Though she had only been part of Issei's club for less than half a day, the blonde nun could nevertheless sense that the argumentative banter between the two boys was a common occurrence.
"For the last time Hyoudou, I have no interest in making Argento's transition more difficult than it needs to be. Perhaps if you started using that small thing between your ears rather than the worm between your legs, you would have already guessed this".
"Then why does the Kendo Club keep trying to convince her that I'm only her friend because of….impure reasons"?
"I don't know. Probably because you have a past history of allowing your perversions to control your every action. Why you haven't been charged for sexual harassment is still a mystery to me. But I suspect that if you keep it up, you're going to have your own little shower adventure. Except you'll be the girl in that situation".
Confused though she was as to why Issei would turn red from angered embarrassment at that last part, Asia nevertheless summoned the necessary courage to come to the aid of the boy who risked his life to save her.
"Yo…You shouldn't say such unkind things to your friend. And I'm sure that Miss Katase and Miss Murayama are just a tad overzealous in their attempts to make me feel welcome".
Earning a snort of amusement from her black haired classmate, as well as a look of gratitude from her now smiling friend, the former nun was somewhat taken by the reply she received.
"Though we are part of the same club, I highly doubt that Hyoudou and I will ever be more than antagonistic acquaintances. Even if a certain red head wishes for it to be otherwise. As for your comments regarding Kat's and Mura's rather insistent warnings, you'll find that they actually have a credible excuse for acting the way that they do. Or did the pervert fail to tell you of how I first met him"?
Frowning in confusion at the now smirking Devil, Asia was prevented from asking a now embarrassed looking Issei what he meant when an overly friendly voice decided to answer Dante's question before he could.
"Actually, most of the school's female population has told her about your first meeting with the Perverted Trio. Pretty sure that if you had chosen to take advantage of your newfound status, you would have beaten Hyodou in his dream to become the Harem King. But sadly, you seem unwilling to do so despite your level of popularity".
Though slightly confused by the terminology used by the pony tailed brunette, Asia could nevertheless voice her agreement with the latest part of her new friend's statement.
"You have a point Aika. While the girls seem to have nothing but mean things to say against Issei, though they seem reluctant to go into too many details, all of them have nothing but nice things to say about Dante".
Shooting a glare at the now snickering girl, though he was quick to change his expression when Asia turned her head to look at him, Issei struggled to keep his temper under control as he tried to get rid of perhaps the only girl whose depravity matched his own.
"Well as fun as it is too talk about how more popular Inumbro is compared to me, I'm afraid that the 3 of us have an important meeting to attend so if you excuse us Kiryuu".
Though he managed to successfully steer the innocently naïve nun away from the bespectacled girl, Issei, along with his fellow male, cringed in disgust as the perverted girl managed to halt their departure with her usual lewdness.
"I understand completely. But when you two are simultaneously instructing Asia in the arts of pleasure, I trust Issei that you won't feel completely inadequate when you see Dante's massive di...OUCH",
Doing his best not to laugh at the corruptive girl's sudden discomfort, for he was certain that Asia would strongly chastise him for making fun of one of the people she considered to be her friends, Issei managed to somehow remain silent as the cause for Aika's predicament offered genuine sounding words of sympathy.
"Oh dear are you all right Kiryuu? Perhaps it would be wise for you to seek out the nurses office. I am unfamiliar with the insects that are indigenous to this country, but I'm certain that it would be wiser to seek medical at once rather than remain here".
Rubbing her slightly swollen arm in some discomfort, and shooting a quick look of assurance to a understandably concerned looking Asia, the bespectacled girl quickly left to follow the advice of the sympathetic looking Devil.
It was only after she had left their line of sight that Dante allowed a small smirk to cross his face as he addressed his perverted companion.
"Congratulations Hyoudou. It seems that there does in fact exist someone in this school who I find even more annoying than you. Though it's a shame that I can't use my powers on her as often as I do on you. Too bad really. I thought the conjured bee was one of my more inspired moments of brilliance".
Though he hated to agree with his fellow Devil, Issei found himself nodding his head. Although he quickly regretted it as a certain former nun decided to come to the defence of the recently departed human.
"You really shouldn't be soo mean to others Dante. Ok Aika is a bit….forward at times, but that's no reason to hurt her".
Rolling his eyes in exasperation at Asia's insistence in seeing the good in others, Dante's annoyance quickly evaporated as he noticed the pained expression of his perverted teammate.
"I suppose you have a point. I mean, its not like Kiryuu has done anything to warrant a more...direct form of punishment for her various misdeeds. Something which I'm sure your intimately familiar with ay Hyoudou"?
Smirking at the infuriated expression that came over Issei's face at the not so subtle reminder of the consequences of his past actions, Dante's recently obtained good humor was further increased by the inquisitive, and if his ears weren't deceiving him, reproachful sounding tone of the innocent nun.
"What does he mean by that Issei"?
Deciding it would best to remain silent as he witnessed Issei's rather amusing attempt to placate the woman, Dante's attention was pulled away from the potential argument by the latest contact he had programmed into his cellphone.
Heaven, must be missing an angel
Missing one angel child
Cause you're here with me right now
Ignoring the incredulous looks he was receiving from his fellow Devils, though he could tell that Asia's was filled more with curiosity rather than Issei's clear disgust, the black haired Devil didn't even get a chance to greet his newly acquired servant before she delivered her message.
"Your master wants me to tell you that the club meeting has been pushed back for a couple of hours. So until it starts, both you and the pervert are conduct some training exercises with blondie and the white haired midget".
Suspecting that Raynare was currently by herself at that point, or at the very least far enough away from Koneko to get away with mocking her height, Dante nevertheless concealed his amusement at the Fallen Angel's attitude with a curt word of acknowledgement".
"Understood".
Smirking in amusement at the rather abrupt way she ended the call, for he recognized the fact that Raynare's attitude was similar, if not identical to the one he had possessed after his own enslavement, Dante turned his attention towards his fellow Devils.
"It appears that our master has decided to run a couple of errands before today's meeting, and until she gets back, we're to receive some manner of instruction from our fellow club members. Though what sort of training they have in store for you Argento, I cannot say".
Dismissive though his tone might have been, the black haired Devil was nevertheless honest in his curiosity on how Rias would go about training her latest servant nun. For from his brief association with the girl, he rightly suspected that the girl lacked the mindset to cause others harm, which probably meant that their red haired master would concentrate on developing her healing abilities.
He wasn't sure how Rias would go about doing it, but he suspected that the methods of instruction would be far different from what he was about to experience.
And judging by the puzzled look that had come over Issei's face, not to mention Asia herself, Dante could tell that thought had occurred to them too.
But unlike the black haired Devil, whose method of interacting with his teammates could hardly be labeled as friendly and supportive, the brunette quickly came up with a more positive response to prevent Asia from feeling left out.
"I'm sure that Rias has planned something for you to Asia. Though I doubt it's going to be as strenuous as what Inumbro's is going to be put through".
Allowing a smile to spread across his features as he watched Asia beam in happiness at being included, Issei's expression became somewhat sour as the deceptively sweet tone of his male teammate interrupted what had previously been a touching moment.
"You're forgetting to include yourself Hyoudou. While your training in comparison to mine is likely to be less intense, I'm certain that it won't be a walk in the park for you. And before you start going on how more manly you are than me, keep in mind that you were only able to defeat my new servant with multiple uses of a force multiplier, while I was able was able to accomplish far more despite the rather sorry state of my body at the time. Just something to consider when you're comparing our base physical capabilities".
Smirking at the Issei's glaring expression, and having little desire in continuing the conversation since he was certain he would soon be turned into a convenient outlet for his fellow rook's frustrations, Dante turned his back on his fellow Devils and proceeded to make his way to the Occult clubroom.
Though if he had cared to look behind him, he would have seen that Issei's expression morph into a slightly depressed look, while Asia did her best to silently encourage him.
….
"Give me 20 more"
Though her face was the usual blank expression she wore in public, Koneko's eyes shown with noticeable amusement as she watched her male teammates struggle with the tasks she had assigned them.
Grunting in pain as he tried to fulfil the sadistic request of his white haired trainer, Issei tried his best to keep himself from feeling too hopeful as Asia decided to take a break from her own training and voice her concern.
"Umm, forgive me for asking this Koneko, but shouldn't you go a little easier on them? I mean, I can understand that exercise is important for getting one stronger, but I think you should start them off with something that is a tad easier".
Watching the brunette Devil complete another push up before turning her attention towards the former nun, who was currently wearing the school's gym uniform, the white haired Devil gave a simple nod of her head.
"Your right. 10 more push up for Issei before he has to do some laps. And Dante will do 5 more sit ups before our boxing match".
Earning a cry of anguish from the pawn, though in truth it was more like a whimper, Koneko found herself resisting the very real urge to grin as her fellow rook voiced his own misgivings with her training program.
"Are you sure that's wise? I mean, I sincerely doubt that Hyoudou will be any condition to run after you had him do 100 push ups while balancing 150 lbs of weights on his back. And since I'm having some difficulty performing my more difficult task with twice the weight, I suspect that my performance in the ring will be similarly disappointing".
Tilting her head to the side as she considered argument of the more composed male, Koneko found herself nodding her head in agreement as the forced addition to their ranks decided to make her opinion known.
"Oh but you can't quit now Master. The saying 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' is a rather accurate description for Devil kind. And since the nun actually possesses the ability to drag you back from death's door, I think you'll benefit from whatever horrors the midget has in store for you".
Earning a pair of matching glares from the two Gremory rooks, Raynare's mocking smile quickly morphed into a panicked expression as Dante turned towards his fellow Devil with a undeniably cruel smirk.
"Koneko. Should my servant continue to act in a disrespectful manner towards either you or me, you have my permission to chastise her however you see fit".
Not bothering to hide her small, but nonetheless present smirk at the sadistic, yet generous nature of her fellow rook, Koneko briefly glanced at the still struggling Issei before speaking in her monotone voice.
"What about the pervert"?
Flashing a quick look of disinterest at his fellow Devil, who promptly shot him a look that was part glower part disbelief, Dante merely offered a dismissive upside down shrug as he managed to complete his final set of reps.
"Provided that she doesn't saying anything too insulting, she can say what ever she wants. I trust you know what I will and will not tolerate Raynare"?
Seeing the Fallen Angel open her mouth to deliver what was certain to be an insult, Dante discreetly used his powers to manipulate the shadows so that they formed a needle like shard, which proceeded to gently hold itself against the back of Raynare's neck.
Eyes widening in fear as she felt the sharp weapon lightly touch her skin, Raynare swallowed what ever biting comment she might have said and hesitantly nodded her head in agreement with her master's question.
Dismissing the conjured weapon with a brief wave of his hand, something which caused the Fallen Angel to sigh in relief, the black haired Devil merely raised an eyebrow at the unimpressed look that was currently adorning the face of his fellow rook.
"Something wrong Koneko"?
Receiving a single nod from the white haired Devil, Dante expected to receive a violent tongue lashing for his treatment of his new servant, but instead was met with a solidly delivered blow to the gut.
Doubling over in pain as he fell to the ground, the black haired rook managed to raise his head to glare not at the miniature Devil, but at the currently laughing pawn.
Fortunately however, while Koneko had just displayed that she wasn't going to put up with his less than pleasant antics, she was also quite unwilling to do the same for Issei's less than stellar attitude.
"Keep it up pervert and you'll be joining him. 20 laps, now".
Allowing a small smile of satisfaction to cross her features at the sight of the male Devil fearfully rushing to obey her spoken order, Koneko turned her attention back towards her fellow rook, who managed to haul himself back to his feet before being knocked down again courtesy of a leg sweep.
"First lesson. If your opponent is still capable of movement, then they are still capable of fighting back".
Snarling in painful frustration as he once again picked himself back up, and noticing that the white haired Devil had barely moved from her position, Dante quickly went onto the attack.
Only to knocked on his ass again by a rather forceful kick to the chest.
"Second lesson. Never allow your emotions to control you in a fight".
Offering a particularly hateful glare at his unemotional trainer, and seeing little point in being treated like a human sized punching bag, the black haired Devil decided to put an end this training session with his inherited abilities.
…..
Hanging up the phone with a disappointed sigh, Rias couldn't help but begin to wonder if the fates were purposefully against the idea of maintaining her independence.
She had thought that her actions in securing her territory would be sufficient enough to prove that she did not need to subject herself to the humiliating prospect of becoming a trophy wife, but her family thought otherwise.
Yes the unlawful intrusion had been taken care of.
And yes she had acquired a servant whose healing powers were considered to be valuable.
But she had allowed one of her servants to be captured by the enemy, who subjected him to torture before he managed to escape under his own power. And she supported the disobedient nature of another servant, which could have resulted in the resumption of hostilities between Devil and Fallen Angel kind.
Luckily the governor of the Fallen Angels had labeled the group as acting independently of his wishes, but the fact remained that her actions could have potentially led to a new war.
And it was for that reason that her family was now no longer willing to give into her attempts to stall her arranged marriage.
Yes they still promised that she wouldn't be married until she was in college, but her brother told her that there was an increasingly strong likelihood that Riser would soon lose his patience and come to claim what he believed was his.
That thought brought a scowl to her face, for she was no ones possession, and she would go to any means in order to keep it that way.
"Judging by the look on your face, I take that it that the conversation did not go the way you hoped for"?
Shooting a tired glare at the uncharacteristically demure acting Akeno, Rias shook her head as she recalled the finer points of the conversation she had just had with her brother.
"You are correct in your assumption Akeno. My brother's done all that he can to help me, but sadly his position prevents him from getting directly involved. And to make matters worse, even though I should have gotten some acknowledgement for clearing our territory of those Fallen Angels, it appears that my…fiancé has not given up his quest to achieve his prize earlier than originally planned".
Frowning at the mention of her master's uncouth fiancé, who had on more than one occasional made it clear through his actions that he had no intention of treating Rias as more than a highly valued conquest, Akeno remained silent as the red haired heiress continued to try and find a silver lining to her current predicament.
Though it was obvious that it was somewhat difficult for her to do so when it appeared that her family was less than sympathetic to her plight.
"I suppose it could be worse. My parents haven't outright shown their support for Rizer's request. And every day that they manage to withhold their blessing is one more day I can spend proving to them that I do not need an arranged marriage to honor my family name".
Nodding her head to show that she full heartedly agreed with her sentiment, Akeno had to fight the very real urge to giggle as Rias moved to a related, but far more amusing topic.
"That being said, I trust you informed my more troublesome servants that they are to use my slight delay to improve upon their skill sets? Issei needs to learn how to properly conduct himself in a hostile situation. And Dante needs to learn how to fight with his new abilities".
Humming in mild agreement with her master, Akeno couldn't help but voice her curiosity at the last part of the red head's statement.
"Surely Dante's battle prowess is already substantial as is. I mean, yes he has a tendency to use his shadow controlling abilities instead of getting his hands dirty, but he's shown to be have excellent control over them, even while heavily injured. Or do you think that just anyone can enact a bondage scene when their body is poisoned and their bones are broken"?
Frowning as she recalled the state of her rook's body, Rias had to reluctantly concede that her queen had a point. Albeit a small one.
"True. But if at the time of his capture he had access to the same level of strength Koneko has, then its highly possible that he wouldn't have suffered as much as he did in the first place. So training him to the same standard as his fellow rook will be benefital for both him and us. I trust that Koneko had no issue in taking Dante under her wing"?
Allowing an amused grin to spread across her face as she remembered the relative eagerness the white haired girl had displayed at putting her fellow Devil through the ringer, the raven haired beauty nodded her head.
"No issue at all. She also told me that she would also extend the same kindness to your Longinus carrying servant, but at a lower level of intensity since unlike Dante, Issei has no previous experience in combat what so ever".
Unsure if she should shake her head, or join in Akeno's undeniable amusement at the hell that Koneko was certainly putting her more outspoken servant through, Rias decided in the end to simply enjoy the quite moment of peace before she was reunited with the other members of her peerage.
For while she did not regret her decision, there were still times where even she needed a break from her more…unique servants. Even if she knew that by the time she returned, she would probably have to deal with the results of them being left unsupervised.
And as she and Akeno finally arrived at the field that had served as her peerage's training ground, she was proven correct in her normal assumption.
…
And I think this is a good place to leave it XD
Apologises for the wait, and shortness, and the fact that some promised events have not come to pass, but believe there is sufficient 'meat' here to tie you guys over until that point.
As for Raynare...hopefully you all enjoyed the manner in which Dante is treating his new servant. There will be changes in their relationship, but I think this is a nice change of pace from either the repentant fallen angel, or one who gradually falls in love with a more gentle master.
Unsure when next chapter will be uploaded….have a great idea of what to do with the Familiar Forest, AND the meeting with the student council, but have to write the events that precede it after all.
Anyways, as always, plz review, no flames.
Til next time =)
p.s. Hope you all enjoyed the ringtone I used for Raynare. Ever since that 'Ambiance' Scene from Supernatural...I have been meaning to include it into my story XD Strongly urge you to watch it on utube...if only to see a dancing Lucifer XD