Authors Notes = A/N
"Normal Speech."
'Thoughts."
"Foreign Language."
"Sacred Gears/Weapon spirits speech."
'Sacred Gear/ Weapon spirits thoughts."
A/N: And here's chapter two's reposting!
Okay so this chapter has seen only ONE major change which will affect the story, and as I am sure you will swiftly become aware, it's for a rather obvious (but naturally interesting) reasons!
Aside from this one major change, little else has been edited; aside from some small SPaG issues that I've spotted.
Anyways, enough outta me for now.
This is MetalGearMantis telling you to read on and enjoy.
SO GET TO IT MORTALS!
Disclaimer: I would like to clearly state that I do not own (and more than likely never will) Highschool DxD. The rights to said series belongs to their rightful owners. I merely own the intellectual property rights of my OC, Thierry Blanc. I do not, nor ever intend to, profit from the writing of this Fanfiction, and I am merely writing it for non-profit entertainment purposes only.
Last time in : 'The Jackal of the Grigori.'
"Any ways, previous mission aside, I need you ready to move in the next few days."
Immediately, Thierry's entire posture tensed up and his eyes hardened even more (if that was possible).
"Do you want a clean kill or do you want to zend a message?" He immediately asked in an absolutely sub-zero voice that put even the legendary leader of the fallen angles slightly on-edge.
"Nobody needs killing."
"Then what do you need destroyed?"
"Actually I want you running surveillance for me."
That stopped the young assassin dead in his thoughts as he shot Azazel a confused and confounded look, as if to say 'are you mad?' Which in the case of the Viceroy, may have been a fair question to ask.
"Listen, Thierry. I sent out one of my best recon teams to deal with the potential existence of another Longinus wielder. As it stands they haven't been sending back their reports for the past few months…."
"So you zink 'Loki' is making 'is move?"
"Precisely."
"I zee…."
The two of them sat in silence for a while, both contemplating the implications of this recent development. Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, Thierry spoke up to his employer, switching to his native tongue to speak. He knew that anyone eavesdropping would still be able to understand him, but in such uncertain times, he'd still rather do whatever he could to make life a little bit more difficult for his enemies.
"Do you think 'Loki' is connected with my last operation?" He asked in French, earning a small, almost imperceptible nod from Azazel.
"It's likely. We both know that he's been looking into different ways to restart the war whilst avoiding the blame himself; and if his interest in that operation was anything to go by…"
"It's likely that has a vested interest in its outcome."
Azazel nodded his head again, earning a contemplative look from his youngest and brightest warrior. Thierry sat there for several more seconds before nodding his head slightly.
"So you want me there to stop the team if they act on his orders and also protect any HVT's in the area when 'Loki' decides to strike?"
"Exactly."
"Not trying to sound big-headed or anything but this is some serious commitment to this region. Mind telling me why?"
Azazel grinned ever so slightly as he sat forward in his chair and steepled his hands in-front of his face, switching to his favoured tongue of Japanese.
"Tell me Thierry-kun, what do you remember about Kuoh town?"
(Chapter One: The Jackal and the birth of the Red-Dragon Emperor.)
Sona Sitri let out a weary sigh as she packed away the final book she had been using in her last lesson of the day ; Homer's Iliad. Despite what the general school populace said about the Sitiri heiress, even she felt the effects of a long school day like her friend Rias.
Sona herself was a rather petite girl; standing at only 5'6 and with a moderately sized bust, she wasn't exactly the curviest of girls around. But what she lacked in such physical areas, she more than made up for in her beauty and her intellect. Her flawless skin was a pale white, her cheekbones high and her eyes a beautiful violet, whilst her intellect ensured that she was always battling for top spot with a certain male student.
'I hope Tsubaki has gotten a pot tea ready, I could really use one right about now.'
However, as it was, her queen was not in here to provide her with a calming cup of Jasmine tea, and she still had to keep up her appearance as the infallible Student-Council president. As such, she took several moments to re-organise and smooth out her Kuoh academy uniform (a dark magenta skirt, white/black accented blazer with a ribbon acting as a tie and shoulder cape) and clear her thoughts with a slight shake of the head, causing her bobbed purple hair to bounce lightly at the motion.
Satisfied that she had made herself presentable, the Sitri heiress made her way out and into the corridors of Kuoh academy. Students immediately made to clear her path or at least make it easy for her to pass bye, all whilst uttering 'Goodbye, Kaichou.' Or 'Have a good evening, Shitouri-samma.' It was slightly annoying from time to time, but on a day like today, having a clear run to the Student-Council meeting room was something that she appreciated; something she conveyed by only stopping occasionally to reprimand someone about their uniform or use of vulgar language.
Within minutes she was on the home-stretch to her beloved club-room and her peerage; which meant little more work and relaxing cups of tea…however…
Thud.
"Kyaaaaa!"
Had the Sitri heiress being paying attention, she would not have walked face-first into a rather large fellow third year. Sona prepared herself for a rather painful impact with the school's finely polished floors by closing her violet eyes to the world, but instead of feeling pain race through her back and head, the young devil heiress found herself jerking to a halt as a rough and calloused hand wrapped around her waist and hauled her to her feet.
"Neh, careful there Shitouri-san. We wouldn't want 'ou using a headache as an excuse for losing to me in ze upcoming chemistry test now, would we?" An all too familiar, slightly accented voice chirped lightly, causing Sona's eyes to snap wide open and be greeted by an all too familiar sight.
The young man who Sona had walked into absolutely towered over the young Sitri heiress by several clear inches. The young man was extremely well built, which was unsurprising given his positon as captain of the school's Rugby squad, and his hulking frame made Sona feel absolutely insignificant physically when she stood next to him. He was an extremely good-looking, if not 'ruggedly handsome', black-haired fellow, with a fair skin-tone which when mixed with a strong and well-defined jawline and cheekbones, served to only accentuate his mysterious and captivating dark-grey eyes.
Said young man was clad in the boy's variation of the school uniform (white/black accented blazer, dress shirt without the ribbon, black dress trousers and black dress shoes), with a few personal modifications of his own; such as blue and red socks and a belt buckle with the word 'Cocky' printed on its red background in pure white.
Just his voice would have been enough for Sona to identify this individual, but when paired with his appearance, there could be no doubt as to her saviour.
"Dusitoir-san."
Pierr Dusitoir was a French ex-patriot who had come to Kuoh academy for his final year of High-school in order to perfect his Japanese for when he applied to Tokyo university. Often known as the 'King of Kuoh' due to his good-looks and unique charm, Pierr was not only an amazing athlete but also a genius who rivalled Sona herself. In fact, the two of them were always competing for the number one spot in their individual subjects as well as on the overall leader-boards.
Sona had first met the Frenchman during a Chemistry lesson, having shared a desk with him for the hour-long practical session. They had made light conversation surrounding the subject, and Sona found herself increasingly surprised by how he managed to keep pace with her during their discussions; even more so when she deliberately strayed onto University level topics.
Following that, she made an effort to talk to him during any lessons she shared with the enigmatic yet brilliant Frenchman. With topics of discussion ranging from classical literature to nuclear physics, Sona could honestly say she found herself enjoying her debates with Dusitoir. Eventually she invited him to sit with her and her peerage at lunch after about a month or so of talking. Naturally her peerage had been shocked when the enigmatic foreigner joined their tightly-knit group for lunch, and thus been somewhat cagey and guarded. But they had more than happily opened up to him after a few more occasions, and he was considered just as much a part of their group as her, despite his fleeting appearances.
The young Sitri heiress would have continued reminiscing, but the laughter of a certain male brought her back to reality.
"What's so funny, Dusitoir?"
"Nozing~!" He said in a sing-song voice, earning a glare from the Sitri heiress as she removed his arms from around her waist, whilst expertly containing the faint blush that was threatening to break out on her face. Despite his occasionally annoying moments, the young man was truly a good source of conversation (even if he did drive her crazy from time to time)…..and potentially a worthwhile recruit for her peerage.
Whether the young man knew it or not, but he held a substantial amount of magical energy within his body; enough reserves to at least match her best friends' queen, Akeno, and quite possibly even more than that. His natural movements didn't speak exactly of combat experience, but she suspected that they held a natural level of survival instinct in them; therefore lending credence to her idea that he was a practicing magician of some description. His interaction thus far with her suggested that he had an inclination as towards her position in regards to the supernatural world, but he didn't bring it up simply because he was waiting for her to make the first move.
'Well we are close to the clubroom…..I may as well begin my efforts to turn him into a member of my peerage.'
Clearing her throat, the genius heiress of the Sitiri clan turned her attention back towards her male companion and spoke,
"Dusitoir…."
"Maaa~ call me Pierr, Sona-chan. We're friends after all!"
"Pierr-san. I was wondering if you would like a game of chess back at the Council's club room?"
That seemed to catch the young man completely off-guard as his eyes widened from happiness to slight surprise, but he immediately masked his shock with his trademark easy-going smile and mischievous glint in his eyes.
"My, my Sona-chan. Inviting me back to your club room zo soon! If you're not careful the mazzez may start talking about how forward you are with zeir benevolent and magnificent king!" He teased lightly, placing his hands on his hips and turning his head towards the sky in what Sona supposed was meant to be a 'heroic' pose.
Feeling her temper flare slightly at his teasing, the young devil merely glared at him whilst fighting a mild blush that was threatening to colour her cheeks a faint red. When she realised her glare was having no effect, she merely pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a faint sigh.
"Just follow me, Dusitoir….." she paused for several seconds before allowing a flicker of a smile to cross her lips as she spoke, "…and try not to make a fool of yourself over the next one hundred yards if at all possible. But then this is you I am talking about."
Ignoring an indignant squawk of 'HEY!' from the French ex-patriot, Sona lead the 'King of Kuoh' to the large double-doors to her clubroom and pushed them open.
The room itself was far more lavish than other club-rooms in the school, save for the Occult Research club. The east and west walls were dominated by large, ornate widows with seats that were currently gently propped open, allowing a gentle breeze of late spring/ early summer wind to pass through the room. The centre of the room was dominated by three large and clearly very expensive sofas surrounding an ornate coffee table, whilst the north-wall was dominated by a large, heavy and ornate desk and plush chair.
Sona was just about to make her way over to her desk to recover her chess set, but a distinctly feminine voice broke the comfortable silence between the two friends.
"Kaichou I've just finished the….oh, hello Dusitoir-san." Stated a rather surprised looking Tsubaki Shinra. She was a gorgeous raven-haired young woman with a voluptuous figure which was well-accentuated by her school uniform, whilst her pretty green eyes were obscured by her red-framed glasses.
Recovering her composure, Sona's queen quickly offered a curious look to her king. Sona smiled lightly in reply, and a look of understanding passed across her queen's eyes.
"Tsubaki, if you would put the tea on and bring me my chess set I would appreciate it. Oh, and when the others get here, please make them aware of their paper work." Sona put extra emphasis on the young last few words of her sentence, whilst cocking her head slightly towards her male companion.
Tsubaki bowed her head slightly whilst a small but genuine smile graced her features.
"Of course, Kaichou."
Sona turned to her friend and gestured towards the middle table with her hand. The lumbering male smiled brightly at her before bringing his hulking frame to a comfortable rest in the left-hand sofa, whilst Sona sat down with far more grace than her male companion.
The two of them sat there comfortably in silence for a few minutes; Pierr taking the time to casually observe the room, whilst Sona was examining the young Frenchman with her cold and calculating gaze.
'He's not releasing any killer intent, so he has no intention of harming me. And his distinct lack of unrest or concern shows that he's not fussed or worried about me finding out something…." However, before the young woman could continue her appraisal of her company, her queen returned with two cups of tea balanced gracefully atop an ornate wooden box and chess-board.
Setting a cup in front of Pierr first and then Sona, Tsubaki the proceeded to swiftly place the chess-board in the middle of the table, before placing the pieces contained within the box onto the board with a speed and grace that only practice could bring about.
Within moments, a full chess-board sat between Sona and Pierr, black for Sona and white for her male friend. Pierr gently picked up his cup and took a sip of the steaming beverage contained within, before letting out a contented sigh as he gently leaned back into his chair.
"Tsubaki-san, zis tea is the best I have ever had! Honestly, o' need to give me instructions as to how to make zis." Pierr stated honestly with a small, contented smile on his face, earning a small blush from Tsubaki as she bowed her head in thanks.
"Thank you, Dusitoir-kun. I would be more than happy to give you guidance." The normally strict, calm and proud young half-devil stated with a small amount of timidness creeping into her voice. Pierr merely waved his hand at the girl in a dismissive manner.
"Tsubaki-san, how many times have I told you? Call me Pierr-san for goodness sake. Dusitoir-san or kun was my father." He commented with a friendly smile, earning a slightly larger blush from the young she-devil and a raised eyebrow from Sona.
'Was your father? Hmmm, I wonder why he uses the past tense….unless …..' Realisation struck the Sitri heiress like lightning, causing her eyes to widen slightly and forced her to take a sip of her tea in order to avoid letting her friend see her frown. After all, his words could ultimately mean one of two things, and as far as Sona could tell, given his mannerisms, she could only honestly say she trusted one of her logical leaps.
But for now she wouldn't push the issue. If she needed to ask then she would, but for now she wouldn't. If her friend wanted to talk about this issue, then he would when he felt comfortable enough to tell her. After all, it wasn't her place to pry into her friends past if he wanted to keep it quiet and it didn't pose a threat to her peerage or her friends.
Letting the matter file away in her brain for future use, Sona turned her attention to the chess-board in-front of her and spoke up.
"So, Pierr-san, it would seem as if it is your move."
Said boy smiled slightly before picking up the King piece on the table in-front of him and rolling it in-between finger and thumb. He sat there for a while casually observing the piece with a fierce intensity before finally setting the piece back on its square. He then gripped both sides of the chess-board and casually turned the board around until the black pieces were on his side and the white pieces on Sona's side.
"I must insist zat o' go first, Sona-san."
"Why's that?"
"My mozzer always taught me to be polite."
"Manners will get you no-where in this room, you know?"
"You'd be surprised, Sona-san…"
Said girl smiled slightly at her friends words before spending a few seconds observing the board, swiftly formulating an opening strategy before placing her hand on the furthest right pawn.
"You've made a mistake letting me go first, Pierr-san." She stated confidently as her French friend smiled thinly at her words, before gracefully placing his hand atop his middle pawn and moving it forward two places.
"I don't think so Sona-san."
"And why is that?" Sona asked, genuinely curious as she moved another pawn forward in an attempt to trigger the required response from her opponent. Said young man merely hovered his hand over the logical piece to move (and naturally the one Sona wanted him to move.).
However, the young Sitri heiress found herself once again surprised by her friend as he moved a completely different pawn forward, throwing the majority of Sona's plan out of the window.
All whilst smiling and saying….
"You're not ze only chess fanatic in ze room."
(With 'Pierr Dusitoir', two hours later, unknown street.)
Thierry let out a small sigh of relief as he felt the familiar that had been following him disappear finally, after almost twenty minutes of following him after he had changed out of his academy uniform at school and into far more comfortable jeans, sketchers, t-shirt and hoodie, basking in the pleasure of forcing a draw out of the slightly arrogant Sitri heiress.
'Finally. It's making my blood fucking boil having to be near those fucking Devils for so long.' Thierry thought to himself bitterly as he slowly trudged down a non-descript road as night slowly descended upon the town of Kuoh. It had been about four months since Azazel sent him here on a recon operation to discover why the team he had sent out to this god-forsaken shite-hole had gone dark whilst pretending to actually care for the people in this town and those he talked to.
Four months of dealing with the only species he hated more than Angels.
Devils.
All the bloody animals ever did was cause mayhem and misery, ruining people's lives with their greed and constant desire to flaunt their superiority. It was because of these beasts that he had been raised in hell-on-Earth….it was because of them that the man who saved his miserable life died and left him alone.
'And then there's God's little helpers. HA! Those lazy bastards have no interest in protecting the world of men or making sure that we can live our lives free of the supernatural. No, instead they merely sit in Heaven and protect a hypocrite from the scummy Devils and the Fallen…. At least the majority of the Fallen are honest and straight-forward.' Thierry mused bitterly to himself as he continued his trek back to his temporary accommodation in this town.
'But what about Sona Sitri and her peerage? They sure seem to break the mould….' One part of Thierry's mind argued to the currently raging portion of his brain. Said portion of his mind stopped its needless ranting in order to retort.
'Yeah, because we've allowed them to think we would make a good peerage member, and thus get ourselves into good positions to leave surveillance runes on that little Devil whore.'
'Argue all you want. You enjoy her company because it actually gives you an intellectual person to talk to who isn't Azazel.' The small part of his mind snarked back.
'Whatever, it doesn't change the fact that she, along with everyone else here, is just a mission.' Thierry stated within his mind resolutely, clamping down on the rebellious section of his mind before it could actually start formulating arguments he couldn't beat.
He hated Devils and Angels and he forever would. No matter how many exceptions to the species he met, he refused to treat them any different, as they more than likely had the ability to be just as cruel and wicked as their normal brethren.
The young man would have continued his brooding and hateful thoughts towards his two 'enemy' factions. But before he could actually truly delve into the true depths of his hatred, Thierry's hyper-sensitive ears caught the faintest of cries in this distance, and it immediately put him on edge. After all, with the amount that Issei Hyodo was reduced into a screaming mess when the Kendo club went to town on him, Thierry had quickly committed the young man's screams to memory.
Immediately, the young man set off at speeds that humans could only ever dream of achieving as he forced a small amount of magic into his body to re-inforce it and push it beyond mortal limitations. Within moments he had covered several blocks and was getting closer and closer to the sounds of hysterical, maniacal laughter and pained yelps, and it only took several more seconds for the young hit-man to reach the street where the sounds were originating from.
What he came across was arguably the most pathetic sight he had ever seen.
One Issei Hyodo, resident pervert of Kuoh academy was currently lying on the floor with blood flowing from a rather large gash in his right leg. The young boy wasn't anything special; brown hair and eyes, average looks and wearing the bog-standard Kuoh academy uniform….aside from being the host to the Red-Dragon, Boosted Gear and a new-born devil of Rias Greymory's peerage as of yesterday when he was killed by one of the recon team he had been assigned to keep tabs on.
And he was also a massive pervert.
'My god, Vali is going to be so disappointed if this is supposed to be the legendary Red-Dragon Emperor.' Thierry thought to himself casually before turning his attention to the second figure in the middle of the road.
His assailant was a middle-aged, handsome looking man. He wore a long trench-coat and fedora hat that obscured the mop of blond hair on his head, whilst his violet eyes complemented his outfit in their shade. His right hand sat a sickly-yellow spear of light, whilst an insane grin was plastered on his face.
Despite having never met the man in his life, Thierry immediately knew who he was, thanks to the dossier provided to him by Azazel.
'Dondesheek; one set of wings but high stamina. He's tied for second strongest in the recon team with Kalawarmer. An absolute battle-maniac of the worst kind, he relies on ranged attacks to deal with his foes…and he massively over-estimates his own strength.'
Information at hand, Thierry snapped back to reality just as about the rouge-Fallen was about to impale the poor newly-reincarnated devil. Acting on instinct and his orders, the right-hand of the Viceroy quickly summoned his magical energy and sent a wave of crimson flames as his opponent. Slow enough to dodge but fast enough so that his opponent wouldn't be able to launch his attack at Hyodo.
The battle-crazed Fallen-Angle leapt away from the crimson flames, the tips of which barely missed licking the tip of his coat.
Landing, the Fallen immediately turned his attention from his prey to the new-comer, as did Issei.
"Well, well well, what do we have here? A lost magician?" Dondesheek asked casually with a small crazed grin on his face as he took several steps forward, causing Thierry to meet him step for step whilst Issei sat there gaping like a fish as he watched Thierry casually coat his arms in a thick blanket of flames before supplying the Fallen with his cover identity.
"Pierr Dusitoir; Kuoh's resident magician, at your zervice Mr….."
"Dondesheek of the Grigori, Dusitoir-san." Dondesheek supplied helpfully, earning a small nod from Thierry as he moved closer to Issei in order to protect the newly re-incarnated devil. Standing in-front of his opponent, Thierry sent him a slightly condescending look before speaking up.
"I do 'ope you know zat I can't let 'ou kill him, non?" He asked casually as he flared his magical power threateningly, hoping to not only get the man to back off, but also get the local devils attention and thus get them moving (if they weren't already).
However, it seemed like Thierry wasn't going to get out of the situation without a fight.
"I do hope you can appreciate that I can't let either of you live!" Dondesheek snarled as he summoned two spears of light to his hands before launching one forward and keeping the second one in his hand as he charged forward, summoning his nightmare-black wings to propel himself faster.
Thierry casually dismissed the thrown weapon with a flick of his right hand, before charging forward to meet Dondesheek's charge. Ducking under the man's first wild stab, Thierry quickly delivered a swift hook combo to the man's ribs before rolling out of the way of a downwards stab that would have impaled him.
Backing up, Thierry was immediately forced to lazily dodge several thrown spears, before blocking the fifth with a small wall of flames, which he immediately sent towards Dondesheek. The man let out a small scoff before taking to the air with his wings. He made to taunt, but was cut off when the wall of flames suddenly changed direction and headed straight for the now air-borne fallen.
With a surprised yelp, the man barely managed to summon a shield of light to block the ferocious firestorm that followed him up several moments later. A huge explosion filled the sky, covering the surrounding several blocks' sky, polluting the air with hot ash and smoke.
A moment later and the air was cleared again by a shockwave as Dondesheek smashed into the middle of the road, leaving a small indentation where he crashed, along with several spider-web like cracks snaking away from the point of origin.
The man let out a groan that quickly turned into a yelp as a huge, red-hot fireball roared down from the sky with a furious vengeance. The Fallen Angle scrambled to his feet and dived out of the way just as the fire smashed into the road where he had stood not moments before. Diving back to his feet, Dondasheek brought another light-spear to bear and shakily stood in a basic stance as Thierry casually strolled from his owns flames.
'Poor fool is on his last legs…. I should finish this off…..and at least make it look realistic.' Thierry thought to himself as he flared the limited amount of reserves he was allowed to use in order to maintain his cover, summoning an large and imposing magical circle in-front of his body. The circle was easily large enough to cover his opponent, and Dondesheek flared what little magic his battered body could summon in an effort to protect himself from the gargantuan attack now directed at him.
However, before Thierry could burn the poor man alive, a spear of light flew past his head and before he could react, the French ex-patriot found himself diving to the left in order to avoid a mini barrage of light-based weaponry.
Landing on his feet, the young man turned his attention to the three new figures that had joined the fight.
The first was a short, petite blond girl who looked no older than thirteen years old and wore a gothic lotilla outfit, whilst her face was set in a somewhat sadistic grin as she watched her male comrade. The second woman was what one could only describe as a 'bomb-shell', long blue hair, angelic features, captivating violet eyes and a curvaceous and sexy figure that was barely covered by the short-cut trench coat and mini-skirt she wore.
The last woman though, was the one that truly caught his attention.
Like the second figure, she was far taller than her first companion and appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years of age. Her eyes were a gorgeous shade of violet and her hair as black as night. Her figure was literally the definition of 'sin' ; perfectly sized and proportional breasts and hips and absolutely flawless skin was only made even sexier by the scanty and rather revealing leather outfit she wore, as it served to only enhance her natural beauty.
Thierry, of course knew who they were (going from the short one to the sex-bomb): Mittelt, Kalawarmer and Raynare.
A tense standoff developed between the opposing sides as Dondesheek managed to force his broken and battered form into the air, precariously hanging next to his allies. Mittelt sneered at him as Kalawarmer grabbed his arms and threw one over her shoulder. Eventually after a few moments, the vindictive looking blond spoke up.
"Fuckin hell Dondesheek. I knew you were weak, but to get your arse handed to you by a human? I didn't think you could sink any lower!" She sneered at him, earning the petite blond a feeble attempt at the bird by the offended man, whilst Kalawarmer glowered at her.
"You seem to forget that two of our organisations strongest members are humans." She sneered at the girl, earning a glare from aforementioned girl. But before the pint-sized Fallen could retort, Raynare spoke up.
"Shut up, you fools! In case you haven't noticed, we've still got company. We'll deal with Dondesheek's insubordination later." She growled out, earning a nod from Kalawarmer and a huff from Mittelt. Turning her attention ground-wards, she found Thierry staring at the three of them with a bored look in his eyes.
"If you four are done having your domestic, I suggest you get out of 'ere."
"Or what?" Raynare growled as she summoned a spear of light into each hand. Thierry merely coated his arms in fire whilst narrowing his eyes.
"Well, aside from moi roasting you alive…"
"We'll have something to say about your presence here, fallen Angle-san."
'Perfect timing.'
Thierry turned his gaze slightly towards the newest voices and was greeted by the sight of Sona and Tsubaki standing next to her greatest friend and rival; Rias Gremory.
Kuoh academy's number one idol was truly a drop-dead gorgeous woman. A curvaceous figure (which was currently well accentuated by her tight-fitting uniform), gorgeous face and long, luscious hair that added a certain exotic air to her ensured that male (and sometimes female) heads turned wherever she went.
She was naturally followed by her peerage: her raven haired, curvaceous and drop-dead gorgeous Queen Akeno Himejima stood to her right. Her knight, the academy's resident blond, curvy and sexy princesses Yumi Kiba stood to the right whilst the school petiete white haired, petite mascot Koneko Tojou was in the process of a protesting Issei over her shoulder.
'Huh, must be a rook.' Thierry thought to himself off-handedly as he dusted his shoulder off lightly before speaking up.
"I waz wondering when 'ou would appear, Sitri-san, Gremory-san." He stated calmly, now refusing to allow his eyes to wonder away from his three opponents. After a tense few seconds, a magic circle sprung to life underneath the Fallen Angles and lead to them vanishing in a flash of light.
After a few moments, and he was certain they had actually gone, he let out a small breath and turned his gaze fully on the latest additions…and almost lashed out.
'It would be just so easy to kill them. All it would take is the wave of my hand and I could cripple the future of so many filthy devils…..' Subconsciously he began to build up his magical energy on a level they wouldn't be able to notice until it was too late.
'Their kind causes nothing but suffering and misery! All they do is ruin the lives of humans and then force them into their 'peerages' to serve as slaves….it's not right. I can make a difference here and free those poor brain-washed fools.'
'It would be so easy.'
'Calm down. Remember Azazel's orders; we are to ensure the survival of the Sitiri and Greymory groups no matter what. And no matter your personal feelings, no matter how unethical or deplorable….'
"Orders are orders." Thierry muttered to himself as he forced his magical power to recede back into the depths, closing his eyes and taking several deep and calming breaths in order to ensure he wouldn't start throwing magical spells around.
After several moments, Thierry opened his eyes and forced the persona of 'Pierr Dusitoir' to the surface as he spoke.
"Well az much as I love ze fresh air, I zink it would be prudent to go somewhere a little more private, non?"
(Half an hour later, Occult Research Club-room.)
Thierry sat in a chair in the main base of operations for the Gremory peerage in the old school building. It was designed in a very similar fashion to the Student Council's room; as in it looked like it belonged in a small country manor as opposed to a school building.
The room itself was a lot darker than the Student Council room, with only the west wall sporting large windows with seats (and were currently closed). The east wall was absolutely dominated by swathes upon swathes of books and book-cases, whilst the centre of the room was filled by three extremely plush and expensive sofas around a heavy oak table.
In the corner of the room was a door that apparently lead to the Greymory's private quarters in building, and (rather oddly) a shower and shower curtain.
Thierry sat with one arm on the arm of the sofa with its back to the window, propping his head up whilst his left hand drummed rhythmically against the back of his phone that was currently resting on his thigh. He, along with the entirety of the Greymory peerage and Sona and Tsubaki were currently packed into the room, with Koneko Tojou sitting to his right, Yumi and Tsubaki opposite him, Sona at the head sofa and Akeno off to the side preparing tea.
They were currently awaiting the return of the Greymory heiress and her pawn….and as was common in slightly tense situations, the room was currently permeated by a thick and somewhat uncomfortable near silence…..
Tap, Tap, Tap.
Tap, Tap.
Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap
Tap.
That would have been a full silence had Thierry stopped drumming on his phone.
Sona looked like she wanted to explode at the under-cover assassin, if her twitching eye-brow was anything to go by. However, before she could unload another verbal triad against Thierry, the door in the corner of the room opened to reveal a rather shell-shocked looking Issei and his new master, Rias Gremory.
'Huh, the bitch must have broken the news to him in-private so he didn't break-down in public and appear even more pathetic than he already is.' The right hand of Azazel mused to himself as the 'Crimson-haired Ruin princess' made her way over to the sofa and a comfortable seat next to her childhood friend/ rival (a dynamic that Thierry could not understand the mechanics behind) before turning her attention to Thierry.
"So, Dusitoir-san…."
"Do you mind if I speak in French?" He interjected immediately, earning a slightly annoyed look from Rias, but the young girl nodded none-the-less.
'If I'm going to be dealing with these pieces of scum, I may as well deal with them in a civilized tongue.' The young assassin thought to himself, happy to abuse the Devil's natural ability to speak and understand any language.
"So," Rias began again, "It would seem as if you are a rather accomplished magician, eh Dusitoir-san."
"That I am. Allow me to re-introduce myself," Here he paused as he put his phone in his pocket and stood up, coating his entire body in a thin veil of flames that flickered and danced around his form whilst summoning up the persona of Pierr.
"My name is Pierr Dusitoir; Kuoh town's resident master magician and expert kick-ass . At your service, Heir Greymory, Heir Sitri." His tone was as formal and refined as he could make it when addressing devils. After a moment he willed the flames to dissipate and returned to his seat; Rias giggling at his introduction and Sona rubbing the bridge of her nose whilst her lips quirked ever so slightly in amusement.
"Ara, Ara Dusitoir-kun, you have quite the opinion of yourself." Akeno commented teasingly as she began offering tea to everyone in the room, starting with Thierry, whilst Yumi chuckled to herself at the look on the young man's face.
"I don't have a high opinion of myself. I only state facts when I introduce myself." Pierr commented offhandedly, earning a giggle from Akeno, Yumi and Rias and a small smile from Tsubaki and Son. Akeno looked like she was ready to retort, but before she could say anything, Rias stepped in.
"As much fun as this is, I think we all know that we have slightly more pressing issues to deal with right now."
"Indeed." Thierry nodded in agreement, and all of a sudden Rias' expression hardened and Sona stiffened her posture and her thin smile vanished completely.
"Care to explain why a powerful magician who is obviously aware of who we are snuck into our school and tried to avoid detection?" Sona asked in a voice as cold as ice, whilst Rias nodded in agreement before adding her own two cents to the discussion.
"A brilliant magician who tried to play off his own powers and skills by pretending to be a human with the potential to be brilliant." Rias added whilst narrowing her eyes slightly. Thierry let out a small sigh as he looked around the room, taking note of the various members of Rias' peerage as they tensed up in what he assumed they thought was a 'subtle' manner, whilst Sona and Rias tried to 'subtly' gather their demonic power, whilst Issei sat there literally frozen to the spot by the rising hostility in the room.
Thierry had to restrain himself from lashing out at them with his own absolutely crushing magical pressure; after all…..
'Orders are Orders….no matter how I feel about them.'
So, taking a deep breath, the greatest weapon of the Grigori waited for several seconds before forcing 'Pierr' to diffuse the situation.
"Mah~ you guys need to relax. It wasn't so I could kill you ('Unfortunately'), but simply avoid any attempts by you to add me to your peerage straight away."
"Why?" Sona asked immediately. Thierry turned his bored gaze towards her before he replied.
"Because I didn't know your characters. I didn't want to come in shouting 'Oi, potentially manipulative and evil devil-women; I, the awesome Pierr Dusitoir, a wonderful magician, shall be attending you school!'. It could have landed me in a shit-tone of trouble."
"Why not go elsewhere?"
"Unlike you, I need to get through school here in the human world. And I refuse to get a second-class education."
The two devil heiresses appeared rather surprised by his apparent honesty. It wasn't an out and out lie but it wasn't the whole truth…and that was why it was so easy to convince these fools. By telling a technical half-truth, Thierry would stop himself from displaying a 'tell' (the giveaway everyone has when they lie), and thus avoid any further suspicion.
He watched as Rias' expression softened a little and a small smile played at her rouged lips.
"Makes sense, I suppose. What do you think Sona?"
The Sitiri heiress kept her eyes trained on the young man in question for several more moments before nodding her head.
"I agree. It looks like Dusitoir-san is telling the truth."
Thierry smirked inwardly to himself as they brought his act; hook, line and sinker.
'Too easy.' He thought to himself, but before he could begin mentally insulting the devils surrounding him, Thierry was brought out of his mind by the voice of the gorgeous Gremory heiress, much to the chagrin of her childhood friend.
"So, Dusitoir-san, now that's dealt with, I have another question."
"What?"
"Will you join my peerage?"
Almost immediately, Pierr's entire frame tensed and his breathing hitched in his throat; before his mind exploded in a fit of anger.
'That…..that…THAT LITTLE FUCKING BITCH! HOW DARE SHE TRY TO TAINT MY BLOOD WITH HER KIND'S FILTH! I'LL FUCKING KILL HER! I'LL RIP THEIR HEADS OFF AND SEND THEM TO THEIR GOD-DAMNED PARENTS!' His entire form was subtly shaking and his hands had clenched his fists, doing everything he possibly could to keep his face clear of any form of rage or hatred. However, it proved to be a losing battle as he slowly felt his body subtly building up his magical energy and he felt his facial muscles twitch closer and closer to an angry snarl.
Despite the apoplectic rage boiling beneath the surface, the young magician/assassin managed to keep his voice neutral as he spoke.
"I….must decline your offer for now and the foreseeable future."
Downing what was left of his tea and getting to his feet, the right-hand of Azazel swiftly made his way to the door before calling over his shoulder.
"Thank you for the tea, but I have several new formulas at home I need to finish."
And with that he closed the door and made his way to the exit, before sprinting off into the night-time.
(1 hour later, Underground training facility, Thierry's base in Kuoh.)
BOOM!
BOOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Had the room Thierry Blanc been in not hand numerous built-in seals, the entirety of Kuoh town would have been in uproar as the ground would have been shaking with the intensity of a class 5 earthquake.
The reason?
One extremely pissed-off French assassin.
Currently, Thierry was abusing the terrain of his personal training facility (an adaptable environment simulator that was currently set to a rather bland, rocky-desert look). The entire floor had been virtually obliterated by the last spell the young man had launched as he continued to vent his rage at the words of Rias.
'Will you join my peerage?'
'Like FUCK will I!' The young Frenchman roared in his mind as he unleashed another gargantuan wave of white-hot flames at a rocky formation some fifty meters away. The attack carved a trench into the ground as it roared towards it target at impossible speeds before colliding with the formation.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Thierry growled as a gargantuan cloud of dust and debris rolled towards him. With a flick of his left hand, a huge air-current collided with the impending cloud and dispersed it with little effort, revealing the crater left in the wake of Thierry's rage-induced attack. It was some twenty meters wide and about eight or nine deep, and plenty of the near-silver flames were still burning in small patches throughout the crater.
'Who does she think she is to try and enslave me! I am a human and that is that. I don't want to taint my blood with something as scummy as a devils', why would anyone sane of thought?' A small part of Thierry's mind argued that there was nothing malicious or evil behind the girls offer; but it wouldn't be heard whilst Thierry was in this state.
Hell, nothing logical would reach Thierry when he got like this. Sure he hated Devils and Angles, the stupid and the weak. But to work Thierry into the state he was in right now, you really had to know what angered him as a person. And as far as lists go, it was a very short one:
Devil reincarnation.
His old life.
The death of his master.
Each one of them set his blood alight and turned his vision red for hours, sometimes days on end. Each one of those things had caused incalculable amounts of damage to Thierry, either physiologically, physically or both. Each one turned the normally cold and calculating young man into a snarling, raging, blood-thirsty beast hell-bent on slaughtering those who dragged up his most painful memories.
And given the state he was in right now….
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
It was going to be quite some time before he finally calmed down enough to think logically.
(A week later, outside Kuoh academy; end of the day)
Thierry set off from his final lesson a lot quicker than he usually did today, intent on getting home as quickly as possible in order to avoid the action that was going to break out tonight.
After spending almost two days letting off steam in his training facility, Thierry re-surfaced and went back to school, where Sona grilled him as to his where-bout's for the school-days he had missed, he simply deflected by claiming he had to finish several important magical theorems and simply lost track of time (hence his slightly haggard appearance). At first it looked like the girl wasn't going to buy it at all, but after a while she relented and treated him as normal; something that he was grateful for after the Gremory's question, even if he would never admit it.
And whilst it was obvious that she wished to have him as a member of her peerage, she respected his request and kept quiet….unlike Gremory.
Thierry had lost count of the number of times he had almost incinerated the girl as she continued to try and make up 'lost ground' in an effort to secure his loyalty. Several times, Sona had stepped in and started an argument with her rival in what seemed like an effort to give Thierry a chance to make a break for it….again something that he was grateful for (in some very dark, dank and closed off portion of his fractured and unstable mind).
After the second day she backed-off, and Thierry was able to keep his ear to the ground again.
It turned out that the Hyodo boy had managed to run into a former Nun by the name of Asia Argento; the wielder of the sacred gear Twilight healing. The idiot had then proceeded to guide her to the local church, before discovering during a botched contract that she was now the prisoner of the local Fallen Angle contingent.
Running into one-another again the following day, the two had 'hung-out' before Asia was collected by Millet and Dondesheek (who had given Hyodo quite the ass-kicking.).
Earlier today, the boy had tried to get his master to launch an attack against the church in-order to rescue his friend; but she had refused due to the potential political ramifications (which was actually a fair enough reason, Thierry would grudgingly admit), even if the girl was to be sacrificed in order to extract her sacred gear.
Tonight.
However, the perverted idiot had managed to somehow convince Yumi Kiba and Koneko Tojou into a hair-brained rescue plan.
Hence Thierry's accelerated pace. He knew that aside from Raynare, none of the recon team was strong enough to take down the Gremory group individually, and as such, if he wanted to recover them before they were killed, he'd have to move out right away.
However, before he could break away and set off at a jog to his house, he was stopped by a surprisingly strong grip.
Looking to his right, Thierry had to suppress a snarl of frustration as Koneko held onto his arm and Yumi and Issei stood off to the side. The brown-haired pervert moved forward slightly as he began speaking.
"Dusitoir-san, I know you're not a member of Bucchou's peerage, but we could really do with your help." He stated sombrely. Thierry forced himself to adopt his operational persona, and nodded his head ever so slightly, indicating for the boy to go on.
He went on a five or so minute re-counting of the past few days, irritating Thierry deeply with his inane comments and tendency to stray onto perverted topics (which Koneko punished with punches/kicks/stomps). Eventually though, after the newly discovered Red-Dragon-Emperor had finished, Thierry could only offer one reply.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot help 'ou." He told the young boy with as much fake sincerity as he could muster. Hyodo looked at the right-hand of Azazel with absolute shock and disbelief before his face contorted into a rage-fuelled expression.
"H….how…..how the hell can you say that you bastard!" He roared, earning a small sigh from the young French ex-patriot, before speaking up.
"Hyodo you 'ave to understand my position. As a solo, uncontracted magician, I cannot afford to get caught up in ze affairs of the three factions."
"WHY THE HELL NOT?"
"Because Dusitoir-san would essentially be signing his own death warrant." Yumi intoned seriously, her face dark and her normally gorgeous features scrunched up into a scowl, earning a confused look from Issei and a 'thankful' one from Thierry. Yumi looked to Koneko, who continued the explanation in her usual monotone.
"Because Pervert-Senpai ("Oi!"), Dusitoir-Senpai is not affiliated to any faction."
"So?"
"So if I get involved I may as well stick a fucking neon sign above my 'ead saying 'kill me'. Zis is a faction dispute, and because I don't belong to any of them I can be killed without reprisal." Thierry added bluntly, earning a shocked look from Issei.
"Eh? But surely Prez would help if you asked!"
"Why would she? I'm a nobody to her. I'm not a member of her peerage nor am I contracted to her, so I will find no solace from her or Sitri-san." He explained slowly, earning a flabbergasted look from Hyodo.
With a small sigh, he (reluctantly) patted the boy on the shoulder as he walked past …
"Like I said, I'm zorry."
(Three hours later, abandoned church, Outskirts of Kuoh)
Issei Hyodo collapsed to his knees as his one-time girlfriend and killer, Raynare, smashed into the opposite wall with a sickening thud before slowly slipping to the floor whilst his
'Finally, some justice.' Issei thought to himself as he let out a contented sigh, slipping down next to a Pugh with a small smile gracing his features…..even though he had failed Asia….. he'd at least done something right for once and dealt with that bitch once and for all. He sat there for a while, enjoying the silence as he waited for his comrades to finish up, allowing his mind to slowly break down as the impact of not only his success but also his failure finally, truly caught up to him.
It started off with little more than a single tear, but before long it was a full-blown river flowing from both his eyes. He didn't make a single sound as he sat there, tears pouring down his face as he silently wept.
He wept for his fucked-up first love.
He wept for his lost humanity.
But most of all….
He wept for Asia.
"I'm so sorry…." He mumbled to himself as he buried his face into his knees and wrapped his arms around them. He had been that girls first true friend, her ONLY friend and he had let her down when she truly needed him. He'd felt so useless when he'd seen her upon on that cross as Raynare extracted her Sacred Gear, and even more so when he saw her eyes as the light left them.
"Damn it all."
"Indeed, it hasn't exactly been a great night, has it." A distinctly female voice called out, causing Issei to break out of his lamenting.
His master, Rias Gremory stood there with the rest of her peerage, each of them with an understanding look plastered on their face, even the normally stoic Koneko's façade had cracked ever so slightly and a look of understanding passed over her eyes.
Forcing his battered body to its feet, Issei caught himself on the Pugh before having his arm thrown over Yumi's shoulder. Rias smiled slightly at the sight before her eyes turned towards the fallen form of Raynare and her look hardened.
"And now there's only one thing left to do."
Marching straight over to the Fallen's form, Rias indicated for her queen to wake their final 'target' of the night up. A quick splash of water later and the young woman was wide-awake and her eyes wide with fear. Rias' eyes narrowed and her aura quickly began building.
"Fallen Angle Raynare, for your actions against my peerage, you have condemned yourself to death. Do you have any final words?" She asked in a tone as cold as ice, freezing Issei solid. The pathetic young Fallen's face fell as she looked at the floor; as if she had lost everything that truly mattered in her word.
"Just do it."
With a nod, the 'Crimson-haired ruin princess' unleashed a wave of the infamous Bael power of destruction; a wave of pure black and red energy that began consuming everything and anything in its path, causing Raynaray to close her eyes and await her impending doom.
Time seemed to slow as the energy crept within two meters of the girl. But before it had a chance to strike her form, another figure flickered into existence in-front of her, and with his right hand, formed a magical circle before batting the wave of destruction away as it were a mere annoyance.
Every single person of the Gremory peerage stood there with wide eyes as the took in the appearance of this new-comer.
His figure was powerfully built and towered over everyone else in the room at 6'3. His muscular frame was clad in black, fire-proof covers and his torso, shoulders and arms protected by Samurai looking armour. His face was completely hidden by a Ninja-style mask with a skull painted on the metal face-plate covering his lower face and his eyes concealed by a pair of blacked-out ballistic goggles.
Eventually, after what seemed like an age, the young devils recovered enough from their shock to ready themselves for battle. Yumi summoned one of her many demonic swords (whilst dropping Issei to the floor), Akeno charged lightning around her form and Koneko lifted a Pugh to throw, whilst Rias coldly started down the newest threat in the room.
"Who are you?" She immediately demanded, her voice taking on a steely edge that Issei thought impossible for his kind and warm master. It was the sort of tone of voice that would freeze the souls of almost anyone and make their will crumble faster than a house of cards in the wind. But despite this, it appeared as if this new-comer was completely unaffected as he responded in an accent Issei couldn't identify.
"Don't point those poxy weapons at me." He growled in a voice that was barely above a whisper, causing Issei's blood to freeze in terror. He thought he had felt fear when he had been at deaths door, when Dondesheek had attacked him and he had fought Raynare; but none of this compared to the fear he felt as this thing unleashed its presence.
It was as if the source of all the fear and angst; hatred and rage had wrapped itself around Issei's soul and was slowly choking what little bravery the young man had out of his body. Ever sense was dulled to the world around him like he had stood in the bitter cold of winter for too long; save for when they were focused upon the masked figure.
'What…..what is this feeling? Why do I feel so afraid…so alone? Why am I so scared? He's just one man! I, I can't move…..oh fuck…..why can't I feel anything! What the hell is going on!' Issei's body broke out into a heavy sweat as his entire from began shivering from the oppressive aura, his body literally shutting down in an effort to preserve his mind from the psychological damage the aura was beginning to inflict on the Boosted-Gear wielder.
However, as a light made itself vaguely present in his line of sight, Issei Hyodo felt the fear of hell itself slowly seep from the room like tainted blood from a wound; agonizingly slowly.
Slowly but surely.
Following a flash of light, the feeling began to fade at a much greater rate, thus allowing Issei's sense and bodily functions to return…and as he became aware of his terror-struck comrades and the surrounding area, Issei couldn't help but notice one thing.
The masked figure and Raynare were gone.
A/N:
Annnnnnnnnnnnnd done.
Yeah, I went there. Fem! Kiba for the win guys!
To be honest I had planned on leaving Yuuto as a secure (if somewhat annoying) man, but after careful consideration (and a need to fuck with your heads), I decided that this would be a good thing for the story. Fem! Kiba is one that often goes unused in terms of gender-bendings in fanfiction and I have never truly understood why.
Gender-bend Sasuke and you're a frickin' genius.
Gender-bend Yuuto Kiba and you're a fucking monster.
Well I've stuck my neck out, now it's just time to see the response. Aside from that the only other thing that has me worried (much like last time) is the condensing of an entire arc into one chapter. The Raiser arc is spread out across four chapter at the moment, and is set for release either tomorrow or Sunday (depending) as a complete set if you guys would like it! I will put up a pol for you guys and leave it for 16 or so hours before I make my decision.
But, anyways, enough on my worrying for now.
You've just seen a new ability of Thierry's that you've not seen before, so, I've decided to create a little 'armoury' where you can have a detailed explanation of abilities of those I don't cover in the story.
So here it is:
ARMOURY:
DEAD-MAN'S AURA: This is an ability unique to Thierry. Unlike the vast majority of the Supernatural world who use 'Killer Intent', our Frenchman uses a far more devastating and terrifying technique.
The Dead-Man's Aura is the literal projection of the accumulated fear, pain, rage and hatred that Thierry has experienced over his life-time. Had he not lived the life he has, this technique wouldn't be a millionth as effective as it actually is. If unleashed to its fullest potential and directed enough by Thierry at a weak opponent, he can literally drive a weak-willed or powered opponent to suicide.
To date, only Thierry and his deceased master are thought to have been able to use this ability.
Pretty neat ability, huh?
Don't worry, this is only one of Thierry's wide-ranging and powerful abilities. Nothing else needs covering for now, so I'll put a cap on that and move onto the next tid-bit for this A/N.
Harems.
As promised, below is Issei's harem. Hopefully this will allow you to start guessing Thierry's harem.
Issei's Harem:
Asia
Rias
Koneko
Irina
Xenovia
Le Fay
Jeanne
Tsubasa
As with Thierry this is subject to change if I feel different dynamics will work better or you guys aggravate me enough….but I am dead set of several members of Thierry's harem. Not just because I love the characters (although that plays a part), but because it works for the plot….
And as for Thierry, I don't have any updates for you…for now.
Now with all of that done, all I have left is to say is; Tell me what went well and what went not so well by dropping a review. If you want to keep up with the story then perhaps drop a fave or a like (or maybe even both).
And of course, Keep it real like a Ninja.
Peace,
MetalGearMantis.