Welcome to the next chapter of Italian Dragon Emperor (finally). Before we start and rejoin Anthony and his misadventures in the DxD-verse, I have 2 announcements. One, this entire story has been remastered up to the last chapter. You can go back and revisit them, but not much had changed majorly plot-wise. Extra scenes and dialogue was mostly added.
READ THIS!
Secondly, there's an important question I NEED you all to answer. So I was planning HERO when I got a great idea, that's where I need you guys to come in. Remember that sauna scene where Issei almost got lucky? Well, what would happen if things got a little more... steamy? Now, I have both paths planned out, but not sure which to take, so I'll need this favor from as many of you as possible. Currently, I have a different poll up at the moment, so I'd like it if you could send me a discord message, PM, or review of your answer to the following:
Should I stay true to the source material... or should Anthony and Rias go for a ride?
From calderoneric758:
So does issei even exist in say the rebooted timeline and two what's about his what is his dad the crazy prist from hellsing... this a is a great idea I just made make it happen
Bakuganman: You'll have too see.
From Ace:
Would you ever have Xenovia (side note that Karen line lol) speak Italian to Anthony in the next chapter? Also would Anthony learn Japanese for Irina while she learns Italian for him in a side story?
Also have you heard of Warrior Nun on Netflix?
Bakuganman: She will speak Italian, but to a lesser extent than Anthony. I have not heard of Warrior Nun. It any good?
From dragon emperor:
Took some time understanding the stella reference, I knew I heard that somewhere. That anime needs a season 2
Bakuganman: Bout time someone caught it, though I made it that way on purpose.
From A Simple Pilgrim:
God that cliffhanger at the end is downright painful. I am really enjoying this story, and the whole AU thing is very interesting. It's hard for me to imagine a mature Issei messing up so hard that the entire universe resets, but still it's really curious.
In any case, I really liked the story so far, and can't wait for the next chapter. I hope to see some more Irina and Anthony interactions, hopefully more friendly than this tense reunion.
Bakuganman: Glad your liking the AU. Anthony and Irina will have more friendly interactions later on, especially once she joins the team.
Season NEW - Chapter 10: Keeping Secrets - Part 1
Rias just got back to the apartment after another long day at the office, but at least now she could relax and have dinner with her 2 roommates. Opening the door with her own key, she walked inside after taking off her shoes by the front door, something Anthony insisted she didn't have to do EVERY-TIME. It was a Japanese thing, it was polite to take off that article of clothing when walking into a home of residence. As she walked into the kitchen, the redhead noticed only Asia was cooking over the stove... odd. She was usually joined by Anthony, the "bossman" when it came to the kitchen. Did he not feel well or something? He was fine at school today.
"Oh, only your cooking tonight, Asia?" Asked Rias.
"I'm not sure. Anthony wasn't here when I got home" said Asia, turning her neck to face Rias.
"Again?" Asked Rias. This was the 6th time this week! Lately for an unexplained reason, Anthony was staying out late every night since the fight with Xenovia and Irina, and it got later with each passing day. It was so strange and very unlike him. He always got home in time to cook dinner and if not that, at least dinner itself. She also overheard he was falling asleep in class sometimes... more than usual, and he even goes straight to in his room and wants to be alone. To be fair, he was around them all day and probably needed time to himself, which made sense, but it would be hours before he came out of his hole. HOURS!
Something wasn't right. First the random wood planks (which he STILL wouldn't give an explanation for), requesting to not do contracts and have someone cover for him, now this? Both Devils were concerned but before they could discuss it, it was then Anthony walked through the door.
"Ah, there's my favorite ladies" he greeted them, closing the door and locking it. Neither Devil answered him, just looked at him as he walked past them and put his bookcase down on the table, which he noticed. "... what?" He asked them. Why were they staring at him like that?
"Where have you been?" Asked Asia.
"Out" Anthony answered.
"We see that. Where?" Rias said, emphasizing on the point of the question.
"Just... out. That's all" Anthony insisted, trying to avoid the question.
Rias looked into his eyes. Asking him was gonna go them nowhere. "... Ddraig, where have you both been?" She asked, looking down at his left arm and asking the dragon spirit instead. Anthony's eyes narrowed at this. So she was gonna play that card, eh?
[Nowhere.] Ddraig repeated, but whether he was giving his own answer or defending Anthony was unclear.
"Is everything ok? You can talk to us" said Asia. She normally wasn't one to question Anthony but something seemed... off lately.
"Yes! Everything's fine, just been busy, that's all" Anthony said. Rias looked right at him. Was he really fine? He then picked his stuff back up off the table, and started to head upstairs. "I'm gonna go wash up and be down in..." as he was walking away, he felt something holding him back. He turned to see Rias, with her eyes hardened and not taking them off him, and his wrist having been grabbed. She wasn't holding on tight or anything, but enough so he couldn't walk away unless he started dragging her with him.
"... You've been staying up late... close yourself up in your room... not coming home..." Rias eyes suddenly started glazing, not tearing up yet but on the verge of it. "Anthony... what is going on?" She asked/demanded him pointblank, her voice was also slightly cracked.
"Rias..." Anthony said, feeling a bit bad she was getting emotional.
"COME ON!... Talk to me!" She asked/demanded again. "Is something bothering you? Did something happen?" She asked a third time.
"No! Nothing's wrong!" Anthony said. He knew these last few nights out would come back to haunt him sooner or later, he just didn't think it was be this bad.
"Anthony Michael Messuri! I know you!" Said Rias with a raised and more emotional voice. Something was up with Anthony, she could feel it! But why won't he be straight with her for once? Why did she have to pry it from him? "Please! Tell me!" She continued, voice cracking even more. It's like she said at Lezaza's, if anything was wrong, Rias would be there for him in the fraction of the time it took for a heart to beat.
She then took Anthony's hand into both of hers', squeezing it as tight as she could without breaking his bones, and lifted it up onto her chest, where she then kissed it. She couldn't help herself. "Let me help you" she almost begged him. She didn't know why, but couldn't stand seeing Anthony in any sort of distress. Anyone in her peerage actually, but she couldn't understand... why did it seem to physically hurt when the thought of Anthony being upset crossed her mind?
Anthony felt terrible now, making Rias go through an emotional breakdown right in front of him. She was a caring person despite her flirtatious nature, so this was bound to have happened sooner or later. Maybe he should... no. He can't tell her, not now. Instead, he pulled her into a hug to try and calm her down. Asia even joined in. It took a minute or two, but Rias got back to normal.
"Everything's cool, I swear" Anthony said.
"... You sure?" Asked Rias. Its not that she didn't trust Anthony, far from it. She trusted the human with her life, but that didn't stop her from worrying.
Anthony figured there was one way to not only 'prove' that, but also get Rias and Asia off his back: "If your still unsure, then sleep with me tonight." He couldn't believe that sentence actually came out of his mouth, and not in a joking way either. Besides, sleeping between two gorgeous girls?... Its not like it was a punishment or anything.
Both girls froze. Did Anthony really just offer to sleep with them instead of being forced? He's never done that before. Maybe this was his way of helping assure them he was fine and they were just overreacting?... Maybe he really was ok...
"I'm not yanking your chains either... I'm not real into bondage" He said, appearing to read the girls' minds, then added a small joke. Rias smiled at him and seeing this, Asia 'accidentally' stepped on both Anthony's and Rias' foot, since all 3 of them were still close together. They all got out out of the group hug, had dinner, then got ready to go to sleep.
-TIME BREAK-
POV Swap: Rias
Rias was just coming out of the bathroom after a nice hot shower, wrapped with a towel on her body and another in her hair. Thinking of teasing Anthony again, she walked down the hall towards his room. Just as she put her hand on the door knob, she heard him talking. At first, she assumed it was Asia, probably having gotten to him first. But as she listened, she didn't hear Asia's voice answer back. In fact, what answered was the electronic voice of a phone. Curious, Rias opened the door as slowly and as quietly as possible, thankfully not making enough noise for Anthony to hear (that or he was too focused on his conversation), and peeked in. This was odd. When Anthony went to his room, that's usually when he's done for the day.
"Yes. Everything's ready for the date. I'll be there early tomorrow morning to finish up... ok, cool. Love ya" Anthony said, then hung up the phone and placed it on his desk. Apparently this was the end of whatever conversation he was having.
Rias' eye that was peeking in narrowed. Who was he speaking with just now? It sounded like he knew the person on the other end, but whom? It could've been a co-worker, everyone there acted like a family, but the way he answered is what bothered the redhead. 'What are you hiding from me?' She thought to herself. Anthony lied to her. He just said there was nothing going on, now this happens? Just what was the human up too?
It was at that point Anthony turned and started walking to the door, making Rias' eye widen! CRAP! She had to get away, NOW! She couldn't use magic, that would light up the hallway and give away her position. Instead, she resorted to walking backward as far and as fast as possible. She was a bit down the hall by the time Anthony opened the door, and she pretended to be walking down towards his room at the same time. If she was lucky, he wouldn't question it, so she just had to keep her cool.
POV Swap: Anthony
Anthony, not having noticed anything astray, walked out of his room to see Rias coming down the hall, finally out of the shower. She must have been on her way to his room, most likely to tease him. "Oh hey, you coming to bed?" He asked her, seeing no other reason she'd be out here.
Rias mentally sighed in relief. He didn't notice her, thank the 4 Satans. "... actually Anthony," she began, and what she said next was completely out of her character: "I'm gonna use the guest room tonight."
Anthony stared right at her, blinking a few times, not able to believe what he just heard come out of her lips. Rias Gremory, NOT wanting to sleep with him? After ALL the times he tried to get her to start using the guest room (which was a losing battle) and get some shuteye to himself, he finally gives his consent for them to sleep together... NOW she decides to back off? She must've hit her head on the shower floor or something...
"... you are?" Anthony asked, still unable to believe it. She nodded her head. "... Seriously?" He questioned again.
"You disappointed?" Rias smirked at him.
When she poked fun at him, Anthony returned to normal. He was still shocked by Rias suddenly not wanting to sleep together though. That was so unlike her. "Eh, piccolo" he said while making a tiny sign with his fingers.
Rias put a finger under his chin to guide his gaze to her eyes. "I think you've had enough of all this for one day. There's always tomorrow" she said while being flirty to mask her suspicions of him. She didn't know what he was up too, but she was gonna find out.
"Enough of you? There's never enough" Anthony said, flirting back. At this point, Rias' finger was removed from his person and she began to walk away towards the guest room.
POV Swap: Rias
"What made you change your mind?" Anthony inquired, calling out to her and getting her attention.
"Well," She turned her neck to face him, slowing down so she could talk to him. "I can't spoil you ALL the time" She said, then winked before heading into the guest room. Once Rias closed the door, she dropped the façade, and leaned against the door itself before sliding down it. That was too close. She hated lying to him, though to be fair he lied first, so she allowed herself to do it. At least he wasn't onto her.
-TIME BREAK-
Normal POV:
It was quiet all thought the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse... probably because Anthony's alarm clock read 4:00am, hours before the rest of the neighborhood was awake. He begins getting out of bed, slowly and quietly, and got dressed in his school uniform. Asia wasn't in his room despite the prior deal made last night. Maybe she felt bad because Rias wasn't sleeping with them, or maybe she lost her nerve.
Either way, it made sneaking out of his room easier.
Grabbing his bag and gear (keys, wallet, etc.), he went to each of the girls rooms to check on them before he went on his way. Peaking into Asia's room, she was sound asleep on her side with Rassei curled up next to her body like a dog. She must have summoned him during the night.
Anthony slowly closed the door along with going back into the hallway, where he then checked Rias' room in the same fashion. She was asleep too. She was under the covers with her clothes in a folded pile on the floor. She was sleeping naked as usual.
Wow. And Anthony thought that was just her teasing him. Maybe it was a Devil thing.
Closing the door, Anthony walked down the hallway. It was then Rias' eyes snapped open, having pretended to have been asleep. Anthony went out the door, slowly locking it behind him with a clicking sound. Sure that they didn't hear that, he walked down the corridor and out to his car. As he started the engine. He drove out of the parking lot and off to his destination. He was home free!
Rias was on the roof, fully dressed in her own uniform, watching over Anthony the whole time with narrowed eyes. She was upset. Both dragon and the human lied right to her face! What was all the secrecy about? It HAD to be because of that phone call! Whatever he was doing, Rias was going to put a stop to it... today. As Anthony drove off, Rias followed suit by unfurling her wings and going after him, following wherever he was going. He drove all the way to a parking lot in front of a building and got out of the car, locking it up afterward. Rias landed nearby, closing her wings as she hid behind one of the buildings trees in front of it, and watched Anthony closely while also staying out of sight.
As she watched him come up to the front doors, she noticed the name of the building in bright letters... Village Azazel.
...
...
That's it? All he was doing was visiting his foster father really early in the morning?... Rias felt like a total bitch at the moment, what Anthony was doing was innocent enough. Don't get her wrong, she still doesn't trust Azazel as fast as her Destruction Magic could burn him, but what right did she have to deny Anthony time with his family?... ok. Technically she could, being the master of the household and all, but still didn't have it in her heart to put Anthony in that awkward position.
Actually, that reminded Rias of one Devil from another family, but her succubus friend ended up messing up the pact between her and a human, and got the roles got reversed. She couldn't recall their names, mainly due to them being on the other side of the Underworld, but she would always say: "I'll kill you 100 times" or something stupid like that...
She felt so stupid, stalking Anthony around for no reason. No wonder he and Ddraig kept it from her... look how she responded! Feeling like a spoiled brat, she took out her wings again, and prepared to head back to the house. She figured she'll just fly back home and get some more sleep before they did have to get up in a few hours. If Anthony was only visiting, he should return before they did have to get up, and act like his never happened.
That is... until the doors opened...
"Hey, Hot-stuff!"
Hearing that, Rias stopped dead in her tracks and looked back. Who opened the doors was that girl Tiffany, the one Anthony and Asia had lunch with sometimes. What was SHE doing here? And what the hell was hot-stuff supposed to mean? Both of them hugged, which got Rias' eyes to widen and her mouth to drop open. Then she got annoyed with a mix of shock, her blood boiling as her teeth gritted at the sight. So THAT'S what he was up to! Sneaking out for some 'family time' with a human girl without her knowledge! How could he?! Especially when he's got all of this?
"Thanks again, Tiff. Is everything ready?
"It is. I can't thank you enough either. This's gonna be so much fun!"
As Anthony and Tiffany had that short conversation, they went inside the hotel together. With narrowed eyes, Rias followed them after waiting 2 seconds. Anthony had some explaining to do.
Making sure to stay a good distance away from them, hugging the walls and peeking around corners, Rias followed them as they talked and joked amongst themselves, not realizing they were being watched. Seeing them laugh and occasionally flirt together only served to make Rias more sick of it than before. They eventually went into a room with double doors. Rias didn't go in right away, but waited a few seconds before entering herself.
What she saw inside was a huge auditorium-like theater. Rows of seats going straight down with a stage up ahead in the back. This stage had a large curtain covering what was behind it, as you'd expect, and the curtain ruffled. Someone or rather, some-ones were behind it. Using her Devil hearing, Rias could hear giggling. She even heard Tiffany's voice, sounding impressed, saying: "Wow... its really huge." Then Anthony responding with: "I can't take all the credit, its pretty hard..."
...
...
...
Dead.
He was so... dead.
POV Swap: Anthony
"Wow... its really huge" Tiffany said, sounding impressed at what she was seeing. Behind the curtain, was a large canvas with a painted background of a Western-like city, buildings and all. It looked so real too. Around the stage were props made of wood (also painted) to look like signs, restaurants, etc. Anthony had been hard at work making this all possible, but he couldn't do it on his own of course. He hired a woodshop team that worked late hours to keep it a secret from everyone else. It was almost complete, just a some finishing touches, and the show can begin!
"I can't take all the credit, its pretty hard doing it all myself," Anthony said. "The team was fantastic, you convincing your boss to let me rent it out, some of the employees pitching in... I couldn't have done it without you" he thanked her, turning his head to look at her.
Tiffany blushed at the praise. "It was nothing, its the least I could do for you. But you never told me what this was all about." She asked him, as Anthony requested to borrow the auditorium, but didn't go into further detail.
"Its a surprise. All part of the Master Plan" said Anthony.
"Fiiiiiiine..." Tiffany pouted like a child not getting her way. Even though she was the only person in Anthony's circle who knew of this project, he still neglected to say anything about it other than it'll be fun. "Oh shit! Did Sora buy the confetti like I asked him?" Tiffany suddenly ran off backstage to a storage room, checking if the said item was there or not.
"Did he turn into a Heartless again?" Anthony joked with a silly smile as Tiffany went off, putting a hand on the side of his mouth to increase the volume.
"That's not funny!" Said Tiffany, even though she was smirking.
"Well, you have fun. I'm getting something from the concession stand" said Anthony, walking towards the closed curtain to exit the theater. He left his apartment so early, he didn't get a chance to eat so he'll just get a quick bite, then head back home to make breakfast before either of the girls woke up. Just as he opened the curtain...
...
...
...
Rias... narrowed eyes... hands on hips... frowning.
A high-pitched shriek came out of Anthony's mouth.
"ANTHON-MMPFH!" Rias yelled at her Pawn, but he quickly wrapped his arms around Rias, then slapped one hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Knowing he couldn't keep Rias down without extra strength, Anthony also got his Boosted Gear out and triggered its power, saying its signature praise.
"Mumph, mumph. Mmpffh! MMMMMHUM, MMMM-MMHHPH!" Was all Rias could get out. She struggled in Anthony's grip to try and escape, but the added power from the Boosted Gear made this a bit of a challenge, so she called on more of her strength.
"Anthony? What happened? You ok?" Tiffany called from the storage room, going through plastic boxes.
Rias almost got free, but her mouth was due to her flailing. She was about to scream something, but Anthony covered her lips again, muffling her voice again.
"NULLA! NULLA! EVERYTHING'S FINE!" He yelled to Tiffany as he practically dragged Rias out of the auditorium. Luckily for Anthony, the Boosted Gear triggered again, allowing him to restrain Rias a bit easier. She'll break out again, because of both her own power and stubbornness, so he had to get her outside the theater and try to calm her down before she blew the place sky high.
"Are you sure? Did you stub your toe again?" Tiffany asked again, asking a more clarified question. The whole time, Anthony was 'walking' Rias down the aisle, with her struggling in his grasp.
"Uh, yeah! Just gonna..." Anthony called out to her, going along with the embarrassing reveal to mask his own escape. Rias managed to elbow Anthony's ribs, trying to get him off and while he did give a visual for the pain, he also moaned with a closed mouth to muffle the sound. Despite this, he refused to let go of the ranging Devil in his arms. In fact, he squeezed her tighter as a form of revenge while looking aggravated, but still in pain. She also gave a muffled moan about it.
Thankfully, Anthony finally made it to the door.
"Gonna... get some ice... be-right-back!" Anthony answered in-between gasp from the pain of Rias' strike, then quickly said the rest of his sentence as he opened the door with his back. Thankfully, this door had a pressure handle on this side, making it easy to open without having to let go of his hostage.
Once he was through, Rias still thrashing and muffled-yelling at him, Anthony finally let her by shoving her off him, watching his strength as he was still Boosted up. The shive wasn't strong enough to push her into/through a wall, only enough to send her a foot away from him as he grabbed the doors handle to close it behind him. Because he was now kinda pissed at her for busting his rib cage (...ok, he's exaggerating, but still), not watching or caring about his Boosted strength and ended up cracking the immediate walls around the door in 4 corners.
The building didn't come down (thankfully), but the cracks were quite noticeable...
Normal POV:
"WHAT! ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Anthony yelled at Rias, turning back around to face her.
Rias was upset before, now she felt downright offended. He was sneaking around town with some human chick, a basic bitch if you wanted Rias' honest opinion, and he had the audacity to yell at HER? The nerve!
"What am I doing here?" Rias yelled back at him, putting a hand on her chest to gesture to herself. "What are YOU doing here at 4 o'clock in the morning!" She gestured to him with both hands. It was actually ten past four, but her point still stood.
"Getting a backstage titjob from Uzaki-Chan!" He yelled at her without hesitation, pointing back to the door they came through with a Boosted Gear talon.
Rias would normally be taken aback at first by such a statement, but wasn't in the mood for Anthony's games. She wasn't buying his story, which was obviously untrue. Honestly, she wanted to scream at him for daring to go behind her back! Why would he even settle for humans anyway? She was much better than them in every aspect!
"I'm sooooo proud of you! Anything else you wanna share?" Rias sarcastically praised him.
"Actually, yes. Yuko Yoshida was looking pretty good too! OOOOOH! Those horns were fire!" Anthony yelled at Rias.
"Oh, how fan-TASTIC! Did it feel good?" Rias yelled back. She knew of the Devil Anthony was talking about, she was one of the weakest Devils out there, despite coming from a decent family.
"It felt incredible! All the verbal abuse they got? Perfect time to strike!" Anthony said.
"Do I look stupid?! What have you been up too?" Rias ordered him, getting right in his face.
"... alright, alright; its actually Akeno" Anthony said, hands up in defense.
"Anthony." Was all Rias said, backing off and looking unamused. She wasn't buying it.
"Ok fine! It's your mother!" Anthony said, his joking getting Rias more annoyed by the second. She caught him two-timing, red-handed. So why can't he just fess up and be straight with her?
"So you've been out to see some college slut, an excuse for a Devil, my best friend AND my mother at a human hotel?" Rias asked in a very sarcastic tone, not believing a single word out of Anthony's mouth. Even if what he said was true, it was also highly unlikely.
"A guy needs variety" he joked with a shrug.
"Anthony... what is really going on?" Rias asked him, demanding to know the truth.
"I told you, nothing is going on! Can't a guy leave his own house without getting the third degree?" Anthony insisted.
"SNEAKING out," Rias corrected. "I saw everything. You peeking into my room, quietly leaving the house, going across town... How many times has this happened?" Rias added to the list of things Anthony had done.
Before the conversation could continue, the door of the auditorium was opening. Anthony quickly unsummoned his Gear before whomever was coming could see it. It was Tiffany, of course, but she was surprised to see Anthony still here in this hallway, along with an upset-looking Rias. When and how did she get here, Tiffany didn't know, but she DID know this was a bad time. "Um... I'll just... go around..." the human girl said while pointing backward with her thumb, not wanting to get involved in whatever trouble Anthony was in. She slowly closed the door to use another way out of the auditorium.
It was silent for 3 seconds before either of them spoke again. "... Anthony, tell me the truth," said Rias, using some self-control. "What is all this about? Where do I stand? Why are you doing this?"
Anthony sighed. There was no point in hiding it now. Besides, even if he did, Rias would probably figure it out anyway. "... alright. I was..." he was about to spill everything, but one of Rias' questions caught his attention. It was an out-of-place question too. "What was that?"
Rias cocked an eyebrow. "What was what?"
"Where do you stand?... The hell's that got to do with anything?" Anthony asked her, repeating the question Rias asked that came out-of-nowhere.
Rias' eyes widened and her jaw opened a bit. Where did that come from? "I... I... I didn't ask that!" She denied.
"You sure as fucking did!" Said Anthony.
Rias' face went a bit red, though it wasn't very noticeable, yet her reaction was. Why did that question come out of her mouth, worded like that of all ways? They're relationship wasn't that serious either, they just teased each other every chance they got, so what made her ask that in the first place? "Sssssssssssstop avoiding the question! What exactly is going on here?" She recovered.
While Anthony wasn't gonna just forget what he knows he heard, he decided to put it to the side for now. "... Ok. But if I tell you, you have to keep it a secret" Anthony requested.
"Why? So you can continue messing aro..." Rias started, but Anthony cut her off.
"I was fucking around!" He exclaimed. "JESUS, RI! You know me!" He added, facepalming while looking up at the ceiling. He then walked over to Rias, pulled her close, and whispered in her ear. Her reaction was neutral at first, listening carefully to whatever Anthony said. But as he continued talking, it changed to confusion, then realization.
"So... that's all? That's what this is over?" Asked Rias as Anthony backed away, wanting to clarify what she heard. If that was true, she felt like an idiot. She should've known Anthony better, or at least trusted him.
"Yeah... I felt bad, ya know? This is the best way" said Anthony.
Rias just looked at him, in case this was another joke, but sensed nothing wrong. That was the sweetest thing she ever heard, and it also sounded like fun. "... Ok," She smiled, her ire now gone. "But next time, can you just tell me?" She asked, wanting to avoid another misunderstanding like this in the future.
"And give you the satisfaction?" Asked Anthony, which made Rias playfully punch his shoulder.
"Ass."
"Love you too."
-TIME BREAK-
Later that night at the rundown church, Irina was washing herself in the large tub where you can formerly get babies baptized from. She could already picture Anthony making 20, maybe 40 different jokes about it; and she'd probably find each one funnier than the last. Its been a few days since the fight, and hoped to God she wouldn't be put in another situation like that again. Was it fun? Yes, and no. To show off what she learned was a good thing, but putting it to the test against one of her closest friends still bothered her. As she washed her chest, she thought back to Rias' promise that she and her fellow Devils wouldn't get involved, but what Anthony said before they departed keep echoing in her head along with a flashback:
'Your really willing to throw your life away? For the same people that treated me like minchia?'
It was true. She was prepared to before, but now... she was beginning to have second thoughts. That's not even including the bombshell her blue-haired partner dropped before they left:
'The way they treated you was unacceptable... and bias towards your father.'
What did Xenovia know that she didn't? What exactly did Anthony's father do? She was there when Anthony lost his parents, and he was a wreck. Who knows what he's going through now, but the question remained... what was this bigotry for Anthony's dad about? She didn't get to know the man too well, they were only kids, you see. But based on what she could remember, her own father brought a Holy Sword from Mister Messuri. She happened to notice the deal being made while she was running around the house with Anthony; her dad handing the money to Anthony's. Then when they got in the car to go home, it was in the back seat with her... that's how she ended up with Excalibur Mimic years later. The church figured she'd be the one to wield it best, though this was only after she got a drop of some kind of liquid from one of the Priests.
Actually, now that she thought about it, she never saw Xenovia get one of those drops...
"AWWWWWWWW! Why are we taking a bath here?! Can't we go to a hotel or something?" Asked Irina, whining about their current predicament.
"Oh, I don't know," Xenovia said sarcastically from the other end, standing up. She was as naked as Irina was, and sounded aggravated but kept her cool. "Because you spent all our money on THAT!" Xenovia said, pointing to the weirdest painting of Jesus Christ you've ever seen in the distance leaning up against a wall. He was not only giving a peace sign, but also giving a duck face and winking. The only thing remotely legit about this painting was the bible he was holding, but even THAT looked stupid.
"What are you trying to say? The man at the exhibition said that was a portrait of a newly discovered Saint! Why would anyone lie about that?" Asked Irina. A quick flashback shows a man presenting Irina this very painting, with Irina's eyes sparkling in delight. What the innocent chestnut-haired girl didn't see was his mischievous grin.
Xenovia flopped back down on the edge of the pool, legs crossed, and a hand on her face. "Why did I stuck with you as a partner?" She groaned.
"Everyone else was picked, why?" Answered Irina. Xenovia groaned again. That was a rhetorical question. Both girls stomachs then growled... VERY loudly. They both blushed at this. Maybe they SHOULD have taken Rias' offer...
"In any case, we need to get something to eat soon. We're in no condition to fight, let alone retrieve Excalibur" said Xenovia. They both brainstormed some ideas. First was reselling the painting, but who in their right mind what buy that piece of garbage, plus that wouldn't be very nice. Second was threatening people of differing regions... not a good idea. Third was tricking people with 'donations'... also not a good idea. Finally, there was just take any scrapes from the poor/offering boxes... that was just wrong.
As they sighed in unison, their stomachs growled simultaneously.
-TIME BREAK-
During a free period; Kiryuu, Matsuda, Motohama, Asia and Anthony were hanging out together while other students were doing gym. Anthony was looking out into the distance while leaning against the railing overlooking the school yard.
"Then its settled. Karaoke is this weekend" said Kiryuu.
"You still coming, Asia?" Asked Motohama.
"Yes, of course" said Asia, who was looking forward to it.
"WOOOOO! We're gonna unleash some wild fantasies!" Cheered Matsuda.
"Yeah... great..." Anthony groaned, still not entirely thrilled about it.
"Is something wrong?" Asked Asia, seeing Anthony not involved in the conversation, he was off in his own little world. He was only half-paying attention, all he heard was about that stupid karaoke thing they 'planned'. He was mostly thinking about recent events that were more important. While getting the secret off his chest and having Rias in on it was cool and all, there was still one thing bothering him...
Irina.
She was out there, fighting for the Holy Swords, while he was safe in school. She was risking her life and he was stuck here because her feminist-haired partner told the Devils to stay out of it. While he didn't care about her per say, he DID care what would happen to Irina. She was strong, don't get him wrong, but she was also innocent. She would be the type of person to buy a painting if someone told her there was holy value to it.
He also kept thinking back to what Xenovia said about his long-dead old man, and how there was slant against him before he died at Raynare's hands. What was that all about? What did his father do? Why was that the case? He had so many new questions and not enough answers. The bluenette knew something, that he was sure off, but now he might never get the chance because they were going up against a High-Class Fallen Angel, and will probably get light spears jabbed in-between their tits.
That thought turned into a realistic image with Irina only, and it made Anthony's hands ball tightly into clenched fists, so tight that his hands and arms shook. Even if Anthony went to help them, he wasn't gonna be strong enough on his own. He was gonna need some help, and he doubted anyone from his club of Devils would go against Rias' orders.
Asia, seeing Anthony in distress, was just preparing her vocal chords to call his name and snap him out of it when...
"Don't let their filth rub off on ya."
...
...
...
"Oh, Saji. Good morning" Asia said kindly after a moment of silence. Anthony groaned a bit more. Just what he needed, more trouble. Saji showed up and was cozying up to Asia. The Italian had half a mind to blast him with a Dragon Shot and as good and as fun as that sounded, it would cause normal humans around him to freak out. He got away with it once with Motohama, but couldn't risk doing it out in the open. He could just picture it: him reaching around his front, outstretching Boosted Gear, and then BAM! Straight into the wall. Satisfaction: 100% guaranteed.
At least the Perverted Duo were arguing with him to back off, so they were good for something.
[Why not ask him?] Suggested Ddraig.
'Seriously? HIM?' Asked Anthony, assuming Ddraig just read his thoughts from earlier.
[He's not part of your house, so you don't have to ask the others and risk alerting Rias] said Ddraig, thinking strategically.
'I'd sooner ask Vinsmoke Sanji before I even THINK of asking Saji for anything' said Anthony.
[Well, he's in Wano Country right now, so make do with what you got] said Ddraig. Even though Anthony hated to admit it, the dragon spirit had a good point. As Saji left and Anthony watched him go, Koneko also noticed everything going on as her class was in gym right now. She saw the look on Anthony's face... he was up to something...
-TIME BREAK-
After school had let out, Anthony was sitting outside behind a bush at a café by himself with his hands on the table. It looked like he was waiting for someone.
"Would you like something to drink, sir?" Asked a girl who approached Anthony's table and bowed, dressed in a maid outfit and a HUGE over-the-top smile on her face. She had a slender figure, blue eyes and long black hair. She also had small but noticeable breasts, maybe just a tad bit bigger than Koneko's.
Since coming to this country, Anthony learned that maid cafés were highly popular... he could definitely see why. The waitresses they hired were super kawaii, and the way they played the role was pretty believable. Even the way they spoke was cute, even the ones who clearly didn't wanna be here or dressed like this, and did it mainly for all the tips they would inevitably receive. Even then, he found it hard to take those girls seriously when they were dressed like this.
"Eh, whatever the special is. I'm not picky" Anthony answered.
"OK! Be right back, Master!" Said the girl cheerfully, walking away to get Anthony's order. As she did, Anthony gently grabbed her hand before she left, which made her look back at him for she wasn't expecting it.
"Listen, you can drop the 'Master' shtick around me... I get it" said Anthony. It was blatantly obvious (at least to him) that this girl was overacting to mask how she really felt.
The girl went to a normal-looking face at that point, but still looked happy. "Phew, thanks. They don't pay me enough to deal with the bullshit" said the girl, sighing in relief that she didn't have to keep the act around this particular customer.
"Believe me, I know. I work at Lezaza's" said Anthony.
"Oh, you do? Me and my friends go there every weekend!" Said the girl, happy not only that someone gets it, but also a fellow restaurant worker who knows the BS the rest of them deal with. An added bonus, he worked at her favorite diner!
"You do? I never seen you there" said Anthony, making conversation.
"I am! We always try to sit in the back though" the girl admitted.
"By the old movie posters?" Asked Anthony.
"Yeah! We love that spot! We feel like we're actually sitting in America, its so cool!" said the girl.
"Trust me, your better off here" Anthony said.
"How so? Land of the Free, Home of the Brave?" The girl quoted America's motto.
"More like: Land of the Freaks, Home of the Baka" said Anthony, making fun of his own country. He believed they had so much freedom, they had no idea what to do with it. The girl giggled at his quip.
"RÍA! Your supposed to get table 12's order!" A new voice called, which the girl talking with Anthony reacted to by looking in the direction it was coming from.
"Uh, COMING!" Said the girl, her name being Ría. "Sorry, I'll get your drink in a second."
"Take your time, I'll be here for awhile" said Anthony, giving Ría plenty of time so she wouldn't stress. He knew what she was going through, he's been through it at least a thousand times.
She smiled at him. "My names Ría" she said, officially introducing herself to Anthony.
"Anthony. Pleasures all mine" Anthony gave her a smile in return. She then ran off to continue her job. Now that he was alone, he lifted up his left hand. "Are you sure he's gonna show up?" He asked it.
[He WILL. Trust me] insisted Ddraig, using a low volume so only those nearby could hear. Anthony wasn't sure though. Saji didn't seem like a reliable guy, just some stuck-up boy who was in a higher position thanks to being reincarnated by Sona. But why and how was Ddraig so sure? This seemed to be a constant lately. He would speak as if he knew things... which was nothing new, but other things that seemed to come out of the blue and didn't make sense, yet there was certainty in Ddraig's voice each and every time.
[Why are you staring at me like that?] Asked Ddraig.
"It's just... you seem to talk like you know... allot" Anthony said, and he felt a flinch inside his arm that wasn't his own. Did Ddraig just react?
[Uh... w-w-w-what are you talking about?] Ddraig asked, stuttering and sounding nervous for some reason.
Anthony: I mean...
?: Here ya go!
"GAH!" Anthony yelped, not expecting someone to talk to him while he was speaking with Ddraig. After recovering from his shock, he saw Ría was standing in front of the table holding a cup with light-brown liquid and ice with a straw. Must be some kind of tea. In fact, she got startled by Anthony's sudden reaction, she reeled back and almost dropped the drink herself.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Mas-. Er, Anthony. You ok?" Asked Ría, preventing herself from repeating her line and wondering if her new acquaintance was alright.
It took Anthony 2 seconds to recover. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Ya almost scared the capelli outta me" he answered.
Ría cocked an eyebrow, not understanding the word he just used. "Capelli?"
"Er, nevermind. Sorry. Thanks for the drink, but I told ya not to rush" said Anthony, apologizing for his sudden outburst and taking the drink from her.
"Oh, it was fine. The table just ordered, so I had time... hey, are you sure your ok?" Said Ría, assuring it was ok, but then wanting to make sure HE was ok.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just... daydreaming" Anthony covered up with the only thing he could think of that sounded legit.
"... ok. Let me know if you need anything else" she said, still a bit concerned for Anthony's well-being, but if he was saying he was ok then there wasn't much else she could do.
"I will, I promise" Anthony said. With that, Ría walked away to return to her other duties. Anthony was gonna try talking to Ddraig again, but then figured maybe he was reading too much into it. His pet dragon lived for over thousands of years, so maybe Ddraig just knew how to read certain situations better than he could. Anthony then sipped the drink. It was good. He continued to wait there, taking small sips of his drink until finally whom he was waiting for showed up.
"You wanted to talk?" Asked a male voice.
"Well its about time you showed up, Saji. Sona's never gonna date a slow guy" said Anthony, thankful Saji finally arrived, but also poked a bit of fun at him. "In all seriousness though, thanks for coming out here on short notice."
"Don't worry about it, I had some free time. So, what's up?" Saji asked, taking a seat next to Anthony so they could chat.
After Anthony explained...
"Hell no! Are you outta your mind?" Saji asked, doing a double take on what Anthony just said.
"I've got no one else to turn too, dude. Your all I've got!" Anthony said, almost begging Saji at this point.
"But to go after the Swords, even AFTER Rias told you no? Are you serious?!" Saji asked again, not believing Anthony's proposal. Going against orders was something Saji learned the hard way NOT to even THINK about! Anthony had BALLS to defy his master, he'll give him that.
"I don't care what she said! It's the right thing to do!" Anthony proclaimed. At this point, he really didn't care how Rias'll punish him, if she would at all. His priority was his friends, and if that mean going against Rias, then so be it. He wasn't gonna just sit around and wait for the coroner to do his/her job if he could prevent it.
[Besides, if we help them, it's a win-win situation, like a 5 hour boner] Ddraig added.
"I DON'T CARE IF ITS A SIX HOUR BONER! YOUR BOTH INSANE!" Saji shot up from his seat and yelled at the two of them, attracting attention of everyone else. Once he saw this, he sat back down behind the bush, then everyone just seemed to forget the outburst even happened and went back to they're own business. "Your saying some Xenovia chick asked our Presidents to stand down and they agreed, yet you STILL wanna get involved?" Saji continued. He knew it was the right thing to do, he wasn't that arrogant, but Anthony clearly didn't know a Devils wrath. "We're gonna get in SO much trouble!" Saji freaked out, his voice cracking a bit.
"Look, if we help get the Swords back, we help both sides! Its common sense" said Anthony.
"That's the thing! You guys' got Rias; who can be strict, but at least reasonable. But Sona..." said Saji; an image of a brightly lit, kind Rias being shown in her uniform... which was then replaced with a darkly lit, intimidating Sona dressed in a stripper-like getup with a whip that looked like it would really hurt. "She's draconian and REALLY punishes us!"
"C'mon, she can't be THAT bad..." said Anthony. Not that he didn't believe Saji, its just he couldn't imagine Sona acting that way. She seemed like a calm, collected and proper person. Behind that, she seemed to be caring as well.
Saji grabbed Anthony's collar and pulled him forward a bit. "When I got a contract only slightly wrong, she tied me to a mattress, straight up" Saji said with a deep tone, recalling a bad memory.
Anthony eyebrows raised. "Hmm, sounds kinky." Saji pulled him right into his face.
"And whipped me, for a week!" He said through his teeth, giving Anthony more context.
...
...
...
"... so she, doesn't sleep with you naked?" Asked Anthony.
That made Saji drop him. "I can't do this, man! I'm outta here!" He said, stomping off. As he got past the bushes however, he stopped moving even though his body made it look like he was still walking. Looking down, along with Anthony peeking over the bush; they saw it was Koneko, who had an ice cream sundae on the table on the other side. She had grabbed a small bit of Saji's shirt, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"Going somewhere?" She asked without looking up. She then transferred her stuff and herself to Anthony's table, dragging Saji with her, who cried that he wanted to go home and tried leaving again, only to get pulled back by Koneko.
"So you wanna cooperate with the church?" Asked Koneko. Even though she was listening the whole time, she wanted to be sure this is what Anthony wanted to do. This was also unheard of, Devils working with the church, and it interested her what Anthony's thought process was on it.
"Makes sense, doesn't it? You heard them, they're open to the idea of destroying the Swords than have the Fallen Angels get their paws on them" Anthony said. "Kiba wants to take his revenge by destroying Excalibur, Irina's and Xenovia's mission is to collect Excalibur, and the church wants the Swords out of Fallen Angel hands. The goals may be different, but the end result is the same. One way or another, those Swords are getting scraped" said Anthony, bringing up his opinion on the situation.
Koneko agreed with him, this sounded like a good idea. Since 2 of the 3 sides had end goals that meant the destruction (or possible destruction) of Excalibur anyway, it was only logical that they worked together. Not only that, the task would be much easier with their combined firepower on the third group. There was one problem however... "That's great, but I doubt they'll be as eager to tag team as you are" said Koneko.
"We still have to try! Its like Riser all over again!" Said Anthony, clenching his fist as Koneko watched him. "If I didn't use EVERYTHING I learned... learned from Rias, Asia, Akeno, Kiba and you... I NEVER would've been able to beat him... even WITH Ddraig's power!" He claimed. "I won't just sit by and let them destroy each other! I want Irina safe, and Kiba home with us!" He concluded. Ever since the fight with the Church Duo, Kiba hadn't been showing up to club meetings, as was ignoring Rias' summons.
A flashback of Viser flashed before Anthony, with a transparent image of Kiba's face in place of her's, laughing maniacally... he won't let that happen, not to Kiba.
Koneko stared at Anthony, hearing all the conviction in his voice as he spoke about helping those 2 girls which he claimed would also help Kiba with his own goal. He might be just a human, had a mouth at times, and may also be connected to a perverted dragon, but he was unfalteringly loyal to those his called friends. He was willing to go above and beyond for them... even if it meant working with the same group of people that wronged him, and going against his masters orders.
Maybe... he wasn't so bad...
"... Fine," said Koneko, which surprised Anthony a bit. This was a girl who beat his ass, regularly, and she alright with this? "If we're going to do this, we need to find those girls." She then stood up. "I don't like the idea of going behind Rias' and Akenos' backs, but..." she stopped for a moment, as if doing last minute debating with herself, before continuing again. "I want to help Kiba too... I don't want him to be labeled as a Stray..."
Alright! They had a plan, now they just had to find Irina and Xenovia, then put it into action!
Anthony's Italian Dictionary:
1) Piccolo: means "small". Can also be used to mean "a little bit"
2) Nulla: means "nothing"
3) Capelli: means "hair", "fur" or "coat" (AN: In this instance, it is used to mean the first definition.)
4) Ría: not an actual Italian word; but it means "small, short and feminine"