Happy new year folks!
Have a bit of an announcement to make but that can wait till later, for now, let's get this show on the road!
Fake Life Fifteen: Elder Sibling Problems.
"Thanks again for the help, Emiya-san." Saji sighed, the Sitri pawn slumping back against the wall while rotating his shoulder "Kaichou's been running us ragged with preparations for the upcoming conference so having an extra pair of hands to handle open-day really helps out."
"I can imagine." Shirou mused, knowing all-too-well how much of a perfectionist the Student Council President could be, even before discovering her true nature "Is there much more that needs to be done?"
"Not really, we're pretty much set for this evening." Saji sigh in relief "Still, I can't help but envy the ORC," he admitted with a scowl "Especially that damned Issei, lucky pervert hasn't a care in the world."
"I wouldn't go THAT far…" Shirou grimaced, recalling the tense meeting between the two Dragon Emperors. After all, just because Vali had promised to refrain from starting anything didn't mean he'd back down from a challenge, and it just so happened that the White Dragon Emperor had a nasty habit of choosing his words to deliberately get a rise out of people.
Put simply, had Rias not shown up with her brother & Grayfia at that very moment, it was highly likely that Issei's short fuse would've led to him assaulting his 'Destined Rival', thus giving Vali carte blanche to beat his inexperienced ass into the ground, an act which would have dragged in the rest of the Gremory Peerage, and quite possibly the Lucifer himself.
In short, Saji's assessment that Issei had nothing to worry about couldn't have been more incorrect. If anything, the Red Dragon Emperor had more to worry about than any other Devil at Kuoh save for Sona & Rias, given their responsibilities as overseers and the upcoming conference.
"By the way, Emiya…" Saji began hesitantly, snapping the Faker out of his thoughts, only to blink at the look of concern the Sitri Pawn was sending his way "Are you sure you're alright? According to the report Kaichou received, you got messed up pretty bad."
"Ah, I'm all better now." Shirou assured the blonde pawn, surprised and honestly flattered for his concern, no doubt a testament to his close relation with the Student Council "I just pushed myself a little too hard, that's all."
"If you're certain." Saji trailed off, looking unconvinced, only to flinch as the bell rang, signalling the start of the school day "Crap, you'd better get back to Class Emiya, Kaichou will have my head if you wind up tardy because of me."
"Understood, take care, Saji-san." Shirou offered, the two going their separate ways, the redhead jogging lightly towards his classroom, pausing occasionally to greet and assist several adults that had gotten lost on the way to a specific classroom, which was only understandable considering the size of the Academy.
'So this is what Taiga had to go through every year…' he mused, chuckling at the memory of his hapless guardian running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything ready, even as the now familiar ache in his heart kicked up at the reminder that he'd never see her again 'Such a shame Kiritsugu could never make it.'
"Ah! Good morning, Shirou-san!" a familiar voice greeted as he opened the classroom door to be greeted by a smiling Asia Argento, accompanied as ever by a smirking Kiriyū Aika. To this day, Shirou still could not comprehend how the Innocent Devil (and wasn't that an oxymoron?) had befriended what was essentially this world's incarnation of Tohsaka Rin in terms of sass, as he was fairly certain Aika was unaware of the existence of the Moonlit World or Asia's true identity.
"Morning, Asia-san, Aika-san." He greeted, having learnt the hard way that referring to the bespectacled girl by her family name was to invite trouble, only to blink at the sight of a scowling Issei nursing a swollen cheek "What happened to him?"
"Just a couple of parasites showing their true colours." Aika scoffed, earning a glare from Matsuda and Motohama "It's kind of sad how Hyoudo persists in calling them his friends no matter how many times they stab him in the back."
"Shut your mouth, Kiriyū!" Matsuda snapped, the former jock clenching his fist in anger though wisely deciding to remain in his seat in the face of Shirou's warning glare "Issei's the one who betrayed us first! How dare he be so popular with women without sharing the wealth?!"
"That's right, Matsuda-kun!" Motohama preened, adjusting his glasses in what he probably thought was a superior manner but really just made him look a prick "Did we not vow to share everything together? As his brothers in arms it is only natural that we punish him for his transgressions."
"In short, they can't accept the fact that Hyoudo's surrounded by hot babes while they're stuck with their left hands." Aika sneered, causing the two to slump in defeat as a funeral bell chimed overhead "I'd almost pity them…if they weren't so pathetic. Almost as pathetic as what they're packing."
"Like you're one to talk, Kiriyū!" Matsuda snapped, the shaved-headed teen covering his crotch reflexively along with every other boy in the classroom sans Shirou "Even we aren't desperate enough to ask a twig like you out on a date!"
"You say that like I should care." Aika scoffed, though Shirou caught a flash of hurt in her eyes before she covered it up with her usual mocking smirk, the bespectacled girl sidling up to a confused Asia "After all, what need have I for weeds when I'm surrounded by blooming flowers?"
'Definitely like Rin…' Shirou mused, shaking his head in exasperation as he strode towards his seat, doing his level best to ignore Asia's flustered squeaks and Issei's half-hearted attempts to 'protect her purity' only to blink at the lump of PVC clay waiting on his desk "What's this?"
"It would appear our instructor wants to put on a show for the visiting parents." Xenovia noted, Shirou's brow quirking at the former exorcist, the Faker unable to help admiring how well the Kuoh Girl's uniform suited her "I believe he said the theme was to be 'inspirational' or something to that effect."
'Isn't this supposed to be English Class?' Shirou deadpanned, sighing in exasperation as he slipped into his seat, ignoring the cheers from the onlooking parents as they yelled encouragement to their progeny, or in the case of Issei's completely ignored him in favour of Asia, the Faker glancing down at the lump of clay before him with a bored expression 'Something inspirational, huh…'
Now there was a painful subject to tread, and not just because of the memories it called up, but the fact that, as he was now, Shirou doubted his right to even aspire to his once treasured ideals. He had cast away Kiritsugu's dream of becoming a Hero of Justice, the same tattered ideal that in countless lifetimes had always invariably led to him donning the mantle of a Counter Guardian, a nameless, faceless Hound of Alaya, dedicated to dealing out 'Justice' regardless of how cruelly it tarnished his beliefs.
But despite casting them aside, he'd failed in his selfish desire to protect those important to him. To be a Magus was to walk with Death. Even a third-rate Magus like Shirou had grown up accepting this truth, and yet he simply hadn't been able to accept it until that night. His ignorance of Sakura's suffering had led to her being consumed by the darkness. His naivete and lack of skill led to Saber being devoured by that self-same darkness. His inability to wield the full power of the Artificial Phantasm against Saber-Alter had not only cost Rin her life, it also forced him to end Sakura's with his own two hands.
And above all else, he'd failed to uphold his promise to Illyasviel, the daughter Kiritsugu had lost, the sister he never truly knew, all because of the machinations of bitter old men unable to let go of the past.
If he closed his eyes, he could still remember that night in the park, the night where everything had fallen apart. He'd stumbled out of Kotomine's Church, unable, no, unwilling, to come to terms with the idea of sacrificing Sakura to save the world, a sacrifice that Rin, her own sister, was willing to accept not out of some overblown sense of duty, but to finally put an end to her younger sister's decade of suffering.
There had been no chance that Sakura could be saved. From the moment she was entrusted to the Matou, no, from the moment the Einzbern summoned Avenger during the Third War, her fate had been sealed.
He'd sat there, wallowing in his own ineptitude, his mind literally on the verge of snapping, torn between the weight of his borrowed ideals and the harsh reality of his situation, only to be confronted by the deceptively cheerful voice of a snow fairy, one whose deceptively fragile form hid a calculating mind whose self-admitted reason for participating in the war, orders from her family aside, had been to murder Shirou as slowly and painfully as possible in place of the father who abandoned her.
At first, her cavalier dismissal of Saber and Sakura had led the Faker to lash out at her, verbally of course, as even without the threat of Berserker looming in the background, Emiya Shirou wasn't the kind of scum who would strike a child, but instead of leaving him to wallow in his impotence, Illyasviel had stayed by his side, dismissing his harsh words with a gentle smile.
"I don't know what happened, but it be too bad for you if I hate you.
So, I'll be your ally, not matter what you do."
For the second time in his life, Emiya Shirou found himself saved. Not by words or actions, but by a smile so pure it tugged at his hollow heart and eased all of his woes. It was almost ironic, really, that the child of the man he'd come to idolise would save him from buckling under the weight of her father's broken ideals, but in that moment, Shirou had vowed to do whatever it took to protect that smile. Even if he was mocked as a fool, he would assume the role Kiritsugu had been forced to abandon, the role he'd been denied by her family's machinations, and protect his sister from anything that tried to harm her.
Illyasviel had mocked him of course. After all, how could he, who lacked not only Kiritsugu's skill in Magecraft but his ruthless resolve to cut down anything in his path, save her when she was destined to die in order to bring about the Heaven's Feel? None of that had mattered to Shirou. He would bear all the scorn, endure all the pain, so long as he could protect the purity of his sister's smile.
"You're such a pervert!" a voice cried out, snapping him out of his thoughts, the Faker turning to see just what kind of shenanigans Issei had gotten himself into only to blink at the small crowd that had gathered around the Pawn's desk "I can't believe Rias Onee-sama would associate with such a brute!"
"Issei!" a desperate looking Matsuda exclaimed, holding up a rather…interesting…clay statue for his on-and-off 'friend' to see "I'll trade you for my masterpiece-!"
"Don't you listen to that idiot, Issei!" Motohama exclaimed, the bespectacled pervert shoving the lolicon aside while adjusting his glasses "Instead of that trash, I'll give you 5000 Yen for that masterpiece!"
"What the hell?" Shirou deadpanned, sweat dropping as the rest of the class jumped on the bandwagon, several of the girls even going so far as to offer tens of thousands of yen for whatever it was Issei had crafted "Just what the heck did he make?"
"Oh nothing, just a perfect PVC model of Rias Gremory's naked body." Aika snickered, as she sidled up to his desk alongside a pouting Asia "I have to admit it's rather tasteful…and scaled to model too, he must've gotten really familiar to get her sizes down pat."
"Issei-san…" Asia pouted, the former nun's cheeks puffed out like a hamster as she glanced between the object of her affections and the statue of her King/rival for said affections jealously.
"It is of surprisingly fine make." Xenovia concurred, the former-exorcist holding her chin in thought as she sidled up to the group "Though by no means is it inferior to your own, Shirou."
"Eh?" Shirou blinked, wondering what on earth she was talking about, the redhead turning his attention back to his desk only to stiffen at the sight that lay before him.
Play: Unlimited Blade Words OST II: Sorrow.
There, molded from clay by his unskilled hands was a small, fragile figure, clad in an elaborate robe and crown that only served to highlight her ethereal nature. Though he'd only seen it once, the very eve of their disastrous final assault on the Grail, there was no way Shirou could fail to recognize the Dress of Heaven, the treasured Mystic Code of the Einzbern family, the very heart of the Greater Grail, the central control mechanism if you would.
If he closed his eyes he could almost imagine the golden sheen the dress had exuded, the way the scarlet raiment had matched Ilya's eyes, or the way the seven rings set into the dress had shone like a beacon in the darkness. It was a beautiful gown, worthy of a Queen, but much like the ritual it was designed to control, the sacrifice needed to craft the garment still sent shivers down Shirou's spine to this day.
"It seems we have another artist among us." The voice of their sensei opined, snapping Shirou out of his musings with an approving clap on the shoulder "Keep it up Emiya-kun, who knows, maybe you and Hyoudo-kun have found your true calling!"
"She's so pretty, Emiya-san!" Asia exclaimed, the former nun clapping her hands together in appreciation, her earlier jealously seemingly forgotten "She almost looks like an angel or a fairy!"
"It is an amazing piece." Xenovia applauded, the former exorcist nodding her head in approval as she held her chin "The length of the skirt aside, it bears a startling resemblance to the ritual robes used by higher ranked members of the Vatican."
"…It's pretty cute I guess…" Issei admitted grudgingly from his seat, the pawn continuing to fend off his would-be comrades as they tried to swipe his own masterpiece "Buchou is still better though…"
"Yeah, because you're not biased at all." Aika scoffed, ignoring the pawn's glare in favour of admiring Shirou's handiwork "Still, I have to admit it's pretty impressive for just a model…you been holding out on us Emiya? Got a girlfriend stashed away somewhere?"
As one might expect from such a casually flung comment, the earlier hubbub almost immediately died down as the girls in the class quit trying to bid for Issei's masterpiece to await Shirou's answer. After all, as one of the few 'decent' guys on campus, any bit of information was critical if they hoped to stand any chance against the competition.
Only Xenovia seemed to notice how intensely Shirou was staring at the model, the former Exorcist frowning as she came to an unsettling conclusion "Shirou…was she someone important to you?"
"…Her name was Illyasviel von Einzbern…" Shirou revealed, his expression unreadable as he continued to stare at the statuette on his desk, as if afraid it would vanish the moment he took his eyes off it "…My older sister."
"Eh?! You have a sister, Emiya-san?!" Asia exclaimed, a sentiment shared by several members of the class, the girls breathing a sigh of relief, only to perk up in interest, as up until now they hadn't heard anything about the redhead's family. "But wait, you said her last name was Einzbern…"
"We're not related by blood." Shirou corrected, causing the females in class to stiffen in alarm "My father originally married into the Einzberns but lost custody following the death of his wife. He adopted me shortly after, I only learnt of her existence after he died."
"An unrelated Foreign Loli Onee-sama?!" Matsuda and Motohama exclaimed in sync before Issei could stop them, the two idiots glaring at the redhead with tears of blood dripping from their eyes despite the onlooking parents "What are you, an Eroge-Protagonist?!"
"Would you two shut up?!" Issei yelled, the Red Dragon Emperor actually going so far as to physically assault his suicidal partners in perversion in front of their parents to keep them from further angering Shirou, only to blink as the teen in question seemingly failed to react to their words "Emiya…? Hey, you okay man?"
Shirou's only response was to rise from his chair and asked to be excused. The Teacher, upon seeing the look on the teen's face, merely nodded in understanding before ordering the rest of the class to resume their seats, the Faker calmly making his way out of the class, unaware of the looks of concern sent his way by his classmates and several parents.
Hours Later...
Shirou sighed as he watched the arrow bury itself into the target, ignoring the exclamations & cheers of his audience as he calmly notched another arrow, drawing it back with practiced ease, feeling the tension in his body seep into the bowstring only to evaporate the moment he let his arrow fly.
Even before the Holy Grail War, the Faker had always found Archery to be a relaxing activity. While he'd initially only joined the club out of admiration for its principles, that didn't stop him from occasionally stopping by the range after-school to let off some steam, knowing full well that Ayako & Taiga would be okay with his presence, as unlike the full-time members he at least cleaned up after himself.
It was for this reason, and also to ensure his skills remained sharp, that he'd sought out the Archery Club not long after enrolling at Kuoh Academy, though much like at home, he'd put off officially joining despite the many, many attempts of the Team to convince him otherwise.
"So, this is where you disappeared to." Sona noted, adjusting her glasses pointedly as she stepped onto the Archery Range, drawing Shirou's attention to the impressive crowd of students and parents that had gathered while he was blowing off steam "It would seem Fujimatsu-san wasn't exaggerating her assessment of your skills during our last meeting."
"Sorry about that, Kaichou." Shirou offered with an embarrassed smile, knowing all too well how insistent the Archery Club captain could get in her attempts to get him to join the club "Did you need me for something?"
"Not really," Sona admitted, walking alongside him as he went about returning his equipment, the Archery Club members assuring him they would retrieve the arrows, allowing the Sitri heiress to lead him out of the range "I'd just finished a meeting with the chess club when I received a report that you'd been excused from class earlier." She regarded the Faker carefully "Is something bothering you, Emiya-kun?"
"…I'd be lying if I said I was fine." Shirou admitted solemnly, recalling how tense he'd been when he'd arrived at the Archery range "It's nothing immediately serious however…just bad memories."
"Regarding your 'Sister'?" Sona pressed, adjusting her glasses primly at his sharp look "I apologise if this comes off as prying, but as President that's simply one of my duties. As the teacher's report didn't say precisely why you left the class, I had to rely on input from your classmates, quite a few of whom claimed Hyoudo Issei's…compatriots," she couldn't quite keep her lip from curling in distaste "were responsible."
"That's not the case at all." Shirou assured her with a sigh "My leaving wasn't on account of anything they said, though if you need a reason to reprimand them, they've been purposefully spreading rumours about Issei and Kiba being in some sort of affair to rile up the student body."
"Ah, yes, those." Sona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation "Rest assured, Tsubaki will be taking them into account for that, among other things." She promised with a hint of dark amusement before reverting to her normal prim and proper tone "That being said, regarding my earlier question?"
"My sister died prior to my enrollment at Kuoh." Shirou replied flatly, not wanting to discuss the matter further yet unwilling to take his frustrations out on Sona. After all, as Student Council President it was her job to ensure the physical and mental well-being of the Students, and just like his old friend Issei she took her duties very seriously "I'd be lying if I said I was over it, but it won't interfere with my studies."
"I…see." Sona noted, her normally stern visage replaced not with pity, but understanding "My apologies, Emiya-kun, as a younger sibling myself, I should've known better than to press you about something so personal."
"You were just doing your job, Kaichou." Shirou assured the girl, honestly more surprised than anything that she'd actually felt the need to apologise, the two of them walking in silence as they made their way back to the main building "I'm guessing open house is almost over for the day?"
"Yes, thankfully." Sona sighed, looking honestly relieved, as if she'd somehow dodged a bullet "All that remains is my meeting with Lord Zeoticus Gremory to discuss the upcoming summit."
"That'd be Rias-san's father, right?" Shirou noted, dimly recalling Akeno mentioning that the Gremory Clan Head was the current Director of Kuoh Academy, only to blink as a veritable stampede of male students thundered past on the way to the gym "What the hell?"
"You there!" Sona snapped out, Shirou suppressing the urge to shiver at the feeling of power in her voice even as those students at the tail end of the stampede froze in their tracks "What is the meaning of this? Why are you acting in such an inappropriate manner?"
"Ah, sorry, Shitori-Kaichou." One of the poor sods stammered, trembling in the face of Sona's shining glasses and stern glare "But Matsuda & Motohama" both Shirou and Sona sighed in exasperation at the mention of the pair "spotted a Magical Girl Cosplayer performing at the Gym and we were in a rush to…"
Shirou blinked as Sona stiffened at the words 'Magical Girl Cosplayer', the redhead looking on in growing concern as the normally composed Devil slowly turned several shades paler, her pupils shrinking behind her spectacles "Kaichou…Sona-san?" he pressed, using her first name when the use of her title got no reaction "You okay?"
"It can't be…!" Sona whispered, her normally composed expression replaced with one of dawning terror, as if all her ghosts had come back to haunt her and brought their friends along for the ride "She can't be here…not today! I took extra precautions this time!"
"She?" Shirou repeated, honestly a little unnerved by the normally reserved Devil's change in demeanour, only to blink as she suddenly took off like a bat out of hell, pun intended, leaving him and the other teens gaping after her in shock.
"I…think you lot had better steer clear of the gym for a bit." He warned the stragglers, earning a round of affirming nods from the teens, who wisely decided to make themselves scarce while he made to follow the distraught heiress. As he drew closer to the Gym, he caught a crowd of muttering teens marching the other way, several of them, Matsuda and Motohama in particular, cursing Saji for being a Killjoy.
"Bastard probably wants to keep her for himself." The Three-Sizes-Scouter grumbled, "It's bad enough he and Issei are surrounded by beauties, but at least Issei can't boss us around!"
"I wouldn't mind being bossed around by Sona-Kaichou." Matsuda admitted with a perverse grin "She might not be as Moe as Asia-chan or Koneko-chan, but her figure's close enough to prgh-!"
"Sorry, thought I saw a bug." Shirou deadpanned as he lowered his fist, leaving Motohama to keep Matsuda from 'going into the light', possibly because he knew all too well that was hell his comrade was stepping into, the rest of the crowd parting like the red sea as the redhead strode towards the gym, only to blink at the sight before him.
"Sona-chan!" a perky young woman cried out as she literally tackle-glomped a mortified looking Sona, though aside from her colourful outfit and star-themed baton, which for some reason summoned a flash of Rin, Luvia, Illyasviel and some other poor girl in similar attire, Shirou couldn't see anything particularly intimidating about her "What's wrong, Sona-chan? You're blushing like crazy!" she exclaimed, stepping back with a look of concern only to pout at her silence "You've finally been reunited with your beloved Onee-sama, shouldn't you be a lot happier to see me?"
"Onee-sama?" Shirou repeated, drawing attention from the other occupants of the hall, which consisted of the members of the Gremory Peerage and a flustered looking Saji "Wait, isn't Sona's sister…"
"Serafall Leviathan." Xenovia supplied dutifully as the Devil in question continued to gush in front of her younger sibling, the former exorcist having accompanied the Gremory Peerage due to conversing with Asia "One of the Four Great Satans, and former heiress to House Sitri of the 72 pillars."
Shirou…honestly didn't know how to respond to that. Rather than being unable to say anything, he just couldn't bring himself to comment on the situation playing out before him.
He hadn't forgotten the overwhelming power he'd sensed when Sirzechs had teleported into the Occult Research Clubroom, that soul-crushing presence that belied the handsome, gentle features of the man behind it. While he'd been assured by several parties, most notably Rias and Azazel, that the current Lucifer was a benign figure who valued peace, there was no denying the fact that, personality aside, Sirzechs was a monster that surpassed anything Shirou had ever experienced, even factoring in the memories of his alternate selves. The only thing that even came close to surpassing him had been-
I̲̎ͣ͝t͕̪̥͛s̀́̄ͪ̋̃ͨ ̱ͦͩ̽n̻̩̻̗̣͔̒̊͗ȃ̖̹̱̯̰͢ͅm̢̎͑ͤͤ͂̏e̳ͅ ̺̬̺̣̺̗̰͋̒̓̀ĭ͉͓͍ͨ͋̐̄ͥͨ́s͉̟̭̈ͤ̆ͦͫ́ ̠͈ͨ͌͗͌͂ͤͥͅB̬͇̩͍͖̮̅͑ͨe̸̫̘̠͍ả̡̭̐ṡ͢ṱ̻̫͓̈̂̍̏̽ͯͪ ̠͇̩̓̐Ḭ̬̬͕̟͎̳͒̈́͌͗̊͗,ͣ̒̃̏͌̓̅͏ ̶̔ͪ̽ť̝͎͙̭͈̣͖̔͒̋͊̀̋h͐ͬͥͫͨ̚҉͈͕̦e̜̰̿̋̃ͪ̀̕ ̛̒̇̓̀͛͛B̹͚̖̭̝̃̾ͅe̬͉̰̗̫̒͛̑́a̲̝̥̻͍͍͑̿ͤ̈́s̺͎̪ͣ̽̎ͫͯ̊́ͅẗ̳͚͉̹͙̞̪ ̪̲̦̪̹̪̱͠ț͋̒̂̀͜ḧ̗͕̩̥͉̗̐̎ͨa͜t͔͕̲͍̘̻ͮ̇̈ͥ̌̉ͅ ̿̾̎͏̝͚c̙͕͉͍͉̮͂ͩ̍͆̌͒̚a͙͎͚̞l̨̺͙̻̦̱̱l͊̔̿͒e̡͓̳̳̒d͗ ̬͖̠̮̹̏ịͭ́t̗̍͂̆̓̈́̕s̜̻̯̗e͕̘̦̖̭̓̾͊̏̓͌̕ͅl̺̖̿̏ͅf̝̫͢ ̡͕͎̖̪ͮ̓͐͋̌K҉̞i̛̞̟͉̹̒͋ͦͪ͒̾n̻͙͓̅ͥ̽̉͊͒͞ͅg͖̹̼̱̯̦̲ͯ͑͌̿͒ ̛̟̂̉ͭo̴̗̝̦͎̖͆̍͐̿ͅf̖̐́̇̅ͣ̌ ̨̥͓͚ͯ̓͒̾̇̿ͅD͔̘̦̰̥̼̹ͪͬ̂̈̋̉͡ėͨ̿̚m̻̭͕̩̩͖̼̋͒̋o̺ͨn̠̗̣͖̱̣s͇͖ͫ͆̊̆͗͆̕,̭̥̮͇̭̞̪͌ͥ ̫͚̹͙̰̦̱͒͗̕c̫̞̘̱̭͇̃̚͝a͑ͪ̽ͤ̇͏̲͚̬͉̤̮͎r̖̆̆ͩ̄̊̾r̷̞ͪͬ̆͛̅y̜̹͔̜̺ͥ͛ͩ̎̽̓̔ͅi̹̪̭̋n͉̼̩̼͇̼̐ͨ̏̌g͔̹̏̿ͧ ̺̱̤̜̥̟͔͆̂̏̑ṱ͒͒̽ͮh̦̞̖ͨ͋ͧ͗̑̽ͅẻ̷̤̤̙̣̟ͤ̐͆̋̇ ̙p̦̣̣̯͓̍̓̍ͮͣͧ͞r͚̬̼͕ï̤̰̭̄̄͡n̻̭͓͔͎͙̺͘c͕̘̰͆̐͑̐͒ͫ͝î̶̙̙̝̜̠ͫp̡̹͓̼ͫ͑l͖̹̦̩̲̝̗̿̉ͫẹ̯̹̰͌̾ ̸̞̟͈̟̅̀o͏̩͍̞̰̘̩f̬̾̇̃͂̋ ̥̰͖̱ͣͣ̅͐͢'̯̅͐̅p̤͈̀i͈̠̬̤̭̐̓̏̉ͨ̈́͝t͚̲̘̻̄̓̔y̗̰̔͟'̤͙̠̩͔̄̆ͮ,̂҉̳̹̣̙̫̝͙ ͚̮͉̗͓̱̭͊̏ͯ͋̄ͪ̍a̯̦̤̱̗͔ͦ͡ ̽͛̏ͥ̋ͩ̀ş̜͚̆̌͆ͭŷ͓̮̳̬̆ͪ̍͌́̍͝s̲̙͙͕ͣt̬́ȅ̳͉̟͉͕̺͋̀ͪ̀̚m͈̯̊̆͊̊ ̛̰̙̿̉t̪ͩ̊ô̙͎̱͚ͦ͌̇͞ ̭̘̗͈̀̄̂e̜͓̫̻̗ͫ͋ͪ͆ͨ̔̎f̛͙̙̥̗̱̏f̴̗̼͚̖ͨ̀͐ͯǐ̷̮ͭ̒̉̂ͤc̵͕̄̈̐̌͋͊ịͭͬ̍͑e̩ͩͤ͌̓n̜͖̜͎ͨ̊ͩ͑͛tͮ̽ͥ́҉̮̜̭͙̗̳ͅḽ̻̥͉͕̜͙ͤy̛͗ͬ͛͐ͪ̓ ̮͈͙̓̂̍ͅp̯̼̪̠̀r̥̻̭̲ọ̗̭̤̞̬ͮ͒̈́͊̔mͬ͋̑͊͒ͫ̎o̞͚̐͋͋̆̃t̸̺̺̉̎è̻͛ ̛̲̫̼̱͌̋ͤ̋ͩ̑ͅp̅ͯͮ͒͑r͕͎̘̞ͯ̆ͤͩ̍̔ͣo̳ͮ͒͑p̪̺͍̤̝e̮̹̬̼ͪͦͫͮ́̄͞r͓̈́͋̾͌͐͡ ̒ͧ̔̅̇͘'̺͈̝̖̬̟ͫ̃ͪ̌r̹̩͉̬̖̋͒̽̑̓̂e̝̮̦̹̗̳̘ͫ̒̍ͪ̕ả̧̤ͦ͋ͧ̚s͉̳̰̤͆ǫ̞͖͇̬̥ͣͪͩ͐̿̉n͖̦̹̘̮ͅ'ͪ͒̈́̽ͤ͑ ̯̳̳͇̈́t͍̩̮͗ͥh͔͓̝̦ͭ̌ͦͫͥa͇̼̗̘͉̲̺ͤ͌̿̃̿̽̽t̅ ̮̮ͯͭ̓ͩ̄̾̃ͅbͭ͏͎͍͈̜̰̪̣ẹ̢͙̣͔̈́ͧ̚c̢ͮͬ̌̈̔a̗̒̌ͅm̢̦͙͎̻̮͂̐ͨͨ̏͊ͧͅe͇̜͎ͅ ̥̖a͈̬̮̼̦ͩ ̰͔͙̠ͭͧ̊ͫ͆̔ͩc͙͍͓̠͚ͨ͋͠u̻̙͐r̸͖͍̺̹͙͖̆ͣ̍̏ͅs͍͕̑e̦̻͇ͩͧ̒ ̯͎̲̪̣ͅt̷̰͓̟ͣȯ̬̪̪̙͓̹ ͖̳̤̞̣͉̺̏̀̚ḁ̤͙ͥͧ̆͘t̨̙̮̤͈̊̈́t͙̞̮̫̠͉̚͟a̵̺̥̘̹͔͕ͮ͊̓̎i͍͉̙͍̱̾ͅn̟̫͋͌ͦ͂ ̯̫̭̑͝t̽ͨŗ̗͍ͭu̞̥̹̥̤̱̮̒͒ͫͨ̊̄e̍́͒ ͎̤͙͇̪̌ͬ͂̉̓͐w̱͎̖̠ͦ̉̋͂ͥ͛̊i̊͌s̋ͧͮd̜ͥͅo̪̦̼̮̬̠̣͆̽ͦ͂͑m̼̙̠̻͖ͯͪͩ͒ͥ.ͤ͋ͯ͗̌̎
"Whoa, Emiya, you alright?" Issei called out, snapping the Faker out of his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder "Dude I know she's hot and all but I don't think perving on one of the Maou is a good idea, especially since Kaichou's right there!"
"What are you-?" Shirou began, only to trail off at the taste of iron on his lips, his eyes widening as he reached up to examine the area only to find them bloody as they pulled back "How did-?"
"Your nose just started bleeding while you were staring off into space." Sirzechs supplied, the Faker turning to see the Lucifer standing next to a concerned looking Rias and an older gentleman who could only be their father, given the color of his hair and eyes "Though contrary to Issei-kun's belief, I doubt it was any fault of Serafall's."
"Not for lack of trying, mind you." A familiar voice chuckled, Shirou's eyes widening as he whipped around to see Azazel smirking lazily at him, the Governor General dressed, as always, in his usual kimono, though he'd thrown a Haori over it, giving him the appearance of a rugged vagabond from a samurai drama "Nice to see you're as perky as ever, Serafall."
"Azazel?" Shirou stammered, earning looks of alarm from the younger Devils sans Asia, who merely blinked in surprise as Issei leapt in front of her while Saji interposed himself between Sona and Serafall, though the elder sister didn't seem overly bothered by the Fallen's presence "What're you doing here?"
"It's open day, where else would I be?" Azazel scoffed with a wry smirk "Just because I don't interfere in your rosy high school life doesn't mean I'm not your legal guardian y'know?"
"So he really is under your care." Sirzechs mused, the Lucifer clearly not sharing his younger sibling's concern at the revelation, if anything he looked intrigued, possibly even relieved "You always did have a penchant for taking in interesting individuals."
"The Grigori have always welcomed those who were cast aside by the other factions." Azazel confirmed with a shrug "Hell, I was the one who arranged for Asia Argento to be transferred here after the Vatican kicked her out." He smiled apologetically at the Bishop "Sorry about that, by the way, if I'd know what Raynare was up to, I'd have come to collect you myself."
"I-It's alright, Azazel-san!" Asia stammered, bowing her head hurriedly "While it's true I faced some hardship, in the end I was able to meet Issei-san…" she blushed before beaming gratefully at the stunned Fallen "So, thank you, Azazel-san, if it weren't for you, I never would have found my new family."
"Asia-chan-!" Issei wept, his and Saji's eyes literally waterfalls as they gaped at the former Holy Maiden, even the normally reserved Sona smiling at the girl while Rias hugged her Bishop from behind.
"Honestly…" Azazel scoffed, the normally unflappable Fallen shaking his head to hide his obvious embarrassment "What the hell was Michael thinking allowing them to excommunicate you…?"
"Don't be so hard on him." Sirzechs, of all people, countered with a knowing smile "After all, as someone who likewise had large shoes to fill, I can somewhat understand the weight of his responsibilities, even if I don't condone them." He nodded towards Serafall "After all, unlike Michael, I had people who could share the burden."
'Why do I have the strangest feeling Kirei would be loving this?' Shirou deadpanned, shuddering at the idea of Rin's mentor stumbling across a world where God was literally Dead and Lucifer was playing Advocate for the Archangel Michael?
"In any case, I actually had other reasons for stopping by today." Azazel admitted, smirking at Sirzechs and Serafall coyly "For one thing, I wanted to scope out the location for the meeting, since having both representatives of the Devil Faction here might give Heaven the wrong idea."
"Wouldn't you being here technically make the situation worse then?" Issei wondered, looking concerned at the prospect of the peace treaty breaking down, only for Sona to shake her head.
"I could understand why you would think so, Hyoudo-kun, however you should know that, recent events aside, the Fallen Angels have always done their best to adhere to the cease-fire." She nodded towards Rias "If you'll recall, when you were confronted by Fallen Angel Dohnaseek, he immediately withdrew after learning you were part of Rias' peerage instead of a mere stray."
"The elimination of Strays has always been a grey area." Sirzechs admitted with a weary sigh "That being said, Azazel was the first to propose the cease-fire despite his faction possessing the upper hand during the war. In a sense, you could say that if it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't have been able to overthrow the Old Satan Faction." He regarded Sona and Rias solemnly "I'm sure I don't need to spell out what that would mean for both of our societies as a whole."
Rias grimaced, and even Sona looked humbled by the revelation.
While things hadn't changed overtly much since the fall of the Old Satans, the new government had brought with it several changes that made life much easier for many members of Devil Society. For one thing, under the rule of the Old Satans, Rias would not only have been unable to attend Kuoh Academy, she would have had no means of challenging her engagement to Riser Phenex.
It was only because of Sirzechs and Serafall pulling strings behind the scenes that she and Sona were allowed to act as Joint Overseers of the city following the untimely death of their predecessor, citing that nobody with a functioning Brain Cell would target the Satans' younger siblings, thus allowing Rias to postpone her marriage until she'd graduated High-School or assembled a strong enough peerage, whichever came first.
Normally the Gremory Heiress would have milked the opportunity for all it was worth and purposely repeated a few years. After all, what kind of respectable Devil wouldn't abuse such a loophole in a contract? However, even if Sona weren't the kind to frown on such behaviour, one of the stipulations for their remaining as Overseers was that they both took their education seriously and did their best to graduate.
After all, and she swore she could feel the mocking sneers of their detractors as she read the fine print, how could they be expected to oversee a town when they couldn't even graduate from a mundane High-School?
And so, in the end, Rias' only means of opposing Riser would have been to challenge and defeat him in a Rating Game, something that had only been implemented after Ajuka Beelzebub, formerly of house Ashtaroth, created the Evil Piece System to replenish the Devils' waning numbers.
Without Azazel proposing a cease-fire, the New Satan Faction would never have been able to amass the forces necessary to overthrow the Old Satan Regime. Without Sirzechs assuming the position of Lucifer, Rias would never have been able to visit earth, let alone attend school there. Without Ajuka assuming the position of Beelzebub, she would have had no means of assembling a peerage, reducing her to little more than a brood-mare to ensure the line of Pureblood Devils remained unbroken.
And that was without factoring in the effect such a thing would have on her Peerage. While most if not all of Sona's had been volunteers, almost all of Rias' Peerage had been in some state of distress when she recruited them, Kiba, Issei and Asia having been literally on death's door whereas Akeno had been hunted by her mother's clan for the 'sin' of having a Fallen for a Father.
Setting aside Koneko and Gasper, who both had issues of their own to consider even after she took them in, it was clear to Rias that not only she, but the entirety of Devil Society, and most likely Heaven itself, owed a considerable debt to Azazel the Scapegoat for being the first to call for a ceasefire.
That didn't mean she'd forgiven him for his earlier transgressions mind you. It simply meant she wouldn't vaporise him with her Power of Destruction unless he tried to lay a hand on her or any of her peerage without permission.
"As nice as it is to hear you sing my praises, it's getting late and I'm sure these kids have had more than enough embarrassment for one day." Azazel mused, winking at Sona and Rias as he thumbed over his shoulder "With that in mind, how about I treat you all to some drinks before you head home? There's this nice little bar I highly recommend."
"Sounds like fun." Sirzechs opined, his father nodding his head in agreement before turning to regard Serafall with a smile "What do you say? Care to join us Serafall?"
"If Az is paying that's fine by me!" the Maou-Shoujo chirped, Shirou mentally applauding Issei for the well-fitting title as the Leviathan managed to squeeze in one last glomp on her flustered sister before skipping over to lock arms with Azazel, practically dragging the Governor General out of the hall alongside Rias' chuckling brother and father "Bye Son-tan! Don't stay out too late!"
"I should be the one saying that-!" Sona exclaimed, the frazzled looking heiress reaching up to cover her face with both hands, groaning into her palms as Rias crossed over to pat her on the shoulder with a long-suffering smile.
"Ah yes, before I forget…" Sirzechs called out, causing the girl to stiffen imperceptibly as her elder brother turned to look at her over his shoulder "Rias, when we get home, we need to speak about your other Bishop."
Yet another Action-free chapter building up to the Big Conference.
Rest assured another will be released Shortly to tide you over for a bit.
As mentioned above, some of my older fics are being discontinued due to the lack of my Pen-Drive and my need to focus on other matters. I'll still update my newer ones, but most of the older ones that have been dead in the water, so to speak, will be put up for adoption or retired within a week or so.
Currently, the list of stories being discontinued are as follows:
Most, if not all, of my old Naruto fics: Let's face it, most of these have been dead in the water for years now. I might try to reboot a few, but till then first come first served.
The Herwald von Einzbern Series: Yeah, recent revelations from devout Type-Moon fans have pretty much blown this series out of the water. Sorry.
Kamen Rider Vandread-O: Yeah admittedly I kinda shot myself in the foot with this one.
Geass Rider Zero Knight: Sadly I don't see this one finishing anytime soon.
Anyone interested in picking up where I left off, send me a PM and I'll let people know before I take the fic down. My reasons for doing this is to both focus on getting my life together as well as ensuring I actually complete some stories within my lifetime (Lol). More on that next chapter.
