A/N
I don't own High School DxD
I am irreligious, all due care but no responsibility about incorrect facts.
In this story, Hades is the One true God of Death.
All other personifications in religions are underlings.
Chapter 7
Last time
"To make sure that no one is following us. We can be sure that magically that no one is on our tail. But by doing this, we will confuse the shit out of anyone trying to follow us".
Just as she finished explaining her reasons Room Service arrived with their dinner.
Hearing the chime at the door she dove forwards calling out "FOOD!".
Brașov
Hotel room 323
Standing in front of the bathroom impatiently, tapping her foot on the floor Bennia called out "Come on Issei, If you don't hurry we're going to be late and miss the bus".
"Sorry, but I can't help it."
"I told you not to order the Seafood Pizza, but Nooo, you wouldn't listen would you?".
"But your Capricciosa looked so good, and I was still hungry, how could I have known?".
"Idiot, we are miles from a large body of water, let alone an ocean. How long do you think that seafood has been around for?".
Flushing the toilet and, walking out of the bathroom holding his stomach Issei moaned "Don't remind me!, Can you do anything to help?".
Holding her nose due to the smell she replied "Wad?, Do I looded Lide a med reader?".
131176
Hall of Neutrality
Making her way to the conference room Serafall looked at her companion. "You didn't have to come as well Sirzechs, Pluto is going to have a heart attack seeing you".
Grunting to himself Sirzechs responded "You read that cock and bull story as well Serafall. They tried to play a game, and the rug got pulled out from under their feet. I'm going to take great delight in seeing that ass kisser sweat. As we discussed, we are not going to let this slide, either way the sanctions will come into effect immediately. They know, that we know, that they tried something. So there has to be some form of official redress. But I am going to privately pass along a message to Hades. Something along the lines of 'Don't fuck with us again'".
Serafall paused as she was about to open the door to the conference room. She looked at Sirzechs' expression and grinned ferally. "Oh yes that will do nicely". Smoothing her expression into one of political diplomacy, she opened the door with a bang and entered.
Sitting at the long table Pluto shuffled through the paperwork in nervous anticipation. Hades had flown into a rage, when he found out that Red Dragon Emperor host had fled. Orcus was still being held in Cocytus over what had happened, allegedly being questioned, Pluto knew that there were very few questions being asked. Having to cut their losses and try and salvage a diplomatic resolution with the Devils, they had concocted a story about what had happened. He only hoped that Serafall believed what was now the official story. Hearing the door open with a bang, he looked up and broke into a nervous sweat, Serafall wasn't alone. 'Oh shit Sirzechs came as well' he thought. Watching the two of them take seats opposite him he took a sip of water to moisten his suddenly dry throat and collect his thoughts . Placing the glass back down he coughed slightly and began his spiel.
"Kalimere Serafall, Thank you for coming today, and Maou Sirzechs, I am pleased to see that you also have taken time to come here today as well, your presence here honors us".
Both Serafall and Sirzechs nodded at the greeting. Having made arrangements prior to coming, Serafall took the lead in dealing with Pluto. "Thank you for contacting us Lord Pluto, how may we be of service to you today?"
"It is with some regret, that we have to inform you of one of our Reapers has gone rogue".
"Tisk, Tisk", Serafall clicked with her tongue shaking her head sadly, "Oh my that is a shame, It's regrettable that one has left your flock". Shrugging her shoulders she continued blandly "But hardly worthy of our attention. Surely just a bulletin would suffice in this matter, so that we know that their actions are unsanctioned".
"Normally that would suffice, but this situation is slightly different. The reaper in question goes by the name of Bennia".
Thinking out loud Serafall murmured "Bennia?", Snapping her fingers she added "Oh that's right!, that is the name of the reaper who mistakenly broke the five minute rule over the Red Dragon Emperor".
Swallowing nervously Pluto added "That is correct".
Joining in the conversation for the first time Sirzechs added "I still don't see how this is of any concern to us Lord Pluto".
Looking over at Sirzechs Pluto continued "In accordance with your request in regards to the Red Dragon Emperor, Our special projects team had difficulties extracting the host from the Second ring, Bennia was brought in to help as she was the one who reaped his soul".
"With Bennia's assistance they managed to recover the host from the Second ring. She was put in charge of making sure that the reintegration of the host's soul and body went smoothly. At some stage after reintegration, they murdered the treating physician and went rogue".
Shaking her head sadly Serafall "Oh dear what a nasty mess. How did they manage to kill the treating physician?"
Deciding to throw them some information Pluto continued "We don't know how she did it. What you don't know is that Bennia was a special duties operative during the war. An exploding Gerbil in a secure lab would not be beyond her capabilities".
Nodding sagely Sirzechs interjected crossing his arms "Ahh yes, the exploding Gerbil. I assume there wasn't much left of the lower torso?"
"No, not much at all".
Coughing loudly Serafall tried to get the conversation back on track "So what you are telling us, is that this Bennia decided to go rogue and took the Red Dragon Emperor host with her. Correct?"
Looking at his notes Pluto agreed "Correct".
At this Sirzechs sat back in his chair seemingly thinking about what was said. Eventually he exclaimed "Bullshit!"
Pluto's jaw dropped at the statement, gathering up his thoughts at this blatant disregard of diplomatic nicety he stated "Excuse me Maou Sirzechs, I'm not sure I heard you correctly?"
Dropping all pretence at being diplomatic, Sirzechs reaffirmed his statement "I said, Bullshit! Pluto".
Serafall taking her cue from Sirzechs continued "Eight weeks ago, Bennia reaped the soul of one Hyoudou Issei, three weeks ago you and I had our first meeting over this matter, two weeks ago we issued a demand for Bennia as well as Hyoudou Issei, last week your specialists told me that you were having trouble removing him from the second ring, and now you tell us that not only has he been reintegrated to his body, but managed to subvert one of your special duties operatives and escape from your domain?". Standing up she threw her notebook onto the table with all the relevant dates highlighted, she finished with "What a load of crap".
Standing up as well Sirzechs snapped at Pluto "We find your attempts at subverting the treaty between us to be deplorable. At this point in time we will be suspending all ties between our realms, and all access through our portals to the human realm as well. Until such time as proper redress has been made". Leaning over the table he snarled "By the way you can pass a personal message from me to Hades as well, tell him that I said 'Fuck You'". With that the two of the stormed out.
131176
Romanian airport.
Sitting in a cafe at the Henri Coandă International Airport airport Bennia looked around carefully. During their bus trip from Brasov to the airport she had spotted several reapers staking out the rail and bus terminals, obviously keeping a close eye on ways out of the country, to try and catch them. Issei had mentioned that they should use some form of disguise, but she had dismissed that straight out, not only were they cumbersome to use, they would have trouble with immigration officials when they tried to leave. She had explained that they would take several flights across Europe then head to Japan via the United States.
"I still don't understand why we can't go straight home from here?" whispered Issei.
Sighing Bennia answered "As I explained on our way here, this is the safest way to escape. Our tickets are already booked and it's just a matter now of dodging any surveillance that Hades has posted inside".
"I'd still feel better if we were in some sort of disguise" Issei grumbled.
"Yes I agree, but unfortunately our papers only have our normal images on them, and it's too hard to explain to the officials, why we don't look like our passports". Looking up at a large clock on the wall she stood up "Come on our flight to Milan is starting to board".
Standing up as well Issei asked "Why are we going there rather than Rome?"
"Because flights to Heathrow and Frankfurt are boarding at the same time and I hope that the surveillance here will be focusing on them, rather than a smaller flight to Milan".
As they walked through the departure lounge, they mingled with other passengers, hoping to keep prying eyes off them, as they passed by the gates to Heathrow, Bennia nudged Issei with her elbow and whispered "Issei don't make it obvious but see that man over by the phone?"
Scratching the side of his face, Issei peered over in the direction that had been pointed out to him "Yeah I see him" he murmured.
"That's one of the men who work in the Intelligence Department, I've worked with him before. Just keep walking, he's focused on the gate for Heathrow".
Having been shown that there were reapers looking for them Issei became more self conscious, and started to close in on himself.
Seeing what he was doing, Bennia looped her arm through his, and began to talk about different places that they had supposedly been. "Stop that" she hissed under her breath, "You'll draw attention to yourself, just be normal. Or as normal as you can be".
Making their way past the lookout, they arrived at their flight without any further complications. As the plane was taxiing Issei asked "Will we have any further issues?"
Closing her eyes, trying to get some sleep on the flight Bennia answered "Probably when we get to Narita Airport in Japan. That will be watched as a matter of course. But there are more people there so it will be easier to mix in with the crowds. Now get some sleep you'll need it".
131176
Toyama Prefecture
Gremory Estate
Sitting in the study Rias was putting the finishing touches to her master plan to defeat Riser and gain her freedom. Hearing a knock on the door frame she closed her notepad and looked up to see Saji standing there. Having been training the last seven days with the rest of her peerage, she could feel through their bond the rise in power levels the young man in front of her had obtained, and his current distress.
"Saji, what's the matter" she asked her pawn gently.
"Buchou, I'm worthless. I have been useless…since I got here."
"Saji?", she questioned, confused as to where this came from. He had been fitting so nicely with the others.
"I think I've gotten stronger since I came here and trained with everyone, but more than that…I felt the difference between us. If I do sword training, I realized how amazing Kiba is. When I do magic training for using my demonic-power, I realize how superior Akeno-san is, while Asia is improving her demonic-powers …..and I can't do anything … I'm fine as long as I have my Sacred Gear! I acted tough by thinking like that". Standing there bearing his soul to his king, Saji's eyes began to fill with tears and he lowered his head to hid the fact.
"I'm frustrated Buchou, just frustrated. The more I train, the more I realise how weak I am. ….. I have no talent for battle at the moment. Over the past five days, I found out that, I was the weakest person here, even Asia has improved more than me".
While he was wallowing in his despair Rias stood and made her way over to her despondent pawn. Slowly putting her arms around him she gave him a hug. Releasing him she lifted his head up and pulled him towards the couch on the wall. Sitting down she patted the seat beside her.
Sitting down beside her Saji looked at her shamefully through his tear filled eyes.
Hugging him gently again and Rias spoke to him softly "You want confidence, right? Okay, I will give you confidence. Trust me Saji your Sacred Gear is a big part of my plans. But now, you have to rest your body and mind".
At the time Saji didn't know what she meant. Except, his Kings warmth was healing his soul, and that was enough for now.[1]
Kouh Academy
Student Council
Sona sat at her desk with a contemplative look. Having just spoken with her sister, she had just been informed, about The Red Dragon Emperor escaping from the clutches of Hades, and here she was sitting in his hometown with pieces to spare. 'So now we wait for them to show up' she thought. Removing her spare evil pieces from her pocket she looked at them deep in thought, A Mutated Rook, A Knight, and 7 Pawns. 'So Issei is on the run, with the Reaper who harvested his soul'. Twisting the Mutated Rook piece between her fingers "I finally see what you did there, nee-chan" she murmured to herself.
"What has your sister done this time?" asked a voice from behind her.
Putting the pieces away she responded "Tsubaki, when hasn't my sister done something to vex me". Holding up a hand she continued, "This time though, this time she is trying to be sneaky, and when my sister tries to be sneaky, bad things always happen".
131176
Japan Airspace
Flight JL061
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have been cleared to land at 'Tokyo Narita Airport'. Please make sure that your seat belt is fastened and….."
Tuning out the generic message that he had heard several times in the last few days Issei looked over at Bennia, noticing that she was still asleep, he nudged her awake. "Hey sleepy head, time to wake up".
Batting his arm away she tiredly mumbled "Go away Issei, let me sleep".
Nudging her a little harder he reiterated "Come on it's time to get up, we are about to land".
Sighing to herself, she raised her seat and checked the seat belt. "This is why I hate using transport" she grumbled softly, "You finally get to sleep, and then you have to wake up, because they want you to do something". Running her hands over her face to try and wash the weariness away she asked "What time is it?".
Thanking his lucky stars that she didn't hit him again, after the last two times he had to wake her he replied "I don't know. I gave up adjusting my watch in Madrid".
Having jetted their way across Europe through several smaller airports, to make sure that they weren't being tracked, they made their way to Los Angeles from Heathrow during the afternoon, with a short stop over they made their final flight to Japan from Los Angeles.
Checking the inflight screen in front of her before closing it she commented "Quarter past eight, right on time"
Looking out the window, at the rapidly growing city below, Issei couldn't help but ask his companion "Why did you time it so that we arrived at this time?".
"I went over the international arrivals coming into Narita Airport today, there seems to be a large amount of arrivals at this time, in case there is someone watching, the more people in the terminal the better off we will be".
"I see" said Issei, Nodding his head in agreement. "So what do we do from here. Do we head straight for my home, or do we head somewhere else first".
Hearing the eagerness in his voice, Bennia decided to try and tamp his enthusiasm slightly "Issei I understand that you are anxious to see your parents, but they will be under surveillance. Hades will be watching all of the places and people that you used to frequent when you were alive. We need to set up a safe house first. Once we have done that, then we can slowly head out and understand the lay of the land, so to speak". Lapsing into silence the two of them contemplated their next move as the plane made its final descent.
"On behalf of Japan Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice day"
Standing up Issei and Bennia made their way to the exit amid the general crush to exit the plane. Only having a few items as their carry on luggage they made through the exit and after an hour they cleared through customs with little trouble. Wandering through the arrival hall Issei spied the ticket counter for JR-East. Tugging on Bennia's sleeve they made their way over to the counter. Purchasing two tickets for the Narita Express they then made their way down to the train station on the lower level. Boarding the train as it was about to depart they heard a shout from behind them.
"BENNIA!, stop right there!".
Spinning around at the sound of her name Bennia saw an operative of Hades running towards them. 'Dammit!' she thought. Seeing how the train was about to depart they ran and jumped on board as the doors closed and watched as the agent banged on the doors as the train began to depart.
Taking their seats Issei cursed out loud. Causing more people who had witness what was going on to move further away from them. Losing the cover of the crowd made him realize how exposed they were, sitting on a train heading in a known direction. Looking at Bennia calmly sitting there he wondered how she could be so collected when they had been discovered."Can we use a portal to get out of here?" he asked softly.
Looking at him horrified, she whispered "At the moment absolutely not!, and lower your voice".
Looking around and noticing the stares that they were receiving from other passengers, he whispered back confused "Why not?, I would think that in a situation like this it would be the perfect time".
"Because idiot, portals don't work like that. Remind me when we are safe to explain why. Right at this point in time, it can't be done".
"So what do we do? As soon as the train stops and we get off we'll be caught".
Reaching over and patting him on the knee she replied with a grin "Don't stress Issei, I have a plan, you'll see when we get to Chiba station in about 40 minutes".
"The train only lets people off at Chiba though, no one can board there, and I would assume that that agent will have made contact with his HQ by now, and they will have people at all stations by now".
"Issei don't worry, it will be fine" and with that she sat back in her seat and watched the scenery flash by.
"Dammit I know who I saw. I worked with her only twelve months ago" said the agent into his mobile phone. "Make sure that you have people waiting at all stations that the Narita Express stops at. From memory the last stop before Tokyo is at Chiba Station". Looking at his watch he added "Which will be within the next forty minutes". Pausing to listen to the person on the other end he added "I don't care that it will take an hour just get on it".
With five minutes to go before arriving at Chiba station Bennia stood up and grabbed her bag. "Come on Issei let's go".
Looking at her stupidly he replied "Go? Go where?".
Reaching down she grabbed his hand and pulled him up out of his seat "Come on, we don't have time for twenty questions".
Grabbing his bag as she pulled him to the front of the carriage, she opened a door and entered a compartment that was full of suitcases. Standing in the aisle between the racks she stood there thinking about what to do. 'Hmmm' she thought to herself 'now where to go to from here. No not there that's too obvious, not there either that's too predictable'.
Standing behind her, Issei kept looking over his shoulder, to see if anyone else was about to enter the compartment. Feeling the momentum of the train shift he called out "Whatever you're going to do Bennia, it has to be soon, the train is about to stop at Chiba".
Hearing the hurry up from Issei she nodded her head. 'Right that will have to do' she thought. Looking over her shoulder at Issei she stated "When the train stops I'm going to open a portal. I am aiming for the other side of the stations platforms so when we get through get out of sight straight away".
Feeling the train coming to a halt Issei felt the carriage stop. As soon as it had Bennia open a small portal and pushed him through. Stumbling as he exited the portal he made his way straight for the escalators in front of him. Trusting that Bennia would be right behind him.
People waiting on the platform for the train going in the other direction stared at them. A black circle of nothing, that spawned people how strange they thought, some one began to yell out but was drowned out by the sound of the incoming trains horn.
Making their way through the station the two of them stepped outside of the station and made their way across the street. Hearing a shout behind them they turned, and saw a woman stumbling into a man as she moved.
Bennia heard the shout behind her and turned to look at what the commotion was. Seeing a woman stumble into a man heading for the station, she saw a phone with an earpiece drop to the ground. "Shit!" she swore "Come on Issei its another agent". With that the two of them took off running. As they ran Bennia spied a multi deck car park, "Issei the car park" she called out as she changed her heading slightly.
Extricating herself from the man agent Brown picked herself up off the ground and began to give chase. As she chased the pair of fugitives, she reached for her phone, only to realize that she had dropped it in the collision with the man moments earlier. 'No time' she thought 'I'll lose them if I go back and get it'. Seeing them run into a car park she tried putting on more speed to catch up.
Entering the car park Bennia ran straight up the ramp to the first floor, as they entered the first level, she pointed to a group of cars on the right hand side, "Over there Issei, hide between the cars, I'll take care of the agent". As Issei complied with her instructions, Bennia moved to hide behind a concrete wall, that was part of the ramp from the ground level. Removing Scythie from storage space she checked the magic levels stored inside as a matter of habit. 'Mmm' she thought 'looks like we need to do some maintenance tonight'. Drawing as far back into the shadows as she could she waited.
Entering the car park agent Brown reached out with her senses, trying to determine where her quarry was hiding. Taking the time to check the ground floor and finding nothing, she slowly made her way up the ramp to the first floor. As she made her way up the ramp she could feel something off to her right as she stepped off the ramp. Slowly making her way to the right side of the car park she noticed a group of cars parked together, "You might as well give yourselves up" she called out. "The other agents are on their way here as we speak". As she called out that statement she felt a sharp pain in her back. Looking down at her chest she saw the tip of a blade protruding and a whisper behind her.
As she stood in the shadows Bennia heard the footfalls of the agent as she walked up the ramp. Peering from around the corner she saw the agent move towards the right hand side of the car par. Slowly and quietly she made her way behind the agent. Hearing her call out for them to give up she grinned ferally. Swinging down with Scythie she felt disappointed. There was no fun in chasing prey that was this amateurish. Feeling the blade penetrate the agent, she whispered softly "No, not today little girl". With that the agent started to struggle. As she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop any noise escaping, the agents struggles became weaker as she died. Lowering the her to the ground Bennia held her hand out and called upon a minuscule amount of her magic. "Disposal a-go-go" she called out, as the corpse dissolved into a cloud of black smoke. Looking down at the smoke Bennia felt the rush of battle leave her. "Come on out Issei, it over".
"That was quick" stated Issei as he came out from between the cars. Seeing Bennia staring at the ground he asked "Ummm shouldn't we be getting a move on, she said that the others were on their way".
"That was a lie. She dropped her phone, when she got tangled with that man, when she first started chasing us".
"So what now?".
"We have limited time, we need to get out of sight fairly quickly and lay low for a few days. So a hotel for the time being. Then we can begin to try and get in contact with the Leviathan. Perhaps we head to Kyoto. I have some contacts there that might help us".
"So this is where you found Browns radio?".
"Yes sir, according to witness' she dropped it when she got tangled with the man standing over there by the door. Apparently she took off after two people who were running away from the station".
"So they did get off here then".
"It looks that way sir, but where they are now, I have no idea".
"Hmmm, have the men spread out through the ward for the next forty eight hours, if nothing turns up by then, we will move on and bolster the stake out around Kouh".
131176
Chiba Washington Hotel
Waking up Issie tiredly rubbed his eyes, looking at the clock he saw that it was 11pm, feeling wide awake he thought to himself 'Jet lag suck's ass''. Having travelled through several time zones in the last two days he was unsure on what to do to overcome this problem. Getting cat naps at airport terminals and on flights left his body confused as to day or night.
Deciding that he could not get any more sleep he sat up. Looking over at the other bed he saw Bennia still sleeping so he quietly crept into the living area of the small room. Opening the mini bar he grabbed a can of tea and sat down in front of the T.V. hoping that some late night drivel would lull him back to sleep.
Sitting there with the mindless images flashing in front of him, safe in the knowledge that they were as secure as can be for the moment. Issei went over in his mind as to what had happened in the last few days, justifying to himself as to what had happened had happened, and apart from the agent, who was just doing her job, that nearly all the people that had been killed, appeared to be bad people. Thinking about what happened, brought him back to the fact that he had so much to learn about being a reaper.
Earlier that day,
Having carefully left the car park Bennia made her way towards the centre of Chiba, looking around for a hotel she sighed in exasperation, "Where do I even start?" she muttered to herself. Pausing for a moment she slapped herself on the forehead 'Geez I'm so stupid sometimes' she thought, and looked over at Issei. "Hey doofus!, make yourself useful and find us a half decent hotel would you!".
"Hey! I've never been here before".
"Well you lived here in Japan didn't you!. I don't think that that much has changed, in the time that you have been away!", she huffed crossing her arms across her chest.
Shaking his head Issei spied a visitor information sign. Making his way over there he saw that there was a hotel quite close by. Not five stars but good enough for their current needs. Noting the address he consulted the map. "Come on this way, it's not far at all just a few hundred meters".
As they quickly made their way through the streets Bennia saw a store that sold pre-paid mobile phones. Pulling up to a stop she said "Come on we need to get some things", disappearing into the store she picked up a small basket and quickly made her way through the aisles. Some snack foods, drinks, microwave meals just to name a few. Making her way to the counter she grabbed two Mobile phones. Paying for her purchases she stuffed everything into their bags and continued on their way.
Issei leading them again asked as he looked up at the signs "Why the sudden stop, shouldn't we take care of that later?".
"There might not be a chance later, so it's best to sort it out now while we have a chance. Those agent's would know by now that something is wrong, and will be starting a search of the surrounding area". Following him as he made his way up a small street. As they made the turn she saw a moderately sized building with the name Washington Hotel in gold emblazoned across the front of it.
Making their way to the counter Issei enquired about availability, seeing that there were rooms available in a twin share they took one. Bennia came over and spoke softly to the check in clerk and slipped her a $100US, Bowing to her she took the key and made their way up to their room.
As the elevator doors close and they were alone Issei asked "What was that about?"
"I told the clerk that I was having domestic violence issues, and that you were helping me out. What she did was note in the register that we were silent customers, and our presence here is only to be given out to the police upon request, other than that we don't exist here".[2] With that the doors opened and they made their way to their room.
Sitting down on the couch Issei sighed "We're here and for the moment we're safe".
Setting up her security on the windows and doors Bennia replied, "...and with that NOW we're safe". With that she sat down beside Issei on the couch, "So I guess you are wondering what we're going to do now?".
"Sort of, But after everything that has happened, I have a few questions I'd like to ask".
"Sure, knock yourself out".
"The first one is how come we couldn't teleport out of the train when we were discovered".
"Well, remember that I'm not an egghead, but when you open a portal it opens a point in space for you to step through, to a point somewhere else, ok. So from what I've been told and seen, if you open a portal far enough in front of you and you run through, you will be running out the other side, but keep in mind that you have to allow enough time and distance for the portal to open and close behind you, which takes time". Looking at him she asked, "still following me?, seeing him nod she continued, "Right then so what do you think would happen if you tried to open a portal when moving at 130 km/h".
Head spinning, but understanding what she was saying he replied "I'm not sure, but something bad?".
"Yes something very bad. Not only would you be missing a small piece of your body, from the initial portal opening having already passed through it, but when the portal opened, everything that was behind you would be transported through the portal until it closed, coming out the other side at 130 km/h". Seeing Issei pale she placated him "Easy Issei that's why we don't do it. I've seen footage from the eggheads in class to show us why".
Composing himself he shakily replied "Right, make sure that you reinforce that when you teach me".
Smiling at him She chirped "Sure, I'll even give you a demonstration if you like".
"No, No I'm good" he replied holding out his hand in a stopping motion.
"Anything else" she asked.
Being shaken about the portal explanation and forgetting his other questions he replied "There was but I've forgotten. So apart from that what do we do now?".
"So we lay low for a few days, by then we should be used to local time and the agents hopefully would have moved on. If they follow standard procedure they will be gone in about 72 hours. Once that time period has passed, I'll reach out to some of my contacts in the Youkai faction. I have some favors there that hopefully will get me in contact with the Leviathan".
"Youkai faction?", asked Issei
Looking startled Bennia replied "Don't you know about your own countries mythology?"
Thinking about things for a moment Issei replied "The Kojiki is real?".
"Ahh hello, two Grim Reapers sitting here." she deadpanned.
Thinking about the conversation for a few moments Issei face palmed. "I'm so stupid" he groused, "So they all exist?" he asked.
Nodding at his question she replied "Anything older than say a century. Yep that should cover it". Thinking for a few moments she added quite seriously "Although stay away from anyone sprouting Jediism".
Looking at her stupidly Issei iterated "Jediism?, don't you mean Judaism".
Frowning at his reply she slapped her hand on the side of the couch "I know what I said Issei, stay away from those Jedists. They are like friggin Mormons, once they get in, you can't get rid of them, trust me I know!".
Seeing her getting angry, Issei raised his hands in the air in a placating manner, "Okay, okay, I hear and obey 'o' wise one".
Crossing her arms over her chest she muttered "Good see that you do".
End flashback
Looking over to the young girl in the other bed, he resolved to learn as much as possible so not to be a hindrance any more. After their discussion yesterday she had taken the time for a nice long shower, Issei waved off saying he'd have one later. and they both enjoyed a meal. Hitting the hay somewhere in the vicinity of 2pm, he found himself in the current predicament of being wide awake.
Deciding to put some of his training to use he called out his scythe Rory, checking over the glyphs he noticed that the storage seals had lost some potency over the last two days, just as Bennia had told him, charging them back up as he had been instructed, he gave her one more look over and placed her back into storage. Sighing quietly to himself he sat back into the couch and tried to mindlessly watch late night T.V. in hopes it would lull him back to sleep.
'So boy what are you going to do now?'
Startled by the voice in his head he called out "Ddraig?".
'No, you have someone else lurking around in this dump you call a mind other than me?'.
Speaking softly so as not to wake Bennia he added "No but you haven't said much over the last week".
'You have had a lot to deal with over the last few days. I thought it best to let the girl handle everything and let you focus on what to do to escape'.
"Well that certainly made things easier, thank you".
'So boy I'll ask again, what are you going to do now?'.
"What do you mean 'Do now?'".
'Are you going to swap one set of servitude for another, or are you going to head out on your own?'.
Unknown to Issei at that moment Bennia was awake, due to the security spells waking her from him using his magic to change his scythe, wanting to hear what he was saying she rolled over and strained to listen to the one sided conversation.
"I'm not sure Ddraig, I want to go home so bad and see my family and let them know I'm alive. But at the same time we are being hunted, so it's dangerous for everyone".
Thinking about his response Ddraig decided to test his host and see what he was thinking, 'With my power boy we have little to fear from being hunted, so why do you stall?. Take what you want and forget the rest'.
"Yes, we could do what we want with your power. If I had time to be properly trained. But we don't, and I want to survive longer than tomorrow. Let's face it I'm weak as a kitten and need the help of others to survive".
Hearing his response to the silent question Bennia felt conflicted about his answer. But she decided to wait to hear the rest of his one sided discussion before acting.
'Being a slave under a Devil is still being a slave. From where I sit there is little difference between Hades and the Devil faction'.
"No. There is a big difference, servitude under Hades would have meant that we had no choice. At least this way it's our choice. If we don't like the terms, we can still walk away from the Devil faction and the support and protection that they can offer".
'I see your point. There is also more than one faction out there out there you know", Mused Ddraig.
"I know, but if we don't take the devil's offer, I won't shop myself around like a prostitute. If we don't like their response we'll head out on our own. Bennia thinks that this is a good idea and so far she has been right. So we will keep following her lead. We owe her a lot for getting us out of there, possibly more than I can ever repay", he finished softly.
Hearing his comments Bennia blushed and hid her head under the covers.
Thinking about his answers Ddraig thought about them for several moments. 'Prideful and loyal, this one might be different'. After a while he responded to Issei's statements 'We will soon see boy'. With that he retreated back into the Boosted Gear.
Confused about the dragons statement, Issei sat there and mulled the conversation over in his head. Even after declaring his path to the prideful dragon he shrugged his shoulders and decided to just go with the flow and see what fate had install for him. Sitting there with the mindless drivel from the T.V he drifted off to sleep again.
Waking up the next morning Issei discovered that sleeping on a couch sitting up was not a good idea. Closing his eyes and massaging his stiff neck he soon smelt the aroma of coffee. Opening his eyes he saw Bennia standing there waving a cup of coffee under his nose.
"Morning sleepy head" she chirped happily.
Knowing she wasn't a morning person, he instantly become wary. "What's got you so happy this morning?" he asked, accepting the cup of coffee.
"Oh nothing much. But seeing how it's 11am, I have managed to get lots done".
Taking a sip of the drink he asked "Like What?".
"Well for starters I have managed to set up both mobiles, check out a few things on the internet and even gotten in touch with my contact in the Youkai faction".
"Well you certainly have been busy then". Finishing the small drink he stretched his arms upwards and felt his neck and back pop.
Still standing close to him Bennia's smile disappeared, Frowning slightly she asked in a dangerous tone "Issei!", pausing for a moment and sniffing audibly, "You stink, go take a shower for Hades' sake"
Standing up and taking a whiff of his under arms he moved off towards the shower. "Ugh I knew I forgot something yesterday".
Wanting to watch some T.V, but still smelling the unwashed boy, Bennia moved off to the kitchenette, muttering about disgusting pigs.
131176
Sitting in the hotel room Issei started to get frustrated. He always thought that living the life of a NEET would be easy, but after two days of sitting around going over simple spells, surfing the net with his phone and watching T.V he was bored. Having adjusted to Japan time, he was itching to get out and get to work.
Still trying to get the invisibility cloak spell to work didn't improve his disposition at all, and having Bennia rub his nose in it, by coming and going as she pleased over the last two days made him very irritable. But he kept plugging away, slowly getting better control over his magic, with each failed attempt.
Hearing a phone ringing brought his attention back to the present. They had been waiting for Bennia's contact to get back to them hearing the currently insufferable girl answer he listened in with interest.
"Oh, hey how's it going?" asked Bennia as she answered the call, "Right, Right, So she's busy at the moment?". Listening to the voice on the other end she frowned, surprised by the answer she exclaimed "A draw? How the hell do you have a draw?". After a longer explanation from her caller she questioned "So she is meditating at the moment and she has my number?", she listened for a few more moments then added "Ok then I'll wait for her to be in touch then, Hey listen thanks heaps for this, you've been a big help". After hearing her contacts question she replied "Yeah we're square now. I'll catch up with you later. Bye".
Pressing the end button on the phone she placed it back down on the night stand. Standing up she made her way over to the table where Issei was working. Pulling out a chair she sat down and brought him up to speed.
"As you can assume that was my contact in the Youkai faction. They have managed to get in contact with the Leviathan, but at the moment she is busy and can't meet with us, and won't send anyone else in her place".
Interested in the conversation she had he asked "What's the big issue that one of the four leaders of the Devil society has to sort out?".
"Well apparently the Maou Lucifer's sister was engaged to a devil from another of the 72 Pillars, a man by the name of Riser from the Pillar Phoenix, I've only heard rumors about this Riser Phoenix, but from what I have heard he is a thoroughly despicable person". Thinking about the rumors she paused for a moment.
Looking at her far away look he prodded "Bennia?".
"Sorry I was thinking about something, Anyway apparently Riser and Rias Gremory, that's the name of Maou Lucifer's sister…"
"Rias Gremory!" Issei interrupted her.
"Yes Rias Gremory, do you know her?"
"No, but she was one of my Senpai at Kouh Academy. One of the great Onee-sama's". Smiling about better times he added "..and some of the best oppai I have ever seen on a girl" chuckling about her breasts he started to drool.
"Great Onee-sama's" laughed Bennia
"Well yeah, that's what every one there called her, along with her best friend Akeno Himejima".
"Hmm a Himejima huh" thought Bennia out loud, "Tell me more about some of the popular girls in your school Issei".
"But what about your conversation?" asked Issei.
"That can wait for a moment, I think that this is more important".
Not seeing where she was going Issei complied " So there was Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima, Souna Shitori, and Tsubaki Shinra, just to name a few. There were plenty more I could go on but they were the main four along with their clubs".
"Clubs?" she asked.
"Well yes every one had to belong to a student club, Souna Shitori is the President of the Student Council and Tsubaki Shinra was her deputy. Rias Gremory is the head of the Occult Research Club and Akeno Himejima is her deputy".
Hearing this Bennia leaned back on her chair and wailed with laughter "Bwhahahaha Occult Research club! Bwhahahaha". Laughing so hard she fell out of the chair onto the floor, even then she couldn't stop laughing. After about five minutes she settled down enough to sit back up on the chair. "Oh Issei, thank you that's the greatest laugh I've had in decades" she said wiping a tear away.
"Decades?" asked Issei.
Pausing at what he said she immediately raised a fist under his nose "For your continued health I suggest you forget that" she threatened.
Turning pale and waving his hands around urgently Issei back peddled "Days!, I meant Days!".
Calming down she motioned for him to continue with his tale.
"So anyway Gremory-san and Himejima-san both head up the Occult Research Club", causing another fit of giggles from Bennia, Plowing on he added "they also are a small club with only two other members. A boy my age by the name of Yuuto Kiba, Who the girls at school call 'The Great Price of Kouh', and a younger girl buy the name of Koneko Toujo, who is know as the 'Mascot of Kouh Academy'. As for the student council…".
Motioning for him to stop Bennia said "Ok Issei that's enough information, I understand the situation now". Still giggling every now and then.
"I don't understand. How does this fit in with what your phone conversation was about?".
Still trying to contain her mirth Bennia replied "Because Issei Rias Gremory is the head of her peerage, and from your information Akeno Himejima is her Queen and the other two are peerage members as well, although her disguise in the human world is absolutely hilarious. If anything that alone will be doing more than her brother's reputation and protection to stop rogues from attacking her. They'll be too busy dying from laughter before they could raise arms towards her, as you saw with my reaction".
"I don't get it?".
"A jokes not funny if you have to explain it Issei". Sighing she added for his benefit "Occult research can be a study into the supernatural. Of which she is a full card carrying member, being the Heiress to the Gremory Pillar".
Understanding bloomed into his eyes at that and he began to giggle as well.
"Don't even bother with Souna Shitori, I can tell you that even with some more thought and styling her name slightly Japanese, She is Sona Sitri, heiress to the Pillar Sitri and the other girl is her peerage Queen, along with the other members of the Student Council. The most important thing about this Sona though, is that she is the sister of the current Leviathan Serafall".
"Oh, I see".
"Yes this Kouh Academy seems to be a front for Devils, I wonder what they are really doing, apart from playing school?".
"What do you mean 'Playing School?'" asked Issei inquisitively.
"Oh you can bet your last dollar that these two girls have already been highly educated. Consider this will you, The Seventy two Pillars, from your point of view, have molded themselves for the most part on 18th century European nobility. Even though for our purposes it's the other way around. As a Lord you have an heir that is an only child, do you send this child to, in your opinion the lowly rabble of a school, or do you bring in the best available teachers that your money can buy for their education?".
"You would want the best that you could get".
"That is exactly my point Issei". Thinking for a moment she added "So what do these girls and families really want?". Thinking that she was on the right track she kept muttering to herself "Think girl think, What do they want?, What are they after?". Looking at Issei and stringing random thoughts together she began to understand. "They want peerage members", she breathed, and looking at Issei's left hand She finally understood. "They want powerful members, Sacred Gear users. Of course, that's why they are in the human world. That's why Issei had the summoning pentagram in his pocket when I reaped his soul".
Rocked by this information Issei nearly choked "So this is all a front then?".
"Maybe, it is Issei and maybe it isn't. But now that we have an idea on what's possibly happening, we can make sure that it doesn't bite us in the ass when the time comes".
Nodding his head in agreement he asked "What else did your contact have to say?".
"Oh right, So where was I up to?".
"Riser Phoenix and Rias Gremory."
"So anyway they decided to compete in a Rating game to decide if they would wed or break the engagement. Funny thing is that I've never heard of a Stalemate before in a rating game. The game used for its basis is called chess, and there can be a stalemate in chess, But never in a rating game, there is either a winner or loser".
Understanding now Issei asked "So how did it happen?".
"Well apparently one of Gremory's pieces held a Dragon that used a technique called absorption line".
Speaking up for the first time Ddraig offered "One of the pieces of Vritra's soul".
Hearing Ddraig speak up Issei questioned "Vritra?".
"Vritra, the Black Dragon King also known as the Prison Dragon, His soul was split into pieces after his defeat by Indra, YHWH gathered the pieces and bound them into Sacred Gears. At this time I have only met four pieces of him, I don't know how many more there are", said Ddraig sadly.
Putting that piece of information away Bennia continued, "So anyway there was this weird three way stand-off, Where if either Riser moved or Rias and her pawn moved the other would be killed, so they declared a stalemate".
"So how does that affect us?".
"Well the ultimate arbitrator in this event was the Maou Leviathan. So until she sorts this mess out, we are on the back burner so to speak. But my contact assures me she has my number and does wish to speak to us".
"So in the meantime we wait". Said Issei frustrated that they were so close now.
"We wait", agreed Bennia.
End
Notes
Finally managed to grind this out.
Hope that puts an interesting spin on the Rias/Riser fight. For those interested.
… and a more interesting spin on why noble devil girls are attending a human school.
Once again Google maps for the Chiba references. Spent hours on street view to try and get things mostly right. Yes there is a multi deck car park not far from the station, and the Chiba Washington Hotel does exist and also is near the station, I did take some liberty about the phone shop.
[1] Once again lifted from the DxD novels, volume 2
[2] Hotels will do this if you tell them that there is a domestic issue. It won't hide you from the police, but people enquiring will be told that there is no one there by that name.
Previews can be found at 'the fanfiction forum' TFF
Thanks for reading this unbeated drivel
T.L
