Nonsense, of course: any magus worth his salt could see through the deception in an instant. So I suppose I could understand why Sekirei claimed to 'love' their Ashikabis. It was a major vulnerability for a species with only 108 members. Worse, once somebody 'winged' her, a Sekirei could only reproduce with that person. Not to mention that a Sekirei's compulsion to protect her Ashikabi rose to the level of a mental disability. If her Ashikabi chose to hit her, MBI's medical 'adjustments' reduced a Sekirei's ability to retaliate. If her Ashikabi died, a Sekirei deactivated. The incident with Yashima and her Ashikabi had impressed upon me just how vulnerable these Sekirei were. 'We are technically mated, y'know,' she said. She scowled and turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. 'Then why do you look so tense?' she said. This particular building also housed a patient whose visitor might prove dangerous.Д«enitsubasa rolled her eyes and tugged again, more insistently. And I didn't know at the time about my father's frantic search through Fuyuki's General Hospital for the woman he would later marry. In my parents' defense, some other magi with healing abilities share their antipathy to hospitals. When taken as a whole, the gardeners had created the illusion of a separate little world. Their branches hung over the white picket fence around the periphery.

Clipped hedges bordering the sidewalks provided passageways for the wind to carry the smell of mowed grass.Д®ven in midday, the trees shaded us.

Looking back on it now, this might have contributed to my childhood fear of nurses.ДЄt first glance, I had to admit that this particular hospital's entrance area resembled a park more than an opium den. If you're ever seriously injured near a hospital, don't let them sedate you. Indeed, in one of her rare bits of mother-to-son advice, Lady El-Melloi had grabbed my shoulders and told me the following: Anyway, here's the original:ДЇor as long as I'd known them, my parents disliked hospitals. Too bad, since I kinda liked one or two of the more serious Meriwether moments here, where he's not being (as much of) a bastard. As I mentioned above to Lycodrake, I think I'll revise this one a bit one of these days.

Sekirei ichiya