o look out for others and try to make them happy is also a show of love... Right?
DISCLAIMER: DxD does not belong to me~.
"Gremory-chin. Really down, no?"
"Boy, never thought I would see a haremmete away from her natural habitat(aka, next to the harem protag), and looking at it now, I wish I didn't. That's gloomy as hell."
"Mama, also angry. Papa, nervous. So much screaming, sad."
"Tell me about it, all that drama is too much even for me. Well, we're already out and going on a date, like we said we would. Boss is with foxy, so I guess we can do whatever now. Wanna hit the arcade? Parfait? Mall? Love hotel?"
"...!"
"Just kidding, you pervy witch."
"Aw... But still..."
"...?"
"Wanna cheer Gremory-chin up. Make her happy again. Hey, let's find another piece. Peerage. Nice girl, harem candidate too."
"While it's debatable if we need more chicks, I guess we can try to find someone strong enough to cheer boss up. We found china Boobs and Guandao Boobs like that, can't hurt to try it again."
"Hm. Now: start where?"
"I know a place, actually. When I was on the run, I found out that there's this underground colisseum where superatural stuff gather to fight for money and bloodlust. Mukuro said is quite popular for strong youkai, and we might even get a lot of money from it. How about it?"
"Can't hurt. Sounds cool."
...
...
I was wrong!
I was soooooooooo wroooooooooong~!
This place is a nightmare! It's not cool at all! The crowd screaming all the time; the sand dirtied with blood, teeth and other unsavory things; the sense of carnage and bloodlust that is nauseating; and specially the fact I haven't seem a single handsome men or a pretty women to 'accidentally' trip on and cup a feel! Gosh, why are Youkai so GODDAMN UGLY~! Although that oni redhead was quite nice and had a nice package; sad I didn't get to fight him, but STILL!
Owowowow~! That sock of hers still hurts~, and I think I bit my tongue again with that~! I hope she can't see under my veil, because I think I'm bleeding a little too~! This hurts so much~, and I feel like crying~...
But, c'mon, keep it together, Natalia, you're the one who wanted this, and I still want to bring something home to cheer up my King. She has been so morose, quiet and down ever since Tsukino-chin left to visit his grandparents, and all the screaming and fighting back home evolved to the point it became unbearable, only exacerbating the awkward and gloomy mood. No matter where or when, mama would shout and scream at one of their daughters doing something to avoid a specific parent, and the atmosphere would just plummel down...
Eventually, Tsukino papa gave us 10,000 yens each to do whatever we wanted as long as we don't have to stay and hear all the fights and bid us goodbye to face his own sins. I don't know what he has been through or why everyone seems to hate him so much, but that attitude of his was quite honourable all things considered. He is indeed dear Tsukino-chin's papa. Akabane-chin took Gremory-chin elsewhere to refresh her mind and talk things through, probably some harem girl talk, while I went with dear Hell-chin so that we could catch things up, have some fun, and perhaps, maybe, mayhap, we could go to a lovel hotel and she compensates me for all this time away... Hahahahahah!
Jokes aside, my feelings are genuine: I want to cheer my King up, as little as it is, and what better way to brighten a devil's day than to find another possible evil piece candidate? Be handsome man packing, a pretty girl with big tits, as long as it strong and can pleasure... Please Gremory-chin, she surely will smile once again without me resorting to NTR Tsukino-chin!
With that in mind, here I am, fighting in this dirty and bloodied arena under some alias, using the money we got from papa Tsukino, against this pretty foreigner girl of blond hair and green eyes, almost as bright as Tsukino-chin's, packing some impressive fighting skills and a holy object shaped like a hilt, as Hell-chin observes me from one of the seats, also wearing a disguise. All the youkai I fought were quite weak and ugly, no even worth an ounce of attention, but this one... Scary and rude!
But still... Foreigner, blond hair, green eyes, petite yet muscular figure, tomboy, ponytail, brawler with sword, her expressions are rough but she is pretty, strong too. She hits all the boxes right, and she seems nice enough. Too bad that she doesn't want to be part of the Peerage, but I might be able to convince her.
"You went quiet all of the sudden, Scathach. Cat got your tongue?" The girl in front of me, I guess her name was Julia or something?, sticks her tongue out to mock me. To be honest, I'm still recovering from biting my tongue with that punch, but I won't say that out loud, it's uncool. It took me a while too to remember what alias I chose. Her slender fingers flips the holy hilt across her hand, and gripping it tighly, she swings against me again! "When I'm done with you, the cat will have even more things to bite!"
"...?!" Dangerous! I sense some dread from that swing, and instinctively I dodge the trajectory of it by bending my back backwards! Fortunately it was the right decision, as that swing created in midair five star-like sparkles that were tossed like missiles at me following its trajectory and pierced the limits of the arena, leaving behind five arrows of light that disappeared soon after. Scaaaaaaaaryyyyy~! That could've killed me, this crazy exorcist and their crazy weapons~! I bend back and crack my neck. Calm down, Tasha; calm down. "Missed. Mind, somewhere? Is he good-looking?"
"Trust me, next time, I won't!" She exclaims, readying another swing! Goodness, think fast! My reaction was to lift a finger and create a rune in front of it. From the magical circle manifested, several flaming fireflies came, not only protecting and making her lose sight of me, the sheer brightness and heat made her pause and shield her face from me. "GAH, BITCH...!"
"Hm." Rude! No need to be rude, you don't even know me! Even with her eyes blocked, I see that she grips her hilt once again still with the intention to attack me, so I skip and from the sole of one of my feet I create a burst of flames that launched me to the skies! As expected, she does that attack again, and her light arrows pierce and destroy every single one of my flame fireflies, but she probably thinks I'm still there like some lunatic. Too bad, still in midair, I flip a few times and summon another rune so that I can leap towards her! "Hup...!"
"What the hell...!" And once the brightness die down, she uncovers her eyes and but they bulge seeing me coming towards her direction! A reaction, but not fast enough, I snap my fingers and from them a small red sparkle hurls at her direction, hitting her and then exploding in a small show of lights, tossing her against the barrier of the arena while I graciously land on my feet. Whoooooaaaaa~, it actually worked~! It was a 50/50 chance, but I'm so glad that it worked~! Phew~...
"[WOOOOOW~! SCATHACH SENDS ANOTHER NEWBIE FLYING OFF! CAN SOMEONE STOP THIS LADY WHO'S HOTTER THAN SUMMER'S SUN?! THE MONEY IS STACKING UP TO OUR DEAR QUEEN, AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT HER G-CUPS!]" The announcer screams, and with it another cheer from the crowd~! Loud, too loud~! My eardrums gonna bust, and I can only suffer in silence~! I sigh, that's something I just have to endure for a while. "[SUCH STANCE, SUCH GRACE, SUCH FIGURE! THE KEWL BYOOTEE SCATHACH HAS FACED MANY SO FAR, YET LOOK AT HER DARING AND BORED EXPRESSION! IT ONLY SCREAMS FOR SOMEONE TO KICK HER ASS!]"
'Cool beauty', huh? It does have a nice ring to it, but... If anything, I'm more of a hot beauty.
...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH...! THAT WAS A GOOD ONE, ME!
"Next, please." I let out a small sigh so that the ringing on my ears could ease a little. No joke, I just want to find someone who does want to become an Evil Piece and maybe another cute junior for me to tease. Hearing me, the announcer however gasps in total shock and lifts his hand with another screeching howl.
"[AND SHE WANTS MORE! SHE IS UNSTOPPABLE, UNFLAPPABLE, VAIN AND HUNGRY FOR MORE CARNAGE! SKYE, LEAVE SOME MEAT FOR YOUR RIVALS, WHY DON'T YOU?!]" Oooooow~, my ears are ringing again, and all the screaming is making me want to cry~. I shout a stare to a random direction, and wearing sunglasses indoors and a green cap, there she is, my Knight senior with a thumbs up and a sack of money that can double as breasts. She apparently is enjoying herself. "[VERY WELL, BRING IN THE NEXT VICTIM OR VICTOR FOR OUR GRACEFUL DANCER! EXPECTATIONS AND ROMANCE BLOOMS ONCE AGAIN, AND SO I CALL FORTH...!]"
"Wait a damn minute!" Wait, what?! Am I hearing things?! My eyes can't believe to the following scene that unfolds in front of us all: from the dust lifted from her clash, comes Julia once again, clothes scorched and skin dirtied, but still standing high and mighty. Whaaaaaat~? How the hell is she still up?! Everybody so far fell so easily, what's with heeeeeer~! She flicks her hair to reveal her emerald orbs, and grinned again at me. "Surprise, bitch! You think I will fall down like some chickenshit youkai, you're wrong! I trained since I was a brat to face anyone and everything that goes against me, like some belly dancer with pretty flames will stop me!"
"Huh. Bold. Too bad." Oh dear Merlin! She looks ready to kill even more now, and if I mess up, I can bid my soft cute butt a goodbye! Julia stomps hard on the floor, lifting another curtain of dust and causing a small earthquake, and lifts her sword once again. In response, I lift a finger to summon another rune. Which will work now? Wicca? Ninjitsu? Celtic runes? Wushu? I need to think fast. "Come."
"Gladly!" She screams, and from her broken hilt something comes from where the blade were suppose to be! Not a gust of wind this time, but something like a sphere of light energy, more like a capsule! I'm not toying with this, sounds too dangerous! As fast as I could as she's too distracted by my hands, I draw with the my toes a rune on the sand, soon pressing my sole there to activate it! Kauna! And from it, the sand ignates and instantly becomes glass, shards emerging and going to her direction! "Gyah...! Cheap tricks!"
"Kauna: ignate." I recite. The shards come for her, and before she could swing that thing she jumps out of the way and run from it, the ball of energy still floating on where the blade were suppose to be. This one... Celtic magic is simple and strong, but consumes too much energy, I am almost breathless. C'mon, just lay down and be defeated, Julia-chin~! "Escaping, impossible. Arena. Sand all over. No escape."
"As if! Watch and learn you... GAH!" And while she is distracted, I snap my fingers once again and create another rune to the other side, now two streams of sand-turned-glass shards running for her, leaving no escape for her to escape either. Step after step, cough after cough, she soon runs into a dead end and surrounded by steaming glass that will either cut her down or burn her and her response to that was... HOLY SOLOMON, SHE IS RUNNING ON THE WALLS OF THE ARENA, WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK~! "WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAH...!"
"Huh, clever. By half, that is." But she only can run now, and from distance, she's an easy target! Just calm down and aim! I lift both my hands and start signing some mudras that Hell-chin taught me to unleash a ninjitsu. Ninja art, concentrate energy on your body and let it flow, I blow at her direction a curtain of pink flames. "Ninja art: Burning Plum."
"You fucking...!" And when she was about to be hit by the flames, she jumps off the wall and on to the air, right on top of our heads, eclipsing the lights coming from the ceiling. Is she insane, she becomes an easy target like that! Unless... Oh no! She shifts her direction to the skies and with a swing, she launches the ball of light from her hilt that runs all the way up. Julia-chin lifts her hand and then snaps her fingers. "Antares Gattling!"
And after the snap, the ball of light glowed brightly and then exploded! Wait, no, it didn't explode: it just morphed into multiple, several, arrowheads of light and coming down on me like a rain of stars! Sweet Medea, that's a lot of arrows! I cease my influx of energy to stop my incantations and used all that I got to create a barrier against that assault!
Rune magic, devil magic, celtic encantations, egyptian glyphs and native charms, all to stop the ceaseless discharge... Heh, of light arrows, that wrecked the entire stadium and once in contact with the glass or sand, it exploded in a show of lights, making the entire place shine like a diamond! Blinding lights, streams of energy, the incessant echo of breaking glass and explosions, and in the heart of it all, a single witch using everything she has to protect herself!
Eventually, it stopped, the ball of light gave one last spark before disappearing, but the sheer power and pressure behind it made me fall on my knees, legs weak and arms heavy, palms hurting to hold the barrier and magic reserves wrung dry~, my clothes also ripped and tattered for the explosions and impacts on the ground, even my veil was gone. My hands are trembling, and the lingering panic and horror takes a while to wear off, in which I dismissed the barrier to take a deep breath and regain some air. Dear Solomon, Crowley, Morgana and Harry Potter, what was thaaaaaaaaaat~?! I almost died! That hilt... Is no normal holy weapon, I can assume that is a holy object of highest calliber!
"Haaaah~... Haaaaah~... Huh." I sigh, I take a deep breath, I try to shake off the fatigue even though the energy reserves are making me barely stand. Even after that, I don't think she survived as well. My eyes scan the place, and among the quiet audience, the shards and sand surrounding me and the curtain of smoke everywhere, I think I'm the only one here worth something. "I... I... Did I...?"
"Win? No." My heartbeat completely stops hearing that voice, now in a tune so low it was almost a whisper, a whisper close enough for me to hear. I turn around to the source of that voice with a rune ready but all I see is a green stare directly at me and a grin of defiance. I froze, and there she was: Julia Tsukino, tattered and breathless, but still in the game, arms at hand and so close she was safe from my rune. "Jackpot. Now, what can you do? Up here, your magic tricks won't work, with just a swing of this and you're history. What will you do now? Another trick? Hit me? A distraction? Or maybe just throw the towel? C'mon... Humour me."
Her tone is low and sarcastic, and I am so close to her I can see drips of sweat running down her face. This is not a challenge, but a threat: she knows that, if I try something else, she will be faster than me and cut me down without a second, finishing this match. Silence, nothing but the wind around us, and she is just waiting for me to do, something, anything, so that she can crush me. I thought she was suppose to be a holy lady~?!
I sigh, defeated. Nothing else I can do, so instead I close my eyes, hear her laugh one more time, and then...
*CHU!*
"...?!"
... I kissed her lips.
They were soft and squishy, but tasted awful. Someone doesn't brush their teeth. Gross.
...
...
...
"YOU BITTTTTTTCCCHHHHH...!" She screams, rather roars, and lifts her hit for the final hit. "THAT WAS MY FIRST KISSSSSSSSSS...!"
*GRIP!*
"Ah...!"
*VUPT!*
*KICK!*
*BAM!*
Grip the hand tighly. Then, swiftly twist it to behind the opponent's back, the movement being enough to stun her and let her go off her weapon. Kick her legs to put her offbalance, and finally put your whole weight on her fallen body so that she can't struggle. I guess the name was... A wristlock jujutsu move, no? I gotta thank Master Liu Bei for teaching some of those martial art skills, although this is not what I meant when I asked her if she knew some 'good positions'.
To think it'd work against an exorcist though... Holy Aífe, it worked!
"Ugh... Ghhhh...! Gwaaaaaah~...!" And with a hand locked behind her back and eating sand beneath me, Julia-chin struggles and tries to reach me, all in vain since she grunts and groans in pain every time she tries to. For every quick and struggle, the grip tighten and I can hear her joints almost dislocating for every try. C'mon, just give up... Eventually, she ceases fighting, and buries her face on the dirt. "Okay, fine! I give up! Fuck... FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK...!"
And so, the match ended, and I won.
Yay.
"[SUCH BEAUTY, SUCH GRACE! SCATHACH WINS ONCE AGAIN BY SUBMISSING HER OPPONENT WITH A POWERFUL LOCK! AND THIS MATCH ENDS IN THE FAVOUR OF OUR FAVOURITE NEWBIE: SCATHACH SKYE]!" The announcer shouts, and followed by it the cheers of the crowd and the swings of flying money. My ears~, they hurt so much and I'll have a headache if this continues~.
"Phew. Finally." I sigh to let the ringing go away, and stand up from the ground to dust my tattered clothes and offer a hand for my fallen opponent. She cracks her articulations one more time, then looks at my hand offering some sportsmanship. I smile at her. "Come. Nice fight. Almost, just almost."
"Bitch." Wow, she's an even bigger pain to deal with than Guan Yu, but those kinds are also the cutest in a way, hohohoh. She groans, lowers her head and then accepts my offering of friendship and sportsmanship as I gather the remainings of my strength to help her stand on her foot. One, two seconds of handholding and she shrugs. "Whatever, I'm just here to gain some money for my food, like I care about shit like that."
"Muh." I pout. What a sore loser, that's not cute at all, but from the corner of her mouth, I can see that she's at least a bit upset for losing against someone like me. Truth be told, I used some pretty big spells back there, her defeat was by the skin of her teeth. Although saying that will probably make her feel even worse. What to do, what to say~? She turns to me, blinks a few times and then laughs, punching my arm in a playful way... But still hurts~!
"But that was an awesome fight nonetheless. Got me all pumped up too! I guess my stay here won't be as boring-as-hell than I thought!" She chuckles, clearly content. Wait, did she said something about staying here? Does she mean here in Kuoh, or in Japan, since she's clearly a foreigner? Now, I'm curious, but before I could quench that curiosity, she turns around, shealthes her broken hilt back and bids me a goodbye. "Godspeed, you magnificient bitch. I hope we get to see each other soon, and maybe next time, I'll kick your ass myself!"
"Umu." I nod, that's some cool lass, and her butt is cute too despite lacking on the chest department. Too bad she won't join the peerage, but what if she's say is true, then I can wait a few times to meet her again, ad maybe have the opportunity for a deeper and longer peck. I wonder if she's Tsukino-chin's type, anyway. Well, after that one, I should quit too, I'm tired and hungry and this is getting too dangerous. I shift my gaze to find Hell-chin so that we can get out of here with the money we've made... Only to see her nowhere. Huh? Wait, whaaaaat~? "Hell-chin...?"
"[AND WHO CAN STOP OUR CURRENT CHAMPION, THE FLAMMING BEAUTY SCATHACH SKYE?! MAYHAP, MAYHAAAAAAP, OUR NEXT CONTESTANT, COMING TO THE ARENA RIGHT NOOOOOOOW~...!]" And the loud noises continues, making one of my eyes twitch as I try my hardest to quit the match right now, but the announcer simply ignores me to turn his attention to the sillhouette appearing by the other side of the arena. "[AND NOW WE GOT OURSELVES A REAL TREAT TODAY! SHE IS KNOWN AS THE PRINCESS OF RUIN, THE HARBRINGER OF DESTRUCTION AND RULES THESE LANDS WITH AN IRON FIST CASTED IN PURE ANNIHILATION! STANDING TALL AS 181CM AND HER MEASUREMENTS BEING IMPRESSIVE B98-W58-H88, THE DAUGHTER OF THE ABYSS, NEMESIS GREMOOOOOOR-Oh."
"Yo." And there she is! The big-boobed redhead of destruction and my dear sister's older sister, Nemesis Gremory! Wearing what I can only describe as a wine social wear, the heiress makes her entrance by stepping into the arena so casually, as she has in one of her hands... Oh, it's Hell-chin, and she's all webbed up in bondage, literally! Ignoring all the gasps and breaths of terror, miss Nemesis walks right in front of me, tosses my knight in front of me, and turns her slitted eyes towards mine, and I gulp. "Explain. Now."
"..." Shyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeittttttt~. Mama, I don't wanna dieeeeeeeeeee~. "Lost our way... To love hotel."
"..."
"..."
"Good enough, I guess." She sighs, clearly not buying it, but too tired to pay any more mind to it. Now only silence fills the arena and the underground supernatural fight club, so much so you can hear a nail falling onto the ground, only cut by some mute screams, gasps of despair and the occassional fainting. One second, *DON!*, and miss Nemesis stops her feet on the ground and releases a deadly crimson aura with a roar. "Now, SCRAM!"
It wasn't a threat, it was an order. After that, all the youkai, no exception, ran for their lives, trampling, screaming and crying away from the feared daughter of Lucifer until the only people around were me, her, Hell-chin and for some reason, Julia-chin. Scaaaary~, as expected from someone of her calliber. With that taken care of, miss Nemesis sighs and dismisses her form, coming closer to compress my cheeks with a hand, making me do a kissy face. Owowowowow~, it hurts so much~!
"You. I always thought you were one of Rina's most calm and rational pieces compared to the other troublemakers if a bit of a foul-mouthed, but alas, you're just as bad as them and my little stupid sister. I hope you're aware the punishment upon you is 100% warranted, Tasha Campbell." She talks among her teeth, and despite her calm tone she is very much irated by this whole ordeal! So scary~! But! I have no regrets doing any of that, if I can make Gremory-chin smile once again.
"Y-Yesh, meesh Nemesheesh. Fogeevee mi."
"Gyahahahahah! Look at that, bitch. You mama is scolding you, how lame!" And from the corner of the arena, still hanging around for some reason, Julia-chin mocks me with a finger pointed at my direction. Miss Nemesis blinks from me to her, but then pays no mind, shifting back to playing with my cheeks, and not the way I like~! "What, did you run pass curfew? Or forgot the lunch money once again? Boy, that's super lame, y'know! Gyahaha-...!"
*GRIP!*
"... Ah!"
"Katarina, a moment, please." But then, appearing from the shadows, this hooligan-like, 30-something man with brown hair and fierce expression that made him look like more lionine than human grabs the little exorcist by the scalp, his hand being as big as her head, and slightly lifting her from the ground! Ow, that's gotta hurt! The blond girl stops laughing and tries to pinch his hand away to no avail.
"Fuck you, master Paul! That's all your fault, man!" Despite being clearly outmatched, the blond exorcist continues to struggle and kick away despite being off the ground for a good few centimeters. "If it wasn't for your wifey chef cooking shit, I wouldn't be here at all! Fuck you and your cooking, you asshole!"
"You little bitch, at least control yourself in front of the overseer of Kuoh town!" The older male, who was quite handsome I might say wearing those leather clothes, lifts his 'apprentice' even higher and headbutts her deeply, making her whine and stop with a bleeding on her head. One, two seconds, and she turns to us, bowing. "Pardon my apprentice, lady Gremory. She means well and dandy, but sometimes... Her temperament might not be the best."
"None taken. I can say the same about my peers as well." Miss Nemesis sighs, finally releasing me but not before throwing shades one more time. Ow, that one hurt the most. One flick of her fingers, and Hell-chin is released as well, with me helping her stand on her own again. Miss Nemesis then turns to us, and points at the wonder duo. "Tasha Campbell, Annabelle Hellsing, greet the new exorcists and church representatives in Kuoh."
"Another of those? Huh, they look strong, unlike that other rascal blondie from past semester." Hell-chin comments with a whistle. Hearing that, Julia-chin, or Katarina-chin I guess now, lightens up and turns to us, surprised.
"Wait, you were the one who wrecked Clare's shit? The little blond nun with a barrier sacred gear?" She asks, and Hell-chin takes a moment to think until she snaps her fingers and nods to herself, as she is reminiscing of something.
"And what will you do if I say I did?" The vampire lady dares, a tongue sticking out... To show her still toothless mouth. Instead of a negative reaction, however, Katarina-chin gives us a thumbs up.
"If so, good job. I fucking hate that nun-wannabe, you did a favour for everyone!"
*DON!*
"Respect, you little bitch! Compare to you, she's a saint!" And the older male, Paul, slaps Katarina-chin's head for that comment, and soon enough they start arguing again. I turn to Hell-chin, who smiles and chuckles amusingly, and then to miss Nemesis, who cups her face and sighs, a 'here-we-go-again' type of tired sigh. So, those are the types we'll be working with from now on? Truly, a colourful bunch...
~~x~~
*Tururururu~... CLICK!*
"Sorry, sis. I'm not feeling all that well today, so whatever request you want from me, I'll have to decl-..."
'Rina, your pieces fucked things up again. Come get them, please.'
And as soon as I heard those words I shook off from my funk and went to Kuoh academy as fast as I could! Oh no, oh no! What could've possibly happen when I was out of my mind?!
Running over everything and everyone on my way, I reached for the headmistress's office to see my dear Knight and Bishop pieces sitting guiltly on the sofa, being darted by my sister's intense stare, but more importantly, there were two new figures who caught my sight almost immediately: one tall, ruffian-like brunnete and one shorter, blond-haired girl of green eyes and filled with bruises. In fact, the two looked that were fresh out of a brawl, scratches and cuts all over their leather clothes and skin.
"Tasha! Annie! What in the world happened?!" I slid my way to my pieces' side, Tasha a bit scorched and cut for some reason but Annie none worse for wear, unless you discount the black swollen eye. My pieces were hurt, I can feel my blood boiling already! "Who did this to you two?! Where are they?! They're history once I find them...!"
"Rina, while admirable, your pieces brought this upon themselves." Nemesis intervenes in her own way with a hand lifted and a sigh, and I shift my attention to her, confused and curious. She flicks me a fat stack of yens, and some photos of what it seems to be an underground arena of a sorts. "Believe it or not, I found those two fighting at the Supernatural fight club, an underground betting place where youkais and the like brawl for fun and profit, for whatever reason. They didn't get any major injuries, but I did mess with them a little."
"Oh, so you knew about it? I thought it was suppose to be a secret place from you lot." The blond girl comments, tilting her head to face my sister. Who's this, by the way, I don't think I've ever seen her face before! She's around my age too, and despite this she's covered in bruises and cuts, some of them pretty fresh I presume. Nemesis shrugs.
"As the overseer of this section, I prohibited any form of harm to humans from supernatural creatures in Kuoh, yes. However, I'm not ignorant enough to overlook the basics instincts of the youkai, as barbaric and primal as they are. If they want to fight each other in order to quench their inner beasts, then I shall allow them if to just protect the humans in my territory." My sister explains, and both exorcists blink in surprise and realization, nodding to each other. Are youkai really that dangerous? Yoko doesn't seem all that at any time, she's very nice and chill to everyone, specially our group... Unless there's more to that foxy fox than her mischiveous smile. "I guess you can call these likes a 'necessary evil', as you will. Of course, once in a while, I should and will intervene because I don't want those likes of gamblings around either..."
Again with this necessary evil thing. I don't get it much, but there's more than just white and black in this world, eh? Cool.
"So the heiress of the Gremory is smarter than she looks. No wonder you were able to avert crisis after crisis this year. I'm impressed." The older male comments with a smile, a daring grin that made my sister hiss, but soon calm herself. Hey, what that's suppose to mean? My sister is very smart! "I don't think the likes of Cleria Bael or even Rias Gremory would be capable of dealing with those like you did. As expected from the daughter of the strongest demon Lord..."
"If you're attempting to compliment me, I ask you to stop." Nemesis hisses quietly, the aura around the room getting a bit darker and her eyes turning sharper. "I accept your votes of accomplishments and praises, but I refuse to take such slander against my predecessors. Please, do not repeat such gaffe in my presence ever again."
"Hohoh, feisty too." But the only reaction we got from the older man was a daring smile and a heartful laugh, taking everything in strides. "Nero indeed found himself a complicated one. Good for him..."
"Hm."
"By the way, who are you lot?" I call for their attention to ask that question that has been stuck within my throat for a while since I got here. Seriously, who are these new people? They don't look like new peerage candidates, and I doubt they're just regular humans despite the very humane aura they exhale. My sister blinks to shft her attention to me, and waves a hand at the new duo.
"Berolina, these are the exorcists from the church, sent here to Kuoh to assist us during times of crisis." She explains with a heavy tone, turning back at the duo with some poison. "Although we were very much capable of dealing with every single calamity that has befell us this year, apparently the new Seraphim and the Demon Lords agreed to have some representatives from both sides taking care of Kuoh for the time being. You can face them as a backup squad from when the next dragon king were to wreck havoc once more."
"Ooooh~. I see." I nod, turning to them to give them a light bow. Representative exorcists from the church, eh? Gotta say, they look out of some sci-fi action flick than a monestary, but then again, the church has been quite loose about its politics ever since the alliance of the three factions plus The Apocalypse, and honestly at this point, any help is welcome, regardless of origins. I wave a hand. "Hello there! My name is Berolina Gremory, and I am a devil here in Kuoh! You must know this by now, but these are my dear Pieces, Tasha and Annabelle!"
"Yeah, I know them very well. Wish I didn't though." The shorter blond scoffs with a rude tone, but receiving a slap from the taller man, she stands up from her seat and bows too. "Tch. Katarina Adams is the name, Grade-B exorcist under the orders of the Protestant church. Nice to meet you or whatever..."
"And I'm Paul Lourdes, Grade-A Exorcist and priest in spare time. I'm also this little troublemaker's tutor of a sorts. It's a pleasure to finally meet the infamous Gremory sisters." He also stands up and bows to us, forcing his apprentice to do the same with a hand on her nape. Her tutor, huh? Well, I can't judge, but I can only think that he's not doing that good of a job, if you catch my drift. "We'll be under your care from now on in order to protect this place that is so precious and important to all factions, including the church. I look forward in working with you."
"Likewise." I smile. Christians or not, from the church or not, I'm somehow glad to know there are more people besides me, Nemesis and Serena-chan to take care of this place that is basically a sacred town to all of us from the supernatural world. Besides, if there's more help, I'm sure that... Incidents won't happen ever again, and no one will have to be scarred for life again... I grib my hands a few times, and sighed, relieved. I turn to my pieces and signed for them to greet them as well with my chin. They stand up and bowed.
"I'm Annabelle Hellsing, and I'm this big-titted redhead's knight piece. Nice to meet you." First was my ninja-vampire piece, winking at them with a mischiveous grin under her scarf, probably to hide the fact she's still growing her fangs back after that little stun.
"Tasha Campbell, bishop piece. Pleasure." And then my bishop presents herself with her usual stoic tone, turning her sight to the blond girl, Katarina wasn't it?, and blowing a wink and a kiss at her. Instantly, Katarina blushed and tried to attack my purple-haired witch, only stopping with a hand on her shoulder by the master. Why do I have the feeling that something happened in the underground arena besides trading blows? This is Tasha, after all. Once the blond calms down, mr. Lourdes turns to Tasha.
"'Campbell', huh? You don't happen to be related to Sasha Campbell, right?" The tall man asks, and then all of our attentions turns to the witch, who blinks in surprise and let a small gasp escapes her cut lips.
"Yes. Little brother, why?"
"Well, nothing much, but the last time I saw him was during a small showdown between two druid factions back in Ireland. Hard to forget someone who can summon a burning wickerman from the ground up, seriously." A cheeky grin as he describes the events, and while the image of a giant burning doll wrecking stuff is pretty awesome, it is also quite terrifying. From Tasha, however, nothing but a satisfied and proud smile, if a bit contained. "Of course, his group won the battle, but had to clean up after the event. Didn't expect his sister to join the devils, but eh, I heard it's a tradition to the Campbell folk."
"Indeed. Druid magic, huh? Very hard. Proud of him." My bishop comments, nodding idly with a smile. The blond girl next to mr. Lourdes however widens her eyes and turns an incredulous stare at our lot.
"Holy fuck, really? That's the type of power a bishop can hold? And you say she's his older sister?" Katarina asks and turns an impressive look at my bishop, who smiles and nods. "Yo, we should fight again, no handicaps or holdbacks! I want to see that awesome shit, and show what I can do too!"
*KNOCK!*
"Do you ever learn, my stupid apprentice?" And the master punishes his pupil with a knock on the head, earning a groan in return. "Also, you're not even close to the real deal. You think that's awesome? Get this: Berolina-chan's Queen is the one and only Red Dragon Emperor, the wielder of the cursed Longinus Boosted Gear."
"Really? The sekiryuutei?" Katarina gasps in surprise and elation hearing those words turning to me to see if he was jocking or not. Me? I can only puff my chest in pride and honour in being the King of this generation's red dragon! Even if the circumstances behind that are... Less than stellar, at least. "Whoa~, metal. Y'know, master Paul, maybe our stay on this lame-ass town won't be as boring as I thought!"
"He's in Kyoto for now, though. Lots of stuff happened, and he took a quick trip there for the lulz. Better that way, otherwise he'd be hearing from him nonstop afte that little prank of ours." And my knight chirps with the idea, and I puff a cloud of smoke with the thought. Indeed, if Ichijou were here, he'd be hearing scold after scold for that one event, and somehow I'll be glad for that, to have him back again like that. Katarina's reaction was a quiet 'oh' and a pout.
"Damn, too late. Oh well, it's not like is hard to find Kuoh anyway, I can always come back to see what's popping." The blondie shrugs with a daring grin. Heheh, she's in for a surprise with my queen's perverted techniques, it'll blow her panties off, literally! "But history does repeat itself, huh? The red dragon under the care of a devil, who could've thought."
"Heheheh... Yeah." I nervously laugh, remembering all the stuff that happened for us to reach at this point, again, darts being thrown at me by my sister. I have enough skeletons in my closet that I can toss a black mantle over them and call it Nito.
"Well, introductions are over. Might as well hit the old dusty trail now." And the older man, Mr. Lourdes, stands up and stretches himself, lightly tapping his tired and enormous shoulders. "But before we go, miss Nemesis from the Gremory clan of devils, would you mind answering an question of mine?"
"I-Cup, 2kg total, and no, they're not fake. It's a family trait, so to speak." Everybody rudely coughs at my sister's answer, yet mr. Lourdes remains calm and only arches an eyebrow.
"Would you mind answering another question?" He asks again, and with a nod, my sister allows him to. Wait, so she got the first one right? Better not to think about it. "Say, do you happen to have bumped into an angel who goes by the name... Gertrude?"
"No, why?" Nemesis answers without a blink. That name doesn't sound unfamiliar to me, but I can't put my finger from where it came from. Also, it has been quite a while since we last saw an angel. I turn to my pieces, and same response. In the end, mr. Lourdes chuckles and shrugs.
"Just asking, just asking." He simply responds. What a creepy and hidden aura, it gives me the chills specially considering he's a so-called holy man, the crucifix hanging on his neck burning into my brain. Before any other question, he turns around and starts to leave. "Let's go, Katarina."
"Ah, wait. Can we at least exchange phone numbers? That way it'll be easier for us to keep in touch, and maybe talk and fool around a bit. It's summer, after all!" I flipped my phone and came closer to Katarina, her eyes widening in surprise. This is phone practical and a vow of friendship and trust between the two factions, of course! Who knows, we can even become friends despite being of opposite sides, like father and lord Israel! "How about it?"
"..."
"...?"
"Oh. I-It's nothing. It's just... I've been on this exorcist gig for quite a while, but the feeling of trading numbers with devils, youkai and the likes still feel so fucking surreal to me." She says, picking her own phone so that we could exchange numbers among nervous laughing and some pondering. Is that weird? Never paid too much attention to it, we're still teenagers, after all. We can struggle and kill each other for the sake of our factions when we're older. Done, her ID is [Nina] for some reason, but eh.
"Done. See, didn't hurt. I'm looking forward in working with you, Nina!" I smile.
"Likewise, but call me that again, and I'll rip your tits off and beat you senseless with them."
...
Why?
"Sorry, Berolina-chan. She just doesn't like that nick people give her. She didn't mean it." And before the exorcist could lunge herself against me, her taller master picks her up and drags her away from the room. She's one of those types, huh? I've dealt with worse, so I'm really excited to see what she can do otherwise! "We shall be taking our leave. Greetings and good luck, devils of Kuoh. Also, Miss Nemesis, say to your loverboy that Agatha and Sylvester sent a 'hi'."
"Will do." My sister nods. And then, the duo vanishes away from the door, leaving us alone. They didn't stay long, but left quite an impression, at least for me. To not fear the red dragon emperor and get excited to fight him, that Katarina girl doesn't knock well on the head, but still, having people like her around is nice. "Quite a figure, those two, no? They don't seem, but both of them are very strong. Do not underestimate them in the slightest for them being humans still, specially you two, since you saw the power of Katarina firsthand."
"Tch. Exorcist or not, humans or not, I will never let myself be surpassed again." And letting a chuckle escape her toothless mouth, my dear knight stands up and nods, turning to me. "I'm... Gremory's knight, after all."
"Umu. Likewise." Abd my bishop does the same, standing up and doing a 'we can do it' pose without sarcasm or irony. For those gestures, I smile and jump in elation. Indeed, I have such wonderful pieces!
"Oh... Annie, Tasha... Thank you very much! You are the best pieces I could've ever got!" I let myself hug both of them at the same time, some tears streaming down my eyes. I'm really glad to have them, to have my pieces, even if sometimes I don't show myself the pefect king. Indeed, I'm... So glad... But still.
*CLENCH!*
*CLENCH!*
"Kh."
"C-Chief... Can't breathe..."
"Now... Could you explain to me this whole ordeal at the supernatural fight club."
"H-Huh..."
"W-Well..."
"After I spank both you two hundred times each, of course."
Both of them gulped a massive lump of air down their system, and before any protest, the traditional Gremory punishment of 100-slaps on the butt began.
"Trying to find another piece? For me?"
"Yep. Since we're in summer vacation, we thought it would be a good idea to try to find a new Rook or a Pawn for our peerage, y'know. And the first lead was the supernatural fight club. Owowowo..." And Annie massages her butt which was still glowing red after so many spanks from yours truly, indeed a simple but efficient way to deal with misbehaving servants, patented by Venelana herself! After their respective punishments, however, I heard their side of the story as we walk back home; how they thought I was looking down and depressed on my own for quite a while since Ichijou left, how they thought it was a good idea to try to cheer me up by finding a new servant for me to keep, and how they found and clashed fists with that new exorcist girl before Nemesis putting an end to that nonsense.
I'm... Touched. Truly. It is one thing to love and care about your servants, but for them to be looking out for me and wanting my wellbeing as well... I think I'm still green as a King, to make them care for me instead of the other way around. Indeed, you can't win a match with the King Piece alone, and I'm glad to have them as my pieces. Doesn't mean I want them to do illegal things, no matter how nobles their actions truly are!
"I'm glad for that, I truly am, Tasha, Annie. But I don't think going into basic cock fights for me will make me feel any better." Tasha spurts a cough, and Annie grins.
"Well, it was worth a shot. Youkai are vain and arrogant like that. It'd been a massacre anyway." The ninja comments, and my witch bishop puffs proudly. Oh right, I heard that she wiped the floor with her opponents until Katarina shown up, and even so, with a small peck of luck(I don't get it, and she refuses to elaborate) she thriumphed over the enemy. As expected from my Bishop! "But, hey witch boobs, we still need to train that stamina and edurance of yours. I saw you crying after a small sock to the face. We need to see that glass cannon tendency of yours."
"Hm. Okay. Endurance and stamina, huh?" And my bishop pouts and lowers her stare to think for a moment... Only for a small trail of blood run down her nose. Those words... Have certain conotations, no? "Train more, endure more, more stamina. Yes. Good for the body. Boys like that too"
"And just like that, we're back in square zero." We all laugh for Annie's small exasperated comment. I'm having fun again, I'm enjoying my summer again. I guess I'm truly blessed to have more than servants, more than evil pieces. I do wonder how Ichijou is doing right now though, I hope he's having as much fun as I am. "Hey boss, we also got like tons of money from the fights. As a way to say sorry, it's all yours."
"C'mon, don't be like that. That's your money, girls." I shove the stack of money back at the duo, and with glowing starry eyes, they smile as devilishly possible and hug me tighly in return. Money, it's not a problem for me, but I'm glad that they're happy. "But if you want to compensate me, how about we invite that Katarina girl to eat some ice-cream with us? Then we can call it even for wrecking her, as I'm told."
"Meh, she doesn't look like the type that enjoys ice-cream." Annie chirps, and I slap her arm in her pathetic attempt to escape this little punishment. Cheap one, worst than Nemesis in that regard. We all laugh for that... Hahahahah...
*BAM!*
"...?!"
"And what kind of assignment you can possibly have, Shion?! It's sunday, in the middle of summer! What kind of university work is that?!"
"It's a special one, mother, don't bother to ask. Also, I'm not going to eat dinner tonight either, okay? Have fun with father during supper."
"Bye mom, gonna visit a friend's house and stay for a while. I don't know when I'll return, but call me when pops will be out for work again, 'kay? Thanks, bye."
"W-Wait, since when you two have... HEY! SHION, FUTABA! COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW...!"
Oh right, the reason as to why the mood around home is so somber and gloomy nowadays, I've almost forgot. We were having such a good time too...
As we reached the Tsukino household, before any of us could reach for the door, the second and fourth daughters of the family exited through it carrying some heavy luggages and paying no attention to mama's screams of protest, only walking forward and bidding us a goodbye before dissappearing into the horizon. Mama Kyou followed them for a few steps before falling on her knees midrun and groaning in a way almost unhuman-like. We couldn't see her face, but there was a mix of anger, sadness and despair in the noises she makes. She didn't even notice us here...
"Welcome back, dears. I'm so sorry you had to see that." And the one to properly greets us was papa Hajime, a melancholic smile on his face as we all can see him struggling to stay cheerful. So, first Ichijou, then Satsuki and Minatsu this morning, and now Shion and Futaba; all of the siblings are now away from home, all because... Of him, and we have yet to discover why. "Uh... So, dinner is almost done. Come on in and get dressed, I hope you're hungry, because I've prepared a lot of things for us! A lot... A lot of delicious things... For everyone."
"Hajime..." I whisper as low as I can, but he apparently hears me and tries to smile once again. No matter how much I try to see pass his expressions and find a fickle of malice or darkness into him, I just... Can't. He's no monster, just a sad man.
"Come on in, come on in! It's getting dark, and I don't want you girls catching a cold, right?" The man laughs, and with a sign with my chin, I wordlessly ask for my pieces to come in with me, bowing politely to mr. Hajime and annoucing our return to no one, typical japanese tradition as they say. "Uh, Berolina-chan, mind calling Yoko-chan for supper too? I think she's in her room."
"Okay, father." I nod, and silently find myself to the entrails of the house, seeing papa go outside to console his despairing and angry wife, a scenario too much for my heart.
I do... Love mama Kyou, seeing her like that is hard, and seeing that no one else comments on that and just continue to mindlessly follow me is a sign that I'm not the only one on that. Those few days have been hard to everyone. I just hope that, since all the children of Tsukino are away, mom can smile again. I have nothing else to do, I simply follow my way to call Yoko, reaching for her room. I knock a few times, no response. I call for her a few times, and no answer. I sigh, reach for the knob and turn it around, opening the door leading to her room...
"Yoko, papa is calling for dinner. Also, Satsuki and Futaba just went away. I guess it means we won't hear them fighting again..." I say, opening the door and waiting for my dear fox to welcome me with a smile or a snark. Instead, however, I gasp seeing the exact opposite: a phone at hands, trembling and fighting breaking down, Yoko turns to me with her deep golden eye brimming with tears, mouth agape yet not saying a thing. "Yoko? H-Hey, what happened...?"
"R-Rina... Rina... Rina...!" And a dull sound echoes through the room as her phone hits the ground and she hurls herself at me, almost falling on the ground before me and the others could catch her. Once in my arms, she holds nothing back anymore and just... Cries, tainting my summer getup. Confused, but sympathetic, I hug her back alongside everyone and tries to dry her tears while looking at her and making her focus on me. "Riiiiinaaaaa~... Hic, hic!... Rina~...!"
"Yoko, what happened?! What's going on?!" I ask, desperately trying to find any answer from her, but up to no avail since she just cries and clings on me like a child. Letting go off her for a moment, Annie picks the fallen phone on the floor and takes a small glimpse at the screen, her illuminated face soon turning pale and her eyes widening.
"Chief... Something big happened. Something big and really, really bad happened." Annie announces. Really, what happened?! It didn't took long for my knight to knee next to me, who was still holding my fox friend for dear life, and show me the content on the phone. I gasp seeing the news, soon understanding Yoko's reaction and bringing tears to my eyes as well...
... Calamity has struck Kyoto.
The worst kind of.
And so, it ends the supernatural fight club arc, and next chapter, we'll be back to Kyoto and see what is this calamity is all about! Not a fan of cliffhangers, I think they're cheap and annoying most of the time, but I guess I can indulge in them from time to time. One of the oldest tricks in the book, anyway.
Hello, dxd fandom. Houki Minami is back with a new chapter. This time, for the first time, we got to see Tasha's POV, and as we could read, she's not always the composed and cool witch all the time, although very much perverted still. Truly, the reason as to why this chapter took me so long to write, besides focusing on GxG for now, it's because I had no idea how to open this chapter. Either at the tsukino household or during the fight using some tools for writing. Finally, I went for the latter, and while a bit jumbled, I hope I did a good job with it. If not, feel free to write a review calling me out. Also, how romantic, this chapter fell right onto the twin's birthday. Hahahah, that's laaaaaameeeeee~...
Anyway, I hope you had fun in this chapter and wait for the next one, where we find out what the calamity in Kyoto is all about, but a little warning, it is not a good kind of calamity. As always, stay safe and greetings from Houki Minami~!
THE SENSEI: Liu Bei
- Berolina's first Rook piece. By the age of 24, she's the eldest piece of the peerage so far, while also the tallest and bustiest member as well, she's a big girl! Her anniversary is July 16.
- A chinese girl trained in the Jade palace by Sun Wukong herself, she's the aoth sister of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, but due to some circumstances, they got into separated paths. A master martial artist and with a replica of Ryuu Jing Bang, she's considered the trump card of Berolina's peerage besides the red dragon.
- She's good in teaching, but a lousy teacher because all of her male students are too focused on her boing-boings to pay attention during class. Nanami-sensei, Ichijou's homeroom teacher, tends to envy her assets. Her female students however are considered the best in Kuoh. Nemesis is proud.
- Before changing to Liu Bei, her original name was Mei-hui.
- She were suppose to be Ichijou's rival and enemy, but I thought it would be weird for him to butt heads with an adult, so that role was switched to Guan Yu, and Liu Bei became his wise mentor. She's one of the few Ichijou has never hit, and in this arc, the one closest to his heart.
- She's more feminine than she lets on. Pink eyes and pink hair are a dead giveaway for how cute she can be.
- A romance with a teacher, such dangerous love, no? The true romance is in the danger of it, so exciting! Just kidding...
- Not a virgin, by the way. Don't jump to conclusions, please.
- Her glasses are purely aesthetic as well, to make her look smarter. Barely the more proeminent thing people notice on her, though.
- Her calling Ichijou 'Hong Long' is a gundam reference. If accurate, she would call him 'Chí Long' instead. Meh, Hong Long feels more like it...