10: Home
Asia awoke half expecting to be back in the church… ready to be kicked out due to her heretical act. She was resolved to follow through on it… only to notice the blanket wrapped around her and the same vanity mirror showing her the reflection of safety that she had noted the night before. She had taken off her robe the night before, though she didn't have any night clothes forcing her to remain in her white bra and panties for the night. It was a bit naughty to be sleeping as such but until she could find someway to buy some more clothes for herself she would bite the bullet on the matter.
She quietly grabbed the same robe and placed it on once more grabbing some of her spare clothes as well to go take a shower and start her morning ritual. Stepping out into the hallway, she noted only one door slightly ajar. She could see the dark hair of Ritsuka peeking out of the sliver. Glad to know he was awake she slowly crept to the door and knocked.
There was no answer.
She didn't know why he didn't answer but it didn't seem like it was to be rude. Curiosity got the better of her, unfortunately, so she pushed the door open ever so slightly. A part of her wondered if she was still sleeping at that moment.
Ritsuka was shirtless and working out in a small routine. His arms and body were very well defined sculpted like a pro athlete. Sweat dripped down his forehead and across his muscles. Her heart made a loud thump… and she would have rushed off embarrassed if she didn't notice the other glaring thing about Ritsuka's body.
Along his skin were several old scars… each holding a tale which seemed to corroborate the story he told her just last night. He worked to find dangerous artifacts and contain or destroy them. Each tale told looked more harrowing than the last until she saw the one along his neck.
'Was that the one that came from being sentenced as a heretic?' Asia wondered as she lost herself to examining every single detail before her. 'After all… my hero would have to be healed. I have to know as much as possible to do my best.'
It was sound reasoning… had she not been spying from his door watching his every movement entranced by the sight. Ritsuka's bounded field was flawed but due to it blocking out sound he didn't even notice the cute nun watching every stretch of his limb and bend of his body.
The time came to an end all too soon as Ritsuka started to stand up. Asia rushed off to the bathroom before he could notice her.
Once inside she tried to relax her breathing as she got ready to take a shower. Placing her clothes to the side of the hamper and out of sight she entered the shower. That was when she heard the knock.
"Anyone in there?" Ritsuka called out… to no answer.
Asia was a bit too shocked to answer and decided to keep quiet. She didn't even know how to react if he actually came in to the bathroom. The knob started to turn.
'I didn't lock the door!' Asia mentally panicked but kept quiet. She didn't know why since she was completely panicking.
Through the shower curtain she could see his silhouette as he placed his clothes on the counter. She was certain that he would see her clothes… until she remembered she placed them slightly out of sight and behind something. Panicking some more she grabbed the curtain and waited until he was about to step in.
He turned on the water first getting it into a decent temperature only but she stifled her yelp. The curtain opened on one side and Asia carefully hid outside of the curtain. She thought she was in the clear… until Ritsuka fixed the curtain so water wouldn't fall out.
Asia stood stock still as did Ritsuka as they stared at each other. Shock painted their expressions and it took a few seconds before they quickly turned around to stop from staring at each other.
"I'm sorry! I just knocked and didn't hear anyone in here so I just- " Ritsuka started belting out keeping his head from turning around.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do and I panicked! I just- " Asia yelled back at almost the same time.
The two shyly turned to each other then turned back when they realized that they were still in the shower… still undressed.
"Um… um… I can wash your back for you… " Asia offered clearly still trying her best to keep calm and failing.
"I… ahem, I don't mind but… are you comfortable with this?" Ritsuka called back still not turning around. "I mean, I haven't really earned something like this."
"You protected me from that bad guy. I think washing your back is fine… right?" Asia mentioned right up until she tried to turn around and almost fainted.
Ritsuka reacted and turned around grabbing her before she fell. His arms were around her. Strangely, her hair landed in just the right way that it covered the more sensitive parts of her chest.
"Maybe… I should get out for now." Ritsuka smiled at her.
"No!" Asia immediately grabbed onto Ritsuka to keep him from getting out. "I need to talk with you and this is the most private place."
It was awkward. Not that either was unattractive but more due to the fact that their first one on one without having to worry about anything bothering them and it was in the shower. Unfortunately for both of them they were both very awkward about this.
They had let the tub fill by accident and since the water was murky enough they had sat down… in a very small tub. Asia was resting her back against his chest while he kept his arms off to the side on the edge of the tub. She hadn't moved an inch since she felt that thing poke her hip while they had sat down.
It was worse though since they were both too polite for their own good that they just continued on like it was normal even though both their faces were flushed, Asia more so than Ritsuka, who looked more accepting of this outcome.
Asia tried to figure out what she wanted to talk about. It was tough as the heat from the tub made her want to pass out. When it looked like she would Ritsuka would wrap his arms around her waist to keep her from sliding into the water.
She wanted to get to know her hero better… she just didn't expect something so intimate to happen barely a day after they met. She didn't even think a situation like this would happen since it seemed like Ritsuka was Rias'.
"Um… I wanted to ask you… something." Asia finally managed to get out.
"Go ahead." Ritsuka answered as his hands grabbed back on to the edges of the tub.
"Rias asked me something important but I didn't want to answer right away. I wanted to know what you would think." Asia answered as she instinctively laid back. She was too lost in her thoughts to realize the position she was in.
"Was it the Devil thing?" Ritsuka brought up as Asia turned to look at him.
"Yes! How did you know!?" Asia was taken aback as she turned around kneeling so that they would be eye to eye while her hands rested against his chest.
"She asked me beforehand. I'm not sure what you want me to say about it though." Ritsuka answered their taboo long forgotten.
"It's just I… I don't know what to choose." Asia turned around once more leaving back against his chest. Her eyes looked tired and she seemed to almost curl in on herself. Ritsuka had to wrap an arm around her again just to stop her from sinking into the water.
"Choose what you think would be best for you. I'm not going to hate you for a choice you make. You are your own person and capable of making your own choices. Sometimes the hard choices seem more daunting than they should be." Ritsuka explained as Asia stared at her hands breaking the surface of the water.
"And if I don't like what I decided?" Asia sighed as she covered her face with her hands.
"Then don't make a decision until you've figured out whether you would regret it or not. We all have them… some bigger than others but they all feel like a weight on your back." Ritsuka answered though she could tell he was remembering something personal as he spoke.
They remained quiet a few short moments before realizing they had to get out of the bathroom… together… naked. It was an awkward but not unpleasant time.
There weren't very many secrets physically between Ritsuka and Asia now… some slip ups and her naivety made that apparent since neither could look the other in the eye now.
"So…" Ritsuka drawled our clearly trying to figure out what to say.
"Um… please keep it to yourself." Asia muttered out completely red in the face.
"Wasn't going to say anything at all." Ritsuka responded immediately. He wasn't uncomfortable by what happened but he did seem worried about how this would get explained.
"I only let it happen… because it was you." Asia trailed off looking even more red. Before he could say anything she tried to rush back to her room. She tripped again and he caught her again. It wasn't the best for her burgeoning feelings that started growing since last night and she wasn't sure how to deal with them. So she passed out in his arms.
"Great…" Ritsuka sighed as he picked up Asia like a princess and put her in her room. Luckily, everyone else seemed busy this Sunday morning.
Rias was livid. Grayfia stood back a little as she destroyed another table. Thankfully, it was a cheap replaceable one and she had brought spares for whenever they were broken.
"That smug insufferable asshole! What do you mean he wants to collect me in two days! What the fuck is this!?" Rias had been quite pissed. Akeno did her best to try and calm her but she was of the same mind set. Koneko didn't do anything because she secretly was willing to punch him hard enough to make his balls explode. She didn't tell them that though because it would have been improper as a lady.
"Rias we need to keep calm and come up with a plan if he is thinking of doing this." Kiba stated. While he was willing to defend his King's honor, Kiba knew it was better to think up a defense at this point rather than scream and rage at furniture.
"I'm sorry Rias-sama, but Riser was insistent. He used the Governor's council to push this meeting forward. Sirzechs-sama attempted to stall it but since there was a mass exodus of exorcists last week the council forced the issue through due to security reasons." Grayfia stated primly and properly through closed eyes. Her hands were tense and gripped tightly together though showing how much she wanted to break this farce as well.
"It's not your fault Grayfia… or Nii-san's either. I thought I would have more time but this is ridiculous. Even if I have a mage I can't bring him into a Ratings Game unless he becomes a devil… unless…" Rias looked hopefully to Grayfia.
"We did manage to get that point across, so long as your mage agrees he may enter but it will come at the expense of his own life should he lose it." Grayfia nodded slightly making Rias cringe. Akeno and Koneko kept quiet but they both showed discomfort at that idea.
"That's the best that could be done?" Rias questioned looking, hoping at her sister in law.
"Yes… that was what we could do." Grayfia confirmed though her shoulders slightly slumped.
'What they could do…' Rias contemplated those words. She could tell that someone most likely wanted Ritsuka to die during the game just to give her an excuse to revive him as a devil. It wasn't from her brother though…
The only other devil who knew Ritsuka was working with her Peerage was… Sona. That meant that Serafall probably found out that he won against her sister beating her in a game she had never lost since.
The reasoning behind it was flimsy unfortunately. Sona wouldn't want him dead… but in her Peerage as her betrothed… perhaps. Though knowing Sona as she did, she knew that Sona would hate that she had to rely on her sister to get something she wanted.
The easiest choice was to convince Ritsuka to not participate in the games. She immediately dismissed that idea as stupid since she was already at a high disadvantage against Riser's numbers. Without him as well all of them would have to take out four members each. That took into account that their Queen would be chucking explosions all around not caring of collateral.
"I'm sorry Rias." Grayfia stated in hushed tones. "If necessary we are prepared to do the unthinkable if necessary."
"Please don't. I can still turn this around when he tries to meet with me." Rias pleaded just as softly.
As strong willed as the two were they understood each other. They both knew what Riser wanted and he didn't care at all for her feelings. There was a quiet nod and her three members all shared a look. They were prepared for the worst to pass.
"I must take my leave. I would suggest you figure out a strategy before anything concrete happens." Grayfia warned before she teleported away, most likely back to Sirzechs side.
Rias wondered what she should do. Due to Ritsuka's presence and the gaze he unknowingly shared with him had made Sirzechs hesitant to actually meet with him. She could understand how heavy his gaze was since she still couldn't look Ritsuka in the eye for long periods of time. She couldn't understand why her brother was so hesitant to meet with him.
"They're probably awake now Rias. We should head back now." Akeno called out making Rias break from her slight stupor.
"Right… let's go then." Rias harrumphed slightly before leading the group towards the teleportation sigil to warp back from the Occult Research Building.
Asia had woken up a short while after she was comfortably laid on her bed. She had to collect herself since she had started dreaming about things that shouldn't happen which was unbecoming of a nun… though she wasn't considered one anymore.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she ignored that feeling in her chest. She understood already why it had happened but that still didn't ease the pain. Pushing that feeling aside, Asia made her way downstairs after exiting her room. Ritsuka looked to be downstairs in the kitchen.
When she entered there was a small breakfast in front of her. Ritsuka had to usher her to her seat with how stunned she was though she noted that his eyes had taken on a gray sheen. They were relaxed as he placed some toast on the side, cut into triangles for ease.
"Eat." He stated with all the conviction that he could muster, which destroyed any trepidation she may have held when she sat down.
A gentle smile was the only answer needed as she downed the food. She still needed to get ready for what she usually did on Sunday but… her excommunication meant not being able to enter any churches either. That left her uncertain on what to do… since she didn't want to bother Ritsuka too much.
"We're back!" A vibrant and joyful voice called out as a raven haired beauty rushed into the kitchen nearly tackling Ritsuka and rubbing her cheek against his.
"Go sit down. I'm cooking." Ritsuka ordered as he continued working at the stove. Asia knew her name due to her talk with Rias the night before. Akeno sat across from her giving her a bright smile while Asia nibbles at her toast bashful.
The other three entered as well and took a seat. Somehow Ritsuka had placed her food at a seat that no one claimed before hand with Koneko at her side and Rias at the head of the table.
With some strange grace that none of them noticed at first Ritsuka placed the same breakfast for everyone. It took him a bit for his own so he did what any cook would do.
"Eat now. I'll make mine in a second." Ritsuka called out as the frying of an egg sizzled in the background.
Everybody did so to a chorus of approval. Ritsuka joined them soon after and quietly ate. Asia noticed the gray sheen in his eyes was now gone back to that tranquil deep blue that enveloped his gaze.
It took a bit for everyone to finish and it seemed that no one was willing to chat. Asia felt the air getting heavy for some reason. It was as if something was going to happen.
"Ritsuka… there's something that we need to discuss with you. You see… in a few days we'll be meeting with my… fiancée…" Rias growled out in disgust.
"Okay… like next weekend or…?" Ritsuka started rotating his hand to pull out more information.
"Tuesday." Rias quietly stated which made Asia gasp.
"And you want me to… punch him in the face or something?" Ritsuka questioned which got a small chuckle from the devils at the table.
"As much as I would like that," Rias started keeping her chuckle light, " it's best that we don't do that. No, what I wanted to ask you about is that I'll be forcing that into a Ratings Game to get out of that engagement. I would like to know if…"
"Oh you want me to join. Okay." Ritsuka answered immediately even without thinking about it.
"But I haven't even told you what could happen to you." Rias slammed her palms against the table.
"And? I already made up my mind. It's not like knowing I could die would change anything about my answer." Ritsuka answered just as quickly stunning everyone at the table. "I've been through a lot of life and death situations. This is just another one to go through. Another day at the office if that makes sense."
"But you could die…" Rias whimpered slightly.
"I know. That's everything in my life." Ritsuka sighed slightly. His tone was both accepting and resolved. "Ah, could you do me a favor though."
"Um… certainly." Rias agreed almost absentmindedly. Akeno and Koneko were silently pondering things while Kiba looked concernedly at Ritsuka. Asia looked on at him wondering slightly if he was actually a saint or something. She couldn't wrap her mind around how someone could so selflessly let their lives be at risk so readily. She did so but that was due to her upbringing while working in the church.
Ritsuka seemed ambivalent about all forms of religion. He accepted them but he didn't seem to gravitate to any one belief. It was almost like he knew about each faith implicitly.
"Asia needs more clothes. Can you take her shopping for them while I get some magical things ready?" Ritsuka asked as he waited for a reply.
"But I don't have any-!" Asia started to protest before Ritsuka placed a very large stack of yen in front of her.
"Take it. Buy clothes." Ritsuka answered just as quickly.
"Don't you need this?" Asia looked shocked at the amount before her… as did the others.
"Hm? No, not at all." Ritsuka waved it off. "If I need more I can pawn a few jewels that I have off. If I have time I can magically make more jewels to do that so I'm not going to be hurting for money any time soon."
To illustrate his point Ritsuka pulled out an emerald and sapphire out of his magical storage space. He gave a small chuckle before excusing himself from the table and heading for the dojo.
"Ah, I'll be borrowing that dojo room as my workshop if that's fine. Also if Asia doesn't want many clothes then I'm pretty sure it can buy a few outfits for whomever goes with Asia while I work on things." Ritsuka mentioned before walking out of the room. He didn't even seem to notice the stunned looks from everyone in the room with how nonchalant he was being at the moment.
"Um… uh… " Asia fumbled back and forth as she looked at the small pile of yen.
"Come along Asia. Let's go shopping." Akeno chuckled slightly as she stood up from the table.
"I'll stay and take care of the dishes." Kiba mentioned as he got up as well taking the plates over to the sink.
"Y-Yes… thank you Kiba." Rias muttered out slightly surprised still as Koneko assisted her to her feet.
With some shock still Rias put the money away in a purse. The fours ladies walked out of the manor. Ritsuka had already entered the room and closed the door, leaving the four curious about what he was preparing and his attitude during the entire conversation.
Kiba remained behind but decided not to bother Ritsuka since he felt responsible for Ritsuka's actions. He had mentioned to him all about Riser and the only response he saw was that he was ready to stand up for a friend. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Kiba washed the dishes, hoping he wouldn't get blamed for Ritsuka's recklessness.
'Oh I did a stupid thing…' Ritsuka mentally berated himself. Ritsuka had made a show of himself being kind of generous and reckless all in the same swoop. Seriously, giving the money he had gotten from pawning off two jewels he got from Ishtar's Valentine gift.
Ritsuka closed the door to the dojo and decided he needed to look over every servant he contracted with and figure out which ones were resistant to flames… or outright immune. Summer BB was a choice… which was discarded as quickly as he had thought of it. That was the insanity calling and he'd rather not deal with having a potential last boss kouhai rooting around his head.
'Hopefully, I figure the right ones. I don't want my new friends to worry about something like this. Now who would have the best skills for the job.' Ritsuka mumbled into his hand as he pulled up his communicator. While the communications function didn't work at the moment, it did have data on all the servants he held contracts with. He would find the right ones for the job soon enough.
Asia was still stunned. Akeno had to hold her arm just to keep her moving. Koneko did the same for Rias who was equally stunned but for entirely different reasons.
For Asia, the thoughts racing through her mind all wondered the same question. 'Why would he waste that all on me…'
She couldn't really fathom it and it left her a twitterpated mess. Her heart was thumping from how much he cared for her well being and the small longing for happiness she had held back so long from. She remembered what happened that morning and shut down almost immediately. Luckily, Akeno caught her before she fell. The smile Asia got from her was far more knowing than she felt comfortable with.
For Rias, her thoughts were more focused on Ritsuka's words than actions. If what he said was true, he would be a self sufficient mogul without even trying should he become a jeweler. It didn't help that he had said he could magically make more gems to use should he need more money.
Her mind wandered towards more intricate fantasies as she pictured Ritsuka and her working on new jewelry together. He soon presented her with something that could never be recreated even by the greatest artisans… then he would push her onto the table. Before her mind could go wild, Koneko would lead her towards another path which broke the illusion she had crafted for herself.
Even though Akeno and Koneko were able to keep their wits about still, even they couldn't help fantasize… at least a little. Simple days where they traveled across the world with him and did whatever crossed their minds. Akeno's were more implicit though which she kept hidden by her neutral smirk.
"Here we are. Let's find you something then Asia." Rias announced as they entered a clothing store and started taking stock.
"Seriously… damn it all." Ritsuka groaned as he was forced to use two Phoenix plumes for an alchemical potion. Those were some of the most difficult materials to gather since they had to fight Amazoness Leaders or Shantaks just to get them to drop with any regularity. The fact that it was random if they held any made it harder to part with them as they were mixed into a special potion meant for the fight.
It had taken him the better part of the day to get the formula for said potion and the memories of how it worked. He was glad it at least made ten doses from the concoction he made.
"Now I probably need familiars… so golems, crystal birds, or robots." Ritsuka muttered as he looked over Avicebron's card, Sitonai's card and Babbage's card.
Each had told him about how they used their specialties as familiars. He also looked through the craft essences for any particular chances for a familiar.
"Ah… this one will do." Ritsuka picked out a Storch Ritter card and three wire work bird familiars popped out into existence.
The three familiars flew around examining the area and an image appeared in his vision overlaid on his normal vision. The sudden double vision forced him to dismiss the card before it got any worse. Ritsuka rubbed his now irritated eyes before using Sitonai's card… he needed to deal with the vision problem that day.
Asia stepped out wearing a simple white dress that Akeno had picked out for her. She didn't know why she was being so nice to her but didn't question it. There were many questions rolling around her head.
"Um… Akeno-san… um, how does this look?" Asia managed out as she held her hands against her chest.
"You look so adorable." Akeno held a hand to her cheek.
"Awawa… " Asia blushed as she rushed back into the changing room.
"Here try this one next!" Akeno called out as she gave her a new outfit. When Asia stepped out she was wearing a very short skirt that left little to the imagination and a top that had no straps.
They had fun trying on new outfits even though Asia was embarrassed by Akeno's clothing choices.
Rias strolled out of the changing room wearing a purple cutoff top and black pants. It hugged a bit too tightly around the hip but it accentuated her legs very well. Koneko tried on some short shorts and a crop top. It fit well enough but she didn't like the color.
"Hm… needs more." Koneko mumbled.
"You look great Koneko. These might need a bigger size though." Rias sighed as she changed back to her skirt.
"Hm… we have to get one more thing though before we go." Akeno called out as Asia held on to several outfits that were picked out.
"What?" Each girl questioned as she dragged the shoppers to their next destination.
The girls stood before the lingerie section of the mall which they reluctantly went into. Akeno dragged them all in with her sheer enthusiasm tricking Rias into helping her.
"Why is it burning…?" Ritsuka covered his eyes. The experience from Sitonai's card only helped with the double vision that occurred from the use of Storch Ritter Craft Essence.
The wire work bird flew a bit too fast and the three were seeing multiple things at once which blurred his vision. It got so bad he switched to the Atlas Mystic Code which had glasses. Those seemed to be magically reinforced to keep his eyes from straining.
"Ritsuka! You okay!?" Kiba knocked on the door. He had heard the thump of his body hitting the floor.
"Yeah! Just figuring out a spell for the problem!" Ritsuka called out from the room. "Hey! Can you come in for a second!?"
"What's up?" Kiba called as he entered the room.
"I've been wondering what everyone does. I am a good strategist if that's anything good to go by. I'd like to know what everyone can do." Ritsuka questioned.
"That would help… well, Rias would be the one to mention this but since she's busy I'll take it upon myself to detail our skills." Kiba announced taking a teacher's stance. "Rias is our king and is the inheritor of the Power of Destruction. She can summon magical spheres of energy that destroy matter in a second."
"So a burst damage user with capacity to do area of effect spells then." Ritsuka concisely stated as he seemed to commit the observation to memory.
"Akeno is our Queen and holds dominion over Holy Lightning magic. She can cast bolts of lightning and takes all the traits of the other evil pieces we mentioned during that meeting, if you remember." Kiba continued keeping track of Ritsuka's observations noting that he generalized what Rias could do in the most utilitarian way possible.
"So single target tank, DPS, and blocker all in one. Is she capable of chaining her lightning?" Ritsuka stopped the explanation.
"Yes but it requires more magic from what I can tell." Kiba answered without missing a beat.
"So we need to train her up in case they try to bum rush us." Ritsuka mumbled under his breath.
"Koneko is a powerhouse favoring physical attacks and close combat. Her defense is one of the toughest around as well." Kiba added on choosing not to interrupt Ritsuka's musings.
"Another shield with physical prowess to match. Hm… will need to test her fighting." Ritsuka continued to mumble.
"And I'm gifted with swords. Thanks to my Sacred Gear Sword Birth I can summon demonic swords from anywhere in my vicinity. It's my special skill." Kiba smiled as he pointed that out.
"Huh… so that explains the swordsmanship then, doesn't it?" Ritsuka mentioned as he bit his lip in thought. "Is there any sword you can't use?"
"... I." Kiba started only to stop himself. His face turned harsh and angry returning back to the serenity he used to mask his emotions. "I'd rather not talk about it."
"Hm… would it help if I tell you about my first day?" Ritsuka offered as Kiba looked on curiosity hooked.
"I can't promise you that…" Kiba looked downtrodden.
"That's fine. I'll bill you later then." Ritsuka chuckled as he seemed to ponder his words.
"Bill me later…?" Kiba muttered under his breath which he was sure Ritsuka heard but made no attempt to answer it.
"Let's see. I guess you could say magic ran in our blood, literally mind you. My parents were cast off magi incapable of performing any form of magecraft due to circumstances beyond their control. I don't know either since they never wanted to talk about that." Ritsuka started parsing his words as if recollecting something that came from a lifetime ago.
Kiba wasn't certain how the story was going but it didn't begin with the best details.
"I lived a relatively normal life even though I was a Magus since we were beneath scrutiny. Still, we were happy. One day during the beginning of summer break I decided to donate blood. Apparently, the blood drive was actually a secret mage program that was searching for something. I later found out it was compatibility subjects that they were looking for." Ritsuka meandered through the end of the sentence.
Kiba tightened his jaw and clenched his fist because it sounded almost exactly like his story.
"That night we were accosted by the person running the drive. He even followed me home until he got to speak to my parents about this job opportunity he was offering. Since he was a Magus as well, my parents listened to him immediately. It didn't take much for them to agree to the terms. I don't begrudge them for it… if we didn't agree then our future would be at the end of a Sealing Designation." Ritsuka shuddered at the last two words which caught Kiba off guard.
Kiba regained his focus. The word Sealing Designation almost sounded like liquidation, euthanasia, or extermination. He couldn't understand why his brain went in that direction.
"Anyways I was whisked away the very next day to a secret base far away in a secret location and run through intensive testing. But… because I was such a novice the testing made me very sleepy. I have trouble with that some times where I can fall asleep even through the worst of situations. Regardless, that made the director at the time despise me for not taking her opening lecture seriously which kicked me off the mission alongside insulting me for being what basically amounted as a civilian in Magus territory." Ritsuka wistfully remembered the very beginning of his mission. The eyes of his fellow masters were all so smugly looking at him as a failure.
Kiba noticed the faltered gaze but didn't say anything. It felt similar to his own tale of being purposed into something he didn't want to be… at the sacrifice of others around him.
"I met someone who gave me a bit of a pep talk but near the end of our conversation, disaster struck. Someone had planted bombs in the command room. A form of sabotage which killed more than eighty percent of the command staff and crippled every other mage candidate. I ran with my new friend towards the incident looking for anyone I could help. I didn't know it at the time but the bulkheads would seal soon and everything within the room would be shut down if I remember right." Ritsuka continued, his gaze seemed to smolder slightly as he stared at the ground.
"What did you find…?" Kiba couldn't stop the words he was asking. For some reason he felt compelled to ask. Ritsuka was obviously in front of him, alive and capable, but that didn't answer what happened.
"An inferno." Ritsuka muttered before covering his mouth lost in thought. "Everyone was caught in a state between life and death. And the person I mention as being my significant other, who agreed to this whole sharing me business, was trapped beneath a slab of rock on death's door since her lower half had been crushed by the weight. She survived… but the price was greater than she would have imagined."
Kiba didn't state anything for the moment. He didn't actually know what he could say. Even during his own turmoil, he had never found a decent way to cope with it. He knew he didn't since he wanted to destroy every single holy weapon for what they did to him.
"Things happened from there but I feel like this might be too much information for now." Ritsuka chuckled… though with how despondent his eyes looked from remembering his past Kiba didn't push for more details.
"I… I was once a project for a secret church initiative. They wanted to make someone capable of carrying a holy weapon. They failed and tried to get rid of us. All because they those damn holy weapons!" Kiba growled as he curled his fist slamming it against the floor.
"That seems really bad… who started this project?" Ritsuka asked keeping his words to the bare minimum.
"What does it matter?" Kiba snarled though he flinched after saying it. He knew he was just lashing out.
"Because he should be the one to pay for his crimes. A holy weapon is just a weapon. It can't think or move without someone to hold it." Ritsuka answered. "If you need someone to watch your back at that time, I'll help you out."
Kiba clenched his jaw. It had been a long time since he had thought about his past. He knew logically that the holy weapon did nothing to him. It just existed but… at the moment he needed to think more about it. Still, it was good that he wouldn't be alone.
"I'll think about it Ritsuka. I need to go now… sorry." Kiba stood up and exited the room.
Ritsuka was left to his thoughts. He didn't know whether this would work out good but he didn't like seeing a new friend of his fake his entire life. He needed some kind of closure… something that Ritsuka didn't think he would get until he reached Chaldea once more.
"Um… Rias-san." Asia called out. The two were walking side by side while Akeno and Koneko chatted about things in front of them. Their arms full of bags of new clothes. The cash that had been given to them was mostly gone but a few bills remained at the very least.
"Yes Asia?" Rias waited for her to speak. In truth, she wasn't sure that Asia would become a devil. It wasn't that she was too naive to contemplate it, but more that she was afraid to change herself so much.
"I've been thinking about what we spoke about yesterday… but I've also been wondering why Ritsuka isn't a devil either." Asia started pressing her fingertips together as she gingerly danced around the topic.
"He is a mage so he signed a magician's contract with me. It's not very extensive though since I would honestly rather him be a devil as well." Rias responded sighing wistfully. "Unfortunately, his magic is only possible so long as he remains human."
"I see… is that all that's holding him back?" Asia couldn't stop her question from exiting her mouth.
"Did he tell you about himself?" Rias shot back wanting to know if she knew that Ritsuka was a time traveling dimension hopper.
"Not a lot… he mentioned that he was branded a heretic as well but I think it was in Magus terms." Asia whispered slightly.
Rias pondered the situation carefully. She needed to consider all possibilities before she spoke about what would happen since her own desires wanted to speak up as well.
"When we get back I want you to ask Ritsuka about himself before you make any big decisions if that's what you are basing them on. It's important that you do so in case the decision you make won't be regretted." Rias answered finally taking a more serious tone as she brushed her long flowing crimson hair away from her cheeks.
"Is it bad?" Asia wanted to prepare herself for anything.
"It isn't bad… but it'll sound like an impossibility." Rias answered back remembering just how shocked they were when they heard his story.
"I'll ask him when we get back." Asia nodded agreeing with the assessment.
As much as she liked being with everyone, she was only there because of Ritsuka. She needed to know where things were going before she did anything out of impulse.
"We're back!" Akeno called out.
Nobody answered back though. Kiba was in the living room… lost as he stared out the window. Most of the girls understood that he would get this way whenever he was thinking about the past. So, they gave him a wide berth. He made a token effort in saying hello at the very least which assuaged their worries.
Ritsuka, however, seemed to still be within the dojo. The magical energy that radiated from the room seemed quite strong even though he had mentioned that he was a poor Magus. Though that came into question when the things he did spoke another story.
Whomever Ritsuka trained under had much higher standards than any other mage in their world. That didn't mean much though since he wasn't from this world.
Asia knocked on the door forgoing all protocol since she needed to speak with him about important things. Koneko offered to take her things while Rias held back Akeno since this was an important conversation.
Akeno wasn't thrilled about the situation but realized that this was important for the Peerage.
"Oh hey. What's up?" Ritsuka nonchalantly opened the door peering out at the group. "Got everything you needed?"
"Y-Yeah… thank you for taking care of me." Asia responded automatically bowing. Politeness ebbed and flowed all around her stature. "Um… I need to talk to you… privately."
"Sure. Come on in." Ritsuka opened the door. Rias waved at him and turned away towards the kitchen with Akeno following after her. Kiba remained sitting lost in his thoughts. Koneko was nowhere to be found.
Asia first noticed that there was nothing in the room anymore. A large magic glyph was in the center but that was it. On the table were ten vials full of a red potion that seemed to radiate heat off of them. Ritsuka carefully placed them in a magical storage case, if the magical pulses were anything to go by.
"So… what did you want to talk with me about?" Ritsuka sat on the floor which Asia followed right after. Sitting across from him she could see the concern in his eyes.
"I… I wanted to know about you." Asia stated clearly trying to be brave about things.
"It's kind of a big thing. Think you can handle something this big?" Ritsuka started only to stop when Asia started turning red. "That is not even remotely what I mean!"
"I-I-I know!" Asia yelled back clearly flustered still from the bath they shared. It wasn't like she could remember the feeling of his skin against hers… or the prodding of his- 'Stop thinking!'
"Um… okay, well… about me…" Ritsuka stumbled over his words trying the best way to go about this. "You see… I'm actually… a time traveler and dimensional hopping human."
Asia looked at him wondering if he was just lying to her. He wasn't. His eyes were full of sincerity and she couldn't fully comprehend what was going on. This didn't make any sense to her but it was the truth. It was entirely the truth.
"But… But! Awawawa…" Asia was too flustered to reason it out. It made some weird amount of sense since Ritsuka had shown himself to be far beyond what most people actually were. Even in terms of devils and angels, Ritsuka was only human and Akeno's tale of how he dealt with Fallen Angels was too extraordinary to dismiss as luck.
"Yeah… it's a lot to take in. So I'm here… temporarily while I search for that Holy Grail fake and deal with it." Ritsuka sighed as the word took hold.
'Temporary… temporary… temporary…' Asia could feel her heart sink at that word. She thought it was too good to be true and she realized it was.
"You… you have to go away!" Asia screamed out though Ritsuka didn't flinch in the slightest.
"Yeah. Yeah I have to continue doing what I'm doing." Ritsuka mentioned. For a moment Asia saw a much older man before her. One that seemed brittle, almost overwhelmed by what he was facing. Instead, he merely hardened his features and continued speaking. "I have to… all to make sure the world stays safe."
"The world…?" Asia questioned not realizing that tears were flowing down her cheeks.
"Yeah… two incidents I was part of nearly made the world cease to exist entirely. We managed to stop that and restore what was once lost but it cost a lot to get to that point. More than I could ever imagine. I don't think I'll ever truly win… but I can assure you that I will never lose." Ritsuka stated with all the confidence he could muster. It didn't change the fact that he hated making someone cry.
Asia wiped the tears away. The sheer scale of what Ritsuka was speaking of boggled her mind. She couldn't actually understand the scope that he mentioned. The thing her heart seemed to echo was that there was a reason and he wasn't throwing his life away.
"And the o-others?" Asia sniffled since her emotions were still weathering the storm that had clouded her mind.
"They know already. Akeno has pretty much forced me into a position where I have to give her a child…" Ritsuka grumbled though it was broken by a good natured chuckle. "It's really weird isn't it?"
"Even me…" Asia whispered under her breath. Her eyes were wide open and she looked directly at Ritsuka.
"Huh?" Ritsuka mumbled and thought he just heard wrong.
"Nothing… I understand. Though… I've come up with a decision." Asia announced.
"What did you decide?" Ritsuka managed though he noticed that Asia's gaze had changed completely. No longer was her gaze reverent… Ritsuka noticed it almost felt familiar to how Akeno looked at him.
"I'm going to become a devil… it would give me a family for whatever happens in the future. I know it's a bit selfish but I hope the lord can forgive me for such." Asia muttered though she didn't seem too broken up by the decision.
"As long as you made that decision out of your own free will, then I'll support you no matter what." Ritsuka announced.
"Yes… yes I would like that." Asia answered as she stood up and immediately hugged Ritsuka tightly.
'Oh. Oh! Oh… just realized that she took the suggestion Akeno made seriously.' Ritsuka tensed up as he realized just how tight Asia was hugging him. He hadn't misheard what she said earlier even though a small part of his mind tried to convince him that that was impossible. That part of his mind was quietly told to shut up from now on because it clearly didn't know what it was doing.
"I need to talk with Rias." Asia stood up and bowed. "I'll see you soon Ritsuka-sama."
"Wait… -sama?" Ritsuka tried to question what had just happened but Asia exited the room before he could.
He quietly slammed his head against the table realizing that his own actions were digging that pit deeper. He didn't regret helping someone… he just didn't think it would turn out this way. Clearly something was wrong in this world.
"Rias! Rias-san!" Asia called out as she rushed upstairs. Kiba was no longer in the living room, most likely retiring to his own room.
She didn't actually know which room was Rias though. Her morning was… distracting because of Ritsuka. Thankfully someone did help her.
"Here. This is her room." Koneko pointed to the fourth door down from her own room.
"Ah thank you Koneko." Asia bowed once more. She felt this was becoming a habit.
"Stay calm, yes." Koneko mentioned before entering her room. She seemed tired but Asia didn't say anything in her blinded enthusiasm.
Asia stood before the door to her future. It was a bit heavy at that moment. She knew what she was doing and she would have to do so for her future. She knew there would be a chance that if she didn't… someone else would force her into a different position. Angels wouldn't want her due to her status as a heretic… as far as she knew. The Fallen and exorcists made it clear that she was expendable seeing that she was traded.
"Ah… Asia. How can I help you?" Rias opened the door to the enthusiastic nun before her.
"I would like to become a devil." Asia announced surprising Rias.
"Are you certain? It's a permanent process." Rias questioned once more. As much as she wanted to add Asia into her Peerage she had taken Ritsuka's concern to heart. She didn't like finding people who were in despair and offering them the chance to become a devil. They were obviously going to say yes when given the choice.
"Yes. I've thought about it… and I don't want to just stand around doing nothing. I want to help out as well." Asia stated with the conviction of a saint.
"Come in. I think I know which piece would fit you." Rias stepped aside letting Asia into her room. She pulled out a Bishop showing it to Asia. With a quiet nod the bishop slid into Asia's body and she suddenly felt heavy.
Her body was changing, albeit internally only. She felt really weird as her whole body seemed to vibrate with magic. It was difficult to think about because she was changing her entire life.
Ritsuka stumbled up to his room content that he had prepared at least a few objects. The cards he used were made explicitly for the situation ahead but nothing more. He didn't know what else could possibly happen but that was fine. The future was a mystery and something he looked forward to finding out about.
He fell into his bed exhausted from the constant mental gymnastics going through the process. In the process he forgot to set up his bounded field. It wasn't a bad thing since he hadn't been surprised for a few nights.
Falling into a deep sleep, Ritsuka relaxed.
His door creaked open and a crimson haired beauty tiptoed over to his bed. Taking off her clothing she curled into his bed using him as a body pillow as a small smile appeared on her face.
'As a lover you'll spoil us.' Rias thought placing her head on the crook of his shoulder. This felt comfortable and right in some strange way. Maybe it was just in her mind. She was just glad he wasn't wearing a shirt this night and that she didn't have to get rid of a magic field.
It didn't take her long to get comfortable as well. Ritsuka didn't even seem to notice with how deep his breathing was. His head turned towards her as she looked at his sleeping visage. She didn't suppress her feelings and immediately planted her lips on his. Another kiss between the two and she curled into him falling asleep.
To her it felt like home.
Author's Notes:
If you're asking why it happens... who else does she have? Really ask yourself that. None of the church want anything to do with her and the moment she was forced to join the Fallen, she was considered lost forever. And if you think why didn't the angels do anything? It took them so long to actually get involved that she would have been in a certain sociopaths clutches before they could have done anything.