Chapter 3 away! There's no stopping this train, so you've been warned.
Two days later, the peerage met in the forest behind the school, wearing their PE uniforms.
Rias addressed the group.
"We're going to be stepping up our training. Recent events have revealed a weakness of ours, so I'll have us all working hard to fix it."
Nods from everyone.
"Yuuji will, of course, be leading the training."
Nods from everyone.
Except from Yuuji, who was busy glaring at Rias instead.
The glare was ignored.
"As much as it pains me to admit, the fight with Viser showed us what we were lacking as a peerage. But you already knew what we were lacking as a peerage, didn't you? So, we've been talking, and we all agreed that the best idea was to ask you to teach us."
She twirled to Yuuji with her most winning smile as she clarified, hands behind her back.
Everyone nodded empathetically.
Then, they all exchanged knowing glances and tiny smirks.
"After all, none of us have ever worked at a 'cleaning company' before."
Rias made air quotations with her fingers as she said that.
Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba did as well.
All of them then looked at Yuuji with hopeful expressions.
.
.
.
Yuuji clicked his tongue, looking unamused.
"Bothersome. Why don't you just go beat on each other or something."
The smiles fell.
"You mean... you won't do it?"
Sadly, Rias asked.
"I said, go beat on each other. Not knowing what you can do will make my job harder."
It took them a moment to process his meaning.
Then they all looked to each other with excited smiles.
They turned to Yuuji and opened their mouths to thank him-
He cut them off with a raised hand.
"Don't thank me. I know Devils are supposed to be native to Hell, but fair warning."
"I'm going to show you what Hell really looks like."
.
.
.
The other members of the peerage glanced to each other nervously.
... Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Yuuji had taken a few days to come up with a training plan, and so had asked Rias to keep the entirety of Sunday clear for the entire peerage.
He had them then meet at 6am, receiving no complaints.
They were honor students after all, and the incident with the Stray had been a rude enough awakening.
He had them all standing at attention in a single line.
Then, in a stern voice he barked out;
"I need a victim!"
"Don't you mean volunteer?"
Rias asked.
"Thank you for volunteering Buchou! A leader should always be the first one willing to act!"
Her unease couldn't quite keep Rias from preening at the praise.
"Alright Rias, come over here and help me demonstrate."
Had Yuuji always been this confident?
... Maybe combat wasn't the only thing she could learn from him.
She wasn't exactly sure what she was expected to do, but as she walked over to Yuuji she-
Was staring cross eyed and breathless at a metal barrel pressed between her eyes, framed by clear blue sky.
'Huh?'
No warning, no sign of his intentions.
The instant Rias was within arm's length, Yuuji had flipped her over his shoulder and pressed a gun to her forehead.
He wasn't even looking at her.
As if this was normal.
So mundane, it wasn't worth even a fraction of his attention.
Yuuji's dull voice carried an ominous weight, a creeping chill that had never made itself known before now.
A shiver rippled through the silence.
...The gun was still pointing at Rias.
"It seems to me that you're all too used to setting the pace for encounters."
"Make no mistake, that's something you want."
Yuuji pulled a still dazed Rias to her feet.
"Just be aware that everyone wants the initiative. I picked you Rias, because you're the most accustomed to being in charge of the situation. Taking charge of the situation like that will serve you well, if you're still prepared for someone else to try and take control first."
Rias ducked her head, feeling a little chastised.
It had given her something to think about, though.
Better mistakes be made here.
Her last mistake could have cost her the lives of her precious family.
There wouldn't be another.
"Akeno."
"Ara, Yuuji's going to play with me next? What a lucky girl I am~"
Akeno had taken the lesson to heart, and without any further warning, fired a bolt of lightning at Yuuji.
It hit nothing but air, but Akeno was undeterred, keeping Yuuji rolling and weaving with bolt after bolt, leaving no time to retaliate.
It was only a matter of time before a mistake was made.
Lightning struck, and the Knight jerked and fell.
As Yuuji had been evading her attacks, he had been slowly moving his way in between the two.
Akeno cried out in shock, forgetting Yuuji entirely for a moment as Kiba twitched and groaned on the ground.
Yuuji wasn't interested in waiting, though.
It was Akeno's turn to hit the ground, arm twisted painfully behind her back.
"Most friendly fire incidents involve either tunnel vision or paranoia. Focus on your enemy, but never forget your surroundings."
Kiba groaned as Rias helped him to his feet.
Akeno groaned as Yuuji helped her to her feet.
Kiba waved away her apology, smiling to put the older girl at ease.
"While Kiba shakes the jitters out, Koneko can go next."
Koneko was already charging as Yuuji put one hand in his pocket.
*Whack*
With a cute little squeak she skidded to a halt, hands clutching her nose.
... A 100-yen coin bounced to the ground and was lost in the grass.
Yuuji had closed in at the same time, and his eyes were level with Koneko's when she opened her eyes.
She flinched slightly as he reached out his hand-
To ruffle her hair.
Yuuji's voice softened, still just loud enough to carry across the clearing.
"A straight line is always the shortest route, for projectiles or people. I'm sure you can take it, but pay attention so you don't have to."
Koneko gave a nod and a shy smile, and the others noted Yuuji had been far nicer to her, though they had no intentions of drawing attention to it.
Not when they were being that cute.
"My turn then, Yuuji-kun."
Kiba stepped forward with a smile, bokken at the ready.
He had no idea what Yuuji had planned for him, but he would be ready.
He was still a bit surprised when Yuuji walked over to their bags to pick up a training sword of his own.
"I'm not all that familiar with swordplay, but I'll try to keep this interesting Kiba."
Yuuji moved forwards with a small smile.
Shaking off his surprise, Kiba stepped forward to match Yuuji's bow.
They launched themselves forward, and with the speed of a Knight, Kiba crossed the distance first, sweeping down with his sword in both hands.
Yuuji sidestepped ever so slightly, bringing his sword up overhead to parry.
Rather than take the impact head-on, he angled his blade, letting Kiba's sword slide down his, as the momentum carried him past Yuuji.
He reversed sharply, coming back with a straight lunge.
Yuuji leaned ever so slightly to let the attack pass, his sword already raised overhead to strike.
Kiba pulled his thrust back just in time to block the counter.
As the two clashed, the girls watched from the sidelines.
Rias wasn't all that accustomed to sword fighting, but she was beginning to notice that something was… off about the encounter.
Judging by Akeno's frown, she was picking up on it as well.
"Yuuji is obviously slower than Yuuto, so how is he keeping up?
It was Koneko that answered.
"Yuuji-senpai is moving less. Yuuto-senpai is so fast that all his attacks carry a lot of momentum."
"But then, how can Yuuji block his hits so easily? Is Yuuji just that much stronger?"
"No, Yuuji-senpai isn't letting any attacks hit him head on. He's meeting everything at an angle."
Akeno made an 'Aha' noise as she dropped a fist onto her palm.
"In other words, Yuuto-kun is doing all the moving? Ara, Yuuji-kun might just be a slacker after all."
She giggled.
Turning back to the fight, the girls watched as for the first time, Yuuji met Kiba head-to-head, leaning in to lock blades with Kiba.
"I'm impressed Yuuji-kun, for not being a swordsman you move well."
"Thanks Kiba, that means a lot coming from the Gremory's Knight. But this is a lesson remember?"
Kiba raised on eyebrow, still straining against the other boy.
Yuuji pushed his shoulder into his sword, forcing Kiba back a half-step before letting go with his other hand.
A dull grey shimmer... and Yuuji was resting the Glock against Kiba's leg.
Kiba's gasp and the panicked shouts of the girls were drowned out by the crack of several shots being fired point-blank.
.
.
.
""YUUTO!""
Yelling from the sidelines.
The girls began to run forward, but were stopped by Yuuji's outstretched hand.
Kiba snapped out of it to notice the complete lack of any wounds or pain, as Yuuji let the gun fade and stepped away as if nothing had happened.
"Like I'd use live ammunition in a spar. They were blanks."
"Yuuji, you scared the hell out of me!"
Rias exclaimed.
Kiba had a reproachful frown on his face.
"Yuuji-kun, I thought we were- oh. Ohhhh."
"Figured it out?"
"I think so, but go ahead and explain for everyone please."
Yuuji raised his voice, half turning to the others.
"I went out of my way to approach you with a sword, so you assumed we were having a sword fight. Assuming the rules of engagement like that is a great way to get yourself killed when you're proven wrong."
Kiba rubbed his head ruefully.
"Fair warning, soon enough I'll be using rubber bullets. On all of you. Though... actually, we might be a little getting a little ahead of ourselves with that. Rubber is a lot nastier than you'd think."
They pointedly ignored Akeno's pleased squirming.
Yuuji trailed off into silence, tapping a finger against his chin.
"... Now that all that's out of the way, we'll go over a few of the other what I've noticed from our little spars. From there it's simple enough, in theory. We'll do our best to shore up any glaring weaknesses, and dial down a bit on the things you're actually good at."
... He'd seen them fight once, and sparred with each of them for about five minutes.
Combined.
Were they really that easy to see through?
"Rias. You're up first."
"Y-yes!"
"Frankly, you're too talented for your own good. The fact that your Power of Destruction offers so much easy firepower means that you've been able to get away with simple point and shoot. In terms of pure force, you're easily the strongest we've got."
Rias wasn't quite sure how to respond to the blend of compliments and criticism.
"The problem lies in that blowing up the thing in front of you is basically your only tactic. I've noticed this with Akeno as well, but you don't so much have a 'fighting style' so much as the ability to 'cause harm with magic'."
Yuuji pointed a finger towards Kiba as he spoke.
"Since you can't handle anyone getting up in your face, Kiba would have a perfect record against you if he was less straightforward with his tactics. You struggle against anything that doesn't move in a straight line, and once someone is close you have no defence other than to throw up a shield and hope it holds."
That was blunt, but to be expected from Yuuji.
"Essentially, you struggle with problems that can't be effectively solved with a hammer."
... That was even more blunt.
Rias blushed and ducked her head.
...Yuuji made her sound so unfeminine when he put it like that.
Barbarians totally didn't use magic, in the games she'd played with Koneko, so why did she feel like he'd put her in that class!?
Her distress went unheeded as dull eyes settled on Akeno.
In contrast to her King, Akeno looked just a little excited for her turn.
Rias had never been jealous of her Queen's thinly hidden M side.
From his knowing little smirk, Yuuji had noticed it too.
"Akeno, your first problem is that you're a pervert."
... No mercy at all.
This was her one and only Pawn.
"Ara, so cruel Yuuji-kun~."
That sounded suspiciously like a compliment.
"Deviancy is one thing, but don't get carried away. Don't play with your food until you're sure it's cooked."
Yuuji continued as it nothing strange had been said.
He still had on the same knowing smirk, and so it was Akeno's turn to look ashamed.
Or aroused, hard to tell sometimes.
"Now, I get the impression that you have less firepower than Rias, but you're also a bit more flexible. You can use other elements, yes?"
Akeno nodded.
"We'll work on your angles of attack a bit more, I'll teach you a bit about how to look for blind spots when you attack. Both you and Rias are going to be learning some hand to hand too, let's see if we can prevent any person who slips past the light show from getting a free kill."
Yuuji paused for a moment.
"Oh, and while I don't really understand the theory, both of you seem a little too flashy with your spells. Let's see if we can narrow the field of fire a bit."
Akeno wasn't an honor student for nothing, and had, by now, had gotten over her mild embarrassment in favor of giving Yuuji her full attention.
"Lastly, we'll deal with how you're wasting the potential of the Queen Piece."
Akeno wasn't the only one who flinched at that.
Rias rose her voice in defence of her friend, angry now.
"Yuuji, that's too far! Akeno is an excellent Queen!"
Akeno hadn't said anything, slumped in on herself with eyes fixed to the dirt.
"Hah... sorry, sorry, I keep forgetting that I'm not dealing with actual trainees. I'll try to be nicer."
Yuuji rubbed his head and sighed, sounding tired for the first time today.
"Don't misunderstand Akeno, Rias couldn't do better for her right-hand woman. That part of being a Queen is something you have well handled."
Akeno perked up just a little at that.
"It's just that taking on that role and using the Queen Piece itself aren't the same thing at all. At this point, you're basically a... Bishop with more responsibility, which sounds awful, so I think it's high time you abused your job perks a little more."
Akeno's smile was a little suspicious when he said the word 'abuse', but she was also starting to seriously consider his words, so Yuuji decided that was good enough.
Next victim.
"Kiba, you're too honest and honorable for your own good. Being a proper Knight sounds great and all, but getting yourself killed because you were being fair and reasonable would be embarrassing. Less of the how and more of the why. You have something you want to protect, don't you?"
He paused to let Kiba nod in agreement.
"So, I'm going to teach you how to cheat like a bastard, which, if nothing else, should make you less of an easy target for someone else who cheats like a bastard."
It was Kiba's turn to frown, struggling not to let his pride get in the way of admitting Yuuji had a point.
Idly, he arrived at the conclusion that Yuuji was teaching him how to fight Yuuji.
Good to know.
"There's also the issue with your lack of range, but your Sacred Gear already has the answer to that. You mentioned you can summon swords out of the ground, didn't you? If you can do that with enough velocity to kill someone, what's stopping you from using the same trick out of thin air? I get that up close and personal is always going to be the best option for a swordsman, and it's a good cover for the artillery in your friend circle, but options are nice."
Kiba, for his part, looked like a spark had gone off in his head.
"Lastly, Koneko."
Koneko was looking at Yuuji with determined eyes, and an ever so slight quiver.
Yuuji was a bit scary at times.
"Koneko, you have what seems to be a common problem around here; a lack of flexibility. You can hit hard, and you're one of the few members of the peerage that can take a hit, but that's about it. Throwing the upholstery around is pretty awesome, but you're a bit too focused on finding projectiles rather than making them."
Yuuji lectured.
"As strong as you are, even a fistful of soil is gonna ruin someone's day. Your approach needs a little work too, being able to take a hit is great, but do you really want to when you don't have to?"
Koneko shook her head firmly, eyes locked onto Yuuji as she hung dutifully onto his every word.
Meanwhile….
"He's definitely nicer to Koneko-chan."
"Ufufufu, everyone is nicer to Koneko-chan."
"That's because Koneko is adorable."
The older Devils froze momentarily, because someone else had just briefly joined in the conversation.
He wasn't actually looking their way, but apparently Yuuji had been listening to them as well.
"Ara, are you saying I'm not adorable? You'll hurt my feelings Yuuji-kun~."
"I wouldn't say you're not adorable, it's just…"
Yuuji turned to Koneko, pretending not to notice her blush from his earlier comment.
They nodded, and with matching half-smirks, turned to Akeno in perfect sync.
"You're a pervert, Senpai~."
... Akeno wasn't used to spending so much time completely off balance.
They spent most of the day on individual assignments, Yuuji borrowing people to help as necessary.
Rias found herself receiving lessons and demonstrations on different types of firearms, as Yuuji used his now named Arsenal Memoir to summon them into being.
Of course, Yuuji was unaware of the more unfortunate implications of his Sacred Gear.
Rias didn't want to worry him with rumors, and if she was going to tell him, she hoped that her explanation could be accompanied by a solution.
But for the meantime, she would focus on the task at hand.
Yuuji used his demonstrations to provide inspiration for her Power of Destruction.
For example, the 'waves' she used in a keep-away game against Kiba were partially inspired by the M16, when Yuuji demonstrated how to strafe an area with fire when you were unsure of the targets precise location, or needed to suppress multiple targets at once.
Or just had extra bullets, but that probably wasn't important information right now.
Hmm... he'd better make sure none of his superiors found out he could make ammunition.
Yuuji didn't really have any big plans for the future, but becoming a vending machine for assassins would probably never make it onto his bucket list.
Akeno was given targets that she had to strike from specific angles without changing position, or given a narrow field of fire (such as firing at cans through tree branches without hitting the tree).
Yuuji would also have her use the traits of other Pieces defensively, such as having various people hurling tennis balls at her and forcing her to dodge using the Knight's speed, or having her plant her feet in a small circle and use the power of a Rook to try and keep Koneko from pushing her out.
Progress was made, even though the black-haired beauty was becoming well-acquainted with the dirt.
Kiba spent a fair portion of the day playing what amounted to arcane tag against Rias or Akeno, trying to get in close enough to tap them without touching the shields they'd put up.
A few cases of vertigo-inducing bounces aside, Kiba was already showing himself to be better on the approach.
Yuuji would also give him targets to attack from specific ranges well outside of his usual reach, and he found himself experimenting, for the first time, with ways to make swords more aerodynamic.
Sometimes, Yuuji would set specific conditions, such as slicing off a certain amount of branches with a certain amount of blades.
The definition of what constituted a 'sword' was stretched far that day.
Koneko played similar games of keep-away as Kiba was doing, working on her agility.
Though she pouted a bit, Yuuji gave her a few tips on how to move in a way that took advantage of there simply being less of her to hit than the average Devil.
Yuuji would also have her practice using the environment to make up for her lack of range, from shattering objects to hurl shrapnel, to using her strength as a Rook to reshape the battlefield.
She also learned that if she stuck her hand into the ground and clenched her fist, the resulting dirt clod could snap a sapling in half.
Yuuji decided to call her training 'practical vandalism'.
Koneko was certain she was having the most fun out of anyone, though she'd probably never admit it.
She didn't need to though, because everyone had noticed that her rare and cheerful grin through all the dust and dirt.
The sun was just starting to set, and the peerage had gathered in the center of a now mangled field.
With the exception of Yuuji, everyone was completely exhausted.
Rias and Akeno were a little ashamed to be the worst off in that regard.
The results were speaking for themselves though.
Sure, it wasn't like they could fix all their problems in one day, but the feeling of definite progress was impossible to shake.
So when Yuuji's usual blank expression melted into a genuine smile with a just a hint of pride, the Gremory Peerage was on top of the world.
... The perfect position for being kicked back into the dirt.
"Now that we've had some fun, I think it's about time we buckled down and started training."
""Huh?""
The lack of eloquence was understandable, he supposed.
"Buchou, remember when I asked you to put aside all of Sunday?"
His tone was innocent, but Yuuji's proud smile had vanished in favor of an ominous little smirk.
...They wanted the first smile back.
"...Yes Yuuji?"
Rias' voice was most certainly not trembling.
"There are 7 hours left. So do you remember the other thing I told you?"
.
.
.
The others looked to each other with growing trepidation.
"Welcome to Hell."
That smile was definitely not as encouraging as before.
Yuuji liked to think he was a good servant of Gremory.
So he made sure to give proper excuses as to why he was the only member of the Occult Research Club to attend classes on Monday.
Of course, he hadn't trained them all the way until midnight on their first day.
He wasn't a monster after all.
Today, Sona Sitri had met Rias' newest and only Pawn.
The worrying nature of neither Rias, nor any other member of the peerage, making an appearance had prompted her to have Kazami Yuuji brought to the Student Council office, where it became necessary to reveal that the Gremory peerage weren't the only Devils in the school.
Sona and Rias had always been close friends, so she was worried that something terrible might have occurred.
That turned to suspicion, when Kazami, with a blank look, explained that he might have gone overboard.
She was almost ready to give voice to her agitation when he cut her off, perking up suddenly as if remembering something.
He then went on to correct himself by stating that while the rest of the ORC weren't attending classes, all of them were at the school.
As if to explain everything, Kazami pointed out that he didn't know where anyone lived.
This prompted a visit to the clubroom, where Sona found Rias and the rest of her peerage comatose on the spare beds Rias kept for overnight stays, still in their very dirty gym clothes.
Kazami then had another 'aha' moment, as he asked Sona to help the girls get changed.
Muffled groans and mutterings from Rias as Sona got her changed corroborated with Kazami's story that they had, in fact, just been training under his direction.
Sona Sitri took pride in always carrying herself with proper manners and composure.
So in the end, she did not ask Kazami Yuuji if he was a monster.
She would not, under any circumstances, admit to having entertained the thought.
Today had been a busy day.
Classes were easy, and no girls confessed to him before, during, or after, and he had the day off from Devil work, because Rias was still passed out where he left her.
... That last one made him sound like a villain.
But everyone had wanted to know why four of Kuoh's idols had failed to appear, the teachers were concerned, the fans were concerned, the other Devils were concerned, the Student Council was concerned…
Oh, he supposed those last two were the same group.
Sona Sitri seemed like the serious, no-nonsense type, so Yuuji decided he liked her.
Sona had decided that the existence of Kazami Yuuji was best summarized as a 'headache'.
Yuuji could respect professionalism, and he could respect her apologies for being introduced in less than proper circumstances.
It was kind of annoying when she found out that not only was he the only functional member of the peerage, that state of affairs was his doing.
He liked to think he'd been nice... ish when he was being interrogated.
... Rias might have to apologize for him.
Yuuji's thoughts were occupied with current events, so he didn't notice the small blonde with a too-large suitcase asking for directions in a manner equal parts frantic and shy, receiving only blank stares and confusion in return.
Even if his mind was occupied, however, Yuuji was never completely unaware, so when sudden movement caught his eye, he snapped out a hand and caught her by the back of the belt, as she stepped on the hem of her dress and pitched forward with a squeak.
Suspended in the air, she twisted to face him with a sheepish look as glittering green eyes met his black.
"T-thank you kind sir, could you put me down now please?"
Something was off with her words.
"Oh sure."
Yuuji helped her right herself.
The pretty little blonde brushed off her forest green habit, before suddenly snapping her eyes up with a joyful expression.
"Oh! You understand me! Thank God!"
Yuuji ignored the way her last word, and the cross at her neck, made his skin crawl, narrowing his eyes in thought.
The blonde looked down and away nervously.
"Oops, sorry, didn't mean to stare. Judging by the outfit and the cross, I imagine you're a nun of some kind?"
Yuuji let his expression lighten.
JB always told him his 'thinking face' was unnerving to normal people.
"N-n-no it's fine I didn't mean to be rude! Yes, I've been assigned to the Church in this town recently… are you a resident here?"
Ah, that explains things.
The movement of her lips weren't matching the words he was hearing.
Rias had explained that Devils have the Gift of Tongues, allowing them to speak and understand just about any language.
European descent, affiliated with the Church, but not speaking English, because Yuuji was fluent so Tongues shouldn't trigger.
What were the chances she was all the way from the Vatican?
"I am, did they not send someone to pick you up when you arrived?"
"N-no, they said they were short-staffed and gave me directions. But I made a wrong turn, and I can't speak the language here, so I'm lost."
Yuuji was trying really hard to ignore how cute her embarrassed face was.
Apparently, he was really good at making innocent looking girls cry, but this one was spurring protective instincts he didn't know he had.
"Kazami Yuuji. Yuuji is fine"
"Huh?"
She tilted her head cutely.
Stop that.
"If I'm going to help you find the church, we should at least introduced ourselves."
The nuns hopeful smile was bright enough to make Yuuji feel like he'd committed a crime for breathing the same air.
"Y-y-you'll help me!? Really!? Praise be!"
Chills again.
A Devil thing maybe?
"Oh! My name is Asia Argento, pleased to meet you Mr. Yuuji!"
"Mister? You'll make me feel old."
She blushed again.
"Sorry Y-Yuuji!"
Their conversation was cut short by the nearby sound of crying.
At a nearby park, a young boy was wailing while clutching a scraped knee.
Without hesitation, Asia rushed over and knelt down beside him, even beating the boy's mother there.
It was clear he had no idea what she was saying, but the child calmed at her soothing tone of voice, and she gently moved his hands away from the injury.
A soft green glow emanated from her hands, a pair of silvery rings winking into existence on either of her index fingers.
As Yuuji approached, the light faded to reveal nothing but smooth skin.
Asia patted the boy on the head with a soft smile, telling him to be brave.
He didn't understand a word, of course, but the Sister's expression was so kind that it didn't matter.
The boy's mother had a shocked expression as she tugged her son insistently away, but the boy turned to wave, and Yuuji translated.
"He says thank you, Big Sis."
Yuuji smiled down at her.
Asia's smile was just a bit wistful, before she shook it off, looking up to Yuuji with a little 'tehe' as she stuck out her tongue.
"Sorry I ran off, but I had to help."
Her expression was suddenly guarded as she looked at Yuuji, as if afraid of what he might say.
Yuuji, for his part, gave a simple shrug.
"We should get moving then if we're done here."
Yuuji turned and began to walk, but not before scooping up her dropped suitcase. She blinked in surprise.
"You're… not going to ask?"
Yuuji turned to her with a blank look.
"Asia, how did you heal that child?"
Asia pouted at the deadpan delivery, puffing out her cheeks and crossing her arms.
"You don't have to force yourself to ask, Yuuji."
Yuuji turned to face her fully.
"If you want to share that's fine, but I won't force you."
Asia blinked again. Then, she ducked her head and turned away slightly, twisting her hands together in front of her.
"Then… is it okay if I don't say anything right now?"
Her tone carried a note of shame, as if asking for something she had no right to ask for.
"I don't mind, Asia."
This time, Yuuji gave her a reassuring smile, and she immediately brightened up at that.
Yuuji ignored yet another flash of guilt, as Asia clasped her and together as if in prayer.
"Thank you Yuuji, the Lord must have sent you to take care of me, like an angel."
If she only knew.
Raynare didn't consider herself much of a fighter. Before her Fall, she'd never had to fight at all. But she was at least talented with the powers of a (Fallen) Angel.
Meaning she was the only one to sense it.
Something was coming.
It was off in the distance still, slowly but steadily approaching.
Angels, Fallen or not, had no place in the food chain.
Thus, the feeling of an approaching predator was both utterly foreign and utterly horrific.
'Please don't notice.'
That was the only thought Raynare was allowed to have.
Closer.
'Please don't notice.'
Closer.
'Please don't notice.'
It was some distance away still, near the stairs leading up to the church.
'Please don't notice.'
Words were drifting up to her, but she couldn't make them out.
She wouldn't, couldn't get any closer to look down.
"Thank you so much! Are you sure you don't want to come in?"
"No Asia, that's alright. I have things to take care of, but I'm sure we'll see each other soon alright?"
"Mhm! Thank you so much Yuuji-san! God bless you!"
One word drifted up to her, and Raynare froze.
Yuuji.
Yuuji.
YuujiYuujiYuujinononoYuujinopleaseno
Raynare desperately smothered a sob. That soft smile he'd worn when she'd killed him warred with images of Dohnaseek's mangled form when Kalawarner had found him.
The culprit who'd done it was just below her. With every reason to hold a grudge.
She could only pray he would leave before she couldn't hold her silence anymore.
Knowing full well how useless prayer was for someone like her.
.
.
.
That suffocating aura slowly drifted away. He was leaving.
She was alive.
Raynare stopped trying to muffle the sobs.
Kalawarner greeted the Sister at the door.
She tried to ignore the faint shivers crawling up her spine, or the fact that Raynare hadn't greeted the nun first.
She could tell Raynare was in her usual spot, but she wasn't moving.
Kalawarner wasn't as sensitive to the ebb and flow of magic as Raynare, so that was about as much as she could figure out.
For the moment, she pushed it to greet the far smaller girl, who was toying nervously with her green habit.
"A pleasure to meet you, Asia Argento. Sorry we weren't able to come get you, did you have any trouble getting here?"
The girl relaxed, and brightened up at the question.
"Well, I was a little lost, but a nice young man helped me get here! God must have sent him to help me."
She put her hands together as if in prayer.
"Oh? And did you catch this fine gentleman's name? I would love to the chance to thank him in person sometime."
Kalawarner returned the younger girls smile, her expression a touch more authentic this time.
"Mhm, he said his name was Kazami Yuuji. And he promised we'd see each other again!"
Kalawarner felt her smile freeze in its place.
... That explained why Raynare hadn't moved.
She'd pass the Sister on to Mittlet, and let that brat make herself useful for once.
Raynare needed her.
Tuesday was business as usual for the ORC.
Yuuji blatantly ignored the dark looks his fellow Devils shot him, as they gathered in the clubroom after school, the others still understandably stiff from their first day of training.
This silence was probably one of those 'awkward silences', that JB had mentioned he was often the cause of.
"So, I took a Sister to church."
Rias' head snapped up.
"Don't ever go near a church again."
Anger gave way to a stern, albeit worried expression from his master.
"Churches are enemy territory. They... probably overlooked it if you weren't acting with ill intentions, but approaching a servant of God like that can be seen as an act of war. Any watching Angels could easily justify skewering you with a light spear."
Yuuji tilted his head at the scolding.
"Are we sure that's really a church?"
Yuuji frowned slightly, deep in thought.
Rias' confusion was clear.
"I'm not an idiot Buchou. That cross she was wearing made my skin crawl. I definitely would have died if I had walked carelessly through those doors."
It was Rias' turn to frown, as Yuuji paused to gather his thoughts.
"But... they didn't feel wrong for the same reasons. I can't quite explain it, but the church felt less, pure I suppose?"
Rias' frown deepened.
She then shook her head, as if to dispel her thoughts.
"I'm not aware of any activity from the Church, so it's possible it's defunct and that Sister is here to help revitalize it. It would feel less Holy if it had been left untended for a while."
She didn't tell Yuuji her real suspicions.
No telling what he might do if he had brought the Sister to who Rias thought he had.
Best she steer him away from this line of thinking.
"Please keep my warning in mind. I don't want you hurt okay?"
Rias eased her expression into a warm, gentle smile.
Yuuji scowled slightly and looked as if he wanted to say more, but she pushed things along to cut him off.
"Kiba has been double-booked again, so could I send you to one of his contracts?"
Kiba spoke up.
"I'd appreciate it if you could, Yuuji-kun. The timing has been difficult lately."
Scowling still, Yuuji bit off the words on the tip of his tongue, acknowledging the request.
Without saying anything further, he stepped onto the summoning circle and vanished.
Rias let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.
Yuuji found himself standing outside a small suburban home with a well-kept yard.
Odd, he'd normally appear directly into the room the client was in.
...The front door was ajar.
Immediately on guard, Yuuji crept up to the door and listened in, palming a summoned knife in his right hand.
Silence.
Yuuji slipped in through the door, careful not to let it move.
Ghosting down the hallway, he moved closer to the dimly lit entrance on the right side of the hall.
As he got to the door, the scent of burning wax and fresh blood assailed his senses.
Peering into what was clearly the living room, Yuuji saw a pair of figures.
A slender white haired figure was toying with something he couldn't see, in front of the figure leaning against the wall.
No, not leaning.
The figure was upside down... pinned, with dark shapes stabbed through his limbs.
The empty chest cavity offered some strong hints as to the figures condition.
Slipping quietly into the room, Yuuji positioned himself across from the standing, now whistling figure.
"Don't suppose you asked for a Devil?"
The white-haired man leapt into the air with a yowl and twisted to face Yuuji, but when he did he was tensed, ready to fight.
Dangerous.
"Bah you scared the shit out of me you shitty Devil! Are you the shitty bastard this shitty bastard tried to sell his soul to!?"
Crazed red eyes locked onto a pair of dark orbs, as a handsome young face twisted into a feral, lopsided snarl.
"You need to learn more words."
"Tch! I don't need lessons from some shitty Devil-kun~."
"Devil-kun? Sorry, but no thanks."
"Hahahaha I like you kid! And since I like you, this priest is gonna cut you up reaaaalll good mmkay?"
The now revealed priest cackled while dancing a strange little jig, his dark green embroidered jacket swishing about as he did so.
"Once again, sorry, but no thanks."
"Awwww, don't play hard to get! I thought we were friends!"
He was fluttering his eyelashes, but he couldn't fool Yuuji with the sudden, flippant attitude, try as he might.
Yuuji let out a long-suffering sigh.
"There's probably something I'm supposed to say here. But you're starting to piss me off so I'm just going to hit you until the noise stops."
The priest cackled.
"Not if I cut you first! Let Freed Sellzen take goooood care of Devil-kun!"
Suddenly, crazed red orbs were inches from his own.
A glowing sword that sprung from out of nowhere in his right hand, humming dangerously as it thrust its way towards Yuuji's face.
Yuuji shifted to let it pass, before slicing upwards with his hidden knife.
Freed howled and dropped the sword as Yuuji severed the tendons in his inner arm, but recovered quickly enough to leap back from the second swipe.
"Gah, Devil-kun rejected me! I'm hurt I'm hurt you don't understand a maiden's heart at all!"
Freed was still smiling and squirming, rubbing his legs together perversely as one arm flopped about.
No sense, no feeling?
Freed's smile turned shark-like as his left arm flew into his coat, blurring outwards with a strange gun in hand.
Yuuji hadn't followed, and was too far to reach and intervene.
BANG!
A scream of agony tore through the darkened house.
"Shitty bastard you damn cheater that's my trick Devil!"
Freed was frothing now, and down another functional arm.
Yuuji's left hand had been faster, and more importantly, so had his gun.
Freed's gun, in contrast, was on the floor with a broken, blood trigger guard.
Yuuji had shot right through his hand.
"Now are you going to keep yammering, or do I have to gag you?"
A startled gasp cut off Freed's retort.
Asia was at the door, frozen in horror. Beautiful green pinned to the spot by cold black. Yuuji blinked and the spell was broken.
"Y-Y-Yuuji? What are you…?"
"Kahaahahaa! There's my lovely little Asia-chan! Come fix up your boss, my lovely little assistant-chan! My heart is wounded from bitter, bitter rejection!"
Asia turned to Freed.
"Father Freed! You're-"
Asia's words died in her throat as the scent of death hit her nostrils and the flickering candlelight drew her gaze to the lifeless hunk of meat pinned to the wall.
Predictably, she screamed.
"Hahaha that scream made waking up today worth while! Look close Asia-chan, that's what happens to shitty Devil-worshippers and even shittier Devil-kuns like that one over there! Stray or not, that's what Exorcists like me are for!"
Asia turned to Yuuji, with a look of fear and betrayal.
Even Yuuji couldn't help but flinch.
"No… Yuuji... is it... is it true?"
"It's true Asia."
Yuuji hadn't felt this low in quite some time.
Freed cackled all the louder.
"Sorry Asia-chan! He's going to reject you like he rejected me! Heretics like us have to rely on Fallen Angels to live, and Devils and Fallen Angels never share the same bed!"
Yuuji noticed Asia flinch at the word heretic.
"Shut your mouth Father Freed."
Twin pools of darkness swallowed the rooms' candlelight as the Devil's next words stole the warmth from the room in an instant.
"Or you'll be the next one pinned to the wall."
The two humans shuddered and went pale, ghostly white in the dimness.
To her credit, a shaking Asia stepped between the two men with arms outstretched.
"No! Yuuji isn't like this, Yuuji is kind! Please, don't fight anymore!"
There were tears in her eyes.
Yuuji hadn't thought he could feel any worse.
He really, really didn't like being wrong.
"Haaaah!? Asking a Devil for mercy? Are you crazy bitch!? I'll cut you too you shit-Sister!"
Red light engulfed the room from behind Yuuji, cutting off any further ranting.
"YUUJI!"
Rias cried out, crimson aura blazing. Akeno and Koneko behind her at the ready.
Kiba was already rushing forward with sword in hand, but he made it a single step before skidding to a halt.
"...Why were we worried again? Yuuji is the scariest thing in this town."
His tone might have been flippant, but his tense expression told a different tale.
He took position between Freed and the others, eyes never leaving the bleeding Exorcist.
The two older girls ran up to Yuuji, checking him frantically for injuries, only calming when they confirmed he was safe.
Koneko merely stepped up to his side, briefly leaning against him.
Killing intent from Rias engulfed the room in waves.
"You're lucky my Pawn is stronger than you… I would do far worse if you hurt one of my precious Servants."
"Hwoooooo scary and hot! Hot and scary! This is the best! Thank you very much~!"
Akeno regarded Freed with cold eyes and a strained smile.
"Ara, are those the eyes looking where they don't belong? Shall I shut them for good?"
"Oooh another scary Onee-san! Please take care of me Devil-chaaan~!"
Say what you want about Freed, but he was a brave sort.
Koneko spoke up suddenly.
"Incoming."
Akeno turned.
"Buchou, several Fallen on the way. At this rate we'll be the one's trapped."
"Get the circle ready. We have Yuuji, let's leave."
Yuuji hadn't moved. He was still looking at Asia.
"Asia. You can't stay with a psycho like that."
She smiled sadly.
"Come with us Asia. Please."
Yuuji held out his hand.
"Sorry Yuuji, but it doesn't work like that."
This from Rias. Yuuji whirled on her.
Suddenly, Koneko was right in front of him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and clenching her eyes shut.
"Sorry Senpai."
"Wait dammit! Asia. Asia!"
Yuuji reached out for her too late.
Koneko leapt backwards, hurling them both into the circle just as the red light flared up.
Asia's tearful smile burned into his mind.
Yuuji was silent as they appeared in the clubroom.
He stood there, unmoving, Koneko still with her arms wrapped around him and her head buried in his side so he couldn't meet her eyes.
A hand settled on her head and gently rubbed it.
"It's okay Koneko, you can let go now."
After a moment, Koneko released him, looking up with a guilty expression. She relaxed as Yuuji smile down at her.
Behind them, Rias squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and began to speak.
"Yuuji, I-"
Her words were cut off violently as she was swept off her feet, and across the room, to slam into the wall.
Black eyes pierced deeply, as Yuuji held the breathless girl aloft with her collar clenched in both fists.
He stared, and Rias met his eyes, steeling herself to face the smoldering within.
Only to find them empty and cold.
Somehow, that was far, far harder to face.
"... We left her."
Yuuji unceremoniously dropped her, and Rias sucked in air.
"W-we can't bring her... through the circle."
"You should have left me there then. She's in danger every second she stays with that monster."
"You would have died. I can't let you kill yourself! I'm sure she's a sweet girl, but she's a servant of God. You can't help her as a Devil."
"I've never cared about being a Devil."
Rias wasn't the only one that flinched at that.
"Yuuji…"
"Save it, Buchou. If you say I can't help her, I'll follow your orders. I am your servant after all."
Yuuji curled his lip in disgust before twisting away, flinging himself on the couch.
A stung Rias bit her lip.
Tense silence reigned, for a while, until reluctantly, Rias sent everyone home.
... Yuuji hadn't met her gaze again, even once.
... She couldn't do this.
If they removed the Sacred Gear, she would die.
Kalawarner didn't have it in her to kill Asia.
She was trying to put on a brave front for Raynare's sake, but she couldn't do it.
It was supposed to be one last job.
One last bitter little crack on a pair of tired, broken hearts.
Then they could run, and try to put this all behind them.
This was just too much.
She couldn't kill Asia Argento.
Not this girl who hung on her every word, as if her voice was the only thing that mattered.
Not this girl with a smile like the sun.
Not this girl who still had every right to the title of 'Holy Maiden'.
Not this girl who's only sin was being too kind.
She couldn't do it.
She couldn't fail another innocent child.
So she dragged Raynare out on patrol, to admit that this time, it really was over for her.
She wasn't really surprised that Raynare had been intending to tell her the very same thing.
Out there in the forest, they made their resolve.
They would save Asia, even if it killed them.
Unbeknownst to them, their declaration was not as secret as they hoped.
Unbeknownst to them, someone else had made the exact same decision.
Halfway across the city.
The school day passed by uneventfully.
Yuuji came to school as normal, had lunch as normal, and reported into the ORC after school as normal.
He was nothing but polite.
That was to say, he was polite to her and everyone else.
Nothing more.
As if there was nothing more to Kazami Yuuji than a good student and a good servant.
She had done it to save him.
When they appeared in the house, that had been her one and only concern.
She hadn't planned on damaging their budding relationship, perhaps beyond all repair.
After all, Rias Gremory knew almost nothing about Kazami Yuuji.
The air hung heavy in the wake of a bitter, exhausted chuckle.
... Perhaps there hadn't been any trust there for her to lose.
Akeno stepped onto the landing to Yuuji's house, several grocery bags in hand.
At the ORC she had asked to come over to speak with him, in private.
This had turned into an offer (non-optional) to make dinner when she found out Yuuji's taste in food was 'anything that's nutritious and fills my stomach'.
She knocked on the door, and Yuuji opened up after a few seconds.
"Hello Yuuji-kun, may I come in?"
She gave her most winning smile.
"Be my guest."
No reaction, guess he was playing hard to get.
She'd ramp things up.
"My my, I've never been to a boy's house alone before. Who knows what might happen~."
She put one hand on her cheek and giggled, fluttering her eyelashes at her fellow Devil.
"Dinner, according to the rumors."
Still no reaction.
He hadn't even dropped his blank gaze in favor of one of those little half-smirks.
Akeno pouted a little at that.
She'd made boys too weak in the knees to even stand by batting her eyelashes at them.
Yuuji hadn't even blinked yet.
Maybe she'd get a response from her wonderful cooking.
He didn't know what he'd been missing.
She'd show him yet.
Yuuji knew full well why Akeno was at his house.
Admittedly, it had been a little funny to see her teleport to back to her house upon the revelation that his kitchen was severely lacking in cooking utensils.
Apparently, a bunsen burner and a can opener were inadequate.
They both knew why she was really here, of course.
He must have shocked them all with his reaction to their attempted rescue, and as her Queen and her friend, Akeno was likely intending to speak with him on Rias' behalf.
He understood why Rias had acted the way she did, and frankly, he didn't even think she'd made the wrong call as a leader.
He also felt like he'd acted a more than a little ungrateful about the whole thing.
He just didn't care.
The right call had left Asia to her fate.
Yuuji didn't give a damn about the right call, protecting the innocent smile of people like that was precisely what Kazami Yuuji was for.
Defending people like that was the only reason someone like him had any right to exist at all.
It didn't make betraying the peerage, who had been nothing but kind, any easier, but...
Kazami Yuuji would do what needed to be done, and that was all that needed to be said.
A nostalgic tune was playing through his head, soft humming drifting through the air.
Asia was shaken from sleep by an urgent hand on her shoulder.
Blearily blinking herself awake, she found Lady Raynare at her bedside with anxious look on her face.
Her inquiry was muffled by a gentle finger pressed to her lips.
"There's no time, get ready to leave."
Raynare whispered, smiling softly with one eye towards the door.
"Leave, what do you mean?"
Asia whispered in return.
She still rolled out of bed and fumbled for her boots though.
Asia was an obedient girl after all.
That's how the Church had raised her to be.
"I'll explain later, but it's not safe for you here. We need to get you out of here while the others are gone."
"Not safe, what do you mean? What about the ritual?"
An anguished expression crossed Raynare's face.
"The ritual was never what you thought it was. We... we weren't going to use your power to purify anything, we were going to use the ritual to take your power… you would have died Asia."
"Died? N-n-no... but… Lady Raynare…"
The heartbroken look Asia gave her had tears streaming down Raynare's face.
"I'm sorry Asia, I'm so sorry but we couldn't do it. We can't do it. Your only hope is if we get you out of here now before it's too late."
Raynare sobbed at her, trying desperately to keep her voice down.
Asia had tears in her eyes as well, but she still managed to smile at Raynare.
"I know Lady Raynare, you're much too kind to ever do such a thing."
She might as well have slapped her.
"And that 'we' you keep mentioning is Lady Kalawarner right? She's just as kind as you are, and I know how close you two are."
Asia was smiling still.
Raynare went to pull her towards the door, but she flinched back as Asia reached up to her.
Unperturbed, Asia reached up and let a soft, green glow cover her hands.
She laid a hand on Raynare's cheek, and her now bloody lip healed.
Raynare took to clenching her jaw instead, not trusting herself to speak.
They had just made it to the door when a light, sing-song tone sounded from behind them, in the supposedly empty room.
"Aww, Ray-chan's betraying us for the failed Holy Maiden? How adorable. How sickening."
Raynare whirled, light spear on one hand and the other tossing Asia from the room.
Just in time to block Mittlet's spear headed straight for her chest.
"Sure, drag it out for me. I'll have more fun making you squirm~."
"How'd you get behind us!?"
Raynare snarled, shoving the smaller Fallen, Mittlet, back.
Mittlet had blonde pigtails and a black, maid-style dress, and she might have looked younger than Asia, but looks could be deceiving, especially among the long-lived.
"I was here the whole time, your touching heart-to-heart made me want to puke all over these nice clean floors. Hiding was easy, I was an Angel of Innocence once, and Innocence and Illusion go hand in hand."
As Mittlet gave a sinister smile, suddenly, there were four of her.
In an enclosed space like this, more bodies were usually a hindrance, but Mittlet was small enough for it not to matter and she knew it.
Four pink spears of light came stabbing out from four different angles.
Raynare leapt back, bleeding.
Asia yelled out her name, cowering just down the hall.
The Mittlet clones spread out into the hall, three surrounding her and one approaching Asia with a cheerful skip.
That one immediately took a hurled spear through the neck, but she bled multi-hued sparkles and disappeared in a blinding flash.
Mittlet had obviously been ready for that, because while Raynare cried out and covered her eyes, each of the Mittlet's plunged a cruel spear into her legs.
Raynare screamed as her legs gave way, barely catching herself with her hands.
The Mittlet's leaned forward as one and winked.
Raynare grit her teeth.
Where was Kala?
She had been on lookout at the corner of the hallway.
She found her answer as a blue-haired figure bounced down the hall, trailing blood.
Kalawarner skidded to a halt beside Asia, whose panic shriek was forcefully bit back, as she dropped to her knees with hands already aglow.
The groaning woman's maroon top had a noticeably large hole in its side, one going from front to back.
The pooling blood had already begun to soak Asia's dress as the rings of Twilight Healing did their work.
A low chuckle filled the hall as Dohnaseek strode casually into view, the front of his coat splattered with blood.
"That's right girl, keep her alive. We want Freed to have a warm body to play with after all."
Kalawarner spat blood and dragged herself to her feet, wound still bleeding but slower than before.
"Bastard… you knew from the start didn't you?"
As she spoke, she gave Asia a gentle push back towards the wall, wings flaring to block her from view.
"That you'd get cold feet? Betray your own kind out of misguided sympathy to a glorified pet?"
A harsh laugh echoed through the halls.
"Of course we knew. You two are nothing if not cowards. Too scared to be of any use."
"And that's why Mittlet shadowed you for your little rendezvous in the woods."
The Mittlet's giggled.
"I'm so sad you'd betray me and poor little Donny-chan~. But I never liked you bitches to begin with, and now I have an excuse to cut off aaaall your pretty bits!"
"I'm well aware of your tastes, Mittlet. So, do remember, we did only promise the ape one of them. His little flunkies can fight over the scraps."
Dohnaseek advanced, as the Mittlet's fanned out, a fourth appearing to replace the one that was lost.
Raynare struggled to her feet, propping herself up with a spear.
Asia nervously tried to step forward, but a pink spear drove her back with a yelp as it impaled the ground at her feet, the Mittlet who had thrown it wagging her finger in a scolding manner.
The two other Fallen women looked to each other with grim nods.
Nothing for it now.
They'd just have fight their hardest to let Asia escape.
Akeno blinked herself awake. She was lying on the couch, where Yuuji must have put her-
'Gasp'
The last thing she remembered was a soft voice in her ear and a set of arms draping around her shoulders from behind…
Before wrapping around her neck.
"YUUJI! WHERE ARE YOU!? YUUJI!"
She conjured a small circle beside her ear.
"Rias! Rias, Yuuji is gone!"
"W-whaa!? Akeno what happened where is he!?"
"I don't know, that idiot choked me out and dumped me on the couch!"
"Aaaaggh dammit Yuuji! Akeno, he must be heading for the Church, can you move? We need to get there now! I'll contact the others!"
The panicked voice of her King cut off abruptly.
The Queen rolled off the couch, hitting the floor on hands and knees.
Her vision was swimming, and her head was pounding.
"Gah that- my- no other choice!"
Akeno conjured a mass of ice cold water.
Right above her own head.
Freed was lounging on what had originally been the priest's chair.
It was the only fixture in the church hall that hadn't been broken or thrown about, because everyone got a kick out of lounging in the 'seat of power'.
Freed was dreadfully bored, he'd been promised the blue-haired Fallen-bitch, but the other Fallen had insisted on dealing with the traitors themselves.
Hot was hot, but he was a little turned off by the idea of sloppy seconds, no matter how huge her rack was.
If only something interesting would-
A familiar figure was at the church doors.
Freed sprung to his feet with a gleeful cackle, skipping his way round the altar.
"Devil-kun! Finally responding to my-"
A sharp crack filled the air, so Freed threw out his hands as the floor rushed up to suddenly greet him.
"Eh?"
His leg was splayed awkwardly out to one side.
... Splintered bone and ruined flesh where his knee should be.
"GYAAAHH! Shitty Devil it hurts it hurts not even warning me you damn shitty-"
Pitiless black eyes and a smoking gun.
Three more sharp cracks silenced Freed forever.
It was going to be an easy job.
Guard the Fallen Angels and assist in the ritual to rob some witch of the Twilight Healing.
Get in the good graces of the Lord of the Fallen, maybe even be reincarnated as a Fallen himself.
There had been a delay as some of the Fallen turned traitor, but their plot had been sniffed out and was being dealt with.
He had only to wait.
The not-so-hidden entrance to the basement shrine slid open.
Probably Freed, bored with watch duty up top and looking for a replacement.
What skipped down the stairs was not a fellow Stray Exorcist, but several small metal canisters, some of round, while others had a more conventional tube-like shape.
He wasn't the only one completely unprepared when they reached the ground and went off.
He was one of the unlucky ones.
The cylinders spat thick clouds of smoke.
The round ones, like the one at his feet?
Burning heat and metal and-
She couldn't see.
She couldn't see anything in this smoke.
Just faint flashes of light as guns were fired wildly.
Unfortunately, the smoke wasn't nearly enough to muffle the shouting, or the screaming.
Something moved to her left and she lashed out with her light sword, taking the figure's head from their shoulders.
She had no idea if she'd killed friend or foe, but-
The one who put a hand over her mouth from behind, and slit her throat from ear to ear?
Definitely foe.
A shower of blue and yellow sparks filled the air as she blocked Dohnaseeks' spear with her own.
Kalawarner staggered a step, the aching in her side preventing her from setting her weight properly.
Dohnaseeks' grin turned feral as he swept it back around, drawing yet another bloody line, this time across her cheek.
"Hah for such a big brute of a woman you're quite frail aren't you?"
The bastard was playing with her.
Good.
Kalawarner had lost too much blood to win a real fight.
Raynare was being slowly cut to pieces as well, as the Mittlet clones danced circles around her, giggling like schoolgirls all the while.
Her punctured legs screamed at her, but she desperately struggled to remain standing.
She'd stabbed several copies, but never so much as touched the real Mittlet.
She couldn't outlast her going piece by piece.
So she wouldn't even try.
They were being attacked.
The noise and screams from through the halls must be coming from the inner sanctum.
What were those monkeys doing?
He'd have to deal with it himself.
Right after he'd dealt with his former comrade.
Kalawarner was covered in cuts and bruises, her clothing in tatters and blood oozing.
Her eyes had become glazed and unfocused from the blood-loss.
One solid hit, and she'd slip into unconsciousness.
She was growing desperate in her swings, exhausted from her wounds, and that would give him the chance he needed to win elegantly, and without further risk.
So when she raised her spear above her head for a clumsy overhead swing, he angled his light spear to meet it.
Perfection.
The blow would glance off, she would unbalance, he would hit her across the jaw, scrambling her brain and-
Her weapon crashed through his light spear, and his collarbone, tearing a path downwards.
Blood sprayed from his mouth and chest as Dohnaseek strained to turn his neck down, eyes widening as he found not a spear, but a massive axe of yellow light embedded in his rib-cage.
Struggling, he looked up at Kalawarner.
"But how... you c-can't…."
"I can make other weapons... I just hate doing it because..."
The last thing Dohnaseek saw was the embarrassed flush on his killers cheeks.
This was fun.
This was fun.
This was fun this was fun this was fun.
Raynare was just so pretty.
Angels of Love usually were.
She had always been jealous of those Angels meant to look a bit more mature.
And here she was, stripping that beauty away and painting the pieces red!
Just like before!
With that other Angel of Love.
Just like when she'd been expelled from Heaven!
This was so much fun!
Raynare finally collapsed on hands and knees, her shaking legs finally too weak to support her.
The Mittlet's crowded around her, spears at the ready.
Not to pierce, but to bludgeon all the pretty out of that stuck-up bitch.
Mittlet was too caught up in her fantasies to notice the surge of power.
She wasn't too caught up in them not to scream as from floor to ceiling, the space around Raynare became a forest of spears.
Mittlet's, real and fake alike, were impaled without distinction.
Raynare was still the first body to hit the floor.
Too weak to stand any longer, Kalawarner crawled on hands and knees to where Asia was frantically healing an unconscious Raynare.
Incapable of anything else, she wrapped one of her friends hands in her own.
Asia looked to her with worry.
"Just hold on a bit longer Lady Kalawarner! I.. I won't let either of you die!"
She really was too kind for her own good.
She just hoped that her power would hold out long enough to get at least one ally on her feet.
A battle still raged in the inner sanctum, but with no way of knowing if the attacker was friend or foe, they still needed to be ready to defend Asia.
Something was coming.
Something sharp dragged its way along the walls, muffling the footsteps that surely followed.
SSSSHHHHHHH!
As a blood splattered figure stalked into view with one hand casually grasping a smoking gun, and another dragging a gore-streaked blade across the stone walls, Kalawarner did the only thing she could.
Hauling herself part way up, she wrapped an arm around Asia and pulled her down on top of Raynare, shielding the two with her body and unfurling her wings to envelop them all.
By the time the figure reached them, Kalawarner was already beyond hearing.
The door to the church was slightly ajar, but Koneko's kick still blew it off its hinges in her haste.
Kiba swept into the room with blade at the ready, Rias and Akeno covering him with crackling lightning and flaring Destruction at the ready.
The main sanctum was almost empty, but their eyes settled on its sole occupant as one.
Splattered across the altar was the Stray Exorcist Freed Sellzen, his body leaning against it with gaping holes in his chest, and his tongue dangling from the ruined remains of his jaw.
Rias paled and hesitated, but Kiba ran over to the open trapdoor in front of the corpse without missing a beat.
Faint screams, and the crack of firearms could be heard from down below.
"Here, Buchou."
His tone was strained, but his mouth set in a grim line.
"Lead the way Kiba, but be careful. It sounds like a warzone down there, and I don't want us swept into it unprepared."
"Rias, we need to hurry."
Akeno spoke up.
Rias frowned.
"I know but… I can't lose any more of you."
Her Queen rubbed her back comfortingly.
"I know, but Yuuji needs us. He's strong, but he's clearly an idiot."
Her tone was soothing, but she couldn't quite hide the tremble in her voice.
Koneko spoke up quietly.
"Our idiot."
"Right."
They slipped down the winding staircase as quietly as could be, Kiba several steps ahead.
What awaited them at the bottom was a smoke wreathed hell.
Thick black smoke entwined with lighter grey as the scent of burning flesh and copper filled the air.
Screams, flashes of light and blurry thrashing figures raged through the smoke, the Devils pulling back to avoid the light bullets they'd never see coming.
Ignoring for now, the blood-drenched floor that peeked out from underneath the haze.
Rias made her plan quickly.
"It's suicide to go in blind like that. Akeno, I want you to conjure a wind to blow it away."
"Koneko, Kiba, be ready to rush in and grab Yuuji if he's there."
"The instant I know all of my servants are out of the way, the room will be nothing but ash."
Her peerage gave nods of affirmation as Rias began to gather her power.
Koneko and Kiba tensed, ready to dash forward.
Akeno waved her hands in circles above herself, before stepping back around the corner to send a howling gale into the sanctum.
The smoke was blasted to the far side of the room, and several of the struggling figures were sent tumbling as well.
None of whom were Yuuji. As Koneko and Kiba simultaneously yelled "CLEAR!", several of the combatants snapped their heads towards the staircase.
The others recoiled in shock at their first real look at just who they'd been fighting.
Too little, and far, far too late.
"Burn."
With a roaring wave of black and red light, Rias made good her promise.
The ash fell in silence.
A blurry figure came in to view above her, wreathed by a halo of gold.
An Angel?
No, none of her former family would want anything to do with her.
She blinked a few more times as the figure slowly became more defined.
Leaning over her with a puffy, tear-streaked face and a fatigued, but still radiant smile was Asia.
"Lady Raynare you're finally awake! Oh, I was so worried!"
She was being hugged.
She liked the hug, but by God did it hurt.
"Asia... pain... tender..."
She managed to groan out.
Asia immediately loosened her grip with red cheeks, looking at her with concern.
"Finally... awake... Ray?"
That voice!
Kala!
Kalawarner was laying beside her, covered with an old grey blanket.
From the thickness of her voice, Kala had just started to wake up as well.
As her awareness returned further, she realized one of her hands was occupied with one of Kala's.
She gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"What happened? Did we win?"
"I guess you could say that."
A dull, male voice answered her question.
Raynare bolted upright in horror as recognition hit.
Unaware for now, of the tatters of her dress, or that the blankets her and her friend were wearing were the only things preserving their modesty.
Leaning against the wall by their feet, splattered from head to toe in blood, was Kazami Yuuji.
She froze in horror as dull black eyes met hers.
"Y-Y-Yuuji... I... please don't hurt Asia."
He blinked in surprise, slowly turning his head to look at the Sister, still kneeling at her side.
"Hear that Asia? I guess I have to put all my wicked urges on hold."
Asia's stern eyes were contradicted by the puff of her cheeks.
"Yuuji-san, no one can tell if you're joking when your voice is like that."
"My voice is always like that."
"Which is why you need to be more careful what you say."
"Ara, as much as I enjoy hearing you two flirt, what are we going to do with our darling little Fallen~?"
The last word was spoken with such venom that Kalawarner bolted into an upright position as well, head snapping about to the source of the voice.
Long black hair and hate-filled violet eyes.
A good match for Raynare's, if they didn't belong to one of several Devils filling the room.
Eyes widened with terror, the two Fallen did the only thing they could.
Push back into each other and Asia, throwing out their shaking arms and flaring their wings to block her from sight.
They were going to die.
That much was certain, so they were understandably confused when the redhead, the Gremory at the front of the group merely dropped her forehead into her hand and sighed.
"It's hard to stay hostile when the enemy reacts to your presence by shielding an innocent with their bodies. I feel like the villain here."
"Buchou is scary."
Koneko spoke up.
Asia patted the two Fallen comfortingly on the shoulders.
"Shh it's okay, Yuuji is with them so they can't be bad people."
"Fufufu such faith, I'm a little jealous~."
Akeno seemed to be find that quite amusing, even if the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Untrained."
Koneko said, as if it explained everything.
To be fair, it probably did.
Rias coughed loudly to regain control of the situation.
"The fact of the matter is, you, Fallen, are trespassing. What business have you here?"
Rias spoke in a stern tone of voice, staring down at the Fallen.
This was it, Raynare could tell.
One wrong word, one toe out of line, and they were as good as dead.
"We were here to retrieve Twilight Healing, as well as eliminate several wielders of Sacred Gears dangerous to the Fallen, on Azazel's orders."
Raynare looked guiltily at Yuuji at that last point.
The air reddened, and flickers of eerie black flashed here and there, the Power of Destruction leaking out to singe the air around Rias.
"Strange, because the Grigori representative asserts that Azazel's orders were to observe and not to engage under any circumstance, and the official stance is that the presence of Twilight Healing in Kuoh was completely unknown."
The two girls flinched at that.
Had they been sold out?
Had they been lied to?
What was going on?
What-
It didn't matter.
... They were dead either way.
"As an apology, the fates of any remaining Stray Fallen Angels have been left completely in my hands."
The air crackled as the Devil made her declaration.
Raynare couldn't suppress her shudder.
The two Fallen and one Sister tightened their grips on each other.
"But, one of you has personally wronged a member of my peerage. And so I'll leave the fate of both of you in his hands. Yuuji?"
Three heads slowly turned towards Yuuji, who didn't notice at all wasn't looking at them.
He was busy staring at Rias with a conflicted expression.
"Buchou, can we talk first?"
Rias turned a worried gaze his way.
"Of course Yuuji, any time you need."
The two walked around the corner as the rest of the Devils kept watch.
"Buchou. No... Rias."
Yuuji was staring into her eyes with a frown.
"Yes, Yuuji?"
She had no idea what to expect.
"I need to apologize."
... And any ideas she might have had hadn't included that.
"W-what? Yuuji?"
"I blew up at you because I thought you were abandoning Asia."
"But... you were looking for a reason to help her the whole time, weren't you? I didn't consider your position at all. So, I'm sorry."
Yuuji ended with a deep bow, keeping his head lowered.
"Oh Yuuji, I'm sorry too. I should have explained my intentions, and we could have avoided all of that. I know I let my pride as King get in the way sometimes… I just, I need to prove I can do this."
As she spoke, Rias gently brought his head back up with her hands on his cheeks.
Hands still cradling his face, Rias smiled warmly at Yuuji.
She was secretly thrilled to have that smile returned.
"Have you decided what you'll do with the two Fallen? Any decision you make, I'll support 100%."
She slowly dropped her hands.
His expression cold once again, Yuuji straightened to his full height, and looked her in the eye with a firm nod.
An oppressive weight crept down the hall of Kazami Yuuji stalked back into view, with the Gremory heiress in tow.
He loomed above the two Fallen Angels, and suddenly they felt so very small.
So very helpless.
Those dark eyes held no pity.
Asia tightened her grip, futile though the gesture may have been.
"Buchou, you said I could do whatever I wanted with them, right?"
"Yes, Yuuji."
"Anything at all?"
"Anything."
"Buchou."
The Devils were the only one to notice Yuuji, for the first time, taking a tone of voice that was almost... pleased.
Or perhaps amused?
"Yes Yuuji?"
She, once again, had no idea where this was going.
"Buchou. I'm going to…"
"Yes, Yuuji?"
"Keep them."
"Yes, Yuuji."
Several mouths fell open, as every set of suddenly wide eyes whipped his direction.
""EEEHHHHH!?""
More than a little confused, Yuuji could only stare back.
Yuuji-san, Yuuji-san. They're Stray Fallen Angels, not stray cats.
I had so much fun writing this chapter.
Yuuji is a slave driver, the other Devils are convinced he's Actually Satan, and he has no idea what gets them so worked up.
Training was fun to write, but I had to be careful for them not to accomplish too much in one day. They didn't bring a stereo, so no proper montage for them.
I also had a lot of fun writing the dialogue for the crazy flirty murder priest known less commonly as Freed, too bad the boy's dead. Too bad the other Exorcists are also dead, it was fun writing the grunt's perspective. Asia though.
Asia is too pure. Any and every bad thing that happens to her makes me mad.
Yes, even the things I write.
Lastly, you might have noticed that Yuuji had no negative reactions to killing in this chapter.
For those of you wondering, there's a 'trigger' somewhere in the chapter.
And for those wondering how he so quickly filled the air with smoke and grenades, no airflow, and he shortcutted the process by cheating a little.
That is to say, summoning the grenades already primed. He'd only need a hand to throw each grenade, so he could hurl them out a lot faster.
So, lot's of ups and downs, feel free to share any thoughts, complaints or theories.