I do not own the Persona series or High School DxD. Everything belongs to their respected owners.
Akira didn't think he would have ended up using his Persona in such a method, let alone using Arsene in reality. Everything he would have whenever entering the Metaverse was on his person. From his clothing to weapons, every bullet, firearm, and knife was equipped for combat. Honestly, it was a bit of a shocking moment. But he was Akira Kurusu, he could recover fast from many things.
With Arsene grabbing his body from the armpits, the Persona was helping Akira fly through the air as he and Raynare took their fight to the skies. Maneuvering around one another, they would always end up below or on top one another flight-wise. Akira eventually managed to get more speed as he got more distance away from the black-haired female. As soon as Arsene turned around, Akira pointed his handgun at her and took a shot towards her body.
Raynare easily used one of her light spears at hand though to deflect the bullet. Creating another weapon of light in her other hand, she struck the two spears together as if she were lighting a match and caused a bright flash. Slightly panicking at his sudden moment of temporary blindness, Akira began to command Arsene to try to fly towards safety. But just as the Persona moved, a pair of hands gently caressed his cheek before cupping it.
With his sight eventually coming back after a couple of seconds, he began to make out Raynare was the one grabbing his face tenderly. Akira didn't want to admit it, but he was stunned as her face was so close and her chest pressed against his neck. He nearly missed the sudden glint in the girl's eye as she suddenly ripped him from Arsene's grip due to Akira not being able to command Arsene to hold on tightly. Flying straight to the ground, Raynare quickly controlled her body to fly upwards. But during that small time to straighten herself, she released her grip on Akira when her chest was horizontal with the ground.
As the boy skidded along the ground, he eventually stopped when he ended up along an area that was filled with bushes and trees. With his body slamming against a trunk, he quickly got back up to his feet. Rubbing his back, he was partially relieved that it was loosened up as it was feeling tense before. With knife and pistol drawn, Akira looked up and saw that the trees were blocking his line of sight. Keeping an eye out for Raynare, he slowly made his way out of the greenery area to be able to get a better view of what was to come. While walking, he attempted to reload his gun but something made him stop.
Noticing a shadow suddenly grow over him, he turned and ducked under a slashing light spear. Leaping away from a thrust, Akira saw Raynare's fury come after him. Managing to use his knife to block and redirect each strike, he managed to create openings that got him to land one shot after another a few times. They eventually managed to make their way back to the concrete parts of the park.
Raynare hissed with annoyance as the bullets penetrated her skin. Lifting her spear, she tried to stab Akira but only managed to embed the end into the ground. However, with force, she flicked the weapon straight out of the rock and caused a shower of debris to rain onto Akira. Turing around, the boy ran a couple steps back before rolling on the ground. With his momentum though, he managed to turn around and get back up to his feet with his knife and gun ready once more.
It was a good thing too as he blocked a vertical thrust from Raynare's light spear with his knife. As the female gritted her teeth to try and win the locked positioning they were in, Akira simply brought his gun up and pointed it at the weapon. With a pull of the trigger, a bullet flew out and destroyed the spear and caused Raynare to stumble forward. She quickly recovered however by raising her leg and placed her foot on the flat part of Akira's knife. As the two of them pushed off each other, Raynare kept hovering in the air while throwing spears madly while Akira was defending himself and trying to shoot the girl.
Walking backwards while doing so, Akira eventually found cover behind a tree. Unloading the magazine, he patted himself down and found an extra clip on his person. Reloading the weapon, he paused for a second and looked down and saw that there were several clips all waiting to be used. Even the spot where he had taken the magazine had been replenished.
With that in mind, Akira immediately burst out of his hiding place and began to run along a path while shooting Raynare as she continued to simply deflect each bullet while standing in place. Leaping into the air, the boy found footing on a tree and kicked off the wood. Soaring through the air, he got close to Raynare with impressive speed and swung his knife. But Raynare blocked the weapon and the two of them pushed off each other once more for distance. As Akira landed on the ground, the two fighter rushed forward while swinging (and shooting in the male's case) this weapons over and over again before meeting in another deadlock for another moment.
Separating once more, Akira sent out Arsene to try attack Raynare. Not expecting the Persona to go right towards her, she was ducking and weaving around the deadly swiped it made with clawed hands. Trying an axe-kick, her attack was blocked as the Persona pushed upwards and caused her to fall back. As Arsene disappeared, Akira followed up immediately with a thrust of his knife. Grabbing his arm as the boy made a stabbing motion, Raynare gritted her teeth to prevent herself from grunting in pain from the male's knife managed to land a large cut along the side of her stomach.
Thinking that she had him immobilized, she then remembered the gun hand as she ducked while keeping her grip to avoid the handle that was going to smash her temple. Looking up, her face then came into contact with Akira's forehead which caused her to release an angry yell as she stumbled back. Akira immediately began running forward and tried to slash her. But Raynare raised her arm and stopped the incoming hand.
Akira suddenly lost strength in one leg as he fell onto one of his knees.
"Gah!" Akira exclaimed, distracted by the sudden jolt of pain that ran through his leg. With his loss of balance, it was the perfect opportunity for Raynare to stab the other one. Rather than killing him immediately, she wanted to have a bit of fun. Kicking the boy square in the stomach, she watched him slide on the ground while attempting to stand back up.
"Joker!" Morgana shouted out of reaction due to seeing Akira in his Phantom Thief clothing. Seeing Raynare aiming to take another shot, the cat rushed up towards the girl. With a strong leap, Morgana began to claw at the black-haired female's scalp.
"Ow! Don't get in my way!" Raynare grabbed the cat and tossed it up into the air. Spinning her spear around, se used the weapon like a baseball bat. With the sharpened end of her spear, she slammed it right against Morgana's cat body and sent him soaring towards the bushes. "Now..." She look at Akira who was on his feet and taking deep breaths. "I'm going to enjoy this even more than before..."
TakeABreak
Morgana shook his head as he slowly began to get up onto his two legs. "Owww… that girl hits hard." He groaned, using his hands to lean against a tree for support. "Damn it! I can't do anything that proper in my cat form… If only I could…" He then looked down at himself while realizing something. "What the-?!"
Patting himself all over the place, he realized that his head was larger than before and rounder. The collar that he wore before was now replaced with a yellow bandana that was wrapped around his neck. With himself standing upright, he could see that he was also wearing his usual utility belt.
"How did…" Morgana trailed off, not sure how to react to this sudden transformation. He was supposed to have lost this form. Even his scimitar and slingshot were sitting right next to him. Back when the Phantom Thieves…
Wait, that's right, Akira/Joker!
TakeABreak
"Gah! Stop wasting my time and die already!"
Rayare shouted this with poison in her words as Akira was still fighting. Despite the result of blood loss, Akira still stood up and remained strong. With powerful swings, despite the holes in his legs, he was surprisingly agile to defend himself. Akira made sure to keep his balance while slowly drawing himself down into a fighting position that was comfortable fo him. It was shaky though due to blood loss and the open hole in his leg. He knew that Raynare noticed this and would easily go for him.
The female did so as well. But then a rock pelted her right in the wing and caused her to fly off to the side for recovery.
Turning his head, Akira leaned back with surprise at who had just helped him out. "Morgana?" He asked, stumped at the cat's appearance as it was the same when he first met the feline. The boy didn't show it, but he was surprised that the fellow thief was in his humanoid form.
"Yup, I'm back and ready for action!" Morgana grinned, jumping into the air and making a victory pose with his slingshot still in his hands. "If you can summon your Persona… Hold on, I'll get you healed up in a jiffy!" Raising his paw, Morgana grinned at the fact that it was good to be back fighting. "Zorro!"
A pillar of blue light engulfed the cat at Morgana stood in preparation. Slowly emerging from the brightness was a humanoid figure as well. But this one was much more larger than Arsene muscle-wise. The upper half of its was huge and ripped. The head was normal sized though, fitting snugly between the large, black collar of the massive leather jacket with silver designs it wore. A massive cowboy hat was crammed onto the skull, having eyes right at the front of the accessory as vision or show. A black cape fluttered with its showy appearance. Despite the beefy build, its skinny legs complimented the rest of the body perfectly by fitting leather pants with black pointed boots. To hold up the pants, a large red and silver belt was worn with a massive Z buckle. A sheath was fitted into the belt while the rapier it belonged to looked like a mere stick in the persona's massive hands.
"Here it comes!" Morgana exclaimed as Zorro pointed at Akira with presentable pose. A green light began swirling around the boy as even sparkles could be seen. Looking down, everyone present could see flesh growing unnaturally around the wound that belonged to the human. Soon enough, the holes were gone and it was as if he never had them to begin with.
There was still the problem though. There was the account of blood loss that Akira experienced. However, it was still extremely good that Morgana was able to use his own Persona. Although, it was odd how the cat changed back to his human form when it was exclusive to the Metaverse. But that could be solved for another time.
"It seems that you have gotten a lot bolder as of late. I suggest correcting that quickly." A new voice suddenly declared.
Everyone looked over and were all surprised to see another person from Kuoh. Not only that, but they were approaching the situation as if they were simply walking through a grocery store.
"Gremory-san?"
All of them saw a buxom woman who appeared to be in her late teens. She was extremely beautiful, well deserving of her title as one of Kuoh's great ladies. Her face was definitely not something that would be easily forgotten. She had fair skin, silky crimson hair that went down to her thighs, and blue eyes that held a very commanding light as of this moment. She was still wearing her school uniform as if she had just left the academy.
Rias glanced at Akira first, looking up and down along the boy's body. Her attention then looked at Morgana, blinking with a hint of surprise. Her gaze then looked over to Raynare. "Leave now, or perish." She addressed the woman.
"Tch." Raynare clicked her tongue with a roll of her eyes. "I did what I came here to do anyways." She sneered before looking over at Akira and Morgana. "This isn't over, you two! I won't forget this moment!" With that said, she flew away to leave the three of them alone.
"What was that?!" Morgana shouted back, running to the place Raynare last stood while jumping up and down. "Say that again, I dare you!" He shook his tiny paw for emphasis that he meant business.
Akira meanwhile sighed as Arsene disappeared. As that happened, so did his clothing when he was a Phantom Thief. Back in his uniform, he looked all over himself.
"Would you care to explain just what you were doing here?"
Akira blinked. Turning over, he had to confirm that it was Rias that said those words. "Huh?" He asked.
Rias crossed her arms and developed a look that practically screamed that she was going to scold him. Akira simply stared and developed the usual straight look he always wore on his face. Honestly, he just wanted to get back to his apartment and get the curry ready for everyone. "I asked you would you care to explain what you were doing here?" Rias repeated herself.
"That should be my question." Akira stated.
Rias and the boy both stared at each other, the former used a glare while the latter was blank. Right at the bottom of their vision though was something that caught their attention. Looking down, the red-head and black-haired student both saw Morgana still in his humanoid form. "We were attacked by that girl in the middle of shopping after she was done killing another guy over there."
Morgana gestured to where Issei's corpse sat despite it being hidden along the bushes. Rias only turned over to where the body sat and walked over. Rather than recoiling back with surprise, she only stood in place with her face being unreadable. "…You know she killed him." Akira concluded due to her reaction not being one of shock in the slightest. "But the only way you could possibly know is if you watched her do it… or were here completely by accident."
This caused a look of shock to flash across the red-head's face. She opened her mouth to try and say something but the cat beat her to the punch. "You're right!" Morgana exclaimed. Drawing his slingshot from somewhere, he aimed a rock right towards Rias in a threatening manner. "Does that mean-"?!
"Wait, I can explain everything, but only if you give me a chance!" Rias quickly said, offering such with arms held out in a peaceful gesture. "I prefer not to do anything violent since we only need to talk!"
Akira was already behind Morgana as Rias was talking. Picking up the cat by the scruff of his neck, Akira carried the feline over towards the bag that he had dropped on the ground. Placing Morgana into the space, he lifted up the bag and looked over towards Rias. "I have questions." He simply stated. "Why did you let Hyoudou-san die?"
Rias frowned and folded her arms, causing her bountiful bosom to bounce. "Fine, but don't be surprised it you don't believe me…" She took a deep breath, preparing for the boy to freak out or even protest. "I'm a Devil."
"…What?" Akira asked.
Rias sighed while shaking her head. At least he wasn't being loud about it. "I knew you wouldn't believe me so maybe I should show you." A pair of black bat-wings suddenly sprouted from her back. "Now do you believe me?"
Akira blinked and nodded. People may have thought that he was too quick to just accept something like that. But, he supposed that there was his Persona so he shouldn't' complain. "Can you also explain the talking cat? What about that thing I summoned as well?"
"Talking cat?!" Morgana's cat body popped out of the bag and looked fiercely towards the male student. "You already know-!"
"Maybe start off why you let Hyoudou-san die." Akira cut the feline off, pushing the cat into the bag.
"I was getting to that." Rias frowned. "The reason I'm here is because of this." She said as she produced a piece of paper with a strange symbol on it.
"What is that?" Akira asked as he leaned in curiously.
"This is what allowed me to be right here right now." She answered. "Issei-kun had one on his person as he laid dying, and his strong desire to live is what called me here. However, what I found was you and that cat fighting that Fallen Angel."
"I-!"
"I don't believe you." Akira declared.
"You don't believe me, but at least listen." Rias countered sternly, causing Akira to nod. "Anyways, under normal circumstance there would have been no reason for that Fallen Anger to kill a simple human."
Wait for it…
"But… unfortunately, there was one for killing Issei-kun." She explained. "Issei-kun has a Sacred Gear inside of his body, and a strong one at that if this Fallen Angel went out of her way to get rid of him. She most likely considered him a threat." She then looked directly towards Akira's eyes. The face he made was frowning a bit. She then realized what she didn't say. "But he can be saved!" She hastily added. "You also have a Sacred… h-hey, where are you going?"
Akira was already walking back to his apartment. "I still have to eat dinner." He stated. "Also, it's getting late. I still want to know what's going on. So we'll have to talk when we both are free. Now if you excuse me, I have to ask this cat why he can talk."
"I'm going to claw your face off!"
The crimson haired teen didn't say anything and instead watched Akira walk away with a bag swinging around wildly. She had so many questions for the boy and the cat, but it seemed she wouldn't be getting any sort of answers until later. She thought that it was okay though. She would have her chances later.
But first, she still had one other task to complete.
TakeABreak
Akira kept running away from the park and towards the apartments where everyone was waiting for him. Farther and farther, the distance he was previous at grew further away with each passing step. He was rushing for two reasons. One of them was simply because of the rush to finish the dinner. The second reason though…
Once he thought he was a fair distance away, he began to slow his pace down by an amount that wouldn't leave him breathless. Reaching over towards the zipper, he pried the metal closing open and Morgana immediately lunged for his face.
"Take this! And that!" The cat ferociously shouted, clawing at Akira's cheeks as the boy tried to pry the feline off. "How do you like me now?!"
Ripping off the cat, Akira managed to hold Morgana at arm's length as the animal tried to swipe at him. At least a couple of minutes passed before the attacking finally stopped. "Better?" The human asked as he gently set Morgana back into the bag.
"Sort of." Morgana grumbled, looking at Akira in the eye as the two of them began walking once again. "What the heck was up with you like that back there anyways? You acted like you didn't know a single thing about me or using Personas! Seriously, what gives?!"
"You have to think about it." Akira adjusted his glasses, speed-walking along the sidewalk to get back to the others faster. "This is like when Ryuji and I first entered the Metaverse. We had no idea what was happening. However, we had you to be able to guide and explain to us the ropes of the situation. Right now though…"
Akira trailed off for Morgana to think about it. "Hmm…" The cat hummed in thought before realizing. "We know nothing about Devils, or Fallen Angels. Even that Sacred Gear thing she was talking about. So we can still keep our powers a secret while she fess' up her own knowledge!"
"Problem though." Akira suddenly threw in, getting Morgana to look at him once more with a look of expectation to answer. "Gremory-san has already seen you talk as well as summon a Persona as well. Plus, you also sounded like you knew what you were doing. So like before, you're going to have to be the one to explain almost everything to her."
"Got it." The animal nodded his head as he continued to be carried in the bag Akira was using. The two of them were silent as they were getting closer and closer to the apartment. Morgana then had a question come to his mind. "So… how does it feel being back in action after so long?"
"It's only been a few months." Akira answered, arriving at the building that was his destination. "Plus, we're technically on vacation as well."
"Yeah, but it's kind of been boring." Morgana sighed before seeming to smirk on his cat face. "Admit it though, you were enjoying yourself during that fight with that moment of adrenaline. But you were a bit on the weak side. It has been a while since your last daily routine of exercise though."
Akira didn't respond as he was climbing up the stairs to the floor that he lived on. But the corner of his mouth twitched. "I think we're going to have more encounters like that in the future. Devils, Fallen Angels, Sacred Gears… What else do you think is out there?"
"Don't know." Morgana replied back. "I honestly thought that Personas were the only sort of supernatural thing that was around as well as Yaldabaoth. Though I guess we should have actually thought about something like this existing in the first place due to that God."
Arriving at the apartment door, the human boy opened up the wooden barrier. Behind the door was an extremely large room filled with decent quality furniture, a couple of antiques, and a flat screen TV. All of the furniture was bought from shops and everything else seemed to follow the pattern. If one would look to the right, they would see that the carpeted part of the room would suddenly turn into a tile floor which revealed a sort of kitchen with all the necessary bits and pieces. There was a small hall that led to the back of the apartment as well, leading towards three bedrooms and a bathroom.
Taking up the living room area was everyone that Akira and Morgana knew. Ryuji was sitting across from Ann as the two of them were busy staring at their textbooks while studying. Yusuke was staring out of the window as usual, admiring the city life from his position. Makoto was busy tutoring Ryuji and Ann with their homework and studies. Futaba was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels that were on the large TV. Haru meanwhile was keeping an eye on the pot that was full of curry as it was luckily still simmering.
Ryuji was the first one to notice Akira's return as he stood up. "Yo, dude! What happened to you? You look like you got hit by a bus or something."
"Did you run into any trouble on the way back?" Makoto asked, curious as to why the black-haired male arrived back much later than expected.
Everyone's eyes were turned towards Akira. The glasses-wearing boy looked at each and every single one of them. He then looked at Morgana. Finally, he brought his head back up.
"You're not going to believe what happened."
Okay, a couple of things. First of all, I'm not going to have the Phantom Thieves being an actual faction and have some sort of alliance. Second, people have been asking me to do pairings. I was not planning to do so at first. But thinking about how I'm going to write future chapters and the ending immediately made me form two pairings in my head. So, I'm going to try to pull those two couples off. It's not going to be very good romance, but I'll try.
Also, I will explain why it's the initiate Personas later.
No flames please.