A/N: Sup everyone. wiErD here. Here's the first chapter of the crossover.
Hope ya like it...! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and HS DxD. All goes to their respective authors. Support the official releases.
- Awakening -
...
I feel like I remember being here. The sight of the village before me was something that came out like a medieval tale as the materials built around them was vastly different from the home I usually returned to.
A sweet smell and fragrance of the grass and flowers surrounding this settlement entered my nose. It was warm and cozy just like an old home of two old people in a secluded part of the world where the noise of the cities couldn't reach there.
Ah, I know this feeling! The same feeling I always had whenever I return home with Issei and greeting our parents.
Eating together, laughing together, and enjoying our time together.
It was the same in this place.
I looked around, wanting to see more of my vision of this strange world and saw multitudes of people around me. Some old, and some young. The kids chasing each other in some sort of a tag game as they ran around the passing folk who go about on their day. Their clothes were as old as the settlement built around them. It was not a modern town that I grew accustomed to.
Why am I here? I thought for sure I was just sleeping on my bed but...
I could somehow hear their voices but they were muffled that I couldn't make what they were saying. Were they speaking to each other?
Are they even using the same language as I do?
Do they even know that I'm here?
Am I a ghost or what? Though it didn't seem like it since I could feel everything in me. I am here just like them.
I wonder...
I stepped further and tried to call out one of the people passing by me. I reached out a hand to gesture my approach. "Hey."
However, the man just walked by and past him as if he didn't hear him. I thought I didn't raise my voice enough so I called yet to another person near me.
"H-Hello."
Again, there was no reaction. It looked as if he wasn't there, to begin with.
Well, that's just weird... and rude. But then again, this world is also weird. I could make out that this was one of my dreams but I could never expect this level of free control over it. It's hardly different from reality except for his seemingly transparent presence. Is this what they called lucid dreaming?
Well, it's certainly much better than the dream I had yesterday.
'Well, I guess there's the village to explore.' I chuckled at the thought as I walked further inside to know more about the place. The houses built were old, and sometimes consisted of only sticks and poorly-made cement that would crumble in the event of a natural disaster.
Then again, that was unlikely. I mean, who would dare disrupt this incredibly peaceful place.
That was soon answered when I felt a big gale slightly push me forward, stumbling for a bit before regaining my posture. But then my vision slowly darkened as something enormous flew overhead me.
I looked up, curious to see what was in the skies and my eyes couldn't believe what they just witnessed.
I expressed my desire to voice out my disbelief but I can't seem to use my voice.
A beast towering a hundred meters in size along with its wingspan that covered a huge patch of land aside from the village. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I could only make a few observations as the light of the sun drowned out its appearance with its rays. Four large legs hang over its large body and a huge neck connecting to what it seemed to be its head at the front and a long tail at the back. A pair of large bat-like wings sprouted from its sides, generating winds even with the slightest movement in the air and would definitely blow almost anything like a shockwave if it decided to flap wildly in front of them. Still, he couldn't make of the massive creature and was left covering his eyes from the blinding rays shining down on him. However, that would soon change as it hovered over at the village, slowly descending to the ground as a small gust of wind blew across the village as it touched the ground.
I finally got a good look at the creature once more. More prominent than he had first seen in the sky earlier.
Large scales bigger than any modern-day reptiles, a size comparable to the dinosaurs that sported big canines that would make any living predator today pale in comparison and a crimson color that enveloped its entire upper body while a beige color occupied its lower portions, particularly its lower jaw, stomach, and tail. But what struck its notable appearance the most was the multiple scars that surrounded its body.
Its face donning multiple big scars and even a large X-shaped one that stuck in its chest, as well as the wings that highlighted its rippled state. It was a sign of its countless battles that earned its scars over the passage of time.
I didn't know how but for some reason, I could tell that this creature had been fighting for so long. Like a soldier from a forgotten time that had faced countless battles in his life.
Though this one was not human. It was a creature that was born out of mythical origins. A being that closely resembled the symbol of power, dominance, and destruction.
Dragon.
I was so absorbed in describing the appearance that I failed to notice the people from the village converging towards it as if they knew this beast. If it were other people, they would've fled at the sheer absurdity of such a monster before them. I mean, who wouldn't come near to this creature that surpassed the biggest land animal on Earth.
Even I, who never seen as big as this, would've run away the instant I saw this creature however, I did not feel any animosity from it. I could not sense some animalistic behavior from this dragon. If anything, it could come as an intelligent being just like humans. This was reinforced when I hear the villagers gather around it in praises. Though he can't understand them, their expressions showed kindness and welcome for the dragon. And sure enough, it returned its favor by merely giving them a few gestures from its head.
Oddly enough, I found myself staring at the dragon with familiarity. I didn't know how but I could tell that I was drawn towards it. As if I had some personal connection to this dragon.
That... can't be right.
I thought about turning my attention elsewhere on the other parts of this strange world if not for the words he heard from the dragon as it turned his head towards me.
"...tsu."
Did I hear it right? Did that dragon just speak? I took a glance over my shoulders to see if I wasn't being mistaken. However, there was no one beside me. More than that, how could the dragon notice him here when others could not? And the words were somehow clearer compared to the voices of the villagers around him though, he couldn't comprehend what it was trying to say.
"...t's ...ime."
"W-What?" I couldn't help but ask, seeing that its eyes were staring right to me.
"R...urn t... ...our ...oots."
It looked like it was trying to say something to me. The people in front of it seemed oblivious to our exchange as they continued to revere it with praises.
"Who are you?"
"Re...mber ...ho ..re."
I was about to walk closer to it to get a better understanding of what it was saying when a strong pull pushed me off my feet and was sent hurtling into the far distance. The world around me suddenly shifted and the image of the village and the dragon quickly dissolved into the dark abyss.
"Wai―Wait!" I shouted with all might to call myself back to the place but my vision captured only darkness and before I knew it, I was back on the same hellish landscape that I used to dream all the time.
I looked over and saw ruins and this time, it was fairly similar to the modern setting.
However, this place somehow reminded me of my home. The street I was on, it was the same street that my house was located at. I quickly glanced around and sure enough, I saw my house but my eyes dreaded at the state it had become. It was burning just like all the other houses around it. I quickly got off from my feet and went straight to it. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I kicked the door down with every once my strength to push through.
Even though it was just a dream, I couldn't stop myself from worrying about the people inside. The sensations this time felt real. I can move freely in this world. The smoldering heat slowly crept to my body and the thick ash permeated in the air that could suffocate me in seconds if I took huge amounts of it in my lungs. The sounds of collapsing structure rang in my ears like I was some sort of a disaster film.
All of it felt real.
I ran to the entrance where I found a large piece of burning debris blocking me further. I gritted my teeth and braced myself as I jumped into the inferno and past the debris with minimal burns and scorched marks. I didn't have the time to worry about them as I made my way to the center of the house.
Issei. Mom. Dad. Those were the only thing in his mind as he pushed further.
I made it the living room but my body halted upon what my eyes saw afterward.
The three people he had been wanting to see, laid there amid the wreckage. My parents were laid there side by side, unmoving while my brother was kneeling beside them crying in despair. I couldn't move from my position even as the house around me slowly crumble from the creeping flames. The air around us quickly filling up with smoke, making it hard to breathe every second.
Issei somehow noticed my presence and sure enough, looked at me with bloodshot eyes, probably from the times he had shed his tears for his dead parents.
"N-Natsu..."
I heard him speak coarsely. His voice was now broken from the screams he did, asking for help.
"Where were you? I tried to call you but you didn't come."
The despair in his voice made it hard for me to answer. "I-I was―"
"I tried to call you for help! But you never came for us. Mom and dad tried to reach out for you but you didn't come for us."
"I-Issei, I―"
"You're too late, Natsu. You couldn't save them. And now, you couldn't save me."
I tried to formulate words but was cut off when the roof collapsed around us, burying us in a pile of burning steel and debris. I felt pain for the first time in my dream as I found myself waking up with my lower body stuck under a pile of debris. Fortunately, Issei was unharmed as seen that he wasn't caught up in the collapse. The house gave me room to breathe in but was now unable to move as I cannot free myself from the heavy debris above me. In fact, he felt a searing amount of pain from the bones on his lower body breaking from the weight pressed down onto him.
However, that was not what's worrying me at the moment. I turned my eyes towards the brunet where I could see the outside world once again. It was also burning as the fire ravaged across the neighborhood and huge clouds of smoke hovered into the night sky. The night sky that I once gazed for its illuminating stars were covered by thick smoke. But something was covering it as well. Something big.
It reminded me of that red dragon.
My eyes then turned back towards Issei, who had been sitting there without moving a single thing ever since he found him. He spoke to me once again. His eyes filled with resignation and hopelessness that he didn't usually see from the boy throughout the years they've been together.
"You were too late, Natsu. You couldn't save them. And now, you won't be able to save me."
"Issei..."
As if to signify his cryptic answer, a giant claw swallowed over him, squashing whatever's left of my brother and my parents as the area around me was flattened by whatever this large thing had occupied. I couldn't hold back myself as I screamed on top of my lungs, calling out to the ones I cared for in vain. I was so overwhelmed with despair that I didn't even care to notice the giant creature that was standing before me.
It was only by its gnarly roar that made me snap out of my grief that I looked up to whatever that killed my family. Mixed emotions ran through me as I clenched my teeth and fists even harder to the point of making them bleed as rage overtook me towards the beast. I didn't care how menacing it was. I didn't care how big it was. All I wanted in that brief moment was to kill this creature before me.
In my eyes, I finally saw the dragon's characteristics.
Black scales darker than the night itself, decorated with intricate blue markings, extending throughout its wings. Its lower body and chest were steeled pale in color and four huge legs that sported large claws bigger than the red dragon he saw earlier, captured his eyes in an instant. Its head was different as well, donning a round shape with razor-sharped teeth and four elongated plates extending backward.
But what captured my attention to this dragon was the indescribable bloodlust. In contrast to the red dragon I had seen earlier, this one was hostile to the core. To the point that it relishes on the destruction, it wrought upon its descent. It didn't care about its surroundings. All it wanted was to destroy. Nothing more.
I found its head slowly descending upon him as if it had been watching all this time. I came face to face to its head as it slowly lifted its mouth, daring to speak.
"You... are... weak..."
I heard it speak as the wind blew past me. It was addressing it to me. Its voice laced with mockery and intimidation.
"You will never be strong."
"I will kill you. And then the others. And then the humans. Nothing will be left."
"You will never save anyone."
"Shut up." I muttered to myself. My anger was taking over me.
"You could never save them. You could never save anyone."
Shut... up.
"You don't even know what you really are."
"Stop it." My voice was getting rougher. I was getting consumed by my own rage that I didn't even notice the flames creeping towards me.
"In the end, you were nothing but a weak little human!"
"I said... SHUT UP!"
In a flash, I found myself standing as the world around me suddenly burnt to ash. The flames around me flared intensely and my mind corrupted by the rage that consumed me. I could not think straight. I lost my ability to think. All I wanted at that time was the make this dragon shut its mouth.
I heard the dragon roar at my response. It rocked its head back as it roared in amusement.
"Hahaha! That's it! That's right! More! Resent me more! Despise me more!"
It seemed it had its goal fulfilled in goading me into action but I didn't care. My resentment grew even fiercer and my body...
My body was no longer human. I saw my hands and feet turn into huge claws. My whole self turned exactly like that of a dragon.
I roared. My mind was hellbent on burning this black dragon out into existence. I just want it dead. I want to crush its head. I want to rip out its wings. I want to break every fiber of its being.
I just want to kill.
Kill it.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill!
"Natsu!"
...
...
The first thing Natsu saw as he woke up was the familiar ceiling of his room. His hand stretched forward as if it was reaching for something. His body was sweating profusely and his mind was close to breaking after what he just experienced. The sound of his bated breaths was the first thing that he had heard as soon as he had woken up. He tried to stabilize his breathing as he had been short on intakes of air for quite a while. The suffocating air of the smoke and the excruciating pain of his body transforming into something inhumane. He had felt it all.
It was no longer just a dream for him. This time, it felt too real. The image of his brother staring at him in complete despair. The lifeless bodies of his parents beside him. And that black dragon that killed Issei. He could recall them clearly in his mind as if it would happen in the near future. The absurdity of such a thing happening was so much that he completely forgot that it was still a dream. A nightmarish dream, that is.
Just what the hell was that?
"Really... what the hell..." He muttered, his voice cracking as he placed a hand over to his eyes to shake off the tears that were threatening to come out.
This was the first time he was afraid of something. He had never cried once in his life and always thought that nothing could scare until now.
That was not the only thing that was on his mind. The sensation of the fires and the transformation of his body into that of a dragon. Just what kind of dream was that? He looked over to his arms, recalling the moment when it had transformed into a huge scaly arm. Luckily, he was wide awake and his body was still fairly human, to say the least. There's no way in hell that he would turn into something like that.
I mean, how can that happen? Even if it's just a dream, he can remember the moments that led up to that transformation.
And that black dragon.
Why could he feel a strong hatred towards it? Even after waking up, his body was almost to the point of being repulsive for just thinking about that mysterious dragon. Rejecting everything that was related to it. He stopped thinking about it completely for fear of throwing up completely from his bed. He did not want his room to be littered with his puke.
He sat straight from his bed and tried to process his thoughts. For now, he had to think about some other things. Things that would calm him down for a moment.
Let's see... Some happy moments.
'Oh, who am I kidding?'
It's hard to really think of anything else besides that dream that he had just now. He just couldn't get his mind off of it for some reason. But then, his mind suddenly recalled him back when he was in that village as well as that red dragon. At that moment, he didn't feel the need to throw up as soon as he thought about that red dragon. Why is it when he thought about that dragon, his mind had calmed down? He didn't know how but his body was now at peace for the first time. The warm feeling returned to him once again. The dream was no longer lingering on his mind.
'Still, who was that red dragon, anyway? I felt like I had seen it but I couldn't seem to put it.'
It felt nostalgic when he thought about it. Like he felt belonged there with it. He wondered why.
His thoughts were cut short when his alarm clock suddenly went off, disrupting the silence in his room and replaced it with a rather unpleasant noise.
Fuck, he really wanted to destroy that piece of contraption already.
If he could find whoever patented this piece of shit, he would've strapped that man to his seat and have a dozen of them played beside him just so he could feel what most of the modern-day people had to deal with when waking up beside it.
He set aside his minor grumblings as he rose above the sheets. His hair was literally messed up though, in fact, he didn't even need the liberty of fixing it since his hair was mostly styled in such a protruding manner that not even a shampoo could make them fall like a normal hair would. At first, he thought that the product themselves were defective but that wasn't the case. There was just this one time, he had used a gel to make them bend but for some reason, it just didn't work for him.
In the end, he just left it as it is. He kinda grew to like it over time.
The faint light of the sun penetrated the open windows beside him as he shielded his eyes upon turning over to the outside world. The streets across his home were still empty and only a few bystanders wandered from their houses to greet the morning sun.
It looks like it's going to be a pretty normal day.
Slowly yawning himself awake, he stood up from his bed and opened the door as he silently walked down the stairs in order not to wake up the others. His parents were still in their rooms, probably sleeping, and seeing that they haven't made breakfast yet, he had to make one for himself. Normally, they're the ones who would always wake up first in the morning before him and Issei so it was strange to see them not waking up at this time of the day.
He looked over to the clock and noticed that he was one-hour early than his usual waking time.
Great. Another thing to put a grudge on that stupid piece of shit.
He made his way through the refrigerator and took some ingredients for his hot coffee. It didn't take him a few more minutes to finish brewing it and eventually settled in the living room on the sofa and settled for a while as he waited for his body to adjust itself. His body relaxed as he slowly sipped through his cup, gazing over to the silent living room before him in silent wonder.
Come to think of it, this was his first time contemplating about the house. Pictures of him together with Issei as kids are shown in some of the walls.
Although he knew that he was just adopted, he felt grateful for being with such a family. They treated him like a real child just as they did with Issei and couldn't be happier staying with them and more proud of the name he took under them. It's a lot better than just being Natsu if he's being honest.
His thoughts paused for a moment to think about a piece of his past. One of the things that reminded him of his past was his name. He didn't know how he got it but it was the only thing he remembered during that time when he was found by his new parents. A key problem to his past was that he doesn't remember anything prior to his adoption. It was so strange for him and his parents that they thought that he suffered amnesia.
He could recall the days he would be taken to a doctor to examine his brain for any signs of head trauma but no such thing was found that could indicate any cause for brain damage. In fact, he was perfectly healthy and was fully capable of developing as a child according to the reports but the memory lapse of his forgotten childhood indicated that he really did suffer some memory loss. It was not known when he would be able to remember them back and honestly, he cared little as seven years had passed since then.
He decided that he needed to make peace with his past and just move on. And sure enough, it worked well for him. He stopped worrying about his origins and just accepted the life he had with the Hyoudou family. His past was seemingly nothing but a memory to him at that point. All but replaced by the kindness and unforgettable memories he shared with them.
But then, that dream came.
He could not wrap his head around it. It was so surreal and foreboding that he could not feel but worry. It was not normal for a person to keep dreaming the same thing over and over again. And honestly, he felt scared as the dream slowly became more vivid. Day by day, the dream would add new details that he could describe completely. That dream recently was an example of that. He worried that he might not be able to distinguish what is true or not. The dreams themselves were becoming more like a premonition rather than a nightmare.
'Ugh, thinking too much is bad for my health.'
He scratched his head, wanting to ignore his thoughts about his dreams for now. He looked back at the clock and saw that there's still time before his parents would wake up.
'Perhaps an exercise would be a nice change.'
A small smile made its way through his lips as he finally finished his drink and simply placed it right at the table before turning his attention towards the door.
As he made it outside the door, the sounds of birds chirping in their nest were heard from the distance as the sun slowly rose from the east, showing off its radiant light from the horizon and basking the world with its warmth. Placing his hand above his forehead, Natsu gazed on the bright orb with a smile.
"Yosh, I'm all fired up."
He began his jog near the sidewalks as he went past the neighborhood and eventually reached through a playground park and began to exercise himself to keep his body in good shape. He had to maintain his conditions since it was the only thing he was passionate about. He always wanted to improve his body and had taken a lot of exercises to improve it. Even as a kid, he was already gung-ho about training his body. And until now, he didn't miss a single morning trying to perform his exercise in keeping his body maintained.
He wanted Issei to join him but all he could think about was about fantasizing his harem dream and watching pornos with Matsuda and Motohama.
Yeah, he didn't need to elaborate further on that.
He decided to take a small break since it was in his routine that he would need to take a break after a 20-minute lap around the park or he might risk tiring himself out without any rest. However, for some reason, he didn't feel tired at all. In fact, he was still full of energy despite exercising for quite some time. Even as the 20-minute was reached, he felt like he could do at least ten more times than usual.
Ok, that was weird. Did he mix something in his coffee?
He could hardly feel any fatigue in his body. What's going on?
However, he looked over to his watch and saw that it was already past his morning exercise. He wanted to test how much he could go but he needed to return back home to prepare for school.
For now, he'll just leave it as it is.
After going back to the house, he managed to see both of his parents awake as they started cooking their breakfast in the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, Natsu slowly made his way towards the table with his mother greeting him in response to his arrival.
"Good morning." She greeted with a smile.
"Morning. Sorry for leaving the cup by the table. Had to go outside for some fresh air."
"I don't mind. Oh, and could you go upstairs and wake your brother up. I think his alarm clock didn't wake him up. Also, you should wash yourself while at it. You don't want to be late now, do you?"
"Alright." He nodded as he went upstairs.
Taking a few knocks into his door, he simply raised his voice to wake the sleeping the brown-haired boy inside.
"Oi! Wake up already, Issei. We have school!" At first, there was no response until he was able to hear faint noises from the inside, probably from his tired voice.
"In a moment..."
It took a few minutes for him to get finally prepared as Natsu returned from his room and began to take a shower as well to get himself ready. A couple of minutes had passed, he finished changing into his Kuoh Academy uniform and simply waited right at the hall beside his brother's room. Soon afterward, the door opened and revealed a refreshed Issei who still wore a tired expression.
"I see you had a wonderful dream, huh?" Natsu said, raising one brow.
"Don't remind me. I enjoyed every moment of it."
"Come on, mom is waiting downstairs. We should head to school soon."
"Right."
And with that, the two brothers settled downstairs and sat unto their respective seats with their father seating right between them with a newspaper covering his face and their mother preparing their breakfast right in front of them before they started eating. All four of them enjoyed their breakfast as the two smiled alongside their parents in the table.
A few minutes have passed and the two were about to make their way towards the Academy when a voice called Natsu back. He looked back as he saw her approaching them with something in hand.
"Natsu. You forgot this." His eyes soon widen in realization as he saw a white scaly scarf on her hands in which he held unto it as soon as he received it
"I already finished fixing it. But be sure to be more careful next time, alright? It's your precious scarf so be more responsible."
"I will. Thanks, mom." Earning a smile from her, the two simply began their journey towards Kuoh without any delay.
Both of them walked beside each other with the pinkette having to wrap his scarf around his neck in joy as he was finally able to wear it. It was also the only thing that he had relating to his past and he had always worn it almost on any occasion. It always brought a sense of warmth and security to him every time he wore it.
Just like with that red dragon from his dreams.
(Kuoh Academy)
It was like any other day at school as Natsu lazily sat in his seat while staring ominously at the blackboard where the teacher was writing and explaining their lessons. It only took a few minutes until he can't finally stand the sight and decided to sleep off the entire subject. He thought he could do better than yesterday but it seemed like it just became harder for him to focus.
'Forgive me, Issei. I can't.'
He wanted to apologize after all those warnings he received from him. He can always try again on the next subject.
An hour has passed and he finally woke up once again before looking at the time and realized that it was already lunch break. Relief washed over him as he happily stood up from his seat and decided to go to the cafeteria to eat there. But just as he was about to get out, Issei, Matsuda, and Motohama eventually returned to the classroom with bruises on their faces, probably from the beating after their risky peeking at the girl's changing room.
"Welcome back. How's the peeking?" He asked the three.
"It was the best." Matsuda and Motohama made their thumbs-up towards him and not before long their heads were smacked together as Issei glowered angrily towards them.
"These bastards left me alone! Now I'm the one they're blaming for peeking inside." He sneered.
"Well, sacrifices had to be made, Issei. For the sake of oppai." Motohama reasoned.
"I've never heard any of that!" As the three went on with their bickerings, Natsu could only sigh in exasperation. He didn't know if he should pity Issei or not.
"Sometimes, I wonder if they're really your friends, Issei." He uttered doubtfully.
"Well, at least I get to see something beautiful right after that," Issei said as he changed the topic.
"Ah, you mean Rias Gremory. The one we saw in the old building. Too bad we get to see only a glimpse of her back then. It's a shame really." Matsuda spoke.
"Rias Gremory?" Natsu's brow quirked in curiosity.
"Don't tell me you forgot about her yesterday? You know, the one with the red hair." Motohama reminded.
Tha-Thump*
While talking with the three, a searing pain suddenly assaulted his head without warning, causing him to lose his hold on the wall for a moment, only to be saved when Issei managed to catch him in time from fully landing face-first from the ground.
"Argh!"
"O-Oi... You alright, Natsu?" Issei asked in worry.
"Man, you're not into it today, aren't you? What's wrong?" Motohama soon followed.
Natsu tried to focus on his surroundings at the moment but the prevalent pain was preventing him from making even the slightest amount of movement as if he was about to pass out any moment soon.
"H-Hey! Are you sure you're okay?!" He heard his brother's voice increasingly getting more worried as he slung his arm over to his shoulder to support him.
It took about a few seconds before the pain slowly subsided, for now, earning him the ability to walk again.
"T-That was quite a scare. What happened, Natsu?" Issei asked, his attention now focused only on him as he tried helping him out.
"I-I'm fine. Just a small headache." Natsu tried to not make them worry for him. "I think I'm gonna get myself a rest at the clinic."
"Okay. I think it's a good idea. Don't overdo yourself, Natsu. You sure you don't need any help?" Issei asked.
"No, it's fine. I can do it myself." He said as he tried to walk normally as possible without staggering in order not to make them worry too much.
With his head filled with pain, he had no choice but to rest for the whole day. He made his way silently over the corridor, hoping that he wouldn't have bumped into someone to make his life more difficult. And as the world won't have it, he accidentally bumped into someone without looking, causing him to fall on his back.
Today is just not his day.
"N-Natsu-kun?" Two voices called him up as he saw two hands reaching out to him.
"Tomoe and Reya?" He said, recognizing both females as they smiled upon him uttering their names. The two helped him back on his feet as he took a few seconds to adjust his vision towards the two girls.
"Muoo. You really need to watch where you going, Natsu-kun." The twin-tailed girl pouted. Her cute voice in complete contrast to the intent she was trying to convey to the pinkette.
"Yeah, sorry about that, Tomoe."
"Are you alright? Do you need help or something? Are you ill or something?" The other girl in two short braids asked, noticing something off with him just by looking.
Natsu recollected himself for a moment as he looked towards the two girls in front of him. Tomoe Meguri and Reya Kusaka. They're both second-year students just like him in a different class section. They're among the other people who openly approached him without prejudice. Apparently, they were working for the Student Council and hadn't been able to contact him for quite some time. He didn't know how the student body worked but it sounded like it had a lot of stuff to do in which he couldn't be bothered with. After all, he wasn't a workaholic like these two. However, the two were on friendly terms with him even despite his poor reputation. He was glad that there were some people outside his class that would freely talk to him without associating him with the rumors.
Even still, it's quite a while since he had talked to them. However, he had other pressing matters to take care of right now.
"It's nothing. Just a small headache. I'm on my way to the clinic to take a look at it. Don't worry it's nothing to be worried about." He explained, not wanting them to worry as well.
"You want me to escort you? You look like you need some support." Tomoe offered but Natsu didn't want to bother them over his slight problem.
"N-No, it's fine. I can go there myself. You have classes, right? You don't want to be late." He insisted, forcing up a smile. He really didn't want to bother anyone today, especially to these two. He made their conversation as brief as possible in order not to waste any time. The pain was still mild but who knows when it would suddenly strike him again. He didn't want his parents calling up to him if he collapsed suddenly at school. "A-Anyways, thanks for worrying. I'll be fine. See ya!"
He left them almost immediately as he made his way further towards the clinical section.
"There he goes again." Tomoe frowned sadly.
"I wish he could stop by and talk to us, you know. I wonder what's wrong." Reya expressed the same sentiment, looking over to the direction where the pinkette had disappeared into.
...
Natsu arrived at the clinic as the bell rang for the next class. He had been permitted to rest for the whole day so he didn't need to worry about the next classes. He went straight into one of the empty beds to lay there to rest.
Man, first the dream, and then this one? His days just keep getting better and better.
He could really need some therapy right now. These past few days had been making his life miserable. He can't sleep soundly at night. He couldn't dream anything else besides that horrendous nightmare. And most of all, his head was making rounds of pain-train every now and then. He seemed fine when he was still back at the house so why did the headaches start acting up now. Something was definitely wrong with him.
However, just as he was about to close his eyes completely, a faint noise from the door was heard from his ears as he jolted awake and quickly turned his attention to the door.
'That's weird. There should be no one around at this time.' He thought.
The nurse maybe? He was told that she had to go somewhere and won't be back for a while.
He soon loosened his expression as he saw the person going inside. A girl seemed like a year higher than him since he never saw her once in his class. She was a tall and lean person with black hair tied into a ponytail with a ribbon on her back. From that description, his mind quickly recalled the scene where he encountered the same girl along with that other one with red hair. His eyes widened as soon as he finally remembered.
If Issei would be here, he would've drooled just by looking at the girl's voluptuous figure. And to be honest, he had to agree too.
Not that he had any ulterior thoughts. He just thought of that based on what he was seeing. I mean, that's how he had always been when sharing his thoughts on something. This woman was beautiful in his eyes. He almost understood why Issei and the two were so passionate about them. Almost.
"Ara, ara... Did I interrupt you or something?" She soon spoke which somehow snapped the pinkette out from his musings and turned his eyes towards her.
"U-Uh, no. Not at all. I'm just surprised to see someone here other than me." He replied, his eyes averting away as he felt a little uncomfortable by the girl's stare towards him for some reason.
"Is that so? Why are you here?"
"Headache. Had to take a rest for the whole day. The nurse permitted me to sleep. What about you?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, what are you here for? Headache too?"
The woman giggled at his assumption "Oh, nothing like that. I'm just here to get some supplies for my president. Though it seems like the nurse is out so I have to wait for her until then."
"President?"
"Rias Gremory. President of the Occult Research Club." Hearing the name, he could only widen his eyes for a bit.
"Rias Gremory, huh." He muttered in deep thought, failing to notice the girl moving closer to him next to his bed as she sat next to him.
"I'm afraid we haven't introduced ourselves by the way."
"O-Oh, Hyoudou Natsu. Class 2B."
"Akeno Himejima. A senior. That's a familiar name. Are you perhaps related to that boy named, Hyoudou Issei?" The girl named, Akeno asked.
"Yeah, he's my brother. Though I'm not related to him in blood or anything. I got the name since I was adopted to the family." It was then Akeno quirked her brows into attention as she felt intrigued by that fact.
"Hoh, so you are not related to Hyoudou Issei?"
"Well, yeah." He said which only made Akeno ponder for a moment while he waited for her to register the information. This was actually the first time he had talked to someone about his history with his family.
"I see." She paused. "Then do you know anything before that? Like your past?" She then asked another question.
"Hmm... I don't know really. Mom said I suffered some memory loss and can't remember anything. Well, except for my name of course. I know my name before I was adopted. Kinda weird if you ask me." He briefly explained, nodding to himself as he answered her question.
"Is that so?" She pondered once more, looking back at her own direction. "Interesting."
"Did you say something?"
"Nothing of the sort. Well that aside, is your head fine now? It must be a painful one for you to get sent here just for that."
"Tell me about it. I was just fine this morning and then all of a sudden, I felt like I was about to pass out." He expressed his distaste of the situation which then made Akeno giggle then again. "Are you making fun of me now?"
"Not at all. It's just that your way of talking is, well, new. Most people tend to deal with their own problems alone without sharing it with others. I mean, you can't be bothered to let anyone join in since they might feel worried, right?"
"I guess?" Natsu hung his words in question, thinking about what she said for a moment.
It was just like that time with Issei and the two girls earlier. He didn't want to bother someone else since it might end up them being worried more than usual if it was serious.
Now that he thought about it, he rarely did let anyone else help whenever he was in trouble. He always tackled his problems alone and hid the pain bared along with it to not make others see them. It was just his way of showing that there's nothing to be concerned about even at his own expense. He just hated seeing others worried. It just doesn't sit right for him. After all, he was happier seeing them smile rather than looking very concerned all the time.
"I see. I guess I'm just that kind of person." He muttered in realization. A sad smile was plastered on his face as he said that.
"There. See? Though it's just my opinion, I believe that having someone to be worried about them is also a good thing. Some things can't be solved alone, you know." Akeno continued.
"What?"
"Don't you feel bad if you keep them at a distance despite they're the ones wanting to help you? It's not really bad for someone to be worried about the ones they care for. Having them around to help you will make things a little better, don't you think?" She reasoned, much to his silence. "I mean, that's what friends are for, right?"
"Friends, huh." He muttered.
Looking back on it, he never really gave too much thought about the feelings of others around him. Even with Issei and then with Tomoe and Reya for that matter. He always thought that it was natural for them to be worried since he was feeling hurt at that time. He didn't see through much of their intention when he was in that state. That's why he declined their offer and reassured them even though it was poor. Which all the while made them even more worried than before.
Maybe if he accepted them, things might've been different. He might've seen an entirely new side of their feelings if that was the case.
"I see. Maybe you're right." He faintly smiled as he gave enough thought about her advice for him. "Thanks for that."
"You're welcome." She smiled back. Natsu felt the warmth from her and lightly blushed as a result, causing him to look away from her for a moment to hide his flushed look.
Tha-Thump*
Another wave of pain suddenly caught up in his head, causing him yet again to groan loudly at the sudden attack.
"A-Are you alright?"
"M-My head. It's making me hurt!" He grunted, trying to ease it with both his hands but to no avail. He felt his body momentarily losing control but he had a proper measure to not let himself faint on the spot. Plus, there's Akeno to help him as she grabbed him on his shoulders to not let him fall out of the bed in the process.
It's official. This had got to be one of the worst days of his life. Period.
"It looks like a serious issue alright." He heard Akeno speak out as he tried to regain his composure in the process.
"Ugh, I could really use some meds, right now." He muttered. When is the nurse gonna come back? She's really taking her sweet time.
As he grumbled in his thoughts, he then felt a pull from Akeno, inching him closer to her, and slowly placed his head down to her lap. A wordless gasp donned into his face before regaining back his usual expression as he tried to speak.
"Umm, what are you doing?"
"Making you rest on my lap."
Yes, he can see that. What he wanted to ask is why is she doing it? Though something tells him that he's not gonna get a straight answer from this lady if he tried to push the question further. Instead, he decided to change his line of questioning.
"You know I could just rest on my bed."
"Yes, that is true." She hummed as she answered. "But I think doing this might help the reduce the pain easier."
"How can you be sure about that?"
"Hmm, let's see..." She cutely pondered in thought. "Well, you can just take my word for it."
She smiled, much to his dismay. This girl had a playful side around her. She might be more than what the rumors told about her now that he was slowly discerning what kind of person she was. But then again, he didn't seem to shy away from their conversation once. He felt no hostility from her though there was still that air of mystery around her just like Rias Gremory. He felt like he could trust this person despite his uneasiness to do so.
He sighed deeply. A sign of his resignation to his current state since he was running out of energy. He can't really get out of his position at the moment.
"Whatever you say, Akeno-senpai."
The girl could only chuckle at his response. "Okay. Then let me indulge this moment of taking care of you."
The two silently rested on each other's company as Akeno gently caressed his hair to give a bit of a soothing feeling for the pinkette. Natsu could feel the warmth of her hand rubbing across his head, like an elder sister looking after her younger brother. It was such a strange thought. He never had an elder sister type of person in his life since he was used to being with Issei all the time as brothers. Although, he could not find who's the older brother of the two of them. There was never some sort of a hierarchy between them so they're usually stuck as equals or twins for that matter.
This kind of feeling was new to him. Not that he hated it. It was kinda welcoming, actually.
Still, the method worked somehow. His headache was slowly easing away once again as time passed.
It was only after a few minutes when he decided to break the peaceful moment between them.
"Come to think of it, don't you have somewhere to be, Akeno-senpai?" He said, recalling that she came here for something as well.
"That's right. Though it looks like it will take a while. The nurse seems like she won't be coming back any time soon."
Oh, yeah. That nurse IS really taking her sweet time alright.
"I see. Then what about your class?"
"I don't see the need to come back now at this time. I might as well skip the whole thing. There is first time in everything." She winked at him.
"Is that so? Well, I guess we're stuck in here in the meantime."
"Are you glad?" She asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're here with one of the great ladies in the school beside you. You practically have me all by yourself, you know. And no one else. You even got me taking care of you by using my lap as a pillow." She reasoned. A smile was plastered on her lips as she said that.
"Isn't that your idea? Plus, I'm in a bit of a pinch here so I can't help it. You can't exactly leave me lying on the floor. Heck, you're the one who started the whole thing." He answered.
"Ufufu. That's not what I'm talking about, Natsu-kun." She giggled at him once again.
"What do you mean?" He asked innocently, unsure what she's implying about.
"But then again, I guess I kinda like that side of yours." She muttered silently to which he failed to hear in time.
"I'm sorry what?"
"Nothing." She hummed in thought.
"You're weird."
"Says the man who had been misunderstood by many because of the rumors flying around. You don't seem to care about them. You didn't even try to clear them up and just let them as it is which only then served as a much bigger problem for you right now." She quipped.
"Oh gee, I am deeply hurt by those words, Akeno-senpai. Oh no, I must be hurt by now." He replied back in a slightly sarcastic tone, only then he realized something and decided to speak again. "Wait, have you been watching me?"
"It's not that hard to see from a bystander. Someone with a sharp mind can see through the situation just by looking at the clues." She said smartly.
"Is that so? Looks like you know a lot of people in general. Honestly, I'm kinda creeped out by it." He spoke which only resulted in her pouting at him at his words.
"How rude. Is it not okay for seniors to remember all the names of our kouhais?"
"N-No. Not really. But you never knew me earlier."
"Well, I do now." She proceeded with a cute smile which caused the pinkette to slightly blush as he glanced away from her gaze.
The two stayed there in silence as Natsu continued to rest beside her without much of a word after their conversation. He could hear her humming silently as if to help him cope with his recovery. There's never had been an attack on his head ever since he rested on her lap. He could feel his body slowly calmed down as the day went by. Eventually, the nurse finally came back, prompting the end of their interaction as Akeno helped him rest on the bed and stood up to fetch whatever she wanted from the nurse. She looked back at him one more time with a smile on her lips as she spoke.
"Well, I guess I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Natsu-kun." She said.
"Yeah. Thanks for the lap. It somehow worked. I owe you one." He replied back with a grin of his own.
"There's no need for that. Just having our talk was enough."
"Really? You sure don't want anything?"
"Hmmm. Well, in that case..." She paused in her sentence as she slowly leaned down just right across his face and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, causing the pinkette to widen his eyes in surprise. "How about this? It's my first kiss."
"A-A-Ah, e-eh... w-what?" He stuttered as a shade of red formed on his cheeks as he looked at the black-haired girl who simply returned to her straight posture and turned towards the door, casting one last glance at him with a gorgeous smile.
"Let's meet again some time, Natsu-kun." And with that, she disappeared from sight, leaving the shocked pinkette behind.
Meanwhile, Natsu was in a short daze, feeling like he had just witnessed something unexpected at school. Did she just kiss him?
"Wha―What just happened?!" He finally burst out in complete shock as soon as his head completely registered what happened and flustered as a result.
He didn't know how but he just got kissed in the first meeting. How is that even possible? I mean, it's not common for two persons of the opposite sex to suddenly kiss each other's cheek just at the first meeting. Maybe it was a new form of greeting? It might be a normal custom from where she came from. Yeah, that's right. There's no other way other than that! Of course, he wasn't so sure of that assumption as he recalled that this was her first kiss.
He rested his head back on the bed and stared at the ceiling in deep thought.
What was that about though?
Maybe she was just grateful since she was able to talk to a fellow student from a different year level. He didn't strike her as some kind of a loner though. With that kind of personality, she could've easily made friends from her class. Coupled with her reputation as one of the sought out people admired by the majority of the school, he found it hard to believe that she would run out of people to talk to around school. It's just happened that they were both in the same place in need of something that made this interaction possible.
Well, at least the pain is gone now. For some reason, he didn't feel anything wrong inside his head anymore. Maybe her method worked after all. He may never know.
With nothing else to think of, the pinkette simply resumed his rest, hoping to hide the still present embarrassment on his face.
...
Dusk came and the students had started to return to homes with the sun going down from the horizon. Natsu and Issei began their trip back to their home with the former still baffled about what happened at the clinic earlier. He could not find any reasons for her actions at that time. It was on his mind ever since he got back from the clinic and needless to say, it earned another detention in the later class for spacing out during one of the teacher's lectures.
His thoughts were only cut short when he heard his brother's voice.
"Something wrong, Natsu? You've been spacing out for quite some time now." Issei asked.
"It's nothing. I just got a lot of things to think about."
"It's quite unusual for you to be like that, you know. I thought you hated studying and thinking stuff."
"Shut up." He sneered.
While conversing, they soon made a momentary stop near a bridge just at the side of the road. They leaned over to the edge while gazing down to the road below them, watching as cars went as the sun basked the world in its twilight phase. It was then, he heard a long and deep sigh from the brunet as he looked at him in confusion.
"What's with the sigh?"
"Ah, I just got the feeling that I'm never gonna get a girlfriend at this rate. Even though we transferred to a recently reformed all-girls school, I thought my life would get more interesting. I mean, most of the girls at school hate me, you know." He reasoned.
"You just realize that now?" He looked at him incredulously.
Issei drew another heavy sigh. "I mean, going with Matsuda and Motohama is fine and all but it's just that I've been doing nothing but that as of late. I haven't done anything worthwhile until now."
"Where did this come from?"
It's quite rare to see him talk something serious for once.
"I really need to step it up a bit. I mean, I don't plan to stay like this until I graduate. I have to try something that would make a girl attracted to me." He said so with his hand clenched. A serious look was present on his face as Natsu stared at him in wonder.
So it looks like he is finally taking the right step towards a decent human being. It took him a while but he was glad that he's finally changing his ways bit by bit. He could care less about it though.
"That said, you're gonna be helping me, Natsu."
"Why me? I don't know jack shit about getting girlfriends."
"Well, I think it would fair if you have a girlfriend of your own too. I'd feel bad if you were left out." He sagely nodded to himself.
"Since when did I join you in your conquest for finding a girlfriend?" Natsu deadpanned.
"Come on, we're all the same, right? We're out-straight boring and lame. Let's help each other."
"Well, your perverted side is quite a turn-off so it's expected." He quipped. "And no, I don't think that plan will work."
"Shut it! I don't see you doing any better than me." Issei protested.
"I don't even need that kind of thing in my life until now." His reply came as a halfhearted answer as his mind reverted back to a certain black-haired beauty he met in the clinic. Not to mention the kiss he just got from her as well. Unfortunately, Issei was able to notice behind that expression as he looked at him with slight irritation, fearing his assumption might be true after all. And that something happened to him today.
"You bastard! You're lying, aren't you?!"
"W-What are you talking about?"
"You met a girl, don't you? I can tell from your expression! Who is it?!"
"Shut up. Even if I do have one, why would I want to tell you?" Natsu retorted and it was not long before he had butted heads with his brother, bickering as they both tried to reach each other's necks to strangle each other.
"You bastard! You went and got yourself a girl without telling me! I'm so jealou―I can't believe it!"
"I heard that! Why are you angry anyway?! It's not your business if I talked to a girl or not!"
"That doesn't excuse you at all!"
"I don't even need it!" He broke off their tussle as they looked at each other with irritated looks. "You wanna go?!"
"Hell yeah! It's been a long time since we last fought! I can't wait to punch that stupid face of yours!"
"Now that you're talking! I hope you didn't ditch your exercise, Issei! I'm not holding back!"
"Come get it, you and your stupid pink hair!"
"It's not stupid, you pervert! Now you're gonna get it!"
However, their impending fight suddenly came into an abrupt end as a rather shy female voice resounded from their ears, stopping them from connecting their fists right unto their faces before slowly glancing over to the source of the voice. It was a girl, seemingly of the same age as them though her school uniform seemed to be different from them which immediately made them assume that she was not from Kuoh Academy.
She had long silky black hair that reached down to her back which was similar to Akeno in the pinkette's eyes but a little shorter and was not tied into a ponytail, seeing it cascading down to her shoulders and her back as well.
"U-Um... Are you Hyoudou Issei from Kuoh Academy by any chance?" She began to speak. Both of them reeled back their stretched arms as they quickly recollected themselves, especially Issei who stood up into attention and pointed a finger to himself to make himself known to the girl.
"Are you referring to me?" He spoke politely though he couldn't help the fact that he was beginning to think something perverted towards the girl after seeing its beautiful face and figure.
"A-Are you going out with someone?" It was then she changed the topic. Both the boys looked upon her with widened eyes as soon as they heard the question.
"W-Well, I'm not ina relationship yet though. Why do you ask?"
"I'm glad to hear that!" A small moment of joy went across her face before quickly recomposing herself with a light cough and stared at them with a soft expression.
"I-I'm Amano Yuuma. U-Umm... W-Would you go out with me?!" Another wave of surprises went across the duo.
"Eh? Y-You mean like a date?!" Of course, the girl showed signs of embarrassment as her face went blushing mad after hearing his response. She was somehow able to nod towards him despite how the topic was such an embarrassing thing to bring up between them. Heck, Natsu was just as shocked as he observed the scene before him.
Was he dreaming? Did he just witness Issei of all people getting asked out by a girl? What kind of madness is this? This whole day just got a whole lot interesting for him. Still, he kept silent on his end and watched from the sidelines.
"B-But why me? I mean, I haven't seen you around here before..." Issei asked curiously, a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was asked out by someone who he didn't even know in the first place. The girl just showed up out of nowhere and made a confession.
"W-Well, I-I've been watching come past here for quite some time so... umm... W-Would you go out with me?" She flustered right off the bat.
Natsu inwardly drawled out his exasperation of the situation in the form of a groan. How long would this girl keep flustering every minute? It is as if she was just faking the whole thing if it was true. But from his eyes, it looked like she was probably observing him from a distance and admired him ever since.
Wait, isn't that just stalking?
Issei being shocked aside, he can't help but suspect something wrong from the girl herself. They never even met this girl so why would someone like her ask Issei out in the blue―to a person she ever barely knew until recently. If this was the norm for forming intimate relationships of the opposite sex, the world would've been devoid of singles by now.
He tried to observe the girl intently to, sure enough, he suddenly felt uneasy from her. For some reason, he could feel something strong and ominous behind that innocent smile of hers. It was just like that with Akeno but much sinister and uneasiness. However, he stayed quiet and continued to watch them and see what would happen.
"I-I guess, I don't mind though. Very well, I accept!" Issei agreed which only delighted the girl in response.
"I'm glad! Then what time tomorrow?"
"E-Eh? That fast? You're okay for tomorrow? We still have school, you know?"
"Then how about after school? Are you free at that time?!" She asked.
"Well, I have nothing to do, I suppose. It's set then." Issei sheepishly replied.
"Then tomorrow is okay. I'll be meeting you at your school if that's alright. And... is it alright for me to know your number?" She shyly replied with her phone in hand.
"N-No. It's okay. I don't mind."
The two exchanged numbers for a moment and it didn't take long as they finally finished their contacts with each other.
"Then it's settled. I'll see you tomorrow, Issei-kun!" And with that, she ran off into the distance, leaving a lovestruck brown-haired boy who could only wave towards the fleeting figure and then turned towards the pinkette with a happy expression.
"IT'S A DATE! IT'S A DATE! DATE! DATE! DATE! Natsu, tell me this isn't happening!"
"It isn't." He replied flatly though he didn't expect a sharp smack to the head as Issei glared at him in irritation. "What was that for?!"
"I never wanted you to answer it literally!"
"Then what do you want me to say?! Anyway, it's already getting dark. We should go home too or mom will have our necks." Although he tried reminding him, he was already preoccupied with the whole date thing as he simply ran ahead before him in which he simply followed as they disappeared from the corner, however, as they were gone, a female student wearing the Kuoh Academy school uniform appeared from the bridge with an ice stick on her hand as she silently watched at the empty area in deep thought before instantly disappearing once again into the air without explanation and with no one noticing.
Inside the old building (Near the school campus)
"So you were right the whole time, Buchou." Akeno spoke from her seat, staring at the red-haired girl in expectation. She and the other woman sat in the same dark-lit room with the latter sitting at the center of the desk, her arms folded as she pondered at the current situation. It was not long before three new figures arrived at the door.
The two consisted of a male and two females. The male had an average height apart from the two women. He had blonde hair along with a rather handsome face and also wore a Kuoh Academy attire. The female, on the other hand, was a tad bit shorter from the rest. She had white hair with two long bangs on each side going past her shoulders. She also wore a black cat-shaped clip on the side of her hair as some sort of accessory. She was holding an ice stick on her hand, licking it.
The last one though was a rather tall and lean woman. Almost in the same height as both Akeno and the crimson-haired woman, she carried the same air of beauty in her that was not inferior to the two in any way. She had black hair styled in a short bob cut and wore the same uniform as everyone else inside the room.
They made their way towards the living room with the red-haired woman sitting on the desk accompanied by Akeno who stood from her seat and went beside her like a loyal subject.
"Excuse us. Sona-kaichou came by to talk about the situation as you requested." The blonde male bowed as he informed the two.
"Ah, thank you, Kiba-kun. You may sit with Koneko while we're at it." The red-haired woman answered, taking a sip of tea presented by Akeno. The two nodded and went to take their respective seats while Sona took a seat across them near the two women.
"So? What's the situation? It must be a serious one for you to call me out on a meeting." Sona started, accepting the tea given by Akeno as well.
"While I'm inclined to hold our agreement in avoiding too much contact, I think it's important to inform each other since this town's jurisdiction is shared by our families." The red-haired girl answered.
"Is this something related to the number of intruders in our town as of late?" She asked.
"That too is why I called you but there's also something else. Something that involves in our recruitment for potential candidates to our peerage, Sona."
"Hoh?" The short-haired girl lightly raised her voice in amusement. "I was about to tell you of my latest recruit some time but it seemed like he was still learning the ropes. I would have him introduced to you soon."
"You work fast." She praised.
"Well, leaving that aside, what did you want to talk about recruitment, Rias?"
Rias simply reached out from a drawer beside her and took out two photos and passed it to Akeno, who in turn, gave it to Sona. The short-haired girl took a few seconds to recognize the two people in the photos before looking back at Rias with a questioning look.
"So what do the two troublesome brothers have to do with our talk?"
"Ara, is that how you see them, Sona?" Rias chuckled at her indifferent tone.
"Well, one is a pervert who had been causing a lot of problems with the female students in general while the other was a student who neglected most of his studies and would need some extra lessons if he was going to make it to the next level. Both were a pain to deal with and I don't see them being brought out in this topic unless I assume that you found something innate in them." She deduced.
"As expected of my childhood friend. Your sharp skills are top-notch as usual. I can't honestly compete in that kind of environment."
"Well, if that's the case, what is the problem with these two."
There was a short pause before Rias turned towards Koneko and started speaking. "I just received word from Koneko-chan here just now that the two brothers were starting to get involved in our affairs. Several fallen angels were sighted intruding our borders. One of them seemed to have made contact with them though it was not for recruitment purposes."
"Is that so? I did get some reports from my peerage of the same thing. The number of stray devils had also increased as well." She pondered for a moment before looking back Rias. "So what's their intention? This is still devil territory. Them being here meant that they're violating the non-aggression truce made with the other factions."
"That may be the case but there's also the possibility of them going rogue from their own faction though I don't see the need to dispose of them right now. I think both of us know that this kind of act would be bad on both sides either way. The best course of action we should take right now is to wait while also making some precautions along the way." Rias proposed.
"Are you talking about the two? If I recall from our last meeting, you said that Hyoudou Issei was the only one with a potential Sacred Gear in him." Sona questioned.
"Of course. However, I'm still holding on the hope that the other boy would possess something similar. After all, I had been observing him all the while and he does sense something odd from us."
"What do you mean by that, Rias?"
The red-haired woman eyed at Akeno, signaling the girl as she took the center to explain what she was talking about.
"He seemed cautious around us despite not knowing about our affairs. He was unexpectedly sharp in discerning people even if he wasn't aware of whether it was true or not." She explained.
"Is that so?"
"He could make a perfect combination to your peerage, Sona. If you have any spare pieces to accommodate him that is." Rias said.
"If he does possess something worthwhile. However, let's not get ahead ourselves yet, Rias. You were always brash in situations like these."
"That's mean." She pouted in response.
"In all honesty, it would be great that he wasn't involved in any of this. What if he didn't have anything that you said and was subsequently involved? You know what happens to those who are pulled into our world, right?" Sona warned.
"And that is why I'm simply observing them in the meantime. Until I can see the whole picture, I will not take action. Yet. And here's the reason why I asked you in this meeting, Sona." Rias went serious, causing her to look back at her in anticipation.
"What is it?"
Rias then pulled the folder she kept the other day and returned it to her.
Sona looked at the folder, containing the information of the pinkette. If she could recall, Rias did request the boy's background profile from the school and city records. She never really took any careful inspection of the file but it seemed like the red-haired girl did it for her.
"I've looked over the files of Hyoudou Natsu. Along with the information that Akeno got from him recently, I think it's worth a look to pay attention to him."
Sona opened the file and skimmed through the pages as Rias explained. "The reports did indicate that Hyoudou Natsu did indeed became a citizen seven years ago after being abandoned. There were no traces of information that could link to his past and the boy suffered some sort of memory loss before his adoption to the family. Whether it was permanent or not, the boy had no recollection of his early childhood except for his name. There were also some medical reports in there to help him but to no avail. So in other words..."
"His history is quite complicated," Sona muttered as if to finish her sentence. "I don't see this as a cause for concern. The profile stated clearly as it intended. Hyoudou Natsu did suffer an unforeseen incident in the past that resulted in a long term memory loss."
She then looked back at the paper before her. She was not aware of the accident that befell on the boy in the past. Maybe that would explain the reason why he was so alienated from the rest of the others at school. She had also been making observations of the man as of late due to him being acquainted with two of her peerages, Tomoe and Reya. According to them, he was quite a reliable person and would sometimes help around whenever he passed by. He was good-natured which set him apart from the rumors that described him as some sort of a delinquent and a bad-influence.
And because of that, he had a hard time making new friends and was always stuck with his brother and his other two cohorts.
"It seems like he's just an adopted child from the family and they gave him the liberty of keeping his last name but that's something that needed some confirmation."
"So you send your queen to get the information from the boy himself. I'm guessing there isn't anything that can tell you much." She presumed, judging from the frowned looks of both Akeno and Rias.
"That's right."
"Then that should end the discussion then. What's the problem with this?"
"That's the thing. I'm not convinced about it at all." She said as she rested her back from her seat.
"About what?"
"Hyoudou Natsu. He is an enigma. And I want to know him."
"You have plenty of time to get to know him around the school. You just have to talk first."
"Not that, Sona. I want to know more about him. There's just something about him that wants me to uncover everything about him. And it makes me more interested in him." She trailed off in thought. A faint blush was forming on her cheeks as she stared into open space.
Sona merely placed her hands on her temples. "Are you sure about that? Or is it just your habits acting up? Maybe you should find a partner already and see if he can handle your nude tendencies." She adjusted her glasses, earning both her and Akeno a chuckle in response.
"You're no fun, Sona. However, I'm serious about my statement earlier. After what Akeno had told me about him, I believe that he would bring something much greater. Perhaps not just me but also to you, Sona."
"I don't know about that intuition of yours, Rias. One of these days, it's not always going to be what you imagine it. I hope you better prepare yourself when that time comes." She warned.
"Of course. I know what I'm doing. Sometimes, there are risks involved. However, I'm willing to take on those risks."
"Is this something to do about your marriage engagement?" Sona inquired though it immediately earned her a frown from the red-haired woman after hearing that topic.
"I was hoping that you wouldn't have to bring that up." She muttered.
"Apologies. Perhaps I may have said too much." Sona lightly bowed her head in apology.
There was a short awkward pause between them until Sona stood straight up. "I guess that's enough for today. We can continue this some other time. I'll be sure to take into account about Hyoudou Natsu."
She slowly made her way to the door. She opened it and was about to exit until she halted in her steps and lightly glanced at Rias with one last word of their conversation.
"However Rias, you can't keep running away from this for too long. You know that." And with that, she was out of sight as the door closed behind her, leaving her and the other three inside the dark-lit room.
A minute of silence assailed in the atmosphere until Rias blew a long and heavy sigh as she slung back to her chair and rested. Her body loosened after a long conversation with her childhood friend. She then looked at her side as Akeno offered her another set of tea and placed it beside her desk.
"Care for another sip, Buchou?"
"Ah, thank you, Akeno." She gratefully accepted the offer and drank herself in peace before going back to the topic. "Well, now that's done. We should also make our move soon."
"Of course, Buchou."
"I'll have to set my familiar to deliver the magic circle to Hyoudou Issei should anything happen to him," Rias suggested which only got them to nod in response.
"And what of his brother?" Kiba asked.
"For now, we'll have to keep a low profile on him. I bet Sona will make his move on him at this very moment since I intended to have her and her peerage to deal with him while we deal with Hyoudou Issei." She reasoned.
"Yes, Buchou." The blonde young man answered firmly.
"Well, if there's nothing else, you're all dismissed."
Kiba and Koneko lightly bowed towards the two as they made their way outside of the old building. The day was already turning in for the night.
Meanwhile, she and Akeno stayed behind as the room became ever more silent than before.
"You should also rest for the night, Akeno." Rias stood up from her seat and began undressing, leaving only to her bra and panties before gesturing her hand into open space and summon her familiar who simply flew out in the window before going to the bathroom.
"Actually, I have a question regarding our topic with Sona-kaichou earlier. Would you mind?" Akeno requested.
"What is it, Akeno?"
"About that thing with Hyoudou Natsu not having any value if the off chance that he didn't possess any Sacred Gear. Are you going to dispose of him if he doesn't have anything? Are you going to cast him off as a stray devil?"
"I never said anything about disposing of someone. I wish we wouldn't have to do that way which is why I'm keeping my pieces in check so that there would no need for any unnecessary killing. I don't want to disrupt his way of life just because of us." She said with finality which only caused the black-haired lady to nod her head in response.
"Then, promise me, Buchou. If it came to the point of him joining your peerage, promise me that you would not throw him away, regardless of him possessing a Sacred Gear or not." She said with a serious expression.
"By the honor of the Gremory House, I promise you that I will never cast him out. Plus, I could never throw someone away that caught your attention, Akeno. To be honest, I was a bit surprised when you said that. This is the first time I see you being fond over at someone." She teased.
"Ara, ara. The same could be said about you, Rias." Akeno chuckled as she replied.
"I wonder about that." She mused.
Hyoudou Residence
Natsu and Issei were lazing around the latter's room since the former wanted to have a copy of his assignments for tomorrow, much to the former's exasperation. He had been tolerating his brother about his actions and could only wonder how he managed to pass middle school. He was constantly coming over to his room just to copy his work without any shed of shame from his actions.
That aside, he was still thinking about what happened earlier. He was getting nervous about the date for tomorrow. He just can't calm down as he kept rolling from his bed like a kid. After all, this was the first time he was asked out by a girl and to top it off, have a date the next day with her. I mean, what are the odds? Getting confessed on the first day of their meeting and having a date on the second day was something that came out from a manga that he read all the time.
How could he not be nervous?
"Will you stop that already? I can't concentrate when you make that stupid face in front of me." Natsu commented on his behavior. He shot him a glare to show his dissatisfaction.
'How the hell can you have any concentration if you were just copying my homework?' He thought.
Nevertheless, his happiness could not hold him down as he hopped around the room in joy.
"I just can't help it! I'm having a date! A DATE! I tell you!"
"Yeah, yeah. You said it a couple of times." Natsu brushed his comments nonchalantly and continued on his homework.
"I EVEN GOT HER NUMBER!"
"Yeah. congratulations."
"You sound unhappy. What's wrong? Are you frustrated that I'm having a girlfriend while you don't?" He teased.
"Who said I'm frustrated? Anyway, I should advise you to be careful around that girl, Issei." Natsu refuted with a serious tone that simply shot down his joyful behavior before looking at him with worry. The grim look on his face was suggesting that he should at least listen to what he has to say.
"W-What are you talking about?"
"Look, I'll just make this simple. Just be careful when you're around her. We never even knew the girl and out in the blue, she asked you out? Don't you think that's kinda strange?"
"Yeah but still, it's a date! You don't get to see a girl asking a guy out on a date, you know. I mean, it's always the opposite."
"I know. That's why you watch yourself around her. I don't know how to explain it but something just feels off about this between the two of you. I'm saying this because I'm worried, got that?" He was taken aback by the seriousness of his tone. He never saw him being this so grim. He wondered if there's something wrong about in all this.
Issei was left wordless and simply scratched his head.
"If it makes you better, why don't you tag along with the date?" He said.
"What?"
"Just not too near to us, you hear me? I don't want our date to be interrupted." He looked at him for an answer as the pinkette gave a thought about it and then finally stared right back at him in agreement.
"Fine. I just don't like the situation. For all we know, you might get blackmailed or something in the process. And I can't let it slide." He said so with care much to his surprise.
"I know. Thanks for looking out for me, Natsu." He lightly smiled at him.
"I-It's just a possibility. Seriously, I can't just leave you alone with that head of yours thinking about tits all the time."
Issei chuckled at the thought. It's always been this way between them. The pinkette was just worried about him just as he worried about him all the time. The two of them had been close buddies since they were little and were practically partners. There's just a special bond between them that goes beyond just being brothers by name. He was really glad to have Natsu as his brother. He wouldn't have it any other way. Regardless of blood or not, he already considered him a real sibling that he could place his trust completely.
Ah, if only a girl could say that last line of his.
Seriously, that line has levels of tsundere in it that he might blush if Natsu was a girl.
Oto, let's not go there even further.
He shook his head completely to avoid that line of thinking from going any further than it is. Otherwise, he could be in the process of unlocking an entirely new world of preference and would not look the same way towards him if that happened. Perhaps a few scriptures of Buddha's teachings might clear him of his impure thoughts.
"I can't wait to see Matsuda and Motohama's expressions tomorrow." He said so in anticipation as the night went on.
The next day
Natsu and Issei felt the need to slap their faces as they saw Yuuma standing right in front of their house early in the morning. Both jaws dropped to the ground as they tried to regain their composure in front of her.
"Good morning, you two. Quite a lovely day we're having." She smiled warmly towards them which caused Issei to stutter and blush.
"Y-Yea It is. How are you feeling, Yuuma-chan?" The brown-haired boy spoke sheepishly.
"I'm fine. Now then, shall we go together?" She giggled.
"E-Eh? You mean, walk together to school?" Issei asked.
"Aren't you from a different school? Why would you care to tag along with us?" Natsu demanded with a suspicious look.
"Is it not okay to accompany my boyfriend to school?" She asked innocently which only made Issei's face to rise up in embarrassment as she clung onto his arm with her breasts slightly touching it in which in Natsu's case is a horrendous sight to see together with the lewd smile his brother was giving.
"B-Boyfriend?" Issei asked.
"Are you not comfortable with it?" Yuuma turned to him with a rather cute expression.
"No! I'm fine with it! Let's go!" Issei suggested as the two took off before the pinkette who was still having his suspicions about the girl, especially to her clingy attitude towards Issei.
There's just something wrong about this.
With the two right in front of him, he simply watched them silently from behind and never left his gaze on the girl whom he still had his suspicions into. It didn't take long for them to eventually meet two of Issei's best friends who only watched him with horrified expressions after seeing him holding hands with a girl.
What a combination. If only he had a camera around him.
"Yo! Matsuda, Motohama. Let me introduce to you, Amano Yuuma-chan. My girlfriend." Issei spoke with a cool voice which only made the two devastated at his declaration. Their faces turned to despair and depression when the girl made no attempts to deny his claim.
For the first time, Natsu felt sorry for them. Reality is often cruel as one would say.
"G-G-Girlfriend?!"
"Yup! GI-RL-FRI-END."
"YOU BASTARD! THIS IS SOME KIND OF A CONSPIRACY!" While they tried denying it, Yuuma simply went in front of them before bowing in respect and greeted them.
"Good morning, Matsuda-kun, Motohama-kun. My name is Amano Yuuma. I hope we get along in the future. As you can see, I'm currently Issei-kun's girlfriend. Let's get along, okay?" That statement sealed the deal between them with the two having their souls barely out from their bodies as they couldn't take the revelation. It was not long as they turned their attention on the pinkette, hoping for the last resort of their denial of the reality in front of them.
"Natsu-kun! Tell me this isn't true!"
"Yeah! Issei was lying, right? There's no way, right?"
While he was having doubts about Yuuma, Natsu thought of an idea to further mess with them
"Nope. It's all true. Issei is going out with Yuuma. Deal with it." He adamantly spoke which finally gave them the final blow and fell to the ground, completely rattled to the core.
"Well then, we'll be off now." The three simply resumed their journey as Natsu remained silent during the whole trip, listening to their conversation from the back like a third-wheeler.
It didn't take long for them to finally reach the Academy as Yuuma parted from the two of them and went on the other direction. The two entered the campus and resumed their journey to their classroom. Issei's face never changed as the rest of the class went on with him keeping that stupid smile and drool towards the class. It was kinda sick actually, he's really at it with his date. Matsuda and Motomaha were no so lucky as their lifeless bodies stuck in their chairs, still unable to comprehend the fact about Issei's sudden relationship with a girl.
He made a sigh before gazing towards the window to think.
However, his eyes soon noticed just as he returned his sights back on the class, barely catching someone peering over to their class but it was quick to disappear on sight as the figure turned to the other direction away from the classroom. Although it was an instant, he managed to catch a glimpse of a black hair flowing from behind, seemingly tied in a pony-tail.
Only one person came into his mind after recognizing that hairstyle.
'Akeno-senpai? I wonder what she's here for?'
While his mind was curious about the girl just now, he remained concerned for Issei throughout the day. By the time the class ended, he could not help but feel uneasy as two waited in the school gates, waiting for Yuuma.
A few minutes later, she finally arrived who was still in her school uniform and Issei could only sport a happy smile upon seeing her.
"Sorry, I'm late." She said as she tried to collect her breath after tiring herself.
"Don't worry. it's a man's job to wait for their girl, right?" He replied with a sense of pride in him, much to the pinkette shock since this is the first time he'd seen him say things like that despite being perverted.
"Awww, you're so considerate, Issei-kun!" Yuuma blushed.
After giving each other a couple of sweet words in exchange, they started on their path towards the town. Natsu followed from a close distance behind them, much to Issei's irritation. Every moment of their conversations was caught within hearing distance by the pinkette. It was then Yuuma turned over to the pinkette.
"You're not following us by any chance, aren't you?" She asked curiously.
"And what if I did?" Natsu confronted but Issei answered for her.
"Don't worry, he just happened to be heading in our direction. He's buying some stuff for our parents. He'll be returning once he's done, right?" Issei said, eying at the pinkette but not before passing a glare towards him as he quickly grabbed the pinkette close to him and whispered something.
"What happened to our agreement last night?!"
"What? I didn't do anything wrong yet, am I?"
"Are you an idiot? I told you can spy on us at a far distance. How can I enjoy my date with you beside me all the time?!"
"Tch, fine."
Relenting to his request, he sighed in response. He walked past the two of them and made his way down the sidewalk, taking a short turn to the left until he was no longer out of sight from the two. However, he stopped and peered carefully back at the two and observed them in the meantime. As he thought, he really can't stay put without keeping his eye out for Issei. He watched them resume their date as they make their way towards the game center.
'So they went in there, huh?' Not bad Issei.
He was a sucker for games. He probably played with more hours playing than studying and the place was his usual spot to have some fun after school. Still, he can't just get in since he might get spotted again and would ruin their date. Honestly, he didn't care about the date and just wanted to keep an eye on Issei. After that horrible dream the other day, he didn't feel like leaving him alone. Even if it was still a dream, he couldn't take his chances. He just watched this movie about two children who would make bedtime stories and then the next day, those stories came true for the guy who took care of them. It was something similar to that. Yeah, something like that.
He waited for a while as he stood idly at a bench far away from the entrance of the game shop where the two had supposedly entered. It's been two hours already. They should've exited by now or does Issei intend to spend the rest of his date in this place? Even by date standards, there should be at least two or three places for the couple when going on a date. At least, that's what he thought.
Minutes passed. Then another hour came by and the sun was close to setting yet there was no sign of the two, exiting from the entrance.
Okay, this is strange. Did he perhaps miss them by chance coming out from the door? He was sure he had his eyes on full observation at the entrance. The game center was about to close as well.
At that moment, he lost his patience and decided to follow them to the shop. He got up from his seat and walked closer to it before a voice interrupted him from behind.
"What are you doing out here, Hyoudou Natsu?"
A voice with an air of authority caused him to halt in his tracks as he looked over and saw a girl who wore a Kuoh uniform. His eyes only managed to capture her short-black hair and her glasses in the process since he was preoccupied with getting to the game center. Still, her voice stopped him from going further and so he confronted the girl for a moment.
"Umm, you are?"
The girl crossed her arms indifferently and adjusted her glasses to speak. "My, even though we are in the same school, you don't seem to know the student council president."
'Hmmm? Student Council? If I remember it right, Tomoe and Reya did mention something like that.' He thought. It was only then he finally remembered about a certain group of students voted by the school as their representative of sorts. Not that he knew much about it. He still didn't know this girl though.
"Sorry. I don't really know you." He said in response, much to the girl's shock.
"Unbelievable." She expressed her dismay at his cluelessness before straightening right away. "No matter, my name is Sona Shitori. The president of the Student Council. Now, Hyoudou Natsu, what are you doing here at this time? It's already getting late. Shouldn't you be getting home?"
She introduced herself and asked right away as Natsu was taken aback from her somewhat aggressive inquiry. He could smell the same thing from her just like that time with Akeno so he slightly kept his distance from her.
"A-Ah, I'm just here to buy some stuff. You know, errands from home." He scratched his head, trying to think up an excuse to make him stay here in the area to watch over his brother who he yet to find inside the game center.
"While still wearing your uniform? I find it hard to believe your words." She countered. He was easily seen through by her and simply locked her eyes towards him as if her gaze was piercing through his soul. There was a moment of silence between them before Sona broke the atmosphere between them and spoke.
"I see. Even though it's not in my place to pry, I suggest you head back home right away. This place gets dangerous during the night." She advised.
"R-Really?" He asked with unease.
"Yes. So if I were you, I should be heading the other direction. I can't let one of my students be put to risk. That is my responsibilities as the student council president." She pressed, inching close to him to direct him away from the game center.
It looks like he won't be able to slip past this one. She looked like a type of person who would not stop insisting unless he complied. However, he came here for a reason and he wouldn't stop now.
Not wanting to get asked by another question, he quickly turned his direction towards the game center and started running.
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry! See ya!"
He left the scene in just a few seconds, shocking the girl.
"Wha―Wait! You shouldn't go in there!" He heard her shout from behind but he disregarded it and continued to press forward.
On the other hand, Sona could only stand in disbelief as soon as she wasn't able to convince the boy to turn the other direction. This place was reeking with danger after she was informed that the fallen angel must be around the area together with Hyoudou Issei. She took it upon herself to observe the pinkette and decided not to invite the rest of her peerage and focus on their other tasks around town. However, things were now out of control as she saw him asking at the cleric and pointed to a direction towards the park just a few distances away.
She felt the presence of the fallen angel around that area and assumed the worst. She quickly gave chase towards him to not let him get involved any further. Part of her as the next heir of their house and as a student council president wanted to get him out of danger. She failed to convince him earlier and no amount of words would make him change his mind.
She hated doing it but she'll have to use hypnosis and force him back home.
...
Natsu was seriously fuming right now.
He arrived at the park where he was informed that the last two were heading into. He didn't know how they managed to slip past his eyes but apparently, it did. He could never mistake himself missing Issei or Yuuma coming out of the entrance. He had great confidence in his sharp eyes however, he completely missed them. Maybe they got out while he was preoccupied with that Sona girl.
Dammit, he shouldn't have taken his eyes off for a single moment.
Leaving that aside, he had to find them quickly.
Tha-Thump*
His headache suddenly came back, causing him to stumble forward and only managed to regain himself thanks to the wall beside him.
'Not at a time like this!' He inwardly cursed, trying to ignore the pain assaulting his mind as he tried to walk.
For a moment, the pain didn't linger too long, unlike his previous experiences, much to his relief. He regained his footing and continued his search. He looked around and found no sign of anyone around the park. Not even a single soul could be seen around them. There's still time before night falls so there should be some people passing and wandering through here.
Weird.
It is as if the whole place was isolated. He looked around once more and then at that moment, his eyes looked up and suddenly noticed something wrong.
"What the hell?" He didn't know but it seemed like the sky above him was distorting. Shades of color mixed around the space above him like a poorly made soup. It was kind of sickening to look at.
'W-What is happening?! I don't get it!' He thought out in disbelief. This was no longer normal for him. He had to find the two fast. They shouldn't be here in the first place.
He ignored the strange sky and decided to look for the other two. And sure enough, he managed to spot something from the corner of the park near the fountain. Two figures walked side by side with each other and stopped just by the fountain.
Thank God, he found them. He needed to get to them and away from this place.
But just as he was within seeing distance, his eyes suddenly widened in pure disbelief as the scene unfolded in front of his eyes.
A few minutes earlier
"It's delicious!" Yuuma cheered in delight.
"I'm glad you like it." Issei smiled in return. The crepe was a good choice in satiating her hunger.
They've been walking around for quite a while and had stumbled into this park. He suggested about going to some restaurant but Yuuma insisted somewhere not visited by people very often. Apparently, she was a bit shy being in places with a lot of people and would give her anxiety when left alone. He would worry about her current life if that was the case. It was quite brave of her to be in this town where many people are walking around. He wondered how she dealt with her problems before this.
"Anyway, that brother of yours. What is he like?" It was then Yuuma asked. A question out of nowhere that confused him but decided to answer her anyway.
"Ah, Natsu? He's quite the idiot but he's a reliable one when you need help the most. Although he does not study very well, he seems to be a good person if you get to know him that long." He shared, earning the girl's attention.
Why is he telling her this? He didn't know how but for some reason, he felt like he didn't want to bring up the pinkette's topic to this date. He felt like he was losing to him for some reason he couldn't understand.
"I guess, you two are quite close huh?"
"You could say that. We've been stuck with each other since we were kids. A lot of good times we had that time though." He trailed off in thought as he recalled their past with a wistful look.
"Is that so?" She muttered underneath her breath before whispering something afterward which he failed to catch up on. "I almost feel sorry for you."
"Hmm? You were saying something, Yuuma-chan?"
"Ah, nothing. Say, do you want to explore the park together with me alone?" Instead of a normal cliche reaction from a romantic story, Issei could only think about the opposite as his mind instantly filled with perverted thoughts that he tried to shake it off inside his head.
"O-Of course, I would love to!"
"Then let's go, Issei-kun!" And with that, the two resumed their date towards an empty park with a fountain right at the center.
The sun had seemingly gone down and the lights had turned on to light up the park itself. Issei and Yuuma slowly walked towards the fountain with the two of them had nothing to say as the atmosphere between instantly became awkward until Issei tried to break the silence and speak.
"It's getting dark, huh?"
"Yeah." Her face turned slightly grim and morose?
"Is something wrong, Yuuma-chan?" He tried to ask upon noticing the look on her face but was instantly confronted by the black-haired girl as she rested herself towards his chest while standing. He couldn't keep his burning face from embarrassment as he started to think that this kind of situation will probably end them both in those kinds of 'things'.
"I had fun, Issei-kun." She muttered. He could feel her breath beneath his face as she inched closer to him.
"R-Really?"
"Mhm... That's why, will you die for me?"
What now?
What happened soon afterward was something Issei never expected as he was suddenly pushed back by a gale before widening his eyes in surprise and disbelief as Yuuma began to transform right in front of him. Her school uniform simply changed that of a rather skimpy outfit, exposing much of her body, especially her breasts which were covered with a micro-bikini outfit. A pair of black feather-like wings sprouted behind her back which instantly gave him a sense of dread which not only scared the boy but also caused him to stumble back in shock.
Still, the outfit was quite a turn-on for him that he couldn't distinguish what sort of situation he was into.
Lewd thoughts aside, his expression turned to dismay as her attitude turned rather malevolent apart from her innocent attitude whom she showed to him earlier during their date.
"Wha―What's going on, Yuuma-chan?" He tried for an answer to the transformed Yuuma before him.
"Sorry but it seems like I will have to kill you right here." She bluntly replied. Her tone of voice changed from a sweet girl into a ruthless killer that he'd heard from action movies. He didn't know but he got himself into some strange occurrence.
Just what is happening?
"Kill? You mean―"
"That's right, Issei-kun."
"Then―our date, our moments. " He stuttered, realizing the truth.
"Yup. All of it was just a lie. Unfortunately, I can't allow you to live any longer."
"What do you mean by tha―" He was interrupted yet again as a sharp pain went through his body after being inflicted by a blade of light that easily pierced his abdomen and reached through his back, causing him to cough off blood in an instant. The blade disappeared as soon as it did its job and somehow returned to her hand almost immediately.
"Sorry. Your existence is a threat to us so we had to move in for the kill. If you have any resentment, tell it to God who placed that Sacred Gear inside you." Yuuma explained.
"Sacred what―" He wasn't given the time to finish as he easily became limp and fell on the ground with blood gushing out from his stomach, hastening his death in the process.
"If it makes you any better, I did have a lot of fun, Issei-kun. It's just unfortunate that it would choose you." She finished whatever she was saying earlier and flapped her wings wide to take off.
Before she could fly away, she had to dodge an incoming knife thrown towards her face as she quickly dodged herself out of the way and leaped from a distance away, glaring to whoever threw that projectile at her, only to have her eyes widened in shock as she recognized the person in front of her.
Natsu didn't know what just happened but he had to do something and instantly grabbed a small knife from his pocket and threw it at the girl without hesitation. As soon as she was away from Issei, he sprinted towards him in a hurry, halting just a few inches beside him to take a look at what happened. He was taken aback as he saw the body of his brother lying in his pool of blood with a large hole in his abdomen. He never thought that such a wound like this would come from that girl.
Issei managed to muster enough strength to glance towards the pinkette with a faint smile as he saw him.
"N-Natsu." He weakly called out.
The pinkette crouched down before trying to apply some first-aid in his wounds but the level of injury is beyond his imagination. There's just no way for him to seal up that wound for a short time. Calling for help would not make his situation any better, including the fact that they're in some place where almost no one could be seen around. Even if he did find help, it would be already too late, and Issei would've lost too much blood. He had to do something.
"I-I'm sorry, Natsu. I-I'm such an idiot, am I?"
"Don't speak! I'll get you help! Just stay with me, Issei!" Natsu shouted.
"S-Sorry for not listening to you. I-I'm really a stupid brother. I s-should've l-listened to you." He muttered, coughing out blood as the wound in his abdomen was overwhelming him.
"I know. I know that. Stop talking and focus on living! Come on, you're stronger than this!" Natsu urged further before trying to apply pressure to his wound.
"I-I'm glad that I m-met such a b-brother like you."
"What are you saying all of a sudden? What happened in finding a girlfriend? I thought that you're not gonna die without having one? Don't you close your eyes on me, dammit!"
"I... did have one. I-I chose h-horribly." With his dying breath, he could keep his eyes open for any longer as he felt his time in this world was at an end. "S-Sorry being such an idiot brother, Natsu. You g-gotta get out of h-here n-now."
With those last words, the life on his body ceased, leaving only his eyes partially open, shocking Natsu in the process.
"O-Oi! Hey, wake up, Issei! Hey!" He tried to urge him awake but there was no response.
"It's too late to save him. The blade would instantly kill a mortal, you know." Yuuma blankly spoke as she sat on one of the branches, looking at the pinkette with curiosity.
He gently laid down his brother's head and slowly turned towards his killer. An unspeakable wave of emotions was running through his face as he stared at her with anger.
"Mortal? Just what are you?! Why did you kill him?! What did he do to you?!" He couldn't control his anger as his fists clenched harder which his nails were starting to pierce through his flesh. The blood of his brother was on his hands. His body was roaring to leap out towards this girl and beat her so hard that he wouldn't stop punching her face until he was satisfied.
Tha-Thump*
"Can't even tell just by looking at my wings. Well, no matter. You weren't supposed to be here but now that you are, I have no choice but to dispose of you too." She said so, summoning a blade of light from her hand.
Natsu saw the same weapon used to kill his brother and immediately tensed up. Despite all the rage inside him, his instincts immediately went up at the sight of the weapon from the girl before him. He knew that he would be done in if he got hit by it.
Still, that didn't stop him from what he was about to do.
"You bastard!" Sprinting towards the black-haired girl, Natsu tried to jump towards her but Yuuma simply flew away and pointed the spear of light towards his back.
"This is the end, boy." As soon as she said that, she thrust the spear towards him in blinding speeds, much to his shock. However, he dashed sideways before the spear could impale his back, landing a few meters away from the tree which split open as the spear made contact. He looked at the effects of the attack and for a moment, he was glad to have dodged that.
Meanwhile, Yuuma looked at the boy with an astonishing look.
'He dodged it? For a mortal like him, he was quite fast on his feet. However―'
She descended to the ground to match the pinkette in curiosity.
"Hmph... For a human like you, I have to say, I'm quite impressed. There's no human as powerless as you to be able to dodge a blade of light, let alone survive from an encounter with a fallen angel." She stated, catching the boy's attention at the words that he caught from her.
"Fallen angel? What are you talking about?"
"You already know too much so I'm gonna end this." After leaving those words, Yuuma suddenly disappeared in a silver blur as Natsu was left surprised at the result.
"Wha―"
SHUNK*
Tha-Thump*
The sound of flesh being impaled simply rang through his ears as he coughed off blood from his mouth before slowly glancing behind his back. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Yuuma already pierced him with a spear of light on the left of his abdomen.
"Sorry, you could've lived longer if you just stayed in your house and stopped snooping around. Well, you're just one mortal so that's not a problem. You did well holding for a normal human so I'll reward you of my real name for surviving this long. My name is Raynare. I do hope you remember that in the afterlife." She took out her spear as Natsu fell on the ground with blood gushing out, leaving him near his death as his body started to weaken and his vision became blurry.
Even after all that energy in him, all it took was one fatal wound on his body to take his strength away.
Goddammit. He hated feeling helpless at a time like this. How could he even help Issei if he couldn't help himself first? This was so pathetic for him. Dying from something that he and Issei don't even understand. What a way to go.
He felt the life in his eyes slowly fading away. He lost too much blood and it was already late for him at this point.
'N-No. it can't end like this. I have to fight. I need power. Someone, please lend me your strength.' His mind was becoming blurry and the last bit of his life held on desperately on his will.
Tha-Thump*
'I don't care if it's small, just give me something to beat this girl in front of me!'
Tha-Thump*
'I don't wanna lie down without putting up a fight!'
Tha-Thump*
'Please. I need power. I want to stand up and fight! I don't want to leave this world with that girl roaming around town!'
Tha-Thump*
'And most of all, I don't want to see another one being killed by that girl!'
Tha-Thump*
'I don't care what kind of deal I will have to take, just give me power to defeat her!'
"What are you lazing around for, son of mine? Hurry up and get back on your feet, Natsu!"
'A voice.'
So distant yet so nostalgic. He heard this voice before.
It was at that time when he dreaming of that village and that dragon. Why did his last thoughts return to that particular scene? Is this some sort of hallucination? When someone's at their death's door? He didn't know but that voice was calling up to him.
"I didn't raise you to go down just like this. Are you going to disgrace the power I've bestowed to you?"
'That voice again. I don't understand.'
"Go on, Natsu. You're stronger than that. Stand up."
'How can I even do that with this wound? You're asking for the impossible. I don't even have the power to fight.'
"Then all you need to do is call for it."
'What?'
"It's been inside you all this time. It all depends on your will."
'I see...'
Tha-Thump*
His mind was suddenly consumed in flames, causing him to plunge into a world of fire as he looked around in confusion. Issei, Yuuma, and the world around him burned away from his vision with huge flames like a piece of paper, surrounding and encasing him inside a hellfire. He looked around and found nothing but fire. The flames burned intensely in such a way that would instantly cause the surrounding area to melt if it was set in real life. Surprisingly enough, he could not feel the burning sensation, only warmth despite its magnitude.
It is as if he was part of the flames themselves.
However, he suddenly stopped as a mysterious voice soon echoed throughout the red world.
...
The time has come.
The dragon fires will arise.
Embrace your wrath.
All shall witness destruction before the might of the great dragon king.
It is time to awaken,
Natsu Dragneel
...
...
Raynare had to glance back as she felt something ominous coming from the supposedly dead pinkette. She quickly glanced around and saw the lying corpse of the boy and found nothing. For a second there, she thought that something just came out from his body.
Something big and sinister.
"Was it my imagination?" She spoke to herself as she took a moment to observe the body, hoping that it was just her mind playing tricks on her until a burst of flames erupted from within. A large gale swept across the park which caused all of the current individuals present in the area to look in shock as soon as the trees around them were scorched in hellfire.
Raynare had to raise her arms in defense as she was pushed back with such force that she had to use her wings to keep herself from hurtling further. Her body feeling the intense heat coming out after the shockwave as the field around the pinkette started to conjure up flames.
"What in the world―" Her sentence came to a stop as she saw the pinkette slowly standing up despite having a hole pierced on his body. His face shadowed by his hair as she couldn't make out the expression he was having right now. Flames suddenly appeared on his open wound that shone for a moment before vanishing a few seconds later. Her eyes would fall to a state of dread as she saw the wound healed up in an instant.
"Impossible!" She couldn't help but express her disbelief. How could she? A normal human capable of possessing high-speed regeneration was unheard of. She never encountered any human in her life that would have such a thing. "That shouldn't even be possible!"
Her words of disbelief didn't stop the boy from walking closer to her. He didn't waste any time as he lifted his right hand, a swirl of magic converged on top of it. Within seconds, a large fireball was hovering above him. The heat of the ball was so intense that she could feel it even from a distance.
'What intense heat.'
It doesn't take a genius to know that fireball is capable of. A spell like that can obliterate a large area and even melt surrounding objects in the process. Her eyes widened when he threw right towards her at fast speeds in which she narrowly dodged as it exploded to the far corner of the barrier, instantly breaking it as the distorted sky above them shattered.
This is bad. If things escalate further, a lot of people would notice the flames emanating from the park.
Still, her attention was focused on the boy clad in flames.
"T-That fire just now. That isn't something a human could possess. You don't even have a Sacred Gear on your body so why are you―"
"I don't get what you're blabbering about. I'll burn all of you!" Natsu shouted in anger before sinking his body as he inhaled huge amounts of air as flames followed suit, creating a slurping sound as Raynare was left in shock at the sight.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Shouting with all his might, he let out a burst of fire from his mouth as it went straight towards the fallen angel who could only watch in horror at the flames about to engulf her as a whole.
However, the fire wave simply missed its mark on her and went passed at her though causing a large patch of scorched ground as it destroyed anything in its path, leaving the park completely devastated as a result. Smoke settled around the park and the sound of battle was already heard by the bystanders as they stared from the distance, wondering about what they heard just now.
Raynare collapsed to her knees and in just like that, her fighting spirit quickly diminished by the destruction caused by that attack just now. For a moment, she thought her life flashed right before her eyes as if she was in mere seconds before dying. Fortunately for her, the attack didn't hit her. If it did, she would be reduced to nothing but ash. That she was sure of after feeling the force of that power.
She then looked over to the pinkette who seemed to have exhausted whatever power he had in him in that one final attack. He was panting heavily as the strain in his body caught up to him. He was barely standing straight and his face was contorted with desperation, wanting to keep the battle going between them. However, it was over for Raynare. There was no way for the pinkette to push on regardless of his desire to keep fighting. His body collapsed and his voice was getting weaker by the minute as the wave of unconsciousness enveloped him.
"M-More... I-I'm not done yet! I-I need to d-defeat you."
She watched him draw his last breath as he finally went down, fully unconscious.
The area around them went silent with only a few embers making crackling noises. The fallen angel completely dumb-struck by the turn of events.
She was too terrified by the power unleashed by the boy that despite him being out of commission, she kept her guard in case that it would return. She had never seen such intense flames. She had her fair share of witnessing fire but this was the first time she felt the fire laced with emotion. She knew that those flames didn't come out as natural. Those came out from the pinkette itself and she thought that the flames were somewhat alive.
The way they responded to the boy and his emotions. And the dreaded feeling that she felt when it first came out, she knew something was there. The same feeling that she briefly noticed during their exchange.
One word came into her mind, describing that dread.
Dragon.
She couldn't mistake it. She vividly saw an apparition of a dragon standing behind him when he confronted her. It was furious and full of anger towards her.
This was no longer a mission. She had to take action.
Raynare poured strength on her knees to get herself back up and approached the downed pinkette. Before she could even examine him, two magical circles soon appeared between them, one bathed in crimson while the other dyed in bisque.
"A magic circle?" Easily recognizing the symbols, Raynare made haste to use her wings to get some distance while also avoiding a wave of freezing ice aimed at her feet. "Tsk, so they've come."
"You won't be taking another step near him." A voice called out from the trees, causing her to turn her eyes towards the approaching figure.
"I see. I guess I've overstayed my welcome."
"That's right. That is why we can't have you laying a single finger on these two." Another voice came out from the circle as the two magic circles revealed two females as they came into view from her sights.
"What a shock. Three devils at the same time. Two of them both heirs to their houses. I guess I have to pull back for now."
"Indeed. I'm sure that you are shocked as well as us in these unexpected turn of events so I propose that we continue this little escapade for some other time." Rias proceeded to speak with her hand raised as a surge of destructive energy formed around it. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind, Ms. Fallen Angel."
Raynare clicked her tongue in response. She had taken her time and attracted a lot of attention as a result, including the faction that held territory in these parts. She couldn't hope to take on three of them on her own so the only probable step was to retreat.
"I guess, you're right. But remember this, this is not over yet."
She left those words of warning as she departed from the area to escape, not wanting to get herself tangled up into another fight. The field vanished at her disappearance, leaving only the three ladies behind the scene who then looked over towards the two victims, particularly to the pink-haired boy.
"My, my. This is quite a surprise."
...
A/N: And that's a wrap! Sorry for the long chapter. I was hoping to divide it but the pacing got long and I had to rush things towards the meeting of the girls to the boys. Before any of you would ask, No. No Sacred Gears and No to becoming a devil for Natsu. Eat it, suck on it. But there will be tempting offers along the way so I apologize to the ones who wanted him to have a sacred gear or have him become a devil in Rias peerage. Dragonslaying magic will be always for him for lyfe, hue hue hue. :P
So a lot of things were revealed right off the bat so I'll just keep it simple, Natsu is indeed a dragonslayer and a human in this story. A lot of revelations will be featured in the next chapter so stay tuned. I hope to keep you all company in the future along with my other stories as well. Once again, thank you and I'll see you in the next chapter.
PM me for any questions you have in mind. I'll answer them whenever I can.
- wiErD SpeCtrumz blacking out...
