Author's Notes: Sorry it's been a while since I came out with a new chapter. I've been playing two games that I recently bought and got sidetracked by it. I'll try to update more frequently but I do want play my new games some more. Anyways, now to the reviews.
Master of Dragons God: Thanks.
Cobalt Striker Gundam: That will be revealed in this chapter.
ZeroSaga: A little harsh, but understandable.
Stratos263: Thanks.
zero kazama: Vince will resort to violence if he's being attacked, if not then he won't attack in the meeting.
The Storm Master 567: Well as I said earlier, Vince won't attack unless he is being attacked in the meeting. Sairaorg and Vince, yeah I can see them a bit like kindred spirits. He will have a unique way of dealing with the Devils though. Kuroka is a possibility, I will say that. He won't out right hate her since he has an open mind and knows that she hasn't done anything to him or anyone he cares about. That will be revealed in this chapter.
Buster922: Thank you.
NERO TOVACK: To be fair, Vince walked into that and agreed quickly without really thinking about the consequences and he did say he was going to help Rena so she doesn't starve herself. I don't have any plans at the moment to include Yura in his harem.
Blitzenf'n: Well, to be precise Vince didn't break his arm he paralyzed it.
Soren Alba: It's not a sign of an Angel Trigger. I won't go into it too much but I will say this. Vince will get his Devil Trigger first before he gets an Angel Trigger.
Astrofox: That will be explained in this chapter.
sweetsonsabeeech: That's the plan.
Kongoro: I have seen it and no, it's nothing like that.
Guest: Azazel will get what he deserves in this chapter.
Lugos: Glad you like it.
I'm surprised I got this many reviews, thanks a lot. Anyways, on to the chapter.
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 blinked twice as he sat on a seat near a table while Rias, Akeno, Kasumi, Akari and Rena sat on their own seats around the table.. "...Come again?"
"Rias and I decided to have our houses to merge." Rena spoke with a noticeable glow on her body.
Rias cleared her throat, jealous on Rena currently having an afterglow while Vince having a few noticeable bruises around his neck. "Yes. After discussing this over we all decided this would be the best course of action. Although, we would like your input on this."
(They discussed this civilly? I'm surprised. I guess this was the talk Rias wanted to have with Rena earlier.) Vince thought, looking mildly surprised.
"Rias wanted to surprise you, but I thought it wouldn't be a good idea to do that." Rena added.
"You don't mind this Vince?" Akari asked, holding his hand.
"...Actually. I don't." He replied, surprising the others.
"Really?" Kasumi asked looking a bit uncertain.
"Yup." A small smirk appeared on his face as he twirled a small ball of water he created on the tip of his index finger. "Interesting. I just hope the house doesn't be destroyed though."
Everyone sweatdropped while Akeno raised an eyebrow. "Why would you like that Vince-kun?"
"Incase a fight breaks out between you and Rias again, the others won't be caught up in it." He said deadpanning.
Rias and Akeno both looked slightly embarrassed while Kasumi and Akari shook their heads, Rena on the other hand sighed. "You do have a point there. Someone could get hurt in the crossfire."
Rias took out a blueprint of the house and smiled. "Thanks to Rena agreeing the other neighbouring houses won't have to move very much."
"It also makes the costs and the renovation easier." Rena added.
"Right..." He took the blueprints from her and closely examined it. "On the first floor are the guest rooms, living room, kitchen, and Japanese-style rooms. On the second floor has my room, Rias' room, and Rena's room. That totally has both of your inputs on it, then again you two are spoiled rich girls, so you two are like two peas in a pod."
Rias and Rena's eye twitched violently in response as he continued reading the blue prints. "On the third floor is a study, and a storeroom. On the fourth floor are Kasumi's room, Akari's room and Akeno's room... What?"
Vince turned to Rias and then towards Akeno with a confused look. "Akeno is staying here?"
Akeno genuinely smiled as she hugged him. "You don't mind, right? I wanted to surprise you, but you already left by the time I wanted to give you the surprise."
(Damn... I guess I don't see any harm in it. Especially considering she's living in her mother's shrine. I'm no expert, but I think it's better if she stays here, considering she might have some bad memories over there.) He thought pensively.
"Vince-kun...?"
"I don't mind Akeno. Just be careful alright?" Vince said as he returned the hug, albeit awkwardly.
Akeno looked slightly confused on what he meant, but smiled again as she continued to hug him.
Vince suddenly felt pain coming from his cheek, turning around he saw Rias pulling his cheek with a pout. He lightly swatted away her hand away from his cheek and got away from Akeno's hug. "Either way..."
Ignoring the pout from both Rias and Akeno, he continued to look at the blueprints, unaware of Kasumi and Akari's hand twitching or Rena rubbing her temples in annoyance. "The fifth and sixth floors are entirely made of just vacant rooms... So, what are those rooms gonna be used for?"
"For the time being we intend to use them as guest rooms. I don't mind letting anyone have the rooms except for the second floor. That's reserved for you, Rena and I." Rias explained.
Vince sweatdropped as he continued looking through the paper. (Note to self, have a room ready for myself in either floor.)
"This is the our house Vince." Rias spoke with a graceful smile.
"Excuse me? This is my house too." Rena cut in, with a sharp glare.
Rias however in turn glared at Rena, she started glowing a crimson aura while Touki slowly emitteed from Rena's body. Before the two could continue, the small ball of water on his finger burst open and scattered across his finger. Vince flicked their foreheads with his index finger, laced in the same water. "Cut it out. Everyone else is going to pull their own weight so it's OUR house."
Rias and Rena rubbed their foreheads as their respective aura's disappeared. Kasumi, Akeno and Akari smiled at his comment."
"There's also an open-air garden on the roof, so I'll be able to plant a few vegetables and even a cherry blossom tree." Kasumi spoke with a look of excitement in her eyes.
"Because it's being built so sturdily, it won't collapse even in the case of a war." Rias added.
"You're kinda going overboard there." Vince commented with a shake of his head.
"I would have to disagree, given how many times Kuoh has been attacked." Rena quipped.
"Point taken. Rias does seem to have the home field disadvantage." He remarked, making Akari and Akeno giggle a little.
Rias cleared her throat, blushing from embarrassment. "There're also underground floors."
"...What's the point in having underground floors?" Vince asked skeptically.
"The first underground floor is a huge spacious room. Not only can it be used as a training room, it can also be used as a movie theatre. It's also equipped with a large indoor bath. The second underground floor is used entirely for an indoor pool. It can also use warm water. In the third underground floor are a library and a storehouse." Rias explained while taking out additional blueprints.
"Also, right near the pool will be a jacuzzi while the third floor will contain an onsen for us and two elevators will be installed so we can move around freely through the house." Rena stated as she took out her own set of blueprints.
"I see. So those were the two additions you talked about including. Good choices." Rias complimented.
"I'll never understand you rich people." Vince spoke bluntly as Kasumi and Akari's eyes lit up at the mention of an onsen.
xXxXxXxXxX
"You're returning to the Underworld!?" Issei exclaimed.
All the members of the occult research club were gathered in Issei's room. Vince sighed as he read through a manga from Issei's room containing ecchi artwork, much to the ire of everyone else in the room. "In a nutshell."
Everyone sat at an expensive looking sofa, each wearing casual clothes. Rias then turned to Vince. "Are you going to explain to us, about why you abruptly left during the remaining school days?"
"Yeah, also what the heck happened to your arm!?" Issei asked pointing to his bandaged left arm.
"Right, right." Vince place down the manga as he scratched his cheek. "I quitted the club because it was only temporary that I would join. I only did join to help out with that dodgeball game a while back with the student council. I couldn't quit earlier because of all of that other crap that happened afterwards."
"You quitted the club for that reason alone!?" Rias exclaimed.
"Yup." He said casually.
"Then, why did you leave to Florida then?" Xenovia asked raising an eyebrow.
"It's a small tradition between Rena and I to go to either her house or her friend's house during that time. We either hang out with each other or train. Although, I had to clean up a mess that was left behind." He explained, sounding a little bitter at his last statement.
"A mess?" Asia questioned, tilting her head cutely.
"Does it involve the CHSP incident?" Kiba asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah... Though, it wasn't just my mess to clean up. Rena also wanted to get over what happened and moved on." Vince spoke.
The others turned their attention to Rena, who looked uneasy at being put on the spot. "Yes, that is another major reason why we returned over there. I must admit that it was hard to do."
Issei then looked confused. "But what happened in the incident?"
"I'm also curious in finding out as well. It is a tight-lipped secret, not even I've been able to find out too much information about it." Rias spoke in a curious tone.
Vince closed his eyes for a moment as he sighed. "Everyone in that town including Rena and myself, were almost turned into a sacrificial lamb for the Holy-Sword Project."
Everyone's eyes widened as he continued. "A priest named Celino Abate worked side by side with Valper Galilei and he wanted to continue the Holy-Sword Project in his stead, which is why it's called the Copy Holy-Sword Project. Celino removed every ounce of light attribute from the victim's body which made them look like lifeless mannequins. After Celino did that, he killed them and stuffed their bodies in various places like a dumpster."
"My father was called in to investigate, he found out Abate was behind it and later on that night we broke in the church to find evidence of him doing this. Vince, my sister, Chloe and I had to kill a chimera while my parents killed the other." Rena explained.
"We killed the chimera but Chloe shoved us out of the way since he had a trap. That trap turned out to be a curse that puts the victim in a coma and deteriorates the body from within. Chloe was put into suspended animation by a powerful spell so the curse wouldn't spread and eventually kill her. After two years, we were able to finally cure her." Vince ended as he looked out the window.
Everyone stood there surprised, Kiba then breathed a sigh of relief. "So, how is Chloe-san doing now, Rena-san?"
"She's doing really well. Chloe might make a fast recovery." Rena said, smiling.
"To think that something like this happened..." Rias spoke sounding surprised.
"It's a well placed secret because of what Rena's dad did to the church afterwards." Vince commented with a smirk.
"What did Rena's father do?" Kasumi asked curiously.
"My father gathered enough evidence and threatened to release the files to the public if they did not pay for Chloe's hospital expense." Rena explained without a hint of guilt.
Xenovia and Asia's eyes widened greatly as she continued. "The church complied quickly. I would assume that this incident in addition to the original Holy-Sword Project would severely damage their reputation."
"That's pretty much what we did in the past two months. Now that I think about it, the church will continue to pay the hospital expenses until Chloe is fully recovered, right?" Vince asked turning his gaze to her.
"Yes. After that my father will release all of the files he has over to them. It was apart of their agreement." Rena replied.
Issei looked shocked for a moment before a confused look appeared on his face. "But... How did you mess your arm up Vince?"
The others nodded at this question with the exception of Rena who palmed her face at the reminder. "I'll leave that explanation to you Vince."
"Right..."
(Flashback)
[Vince, are you sure you want to go through with this? Even with your body's tolerance to taking in lightning this is still risky.] Yume stated concerned.
"Yeah, I just need a surge of power. Besides, I need to do this for my lightning magic. Just like how I was able to absorb the lunar rays from the Blood Moon for my water magic." He replied, looking at the cloudy skies.
[Still. To make the lightning come to you like a lightning rod just so you can absorb into Element Brand could potentially damage your body.] She warned.
"That's just a risk I need to take. This thunderstorm should be powerful enough for me to get something out of it." Vince commented, as he saw the clouds in the sky severely darken.
Yume sighed as she realized, talking him out of it wasn't an option. [At the very least, make sure you stop when you've reached you or Element Brand has reached the limit, okay?]
"I know. But I know my body is more durable now. You did see all those times were I was intimate with Rena and everyone of those times she used Touki the entire time, right?" He questioned her.
[Y-Yes, I know about that and please don't remind me. I could hardly sleep because of that.] She answered with a blush.
"Right... It's time to get started." Vince slowly raised his left hand into the sky as he channeled his own lightning through it.
The darkened clouds started thundering loudly as bolts of lightning started to strike the area around him. Several buildings and trees were struck as a result, the trees were either split in half while a few buildings were somewhat damaged.
"Not good enough." Vince frowned and increased the intensity of the lightning around his left arm. "That should do it."
Within no time, the lightning from the clouds started to strike Vince's left arm.
"N-Ngggh..." Vince flinched in pain as he felt the bolts of lightning enter his body through his left arm while the tattoo on the back of his hand absorbed the lightning. (It's more painful than I thought but I can't back down now.)
He gritted his teeth in pain as he raised his arm higher. "N-Not enough, I need more."
Unaware to Vince and Yume, a massive thundercloud forming directly underneath them. Looking up, both his and Yume's eyes widened at the size of the cloud that finished forming. Not a moment later, the massive cloud struck Vince's body with an enormous lightning bolt.
"Ahhhhh!" He slumped to the ground, his body slightly twitching in pain.
[Vince!]
"Urgh..." Vince coughed up blood as he slowly got up from the ground, his body occasionally twitching. Looking down he saw his clothes completely tattered along with his body receiving a few noticeable burns.
[Vince, check your arm quickly.] Yume spoke worriedly.
Glancing over at his left arm he saw that it was in worse condition in comparison to the rest of the body, taking most of the damage. The left arm was burned badly with a noticeable portion of his skin burned off. Trying to move his arm he frowned a bit as it remained unresponsive. "I think it's safe to say that it's paralyzed."
[Oh dear, this isn't good...] She said sounding concerned.
He coughed up more blood as he looked up and noticed his vision getting blurry. "Great. Now I'm have a hard time seeing. Anyways, relax I'll just drink the elixir with Yggdrasil's dew to heal the damage or just get some Phenex tears."
[How can I relax at a time like this!? Your left arm is in horrible condition and you're most likely losing your vision!] Yume exclaimed.
"Well, it's a good thing I took some precautions before doing this. Protecting my body with a few layer of lightning magic before I started this definitely helped not to mention my resistance to lightning. If I didn't I probably would have been worse off." Vince stated weakly as he slowly got up from the ground.
[That doesn't reassure me.] She muttered to herself.
He started walked slowly with a noticeable limp, his body still shaking a little from the impact of the lightning strikes. Vince looked ahead and sighed. "It's a good thing Rena's house is close by... But damn that last lightning strike was stronger than I thought..."
(Flashback End)
"That's it."
Rias palmed her face and to Vince's surprise, so did the others. "That's it!? You placed your life in danger just for a burst of power?!"
"Yeah. This is only temporary, if I'm right then it should wear off, anywhere from a few hours to a couple of more days." He answered in a nonchalant tone.
"Reckless senpai." Koneko spoke with a frown.
"Koneko-chan is right, Vince-kun. If you needed to get stronger you could have asked to train with us." Kiba said, also frowning a bit.
"Yeah! We're comrades, aren't we?" Issei questioned, looking at him.
(Hearing that feels so foreign. It feels like it's almost to good to be true.) He thought with a small shrug.
Rias sighed and shook her head, still surprised at his actions. "Geez, Vince. You really are a troubling child..."
"You're only two years older than me." Vince said deadpanning.
Rias waved off that fact and continued. "Anyway, I'm returning home now that the summer holidays have started. I do this every year. Vince, I want you to come with me."
Issei at hearing this started to shed tears, Rias then looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "-Wait, what's wrong, Issei? Your eyes are teary?"
"Uu, because Buchou suddenly started talking about returning to the underworld, I thought of you leaving me behind and going back..." Issei trailed off.
"Geez, is that all? You and I will be together for hundreds, for thousands of years from now on, so put your mind at ease. I won't do something like leave you behind." Rias then gave a wry smile.
Vince blinked twice, not sure on how to respond to them. (Did Issei realize he was treated like a pet? ...Oh well, better him than me.)
Rias gracefully took a sip of tea as she sent a look at him. "Vince. You will be joining us to the underworld along, correct?"
"Yeah... I'm not too excited on going to hell though." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"Eh!? We're going to the Underworld too!?" Issei shouted in surprise.
"That's right. Since you're all servant devils in my family, it's only natural for you to accompany your master. You're coming to my home together with me. Now that I think of it, this is also the first time for Asia and Xenovia, right?"
Asia nodded at Rias' question. "Y-Yes! I'm nervous about going to hell while alive! I-I thought I'd like to go there with the intention of dying!"
Rena looked confused as did Kasumi and Akari while Vince patted Asia's head. "I think you mixed something up Asia."
"Yes. I've been interested in the underworld -in hell for a long time. However, for the sake of going to heaven, I had to serve the Lord... But now that I'm a Devil, there shouldn't be any possibility of me going to heaven... I feel irony in setting foot in the same world as those who have been sent to hell as divine punishment. Hell, huh. It suits a former believer who became a Devil." Xenovia answered.
"Considering your previous life before that, I'd say it's an upgrade Xenovia since you look like you're having a better time here." Vince commented, she blinked twice not having him to say that but nodded in thanks.
"We will spend the remainder of the summer holidays there until after the 20th of August. It seems like we'll be returning here at the end of the month. The plan is to train and attend various kinds of events at the underworld." Rias stated, with Vince shaking his head.
"I'll pass on some of those events. I have some business to do in the underworld." He replied, getting her attention.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Vince showed Rias the Sacred Gear around his wrist. "If I'm going to do that damned meeting, I'll have to go to the Valefor manor and get something that proves I'm the heir."
"Then does that mean you'll become the heir to the Valefor clan?" Rias asked, her eyes widening.
"Hell no. I'm just pretending to be an heir so your brother isn't in hot water with those useless noble devils from the past." He said, rubbing his temples.
"Ah, but, there are things I want to do this summer." Issei spoke, letting out a sigh.
"Ara. Issei. Did you also have plans to go somewhere?" Rias asked dubiously.
"Yes. I was going to the sea and the pool." He answered.
(A sea... I've never been to a sea before.) Vince thought to himself.
"There aren't any seas in the underworld, but there are huge lakes. There are also pools in this house and at my parents' home as well, you know? There's also hot springs there, but is that no good?" Rias asked curiously.
"A hot springs...?" A small trickle of blood came out of Issei's nose as a grin appeared on his face.
Rena almost immediately out of pure instinct inched closer to Vince as Kasumi smiled a little nervously at the teen and Akari herself just scooted closer to Vince.
"...Disgusting delusions are prohibited." Koneko said as she let out a deep sigh.
"Issei-kun, you have a face that is hornier than I could imagine." Kiba spoke refreshingly.
"You seem to have an abundant imagination and seem to be enjoying yourself, senpai... I envy you..." Gasper muttered with envy.
"You should be careful where you peak. Rena is strong enough to punch through a solid brick wall, not to mention Kasumi and Akari are both highly trained in assassinations due to them being ninjas." Vince warned nonchalantly.
The color on Issei's face immediately drained at the reminder, before he shook his head. "Why don't you guys go on dates with girls this summer?"
"It's because I have training." Kiba replied almost immediately.
"I'm fine... I'm a hikikomori, so I'm fine if I stay indoors and put on cute clothes while surfing the net at my house..." Gasper answered, sounding a bit shy.
"I don't want to be tied down by a relationship. Besides, if I do ask someone out, I'll probably be dodging attacks all freakin' summer... And I wouldn't be surprised if I start dodging fox fire as well..." Vince stated in a blunt tone.
"Fox fire?" Issei asked looking confused.
"The woman Vince knows personally in Kyoto is a kitsune." Akari answered vaguely.
Rias raised an eyebrow while Akeno listened intently as Issei grinned. "A fox girl, eh? I'm so proud of you Vince! But I'm also jealous, you have a fox girl in your harem!"
Vince placed his index finger to his forehead and shook his head. "I appreciate you saying that with enthusiasm... Even though you have no idea what you're talking about."
"Hey!"
"Vince, will you be doing anything else after going to the Valefor manor?" Rias asked suddenly.
"No. Why do you ask?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Then, Vince. Go on a date with me in the Underworld. There should be time for just a date..." She trailed off.
Rena glared at Rias intently while she in turn gave a smile towards her.
"Uh..."
"Ara, ara. In that case, I'll spend time with Vince in the bedroom. While doing ecchi things that Buchou can't seem to do. We'll do even more stuff in the bedroom than you did with those other three." Akeno spoke while lewdly tracing around her chest with her finger.
"You'll have to wait your turn." Akari wrapped her arm around Vince's as she held him close. "He promised to be with me first."
"I-I'm also going to do the same as well." Kasumi tenderly held Vince's left hand as she gave him a smile.
"I will also be with Vince right afterwards. Neither of you can possibly hope to accomplish we've done together." Rena boasted as she kissed him on the cheek.
Issei glared at Vince in jealously as he scratched his cheek and looked the other way. (She isn't exactly bluffing either.)
"Oh? Then I guess Vince-kun and I will have to keep doing ecchi things until we surpass you." Akeno spoke confidently.
A large burst of blood came out of Issei's nose as he fell back on his bed, Asia quickly went to his side, looking worried.
"I forbid it, Akeno." Rias said as her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I refuse."
The two locked eyes with each other as the tension quickly escalated in the room.
Before Vince could do something a voice spoke up. "I'm also going to the Underworld."
Everyone's eyes widened as they saw a black-haired man sitting on a seat in the corner of the room. However the man blinked twice when he saw Akari and Kasumi holding a wakizashi, near inches to his throat while Vince had his katana inches away from his kidney and Rena with rapier within reach of his heart.
"W-Where did you come in from?" Rias asked that to sensei while blinking in surprise.
"Azazel." Vince spoke.
"Hmm? How interesting, you four were able to react this quickly by just hearing my voice. Your reactions improved a bit." He answered calmly.
"...I didn't even feel your presence." Kiba said honestly.
"That's just due to your lack of training. I just came in normally. More importantly, you're returning to the underworld, right? Then, I'll go too. I'm your "teacher", after all. Now can you four please remove your weapons from me? It isn't exactly comfortable to have four deadly weapons pointed near my vital areas." Azazel commented.
"Sorry Azazel-sensei." Rena, Kasumi and Akari each sheathed their weapons and placed them away.
Vince on the other hand had hesitantly and slowly sheathed his katana as it disappeared in a burst of light. "I'm slightly tempted not to."
"I guess you found out, huh?" Azazel questioned.
His eyes narrowed dangerously, reflecting his steadily growing rage. "I thought I said, I didn't want any part of that. Reward or not. I now have to go to that meeting and pretend being the heir to the Valefor clan."
"It had to be said it would great benefit all three factions, look at the bright side. You'll have access to all of the treasures and secrets of the Valefor clan, also you will be treated as High Class-Devil and that's not counting the evil pieces you'll get to start your own peerage or the benefits you'll get from heaven. I don't see why you're so against it." He replied in a nonchalant tone.
"You piece of...!" A fireball ignited in his hands and out of pure anger and instinct, Vince chucked it at Azazel.
Azazel's eyes widened as quickly got off the seat and dodged it as the flame shot by, grazing his hair. The fireball set the chair on fire upon contact and continued to burn the chair until a pile of ashes remained.
Everyone's eyes widened at the flame in Vince's hand. Looking at it, everyone could feel the temperature in the room increased considerably.
(How did I do this...?) Vince wondered, momentarily forgetting about his anger.
Issei however smelled something burning and blinked twice. "Umm... What's that burning smell?"
Everyone then smelled the same thing and turned to Azazel. He slowly looked up and saw that the fire slowly burning his hair. His eyes widened in alarm as he quickly tried to put of the fire. "Hot, hot, hot! It burns like Holy-Fire! I can feel it spreading all over my scalp!"
The others turned to Vince who shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm just as surprised as you are."
"Then how do we remove this fire from Azazel-sensei?" Kasumi asked looking at him, concerned.
"Yeah, that looks really painful for Azazel-sensei." Kiba stated, wincing a bit.
"I don't know." He replied sounding unconcerned. "Then again, I'm not in a rush to help him."
"At least try something Vince." Rias said shaking her head.
"Fine, fine." Vince held out his hand and closed his eyes.
Instead of disappearing or the flames withering away, the flame ignited and the intensity of the heat radiating from it increased. Everyone's eyes widened as did Vince when he opened them, with the exception of Azazel who screamed in pain while trying to put off the flame. "It's even hotter than before!"
The other turned to Vince who rolled his eyes. "What? You except me to know how to stop something I just saw for the first time, just like that?"
"You don't even sound concerned that Azazel-sensei is on fire." Xenovia pointed out.
"Vince-san, please try harder to stop the flame." Asia said, looking worried.
"I suppose..." Vince took a deep breath and exhaled, as he did this the flame slowly went out.
Azazel breathed a sigh of relief at this, however a rather noticeable portion of his hair was burned off and there were noticeable second degree burns on his head, much to his ire.
The flame ignited Vince's right arm, however despite it being on heat radiating from it he didn't flinch. The others quickly took a step back away from Vince as he tried shaking the fire off of his right arm, however the flame remained the same. Shaking his head a bit, Vince glanced at the Sacred Gear on back of his hand. "Yume, you mind explaining what's going on? It's not everyday something like this happens."
[You gained an affinity to fire, your anger towards Azazel-san must have awakened it earlier.] Yume replied, sighing a little.
"But how did Vince-kun get an affinity to fire Yume-san?" Kiba asked curiously.
[Vince's Element Brand absorbed the needed energy. The result was him gaining an affinity towards fire as a result.] She stated.
"Okay... But how did my Sacred Gear absorb it and why does it hurt Azazel so much?" Vince questioned, looking at the flame on his right arm.
[It was when you were intimate with Yasaka, both times she used her fox fire if you recall and Element Brand absorbed it. As for the uniqueness of the flame, Yasaka used the power of the Ley Lines for protection, remember? That mixed in with her fox fire and gave it a spiritual property.] Yume explained with a small blush.
Vince looked the other way as the flame on his right arm disappeared. "A type of fire with a spiritual property? I've heard about that from Yasaka once. Spiritual attacks like that usually have a purification effect that's effective to beings like Devils and Fallen Angels."
"Hiiiii! P-Please don't hit me with that fire Vince-senpai! It's hurts vampires a lot and it will hurt me a lot more!" Gasper shouted as he hid behind Issei.
"Hrm? Oh right, I nearly forgot about vampires. Huh... I guess Yasaka's flame had more uses than just heating me up in the night." He stated with a small shrug.
Issei's jaw dropped as he looked at in both awe and jealously. Kiba on the other hand remained silent not knowing what to say, while Asia blushed in embarrassment as Xenovia blinked owlishly.
"Leylines..." Rias muttered to herself, she paused for a moment until a look of realization appeared on her face. Her eyes widened in shock. "You've been sleeping with the leader of the youkai in Kyoto?!"
With the exception of the people that already knew, everyone's eyes widened greatly as they turned to him. Vince scratched his cheek with his index finger while darting his eyes away from them. "Yeah..."
"Ara, for you to get that far with the leader of Kyoto. You sure know a thing or two, Vince-kun." Akeno commented, still looking surprised.
Azazel chuckled as he turned to him. "Do you have a thing for dangerous women Vince? You seem to be attracting a lot of them."
"...Bite me."
"And what exactly do you mean earlier, by saying "more uses" ?" Rena asked frowning a bit.
"I'll tell you when you're older." He replied with a small shrug.
"I'm three and a half years older than you!" She exclaimed.
"W-Wow, I didn't know you were like that Vince-senpai." Gasper commented.
His eye slightly twitched at his statement. "I'm not. It's just that one thing led to another..."
Akeno's hand crackled with lightning while Rias looked at Vince with a look of jealously until a sudden look of realization appeared on her face. "If that's the case, then we should try to see if your Sacred Gear can absorb the Power of Destruction, Vince."
"Ara ara, I think you just want to the excuse to do ecchi things to Vince-kun, Buchou." Akeno teased.
Rias' eye twitched turned to glare at Akeno while Rena blinked twice. "Now that I think about it. Are there any extra things you noticed after absorbing my Touki, Vince?"
Koneko immediately turned to him with a worried look as Vince shrugged. "Aside from my body feeling stronger, no. Then again, I don't think humans and Touki are very compatible. You're an exception because of you being a half-elf."
"Vince does have a point. Your elven heritage is the reason why you're able to use Touki to begin with and even that is rare. There's only a few elves in recorded history that can use Touki." Azazel added.
"Yeah. You do have a point Azazel-sensei. Still, it's a shame. I wanted to have more in common with Vince." Rena admitted.
"Vince could learn how to use Ki with enough training." Akari pointed out.
"Umm... What is Ki?" Issei asked looking confused.
"Ki, is a spiritual energy we use to perform physical feats that we normally couldn't do and it is also used for our ninpo." Kasumi explained.
"So that's what Ki is... I can definitely see the similarities between the two." Rena stated.
Koneko looked worried, Vince noticed this and raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Touki, controlling the base of life as opposed to Ki, being able to use spiritual energy both with similar uses." Azazel mused.
"Though, from what I saw Ki, doesn't have that drawback Touki does." Vince pointed out, after noticing Koneko's worried look.
She breathed a small sigh of relief while Azazel nodded and took a notepad from his pocket as he opened it. "True. The schedule for the Underworld is... First, a visit to Rias' parents, and the introduction of the servant Devils to the current head of the family. After that, there's the annual meeting of new young Devils. And then there's your training over there. I'm mainly going along with you for your training. While you're all at the Gremory house, I'll be meeting with Sirzechs. Geez, so troublesome."
"Yeah... I'll think be passing on the visit and the training." Vince stated.
"But why Vince? I thought we would all go together." Rias asked frowning a bit.
"I'm not a servant and I've already meet your parents. I also have to go in the Valefor's manor on their territory to get something that make the other devils believe I'm the heir." He explained simply.
"But your still my fiancé Vince. It would be very rude to not visit them, not to mention they've been expecting you to come with us and visit." She retorted, placing a hand on her hip.
"...Ugh."
"There's still the matter of over your training. Why do you refuse to let me oversee your training. Is it because you've just finished your other training?" Azazel asked raising an eyebrow.
"Nope. It's because I don't trust you." He answered bluntly.
"Relax, I'm not going to give any more information like that, or experiment on you. Given how Angel/Devil is one of it's kind and your evolved Element Brand." He reassured.
"Yeah, cause that makes me feel so much better." Vince replied dryly.
"There's only one Angel/Devil?" Issei asked looking confused.
"Of course there is. It's the only Sacred Gear that was actively banned by God himself. Tranforming back and forth between an angel and a devil easily with no apparent repercussions is cheating, it also has the potential to become a Longinus."Azazel explained to him.
"Then, Azazel-sensei, you'll be accompanying us, right? Shall we make the travel reservations for you?" Rias questioned.
Azazel nodded at her question. "Yes, please do. It's my first time entering the Underworld through the Devils' route. I'm looking forward to it. Since, I usually use the route of the Fallen Angels' side."
Vince however glanced at his bandaged left arm and tried to much move it. Much to his dismay, it remained unresponsive.
xXxXxXxXxX
Everyone stood at the station each wearing a Kuoh Academy's summer. Despite hearing the calls from Rias, Vince looked around the station, oblivious to her.
Rias' eye twitched as she tried to get his attention for the past four minutes seeing no other option she went closer to him and pinched his cheek. "Vince, pay attention!"
"Huh?" Vince saw her pinching his cheek and lightly swatted the hand away. "What is it Rias?"
"I was asking you if you remembered coming here with your mother when my mother and Grayfia came to take you two the manor." She said frowning a bit.
"I don't think we came to this station, Venelana took us with a magic circle to another station." He replied.
"Oh..."
"This is my second time being at a train station." Vince commented as he looked around the station, with a curious expression.
A sweatdrop appeared on the side of her face at his sudden statement. "Really?"
"Yeah. So... Why exactly did you invite Akari, Kasumi and Rena? They're not your servants." He asked raising an eyebrow.
"They're still my friends and I want everyone in the club to spend summer vacation together." She answered simply.
"I see. So, why the trains? Is this like the normal method for going into straight into hell?" Vince questioned, a moment later he chuckled a little at his unintentional joke.
Rias pouted and swatted his shoulder. "You don't have to make it sound horrible."
"It is." He replied in an instant, making her pout even more.
She leaded to the others to an elevator installed within the station. Rias and Akeno both entered the small elevator. "Issei, Asia and Xenovia. We'll be going down from here."
"G-Going down?" Issei asked blinking in surprise.
"Down straight into hell." Vince quipped with a small smirk.
"Come on, stop blinking in surprise like that and come in." She then turned to Vince with a small frown. "And stop with the those remarks Vince. The underworld isn't as bad as you think it is."
"Seeing is believing." He replied.
"Then you'll soon see it's not as bad as you think it is." She retored.
"Hn."
The others exchanged glances with each other while Vince yawned a little with a slightly bored look. "Yuuto and the rest of you who are used to it, please come together with Azazel afterwards. Vince, Rena you and the others can come right after us."
"Yes, Buchou." Kiba answered.
"No problem, Rias." Rena replied.
Vince said nothing but gave a small wave as he walked away from the others. (I'm going to get a bite to eat before going there.)
His attention turned towards a concession stand at the far side of the elevator. Upon arriving he ordered a large soda and a hot dog. Vince held on to the hot dog and large soda firmly as he walked away. Looking ahead, he saw Kasumi headed towards him. "...Is something wrong?"
"Well, we're about to leave now Vince." Seeing him struggling a little Kasumi held on to his soda with a small smile. "I'll hold on to this until you finish."
"Thanks." He took a bite of the hot dog and started eating.
To Kasumi's surprise, he finished the hot dog in under two minutes. "You really were hungry Vince. I could have made you some lunch if you asked."
"Nah. You were busy and I didn't want to bug you. I saw all of the assignments from your college classes." He replied, wincing a little at the memory.
"They were numerous, but not that difficult to do. But I wish there was less to do." Kasumi stated with a sigh.
Vince took the soda from her and took a sip of it. "I'm glad I'm too poor to going into college. At least I won't have to go through that."
"There's always a scholarship and loan. Rias-san or Sirzechs-san could also make it possible for you to attend more easily once you've finished your high school courses." She pointed out.
"Gods, I hope not. It would be troublesome to do that. Speaking of troublesome people did Helena track down Donovan or MIST's headquarters yet?" He asked, still wincing from his arm being pinched.
"No, so far Helena has had no luck in that regard. Though she has called in to see how Akari is doing. Kasumi answered, causing him to frown.
"You'd think after all this time, she would stop checking if Akari is going to have a physical or a mental breakdown." Vince commented dryly.
She sighed and gently patted his shoulder. "It can't be helped Vince, Helena is just trying to make sure we're all safe, including Akari. Her predicament is really unusual and we both know that Donovan has tampered with her body which made things worse."
Vince took a large sip of his soda through the straw and rubbed his temples. "Akari was originally going to die, due to her unstable body breaking down while thinking that she was the real you the entire time because of Donovan programming all of your memories into her."
"But you changed that by saving her. You even came up with the idea of merging her with Alpha-152 so she would have a chance at a more stable body." Kasumi pointed out.
"I know. It's not like I could let her die right in front of me and at the time, I thought that was really you. I didn't want to see that happen. I went through a lot of crap just to track you down." He said as he took a large sip of his soda.
"Yes. I heard from Helena and Hayate how determined you were to see me. It made me really happy." Kasumi spoke with a smile.
Vince sighed and shook his head. "Say Kasumi, you mind if I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
"How does it feel knowing that Donovan named his organization after you?" A small smirk appeared on his face as he continued. "After all, he must be like your biggest fan in order to completely dedicated his time and resources to clone numerous copies of you. Isn't that right, Mist?"
Kasumi's eye slightly twitched as she pinched Vince's right arm, making him grimace again. "You shouldn't make fun of my situation or my name Vince. And you know as well as I do, that I find that deeply disturbing."
A small grin however appeared on his face. "Funny. Even after all this time, I'm still able to make you this annoyed."
"It's like you enjoy for me to be like this." She said shaking her head.
"I do. It's a nice change of pace when you're not a goody two shoes. That and you do look hot when you're annoyed." Vince admitted as he walked with her to the elevator.
Kasumi's face lit with up a noticeable blush as she walked with him.
xXxXxXxXxX
Kasumi's eyes widened as did Akari's as they saw a cave with a massive cave and underneath them was a structure of a train platform with lamps on the wall that illuminated the place with a mysterious glow, just ahead of them was a set of train tracks underneath the train station. "To think that something like this was kept hidden..."
"Oh yeah. This was the place Venelana took us to a long time ago. But we had to go through an elevator before coming here." Vince said as his eyes lit up, recalling the place.
"Really? How surprising..." Rias commented, looking somewhat perplexed.
Rena looked around with a noticeably surprised expression. Seeing the shocked from them as well as Issei and Asia. Rias and Akeno giggled a little. "Beneath this station, there is a secret level."
"Buchou, even though I grew up in this town, this is the first time I'm hearing of such a thing!" Issei exclaimed.
"That's only natural. It's a route that is exclusively for devils. Ordinary humans can't arrive here even if they struggle their whole lives, not without a guide in certain cases. Areas for the exclusive-use of devils are hidden within the town in this way, you know?" Rias stated.
Vince however shook his head. "I bet I could hack it to come here."
"Oh really?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"This is an elevator after all." He replied.
"It would be hard to do, the elevator is well secured so that nobody wonders into here." Akeno commented as she looked at him.
"Let's see about that..." Vince extended his right arm as a burst of lightning enveloped his right hand. He went towards the control panel in the elevator and pressed his hand against it.
Everyone looked on, curious to see whether or not it was possible. Jolts of lightning transferred over to the control panel, causing it to lit up. Vince flicked the control panel with his index finger. "Now then, to go up."
The elevator on cue quickly went up as the everyone else's eyes widened greatly. Rias herself looked stumped. "B-But how did you...?"
"Just because I lost the use of my left arm, doesn't mean I didn't gain anything from it." Vince spoke as he swung his right arm.
The remaining particles of lightning dispersed in front of him. Everyone turned to Rena looking for an explanation who sighed. "While in recovery Vince decided to practice how to hack machines using his lightning."
She shook her head as she continued. "As questionable as this was, it was the only alternative that Vince would do, or he would resume his regular training without any regard towards his injuries."
Rias turned to him with a frown and a hand placed on her hip. "You couldn't have taken it easy during your recovery Vince?"
"I would have. But that would have been boring without my video games. I couldn't play them because I was afraid I might destroy them... That and my mom grounded me as soon as she found out what I did." He replied simply.
As he started walking ahead Akeno went to his side and grasped his hand. Vince stopped and raised an eyebrow. Seeing her silent expression he gently held her hand with a small smile.
Akeno's face turned red as a smile appeared on her face. Vince glanced towards the others before shrugging and leaned against her ear. "It's nice seeing you like this. It reminds me of our time in the shrine."
Akeno's face turned an even redder shade of hue. Her blush now resembling Rias' hair color.
He turned around upon feeling someone staring at him. Vince saw Rias staring at him with a sharp gaze. Rena on the other hand looked somewhat annoyed but sighed. Kasumi smiled a little while Akari pouted a little.
"What did you say to Akeno-san to make her face that red?" Issei asked, looking confused and somewhat jealous.
"Oh, nothing really." He spoke with a small shrug.
After a few minutes of walking everyone came to stop after they saw a peculiar looking train. It had devil-representing patterns carved into it at acute angles. Looking closer, Issei and Vince saw Sirzechs' pattern on the train as well.
"It's a train owned by the Gremory family." Issei looked surprised while Vince nearly jumped back at seeing the train doors opened automatically.
Akeno led Vince inside the train as Rias led the others in at the lead. "Is this your first time in a train, Vince-kun?"
"No. It's my second time but, it's still a little unsettling..." He admitted, his eyes darting around the train.
Suddenly the train's whistle sounded off and the train started moving, catching Vince by surprise.
xXxXxXxXxX
Moving to the center of the train. Rias stood in the front train car ahead of the others, while everyone else sat in the train car behind it. Asia and Issei sat together with Xenovia sitting across from her. Next to them were Koneko, Gasper and Kiba sitting next to each other. Just a little ahead sat Kasumi and Akari next to each while Rena sat alone, looking at the window outside in wonder. Azazel slept in a corner while Vince and Akeno sat a seat away from Issei and Asia.
"How long until we get there?" Issei asked, turning towards Akeno.
"We'll arrive in about an hour. Since it seems that this train passes through the dimensional barrier using official means before it eventually arrives at the Underworld." She replied.
"I thought that we could just jump with a magic circle and enter the Underworld like that." Issei said, looking confused.
"Same here. I was able to get here with a magic circle. Heck, even my mom and I got to the Gremory's manor that way too." Vince added.
"Usually that's fine, but if Issei-kun and the other new household devils don't enter at least once by the official route, you'll be punished for illegally entering. That's why Issei-kun and the others have to properly finish the official entry procedure. Your mother is not a Devil, Vince-kun, so she may have gone through a slightly different process or the same." Akeno explained, making him nod.
(I remember going to sleep in the train because I was bored, so I'm not sure if it was the same with my mom and I.) Vince thought, crossing his arms.
"Eh!? Seriously!? But Vince used that magic circle to enter Buchou's engagement party and he was using his Sacred Gear to be a Devil at the time!" Issei exclaimed.
"...Crap. I forgot about that." He spoke frowning a bit.
Akeno gave them a small smile despite their worries. "It seems Vince was a special case because you he transported with Sirzechs-sama's back-door magic circle, you know? Of course, doing it twice is impossible."
"I-Is that so... So Vince is going to be pardoned." Issei said breathing a small sigh of relief.
Vince however blinked twice. "That's surprising..."
"Eh? Why?" Issei asked looking confused.
"I thought you hated my guts." He stated with a somewhat surprised tone.
Issei gained a surprised look as did the others, listening in. "Why would you think that?
"Because of the amount of women that are being attracted to me and what I already did. I thought you hated me for that." Vince said with a small shrug.
"Oi, I might get jealously by that but I don't hate you Vince. You're my comrade." Issei said with a grin.
(Comrades, huh...?) He thought, seemingly bemused as his lips curled up into a small smile.
Akeno touched her cheek with her hand and smiled. "I'm happy that you and Issei-kun are closer now. I think you deserve a reward Vince-kun."
"Huh?"
Akeno sat on Vince's lap and brought her face just centimeters away from his, while Issei on the other hand looked shocked at the bold move.
"I need an adult..." He said dryly.
"Ara? How cute, don't worry I'll be the adult, Vince-kun." Akeno said as she led his hand underneath her skirt and even further up towards her panties.
Issei spat out the water he was drinking as he looked between the two, blood started pouring out from his nose, however his attention then turned towards Asia with tears in her eyes as she pouted, tugging at his arm. "Akeno-san's influence is too strong, it's too late for Vince-san, but Issei-san will become a pervert."
Akeno looked at the scene with a smile as she led Vince's hand towards her upper thigh. "Isn't it healthy for young men to be a bit perverted?"
"Look who's taking, Asia. You sleep with Issei in his room. Generally, skinship is quite natural in a peerage." Akeno, Vince, Asia and Issei turn their gaze to see Rias there, her body enveloped by a red aura, reflecting her anger.
The other continued to have their attention towards Rias, while she continued to glare at Akeno. Unaware, of the small smirk appeared on Vince's face.
She noticed his fingers slowly trailed up without her guidance and blushed a little. An almost barely audible escaped her throat as she felt his finger slowly massaged her ass.
Akeno took his free hand and brought it to her mouth. Without a moment's notice she sucked on his fingers. she twirled her tongue around his finger while Vince continued to massage her ass. Akeno pulled his finger from her mouth, a trail of saliva connecting between her mouth and his finger as she gazed at Rias with a defiant look. "Stealing from the master gets me fired up."
"A-Akeno, that's en-"
"Who said you were stealing me?" Vince brought his hand out of her skirt and lightly pecked her on the lips.
Akeno blushed while everyone's jaws dropped, Rias on the other hand looked completely devastated. Kasumi, Akari and Rena on the other hand watched but remained silent despite their eyes twitching in annoyance.
Before Akeno could bring her face closer to his, Vince stopped her by placing his index finger on her lips and smirked a little. "I'm going to stop there."
Akeno pouted a bit as he continued. "Outside affection is not my cup of tea and you did just tease me a few moments ago."
Rias then glared at Vince, her crimson aura flaring up just as strong as before. "How could you do that Vince?! I-"
"Princess Rias. Communication with your servants is fine, but isn't an example of procedure also good?" A man's voice spoke, interrupting her. He wore a train conductor's uniform with a white beard.
"Ho-ho-ho. For the little princess to be concerned with the topic of men and women. I've lived a long life." Rias' face lit up with the same color as her hair at the man's laugh.
He took off his hat and bowed to the others in the train.
Taking off his hat again, he bowed his head. "Nice to meet you, all of the princess' new servant devils. I am Reynaldo, the conductor of the Gremory private train. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Everyone also stood up and bowed at greeting.
"N-Nice to meet you as well! I am Buchou Rias Gremory-sama's "Pawn", Hyoudou Issei! Please treat me well!" Issei spoke also bowing.
"I'm Asia Argento! Her "Bishop"! Please treat me well!" She said, introducing herself with a bow.
"I'm Xenovia. "Knight". Please treat me well from now on." Xenovia stated, introducing herself.
"My name is Kasumi. It's nice to meet you Reynaldo-san." Kasumi greeted in a polite tone.
"I'm Akari, it's nice to meet you." Akari also greeted politely.
"I am Amicus Rena, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Rena replied as she did a small curtsy.
(It's almost staggering how Rena can switch between being casual and being formal so easily. From what Rena told me, her mom really was strict when it came to formalities.) Vince thought to himself, shaking his head.
"My name is Reinhart Vince, nice to meet you." He greeted in a somewhat polite tone.
However the man laughed heartily instead. "Ho-ho-ho. I remember you Mr. Reinhart. You probably don't remember me much but that's to be expected. You were sleeping through the entire trip."
Everyone's eyes widened as Vince blinked twice. "Really? I actually don't remember you... Sorry."
"Don't be. You were a small kid back then." Reynaldo let out a chuckle as he shook his head. "I remember the first time your mother came here with Lady Gremory. She was easily startled by almost everything in the underworld. How's she doing?"
"Aside from being a bit stressed, she's doing well." Vince answered with a small shrug.
"I see... Well, send her my regards." He replied.
"Alright."
After finishing the greetings Reynaldo showed everyone a unique machine that showed them on a monitor.
"U-Umm...?" Issei trailed off, looking confused.
"This is a machine from the Devil world that checks and compares you. The fact that this train is formally entering the Underworld is important and therefore all modes of transport require inspection. It would be a serious matter in the case that there is some fabrication. In the current time, it would be quite serious if someone occupied the train." He explained seriously.
Rias turned to the others while smiling. "Your records give your piece designations, and when transmitted it is registered as data in the Underworld. That's why they check it with this machine. There's no problem. Since everyone here is who they say they are."
"I'm a fake. Can I leave the train and go home now?" Vince asked dryly.
"Vince. Not here..." Rias said shaking her head.
"Vince..." Rena spoke sighing a bit.
Reynaldo however chuckled at this. "You have quite the dry humor, Mr. Reinhart. Rest assured this won't take long."
The machine was aimed towards Issei as a beeping noise sounded off from the machine. After a few seconds it let out "Ping" sound, signaling that he passed.
Issei breathed a sigh of relief as Vince raised an eyebrow. "What about Rena, Kasumi and Akari? They aren't exactly Devils."
"I am quite curious of that myself." Rena commented.
"Do not worry. The machine works just the same." Reynaldo spoke as he scanned the others.
After finishing, he turned to Rias with a smile. "Princess, with this both the checking and the formalities for the entry of the new faces here are finished. Now you can all rest and relax until we arrive at the scheduled station. There are also beds to sleep in and places where you can have a meal, so please use them until we reach our destination."
"Thank you, Reynaldo. Is Azazel next?" Rias asked turning to him.
Azazel soundly slept while Rias looked amazed. "...What nerve that guy has, sleeping in the train of a race that were his enemies till just the other day."
"Ho-ho-ho. The Governor of the Fallen Angels really is peaceful. But what happened to his hair?" Reynaldo wondered, looking towards the burn off section of his hair.
"Vince unlocked a new power from his Sacred Gear and burned off a chunk of his hair as a result." Rias answered, not even bothering to hide her smile.
"Ho-ho-ho. I never thought The Governor of the Fallen Angels would get into a situation like that!" Reynaldo said laughing a bit with an amused expression.
"So..." Vince turned towards Rias with a confused look. "You're a princess? I thought you were an heiress?"
"I am. But the everyone else calls me a princess." Rias answered.
"Ah. Well, you certainly do act like a princess." Vince spoke with a small shrug.
"R-Really...?" She asked as a blush formed on her face.
"Yeah, I'd say so. But I'm glad you're more humble compared to the other nobles, I've seen so far." He replied with a small shrug.
Rias smiled and wanted to sit next to him, however she sighed a little and went towards to front car.
Before she could Rena cleared her throat. "You know Rias. Vince has the DNA of an Ultimate Class Devil in his Sacred Gear, given the circumstances I think he would be able to sit next to you and in the front car."
Rias blinked twice, not expecting Rena to say that but smiled even more. She then turned to Vince. "Can you accompany Rias to the front car Vince?"
"I'm not an actual high-class devil you know." Vince replied with a small sigh.
"I know, but Sirzechs-san has said to the others that you are an heir and at the previous engagement party, he certainly treated you like one by boasting your abilities like that." Rena pointed out with a small smile.
"No problem." A small smirk appeared on his face as he nodded and followed Rias, who in turn thanked Rena.
xXxXxXxXxX
After forty minutes after the train left, an annoucenment was heard over the intercom. "We will momentarily be breaking the dimensional wall. We will momentarily be breaking through the dimensional wall."
(That's something you don't hear often. I'm still surprised I gave in to my hormones earlier. I guess this is the stage in puberty where my control goes from bad to worse... Going through puberty sucks.) Vince thought, frowning a bit.
"Try looking outside." Rias said looking at the others.
He looked at the other car Issei and Asia push their face against the window. Rena on the other hand opened the window and looked out of it, as did Kasumi and Akari. "Huh..."
She then turned to him who looked somewhat curious. "You try looking too Vince. You did say you fell asleep last time, right?"
"Right." Vince looked outside the window and blinked twice as the scenery changed from a dark tunnel to a purple sky with mountains and trees. "Even though I've been here before, I half expected for everything be lit on fire, like an inferno."
Rias sweatdropped and shook her head. "You're messing with me now, aren't you?"
"Maybe. I think it's effective." He replied with a small smirk.
She pouted a little and swatted his shoulder. "Very funny. You can open the window if you want."
"Sure, sure." Vince raised up the window and felt a windy breeze come in. "Interesting. There's a lot of nature in the Underworld. I never thought there would be a place like this..."
"This area is already within Gremory territory." Rias spoke proudly.
"Then, is everything including these train tracks we've been running on until now on the land of Buchou's family!?" Issei asked, joining in on the conversation with a shocked expression.
Rias nodded as he looked at her with respect and envy. Vince placed a finger on his chin, nodding a bit. (That would explain why their family how they got permission to use a set of train tracks. They never did. They just own everything.)
"So how large is this territory?" Vince questioned, with Issei nodding too.
Kiba suddenly showed up near Issei and spoke. "If I remember correctly, it's about the size of Honshu in Japan."
Vince blinked twice, not expecting the answer. "Come again?"
"The Gremory's territory is about the size of Honshu in Japan." Kiba answered again.
"H-Honshuuuuuuu!?" Issei yelled loudly.
"The Underworld has the same amount of surface area as the human world, but the population here isn't the same as the human world. Even with Devils, Fallen Angels, and other races, it isn't that high. And since there are no oceans, the land is also spacious." Rias explained.
"I hope the Valefor's territory isn't like this. Going to the manor on foot would be hell." Vince spoke as he sighed a bit.
"I'm sure there will be a form of transportation to get to the manor quicker Vince." Rias said trying to reassure him.
"I would hope so." He said.
Rias then clapped her hands together, as if she realized something. "That's right. Issei, Asia, Xenovia. Since part of my territory will be given to you all later, please tell me what places you want."
"W-We can have our own territory!?" Issei asked in shock.
"You're all the servant devils of the next family head. Living in my territory as part of the Gremory group is permitted. Akeno, Yuuto, Koneko, and even Gasper possess land within my territory." She explained with a smile.
"You can visit my territory later if you want Vince-kun." Akeno spoke with a seductive smile.
"Sure. I'll stop by for a visit." Vince answered, ignoring her seductive tone.
Rias' eye twitched in irritation as she made a map appear in the air, that expanded upon her command.
"I guess, that's the map for the territories, then?" Vince questioned.
Rias nodded with a smile. "The red areas are places that have already been taken, so they're no good, but anywhere else is okay. Now then, please point at the land you like. I'll give it to you."
"Which one is Akeno's territory? I want to stop by... For reasons." Vince said in a somewhat joking tone.
Rias' pulled Vince's cheek with a jealous expression as Akeno giggled and pointed where her territory was on the map. He lightly swatted away her hand and looked out the window, viewing the scenery.
xXxXxXxXxX
Vince yawned a little as he got up from his seat and stretched a bit, feeling not only bored, but stiff. (These ten minutes felt like half an hour. I hope this train ride is almost done.)
"We will soon be arriving at the Gremory main residence. We will soon be arriving at the Gremory main residence. Everyone, thank you for riding this train." A voice spoke through the intercom.
Issei stuck his body out from the window while Vince did the same for the other window. To their surprise they saw a huge crowd of people nearby. Looking closer, they could see armed soldiers dress in protective clothing.
"Vince, Issei, we're almost there. Close the window." Rias spoke.
"Y-Yes, Buchou." Issei said as he closed the window.
"Seriously. Soldiers...? So are really they cosplaying or are they stuck in the nineteenth century?" Vince remarked as he closed his window.
"They are not cosplaying Vince. Also please refrain from making any remarks about them." Rias said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"No promises there..."
Train's speed gradually slowed down and eventually came to a halt. After it had stopped, everyone exited from the open door with Rias leading the group, with the exception of Azazel who stood in his seat.
"A-Are, you not getting off, sensei?" Issei asked looking confused.
"Yeah, I plan to keep going through Gremory territory like this and go to the Maou's territory. I have a meeting with Sirzechs and the others there. A so-called "invitation". Since it faces the main residence of the Gremory's, I'll come after I go see them and finish my greetings." Azazel explained.
"Then, see you later, sensei." Issei replied, saying goodbye.
"Say hi to my brother for me, Azazel." Rias said.
Azazel waved his hand in response to both him and Rias before turning to Vince. "Try not to burn anything down with that spiritual fire."
In response, a fireball was chuckled near Azazel's feet. He quickly moved away and kept a noticeable distant from Vince, who glared at him.
He turned around and joined the others, while trying to get rid of the small flame that remained in his hand, after a few moments of concentrating it disappeared from his hand.
"Welcome home, Rias-ojou-sama!" A group of voices bellowed, making Vince slightly wince at how loud they sounded.
His eyes widened a bit further when numerous fireworks set off, the soldiers aimed their guns at the sky and fired, while a group of people started playing an orchestra simultaneously while a soldier who rode on top of a mysterious creature flew in the sky above, and waved a flag.
Issei and Asia huddled together as they we were out of place. Kiba and the others seemed to be accustomed to this as Xenovia just kept blinking, seemingly confused. Akari and Kasumi seemed to enjoy the show, smiling while Rena gained an amused look as she went towards Vince. "It reminds me a little of how things would be when I visited my grandparents."
Vince on the other hand sweatdropped and looked at the performance with a somewhat weirded out expression. "Did they really prepare an orchestra and a show just for going there?"
"Not the show, it's just the orchestra and that's only on birthdays or for holidays. My mother isn't the biggest fans of large welcomes or parties so my grandparents toned it down a bit for her." Rena explained with a sheepish smile.
"Hiiiiii... So many people..." Gasper spoke terrified as he hid behind Issei.
Vince let out a sigh and went to Gasper, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nearly jumped at the sudden contact but looked at him with a confused look. "Relax. Since Rias is going to be the main person getting attention, you can blend in the background so they won't pay to much attention to you."
Gasper slightly nodded and smiled a little. "T-Thanks Vince-senpai."
Rena let out a small giggle as she tapped his shoulder. "See? You do have a soft spot for Gasper. Is it because you used to be shy?"
Vince's eye twitched violently as Issei heard this and grinned while Gasper looked surprised. "R-Really?"
"Yes, back then I had to drag Vince out of his room until he started going out on his own..." Rena recalled, giggling a little at the memory.
"Ugh..."
Examining the area, a lot of maids and butlers stood nearby. Upon Rias approaching them, they simultanelously bowed their heads and spoke in perfect unison.
"Welcome back, Rias-ojou-sama."
"Thank you, everyone. I'm home. I've returned." Rias responded with a large smile, to which they did in return.
A woman with recogniseable silver hair appeared. "Welcome back, ojou-sama. You arrived early. Above all, it's good that you were safe while traveling. Now then, all family members and guests, please board the carriage. We'll be going to the main residence with this."
Grayfia led the others to an expensive looking carriage. Vince raised an eyebrow when seeing the horse not only having a glint in it's eyes but also turning to him. (Did I really ride in a carriage before? I can't remember a bit. I must have been sleeping through this too. I only remember a little about the train ride and the castle.)
Seeing the maids carrying the others baggage from the train, Vince attempted to go towards the train to carry his own baggage but was stopped by Akeno. "It's okay Vince-kun, they're supposed to do this."
Vince nodded hesitantly, still feeling a little uneasy from letting others carrying his stuff.
"I will go with the servants and our guests. Since Issei and Asia seem anxious, as this is their first time and it would be rude to just leave our guests." Rias spoke.
"Understood. I've prepared a few vehicles, so please board whichever pleases you." Grayfia answered with a small nod.
With the exception of Kiba, Gasper and Koneko the others boarded the first carriage while they took the carriage next to it.
Once boarding it, the carriage began to move forward as soon as the horse did.
(I'm riding a carriage... This is really weird for me.) Vince thought, looking at the scenery.
Looking ahead, he saw paved roads and beautifully pruned trees. The path continued to stretch a considerable distance until he saw a massive castle.
"Bu-Bu-Buchou... W-What is that huge castle...?" Issei asked pointing a finger at the huge castle in complete shock.
Vince paused for a few moments before a look of realization appeared on his face. "Oh. I remember this place... It's where you live, right?"
"Yes. That's the main residences of one of my homes." Rias spoke with a smile.
Looking further ahead, beautiful flowers bloomed, water flowed out of a magnificently modelled fountain, and birds of various colors flew about. The carriage advanced through the garden.
"We seem to have arrived." Rias mumured.
Not a moment later the carriage door opened. A butler made a slight bow as Rias exited the carriage as did the others. Vince, turning his attention to the side saw the same carriage that Kiba, Koneko and Gasper took as they got off.
The maids and butlers stood in line on both sides and made a path. A red carpet stretched out towards the huge castle, as the castle gate slowly opened the gates made a certain noise that made Vince slightly wince at the sound.
"Ojou-sama, and all the members of her group. Please, advance forward." Grayfia said, making a slight bow while urging the others forward.
"Come on, let's go." Rias said as she started walked on the carpet.
Vince's face promptly turned from a slightly curious expression to a now bored one. (Ugh. Now I remember this part. It was boring back then and it hasn't changed now.)
A small silhouette broke out from the line of maids and ran towards Rias.
"Rias-nee-sama! Welcome back!" A young boy with crimson red hair and eyes embraced her with a smile.
"Millicas! I'm back. You've gotten big, haven't you?" Rias said lovingly returning the hug.
"U-Umm, Buchou. Who is this child?" Issei asked looking perplexed.
"This child is Millicas Gremory. The son of my brother- Sirzechs Lucifer-sama. He's my nephew." She introduced.
"Come on, Millicas. Greet them. This boy is a new member of my group and this is my fiancé." Rias stated.
"Yes. I am Millicas Gremory, nice to meet you." Millicas greeted properly.
"I-I accept your polite greeting! I-I'm... No, I am Hyoudou Issei!" Issei greeted nervously.
Vince looked down at the kid with a passive look, a few moments of silence passed by before sighing and getting on one knee, within the height range of Millicas. He extended his hand and smiled a little. "It's nice to meet you Millicas. I'm Vince Reinhart. I don't know about fiancé, but I am Rias' friend."
Millicas smiled and shook his hand. "Rias-nee-sama said a lot about you."
"Oh? What did she say?" He asked looking somewhat curious.
"Well..."
Rias quickly cleared her throat with a small blush on her cheeks. "Because only the person himself who succeeded the title of Maou can retain the name, this child is a Gremory even though he's my brother's son. He's also next in line for family head after me."
"Can you tell me later Millicas?" Vince questioned in a polite tone.
"Of course." He replied with a smile.
"C-Come on, let's go into the residence." Rias held hands with Millicas and headed towards the gate at a slightly faster pace.
(Heh. It's like I'm talking a little with Kunou. I guess this place won't be as a bad as I thought.) Vince thought to himself as his lips curled up into a small smile.
Passing through the huge gate and went going inside, the inner castle gates opened one by one.
Arriving at the entry hall. The stairs in front of everyone led to the second floor with a large ornate chandelier on the ceiling.
"Ojou-sama, I'd like to show everyone to their rooms at once." Grayfia spoke, raising her hand as a few maids gathered with them.
Vince looking at the architecture of the castle gave a small nod. "Just like a work of art. Not bad, I like what I see."
However the everyone mistook this and thought his attention were at the maids, due to his eyes facing in their general direction. The maids smiled while one or two of them gained a small blush across their face.
Rias' eye twitched violently as did Rena while Kasumi and Akari sighed, looking somewhat surprised and slightly annoyed. Grayfia remained passive but raised an eyebrow, but then nodded realizing that his attention was actually at the architecture, not the maids.
"You're right, I have to go greet mother and father after coming home as well." Rias gave a "hmm" as she nodded.
"The master is out at present. He's expected to return by this evening. He said that he would meet together with you while dining with everyone together at supper." Grayfia explained to her.
"I see, I understand, Grayfia. Then, I suppose we'll let everyone rest in their respective rooms for now. Has the baggage been carried in already?" Rias questioned.
"Yes. There should be no problem with using your room right now." She informed.
"Come on Vince. We need to greet my mother." Rias spoke grabbing his arm, looking mildly annoyed.
"No, I haven't finished looking. It isn't often I get to see a breathtaking sight, so she can wait for a little bit." He answered bluntly, the small blush on the maids gradually grew a little redder.
"Yeah, they look great!" Issei agreed with an enthusiastic nod.
(They? What is he talking about?) Vince thought to himself looking confused.
"Ara, Rias. So you've returned." A woman spoke, gaining everyone's attention.
"Mother. I've returned home." Rias said smiling a little.
"I see. It's nice to see you, you even had Vince come along. It's nice to see you." Venelana greeted.
He raised an eyebrow as he turned around to see her. "Oh Venelana. You look... Exactly the same."
Everyone sweatdropped at his greeting while Venelana on the other hand gained a type of smile on her face that made Rias nervous. Vince noticed the smile but shrugged it off and went back to looking at the architecture.
xXxXxXxXxX
Author's Notes: Heh, it was fun writing the ending of the chapter. I just couldn't resist ending it on that note. I know a lot of people wanted to see Vince deal with the noble Devils in the meeting but that will have to come a little later, it's not to far off. After all, Vince does need to evidence to prove that he's the "heir" of the Valefor clan to the other Devils in the meeting.
Vince's left arm is going to remained paralyzed for a little bit. He will regain the movement of his left arm but it all depends on how long that's going to take. But yeah, while Vince lost the movement of his left arm, he gained a bit benefits from doing it. Despite it being dangerous.
For those of you that gave me the idea of Vince's Sacred Gear of absorbing the exchange of energy through intimacy like the Mana Transfer Ritual, thank you. I did not actually thought about the idea until it was brought up. It really did help out and I appreciate it.
As for Vince's new element, fire. A regular colored fire with a spiritual property. I originally wanted to go with a unique color like blue or crimson but after much consideration I decided against this. It would give me less of a headache if I did this.
Before I end the Author's Notes. I want ask a question I've been wanting to ask for a while, would you like to see a maid that works for the Valefor clan? I've had a few people in the past come up to me with this idea in mind and now I'm just curious. Let me know what you think in the reviews and take care.