Ch 12: Cross-Cultural Cross-Fit

Kuroka

(9 weeks after arrival in Kalichi)

Ugh, why is it so freaking cold this morning?

Normally It's straight up toasty thanks to Caine and Little Sis, so what gives?

I groan and pull the raggedy blanket tighter around my shoulders…which doesn't help one bit.

Forget it.

Instead I kick off the thing and grudgingly roll to my feet, pulling my sweatshirt closer around my shoulders.

I hate how freakin cold it is in this city…

"Caine? Little Sis? You in here?"

No response.

I frown and passively reach out with my Senjutsu senses, breathing out a quiet sigh of relief when I can sense them just outside the house.

Would it kill them to leave a note or something so I don't worry first thing in the morning? Sheesh…

Stretching I walk out the back door, only to stop suddenly when I hear Shirone laughing of all things.

My interest immediately piqued I stealthily hide just outside the door and crouch down, intensely curious as to just what Shirone found funny enough to display one of her rare moments of visible emotion.

"…and then what?"

"Well obviously he was more concerned about Magic traps and stuff like that so I went a bit old-school and just glued his sandal to the floor. And, predictably, he fell for it and ended up smashing his face against the ground when he tried to start walking."

Another giggle from Shirone and I can't resist my curiosity any longer.

…The Kid would probably make some dumb joke about how 'curiosity killed the cat' right about now.

Punting Caine's stupid jokes aside for the moment I lean around the corner...and can't help but smile at the scene…and admittedly lick my lips a little.

Caine now has 3 of his Shades hard at work, 2 of them holding up a metal bar about a meter long and the other one slowly snaking back and forth through the air, holding a chunk of rubble aloft as it does so.

His training can seem pretty weird at times.

As for Caine and Little Sis they're both on the bar, Shirone sitting on top of it holding that old magazine with the Human amusement parks on it while Caine is hanging upside down, legs crossed and repeatedly doing sit-ups while still talking to Little Sis.

I take a wholly inappropriate couple of seconds to admire the Kids already lithe musculature, the cause of my lip licking, and hoo boy he is gonna be a stud when he grows up…

My anticipatory lust is secondary to my excitement though, as the look on Shirone's face is one I wish I could see more often.

Eyes not half-lidded but wide open and animated, mouth not lax and unmoving but smiling, ears and tails not limp but actively twitching while moving back and forth…she's happy, and not even the gouge on her lip or scar on her face can detract from that.

"Well I told you about how I used to mess around with Jonah, you got any good stories of pranks you used to play on Kuroka?"

…say what?

"Yup! Mom and Dad used to take us to this park in Efrayim that was really popular and I got her good one time!"

NO YOU DIDN'T!

"Big Sis has a thing for shiny objects, so I found a piece of glass, attached a bit of string to it, and…"

I hear the little brat giggle of all things before finishing with, "And then I put it on a squirrel that was in the park! Big Sis kept chasing after it, scaring the squirrel and causing it to run around! Big Sis chased it for almost 15 minutes before she tripped and fell in a puddle of water!"

Mortified, I hear Caine snicker before asking, "Hold up, hold up…the hard-ass Kuroka I've been dealing with for 2 months and counting once chased a squirrel because it was shiny?"

They both start laughing hysterically and I feel my face go red in embarrassment.

Oh I am going to murder those 2, just wait!

Eventually their mocking laughter dies down and the 2 of them are quiet, simply grinning at each other. I'm just about to walk out and dispense some righteous fury when Caine suddenly asks, "You've been staring at that magazine alot lately, are you really interested in seeing all those places?"

Shirone just enthusiastically nods and starts flipping through the pages, excitedly saying, "I am! There's so many different animals, rides, shows…it's almost overwhelming."

"Well we have naught but time. Unless I'm badly mistaken most Yokai live for centuries, right?"

She simply nods and he grins in response.

"Well don't worry then! Most Humans don't live even a single century and they can do alot in their lives. Heck, if nothing else I want to go see Disneyland with you, Kuroka and Lisa. I hear it's incredible."

Shirone's ears perk right alongside mine and she asks, "Incredible? What's it like?"

"Heh, wish I could give you concrete details…but all I know is that it's miles of shops, rides, shows, haunted houses, mascots…man, I really wanted to go on Star Tours when it first opened…"

"Star Tours?"

"Oh, right. You know about Star Wars, don't you?"

Shirone just shakes her head and Caine gapes at her.

"You don't know Star Wars?! Even though we practically live in urban Mos Eisley?! C'mon, it's only a huge movie franchise!"

Little Sis pouts cutely and replies with, "When would Big Sis and I have had a chance to see a movie in this city?"

Caine's quiet for a moment before sheepishly grinning and saying, "Sorry, didn't consider that. Guess I've been hanging upside down for too long."

"…Or you're just dumb sometimes."

"Hey!"

He playfully swats at her leg causing her to grin and lightly smack his face with her tails in response.

…They really need to stop being so damn cute, or I'm gonna forget about being annoyed with them.

"Well the movies are gonna be way easier to access than the amusement parks will be. There's probably some pawn shop around here that has TVs and VHS players. Heck, we could even set up a movie room in the Church so we could all see the stuff we want!"

"We could?! That sounds fun!"

I can't help but feel a grin cross my face at Shirone's rare bouts of enthusiasm as she deftly flips upside down, mirroring Caine's positions so that she's facing him head on.

Obviously amused by her antics he smiles and scratches behind her ear, eliciting a pleased purr from her as he says, "Well once we do I'm making the popcorn."

Shaking my head in bemusement I stealthily walk out as the 2 of them are distracted and get right behind Caine's ear.

Time for a little payback.

Pitching my voice low and breathy I seductively whisper, "Are you talking about me?"

To my immense satisfaction he violently startles and his Shades drop both the metal bar and the rock he was working with, causing him to land heavily on his tailbone with an oomph while Shirone easily flips herself right-side up since she saw me coming.

I smirk and lean over Caine, his dual-colored eyes meeting mine with equal parts amusement and exasperation.

"One of these days you're gonna do that and I'm gonna shatter my spine."

"Oh don't be such a crybaby. Most men would love to have me whisper sweet-nothings into their ears…"

He rolls his eyes and dryly retorts with, "Only the ones who don't know you."

I playfully smack him on the head and blandly ask, "I don't suppose we should get going? Our guests are arriving today after all."

He merely nods but after sniffing himself he winces and adds, "Maybe after a quick shower."

Shirone snickers and quietly says, "Boys can get smelly."

Humoring her I playfully plug my nose and respond in a squeaky voice with, "Devil boys especially."

Amidst our chuckles I hear Caine mutter out, "Gang up on the little guy why don't you…and its not that bad…"

He just sighs afterward and turns to me with a smirk on his face.

"Well as long as we don't run into any chrome-covered squirrels on the way we should make good time, don't you think, Kuroka?"

I narrow my eyes and blandly reply, "If you value your life, you'll forget that particular conversation Kid."

He just chuckles and airily replies with, "Ok, ok. No need to start acting all nutty now."

…

…I've never wanted to strangle anyone so much in my entire life.

Caine

"Ah, you 3 arrived early. Good."

David greets us with a tight smile and I give a friendly wave in response.

"Good to see you to David. Sorry about having to set up the Transport Circle in the middle of the Church, but, well…it was the only place aside from Chow's restaurant that I'd consider safe, and the last thing I want to do is have to ask Chow for a favor. He'd probably stab me just out of principle."

The older man chuckles in response and amusedly replies with, "While I wouldn't put it past him, don't be too quick to assume he'd deny you any favor. After all, he helps out the Church quite a bit at quite the discounted price…"

I'm pretty sure I misheard that until his words from a few week back reverberate through my head…

'we also largely rely on donations from a few benefactors who wish to remain anonymous…'.

Holy crap. Anonymous indeed. If anyone knew Chow was giving cheap handouts to this place they'd flip their proverbial lid.

I shake my head and bring myself back to reality as David finishes with, "Besides, the pros of having a direct means of transport to Grigori resources far outweigh the risks."

A smile comes over my face and I can't help but archly ask, "Aren't you a little too accommodating of those who've fallen from God's graces?"

He offers up a grin of his own and simply retorts with, "I can stop anytime you want me to."

Chuckling myself Kuroka suddenly interjects with, "Yah well you 2 can be all buddy-buddy with those Fallen, I for one don't trust em'."

I resist the temptation to roll my eyes as Shirone deftly nods in agreement with her Sister's words, knowing all too well why they're against this.

Put bluntly, they're feeling protective of me.

Don't get me wrong, It's comforting in a way that I'd actually be uncomfortable announcing out loud, since it's so embarrassing, but right now that protectiveness is a bit misplaced. Just because I got threatened with violent death at the hands of a twelve-winged Fallen Angel and Heavenly Dragon, was essentially promised excruciating pain by another Fallen, and got beat up by a Longinus Wielder doesn't mean they have to be all doting and stuff.

…

You know when I say it like that, having people watching my back sounds like a great idea.

Putting my hand on Kuroka's shoulder I tell her, "Look, just…just try to not be too hard on Vallia, will yah?"

My only answer is a scowl from the Nekoshou and she testily asks, "Why? What's so special about her?"

I briefly debate how to put this without giving away secrets that aren't mine to give before deciding to go with, "She's like us in alot of ways. Keep that in mind and watch her, you'll see what I mean."

2 doubtful looks from the cats are my only response, but at least they no longer look like they want to pound the poor girl into the dirt first chance they get.

David just gives me an approving nod before a cheerful voice shouts out, "Yay! You made it!"

Lisa exuberantly runs past David and gathers up the Sisters in a hug while shooting me an excited smile.

"So what's this about you getting beat up later today? Honestly, I think by now you would have grown tired of it…"

I raise an eyebrow at the older Priest who just quietly whistles to himself and correct the Elf with, "I'm not trying to get knocked around, that's just how getting stronger works. Besides, it's probably not just me you're gonna have to keep an eye on. Kuroka and Shirone are gonna be having a little match of their own."

Lisa raises one of her needle thin eyebrows and turns to the sisters.

"Oh? And are you going to be the ones getting injured or the ones doing the injuring?"

I snort and gently nudge her shoulder with my own as both cats studiously ignore Lisa's question.

"Keep an eye on them will yah? Kuroka has been acting kinda squirrelly all morning…"

Shirone suddenly chokes and her face turns bright red, tails waving frantically with repressed mirth while Kuroka's eyebrow just twitches spastically for a second.

"Caine~?"

Her tone promises swift retribution and it's with an internal sigh of relief that I see the Transport Circle flare to life, giving me the perfect distraction.

"Oh…it's you again."

I can't resist smirking at the newly arrived blonde Fallen and easily reply, "So was that little trip too much for a senior citizen like yourself?"

I can actually hear the bones in Mittelt's arm cracking as she makes a fist, a fake smile planted on her face. Raynare on the other hand just chuckles and mutters something like, '…gonna put me out of a job'.

Deciding that further tempting Mittelt is a bad idea for now I look for Vallia and to my morbid amusement she's mostly hidden behind Raynare, obviously trying to blend in without making it obvious that she's doing so.

Deciding to start bridging this problem sooner rather than later, with as relaxed and non-threatening a tone as I can manage I speak up with, "Good to see you again Vallia."

She twitches slightly at my words but walks out from behind the taller Fallen regardless before quietly replying with, "…Hello."

Raynare just sighs and gently pushes her forward before dryly stating, "C'mon girl, you can be at least a little more intimidating than that. Put some 'oomph' into it!"

While looking like she'd rather just stick with not saying anything at all Vallia nonetheless takes a deep breath and locks eyes with me before speaking up with a moderately stronger tone.

"…It's good to see you also."

Heh, having a Fallen Angel as your personal cheerleader must do wonders for your self-confidence. I don't let any of my thoughts show on my face though, instead just grinning and hiking my thumb towards the Yokai sisters.

"You remember Kuroka and Shirone, right?"

A jerky nod.

"Well like they said before they'll be helping you out in getting stronger. Ditto for me and your 2 buddies. Afterwards you and I will train together however we see fit, or if Albion has any ideas we'll go with those. Sound good?"

A second quick nod.

Well…at least she's responding still. I'll take what I can get.

Kuroka and Shirone suddenly stalk on past me and home in on Vallia, who suddenly looks less than comfortable. Raynare and Mittelt scowl at them and I can't help but sigh as they do so.

Hopefully we can get through the day without killing each other…

David seems to catch my expression and offers, "I'll keep an eye on these 3. Lisa, stay with Caine and the Fallen ladies please."

He casts a critical eye at Mittelt who just steadily meets his gaze before finishing with, "I'm of the opinion he'll need it."

Now the blonde Fallen is openly grinning, although she loses it once Lisa bravely walks up to her with a forced smile of cheerfulness.

"Hello, I don't think we've been introduced before, but like Father David said my name is Lisa. Pleased to make your acquaintances!"

Raynare snickers and amusedly replies, "Well aren't you just the sweetest little thing? My name is Raynare, and this little shrimp over here is Mittelt."

Said shrimp just growls and annoyedly says, "Look pointy-ears, we're not here to make friends, we're here on orders of our boss to help the little snot over there get tougher so he can go die later rather than sooner. Get me?"

While slightly crestfallen Lisa takes it in stride before Raynare takes her by the arm and easily announces, "Don't pay any attention to the angry midget, let your friend take care of that particular time bomb…"

While I'm honored to be volunteered and all that, the openly violent gaze Mittelt is sending my way seems to be even more intense than it was 2 weeks ago.

…This is gonna hurt.

I take the opportunity to further study my opponent and see if there's any obvious clues as to what I'm in for. She switched out her previous outfit for a more sensible one of black long-sleeved shirt and jeans, complete with a robust pair of boots and has her hair in a single ponytail as opposed to the dual-style she had before.

Makes sense I suppose, seeing as she probably wouldn't want to mess up her more luxurious outfit if she didn't need to. Other than that though she's not really giving anything away, just standing there with her hands on her hips and a moderately pissed expression in place.

Just as I'm about to ask if I should be doing something she sighs in irritation and says, "Ok you little toe-rag, if we want to make any progress with anything at all, we need to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. So we'll do that in the most expedient way possible."

She leans forward with a predatory grin on her face that is in all honesty equal parts cute and terrifying.

"I'm gonna be doing my best to hurt you real bad. You better return the favor and try to hold me off or you're gonna be a sobbing mess by the time we're done. Although…"

4 wings suddenly explode outward with a scatter of midnight feathers and a bright pink light spear suddenly appears in her hand before she twirls it around once and fixes me with a smirk.

"Good luck actually landing a hit on me."

…Violent much? I cast a glance to my side and find Lisa looking extremely nervous about this whole thing while Raynare just seems bored.

"Don't let your attention wander idiot!"

Listening to my gut I immediately throw myself flat on the ground and barely avoid Mittelt's spear, the weapon imbedding itself in the Church's wall with a weird hissing noise. I don't even bother responding to her and instead immediately roll forward into a straight sprint, intent on taking advantage of her lost spear.

While I'm fairly confident I could handle your average Fallen Angel, taking on a 4-winged one doesn't sound like much of a winning scenario.

I pull back my arm to throw a punch…and feel a chill crawl up my spine as the girl just smirks and makes a tiny gesture with her hand, almost as if calling something back to her hand.

Throwing myself to the side I don't entirely dodge her returning spear and it cuts a thin line across my arm, which of course promptly bursts into a blazing agony, causing a pained hiss to escape from my mouth.

DAMN that hurts! Maou-dammit if this is just what a 4-winged Fallen's spear feels like I don't even want to think about how bad somebody like Azazel's spear would hurt, never mind a genuine Angel's…

Thankfully Mittelt doesn't press the advantage and merely fixes me with a self-satisfied grin.

"Ooh, that looks like it hurts. Had enough already bra-"

More than a little annoyed I shoot out my Shades, briefly causing her to scowl in concentration as she brings her spear around and adopts a defensive posture with it.

I send my first Shade snaking back and forth across the ground before it suddenly snaps forward towards her head, while the 2nd swings wide, aiming to take out her feet from underneath her. Not losing her cool she rapidly stabs forward with her light spear, disintegrating my Shade that was aiming for her legs while her wings deflect the head-bound one before she swiftly stabs through that one as well.

Just as planned. Now as long as she…

…Doesn't notice my newly acquired 3rd Shade sneaking up behind her and stab it too, which she does.

Well, the Shades were actually just a distraction in this case.

"If that was your best shot then-"

I cut her off mid speech as she turns around with a shout of, "[Frost Air!]", causing a fast moving mist to shoot out of the small Magic Circle in my hand.

Mittelt's eyes widen and she tries to use her wings to blow away the approaching stream of freezing air, but just a tad too late. The mist makes contact with her arm holding the spear and her legs, instantly encasing them in ice and briefly throwing her off balance as her momentum is suddenly arrested. I grin and charge forward, already fully confidant that this'll go my way.

The Fallen growls and her light spear suddenly flips into her non-frozen hand, primed to be thrown directly at me but I've got that covered.

"[Shock Bolt!]"

The ever familiar arc of electricity makes contact with the skin of her hand, causing her to briefly seize up and her eyes widen ever further. I haul back my arm as I get to within striking distance and just slug her across the face.

Which sounds more damaging than it actually was, since it feels a bit like I just punched a wall. Damn she's tough, almost as tough as Shirone when she's using her Toki at full power.

So instead of knocking her out cold she just looks briefly dazed before shattering the ice holding her in place with simple raw strength, gently probing her cheekbone where the slightest of bruises is forming.

She slowly turns around and I'm a little worried at how calm she looks.

To my complete surprise a strangely happy smile comes to her face and she snorts before saying, "Guess you're not such a waste of space after all. Alright Brat, I think you can handle it if I turn up the heat a bit, don't you agree?"

Before I can reply she manifests a 2nd spear and starts languidly walking towards me, an anticipatory smile on her face and light spear held loosely in each hand.

Well…I think this is going to suck.

Guess what? I was right!

THIS. SUCKED.

Seriously…pain is nothing new to me, but burns from a Holy weapon, even one as perverted as a Fallen Angels, really, really friggin hurt.

"Hmm…well that's an hour come and gone. I gotta tell you Brat, you make a great stress relief tool."

I try to reply with, 'bite me' but it mostly just comes out as a pained wheeze.

"Stop trying to move so much Caine, you're making this harder than it has to be."

I give Lisa a wry look but she's not really paying attention to me even though she's performing yet another round of first aid, instead choosing to shoot Mittelt a reproachful glare, which the Fallen completely ignores of course.

Damn…true to her earlier words, I hadn't even come close to landing another hit on the blonde Fallen. Her wings had constantly blocked my elemental spells while her 2 spears allowed her to both defend against my Shades and keep me at bay. It was practically impossible to get close when she could so freely alter the trajectory of her spears.

Lisa releases a tired sigh and mumbles out, "All finished." and I groan, sitting up and trying to ignore just how beat up I feel.

To no doubt both mine and Lisa's surprise Mittelt sticks out a hand with a cocky smile and inviting wink. I cautiously take it but thankfully she just pulls me up without any issues…granted, her grasp was a little stronger and her yank a little tougher than they needed to be, but after the last hour of being brutalized this seems positively tame in comparison.

"Uh…thanks."

She just cheerfully smiles and replies, "Anytime meatbag!"

I can't help but snort in defeated amusement, at which point I notice Raynare looking at me oddly.

"Something on my face?"

She just shrugs, simply replying with, "You seem far more relaxed around us Fallen and other species than most Devils I've had the dubious pleasure of meeting. While I'm often told that hostilities are nowhere near what they were during the Great War, I think members of the 3 Factions that aren't xenophobic are the exception rather than the rule. Why are you so easygoing about everything?"

I give her question a brief moment of thought, noticing both Mittelt and Lisa paying close attention to me, before I shrug one of my shoulders and answer, "Well mostly because I was brought up not to be a racist idiot, put bluntly. Also I think hating people just on something as general as their physical features is 6 different kinds of stupid, when there are perfectly valid reasons to dislike someone on a personal basis."

I smirk and point to the 2 Fallen.

"Case-in-point…Raynare, while you give off the air of composed and friendly beauty, I didn't miss the obvious enjoyment you got out of seeing me get beat to pieces after you egged on Mittelt. I don't like you because you strike me as a manipulative jackass."

Ignoring her perplexed expression I turn to Mittelt and say, "As for you…well you seem like a bully with a hair-trigger temper and inferiority complex to boot."

I grin at the 2 Fallen and happily state, "There, 2 reasons why, as of now, I don't like either of you that has nothing to do with the shape or color of your wings."

Raynare just scoffs and wanders off to do something else while Mittelt narrows her eyes at me.

"You are so lucky that I'm in a good mood right now."

"You better be, I paid for it in blood."

She briefly chuckles at that and dismisses her light spear and wings before airily saying, "Get what rest you can, I'm gonna go get Vallia and you 2 can work out your own issues then."

Shirone

…This girl is strange. She reeks of power and Dragons, but doesn't even look us in the eye. Big Sis and I had been frozen stiff when we first felt her aura and while it's not quite as bad now, I'm still…a little scared.

No, not scared. Big girls like Sis don't get scared. I'm…cautious?

…Not important.

"So…I don't think we were ever properly introduced, were we Vallia?"

I glance towards Big Sis and find her crowding the other girl, not giving her personal space in the slightest. The smallest of frowns makes its way on to my face at her actions.

I know how important distance is between strangers, and Kuroka knows it too.

If someone were to get too close to me like that, she would be furious…so why is she doing the very same thing to Vallia, who's obviously scared?

I give that question some serious thought until Paladin suddenly puts a hand on Big Sis's shoulder and gives her that 'lecture' look.

"Control yourself Kuroka. I apologize for that Miss Vallia, she doesn't mean you any actual ill will. My name is David, it's an honor to meet the host of the White Dragon Emperor."

My frown is almost visible as the other girl flinches at Paladin's mention of the Dragon, a flinch that is weirdly familiar…

I slightly shake my head as Vallia seems to gather her courage and shakily replies, "It's good to meet you too…I'm Vallia-I mean, y-you already knew that, so…"

Paladin merely smiles and speaks in the same gentle voice he used when we first met.

"No need to be afraid Child. And don't worry overmuch about Kuroka."

He fixes Bis Sis with a deliberate gaze and continues with, "I will be keeping a close eye on her."

Scowling, Kuroka brushes past Paladin and speaks up with an annoyed tone.

"Ok Kid, Caine filled us in on just what exactly your Sacred Gear can do, my first question is how good are you at using your powers and everything?"

For some reason Vallia looks incredibly uncomfortable at Big Sis's question and turns away from us.

"…Well?"

She mumbles something and Sis gives an irritated huff.

"We didn't quite catch your mumbling, believe it or not. Speak up Kid."

"…I can't use it."

She can't use it? But didn't she just use the wing things against Caine last time?

Big Sis apparently has the same thought as she growls out, "Bullshit. We saw you not more than 2 weeks-"

I gently put my hand on Sis's arm to stop her and instead get close to Vallia, but not so close that it might make her nervous.

I'm still not entirely comfortable around strangers anyway…

"You used your power last time. What were you feeling when you did?"

Shifting uncomfortably on her feet the girl hesitantly replies with, "I…I was angry and confused…but also excited and, well…happy?"

…Is she dumb? Caine said he wants to kill that Rizevim person, and he hinted that she wants to as well. They should be friends easily.

I put that thought aside for now and instead say, "It sounds like your Gear works on emotion. Use that."

"…How?"

I think about that briefly before nodding to myself and letting my Senjutsu power flow into me. With a sudden rush of strength I stand a bit straighter and quietly reply, "I'll fight with you until you manage to bring it out."

2 looks of surprise are sent my way while Paladin just gives me a slight nod.

"Sound reasoning Shirone. Well Vallia? From what Caine told me you wish to grow more powerful. If you still desire to turn back, now is the time to say so."

For a moment the grey-haired girl uncertainly sways…before she stiffens and for the first time meets my eyes.

"No…Albion said I need strength if I want to survive. Let's start."

And then it clicks. I feel like smacking myself for not noticing it earlier.

She's just like me…

Scared of other people, trying not to show weakness but doing so anyway…

And being able to set aside that fear when it's time to fight, just like I can.

The only difference I can see between us is that right now I have family and friends…she seems to be mostly alone, or at least close to it.

…Maybe I can change that.

Without waiting for anyone to say 'start' or anything like that I jump forward and swing my fist right at Vallia's face, her expression not showing even the slightest bit of surprise. She quickly ducks underneath my swing and launches a strike of her own at my gut-

-which stops dead when it connects with my Toki protected skin.

I can't stop myself from gaining a small smile of pride at that. Even Big Sis's control over Toki isn't as good as mine.

Before the other girl can back off I grab her arm and lazily toss her away, causing her to awkwardly land on the floor with a heavy thud. Her expression doesn't change one bit though.

…How can I get her to be scared, or angry? Caine said something about her being crazy that had gotten results…but I know that would hurt my feelings, so maybe something else?

I'm barely paying attention to her now, since she's mostly just trying to hit me with ineffective blows, and instead I try to be smart like Paladin.

An idea suddenly forms in my head and I decide to test it out. When Vallia goes to throw another one of her pointless kicks I let my Senjutsu aura briefly flare, the natural energy escaping my body from every pore and creating what Caine called, 'one heckuva scary aura for such a small person'.

…I'm not that small…

Anyway, it certainly works on Vallia as she flinches and stops her reckless swinging, even taking a step back. Not giving her any breathing room I coat my arm in blue fire and land a clean hit on her stomach, knocking the air out of her and sending her flying back to crash against the wall, where she collapses to her knees.

Normally that's where I would stop, but that's not what I'm aiming for. She needs to feel scared. Ignoring the upset feeling I get from doing this, I slowly walk towards the gasping Vallia and let the fire spread to both of my arms, doing my best to make myself look angry.

"Is this all you've got?"

Instead of waiting for a reply I instead stalk forward and make to hit her again, trying not to notice her terrified and pained expression. Just as my fist is about to connect with her jaw there's a sudden shout of [Divide!].

The burning fire and Toki powering my arm suddenly lessens by a vast amount, allowing Vallia to actually block my arm with some difficulty, the white metallic wings on her back suddenly flaring blue light as they manifest.

See? I knew she could do it.

I jump back and let my power ebb away as Vallia gasps for air, plain shock written all over face.

Big Sis simply chuckles and says, "Looks like my little Shirone knew what she was doing after all!"

I purr gently at her praise and Vallia haltingly asks, "H-how did you…?"

I shrug in response.

"You said you felt strong emotion when it activated last time. I just made you feel it again."

Paladin nods and adds, "Most Sacred Gears first activate, and continue to respond, to strong thoughts or emotions. You should remember how it felt to bring out your Gear Miss Vallia, as that will most likely be how your manifest it until you are used to using it."

She briefly nods, still looking slightly confused though.

Big Sis suddenly stretches and walks past me, all the while saying, "Well Little Sis had her turn, now it's mine. By the end of today you're gonna be using that Gear like no one's business…it's just gonna hurt. Alot."

Fire just like mine roars to life around her limbs and her tails start waving about in a more energetic pattern.

I don't blame Vallia for looking a bit nervous, Big Sis can be pretty scary when she wants to be.

…I think Big Sis and I went a bit too far with our training here. Vallia…isn't looking so great.

Several burns cover her body, standing out extra clearly on her pale skin while there's a pretty obvious bruise on her left cheek. Where before she had been wearing a long sleeve t-shirt it now looks more like a tank top, seeing as the edges were burnt off by Bis Sis…

I kind of feel a little bad.

Big Sis, on the other hand, just happily cracks her back and ignores Paladin's slightly irritated gaze as he wraps Vallia's arms in bandages.

"Well I'll hand it to you Kid, you make a great stress relief tool. Heck, come on by more often, this was fun!"

I roll my eyes at Sis's words and instead look closer at Vallia.

…I want to be her friend. I finally made another friend with Caine, and Vallia is kind of like me.

Gathering my courage I walk over to where Paladin just finished up his basic first-aid and lock gazes with the other girl, her super bright blue eyes meeting my own golden ones.

The stare doesn't last long as she breaks it off, uncomfortable at the attention I'm giving her. Her action briefly throws me off balance and all of the sudden it strikes me that I don't know how to make friends with someone. It just seemed to happen with Lisa and Caine…

But then I see the fear in Vallia's eyes and I realize exactly what it is I have to do.

I stick out my hand, offer a small smile and say, "Hey Vallia? Do you want to be friends?"

I was making things too complicated, too scared of making a wrong move. Like Caine and Paladin always say, 'keep it simple stupid', or whatever it is they like to repeat.

The other girl's look is filled with apprehension, fright and a little bit of hope. I just keep that small smile and eventually she slowly reaches out with her hand, grabbing hold of mine and shyly replies, "…Sure, I-I'd like to be your friend too…Shirone."

I more visibly smile as my tails start eagerly lashing about and mischievously say, "Then as your friend, let me tell you too just ignore Big Sis over there. She's just jealous because she thinks you're going to steal away her boyfriend after you beat him up."

My new friend just looks confused as there's an angry yowl behind me.

"THAT'S SO NOT TRUE!"

Caine

"Hey Punching Bag, are your 2 friends ever coming back?"

I turn around only to painfully wince as my neck protests the motion and dryly reply with, "You could go and find them yourself?"

Mittelt just boredly looks at me from where she's lounging on a nearby couch and shrugs, "Nah, I'm fine right here. Where'd your little Elf friend go?"

I roll my shoulder and feel it pop loudly before painfully replying, "She went off with your buddy after she got bored of sitting around, remember? Not that I have a problem with that, as long as Lisa doesn't come back wearing some kind of idiotic dominatrix outfit."

The Fallen just snorts and amusedly retorts, "She doesn't have the curves to pull that look off."

I'm just about to shoot back with a snide, 'pot calling the kettle black much?' when my hip suddenly cracks as I lean forward, causing me to scowl in equal parts irritation and pain.

Is everything in my body broken now?!

That question is forever put on hold as a door creaks open and an amused David walks through, followed shortly by a pissed looking Kuroka, happy (if you know what to look for) Shirone and a slightly overwhelmed appearing Vallia.

Who looks like she went through her own meat grinder of an experience if the bandages on her arms and burnt up clothing are indicators.

I give Kuroka an exasperated glance while she just stonily ignores me, Mittelt shooting an acidic glare of her own to the cat which she also studiously ignores.

I get the feeling I'm going to be scratching her ear alot today in order to mollify her.

"Caine?"

I turn around and find Shirone's golden eyes not more than a few centimeters away from mine.

"What's up?"

She briefly glances behind her where Mittelt is fussing over Vallia while David and Kuroka seem to be having an 'animated' discussion.

Mostly just Kuroka scowling alot while David lectures her I imagine.

"Vallia is my friend now."

…I'm positive I didn't hear that right.

Matching her gaze head on and I carefully ask, "You said she's your friend?"

She nods and shifts uncomfortably for a second before elaborating with, "She…reminds me of myself a bit. So we're friends now."

A smile I have no control over makes it's way onto my face and I happily reach up and scratch behind her left ear, ignoring the crack that comes from my shoulder and instead focus on her pleased purr.

"Already making friends on your own? Gosh, they grow up so fast these days…"

She tries to look annoyed, an action somewhat ruined by her steady purring, and instead settles for lightly bopping me on the head.

"You're mean."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"So why are you purring so loudly then?"

She just rolls her eyes while her trademark nigh unnoticeable smile stays in place.

"Anyway, Vallia's my friend now. So be nice to her, or you're not my friend anymore."

I pretend to be shocked and frantically reply, "I won't be your friend anymore?! But that means I'll only have Kuroka left, anything but that!"

A rolled up wad of paper bounces off the back of my head while the raven-haired Nekoshou flips me a mildly insulting hand gesture, causing me to smirk in reply.

"Hey, Punching Bag. Get your ass in gear and start doing your thing with Vallia, I'm not here because I want to be."

I heave a sigh in resignation and dryly reply, "Fine, Grandma. Hey Vallia, you ready?"

The grey-haired girl jumps slightly as I suddenly call out but quickly nods, walking over but not really meeting my eyes.

Well…baby steps. Besides, Mittelt probably won't stab me in front of her after my little Grandma comment.

Probably.

Deciding not to push my luck I start walking outside to the dirt arena the Church has, glancing at Vallia as I do so. She's walking quietly beside me, matching my pace easily but there's a stiffness to her posture, probably from the earlier 'training'.

…Heck, I'm not one to talk, what with my body making odd popping noises with every stride.

Hoping to bring her out of her shell a bit more I ask, "So how was your practice with Kuroka and Shirone? They look like they did a number on you."

She's silent for a bit longer before quietly replying, "I-it was fine…it helped me summon Divine Dividing more reliably."

I raise an eyebrow at that admission.

"You can't use your Sacred Gear that well? You seemed just fine when we first fought."

Whether due to embarrassment at her perceived weakness or because of my mention of her earlier freak out she hides her face behind her shoulder length hair and hesitantly says, "I-I was…emotional then, and not thinking clearly…t-that was why I could use it…"

I just shrug at that and easily reply, "Well no worries. That's the point of this whole little venture, now isn't it?"

"I-it is…"

I'd figured the conversation would be over at that but to my happy surprise not more than a few seconds later she suddenly blurts out, "H-how was your training?"

Totally caught off guard by her sudden interest, but nonetheless pleased by it, I chuckle and reply with, "Pretty much like yours I imagine. Lots of pain and one-sided beatdowns involved."

She gives me a strange look before offering a small and very brief smile, but it's there regardless.

It's honestly a smile I wouldn't mind seeing more of. If she and Shirone could bottle up those expressions and sell them, they'd make a damn fortune.

At that point we arrive at the field and I ask, "So what exactly are we gonna be doing? Albion have any ideas?"

[He most certainly does.]

I almost jump at the disembodied voice coming from nowhere but get ahold of myself quickly.

"One of these days doing that is gonna give me a heart attack…"

There's a brief chuckle of amusement from the ancient being.

[I would be a poor Dragon indeed if my presence did not inspire fear and surprise in other beings.]

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and instead ask, "So what's the game plan? You were kind of iffy on the details from before apart from, 'hey, go beat each other up'."

[Simple really. I want Vallia to continue her work with her Sacred Gear, while I may be able to help you with your Valefor family bloodline.]

…What?

"I'm sorry, you did just say you could help me with something that is, for all intents and purposes, exclusive to me and my family, right?"

[I most certainly did.]

"Hope you don't mind me asking how you know stuff like that?"

To my surprise it's Vallia who answers with her near silent voice, quietly saying, "Albion is really old."

There's a scoff from the White Dragon who testily retorts, [You needn't phrase it as if I'm some ancient old man halfway to my deathbed, Hatchling…regardless, I was present during the days of the Great War, and encountered for than my fair share of Devils during that time. Your ancestor being one of them, Caine.]

I feel my eyes widen at that and excitedly ask, "You knew Altland Valefor?!"

[Perhaps 'knew' is too strong a word, but I encountered your ancestor 4 separate times, each encounter a battle that he somehow managed to walk away from. While he may not have been as powerful as most of the other Devils I fought during those years, he was a wily foe. The fact that he returned when so many other 'stronger' beings did not is a strength in and of itself, wouldn't you agree? Regardless, I became quite well acquainted with his control over Shadows, it being one of the few Devil powers I encountered with any sort of regularity.]

I just give a low whistle and say with more than a bit of awe in my voice, "Damn…you really are ancient."

[I don't need 2 whelps barely out of their Mother's womb calling me some old geezer!]

I offer Vallia a subtle thumbs up along with a grin, causing her to ever so briefly smile in return.

[I saw that.]

"Saw what?"

There's only grumbling in response before the Dragon just sighs and resignedly continues with, [Anyway, my initial plan had been for you 2 to learn about your respective powers by pitting them against one another…but you are far too exhausted as of now to do anything like that. For now I just want one good match between the 2 of you, use whatever you can to win and we'll call it at that.]

Out of the corner of my eye and I see Kuroka and Mittelt, who'd followed us outside alongside Shirone, Lisa, David and Raynare, all innocently pretend to be interested in something else, not admitting to their guilt in the slightest.

Jerks.

Giving a small shake of my head I turn to Vallia and pop my neck, grimacing once more as the muscles protest rather vehemently against the motion.

"You all set to do this then Vallia?"

She just stoically nods, her expression slowly losing it's timidity and becoming far more icy.

"Divine Dividing."

I quietly grunt to myself as her Sacred Gear blazes into existence, preparing myself for a messy fight.

I don't think she's gonna hold back.

Sure enough she suddenly charges towards me, using those blue energy wing things to seemingly boost her already impressive speed. Instead of dodging away, something that'd be pretty difficult considering my beat up condition, I summon all 3 of my Shades directly in front of me and brace myself for impact.

She collides directly with their upraised tendrils, pushing through the resistance and colliding with my upraised arms with enough force to push me back almost a meter before we skid to a halt.

And this is with her already worn out…in retrospect I'm kinda glad our previous fight didn't go any further.

Despite what Albion said about me having an edge, I don't think I would have walked away the winner.

Kicking those thoughts aside I use my still active Shades to bind Vallia's arms to her side, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. I guess Albion was sparse on the details of what I can exactly do.

Taking advantage of her temporary helplessness I move to plant a solid kick to her stomach-

[Divide!]

-only for her to use her Longinus's power and tear her way out of my weakened Shades, dissipating them completely.

Well crap.

She quickly jumps back, avoiding my kick, and floats in the air for a moment before she stretches out a hand. I prepare myself for some sort of Elemental Magic or the like…and am stunned stupid when 4 wings sprout from her back, adding to her Gear's for a total of 6.

6 wings.

Oh crap-

I barely manage to use my own wings to push me out of the way of a beam of pure Demonic energy that emanates from Vallia's palm, the thing almost a meter thick as it impacts the ground where I was standing, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and sediment.

Geez this girl is something else…

Once the aftermath of the explosion dies down I gently land and see Vallia swaying drunkenly, her Devil wings retracted and Divine Dividing's translucent wings flickering on and off.

Well, I guess even she has her limits.

A sudden hiss escapes me as my back suddenly protests against the movement of my wings and I correct my previous statement.

I guess even we have out limits.

With nary a word between us we both face each other head on and charge at the same time.

I'd like to think we made our final charge look cool and epic…but in reality it was probably more like 2 idiot goats head butting each other.

Both of our skulls collide with a dumb sounding bonk and we both stagger backward, dazed by the unorthodox move.

We both lock gazes for a second…and then Vallia promptly falls forward, colliding with my chest and driving the 2 of us to the floor, where we both gasp for breath and try not to puke through the dizziness in our heads.

…Another tie I guess.

"Well so much for the betting pool, crap…"

I roll my eyes back and see Raynare and Mittelt each taking a pile of money from the other, disappointed looks on each of their faces.

Were…were they betting on us?!

"Well if that's all for now, then we'll be inside doing nothing really. Take care now!"

Mittelt idly waves as she walks away while Raynare slips me a wink before strutting inside.

I didn't think Churches could actually breed sin…something David apparently agrees with as he frowns and follows them in, clearly not trusting them to wander around on their own.

Both Yokai sisters along with Lisa walk up and the Elf eyes us worriedly.

"Um…are you 2 going to be ok?"

I heave an exhausted sigh and dryly reply with, "Define 'ok'."

Kuroka tilts her head and elaborates with, "Are you going to live?"

"…Maybe."

She continues to blankly stare at me before her eyes quickly shift to Vallia, who's matching her stare, and she grins maliciously.

"Well good work on surviving today Caine. We'll be inside for whenever you manage to pick yourself up."

And then she quickly bends down and playfully bites my neck before giving Vallia one last glare and, again, strutting away, her tails languidly waving back and forth as she does so.

…I'm sorry, what?

To her credit Vallia just looks confused and I'm perfectly happy to keep it that way.

I have no way of properly explaining Kuroka's weird jealousy to someone who's barely figuring out her own (rightly) turbulent emotions.

Shirone just gently pats me on the head and turns to Vallia.

"Ignore Big Sis. She can be dumb sometimes."

The Longinus wielder just offers an even more befuddled look before hesitantly replying, "O…ok?"

I chuckle at that and turn to Lisa before asking, "Hey Lisa, don't suppose you could heal up Vallia?"

Said Dragon girl suddenly starts and stammers out, "T-that's ok! I don't need-"

Shirone offers up a quiet chuckle before interrupting with, "Forget it Vallia. He's just as dumb as Big Sis most of the time."

The grey-haired girl falls silent as she seems stunned by my offer and I privately hope that her family one day gets what's coming to them.

Seriously, is she so beat down that she didn't even expect the offer of being helped? Friggin' heck…

"U-um, Caine? Sorry, but…I don't have any Magic left. I used it all earlier."

…Oh.

Well that's awkward.

The Elf turns to Vallia and sadly says, "I'm sorry if you got your hopes up but-"

The girl suddenly sits straight and frantically replies, "No! That's fine I-"

She suddenly hisses in pain and holds her arms, causing Shirone to briefly look a bit guilty.

I let my head fall back to the ground and smile at their interaction. I guess I should go ahead and try to defuse this a bit…

"This is kind of an abrupt change of topic, but is anyone else hungry?"

Predictably Shirone immediately perks up and gazes intensely at me, not even blinking. Lisa and I share a knowing glance at our little Nekoshou's appetite before the Elf smiles and happily says, "Come on then Shirone, let's find the others and find a place to eat. Caine, Vallia, we'll bring something back for you 2, is that ok?"

I wave a hand negligently in response.

"Yah, that's fine with me. Vallia? How about you?"

A quick nod is my only response, but I'll take it.

Shirone rapidly walks off without another word while Lisa offers us a quick wave before she goes.

Things are quiet for a while between us before I groan and complain, "If this is what all our training is gonna be like, I think we're in for a rough couple months, if not years…"

"I second that."

...

My eyes widen at her tone, which was entirely free of any hesitation, fear, doubt or worry.

Without it's usual hangups her voice is noble…it carries the weight of authority and power, but is also musical, having a light and playful ring to it.

Like her smile, it's something I wouldn't mind experiencing more of.

Unfortunately she suddenly seems to realize how unfettered her words were and suddenly tenses, as if expecting a sudden attack from somewhere. I frown at that but quickly rally, just grinning and replying with, "Well you know what they say. Misery loves company."

She just shyly nods and I decide to see if I can bridge the gap just a bit further.

"Hey Vallia, is it ok if I call you Val? You know, like a nickname?"

…For a second she looks at me like I just grew another head before, and I swear I'm not hallucinating this, she both grins and blushes at the same time before giving a short nod.

Success.

I hold out my closed fist and amusedly say, "Well then Val looks like I'll be suffering right alongside you for the foreseeable future. Hats off to us."

She looks at my fist like she can't decide what to do with it before hesitantly bumping her own knuckles against mine.

And then we both jump as there's a sudden laugh that echoes around us.

[Hahaha! Quite the quick tongue this one has! Ddraig could learn a thing or 2 from you hatchling! Ha!]

"Albion!", Vallia suddenly squeaks, "It's not like that!"

…Oh man today has been something else.

And it's not even nighttime yet.

Well this chapter came out quite a bit later than planned, although I have technical difficulties to blame for that. My laptop is most likely finally dying on me after years of faithful service and it took a decent chuck of my work when it did so. Thankfully I'm paranoid enough to make backups of all my writings and school work every week or 2 so I wasn't set back by too much.

All that stuff aside, given that Devils so quickly take to Human culture, I often wondered if they try to recreate their habitats also, like bringing deer or squirrels to the Underworld. Obviously I thought they do, but it's one more fun little thought that has some interesting connotations.

Other than that this marks the beginning of the bonding between Kuroka, Shirone, Caine, Vallia and the others, and looking at the current road map I have planned it's quite the mess of conflicting personalities we're gonna be looking at here.

Greatly appreciate all the reviews and other stuff, it's great fun seeing all the feedback and thoughts readers have on how they feel things are proceeding :D

...

...Also VHS players. Anyone remember those things?