Wow, this took forever. Sorry guys, school you know. Anyways, I've been doing some research lately and have been going through some times where I could not even log in to start on this. But, like I said, I'm still keeping this up for you all. More to come, I promise. Though, it may take a while. Hoepfully not as long as this.
"A Rating Game, hm", Kuro asks, sitting in between Koneko and Kiba with his hands in his lap.
"Yes", Rias answers, sitting across from the three, "I have agreed to an invitation for a Rating Game from the Phoenix Household."
Kiba and Koneko perks up to Rias's statement.
Rias looks to Kiba and Koneko, then reassuringly says, "If I had agreed to this, then there would not be any terms I would regret. But, we would have to train hard."
"Phoenix Household", Kuro then asks. "Isn't one of their members, Raiser Phoenix, immortal? And his Peerage is large, even powerful?"
"Yes, it is", Akeno replies, sitting beside Rias. "It is surprising how you know such information without being informed of it."
Kuro became uneasy, but managed to keep himself steady. "Yeah, well, you know me. I know things in any way."
"How would you know of what we know about you?"
"Sorry, I don't do mind fucks." Kuro then got up and went to the door exiting the meeting room of the Occult Research Club. But he stops in the doorway. "When will the Rating Game be?"
"Exactly next week, on Saturday", Rias replies, looking to Kuro with slight worry.
"I see." Kuro thought for a moment, his eyes narrowed to the side. "Let me know when we have any training coming up. I'll be home." He then left out the door, and out the old school house.
Rating Game? I remember after that.
He walks along the sidewalk, leading home. But, he notices a familiar presence, bringing his eyes to gaze away from the ground and at the small masked group.
"Sir, what do you plan to do on this Rating Game", a familiar, female voice says from behind a mask next to a small tree, a faded blue designed butterfly over the right socket of her dark mask.
"We train them, of course", Kuro replies. "We train them to the max, and make sure that they have no more existing weaknesses."
"Yeah, due to the fact you guys go against a damned immortal", a hooded figure says, leaning against the rails at the side of the sidewalk.
"Shut the fuck up and show some formality when you speak to the big man", another masked figure says beside the hooded figure, his mask heavily damaged.
"You're going to piss him off", the female voice cuts in, singing 'off'.
"Jade, X, Tank", Kuro exclaims. "That's enough with you three! Let's just go on and talk about this."
"He's right, let's move", another voice says, the voice of Night Watch. "Mika, let's go", he then says to Jade teasingly.
"Oh, yeah, Mika", Kuro adds, walking ahead followed by the group. "One of my contractor's are named Mika, Jade."
"The chick stole my alias", Jade replies, following close behind Kuro.
"Well thanks for watching over me when my memories were lost. But you should've informed the rest."
"Yeah, jackass", Day Break sneers playfully to Jade.
...
"Come on Kuro, catch up", Rias calls out from ahead on the dirt trail, leading across a hill.
Kuro was carrying his and Rias's packs, walking up slowly, but with no problem. Then, he looks to his side to see that Koneko was jogging up the hill with an enormous pack on her back, and was also wearing a mocking grin to Kuro.
"Okay, I see how it is", Kuro calls out, now jogging after her.
Kiba was behind with his own normal pack, walking after Kuro and Koneko.
Finally, they reach to a large house, a pavilion to the side and a pond in front of the house.
"Wow", Kuro and Kiba exclaims.
"My brother allowed me to use this area as a training ground", Rias spoke, stopping at the door to the main house. "Now, the girls and guys will be separated into different rooms, first off."
No shit. There's only two guys here.
"Then when everyone is settled, we'll all meet outside in the field to start training."
Then, everyone went inside, the girls going in their own rooms and Kuro and Kiba in another room.
"So, how do you know of Raiser", Kiba asks, changing into his navy blue jacket and sweat pants.
"Well, you see", Kuro thought for a moment, putting on a black fitted shirt and dark sweat pants. "I've talked to Akeno about who Rias knew, and she mentioned his name."
"Is that so?"
No. "Yeah."
...
Kiba was in front of Kuro with a wooden training sword in hand, Kuro with the same weapon. They were both staring hard at each other with a serious look.
"Now, this'll be lesson one of using a hand held weapon in close combat", Rias explains from the side with the other two girls, all dressed differently for training.
"Copy that", Kuro replies, now wearing a devious grin.
Then, Kiba charges forward, bringing his sword up to slash down Kuro's side, but was blocked by Kuro's own sword in a flash. Then, Kuro pushes Kiba's sword to the side and thrusts in the center of his chest, though bringing Kiba to hop back away from Kuro's attack.
"Come on, you can do better than that", Kuro says to Kiba teasingly.
Kiba did not reply, though he did reply with a whack of his sword against Kuro's leg, fast enough for Kuro to not even notice it. Just as he is, Kuro did not just give up. Instead, he quickly rolls to the side before Kiba swung his sword down on him then swung his own sword out of his hand and into Kiba's chest.
"I win", Kuro plainly says with a slight smirk.
The two then began laughing lightly, though Kiba's shown a bit more pain in his laugh.
Rias and the girls looks at the two with impressed smiles, then begins to applaud the two.
...
"Rias, I'm going to go for a run before I start magic", Kuro says to Rias, who was talking to Akeno and Koneko.
"How long will you be out", Rias replies, turning to Kuro.
"About an hour or two."
"Then hurry on Kuro."
With her permission, he grabs one of his bags then head into the woods and down a trail where he met up with his group of Hunters a while away.
"Time for their part of training guys", Kuro says to the masked and hooded figures while he dresses into his apparel.
"Ah, fuck, do you really need to change in front of us", Tank exclaims, turning away.
"Hey man, Jade needs her time of fun, right", X replies jokingly, turning to Jade.
Jade only blushes under her mask then finally turns away from Kuro. "S-Shut up."
Reaper scoffs as he looks at the trees. "She didn't deny it either."
Kuro finishes dressing into his dark clothing and hardened, damaged mask, not revealing a speck of his skin.
"Alright, let's train them, shall we", Kuro asks, heading into the trees.
...
"So, what do you make of Kuro", Rias spoke to Akeno, both standing to the side of the field and watching Kiba and Koneko spar.
Akeno only watches Kiba and Koneko as they dodge each other's attacks in unbelievable speed.
"Uh, Akeno?"
She finally snaps out of it, then looks to Rias with an immediate warming grin as she would always wear. "I'm greatly sorry for zoning out. What were you saying?"
Rias sighs as a start of her response before replying, "What do you make of Kuro? As in, does he seem any bit of different to you?"
She thought for a moment, looking up to the bright, cloudless sky. "He does seem to be different than the last month. But, he will always be the same."
"What do you mean?"
"He is Kuro and will always be Kuro. He helped us all, so I bet that he would help anyone in desperate need. I love him for it, possibly since the day he saved me from my father."
Rias looks to Akeno, whose gaze is still towards the light blue sky, the air growing colder. "I see. I suppose that I could-"
"Feel the same", Akeno finishes for her, now looking right into her eyes.
"Y-Yeah." Rias felt a bit uneasy that she knew what was on her mind: Kuro. He has always been on both of their mind, actually Rias's whole Peerage's minds.
"Rias, Akeno", Kiba shouts, speeding towards them. But, a Light Bullet sped through Akeno's side.
Akeno collapses into Kiba's arms.
"Everyone, get ready", Rias shouts, backing up to Kiba and Koneko and Kiba lays Akeno down behind them.
They all are now facing a group of six people, which were all dressed in dark clothing and had large pistols raised at them.
"Hello there, Gremory", Kuro, or right now Cross, says to Rias, his voice moderated as if he's wearing a gas mask or speaking through a radio.
"You!" Rias's voice was filled with prejudice, an aura around each of her hands forming and glowing red. Yet, she has no clue that her biggest opponent, or enemy, is also her love.