The group was walking towards Oga's house, with Oga carrying the heavily injured Henry on her back, and Kunieda lending a shoulder to the damaged Furuichi. The two girls were worried about Henry, but they were more concerned with Furuichi, who's injuries they could not assess with his cloak still on.
Furuichi looked at Kunieda before turning away. "Sorry."
"Hm? For what?"
"For being a burden." Kunieda didn't respond. "This shouldn't have happened. My injuries should have healed by now. I shouldn't be wasting your time and energy by helping me wa- Ow."
Kunieda flicked him on the side of his head. "You really are an idiot, you know that?"
"Huh?"
"This is the kind of thing I was talking about. You really should relay on me and Oga more. We can help you. Sure, we might not be strong enough to take down one of those villains yet, but we can at least help out like this. Also, this isn't a burden to me in the least. How could I think that, when I'm helping a friend?"
Furuichi starred at Kunieda, before sighing. "You're one hell of a woman, you know that?"
Kunieda giggled. "And you're one hell of a stubborn ass."
"Oi, I might be hurt, but I can still hurt you. Asses also bite, not just kick, you know."
Kunieda giggled, and gave Furuichi a challenging look. "Just try it."
"Oi." Furuichi and Kunieda shivered in fear. The two looked to see Oga surrounded by an angry aura, raising her fist. "If you two keep flirting like that around me, I'll send you both flying to the moon with my Super Rocket Honeymoon Punch."
Furuichi and Kunieda turned beet red. "WHY A HONEYMOON?! AND WE'RE NOT EVEN FLIRTING!"
Furuichi then groaned in pain, and almost fell to his knees, had Kunieda not caught him. "Furuichi-kun, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I guess I can't scream like that as I am now. That hurt like hell. Let's just get to Oga's house, for now."
Even with Oga's anger aura still present, the gang was still able to get to Oga's house. "Wait." Everyone looked at Furuichi, who was getting off of Kunieda. "I can't walk in dressed like this. I won't be able to explain to your parents as to why I'm dressed like Silver Demon." Everyone watched as Furuichi took off his cloak, and saw a shocking sight. "Damn. That bastard ripped it to shreds." No one expected to see Furuichi wearing chainmail. The armor was ripped to shreds, barely hanging together by threads. Then, he took off the armor... and got a shock himself. "T-This is impossible."
Furuichi's entire body was covered in slashes, some of which were still bleeding. "I don't understand. Half-blood or not, I'm a Luciferian. My wounds should have healed by now. Why?"
"It's because of Jackal's claws." Furuichi looked towards Furcas. "Jackal is one of the rare few demons who have learned how to diffuse demonic powers. As such, he's one of the best in killing Luciferians, who's near immortality comes from their incredible demonic energy. The fact that you are still alive only further proves that you are Lucifer's son. Any other Luciferian would be dead by now."
Furuichi looked down at his wounds. "How long?"
"It usually takes a few days at least, a week at most. Until then, you will need to rely on your natural, human, recovery abilities. Also, you need to refrain from using any of your powers, including your healing powers. Any use could either lengthen the healing process, or cause new damage to your body that could be fatal." Oga and Kunieda didn't like the sound of that, but neither did Furuichi.
"Master, shouldn't we be worrying about Henry-nii-sama right now?"
"Ah, you're right, Lamia. Oga-dono, where can I treat Henry-dono?"
"You can take him to my room."
"Now then." The group then entered Oga's house.
"Hm? Tatsumi, is that you?"
"Yeah, mom. It's me."
"Jeez, don't you know how late it is. What have you bee- OH MY GOD! MY LITTLE GIRL! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!"
"It was just a fight, mom. Nothing major."
"Nothing major?! You're bleeding and covered in cuts! Ah, and what happened to poor Henry?!"
"He got caught in it. Don't worry, we have a good doc."
"Huh? Isn't that your teacher?"
"I mean the blob."
"Eh? Ah, well, isn't that Henry-kun's... good Lord. Furuichi-kun." Furuichi looked away, not being able to look at Oga's mother's horrified eyes. "What in God's name happened to you? You're worse off than Henry and Tatsumi combined."
"I'm fine. It looks worse than it actually is."
Shouko didn't look convinced. "Whatever you say, but I'm also unhappy about something else."
That caught Furuichi's attention. "What?"
"I'm unhappy..." She practically warped towards Furuichi, which surprised the half-demon. "THAT YOU KEPT THIS NICE BODY OF YOURS A SECRET FROM US FOR SO LONG!"
Furuichi turned blood red. "Nah?!"
"You have such a cute face, but your body is super manly! They may be smaller than my husband's, but your muscles are incredibly amazing!" She actually knocked on his abs. "I bet you could crush a rock to dust with these abs like with Youjirou's."
"You crushed a rock with your husband's abs?"
"I needed to show my friends how much more awesome my husband was compared to theirs." Furuichi sweatdropped at the response. "Seriously, this is a work of art. You're a damned Adonis. Though, my husband is obviously Hercules." Furuichi's eyes were shadowed by his hair, but the steam of embarrassment was rising from his head. "Now I know for sure I want you in this family. Of course, I'm happily married, so I'm out. Tatsumi has her own Prince Charming, so she's also no good."
"Hey!"
"What? It's the truth."
"No, it isn't," thought Oga, Furuichi, and even Kunieda.
"But, I have one hell of a hot Ace. Misaki!"
"Yeah?"
"Come and see the body of your future husband!"
Oga, Furuichi, and Kunieda jolted as they all lost their color. "Her wha-!?"
The sound of footsteps was heard. It was casual, and didn't sound rushed at all. "Future husband? What are you talking about? You trying to marry me off or so-" Misaki was frozen in place the moment she saw Furuichi. "Oh... la... la... Taka-chin, you've been holding out." She examined his body as she continued to suck on her popsicle in a seductive manner. "Hm, nice face, nice bod, nice personality... A + + +. He definitely passes."
"Doesn't he?"
Furuichi blushed, but his blush became worse when Misaki licked her popsicle in an incredibly sexual manner... which seriously turned Furuichi on.
His arousal was taken away when Tatsumi gripped his "silver balls". "Stop getting turned on by my sister, Perv-Ichi." Furuichi couldn't respond. He was in too much pain.
"Oh~. That's impressive." Tatsumi looked at his sister to she that she was hungrily staring at something. She followed her sister's gaze to see she was staring at her full, and overflowing hand. What she was holding was too large for her to grip her hand completely over. "So that will be mine one day, huh?"
Shouko patted her daughter's back in a congratulatory manner. "You're a lucky girl, Misaki."
Misaki chuckled. "Damn right, I am. Well, I'm gonna get another popsicle and head to my room." Misaki was about to leave the hallway, but took one last look at Furuichi. "Oh, and Taka-chin, if you wanna come up to my room, I wouldn't mind." She then walked away, leaving behind a very embarrassed Kunieda, a blushing Lamia, a pissed off Tatsumi, a proud mother, an impressed Saotome, and a poor Furuichi in agonizing pain; since Tatsumi tightened her grip.
After Oga finally calmed down, she led Furcas to her room so she could treat Henry. Furuichi was already treating his own wounds, with some help from Kunieda. When Oga came down, Lamia started to "treat" her.
"OWWWWWWWWWW!"
"Hey! Don't move! You should feel honored that I'm even treating you at all! I could be helping with the recovery of a Prince right now!"
"M-My neck! You're strangling me!"
"I can't believe you! I came after Alaindelon told me about everything, only to find Henry-nii-sama severely injured! Die, you worthless woman!"
"And how is she worthless?"
Lamia looked over towards Furuichi, who was bandaging his left arm. "Because she let Henry-nii-sama get hurt!"
"And since when was Henry's safety her responsibility?" Lamia's eyes widened at the question. "Hendrickson is a Demon Butler. He obviously has training in combat. His and Oga's duties are to protect Baby Beel, not each other. Henry let his guard down enough to allow himself to be attacked by the enemy. He has no one to blame for his incompetence other than himself."
Lamia was shocked to hear Furuichi say that. What's worse was that... she saw no flaw in his logic. "That's a bit cruel of you to say, Furuichi-kun." Everyone looked towards Kunieda. "It's also a bit hypocritical. You said you forbade Yukihime from aiding you in your fight against Jackal, didn't you? Isn't that an example of you protecting your servant?"
"Yukihime isn't my servant. She's my familiar. Henry is a butler. It is his sworn duty to live and die for his master. Yukihime has no such obligation to me. She chose to be my familiar. She was never made, forced, or born into the role. Should she so desire, she can cancel our contract whenever she seems dissatisfied. Besides..." Furuichi looked down at his bandaged arm. "I will be damned before I allow anything to happen to her. I will never allow myself to be so weak, that she is forced to sacrifice herself for me..." Furuichi then gripped his bandaged fist, eyes turning silver, a small amount of his demonic energy turning visible. "Especially not to one of those damnable Zodiacs."
The girls stared at Furuichi. They could tell he was dead serious. As they all stared at the man, all three of them couldn't help but share the same feeling towards Yukihime: jealousy.
Kunieda sighed. "Alright. Anyway, should I handle the rest of Oga-san's treatment?"
"Hah?! And who the hell are you, anyway?! Get lost, ugly!"
Kunieda grew a tick mark, while Furuichi was so surprised, that he actually overly tightened the bandage he was putting over his right bicep. "Ow."
"No, no. It's partially my fault that this happened. So shouldn't I help?"
"Hah?! Just who are you? Ah! You're not the lover of Luciferia's Prince, are you?!"
Kunieda turned completely red, while Furuichi tightened the bandage around his waist hard enough to make him fall to the ground, gripping his now agonizing sides. "L-L-L-L-L-L-LOVER?! I-I-I-I-I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH FURUICHI-KUN! ANYWAY, WHAT ARE YOU?! A DEMON, RIGHT!? ANOTHER DEMON?!"
Saotome sighed. "Sorry for the commotion. We'll be going home soon."
Shouko sweatdropped at the sight as she handed Saotome his tea. "S-Sure."
The sound of the door being opened was heard, and everyone looked to see Furcas. Out of excitement, Lamia and Kunieda literally threw Oga away. She landed... on Furuichi's chest. The two looked each other in the eyes, and blushed brightly when they realized their position.
"What do you think you're doing, you horny prince?!" Lamia kicked Furuichi in the cheek hard enough to make him roll away from Oga.
Furuichi rolled onto the glass door in the living room, slumped over with a steaming swelling on his cheek. "This is becoming an annoying patter. Isn't this some kind of cliché?"
"Anyway, Master, what about Henry-nii-sama?"
"Being ignored, am I?"
"Hm, his condition isn't good, but it isn't life threatening. He's practically in the same condition as the young prince over there. However, much like the prince himself, had the situation dragged on later than it had been, it would have been dangerous."
"Wait a minute." Everyone looked towards the standing Furuichi. "Are you saying Jackal could have killed me?"
"That is exactly what I am saying, Your Majesty." Kunieda and Oga were shocked, but Furuichi looked angry. "I'm not saying anything to make you seem weak. In fact, considering that you still don't have full mastery over your powers, you are still extremely powerful for demon standards. I would put the current you in the A-class."
Furuichi was shocked. "But, a demon like Tyrant is..."
"That man is beyond the S-class. His power is on par with that of even the Deadly Sins themselves. I'm sorry to inform you, but you are still no match for that man at your current level. You're barely a match for Jackal."
"Barely?"
"Jackal may be technically A-class, but he's one of the highest there is in that category. If it was reported that he had even a tiny bit more strength and power than currently recorded, he would easily be considered an S-class." Furuichi was astonished. "I'm sure your wondering how this is possible, especially since you took one of his arms."
"Wait, how did you. . . . You read my mind, didn't you."
Furcas sighed. "I did. I apologize." Furuichi didn't respond. "As for how you were able to wound Jackal as severely as you did, it's because he is extremely reckless. He actually enjoys pain. It's almost like an enhancement drug for him. The more damage he receives, the more serious and dangerous he becomes. He rarely takes his opponent seriously at the beginning, and usually toys with them."
"So that's why he kept going after those humans."
"He believed he was more than powerful enough to kill both you and those humans. However, now that he knows just how powerful you can be, he won't be as reckless. He'll perceive you as an actual threat, and try to seriously kill you next time."
Furuichi didn't respond. He just looked down, thinking of his fight with Jackal. If that was him being reckless, Furuichi could only imagine what kind of a beast he would be if he was serious. Furuichi looked down at his bandaged body. He was actually seriously fighting that insane bastard. The Thirteen Ghosts were supposed to be weaker than the Evil Stars, but Jackal was definitely more powerful than the Stars Furuichi has already killed. At his current level, if Furuichi were to fight Jackal... he would die.
"Well, I guess I need to get stronger then." Now it was Furcas's turn to be silent. "Anyway, you said Henry was potentially in a state as dangerous as mine. I was only able to survive Jackal because he saw Saotome-sensei. What saved Henry?"
"Ah, it was thanks to that young lady's emergency medical care." Kunieda jumped a bit when both Furuichi and Furcas looked at her.
"It's weird how easily you adapted to the situation," Oga said while regaining her composure, only a light blush remaining.
"B-But there wasn't a choice! Henry-san got hurt trying to save me, right? I couldn't just leave him like that."
Saotome began to get up. "I understand your feelings, Kunieda, but it's late. Now that we know the demon butler's condition, we should leave. Besides," Saotome bonked Oga on the head, and began to rub it with his knuckles. "The root of the problem is this little cutie being too weak. Come to school tomorrow, so I can teach you how to use your power properly."
After a short talk with Furcas, Saotome left Oga's house to go home. He then stopped in the middle of a random street. "You need something, kid? You really should be recovering. Jackal's slashes don't heal instantly, not even for Luciferians."
Furuichi was standing right behind Saotome, still wearing nothing but bandages. "I need to know something."
"You want to know if I can teach you."
"Yeah."
"Thought so. As much as I would like to, I can't."
"Why not?"
"Hm, let's compare you to your girlfriend."
Furuichi sighed. "You're not gonna stop calling her that, are you?"
"Nope. Anyway, Oga's situation is different from yours. She has a Demon Lord on her back. She needs to learn how to channel the baby's power. She needs to learn some spells in order to do that, and to also prevent her from becoming a demon herself."
"What?"
"There was a time when the Zebul Spell completely covered her body, right?"
"Yeah. It was during the volleyball match."
"That was a major warning sign. If she uses that power to much without the proper knowledge, she won't be able to go back to being human." Furuichi didn't like that. He wanted Oga to remain human. "I'm planning on teaching her Sealing Techniques to prevent that from ever happening." That part, Furuichi liked.
"Now, for you, the learning process is different. Oga is carrying a Demon Lord on her back, while you yourself are a Demon Lord."
Furuichi's eyes widened in shock. "What?"
"Kid, you're Lucifer's direct descendant, and an awakened one at that. It means you have the potential to become a Demon Lord. Hell, looking at your current level, you might grow powerful enough to even beat the current Great Demon Lord." Furuichi was astonished by that. "But, you don't have that kind of mastery over your own power. Oga needs to learn how to channel demonic energy, which I can easily teach. However, you need to learn how to control it. The only being that can teach a demon how to control it's own energy is another demon. In your case, you need a seriously powerful demon as a teacher. An S-class would be perfect. A demon like... Hm... like..."
"Lilith?" Saotome looked at Furuichi. "Would Lilith do?"
"Oh, so you've met that sexy devil, huh?"
"I have."
Saotome smiled. "Yeah. Lilith is one of the most powerful demons in existence, second only to the Demon Lords themselves. You're gonna love hearing this part: That glasses wearing babe is more than strong enough to kick even Tyrant's ass." Saotome was right. Furuichi loved hearing that. "But, she is your mom's right hand. It's only to be expected."
Furuichi looked down, and smiled. "Yeah. It is." He looked at his right hand, and tightened his grip. "Guess I should get going then, and see her." Furuichi was about to walk away to prepare a meeting with the mighty demon, but was stopped when he felt Saotome place his hand on his shoulder. The two were at least ten feet away from each other, but Saotome reached Furuichi in less than a second... without the half demon sensing him at all.
"Hold on there, kid. Lilith is a pretty strict teacher. She'll dominate your body in the first lesson alone. In your condition, she would put you in a coma for weeks. You still need to heal before you start training."
Furuichi thought about it, and realized Saotome was right. He could tell that Lilith was insanely powerful the moment he first laid eyes on her. In his current condition, he would be slaughtered by her training. Furuichi sighed in defeat. "How long?"
"About a couple weeks or so."
"What?!"
"Hey, don't worry. It's not like Jackal will show up any time soon."
"And how do you know that?"
"Cause he's not a Luciferian." Furuichi raised an eyebrow. "Kid, you ripped his arm off. Demons are fast healers, but they're not that fast. It would take a demon like Jackal a whole month to regrow his arm, maybe even longer. You'll be at full health way before that." Furuichi still didn't look convinced.
"If you're wondering about the other Zodiacs, don't. They have a power complex. They only like to fight strong opponents at their best. There's no way a single Zodiac would ever fight you when your beaten up like a rag doll."
Furuichi was silent for a bit. "You... seem to know a lot about the Zodiacs."
"I've had a few run-ins with them."
"So, you're saying I'm safe?"
"Yup. You get to sit back, relax... and come to school tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"Don't think you're little bruises will exempt you from class. Until your back on your feet, you're just a regular human, which means your a regular student. So, be sure to come to school tomorrow, or I'll give ya a good punch for playing hookie. Now, go home and get some rest." Saotome slapped Furuichi on the back with a laugh when he said that.
"Ow. I don't think slapping my back will help me heal any faster."
"Whatever. See ya at school tomorrow, ya piece of crap."
Furuichi watched as Saotome walked away, then turned around to walk home himself. "See ya tomorrow, teach."
At the same time, Oga was biking Kunieda back to her place.
"Damn! This pisses me off!"
"Sorry. Do you want me to get off?"
"Huh? Not you. Everyone acts like they know everything, and act on their own! This isn't a joke! I keep getting dragged into this crap!"
"So, you really did just pick up that baby?"
"Yeah. I picked him up by the river. I just happened to pick him up, and he liked me. Then he's revealed to be a Demon King, was sent to destroy mankind, and he and his damned butler start living at my house! In the end, this twerp's brother shows up with a bunch of underlings hellbent on killing me! I don't get it! . . . Is what I used to think. The fact is, right now, what pisses me off the most is that I wasn't strong enough to protect anyone. Hell, I wonder if I ever was."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Furuichi. I find out my best friend is not just a half-demon, but the son of Lucifer. What's worse, I find out at the same time that he's been fighting a damned league of assassins by himself... and he didn't trust me enough to tell me. It's like he thought I was too weak to help him. After tonight, I think he might be right."
"Oga, you shouldn't say that."
"Kunieda, you saw what he was fighting. We both did." Kunieda couldn't argue with that. "Also, did you see the look on those guys' faces? They were afraid of the guy Furuichi was fighting. I got my ass handed to me by just one of those guys, and all three of them were afraid of the one guy Furuichi was fighting alone. There's no way I can help him fight those freaks trying to kill him. I couldn't even beat the first demon I had ever fought."
Kunieda was silent.
"I saw him, you know."
"Who?"
"The leader of the group. He calls himself Tyrant."
"You saw the leader of the men trying to kill Furuichi-kun?!"
"Yeah. Dude literally looked like Ganon. . . . But he was no joke. He beat Furuichi... just by flicking him." Kunieda's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe there was anyone that powerful. "What's worse, he almost made Furuichi into some kind of monster."
"Monster?"
"I don't want to explain it. All I can say is... I never want to see it again. That thing? That wasn't Furuichi. It was just a monster. An atrocity. An abomination." Kunieda could hear the fear in Oga's voice. "That moment and today showed me something important: my own weakness. If that wasn't enough, I had to deal with Henry's humbleness. The jerk actually apologized to me, saying it was him who dragged us down, and it was a miracle Baby Beel didn't get hurt. Then there's that bastard with the smug look, that teacher with the bandanna, Saotome, and what's worse of all, THE FACT THAT MY OWN FUCKING BEST FRIEND WON'T TRUST ME WITH HIS BURDENS! HE'S HAD TO DEAL WITH SO MUCH BECAUSE OF ME! WHY WON'T HE LET ME HELP HIM, LIKE HE HAS HELPED ME?! THEY ALL PISS ME OFF!"
Kunieda... smiled. "Yeah. It pisses me off, too. Especially Furuichi-kun."
"You get it, right? I need to get stronger. So strong, that I can make them all shut up. So strong, that I can help Furuichi in his fight, whether he wants my help or not."
"DAH!"
"Oh? You think so too, Baby Beel? Then shout louder!"
"DAH!"
"Hey! That's a nuisance to the neighborhood!"
The two women plus a baby reached Kunieda's home, which was a temple. "So, Oga-san, what do you plan on doing? You said you were going to get stronger. I guess that means you're going to Saotome's place, right?"
"In a word..." Oga crossed her hands in an X shape. "Never. A man has a pride he cannot let go of."
"I-Is that so... but you're a woman, you know."
"Aoi!" The group looked to see Kunieda's grandpa walking towards them. "You delinquent girl. Going around so late at night. What time do you think it is?!"
"Um... well... this is... uh."
"Hm? Wait, I know you. You're the old man that tried to beat up Furuichi."
"Hm? You're the promising young woman who was with that promising young man. What reason are you here?"
"She gave me a ride here."
Oga thought for a bit, and had a dream about beating up Saotome with a Hundred Flowers Chaotic Sakura Punch. "Hey, that offer you gave to Furuichi to get stronger, can I cash in on it?"
"Eh? Oga-san, that's not really a-"
"Oh? Interesting." Ittousai smiled at Oga's request, which made the delinquent smile as well.
"Eh?!" Kunieda had a bad feeling about this situation.
"Master, could you please explain those wounds to me?" Yukihime had a piercing gaze that made Furuichi feel like he was being frozen over.
"I... fought Jackal... and nearly got killed."
Yukihime looked very displeased. She was sitting elegantly on their bed, hands neatly placed on her lap, with her body posed in the most elegantly perfect way possible. Even when angry, she still looked far too beautiful. "Master, do you not know my role as your familiar?"
"Uh... to serve me?"
"And also to protect you. You nullified that duty when you forbade me from aiding you in your battle with Jackal. Look at how wounded you are. It is my objective to protect you, not the other way around."
"But, I didn't want you to get hurt."
"And you believe I would wish to see you wounded?" Furuichi flinched at the question. Yukihime sighed. "Master, as your familiar, I am your shield." She blushed and looked away in an adorably bashful and pure way. "T-Though I will admit that it makes me happy that you care for me so much, it doesn't change our roles. I am meant to protect you. What good is a shield if it has no one to protect?"
Yukihime then felt her master's gentle hands on her shoulders. She looked up and was staring right into her master's eyes. "Yukihime, you're not my shield."
"Eh?"
"If anything, you are my sword. My most beautiful, powerful, and precious blade. I will never allow anything to so much as chip you, let alone break you. I care for you far too much." Yukihime blushed even more at her master's words.
The two didn't realize it at first, but they were edging closer and closer to one another, especially around the lips. Fortunately, or unfortunately on how you look at it, Yukihime realized their situation first. She quickly turned away from her master's tempting lips, blushing. "W-We should get some rest. You need to recover from your wounds."
"Oh, yeah. You're right. I'm a bit tired right now, anyway." Furuichi and Yukihime then got into the bed, with Furuichi snuggling in closer to the beautiful fox girl to get more comfortable. Though they do this every night, Yukihime was more self-conscious than usual because of the near kiss she was about to receive from her master. "Good night, Yukihime."
"G-Good night, Master."
The school day started like usual, only with Yuka bragging about Kanzaki's "fight" for the senior. As per the norm, Tojo was absent. However, both Oga and Kunieda were absent as well. Nene was worried, since Kunieda never missed a day of school, not even at Ishiyama. She got some weird ideas when Furuichi mentioned that she went home with Oga last night.
Saotome just read a text he got from Oga. "Training with Kunieda's grandpa? Well, I guess she isn't too far off the mark. Cutie pie's got quite a bit of luck." A knock was heard. "It's open."
"I finally found you, Saotome Zenjuro."
"Oh? There's an idiot I haven't seen in a while."
"Or rather, Zen-san."
"It's been a long time, Tora. Sit down."
Tora took his seat. "Zen-san, I've been getting into some weird fights. One of them was an actual Death Battle. It was against some guy with a hammer for a left hand. He beat me, badly. If Furuichi wasn't there to save my ass, I'd be dead. Though, Furuichi said the guy was there to kill him in the first place. I didn't want to sit around and let some freak kill my friend, but I also had no idea how outclassed I was. The guy beat me by just slamming me into the ground. What's worse... he didn't take me seriously at first. Hell, I don't think he ever took me seriously. I think he just wanted to get rid of me since I was pissing him off and getting in the way of him trying to kill Furuichi."
"Then, last night, I fought another tough guy. His hits weren't as heavy as the hammer guy, but he was still ridiculously strong. Also, the hammer guy, the guy from last night, and Furuichi all have something in common. They are all able to use this crazy black stuff. Actually, the four-eyes pres was able to do that too, but his was way weaker than Furuichi's and the other two. I wasn't even able to finish my fight. The guy and his friend ran away, saying they sensed some other guy. He said it wasn't a guy named Jackal, but someone else. Before he left, he mentioned that the Jackal guy was fighting someone ridiculously strong. It's when he said the name, 'Black Zodiac', the exact same name Furuichi said to the hammer guy. Even I knew... that the guy this Jackal freak was fighting was Furuichi. Before the guy, who was obviously afraid of this Jackal guy, ran away, he looked right at me. He said he would finish what Hammer was too weak to do."
"And that's my story." Tojo pointed at his bandages and wounds. "These are the reminders of my weakness... and how I failed to help my friend."
Saotome was silent at first, before sighing. "Looks like you were unlucky, being caught up with the demons."
"So, they really were demons, huh?"
"Ho? You understand?"
"I saw it with my own eyes." Tojo looked down, immediately remembering Hammer, and the insane things he was able to do. He especially remembered how he made an arena for himself and Furuichi with one strike to the ground. "No human can do what that freak did."
"Hm, well, it's good that you understand. If that's the case, you shouldn't get involved with them again."
"Sorry, Zen-san, but I can't do that."
"Huh?"
"Furuichi is fighting those freaks. He's obviously strong, but no one should fight that kind of power alone. Even he needs help."
Saotome was silent for a bit. "So, you plan on getting involved, no matter what?"
"Yeah. I want to help Furuichi, whether he wants it or not."
Furuichi sneezed in the classroom. "Oga must be talking about me again."
"Maybe she's talking about how much of a cheat you are, playing with both her and Nee-san's hearts," Nene said while looking out the window.
"Playboy," Chiaki said while pointing her gun at Furuichi.
"Hey! I'm not a playboy! Plus, how can I be cheating on Oga when she and I aren't even dating?!"
Saotome sighed. "I see. In that case, I'll give you a few pointers on how to fight demons. So, don't be rash anymore." Tojo just nodded in acceptance, eagerly looking forward to becoming strong enough to fight alongside Furuichi.
Omake:
In a hidden area of the Demon World, the hideout of the Black Zodiacs was surrounded by thundering clouds, the castle covered by a dark aura that scared away even the toughest of demons. The aura came from the surviving members of the Black Zodiacs, the ones that Furuichi has not yet killed.
In one of the rooms of the foreboding castle, Jackal was sitting on a chair, staring out at the dark sky... and rubbing his still bloody stump that was once his left arm. He was doing this... all while chuckling madly, a viscous smile on his face.
"Well, that's a rare sight." Jackal looked towards the doorway to see a shadowed figure leaning against the doorway. "It's not every day we see you of all people with any kind of wound, let alone a missing limb."
Jackal glared at the figure. "War Maiden."
A lightning strike illuminated the room, showing a gorgeous woman. She was a tall woman, with a lean and fit body. She was currently dressed in blue shorts and a grey muscle shirt that tightly hugged her huge breasts. She did have abs, but they weren't overly muscular. She also had impressively toned arms, and powerful looking legs. She had perfectly tanned skin, that had a bit of a glow in even the tiniest flicker of light. She also had long, flowing, raven black hair that shined even in the darkness. The only thing that shinned more beautifully than her skin or hair were her enchanting, emerald-green eyes.
However, there was something surprising about the beauty. On closer inspection, her face greatly resembled... Oga's. It was the same scenario with Furuichi and Poisoned Dart.
The beautiful woman walked up to Jackal in a seductive way. Believe it or not, it was unintentional. She was just naturally sexy. She bent down in an unintentionally arousing way, allowing her large breasts to swing freely in the air, analyzing Jackal's left arm. "Did our target do that?"
Jackal growled as he looked away from his deadly superior. She was one of the only women in all of Hell that he actually feared. The other two... were the Demon Lords, Leviathan and Lucifer. "What's it to you?"
War Maiden giggled. "How interesting. To think he was this strong already, and his power is only increasing. It's only a matter of time before he reaches my level. I can't wait to fight him. . . . Or maybe, he has already reached that threshold. Maybe I should go see for myself. If he's that strong, I'll fight and kill him. If he's not..." War Maiden took a minute to think, walking around the room, tapping her lip with her finger in a cute manner. "Hmm... I'll just kill him."
When she said that, she got an interesting surprise. Jackal appeared before her, holding his right hand under her chin, looking ready to rip her lower jaw off. "Oiya."
Jackal glared at her with dangerous eyes. "Don't you fucking dare, you bitch. He's my kill. I'm the one who will kill him, not you."
War Maiden stared at Jackal with surprised eyes, blinking twice, before smiling and giggling a bit. "Well, well, this is quite interesting. You want to kill him so badly, that you're actually threatening me. I mean, last time I checked..." Jackal's hand was thrown away, and the Last Ghost was now staring right into a close up, shadowed face; with only glowing green orbs and a crescent moon smile illuminating it. "You were absolutely terrified of me."
Jackal then remembered the absolute terror this woman instilled in him. She wasn't even using any of her demonic energy. She was using pure intimidation. She really was a demon among demons.
Jackal was taken out of his terrified state when War Maiden roughly patted his shoulder, a giant, toothy smile on her face. "Good luck!" With that, she left the room, leaving behind a very terrified Jackal. The Ghost didn't even have the strength to stand anymore. He just fell back onto his chair.
In the corridors of the castle, War Maiden was walking around, listening to the music of the thundering clouds, smiling. She wasn't smiling about how much fun it was to scare Jackal again. She'll never get tired of scaring those fools who think they are stronger than they really are. However, she was happy for another reason.
"Furuichi Takayuki, the son of Lucifer." War Maiden looked out a window in time to witness lighting dancing in the sky, illuminating her beautiful face, her eyes glowing brighter than even the lighting. "I can't wait for our next meeting. I look forward to our fight... My Prince."
A/N: Okay, let's end it here. Wait for my next work guys. Just... don't send me a review that seems like it should be a PM, like asking me when I'll make another One Piece story, 'kay? Just PM me for that kind of crap. PM! That's what it's for. The review button is for reviews, not requests. . . . I'm still not gonna pair Luffy with Cindry, by the way.
