"Kunou, it's Issei." He said, after an unsuccessful attempt at knocking to gain entry. Issei could tell that she was crying, the thick door wasn't able to hide it from his hearing.
After she ran off, Issei volunteered to check on the little fox, since Yasaka wasn't taking it too well at the moment. The reaction of his…wife, was understandable. Kunou had never acted like this with him before, and now that the relationship was as solidified as it could be, she was rejecting him.
"I've made you mad, and for that I can only say i'm sorry. You can hit me or yell at me all you want, I won't stop you. But please Kunou, tell me why?"
He heard her quiet cries stop, followed by some shuffling.
Issei waited for another minute, wondering if she was still going to ignore him, when the latch of the door clicked.
With a smile, Issei knelt down in front of her doorway. He would let her vent all the frustration she wanted. The door creaked open two inches, and he could see her bloodshot golden eye staring at him.
The eye narrowed, as Issei felt a trickle of heat come through the opening.
Without any other warning signs, Kunou throw the door open and set upon him with all the fury she could muster.
She punched, slapped, and kicked at him with fire coating her limbs. Thankfully almost all fire was next to useless against him, it just gave him a sense of warmth from the blows.
Kunou saw that her attacks were doing nothing, and lunged at him with bared teeth.
Long sharp canines plunged into his shoulder with an angry growl slipping through. Issei only gave a small wince at his skin being punctured, wrapping his arms around her gently, as Kunou bit down as hard as she could.
Issei rubbed circles into her back, and felt her tensing up. What he thought would be another sort of attack, ended up being Kunou failing to hold her tears back.
The foxes tears were warm, even through his shirt. Issei didn't say anything, just letting her vent. Her teeth were dislodged from his flesh, and Kunou buried her face into his shoulder, loud pained wails being muffled by cotton.
"Don't take her away…" Issei heard her mumble after a few minutes, and her sobs turned into the occasional sniffle.
"I don't want Mama to leave."
His hand paused from its movement on her back, as what she said registered in his mind. Issei had no idea where she got that idea from.
"Why do you think i'm taking her away?" He leaned his head down so his cheek was against her hair, his arms pulling her into a close yet gentle embrace.
"You got married, and married people live together." Oh how he wished the world was as simple as children saw it. If that were the case, all bad guys would get punished, and the good guys would be rewarded. But, unfortunately…
"One day, we will live together. I hope it's okay with you, for Mari and I to live here again."
With another sniffle, Kunou pulled her head back and wiped her nose and eyes with her sleeve.
"Here?" She asked him, as her sleeve dropped back down to hold onto his shirt.
"Of course. It will be a while before that though. I have some things to do there-" Issei stopped when Kunou tugged on his shirt, jerking him a little bit.
"Promise." The heat in her demanding tone was a far cry from the emotions of just a few moments ago.
"Promise you what?"
"That you're not taking her away. And then You Mari and Anna will live here."
Issei smiled at her, unless fate decided to turn his life on its head, that was an easy thing to agree to.
"I promise. Kunou, we're family now, you and I. I'll never do anything to hurt you on purpose."
She gave him a small toothy smile for a moment, before her head tilted.
"Do I have to call you father now?"
He chuckled. Part of him would feel a little weird hearing that, but another part would love it. If she called him that in from of Yasaka, it would no doubt have a great effect.
"Only if you want to." Issei watched as she thought on it, the contortions of her expressions was amusing to watch.
"You know Kunou, since your mother and I are married, that makes Mari your sister." Based on the happy smile and wide golden eyed stare she gave him, the thought was a pleasant one.
When her smile started to wilt, she melted back into him, leaving Issei confused about what had her upset now.
"Mari is mad at me, she won't want to be my sister." Now that was just ridiculous, and he told her as much.
"Don't be silly, Mari loves you. Getting angry is normal, just go and apologize and everything will be okay."
As he stood, bringing Kunou with him, he noticed the guards standing around for the first time. There were 3 of them, and each looked relieved that their princess had been sufficiently soothed. Issei knew that Kunou could be hard to reign in sometimes.
As much as she was a refined lady in the making, she was also a child with an abundance of energy and very little opportunity to release that energy. He suspected that to be the reason she enjoyed seeing Mari, because they both just wanted to run around and play.
"Let's go back to the others, and smooth things over."
He placed her on the ground when she nodded against him.
"Okay…Daddy." His steps faltered at hearing that. When he looked over to her, she had a smirk on her face that was all too familiar.
'Great… the mischievous side is starting to make an appearance…' He thought, and had expected it to remain a private thought.
[Sometimes I wonder how you don't feel sick hearing that word, especially after the night in Mexico City…] Issei felt bile threaten to climb up his throat at the reminder Ddraig had given him. His partner was not one for speaking much, even more seldom was when it wasn't because of something important.
'Context is important. Mari and Kunou are children…. Not adult women who just happen to be short and have young appearances. I thought we all agreed never to speak of that night with the zashiki again?' If he didn't make that distinction in his head, he wasn't sure he wanted to know how that would have affected him.
[You better establish yourself as a proper parental figure with the little fox then. Otherwise we both know what will happen in a few years.]
His stomach churned even more at the thought. Ddraig was right, he needed to plan to be around Kunou as a father figure regularly, before things went wrong. That would not be a conversation he wanted to have with Yasaka. If Inari caught wind of something like that, he would never hear the end of it. That woman was trouble, how Amaterasu put up with her, he had no clue.
-LineBreak-
The time to return to Kuoh was quickly upon them, something that Yasaka wanted to ensure wouldn't be permanent. They had been talking in a private room, as the subject matter couldn't be left to anyone who might want to spread it to the wrong people.
It was regarding Mari, and the conversation with the current Lucifer and Leviathan. Issei didn't like the thought of putting his daughter through the stress of being a pillar head, but he would leave that decision to her once she was old enough to make it.
Along with that, came the details of the terrorist group that had been sniffing around the wrong places more frequently than ever.
"I know your cautious and capable Yasaka," Issei started, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "But word will get out about me taking out Kali's group. If they dig enough…"
She smiled at his concern, internally thanking Inari for the actions she'd taken to help their relationship along. If she had pressed hard enough, she knew that Issei would have given into her charms eventually, but having him now was much better.
"I will be careful Ise, you have my word. Let's not talk about that for now, just keep me updated on anything you think is important."
When he nodded, she turned to a different subject that had been in the back of her mind.
"Now… Since I am your wife," She took great pleasure in using the term, an undefinable warmth swam through her every time she said it. "At least by youkai standards. That makes me the lead woman in your life by position, excluding Mari for obvious reasons." If he ever put herself before his daughter, she would have… words, with him. Violent, fiery words that would leave him charred, fire resistant disposition be damned.
"I know how complicated things are going to become, with Mari becoming known. You're going to be asked to do certain things, at some point."
"Yasaka, if you want a wedding ceremony, you don't have to try and convince me. Lets just try to have it during one of the school breaks." Seeing her in a wedding dress would be something he would love to see. It would also have the benefit of clearing up any outstanding rumors about their relationship with her people.
"Your sweet Ise, and we'll have to talk more about that." She was trying hard to keep the giddiness of a big wedding at bay, barely managing to succeed. She needed to speak her mind right now.
"But what i'm talking about, is your other relationships." He may not want to hear it, or believe it, but it was happening. She could connect the dots as he spoke about a certain devil king, just as one example. She wanted to make sure things didn't get spread too thin.
"I know it's not ideal." He started, a bit of remorse in his voice. "But I couldn't have managed as I have without Anna, and after I saw what had happened with Kali, I can't just send her away."
As much as she liked both women, they were of no concern to her in this aspect. She hoped that he would give her the chance to explain, before getting angry.
"That's not who I'm talking about. Kali and Anna are slaves, or servants for those who have thankfully outlawed the concept. To almost all the supernatural, they are akin to property that you own… and what you do with them doesn't matter."
She saw his nostrils flare, as he took a calming breath. He could see that she was speaking as a leader, as someone who had to deal with others of high station. Yasaka had to continue before he could think that she thought of the two women like that herself.
"They are more than that, but to get justice for Nora, protect Mari and stop this group, you're entering the world of the upper class. Position, posturing, and alliances are going to be important."
The hand that was holding hers loosened, and slipped from her grip. He didn't look angry, thankfully, but more contemplative as he realized where she was going with this.
"Marriage is how the devils do things, because they're obsessed with keeping their bloodlines pure, and gaining more power and influence. An alliance, or truce or whatever someone calls it, should be mutually beneficial. Marriage is for love, not politics." The sarcastic tone for that one word showed how much he thought of the practice.
"And we agree on that completely, but it's how many factions handle things like this." She took a breath and continued.
"My point is, Issei," She got back to the topic originally intended, after the small derailment. "That besides myself, Anna and Kali, there's a high chance of more women coming into your life. I'm okay with that…to an extent."
A fake scowl came to his face. This was a talk he'd had multiple times with Nora, and had never been particularly receptive to it. He just felt so…sleezy, even considering it.
"You too Yasaka? *Sigh* I thought this harem topic had been left behind."
"Fufufu, you make it sound like such a horrible thing, having a score of beautiful women ready and willing to give themselves to you."
Issei paled, taking her wording seriously.
"20? I'm pretty sure i'd die of dehydration, plus they'd all feel so neglected i'd be no better than those devils that build all female peerages."
She had to blink and catch up, having forgotten that, 'a score' was another term for 20, when she only meant to say that he had multiple women.
"Anyway, let's just assume i'm on board with this harem thing, and continue."
She took the pass and went back to saying her piece.
"All i'm saying Ise, is that things are going to change. The devils are going to be a major part of the talks you'll be having, in order to get what you want. And just as you said, a good number of their alliances are through marriage. You're going to be propositioned, possibly even by some of the devil families."
Issei couldn't help the disbelieving scoff. The day that a high class devil wanted to be in a relationship with him, was the day he brought Mari to the school for open house. Simply put, it wasn't going to happen.
Not because Mari would be all too disruptive, but because he had gotten passed all the age related and personal life questions. The other students just assumed that he was the same age as them and had moved on.
The headaches he would get if she showed up, would never end.
"I just want to remind you, of what waits for you in Kyoto."
She slid from her seat, onto the floor and covered the small distance between them, kneeling directly in front of Issei with her hands coasting up his thighs.
"If you ever need a break, an escape, I will always be here. Ready and waiting to welcome you with open arms."
Her fingers had taken hold of the button on his pants, undoing it and sliding the zipper down, all the while maintaining the same sultry look from the day before. This woman was insatiable.
"Or an open mouth and legs, if thats not enough." She said with a throaty chuckle.
The cool air hit the flesh of his shaft, just as her head lowered, just to serve as a long lasting reminder of what he was leaving here by going back to Kuoh.
It was effective.
-LineBreak-
Seated atop her fathers shoulders, Mari was having a hard time sitting still. How could she? She was about to meet new people! Mari loved meeting new people…As long as there weren't too many, she wasn't a fan of that.
There was a day she could remember, when they had gone to a toy store together, and she'd gotten surrounded by a lot of people. She had cried and screamed for him. Her daddy had come running, scooping her up before he even knew what was happening. He had only been a few feet away at the time.
Just to her left, Anna stood holding onto his hand through the transport circle. She was a little sad to be leaving Kunou, but Mari was sure that they'd see each other again soon.
The red light of her fathers magic faded, revealing the home she loved. The excitement was rising, this close to meeting her new aunty.
"You ready Mari?" Her daddy asked from below, tilting his head back some, but not enough to cause her to shift.
"Yeah!" She threw a small fist up into the air, getting him to laugh at her exuberance.
What Mari was more curious about, was the other girl she was told was inside. It didn't sound like her father knew the girl that well. Was she staying forever like Auntie Anna and Auntie…Kali?
She hoped so, having more people to play with was always a good thing. Aunty Anna was fun, but sometimes didn't want to play, or was busy with something else.
Anna opened the door, stepping through and off to the side to let them in. Her father ducked his head, so her head didn't hit the door frame. He was silly that way, since there was still a bunch of room left above her.
Once inside, Mari scrunched her nose, as a smell permeated the cozy home. It was like everything in the house had been briefly set on fire, and then put out, before it could be damaged.
"I really should have expected something like this." Issei said with a sigh.
Mari could see the way Anna's tails had gone completely straight, the fur puffing out on each one. This was followed by the quiet growl emanating from her lungs.
"I'll take care of it Anna, don't worry." Anna took a long and deep breath to calm herself. That kitchen was hers! What was that fallen doing to it? Technically it was Ise's, but other than the few times he cooked, that was her domain. A curt nod was her only response, glaring towards the source of the aroma.
Mari felt the hands on her waist, and the slight upward pull. She knew that her father had things to do, before he went back to school tomorrow. That by no means, meant she had to like it.
With ease, she was lifted from her perch. Mari started to pout, thinking her time in direct contact with him was over for now. To her surprise, she turned towards him, and pulled into a hug, before being lowered to the ground.
Her displeasure was forgotten, as she remembered that there was someone new that might play with her, somewhere in the house. If the smell was anything to go by, they were in the kitchen.
As soon as she had proper footing, Mari took off to the right, off to the source of Anna's irritation.
Issei tried to halt her, but with a stumble, his daughter managed to speed off unimpeded. Well, no time like the present he supposed. Kali was going to meet her anyway, why not let the woman experience the usual amount of energy the little girl had. At least then she wouldn't be surprised by it later.
"AH! What the fuck!?" Oh, right… Kali didn't know when to expect them back.
The sigh escaped him before he could stop it. "What did Mari do?"
Issei didn't know what condition the kitchen was in, so he really should go in and make sure there wasn't anything Mari could get hurt by.
Whatever Issei thought he might find, was not what greeted him, upon crossing the threshold to the kitchen.
A large portion of the kitchen floor, looked like Kali had tried making that starch putty kids make in elementary school. Flour was everywhere, and whatever she tried using to clean it up, only turned it into clumps that were much harder to clean up.
Then there was, what appeared to be caked on soot, all over the stove top. Even dripping down to cover the door for the oven. This was going to take some serious work, to have it clean enough, where Anna wouldn't freak the hell out. She hated the kitchen being dirty.
Mari didn't even seem to notice the mess. Instead, she had latched herself onto the back of the new resident fallen angel, leaving Kali with wide eyes and an expression that clearly said she didn't know what to do or say right now.
"Hiya i'm Mari! You're my new Auntie right? What's your name? Why is your hair so long? Will you play with me? What's your favorite color? Mine's green! Do you like flowers? Do you like kitties? Auntie Anna is a kitty. Sometimes she lets me touch her tails!"
Still on her hands and knees, trying to clean the mess she made, Kalawarner was having a hard time even comprehending everything the little clone of Nora was saying. Her deep blue eyes caught sight of Issei standing at the entrance, clearly amused by what he was seeing. The girl attached to her back kept squirming, clearly excited to see the fallen.
"Do you watch Animaniacs? Daddy got me a bunch to watch! Mindy is the bestest, and her puppy, buttons is his name, has to watch her all the time because Mindy's Mommy goes to work a lot."
Issei waited a few seconds, taking in the pleading expression from Kalawarner, before doing anything. This was something he would remember with absolute clarity for many years to come.
"Mari, slow it down kiddo."
The immense relief and gratitude in her eyes made him chuckle. Issei thought Kali would be a little standoffish with Mari at first. That was proven wrong by the change of her expression. When Issei first met her, the fallen's face was set in a sharp scowl almost perpetually. It had eased after a few weeks.
Issei saw that same look, when he found her in the church. He was glad that it took her almost no time at all, to start feeling a bit more at ease. This scene did have one negative aspect to it though.
He was now utterly terrified to have Mari start school in two years. Being friendly was good, to an extent. But having a bit of stranger danger, wouldn't be bad either. At least that way, he wouldn't have to wonder if she'd start talking to the wrong person. No, he couldn't think like that. He, Anna, and Kali would be sure to always be there for her.
Letting go of the shoulders she was holding on to, Mari slid down to the floor, skipping over to her father. Brown hair bouncing, emerald eyes gleaming, and a wide smile across her lips, Mari didn't seem to have noticed how uneasy she'd made the new resident.
With a hand on each of his daughter's shoulders, Issei turned her to face Kali, who was standing up now, and attempting to brush herself clean. It wasn't working, but the effort was made.
"Mari, this is Kali, she's going to be staying with us from now on." He picked his eyes up from his daughter, and back to Kalawarner.
"Kali, this is my daughter Mari."
The introduction was more for Mari, because Kalawarner had already seen pictures of the girl. Even so, they were an important thing that Mari had to learn. First impressions set the bar for how someone viewed you. He didn't want Mari developing bad habits.
Well, more bad habits. Rolling in the mud of their garden, plus jumping onto a person you just met, were not habits he considered good.
Mari seemed to lose interest in Kalawarner at that moment, as she turned towards the living room, looking in that direction curiously. It had only been a passing thought, but Issei really should have considered what might happen just a bit more.
He knew exactly why she was looking that way. While the effect should be much greater on him, Mari had never been in the presence of a dragon tamer before.
The damage was already done. He had willingly and knowingly allowed a dragon tamer to stay in his home, and now his daughter was being drawn towards wherever the blonde nun was at the moment. If he was feeling it right, she seemed to be upstairs.
In all honesty, he didn't think Mari would be able to feel that magnetism unless Asia was right in front of her. She was half devil, the other parts should have been diluted enough to negate this.
Clearly he was wrong.
"I'll come help you in a few minutes Kali." Issei spoke, turning to follow behind Mari. He saw her nod before she was out of his view.
Coming in to the living room, Issei saw that Anna was pouting on the couch. She sat with one leg crossed over the other, bouncing it impatiently, along with her arms crossed across her chest.
Her leg stopped once she noticed the look on Mari's face. With a raised brow, she was silently asking him, what was up with her. Issei just gave a jerk of his head, asking her to follow along with him.
It was still going to be a few days before any decision regarding Asia came about. The likelihood of him feeling comfortable letting her get swept up by the three factions was already low. A few more days will probably going to make him feel like he was abandoning someone he cared for deeply.
That was just how dragon tamers worked. They couldn't control what it did to the species, how it made them feel. The only thing they could do, was affect if that was magnified through the nearly dead magic the tamers once had.
It was similar to the way he affected angels. As much as he wished to be able to turn it off, he had no idea if that was even possible.
As quiet as her race was known for, Anna stood from the couch, and made to follow the two of them.
What was happening right now, brought a thought that piggybacked off what he and Yasaka had talked about, the inevitability of more women coming into his life.
Asia didn't fit into it, the way that Yasaka meant, but if things went the way he thought they would, she would still be a part of his life.
If Mari wasn't in the picture, there was a chance that Issei would help the nun go start anew somewhere. But…If his daughter got attached to her, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do that. He had a hard enough time denying her things as it was.
That one stair that he kept forgetting to have a look at, creaked as he stepped on it, the draw from the nun getting stronger as they made their way upstairs. He could tell now, that she was in the guest room.
Mari could tell too, because her gaze was locked right towards where Asia had to be at the moment.
The final step was cleared, and Mari took as big of steps as she could, with her small strides.
The door was slightly open, and he could hear the girl humming something inside. When Mari came to the door, she didn't waste any time in pushing it open enough for her to slip through.
But unlike what she did with Kali down in the kitchen, Mari seemed to hesitate. Issei knocked lightly on the door, just to let Asia know that he was there. It still had the effect of startling her.
She seemed to have just been putting clothes away, when they came up. Her blonde hair swung as she turned to face them, her bright green eyes locking onto his.
"Oh, Mister Issei, you came back." Her voice seemed to be the trigger that released Mari from whatever was effecting her. That soft and gentle tone was leagues better then the scared vibrato of the other night.
When Mari took a step forward, Asia jumped, not noticing that the girl was even there, thanks to how still she'd been.
"I'm glad you seem to be doing better Asia. The little one there is my daughter Mari, and this is Anna." He said, gesturing to each. While Anna gave a nod towards the nun, Mari kept her slow walk up to the nun.
With nervous, yet pleasant smile, Asia greeted them both.
"It's nice to meet you both, I hope I won't be a burden to any of you during my stay."
When Mari stood within reach of Asia, she stared at her curiously, trying to understand why she was feeling so weird. Mari noticed, that the closer she got to the room, the more she wanted to be in here.
Asia knelt down, and her smile was less strained this time.
"Hello Mari, I hope you and I can be friends. If you want, I could play with you sometime."
Normally, Mari would have been jumping for joy with that statement. Instead, her small hands came up, and started to poke at Asia. First was her shoulder, her forearm, and then at her cheek.
Asia looked confused, but withstood it. The little girl stopped poking, and just placed her hands on Asia's sides.
Everyone present went wide eyed, when Mari stepped closer, and hugged the nun. Issei knew that the decision was made, when his daughter gave a hum that could only be interpreted as content. Thankfully the cross that Asia was wearing, was too high around her neck to touch Mari.
Well, at least they were going to get along just fine. He would remind Asia not to pray around Mari, just to be safe.
-LineBreak-
It was time for school to resume, unfortunately, and Issei kept massaging at the back of his neck as he sat in the usual desk.
He was accustomed to having another person in his bed. Whether it be Anna, Nora, or Yasaka, it was a feeling that he enjoyed. Having two women sleeping beside him, each of very different body types, created an issue he'd never thought of.
Anna wasn't particularly clingy, but she liked to have at least a little bit of physical contact with him. Kali on the other hand, was a top tier cuddler. Was that a word? Cuddler? He really didn't know how else to classify her sleeping habit, without it sounding childish.
While Anna had curled herself towards him, holding his hand towards her chest, Kalawarner had grabbed onto him from just underneath his arms, and snuggled his head to her chest.
The position had been comfortable up to the point he fell asleep. When he awoke though, his neck was aching badly.
A few of his classmates could be seen wandering the halls, not wanting to be in their classroom just yet, since there was a good 30 minutes before things officially began. He was sure that the noise level was on the edge of being obnoxious.
Why people felt the need to raise their voice, just because of other conversation happening around them, he would never understand.
Issei hadn't gotten around to contacting anyone last night. The scene with Asia and Mari had killed his train of thought. He would have to contact Azazel today, just to see how the Governor wanted to handle the situation with Kalawarner. That, and the fact that someone had let one of his sacred gear extractors be stolen.
At least that abomination wouldn't be a problem anymore, as it was among the ashes in the church.
Leaving the music app on his phone, Issei considered sending out a few quick messages. The first, he decided he could do later, which was to let Leighton know that Kali was with him now. The other one, after a few moments of thought, was deemed as a bad idea all together.
His rival had a bad habit of not covering his tracks very well. No matter the era, a storm brews where a heavenly dragon resides, and people knew about it.
Enough people knew about Vali by now, or at least his title as the white dragon emperor, that if they met up in Kuoh, trouble would follow. And there was enough trouble brewing already. It was better to leave that one alone for a few more months, at the very least.
Movement directly in front of the desk, caught his eye. Issei looked up, and was confused to see that Aika Kiryuu had planted herself in the chair, sitting in it backwards.
He knew enough about the girl, from hearing things in passing, that her position was a planned one. With her legs spread as they were, to accommodate the chair, she was effectively giving him a free panty shot. If she thought that he would be caught in a trap so transparent, then his reputation was vastly different then what he'd intended.
Her auburn braided pig tails hung slightly off her shoulder as she leaned forward, those hazel eyes giving him a curious yet triumphant look. Behind those large pink framed glasses, was a girl that knew she had some juicy info. The question was, how good was it, and how could she use it to her advantage?
Her mouth moved, but the blaring repetition of MURMAIDER in his ear, left him attempting to read her lips. That was something Issei had never been too good with.
With a deep breath that was well concealed, Issei paused his music, took out his headphones, and readied himself for what would undoubtedly a conversation on some sort of gossip related topic.
If he were the betting type, his money would be on something to do with Akeno, and them being seen together. The students just loved to gossip about the "Great Ladies of Kuoh". Rias, Akeno, Sona and Tsubaki, no matter which hallway you went down, it was almost guaranteed to hear something about them daily. Mostly unfounded rumors, though that may have been by design.
"Good morning Kiryuu, what can I do for you?" He began, making sure that his eyes stayed directly on hers. A hot blooded male, he may be, but Issei was not as easily tempted or swayed as most of the guys here.
Aika smirked at him, an expression she used when teasing the Duo of far too open young men, that sat in front of him.
"Morning Hyoudou, I was just asking how your weekend was? Anything noteworthy to speak of?"
Perhaps he was wrong, and there was some rumor including him that he had yet to hear. He did give his response some thought though, on how best to answer her.
"It had its ups and downs. I met up a friend I haven't seen in a while, other than that, I spent it mostly with family." Nowhere in that statement, was their a lie that could be picked apart.
"How was yours?" He would much prefer to be spending his time listening to music, and deciding how best to proceed with the things that were planned, but it was only polite to respond in the same way she had.
"Mine was great~!" Her emphasis on the word, put together with her smirk, had Issei anxiously waiting for the punchline. He wanted to know what information people were likely going to try and pry out of him for the next few weeks, until the rumor faded like the rest.
"I had my annual family reunion. This time though, my cousin and I spotted something interesting, while we were out visiting shrines."
There was a brief few seconds, where Issei just took that at face value, instead of trying to understand what she was hinting at.
'Hmmm, that sounds nice actually. We should take the girls around to some shrines next time i'm…in….'
Fuck.
The events of his life, left him non-religious, but this would be one of the rare exceptions to even think these words.
'Please, for the love of god, don't let her mean, what I think she does.'
But of course, his pseudo prayer was useless. Michael did not have the time, or reasoning to help him out in this situation. The one standing in for god, was more likely to be amused at receiving a prayer from him than anything else.
It took an immense amount of self-control, to keep his expression from reflecting how nervous and shocked he was at hearing Aika.
"My cousin and I were lagging behind the rest. He's something of a shutterbug, takes pictures of pretty much anything. At first I thought he was testing out his new lens." She spoke in a flippant manner, like she wasn't exposing something that Issei would have gone to great lengths to hide.
He wasn't ashamed of his relationship, there was no reason for him to be. But in the wrong hands, this information could be very bad. In fact, he'd just had a talk with Yasaka about that very topic, before he returned home.
"It wasn't until he said something about some absolutely gorgeous woman, that I wanted to see what he was up to."
Based on the way her smirk got more vicious, Aika had seen his fingers twitch ever so slightly. He was trying to keep himself from gripping the desk.
"Kyoto is an interesting city isn't it? Some of those shrines maidens are some serious eye candy."
Dammit.
There was very little chance that Aika had been able to put those things together, and attribute them to him, if she hadn't seen him with Yasaka.
"If someone would have asked me just at the end of last week, if you might be interested in anyone, I would have said either Akeno or the Kiyome Abe. Who would have guessed you had a milf kink though."
She let loose a rather perverse giggle, her eyes losing focus for just a moment, likely wondering about the kinds of things that may or may not have happened.
"Milf kink?" Issei asked, unable to stop himself for some reason. That just sounded ridiculous. He would like to think he had no such thing, and was an open minded person about what type of women he classified as attractive.
"Oh c'mon-" Aika pulled on of her hands back, fiddling with something in the pocket of her skirt. What came out, was her phone. The girl searched for something, and flashed the screen over to him, when she found it.
"You can't possibly mean to say, that those hips and tits aren't those of a young mother. I had a lady boner just looking at the pictures we took, can't imagine what it was like up close."
The screen was really close to his face, but when Issei pulled his head back to look at the device, he paled. He was so screwed.
On the phone, was a picture of him and Yasaka during their trek to see Inari. His Beautiful, flirty, mischievous wife had taken many liberties on that walk, one of which was now being displayed before him.
Each of their faces was visible enough, to be able to identify him easily. Yasaka had been leaning in for a kiss, with her hand pretty much forcing him to grope her breasts in public. The camera had even been able to pick up on the light blush of her cheeks and lust in her golden eyes.
Aika swiped the screen to the next photo, which showed the two of them in a heated kiss. It clearly showed her hands clenching, both the one on his collar, and the one over his. Unfortunately, the picture showed his other hand squeezing her ass.
"So Hyoudou…Who's the mystery bombshell?" She leaned forward again, after taking the phone away. Her eyes attempting to coerce him to give in to her demand.
"She's a friend." He hoped she would drop this soon.
"Pft, if she's just a friend, then i'm the queen of England."
When he refused to answer, Aika's gaze shifted to his chest, almost as though she were looking into him. But that wasn't possible, because she was just a regular human.
It took another 15 seconds before Aika decided that she'd had enough of the silent game.
"How about this then? You remember when I embarrassed dumb and dumber, when they thought they had some size scouting secret weapon?"
Issei nodded. It had been one of the more lively lunch breaks he'd spent in the classroom. Aika had trampled their victorious feeling, by whipping out the gender opposite version of Motohama's "technique".
"What if I told you, that I could do more than measure dicks? That I was just a very observant girl, with a healthy curiosity of the human body?" Right, he didn't believe that for a second. This girl had to have a stash of porn hidden somewhere that was at least knee high.
"Observant enough, to have noticed what you usually wear under your shirt. And I can tell, that one of them is missing. Not to mention the indent on your left ring finger."
Out of reflex, Issei brought a hand to feel for the lone ring now placed there. He thought he'd be safe with only wearing it when he was with Yasaka. It had only been on his hand until this morning.
Looking at his left hand, even his vision was having a hard time picking up on what she had noticed. This girl was something else. He hoped she had investigative work on her career list.
Issei sighed, questioning her motives for confronting him with this, while deciding if he should let her remember what she'd learned.
"What now? You going to spread a rumor that i'm married with a stepchild?" If she did, that was likely to have poor results with the devils. From what he'd heard from Kali, they weren't happy about him heading out of town.
Going off and getting married, while their hometown was on an underworld mandated lockdown? Nope, that wouldn't go over well.
"Heh heh, now why would I go and do that? I would much rather hold on to this little tidbit, and see what you do next. It's common knowledge now, that Akeno Himejima seems to have shown an interest in you. You've been strangely tight lipped about a lot of things, and i'm eager to unravel the mystery."
Awesome. Just fucking awesome.
The chances that he could avoid Akeno, and let his effect wear off, were basically zero. If Aika held true to her word, he might just be dealing with people thinking he was one of those guys that came here to gather a harem.
That is, if she spread it around.
The bell rang, signaling that classes were soon to start. Aika stood, reveling in her accomplishment of getting the silent prince riled up. He'd been unflappable since last year, something that many girls praised and speculated about.
At first, she didn't care, thinking him to be the loner type. Her curiosity was peeked after seeing him interact with others a few times, since he showed no signs of the social awkwardness that most of that archetype did.
The rings he wore underneath the uniform, she had figured were just family heirlooms or something. Her nosey nature came in handy today, with the things she noticed. Aika was very much looking forward to learning more.
On top of that list, was how in the world a 2nd year high school student came into a situation where he became a stepfather.
-LineBreak-
"We have to be certain, we've already underestimated his relationship with the fallen and heaven."
It was strange to see the head of the devil military so attentive. Falbium Asmodeus held the firm belief that, "Working means losing" and often fell asleep whenever they held meetings.
Currently, the 4 devil kings were in the capital city Lilith, discussing how they could maneuver things well enough, so they could keep the element of surprise.
"Zekram will only be the first to take offense." The man scratched at his shin, running his fingers through the facial hair.
The room in which they were sitting, was large enough for the entirety of 7 peerages, with the long heavy wood table being the center piece. It was decorated as one would expect, with paintings of key events of devil history.
"Do you really think so? I know he takes tradition seriously, but he also acts to better the devil race as a whole." Spinning in the chair she swapped for a typical office chair, Serafall was dressed in the costume for her show, her demeanor between a serious leader and an easily excitable young girl.
"This is different then what happened with Cleria Belial. We're talking about having a non-devil acting as our own hands here. Queries of motive and trust will be brought up." Ajuka Beelzebub spoke, as calm as he ever was.
His slicked back green hair only a shade lighter then the deeper green of his attire.
They were discussing the possible ramifications of having the Red Dragon Emperor fight Riser Phenex. It was an old, and mostly unused form of the judicial process, and had been since the end of the great war, a trial by combat.
However, the devil kings were certain that Riser would take the bait. His pride would allow nothing less, once the cards were stacked against him.
The charges they were going to use were; theft, fencing, and conspiracy to commit treason. There was enough evidence to have the treason charge added, but they wanted to keep that to themselves for now.
"I really wish we could just tell the people why Ise will be a part of this. But then he'd get mad at me, and cancel our date." The strongest woman in the underworld looked ridiculous, spinning slowly in her chair and pouting, arms crossed against her chest and cheeks puffed out.
"Sera, i'm not sure that would count as a date. It seemed that he meant it to just be a meal between family and friends." Sirzechs' reply was met with a cold glare, as her chair magically stopped right in his direction.
A super devil he might be, but that didn't mean he didn't have a healthy fear of a womans wrath. He would hold his tongue on the subject, but his point still stood. Issei had said that the dinner wouldn't be just the two of them. His daughter was going to be in attendance as well, which was the biggest bonus in his opinion.
Serafall was the best at analyzing a person with a glance, it was a part of what made her so deadly during the civil war. A few minutes in the presence of the little girl, and Sera would be able to tell how she was developing.
"It is too a date! Just because there other women will be there, doesn't change that." It seemed that she wouldn't be moved on this subject. Sirzechs hoped that Issei realized what he was getting in to.
"I believe the topic has strayed too far, Lady Leviathan." The calm voice of Grayfia spoke from her place near the door.
Sirzechs looked to his wife, and when her steel gaze shifted to him, he quickly averted it to his fellow leaders. It was a mistake, telling her of how he and Serafall had once slept together after a rather gruesome fight during the civil war. How they dealt with the masses they had slain, was a mistake on both sides.
She didn't take it well, learning that her husband had taken the virginity of the other woman in the room, during the time that he had been trying to court her from opposing sides of the conflict. Grayfia came to regret asking where he learned to back down from her glares.
"Ahem, yes, I agree. In any case, If Serafall believes that the Red Dragon Emperor can be trusted to follow our guidelines, I believe we have our finalized plan."
The young man was most likely not going to like it, but they just couldn't reasonably have Riser killed. The backlash would be too great. The things they were going to publicly charge the Phenex with, did not measure up to receiving capital punishment.
Getting Azazel and Eneely Vassago to cooperate had been simple enough. Ajuka had been the obvious choice to approach the heiress, with his family's relationship to hers. Now she was being safely kept guarded by one of Azazel's most trusted people. The lightning of God may be a stern and somewhat uncompromising man, but he understood the value of being discreet.
Sirzechs wasn't sure how, but he was going to repay Issei Hyoudou for what he had set in motion. The three factions were coming together, like they had only once before. Aside from the benefits his people would get from the threat of war dissipating, he was also helping Rias. There were no riches he wouldn't give to the young man, for helping to save his sisters happiness.
"How long do we wait, before putting the plan in motion?" The question posed by Falbium, was pondered by the other three.
The plan was this: They would ask for a meeting of elders, and present their findings, from looking into the disappearance of Lady Vassago, which would lead into an untracked crate of phoenix tears found in an area she frequented. That shipment would lead them to a black market operation involving the healing liquid.
Riser was the only member of the family to have the kind of access necessary, and a habit of going off grid for days at a time, that him being magically tagged for monitoring wouldn't cause anyone to look too closely.
Once they had gathered enough information on what Riser was up to, Eneely would reappear, claiming to have been taking some time for herself, to escape the pressures and stress that being the head of a pillar created.
A spontaneous vacation to an unknown location, was fairly common among family heads.
Sirzechs had wanted to move his aunt Misla as well, but it had been decided that moving her to a secure location might alert the enemy. Plus, her son kept a close eye on her anyway.
"Riser is getting impatient about his engagement to Rias. He's pushing for the wedding to take place in a few months, and has set appointments for several venues and caterers. Once the shipment arrives in a few days, we wait to until he is contacted by them. The moment that happens, we call for the hearing."
From this point on, Grayfia was going to have the most difficult job of them all, regarding this situation. She was going to be the one to tell Issei that he couldn't kill Riser. She would also have to be present if Riser went to see Rias, to convince her and go through with it.
-LineBreak-
To his surprise, Issei hadn't seen any of the devils all day, except for Koneko. Instead of the glare that she'd given him last time, today she'd looked puzzled by what she was feeling from him.
He didn't blame her either, since he literally had a piece of Yasaka inside of him now.
The day had ended without much happening, just the usual rambling of teachers. Issei was determined to keep his promise of finishing high school, but sometimes it was a real test of patience. Traveling the world and experiencing it first hand, was a better learning tool than being stuck in a classroom in his opinion.
With no reason to hang back, Issei made his way home. He did still have to contact Azazel, although he was reluctant to do so. The Governor of the fallen had a habit of sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
Like the time he tried sneaking up on Issei while he was asleep, to understand his effect on angels. The man hadn't been able to move an inch, as Issei had trapped him in a gravity well strong enough to drag even the oxygen in the air down to the floor.
It was not a good idea to approach Nora's side of the bed with only a robe on. Nora had found the situation, mostly his reaction, to be hysterical. He did not, especially after the shit she pulled when they were in Spain.
Opening the door to his home, Issei was about to call out that he was finally back, but realized how bad of an idea that was.
The tv was on, the sound muted, showing sun reruns of shark week. Across from that, cramped onto the couch, was all of the girls.
Kali was at the far side, her head leaning back onto the headrest. One arm was being used as her pillow, and the other was draped over it. Beside her was Asia, laying her head against the fallen angel's abdomen. Anna was sitting much like Kali was, except both hands were holding onto Mari, who was curled up and using the nekoshou as a pillow.
All four were out cold, likely because Mari wanted to spend the day playing with the new people.
He tried to shut the door silently, but even that small noise of the latch had stirred the fallen. She didn't move, but her deep blue eyes opened and shifted over to him quickly.
Issei smiled and waved towards her, keeping silent so that Anna and Asia could rest from what had undoubtedly been a busy day.
Kalawarner looked at the nun, over to the other two, before slowly shifting. One of her hands went behind Asia's head, and the other on her back. Pushing lightly, Kali got Asia off of her, and shifted herself to be able to stand, then gently guiding Asia down.
The nun only pulled her hands into a prayer position, nuzzling in to the cushion on the couch, never waking.
Taking off his shoes, Issei walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. Cleaning the mess from yesterday had taken a good 2 hours. It would have been a little quicker, had Kalawarner not used the wrong solution.
With a glass in hand, Issei turned on the tap. The large glass was only half full, when he felt arms wrap around him, and rather large chest pressed into his back.
"The school boy returns." She whispered into his ear.
Shutting off the flow of water, Issei tapped on her hand, letting her know to ease up a bit. When she did as asked, he turned in her grasp, and took a sip of the cold drink.
"How did today go?" They had to talk quietly, or else either Anna or Mari would wake up. For the moment, he would rather they stayed asleep, so he could have a moment with Kalawarner.
When he went for another drink, Kalawarner tipped his glass with a finger, getting him to drink it all in one go. Setting the glass on the counter, once she took it from him, Kali stepped into him again.
"Aside from the little one following Asia around most of the morning, she's exactly like Nora. Spontaneous, energetic, charismatic, the only thing I think she gets from you is the hybrid genes and her appetite."
Issei chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, one hand on her back and the other on her neck. Kali sighed, taking a deep breath of him through her nose as she nuzzled into his collar.
He rubbed gently on her back for a few seconds, before she spoke.
"How about we sneak upstairs?" Her hips started to slowly grind against him, making her question and real intentions clear.
"We'd wake Mari."
If he thought she would be deterred by that, he was sorely mistaken.
"You could just gag me, if you want me to keep quiet. I won't mind." Issei had been right, about his thoughts about her from before. She was going to keep pressing this particular issue until he gave in.
His only reservation on doing what she wanted, was him being married again. Maybe it was from the way he was raised, short as that had been. Even though Yasaka had said that Anna and Kali were little more than possessions in the eyes of many, he would still feel that he was cheating on Yasaka.
A question entered his mind then. Was it because it was with Kalawarner, or just the fact that he was supposed to be in a committed relationship?
How would he feel if it were Anna saying the same thing right now?
Issei felt her hand slip down to the thing she was craving, and he tried to create a mental picture to sort out his thoughts. He used the events just before leaving Kyoto as a frame of reference.
Dipping her head down, Yasaka licked from the base of his shaft, up to the tip. The feeling alone had blood rushing down.
His face was pulled to the side by a pair of soft hands, getting him to look directly into the yellow eyes of Anna. His near silent companion quickly pushed forward and claimed his lips for a kiss. Deep and heated, he could feel her tongue sweeping out, wanting his to join hers.
The wet and warm sensation below made him give a low moan into his kiss with Anna.
Yasaka pulled back slowly, letting her tongue slide against the bottom of him. Once at the tip, Yasaka swirled her tongue around it, before going back down, her lips touching his pelvis.
Anna broke their kiss, and he saw the sly smile on her lips before she stepped to the side and knelt down beside the kitsune.
Yasaka pulled her head away, angling herself on his right side, while Anna was on his left.
As much as he tried to deny wanting something like this, Issei couldn't say that the image before him wasn't amazing. A woman with dark hair, her hand gently sliding up his thigh, a blonde with her hand pumping up and down his shaft, using her own saliva as the lubricant.
Ding-Dong
The doorbell rang at a good time, and Issei was pulled from his fantasy and realization.
Kali huffed in annoyance at the disruption, but let him go without any further protest.
All three girls had been woken up by the sound, but he had gotten closer to the door then they were by the time they realized what woke them.
The realization he came to? That his moral compass wasn't as rigid as he thought. And maybe, he was still holding onto the past a little too much.
With a calming breath, Issei grabbed the handle for the front door, twisted and pulled. He'd thought that it would just be a door to door sales person like normal, since he didn't normally get visitors.
He was wrong.
Standing there, were 6 of the devils that controlled the area.
Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Sona, Ruruko and Tsubaki, the two high class ladies looked serious. Koneko ate her candy like it was the only thing of importance, while Ruruko was staring at him nervously.
But Akeno? She went from glancing at him, to glaring at the fallen angel that had appeared behind in the doorway behind him.
"Hi Issei, may we came in?" Rias have had a smile on her lips, but her eyes said that she was upset with him.
"Who is it Daddy?" Fantastic, now Mari had seen them. She'd be asking questions for the next few weeks, about who they were.
"No one sweetie, just some people who got lost." He said with a pointed glare towards his unannounced visitors.
When Rias tried to peer inside, he moved the door to block her view.
"I told you, that maybe you'd meet her at a later date. If you need to talk, we can do it tomorrow, at school." His voice was a quiet and threatening growl.
Kali took the initiative, with her hand on the upper part of the door, and closed it hard.
"No way in hell they're getting some before me. I don't care if they're related to the devil kings, the thirsty bitches can wait their damn turn."
Issei blinked, as the door slammed.
Turning around, he saw Kali shuffle over to the couch, taking the spot she was in earlier.
"Kali, please watch the language around Mari."
It was all he could think of, to say at the moment. He would deal with the devils later.
END!
I wanted to do a little more Yasaka stuff, but I felt that we needed to head back to Kuoh. So we'll have more fun with her later.
Also kind of wanted to just jump into a Kalawarner lemon, but felt a little build up would be better.
Maybe next time eh?
Thank you to Revan's Wraith and Crimson Azazel for giving this a read through before hand.
If any of you wanna come hang out in our discord, here the link! Sometimes I post my progress for a chapter there.
[ gg/ xEApPAS ]