Furuichi stepped away from his meeting place with Pierre, his mind a whir of activity. As he walked he redirected his steps and started straight towards Issei's classroom hoping to find some answers with something. As he walked he considered everything that was going through his head, smoothing out his uniform as he did. He stopped and stared down at his hands, his mind stopping at that motion. Since when had he ever smoothed out his uniform so excessively before. He'd been doing that many times over the period he had arrived on Kuoh, and he didn't stop. That wasn't like his usual behaviour.
He shook his head and stepped into the bathroom again and stared at the mirror. He thought about Honoka, and how she was used in some unknown plan to obstruct him. But then it came down to how and why, because it didn't make sense. What was the point in making Honoka scared of him, what did they hope to gain? With all the talk about how the Khaos Brigade were an amalgamation of different groups, for all Furuichi know this incident with Honoka was a completely unplanned idea made by an independent group in the Khaos Brigade. Pierre practically admitted to being as much. The Khaos Brigade was an organization that didn't know which hand they're using at any given time.
He threaded his fingers through his hair and sighed. Finally he sighed and relaxed his shoulders. He shook his head and stepped out of the bathroom, fixing his tie as he did. The bell rang and students were leaving their classrooms for lunch. With a sigh he turned around and started off towards his original destination.
He ignored the people nearby and stopped just outside Issei's classroom and stepped through. However, Issei wasn't there. Clicking his tongue Furuichi turned around and was about to search for him again when a hand on his wrist stopped him. He turned around, eyebrows furrowed, but eased it up when Xenovia's worried face was shown. "You're tensed," she accused, "What's wrong? Is there an attack coming?"
"No there isn't," Furuichi shook his head. "There isn't an attack, I'm just looking for Issei, is all." Her face scrunched up and Furuichi could tell she was reading him. For all the short time that Xenovia knew him, she could read his expressions surprising well, because when she let go of his hand, Furuichi knew that she didn't believe that was it.
"There's more to it," she said, her voice now serious. She wasn't talking with him in Xenovia's sweet innocent girl voice, she was talking to him in her Exorcist voice, the one who was trained to use Durandal and Excalibur Destruction to fight Devils and Fallen Angels. A soldier. Furuichi suddenly felt that he didn't like that look on her, not when she was making an effort to be a normal girl. She seemed to notice his expression and softened her expression. "Are you having problems watching over Buchou? Issei is with her right now. While you're duty is to protect Bucho, as her peerage, it is also our duty, so you can trust her with us at the very least."
"I probably can," Furuichi admitted, "But that doesn't mean I should." He sighed and looked from side to side. The students were mostly ignoring the two of them, but there was a bald guy and a glasses guy crying in the corner and shouting angry glances at him. Furuichi gave them an apologetic smile, but that only seemed to renew their tears.
"That's good of you," Xenovia said in apparent approval. She held his hand tight and gave him a concerned look. There was a look in her eye, a look of understanding. Furuichi frowned and suddenly realised why. She saw him for what he was right now; a soldier. Who better to judge him on that than her? "It's loyal, but why do I get the feeling that you're not happy with your orders. Or is it from whom your orders come from?"
"I don't usually take orders," Furuichi admitted, "I give them, or, I give suggestions to orders. They don't usually mean anything in the end."
"Why do you say that?" Xenovia asked, "You're a capable soldier, and you've shown it to me that you're able to understand politics and strategy to a degree."
Furuichi smiled ruefully and nodded his head. "I wasn't always like that, I usually just ran away and hide. Trying my best to be strong."
"We all start from somewhere," Xenovia comforted him. Furuichi chuckled.
"I started from behind the strongest person I know," Furuichi admitted. "He doesn't give orders, but he doesn't need to. I'm there, when he needs me and when he doesn't."
"Loyal," Xenovia whispered. He nodded.
"Yeah, though sometimes I don't show it as well as I should," Furuichi said. "I need to find Issei, where he goes Gremory-san is bound to follow, and I have questions that need answers."
"Alright," Xenovia affirmed, "Issei took off down the halls with Asia after he made a PVC clay model of Buchou." Furuichi nodded his head and turned to leave but then turn back and stared at her in confusion.
"I-I'm sorry? What? He did what?" He asked with a troubled voice. Xenovia blinked up at him with an innocent expression, her head tilting to one side and her heads raised up her chest. She looked adorably cute, bless that girl, and she seemed utterly obvious to the trouble.
"He made a PVC clay model of her. It's very impressive, I had saw it too. He had his eyes closed too when he was making it. It's amazing how Issei took the time to memorize Buchou's body to such a level, it shows the dutifulness example of a good Pawn." Furuichi's felt his mind get fried. Wait? That dirty rascal. While Furuichi was now getting extreme luck in women with Xenovia having taken an interest in him, that kid had just started and he already went that far. Furuichi looked at Xenovia, who was looking at him in confusion, and quickly shook his head. He wasn't like that. He'll let Xenovia pick the pace, yea.
He looked down at her and had an idea pop up. "Are you busy right now?" He asked.
She blinked and shook her head. "No, I was just going to get lunch, ah, but I forgot my bento and Kiryuu-san offered to share with me." Furuichi smiled and gave her his arm.
"Well, if my guess is right, Issei probably headed to the vending machine and I have some cash to spend. Would you like me to escort you to the vending machine?" Furuichi asked her Xenovia looked at him in confusion.
"I don't really think the school is such a threatening place that I require an-" before she could finish that thought a glasses wearing girl grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away from Furuichi. The silver-haired teen blinked in surprise and watched as she animatedly began to say things to Xenovia.
"Just die~" Furuichi sweatdropped as the two previously crying teenagers were now glaring daggers at him, with one even drawing a chibi version of Furuichi to lop off his head using scissors. Xenovia quickly returned, this time being pushed back into place by the same girl who was making a 'get on with it' gesture with her hands.
"Uh-um," Xenovia muttered, "I would very much like to be escorted by your to the vending machine, so that when we get there you can carry me into a corner and passionately kiss me and impregnate me." She was blushing as she said this and Furuichi sweatdropped. He looked behind Xenovia to see the glasses girl flush and face palm. "Ah wait, that's what's supposed to happen but I'm not suppose to say it."
"It's okay Xenovia," Furuichi said patiently, though he had to keep his nose from bleeding. Well if that's the pace she wants to go. His mind was telling him. "Come on, let's go to the vending machine." She nodded her head, suddenly shyly, and she looked all the world less like the soldier from before and an emotionally vulnerable schoolgirl with her first boyfriend, unsure and afraid. There was something immensely cute about this, which was threatening to explode out of this uniform. "Come on."
They walked down, Xenovia hugging his hand like before when they walked home, but this time it was accompanied with some stares. She herself seemed to be a completely different person from before, probably because of that girl's lewd words and possibly because she was realising how normal it is that she was doing without any experience on what normal is.
They finally arrived at the vending machine, and Furuichi was none too surprised to find that the Occult Research club had gathered to watch a...cosplay photoshoot. Ishiyama may have been a school for uneducated unevolved primates but this school takes the cake for a whole different subject of weird. "What on Earth."
"She's very limber," Xenovia said.
"Yes she is, no wait, hold you see a girl wearing a cosplay dress in a school, posing with her panties being seen to a bunch of random photographers and you comment on her limberness," Furuichi deadpanned.
"Well yes, The Church would always teach the exorcists that being fast and nimble is a great asset. We go through basic gymnastics and I myself am actually very flexible." Furuichi could feel his face turn red and steam blow out of his ears at hearing that. Lewd thoughts began to fill his mind and he could feel his uniform tighten around his body to control the hormones.
"Is that so?" He muttered casually.
"Why do you think our uniforms are like that?" She asked in confusion. He was about to die. Furuichi was about to die a glorious death before even experiencing the joys of the woman beside him. Xenovia snapped her fingers in front of his face and Furuichi blinked at that.
"Ah sorry," Furuichi muttered and they stepped towards the Gremory group.
"Ah, L-Lieutenant-san!" Issei muttered nervously when Furuichi stepped close. He had a curious expression on his face when he realised that Xenovia was holding his arm, and he shot a mild jealous glare at him. Is this guy incredibly dense to the girls who are chasing him? Furuichi wondered. Dear God, he found a non-Oga-like Oga.
"Lieutenant-san," Gremory greeted with a small head bow. But there was a bead of sweat on her cheek as she said this and Furuichi glance at the cosplay lady. She seemed to guess Furuichi;s blank stare as something else and suddenly stated, "Yes, indeed, that is Maou-sama Leviathan."
His face became gobsmacked. What in all hells blazes is wrong with Hell. You've got a Beelzebub that sent a message using his crotch, battle horny Devils who run the most deadliest military around, and fucking Princes that can destroy an entire world for throwing a tantrum. What the Fuck. How is the Earth still standing.
"Kiba-kun," Xenovia greeted her fellow Knight.
"Xenovia-san," Kiba greeted her. Right then Saji arrived and dispersed the crowd. He turned to the cosplay girl, and there was a troubled expression on his face. Furuichi, thinking it his job, stepped forward in between Saji and the apparent Maou. Saji looked up at him in surprise but allowed Furuichi to step in without a word of complaint.
"Leviathan-sama," Furuichi greeted. The cosplay girl turned to him with a peace sign and a bright child-like smile.
"That's me! Call me Levi-tan!" She greeted him. His uniform practically forced him to salute her, and he did. He kept his face impressively poker to maintain the facade and he heard Gremory-san compliment him silently on his sobriety. "Ara! Are you that Pillar boy that Dr Forcas mentioned?"
Furuichi frowned and blinked before hesitatingly nodded. "I'm Furuichi Takayuki, Leviathan-sama. I must ask, Leviathan-sama, why is it that you are all by yourself here and without my associate's protection."
"Eh, ah I gave him the slip so that I could find Sona-tan," she dismissively.
"S-Sona-tan. You mean Kaicho-" Speak of the devil, Sona-Kaichou appeared and reprimanded Saji for not handling the mess when she froze at the sight of Leviathan-sama. Furuichi felt his mind go blank when Leviathan-sama leapt forward and hugged Sona around the neck, and he carefully retreated backwards towards Xenovia. The former Exorcist was looking at it with a very curious expression.
"Is this how girls are supposed to act when they see each other," Xenovia asked. Seeing as how Leviathan-sama was hugged Sona-Kaichou very tightly and was rubbing their breasts together in a 'yuri' way Furuichi replied with a straight answer.
"No, and you have to promise me you'll never do that." Furuichi said in deadpan. The Gremory patriarch and the current Lucifer then appeared, exchanging a few words before Sona-Kaichou ran away in embarrassment. Ah, Sona-Kaichou, if it was him in that position he'd have become a NEET already.
Xenovia tugged at his sleeve the moment that Issei's parents arrived to meet the Gremory patriarch. "Your partner is missing," she told him. He blinked, and looked to see that indeed Kirin was not shadowing the Maou. Frowning he nodded to her and did something in the moment. He reached down and kissed her cheek, ignoring how her face became scarlet red and how his cheeks were now dashed with pink, Furuichi rose to his full height and walked towards Lucifer, careful to not interject between his conversation with his sister, Rias Gremory-san.
"Maou-sama," Furuichi greeted. The Lucifer turned to him, and he had a calm and intimidating aura about him. For some reason, Furuichi felt that the man was every bit like the old croon that was Alaindelon, but there was a very real sense of power underneath, A scary sense of power. "I am Lieutenant Furuichi Takayuki." He saluted.
Sirzechs Lucifer raised an eyebrow and nodded to him before looking at his sister. "Ria-tan, can you meet me later with Akeno-san at a later time. It's about your bishop." Gremory-san was still blushing but this time she opened wide surprised eyes before nodding seriously. She turned to head back to class with Issei, Asia, and Akeno. Lucifer gave Furuichi a look and he understood it immediately.
"Xenovia, I think it's best that you leave for class to. Sorry, we'll have lunch together later," Furuichi told her. Xenovia looked in between Furuichi and Lucifer, and the soldier mask was back on. She nodded her head dutifully.
"Yes, Takayuki-kun," she said with a small smile. Furuichi blushed at his name again, but he was happy to see that she wasn't fully a soldier anymore. He watched her go away, and Furuichi sighed.
"First girlfriend I see?" Sirzechs commented. "First experience in love?" He asked. Furuichi jumped and shuffled nervously.
"I wouldn't say we're dating, she's just trying to find herself is all." Furuichi admitted nervously. His mind drifted to Lamia and he cleared his throat. "I think there would be girls willing to punch me if things went that way too fast as well."
Sirzechs chuckled. "Yes, that is the case nowadays with the young people, isn't it." He laughed for a few more seconds but sobered up very quickly as he stared at Furuichi with serious eyes. "Now, I'm guessing you have questions for me?"
"What exactly do we know about Khaos Brigade, and about the Old Maou Faction?" Furuichi asked bluntly, though he was sweating as he said this, the uniform managed to keep him straight and look composed and 'cool' in front of Sirzechs, and by his smile it seemed to work.
"You're very direct. I find Issei-kun's obvious ignorance refreshing, but I find you equally interesting for another matter me, how is my friends son?" Furuichi frowned before he connected the dots.
"Beelze is doing just fine," Furuichi told him, "Iris as well is surprisingly fine given her previous...uh, removal by the Beelzebub's side." Sirzechs laughed, it was a polite kind of laugh.
"I always told Ajuka to take care of his wife or things like this happened, he even made that huge painting for her and everything when we were younger," Sirzechs commented. The young looking Lucifer paused and patted Furuichi's shoulders, who tensed as he more felt the demonic power leaking through the man than anything else. A surprised expression filled the Lucifer's face before he began to laugh merrily. "I'm very happy to see that my side is gaining many interesting members."
Furuichi tilted his head with a bead of sweat traveling down his chin. "What do you mean by that."
Lucifer stepped back and gave Furuichi a relaxed smile. "Furuichi-kun, my imouto's peerage, do you find anything interesting about them." Furuichi frowned and deepened his look. The Lucifer clicked his finger and smiled, mistaking the look for some morbid realization. "They all have Sacred Gears, and in the presence of Hyoudou Issei-kun, they are growing at an exponential rate. Issei himself is a questionable existence, the weakest dragon, but with potential never before seen. Kiba-kun has unlocked a Holy-demonic balance breakers, there is an Exorcist capable of using Durandal on our side and a Holy Maiden with Twilight Healing. Our side has grown exponentially." Lucifer gave Furuichi another one of his smiles before adding, "Michael, the Archangel, is even planning on giving Issei the Ascalon of Saint George."
Furuichi widened his eyes. He knew from Kirin's memories what exactly that meant. That was a momentous gift and it reaffirmed what Furuichi understood of the situation. It was like the power plays in Ishiyama before Oga took over as the head, little gifts and tributes to instill a more cooperative relationship before an alliance. Furuichi knew specifically how precarious the Christian Belief was currently. "This meeting is looking less and less like a peace conference, and more like an alliance."
"Indeed," Lucifer agreed. "It certainly looks like that. Currently the Khaos Brigade stands directly against the conference, as opposed to the other members of the Khaos Brigade that we are aware of. Sadly that is all we know. The Old Maou faction is made up with the families of the Old Maous and they are gaining membership as the conference draws near. However, if it comes down to it, I have full faith that our side would prevail."
"Because of the aforementioned 'interesting' new additions?" Furuichi asked. The Lucifer nodded.
"And you, of course." Furuichi tilted his head and asked his next question.
"Do you know about my apparent Vessel capabilities," Furuichi asked.
"I know no more of that than you do. Your growth is exponential by itself, which I can attribute to your presence with Issei-kun, however my recent meetings with Behemoth revealed to me that you've been an associate to Oga Tatsumi since your childhood. Like the Dragon, I believe you're close proximity to Oga-kun is also the reason to your growth," Lucifer told him.
"You think my...extraordinary abilities was in part due to my presence with Oga?" He asked.
Lucifer smiled and shook his head, "No, I think that you've always had this ability, it's just the presence you've spent around them cultivated it into its maturity." That just left more questions in Furuichi's head, but he understood that there was no more he was going to get out of the situation. Finally he shook his head and saluted the Lucifer again. The man smiled and turned away. "I have to meet with my Imouto soon to discuss a personal matter, take care Lieutenant-san, you yourself is a great boon to Underworld."
Furuichi watched the Lucifer walked away and sighed. He wandered away, heading towards the school gate as he walked. The break was now over for the upperclassmen and the underclassmen were now trickling into the cafeteria. Furuichi stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked away, pondering the new information in his mind.
It was honestly net zero in new information. It was everything that he already knew, and nothing more. He bit his bottom lip and tried to counter the thought with anything else. He wondered what Oga was doing, and he figured that his friend was doing alright by himself. Finally he wondered about Pierre and his apparent knowledge of Ishiyama. He grew slightly worried and he pulled out his phone to call Oga.
Nobody answered. It didn't surprise him, Oga would rarely answer his phone for anything unless it was his sister. He tried again and called Kunieda, who was now in her third year with Nene, and waited. "Hello?" Kunieda's voice came through.
"Kunieda?" Furuichi muttered in his usual Creepichi way.
"Furuichi? Wait, how did you get this number?" She asked.
"Nevermind that," Furuichi asserted himself, "Has anything happened at Ishiyama while I was away?"
"If anything weird was happening?" Kunieda muttered. "Um, Kanzaki visited for a while and there was a fight between Oga and his gang member when Oga called one of them ugly." Furuichi sweatdropped. "I don't think...oh, there was a bunch of St Ishiyama students that arrived and scouted out the place for a reason,"
Furuichi frowned. "St Ishiyama students?" He shifted in agitation as the implications hit him and finally he asked, "Were they normal, did they do anything weird?"
"Were they normal? I guess they were. Some of the students tried to intimidate them but they shrugged it off without any problems," Kunieda told him. :What is it Furuichi? And where have you been? Oga said you went to a Hentai Convention but I don't think that's like you." Furuichi felt a little bit happy that Kunieda thought so highly of his character and chuckled.
"Nothing, just some business is all," he muttered.
"Oga seems worried about it too," Kunieda added. Furuichi frowned and stared at the ground.
"Oga? No way? That guy can walk away just fine from a nuclear missile. You're over reacting," Furuichi told her. "Listen, I have to go for a while now, I'll be back in Ishiyama real soon, Kunieda." He ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. He sighed, his mind filled complicated thoughts. He didn't come out here to Kuoh Academy expecting to be caught up in the middle of politics and a war, he had went through that enough times in Ishiyama. He nearly died once. But the war he was part of right now seemed even worse than before.
There was a bunch at his hip and he yelped. He looked down at the person who sent it and wasn't surprised to find Lamia staring up at him. What was surprising was that she had a wary expression on her face as she stared at him. "Over thinking things isn't like you," she declared.
He blinked and forced out a chuckle. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "I just have things in my head is all." Lamia scrunched up her face at him and he quickly asked, "How were my parents? Were they overbearing?"
She blushed and turned away with her arms crossed. "N-no, they were perfectly fine. They weren't overbearing at all, they were...pleasant. Yeah, they were very pleasant." Furuichi laughed again.
"That's good." But still Lamia had a hard look on her face as she looked up at Furuichi and then finally she shook her head.
"You've been acting different lately," she accused.
Furuichi sighed and finally acquiesced to her demands. "I've been treated differently, I have whole new responsibilities. It's like...a whole different life. My life in Ishiyama, and my life in Kuoh. They're different. Even the Pillars treat me differently now." He looked at the sky, thinking about it, reflecting on the changes. Was there ever a time that Furuichi would actively seek out a fight against someone, like that one time when he attacked that Exorcist, or when he attacked the Cerberus and Kokabiel. He acted that way once, when he first found the tissues, and it was a much different affair when he started using the tissues later on.
He felt Lamia grab onto his wrist and he looked down to see her blushing. "I-I mean I don't treat you any differently Baka-ichi," she said while looking at the ground. "So if you need anyone to talk to, then you can come to me. D-don't get the wrong idea! It's strictly a Doctor-Patient thing, and I'm bound by confidentiality laws not to talk to anyone about your private affairs, so it's a win-win right? I mean for you that is!" Furuichi blinked down at her in surprise and laughed. He patted her on the head, ignoring how she blushed and kicked him in the shin for that.
"Break's almost over," Furuichi told her, "You should head back to class now." Lamia ducked her head and quickly ran off to do just that before Furuichi even finished his sentence. Furuichi watched her go and then turn to see that Kirin was waiting behind him with his arms crossed.
"Tomorrow is the day of the meeting," Kirin told him. Furuichi nodded his head and turned to the sky. "With Elim incapable of handling magic assistance and air support, we'll have to switch tactics."
"I'll go to the roof," Furuichi muttered.
"And I'll go by ground."
I"M BACK! Now, I really don't have an excuse besides that I kind of run afoul with the Beelzebub comedy after a while when I started writing for A Tomorrow For Us. I sorta got it back in the first few chapters of Let Me Screw Around in the Clone Wars, but it dropped for a more earthly joke side. It's sorta why I was bouncing back and forth writing for this fic. Now, I know a lot of people might not like it how this was mostly filler after making you wait for months. But new update won't take another month, at least I hope so, and the next chapter is when things start to differ and everything starts to form around both the Beelzebub universe and the DxD universe. This mostly is to assert some criticism people have sent me.
The Furuichi in this story acts differently; some people have told me that and I have since absorbed that criticism into this. Furuichi hasn't just experienced a physical change, he has experienced an emotional change since arriving to Kuoh Academy that was gradual as it went along. He gets more serious at times, play the role of strategist more often, and is generally more intellectual. This can be that I was slightly losing in touch with the comedy but like any good writer I turned it around as a character conflict. In all seriousness, it's very true. As somebody pointed out when Furuichi was back at the Castle with Iris and the rest after the incident with Kokabiel, he suddenly became the more lively Furuichi, but when he came back to Kuoh, while he was still perverted and lively, he was a lot more composed and battle ready. So yea, this completely accidental thing is now a very possible driving point for Furuichi character development.
Also on the subject of the two current love interests. I never really liked how Xenovia was practically, forgotten during the first chapters of the LN. She did appear, but her appearance and the gravity of her appearances were so...small, insignificant, and seemingly to reinforce the idea that she was a socially awkward power-focused knight. It was only later that her character got more...eh respect for what she was. It was seemingly forgotten that while Xenovia is socially awkward, she was practically a soldier fighting a war. To that end, while there are many charming movements of Xenovia being as awkward as she is in social environments. There are times when she can properly connect with Furuichi better than Issei in that the both of them were in fact soldiers. Furuichi was much even before he came to Kuoh. He never officially fought in any capacity before the tissues, but he was beside Oga for the majority of his life threatening pursuits, declared war on En even in the face of overwhelming odds to safeguard Oga's life, and then when he had the tissues nearly died fighting the Fallen Angels. The two of them are practically alike in a weird opposite way in the sense that they are very awkward at times in social situations, both for opposite reasons, became soldiers or at least combatants in a conflict, while Xenovia probably face much more, um, darker but Furuichi faced life and death situations regularly besides Oga. So I was building that up between them, as while Xenovia is having more trouble facing the more normal side of her life, Furuichi may have trouble facing the more soldier-like part of his new life.
On Lamia. I've been neglecting her, mostly because, well, again she's a loli and Furuichi doesn't seem to show any interest in that way. However, I've recently reread the end of Beelzebub and I missed out how her hair grew longer and her figure changed. She has developed into more of a woman, and since this is when Furuichi is a second year, I can probably get away with kickstarting her growth now and build that relationship up from there. While Xenovia's relationship with Furuichi is more handsy and, uh, ecchi, Lamia's relationship with him will be more earthly and emotional. As you can see, that type of relationship is a lot harder to develop, so this is filler to build that up. She is after all the only part of his old life that has actually seen his new transformation and doesn't really treat him any differently, at least I hope I didn't portray her any differently. There is a stronger emotional attachment there that I was trying to build up.
On that note, as you guys can tell, I struggle at times to write the comedy sections now that my writing style has grown, serious over the months. So I'm asking if you guys are alright at a little bit less comedy (not outright no comedy but less) because I reread my past chapters, and besides the usual headbanging and reading your own works, I felt a lot of the later jokes for the later chapters were very forced. So tell me what you think about that.
I'll have the next chapter of FDA up soon now that we're moving on from the filler chapters that was the intermediary scene between the Kokabiel conflict and the Peace Conference, which I kind of regret doing as I probably could have just smashed this part in the previous two chapters all together to save up chapter space.
Anyway, WDO345 Out!