Chapter 08
"Oh yes, there is a very fabulous prize if I do say so myself," Minaka smiled indulgently, even though it was quite clear to Naruto that this was something he had been hoping to be asked. "The Ashikabi and Sekirei who wins will get a most fabulous prize and shall be allowed to ascend to the higher skies above together and usher in a new Age of the Gods."
Well that was a bust. It looked like this man was either craftier than he let on, or a delusional fool. Either way, it didn't look like he would be getting any information from Minaka any time soon.
"Ah yes, I forgot to mention." Naruto paused in his ruminations to glance back down at the screen where Minaka was leaning forward. "The Sekirei Plan is a highly confidential secret project. Should you attempt to inform anyone of it, then you will be dealt with most harshly. I look forward to seeing how you do in this grand game, Uzumaki Naruto-kun."
The screen went blank and Naruto found himself staring at it for several seconds as his mind slowly digested everything he had just heard.
He had just gotten himself involved in some kind of competition, essentially some kind of battle royal, that involved the girl he had just winged and several other Sekirei like her. Sekirei were people who needed to find their Ashikabis who, according to Musubi, were the ones that Sekirei like herself were destined to serve, though if the kiss they had shared a few hours prior was anything to go on then their relationship was more than that of a master and his servant. In short, he had just run afoul of something he had not only long since tried to avoid, but also detested with every fiber of his being.
It would come as no surprise to any who knew of Naruto's past, but he hated it when people manipulated others for any reason.
With a growl, Naruto pocketed his phone as he finally came to terms with what had just happened and found he did not like it one bit.
"Are you ok, Naruto-Sama?" asked Musubi, growing concerned when she heard him growl.
Naruto looked over at the girl and felt his expression soften almost against his will. "Not really..." he said with a sigh. "I guess I just don't like the idea of you risking your life for the whims of someone else." That was only part of the reason, however, with a much larger part being that he had been trying to avoid this kind of thing. He didn't like involving himself in the worlds affairs. While he wouldn't deny someone in need his help, he didn't want to involve himself in something on a scale that could affect more than just one person, the fact that he was doing his best to stay of the radar notwithstanding.
"So... you're worried about me?" she asked, almost seeming shy.
"Of course I am," Naruto said, looking at her strangely. While Musubi probably wouldn't understand the look in it's entirety, it was the kind of expression someone had when they were both confused and resigned. With a sigh, the blond continued.
"This might sound odd, but I haven't had anybody to call a friend, or even a remote acquaintance for... a long time." Understatement of the century didn't even begin to describe this phrase. It had been an untold number of... years? Yes, let's go with years. It had been an untold number of years since Naruto had been remotely close to anybody. And he didn't count the untold number of one night stands he had been in as women he had been particularly close to.
Shaking his head, the blond banished thoughts of sex from his mind. He wasn't a pervert, but considering it was the closest he had allowed himself to be with another person, it was one of the few things in his life that was constant.
Continuing on, Naruto started once again where he had left off. "Yet in the span of a single day, you've managed to somehow become important to me." Perhaps it had something to do with this new bond they had. He could feel her, a warm, bright spot within his heart that was currently evoking more emotions from him than he had felt within the past millennial. The fact that all of them were positive, and seemed to counter act the darkness that had long festered within it only made them that much harder to ignore. "I don't want to see you hurt."
"Naruto-Sama," Musubi took one of his hands with a smile on her face. She pressed it against her breast, and the blond could feel her slightly hard nipple underneath the fabric. "I'm so happy to know you care about me so much. I knew I picked right when I chose you to be my Ashikabi."
"Musubi..."
"However, you don't need to worry about me," she continued with a soft smile on her face. "I will fight for you, I want to fight for you. And then you and I will ascend into the higher skies above together."
Naruto smiled at her. He didn't know what possessed him to do this, perhaps it was her words, or maybe his own instincts. In the end, it probably didn't matter.
His hand moved from her breast to her hips, it slid around her as his other hand came over and did the same, pulling the girl into a hug. Musubi instantly returned the hug. She was immensely pleased that she and her Ashikabi already seemed so close, and she loved the heat the blond's body seemed to radiate like a furnace. It warmed her, seeping into her very soul and comforting her in ways she had not even thought Ashikabi could do with their Sekirei. It was almost like he was pouring his love into their bond, like she could actually feel him there radiating his desire to protect her.
"If that's the case, if you really want to fight, then I will also fight with you," the words came out without him meaning to. He paused for a moment, considering them. In spite of having done his best to avoid trouble, Naruto found that he was being truthful. For some reason that was unfathomable to him, he felt that he was willing to fight for this girl, whom he had just met yesterday. How odd.
"You don't have to," Musubi started, shaking her head against his shoulder. "I can fight for the both of us."
"But I want to." Naruto pulled away from their embrace so he could look in her eyes. "If we are partners, then that means we are a team. I won't let you fight alone, and I will do all in my power to protect you."
Musubi's eyes got big and watery, giving her an almost comical appearance. "Your such a great person, Naruto-Sama."
"I don't know about being a great person," Naruto said sadly. "However, I will always protect the people close to me." The sound of boiling caught the blonds attention and he continued, saying, "I think the foods getting ready."
"Ah! Oh no! The food!" Musubi shot up and ran over to the stove, causing Naruto to chuckle. If nothing else, being with Musubi would be an interesting and fun experience.
XoX
Dinner was anything but a quiet affair. Musubi had created her 'special curry' which the blond had to admit was good. During that time Naruto, in an effort to learn everything he could about what he had gotten himself into started asking Musubi all kinds of questions, which she was all to happy to answer.
"All Sekirei have their own special abilities," Musubi said as Naruto asked her about the two they had run into. "Each of us are different, with our own abilities and powers."
"So those two we ran into were lightning types, I guess," Naruto said with a thoughtful look.
"That's right," Musubi nodded her head. "Sekirei's like them are able to use a certain element, they're what the professor calls simple types. And I'm a fist type."
"So you specialize in hand-to-hand combat then?" asked Naruto.
"Yes. I am stronger and have more energy then other Sekirei," Musubi said.
"I see. And I suppose I'm right in assuming that a Sekirei can't change their type?"
"That's right, it's impossible for any Sekirei to change their type. Because the type of power each of us have is a part of who we are." Naruto nodded at the explanation as dinner continued on. When they were both done, Naruto insisted on doing the washing since she cooked the meal. However, Musubi was stubborn and said that she wanted to clean the dishes for him. They had eventually settled on washing the dishes together, Naruto would clean them and Musubi would dry them. The brunette Sekirei seemed to like his idea the best, claiming it would be bring them closer together.
It was just as they were finishing up that a knock came to the door. With a frown Naruto walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in front of the doorway was a large man in a black suit with an MBI badge on his collar.
"Can I help you?" asked Naruto, tensing as his mind began working into overdrive. Had Minaka decided to remove him already? Perhaps the man had changed his mind about allowing him to take part in this 'Sekirei Plan' and decided to remove him. There were an infinite number of possibilities and theories that sprang through Naruto's head, each of them as preposterous as the last.
Naruto's limbs loosened as he prepared to possibly incapacitate the man before him should he try anything. However, all the man did was hand the blond the box he was carrying, then shut the door.
Naruto stood there for several seconds, blinking before he looked down at the box in his hands.
"I wonder what this is," the blond said as he moved back into the room Musubi was in and set it down. Kneeling by it Naruto opened the box and pulled out... "clothes?"
"Oh, they brought me my clothes!" Musubi said. Then she grabbed the hem of the shirt Naruto had given her and began lifting it off.
"Um... not that I'm complaining or anything," Naruto commented as he watched her take the shirt off, or to be more specific watched as the skin tight shirt she had been wearing was dragged across her breasts, which were released with a jiggle as they came loose from the shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra so the blond ended up getting an eyeful of her full-figured chest, a sight that took all of his considerable will not to be thrown back with a nosebleed. "But are you really this comfortable with changing in front of me?"
Musubi blinked at him, adopting a look of confusion that when combined with her large chest being bared to him created a look of innocent sex appeal that Naruto was sure would have killed lesser men via nosebleed. He doubted that even Jiraiya, the super pervert that he was, would be capable of surviving the look she gave him.
"Why would I would uncomfortable changing in front of you?" she asked. She seemed genuinely confused by his words, almost as if she had never even given them a thought.
"You know, to keep your modesty and all that," Naruto said, wondering if she was really so naïve that the idea of propriety and proper behavior among the opposite sex was lost on her. "Most of the time when two people just meet they don't go showing off their... private areas to others."
"Oh," the brunette looked genuinely surprised and Naruto had to resist face palming. It seemed this girl had no nudity taboos. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but considering how hard that would make it for him, not quite a good thing either. "I didn't realize that. So should I not change in front of you?"
Naruto had to think about his answer for a moment, truly think about it. On the one hand, Musubi was hot, as in really hot. On the other Musubi was also naïve. He felt guilty for simply thinking of trying to take advantage of her because of that, and having the girl strutting about in the buff would make it infinitely harder to resist.
"That's up to you," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "Personally, I don't care if you want to change in front of me. You're gorgeous and I'm certainly not going to deny that I would love watching you without your clothes on." Whether or not it made things harder for him, in the end Naruto was still a male. No hot blooded heterosexual male would be willing to pass up the chance to ogle such a beautiful young woman, unless they were one of those guys who were still in the 'embarrassing virgin phase' of their lives.
Naruto most assuredly was not an innocent virgin.
"However, even if you do want to expose yourself in front of me, I would appreciate it if you didn't show yourself like this to anyone else."
"So you like seeing Musubi naked?" asked Musubi, an odd smile on her face. It was decidingly innocent, with no sexual connotations to it, yet radiated an expression of pure joy that actually took Naruto by surprise.
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