"" - Talking

'' - Thought

{} - Sparda

[] - Ddraig

…

Ayato sighed as he listened to the ending notes of Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, which had been a dare for him to sing. He put the microphone back into the mic stand as he looked over the karaoke room.

"Wow…" Ayase spoke with surprise while Stella, completely red faced, was looking through the book for her own song. Asia's cheeks bright red as she sat there in a gothic-lolita outfit that Kiryu picked which Ayato admitted was cute. Koneko was focused on the pizza and ice cream she was eating but there was a tinge of pink on her cheeks. Yuuto was smiling while drinking coffee elegantly

"Looks like you haven't lost any of your skill" Saji spoke with a grin, glad for Ayato managing to convince Souna that it was to help Ayato practice and try a few songs rather then him playing with the opposite sex. Ayato's eyes widened as he spotted the camcorder in Saji's hands, the blonde quick to answer the unspoken question

"Haruka-san told me to…"

"She's just trying to embarrass me more…or going to show it to Buchou later" Ayato spoke with a embarrassed sigh as Saji turned it off before setting it on the table as Ayato sat next to him, part of him wondering if Yuuto or Asia would sing given they hadn't yet.

"Thanks for convincing Kaichou to let me come out"

"So what did Rias-senpai want with you earlier?" Saji asked with a teasing smile,Ayato choking on his drink for a moment as his face turned bright red as he was reminded that Rias had gone swimsuit shopping and had sent him a photo from the changing room.

"It was nothing…just reminding me about the pool being open to use soon" Ayato replied, wiping juice from his mouth with a napkin before Koneko spoke up

"…Ayato-senpai. There is blood dripping from your nose." Ayato blushed further before wiping it off his face

"…Were you thinking about Buchou-san?" Asia asked with an unpleasant face, Ayato deciding to turn the tables as he shook his head and answered

Asia spluttered for a moment, her cheeks darkening even further as Kiryu grinned evilly as Ayato got up

"Excuse me for a moment" He asked before heading to the washroom.

When he exited the washroom after a few minutes before spotting Yuuto sitting in a nearby chair as the silver haired teen asked

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah. Something did

." Ayato sighed in relief as he sat down next to Yuuto and said "Aaah. I'm so tired…"

"Seems like we were too excited in the first bowling game"

"That's part of it…Gen giving me songs to sing, probably the other"

Both laughed at the normal conversation before Yuuto spoke out with a serious face "Ayato-kun. I wanted to give you my gratitude. Thank you."

"It's alright. Your comrades also forgave you. Buchou and the others also forgave you as well.

That's why it doesn't matter."

"…Ayato-kun." Ayato looked unsure how to react to Yuuto using his name with teary eyes "Come on then…no doubt Gen's picked another song for me to sing by now"

"Heeh. So Saji normally picks the songs when your band is together ``

''Yeah…I mean I'd pick them but I can't string them together into a set list like Gen can…"

"So why are you and Saji signed up for that talent contest?" Yuuto asked, Ayato scratching the back of his head as he spoke

"Well it's to help him with Kaichou…" Yuuto looked surprised at hearing that as Ayato added

"Although Kaichou thinks he's helping me with Buchou…which isn't exactly a lie…" Yuuto chuckled upon hearing that before speaking

"I look forward to seeing it and don't worry I'll keep it a secret from Buchou"

"Thanks Yuuto" It would later surprise Ayato that Kiryu had also got videos of him singing which caused many of the girls at school to start calling him 'the singing ice prince'.

…

Ayato and Saji was walking, the latter stating it was a going to be a surprise before speaking up "At least we're getting back into practice now things have calmed down"

"Oh yeah…last time I don't remember having to sing to a group of fangirls'' Ayato replied with a sigh before Saji patted him on the back

"We're here…" Saji spoke, both stopping outside the train station, Ayato looking confused as he turned to Saji

``What are we doing here?"

"I managed to get Yoshimori and Broly to meet us here…although they'll have to crash at my place for the weekend but Okaa-san said it was fine" Saji spoke with a grin

"Hey!" A brash voice called out, both turning to see a five foot ten young man about a year older than them, bright red hair pulled back into a spiked high ponytail and dressed in a short sleeved white shirt with a sleeveless black leather jacket on top and black slacks with combat boots, a duffel bag hung over his shoulder

Next to him was a five foot seven young man with short brown hair, a smile on his face. A guitar case was slung on his back as he was dressed in black slacks, a bright blue shirt and white jacket. His own bag was hanging off his left shoulder.

"Broly, Yoshimori?"Ayato spoke surprised as he looked at the pair, Broly's grin growing as he looked at Ayato

"Nice to see you're good Ay, after everything Gen told us we're kinda surprised" He spoke, patting the silver haired teen on his back and nearly knocking him onto the floor.

"Daisuke you still need to learn to control that strength of yours' ' Yoshimori spoke as Gen chuckled as he spoke

"I guess we better go catch up somewhere…You've got a lot to learn Ay"

…

The quartet headed to a nearby family restaurant, taking a booth in the far corner to avoid being overheard as Ayato looked confused at his friends

"Wait…So you two are like us…?" Ayato asked confused

"Yeah…Me and Ichi-man here are in a club under Agares was quite the surprise to hear that you joined Gremory's club" Broly spoke loudly, Yoshimori sighing as he spoke

"Actually we're more like you then Gen…given we have spiritual powers ourselves, the lummox here is a descendant from a Shinigami while I'm from the Quincy"

"Shinigami…? Quincy…?" Ayato asked confused

"Yeah…Quincy are humans who can steal spiritual energy from there surrounds to use as weapons while Shinigami blazers is like special humans like you who generate their own …although from what I saw your powers are more mixed between Shinigami and Hollow"

"Haruka-nee explained about Hollows and she's training me to control my spiritual energy so I guess that the Shinigami blazer side" Ayato spoke with a sigh, Yoshimori nodding as he decided to change topic

"I still can't believe that you beat Raiser to save Gremory" Broly grinned along with Saji as the former spoke

"She & Stella must be some girls for you to do that from what Gen told us happened with Asuka" Ayato turned embarrassed as he looked away

"I guess so…At the time I just wanted her to have her own choice considering they hated him but..."

"Shall I get the violin music started up for you?" Broly asked with a teasing tone before Ayato rolled his eyes despite his red cheeks as he decided to move attention from off him "Anyway I guess Gen didn't tell you about how he wants to bed Sitri''

Yoshimori and Broly perked up at that, both turning to look at an embarrassed Saji as Shinji spoke "Well…why'd you leave out that detail when we chatted about all this?"

"Erm…I didn't think it was important…" Saji started nervously, twiddling his fingers in front of him

"That is part of the reason why we're getting the band back together for the talent show at school you know Gen'' Ayato spoke with a smirk, Broly breaking out in laughter as he spoke

"Well who'd have thought it, you two going after a pair of girls that are friends…? Anyway we should be able to make the day although Agares will be coming with…said something about wanting to see what all the fuss was about with our band although she turned it into a small school trip for some others to come with"

Their friendly banter continued until both Yoshimori and Broly's faces turned serious, Ayato feeling something off as Yoshimori spoke "Looks like we've got visitors in town…"

"What…?" Saji asked, confused before Broly spoke up calmly

"Hollows…" Ayato's eyes widened upon hearing that as from what Kurono and Haruka had told him they were vicious and would kill anyone around.

"Let's get going…" Yoshimori spoke, the group quickly paid for their drinks before leaving the restaurant before running towards the main park in the area which was apparently where the Hollows were heading to.

Reaching the park, the quartet stashed their bags in some bushes before they moved to a clearing, Broly smirking as he held his right hand out before calling "Zabimaru!"

The sword, Zabimaru, had a large six segmented blade, each segment was wider than the one preceding it from the hilt, each had 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment with the ones on the front much longer than the ones on the back.

"Ginrei Kojaku" Yoshimori spoke, a bow starting to form out of light blue energy, shaping itself into a spider's web as he gripped it with his right hand and assumed an archer's stance as his eyes roamed to wait for the Hollows.

"Kuraokamitsu" Ayato called, the large cleaver sword appearing in his right hand before he rested its flat edge on his shoulder while Saji summoned his Absorption Line before he glanced

to Ayato

"Aren't you going to use Boosted Gear?" Both Yoshimori and Broly looked to Ayato who shrugged as he asked

"It's not going to be too tough to handle these, right?" Yoshimori and Brolu smirked as the latter spoke

"Nah, these are just small fry"

"Quiet…they're coming" Yoshimori spoke, drawing their attention to the sky where a large flock of human sized crows with bony white masks started to dive down towards them, Yoshimori drawing back before firing a stream of pale blue energy arrows at the flock, hitting most of them before Daisuke swung his sword towards the remainders

"Roar, Zabimaru!" He shouted with a grin, the segments shooting forwards to reveal the rope that was between the segments which now made the sword look and act like a giant whip. Daisuke hit several of them, the rest moving out of the way to dodge the second and third strikes before Ayato swung his blade as he shouted

"Netherworld Creatures!" The pale blue insects launched from out of his sword homing in on the remaining Hollows and exploding upon hitting them while Saji shot out a ball of magic to destroy the last one.

"So this is where you are Ayato-kun" The quartet turned to see Stella standing there, looking curious at the quartet as they dismissed there weapons as Ayato spoke with a smile

"Yeah Stella…Gen wanted us all to meet so we could catch up"

"Yes…Souna told me & Aunt Rias About that so these must be Yoshimori and Broly" Stella spoke with a smile as she walked towards them, Ichika gave her a quick bow as he spoke

"I'm Yoshimori…and he's Broly. Agares-sama sends her thanks for letting her come with us for the talent show"

"Of course…It'll be worth it to see Souna's face ... when Saji-kun here starts singing"

Stella spoke with a smile, Saji turning embarrassed as the quartet of boys went to retrieve their stuff before Saji spoke

"I guess we'll meet up tomorrow then for practice right? Remember my place at noon"

Ayato nodded as he waved off the trio before finding his eyes trailing on the remanence of one of the Hollows' mask lying on the ground

"Is everything alright, Ayato?" Ayato asked as she put her hand on his arm, Ayato turning to look at her as he gave her a slight smile as he answered

"Yeah…Let's get going…"

…

The magic circle appeared in a dank and dark stadium, the Rias leading her servants as she spoke "The stray we're after has the power to duplicate itself so be on guard"

The group nodded in understanding, Yuuto giving Xenovia a Holy-Demonic sword to use while Ayato activated both his Sacred Gears as Rias called out

"Stray Devil Jagran! We have come to destroy you" A deep male chuckle rang out around them as they tried to pinpoint the source as the male voice spoke

"Yes…I have been expecting they'd send you some time now and I have prepared accordingly"

From out of the shadows around them dozens of ruby figures emerged each resembling middle aged man who stood at seven foot and held a bat shaped Zweinder in their right hands, Rias cursing silently at the sight of being outnumbered already

"Akeno,Stella,& I will protect Asia and anyone who needs to be healed" Rias spoke, each of them nodding in understanding as the first few crystal clones attacked towards Yuuto who swung his sword clashing against one of the winged blades which shattered instantly along with the clone.

"These are not very sturdy" Yuuto spoke as he faced off against the other two, each of the others seeming to easily destroy the crystal clones before them

Ayato glanced around to check on the others, his eyes widening as the shards behind Xenovia started to shift and form back into another clone as he used his Sonido to appear between it and Xenovia. The blue haired girl looked surprised as seeing Ayato destroy the clone that tried to sneak attack her as she started

"Tha…" Ayato cutting her off as he spoke

"Don't worry about it" With that he shot off to shatter more clones, Xenovia getting the feeling that he didn't trust her fully at the moment as she continued to destroy the clones attacking her.

Stella shot a large ball of her power of destruction, consuming a crystal clone before she called "Everyone use your magic to destroy all of the crystal before it can reform"

Ayato nodded to himself as he charged Reiatsu into Kuraokamitsu as he swung it "Hyōryū Senbi"

The crescent ice slash engulfed two ruby clones leaving nothing as he moved to point his right palm towards a clone that had leapt towards Koneko as he called "Hadō, number 31: Shakkahō"

He shot the beam of red flames which easily engulfed the crystal clone leaving nothing remaining as Sparda spoke up to him

{I see you've gotten use to the idea of Hado in a fight}

"Thanks Ayato-sempai" Koneko called before turning to shatter another crystal clone easily with a punch while Xenovia and Yuuto slashed other clones to pieces before Akeno shot a fireball to destroy the remains.

The group sighed in relief as they finished off the last of the crystal clones before hearing clapping as the real Jegran made himself known.

He had sickly green hair, held in a ponytail, ruby coloured crystal covering his left arm up to his elbow while in his right was a black version of the clones winged bladed Zweinders.

"Impressive…A bunch of young whelps defeated my clones" Jegran spoke before moving his sword to block Yuuto's attack from his side, his ruby arm catching Ayato's attack from his other side as Xenovia smirked and charged from the front only for a crystal wall to form in front of her.

She slashed at it expecting it to break as easily as the clones only for the Holy-Demonic sword to bounce off of it as another pair of shields formed behind him to block Rias' and Akeno's magic attacks.

"Getsuga…Tensho!" Ayato called, hoping to distract Jegran long enough as Yuuto jumped back with Xenovia, the energy attack forcing the man back before he took a ball of crimson magic to his chest along with a bolt of lightning.

"Yuuto, Xenovia now!" Rias called, both Knights using their speed to their advantage before stabbing their Holy-Demonic sword into Jegran's chest, his pained shout followed by blood coming out of his mouth.

They both retreated quickly to allow Stella & Rias to finish it the large ball of Their family's power in their hands which They shot and engulfed the stray, ending the fight as she turned to her peerage

"Good work everyone…Let's get back to the clubroom"

…

Rias took a deep breath as she looked at the quartet of girls, Ayato looked nervously at her while Koneko seemed calm as ever. Xenovia was curious what Rias had wanted to speak with them at the moment. Luckily Ayato was out on one of his contracts as was Yuuto and Akeno giving her the perfect chance to speak with them.

"Right…the reason I wanted to talk to you three is about Ayato…" Rias started, Asia perking up as she asked

"What about Ayato-san?"

Xenovia and Koneko looked curious as Rias started to explain things to them about Ayato, Asuka & the Death of his family and his lack of trust for people & Happiness.

"A-Ayato-san…doesn't trust me…?" Asia asked sadly as Rias shook her head going to place her hand on Asia's head as she spoke

"He does trust you Asia…I just thought you deserved to know about what happened to him before" Asia nodded in understanding but still feeling sorry for Ayato.

"…Ayato-senpai was betrayed…" Koneko spoke, a hint of sadness in her voice as the silver haired teen had always been helpful and friendly and a small part of her did think there wasn't even a perverted bone in his body aside from his moments of embarrassment around Rias, Stella and Akeno. Xenovia seemed surprised upon learning it as she spoke more for herself then anyone else

"I'll just have to make Ayato-kun trust me then" Koneko nodded in agreement with Xenovia's sentiment.

…

It was the next day and the quartet of devils was practicing in Saji's shed which his mother had let them use. They'd only had to do a little clearing up and they had enough space for the four of them to fit what they needed into the room. Yoshimori had used a spell to soundproof the room so they wouldn't disturb anyone as they finished the song they'd been practicing. They'd played a couple of old songs that they knew to make sure they hadn't lost their touch.

Broly was twirling his drumsticks as he grinned before speaking as he set them down "As good as ever ain't we…?"

"Yeah…" Saji spoke as he rested his hands against the bass guitar he had slung in front of him, Ayato smiling as he adjusted where the guitar hung behind him to avoid damaging it, a hand resting against mic and the mic stand it was secured to.

"Still feel a little rusty given I haven't done both in a while" Ayato spoke as he looked around the others. They were in a square, Broly opposite him, Yoshimori on his left and Saji on his right.

"You sound like you've improved since last time we played together" Yoshimori spoke, Saji chuckling as he added

"Guess that time at the karaoke did some good…So what song should we play when we win?"

"Actually that's a good point, Gen…We've always had a victory song ready when we've won before" Broly spoke, stretching from where he sat while Yoshimori turned thoughtful before he smirked as he spoke

"I've got an idea for one…Highway to Hell"

The quartet broke into laughter at the irony of the song, each agreeing that it would be funny just to see their masters' and fellow servants' reactions to it before they started making jokes amongst themselves which continued for the rest of the weekend during their practices.

…