...
HOLLOW
...
Rias Gremory isn't someone who would easily feel lonely.
Well, of course. Being born into an affectionate house, living a full-filling school life, and forming bonds with the servants that were almost like a second family to her, she was having what you could have called the epitome of a perfect lifestyle.
Yet, she still felt some parts of her missing somewhere.
Did it have anything to do with how she constantly opened the curtain of the Occult Club's room and gazed down at an empty bench; how she always imagined another silhouette with brown hair whenever she wanted to hug something for comfort; or how she kept twirling the piece of «Pawn» in her hand mindlessly, unaware of the time passing by?
Honestly, Rias didn't know.
In addition, she always felt that everyone was looking at her with either eyes of admiration or gazes of envy, even her closest acquaintances. Nobody had ever understood her true self. Perhaps, what she had been waiting for was something, someone who was capable of seeing her beyond what she appeared to be.
There was times when she got tired of waiting and went to look for that thing herself.
But no matter how hard she tried to search, it simply wouldn't come to her despite her seemingly hopeless efforts. It kept evading her times and times again, until she, inevitably, hit her limit and gave up on it. Then everything went back to the way it used to be.
And just like a breeze, years of her youth had passed by quietly.
Even though Rias was living happily as she could, somehow, a hole appeared inside her heart and kept getting bigger, until it became hollow.
...
It was unusual of Rias to lie helplessly with nothing but an empty expression on her couch in the Occult Research clubroom, and yet she couldn't do anything about it. Perhaps to her, it might as well be the last time she got to feel the sense of solidarity in a place that she had become attached to.
The reason for her current wretched state was her engagement.
As a pure-blooded Devil descendant of noble class, she was bound to have some duty to perform, one of which is to marry the person that her parents had chosen for her.
The most aggravating thing was that she hated her soon-to-be fiancé, namely Riser Phenex, with every vein of her heart.
Imagine someone who dressed like a rich delinquent with no sense of delicacy, consideration or whatsoever. Not only that, he also flirted with every pretty girl he could see and made out with one of his peerage members randomly (which totally consisted of females that he had gathered according to his fetishes).
The worst thing is that he obviously desired her body from the very first moment they met. She could easily point it out with him constantly using vulgar words in front of her and his ogling gaze of lust.
Rias absolutely despised him, and she sometimes wished that guy had never been born, much less than meeting him. Of course, being a resolute woman, Rias didn't stay still and let things just go on their own like that. She challenged Riser into a Rating Game match, which if he lost, he would have to call off the engagement.
Strong as she was, determined as she was, Rias couldn't, however, win the match. It wasn't that she was weak, nor her servants were incapable of protecting their master. Their opponents were just too powerful and too numerous for them to fight against.
With her fate being set, Rias had given up the idea of finding a true love of her own. All the fairy tales she had read, all the romantic novels she had mused on were lost and turned into unreachable fantasies that she could never have.
Which is the reason why she was so vulnerable right now, with her heart being broken and shattered. And it was also in these moments of weakness that she bitterly realized one fact.
The only thing she truly had left to herself was the hole inside her heart, and those very same hollow feelings were still in there, if not getting stronger.
...
It was a life-threatening situation.
Rias had lived most of her life in peace, granted that it mainly had to do with the temporary truce between the Three Great Factions, thus she wasn't accustomed to this kind of peril.
The Old Maou Faction had decided on an all-out coup d'état in the Underworld. With that call, the remnants of the Old Devils rose up everywhere and began a massive genocide on the Young Devils who had, according to the slaughterers, 'strayed from the path of true Devils'. They were even able to gather many dangerous Sacred Gears users and Holy/Demonic Swords wielders, as well as a user of one top-rated Longinus, «Annihilation Maker», which created many gigantic monsters invading the Underworld. In addition to that, some heretic Fallen Angels used this opportunity to wreak havoc, and Devils-incarnated who were resentful towards their masters' treatment also joined in the fray. As such, the entire dimension was being thrown into a state of utter chaos.
What's worse, the descendants of the Old Maou, namely two certain Shalba Beelzebub and Katerea Leviathan, had 'dropped by' where Rias was living, and the Gremory heiress just so happen to be alone with Riser Phenex at the moment. The two perpetrators' objective was simple: they wanted to provoke the current Maous into action by killing off their siblings and close relatives. Rias, being the younger sister of Sirzechs Lucifer, was obviously their primary target.
Right now, before Rias' very eyes, the so-called husband of her whom she disgusted the most was being blown away again and again. Riser might be a capable Devil, but he can't hold his strength against both pure-blooded descendants of the ancient Maou, who were formidable foes in their own rights. Despite his innate regeneration ability, Riser Phenex seemed to have both his will and his life force drained with each blast.
It's not like Riser had stepped up to defend Rias from Shalba and Katerea. The man was too selfish and prideful to do that. He was merely in their way, and the two also decided that he needed to be got rid of for being another pure-blooded Devil who was contented with the present system. Rias herself wasn't having an easy time either, having to fend off the continuous attacks from Shalba's subordinates.
Oddly enough, she was somehow pleased at the sight of Riser being overwhelmed and toyed with. Moreover, Rias didn't even feel a pang of guilt for having such thought. If anything, she wished him would just die already.
Her wish came true about some moments later when Riser finally fell down on his knees and slowly faded into diminishing burst of flame.
Needless to say, it was her turn next.
Rias would be deceiving herself if she said that she didn't have fear in mind. Anyone would definitely do when they are alone, surrounded by stronger enemies and after having witnessed the decease of someone else. Plus, with everything in disarray, she doubted that help would be coming soon.
For unknown reasons, Rias had already accepted her fate of dying here. It's like she had expected this outcome ever since her marriage with Riser Phenex.
But that didn't mean she would go down without a fight. Rias was, after all, the heiress of the proud Gremory House. She would rather die in valiance like a true noble Devil than surrendering to her soon-be slayers.
With the «Power of Destruction» in both hands, she readied herself for the inevitable demise.
However, there was one thing that kept irking her 'til the end.
Even when facing death, Rias Gremory still felt hollow.
...
Eyes fluttered open.
Mouth gasped for breath.
Sweats poured on the porcelain skin.
And hands caressed her face with such tender that it calmed her down almost immediately, completed with voice muttering words of intimate consolation.
She glanced at the brown-haired boy beside her, and here he was, Hyoudou Issei, comforting her with all he could. The red-haired girl hugged him upon the sight of his face, which startled the boy for a bit. He didn't how to react than embracing her gently in turn while stroking her naked back.
It was another usual night for them, with both laying bare to each other in the truest sense of words.
However, Rias didn't know what triggered the nightmare – or was it really a nightmare? – after having spent hours on their nightly ritual (the indication of which I shall leave to your imagination). Perhaps it was due to her mother talking about having another grandchild, the pressure from all other girls who got their eyes on her adorable lover, or the stress of recent battles was simply getting to her.
But the lingering sensation from her nightmare was so tangible that she had doubts about whether it was truly a dream, or what she was feeling right now is a dream itself. She could hardly reject the possibility that the moment she was having now might be some sort of a fantasy she dreamed of in the afterlife.
All uncertainty was washed away though as the only man who could warm up her heart reassured her with words she wanted to hear the most.
Words that promised her the whole world with him at her side.
Like a spell chant, it eased her mind instantly and made her realize once again that Ise was undeniably her destined one, that she would love nobody else than him.
Then she remembered a line she had heard somewhere, when an anonymous person once said.
"Does it really matter in the end whether you are dreaming of being a butterfly,
or a butterfly dreaming of being you?"
Rias Gremory didn't know what others' answers were, but honestly, to her, it doesn't matter; because the only reality she believed in is the one with Hyoudou Issei as her soul mate. Even if she is dreaming of him being by her side, then she would rather never wake up.
At least with him, she wouldn't have to feel hollow anymore.
A/N: Been away from fanfiction for God knows how long. Too busy with everything since I started working abroad. Just being back into the hang of writing with this one. I don't know if I really get the gist of it yet. Tell me if it's awful. I will try to improve my writings, if I have time to write another or continue my other long fic, that is.