Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei or Fate/stay Night. If I did, than they would both be 50 times more awesome, making Sekirei barely above average while Fate/stay Night would blow up the planet from pure awesomeness!

Author's Note: Iiiiii'mmmmmmmmm Baaaaaaaack! Do apologize for the delay. The reason why is mentioned in my profile, but in case you haven't read it, I will sum up my reasons in three sentences: Tone of beginning inconsistent with planned ending. Considered retooling the story. Plan on releasing two chapters of retooled version to compare with this version. In other words, I'm going to let you decide what type of story I'll write. The one you chose to vote against I will stop writing, more than likely indefinitely.

Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, I've added a Humor tag to the genre. It was not my intention to make the story so damn funny, but I'm willing to go with the flow in that regard. People have also said that it is turning out kind of crackish. Don't see it personally, but again, I'm willing to go with the flow. As long as you like, it can be whatever you think it to be.

I'm also going to say this once more for clarity: Shirou is OOC; indeed, he seems even more OOC in this chapter than he did in the last chapter. If you still don't realize that despite me putting it in the summary and the author's notes of both chapters, and decide to complain to me, I will ignore you because you're a moron who apparently can't read (which would make me wonder why you're even on this site).

Now than, I would like to go to the business of The Smite. A number of people seem to think The Smite is referring to Karasuba reacting to him. It is not; it in fact has nothing to do with reacting, even if the symptoms (for lack of a better word) are similar. Originally, I was going to hold of on explaining what it is, seeing as it was going to be explained in chapter 4 (assuming there is a chapter 4) anyway. However, since the explanation involves Nasuverse mechanics, I thought it best to write the explanation here to see how plausible it is, and to make some changes as necessary. I might never end up using the imput depending on which story you would prefer I do, but until noted otherwise, I will assume that this story is going to be continued.

Anyways, here is the explanation: Sekirei have a way of passively absorbing mana form the air, where the Sekirei core is used to convert it into something that the Sekirei can use. This is how they are able to use their abilities. The norito briefly changes their physiology so that they absorb (and thus convert) mana at a faster rate. It should be noted that even during norito, Sekirei use a lot less mana than any human magi can. Sekirei just happen to be more fuel efficient, so to speak, so the effect on the world's supply of mana is quite minimal. The Sekirei use so little mana that they verge on using The First True Magic.

Let's talk briefly about prana now. Prana is the mana and/or od converted by a magi's magic circuits. So magi absorb mana or just use their od to create prana. Any prana not used is released into the world, where it is converted back into life force (which is what mana and od fundamentally are).This process is called "evaporation". The difference between od and mana is that mana is created from the planet while od is created from the body of the magi. Thus, od is the life energy of a person or animal, while mana is the life energy of the planet. If od were to enter the system of a Sekirei, the core will convert just like mana.

The difference, however, is that converted od has the effect of an aphrodisiac on a Sekirei. Lower doses make them see anyone of a compatible gender (if homo, other women; if hetero, men; if bi, basically everyone) as being much more handsome than they really are. In higher doses (like when someone who uses od exclusively, say Shirou, has his circuits on full blast) they become really, really horny. It should be noted that there is nothing special about Shirou other than the fact that he uses od exclusively. If Aoko (who also uses od exclusively) were to walk into a room with her circuits on full blast... well, she'll probably end up in a lot of lesbian three ways (or four ways, or five ways, or 108 ways). It also should be noted that a Sekirei can build up an immunity to this effect, just like any other drug.

Now, you might be wondering, "hey, wait a minute, Shirou only activated his circuits at the tail end of his meeting with Karasuba and Takami, so why was she already under his effects?" Well, even when magic circuits aren't activated, it's still converting small amounts of od, which is than released into the world. The converted amount is so small that the circuits replenish it just as quickly as it is being used, so the magi doesn't even notice.

I would like to make a note of the difference between this and reacting. The difference can be summed up as the difference between the physical lusting and emotion lusting (aka love). Where with "smiting", the response the body has to converted od effects the mind, with reacting, it's the opposite: when they react, a tenuous psychic link is established, allowing the Sekirei to read the person's emotions and thoughts. When winged,the link is solidified, allowing this effect to be a two way street: both sides can read each other's thoughts and emotions. In essence, reacting is when the response of the mind effects the body.

In closing all of this, I would like to make one last note: yes, Miya can also end up under the effects of The Smite. Tremble in despair, Shirou, for the end of days shall come when that happens.

So, what do you all (mostly Nasuverse fans who would have some idea what I'm talking about) think? Seem reasonable? Please inform me if it isn't.

After all that, I think it is time I you get to read some of the actual story, so let's get it on.

Chapter Two: First rule of the Sekirei Plan: you do not talk about the Sekirei Plan

Uzume cannot believe how much humiliation and embarrassment she has gone through because of The Incident. Admittedly, she would pay this ten fold if it meant that Chiho would not have to go through so much pain and suffering. If Uzume were in her position, she would already wish she were dead.

But Uzume is not in her position, she is in a completely different position on top of a comatose patient she fell on. A position that was immediately caught by a red haired doctor who decided to walk in and turn on the lights that exact moment. Either she is in some kind of zany comedy (probably a romantic one… ooh, maybe this is the first steps towards a harem comedy) or fate is just screwing with her.

Than again, if it were the fault of fate, she would have also accidentally kissed the man. Not that she doesn't have anything against men, but dude, he's in a coma!

What is obviously responsible for her current woes is that damn sun deciding to set at the same exact time as every other day. She's a reacting Sekirei who wishes to meet her dying possible-maybe-not-sure-may-not-be-worth-having-only-a-year-long-forever-and-ever Ashikabi. The least the sun can do is break the laws of physics and not start to set at 5:00 PM.

No, it's definitely the buildings fault. All it had to do was turn around to face the sun so that the second floor room she climbed in through wasn't in the shadows. She's pretty sure buildings do this all the time. Or maybe the rooms could have had the decency to rearrange themselves so that they were facing the sun. Uzume is sure no one would notice.

In fact, this is definitely the rooms fault. All the darkness had to do was take a smoke break. The thing that she tripped on could have just gotten out of her way. Her feet could have been so kind as to say, "My lady, I would suggest you step to the side or you might go through an incident of embarrassment and humiliation." Hell, why didn't gravity just take the day off?

But noooooo, they had to do there jobs correctly. All she wanted was for reality to bend backwards for her. Is that too hard to ask?

And what is the doctor doing here, anyways? She took the time to check the schedules yesterday, and was pretty sure that no doctors were supposed to show up at this room at this time. Uzume supposes she shouldn't be surprised, though, that this is the one thing that doesn't run on schedule. But still, couldn't he have been off schedule on another day?

Great, now she's going to have to find a way of dealing with him before things go from bad to worse. To that end, she has a few options she could take.

First off, she could simply kill him. It should be easy to do: create some linen strips, wrap him up with them, and break his neck. Bada bing bada boom, she would have solved this problem. Of course, she would probably have to discreetly dump his body in the morgue. She would have to keep this from Chiho, because someone so pure should never have to deal with such brutality. There is the emotional problem of having to deal with the guilt for the rest of her life (which is more than likely going to be about a year). There is also the ethical problem pertaining that she will never condone the use of murder, and if it were up to her, she would never get her hands bloody.

Plus, it must be a crime against nature to kill someone so hawt. Especially those dreamy golden eyes. She guesses gold is now her new favorite color.

So murder is off the table, if it were ever on the table at all. Her second option would be to bribe him. She is sure she has plenty of things she could… never mind, bribing is off the table too.

So Uzume guesses that she will have to go with her third option: talk him out of telling anyone else. She has been told that she has a very smooth tongue and is easy to get along with, after all. These reports are unfortunately unsubstantiated, but they are about to be put to the test now. She just as to find the perfect words to allay his fears.

"It's not what it looks like," Uzume said. Hm, the classic approach; interesting choice. The doctor gives a brief look around the room before he replied.

"So you didn't come in through that open window over there, fumbled around in the dark for a while before tripping over the bump in the floor over here and falling on top of the patient?"

"… It's exactly what it looks like." He smiled at her reply before giving her an expectant look. So much for that smooth tongue of hers. She guesses he already wants the hush money or hush whatever-he-has-in-mind. Question is, what to give him? He coughs into his hand, giving her another expectant look, but he hasn't extended his hand in any way, which is usually the wordless gesture for 'offer me something'. So he's expecting something. What exactly does he want, than?

The confusion must be clearly written on her face, because he gives her an exasperated roll of his eyes, and says, clearly resisting the urge to palm his face, "While I'm sure he probably wouldn't have many complaints about your current setup, perhaps it would be best for you to stop cuddling him." He gives her a sly look. "Unless of course you're planning to wait for him to wake up so he can give you a tip."

… Oh right, she almost forgot she was currently lying atop someone. Odd thing to forget, too considering that was the reason why she was expecting him to try to get her to offer a bribe. For some reason, there is a certain magnetism to the man that makes it hard to concentrate on anything else when he is in the room. Maybe it's the exotic hair and eyes, or maybe it's the gaze: friendly with a hint of steel in it. Maybe it is simply because he seems out of place while somehow fitting perfectly in his surroundings.

Whatever the case may be, Uzume is not one to turn down providence. From the way things are going, she may be able to get out of this without having to resort to bribery. The first step towards that is to comply with his request, and so she does, giving him a guilty look.

With a nod, he walks past the bed towards the open window, saying, "May I ask what you are doing here?" Honesty would be the best policy in this case.

"I came here to see a friend." Well, partial honesty would be the best policy. Uzume wanted to leave out the fact that she is an alien participating in something called the Sekirei Plan and that the woman she has come to meet she might chose as her Ashikabi.

In all truth, she would have already winged herself to Chiho if it weren't for a simple problem: Chiho's dying. The idea of having to watch someone she love wither and die in front of her is not a pleasant thought. She had asked for help from Miya in this predicament, and her advice was to learn as much about Chiho as possible and that the right choice would make itself apparent. Which is why she is currently here, having accidentally cuddled with the wrong person (not that she was planning on cuddling with Chiho… honest) and talking with the person who walked in on it.

"You do realize that there is this new invention known as the front door?" he said, closing the window. "It's a marvelous contraption that is taking the world by storm and is going to revolutionize how we enter buildings. Soon entering through a window will become obsolete." Is he mocking me? I think he's mocking me. Hard to tell with the tone of the voice. Maybe ribbing is a better word choice.

"I was trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible." Uzume said, prompting him to raise an eyebrow and glance out the window. Oh, right, they're on the second floor. While it is child's play for a Sekirei to reach this height with a single hop, the same doesn't apply to humans.

"Heh, maybe I didn't think that through," Uzume said.

"Clearly," he said with a smile, "You would think the media would be here, though. A beautiful woman scaling the wall of a hospital is bound to catch someone's attention." He paused in thought. "Than again, with the amount of beautiful women in this city, perhaps something like that is a common occurrence." Uzume couldn't help but wince at that statement. He is probably referring to the influx of Sekirei present, seeing as there are 108 of them, that all but a handful are women, and that all of them are beautiful (even the Black Sekirei has a certain charm to her). She supposes it shouldn't be a huge surprise that someone has taken notice. She also shouldn't be surprised about that someone happening to be male.

"Well, you obviously live on the other side of the city," Uzume said with a playful grin, "On our side, beautiful women like me scale walls all the time. It's sort of a competition." Which is actually an accurate statement on what is going on: since most of the fights happen on rooftops, Sekirei end up scaling walls all the time, and one could say the Sekirei Plan is a sort of competition, albeit more violent than most.

"Is it also a part of the competition to jump on top of random strangers?" He said with the raise of an eyebrow, glancing at the comatose man. Uzume is amused to note that the answer to that question would be 'yes'. Sekirei do not need to interact with a person to react to them. This is due to the fact that all Sekirei are at least somewhat psychic, and sometimes only require them to meet the person to know that they're reacting. Some are strong enough to react to a person miles away. That is not to say that interaction doesn't help, and in fact for those that have weaker psychic abilities, it is almost a must. Regardless, almost all Sekirei end up reacting to complete strangers, and usually their first thought when reacting is to basically jump them on the spot. Most are usually discreet enough to wait until they're at the Ashikabi's place before jumping them, though.

… Which, come to think of it, probably gives most Ashikabi the first impression that the Sekirei is some kind of hooker; a Sekirei's usually choice in clothing probably doesn't help in that matter.

"Looks like you caught us, bro!" Said Uzume with a laugh, "We beautiful women are a wily folk."

"Well, if that is the case, I can safely say I've not been molested yet," he said, "Though admittedly I'm rather new here."

"Oh; so you moved to Shin Tokyo recently, than?"

"Three days ago. I was given the weekend off, so this is my first day working here." That would explain why he wasn't on the schedule. "If you don't mind me asking, who exactly did you plan on seeing?"

"Well…" Uzume said, hesitating briefly. She finally decided that there would be little harm telling this man. "I'm here to visit one of the patients, Chiho Hidaka." He gave a silent "ah", his eyes closing briefly with a sad smile on his lips.

"The girl whose been suffering from Systematic Lupus Erythematosus." Systematic whatsit what what? Uzume can only assume he is talking about the disease poor Chiho is dying from. He could have simply gone with "Moe Disease", though.

"So are you her doctor, than?" she said.

"No, but the nurses here speak of her often." He said, "They say that she is the sweetest girl one could meet." He glanced over to her, giving her a thoughtful look. If Uzume had to guess, he was analyzing her in an attempt to discern her relationship to Chiho. Technically, Uzume doesn't have a relationship to her, as they have only met yesterday and she hasn't yet chosen Chiho to be her Ashikabi. He doesn't need to know that, though.

After a long moment of him just looking at her, he finally gave her a smile, causing her to release the breath of air she didn't realize she was holding. Looks like she was met with his approval. He checked his watch.

"It's a good thing you came here after five, or I would have had to report you," he said, a sly grin appearing on his face, "Thankfully for you, though, I'm off the clock."

"So does this mean you're going to let me see her?" Uzume said, trying not to sound hopeful. Maybe she does have a silver tongue!

"Yes," he said, opening the door for her. She stepped out with him following behind her. He closed the door before adding, "But only if I'm in the room when you two meet." Ah, so he's afraid that she would try to do something… less than reputable. Whether he is expecting her to murder Chiho or have sex with her is up to debate. Than again, considering her frailty, those two options are basically one and the same.

"Heh, so you want to sit in on our girl talk?" Uzume said, "Whatever floats your boat." He raised an eyebrow before saying, "You and I have a very different definition of girl talk." Proof positive of his intentions.

"So would this be your first time trying to sneak into a hospital?" he added. This elicited an aggravated sigh from her before she said, "Yes."

"Would explain why your sneaking abilities could use some work," he said with a nod.

"Tell me about it," Uzume said with a snort, "I've got rotten luck."

"I take it this is a common occurrence?" Most definitely. Seems like every other day that her luck screws her over.

"Think of it this way," Uzume said, "My luck is so rotten that it's been thrown in jail."

"That is rotten luck," he said, nodding in agreement, "You sure your luck isn't so rotten that even lawyers would vomit in disgust?"

"That is rotten luck, but no. My luck is so rotten that when a homicidal maniac walked up to it and had a conversation, he left thinking, 'that things crazy'."

"That… is rotten luck. Your luck and mine would probably get along quite well."

"Oh, so your luck is terrible, too, bro?"

"It's not terrible, it's dead," he said with a chuckle, "The only thing that would willingly keep the company of luck that rotten would be a corpse."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, well, since even lawyers wouldn't want to keep your rotten luck company, than obviously nothing living…"

"No, no, no," Uzume said, cutting him off and resisting the urge, unsuccessfully, to laugh, "I meant why do you believe your luck's dead?"

"Well it must be dead if I've been interrogated twice within the same week for something I didn't even do." This time she didn't bother resisting.

"Really; why?"

"Well, the first were the Russian police who thought I worked for the Russian Mafia. The second believed I was attempting corporate espionage so I can steal all there secrets." This prompted her to laugh even harder.

"Maybe I shouldn't… trust you," Uzume said between the bouts of laughter, "After all, a member of the Russian Mafia turned corporate must be rotten to the core."

"Yes, yes, laugh it up."

"So which company did you try to infiltrate?"

"MBI." His nonchalant answer caused her to trip and nearly face plant on the ground. What the hell reason would MBI have to think that he is a corporate spy? Worse, if he was interrogated by MBI, than that would mean that the Black Sekirei must have interrogated him personally. While officially whoever they choose to be Ashikabi for the Disciplinary Squad is going to be leader, unofficially Karasuba is the leader due to being the oldest, most experienced, and someone who never takes orders from anyone, only requests. As such, for official MBI business that doesn't involve the Sekirei Plan in any way, she is usually the first one "requested" to help, something that, in this case, she would have little reason to turn down due to getting a chance to be her usual sadistic self. In truth, it is somewhat miraculous that he had escaped without injury, though the fact that he wasn't trying to do what they accused him of doing may have something to do with that. Still, she decided to surreptitiously scan him for wounds, partially because of human decency (or would that be Sekirei decency?), partially because no one should have to go through whatever MBI's Dog put him through, but mostly because she rather likes him. He's nice and easy to talk to and she is quite partial to the hair. It's too bad more people don't have red hair, it's a nice look.

"Are you okay?" he said, looking at her still recovering form with concern.

"Nah, don't worry about it; it's just my feet rebelling against me again."

"Might want to get that checked out. We're in a hospital after all."

"Oh, I don't think I need to worry about that," Uzume said, putting a bounce in her step to draw his attention to certain… assets. "I've been told that I'm healthy as an ox." He gave a brief glance at what she was displaying before saying, "Perhaps a bit too healthy."

…Huh? The confusion must be clearly seen on her face, because he elaborated. "I'm just thinking you might want to look into breast reduction surgery. Those are going to lead to some back issues in the future."

…He can't be human. He must be some kind of robot. A robot sent by aliens to study the weird shit humans do. He's probably filing what Uzume just did under, 'bouncing things on chest: Any significance? Study unusual behavior later.' Well, either that or…

"Are you gay?" Uzume said.

"…No," he replied, obviously taken off guard by her sudden question, "not the last time I checked, anyway."

"…Are you sure?"

"There are a couple of women that can second my opinion on this matter, so yes, I'm sure." Is it just her, or did she hear a "loudly" somewhere in that sentence? Still, if a few women are willing to second him, than he probably is into women. Unless…

"You sure you're not just in denial? That you only let them strangle your dragon to reaffirm your heterosexuality?"

"Strangle my drag… What?"

'You know, slide up and down your pole? Chow down on your plump hot dog? Have space engulf your ascending rocket? Open the tunnel up for your train? Have the alligator…"

"If you even think about finishing that sentence, I'm going to sue you for causing a mental breakdown," he said.

"And no, I did not have sex," he added, eliciting an over-the -top gasp (complete with back of the hand to the forehead and over the mouth) due to saying the s-word, "just to 'reaffirm my heterosexuality'."

"But how can you be sure?" she said, to his increasing irritation, "I can go find a smoking hot man to attempt to entice you with." It of course never crossed her mind that if she succeeds in what she's planning to do, she would be a pimp; nor the fact that a certain Sekirei she lives with would fit her description rather well. Perfectly, in fact.

"That is not necessary," was his increasingly irate reply, something she completely overlooked due to being on a roll.

"You won't know until you try."

"Trust me, I know."

"Well, fine, but there must be some way to know for sure, like gaydar or something."

"That. Is not. Necessary."

"Oh, I know; did you enjoy it, because if you didn't, than that means…"

"Will you please stop!?" he said, cutting her off. Silence engulfed the two as they stopped walking, the man rubbing his temples and clearly trying to calm down. She felt a prick of guilt: she might have taken that a bit too far. She should make it up to him.

"I'm sorry, bro," Uzume said, "I didn't mean to be so rude."

"There's no need to apologize," he said, having obviously calmed down, "You were just showing concern for my manliness. It's what anyone would have done in your position." She snorted in amusement. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have snapped at you." He bowed to her. "Please forgive me." While admittedly the formality seems a bit unnecessary to her, it is good to know that this man is both polite and nice.

"All's forgiven, bro," Uzume said, not really seeing any reason why he would need to apologize (it was her fault for ignoring the signs that he didn't want to talk about it, after all), but seeing even less reason to argue with him over it. He straightened back up to his full height, and damn he's tall! How the hell did she overlook something like that? They continued walking; a rather pleasant silence engulfed them before he decided to speak again.

"Just for your information, I know for a fact that a man would not entice me due to the fact I've seen one naked. If he couldn't entice me, no man ever will."

"Why would you be with a naked guy?" Uzume asked, perplexed. Oh wait, doctor. Never mind. She was about to answer her own question but he answered instead.

"We were both waiting for the same person. We ended up playing a card game while we waited for her." Okay, maybe it isn't in reference to doctorly stuff…wait a minute. Two men, one very easy on the eyes and the other assumed to be on that level, both waiting for a woman with one of them already naked. Hm, sounds like something out of a wet dream… WAIT A MINUTE…

"Are you saying you had a three way?" Uzume blurted, this time causing him to stumble.

"No, technically I didn't have a three way." He said. It took them both a moment to realize a certain word in that sentence that implied the opposite.

"You did have a three way!"

"Technically, a three way would consist of all three participants having physical relations with each other. In this case we merely double-teamed her… so to speak."

"Oh, I'm sure she wasn't doing any speaking after that," Uzume said, "she was probably a bit hoarse, when all was said and done."

"Speaking from experience?" He said with the raise of an eyebrow.

"Well… I guess I'm not one to talk."

"Right," he said with a smile, "so who are you to speak of such things?"

"Well, you'll see," she said, "Soon, I'll know everything one can learn about that."

"Good to know you have your priorities straight," he said with an amused snort.

"Hey, that was uncalled for, bro."

"So says the woman who just made a pledge to go on a splurge of sex," he said, eliciting another exaggerated gasp from Uzume. He rolled his eyes at her, visibly resisting the urge to smile, and said, "Oh, grow up."

Never!

"It also doesn't help your case," he added, "That you've made this declaration to a complete stranger you have just met."

"Hey, you're the one who started it!" Uzume said, prompting him to raise an eyebrow at her.

"Really; you're going to start playing the blame game?

"Hey, blame is not a game."

"It is the way you used it.

"…Oh, fine; I retract my statement of blame."

"Why thank you," he said with a smile, "That was very considerate of you."

"Oh, bite me."

"I'm a doctor, not a cannibal," he said with a roll of his eyes. Well, technically, that wouldn't be cannibalism.

Silence engulfed them as they continued to walk at a leisurely pace. Speaking of walking, could she have picked a window further away from Chiho's room? How long have they been walking anyways?

"…So," Uzume finally said.

"So?"

"…So about that double team." He gave her a bemused look.

"Are we still talking about that?"

"Sure, why not? Anyway, the person you double teamed: was she your girlfriend?"

"Well, she's a woman and she's a friend, but no, she's not my girlfriend."

"Oh, I get the feel that your girlfriend was not happy about that."

"No," he said after a pause, a sad smile on his face, "she probably wouldn't have been. She didn't really like sharing." The next words he said under his breath, so low that only he should have heard it. Only he if she wasn't a Sekirei with enhanced abilities, anyway. "Not that she hadn't once." She resisted the urge to gape at him.

She failed.

"You've had two three ways?"

"Two three ways? Where did you get that idea from?"

"I just heard you say you've had another."

"Heard me?" he said to himself, before giving her a thoughtful look. "How acute is your hearing?"

"Don't change the subject. I want to know more about this. Specifically, how many more of them have you done?" Internally, Uzume winced at how rude she was once again being, but this is prime teasing material. You only get material like this once in a lifetime. This could be the milestone of her teasing career.

For his part, the man doesn't seem to mind her tone of voice. In fact, if she had to guess, he was more concerned in discovering how to get out of this topic as quickly as humanly possible. His eyes darted to one of the doors, and he suddenly said, "WellwhatdoyouknowweseemtohavereachedHidaka-san'sroom let'scontinuethisconversation never." He than opened the door before she had a chance to response. Damn, it looks like checkmate for her. There is no way she is bringing up three ways in front of Chiho, the girl who is too sick to take part in any type of physical activity, up to and including sex. Just the thought of all the things that she had lost because of that disease saddens her, but Uzume is determined to not let it be seen on her face. Even though Chiho is not her Ashikabi, seeing her happy always brightened Uzume's own mood.

Don't think that this is over, though, she thought. Eventually, she will learn the rest of his story. Nothing will stop her from getting more teasing material. Nothing!

They both walked through the door to see Chiho, sound asleep, and in Uzume's opinion, as beautiful as ever despite the illness. It must be the way her golden hair is splayed on the pillow. Of course, this could simply be her reaction talking, but she doesn't think so; Chiho looked just as beautiful the first time they met before she was reacting.

"Are you alright?" she heard him say, pulling her thoughts back to him, only to see him peer at her with concern. Why would he be…?

Ah, the reaction. She almost forgot that the reaction has physiological effects (red in the face from blushing, shortness of breath, the undeniable urge to hop on top of your possible destined ones) that to a doctor would suggest some sort of illness; plus the subtle tugging feeling in the chest.

"No, I'm alright," Uzume replied, "I'm just excited to see her again." Probably the closest thing to the truth she will ever get in this regard. He paused to study her face for a moment before nodding slightly to himself, saying, "If you don't mind, than, I'll wake her up for you." He approached the bed, kneeling down on one knee, and gently grasping both sides of her shoulders, shaking her gently.

"Hidaka-san, can you please wake up. I brought someone here to see you." Chiho's murmurs of protest from being awakened from what was probably a restful sleep were the cutest thing Uzume had ever heard. Chiho's eyes flickered open, looking right at the smiling face of the man. "Good afternoon, Hidaka-san. I hope I didn't interrupt any good dreams."

"A-ano, h-hello," Chiho said. Heh, she knows those symptoms. Good to know she's not the only one who thinks he's hawt.

"I brought someone here who wanted to see you," he said.

"You did?" said Chiho, still trying to shake off the vestiges of sleep, "Who?" His smile widened, and that was Uzume's only warning that she was about to get her comeuppance. Well, that and the overly cheerful tone of voice. "Why, your lesbian lover, of course!"

"What?!" both she and Chiho exclaimed, shocking Chiho into full wakefulness, and, if he hadn't still been grasping her shoulders, causing her to sit up. He let go of her shoulders to let her get a good look at Uzume.

"Uzume-san?" Chiho said with surprise and an undercurrent of happiness that elicited a tingly feeling up her spine.

"You are a very lucky woman to have caught such a fine person, Hidaka-san," he said, completely ignoring there reactions. He leans in towards Chiho conspiratorially and says in a whisper and with one hand "shielding" his mouth from sight, "Never let her go." He, of course, must have known that Uzume heard him perfectly.

"She isn't…" said Uzume, but wasn't able to finish the sentence from pure embarrassment.

"She's not…" said Chiho at about the same time, also suffering from embarrassment overload. She also looks on the verge of hiding herself behind the blankets.

"We're not like that!" They both blurted out. He raised an eyebrow at their outburst, but his smile never faded.

"Oh, you two don't need to be coy with me. I have no problem with something like this. Free love all the way; if you love someone, you love someone! Gender should never be an issue."

"But I don't love Uzume-san; I just met her," Chiho said, "And I definitely haven't thought about undressing her!" Oh, Chiho. Oh, my poor poor Chiho. He didn't verbally respond, but merely gave her a look. It took her a moment to process what she said, but when she did, she gave a squeak, sounding not unlike that of a mouse, and hid herself underneath the blankets. He gave an "ah" of realization before saying, "I get it now: you haven't come out yet; but you can't stay cooped up in that closet forever. You have to spread your wings and fly!" How unintentionally close to the issue of the matter he was (with the mention of wings and whatnot) made her wince. Well, that and the realization that she may have awakened a dragon; A teasing dragon. In her defense, how could she have known that such an unassuming and polite guy was in fact the king of teasing?

"I should know," he said, "A girlfriend of mine didn't want to admit she was bisexual, but I didn't have any issues with that. She chose me and that's all that matters." Not exactly a fair comparison. After all, what man wouldn't be happy that a woman swings both ways? Especially if that woman happens to know other women with similar sentiments.

"But if you're worried about her commitment, don't be. You're not going to find a more committed person than her." Wait, what? Is she being brought back into the discussion? Does he, in fact, plan on teasing her some more?

… Fuuuuuu-

"I won't?" Chiho said, still hiding all but her eyes from him behind the blanket, but noticeably relaxing now that his focus has shifted.

Traitor.

"Oh, yeah; when she first came here, no one would let her see you. It got to the point where some guards had to drag her out. As they were doing it, she was shouting at the top of her lungs, 'Give me Chiho or give me death!'" This elicited a giggle from Chiho. Under normal circumstances, Uzume would protest such blatant exaggerations (as if the guards could drag her out), but she is willing to let them go due to making Chiho laugh.

"But something like hulking guards wasn't going to stop her from seeing you. So with the Power of Love by her side, she was able to scale the walls of the hospital to reach the second floor." Oh, you sly son of a bitch. By exaggerating everything out of proportions, he's basically leading her to assume that he is lying. Granted, if (when) she winged her, she would have to tell Chiho of her origins, but the thought is still appreciated. Plus, she doesn't want Chiho to worry about such a "stunt".

"And when she had ran into me, and realizing that I was about to inform the guards, she gave an impassioned speech about how you were her true love and of how love conquered all that reawakened my faith in love. Driven by passion, I had to reunite you two once again!"

"Oh, Uzume-san, you didn't have to go so far for little old me," said Chiho. Yep, she definitely didn't take him seriously.

"It's the Power of Love. If someone truly loves you, they could climb mountains." He clasped his hands in front of him, tilting his head, and gave a dreamy sigh. "If only I could be swept off my feet like that."

…HOW IS HE NOT GAY? Also, something about his body language and words seem rather familiar to her, but she can't seem to place it…

"To have someone willing to fight past guards, climb walls, risk injury and possible even death just to see the one they love; it's so romantic!" Oh. My. God. HE'S FUCKING KAZEHANA… as in he currently sounds just like Kazehana. Not that he isn't fucking Kazehana, but if he were, than that would make him an Ashikabi, and he seemed to be unaware of Sekirei, so that seems unlikely. Unless he found a way to have sex without kissing on the lips…

"But in all seriousness," he said, returning to his usual tone of voice and dropping his hands, "She has gone through a few difficulties just to meet you again, so I hope you are especially nice to her."

"Yes, Sensei… um…" Chiho said, trailing off when she realized she didn't know his name. Which, come to think of it, was something Uzume didn't know either.

"Oh my, how rude of me," he said, chuckling to himself, "All that time and I forgot to tell you my name." He bowed to them. "I am Emiya Shirou."

The three of them ended up chatting for about an hour. Uzume learned a great deal more about Chiho's childhood; plus she learned that Chiho seems to also swing both ways, as she clearly had a crush on Shirou. Not that she could blame her; the man is quite charming. He himself admitted he has no idea why women find him so irresistible, though she's more baffled that he can charm women so easily without even trying.

Maybe it's some type of pheromone he's emitting.

"That was not funny," she said the moment he closed the door to Chiho's room.

"Maybe not for you, but I found it to be immensely amusing," he said, "Besides, turnaround is fair play, and payback is a bitch." Knowing her luck, payback is probably on intimate terms with it.

"One of these days, things will turn again, and when they do, the doves shall feast." He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Wouldn't crows be more appropriate for that statement?"

"I like doves better," she said. Plus, she doesn't want to associate in any way with the Black Sekirei.

"You seem to also be implying that I'm going to see you again."

"Well… won't you?" She said. She must admit that she hopes that he does decide to continue sitting in on her visits with Chiho. This is partially because Chiho obviously likes him, partially because Chiho doesn't seem to get many visits from friends, and partially because she also rather enjoys his company, though whether it is because of pheromones is still up to debate.

After pondering his decision for a few moments, he finally said, "I don't see why not. How often will you be coming around?"

"Every single day, unless there is a reason I can't."

"That should be easy to remember."

"Meet at the same place?"

"You can just go through the front door. I should be able to get you in."

"You know," Uzume said with a slow nod as if she were thinking about something, "I have heard such great things about the front door. Maybe I will try it out."

"Like I said," Shirou said with a smile, "It's the wave of the future." She snorted in amusement, before raising one hand to shake with, saying, "So, see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be here," he said, and than he shook her hand. The moment there skin touched, her hand was hit with what felt like an electric shock, causing her to recoil. He must have felt the same thing, given his reaction was identical.

What was that? She thought, but quickly dismissed that thought for a more important realization. She feels a tugging in her chest, which is one of the signs of reacting; but reactions only make themselves known when in visual contact with your destined one, and since Chiho is on the other side of the door…

No, nonononono, that's impossible. I'm reacting to Shirou. How am I reacting to two people?

"The static had one hell of a kick that time," he said, shaking his hand as if it were numb. When she didn't reply, he looked up at her and, frowning, took a few steps closer. "Are you sure you're alright? Your symptoms seem to be worsening." Ironically, it's the fact that he is standing so close to her, and with the back of his hand on her forehead checking for a fever, that is making said symptoms worse. As is, it is taking all her will power not to kiss him.

"I'm alright," Uzume said, taking a few steps away from him, "I might just be tired."

"Are you sure?" he said, his frown deepening.

"Yes, I'm sure," Uzume said, beginning to walk away, "Thanks for the concern, Shirou; see you tomorrow."

"Um… o-okay," she heard him say, but wasn't paying too much attention as she got away from him as quickly as possible. She than winced, as she realized that she just called him by his first name without a suffix. It was one of the many pratfalls that she had to deal with when she was first released: in Japan, people take it as a severe insult to call them by their first name without a suffix unless given permission beforehand. Shirou never gave her permission, so, if taken into account with her rude brush off, he might take it as a sign she actually doesn't want to see him again.

In all truth, she isn't sure if she does want to see him again. She's already reacting, after all, and reacting to two people will complicate the issue. Who knows what might happen if she is in the same room as both of them. She might end up trying to add another three way to his list, something he might not be able to stop…

How is she even reacting to two people in the first place? One would think only one destined one is needed, since a Sekirei can only wing one person… unless the reactions aren't a notification of who your truth love is, but rather of who is the best choice for finding true love with; and since it's a probability instead of an absolute, there is a possibility that two separate people give the same chances of happiness.

In all truth, this would make a bit more sense. After all, the Ashikabi can be winged to as many Sekirei as they can kiss, and can have more than one reacting to them, so why can't the Sekirei? Granted, only one can be chosen, but it would increase the odds of actually finding one while also giving the Sekirei a decision on who they want specifically. But does this mean that her sisters are doing this all wrong? That they are winging themselves to people that they may have compatibility with, but may not be happy with? Does this mean that most will not find love due to assuming that it is handed to them on a silver platter the moment they wing themselves to their Ashikabi? That love will never be theirs because they don't realize that love isn't found, but earned? Will most Ashikabis merely see them as tools to be used rather than actual people?

Ugh, Uzume has never been very good at philosophical musings. What she needs to do is bring this up with Miya. She should be able to help with her specific problem, and hopefully provide clarity for what this all might mean for her Sekirei sisters and handful of brothers. Speaking of brothers, she is not bringing this up to Homura, or he is going to be pissed.

Homura is fucking pissed. Not to say that he hasn't been pissed before this moment; oh, no. In fact, it's been safe to say he's been pissed for some time now. This is just the first time he's been fucking pissed.

His constantly foul mood started a couple of weeks ago, not-so-coincidentally around the time that Hayato Mikogami has been stepping up his game to acquire as many of his sisters as possible. How he knows that it is Mikogami is the fact that those that are already enthralled by him have been basically announcing to the world who they are trying to please. To say that some of his younger sisters lack tact is quite the understatement.

He of course had to go to Matsu to discover why Mikogami is trying even harder to acquire unwinged Sekirei (hell, they even took a pass at him a couple of times), and it all came back to one person: Higa Izumi. From what Matsu has been able to extrapolate, Izumi has grown concerned at the number of Sekirei that Mikogami has (the very fact that he knows this is proof that he has a brain type) and has decided to take a more aggressive stance in his own… "Acquisitions". Due to the aforementioned brain type, Izumi has been much more discreet and efficient about it, which makes it harder for him to interfere. It also seems to suggest that MBI has a way to track Sekirei down, which is a rather disturbing thought. Homura can only assume that Matsu can't access that part of MBI's system due to being unwinged, much like how she is unable to determine which Ashikabi has which specific Sekirei.

Apparently seeing Izumi's move as some sort of challenge, Mikogami, in turn, seems to have sent every single Sekirei he has in search for more Sekirei. Homura is basically in the middle of a "who can get a Bigger Stick" contest: Izumi's brain vs. Mikogami's brawn. Mikogami will probably win this "contest" due to having a head start, but not before Izumi swipes a few from under his nose, and in the end the only person who loses is Homura.

Quite simply, he is just one person. Being one of the single digits means he's a great deal stronger than most of his sisters and all but one of his brothers (Mutsu of the legendary First Disciplinary Squad), but he can't be everywhere at once. For every one of his sisters he is saving, another two are being enslaved. Worse, even with his strength, if this keeps up, Mikogami will be able to run him off, or worse capture him, through pure numbers. Due to the influx of numbers on Mikogami's side, where once he usually ran into one Sekirei, and occasionally groups of two, now they are almost exclusively in pairs with a few trios thrown in for good measure. Homura can take on two, though it strains the limits of his fighting ability, but three is a bit too much for him and often requires the assistance of the Sekirei he is trying to defend.

Which brings things back to why he is fucking pissed: he had once again run into a group of three. The problem? The sister he is trying to defend is a brain type, one of only three amongst his sisters, so even one on one her chances of fighting them off are slim. If worse comes to worse, both of them might get captured. He briefly considered retreating, but quickly dismissed the thought: he will not willingly back out of saving one of his sisters. Even if his chances of victory are slim, he will just have to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat. He is the Sekirei Guardian. He is the shepherd that guides the flock from the wolves. It was his pledge to defend the unwinged. It is his duty to follow his pledge to the utmost of his abilities. Just because he may never find love does not mean he will allow their love to be torn from them. He will not fail them.

It of course helps his decision that Mikogami with a brain type would pretty much end any chances of him saving any more unwinged. By comparison, he has only been able to sniff out one of Izumi's teams, and he has the sinking suspicion that Izumi allowed Homura to stop him so he can discover how he goes about his job. Since than, he has not seen a whiff of Izumi's Sekirei.

Right now, however, he has to concentrate on what he can stop.

Materializing a ball of fire in his hand, Homura launched it at the charging Sekirei wielding a scythe; #43 Yomi if his memory serves. He has no problems terminating this one if he is correct: Yomi is a bit of a bitch. The fireball heading her way forced her to leap to the side to avoid it, buying him enough time to see a worse threat within striking distance: #15 Himeko, wielder of an unusual double bladed sword about to rend him from left shoulder to right hip. Unlike Yomi, Himeko doesn't seem to care about taking him alive. He deflects the blow with a blast of fire from his left hand. However, with the smooth polish of someone who has had plenty of practice with such an unwieldy looking weapon, she readjusted her grip and brought the other end of her sword into a sweeping horizontal slash, intent on slitting his throat. He bent his upper body backwards, barely dodging the blow, and putting him out of position with her next strike, a downward strike, forcing him to deflect the strike with a blast of fire from his right hand. With the amount of force behind the blow, the sword sunk into the roof like a knife to butter, slowing her down for a few moments as she yanks it out, no doubt similar to the way King Arthur pulled out Excalibur.

A few moments were long enough.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Homura leaps back, simultaneously sending a lance of flame with his outstretched left hand at her face. Not being able to get out of the way, Himeko is forced to block the attack with her sword, the impact sending her tumbling back. The moment he lands, he sees Yomi coming at him, her scythe slicing towards him in an attempt to sever his legs from his body. Her idea of 'taking him alive'. He leaps, cart wheeling over the swing blade, and sending a fireball at her face at the apex of the jump. Unfortunately, Yomi was able to put the butt of her scythe in position to block the attack, albeit awkwardly. Fortunately, the force of the blast slammed the butt of her scythe into her face, sending her stumbling back in a squawk of protest. He glanced over, just in time to see his third opponent, #38 Mitsuha, wind back her whip arm, no doubt preparing to trip up his charge, #37 Chisei, with a well placed strike.

Not on his watch.

Dashing between them, Homura succeeded in intercepting the whip, catching it in his left hand. Ignoring the pain (because seriously, catching a whip hurts like hell), he yanks hard on the whip. Despite being stronger than him, Mitsuha was not expecting him to do that, and thus hadn't bothered to plant her feet; if she had, she might not have been yanked off her feet and sent flying towards him. He leapt up, and intercepted her flying form with a jump kick, enhancing the kick with a burst of fire coming off his foot. He let go of the whip as he landed, watching as the kick sent her flying to the other end of the roof, her body crashing to the ground hard enough that if she weren't a Sekirei, bones would have been broken. He spun around to face Chisei, saying, "Let's go!" She nodded, taking off again and leaping to the next roof, with him close behind.

However, Homura, having seen Himeko charging them out of the corner of his eyes, twisted midair, and sent a volley of bullet sized fireballs at her, turning his hands into a pair of flame spitting machine guns. This screeched her charge to a halt as she is forced to hold her ground, deflecting as many of the fire bullets as possible. In that regard, she mostly succeeded, as any that got through did negligible damage to her clothes. As Himeko held her ground against his onslaught, Yomi once again charged forward, and leapt high enough to completely avoid the barrage of fireballs, her scythe poised over her head.

Apparently she was stupid enough not to realize that he will be landing first, as the moment his feet touched the ground, he leaped straight up, and aimed his hands downward, the bottom of his palms touching, his fingers curled inwards.

Kamehameha, he thought with a smirk before a huge ball of fire was sent flying at Yomi. Realizing at the last moment her great peril, Yomi, brought her scythe to bear between her and the fireball as it smashed into her, sending her tumbling down into the abyss between the two roofs. After a few moments of falling, she was able to control her flight, and lashed her scythe out at the nearby wall, the blade sinking into the concrete. Her hands, however, took until the butt of her scythe to stop her falling form, nearly dislocating her arms from her shoulders when she finally stopped. With a stifled groan of pain, she began the slow and arduous task of climbing back up to the haft of the scythe and back onto the roof.

As he plummeted back to Earth, Himeko leapt the gap, her blade in the starting motions of slicing upwards, planning on landing a few feet in front of his own landing position and severing his left leg from his body the moment she lands. Homura tucks his legs in, to provide himself with the few crucial moments needed, stretches his hands outward, and shoots two columns of fire out, pushing him far enough backwards to dodge her strike. Dismissing the column of fire, he twists midair, landing hands first on the ground, and performs a mule kick, the kick's range enhanced with columns of fire appearing from his feet. After hearing a gasp of surprise followed by the sound of fire hitting metal, he rolled over, and quickly split his legs apart to dodge the crack of Mitsuha's whip.

He should feel lucky: a few inches higher, and the argument with the scientists over what gender he should be adjusted as would have been rendered moot.

After his left leg came together with his right to dodge the next whip strike, he rolled backwards to dodge the third strike. His foot than lashed out, stomping on the whip before he pumped heat into the whip, having said heat encompass the entire weapon, including the grip. With a yelp of pain, Mitsuha dropped the suddenly searing hot whip in pain, giving him the opening he needs to dash towards her and delivering an uppercut to her chin, sending her stumbling back. Seeing Yomi getting back on the roof and yanking her scythe out of the wall, he sends a fireball in her direction. Twirling around her scythe, Yomi spins around, and slashes her scythe upwards, sending a column of wind at his fireball. This weakened the fireball enough that when Yomi goes to block, it merely rocks her back a step instead of sending her flying.

It was more than enough to keep her busy for a few moments, however.

Taking advantage of Yomi's distraction, he spun around, sprinting towards the other side of the roof, while simultaneously gesturing to Chisei to keep running. The two leapt at around the same time due to his greater speed, landing on another roof, this one with a door that will give access to the building.

"Through the door!" Homura said, steering her towards the door, "We need to get into the building!" He dashes to the door, opening it to let her through, and slams it behind him, melting the doorknob in an attempt to slow them down, before sprinting downstairs and does the same to the next door, leading him to a plain white office hallway with at least a dozen doors leading to other rooms.

Homura glances up as they are running down the hallway and smiles when he sees the sprinkler system. Perfect.

"Chisei," Homura says when they stop at the other end of the hallway, "keep going. You need to get to the bottom of this building as fast as you."

"What about you?" He smiled grimly before saying, "I think I'm comfortable right here." Instantly realizing what he meant (she is a brain type, after all), she looked like she was going to protest but stopped. Presumably she saw his resolve on the matter because her next words were, "Sekirei Guardian. Don't you dare fall here; there is still too much good for you to do to fall here."

"The thought never even crossed my mind." If he were Pinocchio right now, his nose would have probably grown the entire length of the hallway right now, but she seems to have believed him. After a brief moment of hesitation, she gave him a peck on the cheek with a splash of red coloring her own cheeks.

"Good luck," she said before turning the corner and dashing off. He spun around, slowly marching down the hallway he just ran through. As he walked, fire encompassed his hands, before spreading out across his entire body, surrounding him in an aura of flame. I art the fire, and the fire art I. The smoke of the flames waft upwards towards the fire alarms, which begin to chirp in protest to the foul smoke. For hearts long lost and full of fright. Still the smoke continued growing stronger in defiance of the alarms, so the alarms pulled out the big guns: the sprinkler system. Through my fire will their souls ignite. In response to the sprinklers, Homura increased the heat of his fire, making the fire so hot that the water turns into steam on contact with his flames. Let those who oppress through their might. He fine-tuned the heat of his fire, not because it was too hot, but so he can limit his own visibility amongst the growing steam; a man on fire would be hard to miss, even with the lowered visibility. As such, his fire must be hot enough to turn the water into steam but cold enough to be extinguished. After succeeding in this, he gathered fire in his hands (which is protected by his aura of flame) - Beware, for my flames shall shine bright! - And unleashed it in two pillars of flame, unleashing steam that encompassed the entire hall and all the adjoining rooms.

"What the fuck is this?" he heard someone say (Yomi most likely) from the other side of the room, who was hissing from the heat.

"Well, it's steam of course; duh," said another voice, probably Mitsuha. He placed his back to the wall, in an attempt to make himself as unnoticeable as possible, and waited for the two telltale shadows to appear.

"Ugh! We are so not getting paid enough for this," said Yomi, stomping her feet (going by the slight tremor in the ground).

"First off, we technically don't get paid," said Mitsuha, probably counting off with her fingers, "Secondly, if we did get paid, Hay-chan would pay us so well we could buy golden fountains and stuff! Thirdly, isn't Hay-chan's happiness enough? Wouldn't you move mountains for Hay-chan?"

"…I see your point, but stiiiiiilll; do we have to? Won't Hayato-sama still be happy if we capture the other one?"

"Yes, but he will be extra extra happy if we also capture this guy! Think of how he might reward us!"

"Wait, you mean he might let us…let us…"

"Yes, he might let us into the fabled…" Mitsuha paused, presumably for dramatic effect, before saying, "Back Room."

"I've always wanted to be in the… Back Room. Do you think you'd be willing to let me borrow the whip?"

"I can be persuaded to. After all, it must be used for its proper function." In response, Yomi, quite literally, squeed.

"Yes! I'll finally be able to whip it; whip it good!"

…Can I kick their asses yet?

Thankfully, God seemed to be willing to cut him some slack as two shadows appeared, the one to the left being Yomi due to carrying what can only be a scythe. Homura smiled. Let the games begin.

Homura pushed off the wall, dashing towards them, and executed a roll, ending up on one knee in front of them. He than did a low sweeping kick on Yomi, swiping the feet out from under her, causing her to fall to the ground with a squawk of surprise. Before Mitsuha could react, he elbowed her sharply in the stomach, resulting in her doubled over in pain. Letting the rest of his body fall prone to the ground, he ended up lying below Mitsuha. Under normal circumstances, he would refrain from using his fire attacks outside his aura in what amounts to a raining room. However, in his current position, her body is blocking the majority of the water. Taking advantage of this, Homura extends one hand up, and sends a fireball at Mitsuha. This sends her flying upwards and smashing into the roof. He rolled backwards, getting to his feet as she collided to the ground where he was lying only moments ago.

"Try and catch me, little birdie," Homura said, before spinning around and sprinting away.

"That is it," said Yomi, "I am so going to kick your ass!" If the stomp of her feet were any indicator, she is currently coming after him. Perfect.

Homura opened the door of the nearest room, entering it and waited. Than, the moment Yomi came into view, he dashed out, tackling her to the wall. Grabbing hold of her scythe, he kneed her in the stomach, and yanked the scythe out of her slackening grip. He than grabbed her by the front of her dress, and threw her into the room he just came out of before spinning around to block the crack of the whip. He grabbed hold of the whip, which is much easier than having to catch, and just like before yanked Mitsuha off her feet. He than let go of the whip so he could backhand her into the same room he sent Yomi into. Mitsuha collided with Yomi's rising form, the two of them tumbling to the ground in a heap of limps.

Homura took off running in the direction Mitsuha came from, carrying the scythe in such a way that it left noticeable scrap marks in the floor. Just in case they got lost. He than quickly checked each room, finding what he was looking for in the third room. Entering, he lashed out with the scythe, the blade sinking into the wall above the door, before twisting it, as if the scythe were some sort of hour hand. Continuing with that metaphor, he was only able to twist it to about ten o'clock before the ridiculous length prevented it from going any higher. He than pulled himself up, wrapped his arms and legs around the scythe, and waited.

Homura didn't have to wait long as the two came rushing into the room in a frenzy, obviously pissed off by his hit-and-run tactics.

"Where the fuck did he go?" said Yomi from outside the doorway as Mitsuha slowly walked in. Well, if that isn't the perfect straight line, than I'm not a fire user.

Letting go of the scythe, he dropped, landing on top of Mitsuha and sending her to the ground. Expecting the collision, he recovered first. Ripping the whip from her slackened grip, he got to her feet and tossed her to the nearby wall. He than spun around, and lashed the whip out at Yomi, tripping her up and sending her to the ground with a yelp. Spinning around again, he tossed the whip to his left hand and lashed out with it again, aiming for Mitsuha. Seeing it coming, she dodged by leaping to the side; landing right in front of the window. Smirking, he let go of the whip, having switched hands so he wouldn't accidentally tangle himself up on it, and dashed forward to meet her. Flames erupting from his fist, he punched her in the face the moment she landed, sending her flying through the glass window and plummeting to the streets below.

Not wasting any time, he spun around again, and charged forward, surprising Yomi as he tackled her, lifting her off her feet. They plowed through the cheaply made wall, entering into another room that was a mirror of the one across the hall (including the window, which makes him wonder about the architecture of this building) before she kneed him in the stomach. Seeing as she is a power type, and is, you know, more powerful than he (an elemental type) is, her knee hit much harder than any of his strikes. Specifically, it sent him flying through the hole in the wall he just made and into the room they just left.

"That is it! I am so going to rip your spine right out your ass!" Yomi said, stalking into the room. With that pleasant image in his head, they got to work.

Under normal circumstances, he would not get into a fist fight with a power type, seeing as they are faster and stronger than he is. However, in this case, those advantages are nullified by a few factors. First off, most, if not all, elemental types learn some hand to hand combat techniques for just these types of circumstances. Secondly, considering how pissed off she is, he doubts that she will be fighting strategically. Finally, she's a weapon user, which means that she has no hand to hand fighting experience herself, no doubt spending all her time getting acquainted with her weapon.

And her inexperience showed with the first punch she threw. He ducked under the punch before delivering his own to her gut, stunning her for a few moments. Taking advantage, he spun around behind her and tossed her into a nearby wall, sending her flying through the wall and into another room. Jumping through the hole, he delivered a kick to her rising form, sending her stumbling back. Rolling forward, he swept her legs out from under her with an extended leg, sending her to the ground. Rising to his feet, he raised a foot, and sent it down viciously onto her face, intent on knocking her out. She caught the foot before punching him…err… below the waist, eliciting a groan from Homura and a wince from any man who would have seen it. To add insult to injury, the same hand sneaked out and latched on to his family jewels, making him think blasphemous thoughts of how being a man sucks. Going by the sadistic smirk on her face, it's thoughts she was attempting to illicit from him. She than tossed him out the room, sending him plowing through the wall and creating a hole about an inch to the right of the hole her body created.

He rose to his feet on shaky legs, still clutching his abused family jewels. He was thus unable to react before she sent an uppercut to his chin, sending him flying back towards the nearby wall. The moment he landed, she punched him in the face, sending him colliding with the outer wall. Due to being made of sterner stuff than the inner walls, he didn't smash through, and merely slide to the ground in pain. Pain that made him realize that he had more important things to worry about than his family jewels.

…Oh, who is he kidding, nothing is more important than his family jewels. He hopes those guys are all right…

Homura maintained his limp position, keeping his eyes closed to maintain his subterfuge as Yomi, presumably, stalked towards him. His leg moved with what he can only assume is a kick from Yomi, and that's when his eyes snapped open, his leg snapping out and connected with her stomach, sending her stumbling back with a curse. He rolled forward and slightly to the left, trying to keep himself as close to her as possible, and extended his left hand across his body. A fireball erupted from his hand, barely weakened by the water due to how close they are to each other. It smashed into her, sending her flying back through the other undamaged wall and into that room. Hoping to intercept her before she can recover, he jumped through the hole in the wall. However, she was ready for him. Still lying on her back on the floor, she lashed out with both her feet, connecting with his stomach. He once again passed through the hole in the wall, this time in reverse.

The moment Homura landed, he rolled backward, expecting Yomi to try the same trick he did. His guess was correct when he saw her form land, a punch creating a crater in the ground and nearly buckling the entire floor. He lashed out with a foot to her cheek, forcing her to roll away from the blow. He rolled in the opposite direction, the two of them rising to there feet. They came at each other again, with her once again delivering a punch he easily dodged, and him once again countering, this time with an elbow to her face. Taking advantage of her disorientation, he grabbed her by the shoulders and smashed her through an inner wall before spinning around and smashing her against the outer wall. Despite the vicious battering she still has the wherewithal to head butt him in the face, causing him to involuntarily let her go to clutch his face in pain. Taking advantage, she grabbed him by the shoulders and viciously kneed him…err… below the waist.

Homura loves his brothers; he really does. But right now they are proving to be quite detrimental in a knock-down, drag-out fight.

Yomi than threw him, sending him flying through a wall, which hadn't been damaged before that point. It makes Homura wonder what people would think was responsible for this wide scale destruction: gigantic termites?

That ludicrous thought made him start laughing as he flies through the hallway and through another wall, only stopping when the collision with the ground knocks the air out of his lungs, and refocusing him to the task at hand. Getting to his feet, he makes a mental note to check in with MBI afterwards. As much as he loathes having anything to do with that company, he might very well be suffering from a concussion right now.

Yomi came charging in, a leg snapping out with a kick. Huh, she kicked; that's new. Homura easily dodged the kick with a side step, his fist lashing out at her face, which she avoided with a tilt of her head. Huh, she dodged; that's new. He was expecting that (or at least prepared for it), and did a quick jab to her face with his other hand, sending her back a step. Interlocking his hands into one fist, he swung his arms like he was swinging a baseball bat, his fists smashing into her face and sending her flying back into the other room. Huh, she was sent flying; that's new.

Chasing after Yomi into the other room, Homura saw her get to her feet and lash out with a punch. He rolled under the blow, his foot connecting with the back of her left knee, sending her to one knee in pain. He yanked down on her hair, eliciting a yelp, and placed his other hand hovering near the small of her back. He sent her flying with a blast of fire… flying right towards where he left her scythe. Getting to his feet, he dashed to the other room across the hall, seeing her smash through the wall. However, she was able to stop her momentum by grabbing the scythe, leaving her dangling on one side of the doorframe while holding on to the scythe on the other side. Widening her grip, she yanked the scythe out, and quickly snaked it through the hole, impressive considering its size, while she fell to the ground. She stalked into the room with Homura waiting patiently, the window behind him.

"Found where you hid my scythe," she said, a sadistic grin spreading on her face, "Now I'm going to cut you into little pieces!" She than charged him, her scythe sweeping horizontally at him. He dived over the blowing. Upon landing, he rolled to the right to dodge a vertical slash downwards. He got to his feet at the same time she pried the scythe out of the floor. She unleashed another horizontal slash, which he dodged by hopping back and slightly to the left, positioning her in front of the window. Before she could slash again, he leapt forward, performing a dropkick that she was forced to block with her scythe, sending her stumbling back a few steps. He rolled forward, and before she could recover, sprung to his feet and tackled her through the window, breaking the glass and sending them flying outside.

Midair, Homura grabbed hold of the scythe around the same time she let go of it with a hiss. After all, without the torrents of water from the sprinkler, what's keeping his aura of fire from doing what it was meant to do? Her eyes widen as his left hand extended towards her. He smirks. "Never considered where the steam came from?" He than blasted her with a ball of fire, sending her plummeting to the ground at a faster rate than he is. Tumbling, he lashed the scythe out at the wall, the blade sinking into the wall. He slipped down to nearly the butt of the scythe before swinging himself forward feet first through a window, landing with a crouch amongst the broken glass he smashed through. Standing up to his full height, he quickly walked over to the stairs, smiling on the way over.

It was a hard fought victory, but a victory nevertheless. Now would be a good time to call it a night, however. Even if Homura wasn't hurting…err… below the waist, he is completely exhausted. In his condition, it would be easy to lose control of his powers. Hell, he has a hard time keeping control of his abilities even when he's in prime condition. It was a minor miracle that his control held out as long as it did. While it might get a little sticky if he were to run into anyone else, he's confident he'll be able to slip away.

Still, this has been a good day. He was able to rescue another sheep from the wolves, despite the numeri…cal… wait…

One moment, he was walking down the stairs at a brisk pace. The next he was all but throwing himself down the same stairs. How could he be stupid enough to forget about the oh so important strategic information of how many people you're fighting?!

Dammitdammitdammit DAMMIT!

He must have forgotten about Himeko due to the heat of the fight. He was too focused on the present. His view was too narrow, and by narrowing his view, he made a critical mistake, for he is the Sekirei Guardian. He is their Shepard. He is their guide in the darkness. They are his flock to direct, his flock to lead. How could he have failed even one by letting a wolf get to her? How could he have failed one of his own by forgetting the difference between the number two and three? She needed a Shepard… and the Shepard let her stray. The Shepard failed her… and now there is a good chance one more sheep will be taken from his flock.

He reaches the first floor, all but smashing through the door into the lobby at full sprint, heading for the door to the street. If he is lucky, he might be able to catch sight of Himeko so he can give chase. Having to carry Chisei would slow her down and would also hamper her in a battle. With such a disadvantage, Homura might be able to salvage the situation from being a complete failure.

Homura smashed through another door, entering into the street, fervently searching for the fleeing form of Himeko… only to see her a few meters away, battling who he can only assume to be another Sekirei, considering the speeds the two are going at are beyond that of a mere human. Only problem is that he can't quite place the new Sekirei.

The first impression he has of him is tall, taller even than Mutsu, which is surprising to Homura since he had always thought no Sekirei was taller than him. The strangeness continues as he takes in the all white armor the Sekirei is wearing, complete with a blue cape for some reason, and a helmet that completely covers the Sekirei's head and face… which makes Homura wonder how he is able to see out of it, let alone fight. The overall look vaguely resembles that of ancient Greek armor, only sleeker and more modernized. As if to complete the ensemble, the Sekirei is wielding a lance. Quite expertly, he might add. The Sekirei has obviously had plenty of practice.

That makes Homura curious as to who this Sekirei is. He is probably male, considering his height, and considering the skill he has with that lance, that is probably his preferred weapon, so he's not Mutsu. Is he winged, perhaps? And if he is, was it the Ashikabi's decision to wear that outfit? He doubts the armor is actually armor, considering it doesn't seem to be slowing him down, but if it isn't, why bother wearing it? Also…

"Bastardbastardbastardbastard bastard Bastard BASTARD!"

What the hell did he do to piss off Himeko so much? Homura has never seen her lose her temper like this. Sure, she can be a bit of a bitch at times (though nowhere near as bad as Yomi) but she never actually shows her anger like this. Himeko has always been proud of her polite mannerisms, after all.

Well, as long as she's distracted, Homura can figure out the peculiarity a little later. With an obviously skillful assistant, Himeko shouldn't be too difficult to defeat, and Chisei is probably already a good distance away…

"White knight, white knight, you're my man! If you can't do me, no one can!"

…or she can still be here, acting like a demented cross between a cheerleader and a stripper. Does he want to know what sexual act she has planned for that poor bastard? Thank god the fight hasn't presumably been going on for very long, or else she would probably be lacking in clothing already. He should probably get her away from the fight, if only so he could convince her to put her clothes back on.

Still, Homura's starting to get a little uneasy. Why are Chisei and Himeko acting so out of character? Is this mysterious Sekirei somehow involved? Or does it perhaps have something to do with last night's conversation between Miya and Uzume that they weren't allowing him to listen to?

Troubled, Homura moved into the middle of the battle so he can carry out Chisei. Coincidentally, that was also when cautiously optimistic morphed into horny.

Really horny.

He stopped running towards Chisei, completely forgetting about getting her out of there. After all, he would rather watch the white knight's masterful use of his lance. If only he can learn to use a lance like that…

Holding his lance horizontally, the winged one blocked Himeko's downward slash with the haft of his lance. He kicks her in the stomach, sending her stumbling back. He follows that up with a downward slash of his lance, which she dodges by taking a step back, ending the three hit combo with a thrust, intent on impaling her. She sidesteps the thrust, than steps into his guard, slashing her sword horizontally in an attempt to behead him. He steps forward, simultaneously ducking under the blow, and smashed the butt of his lance into the back of her knee, sending her to one knee, followed by smashing her face with the haft, sending her to the ground. She rolls backwards, dodging the downward thrust of the lance, and bounced back to her feet. In response, he leaps at her, simultaneously thrusting his lance at her face. She dodges with a slight tilt of her head, grabbed the end of the lance next to her head, and gave a downward slice of her sword. He half spun around his lance, dodging her attack, and elbowed her sharply in the face. He half spun back to his original position, delivering a jab to her face before yanking the lance out of her hand. This elicited a hiss of pain from Himeko as the lance tip cut her hand, distracting her long enough for him to smash the butt of the lance into her face, sending her, once again, stumbling back. Twirling the lance, the winged one reset his position, holding the butt of the lance above his head while the tip dips below his knee, and waited for her to make her next move.

Homura shakes his head, attempting to ignore the distraction of masterful lance thrusting. After all, he has an orgy to plan! Abandoned building to house the orgy?

Well, there is the nearby abandoned office building with the luxurious lobby room, so check! Participants for the orgy?

He glances over to Chisei, who is still chanting and is one step up from nudity.

…He can probably make the safe assumption that she'll be on the list. He glances over to the fight. With the help of the winged one, it shouldn't be too difficult to subdue her. He supposes the winged one will probably want in on it as well, which he's fine with, as long as the winged one remembers whose top dog. There is also the two Sekirei he took out earlier. They might not still be there, but if they are, it'll be worth it to drag them into this. The more the merrier as they say! Ooh, he could also make a call to Izumo Inn to see if he can get Miya and Uzume involved. Sure, Uzume is a lesbian, but he's sure if she got a taste of a real man, she'll love it! As for Miya, he thinks it's about time she woke up her naughty side.

As Homura continues to think of how to make his orgy perfect, the fight between the winged one and Himeko began to reach its end. The winged one planted the butt of his lance to the ground, and jumped over Himeko's horizontal slash, delivering a kick to her face, sending her stumbling back. He landed, spun around to keep his momentum, and once again planted his lance into the ground, this time with the tip down. He than pole vaulted towards her, launching himself feet first into her chest, sending her flying towards a nearby building and putting a crater in the wall. Meanwhile, he performs several back flips before landing near his lance, yanking it out of the ground and twirling it so that it faces the direction of Himeko.

Himeko got to her feet with a look of confusion on her face. She glances over to Homura, and than to Chisei, who has finally taken that one step down, before shaking her head and saying, "I'm not involving myself in this insanity any longer." She than ran off. Sighing in relief, the winged one turns to look at Chisei, who gives him a sultry smile and a thrust of her chest in response.

…The winged one dares? The winged one dares to even look at what is his? The winged one is not content with the love of an Ashikabi? He's not content with having love with the bitch that he is winged to that he must take from the less fortunate? Take property that is not his? For she is already his! He is her shepherd, she is his sheep! And as his sheep, he may do what he wishes with her! And if the winged one wants to encroach on property that is not his, than he is a wolf, and he has only one way of dealing with wolves…

A fireball begins to appear from Homura's left hand.

And after this upstart is nothing more than a charred corpse, he might have to reinsert his control over the sheep. It shouldn't be too hard. He has heard from Mikogami's bitches how he neglects them, how he ignores them, and yet they still profess their love to him like the women they are. You can treat these women like shit and they will still come back, all because their Ashikabi is "the one". Even Miya isn't exempt from this, as she stays at the home of her dead husband because he was "the one". It is obvious what all women respect: power. It does not matter what type of power someone has over them, all you need is any kind of power and a women will be putty in your hands; and true power can only be wielded by men.

So he's going to have to show his power over her. He's going to have to drag her by her hair to the closest alley, and than… he will use his lance on her; and he has no doubt that she will love it like the slut she is! And than… and than… di-did he really just think that? What is wrong with him?

Confusion etched on his face, Homura looked down at his hand, and quickly snuffed out the flames by making a fist. Next to him, Chisei seems to be just as confused, glancing around before realizing that she is completely naked and covers her self the best she can. When she takes note of the knight showing his back to her, she says, "Ah, well, um, it seemed like a good idea at the time? I do thank you for your propriety."

"It might be best for you to put your clothes back on now," the knight said.

"Ah, yes, that would probably be best," said Chisei, putting her clothes back on as fast as possible.

"I do apologize for what happened," the knight said, walking away, "I will try to be more careful in the future."

Homura, though, heard none of this; too intent he was on staring at his hands, his mind whirring with thoughts. Is that the type of person he is? He will readily admit to feeling a bit angry at not having an Ashikabi, but is he also envious of those who do? It isn't fair to have any hatred towards them just because they found their Ashikabi's first. It isn't fair to lash out at them due to problems that are his and his alone. The real question he should be asking, though, is whether or not he cares about doing what's fair.

And what of those thoughts about women? He has always had some pity for Sekirei taken by force, but was that pity really contempt? Does he have contempt for them, and apparently for all women, because he thinks they're all powerless? Power… shepherd… sheep… a shepherd's duty is to protect the sheep. To guide the sheep; and to be able to guide and protect them, you need power, for the powerless can't do either. Is the acquisition of power the secondary goal to protecting… or is it the other way around?

The clearing of someone's throat snaps him out of his thoughts, prompting him to look up at a concerned Chisei, now with her cloths back on.

"Are you alright?" she said.

"I'll be fine," Homura said, "I just have a lot on my mind."

"That makes two of us," she said, "I still can hardly fathom stripping down naked in the middle of the street and finding it to be a reasonable thing to do." She shakes her head in confusion.

"Will you be alright by yourself?" he said.

"I was just saved by two separate Sekirei on the same exact day," she said, "I don't think anyone will be making anymore moves against me, at least for tonight." She paused, glancing in the direction that the knight walked away to, than said, "If perchance you run into the… white knight again before I do, would you be so kind as to relay my thanks to him?"

"I will," Homura said with a nod. Smiling, Chisei begin to leave, before pausing as if she had forgot something.

"I would also like to thank you as well for all that you have done to save me from those… women." She said. She than bowed, and added, "Thank you," before leaving. Homura glanced back at his hands.

Does he deserve to be thanked?

Author's Note (...Again): I'm just going to jump into this. Yes, that last part with Homura was meant to be disturbing. The reason why I stopped here is so I can make a note of what happened and why. The Smite is not merely an Aphrodisiac: it also has their shadow aspect move to the fore.

The shadow aspect is a concept from Jungian Psychology. Carl Jung was a Swiss Psychiatrist and a sort of pseudo rival with Freud. The two sides has competing theories about the unconscious, and about dreams. While Freud focused a bit more on... sexual aspects, Jung had a different focus. One of his concepts was the Shadow aspect. The Shadow aspect is the unconscious part of a person's personality. It's the aspect of a person's personality that they are either ignorant of or outright repress. The shadow is usually composed of the least desirable part of their personality, and thus is usually negative aspects (though a person can have positive aspects if they have a low self-esteem). The Persona series makes a lot of use of the shadow aspect (and indeed, I wouldn't be shocked if Jungian Psychology is the foundation for all those stories). Persona 4 probably makes the most direct use of it: after all, an important aspect of that story is to confront the shadow, except it, and merge with it. (Note: this whole paragraph was actually taken word for word from a post I made to a reviewer. I didn't want to have to rewrite it)

What happened to Homura is his shadow side come to the fore. The same thing also happened to Karasuba, but I was either to subtle or no one cared, so I decided to take a more overt path with Homura. His shadow revolves around one thing: need for power. He himself feels powerless, as which ever person he wings himself to will have absolute control over him, to the point that his very gender will change because of it. His heroism is a need to influence others; to have power over others. After all, his actions are a very important in deciding who they wing to. It also keeps them just like him for just a little while longer: directionless and lacking an Ashikabi.

He also harbors a degree of jealousy towards winged Sekirei because they can find their Ashikabi so easily and because they don't have to follow the Ashikabi's every order. In theory, his winging makes him a slave while theirs gives them a partner. The difference between theory and practice is also the reason for his contempt for women: despite technically be free to decide for themselves, he sees Sekirei over and over doing everything their Ashikabi says, despite gaining very little from it. Since most Sekirei are women, his contempt for women in general stems from the fact that over and over, he sees female Sekirei giving up their freedom and power and willingly become slaves. The one male Sekirei he knows is Mutsu and Amebane, with the former having an equal partnership with Mikogami, and the latter's Ashikabi having very little control over him.

This leads into his final believe that only men can have true power, and that if he were a man and finds a female Ashikabi, he may be able to keep some of his freedom. Of course, as his attempted orgy shows, he getting to be so desperate that he doesn't care who he is winged to, as long as he actually finds someone.

If anyone is interested, I will also PM Karasuba's shadow side, but only if you ask. I will also note that both of these characterizations will be present in the retooled version.

With all that out of the way, let's get into the rest of the chapter. First off, Uzume: when I originally started this chapter, I originally didn't plan on her being so childish, but I thought that characterization actually kinda fit, so I kept it in. Also, I'm just going to say right now that she's going to wing herself to Chiho. Please don't misinterpret that: she will be an ally,just not winged to him.

Secondly, Shirou: damn, he's even more OOC than last chapter. It's getting to the point where he might as well be an OC with a similar skillset as Shirou. When it comes down to it, though, I had written him OOC because, in all truth, I find the original Shirou to be kind of dull. And now I'll be in my bunker for when the rioting starts in response to that statement.

Now that I'm safely in my bunker, I can type in the rest, and since I'm on the topic of OC, I would like to talk about Chisei for a moment. Chisei is a weird blend of canon and OC at the same time. Her physical appearance and number are canon (type in "Sekirei no 37 wiki" if you want proof), but her personality, name, and the fact that she is a brain type is not. She's here solely because I wanted Shirou to have a brain type, but not have said brain type be Matsu. Much like Uzume, though, Chisei will be allied to him but not winged to him. I wanted to keep the number of Sekirei he himself wings to a minimum (4 tops).

Now lets get into Homura's fight scene, and just so I can get this out of the way: Homura used Fire Punch...Super Effective!...Mitsuha fainted. Anyway, you must prepare for more In Flight dissing.

Warning, the following involves lots and lots of In Flight Bitching. Skip if you do not wish to read it. You have been warned.

Another issue I have with In Flight is the fact that I got the impression that Shirou's Sekirei were pushed to the side just so Gabriel Blessing can show how awesome Shirou is. The only character that this doesn't apply is Karasuba, but only because he needed a villain who could credible be a threat to the awesomeness that is Shirou. Hell, even Minaka went down way to easily. I realize that he is a Non-action Big Bad, but shouldn't he have had the entire building booby trapped instead of just his room.

This intense focus on how badass Shirou is also, unfortunately, has a deleterious effect on on all the Sekirei he wings (and Miya), having them stay out of focus. This damages their characterization, ending with most of them being nothing more than caricatures. . The ones that are hit the worst with this are Kusano (Moe), Tsukiumi (Tsundere) and Kazehana (err... wants badly to have sex with Shirou). These three characters are especially one dimension (except for Kazehana,who would need to have a dimension to be one dimensional), and add very little to the story.

This disparity of focus is the most noticeable with the fight scenes, where his Sekirei have a grand total of two fights... and the focus for both is almost completely on him. I'll let it go for the second one (which is in the second to last chapter) due to the fact that he is kind of in a death match with Karasuba and thus to busy to pay too much attention to the other fights, but the first one is especially egregious. For the first half of the fight, he is literally doing NOTHING! He's having a staredown with Kakizaki, that's it. It's made worse by the fact that what little of the fight you see is shown through the lens of along the lines of "Well, they're not bad, but they're nowhere near the level of a Servant, so I should be able to kick their asses.

I would not be complaining about this so much if Shirou's fights weren't shown in almost blow by blow detail. Now, I have nothing against this style of writing fights (it's how I do it) but it is only done for HIS fights, as if to say only his fights are awesome enough to actually show. To make a long story short, I showed Homura doing Sekirei Guardian things because Shirou isn't the only person who can be awesome, dammit!

And since we're still on the topic of complaining about In Flight, I would also like to voice another issue: fanservice. Specifically, his adherence to fanservice. In my mind, this doesn't work for two reasons: 1: fanservice is really hard to do in a written medium. There is a big difference in showing someone that is beautiful and describing someone that is beautiful. Something is lost in translation, and thus all the attempts at fanservice are not tantalizing, they're just, well, annoying; 2: It adds nothing to the story. This can be thrown towards anything that use excessive fanservice, really. I do not care about reading about beautiful women doing suggestive things. I'll go watch pornography for that. So to do I not care about sex scenes unless there is a point to them. most types of fanservice, in the end, is pointless filler.

Since we're on the subject of fanservice, I must also note that I do not find the proportions of the Sekirei to be "enticing".When I see there breasts, I don't think, "Damn those are big!", I think, "Oh, come on, those are so fake!" They just look wrong, especially Musubi's breasts. I think that there is a breast size threshold: depending on the women, after a certain point, a women's breasts look to large to be real, and I'm one of these people who loses all appreciation for someone's breasts if I think they're fake (more of a legs person, anyways). Actually, comparing Fate/Stay night really shows a large difference, showing the focus of the two series. Sakura is nicely proportioned; Rider is nicely proportioned. Hell, I'd even argue that Karasuba is nicely proportioned.

Just a side bar here, but am I the only one who noticed all the good girls are big bosomed and all the bad girls are small by comparison? Apparently, according to Sekirei, any women below a c cup is evil. Remember folks, if you're dating someone with an A cup, force them to get a boob job; they'll become good girls if you do!

What all this talk is leading up to is the fact that I will put very little focus on fanservice, and any mention of the size of their breasts will be kept to a minimum (which I guess makes me a hypocrite because I've done both in these two chapters).

The Rant has ended. Go in Peace.

I bet this is a first: someone going out of their way to rant about boobs. Anyway, I mentioned in the first chapter AN that I plan on writing only one story at a time. Yeah,I'm going to have to forego that thought, for reasons that I explained, again, in my profile. I'll summarize it here in three sentences: So many cool ideas! Must write down! Must post them! As such, I suggest not holding your breath for the two retooled chapters.

If you do, than I suppose I'll help pay for your funeral.

Considering the unique circumstances, I'm not sure if you should go out of your way to review this chapter. If nothing else, it would be nice to hear what everyone thinks, though. Also, if anyone wants to learn about the retooled chapters, I can share a few details. They're not finished (they would be posted if they were) but I have a general idea of what the two chapters will be about.

Shit, these two AN's are nearly four thousand words long! I really am a wordy bastard! Well, anyways, hope this was worth the wait!