Hello there any and all reading this. I would just like to state that this is the very first story I have ever made, so bear with any rookie mistakes I may make and feel free to give me criticism and any tips on how to improve.
I will try to replicate most of the canon characters' personalities to the best of my ability with a handful serving as the outliers. These outliers will consist of side characters who may have their personalities tweaked in favor of the story.
There are going to be numerous OC's in this story serving as both minor and major characters. So if you absolutely disdain OC stories, this is your warning. That aside, I hope I don't leave (too) much of a bad impression via this story.
To give a time frame for this story, it begins between Gasper's training and the Leaders' Summit.
I do not own High School DxD or its canonical characters. Those belong to Ichiei Ishibumi solely.
A Moment of Respite
After enduring the confrontation with the cold-eyed Ryuusuke and an infuriated Daisuke, Issei and Akeno slept on the ground along the mountain path. Meanwhile, Genshirou had regained consciousness, but remained at the club house until Rias arrived; whom of which was on her way back after the conference with the Kasai's parents, bearing knowledge of the Kasai family itself with little information on Ryuusuke.
Kuoh Mountains, 8:20PM
Akeno awoke in a barren field in the mountains unlike where she and Issei fell asleep initially. Confused, she looked around to see if she was alone in the field. In the distance, she seen Issei and Daisuke talking to each other, both of which were facing away from her and at a large distance. She made her way towards the two before a lingering feeling of being watched fell over her. She quickly turned around to see if anyone was behind her only to discover nothing. Upon turning back to face the two, she discovered that they had vanished without a trace: no crunching of grass below footsteps, no demonic nor human energy to indicate that they were there in the first place, nothing but empty space.
"Issei? Daisuke?" Akeno called out, even more confused than before. She advanced further towards where the two once were. As she advanced, the crunching of grass was heard behind her, becoming louder as time passed. She turned around to, once again, discover empty space. Slightly panicked, she turned in every direction, closely analyzing the terrain for any potential hiding spots they may have hid in or for her to use if needed. During her sweeping of the directions, she turned to see Issei and Daisuke in the distance. They were still a fair distance away with their backs turned to Akeno, but their conversation was now a barely audible whisper as opposed to silent mouth movements.
"What the... Is this a prank, you two?" Akeno asked, hoping assuring words would spill from them to dilute her confusion.
The talking between the two suddenly stopped, leaving nothing but dead silence upon the air. Fear rose in Akeno and the two remained silent for what felt like forever. "Daisuke, don't make me come over there," she said with a seductive tone, counting on the nervous Daisuke to have some form of negative reaction. To her discomfort, there was not even a twitch from him. A cold, yet familiar voice whispered in her ear as if it was leaning over her shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll come to you," the voice of Ryuusuke said, prompting her to turn towards the source. She found, again, nothing but empty space. Akeno's heart sank and she slowly turned back towards the two, bearing a mixture of dread and curiosity as she did so. What she saw paralyzed her in fear.
Standing before her, within arms reach, was Daisuke and Issei. Both of them held their heads low, preventing Akeno from seeing their faces. Terror took control of her: body trembling, a chill running down the spine, sweat dripping from the head. "Stop it, this isn't funny anymore!" she exclaimed, hoping at least Issei would relent.
"I beg to differ; this is hilarious," the two before her simultaneously said. Terror gripped her throat upon hearing their voices. The cold and grim voice of Ryuusuke, the man that nearly choked her to death, poured from them.
The two rose their heads to reveal faces not of their own, but of Ryuusuke. Their empty eyes staring into Akeno's and their ghostly skin slowly glowed brighter until they seemed to dissipate into white smoke. "Wake up," Ryuusuke's voice spoke in her ear once more.
Akeno stood completely still and closed her eyes in fear of what unknowable thing stood behind her. She held them tight and curled up on the ground, hoping for the best.
After a long period of nothing, she opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of the training grounds Rias and Sona designated. Unsure of what to believe, Akeno looked around and noticed Ai, the Student Council, and Daisuke in the distance. Relieved, she looked up to find Ryuusuke crouching on a rock behind her, watching over her like a hawk watching a mouse scurry along an open field. She jumped up and away from her ghostly observer.
"Is there a problem, Dear Akeno?" Ryuusuke asked, looking at her with an empty gaze.
"Just a light nightmare," Akeno answered, joyous that all but the fear she had experienced was a mere dream.
"Very well then," Ryuusuke said with an empty voice before he stood up, feet still firmly planted on the rock. "Dear Souna, she is awake."
"Thank you, Akahoshi," Sona said before she advanced towards the two.
"What happened while I was out?" Akeno asked as she got up off the ground, keeping Ryuusuke in her sights as she did so.
"We heard gunshots being fired off in the distance. Once at the source, we found Akahoshi watching you, Hyoudou, and the Kasai siblings while everyone was asleep. We thought, initially, we had walked into a murder scene. Before we could do anything, Akahoshi pulled a gun on us. After some hard-pressed convincing, we got him to explain the scenario," Sona said mid-advance before stopping right in front of Akeno and leaning close to her ear. "I'm assuming he witnessed something he shouldn't have. We'll have you or Issei explain everything later," she whispered.
"I'm not sure what happened, honestly. All I remember was walking Madam Ran and Sir Ren up the mountain before everything went dark. I only sleep once every two days, and my last slumber was yesterday; so I'm as confused as you are," Ryuusuke said as he pulled six more bullets out of his pocket and reloaded his revolver.
"You didn't know the chamber was empty?" Sona asked, hoping to divert his attention away from his suspicious slumber.
"To be honest, I wasn't aware of that until you said something about gunshots," Ryuusuke said as he spun the chamber. "If that is the case, though, why were you afraid when I pulled a gun on you?"
"Well, we were uncertain if the gun still bore ammunition. So our fear wasn't entirely misguided," Sona rebutted.
"I'm assuming you heard six thundering shots judging by my empty gun. The standard ammo count for a revolver chamber happens to be six. It is unlikely that someone as decrepit as me would harbor anything that bears a higher ammo count anyway. Alongside that, there was no visible indication that I had more ammo. No ammo belts or any other accessory of that type," Ryuusuke argued, staring blankly at Sona, who seemed unfazed by the glare.
"To be fair, I wouldn't expect someone who looks the way you do to even own a gun," Sona remarked with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face.
Ryuusuke fell silent for a brief moment, eyes unblinking. "Your wit is sharper than I thought then. That is good; expect the unexpected, I always say," Ryuusuke congratulated with a blank tone before he turned his attention back to Akeno. "I'm not certain if I introduced myself to you prior to the unexpected nap, Dear Akeno, so I'll go ahead and do so just in case. I am Ryuusuke Akahoshi, faithful servant and bodyguard of the Kasai family."
"Servant and bodyguard?" Akeno repeated.
"Yes, that is correct. Be sure to tell the rest, Dear Akeno. I would much rather not repeat myself for the convenience of others; it is tiring," Ryuusuke stated before stepping off the rock and heading towards Ai, who was holding a sleeping Issei in her lap.
"Ugh." Issei grunted as he awoke. When he opened his eyes, he was treated to a bottom view of Ai's bust. There was a section in between two buttons that were opened slightly, giving Issei a view of Ai's underboob. His eyes shot open and widened to an amazed stare. "Jumbo jugs," he muttered in quick succession.
Ai looked down at Issei before giggling a slight bit at Issei's remark. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to give you an eye full. We ran out of pillows for everyone to rest on, so I offered to serve as yours," she said, unaware of the gaping window in her shirt.
"I wanted to prevent Madam Ai from having to sit uncomfortably on the hard ground, so I offered to do so. She, however, thought that you would be more comfortable on her legs; and I agreed. She does provide more cushioning than I do," Ryuusuke explained before turning back to Sona. "Dear Souna, Dear Issei is awake as well."
"Cushioning?" Issei repeated quietly, taking Ryuusuke's statement as an insult towards Ai. His face contorted to one of mild irritation.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Most of the time, it is best to take what he says at face value. If he says anything hurtful, don't take it as an insult either. He just doesn't have a filter and is very blunt with his words," Ai explained in a soothing voice, easing Issei's mind a bit before Ryuusuke's cold voice chimed in. The very sound of it broke him of this relief and put him on edge once more.
"The only time I'm not blunt is when I display distrust or disdain towards another. I find that the ominous ambiguity is rather effective at scaring people off," Ryuusuke stated before lowering his face closer to Issei's. "That aside, I feel that I've held a gun to your head before; I don't know why."
"Shit! Does he remember what happened?" Issei thought, internalizing his concern to not seem suspicious.
A silence fell among the field. Sona's group prepared for a light scuffle while Akeno dreaded the possibility that she improperly altered Ryuusuke's memories. Tension rose and the Devils got antsy.
"No, never mind. That was someone else. I apologize, Dear Issei, you have a very common look," Ryuusuke stated before backing away from Issei's face.
Feeling relieved that the man held no bitter memory of him, Issei let out a sigh of relief as he lied in Ai's lap. After taking some time to process what Ryuusuke said, however, Issei felt great unease. "Wait, you held someone at gunpoint?" he asked in a loud voice, jumping slightly and bumping his head against Ai's breasts, causing one of the buttons on her shirt to come undone. This lead to another button coming undone, revealing a large amount of cleavage. "Uhhhhhh..." he droned, anticipating a merciless scolding from Ryuusuke.
"Madam Ai, this is why I suggested you to get yourself a bigger shirt; the buttons are liable to burst," Ryuusuke remarked, completely disregarding Issei's question.
"I'm sorry, but you know I wear this to brighten mens' moods when they're feeling down," Ai refuted with a gentle smile as she rebuttoned her shirt with slight difficulty, causing her breasts to shake and sway over Issei's eyes.
"Rapists tend to target those who dress promiscuously more often than those who don't. I want to avoid that happening to you. Please consider getting a bigger shirt; a stranger's happiness is not worth your purity, trust me. I can even get a friend of mine to tailor you one to fit your specific needs," Ryuusuke explained, expression and voice unchanging.
"Hey dude, if she wants to dress like that, I say just let her. She doesn't have to worry about a thing with a scary lookin' sonuvabitch packin' heat protecting her." Issei argued in favor of Ai. "That, and I don't think people are gonna mess with her since Death-Stare-From-Hell McGee is by her side all the time," he added before pointing at the sleeping Daisuke encircled by three of the Student Council members: Momo Hanakai, Reya Kusaka, and Tsubasa Yura.
Ryuusuke fell silent for a moment. He turned towards where Issei was pointing and noticed the three girls surrounding Daisuke. He moved towards Daisuke with a slow, unnerving stride. "While that is a good point, you underestimate the desperation of the mentally unstable. That is bad; that is a quick way to get yourself killed," he said before walking out of earshot.
"Wait a minute. Are we not gonna talk about you holdin' a man at gunpoint?" Issei asked once again. Ryuusuke did not respond and continued to walk to his slumbering master.
"So, we basically have our own Kiba now? It's a shame he's only a human," Momo remarked, looming over Daisuke.
"I wouldn't underestimate humans. Tsubasa, before her reincarnation, was quite a force to be reckoned with. He could be a candidate for a spot in Sona's Peerage," Reya noted.
"He'd probably be a Knight like Kiba. I don't see him being a Rook with his physicality," Tsubasa stated, examining Daisuke's physique.
"Shh shh shh shh," Momo hushed, noticing the approaching Ryuusuke.
"What?" Tsubasa asked before turning to see Ryuusuke walking towards them.
Reya silently turned to look towards what Momo was looking at.
The Student Council members kept a wary eye on the strange man as he approached him. While mostly unafraid of him, they were unable to shake a feeling of unease and distrust.
"I would suggest you back away from Sir Daisuke; he gets rather worked up when around women," Ryuusuke said before taking a glance at each of the Devils, taking note of their uncomfortable expressions. "I see you are following your instincts. That is good; sometimes rationality blinds us from even the obvious."
The three, as requested, backed away from Daisuke. Ryuusuke crouched down near Daisuke's ear and whispered. "Sir Daisuke, the steak is smoking."
Daisuke sprung to life and looked around in a panic. "Turn the stove off immediately and remove it from the pan. It might be salvageable!" he shouted before gaining his bearings. He slowly looked left and right, noticing the three Student Council members. He stood like a statue; a visage of embarrassment was frozen upon his face.
The three Devils held back their laughter; the tension was far too high with Ryuusuke around. Sona, however, held indifference towards him, not even considering him a threat. She let out a slight giggle before catching herself. "He is a cook after all..." she remarked as she adjusted her glasses, shifting her eyes in hopes that no one heard that. Her light slip-up was out of earshot of all except Akeno, who was stationed next to her.
"Oh my, oh my, was that a laugh I heard from you, Sona?" Akeno prodded. It is not often Sona shows any weakness in her stoic attitude. Akeno, saw this as an opportunity she would never have again and wished to see what would become of Sona if she were to press her for it.
Sona let out a brief sigh. "There's no point in lying to an eyewitness. Yes, it was; what of it?" she replied. Seeing she was on the defense, Akeno attempted to crack into her a little more.
"It's not like you to break your no-fun disposition with a giggle. Is there something about Daisuke that you've grown fond of? You do call him by his first name; so he is something in your eyes," Akeno prodded.
"I know that flatly denying it would confirm it in your mind; but that is not the case. The irony of someone who looks so refined partaking in slapstick humor is simply amusing to me. As for the name: I find it convenient to call him by his first name as there is often one or more people with the surname Kasai around him. It would be confusing to address him as such if any other member of his family were to be present. I could make the same argument for you, Himejima. You seem fixated on him quite intensely. I don't recall you being this aggressive with even Hyoudou. I think you see something more in him than just an outlet for your pent-up sadistic tendencies," Sona refuted with crossed arms.
"Oh, come on now. You two would make a cute couple. I just know you sometimes imagine him caressing you in his arms while you hold a cake the two of you lovingly baked," Akeno further teased, trying to pry a reaction out of Sona.
"I do see what you're getting at, but just because me and him have similar hobbies doesn't mean I'm attracted to him," Sona rebutted. "I might, however, consider taking some cooking lessons from him. He seems to know his way around ingredients as evidenced by the gift basket he and Ai made for us."
"Well, there's going to be a bun in the oven one way or another if that's the case," Akeno remarked before something jolted her out of her playful mood. "Speaking of kids, where is Ren and Ran?"
"They are stationed with Meguri, Kusaka, and Shinra," Sona said while pointing towards the group.
Akeno looked over in the direction of the three to witness Tomoe and Reya taking cover behind large rocks while the timid Ran tossed sticks at them from atop a larger rock. Off to the side of that scene, Tsubaki was seen keeping constant observation on the curious Ren in order to prevent him from harming himself.
"They… have their hands full," Sona remarked, visibly embarrassed by the display.
Issei had gotten back up on his feet with Ai still kneeling on the ground, somehow still roughly eye level with him. Ai glanced behind Issei and noticed the twins giving the three Student Council members trouble.
"Issei, could you help Ryuu out with getting Dai out of that little predicament he is in? I need to go help them with Ren and Ran," Ai asked as she stood up.
"Sure," Issei responded "So, what's with that Ryuusuke dude? And why is he callin' you guys 'Sir' and 'Madam'?"
"Oh, that. I think I'll tell you and the others about it when we get back to Kuoh. It would be much more comfortable to listen to a story on a sofa than on rocky ground, wouldn't you agree, my friend?" Ai replied.
"The ORC may have other plans for when we get back; Maybe we can try tomorrow?" Issei answered.
"That works fine," Ai replied before walking towards Ren and Ran. She stopped shortly after beginning and turned back towards Issei, who was already on his way to help Ryuusuke with Daisuke. "Oh, by the way, where's the rest of the ORC? I thought they would be here with us," Ai asked.
Issei stopped in his tracks, trying to come up with some form of excuse. "They said they were gonna be a little late. Said somethin' about last-minute paperwork, I think," he lied.
"Oh, I see. Someone has to take care of the menial jobs, I guess. Tell them to not be afraid to have me take care of the boring stuff from this point on when you get the chance; I don't mind," Ai replied, not taking a second to question Issei's excuse.
The two split to take dilute the disorder. After calming both groups down, the Devils, the siblings, and the hobo regrouped in the middle of the training grounds.
"Now then..." Sona began while adjusting her glasses. "We are here today to investigate a ruined manor not too far north of this location. We speculate that not only are there historical findings lying in wait, there may also happen to be various forms of supernatural phenomena. You see, this mountain path used to be a walkway for a family of endowed and secluded individuals who passed away one night due to unknown causes roughly two-hundred years ago. It is rumored that odd occurrences happen along the path and within the manor itself," she explained before being cut off.
"That explains us falling asleep on the mountain path. Should've assumed something supernatural happened," Ryuusuke interjected before looking up at Sona, who was giving him a less than pleasant look. "I apologize, Dear Souna; I didn't mean to say that out loud. Go on, I'll reprimand later if you desire," he said without so much as a timid stutter when struck by Sona's glare.
"Just be quieter when you speak next time, that is how you can reprimand if you wish to do so," Sona stated before setting herself back on track. "Anyway, we'll be breaking up into two groups seeing as how we are currently missing some members. Me, Himejima, Kusaka, Hanakai, and Shinra will scout the path and meet with the remainders in case a similar fate that befell the Kasais, Akahoshi, Hyoudou, and Himejima were to occur to them. Once we meet up with them, we will head to the manor as well. The rest of you will head straight to the manor and investigate. If you have any questions or concerns, speak now," Sona explained.
Ryuusuke walked up to Sona and pulled out his Colt Python. This shocked the Devils as they did not predict Ryuusuke to do something so unexpected. They prepared to defend Sona if he were to so much as twitch closer to the trigger. Ryuusuke flipped the gun and grabbed the barrel before outstretching his arm as if to give Sona his gun. "You may need this, Dear Souna. Be careful, the recoil can easily break your wrists if you handle it improperly," he said, even further surprising the Devils and even earning a surprised stare from Sona. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out roughly twelve bullets and handed them to her. "You may also need this."
"Don't you need this to protect the siblings?" Reya asked. "You don't know what could be out there."
"I only carry a gun because it makes confrontation rare and simple. I can be just as much of a threat without one. You, however, don't look the type to have combat training; so I'm handing you this for your safety," Ryuusuke explained before Sona took the gun, returning the sides of the Kasai siblings once she had done so.
"Trust me when I say this, he would fight a mountain lion to the death barehanded if he had to protect us." Ai said as Ryuusuke made his way back to her and her siblings. The amount of trust she put in this man was astounding.
"With the way he looks, I wouldn't be surprised if he ate the thing raw afterwards," Tsubasa thought.
"But what of Ren and Ran? Someone may need to wait outside with them." Tsubaki asked Sona.
"I'll be doing just that after scouting the interior myself. If I hear or see an animal or living person inside the building, I will eliminate it," Ryuusuke remarked.
"Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to killing?" Momo asked.
"If there's a person in there, they are immediately a threat in my eyes. Squatters are more dangerous than most realize; I was one before, after all. As for animals, they are primal and they can be rather dangerous if someone were to tread on their territory; thus, they are also threats in my eyes," Ryuusuke rebutted.
"Aren't you at least slightly concerned about your safety?" Ruruko asked.
"Not at all. My being is dedicated to protecting and serving my masters and their acquaintances, nothing more," Ryuusuke answered. This disregard for his own safety made him seem all the more threatening. A man willing to give his life is nothing to scoff at.
"Any other concerns?" Sona asked. There was silence among the group as she glanced left and right before finally settling on Daisuke, who was having a minor negative reaction to being around so many females. "You seem concerned, Daisuke," she remarked.
Daisuke stood silently as everyone's attention fixated on him. He froze up, unable to respond as he stared blankly at Sona.
"You're looking heated. Are you fine?" Sona asked.
"Sir Daisuke is rather timid around most women. Please don't take his silence as a rude gesture," Ryuusuke said, cutting in to speak for Daisuke.
"Ryuu, no," Ai said immediately after Ryuusuke's statement, holding her hands up to her mouth.
"Did you not tell them of this before, Madam Ai?" Ryuusuke asked, still blank and emotionless despite making a mistake.
"No, I was hoping I wouldn't have to," Ai lamented as she held a hand to her forehead.
"My apologies, Sir Daisuke. I will partake in a two hour-long ice bath once we return home," Ryuusuke said with deep bow.
This statement promptly caused several of the Devils and Ai to speak simultaneously out of sheer shock. What sane man would put himself through something like that for something as minor as a slip-up?
"No, don't do that," Ai said weakly.
"Are you trying to give yourself pneumonia?" Ruruko shouted.
"A little overboard, don't you think?" Momo asked.
"You'd do that willingly?" Tsubasa asked.
"You couldn't get me to commit to that even if ya forced me," Issei remarked.
"I'm sorry, Madam Ai; it is entirely up to Daisuke to decide if I am to follow through," Ryuusuke rebutted.
Once again, eyes settled on Daisuke, anticipating a response. To the surprise of Akeno and Issei, Daisuke managed to utter a couple of sentences after a sharp sigh.
"They were going to learn eventually, don't punish yourself. Besides, it makes it much easier to accustom myself with these ladies," Daisuke said with a low volume before returning to silence.
"Is that his problem, Himejima? Just a case of nervousness around females?" Sona asked, seeming somewhat underwhelmed by the revelation.
"Yep. I think it's a cute little quirk of his," Akeno responded while cutting a seductive glare at Daisuke.
The words had a minute effect on Daisuke, but the expression on Akeno's face caused Daisuke to dash off on a dirt trail in the opposite direction as quickly as he did when Akeno pushed herself on him. Once again, this was done without even a yelp from the terrified bishounen man.
"Aaaaaand he's gone," Issei said.
"Should I go retrieve Sir Daisuke?" Ryuusuke offered.
"No, it is fine; he's going along the trail towards the manor anyway." Sona answered. "You all might as well follow him."
The group instructed to head to the manor began their trek, far behind the fleeing Daisuke. Ryuusuke, however, first walked towards the group that was to scout the trail leading to the training grounds.
"I admire what you're doing for Sir Daisuke, but do note that your status as his acquaintance is the only thing preventing me from exacting revenge on his behalf. I would advise you to not push your luck," Ryuusuke warned with another empty stare into Akeno's eyes.
"What do you mean by 'what she's doing'?" Tsubaki asked. Ryuusuke turned towards her.
"Dear Akeno is behaving on more extreme levels towards Sir Daisuke to condition him to endure the more overwhelming interactions with women instead of starting out small. I can tell it's working too, albeit gradually," Ryuusuke asnswered.
Akeno, hoping to avert being on Ryuusuke's bad side, went along with his statement. "Yep, my plan exactly."
"Anyway, I'll be going now," Ryuusuke said before following the division directed to head to the manor.
Sona waited several minutes as the group vanished into the distance before turning to Akeno. "Now that they are out of the way, I require some questions to be answered and some explanations to be given," she said before turning to her two Bishops, Reya and Momo. "But before we do so, you two will need to simulate supernatural phenomena since the manor actually harbors none. Don't go overboard."
"Yes, President," the two said in unison before heading off to the manor on an alternate and shorter route.
"Now then, you are going to have to explain everything that occurred before we found you and Hyoudou asleep on the ground. Spare no detail; it will be vital for us to know." Sona said with narrowed eyes and her chin resting upon her hand.
Kuoh Academy ORC Club House, 8:20 PM
Meanwhile, Koneko, Asia, Gasper, and Genshirou stayed at the club house. Genshirou, having recovered from his unconscious state, was tasked with visually describing everything about the culprits he and Issei fought while they waited for Rias, Xenovia, and Yuuto to return.
"Were there any odd features?" Koneko asked.
"I couldn't make out much. They were wearing the most standard black cloaks, no insignia or anything. I could, however, catch slight glimpses of their faces when they weren't covered by a hood or mask," Genshirou answered.
"Were the mage's eyes blue?" Koneko abruptly asked, referring to the figure with the trident.
"Yes," "Genshirou answered. "Why are you asking something so specific?"
This answered caused Koneko's pupils to narrow, displaying concern in her otherwise blank eyes. "That may have been a Wani," Koneko replied.
"A Wani. You can't be serious. You mean the Youkai kind?" Genshirou responded, fear plastered on his face.
"Yes," Koneko replied blankly though fear was present in her eyes as well.
"What is a Youkai?" Asia, being a woman of God previously who was completely foreign to the concept of Youkai, asked.
"Youkai are a plethora of supernatural beings that take many forms. They greatly vary in power and temperament. Wanis are an incredibly powerful aquatic specie of Youkai renowned for their dominance over the oceans. As such, they are often referred to as a race of Daiyoukai: or Great Youkai. Their true forms are draconic in appearance, but are capable of adopting a human form if desired. If that person was a Wani, this threat is bigger than we thought," Genshirou explained.
"Th-That sounds b-bad," Gasper said shakily.
"Well, it only gets worse. I think it was wielding a Sacred Gear," Genshirou stated.
"You mean the trident?" Koneko asked.
"Yes, I think I've read about something like it." Genshirou answered before materializing a book by the name of "Encyclopedia of Magical Artifacts and Weapons Volume XII." He flipped through the pages until landing on an image that looked almost identical to the trident he saw.
The thing seemed to have been made out of blue coral. The outer prongs bore an edge on the side facing away from the middle prong and were curved sharply. The middle prong was flat and bore edges on both sides, giving it a more spear-like appearance. The prongs themselves looked like the claws of a Dragon. Just below the junction of prongs lied a decorative segment that bore flowing engravings leading to a blue gem. The shaft was relatively bland, but ended in a spear-like end.
"Storm Core," Genshirou announced. "Otherwise known as The Cannibalistic Manifestation of the Storm. It is an Element-Type Sacred Gear with the ability to manipulate and absorb all nearby forms of electricity to make its own electrical powers stronger. It is capable of storing such electricity almost indefinitely and seemingly without limit."
"Such a Gear on a Wani. Dangerous," Koneko remarked.
"I thought God only gave Sacred Gears to those of human blood," Asia said before feeling a sharp pain in her head. "Owww."
"M-Maybe the F-Fallen Angels helped them," Gasper suggested, stuttering on his words.
"That would probably be the most logical conclusion seeing how they are capable of transferring Sacred Gears," Genshirou agreed. "Me and the rest of the council may be able to identify the other Gears. That one in particular was one that I remembered reading into," he said, still sifting through the pages of the book.
The door to the room flung open. The Devils prepared themselves for a fight by taking defensive stances with the most defensive being Gasper, who hid in a box in a corner.
"Useless vampire," Koneko muttered.
Once the door had fully opened, the Devils were relieved to see that the ones at the door were none other than Rias, Yuuto, and Xenovia. While Kiba and Xenovia had somewhat serious expressions on their faces, Rias had a rather jovial one.
"Well, that's a way to welcome someone," Rias remarked at the hostile display. "Good news, Xenovia and Kiba may have found the enemy's hideout; we can plan ourselves an offensive on their base when we regroup. But for now, we need to head to where Sona and her Peerage are stationed," she explained.
Hearing the familiar voices, Gasper poked his head out of the box.
"We have a little news ourselves," Genshirou began. "One of our enemies may just be a Wani. Not only that, but it wields the Sacred Gear, Storm Core."
Rias's expression then sank to that of deep worry. "You can't be serious..." she stated with a dire tremble in her voice.
"It is just a hunch," Koneko added.
"But how does a Wani have a Sacred Gear?" Rias asked.
"Fallen Angels," Koneko answered.
"This isn't good." Rias said as she lowered her head in contemplation. "Is there any information on the others?"
"Not as of yet," Genshirou answered. "When we regroup, I'll tell President of the discovery and suggest we take to research to give us whatever upper hand we can get."
"Koneko, are there any weaknesses that Wanis have that we can exploit?" Rias asked.
"Wanis in a human form rely on magical prowess. Their physical capabilities are shit, but they are naturally gifted in magical arts. It is stupid to give them space," Koneko answered.
"So all we need to do is fight it in close-range combat?" Yuuto asked.
"Yes. If it transforms, run. Do take note of its horn," Koneko warned.
"What do you mean by that?" Genshirou asked.
"Sharp edged horns mean a stronger physical fighter. Longer horns mean a better mage," Koneko answered.
"Noted. We should head to the mountains to meet with the others," Genshirou suggested.
The rest of the Devils nodded in agreement, all except Gasper. He tried to slink back into his box only to have Koneko approach him.
"Come on," Koneko said as she grabbed Gasper and hauled him over her shoulder and held on tight so that he would be unable to escape even if he were to use his Gear.
The Devils cautiously left the club house to reunite with Sona and Tsubaki on the mountain path, unaware that Akeno would be present as well.
"Haunted" Manor, 8:40 PM
The remaining Devils made their way from the club house while Akeno explained the situation to Sona and Tsubaki. Meanwhile, the group designated to investigate the alleged haunted manor had arrived at their destination. Reya and Momo, having took a shortcut, had arrived a considerable amount of time before the others and had just finished setting up the house with minor trap spells to give the illusion of a haunting.
From outside the manor, Ryuusuke armed himself with a dozen makeshift wooden spears and numerous makeshift knives made from stone and wood strapped to his legs. It turns out he made these as he followed behind the others, picking up branches, stones, and whatnot along the way and bound them together with plant fibers. This drew the concern of the Devils, who were bewildered by how far into the deep end this man has gone.
"Why the Hell do you have that many spears?" Ruruko yelled.
"What are you: Romba?" Issei yelled.
"When did you find the time to make all of that?" Tsubasa yelled.
"If there happens to be several threats in the building, hand-to-hand combat will only prove to be a liability. As an alternative, I will be bringing spears to allow for quick and silent execution. If worse comes to worse and the threats get too close, I will use these knives to execute the targets," Ryuusuke stated, hauling roughly twelve spears made from fallen branches on his back with at least twenty knives strapped to his legs. He walked up to the door and turned around. "Also, don't enter until I return. I don't think I need to explain what will happen if I mistake you for a squatter," he warned without a signal of emotion. He entered the manor and disappeared into the unnatural darkness of the building.
"So, that guy your cousin or something?" Ruruko asked Daisuke.
"Uhhh…" Daisuke droned.
"Oh, yeah. That's right." Ruruko said, remembering Daisuke's nervousness. "Your life must suck. Good looks but can't talk to girls whatsoever."
"I see why you're so afraid of Akeno. She must have a field day whenever you're around her," Tomoe added. "Why are you so shy, anyway? You have nothing to worry about. Even if you made a mistake, I don't think many girls are going to judge you for that. Half of the female student body is practically fighting for your attention."
Daisuke groaned in disappointment. He lowered his head, not making any eye contact.
"Leave Dai alone!" Ran shouted before she threw a stick at Tomoe. Fortunately, she aimed a little too far to the left and missed.
"Ran, sweetie, you need to stop that. They're just trying to help him," Ai said while making her way towards Ran and caressing the child in her arms.
"Besides, sis, if you wanna throw something, throw a rock," Ren said as he tossed a rock into the woods and hit a sign with the words "No Trespassing!" painted on it. "You don't tell me what to do, sign!"
"Should I tell them, Dai?" Ai asked with an expression abnormal for her. It seemed to be a fine mixture of serious and saddened.
All Daisuke did as a response was nod before taking a seat on a log a fair distance away from the group.
Ai sat on the grass, prompting the Devils to do the same. Ren huddled up next to her while Ran was still held within her arms. Ai looked towards the ground and let out a brief sigh. Upon raising her head back up, her visage of joy was once again present.
"To start off, Daisuke hadn't always been the way he is," Ai began. "He used to look and act much differently; he was kind of doughy in the midsection, his hair was wild like Issei's, he would always dress in a casual manner, and he was such a confident and down-to-earth person. There were several more differences, but those were probably some of the more notable ones. He lived an average life up until his fourth year in junior high. To give some context, he had been dating a beautiful girl named Natsu Aimoto for five joy filled years. I don't know what came over the girl, but she eventually left Daisuke for what she considered to be a more attractive man. I understand that people move on to see other people, but she did it so unexpectedly. I don't think she meant much harm in it, but she caused a fair deal of humiliation to Daisuke," Ai spoke as her joyful façade began wavering. She paused briefly before continuing.
"Teenagers can be rather cruel when kicking people while they're down; they showed no remorse to my little Daisuke. He became a target to a majority of the delinquents in the school he attended. This devastated his personal view of himself, making him feel that he wasn't enough. After the fact, he tore himself apart, trait-by-trait, to make himself what he believed was beautiful and desirable to compensate for his loss. However, he was never really able to regain his confidence. He was never really able to connect with other girls because he felt that he wouldn't be enough; that he would never be enough," Ai finished.
"Damn, that sucks. How long has this been going on for?" Issei asked.
"Well, he was around fifteen when it happened. He is now eighteen: so about three years," Ai answered, further losing her cheery vibe.
"And that relationship was going on for five years?" Tsubasa asked.
"Yes. But Natsu wasn't really at fault. She was most likely undergoing some changes in interests. She could've been more up front about it, but I think she wanted to avoid hurting him; so she couldn't find it in herself to tell him. The relationship wouldn't have been as fulfilling if it continued for much longer; she knew that. What was really the problem was the harassment afterwards that amplified his grief. If only that could've been avoided, he would've recovered flawlessly from the break-up," Ai responded, her guise of joy had been fully chipped away, leaving her with a face of pure sorrow. She paused once more, inhaling sharply. "I know I had no part in this, but it hurt so much to know that happened to him. If only I was there, things would've been different," she added, wiping freshly formed tears from her eyes.
Noticing her saddened expression, Issei decided to crawl over to Ai to comfort her. "Come on now. I'm sure you did your best, and that's more than Daisuke could ever ask for," Issei said, giving Ai a hug while doing so.
"No, I could've done more; I know I could've," Ai said, tears streaming down from her eyes as she returned the hug. She quietly whimpered into Issei's shoulder for a few minutes. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." she said as she tried to regain composure. "I request only this, please don't try to walk around eggshells when talking to him. He may not like it, but your attention slowly helps fix him. The fact that friends would spend time chatting with him helps cement the idea that he is enough in his mind more than the blatant adoration he receives ever will."
The Devils simply nodded, gradually being affected by Ai's contagious emotions. Tsubasa went to go help Iseei help Ai off of the ground while Tomoe and Ruruko stared at Daisuke, who was still sitting a fair distance away on a log.
"Should we go over there and comfort him?" Tomoe asked.
Ruruko nodded in agreement before the two began moving towards Daisuke.
Before they could do so, Ryuusuke barged out of the manor, scratched and swollen in several locations and missing several spears and knives. He seemed unfazed by it all despite the physical damage he had taken. "Area secure. A few rodent dens, several warring hornet hives, and a family of badgers were eliminated," he said as a large hornet vigorously stung his arm. He promptly grabbed the hornet between his index finger and thumb and bit the head and thorax off of it. "Do you wish for me to clean the location now or later? The aftermath is not exactly pleasant; I would recommend letting me dispose of the corpses," he said as he chewed the hornet. "Oh, that one was packing a lot of food for the larvae," he said before swallowing the insect's upper half. He then bit half of the abdomen off and tossed the rest away.
This display greatly unnerved most of the Devils, who jarringly shifted from sympathetic to fearful within a second. Tsubasa, however, marveled at the gritty display.
"What...the...fuck? And I thought those creepy magical girl wannabes were scary," Issei thought, unnerved by Ryuusuke casually eating the hornet.
"How did he clean the entire manor out that quickly?" Tomoe thought.
"Are we sure this guy is even human?" Ruruko thought.
"This guy is awesome. Imposing, but awesome," Tsubasa thought.
"Am I interrupting something? I'll head back in if so," Ryuusuke said, pointing back to the interior of the manor. "There were some golden treasures in there. If anyone wants anything from within, just let me know."
"No, it is fine Ryuu. Please do clean out the carcasses," Ai said.
"Very well, Madam Ai. It will take me some time to remove the aftermath, so feel free to get back to whatever you were doing," Ryuusuke said before heading back into the manor.
It took Ryuusuke about ten minutes to clean the manor of the aftermath. Once he returned to the group, they went into the manor. As instructed by Sona, Reya and Momo served as the ghosts within the manor. Once they had entered, the Devils unanimously voted that Daisuke would lead in an attempt to bolster his confidence. Throughout the manor, the Devils would feign fear while Daisuke would brave the supernatural phenomena. Meanwhile, Ryuusuke remained outside to tend to Ren and Ran.
Kuoh Mountains, 8:50 PM
Rias and the rest of the absent Devils met up with Sona, Tsubaki, and Akeno on the mountain path. They sat down and conversed about the matter at hand with Rias explaining their discovery.
"That is definitely trouble. Wanis are powerful as is, but now it has the ability to manipulate and absorb electricity. At least we know how to best it now," Sona said, resting her chin on her index finger and thumb.
"So we have to employ a rushdown strategy?" Tsubaki asked.
"It would seem, but there lies a problem," Sona began. "Its allies most likely know to protect it from close-ranged combat. We'll probably have to distract the others, but that will be difficult as well since the psychic can easily see through our plan."
"They also seem to have an assault unit with the double-scythe wielder and a defense unit with the Counter-Type Sacred Gear. Quite a solid team," Akeno remarked.
"The defense unit, however has a hot-headed personality. We can probably goad him into isolating himself," Saji suggested.
"Still, the biggest problem is going to be the psychic," Tsubaki began. "Maybe we can have Koneko draw his attention; he can't read our minds if he is preoccupied with someone else."
"As for the masked duo..." Sona began. "Rias, Hyoudou, and Himejima should combat them. Quarta and Kiba will have to combat against the scythe-wielder as they are the only ones with adequate speed. Yura, Saji, and Nimura will fight the Wani. Meguri and Shinra will combat the Counter-type Sacred Gear user. Me, Kusaka, Argento, Vladi, and Hanakai will scout out for the other targets and will alert everyone when or if we do spot them," she said before raising her head from her hand.
"I will have Akeno, Kiba, and Xenovia head back to their base tonight and have Akeno plant a surveillance spell within the base. They'll feed us information about their plans and whereabouts while we plan a counter to their fighting styles. Once we have adequate information, we will attack and eradicate them," Rias explained.
"Very well then. Once we return to Kuoh, me and the council will research Sacred Gears going by Saji's descriptions. Hopefully, our research won't be as fruitless as before and we'll discover something. Once we have information on their Sacred Gears, it will be much easier to plan around them. We will have to keep the other targets in mind, however," Sona said.
With a semblance of a plan formed, the two Kings decided to build off of it once they returned to Kuoh: a more controlled environment. Akeno asked a rather off-topic question.
"Did you find out anything about Akahoshi?" Akeno asked with a dire expression on her face.
"Oh, him. Well, I didn't find out much about him specifically. I did, however get a family history story," Rias answered. "I'll probably talk about it later, but we have more pressing matters to tend to."
The Devils went to reunite with those stationed at the abandoned manor. Akeno filled Rias in on Ryuusuke, emphasizing on his creepy nature, along the way. Once they had reunited, the groups wrapped up the manor investigation shortly after and began to head back to Kuoh. Along the way, Sona handed Ryuusuke his Colt Python back. Once at Kuoh, the humans retired to their homes for the night while the Devils returned to their respective headquarters to undergo planning, research, and monitoring both the enemy base and the Kasai residence. Along their way back, the Devils talked about their discoveries and experiences from when they were up in the mountains.
Not much happened for four days. The peace, while at first unnerving to the Devils, became a much appreciated rest considering the past couple of chaotic days they had endured. Despite this, they diligently watched over their friends and town, anticipating an attack by the hooded individuals and whatever colleagues they may have.
Finally got this chapter done with. I apologize if the end seems a little rushed, I just felt that whatever I could've wrote there would've been a massive restatement of the chapter itself. That would not be fun to read in my opinion.
This is the last actual chapter of the first volume. I will be making an extra chapter after this before moving onto Volume 2. I may also take a little break between Volume 1 and 2 so that I can get whatever I need done with done.
As always, feel free to give me criticisms or to point out any errors I made. I would rather know of any errors now instead of finding out when I'm halfway through the story.
Volume 2 is going to be a bit more tense instead of being a "Get to Know the Characters" volume like Volume 1 wound up being. Not sure if that is a bad thing, though.