Welp... I basically got all I can do at the moment in Rise of Iron already. I just need someone to help a 367 Hunter kill phase 2 Aksis with all the monitors so I can get that freaking pulse rifle.

Seriously! It is a SIVA pulse rifle! Who doesn't want one?!

Current votes:

Asia: 11

Irina: 4

Ravel: 2

Koneko: 1

Akeno: 1

Xenovia: 0

Newly added Le Fay in replacement of Kiyome: 0

It seems the tie between Akeno, Koneko, and Ravel has been broken, but for how long?

No, seriously. How long before someone votes for Akeno and Koneko? I don't want to deal with another tie, or like I said, instead of three, he'll five.

Reviews:

Squadpunk 2.0: She's a spider queen. I believe they should be durable considering how spider queens in the past are.

Joking4ever: The best way to get gear now is either Iron Banner when it's around, Trials, or the Raid. If not, try Heroic SIVA crisis strikes. That worked for me. Also, let's remember Keith is a Warlock, not a Titan or Hunter. Warlocks are not known for their strength or agility, only their manipulation of Light and intellect. Radiance makes their body a bit more durable along with their abilities becoming stronger, but it doesn't make them god like.

Ok, maybe in Crucible when you see a Self Rez on the enemy team right in front of you and you're out of shotgun shells and his scorch is about to kill you, maybe. Otherwise, not so much...

temisticmist2000: I know of my grammar issues and re-read my chapters on a daily basis, and thank you.

Guest: How she and Keith met will be explained later, along with when she awakens. And let's remember, her wings, something she's had her entire life, were taken from her. I believe such shock should leave someone bedridden for a few days.

Deathwatch 45: Rise of Iron will take place in this story, but when it happens, I cannot tell. And while I do appreciate your offer for an additional OC as a side character, I have that covered with a few extras still in my mind. Thank you though.

Now, onto the chapter!


Chapter 11: A Dragon and Hunter talk


Saka… was… well, utterly confused to say the least.

The girl with the long brown hair sat across him, spiders crawling over her body as he was surprised she did not act in any way to their multiple legs moving across her.

Kuroka could never deal with such a thing. She may be an infamous and powerful Nekoshou, but she was still a woman who would never let so many spiders on her body. Not even one.

As such, she sat behind Saka, looking over his shoulder at the woman across from them both. She couldn't help but think the presence she gave off was very… spiderlike.

Saka had his eyes closed, cheeks red since the woman was still butt naked.

"So… why… was Keith with you… miss…?"

"He distracted… the White Dragon. He gave… me the time… to heal."

"The what now?"

"The… White Dragon… Emperor."

"…Who?"

"The White Dragon Emporer." Kuroka informed him by talking by his side. "A title belonging to the wielder of Divine Divider, a Longinus class Sacred Gear."

"Long… inus? Like, the spear that was used to pierce Jesus, right?"

"Yes. They are Sacred Gears that rise above others with their incredible power, capable of killing Gods when in the right hands."

"Oh…"

'Keep those away from you…'

"Oh yeah…"

"The… White Dragon… he came to… my den… he did me… a favor… in eliminating my traitors."

"Traitors?" Saka grew curious at this point as Kuroka flinched slightly. "I… take it you are a leader?"

"Yes… I am… Arachia, Queen of… the Spider Kingdom."

A shiver ran down his spine when he heard that part. And entire kingdom of spiders. Lina would be having nightmares for days, maybe weeks.

"Well… hello… your highness." He gave a light wave from his side, a bit wary of the spiders now.

She had a stoic gaze on him, possibly not even registering what he just said. Afterwards, a feeling of awkward silence took over, no one willing to speak. Saka's hands moved down to his sides, wary of 'Arachia' herself as his hands were ready to grab the handle of any weapon of his.

Kuroka could sense his wariness, but it wasn't as strong as when he was fighting the knight from the Knights of the Devil order.

Arachia only stared at them both, her spiders covering her body as her stoic gaze didn't waver.

"…"

"…"

"… Are you… two in love?"

"…Excuse me?"

"You are… lovers… right?"

Saka blinked in response as did Kuroka. Both dark haired members of the household turned and looked at each other, Kuroka smirking while Saka only groaned.

"No, no we're not."

"But we can be~."

"For Light's sake…" He held his face with his palm, a sigh of annoyance escaping his mouth as he turned towards her. "Even if you and I do become, in your terms, 'mates', I would not be having sex as the first thing between us!"

"Oh come on…" She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him as his cheeks turned pink. "All I'm asking for is a kitten or two, nya. Just before I turn twenty."

"And I'm telling you that I'm not having sex with you! … and before you turn twenty?"

"Can't you tell? I'm only 18."

"You're 18 and already wanting a kid?" 'And I thought most Guardians were desperate.'

"Well, that number will be changing to 19 eventually…"

"For the love of… you're younger than me, by both my ages, and you want children?"

"Hm? Both ages, nya? What do you mean by that?"

"That's… something only a Hunter can understand."

"The White Dragon… has also mentioned… a Hunter… with… a Black Cat…"

They both turned towards her, Kuroka confused as Saka raised an eyebrow.

"What? Why would he be coming for me?"

"So you… are the Hunter?"

"Yes, I'm a Hunter. The Hunter of Light to be specific."

"The… White Dragon… he is… powerful… He had… knocked me out… after Dividing my power…"

"After… 'Dividing' your power? …What the heck does that mean?"

"Divine Divider has the power to half the power of their opponent, adding that power to the host."

"Are you… So he TAKES other people's power?!"

"Basically. From what I've heard too, the new host was trained under Azazel, the leader of the Fallen Angel faction."

Saka's face partially paled when he heard that. Azazel… he was recorded in the holy scripts. And by what he was going by from what Kuroka told him, those who've been mentioned in texts of any kind, holy or mythical, they exist and are very, very powerful.

So if a person who can take half his own power was trained under the leader of the Fallen Angels, who was most likely leagues above Dohnaseek, he dared not get on his bad side until his power grew larger.

"Crap… The Hunter has become the Hunted…" He looked back at Arachia, only to see she was gone now. Turning to the side of the room, he saw a small group of spiders heading for his door, squeezing under the entrance and leaving. "Oh… well that isn't creepy in the slightest."

'And I thought the time we were stuck in the Hive catacombs under Earth for a week was the creepiest thing we'd ever had to see and deal with.'


Scene transition…


"Can you really heal her? Y-You weren't joking with me, right?!" Issei asked/demanded from the two Guardians who were placing Asia down on a bed that had its sheets removed and replaced by a very absorbent cloth. Her wound had yet to stop bleeding, her skin now turning pale compared to the brighter shade it once was.

"Of course we can. I'm alive, aren't I?" Saka informed him, but the answer only confused the pseudo Sunbreaker.

"You're alive? Does that mean-"

"Don't think too into it. Saka, does Ghost have anything I can use to stop the bleeding?"

"Think so. Ghost?"

In a quick flash of light, a small bottle with a greenish white liquid appeared in his hand along with a needle sticking into the cork, but Saka then tossed it over to Keith who then pulled the needle back to fill it with the liquid before taking it out of the cork and grab Asia's arm, flipping it over to the underside as he pressed the needle into one of her veins.

He pushed the liquid into her vein with the needle, pulling it out afterwards as it disappeared with the bottle.

"That should slow it for now…"

"Slow what?" Issei grew curious and concerned about what they mean't and what they just put into Asia.

"We slowed her heart. This way, her blood won't be moving around so much and heading to her wound. Anymore and she'd die from blood loss. Keith, can Arashi close the wound and give her back any lost blood?"

"Yes. I had to do the same to Kyle before I left for the Vault." Keith raised his left hand, leaving it open as Arashi formed in his palm by a flash of Light.

Upon sight of the mechanical Orb of Light, Issei's eyes widened in surprise and shock from him appearing from nowhere.

"What is-"

"His partner." A voice Issei did not know spoke from Saka's direction, making him grow curious again as he turned towards the Hunter to see Ghost hovering over his shoulder. "Im his partner."

"What the heck?!"

"Don't bother. You don't know enough to understand." Saka's eyes moved to Ghost as he motioned Ghost to move to Asia, Ghost complying as he and Arashi both flew to Asia and released their thin beams of Light.

"…She's lost a lot of blood. But… nothing too serious. She'll have enough to heal overnight when we're done." Both Ghosts looked at each other before looking at her wound, their beams coming together into a larger beam that came out of their eyes and onto her wound.

Issei couldn't do anything but look at her in concern and worry. Saka stepped beside him and grabbed his shoulder, causing him to turn and look at the older male.

"She'll live. This isn't the first time either of them had to heal anyone. They've had plenty of experience with me and he since we get hurt. A lot."

"…Back in the church, you said you didn't want to tell me that you could. Why? If you're healing her right now, why did you say you can't?"

"…" He looked at the highschooler who was… oddly very close to his height. Maybe an inch or two in difference, but he was really close to his height. "What was her name again? Gregory, right?"

"Gremory."

Saka only shrugged his shoulders. "Meh, close enough. The reason is because I don't want her to know anymore about me than she may already know. She seemed determined to make me into one of those 'Devils.' Let's just say… my body can't accept losing my Light."

"What do you-"

"Look… I'll explain another time. Come here Saturday night. I want some sleep…" With that, Saka turned from him and Keith, heading to the door and leaving.

Keith stepped away from the bed, tapping Issei's shoulder.

"You should get some rest. I do not know much of Japanese schools, but I do know you go to school tomorrow."

"How do you not know that much about Japanese schools?"

"By birth, I'm Russian."

"But… you don't-"

"I was born into an English speaking Japanese family. But like I said, get some rest. You will most likely need it." Keith then moved to the door and left, leaving only Issei and the Ghosts who were occupied at the moment in the room.

'I guess… there is much I can do to help her… I'm sorry, Asia…'

He turned away from the bed, leaving the room before he left the house.

But again, no one knew that Rias Gremory's familiar was watching.


Scene Transition…


That memory kept replaying through Issei's mind at the current moment, despite being in school. He held one hand in front of him, the one that strange gauntlet appeared on, staring at his own arm.

'How did I do that? What's… what's happening to me?'

He couldn't understand anything anymore. He had set himself on fire, yet he wasn't harmed at all. A gauntlet appeared on his hand and it somehow made him feel stronger, if not twice as strong as he was when it appeared. Then, it was Saka and Keith.

What were they?

They had powers he never thought of. They wore odd armor and their weapons were almost otherworldly. Then there was their floating orb things.

He couldn't understand it at all. What did he do in his life to deserve this?

"Hyoudou, are you listening?" The voice of the teacher took Issei out of his mind and sent him back to reality, his eyes focusing on the teacher.

"Y-Yes sir! I am!"

"Good. This will be on the test, so you better-"

The teacher was interrupted when the final bell rang. He sighed as he closed the book in his hand, turning his gaze towards Issei one more time. "Remember, this will be on the test Monday, so you had better taken good notes. Dismissed."

He gave a relieved sigh as he didn't even realize it was getting that late already. He put his stuff into his bag before getting out of his chair. He left the class, going through the crowd of students in the halls before leaving through the entrance of the school.

But, as he approached the gate, he saw a familiar white haired underclassman of his.

He paid her no mind, not even acknowledging her presence as he moved for the gate, but she grabbed his shirt to get his attention, forcing him to turn and look towards her.

"…Follow me." She said in her monotone tone, but because they were in public, many students heard what she said as they saw her hand on his blazer.

"No way! Toujou is asking Hyoudou to follow her?!"

"Did Hyoudou do something to her to force her to talk to him?!"

"I bet he's blackmailing her and he's forcing her to be his stress relief!"

The last comment got to him, Issei turning and looking at the student who made that comment to see a guy with a shaved head almost and squinted eyes.

Matsuda, the second biggest pervert in the school, best friends with the first biggest pervert, Motohama. Together they made up the perverted duo.

And thankfully for him, their credibility is very, very bad with other students.

"Nah… Hyoudou couldn't do that. He doesn't show any signs of perversion like you."

"Yeah… the day Hyoudou blackmails one of the most popular girls in school will be the day a guy born from a God from another world comes to ours."

He had no clue how close he was with the local Hunter.

"Come on! That has to explain why Toujou would even talk to the guy!" Matsuda tried to defend himself, only for a small group of students to surround and began berating him for his perversion.

Koneko tugged his shirt again, letting go afterwards as she walked away from the flash mob. Issei looked at the group one more time before sighing, deciding to follow Koneko.

They walked a few blocks away from the school, Koneko looking up and around as if she was examining the area.

"So, you need something? If it has anything to do with Rias, then tell her I'm not interested."

"…This isn't about Rias or anything Devil related. I want to ask you a question."

He looked at her, a bit confused now as to why she would bring him here before deciding to let her speak, nodding his head.

"…Back at the church… last night… was there… anyone else, other than you, the nun, Hikari, and the other guy?"

"Anyone else?" He raised his hand to his chin as his expression changed to one showing he was thinking, trying to remember everyone at the church last night.

He could remember Rias practically admitting she was going to have him die for her own advantage, something he still felt a bit pissed at. Before that, he remembers setting himself ablaze when Saka seemed to have… released something from inside him, that strange gauntlet also appearing and making him stronger.

Before that… before that, he does remember he and Asia saw a rather attractive young woman who looked like a Neko you'd see in anime or manga.

"There… I think there was one other."

"Can you… describe them?"

"Yeah… a woman, I'd have to say somewhere near Saka's age, so maybe early twenties or younger. She had black hair that was pretty long, but she did have her hair tied into those two weird loops on her back. She also… she had cat ears, I think. That's about all I can remember, she left before Dohnaseek attacked Asia. Actually… she did have hazel eyes… kind of… like… you…"

He looked at her, seeing only that similarity between them, but he also saw her expression.

She looked… afraid and worried. And had he been better at reading expressions, he could've seen the slight hope she had.

She took a step back from him, taking one more before turning around and running away.

"What he- hey!" He yelled out at her, running after her as she turned a corner, turning the corner himself only to come across an empty street. "What… was that about?"

He stood there, truly confused by her reaction before his phone began ringing. He took it out of his pocket and saw there was now caller ID, not even a number on the other side. Hesitantly, he pressed the answer button and held it to his ear.

"H-Hello?"

"Did I get the number right? It's me, Hikari."

"Oh… you… kinda got me afraid since I thought a stalker or something was calling me."

"You popular at school?"

"…No…"

"Uh huh… Well, good news for you, Argento is up."

"Really?! She is?!" He was surprised to hear she was awake already, joy in his body to know she was alright. Then his mind remember he said 'good news,' usually followed by bad news. "And… the bad news?"

"I never said there was any. Well, unless you count having to stay in my house for a few since I do owe you an explanation about what happened."

"Explanation?" He was unsure about what he mean't, but then he remembered the memory from last night, after watching them begin their healing process for Asia. He did say he would give him an explanation Saturday night, and it was technically night. "Oh man! I nearly forgot!"

"Then get over here. I'm giving you limited time to get here before I decide to say screw it and go to sleep. By the way, if you do manage to get a stalker, make sure she isn't batshit crazy about you." The call then ended as Saka most likely ended it, Issei pulling the phone from his ear and putting it in his pocket again as he looked to the sky to see the sun just over the horizon.

Deciding to try his best and run there, he broke into a full blown sprint, intent on hearing that explanation to know what was happening to his life.

But as he ran, a single question came to his mind.

'How did he get my number?

and what did he mean by make sure the stalker isn't batshit crazy?'


Scene Transition…


He stood in front of the door, easily feeling the nervousness inside him.

In his mind, he thought of three things possibly happening.

First, Saka opens the door with a gun aimed at his face and pulls the trigger, killing him without a care.

The second was the other guy opening the door with a gun aimed at his face, pulling the trigger and killing him without a problem.

The third was the woman, if she was there, opening the door and possibly hitting him with… something. Magic maybe?

He didn't know what, but there was something about the two guys that he couldn't help but say he was afraid of. There was something about that woman too, but he didn't know what.

He didn't realize that the door was open and standing in front of him was a certain blonde Italian.

"Issei?" She asked him as he was brought out of his thoughts, surprised to see she was up already despite what happened last night.

"No way… you… you're awake? Is… is it really you, Asia?" He was more or less shocked to see her standing right in front of him.

Asia, however, reacted by jumping forward and hugging the young brunette, shocking him and embarrassing him.

"Oh, Issei! It's so good to see you again!" She spoke with a joyful tone that Issei couldn't help but think was fitting for someone like her.

"Y-Yeah… it's good to see you too, Asia." His hands moved up, returning the hug as he was glad to see the young nun again. She held onto him a bit tight now that he thought about it, a bit confused to why she would be doing so.

"So… you two need a room?" A voice spoke from the other side of the door, making Issei look over Asia to see Saka drinking something with a slight smirk on his face. "I mean… if you two want to, I do know the location of a good hotel near the station on the north side of town…"

Their hug was cut off when Asia turned around and looked at the Hunter, her mind not understanding what he mean't as Issei's face turned bright red, a quick burst of steam coming out of his ears.

"A hotel? Why would we need a hotel room?"

Issei was shocked to hear Asia say, but he figured that maybe it was because she was a nun. Maybe the priests she was with kept her from anything dirty, leaving her with the innocent mind of a child.

"No reason!" Issei was quick to deny Saka's offer as the Hunter smirked slightly before taking another sip of his drink, leaning against the wall as he watched the two teens in front of him. "H-He's just joking when he s-spoke of a hotel, right Mr. H-Hikari?"

"Don't call me Mr. Hikari… makes me feel old. I prefer Saka with anyone."

"Oh, uh… right… sorry Mr. Hi- I mean Saka…"

"Good… now, you going to come in or are you going to stand there all day?" He said before finishing the rest of his drink, tossing the cup to the side as it landed in a trash can before leaving the entrance.

Issei took his shoes off, leaving them at the door as Asia led him to the room Saka went to, seeing said Hunter standing in the middle of the room with Kuroka sitting on the couch.

"I guess welcome to my humble abode, but we should make this quick. I don't want your parents to worry about you and call the cops on me. So go ahead and take a seat. Just not the one she's on." Saka said as he pointed behind him towards Kuroka, who in response raised a hand up and tilted it by her wrist, mimicking a cat's paw.

Issei couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman across from him, turning towards Saka and asking him a single question.

"Dude… how did you get a Neko as a girlfriend?"

"For Light's sake…" Saka groaned when he heard the question, his palm covering his face and sliding down before coming off his chin. "She isn't my girlfriend. Originally, she was my kitten who I knew as Kurai, but she is apparently… well, her."

"Don't you know how many men would try to kill you for having someone like her?!"

"They can try since I won't die to something as stupid as twenty first century bullets and weapons… Like I said… go ahead and take a seat…" He groaned slightly again before moving to his couch, sitting on the cushion opposite of Kuroka while Issei saw an open chair.

He moved to the chair provided to him by the Hunter as he turned to look at him, trying his best to also keep his gaze from wandering over to the Nekoshou opposite from him who didn't even bother with covering her bosom.

Asia saw Issei's pink cheeks and gaze that didn't want to look at the older woman in front of her, her eyes specifically looking at Kuroka's much larger chest before looking at her own, a bit of jealousy forming in her from how lucky said Nekoshou was.

"Alright… now, an explanation…" Saka leaned backwards before sitting down in his chair, leaning forward with his hands supporting his head by holding his chin. "Where do I start…"

"I say start with you~." Kuroka spoke out as Saka's eyes looked at her briefly before looking up.

"I would say no, but… that is a good starting point. Still, no, I'll save that part for later… Ah, got it. I'll start from the beginning. Be warned, I'm basically giving you the abridged version since the original story itself would take a day or two to explain.

Centuries ago, we were just basic Humans, the average lives that you live today. On our first expedition to Mars, we had sent three astronauts. While there, they had discovered something that changed everything as we knew it.

The Traveler.

The Traveler was a large orb who remained in the sky, his presence releasing the power we wield, he was the source of Light. His presence with us and our newly enhanced bodies gave us the power to enter an age of harmony and advancement we never could have managed before. We called this the Golden Age.

Human lifespan tripled, then doubled after that until every Human had the capability of living up to a thousand years, somehow all of us even being gifted eternal youth. We later found out we could manipulate this Light, many of us finding different ways to channel their Light.

Our civilizations rose and expanded across the system, all of us believing nothing could stop us. But then… the Darkness came.

The Darkness has no physical form, other than the Hearts of Darkness its left behind. The Darkness is the Traveler's oldest enemy. The Traveler almost gave up its life to send the Darkness back to the reaches of the universe, but it still lived. After, we recovered after the small skirmish, but the Darkness left behind creatures you all would know as aliens."

Ghost displayed a hologram showing four figures. One was the form of a Fallen captain, the next was a Hive knight, the third was a Vex Minotaur, as the last one was a Cabal Centurion.

"Fallen, Hive, Vex, Cabal… these creatures took our worlds from us, the Fallen even using our own technology to build their creations.

The Fallen as scavengers, and they are only alive because they live off a substance we call Ether. They breath it and require it to live, so when we pop their helmets off, they're dead.

The Hive are the kind that I can see matching this world. They use dark, and evil magic against us, especially their wizards. They create abominations from their own soldiers, and all they want is to feast upon our Light.

The Vex are ancient, mechanical creatures whose origins we don't even know. Our brightest minds believe they were there when the universe was created, as they are all of a single mind spread across an unlimited amount of units. They are one of the more dangerous races we've fought since they control time itself.

Last, we have the Cabal. These creatures are nothing but war. They'll blow up anything that gets in their way, be it planets, stars, moons, everything. Like I said, they are highly military based, and without a doubt the smartest out of all the agents of Darkness.

But, among the Hive is their King… a creature of Darkness so powerful, it has access to the Darkness itself to make his own army by taking the bodies of any creature, breaking their minds and wills, then sending them back into our plane of existence, broken but stronger."

The hologram changed to show a larger Hive creature with bat like wings, two long horns on the sides of its head with three eyes and a massive sword.

"Oryx… the Taken King. The God of the Hive himself. He is one of the most dangerous threats to have ever come to our system, intent on avenging his fallen son, Crota, the Hive Prince.

Crota was another threat to our system, having taken our Moon with his army and extinguishing the Light of many, many Guardians. Thankfully, he was killed in due time before he could wipe us out."

Ghost then changed the hologram again, this time showing a Hunter, a Warlock, and a Titan.

"Now, here we have the Guardians. Hunters, Warlocks, Titans… all of us have a sworn duty of protecting the Last City on Earth and Humanity.

I am a Hunter. We are the scouts, the assassains of the Guardians. Our skill with a gun is only matched with our wit. We don't play by the rules either, exploiting whatever weakness we can in our enemy. We even take big risks for bigger rewards. Our speed is our trademark if you will.

Next are the Warlocks, like Keith. They are the smartest of the Guardians, always finding new ways to shape and manipulate Light for all of us, but some also seek forbidden knowledge. The mind of a Warlock is a palace, but at the same time, a prison. For every thought they have that can enhance Humanity, they always come up with a thought that can lead to destruction. Their intellect is their trademark.

Last are the Titans, the kind you imitated back at the church. They are the muscle of our kin. Their brawn allows them to easily lift 10 tons with a single arm when properly trained, capable of moving mountains when they master Light. They are immobile mountains themselves, but they hold the destructive force of an earthquake with both their fists. Their strength is their trademark.

The way to differentiate between us is simple. Hunters wear cloaks, and for every cloak a Hunter wears, it shows what their true nature is or the toughest challenge they've overcome. Warlocks wear long robes, a bond on their arm to show what they believe in, be it the Light, the Darkness, or both. Titans wear large, bulky armor, a mark on their waist showing what team they are a part of or what deeds they have accomplished.

We are, however, then divided into subclasses. The Hunters are known as Gunslingers, Bladedancers, and if they're lucky, Nightstalkers. Warlocks are called Voidwalkers, Sunsingers, and when they channel the storm, Stormcallers. Titans are known as Strikers, Defenders, and once they've earned the blessing from either another Titan themselves or were born with it, Sunbreakers.

Among us is also someone called the Child of Light, a strong Guardian who is born with all the subclasses of his type.

And when a Guardian is born, they are born with one of those subclasses by default, having the power and chance to unlock the other two. The second comes from when their Light becomes stronger, the third only happens when they come in contact with the power they were born without.

The way Guardians are born… well, that's a bit of the darker side… since I hope you're all ready to see this…" He got up from the couch, his hands reaching for the hem of his shirt as he pulled it up and off his torso.

Issei was confused and surprised to see him take his shirt off so willingly in front of others, also a bit jealous since Saka did have some muscle on his body compared to him.

Asia's face turned tomato red at the sight of a man taking his shirt off, her hands rushing to her face and covering her eyes while also trying her best to not look at his torso.

Kuroka smirked slightly, a tinge of pink on her cheeks as she couldn't help but stare at his torso. But, it was when he turned around, their expressions changed to slight horror and shock.

On his back was a long scar running from the back of his left shoulder blade down to his right hip, cutting his back in a diagonal fashion. The scar looked as if it was healed properly, but the pink skin that was used to heal the wound was obvious in comparison to the light shade of pale that was the rest of his skin.

"This is the mark I carry. Guardians are born from the dead, reanimated corpses that are given life again. Every Guardian comes with a scar in their life, the ones they gain in battle healed fully by their Ghosts, but the one that caused their death is forever left on their body as a mark that they died. I am no exception, nor is Keith. He died by a bullet to the heart." He held the shirt over his head before pulling it back down to cover himself again.

"D… do you mean that if I'm to be one of you guys… I have to die?"

"Thankfully, no. There have been plenty of times when a living person has been turned into a Guardian, my mother one of them. You won't have to die to become a Guardian, it's just the most common method.

Sadly, the dead turned Guardian also come with a second cost… we forget who we are. Our minds are wiped clean, only remembering the basic stuff like skills, math, how to move our body and such. We forget ours names, our family, the times we laughed and the times we cried. Everything we've ever known is gone in an instant."

"No way…" He couldn't believe what he heard. The thought of forgetting about his parents… forgetting who he was… it sounded like a nightmare.

Asia couldn't help but feel sad, very sad at the sound of that. Their lives were taken from them and they are given another chance, but they lose all they've ever known.

"If that's the case, why do you sound as if it doesn't matter to you?" Kuroka didn't look like she was fazed at all by what she heard, her expression neutral with a bit of curiosity.

"Well, let's just say I'm the luckiest Guardian ever born. I didn't lose my memory, remembering everything I did in my life…

…truth be told, most of it was me either sleeping or just being lazy. I was a pretty lazy kid until I was eleven. In fact, I do contradict a Hunter belief since Hunters never like going to sleep, but I rather enjoy it.

Now… what else, what else… the classes, subclasses, how we're born… ah! Right! The Ghosts! Nearly forgot."

"You nearly forgot about your partner's kind?" Ghost looked at his Hunter, and if he had a face, there would be an unamused expression.

"Sorry, but you know how I am when it comes to explaining stuff. I always forget something."

"Sit back then. I believe I can do better describing my kind than you." Ghost turned around from him and displayed another hologram, this one showing the Traveler. "We are known as the Ghosts, allies of the Guardians. We are what brings our Guardians back from the dead."

He changed the hologram to show a screen of the Traveler emitting numerous small orbs that all moved to the edges of the screen. "At the moment, the Traveler is badly injured. As a final breath, he created us and gave us a purpose: Find and revive those who can use the Traveler's Light as a weapon. To find our Guardian.

Once we find our Guardians, we bring them back from the dead and bring them to the Last City, arm them with the right weapons and armor, then we head out into the world and begin our fight. Our purpose is to keep our Guardian informed at every given moment, hack into any piece of tech, Human or alien, to extract whatever information we need as well as transmat them from any situation out of our league.

Our numbers are large, but we are limited in the amount of Ghosts that are alive. Guardians are replaceable, all we need to do is find another person who was given the Traveler's blessing to make them our new Guardian, but Ghosts are irreplaceable. Like I said, there is a limit to how many Ghosts are alive right now, and I've been around since the collapse started, searching for my Guardian for more than 5 centuries.

When a Ghost finds their Guardian, their purpose changes to keeping their Guardian alive. Very often, the Ghost and Guardian form a bond between each other, some even becoming inseparable."

"Is… is that it?"

"We don't do too much other than that. We do manage our Guardian's inventory, ensuring their weapons and spare armor is kept safe. We keep the armor systems running, but other than that, we don't do too much other then act as a form of a long-distance communication device."

"Oh… ok…"

"Now that that's out of the way…" Kuroka started as her playful grin made its way on her face, Saka sighing slightly as the two teens in front of him were a bit confused.

"I did say I would talk about it… well, it all started about… 519, nearly 520 years ago-"

"You're 519?!" Issei exclaimed, shocked to hear a young looking man like him being so old.

"No, not really… I'll explain that part in a minute. Like I said, about 520 or so years ago, my mother was pregnant with me. Yada yada, irrelevant stuff and 9 months later, I was born. I was born in Kyoto, or atleast, the Kyoto of the Earth I'm from."

"The Earth you're from?"

"Time travel. Honest, it's really confusing to figure out. Also, don't interrupt me please, I want to finish the explanation since I want to go to sleep."

"R-Right, sorry."

"Like I was saying, I was born into a small family, me, my mother, and my sister. My sister was three years older than me, but in truth, she was my step sister. She came from another father, one my mother was actually glad to leave, saying the only good thing he ever did for her was give her Saiko, my sister. We were a very close family, bathing together, sleeping together, traveling together…"

"You slept and bathed with your sister and mother?"

"Kid, don't interrupt me right now or there will be a bruise on that cheek of yours. A tired Hunter, much less myself, is something even your nightmares can't handle. But yes, I did. Until I was five years old, since it was on my sixth birthday… that image of us came crashing down.

My mother was part of a team of our kind, Guardians. She was a Hunter, one just like me, only her skill with a gun was godlike. She could shoot a grenade out of the air point blank with how fast she could draw her weapon while also killing her target with that very bullet. Her skill with a blade was also very exceptional, but most people kept talking about how she had a form of Light manipulation not even Warlocks had, the kind Keith is.

All they say she did was easily touch her allies and they were healed in seconds. Touch her enemies, they were dead in seconds."

"She… sounds like she was a dangerous woman…"

"She was… until my sixth birthday, like I said, when the image of me, her, and Saiko came crashing down. It was on that day… my mother died."

A gasp came from Asia and Issei, a slight gasp coming from Kuroka who looked at him, a sense of empathy forming within her.

"I… I…"

"Don't worry. Been well over five centuries since I last saw her. All I have of her now is her cloak, her gun, and a picture." He held the picture in front of him, a slight smile forming before leaving at the sight of the picture before he turned it around.

The picture showed a young looking boy who was barely at the age of five with short black hair and a pair of bright, emerald green eyes wearing a pair of black shorts and a white shirt. Beside him was a girl at the age of eight with a matching pair of emerald green eyes, but her hair was actually dark grey as she had it tied into a ponytail on the back of her head who had a purple skirt on with a green shirt.

Both of them were sitting in the lap of a beautiful woman. She had long, flowing black hair with her right bang reaching her chest as the left stopped at her shoulder as well as a pair of emerald green eyes like them. Her figure was on par with Kuroka almost but also of taller height, and with one look at her, anyone could see she loved her children dearly. She was wearing a pair of dark grey pants on with a light green shirt.

Issei's and Asia's mouths widened at the sight of his mother, looking at him and then back at the picture as Kuroka only stared at the picture intently.

'Haven't I seen her before?'

"That… that's your mother?"

"Yeah… I got most of my heritage from her. Hair color, eye color, skill even. It was her who also gave me my Human side and, oddly, my strong sense of sight, hearing, and smell along with my reaction speed, my sense of laziness which is still there, just a bit smaller with my love of sleep. She said it was a Hikari thing, so I just went with it."

"Wait, Human side?" He was confused when he heard that, believing that he was Human this entire time due to how he looked. "Are you half Human, half… something else?"

"I have to agree with the fact that I'm not fully Human. My genetic structure is half Human while the other half is a bit… complicated. Let's just leave it at that."

"But-"

"LEAVE it at that.

"O… ok…"

"Alright… now, the reason why I said I haven't seen her in five centuries is because I died when I was fifteen."

Asia and Issei gasped when they heard that, hearing he died close to their age. Kuroka stared at him, a feeling rising inside of her that she thought she'd never feel.

Pity.

She felt pity for the man she was listening to, trying to find any information she can use to either tease him more or help her with her dream.

"Cut straight through my spine, cutting it in half and killing me in a second. Five centuries later, Ghost found me and brought me back. That was… about four years ago, so right now, bodily and mentally, I'm 19, but since the day I was born, I'm 519. So, anymore questions?"

"You mentioned someone before, when you were describing the Guardians… someone called… the Child of Light?"

"The Child of Light… that is the title belonging to the most powerful Guardian ever born. I've known about him long before even our commanders did, but I didn't say anything about it since he wanted to remain secret for as long as possible.

He was born from Light, the only child ever born from the Traveler. He is a Demigod of Light, his Light stronger than any other Guardian in the world as he is called the Child of Light.

He killed Crota in mere seconds, he's slain a Vex unit who could manipulate time, killed two Hearts of Darkness with his sword and gun, as well as capture then kill a Fallen who tried to unite them all under a single banner before killing Oryx himself and killing a Taken Prince that would have taken the thrown to the Hive.

He is by far the most dangerous Guardian ever created, capable of killing any foe who crosses his path. He hasn't even awakened to his full power, yet, he always finds a way to kill his enemies. But, as of this moment, he hasn't been seen for the past 6 months since he disappeared.

Some say he'll appear again when the Darkness grows stronger than the Traveler, the less experienced ones who believe in love and all that stuff believes he'll show up again when a woman he likes or loves is in danger. Few believe he gave up on Humanity and left while fewer believes he's gone to live another life, one free from the worry of war."

"W-What do you believe he's d-doing?" Asia asked him as he smiled slightly, leaning back into his couch.

"I don't have any trust in him at all."

"W-Why? Isn't he your most powerful fighter?!"

"He may be one of our most powerful Guardians, but I don't really care what happens. If he's the most powerful one of us all, he can handle himself. Otherwise, he doesn't deserve to call himself the Demigod of Light."

"With the way you're speaking, you know something about him, don't you?" Kuroka spoke up again as he looked at her, his smile not fading. "Don't you wanna tell a little kitty? Nya?"

"Little? The only thing 'little' about you is the fact you're shorter than me."

"Oh? So you're admitting I'm big in some areas?" She leaned forwards towards him while using her arms for support as she moved towards him, looking up at him as she crawled over him, her large bosom now pressed against him as she forced him to the cushions.

He tensed slightly in response, his cheeks red while Issei and Asia looked at them, Asia covering her bright red face as Issei was too shocked to look away with his red face.

"I… think it's time I go. Good luck with your girlfriend." Issei said quickly before getting out of his chair and leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Um… uh…" Asia sounded nervous as she remained with the two dark haired adults in front of her, her face still red before she got out from her chair. "You two sh-shouldn't be doing th-that kind of stuff outside of bed o-or before marriage!" She then ran out of the room, most likely heading to the one Saka gave her.

Ghost appeared in front of them both, looking at Saka with his only eye.

"Good luck." Was all he said before floating away.

They were left alone on the couch, her grin not shrinking in the slightest as he was forced to remain where he was.

"Come on… don't you want to have some fun with a cute little kitty cat? Nya?"

"Don't you want to have some fun with me?"

'Her…' He grabbed his head, the feeling of a bolt going through it when he remembered something he never wanted to remember.

She saw him grab his head, her grin disappearing as it was instead replaced with concern, actual concern.

"Hey… are you okay?"

"…Yeah… just… just peachy…"

She pulled away from him, not wanting to cause him any more pain as a part of her didn't want him to hate her for something she's done. He pulled himself back up, a minor headache in his head that vanished shortly, his hand falling back to his side.

"Hey… can… can you possibly cut back a bit with your teasing?"

"Hm? Why's that? Afraid I'll make you fall in love with me?"

"No… I'm afraid you'll trigger a memory in me that'll make me hurt you."

"Wait… what?"

"…Back home, there was a girl who liked me after I saved her from a group of Hive. Her 'liking' apparently developed into what she called 'love.' That 'love' of hers led her to become a stalker… and she's done many, many things to try and catch my eye. She's a full blown crazy bitch… hell, she killed one of friends once because she thought she was my girlfriend and even tried to kill Keith at one point because said, and I quote, 'You don't need any friends or family, so I'm going to get rid of them for you. All you need is me.'

She is one of few people I can say I hate greatly. Hell, she even got away with it too because there was a lack of evidence apparently. When I finally got to this time, I believed I finally lost her. But, what you said earlier reminded me of her… and I don't even want to remember her name."

She remained silent, listening to what he said as his words stuck in her mind, something she'll have to remember.

"Jeeze… you keep making it harder for me to get you, you know that? If I can't use my teasing, then I don't have anything I can do to get you on my side."

"… How about this? I'll make a deal with you. We'll spend time together, sometimes getting to know each other better. When that's done, we keep spending time with each other. The way this works is to see who falls in love with the other first. If I fall in love with you, then you can have my kids. If you fall in love with me first, then you live with me for as long as our lifespans last since I don't really plan on falling in love."

"Well, neither do I, nya. And if we fall in love together?"

"I don't know… I'll marry you?"

"Hm… sounds fair to me, nya."

"So deal?" He held a hand in front of him, towards her she grabbed his hand and shook it slightly.

"Deal."

"Good. By the way, when did you plan on telling me you had a sister? For all we know, I could've proven your innocence by now so you could be cuddling with her instead of me."

"Oh? So you don't like my cuddles?" She had a hurt expression on her face, obviously faked though as she used her Youjutsu to make the illusion of tears. "I thought you liked my cuddles…"

"When you were Kurai, those cuddles were fluffy and soft, so I welcomed those with open arms. Now that you're… well, you… they feel a bit more different considering it's between two Human sized beings. So can you please keep them to a minimum? Anyways… I'm tired. I'm hitting the hay." He got off the couch and left for his room, but before he left his living room, he turned and looked at her. "And Light help me, if you plan on sleeping in my bed with me again, either do it in your kitten form, or on the other side of the bed where you're not using me as a hug pillow."

He then left her behind. She pouted slightly when she heard what he said.

"You're too warm for me not to… nya." She said before she got up and followed, most likely getting into the bed with him.


Meanwhile…


Samantha, covered in bandages, was walking down a rather dark alley in what looked like a kind of black market area. He had his hand to his chin, seeming to be in deep thought.

"I should not be alive… The Black Cat should have killed me as if I were no more than a mere bug compared to her…"

He couldn't help but question his encounter with Kuroka, something about it confusing him.

"She is insane… yet, I was spared. Last I had checked, any Devil who meets a Stray Devil is met with hostility… even if I am a Stray myself… Strays even get into territorial disputes when one has set up a base in their area, yet she has most likely not…

Perhaps her base is that housing with the man… that Stray Devil Hunter who has easily been killing my kind… but even if, he would've have been killed if she were insane, yet… he lives. Was Lord Lucifer wrong to assume she were insane?

This would mean she is not insane… but if that were the case, that would also mean that the rumors about her master we-grg!" He was cut off when something shot into his back, a hand grabbing his spine.

A robed figure stood behind him, their hood covering most of their face while an evil grin could be seen. They leaned over his shoulder, deciding to whisper in his ear.

"You're a bit too close to finding out the secret~. I can't let that happen, now can I?" The figure than pulled back with force, a lot of force, ripping out his spine and throwing it to the side as if it were nothing.

Samantha didn't have long before he fell over backwards due to his lack of backbone, staring up at the sky as the figure crouched down and looked down upon him, a knife coming out of his robe, but this knife also had some sort of liquid on the blade.

"Now be a good little Stray Devil and die~." The figure said as he tapped the handle of the knife, a single droplet of the liquid falling off the blade and into his mouth. The figure got up, knowing his job was done as Samantha was left there to die.

The figure then reached into his robe again, pulling out a picture of what looked like Kuroka, only when she was younger and during the time she was chained.

"Don't worry my sweetheart~. You're going to be saved from that nasty little Hunter shortly~! Afterwards… I'll save that little cutie you call your sister, then we'll all be having the best times of our lives~! I can only imagine how much more beautiful you've become~!" He began giggling before laughing loudly, his laughter drowning out the more silent noises around him as numerous stray animals fled the area.

And hours later, only a body of a Stray Devil with horribly pale skin and green veins with bloodshot eyes remained covered in sweat and blood.


Dun dun dun!

Was that used properly? I hope so.

Now, what I'm doing here is something I don't think any other DxD author has done before, so I'm going with it as a short, custom arc that will take place the next few chapters before Riser kicks up.

Now, I don't really have much to talk about due to my lack of Destiny playing since after the first day of Iron Banner... I kind of did everything I could without going into the raid and getting Outbreak Prime. The reason is because every Raid team I do get, they keep leaving when we can't kill Aksis the first time!

Seriously! First wipe, and we lost half our team! It has become a pet-peeve of mine when that happens! If you don't plan on staying till the end, don't join!

I won't be calling names or anything, but still... jerks...

Farewell, and let us meet next time.

...still, jerks...