"Welcome everyone. Here we are today, to celebrate the joining of two High-Class Devil families."
Sirzechs spoke, standing center stage in the ballroom, all of the guests' eyes on him, listening to him as he continued. Behind him sat Rias, in a white wedding dress, her hair done in a bun-like fashion. Her eyes were red, possibly from crying.
Next to her sat Riser Phenex, wearing his usual burgundy suit, however he buttoned his white shirt completely this time. He looked upon the crowd with a cocky grin before shifting his attention to Rias.
"See, what did I say, Rias? That mutt you ordain to call your 'sister' ran out on you. Not only was she a no-show for our mock battle, but for this celebration I personally invited her to, as well. Maybe after this, I should have her labeled a Stray…" His voice trailed off, his statement putting fear into Rias' eyes.
The reaction he was looking for.
"Y-You've won already, Riser. Why do you need to go so far?" Rias asked, tears threatening to fall from her eyes again.
Riser chuckled silently. "Oh, I'm only joking, Rias. Besides, if I really want her, I'd have my Peerage look for her in the human world, and they'd find her within the day." He stated like it was a fact.
Within the crowd, the ORC was looking pretty displeased.
"Damn it… if only I was stronger, Rias wouldn't have lost…" Kiba muttered to himself, catching the attention of the others. He wore a black tuxedo, a rose decorating the left pocket, his hair brushed back, giving him the "regal prince" look.
"It wasn't your fault, Kiba." Akeno started. She was dressed in a violet kimono, accented with black, her hair in it's usual ponytail. "I was the one in the field closest to the both of you. If I had adapted to the change in scenario and relayed proper command, we wouldn't be here." She stated grimly.
Koneko shook her head in disagreement. She wore a short white dress, her hair in it's usual bob, the black cat hair piece replaced by two pink hair clips for the occasion. "If only Yu was there with us." She said, bringing her seniors out of their saddened states. "I don't understand. She would've loved to pound Riser's face in. Why didn't Rias call her back for the Rating Game?"
"I'm not sure, Koneko. But we can't worry about that now. Let's just try to enjoy tonight, our last night as servants of the Gremory family." Akeno said with a solemn smile, as Kiba disappeared, soon returning with cups for the two girls, which they accepted.
"To Rias." Akeno said, raising her glass. Her juniors followed suit, raising their glasses.
"To Rias." They toasted, taking a sip from their drinks.
"RISER PHENEX!" A feminine voice rang out through the ballroom, cutting off Sirzechs mid-speech. The guests began looking around, trying to find the culprit.
"Was that..?" Riser, muttered, his eyes widening. Rias stood from her seat and walked over to her brother, who looked at her with a smile.
"She's coming, Rias." Sirzechs whispered in her ear, bringing a smile to her face as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
Suddenly, a pillar of pure white light erupted in the center of the room, sending a chill down the spines of those closest to it, forcing them to clear away from it.
When the pillar dispersed, Yukiko stood in its place, wearing her usual short cropped jacket with white t-shirt combo. However, on the back of her jacket, taking up the right half of her back, was a single white Angel's wing.
"...Who are you?" Riser asked, looking at Yukiko. The girl in question scoffed. "Oh, that's right. You wouldn't recognize me anymore, after my revelation." She looked towards Sirzechs with a harsh glare. "You know, Sirzechs," The Crimson Satan flinched, startled by the youth's tone. "I'd say everything that happened recently were events manipulated by you, but I can't prove that."
"How dare you show up to this prestigious event uninvited and accuse Lord Sirzechs of anything! Know your place!" One of the partygoers shouted a at her. Yukiko looked back at the crowd. "You know, ten days ago, I would've gave your words thought. But now…" A white aura took the form of a western dragon's head around the brunette, suffocating nearly all of the guests, causing them to double over.
"A lion doesn't concern themself with the opinions of sheep." Walking past the disabled guests, Yukiko made her way onto the stage, heading towards Riser, she watched as her aura caused him to strain under the pressure.
"Where are the guards?! How could they let such a dangerous person through?!" Riser asked, sweating nervously. Yukiko wagged her finger. "Simple: I was invited. By you, no less. In fact, you were talking about me not too long ago~" Releasing her aura, everyone began to breathe easier, the guests seeming to be distressed.
"Wait, I invited you? But the only person I invited was…" Realization dawned on Riser as he looked at Yukiko. "No way! I refuse to accept that you're Rias' sister!"
"I'm afraid to say it, Lord Raiser, but that is the case." Sirzechs spoke up, acting as Rias' support since she was also affected by Yukiko's aura. Riser looked at Sirzechs like he was crazy. "What are you talking about, Lord Sirzechs? Last time I saw her, Yukiko was nowhere near this girl's bust size, nor level of power!" His statement further enraged Yukiko, who suddenly appeared in front of him, making him flinch. The shorter girl grabbed Riser by his jacket and pulled him to her height, her eyes staring directly into his.
"Oh? So you remember girls from the size of their breasts?" Shoving Riser into the ground, Yukiko used her magic to summon Hanran into her hands, holding the Phenex at blade-point. "Let me fix that."
Suddenly flaring his power, Yukiko released Riser, resealing her sword. "Foolish mutt. For attempting to take my life, I'll-"
"Take your life? Please. I just want to challenge you." Yukiko interrupted, throwing a card at Sirzechs, who caught it. "As a member of the Gremory family, and younger sister of the unhappy Rias Gremory, with Lord Sirzechs Lucifer as my witness I challenge you, Riser Phenex, for Lady Rias Gremory's rights of engagement."
Both Riser and Sirzechs were surprised. "Wh-What is this? Why should I even agree to such a proposal, knowing I already have the prize?"
"Because if you beat me," Yukiko used her magic, creating a ball of pure white light in her hands. "Not only would I willingly become your personal slave, but I'll teach you and your peerage how to wield and manipulate holy energy."
Sirzech's eyes widened in surprise. 'She can use her holy magic now?' He thought. 'Impressive, in just twelve days she's gotten this strong… if Riser agrees to your terms, Yu, then Rias' freedom rides on the outcome of your battle. I wish you the best of luck.'
"Finally learning your place beneath a true High-Class Devil's foot, are you, Mutt? With power like yours, you might as well give up now. But if you insist on making a fool of yourself, let me oblige you. I'll accept your challenge!" Riser declared, getting a roar of applause from the guests.
"All. Too. Easy." Yukiko muttered to herself, before smiling. "Great. Give me five minutes to prepare." Walking away, Yukiko found the rest of the ORC in a corner, watching as she approached them with a bashful smile.
"Hey…" the brunette said, before being pulled into a sudden hug by Akeno. Releasing the younger girl, Akeno then grabbed Yukiko by her cheeks.
"Where were you, Yuki? We needed you!" She cried, getting an apologetic look from Yukiko. "Ai'm shawwy, Apeno. I i'in't know!" Akeno let go of Yukiko, smiling softly. "It's alright. You made up for it with your challenge earlier. However, did your entrance really have to be so flashy?"
"Akeno's right, Yuki." Koneko agreed, playfully punching Yukiko in her arm. Yukiko faced her best friend, petting her head. "How are you guys holding up? Your injuries?"
Kiba came forward, a soft smile on his face. "We're fine, Yukiko. What about you? That power you gave off earlier… you've become a lot stronger, Yu. I'm impressed." He told the brunette as he pet her head, causing her to smile.
"Will Yukiko Gremory come forward once more. The time for preparations has ended." Sirzechs announced from the stage. Yukiko looked at her friends with a smile. "Well, duty calls. Wish me luck, everyone!" She said, and with that, she walked back to the stage.
Standing on stage, a few feet from her opponent, Yukiko felt nervous. This didn't go unnoticed by Riser, though.
"What's the problem? Realizing now that you're in over your head? Well, it's to late for apologies, Mutt." Riser said with a smirk. Hearing his comment replaced Yukiko's nervousness with anger as she reminded herself why she was fighting the Phenex.
A magic circle appeared under the two, taking them away to their battleground.
'Please, be careful, Yu.' Rias thought as she watched her adopted sister disappear.
Standing in what looked to be an arena, Yukiko took a defensive stance, her eyes locked with the older blonde's, who stood approximately seven meters away from her.
A large mirror-like object hovered over the area, soon flickering to life, revealing Sirzechs himself.
"Now, if both participants are ready, you may begin." The Crimson Satan stated. Immediately after, Riser began charging towards Yukiko, using his flames too propel himself across the field.
"Victory comes to those who strike first!" Riser announced, winding back his fist that he encased in flames. "I hope you learn your lesson about challenging your betters while you're serving me. Now, begone!" He sent his fist flying into Yukiko, the draft of his punch forcing the flames behind him to keep moving, seeming like a tunnel of fire.
"Wow, Riser. You were actually right about something. Guess if you look past the overblown ego, you are a smart guy." Yukiko said from Riser's left. The blonde Phenex snapped his view to the left, watching Yukiko's unscathed form.
'How?! I know I hit her-!' Riser thought, his view drifting back to in front of him, where he saw an image of Yukiko, before it began to fade.
"An afterimage!?"
"Right on the nose. But you probably didn't think I was fast enough to do that." Yukiko cracked her knuckles as she stepped closer to Riser. "Oh, and that thing you said earlier? About victory coming to those that strike first? That's only true if the hit connects. Like this!"
Without a warning, the brunette embedded her fist into the side of Riser's face, earning an audible crack. The Phenex used his clan's known regeneration ability, the sudden burst of fire surprising Yukiko.
"...That, was a good hit, Mutt. It will also be your last!" Riser cried, enraged. His body began radiating flames in waves, making the area around him too hot for Yukiko to be in for too long. Riser fired a dozen balls of fire at Yukiko, only for the brunette to dodge and guard against them.
Yukiko began walking towards Riser, manifesting her twin guards and using them to deflect his attacks. "Köri."
{What is it, Child?} The dragon asked, the topaz gems on Yukiko's arms flashing. "I'm going to need you to pilot the Gear. I'm going in for Riser."
{Are you certain? Going in now would be in his favor, unless… Very well. I'll take control of the Gear for now, but even with that, you can't withstand more than four minutes in that heat before it burns you from the inside out.}
"Got it. Well then, here we go!" With a quick dash, Yukiko appeared in front of Riser, who smirked before sending wave after wave of fire in her direction. "Finally ready to admit defeat, Mutt?" Riser asked without stopping.
"Yeah! Yours! Now, Köri!" Yukiko called, the gems on her guards changing to emerald in color.
{"Mimicry! Restore!"} The Sacred Gear sounded, encasing Yukiko in a green aura that began healing whatever burns she had.
"What?! You can regenerate?!" Riser cried. Yukiko smirked. "Yeah. Let's go with that!" She said, before using her magic to Riser's feet in ice, surprising the blonde. "Now, don't blink!" With that, the brunette began her barrage of punches, not giving Riser a chance to counter.
~Meanwhile, back in the ballroom~
The guests watched on in surprise as Riser, a High-Class Devil, was being pummeled by a servant, a Low-Class servant at that. Sirzechs looked on with a faint smile. 'Looks like Grafiya was right. Yukiko has become quite a strong individual.'
Rias looked over at her brother. "Thinking about it now, I agree with Yu. Everything just fell into place to perfectly for it to not be one of your plans, brother."
Sirzechs sighed. "Not going to let that go, are you?" He asked, getting an answer from Rias in the form of her shaking her head 'No'. Sirzechs sighed, a small smile taking form on his face. "I'll admit, I may have invited our baby sister because I knew of her not-so-good opinion of Riser. I figured it would make for good party entertainment." He admitted, getting a sigh from the younger Devil.
"Brother, I love you, but I know there's more to it than that." Rias stated flatly, causing Sirzechs to flinch.
"F-Fine… I thought that if I got her a fight with Riser she'd be willing to forgive me for before." Sirzechs admitted, causing Rias to look at him with concern.
"...Your love for us is affecting your ability to make good decisions." Rias deadpanned, making her brother flinch. This got a laugh from behind her, making Rias turn around, surprised to see her Peerage.
"Everyone… I-"
"Don't, Rias." Akeno interrupted. "We fought for you because we love you. We just weren't strong enough in the end."
"Akeno's right." Kiba continued. "But if anyone loves you more than us, its Yu." Everyone turned their attention to the mirror-like device, watching Yukiko's battle against Riser, with Yukiko slowly losing her ground. "...She could use our support now more than ever." Koneko said, watching her best friend get burned, the green aura covering Yukiko fading.
~Arena~
Yukiko fell to her knees, exhausted. Her clothes either burned or in tatters. Riser stood nearby, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. "Have you finally given in, Mutt? Ready to serve me?"
"Hardly. Just… tired. Need a… minute…" Yukiko wheezed out, trying to stand. Riser kicked her in her stomach, sending her flying into a wall behind her. "Oh, stop the bravado. What can you do this late in the game?"
"Oh, I… don't know. How about…" Yukiko started, standing up slowly. Suddenly, the air around Yukiko shimmered, before revealing Yukiko… completely fine!
"!" This trick surprised everyone, including Riser.
"I start using my full power." She finished, a magic circle in her hand.
"An illusion?!" Riser cried, before the ground under him began to glow white. Looking down, he saw a large magic circle.
"When did she-! She's been pouring her magic into the ground this whole time!" Riser figured out, surprised by the brunette's tactic. "I've got to-"
"Where do you think you're going, Phenex?" As Riser began to fly up over the spell, Yukiko appeared in front of him, delivering a harsh right punch into his chest, before throwing him back into the ground.
The field flashed, before a block no larger than a small room appeared on the floor, with Riser inside of it.
Riser scoffed, looking at his prison. "A simple ice prison won't hold me!" He claimed, his flames flaring brightly from within the block. A few minutes later, he stood with a smirk, before realizing he was still trapped in the block.
"What?! Wh-What gives?! I should've melted through this cheap ice!"
"Yeah, you would've… if it was regular ice." Yukiko said, walking closer to Riser's prison. "Funny thing, really. Those humans you look down on? They have this special type of ice that I used as the base for this spell's idea: Unmelting Ice."
"Unmelting..!" Riser muttered.
"Of course, my ice isn't made of the same stuff as theirs. It's a combination of regular Ice Magic and-"
"No matter! If my flames won't melt it, then I'll just break the ice!" Riser coated his fist in fire, slamming it into one of the walls, before wailing in pain. Looking at his hand, he saw that it looked melted, the sleeve of his suit burned.
"Th-This ice… you've imbued it with Light Magic!" Riser announced, shocking the audience once more. Yukiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That's what I was trying to say earlier. Listen to others sometime. You'll learn something." She chided.
"But how?! Devils can't use Light-based magic! What… What are you?" Riser wondered. Yukiko snapped her fingers. "That is the question! Well, it was, but now I have an idea." She began, revealing both of her wings, getting a shocked gasp from Riser.
"A...Fallen Angel..?"
"Hear me, Underworld! My name is Yukiko! I am the half-breed daughter of Sariel, Penemue's daughter, and a human! I am Rias' Rook, as well as her adopted sister! And from this day forward…"
Yukiko smirked, pointing at Riser, who looked back at her with a glare.
"The Slayer of Phenex!" She finished with a smirk.
Both the arena and the ballroom went silent, before flames suddenly erupted from Riser.
"The 'Slayer of Phenex'?" He muttered. "Don't mock me. Don't mock me! DON'T MOCK ME!" His flames began spiraling around him, burning brighter and brighter. His ice prison began to crack under the pressure of Riser's fire.
"Whoa… his power's skyrocketing!" Yukiko exclaimed, caught off-guard by the Phenex.
"To think that mere half-breed scum like yourself would become so cocky after landing a few lucky blows on me… I won't have it!" Riser announced.
Suddenly, the ice prison surrounding Riser shattered, Riser's red wings now burning a bright blue. His suit was now lined in blue flames, with each step he took leaving the fire in his wake.
"W-Wow… his power went up so much…" Yukiko mumbled, sweating nervously. "N-No! Don't be nervous! Rias, no, everyone is counting on me! I can't let them down!"
"Oh, but you should be nervous, damn Mutt. It's thanks to you that I reached this level of power. Now, I'm going to use it to make sure you leave this place with as many broken bones as possible!" Riser announced, before disappearing, suddenly appearing in front of Yukiko. With quick movements, he sent a barrage of punches into Yukiko's abdomen, before hitting her with a kick in her side, launching her across the field like a skipping stone, before she was stopped by the wall behind her.
Struggling to get up, Yukiko rose once more and took a defensive stance, her legs barely supporting her. She had blood covering the left half of her face, her arms and legs covered in cuts and bruises.
'I couldn't even defend against him…' She thought. 'His power, it's on a completely different level from before!'
"I'll applaud your tenacity, Mutt." Riser said to her as he slowly walked over to her. Panicking, Yukiko began shooting shards of ice at the Phenex, though they melted before reaching Riser, who sighed. "I'm growing bored of your feeble attempts at fighting back, so I'll just end this now!" Riser claimed, immediately creating three large balls of blue fire. Launching them, Yukiko watched as they approached her. With a sigh of seemingly acceptance, she lowered her guard, waiting for the impact of Riser's attack.
{Are you giving up, Snow Child?} Köri asked her host. Time slowed down, allowing for the pair to converse.
'What else can I do, Köri? He's not on the level I can beat anymore.'
{Oh? And what of the others you claim to care for, once you're defeated? Surely you don't want them signed away to the same fate that awaits you.}
'!' Images of her friends and family filled her mind: Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, Asia, Issei…
…And Rias.
'No! Köri, you're right! If they could fight until their last breaths for each other, then me giving up is like spitting on their efforts!' Opening her eyes, Yukiko put her guard up once more, a look of defiance held within her eyes.
'My body aches, it's begging me to stop… but!'
"As long as I can still form fists, Riser, I reject the idea of losing!"
Köri laughed within Yukiko's mind. {Well met, Child! You harbor the will of a dragon, and it is this fact that I deem you worthy of my power. Now tell me, Yukiko, are you ready?!}
Yukiko was shocked by Köri's statement. 'That's the first time she's ever called me by my name…' She thought before shaking her head. 'Yeah! I'm ready, Köri!'
{Good.} Köri began, time restoring to normal. {"Listen well, Phenex! This is where my Partner turns the tide of battle once more! Yukiko, with me!"}
With a nod, Yukiko began to speak.
"{"Mimicry Evolution! Absolute Replication!"}" The duo exclaimed, Yukiko's Sacred Gear and legs being enveloped in a golden light. The light faded, revealing that her Sacred Gear has taken a new form- appearing as a pair of clawed gauntlets and greaves, the gems on her gauntlets now depicting a dragon's head, the runes on her greaves glowing a faint yellow.
The spheres of blue flame exploded on impact, sending dust everywhere, giving Riser a false sense of victory.
"Learn your place under my boot, Mutt!" He sneered.
Rias and Sirzechs looked upon the battle, the former's eyes filled with worry. Sirzechs turned his attention away from the fight to look at Rias solemnly. "With that last attack, it would appear that the victor of this battle is-"
{"Absorb!"} The gauntlets sounded off, shocking Riser. Yukiko cried out in pain, blue sparks escaping from her mouth.
"Thanks for the top-up! And-!" Yukiko stomped, causing a line of white flames to erupt from the ground, heading towards Riser, who blocked the fire with his own.
"The immunity." The brunette finished, a look of realization, then irked annoyance crossing Riser's face.
"Don't talk nonsense just because your Sacred Gear looks a bit different! You've still lost this!" He cried, speeding towards Yukiko, his fire-covered fist aiming directly for her face. Yukiko caught his first in her hand, making it steam on contact.
"Nonsense? Not even close. Like you, I've evolved with this fight, too. I just unlocked an ability of my Sacred Gear. It allows me to absorb any magic-based attack to half the damage of it while using the remaining energy to restore my magic reserves, while making me immune to the attacks base elements for as long as I can feed it magic." Yukiko explained.
{"Replicate! Absolute Restoration!"} Her Sacred Gear sounded off, healing all of Yukiko's wounds in an instant.
"No… NO! I refuse to lose here!" Riser cried as he wrenched his hand from Yukiko's grip, launching punch after punch at the young half-breed, who returned them with the same ferocity. Meeting the Phenex blow for blow, Yukiko had to smile internally.
'I'm well passed my limit now. My body's crying out for me to stop… but I'm having too much fun to stop now!' She thought.
"Why are you fighting this so badly!? This engagement is for the future of all Devils! Surely you can see the importance in this!?" Riser asked, not stopping his barrage. Yukiko was shaken from her thoughts with these questions replacing her previous happy feeling with one of quiet rage.
"The future of Devils!? Did you really just say that?!" Yukiko returned, her white aura flaring wildly around her as she increased the speed of her attacks. "Really?! Then if Lady Ravel was forced into an engagement with another pure-blooded Devil, would you just sit back and accept it!?"
"That's different! I'd kill whoever forced my sweet younger sister into such a situation!" Riser shot back, barely keeping up with Yukiko.
"THEN WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS!?" Yukiko asked, her aura thickening around her. She launched a hard punch at Riser, who couldn't dodge it in time, getting punched in the face hard, sending him back a few meters, before being bombarded by a combination of physical and magical attacks.
"I'm fighting for the same reason you'd fight! I'm fighting for my sister's happiness, because that's what you do for family, dammit!" Yukiko shouted, launching Riser into the air above her.
"[Glacial Coffin]!" Using her magic, Yukiko trapped Riser in a solid block of blessed ice, the weight of which causing him to fall back to the ground. Shattering, Riser bounced off of the ground as he coughed up blood.
"It's over! [Cocytus Smasher!]" Using her strongest spell, Yukiko created a large magic circle, an elongated transparent white dragon emerging from it and charging towards the Phenex, roaring. The dragon passed through Riser leaving him unconscious, covered in snow and icicles.
"With that, Riser is no longer able to continue the fight, so Yukiko Gremory is declared the winner." Sirzechs announced to the party guests, a magic circle returning both combatants to the party.
Yukiko watched Riser get taken away for treatment, before being tackled to the ground from behind.
"Wah!"
"Yu, you idiot!" Rias yelled, pinning her sister to the ground with tears in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how I felt, seeing you fight Riser alone!?"
"Calm down, Rias." Sirzechs said as he walked over. Rias got off off Yukiko, helping her to her feet. "We'll get her injuries treated. But more importantly… Yukiko Gremory."
"Yes, Lord Lucifer?" She said, glaring at the Crimson Satan. "Now, as your brother, I must express how proud of you I am, defeating an adversary far more experienced than yourself. However, as one of the four Great Satans, I have to settle my debt. As per the agreement, Rias Gremory is no longer engaged to Riser Phenex. Also," Sirzechs bowed his head, shocking everyone present. "I, Sirzechs Lucifer, humbly apologize, Yukiko Gremory, for withholding information about your past. As penance, ask of me anything, and of it is within my power, I will see it done."
Yukiko was stunned. "W-Well, um, a-apology accepted, my Lord. Um, how about…" she said, before hugging her brother, surprising the Satan. "You, Aunt Grafiya, and Milicas just enjoy the party for now." Sirzechs looked down at Yukiko, before patting her hair with a smile. "As you wish." He agreed, with Rias and her peerage members looking on at the pair of siblings fondly. Rias faced her peerage. "You heard her, everyone! It's time to enjoy ourselves!"
"Yes, Lady Rias!" They all replied with smiles.
Suddenly the door burst open, with Issei running through the room, Asia trailing behind him, both wearing their school uniforms. "Riser! I'm here for-" Issei stopped, looking at everyone on the stage. "Um, did I miss something?"
"Issei, like I've been telling you- wah!" the blonde Devil cried, tripping.
"I've already taken care of Riser, Issei." Yukiko said with confidence. Issei looked at Yukiko shocked. "What!? Then my plan, the price I paid, it's meaningless!" The male crumbled to the floor, looking depressed. Yukiko walked over to him, crouching next to him.
"Don't be like that. Oh, and here." She said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek, surprising Rias and her peerage, including Issei.
"I heard from Asia how you defended me during the Rating Game against Riser, so thanks." Yukiko mumbled, her cheeks dusted pink.
'So cute!' Issei thought, his hand on the spot where Yukiko kissed him. "O-Oh, yeah. No problem, eheheh…" Issei laughed awkwardly. Yukiko calmed down, holding her hand out to Issei. "S-So… how about you join the party?"
Taking her hand, Issei nodded in agreement, smiling in a goofy fashion. "Right!"
The two joined the rest of the group in the ballroom, dancing and enjoying themselves. Little did they know, outside of the manor, a certain black cat was watching the party from the trees.
~Outside Manor~
"So this is the crow that caught Vali's attention, nya~" The cat spoke. "Well, she is a cutie, isn't she, Bikou?"
A black-haired man in burgundy chest armor appeared from behind the tree the cat was in, resting a bo staff on his shoulders.
"I guess…" Bikou replied. "Are we done here, cat? I'd prefer it if Vali doesn't kill me for helping you stalk his little girlfriend."
"Hey, it's not stalking, nya. It's observing. And besides, I'm not here for her. I'm looking out for Shirone, nya." the cat spoke up, jumping out of the tree. "But yeah, we're done here. Let's go, Bikou."
The pair walked around the tree, disappearing from the area.
~Ballroom~
The party was in full swing, everyone was enjoying themselves in one way or another. Issei decided to approach Rias, his face redder than a tomato.
"U-Um, Rias. Would you like t-to dance?" Issei asked Rias nervously. "Sure. Let's go dance, Issei." Rias replied with a beautiful smile.
Watching the two on the dance floor, Yukiko couldn't help but smile from her seat. Milicas walked over to Yukiko, fidgeting.
"A-Aunt Yukiko! M-May you dance with me?" Milicas asked, nervous when she suddenly rose from her chair.
"Of course I will dance with you, my adorable nephew~" Yukiko cooed, making the younger Gremory's cheeks redden. Grabbing his hand, Yukiko led Milicas to the floor, pulling him into her arms as she took the lead in their dance.
"Aunt Yukiko, where did you go? When everyone else was training for the match against Riser, you weren't there." Milicas said, looking up at his aunt. With a faint smile and a soft sigh, Yukiko looked at her nephew. "I went on a training journey of my own. I'm not done yet, but when I heard about Rias needing my help, I came back as fast as I could."
"Really? You must be trying to become really strong!" Milicas' eyes lit up with amazement, making Yukiko giggle. "That's right."
"But aunt Yukiko, why are you trying to be strong?" Milicas asked her. Yukiko stopped, deep in thought.
'Why am I trying to be strong? I wanted to fight Riser and I did, so why..?'
"Why am I training..?" She mumbled, her question catching Milicas' ear. "O-Oh, don't worry about it, aunt Yukiko. I'm sure you'll find your reason in your journey!" The redheaded younger boy proposed with a smile.
"My, with a positive attitude like that, you'll get all of the girls, Milicas." A feminine voice teased from next to the dancing duo, revealing itself to belong to Rias, who was dancing with Issei. "Say, Yu, you wouldn't mind switching partners, right?" Rias asked with a smile. With a nod, both she and Yukiko switched partners, separating in pairs.
"So, you having a good time here, Issei?" Yukiko asked her senior, who nodded in agreement. "Yeah! The party's been great- hey, wait a moment." Issei paused. "Just now, you called me by my first name."
"Yeah, I did. Is that a problem?" Yukiko asked, not seeming to care. "N-No, it's just that it's the first time you used my first name with me, instead of my last name. It just surprised me, is all." Issei admitted. Yukiko rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Issei." She said, smiling ever so faintly.
"Anyway, I wanted to thank you, Yukiko." Issei admitted, surprising the younger girl. "Me? What for?"
"For saving Rias." Issei announced as he took the lead role in the dance. "I let her down in the fight against Riser's group. I couldn't help anyone! Koneko fell before my eyes, then Kiba went down near me, and Akeno crashed from the sky..! I felt so useless! I tried to fight Riser, to help Rias win, but fighting him... he was a monster! I was stupid to think that training a little would make me strong enough to beat him. He destroyed me, to put it bluntly. But as he did, I saw Rias cry for me. That was enough for me to come back here and try to fight Riser again. I was prepared this time, I actually had a plan for once!"
Looking around, Issei leaned into Yukiko's ear. "I had a talk with the dragon in my Sacred Gear. You know, the one that drew Anna's attention? He spoke to me! Anyway, I convinced him to lend me his power in exchange for a piece of... me." Yukiko's eyes widened. "I felt something was off with your aura, like there was two different energy signatures coming from you. But I didn't expect it to be because of something like that. But are you sure that was the smartest thing to do?"
"I know it doesn't sound like a good idea, but I thought about it. Rias is loved by the entire school, while I'm... not, ehehehe. So, an arm of someone like me for her to be able to return to a place where she's loved? Sounds like more than a fair trade to me." Issei explained. Yukiko was impressed. "I'm surprised she's so important to you, Issei."
"Of course she is! I-"
"You what, Issei?" Rias interrupted, followed by her peerage. Yukiko smirked mischievously. "Nothing, my dearest sister. Issei's just proposing his undying love for you, is all." Yukiko's statement made both Rias and Issei go red in the face. "Yu/Yukiko!" The pair of older teens cried in embarrassment, making the others laugh. With a smile, Yukiko began running around the ballroom, being chased by Issei.
[A/N] And with that, season one comes to a close. I'd like to thank each of my readers for following and favoriting this story so far. Your reviews have been a great source of positive encouragement, so thanks everyone!
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