Highschool DxD
Wrath of the Dragon God
Chapter One
Guests
Tik Tok, Tik Tok. The clock seemed to drag on the more Aika stared at it. A terrible habit the high school student struggled to break, she tried to force herself to resume her gaze on her schoolwork. Tightening her grip on her pencil, she begrudgingly continued her essay. After grinding out roughly two paragraphs, she looked up and huffed when she realized the clock had barely moved.
When the bell finally rang seemingly an eternity later, the teen wasted no time in vacating the classroom. Since she hadn't joined any clubs, she was free to head home. As she neared the bottom of a staircase she stepped to the side to avoid bumping into the student coming up the stairs. Rounding the stairwell, bright red bangs would reveal the student to be none other than the illustrious Rias Gremory. When the two made eye contact, Rias smiled and waved before passing the brunette.
Smiling and waving back, Aika felt a wave of both admiration and jealousy hit her. Rias Gremory was an upperclassman, wealthy, well respected, and academically gifted, but that wasn't why she was jealous. Rias was nothing short of gorgeous with her long red hair, tall stature, and well-endowed frame. She was practically a walking magnet to the opposite sex. While not unattractive by any means, Aika couldn't hold a candle to the foreign-born beauty. But that wasn't a can of worms the brunette felt like opening.
Remembering her long list of at-home chores and homework she quickly dropped the encounter. As she reached the bottom floor of the school, she stopped to gawk as three boys dashed from one corridor to another, a group of girls wielding wooden swords not far behind. "Those perverts never learn," she joked to herself as she moved to retrieve her locked bike.
The train ride home, although somewhat annoying with the crowded nature of the compartment, was thankfully quick. When the train reached a rural stop outside town, she got off. Replacing the urban cityscape of Kuoh Town was a rural neighborhood surrounded by acres of tilled farmland. After a short bike ride down the road, she came across a modest one-story home. Inserting her key into the front door's lock allowed her into the foyer.
"I'm home," She called out. "Oh, that's right. Mom and Dad went on a business trip overseas… how could you forget, Aika?" She joked with herself as she walked into her kitchen. Reaching into the fridge, she rummaged through the assorted food items to find a carton of milk in the confusion.
Raising the carton to her lips, she took a hearty swig before placing the vessel back into the fridge. She then vacated the kitchen, making her way down the hall to her room. With its baby blue-painted walls and no shortage of posters, Aika's room was the typical bedroom of a girl her age. "Now to get out of these clothes…" She sighed in exhaustion as she turned to her dresser. Quickly changing out of her school uniform, she stared at the reflection offered by her closet mirror. "At least I'm not fat," she joked as she stared at herself in the mirror.
While nothing spectacular to her, Aika's body was a good balance of fat and muscle built from a life of farming and a diet of healthy food. Though somewhat flat compared to others, her hip-width and toned physique were a small consolation. Casually chucking her worn uniform over her computer chair, she smiled, discovering a simple grey T-shirt and blue jeans in her closet.
Minutes later, the teen emerged from the backdoor. Sighing, she proceeded to a wooden barn placed on the very back of her family's property. Pulling open one of the barn's massive doors, she stomped over to the back, where a storage room awaited her. Equipping herself with a pair of plastic baskets and handheld loppers, she returned to her backyard. Although tiny in comparison to their neighbors, the Kiryuu family's property was considerably large for the average urban family at more than an acre.
Walking down the rows of water-bound crops, the teen thoroughly checked each crop for ripeness. After several minutes of snipping and bagging bell peppers and cucumbers, Aika stopped to wipe her brow of its accumulated sweat. Turning around, she noticed the blazing sun beginning to set behind her. "I guess I can finish checking tomorrow," she concluded. "I'll just have to wake up earlier…"
Climbing out of the line, she made her way back towards the house. After dropping the two bins atop her kitchen counter, she returned to her bedroom. Dumping the contents of her backpack, she sighed in frustration as she discovered how much work she had yet to finish. "Guess dinner will have to wait," she spoke, picking up her binder. Setting the paper-filled vessel onto her desk, she'd nearly switched on her desk lamp when the ceiling lights around her suddenly went out.
"What the-?" She questioned, rising from her chair. Flicking the wall switch several times yielded no further results aside from frustration. "Gotta be kidding me…" Aika growled, begrudgingly vacating her room. After finding the entire house's electronics offline, the teen stomped outside back to her family barn. Pacing along the outside, she soon located a large generator set aside for the occasion.
"It's a good thing dad bought this…" She exclaimed as she started up the device with a loud rumble. Peering into the barn, the brunette was relieved to find the lights inside on and functioning once more. "Alright, back to hell…" She groveled, dragging her feet back inside.
After another painstaking hour and a half, she proudly stuffed her binder back into her backpack. "Finally, now for some food…" Climbing to her feet, she tiptoed back towards the kitchen before yanking open the refrigerator door. "Damnit, I knew I forgot something." She sighed in disappointment, "I guess it'll be instant ramen for tonight."
Before she could locate the kettle, another forgotten thought jumped through her head. "Fuck, I forgot to check the snares…" She exclaimed. Despite her home country's strict laws on hunting, her parents' hunting license allowed them to set traps for small game on their property, a measure intended to mainly remedy the plundering of their crops. "I better go check them…" After quickly locating a flashlight from a nearby cupboard, the teen begrudgingly proceeded outside.
Having committed her family's backyard to memory, it was rather easy to navigate the fields, even in low light conditions. Thankfully, the unharvested crops appeared undisturbed and the small traps sat empty. "That's one less headache, I guess…" Aika rolled her eyes as she turned around to walk back. As the brunette began her pack back up the sloping incline, however, she noticed something she hadn't bothered checking earlier. Obstructing a section of the river that intersected their property was a dark form.
Shining her flashlight at it, her face soon turned white as she realized the form was the unmoving body of a bleeding man. "Jeeesus…christ…." She mumbled in shock, temporarily freezing where she stood. The smell of his blood, however, was enough to rouse the teen from her state of panic. Quickly seizing the man by his arms in an attempt to pull him inside. "Goddamn, you're heavy!" She winced as she struggled to lift him high enough to prop him on her shoulder.
After several straining minutes and plenty of curses, the brunette managed to carry the unconscious man inside her living room. Dropping him onto a section of carpet, she tore open his bloodstained shirt to reveal a grisly series of lacerations along his chest along with a stab wound to his abdomen.
"Greaaaat…" She groaned as she discovered this. Rushing into her kitchen, she rummaged through the cabinets before finding a first aid kit under the faucet. Soon returning to the injured man, she threw on a pair of sterile gloves. Grabbing a set of pressure dressings, she quickly went to work on stemming the blood loss. After several tense and blood-stained moments, the farmgirl was relieved to find the bleeding had miraculously stopped.
"And his pulse is still good…" She smiled, squeezing his forearm. Checking the rest of his body yielded no further injuries, further relieving the girl. As she carefully removed her bloodstained gloves, she realized that in her haste she'd never thought to call for help. "I better call for an ambulance," she said, climbing to her feet and walking toward the kitchen counter. Removing the telephone from its set, she soon realized the phone lines were down as well.
"In an area with next to no reception… great." She sighed, returning to her unconscious guest. "Just great." Plopping down on the floor beside her guest, Aika curiously eyed the man and his features. He was young, likely around her age range with short-cropped raven hair. From his olive skin and high cheekbones, it was obvious he was a foreigner. Allowing her eyes to drift down to his waterlogged pants, an unashamed smirk crossed the teen's lips as she recognized the sizable girth that lay hidden beneath.
"Do you have a name, handsome?" She asked, reaching for the youth's soaked trousers. A search of his pockets, however, revealed nothing. "Dammit, nothing." She huffed in frustration. Stifling a yawn, the teen casually listed off to her side and soon joined her guest in slumber.
This silence, however, wouldn't be observed for long. Hours later, the distinct whale of the siren of an unmarked police car whined as a detective arrived at a newly cordoned crime scene. Stepping out of his vehicle, the aging man was immediately allowed inside by an officer. "This way sir," another officer spoke, signaling the man to follow him. After a short distance down a nature trail, the two arrived on the edge of a riverbank where a yellow-suited investigation team awaited, along with a covered corpse.
"Not exactly the most pleasant start to our morning, huh?" The tired voice of the inspector asked, yawning as he gazed down at the body.
"Unfortunately, sir." A police officer shook his head.
"Lift it," the inspector stoically ordered. Following his command, two officers slowly pulled back the white cloth covering, revealing a young olive-skinned man with a buzzed head and a thick black beard. A major laceration along the back of his head gave the investigator a hint of the man's demise. "Any ID?" He asked as he documented his features on a notepad.
"No sir, but he did have this." The officer answered, signaling to a nearby technician who approached the two. Reaching from behind him, the man produced a plastic bag containing a dagger. It was jet-black and single-bladed with a jagged and seemingly unkempt appearance.
"Nasty weapon," the detective commented, turning the bladed weapon around to inspect it from all angles. "Make sure it gets cataloged and tested."
"Yes sir," the officer nodded.
Returning to his vehicle, the inspector had nearly started his car's engine when a black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the perimeter. Out stepped two individuals in hooded white robes. Naturally, they were blocked from entry by an officer posted at the edge of the perimeter. "This is an ongoing police investigation, stay back please." The policeman patiently requested.
"Special Inspectors," One of them, a man, said, presenting a silver badge bearing three crowns over crossed keys. Reluctantly, the officer nodded and raised the crime scene tape to allow them to enter. Immediately, the suspicious detective followed as the duo proceeded down the path.
"I didn't know that the Vatican sent exorcists to investigate random deaths," the man commented as one of the special inspectors carefully inspected a scorched curtain. Turning around, the detective was confronted by the expressionless face of a graying Caucasian man.
"The church investigates all manner of suspicious activities, this is no exception, Kurokawa." The clergyman answered emotionlessly.
"I see you haven't changed much either, Bernstein." The inspector quipped back, "It seems the absolute authority of the church suits you."
"Father, come quickly." The second investigator urged, interrupting their discussion. "Look at this blade." Seizing the recovered dagger from a lab technician, the younger man held the evidence under the ray of a flashlight. "It's just like the dagger we recovered from the Kyoto Case…"
"You're right," The senior investigator nodded in agreement. "We must report back to the nuncio with our findings." Attempting to return to their vehicle, the two would find themselves blocked by the stalwart police inspector.
"Hold it," The police inspector chimed in, "You can't just take evidence from a police investigation."
"When evidence pertains to a connected case, we're within our jurisdiction to confiscate it," Father Bernstein argued back. "If you're adamant about obstructing a Papal investigation, I can easily call the embassy in Tokyo."
Backing away, Inspector Kurokawa could only grovel silently as the two exorcists departed with the bagged blade. Turning around, the seasoned officer quietly sulked back to his vehicle. So dejected the man was, he and all others had failed to notice a hidden figure lurking within the shadows of the treeline. Raising a small camera to his face, the masked being snapped a series of pictures of the crime scene before stealthily sulking off.
Within the crumbling confines of a derelict church, a robed figure hurriedly made his way towards the altar where a scorched confessional booth awaited him.
"Report," a deep-voiced man calmly demanded from within the booth.
Bowing before the booth, the robed cultist produced the developed pictures taken by the spy. "Our disciples in the field report that the local police have found the last of the target's bodyguards, dead, but no sign of the target himself." The man answered with a robotically distorted voice. Placing the pictures within arm's reach of a small slot, the man winced nervously as they were immediately seized.
"Is there anything the police have to suspect our involvement in this development?" The hidden man asked, shuffling through the photos.
"No milord, our disciples reported that all known physical evidence has been confiscated by the Papal Authority."
"I see, is there any other follow-up information on the boy?"
"Not at the moment milord," the cultist shook his head regretfully. "But, we do have solid leads to work off of, he couldn't have gotten far as the river he escaped in isn't strong for long-distance travel."
"Good… I hope for your sake that he's found soon." The hidden figure expressed warningly, "I will not tolerate continual failures, Shamus."
"I will not fail you again, milord," the robed disciple fervently declared. "The Prince will die, it is his fate."
