A Flower Amongst Devils
Original Concept: Persona 3 Portable/High School DxD
Revised Chapter 13
Created by: Atlus/Sega and Ishibumi Ichiei
Author's Notes: This is a crossover of High School DxD and Persona 3 Portable. The FeMC would be named Arisato Minako. I would like to thank two particular authors who had been very influential in me publishing this fic, gabriel blessing and The Crimson Lord. Thank you for the great work you two did in HS DxD to get me interested in writing one as well.
written by: wrathie
Author's Notes: My laptop died, and although I did recover my work, a bunch of my /other/ stuff is gone, or well, hopefully not gone, but we'll see how it goes.
I might as well declare outright /again/, that there were changes in the storyboard, and that my approach towards Flower has changed as compared to the earlier chapters. In gist, less Persona talking, more timeskips, and more characterization development that deviates towards AU.
And it is an AU fic, deviating harshly starting from this chapter onwards. I won't know when I can update this fic for a while till my laptop stop acting up, so let's... pray, or something.
EDIT: I'm sorry.. It's not Shalba, it's Ajuka, I totally got that mixed up. Forgive me. There was a review about how i mentioned Yuzu's confession twice as separate events. I've fixed it now.. I'm so sorry!
Tamamo Branch Shrine
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"Please have some water, Minako-sama." One of the guards of the Priestess of Tamamo, Arisato Minako passed her a bottle of chilled water which she accepted with thanks before smiling in exasperation at how another of the guards offered her a towel to dry her sweat soaked face with.
"Yasaka wasn't too far off when she said that you got yourself a cult. They practically worship you." Scathach commented in her mind and Minako had no rebuttal to that comment. It had been that way since they were assigned to her, and it was all Minako could do to keep their presence to only a handful.
She imagined that having dozens of individuals hanging around the shrine like it hosting a celebrity would only drive visitors away from the Shrine.
Despite her using it more like a home rather than a shrine, it still was one that venerated the Deity that was enshrined in it. The shrine was dedicated to Inari-sama, who was the Fox Deity of Japan and one that the Tamamo clan actually had ties to. It was said that a few of Inari's Kitsune messengers were wed to the Tamamo clan, but whether it was true has yet to be seen.
After the incident with Asia, and the subsequent transfer of Asia and Yuzu into Kuoh Academy as students, Minako's workload had amazingly decreased. Although she had suspected as much, it became quickly apparent that a portion of individuals that went to speak with Minako had come instead came to visit Yuzu instead.
Her assistant was not a teenager, she was decades older and was just as, if not more knowledgeable in negotiating the maze of teenage politics, love triangles and rivalry that Minako wasn't that comfortable dealing with.
That's not to say that Minako was out of her job, no, her workload was still significant but Minako was now able to at least knock off at a reasonable time instead of putting so much extra over time to speak with all the students patiently waiting for her.
Kochiyo had been strangely popular amongst the students too, she was trying hard but she couldn't replace Yuzu in the interpersonal relations department. Not that she made any effort to do so as she just contributed in her way, calmly and efficiently taking notes and helping Minako with her paperwork more efficiently than Yuzu could ever do.
That freed Minako enough time for her to start training once again, and coupled with the stronger seals and barriers that protected her shrine from scying, detection and spying with the combined efforts of Kochiyo, Scathach and Cybele, she felt comfortable enough to train with the Vel Vel Muraga in public. The Vel Vel Muraga was classified as a weapon blessed by a Divine Being in this world, and that makes it an artifact in its own right. With the same trick that the residents of the Velvet Room had gifted her evoker, she could pull and keep it away in an extra-dimensional pocket only she has access to.
It was of course a one-off deal, and even Kochiyo hadn't been able to determine how Minako was able to do it despite being a deity over borders and seals.
The Vel Vel Muraga had similar properties compared to how Minako remembered it in her home world. The Vel Vel Muraga granted her tremendous boosts to her physical and magical ability when she wielded it. It was also extremely sturdy, and its slashing power had definitely increased. What changed the most was how it could be used as a throwing weapon now, which makes sense as the "Vel" which was used by Karthikeya in Hindu mythology, was a javelin rather than a true spear.
Minako had stepped up training with this weapon with her instructors from her Sea of Souls, the female warrior Suzuka Gongen and Izanagi-Okami himself.
The former drilled her in her technique and skill in battle by sparring with her while the latter helped her with tapping into the potential of her naginata and allowed her to use more of her skills with her Personas.
They were invaluable allies in mastering her Naginata but now she was ready to take the next step to learn from Scathach, who had trained the legendary warrior Cú Chulainn.
"I am looking forward to training you, Minako-san like I promised previously. Be prepared however, I will not go easy on you like your previous teachers." Scathach's firm voice was in stark contrast to her more relaxed nature, it was like a teacher to a student and Minako nodded in acknowledgment.
"Training is good and all, but you have to learn how to take a break. It's only been a week since you saved Asia and you haven't really gotten a good rest after that." Cybele fretted over Minako who replied that she had to get stronger.
"Is it about Cao Cao and Georg? He is the link to the Fortune Arcana; doesn't that mean he won't act against you?" Cybele asked but fell silent when Minako reminded her of who was the Social Link for the Fortune Arcana the last time.
As Minako had determined that she was not forming Social Links, but rather connections with individuals that were born under the respective Arcanas, it was undeniable she cannot discount any of those individuals would be her enemy.
The Fortune, Mochizuki Ryoji had turned against her in the end, even if he was being forced into it. The last thing she needed was to be sympathetic with a potential enemy. And Cao Cao was someone she would have to face in the battlefield, she just knew it.
"Excuse me, Minako-sama?" Her train of thoughts was interrupted by one of the exorcists and he nervously told her that she had a very important visitor wishing to meet her at the shrine gates. "Seraph Gabriel-sama would like to have permission to enter the Shrine to speak with you."
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"Good evening, you must be the Seraph Gabriel-sama from the Heavens of the Christian Faction." Minako greeted the buxom blonde woman with a polite bow. She had long curly blonde hair and was dressed in a white toga outfit that Minako would normally associate with the Greeks or Romans. Still she seemed comfortable with it, even wearing a small tiara on her head as she smiled back at her. The Seraph however looked confused at Minako's greeting as she had offered her hand instead; Gabriel subsequently mimicked her bow while Minako shook her hand later.
"Please pardon me, I am a little unsure of your customs~" Gabriel spoke cheerfully with a smile gracing her features. Her voice was light and melodious and just from that alone Minako could understand why the Exorcists had fallen into a trance just by meeting with her. She emitted an aura that made people feel that she should be protected due to the, dare she say it, the naivety and innocence coming from the Seraph. She was like the ultimate sheltered ojou-sama, and that itself gave Minako a minor headache.
Seraph Gabriel had the following titles of being the "Strongest Woman in Heaven" and "Most Beautiful Woman of Heaven". Minako agreed with the latter, the former however was a little hard to belief as for the most part, Gabriel looked a little air-headed to her.
"I doubt the Seraphim of Heaven has many reasons to descend amongst the mortal realm. We have been expecting you, although I did not think that you would come on the same day that Yasaka-sama accepted the offer of dialogue." Minako paused, judging Gabriel's expression but again there was none, she was just curiously pleased as she nodded her head.
"Our esteemed Father says that this dialogue is important~ You see, you could be a Holy Maiden yourself. We of Heaven wanted to make it clear, Arisato Minako~" Gabriel's answer made Minako pause but she took the chance to offer some tea to her.
"Be careful it's hot, Gabriel-sama." Minako warned the Seraph but she still drank it immediately, causing her to stick her tongue out in pain.
"It burns~ Hot~" She fanned her hands over her tongue while Minako just stared at her before getting up to get some ice for her.
..
"Blow on the tea first, Gabriel-sama... it'll cool it down, should I do it for you?" Minako asked while Gabriel rolled the ice-cubes in her mouth, seemingly distracted before she started.
"Ah~ if you would do that~ it'll be nice~ Thank you~ May our Father bless you for your kindness~" Gabriel beamed at Minako while the Priestess suppressed a sigh. This was going to be more problematic than she first thought when she was by Yasaka to conduct the first dialogue between the Youkai Faction and the Faction from Heaven.
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"Right, Heaven finally caved in and decided that Seraph Gabriel would be the representative from Heaven to engage the Youkai Faction. This is a huge victory for us, Minako, so in return I want you to handle the talks with her." Tamamo Yasaka sounded very firm and stressed as she briefed Minako over a table full of paperwork. Minako had Kochiyo sorting the pile for her, but it just made the amount of work she had to do seem even bigger.
"But why me? Didn't you forbid me to speak with them? Are you asking me to speak with my official capacity as the second in command of the Youkai faction and not for myself?" Minako wanted to clarify and Yasaka nodded her head.
"That's right. Treat everything seriously like you would with the elders. I had turned away their requests for dialogue as the representatives they wanted to send were on the low end of the totem pole. I won't accept anyone but the bigwigs, and it's an insult to the Devils since they sent Grayfia, the wife of the current Lucifer to engage us." Minako could understand that much before Yasaka gave her the profile of Seraph Gabriel.
"Seraph Gabriel is one of the leaders of the Heavens, she occupies a similar position of power as Michael, who is the leader of Heaven's forces and can be called his right hand man, er, woman. She is also the messenger of god, and that is what we have to take advantage of. Anything issue that we discuss with Gabriel would be brought up to God and the highest circle of angels, we cannot let this opportunity slip us by."
"So it's come to this, we are ready to open talks?" Minako asked quietly, knowing that the Youkai faction had been consolidating their power bases for some time, but she wondered if it was too little too late for them even with her reputation being spread across Japan.
"We could be better, but the recoveries of the Shinto Deities, some of the Eastern Deities have given us a power base sufficient enough to tip the balance of the Christian Factions in Japan. It's now or never."
..
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"Please forgive me; I should have said that it was hot before I poured it to you." Minako bowed to Gabriel in apology as the Seraph shook her head and said that she didn't mind.
"It's my fault for not seeing the steam~ I'm sorry too for the trouble!~ But the tea was nice, so was the snacks~ Thank you for treating me so kindly~" Gabriel chirped before she settled down, wincing a little at the pain from her tongue before she cleared her throat and pulled out a scroll before setting it on her lap and tapping it with her fingers before starting.
"Righto~ Our esteemed Father asked me here to speak with you, Arisato Minako~ Is it okay if I call you Minako? It's odd for me to keep calling your full name! It's rude too~" When Minako nodded in affirmative, she continued.
"I, Seraph Gabriel am here on a diplomatic mission~ We wish to open diplomatic talks between the youkai faction and the Heavens~ Is that agreeable with you, Minako? Minako is the second in command of the Youkai faction and a representative of Shinto after all~"
"Of course, that is agreeable with us. However we must also highlight that we have also open the same offer to the other factions, and we have no interest in aiding in any armed conflict amongst the three Christian factions." Minako's reply was rewarded with Gabriel nodding and keeping an eye on the scroll as sigils appeared on them.
"Gabriel is the messenger of God, she is diligently taking minutes of this meeting, Minako." Meelchizedek explained from the Sea of Souls.
"That's okay~ We of Heaven doesn't want to fight a war too~ As long as the status quo remains~ we are alright~ Followers of Shinto have always treated us kindly~ We have followers who still pray to Shinto Deities~"
"The Shinto Deities and followers have always been more tolerant than most, if our followers and believers are not persecuted for believing in the identity of more than one God, I can safely say that we can coexist together."
"Yes~ Yes~ that's best!~ It'll be bad for all of us if we get into another war~" Gabriel agreed and she beamed happily before she asked.
"Minako is a Holy Maiden of the Youkai and Shinto Faction right?~"
"Yes I am, Gabriel-sama, what of it?"
"We've heard rumours that Minako can use Divine Possession with the Shinto Deities~ That's amazing~ I would like to see it if I can~" Gabriel's request was immediately turned down by Minako as she explained that it's not a power she will admit to, nor was it something that she believe should be flaunted.
"Okay then~ Because if I can verify Minako's powers~ I can have you sworn in as a Holy Maiden of the Church as well~" Gabriel's words made Minako very very glad that she had not considered to showing some of her powers to her. If she was proclaimed as a Holy Maiden by a Seraph, it would dash their hopes of any talks with the Devils or the Fallen.
"That would be a bad idea, Gabriel-sama... I appreciate the thought, but it is a title that I am not worthy of carrying." Minako declined as best as she could and was relieved when Gabriel dropped the issue. However she started on another issue instead.
"Okay then~ But Minako, there's something me and Michael want to know... if it's okay for you to tell us~" Minako nodded and Gabriel continued.
"You've taken in one of our holy maidens~ Asia Argento right?~ She has sought asylum with you willingly?~" Minako winced internally at that, so that was how the world was coming back to bite her in the ass. The Fallen faction had no doubt questioned and challenged that Asia had ever accepted Minako's offer willingly, and that she had coerced Asia to join her after eliminating the Fallen Angels she had contact with. They were demanding Asia's return, but was having difficulty as Asia seemed to enjoy her life with them.
"Yes, she has. She is living with me in the Shrine. Is there a problem, Gabriel-sama? The Church did excommunicate her after all, she is a free individual and it is her choice who to seek help from." To Minako's surprise, Gabriel actually really winced this time as she fell silent. It was odd seeing the very carefree Seraph look pained and disheartened.
"Yes~ We did~ So we are glad that you have taken her in~ Please look after her... for reasons we cannot say~ We cannot... allow her back to our chambers. Please, send my personal apologies to her~" Gabriel bowed to Minako humbly while she replied that Asia would be happy beyond words to hear that.
"Or perhaps freak out... I'm not too sure how she'll react at knowing a Seraph knew of her name..."
'She is a good Holy Maiden~ We in Heaven lament her loss~ but rules are rules~ and we can't allow one person to be special~ You understand, right, Minako?" Minako did and Gabriel nodded sadly before adding on.
"Minako~ I would also ask for a favour~ Please keep Asia from the Devils~" Gabriel's next request made Minako freeze before she narrowed her eyes at Gabriel. Was the Seraph speaking of her own capacity or of the Heavens?
"Is that a request, or an order, Seraph Gabriel?"
"It is a personal request~ not an order~ Asia Argento has left our care... and like Minako said~ she is a free person. I... do not have good experiences with humans taken in by Devils~" Gabriel admitted while Minako relaxed.
"Asia is undecided on what she would do next... but the Gremory Group which she is close to is a close knit family. I can assure you that she would be happy there as well." As long as she was asking in her own capacity, Minako would be able to get away with just that.
"I see~ I will trust Minako then~ Although our esteemed father will ask me to question you~ on why you would give the Devil a powerful piece like that~"
"You turned her away, and if she made a choice of her own free will, I will respect and acknowledge that. It is her decision to make, and if she chooses to side with the Devils, or with us, it would be based on her experience and knowledge that she had gained interacting with those around her. I will not allow her to make that decision lightly, and will guide her to an answer she won't regret, or make in haste. That, I promise you as the second in command of the Youkai clan, that whatever decision Argento Asia makes will be of her own free will, and she will not regret it. In return, I hope that you will accept her decision and not judge us or her based on that action, but rather her actions in the future." Minako's raised an eyebrow when sigils appeared on Gabriel's scroll after she said them, so she was taking notes after all. Minako could respect that dedication to her role, but as a Seraph couldn't she at least make some decisions of her own instead of just saying that she'll relay the message?
"Unfortunately, Gabriel has always been that way. She takes her job seriously, and although this Gabriel is more laid back than the Gabriel we know." Melchizedek paused briefly before continuing.
"The role of God's Messenger is not a role to be taken lightly, and like Yasaka said, your words will be delivered to our Father personally and directly by Gabriel."
"I promise to relay the message to our esteemed father Minako~ I am the Messenger of God after all~" Gabriel promised as well as she smiled at her.
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"Oh~Oh~ I agree, the teenagers now are a very naughty bunch!~ Their innocence is tainted by the desire to gain fame and popularity~ Is it bad for me to say~ that they have instead became more childish instead~ Fame is fleeting~ Friends and soul mates are forever~ And one can't earn true friends and soul mates by talking bad about another~ May our esteemed father forgive their sins~ Amen~" Gabriel prayed softly after laughing together with Minako.
Gabriel's mission had been to negotiate and to formally have Minako's support to open talks between the two factions, and that was the end of the official business that they had with each other.
Honestly Minako felt that it was a huge waste of time and manpower, especially when one considered that they asked a Seraph to come down to speak with her. But she supposed she could understand that such an agreement needed a certain level of decorum that could be achieved by having two political powerful individuals agree on it, even if it was only verbally. However as Gabriel was the messenger of God, perhaps that was part of their plan to ensure that their agreement was binding.
Minako had then offered Gabriel more tea and snacks before making some light conversation, telling Gabriel of her job in Kuoh Academy and sharing the plight of teenagers with her. Gabriel had been very interested in the subject, admitting to Minako that she missed the times when she was sent to the mortal realm with messages from God, or the opportunities where she could visit the mortal realm to compile reports for their lord. She did like humans, to Gabriel they were innovative, adaptive and were endlessly optimistic and full of hope. She liked and respect humans, something Minako felt relieved over.
Yasaka had told Minako that a part of why she had rejected many of the earlier Angels that had been sent to speak with her were very arrogant and did not view either the Youkai faction or Minako, being a human, as their equals in the bargaining and negotiating table. She had taken great offence to that and had repeatedly thrown their proposals or had the Tamamo clan members send them away. Seeing a Seraph treat humans, beings which were far underneath them with interest was a relief to her.
"I think society as a whole is much more laid back in many aspects, people have more freedom to do what they want, and for the most part they are allowed to choose their own path and to live their dreams or passion. It helps brings out the best, and worst in people... there's always two sides of the coin." Minako lamented and Gabriel nodded her head in agreement.
"That is very true~ Minako is wise for her age~ If it's an individual like you~ I am sure that all the lost sheep will have their problems resolved~ However if you meet with any difficult in resolving unreasonable requests~ feel free to ask for my aid~ It has been a while since I have helped a human~ As a Seraph, I do not get duties like that... it is a pity~" Gabriel sounded sad before she explained.
"Heaven have different orders of Angels~ and as a Seraph, the first of the Orders of Angels! I would not be given tasks that would be given to the lower orders of Angels~ It is a pity~ as it won't allow us Seraphs to know how humans are like now~ That's why, I must thank you for telling me the worries of the young ones~ It's always the young ones who will inherit the world~" Gabriel laughed cheerfully while asking Minako again.
"Is it okay for me to visit?~ I would like to speak with you again, as a friend~ if I can be friends with the Priestess of Tamamo~" Gabriel asked hopefully and Minako naturally agreed. Besides being too optimistic and cheerful, Gabriel was very easy to get along with. Most importantly, there was the faint bond she could feel with the Seraph. She too, was a key individual for her, one that would be very important in the future as she corresponded to one of the Major Arcanas powered her in her other world.
Their conversation however was interrupted when someone knocked on the screen door of the shrine despite Minako expressing her desire for the meeting to be private. What could be so important for her followers to break their promise to her?
..
"Minako-sama, there is another guest demanding an audience, it is taking all of our efforts to keep her from breaking the barrier that Kochiyo-sama has placed." The voice sounded shaky and nervous, causing Minako to be worried and she excused herself to greet the visitor herself. Her guards were highly skilled individual, focused and very dedicated to her.
Minako had been secretly impressed that although they seemed at awe at meeting Gabriel earlier, she was a Seraph after all, they had not broken ranks or treated her any different from any visitors that would visit the shrine.
It was hard to imagine who could have shattered their dedication to their job of protecting her and the shrine.
Minako got the answer immediately when she hurried to the front steps of the shrine, and she barely held down the urge to slap a palm against her face in exasperation when she recognized the individual.
"Is that Mina-chan? I've came to visit! Did that woman come? You know who I mean! That big breasted dumb blonde! Did she come?"
It was Serafall Leviathan, one of the Satans that ruled the Underworld, and she was dressed in a magical girl outfit as she waved excitedly while bouncing up and down at the foot of the steps leading to the shrine.
"Serafall-sama? Is that you?" Minako asked, her voice a little faint as she descended down the stairs to greet her. She had not met Serafall in person before, although she did receive a postcard from her a week after she had taken the post of school counsellor asking her to take good care of her So-tan for her and to keep the boys away from her. However as she was one of the Satans, Yasaka had made sure she read up on her and knew her as best as she could without actually meeting her.
Serafall was considered a very eccentric Devil even amongst the Devils, but there were a few things that needed to remember when dealing with her. The most important thing to remember was that she had very a very fleeting attention span besides things that she was obsessed with. She was also very headstrong, stubborn and energetic, so trying to reason her without the patience of Buddha and a huge chunk of time was futile. Lastly, she loved and spoiled her sister over anything in the world. Threaten her and you will die.
"Yes it's me, Mina-chan! Who else can it be! I came here specially because I heard that blonde bimbo of a Seraph is here! Is she here? She is, right? She's come here to tempt you to join Heaven didn't she? Well, never fear, Magical Girl Serafall is here to punish the bad bad angel!"
Minako met that incredulous statement with a pained smile as she allowed Serafall to enter her shrine by registering her Devil Presence with her barriers. She knew then that it was going to be a very long day for her.
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"Ara Ara~ Isn't this Sera-chan?" Gabriel was the one who welcomed Serafall with a warm and sisterly smile. However Serafall didn't agree as she gave a high pitch whine in response.
"U-Uwa! I'm not Sera-chan! I'm Magical Girl Miracle Levi-tan! Don't call me that, you... you ANGEL!" Serafall howled the last part like it was an insult, and as she was a Devil, it probably was to them.
"Mm? But it's cute! The name Sera-chan is adorable~ Your name is Serafall, therefore, Sera-chan!~ Unless you want to be called Sera-tan?" Gabriel tilted her head to the side while asking, causing Serafall to explode again while Minako watched in a mixture of bemusement and horror. She had just showed Serafall into the room where Gabriel was as she had insisted on confronting, in Serafall's own words, the "Heavenly Goldie". It must be a Devil's thing for her to call Gabriel that.
"Don't give me nicknames, you "Heavenly Goldie"!"
"Mm... Although I am glad you call me Heavenly, but goldie is a little..." Gabriel sounded a little disappointed but she cheered up the next moment.
"I see~ is that a pet name for me?~ I'm glad, Sera-tan~ Sera-tan can be a shortened version of Seraphim, I'm complimenting you too~" Gabriel's cheerful smile had the opposite effect on Serafall as she froze before screaming again.
'NOO! NOOO! Noooooo! I'm not a Seraphim, I'm a Maou! A Satan! A DEVIL, you got it wrong, you stupid, stupid Angel!" Serafall stamped her feet on the ground before kicking her shoes off and rushing to shake Gabriel's collar.
"S-Serafall-sama! Please don't be so violent!" Minako wanted to intervene, but Gabriel did not seem to take offence to it, instead she seemed to be giggling while being shaken by Serafall.
"Ahaha~ Sera-tan is so easily embarrassed~ I'm happy to see you so energetic~"
Its official, Gabriel was either the most air-headed individual alive, or she was actually the shrewdest. Minako wasn't sure which the truth was and she just watched in fascination at how the two leading ladies of the Christian Factions interacted with each other.
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"Haaah, you stupid.. angel... are you afraid of the powers of Magical Girl Miracle Levi-tan now?" Serafall panted as she finally released Gabriel. The Seraphim looked dizzy, her eyes were unfocused and she was still giggling a little before she fell on her back with her eyes closed. Perhaps Gabriel really had a few screws loose.
"A-Admit it... you lost.. Haah... I feel so tired, so is this what is needed to defeat a Heavenly Angel? The powers of Heaven sure are terrifying..." Serafall continued her own monologue before she drew herself up, materialized a magical stick tipped with a blinking yellow star and posed in front of Minako's shocked eyes.
"B-But, the powers of Darkness won't fall today! Magical Girl Miracle Levi-tan has saved the day again!" Serafall twirled, spinning about in the room before dropping on her bottoms with a wince, her balance shot too.
"Owie... That hurts... Thank you, Mina-chan, you're the best!" Serafall smiled appreciatively when Minako helped her to a sitting position and offered her some tea.
"It's hot, be careful..." Minako warned her but Serafall simply grinned and started gulping it down in thirst.
"It's okay~ Taking hot drinks like this is just another test... The road of being a true Mahou Shoujo is faced with adversaries like this. If I can't take on challenges like this, how can I expect to set a good example for all the aspiring Magical Girls?" Serafall nodded to herself sternly while Minako forced herself to smile.
"Can I have some tea too, Minako?~" Gabriel's question made the two of them turn to see Gabriel slowly getting back up while smiling.
"Certainly, Gabriel-sama."
"Don't call me "sama", Minako, we are friends aren't we, Minako?~ Call me Gabriel~ though you can call me with a pet name if you want to~" Gabriel smiled and that caused Serafall to gasp as she pointed her magical stick at Gabriel once more.
"Y-You, you are trying to tempt Mina-tan to join you aren't you?! Don't be fooled by the Angel, Mina-tan, she is trying to take all the fun out of the world with all her 'rules' and 'regulations!' That is the world of Heaven!" Serafall explained as Gabriel shook her head.
"But Minako is a Holy Maiden too~ We of Heaven is prepared to give her that title, Sera-tan~"
"W-What?! No! You can't! Mina-chan don't be fooled by her words, there's nothing good at all being a Holy Maiden! They will take out all fun from your life! You can't deny that can't you, Goldie!" Serafall accused and that made Gabriel frown slightly.
"But Mina-tan is a Holy maiden~ she can summon deities~ that means she is tied to heaven~" Gabriel countered and Serafall turned to Minako with a betrayed look.
"Is that true, Mina-tan? I am so disappointed! I thought we were friends! How could you accept to be purified by those bad Angels! They must have forced you to do so didn't they! Just say so and I will save you! A Magical Girl always saves her friends, even if I have to make them by using huge lasers on them!"
"Gabriel, Serafall, I'm part of the Youkai Faction, and as such I cannot take the tile of a Holy Maiden. As mentioned with my agreement with the House of Gremory and House of Sitri, I will not interfere with the Affairs of Devils, Angels or the Fallen. I am a neutral party." Minako spoke so firmly and that made Serafall smile in relief while Gabriel looked disappointed again.
"I see~ Well Minako has already agreed to start talks between us Angels and the Youkai faction~ right?" Minako froze at her words, unsure whether she did that to rile Serafall or not, regardless of the intent but it still did and Serafall exploded again.
"WHAT?! YOU DID – Oh wait, I almost forgot..." Serafall paused in explosion before clearing her throat and getting up to look at Minako sternly. It was a little disconcerting to see her being serious, even Gabriel seem to think so as she stared as well.
"Mina-chan, as the Maou of Foreign Affairs, I came here to ask about the formalization of talks between the Youkai/Shinto Alliance with the Devil Faction." She spoke sternly before offering a hand to Minako.
"I've rushed over the moment I've heard that the Bl- Seraph Gabriel had been tasked with the same mission and I came here to stop you being fooled by them with their sugar-coated words." Serafall smiled grimly at Gabriel, and the air-headed Seraph had seemingly recovered as well, she smiling serenely in return.
"Ara~ Sera-tan sure loves to joke~ We Angels can't lie~ Our esteemed father prevents us from doing so~" Serafall snorted at that, rolling her eyes but still decided to drop the issue for now.
"Mina-tan, will you accept our invitation and offer to start communications between the two factions?"
"Yasaka-sama did tell me that this day will come..." Minako started off with a sigh before her eyes hardened, something the other two noticed as well for they paid attention.
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"We of the Youkai Faction would be willing to enter talks and negotiations with all the Christian Factions. However our stance of neutrality will still stand. We will not be empower one party over another, we will also not act for or against another member of the Christian factions. It is of our interest to maintain the status quo while recovering our strength. That said, Japan is our stronghold and our home, but Shintoism has always been accepting of Foreign Gods and Deities. As long as there is no conflict on our land, we will be more than happy to enter into a treaty of peace or non-aggression. Will that be satisfactory?" Minako's offer made the two leaders of their faction fall silent, Gabriel's scroll penning down her words while Serafall muttered to herself.
Despite the two's eccentricity, they were still serious when it came to work. Minako could sympathize, she wasn't all that formal herself if she could help it. The Priestess Persona she had was very tiring to maintain. It was kind of depressing to admit that she could be more relaxed at school helping teenagers with their problems and angst. Just thinking about that made her a little more depressed in the inside.
"Mmm~ I will be sure to relay that to our esteemed father, Minako~ I'm sure he would be happy to hear that~ The Youkai and the Shinto deities have always protected humans~ That will be fine with us~"
"Sirzechs-chan and Ajuka-chan won't like it, but I think that's for the best, Mina-chan. I'll be coming to visit you more often to see what we can offer each other." Serafall smiled triumphantly at Gabriel and was surprised when she did not seem too disappointed at being able to interact with Minako even more.
"Mm~ We'll be better friends if we meet each other more often, Mina-chan~ Unlike that goldie, she won't be able to do so~" Serafall literally cheered as she reverted to her more childish self while crowing at Gabriel.
"Work hard, Sera-tan~ It's hard work being a liaison~" Gabriel nodded solemnly and that caused Serafall to freeze, her mouth hanging open in shock as she stuttered.
"W-Work?"
"Mm~ There's lots of paper work to do~ Like when would be the first meeting~ who would be attending~ where and what shall be discussed~ you have to talk to everyone who is interested before we propose to each other~ Michael had made a committee to discuss this~ Minako, you will hear from us in a week~" Gabriel smiled cheerfully, her scroll lengthening to detail the many notes she had apparently taken for the talk as Serafall paled even more at seeing the amount of work.
"P-Paperwork? B-But, I have filming to do, and there's a few shoots..." Serafall trailed off when Gabriel reached out to hold her hands tenderly, and amazingly Serafall did not flinch away.
"Sera-tan can do it~ I believe in Sera-tan~" Gabriel said with absolute sincerity in her voice while Serafall's lips trembled.
"N-No fair, no fair, there's so much work and Sirzechs' never told me before that I have to do it!" Serafall panicked this time before turning to Minako in desperation.
"Mina-tan, you have to help me! Tell me Gabriel is lying, please! I-I can't, I'm allergic to paperwork! It'll kill me! A Magical Girl can't be stuck doing paperwork when she has to save the world!' Serafall wailed while Gabriel looked on in sympathy before drilling the last nail in the coffin.
"Minako~ If it's okay with you~ I'll visit you soon for lunch~ I'll bring some treats from heaven next time~"
"SIRZECHS-CHAAAAAAN! YOU MEANIEEEEEE!"
..
In the end Gabriel had gave in to Serafall's wailing and had sat down to help Serafall list down the details she had to put together. Minako still couldn't place Gabriel, she was either a master manipulator or was an air-head had superb timing with her words. She was leaning towards a combination of the two. Unlike Serafall who sought refuge from responsibility with eccentricity, Gabriel was perhaps doing the same by dumbing herself down.
She was the same, they were wearing masks of their own, aspects of personality that few, if any got to see. She suppose she should be flattered that she got the chance. But perhaps it wasn't that too surprising she did, considering the two Arcana Signs flashing over their heads.
"Mm, the Star for Gabriel and the Temperance for Serafall? I must admit that I did not expect the two of them to have open up to you in such a fashion." Scathach commented before nodding to Helel and Yurlungur , the two ultimate Personas of the respective Arcanas entering Minako's Sea of Souls.
"They aren't Social Links, but they do open more of your potential, it is important for us to discover more of such Arcana links."
"Uuughhh I can't do this, Mina-tan save me!" Serafall pleaded, breaking Minako's self-contemplation and she stared when Gabriel pulled Serafall back to a seiza position as she made her copy down notes for what she had to minimally do as the liaison between the Devils and the Youkai/Shinto Faction.
"Sera-tan can't give up now~ There's just ten more pages to go~" Gabriel lectured while Serafall sobbed, looking so miserable that Minako couldn't help but interrupt to them for her sake.
"Actually it might be good to take a break for now." Minako started and paused, wondering what they could do before she smiled.
"Since it is a rare opportunity, why don't I draw fortunes for the two of you? Inari-sama who is enshrined in this Shrine will be able to bless the two of you as she is a very easy going Deity."
"Ohh? I want to, Mina-tan!" Serafall cheered while Gabriel looked intrigued at the same time.
"It will be a new experience for me too~"
..
Serafall was literally bouncing on her feet as Minako showed them the box where they were supposed to draw their fortunes after making a small offering to Inari-sama.
Serafall reached into the box with a look of intense concentration, taking her time with picking a slip before Gabriel told her that she can't use her demonic powers to cheat.
"I-I'm not cheating!" Serafall denied instantly but when Minako frowned at her, her hands stopped scrambling and picking and instead grabbed one instead.
"You pick one too, we'll open them together." Serafall insisted to Gabriel and the Seraph nodded before she too picked a fortune at random.
"Will you pick one too, Minako~" Gabriel asked and Minako played along, picking a fortune with them.
With Serafall's insistence in opening them together despite Minako telling her that this wasn't a competition, the three of them opened their fortunes.
"Ara, this is a bad sign isn't it?" Gabriel sounded disappointed as her slip showed "dai-kyō, 大凶" or great curse/misfortune.
Minako would have thought Serafall would be all over Gabriel, but surprisingly she didn't.
"I got the same too." Serafall sounded disappointed and they turned to Minako, only to see her frowning and biting her lip.
"That's not a good sign at all." Minako declared as she too had the same fortune drawing as the other two."
..
Tamamo Estate (That night)
..
The atmosphere in the room was tense, the only sounds were of paper fluttering and pen scribbling as the members of the Tamamo Clan leadership worked hard at their individual desks.
Tamamo Yasaka and Arisato Minako had their heads down and focused on the pile of paperwork that never seem to end. For every one document that the two placed on the 'out-tray', another two was placed onto the pile courtesy of Yuzu, who simply smiled apologetically if they made eye contact with her.
Kochiyo was seated at the table nearest to the door and was methodically going another pile of paperwork that Yuzu was bringing over to the two of them. Kochiyo was going through them at a steady pace, methodically reading through the different proposals before sorting them out for Minako or Yasaka to go through.
In truth without Kochiyo helping them, the two's progress would have been much slower, and it was all Yuzu could do to keep transferring the paperwork she sorted over to the other two.
Why wasn't she seated nearer to the two of them, well it was because there was a constant feed of more paperwork that was being delivered straight to the door before piling up on Kochiyo's desk.
When another delivery of requests was given to Kochiyo, Minako couldn't take it and her head dropped on the desk with a loud thud as she wailed.
"N-No more, I'm dying, please spare me, Yasaka-sama!" Minako cried out in defeat, her being defeated by the piles of paperwork sounded insane but when one considered the huge stacks of paper that was yet to be delivered at the corner of the room, one would surely sympathize with her.
Her Personas had fled the Sea of Souls, choosing to wander in the dungeon of her sea of consciousness rather than endure the madness that was proposed by Serafall Leviathan and her idea of "talks" between the Youkai/Shinto faction and the Devils. Even Cybele had fled, giving Minako a comforting hug after reading the nonsense that Serafall had written.
The worst part was how they couldn't just dismiss all of her nonsense, there were a few proposals that Sirzechs had slipped into it, and a few that were actually workable.
"You exist to create paperwork for me." Yasaka grounded out as her hands did not stop moving despite Minako pleading for her to stop, or to at least take a break.
"And it's your fault, you spoke with Serafall, you should deal with all of her nonsense." The entire pile of paperwork came from Serafall alone, how she was able to propose and write so much rubbish was beyond her.
"You encouraged her, and I am helping you clear the mess, be grateful I didn't abandon you to drown in this pile yourself..." Yasaka growled angrily while Minako fell silent, that was true but Yasaka was wrong on one thing.
"I didn't encourage her, it was Gabriel, and she was the one that told her to write as much ideas as she wanted!" At that revelation, Yasaka's pen stopped moving as her eyebrows twitched. She leaned back on her chair before she took several deep breaths.
"Burn them."
"Eh?" Yasaka's order made Minako hesitate, even Kochiyo look up from where she was reading another document at her statement.
"Burn all the proposals from Serafall Leviathan and send a message to her that she shouldn't be hoodwinked by Seraph Gabriel."
"But that will just make things more difficult between the two of them!" Minako protested but Yasaka just dismissed her with a scowl and an angry growl.
"I'll feel bad about it tomorrow after I get some sleep. She'll get over it... do you know how much time we have wasted because of her and Gabriel? I don't know whether the Seraph is really an air-head but if she did this on purpose... I'll burn her."
Yasaka promised as she turned towards the pile of paperwork they had already gone through with a mad smile on her face.
"Now... how shall I make this pile disappear?" Yasaka's shadow elongated when fox fire burst into life in front of her. Minako wisely retreated from Yasaka and the room in general when she started cackling madly.
"Scathach was wrong... Yasaka was the one that needs a break..." Minako mumbled as Yuzu had buried her face into her chest, while Kochiyo had opened the door, waiting for them to escape this madhouse.
Tamamo Branch Shrine (A few days later)
..
"So, how is your progress with Issei-kun, Yuzu-chan?" Minako asked Yuzu as they were preparing to head off to school together. It had been a few days since the disastrous meeting with Serafall and Gabriel, and in the few days Serafall had dropped in to discuss with her various proposals that the two factions could do together.
They ranged from the insane (like having parade held in Tokyo to commemorate the talks) to the plausible (setting up a joint meeting with the Heaven Faction at one Kyoto hosted by the Youkai faction) and Minako had been forced to listen to Serafall detail why it was a bad idea for her to be close to Gabriel. Serafall really viewed the Seraph as her rival while Gabriel probably was playing and toying with the Maou in her own way. In any case Gabriel might be an air-head, but she was a smart air-head, if that was even possible.
Minako had in the end sent her to Sona to ask for her advice, and Minako found that as a suitable punishment for all the work Sona had piled up for her as well.
"I've had to step up my game a little, you know Asia-chan likes Issei-kun too, and she's really clingy too, she never lets Issei out of her sight. Rias Gremory was telling her that she can't sit in the Occult Club Meetings because she wasn't a Devil, so she waits outside for him. It's kinda scary." Yuzu admitted and she grinned when Asia shouted from the corridor that she was not stalking Issei.
"Well you are, you can't deny that, right, Minako-sama?" Yuzu grinned while Minako nodded her head solemnly.
"Minako-san!" Asia sounded betrayed as she ran to join them at the steps, followed by Kochiyo who was conducting a last check on the barriers surrounding the shrine.
"Did you tell Issei-kun of your feelings?" Minako asked with a smile before nodding sternly in acknowledgement to the guards that bowed to her and raised a hand in salute. The guards for the most part left her and the girls alone, they seemed happy enough just guarding her despite her making some attempts to get them to behave informally around her.
She had invited them to dinner once, but the atmosphere was tense as they kept their eyes at the food and barely responded to her attempts to make small talk.
"Have a good day, Minako-sama, Yuzu-sama, Asia-sama, Kochiyo-sama!" The guards echoed and they returned the wishes by bowing to them and heading down the shrine.
..
"Well Asia-chan can't, she's still too shy…to confess still." Yuzu crowed in triumph before being shaken by Asia, who looked on hopefully for the result of Yuzu's confession.
"It was that time we went on a date, y-you confessed right?" Asia had been such a shy and conservative girl before, but after Yuzu had gotten her hands on her, she had become much more vocal and aggressive when it came to Issei. She supposed that competition for his love had forced that change.
"Mm~ If you don't take a change, it'll slip by you~ But Issei-kun hasn't replied me yet…" Yuzu sounded a little disappointed and so she didn't notice how Minako was hiding a smile as she covered her mouth.
Issei had visited her just the day before to ask her about what she should do about the confession. Hyoudou Issei had a link with her associated with the Magician Arcana, but there was something else too, he was the wielder of Boosted Gear, a fact that was just recently revealed and had the power of one of the Dragon Emperors. He wasn't just a lowly Devil now, and although he wasn't fully aware of it, knew that it would be hard for him to be in a relationship with Yuzu.
At least he had recognized Yuzu's affection for him, unlike how he was still oblivious to Asia's love for him.
"Well at any rate you have to be patient… but remember you have to meet me today later to discuss your career plans and aspirations after your graduation, Asia-chan." Minako reminded Asia, who was the only one in her class to not submit their career aspiration report to their homeroom teacher.
Minako had left her materials for the topic at school, but since she had briefed Asia on what she could reasonably expect to do as a member of the Youkai clan, it'll be a formality at most if she accepted.
However Asia was still undecided, still pondering her options but Minako could be patient, rushing her to a decision would only make it worse.
"T-Then I'll confess to Issei-kun too!" Asia's sudden declaration made Yuzu grin as she sidled up to cuddle the sister by rubbing her cheeks against her.
"That's the spirit! Though like I said, I don't mind sharing!"
"Yuzu-chan! Pervert!"