Chapter 8: Dreams and Nightmares
A/N: I apologize for the short chapter, but this one I had a hard time writing due to not much action being featured this round. But don't worry, I'll make up for it next chapter.
Rias had just welcomed the four to the club, while they all stood and waited to see what happens next.
"Adrian, I do believe you know this already, but are the rest of you aware that we are not the only devils in this room?" Asked Rias, and she then stood up, expanding a pair of devil wings from her back, and soon everyone in the room, except for the newest four, all had devil wings sprouting from their backs. Issei was amazed, while Adrian grew curious, and sprouted devil wings to match the others, and soon Calvin and Katrina joined in, devil wings sprouting as well. Issei tried, but he couldn't get his wings to spread.
"Dammit! Why won't it work?" Issei asked himself.
"It'll come to you eventually Issei," Adrian said reassuringly.
"As you are all now aware, everyone in this room are devils," said Rias, "That man from yesterday, Dohnaseek, he was a-."
"Fallen angel," Katrina interjected. Everyone in the room turned towards her, and even Adrian gave her a raised eyebrow, "I remember you saying that when we faced Raynare and her flunkies." Adrian nodded with a smile,
"Glad you paid attention," said Adrian appreciatively.
"But, how did you know...?" Asked Rias, and now it was Calvins turn,
"Because Adrian killed and absorbed two of them," he said. The room stared at Adrian with wide eyes, and the hooded teenager held his hands up,
"Sad but true," he said, the looks of surprise not leaving the room. He furrowed his brow,
"Did none of you know what we were before having us converted into devils?" He asked the entire room, to which only Akeno answered,
"We know you, Adrian, came from New York, and luckily survived that horrid Blacklight Virus Outbreak," she said matter-of-factly, and turned sorrowful, "It must have been horrible for you." Adrian shook his head, not showing any hurt from her words, for how could she have known that he IS the virus. "We also know that Calvin came from New Marais, after those conduit people sacrificed themselves to beat that really big one. And Katrina, we know you came from Greece after your parents were murdered, and somehow the experience turned you gray. Yet no one seems to know how that happened," finished Akeno, looking up at the ceiling in thought. Katrina pinched the bridge of her nose,
"None of you have a single idea, do you?" She then withdraws her blades, and her clothes burned away, once again revealing her spartan armor, "My STEPFATHER murdered my mother, and I murdered him in return with my blades, but using them had placed a curse on me, making me this way until I kill somebody named Zeus!" Calvin then sent a pulse of electricity through his hands,
"And I didn't get my powers until AFTER the other conduits got killed...and the cruel irony is that the same machine that killed them is what gave me my powers." Adrian then stepped up, forming his signature blade,
"And finally, the virus that destroyed New York, lives in me. Or to be more accurate, I...AM...the Blacklight Virus."
The room was stunned by the series of revelations, and Rias actually dropped into her seat, unsure of what to say. Adrian made his blade dissappear, and Akeno blinked,
"You said you absorbed two fallen angels?"
"That's right."
"Can you show us how that works?"
"Not without killing someone in the room, but I can show you this," Adrian then changed shape, and instead of a white hooded teenager, they were now looking at a brown haired middle aged man in a suit. When he spoke, it wasn't even Adrians voice coming from his mouth,
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you all to Charles MacGuffin, former drug lord turned real estate millionaire. I came to New York initially planning on starting a new trade, but when the Blacklight Virus broke out, he tried to escape. When the time came to do evacuations, MacGuffin was the first in line, little did he know he had already been absorbed by Mr. Michaels. Since then, Adrian turned my life around for the better...you know what I mean." Rias then stood up,
"Can you show us what fallen angels you absorbed?"
"Only if Issei closes his eyes," Adrian said in his own voice, shifting back to normal as well, "because I don't want him gawking at me while I look like them."
"Aw c'mon!" Whined Issei, who quickly kept quiet when Katrina stepped between him and Adrian. He then changed again, this time turning into Cindy Fyre.
"Rias Gremory, meet Cindy Fyre," he then changed again, "and Belinda Winters. The two fallen angels that were just one step below Raynare." Adrian returned to his normal form, speaking in his own voice, "And they, along with a guy named Wesker, tried to kill all four of us, because Issei had a 'Sacred Gear,' and the rest of us were witnesses. Up until last night, where apparently someone told them I was a bigger threat."
"Who said that?" Asked Rias.
"Someone in a white hood, similar to mine," answered Adrian, "beyond that I don't know."
"Uh, guys? Can we backtrack a bit? What's a Sacred Gear?" Asked Issei, looking quite lost.
"Sacred Gears are a unique and intense power found in a rare few individuals. In fact, the only ones who had them before were typically historical figures, so you're kind of a big deal around here Issei," said Akeno.
"The thing is, that power can be so uncontrollable, it can become a threat to the underworld. Now Issei, please hold up your left hand." He then did as he was told, "Now, close your eyes and think about the part of your body you feel is strongest, and focus on that strength."
"Wait, we're doing this now?!" He shouted.
"Issei, wouldn't you like to know how to use your power if you are in a fight with a fallen angel again? Especially if you don't wish to die...again?" Asked Adrian. Issei kept quiet and decided to focus, until he blinked,
"Wait a minute, what do you mean 'again?'" Adrian and Rias looked at each other,
"You didn't tell him?" They asked each other. The two blushed at their blunder, and Rias decided to explain to Issei,
"Issei, do you remember when Adrian was handed that flyer? Granting him one wish?" Issei's eyes widened,
"How did you know that?"
"Don't try to make sense of it Issei," said Calvin, trying to keep track of all that was happening,
"The night Raynare, aka Yuma Amano," said Rias, gaining looks of surprise from the four, "decided to kill you, Adrian used his one wish to bring you back to life." Issei slowly stood up, and faced Adrian,
"Is that true?" Adrian took a deep breath, and walked over to the window, staring out, and in his vision, New York was outside, in all its near apocalyptic glory,
"Back in New York...I was responsible for a lot of things...bad things. Lots of bad things...and lots of people got hurt because of me. What happened to you Issei was no exception. I used you to get closer to those fallen angels, you got killed in the process, and it's all my fault. If that wish thing was real, I wanted to make sure there wasn't another person added to that." Adrian turned back around, eyes tearing up, only to see a smiling Issei standing behind him,
"Adrian, you think I died because of you? I wouldn't be here, in this room filled with beautiful girls, WITHOUT you!" Adrian stared for a moment, then slowly started to chuckle, with Issei joining in,
"Issei, you're a perv, but you got a good heart," said Adrian, bringing Issei close for a hug. Rias then approached the two,
"As I was saying," she said with a smile, "All four of you were reborn as honorsry members of House Gremory. Making you all my devil servants." Calvin raised an eyebrow, while Katrina gave an unsure glare, which Rias caught, "And don't worry, I won't make you do anything you wouldn't want to do," she said to the Goddess of War.
