Many things in this chapter just kind of happened on their own, and somewhere along the way, I realized that this story as a whole ended up more slice-of-lifey than I originally intended.
But while there are some areas where I think the pacing could have been better, overall, I think the tone of the story is working pretty well.
To N4M1-505, my guest reviewer(s?); that thing you're hoping for, with your bae? Well, it's on the way.
Hehe, that rhymed. But seriously, summer is gonna be hella sexy for our cast, and at least two of the explicit scenes I have planned involve Kala.
As for the TV-tropes page, yeah, might be cool, but I'm not gonna make one. Something about making one for your own work seems wrong to me for some reason, though I'd definitely offer input if someone else did.
She held the garment against her chest, gripping one of its sleeves and twirling about with it as if it were an imaginary dance partner.
Her smile merely brightened at a quiet knock against the door, even as her dance continued.
"That you?"
She called out in a cheerful, lyrical tone.
"Indeed it is, may I?"
"Of course, come on in!"
Her gentle smile widening as she slipped into the room and shut the door behind her, Kalawarner watched fondly as Raynare twirled about.
Discarding the dress she was holding in midspin, she took Kalawarner's hands in her own without missing a beat.
"Someone's excited, did Yuuji-sama tell you the plans for today?"
"Nope, isn't it great!?"
"Anything that can make you smile like that is a wonderful thing in my books, Raynare."
"Ehehe~ love you too, Kala."
Raynare pressed in and pecked Kalawarner on the cheek before releasing her, spinning away to once more scoop up the dress she'd decided on.
"Think he'll like it?"
The younger Fallen asked, holding it up proudly as Kalawarner seated herself on the desk chair.
"Ah, I'm sure he will, Raynare."
Her soft smile firmly in place, Kalawarner lightly shut her eyes, listening to the whisper of fabric and the humming of her oldest, dearest friend.
Raynare had never seemed so radiant, so happy as she did in this moment.
Kalawarner would be eternally grateful to Yuuji for his part in that.
He'd never quite fully put his misgivings to rest about the idea of dating multiple women.
Then again, he'd never imagined he'd fall in love, not again, not after Asako had passed and left just him and JB.
Though… the idea that multiple girls would fall in love with someone like him was still the most shocking.
Yet here he was, and… he'd never have it any other way.
Smiling slightly, Yuuji rolled up the hems of his pants, his shoes and socks already neatly discarded.
"C'mon Yuuji-kun, hurry up!"
The beautiful young woman dancing about in the shallow creek called, giggling with joy.
Raynare had chosen a pure white sundress with a low neckline and wide, billowing skirts that swirled about in the warm breeze, her wedge-heeled sandals discarded by the shore.
As she danced, the warm spring sun shining from above illuminated the thin fabric, teasing at the outline of her slender white legs.
"Sorry, I was just distracted by how pretty you are."
"Jeez, why do lines like that work when you say them?"
"I've heard that sounding serious all the time helps you come across as sincere."
Yuuji calmly suggested, stepping into the cool water of the creek to join the dancing Fallen.
"Must be it."
Raynare agreed with a smile, taking his hands and spinning them both about.
She found herself quickly and pleasantly surprised as Yuuji casually took the lead in their impromptu dance, giggling in delight as he lifted her into the air by her waist, spinning them both about as he did so.
"I didn't know you could dance!"
"I didn't know I enjoyed it."
Raynare laughed merrily at that, and privately, Yuuji was rather proud of being the cause.
… Perhaps not privately enough though, if his dancing partner's knowing wink was anything to go by.
Of course, none of this made dancing on the slippery stones of a shallow creek any safer, but when Raynare slipped, Yuuji merely leaned with her, one arm still around her waist, and the other catching her kicked up leg just below the knee.
"Oops?"
Raynare giggled meekly, their faces inches apart as Yuuji held the low dip.
A heartbeat later, her expression turned playful as Raynare pulled his head in closer and touched her nose to his.
Yuuji rolled his eyes as the Fallen in his arms giggled.
As she was pulled upright, Raynare pressed up against Yuuji, wrapping her arms around his trunk and laying her head against his chest.
"Hehe, Yuuji-kun sure is dependable."
She murmured, taking comfort in the steady sound of Yuuji's heartbeat.
"I try."
"So, not that a forest picnic isn't amazing or anything, but aren't we pretty far out? I can't hear any sounds of the city, or even cars from the highways."
"Yeah, that was kinda the point."
"Oh?"
"Dancing in a creek is kinda dangerous, so what say we continue this a little higher up?"
"Higher? You mean-"
Yuuji flared his wings.
With a gasp of delight, Raynare unfurled her own, and, spinning slowly in place as they did, the duo began to rise slowly into the air.
It was one of the many advantages to having wings that were largely supernatural in nature.
Merely having their wings out allowed 'the ability to fly', actually flapping their wings merely allowed them to do so with greater speeds, and greater levels of control.
Which was why they could dance hand-in-hand several hundred feet in the air without their wings getting in each other's way.
This didn't make it easy, per say, but Yuuji had been working hard to ensure he could do so smoothly enough to keep up with the best flier in the household.
… He'd have to thank Kala for the lessons later.
There wasn't a lot they could do, like this, sure, but Raynare seemed to be enjoying herself as they danced slowly about, so Yuuji was satisfied.
Any second now, he imagined, she'd finally notice the other thing he wanted her to see.
As if on cue, another gasp escaped Raynare's lips, as something below and behind him caught her eye.
"Is that Kuoh!?"
"Sure is."
"It seems so small... from all the way up here."
"Well, like you guessed, we are pretty far out. I'm glad the weather held, though, there was a chance of rain this weekend."
With mock-seriousness, Raynare carefully scrutinized the horizon as they slowly turned about.
"Hmm… nope, no grey clouds today!"
"Gives you a good view of home, doesn't it?"
Raynare blinked.
"... Home?"
"Yeah, just over there is the home we've all been protecting together."
Yuuji smiled as Raynare's eyes widened in wonder.
"This is what I wanted you to see, but…"
Raynare tilted her head in puzzlement as Yuuji abruptly released her, only to shriek in joy as Yuuji put both hands on her waist and lifted her above his head, beating his wings to spin them about faster.
"I'll admit, dancing in the sky sounded fun too."
Laughing as she spread her arms and legs out wide, Raynare peeked downwards to find Yuuji smirking up at her.
A smirk of her own crossed her lips as she left Yuuji's grasp with a sudden beat of her wings, flying in a complete loop to come up at him from below, so closely that her chest brushed against his stomach as she moved.
Letting her wings vanish, Raynare flung her arms around his shoulders and her hips around his waist, leaving them eye-to-eye, and their faces once more inches apart.
"Hmm, have I caught a Yuuji-kun or has a Yuuji-kun caught me?"
Yuuji kissed her.
After a muffled squeak of surprise, Raynare recovered, lifting one hand to grip the back of Yuuji's head, and shivering pleasantly as the kiss deepened and his hands roamed.
"Sometimes I forget what a bully Yuuji-kun can be, kissing me for the first time without any warning~"
Raynare panted, eyes alight and cheeks flushed.
"Had a feeling you'd be fun to kiss."
Yuuji shrugged.
"And was I?"
Yuuji nodded gravely, after a moment.
"... I'm pretty confident in my answer, but we should test it out a few more times just to be safe."
Laughing merrily, Raynare shifted her hands to gently hold his face, and pulled him in once more.
What a wonderful day.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, a warm breeze was blowing, and-
Lady Gremory's smiling face was inches from her own.
"NYAA~!"
Kuroka elegantly screamed, flinging herself straight up into the air off her perch, much like a startled cat.
Which was precisely what she was, at the moment.
Covering her mouth with one slender white-gloved hand, Venelana Gremory giggled as the startled Nekoshou broke her transformation as she landed, all the better to clutch at her rapidly beating heart.
"Nyaa! Gremory-san, we don't actually have nyine lives, you know!"
"Ara, the knowledge that a flustered Kuroka-chan is rather cute may have awoken something."
Venelana tittered shamelessly.
Kuroka shivered.
"... No, no I'm not going to ask. Did you need something Gremory-san, or were you just indulging your sadistic urges?"
"... Come now, I'm not that bad… am I?"
Venelana protested with just the hint of concern.
Unfortunately, it was mostly feigned, and the keen-eyed cat saw right through it.
"Nyo, nyo, of course not~"
Kuroka assured her gently.
" Though… I am starting to worry there might be whips and chains in the master bedroom~"
Kuroka mused curiously, eyes twinkling with mischief.
Venelana stared at her in a subdued display of shock for several seconds before she was able to formulate a response.
"Hmmph, it seems I'm not the only girl around here who's a great big bully!"
A pouty response, but a response nonetheless.
"And she doesn't even deny it, nyaa."
Venelana averted her gaze with her cheeks puffed in a lady-like fashion, only to wink and giggle a moment later as Kuroka rolled her eyes with a giggle of her own.
… Teasing aside, it did her heart good to see the young Nekoshou so at ease.
Now, to make that smile even brighter.
"What I actually wished to tell you, Kuroka-chan, is that in a few weeks my daughter will be returning to the Underworld for summer break."
Kuroka went still.
"Of course, she'll be bringing her servants with her, as well-"
"SHIRONE IS SPENDING THE SUMMER!?"
Even as her ears rang from the sudden outburst, Venelana could only laugh helplessly as the Nekoshou once more sprung from her seat, this time in pure excitement.
"That's what it means, yes. They'll be here starting from the third week of July until the second to last day of August."
"Over a month? That's great, nyaa! Though, I imagine it's not all going to be vacation, is it?"
Kuroka enquired, her composure valiantly fighting a hopeless battle against her excitement.
Venelana shook her head gently.
"No, you're correct, they'll be here for a few days once break immediately starts, but Rias plans to have about a week put aside for training purposes. After all, her debut at the Young Devils Gathering will be in August, and she will be expected to compete in Rating Games against the other heirs making their debuts."
"Training, huh? That makes things easier for me actually, Shirone and I... have lots of work to do."
Venelana watched the young woman carefully, noting that the idea didn't seem to make Kuroka particularly happy.
"It bothers you still, doesn't it?"
She gently asked.
"... Of course it does… Her struggles with her heritage are my fault. If I'd just-"
Kuroka gave an odd shiver, and the air around her heaved, like a ship upon the waves.
The distortion fled just as quickly as it arrived, though, driven away by the faint gleam of crimson that washed across Venelana's skin.
As Kuroka shook her head with a start, the Gremory matriarch closed in.
The Nekoshou opened her mouth to apologize, but Venelana cut off the approaching downwards spiral before it could even start, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Kuroka, pulling her against her chest with a soft hum.
Kuroka remained frozen for several moments before her hands lifted to return the embrace.
"... Sorry, I-"
The slender arms wrapped around her tightened in warning.
" No… what I meant was thank you, Gremory-san."
"You're most welcome, Kuroka-chan."
… It was something that Venelana Gremory had worked hard to drill into the lovely young cat.
She couldn't stand it when people apologized for their pain…
Any more than she could accept them feeling the need to apologize in the first place.
Well, one step at a time, she supposed.
Kuroka was far from the only one under the Gremory's care in need of healing.
Some time later, after Venelana had reassured herself that Kuroka would not merely slump into depression the moment she was out of sight (yet again), the Gremory matriarch chuckled softly to herself as a sudden thought struck her.
Rias was bringing her new servants, which meant of course that she and Akeno were bringing their boyfriend.
From what she'd heard, her daughter's Pawn was far from ambitious, but he was also strong, and rapidly growing into a Devil worth taking note of.
A nudge here or there, and soon he'd be looking for-
No, no, she shouldn't get too ahead of herself…
Oh, who was she kidding?
Imagine all the fun she'd have encouraging the next generation to go after whatever they wanted!
Too absorbed in her own thoughts as the Gremory matriarch wandered giggling through the halls, she failed to notice the very, very still figure that had come to a sudden halt in an adjoining hallway.
As the laughter faded into the distance, a rather nervous Grayfia gave a muted sigh of relief.
She knew exactly what was happening… the Gremory matriarch was getting Ideas.
… Perhaps a vacation was in order.
Eventually, they took a break from their aerial make-out session in order to fly side by side, leisurely soaring upon the warm eddies and currents of the late spring air.
At one point, Raynare decided she wanted to fly hand in hand, and had gotten around the potential issue of colliding wings by gliding beneath Yuuji upside-down, linking both her hands with his as they glided in tandem.
Once they'd had their fun, they slowly descended to the earth once more, drawing their picnic basket and blanket from a glowing portal as they set up on a grassy knoll, overlooking the creek.
They ate in companionable silence, idly watching the sedate flow of the shimmering waters as they sat side by side, savoring the warm breeze and as it wafted through the vibrant green of the forest trees.
After they'd finished eating, Raynare scooted closer to Yuuji, leaning her head against his shoulder with a pleased sigh.
"Thank you, Yuuji-kun… I really needed this."
"I…"
Yuuji cut himself off, about to downplay his own contributions as he often did.
"No, what I mean is, you're welcome."
Raynare's smile widened, just a touch.
This was… nice.
No, this was perfect.
She felt so happy her heart was liable to burst at any second, so light, so free, and-
She didn't deserve any of it.
Yuuji's distant gaze snapped into focus as Raynare stiffened against him.
Deciding not to immediately react, Yuuji remained motionless as Raynare gradually began to relax once more, a quiet, almost derisive chuckle drifting away on the breeze.
"... If you don't mind… c-can we… not go any further than… than this?"
Raynare shuffled awkwardly, not quite looking his way as Yuuji took his time to answer.
"I don't mind."
He said eventually, pretending not to notice as Raynare sagged in relief.
"Sorry, it's just… not that I didn't have fun, this was great, but… well anyways, thanks."
She knew he wouldn't push, and-
"Now that that's out of the way, why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as Raynare flinched.
"B-bothering… me? T-there's-"
Why now!?
Why did he have to ask-
"You're lying."
Yuuji said, not even looking her way as he uttered his mild response.
They were silent for a long while, Yuuji gazing off into the distance as Raynare struggled to rein in the frantic pounding of her heart.
His eyes narrowed as Raynare's panic grew, and, not knowing what else to do-
"Hey, Yuuji, I love you, you know? … And that's why I'm scared."
Raynare said suddenly, her voice hoarse as she chuckled.
"... The way things have gone with you and I, it's actually happened before, you know? Though, the order's just a little off."
Another bitter chuckle.
"See, last time I fell in love with a nice guy…"
Raynare took a deep breath before quietly speaking.
"I killed him, too."
Yuuji remained silent, just watching her carefully, and before she knew it, the words were tumbling out in a rush.
"I am… was an Angel of Love, you know? Back in Heaven. My job was to help look after the young faithful, those just getting ready to open up their hearts for the first time."
Before she ruined everything.
"Hehe, you know Yuuji-kun, a lot of first loves don't work with humans? Time and time again as hearts so full of love and hope crumbled, crushed by their own pain, I watched helplessly from afar. Sure, I could nudge here or there, sure I could ease the pain, but… when a heart breaks, no matter how small it might seem, there's a piece you never quite get back."
Raynare snickered, as if it were exciting but harmless school room gossip.
"And you know, I loved them too. It was my nature to love, to care, to feel with them."
… To Yuuji, her laughter sounded a lot like sobbing.
"It's a funny thing, you know. They say you never forget the reason you Fell, but… well. There's no name, barely a face… maybe those memories are the part of my heart I never did quite manage to recover."
"You see, Yuuji-kun, he was someone that never gave up. He was kind, he was caring, he was so understanding, so good, and he was just used time and time again. Each time as I watched a piece of his heart crumble away, he'd gather the pieces up and stand once again."
Broken, but unbowed… maybe that was the same reason she loved Yuuji.
"I don't really know when it happened, but one morning, I woke up, and he was the first thing on my mind, the last thing on my mind when I'd go to sleep. I didn't even realize it, but I grew to hate them, those bitches who used my lovely little ward just to throw him away."
Even as her sad little smile remained etched in place, an old spark of hatred gleaming within her violet eyes.
"Until one day, one new heartbreak, and… the pieces he was trying to pick up just seemed to slip through his fingers. That lovely heart of his had finally shattered into pieces too small for him to hold onto."
Raynare sighed, slumping in exhaustion as the fire in her eyes faded, dull embers losing their light to a darkness that only she could see.
"It just made perfect sense, at the time. If he couldn't fix his heart on his own, he just needed someone to do it for him. If he just had one person, who would never, ever betray him, then he could heal, he could be happy. And there weren't any human girls I could trust to do it, so I thought…"
Raynare's smile widened, even as the light from her eyes remained distant and cold.
"Why couldn't it be me?"
Almost in spite of herself, the fondness returned to her voice, even as she shook and trembled.
"... I wasn't really prepared for it, you know? It's not like Angels can't have sex, as long as they follow the rules, God wanted us to be happy too, you know? But that's with each other, after they're properly wed, and humans are always off-limits, and… well, honestly, I'm not sure if it even crossed my mind."
"It must have come as quite the surprise, a literal Angel appearing in his dark little room, the air still heavy with the scent of his own sorrow. I don't even remember what I said, what he said. Did I seduce him? Did he seduce me? Maybe I just took what I wanted, too blinded by my own desires to even see his. The only thing I remember is when the ecstasy on his face turned to pure, utter horror."
Raynare chuckled merrily, even as she drew her legs up against her chest and huddled against them.
"You've seen it for yourself, haven't you? When we get really, really turned on, our wings unfurl on their own, sometimes. I mean, it was my… my first orgasm, how was a pent-up virgin like me supposed to keep it together? I didn't really get why he seemed so horrified, so guilty until I realized he was looking past me."
Her gaze drifted over her shoulder, as if seeing it once more.
"That's when I saw them, drifting down onto the tangled sheets. A single black feather. I mean, the leaders of the Grigori Fell for making love to mortals, what chance did I have?"
"But it wasn't really Love, Yuuji, that brought me there. I was lying to myself the whole time, and when the feather hit the bed is when I realized it. It was Lust towards a beautiful soul, Envy towards those filthy skanks who had held that heart only to dash it upon the ground, and Pride that whispered that I, I was the only person who could possibly set things right."
The tears were flowing then unheeded, stinging rivers down pale skin.
"The best part is? The first thing he did was beg, beg for forgiveness, for what he had made me do! How fucked up is that!? Of course, being the paragon of courage that I am, I ran away, hurled myself through the glass window and flew off into the night!"
Raynare's voice dropped into little more than a choked whisper.
"I don't even know how long it was, before I returned to check on him. Maybe I wanted to apologize, maybe I wanted to reassure myself that he was okay, hell, maybe I just wanted to fuck his brains out again, I don't know."
It seemed to take ages, but eventually her head turned his way, a weak smile upon trembling lips as Raynare gave a helpless shrug.
"It doesn't matter, because it was all far, far too late. I snuck in and read the coroner's report, and apparently, not long after I flew off, he took a flight of his own, just… without any wings to catch him."
Exhausted she sagged, resting her heavy head against her knees.
"So that's how it went, Yuuji-kun."
She murmured.
"That's how I Fell from Heaven, and that's how I killed my very first love. Sorry to ruin the mood and all that, but it didn't feel right to hide it any longer, not when you're putting so much effort into someone like me."
… It scared her a bit, that he hadn't said anything, even once.
His expression hadn't shifted, all this time, he had just watched her in silence.
With a deep breath, she gathered her courage to speak his name, to ask-
"... Warm?"
It was warm.
There were arms around her, and, muffled but strong, beneath the warmth her head had been turned to press against, was a slow, steady beat.
What was-?
She didn't understand.
Why?
Why was-
"You know, there are certain things you can't say to a guy without waiting for his answer."
Yuuji softly admonished her, and Raynare felt her eyes go wide with wonder as she felt the words, thrumming though his chest.
"Raynare."
The trembling ceased with a sharp intake of breath, and Raynare went completely, utterly still.
"I love you too."
The sun had taken quite the shift across the sky, he noticed, when Raynare had run out of tears to shed.
Exhausted, the girl had gone limp in his arms, and fallen into a deep slumber, but…
With a smile on her face that just wouldn't falter.
Absent-mindedly cradling the cute thing curled up in his lap, Yuuji patiently watched the clouds amble across the sky.
… He hoped he'd been able to help.
Raynare seemed happier, sure, but he didn't really think he was all that good at reading people, so he supposed the best he could hope for was not making it worse.
Yuuji tried not to tense as Raynare stirred in his lap, eyes fluttering gently as she looked up at him.
The niggling unease vanished as he smiled down at her, and she smiled up, and-
Awareness fully returned.
Flushing a crimson equal to a Gremory's hair, Raynare slowly lifted both hands to cover her face.
Several moments passed before anyone was willing to speak.
"I was gonna wait, you know. Kisses are good, I like kisses, maybe some heavy petting, you know, some hands beneath the dress if things were going well."
Raynare admitted, voice muffled through her hands.
Her hands left her face, revealing a determined pout that triggered some maddened urge to pinch her cheeks, a siren call that Yuuji only barely managed to avoid succumbing to as his hands twitched.
"But fuck that… no, better yet Yuuji, fuck me."
Yuuji blinked once, twice, doubting his ears, and perhaps his mind as well.
Hesitating was the wrong thing to do, it seemed, as the next thing he knew he was on his back, a very much aroused Fallen Angel looming over him like some great bird of prey.
"Well?"
She demanded, irritably.
He didn't get it.
What was he supposed to say to something like that?
No, something that bizarrely cute, that charmingly vulgar, had only one possible response he could give.
Raynare was left to gape in shock as the man pinned beneath her threw back his head, and laughed and laughed until he could laugh no more.
Yuuji honestly couldn't remember a time he'd laughed for so long, nor a time he'd laughed that hard.
As if to protest his out of character actions, his cheeks were aching fiercely, and smiling only seemed to make it worse.
… Not that he was going to stop, but he should probably deal with Raynare.
She'd crawled off of him, and was currently sulking with her back turned, even though her head was turned so that she could glare at him out of the corner of her eye.
"... You big meanie."
"Sorry, but I'm not properly trained to deal with things that are ridiculously cute."
"Hmph! Even giving me compliments isn't going to make me less angry, you know."
Raynare declared, with a petulant huff.
"Sorry, I'll make it up to you."
Raynare turned her head away.
Quietly, Yuuji got to his feet and crept over, kneeling behind just within arms reach.
Not having heard, Raynare, after a moment, turned back to see what he was doing.
She gave a little shriek of surprise as Yuuji pulled her onto her back, his head hovering over hers.
She wasn't entirely sure if she was still going to pretend to be mad at him, but Yuuji made the choice for her when he brought his body around, sitting on top of her.
With a bright smile and flushed cheeks, Raynare lifted her arms in invitation.
She wrapped her arms around his wide back as Yuuji leaned in, their chests pressing together as their lips met.
Raynare shuddered in delight as Yuuji's tongue slipped between her lips, her own sliding against his as they took their time to explore each other.
Even as his tongue roamed her mouth, Yuuji shifted his body, lifting his chest off of Raynare and sinking his fingers gently into her heaving breast.
It was the fun thing about low necklines, he idly mused, as he kneaded and rolled the soft flesh beneath his hands.
As his hands moved, his fingers would brush the bare skin above the dress, something Raynare seemed to like if all the squirming was any indication.
Beginning to run out of breath, Yuuji broke the kiss with the panting Raynare, and swung one leg off of her to get it out of the way.
While his disguised iron hand continued its ministrations of one breast, Yuuji lowered his head and planted a kiss on the other, right over top of the thin fabric, before switching his hand to it.
His other hand worked its way under the bunched up hem of her dress, and gently, but firmly pressed one finger against the wet heat it found between her legs.
Raynare shrieked, arching her back like a drawn bow as a small series of convulsions ripped through her supple form.
One eyebrow raised, Yuuji watched the girl go limp, withdrawing his hand from beneath her dress.
"You're more sensitive than I thought."
"What do you… expect… I'm a Fallen Angel of Love. Saying you love me like that... basically counts as edging."
"That's kind of exciting, but are you…?"
"Don't you dare stop now."
Chuckling, Yuuji repositioned himself to sit between her long legs, and slid both hands along the outside of her smooth thighs.
As Raynare moaned blissfully, Yuuji hooked his thumbs into the lacy, dark purple fabric he found sitting upon Raynare's wide hips.
Slipping the panties down, just a little before releasing them, he leaned down, and-
"Y-Yuuji!?"
The Fallen Angel bucked in surprise as Yuuji caught the now slightly loose fabric between his lips, incidentally planting a kiss on her wet opening as he did so.
Just like that, he dragged her underwear down her silky skin, Raynare slipping one leg free as it reached her calves.
Yuuji tossed the garment away with a flick of his head.
When he turned back around though, Raynare stopped him with an outstretched hand, a flicker of uncertainty passing across her furiously blushing face.
"... Is it alright if I… if I'm o-on top?"
Yuuji couldn't help but notice that there was something else to her request, something she wasn't telling him.
"If you'd like."
Well, that was no reason to refuse, not when she was that nervous about asking.
Reaching out, he took Raynare's hands in his own, pulling her up as he laid back.
"Hmm, suddenly, I feel a bit overdressed."
Raynare mused with a finger against her lips, kneeling above Yuuji.
"Watching all the bouncing is one of the best parts about this position."
Yuuji pointed out agreeably.
She'd intended to make a show of it, but-
She was done waiting.
"... P-please?"
She had also planned to open up that belt of his, but…
Her hands were shaking, why were her-?
"Relax… I'm not going anywhere, alright?"
Raynare closed her eyes, and took a long, deep breath.
"S-sorry… I m-might be a little nervous… it's been almost fifteen years since I've been with a guy."
She said, without opening her eyes.
"Huh, I always thought you were my age."
Raynare shook her head.
"Well… time passes differently, in Heaven, so a lot of us Fallen just track age from when we… you know."
"I see."
"Yep."
Raynare replied, opening her eyes to-
"Oh."
"Yep."
Yuuji responded flippantly.
He'd undone his pants, while her eyes were closed, and now Raynare was privy to the knowledge that she wasn't the only person currently very, very turned on.
"It looks almost… painful, like that."
Raynare then gave a wicked giggle.
"But I know just the thing~"
Grabbing his length with one hand, Raynare gave a sharp hiss as Yuuji began to enter her.
Reaching up, Yuuji gently gripped her by the hips to help keep Raynare steady.
"You okay?"
Yuuji managed to get out- damn she was tight- as Raynare began to slowly lower herself with a grimace.
"Y-yeah… j-just… god this is filling me a lot more than K-Kala's fingers!"
Divine spikes of pain aside, wasn't that an interesting-
"B-bigger!? Why is it… getting b-bigger!?"
"Yeah… I'm not apologizing for that one."
Moaning, Raynare squirmed utop him, unintentionally working his shaft deeper inside her as she did, entry growing easier and easier as her arousal drenched his cock.
Raynare stiffened with a gasp as her hips suddenly hit Yuuji's, the wet slap of flesh filling the air as he hilted inside of her.
Her back arching, Raynare let out a long, breathy sigh, fingers trailing down her breasts as her hips began a slow, subtle grind.
Bringing her head back down with a loving smile, Raynare began to speak, but, as her words failed, merely swooped down for another kiss.
Righting herself, Raynare began to bounce up and down, slowly at first, but seeming to gain a little more confidence every time their hips met.
Her heavy-lidded, euphoric smile, the sweat glistening down her smooth, pale skin, and the rhythmic bounce and sway of her full breasts.
Raynare had never seemed quite so captivating, but-
Yuuji was many things, and passive was not one of them.
Raynare didn't quite seem to understand what he was doing, when he gripped her firmly by the waist, but she definitely felt what he was doing when her thrust down was met by his thrust up.
"Y-Yuuji!? That's too- I'm gonna-!"
"I can't be the one having all the fun."
Yuuji said with a smirk.
"Is that- mmph!? W-what you think-!?"
Raynare gasped through grit teeth, her bouncing hips growing more and more desperate in their motion.
"Well... something like that."
By this point, she was riding him so hard that at least one of them was going to bruise, but-
"Y-Yuuji! H-hands! C-can we-!?"
He almost didn't make it in time, trying to puzzle out her frantic gasping.
At the last second, Yuuji released Raynare's narrow waist, and linked his hands with hers.
As if she had been holding on just for that, Raynare slammed her hips down hard, threw her head back, and screamed her release to the empty sky above.
Her walls clenched around him like a vice, and Yuuji hissed as Raynare thrashed on top of him, moaning helplessly as her body shuddered and convulsed.
Rapidly, the shaking pushed him over the edge, but even had he the time to pull out, he doubted Raynare had the presence of mind to let him.
Raynare's eyes shot open wide, and she screamed anew as Yuuji painted her insides with his seed, sending her crashing right into another climax.
This time, their shared release was accompanied by a rush of air, a set of raven wings unfurling with a mighty gust.
As Yuuji slid out of her and laid back, gasping, Raynare's motion slowly trickled down to a series of spastic twitches, as the Fallen Angel slumped awkwardly, baring heaving breasts towards the sky.
Yuuji was still catching his breath when a sudden, stricken gasp sent every sense on high alert.
Pushing off the ground, he caught one glimpse of Raynare's bone-white, utterly still form and snapped his head into the direction her terrified, strangely distant gaze was transfixed upon.
There, drifting slowly to the earth, was a single pitch-black feather.
"No, no-"
Raynare began to shake her head wildly, trembling as she watched the feather fall-
Onto an outstretched hand of iron.
Slowly, Raynare blinked several times, staring at the feather.
The horror faded as the light seemed to return to her eyes, leaving Raynare to stare in wonder.
"History doesn't get to repeat itself, Raynare."
Her gaze followed the feathers path as Yuuji brought it slowly between them.
"Not with this."
Gently, Yuuji reached out and took one of her hands with his empty one, depositing the feather onto it, and then cupped his beneath it.
Raynare watched spellbound as Yuuji guided her hand, making no sound save a tiny inhale of breath as Yuuji placed her hand, and the feather it held, against his heart.
As the trembling began anew, Yuuji reached over with his free hand and pulled her body against his, pushing her head down to rest on his shoulder, and using their joined bodies to pin the feather between them.
"Can't you feel it, Raynare?"
Yuuji whispered as the sobs wracked the fragile form in his arms.
"I'm still here."
The horizon carried just the faintest hint of gold, when Yuuji returned to the dormitory with Raynare in his arms.
The exhausted young girl had once more slipped off into a deep, contented slumber as he'd held her, but even asleep, her grip on the feather had never loosened, even for a moment.
So, when they appeared in the common room, Kalawarner was there, patiently awaiting their return, and it took only a moment for her gaze to fall upon the precious bundle, cradled against Raynare's chest with all the delicacy one would treat a newborn child.
Yuuji's eyes widened in helpless alarm as Kalawarner shot up from her seat, only to be forced to catch herself with her hands as long legs immediately buckled beneath her.
"Kala?"
Yuuji whispered in alarm, as loud as he dared.
Kalawarner gazed in open-mouthed wonder towards Raynare's clenched hands, before, with a visible effort, she pulled her gaze away to meet Yuuji's.
"You… do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I… yeah, I think I do, actually."
Radiant in its joy, Kalawarner's smile bloomed across her face like the sun emerging from behind the darkest of clouds.
"Then, with all my heart, thank you, Yuuji…"
"Thank you, for saving her."
She wasn't precisely sure why she'd known, but when Yuuji returned to the dormitory, Akeno was immediately aware, and thus, as he made his way up the staircase, she was waiting for him at the landing.
She smothered a sound halfway between a giggle at his slightly dazed expression, and an adoring coo at how tenderly he carried the curled up Raynare.
As he stepped up beside her, Yuuji blinked once, and his eyes regained some of their usual focus.
"I'm back."
"I can tell."
She smiled, leaning forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek.
She held her head there, for a moment, fondly whispering.
"Well done today, my love. Don't worry about Kala, for now, I'll go check on her, okay?"
"Yeah… thanks. Love you too."
Stepping past him with her loving smile firmly in place, she turned her head to call softly back.
"Bed is free, by the way, Rias and I are going to sleep in her room. Have a good night, and I'll see you in the morning."
"Sleep well, Akeno."
Yuuji smiled to himself as one of the wonders of his life sauntered slowly away, leaving him to care for another.
It wasn't something he was all that used to, but that night, Yuuji's dreams were a most pleasant thing indeed.
Cold sweat running down his spine, he sat up with a sharp gasp, throwing the tangled sheets aside.
Fighting to get his breath under control, staring hard at the stitches in his fingers, the flesh beneath still an angry red.
… That damn dream again.
Before, his dreams were infrequent at best, and they all served the same purpose.
Motivation.
Vali didn't buy into the idea of dreams, at least his dreams, having any actual bearing on the future, but whenever he'd dream of battles, of challenges he'd yet to undertake, he would always swear to himself to one day make them come true.
After all, one of his greatest goals was to one day challenge and conquer the Dragon of Dreams, the Great Red himself.
So defeating the other foes in his dreams made a certain amount of sense, he thought.
Until a single bullet made of wood, nothing more than a glorified splinter, had torn open his face and nearly ripped off two of his fingers.
It had been weeks, and he was still healing.
He was the White Dragon, he could recover from wounds that would kill lesser men in days.
Yet in spite of that, the wounds the Unknown Soldier, that Kazami Yuuji had inflicted on him, were still healing, still aching as if his blood still dripped from the skies.
No one outside his team was aware of his injuries, but Le Fay had suggested that maybe 'Mistilteinn' was inhibiting his healing in some way.
From her best guess, it seemed like he was healing at the rate an average human would heal.
Whatever may have been the case, since then, all of his dreams would end the exact same way.
No matter the battle, no matter the foe, someone uninvolved, someone normal, would get caught in the crossfire, no matter how isolated the field of battle, no matter how hard he tried to keep the fight between him and his foe, and no one else.
He wouldn't do that, he wasn't like that, he-
And the moment they did, a specter of iron would emerge from the smoke, and the battle would end.
The ending was always the same.
A once mighty Dragon of white, skewered upon a single, towering thorn and left to die like some exotic insect pinned to a board in a display case.
Writhing and gasping as its life bled away, watching as its impassive killer carried away the innocent bystander, without a backwards glance towards its fallen foe.
Look at me, damn you.
He had never really stopped to think about it, but the idea that his death could be so easily ignored was deeply, deeply troubling.
He fully expected to die in battle, it was true, but he had always imagined a glorious end.
He was not afraid of death.
Vali Lucifer could hardly even remember a time that he had ever been afraid of death.
Even a gruesome end like the one in his dreams, while he would admit it was just a little unsettling, did not exactly frighten him, so much as the fact that-
That innocent bystander, that person with no reason to be involved with him any longer…
The identity of that person never changed.
"... I don't get it. What makes you and I so different, Yuuji?"
As Raynare awoke with a languid yawn, she snuggled more deeply against the warm chest beneath her cheek, burrowing deeply into its soft, squishy-
Okay, so she wasn't very successful with the deeply part, because the chest wasn't really soft, or squishy, it was actually kinda hard and flat, in a 'not a girl's chest at all kind of way', and oh this wasn't Kala-
"Morning."
Came the dull monotone, with just the tiniest traces of warmth if you knew what to listen for.
"Oh, so it was Yuuji's chest all along."
Raynare confirmed as she lifted her head, glad to know the mystery was solved.
"That seems to be the case, yeah."
Yuuji replied casually.
"Hmm… kiss?"
She requested.
"Kiss."
He graciously allowed.
Raynare did just that, once again confirming that kissing a boy was kinda fun, even if their lips weren't as soft.
"Thanks… oh, and, good morning, Yuuji-kun."
She said, breaking the kiss with a smile.
"Good morning, Ray, time to get up and get ready for school."
"School? That doesn't sound like cuddling."
Raynare couldn't help but protest.
"It doesn't, but I don't think you're thinking this through."
Raynare tilted her head curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we have plenty of time to get ready."
"Oh. Oooohhh…."
Dimly, Raynare noted that the bedroom was rather warm, or was it just her?
Yuuji was smirking, so it was probably just her, but…
"T-then, do you think you could, you know after we…?"
Raynare trailed off, flashing Yuuji her best puppy-dog eyes, even as her cheeks burned furiously.
"D-do you think you could b-b-brush my wings?"
"I was naive to think we wouldn't be late anyways."
"Less talking, more running! Kala-chan's gonna give us the ' Look' at this rate!"
"She might even make us stand in the hall."
"Right!?"
"Yeah, just think of all the fun we could have."
"... Oh no, I'm getting too tired to run. Yuuji-kun will have to carry me, and we'll definitely be late. Oh no, how unfortunate we are."
…
…
"You know, Yuuji-kun, that was supposed to slow us down."
"It was a close thing, to be honest… I kind of wanted to take my time carrying you."
"..."
"Raynare?"
"Ehehe~"
Well, after thinking long and hard for the past several seconds, and, after examining the scenario from every angle he could think of, Yuuji could confidently confirm that he had absolutely no idea why there was a tear running down Akeno's cheek.
Or why she was smiling while it did so, it always confused the hell out of him that women could smile and cry.
"... Akeno? Did… did I say something wrong?"
He had just finished telling Akeno about the date with Raynare, well, at least as much as he could without infringing on her privacy too much.
"No, of course not."
Akeno reassured with a hug, placing her head against his chest.
"I'm just happy for you, Yuuji-kun. Ray-chan too, I might not know her as well as Kala-san or Asia-chan, but even I can tell that yesterday did her a lot of good."
"... Yeah, the Ray part I kind of figured out, but I don't really get why you're so excited for me rather than with me."
Akeno lifted her head from his chest, and the smile she directed up at him was so joyous and loving that, quite suddenly and quite shockingly, he was the one fighting down the blush.
"Because I know you a lot better than I know Raynare, which means I'm having an even easier time seeing that you're healing too."
Yuuji was used to not knowing the right thing to say…
He was a lot less used to not being able to say anything at all.
"Heya brats! After the break, I'll be assisting my colleague as the assistant advisor for the Occult Research Club! Oh, and ya know, teaching Chemistry, that's cool too."
"... Buchou, I think we're in the wrong room. Let's all quietly leave."
Yuuji suggested, as Rias pinched her nose with a sigh.
"Why, exactly are you here?"
The 'you' Rias was referring to was the man cheerfully reclining in her chair, a man known in some circles as Azazel, the Governor of the Grigori.
"Sirzechs asked me, through Serafall's little sister."
Azazel said.
"Oh, and the glasses brat wanted me to pass on a message for you in specific, Gremory girl."
"Oh, I'm sure this will be good."
"Sure is! The message is, and I quote; 'He's your problem now, and I'm not sorry'."
Azazel recited in a tone entirely too gleeful given the contents could easily be viewed as a snub against him.
Rias let out a world-weary sigh.
"Of course she did. So, what's the part you're not telling us?"
"The condition for my tenure here is that I help the Sacred Gears of the Gremory Devils mature, as well as act in oversight and support of my two official ambassadors."
Azazel said, wagging his finger in Raynare and Kalawarner's direction.
The Fallen in question shifted nervously
It was to be expected they were a bit on edge, he supposed.
They'd been in the 'kill on sight' category amongst their own kind, not all that long ago.
"But mostly I'm going to be meddling with your training regimes, helping everyone get up to snuff. There's no Red Dragon to oppose the now rogue White, so instead we have a Soldier to serve as the Jack to his Giant."
"If you make me famous I'm never taking another request from you again."
Yuuji responded flatly, to which Azazel just laughed.
"Vali has his own team, you know, and it seems like the Gremory Family will be stacked up against them. After all, the ORC, highschool club or not, is currently the only organization of any kind that incorporates a representative from all three factions."
Azazel explained.
"You represent this peace we've worked so hard for, so one way or another, the Khaos Brigade and their ilk will set their sights on you eventually."
Azazel gave a carefree shrug.
"And since Yuuji-boy there forced Vali to retreat in front of the gathered leaders of the three factions, he's probably gonna want a rematch at some point anyways."
A subtle hint of crimson leaked into the air as Rias' eyes narrowed fiercely.
"So, like it or not, you kids are now at the forefront of history."
Azazel's playful demeanor fell away.
"So, I guess you could say my job is to make sure you don't stand at the forefront of history as martyrs to the cause."
Among those present, Rias had protested, leaving only with great reluctance and being patiently steered away by a sympathetic Akeno.
Asia had been worried, but hadn't quite known to express herself, and they had gently waved her away.
Yuuji had lingered by the door, an unspoken question in his gaze, but he too had left with a nod once they assured him they would be alright.
Thus, for the first time, Raynare and Kalawarner found themselves alone in a room with the leader of the Grigori himself.
"The Gremory girl inviting a pair of Fallen into her family home is quite the symbolic gesture, though for her I imagine that angle is secondary at best. You're among the first of our kind to be openly welcomed into the Devil-controlled Underworld for pleasure, rather than business."
Azazel began.
"That, and the fact that it's one of the highest ranking families in the Devil world makes it even more high profile... Well, it shouldn't be something you actually have to worry about all that much, the Gremory's are experts at deflecting any unwanted attention. It's just something you should be conscious of."
No response.
"Alright already, stop being so damn antsy around me."
Azazel said, scratching his head with an explosive sigh as the two women flinched.
"Listen, even on the off-chance that it did come up, I'm not going to ask you to pick between them and the Grigori."
Raynare and Kalawarner froze, clearly not expecting him to state things so candidly.
First off, we're at peace, and I'm going to try my damned best to keep it that way forever, and I'm not the only big wig thinking that way. And secondly, I don't even think that it's a bad thing that we'd lose that decision to begin with."
The two girls shared shocked glances, off-balance and unsure of what direction the conversation was taking.
"That you're working here 'on my orders' is symbolic and nothing else. All the higher ups know that, if anything, you're working for the Gremory Pawn and his master. I don't intend to muck up a good thing with my presence, not when you girls are perfectly happy to remain at Yuuji's side."
At Yuuji's mention, he couldn't help but chuckle as the beginnings of a smile began to fight its way onto each of the girls faces respectively.
"Ya know, maybe it would have been faster for me just to say 'don't overthink things'. Just like with the Gremory Devils and the little Angel, I'll help you girls become stronger, so you're ready to throw down with whatever bitter little relics decide to take pot shots at the family you've fought so hard to find."
Azazel smiled then, and though his smile was tentatively returned, Raynare and Kalawarner's expressions once more gave way to confusion as he stood up and made his way towards the door without any sort of preamble.
"And of course, I'll have your backs if anything you're not ready to handle yet comes your way."
Azazel lingered at the open door for a moment, and while his gaze was still warm, it also carried with it a faintly wistful, resigned air.
"It doesn't have to be anything more than that."
He said, before turning away-
"H-hang on."
Azazel paused, turning back with one eyebrow raised as both Raynare and Kalawarner stood.
Raynare was fidgeting, struggling to meet his eyes, whereas the still silent Kalawarner was fondly watching her companion with a tiny, but proud smile.
"S-so I was a-a little nervous… I mean… w-well Kokabiel is the only other Grigori leader I've met in person."
Azazel suppressed a snicker as Raynare realized that what she'd said might be easily misunderstood, and immediately tried to backtrack with her hands waving frantically about.
"N-not that I t-think you two are the same! Err, if it makes you feel any better I was p-pretty nervous around Lucifer too, and he was n-nothing but kind!"
Azazel gave a snort, his attempts to hide his amusement failing.
Still, he wasn't really sure what she was getting at, but maybe, dare he hope…?
"But well, you see, w-we don't really hold a grudge against you, and you've made it clear that you don't hold one against us, so maybe, you know, we could-?"
Dimly, Azazel realized that he might be getting old, because watching the young Fallen fidget and stammer like that really made him want to ruffle her hair for some reason.
"We could… try again? F-from the beginning?"
"... A fresh start, then?"
Azazel asked quietly after a moment.
Bashfully, Raynare gave a tiny nod with a shy smile, while Kalawarner met his gaze without waver before nodding as well.
She couldn't quite hide the hope in her gaze, either, but… hard to blame her, really.
"… I think I'd like that."
After all, even with all his centuries of practice, Azazel was having the same problem.
"Yeah, I'd like that a lot."
Carefully, he placed the finely made saucer and cup upon the desk, stepping away with the tray held neatly at one side.
Taking his place behind and to the side of the desk, he waited dutifully as his father sampled the tea.
"And so how is our young Dragon doing then, these days?"
"Still healing, Outo-san. The rumors are true, the White Dragon is having nightmares brought on by the wounds Nii-san gave him."
"Ah, such a shame, that our bright young Vali would suffer so! Still, I'm rather intrigued. The last time you encountered dear Yuuji-kun was only a few weeks prior, and how would you have rated his chances then?"
Of course he only wanted to know about Nii-san.
"It doesn't make any sense for him to be able to stand up to Vali, not in such a short length of time. The Gremory's are way too soft to push Nii-san into any method drastic enough to shorten that gap. Nii-san might be Nii-san, but he's only been a Devil for three months."
So what the hell is your secret, Nii-san?
"Indeed, even with his explosive rate of growth, the power granted by becoming a simple Pawn should in no way account for that."
"Though, I should remind you that we don't have concrete evidence as to how many of the Pawn Pieces were needed to reincarnate Nii-san."
A rich chuckle filled the room as his father conceded the point with a good-natured smile.
"A fair point, though, I imagine you already have your own theories?"
Nii-san is strong.
"It's Nii-san. The world's been underestimating the Gremory heiress if she could pull it off with less than 8."
Nii-san has to be the best, or else there's no meaning even if I-
"Haha too true, too true!"
Another sip of the tea, Father's composure returning effortlessly as he mused with a hum.
"Then, it must be, what was the term again? Hmm…"
As if you don't know, Outo-san.
"Balance Breaker, right?"
"Ah, yes! That was it, wasn't it? Thank you for jogging this old man's memory."
… Yeah, I still hate false modesty…
What does Outo-san even need it for?
The strong should just act like it.
"Indeed, there must be something the Unknown Soldier wields that would allow him to narrow the divide between himself and the Vanishing Dragon, if only for a moment. Poor, poor Vali, if only he'd listen to the heartfelt advice of his elders, rather than soaring around half-baked like that."
… Don't you have enough toys?
"Ah, but such is the charm of youth I suppose! And indeed, I would have been positively heart-broken had Yuuji-kun been killed off before he could reach his full potential! Which reminds me, I never did adequately thank the Gremory girl for saving him."
… You'd better hope he never gets the chance to 'thank you', Gremory.
"But I suppose that can wait, for now. Shalba and Loki continue to butt heads, Tartarus is being as elusive as ever, ah, so much to do, so much to do!"
"So what do you want me to do, Outo-san? Am I going back to the Khaos Brigade?"
"For a while longer, my boy. They'll be clashing with your dear older brother soon enough though, so I want you busy elsewhere before then. You'll have a role to play, but I don't want those fools wasting your talents."
… And there he goes again, keeping us separate.
It was fun at first, but I'm getting tired of these games, Nii-san.
When will I get to prove that I'm more than just your shadow?
When will Outo-san stop messing around, and just let me kill you?
Whoosh
"Oops."
Swish
"Close, but not quite."
BOOM!
"Yeah, I'm glad that didn't hit me."
"Yuuto-senpai, stop moving around so much."
"Sorry, Koneko-chan, but if you want me to do that you're going to have to stop getting stronger. I'm just a Knight, remember?"
Koneko shrugged her shoulders, before once more trying to take the head from his shoulders with a kick.
Idly, Kiba noted as he ducked, their sparring matches were starting to look more and more like some bizarre game of acrobatic tag.
Koneko sent a straight punch at his torso, and Kiba calmly steered it aside just a little with the hilt of his bokken, hopping away from the backhand and-
The wind died down in an instant, the air suddenly heavy and still.
"... Koneko, are you alright?"
Something was wrong, the light was playing weird tricks with her hair, and it was darkening in strange-
A gleam of golden eyes was his only warning, and on sheer instinct, Kiba hurled himself airborne, far more movement than necessary to dodge the fierce right hook that Koneko threw his way.
A great roar of air was accompanied by the awful grind of something sharp against stone, and Kiba gazed down below in bewilderment as the clearing beneath him was engulfed in a massive dust cloud.
Wings bared to keep himself aloft, Kiba listened to the crumbling of stone, vainly trying to pick out Koneko's tiny form within the haze.
"Uhh, Koneko? Are you okay down there? You didn't catch yourself in a landslide again, did you?"
These sorts of things tended to happen from time to time, when you could remodel an abandoned quarry with your fists.
"... Y-Yuuto-senpai!? A-are you… okay?"
… Why did she sound almost… scared?
"Yes, I'm alright… cover your face for a moment, I'm going to clear out some of the dust."
"... K."
Summoning Replenish Calm, Kiba let the swirling winds pull the dust up towards him, before redirecting it off to one side.
Below, he found Koneko sitting on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest.
Quietly, he landed in front of her, and Koneko flinched away, hiding behind her raised legs.
"Koneko? What's wrong?"
"I didn't mean to… I'm sorry... please don't be mad."
Came the quiet, yet desperate murmur.
"I'm just fine, see? Nothing to apologize for."
What was she apologizing for, anyways?
"... You're sure you're not hurt?"
"Yep, just fine. You do know I was just teasing you earlier, right? I'm not that fragile."
Rather than reply, Koneko lifted one hand to point past him.
Curious, Kiba turned to find-
"Oh."
"... Sorry…"
Etched across the cliff face she had been driving him towards were claw marks.
Even the smallest was longer than he was tall, and he was fairly confident he could fit a hand into those gouges.
"Okay, that is… yeah, that's pretty awesome, think you can do it again?"
Grinning, Kiba turned back to find Koneko gaping at him in astonishment.
"Is that a no?"
"You're not… angry?"
"Hmm, why would I be? Maybe a little much for a spar, but it's not like you did it on purpose, did you?"
"No!"
Kiba had to fight back a chuckle.
Even when she yelled, Koneko was pretty quiet.
"I didn't… I l-lost control for a second… got a little… impatient..."
"It's Senjutsu, right?"
"... Yes."
"I see."
Kiba walked over, and calmly extended a hand down towards the seated Nekoshou with a smile.
Koneko turned her head away, but Kiba patiently kept his hand extended.
"You're only just learning how to use your power, so accidents are to be expected. I mean, remember when I was first learning to use Sword Birth, and sometimes I'd summon swords facing the wrong way?"
Koneko giggled at that, almost in spite of herself.
"Mhm… Yuuto-senpai is lucky he has fast hands."
"And that the Gremory's carry lots of bandaids. But see the difference? No one got hurt this time, whether you or someone else, so why don't we just be grateful that everyone's alright, and work on reducing the chances of a repeat?"
Slowly, a tiny hand reached out and gripped onto his.
Kiba pulled Koneko to her feet, and then into his arms, giving the still shaky Rook a reassuring hug that was promptly returned.
"Okay… thanks, Yuuto-nii-san."
"Any time, Sis. Now, looking behind me, the thought occurs that gigantic claw marks in solid stone are sure to start some strange rumors if anyone comes across them."
"Yeah, we should probably…"
Two pairs of eyes met, accompanied by matching smirks.
""Leave it alone, and let people wonder.""
Quiet though it was, echoing laughter lingered through the quarry, long after they were gone.
"We'll be departing for the Underworld on the Sunday, before our first official day of summer break. That way, we'll be able to wake up in the family home on the first day of vacation."
Rias explained to them, as they were gathered in the clubhouse.
"Also, it seems like a shame to start off what's the first major school holiday for several of you with training, and so I've decided that we'll be spending the first week at my family home."
She continued.
"This will give us all a bit of time to relax and enjoy ourselves before we'll begin our training camp on the weekend. Well, when I say training camp, it won't be the same as what we did before the Rating Game against Riser. While we will be doing some team exercises, most of it will be on a more individual basis, with some exceptions here or there."
"For example, Raynare and Kalawarner will be working side by side under my guidance a fair bit, whereas we have some personal trainers lined up for several of you."
Azazel chimed, rubbing his hands together gleefully.
"Some of the really scary kinds of personal trainers!"
"A-ah… I'll do my best!"
Asia declared, with as much earnest determination as someone thoroughly intimidated could muster.
Azazel turned to Rias with one eyebrow raised, and waved in Asia's direction.
"You really are a Devil, aren't you? How am I supposed to bully that?"
Rias didn't seem to hear his whining, as Rias had screwed her eyes shut tight, and was muttering 'be strong, Rias, you have to be strong!' under her breath.
Having had finished (failing to) harden her heart, Rias gave an elegant cough, continuing on as if nothing had happened.
"The training period will continue for about a week, and after that, we'll be able to enjoy our vacation more freely, though I don't want us slacking off too much. After all, our enemies aren't going to be interested in whether or not we've adequately enjoyed our free time."
Rias declared, the sternness of a King returning slowly to her tone.
"Furthermore, the second to last week will see us attending the Young Devils Gathering. This will be the debut for myself, Sona, and the other heirs of our generation, to Devil Society as adults. Also, this will also be considered the first official appearances of yourselves, the members of my peerage. It's no exaggeration to say that our showing there will influence opinions of us for decades to come, and thus it is vital we put forth a strong showing."
A confident smirk tugged at her lips as Rias dismissively waved a hand, as if their success was a foregone conclusion.
"Of course, there's little fear of you all being anything but exceptional, so be yourselves and I'm sure you'll be fine."
Rias then boldly thrust a finger in the direction of Raynare, Kalawarner, and Irina respectively, haughty smile firmly in place.
"Though you might not be a part of my peerage, I consider you part of the Gremory family nonetheless, so make no mistake, I have every intention of showing you off as well."
Tapping a finger to her chin, Rias gave a careless shrug, after a moment.
"Though I suppose that you being ambassadors for the alliance and your respective factions is important, too."
While her stance might vary officially, among those she was close with, Rias saw no issue in being open about her priorities.
"And, more importantly!"
Rias' poised, almost arrogant demeanor vanished on the wind as she clapped her hands enthusiastically.
"I can't wait to show our newcomers around the Underworld for the first time! Just wait until you see my house, well, it's your house too now, of course!"
The 'meeting' more or less over, things devolved more or less into pleasant chatter after that.
Yuuji could appreciate that they were taking things seriously, and earnestly preparing for an uncertain future.
But… he had to admit, being able to act their age was kind of nice, too.
"So what did you want to talk to me about alone, Buchou?"
Rias shook her head with a smile, making it clear that it wasn't any sort of official business.
"As you probably already know, Akeno's birthday will be the second day of summer break, the 21st. That's part of the reason I wanted us to leave on the Sunday, it gives us a day to get things ready. Of course, preparations will already be underway by then, but I want the opportunity to take a personal hand in things as well."
"Makes sense to me, yeah. Are we going to have a party?"
"A small one, just friends and family. Akeno doesn't really like it when we make a big fuss over her."
… Yuuji had a feeling that the standards of what constituted a 'big fuss' weren't really consistent here, but oh well.
"But, what I mostly wanted to talk to y-you about was…"
Crimson stained the cheeks of his King, as she coughed delicately into her hand in a vain attempt to remain composed.
"M-more about w-what happens after the party… you know, during the n-night?"
Yuuji nodded for her to continue.
"I think I'll be ready to do…. Y-you know, that with Akeno, but I was wondering if you had any ideas already, Yuuji?"
Rias could freely admit that the tingles she felt, when Yuuji smirked at her, were…
Definitely the good kind of tingles.
Raynare wasn't going to be ready to cross the line with Yuuji, just yet, but then the 'fuck that, no better yet, fuck me' line popped into my head when I was hella tired, and I laughed really fucking hard.
My rule is that whenever an idea makes me laugh really hard, when brainstorming, I try to include it in my writing in some way. For reference, that's why Suu is Asia's familiar, and why the HOTD girls are getting turned into monster girls in another story.
So yeah, I'd say good things happen that way.
Anyways, next chapter is going to be Akeno's birthday (what the hell did they even do for that in canon?), and training.
Both of those are important, for entirely different reasons.
As an aside, I'm having fun interjecting worrying pieces of foreshadowing between all the fluff and sexiness. It's like a friendly little reminder that the M-rating isn't just for all the lemons.