Please don't hate me for the slow update!

*Hides behind chair.

Chapter 10

Lelouch grimaced as he took in his reflection in the mirror. Over the craziness that had ensued for the last week, he had little time to sleep, or even to take care of his personal hygiene, and it was showing in his appearance. His eyes were red with exhaustion, and his face with marked with specks of dirt that he had gained over the last few battles that he had taken place in. His clothes stuck to his body, dried on with sweat, and moving in general was uncomfortable, courtesy of overexerting himself. Now he was really regretting his decision to not take gym seriously.

Damn that Seo and his lightning twins. Before he faced them again, he was certainly going to his fair share of research, because he was sick and tired of running into battles blindly. The Sekirei Plan was a hectic war, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a place for planning. If anything, the rather unpredictable nature of encounters within the Sekirei Plan made it the perfect place to prepare in advance, so that one could be prepared for any situation.

He slid off his shirt with his deft fingers working across the buttons, revealing the various bruises that dotted his body and that were currently causing him great discomfort. Crinkling his nose is disgust, he tossed the shirt in a nearby trash can. It was now nothing more than a tattered rag at this point anyways, and with his unlimited MBI Card, he could purchase something more comfortable and less restricting in movement.

Speaking of MBI, he definitely had a few choice words for Minaka now, considering that the man had placed such an innocent and defenseless girl in the middle of a war zone. Did he have no morals or something? And beyond that, the way he had announced her location made it seem like he wanted the various Ashikabi to fight over her, if only to suffice as a form of twisted entertainment for him.

Sighing, Lelouch shook his head in frustration and stripped off his pants, leaving him in nothing more than his boxers when the door suddenly swung open and Kazehana stepped into the bathroom, wearing nothing more than a towel.

"Didn't I lock the door?" He shouted out as Kazehana seemed more amused than anything. Almost as if she had planned to come in, despite knowing that he was in here.

"Really? Didn't notice." She replied absent mindedly, although something told Lelouch that she was well aware of the fact that the door was lock, and had likely forced her way in regardless.

"And besides, shouldn't you be excited? I don't want to brag, but I think that my body is clearly the best in this house." She added with a confident smirk.

Well, he definitely couldn't deny that. With her ample bosom and curvaceous hips, it wasn't hard to see how a man could salivate over her. But of course, that's probably just what she would expect him to do, and so, he would have to remain aloof, no matter how difficult it was at the moment. His goal was still to make Kazehana his Sekirei, and it would make things easier if she did the winging herself.

"I don't have time for this. I've got work I need to do." He muttered, grabbing Kazehana by the shoulders and turning her around, so that she was facing the doorway.

"So, you're playing hard to get, huh?" Kazehana chuckled, "But you know, I'm not as dumb as you probably think I am."

"Of course you aren't." Lelouch replied, as if it were obvious.

Suddenly, Kazehana stopped both of them in place with a short blast of wind, "Oh, you don't think so?"

"Of course not. You were feared by Mikogami's Sekirei, who I know to be extremely powerful. Clearly, you're hiding something. Take it from someone who has worn a mask of his own before." He continued, stepping back from Kazehana, who tilted her head forward.

"So, do you want to tell me what you're hiding behind your mask?" She asked, a sly grin on her face.

Instantly, he bristled at her words, a detail that Kazehana didn't miss.

"Well, when you're ready anyways." She added, her expression contorting into one of understanding. She knew that there was something deeper that Lelouch did not want to tell her, and despite her curiosity, she would still respect his privacy.

Lelouch smiled softly, "I never figured you to be the sensitive type."

"Well, you know how to talk a girl up." She replied with a hint of flirtiness in her voice.

"Is that right?" Lelouch arched an eyebrow, "Then does that mean you've reconsidered my proposition?"

"Well, you are definitely a man, there's no doubt about that. And, as much as you don't want to admit it, you have a soft side hidden under your exterior, don't you?" Kazehana accused, slinking up to Lelouch and placing her hands on his chest.

He gulped slightly before replying, "Oh? What gave you that impression?"

"Well, Taki told me about how you've been sleeping with Toyotama, and how the poor girl's madly in love with you, and I saw with my own eyes how you treated that little girl in the Botanical Gardens." Kazehana listed off.

In the back of his mind, Lelouch made a mental note to have a serious talk with Taki about revealing that kind of information to outsiders.

"Don't worry, I love a sensitive man." She whispered breathily in his ear, while Lelouch desperately tried to keep his equanimity, which was getting harder to do by the second, "So it's fine, you can kiss me if you want."

"Will do." Lelouch growled before he smashed his lips onto Kazehana's, reveling in the sensation of power that it gave him as he winged his third Sekirei. For her part, Kazehana nearly cried out at the warmth that began coursing through her body, as the room was illuminated by the glow of her sprouting wings. She swore that she was seeing stars when their lips finally parted and the room returned to its darkened state, collapsing backwards, her legs feeling like jelly.

"So, do you want to tell me what really swayed you?" Lelouch asked, still reeling from the intensity of that kiss as well.

"Well, you have your secrets, and I have mine." Kazehana replied with a mischievous smile.

Before either of them could continue, they were interrupted by Chiho's voice from the floor below.

"Hey, Lelouch! I think you need to come down here to see this."

Lelouch frowned, upset that he had been interrupted in his interrogation of sorts, "We'll finish this later."

He ambled down the stairs to see all of the other occupants of the house huddled around the television in the living room. And on the screen stood the familiar figure of a certain chairman of a multinational pharmaceutical company.

"I have just received notice of the winging of Number 3, Kazehana!" He began, causing all of the heads in the room to suddenly swivel towards Lelouch, who kept his countenance. Of course he noticed the bemused smile that Taki was wearing, and he couldn't quite avoid Toyotama's acrid glare, but he did his best to simply stare forward at the screen.

"And with that, the Sekirei Plan can finally move into its next stage!" Minaka announced with a flourish of his hands.

"Next stage?" Lelouch whispered to himself.

"As of now, Tokyo will now be officially under MBI's control. The rules now are simple. Find the remaining ten percent of Sekirei and wing them. The New Age is upon us, so don't disappoint!" Minaka finished as the screen turned to black.

"Well, it looks like things are moving forward." Taki sighed, glancing at Lelouch, "What do you plan to do next?"

"What I've always done. Adapt." Lelouch replied frankly. He looked around the room before he gestured to the Sekirei, who nodded in acknowledgement and followed him as he left the living room and entered into the kitchen.

"Taki, what do you know about this Second Stage?" He asked, leaning up against the countertop.

She shrugged, "Well, MBI is supposed to seal off the city to prevent any Sekirei from escaping while the last few Sekirei are winged. I think that it's their intention to sort of weed out the weaker Ashikabi at this time as well. Unfortunately, that's all they informed us before we were released, so I can't say for certain if that's entirely accurate."

"No, that information's quite enough." Lelouch answered with a dismissive wave, "I know exactly what to do."

Kakizaki pushed up his glasses and groaned as he felt the onset of a migraine coming on, his fingers slipping off of the keyboard of his laptop and finding a place on his temple. They had been more and more frequent these past few days, likely as a result of his severe lack of sleep. Such was the life of the overworked secretary of Higa Izumi. It was a thankless job, whose only reward was the knowledge that he would one day be working as the secretary to the most powerful man in Japan, if all went according to plan.

"Master, maybe you should get to sleep." A gray haired woman with gray hair and a pair of red glasses chided softly from beside him, working on a laptop of her own. Although she was similarly overworked, she seemed to show none of the adverse effects that Kakizaki was displaying, and one look at the Sekirei crest on her neck was all the explanation that was needed.

"No, Kochou, I really should get this done." Kakizaki replied, shaking off the dull throbbing and continuing to clack away at the keys, trying in vain to type up the report that Higa had asked for earlier. The two of them had been at it for days ever since Minaka had made his announcement that he Sekirei Plan had moved into its second stage, compiling information on every Ashikabi and Sekirei that had been revealed to them so far, until they had a comprehensive file on almost every individual involved in the Sekirei Plan.

It all fit together like a puzzle in most circumstances, and that meant that, for the most part, the other Ashikabi were easy pickings for a large faction such as theirs. And of the individuals that posed any sort of threat to them, Kakizaki had made sure that there had been no stone left unturned in background checks, medical records, anything that could pinpoint a weakness.

Currently, the last two files that needed some polishing up were the ones on Minato Sahashi, and Lelouch vi Britannia. They had found the information on both of them to be readily available, especially for the latter. But, nonetheless, it was an intriguing file, and it was the only one that was presenting any significant challenge to piece together a narrative.

The details just didn't add up. According to medical records, Lelouch vi Britannia was born as the illegitimate son of Marianne vi Britannia and Minaka Hiroto. After that, he had lived a relatively normal life, having attended public school for all of his life before finding a job as a delivery boy, where he was injured and brought into the hospital, where his lineage was discovered.

But then, the facts didn't seem to match the man. When they had met Lelouch, they had met a well cultured and articulate Ashikabi, who seemed perfectly comfortable with meeting someone of Higa's stature without backing down in the slightest. Was there any way that someone who had lived such an unspectacular life could have made such a bold gesture? And then, there was that smile. That cunning and devious smile that he had flashed for an instant and had sent chills down his spine. Nothing could have explained how someone of that sort of demeanor was just an average student who had directly entered the workforce.

On the other hand, when he looked at the file for someone like Oosumi Orihiko, he had found all of the details that he needed to piece together a coherent picture of the man. Here was a computer genius who was looking for a challenge outside of Tokyo University, which was frankly below his level of intelligence. He had no immediate family, and thus, it was easy to see why he had latched onto his Sekirei so tightly, and his skills made it clear exactly how he had stayed ahead of all of the other single Sekirei Ashikabi in the city. He had a clear story, and it was easy to explain.

And that was why Kakizaki was on the verge of another migraine as he struggled to discover anything in the psychological profile of Lelouch vi Britannia that could explain how the man became who he was when they had first met him.

Suddenly, the chime of his email sounded, informing of him of a new message. Intrigued, he clicked on the email, to find it addressed from someone named Zero.

Taki played with a strand of her silver hair, wrapping it around her finger, and then unwinding it in a rhythmic motion, over and over again as she sat in a chair in the small dining room of their house. The table was just barely large enough to seat about eight people comfortably, but that wasn't an issue as the meeting they were about to hold would not require the use of more than six seats in total.

She glanced across her seat at the table at the only guest who had arrived so far. He was a young man with short, messy black hair that was currently fiddling around on his phone, while his Sekirei, a young woman in a shrine maiden outfit who wielded a rather dangerous looking Naginata, stood respectfully behind him, with a ramrod straight posture. If it wasn't for the fact that Toyotama was also in the vicinity, standing at the side of Lelouch's seat, then Taki would have admitted that she would have been a bit intimidated by the Sekirei, who had a stern expression on her face.

She could tell that, despite the implicit agreement that the location would be a neutral zone, that the Sekirei and her Ashikabi were still on guard, and she didn't blame them. Lelouch on his own was intimidating enough, but add on Toyotama and Kazehana, who was capable of being a force in her own right, and you suddenly had a very formidable team on your hands. And that was before mentioning Chiho and Uzume, who were currently guarding the front door and acting as greeters for the guests that should be arriving soon.

Just then, a roar of a motorcycle engine shattered the silence of the room, indicating that yet another member was now in attendance. She heard the stomping of boots, announcing the arrival of a black haired man in a leather jacket, accompanied by three enthusiastic Sekirei who were fawning over him, gestures that he returned shamelessly, despite being in full view of the other occupants of the room. Well, it was nice to know that he was treating them well, at least.

"So, when is this meeting going to get started?" The man yawned, already bored by the lack of action and excitement. Taki could see that he wasn't the type to think before he acted, which meant that it wouldn't be hard at all to maneuver their way around him. Sanada was not going to be the issue at this meeting.

No, the true power players had yet to arrive.

"Wait a second, why do you have to be here?" A familiar voice rang out.

"I'm asking myself the same question." A cool, yet strained voice replied.

In stepped two bickering men, both flanked by an entourage of Sekirei. Taki counted three each, and that was before accounting for the assistant that had come with one of them.

"Mikogami, Izumi, take your seats." Lelouch interrupted, stopping the two in the middle of their argument. Glaring at each other, they made certain to sit on opposite sides of the table, with Higa deciding to take his seat next to Taki.

"You know that your Ashikabi is insane, calling together so many Sekirei in one location. If even one thing goes wrong, we could be looking at a war right now." He whispered to Taki, who shrugged her shoulders. Knowing Lelouch, this was a calculated risk that he had deemed necessary, and thus, she had chosen not to question his decision.

"Sorry for coming so late!"

All heads in the room swiveled to look at the last person to arrive, a black haired teen with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Nonsense, Minato. We weren't ready to start regardless." Lelouch greeted, motioning for Minato to take his seat, which he readily did.

As soon as Minato sat down, Lelouch stood up from his seat at the head of the table, "Now that we're all here, I would like to call everyone's attention to the purpose of this meeting. We're all familiar with the Berlin Conference, I assume?"

"That's the meeting between the European powers that discussed the division of power in Africa, correct?" Minato said with a distinct lack of certainty. Taki glanced at the teen in surprise. It seemed that he was perhaps a bit smarter than his personality let on.

"And what does that have to do with us?" The black haired teen from before asked. Taki closed her eyes as she attempted to recall what details she knew about him. Oosumi Orihiko and his Sekirei, Number 87, Kaho, were generally considered to be one of the more mysterious pairings in the Sekirei Plan. The two of them had appeared out of nowhere to decimate a number of Sekirei who had made the mistake of picking a fight with them. Curiously, by all accounts, they had yet to instigate a fight themselves, and now, with the word of mouth that was going around, it seemed that it would be a long time before they would be challenged again.

"Well, I've assembled the Six Ashikabi who would be considered the major powers playing this game at this stage. Think of it as a show of respect for each of you to be invited to this conference." Lelouch remarked, clearly trying to be diplomatic in his approach.

Taki stifled a laugh as each of the respective attendants suddenly sat up a bit straighter at his words. All people were the same. Just give them a little compliment, and suddenly, they are much more agreeable to your words. Lelouch was doing just that, simultaneously massaging their egos while making them more pliable to his suggestions. The man was a politician if she had ever seen one.

"So, in the spirit of accordance with history, I propose that we divide Tokyo amongst ourselves, and eliminate lesser Ashikabi from the picture." Lelouch continued, nodding to Toyotama, who laid out a map on the table. It was an accurate rendering of Tokyo, with a comprehensive diagram of the subway system laid out on top of the normal map of the city.

"Well, I can't say that I'm adverse to the idea." Higa admitted from his seat, with Mikogami nodding in agreement.

Lelouch gave an amused chuckle, "Of course, the only issue is deciding who will own which part of the city."

"Well then, this is where I leave you boys to debate amongst yourselves." Taki sighed, standing up from her seat. She shared a look with Lelouch for the slightest of moments before she left the room, catching bits and pieces of the conversation that had sprung up with her exit.

Of course, things were going just as they had anticipated, from the sound of things. As expected, Higa and Lelouch were dominating the discussion, making the proposals on behalf of the other members. Orihiko was inserting his incisive comments that somewhat mitigated the authority that the two were exerting, while Minato stayed silent, too afraid to assert himself. Sanada and Mikogami were in over their heads, but they did attempt to make their own suggestions, falling on deaf ears.

"Taki, is it?" She stopped in her tracks, noticing the gray haired woman who had been following her.

"Kochou." The woman introduced herself, "Number 22."

"You came with Higa, correct?" Taki replied, distinctly remembering the appearance of the Sekirei upon Higa's arrival.

"Yes. My true Master is Kakizaki, but I serve Higa for all intents and purposes." Kochou explained, outlining her odd relationship with her Ashikabi.

"Well then, Kochou, what did you want to discuss?" Taki asked suspiciously, aware that Sekirei did not normally approach each other without a valid reason. Usually, it was to initiate a fight, but in these circumstances and considering that neither of them seemed to be physically oriented, she severely doubted that a fight was in order.

"The real reason for this meeting. There's no way that someone as opportunistic as your Ashikabi would willingly abdicate any of his power without good reason." Kochou insisted.

Taki smiled, "You know him too well then. Unfortunately, you'll have to do better than that to get me to reveal anything substantial. And don't try asking Kazehana or Toyotama. As of now, I'm the only one who knows his true motivations, and I intend on keeping it that way."

Kochou sighed and shook her head in disappointment, "I figured as much."

"Then we don't have much reason to continue talking, do we?" Taki replied curtly, intending to leave.

"Well, I'll leave you with this: I hope you know who exactly you're dealing with here, because I don't intend to allow Higa to lose this war." Kochou said confidently.

Taki nodded, "Same here. But I hope for your sake that you don't underestimate the other Ashikabi, because each of them is dangerous in their own right."

"I'll look forward to seeing what you have in store for us." Kochou answered, and with that, the two headed their separate ways.

Taki grimaced as she left her encounter with Higa's strategist. The whole experience had left a sour taste in her mouth, and she couldn't wait to put Kochou's words to the test. But first, there were preparations to make, enemies to misdirect, and contracts to be made under the table. Their true plans had yet to be revealed.

To no one in particular, Taki whispered under her breath, "What we have in store for you? Oh, you cannot imagine."

End of Act One

Well, I hope that this chapter recaptured your interest! Again, I apologize for the long delay, but it really took me a long time to decide what direction this fic was going to go. Personally, I liked the idea of the main Ashikabi splitting up the city between themselves and acting like warlords. Treachery, secret deals and alliances, power plays, and all out warfare make for some compelling storylines, or at least, that's my hope. But tell me if you guys like this direction. I want to make it different from just the generic "Main Character gets a harem and fights Minaka to keep said harem" plot, and I think that this was my best solution for doing so.

Also, I made the decision to focus more time on Taki, because she is essentially the C.C. to Lelouch in this story, acting as his right hand man while Toyotama provides some of the muscle and Kazehana does Kazehana things. I just feel like she is more interesting, and she will definitely become more important, especially as her rivalry develops with Kochou and Matsu in a Three Kingdoms sort of way between Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, and Zhou Yu/Lu Meng. As for who's who, I'll let you decide.

As for the whole Meeting of the Powers thing, I always imagined Lelouch to be a bit like Bismarck, and for Higa to fall into the Cecil Rhodes mold. Just to be clear, the meeting took place about a week after the Second Stage started, so it's not immediately following the announcement, despite how the chapter was structured. Also, for the record, I'm glad for the whole backstory that has been offered up by the manga for Oosumi, because it gives me a reason to place someone else as a member of the Four Ashikabi, since I never really bought Sanada as that serious of a threat. When compared to Higa, Mikogami, and Minato, he just doesn't really fit. At least with Oosumi, there's the explanation that he's a hacker and pretty damn intelligent, so I could buy him as a major power more.

Anyways, as usual, please review or PM if you guys have any thoughts or ideas! Thanks for sticking with me!