Good Evening/Morning!
Hope that everyone is doing well; Happy early Halloween!
Not a whole lot to say here, will mostly let the chapter speak for itself. This chapter seemed to flow fairly well and didn't need much revision, and in general has a few different events being setup. Not much action, but there will be plenty once the arena fights begin.
As always, please enjoy yourself!
Dawn peeked over the horizon as a ragtag group of individuals continued their daily sparring matches on the training ground they had affectionally dubbed "Uchiha Hell". While Sasuke would never admit it, the sadistic side of him was flattered at their choice of name for the training ground he had constructed. It had come a long way from the barren clearing that he had entered this world in months ago; the clearing was now home to an upgraded version of Konoha's legendary Anbu training grounds. Obstacle courses studded with fiendish magical traps were regularly updated by a full time design and construction team from the Underworld that Sasuke sub-contracted, making it impossible for his students to ever slack off on their training. The difficulty rankings went from D class all the way to SS class, with Sasuke being the only person to complete the SS class courses.
Sasuke typically had all his students run the obstacle courses as a warm up before beginning their full contact sparring; Vali currently held the course record (Sasuke was excluded from the rankings for obvious reasons) for the A ranked obstacles, which was the highest level that had been reached by anyone to date. The Yakuza lieutenants were lucky to make it through the C course with multiple injuries, given their inexperience with all things Supernatural. While their bodies had been given a significant upgrade, the hardened men were still woefully inexperienced compared to most high ranked devils when it came to combat capabilities. Their martial arts were improving, but they had barely started learning basic magic from Asia and were unskilled with the medieval weapons that were typically wielded on the supernatural battlefield. Their current skills mostly fell under extensive firearm capability, which was essentially useless in the supernatural world where bullets might as well be seen as buzzing flies to the incredibly tough devils.
Sasuke made his rounds across the massive training ground, taking mental notes at his students' successes and failures. The lieutenants were grouped around Asia, watching attentively as she healed one of their number that had fallen in a pit of acid. Sasuke grimaced as he saw the man's hand had been burned down to the bone, leaving a skeletal appendage remaining. It was impossible for any of the lieutenants to ever become as adept as Asia in healing, but she could teach them some basic battlefield trauma spells that stopped bleeding or slowed down poison long enough for her to reach them. Asia beamed at him as the lieutenants all bowed their heads briefly in acknowledgment before continuing with what they were doing. Sasuke gave them all a terse nod before moving on to the next group with a shunshin.
As he expected, Xenovia and Kiba were going at it with everything they had. Kiba had duel demonic swords summoned that clashed with Xenovia's powerful blade Durandal, blowing holes in the landscape as the steel blades blurred and clashed like hail on a tin roof. Surprisingly, it looked like Kiba had the edge in this round; Sasuke had noticed the boy was improving even faster with such a powerful opponent to push him forward. Watching the two duel, Sasuke grunted in quiet approval before silently moving on to the next group of combatants.
"Oi! You call that fighting!"
"Shutup Blanco! I'll kick your ass!"
Sasuke facepalmed at Issei's unimaginative nickname for his arch nemesis. Calling the powerful host of the Albion Dragon by the color of his armor was both childish and foolish given their obvious disparity in strength.
Vali smirked in Issei's face.
"Let's see it then Rojo!"
Sasuke sighed gustily. Children, he was constantly surrounded by children. He couldn't help a small smile that creeped up as he thought of another loudmouth in his past with a penchant for giving out poorly thought out nicknames.
Folding his arms over his chest, Sasuke watched with a frown as Vali utterly destroyed Issei with a bored look on his face. Issei was now able to physically keep up with Vali's default state, but whenever the Albion wielder activated his powers just a hair, the momentum instantly shifted. It was to be expected though; despite all Vali's efforts the Welsh Dragon remained silent within Issei. Sasuke wondered if there was some mistake; perhaps Issei did not truly house the Red Dragon? Surely the activation of the rook piece would have been enough to awaken Ddraig from his slumber, if power was the main concern.
Giving Vali an approving nod that was completely ignored, Sasuke used a shunshin to the far edge of the area near where it transitioned to the facility he used as a cover for his Yakuza business. Checking the time, Sasuke was unsurprised to see a large magical circle appear on the ground bearing the personal crest of Beelzebub. Sasuke watched nonplussed as Beelzebub finished materializing and immediately moved towards him. Exchanging brief nods, the two got right down to business as Beelzebub handed him a nondescript briefcase.
"Greetings Sasuke-san; I have created pendants for your new peerage members as per your request. As we discussed previously, please ensure that you continue to let me know when you add new members to your peerage so we can continue letting people believe it is the pendants empowering them above what normal humans could ever achieve."
Sasuke nodded gruffly.
"As to the other matter Rias relayed to me, I am thrilled at the prospect of young Vali taking your place in the arena matches. Whereas it would have taken time to raise crowd attendance for your fights, everyone would give their right eye to see Vali Lucifer fight some of our strongest Lords in a winner take all match. The odds will be less favorable on the whole, but ticket sales and marketing will more than make up for any lost profit from the original plan. Moreover, this can only help your position as a Pillar Lord. The simple fact that you have one of the most feared players in the underworld under your thumb speaks volumes to your power and influence, two of the most important things towards being recognized as a true Lord in our society. Should the fights go well, public opinion of you will likely soar in the Underworld."
Sasuke brooded for a second.
"It has come to my attention that these fights will be far less helpful in raising my reputation than you initially led me to believe."
Beelzebub grimaced in dismay, but at the truth of his words and their blunt delivery.
"I must apologize on that front Sasuke-san; it was not my intention to deceive you regarding the value of these fights to public opinion. It was only after discussing the matter more at length with Sirzechs and some of my other politically savvy peers that I realized the impact would be less than I initially projected. I will say though, with Vali as your Champion that WILL cement your strength in the eyes of the people, a useful feature for whatever path you eventually choose in the Underworld."
Sasuke seemed to weigh that in his mind for a solid minute before nodding.
"Given that you appear to be honest in your claim and have already assisted me greatly with other matters, I am willing to let this go since it worked out for the best. With that being said though, any other similar slip ups will not be so easily forgiven. Am I clear?"
Beelzebub raised an eyebrow and gave a curt nod.
"Good; is there anything else we should discuss while you are here?"
"No, we're done here."
The two men exchanged nods as they both turned around and walked away without looking back. Sasuke realized that it was unwise to take too strong a stance with powerful leaders, but it was also important to make it clear that significant errors were not acceptable. If he let it go too easily the devil leader would likely have less problems exaggerating benefits on another similar deal, and that wouldn't do.
Sasuke blurred as he moved to the SS ranked Obstacle course; time to take out some of his frustrations by setting a new course record.
There was a knock at the door as Sasuke finished tying his ebony silk tie. Briefly examining himself in the mirror, Sasuke internally sneered at the flawless cashmere suit he had commissioned from an extremely exclusive shop in Tokyo. While he admitted the form fitting suit was both comfortable and flattering to his flawless physique, he had always hated the idea of dressing in fineries for anything. Of course, comfortable suits such as these were far more preferable than the formal robes he had been forced to wear at the yearly clan gatherings. Just the thought of wearing that heated carpet made him internally shudder. Sasuke moved to open his apartment door as the knocking commenced once more.
"Sasuke-san, it is a pleasure as always," Kiba formally announced. Kiba wore a black tuxedo that made him look rather like a butler of sorts, though it somehow suited him well.
Sasuke nodded to him as his eyes turned to a staring Rias. Though it was brief, she had definitely given his whole body a once over and was now openly staring at him in appreciation. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her staring, causing her to briefly blush.
"Good evening Sasuke-san; you clean up very well in that suit."
Sasuke nodded his thanks, briefly eyeing her outfit as well. It was a low cut scarlet dress that seemed to shimmer in flowing waves of flame; it had likely cost the GNP of a small country to be enchanted to that level.
As the trio walked to fetch Asia, Sasuke and Rias walked side by side as Kiba took the lead. After a soft knock, Asia emerged in a beautiful white dress that seemed to glow slightly as Asia smiled at Kiba.
"Asia-san, would you do me the honor of joining me this evening for dinner?" Kiba asked in a stilted manner, obviously still in shock at her appearance. Sasuke suspected that Rias had something to do with her dress, given the obvious quality and make that would not be possible outside the high end shops of the Underworld.
Asia told him she would be glad to, smiling broadly at him as the two couples left the complex and headed to the high end cafe Rias had mentioned in their previous meeting.
The couples made quite the entrance at the high end cafe, causing quite a stir with their attire and inhuman beauty (especially in the case of Rias). Rias led the conversation around fairly harmless topics, engaging both Asia and Kiba at various times with topics that she knew they were interested in. She occasionally spoke with Sasuke, but it was obvious most of her efforts were spent on making the shy Asia and uncertain Kiba more comfortable with each other. As the evening went on, it was obvious that her efforts were bearing fruit as Kiba and Asia began conversing with each other more freely now that the ice was broken by Rias. After they finished their meal, the four of them grabbed coffee to go as the two couples engaged in conversation as they walked.
"Kiba, Asia, would it be alright if I finished out the date alone with Sasuke? We are just around the corner from your apartment Asia, as soon as you are finished talking Kiba can escort you back home."
The two nodded, now much more comfortable with the idea than they would have been when starting the evening.
Rias looked to Sasuke, who also nodded in agreement. With the decision made, the two couples went their separate ways as Kiba and Asia slowly began walking towards her apartment as Rias steered Sasuke towards an open stretch of walkway.
Sasuke peered at Rias curiously.
"What was it you wanted to discuss with me in private?"
Rias laughed in delight.
"Is it so strange that I might want you alone for a while? We are practically betrothed at this point; my father already loves you for the way you took on the meeting of Lords."
"Oh? I thought that we were still viewing this as a political marriage."
The smile faded from her face as Rias continued walking in silence for a few moments, obviously collecting her thoughts. Sasuke enjoyed the night air as he heard the distant wind blowing through the trees, the trees creating a chorus with their footsteps in the quiet night.
"To be honest Sasuke, I don't know what to think. When we first met, I quickly grew in dislike for you as you stood in my way from recruiting peerage members that could save me from Riser. Then you showed up and beat up my peerage before forcing me into a contract with you."
Sasuke silently added that there were some mitigating circumstances there, including the fact that he had only given them the same contract they had planned to force on him. He remained silent however, allowing Rias to work through her feelings.
"Then you saved both myself and my peerage from that monster Riser, giving him what he richly deserved in the process. Since then, you have saved all our lived more times than I can count, and regularly work towards making us all stronger and more self sufficient. To top it all off you are rich, handsome, incredibly powerful and one of the few people in my society that I could conceivably marry since you inherited your position as Pillar Lord. Is it really so surprising to you that I may have started to see this as something more than a political arrangement at some level?"
Sasuke allowed her to continue as she continued to work herself up on the topic.
"The thing that drives me mad though is that you barely notice me as a woman; I practically pushed my breasts in your face at the door and you didn't even notice! Since then I have made sure to give you ample views of my whole body; it hasn't been hard with how this dress is cut. So I have to ask; is it just me or are you not attracted to women?"
Sasuke snorted briefly before facing her.
"Attractive women are used to men drooling over them at every opportunity, especially when they bother trying to present themselves. My desire runs considerably colder than most men's, but I am attracted to women in general. Its just that what few desires I have are controlled tightly; few things get you killed faster in the field than a distracting flash of skin that takes your eyes off what's really going on in the room."
Rias eyed Sasuke pensively.
"While I am relieved to hear that, so many things about you don't add up Sasuke-san. Your power level as a human is unheard of, especially since you don't utilize any sacred gears. Add to that your extensive training and combat experience, and the picture gets even stranger. Who are you really Sasuke-san?"
Sasuke stared out at the stars for a full minute before answering.
"I am not yet ready to have this talk with you. If we are married or at least betrothed and become sworn to protect and hold each others secrets, I will consider it. That being said, I am who I am. Getting a glimpse into my past will give you answers to many of the questions that currently elude you, but none of those revelations change who I am today. Rather than be obsessed with the things you don't know about me, rather ask yourself what you do know about me and see if that person is someone you would like to truly bond with beyond a political marriage of convenience. Once you can answer that question for yourself, our next steps forward will become far more clear."
Rias nodded and digested his words as they continued walking. Silence reigned for the rest of their walk as Rias continued to ponder what he had said, obviously reviewing what she knew of him in her mind. As they were coming up to Sasuke Apartment, Rias finally spoke once more.
"I am unsure of what the future holds for us Sasuke-san, but I would regret not doing this now no matter how things may turn out in the end."
Sasuke's brows shot up as Rias captured his lips with her own, but he quickly adjusted to the situation as many years of experience kissing Sakura came back to him in a heartbeat. The two of them separated after a minute, Rias' face flushed deep red as she caught her breath.
"That was incredible Sasuke-san; thank you for this evening."
Rias gave him a brief bow of her head before rapidly retreating out into the night.
Sasuke watched her leave in surprise; he had not expected her to make such a move for some time, if at all. It appeared things were going to get more complicated in the near future. He couldn't help but feel that he was forgetting something that he needed to speak with her about, even as he walked inside and shuffled towards his bedroom. As he opened the door and beheld a sleeping Xenovia in his bed, he suddenly remembered what he needed to discuss with Rias. Rubbing his temples, he decided to leave it for another day; after all, it might put a slight damper on her increasingly romantic ideas to discover that another woman was already potentially in the picture.
Generally speaking, I refrain from using excessive description unless we are talking about battles or weapons, but it seemed appropriate in this case so please forgive the descriptions given to all their clothing for the evening. I tried to make it brief, as I can't stand stories that spend an entire page telling you exactly what kind of wool was used on their excessively described clothing when it really has no bearing on what is going on.
