Author's Notes: I'm surprised there was so many responses last chapter. Though I'm not surprised people picked up on who Vince fights like under the lunar eclipse. As for Tomoe, she likes younger boys so I thought it would be fun to work a little off of that. Now then, on to the reviews.
The Storm Master 567: Well, one of those things will be happening soon.
TyriusVillers: Supernatural activities are extremely rare where Vince lives at. However, that may be different from other places in America.
Durandel: Thanks. Serafall might say that but Vince and Sona will quickly reject the idea for obvious reasons, unfortunately.
Abel: Kuroka is a possibility.
Ragna: Point taken, though that depends if she thinks Vince is strong.
Stratos263: Yeah.
KingofKings777: Well as of right now he isn't aware.
Currahee506: Yeah he is.
Jose19: Yes, they still are very important to the story.
Bael: Thanks, that's a unique choice.
Cobalt Striker Gundam: Not much actually.
ZeroSaga: Tomoe doesn't really like Vince, it's just that she has a thing for younger boys. Jeanne on the otherhand just thinks he cute, though It's more physical if anything.
Guest: Probably.
zero kazama: That'll be explained in this chapter. Your ideas are rather unique though.
Xuan: Thank you.
enjiro99: I'll look into it. The arc itself doesn't have an opening theme but the song that best fits the arc to a tee would be, No Pain, No Game, by Nano.
NERO TOVACK: Maybe, it depends on how the arc goes.
Ray Tenju: Nah, the attack doesn't have a name.
Dana: Thanks for the vote. I believe that idea on the other hand would be quickly shot down by both Sona and Vince.
sengoku: Alright.
sigmon: Most likely, however the issue of Vince getting his complete Balance Breaker will be brought up a little later in the arc. Those choices are pretty unique, I'll look into it.
Blitzenf'n: True but it would be really awkward for Vince's mother to live with Vince, considering he's living in with a couple of women that wants to be with him.
Keybladewielder97: You do have point there. Though I do have to admit that unlike Sona, Seekvaira seems to have more potential synergy in comparision in terms of interactions, but I think they would argue more often. Kuroka is an interesting choice, as for the Valefor maid it would probably work but I'm not sure if I can pull that off properly.
That's it for the reviews, thanks for the feedback on the ideas for potential pairings it helped out quite a bit and I definitely have a lot to look into after this.
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or any other references or elements I may put in the story. They all belong to their respective owners I only own my OCs.
xXxXxXxXxX
"Vince, why did you decide to quit the Occult Research Club like that?" Rena asked as she followed him.
"I've been wanting to quit for a while. Staying in that club took up a chunk of my time." Vince replied with a shrug.
"Then why didn't you quit earlier?" She questioned, looking a bit perplexed.
"I didn't have the chance to right after I joined them. Everything else happened just right afterwards and I had to put it to the side." He said sighing a little.
"You do know that they will be asking you question on why you left, right?" Rena asked frowning a little.
"Tch."
The two continued to walk talking about various subjects until they reached their house. Vince then turned to Rena. "I have my stuff ready. I'll see you at the airport."
"Can't we walk there together? We live right next door and we're headed their anyway." Rena asked frowning a little.
Vince pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Point taken. Besides, all I have to do is change out of my uniform. Let's just do this quick before they come back. The amount of question they'll ask will make us miss the flight."
"Point taken. Let's go." She agreed.
The two then walked into their respective houses, after a few minutes passed they both walk out of their house ten seconds apart from each other.
Vince wore a simple dark gray t-shirt, black pants with a black jacket, and a pair of black shoes. He picked up two suitcases and raised an eyebrow as soon as he saw Rena's appearance. "You're wearing your disguise?"
Rena nodded, her long, blonde hair now changed to a long, orange-brownish hair color that still reached to her waist and two long bangs on each side of her face, her eye color changed from blue to hazel, her ears were also no longer pointed but were a regular shape. She wore a white buttoned up denim jacket, a pink turtleneck underneath the denim jacket, a red skirt that reached past her thighs, knee-high white socks, and a pair of white gym shoes. "I thought it would be better like this."
"I thought you hated skirts." He pointed out.
"It's not that I hate them, it's just that I hate idiots doing something like trying to look under the skirts." She admitted with a sigh.
Rena then did a small graceful twirl and gave him a wink. "So, how do I look Vince-kun?"
Vince held a hand to his mouth, before he started laughing. "You're giving me an honorific? That really doesn't suit you Rena. Are you feeling sick or something?"
Rena pouted and stepped on Vince's foot causing him to wince in pain. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, nothing." Vince chuckled, raising his hands in defense.
She huffed and effortlessly carried two large suitcases that was near her doorstep. "You still didn't answer my question Vince. How do I look?"
"You could pass for a model." He admitted truthfully.
A smile appeared on her face. She leaned in and lovingly kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush slightly. "Thank you Vince."
"W-We should get going." Vince heaved the two suitcases over his back and started walking at a slightly faster pace.
"Ok." Rena giggled as she carried her luggage. "He's so cute when he acts like that."
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince blinked owlishly as he saw Rena walking towards a large luxurious plane. "Is that where we're going?"
"Yes. I told father and mother I was going back, they wanted us to go fly first-class." Rena said shrugging a little.
"Isn't that overdoing it a bit?" He asked as a sweatdrop formed behind his head.
"Not really. It didn't even cost that much either. Just around five hundred thousand yen." She replied simply.
"I don't think I'll ever understand rich people..." Vince muttered shaking his head.
Rena laughed sheepishly, having heard that. "I'm still trying to get used to living a regular life style. It's so different from how I used to live."
"Why do you want to live a regular life style?" He asked curiously.
She sighed as she entered the large plane with Vince. "Well, it's because I'm tired of being pampered. I want to stand on my own two feet and be independent."
"Oh."
"Do you have a different life style and be rich?" Rena questioned as she placed her luggage in a shelf.
Vince placed his luggage into the shelf right next to hers. "Yes and no. I don't want to be poor but I don't want to be rich either. I want to be middle class."
"Middle class, why?"
"It's the right balance. I don't want to be spoiled but, I want be able to get what I want without much trouble." Vince answered as he sat down on a seat.
Rena nodded and sat on down on the seat right next to him. "I never looked at it like that before."
"After seeing the how most of the nobles act in the Underworld, I definitely want to avoid turning out like them. It also doesn't help that my Sacred Gear is carrying the DNA of one of them." He admitted with a small shrug.
"I don't think you will." She commented.
"Thanks."
"Say Vince, are you going to explain to me what you meant earlier? About having to change our method of saving Chloe-nee?" Rena asked in a curious tone.
"Oh right. I almost forgot about that." Vince yawned a little and took out a file. He opened it on his lap and showed it to her. "Your parents have the right idea on how to save Chloe but the excution needs to be changed a bit. The toxin needs to be removed from the body and the curse needs to be destroyed, instead of both of them destroying the toxin and the curse."
A small frown appeared on her face. "How would the toxin be removed? It's pretty much latched on to Chloe's brain and any type of removal could cause her brain damage, not to mention the curse would further progress throughout her body."
"That's where I come in-" Vince created a small bubble from his hand. "The toxin inside of Chloe's brain has water. I'll move the toxin from the brain and into the mouth, so I can extract it and put it in the bubble and the toxin can be properly disposed of. I'm not removing the toxin from the body."
"But the curse will get worse even if you move it. She'll get a high fever remember?" Rena pointed out.
"Yeah, but that's where your parents come in. While I deal with the toxin, they'll deal with the curse. I'll remove the toxin, while they'll destroy the curse. It'll be done at the same time so they won't act up. As for the fever, it can be dealt with." Vince answered, looking out the window of the plane.
"Then what about Gondul and I? What will we be doing?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"You'll be helping me extract the toxin. I need you to use your wind magic to cool off Chloe's body while I move the toxin, that's how the fever will be dealt with. While we do that your parents are going to completely destroy every inch of the curse within her body. Gondul is going to place protective runes on Chloe to prevent her body from being damaged in the process." He explained, taking a glance at the seat in front of him.
Rena blinked twice. "That's actually a really great plan."
"You can thank Azazel for that, from what I know he extensively looked through the files." Vince replied simply.
"Yeah. You helped out two you know? If it wasn't for you setting everything up we wouldn't have had such a good chance to heal Chloe." She said grasping his hand.
"Don't thank me just yet, we still have to get it done." He commented.
Rena however rolled her eyes, looking slightly annoyed. "You should take credit, when credit is due Vince."
"Yes, yes."
"We are now ready for take-off, please fasten your seatbelts." A flight attendant said over the intercom.
"Looks like we're going to fly now." Rena stated.
Vince nodded and yawned. "Wake me up when the flight's done."
"Sure thing."
He closed his eyes and slowly went to sleep while Rena looked out the window. She suddenly felt something brush against her, after turning around she noticed Vince leaning against her, sleeping peacefully.
Rena softly giggled and gently ran her hand through his hair. "Have a good nap, Vince."
(Dream: Two Years Ago)
Vince walked towards a large garden that was filled with various plants and trees. In the center of it was a massive tree that radiated with life. He yawned loudly as he walked towards the massive tree, upon reaching their he lied down underneath it's large branches. (It's hard to believe that Serena actually owns this tree. Then again it looks unique, that and the dew is powerful to make those elixirs.)
He rolled his body closer to the tree and closed his eyes. (What was the name of the tree again? ...I think it was Yggdrasil. From what Rena told me, her mom got a small seed from the original Yggdrasil and planted it in this garden.)
"Vince, are you there?" Rena asked aloud as she searched for him in the garden.
Vince grumbled softly and turned his body the other way. (Just ignore her and she'll leave...)
"Come out Vince!" Rena said loudly.
"I don't think your friend is here." Rossweisse spoke frowning a little.
Rena placed a hand to her hip and frowned. "I know he's here. Hmm... I think he may be near the Yggdrasil tree."
Rossweisse nodded as she looked at the massive tree. "I'm still curious as to how your parents convinced Odin-sama to let her keep a seed from Yggdrasil."
"I tried asking them that too. They said it was a secret, but father did say that they traded it for something." Rena answered.
"I see."
A few minutes later they went towards the large tree and Vince sleeping underneath it. Rena frowned and walked towards him. "Vince, wake up."
He mumbled something and turned the other way, while Rossweisse blinked twice. "This is your friend?"
"Yeah. He can be a bit of lazy bum from time to time though." Rena placed her hands on Vince's back and shook him. "Vince, wake up!"
Vince yawned loudly and slowly opened his eyes. "Is it important Rena?"
A small frown appeared on her face. "Of course it's important. I wouldn't have called you if it wasn't."
"I doubt that." Vince retorted as he rubbed his eyes.
Rena gave him an annoyed look before she cleared her throat. "Vince, this is my friend Rossweisse. Rossweisse, this is my friend Vince."
"It's nice to meet you Vince." Rossweisse spoke extending her hand.
Vince got up from the ground sleepily and shook her hand. "Likewise. You should be more careful though."
"Careful about what?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"My mom told me that stress causes white hair and your entire hair is white everywhere. You must be really stressed out." Vince replied bluntly as he placed his hands in his pocket.
"Oh boy..." Rena muttered.
"H-How rude of you. My hair is not white, it's silver!" Rossweisse spoke sounding flustered.
Vince took out an MP3 player from his pocket along with a set of earplugs and placed the earplugs in his ears while turning up the volume of the MP3 player. "Nice to meet you too... I think."
Rossweisse's eye twitched violently after seeing him trying to ignore her. "You think? And what is that supposed to mean?"
(And Rena is friends with her? Why did I get out of bed today...?) Vince thought frowning a little as he tried to drown out Rossweisse's voice.
(Dream End)
"We have arrived at our destination, please take your belongings and exit the plane." A flight attended spoke, speaking through an intercom.
"Vince, it's time to get up." Rena nudged his shoulder and blinked. "...Vince?"
Instead of waking up he leaned against the seat in front of him and continued snoring. "Rossweisse..."
(He's having a dream about her!?) A tickmark appeared on her head as she nudge his shoulders with a little more force. "Vince get up, we're here."
"You suck..." Vince mumbled as he turned his head the other way.
Rena blinked owlishly, not expecting that. (I think I'll keep that to myself. If Rossweisse ever heard that she would probably chew him out.)
"Vince, get up. We're here." Rena said, now nudging his back.
Vince's eye lids opened up slowly. He turned to Rena with a half dazed look, without warning he unconsiously pulled Rena towards him and gave her a small peck on the lips.
Rena blushed at the unexpected action and turned her head away shyly. "V-Vince...?"
He rubbed his eyes and blinked twice, now fully alert. "Oh hey. Did the plane-" Vince noticed expression and looked confused. "What's with you Rena?"
"I-It's nothing. We should get going!" Rena got up from her seat completely flustered, causing him to look at her completely confused.
"...What's with her?" Vince muttered as he got up from his seat.
The two took their luggage from the shelves and walked out of the plane.
xXxXxXxXxX
"By the way Rena..." Vince started off as he walked beside her.
"Yes?"
"We'll have to deal with Chloe a little later on. Talking to Gondul and Rossweisse is very important as of now." He stated seriously.
Her eyes slightly widened at what he said but nodded hesistantly. "How come?"
Vince pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Remember the Khaos Brigade along with Vali's team? They plan to start a war, we'll have to warn them."
"You do bring up a good point. I'm surprised you care about the northern country gods." Rena commented, looking a bit surprised.
"Oh trust me. I don't care whether they live or die, I'm more worried about giving Rossweisse a heads-up. She is guarding old man Odin after all." He said in a non-caring tone.
"Why am I not surprised?" She remarked, shaking her head.
"So. Where the heck are we going, anyway?" Vince asked as he dragged his luggage.
"My house. Mother and father are waiting for us, they should be waiting for us outside." Rena answered as she continued walking.
"Right..."
Vince sighed and followed Rena while looking around the airport, with a conflicted look. (I never thought I would be back here so soon. I'm not sure whether to like it or hate it...)
The two continued to walk until they reached the outside of the airport. Upon entering the parking lot, they saw two people inside an expensive looking red sports car.
The two people then got out of the car and closed the door behind them. The first person was a buxom woman slightly above average height that looked in her late twenties, long blonde hair that reached to her waist, tied into a long ponytail with a green ribbon, pointed ears and green eyes. She wore a black denim jacket, a gray blouse underneath, white casual pants and a pair of black shoes.
The other person on the other hand was a handsome man, also slightly above average height that looked in his mid-twenties, with short jet black hair, and blue eyes. He wore a gray t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and a pair of gray sneakers.
"Mother, father..." Rena dropped her luggage and quickly went to give them a hug, unintentionally undoing her own disguise. Her hair now blonde to matching her mother's hair color and her eye color now blue, matching her father's eye color however much to Vince's slight surprise her hair style remained the same.
The young man and woman smiled and returned the hug. Vince grabbed Rena's luggage and picked it up. (Serena Amicus and Yuji Amicus. Rena's parents...)
Wordlessly, Vince placed Rena's luggage in the backseat of the sports car and was about to walk away before he was stopped by Rena's mother.
"You're not going to say hello, Vince?" Serena asked frowning a little.
"It would be kind of awkward to interrupt a family moment Serena." He retorted sighing a bit.
Said woman pouted and pulled Vince into a hug. "You shouldn't be act like a stranger Vince, besides I want you to call me mom."
"I'm still waiting for you to call me dad." Yuji added with a sly smile.
"M-Mother, Father!" Rena exclaimed, looking embarrassed.
"What? I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years we'll be grandparents." Yuji admitted with a grin as Vince patted Serena on the back and pulled himself away from her.
Rena's face lit up crimson red while Vince turned away and blushed. "Stop saying things like that father!"
"Anyway-" Yuji continued ignoring his daughter's embarrassment. "Vince, put your luggage in the trunk. So we can get going."
"Alright." Before Vince walked into the back of the car, he gave Yuji a folder. "That's the file I told you over the phone."
"Thanks a lot..." He trailed off before raising an eyebrow. "The folder's slightly worn out and the page are slightly wrinkled. You've been memorizing the everything in here down to a tee, haven't you Vince?"
"What of it?" He asked frowning a bit.
"It's nothing."
"Father..." Rena frowned a little bit.
"Oh relax Rena, I'm not trying to interrogate your boyfriend." Yuji commented as Vince placed his luggage in the trunk.
(Kinda weird how Rena's parents aren't wearing a disguise. Then again some time has passed and they are here to see Rena.) He thought to himself.
"He's not my boyfriend..." She said sighing sadly.
"You're not back together yet?" Serena frowned, turning her attention to her. "What have you been waiting for Rena? If you don't go after Vince someone else will."
"Well..." Rena laughed nervously as she twiddled with her thumbs. "That's already happening."
The two then blinked owlishly. Serena then crossed her arms, causing her bust to slightly jiggle. "Does it have to do with the news about Rias Gremory?"
"Yes. But then there's also her "Queen" Akeno Himejima, Vince's childhood friend, Kasumi the Kunoichi of Destiny and a clone of hers that Vince rescued from dying named Akari. And I also believe the archangel Gabriel also likes Vince, since she went out on a date with him. Not to mention he gained the attention of Serafall Leviathan and there's a woman from Kyoto by the name of Yasaka." Rena listed off.
Both of their eyes widened greatly as Serena shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my. I didn't realize there would be that much competition and that's not counting the fact that Rossweisse might have a thing for Vince."
"Well, he definitely has a taste for dangerous women, if that last woman from Kyoto, is anything to go by. Never thought he would be a ladies man, then again it's always the quiet ones." Yuji commented as he opened a bottle of water and took a sip.
A curious expression appeared on her face. "Who is she? I tried asking Vince but he's tight-lipped about it."
"She's an extremely powerful nine tailed fox that's on par with an Ultimate-Class Devil. Yasaka is the leader of the Youkai in Kyoto." Serena explained as she took a can of soda and took a sip from it.
Rena's eyes widened greatly before she turned to Vince, who had just came back from putting his luggage in the back. She gave him a fierce look.
"What...?"
"You gave your chastity to the leader of the Youkai in Kyoto!?" Rena exclaimed loudly.
Vince blinked owlishly while Yuji and Serena heard this and did a spit take, not having expecting it.
"W-Well, that's a unique way of getting rid of a chastity." Serena commented, smiling sheepishly.
"How did you even manage to sleep with Yasaka in the first place? From what I've heard a lot of people have been trying for a long time." Yuji remarked still looking surprised, before he was slapped upside the head by Serena who gave him a certain look.
"Mother, Father!" Rena shouted sounding scandalized.
Suddenly Vince's cellphone started ringing, he checked the caller I.D. and blinked twice. "Speak of the devil. I gotta go take this call, excuse me."
Much to Rena's ire and the amusement of her parents Vince walked a distance away and spoke up. "...Yeah, Yasaka?"
Yuji gave an amused smile to his daughter's reaction. "You should calm down Rena, you might scare him away."
Rena nodded but she unintentionally channeled senjutsu into her foot as she stomped the ground which resulted in the ground shaking a little.
"I guess we still have to work a bit on your senjutsu, Rena." Serena mused causing Rena to pale slightly.
xXxXxXxXxX
Rias frowned with a contemplative look. "Why would Vince quit like that? Kasumi, Akari do either of you know why?"
The two just shook their heads. Kasumi then crossed her arms causing her breasts to slightly rise. "Vince never mentioned about quitting."
"But we're comrades right? Why would Vince quit?" Issei asked looking a bit surprised.
"Vince-kun must have had a good reason for quitting." Akeno commented frowning a little.
"Maybe it has something to do with Rena-san's sister?" Kiba offered.
"It could be. But Rena didn't quit." Xenovia pointed out.
"That's true..." Rias trailed off.
"I'm sure Vince had his reasons for quitting. Why don't you ask him when he gets back?" Azazel asked as he entered the room.
"But we don't know when he or Rena will be back." Rias stated, sighing a bit.
"Oh, that's simple. He'll be back when summer vacation starts, he has a few things to care of." He answered shrugging a bit.
"Still. He didn't have to go and quit like that." Rias muttered pouting a bit.
Azazel then chuckled a little. "I gotta say, Vince definitely picked a heck of time to do something like this."
"What do you mean?" Akari asked raising an eyebrow.
"This is being done during the remaining school days before summer vacation starts, he's already ahead to avoid summer school. Not to mention, neither one of you can even go to him now, not without either one of you risking being left behind in your schoolwork." Azazel explained with an amused grin.
Both Asia and Gasper looked sad while Koneko frowned.
"I-Is it because Vince-senpai doesn't like us anymore?" Gasper asked sadly.
"Was it something that we did...?" Asia asked, looking uncertain.
Kasumi however shook her head. "It's not because of that. I've known Vince for a long time and he wouldn't quit over something like that."
"Either way, we're going to find out when Vince comes back." Rias declared with a look of determination.
Akeno giggled as electrical sparks discharged from her hand. "We'll also have to punish Vince-kun."
xXxXxXxXxX
Rena's parents along with Rena and Vince got out of the sports car, parking in the drive way expensive looking house, the front yard was neatly trimmed with multiple large trees flourishing with life.
Vince looked around the neighborhood and saw nearly every house being expensive, along with a large gate near the entrance of the neighborhood. (This place hasn't changed much. Everything here is still very luxurious, then again this is a high class neighborhood. I feel so out of place here...)
"You know Vince-" Yuji started as he looked at him. "There is one thing I've been meaning to ask you for a while."
"What is it?" Vince asked as he grabbed his luggage from the trunk of the car.
"How is it that you and those shinobi you brought with you were able to physically out maneuver Kokabiel or how you were able to hit him with that lightning spell? He's a very powerful being that's been recorded in the bible. Despite all of you being powerful in your own rights, it's still very unusual Kokabiel could hardly respond to your attacks, his body surpasses a regular human body, even with intensive training." Yuji remarked.
"I'm not sure if I should say anything." He replied, going inside the large house.
"C'mon tell me. Please?" Yuji asked as he followed him.
"I'll pass."
"I'll give you "that" so you can go out without being noticed." He said with a wide grin.
Vince's eye twitched in response. "Are you bribing me?"
"Of course not, "bribing" is such a strong word I prefer the term, equivalent exchange." Yuji replied slyly.
"...Fine. When Kokabiel allowed me to attack him, I made sure to encase my fists with lightning-" As if on cue, Vince's hands crackled with lightning. "I repeatedly punched him in the kidney when I did that, I took advantage and sent a couple of electrical signals to his brain. It was discrete though, I didn't want him to catch on to what I did to him."
"And what signal did you sent to his brain?" Yuji asked raising an eyebrow.
"It was to gradually slow down his body. Or to be more specific slow down his reflexes and senses so he wouldn't be able to react very well from being constantly attacked. Thankfully, he didn't even seem to notice, then again that could be because of him being able to barely respond." Vince explained as he crossed his arms.
Yuji nodded with a contemplative look. "Not bad. So... you didn't tell anyone else about this?"
"Not really. I don't see a reason why I should talk about it, though you're the second person to ask me this type of question." He replied with a shrug.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
(Flashback)
"Vince."
"What?"
"I would like you to answer a question." Ryu spoke seriously.
"What's the question?" He asked turning towards the shinobi.
Ryu crossed his arms. "An opponent of Kokabiel's caliber is nothing to scoff at and yet, we were able to defeat him without much difficulty despite the numbers being in our favor. Was that first attack you landed on Kokabiel the cause of that?"
"Yeah. I wanted to slow him down. When I punched him in the kidney repeatedly with my lightning magic, it gave me the chance to send a couple of electrical signals to his brain. I slowed down his reflexes and his senses, that's how we were able to take down Kokabiel without much of a problem." Vince explained with a small shrug.
Ryu nodded in approval. "I see. That would explain quite a few things, though it is quite sad that in the end his arrogance ultimately led to his death."
"And ironic too. From what I've been told, Kokabiel thought that humans were the weakest." He added.
"Indeed."
"Anyway, I have to go, later Ryu." Vince then turned around and walked away as Ryu vanished in a small whirlwind of leaves.
(Flashback End)
(I shouldn't be surprised Rena's dad would ask me this type of question. He's an investigator after all, not to mention he usually doesn't miss anything that seems unusual.) Vince thought to himself.
"Oh that reminds me Vince-" Yuji started as he walked down the long hall way of his house with him. "Rossweisse and Gondul aren't here yet, so you'll have to wait a little bit. You and Rena actually got here a little more earlier than I expected."
"Right." Vince opened a door, revealing a large bedroom with a wooden desk, a large comfortable looking bed, a couple of windows and a door. "Is it alright if I used the training grounds in the mean time?"
"No problem. I just hope you don't mind the small mess though." Yuji replied sighing a little.
"Mess?"
"Yeah, Serena and I went at it in the training grounds a little while ago. We didn't have a chance to clean it up yet." He admitted with a sheepish laugh.
"That's fine by me. I can use the mess as targets for what I have in mind." Vince stated as he placed his suitcases near the bed.
A sweatdrop appeared behind Yuji's head as soon as he heard this. "Should I be worried about what will happen to the training ground?"
"That depends-" He moved his neck causing it to make a loud popping noise. "Are you worried about this mess itself?"
"No. It would actually be convenient if you removed it." Yuji replied with an amused smile.
"Alright."
xXxXxXxXxX
Upon opening a door both Yuji and Vince walked in, into a large room. The room itself was a forest filled to the brim with massive trees, large rocks in various places and a river further down ahead. Vince looked around and took a deep breath. "This place hasn't changed a bit."
"No, no it hasn't. Serena would kill me if I did any drastic changes to the training grounds without her knowledge." Yuji commented with an amused smile.
"Right... so where's the mess?" Vince asked looking around the forest.
"Keep going north and you won't miss it, oh and thanks." He said pointing ahead with his index finger.
"Alright."
To Yuji's surprise, an elegant looking katana appeared in Vince's hand as he removed it from it's sheath, the blade emitted a small holy aura. "Is that the holy-sword, I've been hearing about?"
Vince placed the sheath on the side of his pants and nodded. "Yeah. I guess you heard about the treaty battle then?"
"Yes. That blade nearly caused the same amount of destruction as Durandal's wielder did. Please refrain from causing too much damage to the training grounds." He replied sighing.
"Don't worry. I got a handle on the sword. ...Well more than Xenovia has with Durandal at the very least." Vince twirled the katana in between his fingers and lightly swung the blade.
"Right..."
Vince walked north in the training grounds and immediately stopped upon noticing numerous large trees cut down, blocking the pathway towards the river. He examined the area and saw numerous craters formed in the ground and large rocks sliced clean in half, scattered all over the area. (This must be the mess Yuji talked about. ...Sheesh, were they pissed off at each other?)
(Well... I've always wanted to try this.) Vince bended his knees started swinging the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, at rapid speeds.
The blade generated lightning as Vince's speed with his swings increased, eventually turning him into a blur. "Focus..."
Vince took a deep breath and brought his katana behind him, as he did this all of the large trees and rocks in front of him were sliced into multiple pieces. "...Good."
"Haaa!" He then slammed his katana down into the ground, the blade released a powerful burst of holy energy that blasted away the remaining the debris along with a portion of the river ahead of him.
Vince suddenly turned around after hearing a group of clapping. His eyes slightly widened as soon as he saw Serena, Yuji and Rena.
"That was impressive Vince." Serena spoke smiling.
"You've definitely gotten stronger." Yuji commented smirking a little.
Rena smirked as a look of determination ignited in her eyes. "I can't wait to have another spar with you, this time with our swords."
"Do I have the option to refuse?" Vince asked as he sheathed his katana.
"No."
"I see you two haven't changed a bit." A feminine voice commented as she walked into the training grounds with another woman.
Rena's eyes lit up upon hearing that voice she smiled and quickly went towards the two women. "Rossweisse, Gondul!"
Rena hugged Rossweisse, she rolled her eyes but slightly smiled and returned the hug. "It's good to see you too Rena."
Gondul gave an amused smile as she saw the interactions between the two. She then turned her gaze to Vince. "Hello Vince."
"Hello Gondul." He returned the greeting with a small nod and dismissed the katana from his hands as Rena and Rossweisse stopped hugging.
Rossweisse blinked twice as soon as she saw Vince, slightly surprised at his appearance. "You look a little more grown-up Vince."
Vince was about to turn around and was about to walk away until he heard someone clearing her throat. He turned around and saw Rossweisse with a hand to her hip and with an unamused expression. "You're not going to say hello, Vince?"
"Hi..." He turned his head away and turned towards another direction.
Rossweisse frowned and gazed at him. "Is there a problem?"
"Nothing, just remembered something..."
(Flashback: Two Years Ago)
Rena, Vince and Rossweisse all stood near the entrance of a large airport. Rena looked sad and sighed while Vince looked the other way. "I'm going to miss you Rossweisse."
"I'll miss you two Rena, but at least we'll see each other before summer vacation." Rossweisse then turned to Vince. "You're coming too, right?"
He turned around and nodded. "I will. Just be careful, alright?"
"I will Vince. There's no need to worry." Rossweisse replied with a small nod.
"Well, we have at least twenty minutes left before you leave." Rena pointed out.
"Right. We should do something in the meantime to pass the time by." Rossweisse said with a small smile.
"What do you have in mind?" Vince asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"We can go get something to eat there is a restaurant nearby." She answered.
Rena clasped her hands together and smiled. "Alright. Let's go get something to eat."
Vince and Rossweisse followed Rena at a leisurely pace while she walked a faster pace. A look of curiosity appeared on his face. "Say Rossweisse."
"Yes Vince?"
"How long have you known Rena and Chloe?" He questioned.
Rossweisse raised an eyebrow at the question but spoke. "I've known them for a long time. Why?"
"Oh. It's just you and Rena seem to have a close bond, that and you seemed upset when you found out about Chloe's condition." Vince commented.
"Well... Rena and Chloe has always helped me out whenever I needed it." A smile appeared on her face as she continued. "Especially when it came to my problems with magic. Though Chloe would watch over us more often."
"I see. Well, at least you can do magic on your own. I have to rely on this damn tattoo to do it for me." He replied bitterly.
"True. But your water and lightning magic are far more advance. Most magicians have to practice for years before they can wield it in the same manner you do." Rossweisse stated while taking a glance at the tattoo on his hand.
"I guess..."
"Hey you two, what's the hold up?!" Rena asked noticed both Rossweisse and Vince a noticeable distance away from her.
Vince sighed and shook his head. "I guess we should speed up then."
"Yes. We only have a limited amount of time left." She replied as she started walking faster.
"Not what I meant..." He mumbled, walking a little faster.
A man passing by suddenly bumped into Rossweisse causing her to trip and stumble.
Her eyes widened as she tried to regain her balance. Vince quickly went to help her but unfortunately she stumbled and fell on top of him.
Rena's eyes widened at the position they were in. Rossweisse was straddling Vince with her lips pressed closely to his while his hands were on her breasts. "W-What!?"
Both Vince and Rossweisse's eyes widened as they quickly got away from each other. Both them had very noticeable blushes on their faces.
"I-I kissed and felt up by a fourteen year old boy..." Rossweisse muttered as she touched her lips with her index and middle finger.
(S-She kissed me but her breasts and her ass. ...Tch, I can't think about stuff like that now.) Vince thought as he looked the other way.
"I was supposed to be Vince's first kiss when he was older..." Rena mumbled as she glared darkly at the floor.
"...Does this mean I have to take responsibility?" Vince asked suddenly, alarming both Rossweisse and Rena.
"O-Of course not! You're only fourteen you're way too young for that!" Rossweisse exclaimed as she tried to calm down the blush on her face.
"Besides, I'm older so I should be the one to take responsibility..." She muttered to herself.
Vince blinked twice. "Did you same something Rossweisse?"
"I-It's nothing! Let's go eat before my flight arrives." Rossweisse said as she walked at a faster pace.
(Flashback End)
"What did you remember?" Rossweisse asked raising an eyebrow.
"...Do I have to take responsibility now that I'm older?" Vince asked suddenly.
Rossweisse's face turned crimson red while Rena's eye twitched as an amused smile appeared on the adults. Gondul then turned to Vince. "Will that even be possible now Vince? You are engaged to Rias Gremory after all."
Both Rossweisse and Rena gained an annoyed look as they turned to Vince. His eye violently twitched in response however. "Don't remind me..."
"Oh? But I thought you liked her." Serena spoke in a curious tone.
"Not enough to jump straight into marriage." Vince answered shaking his head.
"And what about Yasaka? That's jumping straight into it." Rena retorted.
"It's not my fault she was in heat." He blurted out, moments later he palmed his face after realizing what he just said.
"Well, that certainly answered the question I have. Hum... since Yasaka was in heat I wonder if she'd..." Yuji suddenly clutched his head in pain as Serena slapped him upside the head.
"Ouch!"
"Yuji-kun-" A rapier was suddenly pointed to his face, the weapon emitting a dark green aura as she gave him a sickly sweet smile. "Please do remember that we're married. Or do I have to remind you...?"
"R-Right..." Yuji scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. Serena smiled and placed the rapier away.
Rossweisse's eyes widened as she turned to Vince after realizing the implication. "You slept with her!?"
He scratched his cheek embarrassingly and turned the other way. "And? I don't recall that being public information."
"But you're engaged and you slept with Yasaka the leader of the Youkai in Kyoto. Where does that leave Rena?" Rossweisse asked frowning.
"...The situation is complicated Rossweisse." Vince said also frowning.
"He's right. It really is complicated, besides we already broke up before he went to Kuoh." Rena began as she shook her head. "I see that breaking up was a mistake though..."
"If it's causing the two of you that much problems then why don't the two of you share Vince?" Gondul spoke with an amused smile.
Vince and Rena's eyes widened while Rossweisse look at her grandmother with a surprised expression. "G-Granny?!"
"Oh come now Rose. It's pretty obvious Rena isn't the only one that likes Vince." A playful look appeared on her face as she continued. "Why you even have the same expression your mother did around your father way back then."
"T-That's not true Granny." Rossweisse spoke flustered, speaking in a Norwegian accent.
(Oh geez. Rossweisse is flustered, I guess it is true then.) Rena thought sighing a bit.
(I'm glad my mom isn't here.) Vince shook his head and turned his head towards the training grounds behind him.
"Sheesh, and I thought I had it bad back then with my one night stands." Yuji muttered shaking his head a bit.
"...Too much information father." Rena said cringing a bit.
Serena then cleared her throat gaining everyone's attention, while sending a discrete glare towards Yuji. "I think that's enough teasing for now. We need to discuss about a few important subjects."
Yuji nodded in agreement. "Point taken. Can everyone meet in the living room in a couple of hours?"
"Why a couple of hours?" Vince asked curiously.
"Well, I want to spend some quality time with Serena-" Yuji tried to wrap his arm around her but she moved to the side and huffed.
"That will have to wait till later, Yuji-kun. After all, you were reflecting on your previous old flings along with Yasaka, correct? Then you should take some time to cool off." Serena then walked away while making sure to give Yuji a good view of herself as she swayed her hips.
Yuji brought his head down and sighed depressingly. "I knew I should have kept quiet, now I have to wait..."
Vince and Rossweisse then turned to Rena who brought her looked away, looking embarrassed. "Please don't ask."
xXxXxXxXxX
Everyone sat on across from each other from a large table in the middle of the living room, the room itself was decorated with expensive looking furniture and vases with a large T.V. on the side of the room.
Yuji placed a file on top of the table and opened it. "Thanks to Vince we were able to get the opinion of Azazel, the leader of the fallen angels."
Rossweisse looked surprised while Gondul raised an eyebrow as Yuji continued. "I've finished looking over the file. Apparently we're on the right track however, a few things need to be changed."
Yuji then went into an in-depth explanation about the differences in their method as opposed to Azazel's method.
Several minutes has passed with everyone else talking. Vince let out a small yawn as he looked out the window of the living room. (I wonder if Yuji has "it" ready. I do want to go out, but without people really recongnizing me.)
"So it's agreed?" Serena asked snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Yes. We'll use Azazel's method in order to remove the toxin and the curse from Chloe's body. It will have to be done tomorrow since we need time to rest and prepare." Yuji answered seriously.
"I see. Thankfully we have everything we need so the preparations shouldn't take that long." Gondul pointed out with a small nod.
"Yeah. Now for the next subject at hand. Rena, Vince you two made quite an impression during the treaty. Not to mention your kunoichi friends." Yuji said turning to the two.
"Impression? What do you mean father?" Rena asked frowning a bit.
"You two recall when that terrorist organization attacked right? The Khaos Brigade. All four of you nearly wiped out all of their reinforcements. Not to mention Vince killed Katerea Leviathan, despite her previous battle with Azazel and went toe-to-toe with the Hakuryuukou while teaming up with the Sekiryuutei. Rena also killed a large majority of those magicians with devastating speed, destruction and accuracy." Yuji explained causing the two to shake their head.
Rossweisse's eyes widened as she turned to the two. "Both of you went through all of that?"
"It wasn't easy." Rena said frowning a bit.
"Yeah. There was so much of them, it was near endless." Vince pressed the bridge of his nose and sighed. "It wasn't for us getting any help we wouldn't have made it, not without getting hurt at least."
"Yes, but we're very proud of the two of you for coming back without any serious injuries." Serena spoke smiling.
"You two even got monikers for that." Yuji said grinning a bit.
"Monikers?" Rena asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. Vince's moniker is the Key of Destruction, while you're the Princess of Calamity." He answered his grin getting slightly wider.
"The Key of Destruction...?" Vince spoke saying the title.
"It suits you Vince." Rena remarked with a small grin.
"Princess of Calamity, huh? Sounds similar to the Princess of Destruction, I guess you and Rias have more in common now, aside from being spoiled rich girls." Vince retorted as he smirked.
A tickmark appeared on Rena as she sent a glare at him. "Very funny Vince."
Rossweisse sighed and grabbed their shoulders. "That's enough of you two, we don't need to start a fight here."
Rena frowned a little and nodded while Vince simply looked the other way. Yuji however chuckled. "I'm not sure whether they should kick each other's ass, or kiss each other."
Rena lightly blushed as Vince rolled his eyes. "That reminds me. Do all of you know about my second Sacred Gear?"
"The one that was banned by God because it's pretty much a "screw you" to his religion? Yeah, we do." Yuji answered as Serena shook her head at her husband's blunt answer.
Vince blinked twice upon hearing this. "News gets around really fast."
"Yuji and I are usually the first to hear any important news that happens." Serena informed with a small smile.
Vince nodded before a look of realization appeared on his face. "Oh right, I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?" Rossweisse questioned, noting his expression changed.
"The Khaos Brigade plans on going into war with the Northern Gods." Vince spoke with a frown.
With the exception of Rena, everyone's eyes widened at the annoucement. The atmosphere around the table suddenly changed from jovial to serious. Serena then turned towards both Vince and Rena. "Care to explain?"
The two looked each other for a few moments, Vince then shrugged. "Want to explain everything what happened in the treaty too?"
"Might as well. It would save time if we did." Rena replied with a small sigh.
They then explained in-depth what happened during the treaty, the two noticed that during their recount of what happened, everyone gained a surprised look as Vince continued. "Because of that battle our combat clothes along with Chloe's staff was destroyed."
Rena turned to Vince turned to Rossweisse and Gondul with a contemplative expression. "...When Vali was forced to retreat his partner Bikou, the descendant of Sun Wukong said that they were going to war with the Northern Gods. I told Rena this and we decided to warn both of you since you two spend the most amount of time around them."
"Damn, a lot did happen over there still... Sun Wukong's descendant and the Hakuryuukou? These guys aren't playing around." Yuji said frowning a bit.
"Another member of the team is a woman I met claiming to be the descendant of the Maiden of Orléans, Joan of Arc. Her name was Jeanne, not to mention the leader she talked about that leads a different branch of the Khaos Brigade. Cao Cao, descendant of the original Cao Cao from the Chinese novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Vince answered seriously.
Nearly everyone's eyes widened with the exception of Rena who frowned, Vince and Rossweisse however noticed this but said nothing.
"Those are quite the powerful people. Vince how do you know about the Maiden of Orléans' descendant and Cao Cao's descendant?" Gondul asked raising an eyebrow.
Everyone turned to Vince pinched the bridge of his nose at the memory. "Jeanne walked up to me a day before I came here asking me to join the Khaos Brigade as well. I was able to get more information from her, because I was pretending to be oblivious. After that I refused, since I don't have any intention on joining an organization that tried to kill me twice. She tried to capture me but I was able to overwhelm her along with her reinforcements."
"That's quite the experience. Are you alright Vince?" Serena asked looking concerned.
"I'm fine."
"But why would they try to recruit you?" Rossweisse questioned, frowning a bit.
"I'm practically a gold mine for them. Having two Sacred Gears, one of them being banned by God himself, the other taking in the clashing dragon aura's of both Heavenly Dragons and I was able to have their powers harmonize. Not to mention, I have a holy-sword and a demon-sword." Vince listed off.
"Yes. There's also something you two should know." Vince turned to Serena and Yuji solemnly. "Vali the Hakuryuukou, found out about Chloe's condition and her whereabouts. Which means somebody leaked the information out to them."
Yuji and Serena's eyes widened as did Gondul and Rossweisse while Rena clenched her fist tightly as Vince continued. "I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to use Chloe as leverage over me. ...Sorry."
Yuji got up from his seat and ruffled Vince's hair. "You got nothing to apologize for Vince. It's not your fault, you actually did us a favor."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, we had a strong suspicion someone was leaking information and you just confirmed it. That warning you gave us might as just saved our asses in the long run." Yuji admitted with a sheepish smile.
"Yuji's right-" Serena got up from her seat as she continued. "You just gave us an advantage over the one who's leaking information."
"Right... so where are you two going?" Vince questioned after seeing them get up from their seats.
"We have some trash we need to take out." Serena spoke, placing a sheated rapier by her side.
A magic circle appeared near where Yuji stood at, a wooden staff with the middle section of it covered in a white cloth and the tip slightly curved at the top. "Yeah, we'll be back in a little bit."
"Mother, father. I want to come along too." Rena said as she got up from her seat.
"No Rena. This is something we have to take care of on our own." Serena answered in a strict tone.
She nodded hesitantly but frowned a bit. "Very well, mother..."
"Don't worry about it Rena, we won't take too long. Oh, that reminds me-" Yuji dug into his pocket and tossed a small bottle to Vince. "Here, you'll be able to go out now without much people recognizing you."
"Thanks." Vince caught the small bottle and examined it, a small clear bottle filled with red and blue candy drops.
"Do you remember how to use it?" Yuji asked curiously.
"Yeah, I do." Vince nodded as Gondul looked at the bottle and gained an amused look.
"That's good. Also Serena, calm down a little. You can't go in like that." Yuji commented taking a glance at her.
"How can I stay calm when our daughter is in danger Yuji?" Serena asked with an edge to her tone that made Rena stiffen slightly.
"Fair enough. But don't do anything risky, we'll need him alive for some information." Yuji slammed his staff into the floor as a magic circle appeared underneath him and Serena. Not a moment later the magic circle glowed and the two disappeared.
Rena sighed and shook her head. "I hope they'll be okay..."
"They'll be fine, if anything it's that person who's leaking information that should be worried." Vince reassured.
"Point taken. I haven't seen mother and father like that in a long time." Rena agreed with a small smile.
"I'll go talk Odin-sama about this. He would want to hear about this, Rose why don't go spend some time with Vince and Rena?" Gondul asked as she got up from her seat.
"Are you sure granny? I'm Odin-sama's bodyguard so I should be the one to do this." Rossweisse responded.
"I'm sure Rose. Besides, you're also on a break from Odin-sama. Remember?" She questioned.
An irritated expression appeared on her face as she nodded. "I do. Thank you granny."
"You're welcome." Gondul then turned to Vince and Rena. "Look after Rose ok?"
Rena nodded as Vince smirked and patted Rossweisse's head. "We'll make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."
Gondul nodded and left with an amused smile as Rossweisse swatted away his hand with an annoyed look. "You're the last person to be saying that Vince."
"Roses have thorns, huh?" Vince asked with a small smirk.
A blush appeared on Rossweisse's face, already knowing what he's implying. "Don't make jokes about the nickname granny gave me Vince!"
An amused smile appeared on his face. "Would you prefer for me to poke fun at your tendency to buy cheap things on sale instead?"
Rena frowned and stomped on Vince's foot causing him to wince. "Stop making fun of Rossweisse, Vince."
Vince however charged lightning into the foot Rena just stomped, she let out a small cry of pain as she quickly got her foot away. "Oops, my lightning magic slipped."
Rena rubbed her foot gently while sending a glare at him. "I will get you for that."
"Yeah, yeah." Vince waved his hand in a non-caring manner.
Rossweisse sighed and shook her head in disbelief at his antics. "I've been meaning to ask you two for a while-" She pointed at the small bottle in Vince's hand. "What exactly does it do?"
"It's two sets of magic pills that my father developed but they look like candy drops. These pills changes the outer appearance of the person who takes them, to a different age by an illusion. It's a bit unstable so the effects will last around half a day and it only changes the person appearance by a few years. The red ones are supposed to make you look older, while the blue ones do the opposite and make you look younger." Rena explained.
Rossweisse's eyes widened, looking at the bottle she then blinked. "Why hasn't your father tried to sell these?"
Rena sighed a little. "Father told me that he doesn't want to waste all of his spare time into making it. That and the ingredients are hard to come by."
"That's understandable... at least for the ingredients." Rossweisse said, shaking her head.
"When I took the pills at it made me around Rena's age so it was easier to go out on dates with her. But then again that was because I'm at a closer age to her, at most I can age five years and vice-versa for the blue pill. Even though it's a type of physical illusion that can be easily dispeled with a burst of magic from the user, or in my case using water or lightning magic." Vince took a red candy drop from the bottle, placed it in his mouth and bit into it.
A large cloud of smoke enveloped Vince's body, obscuring him from view. A few moments later the smoke cleared. A young man with a lean, yet muscular frame walked out of the smoke with slightly long but neat black hair, his bangs slightly longer reaching towards the middle of his forehead. "...I forgot about the smoke."
To his surprise he noticed his voice slightly deeper along with both Rena and Rossweisse staring with looks of disbelief. "What is it?"
Rena said nothing but showed Vince a hand mirror, revealing to him his own appearance.
He grabbed the hand mirror and blinked twice. "Am I suppose to look like that when I'm twenty-one?"
"I don't see a problem with that. You look very handsome Vince." Rena admitted with a blush.
Vince lightly blushed in response while Rossweisse gained a blush of her own from looking at his new appearance. He sighed and shook his head. "Either way, I'm going out to get some fresh air."
"I'll join you. Rossweisse, come along too." Rena said grabbing her hand.
"Me?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. All three of us need to catch up while we have the chance." She responded with a smile.
Rossweisse sighed but nodded. "Ok, where will we be going?"
A sweatdrop appeared over Vince's head. "Why do I have to come along...?"
"Because you're our friend too, that and I did say you were going to pay earlier." Rena explained smirking a bit.
"I'll pay for half of it. After all, you're rich Rena and I'm poor. Remember?" Vince retorted with a smirk of his own.
Rena pouted and hooked her arm around his arm. "Stop. I already know that, no need to bring it up."
"That's enough you two, let's get going while we have the chance. We do have quite a few things to talk about." Rossweisse spoke with a small frown.
Rena nodded and gained a mischievous smile. "You're right. Like for example, there's Yasaka and Kasumi. Not to mention there's that promise you made to Akari."
Vince paled as a small magic circle appeared near Rena's face as it changed her hair color from blonde to an orange-brownish hair and her eye color from blue to hazel, her ears also changed from a pointed shape to a regular shape. "Ready to go Vince?"
"I feel like going alone now." He replied dryly.
"Promise?" Rossweisse asked raising an eyebrow.
"Vince promised he would be her first." Rena answered causing her eyes to widen.
"We definitely have a lot to talk about, I'm curious to see what you've been doing over there Vince." Rossweisse said dragging him by the arm.
Rena noticed Vince trying to escape and tightened her grip around his arm, she then turned to him with a sickly sweet smile. "I won't let you escape Vince..."
"...Crap."
xXxXxXxXxX
Author's Notes: Well... looks like Vince is in hot water again. Quite a few things happened in this chapter, hopefully it answered a few questions.
As for why I decided to put off the reason why Kokabiel was defeated swiftly was simple, I didn't have any time or space to put it in, until now. I hope that clears up some confusion.
For the record, the tree of life Vince and Rena keeps referring to is the Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. However, it's not the original tree but a small offspring of it.
The pills that Vince took are the Age Deceiving Pills from the manga Negima. I thought it would be fun to show how Vince and Rena would go on dates, despite their age difference and to show what Vince will look like as an adult.
That's all I have to say for now and take care.