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FICTION
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Chapter 34: 'Sisterly' Rivalry
I should have seen this happening way before returning to the headquarters.
Smiling happily, Gabriel was resting her head on my shoulder as she continued to sit beside me by one of the couches in the living room. On the opposite couch sat a glaring Kunou, the Kitsune had her arms crossed near her chest, foxy tails waggling frustratingly as she tried to deal with the annoying sight before her.
I guess that it had to be fairly infuriating to see her surrogate big brother being 'taken as a hostage' by the innocent but possessive Angel latched at my arm.
A pout characterizing her face, the younger blonde looked ready to attack the Seraph any moments now, her eyes giving the fiercest and most hateful look the chibi could muster.
It was flattering to know that she was as protective of me as I was of her, but the main issue in that explosive predicament was that if the fight erupted I would end up caught in the crossfire between the two girls.
Kuroka was staring from afar as she prepared to intervene in case the situation escalated, her face showing caution, dread and… relief.
At least that was what I could gather after I explained to her the situation, the Nekoshou seemed to smile a little after I told her that Gabriel believed I was one of her brothers.
She is happy that she will not have to deal with a new love rival.
I thought that she and Akeno were the only ones giving chase, did I miss someone else?
Let's just say it will be a sudden surprise.
I sighed at the lack of a proper response, glancing at the kitchen area where Akua was finishing cleaning the plates and the cutlery and…
Why was she spending so much time on that knife? It's been ten minutes now and I think it was starting to bend at her unchecked strength. The vampire glanced my way just once or twice, returning quickly at her chores the moment she saw me looking back at her. Her face would gain some more red, but I guess it is quite embarrassing to have someone looking right at you when you are cleaning things.
Kahlua and Koneko were the most neutral over the matter. While the tanned girl was devoting her whole attention to the cartoon she was watching by one of the TVs, the younger Nekoshou would merely glance with some worry right at the hot zone. From her looks alone I could say she was really contemplating whether or not she should intervene in case things went down with a fight.
Gabriel was one of the strongest being in Heaven and, while her naivety and innocence would be easily mistaken as weakness, I was fairly sure that within her core there was also some sense of duty and mercilessness in case things turned dire.
Calling Azazel as soon as I could proved to be the right choice, the man was shocked by the news but also partly happy to see 'the most beautiful angel' after so much time. I was a little irked at the tone he used to address the woman but I was quick to shift the conversation to ask to have Michael pass by.
The Governor-General was a little hesitant, reasoning that contacting the Arch-Angel would bring quite the hassle as the current Regent of Heaven was very busy with how chaotic things had been in Heaven recently.
Nothing was said to expand on this but the Fallen Angel decided that calling was still worth 'the nag' he was going to get by the 'self-pretentious prick'.
The call ended abruptly and I was kind of surprised at the lack of agitations within Gabriel. The beautiful Angel was lost in her happiness at having 'found her Oniichan' and the fact she had started 'remind' me of the good times 'we' shared together in 'our childhood'.
From teaching her about the creations around the World just like an older sibling should to personal experiences like sharing baths when 'she was little and shy' and sleeping together in the same bed.
While the instances proposed were dreadful without giving the context that nothing remotely lewd happened during said events, I found two major worries regarding the description about those shared baths:
1) Gabriel seemed ecstatic about those moments and part of me was concerned that she might as well ask to do something like that with me… and that would be something embarrassing to go through. One would say that it would be dumb to refuse such offer if it was ever proposed, but I knew that by the time she learned that I wasn't Lucifer, I was going to be brutally murdered by Michael;
2) Kunou looked incredibly angry and confused at hearing about this situation. Back when she came to live with me, I did tell her that it was wrong for a male sibling to share the bathroom with his sister and this very situation dismantled that notion. She gave me a quick pout, but in her eyes instead of a glare, I found some planning in the making and… that was scary to know.
Azazel did say that it would take some time, from two to four hours to get Michael to come and pick up Gabriel, but I was already starting to pray for him to arrive much earlier.
Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was pure luck, but just as I sighed for the umpteenth time, I heard the doorbell ringing.
I blinked as I saw Kunou standing up and quickly walking to the door, slowly opening it to peek.
"You are Gabi's older brother?" I could hear her ask with a curious tone, then there was a brief silence before she continued with an annoyed tone. "Can you please take her away? She is trying to steal my Niichan!"
She backed away as a feminine, tall man entered inside the apartment. He had long, blond hair left unrestrained, a big armor which golden elements jumped to the eye together with the glowing halo over his head.
Gabriel looked the same direction I was looking at and her eyes widened. "Michael?! I- I mean Good morning big brother-"
"Spare me the excuses, young lady." The man replied with a kind voice. "Skipping your duties so suddenly was quite irresponsible of you and-"
His blue eyes widened as he spotted me and he slowly approached the couch. I tensed up as he loomed over me and was ready to move away when I saw his open hand moving over my head and…
I blinked, frowning in surprise as some time passed and… the Arch-Angel continued to head-pat me. "Azazel was right." He said with a hint of surprise at the edge of his voice. "You do look like our late brother, Hoitsu Sakakibara."
The female Angel blinked in confusion at the older Seraph's words. "Silly Michael, he is our brother!"
The youthful man opened his mouth to retort that claim, but I quickly shook my head.
"She thinks it's a 'joke'." The quick answer was met with another wide-eyed moment but Michael nodded, sighing tiredly at the situation.
"I wish to apologize for this predicament, my sister was… really attached to him." He explained with a soft tone. "She… doesn't know how he went out."
I flinched just a moment, trying to not meet up Gabriel's confused gaze as she tried to make sense about what we were talking about but luckily enough she didn't press the situation other than mere staring.
Soon the blonde was yanked away from me as Michael's gloved fingers went to pinch and pull the woman's cheek to force her out of my proximity.
"Uhu, Maichul! Twhat hwurt!" She flailed to get out of his stern hold and he sighed a little annoyed.
"Gabriel, you need to show some decorum as a Seraph." He scolded lightly, then he turned to look at me, bowing briefly. "I wish to apologize for this mishap, she could be a handful about this."
"It wasn't terrible and she behaved well," I replied calmly. "It was more the fact she arrived while I was busy with something important."
"Shee! I was shuper-nice!" Gabriel butted in, only to have the pinching intensify. "Uhhhu!"
"You still disturbed Hoitsu-san and deserted your work today." He rebuked and, as he turned to reach for the entrance, he paused just a moment to turn towards me. "Also, there is something I wished to say to you, young man."
I frowned and nodded for him to continue.
"Azazel did stress more than enough that someone is plotting against the peace of the three Factions and I can assure you as I did with him that Heaven isn't interested in rekindling the War..." Michael stopped, looking doubtful for a moment.
"But?" I pressed him to continue and he sighed.
"Some Angels will not accept full neutrality." He finally said. "There would be another rebellion if we don't take a more aggressive stance before a good opportunity to… end all Evil."
I nodded and golden light started to concentrate on his palm, an object creating and… I narrowed my eyes at the familiar shape, still unable to discern what it was because of the light.
"Before betraying God, he left a curious object in his workshop. He said it was important in case of War, something to use against greater powers and… our researchers are clueless about its power, only determining its miraculous healing properties and perseverance against any attack."
The light faded slowly and I was bestowed with the most insane sight ever. Eyes going wide, a little twitch repeating by my left eye and my jaws dropping down to the floor, I continued to stare at the scabbard that wasn't supposed to be in this universe.
"I will entrust this to you in a show of trust we are building up with Grigori. I think you will have higher chances to understand its working and I know that it will not be a major loss for Heaven."
It will not be a major loss for Heaven- IS HE INSANE OR WHAT?!
I gulped nervously before nodding and accepting the golden-and-blue sheath with some hesitation and I decided to ask more about it.
"D-Did he mentions anything about the sword it contained?"
The Arch-Angel shook his head. "The last time he talked about this project, he said it was a preventive weapon for dangerous threats to humanity. But we did notice that the weight was… off."
Now that I was holding it, I did feel the object being heavier than it looked to be. Frowning I tried to reach for the empty inside and-
BZZT!
My hand dodged the strange electric sensation coming from the area around the opening, making me narrow at the phenomenon.
"There is also that. Nobody was able to understand why there was some sort of magical protection for this and… I think it's time for us to go." The Arch-Angel returned to look at the door and was about to go outside the apartment while dragging Gabriel but… I remembered something and moved to stop them.
"A-Actually Michael-san, I have a request for you." The blond stopped at my hasty words, turning his head to throw a confused look at me.
"A few weeks ago, a young girl named Asia Argento was excommunicated for having healed someone that falsely appeared as a Stray Devil. There is strong evidence that it was a set-up to try and get her expelled from the Church and..." I sighed tiredly and bowed a little. "I beg of you to at least look at her case and possibly consider lifting the excommunication."
The man looked surprised at the request, Gabriel looking interested but focusing mostly on the steel-like hold her brother's fingers were having over her suffering cheek.
"That is a bold request… but I suppose you have reasons to ask this." The Angel thought out-loud. He nodded. "I will look at the matter, but only if the circumstances prove your statement correct I will see to have this possible mistake corrected."
We shared a nod and I followed them by the door, a yellow portal forming in front of the entrance as the two Angels went through it. A few moments later, nothing of their presence was left… except for this scabbard.
'What is so special about this object? I can feel some of its hidden power, but I don't see why you would be so shocked to have it in your possession.'
Avalon was the scabbard of Excalibur… in another dimension. This isn't the scabbard of the Holy Sword created with Alchemy, Magic, and knowledge from God's territory, but the one that holds the legendary Divine Construct nicknamed 'the Sword of Promised Victory', the crystallization of the wishes of Mankind created by the Will of Planet Earth.
Either sealed or not, Excalibur could be classified as a nuke-level weapon with its raw power. It's kind of sad that Protection of Wind and the Protection of the Faes aren't accepting you like the new user.
The requirements are very high and, if I have to be honest, I don't think making use of swords can become a thing for me. Heck, my swordsmanship is rather meek compared to any of my other abilities.
Just as I turned around to return inside the apartment, I found a short individual proceeding to hug me tightly. I looked down and saw Kunou giving me the strongest pout yet.
"Niichan, you stink." The Kitsune judged blankly.
Ouch, really? I thought I was careful to shower properly for the hangout with Akeno-
"And I do too." She finished with a small smile. "So that means that we could-"
Oh no. Nononononononono-
"-bathe together?"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is a bad situation! I repeat this is a Defcon 2 situation!
I was about to protest when I felt someone wrap her arms around me from behind. "Oh? You do need some washing-"
"Finish that sentence and next time we are training you will be spending a full day recovering from your daily spars with Akua." She paled at the threat and backed away as I sighed at the little blonde.
"Ku-chan, what Gabriel said wasn't-"
"I-I d-don't want to try because G-Gabi-teme said that about her Oniichan!" She interrupted with a fiery outburst, her face turning red for some reason. "I-I know w-why you don't want to do that a-and I know that y-you wouldn't do that."
… "You… know why?"
Oh Gods, she has a Computer without Parent Control!
She nodded slowly. "I… I wanted to k-know how… babies are really made." Kunou's face exploded in a renewed blush, while my face went paler the more she spoke. "A-And I found this page i-in Wikipedia."
At least she went through a 'safe place' to search for this-
IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT SHE DID SEARCH FOR- Oh my Gods, now I see why Mom was so angry with me when-
I froze at the memory of the punishment I got after getting caught looking at some… non-descript stuff when I was a kid. Curiosity, Sex-Ed Class and even more curiosity were the causes for that small trip down the hellhole and… I was actually glad it happened how it did because I did so responsibly.
While I ended up with far too much knowledge over the matter, I was able to see that some actions weren't to be underestimated and that there were some major responsibilities about those.
And even though I wanted to scold Kunou for doing something like this at her age… I did learn about this stuff when I was way younger than her.
I sighed tiredly and patted her head, crouching down as I decided to check a few things before dealing with this issue.
"Did you delete your browser's history?" She blinked at my whispered question and looked confused, causing me to sigh once more. "I guess that we will have to do that before teaching you how to use Incognito."
Her eyes widened and she nodded. "N-Niichan, does that mean that you could-"
I closed my eyes and hoped that this wasn't going to become my worst mistake in my entire life. "I will wash your back and help you with your hair, but the rest has to be on you. Understood?"
She glowed at that reply and nodded at my small request with glee.
Without wasting any time the Kitsune broke the embrace and took my hand into hers and started to walk towards the bathroom area. I felt some stares on me and I narrowed my eyes at everyone in the Living Room.
And…
Things went actually uneventful. Kunou didn't ask for help with anything else but washing her back and some extra help in washing and fixing her hair once we were done with the bath. It was a strange experience, but I… was actually surprised that nothing weird happened.
But as I dealt with those silly shenanigans, something much more important was unfolding within Tokyo...
Mio Naruse was unsure about what was going on before her eyes.
When her uncle Rizevim had decided to approach their small independent group to try and bring them to this newly-created Khaos Brigade, her father Wilbert had been hopeful in trying to bring some moderation at the ambitions this organization bought.
Sadly, the invitation proved to be nothing more than a trick from the man to try and absorb her father's powers. Before dying, the Demon Lord was quick to release his power and gift it to her. She didn't want to have such a burden… and yet the extreme situation had called for extreme measures.
With the death of her father, his clique assembled and started to make quick battles with this Khaos Brigade, losing day by day until the red-haired girl was forced to make a difficult choice. Picking her half-sister Maria with her, Mio knew from old intelligence that she had a cousin of sort that despised Rizevim. He was rumored to be strong enough to fend off powerful aggressors and was part of Grigori.
The organization had been helpful in those last few months, but the lack of proper intervention was one of the few things that caused the faction she was part of to lose more power against the Khaos Brigade.
Her enchanted sensor ability gave her two possible paths to follow, both sharing the same pattern but also… not. It had been a confusing situation but in the end, the eldest of the two siblings decided that Tokyo had to be the place where her cousin Vali was.
The trip was dangerous, the men under Rizevim giving strong chase through the various cities she had to go through before reaching the Japanese Capital and…
Sitting with her back on the bark of a tree and Maria crouching beside her to heal her wounds, her red eyes were wide open as the young man in front of them made quick work of the Devils sent to either capture or kill them.
He wasn't using magic, yet his speed and reaction time were impossibly high for him to be a normal human man. Precise punching and kicking led to an entire group of ten Devils to be utterly crushed by the merciless pace the boy was going with.
As the last member of the task force sent to attack them was dealt with, the human turned to stare at them, causing Maria to tense up at the sudden look of surprise directed at both of them.
"I… am not here to hurt you." He said with a calm tone, slowly approaching, his bulky body doing little to emphasize his genuine attempt.
The half-succubus looked ready to spring in action against this stranger when she saw a girl a little older than Mio approach the young man and slap the back of his head.
Both girls' eyes went wide, expecting the strong man to react violently at that sudden action but…
"K-Kozue-chan?" He looked embarrassed as he cowered before the angry look of the young woman.
"Baki-kun, you shouldn't be this hasty. Look at how terrified those two are, you should have been a little calmer with your approach."
'Baki' lowered his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Kozue-chan. I was just… taken by the moment."
'Kozue' sighed in exasperation before giving a smile at the two half-sisters. "I'm sorry for my boyfriend's lack of tact. My name is Kazue Matsumoto and he is Baki Hanma, may I ask what's your name?"
The silver-haired girl glanced briefly at her older sister, Mio blinking before nodding as Maria relaxed and nodded. "M-My name is Maria Naruse a-and this is my sister Mio." She gave a brief bow after introducing herself and her sister. "T-Thank you for helping us."
"It's the right thing to do," Kozue replied with a small smile. "You two were attacked by the thugs here and Baki-kun wanted to help you two quickly."
Mio slowly tried to get up but the gravity of her wounds left her without much strength on herself. Baki's frowned and without hesitation pulled out the small Phoenix's Tears vial Hoitsu had given to him, offering it to the redhead.
The two siblings eyed the tiny bottle in shock. "T-That- Where did you get that?" Mio managed to ask.
"My current boss gave us some of those vials. Those should be able to quickly heal your wounds without hesitation and-" The Hanma tried to explain, only to be stopped by the downed girl.
"Y-Your boss- I-Is he perhaps Vali Lucifer?" There was some hope in her voice but then she deflated when the boy shook his head.
"His name is Hoitsu Sakakibara." While Mio was confused by this name, Maria's eyes went wide open.
"T-THE Hoitsu Sakakibara!?" She asked giddily, making her older sister frown at her sudden excitement.
Baki nodded and the half-succubus turned to stare at the red-haired girl. "He is an important member at Grigori and- He. Is. Here!"
"Do you know him?" Kozue asked a little surprise, getting a nod from the silver-haired girl.
"He is one of the coolest and strongest members of Grigori." Then she turned to look at her sister. "Do you remember the Fan Club I joined a few days ago?"
Mio took some time to think before answering, nodding. "Was it the one that sent you the full-body pillow with that man with the green-mask?"
Maria blushed a little more but nodded. "That is Hoitsu-san! I can't believe he is here and-" Her eyes widened even more. "He was also a teammate to Vali-san, so he should be able to contact him."
The redhead nodded, drinking the content of the vial and letting the liquid to its rightful effects. "T-Then we will have to go and talk to this 'Hoitsu-san'." She said with some determination, causing her younger sister to squeak happily.
Baki blinked confused at the scene, his girlfriend giggling as she noticed the young man's clueless expression over the matter. A fighter he might be, but never did he have to deal with a Fan Club and, Kozue prayed, he will never have to deal with one until she was with him.
AN
Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha is now in the X-over Roster!
Mio and Maria Naruse will join the Initiative soon and… about the Fan Club.
Does anybody remember the former Queen of Diodora, Elea? Well, she didn't stay idle during her capture and might have made some interesting work and… a Fan Club for Hekishoku/Hoitsu was born!
Next time some real steal with the Ghoul hired for the Assassination attempt. It will be a surprise but not a big one as this character… isn't dead in this reality.
Lastly, a little explanation about Kunou's request: while some will say that I went a little over-board, I can assure you all that this is actually a genuine character development moment. Why? Kunou has only her mother as a family and it was customary for the two to be rather intimate towards each other, sharing baths was a thing to. So when she went to live with Hoitsu and she was denied the chance to have shared baths with him she felt also denied the chance of truly bonding with him as her Big Brother. Time has passed, their relationship is at its peak and this little event was the conclusion of their shared character development. It's a matter of trust to be only close siblings and to not go beyond that limit, the chance of being intimate without bleeding into something perverted. There will be a confirmation of this in the future but I just wanted to write this little explanation early as some might misunderstand the message I left in the chapter.
P.S. From this Monday I will resume my usual schedule. Yes, I didn't 'ditch' any stories, just felt overwhelmed by the insane amount of some. Still, some will remain in Hiatus until I get less workload on my back.
Current Hiatus Stories:
Fate Last Heaven;
Human King: Prepare to Die Edition;
American Century;
Angel of Death;
Partypooper;
The Consultant;
Once the currently updated stories are updated, I will start with those in Hiatus.
Magical Trickster DxD will still be a daily installation. There will not be any changes with our usual schedule about this fanfic.
Future milestone 1: 717 Followers and Favorites.
P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
REVIEW Q&A!
ChancePluto: I don't think it would work… but I have a particular X-Over that is similar to the series. It will be a shocking surprise!
Veemaster: Thank you! I've been told that I learned to do some good fluff and family development.
Fafnir1404: It's possible, I just need to study the case with some tact.
Cade Mistral: Thank you and the things I've to thanks for this good pacing are: A) Experience; B) RWBY. The first is actually the fact this isn't the first time I make a multiverse-like scenario and thus I'm adept at that; RWBY is actually based on a 'biased' opinion of mine, as I saw what happens when writers forget about character development. Everyone needs to be developed in their roles, they can't just be simply put on some places without any reasoning or purpose.