Kuoh Town – Thursday Morning
There was a lone cabin in the woods. Birds, insects, and other gentle sounds of nature was present in the bright and early vicinity.
Inside the cabin, a body slammed heavily into a table, smashing it to pieces. It was a fair-skinned young man of seventeen years with light freckles on his face, forest green eyes, and short dark blonde hair left unkempt. He wore a standardized male Kuoh Academy uniform without the tie and low-top white canvas shoes.
A man with indiscernible features stood above him, growling, baring sharp fangs protruding from his gums; a monster. The boy drew and aimed a pistol at the man's forehead, but the beast kicked it out of his hand and then tried to slam his boot on the boy's chest. Just in time, however, the teen rolled out of harm's way.
Standing back up, the dark blonde boy had to immediately duck and swerve out of a low sweep from the side. There was another man with obscured looks gaining on him. He took a swing at the boy and the latter bends backwards out of the way. The teen then lunged with a machete in hand but the adult grabbed his arm.
With no time like tomorrow, the teen narrowly avoided another attempt at a boot to the chest from the man prior. His sidestepping and the missing spartan kick managed to break the hold he was in and he had quickly collected himself, retreating to the other side of the living area.
One of the men took off with blinding speed and appeared right in front of the high schooler's face. The blonde took a fist to the face, but followed with a nasty punch of his own, grunting with the exertion of it.
After successfully pushing his opponent back, the teen weaved through a fast haymaker. The first beast bared his teeth again, challenging the boy to take him on. Blade in hand, the latter was ready to lunge. He jumped and took his shot, but had just barely missed his mark.
It was a fist for a fist; a very intense fight.
While the blonde student passed by a kitchen area and traded fists with the second beast, there were two people strung up in there. It was a man and a woman; husband and wife. Their arms were tied above their heads and their bodies hung limply from their post.
Back to the fight, the boy landed a swift kick to the man's chest. Then the other adult came around and gripped the teen by the throat, but the latter shoved him away. He proceeded to drop low to avoid a clothesline from the monster and quickly caught him, barreling him through a glass cabinet as he did so.
Coming full circle now, the boy was again trading blows with the first man. He shoved the adult monster to the ground, but his opponent bounced back up smoothly, rounding on the young teen again.
The green-eyed teen successfully landed a left jab and a right hook to the fanged man's jaw, slowly building up the upper hand. He then suddenly slammed his forehead against the adult's head, managing to stun him for a time. He then capitalized on it and sent a mean left hook to the face, sending the man to the floor. The boy knelt with the quickness and sliced the monster's head off like a guillotine.
With his chest heaving, the teen noticed the other man crawling towards the corner. He followed his eyes and realization struck like a truck. His gun was still lying there like nobody's business.
He impulsively kicked an overturned table back on its legs and leapt forward with one foot. High in the air, the teen dropped harshly onto the man's back with both feet. With a blank and idle stare, the boy reached and pulled the beast by the hair and had promptly slit his throat all the way, managing to effectively decapitating him.
Dropping the body on the ground rudely, the blonde huffed softly and swiped up his gun from the floor and sheathed it back under his blazer along with the machete. He stood and turned to look at the married couple still hung in the air helplessly. Dark brows furrowed as the boy hurried over to their side.
DXD: H'sR
A towel was draped over the boy's face as it dragged the blood dripping from his cheeks. He sighed and folded the squeegee, handing it back to someone.
That someone was none other than the woman, who took it back with a grateful expression, "Thank you so much for helping us, young man. You really don't know the weight of what you've done for us."
To the side, her husband laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it while staring at the high schooler with the same look, "Please, you must tell us your name so we can thank you properly."
There was a pause. The teen cringed ever so slightly before he gave a bitter smile to the happy couple, "It's Hiro Takahashi, and I'm a second-year student at Kuoh Academy."
Nodding at his introduction, something was bugging the man for the longest time, "Say, what is a kid like you doing fighting something like those...things anyway?"
"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe we can save the talking for a later time, because I really am late for school now after this whole thing," Hiro spoke back. It then struck as he cringed in slight pain, arching his back when feeling a tension in his shoulders.
The woman had noticed but never spoke on it, opting for a worried look only, "What if something like this ever happens again? What should we do? What can we do?"
"If you're so worried, then I'd suggest moving elsewhere. As quiet as this place is, it's such a hazard to not be careful. All I can say is that it won't just end here; there are plenty to go around..." The blonde trailed off, glad that they can take hint.
He put up a lazy hand in goodbye and stepped off of their porch, slinging his school bag over his shoulder. The husband and wife both waved at him, the latter clasping her hands, now with a pensive expression.
Hiro was on the move, heading into a trail that led to the outside of the woods. The boy craned and cracked his neck. That irking pain is still there as he had to roll his right shoulder all around. He was growing a bit confused at the sudden backache all of a sudden appearing.
Did I...pull a muscle back there? Hiro mused in his head, referring to his stunt he pulled earlier with the table and the front flip. Whatever it is, he hoped it can leave him be in time for classes.
DXD: H'sR
Kuoh Academy
"Oh, looks like I'm in the clear," Hiro arrived on school grounds, now trying to find a path through the flood of students. They were all crossing the intersection before the academy and some even made it through the black gates of the school.
Hiro hummed and weaved through a small crevice made by a few male students, apologizing as he accidentally shoved a couple of them to the side. The blonde lightly cringed at their small glares, not too put off by them. He ignored others as he stepped through the courtyard.
Green eyes furrowed as the two-minute bell sounded off. His lips pursed as Hiro hurried in his leisurely walking pace. Everything looked okay as far as he could tell until the teen ran into someone who had stepped in his way.
"Hiro Takahashi, is that right?" The boy heard a woman's stern tone in front of him. Hiro looked to see a pair of violet purple eyes stare at him piercingly through their glasses.
He had swallowed a nervous gulp and nodded curtly, "Miss Shitori… Well, this was to be expected. L-look, I made it on time, see!"
Sona Shitori, the school's Student Council President, sighed with a palm to her face, "You don't understand, Takahashi. Of course you made it here on time, but you still neglect the many other times where you have not. I've put it off for quite a while now that it's finally time that I confront you properly."
"Okay, look... I'm not ignoring the past. If anything, I'm trying to fix it. I know that you're the president of the Student Council and you're just doing your job. It's just that…there's a little thing called grace," Hiro pleaded softly.
The stoic brunette could only exhale again with slumped shoulders, "You're such an excellent student, Takahashi. Grades, citizenship, top ten percent of your class–you name it. You're scary good. That's why I'm letting you off with this only warning. I'm doing this because I care for my students, and I don't want to see you fall hard because of measly tardies and absences."
Hiro breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, thank you. You won't regret this. I'll see to it that I'm here on time in the future."
"Hm, please do so. And with that, have a good rest of the day, Takahashi. You're excused," Sona dismissed Hiro, the latter thanking and waving to her as he took off for his first class. Then someone appeared next to the president as the two of them peered at the retreating form of Hiro.
"See? You sense it too, right? He's such a sweet boy, so you really needn't worry about him. As independent as he is, Hiro knows what he's doing," Said a more smooth and seductive woman's voice. The person then giggled as the two witnessed Hiro apologetically waving at a random girl in the hallway before moving on, blissfully unaware of her lustful eyes trailing his body.
The violet-eyed president could only shake her head as she glanced at her new company, "And pray tell me, do you know what you're doing, Rias? This so-called 'plan' of yours is very risky and it could wind up in his death if you're not so careful."
Rias Gremory, the buxom redhead with blue-green eyes, flinched slightly as her right hand clenched in her crossed arms, "Yes, I understand the weight of the situation. But it's just that I have no clue on what he wants. He's too much of a mysterious character to pick up any clues from."
"And that explains your sudden interest in the boy," Sona said to her long friend, an inquisitive brow lifting.
"Precisely. You know me so well, Sona," Rias responded. Her face grew a smile as she watched her junior leave with a longing look. That power is so very undeniable, and it's making her anxious and more eager to see what happens next.
DXD: H'sR
Class 2-B
Hiro tapped the sole of his shoe on the ground behind him before sliding his classroom's door wide open. He was met with plenty of stares, specifically from the women, as he just merely waved a hand before moving to his seat that was situated right in the middle of the class.
Plopping down on the chair, Hiro slid his bag on top of the desk and took out his note-taking materials. The dark blonde-haired teen opened his books and idly tapped a pencil to the side, awaiting lessons for the day. He rolled his neck and sighed annoyingly as the pain from earlier returned in his shoulder blades.
"Oh! Good morning, Hiro! You're finally here on time!" Said boy glanced to the side to see a beautiful girl with long brown hair tied in a red ribbon and matching eyes that gleamed as they saw the dark blonde teen. The brunette was accompanied by another pretty girl with shoulder-length pink hair with a white band and matching eyes with a darker tint of pink.
Hiro continued drumming his single pencil in a slow and rhythmic beat as he smiled gently at the two, oblivious to the line of pink dusting their faces as he did so, "Hey, guys. Yes, I am on time today. How are you girls doing?"
"We're doing awesome! Honestly, things couldn't be any more perfect," Katase, the pink-haired one, commented with a genuine smile. Her grin broadened as Hiro shot her a thumbs up with a warm expression of his own.
"That's good. It's nice knowing that at least someone else is having a blessed day," Hiro said very offhandedly. Katase's smile waned, mildly concerned about him and his suggestive tone.
Murayama, the other girl, was also worried but brushed it off more easily in favor for a waiting question, "U-um, Hiro? We were wondering if that thing about you joining the kendo club is still up for debate…?"
Hiro raised an eyebrow inquisitively when Katase hastily intervened with nervous laughter, "W-we were just wondering! I mean… I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind at all at you attending for a day. You don't necessarily have to join, and that's only if you wish not to!"
"N-no, I understand. It's just… why me? I assumed it was for you girls explicitly, given the fact that the club is literally made up of females only. Why would the captains even recruit a male like me? Are they suddenly becoming coed?" Hiro asked reasonably with the most lost expression.
He's too innocent for his own good, Murayama mused in her head, giggling to herself. Truth be told, Hiro was definitely not like the other boys in Kuoh Academy and had such a kind and pure heart and mind. He was very much like Kiba–their one and only Prince of Kuoh–in that sense, just more taller and...defined. She shook her head of those thoughts while softly slapping a creeping blush off her cheeks.
"Well, it's because you're our sweetie pie! It's definitely okay if you joined," Katase answered with the reddest face on the planet, "you're too precious for this world! We trust you enough to not try anything!"
Images of fighting, a table being smashed, a glass cabinet shattering, and a machete severing two heads with fangs from their bodies all flashed in Hiro's head. He then smiled abashedly and waved them off, "Uh, thank you?"
Katase nodded with her strong blush spread across her cheeks. Murayama giggled at her friend's embarrassment as she softly punched her in the shoulder. Hiro only grinned with a soft and short chortle at their healthy friendship.
It was then that their teacher came in through the door. Murayama and Katase hurriedly took their seats on either side of Hiro. The blonde laughed silently before he groaned, rolling his shoulders around. His back was acting up again. Maybe a muscle was pulled…
DXD: H'sR
Class 2-B – Thursday Evening
Classes rolled by like any other day for our blonde protagonist. Hiro breathed out and instinctively stretched after a long day, forgetting about his backache. He flinched and rubbed the aching shoulder as best as he could. The teen stood and packed his belongings along with the rest of his classmates.
But a finger came and tapped him on the shoulder before he could sling his bag around him. Hiro stopped and turned to find Katase smiling sweetly at him with Murayama right beside her, mimicking her friend's expression.
"Please, just think about it! I promise that it will be worth your while," Katase begged with puppy eyes. Hiro mentally sighed at her pushiness but showed a smile on the outside, teasingly ruffling her light shade of pink hair.
"I'm sure it will. Trust me, I won't let you guys down for a second. I really care for my classmate's feelings," Hiro said teasingly with a small grin.
The pinkette's face brightened as her brunette friend was visibly bothered by their interaction and pouted heavily. Hiro waved goodbye and walked past them, turning the corner of the door and into the hallway. The blonde male could only purse his lips in concentration as he cut through the swarm of students.
As he tried making his way through, however, he ungracefully bumped into someone. Hiro grunted and got a good look at who it was and it was none other than Kiba Yuuto, one of his fellow blondes in the entire school population.
Kiba himself gasped softly in shock as his eyes met Hiro's, a small smile then slowly creeping on his features, "Oh! Good evening, Hiro. Has the day treated you well?"
"Oh, uh, nothing that I can't handle. Although, I developed this weird backache from out of nowhere this morning. It really got under my skin while taking that quiz. I couldn't concentrate very well!" The two blondes shared a small laugh at Hiro's complaint.
"Well, those things tend to be a bother every now and again. I'm glad nothing else seems to be troubling you," Kiba commented with genuineness. His kind expression then momentarily dropped, gray eyes shining with concern as he eyed Hiro inconspicuously.
Hiro continued to chuckle, unaware of Kiba's sullen mood, "Yeah… So, what about you? Probably nothing, considering your status here. Speaking of which, aren't you a member of that Occult Research Club over there in that old school building? That's a tough one to get in, I keep hearing."
Kiba was out of his stupor and nodded at his friend, "I am, yes. And it's not like it's impossible to join. There's maybe a few… special conditions involved, but I've sworn to secrecy. Our president seems to really enjoy a bit of peace."
The dark blonde only nodded slowly with an understanding look, "I get it. Since it's an occult club, you've got to have all of those extra rules and kinks to really fit the image of such, right?"
"Uh, I suppose we do. I mean, it's only a school club. Nothing too serious about it. It's all in good fun," Kiba answered his friend with a slight chuckle. Hiro's quirkiness always seemed to get a good laugh out of him.
"Right, gotcha. Well, don't let me keep you from your duties. Clubs are beginning to start and I'm not in any as of now. Just heading on home to relax myself," Hiro said jokingly while arching his back a bit, starting to leave the hallway.
Kiba just offered a nod and waved with a warm smile, watching him stop to look at something on his phone. He then scrunched up his face in concern at his friend, sighing quietly before turning around to leave. But his mind lingered on what his true objective was.
He softly palmed his head, "Maybe I was too discreet. Rias was right all along. He really is such an anomaly. And that only brings trouble here in this town. Or perhaps we're just being too paranoid with all of this Fallen Angel activity going on. Just maybe..."
DXD: H'sR
Kuoh Town
The day has passed and Hiro was just almost out the front gates of the academy. Phone still in hand, he made to walk the intersection and to a quiet corner. The dark blonde kept staring down at his phone, his eyes following a tiny red shot flashing and traveling on what looked like a tiny map of Kuoh.
A sigh escaped him as he put away his phone. He turned to look back at the school with an unreadable gaze. His dark green orbs squinted sternly as his face hardened into a cold expression. His phone began to continuously beep inside of his pocket while trying to keep walking.
"I hear you loud and clear, Shirou," Hiro muttered while speed walking across a pedestrian walk. While on the other side, Hiro took a quick peek again at Kuoh Academy before continuing on his trek.
For Kuoh to be their jurisdiction, they sure do a hell of a poor job at maintaining it. With all of these monsters lurking, I guess it's only up to me to clean up their mess, Hiro mused with an emotionless expression.
As the dark blonde passed a few bushes in front of neighborhood houses, he heard what sounded like a pebble being kicked across concrete behind him. Hiro instinctively turned around to inspect what that was but found nothing there. His face scrunched up in suspicion before cautiously carrying on, unfortunately missing a blur pass and turn another corner.
Then Hiro has caught a fleeting glimpse from the corner of his eye the sight of a light shining and quickly disappearing in the already darkening sky above. A tiny frown found its way on his face, "Well, now that's a bit out of place, even for a sign…"
DXD: H'sR
Kuoh Academy - Night
Over in the old school building just a bit off of the campus, there was Rias Gremory at a desk sipping on a hot cup of green tea while reading what looked liked a daily issue of a particular magazine she enjoyed. Another occupant if the room was a buxom young woman with long black hair tied in a ponytail by an orange ribbon and dark violet eyes.
"Hiro Takahashi… I sense such a great power within you, but what exactly is the question," Rias said to herself quietly. With Hiro on her mind, she was stuck reading the same sentence in her magazine over and over again and it's making her feel restless.
"Hm? Did you say something Rias?" Said the other woman with closed eyes and a gentle smile.
"Akeno," Rias started while addressing her accomplice, "Do you perhaps know anything about Class 2-B student Hiro Takahashi?"
Putting down an empty tray on an apothecary table, Akeno Himejima pursed her lips with a delicate finger on her chin, "Oh, of course. One of the most promising of our underclassmen. He's such a good boy. And a cutie, too! I just wanna eat him up!"
The Gremory heiress could only sweatdrop at the lewd expression of her Queen from across the room. She sighed and shut her magazine while putting it away under her desk. Propping her fists under her chin, her lips drew into a mysterious smile as her eyes glazed over.
"I just can't wait for the times to come, Hiro," Rias whispered under her breath as her smile grew and grew.