DxD: KOHA GUDAxGUDA
Chapter 10
-X-X-X-X-
Trent sighed as Irina glared down at the four of them, clearly unimpressed with the fact that they'd gotten into a fight with the Fallen in the area. He went to speak, but she cut him off as she set her gaze on poor Asia, and asked, "And just who is this?"
"Her name's Asia, she can't speak Japanese. I'd recommend English or Italian," The Canadian answered blithely, still feeling sick over what he'd done just a short while ago.
The Excalibur wielder's gaze soured as she took in Asia's features and dress style, and she hissed, "Asia Argento? What are you all doing associating with a witch?"
"Well, for one, she's a good kid who honestly just wants to help people, and second… well, we weren't just going to let some psychotic Fallen take her for a joyride," Trent shot back, reaching out to pat Asia's shoulder even as he kept his gaze locked on Irina.
Josh hauled himself up, staggering against Asia's shoulder. He nearly fell again before Issei caught him. He gave an appreciative smile to the teenager, before meeting Irina's eye.
"Yeah… kinda killed a bunch of Fallen a little bit ago," The Irishman confirmed, nodding over to the ashes still blowing in the wind. "Guess they're roast Fallen by now."
Irina's eyes narrowed even more at the group, peering over at the ashes before muttering to herself seriously. Josh blinked- he hadn't ever heard of Irina being serious, so this must be something important.
The twin-tailed girl looked at Asia, and began conversing with her in Italian. Asia's eyes brightened at someone knowing her language, and talked back with vigour. She turned her eyes down at certain things said by her opposite, and bit her lip at others.
Eventually, the conversation ended, and Irina said something the Irishman was [i]sure [/i]was an Italian curse word.
Her eyes turned back to the two older men, biting her lip.
"A number of Fallen were transporting Asia to the local Church, for protection apparently," She informed them. "What they really wanted with her, I don't know. But this… this is serious."
"Serious? Why?" Issei questioned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Well, consider the fact that this is the territory of two Devils, both of whom are related to the current leaders of the Devil Government. This is like someone's trying to spark a conflict between the Fallen and the Devils, and it's half the reason why I decided to interfere the way I did," The blond explained, reaching his right thumb over his index finger and pulling, cracking the knuckle. "As for Asia… the only way we could really know what they wanted would have been to interrogate them, or to go and investigate the local Church."
"Then why don't we do that? I mean, I know where it is!" The brunet exclaimed, hopping to his feet and startling Asia.
It was Irina who cut in, shaking her head as she did so, "Except for the fact that they could very well have forces waiting there, or traps of some sort. Going in guns blazing doesn't always work out, especially for things like this."
"Then there's the fact that Josh is still recovering from his throwdown with hat-Fallen, and that you and Asia probably are a bit more tired than you actually think you are." Trent added in with a shrug. "And honestly, we'd probably be better off getting the Devils' help investigating. As much as we don't want to start anything, it's only polite and they have far more manpower than we do."
"Alright, alright, I get it. Josh needs time to heal, and then we need help from the senpais," Issei clarified aloud with a nod, earning him a thumbs up from Trent.
Irina then spoke, "The real question is what do we do with Argento? Keeping her around could be dangerous in terms of keeping off the radar."
Josh stumbled forward on his own feet, standing to his full height in front of Irina. He peered down at her, face cold as stone despite his heavy breaths.
"Asia's not going anywhere," He said, in a tone that reflected the matter was closed. "I don't care about being off the radar, but I'm gonna try my best to protect her- that's it."
Yes. Josh might be inclined to thinking very lowly of people he didn't know, or just not giving a shit about people's opinions… but Asia was different. She was innocent, and knowing what Raynare planned to do with her, with a chance for them to stop it… he'd fight for her.
As long as she was here, and alive, he would do his best for her. Asia deserved that much.
Memories of darker times flashed behind his eyes, before he looked again at Irina.
The brown-haired Church member looked away and sighed for a long moment. The girl pinched between the bridge of her nose, before turning back.
"It's not that simple," She said at last. "We can't even hope to get the Church involved in protective measures, because of her actions-"
Issei made a noise, stepping forward. "Wait, what actions? What did Asia do?"
The Exorcist stopped talking in her tracks, staying strangely silent. Asia turned her cheerful eyes down, wringing her hands together. The boy looked between them, clearly clueless.
"C'mon! If it's so important that your guys can't get involved, shouldn't we know?" He asked again, more forcefully.
Irina let out a heavy sigh, before turning to her childhood friend. "Issei, it's… not easy to talk about."
Josh lent back from the conversation, stomach turning to ice. He knew what Asia had done in canon, knew it applied here too. He expected it even to be addressed- but not for some time.
His veins already began to boil over the Church's hypocrisy, but held himself back.
Trent sighed at the sight of things getting heated and declared, "Asia's a victim of a Devil who targets nuns or particularly pious women, he likes to get them thrown out of their faiths and then appear as a saviour before them. And then, when he has them where he wants them… he breaks them, when he's done, he either kills them or takes his favourites as members of his peerage."
Irina and Issei's eyes snapped to him, rage burning in the young man's gaze at what Diodora had planned while the young exorcist seemed to be trying to figure out the implications of what had been said. The blond reached back and scratched at the back of his neck as he continued, "So Irina, cut back on the venom, she didn't know that the man she was healing was a devil. And honestly, I'm with Josh on this matter, I'd rather protect Asia than throw her to the wolves."
"You and the senpais said that the Devils were trying to keep things from escalating and starting a war though! So why is this guy doing this?" The brunet growled, clearly affected by what had happened to his new friend.
Rather than Trent, it was Irina who answered, "Every group has its own internal factions, as well as its own criminals. I'm going to assume that this fellow is from a different faction of Devil than Gremory and Sitri."
"More that he's a sociopathic brat who doesn't care about anything other than his own fun and enjoyment," The canuck spat, feeling none too charitable towards Diodora Astaroth.
Issei didn't look satisfied with that, even as he pointed out, "But the Senpais are related to bigwigs! Maybe if we told them, they could do something about this guy!"
"That runs into two issues kiddo. The first is that he'd probably get support from the old war hounds in the Devils as well as from those who see themselves as superior to all others," Trent explained as he leaned back against the bench he was sitting on. "The second is that he's also related to someone [i]very[/i] important in the Devil political world, though their relationship is distant at best."
Issei gritted his teeth so much they could hear the grinding, veins pulsing on his neck. Josh eyed the boy's building rage, but found himself lost for words- what could he say that hadn't already been said?
"Look, the best place for Asia at the minute would probably be at the Academy," He intervened, drawing the attention of everyone. "Even if they have forces built up, they'd be hesitant to march on it. Sona and Rias are related to the bigwigs after all."
Even if Freed was the only one left, the crazed bastard had to be reluctant to attack Kuoh Academy. Attacking it would be pure suicide at best, guaranteeing assured self-destruction. Though it would only buy them a little time- Freed himself was powerful for an Exorcist, and he had stuff that was basically a Devil's anthema.
He sighed again, playing with Okita's Class Card.
Damned if they did and damned if they didn't, really.
Irina seemed to think over something, before nodding to herself. Stepping forward, her eyes were strong.
"If these Fallen have additional forces, they'll only come back later. Moving to the Academy would be a good bet," Irina admitted extremely reluctantly. "I can get in touch with my father… he might be able to do something for this."
She reached into her pocket for her phone, hand running along the ribbon on her arm.
Asia said some more sudden words in Italian, having apparently forgotten to mention it. Irina whipped her head around, questioning the girl heatedly. Once her line of inquiry was done, the girl's face was pale.
"That guy's here? Damn it," She cursed to herself, ringing her phone with increasing urgency. "Freed Sellzen…"
"Mm, that's another fly in the ointment," Trent remarked as he pulled himself to his feet, grunting as he did so. "We'd definitely be better off getting the Devils' help if that psycho's skulking around."
Issei looked about ready to run off, dragging Asia behind him at those words, but stopped when the blond declared, "I'll phone Rias and let her know that we're on our way. Josh, you wanna call Sona, or should I just ask Rias to let her know?"
Josh thought about it, before deciding on his course of action. "I'll call Sona- it'll be faster with the both of us at it."
He pulled out his own phone, and semi-reluctantly, punched in the Sitri heir's number. His heart pounded as the tone rang, but he pushed all that back down.
With that, Trent pulled his own phone from his pocket and hit the redial function as he brought it to his ear. After a few tones, it was picked up, and Rias spoke before he could manage to greet her. After a few moments of listening, the blond sighed and let her know what had happened on their, particularly in regards to Asia, and if she and Sona would be willing to keep her at the Academy for her protection.
Rias, being a total softy, agreed in a heartbeat.
Josh sighed as he talked to Sona, telling her of the details of recent events. Her tone was clinical, inquisitive and to the point. Pointedly, neither of them addressed his reactions to her, focusing only on the events. He heard a sigh over her line, and it clicked off the next moment.
He put his phone back into his pocket, aware that Sona was probably going to have a hell of a day.
Trent looked over the group and declared, "Well, Rias is with us bringing Asia over and with protecting her. Josh, what'd Sona have to say on the matter?"
The Irishman sighed. "She agreed, but she made it clear she's… not looking forward to this."
"I mean, she's a bit of a sourpuss at times, so I'm not really surprised," Trent admitted as he got ready to head out, best not to dawdle given the situation. He then looked to Asia and said, "We've talked to some people, and they've agreed to house and protect you while we settle this, okay?"
"Y-yes, Signor!" She declared with a resolute nod, clearly trying her best to steel herself and keep calm.
{~}{~}
The group had trundled through Kuoh, garnering a number of looks for their wariness, but when they arrived at the school, they found Akeno and Tsubaki waiting for them at the gate. The duo were both affecting their usual expressions, but there was a clear tension as they looked about, clearly having been on guard due to their Kings telling them the situation.
Blackmore raised a hand as they approached, causing Akeno to give them a short bow of greeting and a saucy wink while Tsubaki nodded to all of them. As they drew closer, Tsubaki declared, "Kaichou and Lady Rias are waiting for us at the Occult Research Club, please follow us."
While the devils were definitely on guard, it seemed that they were still willing to work together, though they clearly wanted all the details. While the others were used to dealing with devils, Asia wasn't and faltered a bit, earning a small smile from Trent as he murmured, "It's alright Asia, they're just on guard given what happened earlier."
Josh walked in front, body still aching with his wounds, but eager to see the business done. Asia clung to Issei, her face pale in the face of being in the midst of what she should consider enemies. Trent held the back along with Irina, as rigid as the Irishman.
Soon they reached the Occult Research Club, and proceeded into the meeting room. Rias and Sona sat side by side, looking almost like judges. Tsubaki and Akeno stood at their place behind their Kings, hands clenched together in front.
They all sat on opposing sofas, looking at each other. Nothing was said for a few moments, until Sona piped up.
"So… Asia Argento is going to stay here, whilst we prepare for an assault by Fallen forces," She surmised. "And I also heard a Rogue Exorcist is in the area?"
"Freed Sellzen, yes." Irina answered, holding up to Sona's piercing look. "He's a monster, pure and simple. No matter what protection there is, he'll kill anything."
Sona breathed out through her nose, rubbing it tensely. "...So, he will be coming too- or we should expect him at least. Wonderful."
Josh scratched his chest, his wounds still causing his limbs to feel stiff. Words came to mind for him to say, before he decided.
"I know… I know it's not ideal, Sona," He said awkwardly.
"It isn't." She replied, fast as lightning. "There hasn't been a conflict here for years, and I'm reluctant to put my people in danger."
Josh coughed, before continuing under the force of her speech. "They'll be coming anyway, no matter where we take Asia. Here, we have a shot."
The Sitri heir glared at him icily, but he refused to back down on this. On other things? Sure- he wasn't afraid to admit he didn't intensely like conflict. But Asia was innocent, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't at least try to keep her safe.
"Miss Sitri, as unideal as the situation maybe, it's still better that we do things this way. At least we were able to warn you all about Freed rather than the madman ambushing one of you," Trent explained as he sat back against the couch, enjoying the feel of the cushions. "There's also the fact that outside of Freed… they've lost pretty much all their actually powerful fighters due to our earlier clash."
It was true, Freed really was the only threat left, as everyone else amounted to little more than mooks. With the Fallen dead, it was also rather likely that the stray exorcists would fracture naturally as there was no one to keep them in line.
Rather than actually continue the conversation on the state of things as they were, Rias cleared her throat and looked at Asia, "So you're miss Argento? It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Rias Gremory and beside me is my friend, Sona Sitri. I understand that you might have difficulty trusting us due to your background, but please, be at ease as we mean you no harm."
"Oh, um, thank you very much miss Gremory, miss Sitri, and I'm sorry about any trouble I've caused," The blonde squeaked as she gave a bow to the devils, her own nervous demeanour causing Rias to coo a little at the sight. Asia's natural charm was powerful indeed.
The Sitri heiress exhaled as she deflated slightly, and explained, "Oh, you're hardly at fault miss Argento, and I'm sure that our mutual friends will be more than able to make it up to us." As she said that, she sent a pointed look at the Canuck and the Celt, clearly annoyed with the fact that they had dragged the devils into this matter.
"Yeah, Asia, don't get down on yourself over this, as you're ultimately the victim here," Trent added comfortingly, reaching out to pat her head. "Besides, Raynare was hardly happy with Josh, Issei, and I, so there's a good chance that we might have ended up involved anyways."
The former nun made a small noise, but didn't seem too convinced as she shuffled her feat awkwardly. The moment was ended by Sona clearing her throat and asking, "Rias mentioned that you had dealt with the remains of the Fallen you encountered, are you sure that there's nothing that can be traced back to you or us?"
"Not unless ash in the wind can be traced," The blond replied as he fought down the sickness in his stomach at the thought of what he had done. Dealing with the bodies had been necessary, but given how it happened…
"Yeah… We just need to take care of anything that comes our way," Josh agreed, looking at his friend's paling face. "We should probably set up stuff outside, yeah?"
Sona nodded, thoughts already turning to plans and traps they could place. "It will take time, but that can be done, yes."
The Irishman nodded, rubbing his face tiredly, blinking away the encroaching shadows.
Sona looked over at Rias. "We need to talk about preparations, and what else we need to do."
The Gremory heir nodded, before turning a compassionate eye to their audience. "Please, feel free to stay here for the time being and recover. You'll need to be at full strength if anything comes."
Josh nodded, standing up stiffly- he looked over at Sona, who looked back at him impassively, before he turned to march out and to a place he could sleep.
"It's good you didn't die, Josh," Her sudden statement caught him off-guard. "Dying to them… doesn't seem as if it would suit you."
He said nothing, but inclined his head in agreement and continued out, a lightness in his steps.
Trent, meanwhile, shared a look with Rias, the pair of them putting their hands over the lower halves of their faces to hide the smiles that they were wearing. Even in the current situation, watching Josh and Sona circle each other awkwardly was still fun.
Still, they couldn't enjoy the moment too long, as Sona gave something of a huff before standing and leaving the building, Tsubaki trailing behind her. "I'll start setting up the protections. Don't take too long flirting, Rias."
The redhead squawked in embarrassment, as Akeno started chuckling behind her. The blond joined in the laughter for a few moments, before looking to Asia, who had clearly started to relax with the show put on in front of her. With a nod towards the devils, he remarked, "They might be devils, but they aren't bad people."
"No," Asia relied, smiling a little. "They're not, are they?"