There are a pair of minor crossovers in the early paragraphs of this chapter, see if you can pick them out. They don't have any real significance to the story, so think of them as Easter eggs.
"Today, class, I'd like to introduce your new homeroom teacher. As you know, Oreki-sensei's failing health has made it increasingly difficult to perform her duties, and so she'll be on sick leave for the rest of the year."
The principal was handling the manner personally, warming up the class to the idea of the sudden shift.
Everyone had liked Oreki Yuuri, but with how sickly she'd always been, it came as no real surprise.
Of course, Yuuji didn't need to be 'warmed' up to the idea, since he'd barely known his former sensei, and Raynare and Asia could barely conceal their excitement, since they knew the replacement.
That was to be expected.
After all, Rias had delivered on her promise after only a day, just like she'd said.
"So without further ado, please rise and greet your new homeroom teacher, Kalawarner-sensei."
At that, a tall, gorgeous woman with a stern expression and long blue hair swept into the room.
Kalawarner had chosen more modest attire than she typically wore, but as a Fallen Angel, her 'modest attire' could still cause traffic accidents.
Under an open white blazer, a sleeveless, maroon, turtleneck sweater struggled valiantly to keep her huge chest contained.
A short black skirt clung to wide hips, paired with long, dark brown stockings and black heels.
The stern, almost cold expression held for only a few seconds, before softening into a serene, almost welcoming smile.
Yuuji noted as her gentle, hazel eyes swept over the classroom, she took the time to look directly at each and every one of them.
Her soft smile widened a touch as her gaze fell upon his housemates and him.
The class was, bluntly speaking, captivated.
Covering his mouth slightly with the hand on his chin, Yuuji smiled to himself.
He'd seen that same tender, maternal compassion in her eyes when she watched Ray or Asia, and now she was looking at the entire class that way.
"Greetings, class, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Up until now, I've only served as a teacher's assistant, so this will be my first full-time position. That being said, I do look forward to working alongside you all, and I will do everything I can to ensure you have a fulfilling highschool life. So feel free to come to me if you ever need help, my door is always open."
The classroom slowly melted as her rich, earnest voice drifted through the room.
"I have faith in the abilities of each and every one of you, and I promise to do my best to help you bring your talents forth... however."
Everyone, Yuuji included, sat up straight and paid very close attention as that stern edge returned without warning.
"I will not ask for more than you can give, but I will also expect nothing less than your best efforts."
Several relieved sighs slipped out, unbidden, as the smile returned.
With just the tiniest trace of a smug edge, if one knew what to look for.
Sensei had made her point, and she, and everyone else in the room knew it.
The principal seemed delighted.
Idly, he wondered if Kiba, at the front of the class, had noticed.
That Kalawarner as 'Sensei' sounded an awful lot like Rias as 'Buchou'.
... They were even equally easy to tease.
Yuuji could remember the storm she'd blushed up when trapped in a sobbing pile made up of Asia and Raynare.
Kalawarner; cuddly and affectionate, but only when sleep was involved.
At the prompting of the principal, Kalawarner wrote her name on the board, eliciting a few murmurs from the class.
'Amano' wasn't her surname any more than it was Raynare's, but since she and 'Yuuma' were practically family, Rias had decided it would be simpler if they were actually presented as such.
Laying out the established background as an older half-cousin whom Yuuma lived with while studying, Yuuji watched the black-haired Fallen Angel in front of him shiver a bit.
Amano Kalawarner had just firmly stated that while the two of them were close, within the classroom she was a teacher before all else.
What the class didn't know is that she'd told all three of her housemates that very same thing the night before.
That handily silenced any whispers, and seemed to put the principal at ease, for he left shortly after.
Satisfied, Yuuji turned his attention to the lesson that was just beginning.
After all, he wouldn't want to set a bad impression and trouble his brand-new Sensei.
The day flew by, and, surprising no-one, the new Sensei was a big hit.
Kalawarner had no trouble proving her abilities as a teacher, easily captivating the majority of the class with even the simplest of topics, and displaying a knack for keeping everyone up to speed.
Never once did she single out a student outside of individual study, but Kalawarner seemed to pick up on sources of confusion within the room, subtly re-framing the topic until everyone was on the same page.
Even still, while he didn't think any of the normal students noticed the cause, Yuuji was grateful when the bell rang.
Yuuji tapped a hand on Raynare's shoulder, and met her worried gaze with a firm nod.
One by one, students said their goodbyes and left the classroom, subtly hurried along by the shimmering circle rotating on the ceiling, imperceptible to those without power of their own.
"Kiba, we'll catch up. Get the door on the way out, would you?"
Kiba gave a small, tense little smile, thanked his Sensei for the lesson with a polite bow, and quickly left the room.
Yuuji, Asia, and Raynare were the only ones left with Kalawarner in the room.
As Raynare strengthened her hasty barrier to mute sound, as well as continuing to discourage entry, Asia's concerned fidget became significantly less subtle.
Yuuji, however, simply met the gaze of his new teacher.
"Kala. You're among friends. You've been strong enough for now."
At his words, the blue-haired Fallen finally let her smile shatter, allowing her hidden emotions to shine through
As her face fell into her hands, Kalawarner sank slowly to her knees... soon, muffled sobs filled the air, and the younger girls rushed over to her in a panic.
Yuuji didn't know what had happened the last time Kalawarner had been a teacher, of course.
The ending just wasn't all that hard to guess.
"Take as much time as you need. There's something going on in the clubroom that won't wait, so I need to go on ahead. Don't wait up, alright?"
Yuuji was leaning against the wall, not really comfortable with joining in on the huddle of girls, kneeling on the floor.
"I-I'm sorry Yuuji-sama… I thought I would be fine but... but the children..."
"It's alright, Kala. You don't have to go through with this if you're not ready. Take some time to decide, and no, I'm not going to ask. You can tell me what's wrong if you feel comfortable, but I won't force you."
Yuuji put a hand on her shoulder as he spoke.
"...Okay, Yuuji-sama… thank you."
Kalawarner had stopped crying by now, but she was still trembling like a leaf.
Raynare and Asia still had their arms wrapped around her, but she lifted her tear-streaked face to offer a weak, shaky smile as Yuuji turned to leave.
Outside the door, Yuuji took a deep breath, setting aside the issue with his housemate for now.
He had somewhere to be.
"Get your hands off me!"
The angry voice of Rias could be heard through the door.
"Now now, is that anyway to treat your future husband?"
A deep, arrogant voice drifted into Yuuji's ears.
The hand on the handle of the clubroom door tightened, and Yuuji took one more breath before throwing open the door.
He had wanted Raynare and Kalawarner here.
They would have obeyed standing orders to hold Yuuji back if necessary, he was sure.
The Occult Research club room had never been this crowded.
But for a moment, there was only two people in the room.
One was that bastard that had his arm around a very angry Rias.
Time ground to a halt as someone sharply inhaled.
Yuuji had seen the picture… the red suit… the neat blonde hair...those arrogant, smiling eyes.
They were not the same person.
But the man on the couch could have been Oslo's son, for all the resemblance they bore. He could almost feel those deceptively smooth hands once again, and that voice whispering honeyed words in his ear.
My my, Yuuji-kun... dressed up like that, you look just like your sister.
Just. Like. Kazuki.
A deep breath.
Steady now.
Stick to the plan.
From his place at the door, Yuuji watched as someone crossed the room in the blink of an eye, pulling Rias off the couch with one hand.
The other hand was made into a fist, a fist used to break the blonde man's nose with enough force to upend the couch he had been sitting on.
Grayfia's quiet, exasperated exhale snapped Yuuji out of his daze.
The rest of the room were all busy staring at that someone.
"Oh, that was me."
Yuuji vaguely realized that his knuckles had become bloodied at some point.
The lookalike lying on the floor hissed and clutched at his nose.
The room, it seemed, had become almost unbearably hot, so perhaps the AC was broken.
Yuuji turned his head slowly to the dumbstruck redhead he was still holding by the wrist.
"I'm hurt, Buchou, did I do something to make you angry?"
Rias snapped out of her stupor at being addressed.
"Y-Y-Yuuji? What do you mean?"
"If you're going to have a barbecue, you should have invited me."
He spoke in the same dry tone as usual.
As Rias tilted her head in confusion, Akeno covered her mouth with one hand, eyes twinkling.
"A barbecue... Yuuji, I don't know what you're-"
Rias was cut off.
"I just assumed that was what you were doing. Why else would the entire room smell like fried chicken?"
Yuuji wasn't confident on that, but he was pretty sure the corners of Grayfia's mouth had twitch upwards.
Several snickers filled the room.
At that point, the man on the ground staggered to his feet, his nose snapping itself back into place with a sickly crunch.
The heat in the room rose abruptly as one of his hands ignited, crackling flame surging up his sleeves.
"You lowborn trash! Insult me, then lay your filthy hands on me you disgusting-"
Suddenly, the room went cold.
Kazami Yuuji had yet to move.
Grayfia Lucifuge, however, was standing just behind the man in red.
"Enough. Both of you, control yourselves. If you wish to incite hostilities here, I will not remain silent."
As one of the women standing behind him righted the couch, the newly named Riser flung himself back on to it with a huff, Yuuji belatedly releasing Rias from his grasp.
"Sorry, Grayfia."
"If the Strongest Queen says as much, even I can't help but be a little concerned. I'm here to pick up my bride, not burn trash."
"Like I've said time and time again, I will not marry you, Riser!"
Rias was glaring daggers at the man lounging on the couch.
"You say that, Rias, but the situation with your family is quite dire, is it not?"
Rise smirked at her, waving a hand as if to brush aside her objections.
"Even still I-"
Yuuji cut off Rias once more, cocking an eyebrow and looking at her in surprise.
"You're getting married, Buchou? Should I send flowers?"
Rias flinched, looking at Yuuji in shock.
"No, I-"
"Rias, Rias. You're heir to the Gremory family, shouldn't you be considering what's best for them?"
Riser spoke up again.
Before she could answer, Yuuji cut her off once again.
"Indeed, Rias-sama has quite the burden to bear. Even if she's promised to the great house of Phoenix, we, her humble servants can't help but be concerned for her. Perhaps, Phoenix-sama, we could request a small demonstration to help put our minds at ease?"
Rias and the rest of the peerage were staring at him in surprise at the sudden change of direction, but Yuuji ignored it.
Remaining turned towards Riser, he lowered his head respectfully, with one hand above his heart.
A wide-eyed Riser had curled his lip at the sudden shift in tone, but at those last words his sneer turned vicious.
"So your dog is a little bit trained, Rias? Thank you for volunteering, by the way. Mira, show him."
At the snap of his fingers, a girl with two blue twintails and a wooden staff tensed and stepped forward, twirling her weapon.
The second she did so, a cold gaze locked on to hers.
Black eyes dancing with an eager, cruel sense of anticipation.
The promise of an inevitable, miserable end.
... Mira was dimly aware of her knees hitting the floor, unable and unwilling to take even one more step.
A terrified shiver crawled down her spine as her hesitance was met with a brief flash of disappointment from the 'volunteer''.
Riser watched his newest Pawn tremble and cower, as Rias' Pawn glared at her from where he stood.
"Tch. Useless Pawn. Isabela!"
A tall woman with a half mask strode past the Pawn who had now spent several moments quivering on the floor.
Before she could approach, Grayfia cut through the tension with a stern wave of her hand.
"No more. Riser-sama, this was expected. If this can not be discussed civilly, then the heads of your Households have arranged a last resort."
Rias turned to Grayfia in surprise.
"Last resort, what do you mean, Grayfia?"
"Ojou-sama, if you wish to put your opinion forward, why not settle things with a Rating Game against Riser-sama?"
Rias was speechless.
Riser merely laughed.
"That's the perfect chance to house train her pet, so I'll accept. However, an immature Devil like her can't compete in an official Rating Game. That too is fine, since I wouldn't want to tarnish my bride's record before she's even completed her peerage. I of course, accept."
An arrogant laugh followed his declaration.
"But an unofficial Game is allowed for household problems… haa... just how much are Father and the others willing to interfere in my life?"
Rias sighed as if defeated.
"Do you intend to decline then, Ojou-sama?"
Grayfia inquired in her calm tone.
For a heartbeat, Rias remained silent.
Then she aimed a challenging smirk at Riser.
"No, if this is the chance I'm given, then I'll take it! I've had enough of them trying to control my future!"
The room was flooded with her killing intent. Riser smirked back at her.
"Ten days, Rias. Ten days to prepare these meager servants of yours, so that you can't use your inexperience as an excuse when there's nothing left of your pride but ashes."
Rias flared up with furious red light leaking off her body.
Before she could do anything more, Yuuji stepped forward and bowed.
"Thank you for easing our worries, Phoenix-sama."
"Tch. If you had kept your mutt on a leash, I wouldn't have to humiliate you like this, Rias."
With a wave of his arm and a dark glare, Riser, along with the girls in the room, disappeared in a whirl of flame.
Grayfia curtsied politely towards Rias, before sending a faintly reproachful look towards the dark eyed boy in the center of the room.
Yuuji gave an apologetic shrug as she disappeared with nothing more than a whisper.
Yuuji watched the spot where Grayfia had vanished, and then turned suddenly, silencing whatever Rias had intended to say with a finger over her lips.
"Hold that thought, Buchou. There's something that requires my attention for a moment."
Before anyone could say anything, Yuuji left the room, the door handle creaking ominously as he did so.
The other Devils in the room were left staring in bewilderment at the place where he'd left.
Kiba shattered the tension with a cheerful laugh, relaxing his shoulders.
"It really is hard to blame Yuuji-kun for acting out. I kept having to talk myself out of removing the arm draped around Buchou. With a sword."
Koneko echoed the statement with an empathetic nod, and Akeno's signature smile held a dangerous edge.
Before anything more could be said, however, those left in the room jumped in surprise as violent crashing, and the splintering of wood echoed through the halls.
Several bewildered seconds later, Yuuji returned with his usual blank expression in place.
… His right hand a mess of blood and wooden splinters.
"Hmm, the walls are flimsier than they look. Buchou, do we have any bandages handy? It seems I scraped myself when I tripped."
As he made his request, Yuuji examined his wounds with a critical eye.
"Yuuji! Are you okay? What was that about!?"
Rias made to move towards him, eyes locked on his mangled hand, dripping on the floor.
"Rias."
His tone brought her up short.
"A Rating Game was always your last option. Riser had no reason to accept, so I provoked him a little."
Rias calmed down almost immediately. Smiling fondly at her precious servant.
"You scared me."
"Sorry, Buchou."
"No, it's fine, but… how did you know?"
"If I can tell how unwilling you are, then it's safe to assume your parents can. I've read up a bit on unofficial Rating Games, so I took a gamble hoping something like this was in place."
"I… I understand. Sorry for doubting you, Yuuji."
Rias smiled at him, before her expression turned serious.
"It's not going to be easy, though. There are 5 of us and 16 of them, and Riser has almost never lost a Rating Game. Do you understand what fighting a Phoenix means, Yuuji?"
A ghastly chill up her spine as Yuuji's smirk widened into something cruel and hungry.
In the darkness of last night, the malice her Pawn kept hidden had seemed surreal, dream-like.
This time, she was very much awake.
"Yes Buchou, I do. It means that no matter what I do, I can't kill Riser Phoenix."
Yuuji chuckled, and the temperature in the room plummeted.
"Guess I'll just break him instead."
Ten days.
After asking Rias if she had a suitable location for them to train, Yuuji had asked her if he could take a leading role in planning their time.
She'd hesitated, but Yuuji cut through all that with a simple entreaty.
"Your orders please, Buchou."
As if drawing strength from his request, Rias had straightened to her full height with a dramatic sweep of her arm.
"In the name of Rias Gremory, give us the tools we need to claim victory, my beloved servant!"
He would keep it to himself, but Kazami Yuuji rather enjoyed receiving orders he wanted to follow.
Not that it mattered in the end.
There was too much at stake for his feelings to matter in the slightest.
Yuuji was not so arrogant as to think he knew all there was to know about Rias Gremory.
So he'd just protect the Rias he knew, in the hopes of also protecting the Rias he didn't.
That, and Riser really did have an uncanny resemblance to him.
Yuuji liked to think he wasn't the vindictive sort, but he still intended to hit Riser until the similarities disappeared.
No hard feelings.
SMACK
She had deserved that.
Wincing, Rias put a hand to her cheek.
"Akeno, I'm sorry… I was just.. ."
She had just confessed to Akeno what had happened, what had almost happened, with Yuuji the night before.
Her Queen and best friend had reacted predictably.
"I know, Rias, you were just desperate… but I still have every right to be angry."
"You do. I'm so sorry I shouldn't have tried to sleep with Yuuji but I panicked and-"
"Rias, I'm not mad that you tried to sleep with Yuuji."
Wait, what?
Rias must have misheard.
Seeing her confusion, Akeno's frown gave way to a teasing smile.
"I'm just angry you tried to sleep with Yuuji first~."
Akeno was a Devil.
The idea of sharing Yuuji was one she had considered, and while part of her was aghast at the idea of sharing Yuuji, another part of her had a wild imagination and saw all sorts of potential with extra bodies available.
Mostly though, Akeno was still wrestling with the bit of guilty excitement she felt at the idea of Rias specifically joining in.
While she hadn't had a lot of opportunities to experiment, Rias would be likely be shocked to know just how many of Akeno's fantasies included her.
The house was quiet when Yuuji returned.
Raynare and Asia were in the kitchen area where they were busy preparing dinner, while Kalawarner sat at the table grading the coursework from the day.
She gave a start when she noticed Yuuji, before awkwardly staring back at her papers.
Raynare and Asia looked his way as well, feeling the awkward air in the room.
"Are you going to be okay, Kalawarner?"
She cringed upon hearing her name, and looked up him hesitantly.
Kalawarner closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath.
"I… believe so, Yuuji-sama. I was caught a little off guard, but I think I know what to expect now. Forgive me for acting like that, it won't happen again."
Yuuji shook his head.
"It's fine, we won't mention it again if you're okay. So, have you decided?"
"Yes, Yuuji-sama. I… it was hard at first, but I was happy. I... wish to continue."
Kalawarner met his eyes firmly.
"Having Kala-san as a teacher makes me so happy! It's so great that all of us can be together even at school!"
Asia chirped brightly from the kitchen, her usual sunny smile in place once more.
"Yeah, together is definitely best."
Raynare gave an over the shoulder smile, hands preoccupied with the stove top.
Kalawarner smiled fondly at the two girls, before looking up at the silent Yuuji.
He was watching the back and forth with an oddly wistful expression.
Eventually, he seemed to realize that the focus had shifted his direction.
He remained silent a little longer before making his thoughts known in a soft voice.
"Together, huh? I'll look forward to it."
It was faint, but for a moment he returned the smiles directed his way.
The house had seemed warmer as of late.
Yeah... he could get used to this.
Kalawarner was a little surprised that Yuuji hadn't asked about her reasons for breaking down in the classroom.
After a moment though, she realized that this was likely to be the norm for him.
It wasn't hard to believe that someone so secretive would respect the secrets of others.
He had made it clear, after all, that he would listen when she was ready.
Truth be told, she wasn't, and wasn't confident that would ever change.
By now though, Kazami Yuuji had made it clear he that he would accept her moving at her own pace.
It seemed that for the longest time, it had just been her and Raynare in a cold world that would never spare them more than a passing glance.
Now, her world was slowly growing brighter, and warmer, and of all things, she had a Devil and a Human to thank.
Yes, she could get used to this.
Raynare's desires were simple enough, and having a full, happy home satisfied most of them.
It had been a long time since she could feel safe, and a long time since she could smile freely.
She had Kalawarner by her side, and now she had Asia and Yuuji as well.
Yes, she could get used to this.
Asia had never had a family before.
A 'Holy Maiden' was expected to be content with God's love, and spare no thought for the love of those beside her.
She had been cast out and betrayed once before, but now she had people who were willing to fight for her, and already had.
Yes, she could get used to this.
So when Yuuji sat them down after dinner and casually explained that, in order to protect Rias, he had goaded an immortal bird into a death match, Asia knew.
Knew that she was powerless to help.
Knew that if things went wrong, she would lose her family and nothing she could do would change that.
Not as she was.
Yuuji had accepted that they would be joining the training, since Raynare and Asia were members of the Occult Research Club and Kalawarner had been made it's advisor, but had made it clear they would be involved no further.
It seemed Yuuji considered this a personal problem.
That had made Asia angry, and she could tell that the other two girls were angry as well.
Angry, but moreso saddened that Yuuji didn't seem to even consider that his problems might matter to them as well.
That's what family was…. wasn't it?
Nevertheless, Raynare and Kalawarner were technically Stray Fallen Angels, so their assistance in this 'Rating Game' would never be allowed, even if they weren't simply killed for showing themselves publicly.
She had different circumstances, however.
Unknown to her family, Asia Argento made her choice.
For the first time, she had something to protect of her own.
Rias was sitting at her desk in the clubroom, having just finished her after school preparations for her household's 10 day leave.
The Gremory's owned a 'cabin' (small mansion) up in the mountains, so they'd be training there for the 10 days they had until the Rating Game with Riser.
This was the first day of that period, but since they couldn't leave right away without causing a stir, they'd be heading out after the lunch break.
So she was surprised when knock on the door caught her attention.
"M-may I come in, Buchou?"
"Asia-chan? Is that you? Please, come in."
"E-excuse me then."
The sole human member of the ORC opened the door, furtively closing it behind her as if scared of being overheard.
Rias gently took the initiative, hoping to put her at ease.
"What can I help you with, Asia-chan?"
Asia took a deep breath and shut her eyes as if working up her courage.
When her eyes snapped open, she loudly cried out.
"I-I accept your offer Rias-san! P-please, make me a Devil!"
... A dumbstruck redhead stared at the blonde now bowing her head towards her.
.
.
.
An awkward silence filled the room, as Asia's nervousness returned.
When she finally looked up, Rias had a serious expression.
"Why so suddenly, Asia?"
Privately, she was thrilled that Asia was accepting.
Rias was feeling desperate, after all, but she wanted, needed to make sure it was for the right reasons.
She sat patiently, waiting for the former Sister to speak.
"I've… never had a home before. I've never been to a proper school, I've never been in a club, I've never had friends, and I've never had people who cared about Asia Argento."
... Rias could relate to that far more than she was willing to let on.
"But now Yuuji is going off to fight, you all are, aren't you? Rias, I've never been saved by anyone, and now those people who saved me are in danger."
She was right, of course.
If Rias married Riser, her days of living in the Human world were probably over.
It went without saying that that would include her servants, and without Yuuji around… those left behind would be alone against the world.
"And… I can't do anything to save them. Rias, I finally have a chance at a family, and I can't do anything to protect them! So please! Let me help, let me get stronger, let me fight for those I care about! I can't… I can't lose them."
Asia was trembling now, and as tears streamed down her reddened cheeks, her voice withered into a choked whisper.
Rias swiftly rose from her desk, coming around it to embrace the smaller girl.
"Okay… I understand. I'm scared of losing my family as well. But this is a big decision… are you really sure? Devils can't even pray without suffering, you know?"
"I know but… I wouldn't be the same Asia who prays to God every day if I didn't do everything I could for those I love. So please, Rias."
Rias let out a long sigh in response.
"When you put it like that, it's hard for me to say no. Alright, Asia Argento. Prepare yourself. From this moment on, you'll be reborn as my new Bishop, and faithfully serve I, Rias Gremory, as my servant forevermore. Do you accept?"
"Y-yes! I, Asia Argento, promise to serve Rias Gremory faithfully until the end of my days!"
The woman who made her declaration shone with a hidden radiance, and Rias found herself before a Holy Maiden once more.
A moment's pause before Rias went to her desk, solemnly drawing forth a single white chess piece.
The bell rang for third period, and Yuuji had just returned to school.
They had all been given permission to go home during lunch to gather their things, and Raynare and Kalawarner had accompanied him.
Surprisingly, Asia hadn't, but she'd insisted she had something to take care of, and would meet them at the clubroom when it was time to leave.
She had asked Raynare to bring along her bag, which she'd packed the night before.
Whatever it was, she seemed a bit nervous, but Yuuji was confident that if she was in some kind of trouble, either he or the two Fallen Angels would find out quickly enough.
So he'd leave it be for now.
The three of them entered the old school building, and found that they were the last to arrive.
He didn't fail to notice, however, that everyone seemed rather nervous when he'd shown up.
Rias, Asia, Kalawarner and Raynare more so.
Come to think of it, the two Fallen had been a little nervous during lunch, but he'd dismissed it as worries over the upcoming Rating Game.
Awkwardness reigned for a little while longer, as Yuuji's patience steadily dwindled.
"Spit it out."
His irritated tone made several people flinch.
"Yuuji… I… w-well, you see…"
Rias was fidgeting with her hands. Asia took a deep breath.
"No, Buchou, I should be the one to say it. Yuuji… I."
Words failing, Asia let out her new set of wings.
His eyes widened for a brief moment, before his face became impassive once more.
No one was fooled.
"I see."
Panicking, Rias and Asia both tried to speak up at once.
He cut them off with an outstretched hand.
"Was it your choice, Asia?"
"Y-yes."
"Alright then."
"You're… not angry?"
"No Asia, I'm not angry at you."
Seemingly inferring his meaning, Rias tensed.
"Yuuji, I can explain."
"Save it."
She recoiled at his tone, her own voice adopting a desperate edge.
"Yuuji, please…"
"You can't be mad at Buchou, Yuuji! She didn't ask, I wanted this!"
"Why, Asia?"
"Because I was afraid you'd be against it Yuuji-san. You and Ray-san and Kala-san protected me, so I want to be able to protect you as well!"
Asia stood firm as she said so, meeting his eyes defiantly.
Yuuji shook his head with a short, bitter sigh.
"You didn't have to ask, Asia… I just wanted you to make the choice for yourself."
"Then… you aren't...?"
"No, Asia, I'm not mad. And I'm not mad at you either, Buchou."
Rias, who had been looking guiltily at the floor, perked up at that immediately.
"T-that's great! I'm so sorry I didn't say anything but-"
"Doubled."
Rias tilted her head in surprise.
She wasn't the only one.
"Doubled? What do you mean, doubled?"
"I've been looking down on people unintentionally, it seems. I apologize, and have every intention of making it up to you. And so, I'm going to make things right, starting today."
A chill air swept through the room at Yuuji's vicious smirk.
"And since I want to make sure that I'm treating everyone fairly, that means no more holding back. So to be safe, I'll be doubling everyone's training plan for the week."
Perhaps Yuuji was the vindictive sort after all.
They were currently hiking up a long mountain path.
Yuuji led the way beside Rias and Akeno, while the rest trailed further back.
At the end of the group, Kalawarner and Koneko strolled side by side, occasionally making the odd comment to each other.
While all of them had backpacks of various sizes, Koneko was the only one with a backpack significantly larger than she was.
Yuuji was impressed by the little Rook.
Simple strength and stamina could carry one far.
Truthfully, they didn't have all that much luggage.
So, despite it being unnecessary for their stay, Yuuji had 'rounded out' the bags with several liters of water, tailored to each person.
Simple strength and stamina.
Nothing at all to do with his promise from back in the clubroom.
As he looked back over the rest of the group, Yuuji caught Rias' concerned face from the corner of his eye.
Seems it was still bothering her.
Without looking at her, he spoke up.
"By the way, I meant to thank you, Buchou."
Surprise flitted across her face.
"Thank me? For what?"
"After you offered to let Asia join your peerage, you didn't push the issue, even once. She hides it well, but I think she's been a little overwhelmed. So thank you for being gentle with her."
Rias smiled as he spoke.
"It was no problem, Yuuji. I was a bit surprised for her to come to me like that, but I can't help but admire her determination. Frankly though, I'm baffled that the Church was able to turn their back on a sweet girl like that."
"Me too Buchou, me too."
"Their loss, isn't it? The clubroom gets a little brighter every time she walks through the door."
Akeno spoke up with her usual, gentle smile in place.
The manor house (Yuuji felt Rias had a poor idea of what constituted a 'cabin') was just starting to come in to view then, so Yuuji picked up his pace, shaking his head at the two girls when they quickened theirs to match.
"First day's mostly mine, so I'm going on ahead, Buchou. Get everyone together, please"
"Okay, Yuuji."
"Ufufu, starting the fun early?"
Yuuji jogged on ahead as the two girls went back to the others.
They hadn't been that spread out, but by the time they crested the final hill onto the plateau where the manor sat, Yuuji was nowhere to be seen.
His backpack was sitting on the porch.
Noticing something, Kiba jogged past the others, reaching the stairs first.
Resting up against Yuuji's pack was a small note with a handful of words written on it.
'Heads up.'
Not wasting any time, Kiba yelled a warning and twisted, a huge, conjured blade, wider that his shoulders, slamming into the ground.
Too big to effectively wield, but it wasn't meant to be.
Something splattered against his impromptu shield.
Kiba chuckled, recognizing the sound as the paint 'simmunition' rounds Yuuji used during training.
The girls immediately grouped together, Rias, Akeno, Raynare and Kalawarner forming shield spells in a circular formation, the two smaller girls between them.
A few more paint rounds impacted, everyone searching for the source.
From afar, Yuuji's voice rang out from somewhere in the trees.
Vainly, they tried to pinpoint his location.
"I'll be kind and let you drop your bags off in your rooms. Kiba, take mine please. You all have fifteen minutes before I start shooting again, so I recommend getting changed before you come find me. Training starts now."
Raynare raised an eyebrow at Rias.
"Was he always that fast?"
"Not quite, but this area has been used for training purposes before, and so the boundary is set up to treat the surrounding area as enemy territory. Promoted to the Knight like he is, Yuuji is almost as fast as Yuuto."
"Ara ara, our junior is as merciless as ever~."
Akeno seemed to be enjoying herself.
"I am looking forward to training under Yuuji-sama."
Kalawarner spoke up then, her tone neutral.
"Brace yourself, Kalawarner-san. Yuuji-senpai is scariest when he's in charge."
Koneko was watching the treeline with slitted eyes as she spoke.
"I-I'm, I'm a little nervous, but I'll do my best!"
"That's all we ask, Asia-chan. Now you all heard my servant, let's get moving!"
Rias and Kiba crouched in a low ditch, senses straining for any sign of movement.
They had been in one big group, but when a careless step tripped a thin line near the ground, they'd been forced to scatter as the dense forest filled with smoke.
None of the casters had the time to make any progress towards scattering the smoke, as the activation of their spells created light, a weakness Yuuji wouldn't hesitate to take advantage off.
For all they knew, they were the only ones left standing.
They weren't even sure who had made it out of the smoke.
They weren't sure how long it had been since then, as the forest had remained eerily silent.
Suddenly, the two of them nearly jumped out of their skin as a shrill scream split the air.
"Asia-chan? If that's her, we should go to her. She could be hurt."
"Careful, Yuuto. While I agree we can't abandon her, that's probably just what he's hoping for."
"Good call, Buchou. That's definitely something I would do."
Rias and Kiba both froze at the third voice which had chimed in.
Crouched on the other side of Rias, Yuuji returned their horrified stares with a slight smirk and a carefree wave of his hand.
"Yo."
After almost an hour, the group emerged from the woods, exhausted and dirty.
In theory, they were supposed to find and capture Yuuji, but after being separated he'd hunted them down one by one.
Asia had been very apologetic, as the rope snare she'd been caught in had served to lure in several of them, even if Yuuji had quickly released her, seating her comfortably in the clearing and asking her to remain quiet.
"Not a bad start, just remember to take the environment into account when you fight. Everyone seems to work pretty well independently for the most part."
As Yuuji spoke, Akeno rubbed her head sheepishly at the word 'environment'.
She had reacted to a sudden noise with a bolt of lightning, and Yuuji, from hiding, had patiently waited for her to put out the small fire before shooting her in the back.
"Don't want to overload everyone on the first day, so Buchou, I think I'm done on my end for now."
"Alright then, Yuuji. Everyone, get your rooms in order and get cleaned up. and we'll meet in the dining room. I will be in charge of dinner tonight."
"Yes, Buchou!"
The group responded before splitting off.
Nine days until the Rating Game.
The first full day of the training camp started bright and early, with Yuuji leading the group on a run down a game trail he'd scouted out, while hunting them through the forest, the evening before.
It stung their pride just a little to know that he'd been multitasking so casually.
After breakfast, they divided into two groups, Rias overseeing sparring practice while Akeno led lessons on magic.
For the majority of the first day, those two would be running the show, as Yuuji had no experience in magic whatsoever.
"Focus, you two. Imagine the demonic energy in your body to be something akin to a current, and direct the flow towards a specific point."
Akeno leaned up against the table in the small meeting room, wearing a black jersey.
"A current, huh? Easy enough."
Perhaps because it was Akeno speaking, Yuuji imagined lines of electricity tracing through his body, sending 'signals' much like a second set of nerves.
Concentrating, Yuuji imagined the current redirecting towards his outstretched right hand.
"I did it!"
Yuuji opened one eye towards Asia beside him in a white jersey, as she was looking in bright-eyed wonder at the orb of green light floating above her hands.
Fittingly, the magic gave off a vague feeling of comfort.
"Ara ara, Asia's a natural at this after all."
Asia blushed at Akeno's compliment.
"My, looks like Yuuji-kun has it figured out as well."
Yuuji opened his other eye, to find a small, dull gray orb floating in the air.
Unlike the warm glow of Asia's magic, his seemed cold, and didn't give off any light to speak of.
It was also golf-ball sized, whereas Asia's was somewhere between that of a softball and a volleyball.
"Now, the next step is manifesting your power as one of the natural elements, such as fire or water. For a beginner, though, it's usually easier to manipulate an already existing element, like so."
As she spoke, Akeno held out her had above a water bottle on the table, and with a soft shredding sound, the water formed into spikes of ice, destroying the bottle from the inside.
"Now you two try."
Akeno placed too more water bottles on the table.
Asia stuck out her tongue in concentration and directed her orb over towards the bottle.
"Please break."
Heeding her polite request, the bottle did just that, slowly splitting apart and falling outwards, as the water slowly expanded outwards into the shape of a ball, too big for the bottle to contain.
Almost gently, the ball of water lost its shape, spreading onto the table below.
"Fufufu leave it to Asia-chan to break something gently. Well done."
Akeno giggled and smiled, while Asia looked both proud and bashful.
Yuuji stared at the water bottle for a moment, his magic still hovering.
After a moment, his eyes narrowed.
A short delay followed, the water bottle giving a sort of shudder as the water within it swirled about.
The swirling intensified as Yuuji's frown deepened.
Suddenly, the bottle ruptured, spraying water everywhere as Asia let out a little shriek.
"My, what a mess you've made, Yuuji-kun. But good job."
Asia, it seemed, wasn't far behind Rias or Akeno when it came to magical power.
Yuuji had significantly less, but after his first attempt, had no issues accomplishing simple effects.
It seemed that his power was very straight forward and precise.
Asia never failed an exercise, but she often seemed surprised at how she'd accomplished it.
Akeno seemed to enjoy that.
Kiba and Kalawarner were trading blows with bokken, in a wide open field.
Kiba was a step above in terms of skill, but the slightly taller woman had good instincts, seeming to be able to predict his strikes quite well, even if he was restraining his speed a fair bit.
While the jersey (maroon, as usual) she was wearing didn't make it immediately obvious, Kiba was starting to notice that she actually had a fair amount of muscle mass.
Every time they clashed head-on Kiba felt like he'd hit a wall, so likely Koneko was the only one who could match her in power.
A hang-up of hers was becoming more and more apparent, however.
How to broach the subject without being impolite?
After parrying a strike, Kiba hopped back to create some distance.
"You have good defenses, Kalawarner-san. You'd make quite the Rook."
Kalawarner paused, relaxing her stance.
"Thank you, Kiba-san. I'm still surprised how fast you are, even for a Knight. I'm having difficulty keeping up."
Kiba accepted the compliment with a slight nod.
"If you don't mind me asking, Kalawarner-san, why are you hesitating so much? You're not attacking nearly as much as you could be."
Kalawarner looked down and away, as if caught.
"I…"
Kiba sighed as she hesitated. Best be careful now.
He tucked his bokken under his arm and closed the distance.
"I know you don't have a lot of reason to trust me just yet, but if we're to be allies I want to change that. And while I don't want to push... I think it's okay to speak up if something is bothering you."
His voice was gentle as the Fallen Angel looked at him with one eye.
Seeming to relax a bit, Kalawarner spoke in a low voice.
"I'm... strong, Kiba-san. I'm tall, and quite… s-sturdy for a woman, so it is easy for me to hurt people. I am used to being careful, but sparring like this still makes me a bit nervous. I know I'm not acting as your teacher right now, but I can't help but think of you as my student, so it is difficult for me."
"It's nice to have such a gentle Sensei."
Kiba smiled at her, as she lifted her head up with a jolt.
"But, I'm used to sparring with Koneko-chan, so you don't need to hold back quite that much. I promise not to hold a grudge, so it's okay to let loose a little bit, Kalawarner-san."
The woman in question was silently watching him for moment, as if weighing his words.
Then she smiled gratefully at him, before setting herself with a determined stare.
"Then here I come, Kiba-san."
Kiba hopped back, raising his sword in front of him while smiling eagerly.
Kalawarner lowered her sword behind her as she closed in, before sweeping upwards in a massive strike.
Kiba sidestepped easily enough, though he blinked in surprise at the heavy rush of air, leaving him a little slow to respond to the next attack.
Kalawarner shifted her weight and swept in from the side.
At the last second, he braced behind his sword and leapt up into the air, so when her strike hit, he was launched away, turning in the air to land on his feet.
Raising his sword once more, he-
Stopped and snickered, just noticing the crack on his bokken.
Brought up short by his chuckles, Kalawarner reddened.
"I'm sorry, Kalawarner-san. Looks like I've been a little too rough with this one."
Kiba jogged over to the duffel he'd brought with them to fetch a new sword.
A sudden thought struck him.
"Kala-san, Fallen Angels can make weapons other than spears with their light, can't they?"
... Why was she so red?
He didn't think he'd said anything that strange.
"Y-yes…"
"Can you? I think a longer weapon would suit you, but I'm not sure a spear would be the right choice. Maybe something like a…"
Not quite looking at him, Kalawarner mumbled something.
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
Kalawarner mumbled again. Kiba jogged over towards her.
"Kalawarner-san?"
Still mumbling, Kalawarner raised her volume a little, poking her fingers together bashfully.
"I can… but it's embarrassing. It's… not very ladylike."
Smiling patiently, Kiba shifted himself slightly, positioning himself to block view from the other side of the field, where Rias was having Raynare spar against her, while Koneko leaned up against a tree, taking a break.
After a sheepish pause, Kalawarner held out her hand in front of her, and a soft yellow light appeared.
It stretched out in a line towards the ground, before taking shape and beginning to solidify.
With her hand resting on the top of the blade and the pommel resting on the ground, in Kalawarner's hand was an axe made of yellow light, almost long enough to reach her ribs.
Flaring upwards near the top, the axe-blade was wide, with the bottom having a more pronounced hook shape to it.
Kiba took a half step back, looking thoughtfully at it.
"Aha! I've got it. Kalawarner-san, mind taking your wings out for a moment?"
Kalawarner tilted her head at his request, but complied, blinking in surprise as Kiba snapped his fingers.
"So it is the same shape, that is pretty."
Kalawarner turned red and began to stutter, squirming and fidgeting as the Gremory Knight spoke in that casually charming manner that made him the dream boy of almost every girl in his school.
"Y-you… think it's p-pretty?"
"Yeah, I didn't know an axe could be so graceful. Sensei has a cool weapon."
She blinked once more at his words and smiled, hesitant at first, but quickly becoming more genuine.
When Kiba grinned return, however, the implied challenge was impossible to miss.
"Now, let's see you use it."
CRASH
Splinters flew everywhere as the tree shattered from the impact of a tiny fist.
"Oi, Koneko. Aren't you supposed to be holding back?"
"I am holding back, Yuuji-senpai. Don't die."
Her next attack, a roundhouse kick tore through the air as Yuuji leaned back.
Catching her wrists, Yuuji flung his upper body back, resulting in Koneko being flipped over him to land in a bush.
"That one was pretty good, Koneko, you're definitely getting faster."
Yuuji twisted and grabbed her by the neck of her yellow jersey, easily hoisting her out of the bush.
The Rook piece might have made her incredibly tough, but it actually didn't make Koneko any heavier.
"Let's go check on the others, we got pretty far into the bush."
"That's because you kept running away, Senpai."
"That's because I like life, Koneko. I'm not very good with the Rook piece yet."
They walked through the woods, returning to the main clearing in time for Yuuji to meet the dazed eyes of Rias, her head and shoulders on the ground, while her legs were up in the air.
A slender set of black sleeved arms, wrapped around her waist, provided an explanation for her odd position.
"A German Suplex? Nice move, Akeno."
Giggling as she released the redhead, Rias fell one direction with a groan while Akeno rolled the other way, coming to her feet.
Dusting herself off as she went over to help Rias off the ground, Akeno giggled again.
"My win, Rias, looks like the score is back to even."
The two were talented, Yuuji would give them that.
While they hadn't done much hand to hand training, the two of them were picking it up rather quickly, in part due to their constant competition with each other.
Rias was the better striker and had slightly more reach, being a couple inches taller, but Akeno had a knack for throws and locks, and was actually the most flexible of the entire group, seemingly in defiance of also having the largest bust size.
Yuuji didn't know it, but said defiance really was the reason behind it.
Nearby, Kiba let out a slight puff of air as his back hit the ground, smiling up at the smaller blonde who had just flipped him.
Asia wasn't at the point where she could actually spar, so she was mostly practicing some basic self-defense at this point.
She was making decent progress, in the sense that she didn't apologize every time she pulled off a successful throw or strike.
"You're getting better, Asia-chan. Drop your knees down a little more when you step in next time, the more of my weight you can use against me the easier it will be."
"Y-yes! Thank you, Kiba-san!"
Having dusted off her red jersey, Rias got everyone's attention, the two Fallen Angels having just finished a sparring match of their own.
"Alright, everyone. The sun's starting to set, so let's stop here for now. Good work, everyone. Riser will be no trouble at all if we keep at it like this."
Everyone had worked up quite an appetite, so dinner was a lively, extravagant affair.
Rias and Yuuji had both taken breaks throughout the day to hunt, and so fresh fish from Rias and a small deer that Yuuji had shot graced the table.
Kiba, it seemed, had an interest in botany, and had gathered wild herbs to use as spices.
When questioned on the subject, it was revealed that he was one of the primary student caretakers of the Kuoh Academy greenhouse.
"Hmm, Akeno is definitely marriage material."
Akeno had done the majority of the cooking.
"Ufufu~."
From behind a raised, slender hand, rich, pleased laughter drifted from between Akeno's lips.
"This soup reminds me of home though, did one of you three make it?"
Yuuji turned his head to the left, where his housemates were sitting together.
Asia meekly nodded.
"It's good, Asia."
"I-it is!? I'll make it at home, so I can be Yuuji-san's...too."
Asia was squirming as she looked down at the table.
"Hmm? Say again, Asia?"
"N-nothing!"
Asia waved her hands, stammering.
Yuuji raised an eyebrow and returned to his food.
From the head of the table, Rias spoke up after taking a sip from her green tea.
"So, everyone, how was progress for the day? Akeno, give me your thoughts on your lesson first, please."
"Asia-chan is quite good with her demonic power, and she has a lot of it. She's one of the rare types who can bypass the process and go straight for the result."
Raynare seemed a bit confused, but Akeno seemed to pick up on that and smoothly began to elaborate.
"Usually when you cast a spell, visualizing how you'll complete a task is an important part of focusing your power. In Asia's case it's largely intuitive, so for most simpler effects, deciding she wants to do something is enough to achieve success. Put another way, she doesn't need to decide how to cross the river, she only needs to decide to cross the river. A lot of mages would be jealous of her."
Raynare nodded her understanding.
"Raynare's magic is like that as well. The phrase 'I just did it' seems to come up a lot with her."
Kalawarner chimed in from the other side of Raynare, who stuck her tongue out playfully.
"I'm not surprised. Yuuji, on the other hand, is boring."
Akeno winked as she said that to take the sting out of the remark.
"He doesn't have a lot of magical ability, but he's an efficient problem solver so he has no issues at all with control. Magic works in a very linear fashion with him."
Yuuji nodded with crossed arms.
"Magic is a tool, I like to know how my tools work."
Akeno grinned as he spoke.
"See? No sense of wonder at all."
Rias chuckled softly at her Queen's words before shifting to her Pawn.
"What do you think, Yuuji?"
"10 days isn't an awfully long amount of time, but we're making decent progress because of how talented you all are. Ray and Kala fit in just fine on that front. We'll keep up the morning runs, but most of you don't need a whole lot of conditioning work. From here on I think I'm going to push us to focus more on fighting at a disadvantage, since …. Whatsisname's peerage is so much bigger than ours."
"Whatsisname? You mean Riser?"
"That's what I said."
There was silence for a moment.
"Yuuji-senpai forgot his name, didn't he?"
Came Koneko's dry remark, the first words she'd spoken during dinner.
"We're a team, so it's fine as long as one of you remembers."
The dismissive tone, coming from Yuuji was oddly comforting.
Maybe because he always so serious.
Then again, maybe his voice was just like that.
"Well, I think we've made a good start. Let's enjoy the bath after the meal. Open air baths truly are wonderful."
"Ara, I hope Yuuji-kun will join us. Washing my new boyfriend's back could be fun~."
"I don't mind if it's Yuuji-kun."
Rias smiled indulgently towards the black-haired boy.
"We're okay with it too, right Asia-chan, Kala-chan?"
Raynare nudged the two girls beside her cheerfully, and while Asia blushed and ducked her head, she nodded after a short pause.
"Yuuji-sama is our master, so if that is his wish I have no reason nor desire to refuse."
Kalawarner's formal tone was marred a bit by her colored cheeks, and sudden interest with the opposite wall.
Yuuji looked at the only girl who hadn't spoken up. The white-haired Rook raised an eyebrow.
"No thanks, Senpai."
"Thanks for the rescue, Koneko."
Yuuji gave her a thumbs up gesture, which she returned.
"Aww, doesn't Yuuji-kun want to see us naked? I'm hurt."
Akeno tone was light and teasing, but her smile was struggling to remain in its place.
"You don't understand at all, Akeno. Baths are supposed to be relaxing, and too many beautiful women makes that impossible. I am a man, after all."
"Words like that are dangerous, Yuuji-kun."
Akeno's disappointment had vanished though, so he'd take it as a win.
It soon turned out that Yuuji had been on the mark with his earlier comment.
While Kiba was quiet enough company, the thin wooden wall dividing the genders did little to muffle the noise all the girls were making on their side of the bath.
He had no intention of admitting it though, that despite the noise, Yuuji found the baths to be relaxing nonetheless.
A little bit of racket wasn't so bad... when friends were involved.
Later that night, out in the forest, away from where training had taken place.
A figure stood in the small clearing, casting a long shadow in the moonlight.
Resting in the patch of gloom, something once warm and full of life lay prone, slowly cooling in the night air.
Grasped in a dark, heavy glove, a smoky vial filled with some dull liquid was raised above the small form lying before it.
As the vial tipped, the liquid drained down, immediately begin to hiss and bubble, devouring flesh and fur.
The standing figure nodded as if content, and let the vial fall.
Soon, the clearing was empty once more.
A light from the living room caught Yuuji's attention as he headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water.
"Ara, you're still awake, Yuuji?"
Rias was sitting in the living room, a tea light casting a soft glow over the room.
She was wearing a red negligee and a familiar set of glasses, her crimson hair in a loose ponytail.
Yuuji supposed that the light was more personal preference, since as creatures of the night, Devils didn't need illumination of any kind, no matter how deep the darkness.
"Just about done for the night, Buchou. Was just getting some fresh air."
"Well your timing is good, come, sit with me for a bit. It's not often you and I can chat together by ourselves."
"Excuse me then."
When he made his way for the couch opposite her, Rias shook her head with a smile, patting the empty cushion beside her.
Yuuji took the seat, maintaining just a little distance between the two of them.
Meaningless, because Rias shifted in an attempt to get more comfortable, a motion that left her hip in just the barest contact with his own.
"I've seen those glasses before. Do they help you focus?"
"Something like that, fufufu. They're perhaps proof of how long I've stayed in the human world."
Yuuji shifted his focus to the table before them, covered in papers detailing maps and formations.
Battle plans?
Yuuji scanned them over with some interest, as Rias watched quietly.
"We're lucky to have you, you know. It's reassuring to have a master who puts so much thought into our battles."
Rias smiled when he spoke up, but it had a bitter edge to it.
"Not too long ago it was made abundantly clear that underestimating my opponents puts my precious household at risk. These, though? Not much more than a distraction to ease my mind."
"What do you mean, Buchou?"
"I know of two ways to defeat a Phoenix, and honestly I'm not sure we're capable of either, Yuuji. We can't win without defeating the King, but what can we do against an immortal?"
"If I were even half as strong as my brother, I could overwhelm his regeneration in a single strike. But that's beyond the me of right now, and like you've said Yuuji, I have the most firepower out of all of us. We could also take him down again and again until the pain wears out his mind, but he's an experienced warrior with an untold number of lives, while the six of us just have one each. And that's not even taking into account how outnumbered we are."
Yuuji remained silent, watching her closely as an explanation slowly tumbled forth.
"It was… difficult to hear that Riser would be my fiance. I don't doubt that Outo-sama and the others chose him expecting things to happen this way. Even if I wanted to challenge my fate, what choice do I have against an opponent I have no hope of defeating? It's as if this was all meant to be a lesson, a reminder of a destiny I can't escape."
Rias drew out a long, shuddering breath.
"This is why I love the human world so much. Here, I can just be Rias. Here, I can pretend that the name Gremory won't follow me wherever I go. I'm proud to be a Devil of the House of Gremory, but sometimes, that name feels like a chain around my neck. The Underworld will never see the girl behind the name, and after the marriage, no one will ever see her again… I don't want to disappear, Yuuji. I just want the chance to live a life of my own."
She trailed off then, hugging herself as if to ward off an unseen chill. Eyes distant, full of a quiet sorrow.
"Sorry, but I don't really understand the name 'Gremory'."
Yuuji's gaze drifted away from that lonely, forlorn smile.
"'Buchou' is nice and all, but I think 'Rias' is more than enough for me. I kind of want her to stick around, so I guess I'll just fight anyone who disagrees."
It took a few seconds of silence for him to realize that Rias was staring at him in open-mouthed astonishment.
Suddenly uncomfortable for reasons he couldn't quite explain, Yuuji averted his gaze once more.
Even then, he wasn't quite done.
"I mean, that's what you asked me to do… isn't it? No one has ever asked to be saved by someone like me."
Still no response.
Slowly, he turned his head back to find her holding both hands over her reddened cheeks, radiant blue eyes staring in wide-eyed fascination at nothing in particular.
"... Did... did I say something wrong?"
"N-no! It's nothing!"
He'd really tried his best there, but why was she panicking?
This was difficult.
"Thank you, Yuuji."
He blinked several times as she gently cupped his cheek with one hand, a small smile on her face.
When she released him, Rias shuffled closer, leaning her head against his shoulder.
They remained like that for quite some time until Rias fully began to relax, slowly beginning to doze off, the last thing she heard was one final, whispered request.
"It's the duty of your Pawn to protect you, always. So please, Buchou, leave that gaudy bird to me. I owe you everything, so let me try returning the favor, even just a little."
He wasn't quite sure if Rias had heard all of that, as she had finally drifted off completely.
But from the content, almost innocent smile on her face, Yuuji supposed she'd heard enough.
After waiting to make sure she was fully settled, Yuuji carried her up to her shared room with the other girls, slipping in without disturbing anyone.
As he pulled the blankets over her, he looked up to meet Akeno's knowing smile.
No actual words were spoken, but she mouthed a 'thank you' in his direction.
A return nod, and Yuuji slipped out of the room without a sound.
Alone with his thoughts once more.
It had been over a week since they'd come to the mountains.
They trained from morning to night, and sometimes continued after dark.
Each day started with a run through mountain trails, led by Yuuji.
Any 'breaks' on the run were stops to do various exercises such as push-ups or lunges.
A few hours after breakfast often involved magic lessons from Akeno, with Raynare and Kalawarner joining in after the first day.
After a half-serious suggestion from Raynare, some of Akeno's magic lessons had turned into games of hide-and-seek, utilizing the illusion magic that Akeno was teaching Asia and Yuuji.
Raynare participated as well, though she didn't seem willing to share where she'd picked up the basics from.
Akeno and Raynare had playful personalities that meshed well with 'mystical shenanigans' as Raynare put it, while Asia had a vivid imagination.
Akeno had quite aptly surmised that having a way to defend herself without causing harm to anyone would suit her, and she'd proven to have a knack for it.
Kalawarner was passable at it, but it was clear it would never be her strong suit.
Yuuji, however?
Yuuji was boring, which actually worked slightly in his favor at times, because as long as he was trying to create something 'realistic', realistic is what he'd get.
He had a good eye for detail, and as long as it wasn't anything larger than a fair sized bush, his magic could faithfully duplicate it.
Anything larger and it would start to fray at the edges, even with Promoting to Bishop.
Akeno also helped them find and start to develop their magical affinities, or magic and elements they had the most aptitude for.
Gentle Asia displayed perhaps the most potential of anyone when it came to barriers, but she was also fairly skilled with natural elements.
Not to the same degree as Akeno by any means, but the width of the gap was made to seem wider than it was by her lack of aggression.
Between her magic and her Twilight Healing, Asia was shaping up to be an incredibly powerful supporting player, though predictably, she'd likely always struggle with the idea of actually harming another, well, anything.
Yuuji's didn't have an 'affinity' so to speak, but once getting a better handle on channeling his demonic-power, he was noticeably able to improve the performance of any weapons he summoned from his Arsenal Memoir.
Kiba used his power in a similar fashion to enhance his Sword Birth.
As Fallen Angels, both Raynare and Kalawarner had a natural affinity towards light that no Devil could wield, in a sense their 'internal light' fulfilled the same function as the demonic power of the Devils.
Though, it was better suited for being shaped directly, the most basic function being light-spears.
Raynare had a high aptitude for creating and shaping multiple light-spears, and seemed to be able to perform at a reasonable level for any magic she tried, though why she never made weapons other than spears was a topic the Fallen Angels were hesitant to address.
She was also the fastest and most maneuverable in the air, though she couldn't keep up with Kiba on land.
Kalawarner had her axes, and was good at creating barriers, but mostly her light was instinctively used for strengthening her body, part of the reason she was so strong.
As Kiba had pointed out, she was pretty much on par with Koneko in that regard, though a geared a bit more towards defense.
Yuuji's Rook Promotion and Akeno's Rook trait for her Queen Piece put them a step behind, with Yuuji being skewed towards offence, while Akeno's was mostly used with defence in mind.
Kiba's talent for swordplay had continued to integrate some of Yuuji's less orthodox ideas, to the point where his effective range with Sword Birth was almost on par with one of Yuuji's pistols.
He'd become quite adept at throwing or launching swords, and had even started to show a slight ability to change swords he had already created, though at this point it was mostly things like increasing the length or weight a bit as he swung.
He was also becoming more willing to improvise and play dirty, or as Yuuji bluntly put it, as a Knight had 'gotten over himself'.
Koneko's fighting style had become significantly more acrobatic, the little Rook far less likely to move in straight lines, all the while tightening her movements, allowing her to become an even more dangerous infighter than ever before.
She was also better able to use the environment as she closed in, meaning she took less hits overall in the early stages of a fight.
She'd become stronger as a Rook, meaning that to she had to hold back her power a fair bit when going hand to hand with anyone but Kalawarner or Yuuji.
Outside of Promotion, though, Yuuji's advantage mostly was skill and experience when it came to an outright fistfight.
Akeno had worked hard to increase her aptitude with the Rook and Knight traits of her Queen Piece, and while she still favored the Bishop, now had a reasonable skill level with all three.
Her Rook was mostly used for enhancing her defensive magic, so while Asia showed promise, and Rias was skilled as well, Akeno was still firmly in the lead in that regard.
This made her the first responder when shielding the group as a whole was necessary.
The speed enhancement of the Knight had made her the second fastest in the peerage (though she was just about tied with Raynare overall), with Yuuji being more nimble when Promoted, but capable of less overall speed.
Curiously though, Yuuji noted that despite her being a Reincarnated Devil, Akeno, like Raynare, best demonstrated her agility while airborne.
Rias had perhaps been putting in the longest hours of anyone, working hard as King to lead her household as efficiently as possible.
This required her to be constantly on top of any advances the others made, so as to understand how to effectively utilize their talents at all times.
Yuuji had helped her quite a bit in the early days, but stepped back from it more and more, freely admitting that her talents as a leader were quickly outpacing his ability to teach.
By the fifth day, she was receiving the occasional tip from him at best.
That seemed to make him quite happy, and her a little flustered, as he openly stated that few things were more reassuring in the field than a skilled commander.
Her Power of Destruction already responded quite well to her will, and Rias had worked hard on focusing her power to more effectively fight someone like Riser.
While she chose to believe in Yuuji's promise, she had no intention of thrusting all the burden on him.
Rias was a King, not a princess in a tower.
Thus, with concentration she could found she could make the Power of Destruction linger slightly, clinging to a target and devouring it like a ravenous, oily flame.
At most, she could make it cling for about 10 seconds, but even then, the damage was horrific.
Taking things in a different direction, she'd also picked up on infusing Destruction directly into her limbs, allowing her to transfer it directly into her strikes.
Akeno had begun developing the same technique with her lightning, though both would require more practice to use it on the fly.
The two third years had also made some reasonable progress in hand to hand, though they weren't quite to the point where they could consistently match dedicated melee combatants like Kiba or Koneko.
Even still, sparring matches were now less likely to end abruptly if distance was lost, and Yuuji had stated their skills had risen from 'nonexistent' to 'almost adequate'.
Towards the older girls, that was high praise indeed, since Yuuji restrained the harshness of his tongue quite a bit less.
He wasn't a very good junior at times.
As a group, they'd worked hard on various formations for both attack and defense, as well as their coordination as a team.
Up until that point, the household had mostly fought as individuals, carried through on their talents, but they still had a tendency to hesitate without Rias to give the go ahead.
Several 'team exercises' had been Rias' sole Pawn ruthlessly quashing that little quirk.
No one had quite caught on as to why, but Yuuji was always the last to retire for the night, often by several hours.
On more than one night, he would wander through the front door late into the evening, covered in dirt and with a strange, stinging odor clinging to his clothes.
Most of the time, when questioned he'd respond with a flippant 'just needed some air', but on the last night, Akeno had risen from bed for a glass of water, only to burst into the living room as Yuuji staggered through the front door, leaning heavily against the door-frame.
"Yuuji!? Where have you been!?"
Akeno rushed forward in a panic, throwing an arm around Yuuji to support him as he wobbled.
"Breaking the Geneva Convention."
His voice was thick and raspy as he spoke, his body leaning heavily into hers.
For the first time, his mask slipped, and Akeno could see the bone-deep weariness that had set in.
Just how little had he slept?
How had they not noticed?
How had she not noticed?
Just that morning, Kiba had expressed concern over never once seeing his roommate in the mornings.
True, Yuuji was an early riser, but there had to be limits.
"Ara? I don't understand what you mean, but… that's enough, Yuuji. Why are you going so far?"
As she spoke, Akeno lead him towards the couch.
"I made a promise. Going this far is the least I can do to fulfill it. You've all worked too hard for me to do any less."
As they sat down, Yuuji tensed slightly, but didn't resist at all as the raven-haired beauty continued to pull his head back.
A soft sensation as Yuuji found himself looking up at Akeno, his head resting on her legs, left mostly bare from the short, tight black nightie she wore.
She smiled tenderly down at him, one hand running absently through his hair.
"Fufufu, I've been looking forward to this."
"I'm kind of dusty right now."
"You've been trying so hard, haven't you? Just rest for a bit and let Onee-san pamper you."
"...I suppose I'll be in your care, then."
Soft fingers continued to comb through his hair as Yuuji's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, his lack of resistance an obvious hint at his exhaustion.
"Say… Yuuji-kun?"
This wasn't really fair of her to ask right now, but... just a moment of weakness was fine, right?
"Hm?"
"If… ff I was the one in danger… would you come save me too?"
"As many times as you need."
As if he had no more words left to say, Yuuji closed his eyes and drifted away before she could reply.
Savoring his peaceful, sleeping face, Akeno reached down to gently brush a lock of hair away from his face.
Gentle lips graced his forehead with feelings left unspoken.
The last day of the training camp started like any other.
But for the first time, there were a pair of absentees, and for the first time, Rias was the one leading the morning run.
After discovering the reason behind it, though, no one could bring themselves to complain.
For now, they would let the pair sleep.
The return to Kuoh happened all too quickly. But they were ready.
Someone was trying to take away their King's future.
Time to take it back.
This chapter ended up being a bit bigger than I thought, because I kept getting ideas for scenes to flesh out the cast more. The wordplay between characters is always fun for me to write, so I put a lot of work into it.
We see that as usual, Kazami Yuuji deals with stress in a wholesome and constructive manner. RIP Wall-kun, you will be missed.
Finally, good timing for Yuuji and Rias to have significant interaction that wasn't primarily Yuuji tormenting the poor girl, and Akeno manages to get a bit of skinship in after being cockblocked by Koneko. Who was also the real hero there, by the way, Yuuji nailed it when he said baths are supposed to be relaxing. Another good scene for highlighting the differences between Yuuji and Issei.
And yeah, I was planning the classroom scenes for a while, Kala-sensei doesn't have to put up a brave front to keep Raynare stable, so she's allowed to feel feelings and confront her many issues. Because I'd feel like I was wasting my time if I posted a chapter without any past trauma in it. As a side note, Kalawarner's complex about her size was largely influenced by Medusa's complex about her size (from the Fate franchise). Because it was adorable, and kind of funny to find out that they were tall by Japanese standards, which set a lower bar than I'm used to.
As always, thank you to all who read, and thanks to those who reviewed.
I'll see you in the next chapter when the Gremory's go bird-hunting.
PS. Yuuji better step up his game, or Akeno will build the harem first.