Hey! I'm back with Chapter 11. Sorry to all the people who thought I uploaded this earlier but were disappointed to see it was only an A/N. I didn't really want to post it but I wasn't sure how long it would take to get this chapter out still and figured it would be best to just post the A/N for a couple of days. But who cares about any of that now right? Also, just so everyone knows I sort of remastered Chapters 1-10, you won't miss anything if you don't re-read them but I improved their quality quite a bit.

I don't know if there will be a notification pushed out for this chapter since I technically already uploaded a Chapter 11 so if you're browsing fanfiction and you see that this story was updated but you didn't get an alert don't worry, it wasn't just you.

Also, a quick message to any other writers out there who are reading this story! Recently I was informed of a bug/glitch on fanfiction which is causing people to lose their stories, so with that being said make sure you back up all of your chapters!

Anyways, with that said, please enjoy Chapter 11!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Highschool DXD, nor any of their respective characters.

Guardian of the Dead

- Chapter 11 -

Ichigo wasn't mad that she was spying on him, he had a feeling that it might come to this from the start, and if it had to be any of them then he was glad it was the small Nekomata. Yes, he definitely wanted to help all of the Devil's who had been lied to eventually but none more so than the girl stood above him right now. As someone with two little sisters of his own he just couldn't stand the thought of knowing she had been turned away from her only family left in this world, and all because of selfish lies. It made his blood boil just thinking about it.

He couldn't just come out and say it though, hell, there was a high chance the Devil's wouldn't even believe him if he did! But, if they did, and then took the next step of confronting Rias about it then it would create a whole headache of drama that he wasn't prepared to deal with right now, politically or physically.

So the whole 'you've been deceived your whole life' revelations would, unfortunately, have to wait a while, but the truth would come out, he would make certain of it. Bringing his attention back to the sole Rook of Rias' peerage he noted that she looked as uncaring as ever, even in the wake of getting caught her emotionless expression held firm. "Yo, got a nice view from up there?" he finally called out, throwing his arm up in a lazy wave.

With no hesitation she nodded, humming an affirmation to the question.

When she made no attempt to further expand on that response Ichigo huffed out with an amused sort of half grin. It was odd, he barely knew her, and the little he did know had been told by someone else, moreover, this was the first time he'd actually talked to her if you could even call it a conversation, yet he found it incredibly difficult not to like her. It felt as if he was in the presence of a quieter, less-expressive Yuzu.

"So, you going to come down from there? I don't bite," Ichigo mused, tone light and teasing. As he watched her weigh her options a curious question came to his mind. He would've assumed that it would be uncomfortable standing in a tree as she was, however.. 'If she's a Nekomata than maybe it's actually comfortable for her?' with that thought an image of her trying to curl up on a branch entered his mind and no matter how petite the girl was he just couldn't picture it ever working.

A rustling of leaves followed closely by the scraping of gravel under feet told him that she'd taken his word and hopped down. Tilting his head back further he noted that she was only a couple feet away now, crouched down with her arms wrapped around her legs.

"What are you?" She asked flatly.

Ichigo's face slid into deadpan at the bluntness of her question, "Not wasting any time, huh?" sighing lightly he gave a small shake of his head in a sort of mock exasperation, "That I can't say just yet. I'm not your enemy if that counts for anything."

Her eyelids fell slightly into an unimpressed stare at his response, how was that supposed to help her gather information? They'd already figured he probably wasn't an enemy at this point but if that lasted was yet to be seen for now though he was pretty friendly. Deciding that he wouldn't outright give up information about himself she decided to change her approach, "How much do you know about us..?"

"Mm.. a lot more than you'd probably like me to."

'At least he has the decency to look apologetic,' the white-haired Nekomata mused, carefully considering what her next question would be. She would admit that there was something she was curious about, "What do you know about me?"

Sitting upright he turned himself to face her before giving the back of his head a scratch. He didn't really see an issue with telling her what he knew, just.. he was really starting to feel like a creep the more he realized just how much he knew about them all, yet they only knew his name. "Well, I know you're a Nekomata, a Nekoshou to be exact."

That got a reaction of out the petite girl, her eyes had become uncharacteristically wide and her body had tensed, clearly that little fact wasn't very well known even amongst her peers. 'Well, let's keep going shall we?" the teen thought sarcastically, only seeing this conversation ending on a bad note. He still had his own problem that really needed dealing with but he didn't really want to do so in front of Koneko just for the sake of continued secrecy.

Shaking his head and sighing he continued, "I know that your real name is Shirone and that you were given to Rias Gremory after your sister killed your previous master.." As soon as those words left his mouth his instincts screamed out to him to move, and so he did. Pushing all the strength he could into his legs he flung himself backwards, flipping and landing in a crouched position.

He just had time to make out the crater in the ground where he had just sat before immediately throwing up his hand to catch the small girls dainty fist, or at least attempt to. As soon as they made contact the bones in his hand shattered and his wrist snapped backwards, the force was so great that the radius and ulna bones in his right arm fractured and splintered all the way up to his elbow.

The pain was intense, he'd forgotten what it was like to be human, to be so frail. He wanted to scream out but managed to keep his voice suppressed to a muffled cry.

Opposite of him, the hazel eyes which had just been filled with rage and sorrow at the sudden mention of her sister fell to softness and fear once she'd realized what she'd done to her new Senpai. She could feel a bit of panic starting to form as she wondered what happened, 'I shouldn't have hurt him like that, what happened to his strength?!' her peerage along with Sona's had already come to the conclusion that he'd somehow blocked his bodies ability to draw in and use energy but it shouldn't have affected his durability!

In theory, it was possible for a supernatural being to suppress their powers, as well as their enhanced strength and senses to a more normal degree, each of the Devils in Kuoh Academy did as much so as not to stand out too much. But even still, lowing your strength and muting your senses didn't change the fact that you were a being of the supernatural, with a much higher durability and healing ability than a normal human. No matter what the transfer had done to himself in the Kendo club it shouldn't have affected him like this.

A sharp hiss from the crouched teen drew her gaze back up, though she was further startled by the state he was in. He was ghostly pale with softly glistening skin from the layer of sweat that was quickly forming. His golden-brown eyes which contrasted beautifully with his shocking orange hair had lost some of their radiance as he sat hunched over with laboured breaths.

Tentatively her hand stretched out to him but she did not make contact, instead, her voice crept out barely above a whisper, "Wh- What's happening to you?"

Slowly his eyes lifted to meet hers, an expression of gratitude for her concern being conveyed sincerely, "Ah.. just the after-effects of my.. stupidity.." It was a struggle to speak, desperately he was clawing at the glass dome which surrounded his soul but it would not crack. He honestly didn't know what the hell was happening to him, Ryujin hadn't mentioned anything like this. Then again, he also hadn't the foresight to ask.

"What did you do?" she further pressed, she didn't know why she was asking as she probably wouldn't be able to do anything for him, and as harsh as it was nor should she. Yes, he seemed nice, from the small interactions they'd had she found the transfer student to be someone she felt could become very close to her possibly in the future as crazy as it sounded. But, he could also become her worst enemy and so for that reason alone she should've just stood back and watched, but she couldn't stop herself.

In response he let out a pained huff of air which sounded more like a mockery of laughter than anything, "In order to keep the matches fair I sealed off my bodies ability to take in and distribute energies to my body," he was forced to pause as a sense of lightheadedness washed over him, as the world continued to spin he let himself fall closer to the earth, "I don't know what would happen for you if you did that, but for me, it made me human again."

'Human again?!' how was such a thing even possible? Even when it came to reincarnated Devils like herself such a concept had never even been considered. Reincarnation was like a rebirth, how could someone just reverse it? Now, more than ever she wanted to know more about him, what he was. A being that can cast of its supernatural status and then reclaim it again on a whim was a ludicrous idea to consider. 'And all of it just for a fair match?' The ridiculousness of the situation was reminding her far too much of Issei-senpai and his stubbornness at the most random of things.

"You really are stupid Senpai.."

No matter how shit he felt Ichigo couldn't stop the burst of laughter from escaping him, to be admonished by her in that flat tone was just too much, "Ah, you don't need to tell me.. if only I had the hindsight.. to figure out.. how.. to reverse this.." With slow breaths the teen barely managed to finish his last sentence before unconsciousness took over.

The Nekomata was at a crossroads. On one hand, she knew her Master would get mad at her for helping him, he was a potential enemy and you don't save potential enemies, but she just couldn't see him as bad. Anyone who would go to such stupid, ridiculous lengths just to have a fair Kendo match couldn't be evil, stupid yes, but not evil.

The biggest issue right now was that even if she was going to help him, she had no clue how to do so, and with his current state fishing for clues wouldn't be possible. In an uncharacteristic show of frustration for her, she sighed heavily and glared at the prone teen. Scooting forwards another couple feet she knelt at his side, closed her eyes, and placed her palms flat on his back.

It didn't take too long for her to find what she assumed she was looking for, a single flame in an otherwise endless darkness surrounded by an orb of glass, this had to be it. Mentally she reached out towards the sphere, though the closer she got the more she wanted to turn away.

Going against her better judgment she ignored her instincts and pushed onward, firmly grasping the small orb in the palms of her hands. Her body stilled on contact, frozen in place as an unimaginable warmth crawled over her body, a blistering heat which felt as if it would melt her skin away at any second. Phantom sensation or not she couldn't keep the tears from welling up, she had never felt something so painful in her life, so terrifying, yet she couldn't pull away, or rather something, or someone, wouldn't let her.

Appearing in a flash of flame standing tall and proud while emanating a power unlike any she'd felt before was a figure the young Nekomata would associate with a demon of fire. It was fairly human in shape, made of molten rock and ash, with an eerie red glow seeping from its joints and the myriad of what appeared to be cuts littered all over its body. It had no mouth, nose or ears, just two large horns on each side of its head, both decorated with glowing cracks of red and orange, much like the rest of its body. The most offsetting feature it possessed were the two red-slitted eyes glowing crimson like the strongest of fires.

The being studied her closely, the fiery eyes painting heated lines along her skin before meeting her gaze head-on once more. "To connect with his soul directly, without hesitation, I don't know if you are brave or just stupid." the being called out, voice firm, powerful, "but he seems to trust you a great deal and thus so shall I, I merely hope you aren't too late."

And with those words he was gone just as he'd come. Koneko assumed that by 'he,' the being was referring to Kurosaki-senpai. It made her happy to know that he apparently trusted her, though who that figure was and why he knew what Ichigo thought or felt was still unknown. One positive in all this was that as soon as the figure had left she'd been given access to her body once more and the searing heat had faded in exchange for a much more comfortable warmth.

Focusing again she once more grasped the sphere tightly in her hands, using her heightened senses to try and get a feel for any weaknesses it may have had. After a moment of prodding the object, she could only stare down in confusion at what she now felt. It was odd, when she had first grasped it, it felt so solid, so indestructible, like nothing could ever scratch its smooth surface, but now it felt oh so fragile.

And sure enough, as soon as she put more strength into her fingers the first spiderweb-like cracks began crawling along its surface.

As if a volt of electricity was sent racing through his veins he jolted awake from his involuntarily unconscious state. With his one still good hand clawing at the earth his eyes snapped open, vision slightly blurred. Greedily he took in deep breaths, his lungs desperate for the air around him. It took him a moment of steady breathing, just focusing on the rapid expanding and contracting of his lungs for his mind to settle and his sense to return.

Thankfully his reiatsu was once again surging deep within his soul and Ryujin Jakka's steady presence could be felt. Ichigo could sense that the spirit was in a slightly foul mood for reasons which weren't too hard to guess and so he would make sure they had a good chat later on. The ground under him was charred and a lingering smell of ash wafted through the air, and as he guessed would happen the plant life around him took a bit of damage but nothing too bad. He hadn't started a forest fire or burnt down any buildings so he would consider it a success.

Catching glimpse of a shoe in the corner of his eye if felt like his head had been dunked in water and clarity returned. It was a completely subconscious action as he stood up, perfectly separating the Hollow reiatsu within himself and pushing it through his right arm all the way to the tips of his fingers, it was a show of how far his training had come to be able to regenerate and heal his arm so quickly but the celebration would be saved for later.

'Koneko!' he shouted internally, dashing across the clearing to the unconscious girl who sat hunched against a tree. Parts of her clothing had been burnt, the edges were slightly singed and a light dusting of ash tainted her pale skin but other than that she seemed alright, much to the relief of the Shinigami.

The fact that she appeared alright didn't change the guilt welling up inside of him, however. He knew what she did for him, yes he was unconscious but it was much like what happened when Zangetsu took over on the roof of Las Noches, he was still mildly aware of what was going on around and within himself, and he knew that without her he would've been screwed.

The most shocking thing of it all was that fact that she could do what she did in the first place, he'd never heard of anyone being able to interact with a Shinigami's soul other than the Shinigami themselves. Perhaps it was something unique to the Nekomata? He couldn't say, there was still so much he didn't know about them.

Eyes softly fluttering open she couldn't help the small groan of displeasure that escaped her lips when the soreness of her body made itself known. It was to be expected though. When the glass dome shattered her mind was ejected and the sudden release of power from her unconscious Senpai created a pulse of energy which collided against her none too lightly, sending her flying backwards into a tree. Thank goodness for her supernatural durability.

Shifting her gaze upwards she was met with the worried and guilty stare from her upperclassmen who was knelt only a couple feet away. To her relief he looked perfectly fine, his eyes were back to their normal colour, his skin was no longer pale, and once again it felt as if an ocean was hovering right above their heads ready to crush her at any moment.

Seeing him tentatively reach a hand out before pausing and drawing it back she noted one absurd fact, his hand and arm were perfectly back to normal. Just what kind of monster was he? Even for a strong Devil, such injuries would take at minimum a couple days to heal, especially his hand, she'd pretty much turned his bones to dust!

Ichigo obviously noticed her shocked stare directed at his arm and thus with a sheepish expression gave the oh so intelligent reply of, "uh, I guess you could say I have some pretty powerful regeneration," while awkwardly scratching the back of his head. He wanted to laugh when her expression fell flat at his statement, and in any other situation he would've, but right now wasn't the time.

"I have to thank you Toujou-san, if not for you I would be a human right now and locked away from my powers. You barely know anything about me, what I am or who I'm affiliated with, yet you still put yourself in a potentially harmful situation just to try and help me, and for that I am forever grateful.

It's also because of this, that I have to say I'm sorry," he continued, eyes falling downcast. "I dragged you into my situation and because of my stupidity you did end up getting hurt, so for that I'm truly sorry," he finished, head slightly bowed.

As soon as he finished apologizing the small Devil wanted to dismiss it, not because she didn't value the apology, but more that she wasn't bothered in the first place by what happened. And so, "It's alright, we're even now," she replied simply, drawing a displeased frown from the older teen. She hadn't thought that he would accept it so easily.

Just as he was about to respond, no doubt with the intention of trying to re-explain to her why things weren't 'even' between the two she deftly rose her hand and flicked him dead centre of his forehead, much to her amusement and his shock.

"O-Oi! What was that for?!"

"Because Senpai is stupid."

"Wha-?!"

"I told you it's okay, I hurt Senpai's arm earlier and now this happened, we're even," she finished in a candid, matter-of-fact tone that left no room for debate.

'Well she has a point..' he finally conceded, "But even so! I still need to thank you for helping me at the very least!"

On one hand the small Nekomata wanted to flick her Senpai in the forehead again for his persistence, but on the other hand, she did realize when a good opportunity presented itself. So, with a glint of mischief in her eye, she took advantage of Ichigo's sense of justice to get a little information, "What are you, Kurosaki-senpai? Tell me that and we're even."

Ichigo's face turned sour at words, 'Maybe I should have just dropped it..'

"Hmph, you reap what you sow Ichigo," Ryujin Jakka cut in, "But truthfully I don't think it would be bad to extend some trust to the girl, you just might be surprised how that trust is repaid later down the road."

The Shinigami didn't disagree. Although.. 'When did you grow so soft? Usually your the loudest preacher of seclusion and keeping our secrets hidden, just what exactly happened while I was unconscious?'

"It doesn't matter right now, let's save that discussion for a later date, instead, focus on the Nekomata." And with that the connection was cut and the conversation over, Ichigo would have no chance for argument right now.

Outwardly Ichigo just hummed to himself as he worked out how he would start. "Even if you ask that I'm not really sure how to reply," he began, quickly putting his hands up in a defensive manner when he noticed the girls face fall into an annoyed, unimpressed stare. "I'm not trying to get out of it again, I just really don't know how to answer. I'm a hybrid of a few different races, but honestly, I find it hard to really label myself as any of them because I never fully fit in with them.

Yeah, I was a part of them to a certain extent but because of my hybrid status I was always an outcast to some degree. I never truly fit in anywhere, with anyone, even if they likely wouldn't admit it. I've always just seen myself as human, not any of my supernatural labels."

Koneko's expression softened upon hearing his words, she could kind of understand where he was coming from and how he felt, especially when she thought back to the troubles Akeno-senpai faced due to her hybrid status. She respected her new Senpai for the mentality he took, 'I've always seen myself as a human, not any of my supernatural labels,' those were words she could envision herself saying proudly.

Yes, she was a hybrid herself, but she viewed herself as a human much like he did, not as a Nekomata or Devil. She enjoyed her human life and was proud to be looked upon as one. Glancing towards the darkening sky she was fully prepared to leave the conversation at that, no longer interested in hearing any more from him that he didn't wish to tell, but to her surprise he spoke up again.

"Well, I suppose me telling you that doesn't really help does it? I guess if I had to classify myself as something, it would be a Shinigami." He didn't pick Shinigami because he was ashamed of being Hollow or Quincy, not at all, he simply picked it because he figured that would be the only one she would have ever heard of and it would give her, and her master, something to satisfy their curiosity.

The petite girl startled slightly at his words, of all the things she could have guessed he would say, she would never have thought Shinigami, that one word could change everything. When she heard the word Shinigami, 'Death God,' she immediately was reminded of the figures in black robes from legends carrying around scythes, the 'Grim Reapers.' As much as she hated the possibility of it all, it just made far too much sense.

He felt like something they never experienced before, and while she didn't feel threatened by him personally she would admit his energy felt sort of.. dark, being a reaper would explain the ominous feeling he gave off. Also, he did just admit that he was a hybrid which would explain why he was in Kuoh of all places, she'd never heard of Hades allowing Grim Reapers to walk around as they pleased, at least not pure-blooded ones.

But the timing of his arrival, right as the Excalibur fragments had been stolen and tensions were rising between the three factions, why was he sent here now of all times, what possible interest could Hades, a Greek God who sits among the top ten strongest in this world no less have in all of this? She wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

~ Unknown Location, Unknown Time

"Amaterasu? What a surprise seeing you here.. I'm truly amazed that Hades would allow you passage."

With a proud and haughty demeanour, the Goddess of the Sun shifted her stance so that her gaze could fall onto the sole other existence in the atramentous world around them. "Hmph, it was easy to convince him, even a man as devious as he understands the threat you could pose should you manage to break free from here.

A slight hum reverberated around the head of the Shinto Trinity as the unknown existence pondered her words. Then, with a deep, powerful and somewhat ethereal voice which would make you question if he was actually there or not he spoke again. "Perhaps, but could it not also be the fact that you could erase him from existence on but a whim that keeps him so willing to cooperate with you?"

When Amaterasu made no attempt at responding to his suggestion he continued, "Ah.. such a frightening thought, to be able to kill a God as powerful as Hades as if you were swatting down a small fly. Though I suppose it's too be expected when you imprison another God and take his powers for your own," those last words were slightly spat out towards the Goddess, a hint of bitterness underlying his breath.

The head of the Shinto Trinity, of course, picked up on this fact and thus made sure to lace her words with every bit of arrogance that she could muster, "Oh come now, I do hope you aren't still holding a grudge about that old incident, it happened millennia ago!" Pausing briefly she let her tone drop, this time sounding much colder and menacing, "And we both know that if I hadn't acted first and sealed you, you would have done the same thing to me.. and, for the sake of this world's peace you know I couldn't allow that to happen."

With the cheesiest voice he could muster he replied, "Oh don't be silly, that's water under the bridge! I got over it centuries ago."

The Goddess hummed thoughtfully at his words, "You say that but your voice sounds like you want to strangle me right now," She quipped back hoping that it would elicit a reaction from the bound God.

Ignoring her petty attempts to anger him he let his friendly facade fall and gave his own attempt at pulling a response from her, "So, to what honour do I owe this visit?"

Unlike her, his attempt succeeded. As if a switch had been turned her face fell into a snarl and she spun to face him head-on, "Don't give me that, you are a fool if you believe I'm unaware of your tampering," she spat with venom, "The majority of your powers may be gone but a God is not rendered useless so easily."

Though physically unable to see him she could still vividly picture the smug grin etched across his featureless face, "I want to know why you did it," she continued in a low tone, "what are you planning?!"

In an attempt to further anger the Goddess he merely let out a sigh of boredom at her query, making no move to actually respond. "So how have things in Takama-ga-hara been? I trust Tsukuyomi and Susanoo are doing well? And, what about your Shinigami? Did they ever manage to get their heads out of their asses or is pride still ruling them?"

Amaterasu knew what he was trying to do. When the God before her wasn't trying to slaughter the innocent or destroy the world his favourite pass time was seeing how angry he could make her. But she had grown since then, that and her experience with Ichigo had just made her far too happy to let this fool get to her. "Tsukuyomi and Susanoo are fine, as is Takama-ga-hara. My Shinigami are improving.. slowly."

"Shigekuni always was a stickler for tradition, eh? It's quite impressive that Ichigo Kurosaki was able to break through to that old man of all people."

"Indeed," she replied curtly, not making any move to expand on her thoughts.

With a slight hint of resignation the unknown God sighed, "Oh fine, I'm not planning anything with the boy, are you happy now?"

"Hmph, as if, you expect me to believe that?"

"Oh for the love of- Yes, I will admit that it was out of character for me to actually save someone for once but even I can grow interested in things sometimes, the boy has led an interesting life thus far with many unlikely accomplishments in that short amount of time, can you really blame me for wanted to see what he could do in the future? It's not like there's much else to do down here anyway."

The empty space stayed quiet for a couple moments as the Goddess of the Sun mulled over the words spoken by the sealed God, she didn't trust him, not in the slightest, but that would have to do for now. "Hm, very well, for your sake I hope that's all it is," she finished before turning on her heel and walking away, not even flinching when she heard a friendly call of 'come visit me again soon.'

~ Underworld

Her journey back up the river Styx had been just as unpleasant as the first, being glad to be back in the underworld was not a thought she ever imagined herself having and yet here she was. Cerberus was as repulsive as ever, growling and flinging drool at anything which moved, the beast was lucky it hadn't got any on her or else it may not have been a three-headed hell hound anymore. As good of a guard dog it may have been, Amaterasu didn't know how Hades managed to put up with it.

Speaking of the man, he stood tall by the diamond gate that led to his kingdom, a look of distaste present as he stared in her direction. His disgust for all other races and Pantheons was well noted so she didn't let it bother her too much.

With a stern and dignified tone, he called out to her, "I hope your visit was fruitful?"

"As much as it could be, you know how he is."

"Yes, unfortunately, I do," the God of the underworld agreed, then in a rare display of worry he posed the question that no doubt many of the supernatural leaders were all wondering, "Are you sure those seals can really hold him forever?" Hades may not have cared if members of other races died or not, but having the whole world destroyed was not something on his okay list, that was one of the reasons he was being so co-operative with the Sun Goddess.

"Truthfully I cannot say," she began with an apologetic look, "Although he is a Shinto God, spending time in the Heavenly Planes was never his first choice, to say my knowledge on his power is lacking would be fair."

"That's what I was afraid of," he breathed out, "You didn't get a glimpse of his abilities when you took his power?"

"Only the smallest, I learned enough to be able to wield his power with moderate safety but you know as well as I do that a Gods most powerful techniques are not so easily taken. I hope that with his powers reduced to such a level the range of tasks he will be able to complete while sealed are small but.."

"But he has already defied the death of Ichigo Kurosaki so that hope is looking small."

"Indeed." She wasn't surprised that Hades knew of that, as someone who ruled over the underworld it was to be expected that he would notice when the natural laws of life and death were rejected. Amaterasu was happy he didn't seem to be bothered by it, then again he never was bad at hiding his emotions so she supposed she wouldn't know either way.

"Well, I suppose all we can do is hope." He spoke up pulling Amaterasu from her thoughts, "If you need to speak with him again then just let me know, I am willing to co-operate on this matter in the future as well.

With all the regality you would expect of someone in her position she bowed partially forwards in a show of thanks, "You have my gratitude, should you need my aid in the future don't hesitate to ask, if it is within my ability to do so than I will."

Hades himself just tiled his head forwards in understanding and with that, the conversation was over, he summoned a magic circle which would allow her to exit the underworld and he turned on the spot and began towards the gates to his kingdom.

~ ORC Clubroom, Saturday Morning

It was to no one's surprise that Rias immediately called her peerage together for a meeting the next morning, they had all felt that surge of power from the transfer student the day before and each of them were overflowing with curiosity to hear what the small Nekomata had to say from her surveillance.

The release of energy was so brief, there one second and perfectly reigned in the next, but it was so monstrous, so terrifying, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess wasn't sure if she'd even fully come to terms yet with the sheer magnitude of raw power that the new transfer student released the day prior.

Although they would likely have to go all out from the start Rias did believe from their very first meeting that she and Sona stood a very good chance at defeating Ichigo Kurosaki should it come down to it, but now? She shuddered at the thought of having to battle him, even if her own strength was doubled she knew she would be crushed.

It was frightening to know that someone so powerful had been casually living amongst them, a person who she knew nothing about, nothing about their affiliations or with whom their loyalties lay. He could have easily been their enemy and yet here she'd been trying to provoke him just for the fun of it ever since he'd arrived, she wanted to slap herself for the stupidity.

If only she knew just how powerful the sleeping beast she'd been trying to provoke really was.

The school's mascot Koneko Toujou, unlike her master, did have a really good picture as to what they were dealing with. Through a series of completely unexpected events, she got firsthand experience of just how massive his power really was. She could still feel the after-effects of the initial release even now, the shock wave had slammed into her like a freight train.

After thinking about it long and hard during the night she hadn't been able to come up with a single possibility as to why she was able to connect with his soul. It was something that she didn't know was possible and probably shouldn't have been even yesterday. Clearly, that mysterious figure she spoke with in that black world was somehow connected to her new Senpai and likely the reason why she was able to do what she did.

But who, or even what that spirit was completely eluded the Nekomata. Out of everything which had happened however the thing that struck her most was one specific line the spirit had said, 'he seems to trust you greatly.' She was blown away when she heard that, as far as she was aware they had never met before so what would make him trust her so much? She didn't know.

Perhaps he had an innate ability to read others like she did? It was the only explanation she could think of, but in the end, he was a lot more open about himself than he really had to be. Yes she helped him regain his powers but that didn't mean he needed to say anything to her in return, yet he did, and of his own violation as well, and she did appreciate the trust he had extended towards her.

"Alright, now that everyone is here and comfortable let's get down to business," Rias began, drawing the attention of the room towards the small Nekomata who either held many answers to the question they had about their secretive new classmate or nothing at all. "Whenever you're ready Koneko, tell us what you found out."

The looks of curiosity, anticipation and mild excitement directed at her by her fellow peerage members really pulled at her. She was so close to opening her mouth and telling them about what he had really done to himself, about the poor state it left him in, cold, pale and gasping for air on the ground as he defied the laws of the supernatural and reverted back into a human. About the black world with the glass orb holding naught but a small flame, the immense pain she felt that almost took her consciousness away when she touched it.

The demon of fire which appeared before her and told her about the trust which her Senpai had in her, and that it too would place it's faith in her as well to help him regain his powers. The seemingly infinite pool of burning energy she got a glimpse of when the glass orb shattered in her hand. The fact that he was a hybrid being with a part of his race being that of Shinigami, the fact that he was likely a Grim Reaper under the command of Hades, the fact that there could be much larger things moving behind the scenes than any of them could have ever imagined.

She was so close to telling them all of that, but then his face would come into her mind. The gentle smile he directed at her, the kindness and caring held in his eyes as he gazed at her like she was a part of his family and would do anything for her. The trust that he put in her hands. And now at this moment, with her fellow peerage members- her family surrounding her, and the image of her Senpai's smiling face in her mind she will decide how that trust is repaid.

"..I'm sorry, I wasn't able to find out anything."

~ Unknown Location, Human World

"So do you think he knows what you've been up too?"

"Mm, it's hard to say, it's Azazel were talking about so I'd be more surprised if he didn't suspect at least something, but I have been careful not to let anything slip that I shouldn't."

"Well, it's not like it's suspicious for you to stay quiet, especially with your always silent mr. cool guy act you have going on," a female voice spoke out from her spot in the room, the half-hearted glare sent back her way made it only more difficult to suppress her giggles.

"Le Fay, you should be more respectful to your peers," the third male of the five-person group chastised.

"Hahah! Don't be so stiff Arthur, you knew she has a point."

"Be that as it may I'm sure Vali is quite proud of his persona, we shouldn't make fun of it," the now named Arthur responded, a small smirk on his own face as Vali's glare was now directed towards him.

After the group finished laughing at their leaders expense the original speaker brought the subject back on track, "So when are you going to reveal yourself? Surely the Vanishing Dragon has a dramatic scene planned for the moment his betrayal is revealed."

"Betrayal is such a strong word, I'd rather you call it a search for strong opponents, as for the reveal? You know I've never been one for theatrics, though I've caught word of a possible peace meeting between the three factions coming up soon, an opportunity may show itself then."

"I find it odd that there would be peace talks right now considering all the trouble Kokabiel is causing in Kuoh," Arthur murmured, more to himself than anything as he sat in a contemplative position.

With a hint of excitement in his voice, Vali responded, "Well Azazel already has a plan to deal with it, he's just waiting for him to make his move so he can clear his name with the other factions."

Le Fay having caught it rolled her eyes at the battle nut, "And I'm guessing you're the one who gets to fight him?"

"Of course, it should be exciting if Kokabiel has been keeping his combat skills up to par since the great war ended, although I'd much rather fight one of the faction leaders."

"Hahah! Typical Vali, not satisfied with one of the Vice-Governors of the Fallen Angels, most people would be happy to have a chance at fighting someone so strong, but then again you aren't the usual battle freak."

"You're one to talk Bikou, you can be just as bad as Vali sometimes, Nya," the final member of the group finally spoke up, she had been somewhat listening to their conversation but her mind was occupied with something else.

"Well well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," Bikou called out in a slightly haughty but joking tone.

"Bite me, Nya," was her simple response.

"So how was your visit to Kuoh, Kuroka? Is my rival progressing?"

"Of course that's the first thing you ask about," she responded with a roll of her eyes, "He's improved, though with how weak he was before it's not surprising that he would grow at least somewhat, no Balance Breaker though, Nya."

"I see, that's disappointing then."

"You should cut the guy some slack Vali, you're just freakishly strong, not everyone can get lucky with their heritage like you did."

"I agree with Bikou, if I'm not mistaken he was born to two human parents was he not?"

"That doesn't matter, he was born with one of the thirteen Longinus, the Boosted Gear no less, if he really wanted it he could gain immense power," Vali rebutted while shaking his head at Arthur's words.

"I heard he's a massive pervert though, I doubt gaining power and fighting you is on the top of his priority list Vali," Le Fay cut in with another giggle bringing a frown to his face.

"Well before you get too depressed Vali I have some information that might interest you, Nya."

"Oh? What would that be?"

All eyes had turned towards the teasing cat at her words, something that would interest Vali meant a strong opponent that he'd never met before and while none of the others were as battle hungry as the White Dragon Emperor they still found interest in strong people just like he did. "A new guy who's either really good at hiding his power or literally just popped out of nowhere, in fact, if I hadn't been there at that exact moment it's likely I would've missed him."

"Well? Don't keep us waiting, how strong is he?" Bikou prodded.

With a mischievous smirk, she directed her gaze towards Vali and answered, "I only got a brief feel of it so I can't say exactly, but I'd say he's strong enough that if you made the mistake of underestimating him you'd be dead before you could regret it, Nya."

The smirk which found its way onto the Dragon Emperor's face was predatory, words like that were what he lived for. He fought for the sole purpose of gaining power, and he gained power only so he could keep fighting stronger and stronger enemies, so he could feel the rush of battle, the true euphoria of knowing you are fighting with your life on the line, that if you let up even a little, if you make but one small mistake that's it, you'll die.

"Interesting," the leader of the 'Vali Team' said simply, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes and a hint of anticipation in his voice. When he'd heard why type of person his fated rival was, a below average human born to average parents and massive pervert who was more interested in breasts than anything else he would admit he was disappointed.

He was a half-blood, partly descendent of the original Lucifer and partly human because of his mother, however, because of that human aspect, he was blessed with Divine Dividing, one of the Thirteen Longinus. He was, as Azazel had so kindly put it, a freak of nature. He was okay with that though because it meant he could grow infinitely stronger and fight stronger enemies until either he reached the top and became the True White Dragon God Emperor or he fell in battle because he wasn't strong enough.

But it seemed he was not so fortunate after all. He was born in an era of peace, in a world where God and the original Satan were dead, Where the Angels, Fallen Angels and Devils had been weakened to a point in which they would likely never go to war again lest they wished to be completely eradicated. The one hope he had left was the red one, the host of the Boosted Gear, the Red Dragon Emperor and his rival, but even then his hope was crushed, this generations Welsh Dragon was pathetic.

Now though, with the emergence of this mysterious person, there was a glimmer of hope once more. 'Maybe, just maybe, this world won't be so boring after all.'

"So how did you come across him anyways? You said it was like perfect timing right?" Le Fay, who had been the one to ask the question felt slight regret at her curiosity when the black cat's expression fell into a heavy frown and slight glare.

"He was with Shirone."

"Hahah! And he's still alive? Impressive."

Kuroka merely gave a wry smile towards the monkey, "I was suspicious of course, but they seemed close, or at the very least Shirone seemed to trust him so I let it be, Nya." Truthfully the only reason she been so lenient and not interfered in some way was because the boy wasn't a Devil, she didn't know what he was if she was honest which didn't happen often but at least he wasn't a Devil, there were already enough of them around her sister than she cared for.

She couldn't wait for the day to come where she could finally make them pay for what they'd done to her and her sister, the Nekomata had already promised herself long ago that she would make them wish they had stayed hidden in the depths of Hell.

~ ORC Clubroom

"Nothing..?" Rias repeated out loud, the mix of shock and confusion on her face doing well to express the feelings of everyone else in the room.

"Mm," she hummed, "I'm sorry." she eventually said, her usually quiet tone even lower than normal. She looked like a small cat which had just been admonished by its owner the way she shrunk in on herself and tightly gripped the hem of her skirt.

Rias having noticed the state her rook was in immediately tried to ease the situation, "It's okay! I mean I'm not mad or anything, just.. surprised honestly.. I thought after that display of power we'd finally have something to go on, but I guess not.."

If only the Gremory heiress knew all the information she was really missing out on.

The small girl was in a slight daze at what had just occurred. Yes, it had been her conscious choice to do so, but she was still shocked that she'd just lied to her master, to her family, all for someone she hadn't even known for a couple months, it didn't make sense.

Ever the kind one Kiba cut it with a warm smile, "President is right, we have plenty time to learn more about him so don't let it get to you Koneko-chan." If only the blond prince knew he was actually making it worse, his kind and forgiving attitude just made the feelings of guilt grow stronger within the girl.

"So what did happen exactly?" Rias's Queen asked, an odd look on her face.

"He went to the forests outside of town and began to meditate," which wasn't exactly a lie, "He looked to be in pain, he was short of breath and pale, "again, not a lie. It was bad enough she'd taken the transfer student's side in this situation, she would at least try and fit in as many truths as she could without giving away too many of his secrets.

"And then?"

"Senpai's vitals fell dangerously low, just when his life force was about to disappear it happened." She didn't need to expand further, they all knew what 'it' was, it had scared most of the Devil's in the Gremory and Sitri's peerages half to death.

Letting out a groan of anguish this era's Red Dragon Emperor brought up an arm to cover his eyes and block the fake tears running down his face, "Aw, what's a crazy powerful guy like that doing here anyway? There's no way it's just coincidence!" he whined, bringing half smiles to some of his fellow peerage members faces and looks of annoyance to others.

"I couldn't agree more, Issei," Rias cut in, "I don't believe for a second that someone that powerful just transferred here randomly, not when we have all this trouble going on with the exorcists, stolen Excalibur fragments and Fallen Angels." Gaining a contemplative and slightly distant look on her face the president of the ORC slouched forwards slightly so that she could rest her chin on her intertwined fingers.

She still didn't believe he was a part of the three great factions, they had already thoroughly disproved that theory, but the idea that he was a neutral, unaffiliated party had gone straight out the window. The main question now what could she really keep it from her brother any longer? There was another faction moving behind the scenes, of that she was sure, this was information that her brother and the rest of the four Satan's could use, but, she just couldn't bring herself to say. She wanted to resolve this on her own, without her brothers help so that maybe people would stop looking at her as merely the younger sister of the Satan Lucifer.

She only hoped that she wouldn't come to regret this decision later on.

"Well, for now, nothing will change, I'll need you to keep up surveillance on Kurosaki-san, Koneko, right now information is most important."

The small girl merely nodded in understanding and with that, the ORC club room carried on with business.

- Kuoh City, Later that evening

"Very good, you can release it now."

A sound of shattering glass filled the clearing he was in as for the umpteenth time that day his Danku barrier fell apart. With a sigh the teen brought up an arm to wipe away the sweat which coated his brow, damn anyone who said true Jinzen meditation wasn't taxing training, physically he was fine but it always left him mentally exhausted.

But, despite how tired he felt he couldn't help the genuinely satisfied smile which came across his face, he had all but mastered Bakudo #81 at this point. Without his Zanpakuto he could summon the barrier by simply saying its name and giving a small gesture of his hand and when wielding Ryujin Jakka he could wordlessly summon the translucent wall with great speed and efficiency. All that was left now was to use it in a battle to gain a true mastery of it.

"As always your perseverance is admirable," the old Zanpakuto praised. Of all the good things that could be said about his wielder, the two that had always stood out to him was his lack of complacency and persistence. Any other person would have been completely satisfied by his level of power, his Hoho was good enough that it would leave most Captains jealous, his Hakuda was frighteningly destructive not unlike that of Yoruichi Shihoin and his Zanjutsu while the least trained out of the three was still better than most of the current Captains.

Raw power had never been a question, only Aizen, Shigekuni and perhaps Zaraki Kenpachi held more than him though that would change as he aged and grew further, with every battle, every training session his reiatsu reserves grew, it was frightening even to the old spirit how seemingly infinite the young mans capacity for growth really was. His Kido was still lacking, he knew Byakurai and Shakkaho, and now he had nearly mastered Danku, but that was it.

The Hollow and Quincy abilities he inherited from Zangetsu had helped make up for that lack of knowledge, however. But still, even with all he knew he wasn't satisfied, often times he would randomly ask the spirit a question about the various Bakudo and Hado spells, how simple they were to learn, the best situations they were suited for etc.. and the teen wanted to learn all of them. One more so than the others, for understandable reasons.

"So, will you teach me Kurohitsugi yet?" the Shinigami asked with almost childlike excitement.

Ryujin merely gave a flat stare in response. Understandable reasons they may have been the fire spirit would admit he was getting a little tired of that questions. "No, it is not yet time, your offensive skills far outweigh your defensive, first we must-"

"Yeah yeah, a strong offence starts with a good defence, I get it," he cut in dismissively, he'd heard that same line far too many times to count. He couldn't help it if he really liked that spell, he got a firsthand taste of it when Aizen had used it against him and while it may not have been able to hurt him it left a lasting impression. An attack which creates gravity so strong that it can warp time and space? He would definitely find a use for that spell as much as he could.

Throwing his attention back to the amused spirit in his soul he compromised, "fine then, how about Rikujokoro? You said it was fairly easy right?"

"Mm, well it won't be as hard as Danku was if that's what you mean by easy. I was thinking more along the lines of Sajo Sabaku but fine, Rikujokoro it is."

The teen rolled his eyes at the words of the spirit, ever since their training had begun the elder Zanpakuto would ask him what he wished to learn next, but every time he gave a suggestion it would be rejected and they would learn something else. Although Rikujokoro hadn't been his first choice he needed to take the little victories when he could, right? Sighing out in exasperation he settled back into his meditative position while Ryujin laughed at his mediocre troubles.

Just as he was about to give the mental nod signalling that he was ready to start learning the new spell it hit him, that twisted, sickly reiatsu he'd been hunting since first arriving here. He didn't still in surprise or pause to think about it, as soon as he felt it brush against the edge of his senses he was gone, flickering from existence in the fastest Shunpo he could muster.

Kuoh Town blurred below him as he travelled, even though it was midday and the streets were bustling with activity he held no concerns of being spotted, the distance he could travel with a single 'step' meant that he rarely had to exit Shunpo and land on solid ground.

The only concern he had right now was the Gremory and or Sitri peerages. He knew that the two Devil heiresses would be aware of what was going on and would likely want to investigate it themselves. Although he was under no delusion that they thought he was a regular human it didn't mean he wanted to fully expose himself to either of them just yet, then again, with what he told the small Nekomata the previous day his cover could already be blown to a certain degree, but he would hope that she hadn't said anything to her master.

As he touched down on the pavement in front of the home which held the latest victim he made sure to clamp down on all of his reiatsu as not to alert the person inside of his arrival. With one final check that all the Devil's were still in Kuoh Academy, he set forth up the stairs into the open home.

It was hard to resist the urge to cover his nose with his shirt as he entered the home, the stench of blood, death and decay assaulted his nose more strongly with every step. When he'd ventured in deep enough and fully stepped into the main living room the latest victim was made clear to him and it was far worse than any of the cases prior.

He couldn't keep the bile from rising in his throat, "oh god-" he paused, gagging again, "for fuck sake-" he couldn't stand it. Closing his eyes he fell back lightly against the wall for support, he tried to calm his breathing as he wiped his clammy hands against his pant legs but it was a futile effort.

He had seen and experienced some bad things in his time during the supernatural, and upon coming here to Kuoh and investigating these brutal murders those boundaries were pushed, but until now he'd managed to keep his emotions under control, but this- this was just sick, it took torture to a whole new level.

"I was hoping you'd be able to appreciate such fine art considering how persistently you've been trying to catch me, but in the end, it seems like you're too big of a pussy to really understand it's beauty," a disturbed and honeyed tone called out from the opposite side of the room.

Slowly the Shinigami's eyes crept open, his golden-brown iris's burned with hatred. The absolute loathing that was directed at the bloodstained man seemed to only amuse him further.

Pushing off from the wall he was leaning against he turned to face the killer head-on, "You have five seconds to explain what the fuck this is," he began, waving an unsteady arm out to further make his point, "before I rip the life out of you." he finished in a low growl, tendrils of black creeping into the white's of his eyes.

For just a moment some of the insanity left the killer's expression and he found it hard to speak due to the lump which was sat in his throat. Freed wasn't sure if the punk was aware of the energy he was releasing but for just an instant he felt like he was in the presence of Kokabiel, like he was an insect stood before a giant.

His mindset quickly corrected, 'Bullshit, like this scum could be stronger than me,' he hissed internally before bringing his attention back outwards. "It's no big deal, I was just cleansing this earth of Devil loving filth~" he sang out, every bit of madness that had left his features coming back tenfold.

Ichigo's teeth locked themselves together in rage as he watched the killers snake-like tongue slither from his mouth and lick some of the blood off of his face.

Before the man's next breath could be drawn his body had been slammed through a wall and a lightly tanned hand was gripping his throat. His own pale hands clawed a the vice around his neck and his red eyes were bloodshot as he struggled to take in air. This wasn't a human that was attacking him, it was a monster, the only reflection he could see in the golden iris and black sclera was his death.

~ A/N:

For how long it took to put out this chapter I was hoping it would be longer, but what can you do right? My life has been pretty busy as of late which cut into my writing time, also I've been working on a couple other projects on the side which haven't helped much either. With that said you may all see another Bleach/DXD crossover posted by me soon.

A lot happened in the chapter itself, Koneko helped Ichigo regain his powers which I hadn't actually intended on doing but the scene just kind of wrote itself. It was a lot longer than I thought it would be but I'm happy with how it turned out.

We got a glimpse of Amaterasu in the underworld and learned a little more about the mysterious person who saved Ichigo, I know a lot of people thought it was either Ophis or Great Red who saved him but nope, I'm not that cliche haha.

I know one of the things that will probably surprise you all the most is the scene where Koneko lied to Rias to cover Ichigo, I have a good feeling that a lot of you will think it was unrealistic and out of character for her to do so but I don't think it was, but maybe that's just me. Along with that we got a glimpse of Vali and his team, I know technically he wouldn't be with them until after coming out as traitor during the meeting of the three factions but I twisted things a bit. I feel like his defection to the chaos brigade would have been something he was planning for a while before it actually happened.

Lastly we get a bit of an update on Ichigo's Kido progress, but more so he finally gets his hands on the murder he'd been tracking since arriving in the DXD side of things. I had a lot of fun writing that scene because I think seeing Ichigo loose his shit and go mad with rage as he does in this chapter is badass as hell, reminds me of when he rampages in his Vasto Lorde form.

I don't really have much else to say as far as the chapter goes but I do have something I want to say that's kind of off topic. I had an encounter with a reader that kind of surprised me and I wanted to address it here because I feel it's important. I won't say any names as I don't want to throw them under the bus but recently a reader of this story messaged me and demanded that I post the new chapter, saying that they and everyone else have waited long enough, and I was honestly taken aback.

I know that 99.99% of you all would never do such a thing but if there is anyone who reads my stories and has ever done this or thought about doing it, don't, it's incredibly disrespectful to the author. For most of us on this site, myself included, writing fanfiction is merely a hobby, I have other things in my life that take priority over it which causes me to upload new chapters rather slowly. So it is quite offensive honestly when someone demands more chapters to your work, your enjoyment is not worth more than my personal life.

At the end of the day you have to remember that this isn't a service that you are paying for, myself and every other author on this site are providing you with stories to read and enjoy for free, you aren't entitled to anything from us.

I hope that didn't sound too harsh or mean but I wanted to get it off my chest.

If you have any thoughts on the chapter than feel free to leave a review, I'm always looking to improve my writing and so constructive feedback is appreciated. If you have any questions then feel free to message me, I always reply when I can.

- Vertius