The Battle Never Ends

by Arthain

The Tyrant had surpassed death once before. This time wouldn't have been any different save for the determination of one young man and his desire to protect all that he cared for. But what should have been the end instead became a new beginning. A beginning somewhere else. A beginning where Night Raid was still needed.

15. An Old Friend

Note on Hikaru: There was no gender-bender. There's a reason why she blushed in the prologue when Tatsumi said he never wanted to use his 'real' ability against the people he cared about. I also choose a gender-neutral game specifically for this reason. Everything about her will be further expanded upon in due time.

Random Note: I'll be the at the Anime North Convention in Toronto this weekend buying more manga than my budget can really support from the dealer's room and trying to squeeze my way into all the amazing panels it has like I do every year.

An Anime Convention is truly a great experience. Anyone interested in anime, like seriously interested, should go to at least one convention in their life. Being surrounded by tens of thousands of people that share your interest is an experience that can't adequately be explained with words. I've been going for fifteen years and even now, in my thirties, it's just as amazing as it was when I was in my teens. There's really nothing else like it. You can talk about virtually any anime in any way and people don't just accept you, they get it. They often join in with their own experiences. It's amazing. Arriving early to get into a line to get into a panel isn't such a chore if you spend the entire time talking about anime.

Chapter 14: An Old Friend

The sound of sizzling meat filled the kitchen as Tatsumi worked over the stove. He had seven salmon fillets frying on a steel black skillet in half an inch of olive oil. A mixture of onion and garlic powder with paprika, thyme and cayenne pepper sat in a small bowl just to the side. It filled the kitchen with a delicious aroma that reminded Tatsumi of his mother's cooking. It was a spice rub she used to put on fish whenever she cooked it.

Tatsumi maintained a hands-off approach to the fish until the coloring change had made its way three-quarters up the flesh. Then he quickly threw on some more of the spice rub and flipped the fillets over. He waited a couple more minutes for the fish to cook all the way before taking them off the skillet with a pair of chop sticks, setting them carefully down upon a bed of seasoned white rice in a bento box. Three boxes in total meant each one got two fillets.

The seventh fillet was for his assistant, the adorable Koneko who had graciously accepted to taste test his food. The short girl was patiently waiting at his side, dressed in her usual Kuoh Academy female uniform, staring eagerly at the fillet. Her hair was still damp and uncombed from the earlier bath she'd taken after their usual morning workout. She'd been that eager to get into the kitchen to watch him cook.

Tatsumi placed the seasoned fillet on a small white plate and handed it to the eager girl. "Here you go, what do you think?"

She didn't even bother with chop sticks. She just picked it up and took a large bite. That first bite sent waves of happiness across her face. "It's good!" Koneko said as she munched on the fish fillet. She didn't seem to notice how hot it was still. That girl could ignore just about anything for good tasting food.

"Comparable to my mother's?" Tatsumi asked.

"Could taste yourself?" Koneko said, graciously offering half of the fillet he had given her.

"It's fine," he couldn't taste anything. "You've got a better tongue than I."

Koneko nodded and happily munched down the rest of the fillet. "Really good, but not as good. Not enough garlic, too much pepper."

"I'll make note of that for next time," Tatsumi promised. It was difficult to reproduce his mother's cooking going off smell alone. Koneko had been a total life saver in that regard. Her tongue was sensitive enough she could identify the individual spices used, and how much.

"…maybe mix better?" Koneko offered, "need to taste another to be sure."

Tatsumi swatted her hand as she reached for the bento boxes. "You can confirm at lunch time."

"Mew…"

"Don't give Tatsumi any trouble, Koneko," Sona said as she stepped into the kitchen. She looked much better than yesterday. She was washed, dressed, and looked rather refreshed. The lines of stress that had marred her features yesterday were nowhere to be found. She made her way to his side and looked over his shoulder at the bento box lunches. "That smells quite wonderful, Tatsumi."

It was always nice to hear that. "Koneko is actually a big help."

"I'm a good taste tester," Koneko said proudly.

"And a very willing one, no doubt," Sona returned dryly. Tatsumi didn't mind. Those were usually the best ones to have. Those that were enthusiastic about their role performed best. Sona's eyes briefly flickered over the three bento boxes. "I do not see a lunch for Bennia."

((I'm fine! Tatsumi already asked me earlier if I wanted one.)) Bennia called out from across the kitchen. She was sitting at the table typing away at a laptop in front of her. ((I need to watch my girlish figure.))

Sona's face softened noticeably. "You understand the struggle."

((You bet I do!)) Bennia said before glaring daggers at Koneko, ((Stupid black hole kitten.))

"Your loss, more food for me," Koneko said happily, not the least bit perturbed by the daggers being glared at her by both Sona and Bennia.

Tatsumi just laughed as he added the finishing touches to the box lunches. A few garnishes here, a lemon slice there, and it was done! He quickly placed the lids on them to help keep them warm throughout the day.

"I'm going to hold onto your lunch for now, Koneko," Tatsumi said as he piled hers atop his. "The last couple times you ate it before lunch ever came around."

"…won't eat it. I promise."

"You said that yesterday too."

"Mew…" Koneko whimpered, crestfallen.

Tatsumi just patted Koneko comfortingly. As much as he wanted to sympathize with her and let her have her lunch, she needed to learn some self-control. It wasn't going to come from Rias, that was certain. He picked up the two boxes and handed the third to Sona who graciously accepted it.

"Sona, can you take me to the Underworld this Sunday?" Tatsumi asked. It was probably too much to think she'd let him go on a weekday.

Sona dropped the bento box in surprise. She just barely regained her composure quickly enough to catch the box before it hit the ground. Koneko was already preparing to do a life saving leap to catch it.

She adjusted her glasses on her nose and leveled her gaze on him. "May I ask why, Tatsumi? It is highly irregular for a human to be taken there and considering your animosity towards my kind as a whole I'm afraid there will need to be some sort of purpose behind your visit. I don't want to wake up to find out you've depopulated a small town."

That was certainly a possibility on any other day but he had a purpose this time and he wasn't going to jeopardize that for the fleeting satisfaction of slaughtering hundreds of devils that may or may not have ever seen a human.

Tatsumi turned to his little Grim Reaper. "Bennia?"

((It's because of her)) Bennia said as she did a few quick swipes on the laptop before she turned it around so Sona could see the screen. There was a single image comprised of two smaller ones sitting side-by-side. The first was the picture Bennia had shown Tatsumi yesterday. The second was a picture of Hikaru taken during the Kendo Competition. With the two pictures side-by-side it was even easier to notice the resemblance.

Sona adjusted her glasses and peered intently at the picture. It took her all of two seconds to figure it out. "I can now understand your desire to go to the Underworld. To think Hikaru, your Kendo rival, would be a devil…" She straightened and gave him a curious look. "But has she always been a devil or was she turned into one?"

"That's one of the reasons I want to find her. You've proven to me that not all devils are pure evil, so I wish to give her the chance to explain herself."

To be honest, Tatsumi was fairly certain it was the former. He'd known Hikaru since they were both seven years old. They'd started Kendo at the same time and had kept practicing together until her disappearance just after the tournament. Everything he knew about her screamed 'human' and 'normal.' Looking back on Sona and Rias in hindsight, he could see the signs that Sona and Rias were something more than human. Those same signs didn't exist around his memories of Hikaru. Then there was the effort she had put into her kendo. It had simply been too genuine, too driven, for it to be anything but exactly what it had seemed. It just didn't make any sense for a devil to come to this world and put that much effort into a sport that had limited use anywhere else. Not when she could have gotten better, and more practical, training in the Underworld.

"She's also female, how interesting, she entered the tournament as a man," Sona mused.

"That's probably explained easily enough," Tatsumi said.

"Challenge," Sona answered for him. She threw him a look. "And you I guess. You were the only person her age that gave her a real challenge. She lied about her gender so she could fight the best, you."

That was Tatsumi's thought as well. He knew from all the prior training and other minor tournaments they'd been in that amongst the girls Hikaru's age, there were none remotely close to her level. Tatsumi's sister had been the only one to make her struggle but their ages were so far apart they'd never actually meet in an official setting until they were adults.

((I saw Hikaru traveling about the Phenex territory while I was down there spying on them for Hades)) Bennia offered up, already guessing what Sona's next question would be.

Sona just stared at Bennia. "Why were you spying on Lord Phenex?"

"I asked her the same question," Tatsumi said, laughing. "Apparently it's some weird elaborate complicated game between Hades and Lord Phenex. They both know she's spying on the other for each other."

((Gives me something to do when there aren't many souls to carry and they have a good cook that understands our issues!))

Sona just palmed her face and sighed. She muttered a few choice words under her breath before throwing a look Tatsumi's way. "I can get you into Sitri territory, but the Phenex territory is off limits without their permission."

"I saved Ravel from Esdeath," Tatsumi reminded her.

She blinked in surprise, as if just now remembering that. "That's true, isn't it?" Sona said thoughtfully. "The Phenex's have always been a very honorable family, Raiser aside anyways. In fact, if they knew you were interested in coming to the Underworld Lord Phenex may clear all the paper work for us. I have heard Ravel is quite taken with you." Her lips quirked upwards ever-so-slightly. "If she knew the real you she might not be so charmed."

Tatsumi ignored that last little comment. "So you'll help me?"

Sona nodded, "I think I will at that."

"Thank you," Tatsumi said, kissing her lightly, causing a pleasant smile to bloom across her lips.

((Hey! Where's my kiss?)) Bennia complained. Tatsumi made his way over to her and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. ((That's it?!))

"I gave you more earlier, we ended up naked in the bath, remember? No time for a repeat, need to be at school soon."

"What's this?" Sona demanded.

"Nothing." ((Nothing.)) Tatsumi and Bennia said in unison. Tatsumi and Bennia smiled at each other as Sona glared at them.

Not for the first time Tatsumi was glad he hadn't ended up hating Sona like he did most other devils. Before coming to Kuoh Academy, the idea of going to the Underworld to chase a target, even if he wasn't actually going there to kill anyone yet, had been a dream as distant as travelling to the moon. Now, here he was, making preparations with Sona to do just that.

This was something that would have been impossible if he had continued to hate all devils equally, paint them all with the same brush. To think that so much could change in just a few short months of his life.

He felt a soft smile cross his lips as he watched Sona try and drill Bennia for more information. Bennia showed a surprising side of herself by managing to deflect and evade all of Sona's questions like a professional.

Tatsumi decided to step in and save Bennia. "Sona, we need to go if we're to be on time."

Bennia gave him a thankful smile, which turned into a triumphant grin as Sona turned around and tossed a quick look at the clock on the stove. "I suppose you're right." She adjusted her glasses and turned back around to Bennia. The grin was gone, replaced by an innocent smile. "Do not assume this is over. We'll continue this conversation when school is out."

Now that she was forewarned it was doubtful Bennia would be here when Sona got back. Tatsumi simply shook his head and wrapped an arm around Sona's shoulder, guiding her from the kitchen.

((Have fun you two!)) Bennia called after them.

~o~

The moment Tatsumi stepped through the gates of Kuoh Academy there was only one thought that came to mind.

"What the hell is that?"

There was a box, a regular packing box, running about the front of the school, agilely dodging the other students. Chasing after it was none other than Issei, shouting something almost incomprehensible, and chasing after Issei was Asia. All the while Akeno stood off to the side laughing while Rias held her head in despair.

"Ah, Gasper," Koneko said quietly and then she charged off after Asia to join the chase.

Tatsumi was even more confused "A what?"

"That is Gasper Vladi," Sona explained as she stared at Rias disapprovingly. "Rias' second bishop. She should know better than to allow him to run about the school yard at this time of day."

"Wait… so… Rias' second bishop… is a box?" Tatsumi was utterly confused right then. His entire image of Rias was shattering into a thousand pieces. "Why would she reincarnate a box? How do you reincarnate a box?" Tatsumi wasn't even going to begin to try and understand how it was moving!

Sona just stood there, frozen, as she stared at him with a look of such incredulity on her face that he thought he'd broken her. He poked her cheek a few times and she remained completely unresponsive. "Uh, Souna?" Still nothing.

Uh oh, he might really have broken her.

Tatsumi let out a sigh and without any other alternative headed across the yard over to Rias and Akeno. He didn't want to talk to Rias, but if he wanted to get to the bottom of this strange situation he'd have to swallow his dislike of the red-haired girl and talk to her. The two of them shifted their gazes from the animated box to him as he approached

"Is there something I can do for you, Tatsumi?" Rias asked politely. She glanced past him to Sona. "What's wrong with Souna?"

"I think I broke her," Tatsumi admitted. "But more importantly… why did you reincarnate a box as your bishop?" He asked, pointing to the very animated box that was darting about the yard. "I wasn't even aware you could reincarnate boxes."

Akeno just burst out into a fresh fit of laughter even as Rias groaned into her hands once more. "I didn't reincarnate a box, Tatsumi, but I think I can understand how you broke my best friend."

"I know a box when I see one, Rias, I'm not blind." He threw another look at the brown cardboard box. The other three still hadn't managed to catch it. It was becoming so entertaining that people were stopping to stare and laugh at the trio as they tried their best to catch a box. "But I guess I can understand why you'd want to reincarnate it. It's definitely giving Issei, Asia and Koneko a run for their money. Not sure if that speaks volumes for the box's capabilities… or their lack of."

Akeno was laughing so hard now that she had to hold onto the side of the school to remain standing. It was pleasant to listen to but if she didn't settle down she might end up passing out from lack of oxygen.

Rias let out a long sigh. "That's not it Tatsumi… Gasper Vladi is a first year student but he has a severe case of anthropophobia, a fear of people. The box wasn't reincarnated, he's inside the box. Issei is trying to help him get over his fear but Gasper doesn't want to leave the box, hence the chase." She let out another long sigh.

"Oh." Suddenly Tatsumi felt very stupid. "I think I might need to get my brain checked." There was something wired wrong inside there, he was certain now. He liked school, he thought a box had been reincarnated first instead of thinking there was someone inside it, and he was standing beside Rias without any murderous intent to kill her.

What was next? Sona playing a prank on him?

"Tatsumi!" Sona called out loudly as she stomped her way across the yard towards him. It looks like she was able to reboot her brain and get things sorted out. "Rias did not—" she stopped as she came up beside him. She grabbed his face and pulled him close. "Do you need your brain checked?"

"I just suggested that."

Sona sighed and let him go before rounding on Rias with a stern look. "Rias, I am going to have to insist that you halt this right now. This is neither the time nor the place to cure Gasper of his fears."

"I know, Souna, I really do," Rias assured her, "but we can't even catch him to bring him inside."

"I'll do it," Tatsumi said. He had to admit he was more than a little curious as to who was inside that box. "I want to see this reincarnated box up close."

"I already said it's not a box—"

"It's just Tatsumi failing to be funny," Sona cut her friend off. "I'm going to enjoy the results."

"Yes, I think I will as well," Rias agreed.

What was that? Whatever, Tatsumi ignored Sona's little jab at his expense and turned his attention on the animated box and the trio chasing after it. It seemed to know where Issei, Asia and Koneko would come from and would shift accordingly. That meant by predicting where those three would be, he could narrow down where the box would end up.

Certain now where it would be Tatsumi shot off across the grounds. The box didn't have time to shift direction before Tatsumi appeared before it. There was a scared cry of panic as it bounced off Tatsumi's shins.

"Who do we have here?" Tatsumi asked as he lifted the box into the air.

He wasn't quite sure what he expected to see, but an adorable little girl dressed in a female Kuoh Academy uniform was not it. She stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes as she covered her head with her hands.

Wait, didn't they call Gasper a him?

"Watch out!" Issei shouted in warning.

Gaspar's eyes suddenly glowed and all the world around Tatsumi froze. He blinked in surprise as he looked about. Everyone was frozen where they were. Issei, Asia, Koneko, Sona, Rias, and all the students in the area. There was even a bird frozen in mid-flight.

Unlike before his mind was able to process what was going on in an instant. Time had been halted! Rias' bishop had the ability to stop time. It was just like Esdeath's Trump card, Mahapadma, back in the old world. He glanced down to see Gaspar scrambling to get away, tears of shame streaming from his eyes.

"Oh no you don't," Tatsumi said as he quickly caught up to the cross-dressing boy and lifted him by his collar. "Rias wants you. It's time to go back inside"

"Back inside!" Gaspar looked excited by that prospect. If Issei had just stated that from the start the entire chase probably could have been avoided. Gaspar started in surprise when he realized he was talking to someone. "You can move!"

"Of course I can," Tatsumi said as he made his way back to Rias. "Yours isn't the first time stopping ability I've encountered." The Tyrant had adapted to be able to move through Esdeath's trump card back in the old world. It seemed that ability had carried over into this one, even without Incursio active. "You can stop it any time you know."

"I don't know how!" Gaspar cried pitifully. "It just wears off on its own!"

Well that was an oversight on Rias' part. Training Gaspar to properly utilize his ability should have been her first and top priority. The ability to stop time would make her nearly unstoppable once properly under control.

Actually, now that Tatsumi thought about it, perhaps it was a good thing she hadn't.

"When does it wear—" It felt like the world suddenly shifted and everyone started moving again. "—Off, oh I guess right about now."

Sona and Rias heard him. Their heads snapped from where he had once been to where he was now so fast he swore he heard them crack. He could see their eyes widen in disbelief at the same time. Was Gaspar's ability what they had mentioned before? Had they expected him to get stuck in time while they could sit back and enjoy the moment? Tatsumi felt a surge of satisfaction well up inside him as he realized he just deprived them of their amusement at his expense.

Sona reached for him as he came up to them. "Tatsumi… how? Gaspar can freeze time and yet…"

"Oh, you know, reasons," Tatsumi said mildly. As much as he liked Sona there were some things he wasn't ready to tell her yet, and he certainly wasn't going to tell Rias. "Let's just assume I'm capable of moving through Gaspar's stopped time and leave it that, shall we?" He dropped Gaspar on the ground before Rias. The young cross-dressing boy quickly hid himself behind her legs. "I'm immune to his ability."

That much was safe enough to say, after all the two girls had just seen that first hand.

"I've never heard of anyone doing that before," Rias whispered in disbelief. "There are some that are powerful enough they can overcome the influence, but to just be immune?"

Sona adjusted her glasses. "Tatsumi, we need to speak—"

"Tatsumi-sensei!" Issei cut Sona off as he rushed up to him. There was a huge smile on his face and his eyes shone like a miniature pair of suns.

"Sensei?" He didn't recall teaching or training Issei anything.

"Yes! Sensei!" Issei gave him a low bow before flashing him another huge smile. He grabbed his hands and shook them vigorously. Did Issei always have such a strong grip? Tatsumi felt like the boy was about to rip his arms from his sockets. "You were so right! Thank you! Thank you!"

"About what?" Tatsumi asked cautiously as he carefully extricated his hands from Issei's.

The perverted boy leaned in conspiratorial and whispered quietly. "You know, about that conversation we had, before that Vali character showed up."

Tatsumi blinked. "Oh, that." He'd completely forgotten about it truth-be-told. "So how'd it go?"

Issei grabbed Asia by the shoulders and pulled her close. The little girl let out a small squeak of surprise before she settled comfortably against his side. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rias start glaring at Asia.

"Sex is so amazing! Rias and Asia feel so wonderful!" Asia's eyes snapped wide and her face erupted in a blush so intense she looked like she was about to pass out on the spot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Rias wasn't faring much better. The girl was doing her best to maintain her composure but her blush was threatening to consume her face. "They both accepted me! Oh, I am so glad I took your advice and pushed them down! I just couldn't stop once I started!"

A chill ran down Tatsumi's spine. He could feel them. Those cold, angry eyes digging into the back of his skull. "Ah… ha…" He swallowed hard. "I believe I simply stated that waffling in indecision was bad for you and that you should—"

"You told me to push them down and take them, and if they let me to just keep ravaging them until we were all exhausted!" He thumped his chest proudly. "Ddraig suggested that I empty myself inside them to mark them as mine! They didn't seem to mind that either!"

[Devils are notoriously difficult to impregnate, might as well start trying early.] A draconic voice came from seemingly nowhere.

There went Asia, the poor girl passed out on the spot, oddly she was sporting a rather heavy nose bleed. Rias was looking anywhere but at them.

"I'm fairly certain I didn't say that second part." The air about him was growing frostier by the second. "Or the first part." He added quickly. "Or any part of that for that matter."

An iron grip clamped down upon his shoulder. "Tatsumi, did you advise Issei-san to ravage my best friend?" Sona's asked, her voice cold and deadly.

This wasn't good, he needed to escape and quickly.

DING DONG!

"Oh, look at that," Tatsumi said smiling into Sona's scowling face. For the first time the bell had rung in his favor. "That's the bell. I need to be off to class. Talk to you later, Souna."

With a cheerful wave to the girl he loved he bolted for the main entrance, leaving behind a fuming Sona standing beside a blushing Rias and an unconscious Asia.

~o~

An overcast afternoon found Tatsumi and Sona walking home side-by-side. The day had had started well enough but clouds had moved in by noon bringing with them a slightly cooler breeze from the ocean. The clouds weren't thick enough for rain to be much of a possibility but Tatsumi kept an eye on it just in case.

"You did not need to avoid me at lunch," Sona said, her annoyance clearly visible on her face.

He had been able to hide from her at lunch by ducking into his usual storage room. Koneko had found him easily enough, she could probably find him no matter where he ate lunch, so he did have some companionship during the break. It just hadn't been Sona. He had sent a message along through Tsubaki stating he wouldn't be able to make it so Sona hadn't been forced to wait for him. It was probably because of that message that she was merely annoyed rather than truly upset.

"Couldn't take the chance that Rias might be there with you," Tatsumi said honestly. "And you would have frozen me solid about this morning and… well…" He gave her a quick sidelong glance to try and judge her mood. He didn't want to bring that up again if it meant dealing with her wrath.

Sona just shook her head lightly. "I suppose I might have overreacted a little this morning. I apologize for that. I spoke with Rias shortly afterwards. Issei made it seem far more than it was. All three of them were so unsure at first they spent more time fumbling about than actually doing anything." She shook her head again and focused her gaze on his. "And it's not my place to tell Rias she is wrong to take Issei to bed, even if I do not personally like him." It would be a little hypocritical, all things considered. He didn't say that though, he valued his life. "What does still interest me is how you were able to nullify Gaspar's ability."

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Is it that difficult a subject to talk about?"

"It might be." It was a frightening thought in many ways. The hints had always been there, but there'd been so obscure anyone could have missed them. Lately though, since coming to Kuoh Academy, the hints became signs slapping him in the face. "Even if it isn't difficult, it's definitely not something I want publicly known." It wasn't something he could trust with just anyone.

It was a dark secret about himself. One that when all the pieces were brought together gave rise to a very concerning thought. A thought that was discomforting because of how comforting it made him feel.

"I won't say anything more but if you ever wish to talk, I will be here," she said, noticing his sudden discomfort. "I suppose that considering your dislike of my friend, I imagine asking you to help her with Gasper is out of the question."

"You're right, you don't even need to ask," Tatsumi said, glad she hadn't pushed for more. "Honestly, the thought of helping and training devils still makes my skin crawl. I can make an exception for Koneko because I like her and she doesn't even remotely feel like a devil. She's more like a little adorable pet kitten."

"More than you may think," Sona said quietly. Tatsumi gave her a questioning look but she ignored it as she continued. "But surely that's not just because you like her. I know you well enough to know that'd never be reason enough to train a devil."

It almost was. "It's because of what she wants to use that power for. She wants to use it not for herself, but for the sake of others. She's a bit like myself in that regard." Tatsumi turned and started walking backwards as he gazed off in the distance towards the school. "Laugh it off if you want but I just have this feeling that sometime in the future those fists will be used to protect more than just her friends. Koneko has a pure soul and a good heart."

"Well, I suppose it would be selfish of me to ask you to resolve all of Rias' issues for her," Sona mused thoughtfully. A little amused smile slowly made its way to her lips. "And I have to admit I do derive some small pleasure in watching her fumble about with her bishop. Everything has always come easily to her, seeing her struggle for a change is…"

"Satisfying?" Tatsumi provided. Sona grimaced. She didn't like taking heart in her friend's suffering. "Don't feel bad about thinking that way. Just about anyone would feel the same if they saw their best friend and rival have everything handed to them without effort while they worked for every scrap."

"Be that as it may, it's not a feeling I'm going to indulge in long," Sona said briskly.

Tatsumi shrugged as he turned back around. "Well that's up to you, really." He wasn't going to let that thought go so easily. The thought of Rias struggling to control the people she reincarnated actually brought a smile to his face, one he wasn't in any hurry to be rid of. "On a different topic, do I need to do anything to get access to the Underworld?"

Sona shook her head. "No. Lord Phenex is taking care of it even as we speak."

That was quick. "How did you manage that? We've been at school all day."

"I sent my familiar to speak with Lord Phenex," Sona said lightly. A magical circle erupted in front of Sona's hand. A stream of water erupted from the circle and splashed across the sidewalk, forming a perfectly circular puddle on an otherwise flat surface.

When Sona said the word familiar, Tatsumi immediately thought of those small, and often adorable, little creatures that followed a magician around. That wasn't what he got. With a loud roar an enormous, six foot tall woman erupted from the pool of water. Luscious blond curls cascaded down a face hard enough it could chisel marble and settled across a pair of shoulders that looked as if they had been chiseled from marble. The woman, and Tatsumi could only assume that she was considering she wore a male toga that left one of her enormous breasts completely exposed, was so incredibly well built that it was mind numbing.

Tatsumi wasn't that built. Bulat hadn't even been that build. About the only person Tatsumi could even remotely remember being anywhere close to as supremely muscled as this woman was Budo! Tatsumi was someone who could appreciate a good set of muscles but this was just off the charts!

"What the hell?" How was he supposed to react to this?

"How may I serve you, Sona my dear," the Undine asked politely in a voice as soft and gentle as gurgling spring.

Sona had a wide smile on her face as she gestured to him. "Tatsumi, this is my Undine, Sophie. Sophie, I felt it was time to introduce you to the man I intend to marry."

Sophie?! And that voice?! What the hell was this? She sounded like a gentle, delicate soul and had a name to match. But those hands looked as if they could grind rock into powder! This situation was wrong on just about every level Tatsumi could conceivably think of.

What the hell was wrong with this world?

Sophie covered herself with her arms and turned away, giving Tatsumi a bashful look. "Tatsumi-san is struck speechless by my beauty. Oh, what should I do, Sona dear? I'm afraid I might have stolen him from you."

What. The. Fuck!?

"My, it does seem that way," Sona murmured. "I don't suggest you get any ideas, Tatsumi. My familiar is not on the market for another man. The three she already has is plenty."

Wait… what? Huh? Tatsumi didn't know how to respond to that. His entire mind was completely stuck. How was he supposed to react? What was he supposed to say? Do? Be? He didn't know. This went completely contrary to everything he had come to accept as immutable. This had to be a lie. The world was playing a trick on him. His eyes needed to be checked. His brain even. Yes. That was it.

"Tatsumi… what's wrong?" Sona asked, sounding worried.

After everything that had happened to him it was just too much, the final straw.

Tatsumi just let everything go and collapsed into sweet, wonderful darkness.

~o~

Well, that wasn't quite what Sona had expected to happen, although it was satisfying in its own way to watch Tatsumi go into a deep state of shock before collapsing. He was now twitching on the sidewalk with foam dribbling out of his mouth. She'd been waiting all day to do that to him, revenge for what he had done to her that morning.

And a little for not trusting her word about her own peerage.

"Sona dear, I think we took it too far," her familiar said worriedly. There was a whirlwind of water about her form and when it was gone, so to was the muscular female. In its place was a beautiful, delicate woman with golden hair and a rather sizeable bust.

That soft, delicate body she had now was her true form. That other muscular body was what strangers often saw. It was only when one was able to see past their physical form to the beauty inside them that they were willing to show a person this side of them. Undine's were naturally very shy creatures so they only ever showed this form to those they trusted and cared for.

"He'll survive," Sona assured her familiar, "and I am a devil. Even I need to get up to a little mischief every now and then." She nudged him with her shoe and smiled again when he twitched violently. "What did Lord Phenex say?"

Despite her earlier words, that had simply been confidence based on what she knew of Lord Phenex. It hadn't been confirmed.

"He'd be happy to receive Tatsumi-san," Sophie replied with that beautiful, musical voice of hers. "Everything will be in place by the end of the day. An escort should be awaiting him at the train station on Sunday."

"Good, it's about what I expected," Sona said. It was satisfying to know that her predictions had been correct. She gave Tatsumi another look. He was still out of it. "Mind carrying him back for me?"

"Of course not, Sona dear," Sophie said happily. She effortlessly lifted Tatsumi onto her small, delicate shoulder. Even if the muscles weren't there, Undines were still the strongest of the four elemental spirits.

That was a very sore subject for the Gnomes.

"Thank you," Sona said as she started for home. Sophie trailed along behind him.

There was much for Sona to do before now and Sunday. Tatsumi may be going there to search for Hikaru, but Sona saw this as an opportunity to do more than just that. She had always intended on taking her peerage to the underworld at some point, Tsubaki was the only one that had been there before. Now was the perfect time to do so.

It also gave her a chance to meet with her mother and get a feel for how she'll receive Tatsumi. It'll be difficult without her sister there to keep her mother distracted, but this was something that needed to be done. She'd taken her peerage there first, stay the night at her mother's place, and then head over to the Phenex's place in the morning.

Hopefully Tatsumi wouldn't have had enough time to cause any trouble. She trusted Lord Phenex to keep Tatsumi under control, but the worst did often happen to him.

x~X~x

"Opulent." It was the only word Tatsumi could use to describe the Phenex estate.

An enormous structure fanned out across a dozen acres of land. The architecture definitely had some unique elements associated with it but Tatsumi honestly felt it would have been out of place in the human world, albeit it'd be hard to find a plot of land large enough to house it. There were marble colonnades, open verandas, large indoor gardens, expensing floor tiling and the buttresses that held up the high vaulted ceilings had veins of pure gold spiraling up them! Tatsumi wasn't particularly familiar with any of the paintings, busts, or other various decorations, but he could only assume that the devils depicted in them were famous individuals painted by famous devil painters.

Overall it wasn't the sort of place he'd have thought devils lived in.

The entire Underworld was vastly different than what he had envisioned. His imagination had conjured visions of fire and brimstone, lakes of blood, rivers of magma, tornados constructed from pure lightning and a land dyed red under a burning star constructed from the souls of the damned. A place where monstrous creatures ruled the world and the only 'safe' havens were select encampments where demons had agreed to a mutual yet uneasy truce.

There wasn't any of that.

In fact, it was almost sickeningly peaceful on the surface. Instead of fire and brimstone there was fresh air free of smog and pollutants. Lakes of blood and rivers of magma were replaced with lakes and rivers of clear blue water where aquatic life of all kinds lived and thrived. There were no tornados of lightning, just a gentle breeze, and while the land was covered in a perpetual darkness, it was illuminated by a silver moon glowing brightly in the night sky. There were tall, snow-capped peaks that looked ripe for skiing, wide grassy plains, large forests, and cities that look, if anything, more advanced than what could be found on Earth.

It was like instead of traveling to Hell, he had simply gone to a different, alien world or a cleaner, more peaceful version of Earth! It had taken a whole three seconds for the picture he'd painted himself of Hell to shatter into a million irreparable pieces.

"The Phenex family is wealthy," Lord Phenex admitted. The Head of the family was dressed in a regal looking suit. Ravel was at his side dressed in the same purple dress with its phoenix tails as before. Tatsumi did notice thought that she'd taken special effort to make herself look more appealing. "Only we can create the Phoenix Tears and they sell for a hefty price, there is always far more demand for them than we're capable of meeting."

"Just how much was that tear I was given worth?" If selling the tears alone was enough to fund all this, then it had to have been worth quite a bit.

"In your currency, it would be valued at about a hundred million yen." Tatsumi boggled at that amount. That much for a single vial? Sure it had miraculous properties but who could afford that?! Lord Phenex laid a gentle hand on Ravel's shoulder. "They don't normally go for that amount but you were Ravel's first." Ravel blushed and looked away shyly.

"Just how are the tears created?" Tatsumi asked cautiously. He wasn't sure he wanted to know but curiosity was driving him forward.

Lord Phenex smiled. "A member of the Phenex family performs a special ritual where they shed a single, emotionless tear into a cup that is then mixed with water. Once the right concentration is met, and the ritual completed, the resultant liquid is what's commonly referred to as a Phoenix Tear. It doesn't need to be done in the nude, but the effects are more potent if done that way. My daughter insisted."

Ravel rounded on her father, her eyes flaring angrily even as a healthy blush consumed her cheeks. "Father! You didn't need to tell him that part!"

"So I drank Ravel's virgin tears?"

Ravel's face erupted as a heavy blush consumed her. "Y-You don't need to put it that way!"

A slight mischievous streak suddenly ran through Tatsumi and he suddenly knew that he had spent way too much time around Bennia. "But it's the truth, right? It was your first time, your first tear." Ravel squeaked loudly as Tatsumi pushed on. "I consumed the virginity of your tears. It's all mine, a first no one else will ever have. That must be why it tasted so delicious."

"That's not the way it is at all!" Ravel complained loudly. Lord Phenex just laughed as he watched his daughter get all flustered.

((I'm so proud of you Tatsumi! You made tears sound sexual!)) Bennia vibrated happily beside him. ((I knew I'd rub off on you eventually!))

"GAH!" Ravel pounded her fists against Tatsumi's chest. "You will forget it! Forget all of it! I don't want to think of my first time like this!" She gasped as she realized what she said. "NOOOO!"

Bennia all but collapsed on the ground laughing and even Lord Phenex let out a soft chuckle. Tatsumi gave Ravel a sympathetic smile and hugged her. "Sorry if I overly embarrassed you, but honestly, thank you," he whispered into her ear before letting her go.

That tear of hers had saved him days, weeks possibly, of hospital stay. A charitable act that she didn't need to do and giving away such a valuable and important tear actually meant a lot. Looking at Lord Phenex and Ravel here and now he was absolutely certain that they were like Sona, people fundamentally different than Gregorious Abaddon.

That they didn't have devil wings made things even easier. They neither acted nor looked like devils. They were just part of devil society.

"O-Of course!" Ravel said, turning away embarrassed. "As a member of the esteemed Phenex family it is only proper that we see those that help us sufficiently rewarded for their efforts."

"A simple 'you're welcome' would have been enough," Tatsumi said.

Ravel let out a light cough and refused to look at him.

"It's heartening to see you and my daughter getting along so well," Lord Phenex said, smiling at the two of them. The Lord slowed as they came upon a large, ornate door. He opened it and gestured Tatsumi inside. Beyond was a lavish sitting room. A pair of servants stood at attention beside two long couches facing one another across a delicate glass coffee table. Lord Phenex seated himself on one of the long couches and gestured Tatsumi to take the other. "I feared that your prejudice towards devils would affect your opinion of us."

"Is it that well known?" Tatsumi asked as he sat across from Lord Phenex. Ravel was quick to sit beside before Bennia could. The sleepy-eyed Grim Reaper looked startled for a moment before she started laughing silently. "I didn't think I was that big of a deal down here."

"You weren't for quite some time," Lord Phenex said. He glanced up at the servant standing nearby and gestured to a wine cup. "Cordain VI please." He looked at Tatsumi. "What do you prefer? We do serve human wine here."

Tatsumi shook his head. He still remembered what happened the last time. "I'm fine. The last time I got drunk around a devil I ended up tearing off her clothes and… erm…" he trailed off and refused to look at Ravel. He didn't even need to look at her to know what she was feeling. He could feel the heat radiating from her face. Thanks to Serafall it wasn't exactly a secret what happened after that. "I'd like to remain sober while here. Sona explicitly instructed me not to start anything and I'd like to not break that promise before the day is even over." Then there was the fact that even if this was Phenex land, he was still technically in enemy territory. He couldn't afford to let his senses be dulled even for a moment.

"I see, I suppose that is understandable." Lord Phenex gave the serving girl a smile as she returned with a bottle of wine and filled his cup. It was a thick red liquid that Tatsumi would have sworn was blood if it didn't lack the distinctive coppery smell. Lord Phenex took a long sip before continuing. "The offer will remain open indefinitely."

"Perhaps later," Tatsumi said noncommitment. "You mentioned earlier that I wasn't a big deal for 'quite some time.' That hints that something has changed."

"Yes, my earlier point," Lord Phenex stated lightly as he took another sip of wine. He swished it about the glass. "You weren't a well-known entity until your battle with Esdeath. As much of a stir that made in the human world, it made a far bigger rumble here in the Underworld. Here everyone knows of Esdeath and what she's capable of. While those of us that know her prowess in combat could tell she was simply playing, we do know that she was playing hard. That you, a simple human, could force Esdeath to almost get serious was remarkable to say the least."

"I had a lot of help," Tatsumi reiterated. It was starting to get annoying that he had to keep repeating that. He'd lost count how many times he'd said that by now.

Lord Phenex chuckled and gave Tatsumi a knowing look. "You still don't understand, do you Tatsumi? Those three items you used, the Shroud of Longinus, the Bracelets of Aias, and Gabriel's Circlet. Do you truly believe a human can just put them on and use them?" That had actually been what Tatsumi had thought. Gabriel, his sensei, hadn't indicated any differently. "I see that you did. Let me assure you, you're quite incorrect. Gabriel's Circlet is a divine treasure that greatly enhances the processing speed of an individual's mind but it's also limited by said mind. The circlet doesn't think for you, it allows you to simply utilize your maximum potential. Your reaction time there was on par with the Seraph Gabriel herself. I'm not even going to start on the mental strain that places upon one's mind. It would break the average human in under sixty seconds, yet you were able to keep going long after it would have killed any other human."

Tatsumi hadn't known all that but now that he did, he knew why. It was because of the Tyrant, Incursio. His kinetic vision and the speed at which he could think had to be at super human levels to be able to handle Incursio properly and to keep up with many of the monstrous Teigus of the old world. He couldn't very well say that though.

"I suppose I can give you that," Tatsumi agreed. Lord Phenex gave him a piercing look, as if trying to decipher the meaning behind those words. Tatsumi schooled his features so as to not give anything away. He needed to be more careful with his words.

After a few long moments Lord Phenex leaned back and placed a coached smile on his lips. "Well, be that as it may there's more. The Bracelets of Aias. It's one of the greatest defensive treasures in the world capable of stopping any thrown attack, no matter how great. Like the bracelets, it too is limited by the user. It draws upon the stamina and endurance of the individual and not since Ajax himself has anyone been able to summon all seven petals. Then there was the Shroud of Longinus. It utilizes the muscles in one's back to fly. Humans can't naturally fly and as a result they don't have the muscles necessary to utilize it properly. No human has been able to use it properly before you. And not only could you use it, you were able to fly like you were born with the ability. There are some well defined muscles in your back normal humans don't possess, muscles designed for wings."

"You certainly did quite a bit of research," Tatsumi said, sounding surprised. He wasn't surprised at the findings, they all made sense considering what was inside him. What was surprising was that the devils cared enough to figure out that much.

Lord Phenex didn't deny it. "A great amount of time and effort was poured into researching you. Figuring out who and what you were. You're a human that could match Esdeath. Even more effort once your animosity towards our kind was discovered and… why."

Tatsumi quickly stretched his senses out to their maximum and felt for additional presences around them. "I'm surprised that you'd let me come here knowing my feelings towards your kind." He couldn't sense anyone else, it really was just the four of them. Strange, if he knew about Tatsumi's hatred of devils he would have thought he'd have arranged to have himself guarded. Did he trust Tatsumi that much or was he simply that confident in his own power?

"You don't need to worry that this is a trap," Lord Phenex said, looking amused. He'd noticed Tatsumi's actions and correctly guessed why.

Ravel touched his arm lightly, her eyes wide. Tatsumi couldn't see an ounce of deception within those beautiful, luminous blue orbs. "You are a guest here. We would never treat you uncouthly."

"As my daughter stated we would never treat you poorly. You are the hero that saved my daughter from Esdeath and will be treated as such. While there are some that see you as a threat, I simply see someone committed to his ideals of saving others. You saved my daughter, you've openly accepted Sona Sitri and her sister. You've worked with the Fallen Angel, Mine, have taken a Grim Reaper to bed and have even trained the reincarnated devil, Koneko." Either he did some very thoroughly research that continued right up until today, or Sona had mentioned some things about him. It would be safer to assume both so that he didn't underestimate Lord Phenex's ability to ferret out secrets. "These are not the actions of a man that hates people simply because they're different. Whether we end up as enemies will depend entirely on your actions, but I hope that does not come to pass."

Tatsumi shook his head. He was still amazed that he was sitting across from one of the Lords of the Underworld calmly discussing about his hatred for their kind without there being any hint of violence hanging in the air. Life wasn't making much sense right then.

Not that it ever really made sense.

"All I can promise, Lord Phenex." He had to be careful how he phrased this, "is that I've come to accept that there are some exceptions amongst your kind. Devils and families of devils that aren't really evil enough to justify placing alongside the likes of Gregorious Abaddon." Tatsumi let out a soft sigh as he turned to regard Ravel. He really couldn't detect a single ounce of evil within those eyes of hers. "Right now those exceptions include the two of you. I too hope that never changes."

The happiness that shone from Ravel's face was almost painful to look at. How could someone so pure be a devil? Tatsumi was still unconvinced that the Phenex's were actually a true family of devils. Those wings were just too different.

Regardless, it would at least mean one less family of devils preying on humans for their own selfish desires.

"I thank you for that," Lord Phenex said. He suddenly smiled as if an amused thought came to the forefront of his thoughts. "You may not believe this but you've become an enigma the likes of which no one here in the Underworld has seen in a thousand years and it has got imaginations running wild. That both Serafall-sama and the great Gabriel are unusually interested in you fuels them even more. There are already bad stories being written about a forbidden love triangle between a human that hates devils, an angel that loves a human but can't touch him for fear of falling and a devil that hides her identity for fear of being rejected. I hear there may even be a TV show created soon."

"Do I at least get royalties?" He didn't know what else to say.

Lord Phenex's eyes twinkled with merriment. "You'd need to ask, but be warned, devils are notoriously greedy and they won't part with their earnings easily."

"I don't think that's necessarily a devilish trait," Tatsumi pointed out. He could name any number of human ran corporations that did the same. The list of those that didn't was shorter than the list of those that did.

"True," Lord Phenex agreed, "greed seems to be universal." He glanced past Tatsumi at a clock hanging from the wall. "But we can discuss that more later. I do believe dinner will be soon served. Come, let us head to the dining hall."

((FOOD!)) Bennia shouted cheerfully and all but bolted out of the room.

Tatsumi just shook his head and laughed silently as he followed along behind at a more sedate pace with Lord Phenex and his daughter.

~o~

The stars in the Underworld were different as well.

They were beautiful in their own right, twinkling in the dark purple sky above alongside the brilliant silver moon. It was picturesque. Tatsumi had seen so many different sets of stars over his vast life time that it was more of a curiosity than something to be wary about. These stars were different than the stars seen from Earth, or at the very least arranged in a different pattern. Given time he could probably sort that out and he might… if he decided he liked the Underworld enough to have a residence here.

Wasn't very likely though.

While browsing the vast, unending wellspring of knowledge both useful and useless that existed upon the Internet, Tatsumi had seen maps of the Galaxy they lived in and the larger Universe beyond. Was the Underworld another world in that vast Universe? Or was it in an alternate dimension resting alongside the Earth? A dimension closer to it than his old world.

Strange thoughts to have, but he was feeling rather strange at the moment. The Underworld was having an effect on him. He could feel it, just around the edges of his consciousness. It was like a whisper to just let go, be himself, embrace the more natural, basic urges and instincts that lurked beneath the surface of his consciousness.

Sometimes, Tatsumi just wished he could embrace that part of himself. It had been so long, well over a millennium.

"Tatsumi?"

He lowered his gaze from the stars and turned it towards the soft voice. Ravel was there, standing beside the elegant banister that ringed her balcony, one arm resting lightly atop it. She'd let her hair down and now it cascaded down her back, her beautiful blond locks perfectly accentuating the soft red nightgown she wore. The gown gently billowed about her legs, caught upon the soft winds that blew through the night.

"Did I disturb you?" Tatsumi asked softly. He hadn't been aware that Ravel's room was beside his.

Ravel shook her head. "My troubles with sleep have little to do with you," she was quick to assure him.

"You don't have to be formal with me."

Ravel gave him a smile. "You're a guest, and it is expected of me."

His eyes left hers and danced across her body. She was shivering ever so slightly, just a tiny little quake in her body, nearly imperceptible if one wasn't looking for it. Her muscles were taut, one arm was tightly wrapped around herself, just beneath her breasts, and she had adopted that posture that Tatsumi was so familiar with. He'd seen so many soldiers hold themselves like that in the past, those that were trying to flee from him even as he devoured them. The posture of the terrified.

"Is it Esdeath?" Tatsumi asked.

Ravel started in surprise. Tatsumi had been right. Nightmares kept sleep from her. "H-How—" she coughed delicately and quickly regained her composure. "I do not like remembering that woman."

Tatsumi didn't even like remembering that woman and Ravel had suffered far worse under her than he ever did. The Esdeath of his world had been a sadist the likes of which hadn't been seen for nearly a thousand years. This Esdeath wasn't any better.

He beckoned the girl over. She seemed surprised for a moment, unsure, before he saw resolve form in her eyes. A pair of black wings erupted from her back and she took to the air, flying the few meters between her balcony and his.

When she landed beside him he quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, eliciting a small squeak of surprise from her lips. "You looked a little cold. Is this better?"

"C-Cold? I wasn't…" she trailed off and her face flushed a little. "O-oh… I see…" She closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against his bare chest. Her arms came up around him and she held him tight. "Yes, this is nice, thank you." He could feel the slight trembling in her body subside and the muscles begin to relax.

"I will save you from her every time," Tatsumi promised. He would save everyone he could from Esdeath.

"I believe you."

Tatsumi smiled and rubbed her back gently. "Come, let's go in." He swept Ravel off her feet and lifted her up into his arms, bridal style.

"W-What are you doing?" Ravel gasped, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's cold outside and we both need our sleep," Tatsumi said as he stepped inside, closing the balcony door behind him with his feet. He carried her over to his bed and gently set her down upon it. "And I know just the thing to help you sleep."

Ravel clutched at her chest, her eyes wide as she stared up at her. "But I'm not ready…I haven't prepared my heart yet and I still smell from the day, I-I need a proper bath."

Tatsumi just smiled and brushed a few stray locks of hair from her face. "You smell fine, I don't even notice it." He brushed his fingers lightly across her cheeks. He could feel her heart beat quicken beneath his fingertips. "Don't worry, Ravel, just leave everything to me."

She just blushed and nodded as Tatsumi joined her in bed.

~o~

"So, she's in there?" Tatsumi asked as he stared at a diner just down the street.

"She is," Sona said confidently. "My familiar found her sitting at a booth in there, drinking some coffee. From what she was able to gather Hikaru has been frequenting that place every day for the past week."

((I noticed her too when I ghosted past the place)) Bennia added.

The three of them found themselves in the small town of Jomargan-ridnaita'zayvia'ilnaviatala where the name had more letters than there were permanent residents. This town was where Bennia had first spotted Hikaru. She was even at the same diner she had been outside of when Bennia had snapped the photo of her. The town was a quaint little place nestled at the bottom of a large snow-capped mountain. It wouldn't even exist if it didn't provide lodging and food for devils that wanted to go up the mountain to ski.

Despite the small size it was a rather busy town. Devils crowded the streets alongside humanoid dragons, youkai, grim reapers and even a couple fallen angels that were doing their best to hide the fact that they were fallen angels.

The skiing here was just that good apparently that the Fallen would risk death to try it. Tatsumi had been told to expect them here. They were allowed for the most part so long as they didn't start anything.

The busy streets did make it much easier for Sona's peerage to blend in with the crowd. They were scattered all up and down the street. Some were eating on patios while others shopped at various roadside stalls. The seven of them were on lookout detail in case this turned out to be a trap. Ravel, along with a few of Lord Phenex's personal guards were elsewhere in the city and capable of backing Tatsumi up.

He hoped none of the precautions were needed, but this entire situation was just too strange for Tatsumi to walk in without it.

"She's waiting for someone," Tatsumi muttered.

((Probably waiting for you)) Bennia said.

Bennia was right. There was a very good chance that Hikaru had deliberately made herself known in the hopes that Tatsumi would notice her and find his way here. There was also a very good chance that if he didn't meet her today, he'd lose the chance. If the devils did as much research on Tatsumi as Lord Phenex led Tatsumi to believe, then they'd know his school schedule, and would know that today would be the most opportune time for Tatsumi to arrive.

Quite frankly, Tatsumi assumed he'd been spotted entering the small town. It was just safer that way.

"Well, I've kept her waiting over three years, no need to make her wait any longer," Tatsumi said as he started for the diner.

While the streets were crowded, they weren't so packed it made it difficult to walk. Tatsumi only had to wait at a crosswalk while a carriage drove past. It was an interesting carriage, with pipes and gears all about it giving it a very steampunk feel to it.

It didn't take the three of them long to reach the diner. Tatsumi noted right away that it was just like any other someone could find in Japan. An all glass front looked into a quaint little dining area. There was a long counter with glass displays filled with a variety of foods and a menu with various options and prices hung from the ceiling above it. If it wasn't for the patronage and the unknown demonic scrawl for letters, Tatsumi wouldn't have thought it was a devilish establishment.

"I can already guess what you're thinking," Sona whispered quietly, and unnecessarily. "Devils aren't really all that innovative as a species, although there are some exceptions such as the current Beelzebub. Most of what we have is actually just copied from your world or brought here by reincarnated devils."

Ah, that made sense. Everything seemed to have its own sort of unique twist on it, but the base concept all felt really human.

As they neared for the entrance Tatsumi glanced through the store windows, looking for his friend. He found her easily, sitting by herself in a small booth. She was reading some sort of book while nursing a small, steaming cup of coffee and a half-eaten muffin. She wore the same clothes she had in the picture Bennia had obtained of her, the skin-tight bodysuit beneath a decorative steel breastplate that emphasized her breasts.

"Remember not to interfere," Tatsumi told the two of them.

"We won't," Sona assured him. "Well get a table near the door so we can watch people entering."

Bennia grinned at him lasciviously. ((Moresome?))

Tatsumi just bonked her on the head. He was not going in there to add to his harem. That thought alone made him feel like he was a giant pervert already. He was here to figure out the truth behind Hikaru being here, in this place, as a devil.

Steeling his nerves, Tatsumi entered the diner and made his way over to Hikaru, making his body move and act as naturally as possible. He wanted to appear as if he had been invited, and wasn't someone approaching someone they hadn't seen for over three years.

"Did I keep you waiting long, Hikaru?" Tatsumi asked as he took a seat across from her. He was taking a calculated risk here assuming Hikaru truly was waiting for him.

Hikaru looked up from the book and gave him a deadpanned look. "Only three years, four months, two weeks, one day and five hours," Hikaru said in that same, soft, quiet voice he remembered from before. Tatsumi started to sweat. She had kept track that precisely? That… wasn't good for him was it? "But I've been told that's not a very long time for devils." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm still getting used to all this."

That confirmed it right there. She was a reincarnated devil. That made Tatsumi feel a little better about all this, and concerned at the same time. Now he had to somehow get details on how this all happened, why, and whether or not she had been what Tatsumi feared she was.

The second person Gregorious Abaddon had gone for that night he killed Mira.

"Sorry about that. I would have come sooner if I had known and had a way. I was… preoccupied with things." Mira's death had made the following few months incredibly dark and depressed. After that he'd been throwing most of his efforts into pleasing his mother and building Night Raid's reputation.

"So I've heard," Hikaru said dryly. "You've racked up quite the body count. You know and made quite a number of enemies down here. The Shax family in particular wants your head stuffed on a pole."

"I thought Serafall took care of that," Tatsumi mused aloud, remembering what Sona had said back then.

Hikaru chuckled as if remembering a fond memory. "That she did. Publicly exposed their deeds and embarrassed the entire family in front of the other Satans and the elders. They were… punished for their transgressions. You won't find a Shax on Earth for the next hundred years." She gave him a long look. "They hate you all the more for it. They can't do anything to fight the punishment as they did technically step out of line, but I wouldn't be surprised if they found some way to make you suffer."

"I see." That wasn't really what he was here for. He didn't care if they hated him. If they wanted his head, they could come for it. That would be all the excuse he'd need to deprive them of theirs. "Honestly though I couldn't care less what they thought of me. I'm more interested in you. When you disappeared, I'd thought you'd just moved, gone over seas or something. I never expected to see you here, or as a devil. What happened?"

It was blunt and tactless, but Tatsumi wasn't going to beat around the bush. It wasn't really like him either.

"Straight to point I see," Hikaru said, sounding almost sad. "Not even going to ask about this?" She gestured at her chest.

"Do you want me to?" Tatsumi asked hesitantly, taken aback by her question. "It seemed a bit inappropriate. I'm sure you had your reasons for hiding your gender."

She was silent as stared intently at him. It was that same, familiar piercing look Tatsumi remembered from all those times they trained together. "I see," she said after some time, smiling as she nodded her head several times. "I had feared you'd turned into a pervert, what with you starting a harem and all."

"Their idea, not mine, it all just sort of happened," Tatsumi said honestly. "The situation I'm in with Sona and Bennia had been in no way planned beforehand."

Hikaru gave him a surprised look. "Bennia and Sona? That's it?" She sounded genuinely confused.

"Yes…" Tatsumi was confused as well. Unless, of course, there was some sort of misunderstanding being spread about. "How many women do devils actually think I've taken to bed?"

"Quite a number, actually," Hikaru said. "Sona and Bennia were two, but there was also Koneko, Xenovia, Irina, Esdeath, Mine, Tsubaki, Meguri, Kusaka… well Sona's entire peerage save Ruruko actually. The stories of those orgies…" Tatsumi heard a table break apart across the room. He didn't even need to see Sona to know what sort of expression she had on her face. "Then there's the great Serafall-sama and even Gabriel, although not many put stock in that last one."

Tatsumi banged his head off the table with a solid thud. Lifting it he could only stare at Hikaru incredulously. "Who the hell is spreading those lies?" Hikaru just shrugged causing Tatsumi to sigh. Gabriel couldn't on account of being an Angel and Xenovia had been a single time for some purpose Gabriel refuses to tell him. The rest aside from Sona and Bennia was just pure nonsense. And seriously, Esdeath? Who the hell would think the two of them trying to tear each other in half equated sex?! "Hikaru, I'm being one-hundred percent honest here when I say there's only Bennia and Sona. Xenovia happened once and that was for some weird experiment Gabriel was conducting. I didn't want to, but when Gabriel tells you to do something it's usually painful when you don't."

She just stared at him. That piercing look of hers that made you felt like she was peeling back all the layers of your words to get to the truth beneath it all. Thankfully Tatsumi had spoken the unvarnished truth and after a few long moments she came to that same realization. "So that's how it is." She actually looked rather relived and more than a little happy. "I had kept hope they were just groundless rumors. You never struck me as someone who is driven by their libido."

"I'm not. If the feelings aren't there, it's not happening," Tatsumi assured her. He placed great stock on that emotional investment. "But since you did bring it up, why did you hide your gender? I'm pretty sure I've got it worked out, but hearing it from you would be better than just assuming."

"Why don't you say what you think," she asked, gesturing him to speak.

"Alright. I basically figured you faked being a boy because of me. I was the only one your age that gave you any sort of real challenge and that's why."

"That was about forty percent of the reason," Hikaru agreed.

"And the other sixty?"

"I'll tell you later, if certain conditions have been met."

Tatsumi felt a sweat drop roll down the back of his neck. She wasn't going to tell him? Was it bad? Or was it revenge for leaving her to rot in hell for over three years? "Will you at least let me know if they've been met?"

"Of course not."

Right, because that'd be too easy.

Tatsumi cleared his throat. "Well, do you not want to talk about how you became a devil?" He asked, changing the subject back to what it was.

She blinked twice, slow deliberate, as if she was trying to delay. "You really wish to know?"

"I do."

Tatsumi would have missed it if he hadn't been so on guard that this entire situation was a trap.

In the blink of an eye Hikaru unsheathed her sword, cleaving the table in half as she slashed at his neck. All that training with Gabriel practicing his summoning of Murasame paid off right then. In a flash of black lightning Murasame sprang into existence just in time to stop Hikaru's sword from cutting his head off.

"Power is the reason, Tatsumi!" Hikaru shouted at him. Their faces were mere inches apart as she struggled to cut a new mouth in his throat. Tatsumi was taken aback by the anger and frustration that dripped from her voice. Anger, frustration, and something else.

She used his surprise to plant her steel boot into his chest. He was thrown back thrown the booth into the one beside it. His back smacked painfully off the hard edge of the neighbouring table. Across the diner he saw Sona and Bennia stand to come to his aid but before they could take a single step the entire place erupted into violence as devils fought with devils. Bodies were plowed through tables, chairs broken over heads, and people tossed through windows. Sona and Bennia quickly found themselves in the very midst of a massive brawl, one that others from outside were charging inside to join.

Leave it to devils to brawl just because.

He'd have to hope the two of them could handle themselves as Tatsumi couldn't afford to worry about them as Hikaru knocked the broken table aside and lunged at him. The scream of steel on steel pierced the din of the diner as their blades clashed together. There was a fierce determination in her eyes as she tried to kill him.

In the midst of the clash Tatsumi couldn't help but idly note how easily he was holding her blade at bay. He held Murasame awkwardly across the front of his chest with a single hand while Hikaru was pushing down on him from above with both hands, her black wings spread wide as she put her everything into the strike.

He pushed her blade away easily and slammed a fist into her armored chest. The steel crumpled beneath his fist. Her eyes went wide as she was hurled away from him, slamming through two booths, knocking over a pair of devils, before she finally cratered into the wall of the diner.

Tatsumi was surprised by his own strength as well, he knew he'd grown stronger since Kokabiel, but he hadn't realized just how strong.

He could figure that out later though. He killed his emotions and stalked towards Hikaru, climbing over the shattered booth walls. A Hikaru that would attack him like that was a Hikaru that had been dominated by a devil. That was no longer his friend, his rival.

As much as it made his heart clench in pain, she was someone that needed to be put down for her own good.

"Do you not see why?!" Hikaru shouted at him as she pulled herself out of the wall. "You are why I willingly accepted Gregorious' offer to become his Knight!"

His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach. She had done what? "You willingly accepted that monster's offer?" Tatsumi asked, his voice came out cold and dead. Anyone willing to side with that monster deserved death.

"Do you know what it's like to always be in your shadow?" Hikaru raged as she blistered across the diner. She was fast, as fast as Esdeath had been. Their blades clashed over and over as she did circles around him, hitting him from every direction. "It didn't matter how much I learned! It didn't matter how much I trained! It didn't matter how fast I was, how strong I became, how long I could last or how well I polished my skills! It was never enough! You were always better than me! I could accept that, accept that I wasn't the best, but then… at that tournament!" Her eyes blazed with fury as she slammed him back against the wall of the diner with a strength fueled by her emotions. "To learn that the entire time you'd simply been playing with me! That you had never once taken me seriously!" Her blade trembled and Tatsumi realized the truth hidden behind her words. "You were an impossible goal I could never reach! One that never treated me seriously. I'd never been more insulted in my entire life!"

"And that's why you accepted his offer?!" Tatsumi snarled back. "That's why you became a devil!?"

"YES!" Hikaru screamed at him. "That's the only reason I accepted his offer! He didn't have to dominate me like he did your weak sister! I became his Knight of my own free will!"

Tatsumi understood now, he understood completely. He slammed his fingers into her crumpled breastplate, easily piercing through the steel. Strength surged through his body as he whirled around and slammed Hikaru into the wall.

Pain ripped through Tatsumi's body as Hikaru rammed her sword through his heart. "You're going to need to do more than pierce my heart with a sword if you want to take me down." With a deep growl Tatsumi fought through the pain and rammed Hikaru through the wall. It exploded into a cloud of dust and mortar as the two tumbled into the alleyway beyond. It wasn't enough, Tatsumi could still feel the eyes on him. He ripped the steel breastplate from her chest and hurled the steel breastplate down the alleyway. It broke the sound barrier several times over.

There was a sharp cry of pain further down the alleyway.

While Hikaru was struggling painfully to her feet Tatsumi ripped the sword from his chest and hurled it back through the hole in the diner. A death cry followed. Hikaru made for her sword but before she could make it back into the dinner Tatsumi grabbed her by the ankle and whipped her around, slamming her into the far side of the alley. He rammed his shoulder into her chest once more. The wall collapsed inwards, carrying the two of them with. Hikaru's eyes went wide with pain even as the air was knocked from her lungs.

Finally, they were alone.

Tatsumi leapt atop Hikaru before she could move and pinned her arms to the floor above her head. He trapped her legs by placing his knees against her thighs. His gaze came down upon a shocked face and a very nice pair of breasts that had been partially exposed when some of the fabric had been torn away with the breastplate.

His eyes froze on those beautiful breasts for several long moments before he forcefully tore his eyes away. When he finally managed to bring his gaze up to her face, he found her blushing fiercely. "Sorry about that," he said quickly. The two of them didn't have much time. "We don't have a lot of time as you know so I'll just say this. I have thirty four years of memories, and something else lives inside me. That's why I was better, you can't expect to match that in just a few years. What I fought you with was always what I earned here, in this world. That last strike was a mistake. It's something that should only be reserved for my enemies."

For a brief moment Tatsumi saw the rival he had fought for seven straight years in Kendo. Then her eyes went hard, angry. "You think I care about such a worthless, pathetic reason?" She demanded. Tatsumi quickly let go but before he could get away she rammed her fingers into his chest, into the wound she had inflicted earlier. Pain seared his mind as he felt her fingers dig away inside him and Tatsumi let himself scream in pain. "I will help Gregorious Abaddon achieve his dreams of beating Bedeze, and in return I will gain the power I need to finally put you down and prove I'm no longer in your shadow!"

She shoved him away and quickly scrambled to her feet. A moment later someone else appeared beside her. A tall, dark skinned male with white hair wearing a skin-tight tank top that revealed well-defined abs. The most noticeable thing about him, however, was the X shaped scar across his face. Tatsumi almost let out a gasp of surprise when he recognized him. Syura, the leader of Wild Hunt, or at least had been in the old world.

"We need to go, Hikaru," Syura said, "Lord Gregorious can't have his best Knight getting imprisoned for starting a brawl. It would affect his reputation and your ability to participate in the next Rating Game. Lord Phenex and his peerage are on the way and we don't want to be here when they arrive."

"Fine," Hikaru spat out. She glared at him. "Just remember, Tatsumi, I will be the one to take you so you better not die before then."

Then the both of them were gone, teleporting away.

Tatsumi let out a long sigh and winced at the same time. Even if a strike to the heart didn't kill him, it still frickin hurt! Turning from the spot they disappeared Tatsumi stepped back into the alleyway. He didn't even make it across the alley before Sona's concerned face appeared through the hole. She and Bennia were both there after having finally made it across the brawling diner. Tatsumi peered past her and realized that Sona had probably had enough and took things into her own hand. The place looked as if a tidal wave had washed through it and all the devils there were either unconscious or running.

"Tatsumi!" Sona gasped in shock. She ripped the hole in the wall larger and raced through it to his side. Her fingers instantly went to the wound in his chest. "You're hurt!"

((He'll be fine)) Bennia said as she came out a bit more lazily.

Sona whirled around on Bennia, clearly annoyed about how blasé she was. "She rammed her sword through his heart! That is normally a fatal wound."

"Normal doesn't apply to me," Tatsumi said lightly. "Bennia is right, I was worse than this after Kokabiel was done with me." Heck, fighting Esdeath left him worse off than this. They really needed to leave, now. "We need to go."

"What happened out here?" Sona demanded.

"Later," Tatsumi said. "I killed two devils here. I don't think I want to be around when Lord Phenex arrives."

Sona rubbed her forehead and sighed in disbelief. "Honestly, Tatsumi. I can't take you anywhere." Her brow furrowed in thought. "We can't just leave without saying anything. That would make us even more suspect. Let us return to Lord Phenex's estate for now. You can explain things to him there where he doesn't have to be quite as formal and strict as he does here in public."

"Fine." Just so long as he was anywhere but out in the open.

~o~

Tatsumi let out a sigh of relief as he settled down upon a nice soft couch in Lord Phenex's estate, it was the same one that they'd first spoke in. His injury had been cleaned and bandaged, although it was still open and bleeding. He had refused to let anyone sew it up.

"What was so important that you needed to evade the law?" Lord Phenex asked, sounding mildly amused as he stood across the room. Tatsumi wasn't fooled by the amused tone to his voice. His eyes said something quite different if he didn't have a legitimate reason.

"I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation," Sona assured Lord Phenex. She seemed more nervous than Tatsumi did. "Tatsumi, for all his faults, doesn't just act on impulse."

Bennia nodded her head quickly in agreement. She was floating just behind him in a posture Tatsumi knew put her half a second away from bringing her scythe out. She'd fight to get him out of the Phenex estate if that was necessary. ((If anything he's too logical! Sometimes I wish he'd be more impulsive!))

"I certainly hope so. There are several dead devils I need to explain away."

"I only killed two," Tatsumi pointed out. "And both of them were probably working for Gregorious Abaddon so do as you may, I won't apologize for my actions." The one in the diner had been set to watch him and Hikaru and may have heard things Tatsumi didn't want him conveying back to his master. The one in the alleyway had been necessary to be alone with Hikaru.

"Yes they were, and the Abaddons are wondering why a pair of their loyal servants are dead."

They already knew? News sure travelled fast here in the Underworld.

"Am I in trouble?" Tatsumi asked. "I figured this was the Underworld, murder should be common place here."

"It's not uncommon, no," Lord Phenex conceded, "in some parts at least. It is uncommon here, especially in that town. Then there is who did the killing as well, that wouldn't look good on me. Whether you're in trouble or not will depend entirely on your reason."

"Father, you can't be serious!" Ravel said quickly. "We owe Tatsumi-san."

The Lord wasn't swayed. "Our debt to Tatsumi is personal, this is something much different." He gave her daughter a long look. "Besides, did you not repay your debt to him last night? I recall you disappearing into his room."

Sona's eyes flashed dangerously. "Tatsumi… if you took advantage of Ravel and Lord Phenex's generosity while I was away!"

((You didn't invite me? I would have gladly joined in and made it a threesome!)) And that was typical Bennia.

Ravel, her cheeks a bright red from embarrassment, stomped the floor angrily. "Father, everyone, that wasn't it at all!"

"We didn't have sex, if that's what you're thinking," Tatsumi said. "Ravel was having nightmares of Esdeath and I simply helped her get to sleep. I held her and she clung to me. If that's what you consider sex here in the Underworld, then sure, we had sex."

Ravel blushed in embarrassment at having her nightmare exposed. "Even here that's not considered s-sex!"

"Oh…" Sona coughed delicately. She bowed in apology to him and Ravel. "I must apologize to the two of you. It seems I completely misunderstood the situation here. I will endeavour to wait until I have all information in the future before I jump to conclusions."

"It's alright, anyone could have misinterpreted that."

((Lost opportunity there, Tatsumi)) Bennia added as she eyed Ravel up and down causing the girl to blush heavily yet again. ((She may be a year younger but she's got a fully ripe body. She'd totally accept your offer and you heard Ddraig yesterday. Devils are hard to—))

"That's quite enough of that," Tatsumi quickly interrupted his lover. He could see Ravel blushing so heavily smoke was starting to rise from her face. Any more and the poor girl might pass out. "I think Lord Phenex wanted a reason for my actions?" The man simply nodded. He had been rather patient thus far and Tatsumi didn't want to push it any further. "Well, I might have a very good reason for you." It depended on one key thing. "I just need to read it and figure out what it is exactly." Tatsumi pulled at the bandages covering his chest. His blood began to stream down his chest again as he pulled the bandages back. He ignored the frown spreading across Lord Phenex's face and dug into the wound on his chest, grimacing as the pain flared anew.

"Tatsumi, what are you doing?!" Sona asked, sounding utterly bewildered by his actions.

"Just pulling this out," Tatsumi said as he pulled out a small plastic Ziploc bag from inside his chest. There was a folded piece of paper sealed inside it, although it was difficult to see with all his blood covering it. "Hikaru hid it inside my body when she jabbed her fingers into the wound. I'm pretty sure what I'll find there will corroborate what I'm almost certain of."

"Now this is becoming more interesting," Lord Phenex said, suddenly looking more curious than upset.

Tatsumi wiped his fingers on his pants and opened the bag. He pulled the note out and quickly opened it. There were only six words on it: "Does Sona Sitri need a Knight?"

A smile came unbidden to his lips. "That's what I thought."

Showing up here in the Phenex territory, waiting around for him, all of it, was something she'd set up to contact with him. She'd probably tossed out some sort of idea such as feeling out Tatsumi's potential threat to Gregorious to get the man to agree to her coming here.

((Moresome!)) Bennia cheered happily.

"What does it say?" Sona asked as she made her way across the room to his side.

"It's actually to you," Tatsumi said as he handed the slip of paper to her. Lord Phenex came around behind her to read it as well.

It didn't take long for either of them to understand the implication written upon that paper. "She's not his Knight willingly," Sona said, coming to the same conclusion he had.

"At first I thought she truly hated me and joined Gregorious Abaddon for power but… as we fought I came to realize it was all an act." Most of it, anyways. There had been some real irritation beneath all that, but nothing like what her words had suggested. "It was a combination of little things. The way she moved, the quivering in her blade, her tone of voice, the words she chose. From the outside it looked as if she hated my guts but really—"

"It was a plea for help," Lord Phenex finished for him. "She doesn't want to be his Knight."

"No, she doesn't but she has to pretend to be completely loyal," Tatsumi agreed. "It fits everything I know about her as well. She probably accepted on the surface to prevent suffering a similar fate to Mira. Does Gregorious Abaddon have many wives?"

"We count them by the dozens," Lord Phenex said with some distaste.

Tatsumi gave both Sona and Lord Phenex long looks. "Is there any side effect to dominating a person's mind through the evil pieces' system?"

"Not many," Lord Phenex admitted, "but in the case of those with a strong, powerful Will there will always be a conflict of sorts, one that hampers their ability to bring out their full potential."

Made sense, the same thing had happened with Mira. Her strong Will and love for Tatsumi allowed her to actually break the conditioning long enough for Tatsumi to kill her. Gregorious, having actually suffered just that exact situation was probably very self-conscious of having it happen again.

"I imagine having a strong capable Knight fully dedicated to his goal of beating Bedeze Abaddon is a more enticing prospect than 'one more' wife," Tatsumi said, "especially one that had looked like a boy for who knows how long." Knowing what he did of the two he could almost certainly piece together the relationship between the two.

It was a complicated situation where Hikaru was pretending to be what she wasn't, throwing her support behind someone she hated for her very survival, clinging to the hope that someone might save her. Even if Gregorious knew how she felt about him, the prospect of someone as skilled as her fully committed to helping him was better than a half-assed dominated one. There was a time limit though. Gregorious would only keep her around so long as she was the best. If she slipped, became injured, Gregorious found someone better or heaven forbid, Gregorious succeeded in his goal of besting Bedeze Abaddon, Hikaru would lose any advantage she had.

At that point Gregorious wouldn't have any reason to put up with any resistance she might offer. He'd just take from her whatever he wanted. That couldn't be allowed to happen.

"Well, I am in need of a good Knight now that I can't reincarnate you," Sona said thoughtfully. "And what I did see there in that diner was quite promising."

"Probably why she did it in the first place," Tatsumi said. That entire battle had been for Sona's benefit, to demonstrate her capabilities in front of a prospective owner. "She's not that strong but…"

Sona gave him a flat stare. "Tatsumi, I can only think of a single devil around our age that's physically stronger than you, and like you he's an exception to the rules. You're not a good benchmark. Besides, the strength of a Knight is in their speed and skill, not their raw power. I saw more than enough of both. She is many times better than Meguri, and if her worth ethic is anything like it was when she was human, she would fit in well."

"Well, that's that then," Lord Phenex said, sounding rather satisfied. "It seems that two of Abaddon's servants fell ill and died while eating bad food. What a shame."

"Father!" Ravel was all smiles as she hugged her father tightly.

"I punched a hole through the chest of one with Hikaru's mangled breastplate," Tatsumi said dryly. No one would believe him.

"It was very bad food," Lord Phenex said, smiling.

Well, if that's what he wanted to go with, who was Tatsumi to complain? "Thank you, Lord Phenex," Tatsumi said, bowing his head to the man.

"It's not a problem, Tatsumi," Lord Phenex said, "I don't particularly like the Abaddons so it'll be nice to make them fume impotently. They don't dare call me a liar considering all the lies they themselves have thrown about as of late."

"I thank you as well," Sona said, copying Tatsumi's bow. "You will take care of everything then?"

"I will," Lord Phenex said, before bidding them farewell.

It was time to return home and make plans for the future. Tatsumi would not let Hikaru languish under Gregorious' thumb for long.

---

Author's Note: And here we have it! Hikaru is officially introduced. She was always meant to be a major part of the story. Tatsumi has always had the goal of killing Gregorious Abaddon, Hikaru was always meant to be the spring-board that kicks Tatsumi into gear and starts him 'truly' driving towards that goal.

Anyways, leave a review and let me know what you think!

Note on Ravel: I know I got many people thinking Tatsumi and Ravel had sex. It was intentional, yes. But if the end there wasn't clear, they didn't. It's much too early for them to hit that stage of a relationship. I'm not even sure if I want to. I'll open up the possibility of it happening then let the characters and the story decide when the time comes.

I'll be honest, I want her in Tatsumi's harem, but I've had the characters decide differently before. Both those that weren't supposed to be in it and are, and those that should have been but ended up not.