Im finally back. Finally, finally, finally. And I blame it on school, work, and laziness. But I'm back and ready to get the show on the road once more. Thanks to all who kept pushing to me to write, finally got where I want to go again, and I can assure these next few chapters will be good.
"So, Issei, Kuisha, what brought you two all the way out here from Japan?" Dulio asked with a light smile.
"We're actually here searching for something," Issei replied.
"Oh? It must be important if you two have traveled this far," Griselda said from her seat next to Dulio.
"Yes, it is. If I remember correctly, it was left in this city and we have to retrieve it as soon as possible," Kuisha answered.
"If there's anything we can do to help-"
Issei immediately waved his hands, stopping the offer immediately. "Oh no, we could never ask you of that. You've already shown us enough hospitality."
"Are you sure?" Griselda asked with a sign of genuine concern.
"Yeah. Besides, this is something we have to do on our own," Issei replied.
"I see. It must be a family matter if I can take a guess?" Dulio asked.
"Something like that," Kuisha said, glancing over to Issei.
"I see, well we wish you the best in that endeavor," Griselda replied with a light head bow.
"Thanks," Issei replied with a big grin.
The group continued to eat their sweets and kept up with their light conversations. Issei and Kuisha were asked about school, hobbies, and a few other questions which they answered like a normal human would.
"A culinary school? Hm, no wonder you found yourselves drawn to this shop!" Dulio stated with a big grin.
"Hehe, you could say that..." Kuisha replied.
"I was curious of European sweets. I wanna try my hand in it and thought this would be a great place to research," Issei said from her immediate right.
"You have great taste! The sweets are perfect and the owners make everything right here," Dulio informed happily.
"Seriously!?"
"Uh-huh!"
"That's amazing! No preservatives? Nothing shipped across seas?"
"Nope. They have quite a hand at making magic from nothing."
"Thats...amazing. They're amazing..." Issei said in complete awe, falling back in his seat.
"They really are," Dulio replied with a soft smile.
Kuisha and Griselda merely looked between their partners. The boys loves for sweets may have made them brothers in arms. It was a bit odd in their eyes but it was a good sight seeing they found someone like one another.
As conversations continued, the younger duo asked about the elders knowledge of Europe, curiosity to how they knew of the shop, and of their religious views. They even went as far as to ask how the two came to joining the Church and of their deep devotion.
"Our devotion?" Griselda asked, looking a bit taken by the question. When the teenagers nodded, both followers looked at each other before pondering the question a bit.
"Well, if I had to say, I'd do any and everything for the Church. It's been a huge part of me my whole life and God has guided me every step of the way. So I'd say it goes pretty deep," Griselda replied thoughtfully. She sounded genuine and passionate with her claim. So the duo nodded their heads, accepting the answer. They then turned to the older blonde who still looked to be pondering the question.
"Hm it's been some time since I was asked that," he murmured, just barely audible. "I guess it'd be the fact because of God I can travel the world and eat all I want."
Issei and Kuisha had incredulous looks on their faces while Griselda just shook her head in disappointment. Of all the answers, they hadn't expected that.
"Seriously?" Issei asked with a light disbelief.
"Yup!" The older blonde replied, popping the "p".
"That's quite the reason..." Kuisha asked, unsure of how to really respond to that.
"Oh it is. I travel the world, trying all types of foods. Spicy, sweet, hot, cold, you name it."
"Dulio, I feel you're mislead sometimes..." Griselda muttered, resting her face in the palm of her hand.
"What?" He asked in return. He looked at all of them with genuine confusion.
"Forget it..." The nun replied as she looked off.
It was then that they heard the chime of the bell. The group looked back to see two more people walk in. They were clad in white robes with golden clasps.
The first was a girl. She had chestnut colored hair, tied in twintails, with violet eyes. The second was also a girl. But she had short blue hair, with a green bang, and golden eyes.
The newcomers looked around the store before their eyes landed on the group. The two then rushed forward, joining the sides of the church followers.
"Dulio-sama, Griselda-sama, there you are! We thought you two ran off!" The twintailed girl whined. She sounded like the innocent and childish type.
"Yes. We looked all over the city for you," the bluenette comtinued. She was the cold serious type. She reminded Issei a lot of Koneko. Except with bigger breasts and height. Despite that robe, Issei still could somehow see those two luscious bags he would've loved to squeeze, if he were his old self.
Still though, they were very nice.
No! Bad!
"My apologies you two. Dulio somehow convinced me to come here," Griselda replied, switching her gaze from them to the blonde. The other two followed, placing the spotlight on the priest.
"Eheh, sorry..." He said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's just whenever we come here I have to come. And it's a good thing because we made some new friends."
Once the young man mentioned the other two the spotlight shifted. Issei and Kuisha tensed a bit as they noticed the power of the four before them.
Or, more so, the four powerful energies from the people before them. With the way the attention changed towards them it was as if the holy energy shifted as well. And the pressure on their shoulders wasnt the easiest to igignore, not in the slightest.
"Ah, Issei, is that you?" The first girl asked in shock.
The devil duo felt the attention turn away in favor of the chestnut haired girls question.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Issei asked, genuinely confused.
The girl was momentarily hurt but realized it had been a few years. "Its me, Irina Shidou. Your childhood friend," she answered.
Issei thought on the name for some time before a familiar image popped in his head. His eyes widened and he shot from his seat, pointing at her.
"Augghh! That Irina Shidou! I haven't seen you in years! Y-you were a girl this whole time!?" He shouted back at her.
The group looked at him lost for the moment before turning back to the now named Irina. She was laughing softly and scratching her cheek. She didn't seem offended by the question at all.
"Guess I did dress and act like a boy. It must have been easy to confuse me for one."
"Still, I haven't seen you in years. How are you?" Issei asked, walking around the table towards her. He didn't stop till he hugged her, shocking the entire group there. Irina included.
"Ah- ...I'm fine. You?" She squeaked in return, a deep blush appearing on her face.
Issei pulled back, just enough to look her in the eyes. He remembered all the moments leading to now before softly smiling in response. "Its been...rocky. But successful nonetheless. Who knew I'd get to see you again."
Irina was still stiff in his arms, her blush a rose red. A goofy smile was on her face and her thoughts were similar to his, taken aback that the brunette was actually standing before her.
"Ahem, I'm to assume you two know each other quite well," another voice spoke up.
The reuniting friends eyes widened as they remembered where they were. They turned back to see the others looking at them with various expressions.
The bluenette was impassive, Kuisha was cheery, Griselda had a small, almost unnoticeable smile, and Dulio had a shit-eating grin. He was the obvious one to poke some fun at them and ask the question.
"A reunion between childhood friends. Soon to blossom into pure love that neither realized they had for one another," he said, going through the actions someone would expect to see in an anime.
"You're reading those mangas again, aren't you..." Griselda said from the side.
"Yes I am," he replied with no signs of embarrassment. The nun sighed and looked away with dread. Why was she paired with him all those years ago...?
Issei, in the meantime, released Irina and moved away hoping to avoid any more embarrassment. Much to the disappointment of his childhood friend. She had been reminded of his warmth when he hugged her and embraced her in it.
"We use to play everyday when we were kids. We were practically joined at the hip," Issei answered. He scratched the back of his head, chuckling softly.
"You two must have been good friends for you to hug her so easily," Griselda noted, her smile widening just an inch.
"Hehe, I suppose. My body kinda moved on it's own," he replied.
"I see.." The nun muttered. But she switched gears the same second as her attention turned to the white robed girls. "Now Irina, Xenovia, I'm to understand you two have a good reason for wasting your time looking for Dulio and myself?"
The tone of her voice and look in her eyes turned cold and authoritative. Much like a leader getting ready to berate their underlings. And the two young girls cowered, as they should, under the aura of Griselda.
The smile on her face didn't prove to help either. In fact, it made the look all the more fear inducing.
"Well, we..."
"You must, seeing as this mission is very important," Griselda added, her smile widening.
"Lady Griselda-"
"If I'm to remember correctly, your flight is set to leave within the coming hour. And if you miss it there won't be another chance for some time."
"Ano...well..."
"You realized this correct?"
"Griselda, you don't have to be so strict," Dulio said from the side. The nun turned to him with an equally cold aura pointed at the blonde male.
"You know the importance of this mission. The last thing I need to do is let them screw this up," she responded sharply.
"That's true but it's not like the airport is too far away. If we leave now they can make their flight with time to spare," he said with his hands raised in surrender.
The older woman looked at her partner for a moment. She slowly let the tension drop from her body stature and erased the aura towards both parties. "I suppose you're right."
It was then that the four church followers rose to leave. But not before remembering the last two of their little group. They turned back to see Issei and Kuisha, waiting patiently for their conversation to end, trying not to intervene in church matters.
"Ah, we must apologise to you two. We had forgotten you for the moment," Griselda stated with a bow.
The two devil's were quick to wave it off.
"It's fine, you guys have important business. We're in a similar spot," Issei replied.
"Ah, that's right. Issei, didn't you say you were from Kuoh?" Dulio asked. Issei turned to him, a little confused by the question.
"Yeah. Why?"
"We're curious if there's been some unusual activities you may have noticed," Dulio answered, taking on an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Uh...its been some time since I've been home. I wouldn't be able to give you an accurate answer," he replied, scratching his head nervously. "Sorry."
Dulio smiled once more to ease him. "Don't worry about it. You've done nothing wrong." He then stood and joined the three at the door. "It was nice meeting you. We hope you and your sister find whatever it is you're looking for."
"Thank you. Same to you as well."
"Thank you. God bless you."
And with that the holy group left. What they failed to notice was Issei and Kuisha grab their heads. A sharp pain had shot through them at the priests words and they were reminded of God's disgust towards devils.
Whether the older blonde knew they were devils or not, the system was still in affect and that meant praises from them or towards them would invoke it's wrath. And the last thing the duo wanted was a headache from a priest's lack of knowledge.
"We dodged a huge bullet there," Kuisha said, still recovering from the pain.
"Yeah... You think they noticed?" Issei asked.
"If they did, we'd be dead," Kuisha replied.
"Fair enough."
-XOXOXOXOX-
Outside the shop, the group of four had gathered by the street and hailed a taxi. At the same time, Griselda and Dulio shared a look at each other, knowing what was on the others mind.
"They were devils Dulio," the female exorcist said.
"I know this. But c'mon, they weren't causing any harm," the blonde replied with a shrug.
"Why else would devils be here? They have to be causing some kind of trouble."
"Griselda, they didn't seem to harbor any ill-intention towards you, me, Irina, or Xenovia," Dulio reasoned. "When they walked in with the Excaliburs, Issei and Kuisha made no hostile moves."
"Of course, there are four exorcists with two Excalibur fragments. They shouldn't even think of it."
Dulio gained a serious look on his face. One that made the nun question how important this topic seemed to him. "Griselda, would you attack those kids if you had the chance?"
The woman paused. For a moment she didn't answer as she contemplated her response. Which was odd for her since she already knew the answer. She was a exorcist, they were devils, the math was for the birds. Yet why was she hesitating. Was it the fact she sat down and talked with them? Could their innocent demeanors have softened her heart just enough to let them go?
"You see, the fact you're thinking about it is more than enough to see reason," Dulio continued. He knew his partner was still perplexed by her heaitance.
"It's okay that you didn't act. It means you're thinking and realizing not all devils are bad and don't mean to cause harm. You saw children and not spawns of the underworld."
"I don't like this Dulio. I shouldn't have to think about it, I should be doing God's work," Griselda replied.
"I understand this..." Dulio casted a glance at Irina and Xenovia before continuing his statement at a much lower tone so the young exorcists couldn't hear. "You remember what the Vatican told us though. God is dead."
"So what, that doesn't mean we stop listening to what we've been taught and preached our whole lives!"
"I understand this but times are changing. We need to evaluate ourselves before we go judging others."
"Are you suggesting that we are like devils!?"
"No, not at all. What I'm saying is that those kids meant no harm to us and I don't think they mean any harm to anyone of our faction. Whatever they're here for, it doesn't concern us and we shouldn't interfere. We have enough to worry about on our own."
Griselda studied the blonde for a long time. Her eyes lingered on his, looking for any point where he make back down or question himself. But Dulio stayed resistant and didn't budge on his words.
She then released a sigh and shook her head. "You are a stubborn man..."
Dulio smiled his usual smile. "Yup."
A moment of pause ensued before the next set of words were spoken. Dulio looked out the window and Griselda stared at her hands. No words were said but it was easy to tell that the two grown exorcists were in thought.
"You know I didn't mean my words to sound hateful towards those two. It's just..." A warm hand touched her shoulder. And she looked back to see the blonde smiling comfortingly.
"I understand. You're protecting yourself and Xenovia. It's okay."
Griselda smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you Dulio. You're a good man."
The male exorcist grinned wide and chuckled in response. "Of course! I have to be!"
Griselda's appreciative smile quickly faded and her expression took on a very annoyed look towards the man. "And other times you're something else..."
-XOXOXOXOX-
"Ise, he asked you about Kuoh. Do you know of anything?"
"No, nothing really," the brunette replied with a shake of his head. He hadn't kept any communication with those from Kuoh, except his parents. But he couldn't ask them if they noticed anything unordinary or supernatural.
Kuisha crossed her arms and looked to enter a deep thought. Issei and herself had left the sweets shop and continued on as the blonde continued her unvoiced speculations. What in a city, controlled by devils, could garner the attention of another faction?
"Has there been any incidents with another faction there? Like a dispute or crime hindering the cease-fire, that you know of."
Issei immediately flashed back to the run in with the fallen angels. His death, his revival, meeting Asia, the kidnapping, and finally the end of it all. It brought back many emotions just from the thoughts. The confliction, the anger, sadness, rage, happiness, and resentment. It was hard trying to control them as Issei still had issues when it came to the fallen angel and, now, the devils of that city.
The Longinus wielder unknowingly clenched his fists and grit his teeth. And, in response, a surge of power swirled around him. It was unstable, powerful, dominating, and, most importantly, felt more draconic than any of Issei's surges of power.
Kuisha noticed this and turned to him immediately. She saw the turmoil in his eyes and could tell he had thought on something's he wasn't thrilled about. She felt the power of the Welsh dragon burning within, feeling his emotions and returning them with power that would destroy. It was a sign of his growth and further evidence of Sairaorg's observation.
Issei was growing closer to Balance Breaker. One step closer to truly becoming the Red Dragon Emperor.
And then, the power was released. Issei took a deep breath and calmed down. Closing his eyes, he realized his place and where he was and quelled his emotions for a bit longer.
The queen smiled at this, seeing as he was able to regain control from his moment of turmoil. He was still growing and getting past what happened to him. And it was hard, especially since his Sacred Gear fed off of those emotions. Anguish, hatred, rage, fear, sadness, they were all fuel to the Boosted Gear and it turned that fuel into a dark fire that could consume the user if they weren't careful.
Kuisha was very happy for her kouhai. He wasn't just growing physically but mentally as well. And she was sure that one day he'd beat what was holding him back.
She wanted to see his growth and see him achieve more, not just as a devil but a human too. He was reincarnated as a devil but he held on to those human traits and had ties to it that he couldn't just let go. But to see him maturing and facing these types of problems, it showed that there was much more to him than the person she saw at the Phenex manor.
"There was an incident with the Grigori. Or...well, they were rogue fallen angels. They attempted to kill me and Asia, Rias' bishop. They succeeded but she revived us. We had fought them at an abandon church to get to Asia and...we killed them."
"I see," Kuisha responded. She looked around, making sure they weren't heard or around unknowing civilians. Luckily, it was a path through a park and the people were ignoring them all together.
"Ise, these fallen angels, were they connected to something you think might attract the angels attention?" The blonde asked. Issei paused and thought back before a thought did come forward.
"Now that you mention it, they had a machine that extracted Sacred Gears. Does that help?" The pawn asked.
"Maybe. We can't tell for sure, especially since we're going off speculation and assumptions. Lets finish this mission quickly and join up with Ladora. Once we defeat the Stray we'll report back to Sairaorg-sama. Sound good?"
"Yeah."
The two turned and began their trek back. Kuisha asking Issei those questions began to make him question a few things himself. Looking back at all that transpired he began to realize a few things throughout all that happened during that entire incident.
The first was Raynare. Looking back, he noticed how incredibly weak she was. He had no room to talk at the time but, after all his training, he noticed how much of a cakewalk she would be now. Hell, the him after training with Rias was more than enough.
So why was she so cocky? So arrogant, prideful, and narcissistic? Like she was assured of winning? And why had it increased after she took Asia's Sacred Gear? It only healed injuries and provided no form of attack whatsoever. Sure she could sustain in fights but anyone at Issei's level could obliterate her before she had time to do such a thing.
It just seemed...odd. Was there something more she didn't tell him? Or was their a higher power he just didn't know about?
Oh well, he had to focus on the mission at hand. Once they found and took care of the Stray he could think a little more on what happened at the Church.
As the sun set, the timing for the hunt couldn't have been anymore perfect. Issei wouldn't fail Kuisha or Ladora. Nor would he fail Sairaorg, who had a lot of faith in him. He had a lot he wanted to do and needed to get back to training. Sooner he gets done, the sooner he could get back home.
-XOXOXOXOX-
Sirzechs had finally found the perfect time to visit his parents. He was free of work, for now, had an empty schedule, and found himself missing home just a bit. So he made up his mind, made his way home, and was now having a nice lunch with his parents.
They were all in the family room. Tea had been poured, neat-cut sandwiches were on the table, and the trio were laughing away. Zeoticus had told the story of his golfing trip in the human world and it still made his wife and son laugh to this day.
"Sirzechs, this has been a wonderful time seeing you again outside of politics," Zeoticus said with a soft smile.
"Yes, it has," Venelana added. "We hoped the council hasn't kept you too busy."
"Nothing of the sort. But I had missed home and am glad to be able to spend time with both of you," the Lucifer replied with a warm smile.
It was then that Grayfia made her way in and bowed to the three devils.
"Lord and Lady Gremory, there is someone who wishes to speak with you. Yourself as well, my Lord," she said before raising her head.
The three devils in turn were confused by the request. "Who is it, Grayfia?" Sirzechs asked.
"It is the heir of the Bael's, my Lord," the silverette replied.
"Sairaorg? What does he want?" Sirzechs asked aloud to himself. He looked to his parents to see them confused as well.
"Grayfia, please bring him to us," Zeoticus said.
"Hai, Lord Gremory."
It was but a few minutes that the maid had returned with the young Bael in tow. He had a serious look on his face, one that alerted the Gremory that the sudden interruption wasn't a warm and welcomed one.
"Sairaorg Bael, what brings you to our humble home?" Zeoticus asked.
The heir walked up and bowed, making sure he was formal before anything else. "Lord and Lady Gremory, and Lord Lucifer, I have come to speak with you about one of my pieces," he answered. It only perplexed the family more.
"Your pieces?" Sirzechs repeated.
"Yes. It is my pawn, Issei Hyoudou," he replied. The family's eyes widened and it made the boy shake his head. "That reaction has led me to believe Rias didn't tell you."
"No, we didn't know of such a thing," Venelana answered.
"I see. Well then, allow me to fill you in," the Bael stated. "After the duel between Issei and Raiser Phenex, I spoke of the pawn with high regard to his former King. There was some back and forth before I offered her the idea of a trade. And she jumped on it instantly."
"What? But why would she? Sirzechs told us she held Issei Hyoudou in high regard," Zeoticus said.
"That's just it, your daughter has done quite a few things revolving around Issei," Sairaorg cryptically stated.
"What has she done?" Sirzechs asked. The other two devils seem equally interested. Hell, Sairaorg could feel Grayfia's curiosity behind him.
"I shall tell you. But I must start with how she even attained Issei in the first place."
Boom, there it is. Done and in the books.
I'll continue to work had on it and hope you guys will continue to enjoy it. Hope to hear you all soon and it's good to be back.