Fifth Wing: Obscured in Fog

I've always felt nervous in the fog.

I don't know why.

Maybe it's because of how it blinds you, how it hides the Truth beneath its thick sheets of white.

It's like one giant deception.

Things hide in the fog, watching, waiting. In the fog, there is no light, there is no shadow. Only the purest white.

It feels wrong.

I know I'm over-thinking this and being paranoid, that I'm really just panicking for no real reason.

But still...

I've always felt nervous in the fog.

The fog enclosed them, cutting them off from the outside world instantly. Aigis's hands swung off on their hinges, allowing two machine gun barrels to come forth into the light. Natsu quickly pulled two knives out and held them close to her in a fighting position. Akitsu just stood by, her eyes emptily staring into the fog as she waited for the assailant. Using her ice in this situation could end up freezing everybody and killing them, so she had to rely on her physical strengths. She felt so useless.

"Master, this fog is unnatural. Get back," Natsu said, quickly snapping into her battle mode. Minato shook his head, a frown on his face.

"Why would I do that? You don't quite realize it, but I am stronger than any Sekirei in this Plan of Minaka's. Also, this fog is not our enemy. Right, young one?" Minato said, calling out to the fog with the last question.

"My Ashikabi is such a man!" A voice yelled from in the fog.

Suddenly, a figure dressed in white leapt out of the fog at Minato, knocking him down and setting all the others to high alert. Minato, however, waved a hand at them, telling them it was okay. The figure was a woman Sekirei dressed in white with long gray hair. She had fit so well into the fog it was nearly impossible to notice her. And now she was straddling him.

[Is it me, or do girls seem to throw themselves at us so easily?] Orpheus commented.

[[[DON'T COMPLAIN! ENJOY IT!]]]

[...Well, it is easier than having to Social Link everyone.] Orpheus said tiredly.

"Hello. You must b— Mmmfr!"

Minato was cut off as the Sekirei suddenly forced a kiss on him, giving him no time to rest. The surrounding fog dissipated as wings of fog extended from the Sekirei's back. They too, dissipated after she broke off the kiss... Nearly two minutes later. She took a deep breath as she removed her lips from Minato's. She was still straddling him.

"Number #65, Taki! I am now yours, my Ashikabi. Take care of me!" The woman exclaimed.

Aigis and Natsu's eyebrows twitched in irritation as the air around Akitsu gradually grew colder.

"I would like it very much if you would get off him," Aigis said, her machine guns pointed at the woman. Natsu seemingly disappeared and reappeared behind Taki, her knives at the girl's throat. Akitsu just sat there, staring at the girl.

Taki gulped as she got off Minato. Minato stood to his feet and dusted off his clothing. Taki stood somewhat behind Minato, a small smile on her face.

"I don't like conflict," she whispered, her breath hot against his neck. Minato merely nodded.

"Girls, I would appreciate it if you didn't scare the newest member of our team. We know virtually nothing about her, her past, or what she's done to get this far... But I suppose you have a right to be angry. I seem to be attracting women now and it feels unfair to you. You don't want to share, especially not with one more person. This, essentially, is a harem. Which, if you don't believe in polygamy, will always feel unfair. But if we want to win the Sekirei Plan, and trust me, we do, we need to move past that. Deal with it when it becomes important: In the Final Round of the Sekirei Plan. Then you guys, except for Aigis, have to fight each other. Right now, though, we should welcome her," Minato said.

Akitsu stopped glaring so intensely and Natsu put away her knives.

Aigis too put her guns away. His words reassured her. She wasn't a Sekirei, so she could never be removed from him like all the other girls will be. Speaking of Sekirei, Aigis made a mental note to make Ryoji remove those weird wings he put in her. She was not, and will never be, a Sekirei. Quite frankly, she found it insulting.

"I don't care about the Sekirei Plan. I'm only here for you. Years from now, when all these other girls are gone, only you and I will remain, Minato. I don't want to have to wait until then, but if I must... then I must. After all, protecting you is why I still live," Aigis said as she turned away from Minato.

Minato exhaled in relief. He looked behind him to see Taki smiling cheerily at him. Only now did he realize that she was actually a little taller than him. Taki hugged him from behind, lifting him up into the air with her supernatural strength.

"I knew I scored when I got you, Master!" She exclaimed with a smile.

The other girls glared at her again, but dropped it and began to file out of the alley.

'That could have gone badly.'

[My boy, you've grown. To be able to manage so many girls at once... I am proud.] Mara said.

No other Personae could really respond to that statement...

As they began to shuffle out of the alley,Taki whispered one more thing in his ear as clasped her hands around his shoulders. Something that, for some reason, sent a chill up his spine.

"Mistress Izanami says hello, Wild Card," she said as she released her grip.

Minato spun towards her, his eyes wide with shock from her calling him by that title...

But when he turned, she wasn't there. There was only fog surrounding him. On all sides there was nothing but fog. Minato, however, stayed calm. Minato pinched himself and felt the pain that confirmed this at least wasn't a dream. Yet, somehow... It still didn't feel entirely real. Minato walked forward, through the fog for what seemed like an hour, yet he made no progress. Shouldn't there have been a building he should have hit by now? Wasn't there... something?

Trapped. Minato was trapped here. Just like the Great Seal. Just like the stasis tube.

Minato's heart began to pound. Not good. He was starting to panic in this fog.

"Natsu, Akitsu, Aigis!" Minato called out into the fog as he began to run. If this was an illusion, maybe they could hear him calling their names.

"Somebody answer me! I'm in some sort of illusion!" Minato shouted.

'Guys! Are you there?!' Minato yelled inside his head. He was sprinting now, hoping to hit something, anything.

[...] Nobody answered.

"Dammit! What's going on!?" Minato screamed into the fog as he stopped running. What was the point of it all?

Alone.

He was alone in the fog.

How long had it been since he was truly alone? All those years ago, when he first was trapped in the stasis tube, he had his Personae. When he was the Great Seal, he had Elizabeth. Before that, he had SEES. It must have been before SEES, before he truly had anything. Without other people to support him...

Minato had nothing.

He fell to his knees as he stared into the sky, his eyes slowly losing their light. In this fog... he could disappear.

"Wild Card, is this what you've become? Were you not one that would face the impossible and make it possible?" A voice called out. Minato snapped his head down to see a figure emerging from the fog. A grey-haired woman dressed in a white dress stepped into his range of view. Her eyes were crimson red, like blood.

"You... are the Izanami that Taki spoke of. I'll hazard a guess that you're the mythological goddess one. I seem to have an uncanny knack for attracting the attention of deities," Minato said as he pushed himself to his feet. Izanami nodded.

"Indeed I am her, but I am but a fraction of the original. I have managed to contact you in secret. Because you are Minato Arisato, the strongest Wild Card... supposedly. Yet you could not see through this fog. You did not try to disperse this fog. You gave in and surrendered. The Wild Card that came after you and took your place could conquer the fog. Tell me, where is your will?" Izanami asked.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you asking me these questions?" Minato asked in return. As she moved closer to Minato, Izanami sighed. She cupped one hand around his cheek, a sad light in her eyes.

"You have no idea... do you? This world you are in, this life you lead... It will not continue the way it has been. Your very presence is changing things. Nyx and her son have not noticed it. They are not used to being blinded from the Truth. In fact, one could say that they are always blinded from the Truth. However, nothing can hide from me. You see, right now, your world and the one you are in are connected... By you," Izanami said as she released him and turned away.

"What do you mean?" Minato asked, his voice steady. Izanami took a few steps before turning to look at him once more.

"Perhaps if it were you alone, things would be different. But you carry within you a part of the world.. Nyx was reckless in offering that deal. And now, at this very moment, she is being blinded from seeing the effects. Every moment, every step you make in the world, brings it one step closer to your old world. Once the worlds overlap, they will become one. It will be a violent fusion, one that could cause great destruction and devastation. Already, aspects of your old world may be seeping into this one. This girl, Taki, was willing to carry my message to you," Izanami explained. Minato sighed.

"This was supposed to be a sort of vacation where I didn't have to save the world, but... What do I have to do stop it and save everything? And don't tell me it's impossible. Last guy who did that was proved wrong," Minato replied. Izanami smiled.

"Nothing. Just wanted to tell you," Izanami said. Minato fell flat on his face. He got up, a hard look in his eyes.

"You're kidding me. I can't, you know, leave the planet, or somehow seal Erebus even tighter or fight the force compelling the worlds together?" Minato asked. Izanami shrugged.

"First of all, none of that would change anything if you could do any of them. Second, It's not my problem. Third, it should be interesting. I never said it would destroy everything. Only that it could. It might be perfectly fine. Your friends will be here, the new Persona users will be here... And you get to go through that Sekirei Plan and fight till your heart is content. I honestly don't see the problem here," Izanami said.

"But, what about the whole "where is your will" and this ominous atmosphere?! Was all this setup really necessary?!" Minato exclaimed, more than a little upset by having his emotions and expectations toyed with.

"I hardly have any fun. This was too great of an opportunity to pass up. Boy, stay with Taki. She's a fun girl. Her connection with the me will allow us to contact one another again. As for the world fusing, you may experience nausea, headaches, strange dreams, minor seizures, the Dark Hour, Shadows randomly appearing in your world, dry throat, chronic gas, a minor case of Velvet Room denizens appearing, and, this one is my favorite, implosive and explosive diarrhea," Izanami listed off. Minato's jaw dropped.

"What."

Then the world faded to white.

[—nd I say it's my turn next! Oh, wait. He's awake. Never mind.]

'Thanatos... What were you talking about?' Minato mentally responded to the voice in his head. He missed his Personae so much in that fog...

[Thanatos wants control of your body next.] Messiah said, unable to lie.

[Damn you, Messiah!] There was a slight, static sound before Thanatos began to speak again. He was switching control over to Ryoji. [Mom says the Dark Room is up and running. All you have to do is imagine a red door in front of you and it should appear. The Compendium... is taking a while to get.]

'...Good to know. On both accounts.' Minato said, actually sighing in his own head. And now, he was finally paying attention the voices outside his head.

"...Minato? Are you okay? You seemed to lose your bearings for a moment," Aigis said, her face inches from Minato's. He backed away from her, surprised by her sudden face, only to run into another body behind him.

"He's fine," Taki said as she wrapped her arms around him. Minato could see Aigis' eyebrow twitch in irritation, though she said nothing.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just spaced out for a second or two," Minato reassured her. It was then that he noticed each of his hands were being held by Akitsu and Nastu. He was absolutely surrounded by girls. Akitu looked concerned, but, like Aigis, said nothing. Natsu on the other hand...

"Are you sure you're fine?!" She shouted at him. Minato winced in pain due to the critical hit against his eardrums.

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Your cooking didn't have any lasting effects. It was only slightly worse than Fuuka's. Now would all of you please let go of me? I feel like I'm going to be gang raped," Minato said, causing them to let go... Well, Taki held on, a big smile on her face as the rest let go with slight blushes. Aigis, however, smiled at the reference to Fuuka. It was a nice reminder that he was the same old Minato she had known.

"Well, the others are departing. I hope you don't mind if it's just a regular rape, Ashikabi!" Taki said with a bright smile as she pressed Minato closely to her. In a single motion, Minato dropped out of her bear hug and broke her grip on him by pushing both her arms upwards by the elbows. He then stepped away as if nothing was the matter. The other girls glared at Taki, united in their anger against her greed.

[NOOO! You were so close! Women are wanting to have their way with you! You coward!] Mara screamed in Minato's head.

"Shame on you for perpetuating rape culture," he said to an unashamed Taki. He cleared his throat as he spoke to the rest of them "Now, since our forces seem to have double in the span of an hour, I say we go out and buy things to further increase our efficiency."

The girls smiled at that. Natsu even cheered.

In a Place Unknown

Somewhere, far away yet closer than imaginable, there was a circular court room made of gold. It stretched on for miles, every seat around the circle filled with various gods and deities of all shapes and sizes. Off to the left of the center of the room was an elderly man with a large nose known as Igor, a girl with platinum blond hair named Elizabeth, and a man with a butterfly mask and hair pulled back into a brown ponytail. To the right was Nyx and two of her children.

The first was a daughter who smiled brightly, her eyes constantly changing color. Her black her flowed down her royal purple dress and seemed to turn into a mist at the end. She was Apate, the personification of deceit, and black wasn't her real hair color and her dress wasn't even royal purple. However, it wasn't like anybody really bothered to tell the difference.

Her brother had a very finely combed mane of brown hair that seemed to become one with his beard. He wore a white mask over the upper half of his face. Dressed in a very expensive red suit, Momus was the personification of blame, and was the gods' harshest critic. He held a pen and notepad as he took notes, frowning all the while. The masked man who stood with Igor and Elizabeth began to speak.

"We, of the Velvet Room, do claim possession of the Compendium and all contents within. As the owner of it's contents, Minato Arisato, has been declared as "deceased" for well over two years according to our Earth's human's time, he is thus unable to claim it. The rest of his belongings are, once again, as follows: 4.3 million yen, an Omnipotent Orb, a vast array of armor and weapons that cannot all be named at this time for the sake of saving time, a summer Gekkoukan uniform and wardrobe full of casual clothes, a copy of the game "Innocent Sin: Online" (now no longer online), one cell phone, and the contents of this bag here which contain several momentos from all the Social Links he had completed. All of these items are in the possession of the Velvet Room until Minato Arisato is either freed from the Great Seal, or until his life force is otherwise allowed to move on to the next plane," the man said as he stood before the entire Council of Deities and Tyrants. The bag he mentioned stood on a golden table in the middle of the room, along with the rest of Minato's belongings.

This was how matters pertaining to conflicts between gods were now dealt with. Judged by their peers, Deities and Tyrants, or Demon Lords, were allowed to argue which side was correct, rather than start a war. The system was fairly new, so it had its problems.

Nyx slowly began to grind her teeth. While it may have been three years for their universe, Nyx had been watching over Minato in new one for over a thousand. She still had yet to tell the Council that Minato was indeed alive and well, and with good reason. With Erebus sealed inside him, Minato would become a very important tool for the rest of the gods. Erebus had great power and influence. So, the Great Seal has a stand-in that does absolutely nothing. However, the Velvet Room and the master known as Philemon, who had just been speaking, believed that Minato was still in there.

"If I may speak once more, Counsel, I would also like to point out the fact that not only did Nyx almost fall prey to Erebus and destroy an entire civilization without taking into account their will to live, she also illegally accessed the Uninhabitable dimension and retrieved an unknown object without following any legal procedures. Nyx does not play by the rules. She never has. Thus, we of the Velvet Room move to not only keep the Compendium, but also to punish Nyx in some way shape or form for her actions against the balance we seek to maintain," Philemon finished. The Speaker of the Council nodded from his golden seat in the front of the room and turned his head to look at Nyx.

"And what have you to say in response?" He asked, his deep voice resounding throughout the room.

"My mother," began Momus, "did not fall to Erebus. They currently are separated. Forever. And you dare patronize her for going into the Uninhabitable dimension? Need I remind you that not only is the dimension largely ignored, but also that every single one of you visits there "illegally". It's where Zeus goes when the stress of having too many illegitimate children gets to him. It's where Lucifer goes when he really needs to destroy a planet or two. Her visiting the area is no greater a sin than jaywalking. As for possession of the Compendium... It is not yours to hold. Minato Arisato left no will. However, those Personae are a part of him and as long as he still lives within the Great Seal, then the item should not be held by any one party."

Momus' strategy going into this was not to gain the Compendium through arguing, but to make sure the Velvet Room lost possession. If he managed that, Apate could make sure that the Council collectively held onto a fraud, a copy of the Compendium. Nyx was right to bring the two of them to represent her.

"Your selfish need to hang onto something that once belonged to him is disgusting. Tell me, if he were here now, what would he sa—"

"You shut your mouth!" Elizabeth yelled from across the room, anger clear on her face. It had been clear that she was the most upset by his passing. In fact, it was she who held onto Minato's Compendium. Angering her and upsetting the opposing side would only benefit Momus'. The red-suited man smiled as he turned to look at a section of the Counsel.

"As you can see, the only attachment they can claim is an emotional one. They may have created the Compendium, but it's pages are filled with property that isn't theirs. Tell me, is a book written by an author that author's property, or the property of the one who created the bindings for it?" Momus said, pleased as he could be. Elizabeth scowled, but said nothing, lest it be used against her. The sound of a large bell rang out, indicating their time for today was over.

"We shall be taking a recess for now. We shall reconvene tomorrow," the Speaker said. Most of the Deities and Tyrants vanished, but a few stuck around to chat with one another. The Velvet Room "team" walked through an open blue door and vanished as it closed behind them.

"Good. We're close to winning this. I must say, I do love getting a reaction out of them," Momus said with a grin. Apate smiled and nodded. She didn't speak much. As a personification of deception, every word she said would end up being a lie regardless of her will.

"You've done well, children. I'm proud of you," Nyx said as she hugged the two of them. Ever since Minato had been trapped as the Great Seal, he had been changing Nyx. As a result, her relationship with her family has actually improved as she began to understand the importance of bonds. It was only fair she payed him back.

Another day or two of them keeping up the attack, and they just might be able to pull this off.

Back to Tokyo

The whole group had grabbed a table outside a local coffee shop after going shopping for presents for the newcomers. Aigis and Akitsu had taken Minato's right and left, respectively, while Natsu and Taki sat across from him.

"First of all, now that we can finally sit down, I think that Taki should have herself a small introduction. We need to get to know her better so she can fit better into the group. Aigis should do one as well, and everybody else should at least say their name so everybody knows each other. I'll go first since I've been rather quiet about myself. I'm Minato Arisato, and the Ashikabi of this group. At times, I may act exceedingly eccentric or strangely, but that is mainly due to a case of insanity I once had and still kind of have. I'm more normal right now, but I don't know how long this will last. I could easily fall back into it. I also come from another world that I saved at the cost of my own life. This life, right now, is my second chance. I'm also technically immortal and am the strongest Ashikabi that ever existed," Minato said, taking a deep breath so he can finish his intro.

[Mara, Satan, you thinking what I am?] Thanatos said to the other Personae.

They snickered as they nodded inside Minato's head. Orpheus Telos, of course, decided to join in their plans for once.

"I also like boobs and ass equally. I love women and wish to have sexual intercourse with every single one of you, seeing and feeling ALL of each of you individually. I'd do you all on this table right now. In fact, it would be fine if you all "came" at me at the same time. If public nudity wasn't illegal, we'd probably be having sex in the middle of the street. Personally, harems are rather pleasing for me and can be ten times as "pleasing" for each of you. Especially you, Aigis, despite what you might be thinking. I would like to, whenever it's possible, be inside each and every one of you at some point during our long and hard journey together. When we get back to the inn, I can make sure to pleasure all of you equa-... Huh? What's wrong with you guys?" Minato asked, now noticing that the girls were looking at the ground with their face red. Even Akitsu was blushing. The other people at all the other tables near Minato wouldn't look at him either.

[I guess you were right, Thanatos. They really are all virgins. How... delicious!] Mara said in Minato's head.

[Kohryu, destroy him!] Alice ordered. The golden dragon, afraid of the expression on Alice's face, obliged.

[How many pieces do you want him in?]

[No, begone you beast! Leave me to my perversions! And Satan and Thanatos and even Orpheus Telos were in on it too! I'm innocent! It's a free world now! A free world!] Mara exclaimed. His cries fell on deaf ears.

"Geez, what a lucky bastard," said a guy from a table over.

"There. Taki since you're newest, would you like to give your intro next?" Minato asked the group.

'He... does even know what he just said?' The girls simultaneously thought in exasperation.

After a long, awkward pause, Taki finally smiled as she cleared her throat.

"We~ll, my name is Taki... And... Um... Haha... Well, you're really putting me in the spotlight, huh?" Taki said, laughing awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head. Minato looked at her dead in the eyes and smiled.

"You're doing fine. Please, continue," he said encouragingly. Taki blushed slightly, but finally gained her bearings and began to speak again.

"Anyway, I create fog. It makes it hard to see and is very useful for escaping. I hate conflict, so I'll probably stay towards the back. Generally, I hate being in the spotlight. I'm not the center of attention and never should be. When I was released into Tokyo like all the other Sekirei, I simply rented a hotel on the edge of the city and lived there for a while until I had a dream of my Ashikabi. My story really isn't anything impressive. So, you girls can feel free to take center stage in Minato's life if you want. I'll be the one who pulls him into the fog and around dark corners whenever I can. I can't be the "queen", but I make for a damn good concubine," she said, winking at Minato. This aggravated the others slightly, but nobody was pointing a weapon at her this time. Minato, however, was contemplating what this girl's connection to that Izanami was. Why her? How much did Taki know?

[Who knows, boy? Certainly not us. After all, nobody likes Izanami that much to even care about her.] Odin commented.

'What do you mean? How do you know her?' Minato inquired. Odin shrugged in Minato's head.

[Personae, although a part of you, are linked to the gods they represent, right? Well, all us gods know each other. Izanami once tried to wipe out humanity, just like Nyx. She was defeated by another Wild Card, but it turned out that she was still only a fragment of the original. I wouldn't trust anything she says. She's a deceptive witch.]

[[[[BURN THE WITCH!]]]] His Personae shouted upon hearing the word "witch". Was it a trigger word or what?

"Okay. Good intro, Taki. Now, Aigis?" Minato asked the blond. She nodded.

"I am 7th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: Aigis. You can call me Aigis. I once lived with Minato in the world he once came from. We... had a very special connection between the two of us. However, I lost him for a while. Now I've found him and I don't plan on leaving him. We'll be together long after all of you are gone," Aigis said, a slightly threatening tone entering her voice. Aigis was... different from how Minato remembered her. She never showed aggression like this before (except towards Ryoji, but she had VERY good reason for that).

"Ah... I am... Akitsu..." Akitsu said, introducing herself. She didn't say anything else.

"And I'm Natsu! The sexiest ninja ever!" Natsu exclaimed, somehow upbeat. Minato was grateful that other Natsu wasn't coming out. The serious, adult-like Natsu that threatened everybody with assassination. He needed a relaxed atmosphere right now. Natsu then began to ramble on and on about how she was a ninja and told her story of how she was found by Minato. Finally, after five minutes...

"And then when he looked lovingly into my lovely eyes... I knew, I knew that this lovely man was him! He was my lovely Ashika—"

"Natsu, I think you're done... Can we move onto summing up what everyone got?" Minato asked, a little tired from her rambling. Natsu nodded. She used the word "love" whenever she could in a thinly-veiled attempt to claim she was closer to him than everybody else. All these girls except for Akitsu seemed to have aggression towards one another. Well, Akitsu had problems of her own that explained it, but still...

"Alright, so Natsu got piano wire and gloves to hold them with. It's great for turning her throwing knives into unpleasant surprises. Almost like whips, actually. Taki and Aigis got... What did you guys get?" Minato asked the two of them.

"Clothes. In this world, I don't have the luxury of going out in a uniform everyday," Aigis said with a pleased smile as she hefted up a bag. However, Minato had the sinking feeling the girl also picked up bullets from somewhere. Especially considering how the bag jingled when she moved it.

"I helped her pick them out! I even got these little things!" Taki exclaimed as she held out a handful of gashapon capsules. Only, instead of the usual toys, they were filled with a white fog. "I call them fog bombs. For when you need my cover, Minato," she said with a wink.

[She seems really nice. Isn't it great to have friends?] Messiah commented.

Minato nodded in response. It would be nice to have improvised smoke bombs if Taki is away and they need to escape from a battle. And friends were great too... However, Minato didn't feel the same love towards them that they felt towards him. It was impossible. Maybe part of him loved women and their various... assets, but there was no legitimate love. It still made him feel sick inside. Like he was manipulating them for his own benefit.

"Okay. Akitsu, did you pick up anything?" Minato asked her. Akitsu shook her head and pointed at her "boob chain".

"...All I need..." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She'd been so quiet lately. He had been beginning to think she was opening up, but now it seemed she was going in the opposite direction.

"Aw, how cute! Did our little Ashikabi get that for you?" Taki said, a cheery smile on her face as she leaned over towards Akitsu. Akitsu nodded. It appeared that although Taki expressed a disinterest in taking the "spotlight" she was still friendly and cheery and even willing to reach out to Akitsu. Minato had partially expected Taki to be quieter, considering how she introduced herself.

"Anyway, I say we move onto the first stage of my "New Prisoner" plan. We look for the strongest, toughest looking guy around, and then we knock him out. Anybody got any ideas as to where we should start?" Minato asked the group. A lightbulb seemed to appear above Taki's head.

"Ah! Did you know there are rumors of really strong Ashikabis in Tokyo? There's the Ashikabi of the East, the Ashikabi of the West, and the Ashikabi of the South. Since we're in the North, I think we could take the open "Ashikabi of the North" slot," Taki suggested. Minato shook his head.

"I don't want to be thought of as ruling over one cardinal direction. It makes it easy to find out where I am. If people are classifying Ashikabis based on where they are, we might have to end up leaving the inn. The best enemy, as I've learned from experience, is one you don't see coming. So, who are these strong Ashikabis exactly?" Minato asked. Everybody leaned in closely as Taki explained.

"Well, you see... Uhm... Damn it, stop looking at me! You're... putting me in... the spotlight..." Taki said, a blush starting to creep across her face as she looked off to the side. Minato dropped his head in reply, opting not to look at her. Akitsu and Aigis followed, with the former pushing down Natsu's head.

[I will you give you fifty bucks if you start touching Aigis underneath the table.] Orpheus said. Although it was stupid and there was no mind currency, Minato still reach over and placed a hand on Aigis' leg. She clasped her hand around his and smiled.

[I freaking love you, Minato.]

"Ow!' Natsu exclaimed as her head was slammed into the table. But she didn't say anything else. Minato could hear Taki take a deep breath.

"The west has an Ashikabi that's rather wild, free, and growing in power. I hear he cares deeply for his Sekirei and is not really too bad of a person. He fights beside them too," Taki said. With the cool table against his forehead, Minato spoke up.

"Not him. He's sympathetic. We need an imposing force, overwhelming odds. Keep going," Minato said.

"The south has a young child of a rather wealthy family. I hear he's out to recruit every single Sekirei possible. As a child, it might be that he believes it all to be some sort of weird game," Taki said.

"Like Pokemon. Gotta catch 'em all~... Pokemon," Minato said, feeling his sanity take a slight dip before readjusting himself, "Not him either. He's just a spoiled brat. Beating him would be no more terrifying then stealing candy from a baby. We need something more. Tell me this "East" guy is more challenging."

Taki sighed.

"The East... is the most terrifying. I'm not sure we could handle it. I've heard that the Ashikabi there hates Sekirei, yet will use them and other Ashikabis with no remorse. He has an army in the making. He's the complete opposite of the Ashikabi of the West and has most other Ashikabis and Sekireis fearful of him. And for good reason too. Once again, we'd probably all be slaughtered if we so much as tried to take him down," Taki said, slightly shivering from the thought of it. Minato's head snapped upward, a wicked grin on his face.

"That's him. The "big guy" we need to punch out," Minato said, releasing his hand from Aigis' as he did so. Taki looked at him like he was insane, Natsu looked excited, Aigis smiled at his enthusiasm, and Akitsu grabbed onto his shirt sleeve.

"Ah... If we do it... then we do it... Not you..." Akitsu said, sensing his desire to fight. Minato shook his head.

"I haven't shown you guys that I can fight yet. I still need to do that," Minato said as he patted her head. Akitsu looked displeased, but said nothing more.

"Y-You're kidding me... You really want to start a war?!" Taki asked Minato. Now she understood what he meant when he said he was INSANE! Minato shrugged.

"Wasn't that the plan? Now we just need more information on this guy. What his name is, where he sleeps, where he goes out to on a regular basis. We especially need information on his forces. Natsu, I'll need you to gather information on him every night," he ordered. Natsu nodded, her eyes hardening into her "battle persona".

"Of course, Master."

"Once you get his name or characteristics, then Aigis can hack into the city's systems and gather more information on him. Possibly MBI's systems as well. Taki and Akitsu, you guys don't have to do anything at this point. Unless Taki wants to go digging for more information. Akitsu, you'll be staying close to me no matter what. He may find out that we're researching him and he might target me. We'll bait him by having only Akitsu near me once we attract his attention. If you, Akitsu, always remain close to me, then we can catch him off-guard when he thinks I'm weak without a Sekirei. Hell, we might be able to pull off an ambush with everybody. Our ultimate goal will be to either defeat all his Sekirei, or capture him alive. Preferably the latter. Understood?" Minato explained, his fingers steepled as he processed all the possible outcomes of this plan. His Sekirei nodded (Taki kept muttering how insane it was under her breath), though they all seemed a bit reluctant at his suggestion to be bait. All of them, in varying degrees, felt some form of love or had a connection to him. Even Taki seemed worried, but it could be simply because he was her Ashikabi. She didn't know much about him personally yet.

It could go very well or very badly. If this Ashikabi managed to discover he was being researched and who was doing it exactly, then he could send his forces after, say, Natsu and taker her out due to her being solo. Aigis would have to be alone as well. She'd have to use wireless connections to hack into areas and the closer she was, the better. Minato couldn't be with her all the time. Besides, Minato needed to have Akitsu and only Akitsu with him. The Sekirei crest on her forehead blatantly states she's a Sekirei. That would make Minato easier to target.

Of course he was using himself as bait.

It would be safest for everybody. If this Ashikabi of the East sent Sekirei to attack Minato, then Minato could capture and interrogate them. Unfortunately, using them as hostages wouldn't work due to the apparent "hate" this Ashikabi has towards all Sekirei. So, he'd have to rely on that, manipulating the doubts these Sekirei most likely have about their Ashikabi.

...Minato hated how manipulative he was being. If this continued, he'd be no better than Ikutsuki. However, what else could he do? He needed to end the Sekirei Plan. Before he left, Minato had requested the ship would be able to leave and transport him once more to another place after he finished the Plan he came to watch over. Then he could leave the planet and potentially stop it from melding with his, despite what Izanami said. He didn't believe there was "nothing" he could do. And how could a fusion of two worlds not be violent?

"Good. Then we sho—"

"Hey, is that you, Arisato?" A voice called out from behind him. Minato turned to look at Minato Sahashi, who had just called him from behind. With him was Musubi... who had a very large green bag on her shoulders. And by large, it was easily twice her size, maybe even more.

[What the hell is with her physical strength?!] Susano-o suddenly shouted.

[Oh, you're here, Susano-o. I forgot you actually existed.] Thanatos commented.

[...He's been trying... to "woo" me.] Norn said. And this started a whole conversation in Minato's head, which he promptly ignored.

"Yes, it's me, Sahashi. How are you?" Minato asked as he looked over his shoulder at Sahashi. Sahashi answered with an "I'm fine" before he started to walk over to them with Musubi beside him. The people in the other tables had their eyes open wide with shock at the sight of the two of them. Minato didn't blame them. The ones who hadn't left at Minato's unintentional dirty talk earlier all decided to leave.

"Who is this man? And who is that girl with the large package?" Aigis asked Minato. Taki burst out laughing at her words, though Aigis didn't understand why. Both Minatos facepalmed and Arisato then stood up.

"Guys who haven't met him yet, this is Minato Sahashi. He's an Ashikabi like me. And the girl is Musubi, his Sekirei. Sahashi, Musubi, this is Aigis. An old friend of mine who likes guns. We also recently added one more Sekirei to our number. Her name is Taki. Right now, your chances aren't looking so good, Sahashi," Minato said, smirking.

"You're fast!" Sahashi exclaimed in surprise. Musubi, however, looked excited.

"Are you ready to fight?! Come on, let's go!" She exclaimed excitedly as she dropped the bag and jumped forwards at an incredible speed, aiming at Taki. She flew past Minato Sahashi, her fist extended and ready to smash the Sekirei. However, before she even reached the table, she was suddenly stopped.

Standing in front of her, holding her fist from moving any further with just one hand, was Minato Arisato.

Sahashi's jaw dropped.

Arisato smiled.

Musubi looked extremely confused. Why couldn't her fist move forward? Who was this Ashikabi? Why was he so strong?

Minato's own Sekirei couldn't hide their confusion. His story about him saving his own world seemed even more credible now.

"Please refrain from starting a fight here. People own this coffee shop and I'd hate for anything to happen to it. Besides, their hot chocolate was rather excellent," Minato said as he pushed Musubi's fist back with enough force to knock her back onto her butt. He had cut through monsters with skin stronger than steel with nothing but a sword, he'd fought a god, and now he had a sort of "god" inside of him. How could he not be stronger than this girl?

[Why the heck were you drinking hot chocolate at a coffee shop?! It's not even cold out!] Orpheus Telos exclaimed.

'...It was tasty...' Minato replied subconsciously.

"What... what are you...?" Sahashi asked, confused and even afraid of what the other Minato had just done. Minato smile grew bigger until it threatened to split his face.

[It's time to spread a little influence, guys. Let's make this next line work.] Thanatos said to the other Personae. They all nodded as they carefully put together Minato's next words.

"I'm Minato Arisato and I'm OP as fuck."

Later

"Again? Minato, I would like it very much if you stop bringing more girls home," Miya said as he walked in the door, his Sekirei and Aigis behind him. Minato bowed slightly in front of her.

"I apologize. I haven't been listening to you and I should had never dueled you the other day. I spouted a bunch of bullshit and acted like a complete ass. I won't be staying here much longer, but I would very much like you to allow us two nights here. We'll share the same room and I won't do anything lewd or against the rules," Minato said politely.

Miya sighed.

"Two nights. Now that you're sorry, you could stay longer... But I understand. Two Ashikabi's in the same inn will always be a bad idea. I'll allow you the same room, but if you so much as lay one hand on one of those girls..." Miya trailed off, making the threat go unheard. If she were to fight Minato with her full power... She could make sure he'd regret underestimating her before.

Minato smiled and the girls began to introduce themselves. Miya was curious about Aigis, but she easily accepted Taki's cheery personality. Aigis and Taki seemed to meld into the group pretty easily. Homura had to leave early for work and Uzume just ate in her room, but Sahashi and Musubi were there and they welcomed them with a smile (though Sahashi stayed far away from Minato. Musubi, however, kept regarding him with an odd sparkle in her eyes).

However, after they had dinner and nearly everyone was asleep, Minato decided he needed to have a "chat" with a certain individual.

He pulled Taki by her arm towards the backyard of the inn. They both stood on the grass, the stars above them shining like a multitude of eyes watching their meeting.

"Ooh~, I didn't know you're the rough type, Minato," Taki said with a wink as he let her go and held her in front of him.

"Who are you really?" Minato asked the girl. No ordinary Sekirei should be communicating with a goddess. What exactly was different about her?

"I'm Taki... a Sekirei, of course," she replied slyly, her eyes closing slightly. The look she gave him was of a fox feeling pride over a cunning deception.

"You see, there's one thing wrong with that," Minato said, his eyes laughing. He hugged her closely, bringing his head over her left shoulder. With his left hand he lifted up her hair slightly. Sure enough, he was right. "You don't have a Sekirei crest, do you?"

"Maybe it's somewhere else. Somewhere more... private? Would you like to find out?" Taki said in reply as she began to stroke his back, her hands gradually moving downward.

"Maybe another time. But for now, I don't trust you. And I don't trust Izanami either. Maybe you can see through the fog... or maybe you're only trying to make it thicker. Only time will tell," Minato said as he released her. He turned and walked away. After a few steps, he began to hear her laughing quietly, the sound filling up the empty air between them.

[[[KISS HER! DO SOMETHING, YOU BASTARD!]]] His Personae screamed. Minato sighed.

'She's dangerous. I don't know exactly what she wants, but... If I die, then Erebus gets released. Maybe Izanami wants to make me frantic, make me lose my head and then strike in the opening. I don't know. I can't take any chances. I will, however, give my other Sekirei some... love.'

[Do you truly mean it?] Mara said, hopeful as a child waiting for Santa. Minato nodded.

'An Ashikabi does have his duties, after all.'

Omake: Remove it!

"Ryoji! What the hell is wrong with you? What's with all this stuff that keeps popping out of me?!" Aigis shouted as she stormed into the Dark Room. Nyx quickly vanished with a grin, leaving the two alone. Ryoji laughed nervously as he carefully positioned himself away from any walls.

"What do you mean? Haha..."

"First of all, I'm not a Sekirei! Those wings are ridiculous! As for everything else, let me give you list! I tried to load bullets into my guns, but found that I had Tootsie Rolls stuffed in the barrels! Care to explain?!" Aigis shouted. Ryoji rubbed the back of his head.

"Well... I look too young to buy real bullets... and I thought the wings were a nice addition..."

Aigis' anger grew.

"What about this?!" Aigis said as she brought a finger to her chest. She pressed down on her chest, in an area where a boob would be.

{QUACK!}

The result was a quack. From a duck. Ryoji burst out into laughter.

"That's not funny! Whenever I try to eat, my voice changes!" Aigis exclaimed as she took a hamburger that had been laying on a table in the Dark Room.

"NOOO! THAT'S MY LUNCH!" Ryoji cried. Aigs bit into the burger.

"Ya see? It's all y'all's fault! Git yer ass over hur an' fix meh!" Aigis said as she grabbed Ryoji (who now couldn't stop laughing) by the collar. He poked her nose as he giggled.

Aigis' nose suddenly turned and glowed red and brown antlers came out of the top of her head.

"Merry Christmas!" Ryoji shouted, now in tears from laughing so hard.

Years later, people would tell stories of the God of Death, Thanatos. Who was completely and utterly destroyed by a blond girl with antlers and a red nose... and a funny accent.

R/N: Ow... That Omake hurts. Right here. In my heart. Props to Have a Little Feith for inspiring that particular omake.

Any~ways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Zero has been working very hard it on it! He also would like to apologize for the lack of updates due to college starting and stuff. We'd also like to apologize for a minor mistake. The Shadow Minato fought was "the Magician", not the Fool. We fixed it, though! And we get to see the "Green Girl" soon, so look forward to that!

And... Umm...

I'm kinda not sure how to respond to all these reviews... I... do I have to?

(Zero: Just tell them we'll answer stuff next time. I have to go to work soon.)

Alright, we'll answer stuff next time... Haha...

Question of the Chapter: If Minato got the Compendium, then who would you like to see him pull out?

REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW!