Hello there any and all reading this. I would just like to state that this is the very first story I have ever made, so bear with any rookie mistakes I may make and feel free to give me criticism and any tips on how to improve.
I will try to replicate most of the canon characters' personalities to the best of my ability with a handful serving as the outliers. These outliers will consist of side characters who may have their personalities and/or histories tweaked in favor of the story.
There are going to be numerous OC's in this story serving as both minor and major characters. So if you absolutely disdain OC stories, this is your warning. That aside, I hope I don't leave (too) much of a bad impression via this story.
To give a time frame for this story, it begins between Gasper's training and the Leaders' Summit.
I do not own High School DxD or its canonical characters. Those belong to Ichiei Ishibumi solely.
Punishment and Playtime.
Sona, having concluded her meeting with Rias, returned to her council to tell of the plan of action. When she got there, however, she was greeted to a story of man versus Devil. Disappointed by the actions of both Genshirou and Daisuke, she called them in for a meeting within the room where the fight broke out.
Kuoh Academy Student Council Headquarters, 3:30 PM
The three sat at one table: Genshirou on one end, Daisuke on the other, and Sona in the middle. Reya, Tsubasa, and Ruruko stood by Daisuke while Tomoe, Tsubaki, and Momo stood by Genshirou.
"So, from what I've been told, a conflict broke out between you two while I was gone that almost resulted in the expiration of a life," Sona said with crossed arms and an angry look on her face. She looked at Genshirou, then at Daisuke. "Would either of you care to elaborate?"
Genshirou got ready to speak. Willing to fully accept his actions, he wanted to get his scolding over with. He opened his mouth to speak.
"Genshirou got a tad defensive over your safety. He said something about not trusting me alone with you and wanted to make it clear that he wasn't afraid of dirtying his hands on your behalf," Daisuke explained before Genshirou could even get a word out. He glared at Genshirou with a displeased look in his eyes. "Be thankful for this, hairless chimp," he thought.
"Is that correct, Saji?" Sona asked, looking towards Genshirou.
"Yes, President," Genshirou answered with a nod. "I was worried that he, being the newest member, would try to overstep his boundaries. As it turns out, I was too quick to judge."
"Very well then, I will get back to you," Sona said before turning to look at Daisuke. "While I expect you to make errors, what you did was beyond reckless. What were you thinking when you threw that knife across the room?"
"He is emotionally volatile, President," Reya said on Daisuke's behalf. "He has years upon years of pent up aggression, so he is prone to violent fits of rage."
Daisuke hung his head low to avoid eye contact with others.
"Is that correct?" Sona asked.
"Yes, President," Daisuke answered, head still low.
"Well, what's important now is that no one died," Sona said as her arms dropped to the table, her scowl still present. "However, we're going to have to do something about that volatility of yours. After that display, I'm gravely concerned about what may happen if you explode like that again."
"I and Reya offered to help him out. If you were to be so generous as to give him a second chance, we can ensure this won't happen again," Tsubasa said.
"You're going to provide him emotional coaching, I assume," Sona said, looking towards Tsubasa.
"Yes, President," Tsubasa said with a nod.
"I'll approve of this. I would recommend keeping these two separated for a while unless they are supervised, which goes hand in hand with a job I need done," Sona said before signaling to Tsubasa to retrieve something from another room. "Daisuke, you will go into town and pass out fliers for council services until 8:00 PM effective as soon as Yura returns with them. While you are gone, we'll deal with Saji's punishment."
Tsubasa reentered the room with a large stack of paper that was thick enough for her to rest her breasts on as she carried them to the table.
"I don't expect you to get through all of them; but I do expect a fair portion of them to be gone by the time you get back," Sona said.
Daisuke, without hesitation or reluctance, carefully picked up the papers and made his way out of the room.
With the only human in the room gone, the council no longer needed to keep a filter on what they said. Sona's eyes darted to Genshirou, who shirked away from looking at her in response.
Sona sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What is it with our Pawns today? First Hyoudou punches Akahoshi and now Saji goes and strikes Daisuke," she muttered before she lowered her hand and adopted a displeased expression. "I don't know what to be more disappointed by: you being overwhelmed by a human or the fact that you actually struck one, completely aware of the massive power gap between Devils and average humans."
"My sincerest apologies, President," Genshirou said, still avoiding Sona's gaze.
"Before we begin with Genshirou, I have important news to tell all of you. The enemy is planning on holding a meeting with us some time within the next few days. This gives us time to finish up our research on their Sacred Gears," Sona said before turning her gaze towards Tsubasa and Reya. "Since you two seem keen on aiding Daisuke, I will allow you to accompany him during his punishment to see if you can gain some ground with him. The rest of us, save for Saji, will take to research; Saji will reorganize our collection of tomes and encyclopedias by name and series as punishment."
Genshirou's face seemed to drain itself of all color. He would have to meticulously sort well over one-thousand tomes on his own. "Yet that Kasai just has to hand out papers for almost killing me, that's a little unfair," he thought.
"Should we go now, President?" Tsubasa asked.
"If you wish to. I would appreciate you remaining here to help us research for at least an hour, though," Sona answered.
"Yes, President," Tsubasa and Reya said in unison with a nod.
Tsubasa joined her fellow council members at a table to begin research immediately. Reya, however, approached Sona and leaned in close to her ear.
"I've been thinking about this for a little bit, President; with how quick Daisuke seems to be on his feet and how he was able to handle Genshirou, don't you think he would make a decent Knight?" Reya whispered.
"While he may be agile, I think it will be rather detrimental to have a Knight who is afraid of women. That can make situations more complicated than they need to be. That, and I'm not certain if he has any notable combat prowess; the feat against Genshirou may have just been a fluke. The only possibilities of him becoming my second Knight is if he were to forgo his cowardice towards women or if his life depended on it," Sona whispered back.
"Fair enough, President," Reya said before joining with her council mates in research.
Kuoh Park, 5:30 PM
Having done their share of research, Tsubasa and Reya left to meet back up with Daisuke. They searched several locations to no avail. After asking around town, they received word of an amber-eyed prince passing out papers in the local park. Once there, they headed towards the lake. When they found him, he was handing out some fliers to a group of four girls.
"Hey Daisuke," Reya said.
"Hello to the both of you," Daisuke responded as he handed a flier to one of the girls in the group.
Tsubasa took immediate notice of the pile of paper, which was reduced to roughly half its original thickness. "Already halfway done handing out those fliers, I see," she said.
"Yes. You should've seen the horde that was here thirty minutes ago," Daisuke said while handing a flier to the last girl in the group before they walked off, gossiping and giggling while looking back towards the man.
"I wouldn't be surprised with the way you look," Tsubasa said as she propped herself up against a tree by Daisuke.
"That aside, what are you two doing here?" Daisuke asked.
"We're here to help out with passing out fliers and to see if we can get some headway with getting some of those emotions out of you," Reya said as she picked up a chunk of the pile Daisuke was holding.
"Fair enough," Daisuke said. He blushed a fair bit remembering what happened a few hours ago. "I just want to thank you for putting up with me; this must be trying for your patience."
"No problem. Everyone needs help every so often," Tsubasa said before taking a chunk of the pile as well. "Oh, and don't worry about the crying part. We won't tell anyone about that."
"So, how's Genshirou doing?" Daisuke asked.
"You got off easy; he has to sort the entire Kuoh Academy library as a punishment," Reya answered.
"I wouldn't be quick to say my job is easy either. Remember, I'm a nervous wreck when confronted by ladies, and that crowd I told you about consisted mostly of them," Daisuke replied.
"You're still nervous?" Tsubasa asked.
"Yes, I am. I'm accustomed to you two, the rest of the council, some of the ORC, and my siblings when it comes to ladies," Daisuke answered.
As the three conversed, a group of familiar faces consisting of three men and one woman walked by them. The woman noticed a familiar face in the group and rushed over to them.
"Hey, it's you again," said Gekkou.
"A friend of yours?" Tsubasa asked.
"Well, we went to a party together," Daisuke answered before looking back towards Gekkou. "Are the others with you?"
"Yep, they're over there," Gekkou said before pointing to the left.
The three looked towards where she was pointing. They found the tall and grim Akashi, the short and stern Chikaya, and the scholarly Chihaku approaching them.
"Odd chance meeting you here," Chikaya said before turning his naturally stern eyes towards Tsubasa and Reya. "I see you've gotten better with women since we last met."
"Hello there, I'm Reya Kusaka and she is Tsubasa Yura," Reya said.
"Chikaya Moto," Chikaya said before pointing to the two men behind him with one hand and Gekkou with the other. "The lanky pale guy is Akashi Himura, the one with the book is Chihaku Chiyonosuke, and she is Gekkou Hayashi."
"It's nice to meet the four of you," Reya said.
"So, how've things been since we last seen each other?" Gekkou asked.
"Splendid. Motohama and Matsuda are now on good terms with plentiful ladies and I got accepted into the Kuoh Academy Student Council," Daisuke answered.
"Leornere Council?" Chihaku said, pulling his face from his book and closing it. "What a prestigious lodging to be. I remember mine tid as a council member. I begun base and toiled mine way to become president myself. Hast they been weorcing thou well?"
"In other words, have they been working you well?" Chikaya repeated. "Just had to explain that so he wouldn't have to repeat himself."
"Yes, they have been. In fact, I've been tasked with handing out these fliers," Daisuke said
"He's also the Student Council President's cooking instructor," Reya said.
"A craftsman of the culinary arts? Thou healden many a surprise," Chihaku said.
"You're a great dancer and a cook? Damn dude, your future wife is gonna love you," Gekkou said, throwing her arm around Daisuke's shoulder.
"Wait, dancing?" Tsubasa repeated.
"Yeah, this dude knows how to do some classical stuff," Gekkou answered.
"I know that style wasn't fit for a house party, but ballroom dancing was the only style taught to me," Daisuke said with a slight blush. "Would you four be interested in one of these fliers?" he asked in an attempt at derailing the conversation.
"Verily," Chihaku answered as he took the flier.
"I don't see why not. Might have something interesting to say," Chikaya said as he removed a flier from Reya's pile. "By the way, don't take my pissed expression as me having a shit mood. This is just my natural look, just felt the need to clear that up. Getting kind of tired of people walking on eggshells around me."
"It's fine; it's something you can't really help. We've seen worse, to be honest," Tsubasa replied.
"Like what?" Chikaya asked.
"Sometimes the least expressive faces can be the most terrifying. Let's just leave it at that, please," Reya answered.
"There ya go talkin' up a storm again. What's with you as of lately?" Gekkou asked as she took a flier from Tsubasa.
"Just getting some disclaimers and introductions out of the way since you seemed a little preoccupied," Chikaya answered, his stern look unchanging.
Akashi approached Reya and stuck out a hand. He waited for a flier to be handed to him.
"O-Oh, hi Akashi," Reya said as she looked up to the grim man's face only to find an eerie grin with dark shades over his eyes.
"Don't expect the big guy to talk. He's one of those silent types that don't talk much," Gekkou said.
"I see," Reya said as she reluctantly grabbed a flier from her pile. She couldn't force herself to outstretch her arm towards the unnerving man.
"Don't be scared either, he don't bite. Dude may look scary, but he won't hurt ya," Gekkou said.
Reya carefully handed Akashi a flier, retracting her arm the moment the paper left her hand. He held the paper close to his face and read without uttering even a single word.
"You seem to be rather active," Tsubasa said, taking note of Gekkou's fairly muscular build.
"I've always been an energetic gal. Gotta get some of it out someway," Gekkou said.
"It's just nice to see I'm not the only one who isn't a girly-girl in this town," Tsubasa said.
"Cool, you wanna go liftin' sometime?" Gekkou asked.
"Eh, I rather exercise in the comfort of my own home. I'd probably break a guy's arm for getting too handsy with me in a gym," Tsubasa declined in an annoyed tone with her hands on her hips.
"That's fair. Guys are always trynna grab at me; then Akashi steps in and scares them off," Gekkou said as she began reading her flier.
"So... is he your boyfriend?" Reya asked, tilting her head towards Akashi.
Gekkou didn't hear; she was too invested in reading the flier.
"No, she's single. Though, it would be easy to assume that any of us were with how much time we spend together. Chihaku helps with intellectual work and similar shit, Akashi is basically the group bodyguard, and I just try to keep Gekkou out of harm's way. She has a nact for doing dangerous shit," Chikaya answered.
"That aside, how have you four been doing?" Daisuke asked.
"Nothin' much, really," Gekkou answered.
"I see," Daisuke said.
"Hey, you gals mind if we stay around for a little?" Gekkou asked, turning to look at Tsubasa and Reya.
"I don't see why you can't," Reya answered.
"Cool," Gekkou replied. "But first..." she said before abruptly removing the pile of paper from Daisuke's hands and placing them in the arms of Chikaya.
"The fuck?" Chikaya exclaimed as Gekkou forcefully placed the papers in his hands, causing him to lose balance and fall on his rear.
Gekkou grasped both of Daisuke's hands and raised one up and away from the two while placing the other on her hip.
"You thought you were slick divertin' the convo, didn't ya?" Gekkou asked before turning her head towards Reya and Tsubasa. "You gals have to see this."
"Gekkou, please, I don't think I can do that again," Daisuke said, his face now bright red.
"Oh come on, it should be easier to dance here; there ain't as many people watchin' ya," Gekkou said before she tightened her grip and gave a smug grin. "Besides, I ain't lettin' ya go until ya do it."
Daisuke turned his eyes towards Reya and Tsubasa. "Please don't laugh," he said before sharply breathing in and closing his eyes. With this, he danced.
Kasai Residence, 7:10 PM
Playing the part as guests, Yuuto, Xenovia, and Asia stayed with Miu, Haru, Ren, and Ran Kasai at the Kasais' as instructed by Rias. The three Devils sat on a couch in the living room while Haru and Miu sat on chairs overlooking their twin children. Everyone had a cup of tea placed on a table for them. Ai was to sit in her room for her breaking the rules her parents had set for her and Ryuusuke promptly disappeared after delivering Ai.
"I've been hearing around town that you and Dai have a sort of popularity war going on," Miu remarked as she sipped her tea.
"Oh, that," Yuuto said as he cracked an embarrassed grin. "I'm sorry about that. You see, I have a following that will do borderline anything on my behalf."
"So you're kinda like a celebrity here?" Haru asked.
"That seems to be what a lot of girls think," Yuuto said before taking a sip of his tea.
"You afraid of my boy taking your crown?" Haru asked with a playful grin. Such a look from a man of his stature made it seem more sinister than playful, sending a brief chill down Yuuto's back.
"Honestly, I'm happy to be having some competition. He's given me more free time than I know what to do with," Yuuto answered, playing off the slight fear he felt from Haru's grin.
"Ai's been blowing up in popularity as well," Xenovia added before sipping her tea. "There used to be only two queens of Kuoh, now there are loads of men oggling her and loads of women envying her."
"Is that so?" Haru asked with a stern face and a slightly aggressive tone. "I might need to accompany her to her trips to school from now on. I need to make sure those boys and girls know who they're messing with if they hurt her."
"Don't you think Daisuke has that under control?" Yuuto asked.
"As much as I love my son, I don't think anyone is going to be afraid of him looking the way he does," Haru answered.
"You obviously haven't seen him angry," Xenovia remarked. "His amber eyes make for quite an intimidation tool."
"I haven't since he was a young boy. Has it really changed that much?" Haru asked, his expression now lifted to a curious one.
"It would seem so. Apparently, Issei described it as being a rabbit in the sights of a falcon," Yuuto answered.
"See, dear, I told you he has my eyes," Miu remarked with a giggle.
"You got a mean death stare too?" Yuuto asked.
"You have no idea," Haru said with a heavily unnerved expression. It had to be bad to have a man like him bear such a face.
"Speaking of eyes," Asia began, breaking her silence. "Why does he and Ran have amber eyes when neither of you do?"
"Funnily enough, that comes from my side of the family. Roughly one out of every ten members in my bloodline happens to have amber eyes. That's why my side was known as the 'Burning Eyes Family' when I was a kid," Haru explained as he scratched his head. "I'm going to go make a meal, you guys want anything?"
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm fine," Yuuto said.
"I've already ate," Xenovia said.
"I could probably go with a burger if it is fine with you," Asia said.
"Me too," Ran said.
"Me three," Ren said
"Three burgers it is then. Be back in a little bit," Haru said before heading into the kitchen, grabbing an apron hanging by the doorway before turning out of view.
Ran approached Asia nervously, clutching a pillow in her arms. She sat down in from of the former priestess and looked at her with an uncertain gaze.
"Miss Argento, you seem nice," Ran spoke. "Want to play a game?"
"Certainly," Asia answered with a gentle smile. "What game do you have in mind?"
"Be right back," Ran said, dropping the pillow before she got up and went up some stairs around the corner, most likely leading to her room. In short time, she came back with a large wooden 19x19 grid board and a bag of numerous wood pieces with Japanese Kanji written on both the front and back of each piece. The pieces were seemingly divided into two different color sets: one set with a red side and a black side on each piece with the other set bearing a blue side and a white side on each piece.
"What about Maka Dai Dai Shogi?" Ran asked, seemingly hiding behind the board.
"I don't mind, but you might need to explain to me how this game works," Asia said, slightly intimidated by the size of the board and amount of pieces in the bag.
"Think of it as a more complicated game of Chess. I'll show you the setup and explain as we go along," Ran said as she put the board on the ground and spilled out the pieces on the floor. She sorted through them and separated the sets.
"Isn't that just the sweetest thing?" Miu asked with a large smile on her face.
"What do you mean?" Asia asked.
"You probably already know this, but Ran is rather antisocial. The fact that she is wanting to play one of her favorite board games with you means she really trusts you," Miu answered.
"She's always smiling like Ai. I feel safe around her. The others don't smile as much; I can't read them well," Ran said as she prepared the board. "I'm giving you the white and blue pieces since they usually go first."
"Hey, Xeno," Ren said, tugging on Xenovia's sleeve. "Since Ran's playing a game with your friend, do you want to play?"
"You want to play a board game too?" Xenovia asked.
"I don't like board games. I have to sit down for so long, I fall asleep," Ren said. "How about Hide and Seek?"
"Alright, I'll play," Xenovia answered. "Do you want to be the seeker, or will I be searching?"
"Your choice: but I'll warn you, you can't hide from me," Ren said as he giddily hopped in place.
"I'll take you up on that then, I'll hide," Xenovia said.
A giggle escaped Miu. "Good luck, you're going to need it," she said.
"Alright, I'll count to one-hundred," Ren said before running over to a corner and planting his head against it. "You can hide outside, but don't go too far."
Xenovia promptly went upstairs to find a hiding place.
"I hope you don't feel left out, Yuuto," Miu said.
"It's no problem; I feel that playing a game with such a cheerful kid might lighten Xenovia's spirits. Also, please call me Kiba," Kiba responded.
"Very well then," Miu said before glancing over to her youngest son in the corner. "Ai and Dai did a good job imprinting on them, didn't they?"
"I would agree so," Kiba answered with a smile, glancing over to Ren as well.
"You caught my bishop with your lion, you can either promote the lion to a furious fiend or keep it as is," Ren said.
"So that's why they're double sided," Asia said while flipping her piece over.
"Most are," Ran said before picking up one of her pieces in one of the front rows. "Some can't promote, like the dragon king piece," she said, turning her piece over to show a blank side before putting back down. "Since you promoted your lion, it can move to any space within a one space radius two times in one turn along with three spaces horizontally, vertically, and diagonally so long as there is no piece blocking it."
"This makes things even more confusing," Asia said as sweat ran down her forehead. "How did you learn to play this?"
"Ryuu," Ran answered. "He played this a lot in the past. He was happier then," she said before placing a piece over one of Asia's. "Pawn takes old monkey. Promoting to gold general."
"Happier?" Asia repeated.
"He said something about a daughter who used to play this game with him. He taught me because I reminded him of her," Ran said.
"What happened to them?" Asia asked.
"Didn't say," Ran responded.
"Does he ever cry over it?" Asia asked. "Does he know it's okay to cry when he's sad?"
"I've never seen him cry. When he isn't cleaning the house and watching over us, he sits in his handmade shed out back. Ren used to hear clicking from the shed every morning when we first met him, but he never heard it again after the first month," Ran answered. "It's your turn."
"My bad, just got a little lost in thought," Asia said. "This family must be the last thing holding him together," she thought, moving another piece on the board.
"Ready or, not here I come!" Ren shouted before dashing over to where Xenovia once stood. He hunched himself and looked closely at the ground. "So her shoes have that pattern, gotta keep an eye out for footprints like those."
"He's searching for footprints?" Yuuto asked.
"Yes. Thing is, he is very good at tracking. Had he not had a strong love for animals, he would make an excellent hunter," Miu answered.
"Isn't that kind of like cheating?" Yuuto asked with a slight chuckle.
"Some call it cheating, some call it ingenuity. He doesn't even need to use footprints to find someone, though; he just finds it to be more fun," Miu answered.
Ren followed the tracks up the stairs and down through a hallway. "The tracks stop here, which means..." he said as he looked up. Above his head was a hatch into the attic with the cord hanging just within his reach.
"Clever girl, but not clever enough," Ren said with a grin before grasping the cord and lowering the hatch.
He went into the attic with a triumphant "Hah" only to find it empty. He prowled around the attic, searching for clues leading to Xenovia's location in the dim area. He spotted a slightly cracked window leading to the roof.
Xenovia sat on the far end of the roof, overlooking the view around the house. It was peaceful, away from the cluttered confines of Kuoh's streets, yet not fully isolated; it was just the right balance. The area was flourishing with plant and animal life. Some woods lied behind the house and a moderate sized front lawn separated the house from the road into town. On the other side of the road lied a vast and open field that seemed lively despite the dwindling light. The breeze was a comforting warmth on her face as she overlooked the setting sun.
"This is… nice. It's not often I get to sit and marvel at God's creation as of lately," Xenovia said, ignoring the slight burn in her mouth from speaking the biblical God's name. "And to think, this is a daily sight for these people," she said, a slight smile forming on her face before she briefly remembered why she was up here in the first place.
"Kids are so odd. They overestimate themselves so much, it's actually kind of admirable," Xenovia said with a slight giggle. "Maybe I'll be lucky enough to raise a child in such a peaceful place."
"Found you!" shouted Ren, causing Xenovia to jump.
"What? How, did you find me so quick?" Xenovia asked, shocked by the child's efficiency.
"Footprints and an open window," Ren answered as he sat down beside Xenovia.
"You must have good eyes then," Xenovia said.
"Yep," Ren replied, looking out into the field on the other side of the road. "Nature's pretty, isn't it?"
"Sure is. Much better than sitting in town with the same gray concrete and the same style houses all lined up," Xenovia answered.
"I like the town too, but that could be because I've never lived in town. It gets kinda lonely being out here all of the time. All the same people and maybe some new ones drive by; but they never stop to say 'hi.' You also see some cool things in town that you'll never see out in the wild like a pretty fountain and colorful buildings," Ren said, swinging his legs back and forth.
"You don't find it bland and colorless?" Xenovia asked.
"Nope. Just because something is gray doesn't mean it is colorless; gray is a color, silly. You'll only see gray if you keep looking at the roads and sidewalks. Sometimes, you just have to look at everything around you really good to find the beauty in it," Ren answered.
"So which do you prefer, the town or the wilderness?" Xenovia asked, turning her head towards the boy.
"I don't know. I really like both. The town is just the wild for humans and the wild is a town for animals and plants. They're both home to something new and pretty, and I find that amazing. I don't see why people hate living in town. Sure it can be crowded, but think about the life of the insects in that field; their home is crowded too, but they don't complain because it's their home," Ren said.
"But what if you don't like your home?" Xenovia asked.
"Then you're not where you should be. Home is where you feel happiest at, where you feel safest at. If you don't like it, then it might not be your home. Birds fly to different trees because they know they aren't home," Ren answered.
"I think I get what you're getting at, kid," Xenovia said as she lied back against the roof of the house. "You're saying one's home isn't just a building or some tree, it's what you want it to be."
"Something like that, I think," Ren replied.
"You know, I might be able to find my home here. Maybe I'll move in beside you guys one day so you won't be so lonely," Xenovia said, her slight smile now more prominent.
"I did it! I knew I could make you smile!" Ren yelled with a joyful giggle.
"Kids are so odd," Xenovia thought, smile still withstanding.
"Burgers are ready! Get 'em while they're still hot!" Haru's voice thundered from inside the building.
"Ooh, food!" Ren exclaimed as he jumped up and headed towards the window into the attic. He turned towards Xenovia, who was still sitting on the roof. "You coming?"
"I'll be down in a little. I just want to admire the view a little longer," Xenovia answered.
Ren ran back down into the house to eat, leaving Xenovia alone on the rooftop as the sun sank into the horizon.
"Quite a touching scene there. Had I not known any better, I would say you have a soft spot for children," a voice spoke.
Xenovia sat up abruptly and turned to look towards the source of the voice.
To her right was Akeno, sitting with her legs bunched up against her chest and embraced by her arms. She faced towards the field, only allowing the left side of her face to be seen.
"Rias sent me to tell you that we and the Student Council will be meeting in the club house tomorrow at 11:00 AM. She has some important news to tell us about the meeting with our enemy. Do pass that on to Asia and Yuuto," Akeno said.
"Any other details?" Xenovia asked, her smile now turned to a stern gaze.
"I can only say the location, no extra details," Akeno said, not even turning her face to look at Xenovia. "We wouldn't want the enemy to hear anything important, wouldn't we?
"So that is all?" Xenovia asked.
"Yep," Akeno answered "Sorry if this was a little abrupt, but I can't be sticking around. Rias needed me to hurry with the message so I could run some other errands for her," she said before standing up and turning her back to Xenovia. She walked towards the edge and jumped off.
Xenovia looked over the edge only to find her gone. "She seemed... oddly serious; it must've been of utmost importance to get her this wound up," she thought before deciding to head back into the house.
When Xenovia returned, she donned her usual serious demeanor. Asia, Ren, and Ran ate their food while Haru stayed in the kitchen to eat his. Miu and Yuuto still sat at the couch, conversing.
"Drunken elephant takes king. Promoting to prince," Ran said before biting into her burger.
"I guess I lose, huh?" Asia said, smiling despite her defeat.
Ran swallowed her food. "Not yet. You still have a prince. I have to catch him too. Once the king is down, the prince becomes the target if he's there," she said as she flipped her piece.
"I've been meaning to ask, why are you so nervous?" Asia asked with a gentle smile. "Did someone hurt you like in Daisuke's case?"
"No," Ran said blankly. "I read a book over history from the library in town. People kill, exploit, trick, and hate each other all the time. There are so many bad things people have done to others. I just can't trust anyone anymore."
"So you lost your innocence?" Asia asked, her smile dropped to a sorrowful frown.
"That's what I've been told. I'm sorry for not liking your friends, Miss Argento; but after what I read, I'm afraid of what they would do to me and my family," Ran answered before looking up to see Asia's saddened expression. "Please don't be sad, everyone has to learn at some point."
"Yes, I know; but nothing is sadder to me than hearing that a sweet child lost its innocence. I've tried to hold onto mine for as long as I could because I have hope deep down in my heart that people will change and that things will be better," Asia said.
"That's why I trust you. You wouldn't hurt me even if you had the chance to," Ran responded.
"Do you think you can trust my friends?" Asia asked.
"No," Ran answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, they've been nothing but nice to me. When I was down on my luck with nowhere else to go and no one to turn to, they picked me up from the ground and turned my life around. If they had any ill intentions, I would probably be just as empty as Ryuusuke," Asia answered.
Ran sat quietly for a moment. She looked into Asia's eyes for a while before shifting her amber eyes to look at Yuuto and Xenovia. Her eyes shifted back towards Asia. "I'll try; but I'll need Ai or Dai to keep me safe, just in case," Ran responded. "It's your turn, Miss Argento."
"That brings up another question," Asia said as she moved one of her pieces. "How did you come to trust Ryuusuke if you don't trust strangers?"
"He's easy for me to read. He has no where else to go and no one left to turn to, just like you did," Ran answered as she moved one of her pieces. "Even if he would turn against us, it wouldn't be smart on his part; and he knows that very well."
"I guess that's a fair point," Asia said as she moved a piece to catch one of Ran's pieces.
The two played for a while, eventually lulling Asia to sleep. Ran took the pillow she hid behind previously and put it under Asia's head so she wouldn't be resting her head against the hard ground.
"Good night, Miss Argento," Ran said before packing up the board game and heading upstairs to her room, most likely to fall asleep as well.
Kuoh Academy Student Council Headquarters, 7:10 PM
After having scoured through tomes and texts aplenty, the Student Council collected sufficient information regarding the Sacred Gears of their enemies. Sona was just about on her way to speak to Rias about the news.
"Shinra, while I'm absent, I will need you to monitor Saji. The rest of you will hold the line in case the enemy is prowling around the building. I'll open a magic circle to the club house to prevent an ambush. This information has to get to Rias immediately," Sona hurriedly explained.
"What info is that, Sona?" a voice sounded.
Sona, Tsubaki, Momo, Tomoe, and Ruruko all turned their heads towards the source of the voice to find the crimson-haired Devil standing in front of a window, looking out into the world with the left side of her face hidden by perspective. Her right eye shifted towards them.
"We have knowledge of the enemy's Sacred Gear," Sona answered. She pulled out a piece of paper.
"The gauntlets are a Counter Type Gear known as Strike Stockpile: otherwise known as The Golden Gauntlets of the Underdog. These gauntlets are capable of absorbing up to ten attacks indiscriminate of their power. Once absorbed, these gauntlets enhance the user's attacks with the stored power for a number of strikes corresponding to the number and order of the absorbed attacks. For example: the user gets struck with one powerful attack, then two weak attacks; the user is able to deliver a powerful enhanced strike, then two enhanced by the absorbed weak attacks," Sona explained.
"Then we must overwhelm him with weaker hits so that he can't capitalize on his Gear's power," Rias said, not turning her head whatsoever as she stared out the window.
"Yes. That was the plan we've formulated," Sona said before looking back down at the paper. "There were only two more Sacred Gears; those were the ones the red-eyed duo possessed. The others bore undocumented weaponry. What unnerves me, however, is the fact that they are both Longinus: the same Longinus, in fact."
Rias's observable eye shot open and her pupil dilated. "Two of the same Longinus? How is that even possible?" she asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine. The unfortunate news doesn't stop there, however; the Longinus in question is Faceless Mask: otherwise known as The Blank Canvas that Mirrors All. It is in a typing of its own: Enigma Type. It is capable of turning itself into any Sacred Gear the wielder has previously seen and even allows the user to create one from scratch, albeit with a blow to its power. The fact that there are two of these in possession of our enemy is immeasurably troubling," Sona explained.
Rias bit down on one of her fingers in frustration. Two Longinus that can take the form of other Gears? There was no way to counter that.
"We will meet at the club house at 11:00 AM. This must be discussed with everyone so we can plan a work around for most of our opponents," Rias said before outstretching her right arm, head still unturning. "Hand me the paper, I'll break the news to my Peerage immediately."
Sona complied and handed Rias the paper. She turned towards the door and began to head out. "Remember, 11:00 AM tomorrow at the ORC club house," she urged as she approached the door out of the room.
"Understood," Sona said.
In the words of the immortal Bender: I'm back baby! Sorry about the (second) unnecessarily long wait; I had to do some revisions to the story.
We get to see some nice bonding scenes from the tykes today along with a visit from some familiar faces. Yep, they weren't just stand-in background characters for a single chapter.
I would recommend reading through the story once more (if you haven't already) as there are some details I added while editing the story. While the plot and chapters still follow the same events, there are some added chunks that I felt were needed.
I tried to add in a wee bit of subtle foreshadowing (that most likely isn't as subtle as I think it is). Let me know if you feel it is forced or if it works well.
Feel free to give criticisms of my work; I welcome it with open arms.