Hey people! Here's the real chapter 12, sorry for the wait! Read and Review!
Kokabiel ground his teeth in anger. Everything was going wrong!
First, one of his own soldiers had defected, choosing to take up with a human boy instead of members of her own race.
Second, the boy, who she was supposed to kill, turns out to have the Boosted Gear of all things!
Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, the traitor alerted Azazel to Kokabiel's actions! He'd been on the run ever since, and could only barely manage to stay hidden from Azazel's eyes.
Now, he had a new set of problems. He had dispatched another soldier to kill a different sacred gear user, and though this time it was successful, the gear user had been reincarnated as a devil of the Gremory! The Gremory! Of all the accursed Devil families, why that one?
Kokabiel cursed, violently lashing out with his hands in anger.
A communications magic circle started buzzing next to his ear, catching the Fallen's attention. He tapped it, answering the magic call.
{Lord Kokabiel.} It was the same soldier he'd sent to kill the second boy, Kalawarner. He trusted this one.
"I hope you have some good news for me." Kokabiel growled. If anything else went bad, he'd probably just forget his plans and go attack the damn town himself.
{The nun has arrived.}
Kokabiel was silent for a moment, then sighed in relief. He'd been expecting more bad news.
"Excellent. Proceed as planned, with one modification."
{Yes, lord?}
"Let Dohnaseek handle the ritual. Tonight, while he does that, I want you to kill that traitorous bitch and her human toy. Take Mittelt with you. Understand?"
{But, Lord Kokabiel-}
"Let me make myself clear. If you make the same mistake as her, there will be nowhere you can hide. Do you understand?"
{...I understand.}
"Then go."
{Yes, Lord.}
The call ended. Kokabiel laughed.
Finally, something was going his way!
Raynare opened her eyes. She was in her shared bed, spooning Issei. Apparently, he liked to be the little spoon. Raynare giggled a little, careful not to be too loud. They were totally intertwined, with even their fingers laced together. She remembered slowly falling asleep on the couch, which means he brought her to the bed. The thought of Issei carrying her to the bed like a princess made Raynare want to squeal. She squeezed him tighter.
Raynare was thoroughly enjoying being pretzled with the sleeping Issei, but she craved his attention. So, she decided to wake him up. Not in a normal way, though. She wanted to tease him a little. As close as they were, it was child's play for Raynare to get her mouth to Issei's ear.
So, Raynare nibbled on Issei's ear. He did not have the reaction she expected.
Issei quietly moaned.
Raynare's eyes went wide, and she struggled not to make noise. Her heart started to pound.
Raynare wanted to do it again, to see if she could get him even more worked up. She decided to up the ante. This time, she just barely licked the back of his neck, light enough that she almost thought she missed. She didn't.
Issei moaned again, louder and more intense, but still softly.
Raynare couldn't see his face, from her position behind him, but she was sure he was blushing in his sleep. Raynare knew she had to be blushing. His reaction to her teasing had the angel more than a little hot under the collar. She decided to give it one more go.
She took Issei's right hand, which was still interlaced with her own, and brought it to her face. Raynare extended his index finger, and slowly licked the entire length of it, plating a soft kiss on the tip.
Isse shivered, but didn't react otherwise. Raynare was more excited than he was, at this point. She was all kinds of hot and bothered.
"Raynare?" Issei asked. Raynare nearly jumped out of her skin, she was so startled. She'd been so focusing on trying to arouse the sleeping boy that she didn't notice him wake up. "Why is my finger wet?" He asked, groggy. She giggled.
"Don't worry about it~." Raynare cooed. She took her hands out of his and threw her arms around Issei's chest, pulling him into her even further. She squealed. Issei was hers, and no one else's.
"R-Raynare? A-are you okay?" Issei asked, trying not to focus on Raynare's lady bits. For some reason, he felt a little strange this morning. He guessed it had something to do with the wet feeling on his finger, neck, and ear.
"I'm great~." Raynare said in a sultry voice, nuzzling her head between Issei's shoulder and collarbone. He started laughing uncontrollably. His shoulder was one of his most ticklish spots.
[Ahem.] Ddraigs voice called out, startling both of them.
"Ddraig?" Issei asked, bringing his left arm to his face. He summoned the Boosted Gear, so he could talk with his dragon directly.
[The one and only. We've got some things to talk about, I'd say. The Angel and I have gone far too long without properly explaining the world you've found yourself in.] Ddraig said, Raynare growing a little anxious at the upcoming history lesson. She hoped Ddraig would give it; Raynare wasn't much of a teacher, and she found most of it boring herself. Plus, she was a little miffed the Dragon ruined her fun.
"I guess that would be helpful." Issei said. He still had a lot of blanks unfilled.
[Where to begin...I suppose the Great War and the sealing of the Heavenly Dragons would be a good place to start.]
"Sounds good to me, I guess." Issei replied. He liked learning, but had a feeling he wouldn't enjoy this lesson.
One lengthy supernatural history lesson later...
[...and that's how the Great War ended.] Issei groaned, thankful it was finally over.
"Maybe that whole bit about you getting trapped in a fancy glove wouldn't happened if you hadn't thrown a tantrum on the middle of possibly the biggest battlefield ever." Issei said dryly. He was more than a little irritated by the whole speech, which had lasted well over an hour. Ddraig hadn't even let the boy close his eyes, and he never missed a detail. Every engagement, every sabotage, every battlefield of the Great War between the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils was now ingrained in Issei's mind.
"Is it finally over?" Raynare asked, picking her head up off the pillow she'd been 'resting her eyes' on. In reality, she'd gotten bored and went to sleep, leaving Issei to deal with a long-winded Dragon all by himself.
"I hope so." Issei said, rubbing his temples. He had a vicious headache.
[That's all, for now. Although I should give you a basic rundown of how the Devils reincarnation works…] Ddraig started to say, only to be stopped immediately.
"N-no! Raynare's got this one, she can tell me. You...go back to sleep, or whatever it is you do during the day." Issei said.
[Hpmh. It might have been boring, but it's stuff you needed to know. I will go to sleep now, thank you. Dealing with ungrateful kids wears me out.] Ddraig said, before the Boosted Gear dissipated. Issei sighed in relief.
"Was it that bad?" Raynare asked, cringing.
"It was pretty terrible. Ddraig's smart, though. I'll give him that. He's also crazy old." Issei said. The Dragon's age had shocked him. To be born with the universe, how wild is that?
"How old is he?" Raynare asked, curious. She didn't know how the ages of Dragons worked, exactly.
"Like, a couple thousand years old or something. He weird is that?" Issei asked, scoffing at the insane number. Not only had he estimated Ddraig's approximate age very, very wrong, he'd minorly insulted his girlfriend, who happened to be quite a bit older than 'a couple thousand years.'
Raynare's brow twitched.
"So, you're saying a couple thousand years is old, huh?" Raynare asked, narrowing her eyes at Issei. He got the vibe that he'd said something wrong, but couldn't figure out what.
"Uh...yes? That's pretty old, I think…" Issei said, rubbing the back of his head.
Raynare sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Ddraig had been right, his partner was blissfully uninformed. "Issei, how old do you think I am? Answer honestly."
Issei gulped. He really didn't want to do that. He knew she wasn't his age, since she was an Angel and all, but she couldn't be over 100, right? She'd be a bag of bones, at that point. He remembered her saying something about being an original angel, or was it that she was originally an angel? Issei had no idea.
"Um...75?" Issei said hesitantly.
Raynare laughed out loud. She hadn't expected him to be that wrong. "Issei, all pure-blooded angels like me were born before the Great War. Now, try again. How old is your girlfriend?"
Issei gulped. He hadn't expected her to be that old. Not that it bothered him, he just wanted to be sure he didn't offend her with his next guess. 'If she was born before the Great War, that had to make her... at least 2100 years old. The Great War had lasted 100 years, and ended in the death of God, around the year 0 AD, so she was at the very least 2100 years old.'
(AN: Taking some serious liberties with the Great War here, since there's not much available on it. Bear with me, it's all for the plot!)
"Okay, okay...are you...twenty one hundred?" Issei asked, unsure. He really had no idea of her age, and even 2100 was just a shot in the dark.
Raynare sighed. "Issei, this year, in December, I'll turn four-thousand-one-hundred-thirty." Issei gaped at her. "Still think a couple thousand is old?" She asked teasingly. There was no way he could've known how old she was, so there wasn't any point in getting mad at him. Raynare was a tad bit worried at how Issei'd react to her age, but he'd never once given a reason to doubt him, so why start now?
"Wow, that's awesome...so, you've seen the rise and fall of, like, all of the coolest human civilizations?" Issei asked, an excited gleam in his eyes.
Raynare sighed, though she had a smile on her face. 'Yep, I'm in love with a nerd.' "Yeah, I guess. The Romans really knew how to party. Greeks, too. The Aztecs were a little too much into human sacrifice for me." Raynare said, shuddering.
A thought flashed in Issei's mind, and he suddenly grew very solemn. Raynare noticed instantly, of course. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head. She shifted in her position. Issei was sitting with his back on their bed's headboard, so she just put her head in his lap, looking up at him. He absentmindedly stroked her silk-soft hair, which had become one of his favorite hobbies recently.
"You've lived such a long time, and I'll only live, like, eighty years, maybe…" Issei said, looking extremely downcast. Raynare giggled at him, re-capturing his attention. She had a face that screamed 'I know something you don't know'.
"Issei, you're not human, you know? With that overblown lizard in your arm, for all intents and purposes, you're a dragon. You've probably got a dragon's lifespan, too. If not, then it's no big deal anyway! Once you're in the supernatural world, it's child's play to extend your lifespan. I could probably just ask Azazel to hook you up, if nothing else. Don't you worry about how long you're gonna live. We've got a long happy life together ahead of us, so don't go trying to get out of it now." Raynare said, a smile on her face. Issei visibly perked up at her words.
"Thanks, Raynare."
"Mhmm."
"So...as a dragon, am I superhuman or anything?"
"I dunno. Do you feel superhuman?"
"Not really."
"Then probably not. You are looking a bit muscular, though. More than when we first met. It suits you." Raynare said, putting her hand on Issei's arms. True to her word, the once-scrawny boy was filling out with lean muscle, most likely due to Ddraig's power. Issei hadn't noticed, himself.
They were silent for a time, both content to just sit in each other's company. After a few minutes, Issei broke the silence.
"Why in the world would you show me that horrible anime last night?" Issei asked out of nowhere, making Raynare laugh.
"I thought you'd like it." She said, giggling.
"I did like it, and then I didn't. Now I don't know how I feel."
"You sound like an angsty teen."
"I am an angsty teen."
Raynare laughed out loud. "That's fair." Issei smiled, glad Raynare appreciated his slightly self-deprecating joke.
Issei spied the jewelry he'd bought her, gleaming on her chest, the silver and white a bright contrast to the black of her silken nightwear. He reached to the pendant, and held it in his hand. The shape of the wings and heart really spoke to him, and he knew it hit Raynare just right too. "I see you're wearing the necklace." Issei said.
"Of course I am. I enchanted it, too." Raynare said, watching Issei touch the necklace on her chest. Issei looked puzzled.
"Enchanted?" He asked, curious.
"Mhmm. It'll never break now, unless someone really powerful smashes it. So, I can wear it all the time without worrying about the chain getting damaged." Raynare said, smiling brightly.
"That's great. I didn't know you could do that."
"There's a lot you don't know I can do."
"Anything in particular?" Issei asked, eager to see inside his girlfriend's massive bag of tricks.
"Hmm...how about this?" Raynare asked. She held her right hand outstretched, and a bright red spear made of pure light began to form, pointed straight up, towards the ceiling. It was almost completely crimson, but had streaks of bright whitish gold in it, which surprised Raynare. It had only been red, before.
Issei marveled at it, in awe at the sight of the jagged and beautiful spear. He reached out to touch it, running his fingers lightly across the surface of the weapon. "It's warm…" He commented breathlessly.
"Weapons of light are the main weapon of Angels, both Fallen and Pure. " Raynare explained, happy her lover was intrigued by her display.
"Amazing…" Issei said, enthralled by the beauty of the spear. From what Raynare said, this was the core of her very being. Her essence as a Fallen Angel, as a living being. He was extremely happy to have the chance to see it.
"I"m glad you think so. They're individual to each Fallen. Pure Angels all have the same kind of spear, but Fallen Angels' are unique. What you're feeling is my pure magical essence, basically my personality."
"No wonder it's so beautiful…" Issei said, examining the spear.
Raynare blushed. Of course he'd say something like that. He didn't even have to think about it. Issei knew what to say to make her melt without even trying. Raynare touched the bottom tip of the floating spear with her finger, and it dispersed into bright red and gold motes of light, showering the room in a beautiful glow. Issei watched on with awe.
"Alright, that was pretty awesome." Issei said, sitting back against the headboard of their bed.
Raynare laughed. "Issei, that wasn't really all that cool. All Fallen can do that." Raynare said.
"Still, though. Your spear was gorgeous. I could look at the other Fallens' spears all day, and none of them would come close to you or yours." Issei said, looking down at her in his lap, smiling.
"Really? You liked my light show that much?" Raynare asked him quietly.
"Mhmm. Your spear will always have a special place in my heart."
Raynare giggled. There was some dramatic irony in there, somewhere.
[If you two lovelizards are done, there's someone at the door.] Ddraig announced, startling the pair.
Raynare and Issei got up from the bed, begrudgingly, and moved to the main room. Sure enough, as soon as they got there, a knock resounded from the door. Issei moved to open it, Raynare standing back. As the door swung open, it revealed a beautiful blue-haired woman in a red leather outfit that left very little to the imagination. Issei gaped, and Raynare moved instantly in front of him, blocking him from the blue-haired woman.
"Kalawarner?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Raynare yelled, shielding Issei with her own body.
Kalawarner made no move forward. She stood in the doorway, trying to think of what to say. After a few tense moments of silence, she opened her mouth hesitantly, finally deciding on the words to use.
"Raynare, Kokabiel has ordered the two of you dead." Kalawarner said, quickly. She didn't say anything else, just waited for their reactions.
"That's not possible. I told Azazel what he's been doing, he should be in prison by now. Are you telling me Kokabiel is still active?!" Raynare yelled. If that was true, her and Issei weren't safe. Not even almost.
"Azazel's been hunting him, but he's still free. He's ordered Mittelt and I to kill you and Issei tonight."
Raynare narrowed her eyes at the other Fallen. Issei finally understood what was going on. Kalawarner was one of the members of this "Kokabiel's" other Fallen faction, the one Raynare betrayed. Issei summoned the Boosted Gear, not sure what would happen.
"And? What will you do?" Raynare asked quietly. She'd always been friends with Kalawarner, but she would not hesitate to kill her if the she tried to hurt Issei.
"I...I don't know. I don't know. I don't want to, I really don't." Kalawarner spoke, quietly. She looked like she wanted to cry. "If I don't, he'll kill me."
"If you do, I'll kill you." Raynare said shortly. She had absolutely zero tolerance for anyone who'd try to hurt her lover. If Kalawarner gave her half a reason, she'd ram a light spear through the blue-haired Fallen's heart faster than you can say 'tragedy.'
A tear fell from Kalawarner's eye. She didn't want to die, and she didn't want to fight her friend.
She didn't know what to do.
Issei sighed. He dispersed the Boosted Gear, and moved around Raynare. He took Kalawarner's hand, and led her inside the apartment, shocking both her and Raynare.
"Issei, what are you doing? She just said she has to kill us!" Raynare said, not understanding why he do something like that. Though, even as she said the words, she knew he'd try to help Kalawarner. He was just too kind.
"She also said she doesn't want to." Issei said. He lead Kalawarner to the bar, where she sat down. Raynare sighed, and sat next to her. Issei sat across from them.
"Stay here with us." Issei said, looking Kalawarner in the eyes.
While shocked at first, Raynare resigned herself to Issei's plan. They were going to try and save her. Issei would never let someone die if he had a choice, provided they weren't his enemy. Kalawarner wasn't his enemy, not yet, and he'd do what he could to make sure it stayed that way.
"W-what?" Kalawarner said, not sure if she even heard him right.
"Stay here with us." Raynare echoed. "You'll be safer from Kokabiel, and you won't have to kill anyone."
"Are you really okay with that?" Kalawarner asked her, unsure.
"Honestly? No." Raynare said, shaking her head. "But, my boyfriend is one of the pickiest people on the planet. He doesn't trust a whole lot of people, especially not women, but he's decided to help you. So, naturally, I'm with him." Raynare said, looking at Issei. He smiled brightly at her.
"I...I don't know...I don't know what to say…" The blue-haired Fallen said, holding back tears. Kalawarner wanted no part of Kokabiel's newest plans, and she knew she'd get killed no matter who's side she took, but if her friend would really offer asylum, she'd take it.
"Say you'll stay, dumbass." Raynare said good-naturedly.
"We've got a spare bedroom and everything." Issei said cheerfully.
"Then...I will. Thank you both!" Kalawarner said, wiping her face.
"So, do you have anything to bring or do you want me to just show you the room?" Raynare asked.
"I've got some stuff packed, I just need to go back to the church and grab it. I considered just straight-up running, so I had most of my things ready to go." Kalawarner said, standing up. Issei and Raynare stood up after her,
"Be safe. We don't know what Kokabiel will do next." Raynare said.
"Well, I do. He's not supposed to be in Kuoh for another week or so, and that was before he was on the run. I doubt he'll come here personally." Kalawarner said.
"Even so, be careful." Issei said.
"Sure thing, handsome." Kalawarner said, winking at Issei. She'd taken a liking to Raynare's new boyfriend. Raynare saw, and narrowed her eyes. Issei blushed and looked to Raynare, who glared at him next. He made a 'I didn't do anything!' gesture with his hands.
"I'll be back soon." Kalawarner said. She snapped her fingers, and teleported away.
Raynare immediately glomped Issei, tackle-hugging him right onto their nearby couch. "You're so damn sweet it makes me want to scream!" Raynare yelled, practically burying herself in the boy. He laughed and flailed about, not in control of his arms. Raynare, in her rapid movements, was violently tickling Issei. She slowly stopped, and just lay still on top of him, enjoying the boy's warmth. Issei breathed heavily, his cheeks red.
"I didn't want your friend to get killed." Issei said, after a bit.
Raynare looked surprised. "How'd you know she was my friend? You've never even met her, I thought."
"She wouldn't have come to warn us if she wasn't close to you. Plus, you mentioned her when we were talking to Sona."
Raynare wanted to kick herself for asking such a stupid question. "O-oh, right."
"Do you think she was the one who killed Matsuda?" Issei asked. "Sona did say she had blue hair."
"I guess so. Like I said yesterday, I don't know why she would, but it's likely."
"I should give her a high five when she gets back."
Raynare laughed. "I agree."
Kalawarner teleported back into her room at the church, giddy. She'd been searching for a way out of Kokabiel's grasp for some time, and finally she had one. She'd even considered joining the devils, at one point. That wasn't a problem, any more. She collected all her things, and put them in the mostly-packed suitcase that was already on her bed.
"Going somewhere?" A voice asked. Kalawarner was bent over her suitcase, facing away from the door, so she never noticed it open or someone walk in.
A single tear rolled down Kalawarner's face as she recognized the voice.
Kokabiel walked forward, and put his hand around Kalawarner's neck as she turned to face him. He lifted her high into the air, choking her. She flailed her arms around, panicking, but he wasn't budging.
"You disappoint me, Kalawarner. I thought I could trust you. I warned you, didn't I? I told you what would happen. And now, I have to make an example out of you." Kokabiel said, shaking his head. Kalawarner looked to the door to see Dohnaseek and Mittelt looking at her with scared expressions on their faces. She reached out to them, asking for help, but they didn't respond. They just watched.
Kokabiel looked at them. "This is what happens to traitors. Watch well." Kokabiel said to the pair of Fallen in the door.
Kalawarner heard a disgusted snap, and the most agonizing pain she'd ever felt snaked up her neck. The last thing she ever saw in the world was Kokabiel's sneer, and everything faded to black.
Chapter 12, END.
Did anyone catch the irony behind Issei's 'place in my heart' line? I was giggling a bit as I wrote that, honestly. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the real chapter 12! Stay tuned for more!