I'm back once again, with yet another mediocre chapter! Now, time for some semantics. Joshua is white. 100% caucasian. But, he is not racist. Yes, he will say n*gga with no shame, but he does not mean it in an offensive way. He simply says it as he enjoys music in the way the artists write it. That was for you, you raging PMer. Also, I forgot to say, but I somewhat foreshadowed one of Joshua's gears abilties last chapter. Now, I do have some life events coming up that will cause me to have less free time, so chapters will be posted slower in the coming weeks. However, I will be dedicating most of my free time that I will have to this story. With that out of the way, let's get into the reviews…
Fairyfiction21: Thanks for the input. I will be making some changes to the harem list, not only due to your review, but also changing some future events in my mind.
antonioyadiel29: Truth be told, I listened to that song for the first time after reading your review, and I don't see what you mean. Good song tho.
tyson113: He didn't just fend off Dohnaseek, he was about to beat him, if it wasn't for that cunt Raynare. I absolutely agree, two amazing songs. And I'm looking forward to writing more myself. Thanks!
merendinoemiliano: I've read quite a few FF's with the same chapter outline as well, but it's quite hard to write that point differently. And yes, seriously. Try to picture a music duo of Serafall as the singer and Joshua as the rapper. Weird, but considering Serafall's position, people would have to like it. I mean, she has her own T.V. show in the Underworld, and it apparently has high ratings. Thank you.
Sakiv: Thank you! Although, what happened last chapter was a small teaser to his Balance Breaker. And I do hope you're talking about Power by Kanye West, if not, I do not know which song you're referring to.
Guest: I can't tell what you're trying to say. Are you talking about my story, or me perhaps? The most likely answer though, is you describing yourself, as leaving a one word review just saying 'Gay' isn't a very constructive one, now is it, Mr. Homophobic?
Now, for the chapter…
******************************Chapter 3: I'm Not A Slave…******************************
-Abandoned Church, That night-
"Fuck! I can't believe he broke my arm, as well as my nose! I'm glad he's dead, if he got reincarnated we could have had a huge problem on our hands." Dohnaseek said, an expression of pain and anger plastered on his face.
"That's your fault Dohnaseek, if you didn't underestimate him that wouldn't have happened to you. You saw what he did to Kalawarner, you should've went all out from the start." Raynare told the man, earning a glare from him.
"I hate to admit this Raynare, but I was going all out from the start. That's why I'm so pissed off." Dohnaseek told the woman, earning him a look of shock. "You see now what I meant? We should be glad the devils didn't get to him."
"A human doing this to a fallen angel… what a human he must've been." Raynare said, shivering at the thought of that boy having the strength of a devil.
"Kid was a badass… I'll give him that much. I'm still glad he's dead though. One less obstacle in our way to gathering that nun's sacred gear." Dohnaseek stated, showing that human the respect he deserves for fighting as well as he did. "Your 'date' with that other boy is on Sunday, right Raynare?"
"Yeah, and from what I can tell, he's nowhere close to the level of skill as the one from tonight." She answered, earning a scoff from Dohnaseek.
"Good for you, you got an easy mark, while me and Kalawarner had to deal with a boy who was damn-near superhuman. Lucky bitch."
Raynare laughed at Dohnaseek's remark, earning a glare from him. "Honestly, I don't know why Kokabiel ordered us to kill the pervert. The other one I can understand, but my mark's gear doesn't even feel that strong."
"He must've had a reason for it." Dohnaseek responded, causing Raynare to take up a pondering expression.
"That's true, the way he is, he never acts without a reason… but this time I don't know what that reason is… weird."
"Maybe the boy's gear is in an undeveloped stage?" Dohnaseek wondered, earning a questioning look from Raynare. "Like, his gear hasn't reached its final stage yet. In a sense, like a child that hasn't hit puberty yet. Just a thought."
They both were left with questions but no answers as the night drew on…
-The Park, Rias' POV-
After inserting the evil pieces necessary to reincarnate the boy, I felt a surge of familiar energy behind me. I turned around to find my peerage walking towards me and the unconscious boy. Kiba, Koneko and Akeno.
"Have you done it yet Rias?" My [Queen] asked me, earning a slight nod.
"Yes, although he is extremely injured, as well as exhausted. It seems he was exercising earlier, so it will take quite a bit to heal him." I answered, earning a concerned look from my peerage members, except Koneko, who had a slight blush on her face while staring at the boy. "Koneko, what's the matter?" Her blush disappeared once hearing my question, she simply shook her head in response.
"Awwww, is the loli of the peerage developing a crush?" My [Queen] asked my [Rook], earning a slight glare from her, but staying silent. "That's too bad for you, Koneko, he's mine."
"Alright, stop it. I have to start the healing process as soon as possible. You guys have tomorrow off, as it'll take longer than usual." There was a collective sound of joy at my statement, causing me to sweatdrop. "Now, where does this boy live again?"
-Joshua's Apartment, The Next Morning, Joshua's POV-
… Boss, can you hear me?..
...Hey, Boss, come on, say something…
...It's me, your companion…
...Fine, be like that, it's not as if I've been waiting to talk to you for a few years now…
...BOSS!...
I slowly opened my eyes, and took a quick look around. 'I'm in my apartment… I thought I was in the park. Fuck me… my stomach hurts like hell… what's this soft feeling on my back? It feels like…' "OH SHIT!" Recognizing what the soft feeling on my back was, I rolled away from it and fell on the floor. "OWWWW! That hurt like hell!" As I rolled away from the person sharing the bed with me, I heard a female gasp.
"You were on the verge of death last night, nearly dead actually, and you're already okay enough to move? Your body is amazing…" I heard a familiar female voice say, before I stood up from the floor to take a look at my roommate.
"...It's you. The girl from last night, and the one I've seen around school before." I said, earning a nod of confirmation from her. "So, tell me, what exactly happened last night? In detail, please."
"Well, you were nearly killed fighting a Fallen Angel, but you wished for something with all your heart, which summoned me-" I cut her off with a time-out signal with my hands. "What?"
"What do you mean summoned you? Are you like those freaks I fought the last two nights?" I asked, earning a sweatdrop from her.
"No, well… yes and no." She answered, causing me to deadpan. "Let me explain. Yes, in the sense that I'm from the supernatural world. A world that normal humans can't comprehend unless we want them to. And no, in the sense that I'm not a Fallen Angel. I'm actually a Devil."
"Wait a minute, so you're telling me that there's a world that humans can't see, where these biblical beings exist?" She nodded in response. "And you're not one of those freaks, but instead you're a devil?" She once again nodded. I groaned. "As an atheist, this is a lot to take in. But, can you explain why you were sleeping with me?"
"Well, you were injured pretty badly, nearly dead, so I had to bathe you in my demonic power to heal your wounds." She answered, causing me to deadpan once again.
"Why'd you help me? I mean, despite being an atheist, both of my parents are christian so I've read the Bible. I thought Devils were supposed to be the bad guys." I asked her, earning a contemplative look.
"Well, yes, it is true that some Devils are bad, but not all of us are beings of sin. The same goes for Fallen Angels." She responded, causing me to take up a questioning look.
"Okay, final question before I'll let you continue. Why are we naked?" I asked, being blunt considering the insanity of my current situation.
She chuckled awkwardly. "It's about time you noticed. That's the only way the healing ritual would work." She answered, causing me to deadpan.
"I noticed right away, I'm just not self-conscious. I know I've got a great body. Although, that is some flawed logic if I've ever heard any." I stated, earning yet another awkward chuckle from her. "Now, I'll let you continue your explanation of last night."
"Thank you. Where was I?.. Oh, yes. You summoned me by wishing for something with all your heart. It was then that I took it upon myself to save your life, by reincarnating you into my servant-" My face instantly becoming covered with a look of severe anger at her words, cutting her off. "... oh no."
"Alright, look lady, I'm grateful you brought me back to life and all, but I will NOT be your slave! Thanks for the second chance, but I will not be answering your every beck and call!" I yelled, my voice full of anger at the girl. Her face plastered with a look of worry and regret. "I don't care what your reason is, but I'm from America. If you've ever read up on American history, then you'll know slavery is a pretty controversial topic over there. The words 'slave' and 'servant' are highly disrespectful over there." She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off once again. "You have no idea how much you just pissed me off by saying that! I hope you understand the mistake you just made missy. Once again, I will not be answering your every beck and call, I will not be following your every order, and I will NOT be granting your every request! Have I made myself clear!?"
"Yes, and I apologize. Your country's history slipped my mind. I am sorry." She said, a small hint of fear in her voice.
"It's fine. Just keep in mind that I do not like that word. And you don't have to be scared, despite you being a devil, I'd never hit a girl who wasn't trying to physically cause me harm." I said, earning an indiscernible look from her. "What's that look for?"
"It's just… did you notice your surroundings just now? When you were angry, I mean." She asked, earning a wide eyed look from me. I took a look around, and my jaw dropped.
All of the stuff that was on my desk is now on the floor. My bed is several inches away from where it originally was, and my dresser as well as my bookshelf fell over, now lying on the floor, all of my books spread out across the room. "How the hell did this happen?"
"You caused it." She answered, earning a doubtful look from me. "I'm serious. You were a very strong human, it'd only make sense for you to be quite strong as a Devil." My face faulted at that last word.
"What'd you just say?" I asked her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, or rather I didn't get to yet. By being reincarnated by me, a Devil, you yourself are a devil now."
…
…
…
"Whatever. As long as I can still be myself, I don't care what I am." I said, earning a look of surprise from her, as I brushed off her insane statement.
"You're not mad, or even upset?" She asked me, causing me to shake my head in response.
"Nope. As long as being a Devil doesn't change my personality at all, or alter the way I think or act, I could care less. I'm just happy to be alive, if I'm being honest."
"You know, besides Akeno, that was the easiest that has ever went." She said, forcing me to adopt a questioning look. "You'll meet the rest of my peerage soon enough. But now, I'm going to finish explaining. I reincarnated you into… my peerage last night." She said, being careful with her words. "Now, technically, you are my servant-" I went to cut her off again, but she beat me to it. "but, I treat my servants more like family members than slaves. I feel as if it works better for everyone that way. Now, I'll introduce myself if you don't mind, I am-" I cut her off, putting my hand up.
"Before that, can you put some clothes on? I'm tired of seeing your tits out of the corner of my eye." I said bluntly, causing her to chuckle awkwardly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm as straight as a square, it's just that I'd rather not see a woman I don't love naked." She laughed at my remark, before standing up, giving me a shameless view of everything she had, then walking towards her clothes that were on the floor. She started getting dressed.
"You know, you're still naked too." She said causing me to chuckle.
"It's my room, I can do what I want. But you're right." I replied, causing her to chuckle once again, before starting to get dressed myself, and going to the kitchen to make breakfast. "All I have are eggs, I hope that's fine, considering I wasn't expecting a guest."
"Yes, that's fine. I'll take them scrambled please."
"Good. 'Cause that's the only way I know how to cook them." I said in response, causing us both to chuckle as I got to cooking. "By the way, I don't even know your name. I'm Joshua Robertson."
She chuckled once again at my blunt statement. "My name is Rias Gremory. It's nice to finally meet you, Joshua, I've heard quite a bit about you from Tsubaki, and you're exactly how I expected you to be." She responded, causing me to pause.
"Wait, you mean Tsubaki is also…" I trailed off, seeing her nod in response from the other room. "Then does that mean the entire Student Council are Devils too?"
"Yes. Although, they aren't under me. Sona Sitri is their master, and she's-"
"That damn president, huh?" My blunt question forced her to stifle a laugh.
"Yes, although she goes by Souna Shitori in school." She answered, forcing a groan to come out of me.
"I really hope I don't have to deal with her 24/7, Tsubaki is alright, but that damn president is another story." She laughed at my concern.
"We try to stay out of eachothers way, although we do work together sometimes, usually due to a bigger threat. Sona and I are childhood friends though." I groaned once again, causing her to chuckle once again.
"Great. The eggs are done by the way. I'm not the greatest cook just so you know." I said, bringing the pan out. I scooped the eggs onto our plates, sat down, and dug in.
-15 Minutes Later-
"Jesus, why does the sun feel so intense?" I wondered aloud, earning yet another chuckle from Rias.
"That's one of the weaknesses of newly-born and recently reincarnated devils. You'll get used to it with time."
I groaned at her answer. "That's… annoying. But nonetheless, I'm just glad it's a Saturday. We won't have to deal with the gossip at school from arriving together."
She giggled at my remark. "Yes, the students of Kuoh are… something else."
"You can say that again. I've only been there three days and I'm one of the most popular kids in school already, which I hate." I said, earning another giggle from Rias. "By the way, why exactly are we going to the school?"
"The reason for that is, my peerages' home base of sorts is the old school building. I told them last night that they had today off, due to my thinking that you would take longer to heal, but you're quite durable. Because of that, I had to contact them and tell them to meet me at the clubroom." She answered.
"Clubroom? Which club are we disguised as?" She laughed at my blunt question. "No, no I'm serious. I really hope it's reasonable."
"We disguise ourselves as the Occult Research Club, or ORC for short." I deadpanned at her answer. "Also, I would prefer you call me 'Buchou' in school so the students don't get confused at our relationship status."
I scoffed at her request. "Look, no offense, but I'll call you what I want. If that's a problem, then I'm sorry." She widened her eyes slightly.
"No, it won't be a problem. I was just letting you know, considering your… distaste for the school gossip. The students will more than likely get the wrong idea if you call me by name."
"If they do, that's their problem… master." I spit out the last word like it was poison, earning a fearful look from her. "Heheheh. I'm just fucking with you Rias"
"Please don't tease me like that." She pouted, earning a long string of laughter from me. "I'm serious, one tease in my peerage is enough, I don't want or need two." She said, earning a questioning look from me. "As I said before, you'll meet the rest of my peerage soon enough. Although, I'll tell you this much. I'm fairly certain two of my members are quite interested in you."
I widened my eyes at her statement, but said nothing. We were nearing the school, so I tried to see if I could hear the usual sounds I heard when approaching the grounds. No chatter from students, no squealing from girls, nor any shouts of hatred from guys. Just the sounds of a nice spring day… but there was something else. Something calling out in… fear.
"I'll be right back Rias. Stay right here!" I told her, as I started making my way towards the sounds.
"Wait! Where are you going?" She asked, getting no response. I continued running towards the cries of pain and fear. It was about 2 minutes before I reached them, surprising myself with my range of hearing. I looked for the source of the sound, not seeing anything. Until I noticed something furry in the middle of the street.
"Is that a cat?" I wondered aloud, as I ran towards it, earning a few honks and beeps from cars braking to avoid hitting me. I got to the cat, and picked it up into my arms, cradling it like a baby. Inspecting it carefully, I didn't see any injuries on it, so I decided to bring it back with me.
I inspected it closer and took in it's details as I was running back, noticing it's mismatched eyes. It's right was pure black, darker than the night sky, the left was completely white, minus the pupil. Its fur was calico. It was mostly white, with a few splotches of black and orange. Specifically, there were a few orange splotches on its stomach, while its right side was completely white, and the opposite for its left. "You're quite unique, aren't you little guy?" I said, as I was nearing Rias, a surprised expression forming on her face as she saw what I was carrying.
"Is that a cat?" I nodded in response. "And you heard it crying for help from all the way over here?" I nodded once again, before pausing. 'She's right, how the hell did I hear it meowing from so far away?' Before I could ask, she answered my question. "A devil's hearing is far stronger than a human's, but from that distance… you're amazing." The faintest blush appeared on my face, before disappearing as soon as it came.
"Thanks? I guess? But anyways, am I allowed to keep this? It doesn't have a collar…" I wondered aloud, gently scratching its belly, earning a few soft purrs from the cat.
"I guess… are you positive it doesn't have any form of I.D. on it?" She asked, forcing me to take another look, as I was rushing to get back on my previous search. I noticed a small half black, half white string tied around its neck. 'Fitting…' I thought, as I gently pulled on it, trying to find the tag. Noticing a small silver glow in it's long fur, I looked closer. Engraved on the small piece of silver, was a single word, a name, rather.
"Abaddon…" Rias' eyes widened at the word. "I would've went with Limbo considering your colors, but that's still a cool name, considering who he is… The Angel of Death, huh? You're quite the cool kitty, yes you are, yes you are!" I said, excitement growing in my voice, as I nuzzled the cats face, it returning the favor. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small smile form on Rias' face.
"You must really like cats, huh?" I shook my head slightly before answering.
"I love all animals, not just cats. Although, they're my second favorite, behind sharks."
"Really? Sharks are your favorite animal?" She asked, earning a nod from me.
"Yeah, I've always thought they were cool. I think it's horrible that they've been given such a bad reputation. They want to live just as much as we do, so why is it so bad that they eat people sometimes? I mean, bears eat people too, but we don't hunt them like we do sharks." I answered, conviction resounding through my tone, earning a surprised look from Rias.
"You really like sharks, don't you?"
"They're my spirit animal." I said with a deadpan, earning a giggle from Rias. "Now, where are we heading? The old school building right?"
She nodded. "That's right, and hopefully the rest of my peerage will be there."
"Can't wait to meet them. And I know Abaddon can't wait either, isn't that right little guy?" He meowed in response, causing me to gush. "Soooooo CUTE!" I rolled him over in my arms, so his stomach was now facing the ground, and started petting him, earning myself a string of purrs. Rias and I started walking again, this time onto the school grounds. As we were walking, Abaddon wiggled out of my grip and climbed up onto my shoulders, perching himself facing my front, causing me to gush again.
We got to the old school building a minute or two later, and went inside. I had no idea how it was laid out, so I followed Rias. Although, the entire time we were in there, it felt like I was being watched. Trying to push that aside, we reached a room closed off by double doors, with a sign above it reading 'ORC Clubroom.' I let Rias lead the way inside, and slowly followed, to be greeted by an off putting sight. The room was far darker than the outside world, and was only lit by a few candles. I let out a shallow breath after coming inside, seeing a few familiar faces in there.
"I figured you would be here, Kiba." I said, to a familiar blonde-haired face. He smiled back, before returning to the book he was reading. Sitting across from him was a girl I'd never seen before, short, maybe even shorter than 5 feet, with pure white hair. Unlike Rias though, she was severely underdeveloped, both in stature and assets. She was sitting there, nibbling on a piece of chocolate, before noticing my entrance and taking a look towards me. A blush formed on her face, before she noticed the cat and frowned, then going back to eating her chocolate. 'Weird…' I thought, as I followed Rias to her desk.
"Akeno. He's here, come on out." Rias said, forcing me to look in the direction she said it. The same girl who gave me the paper in the gym came walking out from a connected room, causing my smile to widen immensely.
"You're the girl who basically gave me my second chance, huh? And unsurprisingly, you've got a pretty name to match the pretty face." I complemented, walking over and shaking her hand, earning a giggle and blush from her. I noticed the loli girl frowning immensely at my kindness and compliment. I turned towards her, before introducing myself. "Yeah, I'm the new Devil in town, my name's Joshua Robertson, although I prefer Josh, and it's a pleasure to meet you finally, Akeno, as well as you, Miss..?"
"...Koneko." She answered, causing my smile to fault a small bit.
"Not very talkative, are you, Koneko?" I asked her, causing a slight blush to appear on her face before it disappeared. "Well, that's okay. Your cuteness more than makes up for it."
"...New guy is a pervert, huh." She stated, causing me to deadpan.
"Alright, look, just because I compliment girls doesn't mean I'm a pervert. Ask Rias. I woke up this morning completely naked with her, and I was the one who asked her to get dressed. Besides, have I looked towards you with lecherous eyes?" I ranted slightly, causing Konekos' eyes to widen, before looking towards Rias.
"He's not lying, he did ask me to get dressed. Plus, even though he's going to hate me saying this, he wasn't… excited by seeing me naked." Causing Koneko to widen her eyes even more before looking back towards me questioningly.
"Are you..?" She trailed off.
"Am I… what? Into guys? No I can very much assure you that I'm into girls. I'm just able to… control myself, unlike a certain group of three boys in our school." I answered her silent question, causing yet another small blush to appear on her face. "Now, I'm here and I'm new, so what's there left to explain?" I looked towards Rias questioningly.
"Straight to the point huh? Well, let's see… there's the war between the three factions. I guess we should start with-"
"I already know about that. The Angels, who guard heaven, the Fallen Angels, who have been cast down into hell for sinning, and the Devils have been waging a war against each other for centuries, right?" Everybody looked towards me with wide eyes. "...what? I may be an atheist who finds this all hard to believe but I've read the bible, I know what world I'm now apart of."
Rias was the first to say something. "Once again, you surprise me. You were mostly right, but you don't know one thing. As of right now, there's a tense peace between the three factions. That is to say, we still do not like each other. If one of them steps on Devil-controlled territory, we are allowed to smite them without risk for starting a war. The same goes for us however. If we step on territory controlled by the church, we will be attacked mercilessly. And when Devils die, they are reduced to nothingness. It's a fate worse than death."
I sighed. "So very scary. I'm shaking in my boots." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, earning a hard glare from Rias and a chuckle from Akeno. "Blah blah blah. Basically just don't step on church territory. Next."
Rias sighed heavily. "Putting aside your sarcastic fear, next is… your sacred gear." I widened my eyes at what she said, now paying full attention. She smiled, noticing my change in posture and expression. "I figured you'd get interested once hearing that. Basically, a Sacred Gear is an artifact created by God that is handed down to select few humans."
Akeno continued, cutting off Rias. "All of the people in the world that are in a position of power, most of them have a sacred gear. You, are one of the lucky few to have been born with one, we just don't know what it is yet." She finished, earning a raised brow from me.
"Would you like to activate it? It'll be much easier in here due to the dense amount of demonic power." Rias asked, earning a deadpan from me.
"What kind of dumb question is that? Of course I want to activate it… stupidest thing I've heard all day, and that's saying a lot." I said, earning a chuckle from everyone in the room, excluding Rias, who pouted. "So what do I have to do?"
Her face returned to normal, before answering. "Try to imagine the most powerful thing you can. Empty your mind, excluding that person or thing."
With not a person or thing coming to mind immediately, I frowned, thinking a bit harder. Closing my eyes, a single person came to mind. 'Vegeta…'
"Do you have something in mind?" I nodded in response. "Okay, now try to imagine that person in the pose they are most powerful. Once you've got that in mind, mimic the pose exactly, even down to the words."
I frowned. "Whatever you say boss, but if this doesn't work, you'll have hell to pay for making me embarrass myself like this." I said, earning a round of chuckles from the room. The most prominent thing coming to mind, was Vegetas' Final Flash. Mimicking his pose, spreading my legs slightly and putting my wrists together, I braced myself for the coming humiliation.
"FINAL FLAAASH!" I yelled out, opening my eyes just in time to see the room shaking violently, everyone inside starting to panic besides Rias. Suddenly, a thick darkness began to devour the room, stemming from my body. It got thicker and thicker until the entire room was black. A few seconds of pure darkness passed by, before it slowly faded away. I looked down towards my body, and immediately my heart began to race.
I was wearing a black vest, with a speaker like indent on my chest. Taking a look on my back, there was the same. Taking a closer look down my body, I noticed elbow pads now present, connected to my vest with a couple of wires. Similarly, they also had speaker like indents. Taking a look further down, I noticed a similar pair of knee pads, as well as a few wires running down the rest of my leg, underneath my shoes. Bending my leg to be able to see, there were black pads on the bottom of my shoes with more speaker like indents. All in all, I looked like…
"I'm a retarded skateboarder…" I said, earning a couple awkward laughs from the room. "I really thought it would be cooler than this. I'm disappointed."
Rias went to say something, but was cut off.
"That's not a very nice thing to say about your partner, you know."
I widened my eyes, taking a glance around the room. Everyone else was just as wide eyed as I was.
"It's me. Your partner..? *sigh* I'm your gear, dummy."
I widened my eyes even more, almost comically. I took a look down, looking at myself with sheer shock.
"You can talk? I'm not so disappointed. So, what's your name?" My question was met with uncomfortable silence, before he responded.
"I don't have one. I've only had one master before you, and he was never strong enough to be able to hear me. So, I guess you get the right to do so."
I widened my eyes back to a comical level. "Really? Well, how am I supposed to name you when I don't know what you do?"
"Fair point. Allow me to demonstrate."
All of a sudden, music started playing, coming from my vest and pads. The odd part, was that I could feel myself getting… stronger. It felt as if power was flowing through me with every note that was played. Quite an odd sensation. "You can play music? And… that music makes me… stronger. Interesting, very interesting. Give me some time, and I'll be able to name-" It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, causing me to stop. "-you. I got something, already." I looked around the room, a smug grin on my face, that was met with looks of pure shock from everyone in the room, no doubt still dumbfounded that my gear could talk. "Would you like to hear it?"
"I can hear what you're thinking, so I already know what it is, but say it out loud for everyone else."
"Okay. Your name, will be Dontay. Dontay Jamison. Or, DJ for short." I grinned goofily at my choice, looking around the room and getting mixed reactions.
Rias still had a look of surprise, while Akeno was giggling at my choice of name. Koneko had a small smile on her face, and Kiba was staring at me, dumbfounded.
"Kinda corny, but whatever. I guess it works. You may call me Dontay, or DJ, Boss."
I chuckled. "Corny, huh? Yeah I guess it is. But it was the first thing to come to mind. I guess I have two new companions now." I let Abaddon hop down off my shoulder into my arms. He looked up and mewed at me. "I love cats, and I love music. I'm really lucky aren't I?" I wondered, taking a look around at the others. It was a collective smile from everybody, besides Koneko who was looking at Abaddon with an… indefinable expression. "What's that look for? Do you like cats too? You can cuddle with him if you want." I held out Abaddon towards Koneko, causing her to recoil slightly, her reaction earning a pout from me. "Awww, do you not find Abaddon as cute as I do?"
The room went completely still once I mentioned the cats' name. I took a look around, and noticed everyone, besides Rias, glaring at the cat. "What? Just because he has the name of a biblical being, doesn't mean he's here to harm us. I saved him from being run over by cars just a few minutes ago. He's just a cat, a very unique looking cat, but still a cat nonetheless. If it's really a problem, I'll just leave him at home when I come here for my Devil duties." I said with a pout, earning a sweatdrop from everyone else. "But for today, he'll be staying with me. End of discussion." I put him on the floor, letting him roam about the room.
"That's fine." Rias responded, causing me to look in her direction. "Don't take it to heart if we're wary of him though. He is named after The Angel of Death after all." I frowned, but didn't say anything. "Now, the next topic is your duties as a newly reincarnated Devil. For starters, these." She pulled a big box full of familiar looking papers out from under her desk. I took a closer look at them, and noticed they were the exact same as the one that Akeno gave me. I raised an eyebrow, and took a look towards Akeno. She gave me a small smile, and a wave. I smiled back, mouthing another thanks towards her, before looking back towards Rias.
"So, what do I do with these? Go around telling people that their wish will be granted if they hold on to it?" I said, earning yet another round of chuckles from the room.
"Kind of. You'll be going around and slipping them under doors or into mailboxes. You probably know already, but Angels need prayers from Humans in order to survive. Well, as Devils, we need their greed. That's what these are for. If summoned by a Human, your goal is to form a contract with that person-" I cut her off with a time-out hand signal.
"Is this the same as it always was, where I need to take their soul, or is it more modernized and reasonable now?" I asked, earning yet another chuckle from Akeno. Koneko and Kiba stayed silent though.
"It is the latter. We only took their souls for a few years anyways, but that's besides the point. Now, you can either accept payment in money, or a prized personal possession from the contractor. Much more reasonable, don't you think?" I shook my head.
"Depends on how much that sum of money is." I said with a deadpan.
"Nowadays, it is around fifty thousand Yen, or five hundred U.S. Dollars." I widened my eyes.
"Truth be told, I expected it to be more. That's reasonable enough, I guess." I said, receiving a nod from Rias in response. "Is that all, or is there more?"
Rias nodded once again. "The final thing you have to do, is get stronger. The Underworld, or Hell as you probably know it as, is filled with strong Devils and Fallen Angels. The same goes for Heaven. The world is full of strong people, and I don't want any of my family members dying." She answered, with a slight pause before she said family members, watching her words, earning a thankful smile from me.
"No problemo, boss lady. I promise to get stronger, stronger than anyone in the supernatural world. Besides gods, of course. Although, with a gear like mine, I doubt that will be very difficult. Speaking of, what is the name of my gear? Like, the official name, not just the name of its' conscious." I asked Rias, earning a slight frown.
"Sadly, I've never seen it before so I do not know." She answered, causing me to frown.
"My official name is Speaker Knockerz. It was the name of my last holder, or rather, his alias when it came to making music before he passed." Dontay answered me, causing my eyes to widen immensely.
"You're kidding me? Thee Speaker Knockerz? The one who died of a heart attack?" I asked him, earning an affirmative noise in response. "Okay, one more question for you Dontay. Do I have control over which songs you play, and if so, how extensive is your knowledge of music? Or, should I say, how many songs are in your library?"
"I have knowledge of every song ever made, and my knowledge is constantly expanding, even right now as we've been talking, over three hundred songs have been added into my collection." He answered, causing my jaw to drop. "And as for your other question, yes, you do have control over which songs I play. Did you notice that when I demonstrated what I could do, I played your favorite song at the moment?"
I thought back, and realised what he said was true. I took a moment to gather my thoughts, before speaking again. "Dontay. Play Lonely by Speaker Knockerz." I told him, and he did just that. The song started playing, coming from every speaker on my body. A few bars were played, before… "Stop." The music stopped. "Play Lord Nekros' Golden Frieza trap remix." Once again, music started playing, and it was the exact song I asked for. "This is SO COOL! Best Sacred Gear EVER!" I yelled out, not hearing or noticing the panic I was causing around the room. I took a look around, and noticed the room was vibrating to every bump of bass in the song. Violently. "Okay Dontay, that's enough." The music ceased, but the room didn't stop shaking. A confused look came across my face, before I noticed a strange feeling. It felt as if a bunch of excess energy… no, power was leaving my body. It took a few seconds before the violent shaking subsided, allowing everyone to calm down. Rias was the first to speak up once again.
"You and that Sacred Gear of yours really are quite amazing. A powerful human turned into a devil, with a Sacred Gear that can boost his power through music. I am quite the lucky [King], aren't I?" She said, earning a questioning glance from me. "Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot to explain that. When High-Class Devils first turn into [Kings], They are given a set of Evil Pieces. They look exactly like chess pieces and are what we use to choose our serva- peerage members… sorry about that. I, as the leader, have the [King] piece of course. Kiba over there is my [Knight], and with his piece, he has enhanced speed. Koneko is my [Rook], giving her unparalleled strength and defence. Finally, there's Akeno, who is my [Queen]. She has all of the other pieces' traits, making her my most formidable soldier."
"Cool, I guess… wait. Which piece am I? A [Bishop]?" I asked her, getting a slight smile in response.
"No, you are my [Pawn]. Don't let that get you down though, you took up four pawns in total, two of which were Mutation Pieces." I gave her a frown at first, which turned into a questioning look once she mentioned Mutation Pieces. "Basically, a Mutation Piece is an Evil Piece that holds far more power than others. For example, if I didn't have four Mutation [Pawns], I would have had to use all eight on you to bring you into my peerage. Take it as a compliment, rather than an insult, that you are my [Pawn]. None of my other pieces would have worked, so I had no choice, due to how strong you are."
I laughed a bit. "Damn straight." My remark earned a few chuckles from the room. "So, is that it for the day? Can I go home now?"
"No, starting today, you will be going around and handing out these flyers." Rias answered.
"God dammit. OW! What in the fuck!?" A sharp pain ran through my head, causing me to drop to a knee.
"The man upstairs doesn't take kindly to Devils speaking his name." Akeno answered my unspoken question.
"Well shit, I'm gonna have to change up my way of speaking then. Fuck me that hurt." I groaned out, laughing at my pain. I noticed a sultry smile form on Akeno's' face, confusing me. Ignoring it, I stood up and shook my head vigorously, trying to get the feeling out of my head. Looking up to the ceiling, I threw up a middle finger. "Fucking prick. Never believed in you anyways." I said, earning a round of intense laughter from the room, even from myself. As the laughing died down, I looked towards Rias once again. "So, do I start my grunt work right now?" I asked, earning a nod in response, causing me to groan. "Ugh, it's gonna be a long day." I walked up to Rias' desk, picking up a full box of flyers, groaning due to their surprising weight as I put it up on my shoulder, and walked towards the door.
"Wait a minute." I heard Rias and Akeno say, at the exact same time. I turned around to see both of them walking towards me. Rias had her phone out, as did Akeno. I laughed. "Let me guess." I pointed to Rias. "You want my number for business and other matters." Then to Akeno. "And you want my number for other reasons." They both nodded, a small blush forming on Akeno's face. I told them my number, then turned around and started to walk out the door, before feeling a slight tug on the hem of my shirt. I looked down, to see an aggravated Koneko. "Sorry, I didn't see you down there-" Feeling my instincts kick in, I saw her try to kick my shin, but it was almost like it was moving in slow motion. I threw the box up behind me, and flipped backwards, planting my hand on the floor and using it to launch myself upright. I put my arm up and caught the box, smiling as if I didn't just do something straight out of a cartoon. Everyone was in shock, especially Koneko, considering she was the one trying to kick me. "You know, if you're gonna try and kick me, you gotta be faster than that. That kick was slow as molasses." I said, causing everybody's jaw to drop. "What? I'm kind of a badass, what can I say?" I laughed, continuing my walk to the door. "Come on Abaddon, come here kitty." I called my new pet, letting him run towards me and jump up onto my free shoulder. "Ooooh, you're quite the nimble guy, aren't you? Coolest. Cat. EVER!" I said, not noticing the large frown that formed on Koneko's face. "Well, call me if you need anything, or when my work day is over. Peace out cub scouts." I said as I left the room, and started making my way out of the building. "Hey, Dontay."
"What is it, Boss?"
"Is there any way that you could take the form of headphones?"
"As you wish."
I smiled, as I felt the vest and pads slowly melt and slide up my body, towards my head, before wrapping around the top of my head in the form of over-the-ear headphones. "For the future, this will be Leisure Form, the other will be Battle Form."
"Noted."
"Can you play Falling Down by xxxtentacion and Lil Peep for me please?" I asked my newest companion.
"Of course, Boss. And I appreciate the manners."
"Of course, the only time I will ask something of you without 'please' after it is in battle. And I hope you understand why." I said in response, earning a chuckle from him.
"The reason is obvious. Well, I'll start the song now, let me know what you want me to play next afterwards."
"Actually, you said earlier that you can tell what I'm thinking. Does that mean you basically hear my thoughts?" Getting an affirmative sound from him, I continued. "Wouldn't it be easier if I just thought of what song I wanted next?"
"... It would indeed. I'm glad I have such an intelligent wielder. My last host made great music with my help, but he wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier."
I laughed. "I could say the same about you. I get the feeling we're gonna be together for a long time, DJ."
"As do I, Boss. As do I."
And that's it for this chapter! Sorry I took so long to upload this. Life hit me where the sun don't shine recently, so I've been involved in that. And as I said earlier, the aftereffects of that are going to limit my free time in the future, so updates will be slower. Anyways, Joshua finally awakened his Sacred Gear! And I'm sorry about his name, I had to find a way to name him DJ. But, as for his actual name, it's an homage to one of my favorite artists of all time. Now Joshua is getting into the supernatural world, and the coming chapters are going to pretty much follow the canon of DxD. I am still taking suggestions as to his Familiar, that is one of the 2 or 3 things that I still have to come up with for this story. And, the poll for whether or not to write lemons in the future is now up on my profile! If you plan on reading this story to the end, please answer the poll. I'd appreciate it very much. It'll be maybe 2 weeks until the next update, unless I really grind out the next chapter. Anyways, thanks for reading!
Joshua's Harem List: Tsubaki*, Akeno*, Rossweisse*, Serafall*, Irina*, Koneko (WIP)
Issei's Harem List: Rias, Asia, Xenovia, Kuroka, Katase, Murayama (WIP)
Hope you enjoyed my mediocre writing! Thanks again for reading!