Chapter 31: Xertic vs. "The 8th Circle of Hell
Hey guys, happy new year, Merry Christmas, all that jazz! God I took such a long break, I'm sorry. You haven't see me in a year! ... If you didn't get the joke I posted in 2015 and now its 2016. I'll stop now. I really am trying to get these out weekly, and on the Sunday time period, so as a present, an even longer chapter! *applause* no one is clapping Absol, stop... By the way, I know no one has mentioned this, maybe you haven't noticed, but I often got confused on the Xertic/Asuna- Sao Gap. It's been 5 years, not three. Just going to set that straight. On with the show!
Shouzou opens the door and steps aside.
"She's waiting for you, good luck, kiddo." Xertic nods once, thanking him, but slightly scowling at being called a kid when he was literally billions of years older than this man.
Well if you were in a different form, then dating Asuna would be pedophilia… Wait isn't it that anyway? The sound of someone clearing their thought snapped Xertic back from his thoughts.
"Sit." Kyouko did not seem to be in the mood to argue, and frankly neither was Xertic, at least not yet. He sits down on the couch across from her, sighing.
"If you can hurry this conversation up, I have to bring my lady to school." Kyouko glares daggers at him.
"Oh, enough of this 'my lady' nonsense. You have no right to speak of my daughter as some… Queen." Xertic stares down at his cast.
"Actually, I do. We have an unspoken contract. I follow her orders and in return don't kill her. It's a simple process," he replies bluntly.
"I don't care. Do you have any idea what having a demon in your life does to a person's reputation?"
"Actually, yes. Mrs. Yuuki, forgive me, but you are giving me absolutely no goddamn reason why I can't date your daughter." Kyouko grits her teeth.
"That! Your vulgarity, your lack of finance, the fact that you kill people for fun! You're nothing but a sadistic low-life trying to get with someone in a higher class!" Xertic holds up a hand.
"What makes you think I have no finances?" He stands up and walks over to an emerald on the mantle above the fireplace. "Gift?"
"From my grandmother, what of it?" Xertic snaps his fingers and a portal opens up next to him. He reaches in and pulls out an exact replica of the emerald, which he holds up.
"The one you have his fake, this is the real one." Xertic barely contained his laughter at Kyouko's face. "It sounds crazy, but every emerald you see is fake. I own them all. Obsessive collecting, I'm afraid. So yes, I do have finances." He closes the portal and sits down.
"H-how… How can you possibly own every single emerald?!" Xertic leans on his hand.
"In due time. Now, I'm going to make this very clear." He suddenly stands up again and glares at her, the lights of the house dimming. "You, Mrs. Yuuki, as a human, are lower class, not me. I intend on staying by Asuna's side until the end. Her life is my life, I will protect her for all eternity, and I will not let a low life human tell me how to live my life and who I can and cannot interact with. Are. We. Clear?" He towers of her, his face an inch from hers.
"Y-you… Brat… Don't you dare threaten me!" The sound of a hand hitting skin made Shouzou look into the room to see what was happening. Xertic was on the ground, holding his cheek where Kyouko's hand had struck him. The force wasn't what made him fall, but the sudden outburst startled him. He let's put a low growl, his broken hand turning a black shade.
"Xertic!" The sound of Asuna's voice made both of them look over to the doorway. Asuna held her school bag, and was looking at Xertic. She runs to him and helps him up. The boy takes a step back, his arm soon linked with her elbow. "Why did you do that?!"
Kyouko was standing firm, her expression taut. "If you think I will let this scum talk to me like this, you have another thing coming." Xertic eyes his girlfriend, barely holding himself back.
"Asuna…" Asuna places her hand over his and takes a breath.
"Mom, I'm 18 now, and I don't need you running my life. Can we please just stop this? Xertic isn't going to hurt anyone, and I love him, and only him! You're not going to change my mind. All of these… These damn suitors are not what I want!" It would be a lie to say that Kyouko wasn't shocked by her daughter's defiance. Xertic looks down at Asuna through the corner of his eye for a moment before looking back at Kyouko.
"My intentions in this world are only to hide, to live with you humans. I don't want to go back to my old realm. You must listen to her..." Asuna's mother exhales sharply.
"Fine, I will give you one more chance, boy. Do not screw it up." Xertic smiles.
"Thank you, i apologize for any inconvenience. " He nudges his head to the door, and the two exit the room. Shouzou places a hand on Xertic's shoulder.
"Asuna, can I steal your boyfriend for a second?" He leads the boy into the other room. "Close the doors, I don't want Asuna hearing this and worrying." Xertic nods once and quietly shuts the door.
"What is it, sir?" He asks quietly. Shouzou sighs and takes a sip from his coffee cup.
"I don't want to sound bad here. Really, I think that you're one of the best things to have happened to my daughter, and I thank you for that. But, I want you to keep in mind of something. I am laid back, but I have standards," Xertic swallows nervously, not knowing where he was going with this. "The little event this morning, I can let it slide because you have proven that you aren't in control. But, don't let something like that happen again… Just… Make sure she's safe, alright? And you must be too."
"I understand. I promise, I won't disappoint you," Xertic responds, bowing his head. Shouzou pats him on the back.
"Good man, then I will let you get back to Asuna. And don't worry about her mother, she knows that Asuna will grow up. She just hasn't realized that she already has." Xertic thanks him again and rejoins the teenage girl outside by his car.
"I almost killed her, but we are in the clear, for now." Asuna sighs in relief, taking his hand.
"I'm surprised she didn't get at me for swearing, I guess the situation made her hearing a little hazy. Anyway, we should go before I'm late." Xertic opens the car door and climbs into the seat, turning on the engine.
"I have to get back for Yui's lessons, as well. So let's get a move on." He pulls out of the driveway and drives towards the school.
-SAO Survivor School, 8 a.m.-
Xertic closes the door and looks out towards his car to a group of boys. They were each around 17, and the one in the middle was heavily built. He walks over to Xertic and looks him in the eye, both of them being the same height.
"You have some explaining to do, demon." The boy growls, his hands balled in fists.
"Whatever your reason for being angry with me is, I am most likely not the cause," Xertic says calmly, pushing him back.
"Oh really? My little brother is in the hospital because of… That thing you turned into. His injuries are your fault, and I want revenge." The other boys surround Xertic, who still had a calm and collected expression.
"I am terribly sorry for your brother, and I will personally pay my respects to him, but I was not the one who hurt him. I can lead you to the people at fault, if you wi-" a fist connects with his cheek, making him fall to the ground.
"Don't give me any excuses!" The boy raises his foot, ready to stomp on Xertic's back.
"Akio? What are you doing?" The group of boys look over at Kazuto, who had gone outside to check out the situation as requested by his teacher.
"Stay out of this, I'm showing this paranormal freak what it's like to live with a hurt family member." He brings his foot down, but Xertic had recovered from the punch long before. He grabs the foot and pulls, dragging Akio to the ground and pinning him with his knee.
"You asked for this, picking a fight with a demon." He snarls at the other boys and the back away. "Kirito, get a teacher." Kazuto nods and runs back into the building as Akio struggles.
"This is what you are, a murderous freak. I wonder how that bitch can stand to date you." Xertic brings his hand with a cast down and places it on Akio's chest.
"Your soul is very dirty, I don't know why. But, if you call Asuna that name one more time your disgusting soul will not be in your body anymore. I am sorry about your brother, I really am. But don't get held up on grudges, they only hurt you in the end." He punches Akio directly in the nose, causing him to cry out in pain, and stands up, looking over at the door. Kazuto had opened it and was motioning him to hide.
Xertic looks at the other boys and holds a finger up to his lips before stepping into the shadow next to him, melting inside it.
"What happened? Seijirou, what the heck are you doing out of class? Someone get the nurse." The teacher already began barking orders as he holds the boy in his arms.
"It's another attack."
"You think he did it?"
"Unless Kazuto-san beat up this kid, probably." Kazuto leans back next to the shadow.
"You wouldn't believe how much torment Asuna has been taking today. She was the nicest girl in school, and now only Liz, Silica and I speak to her. Everyone is being so… Ignorant." He balls up a hand into a fist.
"This is terrible, I should have killed that stupid parasite when I had the chance… I'll talk to her after school." Xertic steps out of the shadow, removing his glasses and putting on a top hat and cloak. "Thanks for looking out for her, black swordsman." He silently walks up to the group of students and pushes past them. He walks up to his car, climbs in, and drives away, leaving Akio to be dealt with by the nurse.
-Xertic's house, 9 am-
Drake takes the cloak and jacket from his master.
"How was the meeting?" Xertic puts his glasses back on.
"We're in the clear for now. Drake, find the name Seijirou in the hospital files, and tell me which hospital the name turns up in. I wish to visit the patient later." Drake bows.
"As you wish." Xertic walks into the study to find Yui already reading a book on the history of the world.
"Getting a head start? That's good, very good." Yui smiles at her father, swinging her legs.
"I didn't read too much, I wanted to save all of the fun of teaching for you!" She stands up and jumps into her father's arms.
"Aw, you know me too well. Now then, how far have you gotten?" Yui looks at the book again.
"Only up to Rome, not very far." Xertic nods and sits down at his desk.
"Then we will start there, with my good friend Julius Caesar. A shame that man had to die, that man was brilliant."
-Sao Survivor School, 2:30 pm-
Classes had finally ended, and all Asuna wanted to do was leave. The amount of hateful glares that she received, the rude comments people made, was starting to get to her. 5 times she had excused herself from the classroom to bury herself away from everything. Teachers were not as bad as the students, but she could tell some were reluctant to speak to her.
"No, I can't be like this, I don't want Xertic to come to me yet… I have to be strong…" Asuna felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"Asuna! Wait!" Rika had caught up to her best friend, heavily breathing from how much she ran. "There you are, I've been worried about you! I can see that you really don't need to use the bathroom twice during Literature." Asuna sighs.
"Liz, I… I hate this, I know I shouldn't say this but… Why am I the one being targeted? I tried to save him, and now I'm paying the price…" Rika sighs.
"It sounds cruel, but I know what you mean. Xertic doesn't seem too affected by this, huh?" Asuna looks out the window.
"He just… Doesn't seem to care that the world knows anymore. I don't know, I probably sound like an awful girlfriend for saying this," she says, looking down sadly.
"How are you an awful girlfriend?" The look down the hall to see the one both of them were talking about leaning against the lockers. Rika knew that the conversation following this shouldnt involve her, so she whispsrs in Asuna's ear.
"Come by Agil's later, we'll discuss this." And she runs off. Asuna closes her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I know this is hard for you."
"Asuna, if anything this has been my worst experience on Earth. If you have been facing all of this torment, why didn't you call for me?" Xertic pushes off the lockers and puts his hand on her shoulder, looking away with grief.. "Have been a terrible servant…?"
"No, no, Xertic you're doing just fine." Asuna quickly shakes her head. "I wanted to be strong, and endure it, but it got to be too much." Xertic brushes a lock of hair behind her hair, making Asuna blush.
"That's why I exist, Asuna, to love and care for you. Earlier today, I got in a fight with a student because I hurt his brother during my mur... attack. Humans have been calling me a freak everywhere I go, and I know that the police are looking for a chance to arrest me." Asuna buries her face in his neck.
"Why can't people leave us alone, why must you fight all of these enemies, both human, demon, and angel?" Xertic runs his hand through her hair, chuckling.
"Because I'm Xertic Ravenclaw, grandson of Satan. It came with the job description," he jokes, sticking his tongue out through his jagged daggers for teeth. "Seriously though, it's because of what I am, nothing else. Imagine if I were human, Asuna. So many things would be different," he takes a step back from her and lifts up his right hand.
"This symbol is my burden, but it's who I am. And with that comes consequences… Consequences I'm not ready for…" Asuna places both of her hands on his cheeks, cupping Xertic's face.
"You don't always have to be a devil, you know. There are ways to change," she says, smiling affectionately. Xertic looks away.
"No, I can't. 3 and a half billion years of sin cannot change. All that can change is what I do with what's leftover," he locks eyes with Asuna, wrapping both arms around her waist and pulling her close.
"I promised you, m'lady, that I would protect you forever. There will not be a time when I allow you to die on me. You are my human, my soul to guard, until the end," He slowly forms a devious smirk, placing his right hand on her stomach. "As I am your demon." Asuna moves her hand to his symbol.
"I never said you had to stop serving me. Don't run too far away, dear." She whispers in his ear. Xertic spins around and peers back over his shoulder.
"Come along, Rika mentioned something about Agil's?" Asuna takes his hand and Xertic swings her into a bridal position, spreading his wings and flying away from the school.
I almost put "like the majestic gary sue demon he is" at that last line. Ah, Im just terrible to my OCs... Thanks for sticking with me, and give me some comments on what I did right and wrong. Like ive said before, I dont care if you comment or not, its just noce to see feedback. Good night all!