Hello guys, I have adopted this story from crazyrajat, and I will be the one who will be continuing this. This chapter is quite similar to his, but I will be making my own changes to it from the second chapter. Hope you guys will like it... This chapter has went to an another overhaul so that you have better reading experience...
Chapter - 1
Kuoh Academy.
Possibly one of the most famous education facilities in present-day Japan, originally a school made solely for women; With the advent of western feminism and the reshuffling of administration, the school was finally converted to an open-forum co-educational institute. As an old school, it had its accolades. Multiple hundreds of them, in fact. Most of the school's alumni ended up in important positions of power, not only in Japan, but internationally. Added to that, the town of Kuoh was one of the more reclusive territories under devil jurisdiction. These two factors were what made the school important to devil kind. Subsequently, when the heirs of two of the most influential families of the underworld required human education, they were sent here. It was elementary, really, that the town was heavily defended against any occult intrusion.
Sadly, even the illusion of complete security was not enough to set their minds at ease, especially on this day.
One of the two heirs, and arguably one of the bigger causes behind the school's popularity among the male student populace in all of Kuoh, the red-haired ruin princess, Rias Gremory, was lost in her thoughts. And none of them were of the comforting kind. After all, it wasn't every day that her siscon brother, who was also –by the way- the supreme leader of the underworld, asked her for a secretive meeting with a straight, serious face. It definitely was very unlike him. Sirzechs Lucifer, her brother, was known and loved for his jovial, lighthearted nature. He was also known to be a borderline pervert when it came to his own sister. The fact that he was able to reign in his own nature and act like someone he definitely wasn't served to raise a hundred red flags in her mind.
"Is everything alright Buchou?" Akeno asked, a frown marring her regal, borderline perfect face, "You've been spacing out for quite a while now. Thinking about a boy, are you?"
Rias couldn't help but shake her head, a genuine smile growing on her face. This was one of the many reasons that she had chosen the members of her peerage herself, rather than have her brother chose them for her. They were like family. They looked out for each other, no matter how big or small the problem was, they always had each-other's backs. She was one of the few high-class devils who believed that devils who treated their peerage like slaves were trash. Unlike a certain Phenex she was reluctant to name, or even think about for that matter.
"I am just worried about the little… session… we have with my brother," Rias replied, her smile dropping just a bit. "He sounded quite serious about the entire thing, and to make it worse, he didn't deign to reveal any pertinent details behind his sudden visit, almost as if he himself didn't know any more than I do." Rias finished, an expression of annoyance and frustration plastered on her unblemished face. Her brother was still the same, bumbling, tactless fool she knew and loved, no matter how serious he got.
"I am sure everything will work out," Akeno consoled her like a mother would her child, acting out of concern rather than staying true to her overly-flirtatious character. "You and I both know how much Sirzechs adores you, he won't let anything happen to you. He isn't a Satan for nothing, you know?" she countered, eliciting a sigh from her red-headed master.
"I guess you're right." Rias commented, but it was easy for her peerage to notice that the conversation hadn't even scratched the skin of her apprehensiveness. And how could it? The circumstances surrounding her current predicament were quite exemplary to begin with. Secretive meetings between devil clans weren't usually so abrupt. Devils were, after all, an ancient race. And like every other race blessed with similar or greater longevity, they too had their own customs and norms. A meeting held in a hurry was usually a meeting held in either bad faith or an emergency. Her brother was an honorable man, and he was, after all, her brother. So the first scenario was out of the question, which only left the second. And considering how their relations were with the other factions, the second scenario was looking increasingly terrifying as she gave it more thought.
"I am sure it won't be that bad, right?" Issei asked awkwardly, giving his own two cents to comfort his Buchou. His concern for Rias was apparent. After all, he had even foregone the usual lecherous looks he so-often gave her. The ability to set his lust aside did prove to his peers that there was more to the deviant boy than met the eye. That said, his concern was made a lot more genuine because he was looking her in the eyes. That wasn't really an easy feat to accomplish, considering there was a lot more else to see regarding the woman he had quite literally devoted his life to.
"I won't be so sure, Issei." Kiba interjected, ever the cynic. "Buchou's brother is the Lucifer. As the leader of the four Maous, there is no one higher up in the hierarchy than him, not to mention his immense personal strength. So, if he's asking for a meeting in an official capacity, then we have every reason to be nervous." He reasoned with a hard stare, making the entire room go silent. As his reasoning sunk in, the atmosphere tensed up to the point where one could metaphorically cut it with a knife. Even Issei and Asia, two of the most carefree individuals of Rias' peerage gulped. They were going to talk to the supreme leader of Underworld! It was akin to a meeting with the president of the United States, except, the president didn't have the power to destroy the people that angered him at a molecular level. At least not at will. The gravity of the situation finally got to them, and they too, found themselves craving answers.
Sadly, these doubts never got to be voiced, as a small light appeared in the middle of the clubhouse, expanding outwards as it grew. The Gremory sigil appeared in the center, glowing with red, arcane energy that was a staple of their demonic lineage. As it was, it struck fear into the hearts of Rias' peerage. This wasn't expected, not at this juncture of time, at the very least.
He's too early! Rias screamed in her mind. The meeting was supposed to occur in the evening, when there were no witnesses around, human or otherwise. The Lucifer was coming early, and that just made the doubt and panic nested in Rias' head grow by exponential levels. This was definitely bad. How bad? She'd have to wait to find out.
Everyone watched with trepidation as the infamous Lucifer and his equally infamous Queen strolled into their club with grace that belied humanity, even though their appearance suggested otherwise. It served to remove what little doubt there was that the pair was decidedly not human. They looked too… perfect. Both as individuals and as a duo, with the Lucifer walking in front and his seemingly demure wife just few steps behind.
Issei was struck dumb by the similarities between Rias and her brother. They looked almost identical, save for their basic gender differences. In his mind, he could see them both naked, and comparisons were being made at the speed of light. Suffice to say, that was not a mental image that would leave his mind for a painfully long time. As for the devil lord's quarry, she was, put simply, perfection given form. Her long, silver hair brought out the piercing, cold beauty of her silver eyes, and her pale, flawless alabaster skin gave her an ethereal glow. Issei couldn't help himself, so he did what came naturally. He stood there and gawked.
"You are early, brother." Rias stated with a pointed glare, crossing her arms, "So, mind telling me what issue was so pressing that it made you, the leader of the underworld, forgo your duties and come to our humble abode? More so, how come Grayfia allowed it?" She interrogated, tapping the ground with her foot at a fevered pace. Her impatience clear to see.
"Aww, Rias-tan!" Sirzechs Lucifer replied childishly, a pout destroying his stately persona, "Are you not happy to see your dear onee-sama? I missed you so much!" Sirzechs groaned, causing the entire ORC to cringe simultaneously. Kiba sighed, the more powerful the person, the more weird his or her habits. Reinforcing his observation was the presence of Grayfia, the strongest queen, and a person who was more at-home behaving as a maid than as the consort of the strongest devil in the underworld.
For all her political training under the Gremory household, Rias found herself having a hard time controlling her wrath, she just couldn't believe that her brother had the time to joke around when clearly he had asked for the meeting under totally different circumstances. Thankfully, her sister-in-law had the decency to cruelly twist her brother's cheeks before he embarrassed her any further.
"You're supposed to be the leader of the Underworld, Lucifer-sama. What kind of example do you think you're setting for the young, impressionable devils in this room?" Grayfia chastised her husband as she refused to release her hold on his cheek, "Is it really that hard for you to act mature?" Struggling and in pain, the leader of the Underworld shot his wife a look begging for mercy "I'm shorry Grahfiaa," Sirzechs whined through his swollen cheek, barely holding back his tears, "It whon't happhen aghain!"
With one, final painful-looking twist, Grayfia let go, slipping back from the disciplinarian attitude of hers to the initial, demure look of extreme perfection. The change was instantaneous, but a message had been delivered to the ORC clubroom's current inhabitants.
Grayfia was strong and scary, and that she did not like it when people broke decorum. Both Issei and Kiba stiffen up uncharacteristically, it wouldn't do them any good for Grayfia to find them lounging around as they usually did. If she could be that strict in punishing her husband, the lord Lucifer, god knows what she'd do to underlings of the Gremory family, underlings like them.
Luckily, before the Queen-maid could turn her attention towards Rias' peerage, Sirzechs had already recovered. Instantly, the expression on his face devolved from his initial, playful one into one that was markedly much more serious. His lips were pressed together in a straight, grim line, and his eyes were narrowed, the arches of his eyes sharp enough to cut skin. The room's mood changed likewise, and every single devil found themselves subconsciously on-edge.
"To tell the truth I am afraid that even I am unaware of the entire reason of this meeting," Sirzechs answered. "What I do know is that this meeting was requested, no, begged for by the Phenex. As you know, the Phenex are a proud house, they are the house of the Marquis, and I have never, in my long, long life seen the proud Phenex beg. I accepted their request, even though I know as much about it as you."
That was the wrong thing to say, as Rias' anger flared. Her brother had accepted a request from the very house that wanted her as a bride for their… douchebag … of a son. A house that wanted her, not for her capabilities, but as an incubator for their future heir. What more, Sirzechs hadn't even deemed it necessary to tell her to expect the Phenex in the first place. Lucifer or not, how dare he?
"You knew that the meeting was with the Phenex and you didn't even think about giving me a heads up," Rias snarled with her teeth bared, her rage causing her to shake with uncontrollable fervor. "I have told you this time and time again. I am not marrying Riser Phenex. That was my decision back when I was a preteen, and that is my decision now." She exhumed, her devil power leaking out of her body oppressively.
Meanwhile, if one heard closely, one could hear the sound of Issei's heart shattering. The girl of his dreams was engaged, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Rias stood before her brother defiantly as her knuckles turned white. By Gods! She hated her soon to be fiancé, he was the lowest of the low. She would rather die than marry someone like Riser Phenex. It would be a cold day in hell before she let him lay as much as a hand on her. Her loathing for him ran deep, and she couldn't find a singular thing about him that she liked. Be it his laisses-faire attitude towards life, or the way he treated his peerage. Speaking of peerages, her own was visibly concerned, seeing their leader's distressed, agitated visage. And while they would go to hell if Rias asked them to –both literally and figuratively- they knew that Rias would never forgive them if they so much as tried to raise a hand against her brother. Not that they had much of a chance against two of the strongest devils in the underworld.
Before Sirzechs could try to calm her sister down and explain the situation to her, a bright light invaded everyone's senses. Rias looked towards the teleportation circle and immediately she scowled in distaste.
Koneko whispered, "Phenex Crest."
Every member of Rias peerage went on high alert, reacting instinctively to Koneko's proclamation. They half expected to be greeted by the tasteless playboy of Underworld, Riser Phenex. Although, much to their surprise, a man and a woman who seemed to be in their late twenties walked out of the light, making their way into the club's innermost sanctum. A flash of recognition passed through ever singular member of the ORC, save for Issei and Asia. The man in front of them was, after all, a household name in the Underworld. Lord Phenex, the esteemed Marquis of the underworld. A man with money, power and stature in equal measure. The man slated to be Rias' father in-law. And behind him, trailed his wife, a devil who once held the title of the underworld's strongest female devil, till it was stolen by Kataera Leviathan. A prodigy in the arts of her family, and a master of the arcane.
Sadly, Issei and Asia, being newly reincarnated devils, had not a single inkling as to who the new duo in the room were. For all they knew, these two could have been stray devils. Though what was apparent to them was the gap between their own powers and that of the Phenex duo. It was also mope than apparent to see that the people that had just walked into the room were comparatively much more… affluent… than almost anyone he had ever met, save for Sirzechs and his own wife. It almost looked effortless, their own grace and beauty. They didn't simply have grace, they were grace.
"Greeting, Lord and Lady Phenex, it's an honor to meet you both." Rias said with a slight curtsy and the customary disciplined smile that she had sported in each and every one of her encounters with nobles. "I just wish that it could have been under better circumstances." Her anger did not determine how she treated her peers or her superiors, it would reflect badly on both her family and her upbringing if her manners were any less than perfect.
But apparently, the Phenex lord who stood in front of them wasn't much of a stickler for rules and norms, he waved his hand in greeting, derailing Rias' train of thought. "Ah, Rias. It has been far too long. There is no need for any formalities around us, you know?" He stated, making Rias narrow her eyes in suspicion. Behind the lord, his wife laughed, as if she and her husband just shared a joke that the rest of the gathering wasn't in on.
Now, for the record, Rias liked the Lord and Lady Phenex, that too, a lot. Quite the converse of her relationship with their son, she actually admired Lord Phenex for managing a house as large and successful as their own, and he admired his wife for her grace, power, and easygoing attitude, which even put her own husband's light going nature to shame. As such, she knew that the Phenex elders were known to be a lot more boisterous than they were currently letting on. She hadn't ever seen them act so subdued, even in the parties and balls she was made to attend as a child, while surrounded by company that was much more powerful and notable than their current contemporaries. It almost felt like they were… afraid.
"I truly apologize for the… setting… for this meeting, Sir and Ma'am. Had you warned me on prior notice, I would have been able to arrange for a better place for a meeting." Rias apologized, bowing her head as she did so. Lord Phenex shook his head, nullifying any feeling of animosity r shame any other demon of their status would have felt regarding the venue. "It couldn't be helped, Rias. We ourselves were pretty short on time, and might I say it, I would gladly take a homely place like this over a stuffy conference room." He retorted, a shaky, yet grateful smile on his face. Again, his voice and the matter of conversation reeked of hidden desperation. The Phenex wanted something, and they wanted it posthaste.
"So, mind telling us the reason for this sudden visit. Lord?" Sirzechs asked, taking a seat after offering the Lord and Lady their own, Grayfia took her position behind her husband, ever watchful, ever alert. And her gaze definitely didn't miss the Lord's smile drop for a second. Neither did she miss the apprehensive gazes cast on the Phenex clan members by Rias' peerage. She'd need to have a word with them later regarding social norms and standing, but in a situation as exemplary as this, even she couldn't stop her own apprehensiveness from surfacing. Before she could make any assumptions, though, the lord began to speak. "Before I speak of this issue, I must make a request." He spoke, trepidation apparent on his face, as he locked eyes with Sirzechs, the most powerful and stately devil in the room. "A request that whatever I tell you will not leave the confines of this room and your two peerages." He concluded, his smile disappearing, replaced by a hopeful, yet steely expression. Sirzechs gave it a minute of though. A tense minute, sure, but nothing more, as he nodded in response.
All of a sudden, Lord Phenex's steely, perfect visage shattered. It was replaced by an expression of relief. He sank deeper into the sofa he was sitting on, while a smile of gratitude appeared on his wife's face. That wasn't all, though. Their slip of emotion was more than just a byproduct of the Lucifer's wordless promise. But also a decidedly human buildup of grief and chagrin, two feelings which confused the congregation with their existence. As the Lord righted his posture, his expression was melancholic to say the least. And while Sirzechs and Rias both lightly resented the Phenex household, due to the marriage contract and Riser's irreverent behavior in general. Sirzechs would be the first to admit that his claim to the title of Lucifer wouldn't have been accepted quite as unanimously if he hadn't received the backing of the current Marquis of hell. The man in front of him had fought alongside his father and him. His family and their priceless tears had been instrumental in their victory, Pyrrhic though it might have been.
Rias, on the other hand was flabbergasted. To see Lord Phenex, a man who she respected despite the marriage contract as a perfect example of devil nobility reduced to an emotional wreck in front of her completely shook up her belief in the impersonality of the devil nobility. It only took one glance from the sad man to convince her to lend an ear to whatever his issue might be, long-standing grudges be damned.
After a minute of total silence Lord Phenex finally collected his emotions, hiding his true intent under a thin veneer of courtesy, "What I am going to tell you today is one of our most guarded secrets. Our trump card, so to speak, in a world where power is rapidly replacing ancestry and bloodline." He stated, eliciting a tense nod from both Sirzechs and Rias. Seeing that they understood the gravity of the request to come, he spoke.
"Riser… is not my youngest son."
And then, there was pin-drop silence. One could almost liken it to the calm before the storm. And when the storm did come, after exactly seven seconds, it came bearing Lord Lucifer's wrath itself.
"WHAT?" Sirzechs roared, his power choking every devil in the room. "You dared keep something as important as the birth of a son from the council? What are you even thinking? You know that it is imperative that every child born to the 72 pillars be reported to the council am I correct?" He growled. The only reason births were kept secret were when there were grand plots in the works. Sirzechs, Akuja, Serafall and Falbium were born in secrecy. They weren't made known to the world till their bloodlines were fully mastered. At that point of the civil war, they were unstoppable. Hence, once they held the reins of the underworld in their hands, they had made a clear policy that every child born to a noble house must be registered within the compendium of birth. A counter-policy against rebellion. What Lord Phenex had done was tantamount to treason.
"Calm yourself, Sirzechs!" Grayfia shouted, gesturing towards the remaining devils, who were choking on the devil's miasma, Sirzechs' power had too debilitating an effect on lower-level devils. Even Rias, defended by the same power that his bloodline afforded him, was wincing in pain, under the pressure off his oppressive power. Seeing his sister in pain was anathema to him, and he reined in his anger, and the power that came with it. It didn't stop him from pointing yet another angry glare at the Phenex lord, who looked assuredly guilty. He was about to explain, when his wife decided to step in.
"That would be the case normally, lord. But my youngest son, Naruto, wasn't born to us." She stated, her voice shaking with each word, seeing Sirzechs's expression devolve from anger to confusion, she continued. "We adopted him when he was three that was more than thirteen years old. We were planning to induct him into the family formally when he turned ten. But he just left when he was six." She sighed, "He was inducted into our family as a counterfoil to any card that the old Satan faction might possess." A wistful, sad expression replaced the guilt on her face. "We came to love him, though. He was a ray of light. When he left, we were devastated. And for years, we believed he was dead."
That was breaking point for the sentimental lady, as she burst into a sobbing wreck in front of the entire congregation. Her husband moved closer to her, holding her with tenderness. He didn't cry, because for a Phenex to cry in the open was considered shameful by the devil community in general. But it was apparent that he was close to it himself. Their present company did not know how to react, hence they decided, unanimously and wordlessly, to give them their time. It only took a matter of minutes for Lord Phenex to console his consort. Considering her current mental state, he decided to bring the conversation back to the point himself.
"That boy… he just left a letter on his bed, saying that he had something important to do, that he wanted to become strong and find his own way in life outside of what his family wanted for him, he even took his evil pieces with him." Lord Phenex resumed, his sadness ever-present throughout his dialogue. "We spend endless amounts of resources looking for him. Both of my sons did everything possible under the sun to get him back, but it was to no avail." He choked on air for a second, holding back an uncharacteristic sob. "All our efforts did was make it even more clear that he had… died." He concluded, burying his head in his hands.
Sirzechs then realized his folly. Of course, adopted children could not be declared as official heirs for the 72 houses unless they were above the age of ten. He felt guilt himself, as he looked at Grayfia. As it stood, only her loyalty to her job as his maid and queen kept her from running over to the distraught Lady and consoling her. She too was a mother, and as such, could imagine how much it would hurt to learn that her child, his child, their dear little Millicas, was missing and presumably dead. He could finally fathom the pain Lord Phenex must have felt, to realize that his child was out there, in a place where his loving embrace couldn't protect him. He knew, because as a father, even the idea of it made him feel like trash.
But that couldn't be all, the Phenex would never request… no… plead for a meeting with the strongest of the Satans merely for the purpose off telling him something long-lost to the tides of history. There was more to it, there had to be more to it. And as the Lord faced him again, the steely expression on his face told him that he had the right idea. This wasn't over, not by a long shot.
"—but now, finally after 10 years we have received info from a credible source stating that he is alive and well." Lady Phenex stated, her husband hadn't expected this, and his steely visage dropped yet again. Even through her tears, Lady Phenex's smile looked radiant. "My poor son, he is alive. And we, as parents, failed to find him, even with our resources. We gave up on him. We failed as parents. I'm sure you can understand my grief. I'm a failure of a mother."
Grayfia shook her head. "If he's alive and safe, it means you ultimately succeeded. You gave him the skills and experience needed to face the world, even when he was merely six years of age. Looks like he did exactly what his letter said he would." Grayfia smiled, an expression which multiplied her beauty tenfold and left Issei with a massive nosebleed. "If he made himself next-to-impossible to find, he's just been raised to be much better than people his age, you should feel proud."
Lady Phenex shook her head. "There's more to him than meets the eye, Grayfia. You'll see for yourself once you meet him."
Rias finally decided that this was the perfect time to raise the one question that was on her mind since before the conversation got sidetracked. "But Lord Phenex, what does this have to do with me, of all people?" Lord Phenex opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off for the third time within the same hour, this time, by Sirzechs, "Rias, do you remember the terms of the contract of marriage? You did try every single way possible to weasel your way out of it, after all. You're a smart girl, think it over once." Rias did just as her brother asked, and her eyes widened in surprise and shock. "The contract decrees that the firstborn girl of the Gremory house will be married to the youngest capable heir of the Phenex clan. And Riser is no longer the youngest. That means…" Rias wordlessly stared at Lord Phenex, who gave her a weak smile before confirming her point
"Yes, you are no longer bound by contract to marry Riser. Instead, Naruto is the one slated to marry you." He answered. "And, truth be told, considering how Naruto was, you'll have a much easier time convincing him to call off the marriage. Though I do hope you'll give him a chance before you make a decision. He was a surprisingly charming boy, after all."
Rias was stunned, her mouth was wide open. She didn't know whether to be happy or to be apprehensive. Because, in reality, nothing had really changed for her. Now she was being married off to some other guy. Someone she didn't even know. And while it was honestly impossibly for her to hate anyone as much as she hated Riser, there still existed a possibility, no matter how slim, that this 'Naruto' character could possibly be even worse than Riser himself. Though, Lord Phenex's words were to be believed, even the chance to delay her marriage a bit was a very appealing one. Best case scenario, she would be able to convince this boy to not go through with it. After all, the only ways to void the contract would be to either defeat the boy in a rating game or to mutually agree to break it. If push came to shove, she'd take him down in combat. But he had been in the human world for over ten years now. She had no idea how strong he could be. Unlike Riser, he was an unknown quantity. And she definitely did not like dealing with the unknown.
"So let me guess. You want us to get him back before someone else gets to him." Rias replied. Maybe, if she got him back with his family, she'd create enough of a friendly rapport to be able to talk him out of the marriage. It was definitely worth a try, and it was still a better alternative than fighting him.
"To put it simply, yes." replied Lord Phenex. Rias smirked. Maybe, this wouldn't be as bad as she expected it to be. This offered a mutual-gain situation that she could definitely use. What more, having a Phenex as a friend could be useful.
"So do you have any photographs of your son?" Grayfia asked, with her usual stiff demeanor.
"Yes, we do have one but its old, when he was six." Lady Phenex said as she removed a thin photograph from her purse and placed it in Grayfia's open palm.
Rias took the chance to look at the photo. It had both Lady and Lord Phenex, and between them sat a blonde kid with spiky hair and a radiant smile. She put that aside however, as she took the chance to commit his face to her memory. And she couldn't help but mentally comment on the fact that the boy was super cute as a kid. He looked friendly too, unlike how she remembered Riser as a teen. Hopefully, the adult form would be just as friendly as he appeared to be in the photo.
"Even though he is adopted, he looks like a Phenex." Rias pointed out. The effect it had on the Phenex duo was instantaneous. Proud smiles appeared on their faces, surprising Rias just a bit. It was uncommon for the great houses to adopt children, but it was downright rare for them to take pride in said adopted children. She couldn't help but share their happiness. Sirzechs, however, locked his gaze with lord Phenex, his face strictly businesslike.
"Do you know where he currently is?" He asked. And instantly, the duo's smiles dropped. A vague sense of dread filled up the room, and with the next words that came out of Lord Phenex's mouth, it was made clear why they needed a Maou's help in retrieving their wayward son.
"Well we believe that he's in Vatican City."
Sirzechs didn't respond for a few seconds. It was as if time itself stopped in the room. And then, he said the one thing that was on the mind of every single person present in the cramped room.
"You've got to be shitting me!"
So leave me a review and tell me how did you guys like it. And just a head's up, I am looking for a beta of this story. So if anyone's up for it do send a PM.
SamaelTheDevil...