparently when it came to Keima, all her strength was depleted. "You're lucky you mentioned she was female, or else I would've thought it could have been a guy!" "Buut shee didn't look like a guuuyy…" After a while, Keima had tired of fondly abusing Musubi, and he rested his head atop hers, his hands simply limping over her shoulders. "Another Sekirei, huh."

Musubi rubbed her cheeks, making sure Keima hadn't deformed them in some way. "Yep. Pretty lucky that I walked into one when we were out, huh?"

Keima relaxed, just a little. "Yeah, well, there was always the chance of a few chance encounters." His voice had changed from his casual tone to his serious contemplating one, and while Musubi admittingly couldn't offer a lengthy discussion when it came to Keima's unique view of the world, but she could offer some banter, at least. "There were a lot of people out today, though. I don't think all of them are Sekirei or Ashikabi."

"Every character has flags." Keima stopped, apparently having stumbled across a thought of great interest during his musings.

"Or at least, the potential to. Even background characters, with enough fan interest, can be upgraded to a main heroine in a sequel. Characters that you seemingly meet once can be hidden heroines or important to the story later on. No matter how inconsequential they are, if they're in the background or in the beginning; no matter how boring or non-existent their personality might be-" Keima stopped short of finishing his lecture again, threading far too close to familiar memories. Uncomfortable ones.

"Anyway," he continued on, but at a noticeably slower pace, "even in the real world, where there are substantially a lot more people, who, ultimately aren't related to the main story, the fact is that with 108 Sekirei, and that all of them are in Shin Tokyo, you can wander around for a day and inevitably encounter either an Ashikabi or a Sekirei, like you did. It's just a matter of identifying if they are actually a person of interest." With the Sekirei he'd encountered so far, Keima supposed all the Sekirei would be easy to pick out from a crowd. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

Musubi stared at him with such intent that she was like a student soaking up all the information she could from her wise teacher.

"I don't get it." Keima resisted the urge to facepalm.

"It's like the literary device named the 'Chekov's Gun' in books, where if an item- or a person, in this case- appears in detail, there's a good chance it'll be involved with the story. That make sense?"

Musubi pondered over this for a second, and then she clapped her hands together and gave off her usual cheery smile, having come to another of her thoughtful conclusions.

"I don't read books!"

*THUMP*

Keima had opted for a more subtle motion of slamming his face into the nearest wall. Musubi giggled. So did Uzume, although hers was akin to an old lady admiring a young couple's antics.

"Heh. " Uzume said, sipping a cup of alcohol. "You two make a good couple." She had managed to navigate the mountains of store-bought goods and plant herself on Keima's free side completely unnoticed, looking upon Keima and Musubi with fondness in her eyes. Keima was almost thrown off by them, noticing how melancholy she was at that moment. Musubi beamed with pride from the compliment. "Hmm-hmm! We'll be together forever and ever!" Perhaps it was something you might expect to be said from a child, but from Musubi's lips the statement was infinitely more serious.

She raised her glass towards Keima. "You better be prepared to take care of her forever and ever then, kid." Her tone was solemn, which was possibly more serious than the word 'serious' itself. In one go, she drained the crystal of its contents and nodded towards another room. "Miya- I mean, the landlady wants to check up on ya. Make sure you're not injured or anything, but by the way you two are flirting, I'd say you're all right, eh?" She heartily clapped Keima's back, and her strength, while definitely not on par with Musubi's, was still enough to sting Keima's back a bit. He stood up, and Musubi followed, but he shook his head. "I'll be quick- I'll say thanks, then we can pick up our stuff and call a cab." Musubi nodded, leaving Uzume and Keima to wander around the inn. However, before they could reach the landlady, they met somebody else trudging their way up some stairs..

"Ah, Kagari!"

Had Musubi not mentioned the unknown Sekerei's gender, Keima would've thought this man would've fit "sharp-dressed" and "elegant" to the letter. Wearing a simple pair of black dress pants and a well-fit dress shirt neatly buttoned up, the grey haired man in front of Keima was definitely attractive, enough so to be considered good-looking by both women and men alike, with a thin frame, oval face, and stylish grey hair.

"This here's Kagari- he works as a host. He's also one of the tenants of this inn. One of the only tenants, when I think about it. Always rooms for rent here," Uzume said, attempting to organize something in her brain. "This guy's.. uh.. Kat-su-ragi Kei-ma, right?" Come to think of it, he actually never said his name; he supposed Musubi had done the introductions. Kagari shuffled a few steps toward Keima, and both Kagari's and Keima's faces were impassive as they shook hands-

"HRK!"

Keima found himself- oh, no. He was blushing. What was going on?!

He couldn't look at the man without feeling flustered, blustered, or any other word with the same meaning. Uzume looked at him curiously, and Kagari narrowed his eyes. "Where exactly did you meet this guy?" Uzume opened her mouth, unsure how to describe their first meeting. "I, uh, found him.. unconscious with his girlfriend watching over him. Picked the two of them up to rest here for a bit." Kagari regarded Keima with a look of suspicion, but that quickly gave way to the common salaryman's look of a tired day of work gone past. "Well, hope you feel better. Uzume." He nodded towards her, and went up the flight of stairs to his room.

Keima picked up on none of that, for he was panicking.

"I can't- What the- Why am I so nervous?!" He couldn't even respond, hand still out even after the handshake was over. Even Uzume had noticed, and her lips curled upwards in a smile. Keima seemed staunch, so perhaps it was time to push his buttons a little. "Oh, so your door swings that way, huh? Even with Musubi at your side.."

"I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Keima shouted, far, far too loud. He clapped his hands over his mouth, realizing what a state of panic he was in. Attracted? ATTRACTED? NO, NO, NO! The emissary of the digital world lured in by love of a three dimensional MAN, of all things?! He almost began to break down again, but he attempted to quell the surges of shock with what little logic he was able to conjure up.

"No- he is kind of bishonen," quoting the term used to describe men that.. 'whose beauty transcends gender.'

"So- oh no- a aftereffect from dealing with Yui?!"

You see, once upon a time, Keima came across a girl named Yui, and in events far too outlandish to describe in a few mere sentences, they switched bodies. Yui, in Keima's male body, was still attracted to Keima nonetheless, which made to confuse Keima on the topic of gender bias for a very long time. Even after the body switch was over, Keima, who could mostly resist any woman's comings-on, easily crumbled in close proximity with Yui, back in her body but who had noticeably adopting more.. boyish traits, such as wearing her school's male uniform.

Backstory aside, what mattered was that Kagari apparently fell into the same territory as Yui did and so Keima reacted like a schoolgirl with a schoolyard crush, unable even to get one word out of his mouth and have his face flare up like the sun.

"… Do you need to lie down again, bro?" Uzume had tried to get one joking jab in, as she knew full well that there were a lot of people, male or female, who would react in the same way when dealing with Kagari. However, she didn't expect Keima to start shuddering as if he encountered the grim reaper himself. She honestly thought he was ready to start screaming again.

"No.." he said, although it took all his willpower to sound normal again. "Continue on." The two continued on.

She led on in front of Keima as she gave him a tour of the inn, sounding much like a realtor as she mentioned the large bath, the wide rooms. Turning a corner, her hair parted just enough so that Keima could see-

"A tattoo?" Her shirt's neck was low enough for him to see just a glimpse of it, and he couldn't tell what 'it' was. However, it looked.. oddly familiar, and 'familiar' was always something that could linger on Keima's mind. Familiar meant coincidence, and coincidences were normally not so. Uzume seemed embarrassed by it, covering it up. Eager to get away from that topic (was she embarrassed by it?) she led Keima through a door. "Ah, here she is!"

He wasn't sure which room it was, but the view from the window was still quite nice, the moon peeking at them from the corner. A lady of undeterminable age sat at a table, sipping tea from a simple clay cup. "Ah, so here's our visitor. And here I thought you two got lost." She smiled towards Uzume, who actually jostled a bit, as if that gentle statement took form in the shape of a sword. "Ah, well, just thought I'd show him around. Katsuragi, this here's Asama Miya, the landlady."

Miss Asama's voice resonated with a gentle hum, most definitely the type of reassuring warmth that a mother or perhaps a wise teacher could carry. If she were a voice actor, she would most definitely fit any elder-type role well. And if her voice suited a landlady, the humble attire that she worn was also fitting; in the same vein of Musubi's miko clothing, but as proper miko attire, complete with sash-like belt, long flowing purple hakama, a snow white haori, and a sash-like belt that tied the outfit together in a deeper shade of purple.

Keima found himself speaking earnestly and as politely as humanly possible, which only one other person in the world- his mother - could command from him. He wasn't sure if he was happy about this or alarmed by it.

"Uh, well, I just wanted to say thank you for all that you've done, letting me and-" He was still hesitant to use this word, but he had no choice, did he- "my girlfriend rest here. I'll make sure to leave soon and not bother you any further."

"Are you sure? I was going to prepare dinner for you and Musubi; I admit that I didn't expect you to already be up, the way Uzume described you."

Uzume smiled earnestly and shrugged, but accompanying that shrug of the shoulders was the slightest of twitches. It wasn't too alarming, but it was the second of nervous motions that Keima had seen her do around the landlady- was she intimidated by her? "Er, it's a nice thought, but we really should be leaving." He bowed, and made straight away to leave the room, but then-

"…."

"Excuse me for a second- I don't want to be rude, but I was just wondering who was this.." He noticed it out the corner of his eye, and honestly he could not place why it caught his attention so; He picked up a picture frame, its contents that being of a faded old photograph of what was most undoubtedly the landlady when she was younger, although oddly enough she was wearing the exact same outfit as she was wearing now. She was shoulder-to-shoulder with a man whose wild white hair (involuntary twitch from Keima) covered his eyes. His outfit consisted of sweatpants and a turtleneck sweater underneath laboratory coat that managed to look quite casual despite it being a lab coat.

"Ah, my husband." She stood up and took the frame from his hands, holding it just as Keima did with his PFP- with great love and fondness. "I'm afraid he isn't in this world any longer, bless him." Her smile stayed the same, but her eyes were clearly looking upon happier times. They were also a startling shade of purple, far deeper than the rest of her outfit.

"Sorry if I brought up any bad memories." She waved the matter away, setting the picture down on the table. "The front door's unlocked; I hope you two get home safely. Uzume, if you could help me with the cooking?" Uzume waved a hand in good-bye, and the two left the room. Keima looked around for a bit, nervously shuffling his feet in place, and then finally set off to backtrack his route.

He navigated the hallways, bathed in moonlight, and he ran a hand along the walls, as if the bumps along the walls managed to align themselves in neat little rows of braille, so that they may tell their story of the goings on in the place known as Izumo Inn. Something was beginning to bug young Keima Katsuragi..

"Ah, Keima-sama!" Before he knew it, he had already made it back to his starting point, Musubi still perched on the edge of the porch. "So, we're leaving now?" she asked. Keima didn't respond, standing right next to her and working out his own thought. Something was bothering him, and Musubi was attentive as any wall to bounce thoughts off of.

"Do you like this place, Musubi?"

Musubi nodded her head. "The landlady and Uzume-san are nice. The house is quite pretty, as well."

"Is that all you think of them? That they're nice?" Musubi looked genuinely confused by this. "Are.. they Sekirei?" Keima shrugged; he honestly hadn't a clue. "Well, maybe. I don't have any way to check aside from asking them directly. However, their characters themselves.. well, let me give you a little bit of advice, Musubi." His teacher-like authority came out once again, and Musubi was ready to receive the wise words of the Capturing God. "When it comes to people you meet," he started out smartly..

"If they seem mysterious.."

"They're probably mysterious."

"… In games." He added on.

He stared out into the distance with his arms crossed with a stern expression that Musubi couldn't answer straightaway even if she understood him or not.

"That being said, they don't seem that mysterious."

Logically, and he was using that term very sparsely, Uzume and Miya seemed to be people of interest. But realistically, all he had to go on to use that term was the fact that Uzume had a tattoo that he seemed to recognize and that Miya gave off an odd aura. By all means not very tangible proof for suspicion. And yet his gamer senses so finely attuned to people's personalities said that something was up in this house, and they had proven themselves to be accurate in the past. But Keima never acted just on feelings alone, and even if he acted without his usual methodical processes, there was always the off-chance that the oddities the pair were hiding was that maybe Uzume spent too much time at pachinko parlors and Miya was a closet otaku.

And so for the first time in a long time, Keima was left to act on only instinct.

Musubi looked around, hoping to find a marker or perhaps a banner that designated the inn as a place of interest. Keima had fully left her in the dust with his thought processes, leaving the poor Sekirei to work out his words on her own. And then it hit Keima.

"This place." Keima touched the wall gingerly. "It's where everything happens. Always gotta be a hub area."

Leaving Musubi to ponder his mysterious words, he immediately walked up and out of the room, and with a quicker speed than he had when he navigated the inn the first two times, confidently strided to where Miya and Uzume were beginning to eat their meals, and slammed his head unto the ground in a deep bow, on his knees and hands.

"MISS LANDLADY!" As he was facing the ground, he couldn't see Miya's face and thus gauge her reaction: Keima wouldn't believe any act would work on her anyway- He'd have to be direct with his words.

"I- NO, WE, ASK YOU TO ACCEPT OUR HUMBLE SELVES AS TENANTS OF THIS INN!"

A beat.

"Ara ara, how polite." Miya's expression never faltered, but she wasn't outright denying him, at least. "I have to admit, though, this is unexpected. I invite you two to stay for dinner, and you ask to rent a room here?" Keima's head was still touching the ground, so he could not gauge her reaction; making him all the more nervous. "Well, I've been looking for a place to live, actually, and Uzume mentioned there were rooms for rent here.."

He heard a light tapping noise; Miya held a soup ladle, tapping it against her chin in thought. "That is true. But I heard you're living a hotel that you can afford; speaking of affording, I don't take MBI cards, and Musubi said you were here on holiday, so I assume you don't have a job- oh, yes, and I believe you're underage, so I'm not sure if you could legally rent a room here?"

Erk. All very valid points, and so well thought out in so little time that Keima couldn't respond. However, Miya's voice was still airy and cheery as she lightly tapped him on the forehead with her ladle. He raised his head up, unsure of what to expect, and found Miya's expression lovely as ever. "But my husband was a firm believer in the idea of never turning anybody in need away. I'm sure we can think of something if you really want to live here so badly with Musubi."

… Really? Was it that simple? Keima couldn't believe all he had to do was simply ask-

"YYYYYAAAAYY!" Out of nowhere, Musubi had tailed him, and at the right moment grabbed unto Keima from behind and held him tightly to her chest in a victory hug, crushing his lungs, ribs, and possibly his very soul in the process. "WE HAVE A NEW PLACE TO LIVE!" She pranced around with Keima in her arms, unaware of the damage her deathly, bone-crushing hug caused. "Can't.. breathe.." he managed to choke out.

Miya turned towards Uzume. "I hope this won't be a problem, having such noisy neighbours." Uzume drily chuckled, although she wasn't annoyed by how these events turned out. "I'm just concerned that ya let two people you've known for, what, 10 minutes, take up free room and board here." Miya responded with light-hearted laughter of her own. "Ah, well, I don't intend him to live here on solely the pure-hearted intent of this kind landlady, you know." Uzume couldn't reply earnestly to that, and so Miya left her alone to admire the spectacle, setting off to grab utensils for Keima's and Musubi's dinner.

Meanwhile, Musubi had managed to let go of Keima, who immediately starting lecturing her on life-draining embraces, comically bopping her on the head while she winced in mock pain. Uzume merely watched on while nursing her drink. If the two didn't acknowledge they were a couple, she would have thought they were siblings, the way they naturally bickered with each other in that adorable way. However, something just clicked in her mind when the two sat down and Keima brought out his PFP, having been separated far too long from his analog heaven for his tastes.

"Oh, damn."

It was fairly obvious that Keima was more into video games than your average teenager, and Uzume had forgotten to warn him of pursuing his hobby so openly in Miya's sights. But ever-nearer footsteps had indicated Miya's presence, and, well, as Keima would say, when you started an event, it had to be played through to the end..

Miya arrived with plates and cutlery, and everybody began eating, save for Keima, who didn't start at all. "Ah, Keima-san. We're eating now, so it would be a show of bad manners if you played your game at the table.." While Musubi was as usual, sunshine and daisies while she dug unto the meal, Uzume had correctly sensed that something was going to occur. Indeed, she had started to inch towards the nearest exit.

"Sorry, but I gotta finish this." To Keima's credit, he was normally a lot more.. blunt, as to say, when it came to eating and his hobby. Or rather, he was normally downright rude and unyielding when it came to relinquishing his precious PFP. He thought that his 'polite' request would placate Miya, but..

"Now now, Keima-san, you have to learn to obey the rules here if you want to stay.." Even Musubi had noticed something in the air by now, but she had long been dragged out of danger by Uzume; Keima, however, immersed in his world of wide-eyed heroines and silent protagonists, wasn't aware of the impending horrors he was about to face..

"Keima." Miya was still acting friendly, but there was no mistaking the playful, deadly undertone in her voice. "Playing games are prohibited in Izumo Inn."

And then it struck. The indescribable horror that men claimed to be from the blackest pits of hell, while women believed it to be a deity of justice punishing men and women alike, innocent or not, in her path. They called it many names; the faces of the unloving, those-from-the-deepest-depths, and the eyes of the abyss: but everybody agreed on what particular form the blackness took. The masks.

"What the-" Keima merely sounded shocked at first, but that quickly gave way to a pure shriek of pure terror. "WHAT THE?!"

Uzume and Musubi had, by then, long vacated the premises.

"IT'S- IT'S TOO EARLY TO BE FIGHTING THE FINAL BOSS!" To the two, it had looked like Keima had quickly fallen to hysterics. And quite frankly, anybody would in the face of Miya's.. special ability, so to speak.

"NO, IT'S NOT EVEN THE FINAL BOSS! WHAT IS THIS, A SECRET SUPERBOSS?!" It wouldn't be long now until he was reduced to incoherent screaming. The fact that he had lasted this long was an impressive feat in itself- but alas, Uzume, the veteran of Miya's mental airstrikes, knew that he was an ant in a tornado, a pebble in a sandstorm. It did amuse her for a second to imagine Miya's face on, say, a giant dragon or a giant mechanical golem reserved for RPG bosses. And speaking of RPGs..

"X! X! WHERE'S THE ESCAPE BUTTON?!" He mashed the buttons on his PFP desperately, in danger of breaking them outright. He also pointed his handheld at Miya herself, hoping it would act as perhaps a gun or a remote to turn Miya off.

Keima still clung unto the PFP, a testament to his willpower.. and bad luck. Uzume knew it would be soon until..

"AARRGGGGGHGHGHGGHASAFSXFDAS &* #^ #*!"

And as expected by the older tenant of Izumo Inn, there was the complete, utter meltdown of the kid's brain.

Just outside Miya's range of effect, cowering behind a wall, Uzume clapped her hands together in a silent prayer for the poor lad, practically shaking in a cold sweat because of she was haunted on how Keima was able to verbalize characters at the end of his long scream. Musubi, however, pumped her arms in excitement, delighted in the prospect of a potential sparring buddy. Indeed, it had been far too long since she had been in a fight that she had wanted to participate in.

"Wow, Keima was right- She is pretty interesting!"

The night went on in Izumo Inn.

=================== Save? ===================

Notes:

Heya.

Long chapter compared to the first, huh? Double the words, and at least a few pages longer. Hopefully that didn't turn you off. Then again, perhaps the length of this chapter is to make up for the long pause in updates. Hmm.

So much to say, still too little space. To be honest, I'm surprised that I even got a second chapter up, but rest assured, I'll work and work on this until I announce that it's on hold. As the chapter indicates, it's mostly just about setting up interactions with the cast of Sekirei (and one extra!) I've written it so compared to Minato, all of Keima's dealings with the inhabitants of Izumo Inn are pretty.. different, if Kagari is anything to go by. That's what I love about fanfiction, the ability to showcase new faucets of a character's personality you know by putting them in new situations.

Anyway. Don't want to take up too much space, so I'll end this chapter by saying the plot (or rather, the circular cycle of "Find Sekirei, Shenanigans, Capture Sekirei") will kick off next time.

Thanks for reading (and for any potential reviews/criticism.)

EDIT: Speeling mistakes (Or rather, one obvious one fixed. Thanks to Mzr90 for that.)