So I'm aware that some of you guys don't like it that I divorced Grayfia and Zechs. But don't worry. Old flames die hard. Like bruce willis
Why did I do this? Well, frankly speaking, i think their dynamic as a couple is the most boring of all. Personally I wanna see a Serafall and Sirzechs (SS: Satan Ship) pairing. I don't think, at least not without some major character skewing and author forcing, that Serafall could ever be in love with canon Issei — sorry SerafallxIssei shippers. Your ship won't sail here
Tell you what tho, their ship has sailed in my other story which is "A Tale of Flame and Frost". Another of my stories I haven't frickin updated ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)
And why can't someone other than Issei develop their own love triangle?
Death's Chosen
[XXIII]
||Normalcy||
The Death's Chosen's homecoming was, without a better word to describe it, anticlimactic.
His past few days had been nothing less than chaotic, an entire adventure in and of itself, and yet here Issei sat, at his desk in the middle section of his classroom, far at the back, meanwhile his classmates went on with their daily school business, having not a single clue about the hells he had gone through. Like nothing ever happened. Stories circled in his mind, begging to be let out and make themselves snug inside others' psyche, but he knew nobody would believe it.
The brown-haired youngster gingerly glanced around, confused and feeling out of place like fish out of weather. No one had any semblance of recollection of their 'Two Great Oneesamas' or the exclusive Occult Research Club. None of the girls chit-chatted about how gorgeous Rias and Akeno were, and the boys weren't bemoaning Sona's ironfisted rule over the school. No one noticed his seat neighbor was missing.
When he asked about the council, he was told a bunch of familiar names, but none who were devils. They were picked to replace the entire Student Council, and they settled in completely as if they were always part of it, and no one batted a single eye.
Yumi's assistance when the teachers asked him difficult questions would be sorely missed. His ears would miss Asia's random sputters and cheerful laughters.
It was as if the devils never existed in the real world, kept alive only by his memories alone.
Never did he think he would feel lonely in a crowded room again.
'Wow,' a disgruntled thought echoed, 'this is disturbingly depressing.'
Balthazar let off a snort at Issei's deadpan delivery. {You'll meet them again, lad,} consoled the Void Dragon. At times, he did forget that Issei was just a human boy living an ordinary life. {Trying to adjust to a civilian world that is unknowing or uncaring of the other side of the world is not an instant process. Take it easy for now. No one can tell you haven't earned it.}
'Yeah…' Issei rubbed his neck, pensively wondering what would've cropped out if he didn't have anyone to talk to. He might have thought it was all a dream. 'It's just… a lot happened. Like a LOT lot.'
{I'm aware.} Balthazar snuffled. {Keep in mind you're not permanently alone, only temporarily. There's a fox and a dragon waiting for you at home. One of which seems infatuated with you… Good on you I suppose.}
The dark cloud of misery faded away as he thought of them. Hypnosis sure came in handy and his parents certainly didn't mind having a surrogate daughter to look after, especially one that bluntly said she planned to be their son's bride in the future.
'Yea. Yeah... Yeah, things ain't that bad, right? It could be worse. Definitely could be worse… This is for the best, if Rias gets hurt because of me, I'd freak.'
A deep rumble shook his brain. {Mhmm. It's not like you're disallowed to call your lover either. Don't be so glum, chum.}
'Right, right…' Issei nodded pensively. 'Thanks Raz.'
"Suh dude," a familiar voice came behind him and he felt a slap on both his shoulders. "Wh— holy hell, since when did you lift?"
"What're you on about," another voice. Motohama's, as he pinched his arm, and nudged his biceps repeatedly as if to check if it was fake. "...The fuck? You're jacked, Ise. Roids?"
"I don't do no drugs," Issei flipped as the M&M circled in front of his desk, dragging the chairs that were not theirs, turned it around, and sat like the true rebels they were. The lanky baldy and the lanky glassy. "Hey guys, wassup? I haven't seen you in like forever."
"Yeah man, where the hell have you been?" Matsuda asked, brushing his one millimeter hair with his palm. He must have gotten himself a new buzz cut. The passersby classmates who noticed also ran their hand over their resident baldhead while moving to their seat or circle.
"We called and texted you and everything."
Right. His phone had 5 missed calls from the two when he returned to Earth, but Issei was wallowing at the time to be socializing. If Tamamo wasn't there to lift his spirits, he might have come to school a very sad boy.
"Yeaaa… I was just… Traveling around. On my own," he robotically added. "Training."
"Preparing the summer bod eh?" Matsuda grinned, his eyebrows wiggling like ocean waves. "That's good… that's good… You know even average looking guys can look above average when fit."
The manic grin infected the notorious Three Size Scouter and Benevolent Provider of Homework Copies as he leaned in, "Operation 'Babewatch' is a go, yeah? Next week, we hit the beach, bring our sunglasses, and none will be the wiser..."
It was a flawless plan. Tried and tested in various battlefields (the beaches and local swimming pool) with an astounding amount of success. They had leered and lord knows they leered. Problem began when they couldn't stop their lecherous grin, but to combat that obvious hint of their discreet act, Motohama thought of a genius method; suck on a lollipop.
Issei didn't contain his smirk, sexual imagery dancing in his thoughts as the hot girls with long legs and garter belt swept the dark clouds off his head.
He needed this. If he couldn't talk about the supernatural happenings with his two best friends, then at least he could try and —not outright forget it— set it aside in a box by spending time with the idiots, and then pick it up again with a clearer mind.
Nodding and cackling along, not paying any heed to the disgusted looks from their classmates, the Perverted Trio eventually scattered to their tables after the school bell rang, signifying the beginning of a new kind of battle. The battle to stay awake and not get tossed out of the class to stand in the hall.
Not that it would be the end of things… Issei practically had accepted the fact he wouldn't be aiming to enter any prestigious university or be a corporate slave. He had no idea how long he'd stay as Death's Chosen, but he didn't want it to end either, despite the apparent detachment from civilian life he had to face.
'Land of the wolves…' he recalled, and his mind began to wander around, wondering if he had become one of the wolves or if he was still himself, or something else entirely.
That unholy rage he felt towards Amaterasu was the most he felt in an entire lifetime. Both prior and after becoming Death's Chosen. If she was anything else lesser than a Deity, then what would have happened then? Was he prepared to kill her? Or was it only a spur of the moment? And if he'd ended up having to take another life, could he do it? And could he deal with the aftermath?
And a million questions permeated his mind, taking away his attention from his homeroom and biology teacher, Tetsuo Takahashi, a man with a huge build that looked like he wrestled pigs growing up or something. Issei had used his 'Vision' thing in the past, to check if he was actually a supernatural being or possessed some sort of power, but his homeroom teacher was a bona fide human and was simply a Japanese man with a heroic body.
That said, he was one of the 'cool teachers'. Never raising his voice and would answer the most ridiculous and depraved questions from the Pervy Trio as long as it was related to subject matter. Affectionately nicknamed 'Ironman' or 'Tetsu-sensei' by the students.
"Oh right," Ironman suddenly said, his words passing through Issei's ears without bothering to stay. "We'll be having a transfer student today."
As the class erupted in wonder, gossipping and hyping up themselves for the newcomer, Issei remained listless, his mind entering a dark place as hypotheticals hounded his sanity, until a chipperly voice shooed them away with her dazzling tune.
"Ohakon~!"
His mind and head snapped in an instant. He'd recognize her unique drawl anywhere.
Wavy hair as pink as the petals of cherry blossoms, tied to a pair of bushy pigtails, but hardly as bushy as her large fox tail waving behind her.
{Huh. Would you look at that. Didn't know this institution allows pets,} Balthazar blandly commented. {...Hrm. Then again there was that white cat…}
Issei rubbed his eyes, ensuring he wasn't seeing things.
"Ninomae Tamamo des," she announced with her usual spunk. "Kindly refer to me with 'Ninomae'. 'Tis an absolute delight to be of your acquaintance, and although I adore your leering eyes, it is with great delight that I must let you know my heart already belongs to someone."
Tamamo wore the standard Kuoh high school uniform, except that she already wore the short-sleeved version summer uniform; clean white button-down shirt with vertical linings, with an exceptionally giant pink ribbon because she thought pink suited her better than black. His gray sweater was tied around her waist, draping over her brushy orange tail, flowing along with the magenta skirt that hardly reached her knees and covered half her thighs. Her appearance was topped with black over the calf socks and platform shoes.
"A gal?" a student was heard muttering.
"Kogal?" another replied.
Amidst the hushed conversations, Matsuda commanded his seatmate. "Motohama! Stat!"
"87-57-84. Projected cup size: Fantastic F in Japanese measurements, a Delightful D in American. She's a certified hottie and her voice activates my neurons like no other."
The boys liked that. A new variant of a schoolgirl archetype was always welcome — they were practically drooling for a new type. The girls liked her radiant perky energy and her fashion statement. No one seemed to mind her traditional dialect and lexicon.
Issei slack jawed. This was real. Her ears were wriggling and her tail was waving, but nobody paid any attention to her obvious vulpine characteristics. No doubt her magic in play.
"Well you heard her boys, you're out of luck this time. She's way out of your league anyway," Tetsu-sensei laughed, ignoring the boys' jeers and boos. "Well. Welcome to the class. Enjoy your stay and stuff, and go ahead and pick your seat. Anywhere that's empty is fine."
"With pleasure!" the schoolgirl Tamamo chirped, and waltzed down the class, straight down the middle and to the end, and sat right next to his seat, and brought her table and chair as close as possible. It made a dull sound as it bumped to his table's side. Her giddy smile never left her face, she was even humming a tune.
"Tama-chan?" Issei gaped, his mind still in the process of digesting her unexpected arrival, even as her arms automatically slinked around his and her cheek nuzzling his shoulder, and all his classmates staring at them with shock mixed with unhealthy dosage of jealousy. The M&M were biting their sleeves, envious tears streaming down their face as they muttered under their breath, 'Traitor…'
Whatever he wanted to say next was interrupted as her sweet fragrance caressed his nose. "Oh Sweet Jeezas you smell so nice—"
Her large canary yellow eyes stared at him with mischief, but there her gaze was mainly affectionate as she whispered, "You wouldn't think I'd leave you alone when you're feeling…what they say, 'down in the dumps'?"
Issei tightened his lips, about to let out his manly tears, but then Tamamo's fur bristled as a scold went their way.
"Hey, this is a classroom, not a dating spot," their homeroom teacher chided, only to mutter in his breath. "...Hmm… I guess it depends on the time, but now's not that time! And what are you doing joining your tables? Group study isn't until…anytime that isn't now."
"I can see the board better from here, Sensei!"
"...Hm? That so? Well I guess it can't be helped. Just pipe it down and pay attention."
Tamamo snuffled at that; breathing noisily through her cute little nose, appearing displeased as she unlatched from his arm.
"Well I suppose conforming to societal norms is to be expected… When in Kyoto and such," she niffed. "Maa maa~ so be it. 'Long as I can be by your side, there's few in this world I shan't tolerate, Go-shu-jin-sa-ma~"
Issei shuddered as Tamamo breathed her words to his ears, but was evidently perfectly content with this manga-like development.
"Yes," he said, nodding sagely. "This is nice."
"Sensei!" A male student exclaimed, "I think we should consider throwing Issei out the window."
"Oya oya? It's not that my ears are lacking in the hearing departement, but I just need to make sure your glib was said in jest… so did you just threaten him?"
"...I retract that notion," the boy said, lowering his hand and whispering to his nearby classmate. "Shit dude, gals are scary..."
Issei was pensive, not at the threat or Tamamo's visible hostility, but for something else entirely. He stayed that way for just a second as a wide grin spread over his face.
It was time.
His glorious youth.
Had finally arrived.
Without saying a word, Issei slouched against his chair, threw his arm around the kitsune's shoulder, and smirked as smugly as he could, taking in as many murderous glare from his former girlfriend-less compatriots without a care, and crossed one of his fantastical bucket list.
Meanwhile, Tamamo, high on offense yet ridiculously low on the defensive end, struggled to keep her heart from exploding and her face from heating up. She'd squeal like a pig but she was a vulpine, not a swine — there were other more elegantly flirtatious ways to convey her undying love for her rescuer, but that didn't change the fact that she really, really wanted to elaborate her feelings in the least dignified manner as possible.
Ah… To be in love again…
Break
It was lunch break, and it was the time where uncontrolled chaos settled in as curious classmates flooded his vicinity, no doubt wanting to ask a question or two or just generally be friendly to the new face.
He appreciated that, and Tamamo didn't seem to mind either, but they didn't have to form a crowd like this. How was he going to eat?
"Oi, ey-ey-ey!" he sputtered, trying to disperse the rabble. "Give her some space! This isn't an idol meet and greet!"
"Lay off Hyoudou, we've never had transfer students," said Katase, the girl with the pink hair. Hers was several shades lighter and paler than Tama's. "Obviously that means we're allowed to be nosey."
"What do you mean you haven't, Forehead?" he retorted, "Asia is—" Oh right. "...the continent of Japan, the country we live in, and Japanese shouldn't lack common courtesy! At least form a line and pay up! I accept payment in yen and/or yakisoba bread."
"No one's giving you anything — we're interested in her, not you…" Murayama snidely told him off while her girl gang proceeded to ask a hundred questions at Tamamo. "...And how she got interested in you, out of all…things."
"Wh— I'm a human being!"
"You're the incarnation of every pervert in the world bundled into one."
"Still a human being!"
"Ladies, please…" It was at his moment of need that his true friends arrived, effortlessly diffusing the crowd with their arrival alone, complete with a resounding 'ew!' from one of the female students. Matsuda and Motohama appeared before him, as well as a bunch of guys with an odd looking crooked smile on their faces.
They looked like they were constipated.
"My my, what is it now? No photographs please!" piped Tamamo. She hated flashes from tourists when she was a stone. She didn't feel much as she was trapped in that nightmarish cycle, but flashes of thunder would occasionally strike when it wasn't raining. It didn't take her long to connect the dots when Amaterasu nabbed her out from limbo.
"Whew… thanks guys. I knew your revolting presence would come in handy one day."
"Heh… Look at this dude. Already separating himself from us. You may have a cute girlfriend now, Ise—"
"Ha, so you admit that she's cute?"
"..." Matsuda glanced at the girl next to him, unable to see her ears or tail as Tamamo waved at him with an energetic tight lipped smile. "...She is, goddammit!"
"Now fess up!" Motohama leapt in, refusing to accept the bitter truth that his idiot friend had left him in the dust. "What did you bribe her with?"
"Love and affection!" Tamamo replied brightly, then muttering in a lower voice as she cupped her heating cheeks. "...Lots and lots of them…"
"Ugh—she's too cute—" Matsuda choked, but cleared his throat. "Ninomae-san, it's alright, you can tell us the truth. Are you in danger? Is he threatening you? Is he holding your family hostage? Blink twice if you need help."
"Like hell I am!" Issei wailed. "I have credibility too, you know!"
"Mmmn~ it is what it is," Tamamo happily hugged his arm, his robust, finely-muscled arm that was already causing impure thoughts popping inside her head. Rias was miles away and this cunning fox had no problem capitalizing on that. "Oya oya, is this jealousy I sense? Mind you, jealousy breeds contempt, and I can't imagine a good friendship forming between us should any of you scorn my darling husband-to-be."
The boys glanced at each other, and a mournful look befell on the band of 7 dudes; the only guys in their classroom excluding Issei.
"So… This is how it is…" Matsuda spoke solemnly, being the de-facto leader of the boys and the celebrant of this sorrowful event as they all took their positions, looking somber than ever. "Well then. Gentlemen, this is a sad day for us all… but we are gathered here today, to honor the passing of our fellow comrade."
Motohama took out his phone, and played a track, as the recognizable intro of the song 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa began to chime.
Tamamo had never looked so lost, completely blown out of the water. She looked over to Issei, and he, too, had his eyes shut, looking equally mournful. She glanced over to her classmates, at the girls, who all shook their heads, but appeared to be giggling in silence. Some even took out their 'handphone' devices.
'What… What's going on…? Is this a welcoming ceremony? This feels like a funeral rather than a celebration…?'
Disregarding her obliviousness, Matsuda continued solemnly. "Our friend, Hyoudou Issei, has been taken from us. Far too early I say… Too damn early," he sniffled, and the boys fake-cried, some were sniveling, embracing each other. "Nobody could've seen this coming. It wasn't our fault. Not his fault either. Maybe we should've noticed the warning signs. These past few days he… he stopped responding to our texts. He refused to let us in his room and play shit games… He didn't pick up his calls without clear reason. But now we know why he couldn't pick up the call… because he was picking up a girl, and…" another choked sob. "He succeeded…"
"Dammit Issei!" Motohama cried, burying his face in his hand, massaging his dry eyes, "You should've told us! Could've let us prepare for… for… for this! How could you?! You bastard… How could you leave us!"
"If anyone would like to say a few words, please, go ahead."
"Fuck you Issei," one of the boys shouted, before breaking into crocodile tears. As the lads wept and sobbed, Tamamo, in all of her confusion, realized that maybe fitting in a human world was harder than she thought.
And then a female staff opened the classroom door, and called for a name, "Is Hyoudou Issei here?"
Issei didn't think he'd be back to the Occult Research Club this soon, but here he was. Back again, without Rias, Akeno-senpai, Yumi-chan, Koneko-chan, Asia-chan or Raynare to glare scornfully at him when she found him leering on her casual clothes. Or lack thereof.
"Mmmn… this place is very dimly lit… As a former servant of the Goddess of the Sun, I can't say I enjoy being here…"
"You get used to it… I think," he said, unsure. This room felt so big all of a sudden with only four people inside. Two of which were devils. One who was apparently his school nurse and the ORC club advisor. "So erm… Sorry, who are you guys' names again? Rias mentioned it once but I wasn't paying attention."
"Latia," the girl in his school uniform across from him said. Held in her hand was a cup of what appeared to be coffee, and her deep blue eyes were fixed on a document floating in front of her. "Latia Astaroth. Refer to me as Anastasya in school, if you would. Latia is fine too, but you would rather avoid familiarity and the commotion it beheld, I'd imagine."
"Uh-huh… okay, cool…" Issei nodded dully, barely registering half of what she said until Balthazar dumbed it down for him. {Just call her Anastasya at school unless you want to be crowded again.}
The devil seemed the same age as Rias. Similar height, and bust size — he couldn't help but notice. Her hair was platinum blonde with blue tips, both on the edges of her back hair and the bangs curtaining her forehead. She carried herself in a sort of aristocratic way, but Issei supposed that was expected from a devil nobility.
There were differences, of course. Though friendly, she was nowhere as warm as Rias. Not a surprise, they just met, but there was some kind of a 'wall' between them, as if she was trying to keep him at an arm's length, as though his presence here was, at most, tolerated, not welcomed.
But maybe that was just him.
{She's cautious of you,} informed Balthazar. {And likely the fox as well. She doesn't show it, hiding it, rather, but she's tense.}
'Really? You think or you know?'
{Look at her} the dragon urged, {You want to be good at reading people; here's your chance.}
Issei was just about to give it a shot when the door opened up. His eyes widened when he noticed the pair of horns by the devil's ears, curling forward above her braided pink hair whose tail end was bouncing against her chest.
He was pretty sure those horns weren't there before.
"So," his 'school nurse' began, approaching the sofas with a confident stride as she sat next to Latia, and propped her thigh above another, stretching her black business skirt. She placed her hands by her exposed knee, cupping it. "You're Issei Hyoudou. Or is it Hyoudou Issei? Pardon me, I'm not as familiar with this nation's naming order."
Feminine, but assured, and oozing a peculiar kind of natural seductive air and behavior. Every bit the hot nurse he had ever fantasized about.
"Hai, Hyoudou des," he blankly replied, as if on autopilot. "Uh… it… doesn't matter much to me, personally. I'm fine with either way."
"Mm. Roygun Belphegor," the woman with lapis green eyes hummed. "Bel-sensei or Ms. Roygun works either way. Mind if we just call you Issei? Or Hyoudou?"
"Y-Yeah. It's cool… We're cool… I'm gonna repeat that world a lot am I? Sorry, I'm real nervous around new faces. Pretty faces, I mean!"
Roygun smiled, amused by his awkwardness and the bluntness to admit it outright. "Excellent."
"I don't think this is wise, Lady Belphegor."
Roygun flapped her hand dismissively, her tittering laughter already doing things to his sanity. "Oh please. Informality breeds rudeness, sure, but that's important only in a company and we are not managing a company right now, Latia. Life's too long to be gingerly tiptoeing around first-name basis. We're aware of our boundaries, I'm sure."
"It's their culture," Latia simply said.
"If the locals don't mind, why should we?"
Latia glanced at Issei, who gave her a 'I don't mind' look and brief head shake. She sighed as the papers magically neatly assembled themselves and flew over to Rias' empty desk.
"So he is," she muttered, taking a sip of her coffee before settling it by the table separating them. "Anything that makes you feel most at ease, Hyoudou," she then turned to the girl clutching his arm for comfort. "And you're Tamamo-no-Mae, I believe?"
"That I am, yes," the kitsune nodded proudly, though her tone betrayed her bravado. "...Pleasure to be acquainted with you devils and thus and thus — but can we know why we are summoned here? He hasn't eaten his lunch yet, as you should mind as I certainly do."
"Stay as long as you like, return to your class when you please," Roygun said, untangling herself from her white coat, exposing her sleeveless purple knitted sweater and her smooth arms that Issei just had to stare for good seconds. She smirked at him. "I'll even be kind and accompany you. Keep your body warm… perhaps show you my new office."
His response was clear. "Well don't mind if I do, Sensei."
Tamamo's ears perked up. Uh oh. Seductress alert.
"Thank you for the kind offer, but I have decided to be his companion while he's in this school and chopsticks-feed him. You promised to give me a tour!"
"Oh right."
Roygun's smile was dangerously non-hostile and friendly. "I don't mind sharing."
"Well I do, lady." Tamamo clutched his hand. Issei didn't mind because his elbow was pressing against her boobas.
"Threatened, hm? So we have a possessive fox and…" the horned devil's gaze fell on him again, this time with apparent interest. Real interest. "...And an enigma of a human being."
Latia sighed as she shifted the subject to the intended one. "We brought you here to be acquainted. That we have, I believe… Other than that, well… To be blunt; you seem to attract danger wherever you go, Hyoudou. While the two of us and our devil helpers are Rias and Sona's replacements as this town's Overseers, we have to let you know that this town's peace is our priority."
"...Okay…"
"Which means," she went on, picking up on his obliviousness, "in an event of… your apparent battle against the gods of this country — we can't provide you with any immediate assistance as our predecessors have done."
He wilted a little. "Oh." Noting that, Tamamo worriedly grabbed his hand, hoping to keep his spirit aloft.
"A shame, in all honesty," Roygun huffed, setting down her feet as she reclined against the sofa. "But rest assured, we won't just be giving you up. This place is our territory, gods be damned, and that includes this school. Should anyone come and seek you out, as long as they don't instantly resort to violence, Latia here will be sure to go full on Rules Lawyer on them."
Latia offered a wry smile. "That much I can assure, but if you expect physical assistance then… Well, frankly, combat is not my strongest suit."
"It is mine though."
The blonde devil nodded. "Roygun is the second highest ranked in the Underworld Rating Game. For comparison, Riser's peerage is ranked fifty — and that alone is impressive, considering he's a greenhorn, but you should be able to gauge the difference in their strength."
"Oh damn," Issei muttered, not sure what to say to that, but he was impressed. "That's…relieving?"
"That was before I found out my servants were using illegal measures to enhance their strength," Roygun chuckled. "...Well, I am partially guilty too, I'll admit… That being said, I am a capable fighter. I've fought Tannin before. We drew, but it was something."
"Really? Wow…" he murmured, having no recollection that Tannin was one of the Great Dragon Kings.
"Mhmmm. We should hold a friendly spar one of these days. I've heard rumors and watched how you fought Riser's Servants, but the feed cut off somewhere in the middle."
"He's a strong combatant, I can tell you that much," Tamamo added, boastful. "While I can't estimate how strong he is, I can estimate my strength when I had Amaterasu's blessings. I would say physically he's on par with Susanoo's Servant, Miyamoto Musashi."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Tamamo blinked. "What…? What is with this silence… Have none of you heard of that name? And even you, darling?!"
Issei awkwardly shrugged. "Well I mean… It sounds Japanese… History is my shittiest subject."
"I'll…research that name," Latia cleared her throat, saying it as though she was trying to smoothen Tamamo's disappointment from the weak response.
"I have no idea who he or she is," Roygun blandly stated. "Perhaps Rias would have known about it better. She's obsessed with the Japanese and their rich culture, but us? Not so much. We hail from Europe, vixen. This land is a stranger to us."
Tamamo wilted, in both spirit and soul and ears and tail, letting out a weak sound that was like the whine of a fox cub. "Well just know that he's a capable fighter."
"I'll be the judge of that, sooner than later, hopefully," Roygun chuckled, her eyes preying on Issei, who resisted the urge to shudder under her predatory stare. Then she broke the effect just as easily. "Anything else we're supposed to say to them, Latia? Or is that all?"
"That should be all, I believe…" Latia wrinkled the space between her yellow eyebrows, before remembering, "Ah, if possible, we'd like to…have a discussion with Lady Tiamat, if possible. Do let her know."
"Alright… Anything more concrete or… you just wanna talk to her?"
"The latter, if you would."
"Alright," Issei nodded. "Cool, cool…" Dammit. Stop being uncool. He scolded himself, and coughed into his fist. "Oh uhmm… Just letting you know, she's been real quiet lately… Something's bugging her, no idea what that is, but at least she still eats like a dragon. I think it's because of the season, y'know? Since she's all ice and stuff…"
Latia furrowed her brows as she exchanged a quick look with her companion. "Is that so…? I see… We'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
"Hey no prob," he casually said, always happy to be of help. "So erm… anything else I should do? Or… can you guys make it clearer about my… part, in all of this?"
"Hm? Oh just live your school life as usual, Hyoudou," Latia assured. "And… Although this separation might seem cruel, necessary as it is, Satan Lucifer does appreciate your cooperation. He hopes that you won't lose faith with the Underworld because of that hiccup during Rias and Riser's Rating Game. No one's blaming you for it."
"Whew…okay…" he breathed. That was one of the questions that had been gnawing at his soundness of mind like an army of starving rats. "Thanks."
"You may leave now, if you wish. Thank you for your time, Hyoudou, Tamamo."
"Good! Now you can show me the school grounds, and preferably, somewhere where people rarely enter, mayhap?"
Issei had the widest grin on his face, but as Rias' face flashed in his mind, he relented and gave her a normal tour.
With her permission or without, horny or not, he wasn't going to betray her untold trust. He wanted to prove to her that Hyoudou Issei could contain his dick in his pants, no matter how sweet Tamamo's scents were, or how lovable she was, and how painstakingly she calmed him down when he felt nervous or sad.
…
During their walk in the corridor of the old school building, her arms holding his, he spoke to her, "Tama-chan."
"Mmm~? Yes Goshujin-anata-danna-sa~ma~?!"
"I'm so confused."
Her ears swiveled, and Tamamo tilted her head curiously. "Hm? How so? What troubles you? The devils?"
"No, I think they're cool people. It's about you."
"Mikon?! Me?" Tamamo sputtered, her tail stopped swishing as she untangled herself from him, staring at him with a worried look. "...Have I… Have I done any wrong? What did I do? Let me know— I can fix it, I swear."
"Wh— wait, no, no, no…! It's nothing bad!" His stomach flipped at seeing her horrified look. Her withering tail and flattened ears. The look in her eyes — he rushed towards her, not to return the favor in the hospital, but to calm her down with a hug. "You don't have to fix anything, Tama. You're the cutest…kitsune I know."
"...Really…?"
"...Well I mean you're the only kitsune I've ever met so that's a bit unfair," he muttered upon realizing the emptiness of that compliment. "...Scratch that, you're the cutest girl in this town. I'd do anything to protect you."
Her squeal was delightful. "—! Okay," Tamamo's smile returned, and her bushy tail wagged side to side, nuzzling his chest and taking whiffs of his virile scent. Two could play the sniffing game. "...So what are you confused about, daaarling?"
"I'm just…confused how to return all that. Y'know I talk big about having my own harem… be the harem king and all that jazz… I don't know if I wanna do it anymore."
"Hm? How so?"
"I feel guilty," he simply said. "To Rias…to you. It doesn't feel fair. You're giving me your all… She's giving me my all… her all, sorry. And I'm just…y'know. I dunno what to do. Split my 'care' in half? I can't do that. I care about the both of you, and that sounds like simplifying 'love' to my level of dumb."
Tamamo looked at him in his eyes, curious ambers meeting befuddled oaks. So painfully honest, her heart might break again for him.
"So… yeah. I'm confused. With all your, uh… love, you know…I'm not an expert at this kind of thing."
"Well, giving me warm hugs is certainly a good start… Saying sweet things… Telling me you'll protect me even from the silliest thing… But I appreciate it most when you don't shy away from my affection… and think about me. By being honest and…such…"
Her cheeks heated up. Gods she loved him like crazy and she'd only met days ago. "…Even just by telling me you're puzzled already makes my heart bloom… I'm positive Rias will feel the same way." Tamamo stole a quick peck on his lips, adding one to her imaginary tally against the Gremory. Haha, sucker~ "But don't torment yourself over us. There's no right or wrong, I don't think… There's no fairness or unfairness in this. We're the ones who decided to 'share' you. …Well, not sharing as we both love you as a whole, not half and half, but you understand what I mean, yes?"
He nodded. Issei felt funny inside his stomach. All these love talk was making him feel oddly ticklish, but he knew he had to get this across.
"...It's…tricky, I understand…" She laid her head under his chin, feeling the warm gaze of the sunlight basking against one side of her body. "...But this isn't a harem that you have. Harem is… very rarely goes both ways. It's a rather demeaning term, actually."
"Oh."
"What we have now is called a polyamorous relationship. You all have our consent," Tamamo grinned, containing her desire to ravish his neck and have him ravish hers in return. "...And…you love us, no? Maybe not as much as you do Rias, but… Am I wrong to think so?"
"No. I love her. I think I'm already in love with you too, in all honesty."
Her tail swished slightly faster, and Tamamo couldn't stifle her smile. He could be unexpectedly gentlemanly at times, while making the straightest of faces.
"It's okay, Issei. It's alright. We understand. We don't love you because you're an expert, we love you because you're you, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks, Tamamo."
"Hehe~ no, Issei. Thank you," she hummed, squeezing him — at least tried to. He was also unexpectedly robust. Now if he could lay his body on top of hers, preferably without clothing and or any sort of protection, then that would be an ideal outcome—
Then he squeezed her back and lifted her off the ground, and Tamamo just swooned right there. "Oh Heavens, have mercy on my soul—"
.
.
As they left, as enough time had passed for them to be no longer nearby and they were sure their conversation would be outside the fox's earshot, Latia let out a deep, deflating sigh.
"By Lilith…" she whispered, "He's just a boy…"
"Fate's a cruel mistress, isn't she," Roygun huffed, standing up to stretch her legs as she walked towards an open window. "What do gods want to do with him?"
"Why do gods want anything to do with him, is the question," Latia said, pacing to her new study desk. She received nothing more than a noncommittal hum from her new coworker.
Roygun sniffed. This place might appear to be musty, but it was surprisingly nicely scented.
"What about the fox?" she then said, idly picking a book from the Gremory's bookcase, and rearranging the volumes in the wrong way because she was bored.
"She's suspicious of us."
"To no one's surprise."
"Hmm," Latia shifted as she conjured a magical hologram of the entire Kuoh Town. Soft blue in color, flickering as she moved her hand through it to skim to certain places. "But she's madly in love with him. I don't think we should concern ourself with their romantic affairs."
"And our resident dragon king? Queen, I suppose."
"We'll have to meet her first to know what she truly is like." The Astaroth's dishonored heiress enlarged the map as it zoomed on the abandoned church, located at the outskirts, hidden away deep in the forest surrounding the civilization. "I keep my expectations low that she's willing to cooperate, but it's there."
Roygun smirked to herself, satisfied at the disordered books. She then strutted over to Latia and her holographic, topographic map, leaning against the chair, tipping it lightly.
"Well? What's our plan with the mysterious boy then? I don't think he has a Sacred Gear in him."
"Then…what? He just suddenly able to leap in and out of the shadows without reason?"
"No fire without smoke— wait, no smoke without fire," Roygun corrected herself before Latia could. "I don't think he's entirely human either… Who knows at this point. He might be a chimera. Might be a demon. Maybe let Satan Beelzebub dissect him for research purposes."
If she was any other being, she'd have jerked back in revolt of Roygun's suggestion, but Latia knew her long enough and met her in enough noble parties to know Roygun simply had a crooked sense of humor than most.
"Whatever he is… We…." Latia held her quiet for a few passing moments, contemplative as her sentence was suspended in the air. Roygun was a bit miffed by the sudden silence, but Latia continued just before the Belphegor cracked. "...I thought Rias was downplaying him, but he's really just a boy. No wonder she doesn't have the heart to drag him into this."
"Neither should we then. If only to please the Gremory," Roygun firmly said, showing the nobility that was hiding behind her apparent carefreeness. "We're tasked to keep this town safe under the guise of relocating the two heiresses. Excaliburs or a sham, it's our business now, not theirs nor him. We're the expendables."
Indeed. Neither Satan Lucifer or Satan Leviathan would ever put their adored little sister at this severe of a risk. First gods trespassed a Rating Game and now people with Excaliburs on their back? Did Kuoh Town just bring trouble no matter the generations?
That in mind, "Don't you think he might have a connection to this whole fiasco?"
"There's always a possibility, but I highly doubt he knows anything about it more than just a name." The older devil swiveled on her heels, turning around to recline against the open window's stool. "But Kokabiel and Sister Griselda… The Everwatcher, formerly the Warmonger… spotted side by side with the Sovereign of the Holy Sepulcher. Sister of War… Or Light, whatever— humans sure love their tacky nicknames huh?"
Latia only shrugged. "Our kinsmen are just as guilty. What did they call you again in the arena?"
"The…something of something something…" Roygun chuckled. "Who cares! It's because we run a Game. It's to energize the audience."
Empress of the Round Table. That was her nickname. There were plenty others, but that was the one that stuck. Attained by being the sole survivor of an eight-way deathmatch in a caged, flat, circular Arena. The Royal Rumble, the officials called it. It wasn't just her victory that gave her that moniker, but the fact that she stood atop a pile of unconscious devils with a tranquil smile on her bloodstained face, despite being bloodied herself.
The Belphegor was a house to be trifled with. Sloths all around. Roygun was the rare breed that defied her family tradition of lazing without achieving anything. 'Laziness is a right to be earned' she'd told her once, and that was all Latia needed to get a solid grasp of the Empress' personality.
"You love that barbaric Game don't you."
Roygun curled her lips, revealing a portion of her perfect white row of teeth. "Why wouldn't I? It's well within my nature as a devil to enjoy barbarism from time to time…" she then idly gazed across the map, intently gazing down the four white blips. "...Although I do admit I miss the killing. Suppose I am an evil person."
"There's a definition for that. It's called bloodthirsty, I'm certain."
"I can live with that." The pink-haired devil shrugged. "...But who would've thought we'd see Kokabiel and Griselda side by side. This far away from their country as well. What do you think they're up to? A date?"
"They're running away. From what I don't yet know… They kept their Excaliburs hidden well, it's strange that they let three of those in the same place. Nearby the devils' territory as well," Latia assented, her tone grim. She despised uncertainty just as much as her close friend Rias. "Tsk— if my brother didn't burn my effort bridging the Underworld and the Vatican, we wouldn't be as clueless as this. We'd still have eyes over the Vatican."
"Think Griselda might trust you on the off chance?"
Latia snorted. "I'd have better chance smashing a plate and piecing it back together with glue than mending the trust broken by my brother."
"Your way with words never fails to impress me," Roygun laughed, letting her friend know she meant her compliment although it was said in jest. "But seriously. Is there a chance? We might avoid all of this. Much as I want to break bones; anything for the betterment of the Empire and all that hogwash."
Roygun just wanted to go back to the Rating Game scene, which was painfully obvious.
"Those nuns trusted me," Latia said. "Now they're either dead or chittering in the asylum."
The Empress cooed. "Mm. Self-blame can get ugly, young lady. It's like a quicksand."
"No need to remind me," Latia neatly rested her knuckles under her chin. "The past is not of my concern… These people are."
"Want me to give them a welcoming party?"
"I can't let you start a war," she warned.
"Eh. Peace is overrated."
Latia ignored that blasphemous joke. War is hell and that is all the truth there is. Devils had learned a lot from humans and their never ending conflicts, just as they learned from the Civil War half a millennium ago.
Damned she might be, Latia was prepared. Her House name was in tatters ever since Diodora's shameless mistake. It might take her years to fully recuperate or regain the respect lost, but an assignment directly from a Satan was nothing to shrug at.
There was no greater sin for her than failing her family.
Break
"What's the time over in Japan right now, Rias?"
"...Four in the morning…"
The muffled, dispirited reply came from a deflated Crimson Ruin Princess of House Gremory, which, as evidence suggested, was poorly built for long distance relationships. Only a single day without Issei ogling on her assets and Rias already acted like a woman who hadn't had a good pound for ten years. How did Akeno know of such a thing? Well, Akeno liked learning about such a thing from her clients.
She'd prattle on about the perversity of her contractors, but Akeno tended to be a good friend whenever the Gremory was being pouty about something.
"My, my… I wonder if that wily fox has devoured him whole… I can't begin to wonder how threatened you must feel. Leagues away from your beloved boyfriend, while a hungry canine has been waiting for her chance to sink her teeth."
From that suggestion, Rias immediately threw a one-eyed, crimson-veiled glare through the gaps of her bangs and the pillow she was burying her face with.
"You're supposed to be helping me. You're not helping."
Akeno coyly clasped her hands, bringing them over her semi-transparent negligee, and sniffed. "Oh what a horrible friend I must be… Being unable to help her in something I've no experience with whatsoever…"
As Rias from her bed, threatening to use her pillow as a throwing weapon, several knocks came from her lavishly furnished bedroom.
"Yes?"
"It's Yumi," said the voice behind the door as it creaked open. Yumi stuck out her face just enough to say, "Riser's here. He wants to see you, Prez."
The King and Queen exchanged significant looks.
"Riser?"
"What a chance. Perhaps while your lover basks in the fox's tail, you may embrace in the Phoenix's warmth—" Akeno didn't get to finish her sentence as her vision was engulfed by a pillow.
.
.
Rias used to have all the reasons in the world against giving Riser her attention, but after the Rating Game, she admitted that she might have overreacted. The rift between them had thinned, and though there was distrust, it was no longer as strong.
Hence when he asked her to go to a private room of her lodging in Bucharest, Romania, her alertness spiked back up. If she hadn't learned anything, she would have lauded him with accusatory questions. But she gave him the benefit of the doubt, and Young Phoenix didn't betray her.
He was just showing a clip of her Queen's fight against his Queen.
And it was the first time Rias saw him looking so bitter. She even started to wonder if this was just a perfect copy of Riser, minus all his bad boy attitude. But once she got to the point of the scene he wanted to make her watch, Rias understood why.
"Shrivel and retire! He doesn't even look at your way!" Akeno raged, her unholy thunder crackling between her fingers. Her outfit was torn, and Rias spotted blood on her priestess clothing, although she couldn't be sure why, because Yubelluna was equally worse for wear.
Worse, even, as she coughed an amount of red before replying with a shout. "When you love the Phoenix it's like admiring the sun! You don't expect a sunset to admire you back!"
"Then why are you in tears?!"
"Just because I understand it doesn't mean it hurts less!"
"Then cease this all at once!" Akeno fired a bolt of thunder, smashing Yubelluna's shoulder as she fired back, blasting away against Akeno's stomach, sending the hybrid away as she clutched her ruptured belly. "...Gagh— give… give him up. He's not…worth it!"
"Who are you to tell me that?! We don't decide who we love!"
And the clip faded to black.
"That's when Amaterasu broke in. They lost consciousness shortly after," Riser bitterly spoke, his golden hair dangling before his forehead. He looked angry, but his anger was directed at himself. "...Is that what you meant back then?"
Rias sighed, wrapping herself in her pink cardigan. She felt guilty for doubting him earlier. "...Yes. That is what I meant. Then and until before the match. It's not a matter of personality alone, Riser. You chased me blindly without heeding the feelings of those who love you. I've seen her grimace. Many times whenever we held a meeting. Not once did you notice her."
She saw his shoulders slacked as he let out a breath. "...Curses."
"...At least you're aware of it now." Better late than never, Rias supposed. "...Did you come here to this 'vile winded' world to show me this?"
"Yes," Riser immediately said, scowling, missing her humor. He stared forward, at the fireplace, and set it alight with a burst of flame from his hand. "...To tell you the truth, I never wanted you. Take as many offenses as you want; you're not my type."
"Neither are you." Rias frowned at that, but she waited this time, letting him continue instead of throwing abuse like a child.
Riser laughed briefly at that. "...But I am the third son. Third in line. I receive nothing. Everything I have I took it for myself. Girls, glory, prestige," he snorted, an ironic one. "Young Phenex. I made that. I got that myself. But what do people say whenever they meet me? They shake my hand, give me a hug, and then ask where my Ruval is."
Rias averted her gaze down, all too familiar with that feeling.
He huffed. "Tch. It's like no matter how brightly I burn, I'm always eclipsed by my brother's accomplishment. Ruval this, Ruval that. It's as if my family only has one son and me and my brother are just an afterthought." He stiffened his lips, a bridling anger flashed over his face. "I didn't want this engagement either, but my parents never asked anything from me, expected nothing, so how can I say no to that?"
Riser glanced at her, "But you did. And it… ticked me off when they just shrugged and said it couldn't be helped. It couldn't be helped…" he seethed. "...Have you any idea… how it feels… to be looked down upon… by your own parents? Who raised you and loved you, and you understood they meant well, but you couldn't help but hate them? That, one day, they'd look at you not as second fiddle, but as their son?"
Rias felt her heart crushed. Not entirely for the man next to her, but the boy on the other side of the world.
She never thought Riser would have similarity with Issei.
"...So I chased you. You became an objective. Thought that if I got you, won you over, they'll look at me. Then that goal became an obsession and obsession made me neglect everything else that mattered. Now that it's done… After I rewatched our fight with my parents, seeing things from my girls' perspective, saw them bleed and nearly died for me, all they commented on was your brilliant strategy and that ghastly boy's weird powers."
The fire burned brighter. Purer. Angrier.
"I know then that even if I did manage to win, I'd still lose. They'll just look at you more. Rias Phenex… blood sister of Satan Lucifer…who happened to be married to that one Phenex…" Riser smirked, no self-pity to be found, in his words or his expression. "Meanwhile my girls apologized for losing… Yubel won't stop blaming herself for losing her cool against your Queen. Yes our match was annulled but you scored more points, thanks to that mad fallen angel of yours."
Rias felt pride, but at the moment, no other feelings could replace her sympathy for the Phenex.
"...For want of a nail…" he sighed, still scowling. "I'm here to understand why you rejected me, and to say I'm done pursuing you. I've neglected my girls too long, too much, for nothing."
He stood up, fixed his unbuttoned burgundy suit. "That's all. Don't you dare pity me. And good evening."
The fire on the fireplace burst away as Riser Phenex was engulfed in flames, returning back to the Underworld, leaving Rias to herself, wondering what could have happened had Riser told her all this from the start instead of the end.
She nibbled her lips, knowing her answer would likely stay the same because of her pride. Her obsession to shape her own fate. To be free. To make her own decisions and choose who she decided to love — although Issei was unexpected, so perhaps Rias was never as in control of her life as she'd thought.
But still, she couldn't help but pity the caged Phenex, and wished him well.
The next time they met again, Rias hoped they could start over again as friends, without needless hostilities. Perhaps Issei might appreciate a male friend who understood the way of this world…
To be continued…
Three cheers for best fox waifu, Tamamo
Three cheers for Riser's redemption arc
If you like the M&M's school life interaction, mind checking my newest story "Highschool DxD"? Yes, that's the literal title. Original, amirite? Roygun's also a teacher there.
That, and Lucifer: The God and The Devil. It's Lucifer being a jerkass to everyone that's being a jerkass to him. Yasaka's there too and is the main heroine and pairing.
Btw, I know that Kiba is a senior in canon, but I put her/him as a sophomore in the past chapter and now it's too late to change. It doesn't affect the story much, but I'm just letting you know if you went 'wtf kiba is a year younger?'
This Issei is starting to grow on me. I'll be honest I didn't like his character when I first started writing this story, but I kept him true to his canon personalities, sprinkled with a bit of my own without making it too overwhelming. Maybe it's because he's far different from my other iterations. They're always as cool as a cucumber when talking to grills, while this one is just a bumbling, boobs-staring idiot
Not saying you should like him obviously, but just give the boy a chance
Empress of the Round Table is definitely stolen from AC:Z
Ok thx for reading, fare thee well and gbye.
For now. ( ͡ʘ ͜ʖ ͡ʘ)