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No Game For Old Men, a Sekirei tale	By : RykOakwine Category: -Misc Anime > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 6808 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Sekirei, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 5
No Game For Old Men

Book 1.4 - A Fate Denied

o.0.O.0.o

o.0.O.0.o
(Author's Note: Please do remember that in Japan one drives on the left hand side of the road,much like in the U.K., so everything involving vehicles and roads is the opposite from in the U.S. That means you do look to the left from the drivers seat to look at the person in the passenger seat.)
Thursday, December 19th, 2019
Sekirei number 86, Katsuragi, was never as enthusiastic about the Sekirei Plan as her sister Sekirei seemed to be. In truth, Katsuragi was not enthusiastic about much of anything; she liked her days to be quiet and peaceful, maybe reading a book or watching a Bruce Lee movie, alone.
However, that was before she was released into Shin Tokyo as one of the first Sekirei sent out to find their Ashikabi in Stage One of the Sekirei Plan.
She had the administrators make her a tight fitting yellow-and-black jumpsuit to wear, like her idol wore in the movie "Game of Death". Katsuragi was a full contact fist fighter, a 'power type' as they called themselves, and she loved watching Bruce Lee movies.
"Game of Death" was her favorite.
Since her winging to her Ashikabi, Higa Izumi, Katsuragi could not work up much enthusiasm about anything. Every day since her winging had been the same; take orders from number 16 or from Higa's assistant, Kakizaki, about where to search for unwinged Sekirei to capture them for her Ashikabi. Return late at night having failed to find any Sekirei, endure the humiliating punishments handed out by Kakizaki for failure, with number 16 disinterestedly watching.
Toyotama was there to make sure Katsuragi took her punishments without fighting back or resisting. She was not even allowed to cover her nakedness. Number 16 told Katsuragi, in a rare moment of collegial talk between the two, that she was grateful to Katsuragi because Kakizaki found Toyotama's larger, muscular, body "unsightly" and that Katsuragi provided the sadistic secretary a preferable target for his… enthusiasms.
This gratitude did not provide any relief from the situation nor did it make Katsuragi feel particularly better, in spite of Toyotama's intentions. Almost every night number 86 was to stand, naked and spread-eagle, against one of the walls in one of the special, private, secure, and (most importantly) sound-proofed, rooms in the residential penthouse level of the Higa Pharmaceuticals headquarters building. Ordered to take whatever Kakizaki's perverse and sadistic mind determined was suitable punishment for her failures.
Katsuragi shuddered to think of what life was like for the one Sekirei that Kakizaki had winged, himself. Silver-haired, pretty, and enviously buxom, number 22 Kochou was one of the rare "brain types" and she was the reason Kakizaki was able to occasionally acquire inside information on where new Sekirei would be released. Information Higa intended to use to swell the ranks of his Sekirei slaves.
Kochou rarely said anything to anyone.
Kochou never met anyone's eyes.
Number 86 Katsuragi was under orders to spend her days hunting through Shin Tokyo to find unwinged Sekirei and then beat them down so she could return them, bound and helpless, to the east of the city, for her Master to wing.
That was the entirety of Katsuragi's world now. Her orders.
Today was different though. Today she had finally caught sight of an unwinged Sekirei! She had seen a blonde Sekirei who she thought might have been number 62, Kaie, or maybe number 39, Mitsuki, both of whom Katsuragi had known from time shared in Group 4 in the MBI Sekirei Labs dorms after her own Puberty Adjustments. The unwinged Sekirei had been wearing casual western-style clothes instead of the more elaborate outfits favored by most of the Sekirei so it was difficult to be sure who she was and she had disappeared into the traffic that swarmed the streets of the city after just a second of eye contact. Number 86 was sure though that she was close to an unwinged Sekirei, close to being able to fulfill her orders. And Katsuragi really wanted to fulfill her orders.
If the Sekirei she was able to retrieve for her Ashikabi happened to be blonde and more petite than Katsuragi and therefore more attractive to Kakizaki's attentions then so much the better.
However, her target had disappeared. Now Katsuragi was searching the sidewalks, the alleys, and the rooftops, with only occasional glances spared for the vehicles that drove by her. No matter how much she strained her eyes and her meager Farsight faculty she still had not found her target. It had been more than two hours since she had met that Sekirei's eyes across the busy street but Katsuragi could feel that she was close. She wished she were better at seeing around corners, like some of the other girls in the MBI Sekirei Labs. Farsight was never one of her strong suits, mainly because it was almost entirely ignored by the researchers in the MBI Labs in favor of the more obviously combat-oriented abilities. Combat abilities that Katsuragi was able to demonstrate skill with, so that is what Katsuragi focused on as she grew up.
Still, she never considered giving up the hunt. No, she would continue searching until she found the unwinged Sekirei or until midnight came, when she was supposed to return to Headquarters, in the east of Shin Tokyo.
Return to Headquarters, another failure. To stand, naked and unbound, ordered by Higa-sama to allow Kakizaki do whatever he wanted to her. Number 86 found that the worst part; if they would tie her up when they beat her, or when they violated her body in shameful ways, then she might find some solace in the fact that she was forced, tied up, had no way to resist. Instead, no such fig leaf for her pride was allowed; she was ordered to stand against the wall, hands above her head gripping two rings that were inset in the masonry and do nothing but accept what Kakizaki did. So that is what she did, unobjecting.
There had been two nights where instead of ordering her against the wall, Kakizaki made her kneel before him. Those had been the worst.
So far.
Number 86 very much wanted to find an unwinged Sekirei to deliver to her Master.

o.0.O.0.o
"Hi, I'm Yosuga and this is my best friend, Madoka. What's your name?" the black haired girl with the almond-shaped dark eyes smiled at the new arrival in the Group 11's dorms. Her shy blonde friend Madoka stood behind her, curious about the new girl too but not brave enough to introduce herself.
That was one of the reasons Madoka loved her best friend Yosuga; because Yosuga was brave so Madoka did not have to be.
The newcomer to Group 11, a skinny, pale, girl with light blue eyes and dirty blonde hair, answered in a soft mumble, "I am Katsuragi, number 86."
"Oh! Yeah, I'm number 44 and Madoka is number 37. I keep forgetting to say that part, I'm sorry!"
All three girls looked to be about eight years old though none of them could have said if they were six or eight or ten. They had not been taught about calendars and seasons and years yet because knowing such things was not necessary for the Sekirei aliens, in the view of the MBI Administrators.
Katsuragi nodded her understanding to Yosuga, "I used to forget too, but in my last Group we started getting in bad trouble if we forgot so I started remembering."
Madoka and Yosuga both made sympathetic noises. They knew about getting in trouble with the MBI Administrators. Those people had no sense of humor at all and they were all getting harder and harder to please, too!
"Well come on 86 Katsuragi! Me and Mado-chan will introduce you to the others! Hey, do you like movies? You want to pick out the movie for tonight, since it's your first night with us?"
Katsuragi nodded her head and excitedly answered, speaking louder than a mumble for the first time since she arrived, "Can we watch a Bruce Lee movie? Those are my favorites!"
As Yosuga dragged Katsuragi and Madoka both along into the common room, she answered, "I guess so. I don't think I've seen a Bruce Lee movie. Is it good?"
"Bruce Lee is the best fighter ever. You'll love it, I promise."

o.0.O.0.o
Madoka, Sekirei number 37, sat in the passenger seat of the big, orange, Jeep. On her way, she hoped, to the apartment she had been staying at for the last week, given shelter and food by Gregory O'Donnell and his family.
She also hoped that Mishi O'Donnell, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the man driving the Jeep, would be home. Madoka rather desperately needed to find the American girl and kiss her.
Mishi's father, Gregory, was unsure if he wanted to let Madoka bond with his daughter and involve her in the dangerous Sekirei Plan that MBI was inflicting on not only the Sekirei and their Ashikabi but also everyone in Shin Tokyo. Madoka knew Gregory was undecided; she understood he wanted to help Madoka but his protective instincts towards his daughter had the potential to destroy Madoka's life.
She could not let that happen. If Gregory stopped the vehicle and told her to get out, now, then number 86, who was hunting for Madoka, would find her and drag her back to her master Higa. Anything was better than that happening.
Being bonded to a man like Higa was the worst possible fate Madoka could imagine.
Madoka reached her right hand out and gripped Gregory O'Donnell's hand where it rested on the stick shift. Gregory glanced over at her, surprised. Surprised, since in a week of living with him and his family Madoka had not once initiated a touch with the man.
She held his hand now and smiled her very best smile, putting as much gratitude and affection as she could into her words. "Thank you Gregory-kun. For everything that you have done for me and are trying to do for me. If not for you, I would have been condemned to a horrible fate by now. You are the best man I have ever met and I want you to know I am very grateful for your kindness and your protection."
Madoka could see the commitment to helping her solidify in Gregory's expression, the concern he had for his daughter's safety taking a temporary back seat to his desire to be the kind of man Madoka felt gratitude towards. Madoka envied Mishi; her American friend had a father who cared about her and wanted to protect her so much that it took every trick Madoka knew to keep him on the path of helping Madoka remain free from the nightmare that Higa represented.
"Of course, Mado-chan. Anything I can do to help, I'll do." Gregory's return smile made her feel safer. Gregory would help her, he was a good man and he cared about what happened to her and cared about the other Sekirei too. She could count on him. His honest desire to help her, proven without room for doubt, declared by his words that were spoken in his comforting deep voice, caused warmth to fill Madoka's heart and spread out through her body, a glow she could almost see wrapped about her hand where it clasped Gregory's.
The Jeep was idling at a red light, surrounded by other vehicles. The height of the big American vehicle insured Madoka could see over the rooftops of the cars around them, allowing Madoka to scan the crowds on the sidewalks on either side of the busy street when she wasn't focusing on using her Farsight to sense further than her eyes could manage.
"If you see her, let me know, Mado-chan. We'll try to outrun her, lose her in the traffic and the backstreets. I know this part of the city pretty well and I doubt she does."
Madoka nodded. "I will. If I see her, I will let you know right away." Madoka had not used her Farsight much since that downtown alley where Katsuragi had been winged by Higa, but she tried to engage that sense now, hoping she could use it to see in every direction at once or pick out one person from the crowds along this busy street.
She kept scanning the crowds on the sidewalks on the passenger side of the street but there must have been thousands of people walking along the side of the street! Why weren't these people at home having dinner with their families? She could see them with her eyes and with her Farsight, thousands of people along the street, going into and coming out of stores with names like Gucci and Prada and Dior. It was driving Madoka to distraction, trying to spot one dishwater blonde girl in a crowd of hundreds and hundreds of Japanese.
Still, even though she saw no sign of Katsuragi with any of her senses, Madoka knew the girl was close. She could feel it.
The light ahead turned green and the Jeep moved forward, Gregory shifting the gears into second, which meant Madoka needed to let go of his hand. She did so and turned to her left to look more fully out the passenger side window, rather sharply missing the comfort of the physical contact. She was scared, though she was doing her best to keep it hidden.
As the Jeep picked up speed alongside the other vehicles traveling on this broad, six-lane, avenue through the commercial district around Tokyo Metro High, Gregory caught Madoka's attention. "I'm going to assume that Katsuragi is a blonde girl who is thin and rangy, dressed in a skin tight yellow and black body-stocking like Uma Thurman in 'Kill Bill'."
Madoka's head whipped around to face Gregory, "Yes! Why, do you see her? Where?"
Gregory pointed with the index finger of the hand gripping the top of the steering wheel, pointing directly ahead of the Jeep. "I figure that's her right there, Mado-chan."
Sure enough, standing in middle of the broad street, on the dashed lines that marked the separation between the eastbound traffic and the westbound traffic, was number 86, Katsuragi. She was watching the sidewalks on both sides of the street, her head pivoting back and forth, trying to see everyone and everything at once.
Gregory and Madoka were driving in the furthest right hand lane of the three lanes going in their direction, which meant that barely two seconds after Gregory pointed at Katsuragi, the big orange Jeep drove past her. They passed almost close enough for Gregory to reach out of the driver side window and touch the yellow-and-black clad Sekirei.
Katsuragi met Madoka's eyes as the Jeep drove past, with Madoka unable to do anything but stare in horrified, open-mouthed, astonishment. She found me… she found me… oh no!

o.0.O.0.o
"OH NO! She saw me, Gregory-kun, she sees us! Go! Go faster!" Madoka was yelling in Gregory's ear, the girl turned in her seat completely to stare out the back windows of the Jeep. "Go! She is running after us! She is catching up!"
"What? There's no damn way she's catching up; we're going 60 kph, Madoka."
Madoka was slapping Gregory's shoulder now and screaming, "I am telling you Gregory, she is catching us! Go faster!"
Gregory glanced into the driver's side mirror and sure enough, beyond all realistic expectations, he could clearly see the yellow and black clad Katsuragi running in the middle of the avenue behind them and sure as hell, it looked like she was catching up.
Frustrated yelling in English filled the cab of the Jeep. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Okay, hold on, damnit, Madoka, sit down and buckle your seat belt!" Without waiting for Madoka to do as he ordered, Gregory whipped the Jeep to the right, turning onto a north-south avenue across three lanes of oncoming traffic. Oncoming traffic which screeched to a halt with horns honking and tires screeching. On the new street, Gregory floored the gas pedal after downshifting fiercely.
"Madoka, sit and buckle your seat belt!" Gregory yelled, still in English.
"I do not know how to buckle a belt thing!" Madoka screamed back at him in the same language.
Gregory could see out of the corner of his eye that Madoka was indeed fumbling with the seat belt as though she could not remember how to use it. "For fuck's sake…" he muttered, watching the traffic ahead to make sure he was clear for the next few moments, and then he reached over with his left hand, grabbed the seat belt buckle, and slammed it home into the receptacle, latching it firmly. Unfortunately, the buckle and receptacle pinched the webbing between his thumb and forefinger badly and his hand started bleeding all over the steering wheel.
"Ah, damnit! Fuck that hurts! Fuck. FUCK!"

o.0.O.0.o
Madoka was shocked into silence by Gregory's loud cursing. She had never heard anyone curse like that in her whole life and certainly never expected it from the kind, articulate, Gregory O'Donnell. He was a schoolteacher! He taught English! He could not talk like that! It wasn't, wasn't, it just wasn't appropriate!

o.0.O.0.o
Gregory, unaware of how profoundly shocked his passenger was, tried to ignore the pain in his hand and focus on driving as fast as he could get away with. In truth, he felt quite a bit better, his head clearer and his heart rate calmer, after the uncharacteristic outburst in English. He thought he saw a yellow blur of something in the rear view mirror, but he did not dare pull his attention from the traffic ahead of him to see for sure.
"Madoka. Madoka! Do you see her behind us?" Gregory asked, his voice still loud in the confines of the Jeep.
The question snapped Madoka out of her momentary shock and she swiveled her head around to look behind the Jeep. "No, I do not see her. No, wait, yes, she is back there, I just saw her jump! She can probably jump five to ten stories up, Gregory-san, so she is going up on top of the buildings to follow us from there! And stop yelling at me in English! I do not like it!"
Gregory grumbled as he drove through and around the evening commuter traffic in such a way that he was bound to receive a dozen tickets from automatic red light and speed limit monitors, "Great, just great, she can jump ten stories up? Wonderful! It's a good thing we're in a vehicle with a giant canvas top, huh? That way she can spot us from halfway across the city if she's on top a building."
The pair spent the next few minutes in silence. Madoka was sitting in the passenger seat with her eyes tightly closed, a look of intense concentration on her face, and Gregory was watching traffic, as they put as much distance between themselves and where they had last seen Katsuragi as possible. Then Madoka yelled, "She jumped to that right hand street by accident, go left! Go, go!"
Gregory turned left without any signal and barely missed plowing the Jeep into a family of four who were crossing the intersection on foot, blithely obeying the Walk sign. The father of the family saved his youngest child's life by pulling her back by her hand so hard that the child completely left her feet.
Gregory immediately turned into a side street to the right, and then a half-block further turned into the small parking lot for a grocery store. He killed the engine and the headlights of the Jeep, remembering at the last moment to get his foot off the brake too. He sat with one hand on the steering wheel, the other gripping the gearshift knob, his eyes wide; the image of that small girl being yanked out of the way of the Jeep's big tires with only inches to spare was imprinted on his mind forever.
The silence in the Jeep was deafening. After a moment Madoka whispered, "Did we lose her?"
Gregory shrugged, looking out the windows and through the mirrors, answering in quiet Japanese, "I don't know, Mado-chan, but after I turned it was too late to do anything but stop. See? The street we were on is closed and there is no way out of this strip of street without turning completely around. Our best hope is that she just goes past us without realizing we stopped."
Madoka nodded agreement, keeping quiet. Her heart was beating so hard it felt it would burst out of her chest, her right hand was gripping Gregory's left hand so hard that the knuckles were white, the blood from his pinched-through-skin slicking her own hand but she did not pay it any attention. "Gregory-san, please, do not let her get me. Please. Promise me, you will not let her get me."
"I won't let her get you, Mado-chan. I promise. But we can't drive like that; I almost killed that little girl."
Madoka nodded, though she had not seen what Gregory was talking about. She eventually spoke, in almost a whisper, still gripping Gregory's bloody left hand, not looking at him but instead watching out the window of the Jeep for any sign of Katsuragi. "There was one other person I reacted to, a little bit, Gregory-san. After a week of being cared for and provided for, shelter and food and clothes and concern, I could feel the same reaction with you that I felt with Mishi-chan."
Gregory turned in the driver's seat to stare at the back of Madoka's head as she remained looking away from him. He could only gape, blinking in confusion while mentally reviewing what Madoka had just said.
"Say again?"

o.0.O.0.o
"Mado-chan, is Yosuga here?" Katsuragi quietly asked, the young girl hovering at the door of the room Madoka and Yosuga shared in the Group 11 dormitories.
Madoka, small and scared, sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up against her chest and her arms wrapped around them tightly, shook her head negatively.
Katsuragi shuffled her feet for a moment, unsure what to say. She liked Yosu and Mado but talking to Mado was always difficult. Yosuga was the social one among the smaller Group 11 girls, she could tell everyone what everyone else wanted to say without getting nervous at all. In the three months that Katsuragi had been with Group 11 she had grown to like Yosuga and Madoka best of all of the other girls. They were both Katsuragi's size, unlike some of the other girls who were tall and had been adjusted older already. And like the other small girls, Katsuragi lived in fear of being taken away and coming back changed. Or never coming back at all, which sometimes happened to the Sekirei.
The last one in Group 11 who was taken away and never returned was little 52 Akio. Katsuragi was sad when 52 Akio never returned from his adjustments; he was the only boy Sekirei she had ever known, other than that scary 05 Mutsu but he did not count because he was not a boy, he was a huge and scary grown-up. 52 Akio was the only boy Sekirei any of the girls in Group 11 had ever known and he was quiet and very kind to all of the girls in Group 11, even a shy newcomer like Katsuragi. The taller grown-up girls had hoped he would come back from his adjustments more grown-up too but instead 52 Akio joined list of the Sekirei who had gone away and never came back.
Katsuragi moved over to stand next to the tiny blonde girl who was her friend. "Did they take Yosu away, Mado-chan?"
Madoka nodded her head.
Katsuragi saw the girl's tears and understood. Madoka and Yosuga had been together always so of course Madoka was scared her friend would never come back. "Mado I'm sure she'll come back, they took 16 Toyotama and 18 Ichiya last week for adjustments and they came back. Even though I barely recognized them, they were so big afterwards! Bigger than 14 Chiyo and her friends even!"
She could see this was not really helping Madoka so she tried again. "Hey, Mado-chan, tell me about what your Ashikabi will be like and I'll tell you about mine, okay?"
This was Katsuragi's last gambit; the Ashikabi game always pulled Madoka out of her moods. If it did not work then nothing would.
Katsuragi sat down next to Madoka on the narrow bed when she heard the other blonde girl answer softly "Okay."
"Great! Okay, I'll go first, Mado-chan. My Ashikabi will be really rich, and he'll be really really handsome, a real bishounen! He'll have pretty hair like mine and have servants that call him sama…"

o.0.O.0.o
Gregory noticed he could see the reflection of Madoka's face in the passenger side window well enough to see that there were tears spilling down her cheeks and that her left hand was covering her mouth. She replied after just a moment, her voice remarkably composed for someone who was literally weeping.
"Just what you heard me say, Gregory-san. You could be my Ashikabi. I could feel some small reaction to you, tonight. It is not surprising, is it? Mishi got the potential from someone, it must have been from you, right? And even before tonight, you have been taking care of me. And tonight you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, beyond decent honorable help for a stranger in need."
Gregory protested, "But Mado-chan, I am about as far from the kind of person you deserve for your, ah, Ashikabi as you can get! And I'm married! And even if I weren't married you can't tie yourself for life to a guy so much older than you; you deserve someone better than me! And, and… I just can't be kissing pretty girls, alien or not!"
At the mention of kissing, Gregory saw Madoka's shoulders hunch up defensively. Gregory looked away, understanding. No 18-year-old girl wants to kiss a 40-year-old guy. He told himself this regularly, fooling himself on that subject was a well-known, familiar, trap, which Gregory was really quite adept at avoiding. He could see Madoka was still crying, silently, hand covering her mouth, her blue eyes gleaming in the reflection from all the tears.
"I… I really do understand, Mado-chan. I wouldn't want to kiss an old, creepy, gross, guy either."
Madoka's eyes shifted to meet his in the reflection, growing wide. She started to speak but Gregory cut her off brusquely but trying, desperately, to insert some understanding kindness into his voice, with mixed results. "No, Mado-chan, don't. Don't. It is okay, it really is. And, you know, maybe we lost her! So you can try kissing Mishi and…"

o.0.O.0.o
Madoka stared at the passenger side window, not really seeing through it because she was looking at the reflection in it, the reflection of the face of the man seated in the driver seat of the Jeep. She could make out his features easily: the thinning blond hair, the creases around his mouth that went up around either side of his nostrils, the crow's feet at the corner of his eyes. She could just make out the sagging skin under his jawline and the grey hairs mixed with the darker blond hairs at above his somewhat large ears. Even through her tears she could somehow see Gregory O'Donnell's face clearly. Madoka's shoulders shook with a sob, which she tried to choke off.
Then Madoka "saw", with her Farsight, number 86 walking across the side street and into the parking lot of the small grocery, behind the Jeep. She knew there was no way, now, that Katsuragi would fail to find her.
"No! Oh god oh god oh god…"
Madoka turned and wrestled the seat belt out of its latch, alarming Gregory. She turned in her seat and threw herself at the shocked and all-but-paralyzed Gregory O'Donnell, pressing her tear-slicked lips against his desperately.
…
…
…
After a moment, she pulled back and looked into Gregory's green eyes, which were still wide with shock.
"Oh no! It did not work! No!" she wailed in anguish.

o.0.O.0.o
Gregory looked at the weeping girl in his lap, irrelevantly noticing that he was right when he guessed that she was indeed one of the extremely rare women who could weep and still look amazingly beautiful.
"Figures. Seriously, Exhibit One in the case for Madoka's alien-ness: unlikely perfection."
Then he saw, over Madoka's shoulder and through the passenger side window, Katsuragi turn and look towards the Jeep. Gregory understood now what had caused the Sekirei to kiss him out of the blue. Now, no doubt, Katsuragi had heard Madoka's wailing and would be upon them quickly.
Refocusing on the panicking girl in his lap, Gregory gripped both of her upper arms in his hands, shook her sharply, and spoke gently, letting his voice rumble a bit in his chest as he spoke, "Madoka-chan."
She met his eyes and stuttered out, "Y-y-yes, Gregory-san?"
Gregory ignored the sight over Madoka's shoulder of Katsuragi walking across the parking lot towards them, her head turning left and right, searching. Instead, he focused his entire being on Madoka's face. Not that this was a difficult chore; it was an amazing face. "Madoka-chan. You said this was a psychic bond; I think it's going to take more than just pushing your lips against mine. So take a deep breath, close your eyes, and focus on wanting it to happen, focus on, on, reaching out to me, with all of your attention and focus, okay?"
His confident, rumbling, baritone was getting through to the girl at least. He was glad of that, it usually worked to calm his daughter when she went into a panic over something. No, no, don't think about daughters, think about pretty blonde girls in your lap, idiot!
Madoka's breathing steadied, she nodded hesitantly, her eyes slowly closed, and her lips even parted a bit in anticipation. But it was pretty obvious that whatever needed to happen next was going to be up to Gregory.
Gregory hoped the rambling speculations from Madoka earlier on the subject of Ashikabi and Sekirei winging were on the right track; that part of the equation was desire. Not just desire to have a Sekirei or have an Ashikabi in general, but desire for that person.
And not just desire to have that person as their platonic lifetime long friend. But a need and a lust and hunger to have every part of the other person, a desire to have them possess you and for you to possess them, all of that could be a factor in whether or not the bond was made.
How willing a participant was to "leave it all on the field", showing the other person how much they wanted, desired, needed, lusted for, the other. How willing were they to open themselves up to the possibility of rejection?
Gregory knew that sort of thing was not likely if Madoka were kissing his sixteen-year-old daughter. He couldn't kiss like that when he was sixteen, or when he was twenty. He would have been too scared of revealing too much about himself, of rejection, too reserved, trying to be too cool.
But there was a lifetime of difference between who he was right here, right now, and who some hypothetical twenty-year-old maybe-Ashikabi was.
And he knew that there was probably less than no chance at all that Madoka wanted him in any way that was going to help make this happen, not really, other than in the sense that anything at all was better than being taken by Higa's Sekirei. So, it was up to Gregory to be the person who laid open his heart, up to Gregory to make this happen if it could happen at all.
Really, it would even be easy; to put everything he had into having a first-kiss with a beautiful girl? A first-kiss with someone, a thing which had its own magic, which Gregory had been fortunate enough to know many times when he was younger and dating in High School and College, but was nothing he expected to ever have happen to him again.
Gregory was almost certain that if an Ashikabi was a Sekirei's mate for life that there was more to the psychic bonding ritual than just swapping spit.
Spit is not magical. Spit does not have anything to do with who you are or what you want. Even with what Madoka had witnessed with Higa and Katsuragi, their SekireiAshikabi connection, their bond, there had to have more at play than just spit. No doubt, whatever that connection was between Higa and Katsuragi was far under the surface, hard to see or understand, but there had to be something there, more going on than spit.
All of this went through Gregory's head in a flash while he paid close attention to just exactly how good Madoka's curvy, compact, body felt pressed against his chest, in his lap, in spite of the awkwardness of the seats of the Jeep. And she did feel so very good against him.
Gregory thought to himself, "One chance, Mado. We only have one chance to make this work. Come on, we can do this."
Gregory released her arms and placed both of his hands on either side of her face, paused for only a split second to look at her full, pink, lips, then kissed the beautiful girl in his lap for all he was worth.
…
…
…
… there!

o.0.O.0.o
Katsuragi saw the blast of sunshine-yellow psychic power shaped like wings that filled the interior of the orange vehicle several rows away. She stopped in her tracks and cursed in frustration.
"Grrrrrrrraahhhhh! Damnit!"

o.0.O.0.o
"Ragi-tan, my Ashikabi will be handsome too, but he'll be tall and dark, and mysterious. And he will have tattoos and wear a leather jacket! He will be so cool all the other Sekirei will be jealous of how great my Ashikabi is."
Katsuragi smiled and watched Madoka's face eagerly describe the traits of her someday Ashikabi, a list Katsuragi had heard many times since joining Group 11. Then, past her blonde friend, she spotted someone walking towards the dorm room, easily seen through the clear, floor-to-ceiling, glass walls that made up all the dorms for the girls. "Look, Mado-chan! There's Yosuga-chan! She's back from her adjustment. Oh, look how tall she is now!"
Madoka stopped speaking and turned so quickly her blonde hair fanned out around her before settling on her shoulders. The little blonde Sekirei whimpered at the sight of her best friend and hugged her knees against her chest again, shaking her head and mumbling, "Oh no, no, no, they changed Yosu-tan, no, no…"
Katsuragi squeezed Madoka's shoulder in an effort to be comforting. It was a little shocking to see Yosuga the way she was now; tall, slender, the skin-tight stretch-shorts and half-tank-top the Administrators provided showing off lean, muscular limbs. Not bulky like 14 Chiyo and 16 Toyotama and 18 Ichiya, and not hard muscles like 10 Uzume liked to show off, either. Instead Yosuga had sleek, slim, legs and arms. You could see the muscles flex under her golden skin. And, of course, Yosuga now showed the curve of hip and breasts of a post-pubescent Sekirei, though her breasts were much smaller than any of the other Sekirei in Group 11 who had been through their Puberty Adjustment.
All told, Katsuragi thought their dark haired friend looked like a hunter, like one of those big black cats in the nature programs on the television.
Katsuragi ran over to the open doorway of the dorm room that Yosuga and Madoka shared and waved at the now-tall Yosuga. The black-haired Sekirei seemed to be having trouble walking, holding her forehead in one trembling hand and leaning against the glass walls of the dorm hall.
"Yosu-chan? Are you okay?" Katsuragi approached the now-much-taller 44 Yosuga, concerned for her friend's obvious pain and distress.
Yosuga's dark eyes found the now-much-shorter slender form of 86 Katsuragi, then Yosuga made an effort to smile before she answered, "Hello, Ragi-chan. I've got the worst headache. They said it would go away but so far it's so bad I can barely see. Can you help me to my bunk? Where is Mado-chan? Is she okay?"
Madoka ran past Katsuragi and threw her arms around Yosuga's bare legs, still crying. "Yes, I am here Yosu-tan! I am so happy to see you, I was so scared you would go away and never return!"
Katsuragi took Yosuga's hand, which had been steadying the taller girl against the wall, "This way, Yosu-chan, let's lay you down on your bunk and you should sleep. Maybe you will feel better after a nap."
Madoka took Yosuga's other hand and nodded silently, face streaked with tears as she looked up at the familiar yet now different features of her best friend.
Before the mismatched trio of girls could travel the few meters to the dorm doorway, the hall speaker above them beeped for attention and then a female Administrator's dispassionate voice spoke. "86, report to the common room immediately for Adjustments."
Katsuragi stopped in her tracks, then looked up at the speaker and its attached camera and microphone before answering, "Yes ma'am."
The skinny little Sekirei girl then looked up at her friend Yosuga and then down at her friend Madoka, noticing Madoka's pretty, blue, eyes were filling with tears again and that Madoka's hand covered her trembling lips.
Yosuga carefully knelt so she was looking Katsuragi in the eyes then hugged the now-scared little Sekirei. "It's okay, 'Ragi-chan. You'll be fine, and when you come back you'll be tall like me and you'll be able to make fun of the fact you will have bigger boobies than me."
Hugging Yosuga then turning and hugging Madoka, Katsuragi then nodded her head and tried to pretend to be brave. "Okay, I'll do that then, Yosu-chan. Bye, Mado-chan." Katsuragi hesitated then hugged both girls again, harder, whispering, "Thank you both for being my friends."
Yosuga remained kneeling there in the hallway, with Madoka holding onto her right arm, the two of them watching Katsuragi run towards the Common Room until the dirty-blonde hair of the other girl disappeared behind a corner finally.
Yosuga slumped against the wall, no longer trying to hide how much pain she was in, now that Katsuragi was no longer there to be scared at the prospect of returning from Adjustments in such pain, herself. "Well, hopefully we will see her again soon, right, Mado-chan? Help me to our room, please? My head hurts so very badly, I don't think I can stand up again."
"Okay, Yosu-tan. Let us go on our hands and knees then. I will guide you and bring you water if you get thirsty and take care of you, I promise. I, I love you, Yosu-tan! Please never go away, please!"
Yosuga smiled in spite of the blinding headache she was suffering. "I love you too, Mado-chan. And I promise I'll try to not go away. But right now I need to lay down, or my head might split open from the pounding in it."
Madoka nodded seriously and then helped her best friend slowly crawl to her bunk, sparing a small bit of worry for their now-departed friend, 86 Katsuragi. The other girl had not been with Group 11 for long, maybe thirty sleeps, but she had been easy to get along with and Madoka thought the other blonde Sekirei might eventually be a truly close friend with her and Yosuga someday.
Madoka could not know then that she would not see 86 Katsuragi again until years had passed and Madoka just happened to be walking past a downtown Shin Tokyo alleyway where Katsuragi was cornered by 16 Toyotama, then delivered up to her Ashikabi, Higa.

o.0.O.0.o
Gregory drove the Jeep towards his family's apartment, carefully going the speed limit, using his turn signals meticulously, and stopping fully at all red lights. In the passenger seat, Madoka sat with her legs pulled up against her chest, her arms hugging her legs and her forehead resting on her knees.
Not exactly a picture of happiness and contentment.
He could not pay attention to that right now; there was a crazy man in a high-collared-white-cape laughing on the 20cm LED monitor in the center of the Jeep's dash.
"Gregory-kun, you certainly are not the sort of fellow we had in mind when we put the Sekirei Plan in motion. A forty-year-old schoolteacher at Tokyo Metro High and an American? However, I cannot deny your courage; your saving dear number 37 from those who pursued her was inspiring! Everyone watching here was moved by your courage! No wonder she was drawn to you in spite of… well, in spite of everything."
The glasses-wearing-lunatic who had hijacked Gregory's Jeep dash monitor, grinned widely as he said this. "Everyone watching here, indeed, you nutcase? Message received." Gregory avoided grinding his teeth, but only barely. He made an effort to put his professional face on and smile courteously towards the dash monitor. "Treat him like Principal-sama likes to be treated, can't go wrong with that I don't think."
"Thank you, sir. It is my great privilege and honor to not only be Madoka-chan's Ashikabi but to be given the chance to participate in the glorious Sekirei Plan."
"Yes! The Sekirei Plan!" The lunatic seemed excited that Gregory knew of it. "That is the name of the contest you are now a part of, Gregory-kun. I see number 37 has already informed you. I wonder if you understood? You seem enthusiastic, so unlike most of the other Ashikabi who have met their destined Sekirei thus far!"
Gregory glanced at the screen then returned his attention to the road. "Yes, of course, sir. Madoka-chan fights secretly against the other Sekirei and I am her partner, her Ashikabi."
"You understand quickly! Perfect, Gregory-kun! Now, remember, this is a top-secret project. Now that you know of it, you have an obligation to keep silent about it. And, Gregory-kun, do not underestimate how far MBI's reach is. It would be very unfortunate if we had to act against you and your family."
At this, Madoka raised her head and looked over at Gregory's face. Her protest was cut off by Gregory's hand on her leg, squeezing warningly.
Gregory carefully kept his features in what he thought of as his professional face and smiled. "Of course, President Minaka. Nothing less would be expected. I trust that MBI's legal department will take care of all the traffic citations this vehicle accumulated in tonight's excitement? So as to keep the Plan secret, of course, and to guarantee Madoka-chan's Ashikabi isn't lost to Shin Tokyo's legal system for the duration?"
Hirohito Minaka's eyeglasses caught the reflection of whatever camera lights were illuminating him and the white-haired man laughed again. "Oh, I like you, Gregory-kun! I shall allow it; you need not worry about any repercussions from the authorities for your rescue of dear Number 37."
"Excellent, thank you, sir. Other than Madoka-chan needing replacements for her identification and her debit cards then I assume she and I are ready to start participating in the Sekirei Plan. Our intention to defeat all the others and be the last standing will never flag, I assure you sir."
Madoka's look of outrage and shock at this bizarre pronouncement from her Ashikabi was also cut off by Gregory's hand squeezing her thigh hard, again.
"You will find, Gregory-kun," Minaka smiled creepily as he leaned in towards the camera, "that everything will be waiting at your residence. Now, I am very busy so good luck to you, Gregory-kun and to you, number 37!"
The monitor returned to GPS navigation, which had been on the display before the President of MBI had suddenly appeared upon it. Gregory's hand squeezed Madoka's thigh again more gently then he focused on turning into the parking lot of the O'Donnell's apartment.
Sure enough, there was a black luxury car idling in front of the apartment. A large Japanese man in a tight fitting silk suit stood next to the sleek vehicle, holding a cardboard box with the number "37" clearly stamped onto the side.
"Mado-chan, that looks like your care package from MBI. Let's get it and start making our plans for how we will win the Sekirei Plan, eh?"
Madoka looked at Gregory as though she had never seen him before or as though he had grown a second head, his behavior not making any sense to the girl. Gregory turned to the left to face her and his left eyelid lowered in a slow wink.
"Ah, yes, of course, Gregory-kun. Let us do… that."

o.0.O.0.o
"It's eight goddamn o'clock, Greg! And not even a phone call? And when I tried to call you I got rolled to voice-mail? What the fuck, Greg? Where in the hell have you been?" Karen O'Donnell's voice was piercingly loud in the apartment, her anger clear to anyone within earshot.
"I told you, Karen! I was at the school late, you know how semester finals time is, and on the way home I stopped at a store and then came on home. I got caught up in a conversation with someone on the phone in the Jeep, but…"
"GPS showed the Jeep at some little grocery store not even near here, Greg. Why did you need to go there?"
"Mado-chan needed to stop for…"
"Mado-chan is it? Goddamnit Greg I've about had as much of…"
"Karen, please, please. I've got three hundred practice tests to grade before I can sleep and I'm going to be lucky to get three hours of sleep before class because of it! I told you I'm sorry I didn't call, but can you please just give me a break?"
"Don't talk over me, Greg!"
Mishi got up from the bed and shut the door, then used her foot to push a towel under the door to cut off what could still be heard. Looking at the towel appraisingly, she poked it with her toe a few more times to wedge it firmly under the door. The teen girl muttered, "I think I've had enough of listening to that. Could they be any ruder? They aren't the only people who live here, you know."
Glancing back at the bed, Mishi noted that her roomie of the last week was lying curled up and staring at the wall, already in the clothes she usually slept in and tucked under the sheet. Something was wrong, for sure, but Mishi was damned if she could figure out what.
"Mado?" Mishi sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her new friend worriedly. "You usually don't go to sleep before eating dinner... right?"
"Thank you Mishi but I am not hungry. Really I am just tired and want to sleep."
Mishi grimaced but pressed on, "Come on, Mado, what happened? Did… did something happen between you and Dad? Did he do something to upset you?"
Madoka's response to that question surprised and startled Mishi. Madoka looked… angry. Angry at the suggestion Mishi's Dad had done something? The pretty blonde raised herself up on her elbows to look at Mishi, her blue eyes more than a bit fierce, even intimidating, and her voice was sharper than Mishi had heard it before.
"No, Gregory did not do anything wrong and he… he should not be yelled at." Madoka fell back to her pillow before continuing, "Please, Mishi, I am very tired, just let me sleep. Please."
Mishi held up her hands and acquiesced, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry for pressuring you, Mado. But if you need to talk to someone I'm here, okay? We're friends, right? You can talk to your friends about anything, okay?"
"Yes. Okay. And I hope we are friends, Mishi." Madoka shut her eyes and turned her head away. "If you could turn off the light and just play soft music so we cannot hear… her yelling, then I would be very grateful."
"Okay, Mado. Get some sleep, we'll talk tomorrow."

o.0.O.0.o
It was after midnight; Kakizaki was not used to meeting with his boss so late. Normally Kakizaki would be in the midst of his entertainments by now but tonight Sekirei 86 had returned late with a story of failure to capture an unnamed Sekirei in the west of the city. Higa Izumi had called Kakizaki to his penthouse office, no doubt for an explanation.
"I assure you, Higa-sama, I will inflict whatever is necessary to motivate this worthless number 86 to make whatever effort…"
"Kakizaki," Higa not only spoke over his assistant but also turned to scowl at him from his seat across the luxurious desk that graced the office, "it was not 86 who failed to provide intelligence on where any additional Sekirei would be released. That it found any unwinged Sekirei at all in a metropolis that counts over nineteen million inhabitants rather strongly implies that these Sekirei have some way to sense each other, even if they are not able to reliably use this ability for our benefit. To be clear, I hold you responsible for our lack of intelligence and the poor progress that lack is causing, not number 86."
Kakizaki broke out in a cold sweat, his tailored high-collared shirt suddenly feeling tight around his neck. He answered quickly, projecting confidence, "Of course, Higa-sama. I will make additional efforts to motivate number 22 then…"
"Again, you fail to understand." Higa spoke over Kakizaki again. The assistant paled at how far out of the grace of his superior he seemed to have fallen, all without realizing. "If caning and raping number 22 was going to make her work more effectively then it would have already done so. I begin to suspect that you are too focused on your entertainments and not focused on effectively motivating our tools." Higa turned to look out of the office windows, which provided an unparalleled view of eastern Shin Tokyo.
Higa Izumi silenced Kakizaki's protests with a glance then returned to his study of the late-night technopolis sprawled out below his office. After letting his assistant stew in silence for a precise thirty seconds, Higa continued, "Motivating 22 will go forward more subtly, Kakizaki. You will take 86 and do with her whatever you wish; she will assume this is for her failure in capturing whatever Sekirei it was in the west tonight. Make sure her punishment is imaginative. Possibly involve some of our new recruits in Special Security; those Australian men would likely do. Instead of having 16 there to insure 86's cooperation you will use 22 for this purpose."
At this Kakizaki frowned in puzzlement, "Number 22? If 86 is receiving discipline instead of 22 what does that…"
Higa yet again spoke over his increasingly disappointing secretary, "In treating 86 more severely than 22 has been treated thus far and doing so as 22 observes, your intelligent servant will get the message, I assure you. Number 22's fear of being treated in the same manner as 86 will motivate her far more effectively than having her beaten and gang-raped, herself, Kakizaki."
Kakizaki bowed deeply, "It will be exactly as you say, Higa-sama."
As Kakizaki made to leave the office, Higa reminded him, "If nothing else, you must find out for me when number 18, called Ichiya, will be released. We require her to team with 16 if we are ever going to face MBI's resources."
"Of course, Higa-sama."
Kakizaki took the elevator to the special, secure, rooms where the Sekirei were kept and where they were… motivated. Kakizaki was not happy that Higa was interfering with his own Sekirei, number 22, but at least he had been given permission to go further than ever before in his treatment of number 86. While abusing number 22 was entertaining, she was noticeably older than 86; wider of hip and possessing much larger breasts. Breaking her reserve was a challenge, but she just wasn't as physically appealing as the lithe, youthful, and formerly innocent, number 86.
At least the disfavor of his superior was not a complete disaster, yet. There was still time to salvage this situation.
And there was still time to enjoy the sweetness of 86's treatment tonight; just the idea of the somber, blue-eyed, blonde being ill-treated by a few of the Special Security gorillas put a genuine smile on Kakizaki's face. He would bring two of the huge, muscular, Special Security agents with him tonight, for the task of introducing 86 to this new level of punishment for falling short of expectations. Even numbers always worked out best for these sorts of things as Kakizaki had learned through observation, and the threat of additional numbers next time could be held over 86 to provide even more motivation.
Sweetness indeed.
The End of Book One

o.0.O.0.o

o.0.O.0.o

From the Notebooks of Gregory O'Donnell
Terminology
Winging – Through a kiss, traditionally, according to Madoka, but also appears to be doable via other contact between an unwinged Sekirei and an Ashikabi. Just any physical contact will not necessarily produce the life-long bonding that the winging represents. An intimate act such as kissing or other invasive physical act by an Ashikabi to a Sekirei seems required.
At the moment of the Winging, the Ashikabi/Sekirei psychic bond is established. The Sekirei manifests a large, radiant, pair of wings from high on the back, around the shoulder blades. Before these intangible 'wings' fade, a glowing symbol in the shape of a stylized bird, yin/yang sign, and four tomoe, appears as well above and behind the Sekirei and settles onto their back, imprinting itself in a visible and permanent manner, like a tattoo. See the attached illustration.

Obviously, the presence of the yin/yang indicates a non-alien origin for at least some part of this manifestation of metapsychic power. The bird is, no doubt, symbolic of the avian ancestry the Sekirei claim (in contradiction to all evidence that they are profoundly mammalian).
Madoka says it is common knowledge among the Sekirei that once an Ashikabi wings a Sekirei they are bound together as mates for life, nothing can break this bond. She is sadly unable to source this "common knowledge" though, just as she cannot explain other, scattered, Sekirei traditions and myths.
The Sekirei have a traditional phrase they invoke after they are winged by their Ashikabi: "forever and ever". This phrase emphasizes the permanent nature of this bond. Like all of the traditions and myths the Sekirei have it is difficult to determine the origin of this phrase. It could be from their homeworld, it could be something MBI invented, or any of a dozen other explanations. Unless we can interview Sekirei 01 or review any computer records in the Sekirei ship it is unlikely we will know the answer to that question.
Winging provides the Sekirei with additional abilities, both a permanent across the board increase in their known powers and some super-version of their powers that is unlocked using a chant, called a Norito (an obscure Japanese word for a formal sort of Shinto prayer according to my more traditional Japanese dictionaries, so quite likely not an alien word for this power-activating chant).
It may also be required for a Sekirei to be winged to their Ashikabi before they can reproduce, though Madoka was less clear on this point.

There is definitely a psychic connection forged between the Ashikabi and the Sekirei. After bonding with Madoka under circumstances that were less than ideal, even I was able to get a sense of her emotional state that was far more immediate than guessing based on her demeanor and words. One would speculate that this would make it difficult for Ashikabi and Sekirei to deceive each other, for better and for worse. My perception of Madoka's emotions, even her physical location, was immediately far beyond what normal senses could explain. The limits of this 'sense' needs to be tested and quantified.

What other effects the bond might have on Sekirei and Ashikabi also needs to be investigated and documented.
MBI has stressed to the Sekirei that the first and by far most important priority in the Sekirei Plan is for the Sekirei to find an Ashikabi. Most Sekirei feel there is one 'fated' Ashikabi for them though most acknowledge they may not be lucky enough to find that Ashikabi. This is similar to human girls' insistence that there is 'the one' perfect Prince Charming out there for them, as well.

On Sekirei Alienness
The question as to whether, and to what degree, the Sekirei are alien is at once critical, and yet, unimportant. For our purposes, we will refer to the Sekirei as the 108 beings who were recovered from the crashed space ship on Kamakura Island by Hiroto Minaka and company. As well, hypothetical other ships in the same colonization fleet which may have landed on Earth in earlier ages would contain Sekirei, though their descendants would likely be Terran Human/Sekirei hybrids rather than the 108 attempting to keep to themselves and breed true, based on what little we know about the supposed mission of integration with the local dominant intelligent life, Terran Humans.
The species of intelligent life which built the ships and stocked them with the 108 transport tanks and their biological cargo will not be called "Sekirei", as there is good reason to consider them a different species entirely (ie, unable to breed with Earth humans, likely to have a completely different evolution, chemistry, and morphology from Earth humans). We will refer to the originators of the colonization effort as the "Kouten" until we have better information as to what they prefer to be called.
What we know about the Sekirei, at least second hand:
They can breed with Terran Humans. De facto this means they are the same species, homo sapiens. As it is extremely unlikely that homo sapiens evolved on a second world, with no common ancestor between the two species, we have to look for other explanations for the fact that the Sekirei are homo sapiens.
They have abilities that are not commonly demonstrated by Terran Humans. Psychokinesis, mindspeech, farsight, these abilities may be latent in some Terran Humans but in the Sekirei they seem common and operant. This marks them as distinct from Terran Humans.
The Sekirei are all notably not only healthy examples of homo sapiens, but they are specifically beautiful to the eyes of Earth humans. As standards of beauty vary based on culture and time period (but remaining within a fairly narrow range, surprisingly), one speculates that each ship contained different ethnicities of Earth humans, attractive to whichever part of the globe they were targeted towards. Alternatively, the Sekirei themselves change based on the standards they perceive in the Earth humans they encounter (see "Sekirei Plasticity Theory", later in this Notebook). The beauty of the Sekirei is an important data point, even a critical point, in our guesses about the nature and origin of their bodies.
Anyone who does any serious study in the fields of exobiology or astrobiology rapidly comes to the conclusion that while there may indeed be intelligent life in this universe which has appeared and evolved completely separately from what has occurred on Earth, the vastness of space and the great age of the universe implies that the odds of encountering any such truly alien intelligent life by mankind is incredibly minute.
The entire history of humankind, from Neanderthal to homo sapiens, is but a blink of an eye in the age of the Milky Way Galaxy, much less the universe itself. That two species might evolve, completely separately on worlds separated by interstellar space and they just happen to do so close enough that they might encounter each other at some point during a simultaneous blink of an eye in time is almost laughably unlikely.
Note, we are speaking of life from a completely separate world, one where life evolved from microbial beginnings as it has, clearly, on Earth, and without any contamination possible from Earth's native life due to interstellar space. If one discovers living microbes on Mars we have not found proof that life may evolve independently of Earth. We have only discovered what is, more likely, cross contamination from Earth to Mars, by hardy microbial life.
But intelligent life from another star system entirely?
Assuming such incredible odds were overcome, that in the blink of an eye that makes up all of mankind's history on Earth and in the separate blink of an eye that makes up all of (for instance) Kouten's history on their world, that these two blinks are simultaneous and that the two star systems are close enough in the great vastness of our galaxy, much less the universe, let us look at what would be likely even if such amazingly small odds as those were overcome by chance.
95% of life on Earth is built upon six elements; carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur (called CHNOPS). These six elements are the building blocks of virtually all life on Earth, indicating that almost all life on Earth has a common antediluvian ancestor.
The other 5% of life on Earth are based on other elements. These terran life forms are those that did not come from the same ancient single-celled ancestor from which the other 95% evolved. That common single-celled ancestor for the 95%, built upon the six elements listed above, was present some 3.5 billion years ago on this planet. The other 5%, those "alien" life forms that live among us on Earth, are still more closely related to me and you than any life that developed on a hypothetical world of Kouten.
Even among the 95% of life on Earth that shares a common background in the warm seas of 3.5 billion years ago, there is vast diversity. On Earth there is an estimated 5,490 species of mammals. All 5,490 of those species are our incredibly close relatives, compared to the rest of life on Earth. There are 9,998 species of birds. 31,300 species of fish. The 63,649 species of vertebrates, including homo sapiens, on Earth are all practically identical to each other, compared to the other forms of life which make up that 95% which is based on the six elements above. Homo Sapiens is incredibly closely related to sea bass, compared to how close we are related to any of the 1,305,250 invertebrate species on Earth, for example.
Much less the 1.5 million species of fungi.
Earth humans are far, far, more closely related, in every way possible, to those 1.5 million different species of fungi than we are to the 5% of life on this world which is based on chemical formations other than carbon/hydrogen/nitrogen/oxygen/phosphorous/sulphur. We have common ancestry to that 95%, including the fungi, whereas the 5% of truly 'other' life on Earth formed from completely different elements we have nothing in common with at all.
Needless to say that 5% makes up some of the strangest and most 'weird' life on this planet. Even the 95% we are related to make for some truly bizarre and 'different' forms of life. Including life which evolved in radian form, instead of bilateral form (which is most common).
So the life which evolved on Kouten would, we must assume, be just as varied as that on Earth. There is no evidence that the CHNOPS elements are universally superior for the construction of life, only that those were the elements which were most successful here on Earth in our own unique environment and circumstances. There's as much chance Kouten is based around silicon instead of carbon and live in liquid nitrogen seas, as anything else.
Having already handwaved the vast odds against homo sapiens of Earth and Kouten life existing at the same time period and close enough in physical distance to actually come into contact with each other, next we have to consider the odds of the form of life on both worlds being very different from each other. We already know that we, homo sapiens, have a far closer relationship to radially symmetrical animals such as jellyfish than we would have to any life which evolved, separately from Earth, on Kouten.
Do you look at a jellyfish and feel kinship or a connection? Do you see a reproduction partner? Odds are you do not. One… certainly hopes you do not.
And yet you are incredibly closer in relation to that radial life form than you are to any life on Kouten.
That the Sekirei appear to have a kinship and a connection with Terran Humans, specifically appearing as attractive reproduction partners to Earth's humans, indicates they must have been made for that purpose. There is almost no chance at all that the form and chemistry of their bodies here on Earth is the same as that of the originator species on Kouten, if any such exists in fact.
Science fiction aside, anyone who seriously proposes such simultaneous parallel evolution of life forms with no common ancestor on worlds separated by interstellar space simply does not understand the factors involved in such a proposition.
We can come to some tentative hypothesis concerning the Sekirei, just from what humankind does know about exobiology, evolution, and morphology.
The Sekirei are not the Kouten, as far as their biology is concerned.
The Sekirei were likely specifically designed by the Kouten for their mission to integrate with Earth's dominant intelligent life, homo sapiens. And yes, I find the therefore implied level of technology more terrifying than the Kouten's demonstrated ability to cross interstellar space.
Sekirei myths about themselves having avian ancestry may be based in fact, but it would be more likely the Kouten themselves being avian or from avian descent than the Sekirei.
There may be some part of the Kouten that was included in the Sekirei. The 'tama core' or metapsychic profile or the 'soul' or whatever term one wishes to use for the demonstrable (with the Sekirei at least) aspect of their intelligence and being which exists separately from the meat of their bodies and brains, may well be this Kouten life element which is a part of the Sekirei. Does this Kouten life aspect breed true from Sekirei to Sekirei/Human hybrid? Hints indicate it does, though the degree of operancy or latency seems to depend on the percentage of Sekirei ancestry.
At some point, I hope to have the opportunity to examine whatever records MBI recovered from Kamakura Island. Or, even less likely but more desirably, personally examine the remnant of the crashed ship at Kamakura myself.
If the opportunity ever arises to find and speak to the Sekirei 01, the one adult Sekirei aboard the crashed ship, the questions about the native life on Kouten will be at the top of my list of inquiries.

o.0.O.0.o

o.0.O.0.o

Started Sep 28 2014

Completed Oct 5 2014

Originally Posted May 7 2015

Crossposted to adult-fanfiction.org Sep 21 2015
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No Game For Old Men, a Sekirei tale

No Game For Old Men

Book 1.4 - A Fate Denied