Outsider Chronicles: Grim Times for Kuoh
In another world, the boy Rias recruited as a Rook wasn't the Fiery Half-Blood, but a seemingly normal young man with a rather fluffy family secret. Oh, and he also happens to be an Outsider as well. Lets see how the addition of another type of Supernatural creature changes things.
And here we go with another chapter of this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 7
"Absolutely not!" said Rias, "I won't let you put yourself in harms way just to save a member of the Church! Besides, you entering their territory could spark another war!"
"Rias you don't understand!" I protested, "There's more going on here than just a Fallen Angel kidnapping a Sacred Gear Holder!"
"Please don't make me say it again!" shouted Rias, slamming her palm down on the desk between us, "Don't you understand? If you go there alone, you will be killed! I don't want to see any member of my household die!"
I hesitated as I saw the genuine worry in her eye, before I hardened my heart.
"Rias I don't want to do that to you," I said, "But this isn't a question of choice. There's a lot more at stake here than just my life. Asia is an innocent, regardless of her connection to the Church and I get the distinct impression that whatever that damned Demons got planned for her is going to be bad."
That got Rias' attention.
"Demon?" she asked cautiously.
"Yellow Eyes," I said.
"Shit," muttered Rias, "Your right, this isnt good."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding and looking me straight in the eye, telling me without words to deal with it. I nodded and turned away as Akeno approached and whispered something to Rias.
"Akeno and I need to go out for a while," said Rias, "Remember Akihiro, don't go anywhere alone."
The two girls left the room and I turned to Kiba and Koneko.
"So, I take it you two know what she meant by that?" I asked.
"Yep," said Kiba, strapping his sword belt around his waist, "You can count on us."
"Lets go," said Koneko.
"Whoa, what are you guys talking about?" asked Issei, "Rias told us to stay put!"
"Wrong, she said not to go anywhere alone," I said, "And I'm going to save Asia. Whether you come or not is up to you."
Issei looked hesitant, before his face hardened.
"She saved my life the other night so I can't just leave her," said the pervert, "Lets go."
I grinned and hoisted my bag over my shoulder.
It didn't take us long to reach the church, even with Isseis complete inability to use the Magic Circle to teleport. We were hiding in the bushes outside, shivering slightly at the feeling of so many holy beings in one place. However, under the aura, I could also smell Sulphur and feel the malevolence of a rather large amount of Demons.
"Jeeze there must be a ton of them in there," said Issei.
"Yeah, this is gonna be a tough fight," said Kiba.
"No kidding," said I, "I'm glad you guys are here."
"Well hey now you and I are buddies, right?" asked Kiba, smiling at me before sobering, "Besides Fallen Angels aren't exactly my favourite thing in the world. The truth is, I hate them."
Koneko stood and walked up to the doors.
"Theres no need to be sneaky, they already know we're here," said the short Rook. she raised a foot and kicked the door in.
We walked into the holy building, although it certainly didn't look very holy with shattered pews and broken statues. even the huge cross above the altar was broken in half.
"Man this place is creepy," I said, shivering, before a clapping sound echoed around the room.
"So we meet again," said a voice as Freed the Psycho Priest walked out of the shadows, "Glad you could make it. bet I'm a sight for sore eyes, eh?"
"Not really," I said, "Now why don't you stand aside before you get hurt."
"Here's the thing," said Freed, ignoring me, "I pride myself on the fact I never have to fight the same Devil more than once. And yet here you are, just rubbing it in. If theres one thing I won't abide, its being mocked by maggot Devils in the house of God! So what do you say, lets finish this?!"
His face twisted into a demented grin.
"The thought of cutting up your flesh and eating it piece by piece makes my mouth water!"
"Wheres Asia?" I growled.
"Oh right, you mean that dirty Devil loving whore of a Sister," said Freed, looking over his shoulder, "All you have to do is go down to the basement, shes right beneath the Altar were currently standing on. but first you have to go through me!"
He crouched as his body began to change, red fur sprouting as a chitinous scorpion tail emerged from under his coat.
"Oh fuck," I said, before shoving my shocked companions out of the way as the Manticore pounced.
I caught his claws in my own as I Woged, meeting the other Wesen head on in a flurry of claws, teeth and tail.
"Oh yeah, I've always wanted to fight a Rotznasig Carcaju!" roared Freed as he tried to sting me with his tail.
I just growled as I grabbed the offending limb and tossed him into alter, sending it flying and revealing the hole underneath it.
"Don't just stand their!" I snarled at my shocked companions, "Go save Asia! I'll deal with this psycho!"
That shocked them into motion and they hurried down the now revealed staircase. I braced myself as Freed exploded from the rubble of the altar with a roar and flung himself at me, sending us both tumbling once again in a bundle of flashing claws and teeth. We were about equal in strength, but I had a disadvantage as Freed could attack with his tail and it would only take one hit from that thing to put me down for a while thanks to its poison. While I was sure that my Rook durability and Rotznasig Carcaju healing factor would protect me, I wasn't about to risk it.
Suddenly, Freed grabbed me by the throat and slammed me into the ground with enough force to crack the flagstones, holding me there as his tail flashed down, aiming to stab me through the eye. I jerked my head to the side, dodging the tail by a hair, before grabbing my knife from its sheath and slamming it into the Manticore's tail.
The Cryptid Wesen howled in agony as it recoiled, releasing me from its grip and allowing me to counterattack. I sprinted forwards and slammed a clawed hand into Freeds sternum, sending him flying into the wall where the impact knocked him unconscious, causing him to revert to human form. I stood still for a moment, catching my breath as I let my Woge received, before walking over to the unconscious Manticore, intending to tie him up before he could regain consciousness. As I pulled his arms behind his back, I noticed a tattoo on his palm. Curious and more than a little worried, I opened his fingers, revealing a tattoo of eight interlocked swords.
"What the hell is a member of the Verrat doing here?" I muttered.
"Wouldnt you like to know."
Before I could react, Freed Woged again and whacked me with his tail, sending me flying across the room, before pulling something out of his coat.
"You've won this time boy, but I'll be back!" snarled the Manticore, before throwing the object at the ground, causing a brilliant flash of light to fill the hall.
When I could see again, I saw that Freed had apparently vanished. I sighed and put the issue of the Verrat working with Fallen Angel and Demons out of my mind for the moment in favour of clearing away some of the pews, pulling a piece of chalk out of my pocket and drawing a circle on the floor. I finished just in time for Issei to come bursting out of the staircase with Asia in his arms. I hurried over to them as he laid the Grimm down on one of the few remaining Pews.
"Asia, are you OK?" I asked.
She opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of me.
"Aki, I'm so glad I was able to be friends with you," she whispered, "Even if it was for only a short time, it made me so happy."
"What do you mean?" I asked, tears pricking my eyes, "We're still friends, right?"
Asia just smiled as tears began to fall from her eyes. My eyes widened as my ears picked up the sound of her heartbeat weakening.
"Oh no you don't!" I said, "You're not going to die yet! Theres still too much I need to teach you! You still need to prove that Grimm don't have to be Monsters to the other Wesen!"
"Aki, thank you," whispered Asia, before her heartbeat stopped completely.
I knelt there for a moment, my face completely blank, before I gritted my teeth and slowly got to my feet.
"That bastard is going to suffer for this," I snarled.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked a familiar and very unwelcome voice from nearby, "After all, if you try to hurt me then you'll only be hurting Raynare too."
I turned to face the grinning Possessed Fallen Angel, ignoring the confused looking Issei.
"I have other ways to make you suffer you yellow-eyed bastard," I growled.
"Oh really?" asked Baraqiel, her grin vanishing as she summoned a light spear, "Then lets see what you got!"
She spread her wings and rocketed towards me as I pulled out my knife and braced myself. Baraqiel thrust her spear at me as she approached, giving me the opening I needed. I ducked under the attack, shoving her arm up and tossed her over my shoulder and into the Devils Trap. The Demon stumbled to her feet, before summoning another Spear and trying to charge me, only to be met by the Traps wall.
"What..?"
"You're not going anywhere," I said, pointing at the Trap.
The Demon snarled and slammed her fists against the barrier, before kicking her feet and sitting down cross legged, pouting like a petulant child.
"Now thats over, you lot can come out now," I said, turning to the staircase where the others were waiting and apparently joined by Rias and Akeno.
"That was quite impressive Akihiro," said Rias, "Not many can boast to being able to throw a Demon around."
I grinned and rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment.
"Heh, thanks," I said.
"So, what do you plan to do now?" asked Rias, "You do know that you can't perform an Exorcism right?"
I smiled and held up my knife.
"Would a knife capable of destroying Demons work?" I asked.
Rias eyed the weapon skeptically.
"Are you sure?" she asked, "Those are pretty rare."
"I checked," I replied, "This is a genuine Kurdish Antidemon Knife, although I have no idea how it got into my basement."
Rias didn't look convinced.
"Hey, if this doesn't work I've got a library full of tomes thats sure to have something in it."
Rias sighed and nodded.
"Alright, fine," she said.
"Em, I hate to interrupt, but what are you two talking about?" asked Kiba, raising a hand.
"You explain it, I got a Demon to kill," I said, turning to the still pouting Baraqiel, whos pout quickly changed to fear as she caught sight of the knife in my hand.
"W-where did you get that," she asked, scrambling to her feet and backing away as I advanced, "No, keep that away from me!"
"Well, I'd say that proves its authenticity," I said with a grin, before I leaped forwards and grabbed her, driving the knife into her stomach.
The Demon screamed as her body lit up from the inside, before she slumped against me as a thin stream of steam escaped her mouth. I pulled the knife out and dropped it, before gently hoisting Raynares body into my arms and carrying her over to a nearby pew.
"Is she dead?" asked Issei.
I pressed a finger to her neck and found a faint pulse.
"Nope, but the thing that was possessing her most definitely is," I said, "She'll probably be unconscious for a while, but something as minor as a stab to the stomach shouldn't do that much damage to her."
I was about to turn away, when I noticed a faint glow emerging from Raynares chest, before a small, green orb phased through her skin.
"Thats interesting," I muttered as I picked up the orb, which faded to reveal a pair of silver rings decorated with green gems.
"What are those?" asked Issei.
"Twilight Healing," said Rias, "I guess that the destruction of the Demon caused them to emerge."
"Hmm," I said, getting to my feet and moving over to Asia, putting the rings back on her fingers.
"I'm sorry Asia, I was to late," I whispered as I returned her hands to her chest.
"Akihiro, do you know what this is?" asked Rias, pulling a Bishop out of her pocket.
At the sight of it, my heart stopped as hope flared in me.
"Is that..?"
Rias smiled and nodded.
"Our good sister is about to be reborn into the Underworld."
I smiled and lifted Asia into a bridal carry, putting her down in the middle of the circle Akeno had just created, before stepping back and allowing Rias to do her thing.
"In the name of Rias Gremory, I call to Asia Argento, hear my command! Return Thy Soul from the Shadows of Death to the Human Realm, rise once more as my Devil Servant! Rejoice, for you have been given new life! Wake as my Healer and Clergyman!"
The circle flashed and the Evil Piece that had been laid on Asias chest sank into the Nuns body. For a moment, nothing happened, before the former Nun stered as if waking from a deep sleep and slowly sat up, blearily blinking her eyes.
"W-what happened?" she asked warily, looking around at everyone, before her eyes landed on me.
"A-Aki?" she whispered.
I smiled and knelt down next to her.
"Akihiro, from here on out, you are her protector," said Rias, "You are the senior Devil after all."
I grinned, before turning back to Asia.
"Aki, am I really here?" asked Asia, still looking a little confused.
My smile widened and I gently pulled my friend into my arms.
"Your home Asia," I whispered in her ear, "And I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again."
Asia smiled and hugged me back. After a few moments, I pulled back and glanced at the pew where Raynare lay.
"Asia, can I ask you a favour?"
The former Nun looked at me curiously.
The next morning I entered the Clubroom to find Rias sat alone drinking tea.
"Morning," I greeted, taking a seat opposite her.
"Good morning Akihiro," said Rias, "I was hoping you'd be in today."
I paused as I rummaged through my bag.
"Let me guess, this is about what Kiba, Koneko and Issei saw last night," I said.
"Indeed," said Rias, locking me with a stare, "I'm alright with my servants keeping secrets, but I do need to know about any abilities you have so I can plan accordingly in the future."
"Can this wait until everyone's here?" I asked, "I kind of want to only say this once and it would be better if Asia was here too."
Rias nodded and picked up her tea again.
"Whatever the truth, I can't wait to see what you'll do in the future," said Rias, "You are already full of surprises and I truly can't wait to see what you'll be capable of in the future."
"Looking forwards to it," I said with a grin.
"By the way, I have a surprise for you," said Rias.
I blinked, before the sound of the door opening reached my ears and I turned to see who had just entered, only to be greeted by the sight of Raynare looking better than ever and wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform.
"Raynare, your up!" I exclaimed, vaulting over the back of the couch and taking her hands, "How are you feeling?"
"Still a little drained from the Demon Possession, but I'm doing just fine," said the Fallen Angel, smiling at me, "Asia's really good at healing, she fixed nearly all the lingering damage in just a few hours."
"Thats a relief," I said, before I realized what she was wearing, "Hey, why are you wearing our uniform?"
"Oh you can thank my father for that," said Rias, "I had him enroll her at the school. While I wouldn't normally allow a Fallen Angel so close to my HQ, its clear that this one is very different from her fellows. Besides having a Fallen Angel loyal to me might come in handy."
Raynare smiled at Rias, before wrapping her arms around me and pressing herself closer.
"Now I don't have to worry about being separated from you," she said, before leaning up and whispering in my ear, "And I have got six months of making up with you to do."
I shivered and gulped as she blew in my ear.
"Careful, you don't want to make our newest member jealous," said Rias, hiding her smirk behind her teacup.
"Huh?"
I looked behind me to see that Asia had entered the room while I was distracted by Raynare and now had a look on her face like someone had kicked her puppy.
"A-Asia!" I stuttered, "H-how long have you been there?"
Raynare just tightened her grip on me possessively and smiled smugly at Asia.
"I-Its OK," said the girl quietly, wringing her hands and looking dejected, "I-I know shes prettier than me and she'll probubly do things I won't so its only natural that you'd…!"
She stopped herself and shook her head wildly.
"Nononono, I can't think like this! I'm not jealous I swear!"
She clasped her hands.
"Dear lord please forgive my sins...AH!"
She fell to her knees clutching her head in pain.
"Ooh, it feels like someone just stabbed a knife into my skull!"
"God isn't very receptive to the prayers of Devils," said Rias.
"Thats right, hes probably mad at me," muttered Asia.
"How do you feel about it?" asked Rias.
"Oh, I have no regrets," said Asia with a smile, "I can be with Aki forever now, thats all I really wanted."
I gulped as Raynare tightened her grip on me even more and glared at Asia. I could almost see the lightning flashing between them, despite the fact that Asia was smiling happily. Fortunately, a distraction arrived at that moment in the form of Kiba, Issei and Koneko.
"Good morning everyone," said Kiba.
"Hey," greeted Koneko.
Issei said nothing, opting to glare at me instead for having Raynare practically welded to my side.
"Oh good, everyones here," said Akeno, coming through the door at the other end of the room pushing a trolley loaded with goodies, "I thought we could have a little celebration to greet our newest members."
"Members?" I asked.
"I'm joining the club as well as Asia," said Raynare, "I may not be able to join Rias peerage as a Fallen Angel, but I can still hang out with you all."
We all got our cake and sat down, before Rias brought up the subject of my transformation again.
"So Akihiro, now that everyone's here, maybe you can explain about your transformation during the battle?" said Rias.
I swallowed my bite of cake and nodded.
"Alright," I said, "The truth is that I'm not a Human reincarnated as a Devil because I was never human to begin with."
"Then what were you?" asked Rias.
"I'm a Rotznasig Carcaju, a type of Wesen," I said.
"Wesen?" asked Rias, "But their just fairy stories, right?"
I shook my head.
"Nope, although we are definitely the source of a good many fairy tales," I said.
Rias just looked at me. I sighed, before I Woged.
"There, happy?" I asked, ignoring everyone's looks of surprise.
What I wasn't expecting was for Rayare to look at me with sparkling eyes, before suddenly grabbing me around the neck and yank me into her chest.
"SO CUTE!" she squealed as she rubbed my ears.
"Well, thats unexpected," muttered Rias, "So Wesen are real?"
"Very," I said, wriggling out of Raynares grip and Wogeing back to normal, despite her protests, "Their are actually quite a few around town and that psycho priest Freed is a Manticore."
"Really?" asked Rias, "Do I know any?"
"Well, the captain of the Swim Club is a Naiad, the Science Club leader is a Fuchsbau and the head of the Kendo Club is a Lowen," I said, counting them off my fingers."
"I see," muttered Rias, "And you said that the Priest that attacked Issei was one too?"
I nodded.
"Thats right," I said, "He's a Manticore."
I decided to keep the fact he was a member of the Verrat to myself for now.
Silence fell for a moment, before Akeno clapped her hands.
"Thats enough everyone, this is supposed to be a party!" she said, breaking the somber air. Everyone smiled and started talking again as Raynare yanked me down into her lap.
"Alright Mr, bring back the fur!" she said.
I did as I was told and she immediately started petting me again. I sighed and closed my eyes, deciding to enjoy the piece while it lasted as I had a feeling that things were going to get messy very soon.
And thats the end of this chapter! For those who don't know, the Verrat are an organization of Wesen who work for the Royal Families and are rather dangerous. I'll be using them as an antagonist later since they seem like the types to do anything for a bit of power, including dealing with the Devil. I hope you liked the fights and reveals. Next time will see the start of the Riser Arc. Until then, please leave me a review!
