Welp, looks like the streak is over. After 5 whole weeks of straight updating, it's gone. Oh well.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Highschool DxD, or any of its characters...
(Play - "Treasured Memories")
Nobody had the ability to speak after the spiky blonde teenager blurted out those words, and a quiet atmosphere took over the whole clubroom once again. Roxas and Xion simply stood there with smiles on their faces, while the student council looked stoic. Among them however, Sona hid a smirk to herself when she saw her childhood friend sharing the same expression as her pawn.
In fact, it wasn't just Rias. The whole Occult Research Club were all gobsmacked with the appearance of her two new servants, it kind of reminded Sona of her own reaction to seeing Roxas and Xion during that fateful night. However, unlike her reaction that time, Rias and her peerage's shock wasn't just because the both of them were Sora's friends from his original worldline.
It was the fact that they were her servants!
Surprisingly enough, after what felt like an hour, it was Sora himself who broke the silence. His voice was cracking from the shock and emotion he felt from seeing two of his friends from his original universe, right here in front of him in the very clubroom which he was a part of.
"R-Roxas… X-X-Xion… is it… really you…?" Sora shakily took a step forward, raising his arms slowly while being doubtful of his own actions. Much to his total relief, however, Roxas only chuckled and outstretched his arm with his friend mimicking the action.
"Yes, Sora. It's really us," Xion giggled at the small tears that began to form in the corner of Sora's eyes. However, it was because of this that she feared what his reaction would be once he finds out that Kairi and Aqua were supposed to be with them.
"G-Guys… you're really here!" Unable to stop himself from shedding tears, Sora lunged forward and wrapped the two in a tight embrace, which they took happily as it became a three-way hug. Roxas and Xion could only pat the boy on the back as they felt tears dripping down on their uniforms, before Sora struggled to keep his emotions in check so that he wouldn't be a crying mess.
As soon as they saw Sora embracing his friends, the other members of Rias' peerage could only smile at the scene after realizing how much this meant to one of their own. After getting over her own shock, Rias flashed a smile of her own as she let her pawn have this moment with his friends. She could only imagine what it was like to finally be with the people you used to know after a long time… even though it's only been weeks.
"Wow Sora, you've been involved in some pretty big stuff ever since you disappeared from home… imagine the surprise me and Xion felt when we learned you were a devil." Roxas smirked, causing Xion to frown at him for making such a remark while their friend was feeling emotional.
"How did you guys find me here? How did you even get to this world? How is everyone back at home? Is Kairi doing okay?" Sora asked with a noticeable crack in his voice, pulling away from the hug and looking at the two former Organization members in confusion.
Xion and Roxas looked at each other for a few moments, before the girl decided to answer for the both of them. "One at a time. We woke up in this town when we got here, and the first people we saw were Sona-kaichou and her peerage. They're also the ones that took us in for a few days. The reason we got here, well…" she trailed off, unsure of how to tell Sora about how they got to this world.
"I would also like to know how you met these people, Sona…" Rias spoke up, crossing her arms under her bust before she sent a suspicious look towards her childhood friend. "...as well as the reason why you didn't choose to inform me with this the moment it happened."
Sona only nodded. "I will gladly explain things to you, but can we discuss it over a cup of tea? This may take a while, and I would appreciate it if my peerage and I aren't standing here for the entirety of this matter."
Seeing no problem with what the Sitri girl wanted, Rias only sighed before nodding in agreement. "That's fine with me."
Soon enough, the two clubs were gathered on opposite couches with Sona, Roxas, and Xion sitting together while Rias and Sora were on the other. The rest of their peerages either sat on what space remained on the furniture, or simply stood nearby to watch closely.
Sona took a sip of the tea that Akeno had prepared for everyone, before she sent a knowing glance towards one of her newest servants. "Roxas, would you mind enlightening Ishida-kun more about how you and Xion ended up here?"
The spiky blonde Nobody looked at his leader for a few seconds before turning his attention to Sora, who looked more eager than ever for answers. "...As soon as you disappeared, everyone felt devastated and they were doing their best to figure out where you ended up." Roxas continued, adopting a more serious expression. "A few days after you disappeared, Master Aqua made a crazy plan to rescue you even though you were in another universe. Me and Xion were supposed to be investigating our memories for clues, but we decided to tag along with Master Aqua since we thought she had more chances of finding you than anyone else."
"Aqua? W-Why would she do that?" Of all the people who would come up with a crazy plan to rescue him, she was one the people whom he least expected to do so. Someone like Riku or even Ven would only be as crazy as him to do something as crazy as using the power of waking.
"Sora, she's been blaming herself along with Kairi for your sudden disappearance. She feels that she let you down after all that you've done for her," Xion stated with a downtrodden expression. "You're not going to believe this, but… she actually cried when we were all at Master Yen Sid's Tower. It reached the point that she doesn't believe she's worthy of being a keyblade master."
"But it's not their fault…" Sora felt terribly confused that someone would feel responsible for his disappearance when it was his own choices that led to his eventual fate. Oh, he could only wish that he could see Kairi right now and tell her that it wasn't her fault, the same goes for Aqua. "I saved Kairi out of my own will, and Aqua couldn't have known that I was going to disappear after using the Power of Waking again."
"That's how they feel, Sora. Among all of us, they were likely the most affected over your disappearance." Xion continued, only to see Sona gesturing for her to continue on to the important part. "A-Anyway, a few days after that, Master Aqua's plan was to use the Power of Waking to transport herself to wherever you were, and… before she could leave, Roxas and I saw her and decided to come along."
"Then that means… Aqua's here too?! Where is she?" Sora exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening as a smile slowly formed on his face with the possibility that more of his friends might be in Kuoh.
Xion and Roxas looked at each other again, wondering how they should tell the news to Sora without creating a… disappointing reaction. Sona noticed this and sighed lightly, deciding to answer the question herself instead of dragging this out any longer.
"I'm afraid that… on the night that I encountered Roxas and Xion with my peerage, it was only the two of them that appeared in Kuoh." Sona stated in her stoic tone, getting the brunette's complete attention. "For the past week, I have not detected any other foreign presence in this town after they appeared."
"Does that mean… she ended up in another worldline?!" The keybearer said, alarmed that something worse might have happened to Aqua. He would never be able to forgive himself if she got harmed while she was only trying to save him.
Sona pushed her glasses up. "I don't believe that such a thing happened, because according to my servants, they left the world of Radiant Garden holding hands together. None of them would stray into a new universe unless they broke their connection, Ishida-kun. It's more likely that she ended up somewhere else rather than this town. For all we know, she could be in the Underworld or even Heaven."
"That's… better than ending up in another worldline, I guess…" Sora trailed off, releasing a huge sigh of relief upon realizing that one of his friends may have just landed in another part of this world instead a new universe altogether.
"Indeed. Furthermore, Aqua is a well-known keyblade master in your world, is she not? Then there is no need to worry about so carelessly, because thinking negatively about her current situation will only lead to something worse."
"I understand," Sora nodded as he looked down on the floor for a moment.
"May I ask why you told me about this issue only now, Sona?" Rias sent a sour look towards the Sitri heiress, before she took a glance at Roxas and smirked slightly upon remembering a certain topic during the last time that they spoke with each other. "Don't tell me that you were planning on keeping these two to yourself, especially Sora's Nobody."
"Huh?" Roxas said cluelessly, hearing himself getting mentioned.
From the sidelines, most of the student council members started snickering because it could be said that their leader was acting almost like what Rias described. Hell, even Tsubaki had to cover her mouth to prevent risking her image as the vice president of the student council.
Sona pursed her lips together, while trying her best to keep a straight face. "I assure you, Rias. I wanted to tell you about Roxas and Xion as soon as we encountered the two of them that night. However, you were facing a dilemma in the form of Riser Phenex that there was no chance for me to hold a meeting with you until now."
"Hmph, you could've told me through a simple phone call, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." Rias' smirk only widened before she set her eyes on the two former Organization members. "So they are your new servants… may we know what piece did they each take? I'm sure Sora would like to know since his friends are now devils like him."
This got Sora's attention as he clenched his fists in excitement. If Roxas and Xion were devils too, then they can either promote like him, run really fast, possess more powerful magic, have super strength, or all of them at the same time. "Yeah, I want to know! What Evil Piece did you two take?" he asked with his usual grin while putting his arms behind his head.
"Uhm… I'm not sure, Sona only turned us into devils last night when we were watching the Rating Game between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex. She made the offer to turn us into devils a few days after we landed here, but we only accepted it last night." Roxas then sent a thumbs-up towards his other. "You gave that bastard a really solid beating, Sora. Nice job."
"Ahaha… thanks, I guess…" Sora said sheepishly. "I just… did what I had to do so Rias can be free from that engagement."
Sona shook her head and sighed, folding her arms in front of her chest as she went back to her serious demeanor. "Getting back to the topic on hand, Xion is reincarnated as my second Knight. After learning more about her abilities in battle, I came to the conclusion that speed would be her main advantage. Roxas is a very special case, just like Ishida-kun, having taken up all seven of my remaining Pawns. Since he is supposed to be Ishida-kun's equal, I figured I should him the same amount of worth that your Pawn has, Rias."
"I see," Rias nodded once as a sign of understanding. "Both are smart choices, I don't expect anything less from my rival."
"So Xion is a knight like Kiba… Roxas is a pawn like me! This is so cool! That Organization member doesn't stand a chance against us now! We're stronger than him by a mile!" Sora exclaimed, before he realized what he just said in front of Roxas and Xion. He quickly looked at the two and covered his mouth, before grinning in embarrassment. "I… I guess I should've warned you two about that first?"
"Nah, we already know about it." Roxas waved off his concern with Xion nodding her head in agreement.
Sora looked surprised with his Nobody's words. It's been a while since he heard anything about that guy in the hood but of course, he hasn't completely left Sora's mind. "Y-You know…? Did you see him when you two got here? What was he up to?"
"No, nothing like that… apparently, we came across a letter when we landed in this town. We were surprised that a letter you wrote reached the place where we ended up in, did you somehow lost it?"
"Letter…?" asked the brunette in confusion.
At this point, Xion placed a piece of parchment on the table for Sora to see, and the boy could only widen his eyes in astonishment at what was shown before him. It was the same letter that he had written for his friends on the night when they eliminated that stray devil.
"Hey, it's that letter I wrote!" He picked up the sheet of paper and took a quick look at it before placing it back. "Yep, I wrote this. I'm shocked that it actually ended up at the same place where you guys were… where did you find it?" he nodded in approval before looking at his two friends.
"I literally landed on top of it…" Xion said in slight embarrassment before quickly changing her expression. "Why did you make a letter for us when you're just going to throw it away? You had to go through the trouble of writing one, you know. Kairi wouldn't be happy when she hears about this," she teased.
"Well, during that time… I thought if I let it fly through the sky, it would somehow reach you guys back home…" Sora grinned, embarrassed that he got caught in the act. As much as he hated to admit it, he had gotten accustomed to writing but that was something he didn't want his friends to know… but, there was no hiding it now. Man, if Kairi ever hears about this, she'll never let him live it down. "...I know it's crazy, yeah… p-please don't tell Kairi about it…"
That immediately got both Roxas and Xion to freeze, remembering that they still had to tell Sora about her. The two could only imagine how Sora would react once he knows of her situation. They quickly looked at each other as though they didn't know how to begin, only for the Sitri girl to speak up and gain their attention.
"You two better tell Ishida-kun everything, or I will do it myself." Sona stated with her cold voice taking over, taking another sip of her tea.
"Tell me everything…?" Sora looked at the student council president for a moment, before he tilted his head at Roxas and Xion. "Tell me what? Is there something I should know?"
Xion bit her lip and stammered a bit for a proper answer, before she decided to simply come clean with this. "Sora, what we're about to tell you right now…" she spoke, wanting to make sure that they could at least prepare him for what he's about to hear, assuming he's going to go on a ridiculous attempt to find her. "...please try not to go crazy or something like that… okay? We're pretty sure that she's not in danger if Master Aqua isn't…"
Sora frowned, noticing that the two were looking quite worried for some reason. "Who are you guys talking about? Was there someone else with you other than Aqua who came looking for me?"
Roxas took a deep breath, steeling himself to give a proper answer. "When we were about to tag along with Master Aqua… someone else was with her already. Master Aqua wanted Kairi to come with her so they could look for you together." The spiky-blonde boy explained, frowning slightly as he could only hope that Sora can take this well. "Kairi was crying for days since you disappeared on us, and… Master Aqua couldn't take it anymore and she decided to bring her along. Me and Xion saw them, and… that was it."
Sora appeared to have lost the ability to speak upon hearing those words, only being wide-eyed in his place while Rias already flashed him a look of worry. She knew of how Sora felt for Kairi, as much as tried to deny it, and she could only imagine what her pawn must be feeling right now.
"At this point, Kairi is also somewhere in this world, like with Master Aqua…" Xion continued, also sending a look of worry for Sora the moment she noticed the expression on his face. "We don't know if they're even together or not, but I believe that she's safe, Sora. There's no need to worry about her too much."
Even with Xion's added words of comfort, it wasn't able to stop Sora from looking down on the floor with his hair shadowing over his eyes, showing that he was indeed too affected with this revelation. Roxas and Xion bowed their heads in shame, feeling responsible for putting Sora in this state. The entirety of the Sona's peerage sent a sad look towards the spiky-haired keyblade wielder, because they could only imagine how he was faring with this. Sona looked as stoic as ever, but if looked upon closely, she also looked quite sad for Rias' pawn. From what she could gather, Kairi was a very important person to Sora and knowing that she might be anywhere in this world without anyone to turn to might have flipped a switch in the normally-upbeat boy.
The other members of the Occult Reaearch Club were no different and in fact, they were on a deeper level of feeling sad for Sora. It may sound crazy, but the lazy bum had too much of an impact on them with his optimism that just seeing him sad was already a problem of its own.
"Sora-san…"
"Senpai…"
Asia and Koneko were already tempted to launch themselves towards the boy to comfort him, to tell him that everything will be okay. Kiba was frowning and he had his head down, knowing that no amount of words can make Sora feel better. Akeno wasn't smiling at all and remained quiet, all while sending the keybearer a melancholic look.
Meanwhile, Rias already held Sora's shoulder and hand, shaking him back and forth in an effort to gain his attention. She had a look of intense worry on her face while doing her best to try and make the boy look at her instead of the floor.
"Sora, listen to me. I have no idea how you must be feeling right now, but think before you decide to do anything! I can't say I know anything about where your friends might be, but you have to believe that they are safe on their own! Don't even think about doing stupid, you hear?" Rias hugged his head to her bosom, but he still remained quiet and looked as if he had lost all signs of life. "Don't just stay quiet idiot, say something!"
It reached to the point that Rias almost had tears welling up in her eyes, but Sora finally managed to blurt out a response, albeit in a very quiet tone that only his leader could hear.
"Don't worry."
"How can we not worry when you're being like this? For all we know, you're already planning to go out on your own to find your friends! You'll be labelled as a stray devil if you do…" Rias trailed off, not even wanting to imagine the possibility of her beloved pawn becoming a rebel.
"I'm not stupid anymore to do something like that," he said as he raised his voice a bit, but not enough for everyone in the clubroom to hear. He raised his head so that his eyes were visible to everyone else, but he still had a downtrodden look on his face. Sora turned his attention to the Gremory girl. "Rias… can I be left alone for now?"
"Left alone…?" she repeated with obvious worry in her tone. She had doubts about giving him what he wanted, mainly because there was no telling what he had in mind. All Sora cared about was keeping his friends and loved ones safe, so there was a chance he would sneak off to find Kairi and Aqua.
"I promise I'll be back. I… I just need some time alone to take all of this in." Sora shifted his gaze to the floor again, just as his mind drifted to his own memories of Kairi. It was probably the only way he can calm himself down after finding out that Kairi was also in this world, likely being on her own without anybody else to turn to.
Rias stared at her pawn for a few moments, before she noticed Xion giving her a look that seemed to say 'let him go', leading the redhead to sigh in defeat as she planted a quick kiss on the top of his head.
"Just come back, okay?"
As soon as she saw him nod his head slowly, Rias finally let go of him, although she was still a bit reluctant. Sora slowly stood up and headed for the door, but not before pausing in his tracks to look at the two newest members of Sona's peerage.
"Roxas, Xion, I'm glad to see you both here… but I really need to be alone right now. I just want you to know that I don't blame either of you."
"We understand," Xion flashed him a smile despite his current dilemma. Roxas did the same, opting to keep his mouth shut since he had no idea what he could say that would make Sora feel better. "Take as much time as you need, we're here for you."
With that, Sora gave them another nod before walking out the door. Nobody dared to stop him, and the only thing they could do was watch the boy leave without another word. Another thick atmosphere of silence took over the clubroom, before Rias broke it by sending a scowl towards her rival's direction.
"Sona, I hope you figure out a way to help my pawn because this is on you," Rias spoke in a serious tone. "You can't just drop a bomb like that in here without even informing me beforehand, and now look what that brought. My pawn was this close to having a possible breakdown if I didn't step in to give him some words of comfort." She emphasized her point using two fingers. "Fix this mess right now."
"I understand, and I take responsibility for this." Sona sighed and bowed her head, feeling ashamed that this became the outcome of what was supposed to be a lighthearted reunion. She could've handled it a lot better, possibly by informing Rias about Kairi and Aqua's situation and then she would relay it to her pawn afterwards. Sadly, she only wanted to get things over with which led to an unintentional field trip of emotions.
"Well, since we now know that two of Sora's friends are out there, you're going to help us in looking for them. That's the only way you can make this right and not to mention, two of your servants are their friends too. They'll likely want to help out as well," Rias demanded.
"Sounds fair," Sona adjusted her glasses slightly and steeled herself for what was about to come. She didn't want to resort to this, but it would be the only way to make up for such an embarrassing moment. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but perhaps my sister should be able to help in locating them. I'll send a letter to her about Kairi and Aqua, surely she would lend us a hand in trying to find them."
"Of course… Leviathan-sama is the Maou who is in charge of Foreign Affairs," Rias nodded in agreement. "In the case that those two have ended up in another country, she'd be able to easily get their location and set up a magic circle to establish a connection between us. Or perhaps even in the possibility that they have ended up in the Underworld, her and onii-sama should be able to find them."
"Wait, you have a sister?" Roxas snapped out of his thoughts [that involved finding a way to figure out where Kairi and Master Aqua landed] and turned towards the Sitri girl with a flabbergasted look. "Why didn't we know about this?"
Sona froze and blushed now that Roxas caught her in the act, and well… he was curious about her sister and he'll likely want to know more about her… just great. That was the last thing she needed right now. She sent a glare at Tsubaki when she saw her Queen smirking at her flustered expression. "It's none of your concern," she quickly shut him off with a cold look.
Unfortunately for her, Roxas wasn't affected by her demeanor. Heh, the perks you'd get from being a Nobody. "Uh, I'm a part of your peerage now, so… yes, this concerns me too. Who's your sister?"
The Sitri girl was beginning to sweat as she turned towards her other peerage members for help, who were all just whistling innocently and seemed to have their attention somewhere else. Her eyebrow twitched when she noticed that Tsubaki suddenly disappeared from sight, who was suppossd to be standing beside her. She looked towarfd Rias, who still seemed pissed with her for causing her pawn to walk out and be alone for now. Sona internally hoped for someone to save her right now… anything just so she could prevent herself from talking about her sister!
"Roxas, this is Sona-kaichou's family we're talking about. This is obviously a private matter, and it really doesn't concern you even if you're a part of her peerage. Maybe she'll tell us about her sister another time, okay?" Xion spoke up and pointed towards her friend in a scolding manner.
"Oh… alright, then." Roxas breathed out in realization before shrugging his shoulders.
"Thank you, Xion…" Sona thought with a massive sigh of relief before she regained her stoic demeanor and turned back towards Rias. "Then I guess our business here is done. In any case, Roxas and Xion are now students of the school and Ishida-kun is free to visit them anytime, provided that he doesn't come over while my servants are performing their devil duties or during classes. Consider it my personal apology for what happened today, and relay it to him when he returns."
"That sounds good, and I'm sure Sora will appreciate it." Rias nodded, knowing that her pawn wasn't the type of person to hold a grudge.
At that, the whole student council stood up from their seats as they began to make their way out the door, leaving Sona, Roxas, Xion, and Tsubaki who were still in the clubroom. It wouldn't be for long, as Sona finally stood up from the couch which was an action followed by her two new servants.
"If I'm going to tell my sister about this, I suggest you do the same with Lucifer-sama, Rias." Even though she had been subjected to shame, Sona still found a way to turn the tables around, and she had good reason for this. "You, of all people, know that he is now aware of Ishida-kun's nature as the Red Dragon Emperor, the same with my sister. It won't be long until the whole Underworld knows about what your pawn is hiding."
Rias huffed before rolling her eyes as soon as her brother was mentioned. "I know… I'll send him a message later on. Hopefully, he can also lend a hand in finding Sora's friends, but something tells me that he's focused on something else…"
(Stop playing - "Treasured Memories")
(Heaven)
"Are you sure that you want me to look after her, Gabriel-sama? Not that I'm turning you down, but the life of an exorcist like me is not a safe road for a young girl like her to take." A young woman of Italian descent wearing a hood asked the blonde Seraph before her, who was standing beside a younger girl with red hair and wearing a pink dress.
"I believe Kairi will be fine and as long as she is with you, there is no need to worry." Gabriel waved off her concern while Kairi looked quite embarrassed to be in the presence of another woman with an aura that made her appear impenetrable. This woman was intimidating, but Kairi was doing her best not to show any nervousness. "Also, I heard there has been trouble at the church…? What exactly happened?"
"Three excalibur fragments have been taken from the church, Gabriel-sama. This case has been unresolved for about a week now, and I've been called to the Vatican because the church wants me to step into this case. From recent reports, it is said that the thieves behind this have been hiding in the town of Kuoh in Japan."
"Oh dear, that's not good at all…" Gabriel gasped, while Kairi was also taken aback with what she just heard. Who would dare steal something so sacred to the church? As far as she knew, the holy church treated those as important artifacts. "If someone took those Excalibur pieces… then it won't lead to something good… hmm, what would Nii-san say about this…"
The woman pointed towards Kairi. "Do you still want me to look after this girl, Gabriel-sama? As you said, taking three fragments of Excalibur from the church can already be declared as an act of war, and that's not something that a young girl like her should experience."
"Oh yes, I will leave Kairi in your hands." Gabriel smiled kindly, while also feeling a bit sad that she won't get to come with the young girl in heading to Earth. Michael had advised her to leave Kairi in the care of somebody else because she couldn't leave her responsibilities as a Seraph just to stay by the girl's side, and her Queen was the best option. "I cannot look after her since I have my duties as a Seraph, but I believe you can! Kairi only wants to find her friends, m-maybe she'll find them in that town where you'll be going…!"
"As you wish, Gabriel-sama." The woman bowed her head politely, before turning her attention towards Kairi, smiling kindly at the girl. "What is your name?"
"Uhm… it's Kairi," the girl answered in a slightly nervous tone. Seeing the woman smile lessened some of her intimidating aura, and Kairi felt a lot more comfortable with it. Nevertheless, she also felt quite amazed that she was now standing face to face with an angel that Gabriel reincarnated, having learned of her from the Seraph herself. "Are you really Miss Gabriel's Queen…?"
"Yes I am." The woman took off her hood and revealed her lovely face to the young redhead before her own pair of angel wings sprouted from her back. She looked to be very beautiful with her hair bearing a distinct green color that made her stand out from others. "My name is Griselda Quarta, it is a pleasure to meet you, Kairi."
And there we go. Roxas and Xion have reunited with Sora, which didn't really end well when the latter found out about Kairi and Aqua also being in the same world as them. Next we see Kairi getting introduced to a certain exorcist/angel who has a very important connection to a blue-haired exorcist we all know and love. How will this affect the current arc? We'll find out.
Alright, I know that I turned Griselda into an angel pretty early in this story, but I can't have Gabriel accompanying Kairi in her quest to find Sora and the others because that would be against her role. This is a more acceptable route because for all we know, we might get that Sora and Kairi reunion sooner than we thought! You saw where Griselda is heading to, right? The same place where Sora is right now. Next chapter should be interesting.
Goodbye… and good night! BANG! *too sweet gesture*
-Lance