Now before we start, there's 2 VERY IMPORTANT events in this chapter. First, it has an experimental scene between Rias and Anthony. Its a few paragraphs down, and I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you what it is. If you liked it, PLEASE tell me if you did, even if your a Visitor/Guest/Anonymous user. I wanna give you guys some REEEEEEEEAL good stuff, so I need to know if you approve. A simple 'yes' will do on Discord, a review, or a PM.
The second one, is some additional lore I think you'll enjoy. It's about Raynare and her motives for wanting Anthony's/Issei's [and then later Asia's] power. In the manga and anime; its only stated that she wanted power for herself, and quite a few writers have provided some kind of backstory for it... or have her change her mind to add her to the harem, one author even did an evil twin scenario...
Nothing wrong with either of those things. But me personally, I'm gonna try something a little different for her backstory, one that I personally haven't seen yet. Now, does that mean she'll return for the fic? I can't say... she's dead anyway, right? Lets answer some reviews, then we can join Anthony on the latest adventure:
1) Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov (Season 1 - Chapter 1): As discussed in our PMs', thank you for this piece criticism and I will use it to improve. If anyone else sees something, don't hesitate to point it out and share concerns. I want this story to be the best it can possibly be, so even a little snippet of exposition helps.
2) Robert Walker1 (Season 1 - Chapter 5): No... at least, I don't think so. I'm flattered you like Anthony more than Issei... to any Issei fans, that's not me saying Issei is a bad character. He's just an idiot, denser than a brick; and I'm a sucker for idiotic/dense characters. In fact, one has been running around with a rat on his shoulder since the 90's...
Season NEW - Chapter 4: Dealing with the Past
It was now evening... that game lasted longer than Anthony thought. Right as he and the ORC left the dimensional space and reappeared back in the clubhouse, the Italians phone started dinging. It was his ringtone for incoming text messages. Reaching into his pants pocket (which was left behind on the floor since Rias pulled him into the dimensional gymnasium), he pulled out the cellular device. Looking at the screen, he froze and stared at it. While the group did look at Anthony and would've asked what was wrong, Rias beat them too it.
"Anthony? What's... oh..." she asked, seeing her favorite pieces facial expression and looking at the phones screen with him.
The contact information of the message read: Lezaza.
The message didn't say much, just asked Anthony: "meet me at the canal?" Rias didn't know how Anthony would take this, that Fallen Asshole had nerve to ask her Pawn for something, especially now! She just got him back, so how was Anthony gonna respond? He didn't do anything, just stared at the screen as if waiting for the phone itself to give him an answer. After another minute of staring, he held the phone down (still in his hand), and picked up his clothes off the floor without a word.
Rias was worried... was he relapsing?
"I'll be right back, there's... something... I have to do" was all the Italian said before leaving. It didn't sound like he was down in the dumps anymore, but what exactly was he doing? Rias left the room and managed to catch Anthony just as he was about to leave out of the main door; grabbing his hand softly, yet firmly. Anthony turned to see Rias holding him back, he had an emotionless face.
"Anthony... you," Rias didn't get to finish her sentence, because Anthony smiled at her. It was the same type of smile he gave her the day they first met, and it made her heart skip a beat.
"It's ok, Ri. Just a loose end to tie up" said Anthony, using the nickname he'd given her, making her heart skip 2 beats this time.
He gently returned a squeeze to the hand she was holding, assuring her he was alright. He then pulled her arm gently and pulled the Devil herself into a hug, making her freeze entirely because she didn't expect it. The same feels that when he first hugged her started resurfacing, then she remembered Lezaza's words before he vanished: 'The reason I had Raynare go after Anthony... wasn't just his Gear. There's something... different about him'.
What was this difference exactly? She had no answer, but was brought out of her trace by Anthony's voice. "Thanks for worrying about me, and getting my lazy ass back on track..." he began, then hugged her a little tighter, her chest squeezing against his so closely, she felt the beat of his heart against her own. "I COULD just kiss you..." Anthony continued in her ear, his breath ticking her skin. The normally ragging Devil had no response ready for this at all, and just tensed up. Anthony then pulled away and ended the hug, though his hands were still on her upper arms near her shoulders. "But... you couldn't handle it" Anthony said with a smirk.
It was official. The Italian Dragon... HER Italian Dragon... was back, and was never going away again. Figuring she might as well join in, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "And why is that?" She asked, interlocking her fingers.
"Trust me; if I initiated a kiss... all that would remain is that Alfalfa-shit on your head" Anthony joked, making Rias' mouth open in the shape of a perfect 'O' with widened eyes.
"Oh-ho really?" Rias said... then pulled his neck a little, making the distance between them shrink. "Then why not prove it?" She challenged, and they continued back and forth.
"Maybe I will."
"So you want to push me down? Attack a defenseless, young Devil?"
"I'm not that cruel, there's just allot of splinters in wood floors."
"You can splinter me anytime."
"It'll be rough."
"I like it rough."
"You can handle the pain?"
"I'll handle allot more than that."
Both friends had gotten an inch closer with every sentence they spoke until their foreheads were touching. While that happened, Anthony's hands had found their way to Rias' waist. Anthony tightened his grip, earning a small gasp from Rias, but she continued to remain locked to Anthony's eyes. "... maybe some other time" Anthony smiled, letting go of the buxom woman in front of him. She also released his neck.
"I'm glad your back" said Rias wearing a small, yet VERY bright smile on her face. He had returned full-force... and NO-ONE... will EVER take him away from her.
"Me too" Anthony smiled back, resuming his original task of leaving the clubhouse.
Rias watched him go until the door closed behind him, yet still looked in its direction even after it shut. She eventually turned, going back to the others of the ORC. Outside... [You know damn well you could've stolen 2 bases just now, and she wouldn't have cared] said Ddraig. Anthony heard him, but never responded... he just kept walking, with a smile.
-TIME BREAK-
Lezaza... *ahem*, Azazel. Was sitting under a bridge near a canal. This was one of his hobbies, and Anthony loved joining him when he was a kid; and they fished in this exact spot all the time when it was dark out so the fish wouldn't be scared by the ongoing traffic above that occurred during the day. They rarely had time anymore since Anthony had started attending High School and gotten his own place to live, so the Fallen Angel had no choice but to spend the time by himself.
He heard someone approaching and looked over... and was quite surprised to see Anthony standing there. "You using that rod, estraneo?" Anthony asked, pointing to an unused fishing rod that Azazel brought out of habit. Even though he lied to Anthony for the past 3 years of his life, that didn't mean he didn't enjoy the time they spent together. To Azazel, Anthony was basically the son he never had.
Anthony took the extra rod... the Fallen One had no words. He didn't expect Anthony to answer his message, let alone come out here. Once Anthony tossed out the line and the bobber started floating, he took a seat next to his foster father. "... so, what'cha wanna talk about?" Anthony asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Uh... yeah. Listen, Anthony. I had no idea about Raynare's... infatuation with me" Azazel said.
"You didn't?" Anthony asked, though still paying attention to his fishing line.
"No, though she was always a loyal follower. Her orders were strictly to watch over you, and to only intervene if something should happen to you" said Azazel.
"So technically, she was hired to be a guardian angel?" Asked Anthony.
"In a way, yes. She always did her job right, but would always claim there was nothing to report on you. I told her to just stick with it, she'll see what I was talking about" said Azazel.
"How were you so sure?" Asked Anthony, beginning to reel in his line, thinking he felt a bite.
"Well... to be honest, Anthony... I was there..." said Azazel, and that made Anthony freeze with slightly widened eyes for a second. "The day your Sacred Gear first awakened..." admitted Azazel.
-FLASHBACK-
Azazel, in his human form (NOT his Lezaza form), was walking through the halls of the hospital. He was here on business but as he began to walk past a certain room, and a green flash of energy came from inside. Curious, the Fallen One looked inside to see a tiny boy, held by his parents... with a red object on his arm.
[BOOST!]
The room once again lit up, forcing the 2 parents and the Fallen One to shield their eyes. The mom, since she was holding the baby, shut her eyes tightly and looked away. The father and Azazel, used their arms to block their faces from the rays of green light. Once the light died down however, the red object had disappeared. The parents stared at each other, silently questioning what they saw, but Azazel already knew. That was a Sacred Gear!
-END FLASHBACK-
"From that day, I KNEW you had one; I just didn't know which. I could also tell that, while whatever you had was undeniably powerful, it wasn't exactly awake yet" said Azazel.
"Yeah. Ddraig told me and the others about it. My first official use was punching the teeth out of this bully, Scott Astaroth... hated that guy" said Anthony, throwing his line back once he saw nothing but the worm still on the hook. He didn't notice, but Azazel tensed up at that name.
"Yo! Ya got a bite!" Called Anthony, as Azazel wasn't paying attention to his fishing line. By the time he reeled it in, the fish and the bait were gone, which Anthony laughed at. "So, you knew about my Sacred Gear since day one?" Asked Anthony.
"I study them, actually. The history of them and how their made; even made a few of my own" said Azazel, putting a new worm on his hook and tossing it back in the water.
"So your basically a supernatural Emmett Brown?" Anthony asked.
"All I'm missing is the car" Azazel joked. "Its odd, though. Raynare was never interested in Sacred Gear or power... she was one of my few followers with 4 wings. She claimed she felt powerful enough, and was satisfied with her rank" said Azazel and now that he mentioned it, Anthony remembered Raynare said something like that before he snapped and beat her to a pulp... literally.
"Really?... Guess you never really know a person" said Anthony.
"I suppose... it was so random too. One day, she just waltzed in and asked me all about Sacred Gears, and then..." Azazel was saying, but stopped himself. He didn't need to finish though, for it was obvious that's when he let it slip that Sacred Gears will awaken with powerful emotions... and that's when Raynare thought it'd be a great idea to 'bring the house down'.
"So then you fired her; then watched over me yourself?" Asked Anthony, referring to the fact that Azazel popped into his life when he came to Japan. Based on the information Anthony was given, it was clear that the Fallen Angel watched Anthony in Raynare's place after she was removed from the picture, which is also why he took him in under the guise of Lezaza.
"I did. At first, it was because I felt responsible but after... raising you," Azazel began, this his voice began to soften, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "I felt horrible. I took a family away from the best kid in the world... and it ate at me. I wanted to tell you the truth, to get it off my chest; I really did... But I was scared. I didn't... want you too look at me like... I was some kind of monster. I should've suspected something was up, I never should've trusted Raynare! I...!" Azazel said, gripping his fishing rod tighter, and that made it shake in his hand. He also had his eyes shut tightly, trying to prevent more tears from leaking out of his face.
"It's ok" came Anthony's voice, snapping Azazel out of it. "I don't... blame you. I mean yeah, I'm a upset" said Anthony.
[But... if what your saying is true... then it wasn't your fault] said Ddraig, making Azazel's eyes widen a bit with how understanding Anthony and Ddraig were being.
"She went against orders, right? She also acted on her own years later, tracking me down like those crazy ex-girlfriends on The Hub" said Anthony, reeling in his line to reveal he had caught a fish. Quickly summoning Ddraig's arm; he used the claws it came with to easily grip the fish, get its lip off the hook, and toss it back nonchalantly; dismissing the dragon arm when he was done.
[You were just doing what you loved, discovering secrets to power... no malicious intent, just simple curiosity] said Ddraig.
"And besides, its like you said: you could've easily killed me yourself. Hell, you had plenty of opportunities while I was living under your roof" Anthony continued, resupplying the bait and recasting the fishing line back into the canal. "Fact is, you raised me; help me understand this new society... your like my second father" said Anthony, then looked up at Azazel next to him. "And I love ya for it, Zays" the Italian finished.
Azazel wanted to hug Anthony at that last sentence. He forgave him... for everything he's done. "... Thanks you, Anthony; that... means allot" said Azazel. A few seconds later, Anthony's phone rang. It was Rias' contact information this time.
"Yellow?" Asked Anthony, answering the call.
"Sorry to call... but there's another Stray" said Rias.
"It's cool, I'll be there in a minute" said Anthony.
"And is... everything ok?" Rias asked, her voice softening.
Anthony glanced at Azazel before answering. "All taken care of."
"Alright, see ya when you get here" said Rias, cheering up as it sounded like Anthony was fine.
"Arrivederci" said Anthony, hanging up. "Duty calls" he smiled at Azazel.
"Go get'em, Dragon" said Azazel. Anthony reeled in the fishing rod and set it down. Before getting up though, he held out his left hand. Understanding, Azazel grabbed it firmly. After they let go, Anthony headed off to return to the ORC, with Azazel smiling as Anthony left.
-TIME BREAK-
At an abandoned site, their was a factory that looked to be about 40 years old. Moss was growing along the walls, signs that you had to put letters in were busted, and gates were rusted and bent. "No one can miss the smell of a rouge Devil" said Koneko.
"No kidding, its disgusting" said Akeno.
"So what's this one do? Shoot shit outta its ass?" Asked Anthony, remembering the first Stray he fought, which wasn't pretty.
"We're not sure of its powers, but since its in Gremory territory, we've been asked to take it out" said Rias, explain what was going on.
"Aw, but I'm behind on rent! AND I got 2 mouths to feed!" Said Anthony. Rias smiled at the indirect joke he made.
"Alright, here's the game plan. Asia, you take the rear with me and Akeno. Kiba, Koneko and Anthony and Ddraig will go in and draw the enemy out; so me and Akeno can take care of it" said Rias.
"Yes, ma'am" said Asia.
"Sounds got to me" said Akeno.
"Got it" said Koneko.
[Suuuuuuure; let US do the work, and the 'Great Ladies' deliver the final blow] said Ddraig, clearly making a joke himself.
"Well, me and Rias just got our nails done" said Akeno, showing off her fingers to the light on Anthony's hand and adding to the joke. Her nails looked no different, but still...
[Oh no! We CAN'T have you breaking them, can we?] Ddraig answered, sarcastically.
"Well dragon nails grow as quickly as shark teeth, right? Boosting Time!" Said Anthony, summoning the Boosted Gear. He and Koneko began to run off inside the building, but that's when Anthony and Rias noticed Kiba hadn't moved a muscle. He was just staring down at the ground, almost like he was angry about something.
"Kiba?" Asked Rias, but her voice didn't reach him. It was also at this point, the rest of the ORC noticed his expression as well.
"YO! PRINCE CHARMING! Ya coming or what?" Asked Anthony, and that seemed to get Kiba's attention.
"Y-Yeah, sorry; I'm ready" said Kiba, joining Anthony and Koneko. Rias watched on... what was up with Kiba? First the dodgeball game, and now this?
The pretty-boy Knight, mascot Rook and Dragon Pawn got up to the door... a large metal door... it was tightly shut, of course. Anthony knocked in it twice with 2 knuckles. "Hmm, another locked door... Koneko? Your the expert, right? Mind picking the lock?" He joked. Koneko just stared at him, with her usual expression, unblinking.
...
...
...
BANG!
Anthony: GAAAH-HAHA!
CRASH!
The doors flew open, coming off their hinges... with Anthony's body going with them. He landed on the floor on top of the doors. [She has good punch lines, doesn't she?] Said Ddraig.
"Go back to sleep, Smaug" said Anthony, holding a side of himself and getting up. Koneko just walked past him, Anthony followed her upon finally recovering, and Kiba brought up the rear... he still looked out of it though. "You guys have advanced Devil Night-Vision, right? Can you direct me, because...?" Anthony was asking.
BANG!
He walked right into a pillar. "Ugh... that was on purpose" Anthony insisted, holding his entire face with both hands and walking quicker to catch up. His eyes did eventually adjust though, he was able to see Koneko and Kiba, and some light from the moon did come through the windows above which made things a little easier.
[You walked right into that one] said Ddraig.
"I liked it better when I couldn't hear you" Anthony muttered.
[I heard...] said Ddraig, but stopped midway.
"Ddraig? You alright?" Asked Anthony.
[...Its near... surely you feel it as well, Miss Toujou?] Warned Ddraig, sensing the enemy nearby.
"Hm... its close" Koneko nodded, confirming what Ddraig was saying. Hearing whining, the group saw a seemingly human woman in the back behind some machinery.
"... she's nuda, of course she is" said Anthony. This girl looked beautiful, having snow-white skin and silver hair, both of which seemed to sparkle in the moonlight... maybe she was brought here as a snack? She appeared to be holding herself up by a large pipe, because when she tried to stand up, she fell from her position. "Ma'am? Are you...?" Anthony asked, wondering if the woman was hurt.
"SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!"
Right before Anthony's eyes, the woman began to change. Her ears extended outward, becoming pointy like a elf; and above her head sprouted 6 horns (3 on each side) with a 7th one growing out of the center of her forehead, bigger than the rest. Her body had begun to take the shape of a six-armed spider, with 2 sets of arms popping out of her waist. This included her lower body, which had bloated up into what's called a spinneret. While her legs (extra 2 included) looked very spider-like, her actual arms had giant hands with 3 claws on them.
But what REALLY freaked Anthony out, was that her eye balls were HUGE! You could barely see the whites of them! The giant spider monster before the group jumped up on the ceiling, but they couldn't see her in the darkness. They DID hear her feet against the metal as she crawled... though the fact that they were fighting in an almost pitch-black factory wasn't helping the situation either.
[BOOST!]
Anthony looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out where the demon would strike from. He happened to see Kiba... why was he looking down? "Kiba? Kiba, you watching this thing? I'm not as fast as you, dude" said Anthony, but Kiba didn't respond... he just kept looking down. The monster saw a chance to strike, and crawling over Kiba, she shot some webbing at him.
"Kiba, move!" Said Koneko, pushing the Knight out of the line of fire just in time... though she was struck instead.
[BOOST!]
Kiba was now back in the game, and picked up his sword that he dropped when Koneko saved him. He also saw that Koneko's shirt near the shoulder had a hole in it, the skin in that spot appearing to be burnt. Anthony stared at this, processing what he just saw. He looked up at the ceiling where the spider demon was crawling away, looked down at Koneko, and all he had to say was: "... I totally fucking called it."
While Koneko wasn't her intended target, the Stray figured she'd make the most of it and swung down to strike the freshman with one of her giant claws. Anthony saw this and on instinct, ran over. 'Promotion - Knight!' Anthony changed his status, and with that change, he flew over to Koneko and got ahold of her just seconds before Stray did.
[BOOST!]
With her target gone, the Stray continued to swing, but before she vanished into the darkness again... "Yeah, keep swinging, Jessica Drew!" Said Anthony, firing a Dragon Shot at her. It hit the Stray right in the center of her back, and the extra force from that made the silk to snap, causing her to crash into some machinery with a painful-sounding screech. "You ok?" Anthony asked the Rook, kneeling down to the spot he put her down and gently examined the wound on her arm.
In his embrace, Koneko immediately felt safe, but shook it off. "I'm fine" she said, getting out of his hold.
Bending metal stopped the duo from conversing, for the Stray had recovered and was now lunging at Anthony, intent on making him pay. As she closed in, Anthony noticed a long pipe on the ground. He picked it up, perhaps wanting to use it was a weapon. The Stray ended up in front of him, but stopped because Anthony was holding the pipe over his head with both hands.
Stray Devil: (cocks head) *Scree?*
Anthony: YOOOOOOU... SHALL NOOOOOOOT...!
SMACK!
Anthony: (flies through the air after getting backhanded) Mother...!
CRASH!
The poor Italian ended up crashing on an old conveyor belt, breaking it. "Why... perché non ha funzionato?" Asked Anthony, recovering from both the failure and the smack-away, questioning as to how come that plan failed. Some old guy used to to save a group from a monster...
[That ONLY works, on bridges] said Ddraig, speaking over the 'Boost' of the Gear, sounding like he had a claw on his face after face-clawing himself.
Kiba darted past the Stray Devil, slicing one of her main arms clean off and making the Stray screech in pain. As he landed, he failed to notice a pipe running along the floor, and lost his balance as he slid into it and making himself fall over and drop his sword. Seeing her chance, and also kinda pissed about losing an arm, the Stray pounced on Kiba with red-raged eyes. She lifted the Knight up, and just when she was about to take a bite of his pretty face, Anthony shot her in eye with a Dragon Shot.
She screeched in pain, and looked in the offenders direction... though the eye that was shot was now gone. "Hey! Hands off my man!" Anthony punned. The Stray, still holding Kiba, went over to Anthony. Once she approached him, she smelled something she didn't detect before.
"Humaaaaaaaaaan..." she said, her mouth now watering. Apparently like Viser beforehand, the taste of humans was something she enjoyed.
"Yeah. Haven't you seen... oh sorry" Anthony punned again.
[BOOST!]
The Stray chose to ignore that remark. "You reek of fear... my favorite flavor..." said the Stray, which of course contrasted the persona she had in her human form, showing the monster she truly was. Anthony cocked an eyebrow at her statement, and took two whiffs from under one of his arms.
"Oof, that's not fear. Trust me on this" he said. With that, the Stray tossed Kiba aside and went for Anthony instead. Since he was currently a Knight, he was able to avoid the lunge.
When the Stray tried moving again however, Koneko was shown holding her back by one of her legs. She tried lifting the spider demon, but it didn't work so she had to back off quickly to avoid a giant arm crashing down on her. Great, this Stray was more powerful than the last one. Maybe she should... no. She can't. Not after what happened.
[BOOST!]
"What's up with Koneko? That spider silk poisonous or something?" Asked Anthony.
[Hardly. She's holding back. She needs to use her full strength against a creature such as this] said Ddraig, and that got Anthony surprised. Koneko, the one who hurt him... sometimes on a daily basis... was holding back? That didn't sound like her at all.
"What are ya talking about? She always goes full out!" Said Anthony.
[Always? Please. She's been holding back since day one! She's got more than that, and she knows it. She can EASILY squash this bitch like the bug she is but for whatever reason, Miss Toujou is simply refusing to do it] said Ddraig, which surprised Anthony more.
Ddraig could sense this kind of stuff, so Anthony had no reason to believe the dragon was lying. But Koneko, the little fighter she was... it didn't make sense. If she DID have this power, why wasn't she using it?
With Kiba still recovering after being thrown into a large pipe, it was only her and Anthony left to fight this demon. Said opponent was squirting out more silk in an attempt to subdue the Rook or trying to crush her under her large hands, but either by luck or lack of aim since one of her eyes were gone, the Stray kept missing. Koneko tried kicking the demons legs or lifting them again, but they wouldn't give no matter how hard she struck.
[Well at this rate, the kitty's gonna run out of lives. We'll have to lend her some milk] said Ddraig, confusing his host.
"Er, cosa?" Asked Anthony. He got what Ddraig was saying... except the kitty part... did his pet dragon have a furry fetish or something?
[We're GOING, to Transfer to her!] Said Ddraig, sounding annoyed.
"I figured that much! But what's this 'kitty' stuff you keep blabbing about?" Asked Anthony, making Ddraig groan.
[Your the one who started it in the first place. You mean to tell me you really have, NO IDEA, of what she really is?] Asked Ddraig.
"What she really...? Yeah, she's a Devil" said Anthony, thinking that was what Ddraig was trying to say.
The dragon groaned once again. [Just drop it. You'll learn eventually] he said, not wanting to discus this anymore. With nothing else, Anthony booked it to Koneko and grabbed her tiny body.
"HEY! LET GO OF..." she was saying, getting defensive.
[TRANSFER!] Said the Boosted Gear, lending the feisty kid its strength. Koneko felt stronger than before, but questioned why. She wasn't using that power so... oh yeah, Transfer. That was one of Ddraig's abilities. She calmed down, though couldn't get over the tingly feeling in her body. Was this how Akeno felt when Ddraig and Anthony boosted her?
Not picking up on the power increase, the Stray Devil went to squash Koneko again... only for her tiny hand to EFFORTLESSLY block her own. Her large eyes widened, but before she could pull away, Koneko's other tiny hand grabbed the same one she was holding.
"Down came the rain..." Anthony sang.
"And threw the spider out" said Koneko in her natural tone. Spinning the larger Devil once, Koneko then released her hold and the spider demon flew out the windows, glass shattering everywhere.
The girls outside were surprised, not expecting the Stray to launch out of the factory; but Akeno did her part and zapped the overgrown arthropod as if it got caught in a bug zapper. The Stray was weakened severely, and didn't have enough energy to even stand.
"Checkmate; wanton Devil. You ran away from your master, just to fulfill your own desires. In the name of the house of Gremory, you shall pay with your life! Now BEGONE!" Said Rias, announcing the Stray Devils crime. With that, she summoned her Destruction Magic, and blasted the Stray to oblivion.
Once that was done; Anthony, Koneko and Kiba exited the building. As soon as they did, Asia approached. "Are you all ok? Any of you need healing?" Asked Asia kindly.
"Yes please" said Koneko, and Asia went straight to work. Kiba actually walked to the side and leaned on the factory wall, going back to his thoughts. "What exactly happened in there, Koneko? You guys took longer than expected" Rias observed as Asia was healing the freshman. "The bitch was a little stronger than she looked. If it wasn't for Anthony and Ddraig Boosting me, I don't think I could've threw her out like I did" Koneko admitted.
"And Kiba?" Rias bluntly asked, and it was at that point Koneko looked away. She was no tattletale. "Anthony?" The redhead turned her attention to Anthony, with the some tone. Since Koneko obviously wasn't gonna talk, even though something did happen back there, Rias figured Anthony would be willing to share.
"Uh, nothing of consequence. We got the job done and..." Anthony stalled, seeing Rias was pissed about something.
"Anthony... What. Happened?" Rias repeated, more sternly this time.
Anthony wasn't scared of Rias per se; but he WAS scared of what a similar blast of Destruction Magic would do to him. Still though, he felt bad telling on a fellow chess piece like a 3rd grader. "Well, uh... he was a little out at first, but..." Anthony tried to give Kiba some kind of defense against the redheads wrath, but Rias then got right in his face... and it wasn't flirtatious this time.
"I don't like repeating myself" she warned, and the glow of her magic in her eyes was all the proof Anthony needed to know she WAS NOT kidding.
[I HIGHLY recommend you spill the beans, before she incinerates the can] Ddraig said. He might be a dragon, but even he knows the fury of a woman scorned is NOT to be trifled with!
"... bene" the Italian squeaked. "He was distracted. Koneko had to take a blow for him, then I jumped in to protect her. He got a little sloppy and got caught by Miss Spider for a tea party, so Ddraig and I had to Transfer some extra power for Koneko to finish the j..." and that's all Anthony got TOO say as Rias walked over to where Kiba was standing and...
SMACK!
The sharp sound of a slap made everyone pause. Rias had just slapped Kiba with enough force to not only turn his head, but also leave a nice red mark.
"Feeling better now?" Rias rhetorically asked the Knight in a rigid tone. "If I didn't send Anthony in there with you, you both could've been killed! Whatever funk you were in also could've put the rest of us in danger!" Rias continued. Kiba just simply moved his head slowly back to look at Rias in the eye, almost robotically.
"I apologize. It won't happen again" said Kiba, emotionlessly. It was at this point Rias held Kiba gently by his shoulders.
"What's the matter with you lately, Kiba? This isn't like you at all" said Rias, her mode switching from Devil Master to Concerned Mother.
"I'm perfectly fine, just an off couple of days. I didn't realize it would affect my performance" said Kiba, then he bowed. "I accept full responsibly... now if you'll excuse me" With that, Kiba left the group. Anthony however, ran after him.
Now that Kiba was alone for a moment, he pulled out a picture from his pocket. It was the picture of Anthony and this Irina chick, with the sword in the background. "Kiba! YO KIBA!" Came the voice of Anthony, making the Knight stuff the picture back in his pocket... he didn't realize he missed the hole...
"AH! There you are. What was that all about, dude? Being the asshole's my job" Anthony said, managing to catch the Knight just before he was off the property.
"Its not your concern" said Kiba, not turning back to face Anthony.
"BULLSHIT! We're a family, bro! If there's something bothering you, you can bet your pretty ass I'll do everything in my power to help you!" Said Anthony.
"Why would you be worried for a Devil like me? After all... we Devils are selfish beings" Kiba with an empty chuckle.
"Well I'm not, and neither are the Gremorys'! So what's the issue, man? Is it school? Work? Family? Cause lord knows I have experience in all those departments!" Said Anthony.
[Whatever's wrong, Mister Kiba; you should know we're both here for you. Egg-Brothers always stick together, no matter how far the other flies!] Ddraig said, voicing his own opinion.
"I appreciate the concern guys, I really do... but this Egg-Brother has another purpose than just serving Rias, and its something he has to do alone" said Kiba.
"NON LO FAI! Kiba! If it wasn't for you, Akeno, Koneko and Asia; I NEVER would've been able to save Rias from Pheasant-Man. Come on! Let me help you this time!" Insisted Anthony, taking a step forward to Kiba, but Kiba brought out his wings along with a flare of his power... which wasn't much, but still enough to get Anthony to recoil and back off.
"You can't. I must be one to destroy Excalibur, no one else!" Said Kiba, his emotions accidentally letting slip what he was worked up about. With that, he jumped in the air and flew off.
"KIBA WAIT, I...!" Anthony called to him.
*Scrunch*
"What the...?" Anthony looked down, noticing he stepped on something. It was a picture... a strangely familiar picture. [Isn't that a photo of you and Irina?] Asked Ddraig as Anthony bent down to pick the photo up and give it a closer look. "... why did Kiba have this? And isn't Excalibur only a myth?" Questioned Anthony.
-TIME BREAK-
Later when the other ORC members returned to their homes, Anthony had brought up to Rias what he heard Kiba mention before flying off. Rias was currently sitting on a chair at a small desk, looking down at the photo Anthony showed her. "Kiba said something about Excalibur, which us in the human world have been debating about for YEARS. He had this photo of me and Irina from my old house, he must have dropped it as he flew off" said Anthony.
Rias looked intently at the picture in question with a finger in her chin. "... there's no doubt about it. That is an Excalibur."
"Wait, an...? You mean there's more?!" Asked Anthony, shocked and amazed. The legend of King Arthur and his legendary sword was quite the story, and there was SOME evidence out there that suggested it might be true; but it was circumstantial evidence mostly. His dad, the collector he was; said something about the sword splitting, but never went into much detail about it.
[7 to be precise] said Ddraig, joining the conversation as the 2 devils and human looked at the green light on Anthony's hand. [What the stories DON'T tell you, is the fact that Arthur himself broke the sword on purpose during the Battle of Camlann. Many kingdoms were after the swords power, for it wasn't just a Holy Sword, but he has even slain a few dragons with it] Ddraig explained.
"Oh... so that's why you tensed up" said Anthony.
[Of course; fearing what would happen if the wrong person or kingdom got ahold of it, Arthur destroyed the sword right in front of his enemies' face; leaving him defenseless... but with this sacrifice, the original sword was lost, and has not been recovered since] Ddraig continued.
"Ok, so the hunka metals been destroyed for thousands of years, whys Kiba so worked up about it still?" Asked Anthony. Actually, if the stories didn't tell people that the sword DID in fact split... then, how did Mister Messuri know?
Rias leaned back in the chair, crossing her legs as she did so. "That would be true... if it wasn't remade by the church" she said with a serious look on her face.
"REMADE?!" Asked Anthony, stunned a this piece of information.
"The church must've kept it secret, cause we never heard anything about it!" Said Asia.
"I wouldn't think so. It was called the Holy Sword Project, and it was terminated years ago because it was deemed a failure" said Rias.
"Wait... if it was remade successfully, then why was it a failure?" Asked Anthony.
[Use your brain. Why do you think only Arthur himself could remove it from the stone?] Asked Ddraig, trying not to sound annoyed at his partners lack of knowledge.
"Uh... destiny?" Guessed Anthony, with a slow shrug and nervous smile.
Ddraig sounded like he was about to yell, but calmed down last second. [NNNNNN... well... yes and no. Merlin of course; planned it would happen, but the REAL reason was because only a small handful of beings could wield Excalibur, without destroying themselves in the process. Much like our Balance Breaker at your current level, using the sword for too long would drain a persons life force if they didn't have the proper aura... and they would die] said Ddraig.
"Right. The swords biggest weakness was only a select few could move it, so the church figured what if they raised people artificially? They took young kids since they had tons of energy, but like I said; it didn't work and the project was scrapped... they even killed 'failed' subjects, claiming it was they're duty as children of God" said Rias, with venom in her voice. She of course, got a small pain in her head upon saying His name, but ignored it.
Anthony and Asia just processed that last sentence. "... fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck, and we called you Devils" he said. Asia was stunned herself. While she was banished as easily as Anthony was, she had no idea the church was capable of basically murdering innocents just for the sake of power. "So... Kiba was involved somehow?" Asked Anthony, using the context clues of Rias' wording along with Kiba's attitude.
Rias looked in Anthony's direction, her eyes hardened with what she said next: "Involved? He was the only survivor."
That statement alone got a least a minute and a half of silence.
[That explains it then. While others see that story as an icon of hope and fighting for freedom... our Egg-Brother sees it as betrayal and destruction] said Ddraig. "And luckily for us; the number people even able to hold Excalibur, even a small piece, is extremely rare... Would you happen to know what happened to this sword, Anthony?" Asked Rias, tapping the picture of the sword.
"Uh, yeah. My father sold it to her dad, they were both collectors... why do you ask?" Anthony said, then asked a question of his own.
She changed the subject with a smile on her face. "Oh, look at the time. Its so late. We should get to bed" she said (even though she wasn't looking at the time at all), looking up at Anthony and getting up from the chair... looking down to start unbuttoning her uniform. Both Anthony and Asia blushed at Rias' actions, Asia more-so since this was the first time she saw a fellow female WILLINGLY strip.
"RI! WHATAYA DOING?" Anthony yelped.
"Oh, don't play dumb. You know I can't sleep unless I'm completely naked" said Rias, unzipping and slipping off the skirt of her clothes and letting her underwear show.
Anthony mentally groaned... he knew THAT much!
"I mean, why are you doing it now? Can't you wait till Asia and I leave the room?" Asked Anthony, though it was a dumb question as Rias had gotten undressed in front of Anthony multiple times before. He mostly asked this because of Asia's earlier reaction to seeing Rias in bed with him. Rias looked at him with an expression that read: really, you have to ask? As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Exactly. She's going in her room, and I'm obviously sleeping with you, silly" the redhead devil answered with no shame in her voice or face.
"Then I'm getting changed too! I'm sleeping with Anthony!" Said Asia, not wanting to be outdone by the sexy redheaded devil. She quickly undid her own uniform so she was right were Rias was at. She gasped once her skirt fell, not believing she was really doing this, but there was no way she was gonna lose to Rias! With 2 girls now naked in his room, Anthony yelped, not knowing how to deal with this... they still had their undies on, but it wasn't helping the situation.
"Um, excuse me? I called dibs on him first, so he's mine! Fair is fair!" Said Rias, hands on her hips.
Anthony did a double take. "... dibs?..." He repeated. That sounded like something a child would say when they didn't get their way. What were they, four?
"Well, its not fair you hog him all for yourself. I think I should have a chance with Anthony too" said Asia, her blush was somewhat gone but still noticeable.
"Really? You think he'd sleep with you?" Rias taunted, walking up to Asia while accidentally knocking Anthony into the chair.
"Actually, yes! We did before, and it was fun!" Said Asia, mentioning the time she and Anthony did in fact spent a night together when they were younger, BEFORE Rias was ever in the picture.
"Heh, fun? I hate to break it to you, but his... tastes, have changed since then" Rias taunted again, folding her arms under her breasts to emphasize her 'points'.
Anthony could only watch as 2 females fought over him, this had never happened to him bef... well, it did; but that was when he, Asia and Irina were kids. Seeing this made his ego inflate, but he was aware if he didn't stop this, something bad might happen... the last thing he needed was Destruction Magic shooting out of his apartment room and scaring the rest of the tenets. "Anthony doesn't care about that! He's always treated me like a princess, regardless of my size!" Said Asia, which was true. Size wasn't a factor to Anthony.
Then again... Rias wasn't wrong either.
[While this is flattering and all, I think we should defuse these bombs before they go off] said Ddraig. Before Anthony could, the conversation between the 2 devil girls reached its climax. "So if it comes down to it, your willing to let him fill the incubator?" Rias asked and due to hanging out with Kiryuu, Asia had an idea of what that could mean.
"I... I haven't thought about that, but I'm willing to try!" Said Asia.
"Fine. Then I think Anthony should make it clear who he prefers" said Rias.
"Wait, what?!" Asked Anthony.
"I agree, that's fair. Its up to you then, Anthony. Me or Rias, who will you choose?" Asked Asia.
"C-C-C-Choose? W-W-W-What do ya mean, choose?" Anthony stuttered, but was stopped completely by both females getting right in his face... their boobs to be precise. While Rias was large in size, Asia wasn't lacking either; but to choose one of them... that'd cause problems. Seeing as they basically demanded an answer, he'd better choose one quickly, so he laid out his opinions:
Opinion 1: Rias
Positives: It was a good choice as any. She had excellent curves, along with beautiful features. Bonus - she was a hugger.
Negatives: He might be accidentally smothered to death, and if not, Asia will get jealous and might decide not to heal him the next time he gets severely injured.
Opinion 2: Asia
Positives: While not as curvy as Rias; she still had a nice figure, snow-white skin and an enchanting aura of innocence. Bonus - she was a snuggler (at least, when Anthony first slept with her).
Negatives: It was awkward, for reasons scattered around the fanfic. Though she was FAR from a bad choice, Rias might decide to declare Anthony a Stray and hunt him down personally... *shudder* He could already feel the Destruction Magic burning his skin.
Opinion 3: Neither
...
Somehow... he sensed that'll do more harm than good.
While he was thinking, the girls had thoughts if they're own. 'You KNOW you love sleeping with me... don't make me wait, Anthony...' Rias thought. 'I... I can do this, Anthony... just, be gentle with me...' thought Asia.
Now because Anthony took too long to respond, the 2 Devils locked eyes with each other, and took it upon themselves to make the decision for him... by each pulling an arm while he was in the chair. Poor boy was moaning in each direction he was pulled.
Asia: I KNEW ANTHONY FIRST! I LIVED WITH HIM YEARS BEFORE YOU EVEN KNEW HE EXISTED!
Rias: YEAH, YOU'VE BEEN VERY PATIENT, SO WHATS ONE MORE DAY?! LET GO!
Asia: NO WAY! IT'S MY... TURN!
Rias: YOUR TURN? YOU HAD 8 YEARS OF TURNS!
Asia: I WASN'T ALLOWED TO, BUT NOW I CAN!
Rias: AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?! HE'S MOVED ON TO LIKE BIGGER AND BETTER!
Asia: YOUR CHEST MIGHT BE BIGGER THAN MINE, BUT NOT AS BIG AS MY HEART!
Now mind you; this chair was made of plastic, and did not have any wheels on the feet. So the friction of them pulling it back-and-forth on the title floor, combined with Anthony's weight and the force of 2 jealous roommates eventually...
SNAP! CRASH!
Both Girls: WAAAAAAAAAHH!
Rias and Asia ended up sitting on top of Anthony due to anime physics. Anthony groaned and began to open his eyes... above him, one of his sports trophies wobbled on the shelf above his desk...
"Momma..." was all Anthony said with dilated eyes, as the trophy fell on top of his head, blacking him out. Both girls sitting on him looked back, hearing the sound; and seeing their actions had caused Anthony to get sense knocked out of him, rather than having a pleasurable night.
Ddraig had a closing statement for them: [Neither of you get incubated now.]
Added a little more history to the Sword of Kings. I feel DxD could've done so much more with that thing. I also had Ddraig give some of the backstory since I feel it makes more sense for an X-thousand-or-so year old dragon to tell part of it, rather than a 18-year-old Devil telling the entire thing. Rias is canonically a teen, not like her mother who changed her appearance with magic, so I don't think the redhead is gonna know EVERYTHING.
Proof of this is: she had no idea God in this universe had died, nor did she know the full capabilities of the Boosted Gear. While she knew it doubles power every 10 seconds, she DID NOT know about the Juggernaut Drive or what it did until Vali explained it to her... at least, in the anime; as I still have not read the novels.
Not much else to really say, I just hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see ya next time!
Anthony's Italian Dictionary:
1) Estraneo: means "stranger"
2) Arrivederci: means "see you later", "see you soon", "see ya" or "goodbye"
3) Nuda: means "naked"
4) Perché Non Ha Funzionato: means "why didn't it work?"
5) Cosa: means "what"
6) Non lo Fai: means "no you don't"