Preparations For The Upcoming Battle
"Issei Hyoudou" - Talking
'Issei Hyoudou'- Thought
"Issei Hyoudou" - Communication circle/phone
*Sounds*
[ Issei Hyoudou ] - Inanis
"Issei Hyoudou" - Draconic voice
It's been five days since we started our training routine, rather intensely I must say. Meaning that we still have nine more days to train. The others seemed very determined to improve themselves for the upcoming battle, for an excellent reason of course.
I managed to bring up Kuroka to both Rias and Akeno during one of our break periods, to which they both reacted better than what I anticipated. I can't say that they were happy to hear it, but the understood none the less.
I also brought up the idea of having Kuroka come here to help her sister get stronger, which Rias obviously was hesitant towards taking such an action. Koneko was traumatized by what happened back then, and she doubted that it would go over very well.
Rias also wasn't exactly very receptive of the idea that an ex-SSS class stray devil would be training someone in her peerage. I tried to explain that Kuroka wasn't a bad person deep down, although it didn't help all that much.
In the end, she agreed to let me attempt to help her, but I would have to think of how to do it myself, the only part she wanted to take part in was giving her servant Koneko emotional support.
Currently, it was 11:45, meaning it was a resting period for us. We were all convened into the living room. The girls were giving Asia more advice on her magical abilities, which were surprisingly high. Her magic pool wasn't too far behind Rias, which is incredible for a human.
Koneko was sitting on a chair eating sweets, Wynter was taking a nap on the couch as she was exhausted from her training, while Kiba was laying on the couch, attempting to rest after Asia healed his broken bones that he received from our spar before gathering here. "I still think that you won with a cheap victory," Kiba grumbled out form the couch.
At the end of our fight, Kiba managed to disarm my claymore from me with a swift, powerful strike, using his momentum to his advantage, only able to do it after reaching his max speeds. I ended up laughing it off, then charging Kiba with fists raised.
"You only say that because I won. Concede already." I chuckled from the comfortable chair I was placed at, the book containing the Rating Game rules opened in my lap, opened around the halfway mark.
The girls were surrounding a table nearby while giving Asia her first official class of magical crash course. While they did teach her some things through the previous days, it was more or less improvised and basic stuff, such as how magic worked as a whole.
"Magic is all about your power and intent. You need the magical strength to fuel your spells and the will to guide and bind it to your bidding " I heard Rias say from the table. "All the supernatural beings have some form of magical prowess, be it Devils, Fallen angels, or Angels, the main difference being the source and magnitude from each individual." she continued to explain.
Asia put her arms together in front of her once again. Her eyes closing and her face adopting a look of intense concentration. She attempted to create a spark between her hands, wishing for a glimmer of her power to emerge from her, only to be disappointed in herself yet again.
"Don't worry about it, you'll get the hang of it eventually," Akeno promised, attempting to give Asia reassurance. "Magic has a hard innate curve to learning how to use it, and you already have a lot of innate potential for this, you just need more practice," she concluded.
"Are you sure? I've tried to do this every day, and still, haven't managed to do it properly." Asia asked, her face wearing a worried expression about whether she would ever achieve it or not. She wasn't exaggerating either, every attempt she has made at using her magical prowess ended about the same each time, each with frustration.
"You have devil wings, and that is a sure proof that you have demonic power flowing through your being. Now, all it takes is learning how to guide it out into the real world," Rias said, trying to reassure Asia. "You're also a Bishop, meaning your magical prowess has been increased. You can do this," Rias stated confident in her servant's capabilities.
Asia kept attempting this for a few more moments, then stopped unexpectedly. Her face wore a puzzled look as she seemed to be curious or confused about something. "I-If a devil's wings represents how much magical potential they have, then can a person have more than one set of them?" She asked the two girls.
Both girls were surprised by the unanticipated question from Asia but answered it never the less. "Well, most devils only have two wings or one set. To have any more than that would require a blood relation with the original Maou," Akeno answered. "Why did you ask such a question at such a random time?" Akeno asked puzzled.
"When I was held captive by the Fallen Angels, I managed to overhear some of their conversations. Raynare said at some point that she believed that she could achieve a second set of wings. I thought that if I did that, this might be easier for me," Asia answered.
Rias shook her head, letting out a sigh, her arms propping herself over the table. "I can see that it's time to give you a brief lesson in the physiology of the supernatural beings of this world," Rias said, walking in front of Asia preparing to give her a lesson. Before speaking, though, she thought about the best way to explain this to her.
Rias inhaled before speaking. "For all three of the beings, Devils, Fallen, and Angels, our wings are a manifestation of the excess magical power, be it angelic or demonic. We devils are generally limited to only one pair or two total. While our Fallen and Angel counterparts can increase their number as they get stronger, and as their excess energy increases. Too have anymore the one set as a devil requires you to have the blood of the original devil running through you," she concluded.
"Oh, I see, I suppose that makes sense," Asia said attempting to use her magic again, only for her to stop and display a puzzled expression again. "But, Issei is super strong, and he doesn't have any wings that look like yours," she said quizzically.
"Well, Issei is a... unique case," Rias said in a whispered tone, hoping that I was to focused on my book for me to hear. "His magical reserved are too low for his demonic wings to manifest themselves properly. While our wings are made of magic, his draconic wings are his flesh and blood," Rias stated, still whispering.
"But if he doesn't have much magic, how can he use his flames, as well as that extinction power if it's so costly?" Asia asked, looking over at the two girls.
"I'm not 100 percent sure myself, I remember hem mentioning something about it... but I didn't exactly understand it to well" Rias stated turning to her Queen expecting for her to have some insight on it, only to be met by a shrug. "I'm not very sure myself, although I think it has something to do with his aura or something along those lines," Akeno stated.
"That's correct, it is indeed aura," I said. The girls became startled as they didn't realize that I had somehow snuck up on them to examine the notes that were written on the table. "Dragons can't use traditional magic like you devils," I continued while reading the notes.
"Would you care to elaborate on that?" Rias asked, now very intrigued, along with the other girls. They all knew that dragons were practically incompatible when it comes to magic, as I have gone over it briefly before. However, having a more in-depth insight into how it works could help them with planning.
Kiba and Koneko moved over to us as well to listen in, as they were both curious as well. "Are any of you actually aware of what aura is?" I merely asked once the other two arrived at the group.
"Well, Rias's brother tried to explain it to us a while back, but I don't remember it very well," Kiba said rubbing his chin in thought, along with most of his peers as it seemed most of them were unable to answer the question accurately.
"He said it was something like the sum total of an individual's available magic energy, physical strength, life force or ki if you prefer to say that, their emotions, willpower, even memories, and soul. So, in short, the collective energy of a beings very existence," Rias said, still uncertain if that was technically correct.
"Correct, more or less. That's also what defines someone as a dragon. Most people would say that it's the scales, teeth, or claws that defines someone as a dragon. However, they would be wrong as what defines a dragon is their aura," I stated.
"is it stronger than magical power? If so, then why don't we use that instead?" Asia asked politely, still a little uncertain and confused about the conversation. "It sounds much purer and mighty then magic," she declared, looking confused at us.
Akeno sighed at hearing this. "If two people with more or less identical statistics fought, one of them using magic while the other used aura, the aura-user would most likely pass out from exhaustion before even releasing their first attack," She stated, informing the innocently naive Asia.
Rias nodded at her words. "That's correct, aura based techniques are incredibly draining, even to an ultimate class devil like the four great Maous. We just simply can't use it without burning through our stamina," Rias said, pausing slightly in realization. "So that's what makes a dragon," She said quietly, yet loud enough for the others to hear.
I nodded at her words. "Even though we lack the magical energy, Dragons are most adequately defined as the only species ever to exist that boasts godly amounts of aura, as well a boasting the highest efficiency with the aura based techniques. It's also the reason that dragons come in all shapes and forms since every aura is different and unique to the individual it belongs too," I stated
"If I were to join up in the presence of dragons in their reptilian form, I'd fit right in, regardless of the appearance or parentage. As far as any of us are concerned, hybrids that are capable of using their aura is considered a full-blooded dragon. The same thing could similarly apply to Saji. He may not be able to use aura abilities, but he still has a draconic aura. He wouldn't be treated as a dragon in full, but more like a close friend or perhaps a lesser relative to us." I continued.
"Seeing as we can use any of those abilities, would you mind giving us some caparisons. Like how strong aura based skills makes dragons compared to our traditional magical prowess." Kiba questioned me, to which I responded by nodding. I didn't speak immediately as I had to think about this before I answered, as I wanted to be sure to inform them properly, or what kind of teacher would I be?
"Lower class dragons can use it to take on high-class devils, Angels, Fallen, weaker gods, etc. This is also why high-class dragons can put fear into even ultimate-class beings. It's also the cause of why the top strongest beings, them being the Apocalypse Dragon and the Infinite Dragon God, are so far ahead of the others in the top ten. One of them draws their aura from dreams, and the other who has practically infinite aura makes them nigh-omnipotent beings that would be undefeatable compared to us mortals,"
The others shook slightly at the thought of such power, though while thinking about it, she brightened at the thought of the topic. "So, I'm assuming you can use it as well?" She questioned, looking at me. Kiba gained a look of realization in his eyes as Rias said this, but stayed quiet.
"Yes, although I suppose you all wouldn't know about it since I haven't used it against you in a fight," I said, raising my hand up allowing it to be engulfed in black and violet flames. "I'm a fire drake, and combining them with my heritage and sacred gear turns them into void flames, which burn for all eternity until I will them to stop," I said displaying the flames for the others to see.
"So our victory is assured then!" Rias shouted gleefully.
I hesitated before speaking. I wasn't willing to make her such a significant promise. "We... have a very high chance. Try to remember about Riser's regeneration. I don't know how strong his will is, and if I use too much of my power on him, it will kill him, and I'm sure that wouldn't be the desired outcome for you," I stated, surprising the others.
"Well no, killing a noble wouldn't be the desired outcome at all," Rias stated, looking down in thought.
"Do you really think you could kill Riser?" Akeno asked curiously, as the rest of the peerage members thought he was genuinely invincible considering his powers.
"Of course, he isn't immortal. He has rapid regeneration, that's all. Meaning that if we release an attack so powerful at him that it destroys every single one of his cells, he wouldn't be able to regenerate," I stated.
The others looked astonished at my words. They had no clue that I had enough power to use such a destructive force. "You have a technique that has that much power in it?" Kiba asked, shock in his voice.
"Yeah, I call it the Eradication Wave. To put it simply, it takes every aspect of my powers, my void and shadow powers, my Power of Extinction, and my void flames, and then forcefully combines them into one sphere around me. Whenever I release it, the sphere rapidly expands around me within a 50meter radius every direction of me. The area the gets touched by the field gets destroyed entirely, leaving nothing behind. It's a one-off use thing though, only able to use it once a month, so it's a last resort move," I stated.
The others just sat there listening as they tried to process how much power was behind that one attack. "So while I won't promise we can win, I will say that our chances are pretty damn high," I concluded.
Rias let out a long sigh of pure relief. She fell back onto a nearby chair, sinking down into it, as she no longer trusted her legs to hold herself up. She was overcome with hope and joy. For once in her life, she knew that she could actually have a happy ending.
Akeno and I walked over to her to make sure she was doing ok. Akeno walked behind the chair to rub her shoulders comfortingly, while I sat down on the floor next to the chair and grabbed her hand gently. I looked up to the clock seeing what time it was. "Alright, our resting period is almost up, let's get back to our training," I stated, getting up and quickly leaving the room as it was apparent I was excited to improve my new techniques more.
The others got up to follow my lead, walking out to their individual areas to train, stopping before leaving as the heard Kiba let out an uncharacteristic expletive word. "Kiba? What's wrong?" The timid Asia asked, concerned for her friend.
"Fucking bastard! He didn't once use his aura based abilities on us during our training, he was going easy on us. I would've been defeated by only one of those attacks!" The Knight said, sitting down while fuming for a while longer before straightening himself back up.
"He's threatening my pride as a swordsman. I will continue to improve as myself as well" He said with determination, picking himself off the couch and marching his way outside. The door shutting behind him with a loud, dull, thud.
"My my, men are so competitive," Akeno stated with a light chuckle. "That's certainly true," Rias said jokingly. "Now, let us continue our training, we can't let the two boys leave us behind," Rias declared to the others. They all agreed and walked off to do their own training.
Its been about 7 and a half hours since our break. The others were scattered across the broad area of land that was at our disposal, each one doing their own improvement training. I am currently making my way to Rias, as she is the only one I haven't spared with today.
Following her aura and scent lead me to her current location. On my way to Rias, I walked past Wynter. She was alone behind the large Gremory manor, doing what appears to be basic combat training. She was using a tree as her target, her claw-like weapons striking at it rapidly. I continued walking to her, slowly closing the distance while examining her as she doesn't seem to be aware of my presence.
Just from watching I could already tell she has improved a great deal, although I would also still say she still has a long way to go. Her strikes were more accurate and precise, aiming at locations that, if on a human body, would've been relatively vital for the fight such as knees, throat, arms. She seemed to be going for a more disabling style then right out kill, opting to incapacitate her opponents by striking at body joints.
I continued my search for Rias, which I traced relatively quickly. Upon arriving, I see her training with her spheres of Destruction. She seemed to be able to solidify them much quicker then she could at her examinations, which only leaves the problem of her creativity. She frequently shot off orbs instead of implementing different techniques, like her brother.
She perked up as she turned, seeing me walking over to her. "Oh, hello Issei," She chirped waving at me. I chuckled slightly and waved back at her. Her bright plucky attitude was cute, especially considering the upcoming fight.
"Heya, how goes your training?" I asked, stopping in front of her, examining the destroyed grounds around us. The damage was most likely caused by her Power of Destruction.
"Well, I can condense my magic fairly quickly now, not as fast as you, but reasonably fast everything considered," Rias stated confidently, her hands on her hip wearing a proud smile.
"Well, that's good news. Now time to address your other problem," I stated continuing to look around the destroyed grounds. Rias adopted a puzzled expression, as she didn't know what her other problem was. "This should be relatively easy, definitely easier than learning to condense your magic by nature," I stated reassuring her that it was nothing serious.
"And what might that be?" She asked politely, looking at me, attempting to get some insight based on my actions. "Your attacks seem to consist of primarily, or almost entirely, of spheres of Destruction correct?" I asked, turning my attention solely to Rias.
"Uh, well yeah, that's true, but how did you know that?" Rias asked puzzled.
"Aside from watching you fight, as well as fighting you first hand. These scars that are tattering across the grounds all seem incredibly similar," I said, pointing over the Destruction. The destroyed areas were always deep craters with a decent width. Showing that Rias would throw the spheres at the ground, which they would dig down into it before exploding.
Rias gaped slightly in amazement that I was able to figure out how she had been training just by looking at the damage to the grounds. "The fact that you lack creativity in your attacks is your other problem. I told you this during the first day, but you must've forgotten," I said.
Rias's eyes widened slightly as she remembered me telling her this. She gave a slight bow to me. "Sorry, I did forget, I won't do it again, I promise," she quickly said. I dismissively waved my hand. "Don't get your self worked up about it. Besides, if I got upset with you about that I would be a pretty big hypocrite," I stated, referencing that I forgot to tell them about Kuroka.
"Well, that doesn't matter right now. Let's talk about your attack techniques. Try shooting a beam," I instructed to Rias.
She looked at me slightly confused, yet proceeded with my instructions never the less.
She held up her hand, allowing her magic to gather at the palm. The magic swirled around, slowly gathering into a swirling sphere. She closed her eyes, focusing on collecting as much magic as she could. Her eyes shot open, glowing a fierce crimson red color.
The sphere shot out a beam, even if it was relatively weak. The beam exploded the ground as it made contact, leaving a short trail of destroyed earth across the courtyard. Her beam quickly lost power, significantly weakening until it faded completely. "Why did it stop?" Rias muttered mostly to herself, yet I still heard it.
"Was this your first time attempting to shot a beam?" I asked, turning my gaze away from the destroyed path and back to Rias. Her gaze shifted to me, shaking her out of her thought.
"Yes, or well, at least with my Power of Destruction. I've shot beams of other forms of magic before," She stated with a nod confirming my suspicions about why her beam died out so quickly.
"That makes sense, as to why your beam lost its energy so quickly I mean," I spoke, summoning my own sphere of Extinction. "Our two powers are very costly, meaning to maintain the stream we have to continually pump magical energy into the attack at a faster pace than ordinary magic. Here watch me," I said, pointing my arm forward.
The sphere shot out into a large, powerful beam. My sphere as I started to glow brighter as I continuously pumped power into it. The beam lasted around 5 seconds before I stopped supplying it with power. The trail of Destruction was longer than Rias's, yet only slightly deeper into the ground, as her initial strength wasn't her problem.
"Did you see what I did?" I asked Rias, hoping that she noticed how I kept my attack going longer than her. She thought a bit about what she saw me do before answering.
"I think so, although I would like an explanation before I just assume," she responded, her gaze shifted back to me from the path of Destruction from my attack.
"Alright, to start off, your beam had a good amount of strength behind it, so don't worry about lack of strength," I reassured her. "What you did was fail to pump enough energy into the beam. You see, attacks like that require a constant stream of power, a lot more then you would think. I generally don't use beam attacks because of the amount of constant energy it requires," I said, concluding the explanation of her problem.
"That's it?" She questioned, looking puzzled at me. She most likely expected a much more specific or intricate reason as to why she failed. "Yeah, that's all that I could tell that was wrong. Try it again, except push a larger stream of energy into that beam," I instructed to her.
She nodded and closed her eyes, focusing as she formed a sphere of Destruction in her hand. She hardened the sphere and opened her eyes, her eyes glowing a crimson red, displaying her powers.
The sphere in her hand shot out, forming a fair sized beam erupting from Rias's hands. Rias clenched her fist down onto the sphere as she pushed more energy into the attack, fueling the beams high consumption rate. Her path of Destruction reached up to mine, satisfying her as she let her beam die down until it faded into nothing.
"How's that?" Rias asked, turning to me, her face beaming with eagerness to hear what I thought of her display. I chuckled a little at her giddy cute display.
"It was quite good. As I said earlier, most of your problems have nothing to do with your strength, but more about misunderstanding in your powers or lack of experience," I stated while nodding approvingly. "Continue practicing with your use of power, and I'm sure you'll improve significantly,"
"Why thank you Issei, I'm glad to hear you say that," Rias said happily with a warm smile. She turned to continue practicing her training, assuming that I was done with her for today. However, she was stopped by my hand, grabbing her shoulder lightly before she could continue.
She wore a confused look as she turned back to face me, my hand moving off her shoulder as she turned. "Issei? Is there something else you need to talk about with me?" she questioned, her head tilted slightly.
"Yeah actually, although it isn't about us. It's about Koneko and her training," I said nervously, as I'm not sure if I could convince her to go along with my proposal.
Rias let out a sigh and gave me a suspicious look as she already had an idea of what I was going to suggest. "Alright, I'm listening," She hesitantly said, cause if it was what she thought it was, she already didn't like the idea of it.
"I know we already talked about it, but if we could bring Kuroka here to help train her," I said, to which Rias's eyes widened. "Koneko's sister didn't go wild with power, and Senjutsu isn't as dangerous as it's said to be, so maybe if we bring Kuroka here to help, Koneko might improve quicker."
Rias sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"You still want to bring a previous SSS class stray devil here to train my servant, that same servant being traumatized by the very same stray, correct?" Rias asked while giving me a stern look.
I didn't respond, as she technically wasn't wrong, and the way she phrased it made it sound awful. "Y-yeah, but she has been proven innocent, and had a valid reason for what she did," I said, attempting to justify my reasoning.
Rias sighed and nodded her head.
"Issei, I trust you, and your judgment. I also know you wouldn't make someone your mate if she were a bad person," Rias said, a hint of jealousy in her voice upon mentioning the mate part. I was about to speak up, only for Rias to hold up her hand, silencing me.
"However, how do you think Koneko will take this? She was left by the one person she thought she could trust, not to mention that most of the devil population wanted her to be executed, and almost got what they wanted if it wasn't for my household interrupting," Rias concluded.
I thought about it, and as much as I didn't like it, I knew she was right. "What if you let me talk to her, and let me talk her into giving her sister a second chance. I know Kuroka feels horrible about what happened, and intended to go back for her sister as soon as she got the chance, we still have the proof that we shown Sirzechs, so maybe we can convince her" I stated, hoping that it would work.
Rias stood there silently for a few moments thinking about what would be the best choice for her beloved servant. "Alright, Issei, I'll allow you to try this plan, but I demand that you respect Koneko's boundaries. If she refuses, then I don't want you to pressure her into it, got it?" Rias said firmly.
I nodded in agreement with her demands. "Of course, thank you for giving me the chance to do this," I said graciously. Rias and only smiled at me and shook her head.
"There isn't any need for thanks, you've done a lot for all of us. So this is the very least I can do in return, not to mention that this is all to help someone else once again, I should be thanking you for helping us so much," Rias said happily with a smile, wrapping her arms around me into a hug which I reciprocated.
I didn't respond vocally, because if I denied her words, then she would just insist, and that would go on for a while. We broke off the hug, and I proceeded to look around the area. "Do you have any clue as to where Koneko is right now? I'd like to talk to her about this plan," I asked, looking back over to Rias.
"I believe Koneko walked deeper into the forest to find a clearing in a more private area for her training," she responded, raising her hand pointing into the forest. "I'm not too sure why though, there is plenty of room on the manor grounds for all of us," Rias spoke with confusion, her words also confusing me slightly as I didn't know the reason either.
I filled my nose with the crisp air, taking all the scents of the surrounding environment. Through the process, I found Koneko's scent leading through the tree line, deeper into the forest.
"Alright, I don't think you need to be spared with today, so for now, continue working on your techniques and employment of your Power of Destruction," I instructed to her, to which she nodded to and continued to train as I followed Koneko's trail.
"Alright Issei, try to hurry, its almost dinner time. Akeno, Asia, and I will have something made for dinner for all of us. Bring Koneko back with you ok," Rias shouted, waving over to me. I waved back and continued on my way to Koneko.
I walked through the forest following Koneko's scent, which leads down a small hiking trail. The trail being best described as a worn path in the earth, as it was mostly a poor dirt trail that was nearly covered over by nature. Yet while it seemed as if I was aimlessly wandering, I was actually rooted in thought.
Rias's question of whether our victory was assured was troubling me, though I wouldn't ever admit that to the others. I know winning won't be a problem, but not killing the bird definitely will be. I've never been good at holding back my strength, and according to the rule book, the Rating Game's system can fail if there is a large and sudden release of power.
Also, the fact that the Elder Council doesn't know about me, which generally wouldn't be a problem, but due to the circumstances, it may cause a little bit of issue for Rias.
In the official rule book for the Rating Game is a special section involving the rules and regulations for powerful or high-tier sacred gears, including the Longinus. It stated that possession of them is required to be revealed to the Maou or Elder Council before the devil was considered of age for Rating Games.
I think I remember someone mentioning that the upcoming game was unofficial, so hopefully, there won't be any problems. We can even consider this my grand debut to the devil population.
That's all assuming that the sudden reveal of the possession of a possible Legendary Dragon, as well as the rumored and fabled Black Dragon of the Voids, doesn't cause any significant political backlash or fallout that could affect the entire devil world. I certainly have my work cut out for me.
I was brought out of my deep thought by a flash of bright white up ahead the path. Letting the thoughts leave my head, I ran up the path to see Koneko standing in the center of a reasonably small clearing. She appeared to be sparring a second version of herself, the duplicate looking like my shadow clones, except instead of black it was white. Could that be a manifestation of her Senjutsu?
Her form was well balanced, her stance near impeccable. The only fault in her performance was that her small size limited her reach, although I couldn't hold that against her. She was doing exceptionally well and clearly had no qualms with fighting in a dirty manner.
I sat in the trees observing her, wincing slightly at the several strikes that would have crippled the average opponent. It got to the point that I was mentally thanking someone that she was too short to properly use the same moves and style of combat on me.
She slowed down, catching her breath. My eyes widened as my gaze was drawn to the bright white cat ears and tail that was presented from her typical form. I already knew she was a Nekomata, so that nullified that shock, but I still never seen her traits exposed like this before, not to mention that the look was quite endearing.
It wasn't the same level of Asia's innocence or naivete, but it instead almost had an aura of cuteness. So much so that my first thought was that I would run over there, pick her up and pinch her cheeks. Her last move was a punch that buried her arm elbow deep into a tree. I wince, rightful so, as her blow was just at the right height to hit me a precious spot.
Koneko ripped her arm out of the tree, panting from her extensive exertion. I wondered how long has she been going at it. I mean, it did please me to see that she was working diligently, yet I didn't want her to injure herself from excessive strain.
Koneko leaned down, resting her hands on her knees while gasping for air. Once she regained her breath, she straightened up, turning to the path that leads back to the manor. Upon her catching sight of me, she froze. Koneko got so still that she looked like a living statue, hell I can't even hear her breathing anymore.
I slowly raised my hands and knelt down. Once fora enough, I sat down completely, that way, she was looking down at me instead of the usual reversed situation. Its basic phycology, if someone is attempting to calm someone down, its best to appear non-threatening. Even more so, the now height difference should grant her a feeling of superiority, and considering that she was always smaller, it definitely wouldn't hurt my chances.
It slowly worked, a little. I could once again hear Koneko begin to take small breaths as she visibly relaxed, no longer frozen by my presence. Her tail noticeably twitched as it receded back, her ears flattening and seemingly merging with her white hair.
She stayed quiet, causing the air to become thick with a tense feeling. It was like this for a few moments, as neither of us knew what to say in such a situation. I took a deep breath deciding to break the long silence.
"Hey, Koneko. I see you decided to take my advice," I softly spoke, trying to show that we're on friendly terms and I'm not mad at her, as I know she has had traumatic past with her Nekomata form, and she probably doesn't like that side of her.
Koneko nodded to my words, albeit reluctantly. "Do you mind if I ask a question? Why do you hate your Nekomata form?" I asked, already knowing the answer. However, I doubt she would handle that fact that I've known about her past for a long time well.
"Because... it's been the cause of so much pain and suffering in my life. It's also dangerous to use, and I don't want to put Rias and the others in danger, especially after Rias has done so much for me," Koneko stated, her voice quivering with a mix of emotions.
'So it's that common myth' I thought to myself. While it's true that using Senjutsu can corrupt the user if they take in malicious energy. However, contrary to popular belief, the user has to take in a significant amount of this negative energy before it starts to affect them.
"What if I told you that it isn't as dangerous as it seems and that there is someone I know who could teach you how to use it," I asked her. She looked at me with disbelief in her eyes. "What do you mean? Who are you talking about?" She asked, her voice losing its shaky tone.
"You may not like what I'm about to say, but stay with me until I finish, ok," I said, to which she begrudgingly agreed, clearly still hesitant about this whole thing.
"Senjutsu is indeed a very dangerous practice, but not to the people around them. Senjutsu's main threat is to the people learning how to use it, as losing control of it or using it in excessive bursts that they can't handle could kill the user. However, Senjutsu can't corrupt people as the rumors say, that's just a bad myth about the practice," I stated
Koneko's eyes widened as she heard me say this, almost as if she realized something. "The use of Senjutsu can corrupt the user yes, so the myth isn't entirely wrong. However, for this to happen, it takes a massive amount of negative energy, more than most normal people ever come into contact with," I concluded.
"So then that means.." Koneko started to say, but she choked on her own voice before she finished. Her knees are shaky, and her eyes are glassy from the water building up. "Yeah, Kuroka never went power hungry," I said softly trying to calm her, it didn't work too well.
Koneko stumbled backwards, falling down due to her shaky movement. She was being bombarded with different emotions that she kept locked away for years, it must certainly be hard to handle. "Then.. why?" Koneko muttered to herself.
"Why what?" I asked her, trying to slowly move closer.
"Why did she leave me? She was everything to me, so why would she do that? She left me there to be killed by the others," Koneko asked, he breaths rapidly increasing as she spoke. I walked over to her, resting my hands on her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.
She was shaken out of her little panic attack when I made contact with her. "I know it seems bad, but she was going to come back for you, she couldn't because she was being hunted for killing her master to protect you," I said, looking her in the eyes. "Then why did she kill our master if she didn't go power hungry?" Koneko asked.
"Because she got so powerful due to her master experimenting on her to augment her power. He was about to do the same thing to you, but your sister killed him to protect you from his torturous experiments," I answered.
"And how the hell do you know all this, how can you prove it?" She asked. I faltered slightly before answering, as I wasn't sure how she'd handle the answer. I took a deep breath preparing to speak, as I would have to tread lightly with this.
"You see, Rias and Akeno arent my only mates, your sister Kuroka was my first ever mate," I spoke. Koneko's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened as she faltered a bit. "How? How did you meet my sister?" Koneko asked, completely stunned and in disbelief by the reveal.
"After Kuroka became a high-class stray, several hunting parties were sent after her. I don't want to go into much detail about my past, but I'll say that I was hired by an individual to kill your sister and I was good at my job, in fact, I was the best at it," I spoke. Koneko listening carefully to my story, picking it apart piece by piece.
'When I showed up, your sister was fighting some other hunters that were hired publicly to do the job, but needless to say, they failed. When I entered, I was only seconds away from killing her, but then she said something that piqued my interest, so I decided to look into my contract and the reasoning for it a bit deeper. I discovered that the person that hired me was a relative of her dead master, but I also found that she killed her master to defend her baby sister, you. After that, I decided that instead of killing Kuroka, I would kill the person who hired me. After that, I helped her prove her innocence," I concluded.
Koneko looked down to the ground, and slammed her fist into the dirt, denting the ground. Her body was trembling in what I assume was anger. "I can't believe it. I went through so much suffering because of her, but now you're telling me she tried to protect me?" Koneko muttered in a low tone, clearly upset with herself.
"I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise she was only looking out for you," I said trying to reassure her that I wasn't lying. "Now, Koneko, I have a suggestion. You've already taken my advice about working on your Nekomata powers, which is an amazingly big step. Now all you need is someone who can adequately teach you, like Kuroka," I suggested.
Koneko froze for a moment and turned to look me in the eyes. "Issei, I don't know. I've despised her and my powers for so long now. What about Rias and the others as well?" Koneko questioned.
I gave her a smile trying to change the mood to a happier one. "Don't worry about them, I already talked to Rias about the idea, she said it was entirely up to you and that we will support you no matter what your choice is. You're our family, after all. And if you become uncomfortable with the situation, I'll talk to Kuroka, and we'll cancel this whole ordeal," I said.
Koneko looked down in silence for a moment, thinking about what was the right choice to make for her and the others. She looked back to me and gave a nod. "Alright, I'm willing to give her another chance, or at least try, " Koneko said, her eyes holding a form of determination.
"Alright then, I'll call up Kuroka here so you two can talk about your training schedule. I would like to help myself, but Senjutsu is way out of my league," I stated while pulling up a black and violet communication circle. The circle moved up to the side of my ear as I waited for it to connect with Kuroka.
We sat in silence while the circle connected. Koneko was sitting in the grass, fidgeting slightly clearly anxious about what's about to happen. The magic circle emitted a clearly audible noise, signaling that the connection got through.
"Yes, did you call? Nya," Kuroka's voice emitted through the circle. Koneko noticeably flinched upon hearing her sister's voice. "Yeah, it's me, Kuroka. I've got some good news," I said into the communication circle.
"Ooooh, and what might the be Issei dear, Nya. Could it be that you're ready to give me them kittens?" Kuroka seductively implied. I sighed and glanced over to Koneko, being met with a harshly judgmental stare.
"No, it's not that. It's about your sister, we're ready for you." I said with a solemn tone. The line stayed silent as Kuroka or I didn't say a thing. Then suddenly the line cut out and the circle faded confusing Koneko and me. A bright glow of purple emitted in the clearing, catching both of our attention.
Kuroka arose from the circle, her eyes and head darting around the clearing looking for us. She caught sight of us, her eyes widening as she spotted Kuroka. I quickly walked over to Kuroka and leaned down next to her ear before she could run over there.
"Koneko is still hesitant and anxious about this, so be slow and cautious. One wrong move might fuck this up," I whispered into Kuroka's ear. Kuroka wasn't happy to hear this, but she understood entirely after all her sister did go through a lot.
Kuroka and Koneko stared at each other silently. Kuroka took a few steps forwards, Kuroka instinctively flinching slightly. "Hey, Shirone... hoe have you been," Kuroka asked, her voice quiet and clearly tense. Koneko tensed up slightly by reflex upon hearing that name.
"Fine..." Koneko bluntly spoke. The awkward silence returned, making the air so tense that you could practically cut it. I thought about how I would be able to break this tension, cause I think they would get along if they got past this awkwardness. An idea popped in my head, one that should work.
"Alright, I can see this is going to be hard. So how about you to break the ice over your training, that way you'll have extended time together so you can get more comfortable," I suggested, catching the others two attention. Kuroka stayed silent to my suggestion. However, Koneko didn't.
"I... I think that could work," Koneko muttered quietly, surprising both Kuroka and I. "Alright then, instead of sparring with me for an hour each day, that hour will now be spent training your Senjutsu with your sister," I suggested. The others didn't object to it, so that's what we're going to do, for now at least.
The both looked at me and then back to each other, almost having a silent conversation about the subject. "I.. I think that could work," Koneko muttered out. "Yeah, that could work for me as well," Kuroka hastily spoke after her little sister. I think she was just up for anything so long as she had some form of connection with Koneko.
"Alright then, Kuroka, I normally spar with them for an hour each day so that's when you'll train her with Senjutsu. However, you're more than welcomed to stay and help Koneko more than that, so long as she's ok with it. Although it's best to introduce you to the others later, they have enough to worry about as it is." I concluded my explanation of her expected schedule.
Kuroka nodded, understanding her requirements. Koneko stayed silent through the whole ordeal, still clearly unaware of what to say to who she had long hated. Kuroka walked over to Koneko and kneeled down to her level,, reaching for something in her bag.
"Here, I know it's not going to be easy for you to trust me... especially after I had to leave you like that. So I want to give you this," Kuroka said, pulling out the same journal that belonged to her once master. I figured the council would've taken it, but I guess they didn't.
"...What is it?" Koneko asked, looking at the old worn journal. "It's the journal of our old master, in here are all the things he did to me and what he planned to do to you. I figured that if you still don't trust me... then maybe you could read this," Kuroka said, justifying her reasoning, handing the book over to Koneko.
Koneko sat there, silently analyzing the book that has been given to her. "Alright, tomorrow you'll meet in this same clearing for your training. Kuroka it's probably best for you to leave until tomorrow, it's late, and Koneko and I need to get back to the others for dinner," I said.
Kuroka hesitantly agreed, saying her goodbyes to Koneko shortly after teleporting back to where she came from. Koneko rose off the ground, walking over to me in silence. She wore a serious expression as she thought about what's going to be happening over the next few days.
"How about we head back before it gets any darker? Akeno, Asia, and Rias should already be making dinner for everyone," I suggested. The short rook brightened at the mention of food and immediately moved closer to me and the trail to the manor.
She heard that I was a fair distance behind her by my distant footsteps. At that, she stopped to wait for me to catch up to her. I was a bit hesitant as I drew closer to her but was reassured by the trusting look in her eyes. Did I pass some kind of test for only not caring about what her heritage was?
Well, I wasn't going to complain about it either way. It was a quiet walk on the way back, yet it was a comfortable kind of quiet now. Neither of us was willing to break the silence, as it was to nice to break.
Rias, Akeno, Kiba and Asia sat staring incredulously at the heated and yet most silent competition they have ever seen. Their petite Rook and myself competing at the dinner table. Of course, Rias, Akeno, and Asia have outdone themselves in their efforts to create enough food for an entire army.
Yet now an army of two devouring the fruits of their labor. To be fair, we both are behaving well, both of us showing exemplary table manners, therefore not breaking the unspoken rule to remain civil at the dining table.
Yet because of this, they realized just how much Koneko and I ate. The girls just watched us consume a substantial amount of food, enough food to last the rest of the group for an entire week, and we sat here and ate it in perhaps half an hour.
I swallowed my last mouthful of food before setting the used cutlery down on the table and wiping my mouth off with a napkin. "That was amazing, my compliments to you three girls," I said, nodding to the three girls that made the meal.
"My my, if I knew you both were going to eat so much I would've made much more for us," Akeno teased. "Perhaps we should get started right away," I waved dismissively before she could continue any more. Koneko and I both slouched down with immense satisfaction.
"I'm pretty sure if we ate any more, we'd both pop," I, closing my eyes in bliss.
"Did you like the soup Issei?" Asia asked, leaning forward. "I may not be as good as Akeno or Rias, but I certainly did my best!"
"Um, yeah it was great to Asia," I responded, wondering where this question was coming from. Asia leaned back, letting out a sigh of relief.
Rias began to frown, although she hid it very carefully. Now was not the time for her to lower down to such frivolous things to get jealous over.
She could participate in that after they won the Rating Game with Riser. So instead she decided to change the subject with a question. "Earlier today that you could use aura based abilities, would you mind elaborating on that?"
"How so? I mean, is there anything specific you'd like to know?" I questioned Rias, leaning back forward to focus on the conversation. The others started to listen more closely as they were very interested in this subject as well.
"Well, you've already told us a little bit about it. However, I want to know every benefit from being a dragon as well as every disadvantage. I'd also like to know what all you could, or possibly could do with your aura abilities. Consider it a need-to-know to make proper battle plans," Rias stated.
"Ok then, I'll start with the passive effects of being a dragon. So as you already know, my heritage and aura make me highly resistant to powerful magic, and practically immune to weaker magic. It also does wonders for the body. If you were to cut me open, you'd find there is very little difference between your and my internal anatomy," I stated, the others a little confused about where I was going with this.
"Some of my inefficiencies are removed, while other things are greatly improved upon. My skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs have all been increased in size as well as a massive increase in density. This makes then all reinforced and strengthened immensely to match real dragons my age. My lungs have changed considerably to handle extreme temperatures from my fire element, yet the only thing about their appearance to change is they doubled in size," I continued, now starting to move onto physical changes.
"The only real changes outside are the fact that I have grown teeth, claws, and wings. My eyes have noticeably changed as well. For other benefits, you've seen that my skin is as hard as dragon scales thanks to the increased density and strengthening to my skin and muscle tissue. I also have significantly increase senses to my sight, hearing, smell, and perception," I stated
Asia innocently raised her hand to ask a question. I nodded in her direction, prompting her to ask what she needed. "If our wings are an extension of magic, and yours are physically part of you, then where do they go when you hide them?" She asked, and seeing that everyone else displayed curiosity to the question, I decided to indulge them.
"It's a trick to do with my aura. You see, dragons can change their shape and form by manipulating their aura. I can't change my entire body due to not being a full-blooded dragon. However, I can hide my draconic features to appear more human," I explained.
"Back to my powers, I've already told you about my void flames," I spoke, raising my hands and allowing it ignites with black and violet flames, the flames dancing around my hand and down my wrist a short way. "It can also be used to propel myself away like a rocket, although that isn't very efficient," I mentioned.
"Also my relation to Inanis allows me to manipulate shadows with my aura without the use of my Longinus, although using it makes it more effective. You all have seen me use my shadow weapons before correct?" I asked the others, to which they nodded.
"The shadows are very versatile, basically letting me do most things I can think of, so long as I know how to do it properly and have practice doing it," I stated, intriguing the others.
"That's all of my aura abilities, but using my Longinus gives me a few more benefits. Like the ability to directly connect with void powers, such as summoning black holes to redirect attacks or power. As well I've already said that it boosts my natural powers, as it can control shadows just like my aura, making it more effective." I concluded, summing up basically all my powers.
"Ok well earlier you said you'd explain your weaknesses as well, so what are they?" Rias questioned, leaning in to listen carefully, trying to miss a single detail. "Weakness? I didn't think he had any," Kiba chuckled, causing the others to join him.
"Not true, I have a decent amount of weaknesses, even if they are only minor. Like healing magic," I stated, confusing the others as to how healing magic was a weakness.
"What do you mean?" Akeno asked, tilting her head slightly. "Healing magic isn't used to damage anyone, in fact, its the opposite, so how can that be a weakness?"
"That's not what I meant. I mean that healing magic is significantly less effective on me due to the natural resistance to magic. So I either have to rely on my own healing factors or medicine from hospitals and such. As well as all of my abilities are based on solo fighting, as I've never fought in a team before," I spoke, deciding to keep the fact that I sneak out at night to train with making shadow armor a secret.
The doors to the kitchen opened up interrupting our conversation, Koneko's head poking through the gap. "Dishes are done," She announced to us all.
"Excellent, now I don't know about the rest of you. However, I think that a bath is in order," Rias spoke, clapping her hands together as she stood from her chair.
The rest seemed to agree, except for me to which I just shrugged at her question. "You all go on, I think I'm going to get in a little more training in before I bathe and go to bed," I stated, walking towards the door. Just now noticing that Kiba left sometime after I finished discussing my powers to dry the dishes.
I was prevented from leaving by Rias and Akeno, both grabbing one of my hands. "Oh, don't be like that Issei," Rias said innocently to me. "While I appreciate your dedication to this matter, I simply can't let you work yourself to death." She spoke, tapping her finger against her lips, which formed into an innocent smile. "Why don't you join us, Issei?"
What! Oh no, ONE, that's hardly appropriate, and TWO, I doubt everyone would be comfortable with that," I said justifying my reason.
"Alright, then, how about we put it to a vote?" Rias decided. "Akeno, what do you think?"
"Oh, I wouldn't mind at all," Akeno said, her smile setting me on edge. Her smile was, and her eyes were filled with lust as she answered Rias. "Wynter, how do you feel about this?" Rias asked.
"I'd love to help bathe my master," Wynter said with eagerness, although not for the same reason as Rias and Akeno. "Alright, how about you, Asia?" Rias questioned her gaze now on the Bishop.
"I... I'd like that" Asia spoke softly, barely audible. Everyone present in the room now turned their attention to Koneko, who has been silent throughout the ordeal.
"I... I don't mind if he joins." Koneko whispered, before looking up to give me a harsh glance. "But perverted thoughts are completely forbidden." She demanded
"How the hell am I supposed to avoid that! Come on now, be~OW." Rias and Akeno moved their hands from mine to my ears, dragging me away as Asia, Wynter, and Koneko followed shortly behind them. Just before we turn the corner to the bathing room, Kiba emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel before stopping to see the occurring events.
Seeing my chance, I took it. "Kiba! Don't let them take me!" I cried out to my only chance of salvation from these animals.
"What are they doing exactly?" Kiba questions.
"They're trying to make me bathe with them!" I cried out, trying to reach for Kiba.
Kiba looked at the scene in play, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw Koneko going along with it. "If Koneko is even going along with it, what do you think I can do against all of them?" Kiba questioned as he watched them drag me away.
"YOU TRAITOR!" I cried out to him, disappearing from Kiba's sight as he watched the doors closed.
It was now the final day of our training, as the days passed by rather quickly. Everyone has taken the day off to properly rest for tomorrows match.
I'm currently laying in my bed, faking being asleep as it was now night. Kiba was in his bed across from me in the room we shared. I slowly moved the blankets that covered me, allowing me to peer over at Kiba to see if he was asleep.
Thankfully Kiba appeared to be sound asleep, and even more so that Rias and Akeno weren't in bed with me tonight. As they sometimes broke the rules to sneak in bed with me to sleep.
I never cared about it so long as the others didn't find out about it. Especially Kiba, as I doubt he would take it well if he found his King and Queen half naked and in bed with his comrade and friend.
I looked around to acquire the time as the sky outside was black and dotted with stars. I spotted the clock in the dimly lit room, the red numbers shining brightly, showing that it was currently 11:30 P.M.
'Perfect' I thought to myself, slowly removing the covers from my body. Lifting myself from my bed, I slowly walked out of the room, attempting to be as quiet as possible.
I wandered through the halls of the large manor, stumbling through rooms till I found the kitchen. I got a glass of water to quench my thirst and made my way outside into the chilly night air. I took a deep breath of the refreshing air, enjoying the alone time I'm being gifted by the night.
I wandered around outside, thinking about the upcoming fight tomorrow. I made my way to a large marble gazebo next to the large lake on the manor's property. The water's surface and the marble glistening in the moonlight.
My attention was caught by the sound of movement through the grass behind me. Turning around, I spotted Rias standing there with the Rating Game rule book in her arms. Her cheeks were tinged a pink color as she stared at me.
I looked Rias up and down. She had a very questionable choice of attire for walking outside in the cold night air, or out in general. She wore nothing but thinly laced panties covered by a see-through nightgown, her eyes covered by glasses as if she was a seductive secretary.
"Weird choice of clothing to go for a walk, don't you think?" I chuckled mentioning her appearance. She certainly was beautiful in that outfit, though it was hardly pragmatic.
"Like your one to talk," Rias scoffed. "You're wearing nothing but slacks. You don't even have a shirt on" Rias spoke, her face flushing even bright as she mentioned me not wearing a shirt. She made her way to my side, resting the book on a ledge while leaning next to me.
"I'm a dragon, remember?" I said bluntly. "Either way, don't you think its a bit late to be out tonight? You're our King, so you need rest to come up with a good strategy, you know?"
"I know, but... I just can't. I can't sleep with everything going on." Rias spoke, raising her voice. "I can't sleep knowing about the Rating Game. I've never been so stressed during stray hunts before."
"So, you're stressed about fighting that burnt chicken, huh?" I asked, nodding as I looked over the shimmering blue water. "I shouldn't be surprised about that though, especially with whats all at stake for you,"
"For me? Forget about me, I'm worried about everyone else!" Rias shouted, startling me as I didn't realize how bad this was affecting her. "At best the other girls in my peerage will be used as sex slaves, you and Kiba would be worked as labor slaves. At worst, you will be executed for getting involved with two houses that hold the title of Duke!" Rias snapped at me.
Rias's eyes widened quickly after realizing what she just did. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that." Rias quickly apologized, giving me a light bow.
"Don't worry about it, you meant no harm by it," I said dismissively. I glanced over at Rias, looking at her stature in an attempt to find out what's wrong on a deeper level. Our soul link already told me that there was more than was troubling her, but I didn't want to try into her privacy either, so I think its best to leave it be till she says something about it.
A few moments of silence passed. "My name, my title" Rias quietly spoke, looking up at the starry sky. "It's that fact that I'm Rias Gremory."
"Uh, sorry but I don't think I follow,"
"Yeah, I figured you would understand it," Rias spoke, looking back over to me. "Because of my title, I am never recognized as Rias. The House of Gremory will always come before me... and I've learned to adjust my life to that fact so I could make personal decisions accordingly."
"So, you dislike your house title and name then?" I questioned, still unable to wrap my head around this. As a dragon, titles were something to be proud of as they were given to us by the public, so the idea of hating a title was almost unheard of.
"No, of course not. My title is something I will always take pride in, but when it comes to the subject of marriage, it's significantly more difficult for me. I want to share that with someone who loves me as Rias, not someone who sees me as the Gremory heiress or who only cares about how my status can improve their life." Rias explained.
I realized how foolish I was for not connecting the dots as she mentioned that, but before I could speak she opened her mouth to speak once more.
"If they marry me for my status, then they are basically marrying the house name, not me. I understand that history hasn't been in my favor, and the idea of love may always be a dream that's out of my reach, but its a dream I'd like to keep clinging to." Rias said solemnly.
She was interrupted from her monologing as I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a gentle hug. Although she was surprised by the sudden contact, it wasn't unwelcome. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling us even closer together.
We sat there in silence for a few moments as Rias nuzzled herself deeper into me. "Comfortable?" I questioned, looking down at her.
"Very" Rias responded, her gaze now looking up to me with a small smile. "I might have to order you to do this more, you know?"
"Your dream will come true, I know it," I softly spoke. Rias looked on in surprise as I continued to talk. "I like you for who you are, and the Gremory name doesn't define you, it's just an empty title, and anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't know you for you," I reassured.
"You're incredible. I mean come on, look at everything you've done for me. I just hope I can pay you back someday," I admitted while holding Rais. Her eyes started to well up a little, water threatening to leave. Yet they were not tears of sorrow, but tears of joy. "Don't worry about Riser, there's no way we're going to lose to him tomorrow, I promise that,"
"Thank you," Rias responded, her voice soft and shaky. "You don't need to repay me, I'm happy with you even being here." Rias pulled herself closer, burrowing her face back into me as we sat in silence under the moonlit sky.
We sat outside together in pleasant silence, merely enjoying each others company. "You know you can tell me what's wrong right?" Rias asked, breaking out silence.
"Y-yeah, but what made you bring that up," I asked, stuttering slightly as she brought up the topic.
"You may be good on hiding on the outside, but I'm sure you know our soul link works both ways. Akeno has probably noticed it too, she just might not have known how to bring it up," Rias stated.
I removed my arms from around her, causing Rias to let out a moan of disappointment. I leaned over the marble railing of the Gazebo, crossing my arms and looking over the beautiful scenery, thinking about how to handle what she just asked. In the end, I decided to be honest.
"Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I was fine right now." I admited, wearing a bittersweet smile, a cool breeze blowing across us.
"Tell me, why did you fall for me? It's kind of convenient for you to find me attractive right as your about to be forced into a marriage, no?"
Rias stumbled back slightly, almost offended that I asked such a question. "Because, your everything I've wanted," Rias answered loudly. "I will admit that I took an initial interest because of the marriage. But I really do love you, you never cared about my title, and yet you treated me so kindly, you treated me like a friend rather than royalty. It's a bonus that your quite the looker too, but that's only a side note. You didn't leave, despite being forced into a situation that I wouldn't have blamed you for running,"
I chuckled slightly in the irony of what she just said. "Shortly after meeting you guys, I thought about turning into a stray. I didn't know if I could ever live as someone elses servant," I bluntly said.
Rias stiffened upon hearing my words, and how serious I was. I could physically hear her heartbeat quicken, so I decided that giving her some relief was needed before I continued.
"However, despite my best efforts. You and your family, you all grew on me quickly. You all gave me more privileges then I ever expected, and definitely more than I ever deserved. You didn't treat me as a monster for my heritage, or lesser than you in any way. You never tried to command me to do something, despite some of our early uh, disagreements." I spoke, Rias staring at me, stunned by my words, she was completely unsure how to respond to me.
"I'll admit it, you and your peerage intrigued me. So I decided to stick around, see what this path has for me. Would I be happier if I was free? Maybe, I don't know, and I won't ever know. All that matters now is I'm happy now, and that is because of you," I spoke, turning my attention to Rias. She stood there covering her mouth, with tears in her eyes.
I sighed, turning to face her. "Look, I'm not good with words, I think we both know that by now. So, if I was to wrap this all together with one tight little bow. Thank you, Rias. Thank you, for giving me things I never thought I would have. For giving me a family to care for, for giving me, love. I don't think I could ever repay the kindness that you've provided to me. However, the best place for me to start is making sure Riser doesn't get his way tomorrow."
Rias quickly wrapped her arms around me, embracing me tightly while tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you," was all she said while crying into my arms. I rubbed her hair, trying to comfort her.
"Don't worry, you'll be able to hold onto that dream, I promise."
Another chapter is finally completed, and Issei's fated battle with the chicken will soon be upon us.
I would've had this chapter up at a much sooner date if my pc didn't break down on me. However, it's back now, and I can get back on track with my work.
Thank you to everyone who reads my hopeless little story as well to everyone who leaves reviews.
Remember to leave suggestions and criticism for my story, I love hearing it. :D