"Character Speech"

Inner thoughts/Lyrics

'Quote or reference'

[Sacred Gear]

Since this is an AU story, it may have new or changed elements, characters in it. Terms used in the canon may hold different meanings here. In such cases, brief explanations or a character list may be provided at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 4

Straws Pulled at Random

What solace lies in the arms of fate
The ill embrace of uncertainty
When did I leave this in other hands
To be pulled down at chance

Ripped away by destiny-claws
Am I another of fate's possessions
Dwelling the lie of freedom
Just another straw pulled at random…

...Drawn back into the origin-vortex
Uprooted and ground to dust
Retracted into anti-existence
A magnet repelled by life's polarity...

Ise sighed as he listened to the song play. It was surprisingly close to what his life felt like now. Here he was a high school kid with a dream, and now that was replaced with…...whatever. He decided not to pursue that chain of thoughts. Life has no easy mode. Not for dreamers.

It's been a week since Asia had died. The whole incident was a huge shock to his systems, making him realize how cruel people can be. Rias and Akeno looked down as well, but it was Raynare who had taken it the hardest.

She was blaming herself for Asia's death, and when the guilt toned down the loss struck. Out of them all, she had known Asia the most. Ise had only known with her for an hour, and even he had to admit he felt depressed. Plus, Raynare was not used to…...that. Heck, that was too gruesome for anybody. Ise grimaced at the thought. Raynare may have lived through a war, but torturing and killing an innocent girl like that…...The thought of it made him want to puke. Shouldn't have killed that bitch that easily. He sighed as he looked at the park grounds. Not here. Maybe she's still at home.

Rias had offered Raynare a place to stay, which she gratefully accepted. It turned out to be a small apartment near the academy. And since then she's holed up there. He thought as he climbed up the stairs. He knocked on the door twice after hesitating for a moment.

"Who is it?"

"It's me Raynare."

"Ise? Hold on." She pulled back the catch and let him in. He looked at her.

She was wearing nothing but a pair of black, lacy boy shorts and a very baggy, plain black tee. Long black bangs were covering her face as she had her head lowered a bit. She looked very upset, but still Ise had to gulp as he averted his eyes. Fucking hormones… He carefully kept his eyes away from her as he approached. "How are you?" He asked.

"Fine." She mumbled.

"Bullshit." He said softly as he pushed her hair away from her face. She had tear stains on her cheeks, eyes red from crying.

"Don't you have classes?" She asked trying to avert her eyes. He didn't let her, placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Didn't want to go. Not while you keep bawling your eyes out."

"Told you, I'm fine. Go away."

"Nope." He said with in a cheery voice.

"Screw you." She tried to move away, but he held her in a firm grasp. She squeaked as she felt the pressure, so he eased off in embarrassment. Her face went red as well.

Ise simply took her hand and led her to the couch. They both sat down, both absorbed in their thoughts. One was worried, the other trying to see the value of her life thus far.

"I-I promised her." Raynare spoke up after a bit of hesitation. "That I'd protect her. She had such a rough life. I just wanted to give her a new one." She began to sob. "And it was my research that took her life away. What kind of a person does that make me?"

Ise thought a little before he replied, "If you see it that way, then it makes you the bad one here." She looked at him stunned, hurt by his remark. "But tell me." He calmly continued. "What would Kalawarner be then? She made a false promise to protect an innocent girl, tried to kill a fellow fallen. then killed, no she tortured her to death for her own gains. What would she be then?"

"I can't say things will be right, I can't say I understand or that it was nothing to be devastated about. It was one of the worst events of my life. But Raynare, was it your fault? Could you have changed her fate? How the hell can a researcher stand against soldiers? Yet you tried by hiding her away. They found her." She was still silent. He took placed her hands in his as he looked her in the eyes.

"Raynare, life has no certainties. My father died in an accident, though he was at his peak. None of us expected that to happen." He paused, swallowing to calm down. She grasped his hands a bit tighter. "I still miss him a lot you know. I can't bring him back. Same with Asia. The best we can do, all we can do, is remember them, cherish the good memories we had together, honor them by taking in their best traits and let them live through our actions." He collected himself and smiled sadly at her.

"Ise's right. Asia wanted you to live, make friends. You should honor that wish." A familiar voice said from their behind. They both looked behind to find Akeno and Rias, with gentle smiles on their faces.

"Hey there. You skipped too?" Ise smiled back as he stood up.

"Well, how can we go when our friend is in such a state?" Akeno grinned.

Raynare looked at all of them. They came here for me. She took a moment to calm herself, then looked at them with new found resolve.

"You're right. I can't let this stop me. I will fulfill Asia's wish. And I will grow stronger so that I never have to break another promise like that, ever." She said with steel in her eyes.

"Now that we have come to that conclusion, I think it is time we go and visit the clubroom." Rias announced.

"The clubroom?" Ise and Raynare asked in unison, confused.

"Yeah, remember that I'm the president of the Occult Research club?"

"I think I'll risk my chances and of being the idiot here and ask, why?" Ise commented.

"To meet your fellow devils silly." Akeno giggled.

"Fellow devils?"

"Of course. I have other er...'servants' as well. They were just unavailable before. Now, let's go!" Rias tugged on his arm with such strength that it made him wince.

"Ouch! Okay, okay! I'll go. What about you, Raynare?"

"I'll go as well. Let me just go and change okay?" A devious smirk played across her lips for a moment. "Can you please make sure he doesn't peek?"

"Hey!" He complained undignified. "My parents taught me better than that, I'll have you know." Much to the laughter of the other two.

"Sure, sure." Raynare said in disbelieving tone as she walked away, extra sway in her hips. Ise couldn't help but look, and the girls laughed again. Damn hormones. He cursed.

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"Come again?" He asked, not believing his ears.

"Yeap, we own this school." Rias said like it's was of no importance. "And the Occult Research club is nothing but a front for all our activities."

"So, that means I can get away from the classes and spend time training?" He asked giggling manically like some villain from a cheesy movie.

"Oh no you don't." Akeno said as she grabbed his left ear. "Your mother wanted you to be an educated man. You will not skip school for training."

"In fact, we will make sure you will attend classes regularly unless needed. Otherwise, we will inform your mother." Rias gave him a mild glare.

His throat went dry at the thought of his ma knowing. He could picture her using him as a punching bag. Scary. But he still saw a bit hope. "What would the word 'needed' define?"

"That's it, you get no exceptions. And don't think you can escape, we will know." She glared harsher at him as Akeno pulled even harder.

"Ow, Ow, Ow, OW!" Ise yelled as he literally got pulled by the ear all the way to the clubroom.

The clubroom was on the second floor of the old school building. It was very spacious, almost unbelievably so. It was decorated with Victorian age furnishings, lavishly adorned with golden urns, framed pictures and such. All of these depicted devils and hell. But even within this ominous setting, there was a strong presence of modern amenities. There was a 30 inch television on the room's left wall, a PS4 hooked in. The room was air conditioned, a shower to the far side and a door to a small kitchen. Behind the main desk was another door, leading to a small room. Probably for the president's personal use.

When the group entered the room, they found two occupants in it. One was a handsome blonde boy about Ise's age, playing a game on the console. The other was a small girl with white hair and very delicate features. She was sitting on the couch, nibbling at a chocolate bar. Both wore the Kouh Academy uniform, respectively for second and first years. They looked up at the group quizzically.

Unfortunately, Ise couldn't admire the scenery, due to the death grip of Akeno on his ear. He suspected the ear was probably a bit torn or something.

"Akeno, can you please let go? It really hurts." He pleaded.

"Only if you promise to not skip school." She smiled back at him sweetly.

"I-I promise." And she let him go. He sighed comically while clutching at his ear, checking if it was torn off or not. Only to find that the two current occupants were looking at him weirdly while his 'friends' were giggling from the side.

The blonde boy came forward and bowed respectfully to Rias. "Mistress." The small girl followed. Rias motioned for them to stand up.

"I think this would be the thousandth time I say this, but do not call me 'Mistress'. My family may insist upon it, but I do not." The blonde boy frowned.

"But Mistress..." He tried to object.

"No."

"But.."

"If you must then call me Buchou like Akeno does. My proper title as a student of this academy." She said exasperated.

"Y-yes, Mistre-Buchou." He corrected himself.

"And how have you managed in our absence?" Akeno asked.

"I have completed our paperwork, while we both have been busy with the devil duties, My Lady." The boy stated. Akeno looked a bit annoyed with her title as well, but she didn't object.

"Oh, and how many have you completed?" Rias looked at Koneko.

"14 so far, Buchou." She said in a cold voice.

"Well done." Akeno commented.

"Now." Rias clapped her hands drawing everybody's attention. "It's time to meet your fellow members! Yuuto, Koneko introduce yourselves." The boy came forward.

"My name is Yuuto Kiba. I am the Knight of Rias Gremory and a member of the Occult Research club." He bowed as he finished.

"Koneko Toujou. Rook of Rias Gremory and a member of this club." The girl said in an emotional voice as she bowed.

"Ise Hyoudou." Ise kept it simple as he bowed. Mistress? So they address her as Mistress?

"H-Hello, my name is Raynare." Raynare said from his side, bowing as she finished.

"Raynare here is my Bishops. And Ise-" Rias was interrupted.

"B-Bishops?" Kiba and Koneko said in unison, eyes wide.

"Yes." Rias said proudly. "She took both pieces. She used to be a fallen angel, so it is not that surprising."

"B-But one of them was an M-mutation piece." Kiba said, a little intimidated.

"What is a Mutation piece?" Ise asked.

"An Evil piece can only turn a being into a devil if it has the strength to do so. So often a more powerful being will take up multiple pieces of the same type. However, a Mutation piece is special. It has the capability of turning such a being alone. The Evil pieces also give out a boost of sorts, the Mutation piece does more, taking it's user up a level." Akeno explained.

"So, for Raynare to up two pieces must be a really rare thing, huh?" Ise thought out loud.

"Yes, it is." Rias answered with a smile. "She has the potential to match a ten-winged fallen. And even more due to…." She went silent here. The group went quite at the horrible memory. Ise decided to cheer them up. He gave Raynare a large smile.

"Wow, Raynare." He exclaimed as the girl in question blushed.

"As I was saying, Ise is my Ro…." Rias was about to say before she was interrupted by an alarm. Rias simply snapped her fingers and a red circle lit up.

"Mission for Rias Gremory and her peerage." A mechanical voice began to say. "A stray devil, Vizer has been spotted in your territory. Eliminate it before it can cause any damage or escapes. It's current location has been tracked and sent to you, along with additional information. Good luck." The circle faded away as the message ended.

"Well, looks like we got a mission in our hands. Let's go now before he escapes." Rias ordered as she began checking the info.

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"So a stray devil is a devil that has killed it's master and escaped. Generally, such a devil goes on a rampage and kills many, troublesome like a rabid dog. So it is eliminated as soon as possible, by any faction that sees one" Raynare was explaining to Ise as the rest of the group were scouting forward.

Eventually, they came near an abandoned factory. It didn't show any signs of life from the outside, but Ise felt a very menacing, putrid aura that made him want to vomit.

"This is it." Rias stated, looking at the massive gates. "Ise, Raynare." They looked up hearing their names. "I want you guys to fall back and just observe. While fighting may not be so unfamiliar to either of you, I suggest this so that you may see how the Evil pieces work." Both nodded in agreement.

"Alright then. Let's go. Akeno, put up a barrier." Rias outstretched her left arm toward the gates while Akeno snapped her fingers.. A tiny crimson sphere came out of Rias's hand, rushing forward and a huge boom later, the gate was no more. Ise felt a very chaotic aura from her, almost like it was hungry. He shivered a little from the power.

Suddenly, a silhouette came into view. It looked like a very womanly figure, her eyes glowing an ominous red from the near dark factory building.

"You found me? Oh well, guess I have to kill you now." She said in very alluring voice yet it nearly made Ise puke. He could sense her greed, and the blood of the ones she killed on her.

Rias didn't seem at all fazed, in stead she began to explain. "Now, as Akeno said before all Evil piece have a specialty and can turn matching beings. For example, Kiba is my Knight."

"Why you bitch, how dare you ignore me!" The stray screeched in rage as it dashed at them. However, she had to stop as suddenly blood came out of her left shoulder. "Argh!" She clutched her shoulder in agony just as Kiba appeared right behind her, with a sword in his hand. Ise could see the knight leave and strike her at very high speeds. And boy, was he impressed.

"A Knight piece is built for speed and matches well with someone who uses close range to long range weapons. Like Kiba's sword or even a bow. However, a Knight has low magical potential and a low endurance or strength."

"Take this!" The stray had recovered from the attacks and now attempted to attack Kiba, only for him to dodge. She had to duck under as a small fist sailed over her head. It was Koneko.

The stray moved away and laughed at her. "You, a kid dares to challenge me? I'm a Bishop, like I'll lose to some baby." She taunted her, but Koneko face gave no expressions. Suddenly, she launched a huge fireball at the small girl. Koneko took the hit head on, not even trying to move. As it impacted, a cloud of dust covered their view.

"Koneko!" Raynare called in fear. Rias only grinned. "Don't worry, Koneko is my Rook piece." A ear piercing scream came to their ears, followed by the stray hitting the ground just beside them.

"A Rook is may not be as fast as a Knight, but such a devil outmatches the piece in sheer brute strength and endurance. Generally a hand to hand fighter is the ideal choice for this." Ise looked at her in understanding. He was astonished that a Rook could be so strong, as Koneko simply pummeled her into pulp.

"For a Bishop, the piece has high magical reserve and is ideal for magic users." Rias continued to explain. "However, I'll skip that. Akeno."

"Yes, Buchou." Akeno said as she walked up to the beaten devil, Koneko stepping away. She lifted up her right hand to the sky. "Descend!" She commanded.

Black lighting struck down on the stray, making her scream and writhe in agony. She looked like she wanted death better than this torture. But Akeno kept it up, licking her middle finger sensually, like she was in ecstasy.

"Akeno is the Queen, a combination of all three. This piece is used on the most powerful of the lot, as it has high potential. Like Akeno's thunder can char anybody to ashes. Oh, and get used her acting like that. She is a sadist." Ise gulped.

As everybody watched Akeno fry the devil, their guards down, Ise suddenly sensed a menacing presence behind them.

"Watch out!" He pushed Rias and Raynare away as a huge hammer fell on them. He got thrown away to the dark parts of the structure by the brute force.

"Hiya fleas, name's Kanis. I am the Queen." In front of them was standing a huge man, nearly eight foot, with a huge crude hammer that he just swung at them.

"But we were only informed of one stray." Rias said in an astonished tone.

Akeno had turned the other one to a scorch mark on the ground by then and got in a battle stance along with everyone else.

"Oh? Guess you can blame your informant for your death then." Rumbled the giant as he swung his hammer at Rias, who erected a barrier to defend herself. However, it proved to be unnecessary.

Just before impact, the hammer was blocked by Ise's fist. He looked a bit roughed up, but overall he was fine.

"Ise!" Akeno said in amazement as he simply stopped the force like it was nothing. His eyes blazed as he began to release his demonic aura. Her eyes widened as she felt his aura was slightly greater than before. "He's mine." He said in a voice that made her feel a bit scared.

"Let's dance." Ise jumped back as the giant retracted his hammer and swung it again. The giant kept swinging it like a madman, his movements making the ground shake. But Ise just moved away right before right before impact. The giant was undoubtedly stronger, but Ise had the upper hand due to his speed and technique. He looked like he wasn't the least bit tired, while the giant began to get exhausted. He's using the same tactic he used on the fallen. Rias realized. Suddenly Ise grabbed the hammer with his left as it was swung at him. His demonic aura flared as he broke it with a powerful right cross.

All the while, Kiba and Koneko had their mouths open at the display of agility and sheer power. "W-what is he?" Kiba managed to get out. "My other Rook piece." Rias simply answered as she was focused on the fight as well. Her answer only made his mind get blown away.

"But Lord Lucifer said not to.." Koneko whispered in an urgent tone.

"He was worthy." Came the answer. She gulped and watched the boy face down an opponent she could never hope to beat alone. No way. She thought as she saw him just dodge a massive hook from the stray Queen.

Ise, meanwhile had had enough. Time's up. He placed his feet apart and took a stance. Raynare's eyes widened as she recognized the familiar divine aura take over. Ise let his weight drop as he lowered himself, using the added weight to deliver a brutal punch to the giant's gut, shooting him across the building. Rias immediately followed up with a sphere of her own, annihilating the giant before he even hit the wall. Everybody sighed in relief as the fight finally ended. They searched the area immediately, but did not find any more threats much to their relief.

After everybody took a moment to calm themselves, Rias spoke up. "Alright, the mission was a success, though I'll personally see to who provided the information." She said the last part with a lot of venom. Sending us half-cocked like that could have killed us! She raged inwards.

Meanwhile, Akeno took a good look at Ise. He looked out of breath and a bit scratched up. "Ise." She softly called.

Ise was lost in his own world. He could still feel adrenaline rushing through his body. I have to train harder if I'm gonna keep facing monsters like these. He decided. Akeno's voice brought him to his senses.

"Huh?" He responded.

"You should head home and rest. I'll come by and check on you later." Akeno told him.

"You guys will be okay?" He asked, concerned.

"We'll be fine Ise. Head home." Rias told him with a smile.

"Okay. See you later." He waved as he headed home.

After Ise was gone, Rias turned to her group.

"Koneko, Kiba."

"Yes, Buchou." They responded.

"I order you as your master not to reveal what you have learned today without my permission." Rias said in a serious tone. Their eyes widened as they felt their magic bind themselves. Rias-sama has never done this before. Kiba thought.

"Now leave us please." Her smile returned, though not as genuine as usual. They bowed and left.

"Raynare?" Rias asked once the trio was alone.

"It's too early to tell what type of gear he may have. But to take over his demonic aura instead of utilizing it, that means it must be very strong." Raynare responded, deep in thought.

"We need to talk to Ise about this." Akeno concluded.

This is not a filler chapter. Not a filler chapter, you hear me?

Alright, it's a filler chapter.

Anyway, it's still important, as this chapter helped me come to a conclusion about Kiba and Koneko.

No, Kiba does not hate fallen angels. That's why he didn't react when he saw Raynare. I'll come to the why in a much later part.

You may have also noticed they did not get much spotlight. That's because I have found that keeping them in the background makes more sense for the fic. That means Koneko will not be part of Ise's 'harem'. And if you think that this chapter seems like it was done in haste, then that would be correct. It's not named 'Straws Pulled at Random' for nothing.

Another thing, I may not be able to update for a longer time. However, you can expect another chapter after 20 days.

As always, like it or hate it, let me know. REVIEW!