Hey there dear readers. Glad you took the time to read my little project here. This is something that's been sitting in my noggin for a while now, and I figured it was time to write it down. Updates might be a little slow given how big the chapters could end uo being, and I'm also helping to write another story with RealmofEmptiness at the same time. But I'll do my best to keep this one going.

I don't really want to spoil anything, so if you have any burning questions that just can't wait to be answered in the story, just send me a message and I'll get back to you.

Other than that, please read, enjoy and hopefully review.


Story Start


"Will you die for me?"

Those were the words that that made me realize that somewhere along the way I had screwed up. But I'm pretty sure that whatever I did it didn't rate this! Though, I wouldn't really know, seeing as this is my first date ever, but you'd think there'd be a lot less idiots around if that were the case.

It was then that my girlfriend of about a week somehow transformed from a schoolgirl to a young woman in... Is that bondage gear!?

...If this is a wet dream of some sort, just wake me up. This is too weird.

I only met Yuuma about a week ago, that's my girlfriend's name in case you were wondering. Anyway I met her while on the way home from school, she just confessed to me out of nowhere... I'm embarrassed to admit that I just froze in surprise for at least ten seconds. It's not my fault! I don't do... romance or whatever. Anyway, for the last week I've been walking part way to school with her and meeting up when I can spare the time.

I can't think of any reason for... well, this. This being what looks like impending doom when my (I think I'm safe in assuming former at this point) girlfriend creates a spear made out of light.

Sorry if I'm complaining a lot, but this feels like a big deal to me! It only becomes more of a big deal when she throws that spear at me!

I lost all feeling below my waist and just crumpled to the ground when it hit me. If only I lost all feeling around the gaping hole in my stomach... Dear god it hurts!

And then that girl has the gall to just laugh at me and leave.

...What a bitch.

Dammit... Why? What exactly did I do to deserve this kind of death? Just lying here bleeding out in the park, I don't want to die like that!

It was then that I noticed an odd glow coming from my pocket, I could only think that maybe it was that odd leaflet that woman practically forced into my hand. Even when I tried to refuse she just wouldn't leave. Maybe that piece of paper was going to save my life? Ha... There's no way I'm that lucky, if I were I wouldn't even be in this situation.

There was a flash of light and someone appeared. I couldn't make them out, though; my eyesight was becoming too blurry. But I could hear their voice clearly.

"Looks like you are dying. Your wound...oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it's you... This truly is interesting."

It sounded like a woman's voice, but I didn't recognize it. She then started laughing, as though she'd found something funny... I don't see anything funny about this situation.

"If you are dying, then I'll pick it up. Your life, that is. From now, you will live for me."

The last thing I remember, before the darkness consumed my vision entirely, was crimson hair. And my last thought, was that it looked so much like fresh blood.

That color... I think I hate it.


The boy lurched up, out of his comfortable bed, clutching at the place where he should have been impaled. It took a moment for his panic to subside and give way to the realization that he was in his own room back at home. After removing his hand from his abdomen and checking that no, there really wasn't a gaping hole where his innards should be, he let out a loud and long sigh of relief. It had probably just been a bad dream.

The boy's name was Kiyoshi Tsukino. First name first. The sole male member of the Kuoh Academy Kendo team. Standing at five foot eight with messy black hair and blue eyes. He wouldn't really stand out in a crowd if not for his vaguely European features. A result of him being the son of both an English teacher, and a Japanese soldier. Due to somewhat uncomfortable circumstances, he has found himself living alone since before high school.

The home he lived in was quite comfortable. It was located in a street full of western style houses, his mother had once thought of the place as a little slice of home and had immediately moved into one of the houses there. That was the house he still lived in. With two floors and three bedrooms, it was quite a bit larger than average. That was without taking into account the back yard with a useful shed with all sorts of objects stored inside. It would have been impossible to afford this home, if not for his father sending him money every month for bills. Despite that Kiyoshi still had to work part time at a cafe to earn enough for the various other essentials.

He allowed himself to just lie there and bask in the peace for a moment, before looking over to the desk at his side and checking the time. The clock there showed him that it was 05:30. About an hour earlier than he would get up, but the shock from that dream had gotten his adrenaline pumping and he didn't feel like he'd be sleeping any time soon. So he got up, got dressed into a tracksuit and started his morning routine.

It was a simple routine. Get dressed into exercise clothes then make and eat breakfast. Afterwards he would spend up to an hour doing his morning exercises such as jogging, press ups or practicing his sword skills. Afterwards he would shower and change into his school uniform. It was a routine he had been using for years, and it had kept him in good shape for any sports he'd like to try. Only, for some reason his exercises didn't feel like they were working this morning. It was like his level of fitness had multiplied overnight. It was bizarre, but he couldn't think of an explanation and his only solution was to up the difficulty of his exercise tomorrow.

With his routine finished Kiyoshi grabbed his bag, a fair sized sports bag since he took his own sword to practice Kendo drills, before heading out to school. It wasn't a particularly long walk, maybe half an hour at most. But he still left a little early, because for the past week he'd been meeting Yuuma and walking part way with her. Unfortunately that little detour proved to be wasted effort today. Despite waiting longer than normal Yuuma didn't show up, so Kiyoshi had to walk all the way on his own with barely any time to spare before school started.

The morning went fairly normal from there. The only odd thing being the antics of the perverted trio... Although at this point they don't really count as odd any more. But seriously, bringing those kind of magazines to school? Those three just keep digging themselves a bigger hole. It's a wonder that they haven't been tossed out of school yet. All of that welcome normalcy didn't quite settle Kiyoshi though, there was just a feeling of wrongness to the day. Like he was missing something obvious, the fact that he felt as though he had an oncoming migraine to top it off wasn't helping.

His restlessness must have showed because Murayama, the relatively tall brunette from the Kendo club, stopped him as he grabbed his bag at the end of lessons. "Kiyo-kun?"

He lifted the bag onto his shoulder while turning to her. "Hm? Is something wrong Murayama-Chan?" She gave him an odd look somewhere between a put and a glare. "You've been spaced out almost the whole day, I should be asking you that." He blinked for a moment, thinking back. "Oh, right. Sorry. Just an odd morning, didn't help that Yuuma was nowhere to be seen on the way." It was her turn to blink in confusion, tilting her head to the side with a look of thought. "Yuuma? Who's that?" Kiyoshi had been about to leave, but that answer stopped him in his tracks. Derailing his thought process entirely.

"Yuuma. I introduced her to you at the Kendo club just the other day."

"Hmmm. Nope. I don't remember anyone with that name."

Kiyoshi couldn't do anything but stare in confusion. It wasn't like Murayama to just forget meeting someone after a few days. Especially someone she took an instant dislike to, though he couldn't for the life of him think why she did.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

He was half tempted to say no, but he couldn't really explain what was wrong, could he? He didn't even know himself. It just felt as though this whole day was wrong. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, so he simply waved off her concern and went to Kendo practice.

He ended up being the last one to leave, practicing until the sun went down before finally leaving. The practice had been calming, but it hadn't answered any questions. They had only gotten worse when none of the other members of the Kendo club could remember Yuuma. It was incredibly frustrating for him.

He was so distracted by the questions in his head that he hardly realized where he was walking until he was practically standing in a fountain. It took a moment for him to realize exactly where he was.

"Ah, this is the place that dream ended." For a moment he just stood there, wondering why he had walked in this direction of all places. Then a feeling of overwhelming dread crashed down on his shoulders.

"This is rare, to meet someone like you in a place like this."

Kiyoshi whirled around with a grunt of surprise to see a man standing twenty meters away, wearing a pale grey trench coat that made him look like some sort of detective. He was undoubtedly the source of the feeling.

Despite that feeling, and in spite of the sweat forming on his brow, Kiyoshi forced himself to respond. "Really? What's so odd about seeing a student take the long way home?"

"Ha, cute..." Then something unbelievable happened, wings black as night erupted from the man's back. Not disturbing his clothes in the slightest. "But I already know what you are."

Kiyoshi almost took a step back when the man's wings spread, but a moment of grim determination had him step forwards instead. To him, this was the culmination of all the out of place incidents of the past day. Running was discarded as an option before it ever really became a thought. "Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about." While speaking he unzipped the bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Hm? Still playing dumb? Then what's with that aggressive stance?" The man cocked his head to the side for a moment before walking forward. "...Wait, are you a "stray"? If you have no Master then that would explain a few things."

This wasn't a pleasant situation. There was an air of barely restrained violence that could explode at any moment. The tension was almost killing Kiyoshi. He knew plenty about fighting, his favorite hobbies revolved around it in fact, but fighting a man twice his size that definitely wasn't human was not an appealing thought. He couldn't make the first move either, because that man might be able to use those same spears as Yuuma. So it was better to wait for him to get as close as possible. He didn't have to wait long.

The man stopped, a spear of pale blue light appearing within his right hand. While twirling it he spoke. "Humph. I don't feel any presence of your Master nor your comrades. I don't see anything that is trying to hide its presence either. And there's no magic-circle appearing here. According to the current situation, you are a "Stray". So it won't be a problem if I kill you..."

Kiyoshi moved the instant the word "kill" left the man's mouth. The man approaching had halved the distance between them, but it was still enough room for the man to throw the spear. Despite the fact that the force of Kiyoshi's rapid charge was enough to crack the pavement and launch him towards the man, that fact didn't change.

The man pulled back his arm to throw the spear. Kiyoshi reached into his bag.

The man threw his arm forward, about to release the spear.

Kiyoshi gripped something inside the bag as he threw the bag towards the man's face.

The sudden action caught the man off guard. Rather than throw his spear through the bag and risk missing, he aborted the attack and instead swept the bag aside with his left hand. With the same movement he instead thrust his spear where he guessed Kiyoshi's torso would be. The spear brushed past the bag as it leapt forward, easily slicing through the material. As the bag left the man's vision, his eyes widened a fraction.

The spear had managed to connect, but had only managed to scrape Kiyoshi's cheek. The boy had ducked far lower than the man had expected, practically kneeling in front of him. And he was holding a wooden sword. A bokken.

Kiyoshi thrust the sword forward far faster than the man could react, it impacted right below his sternum and drove all of the air from his lungs. The strike had enough force to knock him back a step even as he hunched forwards.

Kiyoshi didn't abandon his offence there. While standing he gripped the man by the sides of his head, dragging his face down and driving his knee into it.

The power behind that hit should have put his opponent on the ground permanently. Kiyoshi didn't want to take chances though so he readied his bokken for an overhead strike.

Only to be forced back when he was nearly bisected by a glowing blue spear.

Kiyoshi attempted to step forward into striking distance only to be once more repelled when the man desperately swung for him once again.

This was bad. The longer this went on, the more that man would recover and the more exhausted Kiyoshi would be. His only real option was to use the environment in some way.

That became difficult when the man started a relentless, rage filled, advance, punctuating each step with a one handed thrust from his spear that forced Kiyoshi to dodge and weave as he retreated to avoid becoming a pincushion.

He was pushed back further and further until he was well past his original start point and felt his back impact something hard. Seeing a momentary opening the man gripped his spear with both hands and thrust forward with all of his might, intent on nailing Kiyoshi to the obstruction. Unfortunately for him he was a moment too slow, allowing Kiyoshi to dodge right, as the man instead impaled what Kiyoshi had backed into: A large tree.

That momentary setback wouldn't stop the man for long though, he simply let his original spear dissipate before attempting to summon another... And being slammed into the tree for his trouble, when Kiyoshi grabbed his shirt and threw him into it. Kiyoshi pulled back his arm and launched a punch straight towards his opponent's throat, trying his best to take him out. It was Kiyoshi's turn to be taken off guard when the man dropped down under his arm. Kiyoshi was absolutely stunned when his arm didn't just hit the tree. it smashed right through. It would have been a lot more impressive if it didn't get stuck when he tried to pull it out.

Light condensed in his enemy's hand, forming into a spear while he was trapped. From his position, crouched underneath Kiyoshi's fist, it would be child's play for him to run Kiyoshi through. That was exactly what he attempted to do.

Unfortunately for him, that moment it took for his spear to form, was long enough for Kiyoshi to come to his senses and lash out with kick, forcing the man to block. But, because of his position, he was forced to take it on his forearm rather than the spear. That act of desperation knocked the man out of his crouched position with enough force for him to land four or five feet away.

It bought Kiyoshi just enough time to gather his strength and tear his arm out of the tree.

The man was back on his feet. Looking totally fine at that.

Other than his torn sleeve and the scratch on his cheek, Kiyoshi was no worse for wear either.

Then the sound of laughing rang out through the park. A small sound at first, but it soon grew into an uncontrollable sound before suddenly dying down.

The man could only look on in confusion as Kiyoshi laughed to his heart's content with a smile of excited joy on his face.

"Aha, sorry. I must be an odd person. We're trying to kill each other right now, but I can't help but enjoy a fight as good as this one."

A brief moment passed before a low chuckle escaped from the man's lips, quickly followed by a vicious grin. "No, go right ahead. I understand the feeling completely."

Kiyoshi nodded his head in acceptance. "Ah, in that case. I want to make a deal."

"Oh? And what might that be? No matter how much you beg, I'll be killing you here." Kiyoshi lightly laughed for a moment longer, before his face morphed into a predatory grin. "How about, if I win you answer all of my questions?"

The man scoffed. "Ha, like there's a chance of that. Fine, since I'm not going to lose to a Devil like you, I'll accept. You'll be dying soon enough anyway."

The man smirked, the kind that says "I know something you don't" before launching his spear towards Kiyoshi.

It was a pointless attack, Kiyoshi could easily see it coming at this point and simply stepped aside. The spear passed right by Kiyoshi without even touching him, Kiyoshi was ready to move forward the moment it passed and with the man standing virtually in melee range it would only take a moment for Kiyoshi to be in striking range.

But when the man simply pointed a single finger upwards Kiyoshi couldn't help but half-turn while looking where the man pointed. Only to reflexively raise an arm to block a falling lamppost. Dropping his bokken in the process.

The next moment, Kiyoshi stepped to the side on some sort of intuition, shifting his arm to hold the post so it didn't bash his head in, then another spear passed right where he had been. The weight of the post shifted, the post mustn't have been completely severed before. Kiyoshi grabbed it with his other hand to compensate while turning towards the man. Who had hopped back a few more meters and was readying another spear.

This was a bad situation. The post wasn't really an issue, but it had allowed the man to gain precious space to attack from a distance. Kiyoshi was undoubtedly at a disadvantage now.

At least until he shifted his grip in order to more securely grab the pole, and did something ridiculous. When the man threw his second spear, Kiyoshi swung the lamppost like a bat. A ridiculously heavy bat, it didn't help at how unwieldy of a bat it was. But it was a bat nonetheless. And it was long enough to reach the man. The spear met the arc of the improvised bat at about halfway, tearing right through it even as the bat slammed into the man's left arm. The spear was deflected just enough to leave a deep cut on Kiyoshi's left shoulder, but the bat would have certainly left damage of it's own on the man.

It was the first significant exchange between the two. And if the way Kiyoshi fell down to his knee while gripping his arm and the unknown man yelled in pain when he pushed himself to his feet while cradling his arm which was now bent at an odd angle... It had been a crippling blow for both fighters.

Yet after a moment, when the pain began to subside for the two, they couldn't help but laugh. It was kind of ridiculous, how they couldn't seem to gain a significant advantage. But the peace only lasted for a moment. As soon as the pain became bearable, Kiyoshi broke into a sprint as he closed the distance to his enemy. The other man formed a spear in his uninjured right hand.

Kiyoshi cleared the short distance between them too quickly for the man to throw it, but he still had the advantage of reach. Kiyoshi wasn't in as bad a spot as he had been though, despite the pain in his arm he could still use both arms while his opponent certainly couldn't use his left arm. So Kiyoshi kept trying to circle around to the man's left, the man might have been using his spear single handed almost the whole time but without his left arm he wouldn't be able to cover his left side effectively.

This left them in a form of stalemate. Kiyoshi couldn't be too aggressive without a weapon, but neither could the other man since his broken arm was making movement incredibly painful.

But that had to end eventually.

Kiyoshi stepped in a hole, maybe a hare burrow, and stumbled.

That was all the other man needed. He thrust forward once more, aiming center mass with the intent to kill. Kiyoshi desperately tried to twist out of the way, succeeding only by sacrificing what little footing he had and falling.

He landed heavily on the ground with the man stepping over him to deliver a final blow.

He desperately tried to lash out with his right arm, putting everything he had into one final struggle.

It was pointless, the spear would inevitably pierce through his arm and nail it to his body as it proceeded to pierce his chest.

But the unthinkable happened.

A burst of violet flames erupted around his hand for a moment, leaving behind a simple silver crucifix about the size of a sword hilt with the bottom attached to his wrist by a thin chain.

Surprised momentarily halted both combatants, before they simultaneously recovered and once more attempted to kill each other with all they had. But something more unexpected happened.

When Kiyoshi lashed out again, a pillar of violet flames erupted between himself and the other man, enveloping the man's arm. The man yelled in pain, his spear shattering like glass as he hastily withdrew his arm and leapt back. The burn wasn't as bad as it could have been, he might even be able to continue fighting for a while longer, but it would certainly be difficult.

For a moment the man remained still a few meters from Kiyoshi, slightly hunched over with a look of suppressed pain on his face, unable to do anything at all about the pain in his right arm while his left was broken.

Then, when Kiyoshi rose, he let out a short bitter laugh. "Guess this is my loss, brat..."

Kiyoshi took a step forward, smiling calmly and raising his right fist. "You sure? I'm still ready to continue."

The man scoffed while replying. "Yeah. There's no way the local princesses would ignore a Longinus flaring up in their territory. But to think I'd find Incinerate Anthem in a backwater country like this..." He said the last part with a small bitter smile on his face, as though realizing he never had a chance from the start.

Kiyoshi brought his hand to his chin in a thinking position. "Honestly I have no idea what you're talking about. All of this crap about masters, princesses and whatever this 'Incinerate Anthem' is, it's going right over my head."

His statement obviously surprised the other man, the look on his face clearly showed shock and disbelief. "How could you not know anything? Hasn't your master told you?"

Kiyoshi crossed his arms over his chest with an annoyed look. "Oi, didn't I just say I don't know what you're talking about? Why do you think I want you to answer my questions?"

The man paused for a moment. Then despite the pain burst out into uncontrollable laughter. "Ahahaha, seriously? What's your name brat?"

Kiyoshi scowled at being called a brat but answered nonetheless. "Kiyoshi Tsukino. Your turn."

The man suddenly stopped laughing, a shell-shocked look on his face for just a moment. Before bursting out into laughter great enough to bring him to his knees. "Ahahahaha, g-give me a moment here. Haha, ha. All right. My name is Dohnaseek. Ha. To think I'd be beaten by a Devil who hasn't even been reincarnated for a full day. How embarrassing."

"Hey. The way you say that, it's like you know who I am."

The now named Dohnaseek smiled while standing. "That's because I do, though I had no idea you were the wielder of Incinerate Anthem. Anyway, you had questions. Ask them so... Crap." Dohnaseek looked off into the distance, when he followed his vision Kiyoshi could easily see a handful of figures with bat-like wings. Before he could ask any questions Dohnaseek interrupted him. "Hey kid, you want answers you'll have to take a leap of faith. I don't plan on sticking around for the cavalry."

Dohnaseek extended his burnt arm as an intricate glowing circle appeared around his feet, he was obviously saying that Kiyoshi would have to grab his hand if he wanted answers. Obviously Kiyoshi wasn't too enthusiastic. "And how do I know that this isn't going to end badly for me?"

Dohnaseek smiled, a far too wide smile that showed way too many teeth. Like a shark circling it's prey. "You don't."

They stood there for a moment.

The student, and the stranger.

Then Kiyoshi took his hand, Dohnaseek wincing as he did.

For a moment there was an incredibly bright light.

Then they were gone.

Miles away, on almost the other side of town, there was a flash of light. After a moment it dissipated showing the two in question.

Kiyoshi took a look around, recognizing the place. They had ended up just a mile or so down the road from the old church. As far as Kiyoshi knew it was unoccupied, though given a moment's thought he might come to think Dohnaseek had taken it over.

Kiyoshi turned around to see Dohnaseek had taken a seat on a bench at the side of the road. "I'm really gonna have to learn that trick."

"Ha, don't expect any help from me. The only reason I brought you along is because we had a deal, right?" Despite the injuries he had sustained, Dohnaseek didn't seem particularly angry about his loss. He looked and sounded more like he'd simply lost some kind of game, an annoyed sort of disappointment. So it was easy for Kiyoshi to brush it off and take a seat next to him.

"Yeah. How about we start right at the top. What the hell is going on?"

Dohnaseek let out a tired sigh, like he'd been expecting that question but not looking forward to it.

"Alright. Where to start... Ah, I got it. The day you were born, you were given a sacred gear by god. They're like powers or tools that are fused to the soul of some humans when they're born, normally they activate it before they turn ten but sometimes it takes until their teens like you. Incinerate Anthem, that crucifix of yours, is one of the powerful ones..."

Kiyoshi raised a hand while interrupting. "So, what exactly does this 'Incinerate Anthem' do?"

Dohnaseek frowned in irritation before answering. "I'm no expert, but the rumors say it creates giant crosses of holy fire that can even kill a god. It's supposed to be the holy cross that Jesus was crucified on. Can I continue?"

"Ah, sure."

"Alright then. A few weeks ago somebody managed to learn that you had Incinerate Anthem, and that you hadn't activated it. Whoever that was then made the information public."

Kiyoshi frowned. "How the hell would they know I had it? I didn't even know I had it. And why tell everyone?"

Dohnaseek just shrugged. "You got me, that stuff's above my pay grade. All I know is we were told to observe you, and then we were told to kill you."

Kiyoshi scratched his head while responding. "Okay... I have no idea how to feel about being killed. Hold on, why am I not still dead?"

"I'm guessing here. But I'd say you were reincarnated by one of the Devil's in this city."

The shock froze Kiyoshi for a moment. Before he managed to get a question out. "Alright, you've told me why I got killed. Now what do you mean 'Devils'?"

"Oh you know, treacherous creatures born of shadow and darkness that exist to torment the souls of humans. As a fallen angel, it's my job to exterminate them when I can. Though that's a bit difficult with the ceasefire."

Kiyoshi just stared at Dohnaseek. An expression clearly stating 'that's absolutely crazy. I hope the rest sounds less crazy.'

Dohnaseek chuckled in response before continuing. "Alright. There are three groups you need to know about. Angels. They serve the biblical god and wield powers of light like me. Fallen Angels. That's me. We're Angels that have broken away from heaven. Then there are Devils. They're the most diabolical creatures I've ever come across. All of them are obsessed with power and only follow the strongest among them, they're like animals competing for the top spot. They even resurrect humans as their slaves to fight for them. Right now, there's a ceasefire between all three factions. But not too long ago we were at each other's throats."

Kiyoshi was stunned for a moment. Before one point struck him. "Wait hold on, you're telling me I got resurrected to become some Devil's slave!?"

Dohnaseek stood up, turning to leave. "Pretty much, kid."

Kiyoshi angrily shot up, looking at the entire world like he was prepared for a fight but didn't know where it was. "Like hell! I'm not gonna let someone I've never met decide my fate."

Dohnaseek looked back for a moment, then smiled. "Heh, good for you..." He then started to walk away, headed in the direction of the church. "...Give 'em hell kid." Dohnaseek laughed for a moment, then spread his wings and took off. Leaving Kiyoshi standing alone next to a bench in the middle of the street.

It took him a moment to get the pun. He couldn't help a snort of amusement before he too turned and walked away. He now understood at least a little of the situation. That was better than he had this morning. But there was something else that he needed to do as soon as possible.

He needed to find out who resurrected him.

The journey home was uneventful. It was as though Kiyoshi had already used up all of his random encounters for the night. Not that he was complaining, once the adrenaline wore off he was really starting feel the pain. So after arriving home he microwaved a frozen meal, patched himself up, ate and then went to bed. The blissful abyss of sleep was a welcome break.

Though he really couldn't deny it. Fighting the fallen angel Dohnaseek had been the most entertaining challenge he'd had in a while.


The next day started off much like the last. Kiyoshi was surprised that he wasn't feeling any of the aches and pains he expected when he woke up. In fact, other than the cut to his shoulder he was feeling absolutely fine. There really were some upsides to being resurrected by the looks of it.

After getting up and dressed he proceeded onto his training, pushing himself as far as he possibly could to try and figure out his new limits. He made little to no progress and quickly decided that tomorrow he'd have to resort to desperate measures. Maybe carrying boulders would be a good starting point?

It was when he got back home and showered that he realized one very annoying fact. He'd left his school bag back at the fountain. He'd completely forgotten about it after tossing it at Dohnaseek. That led to him remembering he'd also left his bokken. Upon realizing how much he'd forgotten last night, he did the only reasonable thing. He head-butted the wall to try and forget his stupidity. That was a mistake. Now he'd have to replace the tiles in the shower as well as his bokken. There wasn't anything he could do about it yet though, so he went to get changed into his school uniform before eating.

After eating he once more made the familiar journey to school. Since he didn't have to wait for Yuuma he made it to school quite early and went to the Kendo club. It was normally pretty quiet in the mornings. It gave him some time to practice without being interrupted. Of course he had to borrow one of the club spares, but he still managed to get some decent practice in. Which he was quite surprised about, maybe it was paranoia but he was starting to get the feeling that something was about to go very wrong. Like the calm before the storm.

That feeling persisted right up until he made it to class. Taking his regular seat he sat down, waiting the last ten minutes until the start of his first class.

He couldn't explain that feeling when the door to the classroom opened. It didn't seem any worse when a vaguely familiar black haired girl walked in. Alarm bells started ringing when he saw what she was carrying.

The girl walked up to his desk and placed his school bag in front of him.

The world seemed to freeze.

"Kaichou noticed you forgot this next to the fountain. Please be more attentive in the future, Tsukino-san."

A light bulb lit up in Kiyoshi's mind when she said 'Kaichou'.

"Thank you, I'll be sure to be more careful in the future Shinra-san."

Kiyoshi tried very hard to smile at the vice-president of the Student Council. It became very difficult after her next sentence.

"See that you are. Also, Kaichou would like to speak with you regarding your actions last night."

After a moment of silent confusion the classroom started whispering about what he could have been doing. Kiyoshi didn't really have a good reputation outside of school since he was always getting into fights when he was younger. The rest of his classmates probably assumed he slipped back into old habits... They weren't exactly wrong.

Kiyoshi swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.

"Is that so? Does she have a particular time and place in mind?"

Tsubaki adjusted the position of her glasses.

"Kaichou would like to meet you in the student council office at your earliest convenience. Please bear in mind that this is a serious matter, and shouldn't be delayed."

She then turned around and left. Just like that. And Kiyoshi was suddenly aware that he had been living alongside some very odd things for much longer than he had ever imagined.

Despite that interruption, classes continued as normal right up until lunchtime. For a moment, Kiyoshi considered not turning up at the student council office. It felt like a very bad idea to just walk into the lion's den like that. But then, they'd probably end up chasing him down if he didn't show up. At least if he went there now there'd be plenty of witnesses just outside the door in case something happened.

So, with that thought in mind, he made his way to the student council office.

It wasn't until he actually got to the door and raised his hand to knock that he actually stopped to consider one important thing. The fallen angel, Dohnaseek, had managed to completely defy physics and teleport them miles away with ease. How hard would it be to cut off all noise in a room?

The gears started turning in his head, gradually turning his decision from 'attend' to 'run for the hills'. But on the other hand he'd be going to school with these people, so he'd just be delaying the inevitable even if he didn't turn up. It was a seriously difficult decision. Go now, or go when he's better prepared?

Then the door opened.

"Oh?"

And he suddenly found himself staring at a girl with shoulder length reddish brown hair.

"Ah! You must be Tsukino-san!"

Kiyoshi suddenly felt like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"Eh, yes?"

That was not a response that would let him leave. Before he had time to turn away the girl grabbed his still raised arm by the wrist and practically dragged him inside the room.

"Kaichou! Tsukino-san has arrived!"

At that moment, Kiyoshi only had one thought. "Damn."

The student council room resembled some kind of office. And, unfortunately for Kiyoshi, it looked like the whole student council was there at the moment. Most of them looked like they were busy with work of some kind, but Tsubasa was standing behind the council president Souna. It looked like she was acting as some kind of bodyguard. Given the situation, that wouldn't really be surprising.

Souna herself looked like she was busy with paperwork until she was addressed, then she glanced up towards the two people entering. She then pushed the paperwork to the side and gave the new arrival her full attention. "I see. But wasn't there something you had to do Tomoe?"

The girl that had dragged Kiyoshi in the room suddenly clicked her fingers while saying "ah, right!" Before turning around. "I'll get right to it. Bye Tsukino-san!" And then practically bounced out of the room.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Kiyoshi, and he couldn't help but twirl around to get another look at her as she left. She couldn't be a Devil as well, right?

"Take a seat, Tsukino-san."

He turned back to face Sona again, who was motioning for him to take a seat in front of her desk.

Kiyoshi really didn't feel like it was a good idea to take a seat in what was probably enemy territory, but at this point he couldn't really get much more vulnerable so complied.

Souna was the first to begin the conversation. "Now then, Tsukino-san. First of all; I would like to clarify what your relationship is with the Fallen Angels presently in this city."

Kiyoshi involuntarily sat up a little straighter at that inquiry. He wasn't expecting such a direct approach, he could only guess that meant she was aware he was with Dohnaseek yesterday... Well, he had never intended to make it easy for her to begin with.

"Fallen Angels? Have I really met such people?"

Souna closed her eyes momentarily and when she spoke again her voice was a little sharper. Showing that she knew exactly what Kiyoshi was doing and that she didn't appreciate it in the slightest.

"Yes, last night in the park at approximately nine thirty-eight. My peerage and I spotted an individual resembling you leaving with a fallen angel. Shortly afterwards, we located your discarded possessions... This will proceed much quicker if you would kindly cooperate, Tsukino-san."

Kiyoshi leaned forward slightly, bringing his fist up to his mouth as though in thought.

"Oh dear, it seems as though there was an interesting occurrence after I lost my things..."

He paused for a moment, spotting something out of the corner of his eye.

"Is that a chess board?"

That single sentence had an immediate effect on the whole student council. They all just completely stopped working, glancing in the direction in which Kiyoshi had spotted the board. Souna didn't have to look, she knew exactly where it was and assumed Kiyoshi was simply stalling. Then the moment passed and the rest of the council returned to their work.

"Your attempts at diversion are quite transparent, Tsukino-san. Please, return to the topic at hand. I am well aware that it was, in fact, you leaving with the Fallen Angel. I would appreciate it if you could simply answer my previous question."

Kiyoshi leaned back again before answering.

"Tell you what, if you beat me in a game of chess I'll answer your question."

If his earlier question had disrupted the student council, that statement had just ruined any chance of them returning to work. Everyone stopped, someone dropped a cup, another person did some sort of dry spit-take, and someone just laughed out loud. Kiyoshi started feeling as though he'd made a mistake when Souna smiled.

"Very well then."

Tsubaki left her position behind Souna and moved to collect the board.

Kiyoshi suddenly didn't look as confident as he had.

"I've made a horrible mistake haven't I?"

Nobody answered. They didn't really have to, the fact that half of them had moved their seats close enough to watch was answer enough.

The silence as Tsubaki retrieved the board and set it up was enough for Kiyoshi to stop and think for a second. It was then he realized that he had made a very big mistake just because he started panicking. A stupid risk because he wanted to get rid of the problem that was the student council president as quickly as possible. This could bite him in the ass.

When Tsubaki finished placing the pieces everyone was silent, watching Kiyoshi expectantly. The white pieces were on his side. Souna broke the silence.

"Do you know how to play?"

Despite the tension Kiyoshi forced himself to crack a smile.

"I wouldn't bet on it if I couldn't."

Then he moved his first piece, and the game began.


It wasn't going well for Kiyoshi. Thirty turns in and he was beginning to feel outmaneuvered. Despite that, he couldn't really help but enjoy the match. He was actually surprised when the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, having completely lost track of time while playing.

It was almost disappointing. So when Souna said, "Shall we continue after class?" Kiyoshi was saying, "Sure, I have time to finish the game." rather than "Sorry I have work".

It wasn't until after he said it that, that he remembered exactly why they were playing in the first place. He spent the rest of the day mentally kicking himself, right up until the moment the bell rang at the end of classes.

He didn't even have a chance to change his mind and run away because Tsubaki arrived just as he packed his bag away to escort him to the student council room.

When they made it to the student council room, everyone had a seat ready to watch the final moves of the game. That just made the fact that he knew he was losing even worse.

He took the seat in front of Sona's desk once more.

"Alright, let's get this over with."


Kiyoshi slumped back in his chair after he finally lost. The game had ended in fifteen more moves. Kiyoshi remembered the average number of moves between two equally skilled players was around forty, their game lasted forty-five. Despite knowing he never had a chance to win, that made him feel a little better.

Though he suspected she may have gone easy on him near the end.

"Alright, you got me. Ask away."

"Very well then, would you please answer my original question?"

Kiyoshi made himself comfortable and rested his head on his hand. "There is no relationship between myself and the fallen angels. That was the first time I met the guy in the park, and he tried to kill me before I kicked his ass and pried some answers out of him."

Souna raised an eyebrow, Kiyoshi waved his other hand to her in a nonchalant gesture.

"I made a bet with him too. I just happened to win that one, so he had to answer all of my questions."

Souna leaned forward while pushing her glasses further up her nose.

"And what questions were you asking?"

"You could probably reduce all of my questions down to 'what the hell is going on?'"

There was a long moment where nobody said anything while Souna processed that.

"Could you elaborate, Tsukino-san?"

Kiyoshi started scratching his head with an irritated expression. This whole interrogation felt really uncomfortable for him.

"He came up to me asking who my master was and came to the conclusion that I was a 'stray'..." Kiyoshi then clicked his fingers with a sort of irritated 'Eureka' expression. "Damn I forgot to ask what he meant by that."

For some reason, Souna and the other members of the student council seemed surprised. Startled even, by what he'd said. Souna was, once again, the next to speak.

"Tsukino-san, could you please explain your situation. It seems a number of our assumptions have been in error."

Kiyoshi just stayed silent for a long moment with a completely straight face while he tried to some up the events of the last two nights. It was while he was doing that that he realized just how much had changed in two nights.

"Okay. I got it. Two nights ago I got killed off by my girlfriend, she happened to be a fallen angel. Someone I didn't see clearly apparently resurrected me and left me in my room with no explanation. The next night I ran into another fallen angel that tried to kill me and I managed to beat a few answers out of him. Then it was today. I'm pretty sure you know the rest."

Another moment of stunned silence. Broken by the only other male in the room.

"Like hell! There's no way a guy could take on a fallen angel a day after becoming a devil!"

Kiyoshi leaned back in his chair, grinning at Saji.

"Just because you couldn't do it, doesn't mean I can't."

The taunting tone of voice ignited a fire under Saji's pride, and he rocketed to his feet. Kiyoshi was a split second behind him and was ready for a fight the moment he was upright.

"You're full of crap! I could knock you down any-"

"Enough Saji." The threat of imminent violence was cut off immediately by the stern voice of the student council president. That glare of hers could probably cut through steel, so it wasn't surprising that Saji wilted back into his seat. Her gaze snapped onto Kiyoshi, who was still standing. "Tsukino-san. While I might understand your caution and animosity given the events you described, I will not excuse any violent action within these grounds." Without moving a single muscle, an aura of power flared around Souna Shitori. The display was enough to easily make her the most dangerous thing Kiyoshi had ever encountered. "Are we clear?"

Kiyoshi smiled at her beatifically. "Sure, crystal clear." Then he promptly turned around and headed for the door. Only to have his path promptly blocked by a tall blue haired girl and a shorter brown haired girl wearing green stockings.

The calm voice of the president came from the exact spot she'd been in the whole time. "We aren't finished yet Tsukino-san."

Tsukino stared calmly at the people blocking his path as he answered. "Two days ago I didn't even know people like you existed. I've given you the only answers I have. All I've got left are questions." He then half-turned to glance over at Souna. "So are you going to let me leave or is something inexcusable going to happen?"

Souna's glare let up by the slightest amount, before her eyes narrowed in an expression Kiyoshi couldn't read. "If what you say is true, then there's no reason for us to come into conflict." Kiyoshi felt muscles he hadn't known were tensing relax for a moment. "However, I cannot allow an uneducated Devil, that may become a stray, to wander unsupervised in my territory." Kiyoshi didn't understand exactly what that meant. But he still tensed up again and was about to take his chances trying to break through the two in front of him when-

"It falls on us to teach you, then. In order to avoid such an unfortunate outcome."

Kiyoshi froze after hearing that, not quite understanding what she had just said. A moment later and he finally came up with a suitably eloquent response.

"Eh!? Wait you mean I'm a Devil!?"


Chapter End


And that's a wrap for the first chapter. I'd like to thank Tony0423 for betaing this chapter before I posted it and RealmOfEmptiness for being my sounding board when I was coming up with the storyline.