A/N: Hello everyone and apologies for making you guys wait but trust me it is worth it as finally the second chapter is here and I have some news that will change the fic forever. But for now enjoy the chapter as we get to see what does Rias want with our guy with orange hair. R/R please and thank you :).
Ichigo just stood there as Rias tells him that she is a devil and she needs his help. Thinking that he might misheard her Ichigo wanted to make sure he heard right and asked.
"Wait….what did you say?"
"Well Ichigo what I said is true, I am a devil and I need your help." Rias said matter of factually while Akeno just stands there with ever present smile but inside she was surprised that Rias would just outright tell a human that she's a devil. Even if he were not to believe her it was a rather bold thing to do.
"Look I know of your powers Ichigo and how you were the one that ended the winter war and saved your home town."
"Ok, ok slow down, let's take it to the top and start in the beginning."
"First off, how did you know that I was a soul reaper and about the whole Aizen fiasco?"
"From Mr. Kisuke Urahara."
"Hat and clogs?!"
"Yes, he said that you could help me."
"Ah Rias?" Akeno getting both of their attention feeling that she was ignored a little there.
"Oh right you two aren't properly introduce to each other yet."
"Ichigo this is my best friend and Queen Akeno Himejima. Akeno this is Ichigo Kurosaki he's a good friend that I met today."
"It's very nice to meet you." Akeno gives her hand to Ichigo to shake.
"Uh...yeah it's a pleasure." Ichigo takes Akeno's hand and shook it but he quickly turns his attention to Rias.
"Rias….I'm sorry but I'm not a soul reaper anymore, I lost my powers two years ago after I used my ultimate technique on Aizen and during that time I haven't seen a single spirit, hollow or another soul reaper."
"That's fine, because I have a way for you to gain new power."
"And that would be?"
"Before we go into it let's go somewhere more private."
"Why?"
"Because this isn't exactly the best place to talk about this sort of thing."
Ichigo then looks around and noticed that there are still people walking around and if they hear what they are talking about it could get complicated.
"Don't worry I know a good place we could talk." Rias gives Ichigo a wink with her tongue sticking out a bit.
"Which would be?" says Ichigo with a raised eyebrow.
"Mr. Urahara's shop."
"Alright then, let's go." Ichigo then follows Rias back to Urahara's shop and with Akeno walking next to him.
-Karakura Park-
Walking around the park for a while now Asia continues to look for Rias and so far she had no such luck as she spots a bench and decides to take a small break as she walks over and takes a seat letting her feet rest after all that walking.
"Oh my, even after all that searching I still couldn't find Rias. Not to mention this park is so big too."
"I really hope the others are having better luck finding her than I-"
"Waaaah!"
Before she could finish talking to herself, Asia's train of thought was interrupted when she heard what sounds like a small child crying. Acting on her good nature she gets up and follows the cries of the child leading her towards the jungle gym.
There she sees the child a small boy with short dark brown hair and wearing a baby blue shirt and brown short pants reaching to his knees. He was probably around age 7 or 8. But the one thing that catches her attention is a long chain that's sticking out of his chest.
Seeing no one else around Asia approaches the crying child. "Hey there, are you lost?"
The crying boy slowly stops crying and looks up and sees Asia looking at him with a soft smile.
"Wait you can see me?"
"Well of course I can see you, silly. Why are you so sad? Did you lose your parents?"
"My parents can't see me, no one could see me."
"But I can see you fine. My name is Asia by the way what's yours."
"Tenchi." The small boy replied.
"Well Tenchi, let's go look for your parents. I'm sure they miss you, so where's the last time you saw them." Even when she already has a mission to do Asia can't just leave the boy alone like this.
"At the hospital" he replies. "I was lying on a bed and the last thing I remember was my mommy crying, and the next thing I knew I'm here in the park like I was teleported here and I have this weird chain on my chest and it hurts every time when I pull it."
As she listens to the boy Asia does recall passing by a hospital that's rather far from the park just three to four blocks by the east gate but still something just doesn't add up. How can no one notice him? Not to mention how he could get here as fast as he said and that chain.
"I see, well let's go back to the hospital. We can't have your parents waiting."
But before the young boy Tenchi would answer a sudden loud inhuman shriek takes both by surprise as they look towards where the shriek came from and from a black distorted portal they would see a large lizard-like creature with its body being a sick greenish color with six long spider-like legs, two long tails with a large basket ball size hole on its chest and its head is covered in a bone-white mask that is shaped like a snake's head. It was a hollow and the creature jumps from the portal and lands in front of Asia and Tenchi looking at them with hungry and predatory eyes.
"Wha-what is that?" Asia taken aback by such a creature as never in her life did she encounter such a thing and the energy that surrounds it as it's nothing but emptiness.
"It's a monster!" Tenchi quickly hides behind Asia.
Not knowing on what to do in this situation against this unknown creature before her and Tenchi Asia's best bet is to get away from the creature.
"Come on, let's run!" As Asia takes Tenchi's arm with her hand she passed right through him.
"Wha-Tenchi?"
But as they stop and without warning the lizard-like hollow pounces at them with it's mouth wide open ready to take a bite on both Asia and Tenchi in one fell swoop as Asia stares at it's pitch-black mouth in terror.
"Santen Kesshun, I Reject!"
"El Directo!"
Wincing and shielding Tenchi Asia was expecting to be chomped on but the attack never came as she opens her eyes she finds herself and Tenchi inside a bright orange colored barrier. Feeling a presence behind her Asia turns around and sees an older buxom girl with long bright orange hair.
"It's ok, we're here to help." says Orihime as she keeps their barrier up while Chad fights the hollow with his brazo derecho del gigante.
"El Directo!" Chad hits the hollow with another blast from his arm as the creature gets back up on its spider legs and opens its mouth wide and releases a cero directly at Chad but the large teen dodges and delivers a powerful punch right on the Hollow's face but it's not enough to shatter it's mask.
The hollow fights back by using its two tails as whips to knock off Chad from the ground but being as large as a small bus, Chad saw the attack coming and jumps upward and using gravity as a momentum, charges up his arm and delivers another 'El Directo' directly on the hollow's mask, this time completely shattering it. As its mask crumbled into nothingness, the rest of the hollow evaporated into spirit particles, never to be seen again.
Once the fight is over and Chad gives Orihime the OK, she takes down her barrier that was protecting Asia and Tenchi.
"Thank you so much for saving us!" Asia gives a small bow before Chad and Orihime.
"Oh on it's no problem at all, this is kinda our normal thing around here."
"It is?"
"Why yes! Oh, where are my manners? My name is Orihime Inoue and this is Sado Yasutora but we call him Chad."
"Hey" Chad simply raised his hand as he approaches the two girls plus Tenchi.
"It's nice to meet you, my name is Asia Argento." Asia then looks over to the child that's hiding behind her. "Oh and this is Tenchi."
Orihime looks at the young boy and notices the chain on his chest. "So that Hollow was after you?"
"Huh? It was?"
"Yes it probably sensed your spiritual energy and came after you."
"But he should be safe now right?" Asia looking at Orihime hoping that Tenchi would be safe.
"Yes but only for a little while. There's always more lurking around somewhere."
"Orihime is correct." The four of them looked over to see Uryu walking towards them.
"Oh Uryu!"
"I see you guys already took care of the hollow."
"Mhm." Chad nodded to Uryu.
"Wait, wait but if there are more of those monsters what would happen to Tenchi?" Asia looking more concerned than before.
"Simple, he has to move on. From the looks of his chain, he doesn't have much time left."
"What does that mean?"
"It means if Tenchi doesn't move on before that chain disappears completely he's going to turn into a hollow like the one Chad destroyed."
"Bu-but what about my mom and dad?" Tenchi having a hard time taking in all of what he's been hearing from the people around him.
"If only Rukia was here, she could handle this no problem. At least I can do something." Orihime thought. It was then that Orihime steps in, kneels before the young boy to be on the same eye level as him and comforts Tenchi. "Tenchi, you have to understand if you stay any longer your parents won't find closure and you'd risk bumping into another one of those monsters. I know you will miss them but when you move on you will be in a better place."
"Like heaven?" Asia asked
"Yeah... something like that."
Tenchi simply stands there, thinking of what Orihime told him, even if he doesn't understand completely. Then he saw a couple walking across the park just several feet away but he recognized them. They were his parents as they sit on a bench as his father was comforting his mother who was in a state of depression.
Tenchi quickly leaves the teens as he dashed towards where his parents are. Asia tries to follow but Orihime stops her. "No it's something he has to do himself."
Tenchi reaches them and stands in front of them but they can't see him. "Don't worry Tsuki...I know Tenchi is in a better place and he's no longer sick."
"But it's just so sudden, Yushiro. He was only 6 years old."
"I know….but even with the disease, he fought as long as he did. I'm sure...I'm sure he's in a better place….at the very least let's remember all the times we spent as a family, how we spent our weekends at this park, how he loved playing in the sandbox and the jungle gym."
Tenchi's mother sits and remembers when Tenchi was born and how he was the joy of their lives thinking all the good times they had made her smile knowing that at least she will always cherish her memories.
"Yes...Tenchi….we love you." With that hearing them saying those words that Tenchi begins to glow as he even thought he doesn't know it he found peace with himself as he begins to move on to the afterlife as he slowly fades away in a bright light.
"I love you too, mommy and daddy." Tenchi says his last words before moving towards the afterlife with Orihime, Chad, Asia and Uryu watching from afar.
"So he moved on." said Uryu as he fixes his glasses a bit.
"Looks that way." said Chad
"I'm glad he could move on." Orihime says with a smile.
"WAAAH! That was so sad but beautiful at the same time." Asia cries as anime tears comes out of her eyes.
Then Uryu looks over to Asia having noticed for a while that she's not from around here.
"Excuse me...Asia was it? You're not from around here correct?"
"Um no I'm from out of town and I'm actually looking for someone."
"Really? Maybe we can help." Orihime holds Asia's hands willing to help anyone in need.
"Really you would do that?"
"Yup! Chad, Uryu and I can help find the person that you're looking for, right guys?"
"Eh sure I got nothing going on at the moment" says Uryu as Chad simply nodded, agreeing to help.
"Thank you so much!"
"No problem. So what's his name?"
"Actually he is a she and her name is Rias Gremory."
Once Asia said the name the three just stood there having already met the person in question back in there school.
"Eh? What's wrong? Is it something I said?"
"No actually we know her." says Orihime truthfully
"Really!"
"Asia!"
Asia, Orihime, Chad and Uryu look over and sees both Issei and Kiba with Koneko just close behind.
"Oh it's you guys." Asia says happily.
"I take it they're friends of yours?" said Uryu as he walks next Asia
"Yup, we've split up when we came here looking for Asia."
"I see." Uryu begins to think for a minute thinking the last time he saw Rias and that would be when school was over and everyone was going home. But Rias stuck around with Ichigo. "Hmmm...maybe."
"Hmm?" Asia looks at Uryu curiously.
"I think I have a pretty good idea where Rias might be."
-Urahara Shop-
Ichigo, Rias and Akeno reaches Urahara's shop with Ichigo's face getting serious. It's been a long time since he visited Urahara. Rias then approaches the building and knocks on the slide door.
"Kisuke I'm back."
Opening the slide door was the one and only Kisuke Urahara. "Why hello Ms. Gremory and I see you brought Ichigo with you and some girl I don't know yet."
"Ah Ichigo I see you've finally found your girlfriend."
"SHUT UP! She's not my girlfriend." Ichigo getting annoyed by Kisuke's usual antics.
"Are you sure? She's quite the catch."
"Oh Mr. Urahara stop me and Ichigo just met, oh and this is my best friend Akeno."
"It's very nice to meet you sir."
"It's a pleasure and please call me Kisuke or just Mr. Urahara whichever works for you. But enough talk please come inside I'm sure you have much to talk about."
"I have a feeling that we do." says Ichigo as the trio goes inside Urahara's shop with Ichigo having the gut feeling that he's gotten himself into something big with Rias.
Once inside the shop and have taken off their shoes Urahara takes them to a large room with a small table as Ichigo, Rias and Akeno sitting across each other around the table.
"So Rias about this power that you would give me."
"Right, give me a sec." Using her magic Rias summons a chess piece a knight piece to be exact.
"Ichigo I can make you reborn as a devil and be part of my peerage, you would become my knight since you're good with a sword."
"Question; what the heck is a peerage and why do I have to be revived as a devil to get this power?"
"Well Ichigo you see a peerage is..."
-One hell of an explanation later-
"Oh...I see." Ichigo says as he takes everything while Urahara was taking notes about what Rias explained.
"So I'll ask again, Ichigo would you help me?"
"Before we go any further I won't turn into a devil."
"What?"
"No offense Rias but in the last several years I've been a lot of things and I don't think I want devil to be one of them."
"Alright but then how would you help?"
Ichigo stops and thinks for a minute thinking on how to answer her question. He needs to know her full story.
"Rias, before anything I need to know your story, more specifically, what is it that you're in trouble for? I need to know before I could give you my answer."
Rias lets out a sigh thinking it's time for her to tell how she got in this mess and how she got herself to Karakura Town.
"Fair enough Ichigo... I owe you that much and I will tell you everything." Rias sets herself up first as she clears her throat to begin her story.
- A few nights ago in the ORC building-
"I can't believe they are still insisting on this marriage when they know full well that I have no love for that Riser." After another meeting with her peerage, Rias and Akeno where the only ones in the club room while the rest returned home for the day.
But right after her meeting, Rias receives another message from her family about her upcoming arranged marriage with Riser and Rias.
"I feel you Rias but what can we do?" Akeno asks, standing right beside Rias, being her right hand girl for so many years.
Rias remains sitting in her chair as she goes through her thoughts on the whole ordeal.
"Issei is still not strong enough yet and not to mention Asia is still new to all of this….."
"No matter what I say, no one would listen." Rias stands from her chair and walks over to the window looking outside as the moon slowly rises taking the sun's place for the night.
"I really feel trapped this time."
"Rias"
Rias takes a deep breath as she looks over to Akeno.
"It's alright Akeno just call it for the night."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure I'll probably need to cool off but I just need some alone time for now."
"If you say so." Akeno then summons a portal and walks right to it taking her home leaving Rias alone in the room.
Rias remains looking outside of the window, trying to find a way to get out of this whole marriage situation. She wants to marry the one that she loves not one that would just use her family name for their own agendas. In Riser's case, he just wants to get in her pants and "preserve" the pure-blood line.
Feeling frustrated and trapped, Rias just needs to get away from it all and she did just that. Opening a portal through a random location, Rias just walks into it like what Akeno did as she closes her eyes with her portal teleporting her anywhere but here and hell.
Once the portal did its magic, Rias opens her eyes and finds herself in the middle of a small city, to be more specific a small park.
"Hmmm...where exactly am I?" Rias begins to walk while looking around to see if there's anything that she's familiar with and at first thought she was still in her town but so far it didn't look like it.
"Well I did aim for anywhere but back home so I guess this would do." Rias continues to walk while listening the crickets chirping in the night as she exits the park and sees the sign with the park's name written on it.
"Karakura Park? Hmmm….never heard of this place." Rias continues to walk in the streets of Karakura but unknown to her she's being stalked and, lucky for her, it's not a pervert.
In the shadows of an alleyway lies a hollow on the prowl. It has the appearance of a twin headed white masked wolf with pitch-black fur with the hole in the middle of its chest and sporting three tails and this more than a regular hollow as this one is a menos grande class hollow, an Adjuchas to be specific.
It's been on the hunt for most of the night; already devoured a hopeless drunk in the street but it was not satisfied. Then the adjucha caught the scent of a unknown being it didn't recognized before. The creature follows the scent and finally finds the source, Rias.
"...argh...must….eat...must….fill…..the emptiness….I….must…..DEVOUR!" Unable to hold itself any longer the adjuchas attacks Rias with a pounce, firing a cero at her.
Rias heard the adjuchas's cry and dodges both attacks. "Sorry I'm not on the menu and if you know what's good for you, you'll leave me be." Rias charges up one of her destruction orbs ready to fight this creature before her.
But for the adjuchas sensing Rias' power made it crave for her more. "S-such….power...must eat...you….must….no….I WILL….EAT!" the adjuchas dash towards Rias with both of its mouths open and ready to eat the crimson devil but only for Rias to fire two of her destruction orbs at its mouths causing a big explosion with Rias taking flight into the night sky and away from the beast.
As the smoke clears Rias' attack barely did but a few scratches on the face masks of the adjuchas. "This could be problematic, I better return home."Just as Rias opens a portal back to her room the adjuchas jumps and flies straight at her breaking her concentration and the portal to dissipate.
Able to dodge in time Rias lands on the roof of a two-story building but quickly dodges again when the adjuchas fires another cero at her. "Damn, that thing's fast." Rias then counters by firing several destruction orbs at the adjuchas but like before the they barely did any damage and the creature is hot on her trail.
"I have to do something or I'll be this mutt's dinner." Rias is in a very dangerous situation, unable to summon the portal with the hollow disrupting her every time she tried and she can't call out for help as she is too far away from any of her peerages to assist her and for some reason she can't contact her family in hell.
As she was about to fire another destruction orb, the adjuchas pounces on Rias and pins her down with both of her arms under it's powerful paws. Rias is trapped.
"No...not like this! I don't want to die like this!" Rias struggles under the hollow's weight but she can't get free.
"Argh...HOOOOOWL….now….to ..feeaaaast." The adjuchas opens both of its mouths and as it was about to eat Rias's head.
"Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia….and Issei….I'm sorry….I guess this is goodbye."
"Now scream, Benihime!"
"Huh?"
Before the adjuchas would react, a beam of red light chops off one of its heads causing much pain to the hollow and forcing it to back away, letting go of Rias. As the cerberus-like hollow backs away, Rias quickly gets on her feet and sees the one who saved her from being adjuchas chow.
"Sorry for the delay, but I thought you could handle this hollow." A strange and tall man with messy almost blond hair wearing a dark coat, which sports a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, with a dark green shirt and pants underneath. He also sports a green striped white bucket hat and he wields what looks like a cane sword that was glowing red just now.
"Hollow?" Rias had heard of these creatures but have never seen one in person.
"Yes, but I guess it was a little too strong for you to handle. But fear not I'm here for the final act of this battle." The adjuchas still in pain after losing one of its heads but was still able to fight while its decapitated head disintegrated into nothing.
"Argh...you...will…..pay...for that…" growls the adjuchas as it stumbles a bit but steadies itself.
"Oh I'll pay! You want it in cash or credit?" the man said with a happy voice.
"I WILL DEVOUR YOU!" The adjuchas charges right towards the man but the man vanishes and appears again right behind the adjuchas-type hollow.
"Sorry, but I like to live and it's such a shame that you have to be the one to go….eh….circle of life I suppose." Sheathing his sword into his cane, the man simply walks away while the aduchas's last head falls off after being cut clean off its shoulders, ending its life as it disintegrates into nothing.
"Who...who are you?" Rias just stands there in both amazement and shock as the once powerful creature she was fighting was defeated by the man that's before her.
"Well miss, I am Kisuke Urahara. Owner of the Urahara shop that's right across the street." Using his cane he points the shop which was visible where Rias can see it.
"Uh...thank you for saving me, I thought I was done for." Rias gives a small bow before Kisuke.
"Mine is Rias Gremory by the way."
"Nice to meet you Ms. Gremory, but someone like yourself shouldn't be out this late at night."
"I guess you're right, I'd best be going home now" Rias said as she concentrates to open another portal but when she opens one it quickly closes.
"Oh come on, don't tell me I'm low on magic."
"It appears so, I guess you're stuck here for the time being."
"Argh….this just isn't my night and I really don't need this right now." Rias looks at the floor as she was not having the best night right now.
"You know Miss Gremory, if you want you can spend the night in my shop. It has an apartment inside and a spare room you can use."
Rias looks at Kisuke and thought about his offer, she doesn't have money for a hotel, she has no place to go and her magic is completely low.
"I promise not to peek." says Kisuke as he gives Rias a thumbs up.
"Very well, Mr. Urahara. I'll take up on your offer."
"Fantastic I'll have one of my employees have your room ready, but if you don't mind me saying so. I feel you have much on your mind."
"Yes...I...do, a lot actually." Rias said looking down with so much going through her mind she could really use a hand.
"Maybe I could be of some assistance."
"Well at this point Mr. Urahara I'll take any help that I can." says Rias as she follows Kisuke back to the shop hoping that the man before her could help her out of this situation.
-Urahara Shop, Present Day-
"And that's how I got here and Kisuke helped me settle in but sadly the rent is a little expensive."
"You don't say?" Ichigo looks at Kisuke with an annoyed look on his face.
"What? I need to make a living you know."
"You own a shop!"
"True but business was getting slow so I had to do something to pay the bills." Kisuke says as he keeps the fan over his mouth which made Ichigo eyebrow twitch.
"Yeah right." Ichigo then looks over to Rias wanting to hear the rest of her story.
"Yes, well Kisuke told me a lot about you Ichigo and after what you did this morning I can safely say I believe when he says you have what it takes and that you can help me."
"So that's the whole story, Ichigo."
After hearing her story Ichigo then looks over at Kisuke with the man holding his fan covering his face but he can hear him snicker quietly which raised Ichigo's anger towards him but he can worry about that later as he looks at Rias.
"Alright Rias, so to be completely sure about all of this. After what "Hat and Clogs" here told you about me, you want me to help you to get out of this arranged marriage with this Riser guy and by the way you mentioned his name I take he's a real swell guy, and I'll probably have to fight this guy for your freedom. Right?
"Yes that pretty much covers it."
Having reviewed what was told to him and after giving it much thought he has his answer. "Alright Rias I will help, but without my powers it would be difficult."
"Oh I wouldn't say that."
Ichigo, Rias and Akeno look to Kisuke as he still holds the fan covering his face but one can tell that he is grinning from ear to ear.
"What are you getting at Urahara?"
"Oh Ichigo, didn't you ever wonder when every time I asked if you wanted your powers back I never explained how it could be done?"
Ichigo just stares at Kisuke being the ever mysterious and enigmatic man that he is.
"Ok then, how?"
"I'm glad that you asked." Kisuke says with a wide grin on his face.
To be Continued!
(A/N: And with that this chapter comes to a close but like I said before I have some news for this fic. First of the fic will not be a one-shot 3 parter and it would go as long as around 11 to 12 chapters long, and second but I can't 100% promise it yet but I have some ideas for a possible sequel for the fic after this one is done. It's all in the matter of me checking out season 2 of Highschool DxD but I will be skipping season 3 since all I've heard that it's pretty much fan-service filler. And once again I'm sorry that you guys had to wait for a month plus week for this chapter but my own personal life can get in the way plus my usual proof reader/editor was away on vacation, so I couldn't just write it up and give you guys a crappy chapter, so sir not on my watch but at least it's here and hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. So please rate/review those really help out and with all of that said I hope you guys have a great night and take care.)