Disclaimer: I do not own High school DxD


Chapter 4


"I don't like the idea"

"You don't have to like it – You just have to follow it"

He was currently standing in the center of the Occult Research club; their members surrounded him, sitting in their usual place. The mood was sour and the tension in the atmosphere was thick, their faces were dead serious and throughout the whole time only two voices interacted with each other. On one end of the room was Rias Gremory; her face impassive and her form stern, she had both of her arms crossed beneath her ample chest and was currently seating in her usual spot while directing her serious gaze to boy at the other side of the room. He, on the other hand, was standing next to the door; his brow frowned, his arms crossed, his steeled gaze directed towards the red-head while his right foot tapping furiously against the hard floor.

After Rias gave him the news…well, let's just say that he asked for a bit of processing time, to which she strangely complied, despite the feel of urgency of her actions. She only asked, well more like ordered, him to accompany her to the Occult Research Club – which he did, refusing her wasn't an option in his current situation. So during his processing time she decided to gather her Peerage, in record time might he add, and explained the situation at hand; most of them entered through the room via teleportation and carried serious expression on their faces…except for Issei; he came running, if his ragged breath and a half-dead expression in his face, a mix between sleepy and exhausted. All of this leads up to his current situation, his very unwanted situation…

"Are you sure there is no other way to repay you"

"None that interest me…" she said with her serious face still on "Remember – you said that when the time comes you would pay price, regardless of what it would be…the time has come and now it's your turn to uphold your part of the bargain"

"Why exactly do you need me for?"

"I need your power" there was no hesitation, no wavering in her voice, just pure resolution.

"My power? I think that any of you are far stronger than a watered down former exorcist..." he said while raising an eyebrow in confusion – later that confusion changed into intrigue; narrowing his eyes, and directing his gaze to the red-head, he spoke "…and what exactly do you need my power for?"

This seemed to have taken her back, as her eyes, for the first time during the night, widened slightly.

"I cannot tell you"

It didn't surprise him – in his current position he wasn't entitled to any of her answers, on the contrary, it surprised him that she had been as open with his questions and requests…still there was something he wanted to confirm.

"…you don't trust me enough." there wasn't any specific discernible emotion, his tone was bland, he simply asked despite already knowing the answer.

"No, I don't – not until you've joined my peerage at least…"

He already knew that…to them he was just an acquaintance…seeing them all gathered together like today wasn't something new, whenever he came to the club after school to find a quiet place to rest he was greeted by that familiar sight and despite not sharing words with many of them…he always considered to have at least a good level of understanding with most of them – but right now he finally noticed, this was their group…he already knew that, alongside Rias' response, but he could shake this weird feeling…he didn't knew how to describe it…

"…I see"

There was an awkward silence left after his response – one that wouldn't last long.

"You don't have of a say in this…" her tone was icy and prideful.

He closed his eyes and released a sigh.

"…I know…it's just that…"

He wasn't given any more time to ponder his response, as Rias voice once again broke through the room.

"Are you regretting your choices?"

There was an implicit meaning with that question; one that he and the blonde nun present didn't fail to notice, as her face fell slightly – it was a dirty trick by Rias' part.

His initial response was meant for Asia, as he switched his gaze to address her with steeled eyes and resolve in his voice. His answer was short but direct – it was the only confirmation the girl needed.

"No, I don't"

Relief appeared in the nun's face.

He then proceeded to turn his head to address Rias; noticed a small arrogant smirk creeping on her lips, like she knew he would respond that way all along…he could only sigh at her reaction.

"It's just…I would have liked a normal life…" he said as his gaze shifted to the floor…this response didn't carry the same resolve as his previous one; it carried more melancholy behind it.

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Not to be harsh but – you gave that privilege up, when you made that pact with me"

Her response left a quick silence.

"…You really aren't giving me any other option…"

She only shook her head in response; leaving the entire room permeated in a sour silence.

He was hesitant; he knew her words were true; he knew that when he met the devils, he knew that when he made the pact with Rias to save Asia, he knew that the moment he decided to pull the sword to save Issei from Raynare, he knew his life wouldn't be a normal one…but…if it meant saving a life in return…he would do it once again…

"…I guess that…I guess that, if I am to steal a choice from someone out of selfishness" he said –his voice breaking through the silence "…I guess it's fair that someone steals that choice from me for the same reasons…"

At his response a knowing smirk appeared on Rias' face; standing up from her position she began approaching him.

"I'm pleased to see that you have come around"

"Don't mistake this…" his words were heavy, like a hammer smashing glass – at their sound the Gremory heiress stopped in her tracks "I don't like this…far from it…but I gave you my word – what kind of person would I be if I go back on it because I don't like the consequences of my actions"

As he finished his sentence, he showed a heartfelt smile to the group of devils.

As for the heiress herself…well she stood, once again, in shock due to his words; her sentiment was shared by the members of her peerage, even the ever quiet Koneko couldn't help but flinch at his response. After what seemed like an entire minute of silence she was able to recompose herself and let a small laugh out, which was then followed by a sly smirk on her face.

"Glad to hear" she said in response to his statement – her voice was showing hints of arrogance and enjoyment, but it was well meant.

He could only release a defeated sigh in response.

"Now…let's get this over with"

She nodded her head in agreement, her smirk still present, and proceeded to reach for something in her pocket.

"Don't worry, it won't take long" she said, as she pulled what looked like a horse chess piece; after his talk with Sona he could recognize it's true nature – a Evil Piece "I think a Knight piece will suffice"

She then proceeded to place the Piece on his chest and recited an incantation; he in response just closed his eyes waiting for whatever is coming from it – after a minute or so he was greeted with…nothing…nothing at all.

He opened his eyes and was greeted with Rias' confused face, as she eyed the chess piece in her hand.

"Weird…it seems like you are worth more than 3 pieces" she then packed the Knight piece and pulled a piece that looked like a castle in its place "Perhaps a rook will do"

She proceeded to place the rook piece on his chest and once again recited the incantation – at first, just as before, nothing happened…but after some seconds the piece started reluctantly receding into his chest, that was expected…but he felt a slight discomfort, like something within him wanted to push back the unwelcomed object, when suddenly…

Pain

Absolute pain shot throughout his whole body; his mind couldn't process it all. He felt as if his body was being pierced by an unlimited amount of needles, his brain felt like it was about to burst out of his skull, his bones snapped and he felt his organs ripping apart. His nervous system was completely fried, as the high amount of stress and energy started coursing through his body. His legs buckled under the pressure and in an instant, he came crashing down onto the hard floor; he fell down like a pillar and with a sickening crack sound…his head impacted the floor. The pressure in his skull became unbearable until…a disgusting popping sound filled the air…after it he could feel the sensation of blood dripping from his left eye. His senses were lost shortly after; he couldn't see, everything was perceived as static, like watching a broken TV, and everything he heard became white noise…

But by far the worst sensation of all…was that of his heart – it was beating at an alarming rate, the pressure on it felt as if someone was actively crushing it with his bare hands, squishing it for every single amount of blood possible…and there was a piercing sensation, as if a sword was left stabbed in it. He could feel every ounce of blood pumping through his veins – it was hot, like boiling lava going through him.

He didn't know what was going around him…he couldn't perceive anything – suddenly, the pain came to a stop and the only thing he could see was…


"If you keep doing that you will only get hurt."

"You should stop cheating, that way they will leave you alone."

"You are weird you know."

"Come… ******* will get mad if she sees you like that again."


...

When he opened his eyes he was met with the sight of a concerned Asia; her hands near him while a light glowed brightly between them, as she used her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, on his previously broken body – to his right was Issei who had an equally worried expression while lending his shoulder as support.

He then proceeded to see the remaining members of the ORC; the first thing he could distinguish was their stances – most of their stances were prepared for combat; Koneko was tense, Kiba had two swords drawn out, Akeno had her arm extended while small sparkles were gathering around her index and middle finger…despite the hidden concern present in her face…as for Rias…this was the first time that he had seen the proud and arrogant Rias Gremory – Shame.

"That…that has never happened before…it wasn't supposed to work like this…" she said while watching the Rook piece in her hand.

"…What…happened…?" he could only breathe out in between ragged breaths.

"…I-I'm not sure…it is the first time something like this has happened…" later her gaze became more scrutinizing and questioning, as her eyes narrowed on him "…did you do something…?"

"…Do I look like I intended to end up like this…?" his voice carried more emotion than intended.

Shame – that was the only way to describe Rias' feelings – an uncharacteristic shame.

"…it's just that…" she could only avert her gaze while trying to formulate something…he didn't let her do that, as his response edge cut through her thoughts.

"…I get it…don't worry…" he really wished his words came out more genuine and soft.

The room fell back into a sour silence, as no one uttered a word while his gaze was directly concentrated on the red-head girl.

But in the end someone had to break the silence and address the matter at hand – releasing a sigh he spoke…

"…look…I'm sorry…" he said whole-heartedly; then proceeded to release a sarcastic chuckle "hehe…I guess I won't be able to help you….I'll see myself out"

He was able to gently shake both Issei and Asia off him, which wasn't that difficult of a task since both of them were in a state of shock…for some reason – now that he thinks about it all of them were in a similar state of shock…that was weird…he didn't do anything abnormal…or did he?

He was about to make his way out of the room, when suddenly he was stopped by someone's voice reaching his ears – the voice belonged to none other than the Gremory heiress.

"…why are you apologizing? – I was the one that dragged you out of your home and hurt you…if someone should be saying 'I'm sorry' it should be me"

She was right – he had nothing to apologize for, he hadn't done anything inherently bad to her, to any of them; on the contrary, he should be angry, he should be holding a grudge against Rias – for disturbing his sleep, for invading his privacy, for trying to force him into her Peerage and for nearly putting him into a near-death state; and while he was certainly angry for all of it…

…why couldn't he resent her like any normal person would?

…why did he feel like he was doing a disservice to her by not being able to help her?

…why then did he feel the want – no – the need to apologize to her.

…he only did what felt more natural to him.

"…Sorry…" he said awkwardly.

"There! You are doing it again! Why are you apologizing for?" the confusion in her voice changed into outrage in matters of seconds.

"…I guess…for not being able to help you – and for making you waste your time…I guess...I'm not sure myself…" he responded while adverting his gaze and scratching the back of his head – he was feeling really awkward now.

She then began approaching him and gave him an understanding smile.

"– you have nothing to apologize for – come I will accompany back home…"

She was about to lead him out of the room, leaving an array of shocked expressions behind, until another voice decided to make itself heard; a voice that was usually loud and boisterous, a voice that had been unusually quiet since the start of the conversation – the Self-proclaimed Harem King's voice.

"Wait, Buchou! If we need Katsuo's help for the Rating game-"

But said voice quickly silenced by the unusual sharp and stern voice of the Crimson-haired princess.

"Ise – I already caused enough problems for Hirai-san for a day…it would be unfair of me to continue to drag him into matters he has no reason to be involved in…"

There was steel in her voice, full of an authority towards her servants, authority that he hasn't seen yet – but Issei's statement revealed something, it revealed the true reason behind Rias' bold move.

"…So that's why you needed my supposed power for…a rating game…is it really that important?" he said a little mocking – he knew about the concept of Rating Games thanks to Sona, the concept really didn't appeal to him; but for the life of him he couldn't wrap his head around one game driving Rias Gremory so desperate that she would consider the help of a washed up ex-exorcist.

Her eyes shifted from her pawn to address him; instead of answering his question she did something that he honestly expected at this point with all the secrecy she had been keeping…she simply changed the subject.

"Paid no mind to it – I will find another way to settle our debt"

Thankfully, he could trust Issei to be always up front with everything.

"It is! Buchou's future relies on it!" Issei once again interjected his voice as boisterous as usual – leave it to him to throw secrecy and privacy out of the window.

"Ise! –" Rias tried to protest but her words fell on deaf ears.

"So you need to help us, please! Just like you have been helping me these days…I've been feeling improvement over the week, every day we train I feel slightly stronger the next day…even if your training is inhumane…so if you can't join Buchou, please help us train! So we can beat Yakitori's ass!"

Setting aside the remarks about his method of training and the whole grilled chicken thing, he was happy hearing about Issei's improvement; which was true, he noticed it too – the boy was now able to run for longer periods of time and seemed to be able recompose his stamina at a quicker pace – he had been training with him for about a week and the pervert was already showing results that would take a month for a normal human…that's devil's physiology for you.

Going back to the main topic, his idea wasn't a bad one – he couldn't join her Peerage, it nearly killed him trying so, but he could train them…if they were going to fight against other devils what a better instructor for them than an exorcist…a former one…and a rookie…but one nonetheless!

His train of thoughts was broken by the uncharacteristic stern, and somewhat angry, voice of Rias Gremory.

"Issei, that's enough!"

"Not when your future is at stake!"

It seemed like the conversation between the devil King and her pawn was getting a little too heated for comfort – so he decided to intervene in it.

"…how much time do you have before it?"

Rias switched he attention back to him; her face still stern.

"…it doesn't concern…" she was about to protest back, bur was quickly taken by his steeled gaze – releasing a defeated sigh and clicking her tongue she reluctantly responded "…10 days"

There was a quick silence; one necessary to gather up his thoughts.

"Is it as important as he says?"

She clearly hesitated for a second – clearly this was a matter way too personal for her.

"Yes – but…I cannot go into further details…"

He understood her reasoning; it was the same as before – there wasn't enough trust yet.

"…I see"

The room receded once again into an awkward silence, no one uttered a word but the tension was palpable in the room – but what no one expected was what he was about to say…

"Fine then – I'll do it – I'll help" he resolutely stated; breaking the silence and surprising the group of devils in the process.

The heiress was clearly taken back by his strong statement, her flinching gave it away.

"…Huh?"

If she was about to protest or say something, he didn't let her voice her opinion.

"I'm not the best teacher out there, I'm far from it…but if you need my help for something so important – I'll do it – I'll help you prepare better. You could use an exorcist mind if you are to fight stronger devils…if it means I can help…I'll do it"

She stopped and took a minute of silence before giving a response of her own.

"…You know there is no reason for you to get involved in this – I can find another way to pay our debt…" she asked while raising an eyebrow, her question carried more cynicism than surprise.

"Then tell me when you find one – that won't stop me from offering my help now" he said, a small smirk creeping on his face.

"…You won't get anything in return…why even offer your help…" her skepticism was still present though it was wavering in comparison to her previous statement.

The smirk dropped off his face and his previous resolution was shaken; he was left feeling kind of awkward and conflicted.

"…I don't know myself…it felt like the most natural thing to do…" he responded while lightly scratching his head – his response was as sincere as it could get, yet his face only displayed indecisiveness.

As for the red-head girl, while at first a shocked expression appeared on her features, it was later replaced by a playful smirk.

"…you are a strange one you know" she said while letting out a small giggle.

More at ease with her lighthearted response he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"I've been told that before"

"…Fine then – I'll accept your assistance" she said, regaining her more regal composure; she then extended her right hand, leaving it in the air before him.

He grasped her hand and with a quick but firm shake – their accord was sealed – a warm smile appeared on her face and a more relax expression appeared on his; even if he could not see them, he knew that the members of her Peerage were also pleased by this turn of events, at least most of them were, as their stances softened and the once present pressure was lifted off the air…

"So, when are we starting?" he wasted no time; so much so that it surprised the Gremory heiress…he would regret not giving his words much thought.

"Ara, ara. Such impatience Katsuo-kun, are you always this pushy with everything" Akeno interceded, breaking her previous silence – her voice was filled with mischief and her previous serious visage casted aside for a more provocative one.

The meaning behind her words didn't scape him…

"…that…wasn't what I meant…" he responded awkwardly, as a small blush crept on his cheeks.

If Rias understood, or cared, for Akeno's implication, she didn't show it – She just responded his question; her serious tone present though it lacked any adversity.

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning or today if you want to be more precise – that way we can make the most out of the ten days"

Well that wasn't that…wait.

"…I think I misheard you…did you say leaving…to where?" he asked once again, his face confused to the implication behind her statement.

She in response just raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

"You didn't expect us to train in the school grounds, did you? – that would draw way too much attention, only someone really stupid would do that"

That hurt – it felt like a car had been dropped on his back.

"…yeah…only someone really dumb…hehe…" he responded while letting out a dark chuckle.

Rias just continued; not even slightly fazed by the self-loathing aura that surrounded him.

"Exactly – that's why we will be going to a special place where we can train our abilities to our hearts content; it's an old Gremory manor, no one will disturb us there"

That seemed like a great idea; if they were to use their supernatural powers it's better to do it in a secluded area, preferably one that is of private use, considering the collateral damage they could cause…there was just one problem he found with her seamlessly idea.

Gathering air and letting out a small breath, he spoke in a rather unusual calm and soft spoken manner.

"So we will be there…for ten days"

"Yeah" her response was short but precise; it was more akin to affirming a matter of fact than responding a question – and in a sense it was

He continued regardless.

"…only training…doing nothing more…"

"Precisely"

"…without going to school"

"Yeah – that's the whole point" this time her response was less precise and stern and more confused.

"…without doing homework or attending class"

His questions were starting to bit by bit wear Rias' cool down.

"…You know, aside for needlessly apologizing, you have a knack for asking really obvious questions…" she responded, as a frown appeared on her previous relaxed features.

"Just wanted to confirm something" he said putting a hand up in defense, clearly he was aware of how obvious his questions were – then, after closing his eyes and releasing a breath, he voiced his concern in an oddly relax manner "how exactly am I supposed to survive Kaichou's wrath"

The calm and collected tone he used betrayed the more brutal and grim meaning hidden behind his implication…oddly enough Rias wasn't able to catch that deeper meaning.

"What does Sona have to do with this? If you are afraid of missing class, I have already covered it as a club excursion…I don't see what the problem is" an eyebrow was raised with her question.

"…an excursion of your club, your club activity – a club that I'm not part of"

Realization dawned on her face, as her eyes widened for a second.

"Tch, right…I forgot about that, the original plan had you as part of my Peerage and my club by proxy…I'll talk to Sona and figure something out"

"I really, really hope so" he said with an increasingly worried expression.

Seeing his now sweating face she decided to reassure him in some sort of way…

"Relax; as long as you don't have any debt to Sona everything should be fine"

…One that didn't help him.

"…I'm so dead…"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"…No…I didn't" he responded in a deadpan manner.

Dismissing her concern, her face adopted a more serious expression.

"Whatever – just to make one thing clear – I accepted your help because I consider that your insight may be valuable; that does not mean that you are free to ordering my Peerage or me during our training, I will be the one giving orders and, since we will be staying at one of my houses, I expect you to follow them, despite not being a member of my Peerage"

Understandable; he was the one that offered his help that didn't make him the leader or anything associated with that matter, he had no right ordering them around, only helping when needed or required. He expected her to stop there, but to his surprise, or lack thereof, she continued.

"Second, some pieces of information must be concealed – those will be Peerage-only related" she sent a sharp gaze to Issei; one that was equally met with a shiver from the pervert "and Finally, I won't tolerate you hurting any members of my Peerage, doing so will be met with an equal action of my part – do I have your word"

Everyone tensed; that last statement was spoken with so much cold fury that it was impossible to ignore it…so he tried to lighten up the mood with a sarcastic response.

"I thought it was just one thing…"

…and failed pretty miserable at it; the intensified frown on her face was clear proof of it.

"Sorry…no problem, you have my word" he responded truthfully while letting out a sigh.

Her face softened once again and a smile appeared on her features.

"Well since that is cleared up; I welcome you – for the time being – to The Gremory Household" the red-haired princess said, now appeased by his response, in a more soft tone.

"Awesome!" the pervert, who had been unusually silent, screamed full of enthusiasm letting his presence known in the process…something he would regret

As soon as Issei's voice rang, Rias face contorted into a more mischievous but dreadful expression…one that the Harem King became oblivious of…

"Ise…I think that you and me will have to speak about keeping Peerage-only matters private" she said as a supposedly unrelated shadow obscured her face – the grim chuckle she let made his back tingle in response even if her intent wasn't directed at him…

"B-Buchou, y-you are acting w-weird all of a sudden" the pervert stuttered out while preemptively taking some steps back; then his head made a wild turn and his gaze met the former exorcist "H-hey K-Katsuo lend me a hand here man…"

He gave a look to the boy – the same boy who he trained with, the boy he rescued from Raynare, the boy that considered him a friend.

"Akeno"

"Hai Buchou"

"You are in charge of administration Issei's punishment"

"Hai, I'll make sure that our little pawn never forgets the importance of privacy ufufufu" Rias' Queen said while her eyes gleamed with sadistic intent, an intent that was apparent to everyone present.

His gaze then shifted to Issei, his eyes resolute and his visage serious – raising his right hand and giving him a thumb up, he spoke with determination in his voice.

"You are on your own"

"You damn traitorous Handsome!"

He feels like he skipped on something, one moment he was standing perfectly fine, albeit with some internal bleeding and dried blood on his clothes, in front of Rias and her Peerage and the next moment he found himself being arm chocked by Issei – the pervert had his right arm wrapped around his neck while clinging to his back like frenzy-induced monkey trying to kill him while spiting venomous threats from his mouth.

"Die you European Prick face!"

Instead of hearing concern or outrage from the people witnessing what was essentially an act of attempted murder, he was hearing muffled laughs and…were those giggling – giving a quick glance to the others he found that Rias and Akeno were letting out an outstanding amount of giggles, Koneko seemed to not care but kept glancing at the scene anyway and Kiba had a smile on his face…a dark, grim smile…

"Katsuo-san please stop fighting Issei-san, your wound will re-open"

At least Asia was kind enough to care about his well-being…wait…fighting Issei…he wasn't fighting Issei! Issei was outright strangling him!

He was starting to feel a little winded and light headed; his breath was becoming scarce and he was starting to lose his footings, maybe his inner wounds were actually starting to open up or…could Issei actually be trying to kill him…

…he didn't think that the pervert was actually trying to end his life…perhaps he was doing it unwillingly, perhaps his strength had grown at an alarming rate during this week…it was improbable, but he was a devil so the possibility was always there – on the other hand he was only human; a devil, regardless of how weak he is, will be able to outclass him in physical attributes in due time…

…giving a quick pat on his chest he found…

No, it wasn't Issei, it was his inner wounds – the pain in his cheat and the sensation of blood spilling out of his organs made it pretty clear…perhaps Issei's attempt to kill him affected him…on second thought maybe it was because of Issei.

'Have I always seen this blurry'

With that last line of thought his body impacted the floor once again with the pervert still clinging to his neck, leaving both of them face first into the hard floor – at least for Katsuo's case he had already passed out, making him unable to feel any sort of pain…this was a privilege that the harem king lacked…

After the cracking sound of two skulls impacting the hard floor only audible gasp were heard across the room followed soon after by an awkward silence…a silence that only one person was daring to break…and not with the expected words in this situation.

"Oh Joy" said Kiba; his face gleaming with happiness "you killed it Issei-kun"


That…was more work than she expected.

To be honest she expected to make him part of her Peerage and proceed to prepare for the ensuing Rating Game, plain and simple…what she didn't expect was him getting a spasm while destroying his body in the process and fainting in front of them – Twice!

Thankfully all of that was already taken care of; she asked Koneko to take both Issei and Katsuo back to their respective places; they'll need whatever energy they can get for the start of their training, she also dismissed the rest of her group as well for the exception of Akeno, who decided to stay.

Finally after all the unexpected turns that this night had brought with, she had one moment where she could relax – letting out a heavy breath, she let herself fall unceremoniously on the sofa.

"Ara, ara. That was quite unexpected, wasn't it?"

"That is putting it mildly" she responded while releasing a tired sigh.

"Why did you accept his help?" the queen asked genuinely in confusing to her King "Your original plan had him as part of the Peerage as your second knight, there wasn't an alternative option, so why bother bringing him with us"

She took a chance to gather her thoughts while closing her eyes – opening them not much later she responded her question

"To be honest, despite his insistence, I was going to deny him; there isn't much to gain from him tagging along with us" the heiress responded in a pretty even manner, then her words took a more curious tone "Then I thought that his insight may be valuable; to fight Riser we need to think outside of the box – what a better way to do so, for us devils, than with an exorcist"

While Akeno understood that way of reasoning, she had known Rias long enough to know that there was more to it – despite that she didn't voice her questions…she let Rias answer them beforehand.

"…but the true reason why I let him come with us…" the red haired girl started…

"You want to gather information on him" only for the black haired girl to complete her sentence.

Rias' decided not to confirm her statement but didn't deny it either.

"You saw how his aura started flaring, how his magical energy shot through the roof and how it destroyed his body. What happened with the evil piece is unprecedented; it is normal for a piece to not be able to resurrect a strong being, but for a piece to be pushed back and the reincarnation spell to be broken midway…there is just a small amounts of races that could accomplish such a feat…"

"Such as…"

"Gods are a given, Heavenly Beasts and Ultimate-Class Monsters may also be capable…aside from Dragons there isn't any other race that comes to mind – none of which Katsuo belongs to…"

Wasting no time in analyzing her words Akeno continued.

"So you decided to bring him with us to decipher his actual nature"

To which Rias shamelessly nodded in assessment.

"In a sense…The main objective of our trip is to help Issei develop his power; we know the only way we have to beat Riser is through the [Boosted Gear] power – Developing Issei's power has always been the only plan A, other deviations are optional but not required"

A coy smile appeared on the black haired girl features.

"Ara, ara. So Katsuo was just for backup" her tone was teasing, implying the advantages of acquiring such knowledge.

"Yes – he carries an outstanding amount of magical energy; plus he has some sort of enhanced defense, if his displays in the Student Council and the Church were anything to come by…whether he use it willingly or unwillingly is to be discovered"

There was a quick flash of concern in her face, as her next words were about to leave her mouth – nonetheless she resolute herself and said them.

"Also the fact that he is a potential Holy sword wielder could help us…but…in the end he has no chance of beating Riser, only Issei has" she concluded, adding special noting to her last statement.

"I'm sure he will be disappointed when he hears that" Akeno said withholding a large amount of giggles – she then proceeded to ask another question, this time with a more serious tone to it "What do you think of him training Issei?"

"Issei said that Katsuo helped him become stronger, if he can bring out Issei's potential like he claims, then we might just increase our chances of winning"

The face of the crimson princess seemed to drop at the thought of her fighting chances against Riser…and the fate that shall befall her should she fail in her endeavor. Her form, once again, slouched on the sofa and then she proceeded to place a hand on her template and started massaging them.

At the sight of her King's face Akeno made her way beside her and placed a reassuring but kind hand on her shoulder – giving an expression that a mother would give to her child, the black haired woman spoke in soft and reassuring tone while showing a genuine and bright smile.

"Don't worry Rias; we will help you go through this, together"

Rias' eyes widened a bit at the actions of her best friend, only to later soften once again – in kind, a smile appeared on her face while she spoke wholeheartedly.

"Thanks Akeno" now with her more daring expression now present, she got up and stared at the horizon, the small flecks of sunlight creeping on it answering her question "It seems like it's already time to leave – would you kindly pick Katsuo up, I have to take care of Issei"

"Hai Buchou"

With those last words shared, two magic circles appeared at the feet of the girls respectively and they disappeared with a red flash leaving only buzzing energy and smoke behind them.


Near a creek stood a boy, not older than five, his face was bloodied and he had multiple bruises on his body; his clothes were dripping wet and there was mud all over his form – yet the boy wasn't crying, nor was he angry, he remained emotionless.

Not so far away from him the sounds of feet stomping on the muddy grass field filled the area; muffled laughter and snickering could be heard in the distance.

All of this didn't seem to affect the boy, as his face was akin to a statue, betraying no emotion. Instead of chasing behind the fleeing group, he decided to watch his reflection in the water – he was met with shallow aqua eyes and the once gleaming silver hair now ruffled and dirtied.

The sound of the fleeing pack of children disappeared into the distance, now leaving the silver haired boy in solitude…yet he could hear the sound of soft steps approaching him.

"You got beaten again"

The sound of those words broke his previous concentration, they were blunt and harsh; shifting his head to the source of the voice, he was met with the sight of a little girl, just like him, she couldn't be older than five. She had long blue hair, reaching to her shoulders, and her two brown eyes were completely directed at him with hints of disdain – nevertheless she began approaching him.

"You should stop cheating at practice, that way they will leave you alone."

She was now in front of him; her face was as equally bland as his but instead of displaying emotionless apathy, hers was more akin to stubbornness hidden by mask of indifference.

"…I'm not cheating…"

His response was short and emotionless, despite her implication. Nevertheless, his short words got a raise from the blue haired girl, as a frown appeared on the once indifferent face and a finger was pointed accusingly at him – it was a reaction that he didn't expect nor care for.

"Yes you are! And don't deny it! Everybody knows!"

Her words were blunt and intense, in contrast to her previous display of indifference and his detached demeanor.

"…"

Seeing that her words fell on deaf ears she continued with the same intensity as before. This time they carried concern hidden behind them, but they came as harsh as before regardless.

"If you keep doing that you will only get hurt"

There was reluctance, it was clear that the boy did not want to voice his opinions…so he remained there…still, before the girl…the time past and mere seconds became minutes and minutes felt like hours…but in the end he had to break his silence.

"…I know…"

She was greeted once again with another short answer; she should expect that by now, inwardly she knew that she would only get those from him – yet the acknowledgement of her statement did nothing more than increase her anger.

"Then stop trying to help them, they don't like you!"

Her voice reached him and their outrage was palpable – He could have ignored her, it wasn't something out of the norm for him, he did it most of the time and even if people got angry with him for it, he paid it no mind…yet, despite that, he decided to respond to her.

"…I want to stop…I hate them…"

Despite the harsh meaning of his words they came out as confused and emotionless, like a confused animal that doesn't understand the concept of hate – as expected, his answer didn't appease her.

"Then why try"

"…I don't know…"

This was the first time during their conversation that he showed some kind of emotion, as his gaze shifted from her face and his hand curled up into fist – the previously apathetic face contorted into what could only be described as frustration, not directed at her…but at himself.

Reining in her emotions, she released a defeated sigh and with a more friendly tone she spoke once again.

"You are weird you know"

Her remark seemed to somewhat ease him, as his curled fist reverted to open hands and his gaze left the floor and met hers once again.

"…you always say that…"

In response she extended her hand and left it open for him to take.

"Come…Griselda will get mad if she sees you like that again"

Warily raising his arm, he tried to grasp her hand – but as he was approaching her he felt…


…Cold! Cold! Cold!

"Finally, you woke up" a voice said, while adding a groan to the statement.

He found himself lying on the floor on top of a mat; seeing that he wasn't in his apartment, or any place that he recognized, he had his fair share of questions, of course the obvious ones like: 'where was he and why was he there' took second place to the more pressing matters…

"Why am I freezing?!" he shouted at the nearest person while shaking due to the cold water that was poured on him.

To his surprise the person before him was none other than Rias Gremory; she was wearing the female variation of the school uniform, which consisted of a red-colored track suit, another thing that drew his attention was the enormous bucket of water she was carrying…and how it was completely empty….

"You dumped that on me!"

To his over-exaggerated reaction she only gave him a mischievous laugh.

"You wouldn't wake up, I had to do something" she said with sarcasm dripping from every word she muttered.

"And you couldn't…" he was about to once again retort in comical angriness, but stopped when he noticed something crucial in his surroundings – they weren't the only ones present.

Behind Rias was Akeno, who had her usual smile on her face; she offered a friendly wave and a head tilt when she noticed his gaze had dawned on her. Deciding not to linger too much on the black haired beauty, his attention shifted to the other two figures beside her; one of them was Asia, her unmistakable blonde hair gave it away, at his sight she greeted him by slightly bowing her head…that was weird…The other figure was the emotionless Koneko, whose only acknowledgement of his existence was a quick nod his way, it was so fast that if he had blinked we would have missed it.

He also noticed that to the far right of the room was none other than Kiba, who instead of being concern for him, seemed more preoccupied with lifted what he could only describe as the cold and unmoving corpse of Issei.

Despite of how weird all of that looked, what really left him scratching his head was the fact all of them were wearing the school uniform, even Issei…he was pretty sure that they didn't have Physical Education today – that was usually on Wednesday and Fridays…and while he was supposed to have PE with Issei and Asia, since they were on the same class, Kiba was on a different class – perhaps the school had some sports events…but then again Akeno and Rias were upperclassmen…and Koneko was an under classmate…and they weren't in the school grounds and…

Wait – where was he exactly? By checking his surroundings he could see that he was in some kind of mansion and by the looks of it a very expensive one, but how on earth did he get here – the last thing he remembers was…

And just like that it crashed into him like a tidal wave.

He quickly remembered what happened yesterday, Rias entering his apartment, the meeting in the Occult Research Club, her failing to make him part of her Peerage and his promise to help them prepare for their Rating game. All of this just brought one question to his mind –

"How did I end here?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"You don't remember?"

"The last thing I remember was Issei trying to strangle me" he responded while putting a hand on his head.

"To put it simple you passed out – I had Koneko deliver you back home and Akeno came later to retrieve you for our trip"

"That is nice…wait…what do you mean by retrieve"

Making her be heard and completely dismissing his question, Akeno answered.

"Ara, ara. I tried to wake Katsuo-kun up, but he was such I heavy sleeper" she said innocently "I had to drag you along your blanket – you looked really cute despite your terrible sleeping posture ufufufu"

Oh.

He proceeded to take a quick breath to relax and formulate his ideas – opening his eyes not much later, he spoke in the most appropriate tone to address this matter.

"You basically kidnapped me!" he shouted in comically exasperation.

"No we didn't"

"What do you call abducting someone against his wishes?"

"Asserting dominance" she stated proudly while huffing.

He deadpanned.

"…" she wasn't going to see it his way…he knew that her pride wouldn't let her – deciding not to push this matter further, he changed the subject while releasing a defeated sigh "Then why did you have to use a bucket of cold water on me?"

She, in turn, released the heaviest groan he had ever seen from her.

"We tried everything to wake you up, from loud yelling to repeatedly punches even cutting your oxygen off"

"…that…sounds more like ways to kill me…" he muttered while shaking grimly.

Akeno decided to once again intercede in the conversation.

"I even tried giving you a little tap but no use" she said while shaking her head and gathering thunder between her index and middle finger. Then out of nowhere her smile changed and became more predatory and her eyes gleamed in sadistic anticipation.

"Perhaps if I tried a little bit harder it would have worked and seeing your pained expression wouldn't be so bad ufufufu" the thunder between her fingers increased significantly and her giggle carried a dark meaning behind it…also he was sure she quickly licked her lips…

His back shivered – the sense of looming danger all over him. Not knowing how to follow that up he decided to clear his throat ant change the subject.

"…anyway. What happened to him?" he asked awkwardly.

He signaled to Issei who was now being carried by Kiba – At his comment Rias' face contorted into a somewhat embarrassed expression while her right eyebrow started twitching slightly

"Ise, well he…"

She wasn't given time to finish her sentence, as a ghostly wail, which could only guess was the pervert's voice, cut her off.

"…so heavy…"

"Someone had to carry you all the way here, plus our luggage – in the spirits of training, Issei volunteered himself" Rias fished her explanation while releasing a sigh.

Something, call it a sixth sense, told him…the pervert did not volunteered willingly…

His train of thought was broken when another of Issei's wails filled the room.

"…you damn European prick face, how are you so heavy? You don't look that fat…"

That left him…confused?

"…thanks…I guess?" he asked more than stated, an eyebrow instinctively raising in question.

"Well we've lost enough time, get ready and meet us outside" Rias' voice brought him out of his confused stupor, only to be greeted with Akeno approaching him with a suspiciously familiar tracksuit…

Taking the suit in his hands he noticed – It was his…no…his was already worn out a bit, a few rough edges and scratches, this one was brand new…and it was his exact size – This was the second time he had been gifted clothes that were his exact size by them, which left him with just one question in mind…

"H-how d-did you get my sizes?" he asked reluctantly.

To which the black haired responded with a simple and innocent giggle…one that he better not try to understand – Thankfully the Crimson haired princess had something to voice.

"Training starts now!" she declared while putting both of her hands in her hips; her declaration was so arrogant and proud that it almost brought a small smirk to his face.

At her command everybody left the room, or in Issei's case, dragged out of it by Kiba and consoled by Asia beside him. With a resounding thud the doors closed behind them, leaving him alone with his own thoughts and a pair of sport clothes, which lead him to think…

'She didn't say where we were…'

Seeing that it was better to not keep them waiting, and to keep his sanity intact, he dressed up in the track suit and, as expected, it fitted perfectly – making his way to the main entrance and pushing the door he was met with a large open field with a forest surrounding it. Already in the field was the Gremory group, each of them were doing some kind of light warm up before the actual training. Thankfully his previous question got answered soon after when he decided to shift his head and saw in what kind of house they were staying – and the sight left him with his mouth hanging low; It was a huge manor with two stocks, it was Victorian style by the sight of it, despite being supposedly old the manor seemed to be in its prime, the wood was trimmed and the windows were as clear as diamonds and…were those hot springs in the backyard…

"You seem to like it" the cocky sound of Rias' voice brought him out of his perplex state – still the only thing he could muster as a response was voiceless silent nod.

"Well get used to it, we will be staying there for the next ten days"

She then proceeded to give two claps and, as if on cue, all her peerage gathered around her; even Issei, who at first scrambled himself up, followed her directions like…a pawn to its king…

"So what do you want to start with?" the heiress' voice called his attention once again, but it was the implication of her words that made him raise an eyebrow.

"I thought you were going to be the chief"

She proudly nodded in response and, with a smile on her face, she responded.

"And that is true, but I figured, since I've put you through so much trouble as of late – I guess that the best way to reward you would be by you selecting what to do during the first day of training"

That was…neat; if you ignore the fact that, despite offering his help for their training…he didn't have anything planned out; perhaps they could do just some light pushups and sit ups…that wouldn't do, they were preparing for an upcoming battle, doing sit ups and pushups wasn't going to help, they could play hide and seek like Issei did, but they seemed like they already had a good build up stamina…besides, that way of training works best when it's just two…Perhaps sparing? No, Rias and Akeno didn't look like the close combat type and Asia didn't look like a fighter at all…so weightlifting is out before even considering it – he guessed the next best thing to do was running…

…Then an idea hit him.

Rias raised an eyebrow seeing his more enlightened expression.

"Made up your mind already"

He simply nodded as response.

"So – What do you have in mind?"

His head quickly turned to address another member of her group – Blue steel sharpened at the sight of Aqua – his lips moved uttering the words that would shatter the previous friendly mood; containing his smirk…he spoke.

"I want to fight against Kiba"

And so – their smiles fell…


A/N: This took longer than expected. Mainly because college and work are draining my time right now, so I won't be able to post as quickly as I would like but I'll try to post at least once a month…so yeah. till next time.