Warning: course language.
In this chapter Brandon earns the M rating. I apologise in advance.
I woke up early in the morning, and stared at the ceiling, ribs still very sore from yesterday's fight.
Once I got home I immediately excused myself, claiming I was completely worn out after scouring the territory, which was technically the truth. Azalea believed it in an instant, but of course Mom saw through me, one look in her eyes was all it took to know I'd have explaining to do in the morning. After I made it to my bedroom I skipped over my nightly routine, and went straight to sleep, still in my day clothes.
I began to think, if my senses weren't tuned that spear would have gutted me. I need to stay sharp for any more surprises like Donny-boy.
"Well, no use lying around all morning." With a bit of pain I pulled myself up, and threw my covers off. Once I was standing I stretched until I heard a couple pops.
My morning routine began with some warmup stretches, followed by repetitions of push ups, and continued cycling through various exercises until it reached the fifty minute mark. My ribs ached like an absolute bitch afterwards. Meanwhile Azalea was probably still sleeping, as blissful as can be in that weird cocoon thing she does with her wings. I supposed that was one use for the things, since she couldn't fly with them.
Maybe my usual morning shower would help with the soreness. I grabbed my school uniform and a towel, and headed across the hallway to my bathroom. I couldn't help but wonder why the smaller of the two bedrooms is the one that comes with a personal bathroom, that's just the trade off I guess.
Once I got to the bathroom I locked the door, set my uniform and towel in a spot they'd stay dry, set the shower to cold, and began to get undressed.
The frigid water shocked my senses into full alert the second I stepped in. The discoloration around my bruise began to fade, still hurt, but not any more than the bruises Azalea would leave when we'd play fight as kids.
After my rinse I grabbed the towel, tousled my hair with it, and wrapped it around my waist before examining myself in the mirror, the bruise was still very much noticeable, it'd probably be a couple days before it completely faded. My eyes began to wander to the rest of me. I had a slim, well-defined build, closer to part five than part three if I had to make the comparison. My messy hair was still moist, it almost looked like I just had a fistfight, shirtless in the rain, I chuckled to myself.
My towel got tight, and went loose, but I quickly grabbed it before it fell. "REALLY, am I seriously that vain?!" I complained out loud. "Oh well, back to the shower."
After a second, colder rinse, I dried myself while avoiding the sight of the mirror, and threw on the school uniform. I then brushed my teeth, combed my hair, and made sure I was presentable just in time for Mom to begin making breakfast, and Azalea to almost wake up.
My stomach groaned. At that moment I realised I hadn't eaten since that half of a parfait yesterday, it's a wonder that I haven't gotten the tremors. I was going to have to share yesterday's events with Mom soon. Fuck.
I walked downstairs to take a seat at the dinner table. Mom was frying eggs and potatoes judging by the smell in the air.
"Good morning, Mom. How are you feeling?" I made myself known.
"Worried." She frankly replied, not facing my direction. She might've been deliberately avoiding eye contact, or just focusing on her cooking.
"Want an explanation about yesterday?" I asked, jumping straight to the point.
"That would be appreciated." She responded in that famous 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' tone, betraying some worry as well.
"In that case I'll get started when Azalea gets here." I insisted.
"That's fine." She curtly replied.
The smell of Mom's cooking got stronger, and my stomach began to violently growl.
"Forget to eat while you were out?" Mom asked with a bit of smug humor in her voice. Good, she wasn't completely pissed.
"I had a parfait, but I made the mistake of watching Azalea eat her order before I finished." I shared. "Killed my appetite pretty quickly."
Mom chuckled. "One of her feeding frenzies?"
"It was a Mountain of ice cream, Mom." I emphasised, spreading my arms out. "I think she might have swallowed part of the spoon too."
"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" Azalea asked, walking in rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Your disturbing eating habits." I bluntly stated.
"I'm not that bad." Azalea claimed.
"Watching you eat is like watching a school of piranhas tear into a pumpkin." I could not stress enough.
"That's… a weird comparison." Azalea responded, unsure of what to make of my, admittedly bizarre, analogy. "Couldn't you think of something bird related?"
"I don't think Mom would appreciate me comparing you to a vulture."
"No, I wouldn't." Mom cut back in, turning the stove's dial to 'off.' "But that's beside the point, now that Azalea's here you can give us your explanation for yesterday."
"Did I miss something?" Azalea asked, oblivious as ever.
"Your brother was acting very suspicious when he got home last night." Mom explained. "I want to know what happened."
"Alright, I guess I've held it off long enough." I sighed. "I got into a fight, and he got a good hit in."
I stood up, pushing my chair back, and lifted my shirt to reveal some discoloration on the lower right side of my ribcage.
"Turned out it was just a misunderstanding, and we went our separate ways."
"Huh, that doesn't look so bad." My sister said, reaching over to poke my bruise.
"Azalea, stop." Mom ordered, and Azalea immediately pulled her arm back, sitting straight up as if she'd been on her best behavior.
"Why didn't you just tell us when you got back?" Mom asked with some concern.
I pulled my shirt back down, and began straightening it back out.
"Like I said, I was tired." I shrugged.
"It really was just that?" Mom rhetorically asked, carrying her pan to the table. "I guess I was worried over nothing."
"I said I can defend myself." I insisted, before my stomach loudly rumbled.
"But apparently you can't feed yourself." Mom had a self satisfied grin as she dished out her cooking to me first, much to Azalea's dismay.
I was far too hungry to make a comeback. I grabbed my fork, and started shoving food into my mouth like I was Azalea. Azalea was also stuffing her face like a starved animal after being served. No change there.
"Yep, there's no doubt about it. You two are definitely brother and sister." Mom further teased.
My fork clanked on the plate as I swallowed the last bite of my meal. "Sorry for that display." I said, with a bit of shame.
The drive over to the school ground was smooth as usual. I brought my book to read as a distraction for the duration of the ride, as Azalea and Mom chatted; It only came out as white noise with my focus on the page, but knowing Azalea it was probably about some animal she saw.
Before I realized it we were parked near the bridge to the school gate.
"Okay Brandon, time to go." Mom said, as Azalea held my door open.
"Oh, right. My bad." I closed the book over my thumb to keep my place, swung my legs out, and stood up. "Just kind of tuned things out."
"I'm glad you're enjoying that book of yours, but don't get too distracted." The look in Mom's eye changed slightly at the end of the sentence. Her message was clear, 'stay on guard.'
"Don't worry." I said. "Nothing escapes my senses." Mom smiled, giving a two finger salute.
"Thankfully, I'm not so easily distracted." Azalea blatantly lied.
"Not dignifying that with a reaction." I stated, not even turning to face my sister, but I just knew she was sporting a self satisfied grin.
"Anyway, have a nice day Mom." I waved her off with the hand still grasping the novel.
"You too, kids." She said, starting the car back up. "Stay safe." Were her final words as she drove off.
"See ya later, Sis."
"Meet you at lunch, Bro."
Having said our goodbyes, we walked in separate directions to continue our daily routines.
Since I had the route entirely memorised I was able to navigate my way to the kendo club without looking up from my book.
Unlike in the car I couldn't tune anything out. I had to keep note of every crunching leaf, every noisy insect, and every gust of wind; Even with my attention divided, it was unlikely for anyone to sneak up on me. I wasn't able to read or walk as quickly like this, but it was well worth the extra security.
After one final turn I was at my club's door, I contemplated just stepping inside, but decided to knock instead. You never know what you might walk in on.
"Just a minute." Called a muffled voice from the other side. I sat down against the wall and went back to reading as I waited.
The door eventually opened. "Hello?" Boss said, looking around before noticing me on the ground, crouched over my book. "Oh, Brandon."
"Morning." I said, standing up straight, and closing my book back over my thumb.
"Thanks for knocking, Katase was in the middle of changing." Called it.
"Don't you have a room for that?"
"She thought she'd be able to get it done before anyone showed up." Boss chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.
"Fair enough." I shrugged.
As Boss led me inside Pinky, thankfully clothed, marched over to greet me.
"Hey Brandon, how was your weekend?"
"Not bad actually, familiarised myself with the town, found a good book, had a decent fight." I lifted part of my shirt to reveal my bruise. "Overall pretty alright."
"Are you alright?" Pinky asked, bending down to take a good look at the mark.
"I'm fine." I said, lowering my shirt. There was some disappointment in Pinky's eyes, perhaps there was an ulterior motive for her getting so close. "I've had a lot worse."
"Do you get into a lot of fights?" Boss asked, looking more than a little concerned.
"I'm a delinquent from rural Ireland, it's bound to happen." I answered nonchalantly.
"But you're not the one who starts them, are you?" Boss questioned.
"That's a matter of perspective."
"How so?" Pinky asked.
"Who really starts a fight? The one who throws the first punch, or the one who provokes it?"
"Which one are you then?" Boss questioned.
"A little of column A, a little of column B."
"So you are the one who starts them." Boss deadpanned.
"Guilty as charged."
"I don't get you." Boss stated.
"What's there to get? I'm just kind of an asshole."
"Oh, you're not that bad." Pinky cut back in. "You did stop the perverted trio."
"Well, I still have standards." I paused for a moment. "Is that seriously what they're called?"
"Yeah, is there something wrong?" Pinky asked, unsure on what the issue was.
"It's kind of… what's the word? Vapid?" I pondered scratching my chin. "It just feels like the most basic description possible."
"Well, what would you suggest?" Boss proposed.
"The three stooges, triplex sex pests, degenerate triumvirate, a lawsuit waiting to happen." Although, all but that last one are now out of date with the news Donny gave me. Thinking about it I couldn't help but smile a little.
"Stop grinning to yourself like that, none of those were that clever." Boss chastised me.
"I don't know, I kind of liked triplex sex pests." Pinky said.
Damn, I got lost in my thoughts for a second.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about something funny."
"What was it?" Pinky asked.
"Oh, it's an Irish thing, you wouldn't get it." I deflected.
It was the last period, just minutes left on the clock, and there hasn't been any major incident. Just needed to wait for the bell.
I sat there, nothing to do, not enough time to pull out my book, but too much time to comfortably while away. there was a knock at the classroom door.
"Come in." The teacher said.
A familiar blond student let himself inside. My head, along with the heads of every female classmate, perked up, wondering what he was here for.
"Ah, Kiba." The teacher began. "What brings you to my class?"
"I was sent to pick someone up." Eye candy courteously explained.
"In that case, go ahead."
"Brandon Byrne." He requested my name. It seemed like things were about to get interesting.
"Present." I announced, hand raised.
"Would you be so kind as to follow me?" He politely requested, but I could tell from his eyes he harboured resentment. Was it because of the pass I made at him last week? There was one way to tell for certain.
"Sure I'll come with you, Eye candy." I responded playfully, for all the class to hear. There was little change in his eyes. Guess that's a no.
The classroom murmured, and gossiped as I got up. In hindsight, behaving as brazenly as I do is counterproductive to avoiding attention, but I screwed that up day one. It would have been a lot more suspicious if I tried going back to the act.
Eye candy held the door for me as I exited the classroom. "Quite the gentleman." I teased. He didn't have any response.
After a bit of walking I decided to break the silence. "So, what is this about? Is it because I nearly ruptured one of Strap-on's testicles last week? Because I gave fair warning."
"Eyewitness reports contradict that." Eye candy spoke matter-of-factly. His voice didn't carry any of the amiable tone it had minutes ago. "No you didn't."
"Pfft, No I didn't." I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"But to answer your question, no. That isn't why Rias wants to speak with you."
"Who?" Rias isn't a name I had become very familiar with, at best I could vaguely recall students chattering it as I walked by.
"The head of the occult research club." He answered. Occult research? Did they figure out something about me, or Azalea? Do they know about stands? Is Donny involved somehow? Stay calm Brandon, figure out how to get them to give you the information you need.
"What would a club like that want with me? Last time I checked I'm not a fae." I asked in jest, betraying none of my concern.
"Rias wants to talk with you behind closed doors." He spoke neutrally. "It isn't my place to tell." Sure, that's not ominous in the slightest.
"Why so secretive, Eye candy?" Maybe I can get him to slip something up.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" He questioned, sounding more puzzled than offended.
"Because you're handsome, obviously." I answered straight forward. "You've got nice hands too."
"Funny, most male students resent me for that." He mirthlessly chuckled.
"Who gives a fuck? They're just a bunch of tools that thought going to a former all girls school would help them get laid." I rebuffed that mindset. "It's not your fault for looking better than them."
Kiba made an unexpected turn at the building's entrance. As he changed direction I could've sworn his lip curled up very slightly.
"What's this, a detour?" I asked wryly.
"No, the occult research club is the other building." He answered with the slightest bit less hidden animosity in his neutral tone.
"You sure you're not just whisking me off for something nefarious?" I said it in an exaggeratedly dramatic manner, complete with fainting pose.
"I'm quite certain." He almost chuckled, leading me towards a side building. Guess I get to find out what's with this one.
The place's hallway was dimly lit, as though someone forgot to pay the electric bill. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but once I could see somewhat clearly I noticed a very heavily sealed room at the end of the hallway. Getting more suspicious, I discreetly formed a single glass shard in my hand, just in case Eye candy tried something funny.
From the other side of the hall I heard a crash, and quickly turned, shard at the ready. To my surprise, I saw Azalea who'd just walked face first into a wall. Her night vision has always been terrible, but just what was she doing here?
"Make a right." A short, white haired girl emotionlessly instructed. She looked like the same pup that led Azalea away from the school last week.
After coming into view the Pup glared at me, nothing out of the ordinary there.
"Sorry, I don't do so well in the dark." Azalea apologised.
"I noticed." The pup tersely replied.
"Sis, what are you doing here?" I called out from across the hallway, dissipating the shard I held.
"Hey bro, Koneko here asked me to come see someone named Rias." My sister merrily answered. "I think I may have a secret admirer." She added.
"You don't." Koneko bluntly stated. Well, Pups got you there, Sis.
Azalea sped towards me, skidding to a halt just a meter away.
"So what are you here for?" She asked.
"Same thing." I stated. I don't like this one bit. They have to be on to something.
"I wonder why they want both of us." Azalea pondered. "I mean I'd understand if it was just me, but you're not exactly the most pleasant person to be around."
"Gee, thanks Sis." I deadpanned. But she does bring up a good point, why both of us at the same time?
"If you have questions, just ask Rias." Eye candy said, holding the door open like a gentleman.
"Thank you." Azalea cheerfully said, as she walked through. I stepped in after her, and noticed a hint of loathing in Eye candy's eyes.
Candlelight dully illuminated the room, just enough to make things out without straining your eyes. Gaudy gothic decor littered the area, a woman with ridiculously long black hair, tied in a ponytail, sat on a couch facing a table opposite to a second couch, all overlooked by a large, solid looking desk.
"Please, take a seat." Eye candy offered, before he and Pup took up their own spots with the ponytailed girl.
Pup continued to glare at me from her spot, I still wasn't sure what her problem was, while Eye Candy apprehensively glanced between me and my sister. Both seemed to carry something deeper in their eyes, probably some past traumas.
Azalea sat at the edge of the couch mirroring the girl with the ponytail, and I took my place next to her. Two cups of steaming tea sat on saucers on the table in front of us. Azalea didn't seem to notice them, and I didn't trust the people here enough to try it out, so they went untouched.
"So, are you this Rias chick?" I asked the girl who had been seated since we got here.
"Oh, no I'm Akeno. I'm the vice president. Rias will be with us in a minute." She said, with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She was hiding a great deal of animosity, which is standard for people when they interact with me, but it wasn't me she was directing it towards.
There was something else in those eyes too. It wasn't the same as them, but it was too close for comfort. I looked away before I'd begin to inadvertently glare, and something else immediately caught my attention.
"Do I hear water running?" I definitely hear water running.
"Akeno, are my clothes ready?" A voice came from the same direction as the shower sound. There was a large doorway draped off with a curtain.
"Yes, I have them laid out for you." Ponytail answered.
"Is she taking a fucking shower after calling us here?" I fumed. I could feel my eyebrow begin twitching already.
"Well she has to look presentable." Ponytail giggled with false warmth.
"That's unbelievably trashy." I stated. Ponytail, Eyecandy, and Pup all gave me a look like I just sucker punched their grandma.
"Brandon!" Azalea chastised. "There's no need to be so rude."
"I'm not apologising." I stated, crossing my arms. "Specs at least had the common decency to be clothed."
"You'll have to excuse my brother, he can be abrasive." Azalea apologised with a slight bow.
The sound of running water stopped, and a crimson haired woman with an air of superiority stepped out, fully dressed in her uniform. How did she do that? Was she running the water just to test my non-existent patience? There's no way she had the forethought to have two cups of perfectly hot tea ready, but not to finish bathing.
"I must apologise for keeping you waiting." The redhead said, casually strolling past, and taking a seat on top of her desk. I noticed she was the only one who's eyes didn't show any damage. Blue eyes were always the easiest to read.
"Woof." Was Azalea's response. Not sure what would warrant… I averted my eyes, you could see straight up the redhead's skirt.
Azalea just blankly stared, so I placed a hand over her eyes. Dammit Sis, why are you such a virgin?
"Do You Mind?!" I barked.
"Do I mind what?" The redhead asked, pretty convincingly feigning confusion.
"I'm sure you're very proud that your daddy let you buy slutty underwear, but not everyone needs to get the memo." She only seemed slightly perturbed at my beration.
With a huff, the redhead stood up and walked around to sit in the desk's proper seat. I uncovered Azalea's eyes.
"I guess that tactic isn't going to work." The redhead sighed, dropping the innocent act. "Very well, I'll get right on to the point." She snapped her fingers.
The pup retrieved a stack of photographs, and spread them on the table. They were keeping track of some familiar faces from the Cafe.
"Hey, it's that pervert and that cute girl." Azalea stated, lifting one of the photos that excluded Strap-on.
So they think we're connected with Strap-on's death, which means they definitely know more than what they're letting on. But how much?
"Are these supposed to mean something, or do you just like scrapbooking the people you stalk?" I impatiently enquired, hoping not to raise suspicion.
"Are you familiar with Yuuma Amano?" The redhead's tone went dead serious.
"No, but that's a pretty name. I'd definitely remember if I've heard it before." Azalea divulged.
"Sounds like a species of shrimp." I remarked.
"Last weekend Issei Hyoudo was murdered." The redhead solemnly revealed.
"What? That's terrible." Azalea gasped in shock.
"Oh no, how awful." I sarcastically drawled with a complete lack of concern, earning a dirty look from my sister.
"'Yuuma' was the perpetrator, and we have reason to be suspicious of you two." The redhead continued.
"I'd never kill anyone." Azalea stated resolutely.
"And just what is the reason you're suspecting us?" I questioned.
"Well, there's the timing first of all, exactly one week from your arrival. There's the motive, you both have had negative interactions with him."
"Along with the entire female student body, so about 90% of the school." I countered.
"Yes, but we know of something else you've been hiding." The redhead alleged.
"Elaborate." I said. I guess pigtails saw me using Shattered Glass, and spread the word, but they're not getting confirmation out of me that easily, this could just be a bluff.
"You've been seen using a Sacred Gear." The redhead said, with a pompous smile.
"The fuck is a sacred gear?" Was my immediate response, to the disbelief of the club members.
"I think they mean your stand." Azalea muttered into my ear. Stay calm Brandon, the last thing you need is another blowout. I guess I have to reveal a bit. I took a deep breath.
"Alright, I can guarantee you that I didn't kill Strap-on." I began. "And Azalea is far too soft to even consider ending a life." Ponytail silently scoffed at the notion. Pup looked convinced.
"How about this? as a sign of trust, I'll show you my ability." I offered; Genuine interest sparked in the redhead's eyes. "Is it a deal?"
"Very well, go ahead." The redhead complied. Time for some misdirection.
I pulled a small, empty marble pouch from my pocket. I stretched the pouch open, and discreetly manifested a couple shards inside, before pouring them out on the table. Azalea was confused at the display.
"This is Shattered Glass." I stated, levitating my stand's pieces upward.
"Is that all?" The redhead asked, looking rather disappointed.
"Oh, no. It can do more." I said, with exaggerated pride. "But I barely know anything about you."
"We all have secrets, so why not share one of yours in exchange for what Shattered Glass can really do?" It's a decent starting point for the negotiation, and thankfully Azalea is letting me do my thing without butting in.
"I accept." Okay, it couldn't have been that easy. She must be pulling something.
The Shattered Glass shards arranged themselves before connecting at the edges to form the shape of a small, flat knife.
"I can make a crude duplicate of anything as long as I have enough pieces." I grabbed the mosaic, and twirled it around my index finger. Everyone looked quite underwhelmed by my little parlor trick; all according to plan.
"And that's all?" The redhead asked, looking even more disappointed.
"Yes, that's pretty much it." I confirmed, deconstructing my creation, opening the pouch, and letting the pieces float back in. "Now your turn, anything you're hiding?"
"I, along with the rest of the occult research club, am not human."
"That's a pretty big claim without any evid…" I couldn't even finish my sentence as black wings shot out of the backs of each o.r.c. member. The wings were angular and branch-like; unlike Azalea's ten, feathered wings, they didn't even have membranes. They were probably vestigial.
Azalea gasped. "You're just like me!" She exclaimed with so much hope and joy in her voice, revealing a single pair of her own wings.
I was so stunned at how easily, how pointlessly Azalea revealed herself, that I couldn't help but bring my palm to my forehead in pure disbelief. They already knew about my stand, but how do I damage control for this?
"We are nothing like you!" Ponytail furiously asserted, completely breaking her gentle facade. "Don't you ever compare us!"
"what?" Azalea asked sheepishly, shell shocked by the sudden aggression. She clearly hadn't picked up on any of the girl's animosity until this point.
"You worthless monsters don't deserve life; You're not capable of anything but lies and betrayal!" The ponytailed twat ranted. "All of you fallen should just drop dead!"
I was fully ready to get up and force-feed this presumptuous cunt her own teeth, but then from the corner of my eye, I saw the state of my sister. She was involuntarily quivering, looking like she just had her heart ripped out. Her eyes welled up with confusion, fear, and shame.
Azalea covered her mouth and nose to hold back her sobs, but tears streamed freely. Too fast for anyone to react, she ran out the door, crying hysterically.
The sound of liquid spilling onto their floor brought everyone's attention back to my direction. I poured the tea provided for me out before dropping the cup, standing up, and crushing it with a stomp. I stared right into Ponytail's soulless violet eyes with a hateful glare.
"Why don't you go back to the diseased snatch you congealed out of?" I snarled, before marching out the door with no opposition. They seemed too stunned to make a move.
Vengeance would have to wait, I needed to make sure Azalea would be okay.
Murayama and Katase walked through the dingy hall that led to the occult research club.
"You're absolutely sure this is where Brandon went?" Murayama asked. "It doesn't look like anyone uses this place."
"For the last time yes." Katase insisted. "I heard Kiba picked him up near the end of sixth period, this is the way to the club he goes to."
"And are we supposed to just walk in after him?" Murayama questioned.
"Of course not, we'll just wait outside the door, and have him share any juicy info with us while we walk him back to the kendo club." Katase said, grinning mischievously.
Suddenly Azalea barreled past the two kendo leaders, bawling her eyes out, not even noticing their presence.
"Was that Azalea?" Katase asked.
"What's wrong with her?" Murayama raised, in concern.
"Should we go after her?" Katase wondered out loud.
Before Murayama could respond Brandon ran up to them, coming from the same direction Azalea did.
"Did you see Azalea?" Brandon asked, skipping any form of greeting.
"Yeah, she just ran past us." Murayama answered. "What happened to her?"
"Go ask Akeno." Brandon forced himself to use the girl's real name, before rushing off, Leaving his club leaders bewildered.
"She did what?!" Sona blurted in disbelief, unsettling the rest of the student council.
"Rias had Koneko escort Azalea to the occult research club just before the end of her sixth period class." Tsubaki calmly clarified.
"And she didn't even consider informing me beforehand?!" Sona paced as the council members watched on.
"Evidently not." Tsubaki stated.
"Rias has made thoughtless decisions in the past but this is crossing the line." Sona ranted, getting uncharacteristically emotional. "Who knows how Azalea might react to Rias' line of questioning."
Sona's rant was interrupted by a light knock on the door before Azalea walked in, face wrinkled with grief, dripping tears, mucus, and a bit of saliva.
"Azalea?" Tsubaki questioned, barely recognising the distraught nephilim.
This wasn't at all what Sona had feared, but seeing the normally cheerful and upbeat Azalea like this was distressing nevertheless. Sona decided to be the one that approached her.
"Azalea, what happened?" Sona cautiously asked.
Azalea began to bawl harder at Sona's question, and fell to her knees. Sona had no idea how to deal with this, she was never the voice of comfort. She thought back to her childhood, how did her sister comfort her when she was upset?
Sona bent down a bit, and tentatively wrapped her arms around Azalea. Azalea flinched for a second, before she eased in to reciprocate, ruining Sona's uniform.
"There, there. It's alright." Sona said, patting the nephilim's back.
"N… n-n no it's not." Azalea choked out between sobs.
"Take a moment to compose yourself, but you need to tell me what happened." Sona firmly directed.
After another minute of sobbing Azalea was ready to attempt to speak again.
"Sh-she called me a monster." Azalea stood up out of Sona's hold, and took a step back, revealing all ten of her pitch dark wings. Everyone aside from Sona went agape. "Am I a monster?"
"Azalea." Sona sighed, pushing up her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Don't tell me you revealed this to the occult research club."
"Yes?" Azalea nervously answered.
"Do you know what you are?" Sona sighed harder.
"No?"
"Azalea, you are a fallen angel." Sona revealed. "Let me explain everything."
Where could she have gone? I checked every corner, and asked every student in my path that didn't immediately run… The Student Council! I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of the most obvious answer first, and then dashed off.
As I approached the council room I heard sniffling, and Specs' muffled voice. I let myself in only to see my sister, wings on full display, bent down into the shorter girl's hug. I quickly shut the door behind me to make sure no one outside caught any glimpses.
"There, there. You're alright now." Specs awkwardly reassured.
Azalea sniffled one last time before stepping back. Her eyes were still wet, and her face was a mess, but she was no longer crying. Judging by the stains she left on Specs' outfit she stopped just before I got here.
"Thanks." Azalea hoarsely let out.
"Hey, Sis." I softly spoke, making myself known. Azalea flinched, and turned towards me.
"Brandon? How long have you been here?"
"Long enough." I said, walking up to her and Specs.
"Are you alright to go?" I asked. "I'm calling Mom to pick us up early."
Azalea gave a silent nod of confirmation. I then turned to the other girl.
"Thanks, Specs." I swallowed my pride to say. "I was wrong about you."
Looking around the room, everyone was floored. Even Azalea was questioning her hearing.
"This is quite an unexpected side of you, Brandon."
"Don't get used to it, Specs. After what that cunt said to my sister, it's taking a lot of self control not to start something."
"That's more expected." Specs deadpanned, clearly not a fan of my language.
"Yeah, I'm liable to kill someone if they so much as brush me or Azalea the wrong way, so could you tell the kendo club I won't make it today?"
"I'll send someone over, do try to refrain."
"I'll make an effort." I stated. "Before I go, do you have any paper towels?"
"Tsubasa, washcloth." Sona commanded, and a tomboy with short, navy blue hair ran to a cupboard, retrieving a rag and water bottle.
"Thanks." I said, as she handed them over.
I wetted part of the cloth slightly, and began wiping Azalea's face clean, a display I'm sure she found humiliating. Once the snot was gone I used the other side to wipe her dry, before tossing the rag and bottle over on Sona's desk, earning a slight glare, but no protest.
"Alright, time to go." I turned to the exit before turning back towards Specs.
"Oh, and Azalea's most likely going to be absent tomorrow, so if you were planning on dragging boulders around, maybe put that off for a bit." I said, placing an arm over my sister's shoulder to escort her away.
"Duly noted." Specs replied.
At that we left towards our usual pickup spot.
"Should I reschedule the boulders for Wednesday?" The vice president jested.
"Very funny, Tsubaki." Sona dryly responded. "Make it Thursday."
"Very well." Tsubaki complied.
"And make sure everything stays orderly while Reya and I are gone."
"Where are you going?" Tomoe asked.
"Reya will be informing the kendo club of Brandon's absence, and I need to have a discussion with Rias and her peerage."
Sona knocked at the door to the occult research club. Kiba was the one to answer.
"Why hello, miss Sitri." Kiba respectfully greeted. "What can we do for you?"
"I'm talking to Rias and Akeno. Right now." Sona stated, leaving no room for argument.
"Alright, come in." Kiba obeyed, stepping aside.
"Sona, what a pleasant surprise." Rias welcomed Sona in as if she wasn't guilty of going directly against her request.
"Do you think I'm a joke?" Sona demanded, frustration leaking from her stoic tone.
"What?" Rias asked. "Why would you say that?"
"I can't think of any other reason you'd call the Byrnes without informing me."
"I apologize, it must have slipped my mind." Rias pardoned herself.
"Rias, you knew very well that this is a situation that requires an extreme amount of tact, and yet you took it upon yourself to interrogate them with no preparation on what?! A hunch?" Sona fumed.
"I don't see what the big issue is." Akeno chimed in. "It's not like that fallen trash was worth anything."
Sona was not in the mood for this, with a barely noticeable scowl she walked up to Akeno, and backhanded her, much to the surprise of the occult research club.
"That 'fallen trash,' and her brother could have been a massive threat, or a potential ally."
Akeno rubbed her cheek. "So you're taking her side?" She accused.
"Sona, you have no right to treat a member of my peerage like that!" Rias interjected.
"Oh, you want to talk about rights?!" Sona spat back. "How about the right to interfere with my surveillance? The right to harass a member of My student council?"
"But nooo, the little princess always has to do things her way, doesn't matter what the ignobles think." Sona rebuked. "You complain so much about how people treat you for your status, why don't you step down from your ivory tower and stop acting like you're so above everyone else?"
"And you!" Sona turned back to Akeno. "You're the reason my uniform is stained with nephilim snot, hypocrite."
"Well excuse me for taking some initiative." Rias countered. "Am I just supposed to ignore the fact that one of the students got skewered?"
"Baseless assumptions do nothing, if you'd have just asked me, I could've told you Azalea had zero involvement in Issei's death."
"And how are you so sure she's not just playing dumb?" Rias countered.
"No one can fake that level of ignorance!" Sona exclaimed. "She was completely clueless about the supernatural."
"Then explain why Koneko found her eating at the same cafe as the fallen that killed Issei last weekend."
"Oh, I don't know, could it be that it was the weekend, and that Cafe happens to be the only good one in town?" Sona suggested. "Did you see them have any interaction whatsoever?"
"Well, no." Rias admitted. "But there was a massive power surge in the area, that might have been some sort of signal."
"Did it just happen to be in a moment of excitement for her?"
"Yes." Koneko stepped in. "She just got her order."
"Which would be consistent with the behavior Tsubaki had been observing all week." Sona illuminated. "She has been proven extremely food oriented, and has no control over how her power leaks."
"Okay, I may have made a misjudgement." Rias admitted.
"A misjudgement? What you did was completely irresponsible, and just reckless!" Sona chastised. "Even if she was a spy you could have provoked her into attacking."
"Fine, I'll apologize." Rias conceded.
"Oh, no. You aren't doing anything." Sona dictated. "You are not to have any interaction with either of the Byrne siblings from this point forward. They are my responsibility and I won't have you messing anything else up."
"You can't just order me around." Rias argued.
"You're right, but I can contact your brother or my sister if things get out of hand." Sona threatened. Rias reeled back. "So you keep me updated on the fallen occupying the abandoned church, I'll keep you updated on Azalea, and in public we can pretend like we're still friends."
Sona turned and walked out of the door. "Goodbye Rias."
I brought Azalea to the usual spot for pickup, her face may have been clean now, but it was still clear she'd been profusely crying, hopefully Mom would wait until we got home to hear the explanation.
When Mom drove up she was already concerned about being called early, then she saw her daughter's face.
"Oh my God, Azalea, What happened?" She panicked, jumping out of the car and placing a hand on each shoulder. Azalea's eyes began to water again.
"I think it's best we talk about it at home." I said, placing a hand on Mom's shoulder. "We're not going to want to be in public."
"Alright." Mom softly said, catching my message.
"Alright Azalea, let's get you home." Mom fussed, escorting her daughter to the passenger seat.
The drive home was silent except for Azalea's occasional sniffling, it gave us all some time to clear our heads before we talked things out as a family.
Before we realized it Mom pulled up to the driveway, and we gathered inside. Azalea and I took spots on the couch while Mom took the chair across from us.
After an awkward silence I was the first to speak up. "They know about my stand, and Azalea's wings."
"Who is 'they'?" Mom sternly demanded.
I explained the events, starting from the escort over, to the wings, to the ponytailed cunt's racist rant.
"Making my daughter cry?" Mom growled. "I'm going to kill that worthless slag."
"Not before I make her life hell." I refuted.
"We're not killing anyone." Azalea fervently held. "I don't care what she said to me, she doesn't deserve to die."
Mom exhaled, quickly composing herself. "Alright sweetheart, but if I hear she pulls a stunt like this again, I might not be so reasonable."
"It's just a shame I didn't stick around to hear what species they are, I could've found some weakness."
"They're devils." Azalea informed. "Sona told me after I ran crying to the student council."
"Well that saved me quite a bit of research." I muttered. "Great, now I have two things to thank Specs for."
"So how does she know?" I questioned.
"Sona is a devil too, apparently they were childhood friends." Azalea disclosed. "And it turns out I'm a fallen angel, or at least half of one." She unfolded her wings, and wrapped herself in them.
"Wait, this whole time, you didn't know?" Mom gasped.
"No?" Azalea answered.
"Why do you think I had us going to church every week?" Mom asked. "Didn't you listen when they got to the section about fallen angels and nephilim?"
"I was too busy staring at the hot angel statue." Azalea guiltily admitted.
"You're my daughter alright." Mom sighed.
"Her wings were so pretty."
"Yep, definitely my daughter."
"Why am I not surprised?" I muttered, resting my face in my palm. "So, since you didn't retain anything important from church, do you need a crash course?"
"No, that's not necessary, Sona caught me up on all the basics."
"In that case I'm heading out." I stated, standing up. "I need to go clear my head."
I silently walked to the door. I don't want either of them to see me when I bust a gasket.
"Hey bro." Azalea called as I began to turn the knob. "Don't kill anyone."
"Right." I gave a non committal answer before stepping out and gently closing the door behind me.
As I walked away from the house I thought back to yesterday, how things were so much simpler up until last night, now I knew angels are real, devils are real, fallen angels are up to something in town, and the devils have a strong presence at our school. I just wanted a quiet life, and this time I wasn't even the one to mess it up.
The world was so much larger now, and I had to scream.
After Brandon left, Mom got up and took a seat next to me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.
"Feeling any better now?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, a bit."
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Mom lamented.
"At least one good thing came out of it." I gave a half-hearted smile. "I know what I am now, a literal angel."
"You know it's funny, all this time I thought I was part bird." I added, with a dry chuckle.
"I'm a failure as a mother." Mom said, with a stray tear running down her face. She was always a more graceful crier than me.
"No you're not, Mom." I firmly asserted, hugging her tightly from the side. "I wouldn't be half the amazing girl I am if it weren't for you."
"FUUUUUCK!" A deafening shout interrupted the conversation, glad he wasn't still in the house.
"Sounds like he's been holding that one in for a while." Mom commented.
"Big time."
"So, this Sona girl, is she treating you well?" Mom asked, switching to a lighter subject.
"Yeah, she's a good friend." I affirmed. "You just need to learn to read her."
"Someone you might consider hooking up with?" Mom teased.
"What? No!" I blurted. "Our relationship is strictly professional."
"I prefer older girls anyway." I quietly added.
"Aww, someone to mother you after I'm gone?" Mom teased even further.
"Don't make it weird, Mom."
"Oh, I'm just teasing, you silly goose." Mom chuckled, booping me on the nose. "You know I like older men, so I'm no one to judge."
"Gross." I replied, in good humor. Mom tousled my hair in response.
"Do you think there's a woman out there that wouldn't mind…" I gestured over my wings, my mismatched hair, my… lacking features. "All this."
"Azalea I've told you this once, and I'll keep telling you." Mom spoke sternly. "Any girl would be lucky to have you."
"Even with me being half fallen angel?"
"You're far removed from the archetypal fallen." Mom reassured.
"I have a great mother to thank for that." I said, wrapping my wings around her, cocooning the hug.
My eyes began to grow heavy, guess the day's emotional turmoil took more out of me than I had thought. Mom was saying something, but it was too late to make it out, or respond. Nighty night.
"Azalea, Azalea." The mother tried stirring her daughter to no avail. "You still have your wings wrapped around us."
"Bloody hell." She groaned. "Guess I'm stuck like this."
I walked home in the dark with a new book in hand, when I heard the beat of a gigantic set of wings. A familiar blue spear struck the ground ahead of me. That's just pointless property damage, not that I cared, I don't own the town.
"Hey." Dohnaseek said, as he landed ahead of my path.
"Hey, Donny." I unenthusiastically greeted him back.
"Up for that rematch?" Donny asked with a grin, plucking his light spear out of the sidewalk.
"Now's not really the best time for me." I answered, a bit out of sorts.
"What's got you so somber?" Donny asked, his spear dissolving into motes of light.
I took a deep exhale. "It's a long story."
Donny sat on the curb, and patted a spot next to him. "Not like I have anything better to do."
After looking him in the eye, checking for any backstabbing intent, I took him up on his offer.
"So, what do you have there?" He asked, pointing at my book.
"Ars Goetia. I thought it could be useful, so I picked up a copy from the bookstore."
"Pretty outdated literature, might as well get just a Bible at this point."
"Thanks, that information is really useful after I've already spent the money on it, Donny."
"What do you need it for anyway?"
"Well, today I found out that not only are devils real, but also run my school."
"Caught you using your 'stand,' did they?"
I just flipped Donny off in response, how dare he guess right about my screw up.
"I'll take that as a yes." He laughed at my expense.
"Apparently they had spies keeping an eye on me and my sister from the day we got there." I explained. "Discreetly used my stand twice, and they still caught me."
"So that's what's got you so pissy?"
"No, that's not it, I made sure they know even less about what Shattered Glass can do than you do." I stated. "Problem is, my sister decided to reveal her wings once they did theirs."
"Your sister has wings?"
"Yep, half fallen angel, human on Mom's side."
"A nephilim, not the most common hybrid."
"You think that's odd? Try half English, half Irish. I'm my own worst enemy." I lightened the mood a little. We shared a laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
"Back on topic." I began, immediately dropping the humor in my tone. "After Sis made a display of her wings one of them went into a racist rant, and she ran off crying."
"A sensitive girl, huh?" Donny asked.
"Quite."
"So anyway, I stormed off after giving the cunt who insulted my sister a piece of my mind, and found Azalea being comforted by the student council president, who turns out, is also a devil."
"A fallen angel getting along with a devil? That's absurd." Donny scoffed.
"Clearly you've never met Azalea." I countered.
"She sounds very naive."
"She's a pollyanna through and through." I let out a sigh. "I've never seen her so upset."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Donny said. "If it's any consolation, my day hasn't been the best either."
"Well, the misfortune of others does tend to cheer me up." I joked. "Regale me."
"So, you know the guy my boss was supposed to kill the other day?"
"The guy you mistook me for? I really question your group's competence if she got the wrong one too."
"No, she was successful, but the Gremory heiress reincarnated him, so there's one more devil running around." Donny explained. "Now I'm going to have to be the one to break the news to Raynare, and then sit through her tantrum."
"Wait, hold up. Reincarnated?" I backtracked. "You can't just bring up concepts like this with no further explanation."
"You really are green to this." Donny remarked, looking mildly amused. "Devils have this annoying habit of bringing recently deceased humans back as their slaves."
"So Strap-on is back, why not?!" I huffed, throwing my arms up. "That might as well be a thing that can happen!"
I clutched the bridge of my nose in frustration, and took a deep breath.
"At the very least, thanks for informing me. Now I won't make a fool of myself, assuming he's a ghost next time I see him." I relented. "So, you gonna try to kill him again?"
"Funny thing is, I just got back from that. Rias Gremory stopped me before I could finish the job."
"Wait, Rias? That used-tampon?!" I griped in disbelief. "Now aaall of my faaavorite people are working together, this day just keeps getting Better. And. Better." My sarcasm was palpable.
Donny just chuckled. "You know, telling you may not have cheered you up, but it did wonders for me. This is a riot."
"Oh fuck off, Donny."
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger." Donny defended. "I'm already going to have to deal with Raynare."
"Speaking of your boss, tell her I retract my thank-you."
"I'm not going to do that." He stated, matter of factly.
"Fair enough." I shrugged. "I guess you guys have your own issues too."
"Pretty rare for a human to sympathize for us fallen angels." Donny noted.
"Eh, racism isn't part of my personal brand of dicketry." I shrugged. "Besides my sister isn't exactly the textbook fallen angel, so it's not like there can't be any individuality among you."
"So you're a case by case kind of guy." Donny summed up. "I can respect that."
"Same with devils." I added. "I don't hate Tampon's crew for what they are, I hate them for who they are, and boy do I hate who they are."
"I'm assuming they were the ones who upset your sister, or do you just happen to make a lot of enemies?"
"Correct on both counts." I confirmed. "Specifically the one with the idiotically long ponytail, the rest are guilty by association. Also bringing Strap-on back to life, that's pretty unforgivable."
"Yeah, I'm really excited to break that news to Raynare. 'hey you know that guy you killed specifically so he can't become an enemy? Yeah he's been revived by our enemy.'" Donny mockingly acted out. "Masterful strategy Raynare."
"I've been wondering, why are you working with her?" I asked. "You don't seem to have a great deal of respect for her, and she doesn't seem like an outstanding leader from what you've given me."
"Honestly, pity." Donny began. "Raynare's always wanted to make a name for herself. Even before she fell she infamously clung to the higher ups, desperate for admiration. Falling only exacerbated her superiority inferiority complex."
"So she's a kiss up with delusions of grandeur." I summarised.
"Basically." Donny affirmed.
"Don't get me wrong she's still an unapologetic bitch, but with the way the high level fallen treat us low level can you really blame her?" Donny rhetorically asked. "Besides, us weeklings have to stick together."
"So you're mobbing."
"I beg your pardon."
"It's an antipredator behavior in birds, especially the corvid family, where a group will swarm a threat to either drive it from their territory or steal from it." I explained. "A strategy crows sometimes use is to have one pester the larger creature while the others sneak up on it."
"Interesting, I'll have to remember that." Donny said, scratching his chin. "How'd you learn about it?"
"When your sister has unexplained bird traits you do as much studying as you can to make sense of it." I divulged. "Guess I should've looked less into the natural, and more into the supernatural."
"It never hurts to have a wide frame of reference." Donny encouraged. "It's not too late to pick up the latter subject. You seem like a fast learner, and while sure that book you got is severely outdated, you'll probably still be able to get some decent information."
"Thanks. I have to wonder, is this like what talking to a dad is like?" What kind of comment is that Brandon?!
"Wouldn't know, I'm a creation." Donny shrugged. Good, he didn't take it the wrong way.
A phone began to ring. Donny instinctively reached in his coat, only to find his cell quiet.
"Ah, looks like it's me this time." I said, pulling out my own phone.
"Hello?" I answered. Unlike Donny, I knew how to turn the speaker off.
"Brandon, are you going to be back soon, I need your help." Mom abashedly requested.
"Sure, I'm only about three blocks away, I'll be right over." I said. "What's the issue."
"... I'm stuck." She hesitantly admitted.
"Stuck, how exactly?"
"... Azalea fell asleep hugging me."
"..." Hold it in, Brandon. Hold it in.
"Don't laugh."
"...pfft." I tried to hold it in, but it required more strength than I had. "Ah Hahaha!" I uncontrollably busted a gut.
I could feel Mom's silent disappointment through the phone. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just… ph. No, I have it under control, I'll be right there." I hung up before I could get any response.
"So, what's the emergency?" Donny questioned with a raised brow.
"My sister fell asleep hugging Mom, now I need to go help pry her from the death grip."
"Pff, sounds like quite the predicament." Donny grinned.
"Yep, scariest woman alive, currently acting as her daughter's teddy bear." I remarked, as I got up to walk off. "See ya."
"Good luck with that." Donny waved off. "By the way, you have a little blood on your face."
I brought my hand up to my face to feel a single droplet of blood had landed on my cheek. "Thanks for the catch." I said, rubbing it away.
"No problem." Donny said, before taking off into the sky.
Once I was back home I let myself in and set my new book on the living room table. Mom was sitting, her cellphone at her side, with a sleeping Azalea tightly wrapped around her. One arm was free, but she had no way of getting the rest of herself out on her own.
"Okay, this is just too adorable, I need to get a picture."
Mom sighed. "Camera's on my shelf."
I retrieved the camera from Mom's room, and snapped a picture of the hostage taker and her captive. Azalea stirred slightly at the flash.
"Now that's one for the album." I stated, satisfied with myself.
"Can you help me out now?" Mom rolled her eyes.
"Oh, of course." I said, setting the camera down, before attempting to pry Azalea's topmost wings apart. They wouldn't budge.
"Damn she's strong." I stated. "Welp, time for plan B."
"Plan B better not involve yelling, or ice water."
"... Time for plan D." I spun on my heels and sauntered over to the kitchen, setting my sights on the refrigerator.
"Now let's see." I muttered to myself, opening the fridge in search of ingredients.
"Hey Mom." I called. "Mind if I use the bacon."
"Sure, I can get more tomorrow if we're running low." Mom called back.
"Perfect." I grabbed the packet of bacon, a cabbage, some potatoes, a leek, cream, and butter.
"The things I do for this family."
I crisped the bacon, boiled the potatoes and mashed them with cream and butter, softened the leek and cabbage in the bacon drippings, and had a meal mixed in under twenty minutes. Perfect for awakening a being as food oriented as Azalea.
When I carried the bowl back to the living room Azalea was just beginning to drool in her sleep, staining the shoulder of Mom's dress.
"Azalea, I made your favorite. Food." I said, wafting the steam from my home made colcannon in front of Azalea's face, her eyes slowly opened.
"Azalea, sweetheart. Could you let mommy go?"
"What?" Azalea groggily asked, before realization struck her and she separated. "I'm so, so sorry Mom!"
"It's alright honey, you had a rough day." Mom said, stretching her limbs.
"How long was I out?" Azalea hesitantly asked.
"Just an hour or two." Mom said, trying to wave away Azalea's concern. "It's no big deal."
"She got out of making dinner tonight." I added, holding the bowl in front of Azalea.
"Thanks!" Azalea grabbed the bowl from my hands, and began greedily forking it into her gullet.
"So, how'd I do?" I asked.
"Eh, Mom's is better." Azalea bluntly stated, without swallowing. Nice table manners.
"Ouch."
"Your sister has good taste, Brandon." Mom said, patting Azalea on the head.
"That's it." I blurted in faux indignation. "Leftovers are on the stove, if you need me I'll be reading in my room." And I marched off.
I quietly snuck back behind the couch unnoticed, and ruffled both of their hair. "Goodnight, see you tomorrow."
Finally got to the part where stuff happens. Thank El-Shaddai.
Due to this chapter's length I've decided to split it into two, meaning the following chapter will still be Brandon's POV, and the language warning is still very much in effect. Get ready for the aftermath.
Brandon's a pessimistic, confrontational twat, but he'll stick up for his sister. Azalea now knows exactly what she is, and Brandon is forced to reevaluate some preconceptions he's had over the student council. Got to write some personality for Dohnaseek, which was fun, I always did get unreasonably attached to minor characters.
Akeno may have made Azalea have a breakdown, but now that she knows what she is, the same thing won't work twice. The incident was the last straw for Sona when it comes to Rias taking matters into her own hands, a breach of trust from a friend she was already growing away from.
Now that the Canon is beginning to play a role in the story, I sincerely hope I haven't written any of the Canon cast unfairly. Obviously they won't be getting along with my characters from this point onward, but I don't want that to veer into character assassination.
Oh, and Amano is in fact the name of a Japanese shrimp species common in pet trade.
Please Review.