Having determined that his fellow Devil hadn't sustained anything more serious than a knee injury, albeit a serious one, and dismissing the mixed expression of fear and gratitude he was receiving from the disheveled looking nun, Dante kept his attention firmly fixed on the white haired exorcist. And though it greatly sickened him to be in the same room with one of the few people who could irritate more than his perverted teammate, the shadow controlling Devil somehow managed to suppress the urge to skewer the grinning priest as he was once again made aware of Freed's highly disturbing infatuation with him.
"Ohhh myyy. This is certainly unexpected. To think I would be reunited with my favorite sparring partner in a Devil run town like this, it must be fate. Though I do feel bad that our long awaited meeting had to come about when I'm in the middle of a job. So if you would kindly give me a minute or 2 while I finish up with my disobedient partner and her soon to be dead lover, I'll be more than happy to pick up from where we left off during our last little rendezvous".
Not bothering to conceal his distaste at having to once again deal with Freed's disturbing idiosyncrasies, and uncaring of the fact that Issei was flashing him a pain filled look that spoke of his curiosity towards the nature of his relationship with the crazed priest, Dante managed to keep his tone level as offered a reply to the grinning exorcist.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Freed. As pathetic as he is, Hyoudo's life does possess some value to me, so if you want to have your brand of fun with the pervert, then your going to have go through me".
Trying his best not to feel too insulted by his black haired teammate's comment, the injured brunnete managed to shoot a look of gratitude towards the unmoving Devil before the white haired exorcist managed to once again freak him out.
"Bwahahahahahaha. Oh this is hilarious. To think that you, the Shadow of the Alps, would actually care about someone as worthless as this shitty Devil. I'm starting to think you've gone soft since our last little meeting. But I can fix that for you right now. See, dealing with this pathetic piece of Devil shit was kind of disappointing, didn't even break a sweat putting him out of commission, though it was kinda funny to see my subordinate rush to his side all concerned like. But you, I know you can provide me with the kind of entertainment that trumps killing Devils and raping women, so I think I'll"
BANG.
Flinching at the sudden noise, and taking a moment to comfort the understandably terrified nun, Issei looked at his teammate, who was currently glaring at the now swearing priest, and said the first thing that came to his mind.
"WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE SHOT HIM BEFORE? AND WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A GUN IN THE FIRST PLACE"?
Satisfied that Freed had been neutralised for the time being, though he knew that a normal bullet would be unable to knock the crazed exorcist for long, Dante allowed his annoyed expression to morph back into its default uncaring expression as he answered his still bleeding teammate.
"Couple of reasons actually, though the only one worth mentioning is that I wanted to see if he had anything interesting to say before he started acting like the depraved lunatic that he is. And as to where I got the gun, it was what my first client decided to pay me with after I agreed to perform her request. Still surprised that our master allowed me to keep this, but I'm not gonna complain about it when I can get some use out of it. And you really should consider acting a little more grateful in the future. This is the second time I've had to save your ass from being killed, and your still acting like I'm the bigger bad guy than those who are trying to kill you. So next time you want to complain about how I got about saving you, my aim might be a tad off the next time I use this. Understand"?
Waving the modified Luger pistol at the fully chastised brunette, and ignoring the squeak of fear that came from the understandably terrified nun, Dante was unable to offer any more bits of advice courtesy of the fact that the white haired exorcist had applied a tourniquet to his bleeding leg, and was now staring at the black haired Devil with a look that could easily trump Akeno in terms of sadism.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh man this is priceless. I thought you were merely showing sympathy for Shit Stain over their cuz you were going soft after all these years. But to find out that you've lost the last remaining traces of your humanity to some garbage eating Devil, oh that is just to much. But never you fear, my feelings for you remain the same even though your tainted now, so you'll still get to enjoy having my iron blade shoved into your body".
Frowning in disgust at the manically grinning exorcist, and knowing that Freed would be more than happy to back up his threat despite his injured state, Dante didn't even hesitate as he emptied his remaining bullets into the body of the most persistent annoyance of his life. Of course given given the exorcist's ability to anticipate danger, none of the shots managed to produce an instant kill shot, but they did succeed in causing the mad priest to halt his frenzied attack.
Sneering in disgust at the disturbed human, though he used that term loosely since Freed's actions were more akin to feral beast rather than a sentient creature, Dante turned his gun away from the loudly cursing exorcist and refocused it on the understandably terrified nun. And as he ignored the cries of outrage from his wounded teammate, the black haired Devil pulled the trigger with only the barest traces of sympathy in his hardened gaze.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Scowling in annoyance as he realized that he had wasted all of his bullets on the manic priest, and knowing that it was only a matter of time before they had to to deal with the appearance of the disgraced exorcist's allies, Dante decided to do something that irritated him much more than having to come to his perverted comrade's rescue.
Sparing a devout follower of god.
For it was clear to him that while the sobbing nun was no longer associated with the forces of heaven, for only an excommunicated member of the church would be desperate enough to partner up with a depraved lunatic like Freed, it was rather obvious that the girl still clung to her faith in God like a drowning man clinging to a life line.
Concealing his gun back into the slightly voluminous sleeves of his over coat, and using the last remnants of his already frayed patience to block out the desperate cries of his perverted comrade as he desperately tried to fend off the shadow like tendril that was currently dragging him away from an equally upset nun, Dante willed the shadows to respond to his command, and in a blink of an eye, both he and Issei were gone.
...
Despite the fact that most people believed her to be devoid of any emotion that had nothing to do with violence, the white haired nekomata was fully capable of experiencing the same thoughts and feelings that her more personable comrades seemed to wear with pride.
Oh sure, they had the habit of concealing their less than pleasant emotions behind masks of near perfect amicably, but when they were truly content with their lot in life, they not only expressed it openly, but did so in a manner that allowed other people to be included. But such was not the case for her. After the betrayal of her sister, Koneko had rarely allowed anyone to know just went behind her expressionless mask, and for the longest time, she had felt that she would never meet someone who could understand the desire to nearly shut oneself off from the world just to keep themselves from feeling any more pain.
But after her master decided to 2 more additions to their ranks, it quickly became obvious to the white haired Devil that she was no longer the only servant of the house of Gremory who had chosen to conceal his innermost self behind near impenetrable layers of anti social behavior. And while the interaction between the two rooks had been slightly hostile ever since they had introduced themselves to one another, Koneko felt herself drawing closer to Dante then anyone she had previously encountered.
It wasn't the rocky beginning's of a romantic relationship, for the black haired Devil did not inspire the same feelings of physical desire that seemed to have gripped not only her buxom comrade, but also the majority of the academy's female population. Rather it felt similar to the bond she had once enjoyed with her sister before Kuroka had abandoned her to escape justice for her crimes.
Yes her fellow rook was easily irritated, more so when he was forced to bail out their perverted teammate, and yes he had the annoying habit of snacking on some of her specially baked sweets, but she believed that like the rest of her master's servants, Dante would never deliberately do anything to upset her.
And it was only because of this belief that Koneko waited for the taller rook to explain his latest actions before she formed her own opinion. For despite Dante's ever present dislike for the perverted pawn, the cat demon hybrid suspected that something serious must have happened for him to risk Rias's anger. Because judging by the heavy bruising that appeared to cover all of the Issei's body, not to mention the fact that the brunette was busy sending a surprisingly hate filled glare towards his sneering companion, it was clear that something had happened between the 2 Devils.
And judging by the barely contained anger that was noticeably present in the tone of her buxom master, Koneko knew that both Devils would suffer equally for incurring Rias's wrath.
...
Taking a moment to get her temper under control, a task made somewhat more difficult due to the obvious level of hostility that currently existed between her two servants, the crimson haired Devil addressed the glaring pair with a voice that while calm, nonetheless managed to convey her displeasure with the two boys.
"I'll give you both one chance, and ONLY once chance to come up with a suitable excuse to explain your actions this past evening. Dante, since you were the one I entrusted with rescuing Issei before he got hurt, I'll let you go first".
Sneering as he gestured at the heavily bruised pawn, Dante was somehow able to keep his voice level, though their was a noticeable trace of venom in his tone, as he proceeded to explain what had happened during the course of his rescure mission.
"Pretty much what you would expect. Hyoudo's lack of common sense led to a situation where his life was once again threatened by an individual who wouldn't think twice about killing him. I managed to arrive before any permanent damage could have been inflicted, but it was a close run thing. You might also be interested to know that despite the opponent he was facing, he could have managed to escape under his own power, but since their happened to be a scantily clad nun in the room, I highly doubt that his mind was focused on self preservation".
Fighting the urge to groan as her pawn's perverted tendencies were once again the cause for his current misfortune, Rias pointed a finger at the heavy bruising that covered the exposed bits of Issei's body.
"And how do you explain those? They don't look like the type of marks one would get from someone whose trying to kill you. In fact, I'd say their proof that someone has been taking their frustrations out on their fellow Devil. Don't you agree"?
Scowling at the red head's accurate observation, Dante shot a quick look of loathing at the still glaring Devil before turning his attention back to his unamused looking master with his answer.
"He had it coming. The idiot didn't take too kindly to the fact that I left his girlfriend behind to her fate, and since he was being ungrateful of my efforts to once again pull his ass out of the fire, I thought that I could knock some sense into him by demonstrating why it is not wise for one of his capabilities to challenge someone like me".
Frowning at the black haired Devil's rather frank admission, and sensing that the time had come to get the other half of the story before she started showing signs of favoritism, Rias allowed her annoyed expression to shift into a mask of light disappointment as she addressed the other currently glaring Devil.
"Now Issei, why don't you tell me your version of what happened this evening? Cause while I'm sure Dante wouldn't try to deceive me, I am curious to know if he's left anything out".
While she was expecting the brunette pawn to verbally attack his silently glaring teammate, Rias had to admit that she had been expecting an anger filled tirade about how he had undeservedly been forced to endure the violent tendency's of the moody rook. But while she was somewhat accurate in her prediction, the crimson haired Devil was surprised that the majority of Issei's anger was directed not at what he had been forced to go through, but rather what his teammate had done while coming to his rescue.
"That...that bastard tried to kill her. He spared the life of that crazy white haired priest, but he decided to try and kill Asia just because she's helpless. I get that he might want to spare the life of his friend, but she was an innocent victim. You got to let me go back and save her. She's in trouble".
Frowning as Issei regaled them with his version of what had happened, Rias managed to keep her growing frustration under control as Dante more or less confirmed the the brunette's accusation courtesy of yet another sneering put down.
"I had no intentions of sparing Freed you perverted twit. The only reason why I didn't go for an instant kill shot is because he would have expected it of me. And since I was already handicapped by your injured presence, I decided to go with a method of victory that the exorcist wouldn't see coming".
Judging that she would gain the information she required by listening to her two servants bickering rather than interrogating them, the crimson haired heiress kept silent as Issei responded to the black haired rook's explanation.
"That still doesn't explain why you tried to kill Asia. She was clearly a victim in all this, and you didn't even hesitate to turn your gun on her before you pulled the trigger".
Deciding to ask why Dante was carrying around a gun at a more appropriate time, Rias had to admit that whatever it was she had been expecting, the rook's explanation completely caught her off guard.
"It's a little thing I like to call mercy Hyoudo. Your little friend was running around with perhaps the most depraved exorcist the church has ever spawned, and thanks to her rather naive attempt to beg for your miserable life, I'm sure that Freed would take great pleasure in reminding the nun that Devil's are supposed to be her enemies. A bullet to head would be far less painful than whatever fate has in store for her now. But luckily, its not my problem".
Seeing that Issei was gearing up for yet another verbal assault against his teammate, and wishing to confirm some things for herself while Dante was in a more or less talkative mood, Rias allowed her previously angered expression to soften by the barest of fractions as she addressed her violence prone servant.
"While I'm not going to ask how you know this exorcist, or for that matter where you got a gun, though I assure you we will be talking about that later, I am curious why you decided to ignore my expressed command in fighting, not to mention attempting to kill, a member of the church"?
Receiving a look that while lacking it's earlier venom, nevertheless still managed to express the same condescension that had been leveled at her perverted pawn, Rias decided to hold off on selecting a proper punishment for Dante's continued disrespect as he managed to come up with an explanation that managed to wipe away the fears of a potential diplomatic crisis.
"You seriously think that a depraved lunatic like Freed would still be considered a beloved servant of those sanctimonious pricks? As if. He got kicked out of the Church years ago, and if Hyoudo's forbidden girlfriend is running around with him, then it's clear that she is also no longer a protected member of the Church".
Finding no fault in his deductive skills, and judging that Issei had nothing further to add to this info gathering session, Rias decided to call the meeting to a close, but not before issuing some form of punishment for her newest servants. For although she was relieved that they had managed to survive a clearly dangerous situation, even if Issei managed to get wounded before his fellow Devil had come to his rescue, the fact remained that unless she could reign in their more disobedient tendencies, they would either meet their end at the tip of a light spear, or hunted down by the rest of Devil kind for desertion.
"Seeing as your comrade has nothing further to add, I think it would be a good idea to call it a night. However, I still have to assign a proper punishment for your actions tonight. I don't know how many times I've told you this, but you cannot treat your fellow Devil like your personal punching bag".
Ignoring Dante's scowling expression as she turned her attention towards the smirking brunette, Rias had to keep herself from laughing as her pawn's amusement quickly crumbled in the face of her latest declaration.
"And don't think I've forgotten about you Issei. Though his methods are a little too violent for my taste, Dante is essentially right. Your continued inability to think before you act, not to mention your over eager interest in the female body, is constantly placing your in danger. And while I am willing to help you achieve your desired goal, I am willing to destroy your dream should it result in your life, and the lives of your teammates, being placed in harms way".
Gulping nervously as his red haired master released just a bit of her aura to convey how displeased she was with his actions, Issei failed to keep himself from cringing as the buxom Devil assigned him his punishment.
"Since your last, and so far only successful contract has generated much praise from your contractor, he's, oh I'm sorry SHE'S recommended our services to a bunch of her friends. And since Koneko and Kiba are currently overbooked for the next 2 weeks, you'll have to pick up the slack. But I'm sure that Miltan and his friends will be more than happy to compensate you for your time. Provided of course your mind is able to handle the sight of overly muscular men acting like cosplaying teenage girls".
Satisfied that her punishment would probably influence the brunette Devil to modify his behavior, if only by the barest of increments, and taking a moment to consider what would be the best way to discipline her black haired Rook, Rias had to keep herself from smirking as she decided upon a suitable punishment.
"As for you Dante, I think the Student Council would greatly appreciate your very kind offer to help them deal with their never ending piles of paper work. I'll inform Sona that you'll be able to start next week".
Ignoring the glare that she was receiving from her black haired servant, and gesturing with her hand that her troublesome servants could now leave, Rias waited until they were out the door before turning her attention to her remaining servants.
"I know its unfair of me to ask this, but would it possible for the 3 of you to make sure that those 2 don't get into any more trouble? With the amount of trouble that seems to follow those 2, it's only a matter of time before they find themselves out of their league".
Receiving nods of agreement from her faithful servants, though she wasn't sure if she should be concerned or not by Akeno's predatory grin as she did so, the buxom heiress hoped that this would be the last time she would have to chastise her newest servants.
But with Issei's obsession of the physical aspects of female body, and Dante's inability to prevent himself from expressing his displeasure with his fellow servant, Rias suspected that such a wish was pointless.
...
Despite the undeniable thrill of the hunt that always came about when she was pursuing the potential candidate for helping her to replenish her race, the currently transformed nekomata found her patience growing short as she waited for her current target to come home.
Though she had been forbidden by the Infinity Dragon itself to reveal her true form to the shadow wielder, their had been nothing in her orders that had prevented her from gradually integrating herself into the personal life of the recently transformed Devil.
This evening's latest meeting had actually gone rather well in her opinion, for while she already knew about the circumstances that had led to the near extinction of his people, Dante's willingness to talk about his deceased family had taken her by surprise since she he had made it clear that he hadn't revealed his past history to anyone else.
Of course that Gremory brat had to ruin their little bonding moment by sending him on some urgent errant, but that had only increased her desire to get to know the blacked haired Devil on a more personal level.
And thus, here she sat. On the roof of a car waiting for Inumbro to return to the building that he called home.
And as luck would have it, just as she had decided to call it a night, she saw the already darkened alley become even darker, and within a short moment, the boy she had been waiting for the past 5 hours stepped out of the impenetrable darkness.
Jumping down from her perch to fall in line with the clearly irritated Devil, and adopting an expression that had successfully conned many fool hardy humans, the black furred cat announced her presence with her trademark idiosyncrasy.
"Nyaah".
Stopping mid stride as he heard the familiar expression, Dante turned his narrowed gaze downward and stared into the hazel eyes of one of the few individuals in his life whose presence he did not find irritating.
"Oh its you. Look, I'm sorry that our little heart to heart was cut short, but I'm in no mood to talk right now. So go back to wherever it is you call home and leave me be".
She wasn't going to put up with this. She spent 5 hours out in the cold night air waiting for him to come back, and now he was going to brush her aside because he was in a mood? Like hell he was.
"Nyaaahhhh".
Failing to shake his feline stalker away as she clung to the hem of his pants, and feeling oddly sympathetic to the clingy animal, Dante let out a defeated sigh as he continued to walk with his new passenger.
"Oh all right. I suppose I could use the company anyway. But if you tell anyone, I'm gonna feed you to the biggest barking animal I can find. Got it"?
Pleased with the Devil's submission, Kuroka rubbed her furry head against his ankle in affection.
"Nyyyaaaah".
And as he continued on with his new companion, who quickly abandoned her position at his ankle to jump up and rest on his shoulders, Dante couldn't help but snort in amusement as he thought to himself that this was the first time he was returning home with a member of the female species.
And as fate would have it, it wouldn't be the last.
...
ANNNND DONE.
Apologies for the wait. But other stories, rewriting stories took up a lot of time, and for the longest period, I was stuck on this chapter.
But thanks to my new Beta Reader LyingHiki, I was able to direct more time on completing this chapter :)
Hopefully you all enjoyed it. I confess I was going with a different direction with Dante and Freed's interaction...i.e. making Freed afraid of my OC...but after some inspiration from a certain Flamboyant Red Head from another anime/manga series about Demons/Devils...decided to go with the result you see before you lol.
And as for trying to kill Asia...Obviously I wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, but considering the direction of his backstory, wanted to lay the foundations for the blonde nun to have an uneasy/fearful relationship (not romantic lol) with my OC.
Always my intention to give Dante some form of weapon that doesn't soley rely on shadows...hence the Pistol, which is a Luger P08 in case anyone cared to know :P
Hoped you like the Koneko and Kuroka centric scenes, as well as the boys getting punished for their actions
As it stands...these are the current potential harem pairings, nothing concrete.
Issei: Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Female Gasper, Ravel, Rosseweisse. Kalwarner (IF she lives)
Dante: Rias, Akeno, Serafall, Kuroka, Raynare (IF she lives), Sona female Vali, Ophis
As Always...Please review/offer comments...no flames of course.
Big thanks to LyingHiki for his help.
And til next time.