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FICTION

High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.

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Chapter 22: The King, the Trickster, and the Singer

I could barely remember what happened before I fell unconscious.

My brain was still hurting for some reasons, and my memories of the recent events were scattered in a confused order.

I could remember a big fight. I could remember losing to said big fight.

And I remember that something strange had happened just as I lost hopes of winning.

…

But right now, while I knew that remembering these circumstances was important, my attention was directed at the confusing setting I just wound up to.

Pure oblivion. I was floating in the middle of pure nothingness.

I glanced around, my eyes going wide open at the lack of noise and sight. Dread entertained my features as I desperately tried to get hold of what was going on.

A blink… then two.

I felt the world around me shifting while the silence was broken by some calm humming.

My entire body went still as I suddenly started to fall. The pace was frighteningly swift, and I gritted my teeth as I tried to reach for something- anything that could've stopped that deadly development.

But I was given nothing… except confusion.

I felt my feet impact first on the 'ground', my eyes closing instinctively as I braced for the arrival, but quickly opening in utter shock as I noticed that something was off.

No pain. My legs felt fine and… I couldn't see any injury on my body at the abrupt relocation.

Instead I could see that the setting had severely changed. Gone was the shapeless darkness that had surrounded me for Gods know how long, and now I found myself glancing around at the wooden shelves standing tall over the large room.

Hovering candles illuminated the entire place, providing me with the chance of studying more of this bizarre setting. The few windows I could see from my current position were closed shut, the locks having been applied from within.

Ultimately I concluded that the large room had been divided in an ordered system of aisles, all assigned to host various objects that at first sight didn't look the usual kind of merchandise for a simple shop.

It took me a moment to finally come up with the adequate name for such a composition, having been in a place like this just once. It was an-

"Emporium."

My head snapped at the strangely familiar voice and I found myself locking stare onto the only other individual in this strange place.

Standing behind the simple counter of this activity, a lone man glanced back at me with red eyes. Inquisitiveness was laced in amusement and calm, quite the odd combination considering the ominous appearance created by his inhuman appearance.

He would've looked like a normal human if not for his white hair making his presence stand out even more from any simple mortals. Wearing a formal set of clothes that I could remind me of what nineteenth century British gentlemen were known to wear during important sessions of their lives, both jacket, shirt, and pants looked fairly dusty and the top hat that the man was donning looked as if it had been clawed at by some dangerous monster.

I kept quiet as I tried to understand why I felt like I had met this person before. The man didn't have the patient to indulge my curiosity, merely shaking his head in a condescending manner as he prepared to speak.

"I suppose I should've expected this much silence from you. I can be quite dazzling when I wish to," The individual stated dully. "But please, keep watching. I will never get tired of some prostration if you truly wish to honor my name."

Blinking, I felt my mind finally reacting at the absurdity around me. This 'emporium'-

"I chose this spot because it reminds me so much of something I tried to do back when Big G had yet to declare war on me and my new realm," He interrupted my thoughts with his words. "It always enticed my mind to be the shopkeeper, to offer unusual products to my clients and see their reactions. It was mostly fright but it was all in the name of good pranking."

"This is my mind."

He sighed at my curt affirmation.

"Close but… technically incorrect," The stranger replied calmly. "This is part of your mind. A small section that is relatively close to where your mindscape is located, but still detached from it because of me."

He looked at me with a frown. "By the way, you remember who are you talking to, right? I don't want to deal with any amnesia, short- or long-term it might be."

I blinked at the pressing, but I narrowed my eyes at him as I remembered more about that unpleasant fight with Rizevim.

"You're not Lucifer," I quickly accused and I was regaled with a scandalized look from the dapper Devil.

"What do you mean I'm 'not Lucifer'?" He looked incredibly… aggravated by this. "Sure, I hated when dad decided that 'Heliel' wouldn't do anymore because I wasn't an Angel to him and the rest of the world, but I took it as a challenge to make it my greatest title! To show him how easy it was for me to turn a punishment in a glorious reward."

He looked fairly incensed, but he was also distracted by these very memories since he looked ready to go through a massive rant.

And that, I really didn't want to be subjected to. Especially when I was still trying and failing to grasp at the situation at hand.

"I mean, how the hell would you even be here to begin with?"

Surely there was no way that I went to a place that supposedly held the bastard. I would've noticed something was off if it had been when I started my career in Grigori.

Could it be the result of something happening before my insert? Doubtful. While the 'original' Hoitsu was pretty unusual with his reclusive nature, the guy had never went out of Kuoh Town in his 'limited' life.

'Lucifer' stared annoyingly at me for a couple of seconds as he digested my nonchalance at his own irritation. Then he sighed tiredly at me and turned his attention to… a metallic cube.

It had various decorative elements that made it stand out from a Rubik Cube and… I felt paling as I recognized it.

Ignoring my shocked expression, the man took it in his hands and… started to clean it with a piece of cloth.

I stared silently at the scene, my brain going blank at the fact that I was staring at the original Lucifer seemingly lost in polishing a Lament Configuration.

"I can't really offer you an explanation as of yet," The Devil admitted with a grimace. "Think of it as a situation where the less you know, the higher the chances of you not getting killed by some paranoid Azazel will be."

...What?!

"What do you mean with Azazel killing me?"

"While Azzie strayed away from his previous diligent-driven attitude that he was known for back in Heaven, I can say for sure that he would go ballistic at the first hint of one of his underlings currently harboring the very element that could spark the War again by mere presence," The white-haired man explained. "And by killing you, he would also end me. Which is bad for me… and bad for the world as a whole."

What- WHAT?

"Care to make sense… Sir?"

"Nope," He bluntly rebuked with an impassive note. "I don't think I will. Especially with how rude you've been towards me."

I frowned at that denial. "You can't be serious! You said that you were going to explain things-"

"And I will once you make the right questions," Lucifer interjected with a huff. "Come on, you can't just expect me to be a servant at your whim. Just because you've died and been reborn in this world, it doesn't make you privileged in knowing everything, Tommy-Boy."

…

…

No. Maybe I heard him wrong-

"Tommaso, Tomas, Tommy, Tom and… I think Tom-Tom would be wrong to say, and I think I made my point clear enough," The silver-haired Devil continued without giving me any reprieve at the earthquakes caused by that revelation. "It was your name before you got hit by that truck. You were trying to push your sister away from getting hit-"

"Stop-"

"And you managed to do so. She survived. In fact, I bet she still thinks about you- about how it was ultimately her negligence in keeping watch over her own surroundings that got you to die-"

"Enough-"

"Then your mother started to spiral in depression, your father unable to get her to leave your old room. Maybe she hoped that her sonny would suddenly wound up safe and sound, to prove that he wasn't dead as she had been told by her distraught daughter-"

"ENOUGH!"

The entire building started to shake in tandem with my fury. This was escalating way too quickly and way too painfully for me to keep quiet about.

Lucifer or not, this bastard was crossing the line by a long mile.

I tried so hard to not think about them-

It's not a problem if you walk with me to the mall?

And I really-

Keep your eyes on the road.

REALLY-

WATCH OUT!

Didn't need to think about this very topic.

My brain was hurting again, but my anger worked well in suppressing whatever ache my mind was clenching against.

Instead of showing either annoyance or surprise at my outburst, the man merely stared at me with clear amusement. It was like he had expected this instance, and he was endeared by how flawlessly this reaction had rushed out of me.

"Indeed. I think this is more than enough," The individual replied politely. "I suppose an apology is in order… but I think I will delay it for just a tiny question."

Glaring at him, I felt my body burst with energy as I was mere moments from rushing at him. Gone was self-preservation, my annoyance had long broken the limitations imposed by logic.

"How do you think I'm aware of this?" He inquired with a placid tone. "How do you… think that such a powerful secret ended up in my lap?"

"You have read my mind and-"

"No no," He said while waving his index at me, reinforcing that I was wrong with that thought.

But it couldn't have been otherwise. This was the first time I was facing someone like him, this was the first time I met him.

Heck, I wouldn't even recognize the real Lucifer considering how inconsequential it was in Canon. The plot was very limited when discussing about his presence and influence over the world after the creation of the Underworld and the initiation of the War between Hell and Heaven.

But the more I tried to get other answers out of that predicament, the more I felt the answer was plastered on his face. He was staring intensely at me, as if I was-

…

No. It wouldn't be that- but how- and why?!

"We haven't met before now."

He nodded. "That's correct."

"So there's no way that I was the one telling you this."

He tensed a little bit and… shook his head. "Not truly. Context is key and I really can't offer the why that 'encounter not encounter' happen."

I facepalmed at that. "How the fuck am I supposed to understand if you're skewering any chances I got by pleading the Fifth at all turns?"

"I'm not the interrogator," The Devil hummed mirthfully, yet he soon displayed some serious pondering. "but then again, I used to think a lot about how my life came to be like… this. Perhaps I should've just told Big G that a garden would've been nicer instead of accepting the throne to Earth."

"What?!"

"Oh, come on," Lucifer scowled. "You mean to tell me that you never noticed that the Bible itself mention that I'm the king of the world? How do you think I almost got through with getting Jesus to surrender his 'naivety' to me?"

"I thought it was- I mean, you're supposed to be a trickster! How the fuck am I-"

"Stop, stop… stop," He said, taking a moment of silence before sighing. "Tricksters are meant to be neutral. Chaotic? Yes. But chaos is also something that live by standards. And we both know that since we trick people on a normal basis."

"I'm not-"

"Please, I wasn't referring to the silly notion that you are like me, you insufferable moron," Lucifer interjected fiercely. "I was the brightest Angel, my wife is the hottest thing in this world, my family is doing mostly alright and… you are a kid that ended up in a theater of war far beyond the 'little scuffle' I had with pops."

I glared at him again at the early bits of his response, but then I found myself pausing over his last words.

"A war?"

"A big one. One that we might end up losing… again," Lucifer admitted grimly. "Which is why I need you to not tell anyone about my presence and keep quiet about the few things I can tell you about."

"Why?"

… "Uh?"

"Why are you here? Why would you need me to win this war? Why not Azazel, Michael or-"

"All options are kind of stale. It's not like I wasn't thinking about how many worthy warriors I could've relied on… but they are all tied to factions, to large and cumbersome ideas that just would make any efforts to convince them of my genuineness fruitless and detrimental."

"Issei, Vali, Rias- Heck, why not Rizevim since he's your son."

"Kind of awkward to stick to women considering that said women are subject of plenty of lewd moments," Lucifer explained, nodding as he contemplated about it. "The pervy Dragon is similar, and it's mostly about him being unreliable as a subtle person about big plots. He would confess to it to the closest being with the biggest chest."

I stared at him for a long time, expecting for a continuation of the response but… he kept silent.

"And?"

He sighed, sporting a reluctant look. "And I really don't want to bring in my family in danger. It was the only promise I managed to snatch out of Big G was to keep them away from any repercussions after the War, and I don't plan to get them in danger when the big trouble comes here."

"But why… me?"

I blinked, my voice faltering as I felt my entire self getting pulled away from the place.

"W-Wha-"

"It seems like you're close to wake up. While you got quite the beating from Rizevim, I dare to say that the damage was dealt with thanks to the Phoenix's tear," Lucifer pointed out dryly. "I dare say that you got a couple hours of sleep and a fuckton of surprises waiting on the other side."

"But what about-" I started to float for a moment and then soar up.

The man shook his head while he kept looking at me.

…

"And he's gone… I wonder if I should tell him about the real reason why I stuck to him," Lucifer mumbled quietly. "I wonder how he would react if I said to him that he found me first."

But for now, it will remain just a thought in that endless sea of confusion.

My body felt incredibly sore as I finally woke up from that strange encounter.

At first I thought that it was the results of fighting in critical conditions that had left me somewhat drained from the experience. But then I noticed that there were two distinct weights pushing me onto the mattress.

My eyes carefully adjusted at the dim lights coming from the bedside, and my attention quickly locked onto the two sleeping individuals cuddling close to me.

Kunou was clutching my right arm tightly as she kept her left cheek pressed on my chest. The Kitsune seemed incredibly tired from the fact that her face had such a somber look.

On my chest, much to my surprise and instantaneous worry, I found a certain Sprite Dragon straddling onto the shirt of my Pjs. Kimiko was shivering just a little bit, two silent lines of tears flowing down her face as she seemed to be facing a nightmare.

Blinking, I carefully found that I could only move my left arm with the way I was settled on the bed. Quietly but quickly, I had my hand reach for the top of her head as I started to scratch a little bit.

The familiar went tense for a moment, and I could tell that whatever frightening scene had caused this terrible reaction out of my fiery girl, I knew that it was quickly dissipating.

I felt relief washing over my entire self as I noticed the Sprite Dragon snuggle closer to my chest, prompting a smile to appear on my face. I leaned a little bit forward, placing my lips over her scaly forehead and landing a quick peck.

A suave 'Kiii~' vibrated over my body. I almost let out a soft snort at the scene, but my amusement was cut short as I turned to the side and… noticed a pair of bright golden eyes staring at right at me.

Kunou was giving me a wide-eyed expression. Yet she was quiet, as if expecting for this very development to turn in a dream rather than reality.

I blinked at her, a curious look plastered on my visage as I finally spoke up.

"Good morning, Ku-chan," I muttered softly, smiling as the girl's foxy ears twitched attentive at the sudden words.

The blonde stared in silence for a little longer, but then she made a step to see if this was real or not.

"Niichan, are you..."

"I'm awake," I continued calmly. "And clearly alive."

She blinked, leaning a little bit forward and… pressing her forehead by my cheek.

"Really?"

Frowning at the curt query, I nuzzled at her. "Pretty sure about that, imouto."

"Baraqiel-san said you almost died."

…

"I almost did," I confessed softly. "Got quite the scare and the beating. But I'm still up and feeling mostly well."

A smile finally appeared on her face.

"I told him that my Niichan is too strong," Kunou pointed out cutely. "And I was right."

I sighed happily. "Yep."

The next couple of hours were quite slow. Starting from the fact that I had to wake up the clingy Kimiko without sparking some fright out of her, to the point where I had to recollect every single word I got from Lucifer and ponder what I was meant to do with these details.

Despite it being an important topic that I had to treat as quickly as I could with a serious mindset, I decided to give priority to the current morning situation.

Trying to get Kimi-chan to stop with her nibbling and biting as to check that I was really awake and that it wasn't a dream proved to be both hilarious and kind of painful.

The bites were restrained and I hardly felt her sharp teeth coming close to press to much in my arms, but I could feel the intensity building up with the continuous affectionate efforts turning quite difficult to handle.

Thankfully the fiery girl calmed down as I was done with the bathroom and she was allowed to settle by her comfy position. Inside my shirt with her head nuzzling constantly under my chin.

It was her favorite spot, and one that made me think of Kimiko as a little child trying to stay the closest possible to their parents. In this case, by keeping close to me, she could easily watch over her 'Papa' whenever I went.

Once I greeted Baraqiel while I was settling down today's breakfast by the table, I noticed that the man was holding what looked to be a sturdy modest-sized box in his right hand.

I inquired about it, and the only answer I got in return was that it was meant for me. I frowned deeply when he also mentioned that it was a reward from Azazel for 'being an utter idiot and face certain death… and surviving hit by sheer dumb luck'.

As I went to open the tiny crate, I stopped at the sight revealed to me as I removed the upper section. I reached for the tube-like object in there and froze in surprise at what I was holding onto.

I activated the hilt of what turned to be a lightsaber. And no, I wasn't referring to one similar to the one I had lost. This one… it had a slimmer appearance. The classic DxD lightsaber had that 'saber' element that made its name genuinely legitimate.

But right now, the one I now had in my possession, was clearly the fruit of Azazel's fascination for stronger equipment and him being a geek over Star Wars.

And I wasn't complaining. The thing seemed to burn brighter than the one I had to destroy and there were numerous 'bigger batteries' to fuel the device for a long time.

Ignoring this little parenthesis were I had to put my entire self from not gawk like an idiot over the absurdly powerful and undeniably good gift from the Governor-General, I expected for the remainder of the day, and hopefully of the entire week, to go uneventful for a curious novelty coming from Baraqiel.

The Fallen Angel mentioned that Azazel was going to publicly visit Kuoh Town to check on the Grigori's garrison in there. And that I was going to be assigned as part of the Garrison for the time being considering my availability in the area.

With that thought in mind, I was quite surprised when, as I prepared the last few things I needed to put in my school bag, the doorbell gave two quick rings.

I paused in minor confusion at the known noises, and I went to check myself at the door while Kunou finished preparing her own bag.

The very moment I opened the door, I half-expected Koneko and Akeno waiting there to make a surprise visit. Instead, I found myself quickly pulled in a hug by a familiar individual that was neither the dark-haired young woman, nor the silver-haired kohai.

With my eyes widening and my body tensing up in visible shock, I could only give a nod at the placid expression Tiamat was giving me a couple of meters away. Ingvild giggled as I finally wrapped my arms around her waist.

Did I miss something? And how big of a thing did I miss?!

The girl leaned back a bit and sported a polite smile. "Good morning, Hoitsu-kun."

It was fluent Japanese. I found myself blinking in surprise at that.

"M-Morning," I blurted quietly, my brain finally recovering from the surprised. "Ingvild, I… I wasn't told that you-"

"The Governor-General has decided to settle both Lady Leviathan and Tiamat in Kuoh Town," Baraqiel interjected as he approached the doorstep. "It was a decision that stems from the fact that Rizevim has shown interest in Ingvild. By keeping her in this part of Japan it would make things difficult for any other attackers trying kidnap her again."

"And I'm living close to Hoitsu-kun," The girl added with a bright note pending by her smile. "I'm still a little nervous that I might… not fit well. While I did study Japanese a lot since I left Germany, I'm not sure that I'm that good."

"You are fluent," I remarked positively. "And you shouldn't be nervous about it. Also, did you get enrolled in Kuoh Academy?"

My sudden question erupted from the very moment I noticed that she was wearing the standard uniform to the school.

She nodded. "Azazel said that it would've been good for me if I lived like others my age do and… I always wondered how school worked."

"It will be a little bit tough because of the homework, but I will offer you all the help you need," I assured kindly and Ingvild offered me a shy smile.

"You- You shouldn't be worrying about it. I will surely handle it without making any issues for you."

"Nonsense," I stated happily, suddenly noticing how the table had turned on the young Devil. "I will not let you go through the first few days alone without being sure that you got a grasp over the routine."

Her smile widened, and while I could see part of her urging for some protest at my politeness, our conversation was soon interrupted at the sound of footsteps approaching over. Kunou paused with her steps just as she noticed the unfamiliar individuals, giving me a quizzical look before coming closer.

"Before we continue, I wish to introduce you Kunou," I mentioned while offering sight over the young Kitsune. "Kunou, these are Ingvild Leviathan and Tiamat."

The blonde gave a slow nod as she kept her eyes on Ingvild. They shared a quick look before Kunou actually decided to ask properly.

"Are you a friend to Niichan?"

The Leviathan blinked at the query, but soon smiled and nodded. "Yes. Hoitsu-kun saved me from bad people."

At this mere explanation, the kitsune's golden eyes lit up in realization and sympathy.

"Niichan saved me from bad people too!"

It looked like this very correlation was a good way to start a friendly discussion as the two exchanged a couple of words and seemed to build up a proper connection with each other.

Still the amusing interaction had to be cut short as we were starting to get late to reach Kuoh Academy.

It was during my walk to reach the school that I discovered more about Ingvild's living arrangements from the girl herself.

Azazel had provided both her and Tiamat with a house, and while one would expect for the Dragon to be the one to be the responsible individual that was meant to take care of the house while the girl was out for school, I also ended up realizing how putting an isolationist Dragon with a perchance of arrogant clumsiness in charge of such a duty would've ended up poorly.

From the fact that Baraqiel had been ordered to visit regularly to see if the house was still intact or not with Tiamat's moments of curiosity over the modern furniture and devices in her new home, I had reason to believe that Azazel had experienced firsthand over the inability that certain 'mighty' beings had over keeping a functional life within society's simple rules.

I was expecting for Sona to flip a little bit at the idea that someone descending from the original Leviathan, a role that was now her sister's, would be frequenting her own school, but I soon realized as I arrived at Kuoh Academy that the situation was… more complicated that.

In fact, while I had expected the Student Council's president to give me the duty of helping Ingvild by showing her around the school, I was given an ulterior job in the form of another unexpected enrollment to the school.

I was confused when Sona mentioned that someone else 'important' had also requested for their young sister to be escorted around for her first day at school by the 'kind and polite Sir Hoitsu'.

If I had been surprised to find out that Ingvild was now in Kuoh, imagine the shock I had to quickly digest when I realized that Ruval Phenex had decided to enroll his sister at school.

And now I had two more reasons to be more worried about having Rias snooping around once again…

AN

Tons of surprises. Lucifer is here and… also not. It's difficult to explain right now 'how' and 'why' as both answers to these questions are filled with spoilers for my ambitious plans!

Ravel and Ingvild are in Kuoh, and this is going to be quite the frenetic week for Hoitsu. Hopefully, things go smoothly with Azazel's visit.

Also… yes. I just did a mini-tiny-ultraminuscule cameo by including an element from a series that isn't an anime. The Lament Configuration is part of the Hellraiser series (Horror movie, I don't advice people to check on it if they are afraid of gore and blood since the series it's known for its unnerving splatter effects).

Lastly, two things:
1) I've decided after some serious pondering that when this story reaches 1000 follows in FFN, I will probably write 5 chapters back-to-back. This might happen again as the story reaches 2000 Follows;
2) I hope you all understand that up until Azazel's visit I will avoid introducing new characters. I think there's a large wagon of development that needs to be addressed and for now action will have a secondary/comedic purpose. Just for the sake of fleshing out the new arrivals.

Current Milestone: 777 Followers.

Next Milestone: 876 Followers.

P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin

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