A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. My surgeries are over. Bad news: Now I have to WORK to pay for everything. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. Kinda. Sorta. I'm hanging tough though, having just come out of the woods...only to work my ass off as a bloody dishwasher! Not fun! Not fun at alll! UUUUUGH! I'm woking almost daily and I feel like crap, as to that effect. But nevertheless, despite this pesky little hiccup-I wanted to get word out any way I could, and since for some strange reason the site is being buggy, I wasnt able to work on this anywhere near as much as I would've liked. Still...

I love you guys so much! *Cries*

Now, this chapter might be a bit confusing consider I haven't updated in awhile. With good reason! My job has been beating the living hell out of my as of late! This was REALLY had to write with being tired from work; exhausting, actually. But I'm proud of it, and I hope you enjoy it as I finally get some rest.

On another note, there has been a minor change here in regards to one Sekirei and her Ashikabi! Hope ya enjoy it! Finally, and I know I don't do this often, but I would like to recommend some music for this chapter. The Streets of Whiterun. You can find it on Youtube; I had it playing while I wrote this chapter and everything flowed PERFECTLY. And with that...

Well...here ya go! =D

"That does it! I'm gonna pulverize you!"

~?

Wing

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

Unfortunately forgiveness had nothing to do with the matter, as Sahashi Takami considered the matter before her. She regarded the list laid out on her desk with bleary eyes

"Now, was it number one hundred and three that was released outside...or was it one hundred and five?" she knew one was supposed to be a part of the discipline squad in the near future. The other, was going to be released outside with the rest of the flock when the time came. It certainly didn't help that she'd shared one too many saucers of sake with Kazehana last night; a result of another arguement with Minaka going down the drain before being brushed off by his eccentric behavior.

What the "Gamemaster" wanted, he got. He wanted his precious Sekirei Plan, and for all intensive purposes, it seemed he was going to get it.

Honestly, how was she supposed to tell the difference?! One was a fist type, the other possessed a strange telekinetic power. Did it really matter which? Finally she shrugged it off, choosing the latter. She hadn't been involved with the adjustments on that one, so what did she care? Perhaps she was feeling vindictive. Perhaps she was just tired. Whatever the case, it was number one hundred and five that was chosen to be released with the others. One hundred and three would be sent to the Discipline Squad for training alongside one-oh-four under Karasuba.

And so, from a simple slip...

...everything changed.

(Years later...)

"Moooooh...this sucks!"

Benitsubasa wanted to wail; she wanted to scream and shout and stomp and tear at her hair, curse the gods and godesses responsible for her unfortunate plights. Minaka had told her she was special; that great things were expected from her. So why, why, WHY was she out here on the streets in the middle of winter, unable to find her Ashikabi?! It didn't make any sense, damnit! What had she done wrong? Was it her pink hair? Her attitude? She didn't understand! She'd tried not to hit anyone. She'd been on her best behavior. But she wasn't reacting! All these boring faces and not a single one paid attention to the young girl.

Godamnit, she wanted to punch something so badly right now!

"Tch." she grumbled, her breath emerging as a warm cloud of steam as she bit her thumb and hudled deeper into the bust stop for warmth. "Why is this happening to me...?"

Why, indeed?

She'd been released out onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back and her black skintight pants and kimono-like shirt did little to shelter her from the cold. It certainly didn't help that she hadn't a single yen to her name, and as such, couldn't procure food or shelter for herself. Her pride held her back from getting a job, and, without the kindess of strangers, she faced the very real possibility of starving to death before the Sekirei Plan could truly even take off. The very notion of galled her...

Grnrgrle.

But not so much as Beni's empty stomach. She hadn't eaten anything for almost three days now, and it was beginning to wear on her. Her strength, once so strong and proud, was now a mere shadow of its former self; a pale ghost compared to when she was refueled and rested. If she didn't eat something soon, she was almost certain to collapse. The idea of her, a Sekirei, a being so superior to humans, collapsing on the streets like some helpless beggar only made her blood boil. But what else was there for her to do? The streets were nothing short of empty, the busses weren't even running at this hour in the evening.

An errant preeze sent her skin rippling in gooseflesh, causing the young Sekirei to tuck her knees ever deeper into her chest.

I want my Ashikabi.

The need-longing-to find her special someone suddenly filled Benitsubasa to the brim. In that moment she wanted nothing more than a strong pair of arms to sweep her off her feet; a warm voice whispering in her ear, promising her that all would be well, that everything was going to be alright. But her Ashikabi wasn't here. He wasn't anywhere! She'd searched over half of Shinto Teito and hadn't found him! Was she...defective? Not meant to be winged? Was she not meant to have that special someone?

"Ho?" A voice interposed itself over her self-loathing. "What do we have here? A lost little bird, all alone in the snow."

Her head snapped up...and she was dissapointed.

The Red Sekirei growled as she beheld the interloper, a bespectacled man who looked like he belonged in the east, rather than the south. Dark suit. Weasel eyes. He looked like a secretary of some sort, she thought. A pencil pusher. Not some one she wanted to be bound to. He stank of bad intentions, and that smug, arrogant smile certainly didn't help matters any.

"The hell did you just call me?"

"Huh?!" she glowered up at him, wrenching her chin aside.. "Back of, pervert! I'm not interested!" Not him. Not this man. He wasn't the one!"

"Oh, you say that now but I beg to differ." The stranger made a show of adjusting his glasses. "You see, my name is Kakizaki, and Higa-sama has need of you-aaargh!"

A harrowing crack signalled the end of the man's wrist.

She couldn't quite see it from here, but someone had arrested Kakizaki from behind, wrenching the man's arm at a horrendous angle behind his back. As she looked on he pulled even further, elicting a pained yelp from the fool who dared to accost her.

"I believe the lady told you to leave, friend." She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of that voice.

"You filth!" Kakizaki roared and struggled against the youth holding him. "Release me at once!"

"Hai, hai. Whatever you say-

WHAM!

Beni actually cringed as those clenched knuckles barreled into the old man's face, sending him sprawling on the pavement. Benitsubasa had to give him credit, for a human, he certainly didn't go down easily. Scarce did he fall than he was up again, clutching a this now bloodied nose.

"How dare you! Higa-sama will not tolerate a ruffian like-

"Haaaaah?" that rough voice drawled. "I don't know who this Higa fellow is, but the way I see it, you're the only one here," his hodded headed tilted towards Benitsubasa, "Unless you brought some back up to harass a defenseless girl."

Defenseless?! Why you-! Had she the strength, Benitsubasa would've slugged the interloper right then and there in recompense for his temerity. But she didn't have any strength. The sound of that voice was enough to make her weak in the knees and hot in the face, and she hadn't even seen his face yet! Oh Kami...what's happening to me? She cradled her face in her hands as though it were made of fine china, her cheeks searing to the touch even through her gloves, her breath becoming labhored the longer she looked at him. I'm not reacting to this guy, am I?!

"Tch!" Kakizaki snarled. "You lowlife scum!"

"Is that so?" A baseball bat thumped angrily upon the concrete, its steel shell tolling out an angry warning as Kakizaki dragged himself to his feeet. "Fine be me. This "scum" could do with a little exercise. Whaddya say, old man? You up for a little fun?" Benitsubasa craned her neck to see the face of her rescuer, but his visage was well hidden in the shade of that orange hood. From here she could only see whiskered cheeks, lips drawn back into a tight, predatory smile as he shouldered the weapon.

The silence was deafening.

"Go on." the bat-wielding hooligan smirked, beckoning amidst the snowflakes. "Make my day."

The other fellow-Kakizaki-simply grimaced.

"I will remember this trespass." Drawing himself as best he could with a broken wrist and an even more broken nose, the weasel-like man withdrew a cell phone from his coat pocket and began punching numbers with his goo hand. Upon dialing an unknown number, a white sedan swiftly sped down the street, appearing to retrieve him. Kakizaki slunk into it like the snake he was, swiftly ducking inside, as a door opened for him. The look on his face was one of pure murder; if looks could kill, her rescuer would be drowning in a pool of his own blood. No words were exchanged as the car sped away, its tires squealing angrily against the cold asphalt of the street whilst it roared into the distance.

Still, the hooded hooligan didn't lower the steel bat, maintaining his vigil until it was well out of sight.

"Che." he snorted, holstering his impromptu weapon. "Well, now that we've taken care of that...you alright?"

"I'm fine." she grumbled, jerking her head away. "I could've taken him, ya know."

"Whatever you say." the easy roll of his shoulder told Beni he didn't believe her. "You shouldn't stay out here, though. You'll catch cold."

"Ha! That's none of your busines. Ba~ka."

"I've seen you a couple of times on my route to work." he explained, answering her unspoken question. "Kinda hard to miss someone with hair like yours." A light flush colored the lower half of his still unseen face. "Its a good color, though. Ah, that reminds me." He spun around and bent low to the sidewalk, retrieving the item he must've laid down during his short-lived scuffle with Kakizaki.

"Here."

Beni jerked upright as a warm cup was pressed into her hands; it took her all of five seconds to recognize the scent of ramen. At first she was too shocked to even consider thanking the one who had given it to her...let alone eat the damn thing. Instead she simply held it, allowing the container's warmth to seep into her chilly gloves and trickle its way up her arms. Warm. A pair of chopsticks hovered before her vision; then her hunger assumed direct control and blotted out all thought.

Food!

Mumbling a thank-you she swiftly snatched up the sticks and started eating, uncaring for the undignified mess she made of herself. The cup ramen was gone all too swiftly, leaving her clutching at the empty container's wrapper in her hand. She was numbed, both by his generosity and her body's reaction to it. Unnerved, to be exact. Her body was screaming at her, demanding her attention; this is the one this is the one this is the one you stupid baka! This is your Ashikabi! But the pinkette was nothing if not stubborn. She wanted to be-had to be-certain, needed to know that this wasn't just another slimeball.

"Here." she muttered, standing, handing him the now discarded container. "Thanks for the meal." Up close she realized he was a good head taller than her, the shadow of his jacket still concealing that face. As if drawn by that very thought, he reached back to remove it.

"Wow." he murmurred, tugging back his hood. "You really are a quick eater. What's your name?"

"B-Benitsubasa." she barely forced it out when she saw his visage. Holy! Shit!

"Heh," the boy smiled at her. "That's a nice name. Mine's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. Nice ta meetcha, Beni-chan."

To the naked eye, Naruto wasn't all that much to look at-not at first. He wasn't a Bishounen; not a pretty boy or anything. In fact, he was the furthest thing from it. Blue eyes, blonde hair, whiskered cheeks. There was a roughness to his handsome features, a grim look in those eyes of his, one that warned he wasn't exactly the best person in the world. The stains in his jeans suggested that he was a mechanic or a technician of some sort, but the scuff marks and wrappings on his hands told a different story. He was a fighter. She could see it in the way he held himself, his relaxed yet guarded stance as he stared at her.

Stared. At. Her.

His eyes did not roam his body, his hands did twitch in apprehension. When he looked at her he looked at her those sapphire orbs staring calmly into her scarlet. There was no want or greed or need in those pools of his heart, just idle curiousity, mild amusement perhaps. Nothing more. Her heart pounded in her ears, like the drums of a great hunt out for her blood and suddenly she was helpless-powerless, unable to move. She was all but lost, on the outside looking in as she stared up at him.

Ba-dump.

Shit! Benitsubasa nearly swore as her body burst into overdrive, her soul crying out in silent need once more as she stared into those deep blue eyes. Shit shit! Fight or flight warred within her, demanding action, action she did not want to initiate. Shit shit shit! Alright, calm down! Calm down, Beni! You're just reacting! He's not going to hurt you! He'd...never...hurt you. She wanted this man to be her Ashikabi. Just like that, there was no longer any room for doubt in her mind, all worries were wiped away in one blink of those baby blue orbs. She wanted -needed- this man to be her Ashikabi-sama.

"You're the one." her own voice was a silent, husky whisper.

"I am?" the blond blinked, baffled by her words. Of course he was. He didn't know a damned thing about Sekirei or the Sekirei plan itself. "I'm flattered, dattebayo. Really, but we've only just met-

Something snapped in Beni then; she shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. She grabbed him, using her superior strength to whip the blond around and into the bus-stop under which she'd so recently taken up shelter. To his credit, he didn't cry out, looking only mildly surprised as Benitusbasa pushed up, up, up on the very tipes of her toes; her hand cradling his left cheek every so gently, his arm instinctively tracing down to to wrap around her slim waist as she pressed closer to him.

Mine. She could feel her pulse pounding in her veins, her body heated to an almost feverish pitch as her small breasts mashed up against his chest. The way he was holding her, even though he barely knew her, sent a cold chill shooting down her spine. Mine. His hold was gentle and kind; she could break away from him with ease, should she do desire. But Benitsubasa didnt want that. Right now, more than anything else in the world, she wanted to taste him. She wanted...

"My Ashikabi-sama."

"Ashi-what now?" Naruto frowned, using an elbow to prop himself up against the thin wall of the bust-stop. "What's thammph!"

There were no more words as her lips caged his, cool in the winter night. He offered no resistance to the sudden liplock, put up no fight but to draw her ever closer, his mouth pressing quietly against her own. That was when Benitsubasa truly knew. The bond swelled up in her heart in an immeasurable wave, crashing down on them, binding them together as one. Forver. A pair of crimson wings bloomed from her back, their wing-span stretching wide to press, then shatter, the frail contstruct surrounding them. Beni barely even noticed.

Ashikabi.

Incredible warmth flooded her every pore, leaving her complete, fufilled. Whole. It was done. She was winged.

...now and forever.

A/N: Aaand there you have it! NarutoxBenitsubasa! Naruto is slightly different the norm that I write; primarily in the fact that this Naruto is normal. No super powers. No Sage Mode. Just some knowledge of hand to hand combat, enough from what you expect out of a mordern day version of him. Slightly stronger than the average Ashikabi, but, against a Sekirei? He'd get his ass beat in no time flat.

So, no, he won't be tossing around Rasengans left and right. Also, Benitsubasa is his ONLY Sekirei, so no harems here for once. Shocking, right?! Lol The focus was on almost entirely on him this chapter, although Beni stole the spotlight towards the ened. She's such a strange character; I can't help but enjoy any scene she's in, and wonder what she might've been like if she wasn't a dog of MBI and didn't have that grudge with Musubi. As we've seen, she's very devoted to her Ashikabi...

Next chapter we get right down to the nitty gritty! It'll be out soon, providing my health holds, so look forward to it ya know!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview! Hopefully it will tide you over until Die Another Day comes out later this week!

(Preview)

"Ha?!" Benitsubasa blinked baffled by the gift he'd given her. "The hell're these?"

"Hair clips." Naruto replied, looking for all the world like the cat that ate the canary. He was a smug one, her Ashikabi, but at least he had a job and roof over his head. Certainly more than she could lay claim to. But! It still didn't explain the importance of these...these...these...things!

"They look like damn daisies!" she sputtered, still not knowing what to do with them. "What the hell are they for?!"

...they ARE daisies, Beni-chan. Here." He reached across the table -much to her consternation- and pinned the hairclips in her pink tresses. "And, they go in your hair. See? There we go." Drawing back, he grinned a foxy grin at her. "They look good on ya, 'ttebayo." The redhead felt her heart skip a beat under that gaze, her core warming beneath those bright blue eyes. He was hers. Hers and hers alone. No one else could have him. She refused to share him with any one or any thing in this world, one look in those sapphire skies told her felt the same. And he'd given her a gift. Her very first gift.

"Well?" he grinned. "Do you like 'em?"

If love could burn, Benitsubasa would've been a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. Instead she felt a hot flush creep up the back of her neck.

...just shut up and kiss me you, baka."

Naruto simply smiled as she pulled his mouth to hers.

"Yes, dear."

R&R! =D