Brief note on Tri-Crossovers and beyond: It won't happen. There won't be a Tokyo Ravens merge or any other merge. I learned my lesson from The Ninth Sekirei Pillar. What you're seeing here is me using the likeness of certain characters from other anime/games to make it easier for you, the reader, to picture them and grasp the abilities they may or may not have. This'll become even more apparent when I flesh out Gregorious' peerage. The only thing coming across is likeness and abilities. The personality will be different, if you're even shown it. (Only AgK based characters will retain personality traits similar to their original counterparts)
Note on Questions in Guest Reviews: If you're going to ask a question in a review, please log in. I might not always reply to a question asked via a review, but I can't reply if it's done anonymously. I'll never address a review directly in my story. Sometimes I'll make a note about a general area of inquiry, such as the above, but that's as far as I'll ever go.
Chapter 18: Conversations in the Dark
Tatsumi was crouched beside a tall tree, deep within the thick underbrush of the forest. His attention focused upon the large four-story manor that sprawled about a well-manicured acreage just past the tree line. The moon, an artificial construct made entirely of demonic energy, hovered high in the night sky of the Underworld, casting a soft white glow about the estate. It made it easy to pick out even any movement on the property. He hoped his target would make an appearance soon but as of yet, there hadn't been anything.
He didn't have to worry much about a devil's eyesight picking him out where he was. Even they required some light. The thick canopy of leaves above and the underbrush about him left him shrouded in total darkness. The only things that moved about were the insects, utilizing senses beyond their sight to navigate. They chirped incessantly all about him, heedless and uncaring to his presence. Their constant chittering was often punctuated by loud croaks and coughs echoing about the forest from larger predators that used the night to hunt.
They wouldn't bother him. They could sense what was inside, what he truly was, and kept a distance. If only the heat would do the same. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. The place he had found was the perfect place to hide, true, but he certainly wished a breeze would come by every once in awhile. The night had done little to ease the heat of the day. The active volcano sputtering fitfully in the distance saw to that.
This was the lands of Abaddon. A family of Extra Demons that stood outside the seventy-two pillars that ruled over devil society. Even though they were not part of the official body of government, the renown Bedeze and Gregorious had brought the family made them well-respected in all circles.
The estate gleaming in the soft moonlight ahead belonged to none other than Gregorious Abaddon, the target of his revenge for the past three years. A part of him simply wanted to rush headlong across that yard, scale those walls and smash through the window into Gregorious' room where he would do unspeakable things to the man that had broken his sister.
But he had to excise patience, caution. Even if he killed Gregorious, that wouldn't save Hikaru. That knight piece would simply be passed on to someone else in the Abaddon family, possibly even Bedeze. If he simply stole it and ran, politics would demand that Serafall of all people respond in kind. It was strange to think that the Abaddon family lived in her territory. They all had to touch a monument representing a Satan and go through a ritual.
No, Tatsumi thought ruefully, not Serafall's territory, the Leviathan's. It was difficult thinking of that pink bundle of magical girl energy as one of the big terrors in the night. The Leviathan herself. It was like the Universe was playing a practical joke on everyone.
Tatsumi rubbed his hands across his cloak, straightening it despite it not really needing it. He had worn dark clothes this night, to help conceal him in the darkness. Devil's eyes were sharper than a human's so he needed to take extra precaution. He'd need all the advantage he could get once he started tailing his target. He wasn't the only one dressed for stalking in the night. His companion was dressed in equally dark clothing, although she always was.
"Turned out useful that Serafall is the Satan of this area," Tatsumi whispered, earning a sharp look from his companion. Akame placed a finger on his lips and motioned for silence.
Right, Devils had incredible hearing as well. That always seemed to slip his mind. Tatsumi nodded his head slowly and gently brushed her finger away. Their goal here tonight was simple, information gathering. Serafall had gone in to speak with Gregorious. Just a routine checkup that she was actually long overdue since she often shirked her duties.
Tatsumi had wanted to sneak in this night to gather information on Gregorious, either by rifling through papers, listening in on conversations or by speaking with Hikaru. Serafall had offered a better idea, which had felt incredibly out of character at the time, and said she'd send Hikaru to him. He didn't know how she intended to manage that, especially without Gregorious being any wiser, but he didn't really have another choice.
Serafall had warned him that all the estates belonging to prominent members of devil society were heavily warded and Gregorious' estate was no exception. He wouldn't get within twenty feet of the closest wall without the entire place coming down upon him.
That left Tatsumi and Akame sitting out here in the damp, overly warm night air listening to nature make itself busy around them. At least the indigenous animals knew better than to disturb them. He'd seen a few cat like things with yellow spotted fur and long jagged tentacles for whiskers stare at the two of them curiously before darting away.
Movement near the manor drew Tatsumi's attention. He had to squint to make it out but, there, in the distance was someone rounding the corner. It was too far to make out any fine details, but he could tell they were female from the way they moved. He could make out long black hair and the light of the moon glinted off a steel breastplate. A sword was belted to her hip and a large satchel was slung over one shoulder.
That was probably Hikaru.
Even if it wasn't they still probably had information Tatsumi could… extract from them.
Tatsumi watched the woman in the distance make for the trees. A straight line, no deviations. He kept track of her direction and tapped Akame on the shoulder as he stood. She nodded and the two of them quickly flittered through the woods as silent as the shadows they moved through.
The Underworld at Night was far different than Japan. It was the reverse here where things slept during the day and came alive at night. The forest seemed to move with them. Insects buzzed happily about even as small animals darted through the under brush, keeping pace with the two of them. Those small cat like animals with tentacles for whiskers were back. Their golden eyes glowed brightly with an almost mischievous look as they darted between their legs, their steps were every bit as silent as theirs. It was like they thought Akame and Tatsumi were playing a game.
Tatsumi felt at peace as he loped through the forest. Stalking through the night, gathering information on his target, Akame at his side. It was like he had been transported back seventeen years and was fighting alongside Night Raid and all the friends he'd once known all over again.
A sharp crack of a branch drew their attention towards a shadowy figure calmly making her way through the forest to a destination only she knew. Tatsumi and Akame shifted their direction, moving to shadow the woman in parallel. The strange cats followed with them, becoming even more excited as if they understand what Tatsumi and Akame were doing.
He wished he could see her though. It was too dark beneath the trees to make her out at this distance.
As if answering that thought a strong gust of frigid wind blew in from the north, rustling the leaves and shifting the canopy, creating innumerable tiny little openings for the silver light of the moon to filter down to the forest floor. One ray of light washed over the shadowy figure revealing Hikaru's familiar features, her lips pursed and brows furrowed in deep thought.
Tatsumi let a smile settle on his lips as he followed her. As they did Tatsumi noticed the strange cat like creatures with jagged tentacle whiskers congregate around her as well. Only a few at first but the numbers quickly grew. When the forest opened onto a beautiful purple sand beach at the edge of a lake large enough for the opposite side to be hidden beneath the horizon the numbers had swelled to dozens.
Tatsumi paused at the edge of the forest, hiding within the deep shadows of a large tree and looked on as Hikaru made her way down to the water's edge. It was difficult to count all the small, catlike creatures, the energetic things were bouncing all over the place. Their excitement grew into a fevered pitch as Hikaru pulled the large satchel off her shoulder. She pulled out a large container of something and set it on the ground, followed by a second, and then a third. Before she even finished setting the third one down the cat like creatures had already torn into the first. Their tiny little teeth, honed to a razor's edge, carved into the fleshy beads with great abandon.
She was feeding them, just like someone would feed a pet cat or dog. There was a soft, gentle look on her face as she watched them play and eat at the same time. Every so often one of the little spotted cat creatures would zap another with a jolt of electricity from the tips of their long, jagged whiskers, which would set them off in a playful fight that usually ended up with them rolling across the purple sand and into the water.
The pair of creatures at Tatsumi's feet burst from the cover of the forest and quickly raced across the purple sand to joined the others in their feeding frenzy.
Hikaru looked up from the new additions to the treeline. Her eyes widening ever so slightly as her warm brown eyes found his. Even in the deep shadows of the forest she could see him clearly, a testament to just how good the night sight of the devils were.
"Tatsumi…" Hikaru's soft voice drifted over to him.
Tatsumi stepped out from the treeline and started across the beach to his old friend. Akame stayed hidden deeper in the forest, concealed by a large shrub, deep shadows, and her own natural stillness. Her presence here was to get the lay of the land about the estate and a feel for Hikaru, specifically how genuine she was in breaking free from Gregorious.
She didn't trust his opinion, something about being too close to the target. He couldn't deny that he was too close, but he was also certain he wasn't wrong about Hikaru.
"Hey," Tatsumi said as he smiled at his old friend. "It wasn't three years this time."
A warm smile came to her lips. "No, I suppose it wasn't. If it had been I might have really tried to kill you."
"And I would have let you," Tatsumi said lightly. He would have failed completely and utterly as a friend if he left Hikaru in Gregorious' grasp a second longer than was absolutely necessary. The little cat like creatures looked up from their feeding and playing to stare at him as he neared. He stopped when their curious looks took on a dangerous edge. They were very attached to her. "They remind you of your cats?" Hikaru used to have several when she lived with her parents. They might still be there even.
"Yes, I like them, even if they're more violent than the cats we know." Her voice was soft, gentle almost, as she spoke of the animals at her feet. She reached down and picking one up. It quickly squirmed out of grasp and ran up her arm to claim a spot on her shoulder. "They're more intelligent too, if you can believe it. At times, I almost think they can understand our speech." It started to purr as she rubbed its fur. "I've found that most of the animals in our world have a similar genus here in the Underworld, only adapted to the environment they live in. The coerulis are nice enough. They're certainly better than most company I keep these days."
"Hopefully we can fix that soon." You wouldn't think Hikaru was in a precarious position looking at her standing there on the purple sand, all aglow under the silver moon as the water from the large lake lapped gently at the shore. There was a content look on her face as she stroked the coerulis on her shoulder. It purred happily as it stretched out across her shoulder and down her arm, wrapping its long whiskers around her arm for stability. "Maybe we could bring a few these back with us."
Hikaru looked startled for a moment and then let out a soft laugh. "I imagine that would alter the local ecology rather significantly."
"Eh, can't be any worse than we the humans are doing to their own planet and unless they're far more dangerous than they appear, I don't see them supplanting the predators at the top of the food chain."
Hikaru actually smiled at that. "That's true." The smile slowly disappeared. "I couldn't bring them home though. Jasmine and Jasper wouldn't play well with these."
"Keep them at my place then," Tatsumi offered. His estate was large enough for them to have plenty of roaming area and there weren't any other pets or animals to really bother them.
Hikaru stared at him, her lips pursed as she seemed to consider the proposal seriously. The smile returned as she nodded. "That might work, and it would give me a reason to visit."
"You don't need a reason to visit," Tatsumi assured her.
"That's nice." She reached up and pulled the coerulis off her shoulder. It let out a disappointed mewl as she set it back on the ground with the others where it promptly got tackled by a pair of nearby coerulis that were jealous of the attention it had received. After giving one last parting look to the three coerulis tumbling playfully into the water she looked back at him. "I'd love to talk more of this but I don't think this was why you sought me out tonight."
"Serafall passed along my message?"
"I'm not sure what message you meant to pass on. Serafall-sama simply shooed me away. I didn't know you would be here tonight until I saw you, I had simply come to the beach to train like usual. Too many eyes on me when I train at the manor."
That was actually rather cunning of Serafall. A message could have been overheard or intercepted, even if the passing of it had been done secretively. By simply telling Hikaru to be elsewhere for awhile, she relied on Hikaru's own routine and personality to put her in the right place at the right time for Tatsumi to meet with her.
It was these tiny glimpses into the deeper personality and intellect that lurked beneath that playful exterior that Serafall presented that really told the true story behind why she became the Leviathan. Power alone couldn't have been enough. Power alone is too easily defeated.
Tatsumi wasn't going to be one to ruin the subterfuge. "I did want to speak with you again, but you're right that there is something more meaningful I desire." He patted the Teigu, Incursio, belted at his side. "How about a little spar while we talk? If Gregorious is expecting you to train, you should probably do at least a little. No need to let him think you were just relaxing and feeding coerulis' out here."
Her eyes dropped to the blade at his side and a curious look crossed her face. "That's different from your katana."
"A lot has changed," Tatsumi said as he unhooked the clasps to his dark cloak and kicked it to the side, sending it fluttering close to the forest's edge. He drew Incursio held it up, admiring the short flat blade. "This was the blade type I initially learned to fight with. It's also more similar to the shinai than a katana is. You'll find I'm much better with this than that katana."
She drew her own sword and held it at the ready. Her eyes became hard, determined, but the smile never left her lips. "You're certainly going to need every edge you can get to defeat me now. While you've played at High School I've been training and fighting in Rating Games."
Whether the coerulis could understand their words, or simply could read the mood, they quickly dispersed about the two of them. The coerulis formed a circle around them, creating a small makeshift arena upon the purple sand. Their long, jagged tentacle like whiskers levitated above their heads, sparks of electricity dancing at across the tips. With a soft crackle, electricity sparked outwards, jumping from coerulis to coerulis creating an electrical fence around them.
It not only created a very effective barrier, but also provided enough light for the two of them to see each other clearly without being so bright as to draw attention to them from afar.
Tatsumi moved first, moving easily across the purple sand be he sent his blade whistling towards his friend. It was a lazy strike, for Tatsumi at least. For anyone not a supernatural entity, it would have been enough to finish them. For Hikaru it was an easy strike to parry to the side before retaliating with a strike of her own. A step to the side and a quick backhand to the side of her blade was enough to send it wide.
"First, I should reply to your message," Tatsumi said, cutting his last word off abruptly as he slammed his shoulder into Hikaru's steel plated chest, throwing her backwards to the edge of the ring. She was quick to get her feet back under her. "Yes, Sona does need a Knight and she was more than impressed by your earlier display. You'd be welcomed there."
"That's good to hear," her soft voice was filled with an audible note of relief. That relief didn't stop her from darting across the sand and attempting to stick her sword through Tatsumi's neck. There was a sharp squeal of steel on steel as Tatsumi quickly diverted the strike away from his vulnerable throat. Even as he redirected Hikaru's strike he slid to the side and hooked a leg behind Hikaru's ankle. Before he could trip her she jumped away. The two warily eyed each other, determining their next move as Hikaru continued. "Do you have any ideas on how to accomplish the transfer? I am… not the average Knight. Gregorious had to use a mutation piece to reincarnate me. It's not an exaggeration to say that besides his queen, I am his most valuable piece. There isn't very much he'd trade for me."
She knew that situation better than he. If that was what she said, she was probably right, especially if Gregorious had used a mutation piece on her. He'd learned from Sona just how rare, and valuable, a mutation piece was.
He rushed in, striking from the right. She quickly parried the strike and the two began a flurry of strikes, exchanging parries and counter-strikes in equal measure. Throughout the ever-increasing pace of the spar Tatsumi spoke. "The problem is that I don't think he'd accept any transfer, legitimate or not. Even if I did find something worth your value to offer up in trade, he wouldn't honor the agreement."
"The Satans can enforce it," Hikaru grunted out as her knees buckled beneath a particular strong strike. Before Tatsumi could follow-up she disappeared in a dazzling display of speed, leaving behind nothing but an after image for him to hit.
"The Satans are bound by the laws of their society," Tatsumi refuted her as he whirled around a hundred and eighty degrees just in time to divert a strike with his blade and catch her fist with his free hand. "I know Gregorious Abaddon and I've read over all the relevant laws of devil society since the Peace Conference. Serafall and Sirzechs still have a long way to go if they want devils to live in equality alongside humanity. Being a prominent member of devil society, he's protected under so many laws, rules and traditions that it's not even funny. If I lost, he'd take whatever I offered, and if I won, he'd just devalue, in his own eyes, what I was offering to the point where it was no longer worth your price and I would be forced to settle for some lesser piece."
Hikaru frowned as she used his supernatural strength to throw herself back a few steps. "You may be right. I can't see him honoring any agreement he could wheedle his way out of. He's managed to make his way up to fifteenth place in the rating games through a combination of both trickery and the might of his peerage."
Fifteenth? That high? Tatsumi had heard from Sona one time that anyone in the top ten was basically a superstar in the Underworld and Gregorious was that close? That wasn't a rank one could get to through trickery alone. It meant Gregorious had some truly powerful members in his peerage.
"Let's talk about that now," Tatsumi said as he clashed with Hikaru once more. The two of began another long exchange of blows, more as a means of exerting their energy than trying to overcome the other. "Just how strong is Gregorious' peerage?"
He and Night Raid was going to have to deal with them all in short order, officially or not.
A dark scowl marred Hikaru's beautiful face as her strikes became harder and stronger, filling with the anger that coursed through her veins. "I hate Gregorious for what he did to me. He's a monster through and through, but he is not someone to underestimate. His peerage is strong, very strong. In time I honestly believe we'll be able to achieve his goal of beating Bedeze Abaddon."
"Even the strongest can die if taken unaware by a dagger in the dark," Tatsumi said quietly. "When Gregorious and his peerage die, it won't be in a fair battle where they're capable of bringing their best against us."
Hikaru's face became grimmer, if that was possible. "Most of them deserve to die a dog's death. Lilian is about the only one that deserves to live." Her eyes softened. "I feel for her predicament. She's what I would have ended up becoming if I wasn't so useful."
"Oh." It didn't take a lot of imagination to figure out what happened, was happening, to this Lilian Hikaru spoke of. Tatsumi would have to look more into this Lilian, perhaps she was another he could free from Gregorious' grasp. "Let's start with the pawns. How many does he have?"
"Gregorious has a full peerage right now," Hikaru said. She altered tactics in mid-sentence, adding in strikes and kicks in between the flurry of sword strikes. Tatsumi responded in kind, constantly shifting his position across the purple sand as he avoided or outright blocked the new attacks. "He has five pawns, four reincarnated humans with Sacred Gears, and the fifth a devil from a fallen house with a unique power that makes her useful enough to include." Her eyes became cold and furious as she disappeared with blazing speed and began to attack him from all angles. It took all of Tatsumi's concentration to keep her at bay. "Jeina is cold, aloof, and thinks Esdeath is someone to emulate. Her Sacred Gear allows her to manipulate water around her with absolute control, like a small dominion. She generally uses it to create armor that can nullify all but the strongest attacks. She gets along too well with Suzuka, an insane, bisexual masochist that gladly became Gregorious' slave just so she could be abused physically and sexually by him. She's so crazy even Gregorious stopped sleeping with her. He's only keeping her around because she keeps Jeina happy and her endurance and love of pain allows her to keep going long after someone should have given up. Her Sacred gear allows her to contort her body into strange, almost unnatural angles, allowing her to fit through holes and cracks no one else can."
"Sounds like someone I used to know," Tatsumi mused. She could have just as easily described the Suzuka from the Four Rakshasa Demons back in his old world.
"Not a friend I hope." Her voice was tinged with anger as a particularly strong punch slipped past his guard and hit him in the side, sending a sharp pain shooting up his body.
"You really must not like them," Tatsumi said as he rubbed his side painfully. "And no, it was someone I had tried to kill long ago. She was just as crazy as the woman you described."
"I see… sorry, I just get so furious thinking about them," Hikaru apologized as she settled on her heels a few paces away from them. "The other three aren't as bad but I wouldn't lose any sleep over their deaths. Sakuri has a Sacred Gear called Giga Strength that, despite being a pawn, gives her strength greater than that of a Rook. In fact, once she uses the promotion system to become a Rook, her physical power briefly matches that of a Satan." In other words, don't let her lay her hands on you or you'll end up becoming a stain on a wall. "Shadari has a Sacred Gear that lets her control air currents. She uses it to guide a pair of Nanoaluminum pendulums along unpredictable paths. Their points have been sharpened to a molecular level edge that they can pierce through any defence that isn't Lilian's, magical or otherwise."
"Why not try to save them as well?" Tatsumi asked.
"Because both her and Sakuri had their minds broken by Gregorious. There's nothing left inside them to save." Oh, that was unfortunate. Maybe there was a magical spell that could be used to bring them back? "And magic can't save them. Gregorious made sure of that. He used to routinely go inside to snuff anything developing out. Lately though, he hasn't bothered. There's literally nothing inside them left to repair."
"Another reason to kill the man."
"Yes," Hikaru said as she attacked him once more. This time her strikes were more measured, calculated, but faster and more intense than before. Tatsumi responded in kind, meeting and turning aside each strike before retaliating with one of his own. He was actually beginning to enjoy this little spar of theirs'. It brought back fond memories from a time before all this suffering. "Morrigan is a devil through and through, along with all that entails. She's not enemy of humanity, but no friend either. If there was a term best used to describe her, it would be succubus." Tatsumi was familiar with that type of creature. It was feature prominently in quite a number of demonology tomes. Succubus were probably amongst the most harmless demons. In fact, there were many a human that would gladly offer up a portion of their life force for a night with one. "She'd fight to save Humanity, if only so her own source of pleasure and entertainment didn't die out. Unlike most devils, she's capable of manipulating her wings to achieve a variety of results from flight to spikes, whips, blades, and other weapons. She can even use them to create shields and barriers. She's also an expert in Senjutsu and has an unbelievable command of her Touki. Of all the pawns, she's the most dangerous."
The purple sand shifted awkwardly under Hikaru's foot causing her to momentarily lose her balance. Tatsumi was quick to exploit the opportunity, forcing her arms wide with two well placed strikes. Before she could fully regain her balance Tatsumi stepped inside her guard and hooked his foot around her ankle. She let out a little yelp as the two of them tumbled to the ground.
Hikaru landed on her back, her arms and legs splayed wide. Tatsumi landed more gracefully, resting comfortably between her legs with one arm pressed down between the two mounds of her steel breastplate and the other with a firm grip on the hilt of his sword, the tip pointed towards her throat.
"If that's just the pawns, I'm sort of dreading what you'll mention for the rest," he said lightly as he gave her a quick smile. He lowered the sword and took his arm off her chest. "Oh, and I believe this is my victory?"
"Only because the sand betrayed me," Hikaru said softly. Her cheeks colored as she stared up at him. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to pick herself back up and simply continued on. "Gregorious' other Knight, Gin. She has a Sacred Gear Gregorious calls The Juicer. It allows her to consume any narcotic, any drug, without experiencing a negative side effect. I think using her as a means to test new experimental drugs is the only reason he keeps her around and because she's supposedly very good in bed. When she is drugged up, she can be a formidable opponent, but the effects don't last very long so she rarely survives a Rating Game."
"And what about Gregorious' greatest piece, the Knight Hikaru?" Tatsumi asked as he picked himself up off the sand. He offered a hand down to Hikaru and pulled her to her feet.
"Hikaru, Gregorious' greatest piece…" Tatsumi saw her fingers twitch in some strange way before she blurred into another dizzying display of speed. Tatsumi tried to react when suddenly a shock of lightning snapped into his calves, causing the muscles to spasm uncontrollably. He barely had time to register what was going before he found himself falling back towards the sand. This time it was Hikaru who looked down on him from above, straddling his hips with her legs as she pointed her sword at his throat. "is going to keep her secrets to herself for now. Although if you wish to know you can try watching our rating games. Perhaps if we battle someone worthwhile, Gregorious might let me use all my power."
That gave Tatsumi an idea. "I heard from Ravel that her brother is highly regarded."
Hikaru blinked in surprise. "Ruval Phenex? He is. He's rated twelfth and at one time sat within the top ten. He's often considered the guardian that one must surpass if one wishes to challenge the top ten peerages. As you can imagine he gets quite a number of challenges but rarely accepts one. It's a right he's earned."
"Do you think Gregorious would accept a Rating Game with Ruval Phenex?"
"In a heartbeat," Hikaru said without hesitation. "He's already requested one, but he honestly doesn't expect to hear a response until he has a few more successful Rating Games against high level peerages."
Good. Tatsumi had learned a great deal more about these Rating Games from Sona. One of those details was that when the Rating Game system retires a fallen player, it doesn't restore their strength and stamina. It would also provide Tatsumi and Night Raid the opportunity to observe Gregorious and his peerage at their best. They wouldn't hold anything back to beat someone like Ruval Phenex.
"I see. I guess I'll just have to wait until that match to see you go all out then," Tatsumi said, smiling up at her. That being said… he threw a look at the coerulis surrounding them. "I never took you for one to cheat." She had definitely encouraged the coerulis around them to shock him.
"I'm a devil now, Tatsumi," Hikaru said softly. There was an unmistakable look of desire in her eyes as she stared down at him. "As much as I wish that wasn't the case, I have to accept the facts. I will always be the Hikaru you knew, but even that Hikaru had at times wished she could cheat her way to victory. She just never had the ability to do so. Frustration and continual loses can do that to a woman." She lowered her blade and set it on the sand beside them. "I think that's enough for now. I've worked up enough of a sweat to be convincing when I return."
"You're not going to get up though, are you?"
The coerulis all around them started making strange noises, almost like they were laughing. The electric field fizzled out and all of a sudden the two of them were being swarmed by all the coerulis. Tatsumi could only stare as they found various parts of his body to stretch out on.
One even tried to claim his face before Hikaru plucked the small cat like creature from him and placed it on her shoulder again. "I'm comfortable as I am," Hikaru said once the coerulis finished making itself comfortable on her. Her eyes took on both a dangerous, and vulnerable, tint as she turned them back on him. It was an odd look to see in someone's eyes. "Am I unwelcomed?"
"No, that's not it," Tatsumi said quickly. Even if he didn't know what brought on those words, he knew that tone. He'd never completely understand women, but he knew better than to disagree when they took that tone.
Besides, the sand was nice and cool, which was a welcome relief from the minor exhaustion he'd built up sparing with Hikaru and how blasted hot the night was.
She gave a short nod as a small satisfied smile played across her lips. She gently cleared her throat before continuing. "Gregorious only has one Bishop." She paused, a hesitant look came across her face. "Your… sister was to be his second. Like me, he had a special mutated piece for her but when you killed her—" She cut off abruptly.
"It's alright, I've come to terms with it," Tatsumi said quietly. He could feel the sorrow welling up in him, swirling around the empty hole in his heart that would never be filled, but it was no longer the crushing agony it had once been. Michael and Gabriel had seen to that. "She and my parents are all doing well in Heaven. I got to say a longer farewell to them than anyone else ever did for theirs. They may be gone, but they're not in pain anymore. The best thing for me now is to move on and live the life they would have wished for me."
She nodded, looking relieved. "I'm sorry for your loss regardless. Anyways, Gregorious will never have a second bishop. By the time Gregorious realized Mira was dead and had rushed back to where she'd been, someone had destroyed the mutated bishop piece. He muttered something about a Grim Reaper's scythe but that was it." Bennia… it had to be. Tatsumi was going to kiss her into insensibility the moment he got back. "You know who it was?" So she'd read the look on his face. She would probably work it out from there. "It would have to have been Bennia… she was always at your side, wasn't she?"
"Since I was four," Tatsumi said. Hikaru just nodded her head. She didn't look surprised. "Who is the other Bishop?"
"You met him once," Hikaru said, her voice dropped low and became filled with disgust. "One of the two men in Gregorious' peerage, Syura. That man has been with Gregorious for centuries and revels in rape and murder. Half of Gregorious' harem was brought to him by that man, and he's been honored as a result. He's always at Gregorious' side. I would have ended up as a plaything for that man if I was any less useful than I am."
Syura. Tatsumi knew that man, knew him better than he wanted to. It sounded like this Syura was just as bad as the one Tatsumi knew. "There's no need to say anything more about him. His Sacred Gear is Shambhala and allows him to teleport anyone within a certain area to wherever he desires." Hikaru nodded her head. Syura was possibly the most dangerous of them all. He needed to be taken out first so that he didn't escape with Gregorious.
Devils could teleport, yes, but there were limits and restrictions on where they could go, how far they could travel, who they could bring with them, and more. Shambhala had no such restriction. So long as a marker was placed somewhere, Syura could move any number of people and things between one point and the next.
"Lilian, the woman I mentioned earlier, is one of Gregorious' Rooks." Her shoulders sagged as a look of sorrow and pity came across her face. "Her mind wasn't broken by Gregorious… Champ didn't want it broken. He… prefers it when children scream and cry."
Tatsumi went cold inside. She was joking, right? No, from the look on her face he knew she wasn't. "It seems Champ is the same as well…" that sick piece of shit was raping children in this world as well.
"The worst thing is, Lilian's Sacred Gear, the Trojan Wall, doesn't allow her to die," Hikaru said quietly, almost too quietly to make out. "She's impervious to all physical harm, and most magical as well because of her status as a Rook. She can only be hurt through mental attacks… which means Champ can do whatever he wants to her without fear of her ever dying. Her mind though?" She wrapped her arms about her chest and shook her head violently from side to side as if trying to banish a horrible nightmare. The coerulis quickly gathered about her, rubbing against her comfortingly.
Tatsumi sat up and gently rubbed his hands up and down her arms. "It's alright, you don't have to say any more about either of them." He knew enough about Champ to figure out what his Sacred Gear most likely was. "Who is Gregorious' Queen?"
"You sure?" He nodded and gave her arms a light squeeze. She let out a relieved sigh. "You know the Queen as well. Remember our old sensei, Kurenai?"
"I do…" he went cold again as the last piece finally clicked into place. It all made sense now. That was one piece of the puzzle that hadn't fit. Just how did Gregorious know about Mira's and Hikaru's Sacred Gears? He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary with the two of them. While true, Tatsumi hadn't exactly been looking for them, he was familiar enough with the strange and the impossible being accomplished via Teigu's that if something had truly stuck out, he would have noticed. If he hadn't noticed, there was no way any Devil would have unless they'd been close to them on an almost daily basis. "Kurenai was a devil all along?"
"Yes," Hikaru said, her voice flat and hard leaving no doubt about her opinion of Kurenai. "She's the one that told Gregorious of Mira and myself. Most of the reincarnated devils were pointed out to Gregorious by her. He doesn't have the time to sit in the human world and scout for potential candidates, so whenever he loses some pieces, he sends her instead."
"Anything we need to look out for with her?"
"A great deal, actually," Hikaru said as she looked away from into the forest, her gaze taking a faraway look as it settled on the manor in the distance. "Her full name is Kurenai Balam, and she carries within her all the supernatural strength and durability of the Balam family. She was promised to Gregorious at a young age as a way of tying the two families together. She was supposed to help make him a better man… instead he corrupted her. Her naturally gifted strength and durability is even further enhanced by the large variety of swordsmanship she has learned in the human world and the speed necessary to make it effective. On top of all that, she's a Queen. As far as Queen's go, she's probably ranked somewhere in the top ten, although it's not really fair to compare any Queen to Grayfia so perhaps I should say she's within the top nine? Sirzechs-sama's wife almost beat Serafall-sama for the title of Leviathan, or so I heard."
Oh, that was good to know. Grayfia was at the level of a Satan so don't piss her off. Tatsumi really would have been in a whole world of trouble if he had killed Rias.
Tatsumi shook his head. That wasn't something to be dwelling on right now. He had all the information he really needed out of Hikaru. Now it was time to put that information into action. Serafall would have likely gathered some information about the estate itself and Akame the grounds about it. Between the three of them, and the Rating Game battle between Gregorious and Ruval, it would be enough to make plans to proceed.
"I should be going," Tatsumi said as he pushed himself to his feet. There was a disappointed look on Hikaru's face but she didn't keep him and even rose with him. "Serafall probably can't stay serious long enough to keep Gregorious occupied all night and I have enough now to start making some plans."
Hikaru rested a hand upon his chest and he could feel her pulse through it, along with a sense of nervous anxiety. "How long?"
He just shook his head. "I don't know, honestly. I still need to make plans. However, summer break just started and… I hope to see you there, in class beside me at the start of the next semester. Kuoh Academy could use a decent female kendo member, and I can't wait to see Ieyasu's face when he finds out you're female."
"Ieyasu?" She murmured quietly as she tilted her head to the side. She adopted a thoughtful expression for a moment before recognition dawned in her eyes. "Oh, him, the overly aggressive boy that didn't know how to properly position his feet."
"He's better these days," Tatsumi assured her. "Not our level, of course, but better."
"I would hope so. It's been three years." Hikaru suddenly returned his smile. "Less than two months then… that's not so bad."
"I promise you Hikaru, I will get you away from that bastard as soon as I can." Gregorious wouldn't survive the summer. Tatsumi would make sure of that, one way or another. He took several steps back across the purple sand and gave Hikaru a wave farewell. "I'll see you again soon."
"Take care, Tatsumi," Hikaru said, waving farewell in return.
Tatsumi gave her a wide smile before he turned on his heel and bolted for the woods, pausing only long enough to pick up his fallen cloak. He didn't head for the manor, instead started back towards a meeting point several miles away. The trees flashed past him as he covered the ground as quickly as he could. Every moment he stayed here longer than he needed to was another moment he could be discovered by Gregorious.
If that happened, it would be over.
He was halfway to the meeting point when Akame caught up with him, a silent shadow flittering through the trees beside him. If he wasn't so familiar with the feel of her presence he wouldn't have been able to pick her out.
"Did you get the information you needed?" Akame asked him as she joined him.
"I did. I know all of what Gregorious and his peerage is capable of." A rough estimate anyways. The Rating Game with Ruval would provide the rest. "More importantly, Hikaru mentioned that Gregorious wants a Rating Game against Ruval Phenex. We may be able to use that to our advantage… provided Ruval Phenex is willing to help."
"I have every confidence that you will be able to convince his sister to convince him." Tatsumi blinked as he thought about that. He could go that route, couldn't he? Have Ravel speak to her older brother for him. Akame glanced over at him, her red eyes seemed to pierce straight through him. "I wasn't aware you and Hikaru were on such good terms."
"We'd always been good friends… I just never knew she was female until recently."
"You'll be more soon."
"I… see." Akame was never one to mince words. Tatsumi wasn't quite so certain of that. She was a good friend, a strong rival, and certainly quite pretty, but he had honestly never thought of marrying her. Saving her was all that mattered right now. He could worry about the status of their friendship afterwards. "What did you think of her?"
"She'll be a strong rival, a good friend, and a loyal wife," Akame said quietly. "She has no malicious intent towards you. The same can't be said for her comrades. That manor stinks of death and suffering. I did not enter, but circling was enough. There are countless shallow graves in the forests around while the insects and beasts of the forest won't break the treeline."
It was about what he had expected and it reinforced everything Hikaru had said about Gregorious' peerage.
"How easy would it be for you to slip in?"
A light frown settled on her lips. "With the wards… impossible. Without? Too easy. That place was never designed to keep out assassins. It relies entirely on the wards to alert the residents to someone approaching. There are too many ways to enter and leave."
That was a relief. He had thought the same, but he wasn't as experienced an assassin as Akame was. He'd only been a part of Night Raid for a year and a bit, and only during the last part of the war when the assassinations were often time simply pitched battles against other Teigu users.
"We can't trust Gregorious to adhere to any agreement we make with him, so we need to find some other way to free Hikaru." If Serafall couldn't find anything through the official channels, that left them to paw through the unofficial ones. "We'll see if Serafall can make something for you to pass through the wards undetected."
And once that was done. Once they had a way to free Hikaru from Gregorious.
Night Raid would strike.
~o~
When the blue glow from the teleportation field faded away Tatsumi found himself in a small, sparsely furnished room. A couple chairs and a long couch crowded around a stubby, oval table. A single, lonely painting hung, slightly crooked, from the wall just over the narrow staircase descending to the lower level. There was a small fern in each of the room's corners, a weak attempt at making the place seem a little livelier.
There was little else in the room, save for Bennia who was dozing lightly on the couch. The hood of her Grim Reaper's attire was pulled low over her eyes to block the silver light from the moon trickling in through the room's sole window. He'd have to remind Bennia to keep the curtains shut in the future. Her provocative blue dress was dishevelled, leaving her exposed to anyone that might randomly appear in the room.
Considering the room was found on the third floor above a small, yet popular, diner in Phantasma, the city the Phenex family estate resided in, Bennia didn't have much to worry about. It was to be a place for members of Night Raid to lay low. Here they could rest while they waited to get picked up or wanted to keep their arrival here in the Underworld a secret.
That was primarily why it was so sparsely furnished. It wasn't meant to be a permanent place of residence, and the chances of them needing to abandon it in a hurry was high. Having anything of value here was not only pointless, but a waste.
"Ugh, which door is the washroom?" Serafall groaned from beside him. She was staring down at her hands like they were covered in the vilest substance in existence. "I swear if that stupid man tried to shake my hand one more time I would have frozen him solid for the next hundred years! And that Syura fellow! He wouldn't take his eyes off my breasts… another ten minutes of that and I would have…" her voice trailed off into quiet, unintelligible grumbles beneath her breath.
That was all Serafall could talk about after he and Akame joined up with her at the rendezvous point. She even looked as if she wanted to burn her magical girl outfit, and that was saying something. She had not enjoyed her time speaking with Gregorious Abaddon, that much was certain.
"Over there," Tatsumi said, pointing to a door next to the couch Bennia was dozing on. "Hopefully Ravel finished with it while we were out."
"It is, Tatsumi-san," Ravel said politely as she came up the staircase. She paused just long enough to correct the crooked painting before continuing to the top. Her eye twitched violently as the painting shifted with a soft creak, becoming crooked again. "I finished all my duties exactly as you desired. The bathroom has body towels, hand towels, and an assortment of scent free soaps, shampoos and—"
"Good!" Serafall said happily as she charged towards the bathroom. "Forget washing my hands, I need a full bath! That man was just… ugh!" She slammed the door behind her. "Tatsumi, please kill him quickly so I don't have to suffer meeting him ever again!" Her muffled voice floated out.
Tatsumi started to laugh as the muffled sound of running water kicked up on the other side of the door. "That's the plan."
"Everything is finished here, Tatsumi-san," Ravel continued, unperturbed by Serafall's interruption. Tatsumi supposed someone as polite as Ravel wouldn't make a fuss when one of her four great leaders, a Satan, wanted to speak up. Even if it was someone like Serafall. "The bedroom has been fixed as you requested, and the seals have been placed over the doors and windows, preventing any sound from escaping. What's more the hatch under the bed," she nodded towards the bedroom door opposite the bathroom, "leads to an underground tunnel that takes you out of the city." Not everyone could teleport, and even those that could may still end up having their ability to teleport blocked by barriers, seals, or other magical spells. "This place is as secure as I can make it."
"It's enough," Tatsumi said, giving her a warm smile. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to his side. "Anonymity is what'll keep this place safe more than anything else."
"Of course," Ravel agreed. There was a happy little smile on her face as she snuggled closer to his side. "I haven't even told my family about this place."
"Good, only members of Night Raid… and Serafall because we probably couldn't keep her out even if we wanted to, are to know of this place." It was to be kept a secret even from Sona.
"Did she do any work?" Akame asked as she made her way over to Bennia. She frowned down at the sleeping Grim Reaper looking unsure if she should adjust her clothes to protect her modesty or not.
"She did what Tatsumi asked of her, and then fell asleep," Ravel said light sniff. Akame nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs. "It is still more than I expected out of her so I suppose I cannot feel too disappointed she refused to help me after she finished moving in the furniture." She stiffened suddenly and her eyes darted to the cloak Tatsumi held under his other arm. "Tatsumi-san…"
"Hmm?" Was something wrong? He followed her gaze to his cloak and could only blink as two pairs of cat like eyes peered up at him out of his bundled-up cloak. With their cover blown two coerulis burst from inside and started darting about the room excitedly.
"Coerulis!" Ravel gasped in surprise. A happy smile broke out across her face as she watched them scamper about the room. "They never come into Phenex territory! Oh they're so cute!" She cleared her throat roughly and quickly regained her composure. "I mean to say they make good pets if you can earn their trust." She gave Tatsumi a long look. "How did you manage?"
Tatsumi shrugged. "I'm not really sure." He could only stare as the two coerulis, now finished with exploring the room, split up. One settled between Tatsumi's feet while the other jumped into Akame's lap. He just knew that these two coerulis were the ones that had ran alongside him and Akame as they'd shadowed Hikaru earlier. "But our main base is rather large and empty. It could use some more life to liven it up a bit."
"You intend to take them to the human world?" Ravel asked sounding rather surprised as she reached down to pet the coerulis. The little cat like animal just stared at her hand until it was no more than a few inches from its head. There was a sharp crackle and Ravel jumped back with a yelp of pain, holding her hand gingerly. "Hey! What was that for?!" She demanded, glaring at the little coerulis. It stared for a few moments before it let out a soft crackling little laugh and darted away. "Why you! I'll get you for that!"
"That's certainly going to be amusing," Akame said as she calmly scratched the coerulis on her lap behind the ears. It was purring softly as it leaned its head towards Akame's hand.
Tatsumi just laughed as he made his way across the room to Bennia's side. The little Grim Reaper that had always been at his side still looked as if she was sleeping soundly. "I know you can't sleep through all this," Tatsumi said as he lifted her up and took a seat before settling her back down upon the couch, her head now resting in his lap.
((Mrmm…)) Bennia grumbled quietly. ((All that artful positioning for nothing.))
Tatsumi bent down and kissed her on the lips. "Another time." He kissed her again, and again.
((This isn't so bad!)) Bennia said happily between kisses. She raised her head a little, her lips parted asking for another kiss. He didn't keep her waiting long. ((What's the occasion?))
"You destroyed the bishop Gregorious used to resurrect Mira… didn't you?"
((I might have…)) her eyes opened a crack and she gave him a sleepy, lidded look. ((Is that what this is about?))
"I'm going to kiss you into insensibility."
A huge smile broke out on Bennia's face as she wrapped her arms around his neck. ((I should have told you sooner!))
Tatsumi stayed true to his word and smothered Bennia's face in kisses. Right now, there wasn't anyone but the wonderful little Grim Reaper resting in his lap. The rest of the world disappeared as he lost himself in that beautiful smile and cheerful sleepy eyes that happily accepted all of his affection.
He didn't know how long he sat there, reducing Bennia to a happy, quivering mass of flesh that probably couldn't move even if she tried, only that it came to a sudden, crashing end as Ravel tripped over the empty chair in her attempt to snatch a jumping coerulis from the air. All three of them, the chair, the girl, and the cat-like animal, went tumbling to the floor with a loud raucous crash and a triumphant cheer.
Which was promptly replaced by the sound of someone getting electrocuted.
Everyone just turned to stare as a rather crispy looking Ravel pulled herself up to her knees and smiled broadly at the little coerulis held firmly in her grasp. There was a wide smile on her face that her darkened skin and smoking clothes couldn't do anything to dampen. The coerulis just hung there in her grasp, its head tilted to one side with a rather confused look on its face as one of its tentacle like whiskers prodded Ravel's cheek.
A camera flash snapped Tatsumi's head to the right. There, standing naked in the bathroom doorway with her hair wrapped up in a pink towel, was none other than Serafall… with a camera in her hand. She always seemed to have one on hand.
"The perfect shot!" Serafall crowed happily as she all but danced out of the bathroom. "A Phenex holding a coerulis! This'll go for millions! This has to be the first time ever in the history of the Underworld that anyone has managed to capture this elusive moment."
"I think I'm missing something here…" Tatsumi said carefully as he eyed the naked Satan. It was difficult to keep his eyes on her face, they were constantly wandering down her beautiful body. "And do you need a change of clothes?"
Serafall waved away his question. "We're all girls here except you and you've already seen me naked." She brought the camera up and darted all about Ravel, moving so quickly it looked as if she was teleporting. Every time she reappeared she snapped another photo. "I'm not going to miss this rare moment on account of a few clothes! This is far more important than a little bit of modesty! As a magical girl, it's my duty to bring to everyone of the Underworld strange and magical moments!"
Ravel just knelt there, beaming happily, pride all but shooting from her eyes as she held the coerulis up in the air. It was like she was posing for Serafall. Tatsumi just shook his head. He had no idea what was going on. "You have any idea what this is all about?" Tatsumi asked the little Grim Reaper in his lap. She was still smiling, but her eyes had taken on a mischievous look for some reason.
((It's not anything I'd get worked up about but… it's almost legendary here in the Underworld. The coerulis do absolutely everything in their power to avoid people carrying even a hint of Phenex blood in their veins. They don't even live in their territory and scatter to the nine winds whenever a Phenex comes near. No one really knows why, it's one of the great mysteries of the Underworld. To see a coerulis near a Phenex is almost a miracle, but actually holding one? Serafall may not be wrong about how much she could fetch for those photos. The challenge will be getting people to believe they're not fabricated.))
That would completely explain why both Serafall and Ravel seemed so happy about the moment. "Just don't knock over the chair next time," Tatsumi told Ravel. She didn't respond, she just sat there, beaming as Serafall did circles around her, snapping photos. "Ravel?" Still no response. She didn't even seem to notice when the entire left side of her dress disintegrated, the bonds that held the thread together burnt out by the coerulis' electric shock and blown away by the wind getting kicked up by Serafall's circling. Bennia started to giggle and Tatsumi just sighed. "Ravel… your dress is falling apart. I can see your bra."
That got her attention. She blinked twice and stared at him before her gaze slowly lowered to her chest. The white bra almost seemed a little too small to contain Ravel's sizeable bust. She let out a cry of embarrassment and quickly covered her chest. She never let go of the coerulis which ended up being her down fall. Seeing how embarrassed she was it thrashed wildly, sending the rest of her scorched dress scattering about her where it got picked up by the miniature whirlwind Serafall had kicked up.
Bennia was openly laughing now, her light, tinkling laughter echoing about the room. Tatsumi could only stare on as the coerulis struggled mightily. Ravel fought on bravely, but it was a losing battle since she was trying to protect her modesty while clinging onto the coerulis.
The animal eventually won out, tearing free from her grasp but not without taking a souvenir with it. Tatsumi could only sigh as the coerulis leapt onto the table and then onto Bennia's face carrying in its mouth Ravel's bra. Bennia flailed wildly beneath it, coughing and spluttering as it deliberately covered her mouth and nose.
Every time Bennia tried to grab it, the little animal zapped her.
"What have I surrounded myself with?" Tatsumi moaned.
"A fun bunch of people," Akame said. He shot her an annoyed look. There was an innocent look on her face that was so out of place it was impossible to take seriously, especially when amusement danced in her crimson eyes. She was enjoying this. Every single moment of it.
"I won't lose!" Ravel declared fiercely as she jumped to her feet. She had one arm crossed across her chest to hide her breasts as she pointed at the coerulis with the other. She seemed heedless of the fact that she now stood in nothing more than socks and a small pair of lacy white underwear. Serafall stood nearby, smiling proudly as she flipped through the various photo's she'd taken with the camera. At least the whirlwind had died down, even if it had left a mess of ashen fabric all over the floor. "I will make you accept me no matter what!"
She'd already gone back to ignoring her state of undress in favor of capturing the coerulis again. Was it really that much of a big deal? "Ravel?"
"Yes, Tatsumi-san?" Ravel asked, suddenly looking calm and regal. At least as calm and regal as one could be wearing only socks and a pair of panties.
Tatsumi plucked the bra from the coerulis' mouth and tossed it back to Ravel. The coerulis leapt off Bennia's face, whose eyes by then had rolled into the back of her head, and snatched it out of the air. Tatsumi deadpanned as he watched the coerulis dart away into the bathroom with the bra. "Is everything in this bloody world a pervert?!"
"Is that what you wanted to ask?" Ravel sounded confused.
"No!" Ugh! This world was doing a number on his sanity, in a large variety of ways.
"Most things are," Serafall said cheerfully from across the room. "I spent a few weeks in your world, everyone there is so prudish." She shrugged, sending her breasts bouncing distractingly. "You get used to it. After being in your world a few weeks, I definitely prefer mine. People aren't nearly so uptight here."
After seventeen years he should be used to it, but he still wasn't. He might never be. He shook those thoughts from his mind and forced his eyes away from Serafall's chest. "What I wanted to ask, Ravel, was about your older brother." He was also going to ask if she wanted to go home and get some clothes but forget that. She could teleport if it was that important and it seemed to bother him more than anyone else.
"Which one?"
"Ruval, Gregorious has requested a Rating Game with him, hasn't he?"
Ravel's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth in shock. "I had forgotten about that! He has! My brother is a great player of the game! He wasn't going to give that fool the time of day but I'd love to see him beat Gregorious!"
"Think you can convince him for us?" Tatsumi asked. "I want to use him to help us bring Gregorious down. And we'd like to watch, from afar, mind you. I don't want Gregorious to know that we're watching him."
Ravel placed her hands on her hips and thrusted her chin and chest up proudly. Tatsumi forced his eyes to remain on her face. "Of course!" Her face was all lit up at the prospect of being helpful. "I'll speak with my father and brother right away! We have a private viewing room at my home but we rarely use it. Most of my family goes to watch in person. Father won't have any issues with you using it."
"Thanks." Things were starting to come together. Now they just needed to train and—
A large pink teleportation grid erupted on the ceiling, interrupting his thoughts. He looked up just in time to see Mine descend through it, a concerned look on her face.
"Tatsumi, you need to return to our base."
Bennia's dazed look instantly disappeared and she sat up allowing him to stand. "What's going on?"
"Xenovia is speaking with him at the moment back at our base, but he's here for you."
Tatsumi frowned. "Who is it?"
"The Prime Minister of Japan."
Author's Note: It's taken awhile but Tatsumi is finally starting to move on Gregorious Abaddon. Ravel has her character built a bit and what's more, the consequence of that first battle with Esdeath being made public is starting to be felt by Tatsumi and Co.
How shall things unfold?
Leave a review and let me know what you think!