Volume 1, Life 5

Within a ruined citadel in Western Europe, life was stirring once again in the abandoned stronghold. Men and women of various countries, of differing heritages and origins, worked together to build towards something they believed was right. Although many of them could not speak the same language and understand one another, they all knew that they were with allies, as they all wore the dress of their organization.

The 'Black Templars' as they were called, presented themselves with a pitch black surcoat, representing the ashes of their fallen comrades so long ago, when they had been falsely accused and burned at the stake. The Croix Pattée accompanied it, just like it had in the old days, though many of them more than likely had since lost the meaning behind its origin. It did not matter though, as old traditions would die, and new ones would be born. With that in mind, they would cleanse the world of those they deemed evil, destroy the very corruption that plagued their lands, and bring forth a new era of peace and prosperity. The alliance between the three great powers would fall, and Heaven would be fit to rule once again.

One of the people responsible for bringing this unknown order to light and helping them break away from the very foundation that had betrayed them again and again after learning of the Great Treaty, looked down up from one of the higher towers in the citadel, watching her comrades toil away in the spring sun with the feeling of it pierced her leather armor, as her weapon and shield laid still leaning against the wall. Her golden blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, blowing in the wind as she waited for her newest companions to reveal themselves to think up of a plan to strike the enemy once again. Her sparkling emerald eyes, something once filled with great joy, were now missing something important. Her innocence, lost since long ago, her stoic and unfeeling expression now filling the void as she tried her best to remember the faces of those she had cut down since she had started this holy war.

The girl turned her head away from the window she was watching out of as she heard the door to the medieval room she had been sitting in opened. Jumping off the window ledge, her feet landed with a metal clanging noise, as she wore not shoes, nor boots, nor any type of armor made for battle. She instead wore ice skates, mastering the ability of standing in them and having absolute balance. It was simply one of the many oddities of this group, as she believed that if she had a moments chance to kick the enemy, that it should cut them in the end, instead of just simply bruising them.

"You are late, Emanuel." The girl said, her voice fitting her bored expression as she laid eyes on the man who had come through the door.

The man named Emanuel. Darker in skin tone than his comrades, his body was covered in armor from the early days of Medieval Era, and a chainmail coif covering his head to protect from on-coming attacks. Carrying a large hammer over his shoulder, he had a most unpleasant smirk on his face, as though everything in his life was nothing but a joke. "Well, if it isn't little Ms. Bitchette, complaining 'bout the times I be coming and going."

Rather than indulge in her compatriot's rude behavior, the girl named Danette simply ignored his insult, sitting down at the wooden table that was placed in the middle of the room, with Emanuel sitting right across from her as he took his own seat. A large map of Europe was sprawled across the table, with the names of various locations in the countries circled, and some places crossed out.

"Where is Ferdinand?" She asked, noticing that their third and final member was missing, believing he had been with the most foul one.

Emanuel simply shrugged, the sound of his heavy armor jangled around. "How the fuck should I know? I'm not his babysitter."

"Nor would I ever ask for you to be." A third but heavy voice chimed in, breaking the bickering of the two comrades and bringing their attention to the door once again. Emanuel could be heard muttering something about giant armored people and sneaking up on him.

Standing in the doorway stood a large man, well above the average height. His entire body had been covered in the heavy plate armor of the past as a Templar's helm sat upon his head, hiding his face from the world. There had been some speculations of what he looked like inside, but with the tiny slits that were in the helm, no one could even get a good look at what eye color he had, let alone what skin color he had or even what features he had. He was a complete mystery, even to his closest allies.

"I apologize for the delay, Danette, but it seems our spies within the enemy organizations have yet to find any useful information about their most fierce fighters." Ferdinand explained, before pulling out a parchment had had tucked away in his surcoat, and unrolling it on the table for all to see. "As for the resurrection though, it seems that the alchemists are still missing a few key components."

Danette and Emanuel looked over the parchment that had been set out in front of them, closely reading it, before Emanuel eventually gave up, complaining that he didn't understand any of it nor should it really matter to him. Danette, on the other hand, continued to read. As she continued reading though, she noticed something worrisome of the items.

"Many of these are near impossible to retrieve." She said, looking up at Ferdinand, who had nodded in response.

"So you've noticed. Yes, unfortunately most of these are well far from our grasp. With our group now moving, the chances of the Catholic Church strengthening their defenses may be a thing."

"Which is why I say we just go and bash that old man's head in at the Vatican and take our revenge already!" Emanuel proclaimed, throwing hands in the air as he lifted his hammer high as well. "The old fart ain't exactly going to wait around for us, so we may as well take the invitation while they're still too stupid to find out what our plans are!"

"We will get there one day, Emanuel, but now is not the time. You must not forget, the Vatican is a highly fortified position within the city of Rome. To march in there now, with the numbers we have, would be a death sentence for our people." Ferdinand countered, pointing his finger to the parchment on the table. "That is why we must continue our attacks on the smaller targets. With our word about saving Heaven once again reaches the ears of others, more will bound to come to our aid. And when we do get enough, attacking the more fortified positions that contain these ingredients will be simple."

"And how the fuck do you know that, Mr. Know-it-all?" Emanuel said as he put his tongue out at the armored man, not caring if he looked like an absolute child for doing so.

"Because already members are coming to our aid from the New World, along with those from Eastern Europe." Ferdinand said. "Our group has gone from a little under twenty to over three hundred in this past month. At this rate, we shall attack Canterbury, and claim the prize inside."

Emanuel looked back at the parchment, smirking a bit as he read what it was that had been guarded at the cathedral. "The ear of a Freybug? Hah! We may as well just go to those blasted lands and kill ourselves a pooch there instead of going through such hard work!"

"The Freybug dogs were hunted out of existence for almost four hundred years now." Danette explained, continuing to read the parchment. Emanuel threw a few more insults towards Danette for making him out to be a fool, who in return simply decided to ignore them all, already thinking of various battle plans for the upcoming assault once they were to be ready for it and asking Ferdinand for advice.

"I appreciate the thought, Danette, but it just so happens I know that the remains of a Freybug is buried beneath the Canterbury Cathedral and is one of the few remaining in this world. However, it may not have to come to that." He explained. "As I said, our spies have yet to find out about the people we face, but they have found out about something I believe shall make the resurrection easier."

"Pff, what, did they find the Grail?" Emanuel jested, rolling his eyes as he referenced the Cup of Life. It was a well-known artifact, and thought to be lost for a long time.

"Not quite, but it is in the possession of the enemy." Ferdinand retorted, causing Emanuel to double-take as he looked at his armored comrade in disbelief. Danette, on the other hand, simply raised her brow in interest.

"And how exactly did they come across this information?" She asked, not wanting to believe something so simple could be in their grasp soon enough.

"I'm not quite sure, but apparently it was in the hands of the son of Lucifer, before he was killed in battle when he opposed the Great Three. We can only assume that they took it from him after his defeat. This is simply another reason why we cannot go head on with these people just yet, Emanuel." He said, emphasizing on the previous Devil King's son being killed so easily. "That does not mean it can be any easier though. In fact, retrieving the Grail might be a far greater task than to retrieve these items."

"But it could be a much more fun experience, as well." Emanuel said with a grin. "I believe we should ignore these fools and their stupid alchemy, and focus on killing the bastards who control the Grail."

"We would need to train our troops though, and perhaps continue retrieving Sacred Gears to help make them more powerful." Danette interrupted. "What of the Brazilian girl and her newest weapon?" She asked, looking towards Ferdinand, who once again nodded.

"You speak of the Puppeteer. From what I hear, she has no experience in actual fighting, but her skills in magical abilities are unparalleled to the rest of her group. Do you believe we should give her a trial?" He asked, and Danette agreed.

"I will bring her on the next run we make then. A few hours away on foot, there is a small village protected by some fallen angels who have been sniffing around for information. It should be easy killings, and we should be able to destroy the heathens with them. If we leave tomorrow before sunrise, we should make it within the early dawn."

"Very well, then… We shall continue our hunt for more Sacred Gears, and hope to equip our group with weapons capable of fighting off our enemies. If everything goes well, we should find ourselves attacking Canterbury within the month. As for the Grail, I shall have the spies look into it further. Meeting adjourned. May God be with you, brother and sister."

With a salute across the chest, all three stood up, ending the meeting that would begin a new era of war.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

"What did he do to you, Kuroka?"

That had been the question Issei asked himself over and over for the past two weeks, as he sat at his desk in his room, rummaging through all the information he had on her. Having read over all the information he was given about the Nekomata over and over, he was slowly beginning to understand what she had been through. At least, that was what he wanted to tell himself, but the sad truth was that despite learning that most of the horrible things she had done was under her previous master, it still didn't paint the entire picture. Key pieces to the portrait were still missing, and the cat had refused to open up to him in the past two weeks.

He heard the door to his room click open, with someone stepping inside shortly afterwards, closing the door once again after entering the room. He pretended to ignore the person who had come in, knowing that he would soon find out who it was as he continued his rummaging.

"Here," a sweet and comforting voice said as they laid a teacup near his hand, using their other hand to rub his back as they tried their best to soothe his stress, "I thought you'd like to take a break." Issei smiled and nodded, taking the offered cup and bringing it close to his lips. Upon drinking the bitter liquid, he did indeed end up feeling a bit more relaxed, feeling like all of his worry was slowly melting away.

"Thank you, Akeno… Did Rias or Ravel tell you to do this?" He asked, unsure of what those two had been up to.

Though it had been a secret at the start, it was slowly revealed throughout the house that Issei had been planning to make Kuroka his Queen, and that he was working hard on trying to clear her name. The majority of the girls were understandable and did not want to stand in his way of decision making, with Koneko being the only exception.

At first, he was sure that it was because she was still upset about her sister for all those years, but as time went by, it became clear that she was upset at Issei for choosing to pick her sister over her for his spot for Queen. Almost like an actual kitten pouting, he tried his best to soothe her by petting her gently, telling her that she could become his Rook one day when she got older, before Rias ended up cutting in and scolding Issei for trying to steal all her pieces away. The white Nekomata would have to give up her dream of being in Issei's peerage.

"Rias is in Asia's room next door, helping her on how to run the club, and Ravel is in her own room, studying. They have no clue that I'm here right now, ufufu." She said with a chuckle.

Unfortunately, Issei had been too focused on trying to clear Kuroka's name, that he had practically ignored the advances the girls had given him for the past two weeks. As such, they were beginning to get antsier, and were wanting for him to pay attention to them once again.

"I see. Well, thank you for the tea, Akeno. I appreciate it." He said taking another sip.

"Is that all you want to thank me for?" She asked seductively, leaning closer to him as her cheer became close to his own. "There are other ways I can help you, Issei."

"Hmm? Like what?" He asked, still focusing on the paper. That focus would stop though, as the sudden feeling of his thigh being given a small squeeze from Akeno's soft and tender hand made him lose concentration. "A-Akeno…?"

"Oh, I can think of a few ways, ufufufu~. All we have to do is keep it a secret from Rias~."

"And how, exactly, would that help you?"

Both Issei and Akeno stopped what they were doing before they could even go anywhere, turning to look towards the door that connected Asia's and Issei's room. In an almost predictable manner, Rias, who was beginning to become red in the cheeks not from embarrassment or even lust, but from anger, was standing in the doorway. Tapping one of her feet up and down, and with crossed arms, she had her eyes closed as she restrained herself from lashing out against her best friend for advancing on her Issei.

"Ara? Done already, Rias?" Akeno asked with a pleasant tone, though on the inside, she could only feel the exact opposite, as once again her advances were halted before they had gone anywhere. "Or perhaps you felt that your precious Issei was about to be finally taken?"

"Akeno, out." Rias said as she pointed towards the door that led to the hallway.

"Is that an order? Or a suggestion?"

It was obvious Akeno was going to stand her ground, as she hadn't been able to play with her cute kouhai for the longest time. With it being the day before his eighteenth birthday, she too had wanted to give Issei the ultimate present. If possible, before Rias was the best.

"I'm not playing these games with you, Akeno." Rias stated flatly, continuing to point towards the door. "Either you leave now, or in the name of the house of Gremory, I will punish you for daring to go against your master."

Though she said in a cool and calm manner, it was obvious that Rias was starting to become more agitated at her friend with each ticking second. With the declaration she had made about taking Issei's first time on his birthday, it seemed that not just Akeno, but all the girls around him were starting to become more aggressive by the day. If she hadn't acted soon enough in keeping a close eye on him, the chances of his precious first being taken away by someone else was very likely.

"Ara ara, she's becoming scary." Akeno in a fake intimidated voice, before wrapping her arms around Issei and pressing his head close to her chest, enraging Rias more. Although the boy's oxygen supply was being cut off for Akeno's own selfish needs, each time this happened to him, he couldn't help but feel like he was in Shangri-La. "Issei, please, save me from the mean old-"

"ENOUGH!"

Glass showered the floor of Issei's room as the television resting on the wall inexplicably exploded. Though it was an item that could easily be replaced, Issei couldn't help but feel the waste in it being destroyed in what was another of Rias' outrages for not having time with him.

All three froze in their spots, as none of them knew how to react. Rias, having never really shown this much anger before, stood in place, mentally calming herself down before she did something else she would regret. Akeno had been her best friend for the longest time, and while the priestess may be in love with the same man that the red-haired devil was in love with, it still didn't mean that perhaps she may have overstepped her own line when the television blew up.

Akeno, still grasping Issei, paused for her own moment. She had seen the Crimson Ruin Princess angry, infuriated even, multiple times. This time was one of the few that she actually took it with caution. To avoid breaking their long-lasting friendship over something so trivial, Akeno coughed, gaining the attention of the other two devils within the room.

Walking gracefully away from Issei, she made her way to the door, pausing shortly before leaving the room. "I suppose I will take my leave here today… But Rias, let it be known that should you continue putting something so important off, that I might not be the one who will end up taking said important thing away…"

With that, the priestess left the two lovebirds alone, hopefully to let them continue on where she had left off.

Rias had been waiting to save this moment for his birthday, but with how active the other girls were becoming due to the fact that it had become so close to his birthday, it seemed she had no other choice but to show her dominance against the other members. She chose to quickly take her chance now as opposed to later as she pushed the stunned Issei onto the bed nearby. She regretted having let Rose go unpunished for getting ahead of her and doing certain things with Issei, but she knew what Akeno said had also been true.

The two began to kiss passionately as Issei slowly broke out of his numbness, and began to understand the feelings that Rias was going through as he felt her warmth next to his. Being busy with making out, they had failed to notice two little black ears poking out of the side of the bed, with two little yellow eyes watching them intently that had snuck into the room much earlier than they had known.

Issei, with finally giving up his reasoning for holding back any longer, decided to take lead and began to do what he thought was only natural, by flipping Rias onto her back and being the one to pin her instead. With a gulp of anticipation, his eyes looked over the clothed but beautiful body that laid before him numerous times, undressing each piece in his mind. "Rias…" He whispered, hoping for a sign that would allow him to continue further. With a breathless nod from her, he began to lift the simple blouse she wore, exposing the milky white skin underneath and eventually the titillating lingerie she wore to cover her breasts. Issei began to breathe harder as he stared at the bosom surrounded by the delicate cloth meant to entice him, and began to imagine the amount of fun he was about to have with them.

"Nyah~"

Both Issei and Rias froze in their spot as they picked up the sound of a cat meowing nearby. Knowing only two cats in their entire lives though, it meant that they couldn't exactly ignore it, as they both turned their heads towards the spot in which they heard the noise coming from. Of course, they ended up staring back at a pair of golden orbs, as they could make out two tails swishing back and forth in anticipation, and two black ears twitching about in excitement. The cat, having felt being caught, ducked her head below the line of sight of the devils, only for her tails to be the only thing visible as they continued to dance around. "Just ignore me, nyah~" She called out, hoping the two devils would continue with their decision.

"Kuroka…" Issei said softly, letting out the breath he seemed to have been holding for a while as he got off of Rias and sat up next to her. Rias on the other hand, was beginning to tear up, something she wanted once again interrupted right before it started to get good. She questioned herself if she ended up getting cursed by an ancient deity or some demon did as part of their revenge for her killing them in her line of work, because she honestly couldn't believe that she had this much bad luck on purpose. It was probably the first time she actually understood how Issei felt each time she barged in on him and one of the other girls.

"What are you doing, Kuroka?" Issei questioned, looking at the two dancing cat tails as they suddenly stopped, her head poking up above the line of the bed.

"You said you wanted to see me, nyah~" She answered in a simple way, smiling widely. Stretching her body and cracking bones in a comfortable manner, she stood up and she fully presented herself, no longer afraid of being caught by the 'idiot couple'. "What did you need, nyah?" She asked, ignoring the fact the entire question of what she had been doing inside his room.

"What did I…? Oh, that's right!"

Climbing off the bed and going back to the desk nearby, muttering something about glass in his feet before handing a load of papers to the cat. "This." He said, not explaining anything.

She tilted her head, unsure of what he wanted still. "…Nyah?"

"I've gone over these papers a million times, Kuroka, but I still don't know what happened. Tomorrow is the court case, and I need your help! Rias and Ravel have told me about how the devil court system works, and from the sounds of it, they expect me to do just fine, but I still need to know Kuroka. What did Lord Azhul do to you that caused you to betray him?" He asked, demanding to know the answers. If he wanted any chance of telling the judge of how it was he believed she was reformed, then he needed to know what it was that caused her flip and kill her previous master.

The cat didn't seem cooperative though, as she looked away, bending her ears down and muttering, "It was for Shirone…"

"Yes, but how? How was it done for Koneko? What did he do to you that caused you believe that Koneko would be in grave danger?" He pushed, hoping for the answer. When it came evident that she wouldn't budge though, his hands shook in frustration. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and force her, but he knew it would only frighten her more, making it less likely for her to give him the information. "Kuroka, please…"

"He… did things to me, nyah…"

"What things?" He asked again."What did he do?!"

"Issei, if you don't calm dow-"

"You wouldn't understand, nyah!"

Kuroka pushed Issei away, clearly distressed from being interrogated. What was usually a happy and cheerful person was being reduced to a shivering mess as she was being forced to remember her past. She wanted to escape, and had begun to run towards the door, only for Issei to catch her arm and hold her back. "Kuroka, please!"

"No, nyah! You wouldn't understand!"

"Why, why wouldn't I understand?!" He screamed, taking on the claw attacks coming from the cat once again as he held his grip firmly.

"Because…! Because…" She said over and over.

The more she struggled in his grasp, the more the yukata that had usually been so loose around her but still clung to her body due to the yellow sash that she wore around her waist, slowly began to fall off as Issei and Rias managed to see her back in a clearer state. Once the yukata came loose enough to see her entire back, it had been an understatement that both Issei and Rias were shocked, disgusted even.

The black and yellow cloth falling to the ground, they could see hideous scars. Scars, all across the Nekomata's body, from large to small, from side to side, from up to down, and in every way possible. Rias quickly turned on a light in the room as Kuroka, who finally stood still after being revealed to the devils, began to shake in fear and grief. Once the light was on, they could see the markings better. Skin deformed, as it succumbed to the agony of fire or acid. Her flesh being ripped from her body in the form of some chain or hook, the two devils could see it all.

"By the Devil Kings…" Rias whispered, beyond disbelief at what she was seeing.

"Kuroka… what… what happened to you…?"

At first, the cat had attacked Issei those two weeks ago in an attempt to hide the truth, but as the cat continued to shake and shiver now, the devils could see the salty liquid of tears forming in her eyes. This was what she didn't want others to see, to see the ugliness that was her body, of all the torment she had gone through when she had been younger. Finally, giving in to the horrors of being forced to remember those memories, the cat fell to her knees. She began to relapse, reliving the tales that shouldn't be told and curling up into a ball, seeking to protect herself from horrors unknown.

"Kuroka!" Issei yelled, quickly going to the cat's side as he put his hand on her shoulder, trying to wake her up from her nightmare. "Kuroka, wake up!" He screamed again, with Rias bolting out the door into the hallway, looking for Le Fay in an effort to help their friend. If it wasn't so severe, Issei could probably see the irony of almost living the same thing over again.

'Protect… Shirone…'

Issei continued to shake Kuroka, trying to wake her as she shut herself off from the world. He began to blame himself having her go through this, as it was true that he had no clue what terrors she had gone through as her time as a Bishop.

'Please… don't hurt…'

Rias had managed to find Le Fay fairly quickly, who had gone to the side of her comrade immediately. Turning the Nekomata onto her side, she opened the cat's mouth to try to get anything out so she wouldn't gag on it. Laying a blanket on the cat as well, she did everything in her power to keep the cat from harming herself if she had a seizure as Issei took anything and everything away from within Kuroka's grasp.

'Don't… go…'

No matter how hard they tried, the trio of people weren't able to wake the poor cat up again. For several hours, they stayed by her side, uncaring of what time it was. For several hours, they tried to do whatever they could to wake her from her nightmare, but as time went on, nothing seemed to work.

'…Forgive me… Shirone...'

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Hours passed as Kuroka remained in a deep slumber, running away from the reality that she refused to recognize. Having heard of what had happened to her sister, Koneko had gone to Issei's room where her sister laid, wanting to take care of the demon cat that she had just begun to look up to once more. Allowing it, Rias and Issei went to her own room to sleep, so that he could get enough rest for the trial the next morning, with Koneko and Le Fay taking shifts in watching over the black cat. Despite being forced to go to bed though, it hadn't been an easy night for Issei, constantly tossing and turning as he blamed himself for the events that had unfolded.

Around three in the morning, he had gotten up to go get a drink of water, hoping it would calm his nerves and allow him to get some amount of sleep. When he got into the hallway and began to head towards the stairway leading down to the first floor, he had begun to hear crying coming from his room. Normally, he would have investigated what was happening and why that person was crying, but from hearing it closely, he could make out that it had been Koneko crying, which struck him in the heart all the more. He wanted to tell himself that it had been accident, that he couldn't have known…

Too afraid to go inside and ask if she was alright, he forced himself to sit outside the door. He listened to the quiet sobbing of Koneko, imaging the droplets of tears running down her cheeks. Part of him wanted to run, to forget, but he knew he couldn't.

[You know you should go inside.]

Startled that Ddraig suddenly spoke, Issei managed to jump a little at the voice. He wanted to scream at the dragon for scaring him, but in an ironic way, believed that it was simply just the beginning of the torment he should have received for doing this.

"I know…" He whispered, leaning his head against the door as he stared at the doorknob.

[So why don't you…? Scared?]

Issei nodded.

[Of what?] Ddraig asked, but he got no response from the boy. [Coward…]

Issei smirked a bit. "I am."

An unexpected reaction from Ddraig, as instead of continuing to belittle the boy, decided to start laughing instead. Issei raised his brow as the dragon in his arm continued to laugh so heard, the boy began to worry if the Nekomata on the other side of the door was going to hear him. "D-Ddraig! Shhh!"

[Oh be quiet, you.] Ddraig snapped back, instantly stopping his laughing. If he was going to break Issei out of the shell he had put himself in and get the attention of the Nekomata inside, then he would do something that he had never done before. [You, the man who had said that he would become Harem King, who inadvertently ruined my life and made me go through hell and back with that damn nickname, and who has survived confrontations between Fallen Angels, high-ranking Devils, and even the human who wields the spear that killed God, is now afraid of a little girl?!]

Issei's brow furrowed as he began to speak a little louder. "I take offense to that, you know."

[Of what? Learning the truth? That you're an absolute coward? No, you know what you are? You're a-]

"Shut up!" Issei yelled, cutting off his friend from speaking any further. "You know nothing! You don't know what it's like to love a girl, but never be able to express your feelings because you're too afraid she might leave you instead! You don't know what it's like facing someone you care about, because you don't want to hurt them further since you're the source of their misery! You don't know what it's like…! You don't know…"

"Issei-senpai…?"

Having been too busy yelling at Ddraig, the boy had failed to notice the door he had been leaning against was open, and the head of Koneko had been poking out of the small crack that had been made. He took a few steps back, startled as if he had been snuck up on and spooked silly. He gulped, his back to the opposite wall as he looked at the white kitten staring back at him. Her eyes, he noticed, were blood-shot red, only furthering his conclusion that she had been crying, as was her cheeks being wet.

"K-Koneko… Yo…."

"… Did you come to see onee-sama?"

"Did I come…?" He asked, surprised that she would ask him such a thing? Wasn't she upset with him? Didn't she blame him for what he did to Kuroka…? "I… Yeah, I guess I did…" He reluctantly said, looking a bit more remorseful and taking his first steps towards the room as Koneko opened the door wider for him to come in.

The room was dark, with all sources of light having been turned off. All Issei could see, or what he was most focused on, was the silhouette figure in his bed, lying still on her side. Koneko took a seat next to the sleeping cat, grabbing ahold of the hand that she had been holding previously as she continued to look at her sister. It was evident that she had been hurting on the inside, as she looked at her sister as if she was on her death bed.

Issei decided to stand behind the Nekomata, not wanting to take a seat next to the Nekomata. He felt like he hadn't deserved to be in her presence, but deep down, he knew that Kuroka wouldn't want him to feel that way. "… Uhm, hey… I, uh…"

"Le Fay told me what happened, as she heard it from Rias…"

"I see…" Issei answered, rubbing the back of his neck. He was unsure of how he should go forward with the conversation, but he knew he had to apologize. "I, uhm… I-I want to say-" He was cut off though, as Koneko began to talk.

"Onee-sama and I… We've never been close."

"O-Oh?"

Koneko gave a small nod, continuing to stare at her sister. "She always lied to me, to keep me away from the truth while she took all the hardship… Stupid onee-sama…"

Although Issei had no idea what Koneko was talking about, he could see that whatever it was, was making her upset. She began to shiver, as tears began to form once more in her eyes. He surprised her though, by wrapping his arms around her, wanting, needing to be there for her. In response, she grabbed hold of his hand with her own, squeezing it tight. "What happened, Koneko…?"

She shook her head, she didn't want to say. Rather than pushing it this time though, Issei let it go, as he didn't want a repeat of what happened to Kuroka to happen to Koneko. The two stayed there, huddled like that for nearly half-an-hour. In that time, the entire room had been quiet, with Issei hanging onto Koneko, and Koneko continuing to look at her sleeping sister. The black Nekomata meanwhile, in her unconscious state, was dreaming of the past, and all that she and her sister had been through.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Kuroka remembered… The then nine-year-old Nekomata remembered a massive green field with large trees scattered about, the grass blowing gently in the wind underneath a large moon in the deep purple sky of the Underworld. For whatever reason, she and her sister had been on the move, going from one place to another when the two were unwanted, staying a day or two at most. It was that night though, that their lives had changed forever.

Huddled next to each other near a small fire they had started, the younger sister slept peacefully underneath the leaves of one of the many trees. A colorless woolen blanket was wrapped around her to help her keep warm from the cold autumn night.

The older, more responsible Nekomata, did not sleep that night, but instead, stared at the fire. She had been worried, tremendously, for while it wasn't as harsh as the Human Realm, the winter was fast approaching for the two sisters, and they still had no place to call home. The two had lost their father due to disease in the winter before, and their mother soon after having run into humans who hunted various demons and youkai for the goods they could make out of them, having only managed to survive by hiding. The younger one, thankfully, had been asleep during that gruesome moment in their life, and Kuroka managed to piggy-back her younger sister to safety during the chaos. Though she knew she could not fault all humans for the action of a few, her heart would be painted black for a long time, and would only begin trusting them again until the arrival of a white dragon. But with them being low on food, and with no shelter, the older Nekomata knew that she would possibly have to turn towards a devil in the Underworld to help them. Though the devils were known to be greedy and self-centered, she had no choice in the matter.

The black one's thinking was interrupted with the muttering of her sleeping sister, calling out to her 'onee-sama' in her dream in a loving manner. It brought a small smile, but a smile nevertheless, to the older Nekomata. "I'm here for you, Shirone. I won't let anything bad happen to you…" She whispered, petting her sister's head, and began to fall asleep with her last family member in hopes of finding a new home in the morning.

The two would awake though, to the sound of a carriage going by early in the morning, as it seemed the new home had found them.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

When Kuroka came through from having slept for several hours, she had been startled. Instead of seeing the fields of green grass that laid before them the night before. Instead, she was met with the scene of being inside a carriage, her sister still leaning against her without the blanket, as an older gentleman sat across from her, smiling at her. Pale in skin and ripe in age, he was clothed in a rather noble looking attire, with a small goatee on his chin and a monocle to suit his image.

"It seems you've woken up. That's very good." He said, continuing to smile at the young maiden as he crossed his leg on his lap. "Tell me, what is your name…?"

Kuroka, still having been massively afraid of this strange new person, did not answer him right away. Instead, feeling threatened by the man, folded the cat ears she had sticking out of her head backwards, as she did her best to cover her sister in an attempt to shield her. This simply caused the man to laugh though, as he held out his hand in an endeavor to be friendly.

"I promise you, I will not bite. I simply wish to know the name of you and your small sister, child." He said, but as Kuroka refused to answer and opted to glare at him instead, he sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I see, not the talkative type then… If you're wondering why you're in my carriage, then that answer is simple. I saw you and your sister out in the fields of my domain when I was riding home from the major city nearby. Whilst I can easily turn a blind eye to small orphans in my territory and let them freeze to death so that they may one day become fertilizer for the grass and trees, it would not sit right with me to know that I may have played a role in their deaths when I could have easily prevented it."

Looking out the window to see the fields go by, the man continued to speak, refusing to let silence take over. "I must say though, I'm quite surprised to see someone as young as yourselves traveling alone. What did you plan on doing should winter come or if you had run out of food…?" But once again, the Nekomata refused to speak. "I see then…"

With the cat refusing to speak the entire way, the devil was forced to sit in silence for the rest of his ride, the only sounds being the spinning of the wheels of the carriage, and the soft breathing of the white kitten snuggled up closely to the older sister. All three stayed like that for what seemed like hours on end. What was considered to be noon in the Underworld, the carriage had finally stopped in front of a massive gothic-style castle. While it hadn't been the biggest in the entirety of the Underworld, it was easily the largest one Kuroka had ever set her eyes on, having been so close to one for the first time in her life.

The devil was first to set foot out of the carriage, with a butler opening the door for the nobleman and welcoming him home. Thanking his servant for his services, he told the butler to prepare a room for the two girls, arguing that he was to take care of them without opposition. After all, who were they to complain for this gentleman for bringing them into his home?

The butler did as he was told and bowed to his master, going back into the massive castle and telling the other servants of the guests.

Kuroka, on the other hand, still refused to leave the comfort of the carriage. She didn't know what to expect from this strange man, for she felt like her prayers of a new home had been finally answered, but at the same time, something felt very off. Why would the man choose to pick them up like this? It was obvious that he had been lying for feeling guilty about letting them sit out in the cold, as it wasn't the nature of devils to take care of others so easily. Not even the famous Gremory's were this kind to a couple of stray cats. So why was this man so different?

Regardless of what she thought, it seemed that she wasn't allowed to dwell on it for long, as one of the other servants had come out of the castle, coming to the carriage and asking them to get out so they could be shown the way to their new rooms. Kuroka unwillingly agreed to the servant's wishes, and began to nudge her sister awake from her slumber.

"Shirone… Shrione, wake up…"

"Nyah…?"

Shirone woke up slowly, rubbing one eye after the other and drearily looking around at her surroundings, her brain not yet processing the place she was in. Ignoring the calls of her sister, the white kitten went back to sleep, wanting to continue her sixteen hours of rest per-day habit. The Nekomata could only smile a bit, grateful that her sister was still innocent, naked to the world and its cruelty. Dragging the Nekomata out of the carriage, Kuroka managed to get her sister onto her back, following the servant as he carried the small bag they had traveled with so far, containing the wool blanket that Shirone had wrapped around her earlier, and the little bit of food they had left to eat.

As Kuroka followed the servant, she was surprised and even jumped back a little, her eyes falling on two giant creatures that seemed to have been pulling the carriage the entire time. Instead of the typical horses that most nobles used, this noble used creatures of Ancient Egypt, as they resembled something with the body of a cat, two giant bird-like wings growing out of their backs, and the heads of humans on top. The two creatures stared coldly at the poor cat the entire time as she made her way up to the castle, hoping to never cross paths with the creatures again.

Making her way through the castle, and sister still on her back, Kuroka was amazed at how spacious the interior of the castle had been. Remembering of old stories she had heard from her mother a long time ago, she wondered if this castle shared any resemblance to those of famous creatures such as Dracula or the Frankenstein's Monster. As she was forced to venture deeper into the heart of the castle though, her mind began to wander away from such thoughts of how old the castle was, and more on if the people who lived inside were trustworthy at all once more, for not once did she and servant come across a single soul within the castle.

After fifteen minutes of walking, the three beings finally stopped in front of a large metal door. Expecting to be thrown into some type of small, cramp and dark room, and be shown the true nature of the devil, she was surprised to say that she had been wrong. Instead what laid before her, was the exact opposite. Brightly lit, with wide and spacious room to roam, filled with furniture from the same time period as the castle, and most of all, a large warm bed awaiting for her and her sister in the far corner. It had been too good to be true.

"Dinner shall be ready in a few hours, where Master Azhul will be expecting your company. Please do not disappoint my master's wishes." The servant rudely mentioned, throwing the bag of their precious belongings on the bed as if it were a pile of trash. It was obvious by the mere hostile aura he was giving off that the servant did not wish to be in the same company of the two sisters, not that it mattered much to Kuroka, as she felt very much the same way.

Gently placing her younger sibling onto the bed, the black cat began to go through their things, making sure that nothing was missing. Much to their luck as well, it seemed that the one named 'Lord Azhul' had not left anything behind, as she took out the wool blanket from the dirty old bag and lightly placed it on her sister. Once she made sure that the younger one was properly covered with the blanket, she too decided to get on the bed, and begin sleeping away the day. If she were to find the truth out about this devil and what he was up to, then the best thing she could do was to be as alert as possible. In order to do that though, she would need much rest.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

A day passed, and then another, and then another. Before long, the Nekomata had lost all count of how long the two had been at the castle ruled under Baron Azhul. Though he seemed to have saved the two from certain death in the winter, Kuroka couldn't help but feel like she had been placed in a cage, waiting for the day when she could set free once again, as the two were never allowed to leave the castle grounds. That feeling only deepened as the years went by, and soon after becoming an adult at the age of thirteen, would she begin to find out the reason why she and her sister had been brought to the castle.

Amongst the days they were forced to stay in the castle, Kuroka noticed something strange within the gothic building. Just like she and her sister, the master of the castle had brought in others, but, unlike they, these people seemed to be allowed to leave, or so she was told. Simply a few days after they were brought in, the new 'recruits' she had heard one of the servants call them, would vanish into thin air, never to be seen again. Though she was told of stories of the 'recruits' leaving in the night, she hadn't believed them at all, as the scent of blood always filled the halls of the castle. Because of this, day by day, she feared what would happen to her and her sister.

One night, the host and two guests sat at the dinner table and enjoyed their meals, the Lord sat at the end of the table, the two creatures that Kuroka had come to hate were at his sides, staring into the hall in an unnerving way. Lord Azhul looked up from his plate and spoke to Kuroka. It was strange though, as the only other time he had ever spoken to the girls, despite having taken them in so long ago, was the first night they had been brought to his castle, where he questioned them more about who they were.

"Kuroka… would you be a dear and mind coming to my study after dinner? I wish to speak to you about some… opportunities, that I believe will help benefit us both."

Animalistic instincts telling her to decline the offer, the older sister knew she had no choice but to agree. While he personally hadn't harmed her in any way, the servants of the castle did otherwise. Fortunately, it was nothing too severe, just a light spanking here and there after being found somewhere she wasn't supposed to be, or accidentally destroying priceless art. That didn't mean she wasn't too frightened to reject the Baron and find out what the punishment would be for doing so though.

With a somber nod, she agreed.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Thirty minutes after the master had left the table, Kuroka had managed to find the study he spoke of, with a little help from numerous servants on the way. She had put Shirone to bed early, telling her that she would be back to fall asleep with her soon enough, and wishing her a good night's rest.

Standing outside the large wooden door of the room, she couldn't help but feel intimidated. She had read things from the library the castle had, things she wished she never knew of when it came to a woman being invited to a man's room. She prayed to any deity that was listening to not let that be the situation. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door, waiting for a reply from within.

Though it was faint, she was able to hear the sounds of something sweet inside, yet… It was the sound of a piano, slowly melting away her fears. The sound of it was peaceful, yet, a tone of sadness could be heard coming from it, as if the pianist playing it was deeply troubled by something. She was never the articulate one when it came such fancy music, but this…

The very thing that had distracted her from waiting for a reply, only grew louder, as the door to the chambers holding the peaceful music swung wide open, revealing the master of the castle in silk robe, holding a small glass of wine in his otherwise free hand. The sound of the music began to pick up in a more cheerful tone as the Baron gave a welcoming smile to the young cat. Moving out of the way to let her see inside, he invited for her to come in, which she did, hesitantly.

A typical study from what she could see. A large oak desk, a fancy seat behind it, with two other oak chairs to match the desk. A large bookcase off to one side, a fireplace on the opposite, and some type of strange device she had seen before in one of the corners, producing the music she had recently been acquainted with. With that being said, she had been gestured to sit at one of the chairs that were facing the seat that the Baron sat in. Kuroka managed to let out a sigh of relief when she noticed that neither of the Sphinxes she had come to know them as were not in the room.

"I'm pleased that you managed to come, Kuroka. After all, I believe that there is much to discuss." Lord Azhul said, sitting back down in his own seat after Kuroka sat in hers, sitting upright and in a respectful manner, as she was taught to do so the moment she had come to this place. Putting the glass aside, he folded his fingers together, looking at the cat in an unsettling way. Again, the cat's instincts told her to run away, but knew she couldn't.

"How long have I've come to know you and your sister, Kuroka…? Four years now?"

She nodded, refusing to answer verbally. It seemed to satisfy the Lord nonetheless though.

"Four years… Have you grown to come accustomed to this place? Do you enjoy it here?"

She opened her mouth, wanting to reply. She wanted to tell him the truth, that she hated it, that she felt trapped, imprisoned. She wanted to go outside, to go and never turn back with her sister at her side. She wanted to say this, but she knew it would mean throwing away the only thing keeping her and her sister alive for all these years. "… Yes, Lord Azhul…"

"Still quiet and one to keep to yourself, even after these four years…" He mentioned under his breath. Without asking another question, he ducked underneath his desk, pulling out on the many drawers within it to fetch something. As he did so, the music began to pace even further and became more sporadic, catching the attention of Kuroka, who began to stare at the machine that had produced said music. When he popped back up from underneath the desk, holding two tiny navy blue chess pieces, a smile graced his lips as he looked at Kuroka, fascinated with the antique record player in the corner. "Do you like it?"

Startled by the sudden sound of the master speaking, Kuroka turned back towards him, redness growing within her cheeks. She nodded a few times, causing the Lord to chuckle under his breath as he continued to look at the cat. "Beautiful, isn't it…?" Again, she nodded.

Getting up from his seat, he walked around the desk and began to make his way towards the record player. "Piano Sonata Number Fourteen by Ludwig Von Beethoven. Also known as the 'Moonlight Sonata', it had been dedicated to a pupil of his by the name of 'Countess Guilietta Guicciardi'… A damn shame too, having never been able to hear the beauty that was this piece of art he had created… I tend to play this, dear Kuroka, when I want to remind myself, of the harshness of this world."

Gently placing his hand on the record, he managed to stop the delightful music from playing, and looked back at the cat. "Enlighten me, Kuroka. Why do you think Mr. Beethoven would have created such grandeur art, such divine music… if he was deaf? If he knew that he was more than likely never able to hear it for himself in its true form…?"

Knowing nothing of the man he spoke of, Kuroka could only shake her head, hoping to satisfy the Baron with a simple answer. He smiled, nodding as he acknowledged the cat's inability to answer. "I see… I believe he did it, because while he knew that he himself could not hear the beauty of the form he had created, that someone dear to him, someone he wished to be noticed by, would hear it… That is all he ever wanted, for the feelings in the deepest reaches of his heart. And yet… that love would never be requited…"

Kuroka stared at the man for a few moments, not knowing where he had been going with his analogy. As if he was in his own little world, the Baron continued to stare into blank space. His hand tightened in a ball, something on his mind that was troubling him, though the cat never knew what.

When the master had said nothing for several minutes, he suddenly snapped out of his trance, as though he knew he had been acting strange. "Forgive me, Kuroka, it's just, sometimes I tend to remember things I wish to forget. That has nothing to do with you though, not yet…" He said the last bit under his breath as he walked back to his desk, placing the two chess pieces in front of him, and in front of Kuroka. "Do you know what these are, Kuroka?"

"… Chess pieces, nyah…"

He nodded, his smile never leaving his face. "Very good, Kuroka, very good. However! They are something more than just your regular chess pieces. Have you ever heard of the term, 'Evil Pieces' dear child?" He asked the young cat, who could only answer by shaking her head. In response, the Lord's smile had wavered a bit, but went back to that welcoming smile he hoped to give her. "I see, I suppose that is no surprise. After all, these past four years, while I may have taken you both in, I have yet to give you a real education… That is not important though. What is important is what I teach you here tonight. Do you know how devils are made, Kuroka?"

Kuroka's cheeks lit up once more at the sudden and perverted question. Unfortunately forcing herself to answer, she nodded, wanting to look away from the man, hoping that nothing would happen afterwards. "So you do know of the Evil Pieces then?" He asked, but she shook her head again, unsure what he meant. When she gave him the answer to his question, it had taken him a few moments to give out a hearty laugh, genuinely embarrassed for having asked such a question.

Having calmed down some, the master wiped away a tear from his eye, before going on to explain what he meant.

"Forgive me, Kuroka, I should have put more thought into what I was saying. What I meant was, do you know how reincarnated devils are made…? No? Well, simply put, after the last Great War, we devils were given the ability to reincarnate and create servants using these." He emphasized, pointing to the chess pieces in front of him. "These are Evil Pieces, Kuroka. These are what are used to create new devils, and they, are what I wish to discuss with you. Do you know why I brought you in with your sister four years ago, Kuroka?"

Once more, she shook her head.

"Because, Kuroka, you, and your sister, are special. You two, who are of the Nekomata race, are something beyond what others of your race could ever hope to achieve. Yes, when I saw you two in that field that day, I knew. I knew that you are of the special Nekoshou race."

"…Nekoshou, nyah?"

Lord Azhul nodded. "Yes, Kuroka, the Nekoshou. They are a race of Nekomata that can far exceed the magical capabilities of their brethren. I tell you this, Kuroka, for I have a favor to ask of you." He said, pushing the chess pieces closer to the cat. "Kuroka… Will you become my Bishop? Will you reincarnate and become my servant? Do so, and I promise you, you shall be rewarded greatly for your services…"

The cat stared at the pieces, then back to the aged man. She had heard stories of what happened to the servants who had disobeyed the Lord through the grapevines, though she did not know if any of them were true. If they were true, then it could very well mean her death if she was to ever disobey him. On other hand… "What of Shirone, nyah…?"

"What about her?"

"What would happen to her?" She asked again. After all, nothing else mattered so long her sister was involved. If it meant she could continue protecting her beloved sister, then-

"You care deeply about your sister… Tell you what, Kuroka. Become my servant, and I promise you, your sister shall never worry about anything ever again. Deal?"

Wanting to oppose, the cat opened her mouth. Nothing came out though, as she knew this was a massive chance of a lifetime. It was true that he had saved them from death those four years ago, and if he could give her the power she needed to protect Shrione, then it was possible that they could one day escape from this hell. She bit her lip, refusing to object, and nodded. The smile that had been on the master's face grew even larger, as he picked up the two Bishop pieces that were on his desk and walked around it once more, standing high above Kuroka.

"This will only take a second, I promise."

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

"No! Nyah!"

"S-Shirone, please, listen t-"

"No! I don't want you to go, onee-sama!"

"Shirone…"

For becoming a part of Lord Azhul's peerage, Kuroka was to be relocated within the deeper levels of the castle, areas that both Nekomatas had once been forbidden to go into. As such, it would mean that Shirone would be left alone within the room that she had always shared with her sister.

Kuroka looked back at the servant who was being forced to attend to her for the move, looking, pleading to take her beloved sister with her. "Can't she ju-"

"I'm sorry, Lady Kuroka, but the Lord wishes for his peerage to all live in the same place, with no outsiders allowed. Besides, I think it would be for the best that Lady Shirone were to stay here, as the other members living in the deeper part of the castle are, shall we say, unique…" The servant answered, trying to find the best word without directly insulting the other Pieces of their master's peerage.

Kuroka was saddened. Had she ever known that she was to be separated from her last remaining family member, she would have never accepted being Azhul's Bishop. If only she would have known, if only she had asked more questions…

Kuroka pulled Shrione in for the tightest hug she could give, crying as she would have to say goodbye. She didn't want to let go, to continue hugging the little kitten for all of time if it meant that they would continue being together, but now…

"I promise you, Shirone, I will come back for you." Kuroka whispered in her sister's ear, giving her one last tight hug before having to let go forever. If she was to become strong, strong enough to protect Shrione from any and all dangers, then if that meant giving up seeing her for a little while… She did not want to think about it, as her thirteen year old mind just couldn't get over the fact that she would be separated once again. It was far too much for her.

As she let go, she could feel her sister try to pull her back in, wanting for her to stay. She did everything in her power to restrain herself from caving in and refusing to become Azhul's Bishop right then and there, even if it meant forcing the pieces she had received the night before out of her.

It was not long that she got to spend time with her sister though, as the feeling of someone tugging the collar of her clothes was felt. The servants began to drag Kuroka away, while others held the sister back from running after her. The two screamed each other's names out, wanting, needing to go back to one another. It was all for naught though, as soon enough, the two sisters would vanish from each other's sights, not able to see each other for the longest time.

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

Thus began the living hell that was Kuroka's life. So long as Shirone was safe, and that Lord Azhul would keep his promise of keeping her safe, then Kuroka would do all that she could to survive the harsh training that was being his Bishop. Unfortunately, she had no clue what that training entailed.

That was the least of her concerns though, as the deeper she went into the castle, a scent she wish she would never smell permeated through the air. Blood, just like she had once thought before, but something more with it. Deeper and deeper into the halls she went, that putrid scent became stronger. It was the scent of rotting carcasses…

It wasn't the only strange thing though, as the servant who had been escorting her stopped short of an iron gate within the hallway they had been in. Having never been in this part of the castle before, Kuroka had no clue what lied behind that gate. All she could hear, was the faint roaring of what sounded to be a large crowd, cheering at someone, or perhaps something.

"… What is this place, nyah?" She asked, looking up at the servant who seemed to stand still at the door, as if he was expecting something to happen.

"This, dear Lady, is where your training shall begin."

"… Here?" She asked, pointing to the door, which the servant nodded at.

"Indeed. You are to take place in a duel of sorts, and should you be victorious, you shall begin your true training as a Bishop of Lord Azhul's peerage. Should you impress him enough, and perhaps he shall show you in the ways of the Necromancer."

"… And if I fail? Should I lose…?"

"… Run."

With that said, Kuroka could feel her back be pushed hard, as the iron gate in front of her creaked hard in swinging open rapidly, the sound of cheering growing exponentially. Everything going too fast, the cat was quick to find out that the moment she had been pushed into the corridor that lead to certain doom, the gate behind had closed shut with a resounding 'boom', cutting all ways for her to escape. She banged on the door, hoping that someone would answer and she would escape from this, but reality is a harsh mistress, as the truth sank in. She was tricked, and said trick could very well end up ending her life.

All she could do now was to pray, to wish some godly deity out there had been listening, and that they would protect her from the horrors unknown. Turning around and facing the only way out of the lightless tunnel, she gulped hard in anticipating the worst. The stench of blood and other bodily fluids only became stronger with each step she took, as she forced herself to swallow the bile that had been climbing up her throat, threatening to take away the last bit of sanity she would have for this place.

Having reached the end of the dark tunnel, she had been quickly blinded by the brightness of the next room. Shielding her eyes from any damage, they quickly adjusted to find the source of where all the blood and stench was coming from, as what she found herself in was a giant coliseum. Spikes covered the walls all around, numerous bodies attached to them as helpless victims were pierced through, left the bleed to death in a most painful way. Piles of bodies were strewn about on the hard, metallic floor, rusted away from all the crimson liquid that had bathed it for who knows how long, as flies made homes of the disposed carcasses. Looking up she could see that there was the open air was in fact sealed by a large iron cage, preventing any escape for any of the 'members of the peerage', should they choose to live instead of dying in a useless manner.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this special event!"

Kuroka looked up, through the cage, in an attempt to find the person who was talking. It was the voice of her so-called 'master', and the one responsible for what she was going through. If she was to survive this, and if she were to ever get her hands on him, she would surely kill him for all of this.

"Tonight, I bring you a remarkable treat. For tonight, shall be the debut of two of my finest creations!" Suddenly, if she hadn't been blinded by the light before, she was now, as a giant spotlight rained down upon Kuroka, highlighting her to the entire crowd of devils above. "In one corner, we have my newest Bishop, Kuroka! Four years ago, I happened to find this fine specimen on the side of the road with her younger sister, and four years ago I brought them in. Now, at the age of thirteen, Kuroka's training shall begin, starting with this event! Give a round of applause for the young girl!"

Devils screamed and clapped as Lord Azhul introduced the black Nekomata. All she wanted to do at the moment was shrink away, never to be seen again.

"And in the other corner, weighing in at two-hundred and twenty-six kilograms! Sewn from the bodies of the worthless contestants from yesterday's batch, and held together using my very own special brand of magic, I give you, Patches!"

Kuroka looked towards where the light had begun to shine, only to lay her eyes on a creature most gruesome and hideous.

Just like the Baron had said, the creature she saw was the color of a sickly green and yellow, disease-ridden bodies holding together a beast of unimaginable horror. Its beady little eyes focusing on what it would consider prey in front of it, in one deformed hand held a meat cleaver of unreasonable size, and in the other hand, a giant meat hook connected to a steel chain. With its entire lower jaw missing and a rotten tongue dangling where the jaw would be, the creature tried to speak, if only to try to respond to its master, only to make gurgling sounds in the end.

It was the ultimate demise, and something that Kuroka wanted no part of.

Before she could continue looking at the creature, the sound of a bell rang through the coliseum, starting what could very well be her last night alive.

"Patches! KILL!"

~~*Oppai-Dragon*~~

I don't think I mentioned this before, but the initial plan I have for this story is making entire volumes and then releasing the chapters one day at a time, almost like the actual LN. This for two reasons.

First off, this makes it easier on me as I don't feel like pressuring myself into making more and more chapters just to get onto the next chapter and eventually lose all interest in the project simply because it becomes more of a chore than something that actually feel like its fun to write it.

Second, and more importantly (to me at least), If I do lose interest at any time, I've at least written enough (for myself) that I feel like I've at least accomplished something, even if it's a bit of a cliffhanger. I hope I don't end up doing this, as I have the entire story planned out already, and just need to get the writing done.