Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD and Yu Yu Hakusho. All my thanks to the original authors of said series for presenting to us awesome works.

Chapter 7: Gremory Devil... I am...

The Gremory peerage calmly strode across the manor's spacious lawn; Hiei was quite surprised that there were no other strays that jumped them along the way. He had deduced that either this monster is foolishly confident or was just a plain fool. Class "E" nightmares were a rarity in his world, as they are usually preyed upon by the stonger classes. All in all, Hiei played along.

They have reached the mansion's grand porch; as Rias was about to open the grand double door...

"Uhh.. Buchou...?" Hiei asked hesitantly. "What chess piece am I?"

Rias snapped her head towards Hiei in surprise. She had not remembered any instance when she explained the real purpose of the evil pieces. The only fact she had revealed so far was that those evil pieces where used to resurrect humans.

"H-h-how did you know?" Rias asked. "I was supposed to tell you when you were more comfortable with your new life."

"I did some research..." Hiei flatly replied. "But I guess it will be a tale for another time."

Hiei swiftly opened the doors and stepped in the mansion...

"Wait!" Rias shrieked. "Don't go rushing in blindly!"

With that, Rias and the others followed Hiei hastily in the mansion...

Meanwhile...

On the other side of town, a man was painfully stretching out his limbs as the muscles that had been resting were suddenly pumped with life.

"So, you awaken." A sultry female voice came from the doorway, the owner leaned against the railing. "You took quite a beating."

"How long was I out? Kalawarner." Dohnaseek huffed. "That weasel packed a punch."

Kalawarner just sighed exasperatedly as she saw the gleam of malice and killing intent light up on her comrade's eyes. Despite the fact that he was left on the verge of death by whoever he had encountered.

"Two days." Kalawarner replied flatly, not moving from her spot. "You were on the edge of life when I found you at the park."

"I was caught offguard by that runt!" Dohnaseek grunted his declaration. "I did not expect such a stray to possess such agility."

"Oh are you sure it was really a stray?!" another female voice rang. "So stupid."

"I SAID HE WAS A STRAY!" Dohnaseek glared at the newcomer, his voice seethed with rage. "Next time he'll die!"

"Oh shut-up Dohnaseek." Raynare moved forward and stood close to the taller male. "Our MISSION is supposed to be COVERT!"

"I don't think that numbskull even understands the word. Ray..." Kalawarner added, she had now entered the room and was seated at a far corner. "Idiot."

"Will you two stop blabbering!" Dohnaseek annyoingly said. "I said I will get him next time!"

"You will not!" Raynare menacingly lashed. "You will get a hold of yourself and stay put!"

"I will not let this opportunity of fighting a potential rival pass me by." Dohnaseek exclaimed. "No one is stopping me!"

"Not even Azazel-sama?" Kalawarner intervened. "I don't think he's the type to accept failures."

"Not even Azazel-sama" Dohnaseek seethed. "I will have my fill."

"SHUT UP!" Raynare exploded. "No more of these nonesense!"

Silence crept in the room as all other pairs of eyes were now staring at Raynare- who was trembling with annoyance mixed with anger.

"Who did you stumble upon this time? You lug-nut!" Raynare spat distastefully at the only male fallen angel in the room. "I take it that you bit on more than you could chew."

"Guy was short. Obviously a stray as he was travelling alone." Dohnaseek replied dryly. "AND he caught me off-guard. I thought he was slow, damn kid moved faster than a flea."

"Do YOU by chance use your brain at all?" Raynare shrieked. "This is DEVIL territory! That stray could have been an operative of the Devil-In-Charge!"

"I am sure he was a stray!" Dohnaseek retorted firmly. "I know a stray when I see one."

"You better be." Raynare replied in the same tone. "Or we will have trouble knocking on our door."

Back in the Old Mansion...

The Gremory peerage had entered the crumbling structure, its inner walls which had once been proud and magnificent; had dulled and cracked. It was dark, though some candles provided illumination to some areas; it was the moonlight from the grand windows that gave ample lighting to the mansion's interior.

Shadows danced along the walls, projected by the flickering flames of candles added to the eerieness of the atmosphere. The air reeked of rotting flesh, as evidenced by Koneko's periodic snorting and wrinkling of her nose. Hiei had been proud of his female junior as she showed no qualms in the presence of death. That stray they had been hunting was near, Hiei could feel its aura behind the darkness, its hunger for flesh; its craving...

"Its here..." Koneko broke the silence with her monotone.

"I smell something fresh..." A woman's voice boomed from the darkness. "Will it be sweet? Or will it be bitter."

At this, heavy footsteps could be heard from behind the long tapestries that adorned the space underneath the spiralling staircase. The owner of the voice emerged, its upper half was that of a well endowed woman; naked from the neck down. Its lower half however, was that of a lion; everytime she took a step forward, the ground reverbrates under her weight.

"Stray Devil Visor." Rias called. "I have come by orders of Archduke Gremory, to put an end to your misguided ways."

"How arrogant of you. Girl." the stray taunted. "I will feast on your body and paint the corpses of your peerage with your blood."

"Is that so?" Rias replied. "Then in the name of Gremory, I will burn you to ashes."

The stray devil reared back in laughter as she sensually massaged her volumptous breasts; her nipples hardening beyond normal. Hiei knew the demon was up to no good as his Yoki was able to pick-up the energy building-up over the demon's nipple tips.

-chooom- -chooom- -chooom- -chooom- -chooom-

Demonic energy laced forth from the stray's nipples in rapid succession; vaporizing solid objects in its path. Rias and the rest of her peerage scattered to the sides as streaks of yellowish demonic magic streaked across the room. However, one stood his ground; unmoving and unperturbed. A blast was heading towards Hiei who was just standing there; with an uninterested expression. Rias was about to drag Hiei away from the blast when he suddenly raised his hand and...

-Bwoom!-

Everyone froze, stunned as the energy blast connected and dissipated in an explosive manner. Dust and smoke billowed and blanketed part of the room, obscuring visuals in a gray haze. Cluttering sounds echoed through the barred space of what was previously a grand lobby; bits and pieces of concreted that were kicked away by the force of the blast were raining allover.

Then an ominous green light was spotted in the center of all the smoke, slowly; its source came to view as the grayish mist cleared. It was a metallic gauntlet, blood red and adorned with etches of ancient symbols that glowed with the same ominous green; though a gem the size of an adult's fist at the back of the "hand" was the one that gave off most of the strange light.

Rias could only release a breath of relief as Hiei stood where he had originally been standing; though the concrete around his feet had been marred, as if gigantic claws plowed through and creating a ditch a foot deep and affixed at a semi-circle. The stray devil however; was at a loss of words at the sight, her mind was in swirls as she tried to figure out how a low-class devil could easily suppress her magic.

"This is dissapointing." Hiei deadpanned. "Buchou... do as you please with this one. I'll stay to the side and watch... for the moment."

With that, Hiei moved towards the nearest window and sat on its grand windowsill

"Y-y-yes... Of course." Rias replied stutteringly. "Yuuto."

In a flash, both arms of the stray devil fell as a whirlwind blew past; Yuuto had attacked the creature swiftly, a magical sword on his hand gleamed in the moonlight. Hiei had detected a spike in demonic energy as Yuuto had delivered his fast strikes, though Hiei had ignored the spike; Yuuto's sword caught his attention.

"Interesting..." Hiei thought. "Kiba could summon weapons with his magic; sacred gear?..."

"Hiei is my Knight." Rias explained proudly. "Knights are naturally imbued with speed and agility, as well as efficiency with swords."

"Suits him perfectly. Buchou." Hiei replied. "Glad that there is another fast mover in the family."

"Well, I guess that is true." Rias replied smoothly.

Both teens were interrupted as a thundering sound erupted; they both turned just in time to see Koneko hammering the stray devil with punches to its underbelly, then lifting the elephant-sized demon and slamming it on the marble floor; causing shockwaves that rivals a light earthquake.

"Ah, and there is Koneko-chan... My cute Rook." Rias said with pride. "Rooks are imbued with physical strength and boosted defense."

"I see." Hiei said. "She could benefit well if you'd train her in focusing her energy in those attacks."

"What do you mean?" Rias asked in a surprised manner. "She has exemplary martial arts skills."

"I am talking about her senjutsu." Hiei huffed in a deadpan. "She would greatly improve her strikes if she could channel her energy properly."

"Its not that easy." Rias replied with a voice laced with sorrow.

Hiei thought for a while, then exhaled calmly.

"Whatever her issues are..." Hiei paused. "She must learn to overcome it, for her to improve."

Rias was speechless, she could only look at Hiei questioningly. Her blue-green eyes peering deep into his reddish eyes; which were dead serious. Hiei was a man of few words, but those words were backed with years of experience and hard earned wisdom. Both teens held their gazes, each reaching out to the other...

"Watch out! Buchou!" Kiba yelled from across the room.

Rias turned to towards Kiba and saw one of the demon's severed arm flying towards her; it was as if everything was in slow motion, surely, the flying appendage would not seriously injure her... But at that moment, Rias froze.

Suddenly, Rias felt a chill course through her being; like standing near an angel or any other creature of holy light. Then a controlled blast of black flames erupted from behind her, like someone let loose a flamethrower; hitting the incoming projectile and literally stopping it in mid-air then incinerating the magically controlled arm to ashes in an instant.

Rias could still feel the unexplainable aura that had a killing intent twined with malevolence, it was slowly embracing her, making her warm and comfortable. Her devil nature had embraced this new source of energy, and wanted more. The aura steadily comforting her, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

Her breathing was increasing; her hearbeat accelerated at a rapid pace. She looked up and saw that the others also felt the surge of power and was looking at something or someone behind Rias; Akeno had her "S" mode on overdrive as her eyes were narrowed in a sultry manner, and she was licking her lips sensually.

Kiba was staring with pure awe, he was beaming with pride and acceptance, nodding his head slowly; though Koneko was the other side of the coin. Rias could see the fear and hesitation shine in her eyes.

Rias slowly turned to the source of the aura, it was Hiei; half-sitting on the windowsill in a very relaxed manner. His right arm still raised, and was glowing with an eerie etheral-green aura; Hiei dissipated his energy, and the pressure in the atmosphere returned to normal, though Rias and the others were still reeling from its effects.

"Ara, ara... ufufufufufu..." Akeno giggled, while walking towards Hiei in a seductive manner; giving emphasis on the womanly sway of her hips. "It seems that there is more to Hiei-kun..."

Hiei looked at Akeno dumbly from his position. He could face beings that could move mountains, but he was utterly a disaster when it comes to young women around his age; especially ones that are as attractive and well-endowed as Akeno.

"What was that strong energy just now Hiei-kun?... hmmmm?..." Akeno said in her seductive tone. "It felt so... warm..."

Akeno rested her right hand in Hiei's right knee and closed the gap between their faces until hers was an inch away from Hiei's. The male recipient though had been frozen solid, like a block of ice. She further pressed by licking her lips in a very lusty manner; making Hiei's brain go blank.

Then, a sound of someone clearing her throat echoed...

"Akeno. I think it is time to finish our task." Rias said sternly.

"Awww... ufufufufu..." Akeno hesitantly pulled way from Hiei. "Just as I was having fun with my junior."

As Akeno elegantly pulled away, Hiei realized that the other devils of the Gremory peerage was crowding around him. Kiba had leaned on the windowsill to his left; Koneko was warily looking at Hiei and was standing close to Kiba. Rias had taken a seat to Hiei's right side, her frame just enough to occupy the space on the windowsill and its corner.

It was a puzzle to Hiei why she'd choose to fit herself in that constricted space- when the enormous windowsill could accomodate seven adults sitting side-by-side, the fact that Kiba had occupied the other corner, leaving a good amount of space between them added to Hiei's dilemma.

"Why you arrogant and spoiled children!" The stray devil seethed. "I will burn you all!"

The pause in their attacks brought about by the effect of Hiei's aura had given the stray devil time to recover. Thought not as much, it was enough to get her back on her feet; the strain from the exertion of her magic to defend against Kiba and Koneko's attacks left the stray almost spent.

The stray had reverted to her original form, a young woman in her mid-twenties and nearly as well endowed as Rias and Akeno. She had straight and long black hair that reached just above her well toned buttocks. The stray devil stood there, naked and eyes burning with rage; her fists clenched and were cackling with demonic magic as she prepared a magical attack.

But before she could pull off her feat, a dash of lightning erupted and struck her. Bolts of magic enduced electricity surged through her flesh as Akeno pumped her with a magical attack.

"Akeno is my Queen." Rias said in her usual voice. "And she has a sadistic side to her."

True enough, Hiei watched with grim interest as Akeno upped the volume of her lightning; making the stray devil scream in pain, knocking her off her feet. Akeno momentarily stopped her attack and looked at the demon that was shaking with spasms on the marble floor in her nude glory. Electrocution to some extent causes loss of bladder control as evident on the sudden streams of piss being spurted around by the stray, her skin had also shown signs of slight burns from Akeno's attack.

Hiei and Kiba looked away from the sight in respect to the stray's womanhood; Rias and Koneko gasped in shock at the display but were placated with the chivalry being shown by the Gremory males.

"I-I-I-I w-w-w-will k-k-k-ill you all for t-t-this..." The stray weakly said.

"Ara... ara... ufufufufu..." Akeno giggled sadistically. "You still have enough air to issue threats! I'm impressed."

"Akeno." Rias intervened. "That's enough."

"Ara... ara... " Akeno said in a merry tone. "Whatever you say... Buchou."

Rias stood and walked towards the incapacitated demon, her eyes never leaving her target. The demon was too weak, to move and just lay there; her entire body still numb from the shock. Though her eyes were still burning with rage and hatred, she had prepared herself for her judgement.

"Stray devil Visor." Rias said in a stern tone. "You are charged with the murder of your King as well as numerous human victims. For that, you will be punished."

"Just kill me NOW!" The stray screamed.

"Very well..." Rias stated in a tired manner. "That can be arranged."

At that, Rias raised both of her hands above her head and a sphere of dark energy laced with a crimson aura appeared. The ball of raging destruction magic swirled fiercely and cackled with energy as Rias pushed more of her magic into it. The other gremory devils looked on with interest as their King prepared her final blow.

"In the name of the Archduke, I sentence you to death for your transgressions." Rias declared with authority. "Stray devil Visor. Checkmate."

With a swift movement, Rias brought the raging ball of destruction magic upon the incapacitated stray. The kill was instant, the target was unable to scream for pain as Rias' energy ball obliterated the stray's body. Dust and rubble erupted as the ball of energy diffused explosively, kicking some amounts of debris to the air. Moments later, as the dust cleared; a huge crater about five meters in diameter was carved on the marble floor. No traces were left of the stray devil that had once occupied the spot that was now a smoking hole.

Rias gently clapped her hands together to shake off the dust that had stuck to her skin. Then, she turned to her peerage as elegantly as she usually does.

"I think we earned ourselves some rest." Rias stated happily. "Akeno. Prepare a magic circle! Lets get out of here."

Akeno moved a little farther from the group and started summon her magic; her pinkish aura enveloped around her and warped to form into a Gremory teleportation circle. Rias and the rest started to move towards the circle when-

"You are a pawn Hiei." Rias called softly. "My pawn."

Hiei stopped to looked at Rias. Her face showed a mixed expression, the type she would wear when she was unsure of things. But that expression dissapeared upon Hiei's answer.

"Pawn. The sacrificial piece. The first to fight." Hiei smiled. "This is getting interesting. I'm in!"

Rias was about to start another lecture but was cut short when Hiei turned towards the magic circle, laughing in a sinister way. The other Gremory devils looked at the pawn in a questioning manner; they were dumbfounded at Hiei's sudden mood shift. He had literally shifted from being dead serious to a playful demeanor.

"Come on." Hiei urged. "Lets leave this place."

Hiei's words disrupted the other devil's deep thoughts as he had been standing close to Akeno within the bounds of the magic circle for a couple of minutes; also trying to figure out the strange stares Rias, Kiba and Koneko was throwing at his direction. A smile broke on Rias face, her cheerful nature took over. Their task was done, and she had some other matters to attend to...

"Alright." Rias said. "Lets go!"

On the other side of Town,...

A boy, around Hiei's age had just exited the Kuoh Medical Center; it was the one of the five hospitals in the district and the most advanced in the country. The hospital was where the social elites were treated for even the smallest infection or grave illnessess.

The boy turned towards the building he had just left, he was puzzled as to how he had been admitted into such a lavish hospital. His thoughts were however trying to figure out just how rich his King was. He had met a life-threatening accident some weeks ago, and by some luck or twist of fate, he had been rescued by his long-time crush; the Student Council President herself- Sona Sitri, as he had known.

He had known that he was already a devil, those creatures depicted as the "Evil" ones in the christian bible, but somehow; he felt different. He had recovered from those injuries that would have killed him in an instant, truth be told, he had died. But, with the help of Sona's magic, here he was again on the plane amongst the living. He wanted to return to Kuoh Academy, but Sona disagreed on that idea as his perdicament had been the headlines of the town. Sona pointed out that should he suddenly make a comeback; it would arouse suspicion among the humans.

The boy had been staying at the hospital for some weeks; pretending that he was slowly recovering from the accident. He had been hit by a large truck as he had been crossing a street; the truck had mechanical failure on the brakes, and the driver lost control... the rest was history.

"Saji." A voice called. "Over here."

Genshirou Saji turned towards the voice; and his heart fluttered. There, some feet away; the love of his life was standing. Her face still stoic and professional, however, her eyes were warm and caring.

"Hai. Sona-kaichou." Saji replied energetically as he jogged towards his master.

"How do you feel?" Sona asked calmly. "I imagine it had been tough during your stay at the hospital."

"Its certainly good to be out here again kaichou!" came Saji's enthusiastic reply. "Pretending to be sick is harder than it seems."

"Good." Sona said. "You start school again on Monday."

And immediately, Saji's spirits fell. It was not that he had a hard time in his studies, in fact, Saji had been the top of his class before he had to take a leave of absence due to his accident. It was the typical teenager's "allergy" of the term school that was dancing within his being.

"Yeah. Kaichou." Saji said lifelessly. "Its good to be back."

"Then let us depart this place." Sona said. "We have something prepared for you at home."

Saji's face lit up at that...

"Really? Kaichou?" Saji blurted out. "I'm so lucky!"

Sona just sported a small smile and started walking away with Saji following suit.

Meanwhile...

Out of the coast of Japan, a huge airliner zoomed across the skies. Its magnificent wings lifting it with grace along the aircurrent. It was nearing the end of its journey; for some of its passengers, arriving in Japan was a common routine. Most were tourists from Europe, coming over to see the sights as well as experience a culture different from their own.

"Attention all passengers... Attention all passengers..." a woman's voice echoed from the plane's internal PA system. "We are now arriving at Tokyo International Airport... We, the crew of Flight 272 Camel Airlines,... hope that you enjoyed your flight."

"Awaaa! The island of Japan looks beautiful from this height." A female passenger breathed softly. "Wow... I think that is the famoust Mount Fuji right there!"

The passenger, a female flying solo; it had been the first time she had been in a passenger plane- to sum it all, it was the first time she even had ventured out from the monastery she had stayed most of her life. She was easy on the eyes; her flowing blonde hair and dark blue eyes were captivating. Her feminine body was still developing, thought it showed great promise.

She would've been quite the head-turner; heartbreaker even, if it were not the way she was brought up. The young blonde female had spent most of her life serving in a remote chapel somewhere in Europe, she had her share of nightmarish experiences while growing up. But her natural good-natured persona had balanced her lifestyle.

True, she had been electrified with joy when she was called upon by the Church to be on a religious mission to Japan. She had her hopes up in fullfilling her dream of serving her God on a foreign land and meeting people with a different culture. It had been her lifelong mission to seek people who she could call friends. The young nun had been hoping that Japan would be the start of that dream coming true.

[End Chapter]

[Author's Notes]

Finally, after weeks of business conferences with the boss among other things! Back to writing! Sorry for the long wait,...

"abcd" – normal dialogue

"abcd" – background dialogue/ ambiance sounds

'abcd' – thoughts

["abcd"] – telepathic conversation