REVIEWS
Xerzo LotCN: Yeah, no RWBY gals to be banged. I might work on something, or have something in my vault that is with the Harem tag meant for the RWBY girls - Which, by the way, I SO have. Before getting hooked on the Betrayal Trope, I could easily make one or two of the others. But back on track, you are 100% right with Jaune having to abuse his aura and semblance for training, because you see, Huntsmen are not superhuman. Oh no, buddy, Aura does not equal a gap so big between Huntsman and Civilian, that one must stay clear of the other as if they are Injustice Superman. Fuck that guy, Batman Forever. No, Huntsmen are just very well trained, as Aura speeds up recovery time and lets them train harder than your average Joe. I hope this point is made clear all over.
246vili: Damn right it is.
Guest: The chapter looks fine to me. Does anyone else think it is in bold?
Leaf Ranger: Gonna answer to all 3 reviews of yers. Also, lucky you, you rejoined us on time for this new chapter! Anyhow, let us begin. You can thank Handy, who is still around, for Nicholas having his reasoning explained. I was a bit iffy about it at first, but I came to accept it after I polished it a bit. Still, forgiveness is going to have to be HARD to earn, for Aura Sealing is still not ok, and highly illegal. Nicholas is very lucky no one is blowing the whistle on his ass. Also, the Yang and Ruby thing DOES happen, all I say. Wait for the next chapters to see. And something CAN be done to make the strawberry season of the girls go away; it is called getting pregnant.
Discord: /DBVDHnMf9W
The time of trial and execution - cuz Judgement was not available - had passed. Jaune hid in his room the entire time until the next day when both he and Azazel, starving a bit from forgetting to stock up on food, came down to see the damage done to the house. Taking it all in it confirmed Jaune's worst fear; the place was partially trashed.
Furniture was thrown around, the TV was smashed, the wood was charred - the place that was once a beautiful mansion was turned into a warzone, and as he walked into the kitchen he saw everyone there, a bit on edge and grumpy, but way better than yesterday.
"Oh hey, Jaune."
"Why were you hiding yesterday?"
"You missed all the destruction!"
Cerberus was her normal and chipper self. Compared to the other girls Azazel might as well be sunshine and rainbows, as worried as she was. But Cerberus? Jaune was looking at a supernova.
"Um I was … just, you see … I didn't want to get in the way … of your view, Cerberus." Jaune hoped that nonsense worked. The hellhound girl was sitting in the destroyed room like everything was fine.
"Oh thank you." Cerberus's fond smile at the memory grew with his words. So much destruction, all in one day. She would have been more happy if she hadn't been on edge herself to enjoy the show fully. Suddenly her smile died and turned into a frown. Then another one of her bodies spoke again.
"My one chore is to not burn down the house. So why can everyone else do it?"
"That doesn't seem fair."
He had to hold back a smile at how innocently she asked that, on top of the cute grumpy face she was making. Jaune reached over to her and his hand found one of her ears and he started scratching. Her face relaxed and with half-lidded eyes, she pushed into his hand.
"That's because they were bad and you were good." Jaune could feel the glares of the other girls in the room. With them being demons he was genuinely afraid their eyes might set him on fire. But Cerberus was the one he had been most concerned about damaging the house and she was one of two that didn't damage it. The irony, he could feel it. She had earned some praise and head pats. "You did a great job Cerberus, you're the best. As you are a good girl you get more head pats today."
Baphomet scoffed, shifting her glare from Jaune to Cerberus as she rubbed her hand. "Good girls don't bite people just for getting too close. I swear I should have turned you into a goat!"
Cerberus tilted her three heads Jaune wasn't petting innocently. "I don't see how that would help you."
"I'll just bite more "
"With goat teeth."
Baphomet grumbled, clearly not in the mood to argue. The rest of his talk with them was short, the girls not really being keen to apologize still being in that state, but some of them did, namely Modeus, Justice, and Beel. Plus Cerberus apologized for enjoying the show instead of stopping them. Beelzebub was especially stressed as she knew she would need to fix everything using Abyss matter, having stated that she herself forgot about the time when demon females get … rough.
Apparently, the Abyss messed with one's perception of time as well as their body's, so Beel's body never experienced it in the Abyss … but now that she was out it was back. All in all, the house needed to be fixed, quickly. None responsible wanted to help, stating they had better things to do, which might be true.
Judgement had wanted something to distract herself and was planning to start his training early. In the end, Beel at least convinced Judgement to let Jaune help with the cleaning until they normally went to train, but somehow the boy felt like it was going to make things worse with his training.
He, Beel, Cerberus, and Azazel, bless her soul, worked hard to clean the mess. Cerberus having three bodies made things a lot quicker. Noon arrived before they could say they were finished but teamwork had gotten them a good start.
Some pieces of furniture were destroyed beyond repair, so Beel created new ones, stating that the remains would be taken down into the basement. That reminded Jaune he had never seen the basement, a fact which made him curious about the place, but Beel told him not to go down there yet as it was not finished. Apparently, that was what she was busy with most of the time.
After he was done cleaning, Jaune went to Judgement for his training, and true to his earlier gut feeling, it was hellish. Judgement's kindness seemed almost shadowed by her attitude now during this period, but Jaune didn't blame her. This was more extreme than before, but his sisters did act ruder at that time because of the discomfort their own bodies provided.
He simply decided to endure it, as he has for all his life. He finished the training with Judgement towards the evening, finishing his warm-up without a failure this time and ALMOST finishing the laps. It was progress, but he felt like he might have been able to finish them if Judgement hadn't spent so much time yelling at him and distracting him.
Several days later, the girls finally calmed down enough to apologize for the behavior they had during that time, especially Monica who actually went and broke two of his fingers! Thank God for Aura, else that would've been a great issue regarding him keeping up steady training. Strangely, or rather by expectation, he knew she was not really sorry.
All in all, everything calmed down again. He started to try and spend some quality time whenever Judgement gave him some free time with the girls, like playing with Cerberus in the yard - which Judgement allows even when training as Cerberus' energy makes Jaune work up a sweat to help his stamina; with Malina, enjoying some good games either in his or her room, which he got to check out.
Her room was painted all red with a bed situated next to the window with black draperies meant to block out light, a closet with only two outfits in - he should ask if the girls have anything else to wear apart from their professional-looking clothing once - and a smaller wooden drawer with a TV on it. Next to the door sat her PC, a professional-grade Gamer set-up, however, not as advanced as Jaune's.
Explains her reaction when she saw his own. She also had a mini-fridge, making Jaune feel a bit less special, but overall he found it interesting due to its contents. Vodka and orange juice. When he asked Malina what the deal was with the orange juice she answered it was for her favorite mix, Screwdriver. Vodka mixed with orange juice and some ice. Now that he looked, he also noticed some ice cubes forming on the top shelf of the fridge.
His time spent with Monica is mostly just talking over some coffee while trying to dodge and not to show fear when her sadistic side comes out. Justice and he mostly enjoyed some drinks while watching TV, with Jaune describing most of the events for her since she was blind. She liked to make jokes and puns, which Jaune found pretty funny.
Modeus was, well, to be blunt, trying to get into his pants a lot. He usually went to the library where she and Azazel spent their time, Modeus reading her book while Azazel did her research. He'd often sit down with a book as well, but the first time he did it he felt soft skin rub against his leg. Modeus was giving him a look and he was quick to defuse her.
Simply be nice and slightly romantic, even though he sounded a bit awkward at first, and she would often break out in a blush and move away in embarrassment. This was the norm for a little while until Modeus became more accustomed to the concept of romance. She actually tried her hand at saying something back at him. Oh, she failed, her words coming out as a jumbled mess, her embarrassment so great she ran out of the room and didn't talk to him for a day, but that didn't matter. She tried to say something romantic … His chastity was in danger once again, wasn't it?
Azazel was easy enough, with her being his guardian angel and all of that. She'd often go to him after his workouts, offering to help him a bit and even use her magic to help the sore muscles. But he refused her kindly since he knew that would be cheating. No pain, no gain. She respected his decision, but Jaune did catch something curious. Once the sweaty Judgement came into the living room, wearing her prosecutor's outfit, with her bra open at the front, Azazel's eyes wandered to the grey mounts of Judgement.
She had just worked out as well, that much Jaune knew, but he did find Azazel's interest in Judgement curious. He asked her a bit, and it seemed like she liked boys as well … Or at least she thinks she does. She was still exploring her sexuality from what Jaune could tell, but he did catch her staring at him when training, so maybe she was simply bisexual.
He wasn't going to judge since one of his sisters, the oldest in fact, was a lesbian. Not even Bi, but a hard lesbian. Married to a woman and raising a child as well even whom Terra, Saph's wife, birthed.
Although, Jaune did find the relationship with his nephew a bit weird since he was the one to donate the genetic material. Sue him for being a good brother. Terra and Saphron didn't want it to be a stranger, and Terra refused to ask her Ex-boyfriend, so he was the last choice since … Well, let's just say his parents were not thrilled when they found out Saph was a lesbian, and to this day they think Terra's ex provided the material.
A secret he was to take to his grave. Or should he? His parents no longer had a say in everything, so … No, better keep quiet about it. The girls know, he told them during dinner once, to which most were shocked to find out he had a nephew - technically a son, but that is not important - and even asked for pictures. He had some, of course, he did!
They all acted as he thought they would, almost like any normal woman when seeing a baby. However, his spine gave him chills when he heard that Cerberus would like puppies that were cute as well. He darted right out of that room before things got more awkward.
However, back to his time with the girls, Zdrada was an interesting one to spend time with. Always acting like she cared little, and always provoking him. He even caught her leaning against the wall for a spanking once, which left him a blushing mess while she laughed at him. He was just not there … Yet. The rest of the time it was them talking about various shit, but he noticed Zdrada actually getting more serious regarding topics related to her sister. Jaune could understand that, being a sibling himself. His talks with her seemed to reveal something in her, something different from her personality. But what?
Lucifer was, well, Lucy. She liked to spend most of her time either in the living room watching TV with some wine or cooking while wearing her 'Satan' apron. He always found it cute when she dressed up in it, forgetting her crown and putting her hair up in a messy bun.
Forgetting her black suit top and remaining only in her red shirt with her sleeves rolled up as she cooked pancakes for herself, and occasionally others, to enjoy. But when Jaune was around? She simply sat back and watched with interest and marveled at his skills in the kitchen once again. Judgement even passed by a few times and commented that if his sword skills develop as well as his cooking skills then he'd be kicking ass and taking names in no time.
Next up, Baphomet. He doesn't get to spend a lot of time with her, in fact, he rarely sees her around. Turns out she has some dealings in the human world, and even an identity here. He checked her company's website, finding out she owned what has to be one of the biggest Faunus-focused companies.
Paint him with surprise, 'cause he knows it'll fit him.
So yeah, she was pretty busy, and with his schedule, rarely spent time with her. But when he did? She always tried to slyly convince him to let her turn him into a goat again, even if only once. He avoided giving a yes or no to the question, not daring to go there. He switched the topic to her time in the human realm. She said she could never stay long before when she wormed her way in so she was trying to spend more time with her holdings now that she could. But she promised in a few weeks she would have things settled then she would spend more time with him and the others. What joy … god help him.
Lastly, there was Beelzebub. Jaune rarely got to spend time with the first demon girl he met and the last to join his harem as well, similar to Baphomet. She stated that she was busy with something and usually vanished for the rest of the day until it was time for dinner in the evening when she'd return looking the same as when she left, if a little tired.
But during the rare times when he spends time with her? It was very interesting. Beel was very smart, and she was more than pleased to teach Jaune some stuff aside from the training. It wouldn't help if his mind was behind his body now, so she took the role of a teacher for him, usually spending an afternoon in the library to expand his knowledge. She was very motherly towards him and the rest, if a bit superior. But that attitude never showed towards him, as if she recognized him as an equal. He sometimes asked what happened between her and Lucifer, but she'd always dodge the question.
Overall, Jaune's relationship with the girls was going well, and the inner harem relationships were growing steadily. The girls were getting along as they learned more about each other, the only major fights having been between Zdrada and Malina, and even then they were easily stopped.
Other forms of animosity within the household came from Beel and Lucy at times, but they were minor ones, not quite as bad as the sisters.
His stamina improved over the past few days to the point where he was capable of actually finishing the warm-up and laps until evening had to show itself and end his sessions. He finished the day with a shower and dinner with the girls.
Today, Jaune got a message from Ignium. The demon popped up in Jaune's bathroom mirror which made the teen spit the toothpaste in his mouth onto the said mirror. Ignium didn't mind, having expected that reaction, and simply laughing it off. He told Jaune he and the boys would be paying a visit since they wished to see his home and check on how things were progressing.
Jaune only ever spent a lot of time near females due to his sisters, but now he was going to spend time with some other people, of the same gender as him. Perhaps with whom he can hold more pleasing conversations that would only interest men.
As such, today, after telling the girls that he is waiting for visitors, and after calming down Lucy since Ignium was coming, along with Judgement, he was in his room, preparing both food and some video games. Who knows what they might do to have some fun?
Jaune looked over his set-up with pride, and then he heard the hum of a portal opening, allowing the demons to step into the house.
"Alpha in the house!" Shade shouted, exiting the portal and standing at full height, nearly reaching the ceiling of Jaune's room. Thank God Beel made it tall enough. He cracked his neck once, then he sniffed the air, locking eyes on the snacks. "Nice reception, Jaune."
He got out of the way to allow Behemoth to walk through. The larger, more human-like demon, was wearing simple, casual clothing from what Jaune could see. His eyes locked onto him, seemingly scanning his body for any difference.
"I see you have been working out a bit." He noted. "And that you are yet to die from the time."
Jaune flinched.
"Well, it is not like it hasn't happened yet," Jaune replied with a nervous smile. "It was, to be honest, pretty scary. I have steel doors installed in order to keep them out during that time, but they have sustained damage."
"Oh, I see … "
"At least you are alive, right? Not yet joining us down in the gutter." Then came the ringmaster of the group, walking out of the portal as it closed behind him, wearing a fancy crimson suit with a black tie around his neck and a black shirt with his hair done and golden eyes scanning around the room; Ignium, the new Emperor of Hell. "I must say you got a nice nest, Jaune. Got any of the girls on the sheets yet?"
"Hello to you too, Ignium," Jaune replied dryly, trying not to let the tease get to him. Zdrada and Modeus helped him develop this slight resistance. Ignium scoffed slightly, and then Ignium turned to Shade, just in time to stop him from snatching the snacks for himself.
"Shade, those are for everyone!" Jaune said, making the canine demon snarl in reply and cross his arms.
"Hmm. I like this place. Has a good amount of space." Behemoth replied, and then he went to Jaune's books, picking them up. "Workout books? Combat-related ones? I see. Training not just your body, but your mind as well. A wise choice."
"So, what would you guys like to do?" Jaune asked, to which Ignium replied. Everyone agreed to his word since they were making this visit for that reason.
"Video Games. First-person shooters and combat ones." The Emperor replied. "Don't get me wrong, fighting for real has its thrills, but … "
"Someone always ends up 6 feet under." Shade said, then Ignium snapped his fingers. "At least via video games, we do not need to worry about actually killing someone. So, what do you have?"
Jaune smiled with confidence, and then he went to the drawers under his TV, bringing out multiple video games which, in all honesty, interested all the demons. "Pick your poison, my demonic friends!"
And thus the day began.
The guys enjoyed the day playing video games, having closed the steel gates to allow their gaming session to go without interruptions. Jaune found a great first-person team-based shooter for them to try, but Shade had to stay on the side as he couldn't really use the controllers with his claws. They went for a few rounds, losing badly until the others got the hang of the game, and then they began to climb the ranks.
Jaune gave them tips and whatnot in order to get their team through each round with as many kills as possible; Ignium being the MVP of their squad. His reflexes were fast and he was a good learner like Jaune, but did get a bit too cocky at times. Jaune let some curses off when he got killed, yet, out of the three, Behemoth remained fully calm, despite having the most deaths.
Shade watched closely, eating the snacks as he did so. He had a big appetite, that was for sure. The guys eventually switched games as they finished one last round on the previous one, this time switching to something Shade could enjoy too. The controllers this time were different, meaning he didn't need to watch out for his claws; A VR fighting game.
And he dominated once he learned the commands. The game was advanced, using a special tracking camera to reflect the movements in-game, and activating special skills by using the commands on the controllers as well, everyone joined the game. Jaune had to learn a bit more about it, and even if it was a game, he could pick up some moves. And he immediately noticed how each of them fought; Shade was quick, delivering crushing punches, but he preferred kicks over his fist from what it seemed, but he was fighting wildly and, in all honesty, his moves didn't carry any complex fighting behind them.
Behemoth on the other hand? Polar opposite. He waited until his opponent tried to strike, then he'd counter with heavy strikes using his arms. He didn't use his legs to kick as much as Shade did, but one look at the physical difference showed that Behemoth must have been the type to train a lot while Shade preferred a more lean figure and allowed his natural strength to do the work in rest. Not a good idea in hindsight, but Jaune remembered that Shade had a crazy regeneration-type power. That alone made him a pain to fight as he could get up countless times before he finally gets put down for good.
Ignium? Well, he had good moves, that much Jaune could not ignore, but he seemed to abuse his skills a lot, using them when his opponent revealed an opening. Shaded and Behemoth used their skills like that too, but Ignium took advantage of the skill and opened as soon as the cooldown reached zero. And there was Jaune who was the least impressive one of them all, getting his ass handed to him often. When the game finished and the scores were shown the guys couldn't help but laugh and tease him, with Behemoth simply stating that he should keep improving.
Then the boys decided to look around the house, and Jaune gave them all a tour, meeting several of the girls along the way. Then they reached the yard.
"I must say, Beelzebub outdid herself when building this place. Matter of the Abyss, was it? I had no idea it had advanced creation properties." Ignium said as they walked outside, then his eyes, as well as everyone's eyes, set themselves on the grill. "As soon as spring comes into the human realm, Jaune, we are holding a barbeque. Emperor's orders."
"No need to order me, Ignium. We WILL have a barbeque!" Jaune stated, to which everyone nodded. If there was one thing a man cannot deny, that was a good barbeque held in the open. It was like a calling, a duty to fulfill to perfection. No one messed with a man's work at the grill.
Shade's nose began to sniff.
"What is this I smell?" He turned with a cheeky tone of voice, just in time to spot the three bodies exiting their little hut.
"Big Bro Shade?!" The triple demon shouted in surprise, then bright smiles appeared on them and began to run to him. "You visited!"
They shouted as they jumped on him, knocking the bigger wolf to the ground as they snuggled into his fur, smiling as the alpha returned the affection with his own.
"There, there, sis." Shade said as he noticed tears from one of the Cerberus'. He picked himself up, looking down at the triple demon. "How are you doing? All good? Got enough food, water, and corruption?"
"There is lots of food!" The first body replied.
"And water! LOTS of it! It even falls from the sky!" The second body said.
"But not a bunch of chances to corrupt … " The third body said and all of their dog ears flattened down a bit.
Shade snorted. "Don't give up easily, sis. We both know where giving up gets us, don't we?"
"Dead on the bottom of Judecca!" The three bodies said at once.
Jaune had to wonder what she meant by that. But more than that there was a question that he had been wondering for a while. Being in hell didn't give him a lot of opportunities to talk with the hellhound. "You know, Shade, I was meaning to ask, but how are you and-"
Suddenly, Ignium put a hand over Jaune's mouth, getting his attention. He shook his head lightly, yet, Shade's ears did perk up at the boy's voice before the Emperor of Hell interrupted him.
The larger wolf growled lightly but turned back to Cerberus. "Say, Cerberus? While I am still here, how about we play for a bit? This is such a nice and spacious place, it would be a shame not to run a few laps."
"Yes!" They all replied in unison, bright smiles on their faces.
"Can Jaune join us?" One of them asked, getting Jaune's attention.
"Sure." Shade replied without waiting on Jaune. Still, one glance around showed the boy having only a light, accepting smile, meaning there were no issues.
With that being said the boy and the canine demons set themselves to some fooling around in the yard, Monica having been nice enough to bring the others some drinks as they watched Jaune and Shade handle Cerberus' energy. This was new to them as well since they had never seen Shade act like that before. Ignium in particular never saw Shade be so … playful before.
He was more happy here, spending time with his sister. Ignium knew the issue, of course, he did. When he got Shade for his little group he was told of the situation with his sister. Shade was a one-of-a-kind brother, having done the extreme to take care of Cerberus. The werewolf was actually smiling as well! Behemoth arched an eyebrow at the sight since he never smiled like that before.
Eventually, the evening came, and Cerberus was already fast asleep, one resting their head on Jaune's lap while two of them rested on Shade's. Jaune knew Cerberus liked pats, so he was stroking her hair gently as she slept. Shade saw this. He was looking at Jaune this whole time, seeing how he treated his sister. But now? Action was needed.
"Cerberus and I are half-siblings." Shade said, catching Jaune's attention. Shade knew Cerberus was asleep, so she wouldn't get affected by him telling the tale. "In our pack, the strongest can achieve the form you see me having along with human-like speech. We become werewolves, in a way. Some are born like this, others are not. Both my parents, the Alpha pair, were like this, resulting in me being born as such as well. Black fur and blood-red eyes are a trait of ours."
"Then why is Cerberus so different? I mean, her hair is white, not black." He pointed out, to which Shade sighed as he patted the head of Cerberus, her ears twitching at their voices.
"Because our mother was unfaithful to my father." He said, shocking Jaune. "She was the strongest female in the pack at the time, so by law, she was promised to the strongest male, the Alpha. I came to be from that union, but she never loved him. Love was a foreign concept and rare to Hell. No, she didn't love him, and thus, when she found a demon she deemed strong enough, she let herself be mounted and Cerberus came to be."
"When the time came we went to where all Hellhounds go to give birth: The Ring of Violence. It was meant to be a happy moment." His tail sagged a bit. "But when she was born, and my father saw how she looked; with three bodies that were more humane and bright, white-hair … He wanted to kill her at birth."
Jaune flinched hearing that, unable to believe Cerberus was rejected by the Alpha in that way. If she was only to be abandoned then that would've been bad, but expected of animals, but killed at birth?
"But I was already in my teens at the time. When she was pregnant, my mother and I spent a lot of time together. I felt how Cerberus kicked in her womb, and I was even the one to propose her name after birth. But my father? I did not allow him to even touch her … I attacked him first. She was not his daughter, yes, but she was still MY sister. If he thought I would stand aside, an obedient mudd, then he was stupid."
"He and I fought, but he was superior to me still … The Forest of Suicide was a terrible place to fight. Full of trees and uneven terrain but worse my father didn't take me seriously at the start. Taunting me, letting me recover but it let me learn. I tried harder and harder in that nasty place but the fight wasn't going my way." Shade bared his teeth a little. " … Until I pushed him over the edge in one last desperate assault, resulting in the both of us falling down into Judecca of all places!"
Jaune winced. He remembered he needed Baphomet's wings to fly that distance back when he made the journey up.
"Yes, going from the 7th floor to the 9th doesn't sound that bad." Shade nodded his head. "But the 8th is 10 sections big. Pretty much the same distance that is half of the entire size of Hell! But did that fall stop us? NO! The fight didn't stop even there and he was taking me seriously now. I must have had to regenerate my entire body as he ripped it to pieces, but did I give up? NO! … We fought until the night arrived, and the ghouls showed themselves. The pack had followed us to witness the fight as well, and just in time because I was about to turn the tides."
"I clawed out my father's eyes, blinding him until he regenerated, and then I used every ounce of my strength left to deal the final strike. I ripped a frozen rock pike from the ground and used it to impale him into the ground, right through the ice. My hands were half frozen and my whole body felt half frozen too. But I didn't let him escape, I kept him there until he stopped moving … Until he died and I was made Alpha."
He finished, his solemn voice harboring no regret for his deed. He and his father never liked each other. His father believed in winning at any cost, no matter what must be done; with no honor. Shade never agreed with that.
"But even after that the rest of the pack, except me and my mother, did not accept Cerberus. Her condition, having three bodies that shared their senses, made her different from the pack and unique. At first, we thought mother had triplets! But we could feel the difference. We knew that was not the case. She was raised mostly by mother and me until she reached fourteen human years, and at that time the pack couldn't accept her presence anymore. The elders were demanding me to either kill or exile her, and the entire pack was against me."
Shade growled again, Jaune seeing his razor-sharp fangs. "But whoever wanted to challenge me to get to Cerberus was welcomed. I killed more than a few, and before long, fear settled into the pack. But the elders, which held sway still, were still an issue … Then you came along."
"I think I recall you muttering something about those elders," Jaune recalled. "But, if Cerberus was not accepted by the pack, how come she ended up the guardian of the third circle?"
"Before, that was Beelzebub's position." Shade clarified. "However, after her banishment, Lucifer needed to fill the void. She employed us, the Hellhounds, to tear the souls to shreds … Cerberus fit right in within that circle, and I put a word to Lucifer and had her officially named."
Shade stroked his sister's hair some more as he rambled. "We Hellhounds hunt ghouls that come out at night. Do not get me wrong, they were always on the menu. I tried to visit Cerberus as much as I could. She … Always wanted to prove herself, but truth be told, she is not strong enough. Three bodies do mean she is as strong as me, or others close to my level in the pack. But hellhounds hunt in groups. Even now, her being here is, in a way, my way of protecting her still. Also, that thing she says about corrupting the human realm? Yeah, don't believe it, Jaune. That is part of her desire to prove herself."
"But why?" Jaune asked. "Does she want to prove herself to return to the pack?"
"Got it in one, Jaune." Shade confirmed. "Cerberus was never like us; Hellhounds are not like her. Don't get me wrong, she is more dangerous than the average demon girl due to her Hellhound heritage, but compared to a true Hellhound? She lacks the bloodlust and love for carnage and violence of our kin. That Jaune is why I care about her so. She is different from us, but she is better. Mother died a few centuries ago and it was a hard time for both me and especially Cerberus. I promised her I would never go away, that I would always be close by when she needed it. But as Alpha, that was a weak promise to make. She is not worse than us, but better. I never found out who her father was, and frankly, I do not give a fuck. If I ever find that guy, I will rip him to shreds too."
"I don't blame you, Shade for doing that to your father," Jaune said, but he seemed somewhat tense. "A while ago, I also had a bad falling out with mine and nearly ended up killing him with my semblance and Crocea Mors."
"Did you?"
"No, Beel managed to stop me in time before I did." He said, then he sighed, watching as the Cerberus in his lap yawned. "But I can see why you care so much about her. For all her energy, I always had a feeling she didn't really mean all that stuff regarding the corruption of the human realm. I mean, can she even do that?"
Shade chuckled upon hearing his statement about her ability to corrupt. "Yeah, she can, but not alone. We demons can corrupt the realm effectively only when we are in a big number. The number of girls you have here wouldn't be enough, no matter how powerful, it is simply not enough for such a task."
"So humanity is safe?" Jaune asked, receiving a nod from Shade. "Good."
"However, on another note, I cannot overlook the fact my sister is in your harem, Jaune." Shade's presence made Jaune shiver and he felt like his blood froze. For all the fun they had, the wolf now radiated a savage power Jaune had not felt before but was familiar with. The wrath of a brother. He himself used it before against some boys who tried to get lovey-dovey with his sisters, so he was aware of it. But never had he been able to do it like that. "Hurt her once, make her cry once, and I will break down the very gates of Hell as I charge into the human realm to hunt you down and break your feeble human body to pieces. Do you understand that your sorry excuse for a bag of meat-"
"Big Bro Shade!"
His words were interrupted, causing him to look down at one of the Cerberuses, watching as she had slight tears in her eyes.
"Please be nice to Jaune! He is a good guy!"
"Cerberus? Wait, you were not asleep?" Shade asked, receiving his answer as the others shifted awake, the one next to Jaune leaning on him and snuggling into his chest with tears in her eyes. "You heard everything … ?"
"Yes," They all replied. "We … We know we are not much, but we never knew you did so much for us, Big Bro."
The two of them hugged him tightly.
"You saved us!" One of them said.
"You risked dying not to let Dad kill us!" The second one said.
"We just wanted to prove we can be part of the pack, we wanted to be with you!" The first one said again. "You were always strong and brave, always laughing in the face of other creatures as you fought and slaughtered them with your bare hands … "
"Of course, they admire that … " Jaune muttered under his breath, but then he felt the third Cerberus hug him tightly.
"And Jaune is nice and brave too! He is so strong!" The third one said, adding to the words of the other bodies. "He climbed out of Hell to save us! He fought Lucifer for us!"
"Cerberus … " Shade couldn't believe it as he heard his sister defend the kid. If anything he was proud, but that didn't help to ease the other feeling growing inside him. "Are you … Angry with me? For sending you here, away from Hell and the pack?."
"We have a pack!" The first body said, catching Shade off-guard a bit. "Jaune is our Alpha! And everyone is part of our pack!"
"Um?" Jaune wasn't sure what to say to that.
"Actually, that makes a bit of sense. Multiple members, all close together with a leading figure to command them - you. Now that I think about it, this does sound like a pack." Shade said, and then Cerberus began to smile.
"I am not angry with you, Big Bro!" The second body said again. "As we said, you saved us! We don't think it was easy either … thank you."
Shade remained silent, then, strangely, he chuckled. "Heh. Having a pack means one thing Cerbi."
"Huh?" All three bodies looked at him strangely, and then Shade raised his hand, placing it on Jaune's back and giving him hard, yet light, strikes.
"This scrawny human is your Alpha! Meaning he has all the breeding rights!"
"Hey! I have been working out like crazy in the last month!" Jaune countered, only to be shut up as Shade put his arm up, flexing in front of him. "Ok, point taken, you demons are ripped … Also, breeding rights?"
Cerberus seemed to blush hearing her brother tease her and Shade laughed louder. It soon dawned on Jaune what he meant as well. At that point, Cerberus moved one of her bodies from Shade to Jaune and asked shyly. "Does this mean we can now make puppies?"
And just like that, Shade's laugh died in his throat, followed by him lifting Jaune up from between his sister's bodies.
"One second, Cerbi, I need to exchange some words with him." He then leaped up into a tree, landing with Jaune on a solid branch and putting the boy down, letting him grab on so he didn't fall. "You heard that, right?"
"Yeah … " He answered with a blush. "And I do know what she means by puppies … "
"Then you know that if I wake up an uncle any time soon me and you will have to talk, understand? I am not ready … for that to happen … "
"Y-yeah. Neither am I."
"Also, Jaune?"
"Yes?"
"Stop acting like a wuss. You are supposed to be the Alpha in this Harem, so act like it!" Shade said. "I get you do not have experience with this and whatnot, but believe me; you need to act more like a man and less like a boy."
"What does that even mean?!" He asked, holding onto the branch for dear life.
"You will have to find out by yourself! Anyway, let's get down and finish everything." Shade jumped down. "Just start glowing and fall!"
"This will hurt … " Jaune muttered as he activated his semblance and allowed himself to fall, landing on the ground and raising some dust in the process. Cerberus went to him quickly to make sure he was not hurt, he assured her that he was alright and nothing was broken, only bruised at best. Shortly after the demons had to leave, everyone bid him goodbye as they went through the portal, with Shade being the last one. Ignium had handed him a way to contact him at any time, Behemoth offered some advice for training. But Shade? He gave Jaune a bone necklace. "Thanks?"
"Those bones are actually made from what you broke last time." Shade revealed, making Jaune understand the nature of the necklace better. Those were bones he had damaged when he last fought with Shade! Those were Shade's bones! "Don't worry, new ones grew in their place. It is a symbol of acceptance. From now on, you are officially part of my pack, boy! Hell! You are my sister's mate!"
"I haven't-"
"But you WILL, won't you?" Shade interrupted. "Do not lie to me boy, I know you will one day mate with her. Frankly, she might accept you right now as well. But do not rush things, you hear me? Let Cerberus be Cerberus."
"I got it. I promise to take care of her the best I can. Same with Judgement, Ignium!" Jaune replied, shouting the last part so Ignium could hear him.
"You better!" Both Ignium and Shade replied.
"See you later, kid." Shade said as he left the human realm, returning to Hell. The portal closed, leaving Jaune alone in the yard with Cerberus, who wasted no time jumping on him again, asking for some more playtime. He couldn't say no to her now, so he spent more time with her in the yard until it got dark, unaware of the eyes watching them.
Beel and Lucy had been watching the whole ordeal since it started, both having a smirk on their faces.
"He earned the brother's favor from what it seems," Beel commented, wiping away some sweat. "To be honest, I thought Shade was going to rip him into pieces there for a moment."
"The mutt is not like his father, that much is certain," Lucifer commented as well, holding her wine glass in hand. "His father was more unforgiving, but him? He is softer, yet stronger and more brutal. A strange mix, Beel."
"Yet, it allowed him to spare Jaune, did it not? That sounds like a big positive." Beel added. "Besides, you heard what he said; The Alpha of the Harem."
Lucy scoffed at that. "As if. Jaune is a bit far from getting us all in his sheets, don't you think?"
"Oh my, but did I mention him bedding us? Are you starting to have urges, Lucifer?" Beelzebub asked, earning a furious blush from Lucifer who turned around from the fly. "It's OK if that is the case. Scrawny as he might still be, he is kind and good-natured, if a bit clumsy and dorkish. Overall, a cutie."
"Ha! Sure, he might have fought my troops and me to some extent, but he was aided by Ignium back then. That proves only how helpless he is without the aid of others to pick up his slack?" Lucy stated.
"Isn't that why he is training? Look, Lucy, if you are starting to like him-"
"Another word, fly, and I will squash you. Now Buzz Off."
"Fine, fine, no need to get pissed off about it." Beel left the room, leaving Lucifer to her thoughts again.
It had been barely a month since she and the other girls had been living in this house and she had to admit the boy was a nice change of scenery and offered good company. But she still felt as if he lacked a certain something, a stronger drive to really take charge. Something to make him change; right now she still saw him as a feeble mortal, a slave - good only for his skills in the kitchen.
But then again, she is not blind to how he has been treating them all. He has been very kind to them all, even when they proved difficult. He was not even mad when Monica broke his fingers, something that hurt in spite of Aura fixing them in mere minutes with the aid of his semblance. She felt strange sharing this house with them all, but it felt - and she wouldn't dare admit it to any of them - pleasant. It felt wholesome … She hated to admit that he was right back in Hell. It is lonely at the top, but now that she is no longer at the top, she feels how it is to be with others on equal ground. Question was …
Does Jaune realize he is no longer lonely at the bottom?