Outside of Issei's Penthouse Apartment
A lone figure planted one foot on the ground as he stopped in front of Issei's penthouse apartment. His ice blue eyes were sharp as he looked up towards the only window with the lights on. The cold weather summoned a breeze that blew through his short silver-hair.
(Honestly, Vali. As much as I would love to argue with Ddraig over trivial things, do you really think his host isn't asleep at the moment?)
"And do you really think I care about that? Issei Hyoudou has owed me a rematch for months now, and at the moment I don't feel like waiting any longer. Even if he was asleep, which he isn't, something like that won't deter me."
(How do you know Ddraig's host is awake?)
"For one thing, Ophis is still awake. Plus, I can sense the aura of his cousin with him."
(The Moon God?)
"No," Vali answered as he rolled his eyes, "The clingy one."
(…Ah. The female one.)
"Precisely. What is she even doing here?" The host of the Vanishing Dragon muttered to himself, "Especially at 3 a.m."
(Humph. Why don't you ask yourself the same question?)
Vali rolled his eyes and walked towards the intercom. Spotting his rival's room number, he pressed only a finger on the button.
Inside Issei's Penthouse Apartment
Issei silently looked at the two women who stood in front of each other. He narrowed his eyes a little as he sensed the intensified energy flowing off of his wife, and the faint energy signature emitting from Leiko.
The Solar God brought his sights over to his wife as he studied her posture and expression. He thought that Ophis had long ago abandoned the jealously and possessiveness regarding him. Of course it wasn't like he didn't know how his wife acted.
Issei set his lips into a thin line as he looked back to his cousin. He noticed Leiko's nervous expression, along with her wide-eyed stare. Inwardly sighing, Issei stood up from his seat, getting the sudden attention from his wife and cousin.
"My Issei?"
"Ise-itoko?"
"Ophis, it's all right." He said in an attempt to ease the tension, "Just let Leiko-san explain herself for a minute. I'm sure she has a reason for…wanting to sleep in the same bed with us."
{Damn, partner. Even that sounded awkward coming from you.}
'Hush, Ddraig. It's not like I could have predicted Leiko-san asking something like that.'
((…You really don't know your cousin that much, do you kid?))
'You hush too, Al!' Issei shushed the clone of the Vanishing Dragon.
[Cousssssin Leiko…is strange.]
{See, partner? Even the Orochi is creeped out.}
Issei chose to ignore the beings that dwelled within his inner world. If he did so, they would stop eventually.
Ophis tilted her head as she set her eyes towards her cousin-in law. Leiko on the other hand, kept her mouth shut and looked towards her younger cousin. It was true that she wanted to sleep in the same bed with Ophis and Issei, but it wasn't like she had an actual reason.
She got caught up in the moment! That was all! But still, what could she say? The elder Hyoudou was getting blanks in her head, unable to think of what to reply. God, why was it so hard for her? After all, she was the normal one within her Ise-itoko's relationships.
Damn it, what was wrong with her?!
"Leiko-san?"
"Cousin Leiko."
The elder Hyoudou paused in her mental debate to see Issei and Ophis looking at her with confused looks on their faces.
'Oh god, they're waiting for me to reply! Come on Leiko, think of something! You're smarter than this!'
BEEP!
The occupants within Issei's penthouse apartment snapped out of their staring at the sound of the former's intercom. Raising an eyebrow at the unexpected sound, Issei walked over to his door and pressed the speaker button.
"Yes?"
"Yo, rival."
"…Vali?"
{Hmm, that's interesting. What is Albion's host doing up so late?}
((Humph. I thought I sensed my other self nearby.))
{Then why didn't you say anything?!}
((I thought you and our host would have sensed him anyw-))
Issei cut off the mind link and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. Which was wondering why on Earth Vali decided to talk to him at a time like this?
As Ophis tilted her head, Leiko released a sigh that she didn't even know she was holding. Thank god her moment was fortunately interrupted. At least now she had more time to think of a perfect response.
"Vali, what are you doing here?" Issei asked as he checked his watch, "It's almost 4 a.m."
"Is it a crime to check up on an old rival once in a while?" Vali quipped.
"It is when you do not have my permission to do so." Ophis replied dryly.
"…Ah. Hello Ophis." The host of the Vanishing Dragon deadpanned, "And hello to you as well, Leiko Hyoudou."
Leiko widened her eyes in confusion.
"How did he-"
"It's not that hard to sense your energy, especially when it's constantly spiraling out of control when you're near Issei Hyoudou."
Leiko frowned as she pushed past Issei to speak directly into the intercom.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing important," Vali brushed off Leiko's angry reply, "Anyway, rival. I thought it was about time we had our rematch. Now that we're in times of peace, I think it should be a pretty good opportunity."
"Vali." Issei replied blankly, "It's almost four in the morning. Besides, I just came back from the movies and I'm tired."
"What's your point?"
"Well if I'm tired, then I'm not gonna be that much of a good sparring partner, now am I?"
"…"
"You still there, Vali?"
"Look, rival. I haven't had a good battle in months. The only battle I've had so far was the one with Loki in that blasted tournament Indra created. And even then it wasn't that enjoyable."
Issei sighed as he leaned his face on the door. Of course the descendant of Lucifer had to be stubborn. But the Solar God didn't want to leave Leiko and Ophis to themselves.
"My Issei. You may go with Vali."
Issei widened his eyes and turned his head to look at Ophis curiously. Leiko also shared his expression, although there was a sense of wonderment.
{Hmm. What could be the reason for this? Perhaps she might want to interrogate the human.}
((Interrogate her about what? It's obvious she wants to sleep with our host, Ddraig.))
{Obviously. But Ouroboros could interpret it in a very negative way.}
Fortunately for Issei, he had blocked the mind-link between him and the Two Heavenly Dragons. Even so, he immediately shook as his body unconsciously felt cold. Ignoring the sudden change in temperature, Issei blinked towards his wife.
"What do you mean, Ophis? It's not like I want to spar with Vali right now."
"Rival, you wound me." Vali replied in a mocking tone.
"Shut up, Vali." Issei said without even looking back at the intercom.
"Why do you want to fight Ise-itoko so badly?" Leiko asked, just for the sake of curiosity, "It's not like the both of you aren't going to tire out and end the fight eventually."
"…Let me ask you something, Leiko Hyoudou." Vali began, "Why do you want to spend so much time with Rival?"
"What?" Leiko raised an eyebrow at the question, "What kind of question is that? He's my Itoko-chan! I think I should have a right to spend time with him when I want to."
"And I'm not? Issei Hyoudou is my rival and is definitely one of the strongest opponents I've yet to face in a one-on-one match. I've fought him once and that was only because I destroyed the Great Red's motorcycle that one time."
"And that was clearly a stupid idea to begin with, Vali." Issei couldn't help but put in.
"You'd do anything for a fight, wouldn't you?" Leiko asked rhetorically.
"You ask that like it's a bad thing."
"Look," Leiko said in an annoyed tone, "Ise-itoko doesn't have to fight you if he doesn't want to."
"Hyoudou never gave me an answer."
"He just told Ophis he didn't want to spar with you!" Leiko finally lost her patience.
"Hyoudou, just fight with me so I can cure my boredom. Or else."
"Or else what, Vali?" Issei said with an exhausted air.
"…I'll kidnap your cousin."
It was quiet within the Solar God's penthouse apartment, the temperature changing due to the sudden intensity of Issei. Leiko let out a gasp of surprise as she watched her Ise-itoko's expression immediately darken.
"Damn it, Vali! Don't even joke about that!"
Leiko widened her eyes as she went to calm her cousin down, until Issei clicked his tongue and transmitted away.
"Come now, Rival," Vali's voice through the intercom rang, "You know that I don't jo…oh, you're already here."
WHOOOSH!
"Transforming into the first stage of solar evolution already, Hyoudou? I thought..h-hey!"
The intercom was suddenly cut off, leaving Leiko and Ophis to assume the outcome regarding Issei and Vali. Blinking several times, Leiko placed her hands on her hips as she hummed slightly.
"Cousin Leiko."
At the call of her name, Leiko hesitantly turned to look at Ophis.
"You did not answer my question. What is your reason for wanting to sleep next to my Issei and I?"
Leiko mentally cursed herself for neglecting that detail. She had forgotten to think of her answer to Ophis' question due to Vali's 'successful' interruption.
"Um," Leiko began, "Well, the thing is…"
She had to say something!
"I don't like sleeping alone!" She blurted out.
Ophis tilted her head as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"You do not like to sleep alone?"
Leiko blinked again as her eyes widened.
'Is that what I said? I did say that, didn't I? Hold on! Maybe that could work!'
"T-that's right!" Leiko exclaimed before calming down, "I don't like sleeping all by myself!"
The Ouroboros Dragon raised an eyebrow.
"But you do not live here, Cousin Leiko. You live at your own residence, and therefore sleep in your own bed."
'…Crap.' Leiko thought, 'I should have thought that through. Well…what can I say? It's not like I sleep with a night-lig-'
"I didn't bring my night-light with me." She retried.
"…You may turn on the lamp when you sleep on the couch. Also, if you cannot sleep alone, you do not have to worry for your safety. My Issei and I will be in the next room."
'Damn it! Come on, stupid! Think of something!' Leiko chided herself.
"It's a little hard to sleep on the couch, Ophis. Couches don't really help when people try to sleep on them."
Ophis narrowed her eyes a little.
"So the reason you wish to sleep with Issei and I…is because you are frightened of the dark, you do not want to sleep alone, and you have high sleeping expectations?"
"..."
What the hell, she'd take anything she could get.
"That's right!" Leiko said again, "So um, could I stay with you guys?"
Ophis fixed Leiko with an unreadable stare as she stood like a statue. She could tell that her mate's cousin was nervous. The Infinite Dragon God certainly didn't dislike the elder Hyoudou. In fact, besides the Great Red, she considered Leiko as an extremely close and familial person.
However, that still didn't mean she found it 'normal' for her cousin-in-law's desire to sleep in the same bed as her and Issei.
'I, shall give Cousin Leiko a test. But in order for my test to be executed, I need to contact Baka-Red.'
"I, will allow you permission, Cousin Leiko."
Leiko almost felt her heart stop as she narrowly missed Ophis' words.
"W-what?"
"You have my permission to sleep in the same bed with Issei and I. However, there is a certain test you must pass."
The elder Hyoudou couldn't believe it. All she had to do was pass a test, and she was in for the clear? Wow! That was easy.
Successful in suppressing her cry of excitement, Leiko nodded slowly to the Ouroboros Dragon.
"Ok. So what is the test?"
"Wait here, and do not move." Ophis ordered, before her body started to become transparent.
Leiko widened her eyes as she watched the Dragon God's body disappearing.
"Hey, where are you…" She attempted before her words trailed off.
Dimensional Gap
"You want me to do what?"
The Great Red narrowed his golden eyes at his 'sibling', who had just so rudely interrupted his awesome soaring around the Dimensional Gap. Ophis' dark-gray eyes set themselves onto the colossal frame of the Apocalypse Dragon.
"I, would like for you to listen to what I have to say. It is a test."
"A test that consists of what exactly? And who are you testing?"
Ophis flew towards the Great Red so that he could fully hear her reply.
"The test is for Cousin Leiko, Baka-Red."
At the mention of his favorite person he loved to troll, Great Red released a sharp toothy grin in glee.
"Ka ka ka ka! Well if it involves her of all people, then count me in!"
Back with Leiko
"Where did she go?" Leiko asked as she sat down on the couch.
The elder Hyoudou looked around curiously and placed a hand on her cheek. She sighed tiredly as she shook her head.
"I wonder what this test is." She wondered, "If it's Ophis that's making the test, then hopefully it won't be that bad."
As Leiko looked up, she frowned when she noticed something strange about the environment around her.
"What's happening to the walls?"
The walls appeared to be flowing downwards, as though the paint was falling off. Blinking several times, Leiko rubbed her eyes repeatedly. Shaking her head, Leiko widened her eyes in shock as Issei's living room began to dissolve completely.
"What the hell?!"
As she wondered what the hell was going on, Leiko shot up from her seat on the couch, and went to reach for the door. As soon as her hand reached the doorknob however, the object suddenly melted in her hands.
"What?!"
Leiko looked around in horror as the room suddenly dissolved into a location of complete darkness. The elder Hyoudou stood where she was through all of the transformation sequence.
"What is going on here?" She asked, "Ophis? Is this the test you were talking about?"
There was no reply.
Suddenly, a small flash of light illuminated from above Leiko, allowing the girl some vision. As Leiko struggled to close her eyes from the brightness, she looked all around her to see that she was in a strange location.
She appeared to be in a small, compact room with a desk against the wall. Sitting on top of the desk was a monitor that shared the size of a small electronic tablet, and a phone. Blinking several times, Leiko looked up to see wires streamed up to the ceiling.
"What is this place?"
The elder Hyoudou looked to her left and right sides to see two large windows. On each side, there were two doors with red and white buttons mounted on them. Looking around her surroundings again, Leiko walked towards the desk hesitantly, wondering where she was.
"What am I doing here? Is this the test Ophis was telling me about? If so, then what am I supposed to do?"
TAP TAP
"?!" Leiko gasped in surprise.
She frantically looked around for the sudden sound, taking a few steps towards the right window.
'Where'd that noise come from?! I thought I was the only one in here!'
As she neared the window, Leiko peered at the buttons mounted on the door. The text above the white button read 'lights', while the red button text read 'open/close'.
"…Do I really want to know who's behind that window?" Leiko asked herself.
All night she had been doing the opposite of what her judgment told her. She knew she had to stop and think about what she was about to do.
"If I don't do anything, then I won't have to see whoever's tapping the window. But if I do something, then my paranoia might settle down."
…It's not like she had a choice in the matter.
Gathering up her confidence, Leiko took a deep breath and lifted her finger on the white button. There was no way in hell she was going to let whoever was tapping the window in.
That was just stupid.
Biting her lip, Leiko pressed the white button, and she immediately got chills as she froze in fear.
"Oh my god!"
Leiko tried to catch her breath as she clasped her chest. Standing in front of the window was a young girl with dark liquid-amber eyes. Now Leiko wouldn't have been afraid of that, except for the fact that the girl looked…downright evil.
The child was pale, that much Leiko knew. Her hair was the color of the blackest void and fashioned in long twin braids. Clad in a little black dress, the girl gazed at Leiko with an unsettling grim expression.
Leiko stared back at the girl, shocked out of her mind. As she kept her malevolent eyes on Leiko, the girl lifted her finger and tapped the window again.
TAP TAP
Leiko eyed the girl and looked over to the door. She quickly looked back just in time to see the girl looking towards the door as well. Of course, it was simple. The girl wanted her to open the door.
…Like hell she would!
Frowning at the source of her discomfort, Leiko shook her head. The girl's eyes narrowed at Leiko's reply, making it clear that she did not accept her answer. But it wasn't like Leiko cared about that. She was trying to stay alive!
'Wait a minute!' Leiko thought, 'Why am I so scared? She's just a little girl! So what if she looks a little maleficent? It's not like she can really hurt me.'
As Leiko looked back at the girl, her confidence immediately dissipated at the death-like stare she was receiving. Leiko found it strange that the girl wasn't even glaring at her. Her eyebrows were neither raised nor slanted, and her mouth was set in a flat line.
Getting a little creeped out from the girl's seemingly unmoving facial expression, Leiko took a few steps back and walked back to the desk. She looked down to see the electronic monitor sitting on the desk, and picked it up. At the bottom of the screen, there was the number and unit of time; sixty minutes.
"Sixty minutes?" Leiko questioned.
RING RING
Leiko jumped at the sound of the phone ringing, and stared at it in hesitance.
'Who's calling me?'
She half-expected it to be the girl calling her, probably in an attempt to scare her even more. Slowly looking over to the window, Leiko almost sighed in exasperation when she saw that the girl remained in her spot. There wasn't even a sign that she moved at all.
RING RING
Turing her attention to the phone, Leiko sighed and went to pick it up, until the ringing suddenly stopped.
Hello, Cousin Leiko. I, am glad that you are still well.
Leiko widened her eyes at the familiar voice.
"Ophis?!" She called out in disbelief, "What is going on here? And where are you?"
This is the test I informed you of, Cousin Leiko. In order to have permission to sleep in the same bed with myself and Issei, you must complete this task.
Looking back at the grim-faced girl, Leiko gulped down a nervous lump in her throat.
"And that task is?" She asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
...Do you experience dreams, Cousin Leiko?
Her nervousness slightly lessening at the random question, Leiko slowly nodded her head. She then realized that Ophis couldn't see her, and she opened her mouth to answer.
Do not worry. I, saw you nod your head.
The elder Hyoudou frowned in a bit of annoyance, but decided to answer her anyway.
"Yes. I experience dreams, Ophis." She answered before her expression softened, "Do…do you?"
Yes. I, have discovered that I experience dreams that occasionally seem to be…real. There are times in which I can control my dreams to a certain extent, and other times in which I cannot.
"So you've had lucid dreaming." Leiko deduced distractedly, trying to ignore the girl's stare, "Yeah, sometimes dreams can appear as reality."
Yes. However, with the help of Baka-Red, I obtained the ability to alter my dreams into a pseudo-reality.
"…" Leiko didn't know what to say after that.
Do you know what my dreams consist of, Cousin Leiko?
"…I honestly don't know, Ophis." The elder Hyoudou admitted.
My dream is to claim my mate and keep him within my home, the Dimensional Gap for eternity. That is my most prominent dream. However, I also have another dream.
Leiko bit her lip as she tried to suppress her growing curiosity. In spite of the situation, her wonder of guessing Ophis' second dream was slowly driving away her fears.
"What's your second dream, Ophis?"
To have a female spawn with my mate.
"…"
…Cousin Leiko?
"I-I-I-" Leiko stuttered repeatedly, unable to even speak her already rambling thoughts.
I, see that you are confused. I, shall explain it to you. The child that is standing behind the window that separates you and her is merely a figment that exists within my dreamscape. She is an image of what I would like the spawn between myself and Issei to look like.
Leiko blinked as she looked back at the girl, intentionally taking in her appearance. Now that she thought about it, the girl did seem to share the same facial expression of Ophis. The black hair and the pale skin were a dead giveaway. On the other hand, the dark liquid-amber eyes appeared to have the same shape as Issei's.
"A child between him and you?" Leiko repeated quietly.
That is right. Now that I have told you about her, the test can begin.
"Wait, Ophis. So if she's a figment of your dreamscape, then does that mean this place is part of it as well?"
Yes. Now regarding the test. In order to complete it, you must prevent my figment spawn from entering your room. In other words, you must hold her off for an hour. The tablet that is in your hands represents your time limit.
"…Why?"
Do not worry, Cousin Leiko. She will not harm you.
"I find that hard to believe, Ophis. She's been giving me a death glare for the past ten minutes. I don't think she blinked even once during that time."
As I said, you will not be harmed. My figment spawn will merely attempt to scare you.
"And what happens if she does get into the room?"
Then you fail the test.
"What?! You mean once she comes in here, it's all over?"
You wish to sleep next to my Issei and I, do you not?
Hell yeah she did!
Gaining her composure, Leiko cleared her throat and nodded.
"…Yeah."
Then the test shall begin. Good luck, Cousin Leiko.
And with that, the phone call ended, cutting off Ophis' voice. Taking a deep breath, Leiko took a few steps towards the window, staring at the dreamscape 'spawn' of Issei and Ophis. The girl stood like a statue, locking her dark-amber eyes with Leiko's.
Narrowing her eyes, Leiko looked down at the tablet in her hands. The timer began, the minutes counting off from sixty.
"Ok. I only have an hour. Sounds…simple enough."
In Leiko's opinion, it was worth it. As she looked up at the grim-looking girl, Leiko sighed as she smacked her lips.
"I wonder what Ise-itoko and that Vali guy are doing." She muttered to herself.
"Pa…pa?"
Leiko widened her eyes in surprise as she saw the girl's expression change. Both her dark-amber eyes and lips twitched slightly as her face twisted, giving Leiko the impression that the girl was feeling uncomfortable. Leiko looked on in confusion as the girl's eyes blinked repeatedly, and the latter pulled her lips to reveal an awkward smile. Very slowly, the girl finally formed a genuine smile that might have looked sweet if she was someone else.
"You know my Papa?" The girl asked in an soft voice.
In spite of the girl's smile being genuine, her eyes were also wide-open, almost mischievously. Leiko found it honestly off-putting.
'Well…even if she is a figment of what Ophis wants her and Issei's child to look like, I guess she can't be that bad. It's almost like babysitting.'
The elder Hyuoudou sighed as she looked down at the tablet again.
"Fifty-eight minutes left." She read, "So this is what it's like to be in Ophis' mind.'
Ugh. Hey guys, WarriorMan199456 here.
Man. I've been really, really busy with family life and college that the mood to write has honestly been wearing off. Honest to god, I truly still love Fanfiction. It's just that life can get very overbearing.
Anyway, enough about me. This chapter was thought upon while I was reading about the powers and abilities of Great Red and Ophis. I also thought about what 'Rise of the Solar God' Ophis' dreams were, and what they emphasized. And then I thought...why not use that with Leiko?
It probably sounds a little too weird, but I think I did good on this chapter. And just so you know, as it says in the story, Leiko is now in Ophis' dreamscape. So the room she is in, along with the girl who's a figment of what Ophis states to be her and Issei's spawn is not real. They are Ophis' desires and dreams within her dreamscape, so Leiko is going through a psuedo-simulation of sorts.
And Ophis' rules regarding the test? Because Great Red's a major troll. And yes, I deliberately based it on Five Nights At Freddy's.
And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the other stories yet, especially Rise of the Solar God. It's just that I'm actually writing a long, long chapter for the next update of that story, and it's been taking a big toll on me. So this chapter was yet another attempt to get me back on this site. Ugh, I pray that it does work.
Anyway, that's it for me. Read & Review, and I hope to catch you guys again.
