Jon and Irina were on their way back from a hunt they had completed in Arizona. The road trip ended up taking a few days longer than they expected as the roadside phantom they had been tasked with exorcising proved to be far more difficult to track down than they had anticipated.
Nevertheless they had succeeded, at which point the two began the long drive back in the beat up Ford they'd borrowed from the church. They had stopped at a gas station for fuel and Jon used the opportunity to buy more smokes and some snacks for the road, leaving Irina to man the pump.
After filling the car with gas and putting the nozzle away, Irina dusted her hands off before turning back towards the station store expecting Jon to be done soon.
An irritated scowl enveloped her features as she peered into the window of the store. Jon had indeed finished buying their supplies, but he hadn't left yet on account of being too busy chatting up a half naked blonde with shoulder length wavy hair near the entrance. Her boobs were nearly busting out of the yellow tube top she was wearing and her booty shorts were so tight Irina couldn't help but imagine the wedgies she must get.
His shameless flirting was getting on her last nerve. First there was the secretary at the library they stopped at for information on the surrounding area. Then the female police officer at the precinct they visited for info on the deaths related to the spirit.
This was the last straw, she had officially had enough.
Irina huffed in aggravation before storming her way into the convenience store. Jon was getting way too close to her for the angry teens liking, and the wavy haired blonde was going out of her way to put her hands all over him.
"So how many tattoos do you have?" He asked curiously while giving one of his award winning smiles.
"Well I got this one just a couple months ago." The blonde spoke with an obnoxiously thick vocal fry while running her hand over the red heart on the swell of her left breast. "But I also have this one." She turned around to reveal an angel wing tramp stamp on her lower back.
Irina was appalled. There was nothing angelic about this woman or that tattoo whatsoever.
"I really love your Dragon." She continued in a sultry tone, running her hand along his left palm while placing her other hand on his pec. "Is there any other Dragon you'd like to show me?"
He chuckled in amusement before tilting her chin up with his finger. "Not if you're still talking about tattoos."
"That's alright. I've got enough ink for the both of us." Her lips got waaaay too close to his. "Would you like to see?"
"Ahem!"
The two lovebirds turned to see a rather perturbed looking teenager glaring back at them with her arms crossed.
"Oh...hey Irina." Jon chuckled awkwardly. "Didn't see ya standing there."
"You realize we're on deadline, right?" She asked in an impatient tone. "We have to be in the next state by morning."
He was about to speak up when the blonde clinging to his arm did it for him.
"You must be Jon's little sister." The woman spoke in a fake bubbly voice. "Well aren't you a cutie."
Irina gawked at her incredulously. "His what?"
"You know I think it is so sweet that you're taking her on a road trip across the country." The blonde smiled back up at him while fluttering her false eyelashes.
Despite his calm charming exterior, Jon was starting to sweat under the collar. "Well I mean...family first, am I right."
Boy if looks could kill. He didn't even have to look at her to know she was sending him death glares, he could feel the dark foreboding aura emanating off Irina like a plume of black smoke. The blonde finally let go of his arm and walked over to her. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees, her boobs looking about ready to spill over at any minute.
"Listen Sweetie. Would it be okay if I borrowed your Big Brother for an hour or two? I've got something I want to show him."
Irina's left eyebrow twitched. "I think you've seen enough already…Big Bro." She spoke through clenched teeth with as much restraint as she could muster. Jon, for his part, was doing his best to avoid eye contact.
The blonde giggled at her. "Awww, how adorable. You're so protective, aren't you." She began to wiggle her butt in the air while swaying her chest. "I promise I'll take very good care of him. You don't have to worry about a thing."
Despite the anger in her eyes, a smile formed on Irina's lips. "I just can't help but worry. What with his medical condition and all."
The blonde gave her a confused look. "Medical condition?"
She nodded innocently. "Yeah, Big Bro has this really nasty allergy to silicon. I'm worried if you keep waving those overinflated water balloons in his face you'll give him a reaction."
Her coy smile instantly vanished as did the sweetness in her voice. "Alright, I get that you've got spunk, kid. But it's time to run along now and let the adults have their fun."
Jon placed his face against the palm of his hand. This was not going to end well.
"If by fun you mean a rash that won't go away without a penicillin shot." Irina retorted without missing a beat.
The blonde was taken aback by the comment for a moment before sneering angrily at Irina and grabbing her by the shirt collar. "Listen, you little twerp! I told you to get lost!"
Jon quickly averted his eyes just in time to be spared the absolute massacre that followed. When he opened his eyes again, Irina was standing over the battered body of the cute blonde he was chatting up a second ago. She was laying face first on the floor, her hair a mess, not moving. Irina then calmly picked her up by the hair and dragged her outside, before hoisting the unconscious girl over her shoulder and promptly tossing her into the place she felt she most belonged.
A trash bin.
Jon winced at the sound of the blonde's body making contact with the metal can before Irina dusted her hands off and walked back inside.
"Time to go, Jon." She calmly, if a bit forcefully declared with her hands on her hips.
"Err, right. Coming." He coughed awkwardly before grabbing the provisions and making his way outside with her.
As they made their way back to the car, a tense silence filled the air.
"Sooo, I see you've been practicing your Aikido." He laughed nervously.
She continued to silently stew beside him, a dark aura wafting off of her like a cloud of smoke.
"Look it was just a bit of harmless flirting." He insisted defensively.
"It's always just a bit of harmless flirting." She growled. "But it always ends with you being chased out of the Sister's quarters with your pants around your ankles and the Head Mother screaming at you in Italian."
"For the record, that time, I only managed to get to second base." He retorted jokingly.
She let out an exasperated groan. "Must you turn everything into a joke?"
Jon frowned at her, slightly put off. "Well excuse me for having a sense of humor."
Irina turned around sharply and glared at him. "Doesn't this behavior ever worry you? It worries the hell out of me. You violate the tenants of your creed on an almost daily basis."
"I somehow doubt I'll be getting a pink slip from the Order any time soon." He chuckled.
"I'm not worried about you getting fired, Jon. I'm worried about your moral standing."
He rolled his eyes and turned away. "Oh Jesus Christ, not this again."
"Lust, anger, gluttony." She listed off. "Any of these things ringing a bell to you? Or have you forgotten that the Knights are a Christian Order."
"No, no I haven't." He insisted, a hint of irritation in his voice. "You and Father Kyle won't let me forget that."
"Face it, Jon. If it wasn't for the fact that you're one of the best damn Hunters in our Chapter, maybe even in the entirety of the United States, you would have been excommunicated years ago for your behavior. The Order may be giving you a pass, but the Lord won't."
"Yeah, well the Lord's done enough favors for me already."
She gave him an appalled look as he turned to head towards the car. "What the hell is your problem? Why are you so insistent on villainizing the one who gave you a reason to live?"
Jon stopped dead in his tracks, his hand inches away from the door handle. He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white before turning around and storming back towards her.
"You really want to know?" He asked, an edge to his voice. "Alright, then how about this. You mentioned lust, anger, and gluttony a second ago. Right?"
Irina silently glared at him. She didn't like his tone of voice, but allowed him to continue anyway.
"Well how about fraud?" He challenged. "I impersonated being from the DA's office so I could get my hands on those murder files, didn't I?"
She scoffed at him. "Oh please, that's so not the same thing."
"Or how about when we interrogated that cultist back in Nebraska? I knocked four of his teeth out. There's your violence and wrath right there."
"You only did that because it was necessary."
"Necessary?" He laughed at her. "Necessary for who exactly? That spirit that we killed had maybe one or two victims a year. You realize how many homicides there are in the state of Arizona annually? What the Hell are we doing about those?"
"That's not our directive." She insisted. "We protect humanity from a far worse fate. We protect them from the forces of Hell."
Jon's eyes turned to a passing vagrant who had just finished barfing up the whiskey he had for breakfast.
"Yeah? And for some people life is Hell. Humanity doesn't need the forces of the Underworld to make themselves miserable, they're perfectly capable of doing that on their own."
She remained silent.
"The fact is…" He continued undeterred. "...we don't do this because it's what's best for humanity. We do it because it's what's best for us."
He tossed the keys to her which she caught in her right hand.
"You drive. Some practice will do you good."
As he turned to head for the passenger seat she stared at the keys for a moment before casting her gaze back at him.
"So when you saved my life in the woods from that werewolf...were you doing it just because that was what was best for you?"
He stopped again, but this time he didn't turn around.
"No, I didn't...I'm sorry." He finally spoke up. "Forget I said anything. Let's just go."
With that he entered the passenger's seat of the old Ford. Irina walked towards the car with a heavy heart, entered the driver's seat, and started the car before taking off down the road.
The old car they were using as their means of transportation was hardly pretty. It had over a hundred thousand miles on it, smelled faintly of old cheese, and had a busted radio that only got static. It made road trips an awkwardly silent affair. And given everything that was on Irina's mind. A silent drive with her thoughts wasn't what she wanted right now.
Which was what made Jon and his guitar such a blessing. Despite his insistence that he was still 'finding his pitch' the man was an honest to God virtuoso. Any gripes he had about his voice were bull as far as she was concerned.
As it was, that particular evening, while they drove. Jon tuned his guitar and prepared to sing an acoustic version of a song he learned to experiment with his pitch. Content with the sound of his instrument after strumming a few times, he brought his hand up to the fret and began to play.
"Another day in this carnival of souls."
"Another night ends as quickly, quickly as it goes."
"The memories are shadows, ink on the page."
"And I can't seem to find my way home."
"And it's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."
"Your Heavens trying everything to keep me out."
A small smile covered her lips as he strummed into the next verse.
"All the places I've been and things I've seen."
"A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams."
"The faces of people, I'll never see again."
"And I can't seem to find my way home."
As he went into the chorus, Irina found herself hopelessly transfixed. Despite the somber message.
"And it's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."
"Your heavens trying everything to break me down."
"It's almost like, your Heavens trying everything."
"Your Heavens trying everything to keep me out."
He finished the song before placing his guitar to the side, popping a cigarette in his mouth, and lighting it.
"So be honest." Jon took a long drag from his smoke. "How'd it sound?"
Irina took a moment to let the butterflies fade away before speaking. "I mean...it was beautiful. But the song is so sad." She admitted somewhat somberly.
He quirked a brow at her before removing the smoke from his mouth. "How do you figure?"
"The artist left no room for hope in the lyrics." She observed. "It's pretty, but the message it conveys is rather depressing."
"Music is a very emotionally driven medium." Jon explained, taking another drag from his smoke. "Some songs tell stories but others are just the artist putting his emotions on paper."
She frowned at him. "I just find it odd that you'd choose something so...dark."
He shrugged before cracking the window and tapping the ashes off his cigarette. "Some people find it cathartic."
"And some just find it pessimistic." She countered.
He twiddled with the cigarette in his hand in contemplation. "I've always believed that a pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist."
Her mood soured somewhat. "Are things really that bad? You and I are still alive after all. God still has a purpose for us."
Jon blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "Right…"
And there it was. The one thing Irina could not freaking stand about her mentor. Never mind the fact that he chased after anything in a miniskirt, never mind that disgusting smoking habit of his, and never mind that he made jokes to blow off major issues.
It was this right here. This total cynicism that occasionally popped up over him like a toxic little cloud. She hated when he got this way.
The thing that disturbed her the most, however, was the apparent weakness of Jon's faith. In the three years she had been a Hunter she had never once seen him attend a service at the monastery or even pray for that matter. Father Kyle assured her that Jon's faith was as strong as any, he just had his own way of showing it. But she could never see it whenever they were alone.
It just begged the question. If Faith in the Lord was not the source of his strength, then what was? What was it keeping this man going? Was revenge really the only thing he had left?
"I worry about you." Irina admitted while keeping her eyes on the road.
"Why?" He asked dismissively without even looking at her.
"Hearing you talk like this. You make it sound like you've already given up on life. Like the only thing you have left is your vengeance."
Jon glowered somewhat before sighing and flicking the rest of his smoke out the window. "I swear you start sounding more and more like Father Kyle every day."
"Good." She insisted. "Father Kyle is a great man in addition to being a great Hunter." The worry returned to her eyes. "You're a great Hunter too…"
"But I'm not a great man. Am I? Not like he is, anyway."
"I think you're a wonderful man." Irina insisted, her cheeks flaring red. "But I also think you try really hard not to be."
He remained silent.
"I see the way you push others out." She continued. "You're trying so hard to do everything by yourself and I swear one of these days it's going to kill you."
Jon groaned in exasperation. "Okay, I can see where this is going. Irina, for the last time, you cannot come with us on the Carlia Hunt."
The car came to a lurching stop on the side of the road, nearly sending Jon smashing into the dashboard.
"Have you lost your damn mind?!"
"Why not?!" She retorted angrily. "You said it yourself. She's an Elder Vampire. Incredibly dangerous. You need all the help you can get."
"This is something we have to do on our own." He insisted. "Father Kyle and I can't afford any distractions when we-"
"Oh, so I'm a hindrance! Is that it?!" She cut him off.
He pointed a finger at her sternly. "Don't put words in my mouth. You know that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" She glared back at him, her arms crossed.
After a moment of silence he swore under his breath and looked away. "Enough people have lost their lives on my account. I don't need to add your name to that list."
"You think I want your protection?" Irina sounded horribly offended. "Jon, if you died then-"
"Then the world would keep on turning." He cut her off sharply. "I'm not so important that life would stand still just because I'm not in it."
She gasped at him, a look of genuine shock on her face. Her features eventually switched from shock to genuine hurt as her eyes began to glass over.
Jon frowned, realizing what he had done. "Irina, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"Screw you, asshole!" She opened the driver's side door and hopped out before he could see the tears fall down her cheeks.
"Irina!" Jon stood up from his seat and shut his car door. "Irina, wait!" He swore under his breath. "Way to go, Jonny Boy."
He quickly took off after her. She wasn't running, but her step was quick, angry. From behind he could hear her sniffling and occasionally see her wipe her cheek.
"Irina stop." He insisted apologetically. "What's the plan here? You gonna walk back to the Monastery?"
"Just go away!" She shouted back, her voice catching as she tried to hide her crying from him.
"Come on now." Jon's voice carried the regret of his words. "I can't at least try to apologize."
"You don't get it, do you?" She choked out. "Just because you don't care if you die that doesn't mean-Wah!"
At that moment a pothole snagged her foot. Irina tripped and stumbled forward, rolling her ankle in the process. Jon quickly darted over to her before inspecting the damage.
"You okay?" He asked sincerely.
She groaned in both pain and embarrassment. "Stupid, friggin busted road."
"I hate to say it but I think it's sprained." Jon observed apologetically.
"I'm fine." She insisted before shoving him aside. "I can walk on my Ow!"
She fell back over as a sharp pain radiated up her leg. Why did this have to happen right now?
"Uh huh. That's what I thought." He chided jokingly. "Come on, I'll carry you back to the car."
"Go away." She scooted away from him, a bitter scowl on her face. "Just leave me alone, I can make it back myself."
He sighed wearily before shaking his head in disbelief. "You really have grown into a stubborn little thing, you know that right?"
After a moment her scowl faded. "Well I did learn from the best."
Jon chuckled in amusement. "Alright, I guess I earned that one." He held out his arms. "Now come on. Let's get you back."
Her sour look turned to one of embarrassment as a light blush crept over her cheeks. With a reluctant sigh she nodded her head.
Despite her having grown significantly in the past three years, Jon could still pick up Irina like she weighed next to nothing. That wasn't what was bothering her though. It was how he was holding her that was making her so uncomfortable. The way Jon swept her up off the ground and cradled her in his arms was far too reminiscent of the way he first carried her the night they met.
Before he slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and bolted, anyway. She was thankful that, this time around, he didn't go that far.
They walked back to the camp in silence. Irina's heart was thudding like a drum in her chest the entire way there. She had forgotten just how sturdy Jon's grip truly was. Something about his arms just felt so...safe.
"You're not falling asleep on me, are ya?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
Her eyes popped back open and her face instantly flushed. "N...no no! Not at all!" She chuckled nervously.
Try as she might, Irina just couldn't stay mad at him. For all his faults and his cynical philosophy, the fact remained that Jon was incredibly important to her. It was for that very reason that his words bothered her so much.
After all, no woman could ever bare to see the man she loves throw his life away.
Irina had known it for some time. Maybe it shouldn't have come as any surprise to her. Though at first she wrote it off as nothing but a little crush. "Of course I would have feelings for him." She thought to herself. "He saved my life after all."
And yet those feelings never went away. The older she got, and the closer they became, the stronger her affection for her Mentor grew. It wasn't just a crush. Irina was in love with Jonathan Hyodo.
Truthfully, the more she thought about it, maybe that was what was bothering her the most. Not Jon's behavior, or his code of conduct. Really, the only thing she could think about since they left that gas station, was what that Blonde Airhead called her.
Was that really all he saw her as? Just...a little sister?
Jon quickly ascended the stairs up to Sona's bedroom. Where he and Sammy had carried his half dead Peerage Brother so Akeno and Momo could treat him. Now with Asia, he decided to check in on him as well as see how she was holding up.
The moment Jon entered the room she turned and smiled at him before standing and rushing over. Asia leapt into his arms and kissed her Dragon lovingly.
"How's he holding up?" He asked worriedly.
"He should be okay now, but it was really touch and go for awhile." She admitted. "I've never seen injuries like these before. They were almost completely unresponsive to our magic."
"Christ, what a nightmare." Jon shook his head in disbelief. "Those Holy Swords are no joke."
"They're really not. Holy Swords comprise some of the deadliest weapons in existence against a creature of the Underworld." Momo spoke up, still quietly working on Kiba's battered body. "Thank Lucifer Asia got here when she did. Were it not for her Twilight Healing we'd be working on a corpse by now."
Asia frowned softly. "I did what I could."
"You did more than that, you saved his life." Jon insisted. "Asia, I don't say this nearly enough. But you are an absolute Godsend to our Peerage. You've saved my life with your Twilight Healing more times than I can count and now this."
She beamed up at him. "Thank you."
The two lovers kissed again.
"Guys, I think he's waking up." Momo announced.
They both turned and looked at Kiba before rushing to his bedside. As the Knight slowly lurched up, groaning in pain, Asia helped ease him back down.
"Kiba, relax." She gently pushed him back towards the bed. "You've just been through quite the ordeal."
He sat up in bed and leaned his head against the wall. "Is this the Honor's House?"
Momo nodded. "Sammy brought you back here after you fell unconscious."
"But…" He shook his head vigorously. "Hold on, what happened to those two Holy Sword Users?"
"Is that really important?" Asia asked. "You're lucky to be alive."
"No no no." He began rubbing his temples vigorously. "We have to go back there, we have to track them down and-"
"Come on, Bro." Jon knocked him on the shoulder gently. "Let's forget about that right now. We're more worried about you."
"Look, Jon, you don't get it!" He insisted angrily. "We have to get back there! One of those girls, they knew you!"
He nodded in understanding, a light frown on his face. "I know. Her name is Irina Shidou. She was a Pupil of mine back in the Order."
"Then you know we've got to track her down! Immediately!" Kiba insisted frantically.
Jon peered at him curiously. "Why?"
"Because she's a Holy Sword User."
Everyone turned around to see Rias and Akeno standing in the doorway. Rias was standing with her arms crossed, a perturbed expression on her face.
"Ms. President!" Kiba sat up. "Thank goodness you're here. We need to-"
Rias raised a hand up to silence him. "How are you feeling?" She calmly asked.
"I'm fine." He insisted.
She nodded in understanding before walking straight up to him. The President then raised her right hand and slapped him sharply across the face.
"Rias!" Jon stood up and put his hands out to stop her, but was quickly intercepted by Akeno.
"I cannot believe you." She seethed irately. Glaring at Kiba while he sat in stunned silence, his cheek red. "I cannot honestly believe you. Of all the reckless, idiotic-"
"Rias." Jon insisted. "What the hell?"
"Don't interrupt, Master." Akeno insisted. "Please. Just let her do this."
He wanted to protest further but the look in Akeno's eyes stopped him. She wasn't looking at Jon, she was glaring at Kiba. Seemingly just as angry, if not more so.
Kiba cast his gaze to the bed as she continued.
"What were you thinking?! You not only deliberately disobeyed my orders and nearly got yourself killed, you put Sona's Pawn in mortal danger!"
The more she spoke, the more Kiba's expression darkened.
"But as if that wasn't wasn't enough." She flared, her lip quivering in rage. "Your gravest sin by far...you compromised Jon's safety by freely giving away confidential information to a woman who wants to kill him!"
"Be honest. That's why you're really upset, isn't it?"
Rias glared at him in disbelief.
"Forget everything else, I put Jon in danger. That's really all that matters, right?" He continued in a low, bitter voice, his eyes still cast down to the floor.
"How dare you." Akeno shook her head at him in disbelief. "You don't get to speak to the President that way. And she's absolutely right, you put your Peerage Brother in serious danger."
"I see you're getting in on this too, Vice President." Kiba continued. "Nice collar by the way, think I wouldn't notice that new piece of jewelry you're sporting?"
Akeno looked sourly at him. A mixture of anger and disappointment in her eyes.
"You haven't given me that look in awhile." He commented flatly.
"Kiba, what's wrong?" Asia walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder gingerly. "I've never seen you behave this way before."
He pushed her arm away. "I'm fine, Asia. This doesn't concern you."
"Hey!" Rias growled at him. "She just spent the past twenty minutes saving your life after your catastrophically reckless behavior. You swore to me when we made our Pact that you wouldn't let this Holy Sword nonsense affect your judgement."
"I saw an opportunity and I took it." Kiba responded, glaring back at her coldly. "Now are you going to let me finish the job I started, or not?"
"No." Rias replied sharply. "You're still injured. Until Asia clears you for active service again, you're to remain here for bed rest. That is a direct order."
He scowled at her angrily. "You were more than happy to let Jon disobey orders to extract his vengeance on Raynare. How is this any different?"
"We were watching the whole time." Akeno retorted. "Or have you forgotten that that entire rescue operation was your idea?"
"Set up or not, he still broke the rules." He shot back. "Why is it he's allowed to get away with doing whatever he wants without consequence?"
They remained silent. Jon, for his part, could not believe what he was hearing. He had no idea who this was, but it certainly wasn't Kiba.
"Face it. You're all biased." He continued. "But then again, what else should I have expected? All of you are his precious 'Treasures' after all."
"I'm not discussing this anymore." Rias shut him down. "As of this moment you're on bed rest until further notice. Everyone, let's leave Momo to tend to his remaining wounds."
As everyone began to leave, Jon cast one last disbelieving gaze at Kiba. Who still refused to look at anyone. What the hell happened to him?
They all made their way outside the room where Koneko was leaning against the wall.
"He's got a point." She spoke up calmly.
Rias turned around and glared at her. "Excuse me?"
Koneko shrugged her shoulders. "Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with what he did any more than you do, Ms. President. His actions were reckless and foolish." She cast two cat like eyes at her. "But you can't deny that you've all been pretty biased towards Jon in regards to treatment. Especially lately."
Jon frowned thoughtfully. He hadn't considered how Kiba must have been feeling since he started these relationships. But if that was really the case, then why the hell didn't he say something?
Rias's Rook sighed wearily. "Look, I'm not blaming anyone. Especially not you, Jon. But it doesn't surprise me that Kiba is a little bitter. He's been nothing but loyal to us since his Reincarnation, and has never asked for anything in return. Nothing...except this."
"That doesn't change facts." Rias insisted in a slightly somber tone, having finally managed to cool off. "What Kiba wants from us is impossible under the ceasefire."
"What is it exactly he wants?" Jon asked.
"He wants to destroy the Holy Excalibur Swords."
He gawked at Rias in disbelief. "Is he out of his mind? Those five swords comprise the deadliest weapons the Vatican has in their Arsenal."
"You know about the Excalibur Swords, Jon?" Asia asked curiously.
"Of course. There's not a Hunter in the Order who doesn't know about the Excalibur Five. They're the absolute best of the best. Paragons among the order, and Holy Swordsman with power that Rival Angels. Or at least...that's what the stories say."
"And the truth?" Rias asked.
"They're the Vatican's Black Ops." Jon explained. "Five Holy Swordsman who perform missions that would be considered suicidal for normal Hunters."
"And two of them are here in the city." Rias groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and pointer finger. "What a nightmare."
"They're the only two left."
Everyone turned to see Sona standing in the hallway with Tsubaki close behind her.
"My Queen just finished digging through our database. Our informants in the Vatican have made us aware of a rather troubling development. Apparently three of the Excalibur Five have been murdered and their Holy Swords stolen."
"So then that sword that Freed Sellzen was using…"
"We can confirm it truly was Excalibur Rapidly." Tsubaki explained. "A Holy Sword capable of imbuing unimaginable speed and reflexive capability on its wielder. In the hands of a master swordsman, it's said to be capable of even rivaling the speeds of a Satan Class Devil."
"And now Freed has it. Along with two others." Jon cursed. "Could this night have taken a more drastic turn for the worst?"
"What did you find on the remaining two Holy Swordsman?"
"The first is Irina Shidou." Sona explained while adjusting her glasses. "I'm sure Jon can give you all the pertinent details on her past."
He nodded, his expression darkening again at the mention of her name. "I'd completely lost contact with her after I fled the Monastery…to think she's not only become a Holy Swordsman but one of the Excalibur Five…"
"You don't need to talk about it right now." Asia insisted, taking one of his hands in hers. "You've been through enough today already."
"What about the other woman?" Rias asked. "Xenovia Quarta. What have we got on her?"
"Nothing you're gonna like." Sona admitted rather bluntly. "Xenovia is their top operative. Half the missions she goes on are buried under blackout ink the day after they're completed. And the ones we do know about paint a rather...intimidating picture."
"At least three Devil Peerages that we know of have been wiped out single handedly by her Holy Blade. In addition to the dozens of Fallen Angels she's killed over the years. And that's just the ones we know about."
"Do we have anything on her background?" Jon asked curiously.
"Nothing came up in our archives." Tsubaki admitted. "However, curiously enough, I did find something rather interesting in the public domain. There was a missing person's report filed by a French Dignitary roughly thirteen years ago. His nine year old daughter mysteriously vanished one Sunday morning and was never seen again."
"How is this relevant?" Rias asked.
Tsubaki pulled out her phone and opened up an image. "Because this is what their daughter looked like."
Rias and Jon both peered down at the image on the screen. Sure enough, it was a small girl with blue hair and brown eyes.
"How many nine year old girls you know of who have hair like that?" Tsubaki asked with a sly grin on her face. "I'd say she's a perfect match for our missing person."
"So...she disappears off the face of the Earth and becomes a Holy Sword User?"
"Somehow I don't think it was that simple." Sona spoke up.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because." Tsubaki chimed in before adjusting her glasses. "That girl disappeared from her Sunday School classroom during Mass."
"You think the Church kidnapped her?" Asia asked, horrified by the mere thought of it.
"It's possible." Sona admitted. "Though we have no way of knowing for sure."
"But why would they do that?" Jon asked, sounding slightly skeptical. "The Church has its issues, I'm perfectly aware of that. But my Order wouldn't stoop so low as to kidnapping children. Not when they have plenty of Orphans to recruit from."
"Unless she possessed a Sacred Gear. Or something else equally valuable." Koneko offered.
"This is all baseless conjecture until we learn more." Sona insisted.
"That still leaves the overarching question." Jon spoke up again. "How does Kiba fit in to all this? Why does he have a vendetta against the Holy Excalibur Swords?"
Rias, Koneko, and Akeno all exchanged sorrowful looks with one another.
"It's something bad, isn't it." Asia observed nervously.
"We...swore to him we would never talk about it." Rias admitted solemnly.
"We all did." Koneko added. "We promised no matter what we wouldn't tell anyone."
Asia nodded in understanding. "Then I won't ask."
"I'll tell you." Akeno spoke up.
Koneko and Rias both gasped in surprise at Akeno.
"I'm sorry everyone." Akeno approached Jon and knelt down before him, bowing her head in submission. "But I made a promise that supersedes all others. I cannot go against the wishes of my Master."
Rias looked like she wanted to protest, but in the end she said nothing. After all, what right did she have to judge Akeno for being honest about her loyalty? If Jon asked it of her, the President would probably tell him as well.
"If you truly wish to know, Sir. I will tell you." Akeno humbly insisted.
Jon shook his head vehemently. "No."
She peered up at him in surprise.
"I'm not going to abuse my power that way. I respect Kiba too much. Not to mention, I wouldn't feel right doing that to you Akeno."
"Master…" Akeno was staring at him doe eyed.
"If Kiba really wants for me to know, then he can tell me himself."
Koneko smiled at him and nodded approvingly.
"Well I'm glad that's settled at least." Sona commented. "But we should still start discussing what it is we intend to do about these two women. Now that their presence is known to us, we can't afford to ignore them."
"I agree." Rias concurred. "But before we begin preparations there's something I need to discuss in private with my Pawn."
Sona peered at Rias curiously before nodding her head. Asia looked as if she wanted to say something, but by the look her President was giving them it was clear this was not an excuse to get some alone time with Jon.
One by one they all turned and left the hallway, leaving Jon and Rias to discuss whatever it was she needed to speak to him about.
"Come with me to my room, Jon." Rias instructed. "This is something I want us to discuss in private."
"What do you mean I'm suspended from Club Activity?" Jon asked again, a hint of irritation in his voice.
"It's only temporary." Rias assured, placing a hand up to calm him down. "Just until we know more about what we're up against."
"I know Irina better than any of you." He protested. "If anyone should be going after her, it's me."
"Irina's not the one I'm truly worried about." She admitted, leaning against her small personal desk with her arms folded. "It's this other woman. Xenovia. Until we know more about what she's capable of, I can't risk sending you into the field. Not so long as you're their target."
"But-"
"Jon, please." There was a look of deep concern in Rias's eyes. "I need you to do this for me. We already almost lost you once and…"
Seeing the emotion welling up in her eyes, Jon sighed and finally relented. "Fine. We'll play it your way for now."
She sighed in relief. "Thank you for trusting me with this Jon." Her expression became slightly more severe. "And besides, your safety is not the only reason I'm temporarily suspending you."
He gave her a confused look. "What's up?"
Rias cast a nervous glance towards the door. "I want you to keep an eye on Kiba."
Jon's demeanor shifted to that of concern. "Any particular reason why?"
For a moment, she remained silent. Apparently going over what was in her mind before she said anything.
"The thing is...after hearing Sammy's report, I'm afraid that my worst fears may have been realized. Kiba is not as mentally stable as I had hoped."
"What do you mean? Does this have something to do with those Holy Swords?"
She nodded. "I intend to respect his wishes by not telling you what happened, but you should know that it was...hideous. Kiba has absolutely no capacity to move on or forget about his past, his actions tonight were proof of that. Which is why I need you to keep him under surveillance for me."
Jon frowned at her. He didn't like the idea of spying on his Peerage Brother. But he trusted Rias well enough to know that she wouldn't ask him to do this without a damn good reason.
"Okay, I'll do it."
Irina and Xenovia had just endured the fight of their lives. While her partner seemed to be for the most part unphased, the Brunette Holy Sword User was completely wiped out. She'd incurred multiple injuries during the confrontation. And while none of them were severe enough to warrant seeking medical attention, they had shaken her up enough to fray her nerves. She wasn't used to her tactical armor being pierced through like butter the way it was. Nor was she used to fighting an opponent faster than she was.
Freed Sellzen had become a dangerous adversary. And if they didn't come up with a plan, she feared they would be the ones who ended up being hunted.
"We've got to regroup and start coming up with a new strategy." Xenovia insisted. "As I feared, Freed has gained a tremendous amount of power in a very short amount of time."
After the two Holy Sword Users managed to fight Freed off, they beat a hasty retreat back to the Church to rest and lick and their wounds.
Or rather, to lick Irina's wounds as it were.
She winced in pain as Xenovia poured medicine directly into her cuts. The unique alchemical mixture was a natural antiseptic mixed with a coagulating agent that completely disinfected each wound and encouraged rapid cellular regeneration. Wounds that would take days to heal could be remedied in a matter of hours.
Of course, this was only for physical wounds. If they had taken a magical attack, they would have been in serious trouble.
"I don't understand how it is Freed's gotten this powerful in so short a span of time." Irina shut her eyes tight as Xenovia tended to her remaining injuries. "He's attuned himself to Excalibur Rapidly far quicker than he should have been able to."
"This is Kokabiel's doing, I'm all but certain of it." Xenovia insisted. "Somehow he's discovered a way to expedite the process of attuning one's soul to the Holy Blade."
"So what do we do?" Irina asked nervously. "The situation is getting out of hand."
"I'll be sending a full report to the Vatican first thing in the morning. For now, I think it's best if we reshift our priorities."
Her stomach lurched. "You...you mean."
Xenovia nodded. "It's time. We're going after our secondary target. Jonathan Hyodo."