Okay, so just as a note, Judai has Sacred Gear Boosted Gear, and Yubel knows about it, but he doesn't. Since Judai already has experience with spirit interactions, I figure he'd be able to hear Ddraig the first time around. So I decided to change that part up. Judai will replace Issei and this does take place after Season 4 of GX. Since Judai's powers are extremely vague, I took the liberty of adding some.
Judai does have canon powers. He can conjure fireballs, as shown in the Bonds Beyond Time movie, he's impervious to possession, and he has an explosive dark aura. Feel free to add any other canon powers that I missed.
Chapter 2: A New Enemy? A New Comrade?
It was around three in the morning when Judai returned to Kouh Academy. This time, he was prepared for anything, his left arm sporting his Osiris duel disk, the one that had saved his life time and time again. He was clad in his classic red jacket and blue jeans with an added sweatshirt, hood pulled over his head. On his arm was a sheath containing Haou's dagger and a standard Beretta M92 at his waist.
Flashback (Judai's third year at Duel Academia):
"What's this?" Judai muttered as he went through the ruined royal palace. It was that of the fallen king, abandoned for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
"Why did you want to return here?" Yubel asked. The reincarnation of the fallen king laughed lightly, removing the hood of his torn overcoat.
"When I came over here the first time, there was a hidden room, but I wasn't able to open it. The script on the wall said that the King's heart must be calmed before he may gain passage," the brunette explained, brushing a layer of soot off a wall. Some of the dust settled in his lungs, making him cough.
"So you came to raid your own home?" she asked, although it sounded more like a statement. He shrugged. "How ironic."
"More or less," he replied, his eyes glowing gold. He chanted a strange chant in a foreign language, one he didn't even know he knew. The wall creaked, pieces of brick and rubble crumbling away, revealing a long, torch-lit corridor. "Man, I'm good."
They continued down the hallway until they reached a heavy door. Heaving the deadbolt off, Judai pushed the door open slowly, gapping at the contents of the room. Yubel was surprised as well. She didn't even know that Haou had kept a hidden armory, containing weapons, spell books, and the deck of Evil Heroes.
"Who knew, eh?" Judai chuckled as he examined two massive longswords. They were beautiful. Each hilt was encrusted with rubies and other precious metals. The blades glinted in the low light, despite their obvious age. He picked one up and instinctively reached for the other. The moment both were in his hands, three combat dummies were shot at him. His body reacted, cutting the dummies clean in half with both massive swords.
"Woah…"
"This was Haou's training room or secret study," Yubel surmised, examining a plain looking dagger. The only indication that it belonged to the royal family was Haou's crest, which was engraved at the base of the blade. "He killed a demon with this."
"What?" Judai exclaimed, running over to the dagger as if he were a child on Christmas morning. "Awesome!"
"Can you please not swing those around?" she sighed, referring to the weapons he still carried in each hand. "How are you even carrying those at one time?"
"I think they're magical. Everything in here is. These swords feel extremely light, but they cut through those dummies like butter," he replied excitedly, grabbing the sheaths, strapping them to his back before sheathing the swords. "I could look so badass with this gear."
"It sounds just like Haou to enchant his weapons," the demon protector smiled fondly. Judai picked up the dagger curiously. "Speaking of which, I didn't know that you could use a sword. Did you practice kendo while I was away?" He shook his head.
"It's like I know how to use everything in here," he muttered, strapping it to his arm. "Some of this stuff, I haven't seen it before. I was like I was acting on instinct."
"You're the King, remember? You've not only gained his powers, but his memories, instincts and intelligence as well," she said. "So I figure that it would make sense."
"Well that's a good thing," he cheered, stuffing two crossbows and eight quivers of arrows in his seemingly bottomless bag. "The more, the merrier. Now, I can use something other than a gun. Speaking of which, I still need to find a way to get some into my place without anyone knowing. Anyways, I'm done here so…"
"C'mon, let's go," Yubel said, warping the duo back to Duel Academia. Three days later, Darkness struck.
(End of Flashback)
Judai picked the lock on the main door of the old building, summoning his heroes to keep watch while he made his investigation. The door to the elaborately decorated room was unlocked, much to his surprise, but he paused before entering. "Is there something wrong, Judai?" Yubel asked, covering his back. The air was cold and brisk for summer and his own breath fogged his vision.
"This seems too easy," he muttered. "Or maybe I'm just paranoid."
"There's no one here. You and I both know that," she said, trying to calm his nerves. He nodded, cautiously entering the hall. The first thing he did was use Yubel's and Haou's powers to scan the room for any traps. He slowly unsheathed his dagger. The moment it was exposed, the crest glowed and black energy was sucked into it. After what felt like an eternity, the room was free of dark energy.
"There was a lot of darkness in here."
"The room seems to be bare, aside from the furniture in here," Yubel observed. Judai opened each of the drawers in the desk at the far end of the room, pulling out an odd piece of paper with a symbol on it from the last one. "Do you think all that energy was from traps?"
"I'm not sure. Then again, do I really want to know?"
"Perhaps. At this point, any knowledge is valuable. Just keep looking."
"Hey Yubel, what do you think of this?" he asked, holding the paper up for her to observe.
"It looks- er- occult," she replied dumbly, returning to his side. "What is that?"
"I think I just found their base of operations. Do you think this is a calling card?" he asked, turning it over and examining it. "… 'Make your wish come true…' The hell? My fairy godmother? This is kind of creepy."
"We should get out of here now. This is obviously the only thing in the room," she said, hovering about as she examined every detail of every object in the room. He stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket. "I haven't found anything else. This sucks. I was kind of expecting more…"
"There's a whole stack in this drawer," he offered. "Do you think these people are sadists? These look pretty dangerous, and there's a faint amount of magical energy coming from these."
"I'll destroy them at once."
"I think that'll be a good idea," he agreed as he watched her throw a fire ball at the stack of papers, incinerating them, but leaving no trace of fire. "I'll pocket this one for examination. Maybe O'Brien can do an analysis on it later." She nodded as he closed the drawer. They left the room silently; making sure everything was as it was before he entered. The duo crept back through the corridors of the school to the main entrance, freezing when they heard voices approach.
"Shit! What time is it?" he muttered, looking at his watch. His heart stopped when he realized it wasn't ticking. "The battery ran out?"
"It would appear so," Yubel snorted. "How long were we in there anyways?"
"I'm not sure," he replied, moving the dagger to his belt. He grabbed the sweatshirt and stuffed it into the quickest hiding spot he could find. "Of all times…"
"The sun is starting to rise," the demon observed.
"We left at three and… say, how long did it take to disenchant that room?" he asked.
"You're the one with the watch."
"That's helpful."
"I didn't expect for it to take that long. Judging by the sun, it's probably about six, now," he said, observing the shadows. "We should get out of he-"
"Good morning, Akeno," Rias greeted at the front door of the old school building.
"Ah, good morning, Rias," the raven haired girl smiled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Shit! It's them!" he whispered, peering around the corner. They looked in his direction.
"Oh my, it seems someone's here," Akeno noted, her smile fading. Her face turned dark, her bangs casting a dark shadow over her eyes. Judai let out a small squeak.
Holy crap! I don't want to die!
"You heard it too?" Rias asked. They nodded, entering the building on full alert. The janitors should be long gone by now. If anything I suspect it's that boy. He's the only one who would have enough of an interest in my clubroom to come at this time of day.
Judai slipped silently into an empty room, hiding behind the door, dagger in hand. His breathing wasn't heavy, but short and rapid. His adrenaline was pumping and he was ready to attack. Damn his carelessness. He should have paid more attention to the outside. Peering out the crack in the door, he could see the two of them pass and began to watch carefully. The two girls stopped at the door to their club room, unaware of his eyes, glancing at each other before entering. When they did, they split up, looking for any signs of intrusion.
"The traps are gone," Rias observed.
"Pardon?" Akeno asked.
"The traps were dissipated. Either someone has tons of magic at their disposal, or they have a magical item," the redhead said. "There's nothing left."
"Do you think it was him?"
"I'm eighty percent sure that it is. He went through my desk," she replied with a nod. There was a faint trace of black magic on each of the handles, one that most wouldn't pick up. She paused for a moment, slowly and cautiously opening each of the drawers.
"What do you keep in your desk?"
"Nothing of great importance, just our…" she froze. Akeno cocked her head curiously, noticing the color draining from her best friend's face. What?
"Is everything alright? You're a little pale."
"They're gone," she muttered.
"What? What's gone?" the raven haired girl asked again, this time, with a sense of urgency in her voice. There were very few times when Rias was serious. If she was like this now, something was going terribly wrong.
"Our contract flyers, they're gone," she replied.
"Maybe someone passed them out?" the buxom raven girl offered. "Koneko-chan did leave after us. Maybe she-"
"No. There were some in here last night. They weren't handed out. Something tells me they were destroyed," Rias explained. "Koneko-chan isn't the type to act without telling me."
"Destroyed?"
"Yes, destroyed. I'm starting to think this mystery boy of ours is more of a threat than we imagined," the redhead said gravely.
When he saw the chance to make a break, Judai couldn't be happier as he made a mad dash for the front door, sliding through as quickly and silently as possible. If those two girls saw him on campus, he could say that he just got there early and possibly turn the conversation toward them. As far as he was concerned, they were hiding just as much as he was, but they were more well-established within the school, so no one asked them any questions. Or, they're too engulfed in those goddamn hormones.
"Do you think we're far enough?" he wheezed, standing in one of the main building's hallway. "I don't think they followed me. And I'm pretty sure that my athletic abilities are on par with an Olympic athlete."
"I'm surprised to see you here early," Akeno giggled as she emerged from an adjoining hallway. He cursed inwardly, forcing himself not to turn to face her. What? I left before them! How… What? His thoughts had become unintelligible as his brain ran at a million kilometers per minute, trying to rationalize how the supposed Yamato Nadeshiko had managed to overtake him without his notice.
"I could say the same thing about you," he said cordially, trying to edge his way out of the conversation. "It was a nice morning so I thought, 'Hey! I guess I should get to know my new school better.' You know, so that I can scope out all the good spots to hide when I decide to ditch class."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yeah, and I kind of wanted to avoid that really annoying friend of yours, no offense. She's kind of simple-minded… no –er- I meant to say one-track minded. I feel bad that you have to deal with her."
"Ara."
"I do hope you're not talking about me behind my back," Rias smiled as she approached him from behind. He cursed again. "It hurts that I haven't captured the heart of the new student. I'm more ashamed that he seems to hate me, no less."
"What if I am?" he asked, keeping his head down. "And sorry, my think is more of blonde with brown eyes… or maybe blond with pink eyes… either way, I'm not really into redheads. I heard that they're dangerous."
"That's so mean, Issei-kun," she cooed, holding her hands to her chest in mock hurt. Akeno approached the brunette teen from behind, pushing herself against his back. Judai's eye twitched in irritation as they sandwiched him. "I hope you don't mind if I call you that."
"I'm not really one for physical contact, so if you'll please remove yourself from me before I do something that I regret, I'd greatly appreciate it. Don't you have a reputation to uphold?"
"It would seem that someone went through my clubroom," Rias whispered, pushing her face extremely close to his. Her breath brushed against his ear, making him shiver. "And I don't need to worry. I'm just welcoming the new student."
"And that's my problem how? Also, doesn't acting like this make you seem kind of… you know… loose?"
"You're the only one here," she smiled wolfishly, using her eyes to tell him to look at the hallway. It was empty. They were the only living people there, at the moment. He felt his heart drop into his stomach. "That's very nice cologne that you use. It smells quite expensive."
"Pardon?"
"Don't you know when a girl is interested in you? For someone who seems so sharp, you're quite dense. And I seemed to smell this scent in the clubroom."
"Is that it? That's a pretty weak argument you have there," he replied, raising an eyebrow. His inner thoughts betrayed his appearance, however. Think! Think! This is way too close for comfort, literally! I wasn't cut out for this! Seducing was Fubuki's job!
"Do I need proof? Reactions are all I need. You're a different case, however," she giggled.
"Is that a good thing, or a bad one?" he continued.
The redhead placed her hands on his shoulder as she pressed herself even tighter against him. "I might need to coax a confession out of you." Akeno followed suit, and, because they were taller than him, their breasts covered his face, making it difficult for him to breath. Yubel sighed amazed with her partner's knack for getting involved with dangerous women, herself included.
Damn it! I'm kind of wishing I was a girl right now, he groaned inwardly. His hormones were going wild from the attention he was getting from the two beautiful girls. He tried to push away, but his muscles wouldn't listen. He was frozen stiff… literally. What the hell? I can't move. "What did you do to me?" he growled. The two girls stepped away from him, making him feel oddly cold. Akeno giggled as Rias threw a casual smile in his direction.
"There's no point in hiding that we're not normal people from you. You already know that. We won't be able to get any answers out of you when you're mobile either. Let's see you get out of this," she smirked, issuing the challenge. "Or… you can tell me your name and what you're doing here and I'll let you go…"
"And if I don't?" he snapped.
"Then you can stay like this until you tell me," she smiled. The redhead snapped her fingers. The same red portal from after his encounter with the fallen angel appeared at their feet and the trio sunk into it. They reemerged in a very familiar room. "If I get bored, I could take your chastity, if I feel like it. But…"
"But?"
"You're quite cute. I wonder if some girl's already taken it."
"Perhaps, but I don't feel that's something I should be discussing with you."
"Oh?"
"Might as well get some shut eye, then," Judai taunted, closing his eyes for emphasis. If they were going to play like so, he would show them his power as a "King of Games." Just try to contest me.
"Oh my, you're so resistant," Akeno giggled darkly. He swallowed hard, noticing sparks of electricity flowing from her smooth, pale hand. "I can wake you up whenever you fall asleep. Don't worry, you'll just feel a small jolt."
"I'm a pretty deep sleeper," the duelist smirked. "You're not going to get anything out of me, so you're wasting your time. I'll be late for class if you don't let me go either."
"We'll see about that," Rias smiled. "And didn't you say that you were looking for places to hide while you ditched?"
"Hey Yubel," Judai called for his spirit telepathically. She appeared next to him. It was a gamble, he had to admit. If they detected her, he wasn't sure what would happen. At this moment, he needed to take the risk and hope for the best, if there was one.
"Yes, Judai?"
"Remember when we were captured and bound by those religious extremists? Do you think the trick will work a second time?"
"We can try," she offered. "Just don't screw up like last time."
"Then let's do it."
Judai closed his eyes. Slowly, his body began to disintegrate before their eyes. The two girls gasped, staring at the pile of ashes that lay on the floor. It had been a clay pawn, a decoy. The real thing had gotten away from them. In another part of the school, a storage closet, Judai gasped for breath as he awoke from his self-induced coma. His head was pounding and his he could hear his heart beating against his ribs. Despite that, he was starting to appreciate his interest in Haou's old spellbooks. The decoy trick allowed him to send his consciousness to a clay model of himself that would disintegrate when he was done with it, something that proved quite useful in dangerous situations. Yubel often equated it to Judai's stupid video games.
"So much for incognito," he laughed mildly as he mixed with the crowds filing into the hallways. "Thanks for that, Yubel."
Later…
The demonic spirit smiled as she watched him exit his classroom. He'd definitely come a long way from the immature child he supposedly was before. He was a reliable person now, someone the world could trust with its fate. The ex-Osiris could practically feel the hatred directed toward him as he made his way through the halls of Kouh Academy. Left and right, he received glares and heated stares coupled with the occasional insult. Surely there was some sort of record for going from unknown to the most hated in the shortest amount of time. If there was a list, there was no doubt his name was at the top. He was cut out of his thoughts by a punch to the face. His head turned slightly, but he didn't stagger or even react.
"Good morning," he said calmly and evenly. "Are you missing your beauty sleep? Or is it that time of the month?"
"H-How could you!?" Matsuda exclaimed tears streaming down his face. Was it possible that he had a menstrual cycle? It seemed more and more plausible at that point.
"Matsuda! At least let him explain himself! How could you strike the most beautiful girl in the school?" Motohama demanded.
"Look, she didn't move. She was the one who pinned me to the wall. I told her to leave me alone, but she didn't listen," he replied.
"Why would you want her to leave you alone? She's practically the fancy of every man in this school! It's like a dream to have that much attention from her!" Matsuda cried. "And you don't want it? You asshole!"
"Consider the possibility that I'm not interested in foreign girls," he replied flatly, walking away from the two silently. Everyone hated him at the moment. Nothing he could do about it. After what the two girls done to with decoy, he was pretty sure that they were beyond the apologizing stage as well. In fact, he was sure that the ice on which he'd been perched was now deathly cold water.
He groaned as he slammed his head into his desk. This job was going downhill faster than his date with Yuuma… scratch that, it wasn't that bad, at least it wasn't yet. He'd have to investigate that site later that day anyway. He pulled out a tablet PC from his bag, the one his parents had bought him as a graduation present and plugged in the earbuds. There was over a half hour before school anyways.
"O'Brien, you there?" he asked, making use of the video chat function on the computer. A dark-skinned teen nodded, his dark brown eyes staring harshly at Judai.
"For you to call me this early in the investigation means that you've fucked up somewhere along the line," he replied, his voice deep and emotionless. The brunette laughed weakly, scratching the back of his neck.
"Well… I can't say that that's entirely correct, but…"
"But?"
"Never mind. Can you send me whatever information you've found so far?"
O' Brien snorted, "It's been less than forty-eight hours since I've sent you in. Even I don't work that quickly. Give me another twenty-hour, seventy-two at the most. Make sure to keep me posted, got it?" Judai nodded. "Then, I'll sign out. Pegasus-kaichou is going to be personally involved, so you'll have the resources of Industrial Illusions to back you up."
"Got it."
"Then, be careful."
The encrypted feed cut, leaving only static in Judai's ear. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, eyes closed. So Pegasus is getting involved? He thought to himself. Is this really that serious? Maybe I'm taking this too lightly.
"Fancy finding you in here," Rias laughed. "You really do like being alone, don't you?"
"Shit," he muttered.
"I must say that you have a very nice voice," she complimented him, taking a seat on the top of his desk. "I bet it matches the face you refuse to show me."
"May I help you?" he asked curtly. "You really need to stop coming near me, or I'll have to file a restraining order."
"Is this some ploy to make me more interested, playboy?" she asked cutely while ignoring his previous statement, "because I think it's working."
"This woman…" Yubel half snarled. He ignored both of them, opening the web browser on his PC and loading a music application, hoping that she'd get the hint. He was betting she'd ignore the implication, even if she did figure it out.
"May I listen too?" she asked, pulling one of the buds out of his ear. He snatched it back, stuffed it back in his ear, and glared at her. She turned a faint red as he stared into her eyes. Unfortunately for him, Motohama and Matsuda entered the room as loudly and ungracefully possible.
"Issei! What are you doing?" Motohama exclaimed, pointing to Rias, who was practically sitting in his lap. Matsuda nodded, holding the same reaction.
"Telling someone to get a hint," he replied flatly. He glared at her once more. She sighed, hopping off the desk as she straightened out her skirt.
"You're hogging Rias all to yourself!" Motohama yelled. Both of them were completely oblivious to the fact that the girl was still in the room. "Y-You bastard! This attention from the two Onee-samas, just who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Oh Issei, I wish you'd show me that same affection these two show me," the redhead smiled, hoping to coax a reaction out of the brunette. "Our relationship won't get anywhere like this."
"Go ahead and keep wishing. I'll care when we're the last two people on earth," he muttered standing up. "Even then, I'd probably die with everyone else."
"Don't be like that," she giggled.
"Oi! Issei? Where're you going?" Matsuda called.
"Detention!" Judai shot back, slamming the door behind him. Rias sighed.
"That insufferable girl! Why does she insist on annoying me?" he growled as he stalked toward the detention hall. The supervisor was certainly surprised when the brunette willingly sat down, requesting that he get a punishment, that anything would do. Judai sighed, relieved as he mopped the floor in the school infirmary. There was absolutely no chance of being bothered by the girl while he was here, unless she wanted trouble too. This was nothing compared to the detentions Chronos had assigned him in his first year at Duel Academia anyways; it was actually quite fun.
"You must be getting really bored if you find this fun," Yubel half laughed as she watched her partner hum to himself. "Or maybe you've been domesticated."
"It's a nice change of pace," he replied, not even looking at her. "And domesticated? What am I? A dog?"
"All this work to avoid a girl, eh?" she mused. He nodded.
"Why doesn't she get the hint? There's no way in hell that I'd tell her who I am. She's jailbait," he said. Little did he know, Rias was watching him from behind one of the curtains, listening intently to every word he said.
"Who's he calling jailbait?" she muttered, insulted.
"My job is way too important to deal with some girl, even if she does have some freaky occult powers and whatnot," he continued. "Speaking of which, I have to send it out for analysis later."
The redhead peered through the curtain. She gathered that he was a monster hunter, especially the way he spoke about her, but was pleasantly surprised by his youthful face. There were no scars. His dark brown eyes were full of mirth and youth, sparkling with energy, yet observed his surroundings like a hawk or eagle. His face was sharp, his skin pale with a slight hint of healthy pink dusting his cheeks upon closer examination.
For the first time, Rias Gremory found a boy attractive. It was ironic that he was probably the enemy. She'd have probably gotten a lot of contracts if he was on her side. She watched as he let out a deep breath, removing the black Kouh Academy blazer and his white shirt, revealing a tight, black tank top that displayed muscular, scarred arms for the world to see. This boy looked completely different from what she'd become accustomed to. He exuded a sense of mystery and excitement. Maybe it won't be so bad to have an enemy like him.
"It sucks that I have to hide everything," he sighed, stretching. Rias noticed the two holsters, the M92 Vertec and dagger attached to his belt.
"Everything but that loud, in-your-face, personality," Yubel snorted as the fallen king opened the window, taking a deep a breath when the breeze blew through his long brown hair.
"I wonder, sometimes. I wonder… what if I forewent all my responsibilities? Would the world survive? Would I be able to live peacefully? What would happen if I decided to just return to the throne, as a good king, not the enraged one," he said to Yubel, but to Rias, he was talking to himself. "Am I really making a difference here? No matter what, it seems like another bad guy emerges just as we beat the last one. I don't think I'll be able to handle this responsibility until Yusei can take over."
"A throne? Is he a prince? What is he talking about? Responsibilities?" she muttered, confused by his monologue.
"You can't do that. You're on the run too, remember? Darkness and the Light of Destruction won't rest until you're gone," Yubel assured him gently. An invisible hand fell gently upon his shoulder. "And yes, you are making a difference. The fact that people are still smiling and laughing proves it. Just have a little more faith."
"That's not all I'm on the run from," he smiled sadly. "I could have done a lot. It sucks, you know? At least the world is safe."
The two froze when they heard shuffling sheets. Someone was in there and they hadn't taken the time to check it out? How could they be so careless? Again! Judai walked over to the partition Rias was hiding behind, one hand on his gun, the other hand in front of him, ready for the attack. He ripped it open to find the redhead standing in front of him. He cursed himself for being an idiot, wondering how much she'd heard. He looked at her. She seemed to be absorbing his features.
"You again," he snarled, trying to sound intimidating. "Why do you insist on following me?"
"I told you, didn't I?" she replied, smiling.
"Remind me," he glared. She ignored his demand, gingerly grabbing his chin.
"You have a very cute face. Why do you insist on hiding it?" she asked, pulling him close.
"I have my reasons. Now that you've seen my face, will you leave me alone?" he asked, glaring at her. She giggled lightly.
"Nope! Now that I've seen your face, I want to know your name, your real one!" she smiled. "After all, I like to know who my enemies are."
"So you're saying I'm an enemy?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Rias couldn't help but think she'd seen this boy before.
"Are you a friend?" she queried.
"I'd like to say neutral territory," he replied, pulling away from her. "Now if you'll excuse me. I have detention to fulfill."
"You were done hours ago."
"See you, then," he glared, picking up his uniform jacket and taking his leave. The redhead giggled. Judai couldn't help but flush slightly.
"Akeno!" she called. The buxom raven haired beauty emerged from the storage closet.
"Oh my, it seems we've found out a little more about this boy," she giggled. "What does he look like?"
Judai circled the fountain for the thirtieth time. No matter what power he used, he couldn't find any sort of evidence of the event that had occurred in the days before. There was no magical residue in the area whatsoever, as if the incident had never happened.
"I don't get it, there's nothing here," he muttered.
"They clean up well," Yubel agreed. Her warning instincts went on full alert. "Judai! Look out!"
Judai turned around, in an instant, ripping a card out of his deck holster and exposing it for the world to see.
"Holy Barrier-MIRROR FORCE!" he yelled as the spear came in contact with Judai's makeshift shield, bouncing harmlessly off and lodging in a nearby tree. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Judai heard a bone chilling laugh as a man in a trench coat and fedora appeared from the shadows. Great black feathered wings appeared from his back. The man was just like Yuuma, meaning that he'd be trying to kill him. "Oh great! An Inspector Gadget lunatic."
"Watch what you're saying, low class devil boy," the fallen angel growled. "I am Dohnaseek, and you happen to be an unlucky devil that's crossed my path."
"Devil, eh? What is this? Angels and Demons? Know what? Don't answer that."
The angel's eyes widened as a bright red fireball was thrown his way with blistering speed and amazing precision. Whose command was this thing under? He was sure this was a new devil, not even a year old yet! Yet this boy was fighting him as if it were second nature!
"You brat!" Dohnaseek yelled as he tried to impale Judai with another spear. Like Yuuma's, the spear shattered against the brunette teen's chest.
"How many times do I have to tell you guys that I can't be killed like that?" Judai glared, his eyes showing off their dichromatic, gold-lined hue. Yubel's wings emerged from his back, twenty feet in wingspan compared to the angel's ten foot wingspan. "I'm no devil. Trust me when I say that, but I will kill anyone who tries to kill me," Judai growled lowly as he stabbed the angel with his dagger.
Dohnaseek was surprised when he realized that this dagger had pierced his body. No normal human or human weapon could do such a thing. The angel growled as blood trickled from his mouth.
"It seems like I have the advantage, no?" Judai smirked, kicking the fallen angel off his knife. "Honest, help me out here."
The angel nodded, materializing into the real world. Dohnaseek's eyes widened at the sight. This demon was in league with angels! Never had such a thing happened before, yet it was there right in front of him as the angel leapt into the sky, firing waves of multi-coloured quills at him. He couldn't dodge as the feathers pierced his body.
"I didn't expect for you to have so much fight in you, you filthy demon. For now, I'll take my leave," Dohnaseek muttered weakly, disappearing in a flash of feathers.
"All you angels really love doing that, don't you?" Judai asked Honest. The spirit shrugged, disappearing from the real world, presumably to the world of Duel Monsters. "Not that I want more, but it felt nice to beat the hell out of something." His eyes reverted to their usual hue. He was safe, temporarily.
"So you're asking for trouble now?" Yubel asked, not as enthusiastic about her partner's lack of self-preservation.
"More or less."
"So you're going to continue as if nothing happened?"
"Well, is there a reason not to?"
"Oi! Stop pestering him, woman!" a hollow, throaty male voice half growled.
"What was that?" Judai muttered, looking around casually. "I swear… If that's another spirit at this time, I'm going to-"
"On your arm!" the voice beckoned.
"So you're what Yubel was talking about earlier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I must say, it's a pleasant surprise that my newest host is the Herald of Gentle Darkness," the voice said with a hint of humor in its voice. "This should be particularly fun. My nap was nice as well."
"It seems that you know who I am, but I don't know the spirit that's trying to invade my body," he sighed, inwardly laughing. He was starting to sound like the girl he hated. "So, mind introducing yourself?"
"Invade? I'm not a parasite! I've been here since the day you were born!" it explained.
"Oh? If that's so, then how come it's only now that I know about you?"
"It's because that woman over there cast a silence spell on me!" it growled at Yubel, who snorted.
"Please, you're an outrageous, prideful ass who doesn't give a damn about whom he possesses," she shot back. "If I were to leave you alone with Judai, the world would be nothing but dust in space."
"And you're an obsessive, possessive broad!" the spirit countered.
"Both of you! Shut up! I don't care what kind of long standing rivalry you two have between you two. If I'm going to live with this without growing insane, you two will not spend our time arguing," he growled, a vein appearing on his forehead. Yubel nodded, apologizing quickly. "Get couple's counseling if need be."
"I must say that for a human, you're taking it quite well," the voice said, surprised.
"Yeah, I think I might need to get therapy," Judai muttered to himself. "What's your name?"
"Ddraig, the Legendary Red Dragon Emperor! A being powerful enough to slay God!" the voice, Ddraig, said proudly.
"Yep, therapy," he sighed. "Maybe I can drink this away… too bad I'm not of age…"
"That's cold, aibou. Who do you think helped you when you jumped out that steeple in Venice? Or that time when you escaped the exploding Kaiba Corporation building?" Ddraig questioned.
"Wait… that was you?" the brunette asked, halting in his tracks.
"Yes! No human can survive falls like that, no matter what kind of extra power they have."
"I see…"
Hours Later…
It was late at night as Judai snuck into an abandoned building. He coughed roughly as he hid in the shadows of the support beams, his eyes glowing. There was something definitely dark happening inside and he decided that it would be good to investigate, since people were going missing at that site. He looked at the walls around him. They were stained with blood. Body parts and and rotting entrails littered the floor under him.
"It smells in here," he grumbled. "Where're the janitors when you need them?"
"Of course! Rotting bodies smell bad," Yubel replied sarcastically. They looked at the massive creature stalking around on the floor. It had an exposed female torso, but the lower half of a monster with a massive mouth on its underside. At first, it had the face of a beautiful woman, but when it looked at him, it snarled, showing rows upon rows of hideous teeth.
"Might as well get started. I want to get some rest," he smirked, leaping off the beam. "Gear up! Let's go!"
As he fell, the boy released a wave of energy, signaling his presence. The beast looked up at him, roaring violently as he tried to engage his duel disk, only to find that it wasn't on his wrist. What replaced it was a bright red gauntlet with a glowing green jewel. "Say what now?" he grumbled, rolling into the floor.
"Ready to fight, aibou?" the dragon spirit asked.
"What is this?" he asked, deftly dodging a beam of light that melted the wall behind him. He tried to summon his duel disk to no avail. A sense of panic washed over him. "And why the hell do all the bad guys get the cool attacks?!"
"Now's not the time to be complaining! Incoming!" Yubel yelled as a barrage of spikes were fired upon him. He jumped back up, swinging from one of ceiling's the support beams, using the momentum to launch himself, feet first at the monster, drilling into her stomach, back flipping away once he landed the attack.
"What the hell do you do?" Judai asked the gauntlet. "Don't just bum off my arm!"
"Boost!" a metallic voice sounded from the gauntlet. He was surprised when he felt energy burst through his body at an amazing rate. Around him, a red aura glowed. Everything around him slowed. He could feel everything, down to the slightest movement of air particles.
That sounds promising. Judai shrugged, leaping up and conjuring a fireball to throw at the monster. It came out of his hand, twice the size of a normal blast, even thought he used a normal amount of effort to make it. It missed, taking out a wall in the process. "Hm, I missed?" he mused.
"As the woman said, stop complaining and pay attention!" Ddraig commanded. "This thing is really creepy."
"No duh," Yubel muttered, physically manifesting herself. The psychic eye on her forehead started to glow as she closed her dichromatic eyes.
"Yubel, try to restrain it!" he yelled as he charged, his left arm glowing with the gauntlet's energy. Another blast was forming in his hand so that he could fire at point-blank range. "I'll finish it off!"
"That won't be necessary," a voice resounded through the wrecked building. He stopped, leaping back onto a support beam, well out of their temporary reach.
"Not her too," Judai muttered. Rias emerged from the main door, with three people flanking her. He recognized Akeno, but also noticed a blonde boy and a white haired little girl.
"Knight," she commanded. The blonde boy nodded, charging at the monster, slicing off two of its limbs. "Rook!" The white haired girl nodded as she approached the monster. Judai watched from the sidelines at she was swallowed whole by the monster.
"Hey! Watch out!" Judai screamed preparing for an attack to break her out.
"There's no need to worry," Rias said plainly, glancing at him with a small smirk. "She's my rook. Her defenses and attacks are almost unparalleled." He gasped as the girl broke from the monster's lower body, ripping it to shreds as the upper body fell to the floor. "Queen!"
"Yes, Rias," Akeno giggled darkly. The redhead wasn't paying attention to the arm that had fallen near her. It had risen and shot straight for her. Judai didn't need to think about it. Even if she was an irritating girl, he'd have to protect her.
"Watch out!" he yelled, jumping.
"Boost!" the gauntlet announced as Judai shot forward, tackling the redheaded girl to the ground as the sharp, dismembered claw grazed his jacket and tore through his skin. He let out a cry of pain upon impact, using the saved blast to incinerate the hand, which tried to attack once more. He watched as Akeno shot violent strikes of lightning at the monster before she was told to stop.
"Ara, it's still alive," she smiled.
"Seriously? Is this girl some kind of sadist?" Judai muttered.
"Y-You bitch!" the monster groaned. Its body was half-burnt, making it even more hideous than before.
"You've left your master and ran rampant. Do you have any last words?" Rias asked, approaching the monster. It growled like a feral animal, completely immobile. "Very well, in the name of the Gremory Clan, I shall pass judgment upon you."
"Gremory Clan? What?" Judai muttered again as he watched Rias slay the monster in morbid fascination.
"Now, I'll ask you again, who are you?" she asked, turning her attention to him. The white haired girl and the blonde boy were standing behind him. Akeno smiled as she hovered in the air, electricity cackling around her hand. Rias had a red light spear in her hand. "I'll thank you for saving me, but maybe you should emerge from the shadows so that I can see you clearly."
"My name is none of your concern. Thank you for helping me, but I had that handled," he said curtly before turning around to leave. A sword fell right before his face, blocked by the red gauntlet.
"I see. Are you a hunter?" she asked seriously. Rias was showing a different personality from what he'd seen before. She was no longer interested in banter.
"Hunter? No. I'm not. I'm much more civilized, at least I think. I just heard that people were disappearing and decided to investigate a little," he replied. "No harm done. Now, if you'll get your sword out of my face, I really would appreciate it. I don't feel like fighting four people right now. You'll get your asses handed to you."
"I can't do that. Not until we know if you're an enemy or not," the blonde boy said. Judai groaned.
"Look, I just want to go home and get some sleep. I have no interest in hurting anything other than that that hurts people," he explained, exasperatedly. "I won't hurt you unless you attack someone who doesn't deserve it."
"Step out of the shadow," the white haired girl said.
"Can't I see your face? You must be quite powerful if you think you can take on this stray devil by yourself," Rias asked already knowing it was Judai.
"Stray… devil?" he said slowly. She nodded.
"Don't tell me you don't know what you were hunting," she muttered.
"Nope," he replied. "I really must go now."
He disappeared in the blink of an eye. Rias stared blankly at the spot he'd been standing in. There was no way in hell that this person was a normal hunter. There were too many tricks up his sleeve. Was it possible that he was a stray devil as well? How had he not gone berserk yet?
"Should we try to go after him?" the blonde boy asked.
"No. We shouldn't. I think I know who it is already," the redhead said, mentally storing the massive gash the mystery person had obtained for later.
"Ouch! God damn! Can't you be a little gentler?" Judai whined as Yubel dressed his wound, dabbing at the cut with rubbing alcohol. "This hurts more than a gunshot."
"It'll get infected if not treated properly. You should be more careful about what you do," the spirit reprimanded. "You were careless and tried to save the girl."
"Well I'm sorry if I can't help but protect people," he muttered.
"Don't be so compassionate, aibou. That girl is a powerful devil. She can take care of herself," Ddraig interrupted.
"Devil?" Judai repeated. "You mean like heaven and hell kind of devils? Pitchforks, eternal flame and all that jazz?"
"Now quite, but close, Herald of Gentle Darkness," the dragon replied.
"Just call me Judai," the teen said before wincing again as the alcohol pressed against his back. He could hear his mother crying downstairs. Unfortunately, they'd caught him sneaking into his room, and thus, he'd spent an hour trying to convince them not to call for an ambulance.
"Alright, Judai," the dragon replied.
"By the way, what was that gauntlet on my arm?" he asked.
"That, aibou, is your Sacred Gear, Boosted Gear. It's what my soul resides in. I can increase your power to godly heights every few seconds," Ddraig explained.
"Do you plan on activating every time I'm in battle?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Yes, I do. It's been hundreds of years since I've awoken," he confirmed. Judai groaned.
"So you plan on hindering my other powers?"
"I still don't see why you insist on using that Duel Disk. Outside of duels, you don't need it."
"And why is that?"
"You can already summon monsters without it, yet you don't."
"I see."
He groaned as he fell into his bed, placing pain pills on his nightstand. It took a lot of convincing from his mother to stop worrying so much about him. He could take care of himself anyways. His head was spinning faster than anything he could imagine, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. He sighed, snuggling under the covers of his bed as he drifted peacefully to sleep. He would deal with the problems as they came.
Judai was pulled from his slumber by his alarm clock the next morning. The sun was shining and he could hear the birds chirping outside. He turned over and slapped the clock before flipping on his back, hitting something soft and warm next to him with his wrist. He slowly turned his head, eyes widening as he saw the naked form of Rias Gremory laid cuddled next to him.
And done! Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave your reviews and comments/questions. Until next time:
Transparentchaos signing out.
