Guardian of the Dead

- Chapter 7 -

~ Kuoh Academy

It was one of those things that just couldn't be explained, one moment Issei had been sailing through the air with a lecherous grin on his face and his perverted technique ready to strike and the next he was mashed up comically against a translucent wall. A mix of confused and worried gazes were being directed toward this era's Red Dragon Emperor, the sole exception being Koneko who looked quite pleased with this turn of events.

The often cat-like girls dislike for perverse actions and subjects was well known to all those around her, so as much as she wished to for the sake of the peerage, she found it very hard to get along with the embodiment of lust she was teamed up with.

The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the now silent courtyard as the shimmering wall fell apart. With a speed that no human could match Rias made to grasp a piece in hopes of discovering not only what this strange form of magic was that she'd never seen before but who cast it. She huffed out in annoyance when just as her fingers were about to close in around the shard it dissipated into nothingness, leaving naught a trace that something had ever been there in the first place.

Sighing out again she shifted her gaze toward the two exorcists, "since we've been interrupted let's just call the match there, the both of you have clearly won." It was obvious that she wasn't happy with the performance of her two servants, though Issei was sort of excused due to his lack of battle experience and training, Kiba, on the other hand, had no excuse. The look on her face promised a hellish training for both of her male servants as she knelt next to the downed Issei.

"Very well, I do hope you'll keep in mind what we discussed before," Xenovia replied simply, though before completely turning to leave the blue-haired exorcist shifted an uncaring gaze toward Issei who was still massaging the sore spot on his forehead. "I will give a warning to you as well; the Vanishing Dragon has awoken. He will seek you out eventually so be ready, though in your current state you'd be no more than a fly before a true Dragon."

Even as she spoke such harsh words, her voice was flat. It was obvious that she cared little for whatever fate may befall the teen. In all honesty, if this so-called 'Vanishing Dragon' were to eliminate him, then she'd probably just look at it as one less Devil she had to kill.

Issei didn't bear I'll will towards her for this though, he understood that the Angels and Devils were natural enemies, and although there was peace right now between the factions it wasn't true peace, more of a 'you stop killing us and we'll stop killing you' sort of thing, as Rias had explained.

It was a fragile ceasefire at best.

Not waiting for a response the exorcist turned on her heel and began walking away prompting her chestnut haired partner to hurriedly don her white robe and make chase lest she is left behind. Slowing down briefly she left her childhood friend with some parting words, "just come and find me if you ever feel like being judged Issei, and please never use that technique of yours again! Amen!"

All eyes shifted toward the downed Dragon Emperor as an unsettling and perverted chuckle escaped him. "You're an admirable foe Irina Shidou, but don't be mistaken! When we next meet, I'll be much stronger, and your clothing won't stand a chance!"

Instantly he could feel the cold gaze of the school's mascot on him though that was to be expected, despite his best efforts thus far Koneko still wasn't very fond of him. And well, it probably didn't help that he was mere inches away from stripping her bare just moments ago.

A short distance away from the laughter and teasing of the Gremory pawn, the lone knight who just suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the very sword which caused him so much pain and suffering from a young age was trying and failing brilliantly at controlling his emotions, suppressing his hate, the dark all-encompassing desire for revenge that burned anew in his heart.

He'd been living as a zombie for so many years, ever since Rias came to him that night and offered him a chance at a new life, a better life. Once he'd gotten a taste of what it was like to be loved, to be cared for, to have a warm home, a comfy bed and more food than he could eat he'd lost sight of his true purpose. The purpose which only he could do as the sole survivor and carrier of his comrade's grudges, his purpose was the destruction of Excalibur.

Kiba had hoped he would be able to walk away without anyone noticing just to avoid the awkward situation that would surely arise, but it seemed luck was not on his side right now. So as his master called out to him, he could only tense and clench his fist, deeply hoping that she wouldn't try and force him to stay, it would only make this all worse.

"Kiba, I can't allow you to go," she began with a firm but compassionate tone. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was on the swordsman's mind and what he planned to do, and knowing his past, she couldn't blame him for feeling as he did.

Still, Kiba did not turn to face them; instead, he just spoke in a solemn tone, "I know President, that's why I'm sorry."

With a few quick steps, Rias was no more than a foot away from him, her hand coming forward to grasp his wrist tightly. "Please stay Kiba, we've been together for a long time, so I understand what you're feeling, but this isn't the way to do it; if you leave then you will be classified as a stray Devil and hunted, then nothing will be accomplished!"

Her pleading tone dug deeply into his heart, he wanted to stay, so badly he did, but he couldn't, and so with a reluctant flick of his arm, he wrenched himself from her grasp and vanished with the speed gifted to him as a knight, leaving his friends to state blankly at the spot he once stood.

All attention then shifted to Rias who still hadn't retracted her outstretched arm. She was at an impasse for what to do. On one hand, Kiba was the boy she'd saved so many years ago and an irreplaceable part of her family. On the other hand, she was the Heiress to the house of Gremory, and as her servant, one wrong move could restart the Great War.

In such a scenario, all of the blame would be hefted onto her shoulders. Now that particular thought didn't bother her, she would gladly be reprimanded for one of her servant's actions if what they did had meant something to them, but this was about a whole lot more than just her. Her family, the house of Gremory, and more importantly, her brother Sirzechs who was currently one of the four Satan's of the underworld would be on the line too, and it was because of that reason that she couldn't act recklessly like she normally would.

Therein lies the problem.

Does she report what has just transpired to her brother so that precautionary measures can be made? Or does she feign ignorance for a little bit thus giving Kiba a chance to accomplish what he set out to do and free his heart of the turmoil which had long since held him down? It wasn't a decision she could make lightly nor was it one she could spend too much time pondering, perhaps she could discuss it later with Sona.

'If only there was someone unaffiliated with Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels that could interfere without facing the right of restarting the great war..' With that final thought, she signalled to the rest of her peerage that activities were done for the day and they would reconvene tomorrow. She had some thinking to do.


~ Kuoh Academy, Sunday Morning

"Okay, so the reason we've gathered her so early is that I'd like to discuss what happened yesterday during the battle with the exorcists," Rias started from her position behind her desk, Issei and Asia were sat together on one of the sofa's, Koneko was opposite to them and Akeno was – as always – stood by her King's side.

Despite the ordeal with Kiba that had also happened the day before, Rias didn't let it affect her mood. She had broached the subject with Sona the previous night, and the Sitri Heiress had told her just what she needed to hear. Quite simply, Kiba wasn't a fool. He had been overcome by the resurfaced feelings of anger and hatred which was why he had left on this path of vengeance, but he wouldn't let that cloud his judgment to the point where he'd do something reckless enough to restart the Great War.

For now, they would keep quiet and monitor the situation with their familiars from afar. Sona had said it perfectly, that sometimes people have inner demons that they must conquer alone, and if someone else does it for them then deep down in their heart it will never truly be resolved.

"That translucent wall which stopped Issei was unlike any magic I'd ever seen before and the fact that there was no magic circle present only makes it all the more confusing." This was something that she'd also discussed with not only Akeno but with Sona and her Queen Tsubaki as well. Both of them were quite knowledgeable when it came to the technicalities of magic for their age.

The one constant between the four of them, however, was this, "to my knowledge, there has never been a person or race other than Dragons that could utilize magic without using circuits, this event is unprecedented and could provide a monumental advancement in how we think about and use magic. With that said, I need to ask if anyone noticed anything odd or suspicious yesterday during the fight, no matter how big or small anything that could potentially lead us to the origins of that magic will be helpful."

Unbeknownst to the rest of the occupants in the room, in the depths of Issei's soul, the Welsh Dragon was pondering something that had brought his mind no small amounts of concern. He recalled back to a short while ago when he'd shared with his current host and his comrades a tale from his time as an unbound Heavenly Dragon, the tale in which he fought against a true demon of fire.

There was one thing he didn't mention about that fight, not because he was withholding information; it had just never clicked in his mind that what the man was doing should've been impossible. He commanded fire that would put many of Dragons to shame, moved with a speed and agility that most could only dream of, and held enough strength in his fists to shake the earth to its very core, and yet not once during the entirety of the fight did he summon anything even resembling a magic circle.

This was a problem because as the Gremory Heiress had said, there was no magic circle tied to that barrier, that left them with two possible scenarios. The first possibility would be that a Dragon in human form was acting behind the scenes here, but Ddraig could immediately rule that out. He would never mistake the aura of a Dragon, and the mysterious beings tightly restrained energy which blanketed the area held no traces of Draconic power within.

With that said it left only one possibility; right now, in this very town, a member of the Shinto Faction – and more specifically their Royal Guard – was active, someone who his wielder would currently stand no chance against.

It bothered the Red Dragon because times had changed, no longer did her merely give power to his wielders for a chance at killing the white one, that had gotten old so long ago. Now he found it much more interesting to give his wielders power and let them use it for whatever they wished.

Would they be selfish and use it for personal gain? Would they be selfless and use it to help others? Or would they let the power consume them and turn their hearts black, going on an endless rampage of destruction and death until their body could no longer take it and they'd die? It was fascinating to see all the different paths a humans mind could take them, and he wanted it to continue.

His current wielder was no different. Sure he'd had some host in the past that liked woman a little more than the average guy, but he'd never had one so obsessed with woman – and more specifically their breasts – than Issei Hyoudou, it was interesting in its own way. He liked the peace which currently filled the world and enjoyed watching his wielder stumble through life as he did.

He would be said if Issei died, but that was where the problems began as there wasn't a whole lot Ddraig could do to make him stronger quickly. In terms of strength, he was a below average human born from below average parents with not a trace of latent magical potential at all. With Issei it wasn't a case of starting from zero and working his way up, he was starting in the negative and struggling to get to zero, only then could he grow further.

If all that wasn't enough to deal with, it was confirmed that Albion had awoken meaning he'd found a new host, one that could've had a complete opposite start to Issei, a person born from Magicians with overflowing magical potential. That would be the worst case scenario though thankfully it was highly unlikely.

Ddraig threw his senses back outwards when he felt his wielder perk up; it seemed that the Nekomata had risen her hand to speak.

"Yes, what is it Koneko?" Rias asked excitedly; this was what she'd been waiting for. Although completely untrained in her unique powers, Koneko's senses still far outstripped any of theirs, if anyone was going to notice something it would be her.

"Someone came near the end of the fight, but they left shortly after the barrier was used."

Rias perked up at that, it was obvious that someone had been watching, who else would've used the strange technique otherwise, but if Koneko had gotten a good feel of their energy then maybe they could head to where the person was watching from and look for clues. "Could you pinpoint their location?"

The white-haired girl shook her head lightly in response causing the other people in the room to deflate slightly.

It was worth a shot asking, though it was still surprising. "Is there a specific reason why?" The Heiress pushed, "was something interfering?"

Once more she shook her head in the negative prompting a couple of brows to raise in confusion, "it felt as though they were everywhere."

After that comment, the dominating emotion in the room shifted from confusion to surprise, how could it feel as though they were everywhere? After contemplating the words for a moment, Issei rose his left arm slightly and inquired about their dilemma to the legendary being currently tied to his soul.

"Ddraig, do you know anything?"

A flash of red enveloped the space around him before quickly fading away again to reveal the red gauntlet of the Boosted Gear. [Mm, the little one is correct in her assessment, I could sense it too. It's not a special technique or anything like that, just simple energy manipulation.]

"Eh? What do you mean?"

Ddraig sighed internally at the question; his wielder still had a lot to learn. [In simple terms, whoever this spectator was had spread their energy out thinly over the surrounding area so that they could blend in seamlessly with the surroundings, meaning even if you knew they were there, you'd have to be quite skilled at sensing energies to find them.]

Rias held an impressed gaze, "which means whoever it was isn't low levelled.."

[Correct, the amount of energy required to pull off such a feat would outstrip any of you in your current state; furthermore, they've demonstrated that they have fine control over their power- however vast it may be. It's likely that they are quite experienced in combat and at the very least have spent many long hours training.]

The Gremory peerage deflated at those words, they knew Ddraig wasn't trying to insult them, he was just being honest, and the honest truth of the situation was that this unknown person outclassed them, and likely by a large margin.

[Don't let it get to you, I doubt this person is an enemy. Judging by their power alone they had no reason to hesitate in attacking you, more so, they used that barrier to defend Koneko and Asia from my wielders perverted technique.] Ddraig spoke up again, trying his hand at comforting the glum Devils.

The fact that Ddraig had just taken a jab at his technique completely left Issei's mind as he was reminded of the previous day's unfortunate turn of events. "That's right! I was so close to seeing boobs, and then they had to interfere and deny me that heavenly sight! I swear if we ever meet again I'll.." the perverted Dragon had to trail off his words toward the end, the absolutely murderous glare that was being directed toward him caused his hairs to stand on end.

Parking up at her desk, Rias smirked at the interaction between her two servants, though deciding to show some mercy she clapped loudly to draw all attention to her thus saving Issei from her Rook's wrath. "That's right, I just remembered! Sona said that there will be a new third-year transfer student tomorrow, an Ichigo Kurosaki if I recall correctly."

To her right, Akeno rose a hand to her mouth as she giggled, "Ufufu, Strawberry-chan huh?"

"Another girl for Issei-senpai to pray on.. how sad," this comment earned another giggle from Akeno while Issei cried fake tears, whining about how mean Koneko had been to him lately. Unknown to him, his troubles as a pervert were only going to get worse because it wasn't a girl he'd be seeing tomorrow, but a man who most woman would agree was the reincarnation of Adonis.


~ Monday Morning

Ichigo had slept better than he thought he would, it was his first night in this 'new world' and asides from his companion deep within his soul he was completely alone.

He couldn't say he was all that nervous to be starting at a new school today, the unknown of it all certainly piqued his interest, but he wasn't nervous. He had been punched, kicked, stabbed, sliced and had holes blown through him. Byakuya had shredded him with Senbonzakura, Ulquiorra had thrashed him so badly that his bones had pretty much been reduced to dust and he'd even died a couple of times to top it all off.

When you considered all of that, something like starting at a new school was so far down on the 'wow' scale it wasn't even funny.

He wasn't all that concerned about being behind in the curriculum either. After doing some quick scouting through the town and checking out his apartment, he'd sat down and flipped through the current textbooks and honestly there wasn't anything in them that stumped him for more than a few seconds.

'I guess I owe Ishida a thank you the next time we meet,' he mused. The bespectacled bastard had been so hell-bent on making sure that Ichigo didn't flunk while saving the world that he actually forced Ichigo to go a little bit ahead in the curriculum, he was probably a solid grade above most of the other people he'd be schooling with.

Kuoh itself was really nice, with Shunpo and air walking he was able to get a rough picture of the town and its surrounding areas. The first couple blocks immediately surrounding his apartment and the route he would be taking to school were more thoroughly explored on foot, and he was pleased to note that the area wasn't too densely populated and there appeared to be a couple quiet, more traditional restaurants and café's he could visit when he needed a break.

His apartment was just as nice as you'd expect from something prepared by Gods. It was modern two bedroom suite with a great view, probably no more than a couple of years old, but it held touches of design from Japan's Edo period that reminded him of Takamagahara and the Soul Society.

Giving himself another once over in the mirror his mouth twisted downward slightly in distaste. He looked like he was back in junior high. The Kuoh Academy uniform wasn't bad per se, just a little too fancy for his tastes, his only real gripe with it was all the layers they expected students to wear.

He would be far too warm in all of it and as such decided to forgo wearing the stripped middle-shirt and ribbon. And what the hell was up with that anyway? What guy wanted to wear a ribbon of all things? If he had any doubts that the school only recently turned co-ed, then little details like that were proof enough.

The teacher would probably give him shit for it but oh well; he'd never worn the Karakura high uniform properly either. So with those two items of clothing gone, he was left with the black pants and blazer, a white button up shirt and black dress shoes, it would do.

Twirling one of his bangs he wondered if he should get a trim though the idea was quickly rejected, he liked the more tame look his hair took on when it grew out. He'd never admit it out loud, but he thought he looked pretty damn cool after his Dangai training before his growth had painfully reverted.


The walk to school wasn't as pleasant as he'd hoped, sure it was a nice morning, and the streets were fairly clear asides from the other students but in this case that was exactly the problem. He was finally starting to understand just how lopsided the ratio of girls to buys really was, and oh god the attention.

His bright orange hair was drawing the attention of the men and woman around him; his appearance was holding their attention, and once they realized he was wearing the same uniform as them the gossip started.

"Oh my, who is he?"

"Isn't that our uniform?! Kyaaa! I'm so glad we became co-ed now!"

"Should we go and say Hi to him?"

"Are you crazy?! Look at him! He's way out of our league."

"Oh look, he's scowling now!"

"..mm, that's pretty nice too; I wouldn't mind if he disciplined me."

"Oh my god, you pervert! How can you say something like that out loud?!

... but now that you mention it.."

And with those words, Ichigo tuned out the outside world. It would be best if he didn't hear the rest of that conversation; otherwise, he doubted that he'd be able to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks. It didn't help that the newest student of Kuoh Academy could feel the amusement radiating from his Zanpakutō spirit.

"You're too stiff Ichigo, there's nothing wrong with enjoying your youth a bit," Ikomikidomoe sighed out, though without giving her wielder a chance to reply she continued, mirth now filling her tone, "and don't even try to act all high and mighty either; when our souls were bound I was given access to your memories, thoughts and feelings and I witnessed firsthand some of your more adventurous fantasies during your time living with Rukia Kuchiki as well as when you were trained by Yoruichi Shihōin."

Those words caused him to falter slightly in his step though he tried to play it off so he wouldn't draw attention to himself. The melodic laughter in the depths of his soul only heightened his embarrassment further.

'S-Shut up! I don't know what you're talking about..'

"Oh? Well, that's fine, if those two don't ring a bell, there was another that I remember seeing quite often, one involving a certain Second Division Captain. She was always quite hard on you, but I was surprised to find out that you had such a sadistic streak in you, I wonder how she would react to you thinking about dominating her, I-"

'Fine Fine Fine! I get it; I'll try and loosen up so please stop!"

"Hmph, I'm glad we could work something out. Now then, you should probably do something about that red face of yours, wouldn't want people thinking you're some kind of pervert would you?"

The remainder of the walk had been spent silently cursing Ikomikidomoe who continued to laugh at his frustration, she had accomplished her goal and thus left him to fume to himself.

He was back to normal by the time he'd reached the school, though when he crossed through the large gate, he was immediately put on edge, it felt as though he was being watched.

He wouldn't put it past the Devil's to have set up some sort of observation network around the school as it was essentially their base of operations, it would only make sense to secure it. 'But man, there sure are a lot of Devils here..' by Ichigo's count there were fourteen of the dark reiatsu signatures which exceeded his original expectations.

None of them were particularity strong, well compared to him at least, though he supposed it was a bit unfair to compare them to a freak of nature like himself.

He couldn't help but pity the normal humans here just a little, every day they got up and came to school, lived their lives as though nothing was wrong, completely unaware of the beings that existed alongside them. It really made him glad to be in the position he was.

Sure, for some people it would be scarier knowing that the monsters you are told about as children to scare you are actually real, but in Ichigo's opinion, the unknown was infinitely scarier. Always looking over your shoulder or down a dark alleyway wondering if there was some horrific monster watching you that you just couldn't see, he wouldn't want to live like that.

Brushing those thoughts from his mind, he continued onward toward the main building. He still needed to check in with the front office and get his schedule, maybe a nod in the direction of his homeroom as well. He didn't really was to ask any of the students here, as the first day hadn't even started and they were already pissing him off.

The males were openly glaring at him, and the girls were staring at him like he was a piece of candy, not even a day into his new school life and it was already getting old.

"It looks like it's about to get even better too."

It didn't take long for the meaning of Ikomikidomoe's words to be realized, stood before him at the top of the large staircase was none other than the Student Council President and Heir to the Sitri family, Sona Sitri and her Queen Tsubaki Shinra. He'd heard a little about the pair; apparently, they were both the diligent, super serious, rule-abiding type which was fine, but it made Ichigo think that maybe they wouldn't get along so well. Hell, Sona was already eyeing his as though he was a walking violation.

A couple of seconds and a few strides later the pair were stood no more than an arms reach away, all the students around them had frozen and gone silent, all too curious about what was happening between the mysterious new student and the student council president.

"I am Kuoh Academy's Student Council President Souna Shitori, and this is my Vice President Tsubaki Shinra, may I ask who you are? I recognize our uniform but not your face."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I just transfer student here," he replied bluntly, not missing the subtle widening of eyes from the two girls before him. 'Odd, I'm sure she was aware of my transfer.. maybe she was expecting someone else?'

Humming softly, Sona gave him another once over, stopping briefly at the neckline of his shirt, "your uniform is lacking a couple of articles of clothing, surely you wanted to make a better first impression than this, no?"

Shrugging lightly, he couldn't help but level the girl with a dry stare, "it's fine like this, that other stuff was more annoying than anything so I tossed it." He didn't miss the way her brow twitched in annoyance at his dismissive shrug to her question.

The most unfortunate thing about the situation for Sona was that he wasn't technically breaking any rules. The tie and middle shirt weren't required for male students to wear, as long as they wore a respectable undershirt with the blazer and pants than they were technically within regulations. She wouldn't go down without a fight though, so dropping the subject of his attire she attacked from a different angle.

"Dyed hair is against school rules."

Unable to hold it back any longer the corner of his lips turn slightly upward in a smirk, a light hum escaping him. Despite what his opinion of her may have been, her presence here was sure appreciated. "What's her excuse then?" He asked, jutting his head toward the staircase and more specifically the girl who stood atop it.

With a light 'tsk' under hear breath Sona resigned from the argument, it seemed as though she would be going zero for two that morning. Of course, due to her energy sensing abilities, she didn't even need to turn around to see who it was he was looking at, but for the sake of keeping appearances, she did.

Glancing up at her fellow Devil Heiress and best friend their eyes met briefly though Rias' quickly returned to the newest student, an action she mimicked. With one last effort at beating Ichigo, she answered his question, "as hard as it may be to believe, that's her natural hair colour."

"And this is mine," he stated, ending the discussion there.

Sona accepted her defeat easily enough and dropped the subject, after giving the new student directions to the head office and instructions on who he would need to speak with once there, they bid farewell and parted ways with Sona returning back up the stairs to where her best friend stood.


She would admit that she was curious, it wasn't very often that you got a third-year transfer student, especially not one so late in the year. That, coupled with the fact that she could sense his presence before he even entered the school grounds was more than enough reason to lure her from the ORC's clubroom.

It wasn't as though his energy was uncontrolled and overflowing; no, it was the complete opposite. It was because his energy was so densely packed just below his skin like a layer of armour that it warranted looking into. It was obvious that whoever, or whatever this person was, they had a fair amount of power and were quite skilled in controlling it. And, if they turned out to be another potential peerage member, then Rias wanted to make sure she beat Sona to the punch.

The issue with Riser and her arranged marriage may have been resolved for now, but she never wanted to feel that helpless again. It was for that reason she wouldn't stop, not until her peerage was full and herself and all of her servants were trained to the best they could be.

When she reached the main hall, instead of stepping right out into the open she leaned herself against one of the supporting pillars and listened in on the conversation. The first shocking discovery was that 'Strawberry-chan' wasn't a '-chan' at all, it was a male which confused her, why would parents name their son after a strawberry? Ignoring the oddity for a moment, she focused on the second shocking discovery; the guy was actually managing to get under her longtime best friend's skin which was a feat all in itself.

After hearing their discussion touch on his supposedly dyed hair, Rias decided it was time to step out and catch a look at the new student for herself; she couldn't say she was disappointed when she did either, he was certainly a looker. The Gremory Heiress couldn't help but giggle as she thought back to her sole pawn, 'Issei really isn't going to like this.'

A couple more brief exchanges later and the groups parted ways, Sona and Tsubaki headed back up the stairs to her position and the newest student through the parting sea of students who stared at him with awe and wonder.

"So what do you think of the new student?" She asked as soon as the Sitri Heiress was within earshot.

At the reminder, Sona's mouth twisted into an annoyed mockery of a smile, "he's certainly got a sharp tongue."

That comment earned her a short huff of laughter, "Mm, it's not very often I see you on the losing end of an argument."

"Don't remind me," she sighed out, shifting her glasses back up the bridge of her nose she addressed her Queen, "Tsubaki, what did you think of Kurosaki-san?"

It didn't take long for the girl to respond, though her answer was a little surprising to Rias who hadn't been as up close and personal with the new student as the other two, "I found it hard to breath when I met his gaze."

Another small giggle escaped the red-haired girl, "oh dear, that doesn't sound good for Kiba," she teased.

Sona merely rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, give it to Rias to never miss a chance at teasing someone, though with how often Akeno got her it was no surprise that she looked for revenge in other places. It was no secret that Tsubaki had a crush on Kiba, and thus this was a perfect chance to tease that point, it had obviously worked too if her Queen's strawberry red face was any indicator.

It took only a moment for her to realize how her words could be interpreted, and why Rias had poked fun at her. So with a slightly panicked expression, she made to correct herself, "T-t-that's not what I meant!" Feeling the teasing smiles of her Master and her Master's best friend she took a moment to regain herself.

"It was fear," she began again, "when our eyes met it felt as though the world had vanished around us and we were left in a void of nothingness, but it wasn't just me and Kurosaki-san stood there, it felt like there was something behind me, hovering over my shoulders threatening to consume me."

Tsubaki's words quickly removed Rias smile, the light trembling in the Queen's voice as she recalled back onto the experience caused a spark of fear to begin kindling her own heart.

"I couldn't have worded it better myself," Sona finished off, a much more serious air permeating around them than when the discussion had started, the three could only wonder what kind of monster had just appeared before them.


"Alright then Kurosaki-san, please introduce yourself."

He wanted to groan as he turned to address his new classmates, not only was he the only male in it, but it held the four most influential Devils at the school and the one he least wanted to see. It was undeniable that the four of them were eyeing him closely, even if they were doing a good job of hiding it he could clearly tell.

He had hoped to dissuade them from approaching him by letting a little of his reiatsu seep out during his first meeting with the Student Council President and her Queen though he would have to wait a little while to see if it had actually worked. If the weariness in their gazes was any indication, however, then he'd say it worked pretty well.

"Yo, the name's Ichigo Kurosaki, pleased to meet you," he spoke flatly, raising his hand and giving a simple two-fingered wave to his classmates.

"How charming, it's good to see you're as gruff as usual."

Ignoring the sarcastic remark from his Zanpakutō, he watched amusedly as his teacher tried to think of something to say, clearly she hadn't been expecting such a.. lacking response either.

"A-Ah, Kurosaki-san, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

Holding back the tired sigh that threatened to escape him he briefly met gazes with Sona before answering. "Okay, well before it gets asked, yes this is my natural hair colour," he inwardly smirked as her brows tilted inward ever so slightly. "Also, my name means 'he who protects' not 'strawberry' so please don't make that mistake." Ichigo had to make sure he got that out of the way, the woman in his past all loved teasing him about his 'cute name.'

"I enjoy reading and am a big fan of Shakespeare; I've played all kinds of sports in my life through those were more like hobbies for me. I was trained in Karate when I was small and am currently learning 'Hakuda' which is a unique hand-to-hand combat form that incorporates many different styles of martial art into one.

Although I have extensive knowledge in hand to hand combat, my true passion has always been with the sword, and I'm honoured to have recently begun learning Mujushin Kenjutsu," he finished, glancing toward the teacher, eyes holding the silent question of 'was that good enough?'

He was relieved to have finally be excused to his seat after receiving a round of applause from his classmates, though the four Devils followed his movements like hawks after he'd revealed the arts he was currently being trained in. He hadn't planned on being so specific originally, but Ikomikidomoe had said it would be interesting if he 'threw them a bone' so to speak, and he had to agree.

If the four Devils were alone in the room with Ichigo than he probably would have gotten the 'interesting reaction' he was seeking, all four of them felt the weight of his words.

None of them had ever heard of 'Hakuda' specifically, but they understood the significance of a style that pulled the best parts of many different martial arts and compiled them into one, it was also a testament to one's own skill and potential to be learning such a style, that alone rose his danger level by a fair margin in their eyes, however, that which really spoke to them were the two words he'd uttered afterwards, 'Mujushin Kenjutsu.'

It was known as the purest and most ethereal art of the sword, and the known masters of the art could be counted on one hand. It was the ultimate goal for every swordsman, but the unfortunate reality of it was that most would never even see it in their life, let alone learn it.

They hadn't even known the new transfer student for a day, and already he'd amazed them, it just made Rias want to snatch him up even more.


~ Thursday after school

His eyes narrowed further as the pawn of Gremory approached, wasting no time he prodded the king of perverts for information on the current situation. "So, why did you call me out here Hyoudou?"

The suspicion lacing his voice was enough to make Issei sweat-drop, was he really so untrustworthy? "C'mon Saji, can't a guy just want to hang out with his friend?"

"Hah! Maybe a normal guy sure; you, however, not so much. If it doesn't have boobs than you don't want anything to do with it."

It was kind of sad that Issei couldn't refute his claim. "Well you know how it is.. I mean, you like Sona don't you?"

What was meant to be a lighthearted deflection turned into something much more depressing, as soon as Sona was mentioned the pawn deflated in his seat. "Don't remind me of such painful memories," he sighed out, deflating further, "ever since that new student came Kaichou has been spending more time with him than me!"

With tears streaming down his face and a fire burning in his heart, Issei felt his camaraderie growing with his fellow pawn at the mention of the evil bastard. "I know how you feel! Ever since that new guy came all of the girls have been drooling over him; I've seen him get asked out fourteen times already and it hasn't even been a week yet!"

Sat on the other side of some hedges a few feet away was the school's mascot Koneko Toujou whose face was set into a flat stare as she listened to the twin idiots behind her. She had noticed it a few days ago now, but the embodiment of lust had been acting quite strange for a while now. Often lost in thought, jumpy, overly defensive when asked about what he was thinking of, and so out of curiosity, she decided it would be prudent to keep an eye on things.

In spite of her curiosity, however, no matter how much she watched him nothing out of the ordinary was done, until today that is. Issei had gone to meet up with Saji which in itself was odd. It wasn't as though the two were on bad terms with each other; they just didn't really hang out.

So, upon hearing the time and place which the meeting would be held, Koneko made sure to arrive there ahead of time so that she wouldn't miss anything because something had to be going on behind the scenes, right?

The more she heard from the two twits behind her cause some serious doubts to form, what had started as a suspicious and awkward greeting had turned into a full-on bashing of the new transfer student. The white-haired Nekomata had yet to even meet the guy, and she already liked him more than these two.

Patience waning she was about to call it quits and head home, but an unexpected rival forced her to stay. With his presence the goofing off stopped and a plan that may cause more harm than good was formed.

"Kiba, thanks for coming on such short notice."

The man in question nodded briskly in response, he – much like Saji – had been fairly suspicious when Issei had contacted him stated that they needed to meet up right away as Issei had something to talk with him about, seeing the pawn of Sitri alongside him only forced his level of suspicion higher. "What's this about Issei?"

The Red Dragon Emperor fidgeted lightly under the expectant gazes, sure of what he wanted to say but finding it hard to actually speak. He wasn't sure if Saji would even help as there was no real benefit for him to do so, even if they succeeded in Issei's plan he would still be in serious trouble with his master, and that just might not be worth it.

But this was important to Issei, so he had to at least try; it's not like there was really anyone else he could ask anyway.


~ Thursday, with Ichigo

He knew a little of what was happening behind the scenes, a Cadre class Fallen Angel naked Kokabiel was moving separately of Azazel trying to stir up trouble with the other factions, though to what end he couldn't say.

Despite the potential shit storm brewing under the surface, however, there wasn't a whole lot he could do right now. If he went home to Karakura and something happened in his absence, would he be able to get back quickly enough to interfere and stop the potentially catastrophic situation? He couldn't say.

As someone who had been a part of the supernatural for a couple of years now, he knew it took only seconds for shit to hit the fan and so he had to stay.

The current situation was far from ideal but what could he do? Until he was able to come onto more information that would allow him to piece the whole picture together, he'd have to just keep moving blindly.

Though it would be a lie if he said he hadn't hoped for a bit more of a break before things went south. He'd just started school again and was working hard to catch up on missed assignments and tests, and his days were relatively free of interruption. Asides from the Sitri Heiress and her Queen who exchanged a little more than pleasantries with him daily there was almost no one that talked to him, instead choosing to 'admire from afar' which was more than fine with him.

"Oh please, have mercy on our pitiful souls!"

"We are naught but errant sheep of his Lord!"

Yes, he had hoped for some more peace before things really started moving behind the scenes, but as he watched the scene unfolding before his eyes the quote 'no rest for the weary' popped into his head. He'd only wanted to go out for dinner, but that was where his current problem started.

Stood right in front of the quaint little restaurant he'd spotted during his initial scouting of the town were the very same exorcists that had defeated Hyoudou and Yuuto earlier that week. The pair looked as though they hadn't eaten in a while, preaching about God's humble sheep and pity; it was honestly pretty depressing to watch.

"Oi," Ichigo called out gruffly gaining the attention of the duo, "you're bugging everyone with all that yelling out here," he said, jutting his head toward some of the passing civilians. After looking around and confirming his words the pair of exorcists at least had the decency to look sorry.

Glancing back toward the depressed girls he weighed his options and decided on his next move, "come on, I'll buy you guys a meal," he continued, nodding toward the restaurant which had been his original goal.

He hadn't originally planned on having company, but this would be a good chance to gather some information on Kokabiel and maybe that mysterious killer as well. He had noticed it the first night here when he was exploring the town, perhaps because he had so much experience with battle or maybe those of the supernatural just had a natural ability to sense that dark, eerie coldness akin to death, but he'd already found the aftermath of a brutal murder three of his five nights here.

Bodies chopped up into small pieces with a stomach-turning reiatsu permeating the area, he had tried for hours to locate the culprit but no matter how far he stretched his senses, not even with Ikomikidomoe's help did he find success, it was as though they'd vanish into thin air.

Well, he supposed they were lucky for managing to escape his grasp thus far, he would never stand for what they were doing, and once he finally got his hands on them he'd..

He shook his head briefly to distance himself from those thoughts; it wouldn't do well to dwell on that right now as there were two girls waiting on him to fill their stomachs. Speaking off.. it was like something out of a cartoon how fast they'd managed to clean up their makeshift stall. He couldn't even finish his thought, and the two were marching toward the establishment, not even checking to see if he was following behind them.


His purpose for coming here originally had been to eat though with the two girls that currently kept him company he found that his appetite was a little lost. As such, he instead chose to nurse a cup of coffee, half staring out the window at the people passing by and half watching the two savages before him devouring everything within arms reach.

Funnily enough most of the attention in the diner was directed toward him. Usually, it would be the man who ate enough food to feed a family of four, but instead, it was two teenage girls, in this situation he was the odd one out and not them.

Despite what Ichigo thought the two girls weren't solely focused on the food.. well okay, perhaps at first they were, but after they got past their starving hunger, some of their attention was directed toward the man who had saved them. Yeah, perhaps Irina and Xenovia weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, but even they knew that not many people would just buy a random person a meal and not expect anything in return let alone two, so immediately they were suspicious.

He didn't seem hostile in the least.

It was said that a person's eyes are the gateway to their soul, and on the occasion that his gaze would meet either of theirs, there was never anything hidden within the golden brown which gave them cause for concern, they were intimidating, very much so, but not dangerous. He looked like any normal – if not really attractive – human guy, and if it wasn't for the energy he gave off they would think he was.

It wasn't anything they'd ever felt before. He was clearly Japanese which meant that it was next to impossible for him to be linked to another faction around the world and neither was he one of the races which made up the three great factions. So that only left the possibility of him possessing a Sacred Gear, something which they had no way of confirming unless he said so himself, and that was unlikely.

Finally, a good twenty minutes after their original arrival the duo finished eating and were finishing up the remainder of their drinks as Ichigo waited, he didn't mind that it had taken so long, in fact, the calm was nice. He didn't know the two girls before him in the slightest, yet he couldn't say their company was unpleasant.

The sound of a throat being cleared drew his gaze back inward, "thanks for buying us dinner, I don't think we could've gone on much longer without food," the twin-tailed exorcist noted shamefully. She had been very foolish with their money, and because of it they ended up in their current situation, she wasn't very proud of herself, to say the least.

"Yes thank you. Unfortunately, we don't have much to offer you in terms of repayment for your kindness so if it is up to your standards than my body will have to do."

Ichigo had to reach for the nearest napkin as he choked on his drink, casting an incredulous glance toward the blue-haired girl's partner who looked just as shocked as he did while trying to hide her cherry red face.

He had been teased before, Yoruichi was the definition of a seductress and loved to rial him up, so he was fairly used to such comments, but it was the way she'd said it with such seriousness, without a hint of colour on her face that would signal embarrassment that had caught him so off guard.

Even now as he cleaned up the spilled coffee, she was looking at him as though he was the crazy one!

He hoped this wouldn't offend her as she was honestly quite attractive, but, "it's fine, I don't need you to do something like that."

Well, thankfully she didn't look offended, more determined if anything, just as she was preparing to push her offer again the second of the two cut in, "while Xenovia's offer was a bit extreme, I feel like it would be wrong not to do something for you if we were able too, so if there's anything you'd like that's within our power than please say so."

Ichigo didn't respond right away, instead choosing to let the question linger in the air a little bit, and the longer the silence was dragged on, the tenser the pair became. Perhaps he was a bit of a sadist, as he watched the two squirm under his heavy gaze he couldn't say it wasn't amusing.

"I'd like information," he finally breathed out, deciding that the silence had dragged on long enough.

Quickly the atmosphere shifted between the three. Irina and Xenovia knew what type of information he was referring too, and while they didn't know what he was or who he was affiliated with, they at the very least knew he was aware of the supernatural and likely of them too. It wasn't a very comforting thought. He could very well be their enemy, and yet they knew nothing of him.

Putting on her usual cheerful expression, Irina attempted to deflect his request, "well we don't really know too much you see, so.." she could only trail off her sentence as she met the man's gaze once more, it was quite obvious that he wasn't buying what she was selling.

The orange haired teen hummed softly as he relaxed back into his seat, a more casual air settling in around him. "Look, I ain't gonna force you to talk if you don't want to, I didn't just do this because I wanted something from you, you guys just looked really sad out there begging for money when you could hardly stand." Ichigo couldn't help but smirk lightly at the girl's bashful countenance that appeared from his words.

"Are you an ally?" Xenovia asked finally.

Ichigo had to mull over the question for a moment. While he was almost certainly going to interfere at some point depending on how the situation unfolded, he felt that it wouldn't be wise to affiliate himself with any specific group this early in the game.

The Angels and Devils may have been unofficially working toward the same goal, but the animosity was still there between them. If he allied himself with one or the other, it may tip the scales of balance into an unwanted direction. And besides, he'd always been a lone wolf just doing whatever he thought was best, and it'd always worked out in the end.. eventually.

With that said, the answer was simple, "I'm not your ally, but neither am I your enemy." At his words, the pair turned to each other, a bewildered light in their eyes as their heads tilted slightly in confusion, Ichigo would admit it was a rather cute gesture. "I'm not in a position where I can act too aggressively, but I will step in if things go too far south, for now, just think of me as a neutral party that likes peace."

The two exorcists exchanged another glance and nodded. So he was affiliated with someone, but who that someone was couldn't be said. But even so, they felt like they could trust him. Perhaps it was the kindness that radiated from his eyes, or maybe it was just something more instinctual, but they felt like he was someone they could trust.

It was partly the way he spoke too, the confidence he exuded, like the fact that their opponent could be the fallen star of Heaven didn't even matter. He never said we either, like he had allies here with him, it was always I, like he, or whoever sent him here believed that he would be the only person necessary.

It was assuring to have someone as potentially powerful as him on their side if things went south, well as long as that confidence wasn't just misplaced arrogance.

"I just realized that we don't even know your name," Irina spoke with a hum of realization.

His eyes widened briefly at the statement, it had completely slipped his mind because he knew who they were from watching the fight, yet they didn't know him, shaking his head lightly he corrected the issue. "I'm Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"It's nice to meet you Kurosaki-san," she nodded, a bright smile on her face. "I'm Irina Shidou, and this is Xenovia Quarta." It was obvious that she hadn't discerned anything from their saviour's name, her partner, on the other hand, hadn't.

Xenovia was an odd girl in that her memory was quite selective. She would often forget things that others would need as important and instead remember obscure things that likely wouldn't be of help unless in the most unique of situations.

Funnily enough, this was one of those situations.

She twitched ever so slightly upon hearing the name, a memory of her childhood coming back to her. Unless doing her tutoring with Griselda, she was often alone, her emotionless face and monotone voice always gave her the appearance of being cold and arrogant, like she believed that she was better than everyone else, this had the unfortunate effect of turning all the other children against her.

So instead of being shunned by them, she would seclude herself in the library and study. One book she remembered vividly because of its contents was of a forgotten German race, the Quincy, a group of humans who could draw in the energies around them to form bows which fired arrows of energy.

It also spoke a little of their creator who was revered by the other Quincy as a God and some of the more prominent families, the Quincy royalty so to speak. And, one of the family names that was always spoken of in high regard was the 'Kurosaki.'

Now, the Quincy race was said to have vanished from existence around a thousand years ago, and so it was highly likely that they never existed in the first place, and even if they did, Kurosaki wasn't exactly a rare name. It was uncommon yes, but not completely rare; thus there was no way to know if the man before her was even slightly related if the legend was actually true.

But she had to at least consider the possibility because what else was there? He wasn't an Angel, Fallen Angel or Devil, his Japanese heritage all but excluded him from the other factions around the world, and the Shinto were so reclusive that it was even more unlikely they'd send one of their own down to help.

So what was left? A Sacred Gear possessor? She had been around quite a few in her life so far, and he felt nothing like them.

Yet he had power.

So she came back to the Quincy, perhaps they did exist, and he was distantly related to them, could that mean he was related to the Norse Gods? She wasn't sure she liked the thought of that very much.

Irina – completely unaware of her partner's inner thoughts – continued on with the subject of Ichigo's request, "while we can't go into too much detail, a little bit should be okay."

"Even a little bit is helpful," Ichigo nodded gratefully.

This prompted a short joint explanation detailing their current mission assigned by the Church to retrieve some property that the Fallen had stolen in an attempt to bait the Angels into launching a full-scale attack. It really was the bare minimum of details, but that was fine with Ichigo, with the little that he already knew he was able to piece together a fairly good picture.

Essentially Kokabiel – who was working against Azazel's wishes – stole something from the Chruch to goad them into attacking, however, there wasn't really a reason to go through so much hassle just to slug it out with the Angels, as such, there was likely more to the story than the Church realized.

If Ichigo was correct than the Devils too would be somehow drawn into the fight which was likely Kokabiel's end goal, restarting the great war between the Angels, Fallen and Devils.

When the two girls across from him stiffened and started scanning the outside street from the corner of their eyes, he stretched his own senses out and found what had put them on edge. "Devils?" he breathed out. They were small blips, so much so that if the exorcists hadn't reacted to their present than he probably wouldn't have noticed at all.

But he hadn't been training ruthlessly for nothing, so with a bit more concentration, four faces popped into his mind. 'Toujou, Yuuto, Hyoudou, and the fourth is part of Sona's peerage though I can't recall his name,' their presence was honestly quite troubling. If they spotted him here with the two exorcists, it would lead to suspicions beings raised against him that he didn't have the time nor patience to deal with.

He wasn't worried they'd find out something he didn't want them to, but if the Devils started following him around – which was all too likely – then it could hinder his until now free movements.

"Why don't we call it here for the day, I don't know why the Devils are sneaking around here for, but it likely has something to do with you both." At his words, both of the girls nodded in agreement. They weren't aware that Ichigo was going to the same school as them and thus didn't question his sudden desire to part ways.

With one final thank you for the meal and goodbye the two groups split.


~ With Issei and co.

When Issei had finished explaining his plan, Saji could only stand there, mouth agape in silent horror as he imaged what Sona would do to him should he go through with it.

He loved his master and was glad that out of all the Devils he could work for he was with her, but she was not kind and forgiving like Rias, she was a serious and diligent girl who expected absolute obedience and perfection in every task given, and if she found out that he was doing something like this behind her back than the punishment would be severe.

"No no no no no! You're crazy! That's suicidal, and I'm not taking part! I'm going home!" Well, he attempted to go home at the very least. Issei and Kiba could only look on curiously as a small hand extended out from the opposite side of the thin hedge and grasps Saji's shirt, holding him in place with a strength that should've been impossible for such a dainty arm.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Issei slung an arm around both Saji's and Kiba's shoulders and led them around to the other side to meet his mystery helper, though all were surprised when they noticed the schools unofficial mascot, Koneko Toujou sitting at one of the tables.

"Koneko-chan?!" Issei blurted out in surprise, ignoring the half glare sent his way at the use of the '-chan' honorific.

Seeing another member of the Gremory peerage only made Saji think they were all in cahoots and going to try and force him to participate with them, his fear of the punishment Sona would give him was growing by the second. "Let go! Why me?! Isn't this a problem for the Gremory house?! You may have a death wish but I want to live past twenty!"

Issei merely brushed off his frantic pleas with a halfhearted laugh. "Aw c'mon, you're a Devil too, at times like this we should stick together and help each other out!"

Now, instead of trying to escape the Red Dragon Emperor's grasp, Saji looked like he wanted to strangle him. "Screw you! Rias may be both strict and gentle, but Sona is only strict! She's a dictator who wouldn't stand for anything like this! You don't understand the torture I would be put through!" Quickly he shifted his gaze toward the small girl in hopes she would be the voice of reason, though it seemed that his prayers weren't going to be answered.

"Even though there is such risk I will help too, for Kiba's sake.."

"Just hold on a second.." the man in question finally spoke up in a soft tone, his hands up in a manner that suggested pause. He was happy that his friends would be willing to go to such length to help him, he really was, but this was a battle he had to face alone, he couldn't bring them in on it too, he couldn't risk them getting hurt after he'd walked out on them all.

"This means a lot Issei, and you to Koneko, that you guys would want to help me in this situation makes my heart lighter than it's been in a long time, but I'm already in enough trouble as it is, I can't bring you guys in on it too, so just go back to the President and wait for me, okay?"

Issei's response was instant, surprising the Knight, "I refuse."

"Issei pl-"

"No!" He blurted out, cutting off his foolish friend. "Wait for you to return?! Don't be foolish! You're just asking to get yourself killed," Kiba flinched at the harsh words, it wasn't as though they held no inkling of truth. "You don't have to do this alone; this is what friends are for! We care about you and want to help!"

"And I appreciate it Issei, I do, but this is different, I-"

"It's not! Once more Issei cut him off, " just like you want to get revenge for your fallen comrade's, we want to help you because you areourcomrade,ourfamily! Denying us is like denying the very people you swore to avenge!"

Kiba recoiled, eyes wide as the words rang throughout his head, his fists were bawled as he berated himself, and when his shirt was tugged leading him to meet Koneko's teary gaze, the only thing he could do was lament his own foolishness, "you're right Issei, I'm sorry for pushing you guys away.."

Saji could only stare on curiously as he watched Issei brush off the apology, saying that he had nothing to apologize for as long as he realized his foolishness, the Gremory rook nodding in agreement as well. He didn't understand it, "Why? Why are you two trying so hard? Even at the risk of punishment, or worse, over-stepping your bounds and causing a far bigger problem than you can handle alone, why are you going so far as to help with his revenge? Just what is it that happened?"

Both Issei and Koneko could only look toward Kiba at the questions; it was not their story to tell. so unless Kiba felt like telling someone else of his past there wouldn't be much they could do to convince Saji of risking everything to help them. Thankfully Kiba nodded resolutely, understanding that in order to gain allies a hand of trust would need to be extended.

Saji had never felt such strong emotions in his life than he did in the few moments it took Kiba to explain his story, and after listening to the Knights tragic past he was unable to stop the tears which formed in his eyes. He finally understood why they would risk so much to help him on this path of vengeance, even when the stakes were so high.

'Arg! Dammit! How the hell can I say no after hearing that?!' Saji screamed internally, his logic and common sense at war with his heart and what he knew was the right thing to do. "Fine! You got me!" He yelled in the courtyard, uncaring of the attention being drawn to him, "let's do this and damn the consequences!"

All three of his accomplices smiled gratefully toward him, thankful that they would have another ally on their side, now it was time to decide on their first course of action. Well, as much as they talked things over, discussed all of their possible what if's and maybe's, it was a unanimous decision that first and foremost they would need to find the two exorcists.

"We obviously need to find them for two reasons. First and foremost because they are strong, as demonstrated last weekend, they outstrip both Issei and myself by a fair margin, having them work with us would increase all of our odds quite a lot. And secondly, even if they wished to work separately from us, perhaps they could still point us in the right direction."

This earned a collective nod from the Devil team, though there was one glaring issue. "Finding them is easier said than done.."

Koneko's words were a real blow to the confidence because for all they knew the two Church girls could've been long gone. Yes, they were here to retrieve the stolen Excalibur fragments, but that didn't mean they hadn't been switched with someone else.

The pair hadn't even been spotted by any of the Gremory group members thus far since their initial meeting a few days prior, and since it was unlikely that they would be lying low for their mission, that only further gave traction to the theory that they were no longer here, or at the very least, not here right now.

"Let's not give in too quickly, it's already pretty late so why don't we do a bit of group searching and then call it a night, tomorrow we can split up and assign sectors for everyone," the Red Dragon cut in, surprisingly being the voice of reason and taking the lead in this situation.


"Uh, I found them," the pawn of Sitri spoke out in a detached tone, too bothered by what he was seeing to let any emotion seep into his voice.

After preparing for what could've been an incredibly tedious – if not impossible – task of searching, it was almost laughable how easily they'd found the girls in the end. Not even thirty minutes into the search and here they were gazing into the glass window of a modest diner of which Saji's outstretched arm pointed toward, gazing at the two they'd originally set out looking for and a shocking third.

The four young Devils weren't veterans of war, nor were they experienced politicians, they had, however, been around enough high ranking Devils and important people due to who their masters were to know that judging by the facial expressions being used between the three, it wasn't simple friends out for dinner.

They all knew from the beginning that Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't a normal human. It wasn't even the above average energy that he possessed which made them think like that either. It was his presence that was so dominant and overwhelming that if felt as though they were in the presence of an ultimate class Devil. It was his gaze that spoke of a man far older than the seventeen years stated on his profile, a man who had seen far more than any of them would ever want too.

It was the lethargic and disinterested front he used to hide his elegant and graceful posture, the way every motion he took was precise and bore no wasted movements, the way his body was always tense and poised for quick action even when he was likely unaware of the fact.

He was someone who they all instinctively felt they should fear, and to see him now with the two exorcists and likely allied with the Church did nothing to lessen that fear, in fact, it only caused it to grow further.

When Issei finally spoke up thus breaking the silence the three Devils with him wholeheartedly agreed with his opinion, this could be far bigger than any secret plans they held of destroying the Excalibur fragments, and it couldn't remain unknown.

"We have to tell the President.."


A/N:

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Highschool DxD. All content belongs to their respective creators.

Alright, so a couple of comments about the last chapter, I made a couple of changes to it. After finishing the DxD LN, I learned that the Devil family Kuroka and Shirone originally belonged to was called Naberius, so I changed that bit of information in my story.

Secondly, some people were a little concerned with Ichigo's reaction to the documents he read. Some people said it was OOC that he reacted like that, and to those people, I say you're crazy. Ichigo has always been an overly emotional and reactive character, it would be OOC if he remained calm after reading what he did. I will, however, concede that he reacted too harshly, so I also made some changes to that scene and toned his reaction down a bit.

As for this chapter itself, I don't really have much to say. I'm a little iffy with how I feel about it honestly, I don't think it's bad, but I feel like its lacking something, what that something is I can't figure out. I will say the teasing scenes work a hell of a lot better with Ikomikidmomoe than they did with Ryujin Jakka though, Iko's personality just suits it much better.

And yes, Ichigo is learning Mujushin Kenjutsu :D

If you have any thoughts on this chapter than feel free to leave a review, I'm always looking to improve my writing and so constructive criticism is always welcome. Or, if you have any specific questions or would just like to chat with me then feel free to send me a message, I always reply when I can.

- Vertius