Author's Note: I'm rather overwhelmed by the multitudes of responses I received last chapter. When I asked that question, I thought I'd get maybe 30 or 40 replies with at least a quarter of them negative. I got a lot more than that and nearly all of it supportive.
It answered one question, but raised another. Instead of wondering 'if' I should keep writing, it became more of 'how' do I keep writing? Do I keep moving forward with one large story or break it out into multiple?
It was a surprisingly difficult decision for me to come to but ultimately, I decided to stick with the status quo. I've always written just one long, continuous story and every writer on this site I follow, the good ones at least, do the same.
Splitting it into 2 stories would also require additional time and effort I'd much rather put into pushing the story on further ahead.
Anyways, without further ado, for good or for ill, let's continue!
Chapter 22: Divergence of Fate
For what felt like the hundredth time, Tatsumi felt that the headquarters of Night Raid was ostentatious, overly large, and quite frankly, far more than they needed at present time. Tatsumi had been given a tour of the place when he'd first moved in, but even to this day he was discovering rooms he was certain hadn't been there during that first initial tour.
The room he found himself in was one such place. To say the room was large and extravagant was an understatement. The ceiling vaulted high above the main floor, painted with a large motif of the battle between Angels, Devils and the Fallen. It was supported at regular intervals by two rows of marble colonnades. The pillars ere carved into alternating themes of angels, devils and the Fallen. A balcony ringed the room part way up, tucked just behind the rows of pillars and delineated by a chest high marble banister. Tatsumi supposed it would allow visitors to look down upon the proceedings happening on the main floor without actually getting in the way of anyone down there.
Not that Tatsumi had any intention of allowing anyone to simply 'look in' on the sorts of meetings he was about to hold. He didn't even want to hold it in this room but Ravel had suggested it. She'd been eager to utilize what she considered one of the nicer rooms in the estate. Xenovia had voiced her support of that plan and from there everyone just naturally gravitated towards it not giving Tatsumi a chance to refute it.
Without any real complaint, aside from how obnoxious the room felt, Tatsumi went along with it. Making the other members of Night Raid happy was more important than assuaging his own sense of discomfort.
The idle clink of glassware drew Tatsumi's attention across an enormous table that nearly spanned the length of the room. The resident maids bustled about those assembled here, setting down small little plates and tea cups. Matcha green tea was being poured into the cups while freshly baked biscuits were placed on the side.
They were even offering back rubs.
Tatsumi had declined, but Ravel and Xenovia had both been quick to accept. An angel worked on Xenovia's shoulder's while a devil had her hands down the back of Ravel's dress. Being hunched over in the forest for the duration of the mission had done a number on them. Neither had been particularly used to holding that posture for such a length of time.
There was still a lot to get used to here at the new base. It was a novel experience to come back from a mission to be served tea, biscuits and offered a massage. When it had just been Bennia and himself they'd just flopped on his bed and promptly fallen asleep.
Tatsumi turned his gaze from the servants to those gathered at the table with him, everyone from Night Raid was there. Najenda on his left with Akame beside her and then Mine. Ravel on his right with Xenovia at her side. Hikaru had declined to take a seat and stood comfortably at his side.
There was only one person missing, Bennia. She'd gone off to make sure Lilian was fine after she'd chased her off. That Bennia wasn't here yet, long after Hikaru had already been shown their HQ, meant either she was still off doing that, or she was nearby enjoying making them wait on her.
"Either way…" Tatsumi whispered to himself.
"Did you say something?" Hikaru asked quietly.
"Just saying we should begin," Tatsumi said, drawing everyone's attention. That was the servants queue to vacate the room. Ravel mumbled a little complaint as her masseuse left as well. "It's getting late and if we need to begin, with or without Bennia—"
((Wait, wait, wait! Don't start without me!)) Bennia shouted as she popped in through the ceiling.
"Were you making us wait on you on purpose?" Mine demanded.
Bennia adopted the single most innocent expression Tatsumi had ever seen on her face as she lowered herself onto Tatsumi's lap. ((Would I do that?))
Tatsumi poked her cheek. "Yes, yes you would."
((You have so little faith in me! It took Serafall so long to find Lilian that you'd all left without me and I had to find my own way back, lost and all alone in the woods!)) Little tears started to form in Bennia's eyes.
"You were flying over the forest, you weren't in the forest, and you could have teleported straight back here from wherever you were, I've seen you do it before," Tatsumi pointed out.
The tears were gone in an instant as she grinned up at him. ((Details, details.)) She said with a light wave of her hand. ((One should never let little things like that get in the way of spinning a good story!))
"You made us wait to spin a story?" Mine demanded incredulously, "I'm hot, sweaty, and I stink. I can't believe my bath has been delayed just for that!"
Bennia flashed her a grin. ((Don't worry about that, Tatsumi like's a little sweat on his girls. If I can't smell you from here, you're not bad enough to have to worry about it!))
"What?!" Mine shouted, rearing back in surprise. "T-This has nothing to do with trying to impress Tatsumi!"
"Sweat, huh?" Xenovia said absentmindedly. She turned to Ravel beside her and smiled. "Maybe we should find some dirt to roll around in if Tatsumi likes it so much."
Ravel gave Xenovia a startled look. "Y-You think so?" she asked, none of her usual rigid formality was there at the moment as she pressed two fingers together shyly. She tossed him a sidelong glance and quickly looked away when she noticed him looking. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least try, once… maybe." She coughed loudly and roughly cleared her throat. "No, as a respected member of the House of Phenex certain standards must be upheld!"
"Well, some changes are to be expected after the fusion with the Tyrant," Najenda said with a sigh. For some reason she refused to look at him.
"You should always try and follow proper hygiene, Tatsumi," Akame scolded him. "Even if you like a little dirt, that's not always healthy. A proper bath before any sexual activity is simply par course to ensure nothing is caught."
Tatsumi just deadpanned as everyone in the room got the wrong impression of him, courtesy of the cute little grim reaper winking exaggeratedly up at him. "Bennia… I will get you back for this," Tatsumi vowed.
((Hehehe.))
He cleared his throat roughly, regaining all of their attention. "We're all tired, and we all," he stressed that word quite firmly. No need to reinforce their misconception of him, "need a long, warm bath to clean up after this night, so I don't want to keep everyone overly long. While we may not always meet in this room," he gestured to the overly opulent meeting room, "there will always be a debrief of some sort after each mission, regardless of the outcome."
((I vote for meeting beneath a bedsheet!))
Tatsumi bopped Bennia on the head before her turned to Ravel and Xenovia, continuing. "Anyways, thanks, you two, for keeping the ward down. Everyone else was able to take out their targets without worry of being found. Without that we'd have had to fight a forewarned and prepared high ranked peerage. Even as exhausted as they were, they would have put up a fight."
Tatsumi had faith they still would have come out victorious, but not unscathed.
"Just doing what I can in service of you and Lady Gabriel!" Xenovia said cheerfully. "Men like that need to be punished and I was happy to do my part." She paused and smiled slyly. "Do I get a reward?"
Tatsumi swallowed hard and took a few moments to compose his words properly. They were all going to get paid from his own personal funds since he was the requestor of this mission but… Tatsumi had a feeling she was hinting at something else. "We can discuss that later…"
"Beneath a bedsheet per—"
"I'm certain that Tatsumi-san wishes to hear my thoughts now," Ravel said, interrupting Xenovia before the strange girl could suggest anything. Ravel gave Tatsumi a respectful bow. "Your thanks are much appreciate, Tatsumi-san. I, Ravel Phenex of the House of Phenex, am glad to be of service. Any time you need me to support you I will be there."
"Thanks," Tatsumi gave her a smile before sweeping his gaze across the assembled. "Thank you all for your efforts tonight. Considering how often things go wrong for me, tonight was almost miraculous in how smooth it was. Is there anything anyone wants to say or concerns you had with tonight? Now's the time to bring it up."
"This mission was so simple it was almost boring," Mine said in the same haughty attitude that Tatsumi was used to hearing. It was so familiar it actually brought a smile to his lips. She stared at him suspiciously for a moment before continuing. "What I want to know is why we didn't just blow the entire place up after we saved her," Mine gestured to Hikaru standing at his side, "that little girl, Lilian, would have survived."
Tatsumi could see Najenda and Akame giving him knowing looks. They knew why, it was the same reason Night Raid didn't indiscriminately kill back in the old world. This was his Night Raid though and it was his place to set down the rules.
"Because we're better than Gregorious Abaddon," Tatsumi said. "What we do may be murder," he felt Bennia grow still in his lap even as Ravel and Xenovia turned their gazes downwards, "but it's murder with a purpose. It's what differentiates us from the monsters we hunt down. It's… the only differentiation. Gregorious' wives and the other servants may be devils but…" Tatsumi let out a long sigh, "they haven't done anything I am aware of that warrants killing them. Simply being a devil isn't enough to warrant death." He gave Mine a pointed look. "It's like how being a Fallen Angel/Human half-breed shouldn't be cause for discrimination."
Mine looked away, suddenly embarrassed, "fine, I suppose when you put it that way I can accept it."
"Thank you," Tatsumi said, giving the Fallen Angel a smile. He caught her eye for a brief moment as she glanced back. She blushed and turned away completely. Tatsumi turned his attention to Akame. "Anything else?"
Surprisingly, Akame spoke up. "I overheard some people talking about how Syura disappeared. He found out about the raid in the middle of it and escaped."
"He didn't bother to warn Gregorious?" Tatsumi mused.
"Syura and Gregorious never had a particularly close relationship," Hikaru spoke up for the first time. "Gregorious found him very useful, both on the field of battle and finding women to warm his bed, so he was kept. I am not surprised he simply left the moment the situation soured."
Akame nodded. "Syura always was a coward when confronted with a situation he did not have full control over. And while this is only third-hand information, I overheard a couple of women speaking of the man. He supposedly fled due to seeing a woman he thought he'd killed before, someone he had feared."
Oh, that was interesting. But who was it that chased him off? It couldn't have been Xenovia, Ravel or Mine, it was very obvious to anyone even remotely up-to-date with current events that they were still alive, and it wasn't him for obvious reasons and—
He saw Akame's fingers clench ever so slightly. Oh… she'd already thought this through to its natural conclusion. Her reaction was all it took for Tatsumi to reach the conclusion as well. "I'm sorry Akame."
"It's fine," Akame said without any emotion in her voice. Still, Tatsumi could see worry in her eyes. Not for herself, but this world's Kurome. "I came here to help you, not to meet my alternate self. Now I don't have to worry about running into her."
"Will you be—"
"I'll be fine Tatsumi," Akame assured him quite firmly.
He didn't press her any further. He knew Akame well enough that she wouldn't say anything more, especially not in front of everyone here.
"What happened to Lilian?" Hikaru asked suddenly.
((Oh! I can answer that!)) Bennia said cheerfully, almost too cheerfully ((Found that Champ fellow molesting her.)) Tatsumi noticed Hikaru's expression become strained. ((I broke his balls, throat, wrist, and other parts of his body before I cleaved his soul and then chased Lilian off. Serafall found her.)) Bennia's smile became lopsided. ((There's gonna be another magical girl prancing about now.))
"I had hoped Champ hadn't…" Hikaru shook her head. "It's done though. I only wished he had suffered a bit more first. Lilian had to go through so much because of him."
Bennia just gave them an owlish look before she grinned widely. ((Who says he's not still suffering?)) She asked. A spike of black, deathlike energy appeared in her hand before she promptly stabbed a small little jewel she had attached to her wrist. The jewel was something so small and innocuous that Tatsumi never really noticed it before.
He noticed it now, especially when it let out a shriek of agony in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Champ.
"Tatsumi, that's a scary little girl you've taken to your bed," Najenda murmured softly. "Although if this world's Champ is even remotely similar to our own, I can't say he doesn't particularly deserve that sort of end."
Tatsumi felt a sweat drop run down the back of his neck. "Bennia… if you had done that to anyone but Champ I'd have to seriously rethink our relationship…" her eyes snapped wide with genuine fear, "but like Najenda said, since it's Champ we're speaking of I find myself unable to care enough to even chastise you." He coughed and looked up from an obviously very relieved looking Bennia.
"How did Gregorious find his end?" Xenovia asked suddenly. "I heard so many bad things about him. Did he at least get his due? If not I can see about speaking to Lady Gabriel about finding his soul in Tartarus."
"No," Tatsumi said when he noticed Hikaru's eyes sparkle with interest. Tatsumi wanted to inflict more agony on the man too, but they were better than him. He got what was coming to him. Best to simply bury him. He didn't deserve any more of their attention. "He suffered, greatly. Hikaru and I made sure he knew how much we had suffered on his account. Soul shattering was a phrase Serafall once suggested. I think we got close." Tatsumi gave Hikaru a smile which she returned. "Hikaru was very enthusiastic in helping me. She kept that man's heart beating long after it should have shut down. It seems her Sacred Gear can be used to keep people alive long after they really have any right to be."
"I had three years of grievances to explicitly spell out to the man," Hikaru said in way of explanation. Her soft, quiet voice made her sound so innocent as she spoke. "I just didn't want him to die before I was able to get through them all."
"After that we hung what was left of him by what was left of his entrails."
"There wasn't very much of either," Hikaru added. "It might take anyone who stumbles upon him several hours of magical analysis to properly identify the remains."
((You didn't take any pictures, did you?)) Bennia asked, pouting slightly.
Bennia let out a soft cry of surprise as Tatsumi flicked her forehead. "No, and neither will any of you. While I don't mind the world knowing the results of our official missions, the details should remain shrouded in secrecy, always."
"Don't even have pockets to carry a camera," Mine said, shrugging.
"Any other things?" There was silence around the table. Tatsumi took that as a no. "Then this meeting is done. For our first official missions, we couldn't have done better. Now, I only have one last order for each of you."
((Oh? Is this a fun order?)) Bennia asked teasingly.
Tatsumi bopped Bennia on the head again. "My order is this, go and relax, sleep if you want, you've all earned a nice break." He paused for a moment to let that sink and, "and I'll be sure to pay you all for helping me with this personal request."
"Paid? We get paid for this?" Mine asked, sounding rather surprised. In fact, they all had varying degrees of surprise on their face. "I thought we were doing this all for free. For the 'good of humanity' and all that." She used air-quotes to emphasis her sarcasm.
If Azazel hadn't ordered her, and it hadn't been him in particular Azazel had asked her to support, she probably wouldn't even be here.
"Well, yes, you're all getting paid, we're not charity." It was nice to fight for an ideology but that didn't put food on the table or kept the lights on. Even before they became well known they'd charged a fee. "I've always charged for our services. Even in the beginning. This time though, since I was the client, I'll pay out of my own pocket. Bennia and I are actually rather wealthy thanks to a certain rather difficult mission not too long ago."
((Does this mean I'll get paid too?)) Bennia asked.
"Your money is my money, just like always. You're the one that wants to marry me, that means our finances are joint and I'm the one that manages it. Better get used to it."
((Awww…))
"Besides, I pay you in other ways and I've always gotten anything you've actually needed."
((That's true.)) She gave him a rather lascivious grin. ((Some things are much better than money.))
"Sure…" Tatsumi returned hesitantly. "Anyways… back to my earlier. Everyone's dismissed, get some rest and relax." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "And ignore Bennia's earlier comment. We could all probably use a nice long soak in a hot bath."
((Hehehe.))
Tatsumi watched as everyone started away. Some Tatsumi knew would head straight for the baths, while others would probably grab a bite to eat or do something to relax and unwind from the mission they'd just completed. Few would stay up for much longer. Everyone was tired. He could see it in the way they moved, their slouched shoulders, how they dragged their feet along the ground or, in Xenovia's case, the rather large yawn she kept sporting.
He honestly thought she'd fall asleep during the meeting but some how she managed to make it through.
He was proud of them all. Watching them all file away he couldn't help but feel hope for the future. Night Raid truly was reborn again, reborn and accomplishing real things now. No longer was he simply reacting to a threat and hoping he arrived before it disappeared back into whatever dark hole it crawled out of.
Now he was crawling through that hole and making sure that evil never surfaced again.
~o~
As much as Tatsumi wanted to fall asleep in blissful slumber after finally dealing with Gregorious Abaddon, there was someone he wanted to make sure was settling in first, Hikaru. He knocked twice on her door, softly, just in case she was asleep.
His concern was unfounded as Hikaru's cautious, guarded voice floated through the solid door. "Yes?" Not unexpected, after living with Gregorious Abaddon for over three years, it'd probably take some time before she let her guard down.
If she ever did.
"It's just me," Tatsumi called back, "do you have some time to speak or should I come back in the morning?"
Silence was all he got in return.
Did he say something wrong or was Hikaru just that tired that she didn't hear him? He spoke again, a little louder this time. "I can come back tomorrow if you're—" His words stopped as soft click came from the door. It swung inwards to reveal a fresh looking Hikaru, her long black hair still damp from the shower she'd just taken. A soft blue bath robe clung to her shoulders, tied only loosely about the waist. It left it parted slightly in the center, exposing just a glimpse of that soft, white valley between her breasts.
"Don't be so quick to leave. It takes time to walk across a room this large," Hikaru told him before she turned her back to him and started towards her bed, which Tatsumi noticed had been moved from its original place to sit in the corner furthest from the door. She paused halfway across and threw a frown over her shoulder at him. "Are coming in or not?"
"Ah, right, sorry," Tatsumi said quickly. He stepped inside and threw a quick glance about the room. Just a cursory look was enough to note that Hikaru had already rearranged the place completely. The bed and dressers were moved away from the windows, and as far away from any entry point into the room as possible. The rest of the furniture had been moved strategically to put as many obstacles as possible between the bed and the door.
It wouldn't really stop anyone but the appearance of a barrier probably brought some semblance of comfort and security. It made Tatsumi wished he'd gotten to her sooner.
"Close the door and lock it please."
Tatsumi did so, making sure both locks and the chain were in place. "Trust issues?" he asked as he made his way to the center of the room, which was currently home to a kotatsu surrounded by two almost half circle couches.
"I trust you, Tatsumi-san. No one else." Her soft, quiet voice became even quieter as she went on. "Trust is something that has to be earned… I can't just give it out anymore. I'm sorry, I know you trust your friends but I don't. I don't know any of them."
"I won't ask that you do, just give them a chance." She nodded her head. Time was what Hikaru needed right now and he'd make sure she had it. "What about Sona Sitri?" Tatsumi asked. Hikaru had asked to become her Knight.
Hikaru stopped at the side of her bed and gave him a weak smile over her shoulder. "I don't trust her either but… I know enough about her to know that she's better than every other 'King' out there, and the one... probably most like myself. I know I'll have to be picked up by someone. After putting my Sacred Gear on display I can already see a law mandating that I have to be a part of some peerage or another. Devils have lots of tiny little worthless laws that only apply to particular individuals, some of them are still in play even long after the individual is dead."
"Why not make a law to mandate which peerage you have to join?"
"Because they're not allowed to go that granular. I can thank Ajuka Beelzebub for that one. He didn't want his Evil Pieces and the Rating Game to become little more than political tools, even if one's status in the Underworld is greatly influenced by your rank. They don't do it very often, maybe a dozen times since the Rating Games first started, but they can force promising members of devil society that balk the system to join a peerage, they just can't decide which one for you. Not officially at least. There are other means they employ to ensure that you choose correctly."
"I'm not surprised."
"Yes," Hikaru said softly. She started unpacking the suitcase she had open on the bed, pulling out articles of clothes to fold away into the dresser. "Devils are still devils. It really is only recently, these past hundred years or so I guess, that the devils really started to have a change of heart. Prior to that, people like Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri were few and far between and ironically, four of them became Satans." She shook her head like she couldn't believe that. "Just goes to show that power means far more to devils than anything else. If you're strong enough, it doesn't matter what you say, do, or which agenda you push for. They'll look up to you."
"You know quite a bit about devils."
"Gregorious Abaddon made sure I knew everything I could, didn't want me to… embarrass him at the high society gatherings he was so certain he'd be attending soon." Tatsumi could see her lips curl up into a smile. "He might have even received an invitation to one of those gatherings by now if you hadn't dealt with him."
"We, you mean," Tatsumi reminded her. "I recall you were pretty enthusiastic about making him suffer."
"I had reason."
"We both did."
They both fell silent after that, it was a comfortable sort of silence. Tatsumi watched Hikaru work through it, putting away her clothes. He saw several sets of the same latex bodysuit she always wore beneath her suit of armor along with, surprisingly, some very nice looking dresses. One thing he didn't see were any sort of casual clothes. He'd need to take her shopping later to get her some.
He settled down on the circle couch and stretching out his legs beneath the kotatsu. It was warm beneath it, the heater was on. It was a stark reminder that the butler, Tirade, liked to keep the estate cooler than Tatsumi preferred. Hikaru probably felt the same if she had it on.
The glint of steel caught his attention as Hikaru pulled a silver, decorative breastplate out from her suitcase and tucked it beneath the bed. "Hikaru…"
"Hmm?" She pulled out a second decorative breastplate and placed it under the bed with the first.
"Why the breastplate?" Tatsumi asked as she pulled out a third breastplate and stacked it beneath the bed with the other two. "I mean, it certainly looks cool, but—"
"That's it," Hikaru said quietly. "I know it hinders my movement and it's not particularly practical considering even a weak devil can crumple it like paper, but I like the way it looks."
"Oh." Well, that was as good an explanation as any. "Any source of inspiration?"
"Valkyries," Hikaru said softly. "I saw some accompanying Odin once. They…" she coughed and turned her back to him. He could have sworn he'd seen a slight blush on her face. "I just liked the way it looked on them, alright?"
Tatsumi raised his hands in peace, even though she couldn't see them. "Hey, I'm not complaining. I think it looks good on you. Your—guh" he bit his tongue to stop himself from saying that her breasts were just the right size to make it look good. Too small and there wouldn't be anything to emphasis, too large and it'd just be obnoxious.
Hikaru turned to regard him curiously. "My what? You were about to say something."
"It's nothing," Tatsumi said quickly.
She stared at him suspiciously for a moment before she turned back to the suitcase and quickly finished unpacking. The last of the breastplates came out along with spare boots, vambraces, and other gear she used for battle. The medals were the last thing, and those she displayed proudly atop the long dresser. Once the last medal was properly adjusted alongside the others Hikaru tossed the empty suitcase into the far corner and made her way over to him.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked softly.
He nodded and patted the spot beside him. "It's your room," Tatsumi said. He wasn't about to tell her what she could and couldn't do in here.
"Is it?" She asked as she settled beside him.
A pleasant noise escaped her lips as she stretched her out her arms and legs, extending them beneath the kotatsu and above her head. At some point in time between letting him in and now the belt holding her robe close had loosened so when she sat up straight the front of her robe opened wide. He felt his body react as his eyes fell upon the sight of that beautiful, naked breast.
Tatsumi swallowed hard and quickly averted his eyes. Thankfully she didn't seem to notice. "It is. I have more rooms here than I know what to do with. This place is yours."
She leaned against his side and closed her eyes as she laid her head against his shoulder. "Thank you, I don't have a home to go back to."
Were her parents dead as well? "Did Gregorious…"
"They're still alive but they think I'm dead. Gregorious made sure of that," Hikaru said quietly, following his train of thought. "And I'm a devil now. I don't want to bring anything down upon them. Especially once I join Night Raid."
Join Night Raid? "You want to join?" He certainly didn't have any complaints.
"I don't want anyone else to suffer like I did."
A better reason than most. "Then we're definitely going to pay a visit to your parents. They'll find out eventually if you join Night Raid. Better that they find out from you in person then see you standing beside me at a press conference." Hikaru grumbled a little but didn't voice a complaint. "Anyways, I'd be happy to have you as part of Night Raid." Perhaps he could get Sirzechs or Serafall to do something similar to Ravel Phenex, where he got a physical representation of their piece, but wasn't actually their king. Still… "But what about Sona Sitri?"
"That's one of the reasons I want to be part of her peerage," Hikaru murmured quietly. "I saw the pictures, I know you two are close. She won't mind me helping you." Her eyes suddenly went flat. "At least she better not. She shouldn't but with devils you just never know." Hikaru shook her head and her eyes softened. "So long as I help her with her Rating Games and at school in some way it should be fine."
"You've thought about this quite a bit, haven't you?"
"Ever since I saw you fight Esdeath," Hikaru murmured. She shifted against his shoulder, settling into a more comfortable position. "When I saw the videos of you still alive and fighting Esdeath, I saw a chance to escape. I hoped that if you knew I was alive you'd come for me… I saw Ravel Phenex in that video at the end. They're an honorable family. I had hoped…" she trailed off into silence for a few moments. "It took three visits to their area but you came eventually. I was so overjoyed at seeing you and at the same time irritated that I did need you."
"So that's why I felt irritation."
"That and I was abruptly reminded that you've never fought me seriously."
"Ah. Perhaps some day we can have a real match, with the healers we're both going to need by the end standing nearby."
"I'd like that." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Tatsumi glanced over at her and realized she was drifting off to sleep. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Just get some rest, Hikaru, and in the morning your new life starts."
She reached up and pulled his arm down, bring it across her stomach where she tucked it in tightly against herself. "A new life…" she murmured softly as she drifted off to sleep.
A soft smile came unbidden to his lips as a wave of contentment washed over him. He rested the side of his head against hers and finally relaxed. All the built-up stress and exhaustion from the long day burst forth like a breaking dam and washed over him. Without any further reason to stay awake, Tatsumi drifted off into slumber.
x~X~x
"What news do you have for me of the human world and the lesser levels of the Underworld?" Hades asked his most trusted servant, Pluto, as he paced along the bank of the River Styx. Pluto was keeping pace exactly two steps behind him, gazing out across the river's still waters along with Hades. The fog beyond was nigh impenetrable, even to his eyes. It was the barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead.
It was one of several means of getting to the Underworld, and the most suicidal of them all for all who paid Charon's fee to cross those waters invariably ended up in Hades domain. He demanded a tribute from all those that crossed it.
Such as what he was going to demand of the woman that was even now crossing it on Charon's boat.
((Is this really the place we should be discussing this?)) Pluto asked cautiously. ((Voices carry far across the waters and you are expecting a guest.))
He was, in a manner of speaking. Hades hadn't invited the woman, she had invited herself by paying Charon's toll. Well, who it was mattered little. He would extract his own 'payment' from her when she arrived. Hades was his realm, and any that crossed those waters into it were his to do with as he saw fit.
"It won't matter what they know once I am done with them." It would be nice change of pace to have a woman that wasn't an obedient Grim Reaper to keep him occupied for a time. "Speak, I am interested." It was much too difficult to get current information down here. Few people visited that he could interrogate.
Perhaps he'd do something about that in the future.
((The hero faction has moved as you predicted. They've laid siege to Valhalla along with Vali and his team. Unfortunately not many major players are moving in that war. Each side seems to be content with sending low level players at each other. Weak Sacred Gear users that have yet to achieve Balance Breakers versus Valkyrie's for the most part. I don't see that war lasting more than a couple months before both sides get bored.))
"Cao Cao and his lap dogs haven't fought any of the Gods there yet?" Cao Cao was the only interesting one of the bunch. That Longinus of his was dangerous, but only if he was allowed to use it. So long as Hades remained in his own realm, he could prevent Cao Cao from ever getting close enough to use it.
((Not as of yet, although they do keep calling them out. They've slaughtered Valkyries and Einherjars by the dozens, but the Gods won't show.))
"That old pervert is smarter than he lets on. He knows the True Longinus can kill even him." There were only five beings in existence that could probably survive it outside of certain conditions or sanctuaries, Ophis, Great Red, and the three major Hindu Gods. "I expect that war to drag on right up until the moment Cao Cao finds something more responsive to focus his attention on." He waved Pluto to continue onto the next bit of news.
((There are rumors that the Angels will soon develop the ability to raise new Angels from base humans.))
Hades snorted. "More fodder for Azazel I guess. Humans are emotional creatures. Even the most devote and faithful will fall sooner or later."
((Quite possibly why Azazel was so willing to share his research with the Angels. Whether he subverts them to his side as a human, or convinces them to fall as an Angel, it amounts to the same thing,)) Pluto stated. ((There was the news recently about an odd human that goes by the name of Nakimori Tatsumi.))
"Oh?" The name tickled a memory in the back of his mind, something he'd heard in passing. Had it been a few of the younger Grim Reapers that had been talking about it or someone else? If he couldn't remember it couldn't be that important. "What's so interesting about a mortal human that I should care?"
((He's the one Nemesis has chosen to take as a lover.))
Hades stopped and turned to regard Pluto fully. "Why would Nemesis be even remotely interested in a mortal? She kills them, she doesn't mate with them."
((She's mating with this one, quite often from the sounds of it,)) Pluto returned. ((I believe Orcus mentioned it before. He expects a grandchild soon.))
"I might have to do something about that." If Nemesis wanted to take some random God as a lover, that was one thing. But a mortal was just insulting and Hades didn't permit insults. "Go on, what's so interesting about this mortal?"
((He was the focal point of what the humans call, a Press Conference, recently,)) Pluto stated lightly. ((At that Press Conference he essentially declared war against all supernatural entities that see Humanity as a source of exploitation. It was… well received by the humans. He has an internationally recognized organization called Night Raid dedicated to enforcing his views.)
"And he's still alive because?" Hades asked. That sort of proclamation got people killed, quickly. Hades could name dozens of immortals that would squash someone like that like a bug. Something like this Night Raid needed to be squashed in its infancy before it could grow to be a real nuisance.
((Because it was well received by a great number of the supernatural as well. He declared all those that would exploit Humanity as enemies, but at the same time he suggested those that didn't exploit humanity are to be accepted.)) Pluto paused, letting Hades chew over those words for a few moments before he continued. ((The Satans accept Night Raid, so do the leaders of the Grigori and the Angels.))
"You make it seem like that's a problem."
((Athena and Themis support him as well, as does Zeus, oddly, although that could just be Hera making him support. You know how that is.))
Now that was a problem. Not so much Athena, Zeus or Hera, but Themis. If she decided to actually get off her lazy rear and start meddling in the world it could cause him problems. She was the only other member of the Greek Pantheon that could cause him issues.
"Has Themis done anything?"
((Aside from voicing her support, no,)) Pluto said. ((And that's worrisome. It also seems she has disappeared from Mount Olympus.))
That could be problematic. He'd have to put in contingencies in case she came to visit. He could hold his own against her with preparations. She liked to conveniently forget things that she didn't agree with, and losing Nemesis to him in a bet was one of them.
"Anyone else?" Hades said in annoyance.
((Many, actually. Vishnu has already told Shiva to back off, so don't expect the Hindu Gods to get involved, not directly. The Egyptian Pantheon will probably support this Night Raid as well on account of the aid the Catholic Church is currently lending them in their crusade against that cult.))
"Bah, the only one in that pantheon that matters is Ophis and she's on our side."
((Aten?))
Hades had forgotten that man. He could be problematic at times, and aside from Ophis the only one of any note in that pantheon. Him and maybe Isis, but Isis was only a concern if she had someone covering her. She was powerful, but couldn't take a hit. "I can handle him. What about the Norse Gods?"
They were busy with Cao Cao at the moment, but Hades knew better than to expect that distraction to last long.
((Hard to say. They're pretty fractured right now, just as the Greek Pantheon is. I imagine that old man, Odin, won't have an issue. He's more concerned about chasing skirts and peaceful relations with humans simply means more skirts to chase. Thor will probably follow her father as well. That means most of the Valkyrie's will too. I trust Loki to strike at him though, he has been plotting something for some time now. Freya might as well in her own, unique way, if only to spite Odin and his womanizing. The Japanese Gods are all behind him for obvious reasons.)) They would be. Tatsumi was of Japanese descent. Still, they were lesser players at best. Pluto could deal with all but Izanagi and Izanami by himself. ((Most of the other pantheons are taking a wait and see approach. The ones over in the Americas don't even seem to care.))
That last part was about what Hades had come to expect from the Aztec and Mayan Pantheons. They didn't much care about the mortal world after their own worshippers were all slaughtered.
"Seems there are enough individuals for and against to leave the world pretty much in stalemate." No one could help or hinder Night Raid in their duties because there were too many others that would stop or take advantage of them if they tried.
((It seems that way, yes,)) Pluto agreed.
"Then they're a non-issue," Hades said, brushing the matter away with a wave of his hand. "A petty human barking at entities far beyond his stature. Until he has an achievement greater than simply 'surviving' against that weakling, Esdeath, when she's feeling playful I'm not particularly worried."
((About that…)) The man adjusted his jet black robes. ((This just happened recently but it seems that this Tatsumi and his Night Raid has struck a blow against the Abaddon family.))
"Bedeze?"
((No, his cousin, Gregorious Abaddon. While there's no 'confirmation' that it was Night Raid, they haven't taken credit for the deed, everyone assumes it was them. It fits their modus operandi and Tatsumi had every reason imaginable to end that man's existence. There are few broken up by the deed but it's fair to assume that Gregorious Abaddon and his entire peerage was destroyed by Night Raid.))
"So a weak bat was killed by a slightly less weak human—"
((The point, Lord Hades,)) Pluto cut him off much to his annoyance, ((is that he went from someone who could barely survive against a playful Esdeath with the help of powerful artifacts to someone that can kill a high ranked member of Devil society in the span of a few months. Gregorious Abaddon was briefly ranked thirteenth after defeating Ruval Phenex in a rating game. He did not get there by being 'just another devil.'))
Ah, Hades understood now. It wasn't what the man was capable of now that Pluto was worried about, but what he might be capable in the very near future. "That is an explosive growth rate. Unnaturally explosive."
((Yes, and what's more, I heard from Vali that this Tatsumi isn't entirely human. He's some new classification of dragon called a Tyrant, and he's from a different world.))
"I see," he knew what needed to be done now. "Pluto, go kill him."
((Now?))
"Now."
((And Nemesis?))
"You're to restrain her and drag her back here. I need to educate her properly. She should have already realized the potential threat this man poses and dealt with him accordingly." Nemesis wasn't the only plan he had in motion to see the Satans eliminated. Dealing with a potential future threat was more important than having Nemesis in place for an easy kill or two.
((It shall be—)) Pluto froze, staring past Hades at something across the river. Pluto was never one that let emotions get the best of him, so when his eyes went wide with shock, Hades knew something was off.
"What is it?" Hades asked, turning around to search for what had so shocked his most trusted aide. He saw a small, rickety wooden boat emerge from the dense fog. "It's just Charon carrying with him our…" Hades trailed off when he realized who their guest was.
It was a small, unassuming little girl with long black hair framing an adorable face. A pair of steely grey eyes peered out from beneath her bangs. There was little emotion to behold in that small, round face. She looked like a perfect, porcelain doll dressed in black gothic Lolita clothes that left the delicate flesh of her stomach and chest exposed for all the world save for a pair of strategically place X-Shaped pasties that covered little more than the nipples of her still budding breasts.
She was nearly motionless as she waited patiently for Charon to row her to the shore. Her only movement was to play with a small piece of metal in her hands that looked oddly like a closed eye.
"Why are you here, Ophis?" Hades demanded as arguably the most powerful entity in existence now that God was dead was delivered to his shore. "Shouldn't you be whipping those spoiled, self-entitled bats into some semblance of unity? I heard that Katerea Leviathan got herself embarrassed pretty badly by Gabriel and the current Leviathan."
Ophis tilted her head to the side cutely and tossed the small, metallic object into the air before catching it. [It won't show me everything.] Was she pouting? It almost seemed like she was as she stepped off the boat onto the shore. [But it showed some. Katerea is a good girl. Young though. Needs some obedience. The others?] She tilted her head to the other side and peered up at him intently. Hades suddenly felt like sweating despite the fact that his physiology prevented him from sweating in the first place. She shrugged and looked away. [Those three won't help me achieve my desire so they're gone.]
Three? Did that mean Rizevim Livan Lucifer was gne as well? "So you removed them from your Khaos Brigade? Dead or let go?" Ophis just blinked up at him. "Why ask? This is you. Fafafafafa, I'm not too broken up about the loss of some bats. I had intended to kill them myself after they stirred up enough trouble in the Underworld, provided they weren't obliterated by the other Satans first. That Sirzechs is something more than he lets on."
((What brings you here, Ophis?)) Pluto suddenly asked. The man had managed to regain his composure faster than Hades had thought. There weren't many that could keep their composure when confronted by the most powerful being in existence.
[Hmmm… why did I come here?] She turned away and took a couple steps up the river bank before stopping and turning around. She nodded twice. [I remember. I don't want a daughter.] She gave Hades a long, hard, unblinking stare. [Silence is all I desire. I wish to have my silence returned to me.]
"Yes, yes, you've said that before. That's why you created the Khaos Brigade, to gather allies to help you oust Great Red from the Dimensional Gap." Hades snorted in contempt. That wasn't going to happen with the worthless runts she'd picked up. Even Hades would be hesitant to face Great Red and he could squash most of those Ophis had gathered like bugs.
[He was born from the void. Like I was. Like Great Red was. Not a concept… not yet.] Ophis suddenly said, jumping onto a tangent that didn't make any sense. [Where one is a stalemate, perhaps two can overcome.] A little smile came to her lips. [Useful avenue to explore, need to test. Can't see that far yet. If it's possible…] A little smile suddenly spread across her lips. It was utterly terrifying. [Will make him suffer to help him grow, evolve. He'll be even more useful then.]
"Who is this he?" Hades asked cautiously. A smiling Ophis rarely spelled good news. It usually meant that someone, somewhere, was going to be wishing they were dead. Perhaps he should deal with Ophis sooner rather than—
Her gaze snapped to his, her stare became hard, focused, and intense. [Can't grow with Samael around. I can't reclaim my home with that beast in the hands of one that would willingly unseal it.] A chill ran down Hades' spine. There was no way she could know of his plans. He hadn't even set them into motion yet. They were all simple, vague ideas in his head. How could she possibly…
How mattered very little as his answer came with a deafening boom that rocked the realm. Waves upon waves of raw, infinite power rolled off her small form, billowing her gothic Lolita dress about her form like it was kicked up by a hurricane. A hurricane of raw power that stirred the still surface of the River Styx, beating the waters into a frenzy. Charon was halfway across the river already, surfing across one particularly large wave atop his rickety old boat.
One dainty little hand slowly rose into the air, its palm pointed towards the ruler of Hades. There was no hatred in her eyes, no fear, no disgust. It was like staring into the eyes of someone that was simply brushing dirt off their shoulders…
And he was that dirt. It made the terrifying smile Ophis had on her lips before seem pleasant.
[Hades, I have seen it. Like Rizevim, you stand between me and my silence.]
Hades barely had enough time to raise a defense before Ophis' infinite power crashed down upon him like an unstoppable force. For the first time in his life he was brought face to face with the overwhelming possibility of the Infinite and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no protection, no preparation, could have altered this outcome.
Nothing in the world could have stopped Ophis right then.
Goodbye… Persephone—
…
..
.
Author's Note: Boom! What a note to end the chapter on! I told you the ripples were going to grow and grow until they consume all of DxD. Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter in a review!
A smaller chapter than you're probably used to, but I didn't want to needlessly drag it on. It did what it needed to do. You can also probably tell why I asked what I did last chapter. This chapter ends with the opening of a massive can of worms that'll continue until the end of the story. If Chapters 1-21 were the 'Gregorious Arc' the rest of the story will be the 'Ophis Arc.'
Note on Story Changes: As you can probably tell, some rather significant alterations to the DxD storyline happened here. I'm not taking my story through all 23+ Light Novels. I don't think I can write that much and I doubt any of you would really want to hang around for that long. Fatigue is a real thing, and even if you don't feel it now carrying my story on another 80-100 chapters and breaking the 1,000,000 word mark most certainly will cause Fatigue to set in.
No, there's going to be a far different story line, and one not nearly as long as the original, that arose due to the crash of Akame ga Kill into the DxD Universe.