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For this chapter, erh... how do I put it...? It's... long? Yeah. That's it...
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Death's Journey: Smokes and Shadows
Chapter Twenty-One
||Regret||
Unfortunately, life does not have a rewind button.
Surrounded by amiable comfort, tucked in a cozy sheet of warmth, the sleepiness slowly seeped away from her eyelids after a good night rest. She stirred slowly and reluctantly, shambling and shuffling under the fuzzy scarlet purple blanket that helped fought away the coolness. Her amber eyes flickered leisurely onto the unlit room, amber feline-like pupils broadening in search of light. A glimmer of the delicate morning ray tricked from the gaps of the curtained window, faintly lightening the room.
"Hmmmnn—nyaaahnn..." —It should be noted that Kuroka's yawn, coupled with her stretches, is equally enticing as her looks.
Moving on, in the middle of her usual waking-up routine, Kuroka felt her knuckles had bumped something soft and fleshy. She paused, blinking, thinking to herself while running questions in her mind—this all happened under 1.5 second.
Normally, in any given day, she should have the bed for herself.
Then there was this pleasant low hum purring in her ears. As a gentle wind blew between her fingers, she shifted, and lied on her side, and found Seifer was still in the middle of his slumber, softly breathing as his chest rose up and collapsed in such a peaceful manner. A smile found its way to her endearing pair of lips as Kuroka moved closer, searching for warmth and simply to hear more of his sleeping noises.
A little pinch of mischief added into her smile as Kuroka carefully, and very, very slowly, brought her fingertips to touch his tousled strands that covered his resting eyes. She had always thought of dark chocolates whenever she saw his hair. He never allowed her mess with them, so why not take the chance? When else could she wake up before him?
Yet, upon feeling the softness and smoothness, and how his locks slunk nicely around her spry slender fingers, her smile softened. Her ill-intent vanished that instant, and was replaced by genuine gladness to know he's there. Right here by her side and not at someplace she had no idea of.
At this point, Kuroka had regained her consciousness and her senses. She, for the first time in her life in the Kawamura household, woke up earlier than him— which meant, something was wrong. But then he saw his peaceful face, and how defenseless he appeared, she concluded that he was simply tired.
She giggled timidly at him, and briefly wondered if this was how it felt to be someone's wife. Better yet, his wife.
But she then realized Seifer had a wife. Insecurity rarely struck her, but after being in his care, it happened a bit frequently. What happen if his affection to her was only limited to "like"? What if he can never love her, a former criminal and now a Devil? What will she do then?
Fortunately, it seemed her poking stirred the sleep in him, since a low discomforted groan prodded her eardrums. An arm whisked her hand away, and by chance, causing her to drop her rambling thoughts. Kuroka waited, with partially opened eyes and tails and ears wiggling in anticipation of greeting the man she loved.
To her disappointment, Seifer turned around, showing his broad back at her instead. Predictably, like a child not getting what they want, her smile waned into a huffy frown.
Nonetheless, staying mad at him was rather hard at the time. She missed him, in spite of everything else.
So Kuroka crept closer, scooting under the sheets, grabbing fistfuls of his black shirt prudently as she leaned towards his back. Her head dawdled to the back of his neck, feeling the gentle warmth she had been missing and also the light ticklish feeling of his brown strands. The Nekoshou complacently rested her eyes for some more time, listening to his calm, even breathing and silent snores that she found unfittingly cute.
It was Sunday after all. There's no reason or need to hurry— though she rarely hurried, be it morning or not. There was a vague remembrance of her Devil schedule for today, something that Rias mentioned yesterday, but Kuroka couldn't be bothered with remembering stuffs just yet.
She heard voices from outside the room, much likely only Asuka and Asia playing around with Yuki, who seemed had grown another tail when he stepped inside his room, and Kojiro watching his daily morning show. This was another reason for her to take it easy. Aside from Yuki and herself, none of them knew that the head of the family had come back.
Seifer budged slightly in his sleep, groaning as he now lying down on his back. His hand moved from underneath the cover, and placed it behind his head. Kuroka jumped lightly, although she found his groans a little bit sensual. Then she wondered a peculiar thought.
'When else does he make this kind of voices...?'
Well, there's only one simple way to find out.
.
.
.
Not now, though.
As naughty as she could be, she was still considerate of his well-being. Besides, if it turned out he wanted some "treatments", all he had to do is just ask her when the mood is right. But Kuroka knew, for someone like him and someone like her, setting the mood between them wouldn't be so difficult. Progressively, her train of thought led to her first hot-spring with him.
Insentiently, her hand moved, slipping underneath his white shirt and to the skin of her collar bone. Just days ago, his "mark" finally disappeared. A hot blush etched as Kuroka recollect more and more details from their first sensual experience together, and she suddenly found herself wanting more, slightly loathing a certain crimson-haired girl for ruining their moment. Then, she pondered, what would've happened then had she didn't intervene?
Nonetheless, as her sensitive ears caught his soft groans, Kuroka clung onto him for some more time, until she felt too sluggish to stay on the bed. Reluctantly, the Nekoshou waddled off from the sea of silk, careful to not wake him, but not before stealing a secret little kiss from his lips.
After popping her joints, she lazily inched towards the bathroom to fix her bed hair, before trotting outside to greet the girls a lazy good morning.
"Morning nyan~"
"Morning Kuroka-nee." Asuka greeted firstly, followed by Asia and then Yuki's small bark. Kojiro didn't budge from his seat, too absorbed at the television to give a care about the outside world.
After Kuroka drank some water, she sauntered and leapt onto the white sofa. She had decided to bug his brother to kill some time before breakfast.
"Hey, hey, where's my good morning nyan~?"
His steely black eyes never left the screen. "Morning." the young male said gruffly.
"Can't you at least look at me when you're greeting me nyan?"
"No."
The Nekoshou frowned her brows and mouth, not having this cold treatment early in the morning. But Kojiro was not going to have any of her tease. Not when the Defense of Hornburg, or commonly known as the Battle of Helm's Deep, was about to take place in the Middle Earth— specifically in front of him, inside the flat screen hung on the wall.
Nevertheless, Kuroka's not willing to give up. A Nekoshou of her mien would not accept a halfhearted response.
With the merry sounds of Yuki playing roughhouse with Asuka and Asia's lighthearted giggles going behind them, she poked Kojiro's patience once again. "What movie is it nyan?"
"Lord of the Rings." Kojiro replied, not batting an eye at her.
Her eyes panned to the TV, right at the moment when hideous looking creatures snarled and revealed their obviously unattended set of yellow teeth.
Even so, Kuroka asked him yet again. "Who's the bad guy?"
"Those Uruk-hais and orcs."
"Those ugly things?" Kuroka tweeted, "Hmm~ why is the ugly always bad nya? Do the directors have something against ugliness?"
Kojiro ignored her.
"Heeeey, don't ignore me nyan. That's rude." stated the Nekoshou, bunting his shoulder lightly with a curled hand, mimicking a cat's paw without her even realizing.
The surly bloke spared a glimpse at her; the vexation obvious within his two dark onyx eyes that seemingly no light could brighten. Kuroka smiled, though, feeling victorious as she managed to snatch a little of his attention.
"Look," Kojiro said dismissively as he glanced back to the TV, mildly infuriated. "I get that you annoy me when my brother's not present, but he's here now—"both Asuka and Asia lightly gasped upon hearing this bit, "—why don't you go pester him? I'm busy."
Asuka suddenly jumped over the couch, almost like an impatient dog wanting to go for a walk. "Eh?! Onii-san's back?!" in her mind, she had already dreamt a breakfast filled with wonders.
"Quiet nyan," Kuroka told her. "He's still sleeping." She found it surprising that Kojiro was aware of his brother's homecoming, but she supposed it's a sibling thing. She and Koneko weren't far off either.
"...Eh...? No pancake for breakfast?"
"...Which do you want to see more, him or his food?" Kojiro listlessly added, while Kuroka and Asia appeared a little bit unhappy with Asuka's disappointment.
The girl scratched her loosened hair, tittering sheepishly. She missed the young man, the person who had taken care of her for nearly three years, but she missed his divine cooking more, it seemed.
Break
Two hours had passed since Kuroka had her share of flipped golden pancakes, courtesy of Asia, and it was simply delicious. It was ten in the morning now, and his bedroom door still hung shut.
Worry began to goad.
"Kuroka-nee, when did Nii-san come back?" asked Asuka as she ruffled a towel around her wet hair. Sitting next to her was Asia, doing more or less the same thing as her.
Kuroka stared at the painted white ceiling for a moment, pondering her question. "Hmm... maybe around midnight nyan." she said. "Does he do that often?"
Asuka's towel fell off, and the Ninja groaned. Kuroka motioned her hand towards Asuka to come to her, and she did, whereas Asia listened quietly while playing around with Yuki, who seemed to have grown a little bit sleepy.
"...Not really." she said, sitting still as Kuroka re-tied her towel. "I think it's almost a year since Onii-san worked this long. This is the third time for me." Asuka muttered, enjoying the little kneading movements Kuroka made all around her head.
"Hmmn... is that so nyan?" Kuroka griped, bothered and also worried if he would leave for "work" anytime soon. "Done~" the Nekoshou quipped, proudness lingering in her voice.
"Thank you!" Asuka chirped, poking at her towel wrap, carelessly leaping to the couch, only to be scolded off by Kuroka to not mess it up again.
Then Asia shyly mumbled with a toppling towel on her watery blonde hair. "Kuroka-neesan, can you help me next please?" The Nekoshou grumbled silently, but obliged anyway. Delicately, Kuroka draped the soft towel around her golden locks while inwardly pondering how she would look like if she had Asia's hair.
Asuka switched on the TV, tittering to herself as she watched Kuroka and Asia without saying a word.
"What's so funny nya?" Kuroka demanded.
"Hehe... nothing... I just feel we're like sisters." Asuka ended with a lighthearted giggle, upon which Kuroka's amber eyes widened slightly. "Kuroka-nee is the oldest, I'm the middle-sister, and Asia-chan is the youngest!"
"E—eh? Why am I the youngest?" Asia moped, not aware of Kuroka's small smile.
The Kunoichi grinned, and proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Fufu~, because you are!" She dropped her conceited act quite quick, however. "Ah, that reminds me, Asia-chan, when's your birthday?"
Albeit a bit sulky, Asia replied. Though, it took her quite a while to remember, causing Asuka to worry a little. Had she ever celebrated her birthday? This girl was an outcast from the church after all.
"Mmn... I think it's on ninth of May..."
"That's next week!" Asuka baffled, before she stiffened in the next moment. Panic started to rise. "Wait a minute... how old are you...?"
"Umm... seventeen?" answered the blonde girl, though looking unsure with herself. A look of horror crept upon Asuka's expression. "Is... is something wrong, Asuka-chan?"
"I think she just realized you're older than her nyan." said Kuroka within an amused tone, "Fufufu~ guess that makes you the littlest sister nyan~"
Asuka howled. "N—noo~~~..."
Asia looked a bit troubled with how Asuka was coping with the truth, and decided to ask. "But Asuka-chan is still my Onee-chan, right?"
"Yes!" the Kunoichi replied straightaway with renewed vigor. "No matter what, I'm still your Onee-chan!"
"You're just saying that because you want her to call you that. Aren't you nyan?"
A light gasp was let out. "H-how did you know?!"
Kuroka stared at her with a disbelieving look. "...It's just a hunch."
Not a minute later, a shirtless Kojiro stepped out from the bathroom with a towel flung around his neck, draping over his shoulder where beads of water glazed across his well-built figure. Perhaps Asuka had seen what her friends call as "hot guys" or "ikemen" a little bit too much since she was unaffected.
The same couldn't be stated for Asia, however, who had seen heaps of elderly Priests during her isolated church life. She could feel her eyes broadening and the heat pouring in her cheeks. By now, they had gone beyond the shades of a tomato. Asia tried to look away, but her eyes were already glued at Kojiro's broad chest.
Kuroka never missed a thing, unlike the man who strutted without knowing he had the bod all men would die for. —Counting his brother out, of course.
"Boasting your figure aren't you~? Fufufu, I didn't know you can be so brash." considering his meekness whenever Asia got all smitten with him, Kuroka's remark wasn't so farfetched.
"What do you mean?" Kojiro snapped back, "I forgot my shirt. That's all."
"Well why don't you forget it more often nyan? Asia-nyan likes it."
The man stopped in the middle of his walk, and gawked at Asia, whose blush was so noticeable that he became afraid she might explode. Unfortunately, his concern regarding the flustered nun trumped his sense of self-conscious.
"Hey, are you okay? You're red." said the young bloke as he stepped towards Asia, while drying his straight black hair in each of his steps.
The closer he got, the more rattled and nervous Asia became, and she was so nervous to the point that her words jumbled on her tongue.
"Awa— awawa— u—umm! K-K-Kou-san! P—please put on—" yet before she could finish her sentence-or more correctly-plea, Kojiro had stepped a step too close. Asia melted.
If somebody splashed some water on her face, it might evaporate in under a second.
"Huh...? HUH?! WH—WHAT HAPPENED?!"
"Ah, she fainted." Kuroka tittered, surveying a red-faced girl slumping onto the couch.
Asuka absently remarked. "That one was on you, Kou-san. that was mean."
In the middle of their exchange, Yuki scurried towards the unconscious girl, and licked her flushed cheek as to resuscitate her. When it didn't work, the pup whined, and gave Kojiro a sad look.
"What did I do?!" Kojiro panicked, standing like a fool as he knew absolutely no idea on what to do. "What should I do?!"
"First of all, wear a shirt." jibed the Nekoshou, "And you can carry her to her room nyan." she said, and ended within an uncertain tone. "If you can, that is... Don't get knocked out when you carry her because I'm not going to haul your ass anywhere nyan."
In the end, they let Asia rest on the couch.
Break
Seifer woke up with the fifth most unpleasant headache he had. It felt as though he drank gallons of alcohols the day before, and was left with the worst kind of hangover. As he forced himself out the duvet and sat on the messed mattress, the dim room seemed to swirl around him, causing the young man to bring a hand onto his head, massaging it in hope it could lessen the ebbing pain inside his head.
Too bad for him, it didn't.
Seifer infuriatedly ran his fingers across his clumped hair, and took in a deep breath. He regretted doing so immediately afterwards, for it only caused the pain to throb again.
Like a stressed middle-aged white-collar after a drunken night out, Seifer got to his feet rather wobbly, almost stumbling but caught himself using the wall as support. Groans of discomfort soon escalated from his upset stomach, and he was holding his head again.
This was one of those troubling dilemmas living inside a vessel.
Desperate for water, Seifer slowly crept outside his room, squinted his eyes due to the unfriendly light. He was slightly hoping for anyone to be there to help him for a bit. Instead, he found it empty. The TV was switched off, and Yuki was nowhere to be found.
He smacked his lips, and dragged his feet across the swabbed and mopped floor, which he was undoubtedly quite content about. After taking out a glass off the cupboard, filling it with some highly-needed water, Seifer's eyes wandered towards the clock as he cooled down his throat.
"...What year is this..." he thought aloud, ridiculed by the fact that it was nearing evening. As he downed his second glasses, he noticed a small yellow note stuck on his fridge. Basing from the roundish letters of the roma-ji, the messiness, and those unnecessary cute emoji, Seifer guessed it was Asuka who wrote it.
We're at school
Go there immediately after you wake up okay!
Buchou wants to speak to you.
Remember Nii-san, immediately after!
He sighed, leaving the note alone and opened the fridge. He then took out a cold bottle of beer, sat on his well-missed couch, caught up on the news and other Kuoh-related events, took out another beer, yawned, cooked some bacon, indulged the bacons, and did several house-keeping things before he ultimately got into the shower. By the time he locked all the doors and shut the windows, the sun had already set.
Break
Before six, the Devils in Kawamura household—plus Yuki, as usual, headed to Kuoh Academy, using Kuroka's convenient teleportation to spare them the long walk, and also sparing Kuroka the bother of having to hide her cat-like pupils, ears and tails. Seifer didn't come.
So here they arrived, inside the faintly lighted room of Occult Research Club, their customary base of operation. A headquarter, or so. As soon as the purple velvet lights dwindled slowly, a polite voice greeted them.
"Welcome back." Akeno offered, sitting comfortably on the deep green cushion of the Victorian couch. Later on, the rest of the Devils greeted them in their own manner. They all took a seat, waiting for their task for tonight.
"Where's Buchou and Mio-chan?" asked Asuka, who had seated herself beside Asia. Yuki was contentedly sleeping in her hands.
"They're in the Underworld. Buchou said her brother has something to give. They should be here in a minute." Akeno replied in a soft voice, putting the sleeping pup into consideration, before she asked back. "Is Shinjiro-kun not coming?"
Kuroka groaned. "Ahh— he's still in his room. Don't know when he'll wake up."
"Ara? Fufufu~ he must be tired then. I wonder what he did in the last few days."
"Beats me nyan." she shrugged, although she had a few guesses in her mind. She doubted any of them were right, though.
"We left a note for him. Well, I did." Asuka added, followed by Yuki's small yawn and tiny fidgeting of her paws. She didn't wake up just yet. Most of the girls went "aww".
And as Akeno had said, crimson lights eloped from the magic circle, announcing Rias and Mio's entry. The greetings were brief and short.
"Good. You're all here." Rias calmly uttered with a smile.
Akeno routinely prepared the drinks as Rias and Mio walked towards their servants, handing each of them some sort of a sheet. It was roughly at the same size of a standard playing card, although completely blank white and without designs. The edges were shaped dully and felt smooth for their fingertips.
Before Issei could ask questions, Rias began.
"Those are ID cards. It will be your pass to the Underworld. All you need to do is press your thumb here—" during her explanation, Rias gently pressed her thumb on the right part of the paper. The color crimson gradually appeared at the blank card, embellishing it nicely as her portrait came to an appearance. "—and it should register you as its owner."
"Hooo, that's pretty neat!" Issei exclaimed as he did just so, including the rest of the Devils.
"Fufu, simple isn't it? Beelzebub Maou-sama invented it just recently." She scrutinized the details laid in her card. The words appeared in intricate writings, and the letters contoured slowly, as though black vines were slowly unfurling across the white background, creating letter by letter.
It informed her name, rank, race, her role in her peerage, how many Rating Games she had participated in and how many she had won or lost, and ranging from the lower middle part to the bottom, it was filled with the names of her current peerage.
As everyone else seemingly fascinated by their own ID card, so did Issei. Though, he couldn't help but wonder at a certain detail.
"What does this part mean?"
Mio peeked at where Issei's finger pointed, and her expression grew sullen. It read as Availability for Promotion: Unavailable
"That's pretty straightforward... Ise-kun, don't tell me you forgot what a Promotion Test is..." Issei awkwardly laughed, resulting with Mio and Rias' exasperated sigh. "...Can't be helped then. It'll tell you when you can take a Promotion Exam or Test, which will increase your rank to a Middle-Class once you succeed."
Issei hammered his palm. "Ah! Right, right... I remember... Once I get to High-Class, I'll be granted a peerage of my own, right?" Mio nodded apprehensively as a grin smeared her Pawn's face. "Hehehe... Two more ranks, and I'll have girls around me... Kukuku— ow!"
The boy jumped as he felt a twinge on his side, and was lightly confused to see Mio's puffed cheeks. "You still have a long way to go to be Middle-Class Devil, let alone High-Class..." then he became more baffled as her cheeks grew red. "...Remember you're still my Pawn... High-Class or not..."
"Ah, of course, of course! That's why I'll get stronger... I've failed to protect you twice now, that won't happen again." Issei stated with a smile so brave and confident that it hurt Kuroka to see. "I will keep Mio-chan safe. Especially from that yakitori bastard... I hate him."
As the memory of the Rating Game invaded his mind, Issei remained oblivious to Mio's further reddening cheeks, or Akeno and Rias' small giggle, or Kuroka's halfhearted sigh of disappointment.
Then Kuroka quipped. "You know, I never thought a pervert can be this clueless nyan." and she shot a glance at Kojiro and a sympathetic look at Asia. "Good thing you're not like him..."
"What are you staring at...?" Kojiro coldly demanded.
Kuroka twirled her head away from his brash glare. "Nothing nyan~" suddenly, she whipped her head back at Kojiro, specifically behind his seat, where traces of smoke lingered in the air.
"Wh— since when did you—?!"
All Devils skimmed to where Kuroka stared with widened eyes, and understood the reason of her bafflement right away as they found a young man had stood there, with a muffler around his neck and mouth.
Seifer lowered his brown scarf, sniveling once. "Just now." he said simply along with a lax wave of a hand. "Yo." and another sniffle followed.
"G-Good evening..." Rias perplexedly greeted back, a little bit uneasy on how he had appeared in such a modest way. She gave him a good glance, and noticed his slightly ruffled hair and his rosy nose. "You don't look so good."
"You think?" Seifer snarked dismissively, giving no care of the Devils' bewildered eyes as he settled down beside Kuroka's seat.
She then said relatively the same statement just to annoy him. "You don't look so good nyan." He gave her light bunt on the back of her head as a reply. "Ow!"
"Shut it." Seifer snapped with a sniffle.
His scarf hid his small smile that had formed as his weary eyes fell upon Yuki, the white pup that never failed to bring joy. Meanwhile, Akeno offered a steaming chamomile tea, which he greatly appreciated.
"So...? What is it that you want to talk about?"
A feeling of guilt skulked upon Rias. "It's uh..." she hesitated, sparking Seifer's unfortunately not-so-lengthy fuse. "It can wait..."
"Hey, I'm here now. Don't give me that kind of crap." he replied in an uncharacteristically unfriendly manner, all thanks to his throbbing headache. Even Asuka and Asia were surprised. Akeno, though, had a look mixed of surprise and a smile. "So what is it?"
His mildly annoyed glower, although rarely seen, was actually imposing. Considering he had effortlessly defeated that inhumane creature and stopped Kojiro from rampaging, being terrified by him was considerable. Even for Rias.
"It's..." again, Rias wavered, choosing words to say which was fairly difficult under Seifer's impatient stare. She managed, however. "It's about our liaison."
He raised an eyebrow and an odd look. "Liaison"...?" then it dawned to him. "Ah... that."
"That"...?" Issei muttered blankly, becoming more and more suspicious of this certain young man's relation with the Great Onee-sama of Kuoh. "Liaison"...? What are they talking about...?"
At her Pawn's question, Mio could only shrug her shoulders, deciding to keep Rias and Seifer's servant and master relationship a secret. Akeno and Kuroka, however, had a small roguish smile upon their daunting lips.
"Yes..." the Gremory heiress sluggishly nodded, "You see, since it is full moon tonight, the contract can be annulled."
"Contract...?" the boy, again, thought out loud, only knowing as much as the rest of the Devils, safe Kuroka and Akeno. The suspicion regarding Seifer and Rias expanded among them.
The young man grazed his brown locks as another sigh escaped his pale lips. "...Figures... Well, let's get it on then."
Rias, feeling fairly relieved to some extent, graced a smile as she stood off from her seat, and walked towards the magic seal at the far end of the room along with Akeno. Seifer inertly followed suit, as well as the curious eyes of the Devils.
However, not even managing to chant a single word, a brilliant crimson light emerged from the circle, causing Seifer to groan as he covered his eyes. Not expecting another company, especially not anyone donning her family emblem, it shocked Rias to find the beautiful head maid appearing out the magic ring.
"G—Grayfia?" Rias dubiously exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
A pair of resolute silver eyes leisurely opened, distantly evaluating her surroundings and each faces of the Devils, and softened momentarily as she met his warm gaze. A speck of worry arose upon seeing his weakened state, but what was there she could do?
The phrase "so close yet so far" could be so cruel.
Tranquilly, the silver-haired maid stowed away her feelings of him for the time being. Her blue-white maid skirt danced as she bowed humbly, hands clasped politely below her midriff.
"Good evening, Rias-Ojousama, Mio-Ojousama..." the Gremory sisters responded dubiously. "Maou Lucifer-sama has sent me here to assist you."
"Assist me...? What do you mean...?" asked the older sister with furrowed eyebrows.
Meanwhile, Seifer retreated to his seat, feeling too lethargic to just stand doing nothing but listen. "I'll just be... sitting here when you need me..."
After clenching her craving of his company, her velvet red lips parted once again. "We've accounted a distressing report regarding the Familiar Forest. Maou-sama refuses to allow you visit there without a reliable assistance."
For the third time, Issei chirped. "Familiar Forest? Are we going to get our familiar tonight?!"
"It seems like it." the blonde Knight answered, but studying his features, and the small scowl on his face, Issei became alert of the possible direness on said place.
Rias asked. "But isn't there a Familiar Master? What happened to him?"
"He has been shot by an arrow to his knee. As we speak, he is being treated in the Underworld. We are not yet certain who injured him. That is why I am present here."
"Simply put, Onii-sama wants us to assess the situation there... is that right?" she received a nod with a quiet avowal. "I see... Very well, then let us head there immediately. It'll fill two needs with one deed if we can get you your familiars."
"Everyone, tonight, we'll be heading to the Familiar Forest." Rias declared with a proud smile.
As the Devils willingly gathered by the magic circle, a ticked-off frown had never left Seifer's face.
'What about annulling your contract...?'
Break
He really, really, really didn't want to come. His head was throbbing in pain, and what he wished the most was simply to return to the embrace of his bed. The second that he wished the most, was to simply stay behind at the clubroom, and watch over his white pup.
The Devils did left their familiars in case Yuki woke up, but still, that didn't change the fact that he did not want to be here, at this oddly sumptuous forest. If not for the worrying notion of the possibility that harm may come to Asuka, he wouldn't be.
Furthermore, the lush vegetation, the shades the gloomy-looking trees provides, the shrubberies and the faint smell of wood and fruits, they all reminded him of his old house. His old home. A fleeting recollection overran his mind, forcing a melancholic sigh to escape his lips. He glanced up, emptily staring at the auburn sky and the glowering red moon.
Unconsciously, while several others were amazed at the towering foliage, the young man riffled his pockets. Empty. He forgot to bring his cigarettes. 'Splendid.' he thought with regret.
Seifer walked at the rear alone, far from the Devils, and further away from Grayfia who led their lively party, sulking with his cold while lamenting his decision and complaining about how cold it felt.
Meanwhile, at the front, the Gremory sisters appeared to be enjoying their strut.
"Hmm... It's been a while since I last visit this forest... Do you remember Mio? We used to come here when we were little."
"Yes!" Mio said cheerfully, glad that her sister didn't forget their precious childhood. "I wonder if that tree is still here..."
Walking beside Mio, happening to overhear the sisterly conversation, Issei decided to pry a little. "Tree?"
"Mhmm~" the older Gremory hummed, looking around, relishing her youthful days. "There's a large tree somewhere in the west part of the forest. Mio, Akeno, Sona and I played there oftentimes. Grayfia here babysat us during those times. It's a place filled with memories for us."
"Hehe... happy memories~!" Mio added, recalling a few memorable bits from back then.
Then Akeno chimed. "Fufufu~ I remember Buchou cried because she fell off from a branch..."
"A—Akeno!" Rias puckered, upset at her Queen's uncalled revelation. The other Devils giggled and chuckled at her expense.
"Heee~? So even a Princesses have an innocent childhood too nyan~?"
Kuroka never failed to fluster the Gremory heiresses. Something the latter unsure to hate or not. "O-Of course!" Rias and Mio huffed, folding their hands, before giggling silly at each other.
"Ne, ne, Maid-chan, looking after them must be hard wasn't it?"
At Kuroka's playful ogle, Grayfia, with a straight face, replied simply. "Indeed, it was difficult."
Mio and Rias sulked. The color of their crimson hair had spread over their cheeks. Even so, the stories and lighthearted telltales of their childhood never stopped flowing in each of their steps. They tittered, laughing as they walked, untroubled by the naturally eerie atmosphere.
Until the air around them felt heavier.
"Something's wrong..." the normally quiet Koneko warned as they went deeper in the forest, alarming a few others.
"Yes..." Rias added, "We've been walking for minutes, but I haven't seen any familiar. It's a full red moon; there should be plenty of them wandering around... the air is colder than usual as well." she looked at the maid in front of her. "Grayfia, does the report states something about this?"
"I'm afraid so. Sona Sitri-Ojousama was here earlier with no luck of finding any familiar." Grayfia clarified.
Her crimson eyebrows creased. "Sona...? Was she the one who found the Familiar Master?"
"Sitri-Ojousama also compiled her findings as well."
Rias allowed a hum, her eyes closed serenely as she smiled for her rival and best friend. "Hmm... I expect nothing less from her..."
As they continued trudging through the clearing of the forestry, a deep, guttural voice inside Issei spoke.
(Partner, I sense a Dragon nearby. Tell your comrades to remain on constant alert.}
'Dragon?!' the boy jumped, both physically and mentally, earning himself a few odd glances. He dismissed their worry with an awkward laughter and a meek excuse of a hiccup. The Devils bought it. '...A Dragon... is it your rival you've been telling me this whole time?'
Ddraig made a snort-like noise. (Hmph. If it is the White One, then I would have sensed him miles away. This isn't him, but this Dragon is powerful. With your current strength, you're lucky if you last a minute.)
'So I'm still weak? Even after all of those training?!'
(Frankly, yes. You still are.) His words stung like thorns for Issei. (But don't get so depressed. I doubt even that maid over there can handle a Dragon. Can't be sure about that guy on the back, however...)
At this, Issei felt somewhat better. 'You mean Shinji-san?' replied the boy, who had secretly stolen a glance at our doubtful protagonist. 'Isn't he strong? I mean, he did stop Kou-san.'
(That's why I am uncertain. I can't measure his strength even after all the feats he did.) Ddraig grumbled, (He and his brother, they have powers I have never seen before.)
In the middle of their inward chat, a whistle-like sound flung through the air.
Grayfia raised her hand in an abrupt manner, shooting out a knife clad in silver demonic aura to counter a flying arrow. With a ding, her knife disappeared, whereas the arrow was torn apart to pieces. Even so, she remained composed, unlike the Devils who had taken cognizant stance of their suddenly unfriendly surrounding.
"Who's there?!" Rias demanded, her unholy destructive aura maliciously forming around her figure. She eyed the projectile on the ground, where only its sharp end survived the collision.
"If you do not wish to be annihilated, show yourself." Grayfia's cold voice asserted, and as her demonic power contoured her maid outfit, Rias and the Devils slightly grew afraid, being reminded of her title as Queen of Annihilation.
Seifer, in the meantime, sneezed, not wanting to be relevant in the unfolding scene.
Then another arrow, its black tip cladded in thin lime fluid, wheezed from the bushes at their right. An obvious refusal of Grayfia's demand. The missile skimmed the air twice as fast than before. However, Grayfia shot another of her spell. Unexpectedly, the arrow impossibly twisted, and curved around the bullet.
It brought minor surprise for her, and even lesser trouble as Grayfia simply stood still. Let alone piercing her skull or denting her pretty face, the arrow never survived her wicked layer of unholy power.
And it seemed the attackers realized aiming for her was no use, as now myriad of reinforced arrows rained upon the Devils. Surprised but not caught off guard, the magic casters formed protective shields above their companions, blocking and parrying most of the arrows as the rest of them tore holes in the ground.
The barrage persisted. As the arrows that poured from the skies diminished, more of them were hurled from their sides. When they heard a crack at one of their shields during the barrage, they knew whoever attacked them would not easily submit.
"We can't stay like this forever...!" Rias seethed. She tried to figure a way, yet she was too focused on maintaining her barrier and her life.
"There's too many...!" stated Kiba as his blue eyes deliberately skimmed around his surroundings, "I can't pinpoint where the shooter is!"
It was then Grayfia broke out of her shield, and took the attacking role.
Yet before she took two steps, the showering arrows stopped.
The last arrow hit the ground, tumbling no more than a mere wooden stick. The Devils evaluated the area in their vicinity without a word, remaining vigilant.
When leaves of a particular bush rustled, they sent their glares at it. The Knights readied their weapon. Issei called forth his Sacred Gear. The spell casters prepared their fiendish spells. The Nekoshou flared their hands within their Senjutsu, and Kojiro stood in front of Asia.
Ignoring the anticipation that gripped their veins, Seifer yawned, unscathed and safe. Around him were the torn arrows that failed to penetrate his shadowy smokes.
A figure of a girl stepped out from the greeneries the Devils were so cautious of.
She was a young-looking girl, clad in torn verdant clover green cloth and short skirt that reminded Issei of a huntress outfit from a game. Her eyes were dazzling blue, enchanting yet sharp like a hawk's. The beastly glint they carried reminded the Devil to stay alert. An elegant red and gold cloak flung around slender neck, as a tattered and partly burnt red beret sat on the top of her flowing platinum blonde hair.
What's more unusual from her, however, were her pointy set of ears jutting out at the sides of her admittedly small head.
If she didn't try to kill them, perhaps Issei would've had a better opinion of her, and perhaps even fell for her notably pretty though hard expression. Furthermore, though not as impressive as his seniors, she exposed too many skin, especially at her stomach and most importantly her bust area.
But as the girl limped forward, using her jet-black bow to prop her steps, they found a reason to lower their guards a little. Her breathing was shallow and ragged. Sweat poured down on her fair complexion, and crimson liquid bled heavily from her shoulder, trickling down onto her left gauntleted arm. Grayfia, however, whose steel eyes had yet to show a hint of tolerance, stay put in distrust.
The fact that those barrage of arrows were shot by only a girl had impressed most of the Devils.
"Please..." she pleaded, quietly and weakly as her eyes fell upon Issei, then to the rest. "...save... my..."
Her extraordinary bow hit the ground first, before its holder tumbled down like a puppet cut off from its strings.
"Wh—whoa!"
"Ise-kun?!" Mio yelled as she reached out for her reckless Pawn, who had successfully caught the falling stranger into his arms. When Mio discerned that Issei was lightly blushing upon seeing the girl and that he was ogling too long at her chest, she felt her blood came rushing to her cheeks. "...Geez... what if there's more of them...? And where are you staring at, baka-Issei..."
"Owowowo— I'm sowwy— I'm sowwy!" Issei cried a little as his cheek was on Mio's mercy.
Jealous as she was, she knew there's the time for everything. With a huff, Mio looked away from her perverse Pawn. "Asia-chan, can you please heal her?" the main healer bobbed her head.
"Good job catching her, Ecchiryuutei." Kuroka flippantly kidded, resulting with Issei's astounded look. Inside the boy, the Welsh Dragon emitted a heavy gasp. But only Issei himself could hear it.
"Wait, Asia." Rias interrupted, and Asia stopped, lightly startled. "Grayfia, has there been a record of another person aside from the Familiar Master here?"
The silver-haired maid shook her head, returning to her modest and polite posture. "I believe this is the first case, Ojou-sama."
Rias gave a hard look at the unconscious girl in Issei's hold. Her lips parsed as she seemed to be in deep thought. Then she came to a conclusion. "Alright, Asia, you can heal her."
"Hai, Buchou!"
As Issei lowered their former attacker carefully to lay her against a tree, Asia scuttled towards them while the group followed. The smoothening light of her Twilight Healing enfolded the girl's dreadful wound, slowly resealing her ripped skin.
While they clattered around them, Satellizer picked off the black longbow from the ground, and was surprised upon learning the bow was taller than he had suspected, and that it weight nearly the same with her blade.
"I think I've seen this bow before..." Kiba uttered as he got closer to Satellizer, who in reaction, gave the bow to him and stepped rigidly away. Chuckling softly, the male Knight then studied the golden pattern that stretched along its flexible limb to its back.
He marveled the intricate design of the wooden weapon, the curve of the limbs that somehow suggested the wings of an eagle.
Then he realized, this was no mere longbow.
"Buchou... this bow... isn't this an artifact?" he said, and Rias consciously moved towards her Knight, and examined the armament.
The shock was evident in her eyes. "You're... you're right. I've seen this bow from a book before... but where...?"
"That... That is a Tauropolos Bow, Ojou-sama." the Devils, for the first time, saw a slight different expression portrayed on Grayfia's face. "It's a divine artifact from those of the Crocell family."
Mio snapped her sight upon the wielder of the bow. "Then that means, this girl is from the Crocell family?!"
"Either that, or she somehow stole it from them." Rias aloofly alleged. "It's true that the Crocell clan possesses elvish trait, but she might be reincarnated from a Youkai." she panned at the Nekoshou sisters. "Kuroka, can you tell whether she's a Youkai or not?"
Kuroka didn't miss a beat. "She isn't nyan." she said, untroubled by whatever these Devils were bickering about. "She's a pure Devil like you. If you don't believe me, then ask Shirone-nyan."
"Onee-sama's right... she's a pure-blooded Devil, Buchou."
"...She's a Crocell...? If so, then those previous attacks aren't so farfetched... The Crocell is known to have incredible marksmanship qualities, but years ago, that was as far as they go, unfortunately." Rias explained, "To think there's a survivor among them ... that alone is remarkable. But more importantly, what did she want us to save? This forest?"
"Uh... What happened years ago, Buchou?" Issei queried.
Rias' pretty face contoured to that of an aggrieved expression, as if he had asked her to tell a secret. Mio was as well, and it was clear to him that whatever happened wasn't so pleasant.
"It's... A civil war happened. No..." Rias corrected herself, "It's more of a massacre."
Issei's eyes went wide, and as he saw most of the reincarnated Devils had fairly the same expression as him, he could tell this was their first time hearing it.
"There used to be 72 pillars before the Great War. After that, the number diminished to 46." Grayfia revealed, and her voice was quiet. "Then following the first civil war—the war between the Old Maou faction and the current ones—, there remained only 39 families."
Shaken, Kiba calmed himself a bit before he continued to ask. "So the remaining 33 families... they're all the survivors of the last Civil War?" Rias nodded, "But what caused it to happen?"
"It is due to several families refused to accept the Four Great Satans. Crocell is one of them." Grayfia informed, "Even after the Old Maou faction was driven back, they stayed unwilling to live under the present Maous' influence. Consequently, those who are governed under the Maous' feared they might conjure another revolution, and as a preemptive measure, they—"
"Slaughtered those six families..." Rias scornfully completed.
Grayfia stared at her, seemingly against her blunt statement. "...Correct."
All eyes befell upon the unconscious Devil. Some were concerned, sympathetic towards her, almost pitying. Some others were curious on how she had endured through these years. Asia quietly did her job, but her eyes showed compassion at her patient.
"That's... horrible." Issei muttered, without knowing he had clenched his fists altogether. "Why does everything have to be solved with violence?"
Rias answered with thorns in her voice. "Because the old teaching says so, isn't that right, Grayfia?" Her anger was evident. Same as Issei, she found it unbelievable. Savage, even. During that time and age, disagreement always ended in conflicts.
"I have no right to answer your query, Ojou-sama." Grayfia modestly replied, but it appeared she agreed with Rias' statement.
Seifer, in the meantime, had laid his eyes elsewhere in the woeful orange sky. He knew a Dragon was coming, and soon.
When an earsplitting roar ripped apart the silence and froze their very heart. A roar so powerful, yet at the same time, so despondent and hurt, but sadly none of the Devils could comprehend the lamentation.
"What... what was that?!" Issei yapped in surprise. "A familiar?!"
Even though he was trapped inside some meddling ancient relic, sensing a his kin's presence was easy, especially if it was this chaotic. The sudden decrease of temperature dropped another obvious hint for him, the Red Dragon Emperor, that is.
But the roar and the evidence also clarified his fear.
"(...That's no familiar, that's a Dragon. And not just any Dragon... that's Tiamat.)" Ddraig bellowed without warning from Issei's Boosted Gear, stirring audible gasps from the Devils due to the fact that it was their first time hearing his booming voice. "(Don't just stand there, imbeciles, leave this place at once!)"
"Tiamat?!" Rias repeated, looking at Issei before returning her vision at the sky, warier than ever. "Everyone, be on guard!"
The Devils adopted a defensive stance around their masters. Seifer was no Devil and he had no master, but he joined inside the circle. Why protect himself when he could be protected? Besides, in his defense, he was feeling ill.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, are you sure?!" Issei panicked, staring wide-eyed at the sky and at the green jewel of his gauntlet. "What if that's just a familiar?"
"If that's a familiar, I don't want any nyan." Kuroka quipped, mocking Issei's guess.
"(I am a Dragon!)" Ddraig countered, raising his voice. "(I know if there's one of my kind nearby, and I can determine one's strength! Don't take on me lightly, fool.)"
"Yeesh, you're a pushover..." Issei quietly muttered.
As though reacting to Ddraig's affirmation, another piercing roar thundered across the horizon. The Devils observed the incandescent sky, and with their very eyes, watched in awe and horror as a magnificent beast tore through seams of clouds, covering the red moon above as its shadow befell them.
Following the Dragon's arrival, the scent of burning wood and decaying smoke overran the air.
With look of horror, Mio and Rias unfurled their wings. They took off to the sky soon after. There, the Gremory witnessed the ghastly orange grin that had consumed the verdant woodland at the west. And they saw, with their very eyes, a mystical beast with pale azure scales unleashing hellish flames and what appeared to be ice upon the remaining area. Somewhere, at the untouched part of the forest, roughly at the middle, stood a tall big tree adorned with colorful leaves. Its size was three times the size of the Dragon.
Dozens of familiars flew rampant, fleeing from the beast's merciless wrath as they crossed the sky above and below the two Devils. No matter how big or small, cute or hideous, none of them were willing to stay in the vicinity of the Dragon.
They descended with a heart-stricken feeling.
"It's... It's burning the whole forest..." Mio slowly muttered, yet her cerise eyes were screaming. "Onee-chan, the tree! It'll surely get destroyed!"
"This is severe..." Grayfia uttered in a low tone as more familiars dashed past in front of her, bushes to bushes. "Ojou-sama, we shall end our investigation here. I apologize, but for your sake, please return to the human world."
Rias frowned. She glanced at her servants as well as her sister's. Terror seemingly had taken their ability to utter even a single word. Every fiber in her demanded her to leave. This was not her responsibility. This Familiar Forest was not her territory. There was no reason for her to prolong her stay.
Despite so... how could she stay and do nothing?
"If this continues, then the Familiar Forest will vanish... the familiars will be left without a home, or worse, they'll die. We can't let that happen." Rias told her. Grayfia's red lips tightened, fearing what might come from this stubborn Gremory heiress. "Familiars are significant beings; they've helped us before and now, their existence is vital for us."
"We've brought down the Immortal Bird before, Dragon or not—"
Before Grayfia could apprehend her, she was beaten by someone else.
"Don't be stupid." At Seifer's callous interruption, Rias was taken aback, so did everyone else. "So you all defeated that guy, congrats for that." he said casually, but there was no smile, and his stare was firm despite his current condition.
Sizzling smoke wheezed over his muffler as he continued. "That's a Dragon. Tiamat or whatever its name is, that's still a Dragon, not a bird, not a Devil."
"So you suggest us do nothing but watch this place burn down?!" Rias glowered at him, "There won't be any home for the familiars! We are here, right now! Do we simply leave them all behind?!"
"Then stay here if you want. Help them. But I'm not allowing my girls or my brother to stay here." Seifer stated with finality. He was fully aware of Kuroka's light blush, but he supposed he should stay serious for a little bit longer.
Sensing a light burn around her neck, a reminder of her curse, Rias covered it with her hand. "Kh—!"
"Kawamura-sama, please refrain from reproaching Ojou-sama." Grayfia interjected, calm and collected as always. "Although I do agree, Asuka-sama, Asia-sama, Kojiro-sama, and Kuroka-sama are Rias-Ojousama and Mio-Ojousama's servants."
"I don't care if they're her servants or her sister's. They still live under my care, not you." Seifer said, and although he didn't raise her tone even a bit, it was clear that he was angered. "No matter what you say, they're still my responsibilities."
His deep brown eyes had lost their warmth. They were now unkind, distant and chilling. Seifer had lowered his chin and his gaze was fixed upon Grayfia, clashing against her cold silver without any hint of faltering.
"Then forgive me, but I will take actions if Ojou-sama states the otherwise." the maid said. But deep inside, she hoped Rias would give in. She knew and fully aware of Seifer's brutal forte, but that aside, she couldn't stand being hostile at him.
Her indifferent expression was only a mask of her devastated feelings. She feared she might be forced to do something she would regret forever.
The atmosphere tensed, and it was not due to the Dragon's influence. A silvery aura rasped the air surrounding Grayfia's ample figure, calm, yet horrific. On the other hand, Seifer had yet to muster his smoke, but the piercing look was enough to affirm his aggression.
"(Allow it or not, that man is right.)" Issei's Sacred Gear interfered, and he was much appreciated. "(You Devils won't stand a chance against a rampaging Dragon.)" Ddraig continued, "(I do not know what caused her anger, but this is Tiamat. She's called the "Chaos Karma Dragon" not without a reason. If you think you can fight her back, you are horribly deluded.)"
"(As much as I hate to admit, even if I override my partner and force a Balance Breaker, I will lose with this condition.)" In other words, Ddraig was blaming his host for being weak. Issei realized his hidden mock, and felt both ashamed and pissed. "(Know your limit, Devil.)"
Rias made a voice from her gritted teeth. Being told off by two persons definitely wasn't something she would want to happen more than once. However, she also didn't want to see a bloodbath between the two people she was apprised with.
"So that's it...?" she said dejectedly, disappointed of herself for being so powerless. "We can't do anything...? Absolutely nothing...?"
"We can contact the Maou." Akeno offered, and her expression was serious and dire. Seemingly she couldn't take the fact their piece of childhood will be erased so simply. "This area is still in Devil's possession, isn't it?"
"That's no use." without remorse, Grayfia said so. "At this rate, the entire forest will be scorched down before the higher-ups come to a disclosure."
The Dragon roared once again, another grim reminder of her cataclysmic rage.
Her sister had put up a strong front, yet she couldn't. The thought of her treasured place being reduced to ashes stirred an unbearable ache in her chest.
"Can... Can we at least go there...?' Mio pleaded in a slow, shaky voice. A warning that she was about to cry. "For the last time... can we go there...?"
Again. There was this sickening feeling stirring inside him upon seeing Mio's wretched look. Again, he was powerless to help her.
"Dammit..." unconsciously, Issei had cursed himself aloud. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he grasped his Sacred Gear, "Hey, Ddraig! Am I really that weak?! If there's anything I can do, or give, I'll give it to you!"
Everyone stared at the Pawn.
"(Sorry partner, but even if you sacrifice your entire body for my power, it won't be enough to defeat her.)"
"Fuck! Then what will?!"
"(Nothing will. Not now.)" The Dragon ingenuously declared, breaking Issei's hope just like that. His fellow Devils empathized for him. "(Why are you so desperate? Do you even have any attachment to this place? Or you simply want to fight a Dragon head on?")
"It's not for me!" Issei roared, "It's for Mio-chan! It's for Akeno-senpai, it's for Buchou!"
Hearing these, the three mentioned girls felt a flush had streaked across their cheeks.
"I'm sorry!" he shouted, bowing rigidly at the three females, "If I'm stronger, then I'll definitely help you no matter what, but I'm not! I'm weak! I'm so weak that I hate myself for it! I keep saying I'll protect you, but I can't even hold onto my words!"
At his sudden uproar, Mio stared at her Pawn in shock, tears welling in her eyes. "I-Ise-kun...? No... This isn't your fault... Why do you feel that way?"
"Because I know I can be powerful!" Issei waged on, glaring at the wrong direction of where the Dragon was, but none dared to correct him. "I have the power of the Crimson Emperor Dragon in my hands, but I can barely fight against a Devil on my own... I've promised you before, and this time I'll swear it again...! I swear I will become stronger that you won't ever cry anymore!"
Normally, this kind of anguished declaration caused him to wince. Yet the sincerity and the utter hopelessness Issei's soul represented in fact sent shiver down his spine.
The same applied to the servants. His words had struck them, hard and severe.
"I can't stop you from crying, but the next time, I will." He stated, and that was when Mio couldn't take it anymore.
The younger princess leaped onto him and flung her arms around his shoulders. She couldn't ask more than this, than his faithfulness. Mio sobbed, wracking as Issei awkwardly held her.
"You dummy..." the girl sniveled, blissful tears flowing through her flushed cheeks. "This is because I'm happy... I'm very happy that you said that..."
"Well... unless you're crying happy tears, then I guess that's okay..." he ended with a small, nervous laughter. Being held so dearly wasn't something daily, more so if it's a cute girl like his master. Issei felt he could die of happiness.
For once, he shrugged off the fact that Mio was pressing her impressive chest against him.
"Ara ara, I'm surprised Ise-kun~" Akeno's seductive voice kneaded his eardrums. "You can be pretty manly too, that was kinda hot, ufufu~."
But the rampaging Dragon cared not of their sappy little moments. As another furious roar echoed, and the heat and the cold starting to mix together into an unpleasant air, the Devils knew the Dragon was coming their way.
"Great job Romeo, you stole her heart." Before Issei or Mio could react, the Nekoshou continued her complaint. "Now can we leave this place now?!" Kuroka demanded, a frightened Koneko was cowering in her hands. Being a Nekoshou, the malevolent emotions affected them harsher than the rest.
Rias snapped out from her trance. "Right... We're heading out... We have a wounded to take care of, and if we stay, we can't guard her at the same time." upon hearing this, an unnoticeable sigh of relieve escaped the maid's red lips. "Grayfia, if you may, please prepare the teleportation." she decided, finally regaining her composure.
The Gremory head maid did just as she was told, nodding earlier. After short incantations, the crimson magic circle emerged beneath their feet. Kiba carried the unknown Devil as he treaded inside the seal, while Satellizer, already sheathing her blade, now grasped the said artifact longbow.
Rias thought she would be fine, but she didn't. Her tears welled as she and her sister sent a last, longing stare towards where the old tree would be, quietly saying her last goodbye.
The red light built up, glowing brighter and brighter, before Rias finally realized that Grayfia was not inside the seal.
"Grayfia?! What are you thinking?!"
"As a head maid, it is within my duty to ensure the contentment of Ojou-samas'." as always, she said so without baring her emotions. "I will not allow anyone, be it Dragon or not, destroy what Ojou-samas treasure."
Eyes were widened in disbelief, and mouths gaped open at the maid's valiant statement.
Her tears overflowed. "W-wait! Don't be ridiculous, you'll die!" Rias cried, stretching her hand to drag in her stoic maid. "Get in here!"
But what she grabbed was nothing but the air of the Occult Research Club.
Break
"Grayfia...?" Rias called, but her reply was a small, innocent bark from Seifer's pup and a confused welcome from her human-bat familiar. She hastily, and desperately, tried conjuring her spell to bring her back to the Familiar Forest, yet the magic circle died down in each of her try.
The Devils could only watch helplessly at seeing Rias being so disconcerted. Kiba had laid the fainted girl on the couch, and there was no more left to do but wait.
Suddenly, Rias stopped. She breathed in deeply, and exhaled. She did so twice in attempt to ease herself. Somehow, in a way, it worked, though only just a little.
"Akeno," she said with renewed composure, quite a disturbing steep change. "Contact the Maou and report that there's a Dragon King raging amok. Tell them that there's a chance that the Familiar Forest might just be the start of her rampage."
"Yes, Buchou." Akeno dutifully nodded, and headed towards a certain room.
"If they learn that she may lay siege at their territory... they certainly will have to take an act..." Rias uttered, slowly slinking in to her seat behind her desk. "...For now... all we can do is hope..."
She closed her eyes, and with a heavy heart, clasped her hands and covered her face. The silence was heavy, and their minds were in state of chaos. Issei's words still haunted them.
"...I'm terribly sorry, Buchou." Kiba suddenly said, "I owe you my life, yet I've done nothing noteworthy to repay it. I'm sorry."
"Me too, Buchou, Mio-chan." Asuka followed, representing Mio's servants. She somberly stared at the carpet underneath. "I'm not powerful, and I don't have a potential like Ise-kun, but still, there's nothing I can do back then or now..."
At this, Rias raised her head. Despite not saying a word, it was clear that the rest of her servants felt the same guilt. Well, except a certain Nekoshou, who seemed a bit off for certain reason.
She smiled tenderly, feeling the warmth that had lumped in her chest. "It's alright... all of you, I apologize for being selfish. What matters to me is your safety. I'm thankful enough that you're all here unharmed..."
"...What about him..." Without care to the heartwarming air, Kuroka spitefully spoke as her amber eyes feverishly dashed around the room. "What about him?! Why is he not here?!"
When nobody could grasp what she meant, Koneko called unto her sister softly. She had never seen her be this distraught before.
"O-Onee-sama?"
"Where's he?! Where's Shinjiro?! Why isn't he here?!"
The realization of his absent finally dawned upon them, yet it came much too late.
"Onii-san...? Onii-san?!" Asuka shouted, and the horror in her hazel eyes conveyed her anxiety. "No, no, no, no... M-Mio-chan! We must go back! Please, teleport us again! Or at least, bring me there!"
Before Mio could respond, or rather, before she could take in her Knight's dread, Seifer's trademark smoke gathered without a forewarning at a certain air. Kuroka and the rest anxiously focused at the billowing black vapor as it twisted, forming to a figure of a human.
—The figure of the Gremory's head maid.
Kuroka felt as though her world slowly crumbled apart. What in the world could possibly rouse inside his puzzling mind? What reason did he have?
"Grayfia?!" Rias shot out from her chair, smashing her hands against her mahogany desk. "Where's Kawamura?!"
For the first time, she saw Grayfia was visibly shaken. "...He... he sent me back..."
Nobody was sure on how to react or which fact should they react upon. The fact that that man, who had no obligation whatsoever towards Rias, stayed there without clear reason, or that the same man just brought back Grayfia, a Devil far more powerful than all of them combined.
Kuroka grabbed Grayfia's arms, and it pained Koneko and the girls from the Kawamura household to see her tormented look.
"You... You can bring us back can you?" she demanded, shaking the dazed maid without care, but Grayfia could only shake her head.
"I—... I apologize, but I've sealed the place. Only those sent by the Maous can set off to the Familiar Forest..."
Her grip tightened in despair. "Don't lie to me! You're the one who sealed it, so unseal it!" Kuroka shouted, unaware of her blurred vision, "Bring us back! Bring him back! He's sick, he needs some rest! Don't leave him there alone!"
When she saw her older sister, a figure she believed to be strong despite her playful antics, be this broken, Koneko couldn't hold her tears back.
"O...Onee-sama...?" she called in a futile attempt to console her sister.
"Please..." Kuroka pleaded, and her voice weakened, drowned by the sound of her sobbing. "Please...! He just got back here last night... he's tired. He's got a cold for fuck's sake! Don't let him... don't let him be alone with that beast!"
None could say a word, and nobody could look at the breaking Nekoshou's eyes. Her black kimono draped to the ground as her legs couldn't stand the shock. She regretted not walking beside him when she had the chance. She regretted not holding him close. She regretted thinking he would be alright just because he's stronger than her.
She regretted all of the things she didn't do. And it was true, that regret always come after.
"Shinjiro!" she wailed, gnashing her teeth and fangs as her crystal waters traced her flushing face. You stupid idiot!"
Chapter End
Tsk, tsk, dramas... I feel awful for Kuroka. Seifer's a bit snappy in this chapter, amirite? But blame it on his cold.
I tried giving each of the Devils a time in the scenario, but as you may think, it didn't work so much, given the heaps of characters I have to keep track of. I have yet to flesh out most of them, and this is something I'm displeased with. Don't worry though, I've plans for all of them, including those who just appeared and might appear. I admit this story's progressing a tad slow, but I promise you, it's because this is still the beginning.
That's right, in my author's eyes; this is only one-tenth of my whole story.
So anyway, we'll be having several new characters in this story. More details regarding them will be in the next chapter. From her description and weapon, you can guess who this Crocell Devil was based off. Hint-hint, she's based from 1 anime character and 1 anime-based game character.
500 bonus points for those who guessed them right.
By the way, I found someone else that fits Kojiro's physical appearance more closer than the previous one. It's Crosszeria Luka from UraBoku, but with black eyes. And uh... imagine him with a less pointy chin. His is more rectangular than just a needle end. As for Seifer, it's still Tasuku Kurosaki from Dangeki Daisy, albeit with much darker hair color. Try to find the one where he's smoking and wearing shades.
Please don't ask me why my male OCs has the faceclaim of a character from a manga or anime aimed for girls.
So, ahem— review it or not, I'm still happy that you read it. Ask me if you have any questions, and that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed reading. Have nice weekdays to you all, and I'll see you on the next chapter, which, without a doubt, will be the bout of Death and Tiamat.
Tootaloo~
For the ID card, it roughly looks like this
UNDERWORLD PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION CARD
Name: Rias Gremory
Gender: Female
Race: Pure-Blooded Devil
Rank: High-Class
-Master: (servants only)-
Role: King
Rating Game Participated: 0
Rating Game Wins: 0
Rating game Losses: 0
-Availability for Promotion: Unavailable (servants only)-
PEERAGE
King: Rias Gremory
Queen: Himejima Akeno
Bishop: Kuroka
Knight: Satellizer L. Bridget
Knight: Yuuto Kiba
Rook: Toujou Koneko
Her portrait should be at the right side of the card. As for the servants, there's an entry for their master between their rank and role. The peerage list is the same.
Why do I implement this? Well... why not? It helps me keep tracks of thing. Oh, and Rias' RG win is on 0 because the one against Riser isn't official, but... you know that already, right?
Ikemen: Hot dudes. Slightly older appearance than bishounen.