I do not own Highschool DxD.
Issei's assuming of a cross was done with extreme apprehension. He knew that he had to go through with what he was going to say, and that he wanted to do it besides.
Yet he was also, rather understandably, just as nervous as Xenovia had been about coming to Heaven in the first place.
The Jack of Hearts didn't think Michael would hate him for saying what he was about to; hell, he doubted Michael was even capable of hating a person. But the irrational side of his mind was firing on all cylinders, screaming at him to flee.
With everything he had, he fought it down.
The instant he appeared in Zebel, he dropped into the expected bow.
The voice that greeted him, however, was not Michael's. It was not the somewhat soft but extremely friendly voice of the leader of Heaven; instead, it was a deep baritone that made Issei feel as if his very bones were being shaken.
"Rise."
As the brunette did so, his eyes came to rest first on Michael, standing a short distance away. Then, they came to rest on the voice's actual speaker.
Standing off to one side, to the back and left of Michael, was another Angel, this one quite the tall specimen among the species. He was easily a head taller than Michael, his black hair combed straight down in a manner similar to Heaven's leader. His face, however, was nowhere near as gentle as the Archangel's, instead being much rougher in its cut. While not harboring malice, the man's eyes made Issei feel as though he were under a microscope, the brunette suddenly feeling quite exposed.
"So, you are Issei Hyoudou, my sister's Jack?" came his voice again.
"Yes, sir," Issei answered, trying to keep his knees from knocking together.
The man's eyes narrowed for a moment, before returning to their normal state. "I am Uriel, one of the Four Great Seraphim of Heaven. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." The voice was completely dispassionate, free of any positive or negative tones, leaving his feelings on Issei impossible to determine.
This did not help Issei's nervousness in the slightest.
"The pleasure and honor is all mine, Lord Uriel," Issei said, fighting to keep from stammering.
Uriel nodded, before saying a single additional word.
"Michael?"
Heaven's leader nodded and took a half step forward. "I have been told by my sister, your King, that you wish to make a few complaints to me. Speak freely, Issei Hyoudou."
Issei swallowed, blood pounding in his ears. Slowly, very slowly, he took a deep breath, exhaling it just as slowly, tempering his nerves in whatever small way he could.
Then, he began to push the words out of his mouth, each carefully selected, his tone measured, careful and exceedingly deliberate.
"Lord Michael… what I'm about to say isn't about me. You've been better to me than I'd ever believed possible, and I'm thankful for that."
Michael smiled slightly, but was quickly cut off by Uriel. "Get to the point, Issei. Don't try buttering us up."
Issei wanted to give a sharp rebuke to that, but he did not even begin to dare. Instead, he looked Michael in the eyes.
"Lord Michael, I believe you haven't been fair to Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou, or Asia Argento."
Michael's smile turned downwards. "What do you mean?"
"Lord Michael, I understand that you weren't about to indulge Kokabiel in his desire for a war. But… sending Xenovia and Irina after him with just a pair of Excalibur swords was a bad idea. I know, they're both pretty skilled exorcists, I'm not denying that. But consider who they were against – a Fallen Angel cadre. They themselves knew who they were up against, so you must have as well."
"Well, Issei..." Michael began to say, before Uriel once more cut someone off.
"Michael, let the boy talk. He's probably got more to say."
Issei took another deep breath. "What I'm saying, Lord Michael, is that Xenovia and Irina never should have been sent after Kokabiel under any circumstance. Even if you gave them a fully fused Excalibur, they still wouldn't have been able to beat him. I know that there are a few exorcists in the church who could defeat Kokabiel, but Xenovia and Irina aren't those people. One of the Brave Saints would have been a better choice."
Michael's face shifted uncomfortably, while Uriel's expression was unreadable.
"And Xenovia?" Issei continued. "She's been exiled by the church, all because Kokabiel told her that God is dead. She didn't deserve to be treated that way. She didn't do anything wrong. And Irina knows about God's death, too, and yet she hasn't been exiled. She's potentially on her way to sainthood. How is that at all fair? Besides that, she's the current wielder of Durandal. I must say, sir, it seems... reckless to cast that person out. She might wind up holding a grudge and decide to retaliate against the church."
Issei's heart was trying to burst through his ribs as his mouth tried to keep from stammering his next words. He was sure this was the shakiest part of his argument, and was hoping that it could stand up to some scrutiny.
"As for Asia… yes, she's been made a Brave Saint. I get that. But then again, she was only made a Brave Saint after she had been excommunicated and humiliated by the church, which had basically exploited her since she was little because of her Sacred Gear. And even then, she was nearly murdered by Fallen Angels for that same Sacred Gear. That I happened to intervene was just dumb luck. She never should have been put in that situation."
Michael nodded slowly, his eyes sad. "And your second complaint, Issei?"
The brunette's jaw clenched, trying not to let a hint of anger come through his voice; even though he'd felt nothing upon her death, he still could not think of Raynare without hearing her sneering voice the night she had killed him.
"You never should have let that Fallen Angel live. Not after what she tried to do to Asia."
Both Seraphs took note of Issei very noticeably leaving out any mention of what Raynare had done to him.
"She wound up as Kokabiel's minion, and she's the one who wound up using the swords. According to Rias Gremory's Knight, she killed the priest you sent to Kuoh to scout things out. She's the one who hurt Irina."
His voice became slightly more aggressive at the last sentence, something both Seraphs also noticed.
"And if you're wondering, she's dead now. I killed her, but I shouldn't have had to. She never should have been set free. All of the Brave Saints I talked to agreed with me on that, and so did my King."
Issei took yet another deep breath, feeling some release; while he had no idea what the reactions of the two Seraphs would be, at least the saying was over and done with. The words were now out in the open, where he could not second-guess saying them.
"I am finished, Lord Michael."
Michael sighed, but Uriel was the one to speak.
"May I, Michael?"
Heaven's leader nodded, a gesture which Uriel returned.
"Well, to start, Issei, I want to congratulate you on having the nerve to come up here and say what you did. I'll even say that I agree with a lot of what you have said."
His tone hardened an almost imperceptible degree.
"However, Issei Hyoudou, in the interest of the "fairness" you so advocate, allow me to answer some of your complaints."
Uriel moved off the wall and took a few steps over towards Issei, coming to a stop next to Michael.
"As far as your point about the exorcists goes, I agree. Sending those two young ladies after a leader-class Fallen Angel could be very generously described as a "poor decision"." As he said this, he shot a disapproving look at Michael, whose eyes looked downwards. A moment later, Uriel's eyes returned to Issei.
"However, Issei, your point about the Brave Saints is completely incorrect. We did send a Brave Saint after Kokabiel the moment he chose to get involved. That Brave Saint is standing right in front of us, and he mishandled the situation as well."
Uriel put his hand up as Issei's mouth started to move, instinct working to put up a verbal defense. "We have heard you without interruption, Issei. Now you will hear me. As I was saying, Issei, you mishandled the situation. While you did an excellent job dealing with the Devils and put up a surprisingly good fight against Kokabiel, given the circumstances, you missed something quite critical. Do you know what that is?"
Issei nodded. "I failed to gather reinforcements when I had the chance."
Raphael returned the nod. "When you brought the injured exorcist here, you met with one of the Seraphim. If you had given him thirty seconds of explanation, Raphael likely would have sent his entire deck along with you, and this young woman's heartache might have been averted. By running off without telling us anything useful, you're partly at fault for that as well."
The brunette affirmed his understanding of this, not mentioning that Gabriel had already torn into him for this.
"In addition to that, Issei… you're not really being fair to Michael, ironically. While I do agree that that Fallen Angel didn't deserve a second chance, you have to understand Michael's view. This Fallen Angel, from what I've been told, was missing most of one hand and had none of her powers or lifespan. One could put forward a decent argument that she was not even worth killing at that point. After all, Issei, for all our power… we aren't clairvoyant. We didn't know that Kokabiel was going to pull his little stunt."
Uriel sighed. "And of course, Issei, one has to consider the implications of why Asia Argento and Xenovia Quarta were exiled. You must know how rocky things are for Heaven with God dead, and how damaging it would be to Heaven to lose the faith of humans. Having a Saint heal a Devil might affect that, and as much as I wish to believe the best of her, the secrets of humans don't tend to stay that way.
The Seraph nodded. "You may respond."
Issei took another breath, his mind racing to come up with a counterargument, drawing on his reading of the Bible to do so.
"Lord Uriel, Lord Michael, I understand that. But at least with regards to Asia… well, you could easily spin that the other way. Instead of saying that she's a sinner because she has the ability to heal a Devil… use at as proof of God's benevolence or something. Say that he loves everyone so much that he allowed his healing-based Sacred Gears to work on anyone, because he didn't want to see anyone suffer. From what I've heard from the Seraphs, that's not far off from how he actually was..."
Michael and Uriel looked at one another, a flicker of amusement shooting through the latter's eyes. Issei, of course, could not see that detail as he continued.
"As far as Xenovia, she's a more complicated situation, but… really, it's a moot point, because God's not dead at all."
Michael looked at Issei, incredulous. "What are you saying, Issei?"
Uriel just chuckled, and Issei suddenly realized the Seraph knew exactly where Issei was going with this argument.
After another deep breath to try and steel his crumbling nerves, Issei kept going.
"I'm saying, Lord Michael, that God can't die. It's impossible, because God isn't a person. It's a title. You said it yourself, that first time you were training me with fire magic – you're currently acting as God. God's just the title granted to whoever's at the center of Heaven's system, and right now, that's you, because the original being who bore that title died. Heck, you put me at the center of the system, and I become God."
Issei put his hands up as Uriel chuckled once more. "Terrible idea, of course, and unless I'm literally the last Angel in Heaven, don't ever do it for any reason, but the point stands. Technically, this entire lie is pointless. God is still alive – he's standing right in front of me. Sure, he's not the original one, but he's still God, effectively."
Michael sighed. "You presume much, Jack of Hearts. I am no replacement for my father."
"But you're the closest thing Heaven has to him," Issei countered. "There's no one in Heaven more fit to run the system than you, and that makes you God. Hey, if you're going to lie to the church about the death of the original God, how much of a stretch would it be to switch that lie to instead be about the nature of God? It might save a bit of heartache for future Saints, and it's not like anybody knows about it except higher-ranking players of the Devil, Fallen Angel and Angel factions anyway, along with a few higher-ups of the church."
All were silent for several moments, before Uriel started to chuckle once more.
"Issei Hyoudou. You certainly have laid down quite the interesting case. However..."
The Seraph suddenly spread his wings, all twelve of them glowing brilliantly as a sword formed in his hand.
Issei's heart proceeded to start doing laps around his stomach as it was suddenly pointed directly at his throat.
"You do realize that what you've just said could be described as blasphemy, given that it's technically a violation of the Second Commandment? And that we could easily justify casting you out of Heaven for it?"
Issei's heart stopped.
For all his reading of the Bible, he hadn't even been thinking about one of the most basic elements of the very religion he was supposed to help spearhead.
Issei, for all the things he found wrong with Heaven, did not wish to be cast from it. Even if he did not agree with much of church policy, he still wished to remain as an Angel. He still wanted to be able to come to Heaven, to spend time with his fellow Saints and enjoy their company, to work with them and learn from them.
Griselda, Mirana and Asia… they were practically sisters to him at this point, while Dulio was the best older brother Issei could have ever asked for. Gabriel, his King, was a woman who'd, out of pity, given him a new lease on life, literally and euphemistically.
He also did not want to be separated from Irina. He and his childhood friend had struck up quite a friendship in the last week, and Issei was started to feel twinges of something else as well. But if he was cast from Heaven now, she would be forced to reject him… if she would even have to be forced.
The Jack, however, refused to show any of those fears to Uriel, at least in his mind. Instead, he faced the Seraph's sword without flinching.
Uriel, of course, was rather perceptive, and easily saw the fear hidden behind the teenager's brown eyes. Yet he still felt some respect for his sister's Jack despite that, simply for not immediately cracking. In truth, he had no intention of swinging the sword or indeed even touching Issei Hyoudou, nor of casting him from Heaven.
Issei, for his part, kept his face unemotional, and, with all the remaining bit of strength his fried nerves could muster, his tone as well.
"And if you'd throw me out of Heaven because I'm willing to voice a view that isn't popular, even if it's true… then you're not worth following anyway."
Even as the words came out, Issei knew they had to sound halfhearted, which came through clearly to both Michael and Uriel. Both Seraphs could tell that whatever he might say, Issei wanted desperately to keep his place in Heaven.
Uriel shrugged. "Well, then, Issei… as you'd have it."
Issei's face cracked, showing a tiny sliver of fear, but he refused to allow himself to start begging.
As he did so, Uriel started to laugh, leaving Issei quite confused. The laughter started low, before slowly escalating into a bellowing, uproarious tone, deep enough that it seemed to shake Issei's very soul.
Then, as suddenly as it had formed, the sword disappeared, as did Uriel's wings, before the Seraph turned to Michael, a half-smile on his face.
"He's rough, Michael, but he passes."
Michael seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief, before Issei jumped on this, his words now jumbled. "Wait, passes? I… wait, what…?"
Uriel turned to look at him, that smile widening even more. "Issei Hyoudou, do you remember the description you were given of that little "evaluation" by my sister? The first part?"
Issei's mind instantly jumped back to when Gabriel had appeared in his room to tell him of that little event.
"Wait… the interview?"
Uriel nodded. "Indeed."
Issei blinked once.
Then a second time.
"...that was the interview, wasn't it?"
Another nod.
"I… I didn't even know! I wasn't ready for-"
"Obviously," Uriel said, shrugging. "That was the entire point. What better interview than one where the client isn't aware they're being evaluated?"
Issei's head started jerking from left to right, scanning the room, trying desperately to sense any other presences.
"Issei..." Michael said, his tone concerned, "...what are you doing?"
"Was this whole thing broadcast to all the Seraphs and higher-ranking Angels?" Issei demanded. "Am I on camera right now for all of Heaven to laugh at?!"
Uriel chuckled once more. "No, Issei. Not at all. To be honest with you, I was the only one who was pushing for this interview to begin with, and I would have been the one to conduct it, anyway. You may have noticed that I did most of the talking. Because I am, apparently, the only Seraph who values the ability of our Saints to resolve problems without picking up a sword." He shot a teasing glance at Michael.
Michael just gave a humph and looked away.
Issei, on the other hand, wasn't quite finished.
"So," Issei said, his voice a much colder tone than before, "did any of what I said actually get taken seriously?"
Uriel's smile disappeared, his response quite reassuring to the Jack of Hearts. "Yes, Issei, your words have been heard." He looked at Michael once more. "And whatever my thoughts and feelings are on some of his points, I must firmly come down on his side. You have made errors, Michael, and there are several things you must do to rectify them."
"Such as?" Michael replied, his tone now quiet and accepting.
"I'll let Issei give his thoughts first, to see how reasonable what he asks is," Uriel said.
Both of the Seraph's eyes turned towards Issei, who took a deep breath, trying to recoup his shattered nerves.
"Lord Michael… what I'd ask is that you at least apologize to both Irina and Xenovia for sending them against Kokabiel, and to Asia for letting her suffer the way she did. And beyond that… give Xenovia back her place in the church. Please. If you don't do anything else, do that, at least. Swear her to whatever secrecy you need to."
Uriel looked at Issei. "I notice that you haven't once mentioned what this Fallen Angel did to you. You won't ask for anything for yourself?"
Issei shook his head. "I already have my closure, Lord Uriel. I killed that Fallen Angel. There's nothing more to be done about it. And while I don't agree with your reasoning, Lord Michael… I can at least understand it."
The Seraphs chewed on this, before Uriel turned his head to look at Michael once again.
"Well, that's a remarkably fair set of demands, I think. Four things and all quite simple, easily within your power."
Michael nodded slowly. "Issei Hyoudou, I accept your complaints, and I shall do as you have asked. Though, I must ask… where is Xenovia Quarta now?"
Issei looked the leader of Heaven directly in the eyes as he said his next words.
"She's in First Heaven, visiting the Queen of Hearts."
Uriel's face turned back into a grin. "You really have thought ahead, haven't you, Jack of Hearts? Though I'd have to guess that this little demand isn't what you put on the form."
Issei's head shook, then bowed. "If you wish to punish me for that, Lord Uriel, I'll accept whatever you deem appropriate."
Uriel shook his head. "No need. If she really is here to visit the Queen of Hearts, then you haven't actually lied. You just had a secondary motive."
With that, the black-haired Seraph turned and took several steps away from both of them.
Then, he stopped once more.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Issei Hyoudou, I have two small pieces of advice for you."
"Yes, sir?"
Uriel's head half-turned, until it was in profile in Issei's vision. "Stop fighting your Longinus."
Issei blinked. "Sir… I'm afraid I… I don't understand."
Uriel sighed. "Issei, I'm saying you need to stop treating it like it's a secondary thing, to be ignored whenever possible and used as a backup when not. The Boosted Gear, if you put the effort in to master it, could easily be the only weapon you need."
"Lord Uriel, I-"
"I think I can guess why you don't. You want to prove you don't need it and can serve as well as any Saint without it?"
After a moment, Issei nodded slowly.
"Well, Issei," Uriel said, "if that's your thought process, there's someone you should think about any time that crosses your mind."
"Who, sir?"
Uriel chuckled. "Dulio Gesualdo, Michael's Joker. Realize, Issei, that he holds very little skill in any combat method other than his Longinus. And yet he is the only reincarnated Angel to bear ten wings. He is quite intelligent, certainly, but brains alone would never get him to his current standing. Dulio's total mastery of Zenith Tempest is the only weapon he bears, and look at him. That could easily be you, if you put as much effort into your Boosted Gear as you do your other skills."
"Sir, isn't it better to have a variety of skills to work with?"
"Oh, it certainly doesn't hurt, but the Boosted Gear holds numerous secrets. If you can learn to extract those abilities, the additional skills could easily come to play the role the Boosted Gear does now – augments for your Longinus, not the other way around."
Uriel's face pulled into a final grin. "The Longinus is a wonderful gift, Issei. Make use of it."
"And the other bit of advice, sir?"
"Study your Bible some more."
He disappeared towards the Seraph's personal chambers.
Once his brother had gone, Michael simply pointed downwards.
"Shall we, Issei Hyoudou?"
Issei realized only when they arrived near the entrance of First Heaven that he hadn't actually specified where in First Heaven Xenovia was. Michael, of course, had not made any assumptions about where they needed to go, and had defaulted to the gate.
And of course, as soon as they landed, every Angel in a one hundred foot radius bowed down.
Issei was legitimately unsure if he should follow suit.
"Rise, everyone," Michael called, his voice easily reaching the ears of every Angel outside at the moment. "Carry on, please."
Once the Angels had done so, Michael turned to Issei.
"Where is Xenvoia, Issei?"
Issei gulped. "Uh… the Hearts building, last time I checked..."
Michael gave a slight smile. "Well then, let us go."
Issei fully expected Michael to assume the shape of a cross at those words, but he did not. Instead, he spread his twelve wings.
His twelve golden wings.
It was not until a few seconds had passed that Issei realized he was staring, and he began to apologize. "My apologies, Lord Michael… just… never seen you with your wings out..." Issei's voice steadily dropped in volume the further along the sentence he got.
Michael's only response was a light chuckle. "I don't get to spread my wings nearly often enough. Would you mind joining me?"
Issei nodded, revealing his four wings. "It would be my honor, Lord Michael."
The jaunt, of course, was a short one; with the ability to fly, the half-mile walk to the Hearts building from the gate was reduced significantly, being over in less than three minutes.
Issei, however, still greatly enjoyed it, as he always enjoyed it. He'd never admit it for fear of appearing immature but he absolutely loved flying.
Unbeknownst to him, Heaven's leader took a similar giddy joy in flight.
Upon landing near the building, Michael hid his wings from view without an instant of ceremony, instead simply indicating toward the door.
"After you, Jack of Hearts."
Steadily, as they walked down the hall, Issei's ears were met by the sound of female voices, laughing and joking.
To his relief, he could hear Xenovia's uncharacteristically joyful voice among them.
Step by step, stride by stride, Issei approached the group of women he could hear, their voices growing louder with every step.
After what felt like an extremely long walk, despite it being no more than fifty feet or so, the Seraph and the Jack rounded the corner, and were confronted by Gabriel, all of her Saints, and Xenovia.
Issei was immediately sent into a shock.
"Ah, Michael," Gabriel said, a hint of a grin tugging at her lips. "And what brings you here?"
"Gabriel, I-" Michael started to say before his eyes fell on Xenovia. Then, he suddenly stopped short, his eyes slightly widening.
Gabriel, in the meantime, casually walked to him and gestured towards Xenovia.
"Are you just going to stand there slack-jawed, or are you going to say hello to my newest Saint?"
From Xenovia's back spread two Angel wings, above her head was a circle of light, and on the back of her right hand was a bright, burning 10.
And cut.
And thus we pass the 100,000 word mark. I couldn't have done it without your tears to fuel me, thank you all so much.