Chapter two: Exorcist

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD


Three months later...

Kazuto smashed Valkyrie against Durandal, the blue and gold blade reflecting his friends blue hair with a green stripe, her dark yellow eyes gazing at him in amusement as he smiled a cocky grin before she knocked the blade from his hands and pointed the blade at his throat. Xenovia smiled at her friend before she lowered the blade and looked at him in pride. "For a self-taught swordsman, you nearly bested me again, Kazuto." Kazuto smirked and placed Valkyrie on top of his right shoulder. "I feel great! Like I can take Griselda in a one-on-one match without Valkyrie!" He felt two eyes focus on him and a sword sliding forth from it's scabbard.

"Is that a challenge, Kazuto?", a female chuckled as he jumped up in fear, his braided ponytail whipping into her face. Kazuto whirled around and started to bow in apology as her blue eyes glittered in amusement. 'Damn me and my stupid mouth.' Griselda unsheathed her sword and threw Kazuto a silver serrated sword. Kazuto opened his mouth to protest but parried a strike from her sword of light. Kazuto whirled around and struck hers, a powerful spark of light and steel flashing as they pushed against each other. "My rival is getting better.", Griselda teased, her sister clothing flaring upwards as their swords clashed again and the Q on the back of her left hand was visible. "But you still can't match me."

"Really? I actually expected more from Gabriel's Queen of Hearts!", Kazuto said, flashing a cocky grin before he ducked under a high swipe from Griselda's blade. Kazuto back flipped backwards and kicked Griselda's blade from her hand and pointed the tip of the blade at her throat. Instead of surrendering, Griselda yanked his arm downward and peeled his fingers from the blade and knocked him to the ground with a heel kick. Kazuto felt the cold sensation of silver against his throat before it withdrew from his skin and a hand helped him up. Kazuto and Griselda smiled at each other before they bowed in respect to each other. Griselda tugged at Kazuto's cheeks in a way that Kazuto enjoyed.

"In all the Exorcists I've seen, you have the most drive. You seem to have a determination unlike any other. It's interesting to see." Griselda let go of Kazuto's cheeks and handed him Valkyrie. "We'll go again once you get back. You still got that meeting with a Gabriel in three minutes so best not to keep her waiting." Kazuto glanced at his watch in annoyance, sheathed Valkyrie, and walked away quickly. He waved as he pushed open the church door and shouted, "I still want that rematch, Griselda!", over his shoulder. He walked until he came face to face with a wooden door and rapped his knuckles against it three times. "Come in!", a cheerful feminine voice answered.

Kazuto stepped into a small office room and bowed in respect at the voluptuous woman in front of him, her warm smile seen in his peripheral vision. He stood up straight and smiled as he pulled Gabriel into a hug since she didn't like it when he bowed to her, her curly blond hair and green eyes hidden as she buried her head into the nook of his shoulder before pulling away, her cheeks tinted a light red. Kazuto felt her forehead and looked into her eyes, her face a deep red. "Are you alright, Gabriel? Your feel a little warm. Do you need to lie down a bit?", Kazuto asked worriedly as he picked Gabriel up bridal style and laid her down on the futon that she kept in the corner of her office near a window.

Gabriel tried to sit up but Kazuto but her back against the cushion and said in a caring tone: "Stay right here. I'll be back with some food and water." Gabriel watched him stand up and hurry out the door, his grey cloak fluttering down and covering Gabriel's body. She sighed before she pulled the coat closer to her body, the scent of cherries greeting her nose. She sighed as she thought of Kazuto and his smile and his long black hair and his mismatched eyes and his care for her and others. She sighed in sadness as she thought about him. 'Even if he does return my feelings, it's not meant to be.', Gabriel thought. 'I'm an Angel and he is a human (Albeit a handsome human, she added) who I'll outlive and mourn for a long time.'

Kazuto opened the door with a wooden bucket, a clean rag, a glass of water, and a bowl of warm soup in hand as he walked toward her with a worried look. He pulled a chair next to her, a wet compress in his hand as he pressed it to her forehead. She felt the cool water run down her head and Kazuto's other hand rub her head. The warmth of her cheeks return as Kazuto kneeled down and met her eyes, a soup-filled spoon in his hand. A small part of her wanted to feed herself but decided to open her mouth as Kazuto fed her. She ate spoonful after spoonful of soup, the delicious taste remaining in her mouth for a while before she realized that the bowl was empty.

Kazuto removed the dry compress, placed a hand to her forehead, noticed the warmth was gone, and gave her the glass of water. She sat up as she sipped the water, her emerald green eyes drawn to Kazuto as he moved the chair back to it's place of origin.

"What type of soup was that, Kazuto?", Gabriel asked. "It was rather delicious." Kazuto pulled a silver ingot of metal from his jacket and began to sharpen Valkyrie, a distinct smile forming on his lips. "It's my father's secret recipe.", he admitted, his smile turning bitter. "Found it in one of his journals he left me. Alongside that damn case that won't open without a three digit pass-code..." Gabriel could hear the anger and sadness in his voice.

"I'm sorry.", she apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to make you-" Kazuto waved his hand quickly, his features neutral again. "Eh, it's okay. It wasn't your fault. So...", Kazuto turned toward her, placing Valkyrie in its scabbard. "What do you need?" Gabriel's eyes went from happy and cheerful to business-like and cheerful.

"Call in the entirety of exorcists. We'll need them all for this raid.", she demanded. Kazuto nodded, grabbed his cloak, and walked out to gather his brothers and sisters in arms.


Gabriel stood over a table, both of her hands placed palms down onto a table with the layout of an abandoned warehouse, her eyes focusing on Kazuto with a grave look on her face.

"Our Fallen Angel informants have given us information that a total of seventy-six high-tier Fallen have gathered in this abandoned warehouse. The leader, Azureil, plans to use an unknown Black Magic spell to unleash an unknown Biblical force to bend to his will. His goal remains unknown but Michael, my brother, has made this raid the top priority for the newer exorcist recruits." Gabriel's gaze stopped on Kazuto, his silver skull mask in his hands, and mouthed the words 'Be careful.' Kazuto flashed her a grin and she blushed.

Kazuto turned around and placed the mask over his face. "Alright people! We got evil on the move and we're the only ones who know how to stop it. Let's go!" The exorcists marched off, laughing and joking the way friends do, never noticing the feeling of dread from the newer recruits. Gabriel stood at the door of the church, her hand to her large chest with a smile on her face. 'Come back to me Kazuto. And I'll tell you how I feel about you once you do get back.'


Kazuto parried the strike of a Fallen's wing, Valkyrie glowing blue with Holy magic as he blocked three more strikes that were fast as lightning. Kazuto faked a swipe and severed the Fallen's head, her head rolling across the concrete as her body fell to the ground, blood splurting from the stump of her neck. Kazuto turned and punched another Fallen Angel square in the chest, cold, darker than red blood splattering against his face as he pulled the silver knife from his chest.

Kazuto threw the knife across the room and impaled a Fallen Angel's throat and turned around, revolver at the ready, before unloading a round into a Fallen's head. Kazuto dashed across the room, his cloak billowing behind him, gun at the ready, and pounced unto another Fallen Angel. He pulled her by the hair, her brown hair stretching, and put Valkyrie's blade to her throat.

"Please!", she begged. "Please don't kill me. I'm not a warrior, I'm a researcher! I study books and spells to solve puzzles and help the confused. I'm not meant to be a warrior. I can help your cause just please, please, spare me." Kazuto hesitated, his hand shaking before he noticed the stares he received from the other exorcists, who began to take his hesitation as a sign of weakness, forcing him to make a quick decision.

Kazuto plunged the blade into her stomach. She gasped in pain and shock before her pink eyes closed and tears flooded down her cheeks. He grit his teeth in anger as her blood spilt to the floor. Kazuto looked around, noticed that no exorcist was watching since they ran after more Fallen Angels, pulled her outside, and kneeled down next to her. He pulled gauze, a needle and thread, and disinfectant from his satchel, placing his hands on her wound. He wiped the wound clean with disinfectant, the Fallen Angel shifting on the ground which did some interesting things with her large chest, and Kazuto struggled to hold her still.

"Hold still!", Kazuto shouted as he placed a hand on her shoulder, his hands fumbling with a spool of thread and a needle. "You're making this damn near impossible to do!" He pulled the string through the needle and placed it at the entrance wound. "This is going to hurt. A fuck ton." He pulled the needle through the skin. She screamed in agonizing pain, her body shaking in pain. She screamed again, the needle barely through the third stitch, before Kazuto turned away as his hands began to shake.

"You got to calm down, okay?", Kazuto said as he put the needle near the skin. "I know it hurts but you gotta keep still. Uh, what's your name?" He noticed how awkward his tone was and mentally cursed. 'Of course it's awkward you dolt. You stabbed her and now you're helping her. You idiotic bastard.' Kazuto sighed but she smiled and said, "Anmael. My name is Anmael." Kazuto smiled in return and held out his hand so she could sit up. He got the entrance wound shut while she told him her name. She took his hand and sat up.

"My name is Kazuto Kono. Pleasure to meet you Anmael.", he said as he made it halfway through stitching the exit wound. "So, Anmael, what do you like to do?" Anmael smiled. "I like puzzles! And mysteries. And helping the confused.", she said with happiness laced in her voice. She leaned over to Kazuto, an interested look in her violet eyes. "You're confused. You're lost. You've no reason to fight and yet you still do, throwing human morality out the window. Tell me, why didn't you kill me like the others."

Kazuto's happy gaze turned dark. "I don't kill innocents, which you won't do since you like to help the confused. I could tell from your confession that you had more interest in solving puzzles than fighting." Kazuto gestured to the skies. "You're free to go after I finish bandaging this wound. If you need help with the supernatural, I'm stuck here so you know where to find me." Kazuto wrapped the bandages around her stomach and pulled away. Anmael unfurled her black wings, almost ready to fly away from the warehouse but turned around to face Kazuto, a grateful smile on her face. Anmael pulled a card from nowhere and wrote an adress.

"If you need an informant, all you have to do is come to me. After all, I do love a puzzle." She smirked, winked, then flew away. Kazuto pocketed the card and hid his medical supplies, his heterochromatic eyes shifting left and right for any signs of danger. He picked Valkyrie up from the blood-stained concrete. Kazuto pulled his revolver out and made his way to Azureil's keep. 'Who knows? Maybe having a Fallen Angel informant could be helpful.'


Kazuto slammed his shoulder into the oak wood door Azureil slammed shut as he hid like a coward. Kazuto pulled the revolver from its holster, pulled the hammer back, and put his shoulder to the door frame. "Open up Azureil, you fucking coward!" Azureil's ax embedded itself seven inches from Kazuto's shoulder.

Who the hell are you?!", Azureil shouted. "What do you want from me?!"

"I'm the Devil! Who's asking?!", Kazuto replied with a shout.

"The Devil isn't welcome here!", Azureil declared. "So fuck you exorcist!"

"Fuck me?", Kazuto said with an appalled tone. "Fuck you!"

An exorcist with brown hai and brown eyes pushed him back and put his boot to the door, the door flying of its hinges without the man having to use so much as the amount of force used to rip paper. Azureil's silhouette was seen as the fire escape shut behind him, the moonlight casting his shadow.

"Move it, you zero!", the man barked. "I don't know what Gabriel sees in a loser like you but I won't hesitate to kill you if Azureil escapes." He pushed past Kazuto and followed Azureil. Kazuto sheathed Valkyrie and holstered his pistol before leaning against a support pillar, sliding down slowly and watching other exorcists rush past him and towards Asureil and his chaser. Kazuto slid down a support pillar, his weapons clattering to the ground, and pulled off his fingerless glove. The thick, darker-than-red blood that coated his fingers. He grabbed the bottle of alcohol from his satchel and poured it over his hand, the liquid merging with the red and making the smell of alcohol even more pungent. Kazuto stood up quickly, made his way to a corner, and threw up his dinner. He wiped the sour bile from his lips and turned around to gather his weapons. Then a blood-curdling scream pierced the silence.