Chapter Twenty Three - Interogation and plans
* Armoured Vehicle, Highway, Japan *
Uncomfortable was the only word that would describe the atmosphere within the Juki Taisaku armoured vehicle. All five officer's present kept a very firm eye on the boy within their custody. The teenager appeared to be a relatively normal boy upon initial inspection and if you didn't know to look further than an observer would be none the wiser. But currently to these officers his differences were heavily apparent. The boy was tall, not overly so, but definitely in the taller percentile of the population, not just by Japanese standards but by western as well and he was heavily muscular, to the point of putting professional athletes to shame. These were not the biggest clues to his difference though. That fact came in the form of his thick fur covered tail that drooped over the back of his seat and swished occationally that clearly marked this boy as not being a human. Despite the vigil of his armed escorts, the boy had remained almost entirely still except for the very faint rise and fall of his chest with his eyes closed as the vehicle travelled along the highway south to Tokyo. His lack of concern for the predicament he was in was another factor that contributed to the discomfort of his current company.
Issei himself didn't really care for the opinions or actions of the officers around him. With his Ki alert, they could utilize any weapon that they so chose and it would fail to penetrate his skin. From that point, ripping this vehicle apart would be utter child's play for him. No his focus was entirely external to his vehicle. It was Rias who he focused entirely on. With his eyes closed, he kept his focus solely on Rias' Ki signature travelling in an identical vehicle to the one he currently resided in but two vehicles behind him in this convoy. He observed her signature intently for even the slightest deviation of her energy that would signal any negative change that could befall her. At the first notice of her requiring his aide, Issei fully intended to smash his way free of this vehicle and be at her side. He always felt protective of Rias but considering his recent loss he was now even more so then ever before. Not that he didn't trust her strength, he was more than willing to allow her to face her foes uninhibate but simply put he wanted to be able to watch and ensure her safety.
Close to an hour later, the vehicles stopped moving and the rear door of the carrier opened allowing the officers and Issei to exit. Issei was revealed to be in an underground carpark, Rias' vehicle not present but her Ki marking her as being on the level above him. It occurred to him that these people probably intended to keep them separate as an attempt to prevent excape or resisitance from the pair, a futile effort considering that Issei could easily track Rias along with each person within the cities exact location. But they clearly didn't know that and that information gave Issei the advantage.
Issei was flanked by four of the armed officers in a loose square formation with the last one guiding him toward an elevator at the far end of the underground carpark. The carpark itself was plain, almost boringly so. It consisted of concrete pillars, dark concrete flooring and ceiling, multiple armoured vehicles and dull artificial white lights. The elevator rose silently through the building and although there was no display showing how high they travelled with an agent controlling the vertical transport via a keycard, Issei judged himself to have rose nine stories due to the rate of Ki signatures they passed.
This new floor had more activity then just armed agents. Various people in blue and white uniforms moved about as Issei was led through to what he knew was likely an interview or interrogation room. Eyes darted to him, his tail and then quickly away as he passed. Moving into the room Issei was greeted by a middle aged pair seated at a table with a chair on the opposite side of the table to them pulled out and awaiting him to sit. Each wore blue and white uniforms, a side arm holstered to their hip each. As he entered the man stood and gestured for Issei to take a seat while talking to the armed man behind him.
"We can remove those handcuffs from our guest here."
Before the armed man could move forward Issei responded.
"Done."
At saying that, the Saiyan slightly flexed his wrists causing the metal to shatter and fall away in multiple pieces toward the ground.
The agents around him seemed at a glance to take his destruction of the handicuffs without issue how he noticed that their muscles tensed reflexively before relaxing once more. Issei assumed this meant that they expected him to be far stronger then the average person and were consciously make efforts to appear unfazed.. Issei sat on the seat offered while focusing on Rias' location. This time she was in the floor below him and only a few metres away. Likely in a room identical to his on a floor with a very similar layout.
"Your name is Issei Hyoudou correct? My name is agent Haru and this is special agent Yui of the CIRO." The man stated while guesturing to himself and the woman beside him.
Issei noted that both were within the Ki range of regular humans but like the other agents registered toward the higher level. Still absolutely nothing for him to worry about. He took in their features briefly, both were of middle age, late thirties or early forties. Brown neat hair for agent haru with a squared jawline and dark eyes. Black hair in a tight bun with a slim featured face for special agent Yui. The woman had blue eyes although Issei noticed a slight glint to them that indicated contact lenses or something else covering her actual retina.
He stetched himself out with his tail flicking as he replied to the man.
"Uhuh that's me, so what do you want? We've played along but I have no interest in having the remainder of my night wasted needlessly."
Both agents noted the Saiyan's highly dismissive attitude and tone. Most would consider that he was just putting on airs or displaying false bravado but by his actions and their collected knowledge of him so far that suspected that he really didn't care much for their agenda or opinions.
"Well concidering that you and your partner killed multiple people tonight and with the recent events around the globe, especially last week in Osaka, we have been tasked with collecting information that the government can use. Surely you understand that we aren't going to just let inhuman elements operate freely through society without repercussion."
"Sure, I guess that makes sense. I was under the impression that Angel and Devil representatives were providing official liaison with governments throughout the globe to allow some form of transparent flow of information." Issei scratched his left eyelid as he spoke while trying to remember all the diplomatic jargon that Grayfia and Sirzechs had mentioned. He was quite happy with what he recalled as while it proved highly interesting to Rias, Kiba, Sebastian, Ravel and Maree. To the Saiyan it had been dull beyond belief. Interdimensional politics was not his prerogative. He preferred being an instrument of brute force or precision violence.
"Anyway," Issei continued, "I'm not exactly the best source of information or diplomatic liaison or whatever."
"Miss Gremory would be able to answer our questions more thoroughly?" The agent flowed up.
"Sure Rias cares about it. Her domain and all that." Issei's reply resulted in notes being jotted by the female agent while the man continued.
"Miss Gremory is a devil. Are you saiying that you are not?"
"Correct on both accounts there."
"So what are you exactly? Not an angel then?"
Issei let a burst of laughter out at the idea of him being an angel.
"Nope. Michael is cool and all but I'd kick his arse with little effort."
'That doesn't explain what you are exactly." The agent continued while ensuring to keep as friendly a demeanour as he could. They wanted to keep him talking as much as possible.
"I'm a Saiyan." Issei replied simply.
"And what exactly is a Saiyan?" The man followed up expectantly.
"It's a long story. Too long. There is only two of us anyway."
"Two?"
"Yes as in more then just me but less then three of us." Issei replied in a dry voice which earning him a flash of annoyance from the female agent.
Issei continued before the next question could be asked,
"I get the feeling that you don't know who you have brought in here."
"Enlighten us." The man simply responded.
Issei got the feeling that they expected he was talking about himself but shook his head slightly with a smirk.
"Rias is essentially Devil royalty. The sister of one of the rulers of Hell. Not exactly a smart move."
"I see." The man replied before stepping up from his seat causing Issei's smirk to grow further, "Excuse me a second."
The man exited the room leaving Issei with the woman and armed agent. Issei had no interest in repeating any answers and the woman seemed disinterested in asking questions without the other agent present so silence filled the room. Issei sat quietly for a moment before extending his hand to his front, allowing his Ki to pool which in turn generated a blue white Ki orb the size of a baseball and he began rolling it around his wrist and arm. The Ki floated up away from his hand as the woman watched it and Issei could tell that the armed agent's focus was firmly on the softly pulsing energy orb.
Issei began manipulating the energy subtly, causing it to grow, shift shape into a bolt similar to an arrow and then back to an orb. To split into two and then four before reforming and simply entertained himself by playing with the small pulse of his own energy. He could see the curiosity on the woman's face growing higher and higher before she couldn't help but ask. Her curiosity conflicting with her discomfort of the energy ball which Issei noticed by her hand at her hip and the agent to his rears slight movement to ready his weapon.
"What is that?" She asked slowly while not taking her eyes from the Ki orb.
"This is a small orb of my Ki. My life energy. I manipulate it to perform a wide range of abilities and techniques from self enhancement to flight and ranged energy based attacks." Issei stated calmly while not looking at the woman and continuing to control the energy.
"The woman began taking notes while Issei continued.
"This is a drop in the ocean of what I have at my disposal but to give you context, if I dropped this it could probably destroy this room easily enough. Maybe the building if I aimed it properly."
The woman's reaction was instant in looking back at him in alarm.
"Put the weapon away." She commanded.
"It's not a weapon. It's just my life energy." Issei replied while continuing to play with the orb. He was bored and messing with these people who were wasting his time was rather amusing to him.
The room became tense with neither agent sure how to handle the teen boy in their midst wielding something akin to an explosive device in such a manner.
Issei met her gaze after a continued moment of playing with the orb and causing it to shift into a flat disk. He then dismissed it and stretched again.
"If you don't want me to practice my Ki manipulation then stop wasting our time here."
The woman didn't reply and simply made notes before the male agent returned to the room.
"I apologise for the delay."
Issei shrugged. He could tell by the increased Ki signatures around Rias that she was suddenly being treated differently. He had probably just worried the organization that an invasion of Devils was about to occur in response to her arrest. Knowing how much Sirzechs cared for her, that wasn't off the table.
"I have some more questions for you Issei."
Issei simply looked toward him expectantly before the man continued.
"Why did you kill those people tonight?"
"They weren't people. Three fallen angels, two rogue devils and the two bodies I was carrying were devils that the other five had killed already. The ones that don't look human were the rogue devils. They are our enemies and my targets. To be frank, they happily hunt and kill humans often enough anyway and furthermore they attacked us first." Issei replied simply.
"Fallen angels and rogue devils?" The agent clarified.
"Again Rias can explain these things better then I can but in layman's terms, rogue devils are devils that failed to or refused to follow a pure blood devil and lost their mind becoming animalistic beasts. Fallen angels are angels who rebelled from heaven. Both groups are enemies of heaven and hell, they also see humans as little more then a food source or slave labour. Previously they only ever would be found in small groups and never working together. Recently they have been unified, which started all of the recent events of attacks on places around earth. It's our responsibility to stop them while protecting as many people as possible."
Issei gave as clear and concise an answer as he could.
The male agent didn't seem to have a coherent continuation for his questions given the response he had just received from the boy. Issei took advantage of the pause to continue speaking.
"Alright I think I've answered enough boring nonsense. If you guys want answers, go through the official channels or whatever. I'm gonna be taking Rias home now."
Issei blantantly stated this as a fact while standing up. Even before he turned, he could feel the shift in the air of the rifle held by the armed officer raising and pointing directly at him.
"We aren't ready for you to leave yet Issei." The male officer replied although not looking too comfortable while the female agent looked far less comfortable and considering her extra tidbit of knowledge regarding Issei's Ki that was a reasonable reaction.
"Well I am." Issei began, "I can feel the life force of every single person within this city, let alone this building, including their exact position to the millimetre, and I know Rias is precisely nine metres from me in a room on the floor below us. I also know that whether dickless over there fires his weapon at me or not is irrelevant as you don't have anything that can even slightly harm me. So if I choose to, I can easily force my way to Rias in moments by simply smashing my way through the floor to her and there isn't a damn thing you people can do to stop me. Make it easier and a lot less bloody on yourselves and just get out of the way."
Tension filled the room as the Saiyan strode to the door. The armed officer moving to block it but clearly feeling less then comfortable with the idea of trying to use force against someone like Issei.
"Escort him to Miss Gremory's room." The female agent stated.
Without any words the armed man opened the door and led Issei to the elevator, down to Rias' floor and then along to her interview room. A short knock on the door was answered by a female agent opening the door and looking rather uncomfortable at Issei standing their unrestrained with the armed agent.
"Rias," Issei called around the agent while entirely ignoring her, "I got us permission to leave. Without violence might I add."
Rias stood up and then looked at him, "Yeah Issei I was just told, you only threatened violence." She clearly didn't approve entirely of his actions.
"The agents above immediately informed the pair with myself once you left the room."
Issei scratched the back of his head awkwardly with his cheeky smile. "Ah well you know me, I was getting bored, and I'm hungry."
The agents watching the interaction were taken aback by the Saiyan's instant change in attitude once presented with Rias.
The Gremory heiress couldn't help the smile that crept on her face at her boyfriend's antics. Despite anything he said, he was always motivated by food and the desire to train.
"Look, come in here, I'm sure they can bring you some food and then you can enter your mindscape in the corner while I continue to talk with these people."
Issei beamed a smile at her before entering the room.
"Oh and did you really have to tell them I was royalty?" Rias asked with mock annoyance.
"Heiress, princess, same difference." Issei replied dismissively, "You are always my princess." He added with a cheeky smile.
Rias blushed at his flirtatious comment in the presence of their current company.
Issei approached her and ran his arms up her sides in a show of affection while locking his eyes with hers, the silent question of whether she had been harmed being answered by her smile back to him. Content that Rias was infact fine and happy to continue speaking, Issei ignored the chair brought in for him and floated into the air with his arms and legs crossed, his eyes closed and tail's movement slowing to a very slow wave through the air. Issei refrained from entering his mindscape in preference of waiting for food and noted the presence of the two agent's Ki who had interrogated him in a room beside theirs. Likely observing the interractions in the room.
It wasn't long before a knock at the door announced the arrival of a food cart. The simple trolley contained almost a dozen plates of food, sandwiches, cold foods and some light snacks. It was enough to feed the six people in the room and have left overs, only Issei hadn't really been accounted for. Rias knew exactly what was about to happen as her boyfriend opened his eyes and took the cart from the staff member who wheeled it into the room. Within a matter of seconds all the food had vanished except for a single plate with some of everything collected by the Saiyan and placed before his girlfriend. Rias blushed and smiled at the sweetness of him thinking of her while smirking at the stunned looks of those around him at this rapid consumption of the high volume of food.
Issei ignored them and planted a kiss on Rias' cheek before returning to his floating postion and this time allowing himself to move freely into his mindscape.
* White space, Mindscape *
Issei stood once more before Ddraig. The large dragon stretched out like a cat on a warm day.
"You really don't enjoy subtle or diplomatic activities." Ddraig commented in response to Issei's actions within the CIRO.
"No. It's not who I am. Rias is far more suited to answering them in a concisive manner than I ever could be."
"Very true. Miss Gremory is incredibly diligent in her duties and understanding of the various diplomatic subtleties at play."
"Precisely, so it is best left to her until something needs destroying. Speaking of which … Bikou."
Ddraig quirked an eyebrow at his host's change of direction for the conversation. He had been wondering when Issei would focus in on his Saiyan rival. He knew that his thorough defeat at the hands of Bikou was playing heavily against his pride. There was no way in which he could prevent his friend and host from challenging the other Saiyan however he hoped that Issei would be better prepared for the next encounter.
"Have you come up for a plan for your next engagement with him?"
Issei pondered for a moment, he had spent quite a bit of time going over the fight with Bikou on repeat in his mind. It had been a totally crushing defeat and something he didn't want to esperience next time. Their next engagement would be his victory.
"Well," he began while taking a cross legged position beside his friend.
"I've been thinking about this a lot. I don't know how long Bikou has been a Super Saiyan, I also don't know how powerful he is at his maximum. I have been trying to locate his Ki signature but can't feel it anywhere on earth. Either he is in a different dimension with Vali or whoever or he has a technique to hide himself. That isn't something I can do anything about. I need to focus on how to fight against him. I have noticed that while my Ki reserves have rapidly increased since unlocking the Super Saiyan state, that utilizing it drains them at an insane rate. My thought is that I can probably gain an advantage over Bikou through using what I have more efficiently. Maybe I can learn to combine the Super Saiyan and Kaioken, I know that would cause the loss of Ki to become dangerously fast but I could finish a fight very quickly by doing so or use just part of it to enhance myself. Push the Super Saiyan transformation further to gain more power or something."
As Issei speculated aloud, Ddraig listened to his musings and considered the best route forward. The idea of combining the Super Saiyan and Kaioken seemed like an excellent way to get his partner killed, the drain of energy would be a death sentence, especially if Issei began increasing the Kaioken's multiplier.
Issei remained in thought as the dragon spoke.
"Using the two techniques together is insane. I think we can rule that one out immediately. Taking aspects to enhance the Super Saiyan is something I am unsure of, maybe you can learn to do it with time. Now that you have such greater depths of Ki at your disposal then you will surely be able to learn and harness more powerful or demanding techniques. But maybe we can go another route that will be more sustainable and efficient."
At his suggestion of this path, Issei focused entirely on Ddraig awaiting the dragons advice. His partner had never led him astray and was always a reliable font of knowledge with his understanding of past conflicts and events.
"So far a consistant theme has presented itself through your development, you acquire a new skill or power, at first it is costly to your stamina but through repeated exposure or use, it becomes less and less taxing on your body as you adapt. It is one of the great benefits of the Saiyan race, adaption."
Issei had to admit that Ddraig had a point but that didn't really offer him a solution.
"That doesn't really offer me anything though. I transform to train as it is so that would just be a continuation of what I have been doing so far."
Ddraig couldn't help but shake his head at the Saiyan. So much power and drive yet not always thinking problems or solutions through.
"That is true. No, what I propose is that you attempt to remain in your transformed state as long as possible. Instead of holding it for three or four hours of training, you continue to hold it afterward as well and prolong your body's exposure. Keep your body under the strain and force itself to adapt to the burden."
Issei listened to his partner's plan and the more he thought on it, the more he liked it. He would have to take it slow but it could definitely pay off. Issei found himself nodding as he thought about it. This could definitely work.
"We will begin here, maintain the transformation as long as you can in here, practice it until jumping into your transformed state takes no effort and can be instantaneous. Once you can hold it permenantly throughout your time here effortlessly, then more on to doing so in the physical world. This will take time, but by the time it is done I believe we will see fantastic results."
Ddraig could see the acceptance and excitement at the proposition of the idea growing within Issei. That eased Ddraig's worrries. This would help two fold, it would give Issei an advantage against Bikou but more importantly it would give him a constant focus and goal so as to avoid becoming trapped in the grief from Akeno's passing. Ddraig was concerned about what would happen if Issei was unable to move on and began to lash out. With his power it could be excessively dangerous.
"You know what? This is a great plan. I will be able to outlast Bikou and once I am in my Super Saiyan state permenantly in the physical world, it will allow me to gain control of the power in the most minuet details in the form of simple things, like not destroying everything I touch." Issei finished with a cheeky smirk.
He had already noticed through training in the mindscape that his Super Saiyan power had a tendency to accidently break things he touched. Rias had suffered a few accidental and some not so accidental disrobements as a result. Fortunately for Issei, his girlfriend had no issue with baring all for him and so took her destroyed clothes as an opportunity to take advantage of his distracted state.
Issei stood up and flexed his body out before doing a few light stretches and steadily raising his Ki. A broad smile covering his face as he did so. He was getting pumped up for what was to come and an excited energy flooded through him. Once again he wondered if this was the Saiyan genes influence or his own personality. Months ago when these changes first occurred, he would have considered it entirely the result of the changes caused by his Saiyan genetics but now he was certain that this was just the man he was becoming.
As his Ki piqued, Issei let out a yell that caused the spire of white energy to flash golden before stabilizing around him. Instantaneously the gravity localized around him shot to five hundred times that of earth and Issei felt as if he had slipped on a moderate weighted vest. The heavy red armour he trained with materalised around him causing further strain yet nothing to his spirits. With his grin full, he propelled himself forward toward Ddraig who took flight in preparation for his partner's relentless assault.
Like a comet of gold, Issie flashed around the great dragon unleashing barriages of strikes. Crosses, hooks, jabs, straights, elbows, knees and closing in to grapple the dragon's limbs as the opportunities presented themselves. It was always amusing to Issei to see Ddraig be launched back from a successful toss or have his large limbs bound up by the Saiyan in a lock. This isn't to say that Issei left each of their close range bouts unfazed though. Ddraig has at his disposal a monumental reserve of strength, power and stamina allowing him to strike at full force against his Saiyan training partner, unleash flame attacks without reserve and for the first time in untold millennia, fight without restraint. It was something that Ddraig himself relished in, if only secretly, as he never thought that an opportunity to unleash his own prowess would ever present itself again.
Hours raged on by as Issei kept up his assault while fervently insisting on raising the gravity around himself further and at the same time having the weight of his armoured training suit increased. While his intention was to train himself to maintain the Super Saiyan form for longer and longer, he would not allow that goal to undermine his training or strength, ability and combat proficiency. With sweat coating his body and stinging his eyes, Issei darted back from the dragon's outstretched left claw. A quck golden Ki blast shot from his left hand and collided with Ddraig. The impact of the blast causing Ddraig to twist his shoulder in order to protect his face and opening up a brief window for Issei to dash in and begin a flurry of strikes into the dragon's exposed under belly.
Issei's third strike rang true into Ddraig's abdomen as he turned his head in time to be collected by a sharp thrust of his friend's knee. The strike from the appendage as large as his body caused his ears to ring and vision to sway and blur. Collecting himself for a moment allowed the opportunity for Ddraig to shoot backward and somersault forward, his massive tail driving down on Issei and swatting the boy like a baseball into the white ground below.
A groan escaped Issei's lips as he pushed himself up into a pushup position from the ground as flames filled the space around him. The dragon's fire no longer ran the risk of causing direct damage through burning him alive. However the great gouts of searing gases and ignitants still deprived the boy of oxygen and taxed his stamina through the heat and force it produced. Issei fought against the flames until he straightened himself into a standing position. His left hand above himself generating a thin golden barrier of energy allowing the flames to wash passed his body and fan out onto the ground below as the great dragon continued the onslaught. Ki pooled in his hand for only a few moments before Issei threw it upward at the torrent of fire in the form of a beam of yellow energy erupting from his right hand. The Ki pushed hard and bought metre after metre of space back for the boy below as it fought and battered against the dragon's fire. Yet for each metre he earnt, the exertion increased. At half way both found themselves in a stalemate.
As one the pair released their control of the attacks they produced allowing the torrents of energy to erupt against each other in an earth shattering ripple of sound. Both combatants ignored the aftermath of their energy struggle in favour of trading blows once again rather then continuing to expend energy in a tiring to and fro of projected energy. Booms once again ripped through the air around them as their melee resumed once more. For the next two hours the duo fought with cuts and scrapes forming across both their bodies until both collapsed onto the ground. Ddraig stretched out and began to pant in a manner similar to that of a dog that had exerted itself heavily and Issei knelt down on one knee taking in great heaves of breath while struggling to maintain his Super Saiyan state. The Saiyan could only hold the form for another few minutes before releasing it and the weight of his armour and gravity began to drive him further into the ground.
Even as both vanished Issei still felt absolutely exhausted however did manage to stand and move around without too much difficulty.
"Well I had best go see what Rias is up to. It's been quite a while."
Ddraig simply nodded to the Saiyan with a smile and Issei focused briefly before returning to the phsycial world. As he became conscious of the world around him once more, Issei was once again thankful that his state of exhaustion within the mindscape or physical world didn't translate over to the other unless he pushed himself too far. The conversation of Rias and the agents seemed to have moved to more muianced aspects of devil culture. Listening while still maintaining his eyes closed floating position, Issei was able to conclude that his girlfriend was subtly attempting to influence opinion toward cooperation with devil elements. He wasn't sure exactly what she had spoken about but he knew it wouldn't be easy to convince most people that devil society and Hell in general were not hostile to earth especially considering the common misconceptions and conflation of Hell and the Abyss being the same plane of existance.
Stretching from his floating position and beginning to move toward Rias so abruptly caught the agents speaking with the Gremory heiress a little off foot as they had been unprepared for the sudden movement of the previously air born Saiyan.
Rias smiled to Issei as he took to sit on the table beside her completely ignoring the humans in the room. The smile on his face told Rias that his time with Ddraig had been productive.
"You look happier, things went well?" She queried of him with her own soft smile.
Issei's grin grew even further.
'Definitely, I have a plan for Bikou now. But, let's head home. It's getting late, or early. Either way." Issei replied simply.
Rias nodded to her boyfriend, she felt that she had spent enough time providing assistance here. Anything else could be gained through speaking with Grayfia or a Gremory representative. Looking toward the agents, Rias saw that they most likely had more questions caused by the mention of Bikou and a plan but that wasn't something that Rias felt like discussing. During her interview she had declined all their attempts to have her give any information on the abilities and strengths of her boyfriend. It just wasn't something that she felt was her place to discuss. Issei had given them some information and if he wanted to give more then he would have.
"It has been an odd yet pleasant experience conversing with you. I hope our two worlds are able to find mutual trust and cooperation."
Rias spoke formally to the agents before her which caused Issei to chuckle as her always found her formal demeanour to be humourous.
"However now we really must be going, farewell."
Before any of the agents could protest or retort a flash of crimson light filled the air and both supernatural beings vanished from not only the building but also the city and dimension.
* Gremory Mansion, Hell *
Arriving back in hell, Rias hurried off to find her brother or his wife with the haste becoming of someone who understood the delicate ramifications of the past few hours. She wanted to let them know everything that had happened with the CIRO and to talk extensively about how much liaison Hell was having with the various human authorities. Despite being involved and enjoying the company of Rias, Issei declined to go with her for what he knew would be complex discussions with her brother and his wife. He just didn't find the political intrigues of this unprecedented merging of the supernatural and mortal worlds to be very interesting. The political manoeuvring of assets, preparation of strategic influence and long sighted decisions to have the greatest advantage offered nothing of any importance to him. For him, combat, training for combat and the prospect of besting more powerful foes in the future was all the mattered. As such Issei roamed the house for a while, chatting with various staff members and amusing himself before feeling a large Ki signature enter onto the property. Recognising it, Issei made for the large entrance way before striding out of the residence and met Ajuka as the senior devil approached the very same doorway.
"Hey there Ajuka, what are you up to?" Issei asked casually of the lord of Hell.
Ajuka was accompanied by an entourageof two dozen other devils of varying rank and stature, all within the employ of his family or businesses. A ripple of discomfort ran through the devils at Issei's overly relaxed and almost disrespectful approach to one of the Satans of Hell however by now they had all been briefed directly or in passing about the uniqueness of the heir to house Gremory's boyfriend. Knowing about the Saiyan's attitude and seeing it first hand however was something that many of the group found jarring to their lifetime experiences of strict social heirarchy.
"Issei." Ajuka responded with a broad smile. "Perfect timing. I have been fine tuning the scouters further. I was told that you achieved the Super Saiyan form and that the scouters couldn't accurately measure your power. Considering that and the possibility of threats or opponents being able to reach the same level, I have modified and enhanced my prototype scouter. Do you think you could give me a demonstration for some analysis?"
Ajuka spoke at a million words a minute and Issei blinked at him for a second before realizing the request.
"You want me to transform so that you can scan me?" A clarification of the inventor Satan's request.
"Sure do."
Issei pondered the request for a moment and then smirked. Many of the devils accompanying Ajuka finding the almost predatory look on the young man's face to be a suprising twist of his previously carefree and frivilous attitude.
"Alright but ya know, I think you could offer me something as well."
Issei's smirk grew further as Ajuka nodded, the Satan excited about the idea of seeing the golden form up close while Issei was excited about what was forming in his mind.
"I have been told you are as powerful as Sirzechs."
Ajuka nodded again at Issei, his eyes twinkling with suspicion at where the Saiyan was going with this.
"Well I haven't had the opportunity to test my power against him yet, so I will transform but you will spar with me."
By now Issei had a predatory grin spread across his face while he moved away from the mansion. Shocked murmurs and mentions of the proposterous nature of the young Saiyan's request rippled through Ajuka's entourage however were silenced by a raising of the Satan's left hand. Taking to the air, Issei floated in line with the top of the grand building and above the gardens. Ajuka unfurled his wings and took flight beside the Saiyan while summoning his battleaxe. His unveiling of the weapon gave the Saiyan his answer and in response Issei began channeling his Ki. The raging white aura flared up around Issei as Ajuka ran the scan function on his scouter, the figures shooting up and already surpassing the lords of hell.
As Issei's power balanced out he uttered a sharp cry which marked the golden flash of light and energy that erupted out from his from before dissipating across the surroundings of Hell.
As the influx of energy stabilized Issei floated before the shocked and impressed Satan. His golden hair floating upward, sky blue eyes sparkling coldly, muscular body tensed and prepared for action while still being relaxed at the same time. Almost in the state of being in a perfect harmony of power.
Ajuka watched at the moment of Issei's transformation as the figures displayed once again skyrocketed upward. He was amazed that any entity, let alone a boy who was close to his sixteenth birthday, could reach such a height of capability.
Ajuka registered the number on the dispay and then looked to the Saiyan who stretched out this right hand with the palm up before giving a come at me motion. Without concern, the Satan flared his wings and dashed toward the super powered Saiyan warrior with his axe ready.
A calamitous boom filled the air followed by a series of smaller shocks that still caused the walls around the room to vibrate and shake as Rias conversed with both her brother and his wife. The trio had discussed the immediate concerns regarding the teenagers' unexpected interrogation and were now brainstorming and playing out the various possible courses of action that could be taken moving forward. The lord of Hell felt the very floor and air around him shake as his wife and sister both grabbed ahold of firm fixtures to prevent themselves from losing balance. Immediately Sirzechs was on edge, something immensely powerful was occurring near him and that wasn't exactly the type of surprise he was in the mood for experiencing.
Before either of the great nobles of Hell could respond though, his sister had thrown open the blinds fully and opened the stained glass windows. With only the briefest glance outside, she let out an exasperated huff before laughing softly and pointing out beyond their view.
"Relax brother," Rias responded calmly, "Issei is teaching Ajuka about the power of a Super Saiyan."
Immediately Sirzechs rushed to the open window with his wife in tow. He was yet to see the power of a Super Saiyan up close and thought that he would be damned, all puns intended, if he was going to miss the opportunity. Now clear within his view was his close friend wielding his powerful weapon desperately fending of a rapidly moving blur of brilliant golden energy. The flash of gold appeared, disappeared and rapidly reappeared around his friend in speeds to which he was absolutely amazed and that Ajuka was most definately unprepared for. His friend's axe carved through nothing but air as he consistently missed the target while receiving strike after strike in return.
"This is too easy for Issei." Rias commented while jumping through the window and unfurling her wings to hover in the air beyond.
She turned to address her brother with a coy smile.
"You want to see what Issei is capable of, just as much as Ajuka does. Well then, come on."
With that, Rias flew toward the engagement and Sirzechs paused for only the briefest of moments before following her. He had to admit that he was incredibly curious to find out just what the boy could do, they had never engaged each other but he had observed as the Saiyan warrior went from completely ignorant of his own potential to this golden embodiment of near godly power.
With his own wings flared out and beating, Sirzechs dove down toward Issei with his sword forming in his hand and struck out at the golden warrior. The blade swept through the air as the image of the warrior faded to be replaced by the corporeal form of Issei two dozen metres back, having sensed and dodged the strike effortlessly.
Sirzechs took a moment to run his eyes over his friend, Ajuka panted heavily with brusing to his arms, chest and legs while a heavy sweat ran down his face and neckline.
"Well I'll be, it has been an absolute age since I saw you looking this bad."
The inventor Satan chuckled at the remark.
"Well you haven't tried fighting this cocky bugger yet. I don't think he is even trying."
"He's not." Rias remarked from beside them. "He is having fun playing with you and sandbagging himself heavily to do so." Her voice slightly proud with a twinkle to her eyes that said she knew her boyfriend would do that.
At her words both Satan's were glad that he onlookers below couldn't hear that comment. The idea that a Satan of Hell could struggle from a boy who was holding himself back was a ripple of gossip neither wanted to bear dealing with.
All three looked to the Saiyan that floated before them in an almost overly relaxed composure with a broad grin on his face.
"Well this should make it more fun."
Without reply or allowing Issei to take the initiative, Rias shot forward and struck out at her boyfriend with a left jab, right hook combination that forced the Saiyan to weave through the strikes. Her moves graceful with a precision and power that neither Satan had seen the Heiress display in martial arts previously.
"I didn't know that Rias was so skilled in unarmed combat." Ajuka commented as the pair of Satan's watched the lovers engage each other.
"Neither did I." Her brother replied with a smile, "I am fairly sure I know who taught her though."
With that both Satans surged forward through the air and joined the Gremory heiress in engaging her boyfriend. Sirzechs' and Ajuka's time fighting together through the Civil war was evident as the pair attacked in precise unison, able to time their blows to flow effortlessly between each other and consistently deny the far more powerful Saiyan the opportunity to strike.
Issei found his grin gorwing further as he came under a barriage of strikes from the two powerful Devils that struck with such a precision that he had never faced when engaged by multiple foes previously. Despite his capabilities, Issei found himself rapidly losing space with each evaded strike or swing, unable to strike out and forced into parrying and deflecting various attacks more and more so instead of engaging the pair with his own. Rias struck in and out at opportune moments, targetting him from obtuse angles and compounding upon this difficulty. His girlfriend using all her knowledge of his fighting style against him that she had learnt from their spars together.
Issei twisted his torso to avoid a lunge of Sirzechs blade that threatened to puncture his torso, this movement was predicted though as the large curved edge of Ajuka's axe swung down at lightning speed to where he had twisted himself to and threatened him even more so then the weapon he had avoided. Issei flashed his right fore arm up into Ajuka's crossguard to slow the weapon's decent before palming the blade away from himself with an open hand strike to the heavy blade's flat side. This manoeuvre prevented either from cleaving his flesh but left him open enough for Rias to deliver a rapid combination of jabs to his exposed hip and rib.
Issei growled as he threw an elbow toward his girlfriend who darted away as quickly as she had struck. A rivalrous smirk rapidly growing on her face at how much these tactics were affecting her usually indomitable boyfriend.
The crowd within the grounds of the Gremory residence grew as more staff of the household along with Venelana and Zeoticus Gremory joined Ajuka's retinue in watching the incredible spar above them. The flow of the battle having gone against the golden Saiyan with the addition of the two powerful Gremory Devils. Many commenting at their amazement of the growth in Rias' power which some began to speculate could be a match for her brother given with how effectively she was joining in the engagement of Issei.
Issei's left leg snapped up to guard against a strike from Rias with their shins clashing as the whistling blades of the Satans' weapons approached. This repeat of melee combat under their control was doing nothing to change factors into his favour and so Issei decided to implement a change of pace to his rhythm. With a flash of speed he dropped below the attacks and fired himself out from behind and away from the group before unleashing a volley of small ki blasts toward them. Golden balls of energy no larger then a baseball rocketed toward the trio of devils from the Saiyan's outstretched left hand as he flew in an anti clockwise loop around them. Eruptions of energy broke out in the air between the foes as Sirzechs and Rias counted the Ki blasts with volleys of their own destruction orbs. The opposing energies exploding upon contact with eachother, unlike lesser energy that would simply cease to exist at encountering the destruction energy of the pair, Issei's Ki wielded such power even in this low powered form that contact between the attacks caused both to erupt in flares of pure energy.
With the thick clouds of exploding energy destroying the combatants' view of the aerial field to which they fought upon, Issei gathered energy within himself before shooting high into the air, pivoting and then dropping down on his targets like a hunting bird of prey. His outstretched foot collided with Ajuka's shoulder in a powerful strike that fired the Satan toward the ground resulting in him impacting with enough force to crater the earth below. Without losing momentum Issei twisted himself and drove his elbow into Sirzechs' ribs before following it up with a palm strike that threw back the Satan toward his sister whom was unable to avoid the projected body of her brother before it could collide with her.
Without allowing either of the sibling duo before himtime to recover, Issei shot forward yet before he could reach his target, he felt a grasp of pure cold take a firm grip of his left leg. In shock Issei twisted to see Grayfia behind him manipulating a monstrous arm of ice conjured in thin air, the arm wrenched up before slamming the startled and unprepared Saiyan into the ground. While being repeatedly struck into the ground below, Issei realized that the arm gave off no Ki signature. A product of magical energy that he was purely unable to sense. After his fourth crack into the ground, Issei clenched his muscles and channeled the flow of his energy before bellowing it out, his Ki rocketing upward, no longer restricted by his intentional sandbagging Issei's aura raged out around him as the ice appendage shattered under the weight of his force allowing the Saiyan to move freely once again. For not the first time Issei's suspicion that Grayfia held more raw power then her husband or Ajuka was raised while sensing the Ki of those above and around him. The wife of Sirzechs produced the greatest signature of his now four foes and indeed the highest of any other then himself present within the Gremory grounds or neighbouring estates.
This spar had just been taken to another level with the addition of the Luficer's queen but Issei decided that it was time to really demonstrate just how much power he could wield. As Issei rose up to float opposite the group with Ajuka once again airborne, he allowed his Ki to peak and golden energy to ripple from himself, his lips in a smile of excitement and challenge as he watched Ajuka scan him once again with the scouter he still wore. His hearing picked up the barely muttered and shocked exclamation of "incredible" as the scouter registered the insane power.
A snap erupted from the air as Issei darted forward and his elbows simultaneously struck both Satans who floated beside each other, each lord of Hell projectiled at a blistering pace across the sky from the strike, each entirely winded and tumbling without control through the air from the single controlled strike delivered by the teenaged Saiyan. Following up with another crack of the air, Issei's foot collected above Grayfia's shoulder and through pushing downward, fired her into the same crater that Ajuka had emerged from.
Within less then a second, Rias' allies in this fight had been removed as she found herself with both her wrists held above her head in a single hand of her golden haired boyfriend. She rose her knee to dislodge herself from Issei but at this power her knee simply had no effect when striking into his hardened stomach. Her knee stopping when colliding with the body that felt as if it had been carved by the gods. Her eyes remained locked with his as she struggled and the smirk on his face grew. Her struggle ceased as Issei darted his mouth forward and caught her lips in a kiss. For a few moments she forgot the world around her as the teens engaged in a new battle of their tongues within the others mouth yet as soon as it had started, Rias' eyes shot wide as she remembered the audience not so far below them and she immediately broke the kiss to look down at the crowd like a child caught in the act of stealing cookies and felt her stomach tense at the sight of her parents. Neither appeared to disapprove and she knew that both welcomed the relationship but the fact of them watching her make out with her boyfriend for a few moments made her cheeks burn red in a manner that caused roars of laughter to erupt from the boy floating in the air with her.
Releasing his power, Issei's hair and eyes returned to their natural brown as his hair and tail dropped down under the effect of gravity once more. With a cheeky smile to Rias in acknowledge of her embarrassment, Issei lowered himself toward the ground close to the watching crowd. As he landed, Venalana's voice spoke from close by to him.
"Oh don't stop your tonsil hockey on our behalf." Issei felt her cheeks flush as Rias sputtered out a response while both her parents sniggered. Rias' embarrassment was cut short by the return of the three devil nobles who landed beside the group looking heavily ruffled and disheveled.
"What was that? Those finals hits were like nothing from the rest of the spar." Sirzechs half heartedly demanded of Issei.
"I stopped sandbagging myself for just the end." Issei responded with the whispers of other devils around discussing the amazing power of the Super Saiyan.
"Cocky little shit." Sirzechs muttered as he turned with wife back toward the mansion with his bestfriend and entourage in tow. Issei caught the smile that formed on his lips as he did so though and knew that while Sirzechs was indeed sincere in his attitude, he was also immensely happy that Issei was the one whom was protecting his sister from anything that would try to harm her. Sirzechs smirk dropped as his eyes flowed over to the crater in his gardens created by the impact of his friends body. Letting out a sign of frustration, he turned his head once more to the Saiyan and his sister while still walking,
"Must you always be destroying my gardens."he delcared in fauz outrage.
Laughter broke from bother Issei and Rias before also spreading to her parents who excused themselves back into the estate leaving the pair of loversto remain outside. Rias no longer needed to discuss anything with her family but neither wanted to particularly head home to the mortal realm. Issei's parents would bend over backwards to help the pair but both just felt harsh reminders at the loss of Akeno when in the house.
Two hours passed in the gardens as the two lay spread out on a soft grassy patch beside rows of beautiful flowers, patches of all the colours of the rainbow and a beautiful aroma wofting in the air. Rolling to face Rias, Issei decided to break the silence of their contentment.
"We should head back, I am sure that everyone knows what happened, but they will still want to see us. I know my parents are probably freaking out."
Rias let her lips curl slightly at the amusing fact of it being the Saiyan to suggest acting to spare someone elses feelings but completely agreed with him. The pair stood and shook themselves off slightly before returning to the mansion and bidding everyone fairwell. With that done they both vanished from Hell in a flash of crimson light once more.
* Kuoh Academy, Kuoh Town *
Two weeks had passed since the funeral of Akeno Himejima. During that time Issei and Rias had maintained a steady regime. School through the day, training after school, dinner with his family and their friends before spending the night within his mindscape, again training with Ddraig. Issei spent more and more time as a Super Saiyan, within the first week he could spend the entirety of his time in his mind transformed. This required that he sandbag himself more and more against Rias and Ddraig lest he hurt them seriously yet the devil heiress was progessing at a monumental pace, driven by both her own desire to cope with the grief she felt and an ever present urge to keep pace with her boyfriend. The golden form still taxed Issei's stamina heavily however yet he noted that with each session, the burden became less, even if only by a minuet amount, the main strength was that his Ki reserves continued to expand rapidly allowing for so much more power to be drawn.
Within the gravity room while awake, Issei would again maintain his Super Saiyan form, this resulted in him driving the gravity in excess of six hundred times that of earth. Twice over the fortnight, Ajuka had been required to make impromptu visits to the Kuoh academy in order to fix the chamber after Issei's excessive training had damaged the foundational structure itself. With the second visit, Ajuka overhauled the facilityentirely and informed the group that it should easily be able to handle gravity in excess of two thousand times that of earth, which he stated with a smirk 'should keep Issei busy for at least a month'.
Despite the routine though, Issei often found himself staring out of windows during class or zoning out during discussions. It had become common knowledge throughout the school that Akeno had passed away, although the specifics of the incident were kept from the general population. Some students had expressed their condolences to Issei and Rias. Issei barely noted the well wishes, while Rias always took a moment to thank them for their thoughts.
The attempts at portraying a strong front had been successful with many who didn't know the pair well. Yet to their friends who sat with and trained with them each day, it was evident that the pair were not coping as well as would be expected. Sebastian had noted to Ravel that he was amazed that given how raw their emotions were after the funeral, that Issei hadn't killed the officers who detained them. It had shown that the Saiyan warrior was capable of far more restraint then he had honestly given him credit for. It was with those thoughts that Ravel had decided to join Koneko in making the trip over to the middle school to collect Sara on a warm Tuesday afternoon at the start of May.
The pair walked silently, relations between Ravel and her new group of friends had warmed considerably, she often found conversing with Asia, Sara, Kiba and Koneko to be as easy as with Maree and Sebastian, yet that didn't change Koneko's tendency to allow silence to fill the space around those she was with. But now with Ravel it was a more comfortable silence that the noble devil knew was not meant with any offence and as such she decided to wait for them travel a block before she began to speak.
"So there was a bit of an alterior motive to my coming today."
Koneko looked to her wihile only moving her head slighty in her direction as they walked along, Ravel had learnt that this was the Nekomata's silent subtle of saying to carry on.
"It is pretty obvious that Rias and Issei are still hurting badly from what happened. Rias has lost some of her sparkle for life and Issei only seems to come alive when he is training, even food doesn't matter as much to him."
Koneko nodded a few times, "Yeah but what would you expect of them." Her question rhetorical.
Ravel shook her head to avoid any misunderstanding, "I entirely understand their funk, but I think we should help them find some closure. Moving on would be too much to ask and is something they will have to do themselves but at least with some closure it should help."
Koneko listened to her words but didn't understand that exact reason why Ravel was so concerned with them having closure so soon, "Why the rush?"
Ravel wasn't exactly sure how to word her next concern without sounding rude and so stopped walking to gather the words she would use effectively, Koneko noted her stop and turned to face her directly.
"Well, hear me out here, it is just that with the extra training they do in his mind all night, I am sure you have noticed how powerful they are both becoming, Issei is already well beyond that of a Satan and Rias could possibly take on any devil except one of the great Satans at this stage. My concern is what would happen if they snapped from the grief. Admittedly, I am far more concerned about Issei then Rias but there is no helping him without Rias. This isn't to say I don't trust them. I really do, I am just concerned."
Koenko looked at her for a minute, the blonde girl appearing slightly sheepish and clearly wanting to avoid sounding as if she doubted the powerhouse pair. As Koneko paused to repond she felt the stares of the passers by on them, It was close to a month now that supernatural beings had been moving around the mortal realm in their natural form and the stares they received were still the same accompanied with whispered comments or worried remarks. Some businesses had even chosen to deny service to members of the supernatural races.
Pushing the thoughts from her mind, Koneko focused on Ravel as something intrigued her, "Do you know something I don't?"
Ravel looked even more sheepish for a moment before resuming walking with Koneko dropping into step beside her,
"I went home to visit my family last weekend, Sebastian came so that I could introduce him to my family."
At this moment her cheeks blushed at mentioned the progression with the French devil who was now very much her boyfriend, she rushed on to continue explaining,
"While there I overheard my parents speaking about how Lord Sirzechs had Issei banned from being issued any rogue hunts. The reason given was that when the council of the heads of Hell and Heaven discussed their next moves and what to do about the dark crystals that were collected, concerns of his mental state had been raised repeatedly. A lot of people took the power unleashed by his Super Saiyan transformation as a reason to be more concerned about what he could do to them if he lost control."
Koenko understood where the nobles had been coming from, Issei was an outsider. If he did lose control, similar to when he couldn't control his giant ape form, he would be a force so destructive that he would be almost impossible to stop. It would be likely that many people would be hurt in that case.
"So I assume you have a plan to help them then?" Koneko speculated.
"Well, sort of. A rough one. It was actually Maree's idea."
Koneko didn't reply and waited for the blonde girl to continue.
"Maree was discussing ways in which we can try to integrate the mortal and our worlds together. Efforts need to be made to bridge differences and build trust. Also to show that Heaven and Hell are not locked in war with each other but exist in parallel and after a lot of thought, Sebastian suggested a tournament. At first we dismissed the idea but then it began to make more sense. Anyone would be able to enter, it would be held on earth, it would be broadcast to all dimensions and would attract humans, devils, angels and others from everywhere, mingling, meeting and interacting. Barriers would come down and trust could be built from mututal respect."
Ravel paused to allow the idea to sit with Koneko, the white haired girl responded,
"Ok, I see how that helps the political sphere and relationships with everyone, but how does this help Issei and Rias?"
Ravel beemed as she went on with her explanation.
"We dedicate the tournament to Akeno, it would allow Issei to fight for her once more, to say goodbye with his fighting prowess, I can't claim to understand Saiyan pysches the best, I don't think anyone can but I believe an opportunity to acknowledge her and pay his respects in combat would be something that would really help him. That is why I wanted to run it past you first, you are a warrior like him."
Koneko quirked her eyebrow at Ravel's last statement, although she found it touching that the blonde girl saw her as a warrior of the same calibre as Issei. It was true that they both definitely valued strength, willpower and perserverance to the same degree. The more Koenko thought of it, the more she realized that this idea was a good one. A really good one.
She let her lips twitch upward in a small smile as she looked to Ravel with her response, "It is a great idea."
No more needed to be said on the matter and the pair collected the youngest member of the Gremory peerage before waling toward their homes as a trio.
Ravel parted ways with Sara and Koneko at their residence and made her way to the home across the street that she shared with Maree and Sebastian. Koneko and Sara had agreed to keep the prospect of the Tournament a secret from Issei and Rias, both to spare their emotions in case it didn't come to pass but also to allow them to train more without the powerful duo increasing their regime further. Kiba and Asia both became intrigued at the idea with Kiba stating his interest in competing, Sara and Asia preferred the idea of spectating then outright fighting.
Ravel entered her home and sought out her boyfriend directly, after sharing a quick kiss she hastily ran him through Koneko's agreement of the tournament idea before inquiring to Maree's location. The le Barton noble had been spending a lot of time in Hell. As the new head of her family, she was busy with affairs of state and assisting the council in their pursuit against Kokabiel's former allies and associates. House Phenex held considerable weight yet Maree was already a council member and would therefore have more leverage in presenting the idea.
After a quick deliberation of whether to wait for Maree or not, Ravel chose to ask her parents to petition the idea to the Lords of Hell. In a flash of yellow light both Sebastian and herself were within the grounds of the Phenex mansion. Their timing was fortuitious as Ravel's parents exited the mansion's front doors as they arrived. Clearly the pair were making to depart for the afternoon.
"Mother, Father. " Ravel called to the pair as she approached with Sebastian beside her.
Her parents turned in mid stride to their waiting limosine.
"Ravel, Sebastian, how are you both? Why are you here?" her mother enquired while moving to greet them, her embrase wrapping around her daughter while her father clapped hands with Sebastian in a firm handshake.
"Well," Ravel started as she began to explain the idea that Sebastian had propsed as well as all the reasons for considering it. Her parents asked the pair to join them as they were travelling to the Gremory residence to speak with Venelana and Zeoticus regarding Riser's imprisonment which would allow them to present the idea together in person.
Ravel was both excited and nervous to present the idea as she sat beside Sebasitan in the luxurious vehicle. Her rigid upbringing had presented her with plenty of opportunities but also meant that she sometimes felt restricted to act within specific protocol and felt uncomfortable to deviate from it. Presenting such an idea to Rias' parents and Sirzechs and Grayfia in person as well would be one such example of her defined protocols being discarded.
Fortunately her parents spent the ride peppering Sebastian with questions of his home in France, his childhood, education, ambitions and any other that they had been unable to bombard him with during the previous weekend. The le Barton devil smiled as he answered and responded smoothly, clearly not deterred by the overly enthusiastic parents.
All too soon though in Ravel's opinion, the vehicle came to a halt before the doors of the Gremory mansion and the occupants exited. Within a moment staff of house Gremory ushered the party of four inside and began leading them to the warm and cozy dining room that often served as a meeting area with its rich mahogany furniture. Ravel recognised some of the staff and thanked them by name, a trait she had picked up from interactions with Rias. The Gremory heiress' polite and loving nature to staff rubbing off on her friends.
Being led into the room, the four found the occupants of house Gremory already seated and warm greetings were shared before the discussion led to the punishments of ravel's older brother. A year ago she would have argued vehemently against his imprisonment and harsh restrictions but now she felt that they were not enough. He had murdered his peerage, he attempted to murder her multiple times, his actions led to hundreds of deaths. She could never look at him in the same way again. She knew that she no longer considered him to be a member of the Phenex family.
Talks of her brother came to a close and Ravel stood while asking for the floor. All eyes turned to her and she paused to ground herself before talking a deep breath and beginning, the room remained quiet as Ravel went into depth about the tournament, the political and cross cultural benefits, the chance to form a bridge between the mortal realm and their own before finally moving into the benefits for Rias and Issei. Ravel knew that the Gremory family cared just as deeply for Issei as they did for the heiress to their family name. She finished her proposal with stating that the tournament should be held in memory of Akeno and all those whom died against Kokabiel and his fanatics.
With her impromptu presentation wrapped up, Ravel took in the four before her for signs of how the proposal had come across. Rias' parents appeared genuinely interested while Sirzechs whispered with his wife. His words far too low for even her strong hearing to make out but a twinkle in his eyes was present that told her he was planning something. After a moment he looked to her with a broad smile.
"I love it. It is a fantastic idea. I will present it this afternoon with my full support. I also know someone else who will love the idea when you tell him."
Ravel smiled in response, she looked forward to seeing some happiness return to Issei and Rias but couldn't help but be somewhat concerned by the look in Sirzechs eyes.
* Issei's bedroom, 19 Hyoto Lane, Kuoh Town *
Thursday afternoon found Issei sitting at a desk in his room with a bored expression plastered firmly across his face while he completed text book problems. Issei really wasn't in the mood for completing school work but with final exams approaching, Rias had insisted. The girl sat across from him spread out on his former bed that the pair now shared with her text books and notes arranged in perfect harmony for her to study. No matter how many times he pleaded for her to provide him with the answers to school work, she always refused him. Issei stated repeatedly that school was simply a waste of time for himself, that they could spend the time together or he could use it to train but his girlfriend and parents were adamant that he graduate. If he was being honest with himself, Rias' protests of not wanting a moron for a boyfriend were the main key that kept him attending even if he wasn't always attentive.
Shortly after the unveil of his power to the wider world, many teachers had been uncomfortable with instructing him and appeared unnerved about the idea of trying to enforce discipline or activities onto someone of his power yet Rias had taken the time to sit with each of his teachers and personally guarantee that she would ensure that Issei would behave. Some had been sceptical yet could not deny the validity of the girls words when the tailed teenager had proven to follow their directions, if without interest.
A discussion with his parents regarding careers had been an interesting battle of wills, prior to his close encounter with death at the hands of Raynare, Issei had planned to attend university for a masters in business administration but now had very little intentions of pursuing tertiary education. His full intention was to find employ within Hell as a combatant. He wasn't a fan of using the term mercenary but describing the hunting of Rogues or other opponents of peace for monetary profit really could only be defined by the unsavory term.
The bickering had lasted close to an hour before Rias ended it by declaring that Issei would be getting a proper job and had no choice in the matter. Before he could even protest she stated that this was non-negotiable otherwise he would be back to sleeping on the couch alone. Without further complaint he agreed to finding full time employment or attending university after completing highschool. His parents had shared a victorious and amused smirk at how easily his beautiful girlfriend was able to change the otherwise stubborn warriors mind.
Algebraic equations sat out before him on the page he stared at. Math was one of his weaker topics and algebra seemed to exist only to confound him. The first problem had taken him three attempts to solve correctly, this second was already encroaching the fifth attempt and Issei was certain that this attempt was also wrong. Surely he was using the right methodology so why wasn't it working.
Rias watched from the corner of her eyes as her boyfriend's tail swished back and forth with further frequency as his annoyance grew with each failed attempt of the same problem multiple times over. She desperately wanted to assist him and relievehim of his frustrations but knew that if she did then he would slack off from his studies and that would undermine all her efforts. Despite his protests against education, it was an aspect of normal life that created routine and stability, something that both of them, especially Issei, needed at this time.
The pencil in Issei's hand snapped as the equation produced the incorrect answer again. This problem seemed to be mocking him and he was heavily contemplating obliterating the text book into a mass of irreparable particles when a knock at his door caught his attention. He had been so wrapped up in the frustrations of studying that he hadn't noticed the Ki signature enter his house, greet his parents and then move to his bedroom. Looking up brought his gaze onto Ravel. The blonde girl smiled.
"Good afternoon Rias, Issei. I hope I'm not interrupting."
"Not at all." His girlfriend replied, placing her books down and standing up, "I think Issei needs a break."
"Yes!" the Saiyan warrior declared while practically leaping to his feet, school bag, books and stationary thrown back as his desk threatened to topple over.
"What can we do you for Ravel?"
Both girls shared a look of amusement at his flip in attitude before Ravel continued.
"I just wanted to invite you both to come watch something on television that I think will intrigue you both."
It was now the dating duo's turn to share a puzzled look before following the Phenex girl to the lounge room. Issei's father was seated in his favourite seat while conducting market analysis and other business projects on his laptop and tablet while his mother began preparing dinner.
With all three dropping down onto the long couch opposite the television, Ravel took up the remote and turned the device on to the puzzlement of the others in the room. Gorou had noticed the actions of the blonde girl and was curious of the context behind them. Visiting to watch television wasn't something that made much sense. The screen displayed a rerun of an eighties police drama that none in the house followed. Ravel herself didn't even watch the screen but simply checked the time on her phone before smirking at the pair. Issei was about to question what was her point when the clock ticked over to five in the afternoon and the show was cut into by a bright red news banner.
The news banner read "breaking news" and swiftly changed to a rushed looking female reporter speaking frantically. It was clear that she was responding to events that were unfolding at that moment and she was just as uncertain and unaware as the audience she was speaking to. Instantly the attention of the Saiyan was held by the screen. The wording on the news banner at the bottom of the screen had changed and now eclipsed everything else as he read each word. "Interdimensional Martial Arts Tournament". None uttered a word as the reporter began her piece. World governments and the ruling bodies of Heaven and Hell coming together to host a tournament to bring understanding and unity between the races. A chance for all those who wished to compete to showcase their talent and martial prowess. All revenues raised through the event were to be donated to assist the families and victims of those affected by the actions of Kokabiel's group.
After a successful bid, Germany had won the rights to host the tournament with Munich decided as the site of the venue. A Colosseum of five hundred thousand seats to be erected to host the event scheduled for the eighteenth of June. The first week in the summer holidays. Issei felt his heart speeding up and blood boiling with excitement as the report continued. Entry was eligible to anyone who wished to compete, Human, Angel, Devil and many other species. There was no restrictions. Prizes would be announced at a later stage with a guarantee of the tournament being entirely non-lethal.
Finally the report was coming to a close and the camera panned over to a sign proposing the site with the tournament name emblazoned upon it in large red letters. "The Himejima memorial tournament", both Issei and Rias gasped at the name. Ravel and Gorou watched the pairs reactions, tears began to show in Rias' eyes while a firm and confident resolve took to Issei's features. The thoughts of the Saiyan were plain for anyone to see. He would fight to win this tournament not only for his own pursuit of challenge and strength but also for his departed lover.
The broadcast finished with a statement of known entry conditions, each nation could submit up to twenty four combatants. A total cap of six hundred and fourty combatants announced. Issei grinned in a predatory fashion at the idea of so many warriors in a single location. He found himself immediately imagining all the abilities and capabilities other warriors could possess. The reporter spent the final minutes giving her own speculations toward the conduct and entrants of the tournament and a final promise that it was certain to be a monumental occasion.
Issei's thoughts were brought out of his own with the sounds of Rias speaking to Ravel.
"How did you know?"
The blonde smiled to the pair, "It was a joint idea of Sebastian and Maree, to unite everyone and help you both. We presented it to your brother and kept it quiet until it was underway to surprise you both."
It was now Rias' turn to surprise Ravel as she turned and threw her arms around the girl, squeezing her tightly in an iron gripped hug that pulled the blonde impossibly close to herself. Despite her shock at the action, Ravel allowed Rias to continue to squeeze her as a soft sob escaped her lips.
"Thank you so much," the Gremory heiress let out softly in a voice almost choked with emotion while holding back any additional sobs that threatened to escape her lips.
Issei and Gorou both felt a warmth grow in their hearts at the display of happiness from the red haired girl. Issei especially had been feeling disheartened at Rias' sorrow and grief. Finally composing herself, Rias allowed her grip around Ravel to slacken and released her willing captive.
It was a moment later though that the Saiyan's eyes widened and he jumped upward onto his feet, punching the air and grinning almost maniacally.
"Yes!" he bellowed out. His mother sticking her head into the room in startlement at her son's outburst as all eyes landed on him.
"What?" his father asked, taken aback by his son's sudden excitement.
Issei looked like a child at Christmas as he spoke, "This tournament will attract all the best fighters and I know one who won't be able to resist the chance to compete."
He looked to Rias and they both said the name at the same time, "Bikou."
Edited on 26 July 2022