Hi all! Welcome back to the actual chapter three of this story. I guess I'll start by answering some questions first. Haou and Yubel are the main antagonists of Season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, however, one could say that Haou is Judai's 'Yami' and Yubel is his guardian spirit, who he fuses with in order to pacify her. At the end of the last chapter, Judai's place of residence was discovered by a certain redhead. I figure, that in every other anime/ manga, a magic user always leaves a trace of his/her magic behind and this girl is a master tactician who's considered a prodigy of her generation, so I figure she'd be able to track him, after all, this takes place a few months after the tenth anniversary movie, which doesn't have a specific time frame as to how long it was after the ending of the actual GX series, so at most, this takes place six months after the actual end of the GX saga, meaning Judai isn't as experienced with his powers.
I also wanted to add that Haou's personality will take more prevalance in this story than it did in Season 4. I mean, he only showed it once during his duel with Saiou, which was kinda lame. It kind of felt like they were just doing it to keep consistency. Judai will act more like a Teen Gohan from Dragonball Z. If you don't get the reference, Haou's personality will awaken when Judai's pushed into a corner, or in complete and utter despair. He'll lose all sort of emotion and only show bloodlust, but he'll snap out of it more easily since they're the same entity. Well, enough of my ramblings, I hope you enjoy!
On another note, I do realize it's unpopular to kill off Judai, but to progress the story, I have to since the Rating Games in the series have a major effect on the actual canon and the Rating Games can only be partaken by devils. I just accidentially uploaded the wrong version of chapter three. He was supposed to die a little later. I also realize that Judai is somewhat overpowered, but he will be prone to damage through physical attacks, i.e. kicks and punches, but have high magical resistance. I want to try to avoid him using swords, since it might take over Kiba's role as a swordsman. I have at least ten versions of chapter three that I wrote, and in all honesty, it was extremely difficult to write. Sorry about the confusion earlier.
Disclaimer: The rights to these anime/manga go to their respective owners. This is solely a fan based writting.
Chapter 3: Going Incognito
Judai mumbled something to himself as he slowly gained consciousness. The sun was barely up, the sky overcast; casting a dull, grey hue in his room. Oddly enough, his body felt normal, even better than normal, he noted, suppressing the temptation to leap out of bed. As the small digital alarm clock on his nightstand began to ring, he slung an arm over, trying to hit it when he noticed a lump cuddled into his side.
What the hell? The lump was warm, and for some reason, it had a feminine shape to it; one that he didn't recognize as Yubel's. For a second, he wondered why Yubel was the first person who came to his mind, but quickly shrugged it off. Carefully lifting the sheet, he caught a glimpse of red hair that could have belonged only to one person. Any sort of energy in his body thus dissipated, leaving his heart to fall into the pits of his stomach, all colour draining from his face. Rias Gremory stirred, apparently unhappy with the loss of her nighttime heat source.
"Good morning," she smiled sweetly, blue-green, half-lidded eyes slowly opening. She giggled lightly as he scrambled away from her, taking the sheets with him. A loud crash resounded to the room. Brown eyes found themselves glued to the girl's surreal, stark-naked figure for what seemed like an eternity before coherent thought took over. "Did you sleep well, Issei-kun?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, averting his eyes while trying to hide the creeping blush on his face.
"Oh? Aren't you rude…? That isn't how a gentleman acts, you know."
"What now? I'm rude? Isn't this a normal reaction to strangers popping up in my room? And what gave you the sick impression that I was a gentleman?" he cried frantically. "How the hell did you even find out where I live? Never mind that, I'm calling the police!"
"You left a pretty easy trail to follow. How could I not?"
"Trail? What are you talking about?"
"Your magic leaves a trace behind. It's small, but it's still detectable. From that, I can simply find your exit point, something like a bullet travelling through an object," she explained. "It's not particularly complicated. Even amateurs know this."
"Well excuse me for not knowing something…"
"She's definitely smarter than we thought," Yubel observed. "However, if you'd wish to continue with this- conversation- can you please get some clothes on? That's not a sight I'm particularly fond of seeing first thing in the morning."
"Yeah, I'm naked and she's naked… hold on a minute… Why are we naked?" he noted, directing a scowl at his unwanted guest. "There better not be a mini-me running around calling me 'Papa' within the next nine months."
His threat elicited a casual chuckle from her as she grabbed a lacy black bra from a stack of neatly folded clothes. She paused for a moment, debating on the best way to word her question. For a moment, Rias wondered if this was how it felt to play a dating game, and the heroine was what the Japanese called a "tsundere." "How's the gash? It would have been troublesome if the poison had spread anymore than it had before. Basic treatment was apparently all you did."
"The what? What do you mean? Poisoned?"
"Your body is quite resilient," she replied. "That stuff was powerful enough to kill even a strong demon in an hour, but you were instinctively fighting almost three hours later. People like you are quite rare."
"It should be…" he began, reaching for his back. The only thing there was scar tissue. "…What?"
"You should be thanking me. I healed you, you know," she smiled, leaning close to his face.
"Healed me? That cut went across my back and was at least a centimeter deep. How would you be able to heal me?"
"By embracing you naked," she grinned cheekily, her aura turning blindingly cute. It was something he thought impossible from a girl regarded as the "older-sister type." He turned red. There was absolutely no way he was hearing accurately at the moment. This was a bad dream. He'd definitely wake up from it soon.
"Is this some sort of sick trick?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you know when someone's not interested?"
"Don't get so full of yourself." He rolled his eyes immaturely, still glued to his spot on the carpeted floor. "The only way I'd be able to transfer my power to you would be to have direct contact with the injured area."
"Direct contact?"
"Yuki Judai! You better be getting up this instant! I will not have you hold the same attendance record that you did at Duel Academia! Do you know how much private school costs?" a familiar voice yelled as footsteps approached the door. He froze. His mother was approaching, judging by the weight of the footsteps against the floor. "I know you're awake. I heard you fall off your bed again."
"Um… Judai," Yubel said, gaining his attention.
"Huh?" he responded dumbly.
"I do believe that you've got some… guest… issues."
"Crap!" he muttered, eyes widening. "Quick! Hide! I don't want…" As fast as possible, he tossed the blanket over Rias, jumping onto the mattress just as the door handle turned. A woman, in her mid-forties and a head shorter than Judai, came into his line of sight, brandishing a frying pan in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other.
"Judai! Get out of…" his mother yelled. He waved weakly, offering a small smile and greeting as he attempted to cover up his lower body. She eyed him suspiciously, her maternal instincts zeroing in on his attempt to hide something from her. "What are you doing?"
"I… uh… it's kind of…" Judai stuttered, his eyes darting nervously around the room. "Hold on, can't you knock? I'm changing, you know!"
"What are you hiding," the Yuki matriarch asked, approaching him in long, powerful strides. He laughed.
"Hiding? You're joking, right?"
"Judai," the woman growled with a slight twinge of irritation in her voice.
"Mother, can you…"
"Show me what you're hiding," she demanded.
"Look! It's nothing important!" he exclaimed hastily. "It's –uh- pervy stuff!"
"Is that so? Why would I believe that? You have the libido of a monk," she asked, raising an eyebrow. Is that seriously what you think of me, mother? he cried inwardly. The look on her face told him that she didn't believe one word, but didn't plan to press any farther. Yet, he nodded furiously until he felt it was in danger of falling off him neck. "Alright then, get dressed for school."
"Yes, ma'am," he saluted sarcastically, standing up from his seated position. It was then that he realized his fatal error. He caught the dangerous gleam in her eye as she spun around and ripped the sheets from under him, exposing his nighttime guest. Rias smiled warmly, gently grabbing the blanket to cover herself as Judai's mother's eyes widened.
"Honey! Come over here," she yelled slowly. Judai visibly winced from the look of disbelief drawn over her face. Is this good? Is this bad? God, please give me a sign that I can see the light of tomorrow.
"What did he do this time?" a male voice yelled from the lower floor with a long, drawn-out sigh. This time? What the hell, old fart? Hey, Yubel?
"What is it, Judai?"
Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to turn out well?
The demon shrugged, seemingly disinterested with his apparent plight. He paled even more, dreading the possible outcome. Before, if he did something out of line, a slap on the wrist was all that was necessary, but this time, the voice in his head was telling him he'd never hear the end of this one.
"You'll want to see this for yourself!" she yelled again. "Get over here before I castrate you!" Judai flinched.
"Look, Mother, I can…"
"No excuses!" she growled, pointing the spoon at him like a gun. He threw his hands up in defeat, swearing that there was some sort of demonic possession involved. Why him? Why him of all people? Weren't Darkness and the Light of Destruction enough to deal with without some girl added to the equation?
"What is it?" Judai's father asked, his tone devoid of emotion. He had the same unruly hair as his son without the highlights, Rias noted. She turned to the younger boy, who seemed to be quivering beside her. Will he look like this when he gets older? No, he'll look better, I'm sure of it.
"Our son seems to think it's okay to sneak girls into his room," Mrs. Yuki explained pointedly. Judai laughed, desperately wanting out of the awkward situation. Rias watched the family interaction, her eyes shining with curiosity and delight. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to make him mine. I can be sure that I'd never be bored with him around.
"He did what?" Mr. Yuki exclaimed, adjusting his glasses for a better look. "I can hardly believe that my celibate son, who won't even consider girls, doing something like that."
Exactly how much faith does my own family have in me? He thought to himself dejectedly. "Look, I can explain." His offer fell on deaf ears.
"Our son is finally growing out of his shell!" his mother exclaimed, starry eyed.
"Does this mean that he's going to finally settle down and stop with all this traveling business?" his father sighed happily as the two parents laughed jovially, practically skipping out of the room. A sudden sense of euphoria washed over them. "Grandchildren! Even better, they'll be half foreign! Wait 'til the guys at work hear this!"
"I can brag to all the housewives as well! Make sure that your first one is a girl, or twins at the least! Ju-chan is finally going to settle down! I can die happily now!"
"Mother? Father?" Judai sighed. They've totally lost it.
"My, you have quite the energetic family," she giggled. She grabbed his chin and pulled him toward her. "Yuki… is that written as 'snow' or 'courage'? Youthful snow… or is it Youthful courage… I told you that I'd find out sooner or later, Yuki Judai-kun. Is it alright if I call you Judai?"
"I think I'm getting a headache," he muttered curtly, clutching his forehead for emphasis. "Why are you so interested in me?"
"Well, that's obvious," she smiled, pushing him away and getting out of the bed. She walked over to what was the rest of her school uniform. "I was interested in recruiting you for your power."
"Recruiting me? Are you some sort of cult leader?" he asked suspiciously. She giggled again, something he found unnerving.
"Well, allow me to re-introduce myself. My name is Rias Gremory, and as you know, I'm a devil. I'm pretty sure you figured it out one way or another," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Yuki Judai."
So Ddraig was right? Yubel wondered silently. Just how much information can you wring out of her, Judai? Keep going.
"Devil? You mean like pitchforks and hideous demons and all that stuff? Those are some rather archaic role-playing fantasies you have. Maybe you should see someone about it. I know this great psych-"
"I wouldn't say it like that," the redhead half pouted. "And I'm not crazy."
"Sure, whatever," he snapped, ambling over to his closet and pulling out his uniform. "I'm pretty sure you can get out, so please do. I have some memory wipe to do."
"You think I'm going to let you get away that easily?" she teased.
"Why do you insist on this?"
"It's simple, isn't it? We devils care quite a bit about power, and I'm pretty sure you have enough power to make me very strong. If you can defeat two fallen angels on your own, you must have some sort of powerful magic," she explained. "Think about it, we can take over the world together."
"Get out," he muttered. She paused for a moment.
"Oh?"
"Get out! I'm not interested," he growled.
"That's a shame, you would have made a nice underling," she giggled.
"Underling? I'm a spawn now?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, but that's not my kind of thing."
"Oh? Your powers are in the same league as ours, though," she said. "I thought that we could have found some common ground."
"As I said, I'm not interested, so get out," he glared.
"So feisty," she grinned. "It'll be even more fun to get you over to us."
He shrugged his jacket over his shoulders and straightened the sleeves. Without a word, he stomped out of the room, down the stairs, and into the receiving area, intent of leaving before any other misunderstandings occurred. His plans, however, were foiled as his mother stood at the doorway, arms crossed over her chest.
"Judai! Where are you going?" his mother demanded.
"My job here is done, so I'm probably going to leave." She seemed to reel back, caught unaware by his remark. "I'll come to visit, every once in a while."
"Leave? After you just came back?" she exclaimed. He nodded.
"Sorry, Mother. I have a lot of things that I need to do at the moment. I don't have the time to dawdle about."
"What about that girl?" she demanded.
"What girl?" Judai asked innocently.
"That one you tried to keep hidden in your room! Are you telling me that you don't plan on getting married? Do you know how shameless that is? As a parent I cannot condone-"
"There's no girl in my room, Mother. Perhaps my being here was a little too much for you," he shrugged, trying to play it off calmly. "I'll be off now."
"I will not… huh? Judai? What am I doing here?" Mrs. Yuki asked, as if snapping out of a trance. "Are you leaving now?"
"Yes. I'll be going, mother. I'll see you later tonight," he replied, bowing politely, grabbing his keys and rushing out the door. Thanks, Yubel; I don't know what I'd do without you. The moment it closed, Rias approached the stairs, calling Judai's name.
"That was so close," he muttered. "Now all I need to do is send my letter of withdraw to the school and I'm out of here."
The brunette fished into his bag, grinning triumphantly when he pulled out an envelope. With a new resolve, he made his way toward the school to drop out completely then vanish with the wind. The wind, however, didn't seem to be on his side. Instead, it seemed to blow the letter right out of his hands. He yelled, chasing after the letter when he heard someone scream. When he looked, he found a girl in a nun's outfit sprawled across the sidewalk, twitching. Her headdress had fallen off and was lying on the ground next to her.
"Are you alright?" he asked, rushing up to her and extending a hand. She had a cute face with captivating emerald eyes. Her blonde tresses moved gracefully with the wind.
"Thank you very much," the girl answered, half dazed.
"Here's your headdress," he smiled, handing her the white cloth.
"Thank you very much!" she exclaimed happily, returning an even brighter smile than he could produce. He found himself staring, trying to suppress the laugh that was threatening to bubble from his mouth. "Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Um- your suitcase," Judai replied, pointing at the clothes strewn about the ground. Realization grasped her as she scrambled about the ground, hastily grabbing the garments and haphazardly chucking them into the suitcase. "I'll help you."
"Ah, I'm fine, I can get this myself," she exclaimed politely.
She doesn't seem to know where she's going. That might be troublesome, he mumbled to himself, picking up a pair of panties that flew onto his ankle. Oh? Light blue… The girl snatched them away, blushing furiously.
"I'm so sorry! You saw a bad side of me!" she cried embarrassed. He laughed sheepishly, not entirely agreeing with her statement.
"Are you a tourist?" he asked, changing the direction of the conversation. "Or, perhaps, are you moving here?"
"No, I've been temporarily appointed to the church here, but I got lost along the way," she explained. "And I'm not really used to the language, so it's a little hard."
"That's quite alright. I've been in your shoes before. If you're looking for the church, I can take you to it," Judai offered kindly.
"Really? The Lord points the way!" the girl exclaimed, starry-eyed. The teen laughed sheepishly.
"I'm not sure it's the 'Lord's' doing," he muttered.
"Is there something wrong?" the girl asked, worriedly.
"Not at all, I'm fine," he nodded, blinking a few times. Her innocent expression was blinding. "Let's get going, shall we?" The girl was about to agree, but she turned when she heard the sound of a crying boy. Instead of following, she approached the boy and asked him if he was alright before kneeling down and placing her hands over his knees. Judai watched curiously as her hands began to glow and the wound disappeared.
"Clerical powers?" Yubel observed, noting the dumbstruck look on Judai and the boy's faces. "Interesting… You can close your mouth now, Judai."
"There, you should be fine now," the mystery blonde assured, giving the boy a warm smile.
"Yoshi! Where did you go?" a woman exclaimed worriedly, rushing over to him.
"That sister over there helped me! She healed my scrape," the boy cried out, overly enthused by the miracle performed before his eyes.
"It looked like he fell, so I helped him," the blonde girl explained.
"You shouldn't be talking to strangers, let's go," the woman replied, ushering the boy away and shooting the girl a suspicious glare. The girl blinked, confused, before dejection set in, causing her to frown.
"Wait!" Judai called after them. The small boy turned around and yelled his thanks, but it didn't seem that the nun understood. The brunette boy smiled.
"N-No! It's fine," the girl assured him, grabbing weakly at his jacket sleeve to hold him back.
"Did you understand what he said?" he asked.
"N-No, but those eyes… Even in this city, it doesn't change," she mumbled sadly.
"Thank you, sister," he said with a tender smile. She looked up at him, confused.
"Excuse me?"
"The little boy, he said 'thank you'," Judai said. "Perhaps people in this world still have some sort of decency about them."
"Sorry, I get nosy sometimes," the girl apologized smiling sheepishly.
"It's not your fault. That woman was just being… er," Judai began. "I guess it's normal for people not to trust strangers."
"It's normal, being disliked by others," she agreed. "That power of healing was granted to me by God."
Judai paused, looking at his arm, then thought about his own soul. "Well, let's get going before it gets dark," he said, stretching. "I don't want us ending up in some suspicious place or the person you're meeting to worry."
"Yes! Please take care of me!" the girl nodded eagerly. He laughed again.
"Here we are," Judai smiled as the pair approached the church, but he couldn't shake the ominous feeling shooting through his body. Almost on instinct, his eyes flashed, and it took all his might not to drop into a fighting position. "It was nice meeting you, but I have to go."
"W-wait! You've taken me all the way here, let me repay you," the girl cried desperately, grabbing at his arm. "At least stay for tea!"
"I-I can't. I have some things I need to do. Thank you for the offer though," he replied. A gut feeling told him not to allow her to enter the church, but he quickly suppressed it. If I get involved in something unnecessary, it might cause even more problems. I just hope that I'm being paranoid. "I'm Yuki Judai by the way, but you can call me Judai. And you are?"
"I'm Asia Argento! Please, call me Asia!" the girl exclaimed, smiling brightly. He couldn't help but smile even more.
"Well, Sister Asia, it was nice to meet you. I hope we can talk again soon," he replied with a bow.
"I hope to see you again, Judai!" she called to the teen's receding back.
School was the last thing on his mind the next day. He decided it would be easier just to skip it all together and just go out and do something different. Judai didn't feel like dealing with any of the overbearing personalities there anyway, it was a habit he picked up after the other dimension. After "careful" deliberation, he decided on his agenda for the day.
"Judai, what are you doing?" Yubel asked curiously as the brunette stopped in a park.
"I'm just giving myself some time off. It'll be a nice change from the hustle and bustle of constantly moving," he said as he noncommittally laughed.
"Are you really going to leave now? We're not even completely done with our job," she said.
"I haven't decided yet. I do think it's our best bet for now. I still don't like the feeling I was getting from that church," he replied. "At least, we'll observe from afar."
"You mean the one we brought that girl to?" she asked. He nodded, walking leisurely through the park area.
"Yeah, something felt off about it, just like at the school," he replied. "I'm not sure whether it's a nuisance or if it's something I should actually be worried about. What I do know is that I can't stay at my home anymore."
"So we're going to start moving around again?" Yubel confirmed.
"It seems so. For now, let's just enjoy the day," Judai laughed, taking off in a full blown sprint. "C'mon, Yubel, we'll have time to rest when we're dead!"
Kouh Academy, the same time
"Um, excuse me, have either of you seen Issei-kun?" Rias asked as she approached Matsuda and Motohama between classes. The entire school stopped moving. "I've been searching everywhere for him and I haven't seen him, so I thought I'd ask his friends."
"It's Rias Gremory!" the two perverts exclaimed, star struck.
"Eh? You're looking for Hyoudou? Even after the horrible things he's done to you?" a girl exclaimed.
"Horrible?"
"Yes! He attacked you! He's a horrible person! Why would you want to put yourself through that? Is he threatening you?" a male growled. Her single question caused the entire school to blow up in a heated argument about the living status of one Yuki Judai, known to them as Hyoudou Issei.
"We'll kill him!" one boy cheered.
"We'll chop off his head!" another one agreed.
"We'll post it on a stick so that you can beat it up for your pleasure!" a third year offered. The redhead sighed. Even the girls of the school were getting into the whole "kill the transfer student" plan.
"Ara, ara, it seems that everyone is getting all riled up," Akeno giggled. Rias sighed. There would be no way to put her plan into motion if all these people hated the person she was trying to get. "This could be troublesome for Issei-kun, couldn't it?"
"He's not here," Koneko said as she approached the two girls.
"Not here? Where'd he go?" Rias asked. The white haired girl shrugged.
"He's still evasive as ever, I see," Akeno sighed. "Why are you so interested in him in the first place?"
"He's an interesting boy with interesting powers. He was concealing them last night at the abandoned building," the redhead explained as they walked away. "He was wearing an interesting gauntlet. If I'm not mistaken, I believe it's the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet."
"The one with the power…" Akeno gasped.
"To slay God. If he were to power up even once at full strength, he would be very difficult to fight if he decides that we're his enemies, no? I think we should get him to join so that we have to worry less about betrayal," she suggested. "It seems he's quite loyal to people he believes are his allies."
"But even if we were to get him to join us, how do you know he won't go berserk? Can't he handle things from all sides?" the raven haired girl asked. "If we use those pieces, don't we run the risk that they might give him even more power than he has now? How would we deal with that?"
"That's the catcher," she smiled. "He's inexperienced with this sort of power, which is on the same scale as ours, perhaps even grander. He probably doesn't even know what he can really do. We can train him as an underling."
"I see, but he's quite stubborn."
"He'll give in eventually, if he doesn't want every fallen angel and angel in the world going after him," Rias smiled. "If only I can find the right motivation…"
"You're getting too carried away. It's getting dark, so we should head back," Yubel said. Judai stared at her dumbly, a piece of fried shrimp hanging from the corner of his mouth. She glared at him until he relented, hailing a taxi and setting a course for the shopping mall near his house. He couldn't help the sense of foreboding rising up in his body.
As he entered a neighborhood on his way home, the same chill shot through his spine, more ferocious than when it started. He felt it, the same sense of foreboding he'd felt when he was near the church, the one that said that danger was near. Taking this as a sign, he stopped at a house that had its front door and gate open, a single light illuminating the entranceway.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Judai called, stepping cautiously into the room. He placed a hand on his hidden pistol, prepared to draw. "Ugh… what's this smell?"
"To your left," Yubel motioned to the wall next to him. He looked and gasped, horrified by the sight. A person had been nailed to the wall upside down, gutted. "I feel bad… such a horrid way to die."
"What do we have here? A devil?" a sinister voice laughed, emerging from a shadow. Judai turned around.
What now?
"I'm a young priest and this seems to be my lucky day!" a blonde haired man said in a sing-song voice.
"S-Shit," Judai growled, eyes glowing orange and turquoise. "A nut job."
"Cutting down all the devilish fiends! With nihilistic laughter! Chopping off your head, then going home to eat!" the man laughed. "I'm Father Freed Zelzan."
"Okay, he's not just a nut job. He's a psychotic nut job," Judai muttered stupidly. Do I really think this guy's an enemy?
"Isn't that a bit redundant?" Yubel interjected.
"Now's not the time for jokes."
"I could say the same to you."
"I'm the last ranking of an organization that hunts down devils! Just because you know my name, it doesn't mean that I want to know yours. I'll give you a nice sendoff. At first it'll hurt, but then, you'll enjoy it so much!" he chanted happily.
"Enough of this! What have you done to this person!" the brunette demanded, drawing the pistol. In a place like this, there isn't much to take cover. He doesn't seem to have a weapon, but…
"My, my, you have fight in you! How nice! This man was a repeat offender," Freed laughed. "People like this are worthless trash! They don't deserve to live."
"So you kill your own kind?" Judai queried curiously, suppressing rage. "You're not human!"
"And you are? This is hilarious! I'm getting a lecture from a devil?" he laughed maniacally before turning serious. "Now listen carefully, you shitty devil. You feed on human desire, right? The humans who provide subsistence can't be called human anymore."
"You…"
"Kindness! This is kindness, amen," Freed laughed, kicking the body repeatedly. "Oh? You mad, Mr. Shitty Devil? A human who killed makes a partner of waste angry?"
"You're too loud for my tastes. I may not be a devil, but when I'm through with you, you might think I am," Judai smirked, switching off the safety. A loud "klink" resounded through the room as he pulled back on the action, prepared to fire at a moment's notice. "I might not be entirely righteous, but even I know when to draw the line."
"So you want to play? Good! It's now time to kill you too! I've had enough of conversing with your kind!" he exclaimed, pulling out a gun and a sword. "Cha-Ching! Which weapon should I finish you off with?" Shall I turn you to Swiss cheese? Or shall I slice you up like Capelinni?"
Judai growled, pulling out a card from his holster with his other hand, "Neos!"
"Oh? Time's up! Here's a discount! I'll kill you with both!" the priest smirked, launching at Judai. The priest's eyes widened as a pure white warrior blocked his sword. Judai ducked, dashing forward and launched a left uppercut that caught the man's stomach, placing the gun at his chest and unloaded a round. The bullet caught in some sort of armor, leaving the man unharmed.
"Why you…" Freed growled, standing up and firing at Judai, who took cover behind a wall.
"This guy's insane!" he muttered, commanding Neos to disable the gun by any means possible. He could handle a sword.
Neos rocketed off in front of the man, sending a karate chop straight at the priest's gun, but the man dodged at the last moment, turning his target to the invincible Elemental Hero, and fired at the warrior's head, only to have the bullet go straight through, as if it were a hologram. Judai took that as his chance to charge with his dagger in his right hand.
"There's no way I'm letting you do that!" Freed yelled, turning back to Judai and opening fire. He jumped into the air, kicking the coffee table before him as a shield. The glass shattered as the bullets bounced off the metal frame.
"Crap, I'm open," Judai muttered, dodging the bullets by a close margin. "How does his clip hold so many bullets?"
"It's not a normal gun! Its bullets are made of light, you see? It's perfectly legal," Freed laughed. Judai's eyes opened, now was his chance! He threw his dagger, the man squeaked a little at the unexpected move. As the brunette had planned, the dagger's point caught the trigger and pinned the gun to the wall on the farthest end of the room. "You little brat!"
"Little? I think I'm a big boy," Judai smirked, edging the man on.
"I'll kill you now!" he screamed, charging with the light sword in hand. Judai dropped onto his hands, pistoning his feet forward a second time into the man's gut. This guy was fast. He was strong as well, an opponent he shouldn't have taken so lightly. The teen held off his position for a moment as Neos charged straight into the priest, sending him spiraling into the wall, right next to the corpse.
"Does this guy even have nerve endings?" Judai whined as Freed peeled himself from the wall, resuming his relentless charge. The brunette could only duck and fire, but it wasn't safe at close range. He was almost certain he wasn't doing much damage. It was hard enough to keep a monster in the real world while fighting.
"It looks like you're getting worn out!" Freed taunted as he backed away. Judai cracked his neck and knuckles.
"Is that so?" he asked, allowing Neos to fade so that he could fire a fast fireball at the deranged man.
"Boost!" the gauntlet sounded. Both the man's and Judai's eyes widened as the force of the blast sent him flying through three walls. Judai stared at the red gauntlet on his left hand, wondering when it had activated.
"What's going on here?" a voice cried in panic.
"Asia!?" Judai exclaimed, turning to the origin of the voice. The blonde haired nun was standing in the archway of another door, terrified. "What are you doing here? Better yet, get out! It's dangerous here!"
"Judai?" the woman exclaimed, surprised.
"You know this man?" Freed growled as he staggered up.
"I could say the same thing about you," Judai shot back. "Asia! This is dangerous! Why are you here?"
"I- I…" she mumbled.
"Are you done setting the traps? We can dispose of this man, then do what we came here to do!" Freed yelled.
"I-I…" she mumbled, frightened. He walked up to her and slapped her. Judai clenched his fist.
"If you're not done, get back to your post! We have devils to kill!" Freed commanded, grabbing her by the collar of her gown.
"Enough!" Judai screamed, jumping forward punching the man in the face. The force of the strike sent him staggering back, blood dripping from his mouth. "Don't you dare harm this girl! I'm your opponent! I'll kill you!"
"That's right, I have to kill you," Freed said in a sing-song voice, brandishing the sword for a second time. The nun watched as Judai fell into a fighting stance, his eyes a different colour from when she'd first met him. A small gasp escaped her lips as she read the killing intent emanating from both of them.
"Judai!" Asia screamed, jumping in front of the brunette.
"Oh? What's this?" the priest muttered. "Could it possibly be that you have a romance going with this person, an enemy of the church?"
"Enemy?"
"Yes! He's in league with the devils! Why do you think he showed up here?" Freed cried in frustration.
"Seriously?" Judai sighed. "Is that the best lie you can come up with?"
"It doesn't matter, I'll turn you into a masterpiece! Just like this one!" he laughed, pointing at the corpse nailed to the wall. Asia gasped a second time, completely horrified.
"N-No!" she cried, tears spilling out of her eyes.
"Oh? Is this your first time seeing a corpse? Then take a good look! Any human waste mesmerized by a devil will go to hell like this," the man screamed maniacally.
"N-No way!" she cried.
"That's how it is! If we don't cut this brat down, we won't be able to complete our job!" Freed yelled before he was blown back by another fireball. "Ugh!"
"I'd really appreciate if you didn't speak about me as if I'm not here."
"You're really going to get it now, brat," Freed growled, standing up again. "I'll slice you to pieces!"
"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Judai taunted, gesturing with his fingers for the priest to attack. "I mean, how many times have I heard that phrase now?"
"Watch what you say, scum!" Freed screamed, charging.
"Stop!" Asia screamed, blocking the sword. Judai held his breath as he saw her shirt tear in two.
"Asia, move out of the way. This scum of the earth needs to be eradicated," he screamed. She didn't listen. Instead, she stood defiantly, refusing to budge an inch.
"You do know what you're doing, right?" Freed asked, scratching his head.
"Yes! Please let this person go!" she yelled defiantly. He saw her shiver. In an instant, he realized standing up to the man was taking all of her courage. "I don't like this! Just because a person was led astray by a devil, that doesn't mean we should kill them! This is wrong!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" the priest screamed, his face contorting in rage as he grabbed Asia by the neck. "All devils are shit! Didn't you learn that in the church?! Are you suffering brain damage?"
"Don't harm Judai! He did nothing wrong!" she screamed. "He's a good person! He wouldn't do anything bad!"
"You stupid girl! He's preventing us from completing our mission! Is this what you want?" he yelled. "Anyone not affiliated with the church is trash! This brat is a dark magic user! His magical signature is almost the same as Satan himself!"
"B-But…"
"There is no such thing as a good person amongst the devils! None at all, idiot!" he screamed, knocking her to the ground with the hilt of his sword.
"Asia!" Judai yelled.
"B-But… Judai is a good person," she mumbled weakly. "Killing people is wrong… The Lord doesn't allow it…"
"Even though the fallen angels told me not to kill you, rape should be alright," Freed reasoned, moving her bra with his pistol. Judai acted, leaping into the air while using his momentum to start a spin, unleashing a roundhouse strong enough to decapitate the man. Mid-air, he changed direction, using the back of his heel to send the man face-first into the carpet. His feet landed on the floor with a soft thud as he grabbed the priest by his hair, pointing the pistol at the man's chest, right next to the earlier inflicted bullet hole. Asia flinched as the crack of the gun resounded. The priest was sent flying to the other side of the room. She turned to the brunette. His eyes were hollow and filled with fury, yet his entire face was serene.
"It's funny, ironic even, that you say I'm the same as Satan, yet, you're the one who performs these unspeakably evil deeds," Judai growled, approaching the man. His dagger was back in his hand, the light gun holstered under his belt. Freed noticed the boy's weapon of choice instantly. A military-issued Beretta M92 Vertec with a tactical laser, likely stolen or salvaged. "I won't allow you to hurt innocent people anymore. There's no turning back on people like you."
The man gasped as Judai advanced at an inhuman speed, placing the edge of his blade at the crazed man's neck. "Yubel," he called. Both Asia and Freed gasped as Yubel materialized, seemingly out of thin air. When she did, Judai's eyes returned to normal, but the rage remained.
"How can I help, Judai?" the demon asked.
"See, Asia? He's in league with the devils! This is his true form!" Freed yelled, laughing maniacally. "I can't wait to kill that thing! I haven't seen anything like it before!"
"Yubel," Judai said, pressing the blade closer to the man's throat to silence him. His eyes never left their target as he uttered the command with such authority that the nun felt even God himself would bow. "Get Asia out of here. As far as possible, if need be. There are two parties incoming and I want to be there to greet them."
"But there are at least ten powerful people approaching! I can't let you…" she exclaimed.
"I'll be fine. I'll find you guys later. Don't leave any trace of your path. If that Gremory girl was right, then I can lead them to a place where I can unleash my full potential," he replied. "Right now, your job is to get her out of here. That's an order. Do you understand?"
"Judai…" Yubel mumbled hesitantly. She looked at him again. He was serious, the black aura leaking from his body telling him that much. She nodded, taking the girl by the hand and disappearing with her into the shadows.
Judai waited until they were fully gone before he turned his full attention back to the priest. He pinned the man to the wall with his gauntleted hand and used the back of his dagger to hit Freed in the head, rendering the man unconscious. Without a second thought, Judai rummaged through the priest's clothes, taking the extra magazine for the light pistol and the light sword, figuring that they'd come in handy sooner or later. If his calculations were correct, he would be lucky not to be overwhelmed by the two parties. He was sincerely hoping they were enemies, a gamble he'd need to take.
"They're here," he muttered as a red light flashed in the room. He activated the light sword in one hand anticipating an instant attack while holding his dagger in the other. As figures emerged from the red seal on the floor beside him, he felt an overwhelming pressure. "Angels…"
"My, my, who's this?" he heard Akeno giggle. He was glad he'd taken to the shadows of the room to conceal his identity as much as possible until the right time.
"It seems that the devils sent someone to interfere with our work," someone said from behind Judai. His eyes widened.
"Crap!" he muttered, leaping into the fight, where he was surrounded by angels on one side and devils on the other.
"So it's you again," Dohnaseek scowled.
"Judai?" Rias gasped.
Now! the brunette thought, disappearing, making sure to leave as large of a trace behind as he could.
"Where'd he go?!" one of the fallen angels exclaimed as both parties looked at the wisp of black smoke on the floor.
"Not very good as escape, eh? We must pursue him. He has the woman with Twilight Healing," another fallen angel said. They ignored the devils, disappearing one by one in hot pursuit of Judai.
"Buchou, should we go after them?" a blonde haired man asked Rias.
"No. That would be unwise at the moment. We should retreat," she replied seriously. The man seemed to reel back. "Set up the transportation."
"But why?" he asked, confused. "It's one man."
"He was setting up a trap for us by disappearing like that. The last time we encountered him, he wasn't this sloppy. He's up to something, but if you wish, we can observe," she offered. They nodded.
Judai had been running for a half hour as the angels launched assault after assault on him, barely giving him time to think or even breathe. He smirked when he reached an open housing lot. 'They attacked faster than I expected. At the moment, I'm nothing more than target practice to them,' he thought to himself as he jumped to dodge an incoming light spear. Over here, however, no one will get hurt.
He stopped as the angels had him surrounded from all sides, their light spears in hand. "We have you surrounded. Hand over the girl and we'll make your death painless," an angel scoffed.
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass," Judai said, leaping into the air as a light spear cut through his jeans. "Aw! These are my favorite pair, jerk!" He let his magic flow through him. Yubel was no longer with him, this was all him. His eyes flashed, glowing their tell-tale gold. On his arm, the gauntlet appeared in an array of green beams. They readied their spears. Judai activated the sword, his magical power turning the blade a deep black. "Now… Shall we begin?"
"No way! He's going to take on all six of them?" Rias gasped as she watched them all charge at him.
He made the first strike, lunging forward with the sword in hand. In one great swing, the blade caught one of the angel's wings, effectively severing it from the body. Another angel tried to impale him at the same time, but he ducked and spun, simultaneously grabbing his original target's wrist and tossed him into his attacker. Keep going! Behind! Falling onto his hands, the brunette twisted his figure, wrapping his legs around a well-built angel's neck and using the force of gravity to face-plant his enemy. Without hesitation, he shifted his weight to his left hand, cutting the angel's throat with the sword in his right, effectively killing him, as he back-flipped into a fighting position. Three more… Two of them are getting up… Shit. Did I really bite more than I can handle?
"I've got you now!" Dohnaseek yelled, punching Judai in the cheek. A resounding crack sounded through the area.
"Tch!" he muttered as the angel's fist sent the teen in the wrong direction. He used his hands as to turn his forced flight into another back-flip, pistoning his feet as he leapt back into the fray, his gauntleted fist cocked back.
"Boost!" it sounded off mere nanoseconds before contact with an angel. In that moment, Judai fired the fist with impossible speed and power, sending dirt into the air upon contact with an angel's face. The shockwave sent any other airborne angels to the ground around him as he stood tall in the middle of the fray.
"N-No way!" the blonde devil with Rias exclaimed as the group watched from their spot nearby. "T-This is the transfer student? He looks so tame!"
"That's a rather odd way to put it, Kiba-kun," Akeno giggled. "Just watching him is making me feel rather hot. Don't you think so, Rias?" The said girl stared, awestruck as her target continued to fight expertly. The scene itself was movie-like, every move he made carefully choreographed for beauty and effectiveness. One strike. That was all they, five fallen angels, had managed to land, and he'd even been able to turn that into his advantage.
"Don't tell me that's all you have. It's a six, well, five, on one. Clearly you should have the advantage, right?" he asked spitting out some of the blood in his mouth. He watched amusedly as they stood around him as the dust settled. He was still in his fighting stance, low and designed for close combat with good access to the firearms if the situation called. "Nice punch, by the way. I think I bit my lip."
"Get up! This should be nothing to us! We outnumber him!" Dohnaseek demanded, charging at Judai, aiming to impale him with another light spear. Judai blocked the spear with the light sword, sending more dust flying. "What?"
"You didn't learn the first time, did you? I'm not something you can defeat easily," the brunette smirked, using his aura to send the angel flying backward. At that moment the other four angels charged at him with fists. Okay, maybe you did learn.
"Boost!" the gauntlet shouted. Judai blocked the angel in front with his forearm, lashing out his right foot to kick an angel behind him away. In a split second, Judai raised his gauntleted arm and elbowed the angel to his left, wrapping his arm around that one and using the momentum to thrust himself into the air, using a single roundhouse kick to disable the two remaining angels. They staggered, barely able to stand.
"Is this all you have?" he asked, the Vertec and sword pointed at the fallen angel's throat and chest respectively. The angels around him faltered, unsure whether to attack and risk the life of their leader. Donnaseek growled, barking the order to retreat. It's over, Judai sighed tossing the empty gun and the sword to the floor. Now I have to find Yubel and Asia. They should be alright. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"I see you've gotten better, Herald," a voice chuckled darkly as a black-shrouded figure observed from a nearby rooftop. "I look forward to our next bout."
"What are you?" Asia cried out, terrified as she backed away from the demon. In a flash of magic unknown to her, Judai's ally had taken her to an alleyway in an unfamiliar city, or at least, an unfamiliar part of the same city.
"Please calm down. I do not wish to attract attention to us," Yubel said calmly. Asia gasped again. The woman before her wasn't a demon, but a beautiful woman with shoulder length purple hair and stunning heterochromatic eyes, the same ones she'd seen Judai sport at the house. The black, low-cut T-shirt she wore displayed an ample amount of the mature woman's well endowed chest and dark blue jeans showed her lush, curvaceous figure. Smooth, snow-white skin and lush, pink lips glistened almost angelically under the night lights of the city. Her appearance made Asia feel almost envious. So this is Judai's girlfriend?
"N-No! Someone hel-," she screamed before Yubel covered her mouth.
"Calm down. I'm Judai's guardian and one of his most trusted allies. We will not harm you. He's simply protecting you at the moment," the demon explained quickly. "There's no need to be afraid of me." The girl nodded apprehensively.
"I see that you're doing well," a familiar voice chuckled. "I hope you two are getting along."
"Judai!" both girls exclaimed. He chuckled again as he approached them.
"Are you alright?" Yubel asked, still standing beside the girl.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Yubel," he replied, rotating his shoulders. "That was a nice fight."
"Oh dear, you're bleeding!" Asia exclaimed, noting the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. He waved her off nonchalantly.
"It's fine. Just your normal cuts and bruises from a fist fight, that's all," he assured her. "I'll be good to go in the morning. We have to leave now."
"What do you mean?" Asia asked.
"Those angels went through quite a length to get me to divulge your location because of your Sacred Gear. I'm worried for your safety, so tonight, we're staying in a hotel. I can't keep you in one place for very long, but I'll try my hardest to protect you," he offered.
"Protect me?" she asked, confused.
"These angels want you for your healing abilities. If they realize that you disobeyed your partner back at that house, they'll definitely do something bad," he explained. She hesitated as he held out his hand. "I promise to keep you safe, I'll bet my life on it."
And done! Please tell me how it is! If anyone is wondering about my other stories, I'm still working on those chapters, but they'll be out soon. If you do have any questions, please feel free to ask, and I'll answer in the next chapter. Until next time,
Transparentchaos signing out (wouldn't it be sad if I spelled my own pen name wrong?).
