Chapter 10: The Search Begins

Time frames and locations

Persona Skills and Speech

[Dragon Speech]

POVs

Tuesday Morning, Home

Akira's POV

After some consideration, Akira had decided to skip the school and venture out to look for Kiba. He was worried for his kouhai, anger and revenge clouded his judgement. It was like with Akechi, whose vision of justice had been clouded by vengeance and anger. He did not wish to see a repeat of that, Kiba's time was not near yet.

Sighing, he put on his casual clothes instead of the standard Kuoh Academy uniform. Thankfully, Morgana had gone back to sleep after the loss of his heat source, as he was not going to tag along. He was sure that Morgana would have given him a dressing down, which would in turn make him lose precious time which could have been used to search for Kiba.

The problem now was, where was he going to start his search? He didn't exactly know the Knight well enough to discover his location that easily and he didn't have a sensor based Persona like Necronomicon or Prometheus while Ongyo-Ki's senses could only reach out so far. He was more well versed in the arts of ninjutsu than sensing. How would he start his search? Sighing, he swapped his casual clothes for his uniform. It seemed that he would be attending school after all.

He needed more information. Why was Kiba so obsessed with the destruction of the shards of Excalibur, even to the point of abandoning Rias' peerage? Perhaps his master would have more information? So many questions, so few answers to the satiate the pool of ever growing mysteries. As his phone rang, he picked it up this time without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hello, son." His mind froze as he heard her voice again. He hadn't been expecting his mother of all people to call him. And why was she calling so early, without any warning? She wasn't the kind to call every so often, her calls would only come three or four times a year at best. "How have you been doing?"

"Fine." He noticed the mirth in her voice, despite it being over a phone. The last call she made had been almost two months ago, so what was she playing at?

"I hope you do remember our conversation two months ago, because we will be arriving soon." She continued on, as Akira felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. With the recent events going on, he had forgotten that his parents would be coming here. "And do remember to prepare your suit as well." She chirped before pausing, as if she was expecting a reply.

"Alright." He grumbled. Her tone left no room for argument after all. He hated formal events, it was all banter and talk, nothing more. People could be easily bought over, with simple sweet words layered with honey to ensnare others. So much bootlicking in one single event, it was almost unreal.

"I know you dislike formal events, but bear with us for this one, alright?" His mother seemed to be able to read his mind still, and her oddly comforting voice put him at ease for some reason. "It's being hosted by the Kirijo Group, and we can't afford to mess this one up." Akira knew of the Kirijo Group. It was a household name among the Japanese themselves and well known internationally. Such a feat for a Japanese based business had been only achieved by mainly car manufactures and a few retail stores, nothing more. Though, the Kirijo Group was suspicious in their own right.

There were hints suggesting some suspicious activity, but could never be traced back. One such incident was the death of the former CEO of the group, Takeharu Kirijo. He was in the pink of health, so why would he die all of a sudden from a heart attack? Another was an incident back in 1999, where some place exploded. It was in an area controlled by the Kirijo Group, which meant that they had tried to do something but failed spectacularly. It was odd, to say the least.

"Alright, Kaa-san. I will."

"Glad to know that you're willing for once." Akira could nearly see the small smile that appeared on her face. "I'll see you soon." The call ended and Akira realised the implications of his parents coming. He prayed fervently that his parents wouldn't arrive too soon, for it would mean more trouble than needed. Sighing, he picked up his school bag and walked out of the door.

After School, School

Come to think of it, he should really drop his things off at his home before he went off to find Kiba. They would do nothing but to hamper his search, given the weight and he could always conceal his weapons on himself easily enough. A dagger/short sword(he still wasn't sure Paradise Lost was actually) and Nataraja would be easily concealed given their small sizes.

Deciding on his course of action, he began walking out of the school gate, only to be stopped by Koneko and Issei. He could easily hazard a guess on what they wanted, as they approached him with a determined look on their face. "Akira-senpai!" He stopped at the call, facing the two of them.

"You want me to help you find Kiba, don't you?" Akira noted the slight relief in their faces. It seemed that they were relieved at being spared of having to ask him the question. "I'll help, of course. Kiba's on a path of no return, and I'm not going to let that happen to him." The two stared at Akira, whose eyes were determined yet was distant, as if he was remembering something that steeled his resolve. Akira did not wish to let Kiba to go down on a path of ruin, he still had his comrades who cared for him. Justice was the Arcana that suited Kiba the best, that was for certain.

"How?" It was a simple word from Koneko, but Akira knew what she meant. How were they going to search for Kiba?

"Why don't we find the Exorcists and strike a bargain with them?" It seemed that Issei had the most logical ideas when it came to times like this, he knew where this was going while Koneko looked confused.

"We strike a bargain with them to destroy one Shard, Kiba should come." Akira explained, which left Koneko nodding her head. "I need to go put down my stuff first. My stuff's just going to weigh me down. I'll search for Kiba, while the two of you look for the Exorcists and try to convince them."

Nodding their heads in determination, all of them split up, with Akira walking back to his house.

Suburbs of Kuoh, Evening

Akira's eye twitched as he finally managed to track down Kiba to a single location. It had not been hard to trace his footsteps by asking people, given how blond people were rare in the small town. Many of the women he had asked had called the blonde handsome and when they found out that Akira was Kiba's friend, they had given him directions. A bit too willingly. Though, along with Ongyo-Ki's keen senses and the places that Kiba had been spotted in, he finally managed to narrow it down into a building.

The specific building, was a love hotel of all things. Then again, it made sense because no one would expect Kiba to be here. He had to ask though, what was going through Kiba's mind? He decided to camp out here and wait for Kiba rather than going in and asking around, while blending in with the environment by sitting down and using his phone to listen to music. This was the safest and most time consuming method, given that Kiba could come out any time. Though, it would at least relax Kiba's guard for a bit.

Come to think of it, the Kirijo Group that his mother mentioned earlier was somewhat suspicious, but was it actually worth investigating? He had a gut feeling that it could be worth something, but was it truly worth the time to investigate? Swapping his app to the phone, he called Futaba. She would know what to do, plus she could probably hack into any database with ease. Her being able to hack into the TV station to broadcast the calling card was an excellent example.

"Yo, Akira! You never call! How have you been?" Futaba's excited voice rang through his ears, nearly making him deaf.

"I'm fine, Futaba. Listen, I need you to do something for me. Do you mind?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't!" Her excited voice rang through once more, making him wince in slight pain. His pain endurance did not apply to phones, apparently.

"Futaba, there is something strange about the Kirijo Group. I want you to hack into their database and search for something relating to the incident in 1999."

"Consider it done! I'm sure that they have some pretty powerful firewalls, but nothing will stop me!" Akira sighed, Futaba liked boasting about her hacking skills at times, which made her well suited for the role of support.

"Be careful, Futaba." He responded.

"Of course I will! Don't worry, you'll get results by tomorrow!" With that, she cut the call. Though her voice was filled with confidence, he couldn't help but worry for her. Was this payback for all the times he did stupid things, making his team and others worry about him, such as the time when he turned himself in to the police?

Sighing, he put his music back on and waited. Kiba would have to be coming out soon, it was past 7 and the sun had set, meaning that devils would be at their near peak. True enough, Kiba appeared at the entrance of the love hotel later, exiting it as he looked around warily. Quickly putting away his phone, he walked towards the Knight and tapped him on the shoulder. He immediately spun around, ready to defend himself until he saw Akira. "What are you doing here?" Hostility was present in his voice.

"Come on, let's go somewhere and talk."

Scene Break

They found themselves in a small and isolated park. Perfect for the two of them to talk without anyone eavesdropping. He began the conversation. "Kiba. Stop this." Kiba glared back at Akira in return.

"Why should I stop? I will not stop until I have my vengeance!" He spat out.

"Why do you hate Excalibur so much?" Akira was curious, hoping that he could get some answers.

"Because it took everything away from me! My friends! Those I called family! Everyone!"

"Do you mind elaborating?"

Kiba stared at Akira's eyes, before sighing and calming down. "When I was a kid, there was this thing called the Holy Sword Project and I was roped into it." Akira nodded, he was finally going to get some answers. "Like the naive kids we were, we believed that it was all for God and submitted ourselves to experimentation, that sort of thing, you know?" He laughed bitterly before continuing. "One by one, our numbers dwindled as kids got taken away and never came back. Yet, we still believed that it was all for God. After some time, we began to suspect that something was wrong and they made their move. Those who imprisoned us in their lab decided that it was time to get rid of us and began to gas us. The first couple of kids, they died while sleeping. It must have been peaceful, with no panic nor fear. Just peaceful sleeping expressions as they died." There was a strange expression on Kiba's face that he couldn't quite place.

"For the rest, we all woke up as we saw what they were doing to us. Many cried in terror as they fell, yet they could do nothing against it. Those that I came to call friends, they died as they tried to hold back the men, allowing me to escape. Yet, it was all for naught as I ventured into the forest. I had inhaled in too much of the gas and was dying. That was when Rias found me and brought me into her peerage. Ever since then, I swore revenge for my friends." Kiba glanced up from the ground as Akira put a hand on his shoulder.

"You're wrong, you know? Revenge should not be focused on the sword. It should be on the person who used it for their own gain. A weapon is not evil by itself, but rather the person who wields it." Kiba nodded.

"Then Valper Gallei is my target." He declared.

"Before you dash in head first, there are more things that you need to know. You should not seek revenge for your friends, but rather justice."

"What do you mean?"

"Revenge and Justice are two different things. Revenge is doing it for a sense of satisfaction and dishing out whatever punishment you deem fit to the offender, while Justice requires no rewards in exchange while also bringing the person before the law. After all, everyone is equal before the law no matter who you may be. The law punishes all fairly no matter what."

"You sound too wise for your own age." Kiba muttered, which Akira chuckled at.

"The other piece of advice should help you a lot as well. Detest the enemies before you. Change that animosity into power and unleash it. However, do know that it should be used at the right time only." Kiba looked confused at the statements.

"It almost sounds like they contradict each other. Why?"

"You'll understand. Sooner or later, they all do. It took me a while to realise it as well." Kiba still looked confused.

"You'll understand it, Kiba. Seeing how you're more level headed now, why don't we go pay Koneko and Issei a visit? They've been worrying about you for a while now." Kiba found that Akira was right. He did feel much more calm than before, the rage having dissipated. His folly of ditching his comrades came back to him. Koneko and Issei were also his comrades, he wouldn't ditch them a second time. Not anymore. He would no longer run from his mistakes.

Akira smiled, Kiba had finally came back to his senses. His phone buzzed, and Akira picked it up. "Hello Issei?"

Scene Break

"Hey." Issei looked relieved, though he also looked like he was about to cry. It wasn't difficult to see why. Both the Exorcists, Xenovia and Irinia, were digging into a plate of food, though a few empty plates were stacked neatly on top of each other. RIP Issei's wallet. Koneko meanwhile, looked stoic as always, though there was the ghost of a smile on her face as if she just saw the pervert get his karma for peeking or the fact that Kiba was back.

"Hey." Akira responded, taking a seat next to the table next to them. Kiba did the same as well. As the two Exorcists finished their last plate, they prayed, which earned several groans of pain from Issei, Kiba and Saji? Koneko winced slightly, but that was it.

"Never would I thought that I would be receiving food from a devil. But, thank you for the meal." Akira could easily interpret the English thankfully, given his score in the subject.

"It's fine. So, will you let us help you find the Shards?"

"I still can't, I'm afraid." Akira groaned for a second, before Issei aaid something which pretty much saved the deal.

"Then let me help you not as a devil, but as the Red Dragon Emperor! They can't refute that if you received help from a dragon, right?" Akira found himself nodding his head in approval along with Xenovia.

"That is acceptable."

"I'll help as well. As a Trickster."

"What is a Trickster?" Confusion was evident on both of their faces. It seemed that the Church hadn't educated them on such terms.

"Your higher ups will know." Akira stated plainly. "They will not mess around when it comes to one who bears the title." He took a gamble, which would hopefully work. "Name's Akira Kurusu, by the way."

"I hope that we will have a happy partnership, even if temporary." Xenovia and Akira shook hands.

"So how do we find the shards?" Kiba got straight on with business. There was no time to waste after all. However, he couldn't help but think that this was a plan of Kokabiel's. All he was missing was the motive behind doing so.

"Why not bait them?" Issei suggested. Akira had to admit, that suggestion was good. The question was, how would they bait them?

"Last night, Freed attacked me." Kiba spoke up, which drew attention from all the involved parties. "He used Excalibur Rapidly as his main choice of weapon. So if we get him, we should be able to uncover their location." Kiba suggested.

"Good thinking. Question now is, how do we bait Freed? If we bunch up together, he won't come after us but if we separate, we can't reach each other in time if one of us gets ambushed." Issei wondered out loud.

Irina provided the answer to that. "Recently, the priests that we sent into Kuoh got killed off by an unknown cause. If it is Freed who's killing them off, then maybe we can disguise ourselves as priests to bait him and patrol the night." Her suggestion held merit, even though it was a gamble.

"I can't join you on that, though you can contact me if you guys find their hideout. My parents are coming over soon and I need to keep up appearances." They nodded their heads. "I should be able to make it in time." Akira had discovered that infinite sprinting was still available as long he was in his Phantom Thief clothes. Along with his skill in parkour, he should be able to cover the entire city in less than an hour.

Thus began the search of the Excalibur shards.

Friday After School, School

Akira knew that the patrol last night had been unsuccessful as well, given the sour look on Issei's face and the absence of a call or text on his phone informing him of any success. "Man, we've been searching for a few nights yet Freed hasn't appeared!" Issei complained.

"Patience, Issei. It is essential in anything and everything." Akira responded.

"Alright, Akira-senpai. Man, why do you and Ddraig give the same advice?"

That perked his interest. "The Welsh is old and wise beyond comprehension, as for me it is because I have been seeing things and experiencing them myself. Thus, I know what is required when it comes to such tasks." Akira explained.

"Oh, I see! Say, Akira-senpai. What did you go through to gain such wisdom?"

"It's a long tale. One that I can't tell fully." Issei looked down until Akira spoke up again. "I didn't say that I couldn't tell you something about it." As Issei nodded his head eagerly, ready to hear what his past was like, Akira took a deep breath and he remembered his life when he first entered Shujin.

"When I first stepped into Shujin Academy, people had known of my status as a criminal already. The only other one willing to accept me as a person first was someone named Ryuji. He was basically a troublemaker. It took patience for the others to accept me, as me were afraid of me beating them up, according to the rumours. It was till I topped them in our first exam then they started accepting me as a student rather than a criminal." Akira explained.

"It must have been hard huh? Being an outcast and all."

"Actually it wasn't." Akira said, which made Issei surprised.

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't hard being an outcast. People would avoid me, but I was fine with that. Plus, I found fellow outcasts weren't well liked by others or simply shunned. One was a model by the name of Ann Takamaki. She was an outcast because rumours of her were spread around. They were rather... unpleasant."

"Oh. I see." Issei didn't speak much, but he felt that he could understand Issei much better now. He understood that Issei was an outcast in Kuoh Academy as well, given his perverse personality.

"It takes time and effort, but people will gradually accept you as long as you make a conscious effort to improve yourself." It seemed that the words seemed to strike a chord within Issei, as he could feel the bond strengthening itself once more.

Your bond with the Perverted Highschooler has reached Level 6!

As Issei nodded once more, he began walking away, probably reflecting on his words. It seemed that it was the start of Issei turning over into a new leaf, though he couldn't be too sure. It was too early to say for sure.

Akira looked at Issei's fading figure, satisfied. "Changing the pervert, are we?" The remark from Ishtar left Akira smiling a bit.

"It's for the better." He responded. He felt the entrance of a new Persona of the Aeon Arcana and welcomed him/her into his soul.

"It probably is." There was no argument from any of his Personae, it was indeed for the better.

Night, Home

Akira was still on stand by. It had been hours since the group went patrolling after school. He had stayed at his home, expecting his parents to arrive any second given how his mother phrased her words. Her meaning of soon could easily range from a few hours to days with no end in sight.

It was at these times that he would simply settle down and read a book. Books were something that he liked, especially ones that could take him on a rollercoaster. One such book he favoured was the one he found on Arsene, The Great Thief. It was one of those books that would still have him hooked no matter how many times he read it.

Sighing, he found his hands snaking to his phone and earpiece, ready to plug in some music. Futaba probably wouldn't have any info till tomorrow at the very least, so that meant that he had nothing to do. Flipping to the fifth page, he continued reading on.

By the time he read finish the book, it was past 10. If he had to guess, they would be ending their patrol soon. He had not been updated of their schedules for the patrols. Conveniently enough, his phone rang. "Akira-senpai!" Issei yelled. It was somewhat rushed though. "We managed to track down their base! It's the church in the middle of town!"

"Wait!" Akira yelled, but Issei had already hung up the call. The feeling of dread within his stomach that manifested earlier in the day began to grow as well. Something was not right. Why would they choose such an obvious location? The church was in the middle of town, the perfect hotspot for trouble if you wanted to put a secret base there, unless...

Gritting his teeth, he dashed out, crushing the World Arcana as blue flames enveloped him and he donned his teeth outfit. He could only pray that he wasn't too late, but God would not be listening despite the fervent prayer. He began his sprint to the church, hoping that he could make it in time.

Church

Xenovia's POV

How were they all so stupid? To be baited into a simple trap like that, it had definitely been dumb of them to even try to attack the base without back up. Though, she still somewhat doubted Akira's ability and power.

She gritted her teeth as Freed tried to pull Durandal out of the ground, which thankfully failed. Still, she could not bear to see the deranged priest touch Durandal. Her entire body was nailed to a wooden cross, along with Irina, Issei, Kiba and Koneko. She felt guilty. If only she had chose to wait instead of giving in to the rage that was garnered by the priest's taunt, this would have never happened.

The blood that flowed from her hands freely had stopped, but it still didn't stop the numbing pain that was attacking her nerves, trying to persuade her to give in to the temptation of fainting to stop the pain, even if only temporary. She gritted her teeth once more, in an attempt to stay awake. Beside her, Irina wasn't fairing too well either, both of them having sustained wounds from the ambush earlier.

Issei and Koneko had been sniped with blessed bullets earlier, making it impossible for them to continue fighting as they were quickly taken out of the picture. Despite Kiba's speed, he was soon taken out by Freed who still wielded Excalibur Rapidly. Both Irina and her had been held back by waves upon waves of exiled Exorcists. She had taken out Durandal, hoping that it would help more than Excalibur Destruction but it was all for naught as Freed managed to sneak up on her and defeat her. Durandal now was stabbed onto the ground, unmoving and unwavering as Freed pulled at it once more before giving up.

"Oi, Valper! The sword's still stuck in the ground!" Freed complained, before hefting Excalibur Rapidly over his shoulder.

"Leave it, Freed. Someone else is approaching this place. You know what to do." Valper commanded from the second floor. Xenovia had a sinking feeling as she knew who Valper was referring to. The doors swung open and Akira walked in. If she hadn't met him before, she wouldn't have known that the masked person was him. The curly hair, no doubt about it. It was the defining feature that gave him away.

"Get out of here! Go and warn the others!" She yelled, but her words were lost in the wind as Akira strode forward, analysing every single thing in the church. She could feel it. There was a simmering rage lying beneath that mask of his, waiting to be unleashed.

"Hey! Time to die for me, yea?" Freed yelled as he dashed towards Akira, ready to behead him. She noticed how Akira's lips curved up into a smirk and she couldn't comprehend the sight that was in front of her. Akira had a slash across his torso, his fancy trench coat and shirt damaged with the sword lodged in his gut. However, the smirk never left his lips. She looked over to Irina to see whether she was seeing the same thing.

Irina also had her eyes wide open, not believing the scene before her. His lips in fact, curled into a sinister and sadistic smile, as he pulled the sword out, despite Freed's attempt to push it back in and wrench control. The smile, she had to admit, it was more terrifying that anything she thought possible. When he spoke, it was in a raspy voice that didn't match his normal voice. It sent shivers down her spine, the voice was so distorted that she would forever remember it in her nightmares.

"Is that it?"

A/N: Well, that concludes this chapter. I've been job hunting as usual, doin nothing much. Listened to Eyes Wide Open by Bishu and Lyra by MRYNE for this chapter.